Session 34, Arc IV

Call Me Daleth

Played 30 January 2026 Watch the session (spoiler-free)

The session began with a haunting vision of the past, revealing the tragic story of Dalthos and Lyra. As children, the two sisters played together in a forest near the ocean, discovering blue flowers that resembled the sea. Their idyllic childhood was shattered when raiders attacked their village, setting fire to the thatched roofs with flaming arrows. Fleeing through the jungle, they found refuge in a brick house where an elderly human woman offered them safety in exchange for a simple meal. Young Lyra, eager to protect her sister, shook hands with the woman to seal the deal, unaware of the terrible consequences that would follow.

Centuries later, two half-orc children discovered the same house, now abandoned and filled with skulls and glowing multicolored orbs. When one child gazed into an orb, they were struck down and fell into an abyss. The vision then showed Dalthos and Lyra living peacefully together in a house by the beach, picking berries and walking along the shore. But something was deeply wrong with Lyra—she woke screaming every night, stared vacantly out at the sea, and occasionally disappeared to the burnt remains of their old home with blood around her mouth. Dalthos suspected the truth but refused to abandon her sister.

Eventually, Lyra's condition became unbearable, and she begged to leave. Dalthos found her a silent cove where she could live underwater, visiting her daily with gifts and care. Over time, Lyra retreated deeper into a cave, clutching her orb tightly to her chest. One day, Dalthos found her sister floating over two dead bodies, her orb missing and her form twisted and monstrous. When Dalthos tried to help, Lyra attacked her with unnatural force, throwing her against a wall and breaking her back. Lyra's jaw unhinged as magic escaped from her orb, which became dull and purple, while Dalthos could only watch in horror.

Dalthos spent ages researching ways to restore her sister and find the missing orb, setting up magical infrastructure and pouring over ancient maps. She discovered that Lyra's orb had changed because of Lyra herself, and if she could find it, she might be able to reverse the transformation. But when she finally went to tell Lyra of her breakthrough, she found her sister cold and curled up in her chamber, dead. The vision ended with the revelation that while Lyra never turned into the hag who had cursed them, Dalthos did.

Back in the present, Dalthos stood before the party and shook hands with Kailyn, sealing a deal. The party felt a cleansing sensation as the necrotic curse that had been afflicting them was removed, their skin healing before their eyes. Kailyn felt her imbued power to breathe underwater being stripped away as part of the transaction. In exchange, Rayne materialized before them with blue skin and closed eyes, exactly as Kailyn had last seen her. Kailyn rushed forward and embraced her, confirming she was physically real. Rayne's eyes opened and she pulled Kailyn into a tight hug, promising to explain everything later.

The reunion was interrupted when the party noticed a massive flesh monster rising in the center of the ritual pillar. Formed from the eyes of a hundred dead bodies, the creature stood nine feet tall, its flesh writhing and squirming. It spoke in Abyssal about giving sight and seeing through all, then attacked. The battle was fierce and chaotic—the monster blinded several party members with its hundred eyes, spawned smaller flesh pieces that attacked independently, and grappled Bones with grasping tendrils. The party fought back with everything they had, with Rupert transforming into a massive T-Rex and tearing into the creature with teeth and tail.

After a brutal combat, Rupert delivered the final blow, grabbing the writhing flesh mass in his jaws and tearing it apart like a puppy with a toy. Eyes and flesh exploded everywhere as the creature fell. At its core, the party discovered a large purple shard pulsating with magical energy. Kailyn immediately turned to Dalthos and demanded to know what she had done to Rayne. Dalthos explained that she had made a deal to restore the party's livelihoods in exchange for something—in Kailyn's case, her ability to breathe underwater.

Before the party could fully process this revelation, Yomidrogo felt an irresistible pull toward a central stone pillar in the chamber. A powerful voice commanded him to step forward, and when he did, the roof opened and sunlight beamed down. Yomidrogo felt chains wrapping around his hands and legs as the voice declared he would become its avatar. His eyes glazed over as the possession took hold. Bones, in giant constrictor snake form, pushed Yomidrogo off the pillar, breaking the voice's hold. Enraged, Yomidrogo cast a powerful explosion of fire at the pillar, destroying the stone throne and causing the roof to slam shut.

The party then confronted Dalthos about her betrayal. She taunted Kailyn, revealing that she had allowed her to see Rayne again, but not to get her back. Kailyn attempted to attack, but her magic failed to affect the powerful hag. Bones grappled Dalthos in his snake form, and when she tried to escape through magical means, he successfully disrupted her spell. Other party members attempted to compel her to stop fighting and revert the deal, but she resisted all their efforts. Finally, Dalthos cast a powerful teleportation spell and disappeared, leaving behind only a pile of dust where Rayne had stood.

Kailyn was devastated, experiencing vivid flashbacks of memories with Rayne—playing with crabs on the beach, skipping stones across a lake, and attending her funeral in Poseira. As the party stood in the aftermath, Bones revealed that he had managed to steal Dalthos's purple orb before she vanished. After taking a long rest, Bones spent time attuning to the orb and identified it as "Thalassine, Child of the Seas," a powerful artifact of raw magic that granted abilities related to water and the ocean.

Yomidrogo performed extensive research and uncovered ancient lore about a three-tiered pantheon of gods. He learned that Aureus, the goddess of light, was once a major god but had been demoted and largely forgotten. More importantly, he discovered that two major gods, Melora and Moradin, had three children: the Child of the Seas, the Child of the Mountains, and the Child of All Life. The party deduced that their blue orb was likely the Child of Life or the Child of the Mountains, and that a third orb must exist somewhere, possibly in the Raven Tower in Arakcadia.

The party then discovered two paths within the temple, inscribed in Undercommon as the "Quarry of the Reckless" and the "Pathway of the Seeing." After some debate and divination, they decided to split up. Yomidrogo, Kailyn, Cyrran, and Bones took the Pathway of the Seeing, while Arraphesu went down the Quarry of the Reckless after hearing a mysterious voice mimicking Yomidrogo. The Pathway of the Seeing proved treacherous, with narrow hallways, pits, and magical walls that ultimately separated Yomidrogo and Kailyn into different chambers.

Trapped in a pit, Yomidrogo transformed into a bat and descended into the darkness. There he encountered an elven woman and two children who claimed to be his family. The woman called him by name, and the children called him "Dada" and "Darion," asking him not to leave again. Despite not recognizing them, Yomidrogo felt an inexplicable connection to them. When he touched one child to confirm she was real, the possession took hold completely. Meanwhile, Kailyn was confronted by an apparition of Rayne who tried to convince her of her return. Distraught and disbelieving after the previous betrayal, Kailyn drew her weapon and stabbed the figure, who fell to the ground.

Kailyn then found herself in a square chamber where Yomidrogo stood with glowing purple eyes. Moments later, the possessed Yomidrogo cast a devastating explosion of fire directly at Kailyn, dealing massive damage. In the Quarry of the Reckless, Bones and Arraphesu encountered spectral figures of deceased allies—Bazzur, Fe, and Naeco—all with purple eyes and hostile intent. A fierce battle ensued, with the party using thunderous force, fire, and magical blasts to defeat the ghostly attackers. Bones delivered the final blow to Naeco with a magical attack infused with a curse, causing the specter to tear open and turn to dust.

After the battle, the chamber opened to reveal an exit to the jungle. The party found another path marked as the Pathway of the Seeing and decided to wait for their companions. After about ten minutes with no sign of the others, they grew concerned and debated whether to enter the other path to find them. Eventually, they decided to venture into the Pathway of the Seeing, and the session ended on a cliffhanger as Yomidrogo led the way into the unknown darkness.