Session 02: The Escape from Velkynvelve

[Verse 1]

Three years before the black stone cage,
before the chains were worn,
a healer knelt in ash and mud
where broken lives were torn.

A dragon child beneath the smoke,
blood dark upon his skin,
held one small egg against his heart
and would not let death in.

They said no mark, no house, no name,
no bloodline worth the cost,
but Yulara reached into the dark
and would not leave him lost.

[Pre-Chorus]

If he still fights to live,
then we will fight as one.
A name is not a chain we wear—
it is a thing we become.

[Chorus]

Run, run, below the stone,
where the spider’s shadow clings.
Run, run, with borrowed breath,
with broken bones and stolen things.

The cage is cracked,
the dark has drums,
the priestess calls, the hunters come.
No dawn below,
no mercy won—
but the escape has begun.

[Verse 2]

Back beneath Velkynvelve,
where the stolen chest lay still,
Ilvara stood with poison eyes
and murder dressed as will.

“Return,” she hissed, “you belong to me,”
but steel had found its hand.
Vorgrath laughed through blood and rage,
too proud to kneel or stand.

Varang called the ash below,
Dose marked death with aim,
Edric split the mind with thought,
Iragon answered flame.

[Pre-Chorus]

A scourge can tear the body,
poison can stain the skin,
but chains are only iron
until the teeth sink in.

[Chorus]

Run, run, below the stone,
where the spider’s shadow clings.
Run, run, with borrowed breath,
with broken bones and stolen things.

The cage is cracked,
the dark has drums,
the priestess calls, the hunters come.
No dawn below,
no mercy won—
but the escape has begun.

[Verse 3]

Then came the swarm of phantom legs,
a vortex made of pain,
web and venom, claw and dark,
a priestess’ cruel refrain.

The wounded fell, the room went black,
the silver mist withdrew,
and somewhere underneath the floor
a chained drake howled the truth.

Nettle cried from iron rings,
Dose heard him through the stone.
A healer’s hands, a dragon’s heart—
no one survives alone.

[Bridge]

Knock rang loud against the lock,
and stolen lives returned:
axe and shield, book and blade,
the things the drow had earned.

But freedom is a hungry road,
and mercy travels slow;
fifteen souls upon the edge,
with nowhere safe to go.

So fall, but fall like feathers.
Bleed, but keep your feet.
Pray the lift holds one more breath.
Pray the dark has teeth.

[Final Chorus]

Run, run, below the stone,
where the spider’s shadow clings.
Run, run, with borrowed breath,
with broken bones and stolen things.

The cage is cracked,
the dark has drums,
the priestess calls, the hunters come.
No dawn below,
no mercy won—
but the escape has begun.

[Verse 4]

Below the bridge, below the screams,
below the drow and flame,
a broken demon spread its wings
and shrieked without a name.

The tunnel shook, the fleeing froze,
the dark itself drew breath,
then Iragon raised spring-bright wrath
and tore its head from death.

[Outro]

Behind them cracked the hunting whips,
ahead, the light was none.
Ilvara’s voice rang through the deep:
“Bring them back alive.”

But the chest was theirs,
the drake was free,
the prison bled behind.

No sky above.
No road to trust.
No promise of the sun.

Only breath,
and blood,
and running feet—

The escape has begun.

🪐 Campaign Arc

• Campaign: Out of the Abyss
• Dungeon Master: Reuben / Rewrock
• Session Number: 2
• Session Title: The Escape from Velkynvelve
• Date: 2026-05-20
• Setting: Velkynvelve, Ilvara’s quarters, the lift shaft, and the Underdark tunnels below; flashback to Vedykar, Southern Karrnath, Eberron

Session 2 began where the prison break had left the party: injured, half-armed, and standing at the threshold of Ilvara Mizzrym’s quarters in Velkynvelve. The suspected chest of confiscated gear was within reach, but so was the priestess who still believed the prisoners belonged to her.

Before returning to the chaos of the escape, the session stepped three years into the past, revealing the story of Sarix “Dose” Jorasco and the moment House Jorasco first chose to save him.

