Episode 32

Jun 13

🧭 Session 32 Summary – Segment 1

The session begins with a lively recap of the party's recent exploits, split between two perilous paths:

Shadow and Voscheck fought their way through the ravine from the Nipper River crossing, defeating hidden dangers including a spore priest embedded in the wall. They utilized a magical item to summon a skeletal warrior ally in battle.
The rest of the party survived an intense river sequence using the hoverbug—converted into a submarine of questionable stability. A scroll of somewhat useful advice (from Gnome Depot, naturally) correctly directed them left at an underground fork, leading them to safety and surfacing near Longmorn.

While surfacing, the group caught a glimpse of a monstrous being dubbed the Corpse Hauler, a creature that collects and incorporates corpses into itself, though its full form remains shrouded in shadow.

🚁 Arrival at Longmorn

Luca the goblin pilot reclaims control of the hoverbug from Dirk, maneuvering it with effort to land at the Slants gate. The vessel, groaning under its waterlogged weight, dumps a small lake as it lands. They reunite with Shadow and Voscheck, who have just emerged from a harrowing battle against necroblins in the ravine. The area is strewn with corpses—fallen morn shields, Brotherhood engineers, and collapsed tunnels.

👩‍⚕️ Medical & Military Presence

A Dragonborn medic inspects the returning pair for signs of Ringspore exposure, indicating further scans will occur deeper inside the compound. Commander Reneé is on-site, bloodied but clearly commanding and effective, overseeing reinforcement of defenses.

🪖 Revelations and Reactions

The party informs Commander Reneé about the worm-like creature and the necroblins emerging from pustules. His shocked reaction implies an escalation in Ringspawn behavior far beyond previous encounters.

🎖️ Character Moments

Dirk, savoring his moment of glory, dubs himself “Hero of Longmorn” and dramatically lists his self-appointed titles à la Daenerys Targaryen. Luca is amused and praises his competence.
It’s revealed that Luca harbors affection for Gurk, reminiscing with odd fondness about his earwax aroma 😳.
Luca offers to recommend Dirk to Oddball for potential pilot training, acknowledging his performance.

🧠 Session 32 Summary – Segment 2

Intelligence, Infection, and Escalation

The returning party debriefs Commander Reneé on disturbing new developments:

Larger, smarter creatures have begun to lead raiding bands, with evidence of magical coordination. Reneé confirms that the town has observed similar evolutions in their attackers.
The idea that Ringspawn may communicate telepathically is confirmed. The spores are not just parasitic—they appear intelligent, forming thoughts, conveying commands, and targeting with tactical awareness.

Reneé shares his theory: as the spores coalesce and form larger colonies, their intelligence increases. His tone darkens—the town has never faced an incursion this organized or devastating.

🧩 The Debrief Plan

Reneé agrees that a full debrief is necessary. He intends to gather all involved at the Rabbit Hole the next morning. For now, the focus remains on securing the town. He shares updates:

Lower farms still have active skirmishes.
The islands are untouched, but the attackers emerged from the mines and sewers, implying a coordinated underground infiltration.
Phidias’ automatons were instrumental in protecting civilians. Many attackers abducted townsfolk rather than killing.

🏚️ Casualties and Costs

The town is reeling from losses:

The bridge and defensive towers—key to Longmorn’s expansion plans—had to be destroyed.
Many tunnels were collapsed in the mines.
Only a few dozen townspeople were taken or harmed, thanks to fast, town-wide mobilization.

👩‍🔬 Grim Mercy

The group observes Heidi, Phidias’ wife and a mechanomagical medic, using an artificer’s device to scan for advanced spore contamination. In one case, she euthanizes an infected soldier. Reneé’s somber reaction underscores the emotional toll.

⚔️ A Parting Charge

Reneé asks Voscheck to bring his great sword and that of a fallen soldier to Goderian, the town’s smith. He then returns to the dead with heavy heart.

🎭 Character Moments and Interludes

Voscheck is accompanied by his skeletal warrior (a summon of indeterminate duration!). The party reacts with a mix of awe and black humor—he hasn’t tried feeding it a sandwich yet 🍞💀.
Reneé affectionately called the skeleton a "nice toy," suggesting that necromantic oddities are becoming commonplace.

