(S066) A Wizard and His Spellweavers

The party breaches Tharros's heavily trapped flying tower, navigates animated armors, defeats a ticking password security system with "Dendar" and uncovers a secret six-armed alien laboratory in the basement.

📝 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

S066: A Wizard and His Spellweavers

Date: 2024-02-03

Short

The party spent the evening aboard their ship reviewing Tharros's journal, which revealed his deep investment in the legend of a world-threatening slumbering dragon and his collaboration with a researcher named Ursa, whose work he had been forced to abandon for urgent business with the Arcane Order. Shadow shared the journal with Yggdra for insight into the party's curse, and the group debated methods for exposing the doppelgangers connected to Nisa's past — including the shapeshifter Neznar — while Barlo quietly grew suspicious of the two brothers they had transported, who showed no interest in leaving the floating island. The next morning, the gnome craftsman delivered Bastion's upgraded armor with a socketed gemstone, Bastion bonded a flying snake as a new familiar, and the brothers announced they would stay behind as the rest of the party crossed to Tharros's tower. Outside the keep, the party discovered strange stones in the shallow lake: heat stones that burned on contact and water stones that produced a steady, room-temperature flow until full — a property Barlo confirmed by placing one in his mouth. Shadow collected several stones using a spectral hand, and the party theorized that the heat stones generated the steam concealing the island from below.

Entering the tower required bypassing a runed magical seal and a mechanical fire trap before the party used their magical chime to open the doors. Inside, they faced two enchanted suits of armor — one concealing invisible extra arms — which Bastion and Barlo dispatched decisively, with Barlo hurling one over the island's edge and tearing it apart. A disembodied voice then gave the party one minute to provide a code word, triggering a frantic scramble in which Shadow snatched books from a pedestal and upper floor, Sas forced open an iron gate despite an electrical shock, and Calliope experienced a vision from the pedestal book revealing Tharros's research into a six-armed species called Spellweavers — long-lived beings capable of splitting into six copies after their sixth lifetime, connected to the island's crystals and metal. Barlo ultimately cracked the code by shouting "Dendar the Night Serpent," easing the tower's hostility. Further investigation uncovered research linking Tharros's work to ancient Spellweaver-built obelisks, a note about a secondary hideout beneath Outding Refuge, a hidden extradimensional wine cellar, and a vault that teleported Barlo to the basement the moment it was opened. After reuniting — with Artie tearing a gate off its hinges to reach the lower level — the party discovered the vault's contents: a glass orb, a canister of ointment, and a wand with a small wheel. In the basement, they found the unmistakable remains of a Spellweaver: a six-armed skeleton on an operating table, bringing Tharros's years of research into sudden, sobering focus — though Barlo noted, not incorrectly, that six arms would be ideal for making, eating, and cleaning up tacos all at once.

Summary

As evening settled over the floating island, the party retreated to their ship to rest and make sense of everything they had uncovered. Shadow pored over Tharros's journal by lamplight, searching for connections between the wizard's research and the Draconic Prophecies that had haunted their journey. The notes revealed that Tharros had been deeply invested in the legend of the dragon that slumbers beneath the world — a creature said to have woken at least twice before, each time threatening to unmake everything. He had been collaborating with a researcher named Ursa, who had become consumed by the search for a solution roughly three years prior, and his last entries hinted that something urgent had pulled him away to investigate matters with the Arcane Order before he could complete a ritual with her.

Shadow shared the journal with Yggdra, hoping the passages on the Draconic Prophecies might offer new insight into the curse that had been shadowing the party. The group also found themselves drawn into a tense discussion about doppelgangers — specifically the spider Neznar and his shapeshifting associates, who had slipped away after a dark chapter in Nisa's past. Nisa, the Dragonborn among them, had spent considerable time hunting these creatures, and the party debated methods for exposing them: zones of truth, forced transformations, or simply catching them mid-change. The two brothers they had been transporting also drew quiet suspicion from Barlo, who noted with a furrowed brow that the men had paid for passage to a destination but now seemed perfectly content to stay on the floating island indefinitely.

