The Jungle

Erevel and Gavril moved into the tower from the outer pathway.  Both were glad to be away from the barrierless walkway several hundred feet above the street level of Neruzavin.  The passage led into the tower toward the northwest but soon Gavril's sunrod illuminated a chamber.

Ropey strands of sickly fungus stretch across the rough-hewn chamber’s walls. Vine-like growths hung down from the ceiling, taut anchor lines that crisscrossed the area.  It was difficult to peer through the mass of fungus but Erevel could see the ceiling about 40 or 50 feet above.

The rest of the party followed slowly but everyone stayed in the short pathway.  Erevel took out a copper piece and threw it at the ropey strands.  The copper bounced off the strand which moved slightly like a harp string, the copper clanged off the floor as it dropped.

As the plant or plants did not react to that action Erevel started to gingerly enter into the chamber watching the vines continuously.  Ciprian moved up and began to cut a piece of the fungus off the wall.  His sharp blade made easy work of the job, it certainly was organic but stranger than any vine or plant the group was familiar with.  Ciprian ground a piece of the vine underfoot which merely left a stain on the floor.

As Erevel moved in she saw a hole in the ceiling with vines ascending through the twenty foot wide  aperture.  Seeing no other doors, windows, openings or other possible exit points she began to climb the vines.

Armania inquired from Havigan if he was willing to enter the chamber and climb the vines.  

"I'll go where you lead, I never saw this huge fungus before though," he replied and then jumped as Ursina approached from the rear her boots clicking on the stone floor.

Erevel kept climbing up the vines and approached the opening in the ceiling.  From there she could see that the hole continued upwards for another forty or so feet so she kept on climbing upwards.  As she did it became clear that there was a larger chamber above, but it was also filled with the vines.

I fact the fungal growths were even denser, forming a thick mat of organic matter whose many projections appeared to make for treacherous footing.  Ciprian levitated up to the opening and began stringing a rope for use by the remaining party members, Kaklatath and Havigan.  As the party began climbing up Erevel continued into the room finding the footing slow going and the room was rather large.  She eventually spied a set of double doors on the western end of the chamber.

The rest of the party ascended with Kaklatath staying on the vines in the hole in the floor.  Just as Ciprian came up last a flash of blinding light permeated the whole chamber, Paullus, Kaklatath and Havigan were blinded by the light.  Then the attacks began as the plant seemed to be sentient at three different points.  Ciprian was swallowed whole and spit out in a cocoon of tendrils.  The plants also attacked Erevel by the doors and the blinding light flashed again but no one succumbed to the blindness.  Erevel attacked back and found the plants were difficult to hit.  Maneuvering was difficult with the mat of fungus on the floor.  Ciprian cut himself out of the cocoon and told Kaklatath to move down in the opening.  He identified the plants as Moonflowers but recalled no other information.  He then began a Bardic Performance.

Gavril was less lucky as he felt his mind overloaded with a glut of psychic information and his whole body felt the damage.  Also he then saw a thick ribbon of fungus somewhat resembling a caterpillar. Its folds pulsed with an eerie, golden incandescence. Armania and Gavril felt their intelligence under attack when around the pulsing ribbon.  

Armania stepped with the blind Paullus to the doors.  Ursina flanked with Erevel to attack the plant life.  As the battle continued Gavril continually found himself under mental attack, feeling his abilities falter but not to a staggering level.  The pulsing caterpillar was even more difficult to hit and then he became confused.  Ciprian and the plant continued their battle as Erevel and Ursina did the same although Ursina's damage seemed much reduced.  Armania let loose a cone of acid to damage one plant although it seemed to do little against the ropey fibers.  Paullus still blind stood waiting for the effect to wear off, if it ever did.

Again Gavril lost some intelligence but Erevel killed one of the Moonflowers.  Ursina cast prayer on the party as Ciprian continued his battle.  Gavril took different turns attacking the caterpillar or standing still babbling incoherently.  Armania opened the doors and saw outside.  Strangely the street level was right at the door level even though the party had climbed several hundred feet upwards inside and outside the tower.  She could make out a different part of the city on the outskirts of a open area with four dun-colored tents standing in a crescent around a massive well covered with a cracked stone lid. Despite the audible whistling of wind, no air stirred the campsite.  She and Paullus took a step outside the doors.

The blind could see once again so Paullus began firing arrows at one of the Moonflowers, Ciprian defeated his attacker and Erevel and Ursina began to assail the final flower.  Ursina then felt the glut of psychic information attack his mind, the loss of intelligence continued for some of the heroes but they eventually wore down the enemies and finished them off.  Ciprian tried to identify the caterpillar fungus but was unsuccessful.

Everyone marveled at the sight outside the doors, how could there could be "camping upstairs, outside" as Havigan had mumbled.  Now that they could catch their breath several of the party noted that in the south the vines had hidden a niche where a stairway climbed further upwards.

DM's Notes:  The party earned 5333 XP for the night.