(S042) A Deal with a Devil

Resting within Jacoby's lair, the party negotiates with a freed imp named Likkec, decodes magical texts, and survives a brutal spectral hand trap before liquidating their massive coin hoard to Outding Refuge.

📝 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

S042: A Deal with a Devil

Date: 2022-12-09

Short

The party regrouped within Jacoby's hidden lair, processing a cascade of revelations: the disappearance of Sas's father Solec, Jacoby's claim of holding him captive, a sleeping legendary dragon, and the looming threat of the Arcane Order — once led by Bargle, now reportedly a lich. While sorting through their accumulated gear, the group made several key discoveries. Bastion studied a blue gemstone and a Ruby Weave Gem — the latter awarded to Sas for its ability to bypass costly spell components and grant access to magic beyond her own tradition. Sas attuned to a powerful druidic club and uncovered a hidden code and a unique decomposition cantrip within a herbalism book, while Bastion learned that strange island crystals, corrupted by a dragon's hoard, had been used to craft a mind-control gem. Most alarmingly, the party discovered that Mordenkainen's Tome of Extra-Dimensional Space was slowly unraveling into the void — and had it continued deteriorating inside their bag of holding, it would have destroyed the bag and hurled them all into the Astral Plane.

Before they could fully reckon with that danger, an imp statue they had long carried suddenly came to life, transforming from stone and lunging desperately for the tome. After a frantic struggle, Barlo caught the creature, who revealed he had been cursed and bound to the book — likely by Karsus — and trapped in statue form for years. Sas's reading of his character confirmed he was telling the truth and held no remaining loyalties. The party negotiated a tense but civil arrangement: the imp, who called himself Likkec, accepted the tattered tome in exchange for agreeing to track down its original creator and report back. He departed through a magical mirror with a simple "Adieu," leaving the party uneasy. After a protected rest, they pushed deeper into the hideout, forcing open locked doors — triggering a lightning trap and a force blade that battered Barlo — before a massive spectral hand materialized and savagely struck him in the face. The party destroyed the magical guardian and claimed their reward: books, a platinum ring, a remarkable glass orb with a mechanical goldfish, and an enormous cache of coins. Too heavy to carry, the bulk of the currency was sent via their magical chest to their contact Lars in Outding Refuge, earmarked for house upkeep and ongoing research, as the party turned their attention to the hideout's remaining unexplored passages.

Summary

The party found themselves sheltered within Jacoby's hidden lair, a secretive refuge tucked away on a distant continent far from familiar shores. They gathered their thoughts and reflected on the tangled web of revelations that had recently come to light — the disappearance of Sas's father Solec alongside a mysterious Leonin, Jacoby's chilling telepathic claim that he held Solec captive, and the looming threat of a legendary dragon sleeping deep within the earth. A chronomancer named Jeriah Chronos had apparently authored a book of powerful secrets intended to deal with this ancient beast, and the Arcane Order — once led by a man named Bargle, now reportedly transformed into a lich — cast a long shadow over everything the party had uncovered.

With the weight of these revelations pressing down on them, the group turned their attention to the items they had accumulated over their travels. Bastion spent time carefully studying the magical properties of several mysterious objects, including a blue gemstone pulled from a meenlock's skull and a radiant ruby gem left behind by an almiraj. The ruby gem proved to be a remarkable find — a Ruby Weave Gem capable of allowing its wielder to ignore costly magical components and even learn spells from any tradition of magic, not just their own. The party passed it around with wide eyes, quickly agreeing it would serve Sas best, given her open attunement slot and her role as a caster.

The group also spent time sorting through their weapons and magical equipment, carefully adjusting which items each member was attuned to. Sas took up a magical club that, when empowered by her druidic magic, became a devastatingly effective weapon — her wisdom lending strength to every strike while the club's cold enchantment bit into her enemies. Barlo, meanwhile, bound himself to a heavy maul laced with poison, and the party worked through the rest of their gear with the practiced efficiency of adventurers who had learned the hard way that preparation was survival.

