Session 2025-06-21 — Age of Ashes

Narrative Summary

The session began with mechanical adjustments and player updates after several weeks' absence. William repaired his shield with crafting, Theo cleansed his weapon, and the party reviewed the hero point and deity boon systems newly integrated into the campaign. The group discussed the unique properties of various deities' boons—Nethys's unpredictable spellcasting, Sarenrae's permanent benefits, and Shelyn's more roleplay-focused boon.

The party continued their jungle expedition deeper into Cinderclaw territory. After pushing through dense, humid jungle for several hours, they encountered a second dragon pillar—this one carved from indigo wood with the deep hue of twilight sky. Unlike the black pillar, this one was protected not by transformed creatures but by five enslaved gripplis: four archers and one spellcaster called the Greenspeaker. Renali's heightened senses immediately detected something wrong with the creatures—their movements were rigid and their eyes glowed with the same indigo light as the pillar itself. Frazzle, uncomfortable with being perceived by the carved dragon head, cast Darkness on the pillar immediately, obscuring it from view.

Combat erupted with the gripplis proving ineffective against the party's prepared tactics. Theo demoralized one archer before casting Thunderstrike, William moved into position as a tank, and Renali provided support with Haste for William. The Greenspeaker emerged from the darkness and channeled the pillar's corrupted magic, causing vines and undergrowth throughout the clearing to surge with unnatural vigor. Thick jungle creepers burst from earth and overhead branches, grasping at the party with thorny tendrils. However, Nadira demonstrated tactical brilliance by attempting a Dispel Magic against the pillar itself rather than engaging the gripplis in combat.

Her dispel succeeded spectacularly. As her holy light blazed from Sarenrae's ankh, the divine power overwhelmed the pillar's magical defenses. The indigo glow in the carved dragon head's eyes flickered, dimmed, and died. The wisps of smoke ceased. The malevolent presence vanished. Most importantly, the moment the magic failed, the four grippli archers and the Greenspeaker suddenly regained consciousness. The indigo glow faded from their eyes, replaced by confusion and horror. The Greenspeaker dropped its staff, staring at its own hands in shock, crying out that the voices in their minds were gone.

The entangling vines, no longer sustained by corrupted magic, withered and retreated into normal jungle undergrowth. The freed gripplis were bewildered but grateful. The party and freed gripplis worked together to physically destroy the now-dormant pillar, with the gripplis attacking it with fervent determination. The Greenspeaker performed a ritual blessing in its native tongue to cleanse the area. The gripplis committed to warning their tribe and seeking out the Ekujae to report the party's progress, carrying word that the corruption was being systematically dismantled.

Pressing onward and southward, the party traveled about 30 miles through rough jungle terrain. The dense canopy gradually thinned as the ground rose, and they discovered an ancient ruin perched atop a forty-foot cliff: the weathered stone remains of a temple with carvings depicting androgynous, butterfly-winged figures in various poses—some swimming through stylized waves, others soaring through carved clouds. Renali noted that the stonework was far older than any Cinderclaw site.

As the party approached, a booming voice with a Taldan accent warned them away, claiming the entire structure was rigged to explode. From around the temple emerged Gerhard Pendergrast, a well-dressed Taldan archaeologist with perfectly groomed blond hair and an impressive mustache. He claimed to be a renowned scholar and author, and insisted that the temple was a fraudulent forgery contradicting his "extensively researched" theories about the Bonuwat people. He possessed a crude blunderbuss and had laid a black powder fuse line from the temple entrance.

Theo immediately recognized the temple as a Bonuwat site depicting Shimye-Magalla, his people's dual-aspect deity combining Desna and Gozreh. The artistic style and motifs were distinctly his ancestral traditions, suggesting his people were once far more widespread than modern knowledge indicated. Theo was flabbergasted and infuriated by Gerhard's plan to destroy his own ancestral heritage based on theories developed in Taldor's libraries without any consultation of Bonuwat oral traditions or living people.

