Session 7: Never Again
🎵 Music
Placeholder for Session 7 music, theme tracks, lyrics, or recap audio.
|
Suggested focus: Edric and Nisa at Blackthorn Academy. |
Suggested focus: Vorgrath’s dive into the lava. |
🖼️ Images
Placeholder links for future Session 7 artwork.
- Opening Image — The Day Edric Met His Match
- Image Placeholder — Gold Bones and the Mimic
- Image Placeholder — Moonbeam Through the Darkmantles
- Image Placeholder — Sixty Feet Below
- Image Placeholder — The Ambush Above the Lava
- Image Placeholder — Dose Nets the Mind Flayer
- Image Placeholder — Never Again
- Ending Image — One Hit Point and a Rope
🪐 Campaign Arc
| Campaign | Out of the Abyss |
|---|---|
| Dungeon Master | Reuben / Rewrock |
| Session Number | 7 |
| Session Title | Never Again |
| Date | 2026-08-05 |
| Setting | Blackthorn Academy in Edric’s past; the gold dragon remains; the lower Silken Path; a web cavern above lava; and a sheltered cave beyond the Silken Path |
| Player Attendance | Kenneth / Artemis absent due to illness; Sarix “Dose” Jorasco and Nettle were controlled by the |
🧭 Overview
The session opened three years before the present, when seventeen-year-old Edric Faustin Valemont entered the shifting library of Blackthorn Academy in search of forbidden pre-Concordance spell theory. The library moved around its students, whispered from its shelves, extinguished lanterns without wind, and appeared to judge those who walked its impossible corridors. Edric considered it one of the few things at the academy that judged him correctly.
Back in the present, the party resumed its battle among the remains of the immense gold dragon. The treasure chest hidden among the bones was still a mimic, and several darkmantles descended from the ceiling to join the attack. Aeris brought down a column of Moonbeam that caught multiple darkmantles and obliterated one. Edric battered the mimic with Magic Missile, Iragon fought with his pact weapon and radiant power, and the party’s companions joined the chaotic defence. Varang finally burned the mimic apart with Sacred Flame, while Vorgrath sliced a darkmantle in half and watched it fall into the abyss.
The party searched the mimic’s remains and found fourteen gold pieces, two old short swords, two usable mimic teeth, and bones that appeared to belong to either a child or a halfling. The remains could not be identified more precisely. Aeris took the gold and teeth, while Edric claimed the two short swords. The group then followed Yuck Yuck and Spiderbait for roughly another three hours through the narrowing strands of the Silken Path.
Near the bottom of the route, the party entered a vast cavern where layered webs hung above open lava. The upper web layer stood roughly two hundred feet over the molten rock, with a second layer about sixty feet below. Edric identified the right-hand bridge as dangerously thin and likely to break. Yuck Yuck and Spiderbait attempted it anyway, and the strand snapped beneath them. Both goblins crashed onto the lower layer and were hauled back up with Vorgrath’s rope. Aeris transformed into a giant wolf spider to traverse the silk more safely. Ront later fell and had to be recovered, while Prince Derendil and several others lost their footing during the wider crossing. Edric reacted with Feather Fall, slowing several party members and companions before the cavern could claim them.
The difficult crossing distracted the group from a second danger. A spectator, an intellect devourer, and a mind flayer had been hiding against the nearby stalagmites approximately ten feet above the party’s level. The spectator opened the ambush with a Confusion Ray aimed at Prince Derendil, but the quaggoth resisted it. Aeris returned to his normal form as the fight began. Dose, controlled by the Dungeon Master in Kennith’s absence, made the decisive opening by throwing a net over the mind flayer. The creature failed to escape and became restrained, after which Dose marked it with Hunter’s Mark.
