Episode 31

May 30

📘 Session Summary

The session kicks off with a recap and a sharp tonal shift: this is going to be a dark, intense night. The players reorient themselves after the cliffhanger ending of the previous session:

The bridge was blown, stopping the necroblin horde from crossing into Longmorn.
The Briny River now separates the town from the main assault force.
The party has split:
- Voscheck and Shadow flee into the ravine, escaping the necroblin arrows and taking temporary shelter under an outcropping.
- Dirk, Peppercorn, HJ, Brynn, Marjorie and Aubrie crash the hoverbug into the river, diving beneath the surface to escape the incoming ranged attacks from necroblin spellcasters and archers.

Luka is dazed from mind control and trauma, barely functional, but gives Dirk just enough guidance to get them airborne and steer the hoverbug before its final crash. They dive into the Nipper River, sinking into the undercliff cave system, an underground network through which the river flows before reconnecting to the town.

Meanwhile, the session begins transitioning from recap into scene-setting and environmental tension:

The hoverbug crew is underwater, with the vehicle slowly sinking and unknown dangers ahead.
Voscheck and Shadow are temporarily safe but exposed, with the rain intensifying and wind howling through the cliffs—setting up for a desperate survival trek.

There’s also a brief bit of table chatter:

Sarah has issues accessing her new character sheet.
Some light tech problems are acknowledged and handled above the table.

The pace accelerates as both groups confront growing threats and dwindling options.

🪨 Ravine Team: Voscheck & Shadow

Shadow and Voscheck continue their tense journey through the black-rained ravine, dodging necroblin arrows and desperately managing their ash milk reserves.

Voscheck and Shadow replenish their ashmilk supply from the bodies of two soldiers that killed each other in the ravine. Dread rising as the soldiers turned on each other after realizing neither had enough ashmilk on his own to make it to either end of the ravine.
Invisibility fails due to the rain—Shadow’s soaked silhouette is clearly visible, undermining stealth efforts.
Arrows begin coming from further down the ravine, revealing that the path ahead is no less dangerous.
Voscheck conducts a high-stakes history check (25) on the magical scroll found on one of the dead soldiers. He deduces:
- It's a purge-type scroll that can cure necrot infection.
- Its utility as a preventative is unknown and likely limited.
- Using it prematurely or recklessly in the rain could be fatal.

They move from cover to cover in 30-foot bursts while dealing with slippery terrain and limited visibility. Shadow scans ahead and notes how the terrain has changed—some overhangs are dripping strange, possibly hazardous residue, adding a layer of environmental threat.

The party shows early signs of mental fatigue and fear, especially as the black rain starts to feel oppressive, not just physically but emotionally.

⚙️ Hoverbug Crew: HJ, Brynn, Dirk, Peppercorn, Aubrie, Marjorie and Luka

Meanwhile, underwater in the crashed hoverbug:

The arcane engine sputters, going into cardiac arrest from the cold water shock.
Dirk and Brynn work feverishly to stabilize the mecha-arcane heart. They take turns between engineering and keeping Luka semi-coherent.
Luka's consciousness wavers. She mutters strange things—remnants of spore priest influence still echoing in her mind.
Water levels rise—the group is at waist height now.
A perception check reveals no enemies visible—yet—but movement flickers on the edges of the dark water outside the craft.

There’s a collective, rising dread as the party realizes they may have to exit the hoverbug and brave whatever waits outside.

🎭 Table Talk & Tension

The group maintains a grounded realism even during out-of-character moments—jokes about “black rain ruining invisibility” and DM explanations about spell mechanics show how immersed they are, without breaking the mood.

The sense of doom and decay is increasing. Characters talk more in clipped tones. They’re starting to realize this may not be an "encounter night"—this is a survival gauntlet.

Things take a turn for the surreal and dire as the environment becomes a character in its own right.

🧠 Hoverbug Crew – Delirium & Desperation

Inside the partially submerged hoverbug, claustrophobia and confusion reign:

Marjorie uses “Control Water” to slow the water infiltration
Luka continues to drift in and out of consciousness, repeating nonsensical phrases and past trauma memories.
Dirk taps into a magical scroll, hoping for guidance—he receives a cryptic prophecy:
"First it falls. Then it’s quiet. Then to the left."

The party debates its meaning, unnerved. It's interpreted as referring to the river’s flow or a coming collapse.

The group realizes the engine won't restart unless someone risks serious harm to re-ignite it from the outside of the ship.

Dirk and Brynn exchange chaotic attempts at repair, using metaphors and tabletop improv theater to visualize the stress:

Marjorie uses “Tidal Wave” to nudge the ship away from the bottom of the river, preventing it from further shredding against the rocks but speeding up it’s chaotic tumble through the fast moving water.
The DM describes it like being inside a giant washer-dryer full of loose bolts, laced with freezing water and occasional blunt trauma.
Brynn ultimately chooses action over hesitation, slamming herself into the unstable core and absorbing minor damage in an effort to jumpstart it.

🎭 Table Energy

The players lean into the scene’s dark humor and physical metaphors:

Descriptions get visceral and chaotic, emphasizing the instability of their environment.
Characters shout over one another, mimicking how disoriented and stressed they'd be in that scenario.
Jokes emerge even in the tension—comments about bruises, spinning rooms, and “girlfriend, I need to be down now.”

