DND Blog

A place to keep DND session recaps, from various campaigns.

The Hundred and Fifteenth Session

January 4, 2025, Campaign: As the ground quakes, evil wakes

We run away from Dirius. We find the Library. Embersia admits she was in love with Sergith and let the Shield get stolen.

Table of Contents

  1. Last session
  2. Against Dirius et al.
  3. The Next Morning
  4. The Sixteenth Week
  5. The Seventeenth Week
  6. Eighteenth Week
  7. Ninteenth Week
  8. 20th Week
  9. 21
  10. 22
  11. 23
  12. 24
  13. Next Session

Last session

We raided an upside-down wizard's tower in the desert, defeating a demilich, and found some stuff. Upon returning to the surface, we find that Dirius has inevitably betrayed us.

Against Dirius et al.

There are four spheres of Darkness above the desert sand, casting shadows onto the Drow beneath them.

Dirius says, "Find anything interesting?"

Ryltar says, "Plenty of things, hard to carry up. Want to take a look?"

Dirius: "I thought we were being truthful. But the time has come to part ways."

"So that's it? We save your life, and you come to take ours the next time?"

"Once inconvenient, now necessary." And then she says, "Get them."

  1. Round 1.
    1. A Shadowblade Drow appears in front of Jerry and makes two attacks, hitting and downing Jerry. Then it attacks again, failing two of her death saves.
    2. A student runs over towards Jerry, propelled by beige energy, and collides with sand. And then a second student does the same thing, and also falls into the sand.
    3. An attack against Embersia lands, downing her. The second misses.
    4. Percival Mass Suggests, at 8th level, lasting for a month, that everyone not in our party return to the Quadroads, and stay put once there. Five fall under his sway, and start walking away. Dirius, a student, a Shadowblade, and two mages remain.
    5. Dirius says, "Just keeping you honest, that you will give everything and anything, to me."
    6. One of the mages casts Magic Missile at third level at Ryltar, who Shields. The other casts the same spell at Percival, who takes the damage.
    7. Embersia's Periapt of Wound Closure means she doesn't have to make a death save.
    8. Jerry passes the first of her death saves.
    9. Ryltar Polymorphs into a Giant Ape, grabs Jerry and Embersia, and books it northeast.
    10. Dirius chuckles, and says, "Running away. You would." She casts a Dispell at Ryltar, but Percival Counterspells that.
    11. A gelatinous yellow entity rolls over the eastern edge of the tower. It's a Yochlol, a demon summed from the Pits, and it starts running to Quadroads.
    12. A second Yochlol also runs to the Quadroads.
  2. Round 2.
    1. The Shadowblade
    2. The second Shadowblade
    3. The three Drow Elite Warriors run south too.
    4. The ground shudders under everyone, as the tower sinks.
    5. Percival scrambles towards the wall, and Dimension Doors 500 feet away.
    6. One of the remaining mages casts Fairy Fire on the remaining groups. Ryltar dodges, but Jerry and Embersia get hit, so there will be advantage on h attacks made against them.
    7. The last Darkness disappears, as it casts Web over the Giant Ape Ryltar
    8. Embersia is stable.
    9. Jerry passes her second death save.
    10. Ryltar escapes the web and runs 20 feet, triggering an attack of opportunity from a Shadowblade, who misses.
  3. Round 3
    1. Ryltar runs, and takes some damage from crossbows.
    2. Percival Shadow Steps a little closer to Ryltar.
    3. The mages cast Magic Missile at Ryltar, and hit for a little.
    4. Embersia is stable.
    5. Jerry, jostled too heavily, passes away, for the second time in her life. Ryltar feels her go limp.
  4. Round 4.
    1. Ryltar keeps running.
    2. A Mage's Dispel breaks the Polymorph, and Ryltar collapses to the sand.
    3. "There's nowhere to run," says Dirius. "I had thought of this as a mercy: you could die unknown among the sands, as a …"
    4. "Dirius, I was being cordial. The next time we meet, you will perish."
    5. Shadowblade shoots at Ryltar with a hand crossbow, and misses despite a +9 to hit.
    6. Percival casts Fire Wall and runs in closer.
    7. The mages fly above the Fire Wall, looking down.
  5. Round 5.
    1. Ryltar Polymorphs again, grabs the two, and runs to Percival. He drops Jerry in front of Percival, and interposes himself in front of the mages.
    2. "Stop running! We will get what we need in the end. This is inevitable. What you're doing is just delaying what is to come," says Dirius, and starts to walk around the wall.
    3. The Shadowblades start to walk around the wall.
    4. The Mages fly a little closer, 80 feet out.
    5. Percival casts Revivify. Jerry is back at 1 HP again.
    6. Jerry jams a potion down Embersia's throat, healing her for 9 and herself for 5.
    7. Dirius casts Dispel on the Wall of Fire and fails, hard.

