(S074) The Dark Side or Gray Side?

Calliope recovers from a nightmare plane induced by Mekla, while the party debates Garm's pursuit of Bogan knowledge via a Benducron gem, slays graveyard undead, and interrogates the cultist Simon for a psychcrystal.

📝 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

S074: The Dark Side or Gray Side?

Date: 2024-08-03

Short

The session began with Calliope falling ill and experiencing a disturbing nightmare where she was constricted by serpentine blankets before falling into a familiar chamber. Mekla, an old Grognar connected to Barlo and Bastion's past, rescued her from this nightmare plane, though she awakened outside an abandoned church in broad daylight despite sleeping at night. After transforming into a crow to investigate, she discovered her companions already confronting Garm, the plasmoid who had traded Iggy's severed arm to cultists for a Benducron - a gemstone containing ancient Bogan order knowledge. Garm explained his disillusionment with the Ashla order's restrictions and his quest to understand whether the Bogan were truly evil or simply represented a different magical philosophy.

The party's investigation was interrupted when undead creatures emerged from the cemetery soil, leading to a fierce battle where Shadow fired arrows, Sas transformed into a saber-tooth tiger, Bastion unleashed scorching rays, Barlo raged with his claws, and Calliope became a monstrous scorpion. After defeating the undead, they captured a cultist named Simon and interrogated him at the Howling Gale tavern, learning he was transporting both Iggy's arm and a psychcrystal to Grussix, a mind flayer connected to Jacoby's schemes. The psychcrystal, capable of powering spell jammer vessels and providing telepathic abilities, offered potential applications for their ship. The session concluded with the party releasing Simon and discussing their next moves, recognizing the larger conspiracy involving Grussix, Jacoby, and various cultist organizations while having two days remaining in Thornwinds to prepare for future challenges.

Summary

The session began with Calliope falling ill and retreating to her quarters with books on magical instruments, herbs, and romance novels. As she drifted in and out of feverish sleep, she experienced a vivid and disturbing dream where blankets seemed to constrict around her like a massive snake. The serpentine entity squeezed her painfully before loosening its grip, and as it did, she found herself falling into a familiar chamber - the same room where the party had once fought a large snake and discovered Captain Mechlin's orb.

In this strange dream realm, Calliope noticed her movements left silvery trails of light behind them. The voice of Mekla, the old Grognar connected to Barlo and Bastion's past, echoed through the space. He explained that she had somehow wandered into a nightmare plane during her sleep, and he was working to protect the party from such intrusions. Through his protective magic, he managed to pull her from the nightmare, though the effort seemed to cost him greatly.

When Calliope awakened, she found herself standing outside an abandoned church in broad daylight, despite having gone to sleep at night. The old stone building was surrounded by a crumbling cemetery, and she could hear scratching sounds coming from behind the church door. Using her polymorph magic, she transformed into a crow and flew up to investigate through the broken windows and holes in the roof.

From her aerial vantage point, Calliope observed the interior of the simple, one-room church. The pews were arranged in traditional rows, but the podium had been shifted off-center, revealing a mysterious hole that descended deep into the earth. Near the door, she spotted Artie, the party's owl bear companion, scratching persistently at the entrance. After landing on Artie's head and receiving another telepathic message from the mysterious male voice apologizing for the temporal displacement, Calliope dropped her transformation and descended into the hole.

The underground passage led her through winding tunnels until she emerged into a chamber where she found her companions already engaged in conversation with Garm, the plasmoid who had previously worked with her mother. The party had apparently tracked him to this location and discovered him in the midst of trading Iggy's severed arm to a group of cultists. The trade had been for a mysterious gemstone called a Benducron, which Garm claimed contained ancient knowledge about the Bogan order.

Garm explained his motivations to the skeptical party members. He had grown disillusioned with the Ashla order, finding their emotional restrictions and rigid doctrines increasingly oppressive. Seeking to understand whether the Bogan were truly evil as the Ashla claimed, or if they simply represented a different philosophical approach to magic and power, he had been searching for artifacts that might contain their historical knowledge. The cultists he had traded with were members of the Doom Dreamers, a group that worked with the Arcane Order and believed they received visions from ancient gods.

