Shadowdark Session 2

5/25/26, 7-9pm

the Party

Hiralia, lvl1 elvish seeker-priest of the Lost, neutral, wanted (Sophia)

Zeb, lvl1 goblin initiate-priest of Memnon, chaotic churgeon (Dan)

Yuri, lvl1 human wizard apprentice, noble, lawful follower of Ord (Stuart)

TL;DR

caves

• net trap hidden under loose gravel
  • went unnoticed and sprung by Zeb (dodged)
  • contained potion of invisibility that Zeb drank to discover the effect
• crumbling wall
  • lots of discussion, but got through by easily digging
  • favorite attempt: Yuri tries to press the invisible Zeb through the dirt
• vine cavern: enormous, thick, sturdy vines grow from the walls and floor
  • a wraith hovers in the western side, bound to a particular spot
    • Zeb calls out to it and it responds with caution through anguished wails, desiring its corpse be put to rest
    • grappling down (Yuri downed again, revived by Zeb after Hiralia's spell fails) reveals a firm floor punctuated by vines, easier to navigate
    • corpse is found and put to rest: internment in a cairn, topped by Zeb's lucky rocks
    • wraith is released and its treasure found: an obsidian scorpion idol of death's sting
  • entrance to the sunken Keep of the Immortal Hoard in the western wall (noted, not investigated)
  • partially-blocked corridor to the east (noted, not investigated)
• exit
  • SLUG HUNT

END

• camping in safety, using three torches to create a nice bonfire

Proper & Noteworthy Nouns

• Keep of the Immortal Hoard
• Scorpion Idol of Death's Sting

XP Gained Per Player: 7

Reflections & Observations

Players

• I think we're so used to high-level magical crunchy thinking, and sometimes the best option is the simplest one and consequently hardest to see:
  • grappling hook to descend below the roots
  • burying the wraith body
• Everyone's characters are really shining through, even within some really tight RP windows!
• Non-combat solution to wraith was EXTREMELY GOOD because, in addition to being brilliant:
  • he was extremely powerful with 30+ HP and attacks for 1d8 with life-drain
  • Zeb's approach softened him up, leading him to ask the party for help rather than attack

GM

• it's ok to make direct suggestions in the interest of learning what is possible, or listing off options
• telegraph danger, telegraph abilities, telegraph effects, telegraph telegraph telegraph
• hard to make a call and keep things moving in a new game--the impulse to look through the book in the moment is strong
  • maybe this is fine, skill at adjudication needs to come from being familiar with the games' vibe and structure

Action Items

• how do we want to discover the usage of magic items
• carousing: down time, turn gold to xp; can we do it?
• camping: are we doing it right? probably
• slugs: give slugs, get stuff? (goblin wizard)
• try to find the spots where we can have more RP