While the others tended to their equipment, Bastion and Sas buried themselves in books found within the hideout. Bastion pored over a tome called Rocks, Crystals, and Gemstones, learning that the strange crystals from the island they had previously visited were born from the corrupting influence of a long-standing dragon horde, and that these minerals were uniquely receptive to magical manipulation — which was precisely why they had been used to craft a mind-control gem intended to dominate a dragon. Sas, meanwhile, dove into a book called Green Thumb, a guide to herbalism and potion-crafting that revealed not only the secrets of brewing healing draughts from foraged plants, but also contained a hidden code buried in strange symbols throughout its margins — and a rare, unique cantrip that caused organic matter to decompose, perfectly suited to her affinity for nature's cycles.

As the party began emptying their bag of holding to take stock of everything they carried, they noticed something deeply unsettling about Mordenkainen's Tome of Extra-Dimensional Space, a book they had been hauling around for some time. Its edges were fraying and dissolving, not into dust, but into something that looked disturbingly like the night sky — as though the book were slowly unraveling into the void between planes. Bastion's careful study of the tome revealed a grim truth: the book had been enchanted with a permanent mansion spell, activated by the passphrase "scepter," but keeping it stored in extra-planar space had been slowly destroying it — and had it continued, it would have annihilated the bag of holding itself and hurled the entire party into the Astral Plane.

Before the party could fully process this revelation, the imp statue they had collected from an underground laboratory long ago suddenly stirred to life. The small, winged creature transformed from stone to flesh and immediately lunged for the deteriorating tome, clearly desperate to reach it. A frantic struggle broke out as the party tried to restrain the imp, who turned invisible to slip their grasp before being spotted and finally caught by Barlo's iron grip. Held fast and unable to escape, the imp glared at the party with indignant fury.

The imp, who spoke Common, revealed that he had been cursed and bound to the tome — likely by Karsus — and had been trapped in statue form for what felt like years. As Bastion studied the creature, he confirmed that the curse had indeed been broken, severed when the book began its final deterioration. The party debated what to do with their unexpected captive, some suggesting they recruit him, others eyeing him with deep suspicion. When Sas performed a careful reading of the imp's character, she sensed he was being truthful — he was no longer bound to the book and had no particular loyalty to anyone.

Negotiations with the imp were tense but ultimately civil. He gave the party a name to call him — Likkec — though he made clear it was not his true name. The party offered him the tattered remains of the tome, which he accepted, and in return he agreed to seek out whoever had originally created the book and report back to the party if he discovered anything. Barlo introduced himself warmly before letting the imp go, and Likkec made his way to one of the magical mirrors in the room. He paused at its surface, looked back at the party with an unreadable expression, and said simply, "Adieu," before stepping through and vanishing. The party exchanged uneasy glances, more than one of them quietly wondering if they had just made a terrible mistake.

With the imp gone and the long night ahead of them, Calliope conjured a protective magical dome to shelter the group as they settled in for a much-needed rest. Throughout the night, the party heard the distant scurrying of rodents and faint sounds from the eastern wall, but nothing breached their sanctuary. When morning came and the dome faded, the party rose refreshed and ready to press deeper into the hideout's unexplored corridors.

Their attention turned to a locked door along the eastern wall. Barlo inspected it carefully and found no traps, and Calliope attempted to pick the lock with her thieves' tools, but the mechanism refused to yield. Barlo tried to kick the door down and nearly twisted his ankle for the effort. Finally, he produced a crowbar and wrenched the door open — only to trigger a hidden lightning trap that crackled through the metal fittings and shocked him. Gritting his teeth, he stepped through into the new chamber beyond.

The room beyond was large and rough-hewn, its ceiling stretching twenty feet overhead, with doors leading in multiple directions and a hallway branching off to the north. Shadow caught a faint smell of ozone in the air and scanned the ceiling warily, but found nothing threatening above. The party spread out to search the room, and Shadow discovered two electrum coins wedged into a crack in the corner — a small but welcome find. They pressed on toward another locked door, which proved equally stubborn.

When the crowbar failed to open the second door cleanly, it triggered yet another trap — this one sending a blade of force slashing across Barlo's arm. He barely managed to pull back in time to avoid the worst of it. The door swung open to reveal what appeared to be a bedchamber, and Barlo stepped inside — only for a massive blue spectral hand to materialize out of thin air and drive itself directly into his face with bone-cracking force. His jaw shifted sideways, his nose poured blood, and his eyes swelled nearly shut in an instant. Barlo roared with fury, his rage igniting as his tabaxi tail lashed behind him, and he threw himself at the magical construct with everything he had.

