Session 5: The Light That Calls From Below

S5 — The Light That Calls From Below

TL;DR: Newly level 5, the party fought a toxic quill-spider that Gauntlight teleported into the Otari graveyard (Venris nearly died at 1 HP). The shaken town and its mayor formally hired them to descend below the keep and stop whatever is happening; the tavernkeeper Yasmer also asked them to find a missing group of her employees. After resting, shopping (Venris bought a writing set for copying maps and a wakizashi), and squeezing a fresh map copy out of Boss Crog, they returned to the keep, killed two poser Nimbaloth cultists, and pressed into a brand-new lower dungeon level. There Venris read a glowing plea — "I was Otari... Save me from below!" — and obsessively chased the resulting green ribbon of light deeper down, straight into a room of magical mist as the session ended.

Previously on

Last session ended with the party leveling to 5 amid an undead attack at the cemetery, as zombies and skeletons fell behind the library and a bright light from Gauntlight focused on the adventurers.

What happened

Blinded in the graveyard. The Gauntlight beam flared bright enough to blind the party. Out of the light, a large green spiny spider-like creature was teleported into the graveyard and immediately attacked Venris with quills. The fight happened in near-total darkness — only the dark-vision characters could see.
The quill-spider fight. The creature was coated in slick toxic oil (hard to grapple), sprayed acid/poison cones, and spoke Undercommon/Sakvroth, claiming it was "sent here to feed" and taunting the party. It nearly one-shot Venris, who dropped to 1 HP after a ~20-damage bite and fled toward the barricade in a panic; Veve failed to stop him. Venris ultimately landed the killing blow (narrated cinematically) and the spider was obliterated.
Reading the scene. Knowledge checks confirmed the spider was teleported in, while the zombies/skeletons were locally reanimated. Venris spent ten minutes trying to harvest the spider's poison but failed (oil too slick, vials too thin). The skeletons had no loot.
The town hires the party. At the library the frightened townsfolk and the mayor (heard as Menhem/Mandhem) begged for help; Rin was vindicated ("I wasn't crazy"). The town offered 50 gold apiece to go below the keep, find the source, and stop it. Venris's bid for 50% up front was rebuffed by a half-folk library girl who seems to know him — but after he showed his wounds she begrudgingly healed the party.
A second job. The tavern barkeep Yasmer asked them to find a group of her employees who went up to the keep and never returned, offering another 50 gold total.
Rest, research, shopping. Long rest at the mayor's manor. Library research turned up the founding myth — the Rose Guard came from Absalom and slew the evil Belcorra, founding Otari — but no record of any basement or way down. Venris bought a signal whistle, crowbar, and a writing set (to copy maps), and a wakizashi from the blacksmith ("Carman / Blades for Gladys," Cid's would-be boyfriend).
Back to the keep. The bodies the party left last time were gone, and the floor map they relied on had been scuffed away. Boss Crog (the mitflit leader) dislikes Venris; Visigoth/Abbas — the "reasonable one" — talked him into drawing a fresh copy (they ended up with two).
Poser cultists. Two hooded Nimbaloth cultists were praying at an altar with the dead thief's body on it. The party killed both (one impaled through the skull by the new wakizashi). They turned out to be fakes/posers, not real Nimbaloth initiates, uselessly casting harm on the corpse. Loot: flails, daggers, leather armor.
Down the rabbit hole. Choosing stairs over the boats, the party descended past Belcorra's office into a previously-unknown lower level. A hidden pivoting passage (behind a chair) and a vaulted hall led to a washroom where Venris read glowing common letters: "I was Otari... Save me from below!" The words became a fast green ribbon of light. Venris chased it obsessively through rising skeletons, more magic, and finally into a room full of magical white mist — the cliffhanger.

Key NPC & location notes

Rin — the local "cuckoo lady" seer, now taken seriously; too claustrophobic to go underground herself. Believes Belcorra's essence/spirit channels the light through the cupola.
The mayor of Otari (Menhem/Mandhem — name uncertain) — hired the party; offers manor lodging and town support, but wants it done fast.
Yasmer — tavern barkeep; hired the party to find her missing, overconfident employees who went to the keep.
Half-folk library girl — runs/guards the library, seems to have history with Venris; healed the party.
Boss Crog — mitflit leader at the keep; hostile to Venris, friendly to Visigoth/Abbas; redrew the dungeon map.
Belcorra — the evil figure the Rose Guard slew when founding Otari; the wall plea ("I was Otari") and the light from below suggest her spirit/essence lingers below the cupola.
Gauntlight — the lighthouse/keep whose beam teleports creatures (the spider) and seems tied to the undead surge.

