Much Ado About Dorna – Recap episodes 172-177

The party resumes their journey by visiting Arguile’s contact, the Shade, once more to negotiate the terms of Galahad’s belt. After this, the group returns to see Mr. Strauss, who asks Arguile if he would like to see Dorna to confirm his truthfulness. There is a momentary pause as Dorna turns to where Yurik has presented the party, as she drops her tea cup, leaps over the couch, and embraces Arguile. Mother and son reunited, the two are relieved to have found each other after such a long time, but question how it is that they could be so close to each other and miss one another for all that time. When the name Enich gets mentioned, there is a long, awkward pause from the group as they try to delicately determine if Yurik’s Enich is (or isn’t) Enich, Arguile’s alternate, AND the Skin Flayer. Thankfully, there’s a confirmation that they are, in fact, two different people, and with that, the group lets out a massive sigh of relief. 

After the two catch up, Arguile introduces the team to his mother, and Dorna takes the opportunity to share fond memories of a younger Arguile to everyone’s enjoyment, especially Zechs. Shanks grabs Arguile for a second to confirm that the stone from Arioch is still showing a number, despite finding his mother safe, which it is. Shanks reads the written recount of the siege of Ors Themar by Commander Valen. It was a grim and seemingly unending fight that saw the Drow face to face with the horrors of fiends that poured into the city. 

With that, the group rides to find Enich with Yurik. Unfortunately, on the way, they find themselves caught in a loop. They come up to a house in a clearing, and despite traveling away from it for some time, they find themselves back at it. This happens a few times before they decide to stop and investigate the strange occurrence. It’s at this point that Turk, accompanied by Arguile and Zechs, approaches the home to find an older woman who greets them. Everyone is wary and suspicious, but they meet and speak with the overly friendly woman. Zechs sends Duo out to check if the loop continues, which he confirms doesn’t, and with that, the group decides to bail as quickly as they came and continue to Ors Themar, to the other horrors that await them there. Or so they think…

Yet the loop persists. Frustration mounts as the group once again finds itself before the same cabin. Galahad now approaches the cabin with The Turk in tow and has a heated conversation with a perplexed woman named Mal, whom the group attempts to explain that she has met before. She tells the group that they are more than welcome inside, and she can make them some tea, which has a mix of reactions and responses. The Turk, having gone inside and taken note of the inside of the cabin, notices some books that catch his eye and feel out of place. While he can’t make heads or tails of it, he offers the information up to the group in the hopes that one of them can. The rogues attempt to put their heads together using their insights and eye for detail to see if they can see something that is being hidden in plain sight. Lo and behold, it’s Galahad who figures out that the books contain a shift cipher, and it’s with that bit of information that the group manages to connect the dots that they are in the Endless Maze. There is concern and a lot of plans being made to escape the maze, with Zechs trying to follow Duo and eventually using Speak with Plants to talk to the nearby trees, Arguile inspecting the cabin further, and Galahad doing a fly around with Duo to see if he can find and go through the path that Duo did. After which, Bahamut informs his champion that the only way out is through. It took some time to assess the meaning, as every conceivable plan was being made to circumvent the maze entirely. It was when they took a second to stop and take the words literally that they finally did make their way through. Eventually, they find their way out, seeing the cabin deteriorate as they came across it one last time, and they continued on their way. That night, as they share dinner and take turns on watch, Zechs and Shanks try to coax Arguile into opening up about what’s been troubling him. A few kind words and a bottle of whiskey later, the tension softens into laughter and companionship.

As the night deepens, the group divides their watches. We have The Turk and Yurik first, whose conversation begins with The Turk apologizing for putting Yurik up for a fight with Galahad, and then transitions into a discussion about family, upbringing, and their current situation. Arguile and Zechs are on second watch, where Zechs apologizes to Arguile for not being there for him as often as he thinks he should be. Arguile hears him out further but assures him that no apology was ever needed, as they all have their own things that they’re working through, and it’s easy to fall into groups amongst the party. Arguile asks Zechs how he’s doing post Malar, and Zechs reveals that while he’s relieved, it feels strange not to have him there, but most of all, while he knows he couldn’t do anything at the time, there is still some guilt in just letting him loose to the planes. They end with talks of their love life, once there’s time to think about it after saving the planes, for Arguile, potentially reconnecting with Cenari, Zechs expresses that he approves and reveals that he’d probably try to see where things went with Kivela from the Shuffle Guild to Arguile’s surprise, and finally joke that Galahad is likely holding out for the Executioner one day. Finally, we get to the third watch with Shanks and Galahad, who catch up and express their thoughts about what’s to come for them and if they’re prepared for the inevitable decision they’ll have to make. For Galahad, it’s putting a stop to Antonius and his father, and for Shanks, it’s putting a stop to his mother. 

