Through the Toymaker into the Dungeon

After returning to Rakot’s estate and taking a short rest, the group of adventurers decided it was time to begin their search for the Heart of Sardior. At that moment, Danaya and Tari temporarily left the group, leaving behind a ring and a note, hoping their absence wouldn’t cause trouble.

Since there was an entrance to the Underdark within the estate itself, the party decided to take advantage of this opportunity. However, the problem was that the estate was under the protection of MIST, making an alternative route necessary. Fortunately, the group encountered a street vendor selling pastries, who mentioned that local children somehow managed to sneak inside. Though he didn’t know the details, he directed them to Rakot’s Toy Workshop, whose creations—some of which had previously been gifted to the group—were popular among the locals.

The adventurers visited the toymaker, but their conversation quickly escalated into a tense standoff. During their discussion, they discovered that the toys had been purchased by a dwarf who bore a resemblance to Brotor, and that local street gangs were protecting the toymaker. After resolving the conflict and obtaining information about a secret passage into the estate, the group used their newfound knowledge to sneak inside and descend into the Underdark.

Without knowing the exact location of the Heart, the adventurers decided to gather information from the goblin mushroom-eaters. However, their attempt to establish contact failed, and after once again consuming hallucinogenic mushrooms, they fell under their effects. In this state, they were led to one of the tunnels branching from the settlement of Shim, where they saw two beholders. Still under the influence of the mushrooms, they charged into battle. The fight ended as unexpectedly as it began—what they had thought were beholders turned out to be two mushrooms that had taken their form. Upon their destruction, these creatures released toxic spores, which entered the bodies of Fenris, Surina, and one of the goblins.

At first, no one paid much attention to this, but soon Fenris and Surina began coughing up blood. Remembering that one of the deadly diseases caused by fungal spores started with these very symptoms, the group sought help from the goblins. The goblins prepared a brew from various ingredients, and the afflicted—along with the entire village—gathered at a cliffside, hoping for a cure. However, when one of the goblins tested the brew, he suddenly threw himself off the cliff, perishing in the abyss.

Realizing that the potion not only failed to heal but might even worsen the condition, the adventurers decided to rely on Fenris’s powers to cure themselves. With this crisis behind them, they continued exploring the region, hoping to get closer to their goal.