(S009) It was a Mindflayer, all along

Deeper inside Widow's Peak, the Mighty Menagerie fights ice spiders, discovers a Mindflayer and Jacoby Drexelhand manipulating the white dragon Canthenth with a crystal device, frees the dragon, and successfully ends the eternal winter as the party advances to Level 4.

📝 Session Summary

The Wild Cards were called The Menagerie by some until they came up with the name The Wild Cards.

• Barlo: A grizzled tabaxi barbarian who has been doing some work for a network that one should be wary of.
• Bastion: An orphan human who spent his life studying magic and blades, even though his elder pushed him away from the sword. He replaced Reginald.
• Calliope: This bardic faun joined the party late when she needed to find help to save her homeland.
• Reginald: A leonin cleric who was off to show his family's royal background and would later find out there were secrets leading to him becoming a king.
• Sas: A tortle hermit was given an item of power and a quest.
• Shadow in the Snow: This tabaxi got a coin, and her curiosity set her on a path.

🎬 Scenes

• Scene 1: Barlo's Backstory — From The Bronze Canyon in Kampos. Gave up Tabaxi name, "Smiles". Help move people. On way to Eushia to help Black Road with a client. Currently on ship near Carrune.
• Scene 2: Bastion's Backstory — When Bastion Bladesinger was very young he lost both of his parents to a plague. He took care of himself as he taught himself how to use the rapier his father once wore. He lived in Dyrt and watched all of the great knights. He also had an interest in the ways of magic and he wished he could do both – use swords and excel in magic – like many elves he had heard about.
• Scene 3: Calliope's Backstory — Calliope was born into the nestled highlands of the Oraniad Mountains. The Skola Vale, wild and free, blessed by the gods and inhabited by whimsical Satyr and Faun. Deep within it among the lush valley, reside the Dawngreets, a long generational line of storytellers and lore keepers.
• Scene 4: Reginald's Backstory — He was born at home, a modest-sized mansion where his family lived a modest means – even though his father could never stop talking about how they were royalty and yet this was the only lands they currently possess. His childhood was generally a happy one full of several friends. He was an only child.
• Scene 5: Sas' Backstory — Sas was born on the continent of Oth'Mar – a content mostly inhabited by Tortles and is far to the south of the Carrune Isles.
• Scene 6: Shadow's Backstory — Deep in the snowy mountains high in the north, there lived a large group of Tabaxi, The Blinding Wild Clan.

📜 Missions & Quests

• Completed:
  • Established individual party origins and initial connections to the world of Dierde.
• Active / Discovered Threads:
  • Barlo's ties to the smuggling rings and the Black Road.
  • Bastion's mysterious past and fallout with Grognard.
  • Calliope's quest to save the Skola Vale.
  • Reginald's pursuit of his family's royal mint commission and claim in Neyer.
  • Sas's vision of the Cat Goddess Bast and journey to find her lost lands.
  • Shadow's golden coin and mystical calling from her clan shaman.

NPCs

Summary

The Mighty Menagerie ventures further into Widow's Peak. After fighting off ice spiders, they discover the source of the island's woes: a Mindflayer assisted by Jacoby Drexelhand is using a powerful crystal device to manipulate the local white dragon, Canthenth. The party defeats the cultists, frees the dragon, and the eternal winter recedes, confining itself to the mountain.

Scenes

Deep in Widow's Peak

The party takes a short rest after defeating the Ice Mephits. They then navigate the narrow cave tunnels, where they are attacked by two large Ice Spiders dropping from the ceiling. Shadow and Bastion defeat them, and the party continues.

The Dragon's Lair and the Mindflayer's Plot

The party reaches a large chamber where a massive white dragon is encased in ice. They witness a horrific scene: Jacoby Drexelhand and two robed cultists, Gorvenal Boulderdown and Doran Morningfall, are assisting a Mindflayer who is feasting on a villager's brain. The Mindflayer wears a strange helmet with glowing crystals that connect to a large crystal device. Lars Heyton identifies the creatures and explains the helmet's function.

• Confrontation and Escape: The party attacks the cultists. As the battle ensues, Shadow in the Snow attempts to communicate with the dragon. In the chaos, the Mindflayer and Jacoby disappear into the Astral Plane. The party frees the dragon by prying off the smaller crystal on the helmet.
• Canthenth's Story: The dragon, Canthenth, reveals he was a protector of the area, sent to destroy the Arcane Forge. He tells them of the "Forgotten Gods" of this realm and the "Outsider Gods" who are trying to reawaken a slumbering, world-ending dragon. He warns that the Outsider Gods are not strong

Session Conclusion

The party rescues two villagers (Wendy Cleves and Anastas Wheatflow) and finds a way out of the mountain. As they descend Widow's Peak, the snow and cold effects begin to recede, and the eternal winter is now contained solely to the mountain.

• Experience & Leveling Total: 3002 (Goal: 2700) | Group Levels up to Level 4
• Current Location The party returns to the Wavecrest Tavern to rest.

NPCs

Canthenth

White Dragon terrorizing ships at Outding Refuge.

Jacoby Drexelhand

The Menagerie first met Jacoby at Outding Refuge , as he was responsible for the Dragon issue. Later he took Solec as he had been trying to obtain the Journal of Grognard, Meenlock Caves .

Gorvenal Boulderdown

Cultist working with Jacoby

Doran Morningfall

Cultist working with Jacoby.

Wendy Cleves

Saved villager.

Anastas Wheatflow

Saved villager.

Lars Heyton

Lars Heyton is the ruler of Outding Refuge and is deeply committed to the prosperity and progress of his island kingdom. He has dedicated his life to mastering the arcane forge and building a floating city and magic research center, which has become very successful and wealthy. He is driven by a desire to improve the lives of those around him and make the world a better place.

He has not been seen in a long time.

Gruzzussk D'Achtend

Gruzzussk D'Achtend was the mindflayer responsible for the Year of Winter at Outding Refuge. He was last "seen" (actually heard) under the Ruins in Outding Refuge telling Jacoby Drexelhand he had plans for the party.

Locations

Astral Plane

The Astral Plane, also known as the Astral Sea, is a space between everything. If you are ever nowhere in the multiverse, you are in the Astral Plane. This plane isn’t specifically a plane, but rather a nonspatial nonplane as it has no space and planes are specifically spaces. The Astral Plane has been described as a silvery horizon that extends all around you like you are inside a silver orb, to a dark plane with twinkling lights in the distance like stars and stretching out before you is a sea of silvery cloud-like mists. It exist in between almost all planes, so it is very acccessible, especially with spells like "Astral Projection", "Gate", or "Plane Shift".

Widow's Peak

The mountain on Outding Refuge.

Wavecrest Tavern

The Wavecrest Tavern is a prominent establishment in Heyton's Thorpe . Run by Sigmund Bowerston and his wife, Ingrid Bowerston

Outding Refuge

The small island where the party found themselves.

Items

Arcane Forge

Notes

Factions.

Heyton Family

(+Positive, meet Lars and met his dead ancester.)

Drexelhand's Cult

(- Negative, even though the party did not seem to pick up on the cult.)

Canthenth's "Order"

(complicated and not known)

Heyton's Thorpe

(+ Positive, as they have saved them and helped them.)

Exported from GMAssistant on 2026-08-16