Recap from last session

You can read the full account here: The Bay of Spirits Part 11

The five companions have entered the Lich Lords lair in search of the vail that contains his spirit.

Culdus uncovers a hidden doorway within the ancient, dust-laden library, his careful touch revealing a secret long concealed in the stone. The madman behind him grows frantic, warning against what lies beyond. As the air thickens with tension and forgotten magic, the weight of history hangs in the balance. The vial—and fate itself—awaits beyond the threshold.

Escape from the Lich Lords Lair

The unfolding chaos.

The air within the library was heavy, laden with the mustiness of ancient knowledge and the faint whiff of decay. Culdus, the Acolyte, his trembling hands clutching the hem of his robe, stood before the newly discovered secret door. His companions, wary but intrigued, gathered behind him. The madman who wandered the library’s shadows seemed momentarily forgotten, his mutterings blending into the oppressive silence of the room.

Question, can the companions see the vail? Yes.

As the door creaked open, a chilling gust of air escaped, damp and almost alive. The room revealed was small—30 feet wide and 20 feet deep—but it seemed to breathe with an uncanny energy. At the far end of the chamber stood three tables, their dark mahogany surfaces gleaming unnaturally. Towering above all other objects, resting atop the centre table, was the Lich Lord’s Veil. It shimmered despite the dim light, translucent like spun moonlight and shadow. Culdus froze, the hair on the back of his neck prickling. The veil radiated power, a presence so palpable it seemed to hum in harmony with the room itself. This was the artefact that anchored the Lich Lord to this plane—a talisman of untold darkness.

Question: does Culdus sense magic in the room? Yes.

“I feel it,” Culdus murmured, his voice strained, almost reverent. “Magic. It’s alive.”

As Culdus and Strawberri next to him nervously stepped into the chamber, the very fabric of the room seemed to rebel. The walls began to ripple, bending and twisting as though liquid. The chamber warps subtly at first—a table in the distance flickers, the position of the vial seeming to change slightly. Dust swirls unnaturally in the torchlight, and a deep, unsettling hum resonates beneath their feet.

Questiom: Is this an illusion? Yes.

Hew steps forward, gripping his amulet of true sight. As he focuses, the illusion unravels around him—the room’s walls are unstable, flickering between different positions. The vial shifts repeatedly, appearing on different tables, as if trying to confuse them. He sees the truth: only one vial is real, and the rest are false echoes conjured by the Lich Lord’s power.

Hew’s impulsiveness drives him forward—he sees through the illusion and refuses to hesitate. His fingers close around the vial, but the moment he touches it, the room reacts violently.

The shifting chamber—now fully awakened—roars to life. The walls lurch, twisting like a living entity. The tables flicker, their edges warping into jagged, shifting fragments. The illusion, desperate to hold power, refuses to break easily.

For a heartbeat, Hew feels resistance, as if the vial itself doesn’t want to be taken. Then—a sudden pulse—magic surges through his body, momentarily disorienting him.

The others watch in alarm.

Culdus and strawberri make a saving roll against magic to see if they are affected by the illusion, Culdus needs to roll 12 or higher on d20, he get 13, Strawberri needs 17 or higher and rolls 18, lucky. They see through the illusion and follow Hew, they grab him and try to pull him out of the room, while he still clutches the vail.

Culdus and Strawberri, their minds cutting through the magical deception, seize Hew and pull him toward safety—but the shifting chamber refuses to let them go easily.

The walls tremble. The illusion fractures, struggling to maintain control. The room reshapes itself again, passages twisting, exits vanishing, new obstacles forming in an act of desperation. The vial in Hew’s grasp pulses—was this truly its last defense, or is the Lich Lord reaching through reality to reclaim his essence?

Karina’s voice rings out, cutting through the chaos—a melody woven with determination, urging strength into her companions. The shifting chamber shudders in response, as if resisting the sheer force of her song, yet her magic lingers, bolstering Culdus, Strawberri, and Hew as they fight to escape.

Rhian watches in horror, frozen in place, her torchlight flickering against the warping walls. Meanwhile, the mad librarian—already teetering on the edge of sanity—descends further, his mutterings unraveling into frantic, incoherent bursts. Whether he sees something none of them can or is simply lost to his own madness, his reaction only deepens the uncertainty.

As Culdus, Strawberri, and Hew struggle against the shifting chamber, the secret door starts to grind shut—the very walls conspiring to trap them inside.

Karina and Rhian make a strength attribute check to hold the door, and allow the others to escape. Karina fails hers, but Rhian makes the roll, just.

