Session 01: The Beginning Chapter

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🪐 Campaign Arc

Campaign: Out of the Abyss
Dungeon Master: Reuben / Rewrock
Session Number: 1
Session Title: The Beginning Chapter
Date: 2026-05-06
Setting: Underdark, drow prison outpost

Out of the Abyss began with the party already captured, stripped of their gear, shackled in iron, and held in a drow prison somewhere deep beneath the surface. Their captors, led by the cruel priestess Ilvara Mizzrym, intended to break them into obedience before selling or using them as slave labour.

Before play began, the group reviewed campaign tone, safety tools, and table boundaries. The campaign was framed as dark fantasy survival, with madness, pressure, captivity, and danger forming the foundation of the opening chapter.

🧭 Overview

The session opened in the prisoners’ cell, where the party found themselves surrounded by other captives from across the Underdark and the surface world. Some were frightened, some strange, some hostile, and some potentially useful. With no weapons, little light, and shackles around their wrists and necks, the group began quietly testing the limits of their prison.

Stool, a myconid sprout among the prisoners, released telepathic spores that allowed the captives to speak silently with one another. That gift changed everything. The party began planning, watching the guards, identifying who carried keys, and gathering whatever scraps could be turned into tools. Varang manipulated Jimjar into losing a gold coin. Edric produced a flint shard, though it broke during an attempt to pick the shackles. Aeris secured a tuft of fur from Prince Derendil for later spellcasting, while Vorgrath managed the brutal feat of freeing his own wrists with his teeth.

The escape began when a horn sounded elsewhere in the outpost, throwing the drow into confusion. The prisoners realised their cell door had not been properly locked. The party surged out, clashing with drow guards on the bridge. Aeris grappled Sorn, Dose unleashed poison breath, Iragon summoned a pact greatsword and handed it to Vorgrath, and the party fought desperately while still partly restrained. Aeris was badly wounded after wild shaping into a giant wolf spider, and Iragon was also nearly dropped during the fight.

As the combat turned in the party’s favour, Dose retrieved the keyring from Sorn, the prisoners began pouring from the cell, and the group looted what weapons and supplies they could. Outside, the prison seemed to be under attack by something far larger than the party’s riot. Drow and quaggoths moved in response to a demonic threat, while the newly freed party pressed toward Ilvara Mizzrym’s quarters, where a large chest was suspected to contain their confiscated gear.

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Party Members

Character	Player	Class / Role	Status	Notable Actions
Aeris Naïlo	Justin	Druid	Alive	Inspected the prison door, secured a tuft of fur from Prince Derendil, escaped shackles by wild shaping into a giant wolf spider, grappled Sorn, was badly wounded and dropped during combat, was later healed by Varang, and claimed a drow hand crossbow.
Edric Faustin Valemont	BaconBuff	Wizard / spellcaster	Alive	Blind in the dark and frequently needed guidance from others; attempted spellcasting while shackled and discovered the manacles interfered with magic; provided a dagger-shaped flint shard that broke during lockpicking; claimed phosphorus as a spell component.
Varang	Moose	Cleric	Alive	Won a gold coin from Jimjar, rallied the prisoners with several grim speeches, scouted Ilvara’s quarters while emptying chamber pots, saw the large chest, later spotted the demonic attack outside, unlocked shackles, and healed Aeris with Cure Wounds.
Sarix "Dose" Jorasco	Artemis	Dragonborn / Ranger	Alive	Started with a hidden ball of tar, identified that one guard carried keys, helped plan the distraction, used poison breath during the bridge fight, retrieved Sorn’s keyring, helped unlock shackles, and picked up a drow hand crossbow.
Iragon Midsommar	Sicareus	Warlock	Alive	Summoned a pact greatsword despite the shackles and handed it to Vorgrath, stayed close enough to maintain it, joined the bridge fight, was heavily wounded, recovered with False Life, and later held the looted chain shirt.
Vorgrath Kael	Mike	Barbarian	Alive	Picked his wrist shackles with his teeth, kept the cuffs looking closed, rushed the bridge with Iragon’s pact greatsword, attacked the drow, shrugged off a hand crossbow shot, and received the session MVP inspiration.