As the party examined the Benducron, Bastion used his identification magic to reveal its true nature. The multi-layered gemstone contained intricate runes and could store the accumulated knowledge of multiple individuals, specifically focusing on the history and practices of the Bogan order. The magical artifact pulsed with inner light, its layers seeming to shift and move as they peered into its crystalline depths.

Their investigation was suddenly interrupted when the ground near a dead acolyte began to crack and split open. Bony jaws emerged from the earth, attempting to drag the corpse down into the darkness below. The creature that emerged was a horrifying undead entity, its form composed of yellowed bone and rotting leather, with hollow black eyes that seemed to pierce through the living.

The battle erupted quickly as more undead creatures clawed their way up from the cemetery soil. Shadow immediately drew her bow and began firing arrows at the emerging threats, while Sas called upon her druidic magic to transform into a powerful saber-tooth tiger. The ancient feline form gave her enhanced strength and deadly claws, which she used to tear into the shambling bone creatures.

Bastion unleashed scorching rays of magical fire, the brilliant flames searing through the undead flesh and causing bones to crack and splinter. Meanwhile, Barlo entered his barbarian rage, his massive claws rending through the creatures with primal fury. Calliope, not to be outdone, used her polymorph magic to transform into a monstrous scorpion, her new form bristling with deadly claws and a venomous stinger.

The battle was fierce but brief, with the party's combined magical and physical prowess overwhelming the undead threats. Garm assisted with his light rapier, the blade cutting through bone and sinew with supernatural efficiency. As the last of the creatures fell, Garm revealed another surprise - he possessed small compact devices that could store his duplicate companions, absorbing the chrome-like beings into mirror-surfaced containers.

With the immediate danger passed, the party gathered the unconscious cultist they had captured during the initial confrontation and made their way back to the surface. Barlo took responsibility for the dead acolyte's body, carrying it to a nearby church where a young dwarf confirmed the man had been sent to cleanse the abandoned church of its undead problem. The failure of this mission explained why the cemetery had become so overrun with restless spirits.

At the Howling Gale tavern, the party settled into a secluded corner to interrogate their prisoner. The cultist, who identified himself as Simon, proved to be a low-level operative with limited knowledge of his organization's true goals. He had been tasked with transporting both Iggy's arm and a mysterious crystal to someone named Grussix, a mind flayer the party had encountered before in connection with Jacoby's schemes.

The crystal Simon carried was revealed to be a psychcrystal, a powerful magical artifact that granted telepathic abilities to its user. Bastion's identification magic revealed that such crystals were commonly used to power mind flayer nautiloid ships and other spell jammer vessels. The purple, luminescent stone pulsed with inner light and seemed to respond to the intelligence of whoever held it, offering both telepathic communication and the ability to generate bright illumination.

After extracting what little information they could from Simon, the party decided to release him. They traded his cultist robes for some old cloaks, effectively cutting his ties to his former organization and leaving him to find his own path. Simon departed quickly, clearly relieved to escape with his life and eager to distance himself from his former associates.

The session concluded with the party discussing their next moves and the potential applications of their newly acquired psychcrystal. They considered using it to replace one of the Professor Orbs that currently powered their ship, potentially giving the magical construct a much-needed respite. The crystal's ability to power spell jammer vessels could prove invaluable if they ever needed to travel through space again, and its telepathic properties might offer new ways to coordinate their efforts in future adventures.

As they prepared to return to their ship, the party reflected on the day's events and the various threads of conspiracy they had uncovered. The connection between Grussix, Jacoby, and these cultist organizations suggested a larger plot was still unfolding, while Garm's quest for knowledge about the Bogan order added another layer of complexity to their ongoing adventures. With two days remaining before they needed to depart Thornwinds, they had time to prepare for whatever challenges lay ahead.

Scenes

Calliope's Mysterious Dream Sequence

Calliope experiences a strange dream where she is constricted by a snake-like entity and transported to a familiar room with rings and holes, encountering Mekla who seems to be protecting her from nightmares.

• Calliope is squeezed by a snake-like entity
• She is transported to a room with rings and holes
• Mekla appears and chants a protective spell
• Calliope wakes up outside a church

Exploring the Abandoned Church

Shadow investigates an abandoned church, discovering a mysterious hole and encountering Artie scratching at the door.

