The Everdrench

In preparation for what lay beyond the watery hole in the wall, Fox transformed himself into an aquatic elf.  The small stream flowing through the wall did not have much of a current however it appeared to drop straight down to an unknown depth.  After tying two long lengths of rope together and fastening one end to his waist and the other to the immovable rod, Fox dove in and plummeted over the side of the abyss. 
     The free-fall that he experienced was both terrifying and exhilarating.  His insides forced themselves up his throat until he splashed to the bottom.  By all accounts he was now floating in a large underground pond.  Using Phae's message spell he notifies the rest of the group to take caution and enter the chamber feet first. 
     Near the edge of the pond a trail led through tunnels of varying sizes.  At times they could walk three at a time side by side and at others they had to hunch single file to make it through.  Finally the corridor opened up to an expanse even larger than the dwarven ruins.  Victran stepped out front to lead the group.
     "The Everdrench." he paused to soak in what seemed like a homecoming event. 
     A dim light, almost like that of a quarter moon, radiated from all corners of the expanse.  A large lake lay in the middle.  There was no indication as to how much of the cavern the lake took up, at some points it looked as if it met with the walls and at others it appeared to fall off the edge of the earth. 
     "We are at the Eastern edge of the Shining Sea." Victran reminisced. 
     Rain fell in in slow motion, dripping from the ceiling in endless wonder.
     The path curved around the edges of the lake and and came to an end at small hut which guarded a mall pier creaking eerily over the water.  A black wrought iron lamp rested just above the door, it's light was much dimmer than that of the of the luminescence throughout the cave.  Victran stepped up and rapped on the brittle door.
     After a brief moment a lanky frog-like humanoid stood in the open doorway.  Victran exchanged a series of guttural croaks and a small amount of money.
     "He will take us across."  He relayed to the group.
     The frog-man walked them to the small pier and motioned for them to board a small dinghy.  He grabbed his oar, took a seat at the front of the boat and began rowing. 
     He navigated slowly but surely near the edges of the lake making sure not to enter the deep water.  Large shapes moved swiftly just under the surface.  Some were dark and others glowed faintly just below the surface.
     After reaching an even shabbier pier further down the lake bed Victran and the humanoid began to argue in croaks.  Money changed hands again and the group was allowed off the vessel. 

To the ANUS!

Once outside of the astral plane the group found themselves in a massive underground chamber.  Their feet rested on a crudely drawn five point star covered in runes similar to those in Tear's inner sanctum.  Their senses became dulled and real life had never looked so bland.  The vibrations of the plane had turned into the echoes of dripping water pulsing through the cavern.  A stale wet odor permeated the air around them.
     "Where are we?"  Fox asked as he surveyed the dark expanse surrounding him.  As his eyes slowly adjusted he could see a rock face beyond with intricate lines flowing in all directions. 
     "This is what remains of a great dwarven kingdom."  Tear announced.
     The outlines on the wall became clearer and they could see an entire city carved into the wall of rock.  Houses with windows opened up to meandering walkways that etched their way up and down the wall.  It was the ghostly remains of a vast city that stretched beyond their view. 
     "How can this be?" Raddick pondered.  "Where have they gone?"
     "It has been abandoned for over one thousand years.  The sea came to reclaim it and no one returned."  Tear spoke with excitement.
     "There must still be riches if they ran from a flood." Raddick replied.
     "Yes indeed.  I have explored somewhat, but not extensively."
     "Which way?" Fox interjected.
     "Towards the anus." said a voice from behind the group, with disdain.  Victran the Drow stepped forward to collect their puzzled looks.
     "When mapped out the chamber which we are now in takes on the appearance of the a stomach.  Our best chance at moving deeper underground is to head for the anus."  Victran extended his arm and pointed to a gentle flow of water which had carved itself into a small valley, cutting through the chamber.  The stream led to a  hole in the wall big enough for them to fit through one at a time. 
     Dahktor kept quiet and moved on the outskirts of the group.  He had thanked them profusely for rescuing him from the hunting party on the astral plane.  He had remained aloof and did not speak much of himself.  They knew that he had been some sort of slave or prisoner however there was no weird funny stuff going on.  He had agreed to take up arms in the underdark and join in their cause.
     Showing trepidation, Groth complained about going deeper underground.  He stated that he was very accustomed to fitting into small holes above ground but did not like being stuck in small holes underground.  It was agreed that he would wait here at base camp and guard the portal so that they may return.

