Heroes of Sandpoint: The Derro of The Devil's Platter

Art by Michael Jaecks

Our Cast of Characters

• Alfgeir Stannisson, an Ulfen Warpriest of Gorum who has traveled from the Lands of the Linnorm Kings, hoping to become a great hero like his ancestors. 
• Fiona of Sandpoint, a Varisian Rogue who has spent most of her life on the streets of the coastal town, doing whatever she can to survive. 
• Jon Silverbow, an Elf Ranger who hails from the Mierani Forest of northern Varisia who has a deep hatred for goblinoids. 
• Theoian Daleborn, a Half-Elf Investigator who joined the group on the behest of Belor Hemlock, Sandpoint's current sheriff. 

A month has passed since our brave heroes managed to defeat the tiefling witch Mahga and thwart her plans to turn the entire town of Sandpoint into horrible monstrosities bound to the will of Lamashtu, the Mother of Monsters. During this time of rest and relaxation, strange things have been happening near the limestone escarpment known by the locals as the "Devil's Platter." A number of unlucky travelers have disappeared near an abandoned mine. 

Wanting to find out the cause of these disappearances, Sheriff Hemlock decided this job would be perfect for his new honorary deputies. Unfortunately, Ongar the Half-Orc Paladin of Sarenrare had taken another assignment and Tywin the Half-Elf Sorcerer was busy tracking down leads to the location of his mentor's murderer, so they could not accompany their companions on this mission. Thankfully, Sheriff Hemlock came prepared and ordered one of his best detectives, a Half-Elf named Theoian Daleborn, to investigate this mystery with them. 

Once they had gathered their equipment and supplies, the adventurers made the rather uneventful hour-long trek to the abandoned mine at the base of the Devil's Platter. While investigating the entrance, one of the heroes noticed a strange, reptilian footprint in the mud. Fearing this mine might not be so abandoned after all, they proceeded with caution. After some investigation within the initial chambers of the mine, the heroes found the source of the footprint: a small group of troglodytes. Thankfully, they managed to catch the foul-smelling creatures off-guard and quickly dispatched of them. 

While it seemed like they discovered what was kidnapping the travelers (due to the items found within the troglodytes' den), the heroes decided to investigate the other chambers just in case the creatures weren't the only inhabitants of this mine. After finding a chamber dominated by large, blue mushrooms (and killing a rather vicious basidirond), the adventurers traveled further underground and discovered what was truly behind the disappearances and what was the fate of those travelers. 

A derro alchemist dedicated to an alien deity known as Shubb-Niggurath had enslaved the troglodytes and ordered them to capture the occasional traveler so that he could perform profane experiments on them, mutating them into horrific abominations. The heroes managed to find him just as he was completing a ritual to turn him into a aberrant creature. Luckily, Theoian managed to interrupt the process with a well-placed thunderstone, causing the derro to be sucked into another dimension. Sadly, they could not save the travelers, who were now just mindless monsters. While they failed to save the travelers and had to put them out of their misery, the heroes managed to escape the mine with their lives and return to civilization. 

((If you'd like to read the recaps of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd sessions, click here, here, and here.))