Pensive, staying close to Sekkar, lightly lands on his shoulder and looks around.

Perception 22

Wisdom 6

Unless Magic Resistance. The pseudodragon has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects. then another wisdom roll for adv - 20

"Ok, we got his stuff, we dont need him and seems to be stalling more than anything. I say we kill him, maybe bring his head to our client? Maybe they can make him talk after he's dead," Kastix states, "I can't message the other so somethings up," 

(OOC: that’s a hit list. Ylsa is Zeno’s contact in the market: not sure about the others but could be related to the grey ghosts taking out their competition. Though obviously something deeper driving this.)

Zeno nods to Sekkar at his gesture and follows him up onto the Mesa.

Perception: 22

Wis Save: 10

Rhayna is relieved that Stool seems to be fine with its friend. "Stool!! Make sure you don't leave this place, OK?" She is not sure if the little Myconid heard her, but she can now focus on Sarith, and try to help him. As she struggles in trying to stop him from hitting himself, all of a sudden, she thinks of her father. He used to be a figure that she used to look up to, before the "madness" overtook him, that is. Her father used to be this fine gentleman, that was respected by his peers, and always very confident of everything that he did. Then something must have happened, and he was no longer the person that she knew as a child. It pains her that it seems that the same thing is, or has been, happing to Sarith. With similar experiences, she realizes that there is no use in reasoning with the Dark Elf. So she says. "I am sorry at what I am about to do Sarith, but I have no other choice." She holds her pendant, and brings it in front of Sarith. "May The Goddess help you." She casts Calm Emotions on the Dark Elf. (CHA Save DC 14)

(I wonder if Hemeth is no more ;-( )

More voices was exactly what Sekkar was missing!

Perception: 10

Wisdom saving: 20

(For Dawnbringer Perception: 11)

"Sorry Droki, you are not getting this stuff back." She says in bland voice.   "However you tell me and I'll make sure Kastix here doesn't kill you. How about that?"

Kaylyn/Kastix/Joetaro

Droki mutters quietly to himself, but Kastix, Joetaro and Kaylyn can still hear him well enough: Buppido not important like Droki. Making stinky mess in secret caves. Shouldn't be here. Buppido won't catch Droki, Droki too fast, too important. He then looks back up at the others and returns to his vitriolic hate-speech:  Thief and liar! Ugly and nasty! Make Droki late, important business not finished. Not deliver stuff to friends, not get nice things from big boss. If Droki answer questions, then they not let Droki go. If they say not kill Droki, then they kill Droki. Liars and thieves!

While Droki is ranting, Kastix studies the writings in the lizard-skin book and confirms there are two spells in there among the scribbles. Both are written for the benefit and study of a wizard, but Kastix can see one is for Tenser's floating disk and the other for feign death.

==============================
Sekkar/Zeno/Pensive

The half-elf, the lizardman and the pseudodragon stand at the top of the mesa listening to the kaleidoscope of sounds. It's all a little too much for Zeno and he develops a sharp pain in his head (Zeno takes 4 psychic damage) and has to stop actively listening, deciding instead to look around. Pensive seems neither bothered by nor interested in the cacophony and also looks around. At about the same time, both Zeno and Pensive notice movement high above the apex of the mesa. A flumph is hovering near the cavern ceiling, quietly observing the visitors, and a single word comes into Zeno's head: Hello!

Meanwhile, Sekkar continues to listen to the sounds. He has had enough voices in his head in recent times that it is almost becoming second nature. Among the myriad noises he recognises the voices of his companions, recent acquaintances, and even his own. I can be in the tower Ah, the Keepers! Mighty powerful they are.  We have seen the dragon, Themberchaud. They killed that other duergar - I was too far away to interfere. The more he listens the more he is able to scan through, differentiate and focus on and even search for different sounds, even some originally made as much as ten days ago.

Sekkar can mentally ask up to 3 questions about Gracklstugh that can be answered by searching for and overhearing any sound or conversation occurring within the previous tenday in the city above or in these tunnels.

==============================
Rhayna

A soft light briefly surrounds Sarith, and he momentarily looks up at Rhayna with an expression of relief and gratitude, before bowing his head once more. He continues to struggle but with less intensity, and his groans have stopped.

Stool and its friend both waddle over toward Rhayna. She can tell that Rumpadump is now included in the effect of the telepathy spores, and as Rumpadump transmits a greeting she gets the sense that this myconid is more extroverted and outgoing than the timid Stool. There's something not right with those ones, says Stool. They don't belong to our cluster, and Rumpy says they just appeared here suddenly out of nowhere. Their spores are funny and he can't make much sense of them. I told him you were really smart and might be able to communicate with them and find out what's wrong with them.

