(S099) The Obelisk of the Shadow Lord

Pressing deeper into the Prison of Agony, the party suffers the tragic loss of Arktos to black puddings, discovers a mysterious shadow obelisk housing a trapped spirit linked to Venger, fends off hostile hook horrors and lizardfolk, and finally breaches an impenetrable metal barrier through sustained frost magic.

📝 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

S099: The Obelisk of the Shadow Lord

Date: 2026-01-17

Short

The party fought their way through the Prison of Agony, suffering devastating losses in a brutal encounter with acidic black puddings that culminated in the death of Bastion's owlbear companion, Arktos, whose essence dissolved into glitter and returned to Calliope. After the costly battle, they discovered a mysterious shadow obelisk in an unnaturally silent chamber, and when Calliope touched it with her magical glove, she learned it contained a trapped shadow lord who had served Venger and was imprisoned by the wizard Kelek. Their investigation was interrupted by hook horrors that unleashed poisonous gas and forced Calliope to cast an earthquake spell in desperation, nearly killing her own party members before they managed to defeat the creatures.

Following the battle, the party encountered a group of lizardfolk who were also trapped in this realm and revealed crucial information: Kelek had once worked with Venger, who later became a paladin and helped some escape before his death, but many remained imprisoned. The lizardfolk agreed to guide the party to a massive metal barrier they believed might be another way out, and after exhausting conventional methods, the party discovered that freezing magic could make the metal brittle. Bastion and another party member spent over an hour and a half blasting the obstruction with frigid energy while the rest of the party rested, eventually shattering the seemingly impenetrable barrier and opening the path deeper into the Prison of Agony toward their confrontation with Kelek.

Summary

The party found themselves deep within the Prison of Agony, a treacherous dungeon filled with volcanic stone tunnels and deadly creatures. As they pressed forward through the dark caverns, they were ambushed by multiple black puddings—amorphous, acidic creatures that proved devastatingly effective against their weapons. The battle was fierce and costly, with each strike against the puddings causing corrosive acid to splash back onto the attackers. In a tragic turn of events, one of the puddings struck Arktos, Bastion's loyal owlbear companion, with such a devastating acid attack that the creature dissolved entirely, his essence transforming into a ball of glitter that flowed back to Calliope. Despite the heavy losses and significant injuries, particularly to Barlo who took massive acid damage, the party eventually defeated the remaining puddings.

Wounded and weary, the party discovered a strange chamber containing a massive obelisk made of what appeared to be solid shadow. The room itself was unnaturally quiet, with sound seeming to die just a few feet from its source. As they investigated this mysterious structure, they noticed crystalline and metallic features embedded in the walls—materials similar to those they had encountered in other realms. When Calliope touched the obelisk with her magical glove, it temporarily solidified into black stone covered in hieroglyphs written in an unknown language. Through this connection, she learned that the obelisk contained a trapped shadow lord who had once served as an assistant to someone named Venger, imprisoned here by the wizard Kelek. The party realized these obelisks existed across multiple realms and planes of existence, part of some greater magical network.

Before they could fully process this discovery, a hook horror charged into the chamber, triggering the defensive spike growth Calliope had prepared. The creature proved formidable, unleashing a devastating cloud of poisonous gas that nearly killed both Bastion and Calliope. The battle intensified when a second hook horror entered, and in her panic, Calliope cast a new spell she had just learned—an earthquake effect that she didn't realize would affect her entire party. The ground shook violently, knocking Barlo prone and causing everyone to stumble, though they eventually managed to defeat both creatures. After the battle, the party distributed healing potions and magical restoration, slowly recovering from their wounds.

Their respite was short-lived when a group of lizardfolk confronted them, led by a warrior who was initially hostile about the party stepping on the carcass of one of the hook horrors. Through tense negotiation, the party learned that these lizardfolk were also trapped in this realm, unable to return to their home world. The lizardfolk leader revealed crucial information about their quarry: the wizard Kelek had once worked with an evil lord named Venger, who later became a paladin before his death. It was Kelek who had trapped the shadow lord spirit within the obelisk. The lizardfolk explained that Venger had helped some people escape this realm before dying, but others like themselves remained trapped. When the party mentioned their intention to kill Kelek, the lizardfolk agreed to lead them to a mysterious metal obstruction they had been trying to breach, believing it might be another way out.

