Grianne fidgets nervously as if trying desperately to find words to over come some anxiousness or fear. She looks at those around her and wonders...what kind of buttons do they have?

In Elvish she says Is this why i keep having the dreams? is this the place of devastation that draws me in that i must prevent?

(As usual, such amazing role-playing from all of you so far! When I wake up in about 9 hours, i’m gonna answer questions and describe the first level! Here we go!)

OU812: “Does this evil bleed?  If so, I shall vanquish them with my bare hands.  I will squish their puny heads until their eyeballs explode out of their sockets, and then hand their meek flesh over to dragon man here, who will burn them to a crisp for the rest of you to consume as nourishment.”

Alessandra looks to the robot, her mouth opening to say something, but double takes, deciding against it, and shuts her mouth again. Best stay on their good side then.

Danitriel smirked. "Well, that's one way to get emergency rations." She snickered.

Grianne speaks for the first time in common Are your buttons already broken? My vision wasn't supposed to come true so soon. Grianne is trying to make herself as small as possible. She is clearly uncomfortable with so many people around her.

"Just ahh.. keep all that destruction in check there, big guy."

Grianne pokes the metal person with a stick.

In Sylvan she says What are you? 

"Is it truly a metal person or is it like armor with a person inside? Is it a boy? In any case," Lythril greets the strangers, "I hope we can all work together to bust some balls! I feel the need, the need for ...smashing balls!"

Danitriel let a small bitter smirk curve her lips. "Let's hope this time it wont have to be the balls of an erstwhile 'ally'." She murmured.

(posting)

Azrael was still unsure about the large machine, but because of Nim, he did not feel threatened by it as he might have otherwise, if he had only ever met the Rogue. Azrael would pat the machine on the shoulder, in a way that would not be taken as an attack.. most likely, as Durnan seemed to be quite upset at him. Azrael makign his way to Raiik then, just as Obaya entered. Azrael would extend his hand to Raiik even as they listened to the womans tale.... if the Horc took it, Azrael would squeeze firmly as men do as he shook the Horcs hand. Otherwise he would let it linger in the air a moment before withdrawing it. 

As Obaya finished, and Raiik asked his questions regarding the evil, which had Piqued his interest the most, more-so than the possibility of treasure (outside, obviously, of some robe or trinket that would hone his skills, and maybe some gold to offer to add to Bahamuts Hoard, but that was secondary. Crushing evil abominations, and evil people was what thrilled Azrael, it was his lifesblood. And the moment the words left Raiiks mouth, Azrael sensed.... a kindred spirit. Perhaps not a twin soul, but they were walking a similar path, or so Azrael assumed.

Azrael nodded to Raiik's questions, all but flat out stating he wished to know this as well. 

I will do anything to rid this world of evil beings, my lady. And I would love to help with this in any way I can. While I cannot speak for everyone, this excites me as the Head Acolyte of Bahamut, but also personally. And any foe that stands in my way shall be torn apart. If this helps you in the end, all the better. It means our goals align, or at the very least, coincide.

Pheral already knew that Azrael still went out, and that nothing could stop him. How she personally felt about it, he did not know. But they had discussed it on occasion, and she knew he had his calling (I will let Squirrel answer that context if they wish, as I don't want to psuedo control their character even if they aren't here in this campaign!)

When do we start, and where are we going?

The air around Azrael was charged with electricity, as if a physical manifestation of his excitement.

Obaya turns to Raiik and says, "The nature of this evil stems from an ancient spellcaster named Halaster Blackcloak. Some say he is a man, others say he is something much worse. There are tales of how he summoned monstrous creatures from different planes to carve out his underground domain. If left unchecked, who knows what that evil could do."

As OU812 speaks, Obaya gives the robot a concerned look, but continues. "Alessandra, Durnan was one of the only successful adventurers to ever delve into the depths of Undermountain and live. Sadly, he has completely succumb to the Weave and has made this Inn around the Portal. Curious to consider: are his customers truly here because of his reputation, or do they also feel the pull of the Knot and are unaware of it? Either way, I need people to descend into the depths, explore the levels, and see if Halaster and his evil can be stopped."

