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Session 29 - 20 September 2025

Location: Dream Temple (shared vision) - physical bodies at Stormhold Keep
Date In-Game: Day 7-8 after Grand Tournament

Key Events

Pre-Session Recap (Shannon's Return)

Absent Player Catch-Up:

Elvva Beltavar (Shannon) absent from Session 28, caught up on:

Elvva Beltavar's Activities During Absence:

Second Night Sleep:

Temple of Mirrors - Elvva Beltavar's Entry

Mirror Portal:

Party Reunion:

Room Status:

Gardens Chamber - First Puzzle

Chamber Description:

ToooAh's Activities:

Key Investigation:

Party Attempts:

The Solution:

DM Notes on Puzzle:

Hall of Statues - Preparation Chamber

Chamber Description:

The Six Statues:

Left Side (entering):

  1. Khorrak the Horned Dread - Minotaur mid-leap, massive hammer downward, muscles taut and powerful, inscription: "To see the Horned Dread charge was to know the end"

  2. Seraphine of the Bladed Veil - Female elf, graceful on one foot, two daggers extended in swirling flourish, sleek and ethereal, inscription: "She never struck twice, once was enough"

  3. Grulg Stonehide - Ogre leaning forward in battle stance, gripping colossal stone slab as shield, inscription: "What couldn't crush him only made him louder"

Right Side (entering):

  1. Vaelrix the Flame-Bound Draconic - Dragonborn with flames from mouth, holding greatsword pommel-up (stoic knight position), inscription: "His roar was the last sunrise many saw"

  2. Nara, the Grave Caller - Undead human woman, arms raised controlling ring of skulls circling her, inscription: "Death was only her beginning"

  3. Tolden Emberfist, the Dwarven Juggernaut - Dwarf, fist driven into ground (stone cracking beneath), boot planted forward, shield braced to side, inscription: "The mountain fell before he did"

Elemental Symbols:

Central Pedestals:

Two ornate pedestals in centre:

  1. Glowing Orb - Hand pointing upward holding shiny glowing sphere, inscription (dwarfish): "For those who are lost"

  2. Scroll - Hand holding closed scroll, inscription (dwarfish): "Only the elements shall reveal what time has taken" with four blanks below: "_____ for courage," "_____ for truth," "_____ for memory," "_____ for passage"

Steve's Warning:

Elemental Puzzle Solution:

First Attempt:

Second Attempt:

Final Solution:

Scroll Revealed:

Orb Function:

The Depths - Maze Exploration

Maze Rules:

Steve's Clue (To Elik'r Stormswallow):

First Movement (Cautious):

First Dragon Chamber (SW Room):

Steve's Second Appearance (To Elik'r Stormswallow):

First Chamber Offerings:

Anagram Puzzle:

Steve's Answer:

First Gem Acquired:

Chase Begins:

First Run (D20 rolls):

Second Dragon Chamber (W Room):

Movement After Second Gem:

Route Decisions:

Third Dragon Chamber (NW Room):

Movement After Third Gem (D20 rolls):

Steve's Third Warning (To Elik'r Stormswallow):

Fourth Dragon Chamber (N Room):

Movement After Fourth Gem (D20 rolls):

Movement Continues:

Fifth Dragon Chamber (NE Room - D20 Movement Rolls):

Movement After Fifth Gem:

Sixth Dragon Chamber Approach - Running Order Initiative:

Before reaching room (determining who's at front/back while running):

Running formation (front to back):

  1. Ser Tessell Highfrost (front, leading)
  2. Elik'r Stormswallow
  3. ToooAh
  4. Lady Odonia of Galantri
  5. Elvva Beltavar (rear, daydreaming with PTSD)

Sixth Dragon Chamber (E Room - D20 Movement Rolls):

Movement After Sixth Gem (D20 rolls):

Final Charge - Khorrak Appears:

Session Ended:

NPCs Encountered

Active This Session

"Steve" - Talking rock/stone brick face that appears to Elik'r Stormswallow only, speaks in Co'narr 'Banewatcher' Hyborian's voice, appears at various points in maze walls, provided clue "after fury sinker" (anagram for "run after the first key"), warned Elik'r Stormswallow that Khorrak was close ("He's here!"), urged party to run quicker, appears when Co'narr 'Banewatcher' Hyborian not present suggesting different entity or communication method

Khorrak the Horned Dread - Minotaur from statue, awakened when party took first gem, massive bull in armour towering over party, monstrous-sized (larger than large category), charges through walls, tracks party through maze by scent and sound, broke through walls twice to cut off escape routes, blocked party's path at session end

Mentioned

Co'narr 'Banewatcher' Hyborian - Referenced by Steve as having "lied" to party, Steve claims Co'narr 'Banewatcher' Hyborian gave him message that Steve can't remember properly, not physically present in this session's events

Other Statue Warriors (Not Yet Encountered):

