Session 40: The Empty Death, a Freed Mummy, and Back Into the Dark

S40 Recap: The Empty Death, a Freed Mummy, and Back Into the Dark

TL;DR

Still reeling from Venris's ruined arm (a curse/affliction that wrecks his sleep and gives him fatigue), the party pieced together the lore of Nimbaloth — the Empty Death — and connected it to Belcorra's journal and a passage from Tarnak's journal about a "touch" that erases hands from existence. They pushed back into the Gauntlight, fought their starving ghoul "friend" (now ghoul-fungus reinforcements and will-o-wisps), then freed and tried to bargain with Shaqim, a knowledgeable old mummy trapped by a traitor named Jafiky. The negotiation soured when Shaqim started handing out chores, so the party left to scout — and rolled straight into another fight with the self-reviving skeletons. Venris nearly died several times across the night but closed strong with a crit from a brand-new light hammer.

Previously on

The party spent a long downtime in Otari shopping and talking with townsfolk, including Menhez/Menhem, whose children are sick (apparently unrelated to Venris's arm). They noticed a strange light coming from the keep (the Gauntlight) as they left, and a mummy still sits locked away in the dungeon, imprisoned long ago by a traitor. Venris's hand was lost touching the rotting corruption last time, and the day ended with the party going to sleep.

What happened

Venris woke from nightmares he can't remember; trying to recall them makes it worse. His ruined arm leaves him fatigued — a -1 status penalty to AC and saves, and no exploration activities — but he insisted he could still go in, leaving it as the party's call. He bought a peppy drink to force himself upright.
The party dug into the corruption's lore. Nimbaloth, the Empty Death, is a force-of-nature "goddess" (contrasted with the prayable Pharasma) whose whole point is to consume everything until nothing remains. Belcorra's journal speaks of "the mouth" — feeding a place that touched the Empty Death so Nimbaloth can feed through it. A quoted passage from Tarnak's journal describes "her touch": a ring of seven shallow pits where no plant grows, and the feeling that putting a hand in one would leave you with no hand at all. Venris reads his lost hand and nightmares as a brush with this Empty Death.
Back into the Gauntlight's main entrance, the party found gnawed bodies and recognized the work of their starving ghoul. They caught it eating corpses and fought it, plus reinforcements (ghoul-fungus types) and will-o-wisps. Venris fights one-handed now with a morphing metal rapier-arm (ghost-touch, striking blade).
The fight was a grind: Veve flashed a counter-performance, threw a book, and propped the party up with bardic songs; Venris split off to take the wisps and dropped to roughly a third of his HP, burning hero points and his Lucky Number reaction to stay alive; Cid worked the front with his aura, snagging strike, and a sudden charge, finishing one foe by ripping it in half.
After a break and a full heal (Venris patched back to full, though the fatigue penalty stuck), the party debated the portal/teleport circles, a shortcut to a deeper level, and a possible detour to Otari for Belcorra/Rose Guard lore. They crossed the "Stinky Mushroom Room" that nearly killed them once, then chose to deal with the imprisoned mummy first.
Venris magically picked the lock (Knock + Thievery with his Kalen key) and the party freed Shaqim, a cloaked, knowledgeable mummy trapped ages ago by a traitor, Jafiky. He warned of mimics, monsters, and the Sugasti — swamp creatures clever enough to use alchemy and lay traps. The talk went sideways: Veve accidentally scared Shaqim, and when he started handing out "orders"/chores, Venris flatly refused to play servant. The party broke off to scout, promising to come back for information.
Scouting a new, expansive glowing room triggered Venris's Oracular Warning (initiative bonus + temp HP) as they rolled into combat against the reviving skeletons. Venris flubbed a feint and brushed death yet again, but turned it around by drawing a new striking light hammer and landing a crit sneak-attack while flanking with Cid; the skeletons fell. The session ended mid-dungeon with the party wondering if they leveled up.

NPC and location notes

Shaqim: a knowledgeable, cloaked mummy freed by the party this session; trapped long ago by a traitor (Jafiky/Jafuki). Friendly-ish but quickly bossy; the "deal" (free him, he helps) is now strained.
Menhez/Menhem: Otari NPC whose children are sick — flagged as seemingly unrelated to Venris's affliction, but worth watching.
Belcorra and her journal: central to the Empty Death lore; she fed "the mouth" at a place that touched Nimbaloth. The party debated visiting the Rose Guard fanboy NPC (Otari) for more on what happened after Otari died.
Locations: Otari (town), the Gauntlight/Abomination Vaults, the Dawnflower Library area, the Stinky Mushroom Room, and the unactivated portal/teleport circles.

Loot and mechanics

Party level: 6 (standard DC 22 referenced).
Venris fights one-handed with a morphing metal rapier-arm (ghost-touch, striking blade) and a thrower's bandolier (chakram, and a new +1 striking light hammer that crit hard).
Venris is fatigued from his arm affliction: -1 status to AC and saves, no exploration activities; persists all session.
Heavy hero-point and reaction use (Lucky Number, Oracular Warning) kept Venris alive through repeated near-death moments.
He also learned a Bola is thrown-only (can't be used as a melee weapon), prompting the light-hammer purchase.

Decisions made

Go into the dungeon despite Venris's fatigue (left as the party's choice; they went).
Deal with the imprisoned mummy before touching the portal/teleport circles.
Free Shaqim — but refuse to follow his orders/do chores, straining the deal rather than serving him.
Leave to scout and return later for Shaqim's information.