William intervened with a dire warning: detonating explosives in Cinderclaw-controlled territory would attract an army of cultists within minutes. The combination of William's certainty (enhanced by a hero point call to Shelyn's minor boon, resulting in a critical success), Theo's passionate condemnation of Gerhard's arrogance and book-burning ignorance, and the realization of genuine mortal danger caused Gerhard's confidence to completely crumble. He dropped his tindertwig, backed away from the fuse, and hastily departed for his boat at the river, his scholarly pomposity replaced by trembling fear.

With Gerhard gone, the party explored the ancient Bonuwat temple unmolested. The interior revealed stunning artistic depictions of Shimye-Magalla's dual nature—butterfly-winged figures seamlessly transitioning between swimming through ocean waves and soaring through clouds and stars. For Theo, seeing these ancestral depictions of his people's faith in their original form was profoundly moving. The party recovered three of Gerhard's black powder kegs (each containing enough explosive material for 5d6 fire damage in a 20-foot radius) and safely removed the fuse line.

A careful search of the temple's interior revealed hidden treasure: Theo discovered three remarkably well-preserved scrolls (Scroll of Dinosaur Form, Scroll of Freedom of Movement, Scroll of Remove Disease) and a ring of fire resistance concealed in a hidden panel beneath a statue of Shimye-Magalla on the central southern balcony. The party added these treasures to their stores, with Frazzle claiming the Scroll of Dinosaur Form with enthusiasm, discussing which dinosaur form might be optimal for future encounters.

Session Notes

Key events:

Party encountered a second dragon pillar guarded by enslaved gripplis
Nadira freed the gripplis through successful Dispel Magic against the pillar itself
Gripplis and party destroyed the indigo pillar together; freed creatures committed to warning other tribes
Party discovered an ancient Bonuwat temple on a jungle cliff
Prevented Gerhard Pendergrast from destroying the temple through combination of warning and persuasion
Explored the temple and recovered significant treasure including three magical scrolls and a fire resistance ring

NPCs encountered:

Grippli Greenspeaker: Spellcaster-leader of enslaved gripplis; freed by Nadira's dispel; grateful and determined to warn its tribe
Grippli Archers (4): Enslaved warriors freed from the pillar's control; assisted in its destruction
Gerhard Pendergrast: Pompous Taldan archaeologist attempting to destroy the Bonuwat temple; dissuaded through William's critical success and Theo's moral argument

Combat:

Combat against five gripplis (four archers, one spellcaster) controlled by the indigo pillar
No significant casualties; combat ended when Nadira dispelled the pillar's control magic
Gripplis and party cooperatively destroyed the now-dormant pillar

Party decisions:

Decided to dispel the pillar rather than kill enslaved creatures (successful gambit)
Allowed freed gripplis to participate in pillar destruction for psychological catharsis
Sent gripplis to warn their tribe and contact the Ekujae
Persuaded Gerhard to abandon his destructive plans rather than engaging in combat
Explored and looted the ancient temple despite time pressure from pursuit

Unresolved threads:

Five remaining dragon pillars still need to be located and destroyed
Location and nature of the main Cinderclaw stronghold
Exact mechanism by which pillars control minds/enslave creatures
Potential reinforcements or reactions from Cinderclaw leadership to pillar losses
Possible encounter with the Elephant People mentioned in Nketiah's briefing
Bonuwat settlement or community that might provide additional cultural context or alliance

Rewards/loot:

Scroll of Dinosaur Form (Frazzle)
Scroll of Freedom of Movement (party stash)
Scroll of Remove Disease (party stash)
Ring of Fire Resistance / Wand of Resist Energy with 50 uses (party stash)
Three black powder kegs (2 Bulk each, 5d6 fire damage per keg in 20-foot radius) (Citadel Altaerein storage)
Destruction of second pillar (2 of 8)
Destruction of a third pillar appears imminent with Dinosaur Form scroll now available