Sunless Citadel Recaps

Session 1

• The Dungeon Divers begin filming outside the rural farming community of Oakhurst.
• The Divers arrive at the Sunless Citadel and begin exploration.
• After overcoming a pit trap, fighting off some dire rats, locating a secret door with some skeletons behind it, and finding some goblin corpses... the session ends with the discover of some Dracon Runes that read: ASHARDALON.

Session 2

• Venturing into kobold territory, the Divers find what is essentially two mephits that power the hot and cold water in the Sunless Citadel. The group slays the mischievous buggers.
• Soon, the group meets Meepo - a timid and cowardly kobold who has had his dragon kidnapped.
• Seeing an opportunity, Meepo recruits the Divers and strikes a deal between them and the kobold's leader (a sorceress Yusdrayl) to retrieve the dragon from the goblins who stole it in exchange for some treasure. 
• Selks is distrustful of the kobolds due to the racial tension between them and gnomes, but the group goes along with the plan since the alternative means fighting all these kobolds.
• Taking the backway into goblin territory, the group comes across more dragon motifs (statues, sarcophagi) and traps. Its during this time that Selks discovers the Night Caller, a whistle capable of animating the dead.
• The group leaves off exploring the rat dens...

Session 3

• The group fights through rats nests and find more dragon motif (statues) where they eventually come across the Bloated One, the mother of all rats, Guthash. In truth, just a diseased giant pregnant rat. 
• Through the use of their animal tongue, Reio is able to negotiate safe passage through Guthash's territory. In exchange for some food, Reio is able to acquire the corpse of a fallen Dungeon Diver Intern: Karakas. 
• The group then proceeds into goblin territory and take many of them surprise - slaying goblin bandits left and right until they establish a foot hold into the goblins living quarters.
• Erky Timbers, a gnomish priest of the Reaper, is discovered as a prisoner to the goblins. The group frees him and he shares what he knows of this area. Erky is given equipment and decides to fight alongside them.
• In addition to sharing the misfortune that brought him here to be captured, Erky reveals that he has heard stories of a druid called Belak the Outcast who tends the Twilight Grove and the Gulthias Tree. Rumors say the tree is capable of producing fruit that can kill someone with a single bite along with fruit that can heal any wound and cure any disease. It seems Belak has recruited the goblins to do his dirty work.
• He also mentions that the interns were captured by the goblins and that Durnn (the hobgoblin chieftain) killed one of them who resisted.
• The group discovers a room that had been used as a holding cell for the kidnapped dragon. It was nowhere to be seen - seemingly having broken free.
• Thinking the dragon had fled, Aurora is shocked to discover that Calcryx is still lurking in the room... he attacks!

Session 4

• Calcryx fought fiercely against the group - nearly killing Gremlin. However, he was defeated by the party. 
• When they were preparing to transport him, Setis opted to consume Calcryx in order to absorb his power. 
• Meepo freaked out, but the group convinced him to attempt a coup against Yusdrayal. Setis posed as Calcryx and Aurora did the majority of the talking...
• Upset and suspicious, combat broke out between the Divers and Yusdrayal with her Kobold Elite. In the end, they were neutralized with a sleep spell. 
• To cement Meepo's new kingdom, Setis killed Yusdrayal and the kobolds celebrated their new "Dragon God". 
• Meepo rewarded the group and turned over what treasure the tribe he had to them. 

Session 5

• With a key given to them by Meepo, the group was able to explore a secret chamber.
• The first room had an orb that mimicked a dragon's fierce roar Dragon Priest.
• The next room had a dragon sculpture with a riddle.
• The last room had a sarcophagus in it... a quasit by the name of Jot has been bound here to guard the tomb. It attacked the party, but was soon slain by them. 
• Opening the sarcophagus, the group received some hidden treasure inside there... along with a troll in suspended animation.
• The troll was a Dragon Priest who was entombed here... he tried to leave, but the group realized he would cause evil and havoc, so he was slain. His corpse was taken by Rashida.

Session 6

• The group proceeded back into goblin territory and discovered that they were in the process of preparing to siege the kobolds. 
• A battle between the goblins and kobolds took place. Both sides had many losses, but in the end, the kobolds were victorious. Durnn the Hobgoblin's Chieftain managed to escape with his life and flee to the second floor of the Sunless Citadel. 
• The group find some loot among the belongings left behind by the goblins.
• Gremlin spoke to the goblin commoners still alive and in hiding - learning the lore behind Belak the Outcast, Gulthias Tree, and the Sunless Citadel. Reference Belak in the NPC section.

