Sessions 4+ — What happened (east of the pool → Assembly Hall)

Source: Table play notes from the Ethium pool, eastern collapse, Lake Cavern, Duergar Outpost, Ethium Viewing Table, and Assembly Hall.
Chapters: Chapter 6 (East of the Pool) & Chapter 7 (The Ethium Viewing Table and the Burrower)
Status: Played through Assembly Hall, Grey Burrower eruption, and Duergar city gates closing.

Complete Table Summary

1. Night at the Pool & “Poopy Joe”

• Party rested at the activated healing pool. Garnel gave excited explanations of how the ancient pool magic works.
• The party cleansed one of the zombies killed in the tower (nicknamed Poopy Joe due to his ancient peat-stained leather armour smelling like compost). Lowering him into the healing pool cleansed his form and restored him into a slow, polite zombie assistant to help Garnel clean the chamber!
• During the night, the party set watches around the pool. Hammers ambushed them. The Cloaked Watcher was spotted fleeing up the stairs across the traps, and the party dispatched the remaining thugs.

2. The 2-Day Dig & Hall of Statues

• Garnel teased a side option about crystals in a Kruthik lair, but the party chose deeper Ethium (the eastern cave-in).
• Digging took two full days of dwarven stonecraft and strength. Smallest of all, Garnel squirmed through the first gap.
• The Border Hall: They discovered ancient halls lined with statues — Ethium citizens at the near end, dwarven lords at the far end, and animated warrior guards in between marking the old border.
• Statue Battle: The warrior statues animated! Non-magical weapons bounced off them until the party realized Ethium crystals on the walls were powering the guardians. They knocked the crystals loose, deactivating the statues, and collected the stones.

3. Lake Cavern & Otyugh Ambush

• The Chasm: A collapsed stone bridge forced the party to climb down a steep cliff into a murky cavern.
• Troglodyte Chute: A foul side cave filled with rotten carcasses — a chute where Troglodytes throw rubbish to keep the monster fed and away from their lair.
• Telepathic Trap: Dave heard a voice in his mind from the murky lake: “Please help me, I am trapped…” (the Otyugh’s telepathy lure).
• The Fight: The Otyugh erupted from the sludge! Nibbles was caught in a tentacle and bitten. Derek and Dave scrambled down the ropes; Thorn landed heavy blows while Dave blasted it with fire.
• Loot: Old adventurer gear, a healing potion, and gold coins recovered from the muck.

4. Duergar Outpost & The Ethium Viewing Table

• Ascending the far cliff, the party entered old dwarven halls occupied by Duergar and Quaggoth slaves.
• Crossroads Ambush: Duergar used invisibility to surprise the party and Enlarge to deal heavy damage. Nibbles rushed in, taking heavy hits. Derek kept everyone healed while Dave cast Flaming Sphere and Thorn held the line.
• The Ethium Viewing Table: An ancient stone table with a relic slot. Inserting objects caused a crystal sphere to emerge, displaying text: ready, accessing [ Memory ], memory updating
  • Ethium Axe: Showed ancient busy dwarven/Ethium forges $\rightarrow$ shifted to modern dark view of cages, crates, and dark dwarves riding giant spiders.
  • Royal Stone: Showed the ancient Ethium Royal Castle $\rightarrow$ shifted to present view of ruins overrun by Goblins, Ogres, and Hobgoblins.
  • Pool Water: Showed an ill citizen lowered into the pool $\rightarrow$ shifted to live view of Garnel and Poopy Joe tidying the pool chamber!

5. Assembly Hall Battle & The Grey Burrower

• The party rested, then sent Peggy the familiar ahead to scout. Duergar and Quaggoths were waiting in ambush.
• Great Battle: Quaggoths charged while four Duergar enlarged themselves. Nibbles (now 3rd level) unleashed Thunderwave and Dragonborn Fire Breath, but took brutal claw damage. Derek summoned a Spiritual Weapon and Loki joined the fray.
• The Grey Burrower: The ground shook violently as a colossal blind worm — the Grey Burrower — erupted through the stone wall, biting everything that moved!
• Outcome: The Burrower swallowed a Quaggoth and bit Nibbles and Dave. Thorn and Dave’s Flaming Sphere brought down the Duergar Captain.
• City Gates: The last surviving Duergar fled down the corridor with the worm in pursuit. Nibbles peeked around the corner to see spider-mounted Duergar cavalry dispatch the worm, just as the massive iron city gates slammed shut with a heavy clank!