We finally have a clear objective. It feels good to work toward something instead of simply wandering from one mess to the next. Yet the fog continues to obscure our path ahead and belies the danger we've yet to face.

The crew was gathered below the fishmonger’s shop in Ipswitch, where we met with a group of Kua-Toa and Slaad. The air smelled of brine and mildew, but worse still was the tension in the cavern. They’ve asked us to track down a rogue faction of their own, who may have inadvertently summoned something... wrong. We gathered what information we could before the impatient Slaad priest urged our departure.

Before we could make any progress tracking the rogue cultists, Kelris arrived quick and not quite quiet. Banzo quickly briefed him. He claimed he’d already gathered what he needed and just followed the trail we left behind. Apparently, we’re not as stealthy as we like to think.

While Ada continued their spell to detect magic, Salty Joe kept an eye on a very unconscious Wibbly. We debated what to do next. Banzo and Kelris scouting ahead was one idea. Another was for me to transform into a rat and sneak in. We hadn’t decided when Ada noticed a faint glow from the innkeeper’s quarters in the inn above. Kelris noticed too, and with his keen hearing picked up the sound of heavy snoring. Banzo, unfortunately, managed to get something in her eye and could see nothing at all.

The main door was locked, but Banzo made short work of it. I took rat form and silently climbed the outer wall, confirming the innkeeper was dead asleep. The trail of magic Ada had been following led us behind the bar, to a hidden trapdoor. Banzo unlocked it, and Ganak was the first down the ladder.

It led to a long corridor lit by a strange bioluminescence. We could hear low chanting echoing ahead. Ganak moved carefully, identifying both Kua-Toa and something else. Banzo crept into the cavern ahead of us and spotted an awful scene: a wide chamber with a massive pit at the far end, blood soaking the stone around it. Troughs of some dark, reeking fluid lined the walls. Four Kua-Toa with kelp-like halos prayed near the pit. Three pale, rotting figures stood at the sigil’s points. Still chanting, their presence cast an unholy shadow on the chamber.

Banzo retreated and informed the rest of us. We were still deciding what to do next when Ganak, impatient, charged into the chamber. What he saw changed him, though he hasn’t said how...if he even knows.

The Kua-Toa raised their spears toward him. The pale ones kept chanting. Banzo and Kelris slipped in behind. I followed but tripped, revealing my presence. Kelris told Ada to stand watch, clearly aware of Ada's hesitation to engage in combat.

Banzo crept to the edge of the pit, only to be swallowed by haunting visions of her own inner torment. As the tension thickened, Darius offered a divine blessing to bolster himself, Ganak, and Kelris. Kelris stood tall and tried to dishearten the Kua-Toa with sheer presence, but they held firm. Undeterred, Darius lunged forward and hurled one of the fishfolk into the pit’s darkened maw. Ganak aimed to strike but was met instead with sharp, fishy teeth. Kelris narrowly evaded a tangled net hurled his way with elegant ease.

As chaos rippled through the chamber, I called on the tangled might of the earth, ensnaring two Kua-Toa in a sudden burst of roots before they could close in on Kelris. From the corridor, Ada lingered in worry, sensing the rising swell of magic ahead, confirming the summoning ritual was reaching a dangerous crescendo. I recognized the three pale horrors for what they were: Manes, low demons from another realm.

Banzo, driven by something deep and angry inside her, launched herself at a Mane and killed it in a single, gory move. She rose, blood-drenched and furious. Ganak roared, finally able to land a strike. Kelris buried an arrow in a demon’s back. Darius cleaved one of the others in half with a thunderous blow, then shoved the last Mane out of the summoning circle.

Kelris was stabbed in the leg but remained on his feet. The demons continued chanting, but I struck one with celestial magic. It hissed in Abyssal, promising vengeance. Ada sensed the magic in the room begin to diminish.

Feeling safer, Ada entered and started collecting samples from the troughs. The summoning pit and the circle were linked, and they wanted to study the connection.

The wounded Mane tried to claw at Darius but could barely move. Banzo tried to net it but failed. Ganak approached to grapple the thing, but something stopped him...some lingering fear or thought that took hold of him when he first entered the chamber. Kelris took a rope and tossed it like a line into the pit, using a dead Kua-Toa as bait. It dangled there, grotesquely swaying above the void.

In the end, I bound the last Mane in roots and demanded it reveal its purpose. It said nothing useful, just more defiant threats. The Mane writhed in my entangling vines, but it was weak. Banzo tried once more to trap it in the net and missed. Ganak hesitated again. Ada, no longer holding back, loosed a volley of Magic Missiles that destroyed the remaining Kua-Toa. Even Reep the tortoise flinched in shock at the furious display of power.

The final living Kua-Toa, bleeding and terrified, begged for mercy. We debated what to do with it for too long. While we talked, it bled out on the stone floor. The indecision was ours. No mercy was granted in our path...

The summoning was stopped. Whatever horror they meant to bring through had been denied.

Kelris watched the pit in silence. None of us spoke for a while.

Even victory here felt grim.

-V