• Shadow polymorphs into a crow and flies into the church
• Shadow discovers a hole in the church floor
• Shadow receives a mysterious telepathic message
• Shadow finds Artie at the church door

Confrontation with Garm

The party encounters Garm, who has traded a hand with a cult and possesses a mysterious gemstone called a Benducron.

• Garm explains the Benducron is a repository of knowledge about the Bogan order
• Bastion asks to examine the gemstone
• Garm reluctantly hands over the gemstone
• Discussion about the Doom Dreamers and different magical orders

Undead Encounter in the Church

The party fights a strange undead creature emerging from the ground near a dead acolyte

• A bony, jaw-like creature attempts to pull a dead acolyte into the ground
• The party engages the undead creature in combat
• Shadow shoots at the creature
• Sas transforms into a saber-tooth tiger to fight

Battle with Undead Creatures

The party fights a group of undead creatures emerging from the ground in a church, including a shambling mound of bones and skulls.

• Sas transforms into a saber-tooth tiger
• Bastion uses Scorching Ray spell
• Barlo rages and attacks
• Calliope attempts to polymorph into a scorpion
• Shadow shoots arrows at the undead creatures
• Garm assists in the fight with a light rapier
• Calliope polymorphs into a monstrous scorpion
• Shadow goes invisible and shoots arrows
• Barlo rages and attacks with claws
• Multiple undead creatures are fighting the party
• Sas transforms into a monstrous scorpion
• Shadow and Barlo deal significant damage to the undead creatures
• Multiple party members use different attack strategies and transformations

Aftermath of Battle at the Church

The party deals with the aftermath of a fight involving undead creatures and interrogates a captured cultist.

• Defeated undead creatures in an old church
• Captured an unconscious cultist named Simon
• Recovered a psychcrystal from Simon
• Garm absorbed his duplicate companions into compact devices
• Recovered the body of a dead acolyte

Interrogation at the Tavern

The party interrogates Simon, a captured cultist, about a mysterious crystal and their mission

• Simon reveals he was supposed to trade a crystal to someone named Grussix
• The party examines a psychcrystal with telepathic properties
• Simon is given old clothes and released
• The party discusses the potential uses of the crystal
• Simon reveals he was supposed to transport a psychcrystal to someone named Grussix
• The party examines the psychcrystal and learns about its telepathic and illumination properties
• Simon is released after providing minimal information
• The party discusses potential uses for the psychcrystal

Post-Battle Discussion at Tavern

The party discusses their recent adventure, potential future plans, and the items they've acquired during their mission.

• Discussed the psychcrystal and its potential uses
• Considered using the crystal to replace a Professor Orb
• Talked about ship morale and future travel plans
• Contemplated potential next steps regarding Krizzik and Jacoby

Memorable Moments

Calliope experiences a vivid nightmare of a constricting snake and is rescued by Mekla from a nightmare plane.

While feverish in her quarters, leading to her mysterious displacement.

Calliope wakes up in broad daylight outside an abandoned church and polymorphs into a crow to investigate.

After being pulled from the nightmare plane, finding herself temporally displaced.

The party discovers Garm trading Iggy's severed arm to Doom Dreamer cultists for a Benducron gemstone.

Tracking Garm to an underground chamber beneath the abandoned church.

The party battles horrifying undead creatures that erupt from the cemetery soil, utilizing powerful magic and primal fury.

Interrupting their investigation of the Benducron.

NPCs

Meklan

An old Grognar man connected to Barlo and Bastion's past, who appears in Calliope's dream and seems to be protecting her from nightmares

Mysterious Male Voice

A telepathic presence that communicates with Shadow, apologizing for advancing time and removing her from a nightmare plane

Garm

A plasmoid who was working with Calliope's mother, seeking knowledge about the Bogan order and trading with a cult. He assists the party in fights with a light rapier and carries mysterious compact devices to store his duplicate companions. Has his own mysterious agenda and was present during interrogations

Simon

A cultist who was tasked with trading a mysterious crystal, captured and interrogated by the party. A low-level cultist who was transporting a psychcrystal and Iggy's arm, seemingly unaware of the full details of his mission

Young Dwarf

A church worker who helps the party dispose of the dead acolyte's body

Arktos "Artie"

