(S070) Exploding Fire Skeletons

Returning from Eberron, the party investigates Tharros's floating keep, battles an exploding fire skeleton after Calliope draws on it, observes a dark orb through the telescope, and sails into Thornwind Port.

📝 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

S070: Exploding Fire Skeletons Report 4/13?

Date: 2024-04-24

Short

The party began their session by selecting new magical abilities before learning of a disturbing incident aboard their ship. A mysterious figure with a wooden face had attacked a passenger, severing her arm with a lightsaber-like weapon before escaping into the clouds. The stolen arm contained a contraption connected to the Hand of Vecna, a powerful artifact that could awaken the dark lord. They witnessed the emotional reunion of two warforges, Gearlock and Amalgam, who shared their mission to study prophecies across realms. Iggy revealed crucial information from Tharros's journal, detailing his experiments with capturing creatures to steal their powers and his interest in using orbs to transport dragons, particularly the Orb of Arktos which could trap the sleeping dragon from prophecy.

The party continued exploring Thoros's mysterious house, retrieving a magical portable hole and discovering various artifacts including a dangerous obsidian music box and magical hot water stones. Their investigation of the tower's experimental equipment was interrupted when Calliope's prank on a large skeleton brought it to fiery life, resulting in an intense battle that ended with the creature exploding in burning fragments. At the tower's peak, they found a telescope observing the dark Sargosas orbs in space, and most disturbingly, a blood message appeared on a mirror reading "We found him. See you soon," which Bastion recognized as communication from the imp Lickik. Before departing the floating island, they learned from gnome brothers that the landmass contained unusual metallic structures suggesting artificial origins, then sailed toward Thornwind, arriving at a port marked by the ruins of a massive statue and stark contrasts between wealth and poverty.

Summary

The party began their session by selecting new magical abilities, with Bastion choosing investigation proficiency, Shadow selecting the druid cantrip Thornwick, and Calliope considering sleight of hand expertise. They discussed the mechanics of various spells, particularly Eldritch Blast and its scaling properties.

Upon returning to their ship, they learned from a tired Drow crew member about a disturbing incident that had occurred while they were away. Garm, a plasmoid wearing a wooden face mask, had attacked one of their passengers, severing her arm with what appeared to be a lightsaber-like weapon before leaping overboard into the clouds below. The stolen arm contained a contraption that was believed to be connected to the Hand of Vecna, a powerful artifact that could potentially awaken the dark lord himself.

In the ship's quarters, they witnessed the awakening of a warforge named Gearlock, who had been revived when his companion Amalgam inserted a magical orb into his chest. The reunion was emotional, with the two warforges embracing after years of separation. Gearlock and Amalgam explained their mission to study prophecies across different realms, particularly the similarities between their world's prophecies and those of the party's realm. They planned to visit a secret library hidden within the planet to research these connections further.

Yggdrasil (aka Yiggy), the Dragonborn, shared crucial information from Tharros's journal with the party. The journal revealed that Tharros had been experimenting with capturing creatures to steal their powers, including a doppelganger whose shape-changing abilities he coveted. The research also detailed his failed attempts to harness the regenerative properties of six-armed creatures and his interest in using orbs to transport dragons to other realms. Most concerning was his study of the Orb of Athas, which he believed could be used to trap and transport the sleeping dragon mentioned in prophecy.

The party decided to continue exploring Tharros the Wanderer's mysterious house, starting with retrieving a portable hole that was magically attached to a wall. Bastion successfully dispelled the magical runes holding it in place, allowing them to collect the device, which compressed into a small, putty-like ball that could be thrown to create a large hole for storage.

On the second floor of the house, they discovered a black obsidian music box playing a haunting melody. Shadow recognized the tune as being associated with a dangerous bardic song that supposedly brought divine retribution to those who sang it. They also found magical hot water stones that could be carefully collected in ceramic containers, along with various rooms including a bathroom and storage areas.

Their exploration led them to the upper floors of an attached tower, where they encountered experimental equipment including large vats of colored liquids that mixed and flowed through pipes. The setup was reminiscent of the alien autopsy experiment they had discovered in the basement earlier. Unfortunately, their investigation was interrupted when Calliope began drawing a mustache on a large skeleton displayed in the room.

