Session 17 — Recovery, Reforging, and the Squires Who Wouldn't Fall

Session Recap

Picking up the morning after Ashlyn's death, the party wakes in the now-thriving Clapton's Hammer — lively, jovial, a bard in the corner and Rufio beaming behind the bar, exactly as the cursed inn never was — and spends three-and-a-half days of downtime letting Ashlyn heal back from her resurrection penalty. (Magra is a silent background shadow this session; her player was out.) They ferry across the bay on Draak's free-boat birthright (Salvador the minotaur rowing) to the Eastport markets, where Lash brings the auricalcum blade from Ankley Island to the Deep Sea Smithmaster — a dripping, blue-skinned smith who teaches her that the metal must be cold-forged only, then lets her work it into her in-progress crafting hammer (imbuing three of its five properties). She buys silver from a giant werewolf silversmith for a long-debated plan to silver Fenric's claws — a plan Fenric ultimately defers, his claws too worn to fit. Meanwhile Draak wanders to the inner-city gate and lands the session's big hook: the elderly Eldrich the Elder is hiring a crack group to kill one of Laewendas's inner circle, and will come watch the party fight to judge them. Silithane revisits the tanner-spymaster Dominus, effectively conceding the Ponterford job to another spy, and chases a lead on a truesight potion.

The back half is a single long arena fight: the party signs up against four Rivalonian Knight squires — Jallic, Elgaya, Braille and Griselle — in the river-filled Rivalon Arena. It's a grinding, miss-heavy slog against full-plate tanks — Drak's reckless swings and Silithane's sneak attacks carry, while Fenric whiffs nearly every roll and Silithane's hawk familiar is exploded by a giant sword. With three squires down and only the blind sword-knight Elgaya left standing, Silithane casts Suggestion and convinces her she's already won — and she strolls out of the arena celebrating. The party (mostly) lets her go; only Drak, too dim to grasp the trick, keeps furiously attacking her and nearly gets himself killed, until Silithane Sleeps both Drak and Lash to finally end it. The baffled organizers, unable to call it a win or a loss, pay both teams as winners — 120 platinum each and a milestone pip (the party hits level 5, what the GM calls "Palisade-leaving" level). Two of the defeated squires, Jallic and Braille, will go on to travel with the party as companions.