Open questions / reminders for next session

What does Shaqim actually know, and will he still help after the party refused his orders? They promised to return.
The portal/teleport circles remain unactivated; the shortcut to a deeper level is open.
Belcorra's journal, "the mouth," and Tarnak's journal point at Nimbaloth/the Empty Death feeding through a corrupted place — the through-line for Venris's arm and nightmares.
Possible detour to Otari (the Rose Guard fanboy) for lore on Belcorra and what happened after Otari died.
Menhez's sick children — flagged as unrelated, but unresolved.
Did the party level up at session end? (They wondered aloud.)
Venris still wants his hand restored.

Scene timeline (7)

00:00:09	Recap of the town downtime and the keep's light The table recaps where they left off: a big shopping/downtime stretch in Otari, lots of talking with Menhez/Menhem (whose children are sick, seemingly unrelated to Venris's affliction), and a conversation with a sick child. They note the mummy still locked in a room by a traitor, and that there was a strange light coming from the keep (the Gauntlight) when they left. The day ended and the party went to sleep without waking yet. Venris is still suffering from his arm affliction and the resulting fatigue. [S40 · 00:01:02 · turn 0003 · scene 001]
00:11:07	Venris's affliction, and lore on Nimbaloth and Belcorra's journal Venris wakes from nightmares; his ruined arm gives him fatigue (a -1 status penalty to AC and saves, and he cannot perform exploration activities), and trying to remember the dreams makes it worse. He buys a peppy drink/coffee from a vendor and forces himself to be ready. The party does recall-knowledge on the corruption: Nimbaloth (the Empty Death) is a goddess-like force of nature that consumes everything until nothing remains, contrasted with Pharasma. They tie this to Belcorra's journal, which mentions feeding 'the mouth' so Nimbaloth can feed through a place that touched the Empty Death, and to a passage from Tarnak's journal about 'her touch' (a ring of seven shallow pits where no plant grows). Venris reads his lost hand and nightmares as a brush with the Empty Death. The party decides to head into the dungeon anyway. [S40 · 00:15:55 · turn 0064 · scene 002]
00:42:54	Into the Gauntlight: the starving ghoul ambush The party re-enters the dungeon (the main entrance of the keep) and finds gnawed bodies with bite marks. They recognize the work of their 'ghoulish friend that was starving' and roll initiative as it is found eating the corpses. The fatigued Venris fights with his new metal rapier-arm (a striking blade he can morph from his arm); the GM calls 'He's eating the bodies. Kill him!'. The fight opens with positioning and sneak attacks; the party also realizes the foes can turn others into ghouls (ghoul fungus). [S40 · 00:46:31 · turn 0232 · scene 003]
01:01:07	Ghouls and will-o-wisps: a grinding fight The encounter expands as will-o-wisps join the ghouls. Veve uses a counter-performance (a visual 'flash' bit) and bardic songs (Courageous Anthem, Rallying, Soothe), and throws a book at an enemy. Venris splits off to handle the wisps with his ghost-touch rapier-arm and sneak attack, throws a chakram, and repeatedly dances near death (down to ~27 of 66 HP), spending hero points and his Lucky Number reaction to survive. Cid (the fighter) works the front with Martial/Dread aura, snagging strike, sudden charge, and a dramatic killing blow ('I pierce in from below straight to the heart, ripping his body in half'). The party clears the ghouls and wisps but is battered. [S40 · 01:18:58 · turn 0478 · scene 004]
01:46:11	Break, healing, and the road back to the mummy After a break, the party heals up (Battle Medicine and bardic support bring Venris back to full, though the fatigue penalty persists). They navigate the dungeon, debating the portal/teleport circles, the shortcut to a deeper level, and whether to revisit Otari (the Rose Guard fanboy NPC) for lore on Belcorra and what happened after Otari died. They cross the 'Stinky Mushroom Room' that almost killed them once, holding their breath and using the bottle. The party decides to deal with the imprisoned mummy first before touching the portal. Venris magically picks the mummy's lock (Knock plus Thievery, using his Kalen key). [S40 · 02:11:13 · turn 0796 · scene 005]
02:18:14	Negotiating with Shaqim, the freed mummy The party opens the door and frees Shaqim, a knowledgeable, cloaked mummy trapped long ago by a traitor named Jafiky/Jafuki. They remind him they kept their word. Shaqim warns the place is teeming with danger (mimics, monsters) and speaks of the Sugasti ('Sugasty') swamp creatures that are smart enough to use alchemy and lay traps. Venris overshares about his arm and the Empty Death, asking if Shaqim recognizes the affliction; Veve accidentally Demoralizes/scares the mummy by casting on herself, briefly raising tensions. Cid tries to keep things civil and extract information, but Shaqim starts giving 'orders'/chores; Venris refuses to be treated as a servant and the deal frays. The party leaves to scout, promising to return for information. [S40 · 02:19:30 · turn 0846 · scene 006]
02:41:03	Scouting onward and the reviving skeleton fight The party scouts a new, expansive glowing room. Venris's Oracular Warning triggers (granting initiative bonus and temporary HP) as they roll into combat against skeletons that revive — the same self-resurrecting foes they fought before. Venris flubs a feint and dances near death again, while Cid (with Martial aura and a striking weapon) holds the line. The decisive turn comes when Venris draws a new striking light hammer from his thrower's bandolier and crits with a sneak-attack flanking strike ('this hammer is cool'), and Cid follows up; the skeletons go down. The session ends mid-dungeon as the party wonders if they leveled, with Venris joking he may now main the light hammer. [S40 · 02:45:20 · turn 0992 · scene 007]

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