The skeleton suddenly burst into flames and came to life, attacking the party with fiery assaults. The battle was intense, with the creature's flames causing significant damage to anyone who came too close. Shadow peppered it with arrows from a safe distance while Bastion engaged in melee combat despite the burning damage. Calliope protected herself with magical wards, and Sas attempted to use her spore abilities against the undead creature. The skeleton eventually exploded in a shower of burning bone fragments, injuring most of the party before finally being destroyed.

After healing their wounds, the party continued to the very top of the tower, where they discovered a sophisticated telescope pointed at the night sky. Bastion peered through it and observed a dark orb floating in space, which appeared to be one of the Sargosas - mysterious black holes that surrounded their sun. Nearby notes revealed that Tharros the Wanderer had been studying these cosmic phenomena and their potential use in trapping entities.

The most disturbing discovery came when a message began writing itself in blood on a mirror in the room. The crimson letters spelled out "We found him. See you soon." Bastion recognized this method of communication from their previous encounter with an imp named Likkec, whom they had freed from a magical prison. When Bastion attempted to respond by writing his own message in blood, the mirror replied with "Can't talk more now," confirming that someone was indeed trying to communicate with them through magical means.

Before departing the floating island, the party spoke with the gnome brothers who had decided to remain behind to study the island's unique composition. The brothers had discovered that the entire landmass was shot through with unusual metallic structures - straight, angular beams of metal with an oily, rainbow-like sheen similar to black abalone. Unlike typical metal veins found in earth, these formations appeared to be randomly scattered throughout the island like a pile of jumbled sticks, suggesting the island might have artificial origins.

The party prepared to leave the island, with Yggdrasil (aka Yiggy) receiving a new mechanical gauntlet to replace her severed arm. The gnome brothers assured them they could contact the party through their magical communication stones when their commissioned armor was complete. The ship's captain received the remaining payment of one thousand gold pieces for the successful journey.

As dawn broke, the ship lifted off using magical blue stones for propulsion and began its journey toward Thornwind. They flew through the night and touched down on the ocean's surface as they approached their destination, wanting to avoid drawing attention by flying directly into a civilized port. The careful navigation through the harbor revealed the remnants of what had once been a massive statue - only the legs and a fragment of torso remained standing, with debris scattered throughout the water including the head of a stone dragon emerging from the waves like a sea serpent. The port itself showed a stark contrast between wealthy and impoverished areas, with no clear division between the two extremes.

Scenes

Character Cantrip Selection

The party discusses which cantrips they will select for their characters

• Bastion considers taking Investigation proficiency
• Shadow chooses Thornwick, a druid cantrip
• Calliope considers taking Sleight of Hand proficiency
• Discussion about expertise and proficiency bonuses

Warforge Reunion

A warforge awakens after being inserted into a device, reuniting with his companions and discussing their quest for knowledge about prophecies.

• Warforge inserts an orb into a chest
• Warforge's eyes open and he takes a deep breath
• Warforge reunites with his companions
• Gearlock and Amalgam discuss searching for information about prophecies

Exploring Tharros's Journal

The party reviews a journal from Tharros, learning about his experiments with capturing creatures and their powers

• Yggdrasil (aka Yiggy) shares details from Tharros's journal about capturing a doppelganger
• Discussion of Tharros's research on six-armed creatures with regenerative abilities
• Exploration of Tharros's interest in orbs and transporting dragons

Preparing to Explore the Tower

The party discusses their next steps and prepares to investigate the tower further

• Characters discuss getting supplies
• Decision to continue exploring the house
• Retrieving the portable hole from the wall

Exploring Tharros the Wanderer's House - Second Floor

The party explores the second floor of Tharros the Wanderer's house, discovering a music box, hot water stones, and various rooms.

• Discovered a black obsidian music box playing a mysterious melody
• Found hot water stones that could be collected in ceramic jugs
• Explored a bathroom area with food and water facilities
• Investigated various rooms and potential storage areas

Skeleton Battle in the Tower

The party encounters an animated skeleton that bursts into flames and attacks them during their exploration of a tower.

