The Long Road - Game Thread

Jorin follows suit with Pascal and drinks then last potion as a top off.  He'll lead the group after the creature, weapons at the ready.

9

The grimlock leads you 20' further north, then through a door to your west. The opens to a 20' x 30' spacious studio (not quite rectangular), which contains a bookshelf, a desk and chair, a mediation mat, and a wall full of designer kennels. While it might have a monastic look, it is clear that it was formerly much more finely decorated.

The kennels contain 15 show-quality intellect devourers, all securely behind locked doors. You do notice that five of the kennels have open doors, and are empty (but show signs that they were recently occupied by "brain-dogs").

The grimlock that escorted you in joins a second one. The two of them are dusting/polishing the kennels, refilling water bowls, etc. (The cage doors to the occupied kennels remain closed and locked while they work.)

A mind flayer stands up from its desk chair (north of the bookcase), and speaks to your group telepathically. "You have entered the home of Yraxilinith. My two minions over there do not have names... You forced your way through my entrance hall, that I have arranged to discourage unwelcome visitors. I assume there is something (important to you) that I will have to deal with, before you go away. There is no need for violence, so speak what is on your minds."

Yrax hesitates. "Have I met you somewhere before?" It looks over the four male members of the party, stroking its chin face tentacles. Then it arrives at Quillary (who is nothing like Ilena), and relaxes. "You humanoids all look alike. I must have been mistaken." 

Does Hildigrim know what a grimlock is? 19

"Hainard's hairy toes," Hildigrim says, mimicing Pacal's side-of-the-snout talking. "That is a grimlock. They're sightless servants of mind flayers." Despite his shocked tone of voice, the halfling is the first to follow the creature after it bids them to do so.

In the room with the mind flayer, Hildigrim's head swivels as he takes in the furniture, objects, and creatures.

Hildigrim clears his throat after Yrax pauses. "I suppose we should apologize for our intrusion, but we require an audience, and barging in appeared to be the only way."

Does this Mindflayer look at all similar to the one we punted?

Even through the telepathy, you can hear the sigh and weariness of having to deal with you plebeian humanoid types. "Your apology is noted. I have told you, speak why you are interrupting my valuable pet breeding time."

Jorin chuckles at the word "breeding" and says, "You know, when I was a child in the mountains, we got two female Yowlmoths, or so we thought.  After a week we had 10!  The breeding capacity of a Yowlmoth is not exaggerated.". 

He looks to everyone as if he expects them to know what he's talking about.

Quillary looks around for any signs of decapitated heads, leaving the conversation to others. 

She’s not prying, so I’m not rolling Perception.

Quote from JcAndD >>

Does this Mindflayer look at all similar to the one we punted?

(Not sure what you mean by "punted". If you mean the one that walked away while the party was hoping it would go away... maybe. You haven't seen enough mind flayers to tell them apart. But the fact that all of you seem familiar to it (except for Quillary) definitely makes you suspicious. Maybe it will come up in conversation.)

Quillary does not see any decapitated heads, but the grimlocks seem to be kept busy cleaning and polishing the furniture. They may be inbred cannibal cavemen, but they know how to keep a lair neat and tidy.

Yraxilinith scoffs at Jorin's anecdote. "When I think of "breeding", I mean the careful cultivation of select bloodlines to produce the finest show-Intellect-Devourers. I am not referring to mongrels rutting in the wild."

"Well, there's no need to beat around the bush," Hildigrim says. "We understand you were interested in a certain key for sale at Thimblewine's Pawnshop, so you arranged for the half-orc Mugrub to purchase the item. However, I regret to inform you that Mugrub was murdered after purchasing the key but before it could be delivered, and we found no sign of the key at her home, so we believe whoever murdered her took the key."

