Incident Report – Beholder Hive Under Helmlands

[Dire Rabbit]

Location: Caverns Under the Helmlands
Participants: Bedine wizard, Laruel, Holy Strategist Keline Hallenthen, Others.

During a mining trip to the region for titanium, we found that some of the places I typically do my mining had changed, fissures of soul sapping negative energy now well up within the deepest depths of the darkness. It was our first indication things had gone terribly wrong.

Continuing through the expedition, we encountered the usual bottom dwellers and exploring gnolls and the like. All was fine until we ran into our first gaggle of eyeballs. From there on they descended from the ceiling of the cave, swarmed down around us and attempted to kill us as if they were bats with eye beams. There were hundreds of them around us, thousands more looking down.

Then we ran into a beholder.

I took the brunt of its initial attack, our summons and quick thinking allowed us to prevail, kill it, and effect a combative retreat against more strange beholder like creatures- some with legs, some mere eyeballs once more. We clamored to the surface once more only to be met by a man by the name of Bogwit.

He claims to have been part of a local wizard’s tower and before its destruction, a camp of wizards that had been monitoring the situation in these caves. It seems that the beholders moved into the cave, which got their attention in the first place. However, once the tower was destroyed, the wizards abandoned the camp except for two who specialize in wild magic.

These wizards, both Tallosans (how does that even make sense?) may know where the research materials the camp was using have gone, allowing us an edge over this growing hive. They will no doubt challenge those seeking their information in harsh and brutal fashion before they give up what they know, but the price to gain tools against such a dangerous foe as the beholders seems trivial by comparison.

Once we moved to leave, we were joined with another host of adventurers and on our way back to the city we were stopped by a beholder claiming to be an Emissary of the aforementioned colony. It offered those gathered relics and artifacts to, instead of cooperating with the missing wizards, kill them. Needless to say, this would doom the region.

I did not know beholders dream other beholder-kin into existence, but if that’s true (and I have no reason to doubt it is), this cave is exceptionally dangerous for the region.

Holy Strategist Keline Hallenthen

[SadGruffman]

Incident Report - Beholder encounter within the Forest of Eyes:

1/4/2021,

People of Interest:
Paul Caspin, a wizard whom recently arrived in Arabel,
Senior Retainer Osco Appleblossom, House Misrim
Dawnknight Nicholas Alwin Appleberry, Order of Aster

Event:
Paul, a wizard, requested to encounter a Minotaur in a controlled environment. Osco and I offered to facilitate this by leading the wizard to the Redwood forest, specifically the Forest of Eyes, to lay one low for him to research. This also afforded me the opportunity to determine why a wizard would want to research the heathen beasts.

We approached the Forest of Eyes cautiously, crossing the long fallen tree trunk which acts as a bridge for a massive chasm.

After crossing the chasm, we were flanked by a group of eight Minotaur enthralled by what I have heard previously described as a beholder. We fell back slightly, though determined fighting the beholder and minotaur on a bridge would be illadvised.

A witch of the minotaur's caught our scent and charged.

A combat ensued, it casted various spells on myself and Osco. I struck its chest with mine blade, causing several organs to spill freely - though as it staggered back it released a spell in its foul, guttural tongue which caused my limbs to seize. I stood frozen as the white-eyed, drooling beast approached me.

That is, until Senior Retainer Osco sprang from the guise of invisibility, and with a horde of bees I might add, saved mine life.

After some quick discussion with the wizard, Paul, he determined it was odd that a beholder was so far above the caves they favor, and it should be studied. He went to send his familiar forward to determine if such a deed were possible without further risk of life. The familiar... Never returned. After a few minutes rustling branches and crushed leaves exposed a charging set of minotaur warrior-slaves, enthralled to a vicious eye-... The Beholder had found us. The battle was quick, to this moment I do not know how we survived, but by the Light of Lathander we did. Osco enspelled himself, and the wizard too, while I rushed the creature and chopped off eye from stalk. A beam of light shined bright- a ray of red struck mine armor, and before the creature could finish me, yes, as it opened wide a vicious maw of teeth, Oscos bolt met its mark.. slaying the beast.

I owe Osco my life.

The creature, too dangerous to be left for a mere un-proven wizards research, was quickly pushed off the edge of the cliff into the chasm. That is when the thought occurred to me. . . Perhaps here is how the beast found its way to the surface? Perhaps this chasm meets the dark below?

Conclusion of events:
Went to find Minotaur, found too many, and a beholder.
Killed our way to freedom, returned to Arabel unscathed.

-Dawnknight Nicholas Alwin Appleberry

[SadGruffman]

Brief Update - Paul has joined forces with the Rotting One halforc. Seeing as he was researching Minatours and saw this dead beholder sent down into the abyss, he might endeavor to find a new beholder and raise its corpse.

This would be quite the threat were he to simply put two and two together.

-Dawnknight Appleberry