Locations Visited

Dream Temple - Gardens Chamber - Serene twilight garden filled with exotic humming flowers with intoxicating scent, ornate pedestal with key in centre, talking rose that speaks riddle, small stream/brook flowing through, door closed behind party with ivy and thorns, required complete silence to solve puzzle, took approximately 50 minutes real-time to solve

Dream Temple - Hall of Statues - Large ornate hall with six statues (three each side) representing legendary warriors, two central pedestals (glowing orb and scroll), grand door marked "To the Depths" in dwarfish, elemental symbols on four statues, scroll puzzle requiring matching elements to phrases (fire/courage, wind/truth, water/memory, earth/passage)

The Depths - Labyrinth - Square maze layout with 9 total rooms (1 large central, 8 smaller outer), torches lighting corridors, stone walls (some breakable by Khorrak), twisting corridors between junctions, entrance at south wall between S and SW rooms, exit pattern unknown

Dragon Chambers (6 of 8 Visited):

  1. Southwest Room - First dragon statue with bowl, shed fire-breathed gem after offerings dissolved
  2. West Room - Second dragon statue, lightning-bolt breath, different offerings required than first
  3. Northwest Room - Third dragon statue, ice flame breath, third gem acquired
  4. North Room - Fourth dragon statue, acid breath, fourth gem acquired
  5. Northeast Room - Fifth dragon statue, breath type not specified, fifth gem acquired
  6. East Room - Sixth dragon statue, breath type not specified, sixth gem acquired

Unvisited Rooms: 2 dragon chambers remain (likely South and Southeast based on party's route)

Mentioned Locations

Belendar - Where Elvva Beltavar's physical body was sleeping, asked Mages Tower about sending protection to Stormhold Keep

Stormhold Keep - Where party's physical bodies are sleeping (except Elvva Beltavar), Elvva Beltavar requested mages for protection

Quest Updates

Active Quests

Escape Dream Vision - Status: Active (IN PROGRESS)

The Depths Exploration - Status: Active (IN PROGRESS)

Survive Khorrak - Status: Active (IMMEDIATE)

Ongoing From Previous Sessions

Investigate Sylobelle Disappearances - Status: Active (DELAYED)

Rally the North - Status: Active (NOT STARTED)

Visit Bane Watcher Citadel - Status: Active (URGENT - DELAYED)

Civil War - Eagle vs Falcon - Status: Active (ONGOING)

The Bane Influence - Status: Active (CRITICAL)

New Information

Shared Dream Nature - Vision affects all party members simultaneously regardless of physical location (Elvva Beltavar pulled from Belendar, others from Stormhold Keep), mirror portal allowed Elvva Beltavar's entry, Co'narr 'Banewatcher' Hyborian has navigated this realm before but never progressed past certain point, Steve appears to Elik'r Stormswallow independently suggesting complex nature of vision

Steve's Identity - Only Elik'r Stormswallow can see and hear Steve, speaks in Co'narr 'Banewatcher' Hyborian's voice, appears independently when Co'narr 'Banewatcher' Hyborian not present, provides genuine helpful information (anagram clue, warnings), nature unknown (manifestation? Communication method? Separate entity?)

Dragon Chamber Mechanics - Each chamber requires different offerings from party members, cannot reuse same item type across different chambers (e.g., copper coins worked in first chamber but not second, requiring silver instead), offerings dissolve/melt into bowl, dragon breathes different element each time (fire, lightning, ice, acid), dragon sheds tear forming gem, only first gem awakened statue warrior (Khorrak) - subsequent gems have not awakened additional threats yet

Khorrak's Abilities - Monstrous-sized (larger than large), can break through stone walls, tracks by sound and scent, moves faster than party even when they dash, intelligent enough to break through walls to cut off escape routes rather than follow maze paths

Combat Encounters

Pending Combat - Khorrak the Horned Dread

Setup:

Party Formation (Front to Back when Khorrak appeared):

  1. Ser Tessell Highfrost (leading)
  2. Elik'r Stormswallow
  3. ToooAh
  4. Lady Odonia of Galantri
  5. Elvva Beltavar (rear, PTSD distraction)

Khorrak Status:

Terrain:

Session ended before combat begins - combat initiative will be rolled next session

Loot & Rewards

Items Collected

Six Gems (Keys):

Holders: Not specified which party members carry which gems

Items Sacrificed to Dragon Statues

First Chamber (SW Room):

Second Chamber (W Room):

Third Chamber (NW Room):

Fourth Chamber (N Room):

Fifth Chamber (NE Room):

Sixth Chamber (E Room):

Map & Tools

Maze Map:

Glowing Orb:

Character Development

Individual Contributions (Chronological)

Elik'r Stormswallow:

Ser Tessell Highfrost:

ToooAh:

Lady Odonia of Galantri:

Elvva Beltavar:

Steve's Relationship with Elik'r Stormswallow

Communication Pattern:

Information Provided:

Nature Unclear:

Memorable Moments

Session 29 - Gardens Silence Puzzle - Party spent approximately 50 minutes real-time trying to solve puzzle requiring complete silence, every member reset 15-second timer at various points: ToooAh splashing in brook, Lady Odonia of Galantri and Elvva Beltavar rustling through bushes, Lady Odonia of Galantri drinking from brook and eating orchid, Elik'r Stormswallow fighting through bushes for full minute despite Ser Tessell Highfrost trying to communicate silently, ToooAh "reading" (tearing apart) golden mirror in previous chamber, DM emphasised every sound ("splashing," "slurping," "snapping," "rustling") until ToooAh finally proposed minute's silence that succeeded.