Insight check as the mind flayer is told all of this: 23

Yraxilinith is not surprised about the news of Mugrub. "Have you been hired by the Zhentarim? The next messenger should already be moving... There was no need to take the key from Mugrub, as she had delivered it to me... Are you sad about her death? Did you know her personally, or was she a stranger that you care about because she was described as a "good" humanoid? That is a different reaction compared to the death of "evil" people, which is greeted with indifference, or even encouragement... If you are here to make sure more "good" people don't get targeted, that is not part of the plan." (Very clinical and measured while talking about the murders.)

"So you're involved in the murders?" Hildigrim asks bluntly, also speaking clinically.

"... And you have the key?" Jorin adds to Hildigrim's question.

"I was getting food, the way that you have rations in you pack. By hiding the remains and making it seem like an ordinary mass murderer, no one thinks to organize an angry mob with torches and pitchforks. Especially when the victims are gladly disposed of by their neighbors.

"You didn't react with fear, like Mugrub did when she found out (due to a careless minion, who is no longer around). That is well behaved. Yet you seem reluctant to answer any of my questions... You had best speak up, if you don't wish to become part of my larder."

Hildigrim can't help but smile. "Of course. We're here for two reasons. One is the key. We hoped to purchase the item, but if another means presents itself, weren't not opposed to being flexible. The other is to find the one responsible for Mugrub's death. As you have just solved that mystery, I have a simple query I hope you will indulge me in answering: Did you in fact remove Mugrub's head from her shoulders with a blade before consuming it?"

"Oh, independent contractors. When you report your findings about Mugrub's death, leave out the details of my involvement. I have done you the courtesy of talking through our situation, instead of killing you right away. If trouble comes to me, I will know which five to hold responsible.

"I had no intention of ending Mugrub, as she was a useful courier. But she was so insistent on "revealing the murderer", there was no reasoning with her. You will be wiser than that, yes? And I did not remove the head with a blade before consuming the brain. One of my grimlocks did that, after the meal, to hide the exact details of the death from those who would snoop in matters that don't concern them.

"The key is no concern of mine. You have to talk to a Zhentarim tiefling named Bosskyn. I gave the key to a drow courier named Cory’bant’ex to deliver to Bosskyn, at the Keel Haul in Middle Skullport.

"When I was in Waterdeep a while back, one of my prized pets had gotten away from me, and some vile thugs murdered it. The Zhentarim considered me responsible for their captive getting away (their fault, I was only a bystander), and for their agents I slew in my rage over my pet. But my debt to the Zhentarim is now repaid, so they are of no concern."

Yraxilinith looks over at the kennels while speaking about its beloved pets, then gestures at one of the Grimlocks. "Why are those kennel doors open? You let them run loose... You, on the left... MY left, not yours!... Go to the entrance hall and look for Betty, Veronica, Archie, Bloodsport Deathclaw, and Jughead. If you don't bring them back in perfect condition, your remaining days will be spent in agony... And remember to turn off the traps before entering the hallway!" (shakes its head, then returns to the conversation with the party) "I have to place an order for new minions, if I don't tell them that every single time."

Quillary follows this conversation carefully, and at the end seems to sort of shrug, while also tightening her grip on her cudgel. "Is there a quicker way out than the way we came in?"

"You can leave the way you came in."

(It will take about a minute for the minion to return from the part of the hallway where the Intellect Devourers were smushed.)

Pascal seems to be doing mental math, muttering, “So this is a bad situation cause he killed her without her attacking him first... I think... dangit, these ‘ethics’ things are confusin’... why can’t y’all just eat things without all this hootenanny.” Pascal sighs.

During the mind flayer's extended explanation, Hildigrim's smile dissolves into a look of surprise and borderline horror. Once the grimlocks are out of the room, he whips around to look at the others, whispering furiously, "We can't let him get away with this. This is the murderer. He murdered Mugrub. We could jump him now that the grimlocks are out of the room."

Stealth? 15

(One grimlock is out, the other is still by the kennels. And Yraxilinith has been watching your group the whole time, since you have not said anything that might take away his attention.

You still have (maybe) half a minute to try something, before you expect the other grimlock to return.

No stealth. If you want to jump into battle, roll initiative.)