Vorgrath set his axe carefully on the webbing, entered a rage, and charged. With the restrained mind flayer unable to evade him, he used Bless and his inspiration to force the creature from its perch. Refusing to release it during the fall, Vorgrath spear-tackled the mind flayer through the web layers and shouted, “Never again.” Both plunged roughly two hundred feet into the lava. The mind flayer absorbed the greater part of the impact, but Vorgrath still suffered thirty-five damage and fell unconscious on top of it.
The battle continued above. Prince Derendil leapt after Vorgrath while still protected by Feather Fall, enduring a spectator ray during the descent. Iragon drove his pact weapon and Divine Smite into the spectator. Aeris struck the intellect devourer with Shocking Grasp and used the spell’s disruption to retreat without giving it an opening, although Vorgrath remained far beyond the range of Healing Word. Varang maintained Bless and restored Spiderbait to full health. Eldeth survived the spectator’s Wounding Ray, while Sarith was briefly overcome by its Fear Ray. Edric finished the intellect devourer with a second-level Magic Missile and sent the final dart into the spectator.
At the lava’s edge, the mind flayer’s magical breastplate began dissolving. Vorgrath then rolled a natural twenty on his death saving throw, regained consciousness with one hit point, reignited his rage, and used his primal strength to leap from the lava onto solid ground. Prince Derendil landed nearby, dragged him farther from the heat, and howled with laughter at the insanity of the attack. The mind flayer’s breastplate eventually failed completely, and both the armour and the body disappeared into the lava.
After the battle, Aeris harvested all five of the spectator’s eyes: the four smaller eyestalk eyes and the large central eye. Edric tied the dead intellect devourer to his bag as a warning trophy, at least until the corpse began to smell. Dose’s net was lost permanently with the mind flayer. The party combined enough rope to reach Vorgrath and Prince Derendil, endured several awkward hauling attempts, and finally returned both to the upper web layer. Vorgrath’s axe was recovered before the group departed.
The survivors completed the Silken Path and climbed into a roughly fifty-foot-wide cave with one entrance and one exit. There they took a long rest and recovered from the battle. The party advanced to level four, and Vorgrath received the unanimous session MVP vote and inspiration. With the Silken Path finally behind them, Fargus Rumblefoot’s promised tomb became the next immediate destination on the longer road toward Gracklstugh.
🧑🤝🧑 Party Members
| Character | Player | Class / Role | Status | Notable Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Aeris Naïlo |
Justin / Slitzer | Druid / Circle of the Land | Alive; level 4 | Used Moonbeam against the darkmantles and obliterated one; searched the mimic; took all fourteen gold pieces and two mimic teeth; transformed into a giant wolf spider for the web crossing; returned to normal form when the ambush began; struck the intellect devourer with Shocking Grasp and escaped without provoking it; attempted to reach Vorgrath with healing but was too far away; and harvested all five spectator eyes. |
|
Edric Faustin Valemont |
BaconBuff / Rob | Wizard / Abjurer | Alive; level 4 | Was the focus of the opening Blackthorn Academy flashback; met Nisa Thorn and helped open a two-person arcane ward; damaged the mimic with Magic Missile; claimed two old short swords; identified the unstable right-hand web route; used Feather Fall to save several falling travellers; damaged and later killed the intellect devourer with Magic Missile; redirected the final dart into the spectator; and tied the dead intellect devourer to his bag as a warning trophy. |
|
Varang the Ash-Mender |
Ben / Moose | Cleric / Life Domain | Alive; level 4 | Finished the mimic with Sacred Flame; sheltered Stool during the darkmantle attack; cast Bless during the mind flayer ambush; restored Spiderbait to full health with Healing Word; and helped coordinate the ropes and recovery after Vorgrath’s fall. |
|
Sarix “Dose” Jorasco |
Kenneth / Artemis | Ranger / Drakewarden | Alive; level 4; DM-controlled | Was controlled by the Dungeon Master because Kenneth was absent; fought from range with Nettle; threw a net over the mind flayer and restrained it; marked the trapped creature with Hunter’s Mark; and lost the net permanently when Vorgrath carried the mind flayer into the lava. |