🛠️ Artisan's Row Aftermath

As the group moves toward Artisan’s Row:

They find Goderian’s shop closed and witness him methodically immolating necroblin and fallen warrior corpses with help from Bara, a teenage dwarven apprentice.
The street is filled with signs of battle—burning remains, scattered civilians, and weary survivors. Shops remain shut amid the cleanup.
Bara’s backstory: A junior apprentice at Strikemaster Forge, taken in by Erba and Garian. Erba Strikemaster, a legendary arcane smith, remains missing.

🔥 Session 32 Summary – Segment 3

💬 Conversations on Artisan’s Row

Back on Artisan’s Row, the party engages with Goderian and Bara, both apprentices of the missing master smith Erba Strikemaster.

Goderian, the stern senior apprentice, is methodically burning corpses—both enemy and civilian—to prevent Ringspore contamination. Bara, the reluctant and somewhat lazy junior apprentice, works as his one-person bucket brigade.
Bara shares that she barely escaped an attack at the Forge thanks to a runaway baby fire elemental—the accidental result of a botched spell experiment by Goderian and Flutter. The creature burned part of the Forge entrance, saving her from being dragged away.

🔥 Rebuilding and Reluctant Heroism

When the party delivers two swords to Goderian—he groans at the added work but respects the gesture. He reveals a poignant tradition: Commander Reneé melts down the swords of fallen Mornshields and reforges them into his own blade, so their spirits fight on.

⚰️ Skeleton Shenanigans

Voscheck’s skeletal warrior is put to practical use, relieving Goderian by taking over corpse removal. Bara is initially unnerved, but with a bit of charm (and a touch of flair), Voscheck calms her.
He cleverly instructs the skeleton to follow a task stack—testing its ability to handle multiple sequential commands and even delegate authority to Bara unless told otherwise.

💀 Minor Comedy Amid Grim Work

Bara is still uneasy supervising a skeleton, but Goderian shrugs: “What could possibly go wrong?”—dryly amused as a teenage girl commands a death machine.
The skeleton’s odd, sashaying movements and compliance with detailed tasks offer a moment of levity, undercut by the smoldering ash and trauma all around.

🧠 Strategic Observations

Discussion confirms that the enemy has grown more tactically sophisticated—employing undermining strategies, coordinated waves, and psionic communication. Even veteran defenders like Goderian are rattled by the sheer organization of this assault.
Both bridges and towers were lost due to enemy tunneling and attacks from below. The Ringspawn continue to evolve, and their intelligence is alarming.

🧽 Loose Threads and Small Moments

The group catches up on rumors and ongoing concerns, like the whereabouts of Babi Danka, the collapsed towers, and the mysteriously still-missing Erba.
Amid the grim task of corpse disposal, there's bonding, shared gallows humor, and a growing sense of responsibility.

🎁 Session 32 Summary – Segment 4

🔧 The Reward – "I Cast Iron Skillet!"

In appreciation for their valor, Gadarian invites the party to Strikemaster Forge, where he unveils his first-ever magical item: a cast iron skillet, born of a chaotic summoning mishap involving a fire elemental giving birth 😳.
Marjorie claims it and gleefully tests its defensive power—and then, naturally, cooks muffins on it 🔥🧁.

🏚️ Return to the Rusty Cog

The group heads to their cozy home base, the Rusty Cog, and finds:

Standa, the barkeep, barring the door with a massive war maul while protecting a group of five small children hidden behind the bar.
He’s rough around the edges but clearly protective, having fed the kids the “good stuff” in case it was their last day.

💬 Heartfelt Interactions

One child—a little Frog Folk named Hopper Wog—bonds with HJ, the semi-undead adventurer, and demands stories about his resurrection and undead status.
The kids are fascinated by HJ’s tales and morbid coolness:

“Did the other corpses come out with you?”
“Did you name your skeleton?”
“Are you dating the creepy lady?” 😂
Hopper adorably decides HJ is his new favorite adventurer.

