Strange BedfellowsWith Grog’s mind now silenced, the twins fall upon the last surviving Duergar. Vex’ahlia presses their dwarven captive for information. The Duergar only laughs at the barbarian’s plight, and spits out warnings of the “master” that awaits them below, before Vax’ildan finally puts her out of her misery. After an uneasy night’s rest for the party and hours of meditation for Keylith, the druid is thankfully able to restore Grog’s mind, and the Vox Machina continue down through the great cavern. They pass through a gutted goblin village strewn with corpses, and eventually spy another group of Duergar, dragging along 3 dwarven captives. Scanlan and the twins whip out their flying carpet and tail the Duergar from afar, over a thin, creeking rope bridge. Scanlon disappears from sight, and now invisible, carefully makes his way into a war camp teeming with dark dwarves, ogres, and trolls. There he bears witness to an Illithid controlling all those around him, devouring the mind of one of the three dwarven miners.
After catching his companions up, the group hatches a plan to lure their enemies into an illusion and drop them to their doom, into the cavern below the bridge. It is partially successful, but then, while acting as living bait, Vax’s mind is stunned by the Illithid and he is almost dropped to his death before Tiberius swoops in to save him.
With the plan now in disarray, Vex and Keylith decide to delve into the chasm below the bridge, in spite of their companions’ protests. Their instincts serve them well though, and hidden behind a subterranean waterfall they find a cave. Within it awaits a powerful and unlikely ally.