"Screw it with talks, We're not getting anything out of him. He's just stalling for his buddies to find and we can't let him tell his buddies about us," Kastix states as he pulls out his dagger and stabs him the derro, "This may take a few stabs,"

Attack: 20 Damage: 2

The miniature derro bleeds from the wound in his abdomen, and starts writhing again and screaming loudly. Thieves! Murderers! Liars! Nasty surface scum! 

Joetaro bites his lip for a moment. "In most circumstances, I'd say let's try and reason with him but since he's going to be a hostile witness, do what you can." 

"Too noisy," Kastix states as he puts his dagger away, taking a few steps back and just blast him with 3 scorching rays, probably overkill.

If he dies, Kastix turns to the other, "Where was Buppido again?" Kastix will drag the Derro's corpse and dump it in with Buppido's body, "Let's meet up with the others and get back to town,"

Attack: 22 Damage: 6
Attack: 19 Damage: 8
Attack: 24 Damage: 8

Sekkar shook his head in futile attempt to get out some noises. It did not help with the voices, but surprisingly organized the thoughts. He tried to follow the sounds one by one:

Rhayna is relieved that she was able to help Sarith to calm down. She turns to Stool. "Ohh... Hey!! I am very happy you found a little friend there Stool." Rhayna tries her best to look happy for the little Myconid. She is indeed happy for her little friend, but at the moment, her focus is on Sarith. "Err... OK, I will try my best to help you, but I need to take Sarith here back to the group. OK?" Rhayna strains to lift her companion up, and in a rushed voice she says. "OK Sarith, I need to get you out of here, but you have to help me, I can't lift you by myself." She tries to remain calm, so she won't alarm the little Myconids. She tries her best smile. "OK Stool. Rhayna will be back in a second. I mean, I will be back in a minute. Stay here, don't move OK? I will be right back."

Rhayna takes the Dark Elf out of their current cave, for she believes something there must have triggered his unusual behavior. As she makes the bend northward in the next cave, she makes sure that they are out of sight of Stool. She pins Sarith to the wall (north east side). With a single tear coming down her cheeks she says. "I am sorry again. I hate to do this, but I pray to the Goddess that this is for your own good." She looks at person in front of her, and all she can think of is her father. Sarith must have been once a proud Drow warrior, with his current state and hair all disheveled, he is but a shadow of his former self. "Please Goddess, I have already failed my father. I ask for strength to aid my companion, for I do not want to fail him." Still keeping up the Calm Emotions spell up, just in case, she casts Zone of Truth in front of her.

Looking Sarith straight into his eyes. "OK Mister, time to come clean NOW." A couple more tears come down her cheeks. "Listen Sarith, I did not want to do this in front of the others. You can trust me, I am here to help you. You have not been yourself since Sloobludop, or probably even before that. Please, please. You must answer truthfully my following questions. What happened back there?" She points to the cave they came from. "Have you been hearing voices in your head?" She wipes her tears with her sleeve. "AND, this is very important, lives are at stake here, maybe even the whole Underdark. You mentioned 'The Lady calls'. Who is this 'Lady'?" Rhayna is afraid that she might know the answer to the last question. The Lady and mushroom growths and yellow mold could only mean one thing.

Kaylyn grimaces as Kastix first stabs and then burns Droki.

<sigh> "I doubt he would tell us much else.  Whatever this bag of stuff is, it was very important."  she looks around in exasperation "This place is so dark and gloomy, I am just not myself.  We need to catch up to the others.  Pensive is with Sekkar and Zeno and they have found something interesting.  Where is Rhayna?"

She tells Kastix and Joetero what she has seen through Pensive.

Three rays of flame slam into the bleeding Droki. He screams louder still and writhes in agony as the magic fire burns smoking holes in his tiny body, and the acrid smell of burnt flesh and hair mingles with the swirling faerzress. The little derro can't take the pain and in a few moments the screams subside, the tensed muscles relax, and Droki's miniature body is still save for the bubbling of boiling blood from his dagger wound. The sight is too much for Joetaro, who turns white with horror and runs from the cavern. Kastix impassionately picks the corpse up by one leg and drags it from the cavern, dumping it among the butchered remnants in Buppido's cave. He returns alone to Kaylyn, wiping his hands and ready to hear her description of Pensive's observations.

===========================

As Sekkar focuses on his first question, he hears a a strong (and probably more recent) snippet, a familiar voice that he can't quite place, speaking in the duergar dialect of Dwarvish: ...avoid using the passage to the docks for now. Stay by the portal stone and guard the egg until the courier delivers word on the targets... The ranger focuses on his next question, and again picks out the same voice from the cacophony (this one much fainter and older): ...won't risk our brothers in public. Have the derro scum and the other calassabrak run the errands, and let them be seen now and then. Ha! Maybe we'll even have the dragon-priests believing in a derro thieves' guild... Tuning his mind to his third and final thought, the swirling faerzress carries forth yet another sample of the same voice, this one the strongest of all: ...leave Blackskull to me. I'll have the outsiders arrested on false charges and she can argue with the drow until the demon-worshippers have finished turning all the Cairngorm into monsters...