🌀 Underpinning Themes

This part of the session masterfully blurs the line between survival horror and slapstick realism:

The sense of being powerless in a decaying machine echoes the greater arc of the spore war.
Luka’s eerie muttering serves as background noise that adds tension even during mechanical decisions.
Magic is becoming more dangerous—even beneficial items now come with cost, cryptic warnings, or unintended effects.

💥 Ravine Showdown: Voscheck, Shadow & The Wall Horror

We’re in full combat mode now as Voscheck and Shadow confront the Fused Wall Priest, a grotesque, immobile but sentient fungal entity melded into the cliff face.

Voscheck starts with a snarky taunt, hurling his Eldritch Blast (rolls: 12 & 24; one hits).
Damage is moderate, but it's symbolic—Voscheck isn’t just attacking; he’s asserting mental dominance over the terror.
Billy Bones, Voscheck’s summoned sidekick undead warrior, charges in with a longsword. First hit connects solidly (21 to hit), second swing misses.

Combat is fast-paced and tense, with heavy roleplay energy infused into the mechanics:

Voscheck carefully shifts his positioning, maximizing distance from both Shadow and the priest while maintaining line of sight.
The rain continues to fall—both players are quickly reducing protection layers of Ashmilk, as they are fully exposed to the spore-laced rain.

🌩️ Shadow Strikes Back

Shadow contemplates whether to risk a touch spell—ultimately opting for distance and dropping a Firebolt instead:

Humor emerges in the table banter: mushroom jokes, garlic references, and a brief fantasy of sautéed wall priest.
The Firebolt hits, and with it comes a vivid description:
“You smell the aromatic scent of sauté”—a morbid but hilarious line that lights up the table.
Damage rolls high, adding real pressure to the fused priest.

🧠 Vibe & Flow

This stretch of the game blends:

High mechanical stakes (combat + resource attrition with ashmilk).
Genuine horror (the wall priest is a vivid, vile enemy).
Table hilarity, with characters joking their way through fear, touching on cooking and culinary necromancy.

Players seem fully immersed! The rhythm of spellcasting, saving throws, and repositioning plays like a dark symphony.

🌊 Submerged Escape & Surface Return

The hoverbug crew completes their escape from the cavernous river:

Dirk regains partial control of the hoverbug as it is ejected into an underground lake cavern. He “glides” it to a skip across the lake instead of an uncontrolled tumbling crash. The hoverbug beaches itself on the edge of the underground lake.
Aubree takes damage from flying debris and the rough landing and is briefly knocked unconscious before being brought back by Marjorie.
She then transforms into a bat and provides recon outside, warning of a creature floating in the lake. The need for stealth becomes paramount.
Marjorie casts Pass Without a Trace, cloaking the party in shadow just as the hoverbug surfaces in a darkened cavern edge.
There’s a moment of comic relief when Brynn trips on a hydraulic lifter during the escape hatch sequence, taking minor bludgeoning damage—an unexpected slapstick beat.
The team clambers onto the surface, now near the hidden underground lake shoreline, battered but alive.

Spotlight shifts back to the ravine crew as they approach the town gates.

⚔️ Final Clash with the Wall Priest

The ravine battle with the Fused Wall Priest intensifies:

Voscheck and Shadow remain locked in battle, with Voscheck hammering away with Eldritch Blasts, and his summoned skeleton dealing relentless melee damage.
Perception reveals the tragic backstory of the Wall Priest: likely once a Goliath, now completely overtaken by fungal mycelium. Its identity is unknown, its transformation horrifying.
The psychic assault continues: Shadow hears Nedra’s voice, familiar and unmistakable, though garbled. This vision claws at her emotional state—another test of her psyche.

But the party refuses to break:

Shadow saves against the confusion and charm effects.
The damage stacks up fast: magical force, martial fury, and grit combine as Voscheck and his skeleton shred through the priest’s form, causing the hallucinatory whispers to abruptly cease.
The moment is marked by an eerie silence—no final scream, no death rattle. Just… gone.

🌊 Submerged Escape & Surface Return (Final Stretch)

In the subterranean lake cavern, the party works feverishly to restart the hovebugs heart before they are spotted.

HJ and Nedra quietly open a panel exposing the “arcane reaction primer” pump.
Aubree keeps a lookout, watchful of the “corpse hauler” monstrosity that floats in the lake.
Through a series of checks, the hovebug is restored to life. As it powers up, Dirk regains control and is able to pilot it across the lake, out of reach of the corpse hauler, diving into the water only in time to enter the “left” tunnel which leads to the surface.
The hoverbug is pushed along by the current once more, but this time under control of its pilot, it makes its way safely through the underground river and surfaces in the main branch of the Nipper that flows through town.

🏁 Reunion in Longmorn

Both subgroups finally converge—sore, shell-shocked, and low on resources. But the town of Longmorn stands, scarred but held:

Town guards, some wounded, help Voscheck and Shadow inside.
The hoverbug arrives with its crew exhausted and drenched, dragging Luka with them.
The sky is clearing—the ringfall finally ending.
The players share thoughts of Nedra, their fallen companion as their adrenaline from the ravine and submarine gauntlets recedes.
A moment of somber silence falls over the scene as the players survey the damaged fortifications, wounded townsfolk, and fallen defenders.
Voscheck is quick to cast blame of their loss and the towns losses on Phitteas.

There’s no victory celebration. Just survival.

Petr Klapka