Rumors & Events of the Upperdark

[yyj]

Two unlikely travelers, one a hooded elf wearing a green dress and a fencing lighting genasi with thundery hair, deep in the caves, ran into two other unlikely duo, a svirfneblin and a dark elf.

The group of surfacers was keen on leaving in peace after exchanged greetings, but the dark elf was adamant in letting them go in peace.

After asking a few questions, the dark elf focused and set himself on fire, what happened after that is not clear, but the dark elf fell, mortally wounded.

The other three left the area soon after.

[yyj]

A shadow hidden in the tunnels near the Titanfist mine, watching for anything or anyone who passes by.

[yyj]

In the caverns of the Underdark, very close, to the entrance of the Surface, a shadow encounters another, one of them, covered face, and the other, showing an angry expression.

"Hood off!" The angry drow said.

"What do you mean, brother, those dang surfacers at it again?"

"Yes, and hood off so I don't have to worry about this."

"For Lolth?"

"Remove your hood"

"Don't tell me you are one of those spider kissers, I will give you one chance, stray away from this path or your life is forfeit. You lolithes are not welcome on the surface and I will drive back every one of you, a message must be sent."

The heavy drow loudly spits.

"That is enough, I will add you to my trophies!" The strong drow yelled before charging into battle.

A great battle ensued, one battled with full force while the other with agility, an extended battle, both fighters relying on potions and magical artifacts for an advantage... The drow veteran of many battles was tireless, but the shadow was fast, still, the drow wounded her heavily, and at this point she knew she had to flee, the chase was long, alas, the drow could not follow her where she went, heavily wounded and leaving a trail of blood behind.

[ScreechOwl]

There is apparently a "crazed drow" scouring the upper dark, from the ogre caves, to the river below rockrun. She asks questions of the local denizens. Wounding or maiming some who are alone and do not answer quick enough. Some manage to return a blow ... but she vanishes before a second can be delivered.

So far none have died, but ...

By the questions she asks ... she is desperately searching for some one? or something?

You sure you want to know what she asks? Pray she does not come seeking her answers from you.


quick note, in order to avoid any godmoding, i have done all of this IC and IG as much as i can as a PC vs NPCs, though not with a DM presence. If any DM considers any of this to be godmoding, i apologize and will of course retract.

[EasternCheesE]

*a note is attached to bulletin board in mist lake, written in undercommon*

Gelatinuous cubes were spotted in upper level of Kro Labyrinth. Those adventuring there, keep an eye for those to appear again and make sure to destroy any dos come across.
Such creature migration may cause native inhabitants to move to civilized areas causing destruction and deaths.

*Note contains no marks of author, signature or seal*

[EasternCheesE]

There were no signs of Gelatinuous cubes in Kro's labyrinth lately, but new threat emerged to those who challenge themselves at Oghrann's ruins. Extremely strong baleful spiders are infesting already dangerous area making it even harder for every adventurer. Those were spotted twice by myself already.
The first contact was almost a death to me, but i managed to flee. Surprising enough that those creatures seem to be allied with crazed inhabitants of this place.
I have prepared much better for my second expedition and, after a long fight full of using magic, scrolls, wands and many other means, i was able to put those to rest.
Will they be back again, called by those residing in old temple, who knows?
As evidence of this victory, i took a mandible of the biggest and deadliest of those creatures.
Be alert and spread the news if you find any proof of them returning.

I am ready to cooperate to investigate the source and reasons of such creatures moving from where they normally belong.

Your decent rogue and awful wizard.
*signature*

[EasternCheesE]

A pale albino tiefling is spotted often chatting with svirfneblin scouts, fishmonger and other Mist lake inhabitants and guests, offering gold for the information on Mist Lake water routes and surrounding caves. He declares he seeks the information on direct path to Kro's Labyrinth that won't lead through dangerous places like Ruins of Oghrann.

A poster on bulletin board is left, declaring that he is willing to pay 25 bags of gold for any maps, or guide on surroundings.

[DaloLorn]

Last cycle, the grey-skinned tiefling was seen carrying the redhead again - in different clothes - into the Gloura's Wings. She was pale and more obviously lifeless than last time, though the corpse bore far fewer signs of damage now. Somehow, later, the duo could be seen wandering out of the Darkwoods and buying a large supply of potions before leaving the city again.

Some time later, they returned to Varalla's Passage yet again, blood trickling both from the human's throat and the side of her head. She seemed disoriented, unsteady on her feet; if the tiefling hadn't been dragging her by the hand the whole time, she may not have had the presence of mind to walk, never mind running towards the caravan and requesting passage to Undrek Naudal.

Shortly after their departure, a hooded male drow, clad in black leathers, inquired about their whereabouts before taking the next caravan there.

