📘 Session 23 – The Ferryman’s Bargain

🎵 Music

Down

Where the Red

~~[Placeholder~~Sky ~~session music thumbnail]~~Burns

Red

sky burning, black chain turning, Silver river, take us down. Red sky burning, no returning, Past the dead and underground. [Verse 1] On the silent squid-ship, cold and still, Rigg poured acid on the helm at will. Runes hissed out and the controls went dark, Then five stepped through the crimson arc. Boots hit stone and the air turned wet, Tracks led onward where the dead gods slept. Four felt a pull through the mire and rain, But Rigg walked free of the unseen chain. [Pre-Hook] Mud to the knee, red in the sky, Thunder rolled but nothing passed by. Follow the footprints, follow the dread, Down where the prisons swallow the dead. [Hook] Row, ferryman, row us down, Past the fog where the lost souls drown. Thirteen coins or a giant’s crown, Row, ferryman, row us down. Red sky burning, black chain turning, Silver river, cold and slow. We paid in steel, the deal is sealed— Row, ferryman, down we go. [Verse 2] Through the swamp stood a marble lord, Thirty feet tall with his leg chained hard. Crius watched from the prison ring, With Illithid stains on his hands like ink. “They tried to command me, they entered my ground, I crushed the fools and I ground them down. The ~~Ferryman’~~rest went deeper—your quarry still runs, Toward the cage of the chained mad one.” [Pre-Hook] Don’t speak the name, don’t call his gaze, Don’t draw the dark through the prison maze. Find the river, bargain well, Every road runs deeper into hell. [Hook] Row, ferryman, row us down, Past the fog where the lost souls drown. Thirteen coins or a giant’s ~~Bargain”~~crown, –Row, ~~Varrick~~ferryman, ~~Songweave~~

row us down. Red sky burning, black chain turning, Silver river, cold and slow. We paid in steel, the deal is sealed— Row, ferryman, down we go. [Verse 3] The boat came gliding without an oar, A hooded shape on the silver shore. “Thirteen souls,” was the price he gave, For a road beneath the prison grave. No coins in pocket, no souls to spend, But two black crystals made his silence bend. Then Dino shook the ferryman’s hand: “Name the beast, and we’ll clear your land.” [Bridge] Never drink the silver water, Never let it touch your tongue. One drop steals a name remembered, Two drops leave the old songs unsung. Never swim beneath the surface, Never trust the fog below. Keep your hands inside the vessel— There are things you should not know. [Breakdown] Fire in the cave! Valen lit the night. Hammer through the smoke! Leydrick’s aim struck right. Jinks from the shadows, Force against the stone. Rigg cracked the giant— Dropped him to one knee alone. Dino raised the moonlit blade, Cold axe falling, debt repaid. One last cut, the giant fell, And thunder rolled across the hell. [Final Hook] Row, ferryman, row us down, Past the fog where the lost souls drown. The giant is dead, the debt is bound, Row, ferryman, row us down. Red sky burning, black chain turning, Silver river, cold and slow. Mind Flayers fleeing, mad gods dreaming— Row, ferryman, down we go. [Outro] Red sky burning, no returning, Silver river, take us down. Chains are calling, kingdoms falling— Row us deeper underground.

🖼️ Images

[Placeholder: Rigg dissolving the Illithid nautiloid’s helm runes with acid]
[Placeholder: The party standing before the chained marble Titan Crius]
[Placeholder: The silent ferryman emerging through the silver river fog]
[Placeholder: Dino and Rigg bringing down the Frost Giant]

🪐 Campaign Arc

Campaign: Spelljammer
Session: 23 – The Ferryman’s Bargain
Date: 11 July 2026
Dungeon Master: James / Jamie / Sicareus
Setting: Enemy Illithid nautiloid, the red portal, Othrys and the Swamps of Treachery in Carceri, the silvery river, and a Frost Giant’s cave
Next Session: 8 August 2026

🎬 Previously On...

In Session 22, the party followed Primus’ command toward a humanoid-sized red portal believed to lead into Carceri. An enemy Illithid nautiloid waited among the surrounding asteroids, and High Jinks’ newly summoned imp, Q, was destroyed while scouting its interior. The party boarded the vessel and fought through its defenders, killing several Mind Flayers and two undead Alhoons while one badly wounded Illithid escaped by plane shifting away.