The lizardfolk guided them through winding tunnels to a chamber dominated by an enormous metal barrier. The surrounding volcanic rock was covered in scratch marks from countless failed attempts to break through, yet the metal itself remained pristine and unmarked. The party tried every method they could think of—magical detection revealed the metal had absorbed magic but possessed no active enchantments, a wand of secrets failed to react to it, and an attempt to animate the metal revealed it was far too massive to be affected by such spells. Shadow even whispered politely to the barrier, asking it to let them pass, but nothing happened. When physical attacks with acid-infused claws left only the tiniest scorch mark, they realized conventional methods would not work.

Finally, they discovered that freezing magic caused parts of the metal to become brittle and fragile. Bastion and another party member positioned themselves and began a sustained magical assault, continuously blasting the obstruction with frigid beams of energy. For over an hour and a half, they maintained their attack while the rest of the party took a short rest, with Calliope performing a soothing song to aid their recovery. Slowly but surely, the metal began to crack and splinter under the relentless magical barrage. The party watched as the seemingly impenetrable barrier finally gave way, revealing whatever lay beyond and allowing them to continue their journey deeper into the Prison of Agony toward their ultimate confrontation with the wizard Kelek.

Scenes

Combat with Black Puddings

The party battles multiple black pudding creatures in a cavern, with Arktos being dissolved and Barlo taking heavy acid damage.

• Calliope unleashes a scorching ray at a black pudding, dealing significant fire damage to the creature.
• Sas exhales dragon's breath, engulfing multiple black puddings in flames.
• Shadow fires a contra barrage at the creatures, forcing them to make dexterity saves.
• Barlo attacks recklessly with bites and strikes, but discovers his attacks are ineffective against the puddings' form.
• A black pudding strikes Arktos with a devastating acid attack, dissolving the owlbear companion into a ball of glitter that flows back to Shadow.
• Sas defeats one of the black puddings using primal savagery, dealing acid damage.
• Bastion strikes a pudding with his rapier and true strike abilities.
• The party defeats the remaining black puddings after taking significant acid damage from their corrosive bodies.

Discovery of the Shadow Obelisk

The party enters a strange room containing a mysterious obelisk made of solid shadow, where sound is unnaturally dampened.

• The party discovers a room with an obelisk that appears to be made of solid shadow, with crystalline and metallic features in the walls.
• Shadow notices that sound doesn't travel far in this room, creating an eerie, muffled atmosphere.
• Calliope casts spike growth near a doorway, preparing for potential threats.
• The party begins healing their wounds from the previous battle, with Sas casting healing spirit and potions being distributed.
• Bastion and another character investigate the obelisk, observing it appears like solid smoke that tries to solidify when light hits it.
• Calliope touches the obelisk with the glove, causing it to temporarily solidify into black stone with hieroglyphs in an unknown language.
• The party learns the obelisk is connected to similar structures across different realms and contains a trapped spirit - a shadow creature that once served as an assistant to someone.

Hook Horror Ambush

A hook horror charges into the obelisk room, triggering the party's prepared defenses and unleashing a devastating poison breath attack.

• Shadow shoots an arrow into the approaching hook horror's heart, causing it to squawk loudly.
• Barlo prepares to throw his javelin when the creature enters the doorway.
• Calliope readies earth tremor to knock down any creature that enters within range.
• Sas casts chill touch on the hook horror, dealing necrotic damage.
• Shadow uses thorn whip to pull the hook horror closer, causing it to take damage from the spike growth.
• Bastion and another character blast the hook horror with ray of frost.
• The hook horror takes multiple steps forward, taking damage from spike growth with each movement.
• Barlo throws his javelin, striking the creature in the shoulder.
• The hook horror unleashes a cloud of poisonous brown gas, dealing massive damage to Bastion and Calliope.
• A second hook horror enters the room, and Calliope casts earth tremor, causing an earthquake that knocks Barlo prone and affects the entire party.
• Sas defeats the first hook horror with primal savagery and shillelagh attacks.
• The second hook horror attempts to pin creatures with its hooks.
• Barlo stands up and defeats the second hook horror with a final scratch attack.

Encounter with the Lizardfolk

A group of lizardfolk confront the party, leading to a tense conversation about their shared predicament and the history of the realm.

• A lizardfolk leader confronts the party, questioning their presence and expressing displeasure at them stepping on a hook horror carcass.
• The party explains they were attacked and acted in self-defense.
• The lizardfolk reveals that he and his people are from another world and have been trapped in this realm, unable to return home.
• The party asks about the wizard Kelek, and the lizardfolk explains that Kelek once worked with an evil lord named Venger.
• The lizardfolk reveals that Venger later became a paladin and that Kelek trapped a shadow lord spirit in the obelisk.
• The lizardfolk explains that Venger, though now dead, helped some people leave this world before his death, but others like the lizardfolk remained trapped.
• The party learns this realm is called 'the realm' and that many inhabitants came from other worlds.
• The lizardfolk mentions they've been trying to open a mysterious metal obstruction that might be another way out.
• The party agrees to help with the obstruction and mentions their intent to kill Kelek.
• The lizardfolk agrees to lead the party to the metal obstruction, noting that some of his people were injured by the spike growth spell.