Morning broke with the smell of soup and the soft footsteps of the gnome craftsman, who had been up early finishing his work on Bastion's armor. A protective gemstone had been carefully socketed into the plating, reinforcing it in ways that went beyond ordinary steel. Bastion paid handsomely in platinum and spent time bonding with the new enhancement, while also calling forth a flying snake as a new familiar, slipping his ring onto the creature to begin the process of attunement. The two brothers announced they would remain behind to survey the island, leaving the rest of the party to cross the bridge toward the tower alone.

The exterior of Tharros's keep was stranger than expected. A functional water wheel turned steadily near the entrance, a small boat sat moored at a dock with no obvious purpose on such a tiny island, and a patio area lurked behind the building like a forgotten afterthought. Most curious of all were the stones resting in the shallow lake bed — some caused the water around them to swirl endlessly, while others made it boil and steam. Shadow used a spectral hand to retrieve several of the stones without touching them directly, and the party quickly learned why caution was warranted: the heat stones burned instantly upon contact, while the water stones dripped a constant, room-temperature flow that filled whatever space they occupied and then simply stopped. Barlo, ever the empiricist, tested this by placing one directly in his mouth, confirming with great satisfaction that it filled his cheeks to capacity before ceasing its flow. The party collected several water stones in flasks and vials, already dreaming of what they might do with an endless water supply in a desert community, while Sas and Shadow deduced that the heat stones were likely responsible for the perpetual steam that kept the island hidden from below.

The tower's double doors presented the first real obstacle. A shimmering web of arcane runes sealed them shut, and an attempt to disarm the mechanical trap beneath the lock triggered a small burst of fire that singed the air. Bastion unraveled the magical lock with focused concentration, and after a tense moment with the mechanical trap, the party finally used their magical chime to coax the doors open with a resonant tone that echoed across the island.

Inside, the ground floor of the tower was a place of quiet menace. A large geode of familiar crystals dominated one wall, its facets catching the light in ways that felt almost alive. Two towering suits of armor stood sentinel in the room, and Bastion's magical senses immediately flagged them as enchanted — one of them radiating an additional aura of illusion that suggested hidden, invisible arms. Bookshelves lined the walls, an iron-wrought gate blocked a passage to one side, and a stairwell wound upward toward the sound of what could only be described as live, improvised music drifting down from somewhere above. The party recognized the armored guardians as similar to constructs they had faced before, and wasted no time. Bastion unraveled the enchantments on the more dangerous of the two, causing it to collapse into a heap of inert metal. Barlo, fueled by primal fury, seized the remaining guardian, dragged it bodily out of the tower and across the island, and hurled it over the edge into the water far below before leaping after it and tearing the breastplate apart with his bare claws.

The moment of triumph was interrupted by a voice — not from any visible source, but from the house itself, resonating through the walls and floor as though the tower were speaking. It informed the party, with eerie calm, that they had one minute to provide the correct code word or be treated as unwelcome guests. What followed was a scene of magnificent chaos. The party shouted every word they could think of — mundane objects, ancient deity names, legendary artifacts, obscure mythological references — while simultaneously scrambling to gather as much information from the tower as possible. Shadow used a spectral hand to snatch the book from the pedestal, Sas rushed inside to force open the iron gate despite taking a jolt of electrical energy for her trouble, and Shadow sprinted up the stairs to sweep every book and loose paper she could carry into her arms before bolting back out.

While the shouting continued, Calliope held the pedestal book and experienced something like a waking vision — impressions left behind in the pages like fingerprints on glass. She saw Tharros's research into a mysterious six-armed species, creatures deeply intertwined with magical energy, capable of extending their lives through ritual and, after their sixth lifetime, splitting themselves into six distinct copies, each retaining the memories and essence of the original. The crystals and perhaps even the strange metal found throughout the island seemed connected to these beings. Tharros had been unable to learn their name, but the description matched what Barlo recognized from other fragments of lore as Spellweavers.

It was Barlo who finally cracked the code. Running through a mental list of names tied to the Draconic Prophecies, he shouted "Dendar the Night Serpent" — the ancient mythic entity said to have devoured the sun and destined to consume all things at the end of time. The voice paused, then acknowledged the answer with something approaching approval, and the tower's hostility eased. The party spread out to investigate in earnest.