The enemy ship had fallen silent, but the red portal remained open nearby. Somewhere beyond it lay the Red Prison, the surviving Illithids and, according to Primus’ impossible command, the imprisoned god Tharizdun.

🧭 Overview

The party began by securing the captured Illithid nautiloid before committing themselves to the red portal. Rigg swept the vessel for hidden survivors while Valen searched for magical salvage. Their search uncovered two crystals taken from the destroyed Alhoons, each carrying disturbing magic connected to trapped minds or souls. Knowing that the escaped Mind Flayer might return with reinforcements, the party turned their attention to disabling the ship. Once Dino and Rigg identified the psychic helm as its critical control point, Rigg poured acid from his Alchemy Jug across its runes and mechanisms, melting away important sections and leaving the vessel unable to pursue them without considerable repair.

After a short rest, the party passed through the red portal and emerged into a cramped, humid cave. Footprints showed that another group had recently travelled ahead of them. Beyond the cave stretched Othrys, the uppermost layer of Carceri: a seemingly endless mire beneath a red, storm-filled sky. Everyone except Rigg felt an unnatural pull leading deeper into the swamp. The tracks followed the same direction, so the party pressed onward through the region identified by Valen’s Book of Knowledge as the Swamps of Treachery.

The journey brought them within a great magical boundary containing Crius, a thirty-foot-tall Titan seemingly carved from white marble and chained within a powerful prison circle. Crius revealed that the Illithids had arrived earlier and attempted to control him; those foolish enough to enter his circle had been crushed. He confirmed that Tharizdun was held on one of Carceri’s deeper and more dangerous layers, then directed the party toward a nearby river. A guide found there could carry them down through the prison plane—but Crius warned them neither to drink nor swim in its water.

At the river, a silent ferryman emerged through the fog and demanded the traditional toll of thirteen soul coins. The party had none, but the ferryman recognised that they carried crystals taken from Illithid liches and believed they might be useful. After recoiling at the spoken name of Tharizdun, the ferryman offered another price: kill a dangerous creature that had been murdering his kind, and he would transport the party as far as Cathrys, Carceri’s second layer. Dino sealed the bargain with a handshake, binding both sides to peace aboard the vessel.

The ferryman carried them across the silver water to a grey shoreline and a firelit cave. Inside waited a Frost Giant, maddened or diminished after drinking from the river. Rigg scouted the chamber, High Jinks stationed her pseudodragon outside to watch the boat and ferryman, and the party launched a coordinated assault. Valen opened with a powerful Fireball, High Jinks battered the giant with Eldritch Blasts, Leydrick’s Dwarven Thrower proved especially effective against the giant, and Dino endured the creature’s enormous axe strikes at close range. Rigg repeatedly struck from concealment, eventually smashing the giant to one knee before Dino delivered the killing blow. The session ended with the giant slain, the ferryman’s price paid, and passage deeper into Carceri now owed to the party.

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Party Members

Character	Player	Class/Subclass	Race	Notable Actions
Garrick “Rigg” Dalhart	Moose / Ben	Rogue (Swashbuckler)	Human	Scouted the enemy nautiloid and later the Frost Giant’s cave; used acid from his Alchemy Jug to destroy the Illithid helm’s runes; inspected the ferryman’s supply of soul coins without stealing one; dealt repeated Sneak Attack damage and left the Frost Giant on one knee.
Leydrick Gefinhal	Jared	Cleric (Life Domain)	Dwarf	Provided healing during the Frost Giant battle and repeatedly attacked with the Dwarven Thrower, whose enchantment was particularly effective against a giant.
High Jinks	Kate	Warlock (Great Old One)	Tabaxi	Summoned a new pseudodragon familiar during the party’s rest; used it to watch the ferryman and river while the party entered the cave; struck the Frost Giant repeatedly with Eldritch Blast from long range.
Dynoth “Dino Roar” Rokos	Robb	Artificer (Battle Smith) / Fighter	Githyanki	Helped determine that the nautiloid’s psychic helm was the key to disabling the ship; followed the supernatural pull through Othrys; formally accepted the ferryman’s bargain; absorbed several brutal Frost Axe attacks and delivered the final strike against the giant.
Valen Pyre	Justin	Wizard (Evocation)	Human	Used Detect Magic to search the nautiloid; recovered information about the Alhoons’ crystals; consulted the Book of Knowledge to identify Othrys and the Swamps of Treachery; negotiated with Crius and the ferryman; opened the Frost Giant battle with Fireball.