🎭 NPC Tracker

NPC	Role	Location	Status	Notes
Ilvara Mizzrym	Drow priestess of Lolth and commander of the prison outpost	Drow prison / Ilvara’s quarters	Alive	The party’s cruel captor, seen wielding a scourge and later encountered in her quarters near a large chest suspected to contain confiscated gear.
Buppido	Derro prisoner	Prison cell	Alive	Talkative and strange; mutters about his god and appears delusional.
Eldeth Feldrun	Shield dwarf prisoner	Prison cell	Alive	From Gauntlgrym; asked Aeris to return her shield and warhammer if she does not survive.
Shuushar the Awakened	Kuo-toa prisoner	Prison cell / labour route	Alive	Peaceful and observant; was taken with Aeris and Varang to empty chamber pots during the escape setup.
Stool	Myconid sprout prisoner	Prison cell	Alive	Released rapport spores that allowed the prisoners to communicate telepathically, enabling the escape planning.
Jimjar	Deep gnome prisoner	Prison cell	Alive	A compulsive gambler who bet against Varang and lost a gold coin.
Topsy & Turvy	Deep gnome twins	Prison cell	Alive	Quiet twins who mostly kept to themselves.
Ront	Orc prisoner	Prison cell	Alive	From the Ice Shield tribe; openly hates the drow and distrusts Eldeth, claiming the dwarf is up to something.
Prince Derendil	Cursed elf prince	Prison cell	Alive	Appears in a bestial, quaggoth-like form. Claimed his curse is tied to someone named Fras or Freyze, though the name needs confirmation. Gave Aeris a tuft of fur for spellcasting.
Sarith Kzekarit	Drow prisoner	Prison cell	Alive	Disgraced and muttering to himself; seemed to believe he had been wrongly accused of murder.
Sorn	Drow guard keyholder	Bridge / prison gate	Dead	Grappled by Aeris during the escape, killed during the bridge fight, and looted for the keyring by Dose.
Bimeral	Drow guard	Bridge / tower area	Escaped	Dropped a hand crossbow, fought with a blade, then cast Levitate and fled out a window despite attacks from the party.
Kizbin	Drow guard	Labour route / waterfall	Alive	Guarded Aeris, Varang, and Shuushar while they emptied chamber pots. Confirmed not to be carrying the keyring.
Helena	Drow guard	Prison gate / tower area	Alive / Needs confirmation	Present when the horn sounded and the prisoners were pushed back into the cell. Full role and status need confirmation.
Quaggoths	Drow enforcers / slave guards	Prison outpost and outer field	Alive	Worked alongside the drow. Several were seen moving outside during the larger attack.
Large Demon	Unknown demonic threat	Field outside prison	Alive	Observed by Varang outside the prison while drow and quaggoths reacted to the attack.

📍 Key Locations

Drow Prison Cell: The party began here, shackled with other prisoners and watched by drow guards. The cell door was barred and locked, though later left unsecured during the chaos.
Guard Tower: A watched area near the cell and bridge. One of the guards with keys was stationed here.
Lift and Pulley System: Used for labour tasks, including hauling water barrels from below.
Main Hall: A guarded area where the party saw drow and at least one quaggoth during labour.
Chamber Pot Room: A room with bunk beds and chamber pots. Aeris, Varang, and Shuushar were sent here under guard.
Bridge: The main route from the cell toward other areas of the outpost. This became the site of the escape fight against Sorn and Bimeral.
Waterfall / Waste Drop: The place where the chamber pots were emptied. The party used the labour route to scout the prison layout.
Ilvara’s Quarters: A more luxurious room with drapes, woven covers, chairs, a small shrine, a large cupboard, and a large chest suspected to contain the party’s confiscated gear.
Outer Field: An area visible from the prison route where Varang saw drow, quaggoths, and a large demon during the attack.