Key Events

• Morning at the cleansed inn: the party long-rests at the Clapton's Hammer, now prosperous and full of families and dates, and books the upstairs warehouse bunks (~1 gold for the group). They resolve to kill a few days of downtime so Ashlyn can recover, then do the arena. They flee a street mage on the way out, ferrying to Eastport before he can reach them.
• The auricalcum lesson: Lash brings the Prehistoric Longsword (the orichalcum blade from Ankley Island) to the Deep Sea Smithmaster, who identifies it by smell. Lore: auricalcum comes from the sunken central continent (now a whirlpool ringed by the Splintered Isles), is dredged from the ocean floor by deep-sea divers, is stronger than iron and strongest in the rain — and must never be heated, only cold-worked, or its virtue boils away. He lets Lash use his cold-forge; a weaponsmithing 27 (advantage + his help) folds 3 of the metal's 5 properties into her in-progress crafting hammer (a subclass "mega item," 21 days total, now 12 left). She pays him 10 gold; he warns that if the blade was cursed, the hammer will be too.
• Silver for the claws — deferred: Fenric asks Lash to silver his claw-tips (to complement his Silvered Short Sword against silver-resistant foes). A guard leads them to a giant werewolf silversmith in an ancient, lightless, pre-Fall stone building (a converted "abandoned church"); Lash buys 100 gold of silver (Fenric owes her). After a long lesson on cat-claw biology — claws shed every ~3 months, are retractable, and can feel — and a poor crafting roll revealing Fenric's claws are cracked and eroded from decades of abuse, Fenric decides to grow them out and manicure them properly first rather than rush the job. No silver claws this session.
• Drak at the inner-city gate: Draak walks up to the inner-city Palisade gate, manned by elite Inner Guards (full plate, tower shields, silvered weapons). He learns the inner city houses the war effort's most important people — Queen Ysolde, foreign diplomats, the Mage's Society treaty registrar, and Varian nobles paying the heightened tax. He can't enter, but the friendly guard Rowan (whom Drak insists on renaming "Ruin") offers a house-call lead: Eldrich the Elder, one of the oldest people on the island, is hiring a group of 4–8 to attempt to slay one of Laewendas's inner circle, and is vetting many groups for the "cream of the crop." (The GM voices the Elder as "Aethelric the Elder," but he is canonically Eldrich the Elder — a different man from the murdered King Aethelric.)
• Setting up the audition: Drak signs the party up sight-unseen, gives Rowan Fenric's carved wooden figurines (the party + Land Boat) as a "gift for the elder to see what he has" (wants them back), and arranges for Eldrich the Elder to watch their next arena fight in ~4 days. Rowan casts Bless on Drak on parting.
• Silithane concedes Ponterford: Silithane visits the tanner-spymaster Dominus one last time. Dominus is openly displeased Silithane hasn't left for Ponterford — 80 miles, ~10 days each way, deadline end of month — and begins picking another spy to send. They trade info (the body-buying butcher is gone; Smiling Sam is "probably a blood mage, maybe a portal mage"). Silithane asks after a truesight potion to spot invisible/illusioned monsters; Dominus won't gift the ~1,500+ gold potion until the job's done, but hands him a stamped buckle for a discount with an alchemist west of the Colosseum.
• Thalia's rounds: Thalia works courier and odd jobs for a couple of days (~7 gold), ingratiating herself with the city, and brings the recovering Ashlyn "blood soup" — warmed, peppered animal blood sourced from her growing network of butcher friends. Ashlyn simply waits out her three days and returns to full strength.
• The arena, the choice: the party (six: Drak, Silithane, Thalia, Ashlyn, Lash, Fenric) enters the Colosseum by a new gate, watches the Venatori wall-run and non-lethally dismantle another team, and chooses to fight the Rivalonian Knight squires in the river-filled Rivalon Arena. The squires, honor-bound, field only four against the party's six.
• The squires, sized up: Jallic is a blonde, blood-spattered moneybags in priceless mithril plate (her family's pockets "limitless"), with a longsword, shield and mid-combat potions; Elgaya is blind, tracking by sound, in self-forged scrap armor with no helmet, wielding a greatsword forged from every blade of every duel she's won (it grows with each victory, ~10-ft reach); Braille wears alive, pulsing, spiked cursed black plate and a greatsword that casts no shadow; Griselle is the "budget" one in plain iron, helmetless under a hood, with greatsword and shield. (Canonical names; the transcript garbles all four — "Jhalak / Elgemyr / Breil / Grazile," etc.)
• The grind: the party eats Lash's 4-temp-HP death-save cookies and opens a long fight defined by missing — the squires' full plate shrugs off blow after blow (Fenric lands 1 of ~12 swings all combat; Griselle's own accuracy is just as dismal). Draak's reckless attacks and Silithane's sneak attacks (21 in one hit with Shadow Blade) do the real work; Ashlyn repeatedly Tasha's-Hideous-Laughters Griselle, Bane's the line, and Soulbinds where she can; Thalia whip-drags and ends up "flirt-grappling" Braille in the river; Lash tanks, dodges, and self-heals. The squires use weird "legendary actions" — when Jallic is nearly dropped she triggers the Great Equalizer, draining life from everyone into a central orb that splits three ways to average her HP with Silithane and Draak (Drak the "big loser," ~34 HP each); Braille spends a turn "acting out"; and Griselle, hopeless, gets the self-deprecating legendary "You're not that special, Griselle — do nothing."
• The hawk dies: Silithane's eagle/hawk familiar (re-bought last session) is caught by Elgaya's blind overhead swing and explodes into feathers — a second familiar lost, to be re-bought again. (Sometimes misattributed to Lash; it is Silithane's, controlled by Johan throughout.)
• Three down: Jallic, Braille, and Griselle are knocked out / defeated (all non-lethally — no one on either team kills). Only the blind Elgaya remains.
• The walkout: Silithane casts Suggestion (she fails the save) and convinces Elgaya she has already won her fight. She stands, salutes the crowd, and begins walking out of the arena to celebrate. The party declines their opportunity attacks and just lets her leave.
• Drak ruins it (almost): Draak, with effectively negative INT, can't understand why everyone's letting the enemy walk, and keeps re-raging and attacking her ("We're fighting now!"), provoking her into nearly killing him; she drops him to 0 once (death saves) and he's repeatedly healed back by cookies/Lash. To finally stop the carnage, Silithane casts Sleep, knocking out Drak and Lash (and a passing pigeon), and Elgaya strolls out free.
• The non-result: the organizers can't decide if the party won (they didn't beat Elgaya) or lost (she didn't beat them), so they pay both teams as winners — and the party loots the chest. Everyone earns a pip / milestone (level up).