🍰 Sweet Traditions Begin

Marjorie establishes a new nightly tradition: placing a tray of muffins out each evening at the Rusty Cog for the town’s children, particularly the young message runners.
It’s a touching, community-building gesture meant to lift spirits after a harrowing day.

🧁 Session 32 Summary – Segment 5

🐣 Orphan Allies: The Newsies

Marjorie’s charisma—and muffins—win the hearts of the five orphans sheltered at the Rusty Cog. By sharing food and kindness, the party forges a bond with these young messengers.

The orphans, known as "The Newsies", are now honorary members of the Waterview Adventurers Guild and consider the Rusty Cog their home base. They're now a source of eyes and ears across the town for the B-Team. 🔍

The Newsies:

Hopper Wog – A sassy, web-footed Frogfolk who knows rudimentary Thieves’ Cant with her feet 🐸
A sharp-eyed Tiefling child with budding street smarts 👿
A mysterious ethereal child with iridescent features and wispy, unreal hair 👻
An Owlin with feathers and a 360° owl-like head turn 🦉
(TBD – fifth child not yet detailed but likely human or similarly “ordinary”)

HJ takes Hopper under his wing to train her in true Thieves’ Cant, starting a sweet, stealthy mentorship.

⚔️ Session 32 Summary – Segment 6: A Town on the Brink, a War Begins

🩸 Babi Danka’s Insight & Secrets in the Blood

Voscheck and others debrief Babi Danka about the worm, suspecting it’s responsible for dropping necroblins at multiple locations—acting as a subterranean drop-ship for Ringspawn forces. She listens carefully, her eyes blinking with deliberate slowness, suggesting she’s mentally recording or relaying their intel.

A natural 20 insight reveals: Babi Danka is far more than a barkeep—she may be the town’s hidden intelligence network.

💡 Salt Deterrent Realized

The party deduces that the Ringspawn abhor salt, explaining why Longmorn, bordered by marshes and briny rivers, had remained mostly safe—until now.

📚 History Lessons and Strategic Shifts

Babi Danka confirms attacks have previously happened only during rain, typically targeting reclaimers scavenging shipwrecks.
The escalation had been linear—until this attack, which was logarithmic. Reneé and Phidias confirm this surge exceeded anything seen before.
A history check reveals insights from Davos’s notes—Ringspawn probe, fall back, then surge, gaining intelligence over time.
The party discusses deliberately feigning weakness to lure the enemy.

🥃 Phidias Breaks His Silence

Phidias, devastated by the town’s 20% casualty rate, makes a powerful speech:

For ten years, he focused on defense—building walls, machines, and barriers.
That has failed. Now, they must go on the offensive.
He proposes to take the fight to the Ringspawn, sending spies and warriors to find the hive’s brain—and strike it before it grows stronger.

🗣️ Rallying Cry

Renee, Luca, and Babi Danka pledge their support.
Voscheck follows with an impassioned, stirring speech about unity, resilience, and striking the enemy at their vulnerable single point of control.
The tavern erupts in agreement, save for one minor voice of dissent quickly drowned out and bought a drink.

🎭 Emotional Moments

Marjorie, HJ, and the rest all echo support.
Even the skeleton solemnly places a hand on Voscheck, pledging his rake.
The muffin skillet becomes a symbol of hope and commitment 🧁⚒️.

🧠 War Council Formed

Plans are laid:

A two-pronged assault is needed—one team will infiltrate the Ringspawn hive, the other will rescue the captured adventurers held by the Eternal.
Hoverbugs need repairs. Town needs two weeks to recover. In the meantime, players can pursue social RP, training, and downtime side quests.
🗳️ A vote is held. After much deliberation, the players choose to rescue the A-Team first. That mission will be their next grand chapter.

😱 Final Cliffhanger: “A message in the darkness”

On the walk home, Marjorie notices graffiti scrawled in congealed blood on the side of a bookstore:

“The hunt isn’t over.”

The session ends on this chilling note, as the town celebrates survival—but the threat lurks, watching.

Petr Klapka