Next up EVERDRENCH

Through the Looking Glass

Tear did his best to coach the group on the intricacies of movement through the astral plane.  Once complete, bypassing the formalities of getting to know the strange (non-sexual) ex-slave who now graced their presence, they made their way for the portal which led to the dwarven ruins.
     They came upon a large swirling vortex which extended high above and deep below.  The swirling visual created a sensation of being pulled closer.  However this was not the case.  Since the mind felt it was being pulled, it was in fact thinking about moving closer, which caused the physical self to move closer to the vortex in the astral plane.
     Victran the drow lead the charge and moved steadily towards the swirling mass followed closely behind by Tear, Fox and Auren.  A haze swelled up between them and the portal, as they moved closer it began to take the form of a voluptuous female drow.  She hovered with a sensual glow, her gray skin hinted through her silken covering as she narrowed her eyes.
     "Danger!" Victran's thoughts ripped through their minds with searing exactness.
     "Oh," she turned her gaze towards Victran, "Victran the traitor."  The drow lowered her head and smiled.
     "Gladly." he replied smugly.
     "The lady is aware of your coming," her body rippled under the silk as she shifted her weight, "she has plans for you."  She lifted her head, smiled and blinked out of sight.  For a brief moment her real form was visible as she faded out of view.  A momentary glimpse revealed a large molten mound of a creature swirling with tentacles.
     "Yochlol, a handmaiden of Lolth."  Phae answered the question that all were thinking.
     After lots of thinking, the group travelled through the portal and gave up the astral high.

Off to the Underdark!

I'm sick of these M F'ing Snakes on this M F'ing Astral Plane

Off in the great expanse were silver tubes that appeared to be some sort of cloud.  They also floated far below.  Beyond that large red discs spun round and round.  Everything around them pulsed as their senses turned into overload.  Sounds came in waves both visible and physical.  Color seemed to have deeper meaning as they pulsed to an unknown beat.  The sound of coins rattling in a pocket seemed to be only a foot away but it was clearly coming from a far of distance.
     In another direction a tropical island topped with an upside down tree was swaying like a pendulum. 
     "Remember," Tear's voice rang through their skulls, "you must move through thought."
     A flash of light broke out somewhere to the left.  Coins and armor fell out of nowhere and onto nothing.  Behind it tumbled two more forms who continued to fall until they disappeared. 
     Shouts rang out causing them to face the opposite direction.  Dark shapes formed on the horizon.
     "What is that?" Fox's thought rang out.
     Tear stopped immediately.
     "This is an opportunity I can not miss."  Tear turned to face the crew.  "You can stay here if you like."  With Victran the Drow in tow he floated off to face the shapes in the distance. 
     Without hesitation Phae and Auren set off in chase causing the rest of the group to follow course.  As the closed the gap the shapes began to take a human form.  There was one in front and two in back.  It did not sound like a happy group.  The shapes began to fad in and out of sight as they grew closer, their forms appeared to be blinking in and out of the plane.  They soon realized that the two behind were chasing the one in front.  Words became audible.
     "Plane walkers assistance." 
     "Plane Walkers."
     "This is not your business."
     The two in back fired bursts at the one in the front.
     "Stand back, they are chasing down a Gith slave." Tear's orders leaped through their heads.
     With a quickness beyond comprehension Tear blinked forward to meet the oncoming concern. 
     "This one will come with me."  he held his position with arms crossed.
     "There are other plane walkers approaching."  hissed the creatures.
     "Plane Walker Tear," they screeched, "what is your business here?"
     "None of yours." he replied as the escapee caught up with him.  The two stopped and glared.
     "He is but one." they recoiled.  "We will recover him.  You will be back with your precious silver strand and we will cut it.  You will never have safety in the plane." 
     The new figure warily backed away from his tormentors until he rested behind the physical manifestation of Tear.

Enter Dahktor Yangyu
    

Inner Sanctum

Tears inner sanctum rested peacefully underground, it's silence was absolute and echo less.  The air was clean with the hint of incense. It was a circular room supported by a series of large marble columns which were adorned with candles.  Shadows danced throughout the chamber taking on all shapes and sizes.  At first the scene was jarring, sending the most calm of minds into a paranoid spiral, but once acclimated a serenity took hold.  Carved on the floor was a series of ornate runes, each rested at the end of a large five pointed star etched at the center of the chamber.  Tear was the first to break the silence.
     "When you enter the astral plane it is important that you not become involved in anything that is happening around you."  He paused to allow this idea to sink in.  "Your senses will be heightened to a degree of which you are not familiar."
     Shadows raced across his face as the group listened intently.  The drow hung behind the group between two of the columns.
     "You will travel by thinking, there will not be an up or a down."  His eyes fixed on Groth's puzzled look.  "No force such as gravity exists on the plane, if you are not thinking of a direction, you will surely fall.  The plane is not aligned, it is timeless and infinite.  If you get lost, you will be lost forever."
     As the group soaked in the scope of the undertaking, Tear educated them of the status of the physical form.  Normally creatures visit the plane without their physical form, carrying a silver thread that serves as their link to the natural world.  If that link is separated the physical being will not survive. 
     Moving from column to column Tear traces the etched runes with his fingers.  As he steps away they begin to glow, faint at first and then brighter with each successive rune.  A hum begins to resonate within the chamber.  It builds to a crescendo as the final runes are activated.  Victran steps forward to join the group in the center.
     The hum resonates deeper and without warning the floor begins to crumble away, falling into a void below.  The chamber begins to shift away leaving the same shapeless void in all directions.  Chests tighten as stomachs lurch upward.  The sensation of falling inserts itself, however they were not travelling downward.

They had entered the Astral Plane