📑 Session Highlights

The campaign opened with safety tools, tone discussion, and boundaries for dark themes.
The party began as prisoners of the drow, unarmed, restrained, and stripped of their possessions.
Stool’s spores allowed the party and other prisoners to communicate telepathically.
Dose noticed that one guard carried a keyring while escorting prisoners for labour.
Varang won a gold coin from Jimjar by baiting him into a bet.
Aeris secured a tuft of fur from Prince Derendil for spellcasting.
Vorgrath freed his wrist shackles with his teeth and kept them looking closed.
Edric attempted to cast Guidance, causing the shackles to heat up and proving they interfered with magic.
A horn sounded elsewhere in the outpost, causing panic among the drow and creating an opening for escape.
The cell door was discovered to be unsecured after the guards pushed prisoners back inside.
The party rushed the bridge, fought Sorn and Bimeral, and began a prison riot.
Iragon summoned a pact greatsword and handed it to Vorgrath.
Aeris wild shaped into a giant wolf spider to escape the shackles, but was badly wounded and dropped in the fight.
Dose used poison breath against the drow and later retrieved the keyring from Sorn.
Varang healed Aeris and helped coordinate the escape route.
Bimeral fled by levitating out a window.
The party looted weapons, armour, spell components, and keys while the prison descended into chaos.
The session ended at the threshold of Ilvara Mizzrym’s quarters, with the party facing the priestess and the suspected location of their gear.

🎞️ Key Scenes

In the drow prison cell, Aeris carefully won a small but vital favour from Prince Derendil, receiving a tuft of fur that might later serve as the key to spellcraft and survival.

Even in chains, Varang found a way to gain an edge, baiting Jimjar into a wager and walking away with a gold coin while the prison simmered with tension.

While Edric searched for a way to help in the darkness, Vorgrath used nothing but grit and sharp teeth to work open his wrist shackles without alerting the guards.

As the escape erupted into violence on the bridge, Iragon summoned a pact-forged greatsword and placed it in Vorgrath’s hands, turning desperation into momentum.

Inside the cramped guard tower, Dose turned the prison riot into a fight for survival while Aeris, transformed into a pale giant wolf spider, struggled against the drow at his side.

Safety Before Darkness: Before the campaign began in earnest, the group reviewed the X card, table comfort zones, and the tone of the adventure. The players agreed the campaign could explore grim survival and horror themes while keeping hard limits clear.
The Prisoners’ Cell: The party awoke into captivity, surrounded by strange fellow prisoners and watched by drow guards. Mushroom soup, iron shackles, and the constant pressure of the Underdark defined the opening moments.
Stool’s Spores: Stool released spores that linked the prisoners’ minds. What began as confusion quickly became the party’s first real advantage, allowing them to plan without alerting the guards.
Teeth Against Iron: Vorgrath quietly worked his teeth into the lock of his wrist shackles and managed to free his hands, then kept the cuffs looking closed so the guards would not realise what had happened.
The Chamber Pot Scout: Aeris, Varang, and Shuushar were taken from the cell to empty chamber pots. Along the way, Varang slowed his pace and looked into Ilvara’s quarters, spotting the priestess, a shrine, and later a large chest.
The Horn and the Open Door: A horn sounded through the outpost. The guards shoved prisoners back into the cell in their haste, but the lock never clicked. The party realised the cage had failed.
Bridge Riot: The party rushed out onto the bridge. Aeris grappled Sorn, Dose unleashed poison breath, Iragon armed Vorgrath with a pact greatsword, and the prisoners began forcing their way toward freedom.
The Spider Falls: Aeris transformed into a giant wolf spider and slipped his shackles, but the drow punished the move with brutal violence. He was dropped in the fighting before Varang brought him back with healing magic.
The Demon Outside: As the party fought through the prison, Varang saw drow and quaggoths outside responding to a large demon. The prison riot was only one piece of a much larger disaster.
Ilvara’s Door: Newly armed, injured, and still far from safe, the party reached Ilvara Mizzrym’s quarters. The suspected chest of confiscated gear was within reach, but so was the priestess herself.

🧵 Ongoing Threads & Plot Hooks

Escape the Drow Prison: The party has broken out of the cell but has not yet escaped the outpost.
Recover Confiscated Gear: The large chest in Ilvara’s quarters is suspected to contain the party’s gear, but it has not yet been opened.
Confront Ilvara Mizzrym: The party ended the session at Ilvara’s door, with the priestess still alive and dangerous.
Free or Use the Other Prisoners: Several prisoners appear willing to flee with the party, though their reliability varies wildly.
Eldeth’s Request: Eldeth asked Aeris to return her shield and warhammer to Gauntlgrym if she dies.
Prince Derendil’s Curse: Prince Derendil claims his condition is tied to someone named Fras or Freyze. The exact name and truth of the curse remain uncertain.
Sarith’s Accusation: Sarith muttered about being accused of murder and appeared unsure how he ended up imprisoned.
Varang’s Vial: Varang’s vial or necklace was confirmed to have been taken by the drow, meaning it may be among the party’s confiscated belongings.
Demon Attack Outside: A large demon and wider chaos outside the prison may either help the party escape or trap them in something worse.
Survival in the Underdark: Even if the party escapes the outpost, food, water, light, exhaustion, madness, and navigation remain major threats.