Obaya finally turns to Azrael, and has a very simple answer: "Right now, down you all go." She pays Durnan for the broken chair, the broken door, and the fee to have you all lowered down into the Portal.

I noticed that no one listened for rumors or mentioned the quests. I'm sure you were all just amazed with my TL;DR intro, haha, but remember, if you guys are taking any of the quests above, take a note of it. If any of you came early and wanted to listen for rumors, now is the time to make your roll. Otherwise, here are ready to begin!

Obaya lowers each of you one by one into the Portal. Except OU812, he's too heavy for the seat. He climbs down. You descend into the first level of Undermountain. You begin in the 40' x 40' square I have marked on the map below. Due to Obaya's vast wisdom, you will know that each level has a theme and a general situation that can be explored. All of your actions will have consequences as you interact with each level based on your behaviors. If you reach the exit to the next lower level, you will all each gain a level in power. You can ascend or descend to and from The Yawning Portal as you see fit.

LEVEL ONE - THE UNDERTAKERS
(A bandit gang has made its home here, as have bugbears and goblins in league with the beholder crime lord knows as Xanathar)

At the bottom of the Yawning Portal entry well is a dark 40 foot square room with the following characteristics:

EXITS:  The only exit appears to be a tunnel that leads south before bending west.
FEATURES: A very thin layer of sand covers the floor, and you can see dented, rusty shields adorning the walls, which are completely covered in graffiti.
LIGHT: It is dark down here. Those without darkvision cannot see.

(Pheral is quite envious of her husbands ability to adventure still. Since her pregnancy she has been unable to leave the Tavern to sail what so ever.)

Grianne Descends and is noticeably more relaxed away from the crowded tavern. She speaks in Common to the group. Hello everyone. I don't feel we were properly introduced. My name is Grianne of the Wildpaw. You all are the first people i have spoken too in nearly 400 seasons.

She almost starts at the dwarf woman. Are you alright? Your buttons seem to have been rearranged. 

 Upon easily climbing down and reaching the first room with a thud, large whorls of sand and dust fly into the air when OU812's massive body touches down.  "Greetings, Grianne of the Wildpaw, Lady of the stick people.  I am OU812.  Do you require protection?"

Like magic in general, the Knot in the Weave works in mysterious ways.

Not only have you all been, in some shape or form, affected by this magical disruption, others have been to, and it's possible because of this, that you were given your summons or your visions. The Knot in the Weave is especially dominant in Undermountain, where Halaster has had a thousand years to work with the forces of Hell to create schemes to destroy the world - not to mention been driven mad by the Knot's lingering affects.

It's these two forces that draw you to this place. The evil you feel deep inside Undermountain, and the pull from the Knot of the Weave.

The urge to explore Undermountain and destroy the source of evil is your biggest motivation, your primary goal that consumes all others.

Raiik would have been keeping an ear out for tales in the yawnong portal... *ba-doom, ching* Perception: 5

Of course Raiik takes Azrael's arm in a solid monkey grip handshake. He takes note of his praise to Bahamut, but sees no Paladin mark on him.

Raiik slips over the side with a quick nod at Obaya, landing surprisingly softly in a three point landing. Having not adventured in a team for a while, Raiik immediately takes point and begins to peek around the first corner. Stealth: 8 Perception: 8

OU812 turns on his nightvision goggles, and turns off all his other external lights, going into stealth mode: (Stealth 18)

ERROR.  BUG IN PROGRAMMING.

A large spotlight appears out of OU812's chest, illuminating the entire room with blinding light.

ERROR.  BUG IN PROGRAMMING.

"Sorry.  I'm still working the bugs out of my programming.  I haven't run my stealth subroutine in a thousand years."

Alessandra gracefully steps off the platform that lowered her down in the depths of the Undermountain, taking a quick look around the room that they first landed in as she waited for the rest of them to gather. Anything around that piques her curiosity? 

Perception: 23

If so, she will head to the object/location in question and investigate it further.

Investigation: 10

If not (because I bet my rolls with be hot garbage), she quietly responds to Grianne: "Alessandra." And silently moves to where Raiik and OU812 is, waiting for either of them to relay what they see.

Stealth: 3

Haha one terrible roll and one amazing roll! Ahhh, the mysteries of the Knot. Updating when I get home!