Along the coast...

The night had fled but let its gloom behind. Joe Brandis was looking out the window, from his comfortable place on the featherbed. The nights were darker now, the days almost just as bad. What they thought was a storm was in fact the shadows. They fell on the coast and hid the sky. He looked out, trying to see the stars, some guidance sent by Selune, as he so often looked for at sea, but the sky stayed grey and dark. How long had he been sober now? Days only, yet it seemed years. His brother had found him, and he brought hope that Joe had given up long ago. With this task that had been left behind for him by his younger brother, Joe found strength he did not know he still had.

A shape stirred beside him under the furs. Telandra was waking up, turning to face him. The furs slipped from her breasts, yet she made no move to pull them back. Strong in her faith, she was keeper of Selune's Eye Lighthouse and leader of the silverstars of the region.

" What do you have in mind, Joe Brandis, to lay awake so? ", she asked gently.

He smiled.

" I was just thinking that all my life, I looked up to the moon, blessing Selune for guiding our ship. Yet, now that shadows cover the lands, Selune gives me an even better light to guide me through the night.", he said, cupping her breast.

Telandra drew closer and slid her hands under the furs, whispering " Are all ex pirates as charming as a Brandis? "

He chuckled, " You may find other pirates just as charming, but you'll find none as eager to please as me. "

She had her hands between his legs. She understood just what he meant.

On the trail of the heroes...

The large plaguecave opened before them, vast and lost in fog, debris and earthen isles floating freely. A torrent of raw blue fire, unmistakable manifestation of the spellpague, tore through the vaulted chasm, eating right through a jutting spire in the middle, spraying a swarm of rocks in the air. The debris turned into a flowing river of rocks, snaking through the cave and disappearing through the fog. As incredible and impossible as the cave looked, the arcane minds soon understood that the reality was fringed and the truth of the world had little meaning there. From the spire in the middle was growing a large tree, bearing strange fruits, and a bridge led from it to the other side. Sometimes ice, sometimes molten lava, the bridge was constantly changing. From the side of the spire, a river flowed, changing to steam then flowing slowly. But there was no mean to reach the spire's flat top, beside trying to fly across the room on the floating platforms. Such platforms were sometimes getting struck by fast flowing rocks in the strange rock stream, or were hitting the walls with a strange wet sound before bouncing back. Most dreadfully, they also frequently gravitated through the flowing spellplague torrent, setting them aflame in a fiery blue blaze, which died softly leaving barely any trace.

Aishar went first, tying a rope to the tree in the middle after floating the distance safely on a platform. Fylikiel started on the rope, while Auburn and Acane struggled and kept each other from falling from another drifting platform, doing all they could to avoid the blue flames. Then, to Aishar's misfortune, a blazing blue dragon crawled out from a cave in the spire. No longer red, the plaguechanged dragon youngling crawled on the spire and stared at Aishar. Then the sword at his hand seemed to react, intriguing the dragon. The beast considered them a moment. Aishar thought the dragon tame, when the beast savagely attacked him. Biting, clawing, breathing fire. Aishar laughed at the fire, being almost immuned to its effect thanks to his elemental blood, but the claws racked the flesh right off his limbs as the dragon furiously tried to kill him. The might of a dragon, even plagued, was a fearsome thing, and if not for Auburn, Aishar would be charred meat. Acane and Fylikiel threw all they could at the beast, trying as best then can to stay alive in the deadly living cave, while Liw did his best not to pummel to his death while helping defeat the beast. He even prevented, rather painfully but with success, Acane from being the next victim to the claws, after Aishar had fallen. Only for an instant though, for soon his companion got him back on his feet.

The greatest surprise brought them to the greatest realization. As the dragon flew back and seemed to concentrate, rocks and platforms started drifting to them, threatening to crush them under tonnes of stone, or send them falling to a certain death. Without hope, Fylikiel tried the same, calling on his knowledge of the Arcane and the plague and trying to shape the very reality around him... with success! He was able to bend the largest rock to his will, stopping it short of their location. Liw soon followed his example, even Aishar. Soon the dragon gave up and flew back into physical combat, but the tide had turned. The beast was finally slain. As Liw and Fylikiel explored the marvels of their hold on the cave, Acane preferred to leave the cursed place as soon as the beast was dead. Aishar went for the hoar, Liw for a different kind of hoar in form of dragon blood and various body parts.

Although victorious, they paid a dire price. Fiddling with the plague got them more eaten up by it. To Liw's dismay, the blue fire claimed his eye, rippling around it like a sun of blue flames, while Fylikiel's veins turned to blue fire under his skin along his left arm, trailing up to the snakelike scar protruding from his shoulders. Unlike  Liw, he seemed to embrace it, finding it very interesting. Liw knew better and preferred to put some distance between him and the plague.

They left and soon came upon a distressed Acane. The plague had claimed its due of her also, tearing apart her whole body and changing her into an half demon. Tears flowing, she showed them the truth of her demonic heritage, revealing that it was her real shape. The other one simply a clever illusion she had kept for years as a favor from an unrevealed benefactor.