Session 29 - Steve's Anagram - Steve appeared to Elik'r Stormswallow saying Co'narr 'Banewatcher' Hyborian gave message he couldn't remember: "after fury sinker," admitting "probably wrong," "close enough," party spent significant time debating if it was anagram or different words ("story," "thinker," "hurry"), Elik'r Stormswallow rolled Natural 20 Intelligence revealing one word likely correct but party could not solve complete anagram, Steve eventually returned providing answer: "Elik'r! I've remembered! 'Run after the first key!'"

Session 29 - Khorrak's Awakening - After party collected first gem from dragon statue (SW room), heard roar from somewhere followed by heavy footsteps beginning, orb beacon revealed red dot (Khorrak) pursuing party through maze, party ran collecting gems from six chambers total, Khorrak's footsteps getting progressively closer and louder with sniffing sounds added, eventually smashed through walls twice to cut off escape routes, charged through two walls directly ahead of party blocking corridor at session end.

Session 29 - Elemental Scroll Puzzle - Ser Tessell Highfrost worked through combinations trying to match Fire/Wind/Water/Earth to courage/truth/memory/passage, first attempt only got Fire for courage correct, second attempt added Wind for truth, final solution: Fire/courage, Wind/truth, Water/memory, Earth/passage (all writing lit up when correct), scroll revealed maze map with 9 rooms total.

Session 29 - Dragon Chamber Offerings - Party required to give unique offerings at each dragon statue (cannot repeat items across chambers), sacrifices became increasingly creative and desperate: Ser Tessell Highfrost escalating from copper to silver coins when copper stopped working, ToooAh giving singed feather from previous session's mock battle, Elik'r Stormswallow donating Arrow of Piercing kept since Session 1, Lady Odonia of Galantri sacrificing eye patch, Elvva Beltavar abandoning short bow she'd "never gonna use," Ser Tessell Highfrost eventually resorting to spitting phlegm into bowl, offerings dissolved/melted before dragons shed tears forming gems.

Session 29 - Steve's Warnings to Elik'r Stormswallow - Only Elik'r Stormswallow could see/hear Steve appearing in maze walls speaking in Co'narr 'Banewatcher' Hyborian's voice, Steve warned "He's here!" when Khorrak very close (party heard thud and wall shaking with crack appearing where Khorrak tried breaking through), Steve urged "You've got to run quicker," appeared multiple times providing critical information despite Co'narr 'Banewatcher' Hyborian not physically present, Elik'r Stormswallow noted Co'narr 'Banewatcher' Hyborian "lied" about never getting past mirror room yet somehow knew to run after first key.

Session 29 - ToooAh Pulls Elvva Beltavar Into Dream - Elvva Beltavar asleep in Belendar while party at mirror showing her sleeping with water-like rippling surface, ToooAh put hand through causing green wispy hand to appear over sleeping Elvva Beltavar, when ToooAh pulled back Elvva Beltavar dragged through into shared dream vision joining party, mirror closed behind her, Elvva Beltavar asked "What did you bring me here for?" ToooAh: "Well, blame the bird."

Session 29 - Math Errors During Chase - Ser Tessell Highfrost added movement rolls incorrectly twice during chase: calculated movement total as 70 when actual was 60 (17+3+14+9+17=60), occurred twice during frantic chase sequence, DM used stated totals of 70 for gameplay allowing slightly more movement, errors noted for accuracy but didn't significantly impact gameplay or party survival.

Next Session

Cliffhanger

Immediate Combat:

Tactical Considerations:

Pending Matters:

To Investigate

Dream Vision Questions:

Steve's Mystery:

Khorrak Combat:

Maze Mechanics:

Remaining Dragon Chambers:

Exit Strategy:

Real World Urgency:

Magical Items:

NPCs to Follow Up

In Dream Vision:

Real World (When Party Escapes):

Strategic Targets:

Immediate Concerns

Next Session Start:

Post-Combat (If Victorious):

Dream Exit Priority:

Real World Missions (After Escape):

  1. Sylobelle Investigation - Immediate (murders ongoing)
  2. Bane Watcher Citadel - Urgent (Elvva Beltavar's corruption)
  3. Rally the North - Time-sensitive (before Falcon faction secures nobles)
  4. Eastern Citadel - Important (gone silent, strange creatures)

Party Management: