Duergar Mind Master:
The Duergar Mind Master uses his Mind Mastery and directs it at the Rogue Zarek, he is unable to resist, draws his Hand Cross-Bow and prepares to fire at his closet friend and ally., but we have jumped to far in the future let us begin at the beginning.
Zarek leads and is followed by Alley who is carrying the Magical Purple Candle.
Zarek checks the floor for the small booted tracks and finds more all leading to and from the northern area. The tunnel is only 4’ foot in height and makes it hard for the Heroes to move down it easily.
Zarek gestures to alley to hold back some 10’ feet and the Rogue sets off without making a sound. Some 60’ feet down the excavated tunnel, the Rogue can clearly see that there is a large chamber beyond which is accessed through a small entrance.
Zarek signals Alley to hold while he looks and listens into the chamber beyond. The cavern is in Darkness and the Rogue has problem see everything in detail.
What the Rogue can see is a large, elongated cavern which is 50’ by 40’ feet. Within thee is a small cot, chest and a table and chair. The table is covered in papers and scrolls. About the rest of the cavern there is creates, barrels and other common items, a well and another tunnel heading north.
With no light within the cavern the Rogue calls for Alley and she enters and is asked to light her lantern. Thinking that the cavern was empty, the Rogue first checks for the small booted tracks but finds that he can see only small humanoid tracks, that of a Dwarf or Halfling or other of similar size.
Zarek: “Strange, can Duergar make themselves small as well as large like the one in the Xanathar Guild Sewer Hideout?”
headed to the table to investigate the papers and scrolls.
Zarek could not read the papers and scrolls but did know that it was some form of Dwarvish. The Rogue spends some minutes in the attempt of discerning what these documents could mean. Eventually the Rogue can find familiar names, names of streets and road within Waterdeep, and also names of people or marks. These are notes or diaries, possibly surveillance giving the size of the Duergar Mind Master and his sneaky way.
Zarek: “I think this is Underdark Dwarvish Runes Alley.”
Alley: “I can use my ‘Comprehend Languages’ Spell if needed Zarek, but where is its author?”
Zarek: “What was it that the Duergar could do apart from ‘Enlarge’?”
Alley: “You need to keep reading your Volo’s Guide to Monsters. Like the one in the Xanathar Guild Sewer Hideout, it’s become ‘Invisible’.”
Alley casts her ‘Comprehend Languages’ Spell and can see that they are in fact a journal of surveillance carried out on member of Waterdeep. Times, places, locations habits, associates and other useful if not sinister pieces of information.
The Rogue, less interested in finding the occupier of this hidden cavern and more is searching it further, moves to the north and finds a small table with a green bottle and a single glass upon it. Then the Rogue could also see that the tunnel ended here and there was an open trap door.
The Rogue approached the trap door quietly and looked down. He could see that the shaft lead down beyond the range of his Darkvision and tapered off narrowing as it dissapeared downwards.
Zarek: “The Gods only know what evil lives down in the Underdark, I hope never to need to go.”
That’s when all hell broke loose.
Zarek feels a force enter his mind and the Rogue is able to resist and prevent from being moved over the open trapdoor and down into the Underdark below. Zarek turns to see what being had attack him. It is a Dwarf, Duergar to be precise.
Though this one was of tiny size, it was a medium size humanoid, Dwarf-like in stature, short and stocky, with a compact but wiry frame. Its skin is ashen gray, typical of the Duergar race, adapted to the lightless depths of the Underdark.
Its eyes, not quite truly knowing what gender the creature was, are pale, often glowing faintly with a Psionic shimmer; and must be capable of Darkvision up to 120′ ft and who knows what other abilities. Its hair is sparse and partly shaved, that which was left was silver.
Finally, though hard to see, its face was hidden behind a fearsome mask—a stylized, expressionless visage that both conceals identity and amplifies Psionic focus. The mask may be etched with Arcane runes or Duergar Glyphs.
Zarek: “We have a fight on our hands, lookout behind you Alley.”
As the bard joins the Rouge in looking back the y both witness the Duergar Mind Master setting the Papers and Scrolls alight, the cavern beings to fill with white smoke for the correspondence.
The Duergar Mind Master then turns and runs from the two intruders, having the slight advantage of distance from the Heroes. However, he failed to remember how Rogues work and Zarek made short work of the distance. The Duergar Mind Master turns and faces the fight with a grin on his face having now seen who he needed to dispatch, to young children.
Zarek attacks with his Rapier and his Dagger in his left hand. The rogue strike with his Rapier but misses with the Dagger which he wanted more because of his new found skill, Nick.
Alley is next and unleashes a ‘Firebolt’ at the Duergar Mind Master which hits and it takes burning damage. Now it’s the Duergar Mind Master turn to act and he glares to the heroes and exclaims,
Duergar Mind Master: “You kids now not what fate you have now unleashed, it’s been a pleasure.”
The Duergar Mind Master looks towards Alley and its eyes glow Red and she is compelled to aim and fire her Hand Cross-Bow at the Rogue and she pulls the trigger. The Bolt fly’s off at an angle and misses Zarek by miles, the Rogue lives to fight another day.
The Magic Initiate endeavors to recall al the information he had regarding the and could remember next to nothing, save they live in the Underdark and were separated from other Dwarves many, many years ago. He failed to recall that the cruel Duergar plot not only to defeat other Dwarves, but to cast down the entire Dwraven pantheon in revenge for their being abandoned and left to be enslaved by Mind Flayers. To this end, Duergar train warriors to fulfill a variety of roles.
The Duergar Mind Master, only Tiny in size, strikes at the Rogue with his Dagger, cuts him and causes him to be then scurried off down the tunnel and back into the Trollskull Manor’s Cellar.