Percival Shadow Steps 500 feet east with Jerry. Ryltar Shadow Steps 1000 feet east with Embersia, and Shields against a Magic Missile.

We go beyond range of Dirius and her crew, and catch up. Ryltar pulls out a Spell Scroll of Sending and tells Audrey, "Dirius and crew have chased us off. Escape if you can. You are in mortal danger." Audrey replies: "Bound, gagged, can't see. I'm scared. Genin is here, too. Will escape if I can. Dark sands."

We set up the Mansion, and enter it. It's an empty hall this time, without decoration, except the layout is as it was the last time we were here. Dirius' room is still equipped. Ryltar stays quiet, and occasionally mutters, "never trust a Drow." as we hear him methodically smash everything in the room.

Jerry notices that her shadow shows a sword sticking through her. She decides to takes a nap.

Jerry makes stew for dinner. Ryltar reappears, completely disheveled, bits of bed in his hair, clothes ripped.

Ryltar asks whether we should go kill Dirius and save the girls, or whether we should go to the Library and set up a trap. Jerry argues that the girls are strong, and can probably save themselves. She asks what's more important: killing Dirius, or finding whatever's in the Library.

We talk it over, and decide to go find the Library.

That night, we rest.

The Next Morning

The next morning, we try Remove Curse to get our maximum HP back. No change. Greater Restoration works, though.

We identify a spell scroll from the Lich's lair as Arcane Gate. The staff is a Staff of Striking, +3 to hit, 1d8 + 8 two-handed, 10 charges, spend one for +1d6: this gets given to Embersia.

We Send to Audrey: "Escape is your primary concern. Do not anticipate rescue. We will assist as able. Stay safe, drink water."

What comes back is just heavy breathing, trying to say something, and then: "They blinded me. Can't see. They wanted me to tell but, I told them what's going to happen. They said," and that's it.

"The girls may not be alive or sane, if we see them again," says Percival.

We then Send to the head of the Lyceum in Quadroads: “Dirius betrayed the knights of the summer court, tried to murder us. Dirius is a member of the burning tree cult. Arrest on sight.”

Reply: "It's been some time since you left. Cult activity intensifies. We will need proof after arrest. What has become of our students?"

Another Sending: Ryltar names the students and says, "Those three students have been indoctrinated in the Cult by Dirius, who's important in the cult."

Reply: "Dark times are upon us. Faith is being tried here. This expedition was to bring hope. May the gods guide your travels."

The Sixteenth Week

Time passes.

The Seventeenth Week

The Sun shines down. But we don't get exhausted.

A haze above the sands looks like it's moving. It's almost like a humanoid shape out there, shimmering.

We Pass Without Trace and then stealthily approach, ducking behind dunes. As we get closer, we see that he's surrounded by a heat haze. As he passes by us, we see that he's human. His skin as red and blistering and peeling; his mouth is agape, his clothes are in tatters. Malnourished, out of supplies.

We debate this, and set up a pick-a-nick blanket with food and water. We call out, and he croaks, "Water. Water." We keep our distance.

He comes and slurps water from the pitcher. And starts eating from the bowl of fruit. He ignores our questions until he's done eating, at which point he begs for more water and food. We say no. He does say his name is "Harren."

We Shape Water to wash it over his body. He relishes in it, and stops approaching us. His eyes focus a little.

In response to more questions, he continues to say "water, please", and so we walk away at the same speed. We explain that too much water would cause him problems. He starts to walk away, so we say we've got a swimming pool inside the magic mansion. He walks forward and collapses, saying "Please".

Preparing to drag him into the Mansion, Jerry tries to hook him with the scythe, but the scythe passes straight through.

The Mansion opens, and Percival tries to lead him in. He doesn't enter the Mansion.

