Session 2: Ghosts, a Broken Teleporter, and the Mifflit King

S2 Recap — Ghosts, a Broken Teleporter, and the Mifflit King

TL;DR

The party finished mopping up the mifflits, found (and identified) a stripped, broken teleportation circle and a rubble-buried staircase, then got ambushed by a vengeful blood ghost that Visigoth exorcised. After a forced rest, they tracked laughing voices to a swamp-bridge nest, executed a climb-and-flank ambush, and crushed the crowned Mitflit "king" Skrawng and his warband (plus a spider-creature). Skrawng surrendered and spilled a pile of intel about Gauntlight's other dangers. He's now their roped prisoner/tour guide. (XP to be awarded at the start of next session.)

Previously on

S1: the party met in Otari, took a quest, traveled to Gauntlight Keep, crossed the first ruined building (killing a toad), and fought into rooms of mifflits — ending right after combat, before any looting or exploration.

What happened

Mifflit cleanup & interrogation. Two Mitflit survivors begged in Sakvroth. The party questioned them about a "boss" and tied them up. One died when a shit-bag gag made him choke; one was kept gagged as a prisoner.
Exploration finds. A hidden alcove with odd scraping grooves; a rubble-buried staircase going down (inaccessible); and floor carvings that turned out to be a broken teleportation circle — its silver/valuable materials had been carved out, so it's inert. The party also argued (out of character) over whether the wall-shattering magical battle here was ancient or recent; impressions conflicted.
The blood ghost. Cid forced a stuck steel door into a tall circular chamber with iron stairs spiraling ~100 ft up to a ceiling trapdoor, and a fresh bloodstain on the floor. A female elf/half-elf ghost rose from the blood, acting twice in a surprise round (cold eye-beams, negative damage, blood-draining screams). Veve's counter-performance and heals stabilized everyone; Visigoth exorcised it (big +3 background bonus on the check). It's only an image/remnant and is expected to return. Venris cleaned up the bloodstain with water and a rag, and the blood vanished into the floor cracks.
Rest & noises. Too risky to trek back to Otari at night, so they camped. They debated rest rules (armor off, watch order, fatigue). Mid-rest they heard scuttling and a slamming door.
The nest & the ambush. Following the noise to a swamp-bridge chamber full of nest-like rubble, sticks, and bones, they heard 3+ laughing voices (one deeper). They planned a pincer: Cid + Visigoth at the door, Venris + Veve climbing a ~15-ft wall to flank from above. The climb turned into a long, frustrating slog (failed grappling-hook throws, repeated catch-yourself rolls) and a table debate over how much in-game time a climb takes.
Boss fight. Against Skrawng (the crowned Mitflit "king"), his dart-throwing Mitflit minions, and a large non-spider spider-creature. Cid demoralized the boss (frightened 2) and, with Visigoth's guidance/snagging-strike support, butchered the spider and several mifflits. Venris sniped from the unstable roof (and fell prone once). Veve healed and threw out Divine Lance/shield. Skrawng poisoned a couple of PCs with blow darts and even crit-fumbled a dart into his own ally. Once his warband was dead, he threw down his trident and surrendered.
Aftermath. The party spared Skrawng, who named himself and dumped intel (below). They keep him roped as a prisoner/tour guide, looted the warband, dumped the dead in the river, set watches, and rested. Session called there.

Key intel from Skrawng (NPC — treat as in-world rumor)

Ghosts in the dining room.
A swamp/river "dragon" (drake) lives under the boathouse; it probably ate a group of "big, sneaky-looking people" who arrived about a week ago on a nearby island.
A pet creature named Buzz Buzz is kept behind the stable; it can't open doors but there's a hole in the ceiling of the room where the party slept.
He avoids the top of the lighthouse — there's a big ghost up there.
The mifflits were recently driven up from the dungeon level beneath Gauntlight by "mushroom-eye people" (a few days ago).

Loot

A trident (1 GP, marshal melee weapon).
Skrawng's blowgun + 7 blowgun darts (only 2 were poisoned; those poison darts noted separately).
A crown made of mud and rock (Skrawng's prized regalia — he begged them not to take it).
Per Mitflit: ~8 darts and a short sword. The spider-creature had nothing.

Open threads for next session

The blood ghost is only an image and is expected to return.
The swamp dragon / boathouse and the fate of the "big, sneaky-looking people."
Buzz Buzz is loose and could drop in through the ceiling hole.
The big ghost at the top of the lighthouse (the party's actual goal: the lights at the top).
The dungeon level beneath Gauntlight and the mushroom-eye people who hold it.
The blocked downward staircase and the broken teleportation circle (destination unknown, within ~1,000 miles).
XP has not been awarded yet — the GM will hand it out at the start of next session.