Sas called forth a small spectral owlbear to tend to Barlo's wounds while Shadow loosed arrows at the shimmering hand. The final shot struck true, and the magical construct came apart in a cascade of blue sparks and glittering motes of light that drifted slowly to the floor like confetti. With the guardian destroyed, the party tore through the room — Barlo shredding the mattress with gleeful vengeance while the others searched the desk and chest. They found several books, a non-magical platinum ring, a remarkable glass orb containing a tiny mechanical goldfish with intricate steampunk gears, and an enormous cache of coins — thousands of silver and copper pieces alongside a significant sum of gold.

The sheer volume of currency was far too heavy to carry, and the party quickly devised a solution. They each set aside twenty-five platinum pieces for themselves, then loaded the rest of the coins into their magical chest — a container linked directly to their house in Outding Refuge — and sent it all to their contact Lars, along with a brief message asking him to put the funds toward house upkeep, ongoing research, and any materials needed for the projects they had set him to work on. With their spoils secured and their strength restored, the party stood at the threshold of the hideout's remaining unexplored passages, ready to see what other secrets Jacoby had left behind.

Scenes

A Moment of Respite and Reflection

The party gathers in Jacoby's hideout to recover and identify several mysterious items they have recently acquired.

• The party discusses their current situation in Jacoby's hideout, recalling the disappearance of Sas's father, Solec, and the involvement of a Leonin.
• The DM provides a summary of recent revelations regarding Captain Meckler (also known as Grognard), the chronomancer Jeriah Chronos, and the threat of a legendary sleeping dragon.
• Bastion uses ritual magic to identify a blue gemstone found in a meenlock and a ruby gemstone left by an almiraj.
• The party discusses the properties of the Ruby Weave Gem, which allows a caster to ignore expensive material components and learn spells from any class list.
• The characters manage their attunements to various magical items, including a poison-infused club, a cold-damage weapon, and the Ring of Alertness.
• Sas considers attuning to a new magical club that enhances her combat capabilities with her wisdom.
• The party prepares to take a long rest to recover their strength and spell slots.

Rest and Research in the Hideout

The party takes time to study various books found in Jacoby's hideout and identify new magical items.

• Bastion uses ritual magic to identify several items, including a Ruby Weave Gem and a botanist's spellbook.
• The party discusses the properties of a magical club that deals cold damage and how it interacts with druidic magic.
• Barlo attunes to a magical maul that deals poison damage.
• Shadow and Bastion spend time reading 'Green Thumb' and 'Rocks, Crystals, and Gemstones' to gain knowledge on herbalism and magical geology.
• Sas begins studying the 'Green Thumb' book, discovering a hidden code and a unique cantrip that causes decomposition.
• Bastion learns about the origins of the crystals on the island and their connection to a long-standing dragon horde.

The Imp's Awakening

An imp statue previously found in a laboratory comes to life and attempts to seize a decaying magical book.

• As the party empties the bag of holding, they notice Mordenkainen's Tome of Extra-Dimensional Space is fraying and eroding, its edges appearing like the night sky.
• An imp statue transforms back into a living creature and immediately attempts to grab the deteriorating tome.
• The imp turns invisible to evade the party, but Bastion uses a ring to cast See Invisibility to locate the creature.
• Barlo successfully grapples the imp after it reveals itself by attacking.
• The party interrogates the imp, who speaks Common and expresses confusion about the state of the book.

The Imp and the Tome

The party examines a deteriorating magical book and negotiates with the imp that was bound to it.

• Bastion identifies the properties of Mordenkainen's Tome of Extra-Dimensional Space, learning it contains a permanent mansion spell and that keeping it in extra-planar storage would have eventually destroyed the bag of holding and sent the party to the astral plane.
• The party interrogates the imp, who reveals he was cursed and bound to the book, likely by Karsus.
• The party negotiates with the imp, who gives his name as Likkec.
• The party decides to free the imp and gives him the tattered remains of the book.
• Likkec uses a magical mirror in the room to depart, promising to seek out the one who cursed him and to inform the party if he learns who created the book.
• Barlo introduces himself to Likkec before letting him go, and the imp says 'Adieu' as he steps through the mirror.

