Session 10, Arc II

Creeping Threads

Played 11 July 2025 Watch the session

The party found themselves standing outside the Ye Olde Tavern at 1am after being thrown out following Bones' cheating incident in a drinking game. They discussed their next moves to find Bazzur, who could help cure their sick friends Fe and Nillituh. After some debate about confronting the orc who had punched Bones, they decided to prioritize finding Bazzur first. Muscle the jackal showed his agreement with their plan by nudging up against the party members.

Needing rest, Naeco led them to a basic hostel - a row of houses with a small bar that served as lodging. For one silver piece each, they secured accommodation with straw floors and wooden beds, hardly comfortable but adequate shelter. Muscle was allowed to stay since the establishment was mostly mud anyway. The party took a long rest, though they were plagued by strange dreams and nightmares.

The next morning, they began their search for Bazzur by questioning locals around the closed tavern. Crezzida approached some tieflings loitering nearby, but they claimed not to know Bazzur. Fe questioned half-orcs about healers and learned they had heard Bazzur's name but never seen him. Bones approached an Aasimar woman with dark streaks over her eyes and huge wings, who dismissively told him "good fucking luck" finding Bazzur. Through intimidation and investigation, they discovered Bazzur was often seen in the slums area of town.

Kailyn found a sketchy alleyway behind the tavern, obscured by wooden slats and garbage bins. As they entered the alley, Kailyn spotted a figure holding a knife to Fe's throat. Naeco immediately raged and used intimidation against the attacker, who revealed himself as Bazzur - their hired guide. After holding a sword to Naeco's neck and drawing a small amount of blood, Bazzur explained he was meant to lead them to the base of the mountains to find plants that could cure their friends' diseases. He sniffed Bones and Crezzida, determining they were "not dirty," making cryptic comments about the distinction between clean and dirty people in relation to magic users.

Bazzur led the party out of Ebonridge, beginning their journey toward the cure. Along the way, they witnessed a disturbing sight - an orc leading a chain of seven hooded human slaves into town. Despite moral objections, Bones and Kailyn approached the slave trader, learning he was part of House Grey, a mafia-like organization controlling Ebonridge. The orc knocked Bones down when he tried to intimidate him, and guards warned Kailyn away when she attempted to give water to a malnourished slave. Bones secretly cast druidcraft to create a skunk smell on the leading orc, which resulted in the orc punching one of his slaves, blaming them for the odor.

Bazzur provided details about their destination, explaining they would follow the Marauder's Aquifer down to the ocean in a three-day journey. He revealed that Ebonridge got its water from the sea, though it was salty, and that people regularly died on these dangerous water-gathering expeditions. When questioned about who hired him, Bazzur refused to disclose his sources, maintaining professional secrecy. The party learned there was even betting in town on who would return from these perilous trips.

As they traveled through increasingly harsh terrain, Bones used druidcraft to predict weather conditions. Initially forecasting clear skies, later checks revealed a massive storm approaching within 24 hours. The scenery changed to dry, cracked desert with dead trees, and temperatures reached 39-40 degrees. Bones rode his magic carpet while traveling and considered planting invisible berry seeds but decided to wait for better soil conditions.

That evening, they made camp at the base of rolling sandy hills where Bazzur selected a spot with minimal cover. Bones cast bonfire to provide warmth and light for the group. During first watch, Bones and Bazzur shared philosophical discussions about rules versus freedom, with Bazzur believing rules create corruption. Bazzur revealed his background from the arid fields where his tribe had either left or died due to environmental conditions, and that he had worked with their mysterious employer Haryk before but didn't trust him. Despite Naeco's offer of friendship, Bazzur preferred to remain acquaintances.

The next morning brought urgent concern as Bones' weather prediction revealed a massive sandstorm approaching in six hours. Bazzur identified it as one of the biggest storms he had seen in years, forcing them to head east toward the mountains for shelter. After four hours of walking as the storm approached, with sand beginning to pelt their skin, they discovered a goblin-operated train station at the edge of the mountains. The goblin managed an eight-carriage converted passenger train that transported both people and ore, charging 15 gold per person for passage.

As the train began moving while they approached, the party faced a desperate situation. Naeco successfully grabbed the train handrail while carrying Fe and Bones, and Crezzida managed to board as well. However, Kailyn and Nillituh failed to grab onto the moving train and were left behind in the sandstorm along with Muscle the jackal. Bones threw out his magic carpet to try rescuing the dog, but it was lost in the storm, leaving the party split between those on the train and those stranded in the desert.

Those left behind found temporary refuge in the abandoned goblin hut, where they discovered the magic carpet curled up against the building, damaged but recoverable. On the train, the party confronted Bazzur about leaving their friends behind, and he offered 50 gold as compensation, revealing he had only been paid 100 gold total for the job. They learned they were heading east and would arrive in a few hours, but realized they lacked the talking stones needed to communicate with their separated friends.

During the cold night journey, the party socialized with a goblin family aboard the train who had been traveling since yesterday, heading to the mountains for safety. Naeco entertained the goblin children by balancing his axe on his finger, taking minor damage from the effort. Fe created a bonfire in the middle of the train car to provide warmth as temperatures dropped to about 5 degrees. The goblin father mentioned the gnawing plague was rare but around, though he didn't know of a cure.