• Calliope draws a half-mustache on the skeleton
• The skeleton comes to life and starts attacking party members
• Shadow shoots arrows at the skeleton
• Bastion attacks with blade song, haste and true strike
• Calliope uses Blade Ward for protection
• Sas attempts to use spores against the skeleton
• The skeleton hurls a fireball at Calliope
• The skeleton eventually explodes, causing fire and bludgeoning damage to the party
• The skeleton is ultimately destroyed

Exploring Tharros the Wanderer's Tower Top Floor

The party investigates the top floor of Tharros the Wanderer's tower, discovering a telescope, mysterious notes, and a magical mirror with a cryptic blood message.

• Bastion looks through a telescope observing a black orb in space
• Shadow and Barlo find a trapped chest with various treasures
• A mysterious blood message appears on a mirror saying 'We found him. See you soon'
• Bastion attempts to communicate with the mirror by writing a message in blood
• The mirror responds with 'Can't talk more now'

Discussing Metal Composition of the Floating Island

The party discusses the unique metallic composition of the floating island with the gnome brothers before departing.

• Gnome brothers examine unusual metal with angular, straight beam-like structures
• Metal appears to be throughout the entire island
• Metal described as having an oily, rainbow-like sheen similar to black abalone
• Compared to crystalline metals like bismuth

Preparing to Depart the Floating Island

The party prepares to leave the floating island with the gnome brothers and Yiggy

• Yiggy helps fit a new gauntlet arm
• Gnome brothers decide to stay and study the island's metals
• Party discusses payment and future contact methods
• Ship prepares to depart using magical blue stones for propulsion

Arrival at Thornwind Port

The party arrives at Thornwind port, sailing in carefully through a rocky area with broken statues and debris.

• Sailed into port in the early morning
• Navigated through rocky waters with broken statues
• Received remaining payment of 1000 gold
• Observed a mix of rich and poor areas in the port

Memorable Moments

Garm, a plasmoid wearing a wooden face mask, severs a passenger's arm with a lightsaber-like weapon before leaping overboard.

The party learns of a disturbing incident that occurred on their ship while they were away.

Calliope draws a mustache on a large skeleton, causing it to suddenly burst into flames and attack the party.

While investigating experimental equipment in the upper floors of an attached tower.

A message writes itself in blood on a mirror spelling out "We found him. See you soon."

Discovered at the top of the tower, recognized by Bastion as a communication method from the imp Likkec.

NPCs

Drow Crew Member

A tired crew member who informs the party about an incident involving Garm, a plasmoid wearing a wooden face mask, stealing an arm

Gearlock

A warforge who was recently awakened, interested in learning about prophecies across different realms

Amalgam

Another warforge companion who helps explain their quest for knowledge about prophecies

Yggdrasil (aka Yiggy)

A Dragonborn who shares Tharros's journal with the party and provides insights into his research

Likkec

An imp previously trapped in a statue, seeking the wizard who cursed him, potentially the sender of the mysterious mirror message

Tharros the Wanderer

A mysterious researcher whose tower and belongings the party is exploring, with notes about cosmic phenomena and dragon trapping

Locations

Ship Deck

The location where the party discusses their character abilities, learns about incidents, and prepares for departure

Ship's Quarters

Interior room where the warforge awakens and discusses their mission

Tharros the Wanderer's flying keep

A mysterious location with multiple floors and hidden secrets, currently being explored by the party

Tharros the Wanderer's House - Second Floor

A mysterious house with multiple rooms, including a bathroom, storage areas, and a room with a music box

Tower Upper Floor

A room with a large skeleton, vats of colored liquids, potions, and experimental equipment

Tharros the Wanderer's Tower Top Floor

A mysterious floor with a telescope, notes about cosmic phenomena, and a magical mirror that communicates through blood writing

Floating Island

A mysterious island with unique metallic composition, featuring unusual angular metal structures throughout its terrain

Thornwind Port

A port city with a mix of wealthy and poor areas, featuring broken statues of legs and a dragon head emerging from the water

Items

Hand of Vecna

A mysterious magical artifact mentioned by the Drow, apparently stolen by Garm, a plasmoid wearing a wooden face mask

Mysterious Orb

An orb inserted into a chest that seems to be part of the warforge's awakening process