Rest and Recovery

The party settles in for a long rest while Bastion continues to identify their accumulated treasures.

• Calliope casts a magical hut to provide a secure location for the party to rest.
• Bastion spends time during the rest using magic to identify various items found in the underground lair, including a potion of superior healing.
• The party discusses various non-magical items in their possession, including a brooch, chalice, and tea set.
• Throughout the night, the party hears rodents scurrying and distant noises from the east wall, but no one enters the room.
• Calliope's magical dome fades after eight hours, and the party prepares to explore further.

The Trapped East Door

The party attempts to breach a locked door to the east, encountering a magical trap.

• Barlo inspects the east door and finds it locked but seemingly untrapped.
• Calliope attempts to pick the lock but fails to open it.
• Barlo tries to kick the door down but hurts his ankle.
• Barlo uses a crowbar to pry the door open, triggering a lightning trap that shocks him.
• The party successfully breaches the door and enters a new room with a 20-foot high rough ceiling, doors to the south and east, and a hallway to the north.

Exploring the New Chamber

The party enters a room with multiple exits and searches for loot while staying wary of traps.

• Shadow in the Snow notices a smell of ozone and checks the ceiling for hazards, finding nothing out of the ordinary.
• Barlo pulls a rug out of the way to check for hidden dangers.
• Shadow in the Snow and Bastion search the room for useful items.
• Shadow in the Snow finds two electrum pieces wedged into a crack in the corner.

The Trapped Door and the Spectral Hand

The party attempts to breach a second locked door, triggering a trap and a magical guardian.

• Shadow attempts to pick the lock on a door but fails.
• Barlo uses a crowbar to force the door open, triggering a trap that deals slashing damage to him.
• Upon entering the room, a large blue spectral hand manifests and punches Barlo in the face with significant force damage.
• Barlo enters a rage, manifesting his tabaxi tail, and attacks the spectral hand with his weapon.
• Sas casts Healing Spirit, manifesting a small spectral owlbear to mend Barlo's wounds.
• Shadow fires arrows at the hand, with the final strike causing the magical construct to dissipate into blue sparks and glitter.

Looting the Bedchamber

After defeating the spectral guardian, the party searches the room for valuables and information.

• Barlo shreds the mattress looking for hidden items while others search the desk and chest.
• The party discovers several books on the desk, including 'Carpentry for Complex Nuggests' and 'A Short History of Dwarves'.
• A large cache of coins is found in the chest, including thousands of silver and copper pieces, along with platinum.
• Shadow finds a non-magical platinum ring and a steampunk-style glass orb containing a mechanical goldfish.
• The party discusses how to transport the massive amount of copper and silver they discovered.

Managing the Spoils

The party organizes a large amount of found treasure and decides how to transport it back to their home base.

• The party discovers a massive hoard of copper, silver, and gold coins that is too heavy to carry.
• They discuss using a magical haversack and a bag of holding to manage the weight.
• The group decides to use a magical chest that acts as a teleportation link to their house in Outding Refuge.
• They set aside twenty-five platinum pieces for each party member before loading the rest of the currency into the chest.
• The party discusses sending the funds to their contact, Lars, to cover house upkeep and research costs for items like displacer cloaks and troll-related projects.
• A short magical message is drafted to Lars to explain the influx of gold and to check on the status of their ongoing projects.

Memorable Moments

The party realizes the deteriorating Mordenkainen's Tome they've been carrying in their bag of holding would have eventually destroyed the bag and sent them all to the astral plane.

A near-miss revelation during item identification — the party had unknowingly been carrying a magical time bomb in their extra-planar storage.

"I'm a devil from the Nine Hells. I don't exactly work for you."
— Likkec

The freed imp pushing back indignantly when the party tried to recruit him into their service after releasing him from his curse.

Likkec steps through the magical mirror, pauses, looks back at the party, and says 'Adieu' before disappearing — leaving the party wondering if they just made a grave mistake.