📍 Key Locations

Captured Illithid Nautiloid: The enemy vessel conquered during Session 22. Its remaining rooms were searched before Rigg destroyed important runes on the central psychic helm.

The Red Portal: A humanoid-sized opening among the asteroids that led directly from the Astral Sea into Carceri. Portal Cave: A small, damp cave on the Carceri side of the portal. Numerous recent footprints led from it into the swamp.

Othrys: The uppermost layer of Carceri, consisting here of endless marshland beneath a red sky filled with unnatural lightning and distant thunder.
The Swamps of Treachery: The lethal marshland through which the party followed both the Illithids’ tracks and a supernatural directional pull.

Crius’ Prison Circle: A vast magical boundary containing the chained marble Titan. Illithids who attempted to control him had been crushed inside it.
The Silvery River: A fog-covered waterway flowing toward Carceri’s deeper layers. Every swallowed drop strips away part of the drinker’s identity or memory.
The Ferryman’s Boat: A strange vessel governed by a binding promise that neither the ferryman nor his passengers would harm one another aboard it.
The Frost Giant’s Cave: A firelit chamber beyond a grey beach, littered with the remains of large creatures and occupied by a river-corrupted Frost Giant.

📑 Session Highlights

The party confirmed that the Illithid who escaped Session 22 had not returned to the nautiloid.
Two magical crystals connected to imprisoned minds or souls were recovered from the destroyed Alhoons.
Rigg used eight ounces of magically produced acid to melt important runes from the enemy ship’s psychic helm.
High Jinks replaced Q with a pseudodragon familiar during the party’s short rest.
The party entered Carceri through the red portal and found tracks left by the Illithid expedition.
Valen’s Book of Knowledge identified the region as Othrys and the Swamps of Treachery.
Everyone except Rigg felt a supernatural pull leading deeper into the prison plane.
The party encountered Crius, a chained Titan imprisoned within a magical circle.
Crius confirmed that the Illithids had passed through earlier and tried unsuccessfully to control him.
Crius warned the party that Tharizdun was held on a lower, more dangerous layer of Carceri.
The ferryman demanded thirteen soul coins, then accepted a monster hunt as an alternative payment.
The ferryman reacted with fear when the party spoke Tharizdun’s name aloud.
The party learned that drinking the river’s water causes a person to lose pieces of themselves with every drop.
Rigg discovered that the ferryman carried numerous silver soul coins but wisely chose not to steal one.
Valen opened the Frost Giant battle with a Fireball that engulfed the cave.
Leydrick’s Dwarven Thrower dealt additional damage because the target was a giant.
Dino survived the Frost Giant’s heaviest attacks by using Shield and remaining in close combat.
Rigg’s final wrench strike forced the Frost Giant to one knee.
Dino killed the Frost Giant with his Moon-Touched Longsword.
The party earned passage with the ferryman toward Cathrys, the second layer of Carceri.

📸 Key Scenes

Acid on the Throne

Rigg stood before the enemy nautiloid’s psychic helm while its carved runes pulsed faintly in the dead chamber. The device was more than a chair—it was the point through which a pilot imposed their will upon the entire ship. Rigg tipped his Alchemy Jug and poured fresh acid across the controls. The liquid hissed through the runes, eating away symbols and channels until the vessel’s heart was left scarred and useless.

The Titan in the Storm

Valen looked upward as what he had mistaken for a statue drew breath. Crius towered above him, thirty feet of pale marble muscle framed beneath Carceri’s red lightning. Black smears stained the Titan’s hands where earlier Illithid visitors had been crushed. One of Crius’ legs remained bound by a chain, while the vast prison circle beneath him shimmered with ancient divine magic.

The Ferryman’s Hand

Dino stood at the edge of the silver river while the ferryman waited motionless in his narrow boat. Thirteen soul coins were the stated price, but the party carried none. Instead, the ferryman extended one hand and offered a bargain: remove the killer haunting the river, and receive passage deeper into Carceri. Dino accepted the cold hand, sealing a promise that no one aboard the boat would harm another.

The Giant Falls

Rigg burst from concealment and drove his wrench into the back of the Frost Giant’s skull. The blow forced the towering creature down onto one knee, its axe dipping toward the cave floor. Rigg immediately slipped away before it could retaliate. Dino stepped into the opening with both swords ready and cut down the wounded giant, ending the creature’s reign over the river.

