Session 13: Blood, Bone and Spores

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🪐 Campaign Arc

Campaign	Out of the Abyss
Dungeon Master	Reuben / Rewrock
Session Number	13
Working Title	Blood, Bone and Spores
Real-world Date	11 November 2026
In-game Time	Immediately following the concealed-shrine discovery; exact Kythorn date not confirmed
Setting	Caverns beneath Gracklstugh, including Buppido's shrine, fungal passages and worked chambers; flashback to Blackthorn Academy and the Hall of Higher Mysteries
Player Attendance	All five current player characters present

🎬 Previously On...

The party's search through Gracklstugh had led from the Darklake District to the East Cleft, where warnings scratched into the stone spoke of a crown, a waking heart and returning rot. After receiving Stone Guard insignias from Captain Errde Blackskull, the travellers had pushed into a concealed passage and found their missing companion, Buppido, standing at a bloodied altar among the remains of several victims. Edric cast Web, Varang prepared to demand an explanation, and Vorgrath charged. Session 12 ended before the confrontation was resolved.

🧭 Overview

The Ordinary Braces of Aurelion

Before returning to the shrine, the session moved back to Edric Faustin Valemont at eighteen years old, roughly a year after an earlier meeting with Nisa Thorn. Both had received invitations to the Hall of Higher Mysteries in the Obsidian Spire, a chamber associated with Blackthorn Academy and reserved for exceptional students. Nisa remarked on Edric's growing reputation as they approached Professor Voss's lesson.

Voss presented the image of a battered pair of leather braces and related the story of Aurelion's failed divine ascension. The illusion showed an ancient city shattered by a ritual that had gone catastrophically wrong. Amid the destruction, an ordinary mason had tried to help others escape. When divine energy struck him, the braces he wore remained, apparently changed by a fragment of the power released during the disaster. Accounts of their subsequent abilities varied: extraordinary endurance, unbroken concentration, even the certainty of a true shot. Voss did not establish any of those claims as a tested fact. He instead asked the students to consider why an unremarkable object had become irreplaceable.

Edric answered that value came from power. Voss argued that magic and wealth could often be reproduced, while the circumstances that made this relic unique could not. After class, Nisa recognised Edric's unmistakable fascination and warned him that his determination to pursue forbidden or dangerous knowledge would one day bring trouble. Edric dismissed the warning, but the lesson remained with him.

[Image placeholder: 01-edric-flashback.jpg / 02-edric-flashback.jpg]

The Shrine's Final Sacrifice

Back in the caverns, Varang attempted to give Buppido a final chance to stop. The cleric demanded that he put down his weapon and explain himself, even as Edric's Web took effect and Vorgrath moved toward the altar. Buppido laughed rather than surrendering. He spoke of his nearly completed shrine and the extraordinary truth he believed he could offer the party. The bodies around him began to rise as undead, making his intentions considerably harder to misunderstand.

Edric ignited the web with a Fireball. The blast tore through several of the newly raised skeletons and left Buppido badly wounded. Iragon struck at him with Eldritch Blast, while Aeris directed a Moonbeam against another skeleton. Buppido continued to attack with his dagger despite the damage, showing no sign of abandoning the ritual. Vorgrath then reached him with his greataxe. One blow severed Buppido's arm at the elbow; the next ended the fight by taking the other. As Buppido fell, the remaining skeletons collapsed.

The party examined the altar and its surroundings. Iragon recognised signs of worship directed at Diinkarazan, whom he recalled as a derro god of murder and vengeance. The shrine appeared to be a site of ritual sacrifice; Buppido had apparently gathered victims from the impoverished derro districts nearby. Small patches of rot were also forming where blood had seeped into the corners. The cause of that corruption was not established. Buppido had claimed to be Diinkarazan's avatar, but the group received no independent proof that the claim was true.

