Session 09: Sunlight and Dragonfire
🖼️ Images
Placeholder image links for Session 9 artwork.
🪐 Campaign Arc
🎬 Previously On...
The party had survived the Tomb of Brysis Khaem and returned to the road toward Gracklstugh carrying considerably more treasure than when they entered it. Four spectres and Brysis's wraith had been destroyed, Iragon had claimed the Dhauzimmer Blade of Lathander, and the survivors had escaped the tomb with a collection of magical and mundane grave goods. Buppido, Eldeth Feldrun, and Prince Derendil had also left the tomb under a lingering curse.
Outside, however, the Underdark had offered no simple return to normality. A slow heartbeat had travelled through solid stone, a vast procession of mushroom-masked figures had chanted about the rot and an awakening crown, and an unidentified telepathic voice had begged the party for release from somewhere within the Tomb of Khaem. Across a later canyon, the group had also seen a singing myconid caravan travelling through the dark. By the beginning of Session 9, that caravan had taken another passage rather than the road toward Gracklstugh, leaving the fugitives to continue toward the duergar city with their old mysteries still unresolved.
🧭 Overview
Session 9 opened in a memory from roughly eighteen years earlier. A much younger Aeris Naïlo sat beside a clear surface lake with Thanlin, one of his teachers from the Grove, and a group of young wardens. Thanlin's lesson concerned Sylvanus, the Oak Father, and the idea that nature was not simply life or greenery, but a balance between stillness and movement, light and shadow, growth and decay. When Aeris answered that the loss of that balance brought chaos, Thanlin showed him that imbalance could also manifest as sickness spreading from places that could not easily be seen.
Thanlin touched the lake and transformed its reflection into an illusion of the Underdark: twisting passages, strange fungi, and a world beyond the reach of ordinary sunlight. He told Aeris the story of Ilarion Mosshart, an archdruid who had once followed the call of Sylvanus into the deepest reaches below while carrying the Wildwood Scepter of Sylvanus. The relic appeared in the vision as ancient heartwood wrapped in twisting roots and blooming flowers, glowing faintly green. According to the story, it could awaken sleeping forests, calm storms, and commune with the oldest spirits. Ilarion never returned from the Underdark, and Thanlin said he was believed to still wander below with the scepter, seeking balance in a realm defined by hunger.
Thanlin's lesson ended with a warning that would become far more relevant years later: nature did not cease to exist simply because sunlight could no longer reach it. A warden's duty was therefore not merely to bring light into darkness, but to listen to what already lived there. He told Aeris to remember Ilarion, remember the scepter, and remember that balance had to be protected even in the deepest dark. As the memory faded, Aeris found himself once again in the Underdark, older and hardened by the journey. He touched the pouch of surface seeds at his belt and carried the lesson forward.
The party continued along the road toward Gracklstugh. A signpost placed the city approximately three days ahead. The journey brought more falling stone, including a rockfall that temporarily trapped Prince Derendil before the group freed him, as well as a wrong turn that forced the travellers to double back. During the journey the curse from Brysis Khaem's tomb finally broke from Buppido, Eldeth, and Prince Derendil. Sarith's persistent headaches continued, while Prince Derendil remained visibly stressed and was occasionally heard speaking archaic Elvish under his breath. During camp, Iragon completed his attunement to the Dhauzimmer Blade of Lathander.
Close to their destination, the party discovered a low stone entrance cut directly into the rock. Eldeth identified the construction as dwarven, with its roughly five-foot-high proportions providing an obvious clue. Varang questioned whether investigating an abandoned-looking mine so close to Gracklstugh was worth the risk, but curiosity won. A faint smell of smoke, fresh moving air, and old iron fittings for torch poles suggested that the passage extended much farther into the stone.
The group's caution paid off immediately. Varang cast Find Traps and identified both a trip-wire alarm and a pressure plate before anyone triggered them. Edric used Invisibility while scouting, with Aeris supporting the exploration through Pass without Trace. Beyond the trapped entrance lay the upper workings of an old, partially derelict mine with ramps, platforms, supplies, water, tools, and signs that the site had seen more recent use than its condition initially suggested.
Then the party found something almost alien after so long underground: sunlight. A narrow beam descended from somewhere impossibly high above and was redirected through the mine by carefully positioned mirrors. Eldeth explained that dwarven engineers could bore narrow shafts through thousands of feet of rock, allowing both sunlight and fresh air into deep workings. The shafts narrowed to roughly a foot across near the surface, making them useless as an escape route, but the light itself was genuine — the first true sunlight the party had encountered since descending into the Underdark.
The group pressed deeper. Workbenches and blacksmithing tools gave way to heavier industrial structures and finally an immense forge built around a huge smelting area. While investigating with Eldeth, Aeris caught sight of what occupied the chamber beyond. He immediately extinguished his light and moved back toward the others, quietly warning them that they needed to leave.
