📘 Session 21 - When Heaven Stopped Singing

[Intro]
Tap the iron, strike the chain,
Sing it once and not again.
Silver crown and holy song,
Someone knew it would go wrong.

[Verse 1]
Up through heaven’s greenwood bright,
Past the spirits, pale as light,
Came five thieves with borrowed names,
Walking soft through godly flames.
Elven voices filled the air,
Old souls listening everywhere,
On the stone where music flowed,
Rigg stepped out and stole the road.

[Pre-Chorus]
One minute bought with shaking knees,
One fool dancing for the trees,
One crown waiting, cold and thin,
One bad task about to begin.

[Chorus]
Heave now, haul now, run from the choir,
Gold-green heaven is catching fire.
Row now, roll now, straight through the foam,
Gods behind us and death for home.
No bell rings clean, no prayer rings true,
When the song turns black underneath the blue.

[Verse 2]
Dino came in silver smoke,
Quiet as the oath he broke,
Set the crown on sacred hair,
Whispered sorry to the air.
First song trembled, second rose,
Cold as stone where no wind blows,
Every note began to bend,
Like a hymn that found its end.

[Pre-Chorus]
Valen carved the circle wide,
Leydrick guarded at his side,
High Jinks watched the branches sway,
Then the whole world looked their way.

[Chorus]
Heave now, haul now, run from the choir,
Gold-green heaven is catching fire.
Row now, roll now, straight through the foam,
Gods behind us and death for home.
No bell rings clean, no prayer rings true,
When the song turns black underneath the blue.

[Verse 3]
Fizzwick saw them hit the floor,
Knew enough to ask no more,
Sea elf staring, circle bright,
All good hosts know when to flight.
Out by boat on shining green,
Came the beast they’d hoped unseen,
Morkoth rising, teeth and spite,
Hungry for the fleeing light.

[Bridge]
Jinks fired force and wore it back,
Purple pain on silver track.
Valen’s fire split the spray,
Leydrick’s hammer marked the way.
Rigg let fly with rogue-born luck,
Dino stood and carved and struck.
Then thunder cracked the heavens wide,
And all the holy music died.

[Chorus]
Heave now, haul now, run from the choir,
Gold-green heaven is catching fire.
Row now, roll now, straight through the foam,
Gods behind us and death for home.
No bell rings clean, no prayer rings true,
When the song turns black underneath the blue.

[Verse 4]
Back aboard with dripping blades,
Counting rods and robe-eyed shades,
Thinking, maybe, danger passed,
Fools forget the gods move fast.
Steel feet thundered through the gloom,
Law walked cold into the room.
“Do not resist,” the Marut said,
Then dragged the living toward the dead.

[Breakdown]
Rigg stayed shadow, clean and dry,
Watched the metal judgement fly.
Dino raged and took the blow,
Down where lawful rivers flow.
Four returned with silver skin,
Clockwork heaven still within.

[Verse 5]
Primus spoke with burning gears,
Measured doom and mortal fears.
Corellon’s wrath was newly named,
Still the task was praised, not blamed.
Mind Flayer broken on the floor,
Letters stolen, rival war,
Other hands had moved the thread,
Other fools were further ahead.

[Final Chorus]
Heave now, haul now, chain by chain,
Carceri calls through blood-red rain.
March now, mark now, none go free,
Find the prison, turn the key.
Stop the Flayers, break what’s spun,
Loose the god called Tharizdun.

[Outro]
Tap the iron, strike the chain,
Sing it once and not again.
Four in metal, one stayed clean,
And red stars wait where none have been.

🪐 Campaign Arc

• Campaign: Spelljammer
• Session: 21 – When Heaven Stopped Singing
• Date: 30/05/2026
• Dungeon Master: James / Jamie / Sicareus
• Setting: Arvandor in Arborea, Fizzwick’s island and sea cave, the Astral return route, the party’s spelljammer, and Primus’ metallic domain in Mechanus

🧭 Overview

The party resumed in Arvandor after slipping past the previous session’s glowing investigator. Still disguised, scattered, and very aware they were intruding in elven heaven, they followed the magical music across open plains toward a vast bowl-shaped valley. At its centre stood a raised stone stage where thirty to forty elven singers and musicians performed powerful elven circle magic, surrounded by spirits that had become deeply attuned to Arborea over time.

Their task was simple in wording and awful in implication: place the silver crown from Sondar on the Choir Master’s head. After confirming Valen could prepare an escape through Teleportation Circle, the party committed. Rigg walked onto the stage and improvised a deeply uncomfortable dance distraction while Dino used Misty Step to appear behind the female Choir Master and place the crown on her head, apologising as he did it. The music did not stop immediately. Instead, a second song began to rise beneath the first, growing louder as the original faded.