Loot & mechanics

Party reached level 5 (carried over from last session).
Looted from cultists: flails, daggers, leather armor (mundane).
Bought: signal whistle, crowbar, writing set (enables copying maps), wakizashi (deadly d8, versatile P).
Acquired two copies of the keep map from Boss Crog.
Healing wand handed to Visigoth/Abbas (only PC trained to use it; Venris and Veve failed to learn it).
Rules clarified: no surprise rounds (roll stealth for initiative; creatures that already noticed you are not off-guard); treat-wounds/first-aid ordering; sustaining/attaching the light spell.

Open questions for next session

What is in the misty room Venris just walked into, alone and ahead of the party?
Who/what is Otari, and what does "Save me from below" mean — is this Belcorra, or her victim?
Where are Yasmer's missing employees (and what's in the boat they left)?
Will the party split the now-scattered formation safely, given a horned skeleton and unknown threats between them?

Next-session reminders

The party is deep in a newly discovered lower level, scattered, with Venris alone in a misty room.
Two paid quests are active: clear the source below the keep (50 gp each) and find Yasmer's missing crew (50 gp total).
They still haven't checked the boats/boathouse or some upper rooms.

Scene timeline (12)

00:00:11	Pregame table chatter Players catch up before the game: late-night driving stories, a friend's forgotten phone, general banter. No game content. [S5 · 00:00:11 · turn 0001 · scene 001]
00:01:50	Recap of Session 4 Speaker B delivers an in-character recap of the previous session: descending from the lighthouse/keep, fighting Buzzy Buzz and maggots, Cid getting grabbed and nearly killed by a maggot, leaving the heap, spotting Nimbaloth cultists, returning to Otari to shop (alchemist's toolkit, identifying potions), the failed seduction of the sexist blacksmith who bonded with Cid instead, lodging arrangements, and finally the cemetery undead attack where zombies and skeletons fell behind the library. The recap ends as the party levels up to level 5 and a bright light from Gauntlight focuses on them. [S5 · 00:01:55 · turn 0015 · scene 002]
00:11:59	The blinding light and the teleported quill-spider The Gauntlight beam intensifies and blinds the party (one perception fumble jokingly explained as a bug in the eye). A large green spiny spider-like creature is teleported into the graveyard and immediately launches quills at Venris. Initiative starts and the new fight begins in near-total darkness, with only the dark-vision characters able to see. [S5 · 00:12:04 · turn 0084 · scene 003]
00:20:50	Fighting the quill-spider in the dark Extended combat against the toxic-oil quill-spider. Cid grapples it (slick/oily, hard to hold); the creature speaks Undercommon/Sakvroth, says it was sent to feed, and taunts 'You tools are nothing against me, die.' It sprays acid/poison oil cones, nearly one-shots Venris (down to 1 HP after a 20-damage bite). Venris, scared, runs for the barricade; Veve fails to physically stop him. The GM makes several rulings (checking monster HP, sustaining the light spell, movement/flanking). Eventually Venris lands the killing blow (resolved with a hero-point/cinematic reroll narration) and the spider is obliterated. Venris ends prone at 1 HP. [S5 · 00:22:07 · turn 0187 · scene 004]
01:14:15	Aftermath: looting the spider and the cleared graveyard The graveyard is cleared; the Gauntlight beam dims but is not fully off. The party determines (via knowledge checks) that the spider was teleported in while the zombies/skeletons were reanimated locally. Venris spends ten minutes trying to extract the spider's poison but fails a crafting check (vials too thin, oil too slick). Visigoth has already left for the library. The skeletons carry no loot. The party heads to report to Rin / the library. [S5 · 01:16:24 · turn 0727 · scene 005]
01:23:10	The library, the mayor, and the town's plea At the library the party meets the mayor (heard as Menhem/Mandhem) and frightened townsfolk. Rin is vindicated ('I told you guys, I wasn't crazy'). The town and mayor formally hire the party to descend below the keep, find the source, and stop it, offering 50 gold apiece. Venris tries to negotiate 50% up front; the half-folk library girl (who seems to know him) tells him off but, after he points to his wounds, begrudgingly heals the party. The tavern barkeep separately asks them to find a missing group of her employees who went to the keep and never returned, offering another 50 gold total. The mayor offers the party lodging at his manor. Includes an extended out-of-game break. [S5 · 01:24:15 · turn 0804 · scene 006]
