Shadowdark Session 3

6/8/26, 7:05-9pm

the Party

Arda, lvl1 halfling wizard apprentice, banished, lawful follower of Madeera (Kim)

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

Zeb, lvl1 (2!) goblin initiate-priest of Memnon, chaotic churgeon (Dan)

Yuri, lvl1 (2!) human wizard apprentice, noble, lawful follower of Ord (Stuart)

TL;DR

overland travel

• After fleeing the caves, Arda journeys through the night, returning to Corvin's Crest to resupply
• Camping overnight outside of the caves with Zeb and Yuri, Hiralia activates the blessing of Death's Sting
• Zeb, Yuri, and Hiralia meet up with Arda a few miles away from Corvin's Crest and return to town together

carousing in town

• Yuri bankrolls a riotous, celebratory bender for surviving the cave-delving, during which:
  • Arda burns down the Golden Castle
    • she is sentenced to three days' labor in the Grove and had a few possessions confiscated
    • she inadvertently endeared herself to those among the lizardfolk population who saw the Golden Castle as a nuisance
    • her time working the Grove is made a little more comfortable by lizardfolk offering tokens of appreciation
  • Hiralia passes out in the street
    • a black-robed figure with bad breath moves her into a more sheltered spot
    • she wakes to a note and map pinned to her clothes (read to her by Arda) inviting her to the ruined tower at midnight to meet others interested in the Shimmer
  • Zeb and Yuri lampoon Yuri's dad in song during a bar crawl across town
    • they and everyone in the vicinity have an extremely good time
    • their cutting wit earns them the admiration and friendship of Pol Symon, halfling bard
• Zeb, Yuri, an Hiralia turn over their exceptional slugs to Blugbort
  • he gives them a scroll of Hold Portal
  • he explains this will kick start his potion-brewing business
  • common slugs are really good for the skin

END

• The first day of Arda's Grovework passes as she and Hiralia plan to follow up on the note, the ruined tower, and the prospect of learning more about the Shimmer

Proper & Noteworthy Nouns

• Scorpion Idol of Death's Sting
• Corvin's Crest
  • The Grove, a meager farmland at the center of town
    • some of Arda's new lizardfolk buds
      • Tzatlin, proprietor of the Chippery
      • Qriszt, trapper
      • Krosk, leatherworker
  • The Mulch
    • The Golden Castle, a rat-infested shop of ill-repute selling used (faulty) adventuring gear
    • The Chippery, a tavern with leantos for lodging serving raw and fried aquatic animals
      • Blugbort the Nascent Slug Potioneer
      • Pol Symon, halfling bard of some renown, laying low after a long tour
• The Shimmer, strange areas of highly saturated and iridescent color, taboo and avoided by most
• Ras-tu'tan, Yuri's father, a stern wizard with strong ties to regional nobility, widely disliked

XP Gained

• Arda: 2XP
• Hiralia: 2XP
• Zeb: 4XP
• Yuri: 4XP

Reflections & Observations

Players

• solid RP!
• sense of more solid trajectory
• beginning to pursue character goals and challenges

GM

• shut up more!
• have reached critical mass and need to organize notes more formally now that we are branching out
• read through the book again

Action Items

• how do (we want) "allies" (to) work
• how do spell scrolls work
• obsidian idol - confirm, sell or keep?