Karina and Rhian, seeing the door begin to close, quickly rush to the door to try and keep it open allowing the other to escape, Karina despite her rousing song, falters under the strain, but Rhian, overcoming her fear, plants her feet and holds firm, using all her strength but only slowing the door as it continues to close. Then Strawberri is beside her, adding her strength at the last moment, the two barely keeping the door open as Culdus and Hew stagger through.

The shifting chamber groans, its magic buckling under the companions’ defiance. Hew still clutches the vial, the pulse of enchantment thrumming through his fingers. They’ve won this battle—but the Lich Lord knows.

The five companions quickly leave the library, sealing the door as they do. Their escape leads them into unknown territory—the library sealed behind them, the madman lost to its depths, and the tendrils of darkness avoided for now. The shallow stream, their unexpected guide, winds through the lair until it opens into a vast cavern.

The air here is different—cooler, heavier, perhaps untouched by time. Their torchlight flickers against jagged rock formations, shadows stretching in eerie patterns. The vial remains secure in Hew’s grasp, but its presence hums against their senses, as if aware that its captivity is over.

The companions find themselves at a crossroads, faced with three choices: enter the cavern on their left, continue following the stream in the hope it leads to an exit, or venture into the cavern on their right.

Strawberri, with a sense of curiosity and determination, steps out of the stream and begins to explore the large cavern to the right of the party. As she does so, a large wailing swarm materializes before her, a force of raw anguish flickering between mist and flesh. It senses life and hungers for it. Their cries pierce the cavern, a chorus of torment echoing through the stone. The swarm moves towards Strawberri, their approach erratic, driven by despair rather than reason.

Realising the way out is blocked, Strawberri quickly steps back into the stream and signals to the party. However, the stream’s current has become too strong to follow safely, and the water is rising rapidly, threatening to engulf them. With no other choice, they decide to try the cavern to their left, hoping it leads to safety.

As they move rapidly towards the far end of the cavern, the companions are unaware of the sinister creature of pure darkness, shifting and twisting like living ink. The Shadow Beast.

It moves unnaturally, appearing where the light is weakest, slipping between the edges of perception. It doesn’t hunt like a normal predator—it waits, lurking in places where the shadows stretch long, emerging when prey least expects it.

I allow each character to make a perception (Wisdom) check to see if any of them become aware of the Shadow Beast. Karina, Hew and Rhian all pass, but Culdus and Strawberri remain unaware of the danger.

Karina, Hew, and Rhian feel it first. Maybe they catch movement in the edges of the lamplight, where the shadows seem to shift too slowly, as if dragging themselves across the cavern floor. Maybe they sense something unnatural in the air, a creeping cold that coils at their ankles. The beast isn’t charging—it’s watching, waiting for them to make a mistake.

Strawberri and Culdus, however, remain oblivious. They move forward without hesitation, unknowingly stepping closer to danger.

I have both Hew and Rhian make intelligent tests to see if they can alert Culdus and Strawberri to the danger without the Shadow Beast knowing its been spotted. Hew passes but Rhian fails.

Hew is just behind Culdus, he taps him on the shoulder, alerting Culdus to the danger of the Shadow Beast. But Rhian shouts out a warning to Strawberri.

As Rhian’s voice rings out, the cavern seems to shudder—the shadows shift, almost imperceptibly at first, then with terrifying certainty. The darkness coils, stretching toward Strawberri, drawn by the sudden movement and noise. The creature doesn’t rush—it slides, slithering between the edges of perception, reforming closer than before.

With only moment to act before the Shadow Beast fully emerges, Culdus reacts. He mutter ancient words and casts a spell commanding the Shadow Beast to let them past.

The beast can make a saving throw vrs. magic to resist. The beast needs only roll 8 or more on d20 to resist the spell but throws a lowly 3 which an automatic fail, so it will allow the companions to pass.

A dramatic escape! Culdus’s spell takes hold, forcing the Shadowed Beast into submission—it lets them pass, obeying the magic’s command despite its unnatural hunger. The companions waste no time, sprinting toward a door at the far end of the cavern, the eerie presence of the creature pressing against their backs as they flee.

Hew makes a Strength test to see if he can open the door. Needing to roll 17 or less on d20, he rolls 11, he opens the door.

Hew’s raw strength proves invaluable—he doesn’t just open the door, he rips it off its hinges, clearing the way with force. The companions spill into the next corridor, breathless, victorious, but still very much in danger. The beast lingers behind them, watching, but for now, it does not pursue.

The companions find themselves back in the room they entered the Lair from. The door is still partially open, Hew pushes it wide open and the way out of the lair lays before them. The five adventures have survived the Lich Lords lair.

With the vail safely tucked into Hews pack, they begin the arduous journey back to the monastery of the far mountains and the final battle with the Lich Lord and his army of undead.

to be continued.