Session 16-A: Tricks Around the Table

Key Plot Developments
As Lolmulmit the flumph works on a map of the Underdark for Trix, Trix decides to wander around the Long Salt Tavern. He leaves Lemon and Shuushar with Odarin, the bartender, and speaks with some patrons. Trix meets Noomeel, a rock gnome, who plays the huge wall-mounted tuberphone. Her performances draw in the flumphs, who dance and sing in harmony with her. Trix is reminded of Pix, his sister. His sadness, at least momentarily, is replaced with determination.

Trix needs money to spend the night. While his shield dwarf friends are happy to pay, he thinks of new ways to earn his keep. When he goes up to the second story of the establishment, he meets a gregarious dwarf named Master Oakenborn and his orcish companion. Oakenborn seems to be outplaying his friend in a game of cards.

Trix, analyzing the situation, thinks that Oakenborn is likely cheating. He decides to outplay Oakenborn at his own game, using prestidigitation to expose the extra cards and come out on top. Trix, living up to his name, wins a significant amount of gold from the impressed Oakenborn. He can afford to stay at the inn indefinitely.

After appreciating a good night's sleep, Trix enjoys breakfast. He speaks with Odarin Deepshackle about how the duergar came to own the establishment. Odarin speaks vaguely about how he left the other duergar behind, but he used to work in a mithril mine called Lustrum.

Later, many of the flumphs start to turn a vibrant shade of purple. Trix intuits that they're afraid. He prepares for the worst, fearing that his safe haven is under attack.

A mind flayer--a pink, squid-faced humanoid-looking abberation--enters the tavern. He speaks in confident, direct terms, asking for the manager and waving a white flag. Shuushar is immediately suspicious of the creature; he explains that mind flayers historically enslaved kuo-toans like himself.

The mind flayer questions Odarin about the prevalence of psionic energies around the crystalline bar. Trix intuits that the mind flayer does not appear to mean the bar's occupants direct harm, and decides to help him question Odarin. Privately, Odarin admits that he was sent by his clan to demolish the cluster of crystals and free an aboleth. When he did so, he found Lolmulmit, a wounded flumph attracted to the trapped aboleth's psychic energy.

Drawn to the psychic engine that made up Odarin's brain and the echoes of energy from the aboleth that fills the tavern even today, Lolmulmit kept the duergar miner company for months, feeding from both the crystal and the duergar.

As time passed, Odarin began to think less and less about his clan or the task they imparted to him and more about the peculiarly peaceful feeling he had while in this place. The mechanical parts of him vibrated with a pleasant energy hitherto unknown to him or his insane kinsmen.

Eventually, the excavation of crystal led to the furnishing of a place to live. More flumphs came to feed and socialize, which led to more travelers resting in the area, comforted by the small, oddly alert creatures. Thus, the Long Salt Tavern was formed.

Odarin begs Trix and the mind flayer not to expose his location to his fellow duergar; he does not know why they have failed to discover him up to this point. The mind flayer assures him that he has nothing to fear from the duergar. Rather, he explains, a trapped aboleth will likely draw the attention of other Underdark forces. Therefore, he offers this establishment his guidance and protection in case something goes wrong.

Trix trusts the mind flayer, who seems to be competent and knowledgeable. The mind flayer introduces himself as Grazilaxx, a member of the Society of Brilliance. His job, he says, is currently to analyze odd ambient energies in the Underdark and discover their source. He mentions faerzress, the wild magic that's inherent to the Underdark; it appears to be growing out of control. Shuushar does not trust the creature. Grazilaxx sets Shuushar's mind at ease by mentioning that a kuo-toan has willingly joined his order: Sloopidoop, Shuushar's old mentor. He acknowledges that mind flayers have been historically antagonistic towards many other races and promises that he intends to ameliorate those tensions.

Trix and Grazilaxx part ways. Trix decides to call on whatever power is now granting his wishes to send messages to Glyn and Pyrite: "It's Trix. I'm alive. Are you? I am at a place called the Long Salt Tavern. It is really nice and relaxing here. Where you?"

He gets a response from Glyn indicating that he's on his way to Gracklstugh, the city of the deep dwarves.

He gets nothing at all from Pyrite.

New NPCs

 * 1) Noomeel, rock gnome musician
 * 2) Master Oakenborn, shield dwarf gambler
 * 3) Grazilaxx, mind flayer member of the Society of Brilliance