[Image placeholder: 03-caves-map.jpg / 04-caves-map.jpg]

Pelek's Request

A ghost then appeared near the bodies. The spirit, a deep gnome named Pelek, realised that his own remains lay among the dead. He told the party that Buppido had invited him into the cavern with the promise of a significant discovery, then murdered him. Pelek also recalled hearing strange music from farther within the caves before his death. He was frightened by Buppido's apparent madness and by the derro's repeated claims to be an avatar.

Pelek asked the travellers to take part of his remains to Blingdenstone and bury it there so that he might find peace. Edric agreed to carry a femur and placed it in his pack. Varang took Pelek's plain obsidian ring, explaining that it was intended to be buried with its owner. The ring was not identified as magical. Having made his request, Pelek disappeared into the stone, leaving the party with a promise to fulfil at a destination they had not yet reached.

A Small Passage and an Unusual Bargain

The travellers explored the caverns beyond the shrine. A broad pool of water occupied one passage, with its far shore roughly a hundred feet away. Another route narrowed to a crevice barely wide enough for a small creature. Remembering the fungi collected earlier, the group used Pygmywort to reduce their size and pass through the tight opening, with Bigwig available to reverse the effect. Stool had explained the mushrooms' unusual properties, and the DM warned that only limited further size-changing supplies remained for the group.

Beyond the constriction, Aeris heard an unfamiliar disturbance in the rock. The party soon found a xorn, a strange creature feeding on stone and mineral deposits. Varang recognised its appetite for metal and precious material and approached without drawing a weapon. Offering five gold pieces, Varang asked that the party be allowed to pass undisturbed. The xorn ate the coins and let them through. Nearby lay a thick growth of mushrooms, among them edible fungi, dangerous varieties and more of the size-changing specimens. Varang collected samples rather than provoking the creature.

[Image placeholder: 05-caves-map.jpg / 06-xorn.png]

The Yellow Mold Problem

A little farther on, yellowish light revealed a dangerous chamber blanketed in yellow mold. At its centre lay a humanoid skeleton wearing a ring, with a shield partly trapped beneath the remains. Varang recognised the mold as poisonous and warned that prolonged exposure could be deadly. The possibility of recovering the objects nevertheless tempted the group.

Varang proposed rushing through the hazard to seize the shield. Vorgrath physically stopped the cleric, pushed past and took the risk himself. He endured the spores, reached the skeleton and dragged the remains closer to safer ground, but could not immediately recover everything. Edric, still small from the mushrooms, then persuaded Ront to throw him across the affected area. The throw went badly. Edric took damage and was poisoned by the airborne spores, earning Ront a thoroughly unflattering assessment of his throwing ability.

Varang returned to the xorn and offered another five gold pieces to help retrieve the skeleton. The creature's intervention made the recovery possible. Varang recovered the ring and shield, both of which remained in Varang's possession at the end of the session. They were regarded as magical, but neither had been identified and their properties remained unknown. These were separate from Pelek's ordinary obsidian ring.

The hazard was not finished with them. Ront later fell unconscious after entering the affected area. Iragon teleported in, pulled him clear and used Lay on Hands to revive him. Aeris treated Edric's poisoning with Lesser Restoration. For all the care and failed plans surrounding the mold, the simplest solution came later: Vorgrath brought a torch near the spores and discovered that they burned away. He spent a short time clearing the affected corridor with flame, after which the group could move without repeatedly braving the same poisonous cloud.

[Image placeholder: 07-caves-spore-mist.png / 08-caves-spore-mist.png]

Many Paths, Few Answers

With the immediate danger reduced, exploration split among several branching tunnels. Different scouts reported voices speaking Dwarvish, distant growling, narrow side passages and a worked door set into the stone. Stool's communication spores could not keep everyone in contact once they moved beyond their limited range, so information had to be carried back between separate groups. One character's discovery was not automatically known to the others.

Edric investigated a tight passage leading into a larger cavern filled with drifting, softly glowing spores. They swirled around a raised mass of stone and climbed into darkness above the visible ceiling. From the cavern he heard echoes associated with Gracklstugh's forges and what the DM described as Themberchaud's distant breathing or snoring, along with other voices and cries. None of those distant sources was confronted or directly seen. Farther along, Edric found a junction bearing small impressions and strands of silk, suggestive of a large spider's passage. He chose not to pursue that route.