Tharros's Journal

A journal containing details about Tharros's experiments with capturing creatures and their powers, including research on orbs and dragons

Portable Hole

A magical item attached to a wall with magical runes, capable of expanding into a large hole when deployed

Black Obsidian Music Box

A small black obsidian box playing a mysterious melody associated with a potentially dangerous song that might bring divine retribution to bards

Hot Water Stones

Magical stones that generate hot water, which can be carefully collected in ceramic jugs to prevent explosive pressure

Colored Liquid Vats

Two large vats with red and yellow liquids mixing, creating a glittery substance that flows through pipes

Skeleton

A large animated skeleton that bursts into flames and attacks the party after being partially drawn on

Telescope

A large astronomical instrument pointing at a black orb in space, with associated notes about cosmic observations

Chest

Contains coins, art objects, an embroidered silk handkerchief, a gold locket, a mirror, and a bracelet

Magical Mirror

A four-foot tall mirror with a gold and wooden frame that can communicate messages through blood writing

Gauntlet Arm

A mechanical arm being fitted by Yiggy for one of the characters, seemingly a custom prosthetic

Black Card

A card that allows access to a merchant network for converting money and selling goods at various ports

Spells

Eldritch Blast

A ranged spell discussed by the party, which scales with character level and can target multiple enemies

Thornwick

A druid cantrip chosen by Shadow, with a range of 30 feet and damage that scales with level

Investigation

A skill check used to examine the magical runes on the portable hole's frame

Blade Ward

Calliope casts this spell to gain resistance against bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage

Haste

Bastion casts haste to increase his speed and attack capabilities

True Strike

Bastion uses this cantrip to improve his attack accuracy against the skeleton

Healing Spirit

A healing spell cast to restore some hit points to party members after the skeleton battle

Blood Writing Communication

An unusual magical method of communication using blood on a mirror, revealing cryptic messages from an unknown sender

Ship Propulsion

Magical blue stones used to power and lift the ship, activated by spell levels

Classic

Last we left off, our intrepid adventurers found themselves aboard their skyship, having just learned of a chilling attack that occurred in their absence. A mysterious figure with a wooden face had severed the arm of one of their passengers using what appeared to be a lightsaber-like weapon before vanishing into the clouds below. The stolen limb contained a contraption connected to the dreaded Hand of Vecna—an artifact capable of awakening the dark lord himself. Meanwhile, they witnessed the emotional reunion of two warforged companions, Gearlock and Amalgam, who revealed their mission to study prophecies across different realms and their plans to visit a secret library hidden within the planet itself.

Their exploration of Thoros's mysterious floating house yielded both treasures and terrors. After successfully retrieving a magical portable hole and discovering various enchanted items including haunting music boxes and experimental equipment, the party's investigation took a dangerous turn when Calliope's playful vandalism awakened a flaming skeleton. The fierce battle left them battered but victorious, and their continued exploration led them to a sophisticated telescope at the tower's peak. Through it, Bastion observed one of the mysterious Sargosas—dark orbs floating in space around their sun—while disturbing notes revealed Thoros's research into using these cosmic phenomena for trapping entities.

Most unsettling of all was the blood-written message that appeared on a mirror: "We found him. See you soon." Bastion recognized this as communication from the imp Lickik, whom they had previously freed, confirming that someone—or something—was actively seeking them out. Now, having departed the island with newly commissioned armor on the way and Yiggy sporting a mechanical replacement for her severed arm, the party approaches the port of Thornwind. The harbor reveals the haunting remnants of a massive destroyed statue, its dragon head emerging from the waves like some ancient sea serpent, as our heroes prepare to face whatever awaits them in this city of stark contrasts between wealth and poverty...

Snarky

When last we left our intrepid adventurers, they had just wrapped up what can only be described as the world's most dangerous home renovation project. After gaining some shiny new magical abilities and learning that someone with a wooden face and a serious lightsaber obsession had literally disarmed one of their ship's passengers (taking a Hand of Vecna-connected contraption in the process), our heroes decided the best course of action was obviously to continue poking around Thoros's mystery house. Because nothing says "good decision making" like exploring a wizard's tower after finding alien autopsy equipment in the basement.