The party debated whether freeing the imp was a terrible decision, with players joking he would become the next big villain.

A massive blue spectral hand manifests out of nowhere and punches Barlo directly in the face with enough force to crack his jaw and bloody his nose the moment he steps into the bedchamber.

Barlo had just forced open a trapped door and stepped confidently into the room, completely unprepared for the magical guardian waiting inside.

NPCs

Solec

Sas's father, who was recently found by the party but quickly disappeared again in the company of a Leonin. Jacoby claimed to have him.

Jacoby Drexelhand

The owner of the hideout who communicated telepathically with Sas, claiming to have her father, Solec.

Jeriah Chronos

A chronomancer and friend of Captain Meckler who authored a book containing secrets and spells intended to deal with a legendary sleeping dragon.

Bargle

A former leader of the Arcane Order who has reportedly transformed into a lich since the party's time in the Feywild.

Likkec

An imp formerly trapped in statue form and bound to Mordenkainen's Tome of Extra-Dimensional Space. He was cursed and bound to the book, likely by Karsus. Upon being freed by the party, he chose to use a mirror portal to depart, promising to seek out whoever cursed him and to inform the party if he learns who created the book. He said 'Adieu' as he stepped through the mirror.

Arktos "Artie"

Shadow's owlbear companion who waited in the main teleportation room area while the party explored the smaller rooms, as he was too large to fit through the doors.

Lars Heyton

A contact residing at the party's house in Outding Refuge who manages their affairs, research, and house upkeep. The party sent him a large sum of money via a magical chest to cover ongoing expenses and projects.

Locations

Jacoby's Hideout

A secret location on a different continent where the party is currently resting and exploring. It appears to be tied to the antagonist Jacoby and features mirrors used for travel, various trapped rooms, and magical research materials.

Underground Laboratory

A location mentioned in passing where the party originally found the imp statue and several books during a previous session.

Outding Refuge

The location of the party's house, which now features a completed transportation circle and a magical chest linked to the party's current location, allowing them to send items and currency remotely.

Items

Ruby Weave Gem

A powerful gemstone left behind by an almiraj. It regains all expended charges daily at dawn. It allows the user to expend charges to ignore material components for spells with a gold piece cost of up to 500 gold pieces per charge (up to three charges), and enables the caster to learn and cast a spell from any class list until the end of their next long rest, provided it is of a level they can cast.

Blue Meenlock Gem

A half-sphere gemstone pulled from a meenlock's head. It radiates a unique type of magic that seems connected to a hag, though its specific properties remain largely mysterious to the party.

Mordenkainen's Tome of Extra-Dimensional Space

A magical book enchanted with a permanent mansion spell, activated by the passphrase 'scepter.' It was found to be deteriorating badly, with its edges fraying into what looked like the night sky. Keeping it in extra-planar storage would have eventually destroyed the bag of holding and sent the party to the astral plane. The book was given to the imp Likkec upon his release.

Imp Statue

A small statue that transformed into a living imp named Likkec when brought near the deteriorating tome. It had been stored in the party's bag of holding for some time.

Botanist's Spellbook

A spellbook containing Thunderwave, Sleep, Catapult, Mage Armor, Comprehend Languages, Erupting Earth, and Remove Curse. Copying any spell from it requires 50 gold and two hours per spell level.

Green Thumb

A gardening and herbalism book containing instructions for crafting healing potions, including charts on costs, time, and required spell levels. It also contains strange symbols that appear to be a code, and grants a druid who studies it a unique cantrip that causes decomposition. Having the book in a forest allows the reader to find two gold pieces worth of materials per uninterrupted hour.

Rocks, Crystals, and Gemstones

A book detailing the properties of various minerals. Bastion learned from it that the crystals on the island were formed by the presence of a long-standing dragon horde and that they are more susceptible to magical use than other rocks, which is why they were used for a mind-control gem. The book also mentions Gnomengarde.

Magical Club (Cold)

A weapon attuned by Sas that deals additional cold damage upon impact and grants the wielder cold resistance. When Shillelagh is cast on it, Sas uses her wisdom modifier for attack and damage rolls, and the weapon's magical bonus stacks, making it a highly effective weapon for her.

