The chronicle record
Session recap
The air was thick with tension as Vendel Coldblade declared his intent to claim the Iomedae-Marked Items they had uncovered beneath the Xulgath Caverns. The group, mindful of their carrying limits, reluctantly left behind a breastplate and approached the last unexplored room, where a gray mist hung ominously. Wren quickly identified the mist as flammable natural gas, warning her companions of the imminent danger.
Gundugar Herdtender, ever bold, decided to ignite the gas from a safe distance. With Bruneg providing a torch, he hurled it down the hallway, triggering a fiery explosion that scorched hidden creatures within the room. The blast ignited a fierce battle, with Finnetharyn Fimbleshanks bolstering the party with his music while Vendel magically enhanced Bruneg’s morningstar. As the undead emerged, the party engaged swiftly; Vendel warned that force magic was particularly effective against the undead, and they coordinated their attacks with precision. Vendel struck down the last skeleton, securing the room and revealing a Damaged Smithy buried under rubble, filled with useful tools and an Unusual Steel Shield.
As they treated the site as a potential base, refugees began to move into the Upper Caverns, with Aubrin the Green explaining their efforts to establish a community. Vendel meditated on the Iomedaean items, planning a proper burial for the fallen champion, while Wren connected with a rescued girl, encouraging her interest in hunting and fishing. During their downtime, the party arranged for magical runes to enhance their gear and discovered an unidentified scroll suspected to contain a high-level spell. A few days later, a trader named Norvi arrived, offering goods and establishing regular contact.
The next day, Aiuvarin Siblings Ayubarin reported a strange patch of fungus nearby, describing blighted trees and an unnatural laugh. Recognizing the urgency, the party set out to investigate. Guided by Aiuvarin Siblings’s description, Wren quickly located the blighted area and the entrance to a cave coated in green fungus. Upon entering, they were ambushed by blighted Mitflits and other twisted creatures, leading to a fierce battle where Wren and Arsène took the lead. After defeating the ambush, they ventured deeper into the cave and encountered a Lamplighter—a floating fey creature that extinguished their light. The party fought valiantly, dealing significant damage, and as the Lamp Blighter fell, it warned them of a greater threat before dying. They discovered walls covered in frantic writing, revealing the Lamp Blighter’s exile and its desire to reclaim its place.
While tending to their wounds, they noticed the blighted fungus withering in the presence of magical light. Wren found fresh tracks leading west, prompting the party to follow them. They soon reached a vantage point overlooking a Ruined Tower, spotting a Hobgoblin Scout and goblin dogs. The party launched a coordinated assault from hiding, quickly overwhelming the hobgoblin and its companions. After the fight, they recognized a woman in the tower as a former militia member from the Gramsgate massacre. They also discovered that Nova, Wren’s companion, had contracted goblin pox and would require treatment. The party regrouped, preparing for the challenges that lay ahead in their perilous surroundings.