But they did not turn away from her. They welcomed her as never before, for they all had dark secrets and darked pasts.

Fylikiel, lost children of his house, had stolen ancient priceless tomes and had lived long in the shadowfell, learning of the monstrous ways of eladrin bloodlines.

Aishar's escape from a secret faction of the shades, masters of magic and swords, and flight across the realms as a pirate, along with Auburn, whose family had been corsairs and pirates for countless years.

Liw escaped the mad experiments of his family at the price of his soul, as demonic magic purged his dying adolescent body of the spellplague. Later becoming a warlock at the price of torture and his sanity, he was able to tear himself free, betraying a succubus who was using him to betray his demon lord, imprisoning her in her own trap. A succubus who turned out to be... Acane! Or what the spellplague had ripped out of her some 50 or 60 years ago, changing her from a twisted bloodline of elven demons, and splitting her into two beings. Everything that was vile and unsalvageable created the succubus, another scion of the Abyss, while the rest was left behind. Remnants of gentleness and decency, courage and beauty.

Brought together by their darkest sides, the companions rested, regaining some strength to face whatever horror is hidden in the ancient runs of the Quel'Danas sanctum...

On the trail of the heroes...

The descent into the underdark was very much like any tunnel. The damp air, the earthy smell, the occasional stalagmites and moss covered walls. Aside from the glowing worms, there seemed no mysteries, and after Fylikiel explained that these worms were simply feeding on the spores of Magivore plants, a coral like plant that feeds off magic, and doing so changed them strangely. Nothing scary so far, so the heroes were chatting silently, Auburn inquiring on Liw's past, or their purpose down there... when Acane silenced them. She'd heard the echoes of something Liw had just said, but distorded, repeated, whispered, up ahead. Quiet and alert, then went forward into a tunnel formations, branching and folding back on the main passage... Auburn and Aishar went first into the center tunnel, to fall face to face with a mound of bloated flesh, covered with horrible mouths and eyes. While at the same time, from the right, a tentacular floating brain with a large beak came from a niche in the ceiling and fell down on Liw. Aishar lashed the beast closer with his lightning whip, only to realize with dismay that the senseless gibbering escaping from the creatures countless mouths were not only annoying. They were sinking painfully into his brain, and even seemed to warp the very ground around it, making him sway and move with difficulties. That is when the mouths on his own body appeared and bit at himself. If that was not horrifying enough, another such aberration came from the left tunnel behind them, causing the same pains to all the others. Worst still, the Grell then fell on Liw, grabbed him, bit him, and the warlock's body went senseless as the grell starting floating back, dragging a stunned Liw along. Only the rays of frost of Fylikiel kept the monster from floating away with Liw as the warlock struggled to stay conscious. Aishar and Auburn were stuck between the two gibbering mouther, and everything seemed lost, but they held it together and with with extreme luck, just barely came out of it, all alive.
Their trip into the underdark was not so amusing after that, and some even thought of going back, finding a way out. But Acane reminded them of their purpose here... So they went forward, found a hidden cave well out of sight from the tunnel, and tried to get some rest. Again, they were discussing, when again came in a hurry. She had peeked out to stand watch, and seen the large body of a large snakelike underground predator she called a Grick. It lay there in spasms. Liw examined it and came to the conclusion that it was dying. Auburn found tiny nasty looking bolts. They all turned and looked at each others, shocked. They understood what it meant: drows. That damn neared convinced them to turn back, but somehow they steeled their nerves, slept with a tight watch, and woke up alive. The following day, they started again down the caves, and their conversation was more quiet this time. As their discussion swerved toward the drows again, they were interrupted by an unseen woman clearing her throat. Turning around, they were struck silent as before them stood a gorgeous, yet terrifying drow female in platemail. Their fear were soon forgotten though, as she presented herself Nayism'Na, and said she required their help, as they had a common enemy: an undead rising mad eladrin had moved into long forgotten buried ruins. She explained she'd do quick work of him, as his presence was a nuisance, but the drows couldn't reach the ruins. She remained a little as to why, but said they would understand. Liw was even so bold after their agreement as to offer his help in the future, if the drows required help at the surface. She smiled and freely admitted to be of Bregan D'Aerthe, a name the two pirates had heard whispered before. Nayism'Na promised they would discuss it further, given they survived the tunnels. She drew them a map, and the was gone.
So they went on in the depths of the world, coming across some caves halfway to their destination according to the map. Curious, they moved in, only to disturb the meal of two carrion crawlers. As they fought, their group separated in two, they experienced the nasty paralyzing poison these beasts were notorious for. First, Acane, then Liw again. Then a third crawler came from a hidden passage. Then as one retreated back in fear, Otyughs jumped up from their nests under refuse piles, at the back of the cave, and attacked them from behind. After much being thrown around, they defeated the dungeons beasts, but not without lasting pains, for Auburn and Aishar contracted the nasty filth fever.They picked up remains from past adventurers, while Liw gathered a heaping pile of crawler eggs, tiny compared to the mature ones, and hid it in his Handy Haversack.
And on they were again, soon to come to what the drow had labeled as the Plaguecaves. They soon understood what it meant, as Liw and Fylikiel felt the distinct arcanic taint of the spellplague. The bright light at the end of their tunnel turned out to be what seemed to be bright daylight. And it was, for when they exited, they seemed to be outside. The cave was not a cave, but a immense pocket of raw spellplague. And much like the plaguelands of the surface, this place was "scarred" in ways that defied understanding. They were standing at the edge of a cliff, lost in clouds, with the blue sky and sunlight. The edge was dripping bits of earth and rocks upward into the air, carried by a cool wild breeze...