Combat & Encounters

• The Squires' Trial (Rivalon Arena) — the session's single long combat (~3 hours of play). The party of six vs. four full-plate Rivalonian Knight squires fighting a 4-v-6 by honor code, already depleted from fighting all day:
  • Jallic — blonde, blood-spattered; mithril full plate (the costliest material in the city), longsword + shield + mid-combat potions. Legendary Great Equalizer averaged her HP with Silithane and Draak to save herself when nearly dropped. Defeated non-lethally by Drak. Later joins the party as a companion.
  • Elgaya — blind, tracks by sound; self-forged scrap armor, no helmet, and a greatsword forged from every blade she's won that grows with every victory (10-ft reach, ~33-damage hits — clipped Thalia hard). The session's real threat; exploded Silithane's hawk with a 32-damage swing. Walked out un-defeated under Suggestion.
  • Braille — living, self-sharpening spiked/bladed cursed black plate (painful to grapple) and a shadowless greatsword. Fakes a spell at Thalia to spook her (she has no real magic), then spends the fight trading blows and openly flirting with Thalia; her soul is too "spiky" for Ashlyn to Soulbind. KO'd / dragged down in the river. Later joins the party as a companion.
  • Griselle — plain budget iron plate, greatsword + shield, no helmet (just a hood); landed ~1 of 12 attacks. Soulbound effortlessly, repeatedly Tasha's-Hideous-Laughter'd, and finished by Fenric.
• No deaths. Neither team killed (the squires can't go lethal in training; the party went non-lethal). Drak was dropped to 0 and made death saves; Drak and Lash ended the fight asleep.
• Outcome: a true draw — three squires defeated, the blind one walked out thinking she'd won. Both teams paid as victors; the party earns a pip.

NPCs & Factions

• Eldrich the Elder — new note: one of the oldest people on the Orathi island, residing in the inner-city Palisade. He's hiring a small, capable group to assassinate one of Laewendas's inner circle, and has vetted (and rejected) many groups already. He'll attend the party's next arena fight to judge them, and can sign their leaving-papers. A major new plot hook and a potential third signature. (Canonically Eldrich the Elder; the GM voices him as "Aethelric the Elder," but he is not the murdered King Aethelric — a separate person.)
• Deep Sea Smithmaster — new note: the dripping, blue-skinned, freshwater-exuding smith of the Eastport "Deep Sea Smithmaster" store, expert in auricalcum and deep-sea metals. He examines Lash's blade, teaches her the cold-forge rule, lets her work the metal in his forge, and offers ongoing tutelage ("everything I think I know I can teach to you"). A kindred wet-handed crafter and likely recurring resource.
• Rowan — new note: the pale, blonde, friendly elite Inner Guard Drak befriends at the Palisade gate; relays the Eldrich lead, takes the figurines, and casts Bless on Drak. (Drak mishears/renames him "Ruin" and uses that throughout.)
• The giant werewolf silversmith — a jacked, gigantic werewolf smith (born "a giant on a giant boat") working an anvil by forge-light in a lightless, ancient pre-Fall stone building; the city's silver source. A one-scene quick-buy NPC.
• Dominus — the tanner-spymaster receives Silithane one last time, displeased he hasn't left for Ponterford and now likely reassigning the job; points him toward a truesight-potion alchemist with a stamped discount buckle.
• Venatori — the elite Veilwood hunters demonstrate again in the arena: wall-running, rope-bridge archery, and non-lethally stabilizing every opponent they down — pointedly unlike the lethal Atollian and Varian champion teams.
• The four Rivalonian squires — new notes: Jallic (mithril moneybags), Elgaya (blind, trophy-sword), Braille (cursed spiked plate), and Griselle (budget, hapless). Arena opponents this session; Jallic and Braille go on to travel with the party as companions (next session's sewer expedition).
• Ysolde — confirmed to reside inside the inner-city Palisade, behind the elite Inner Guard, among the war effort's most-protected people.

Locations

• The inner-city Palisade (Gwyndinas) — the walled inner district at the city's heart, guarded by elite Inner Guards in full plate with tower shields and silvered weapons (a tier above the ordinary Rivalonian guards). It houses Queen Ysolde, foreign diplomats, the Mage's Society treaty registrar, and tax-paying Varian nobles. Outsiders are barred (too many of Laewendas's infiltration attempts); residents are reached by "house call."
• The Deep Sea Smithmaster store (Eastport) — a pristine, curated Gwyndinas weaponshop with only ~15 items on display, run by the blue water-smith; its back room holds a cold-forge suited to auricalcum work.
• The silversmith's hall — an ancient, blacked-out pre-Fall stone building (a former chapel that predates the new city, left undemolished), now the giant werewolf's silver forge.
• The Rivalon Arena (Colosseum) — one of the Colosseum's biome arenas, a network of knee-to-waist rivers, waterfalls, rocks and cliffs themed to river-society Rivalon; the party fought the squires here, using the deep water and difficult terrain tactically.