Among the books gathered from the upper floor, the party found research notes connecting Tharros's work to ancient obelisks — massive structures believed to have been built by the same six-armed species. These obelisks had been used for various purposes: locking away ancient powers, channeling energy from ley lines, and possibly something connected to the dragon prophecy, though Tharros himself had been uncertain whether they were meant to help or hinder the creature. A scrap of paper covered in undeciphered runes was tucked among the notes, believed to be written in the Spellweavers' own language. Tharros had also noted that he kept redundant research in a hideout beneath a place called Outding Refuge — research he had not been able to retrieve since a doppelganger had escaped from a cage there.

A black tapestry on the wall concealed something unexpected. Shadow pressed her hand against it and felt it give way into darkness — not a wall at all, but a modified extradimensional space permanently fixed to the tower's structure. Inside was a wine cellar, its racks stocked with bottles that the party relieved of twelve specimens before moving on. Nearby, a small vault had been built into the wall, and when Barlo struck the chime against it, the door cracked open — and Barlo vanished entirely, swallowed by a teleportation trap the instant the seal broke.

The party found themselves shouting into the floor, tossing a rope through the cracked vault door, and listening for any sign of their missing companion. Barlo, for his part, had materialized in a locked hallway in the basement, where he methodically began picking his way through a series of doors while the others worked to find a way down. Artie, Shadow's powerful companion, tore a gated door from its hinges with brute force, revealing a stairwell leading below. The vault itself, once properly opened, yielded a solid glass orb that resembled a scrying focus, a small canister of ointment, and a wand with a curious little wheel set into its base.

Reunited in the basement, the party gathered at the threshold of a room that none of them were entirely prepared for. On a large operating table lay a skeleton — six feet long, with an elongated skull and six arms splayed at its sides. It was the physical remains of a Spellweaver, the very species Tharros had spent years trying to understand. The party stood in silence for a moment, the pieces of the puzzle clicking into place: the crystals, the metal, the obelisks, the six-armed figures in the research notes, and now this — a body on a table in a wizard's secret basement, waiting to be found. Barlo broke the silence in his own inimitable way, observing that six arms would be extraordinarily useful for making, eating, and cleaning up tacos all at the same time. The party could not entirely disagree.

Scenes

Evening Preparations and Lore Review

The party rests on their ship near a floating island, discussing their next moves and reviewing Tharros's journal for clues about the Draconic Prophecies.

• The party returns to their ship to rest before exploring the tower on the floating island.
• Shadow examines a piece of rare metal found on the island, noting its unique properties and rarity outside the floating island.
• Shadow reviews Tharros's journal, looking for mentions of the island's tower, the Draconic Prophecies, and connections to Ursa's research.
• The party learns that Tharros was researching the 'dragon that slumbers' and its connection to the Draconic Prophecies, possibly seeking an extra-dimensional space to contain it.
• Shadow shares Tharros's journal with Yggdra to gain more insight into the prophecies and their own curse.
• The party learns about the 'Great Sacrifice,' a legendary event involving gods and heroes that has passed more into legend than history.
• The party discusses Ursa's obsession with finding a solution to the dragon prophecy, which began approximately three years ago.
• The party connects Tharros's last journal entries to dealings with the Arcane Order and a figure named Jacoby.

Evening Deliberations and Doppelganger Debates

The party rests for the night on their ship, discussing the threat of doppelgangers and their recent discoveries regarding Tharros.

• The party discusses the history of Zorlarin's Crown and the potential threat of doppelgangers replacing prominent figures.
• Nisa shares her history of hunting the spider Neznar and his doppelganger minions after a party member's death.
• The group debates methods for exposing shapeshifters, such as using truth spells, forcing involuntary transformations, or catching them mid-change.
• Barlo expresses suspicion regarding the two brothers they are transporting, who have decided to stay on the floating island despite being paid for delivery elsewhere.
• The party shares drinks and lighthearted banter before setting a watch for the night.

Morning Preparations and Arcane Upgrades

As morning breaks on the floating island, the party prepares for their upcoming exploration of the tower.

• A gnome craftsman completes a modification on Bastion's armor, socketing a protective gemstone to increase its defensive capabilities.
• Bastion pays the craftsman in platinum and spends time attuning to the newly enhanced gear.
• Bastion summons a flying snake familiar to assist the party.
• The party notes the unique atmosphere of the floating island, where abundant vegetation provides oxygen despite the high altitude.
• The two brothers stay behind to survey the island while the party prepares to head toward the mysterious keep.