The world below the world

Nowhere is more dangerous than the Underdark. But even for the denizen roaming the dark reaches of Faerun, there are places you do not go, things you avoid. For Nayissm'na, staying in charge of her pocket of Bregan D'Aerthe meant knowing all of these dangers. Avoiding them, using them, making them. Knowledge and control was survival in drow society, even for sellswords of the drow mercenary organization. When she received news that undead creatures were roaming the upper world, terrorizing the swordcoast, Nayissm'na could only roll her eyes and curse. Of course, these stupid undead were everywhere. She have had her share to deal with for quite some time now. At first, she thought their master was after the same thing she was. Now she was more inclined to believe that she was after something that belonged for that Eladrin for a long time.

If only there were those damned Plaguecaves to worry about. But that eladrin had all sorts of servants, none of which seemed impressed by drows. Even there, she'd have dealt with them already, but they were not her only worries. 

Just when Nayissm'na was thinking of making a move on that arrogant Eladrin, she got news from her scouts. The kruthiks had just been taken care of by a small band of adventurers. She had to smile. One less thing to worry about. And maybe... if there were coming this way...

" What shall we do with these surfacedwellers, Nayis? " , asked her consor, always eager to please her with some bloodshed.

" Let them come... I believe I will meet them. "

On the trail of the heroes...

"Doomspores... These are from the Shadowfell... They're not so dangerous unless you're wounded... yet... this many...". Fylikiel informed his companions. Yet, these mushrooms were growing thick and large around large phlegmy cocoons. Unnatural eggs, that vaguely resembled Kruthik eggs, but much larger, and with a decayed, sick look. Yet, they could not simply avoid them, although they could have. Whatever was growing inside these would have to die. And they did. Liw and Fylikiel told Aishar to step aside, as they unleashed their magic to destroy one of these eggs at a distance. But that awakened a couple of Boneshards skeletons, scattered at the back of the room. They rose and stumbled right through the doomspores, spreading the vile spore in the air. They then freed the kruthik abominations from their eggs and attacked. The zombified Kruthiks proved to be much tougher than their living kin, yet were no match for the heroes. Wisely avoiding the spore clouds, they unleashed their devastating magic at them, while Aishar and Auburn held tight at the front. The boneshards proved a dangerous threat, but with Auburn's lead and commands, they came out of it almost unbloodied. Once the spores were fallen back to the cave's floor, they pushed on, readying themselves for the confrontation... The Hive's broodmother.

What they faced repulsed them by its horror. The wounded and dying humans the kruthiks were dragging underground were fed to their broodmother continuously. Heavily guarded by huge kurthiks, the approach was not easy. The battle raged a long time. Even if the heroes had grown experts at killing these creatures, the Hive Lord proved a ferocious opponent full of tricks; its acid spits was almost the end of them, but mimicking Acane's movement, they scattered around it, reducing the deadly effect of its breath attack. Slowly, they mowed through the varmint until only youngling and the queen remained. Although huge and slow, the queen proved as deadly as the Hive Lord, if not more, as she swallowed Auburn. Focusing on damaging the queen, they were able to free him, as the broodmother spit him back out in pain and fury. Alive but in pieces, the heroes ended the vile existence of the monstrosity. The rest scattered in mindless fear... leaving the hive strangely silent.

In the Broodmother's nest they found a strange necrotic ritual device still functioning, yet degrading fast. As if it had recently been left unused. Fylikiel recognized a black gemstone used in the device. Very much alike to one they had found in a sentient undead they had faced on their way. The device, they learned, was designed to corrupt the kruthik cocoons. Although improbable because of their resistance, the kruthik could be transformed into stronger and easily controlled undead abominations. They destroyed it and reduced the ritual symbols to crumbled rocks.

And that was the end of the Kruthik hive.

Before them, at the back of the Broodmother's chamber, opened a narrow passage, digging further in the depths of Faerun. Fluorescent worms crawling along the moss covered walls of the tunnel lit their way, dimly. Unknowing, they were about to past a dangerous threshold; the doorstep to the Underdark is an easy one to cross. Never to be seen again in many cases.