Their architectural adventure took a turn for the worse when Calliope decided that what the giant skeleton display really needed was a mustache. Apparently, the undead have very strong feelings about facial hair modifications, because the skeleton immediately burst into flames and tried to turn the party into a barbecue. After some frantic combat involving flaming bone explosions and creative use of magical wards, they finally put the fashion-conscious skeleton to rest and made their way to the tower's peak.

At the top, they discovered Thoros had been moonlighting as an astronomer, complete with a fancy telescope pointed at mysterious dark orbs in space. But the real plot twist came when a mirror started writing bloody messages like some kind of supernatural text thread, with their old imp buddy Lickik apparently trying to slide into their DMs with ominous warnings. Now, as they sail toward Thornwind past the remains of what looks like a giant statue that had a very bad day, our heroes are left wondering what fresh chaos awaits them in port - and whether they'll need to add "statue repair" to their ever-growing list of side quests.

Middle English

Harken well, ye noble souls, to tales of mystic lore,
Of Bastion brave and Shadow sly, and Calliope's magic store,
They chose their arts with careful thought, as dawn did break anew,
Investigation's keen-eyed gift, and Thornwick's verdant hue.

Upon their ship of clouds they came, to hear a tale most dire,
A wooden-faced assassin struck, with blade of burning fire,
He severed arm from passenger fair, then leapt into the sky,
The Hand of Vecna's power sought, to wake the lord on high.

In quarters deep, a wonder wrought, as Gearlock did awake,
When Amalgam placed the orb of power, for old companionship's sake,
These warforges of metal true, embraced with joy profound,
To study prophecies of old, in realms where truth is found.

Then Iggy spoke of Tharros's tome, with secrets dark and fell,
Of creatures caught for stolen power, and experiments from hell,
The Orb of Arktos held the key, to trap the sleeping drake,
While doppelgangers' shifting forms, the dark lord sought to take.

To Thoros's house they ventured forth, with courage in their breast,
A portable hole from wall they freed, by Bastion's magic blessed,
The obsidian music box did play, a tune of divine wrath,
While hot water stones they gathered up, along their perilous path.

In tower high with vats of hue, and pipes of strange design,
They found the skeleton of bone, in experimental shrine,
But Calliope's playful jest, a mustache drawn in jest,
Did wake the fiery undead thing, and put them to the test.

With flames that burned and bones that broke, the battle fierce was fought,
Till Shadow's arrows found their mark, and victory was bought,
The telescope revealed the void, the Sargosas dark and deep,
While bloody words upon the glass, did make the brave hearts weep.

"We found him. See you soon," it read, in crimson letters bright,
From Lickik's realm the message came, through supernatural sight,
The gnome brothers chose to stay, upon the floating isle,
To study metal veins so strange, with rainbow's oily guile.

With Yiggy's arm replaced by steel, and payment rendered true,
The ship took flight through morning mist, as dawn broke fresh and new,
To Thornwind's port they sailed at last, through waters calm and clear,
Where broken statues tell the tale, of ages long and drear.

Limerick

The party chose spells with great care,
While Bastion gained skills to prepare.
A Drow told of fright—
A wooden-faced blight
Stole an arm with a weapon to bear!

Two warforges met with delight,
As Gearlock awakened from night.
With orb in his chest,
He joined their quest
To study prophecies burning bright.

From Tharros's journal they read,
Of experiments filling with dread.
He captured for power,
In his darkest hour,
While dragons through orbs he had led.

In Thoros's house they explored,
Found treasures and secrets galore.
A hole from the wall,
Hot stones for them all,
And music box tunes to adore.

A skeleton burst into flame,
When Calliope played her art game.
With arrows and sword,
They fought the bone horde,
Till explosion ended its claim.

Through telescope Bastion did peer,
At dark orbs floating so near.
Then blood on the glass
Wrote words as they pass—
"We found him. See you soon" here.

The gnomes stayed behind on the isle,
To study metal's strange style.
Like sticks in a heap,
The structures run deep,
With rainbow sheen all the while.

To Thornwind their ship made its way,
Through harbor at break of day.
Stone dragon head rose
From waters that froze,
Where statue ruins lay.

Exported from GMAssistant on 2026-08-16