🗺️ Quest Status

Quest / Thread	Status	Relevant NPCs	Notes
Escape drow captivity	In progress	Ilvara Mizzrym, Sorn, Bimeral, drow guards, quaggoths	The party escaped the cell and survived the first bridge fight, but has not yet escaped the prison outpost.
Retrieve party gear	In progress	Ilvara Mizzrym	A large chest in Ilvara’s quarters is suspected to contain confiscated equipment.
Return Eldeth’s shield and warhammer	Ongoing	Eldeth Feldrun	Eldeth asked Aeris to return her shield and warhammer to Gauntlgrym if she does not survive.
Investigate Prince Derendil’s curse	Ongoing	Prince Derendil	Derendil claims someone named Fras or Freyze is responsible. Details remain unclear.
Understand Sarith’s accusation	Ongoing	Sarith Kzekarit	Sarith muttered that he had been accused of murder and seemed uncertain or distressed about what happened.
Survive the demonic attack	Ongoing	Large demon, drow, quaggoths	The prison appears to be under outside attack. The party may be able to use the chaos, but the threat is still active.
Manage escaped prisoners	In progress	Stool, Jimjar, Buppido, Ront, Shuushar, Eldeth, others	The prisoners began following the party out of the cell. Their usefulness, loyalty, and danger levels remain uncertain.
Technical issues	Ongoing	All players	Recurring Foundry warning: “attribute at item level, not present.” Map movement and inventory setup may need cleanup.

💰 Loot & Discoveries

Item / Discovery	Found By	Location	Notes
Small ball of tar	Dose	Prison cell	Hidden from the guards before the escape.
Gold coin	Varang	Prison cell	Won from Jimjar after baiting him into a bet.
Flint shard	Edric	Prison cell	Dagger-shaped shard used in an attempt to pick shackles. It broke during the attempt.
Five-foot lengths of silken rope	Aeris, Iragon, Vorgrath	Prison cell	Several party members began with short lengths of rope scavenged or hidden from the guards.
Tuft of fur	Aeris	From Prince Derendil	Given to Aeris after he convinced Derendil it could help make him stronger later.
Pact greatsword	Iragon, given to Vorgrath	During escape	Summoned by Iragon and handed to Vorgrath for the bridge fight. Magical pact weapon, not standard loot.
Keys / keyring	Dose	Sorn’s body	Retrieved from the dead drow guard and used to unlock shackles.
Drow hand crossbows	Dose and Aeris	Bridge combat / dead drow	Dose picked up Bimeral’s dropped hand crossbow during combat. Aeris later claimed a hand crossbow from a dead drow. Confirm final inventory count.
Drow blade	Party	Dead drow / bridge fight	A blade was scavenged from the drow. Exact item entry and final holder need confirmation.
Chain shirt	Iragon	Dead drow / loot chat	Held by Iragon after the fight. Not yet confirmed as equipped.
Phosphorus	Edric	Looted from drow	Claimed as a spell component.
Large chest	Party, not yet opened	Ilvara’s quarters	Suspected to contain the party’s confiscated equipment.
Varang’s vial / necklace	Taken by drow	Likely among confiscated gear	Varang confirmed the item was missing, implying it may be stored with the party’s other belongings.
Heroic Inspiration	Vorgrath	Session MVP	Vorgrath received MVP inspiration after the session.

Noteworthy Items

The Keyring: The most important item recovered during the escape. Without it, the prisoners would remain half-free at best.

The Large Chest: Seen in Ilvara’s quarters and suspected to contain confiscated equipment. It is the party’s most immediate target.

Varang’s Vial: A personal item taken by the drow. Its recovery may matter beyond simple inventory management.

