Chapter Seventeen: Arena

We rest overnight and try to escape first thing in the morning. Vex uses Hunger of Hadar on the guards. They get uncomfortable and leave the room. Next, Vex uses Misty Step to escape the cell and opens the door. This alerts the guards who were standing just outside the door. Kriv and the half-giant attempt to break open the cell doors so we can help Vex. Vex tries to run past the guards looking for more cells to free prisoners, but it struck down by the larger guards. Kriv, Aruna, and Xa’oc manage to kill one of the guards by pulling against the bars and Xa’oc bites it to death. Then a templar enters with more guards and strikes Xa’oc. Vex is brought back to the cell. We fail miserably

Additional guards watch our cell. We take a short rest.

Guards tie up our hands and move us into a holding area. We are given back all of our weapons, except non-metal versions. With much fanfare we are thrown into the arena

The arena is overseen by Thakok-An holding Mistsong. There are guards surrounding us, also templars, and the stands are raised.

We are forced to fight the mutated prisoners. Kriv uses Psychic hammer to drop the half-elf in the water. Aruna stuns the Half-giant and Xa’oc knocks it into the water. The Pterran sprays acid on everyone. The Aarakocra casts fear on Vex and Aruna.

Thakok-An begins pulling some levers and the water level starts rising and also there is a giant octopus in the water.

Vex, Aruna, and Kriv are grappled by the giant octopus. Xa’oc is not in the water so is not attacked. The half-elf and half-giant sink further into the water.

A not-quite-humanoid shadow moving along the wall tells Xa'oc to jump onto the platform with Thakok-An. She reaches for the sword and pulls a lever. The shadow grabs her feet and envelops her body and she falls unconscious. Xa'oc grabs Mistsong. The shadow leaves Thakok-An's body and descends into the water.

Kriv is crushed to death by a tentacle.

Xa'oc rolls Thakok-An into the drink and starts pulling levers to try to lower the water level. The water level lowers to its original level.

Aruna tries to stabilize Kriv, fails to do so because he is already dead, and "abandons his corpse"

The water level continues to lower.

Xa'oc hears a voice telling him to "hurry up and get down there. "Xa'oc slides down a tentacle using his gythka.

The crowd is fleeing, but they don't look frantic, they just look really tired, like they are very sleepy. The guards are trying to break down the door to the platform.

One of the tentacles squeezes the demon chicken to death. Aruna is no longer afraid of it.

One tentacles squeezes Vex to death.

The water is draining out of the arena, and everyone is getting pulled towards the drain

The shadow moves along the water and tells Xa'oc, "Go, Go, Go."

Xa'oc tries to kill the kraken.

The shadow from under the water damages the kraken where it was wounded, causing it to let go of everyone it was grappling.

Everything gets sucked down the drain, including Kriv's and Vex's corpses, but not Aruna and Xa'oc, who are standing on top of the kraken.

The voice in Xa'oc's head says, "What are you doing? don't kill the kraken, just go"

Xa’oc leaps into the drain and Vex follows. They feel something wrap around them (probably the shadow) that pulls at them and they break the surface of the water outside the city near the boat, along with Kriv's and Vex's corpses.

Xa'oc decides takes the corpses to the Caller in the Darkness.