Arrival at the Tower Exterior

The party crosses the bridge to Tharros's tower and investigates the surrounding grounds before attempting entry.

• The party discusses using sending stones to maintain communication with their ship while inside the tower.
• The group crosses a bridge leading toward the central tower on the floating island.
• They observe the exterior of the structure, noting a functional water wheel, a small boat at a dock, and a patio area behind the building.
• Shadow expresses suspicion regarding the presence of a boat on such a small floating island.
• The party investigates the lake bed and discovers strange magical pebbles causing swirling and steam in the water.

The Stones of Steam and Water

The party investigates the lake bed near the tower and discovers magical pebbles with unique elemental properties.

• A spectral hand is used to retrieve strange stones from the water — some cause swirling while others produce steam.
• The party discovers 'water stones' that eternally drip room-temperature water and 'heat stones' that radiate intense heat, burning anyone who touches them.
• Barlo tests a water stone by placing it in his mouth, discovering it fills the space with water until his mouth is closed, then stops producing.
• The party collects several water stones in flasks and glass vials, noting that the heat stones are painful to hold even through containers.
• Sas and Shadow deduce that the steam camouflaging the island's underside is created by these heat stones reacting with water at the island's base.
• The party speculates about using the water stones to transform a desert community's agriculture.

Breaching the Tower Doors

The party attempts to bypass the magical and mechanical defenses on the tower's double doors.

• The party discovers an arcane lock on the tower's double doors, glowing with green runic energy.
• Bastion casts a spell to dissipate the magical runes of the arcane lock, leaving only the mechanical lock and trap.
• An attempt to disarm the mechanical trap triggers a small burst of fire.
• The party uses a magical chime to finally unlock and open the tower doors, expending one of its limited charges.

Entering the Tower and Detecting Magic

The party enters the tower's ground floor, encountering magical suits of armor, strange music, and a wealth of magical auras.

• The party enters a room featuring a pedestal with a book, a large geode containing familiar crystals, bookshelves, an iron-wrought gated door, and two large standing suits of armor.
• Bastion uses detect magic and identifies enchantment magic on the suits of armor, illusion on one of them, and abjuration on the walls.
• The party hears mysterious music described as 'medieval jazz' emanating from somewhere above.
• Calliope determines the music sounds like live performance rather than a music box, originating from the upper floors.
• Shadow notices that one of the suits of armor across the hallway appears to have additional, invisible arms.
• The party recognizes the suits of armor as similar to animated constructs they encountered previously in Tharizdun's dungeon.

The Animated Guardians

The party engages the magical suits of armor guarding the tower's entrance in a swift combat.

• Bastion uses magic to dispel the enchantments on the suit of armor with invisible extra arms, causing it to crumble into pieces on the floor.
• Barlo enters a primal rage and grapples the remaining suit of armor, dragging it out of the doorway toward the edge of the island.
• Sas conjures a field of magical spikes across the room's threshold to hinder any further movement from threats inside.
• Calliope weaves a distracting melody that seeps into the remaining guardian, hindering its ability to strike effectively.
• The animated armor attempts to strike Barlo, but his newly socketed armor deflects the blows.
• Bastion strikes the guardian with a thunderous blow, decapitating the suit of armor and sending it crashing to the floor.
• Sas imbues her staff with nature's power and strikes the fallen armor, causing mushrooms and spores to sprout from the metal.
• Barlo drops the armor over the edge of the island and leaps down after it, tearing into the breastplate with his claws to finish it off.

The Password Challenge

A disembodied voice demands a code word from the party, triggering a frantic guessing session while they explore the tower's ground floor.

• A disembodied voice, seemingly the house itself, informs the party they have one minute to provide the correct code word or be treated as unwelcome guests.
• Shadow uses a magical hand to safely retrieve a book from the pedestal inside the tower while the party remains at the threshold.
• The party begins shouting various words and names, ranging from mundane objects to powerful entities like Vecna, Zariel, Bhaal, and Jergal.
• Calliope examines the retrieved book and experiences a vision of Tharros's research regarding a mysterious six-armed species connected to magical crystals and rituals of self-replication into six copies.
• Shadow uses a burst of speed to run to the second floor, gathering every book and paper in sight before retreating back outside.
• Sas enters the tower and attempts to open a locked iron gate, suffering a magical electrical shock upon touching the handle, but forces it open.
• Barlo shouts the name 'Dendar the Night Serpent,' which the voice acknowledges as the correct word, granting the party access.

Exploring the Tower's Interior

With the security system pacified, the party spreads out to investigate the tower's rooms and hidden spaces.

• The party examines the geode near the entrance, noting it contains the same type of crystals seen throughout the island.
• A black tapestry on the wall is discovered to conceal a modified portable hole permanently fixed to the wall, serving as a wine cellar.
• Shadow retrieves twelve bottles of wine from the hidden cellar using the identify spell to understand the nature of the space.
• The party examines Tharros's research notes, learning about his investigations into the Draconic Prophecies, ancient obelisks, and a mysterious six-armed species he believed to be Spellweavers.
• Notes reveal Tharros had a previous hideout beneath Outding Refuge containing redundant research on the Draconic Prophecies, and that a doppelganger had escaped from a cage there.
• A scrap of undeciphered runes is found, believed to be connected to the Spellweavers.
• A painting is discovered depicting a city being built by warforged, and a large monstrous maw.
• Barlo uses the Chime of Opening on a vault door, but as it cracks open, he suddenly vanishes — teleported away by a hidden trap.

The Vault Trap and the Basement

Barlo is teleported to the basement by a vault trap, and the party works to reunite before discovering a macabre laboratory.

• Barlo finds himself in a locked hallway in the basement, discovering a skeleton behind a locked gate.
• The rest of the party hears muffled shouting from below and works to locate Barlo.
• Artie uses his immense strength to tear open a gated door, revealing a stairwell leading down to the basement.
• The party loots the safe, finding a glass globe resembling a scrying orb, a canister of ointment, and a mysterious wand with a small wheel at its base.
• Barlo successfully picks the locks on the basement doors to reunite with the party.
• The party discovers a room containing a large operating table with the six-foot-long skeleton of a creature with an elongated skull and six arms — identified as a Spellweaver.
• The party discusses the Spellweavers' unique method of procreation, splitting into six clones after their sixth lifetime.

Memorable Moments

Barlo places a magical water stone in his mouth to test it, discovering it fills his mouth to maximum capacity and then stops — spitting it out to confirm the effect.

Curious and undeterred by the heat stone burning him moments before, Barlo immediately volunteers to taste-test the mysterious water stone

"I'm gonna pop it right in my mouth."
— Barlo

Responding to the suggestion of how to test the magical water stone, immediately and enthusiastically volunteering his own mouth as the testing apparatus

Barlo rages, grapples a suit of animated armor, drags it out of the tower and across the island, then hurls it over the edge into the water below before leaping after it and tearing the breastplate open with his claws.

Deciding the best strategy was to simply remove the threat from the battlefield entirely, Barlo handled it with characteristic brute force

The party frantically shouts random words at the tower's security voice — including 'coffee,' 'donut,' 'clam chowder,' 'Horcrux,' and dozens of powerful deity names — hoping one will be the code word.

With one minute on the clock and no idea what the password is, the party devolves into a chaotic shouting match of increasingly absurd guesses

Barlo strikes the Chime of Opening against the vault door — and the instant it cracks open, he vanishes completely, teleported away by a hidden trap.

The party had been carefully managing the chime's limited charges; the dramatic disappearance left everyone stunned and scrambling

The party discovers a six-foot skeleton with an elongated skull and six arms laid out on an operating table in the tower's basement — the remains of a Spellweaver, the very species Tharros had been secretly researching.

After piecing together clues from multiple journals about a mysterious six-armed species, the party comes face to face with physical proof of their existence

"That's what you go to. You can have one set of arms making the tacos, the other set of arms eating the tacos, and the third set of arms cleaning up tacos. All at once."
— Barlo

Responding to the discovery of the six-armed Spellweaver skeleton, immediately identifying the most important practical application of having six arms

NPCs

Tharros

A powerful and mysterious wizard whose tower the party is exploring. His journals reveal extensive research into the Draconic Prophecies, a mysterious six-armed species called Spellweavers, ancient obelisks, and connections to Eberron and the warforged. He previously challenged the party to fight metallic mimics of themselves.