⚙️ Rules & Mechanics Notes

Safety Tools: The X card is in use, and the group mapped campaign topics across comfort zones before play began.
Have Fun / Explore: Betrayal, cannibalism, ritual sacrifice, parasitic monsters, murder, deadly cold, and paranoia were treated as acceptable dark-fantasy themes.
Be Careful: Child endangerment was marked as a topic to handle carefully. NPC suicide was allowed only with less descriptive treatment.
Blocked: Incest was blocked.
Cautious / Avoid Where Possible: Violence towards animals was placed low on the risk grid and should be handled carefully.
Table Style Preferences: Talking out of character, pop-culture references, and stat-building metagaming were treated as less desirable or boring rather than hard limits.
Campaign Tone: The campaign was framed as dark, with madness, survival, captivity, and pressure as major themes.
Heroic Inspiration: All players began with inspiration. It may be used after seeing a result, but the new roll must be accepted.
MVP Inspiration: The session MVP receives inspiration after the game. Vorgrath received this award for Session 1.
Anti-Magic Shackles: Attempting magic while shackled caused the manacles to heat up and prevented the spell from taking effect.
Spell Components: Verbal and somatic components were discussed, but material components require possession. The party’s equipment had been confiscated.
Wild Shape: Aeris used wild shape to escape his shackles, transforming into a giant wolf spider.
Pact Weapon: Iragon was able to summon his pact weapon despite the circumstances, then handed it to Vorgrath.
Stool’s Spores: Stool’s rapport spores allowed telepathic communication among the prisoners, enabling silent coordination.
Grapple Rules: Grappling used the 2024 rules: an unarmed strike can initiate a grapple, with the target resisting against the attacker’s DC.
Opportunity Attacks: A ranged weapon opportunity attack was discussed and allowed during the fight.
Temporary Hit Points: False Life and temporary hit points came up during Iragon’s recovery. Confirm exact table handling if a character is fully downed.
Foundry HUD: Players can use the combat HUD, token right-click options, and character sheet shortcuts for attacks, spells, features, and actions.
Global Item Search: Ctrl + Spacebar opens global item search for quickly adding inventory items in Foundry.
Technical Issue: A recurring warning appeared: “attribute at item level, not present.” It was noted as non-blocking but needs troubleshooting.

💬 Memorable Quotes

"The darkness is listening." – Varang
"You are in the Underdark. You have been captured, you are unarmed, you are restrained." – Dungeon Master
"I love eating people." – Sarix "Dose" Jorasco, joking during the safety discussion
"We're not going down some Stephen King path." – Aeris Naïlo
"Last time anyone put themselves this close to my mouth it did not end well." – Vorgrath Kael
"How about we just take the key from them when they come in, as they won't expect me to have my hands around the fucking throat." – Vorgrath Kael
"Can someone get the fucking keys?" – Edric Faustin Valemont
"The trial taught us pain. Let's teach them consequence." – Varang
"Your Spider Queen has no dominion here." – Varang
"No, bounces off my rock hard pecs." – Vorgrath Kael
"I saw our captor in the next room along with a big chest that I have a feeling could hold our gear or equipment." – Varang
"This is the prison riot. Prison rioters don't knock." – Sarix "Dose" Jorasco
"Mine was getting out of my fucking cuffs with my teeth." – Mike / Vorgrath

🧰 Next Session Prep

Resolve the immediate confrontation with Ilvara Mizzrym.
Confirm the contents of the large chest in Ilvara’s quarters.
Confirm whether the party’s confiscated gear, including Varang’s vial, is in the chest.
Track party health after the bridge fight, especially Aeris and Iragon.
Confirm final loot ownership: hand crossbows, drow blade, chain shirt, phosphorus, and keys.
Clarify which prisoners are following the party and where they are positioned.
Track whether Bimeral’s escape alerts more guards or creates pursuit later.
Watch the outside demon attack and determine whether it opens an escape route or creates a worse threat.
Fix or investigate the Foundry warning: “attribute at item level, not present.”
Confirm any uncertain names from the transcript, especially Fras / Freyze.

⏳ Cliffhanger

The battered, newly armed party reached the threshold of Ilvara Mizzrym’s quarters. Behind them, the prison cell had been breached, prisoners were spilling into the outpost, and the bridge fight had left drow blood on the stone. Outside, something demonic was tearing the prison’s attention away from its slaves.

Ahead stood Ilvara herself, the priestess who had claimed their lives belonged to her. Somewhere nearby, possibly inside the large chest in her quarters, lay the gear and personal items stolen from the party.

Ilvara Mizzrym waited in her chamber beside the locked chest of stolen gear, calm and cruel as the escaped prisoners reached the doorway and the prison riot closed in around them.