Session 6: Dawn of the Deepfather

Key Plot Developments
Bogtooth, dreaming, receives a vision of his patron. He is transported to an extraplanar realm of talking animals, cartoonishly pleasant weather, and the powerful, mysterious archfey Dulcinea. Dulcinea praises him for his leadership, providing positive reinforcement for his willingness to include Jimjar in his description of a 'true goblin.' She asks that Bogtooth never forget his duty towards others.

Shuushar speaks with archpriest Ploopploopeen about the nature of their devotion to the Sea Mother. The Sea Mother, they say, is empowered by the sacrifices of meaningful items. The archpriest shows the party a shrine to her glory; there is vomit (which represents the sacrifice of a good meal), various weapons, artifacts, and detritus. He refers to Shuushar as a general; Shuushar insists that he gave up his fighting spirit and went on his decades-long pilgrimage to appease her, and wishes to separate his old self from his current pacifism. The archpriest understands Shuushar's decision. He states that he is willing to sacrifice his relationship with his daughter to appease his goddess. The party considers what they would sacrifice. Pix considers sacrificing the token she received from Eldeth, but leaves a poem in Eldeth's honor. Trix leaves his hat. Pyrite gives her old spellbook. Glyn leaves some of his weapons.

Trix is soon greeted with another message from the Deepfather, who asks him if he's made up his mind about serving his mysterious goals. When Trix responds ambivalently, the Deepfather asks him to make a decision about who he'd like to sacrifice. He refuses, drawing the creature's ire; the being promises revenge.

Ploopploopeen leads the group to his daughter, priest Bloppblippodd. He offers up the group as a sacrifice. They are allowed to keep their weapons and accoutrements. The group also sees a bruised duergar (a dark dwarf) named Hemeth at the altar; he pleads for his life. His cries are not heeded, and the party stands back as he is messily carved open in the Deepfather's name.

As father and daughter confront each other about their chosen deities and a contentious past (the father did not allow the daughter to devour her mother's corpse, as is customary), the archpriest springs into action. The kuo-toans attack. The goblins falter when given a chance to escape; Bogtooth and Pyrite jump into the frey as they attack the daughter's minions. When Blooppblippodd seems to be on the brink of defeat, she cuts her own throat, crying out her devotion to the Deepfather. Her blood flows over the altar, draining into the Darklake.

Trix, again, hears the Deepfather's call, which grows in power and intensity. It demands that he choose one of his number to die, or it will choose for him. He says that he doesn't want any power, but it cruelly insists that it will force its power into him. Fearing that he will be made to kill his clan-mates, he rushes towards the south of the town while the others try to fight their way out of the battle, trying to get Bogtooth and Pyrite to join them.

Soon, a tremendous two-headed monster emerges from the Darklake. This gargantuan beast--the heads of wild apes, tentacled arms--attacks the town. It speaks to Trix telepathically, threatening him, claiming that he's too late to decide and that he's now cursed. Pyrite defiantly attacks it with a shadow blade, nicking its tentacle. It retaliates by overwhelming her mind with a gaze attack, driving her to madness and commanding her to follow Trix.

The kuo-toans in close proximity begin to warp oddly as their flesh bubbles, twists, and explodes into a monstrous, gibbering new form. These babbling monstrosities begin to drive the goblins to madness, and they flee. The archpriest casts his spells to heal the goblins as he sacrifices himself in the Sea Mother's name to stall the Deepfather.

Bogtooth, Tremble, and Pix dash to the northeast, narrowly avoiding these once-kuo-toan gibbering mouthers. They are spirited from dock to dock on the northern side of the town by helpful waves, which they take to be the blessing of the Sea Mother. Bloodthirsty manta ray-esque monsters swim beneath them, striking out when the characters get too close. They find a boat. Sarith and Stool join them. The Deepfather, taunting Trix from afar, affixes its gaze upon both the dark elf and the myconid. The dark elf crumbles onto the boat, twitching and crying. The myconid falls and becomes entirely non-responsive.

Trix, rushing to the south, encounters Shuushar, who is struggling to maintain his sanity. They encounter the kuo-toan child the other party members met before; the creature explodes before their eyes under the Deepfather's reality-warping gaze. Shuushar helps Trix get to a small fishing boat at the edge of the Darklake. Trix rejects the Deepfather's mental attacks as he sails away with Shuushar, who is deeply shaken.

Glyn, seeking Trix, avoids the morphing fishmen as he runs to the south. Pyrite, maddened by the demon lord, follows him. The two of them meet up and decide that, together, they will get Trix. As Pyrite sails away, the Deepfather attempts to cajole her into further servitude, calling her his little girl. This reminds Pyrite of her connection to the Cragmaw clan and her deceased father, snapping her out of its immediate control. She insults the monster as Glyn hurriedly takes control of the boat.

As the group, now split into three, leaves the town of Sloobludop, they watch the Deepfather--better known as the Demogorgon--begin to devour the mounds of gibbering mouthers the fish-people have become. It swells in size as it feasts, soon towering over the tallest building in the town. The family, while alive, is fractured. They sail in opposite directions in the wake of the demon lord's onslaught.

New NPCs

 * 1) Blooppblippodd, kuo-toan priestess
 * 2) Dulcinea, archfey patron

Memorable Quotations
Blooppblippodd: Greetings, wretched mammals. I have been told that you wish to offer your blood and bodies to feed the ravenous maw of the Deepfather. Rest assured that, once you are within his toothy jowls, your essence will fill his hungry belly and your minds will be enveloped in his blissful, eternal darkness. Now accept your fates and prepare to be offered as tribute to the glorious Deepfather. Your sacrifices will bring about an era of change and unity!

Blooppblippodd: The Deepfather will rise and grant his chosen children power! Too long have we scavenged and scrapped like pitiful bottom-feeders at the pit of the sea. Too long have we been left to rot at the hands of a foul deity who is satisfied with offers of filth and bile. That Maggot Mother offers us nothing but complacency. The Deepfather knows our desires. He will be our salvation and our might! The kuo-toa will reclaim the surface world.

Blooppblipopodd: Leemooggoogoon, my Deepfather--you are my true blood! I am your chosen child and YOUR love is eternal. Accept the blood of your most faithful and restore our people to glory!

Pyrite (to the Demogorgon): I made you bleed!"Dulcinea: My darling Bogtooth! This generosity, this humility, this spirit--that's why you're the leader!""Bogtooth: Yeah. Yeah, I AM the leader!"The Demogorgon (to Trix): Bad call there, bud. Time's up on choosing your favorite. Now, you're gonna tell me your LEAST favorite. And, hey, who knows? Maybe you'll have to kill 'em both."Shuushar: It hurts. It's inside my head. It's pushing through. It's pushing through--""Trix: Hey, hey. Listen to me. Stay with me. It's just in your head. It can't hurt you. I'm here for you, Shuushar."