The party's owl bear companion who is present during the discussion

Locations

Captain's Quarters

Where Calliope gathered books before falling ill and going to sleep

Abandoned Church

An old church with broken windows, stained glass depicting nature scenes, and a mysterious hole in the floor leading to a tunnel below. A simple, long, one-room church with higher windows, located near an old cemetery where the party encounters undead creatures emerging from the ground

Tavern

A local tavern where the party discusses the gemstone and Garm's motivations, interrogates Simon and discusses their findings. Also known as the Howling Gale Tavern where the party interrogates the captured cultist and discusses their recent mission and future plans

Items

Books

Various books Calliope collected before sleeping, including magical instrument lore, plant books, and romance novels

Night Vision Tattoo

A magical tattoo that grants Shadow dark vision, used to explore the tunnel beneath the church

Benducron Gemstone

A multi-layered gemstone with magical runes, capable of storing multiple people's knowledge about the Bogan order

Iggy's Arm

A magical artifact that was traded between Garm and a cult. A metallic-encased arm that was previously stolen and has now been recovered by the party

Psychcrystal

A purple luminescent crystal that grants telepathic abilities and can power spell jammer vessels, potentially used by mind flayers. A crystalline artifact that can grant telepathic abilities and potentially power spell jammer vessels

Light Rapier

A weapon carried by Garm, used during the battle against the undead creatures

Monstrous Scorpion Form

A magical transformation used by Calliope and Sas during the battle, providing increased health and combat abilities

Compact Devices

Small devices used by Garm to absorb and store his duplicate companions

Cloak

Simon's clothing, given to the party after his interrogation

Headband of the Lord

An intelligent magical headband that the party is considering using

Spells

Unspecified Protective Spell

A spell chanted by Mekla to protect Calliope from nightmares, manifesting as a snake-like entity

Polymorph

Shadow uses this spell to transform into a crow to explore the church from a different perspective. Calliope attempts to use this spell to transform into a scorpion and successfully transforms into a monstrous scorpion during combat, changing her form and abilities

Identify

Used to examine the properties of the Benducron gemstone, revealing its ability to store knowledge and power spell jammer vessels. Also used to examine the properties of the psychcrystal and understand its magical characteristics

Wild Shape

Sas transforms into a saber-tooth tiger during the combat with the undead creature. Druidic spell allowing transformation into different animal forms, used by Sas to become a monstrous scorpion

Scorching Ray

A fourth-level fire spell cast by Bastion, hitting multiple targets and burning the undead creatures

True Strike

A spell cast by Calliope to potentially gain advantage on her next attack. A spell discussed with potential modifications to use spellcasting ability for weapon attacks

Healing Spirit

Used to heal party members after the battle

Classic

Last we left off, our intrepid adventurers found themselves scattered across the planes of dreams and reality. Calliope, struck by a mysterious illness, retreated to her quarters only to find herself pulled into a nightmarish realm where serpentine shadows constricted around her like living chains. Through the protective intervention of Mekla, the ancient Grognar guardian, she was rescued from this dark plane—though not without consequence. She awakened not in her familiar ship's quarters, but standing before an abandoned church in broad daylight, time itself seeming to bend around her ordeal.

The party's search for their displaced companion led them through winding underground passages to a tense confrontation with Garm, the plasmoid who had once worked alongside Calliope's mother. They discovered him in the midst of trading Iggy's severed arm to cultists of the Doom Dreamers, exchanging the grisly trophy for a Benducron—a crystalline repository of ancient Bogan knowledge. Garm's motivations ran deeper than simple betrayal; disillusioned with the rigid doctrines of the Ashla order, he sought to understand whether the Bogan were truly the evil force they had been taught to fear, or simply practitioners of a different philosophical path.

Their investigation was violently interrupted as the very earth split open, disgorging horrifying undead creatures that clawed their way up from the cemetery soil above. In a fierce battle that saw Sas transform into a saber-tooth tiger, Calliope take the form of a monstrous scorpion, and Bastion's scorching rays searing through bone and rotting flesh, the party emerged victorious. With a captured cultist in tow and a powerful psychcrystal now in their possession—one capable of powering spell jammer vessels and granting telepathic abilities—they returned to contemplate the growing web of conspiracy involving Grussix, Jacoby, and forces that stretch across both the material plane and the realm of dreams...