🧭 Overview

The session opened in Vedykar, Southern Karrnath, Eberron, three years before the escape. A young dragonborn was found wounded after a skirmish, collapsed beside a shattered wagon and clutching a small egg. Many healers hesitated at the sight of him, but Yulara d’Jorasco stepped forward. She saw not a monster or outsider, but a patient who was still fighting to live.

Yulara treated the dragonborn who would become Sarix “Dose” Jorasco, and over time she learned his story in fragments. Dose had no clan to claim him, but he watched the healers of House Jorasco with sharp interest. He learned by helping, carrying supplies, lifting patients, observing treatment, and asking too many questions. Against resistance from parts of the house, Yulara argued that healing was not only a matter of bloodline or dragonmark, but of service and choice. Dose was given a place, a name, and a future within House Jorasco.

Back in Velkynvelve, the party confronted Ilvara Mizzrym in her chamber. Vorgrath demanded his axe, the party refused to return to captivity, and Ilvara answered with poison and violence. The fight became a brutal close-quarters clash around the doorway, with spells, axe blows, crossbow shots, healing magic, and Ilvara’s scourge turning the room into a desperate struggle over survival and stolen gear.

Ilvara unleashed Spider Vortex, badly injuring and restraining several members of the group. Varang and Iragon worked to keep allies alive, while Edric opened the locked gear chest with Knock. Ilvara eventually escaped under magical darkness and silvery mist, leaving the party battered but in possession of their equipment. Dose found Nettle chained below the chamber and freed him, reuniting with the drake companion whose egg had anchored the opening flashback.

The escape then became a race through Velkynvelve. Edric investigated upstairs and found a giant spider the hard way, the party gathered supplies, the fleeing prisoners pushed toward the lift, and the group scrambled to get roughly fifteen fugitives down into the tunnels below. Feather Fall, climbing, lift loads, shouting, and panic all became part of the escape plan.

Below Velkynvelve, the fugitives encountered a battered winged demon in the Underdark tunnels. The creature’s screech nearly turned freedom into disaster, but Edric weakened it and Iragon finished it with a decisive blast that severed its head. The party finally slipped into the darkness beneath the outpost, hearing whips, screams, horns, and Ilvara’s command for the drow to bring them back alive.

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Party Members

🎭 NPC Tracker

📍 Key Locations

• Vedykar, Southern Karrnath, Eberron: Flashback location where Dose was found wounded after a skirmish, clutching the egg that would later connect to Nettle.
• House Jorasco Enclave: The place where Yulara d’Jorasco saved Dose, trained him, and argued for his acceptance into House Jorasco.
• Velkynvelve: The drow prison outpost where the party’s escape escalated from a cell break into full flight.

• Ilvara’s Chamber: The room where the party confronted Ilvara Mizzrym, fought her, and recovered their confiscated gear from the locked chest.
• Lower Chamber: The area below Ilvara’s room where Nettle was heard howling and later found chained.
• Upper Study / Spider Lair: An upper area investigated by Edric, guarded by a giant spider and left unresolved when the party fled.
• Supply Rooms: Searched during the escape. The party gathered enough provisions to add roughly two days of rations per character.
• Lift Shaft: The dangerous escape route down from Velkynvelve, requiring coordination and multiple loads.
• Underdark Tunnels: The dark tunnels below Velkynvelve where the fugitives encountered the battered winged demon and began fleeing the drow pursuit.