As they traveled through the Destitute Lands, supernatural madness began affecting the party members. Bones and Fe experienced disturbing dreams and visions during their rest, gaining madness traits that caused disadvantage on ability checks and memory problems. Fe began forgetting details about people they had met in Lyikdia, while Bones felt guilt and sorrow about losing Muscle. Bazzur explained that madness was common when traveling through these lands due to magical weave effects that affected people's sense of self, but assured them the effects would wear off after a few days once they left the area.

Meanwhile, Kailyn and Nillituh decided to venture into the continuing sandstorm to follow the train tracks. They tied themselves together with rope for safety, secured the magic carpet in a backpack, and included Muscle in their group. Stepping into the harsh sandstorm with limited visibility and hearing, they began making survival checks to navigate the dangerous conditions. They successfully followed the train tracks for several hours and spotted three armed figures in the distance. After consulting Muscle through speak with animals, who advised against approaching the strangers, they successfully made stealth checks to sneak around the group while staying near the tracks.

The madness effects on the train escalated dramatically as Fe and Bones suffered increasing mental deterioration. Bones smashed two weather prediction items together, injuring his eye and becoming stunned. Fe became frightened of Naeco and tried to flee, leading to Naeco restraining her to prevent self-harm. When Fe cast Hellish Rebuke on Naeco in her frightened state, Bazzur knocked her unconscious to stop the chaos. Naeco also knocked Bones unconscious when he became unstunned, and the party continued traveling for several more hours.

After hours of travel, the train began to slow unexpectedly, concerning Bazzur who realized they weren't at their intended destination. He went to investigate and returned injured with a cut on his face, warning that they were under attack. Naeco quickly untied the party members and returned their weapons as combat began with bandit attackers in the cramped train carriages.

The battle was fierce but brief. Crezzida shot the bandit captain with her crossbow while Bones used his actor ability to mimic the terrifying wraith's scream they had encountered earlier, dealing psychic damage to enemies but causing himself hallucinations from the mental strain. Naeco entered a rage and charged into combat, landing two critical hits with his great axe that killed the bandit captain by chopping off his head and throwing it at the other bandits. The remaining berserker and bandit fought desperately, but Fe attacked with dual quarter staffs while Bazzur and Crezzida continued their assault. Bones ultimately killed the berserker with a heat metal spell that melted his arms, causing him to collapse into a puddle, while Naeco dispatched the final bandit by chopping him into six parts.

After the battle, the madness effects caused party members to attack each other, forcing Naeco to confiscate their weapons for safety. Bazzur checked on other passengers, reporting one person dead but others mostly okay. When Bones cast unseen servant to help drive the train, Bazzur confronted him with a dagger to his ribs after witnessing the spell. Bazzur interrogated Bones about his origins and magic use, explaining that magic users were considered criminals worse than most people in the area. He threatened to kill Bones if he continued using magic, stabbing him partway for 2 points of damage before backing off with a warning.

Naeco attempted to operate the train controls with disastrous results. He accidentally decoupled the back of the train, causing it to roll away, then made the train move backwards before finding the throttle and handbrake controls. When he attempted to stop the train, he pulled the handbrake too hard, causing the train to derail and crash with carriages smashing together. Party members took bludgeoning damage from the crash, and tragically, a goblin child died in the wreckage. The goblin family departed toward the mountains after this disaster.

As the madness effects wore off, the party confronted Bazzur about his anti-magic stance and threatening behavior. Bazzur revealed he was hired to guide adventurers but didn't know they were "criminals" (magic users), and both he and Bones engaged in an intimidation contest that Bones barely won. Bazzur explained that magic was viewed as equivalent to slavery or human trafficking in their society, and that he had survived 45 years in the wasteland without using magic. Despite the tension, the party agreed to continue following Bazzur for the remaining three hours to their destination.

Meanwhile, Kailyn and Nillituh struggled to survive in the harsh desert conditions. They found shelter under an overturned train cart where they discovered dried blood stains and Nillituh found a mysterious sigil coin buried in the sand. Neither character recognized the sigil despite high history and religion checks. As the sandstorm began to clear slightly, allowing 120 feet of visibility, Kailyn wild shaped into a horse form while Nillituh and Muscle climbed onto her back to travel more efficiently through the desert.

The separated party members traveled through the thinning sandstorm and reached the base of the mountain where greenery began to appear. They discovered a marshy, swampy area formed by snow runoff and heard wind rushing over the mountain peaks creating howling sounds. Most significantly, Kailyn noticed a crack in the ground containing absolute darkness - not just black, but the complete absence of everything. Through an arcana check, she recognized signs of planar breakdown where magical weaves overlap, though this void radiated unexpected heat rather than cold.

When Kailyn approached the mysterious void, time distortion effects occurred - she slowed down while the world around her sped up. Nillituh tried to pull her away, causing the time effects to reverse temporarily. Despite the danger, Kailyn touched the void and her body progressively slowed until she stopped completely, appearing as a 2D reflection that faded away. Nillituh tied a rope to himself and courageously followed Kailyn into the void to rescue her.

Upon entering the void, Nillituh and Muscle experienced a surreal passage through time and dimensions. They witnessed the world speeding by with erosion, trees growing and dying rapidly, and day and night cycling at incredible speed. They observed millions of years passing in seconds as storms passed and mountain landslides occurred. The world shrank to become a small ball moving away into space before a bright light grew beneath them with numerous colors whizzing past. Finally, they arrived in a comfortable waiting room with red carpet, beautiful walls, and nice sofas, complete with a desk bearing a sign saying "we'll be back soon." Kailyn, the jackal, and the magic carpet were all present in this mysterious interdimensional location, setting the stage for whatever strange encounter awaited them next.