Short Synopsis
The party travels to Vizerin’s tower and accuse him of conspiring with Grazz’t. Vizerin is offended and suggests that one of the members of the party is more likely to be the culprit. The drow wizard introduces them to Kimmurial. The pair of drow tells them that the drow alchemist Xaven Tanor’this may have knowledge of how Grazz’t is infecting people’s minds. Xaven was captured by Maram il Vass who lives in the Howling Pits. The drows request that the party rescue Xaven.
After traveling through the Howling Pits and navigating steep pits and spores and fire giants, the party arrives at Maram il Vass’s residence. They negotiate the purchase of Xaven. Maram il Vass offers to sell them information on Grazz’t’s six children who are the key to his presence in the mortal realm.
Long Synopsis
The party goes to Vizerin to uncover the reason that Grazz’t was not part of the demons who were summoned to Menzoberranzan. Iluna accuses the wizard of conspiring with Grazz’t. Vizerin denies his involvement. He indicates that the only way Grazz’t would not be drawn in by the spell is if he was somehow warned of it ahead of time. Vizerin even suggests that perhaps a member of the party may have fed this information to Grazz’t.
Vizerin introduces the party to Kimmurial, a drow from the Center for Dungeons and Diseases. While the party has helped stop a plague of demons, he would like to make sure that they eradicate the Grazz’t-19 strain. Kimmurial explains that Szith Morcane, an outpost of Maerimydra, was overrun by possessed fire giants. He believes that they have been infected by extraplanar plants. According to drow researchers of Maerimydra, an alchemist named Xaven Tanor’this may have decoded the secrets of the possession. Unfortunately, Xaven was kidnapped and sold to Maram il Vass, a powerful information broker who lives in the Howling Pits. Kimmurial requests that the party retrieve Xaven and take him to a drow named Solom at the Sporedome. The party ask for 40,000 GP (per person?) in gold or equipment in exchange for their service (Warlan specifically asks for a Dagger of Returning and Jax requests a +2 sword). The drows agree and Vizerin teleports them to the Howling Pits.
They arriving at the Howling Pits. As they attempted to cross a narrow pathway filled with pits, Warlan falls into one of the pits. He succumbs briefly to a brief bout of uncontrolled laughter and crying. The poor gnome has to be dragged out by the party. As they attempted to press deeper into the Howling Pits, they enter a place filled with spores. Without an N95 mask, Warlan succumbs to a fit of choking by the poisonous spores.
As they attempted to make their way further in, they are attacked by possessed fire giants. Jax and Baroj team up against one fire giant while Warlan distracts the other fire giant. Iluna uses electroshock therapy on the fire giants. Eventually, a combination of electrical shocks and surgical strikes completes the job. After the battle, the party encounters a brother-sister pair of runaway slaves. They give some information about Maram il Vass. Warlan offers to pick them up on their way back. The party continues on, but Iluna and Baroj also suffer some mental maladies from the maddening winds.
Jax smooth talks the party’s way into the home of Maram il Vass. He negotiates to buy Xaven for 10,000 GP (with the intent of selling him at a higher price to the drow’s Center for Dungeons and Diseases), the cost being split among Jax, Baroj, Iluna and Warlan. Iluna tells Maram il Vass that she is willing to pay even more to discover the location of Grazz’t’s essence. Maram il Vass also hints that he knows a way to weaken Grazz’t. Grazz’t has six children with six-fingers from a human mother. The purity and innocence of these children are what ties Grazz’t to the mortal realm. In exchange for payment, he is willing to disclose the location of these children.
