📘 Session 20 - Through Heaven's Back Door

[Verse 1]
From Sondar’s vault of dust and stone,
They hauled old gold by circle’s glow.
Rook said, “My debt is paid in full,”
Then passed a pistol, worn and cold.
Five thousand coins for parting grace,
A smirk, a nod, no warm embrace.
He named a spire, a ship of dread,
Then vanished where old captains tread.

[Hook]
Raise the sail, let the green seas roar,
Through heaven’s back door once more.
Gold in the hold, crown in the dark,
A cursed little whisper with a bite and a bark.
Sing low, sing high, let the wild winds soar,
We’re bound for the Choir Master’s door.

[Verse 2]
The gate demanded magic’s price,
Not blood this time, which seemed quite nice.
Boots of winter, web-wand bright,
Ring of Ram in blue-green light.
Valen watched the runes ignite,
High Jinks fed sparks into the night.
The portal split with feyborn flame,
And Arborea called their name.

[Hook]
Raise the sail, let the green seas roar,
Through heaven’s back door once more.
Gold in the hold, crown in the dark,
A cursed little whisper with a bite and a bark.
Sing low, sing high, let the wild winds soar,
We’re bound for the Choir Master’s door.

[Verse 3]
Upon green waves their rowboat spun,
The “peaceful trip” was quickly done.
A Morkoth rose with teeth and spite,
To ruin everyone’s afternoon delight.
Dino braced and Leydrick prayed,
Rigg shot poorly, undismayed.
The wyrmling’s flame made sea-mist bloom,
And bought them space from certain doom.

[Bridge]
Then up they rose by dragon fire,
Past sea and stone and silver spire.
Valen traced the way back home,
In circles inked on secret tome.
Dino stared where bright skies burned,
Knowing nice views mean trouble earned.
For heaven smiles with open hands,
Then buries knives beneath the sands.

[Verse 4]
In Arvandor’s enchanted green,
They tried their best not to be seen.
High Jinks became a twilight fox,
While Dino’s elf act shook the rocks.
Leydrick clanked with holy care,
Rigg rang bells from who-knows-where.
A glowing watcher turned aside—
Somehow the lie survived.

[Final Hook]
Raise the sail, let the green seas roar,
Through heaven’s back door once more.
Gold in the hold, crown in the dark,
A cursed little whisper with a bite and a bark.
Sing low, sing high, let the wild winds soar,
We’re bound for the Choir Master’s door.

[Outro]
Five shadows stand where starlight streams,
Before the land of deathless dreams.
The crown still calls, the songs still pour,
And trouble waits behind the door.
So tune the lute and mark the score—
We’re bound for the Choir Master’s door.

🪐 Campaign Arc

• Campaign: Spelljammer
• Session: 20 – Through Heaven's Back Door
• Date: 25/04/2026
• Dungeon Master: James / Jamie / Sicareus
• Setting: Sondar Vault, the party's spelljammer, the Astral Sea, Arborea's second layer, and the forested upper realm of Arvandor.

🎬 Previously On...

In Session 19, the party survived the haunted forge of Sondar, recovered a Dwarven Thrower for Leydrick, uncovered the grim history of the fallen dwarven kingdom, and claimed the whispering crown from the dead queen's throne hall. The crown immediately changed the shape of the party's task: instead of merely surviving Sondar and its Illithid-haunted ruin, they were now compelled to take the crown to Arborea and deliver it to the Choir Master.

The session ended with the vault finally opened and the party standing before more gold than they had ever seen in their lives. The only remaining problem was simple: how to move a dwarven kingdom's worth of treasure without turning the ship, the party, or basic logistics into paste.

🧭 Overview

Session 20 began in the treasure vault of Sondar, where the party turned from desperate survivors into very wealthy, very suspicious people. With Rook's teleportation circle limited by space rather than greed, the group loaded roughly 49,500 gold onto their ship, sorted through powerful magic items, and created a dedicated gold room aboard the vessel. Rigg celebrated the haul with beer from his Alchemy Jug, because nothing says financial responsibility like pouring alcohol over a dwarven payday.

After the treasure was secured, Rook announced that his debt had been repaid and that he had to return to his own ship and crew. The farewell was generous and practical: Rigg handed him 5,000 gold, Rook gave directions toward Fizzwick and the spire on Arborea's second layer, warned them about the Mountain of Misery as a last-resort contact, and gifted Rigg a pistol from a coat full of firearms. The party then paid the portal's fuel tax with magic items, travelled for weeks through the Astral Sea, and reached a sea cave opening onto Arborea.