Not long after whatever misfortune befell them west of Varalla's Passage, the two women could be seen entering Rockrun. The redhead had passed out on the journey to Undrek Naudal, and the tiefling was forced to carry her slung over her shoulder all the way from there. Rushing into the Lighttouch Garden, she hurriedly paid for a pitcher of water and a tent at the inn, before treating her wounded companion with bandages and potions. Even now, the redhead is quietly sleeping in her tent, oblivious to her surroundings and the difficulties involved in saving her life.

Their drow pursuer may not have caught up to them before Rockrun, but he, too, found his way into the gnomish village. Though he was unable to present himself as sufficiently friendly to discover their exact whereabouts, the drow was able to confirm their presence in the village before opting to head back out into the wilds. His interest in the odd couple, and his intentions should he see them again, remain unclear to all but himself.

[Ishi-Ishi]

For the last tenday, a pair of female refugees have become a frequent sight at Rockrun — a human and a horned creature. The duo squats at the local ghetto and the Lighttouch garden, they leave the town every cycle and return much later, bringing back food, spoils and, sometimes, new wounds.

They are distrustful about drow presence and try to avoid it.

They are training and preparing for something important.

[DaloLorn]

They are distrustful about drow presence and try to avoid it.

"Distrustful" can, however, only be a relative term when applied to the human redhead - as demonstrated by her behavior around most of the strangers the duo runs into, including the one-eyed drow she carried into the temple a few cycles ago.

Whether this could be interpreted as relentless optimism, suicidal folly, or a reckless disregard for her safety is open for debate.

[DaloLorn]

The redhead was brought unconscious into the temple, bleeding and half-frozen, for healing. After a brief exchange with her tiefling friend, the two went into the auction house.

They returned with a new suit of armor, and departed Rockrun shortly afterwards. They have not yet returned, but before their departure, the human retrieved a number of items she'd given the gnomish merchants for safekeeping. It could be inferred that she didn't expect to come back to Rockrun in the first place.

[DaloLorn]

Outsiders passing near Rockrun, either from the surface or deeper below, may have occasionally felt that there was something watching them lately, a vigilant presence hidden somewhere in the dark tunnels.

Vigilant... but perhaps not vigilant enough. Late last cycle, a masked woman stumbled into Rockrun. After nearly two years living in and around the settlement, the dark-clothed drow would undoubtedly be familiar to the guards as an eccentric loner, abandoned by whatever kin had followed her here. Yet unlike most of her excursions from the gnomish village, this one seemed both dangerous and unsuccessful; a pair of broken arrows were still stuck in her side, a few others seemed to have torn through leather and muscle on her arms before reaching their final destination... and for one as graceful and stealthy as her, the young drow seemed oddly clumsy as she limped to the abandoned hut outside Runner's Pass she had long ago claimed as her resting place.

The hut was an odd choice. It was odd when she first started squatting there, but it was doubly so now that she was so gravely wounded. Did she think the priests would refuse to heal her? Was it a futile effort to hide the surface wood embedded in her flesh, to pretend she hadn't been seen - hadn't been shot - by her quarry, either surfacers or buying surface munitions? Or were it pride and privacy that motivated her now, aided by a belief that she could treat her wounds herself?

How long would it be before she left to stalk the tunnels again?

Would she ever?

[DaloLorn]

Elven blood and broken surface arrows litter the floor just past the Rockrun entrance to the Titanfist mines. Two people were gravely wounded in a fierce, but brief engagement, from the look of it... though who they were, or why they fought, is unclear.

What is clear is that the masked drow has already recovered from her wounds, and started wearing no small amount of wards on her trips outside the gnomish village. It is also clear that she returned unscathed from another excursion last cycle. However, whether she had any part in the skirmish in the mines is less clear... as is the fate of the two whose blood was spilled.

[DaloLorn]

Last cycle, the masked drow's customary patrol came to a particularly odd conclusion:

When she returned, it was in the company of an enlarged, armored sun elven woman carrying the body of a drow woman in black-and-purple armor. She led the elf into the Lighttouch Garden, where the elf paid for the dead drow's resurrection.

The masked drow subsequently spent some time inquiring about the odd couple she'd aided. What she learned, or why she was interested in it, remains to be seen.

[DaloLorn]

After an unusually long absence last cycle, the masked drow returned to Rockrun, her lingering wards unable to mask the blood and grime on her equipment, the strong stench of undeath following her, or the profound fatigue carried in her every step. Whatever she had been up to, and wherever she had gone, she seems to have emerged from it largely unscathed... but utterly exhausted, nonetheless.

Upon her arrival in the village, she promptly dragged herself into her hut outside Runner's Pass. She did not emerge again.