Session 7

• The group proceeded to the second level of the sunless citadel where they were confronted by twig blights and skeleton gardeners. 
• After defeating them, the group explored the living quarters of several goblins along with laboratories, food stores, tailor shop, and armory... once the group was discovered, they were forced to slay the goblins who defended their homes. 
• The groups explored arboretums which were home to bugbear gardeners, skeleton gardeners, and fire snakes... it seems Belak had been experimenting with underdark vegetation. 

Session 8

• The exploration of the grove continued as Setis and Reio followed the trail of Durnn the Conquer. The group eventually located him attempting to bribe a fire snake to help him - it seems he had already recruited two giant rats and their master, a bugbear hunter (Balsag).
• The group came in strong with their ambush - leveraging fire spells primarily to put an end to the bugbear, hobgoblin, and rats. The fire snake gave them a little trouble, but it was eventually put down by Dr. Selks' skeletons (created by the Nightcaller whistle).
• After taking what loot there was to be had, the group stumbled across a shrine dedicated to a younger form of Ashardalon. The group discovered that by sacrificing gold pieces (an increasing amount) they would receive a minor blessing from the deceased red dragon. Each person who partook felt different feelings, but the dragon attempted to corrupt and control bit by bit even from the grave.
• The group then explored the arboretums - finding mostly underdark vegetation and ecosystems here being tended by Belak.
• As they advanced, they came across another shrine of Ashardalon where a shadow was hiding - it attempt to ambush and kill the group, but it was slain. Aurora had been the one to invoke the phrase on the shrine - granting her a great boon. 
• Eventually, the group would stumble across Belak's study. There, they found a few items of worth to loot. Aurora nearly avoided setting off an explosive runes trap while looking through some tomes. 
• With that all behind them, the group prepared for the final room...

Session 9

• The group discovered the Gulthias Tree and Belak the Outcast. To reach it, the group slayed there way through a horde of goblins and twig blights. The group only sustained minor wounds after the initial ambush volley of the goblins. 
• Aurora unleashed a gift from Ashardalon - a potent fireball. However, she could not resist his corruption and taint; influencing her in subtle ways to leave his mark on her. 
• Upon encountering Belak, he appeared to have a woman and a man enslaved to him - both corrupted by the Gulthias Tree itself. The woman (Sharwyn Hurcele) was a minor noble who was a recruit within MAGE. The man (Sir Braford) was an older KNIGHT with a belief in the Divinity of Mankind. They would defend the tree with their lives against the Dungeon Divers.
• Belak shared his beliefs and pleaded with the group...
• He claimed that the world was dying and it was because of the "new ways". His druidic circle had expelled him - but he was called to the Gulthias Tree and he believed it to be a way to restore and cure the world. 
• He made a plea to the group - to take the Gulthias' Tree Fruit and plant its seeds across the world. Through its primal power, the Champion and Brother would be reborn; druids and barbarians, animals and monsters could reign once more.
• The group quickly spoke together in a huddle and wanted to trick Belak into believing them so they could ambush him. He had managed to overhear it.
• Soon, combat broke out... Sharwyn and Aurora had a brief magic duel with each other - Aurora claiming victory (barely) and ending Sharwyn's life with a blast of hellfire. In the mean time, Braford and Belak had been disabled with a web trapping of Gremlin while the others moved in to fight off Twig Blights on their way to Belak and Braford.
• Aurora delivered the final coup de grace in the fight; using a SHATTER spell to explode and destroy the Gulthias Tree as well as killing Belak. 
• With his dying breath, he cursed Gremlin and the group (as she had gone to try and save his life). He said that the Upheaval would return soon and bury the sins of man.
• Braford was gravely wounded, but saved by Selks. He repaid the group by giving them his magic sword: Shatterspike. 
• The group claimed what loot there was to be had, including the magical fruit, and left the Sunless Citadel...
• Outside, when preparing to leave, a representative of the Storyteller (an off-putting man by the name of Holden) congratulated everyone and provided them with a clue to their next season... the Forge of Fury. 
• Rashida shared what she knew of the Upheaval when asked about it - telling a story about her grandfather who sought out the cause of it. She mentioned the word... "Tarrasque" ... as the cause her grandfather came up with. 
• The group prepares for their press tour...