Elsewhere, Aeris identified a magical Alarm on the worked door. He used Dispel Magic to remove the ward before the party opened it quietly. Beyond it lay more interconnected passages and two different streams of conversation in Dwarvish. One sounded like people drinking or socialising; the other involved workers being directed to fetch and carry ingredients. Varang could understand enough to relay the distinction. A separate passage led toward another distant pool of water, but its importance was not resolved.

[Image placeholder: 09-caves-behind-door.png]

Someone at Work Behind the Stone

At the end of the session, the party cautiously looked into the working area. Vorgrath spotted an agitated or eccentric-looking figure making potions, while approximately three duergar moved materials to and fro. The figure is represented by the supplied character reference image, but no name was revealed. The group had not approached or challenged them. Edric finished checking a nearby route, recognised that it connected toward the earlier xorn area, and turned back to rejoin the others. The travellers were still deciding how to proceed when the DM ended play.

[Image placeholder: 10-deranged-character.png — confirmed visual reference for the unnamed potion-maker seen at the session's end]

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Party Members

Character	Player	Class / Subclass	Race	Status	Notable Actions
Aeris Naïlo	Justin / Slitzer	Druid / Circle of the Land	Wood Elf	Alive	Used Moonbeam, investigated passageways, treated Edric with Lesser Restoration and dispelled the door's magical alarm.
Edric Faustin Valemont	Rob / BaconBuff	Wizard / Abjurer	Human	Alive	Featured in the academy flashback, burned Buppido's summoned undead with Fireball, took Pelek's femur and explored the spore-filled tunnels.
Varang the Ash-Mender	Ben / Moose	Cleric / Life Domain	Chthonic Tiefling	Alive	Demanded Buppido surrender, accepted responsibility for Pelek's ring, bargained with the xorn twice and kept the unidentified ring and shield recovered from the mold chamber.
Iragon Midsommar	James / Sicareus	Warlock / Paladin	Eladrin	Alive	Helped bring Buppido down, recognised Diinkarazan's cult signs and rescued Ront from the spores with a teleport and Lay on Hands.
Vorgrath Kael	Mike / MikeKong	Barbarian / Path of the World Tree	Orc	Alive	Killed Buppido, took the first run through the mold instead of Varang, moved the skeleton and discovered the spores' vulnerability to fire; awarded inspiration after the session's MVP vote.

🎭 NPC Tracker

Only significant developments are recorded here; the party's entire historical companion roster is not repeated.

NPC / Creature	Status at Session End	What Changed
Buppido	Dead	Revealed as the killer at the shrine; his undead fell when he died. His claims of divine authority remain unverified.
Pelek	Deceased; ghost last seen disappearing into stone	Identified himself as one of Buppido's victims and requested burial of part of his remains in Blingdenstone.
Ront	Alive after rescue	Was rendered unconscious by the mold and revived by Iragon.
Xorn	Alive; last seen in the fungal passages	Accepted gold from Varang, allowed passage and assisted in recovering the skeleton.
Stool	With the travelling party	Provided knowledge of size-changing fungi; could not identify a reliable solution to the yellow mold.
Unnamed potion-maker	Observed; no contact	Seen working with approximately three duergar in an underground area.

📍 Key Locations

Location	Significance
Hall of Higher Mysteries, Obsidian Spire	Edric's flashback to Professor Voss's lesson about a unique relic.
Buppido's concealed shrine	Final confrontation with the derro, remains of his victims, and Pelek's request.
Fungal passage and xorn's feeding ground	Magical mushrooms, a successful bargain and an alternative route through the caverns.
Yellow mold chamber	Dangerous crossing, collapsed companion and recovery of unidentified magic items.
Glowing spore cavern and web-marked branch	Separate scouting route with echoes from above and signs suggesting large spiders.
Warded doorway and work chambers	Magical alarm removed; duergar conversations and a potion-maker discovered.

