📘 Session 7 – "Engines of Limbo"

(Verse 1)
Come gather, good folk, let this tale ignite,
A fireball’s roar shook Trollskull at night.
A boy held beads of a deadly chain—
But who pulled the string? What mind, insane?

(Chorus)
So strum the lute, let the tale unfold,
Heroes of Trollskull, brazen and bold!
Eyeless shines with radiant flame,
Captain Mercer plays the shadows’ game.

(Verse 2)
To Gond’s great halls the party sped,
Where brass and cogs marked the path ahead.
Captain John scaled the temple wall,
Slipped not once—no fall at all!

(Bridge 1)
There Nim confessed with gears grown cold:
"I built him, yes—but he broke the mold."
A Nimblewright lost, with fire in hand—
We took the task, by Mirt’s demand.

(Verse 3)
Into the sewers, deep and vile,
The detector clicked—crept every mile.
They found a cult in serpent guise,
Rituals writ 'neath traitor skies!

(Bridge 2)
Eyeless stood where the torches failed,
Wreathed in light, his purpose unveiled.
Dren charged in, maul like thunder,
Struck down foes, tore spells asunder!

(Verse 4)
Captain John, in deadly dance,
Dodged through strikes like fate’s own chance.
Slim Jim mended wounds with grace,
A blur of bandage, charm, and mace.

(Verse 5)
Silas grinned—his boots now charred—
Two fireballs flew from his hand unmarred.
Scrolls we claimed in smoke and fear:
Flaming Sphere, Animate Dead, and more unclear!

(Final Chorus)
So raise your mugs, let echoes fly,
Varrick sings ‘neath Waterdeep’s sky!
Eyeless burns with righteous gleam,
Dren smites foes in every dream,
Slim Jim steadies, Silas schemes,
And Captain John haunts alley seams!

(Outro)
From gears to ghosts, from flame to blade,
The hunt begins, the path is laid.
Trollskull’s crew, in legend steeped—
By fire and fang, their oaths were deeped.

In Waterdeep where sparks did fly,
A fireball lit the morning sky.
Through temple halls and secrets sworn,
A Nimblewright was thusly born.

To sewers deep the brave did crawl,
Where snakes with spells began to brawl.
Steel did clash and spells did flare,
As Eyeless fell 'neath poisoned air.

John struck true with blade so keen,
And Dren fought on with health so lean.
Slim Jim rose and then was floored,
While healing hands and faith restored.

But through it all, with spells alight,
One serpent’s bane stayed out of sight—
Oh Silas, bold, with magic mean...
Was untouched, yet cursed: his boots unclean!*

John struck true with blade so keen,
And Dren fought on with health so lean.
Slim Jim rose and then was floored,
While healing hands and faith restored.

🪐 Campaign Arc

Campaign: Spelljammer – Homebrew Hybrid
Session Title: Engines of Limbo
Dungeon Master: James/Jamie (Sicareus)
Setting: Aboard the Nautalis, corridors and engine chamber

🧭 Overview

The party fled a collapsing cavern to board the Illithid Spelljammer Nautalis, fought two Mind Flayers and three quaggoths in tight corridors, and deciphered an arcane journal revealing the ship’s locus world—Limbo—powered by the magic-drained captives. They now stand before the central engine chamber, where three Mind Flayers forcibly siphon a bound wizard’s power.

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Party Members

📍 Key Locations

• Collapsing Tunnel: Rock-hewn cave from Session 6 where first Mind Flayer ambush occurred.
• Crossbow Chamber: Nautalis room lined with ballistae; hidden lever opens bulkhead.
• Corridor of Doom: Tight hallway where second Flayer & three quaggoths attacked.
• Round Table Room: Chamber strewn with Mind Flayer & adventurer corpses.
• Engine Chamber Threshold: Vaulted heart of the ship, site of magic-draining ritual.

📑 Session Highlights

• First Ambush: Rigg’s leap + High Jinks’ Eldritch Blast downed Mind Flayer #1.
• Boarding Action: Portal transition into Nautalis & discovery of crossbow lever.
• Fireball & Cloud of Daggers: Valen’s Fireball wiped 3 quaggoths; Jinks’ Daggers finished them.
• Mind Flayer Grapple: Flayer grappled Valen for –20 hp; Leydrick’s Healing Word kept him alive.
• Sleep & Sneak Attack: Valen’s Sleep spell knocked Flayer out; Rigg scored free headshot.
• Journal Deciphered: Journal revealed locus world “Limbo” & engine’s magic source.

