Session 1: A Motley Crew

Key Plot Developments
The six goblin children--Tremble, Pix, Trix, Bogtooth, Pyrite, and Glyn--are captured by the drow priestess, Mistress Ilvara. They are taken to Ilvara's settlement: the prison outpost of Velkynvelve. There, they are made to do menial labor in smaller groups as they await death or transportation to the drow metropolis of Menzoberranzan. There, Ilvara displays her cruelty as she mocks one of her aides: a disfigured drow warrior named Jorlan. Jorlan, once her second-in-command, has been replaced by a junior priestess named Asha and a handsome warrior named Shoor.

After eight days of labor, we find them in three groups. The first group, which tends to ditch-digging, is comprised of Shuushar, a kuo-toan pacifist, Buppido, a cunning derro, Eldeth Feldrun, a shield dwarf from the surface, Pix, and Bogtooth. Buppido suggests an escape attempt. Shuushar calmly contends that acceptance of their situation is more important than reckless violence. Eldeth, hard at work, hums a dwarven ditty to herself. Pix, a musician, tries to sing along. She speaks with Eldeth about the surface kingdom of dwarves (Gauntlgrym); Eldeth teaches her the song as a show of good faith and solidarity. Bogtooth speaks with Shuushar about the importance of upholding goblin traditions of scavenging and opportunism.

The second group, which is stuck in a holding cell, consists of Trix, Glyn, a myconid named Stool, a quaggoth who calls himself Prince Derendil, and a dark elf who doesn't introduce himself. As Prince Derendil waxes poetic about how he is, in fact, a polymorphed elf, the goblins speak with Stool. Stool reaches into his leg and removes what he calls rapport spores. The goblins inhale them, allowing them to communicate. He speaks like a small child, asking if he could be returned to his home: the Neverlight Grove. The dark elf approves of this plan in a taciturn manner, but doesn't think escape is possible. He asks the goblins to stay away from him. They note odd red welts all over his face.

The final group, which is gathering fungi, is made up of Pyrite, Tremble, an aggressive orc named Ront, a deep gnome called Jimjar, and a pair of deep gnome twins named Topsy and Turvy. The orc bullies Tremble, who is ineffectually defended by Pyrite. The deep gnomes are jovial; while the twins ask the goblins about how they were caught, Jimjar makes several claims about the changing face of Lady Luck and suggests that their fortune may turn around. He also asks the goblins about the ways of the cloth, inquiring about their religious beliefs.

After a day of work--their ninth--Mistress Ilvara calls all prisons to the center of Velkynvelve. She says that the weakest prisoner will be killed as a message to the rest. When she moves towards Tremble, Pix attempts to intervene by drawing Ilvara's attention with insults. Ilvara demands that the insubordinate slave reveal themselves. Not wanting Pix to die, Eldeth comes forward to Ilvara and loudly sings her dwarven song. Ilvara entreats Shoor to murder Eldeth. Eldeth is slain and her body is fed to giant spiders. As the group is dispersed, Jorlan's injuries prevent him from responding to Ilvara's requests, and he is berated.

The next day, Jorlan appears before the final group of prisoners at the slave pen. He dismisses the drow guards and speaks with Tremble, Pyrite, and the deep gnomes. Jorlan implies that he could give them a means of escape, which they infer to be an attempt to take revenge on Mistress Ilvara. Pyrite, however, doesn't believe him. She attempts to overwhelm him with a spell. As he reels, she, Jimjar, Tremble, Topsy, and Turvy take advantage of his confusion and burst out of the prison cell.

Jorlan is pushed from the cell's entrance, which is on the highest level of this drow outpost, into the lake two stories below. The drow begin to respond to the disturbance, firing arrows at the escaping prisoners. The first group, now picking mushrooms, reacts: Bogtooth encourages Pix to leave as soon as possible, Shuushar follows them in the direction of a series of western tunnels, and Buppido takes his chances by rushing at a northern tunnel.

Then, new monsters arrive, throwing the chaotic moment into pandemonium.

A hideous swarm of car-sized mosquito demons--Chasmes--emerge from the northern tunnel. They are joined by a vulture demon--a Vrock--which grabs dark elves off Velvynvelve's battlements, tearing them apart. The Chasmes crush Buppido to death and suck up his remains through their vile proboscises.

Stool, Glyn, Trix, Prince Derendil, and the red-welted drow are digging ditches when the demons attack. They see the chaos and try to escape. Prince Derendil attempts to run to a cavern to the south, but is attacked by a trio of other quaggoth guards and is left behind. Ront flees the demons by diving into the lake, but is unable to escape them; he is drowned to death while Jorlan fights for his life. The drow introduces himself as Sarith Kzekarit and encourages them to run as soon as possible, retreating to the Western tunnels.

Mistress Ilvara emerges to watch the demonic attack and prison break. She orders Shoor to stop the demons, but the Vrock swoops over, grabs him, vomits toxic spores into his body, and throws him to his death. As he dies on the shore of the lake, Glyn takes his equipment and deals the final blow.

Pyrite is able to clear a way for her group of prisoners to escape to the West. Glyn's group, sans Buppido, join them. Pix and Bogtooth fire off insults at Mistress Ilvara, who curses them as they leave but is preoccupied with the demonic invasion.

All six goblins escape. They are joined by JImjar, Topsy, Turvy, Sarith Kzekarit, Shuushar, and Stool. They rush into the Underdark--no food, no armor, no map, and no equipment beyond a hastily stolen weapon from Shoor's corpse.

New NPCs

 * 1) Mistress Ilvara, drow priestess
 * 2) Asha, drow acolyte
 * 3) Jorlan, drow warrior
 * 4) Shoor, drow warrior
 * 5) Sarith Kzekarit, drow prisoner
 * 6) Topsy, deep gnome prisoner
 * 7) Turvy, deep gnome prisoner
 * 8) JImjar, deep gnome prisoner
 * 9) Buppido, derro prisoner
 * 10) Shuushar, kuo-toa prisoner
 * 11) Stool, myconid prisoner
 * 12) Ront, orc prisoner
 * 13) Eldeth Feldrun, shield dwarf prisoner
 * 14) Prince Derendil, quaggoth prisoner

Memorable Quotations
Jimjar (to Tremble): Are you a man of the cloth?

Eldeth Feldrun (singing): I am a dwarf and I'm digging a hole!

Mistress Ilvara: Jorlan, darling, as I have SAID before… if you must speak to me,  you need to bow your head. Lolth has gifted me with exceptional beauty and I would not disrespect her by keeping something so hideous as you in my line of sight. I must cultivate an aura of beauty around me, as the goddess intended!

Mistress Ilvara: Oh, who are they? Tweedle-dee and Tweedle-dumb? Stick and Bricks? Twit and Twat? Well, no matter, separate them for me; they are unruly when put in the same cage.

Mistress Ilvara: You. Did you work today? Mmmm...it doesn’t look like it. No, no. That won’t do. If we let slackers go on, what’s next? You get fed? Wages? No, best nip this in the bud. Shoor, you handsome darling. That one is weak: kill them.

Mistress Ilvara: Beautiful in, ugly out. Beautiful in, ugly out!