Ursa

A researcher who became obsessed with finding a solution to the 'dragon that slumbers' approximately three years ago. Tharros had been collaborating with her on research into the Draconic Prophecies.

Jeets

An individual who provided information about Ursa's activities and her focus on the dragon prophecies.

Yggdra

A companion traveling with the party to whom Shadow shows Tharros's journal to discuss the Draconic Prophecies and their connection to Shadow's curse.

Jacoby

A figure associated with the Arcane Order whose dealings occurred around the same time Tharros left to investigate a matter for the Order, representing the last entries in his journal.

Nisa

A Dragonborn traveling with the party who has been focused on hunting down the spider Neznar and his doppelganger associates since a party member's death.

The Doppel Brothers

Two adventurous brothers being transported by the party who have decided to stay on the floating island to survey it for a potential new business venture, despite having paid for transport to another destination.

Neznar

Also known as 'The Spider,' a figure from Nisa's past who worked with doppelgangers. Nisa has been hunting him and his associates.

The Gnome Craftsman

A skilled craftsman who works with magical gems and metals, responsible for socketing a protective gemstone into Bastion's armor in exchange for platinum.

The House Voice

A disembodied voice that acts as a security system for Tharros's tower, seeming to emanate from the house itself. It demands a code word from visitors and warns them they are unwelcome guests if they fail to provide it within one minute.

Artie

Shadow's powerful companion who uses his immense physical strength to tear a locked gated door off its hinges, allowing the party to reach the basement where Barlo was trapped.

Dendar the Night Serpent

An ancient mythic serpent said to have eaten the sun and destined to devour everything at the end of time. The name serves as the code word to bypass Tharros's tower security, suggesting a deep connection to Tharros's research into the Draconic Prophecies.

Locations

The Party's Ship

The vessel where the party rests and plans their next moves, currently anchored at the edge of the floating island.

Floating Island

A mysterious landmass suspended in the sky, camouflaged by a thick layer of steam generated by magical stones at its base. It features lush vegetation that maintains a breathable atmosphere despite the altitude, a central tower complex, and a small lake with magical stones.

Tharros's Tower Exterior

The grounds surrounding the tower on the floating island, featuring a stone bridge, a dock with a small boat, a functional water wheel, and a patio area behind the building. The surrounding water contains magical stones that generate steam and constant moisture.

Tharros's Tower Ground Floor

The entry level of the tower, containing a pedestal with a book, a large geode of familiar crystals, bookshelves, an iron-wrought gated door, a stairwell leading up, and two large animated suits of armor serving as guardians.

Tharros's Tower Upper Floors

The upper levels of the tower containing wizardly research materials, books, loose papers, a desk, and a painting depicting a city being built by warforged. Live music could be heard emanating from somewhere above.

The Hidden Wine Cellar

A modified portable hole permanently fixed behind a black tapestry on the tower wall, serving as a wine cellar stocked with at least twelve bottles of wine.

The Tower Basement

A series of locked hallways and rooms beneath the main tower, accessible via a gated stairwell. Contains a laboratory with an operating table bearing a Spellweaver skeleton, and a locked gate concealing a skeleton.

Outding Refuge

Mentioned in Tharros's notes as the location of a previous hideout containing redundant research on the Draconic Prophecies, where a doppelganger had once escaped from a cage.

Items

Tharros's Journal

A book containing the wizard's personal notes on the Draconic Prophecies, his research into a mysterious six-armed species, extra-dimensional spaces, and his collaboration with Ursa. Shadow reviewed it during the evening rest and later shared it with Yggdra.

Socketed Armor

Bastion's armor, modified by the gnome craftsman with a special socket to hold a magical gemstone. A protective gemstone was installed, adding to the armor's defensive capabilities, and Bastion paid 300 platinum for the work.

Sending Stone

A magical communication device held by Bastion, used for contacting others over distances. The party discussed using it to maintain contact with the ship's captain while inside the tower.

