Episode 37
“What’s in the Hole?”
Who Played
B-Team (minus Chris-with-a-Beard), plus guest Jeramy as Umbra the ranger.
Session Summary
The party continued on Bear Island and slipped back into the former Bear Sisters’ cave under Pass without Trace. Early recon confirmed a chamber centered on a stone totem/column, scattered rodent bones and skulls as offerings, and a pool of dark water. Using Mage Hand, the team floated a container of oil onto the pool to prep a potential ignition/control play—then settled into stealth and set an ambush near a bend above a ravine/crevasse.
A small group of humanoids approached along the northeast gravel path, speaking in a tongue only one PC understood (snippets about failure, blaming “Pear,” and a child asking “are we home yet?”). Because children were involved, the party consciously avoided a direct strike and instead repositioned, considered the second entrance by a rift, and prepped non-lethal or control tactics (alchemist’s fire, alchemical glue, using the oil, etc.). They secured surprise and readied actions but did not engage.
Operating within overlapping magical Darkness (centered on Peppercorn) and leveraging illusionary boards across a gap as a deception chokepoint, the B-Team let a Svart patrol pass without incident and pushed deeper. Communication ran through a chain of Message cantrips while scouts maintained line-of-sight discipline. From the depths came hand-drums and chanting—estimates of ~15–20 voices—plus the sounds of a single sentry near the water. The pool itself stirred with a brief, tentacle-like emergence and then went still.
When the time was right, the party executed a strike: a wand of Magic Missile (passed around) hammered clustered svart drummers, dropping several and splashing the cavern in red light. At those flashes—and later under Dancing Lights—they saw veined, tendril-lined stone converging on a much darker central rock, roughly the size of the ceiling’s hole. Soon after, the wand burned out (all charges).
With visibility improved, the true threat showed itself: rock creatures with tri-split mouths whirling into a jagged internal grinder. These were later identified in play as Moorstones. The team kept space from the central tendriled core (about 7 feet of reach was clarified) and skirted the ravine while ranged fire and mobility pinned down survivors. Healing Spirit (bear) created a “healing lane,” and Peppercorn tossed Bardic Inspiration to Umbra (via an unforgettable raccoon-vibed interpretive dance).
As the fight stabilized, Xvarts were down to two by the end of the night, the Moorstones remained an active threat, and the party debated a Tidal Wave to knock enemies prone and disrupt the field (casting status left uncertain). The DM paused with initiative preserved and the board left in place for next time.
Character Highlights & Giggles
- Stealth Clinic: Group stealth soared under Pass without Trace (including a standout 35), enabling the entire ambush-first approach.
- Arcane Finesse: Mage Hand oil placement on the pool set up battlefield control without exposing anyone.
- Shadow Tactics: Magical Darkness and illusionary boards turned the cave into a playground of misdirection and chokepoints.
- Team Comms: Constant Message kept scouts and backline perfectly synced.
- Support & Buffs: Healing Spirit (bear) kept hit points topped; Bardic Inspiration (to Umbra) landed with theatrical flair.
- Ranged Barrage: The shared Magic Missile wand punched above its weight until it crumbled to a twig.
- Mobility Plays: Monk Bonus Action Dash and lane-running near the ravine while dodging tendrils drew appreciative oohs.
- Table Humor: Running bits about beans, aural/oral and diphthongs, bats/cats/raccoon wild-shape jokes, the “ball of Darkness,” “Bad rock!” chants, and minis confusion (is that a goblin or a bugbear—and does bugbear have a K?).
Enemies Encountered
- Xvarts — drummers/chanters and a passing patrol; heavily attrited by the Magic Missile alpha strike; ~2 remaining at pause.
- Moorstones — tri-mouth, grinding-vortex rock creatures intertwined with veined/tendril stone around a darker core rock (size ≈ ceiling hole). Actively engaged in the closing beats.
- Environmental Hazard — the dark pool, which briefly produced a tentacle-like appendage; not fully tested… yet.
NPCs Met
- Off-screen/Referenced: Sister Bear and prior interaction with a cave bear influenced the team’s goals and ethics this session.
- On-site: No parley this time—only hostile forces were encountered directly.
Treasure & Notable Loot
- None recovered this session. (Tactical resources on hand included alchemist’s fire x2 and alchemical glue; the Magic Missile wand was fully expended.)
Key Tactical Moments
- Oil on the Pool: A quiet setup that may pay off later for ignition or area denial.
- Darkness + Illusion Bridge: Clever layering of concealment and deception to shape enemy movement.
- Alpha Strike: Coordinated countdown into Magic Missiles thinned the drummers and revealed battlefield features.
- Light the Field: Dancing Lights countered the cavern’s gloom and exposed the Moorstones’ true forms.
- Ethical Intent: The team continually avoided harming children among the svarts, steering choices toward control and disengagement when possible.
Cliffhanger / Next Time
- Board Saved, Initiative Held: Moorstones remain live, ~2 Xvarts linger, and the tendriled core controls the center. The party is poised to decide whether to ignite the pool, unleash Tidal Wave, press the ranged advantage, or attempt contact with Mama Bear if she’s within reach.
Bear Island isn’t done with you yet.