📑 Session Highlights

• The session opened with a flashback to Dose’s rescue and adoption into House Jorasco.
• Yulara d’Jorasco saved Dose after a skirmish near Vedykar, despite others hesitating because he was dragonborn and had no house bloodline or dragonmark.
• Dose was shown still clutching the egg connected to Nettle, establishing the emotional link between the flashback and the present.
• The party confronted Ilvara Mizzrym in her chamber and refused to return to captivity.
• Vorgrath demanded his axe and taunted Ilvara directly.
• Varang struck Ilvara with Inflict Wounds and later endured severe poison damage from her scourge.
• Vorgrath raged, pressed Ilvara with axe attacks, and used Vitality of the Tree to grant temporary hit points.
• Dose used Hunter’s Mark and his hand crossbow during the fight.
• Edric used Mind Sliver and Magic Missile, then later opened the gear chest with Knock.
• Aeris used Acid Splash and attempted battlefield control, but the room layout prevented Entangle from being useful.
• Ilvara’s scourge caused major piercing and poison damage, leaving lingering injuries on Varang and Vorgrath.
• Ilvara unleashed Spider Vortex, restraining and badly injuring several characters and allies.
• Ilvara escaped by using magical darkness and vanishing in silvery mist.
• The party recovered their gear from the chest, including weapons, armour, spellbook, foci, and other personal equipment.
• Dose went below Ilvara’s chamber and freed Nettle from chains.
• Varang and Iragon stabilised and healed badly wounded allies, including Eldeth, Aeris, and Dose.
• Edric investigated upstairs and found the giant spider by tripping into its territory like a wizard-shaped dinner bell.
• The party gathered supplies, including roughly two days of rations per character.
• The escaping group numbered around fifteen fugitives, making the lift escape slow, dangerous, and chaotic.
• Edric insisted that the large chest be brought along because it remained important.
• Feather Fall was used during the descent to help part of the group survive the drop.
• In the tunnels below Velkynvelve, the party encountered a battered winged demon.
• Iragon killed the demon with Eldritch Blast, blowing its head from its body.
• The session ended with the party out of the prison but not free from pursuit, as Ilvara ordered the drow to bring them back alive.

🎞️ Key Scenes

Three years earlier, Yulara d’Jorasco knelt beside a wounded young dragonborn found after a skirmish, his arms wrapped protectively around a small egg. Where others hesitated, she chose to save him.

Vorgrath stepped toward Ilvara Mizzrym and demanded his axe while the party crowded the doorway behind him. The stolen-gear chest waited inside the room, but between the prisoners and freedom stood the priestess who still believed they belonged to her.

Ilvara’s magic erupted into a storm of venomous legs, piercing pain, and restraining force. The escape nearly collapsed as allies were battered, trapped, and dropped before Varang and Iragon could drag life back into the wounded.

Edric climbed into the upper chamber while the others gathered gear and recovered below. A giant spider emerged from the shadows and bit him, only for Shield and Arcane Ward to absorb the worst of it before he fled back down with urgent news and excellent survival instincts.

The fugitives gathered at the lift while horns echoed through Velkynvelve. Too many people, too little time, and enemies closing in turned the descent into a desperate mix of lift loads, Feather Fall, climbing, and panic.

Below the outpost, a battered winged demon shrieked hard enough to stagger the fleeing group. Edric weakened it, and Iragon answered with eldritch force that tore the creature’s head free, buying the fugitives another breath of survival.

🧵 Ongoing Threads & Plot Hooks

• Drow Pursuit: Ilvara Mizzrym survived and ordered the fugitives brought back alive. The party escaped Velkynvelve, but not the consequences.
• Underdark Survival: The group now faces the tunnels below with limited supplies, uncertain routes, and the constant threat of exhaustion, hunger, darkness, madness, and hostile creatures.
• The Chest as Vessel: The large chest from Ilvara’s chamber is confirmed to matter beyond simple gear recovery. Its exact purpose remains unknown.
• Nettle Restored: Dose recovered Nettle, but the drake’s condition after captivity and the full implications of that bond remain important.
• The Giant Spider Upstairs: The upper chamber was not fully explored, and the spider remains alive. Whatever it guarded or nested near was left behind.
• Eldeth’s Request: Eldeth Feldrun still wants her shield and warhammer returned to Gauntlgrym if she does not survive.
• Prisoner Dynamics: Roughly fifteen fugitives escaped together. Their loyalty, fear, usefulness, and future choices may shape the party’s survival.
• Demonic Corruption: Velkynvelve was already under demonic pressure, and the party has now encountered another demonic threat in the tunnels below.
• Character Flashbacks: The DM confirmed the aim of using future flashbacks to tie character backstories into the present campaign.

🗺️ Quest Status

💰 Loot & Discoveries

Noteworthy Items

The Chest: What began as the suspected container for the party’s stolen gear became something more. The party chose to take it with them during the escape, and the DM later confirmed it had importance as a vessel. What that means remains unresolved.