The next morning, Glad finds herself in a heated argument with the Protector, her divine patron. Though the others can only hear half the conversation, it ends with Glad casting off her clerical ties, embracing instead the ancestral power stirring within her as she rediscovers herself as a barbarian. Zechs checks in on her afterward and sends Duo to keep her company as the group travels onward. That evening, Turk proposes a campfire exercise of openness and camaraderie. One by one, everyone, including Duo and even Yurik, shares stories and reflections, building trust in a rare moment of levity before turning in for the night.

The party resumes their evening watch rotation, beginning with Arguile and Yurik, who open up to one another about their pasts, sharing stories that highlight their respective journeys. Zechs and The Turk take the second shift, engaging in a reflective conversation about the bonds they’ve built within the group. Although both acknowledge that their time together may be temporary, they find comfort in the growing trust between them. Zechs shares how he came to join Collateral, while The Turk discusses his pre-party life. For the final watch, Galahad fills in for Glad, who eventually joins alongside Salix. The three of them discuss divine manipulation, personal growth, and the heavy choices ahead, particularly those Galahad must soon face.

The following day, the party begins their descent into the Underdark. Zechs casts darkvision on Galahad and The Turk, while Shanks rejoins the group after completing his ranger training. He and Yurik scout ahead for signs of purple worm tunnels, dangerous but potentially profitable. During this, Shanks opens up to The Turk about their respective warlock pacts, while Zechs takes a quiet moment to read a long-held note from Shanks. As they travel, Shanks and Salix harvest functional materials, and Yurik warns of the monstrous dangers that await in Ors Themar, jokingly betting Shanks a reward if he manages to slay one alone, a challenge Shanks eagerly accepts.

Deeper below, Jolene scouts ahead while Zechs uses Speak with Plants to bargain with local fungi. The group agrees to feed the mushrooms the corpses of their enemies in exchange for safe passage and information. Arguile’s sharp tongue nearly sparks trouble, but Zechs manages to smooth things over. Unease grows around Yurik’s blade, a weapon radiating both fiendish and undead energy, and Galahad attempts to understand the old man’s aggression. Their talk is cut short when Yurik charges headlong into battle against giant spiders. The fight is fierce and confined, but the party prevails. Afterward, Yurik reluctantly reveals that his sword is sentient and demands bloodshed from time to time. The others, familiar enough with cursed weapons, choose not to press further.

The deeper they travel, the more alien the Underdark becomes. Myconids drift past them without notice, and strange bioluminescent spores fill the caverns. The Turk’s telepathic gifts allow communication with the fungal denizens, and though some nearly succumb to toxic spores during a stealthy detour, they recover and press on. Eventually, the group encounters signs of life, voices speaking in Undercommon. Shanks scouts ahead and overhears the conversation, relaying what he can. Moving cautiously, Zechs and Galahad approach and are met by a trio of wary Drow. The discussion is tense, but through shared connections, namely their mutual acquaintance Nedyrae from the Tavern, the mood softens. As negotiations unfold, Yurik challenges Arguile to a game of Dragonchess, which Arguile narrowly wins. When Galahad returns, he informs the others that the Drow will escort them deeper into Ors Themar.

On the road, the party hears the unsettling droning of Chasme in the distance, giant, insectoid fiends that haunt the ruined city. Sabal, one of the Drow, recounts the siege of Ors Themar from his own haunting perspective. Galahad responds with the story of Collateral’s liberation of Invenas, and the two find an unlikely kinship in their shared understanding of sacrifice. Meanwhile, Yurik and Arguile speak quietly about faith and conviction, about how Yurik knows Enich still lives, much as Arguile once believed in his mother’s survival. At last, the ruined outskirts of Ors Themar come into view. The group forgoes the front gate, slipping into the city under the cover of shadow. Around them, the echoes of battle and the droning of unseen wings grow louder with every step toward the heart of the fallen city.