Loot, Items & Rewards

• Auricalcum-imbued crafting hammer (in progress) — the orichalcum of the Prehistoric Longsword is now cold-worked into Lash's subclass "mega" crafting hammer, granting 3 of its 5 properties (a future tool for making better gear). 12 days of crafting remain.
• ~100 gold of silver — bought by Lash for the (now-deferred) claw-silvering; Fenric owes her for it.
• Ring of Milk Walking — a randomly-rolled magic ring from the arena chest, given to Fenric: lets the wearer walk on milk as if solid ground. A "mega grief" joke item.
• 120 platinum each — the arena paid both teams as winners (100 for the "draw" + 20 from the split chest).
• Magenta Orb — a greater-power weapon-socket "gem" from the chest, logged to Magra's sheet (with the party's other arena gems).
• A pip / milestone — a fourth arena pip; the party is now at the level the GM considers ready to leave the Palisade.
• (Lore only:) a truesight potion (~1,500+ gold) exists as a future purchase, with a discount buckle from Dominus.

Decisions & Open Threads

• Eldrich's audition: Eldrich the Elder will watch the party's next arena fight; if impressed, he hires them to kill one of Laewendas's inner circle — and can sign their leaving-papers. A major new direction once they leave Gwyndinas.
• Three signatures within reach: next session the party can collect all three "people of merit" signatures needed to leave the Palisade — the arena official, Eldrich the Elder, and Malcolm Locke's wife (the dinner invite). They already hold one forged ("the rooster") signature.
• Ponterford, abandoned: Silithane's Ponterford child-abduction job is effectively passed to another of Dominus's spies; the deadline is no longer reachable. The forged leaving-papers remain.
• Fenric's silver claws, deferred: Fenric will grow out and properly trim his claws over time before any silvering; Lash holds the silver in the meantime.
• A possibly cursed hammer: the auricalcum blade came from the cursed Ankley Island ruin; the Deep Sea Smithmaster warned the reforged hammer may carry the curse (a mage may be needed).
• Carryover threads: Draak is asleep and wakes ~10 minutes later "somewhere else" (next session); the Smiling Sam case and the blood mage Rhys Wengler beyond the wall; Magra's mother bound somewhere snowy; the Prince Lon letter; Scary Joe; Garruk the Red; pirate goods to pawn; Ankley Island the sealed prison; Professor Wind Douglas's standing request for dhampir test subjects.

Memorable Moments

• Draak at the gate, refusing to bare his fangs in case the guard reads a smile as aggression ("Hello, metal man. What is inside here?"), then puzzling over "cream of the crop" ("How does cream help slay the circle?").
• Naming the guard on the spot: "Nice to meet you, Ruin. You tell him I am Drakkor, you are Ruin, and we are now friends."
• The Deep Sea Smithmaster's running gag — every fact he shares "reminds him that he knew it the whole time" — and his cheerful refusal to believe in anything but the ocean ("islands are in the ocean, so it must have fell out of the ocean"). The two wet-handed crafters' dribbling secret-handshake fist-bump.
• Thalia explaining her blood supply ("I make friends with as many butchers as I can") and the GM's horror before realizing she means the butchers' business, not the butchers.
• The whole arena fight being defined by missing: "12 swings. One has hit." — and a squire who'd "be super depressed after this, even if I won."
• Silithane's hawk doing a co-op dance move on its entrance, then getting exploded into feathers by the blind knight's sword two rounds later.
• The Suggestion masterstroke: Elgaya walking out of the arena celebrating a victory she didn't win, deaf to a lone voice "out of 10,000" — while Draak sprints after her screaming "You haven't won!" and Silithane finally Sleeps his own raging tank to make it stop.
• Draak attempting first-aid by breathing his entire fire cone over the unconscious, soaking-wet Lash ("cauterization"), drying her out and burning all the grass — "okay, I did that on purpose."
• The GM's own dismal luck: "I'm unironically yet to roll above a 10," rolling natural 1s in a row, and lamenting the time he rolled stats so badly the DM begged him to use point-buy.
• The closing absurdity: a fight that ended in a literal draw, both teams paid as winners, the party's tank and crafter asleep on the arena floor, and a Ring of Milk Walking as the prize.