There was an adult red dragon inside the mine.
The attempted withdrawal came too late. The dragon noticed its visitors and the forge erupted into battle. Aeris quickly cast Faerie Fire, and the dragon failed to avoid the spell. Its body remained outlined in magical light, granting the party and its allies a vital advantage on their attacks. When Aeris briefly considered replacing the effect with Spike Growth, the group realised doing so would break concentration on Faerie Fire, and he instead maintained the spell while continuing to attack and support wounded allies.
The fight became the most dangerous confrontation the travelling group had faced since escaping captivity. Edric repeatedly struck the dragon with Magic Missile while using the mine's structures for cover. Iragon used his Steps of the Fey to reposition through bursts of Misty Step, fought with the newly attuned Dhauzimmer Blade, and added Divine Smite and Hellish Rebuke to the assault. Vorgrath entered a rage and met the dragon at close range with his greataxe while his World Tree vitality helped reinforce nearby allies. Varang moved constantly between wounded companions, stabilising the fallen and forcing people back from the edge of death.
The dragon answered with overwhelming force. Its Frightful Presence shook several members of the group, while a blast of fire rolled through the chamber for thirty-four points of fire damage before individual saving throws and reductions were resolved. Later, the dragon's beating wings smashed nearby combatants to the ground. Ront was left close to death, Buppido fell onto death saving throws, and Prince Derendil was knocked unconscious again. Varang and the other healers prevented the collapse from becoming a massacre, but they could not save everyone.
Sarith Kzekarit died during the battle.
Despite the loss, the dragon was finally driven to the brink. In the last exchange, Vorgrath's greataxe carved away part of one wing while Ront struck the dragon's front leg. After the final damage was recalculated, the Dungeon Master confirmed that Ront had slain the dragon. The mortally wounded creature attempted to launch itself away, failed, and crashed head-first into the stairs beside Edric. Standing next to the corpse, Edric immediately declared it the easiest dragon they had ever slain.
The aftermath mixed relief with grief. Varang began preparing Sarith's burial while the rest of the survivors treated their injuries and searched the dragon's hoard. Vorgrath later stood at Sarith's grave and marked the farewell in his own way, declaring Sarith part of his blood and promising to carry his memory while continuing to protect the others. Vorgrath and Edric also removed the dragon's head; after taking anything useful from it, Vorgrath cast the severed head into the mine's depths.
For the first time since the party's escape, survival had also made them genuinely wealthy. Thousands of coins, gemstones, artwork, potions, magical items, and useful mining supplies were recovered from the mine. Among the stranger discoveries was an arcane scroll titled Translocation of Self, a scholarly explanation of the magic adventurers knew as Misty Step. No individual claimed the newly recovered magical treasure before the session ended.
The victory brought one final milestone. The surviving player characters advanced to level 5. During the end-of-session vote, Aeris Naïlo won the Session 9 MVP award, closing a session that had begun with a childhood lesson about listening to the darkness and ended with his Faerie Fire helping an entire company of fugitives bring down an adult dragon.
🧑🤝🧑 Party Members
Justin / Slitzer
Druid / Circle of the Land
Alive; level 5; Session MVP
Experienced the opening flashback with Thanlin and learned the story of Ilarion Mosshart and the Wildwood Scepter of Sylvanus; supported mine exploration with Pass without Trace; accompanied the deeper scouting; discovered the red dragon with Eldeth; maintained Faerie Fire on the dragon through much of the fight; used Healing Word on Prince Derendil; and won the Session 9 MVP vote.
Edric Faustin Valemont
BaconBuff / Rob
Wizard / Abjurer
Alive; level 5
Used Invisibility while scouting the mine, repeatedly struck the dragon with Magic Missile from range, used Detect Magic while the hoard was being searched, survived the battle, and greeted the dragon's corpse by putting his foot on its head and calling it the easiest dragon the party had ever slain.
Varang the Ash-Mender
Ben / Moose
Cleric / Life Domain
Alive; level 5
Questioned the wisdom of exploring the mine so close to Gracklstugh, cast Find Traps and discovered both the trip-wire alarm and pressure plate, checked the mine for signs of the rot or unusual fungal growth, kept multiple companions alive through healing and stabilisation during the dragon battle, and began Sarith's burial after the fighting ended.
Iragon Midsommar
James / Sicareus
Warlock / Paladin
Alive; level 5
Completed his attunement to the Dhauzimmer Blade of Lathander during the journey, used Steps of the Fey and Misty Step to reposition throughout the dragon fight, attacked with the radiant blade, added Divine Smite to his strikes, and retaliated against the dragon with Hellish Rebuke.