📸 Key Scenes

🔥 Hallway Fireball

A crimson-coated human wizard presses his skull-trimmed hat low and unleashes a blazing Fireball down the hall, tentacles thrashing as a Mind Flayer recoils and the wreckage of Quaggoths smolders behind.

💤 Sleep and Strike

In a dim corridor, the wizard casts Sleep on a lone Mind Flayer, which slumps unconscious. A lurking rogue with a massive wrench raises for a decisive sneak attack.

🐾 Sphinx Assault

A flickering violet-lit corridor pulses as a spectral feline familiar lunges at a snarling Quaggoth. Nearby, a young tabaxi warlock stands with cloak billowing, directing her magical beast.

🧠 Psychic Clash

A stern Githyanki artificer swings a Moon-Touched Longsword, sparks and arcane runes flickering, as a Mind Flayer’s tentacles lash out. In the background, the party’s mechanical defender lies downed.

📘 Illithid Journal Discovery

In a torch-lit side chamber, the wizard pores over a glowing purple-leather tome on a carved lectern. Psionic runes drift off the pages as High Jinks leans in,

🔍 Ongoing Threads & Plot Hooks

• Engine Sabotage: Can the party disrupt the magic-draining apparatus?
• Bound Wizard: Rescue and debrief the captive—what secrets does he hold?
• Limbo Intel: Further study of the journal to navigate or escape Limbo.

🎁 Loot & Discoveries

🚨 Cliff-hanger – Bridge to the Helm

• The party stands at the vaulted entrance to the Nautalis’s core engine chamber.
• Three Mind Flayers chant around a glowing Spelljammer drive, siphoning power from a bound wizard.
• Weapons drawn and spells readied… session ends on a tense standoff.

The party stands at the ruined helm chamber’s threshold. A gaunt, unconscious wizard slumps on a throne-like control chair, with 3 Mind Flayers looming protectively behind. Ambient starlight filters through fractured portholes as two adventurers hesitate in the doorway.

(Verse 1)
Come gather, good folk, let this tale ignite,
A fireball’s roar shook Trollskull at night.
A boy held beads of a deadly chain—
But who pulled the string? What mind, insane?

(Chorus)
So strum the lute, let the tale unfold,
Heroes of Trollskull, brazen and bold!
Eyeless shines with radiant flame,
Captain Mercer plays the shadows’ game.

(Verse 2)
To Gond’s great halls the party sped,
Where brass and cogs marked the path ahead.
Captain John scaled the temple wall,
Slipped not once—no fall at all!

(Bridge 1)
There Nim confessed with gears grown cold:
"I built him, yes—but he broke the mold."
A Nimblewright lost, with fire in hand—
We took the task, by Mirt’s demand.

(Verse 3)
Into the sewers, deep and vile,
The detector clicked—crept every mile.
They found a cult in serpent guise,
Rituals writ 'neath traitor skies!

(Bridge 2)
Eyeless stood where the torches failed,
Wreathed in light, his purpose unveiled.
Dren charged in, maul like thunder,
Struck down foes, tore spells asunder!

(Verse 4)
Captain John, in deadly dance,
Dodged through strikes like fate’s own chance.
Slim Jim mended wounds with grace,
A blur of bandage, charm, and mace.

(Verse 5)
Silas grinned—his boots now charred—
Two fireballs flew from his hand unmarred.
Scrolls we claimed in smoke and fear:
Flaming Sphere, Animate Dead, and more unclear!

(Final Chorus)
So raise your mugs, let echoes fly,
Varrick sings ‘neath Waterdeep’s sky!
Eyeless burns with righteous gleam,
Dren smites foes in every dream,
Slim Jim steadies, Silas schemes,
And Captain John haunts alley seams!

(Outro)
From gears to ghosts, from flame to blade,
The hunt begins, the path is laid.
Trollskull’s crew, in legend steeped—
By fire and fang, their oaths were deeped.

In Waterdeep where sparks did fly,
A fireball lit the morning sky.
Through temple halls and secrets sworn,
A Nimblewright was thusly born.

To sewers deep the brave did crawl,
Where snakes with spells began to brawl.
Steel did clash and spells did flare,
As Eyeless fell 'neath poisoned air.

John struck true with blade so keen,
And Dren fought on with health so lean.
Slim Jim rose and then was floored,
While healing hands and faith restored.

But through it all, with spells alight,
One serpent’s bane stayed out of sight—
Oh Silas, bold, with magic mean...
Was untouched, yet cursed: his boots unclean!*

John struck true with blade so keen,
And Dren fought on with health so lean.
Slim Jim rose and then was floored,
While healing hands and faith restored.

