Session 81 - Purple Worms Cavern

The adventurers explore the large cave and fight a purple worm.

This write-up is based on Kay’s notes from our April 29, 2026, session. Since our group is scattered around the country, we use Discord for our voice communication and Roll20 for our virtual tabletop. Thanks to Kay for the write-up and JoJo for the screen shot.

Continued from: More Giant Rats & Cultists

Location: Rappan Athuk, Level 3 – Beware of Purple Worms
Date: July 12, 3517

9 AM
After the fight, Blaze used a healing kit on Marthek. We began exploring the side tunnels in the cavern, moving clockwise, starting in the northeast. Elron went first and saw scraping along the walls, and the end of the passage had caved in; something large moved through here scraping the walls. The stream is fast flowing to the southeast and Blaze’s 6-ft-long staff reached the bottom. Elron jumped over the narrowest part and continued to the southeast. When he got to the passage the clerics came from, he reported that there was a door at the end, and suggested that we check out the rest of the area here before opening it. We agreed and continued to the southwest. 

Elron went down a tunnel that sloped down to about 50 feet lower to another level, He saw wererat tracks on the ground, which was different from the other tunnels. This one was not a dead end. Elron saw a lot of decorations, gaudy stuff on the walls, fabric streams, and clay busts of figures on top of old fenceposts. He heard the sound of rats up ahead. Elron looked around a corner and saw a wererat and heard the sound of several more. The wererat didn’t notice him.

Elron and Marthek came back up to our level.

We took 30 more minutes exploring the big cave, finding dead-end side tunnels, and then Elron took a warhammer to one of the worm casings. Ten minutes later he found 10 gp, 22 sp, 6 cp, and a silver dagger. Then Blaze, Elron and Marthek took another 10 minutes and broke open the other three worm casings.

Elron: 4 gp, 2 blue quartz crystals, 1 lapis lazuli

Marthek: 16 sp, 8 cp

Blaze: 9 gp, 8 cp, a brass mace etched with dwarven axeheads

Elron found another casing to the north of the stream, and ten minutes later had 37 cp and a dagger.

Marthek suddenly sensed danger and vibrations in the floor, and warned us. Parahelia caught up with the party; Artie stayed where he was and watched for trouble. Blaze moved toward the group.

A giant purple worm emerged from the ground just to our south. Elron saw it and moved to the group, readying his sling. Breena moved to the group and waited for a clean shot. Rocky climbed up onto the huge stalagmite and unexpectedly found a flat area on top large enough to accommodate all of us.

The worm advanced on us. Artie’s cast fire bolt, it hit to no effect. Breena’s magic missiles hit with little visible damage. Blaze’s cast lightning bolt that hit for full damage. The worm then bit Blaze, but she avoided being swallowed whole. 

The worm was 100 feet long with a stinger on its tail. Marthek charged it with his war hammer. Marthek swung two-handed, and hit it twice. Sinis moved up and cast reduce, shrinking the worm to 50 ft long. Parahelia moved and readied for a clear shot.

Artie cast Toll the Dead. Blaze climbed up the side of the stalagmite to get above the worm. The worm bit her and grabbed her backpack with its mouth, pulling it off her and swallowing it. Parahelia’s short bow arrow hit but bounced off for no damage. Elron climbed the stalagmite and attacked with his slingstones. The first stone missed, but the other two knocked scales off the back of the worm. Breena climbed up to join the group on top.

The worm moved toward Sinis and Parahelia. On its way it passed by Artie, tried to swallow him but failed, raking him with its teeth. Marthek beat on the worm, leaving hammer-shaped dents in its side. Sinis moved back and cast erupting earth, creating a 20-ft cube of disturbed earth and injured the worm.

Parahelia cast Shield of Faith on Artie and moved west. Artie disengaged and cast Toll the Dead again.

Blaze, up on top, noticed stone stairs going down to the bottom, invisible from below. She cast flaming sphere and burned the worm. Elron flung two more stones, missing with one and hitting with the second.

Breena missed with witch bolt as the worm bore down on Marthek. The worm turned around, went after Marthek and swallowed him whole.

Sinis cast erupting earth again, bludgeoning the beast with stones from below.

Parahelia cast guiding bolt but missed. Artie cast misty steps on top of the stalagmite, then shot it with his bow.

Blaze moved her flaming sphere into the worm, roasting it with a sizzle, and moved back away from the edge. Elron’s next two stones missed. Breena’s magic missiles hit with visible damage.

We would have to kill the worm quick and get Marthek out before he was digested.

We thought we had a safe spot at the top of the stalagmite, but the worm tunneled into the side of it and out on top next to Elron. It broke the bridge that it had created and snapped its jawless mouth at Elron, but missed. Doing so, the worm had to go through the flaming sphere, taking fire damage in the process.

It was beginning to slow down and Sinis cast acid splash on it, finishing it off.

We then saw the blade of Marthek’s sword come out of the top of the worm, followed by Marthek himself, covered with burns and gasping for breath.

Blaze’s backpack survived, with only minor damage to the contents. Six of the healing kits were ok; the tinderbox and 4 lbs of soap were not; everything else was good.

Marthek lost all but one of his rations and his rope. 

Blaze and Parahelia spent the next 40 minutes healing mostly Blaze and Marthek.

While that was happening, Elron explored the flat area and found a secret door. While looking for traps and locks, he found a rune on the bottom of the door. Breena identified it as a large and powerful Rune of Insanity that would go off if the door is raised.

Sinis got the worm loot while the others were busy on top. Loot: 40 pp, 300 gp, 23 sp, 9 cp, 2 azurites, 1 moss agate, 1 hematite, 1 rhodochrosite, and an empty vial.

10 AM
On top of the stalagmite. Blaze showed Sinis the stairs’ location; it can’t be seen from below, there’s an illusion on it.

We discussed taking this time for a long rest but it is still too soon. We can’t start it until 10 PM tonight. We also discussed trying how to open the door with the rune, maybe with mage hands.


Continued in Session 82 - Purple Worm and More Rats