|
Iragon Midsommar |
James / Sicareus | Warlock / Paladin | Alive; level 4 | Used his pact weapon and Divine Smite during the battles; helped finish the remaining darkmantles; restored his own protection with False Life; and heavily wounded the spectator while Prince Derendil descended toward Vorgrath. |
|
Vorgrath Kael |
Mike / MikeKong | Orc Barbarian / Path of the World Tree | Alive; level 4; recovered from unconsciousness | Sliced a darkmantle in half; supplied rope for the goblin rescue; tried to catch Ront during the crossing; set down his axe and spear-tackled the restrained mind flayer through the web layers while shouting “Never again”; suffered thirty-five lava damage and fell unconscious; rolled a natural twenty on his death saving throw; escaped the lava with one hit point; recovered his axe; and received the unanimous MVP vote and inspiration. |
🎭 NPC Tracker
| NPC | Role | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nisa Thorn | Blackthorn Academy student and Edric’s intellectual rival | Alive in flashback; present status unknown | Arranged a two-person ward puzzle to observe Edric’s thinking. Called him brilliant but reckless and warned that his pursuit of power without understanding would eventually kill him. |
| Yuck Yuck | Goblin guide of the Silken Path | Alive; with party | Attempted the unstable right-hand bridge despite Edric’s warning, fell sixty feet to the lower web layer, took ten damage, and was rescued with rope. Later withdrew from the mind flayer ambush when the danger became overwhelming. |
| Spiderbait | Goblin guide of the Silken Path | Alive; with party | Fell with Yuck Yuck, took ten damage, climbed back with Vorgrath’s rope, fought in both encounters, and was restored to full health by Varang. |
| Fargus Rumblefoot | Halfling traveller and prospective guide | Alive; with party | Fought with the rapier previously given to him and remains committed to leading the group toward his promised tomb. |
| Prince Derendil | Quaggoth who claims to be an elven prince | Alive; with party | Resisted the spectator’s Confusion Ray, was protected by Feather Fall during the crossing, jumped after Vorgrath, endured a spectator attack during the descent, pulled Vorgrath away from the lava, and laughed at his reckless heroism before being hauled back up. |
| Eldeth Feldrun | Shield dwarf former prisoner | Alive; with party | Attempted to prevent Derendil from falling, fought the spectator with her shortsword, and survived its Wounding Ray. |
| Ront | Orc former prisoner | Alive; with party | Cut a darkmantle apart, later fell to the lower web layer during the crossing, caught a strand, and climbed back with rope assistance. |
| Jimjar | Deep gnome gambler and former prisoner | Alive; with party | Attacked a darkmantle with his war pick and contributed ranged support during the later ambush. |
| Sarith Kzekarit | Drow former prisoner and Underdark guide | Alive; with party | Protected Stool during the first battle, supported the party with ranged attacks, and was briefly frightened by the spectator. |
| Buppido | Derro former prisoner | Alive; with party | Used his light crossbow against the darkmantles and during the later ambush. The transcript label “Pito” referred to Buppido. |
| Stool | Myconid sprout and rapport-spore companion | Alive; with party | Was carried and sheltered away from the worst of the fighting because of his extreme vulnerability. |
| Nettle | Dose’s drake companion | Alive; with party | Was controlled with Dose by the Dungeon Master and contributed attacks during the fighting. |
| Topsy and Turvy | Deep gnome twins and former prisoners | Missing | No new trace of the twins was found during the journey through the lower Silken Path. |
| Mimic and darkmantles | Predators among the gold dragon remains | Defeated | The mimic was burned apart by Varang’s Sacred Flame. The darkmantles were destroyed by the party and companions, including Aeris’s Moonbeam and Vorgrath’s axe. |
| Spectator, intellect devourer, and mind flayer | Hidden ambushers in the lava-web cavern | Defeated | The intellect devourer was killed by Edric, the spectator was destroyed during the combined battle, and the restrained mind flayer was carried into the lava by Vorgrath. Its magical breastplate was destroyed. |
📍 Key Locations
- Blackthorn Academy Library: A shifting, judgemental labyrinth of moving shelves, whispering cases, impossible corridors, and self-extinguishing lanterns. Edric met Nisa Thorn inside a hidden alcove three years before the Lexicon Incident.