Nettle: Dose’s drake companion was no longer just a memory from the flashback. By the end of the session, Nettle had been found, freed, and brought back into the present danger of the Underdark.

⚙️ Rules & Mechanics Notes

• Spider Vortex: Ilvara’s Spider Vortex forced Constitution saves in a 20-foot emanation, dealing heavy piercing damage and restraining creatures that failed.
• Magical Darkness: Ilvara’s darkness blocked ordinary sight and darkvision, allowing her to escape while the party struggled to respond.
• Scourge Poison: Ilvara’s scourge dealt dangerous piercing and poison damage, causing lingering injury results.
• Varang’s Lingering Injury: Varang suffered residual pigmentation on the chest from poison, with the colour result leaning purple.
• Vorgrath’s Lingering Injury: Vorgrath suffered blurred vision for one day, affecting vision-based Perception and ranged attacks.
• Spare the Dying: Stabilised dying characters but did not restore consciousness.
• Prayer of Healing: Resolved at the table as healing up to five creatures for 5 HP each.
• Preserve Life: Used as a pool of 15 HP divided among badly wounded allies.
• Arcane Ward: Edric’s ward absorbed damage during the spider encounter and needs ongoing Foundry tracking cleanup.
• Spider Bite: The giant spider’s bite caused nausea and disadvantage on ability checks.
• Lift Operation: The lift required operation from above and could not move the whole escape group at once.
• Feather Fall: Used during the escape descent to prevent part of the group from taking fatal fall damage.
• Goodberry: Only one berry was created due to the session’s roll / handling, despite the spell normally producing more.
• Foundry Setup: Several spell and damage automation issues came up, including Eldritch Blast / Agonizing Blast calculation and Arcane Ward tracking.

💬 Memorable Quotes

• “If he fights to live, then we fight with him.” – Yulara d’Jorasco
• “Just give me my fucking axe.” – Vorgrath Kael
• “I’d rather die than go back.” – Vorgrath Kael
• “Call your goddess. I will show her what remains after fire.” – Varang
• “Is that it? Fuck you.” – Vorgrath Kael
• “Bippity boppity boo.” – Edric Faustin Valemont
• “Find them. Bring them back alive. I want them to suffer what they have done.” – Ilvara Mizzrym
• “Your escape has begun.” – Dungeon Master

🏷️ Session Tags

• Underdark
• Velkynvelve
• Escape
• Drow Pursuit
• Ilvara Mizzrym
• House Jorasco
• Dose Flashback
• Nettle
• Gear Recovery
• Spider Vortex
• Magical Darkness
• Giant Spider
• Lift Escape
• Feather Fall
• Demon Encounter
• Survival
• Rations
• Healing
• Session 2

🧰 Next Session Prep

• Clarify the full list of escaped NPC prisoners, their current health, and whether any were separated during the escape.
• Track party health, lingering injuries, spell slots, rations, and exhaustion after the escape.
• Confirm ownership of recovered gear and whether all personal items were successfully reclaimed.
• Clarify the exact condition and mechanics of Nettle after being freed.
• Determine how the large chest is being carried and what role it plays as a vessel.
• Prepare Underdark travel tracking: route, food, water, light, pace, watches, stealth, and navigation.
• Track Ilvara’s pursuit and any drow or quaggoth forces following the party.
• Keep the giant spider and unexplored upper room as unresolved Velkynvelve threads.
• Prepare the next character flashback and confirm which player will be featured.

⏳ Cliffhanger

The party escaped Velkynvelve with a large group of prisoners, recovered gear, limited supplies, Nettle, and the mysterious chest. Their chains were gone, their weapons were back, and for the first time since their capture, the shape of freedom was real.

Behind them, Ilvara Mizzrym’s voice cut through the cavern, ordering the drow to find them and bring them back alive. Whips cracked, horns sounded, quaggoths snarled, and boots thundered across the outpost above.

The last light of Velkynvelve vanished behind them as the Underdark swallowed the fugitives. The prison break was over. The escape had only just begun.

Free from the cage but hunted in the dark, the party and their fellow escapees vanished into the tunnels while Ilvara’s command echoed behind them.