💥 Fireball in Trollskull Alley

While business picked up at Trollskull Tavern, a massive explosion shattered the calm—a fireball detonated just outside, killing Dalakhar, a gnome spy, and several citizens. Remarkably, the tavern and party were unharmed, though the street was left scorched and chaotic.

👤 A cloaked figure was seen looting Dalakhar’s body and fleeing toward the Bent Nail.
🧒 A child claimed a metal puppet had thrown something into a barrel—it was revealed to be a Necklace of Fireballs with two remaining beads.
🧙 Silas identified the explosion as magical; Dren confirmed the necklace’s nature.

Eyeless assisted folk and asked questions

🚨 City Watch & Renaer's Secrets

Silias in the library with a candlestick

The City Watch, led by:

• 🧑‍⚖️ Barnabus Blastwind
• 👮‍♂️ Sergeant Cromley
  ...arrived and began their investigation. Captain John Mercer calmly persuaded them the party was innocent. They revealed:
• Dalakhar had been fleeing armed pursuers.
• Trollskull was declared a crime scene.

Later, Renaer Neverember arrived and revealed:

• Dalakhar had spied on him for two months.
• He was likely seeking the party to deliver the Stone of Golorr to Renaer’s father in Neverwinter.
• The artifact is powerful and valuable, drawing interest from the Zhentarim and Xanathar Guild.
• Renaer offered 💰1,000 gold if the party retrieved it.

⚙️ Temple of Gond – The Lonely Automaton

Following the automaton’s trail to the Temple of Gond, the party met:

• 🐉 Valetta, bronze dragonborn priestess
• 🤖 Nim, a sentient automaton

Nim confessed to secretly creating a second nimblewright that had escaped. He feared the construct was responsible for the explosion. The temple had locked Nim away.

🎁 Rewards Offered:

• 500 gold for destroying the rogue Nimblewright
• OR a mechanical invention (e.g., barking box or adjustable stilts)
• Nim begged for the nimblewright to be spared and returned, promising a unique invention

📟 The party received a Nimblewright Detector — spins and clicks when within 500 ft

🕳️ Sewer Hunt – The Yuan-ti Ritual

With no detection from the device, the party scouted the Waterdeep sewers and stumbled upon a yuan-ti ritual involving a drowning victim, red and green malisons, and a purple abomination.

The cult attacked, declaring: “Witnesses must be slain!”

⚔️ Combat Highlights:

🎁 Loot & Rewards

📜 Magical Scrolls (unassigned):

• Fireball – AoE damage
• Animate Dead – Raise undead (ethical concerns)
• Flaming Sphere – Area control
• Fear – AoE frighten

🗡️ Weapons:

• +1 Longbow
• +1 Scimitars

💰 Gold:

• 216 gold pieces total

🛡️ Faction Gain:

• +1 Renown with the Grey Hands / Force Grey for defeating the cult

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Party Status (Post-Battle)

All exhaustion effects have been cleared post-session.

🔍 Unresolved Threads

• The rogue Nimblewright remains at large.
• The purpose of the yuan-ti ritual is unclear—possible necromantic ties?
• Debate brews: destroy or spare the Nimblewright?
• Some scrolls, like Animate Dead and Fear, raise moral dilemmas within the party.

(Verse 1)
Come gather, good folk, let this tale ignite,
A fireball’s roar shook Trollskull at night.
A boy held beads of a deadly chain—
But who pulled the string? What mind, insane?

(Chorus)
So strum the lute, let the tale unfold,
Heroes of Trollskull, brazen and bold!
Eyeless shines with radiant flame,
Captain Mercer plays the shadows’ game.

(Verse 2)
To Gond’s great halls the party sped,
Where brass and cogs marked the path ahead.
Captain John scaled the temple wall,
Slipped not once—no fall at all!

(Bridge 1)
There Nim confessed with gears grown cold:
"I built him, yes—but he broke the mold."
A Nimblewright lost, with fire in hand—
We took the task, by Mirt’s demand.

(Verse 3)
Into the sewers, deep and vile,
The detector clicked—crept every mile.
They found a cult in serpent guise,
Rituals writ 'neath traitor skies!

(Bridge 2)
Eyeless stood where the torches failed,
Wreathed in light, his purpose unveiled.
Dren charged in, maul like thunder,
Struck down foes, tore spells asunder!

(Verse 4)
Captain John, in deadly dance,
Dodged through strikes like fate’s own chance.
Slim Jim mended wounds with grace,
A blur of bandage, charm, and mace.