Water Stones

Small pebbles found in the lake bed of the floating island that eternally drip fresh, room-temperature water. They produce a constant flow of liquid and appear to stop producing when fully enclosed in a sealed container. The party collected several in flasks.

Heat Stones

Magical rocks found in the lake bed that generate extreme heat, causing water to boil and turn into steam upon contact. They are dangerous to touch with bare skin, dealing burns immediately. The party deduced these stones help create the steam camouflaging the island's underside.

Chime of Opening

A magical instrument that emits a resonant tone to magically unlock doors and gates. The party used it to open the tower's front doors and later to crack open the vault door, though the vault use triggered a teleportation trap. The party tracked its remaining charges carefully.

Tharros's Research Book (Pedestal)

A book resting on a pedestal inside the tower's ground floor, surrounded by magical suits of armor and a large geode. Shadow retrieved it using a mage hand. Calliope examined it and experienced a vision of Tharros's research into a six-armed species capable of splitting into six copies of themselves.

Books and Papers from the Upper Floor

A collection of books, notebooks, and loose papers gathered by Shadow during a rapid dash through the tower's upper floors. Among the notable titles was a book called 'What Color is Your Dragon?' and various research notes.

Modified Portable Hole

A magical extradimensional space permanently fixed to the tower wall behind a black tapestry, identified by Shadow using the identify spell. Unlike a standard portable hole, it cannot be folded up and serves as a wine cellar stocked with at least twelve bottles of wine.

Scrap of Weird Runes

A fragment of paper found among Tharros's research containing undeciphered runes that Tharros believed were connected to the mysterious six-armed species he had been studying, likely the Spellweavers.

Glass Globe

A solid piece of thick glass found inside the vault safe, appearing to be a scrying orb or similar magical focus.

Mysterious Wand

A magical wand found inside the vault safe, notable for a small wheel at the base near the handle end.

Canister of Ointment

A small container of ointment found among the treasures inside the vault safe.

Spellweaver Skeleton

The remains of a six-foot-long creature with an elongated skull and six arms, laid out on an operating table in the tower's basement laboratory. The party identified it as likely belonging to the mysterious six-armed species Tharros had been researching.

Bottles of Wine

Twelve bottles of wine retrieved from the hidden wine cellar concealed behind the black tapestry in the tower.

Spells

Find Familiar

Cast by Bastion during the morning preparations to summon a flying snake as a magical companion. The familiar was given Bastion's ring to begin attuning to it.

Mage Hand

Used on two occasions: first to safely retrieve the magical stones from the lake bed without touching the dangerous heat stones directly, and later to retrieve a book from a pedestal inside the tower while the party remained safely at the threshold.

Dispel Magic

Used by Bastion twice during the session: first to dissipate the green runic energy of the arcane lock on the tower's front doors, and again to neutralize the magical enchantment animating one of the suits of armor, causing it to immediately crumble into pieces.

Detect Magic

Employed by Bastion upon entering the tower to sense magical auras throughout the room. It revealed enchantment magic on the suits of armor, illusion on one of them, abjuration on the walls, and a conduit-like connection between the metal and crystals in the room.

Spike Growth

Cast by Sas to fill the tower's entryway with a field of camouflaged sharp growths, creating a hazardous barrier that would damage and slow any creature moving through it, including friendlies.

Vicious Mockery

Used by Calliope to magically insult the remaining animated armor guardian, causing its movements to become clumsy and its next attack to be made at a disadvantage.

Booming Blade

A magical sword technique used by Bastion that wreathed his weapon in thunderous energy. The second strike with this technique generated a thunderous explosion that blew the animated armor's head clean off, destroying it.

Shillelagh

Cast by Sas to empower her wooden staff with nature magic, causing it to sprout mushrooms and spores as she struck the metallic animated armor.

Identify

Cast by Shadow in the Snow to determine the nature of the black tapestry on the tower wall, revealing it to be a modified portable hole permanently fixed to the structure and serving as a wine cellar.

Classic

Last we left off, our intrepid party found themselves anchored at a mysterious floating island, piecing together the threads of a conspiracy that stretched back centuries. Shadow pored over the journal of the wizard Tharros by lamplight, uncovering his obsession with a slumbering dragon said to have unmade the world twice before, and his collaboration with a researcher named Ursa who had vanished into that same obsession. The group wrestled with the threat of doppelgangers still at large — the spider Neznar and his shapeshifting kin — while quiet suspicion fell upon the two brothers they had been transporting, who seemed in no particular hurry to reach their supposed destination.

