📘 Session 13 – “The Bottled Storm”

🪐 Campaign Arc

• Campaign: Spelljammer (Homebrew + Semi-Custom)
• Session: 13 – “The Bottled Storm”
• Dungeon Master: James / Jamie / Sicareus
• Setting: Limbo – Captured Monastery of the Githzerai

🧭 Overview

The crew of the party descended into the shifting chaos of Limbo to infiltrate an Illithid-occupied Githzerai temple. Disguised through illusion and cunning, they uncovered a gathering of Mind Flayer captains directed by a mysterious figure, seized two sealed letters tied to Illithid colonies, and discovered a volatile psionic storm that birthed elemental guardians. After a harrowing battle and the containment of the tempest into what would become known as the Storm in a Bottle, the group returned to their ship with new intelligence—clues pointing toward Illithid operations in the Underdark and the Abyss.

🧑‍🚀 Party Members

🗺️ Key Locations

• Captured Githzerai Monastery: Once a tranquil temple, now twisted into an Illithid command post lined with neural conduits.
• Captains’ Hall: Site of the Mind Flayer gathering led by an unidentified humanoid who promised “gifts” for obedience.
• Storm Courtyard: Open ruin where a Limbo-born storm coalesced around a crystalline bottle—source of the elemental battle.

⚔️ Session Highlights

• High Jinks disguises herself as a Mind Flayer captain, with all others—including Gith’rath—posing as thralls.
• The group infiltrates the monastery, bypassing the dominated Githyanki guard through persuasion.
• The party witnesses a meeting of Illithid captains led by an unknown humanoid who vanishes after issuing cryptic orders about “gifts” and “letters.”
• High Jinks, accepted as one of the captains, legitimately takes a sealed letter; Rigg stealthily acquires another.
• Valen subdues the Githyanki guard with Sleep for later restoration.
• A psionic storm erupts nearby; Dino’s investigation triggers three Air Elementals to manifest.
• During the fierce battle, Dino seals the bottle, ending the storm; the remaining elementals are destroyed.
• The group retrieves the artifact and returns to their Spelljammer ship.
• High Jinks casts Clairvoyance, overhearing Captain Zelthar and Captain Sylna mention “Falx,” believed to be another Illithid colony.
• The two letters reference collecting items from the Underdark and the Abyss.

🎭 Key Scenes

1. “Disguises and Thralls” (High Jinks & Party)
   Amid shifting psionic fog, High Jinks’ illusion takes hold—tentacles curling, voice echoing with alien cadence. Her “thralls” bow low as they pass the enthralled Githyanki guard, the ruse holding fast.
2. “The Captains’ Meeting” (High Jinks & Rigg)
   From the gallery above, the captains assemble. A human-like figure commands silence—“Fulfill the letters if you seek further gifts.” He vanishes. High Jinks collects her letter as if entitled to it; Rigg ghosts through the dispersing crowd to steal another.
3. “The Sleeping Guard” (Valen & Leydrick)
   On their retreat, Valen murmurs an incantation; the dominated Githyanki slumps peacefully. Leydrick steadies him for transport—the first potential lead toward freeing a thrall.
4. “The Bottled Storm” (Dino & Gith’rath)
   The temple’s courtyard howls. Lightning spirals into a crystal vessel as Air Elementals burst forth. Dino and Gith’rath fight shoulder-to-shoulder; Mage Hand lifts the lid, then seals it again. The winds collapse inward—chaos captured.
5. “Echoes of Falx” (High Jinks & Valen)
   Back aboard the ship, arcane focus hums. Through Clairvoyance, two Illithid voices drift through the void: “Zelthar… Sylna… Falx.” The word lingers, heavy with promise and threat.

🧵 Ongoing Threads & Plot Hooks

• Illithid Colonies: Names confirmed—Captains Zelthar and Sylna; new colony Falx identified.
• Letters of Acquisition: Tasks involving retrieval of artifacts from the Underdark and the Abyss.
• Unidentified Meeting Leader: Non-Illithid entity directing Mind Flayer captains; motives unknown.
• Thrall Restoration: The captured Githyanki guard may reveal methods to break psionic control.
• Storm-Energy Artifact: The Storm in a Bottle radiates Limbo’s raw elemental chaos—purpose yet undefined.

💎 Loot & Discoveries

Item Flavor Notes

• Storm in a Bottle: “Pressure trembles beneath glass; each heartbeat echoes a distant thunder.”
• Letters of Command: “Written in alien glyphs that shimmer and crawl when read—tasks spanning realms best left untraveled.”

⏭️ Cliffhanger / End State

• The Storm in a Bottle secured aboard the party’s Spelljammer.
• Two Illithid letters decoded—missions to the Underdark and the Abyss.
• Names heard through Clairvoyance: Zelthar and Sylna of the colony Falx.
• An unconscious Githyanki thrall held for restoration.
• The party sets course to plan their next strike against the Illithid network.

Note: Music and image sections intentionally omitted for this draft. Additions will follow after narrative approval.