- The Gold Dragon Remains: The immense skeleton discovered in Session 6. The mimic battle resumed here, and darkmantles descended from the ceiling during the fight.
- The Lower Silken Path: The narrowing final stretch of web bridges travelled after the mimic was defeated.
- The Layered Lava-Web Cavern: A vast chamber with an upper web layer, a second layer roughly sixty feet below, and open lava roughly two hundred feet beneath the party.
- The Stalagmite Ambush: The spectator, intellect devourer, and mind flayer hid against raised stalagmites near the party’s path.
- The Lava Shore: A narrow area of solid ground beside the lava where Vorgrath regained consciousness and Prince Derendil pulled him away from the heat.
- The Cave Beyond the Silken Path: A roughly fifty-foot-wide chamber with one entrance and one exit, where the party finally completed the Silken Path and took a long rest.
📑 Session Highlights
- Edric met Nisa Thorn in a flashback set three years before the Lexicon Incident.
- Nisa used a supposedly forbidden scroll as bait to study Edric’s methods and warned him that his recklessness would eventually kill him.
- The party defeated the mimic and the darkmantles among the gold dragon remains.
- Aeris’s Moonbeam obliterated a darkmantle, while Varang’s Sacred Flame finished the mimic.
- The mimic contained fourteen gold pieces, two old short swords, two usable teeth, and unidentified child-or-halfling bones.
- Yuck Yuck and Spiderbait ignored the unstable route, broke through the web bridge, and fell sixty feet before being rescued.
- Edric used Feather Fall to save several party members and companions during the hazardous crossing.
- A spectator, intellect devourer, and mind flayer ambushed the party from the stalagmites.
- Dose restrained the mind flayer with a net and marked it with Hunter’s Mark.
- Vorgrath shouted “Never again” and spear-tackled the mind flayer two hundred feet into the lava.
- Prince Derendil jumped after Vorgrath while under Feather Fall and pulled him away from the lava.
- Edric killed the intellect devourer with Magic Missile and redirected the final dart into the spectator.
- Vorgrath rolled a natural twenty on his death saving throw, returned with one hit point, and escaped the lava.
- Aeris harvested all five spectator eyes; Edric claimed the intellect devourer’s corpse as a temporary trophy.
- The party completed the Silken Path, took a long rest, advanced to level four, and unanimously awarded Vorgrath the session MVP.
🎞️ Key Scenes
The Day Edric Met His Match
Seventeen-year-old Edric stood beside Nisa Thorn in a hidden Blackthorn Academy alcove while unstable runes twisted across a sealed cabinet. Nisa held the logic sequence steady and Edric forced the arcane lattice into alignment through intelligence, arrogance, and refusal to respect the possibility of an explosion. When the cabinet opened, the scroll inside proved worthless. Nisa stepped close and admitted that she had only wanted to see how he thought.
Gold Bones, Hungry Dark
Moonbeam poured through the darkness around the gold dragon’s ribs while darkmantles dropped from the ceiling and the mimic thrashed among the bones. Aeris’s pale light erased one of the creatures, and Varang’s Sacred Flame finally consumed the false chest. Nearby, Vorgrath split another darkmantle and watched both halves vanish into the abyss.
Sixty Feet Below
Edric warned that the right-hand strand looked ready to break. Yuck Yuck and Spiderbait crossed it anyway. The web snapped beneath them, and both goblins disappeared onto the lower layer with a scream. Vorgrath lowered his rope through the darkness while the party tried not to look at the lava waiting another hundred and forty feet below.
