DND Blog

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

The Hundred and Twenty-Third Session

June 7, 2025, Campaign: As the ground quakes, evil wakes

After saving one Ascendant, we get boons from the others. Salris experiences an attempt on his soul. We return to Viper's Cove and find the remnants of a ritual. We travel to Sky Diamond Academy, rescue Guy from some vines, and learn that Belladonna has been tracking down parts of her self to reassemble them. There may be a connection between the prophesied stars and her fractured self.

Table of Contents

  1. Last session
  2. The Temple of Ioun
  3. At the Ascendants
  4. Ryltar and Moon
  5. The next morning
  6. To the Nightmare
  7. In Sky Diamond
  8. To do

Last session

We returned to the Quadroads with Audrey and Ginen. One of the Ascendants had gone missing, so we hunt to find the missing one. As we explored the abandoned temple where the Ascendant had been abducted to, Belladonna appeared and scooped some blood from Salris' chest. We found the Ascendant and Teleported them back to the Temple of Ioun, before working our way out of the dungeon.

The Temple of Ioun

Ryltar appears in the basement, and starts shouting for help. The Ascendant is a 40-50 year old Human, very rough condition, with raspy breath. He recognizes that this is the Ascendant for the Temple of Ilmater, the God of Endurance. The attendants of the Temple of Ioun come rushing, and take over care.

Ryltar tells some Quadroads guards that the Temple of Oghma was taken over by the Cult of the Burning Tree, with the weird reproducing shadow monsters, and they go to investigate. In the Temple of Ioun, there's a massive air of curiosity, because many were not aware of the missing Ascendant, and want to know why this Drow is running around the temple.

One of the attendants hits Ryltar with Cure Wounds for 13 HP. Ryltar notices Moon standing on a balcony overhead, overlooking the chaos below. The Temple's major priests deploy magic that Ryltar doesn't recognize to restore the Ascendant to health, and it works.

One of the higher-ups comes up to Ryltar, pushes him into a pillar, and asks, "What happened?" Zone of Truth. Ryltar explains.

The Ascendant reaches out for Ryltar, and Ryltar is brought to him. The Ascendant is only in his mid-40s, but his body is covered in scars. The acolytes of Ilmater take on the pain and suffering themselves, and endure it. "Blessings upon you," he says, and collapses back into unconsciousness.

The Ioun temple folk scatter, calling carriages.

The Party arrives into this chaos, and Percival shouts "I cast 'Locate Drow!'" Ryltar pokes his head up, and we reassemble. The staff of the Ioun temple are being cagey, not answering our questions.

We return to the Irregular Inn and eat breakfast, taking a short rest.

Around 3 in the afternoon, there's a knock at the door. Zander comes and finds us, and there's Thrai, the night captain of the guard, at our door, while the sun is still up. And two other captains of the guard. "You're requested by the Ascendants."

"Just the people we were hoping to talk do!" says Ryltar. They parade us to the Ascendants' building.

At the Ascendants

We're led up a spiral staircase to a round room with seats on all sides. This is where the Ascendants meet and discuss. They're all here, including the Ascendant of Ilmater. Thrai shoves us into the room and closes the door behind. The Ascendant of Pellor speaks: "Knights, your actions today, and every action that you have done here, have been exemplary." He looks to the Ascendant of Ilmater. "Ascendant Ragenoth would not have been here, were it not for your actions today. They were to use him as an example: to fall, and join whatever disastrous force has been moved on the city. We take this moment as a demonstration of the power and the good of the city of Quadroads, by congratulating you. Come tomorrow, we will address the city as a whole, and we would like you to stand by our sides."

Each of the Ascendants walks forward, 5 for each of us, and ask for us to kneel.

Salris is approached by a female humanoid with black veil obscuring all but the mouth, black leather ending in black raven feathers — the Ascendant of the Raven Queen. In Salris' head, the message appears, like water through a veil: "To whom are you bound?" "What do you mean?" "I see that your thread has been frayed." "Huh?" "Those who bind themselves to many can unwind themselves and can be unmade. Who are you bound to?" "For my power?" Silence. "If so, I'm not sure. They have not made themselves known." She offers him a gift, for easing pain or helping him in battles. He accepts the Boon of the Guardian, to help him in battles. He gains the benefits of Cloak of Protection: +1 to AC and all saves.