Crystal Maul

A heavy weapon attuned by Barlo that deals additional poison damage.

Ring of Alertness

A magical ring attuned by Sas to enhance her awareness.

Mirror Coins

Curious coins found in the underground lair, noted among the party's inventory during their rest.

Potion of Superior Healing

A red-bottled potion identified by Bastion during the long rest, capable of restoring significant vitality. It had been in the party's possession since an early exploration of a keep.

Crowbar

A mundane tool used by Barlo to successfully pry open stubborn, magically trapped doors. It provides advantage on strength checks to force open doors.

Electrum Pieces

Two coins found by Shadow in the Snow wedged into a crack in the floor of the new chamber.

Thieves' Tools

A set of specialized tools used by Calliope and Shadow in unsuccessful attempts to pick locked doors.

Carpentry for Complex Nuggests

A book found on the desk in the hideout's bedchamber.

A Short History of Dwarves

A historical text found among the belongings on the desk in the bedchamber.

Steampunk Goldfish Orb

A glass orb the size of a gold palm, filled with water and containing an intricate mechanical goldfish with tiny gears. It appears to have a faint enchantment and may be connected to the Gems of Tharizdun.

Platinum Ring

A high-quality, non-magical platinum ring found in the bedchamber. It may be valuable enough to be used as a focus for future enchantments.

Magical Chest (Ender Chest)

A specialized container that serves as a teleportation link, allowing the party to send items and currency directly to their house in Outding Refuge.

Haversack

A magical backpack with numerous small pockets used by the party to store and organize their equipment and treasure.

Bag of Holding

A magical bag used by the party to carry heavy loads, currently held by Sas.

Troll Hearts

Biological components the party has collected and intends to use for magical crafting or research, stored in the bag of holding.

Spells

Identify

Cast as a ritual by Bastion multiple times throughout the session to discern the magical properties of the Ruby Weave Gem, the meenlock's blue gemstone, the botanist's spellbook, Mordenkainen's Tome of Extra-Dimensional Space, the imp, and the potion of superior healing.

Shillelagh

Discussed by the party regarding its interaction with Sas's magical cold-damage club, allowing her to use her wisdom modifier for attack and damage rolls while retaining the club's magical bonus.

Cure Wounds

Mentioned as a requirement for crafting potions using the instructions found in the 'Green Thumb' book.

Detect Magic

Used to scan the contents of the bag of holding to identify magical auras among the party's collected loot.

See Invisibility

Cast by Bastion using a magical ring to locate the imp after it turned invisible during the struggle over the tome.

Unseen Servant

Employed in an attempt to grapple the invisible imp by directing an invisible force to intercept it, attempted at disadvantage.

Tiny Hut

Cast by Calliope to create a secure magical dome for the party to safely complete their long rest. The dome faded after eight hours.

Invisibility

Cast via a ring by Shadow to remain unseen for an hour during exploration of the hideout's new rooms.

Bigby's Hand

A large blue spectral hand that manifested in the bedchamber to protect the room, striking Barlo in the face with significant force damage upon entry.

Healing Spirit

Cast by Sas to heal Barlo after he was struck by the spectral hand, manifesting as a small spectral owlbear that provided restorative energy over several rounds.

Sending

Used to transmit a short message to Lars at the party's house in Outding Refuge regarding the treasure being sent and the status of their ongoing projects.

Classic

Last we left off, our intrepid band of adventurers found themselves sheltered within the hidden lair of Jacoby, a secretive refuge on a distant continent far from familiar shores. The weight of recent revelations pressed heavily upon them — the disappearance of Sas's father Solec, Jacoby's chilling telepathic claim of holding him captive, and the looming threat of an ancient dragon sleeping deep within the earth. A chronomancer named Jeriah Chronos had penned a book of powerful secrets meant to deal with this legendary beast, while the Arcane Order — once led by a man named Bargle, now reportedly transformed into a lich — cast a long and ominous shadow over everything the party had uncovered.