Scene timeline (8)

00:00:00	Pregame setup and recap of Session 1 Table sorts out streaming, Hero Forge minis, and Foundry/broadcast tooling. Players recap Session 1: they met at a tavern in Otari, took a quest, traveled to Gauntlight Keep, crossed the ruins' first building, killed a toad, and fought through rooms of mifflits, ending right after combat without searching the area. A melee PC's weapon was reflavored/upgraded between sessions, and the table jokes that the rogue keeps pocketing money. [S2 · 00:00:47 · turn 0008 · scene 001]
00:09:52	Interrogating the surrendered mifflits After the Mitflit fight, two survivors beg for their lives in Sakvroth (voiced by Venris and the GM). The party questions them about the area and their 'boss.' The mifflits say they were 'getting ready' on orders but were never told a plan. The party ties them up; one is killed after a shit-bag gag goes wrong (he chokes), and one is kept gagged as a prisoner. [S2 · 00:11:22 · turn 0118 · scene 002]
00:17:35	Exploration: hidden alcove, blocked staircase, and the teleportation circle While Veve spends ~30 minutes regaining focus/spells, the others explore. They find a hidden alcove with strange scraping grooves, a rubble-buried staircase leading down that they can't access, and odd carvings in the floor. After several checks, the party identifies the carvings as a broken/inert teleportation circle whose silver and valuable materials were carved out. They also debate, out of character, how recent the magical battle that wrecked the walls was (Visigoth thinks recent, Venris thinks legendary/ancient). [S2 · 00:19:41 · turn 0209 · scene 003]
00:49:02	The iron-stairs chamber and the blood ghost (haunt) Cid forces open a stuck steel door into a tall circular room with iron stairs winding up to a trapdoor in the ceiling ~100 feet above. A fresh-looking bloodstain marks the floor as if a human-sized creature recently bled to death. A ghastly female elf/half-elf ghost rises from the blood and acts twice in a surprise round, blasting the party with cold blue eye-beams and negative damage (Fortitude saves), draining blood and screaming. Veve's counter-performance and heals keep the party up; Visigoth (with a +3 exorcism background bonus) successfully exorcises the apparition. They learn it is only an image/remnant of the spirit and will return; Venris wipes the bloodstain away with water and a rag, and the blood vanishes into the stone cracks. [S2 · 00:57:25 · turn 0584 · scene 004]
01:33:15	First aid, watch order, and resting decision Drained and near half HP, the party decides to camp rather than trek back through the forest to Otari at night. They debate Rest mechanics (sleeping in armor causes fatigue; fatigued after 16 hours without rest). Visigoth treats wounds (more proficient than Veve), and the party heals up, removes armor to rest, and sets a watch order. An extended out-of-game break for minis/tooling fills part of this stretch. As they settle in, they hear scuttling and a door slamming closed nearby. [S2 · 01:39:57 · turn 0971 · scene 005]
02:21:32	Tracking the noises and the climb-and-flank gambit Investigating the noises, the party finds a large nest-like chamber on a bridge over the swamp, with rubble, sticks, and bones piled like foul nests. They hear more than three voices laughing, one deeper than the rest, and the laughing starts when the door opens. They plan a pincer: Cid and Visigoth stay at the door while Venris and Veve jump out and climb a ~15-foot wall to flank from above. A long, contentious sequence over climbing rules and how much in-game time passes ensues (grappling-hook fails, repeated athletics climb checks). Eventually both reach the top, the laughing mifflits spot Veve, she yells for the others, and initiative is rolled. [S2 · 02:30:00 · turn 1381 · scene 006]
02:55:51	Boss fight: Skrawng's Mitflit warband and the spider-creature The party battles the crowned Mitflit 'king' boss (Skrawng) on his rubble throne, several Mitflit minions with darts/blowguns (some poisoned) and short swords, and a large non-spider spider-creature. Cid (rapier) demoralizes the boss (frightened 2) and, with Visigoth's guidance/snagging strike support, butchers the spider and multiple mifflits. Venris shoots from the unstable roof, falling prone at one point. Veve heals and casts Divine Lance/shield. The boss poisons targets with blow darts and even crit-fumbles a dart into his own ally. With his warband dead, the boss throws down his trident and surrenders. [S2 · 02:59:57 · turn 1666 · scene 007]
03:58:49	Interrogating Skrawng, looting, and resting The party spares the surrendered boss, who names himself Skrawng (king of the mifflits). Loot from the warband: a trident (1 GP marshal melee weapon), Skrawng's blowgun and 7 blowgun darts (only 2 were poisoned), a mud-and-rock crown, plus ~8 darts and a short sword per Mitflit; the spider-creature carried nothing. Skrawng reveals key intel: ghosts in the dining room, a swamp/river 'dragon' (drake) under the boathouse that likely ate a group of big, sneaky people who arrived about a week ago; a pet creature named Buzz Buzz kept behind the stable; he avoids the top of the lighthouse (a big ghost there); and the mifflits were recently driven up from the dungeon level beneath Gauntlight by 'mushroom-eye people.' The party keeps the boss as a roped prisoner/tour guide, ties up the survivor, dumps the dead in the river, takes watches, and rests. Session ends; XP to be awarded next time. [S2 · 04:13:07 · turn 2353 · scene 008]

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