The Impassable Metal Barrier

The lizardfolk leads the party to a massive metal obstruction blocking their path, which proves resistant to all conventional methods of opening.

• The lizardfolk leads the party through a tunnel to a room blocked by a solid metal obstruction.
• The party observes extensive scratch marks on the surrounding rock but none on the metal itself, indicating its extreme durability.
• Bastion casts detect magic, sensing that the metal has absorbed magic but has no active enchantments.
• Shadow uses a wand of secrets, but it doesn't react to the metal, suggesting it's not a secret door in the traditional sense.
• Calliope attempts to cast animate object on the obstruction, but it's too massive to be affected by the spell.
• Shadow whispers to the metal, politely asking it to let them through, but nothing happens.
• Shadow lights a hooded lantern to check for hidden or invisible features, but it reveals nothing.
• Sas attacks the metal with acid claws, leaving only a tiny scorch mark.
• Calliope casts scorching ray at the obstruction, with the second hit causing some visible damage.
• The party discovers that ray of frost causes parts of the metal to freeze and become fragile.
• Bastion and another character spend over an hour continuously blasting the obstruction with ray of frost, slowly making progress.
• The party takes a short rest while the blasting continues, with Calliope performing a song of rest.
• After an hour and a half of sustained magical assault, the party finally breaks through the metal obstruction.

Memorable Moments

Arktos, Shadow's owlbear companion, is dissolved by a black pudding's acid attack, his essence turning into a ball of glitter that flows back to Shadow.

A devastating moment during combat when the party's beloved companion is lost

Calliope casts Earth Tremor for the first time, not realizing it affects everyone in a 10-foot radius, accidentally knocking Barlo prone and causing the entire party to shake.

A new spell backfires hilariously as Calliope learns its true area of effect the hard way

The party discovers the shadow obelisk contains a trapped shadow lord that once served Venger, revealing connections between this realm and their previous encounters.

A major revelation about the obelisk's purpose and its connection to the campaign's larger mysteries

"Where am I going to put these bolts, Barlo?"
— Bastion

Questioning where to store crossbow bolts when the second Bastion has no equipment or clothing

After an hour and a half of sustained magical assault with ray of frost, the party finally breaks through the seemingly impenetrable metal obstruction.

A hard-won victory through persistence and teamwork against an obstacle that resisted all conventional methods

NPCs

Kelek

An evil sorcerer who possesses a horn containing the spirit of Uni. Pradam Estorich sent the party to retrieve this horn from him. A wizard who once worked with Venger and is responsible for trapping a shadow lord spirit within the obelisk.

Willowbrush

A sprite who worked with Pradam Estorich for reconnaissance and led the party to the Prison of Agony. The party forgot about him during their exploration.

Arktos

Shadow's owlbear companion who was polymorphed into a giant eagle. During combat with black puddings, Arktos was struck by a devastating acid attack and dissolved, his essence turning into a ball of glitter that flowed back to Shadow.

Sleyvas

A lizardfolk who confronts the party in the Prison of Agony. He and his people are from another world and have been trapped in this realm, unable to return home. He provides information about Kelek, Venger, and the shadow lord trapped in the obelisk, and agrees to lead the party to a metal obstruction.

Venger

A deceased former evil lord who later became a paladin. He used a shadow lord as an assistant before Kelek trapped it in the obelisk. Before his death, Venger helped some people leave this realm, though others like the lizardfolk remained trapped.

Uni

The unicorn

Locations

Prison of Agony

A dangerous dungeon with tunnels and caverns featuring volcanic stone walls. The party entered this location through a portal, facing black puddings and hook horrors within its depths.

Obelisk Chamber

A strange cavern containing a large obelisk made of solid shadow, with crystalline and metallic features embedded in the walls. Sound is unnaturally dampened in this room, making conversations difficult to hear over distance.

Metal Barrier Room

A chamber at the end of a tunnel, dominated by a massive metal obstruction blocking further passage. The surrounding volcanic rock shows extensive scratch marks from failed attempts to breach it, but the metal itself remains pristine.

The Realm of Dungeons and Dragons

This world has no real name, but is often referred to as "The Realm".

Dierde

The homeworld of the characters.