Ryltar reaches out to push, and his hand goes through the body, and all moisture is pulled from the body.

Jerry pulls out the Folding Boat and starts filling it with water from the Abracadabrus, 25 gallons at a time. We stir it, sloshing it. He looks at it and starts passing his hand through it. Every time his hand dips in, it doesn't make ripples, but a film starts to wash off his body, fouling the water. The burns heal. The clothes are less tattered now; his boy regains life. This is a ghost which died in the desert. This restores what's necessary for him to be. There's now life and intelligence and motion. He thanks us.

We ask if he's seen the Library; he hasn't. He doesn't realize that he's dead; he thinks it's about 150 years ago. "I was just over there," he says, and walks off. 30 minutes later, "Here," he says. We dig around, and something pings Ryltar's magic detection. With a little digging, we come to a bone.

There's a skeleton, a few rags of clothes, and this appears to be the remains of the guy. He sighs.

"It's been over 100 years," Percival says.

"The heat got to you," Ryltar says.

Embersia says Last Rites for the body. We find in the grave a leather headband that allows you to cast Comprehend Languages at will.

Eighteenth Week

Crossroads.

Ninteenth Week

Campfire

20th Week

Sun.

21

Path.

22

Path.

23

Sun. This week's survival check is double natural 20s.

24

At the end of a jagged grey-brown rock formation, there's a door. 15 feet tall, 10 fet wide, brass, with wavy things. Ryltar's Comprehend Languages picks up that the frame is stone, and carved into it is writing, different languages all saying the same thing, written over and over again in many different tongues.

The Truth Lies Within

Jerry looks around for signs of the Drow; finds none. With Locate Creature there is no Dirius.

Things we try to open the door:

Percival tells the door a secret that he hasn't told anyone yet: "I admire my father for his discipline." He feels a warm breeze on the back of his neck. He says that.

"I worry that I will give in to vengeance," says Ryltar. Another breeze.

"I worry that I'm spending too much time away from my family; that I will grow into some other person," says Jerry. Another breeze.

"I want to understand more about myself, and the Third house, and I'm hoping that I'll find something here," says Embersia. No breeze. "I'm not really sure how I feel about Sergith no longer being in the picture. I don't know what the future holds. I don't know that the Knights of the Summer Court will be better than the Burning Tree Cult."

Those who felt the breeze turn and look behind them. They look out across the desert. There's rolling dunes, heading out and down.

"Despite what I say, I think my sister has turned against me," says Percival. Nothing happens.

Ryltar looks at the sands. He starts brushing the sand away, and after a few inches, he's found a flat stone surface. We find a 6' diameter circle of stone, stepped around the edges of the ring, and again written: "Empty thyselves and enter."

Jerry goes off and uses the bathroom; no change. Ryltar worries that it's getting rid of his spell slots. Percival empties his brain of everything, save the idea of pursuit of truth.

It's nothing to do with spell slots.

Nothing we've done so far gets us the warm breeze.

Jerry stands on the circle and says "I wish I could spend more time with my daughters."

Ryltar and Percival stand and say more things. But no breezes come.

Ryltar says, "I'm afraid my soul is doomed." He does get a warm breeze.

Percival says, "I accept social interaction as a game; if the other person remembers me than I've won."

Ryltar says, "I've told it something that I've told nobody."

Embersia is on the circle when she says that she no longer likes Sergith, but is unsure of her allegiance to the Knights of the Summer court. She's not sure that she feels like part of the group. There's a warm swirl of wind around here.

Jerry says, "I left the military, gave up my willingness to command, because I could not keep my troops alive." A swirl of sand and wind, a flare of light, and she's gone.

Ryltar: "I've felt alone since leaving the Underdark."

Percival: "I fear I over-rely on the Knights of the Summer Court because I've left the financial backing of my House." Another flash.

Embersia: "I was the reason why the shield was stolen." Another flash.

Ryltar is left looking out. He doesn't think he's got any secret truths left to give. "Never trust a Drow." Warm breeze. "Sometimes you can trust a Drow." Nothing. "You can trust this Drow?" Nothing. "I don't trust myself." Another flash.

We'd cast Pass Without Trace, so as Ryltar disappears, the swirl of sand and wind comes and covers the dais once more.

Next Session