Chapter Eleven: Loose Ends (the Valjean Plantation)

The heroes determine to save the swamp elves from the terrible vargouille infestation. Beforehand they decide to make a cursory inspection of the city for possible drow activity and to also work on keeping Elizabeth Saunders from standing trial for a murder they believe she did not commit . . .

Neil usese his magic to investigate the area. He searches for drow sleep poison while wind walking around the city. He finds two locations. One is the Lifeless Lass tavern which the heroes know is handout of Dark Mariah, the half drow leader of one of the thieves guilds in town. The other location is a warehouse near the old elven quarter. Seebo, Casey and Ashton stake out the warehouse for the better part of a day, but learn nothing. In the meantime, investigations into the place reveal that it is a customs house that receives all manner of imported goods through the port before passing them on to some other destination.

Rygorh has met with Lord Malthus and Alev met with Archbishop Vigilance. Both agreed that the lady Elizabeth Saunders will not be tried for murder immediately. Rygorh gave a speech to the swamp elf residents of Crescent City pleading with them to help defend the city in exchange for freedom.

On the morning of June 2 the heroes set out into the swamp east of Crescent City. They make for the destroyed village where Greenroot lived and then head north. After about three days and two nights in the swamp they find the Valjean Plantation:

This land was once a thriving plantation but now weeds grow in the unploughed soil and rusting tools lie among them. There is no clue to suggest why the place has been abandoned. The soil seems as good as any and the ground is firm underfoot. Ahead, the house itself sits empty as a skull, or so it appears. The windows are all smashed in, the rail around the porch has rotted and fallen away and not even the birds are coming close. Perhaps the explanation for this desolation lies somewhere inside.

Inside the building the Starborn find dozens of vargouiles . . . the creatures have been multiplying as they slaughter whole villages of swamp elves. They also find nearly a dozen howlers . . . foul creatures from the abyss! A full investigation of the upper floors of the place reveals little of interest except that the place was abandoned rather hastily and has been empty of all except the vargouilles and howlers for many years.

While the upper floors of the place offered little challenge, the basement as a different matter entirely. Seebo moved ahead of the others to check out the lower level. As he looked into the unnatural inky blackness of the place a horror fell upon him . . . a babau demon nearly laid the poor fellow low before Rygorh could move to his defense. Unfortunately, Rygorh's presence did not deter the beast as it sliced and bit Seebo, bringing him to the ground and then turning on Rygorh. As the heroes moved to dispatch their foe another, greater, danger appeared: a vrock demon laid into Rygorh wounding him severely.

The Starborn retreat to the ground floor in hopes of bringing the creature into a larger space where they can all bring their weapons to bear. This plan, while seemingly wise, was almost the death of the heroes. As they retreated the demon prepared himself for battle with mirror image and then used greater teleport to drop into the midst of the heroes. His spores seemed at first to be a mere annoyance. Little did the heroes know that this poisonous fungus would nearly kill them over the next minute. Fortunately a combination of ranged magic, arrows and sword blows managed to pierce the vrock's illusory guards and Tilk brought the creature low with a mighty blow from his greatsword.

The heroes spend a moment in terror as the spores from the vrock grow at a rapid pace, damaging all of them except Seebo who had a delay poison spell affecting him. Applications of neutralize poison and bless helped several of them, but not everyone. After a minute of agony the spores were finished and everyone had survived. The heroes drain many charges from their healing wands and set out to explore the basement.

There is a howling gale in this cellar room, tugging at your clothes and hair. The winds come from a black vortex in the south wall, only three feet or so across, through which you can dimly see the outline of strange thin mountains and distant figures that no sane mind could describe. Suspended in the air, half in and half out of the vortex, is the emaciated figure of a human being. His hands have been lashed to a support beam, so the winds keep him hanging in the air but cannot pull him all the way through. His face is almost that of a skull, but the sunken eyes that roll madly in their sockets are those of a living man. He tries to speak, his voice a thin whine above the roaring winds: ‘Listen! You must understand! I have been here for years, so many years, ever since it happened! The demon is keeping me alive! It brings me water and… food… scraps of meat… I dare not think where the meat comes from. I try to refuse it but the hunger is too great! ‘While I live, the gateway cannot close. They are using it, using it to cross between their world of chaos and our world. They want to make it larger. While it is small, only the heads can come through, but there is something beyond… something huge. It wants to tear the gate open and enter this plane. ‘I have become the gateway! For pity’s sake, kill me! Close the vortex and let me find peace!’

While the heroes were ready to engage in their standard "argue for hours" method of problem solving Alev takes matters into his own hands and fires an orb of acid at the man's hands and the ropes binding him. He flies into the portal, and the portal slams shut with a reverberating snap!

Seebo is a bit upset at Alev for taking such hasty action, but agrees in the end that it was the right thing to do . . . this time.

The Starborn search the house and the area for any additional dangers and decide to burn the building to the ground.

A few more days in the swamp and the heroes are back to Crescent City ready to face new challenges . . . it is the afternoon of June 7 when they reach Crescent City.

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