🧵 Ongoing Threads & Plot Hooks

The Escaped Mind Flayer: One Illithid survived the battle aboard the nautiloid and escaped by plane shifting away. Its destination and plans remain unknown.
The Remaining Illithid Expedition: Crius confirmed that only some of the earlier Illithids were crushed. Others continued deeper into Carceri.
Tharizdun: The chained god is held on one of Carceri’s lower layers. Merely speaking his name may attract dangerous attention.
Primus’ Mandate: The party remains compelled to stop the Mind Flayers and release Tharizdun, despite having no clear understanding of why doing so serves Primus’ greater design.
The Alhoon Crystals: The two crystals are connected to trapped minds or souls and were recognised by the ferryman as phylacteries or similarly dangerous Illithid artefacts.
Crius: The imprisoned Titan remains chained within Othrys. The party chose not to interfere with his prison, but his knowledge and immense power may become important later.
The River’s Cost: Drinking the river causes progressive loss of identity or memory. The Frost Giant may have been altered by this effect.
The Ferryman’s Promise: With the Frost Giant dead, the ferryman now owes the party transport toward Cathrys.
The Red Portal: It is not known how long the portal will remain open, whether the party can return through it, or whether the sabotaged enemy nautiloid will eventually be repaired.
High Jinks’ Familiar: Q remains dead. High Jinks has summoned a new pseudodragon familiar, whose name is R

💰 Loot & Discoveries

Item	Finder	Description / Status
Mind-Trapping Crystal / Alhoon Phylactery	Valen and the party	One of two magical crystals recovered from the destroyed Alhoons. Its magic is associated with trapping minds or souls. The ferryman immediately recognised the pair as dangerous objects taken from Illithid liches.
Mind-Trapping Crystal / Alhoon Phylactery	Valen and the party	The second matching crystal. Its exact rules, contents and safe method of examination remain unknown.
Damaged Illithid Nautiloid	Party	The captured enemy vessel remained behind near the red portal. Rigg destroyed important control runes with acid, leaving the ship disabled but not necessarily beyond repair.
Fragment of Frost Giant Helmet	Valen	A piece cut from the giant’s horned helmet as a trophy. The “horn” was part of the helmet rather than the giant’s body.
Frost Giant’s Axe	Unclaimed	An enormous Frost Axe far too large for ordinary use. It remained in the cave at the end of the session.
Passage to Cathrys	Entire party	The party’s true reward for killing the Frost Giant. The ferryman has agreed to carry them at least as far as Carceri’s second layer.

Mind-Trapping Crystals

Cold magic moves within each crystal like a thought searching for a skull. Whatever consciousness, soul or psychic residue lies inside cannot be seen clearly from the surface, but the stones carry the unmistakable wrongness of Illithid immortality. Even the ferryman treated them with caution.

Fragment of the Frost Giant’s Helmet

A jagged piece of horn and metal cut from the fallen giant’s helm. It is less a refined trophy than proof that the party survived something built to crush mortals beneath its boots.

⚔️ Frost Giant Battle Summary

Valen: Opened combat with Fireball, dealing 29 fire damage after the giant failed its Dexterity save; later used Fire Bolt.
High Jinks: Attacked from range with repeated Eldritch Blasts, including an especially strong opening volley.
Leydrick: Used Healing Word and repeatedly threw the Dwarven Thrower, gaining its additional damage against a giant.
Rigg: Attacked with the Bag O’ Nutz and Sneak Attack, triggered Strike of the Giants, then moved into melee for a decisive wrench strike before disengaging.
Dino: Fought with the Dancing Longsword and Moon-Touched Longsword, used Shield to avoid a potentially devastating pair of axe attacks, and delivered the killing blow.
Frost Giant: Used War Cry for temporary resilience and attacked with a Frost Axe dealing heavy slashing and cold damage. Despite its strength, several poor attack rolls prevented it from inflicting the damage it was capable of.

🔚 Cliffhanger

The Frost Giant lies dead inside its cave.
The creature troubling the ferrymen has been removed.
The party has fulfilled its side of the bargain.
The mysterious ferryman is waiting outside with High Jinks’ pseudodragon watching him.
Passage toward Cathrys and the deeper layers of Carceri is now available.
The surviving Illithids remain somewhere ahead.
Tharizdun’s prison lies still farther below.