Snarky

When last we left our intrepid adventurers, they were dealing with the kind of fever dreams that would make even the most seasoned dungeon crawler question their life choices. Calliope found herself trapped in a nightmare involving aggressive bedding and snake-like entities, because apparently even sleep isn't safe when you're part of this crew. Thanks to some divine intervention from Mekla (who's basically the magical equivalent of a concerned grandfather), she managed to escape her blanket prison only to wake up outside a creepy abandoned church in broad daylight - because nothing says "restful sleep" like mysterious temporal displacement.

What followed was a delightful reunion with Garm, the party's morally flexible plasmoid friend, who had been casually trading severed limbs with cultists in underground chambers. You know, typical Tuesday activities. The gang discovered he'd swapped Iggy's arm for a fancy knowledge crystal called a Benducron, all in the name of philosophical research about whether the Bogan order was actually evil or just misunderstood. Because nothing says "academic inquiry" like grave robbing and dealing with Doom Dreamers in creepy tunnels.

Of course, their scholarly discussion was rudely interrupted by a surprise undead party crashing up through the cemetery floor, leading to the kind of chaotic battle that has become this group's signature move. Between Calliope's scorpion transformation, Sas going full saber-tooth tiger, and Barlo entering his usual berserker rage, they managed to turn the bone brigade into calcium powder. The session wrapped up with some light interrogation of a cultist named Simon, the acquisition of a shiny new psychcrystal, and the growing realization that Grussix and his mind flayer shenanigans are still very much a problem they'll need to deal with.

Middle English

Lythe and listin, gentilfolk alle,
Of adventurers bolde and true;
I shall you tel of a fevered dreame,
And perils that did ensue!

Faire Calliope lay sicke abed,
With bookes of magick arte,
When serpent-blankets did her binde,
And nightmares pierce her harte.

Through dreame-realms darke she wandered longe,
Where silver trails did gleame,
Till Mekla's voice, that ancient sage,
Did wake her from the dreame.

But lo! She found herself astande
Before a churche most olde,
Where Artie scratched at rotting doore,
And mysteries did unfolde.

As crowe she flew through broken stones,
And spied a hole most deepe,
That led her downe to chambers darke,
Where secrets mortals keepe.

There found she Garm, that plasmoid strange,
Who traded arme for stone,
A Benducron of ancient lore,
To make the Bogan knowne.

"The Ashla's ways grow colde," quoth he,
"Their rules do binde too tighte;
I seeke to knowe if Bogan folke
Were truly steeped in blighte."

But harke! The grounde did cracke and splitte,
As bonye jawes arose,
And undead creatures clawed their waye
To bring the living woes!

Then Shadow's bowe sang out its songe,
While Sas became greate catte,
And Bastion's flames did scorch the bones
Of creatures fell and flatte.

Brave Barlo raged with clawes so sharpe,
Calliope scorpion-formed,
Together they did smite the foe
Till none were left unharmed.

To tavern then they bore their prize,
A cultist named as Simon,
Who spake of crystals strange and brighte,
And Grussix, that fell demon.

The psychcrystal of purple hue
Did pulse with magick's mighte,
To powre ships that saile the voide
And grante telepathic sighte.

Thus ends this tale of dreames and deathe,
Of knowledge sought and wonne,
But greater plots still lie aheade
Ere all their worke is donne!

Limerick

Poor Calliope fell sick in bed,
With fever dreams that filled her with dread.
A snake squeezed her tight,
In nightmare's dark night,
Till Mekla pulled her from serpent's thread!

She woke by a church in the day,
Though she'd slept through the night, strange to say.
As a crow she could see,
Artie scratching with glee,
At a door hiding secrets away!

Down tunnels she crawled through the earth,
To find Garm had traded for worth.
Iggy's arm for a stone,
Left the party alone,
With questions of Bogan rebirth!

The Benducron glowed with old lore,
Of the Bogan from ages before.
But bones cracked the ground,
With a terrible sound,
As undead came clawing for more!

Shadow's arrows flew swift through the air,
While Sas as a tiger showed flair.
Bastion's fire burned bright,
Barlo raged in the fight,
And Calliope stung with scorpion's care!

They captured young Simon the spy,
Who carried a crystal to try.
For Grussix the mind flayer's need,
This psychcrystal indeed,
Could power their ship through the sky!

Exported from GMAssistant on 2026-08-16