02:03:36	Rest, library research, and morning shopping The party takes a long rest. Visigoth/Abbas researches the library, learning the Rose Guard founded Otari after slaying the evil Belcorra (they came from Absalom), but finds no mention of any basement or way down. In the morning the party shops: Venris buys a signal whistle, crowbar, and a writing set (to copy maps), then visits the weapon-shop blacksmith ('Carman / Blades for Gladys', Cid's would-be boyfriend) and buys a wakizashi (a 'weeb' weapon). Veve performs music to little appreciation. Visigoth revisits Yasmer to ask about her missing employees. The party reconvenes with Rin, who warns of mushroom-folk and the poultice creatures and hopes they find Belcorra's resting place below the cupola. [S5 · 02:08:03 · turn 1009 · scene 007]
02:31:18	Back to the keep: Boss Crog and the copied map The party returns to the keep. The bodies they previously left have been cleared away (a clue). They find Boss Crog (the mitflit leader) and his surviving buddy in the back room; the floor map they had relied on has been scuffed/cleaned away. Boss Crog dislikes Venris and refuses him, and intimidation rolls fail. Visigoth/Abbas, the 'reasonable one' the boss likes, negotiates a fresh copy of the map (takes ten minutes; they end up with two copies). Meanwhile Venris scouts ahead and finds two hooded Nimbaloth cultists praying at an altar, with the looted thief's body laid on the altar and a flail at their side. [S5 · 02:32:43 · turn 1229 · scene 008]
02:55:57	Combat: the Nimbaloth poser cultists at the altar The party engages the two hooded cultists. A rules discussion establishes there are no surprise rounds; they roll stealth for initiative, and the cultists are not off-guard (they noticed the party but kept praying). Venris opens with arrows, then closes with rapier/wakizashi; Cid grapples and snags; Visigoth/Abbas uses divine lance; Veve keeps missing arrows (breaking windows) and gives guidance. The cultists cast weak harm, divine lance, grim tendrils, and bless for minor void damage; one taunts 'Asma is nothing compared to our lady.' Both cultists die, one impaled through the skull by Venris's wakizashi. Post-fight, the cultists are revealed as posers/fakes (not real Nimbaloth initiates) who were uselessly casting harm on the dead thief. [S5 · 03:02:31 · turn 1529 · scene 009]
03:36:23	Looting the cultists and healing/bleed cleanup The party loots the cultist bodies: flails, daggers, and leather armor. A messy bleed/treat-wounds sequence plays out (Venris has persistent bleed; Veve heals him but a misordered first-aid/treat-wounds attempt and a natural 1 cause confusion). The bleed is eventually stopped. Venris hands the healing wand to Visigoth/Abbas, the only one trained to use it; Venris and Veve both fail to learn to use it. [S5 · 03:48:24 · turn 1939 · scene 010]
03:54:16	Descending the lower levels and chasing the green light The party decides to go downstairs rather than check the boats. Using the copied map (shared via Discord), they descend past Belcorra's office into a new dungeon level, finding empty/decrepit rooms, a hidden pivoting passage revealed by a chair pushed against a wall, and a vaulted hallway with broken metal brackets. In a washroom Venris reads glowing common words on the wall: 'I was Otari... Save me from below!', which transform into a green ribbon of light that slithers off at 20 ft speed. Venris obsessively chases the light deeper and deeper, ignoring warning signs (a rising horned skeleton that Abbas narrowly outruns, the magical green light, and finally a room of magical white mist that Venris walks straight into). The session ends on a cliffhanger as Venris enters the misty room and Abbas's eyes widen in alarm. [S5 · 03:55:57 · turn 2012 · scene 011]
04:38:35	Postgame wrap-up and scheduling Out-of-game debrief: the table reflects that combat now flows well but exploration is still finding its feet, and that the town roleplay improved after the break. They discuss starting earlier next week (possibly 9 instead of 10) and the GM jokingly tells everyone to 'have a new character ready' given the cliffhanger. [S5 · 04:39:10 · turn 2369 · scene 012]

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