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[[File:Mind Flayer over Hullack Forest.png|right|600px|thumb|They were told not to pike. They did it anyway.]]

== Summary ==
[[File:Abandoned Logging Camp.png|right|600px|thumb|Abandoned Logging Camp]]
[[File:Tadpole Annihilation.png|right|600px|thumb|Tadpole Annihilation]]

The party chose caution, letting the intellect devourer flee while discussing illithid lore and Glenn's noble past. Smokescale gave a history lesson on the Gith and the Blood War and warned against piking with mind flayers. More importantly, Octavius admitted he's not a real doctor.

Tracking illithid blood to a ruined logging camp, they discovered a brine-filled saw pit swarming with tadpoles. A fire bolt ignited it, triggering a fiery explosion. Two mind flayers emerged, flanked by intellect devourers. Smokescale and Unit 137 were downed instantly, but the party retaliated: Octavius banished the uninjured one, and the party made short work of them both.

After picking off fleeing intellect devourers, the group scouted Phaulkon Manor--now a heavily fortified Zhentarim post. A sending stone in Finn's bag flared with an ominous voice demanding a passphrase. Glenn chucked it back in the bag as it began to smoke. Choosing discretion, the party melted back into the forest shadows.

== XP Award ==

* 2075 XP for defeating the mind flayer cell
* '''Total: 2075 XP'''
* '''Current XP: 30513 XP -> 32588 XP ''' (Level 7)
* ''(Required for next level: 34000 XP)''

== Things That Happened ==

=== A Walk In The Woods ===
* '''Date:''' 18th of Tarsakh (The Claw of the Storms, April), late afternoon, 1372 DR
* Deciding not to pursue the illithid intellect devourer, the party discussed a variety of topics.
* The party wondered if the illithid and zhentarim are working together.
* The party wondered what could have driven the illithid out of the Underdark.
* Learning that Glenn was nobility, both Unit 137 and Smokescale gave respective bows.
* The party reminisced about Uchu.
* Smokescale explained how the Blood War almost came to a temporary ceasefire when the illithid were a major threat.
** He described how the Gith, a thrall of the illithid, slowly regained his consciousness and led his people to rebellion and tearing the illithid empire apart.
** He explained how the gith split into the Githyanki, followers of gith, went to the Astral Plane, and the Githzerai, the "not followers of gith", went to Limbo.
** He asserted the party should not pike with illithids.
* Octavius is asked how he got to Faerun, and he explains how his dual quill, a gift from an academic, was a portal key to Sigil from his home at Strixhaven.
** He dramatically revealed that he is not a doctor. Unit 137 blared an alarm.
* Using Thistle's bat vision, Lilia sent him forward to scout.

=== The Sludgy Trail ===
* Thistle spotted a trail of illithid blood mixed with their healing ointment across some trees.
* Alaundo the mouse rode Thistle to follow the trail, leading to an abandoned logging camp.
* They could see a flooded sawing pit and a delapidated wooden structure with its roof caved in.
* The location was empty.

=== Mind Flayer Cell ===
* The party scouted the area up close, finding no valuable loot.
* However, they noticed the flooded saw pit smelled like brine, and had tadpole-like creatures swimming inside.
** Octavius and Lilia recognized these as mind flayer tadpoles, capable of infecting a host and transforming them into a mind flayer.
* The party devised a plan to firebomb the volatile brine from their flying carpet at maximum speed.
* Octavius cast a fire bolt into the tadpole pool, causing it to erupt into a massive yellow-orange explosion, spraying burning tadpoles in all directions.
* Two mind flayers, including the injured one, rose to flank the party from Hullack Forest.
* Intellect devourers uselessly skittered up to the tops of the trees, out of range.

=== Encounter: Illithid Over Hullack ===
* Highlights:
** The entire party resisting the Mind Blast from the illithid.
** (Except for Smokescale and Unit 137. Both were KOed immediately, with Unit 137 spiralling out of control in flames until he exploded.)
** Glenn leaping from the carpet on to the injured mind flayer.
** Lilia resisting becoming a thrall of a mind flayer.
** Octavius banishing the first mind flayer.
** Lilia polymorphing the first mind flayer into a tadpole, the fall damage nearly killing it before the party finished it off.

=== Intellect Devourer Massacre ===
* On their flying carpet, the party hunted intellect devourers using ranged cantrips, slaying two.
* Another two disappeared into the woods. The party stopped their pursuit.

=== Scouting Phaulkon Manor ===
* Knowing that their battle over Hullack likely drew attention, the party cast Pass Without Trace and approached Glenn's original home.
* They sighted the manor grounds from the south, clearly on high alert.
* 20 foot tall stone walls enhanced by new wooden towers, topped with ballistas and patrolling spearmen and rangers.
* Seeing the southern gate was guarded heavily, the party crept eastward through the woods, noting that the collapsed eastern wall was reinforced with barricades and wooden spikes.
* Swinging to the northern wall, they watched patrols and studied the postern gate, overgrown with ivy but with a key in its keyhole. Its hinges also appeared oiled.

=== The Sending Stone ===
* A vibration from the Bag of Holding revealed that Finn's sending stone was receiving a message.
* A silky smooth voice asked for a status update.
* The party did their best halfling grunt impression.
* The voice, growing cold, demanded the passphrase.
* After receiving none, the sending stone began to grow hot.
* Glenn hastily threw it into the Bag of Holding, which shortly puffed smoke from its opening.

=== Retreat into the Woods ===
* Deciding the area had too high of a wanted level, the party retreated into woods, intending to return once the situation had cooled.
** They intend to have Thistle and Alaundo surveil the manor.

== Maps ==
* Nothing new

== NPCs Encountered (or mentioned) ==
* No new named characters

== Memes ==
* Dwarven suckhouse

== DM Thoughts ==
* They can't keep getting away with this!

Session 20: Piking with Mind Flayers - Revision history

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