With the weight of these truths bearing down on them, the group turned to the business of preparation. Bastion buried himself in study, uncovering the corrupting origins of the island's strange crystals and the grim truth behind a deteriorating tome — Mordenkainen's Tome of Extra-Dimensional Space — whose slow unraveling in their bag of holding had nearly doomed them all to the Astral Plane. That revelation brought with it an unexpected visitor: an imp, long cursed and bound to the tome, who stirred to life and introduced himself as Likkec. After tense negotiations, the party offered him the tattered remains of the book in exchange for his promise to seek out its original creator and report back. He accepted, stepped through one of the room's magical mirrors with a quiet "Adieu," and vanished — leaving the party to quietly wonder whether they had just made a grave mistake.

Now, rested and resupplied, the party has pressed deeper into Jacoby's unexplored corridors. Traps have drawn blood, a spectral guardian has rearranged Barlo's face in ways that were decidedly unwelcome, and a remarkable haul of coins and curiosities has been secured and sent home to Lars. With the hideout's remaining passages still waiting in the dark, and the mysteries of Solec's fate, the sleeping dragon, and the Arcane Order's machinations still unresolved, we pick up as the party stands at the threshold of whatever secrets Jacoby left behind...

Middle English

Lythe and listin, gentilmen,
Of adventurers bold and true;
Who sheltered in a hidden lair,
Beneath a sky of darkened hue!

They spoke of Solec, lost and bound,
Of dragons sleeping deep in earth;
A chronomancer's secret tome,
And Bargle's lich of cursèd birth.

They sorted gems and weapons bright,
The Ruby Weave to Sas was passed;
A poison maul for Barlo's grip,
And spells and secrets unsurpassed!

Then stirred the imp of stone to flesh,
Who lunged and fought and slipped their hold;
Likkec his name, through mirror gone,
With "Adieu" and secrets yet untold.

Through locked doors shocked and blades of force,
Brave Barlo's face was struck full sore;
Yet spectral hand was brought to dust,
And coins and wonders filled their store!

Snarky

Welcome to the most productive downtime the party has ever had: aggressively reading books in a villain's secret lair while an imp tried to steal their disintegrating homework. Jacoby's hidden hideout proved to be less a den of evil and more a very dangerous library, complete with a tome slowly unraveling into the literal void of the Astral Plane — which, as it turns out, is a bad thing to keep in your bag of holding. Who knew extra-dimensional storage had terms and conditions? The real MVP of the session was Bastion, who studied everything from cursed gemstones to crumbling forbidden tomes while everyone else argued about who got the Ruby Weave Gem (it was Sas, obviously). Meanwhile, Sas found a secret code AND a decomposition cantrip hidden in a herbalism book, because nothing says "nature magic" like a spell that rots things from the inside out.

Then there was Likkec — the imp who had been trapped in a statue for what felt like years, cursed by Karsus himself, and whose first act of freedom was immediately lunging at a disintegrating book like a man who just spotted his luggage on the airport carousel. After a chaotic game of invisible-imp-tag that ended with Barlo's iron grip, the party negotiated a surprisingly civil arrangement: give the imp the crumbling tome, get some vague promises of information in return. He called himself Likkec, stepped through a magic mirror, said "Adieu," and vanished — which is either the beginning of a beautiful alliance or the most polite betrayal setup in party history. The session closed with Barlo getting punched in the face by a giant spectral hand, a mattress destroyed in righteous vengeance, and thousands of coins shipped home to Lars like the world's most chaotic wire transfer.

Limerick

In Jacoby's lair, secrets unfurled,
A dragon, a lich, and Solec's world.
They sorted their gear,
With caution and care,
And a Ruby Weave Gem was uncurled!

The tome at the edge of the void,
A mansion spell nearly destroyed.
It frayed into night,
A terrifying sight,
And the Astral Plane nearly deployed!

An imp made of stone came to life,
And lunged for the tome full of strife.
Barlo held fast,
The creature harassed,
Till "Likkec" agreed to end the rife!

Through doors Barlo kicked, pried, and broke,
Each trap left him battered and smoked.
A blue spectral hand,
Struck hard as he planned,
And his nose bled before it was cloaked!

They found coins too heavy to haul,
So they sent them to Lars down the hall.
With goldfish in glass,
And platinum amassed,
They pressed on through Jacoby's last wall!

Exported from GMAssistant on 2026-08-16