From there, the journey became a strange passage through heavenly territory by the least official route imaginable. A rowboat crossing turned dangerous when a Morkoth burst from the green sea, only to be driven off through spellwork, steel, rowing panic, and help from a red dragon wyrmling. The party found Fizzwick's network, bought passage aboard a dragon-powered blimp, learned more about the Choir Master's music and the danger of the crown, received anti-scrying rings, and finally entered the forests of Arvandor in disguise. By the end, they were alive, hidden for now, and moving toward the music that may sit at the center of the whole problem.

Arborea

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Party Members

🎭 NPC Tracker

📍 Key Locations

• Sondar Vault: The treasure-filled dwarven vault where the party recovered major wealth and several magic items.
• Party's Spelljammer: The ship became the landing point for nearly 50,000 gold and gained a dedicated gold room.
• Portal with Blue and Green Flecks: The portal toward Arborea, requiring three magic items as fuel before passage.
• Astral Sea: The party spent roughly two to three weeks travelling, resting, attuning, and discussing training.
• Arborea Sea Cave: The party's entry point into Arborea's second layer, opening onto a small island surrounded by green sea and stone spires.
• Green Sea of Arborea: The rowboat crossing where the Morkoth attacked from below.
• Spire Island: The rocky island and large stone spire where Rook said the party would find Fizzwick.
• Cave and Blimp Dock: The staging point where the party met Taran, Volmea, and the red dragon wyrmling before ascending by blimp.
• Dragon-Powered Blimp: A magical airborne vessel powered by the wyrmling's fire, carrying the party upward toward Arvandor.
• Arvandor: The upper forested realm of Arborea, bathed in elvish music and watched by powerful divine forces.
• Forest Near the Choir Master's Region: The drop-off point where the party encountered elven spirits and a glowing investigator.
• Mountain of Misery: A dwarven ship in the Astral suggested by Rook as a last-resort contact, with the warning that it is definitely not filled with dwarves anymore.

📑 Session Highlights

• The party sorted through the Sondar vault and transported roughly 49,500 gold to the ship.
• Rigg used the Alchemy Jug to pour beer during the loading effort, fully embracing suspiciously dwarven energy.
• Rigg claimed the Belt of Dwarvenkind; Leydrick received the Belt of Hill Giant Strength and Periapt of Wound Closure.
• Rook departed after declaring his debt repaid, taking 5,000 gold and leaving the party with directions, warnings, and a pistol for Rigg.
• The party sacrificed the Boots of the Winterlands, Wand of Web, and Ring of the Ram to pay the portal's magic-item fuel tax.
• During weeks of Astral travel, the party rested, attuned to items, discussed firearm training, and prepared for Arborea.
• The crown remained a growing concern, especially after the party learned it may be most dangerous in the hands of someone powerful.
• The party entered Arborea through a sea cave and found themselves on a small island surrounded by green water and stone spires.
• A rowboat crossing turned into a fight when a Morkoth burst from beneath the water.
• Valen's Cause Fear drove the Morkoth away, though the creature's spell reflection could have made that a hilarious disaster for everyone in the boat.
• The red dragon wyrmling flew over the fleeing creature and later powered the blimp that carried the party upward.
• Taran and the Arborea contacts warned the party about Corellon, the elven gods, and the danger of being caught where they should not be.
• Valen copied teleportation circle locations for an emergency exit, with strict instructions to destroy the page if compromised.
• The party received five enchanted anti-scrying rings to help hide from divine and magical scrutiny.
• Valen gained dragonchess set proficiency during the blimp journey.
• In Arvandor's forest, High Jinx and Dino used disguises while Rigg created a bell distraction to divert a glowing investigator.
• The session ended with the party moving through the forest toward the source of magical elven music and the Choir Master's domain.

🎞️ Key Scenes

Rook’s debt is paid, but he does not leave empty-handed — or without leaving something behind. With a sack of gold at his feet and the party’s treasure-stuffed ship behind him, he gives Rigg a flintlock pistol from his coat of hidden weapons: a practical farewell from one troublemaker to another.

To reach Arborea, the party pays the portal’s price in magic rather than blood. The Boots of the Winterlands, Wand of Web, and Ring of the Ram dissolve into blue-green sparks, feeding the gateway as Valen and High Jinks guide the unstable ritual forward.

The peaceful green waters of Arborea turn violent as a Morkoth erupts beneath the party’s rowboat. Dino braces at the prow while Leydrick calls on divine power, the tiny boat suddenly caught between celestial beauty and something very interested in eating them.