The Net
Dose threw a net across the gap and caught the hovering mind flayer. The creature twisted against the weighted cords but could not escape. For one brief moment it hung helpless above the lava, marked by Hunter’s Mark and held in place for the orc already setting his axe aside.
Never Again
Vorgrath charged the restrained mind flayer without his axe. As the web vanished beneath his feet, he locked both arms around the creature and refused to release it. “Never again,” he shouted, carrying the mind flayer through the layered webs and into the lava two hundred feet below.
One Hit Point
Vorgrath woke in the lava with a single hit point after a natural twenty death save. The mind flayer’s breastplate dissolved beneath him while Prince Derendil descended slowly through the darkness above. Vorgrath raged again, forced his body to move, and leapt onto the narrow shore. Derendil dragged him away from the heat and howled with laughter at the glorious stupidity of it all.
🧵 Ongoing Threads & Plot Hooks
- Nisa Thorn: Edric’s first encounter with Nisa established her as an intellectual rival who understood him almost immediately. Her later role and present whereabouts remain unknown.
- The Lexicon Incident: The flashback occurred three years before an event called the Lexicon Incident. No further details have yet been established.
- The Red Sashes: The goblins who murdered Randall and Aaron wore matching red sashes. Their organisation, employer, and motives remain unknown.
- “The Egg Is Ready”: The phrase spoken before the desert murders remains unexplained and may connect to Vorgrath’s past.
- Vorgrath’s Vow: Vorgrath’s cry of “Never again” directly echoed the promise he made after burying Randall and Aaron. The vow is now shaping his decisions under extreme pressure.
- Topsy and Turvy: The twins remain missing. The party found no new evidence of their route or condition.
- The Magical Fur: Edric still carries unidentified magical fur found near the twins’ disappearance. Its origin and relevance remain unconfirmed.
- Fargus’s Tomb: With the Silken Path completed, Fargus’s promised tomb is now the party’s immediate destination.
- The Potion of Invisibility: Dose still carries the potion given by Fargus, but its identity has not been independently verified.
- Drow Pursuit: The party remains a group of escaped prisoners travelling through hostile Underdark territory. The pursuit has not been conclusively ended.
- Reach Gracklstugh: Gracklstugh remains the wider destination after the detour to Fargus’s tomb.
🗺️ Quest Status
| Quest / Thread | Status | Relevant Characters | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reach Gracklstugh | Ongoing | Party, Fargus, Yuck Yuck, Spiderbait | The party has completed the Silken Path but intends to visit Fargus’s tomb before continuing toward Gracklstugh. |
| Explore Fargus’s tomb | Next objective | Fargus Rumblefoot | Fargus will lead the group to the tomb in exchange for a share of any treasure recovered. |
| Find Topsy and Turvy | Active | Topsy, Turvy, Sarith | The twins remain missing, and no new tracks or signs were found. |
| Investigate the magical fur | Open | Edric, Topsy, Turvy | The fur remains magical and unidentified. A connection to the missing twins has not been proven. |
| Understand Nisa Thorn and the Lexicon Incident | Personal thread opened | Edric, Nisa Thorn | The flashback established Nisa as Edric’s intellectual rival and named the unexplained Lexicon Incident. |
| Escape drow pursuit | Ongoing | Party, drow pursuers | The party remains on the move and has not confirmed that the drow have abandoned the hunt. |
| Cross the Silken Path | Completed | Party, Yuck Yuck, Spiderbait | The party reached the cave beyond the final web cavern and took a long rest. |
| Resolve the gold dragon remains | Completed | Party, mimic, darkmantles | The mimic and darkmantles were defeated, and the mimic was searched. |
| Survive the lava-web ambush | Completed | Party, spectator, intellect devourer, mind flayer | All three ambushers were killed. Vorgrath survived the lava with one hit point after a natural twenty death save. |
