Starter Set, Eye See You, Session 3, Part 1

Searching the South side of the hill under the ruins of the Tresendar manor, the party found a small scrap of red cloth stuck to a bush, covering an opening to a small tunnel.  One by one, they stooped and walked into the low-ceiling earthen hole.

Entering the basement of the old manor, they were met by a 30 foot wide cavernous room, more natural structure than man-made.  A deep chasm ran the length of the cave, stretching 50 feet long and 10 feet wide, spanned by 2 bridges.  Hallways and rooms were carved into the walls, and a few smoldering torches flickered and only aided in the eerie ambiance.

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Surveying the crevasse before them, they heard a noise.  A voice.  It echoed in their heads, yet never reached their ears.

(The audio clips below were played at the table, the speaker hidden below the table.)

"Welcome," it laughed.

The creature greeted the guests by name, each in turn:
"Hello, Raven, Eva, Lana, Lemon, Durial."

"You're not with them, now are you?" it asked.

"Not a red one," implying the redbrands.

"Well one of you once was, though no more," it teased, with a knowing voice.

"Do they come to kill the red ones, or perhaps to save the little one?" it asked itself.

"Deal with glass one... Do we eat them?  Do play with our food?  Shall we watch what they do?"

When asked his name, he replied, "Balezif"

As the party discussed the strange situation, coming to realize that the "voice" was in their heads, it continued to mumble to itself in an increasingly deranged manner.


"Existence is pain, let me free you of it..."

"friends are good, food is good, so friends are food..."

"hunger-hunger-hunger-hunger-hunger"

"knowledge-curse-failed-quest-curse-knowledge"

"Meat for the body; knowledge is sustenance of the mind.  Yes!"

"Secrets, do they know?  Secrets to free me, to attain my true form..."

"Iarno knows secrets...  Red ones bring flesh... What do you bring?"
(They didn't immediately pick up on this hint...)

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Asking what it wanted, it replied,
"His staff of glass... the wizard holds it.  The power, knowledge... we could use it.  Perhaps it could help us.  Find more knowledge?  Yes...  A trade!  The wizard for the staff, or perhaps I could have both?  Feed mind and body..."

At this, Durial spots a looming eye in the dark, a creature climbing a pillar some 15 feet above, near the ceiling of the cavernous room...

...and he recognized it for what it was; a failed attempt to become a lich, a monster of tremendous power,

A nothic.