The party fled through Valen’s circle back to Fizzwick’s island, where Fizzwick and the sea elf immediately realised something had gone wrong. The escape turned into a frantic boat chase when the Morkoth returned, the anti-scrying rings began to burn, and a thunderclap from above silenced the music. After killing the Morkoth and stripping it of magical loot, the group returned to the ship — only to be seized again by Primus’ Marut enforcer. Primus revealed that Corellon had been angered, that rival Mind Flayers were hunting the party over a stolen letter, and that another group was moving toward the Red Prison in Carceri. The new order: go to Carceri, find the Red Prison, stop the Mind Flayers, and release Tharizdun. Because apparently the paperwork was not cursed enough already.

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Party Members

📍 Key Locations

• Open plains of Arvandor: The party’s route after escaping the previous investigator, leading toward the source of the plane-spanning music.
• Natural amphitheatre: A vast bowl-shaped valley with a raised stone dais at its centre, where the Choir Master and elven performers maintained powerful circle magic.

• Elven keep and river: A nearby structure and river close to the amphitheatre, observed while the party planned the approach.
• Fizzwick’s island cave: The Teleportation Circle destination used for the escape; after the crown was placed, the song could be heard there where only sea noise had been before.
• Island boat route: The frantic crossing toward the lower portal, complicated by the returning Morkoth and the burning anti-scrying rings.
• Astral return route: After passing through the lower portal, the party floated back toward their ship using Astral movement.
• The party’s spelljammer: The temporary safety point after the escape, loot sorting, and the site where the Marut enforcer returned.
• Primus’ metallic domain: The place where most of the party was summoned, questioned, and given the next catastrophic order.
• Red Prison in Carceri: The newly assigned destination tied to Tharizdun, the Mind Flayers, and the next major objective.

📑 Session Highlights

• The group regrouped after avoiding the previous Arvandor investigator and continued toward the magical music.
• Valen’s strong religion result revealed that long-dead spirits in Arborea gradually fade into and become attuned to the plane.
• High Jinks moved to the front seats, disguised as an elf, and established a telepathic link with Rigg while watching the choir.
• The party identified the performance as heavy elven circle magic, powerful enough for the song to be heard across the plane.
• Valen confirmed he had a Teleportation Circle location in his book and could use it as the escape route, though the spell required one minute to cast.
• Dino planned the crown placement around Valen’s casting time, using Misty Step for the final approach.
• Rigg climbed onto the stage and bought time with a painfully awkward but successful performance.
• Dino placed the crown on the female Choir Master’s head and apologised as he did so.
• A second song began to rise beneath the first, and the original music slowly faded.
• The party fled through Valen’s Teleportation Circle to Fizzwick’s island cave.
• Fizzwick and the sea elf saw the party return and immediately demanded to know what they had done.
• Fizzwick began repairing or preparing his own circle and fled the unfolding disaster.
• The party escaped by boat while the Morkoth closed in from the water.
• The anti-scrying rings began burning during the escape, suggesting the party was being found or pressured by divine/magical attention.
• A thunderclap from above silenced the music.
• Dino used Telekinetic Movement and Valen used Gust of Wind to help push the boat toward the portal.
• Valen’s Fireball damaged the Morkoth before initiative began; the creature failed its save, so its spell reflection did not trigger there.
• High Jinks later learned the reflection problem the ugly way when a missed Eldritch Blast bounced back into her.
• The Morkoth bit Leydrick and High Jinks, but missed Rigg.
• Dino finished the Morkoth with Moon-Touched Sword strikes after the creature was already badly wounded and leaking echo into the water.
• The party looted magical items, a fine red trident, and a small chest from the sinking creature.
• Back on the ship, Valen identified the recovered items as a Robe of Eyes, a Rod of Rulership, and an Immovable Rod.
• The contract envelope changed again, now instructing the party to make their way to the Citadel of the Atavoid “when it becomes time.”
• The Marut enforcer returned to the ship, said “Do not resist,” and began removing party members again.
• Dino resisted violently and was hit by the Marut’s Unerring Slam for massive damage before being taken.
• Rigg successfully hid from the Marut and did not appear before Primus with the others.
• Primus stated that the party had angered Corellon, the elven god, but had performed the assigned task well.
• Primus revealed that a captured Mind Flayer from a rival vessel had been hunting the party for one of the stolen letters.
• Primus explained that other groups were working on related tasks, and one had completed a task originally assigned to the party.
• The next instruction was issued: travel to Carceri, find the Red Prison, stop the Mind Flayers, and release Tharizdun.
• The metallic floor turned to liquid, dragging the summoned characters away and returning them to the ship dripping with metallic residue.