Vorgrath Kael
Mike / MikeKong
Orc Barbarian / Path of the World Tree
Alive; level 5
Fought the dragon at close range in a rage, used Vitality of the Tree to reinforce nearby allies, carved away part of the dragon's wing during the final exchange, helped remove its head after the battle, and gave Sarith a deeply personal farewell before casting the dragon's severed head into the mine.
🎭 NPC Tracker
📍 Key Locations
📑 Session Highlights
🎞️ Key Scenes
Remember Ilarion
🖼️ Image Placeholder — Aeris and Thanlin beside the lake.
Aeris sat beside the still lake while Thanlin disturbed its surface with a touch. The reflected sky darkened into twisting caverns and unfamiliar fungi, and within the illusion walked Ilarion Mosshart carrying a green-glowing staff of roots, heartwood, and flowers. Thanlin's lesson was simple but difficult: even where sunlight could not reach, nature remained. A warden first had to learn how to listen.
Sunlight in the Deep
🖼️ Image Placeholder — Aeris and Eldeth beneath the mirrored sunlight shaft.
Aeris and Eldeth stood beneath a narrow beam of genuine sunlight cutting through the impossible height of the mine. Mirrors caught the light and passed it farther into the darkness while fresh air drifted through the old workings. After so long beneath the surface, the sight was almost more unnatural than the Underdark itself.
The Dragon Falls
🖼️ Image Placeholder — Ront and the mortally wounded red dragon.
The dragon tried to escape after the final barrage of attacks. Vorgrath had already torn through part of one wing, and Ront's greataxe struck the creature's front leg. The wounded dragon launched itself forward, failed to carry its own weight, and crashed head-first into the stone stairs beside Edric. When the damage was finally counted, Ront's strike had killed it.
You Are Now My Blood
🖼️ Image Placeholder — Vorgrath beside Sarith's grave.
After the noise of battle and looting had faded, Vorgrath stood beside Sarith's newly prepared grave. The drow who had escaped Velkynvelve beside them would travel no farther. Vorgrath marked the loss in blood and promised that Sarith would remain part of him — a memory carried forward in every future attempt to keep the others alive.
🧵 Ongoing Threads & Plot Hooks
🗺️ Quest Status
💰 Loot & Discoveries
📜 Noteworthy Item — Translocation of Self
The scroll recovered from the dragon's hoard was titled Translocation of the Self and identified by the Dungeon Master as an instructional treatment of the spell commonly known as Misty Step. The text was presented as an excerpt from the Treatise on Subtle Traversal, attributed to Archmage Vaelith of the Silver Veil.
The document described Misty Step not as true teleportation, but as the momentary dissolution of the caster's physical form into aetheric mist. According to the treatise, the caster becomes vapor, slips between heartbeats, and reassembles at a chosen point within sight.
The text divided the process into several principles:
An accompanying diagram illustrated the sequence as Release the Form → Fade into Mist → Slip Between Moments → Through the Veil → Point of Arrival → Reform → Emerge from the Mist.
The treatise also contained a significantly stranger warning:
“Beware the temptation to linger between shapes, for the mist has its own desires.”
Vaelith was also credited with the line:
“To move as mist is to deny the world its grasp.”
The final visible portion of the scroll described the mist as lingering for only a heartbeat after reconstitution, “as if reluctant to release” the traveller. The remainder of that sentence was not visible in the recovered handout.
⚔️ Existing Item Update — Dhauzimmer Blade of Lathander
Iragon Midsommar retained the Dhauzimmer Blade of Lathander recovered from the true Tomb of Brysis Khaem and completed his attunement to the weapon during the journey toward Gracklstugh. The blade was used extensively during the battle with the red dragon and remained in Iragon's possession at the end of Session 9.
⚙️ Rules & Mechanics Notes
💬 Memorable Quotes
🏆 Session Awards
🏷️ Session Tags
🧰 Next Session Prep
⏳ Cliffhanger
The forge had finally fallen silent.
The adult red dragon lay dead, its hoard stripped into packs and containers while the survivors tended wounds that should have killed several of them. Sarith Kzekarit had not survived to share in the victory. His grave remained behind in the dwarven mine, marked by the rites of companions who had once escaped the same drow prison beside him.
For the first time since Velkynvelve, however, the fugitives carried real wealth. Gold, silver, copper, gemstones, artwork, magical potions, explosives, and strange arcane knowledge travelled with them now. More importantly, the five adventurers who had begun the session at level four left the dragon's lair at level five.
Gracklstugh still waited somewhere ahead.
And for Aeris, the darkness had changed slightly. Years ago, Thanlin had told a young warden that nature survived even where roots feared to grow, and that an archdruid named Ilarion Mosshart had once carried a living relic into those same depths.
Aeris was now walking through the place where Ilarion had vanished.
The lesson was no longer a story told beside a lake.