(Verse 5)
Silas grinned—his boots now charred—
Two fireballs flew from his hand unmarred.
Scrolls we claimed in smoke and fear:
Flaming Sphere, Animate Dead, and more unclear!

(Final Chorus)
So raise your mugs, let echoes fly,
Varrick sings ‘neath Waterdeep’s sky!
Eyeless burns with righteous gleam,
Dren smites foes in every dream,
Slim Jim steadies, Silas schemes,
And Captain John haunts alley seams!

(Outro)
From gears to ghosts, from flame to blade,
The hunt begins, the path is laid.
Trollskull’s crew, in legend steeped—
By fire and fang, their oaths were deeped.

In Waterdeep where sparks did fly,
A fireball lit the morning sky.
Through temple halls and secrets sworn,
A Nimblewright was thusly born.

To sewers deep the brave did crawl,
Where snakes with spells began to brawl.
Steel did clash and spells did flare,
As Eyeless fell 'neath poisoned air.

John struck true with blade so keen,
And Dren fought on with health so lean.
Slim Jim rose and then was floored,
While healing hands and faith restored.

But through it all, with spells alight,
One serpent’s bane stayed out of sight—
Oh Silas, bold, with magic mean...
Was untouched, yet cursed: his boots unclean!*

John struck true with blade so keen,
And Dren fought on with health so lean.
Slim Jim rose and then was floored,
While healing hands and faith restored.

💥 Fireball in Trollskull Alley

While business picked up at Trollskull Tavern, a massive explosion shattered the calm—a fireball detonated just outside, killing Dalakhar, a gnome spy, and several citizens. Remarkably, the tavern and party were unharmed, though the street was left scorched and chaotic.

👤 A cloaked figure was seen looting Dalakhar’s body and fleeing toward the Bent Nail.
🧒 A child claimed a metal puppet had thrown something into a barrel—it was revealed to be a Necklace of Fireballs with two remaining beads.
🧙 Silas identified the explosion as magical; Dren confirmed the necklace’s nature.

Eyeless assisted folk and asked questions

🚨 City Watch & Renaer's Secrets

Silias in the library with a candlestick

The City Watch, led by:

• 🧑‍⚖️ Barnabus Blastwind
• 👮‍♂️ Sergeant Cromley
  ...arrived and began their investigation. Captain John Mercer calmly persuaded them the party was innocent. They revealed:
• Dalakhar had been fleeing armed pursuers.
• Trollskull was declared a crime scene.

Later, Renaer Neverember arrived and revealed:

• Dalakhar had spied on him for two months.
• He was likely seeking the party to deliver the Stone of Golorr to Renaer’s father in Neverwinter.
• The artifact is powerful and valuable, drawing interest from the Zhentarim and Xanathar Guild.
• Renaer offered 💰1,000 gold if the party retrieved it.

⚙️ Temple of Gond – The Lonely Automaton

Following the automaton’s trail to the Temple of Gond, the party met:

• 🐉 Valetta, bronze dragonborn priestess
• 🤖 Nim, a sentient automaton

Nim confessed to secretly creating a second nimblewright that had escaped. He feared the construct was responsible for the explosion. The temple had locked Nim away.

🎁 Rewards Offered:

• 500 gold for destroying the rogue Nimblewright
• OR a mechanical invention (e.g., barking box or adjustable stilts)
• Nim begged for the nimblewright to be spared and returned, promising a unique invention

📟 The party received a Nimblewright Detector — spins and clicks when within 500 ft

🕳️ Sewer Hunt – The Yuan-ti Ritual

With no detection from the device, the party scouted the Waterdeep sewers and stumbled upon a yuan-ti ritual involving a drowning victim, red and green malisons, and a purple abomination.

The cult attacked, declaring: “Witnesses must be slain!”

⚔️ Combat Highlights:

🎁 Loot & Rewards

📜 Magical Scrolls (unassigned):

• Fireball – AoE damage
• Animate Dead – Raise undead (ethical concerns)
• Flaming Sphere – Area control
• Fear – AoE frighten

🗡️ Weapons:

• +1 Longbow
• +1 Scimitars

💰 Gold:

• 216 gold pieces total

🛡️ Faction Gain:

• +1 Renown with the Grey Hands / Force Grey for defeating the cult

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Party Status (Post-Battle)

All exhaustion effects have been cleared post-session.

🔍 Unresolved Threads

• The rogue Nimblewright remains at large.
• The purpose of the yuan-ti ritual is unclear—possible necromantic ties?
• Debate brews: destroy or spare the Nimblewright?
• Some scrolls, like Animate Dead and Fear, raise moral dilemmas within the party.