🎞️ Key Scenes

Rigg’s River-Dance Distraction

Rigg stepped onto the dais before a gathering of impossibly beautiful elven performers and immediately learned that the Choir Master was a woman. After a brief conversational crash-and-burn, he committed to the only plan left: movement. He whistled with the music, shuffled into a jig, and somehow avoided tripping over his own feet. It was not graceful. It was not holy. It was, against all odds, enough.

Dino Places the Crown

With Valen’s circle nearly finished, Dino vanished in silver mist and appeared behind the Choir Master with the crown ready. He placed it on her head and apologised as the nearby elves turned. For a breath, the music continued. Then another song began beneath it — quieter at first, then louder, pressing upward as the original faded.

The Circle Opens

Valen holds the escape route together while Leydrick stands guard against heaven itself

High Jinks and the Reflected Blast

As the boat lurched toward the portal, High Jinks hurled Eldritch Blast into the sea monster. One beam struck true, but another missed and came screaming back through the Morkoth’s spell reflection. The force slammed into High Jinks instead, turning a confident warlock volley into a brief but educational self-own.

Dino Ends the Morkoth

The Morkoth leaks echo into the sea as Dino drives the Moon-Touched Sword home.

Primus and the Captive Mind Flayer

In Primus’ domain, a battered Mind Flayer appeared on the metal floor: confused, injured, and no longer in control of its hunt. Primus stated that it had come from a rival vessel and had been searching for the party because they carried something that belonged to it — one of the stolen letters. The creature became less an enemy and more evidence that the board had more players than the party realised.

🧵 Ongoing Threads & Plot Hooks

• Corellon’s wrath: Primus confirmed that the party angered Corellon, the elven god. After the escape, someone was still trying very hard to find them.
• The crowned Choir Master: The crown was successfully placed, but the full effect remains unknown. The immediate result was a second song rising, the original song fading, and a thunderclap that ended the music.
• Primus’ agenda: Primus considered the task successful, showed no interest in protecting the party from divine fallout, and still wants the wider plan seen through to its conclusion.
• The stolen letters: The captured Mind Flayer was hunting the party because one of the stolen Illithid letters belonged to it. Rigg holds the Abyss-related letter; High Jinks holds the Underdark-related letter.
• Other groups are moving: Primus revealed that other groups are working on the same larger task network, and one has completed a task originally assigned to the party.
• Tharizdun and the Red Prison: The next mission points to Carceri. The party must find the Red Prison, stop the Mind Flayers, and release Tharizdun — a god-level problem with the instructions written by someone who hates clarity.
• Tharizdun’s identity: Leydrick’s religion check and Valen’s book confirmed Tharizdun as the Elder Elemental Eye, one of the oldest elder gods, imprisoned in Carceri after attempting to tear a hole in the multiverse.
• Citadel of the Atavoid: The contract envelope now says to make for the Citadel of the Atavoid when it becomes time. It is not yet clear whether that is before, during, or after the Carceri mission.
• Anti-scrying rings: The rings burned during the escape from Arborea and stopped burning once the party returned to the ship. Their reaction likely matters.
• Rigg missed the Primus briefing: Rigg successfully hid from the Marut and had to be filled in afterward by the others.
• Loot allocation and attunement: The Robe of Eyes, Rod of Rulership, and Immovable Rod are now in party inventory, with attunement limits still relevant.

💰 Loot & Discoveries

Item Flavor Notes

Robe of Eyes: A dark, unsettling robe covered in eye-like patterns. Useful, powerful, and absolutely not subtle. It sees what polite people pretend not to.

Immovable Rod: A plain iron rod with a button and a bad attitude toward physics. Once fixed in place, it simply refuses to move.

Rod of Rulership: A commanding magical rod suited to forceful authority. Potentially powerful, potentially dangerous, and exactly the sort of item that makes party members glance sideways at whoever picks it up.

Fine Red Trident: A striking, well-crafted trident taken from the Morkoth’s hoard-like collection. Not magical by detection, but too stylish for Dino to ignore.

Small Chest: A recovered container from the Morkoth’s carried treasures. Contents remain unknown, which means it is either useful, cursed, or about to become someone’s problem.

⏳ Cliffhanger

• The party is back aboard the ship, coughing up metallic residue after Primus’ forced transport.

• Rigg was already on the ship after successfully hiding from the Marut and now needs the full explanation.
• Corellon is angry, and the party may have only escaped divine attention because they left fast enough.
• The contract now points to the Citadel of the Atavoid “when it becomes time.”
• The immediate mission is worse: travel to Carceri, find the Red Prison, stop the Mind Flayers, and release Tharizdun.
• The next target is known. The wisdom of going there is very much not.