Zeno watches as the flumph descends toward him, and a voice is heard in his mind. Pensive also seems to be paying attention and can apparently hear the creature's thoughts. You are here to help. You and all your friends. I can hear it in your thoughts. Please, there are derro in these caves who worship a powerful demon. They are trying to corrupt the stone giants. Can you stop them?

===========================

Within his emotions under control, Sarith seems more able to speak clearly, and under the new enchantment, Rhayna is confident his words are truth. With frequent pauses and some stuttering, he says: In Velkynvelve I was imprisoned for a murder I have no memory of. There have been other events since, which I hear you speak of but I cannot recall. There have been no voices, just a feeling like something growing in my mind. When I entered that cave I felt that pressure in my mind connect with those creatures, as though we shared a common goal - a common mistress. There was no voice, but I hear her calling to me, and I can no longer resist...

He trails off and groans a deep groan, slumping again in pain. After a moment he continues, but his breath is raspy, and even through her tears Rhayna can swear his head looks just a little bulgy as he stares at her with an intensity that shocks the cleric: It is too late for me, human. But you can still save me, if you wish it. The Lady has taken my body, but you can save my soul. Slay me! Slay me now that I may take my final journey to the heart of Lolth's webs. Slay me else I remain a prisoner forever of the Lady of Rot and Decay. The Lady of... The Lady...

He slumps again, this time too heavy for Rhayna to hold up. His head is clearly bulging now and he cranes his neck and yells the next words: THE LADY... ZUGGTMOY!! I COME!

Zeno looks at the strange creature floating towards them.  He thinks back, "We can help.  The giants are good people.  We saw a two-headed demon lord come out of the Darklake at Sloobludop. It was...enormous and clearly powerful.  What can we do?"

Aloud he says, "It wants our help.  The derro were worshiping a demon.  Pensieve, warn the others."

Thus, Rhyana knew what was to be her next course of action, which she was trying to avoid all along. Her assessment of the situation led her to the logical conclusion that she must carry out the Dark Elf’s wishes. With Sarith slumped on top of her, the bulging on his head is clearly visible right in front of her eyes. She panics a little, and she tosses him to the side. She crawls away from Sarith as he agonizes further. Feeling defeated, Rhayna stands up, wiping away more tears with her sleeve. Even her spectacles are getting fogged up now, and she has to clean the lenses so she could see the Dark Elf. With a heavy sigh and great sadness, she holds her pendant with both hands. “Goddess guide me, for there is no longer hope to save my companion. Please, allow Sarith to meet his maker.” She tries to think of something else to say, but nothing comes to her mind. She deeply sighs again. “It was an honor meeting you Sarith, I will not forget you. Goodbye.” Rhayna casts Guiding Bolt. In an instant her pendant becomes so bright, it illuminates the passage that she is in, almost like if she was above ground on a bright sunny day. A great streak of radiant light flashes from the pendant, and hits the Dark Elf. There is no resistance, and he just let the light hit him. In an instant, Sarith, the Drow Warrior is no more. Rhayna slowly walks forward a few paces, and only ashes now remains. She slumps to the cavern floor, staying up on her knees. She looks down, some of her tears dropping down and mixing with the ash. “I am so sorry I was not able to help you. May the Goddess aid you in finding your way to Lolth my friend...”

 "Wait!" Sekkar stopped Pensive, should he try to fly away now. "There is more". It took him some time to shake off the effect of the well, but once his head was clear enough, he shared what he learned: "That derro-thieves guild - is a red herring. There is an egg and the portal - whoever that egg is and wherever the portal leads - bad news, both. But the worst of all - we are about to be arrested, all for that Blackskull Captain to waste her time while demon-worshippers are finishing turning all the Cairngorm into monsters."

Kastix cleans his dagger then turns to the others with him, "Let's go where little Pensive is then,"

Pensive is about to turn and return to Kaylyn when Sekkar stops him.  He waits as Sekkar tells him what is going on but he passes a feeling of puzzlement on to Sekkar as he is unsure how he would communicate so much to Kaylyn.  He then starts flying down the passage as fast as he can to return to Kaylyn.  

When he gets to her he communicates feelings of danger to her trying to get her to understand what is going on while tugging at her to come.

Kaylyn for her part sighs again.  "You know Kastix, I didn't really want Droki killed.  I was trying to scare him.  I hoped maybe if he feared for his life he might tell us more.  What's done is done and I doubt he would have said more.  I hate this place, I know that for sure."

Grabbing the different mushrooms for growing and shrinking she passes them out.

"Rhayna!" she calls out.  "We need to go!"