⚔️ Session Highlights

• A friend's betrayal became final: Buppido rejected a chance to surrender and died in the shrine he had prepared.
• The dead asked for help: Pelek left the party with a burial obligation rather than a battle.
• Not every obstacle required violence: Varang's negotiation with a xorn was more effective than another fight would have been.
• The mold punished improvisation: The party endured a failed throw and a rescue before finding a practical answer.
• Several routes remain open: The scouts discovered more connections, inhabitants and possible hazards than they could resolve in one night.

🎬 Key Scenes

Short, factual scene references for later BookStack artwork; no image-generation prompts yet.

The Warning After Class

Edric lingered after Professor Voss's lecture, still looking towards the place where the impossible relic had appeared. Nisa Thorn recognised his interest and warned him against the pursuit of things wiser people left untouched.

No More Sacrifices

Vorgrath advanced through the shattered, burning web towards Buppido. The derro, wounded and laughing, refused to abandon his bloody shrine.

Gold for the Stone-Eater

Varang stood before a xorn, placing gold on the ground and asking for safe passage. The creature accepted the payment without a fight.

A Better Use for the Torch

Vorgrath held flame to the suspended yellow spores. Instead of another desperate crossing, the corridor could be cleared by burning away the mold.

🧵 Ongoing Threads & Plot Hooks

• Pelek's burial: Edric carries the deep gnome's femur, and Varang intends his obsidian ring to accompany the burial in Blingdenstone. The promise remains unfulfilled.
• The source of the shrine's rot and distant music: Both were observed or reported, but neither was explained. Any connection to the East Cleft inscriptions is still speculation.
• Unidentified equipment: Varang currently holds the ring and shield recovered from the mold-covered skeleton. Neither has been identified, and their magical properties remain unknown.
• The workers beyond the warded door: The potion-maker and duergar have not yet been approached; whether they are hostile is unknown.
• Unexplored branches: The web-marked route, echoing spore chamber, distant voices, growling and water passages have not been resolved.
• Unfinished Gracklstugh business: Droki remains at large, and Captain Errde's interest in him has not been satisfied. The wider mystery of corruption and the East Cleft warnings also remains open.
• Edric's lesson: The Braces of Aurelion appeared in an academy memory only. Their whereabouts, powers and possible relevance to Edric's future are unknown.

💰 Loot & Discoveries

Item / Discovery	Finder / Holder	Confirmed Outcome
Pelek's femur	Edric	Carried for burial in Blingdenstone.
Plain obsidian ring	Varang	Taken from Pelek's effects; intended to be buried with him. Not confirmed magical.
Dagger	Edric	Awarded to Edric by the Foundry loot log after the shrine confrontation.
Potion of Poison	Edric	Awarded to Edric in the Foundry loot log. Its current intended use was not discussed.
Ring from the mold-covered skeleton	Varang — current holder	Unidentified magical item; its properties are unknown.
Shield from the mold-covered skeleton	Varang — current holder	Unidentified magical item; its properties are unknown.
Fungal specimens — party harvest	Party (shared haul)	Collected: 2 Timmask, 1 Tongue of Madness, 7 Ripplebark, 9 Bigwig and 9 Pygmywort. These are harvested quantities, not a verified remaining balance after mushrooms were used.
Gold spent on the xorn	Varang	Offered five gold for passage and a further five for help recovering the skeleton; additional promised payment was not clearly resolved.
Braces of Aurelion	Historical account in Edric's flashback	Not acquired. Their reputed powers were described in Professor Voss's lesson, not demonstrated in play.

⏭️ Cliffhanger

Behind a formerly alarmed door, an unidentified figure continued preparing potions while duergar moved ingredients and supplies around the work area. The party had begun to watch them without making contact. Edric had turned back from a spider-marked side route and was making his way towards the others. The cave system still held unexplored branches and unresolved dangers, but no new battle had started when the session ended.