The party rises toward the upper realm aboard a dragon-powered blimp, with Arborea’s green seas and stone spires falling away below. Valen studies the teleportation-circle notes that may become their escape route, while Dino watches the horizon, fully aware that heavenly scenery rarely means heavenly odds.

High Jinks steps into the role of “Fox at Twilight Dre,” trying to look like she belongs in the elven afterlife while suspicion closes in. Hidden nearby, Rigg rings a small bell to draw attention away — a ridiculous plan, naturally, which means it somehow works.

🧵 Ongoing Threads & Plot Hooks

• The Crown and the Choir Master: The crown appears especially dangerous in the hands of someone powerful, possibly allowing outside influence or control. This makes the command to give it to the Choir Master far more alarming, since the Choir Master directs the magical music that washes across Arvandor.
• Primus' Mandate: The party is still compelled to further the task. They suspect Primus may be allowing the plan to unfold in order to understand or expose a larger design.
• The Music of Arvandor: The entire upper realm is bathed in magical elvish music with calming and other effects. The Choir Master appears to be central to this system.
• Divine Surveillance: Corellon and the elven gods are active powers in the region. The party has been warned that being noticed in the wrong place could end very badly.
• Anti-Scrying Rings: Each party member received an enchanted ring designed to hide them from divination and prying eyes, though it is only a smaller version of stronger protections used by their contacts.
• Emergency Return Route: Valen copied teleportation circle locations that may allow the party to escape. If compromised, the page must be destroyed.
• Rigg's Pistol Training: Rook gifted Rigg a pistol, but Rigg is not yet proficient with firearms. Dino offered training, though proper proficiency will take longer than the party currently has.
• The Dwarven Scrolls: The scrolls from Sondar reveal that the crown reached the queen during the Illithid siege, after which rune-carving spread across the city and appeared to trap souls.
• Fizzwick's Network: The party has now used Rook's Arborea contact, but future help from this network is likely to be expensive and politically dangerous.
• Mountain of Misery: Rook named this dwarven Astral ship as a last-resort contact. It is not filled with dwarves anymore, which is exactly the kind of detail that makes the word "last-resort" do heavy lifting.
• Forgotten Shipboard Companions: The party remains unsure about the fate of at least one previous companion or crewmate, and whether anyone was left aboard, departed, or simply forgotten.

🗺️ Quest Status

💰 Loot & Discoveries

⚙️ Rules & Mechanics Notes

• Teleportation Circle Capacity: The vault gold was limited by how much could fit inside Rook's circle, not by ship weight.
• Attunement: Characters can attune to up to three magic items, and attunement requires rest.
• Portal Fuel Tax: Passage through the Arborea portal required sacrificing three magic items.
• Firearm Proficiency: A character can fire a pistol without proficiency, but does not add proficiency bonus to the attack roll.
• Training: Dino can train Rigg in firearms, but it requires more time than a single short stretch of travel.
• Long Rest: The table confirmed use of 5.5-style long rest recovery for hit dice.
• Morkoth Spell Reflection: The Morkoth's ability to reflect spells could have made Valen's Cause Fear rebound horribly if the save had gone differently.
• Rowboat Movement: Two oars meant two people could row effectively at once. Weak rowers slowed progress, because physics remains rude even in heaven.
• Disguise Self: Disguise magic was used to help non-elves pass in Arvandor, but the spell only affects the caster.
• Heavy Armour and Stealth: Plate armour still causes stealth issues, though sufficient strength prevents speed reduction.
• Anti-Divination Rings: The rings must be worn to help hide the party from scrying and divination.

💬 Memorable Quotes

• Rigg: "We're rich boys and girls."
• Leydrick: "Lets make it 49,999."
• Dino: "We'll leave a donation."
• Rigg: "Little bit of donation for the Dungeon Master. You know, for his hard work."
• Valen: "Back to the Depths with you!."
• Rook: "I've repaid my debt."
• Rigg: "Your wizard. Make it a speedboat, for fuck's sake."
• DM: "Don't touch the dragon."
• DM: "Most people don't try to sneak out of heaven."

🏁 Cliffhanger

• The party has reached Arvandor, the upper layer of Arborea, while disguised and hidden under anti-scrying magic.
• The magical music of the realm grows more important as the party approaches the Choir Master's domain.
• The crown remains in the party's possession and may be exactly the wrong thing to give to exactly the wrong person.
• Corellon and the elven gods are active nearby, making discovery a potentially catastrophic problem.
• The party has an emergency teleportation route, but using or exposing it may burn their Arborea contacts permanently.