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Session 64, Jesse Jack is Hot
Paldegora
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Session 64 – 2025-12-20
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Summary
Detail
The party decided that Adelle should remain upstairs in her home to maintain the illusion that the group was still in the house, keeping lights moving and creating sounds to deceive any watchers outside. Symon handed Adelle a potion of gaseous form, explaining its effects in detail: it would turn her and everything she wore into mist, allowing her to float through cracks, under doors, or even up chimneys, unaffected by most physical attacks except high winds or rare specialized magic. Adelle accepted it gratefully, hugged Symon, kissed his cheek, and went upstairs to continue the ruse.
The rest of the group descended into the dark passageway beneath the house. Eryn led with her infravision, while Cal provided additional light. As they entered the passage, Symon alone sensed a strange, subsonic humming pulse traveling through everything, originating from the northeast. He alerted the others. Angelique later confirmed a similar sensation, but the non-mages felt nothing. X'or checked upstairs with Adelle, who reported feeling nothing and hearing only her own movements.
The group proceeded cautiously. Eryn scouted ahead in the dark, checking for traps and finding none. The passage opened into a larger cavern. Multiple pulses occurred, growing stronger and originating from deeper within. The mages identified them as possibly disturbances in the magical weave, similar to but much smaller than the planet-wide event a month prior, possibly acting as beacons. Directions indicated the waves passed from northeast to southwest, seemingly through the rock itself.
In the cavern, the group discovered an old work table covered in blueprints, dried ink wells, carpenter tools, shelves with boxes, rolls of parchment, and an unlit lamp. The blueprints depicted various impractical wheelbarrow designs, suggesting Symon’s stepfather had obsessively attempted to invent or improve the wheelbarrow. Lighting the lamp revealed more shelves with miscellaneous items.
A stronger pulse emanated from a long, oblong box on a shelf, tied with ribbon and bearing a card reading “To Symon – Happy Frostfire Festival.” As Eryn and Cal searched further for the source of some crumbling rock sounds, an umber hulk burst out of the wall, surprising Eryn and attacking her. Combat ensued. The creature’s gaze affected several party members at different times and in different ways. Eryn took heavy damage early and fell unconscious briefly. Cassandra drew the creature’s attention with taunts and dealt significant damage. X’or charged in but was quickly reduced to low hit points. Angelique struck with a bow and Cassandra finished it off.
The party healed the wounded with rings, potions, and spells. Symon opened the box to find a note in familiar handwriting and a weathered wooden case containing a wand fashioned from petrified driftwood embedded with dull gems. He secured both. They proceeded further up some stairs and then up another set of stairs. A short was ahead of them, they found stairs going down into a flooded chamber. They moved closer and saw stairs leading up on the other side as well as a couple of other passage ways lead north and northeast.
Cal used his ring of water walking to scout and ferry others across deep water. Two more umber hulks ambushed the party separately, resulting in fierce combats. One battle happened in the water. Cal made short work of the creature but it hurt him as well. It's gaze caused confusion and some were unable to assist. Angelique fore a magic missile into it to finish it off.
As Cal and Eryn searched the chamber up the stairs on the other side, they found bones scattered on the floor and checked down a passage way in the south wall only to be attacked again. Eryn was brought to zero hit points but managed to survive with the help of Angelique healing bother her and Cal. They defeated that Umber Hulk. Cal carried Eryn back across the water so that Angelique could begin the process of healing her. Both she and Cal had taken a lot of damage. The party found loot among the bones: roughly 200 gold pieces and 10 assorted gems worth about 100 gold each.
They searched the two passages in the flooded chamber to see if they led anywhere. One was a dead end while the other led to stairs going up to another chamber. Again they found some scattered bones. Cassandra took the lead this time in case another Umber Hulk attacked. None did. Cal searched a passageway leading west and then south on the western wall of the chamber. He followed it and found a rusty metal ladder leading up to a trapdoor. When they tried to open it, they discovered that is was covered by overgrown weeds and vines. Cassandra helped stabilize and hold Cal while he forced the trapdoor open.
They emerged into the night air on the northeast edge of town amid heavy brush. Symon polymorphed into a dog to scout his home discreetly. He wanted to make sure Adelle was okay. She seemed safe as he could her talking as if they were still there with her. She was still maintaining the ruse. No immediate watchers were detected.
Guided by Captain Hurst, the party traveled north through brush and swamp, avoiding the main road. Symon shifted forms as needed for easier travel. They reached a ramshackle stilt-town over black water. Entering the noisy tavern, the group caused tension. People were sitting uneasy with some placing their hands on their hilts as if expecting a fight. A woman came out of a back room and began talking to Hurst. They knew each other well. It was Ashera. She spoke with him and after a tense few minutes, returned to the back room and invited someone to come out and speak with him. It was Jesse Jack Johnson. Obviously not the big mean half-orc they'd all been told about but a beautiful young woman.
She was revealed to be Lady Jessica Primrose Smythe. She shared her backstory: Captain Nathaniel Hawthorne attacked her family’s ship, killed most aboard, kidnapped her younger sister for Aphobis, and framed Jessica as a pirate. She adopted the Jesse Jack Johnson identity for revenge, designed the magical ship *The Blade* with her wild mage Karn (using plans from Sullivan Blazecaller), and hid in the swamp. Angelique recognized Sullivan as her father.
The party explained their quest involving dragons, the need for the Heart of the Dragon from Tim Montegue's Island (accessible only via *The Blade*), and their mission to rescue the princess and confront Hawthorne. Agreements were reached: the party would help rescue Princess Seraphine and deal with Hawthorne; Jessica would then sail them to Tim's Island. Once that was completed, they would aid Jessica in rescuing her sister in Nox.
Drinks were shared. Introductions were made under aliases. The group learned George Mary had long served Jessica’s family and survived the attack; Cabin Boy George cared for Persephone and appeared more confident. Plans were discussed for striking Hawthorne’s ship, possibly using the other ship they'd docked across from when they arrived. Hurst thought that could giove themn an advantage as they would recognize the ship as friendly where Hurst's ship was well known and would be attacked on sight.
This is where the session ended.
Please start the recorder.
Exp: 2000 + 200 = 2200