💰 Loot & Discoveries
| Item / Discovery | Holder / Finder | Description / Status |
|---|---|---|
| 14 gold pieces | Aeris | Recovered from inside the dead mimic. Aeris took all fourteen coins. |
| Mimic teeth ×2 | Aeris | Two usable teeth harvested from the mimic. |
| Old short swords ×2 | Edric | Two worn short swords found inside the mimic and claimed by Edric. |
| Unidentified child-or-halfling bones | Discovery only | Bones were found inside the mimic. The party could not determine whether they belonged to a child or a halfling. |
| Spectator eyestalk eyes ×4 | Aeris | All four smaller eyes were harvested after the spectator was killed. |
| Spectator central eye ×1 | Aeris | The large central eye was removed along with the four smaller eyes. |
| Intellect devourer corpse | Edric | Tied to Edric’s bag as a warning trophy. Edric intended to keep it only until the smell became intolerable. |
| Dose’s net | Lost | The net remained wrapped around the mind flayer and was permanently lost in the lava. |
| Mind flayer’s magical breastplate | Destroyed | The armour corroded and dissolved in the lava before it could be recovered. |
| Vorgrath’s axe | Vorgrath | Set down before the spear tackle and recovered before the party left the Silken Path. |
| The Principles of Hollow Geometry | Flashback discovery | A pre-Concordance scroll found by Edric and Nisa at Blackthorn Academy. Despite its presentation, Edric recognised it as basic theory rather than dangerous forbidden knowledge. |
Noteworthy Items
The spectator’s eyes: Aeris recovered four smaller eyestalk eyes and the large central eye. Their precise future use has not yet been established in play.
The intellect devourer trophy: Edric’s decision to tie the dead creature to his bag was intended as a warning to future intellect devourers. Whether future intellect devourers respect corpse-based signage remains untested.
💬 Memorable Moments
- Nisa Thorn: “I wanted to see how you think.”
- Nisa Thorn: “You’re brilliant, Valemont, but undisciplined.”
- Edric: “Are mimics edible?”
- Varang: “Anything’s edible if you’re brave enough.”
- Vorgrath: “Never again.”
- Prince Derendil: “You have a death wish, friend. That was glorious.”
- Vorgrath: “The dice wanted me alive.”
🏷️ Session Tags
Out of the Abyss, Session 7, Never Again, Blackthorn Academy, Nisa Thorn, Edric Faustin Valemont, Lexicon Incident, Principles of Hollow Geometry, Silken Path, gold dragon skeleton, mimic, darkmantles, Moonbeam, Feather Fall, spectator, intellect devourer, mind flayer, Dose’s net, Hunter’s Mark, lava, Vorgrath Kael, Prince Derendil, natural twenty, level four, Fargus’s tomb, Gracklstugh
🧰 Next Session Prep
- Confirm all six player characters have been advanced to level four.
- Apply the long-rest recovery from the sheltered cave.
- Update Aeris’s inventory with fourteen gold pieces, two mimic teeth, four small spectator eyes, and one large spectator eye.
- Update Edric’s inventory with two old short swords and the intellect devourer corpse trophy, subject to its eventual disposal.
- Remove Dose’s net from inventory; it was permanently lost in the lava.
- Keep Vorgrath’s axe in his inventory; it was recovered before departure.
- Begin with Fargus leading the party toward the promised tomb.
- Carry forward the missing Topsy and Turvy, the unidentified magical fur, the unverified Potion of Invisibility, and the wider route toward Gracklstugh.
- Track Nisa Thorn and the Lexicon Incident as newly established parts of Edric’s personal history.
⏳ Cliffhanger
- The party finally escaped the Silken Path and rested inside a defensible cave with one entrance and one exit.
- Vorgrath survived a two-hundred-foot plunge into lava after awakening on a natural twenty death save with one hit point.
- The group reached level four and prepared to follow Fargus Rumblefoot toward the promised tomb.
- Topsy and Turvy remained missing, the magical fur remained unidentified, and Gracklstugh still lay somewhere ahead in the Underdark.