Items

Horn of Uni

A magical horn held by the sorcerer Kelek that contains the spirit of Uni. Pradam Estorich desires its retrieval.

Shadow Obelisk

A large structure made of solid shadow found in a cavern within the Prison of Agony. It dampens sound in the surrounding area and appears as solid smoke that tries to solidify when light hits it. When touched by Calliope with the glove, it temporarily solidified into black stone revealing hieroglyphs in an unknown language. The obelisk is connected to similar structures across different realms and contains a trapped shadow lord spirit that once served Venger before being imprisoned by Kelek.

Moon-touched Sword

A sword that emits a faint moonlight, used by Bastion to illuminate the dark obelisk chamber for investigation.

Light Crossbow

A weapon given by Barlo to the second Bastion, along with ten crossbow bolts, to equip him for combat.

Wand of Secrets

A blue wand that pulses and points towards secret doors or traps within 30 feet. It was used to check the metal obstruction but did not react, indicating the obstruction is not a secret door in the magical sense.

Hooded Lantern

A lantern that burns for six hours on one pint of oil, providing bright light in a 30-foot radius and dim light beyond. It makes invisible creatures and objects visible within its bright light. Shadow used it to examine the metal obstruction for hidden features, but it revealed nothing.

Spells

Scorching Ray

A spell that creates multiple rays of fire. Calliope used it to attack black puddings and later to damage the metal obstruction, with the second ray causing visible damage and making parts of the metal fragile.

Dragon's Breath

A spell that allows the caster to exhale energy of a chosen type in a cone. Sas used it with fire to damage multiple black puddings in combat.

Contra Barrage

A spell used by Shadow that requires targets to make a dexterity saving throw.

Primal Savagery

A druid spell that creates acid-infused claws for a melee attack. Sas used it to defeat black puddings and hook horrors, dealing acid damage.

Shillelagh

A spell that imbues a wooden weapon with magical power, dealing bludgeoning damage. Sas used it against black puddings, picturing herself leaping into the air and shouting 'Shala' when casting it.

True Strike

A spell used by Bastion in conjunction with his rapier to attack creatures.

Vicious Mockery

A spell used by Calliope to mock a black pudding, covering it in red glitter and dealing psychic damage.

Cure Wounds

A healing spell cast by Bastion to restore hit points. He cast it at level four on Barlo after the hook horror combat, healing 27 points, and later cast a level seven version.

Spike Growth

A spell that causes sharp, thorny growth to erupt from the ground in a 20-foot radius, dealing piercing damage to creatures moving through it. Calliope cast it near a doorway in the obelisk chamber, and it formed twisting vines that injured some lizardfolk and hook horrors.

Earth Tremor

A spell that causes a minor localized earthquake in a 10-foot radius, potentially knocking creatures prone. Calliope cast it when a hook horror entered the room, inadvertently affecting the entire party including knocking Barlo prone. The player had just acquired the spell and was unaware of its full area effect.

Chill Touch

A spell that creates a ghostly, skeletal hand to attack a target, dealing necrotic damage. Used against a hook horror during combat.

Thorn Whip

A spell that creates a thorny vine to lash out at a creature, dealing damage and pulling it 10 feet closer. Shadow used it to pull a hook horror towards the party.

Ray of Frost

A cantrip that creates a frigid beam of blue-white light, dealing cold damage. Bastion and another character used it extensively to attack hook horrors and to damage the metal obstruction, discovering that it causes parts of the metal to freeze and become fragile. They spent over an hour continuously casting it to break through the barrier.

Detect Magic

A spell that allows the caster to sense the presence of magic within range. Bastion cast it on the obelisk and the metal obstruction, revealing that the obstruction had absorbed magic but possessed no active enchantments.

Animate Object

A spell that brings inanimate objects to life under the caster's command. Calliope attempted to cast it on the massive metal obstruction, but it was too large to be affected by the spell.

Healing Spirit

A healing spell that creates a spirit that can heal multiple creatures. Sas cast it five times, distributing healing between Barlo and Calliope after combat.

Goodberry

A spell that creates magical berries that restore one hit point each. Sas mentioned it as a potential healing option, creating up to 10 berries.

Song of Rest

A bardic ability used by Calliope during a short rest that provides an extra d10 of healing to party members who spend hit dice to recover hit points.