With morning came the smell of soup and the completion of Bastion's newly reinforced armor, a flying snake called forth as a familiar, and the discovery of Tharros's keep — a place of strange water wheels, purposeless boats, and stones that boiled or endlessly filled with room-temperature water. Barlo, ever the empiricist, confirmed the latter by placing one directly in his mouth. The tower's sealed doors yielded to Bastion's arcane focus and a resonant chime, and inside, two enchanted suits of armor stood sentinel — one radiating a hidden aura of illusion. Bastion dismantled the more dangerous of the two, while Barlo seized the other, hurled it from the island's edge, and leapt after it to tear it apart with his bare claws.

The tower itself then spoke, demanding a code word within one minute or promising consequences. What followed was magnificent chaos — the party shouting deity names, artifacts, and mythological references while simultaneously looting every book and paper in reach. It was Barlo who cracked it, crying out "Dendar the Night Serpent," and the tower's hostility eased. In the hours that followed, the party uncovered research on ancient six-armed beings called Spellweavers, obelisks tied to ley lines and the dragon prophecy, and a hidden extradimensional wine cellar. A vault in the wall swallowed Barlo whole via teleportation trap, but the party reunited in the basement — where, on an operating table, lay the six-armed skeleton of a Spellweaver itself, waiting in silence to be found. The pieces of a very old, very dangerous puzzle were finally beginning to take shape...

Snarky

Welcome back to the world's most chaotic wizard estate tour, where the party spent an evening reading a dead man's diary, debating how to catch shapeshifters (answer: put a rock in your mouth, apparently), and side-eyeing two brothers who paid for a boat ride and then just... decided to live on a floating island forever. Normal travel companions. No notes.

The real highlight, though? The tower gave them a sixty-second countdown to shout the correct password or face consequences, and the party responded by screaming every word in the known multiverse — deity names, artifacts, random nouns — while simultaneously robbing the place blind. Barlo, bless him, saved the day by yelling "Dendar the Night Serpent," got teleported into a basement by a vault trap, and still had the presence of mind, upon discovering the skeleton of an ancient six-armed magical species on an operating table, to observe that six arms would be ideal for taco night. This is the hero we deserve.

Middle English

Upon the isle that floats on high,
Beneath the stars and moonlit sky,
Did Shadow read by lamplight's glow,
Of Tharros's dread and what he'd know —
A dragon sleeps, and worlds may die.

The stones that boil and stones that flow,
Were plucked with care from depths below,
And Barlo, bold, with mouth held wide,
Did test the water stone inside —
And found it filled him, head to toe.

The tower doors with runes were sealed,
But Bastion's art the lock revealed,
The chime rang out with silver tone,
And iron guardians, flesh and bone,
Were cast aside and uncongealed.

Then spoke the tower, cold and clear:
"One minute's time — the word, or fear."
The party cried out name and lore,
Till Barlo roared "Dendar!" and more —
The serpent's name dissolved the snare.

Below, upon a table laid,
Six arms outstretched and bones displayed,
A Spellweaver in silence slept,
While all the party paused and kept
Their breath — then laughed of tacos made.

Limerick

A journal by lamplight was read,
Of Tharros and dragons long dead.
A slumbering beast,
Could unmake the least —
And Ursa had followed that thread!

The stones in the shallows were strange,
With boiling and water their range.
Barlo popped one right in,
With a satisfied grin —
His cheeks filled to quite an odd range!

The tower doors, runed and locked tight,
Were opened by chime in the night.
Two armored suits fell,
One hurled to the well —
Barlo leapt after, claws gleaming bright!

The tower then spoke with a dare:
"One minute — the code word, or beware!"
They shouted out names,
Through magical flames,
Till "Dendar!" rang out through the air!

In the basement, six arms were displayed,
A Spellweaver's bones on a table were laid.
Said Barlo with cheer,
"Six arms would be dear —
For tacos both eaten and made!"

Exported from GMAssistant on 2026-08-16