Alley rushes towards Zarek and sees if he needs healing and he tells the Bard he is fine, for now at least.
Zarek moves into the Trollskull Wine Cellar and begins to look for the Duergar, he can not see the creature and so move to block any escape by standing in the connecting corridor. Alley follows the Rogue and moves into the Cellar.
Alley: “there, there he is Zarek, in the corner of the Cellar, he’s ‘Invisible’.”
Alley points to the north-east corner of the Cellar and this time, as she already had her Hand Cross-bow which she fired at Zarek out, she fires at the Duergar Mind Master and hits it, causing the creature to bleed some more. The Duergar Mind Master now became visible and Zarek closed in and attacked once more with Rapier and Dagger. Again, the Dagger failed but the Rapier was successful in drawing more blood and the Rogue was beginning to become over confident.
Duergar Mind Master: “You should have left when you could child, now fire that toy at your girlfriend.”
Zarek drops his Dagger and draws his Hand Cross-Bow, aiming at Alley standing across the room and fired. Zarek is also charmed this night as Alley completely misses the Rogue and he is left to fight the Duergar Mind Master alone.
The Duergar Mind Master then lashes out again with his Dagger causing more psychic damage and actual cutting physical damage. The Rogue and Duergar Mind Master are both in a very bad way.
Alley, fearing that they were fighting a well-trained, experienced operative, she felt there was no need to hide they conversations fearing it would understand many languages and so spoke common.
Alley: “Zarek, you look in a bad way let me heal you wait there.”
Zarek: “No worry not for I have the Potion of Healing that I can take, you concentrate on taking the Duergar Mind Master down.”
The Rogue and the Duergar Mind Master face each other and Zarek is the first to react and he advances and swings at the, now visible, Duergar Mind Master but fails to hit due to the Duergar Mind Masters size. Instead of thrusting with his Dagger, the Rogue takes out and consumes his ‘Potion of Greater Healing’ and he is able to regain all of his lost strength and all his wounds are staunched.
The Duergar Mind Master smiles at the recovered Rogue and draws forth his ‘Potion of Greater Healing’ and drinks it down. The Duergar Mind Master, now also recovered from his wounds and burns, then clicks his fingers and becomes ‘Invisible’ and silence falls as the creature silently moves away.
Zarek: “Alley, I don’t know how but you can see the creature when it’s ‘Invisible’, where is it?”
Alley moves into the Wine Cellar and now points to the south-west corner.
Alley: There it is, in the corner.”
Alley elects to cast ‘Firebolt’ instead this time and hit the Duergar Mind Master, also making it visible once more.
Duergar Mind Master: “Curse you wench how is it that you can see me?”
Zarek waits as doesn’t wait for an answer as he Dashes to the Duergar Mind Master and unleashes a flurry of 2 blows at the creature, the Rapier again hits it target but the Rogue had dropped his Dagger and had to draw out his spare. He missed with the Dagger and the Duergar Mind Master smiled.
To add injury to insult Alley moves in to confront the Duergar Mind Master allowing the Rogue to use his Sneak Attack. She then casts her Spell ‘Command’ and utter the single word demanded by it.
Alley: “Grovel.”
The Duergar Mind Master falls prostrate in front of Alley and everyone there knew the creature would be disadvantaged.
Zarek attacks the now prone Duergar with his Rapier and cause more damage. Then the Rogue stands his ground.
The Duergar Mind Master, knowing he had no possibility of fleeing, choses to continue fighting and slashes out at Alley, missing in doing so.
Zarek: “Keep it up Alley, we need to subdue it and have the Watch take care of this Duergar.”
Alley decides to cast her final 1st Level Spell, ‘Heroism’ on Zarek. This Spell provides the Rogue with Temporary Hits for a whole minute.
Zarek and the Duergar Mind Master continue exchanging blows and the Duergar once more slips past the Rogue and heads for the Ale Cellar and the silk rope out to the Taproom.
Alley: “Stop it, don’t let it get away.”
Zarek knows he as to use his Rogue skill and force an extra burst of speed out and which also meant that he would only have one attack.
Alley, not wanting to take any chances says a quick prayer to Tymora the Goddess of Good Fortune cast another of her ‘Firebolt’ and causes devesting damage on the Duergar Mind Master. Barely alive, it continues to the rope.
Zarek sprints to the Duergar Mind Master and knocks it out with a single bow from his Rapier. Success, the Duergar Mind Master had been neutralised and the Heroes were both alive, Alley without a single scratch too.
Zarek searches the Duergar and find only its Dagger, which they do not touch, its Mask with Dwarven Runes and a pouch with 26 Dragons in it.
Zarek ties, gags and blindfolds the unconscious Duergar Mind Master. Then the pair go back to the cavern and search the remaining area after putting the fire out.
Within the cavern, the only other things of interest that Zarek and Alley found was in the Duergar Mind Master’s Chest and the Chest itself. The Chest was trap with a poisoned needle and Zarek was able to find and disarm it and thinks it would be great addition to Trollskull Manor.
Inside the Chest itself were various things of interest listed below:
- A pouch with? Gems.
- Disguise Kit
- Forgery Kit
- A Numbered City Watch Badge
Zarek and Alley head back to the Trapdoor to the Taproom and where they had left the unconscious body of the Duergar Mind Master. The pair are shocked to find that the Duergar Mind Master is no long laying in his own blood and there was no sign of a drop. Furthermore, on a closer inspection Zarek discovered that it was dead, it throats is slashed by his own Dagger.
Zarek and Alley can swear that they hear the distant sound of someone, or something, laughing.
Alley: “Surely we have enough of the pieces of this puzzle to discover who, or what, killed that poor child.”
Zarek: “We need to dig further.”