Classic

Last we left off, our intrepid party found themselves deep within the Prison of Agony, navigating treacherous volcanic tunnels in pursuit of the wizard Kelek. Their journey took a devastating turn when they were ambushed by black puddings—amorphous horrors whose acidic forms proved catastrophic against conventional weapons. In the brutal melee that followed, tragedy struck as Arktos, Bastion's loyal owlbear companion, was dissolved entirely by a devastating acid attack, his essence transforming into glitter that returned to Calliope. Though the party emerged victorious, they were left wounded and grieving, with Barlo bearing particularly severe injuries from the corrosive onslaught.

Their exploration led them to a chamber containing a massive obelisk of solid shadow—a prison for a shadow lord who once served the mysterious Venger. Through Calliope's magical investigation, they learned this was but one node in a network spanning multiple realms, placed here by Kelek himself. Before they could fully comprehend this discovery, hook horrors attacked, forcing a desperate battle where Calliope's panicked earthquake spell nearly proved as dangerous to her allies as to their enemies. In the aftermath, they encountered a group of trapped lizardfolk who revealed crucial information: Kelek had once worked with Venger before the latter's redemption and death, and these lizardfolk knew of a mysterious metal barrier that might lead to another exit.

The lizardfolk guided them to an enormous metal obstruction that had resisted all conventional attempts to breach it. After exhausting magical detection, physical attacks, and even polite requests, the party discovered that freezing magic could make the seemingly impenetrable barrier brittle. For over an hour and a half, Bastion and his companions maintained a relentless assault of frigid energy while the others rested and recovered. Now, as the last fragments of the barrier crack and splinter away, revealing the darkness beyond, the party prepares to press forward toward their ultimate confrontation with Kelek...

Snarky

Welcome to the Prison of Agony, where the party learned that black puddings are basically the universe's way of saying "fuck your weapons specifically." These acidic blobs turned the dungeon crawl into a corrosive nightmare, and in the most heartbreaking moment, one of them completely dissolved Arktos the owlbear into a ball of glitter. Yes, Bastion's loyal companion literally sparkled out of existence and returned to Calliope like some kind of tragic Lisa Frank fever dream. Nothing says "D&D is fun" like watching your animal companion melt while your barbarian friend takes enough acid damage to dissolve a small village.

But wait, there's more trauma! The party discovered a shadow obelisk containing a trapped lord who worked for someone named Venger (because apparently this prison has LORE), then got ambushed by hook horrors, and then Calliope panic-cast EARTHQUAKE without realizing it would also knock down her own party. Peak spellcaster energy right there. After somehow surviving poison gas, friendly-fire seismic activity, and a tense standoff with lizardfolk who were weirdly protective of hook horror corpses, they finally reached a massive metal barrier that laughed at everything they threw at it—until they discovered it was weak to cold damage. So naturally, they spent an hour and a half freeze-blasting it like the world's most determined ice cream makers, finally breaking through to continue their quest to murder Kelek. Just another normal day of dungeon crawling, emotional devastation, and creative problem-solving.

Middle English

Harken well, ye brave of heart,
To tales of woe and dreadful art,
Within the Prison's burning stone,
Where heroes ventured, flesh and bone!

The puddings black with acid vile,
Did strike and burn with caustic guile,
Poor Arktos fell to glitt'ring dust,
And Barlo's flesh did sear and crust.
Yet steel'd they fought with valiant might,
Till vict'ry came through darkest night!

An obelisk of shadow deep,
Where ancient spirits lie asleep,
Did Calliope's touch reveal,
A lord by Kelek bound with seal.
The lizardfolk, in caverns lost,
Did guide them on, whate'er the cost!

Then hook horrors with poison'd breath,
Did bring our heroes near to death,
The earth did quake at Calliope's spell,
And all did stumble where they fell.
Yet triumph came through blood and pain,
As monsters fell beneath their strain!

At last before the metal wall,
That would not yield to blade nor maul,
With frost and ice they did persist,
Till cracks appeared within the mist.
The barrier broke, the path lay clear,
To face the wizard Kelek near!

Limerick

In the Prison of Agony they fought,
Black puddings whose acid left naught.
Poor Arktos dissolved,
To glitter revolved,
While Barlo with damage was fraught!

An obelisk dark as the night,
Held shadows imprisoned from sight.
A lord trapped by Kelek,
Served Venger—what dreck!
Connected through realms, burning bright.

Hook horrors charged in with their gas,
Near killing the whole of the class.
Calliope's quake,
Made everyone shake,
But victory came round at last!

The lizardfolk showed them the way,
To metal that wouldn't give way.
No magic could breach,
No weapons could reach,
Till frost made the barrier fray.

For hours they blasted with cold,
The metal cracked, brittle not bold.
Through patience and rest,
They passed the hard test,
And onward to Kelek they rolled!

Exported from GMAssistant on 2026-08-16