Episode 54: Goodbye Tikbalang, Hello Malavarak

Welcome to the Underdark. Our heroes found themselves in the Underdark near Uthvlog after escaping The Hierophant in Bur Boldor through one of Natalia's portals. Darkness washed over them as the intense cold of the southern region set in. Survival and navigation proved to be diffiult, and the party soon found themselves lost. 

They wandered into a peculiar region of the Underdark which seemed to be a forest. Sankara, with druidic insight, discerned that although they appeared to be real these trees were an illusion and nothing could grow this far from the sun. Cries for help in the forest were revealed to be Tikbalang--- a gaunt humaniod-horse hybrid with illusion abilities. The party fought off an ambush and killed the last one before it could escape. 

After the fight, they were greeted by a strange individual named Malavarak. After some scrutiny from the party, Malavarak revealed themself to be be Malavarak the Mercury Dragon. The party recalled that it was a mercury dragon bust they saw as one of the five dragons in the Dragonology wing at Fizban's College. Malavarak explained to the party that they had been pursued by a fearsome creature called the Udaak for quite some time and asked for a favor since the party seemed so capable. The favor was one of two things:

• Find and kill the Udaak somewhere in the Underdark or...

• Help clear out Doniathon's old lair to make a new home for Malavarak within the Uthvlog volcano so that Malavarak could secure themself  within and be safe from the Udaak. 

The party elected to help clear out Doniathon's old lair. Malavarak said that if the party agreed to help them, that the party would be handsomely rewarded a Mercury Compass that would aid them in navigating the underdark as well as a small portion of Doniathon's horde that remained within the abandoned lair. 

After this discussion, Gallogk finished forging a door suitable to be used for Ravinia's key to their subdimensional hideaway. The party astutely discerned that their bags of holding should probably not enter the hideaway. Entering into bare rooms but greeted by the spectral butler of the hideaway, they casually explored their new base. However, the session ended with Fearne screaming and the party discovering three very-much-alive people chained in the back room with their soul energy being siphoned.