Ryltar is approached by the Ascendant of Ioun, who he had previously met and had a good relationship with, and the Ascendant of Denier. They grant him the Boon of the Mystic: can cast a first-level spell (player's choice) at will.

Percival receives the Boon of the Wordsmith: an extra Inspiration, and Vicious Mockery as a bonus action.

Jerry has her hand seized by a musclebound warrior, who writes in crimson symbols on her hand the Boon of the Defiant: once per short rest, as reaction, can reduce damage taken to 0.

Embersia is approached by the Ascendant of Bahamut, a silver Dragonborn, who lays her hands on her eyes and grants the Boon of Instinct: blindsight within 10 feet, advantage on perception checks.

"Rise, Knights of the Summer Court, Protectors of the Realm!"

The Ascendant of Ilmater sits up: "I endure. Thanks."

They enquire after our plans; they trust us with their power.

Ryltar and Moon

Ryltar goes back to the Lyceum of Knowledge, and finally talks to Moon. He invites her out to dinner, and the librarians allow it. He tells her everything that's happened.

"But if you want to go, you have to bring me," he tells her.

"Or you can take me," she says.

The next morning

A messenger comes to our door, telling us the schedule for the Ascendant's presentation.

As the Ascendants speechify, Salris is hit with a searing pain, as if someone is tearing out his heart. But no one sees anything out of place, even with See Invisibility, yet Salris' eyes bleed.

Ryltar grabs Salris and teleports to the Inn, and Salris comes with, but floats in midair, legs dangling, wounds reopening.

Percival teleports in with the Raven Queen Ascendant, but they don't have anything to really help here besides restorations. Percival starts casting Magic Mansion. Salris collapses. Ryltar notices a thread into the Ethereal Plane, fading, and that's becoming less. Embersia arrives via flight, and pumps in a Cure Wounds. Salris becomes conscious at 8 HP.

When Salris became unconscious, he was seeing another location, black hands, full of blood, the body of a freshly-slain person, eviscerated, with a pedestal drowned in blood. There's a bone-handled dagger with obsidian blade, a stone sacrificial blade, and a distant lapping of water. The black hands grab the knife, and Salris wakes up.

Salris now has 1 fewer death save.

The Raven Queen Ascendant walks away from here; Salris says "What do you know?"

We do some discussion, and conclude that the dagger was at Viper's Cove. Salris' and Seamus' father had bound the dagger there by blood and sacrifice.

To the Nightmare

We Teleport into the captain's cabin of the Nightmare. We're underwater, but through a combination of magics we come to the surface.

Inside Viper's Cove, the floating platforms have sunk. The hole in the ceiling through which sunlight fell is much bigger now; the center pillar has shortened by half. The top is in shadow; Ryltar Shadow Steps up there and his feet slip in a pool of blood. There's an unrecognizable humanoid there; any distinguishing features are gone. In the center is a receptacle which is filled with a large amount of blood. It's hours old; as old as the incident.

Percival remembers: the day before going to the Ascendant, he had contacted Guy at Sky Diamond Academy. He got back a response about Belladonna.

In Sky Diamond

We arrive at the entrance city. It's midafternoon.

Guy doesn't answer a knock; we push the door open half an inch and there's a root under the door. We push the door open another inch and there's enough space for Ryltar to enter with Shadow Step. Jerry removes the door from the hinges.

Guy's room has been overcome with black tendrils, roots, vines, and sludge. The only light in the room is from the windows, and up in the back left corner. There's a bowl with pale grey light coming from it, and vines spill from the bowl. It illuminates Guy's face, and he's embedded in the vines that pin him to the wall.

Ryltar casts Dispel Magic to dispel the scry or whatever's happening. No light; Guy's eyes shut. Ryltar Levitates himself to go have look. He tries to peel the roots away from Guy, and the first root's peeling does poison and necrotic damage to those in the room. We retreat from the room, and Ryltar Dimension Doors Guy out of the room. He's stained black.

He tells us, as we nurse him back to health, that he saw several facets of Belladonna doing something to Degrazil, the mummy lord, which was obscene. And they're working to recover two missing parts of belladonna. He saw this when he scryed the Banyo Tree: three weeks ago.

Prophesied stars, matched to parts of belladonna so far:

The Eyes of the Forest might match the Hag. The name of her corruption there was "Tears of the Assassin."

The Bracer comes from Lily, Belladonna's sister, green.

To do

New things to look up:

To do: