Within the Wicked Wilds/Player Recaps/TLDR

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Tiny Little Digest of Recaps

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Table of Contents

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Book 1

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Overview

Major participants:

• The Tempest Brothers Expeditionary Company, venturing into the wilds of the continent of Amusa in 893 PR, thanks to the advent of affordable airships
• Hostile gnolls with war machines, led by the augmented Ripjaw
• Demons, allied with the gnolls in service to the greater demon Mother
• The ill-fated kobolds of Thinwhistle, part of the diaspora of the ancient city of Thelrya
• The knowledgeable Warden of the Wilds

Other significant characters:

• The amiable druids of the Thistlebrook Conclave, on whose ancestral land the TBEC unknowingly established its base camp
• Lord Bellephon, a gnoll-allied human known as "The Green Knight," a mantle associated with his magic helm
• Hostile oozes and tolerant slimes (including Gary the Slime King)
• The TBEC's masked frenemy Jack of Hearts
• The ravenous dragon Xevriss, slain by company members, and his troublesome, pumpkin-person devotee, Dynia
• The dragon Old Alkinimic, also slain by TBEC adventurers

Discoveries:

• Remnants of Thelrya besides Thinwhistle: the abandoned village of Drakemire Hollow and a powerful arcane forge (to which the company cut off access lest enemies use it against them) -- and Thelrya itself!
• Magical artifacts, including some acquired for the enigmatic Collector and some associated with the mysterious, primordial Sepexillium
• Galidant, Exarch of Kavanmort (the undead devotee of a long-dead dragon), whom the TBEC inadvertently released from confinement
• Six living Old World Dryads, who had somehow survived the genocide of their kind

Developments:

• Improvements to the base camp, including the construction of an arcane forge for creating magic items
• Encounters with unfamiliar creatures, exploration of abandoned structures, contention with the threat of fungal infection, and ongoing confrontations with gnolls (including the destruction of their war-machine-producing forge)
• The recruitment of several TBEC members by Mother: Jim Stacy, Tassa, and Lambda
• The slaughter of the Thinwhistle kobolds (while the company unsuccessfully prioritized trying to keep Lambda out of Mother's hands)
• TBEC member Yewvane's acceptance of the "Green Knight" mantle by donning Lord Bellephon's magic helm
• The TBEC's full retreat to Galik after several months, due to an overwhelming attack by gnolls and demons, during which the company slew Ripjaw and salvaged their arcane forge, aided by the Warden's magic)

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Session Details

1a: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Bog (Dave P, 4/29/23)

 First appearance of the Warden of the Wilds and hostile oozes

• After battling an oblex (ooze) in a swamp, the party met The Warden of the Wilds, who provided a magic brooch for contacting them

1b: Ruins of Maddening Dreams (Keller, 4/29/23)

Introduction of the Green Knight (and hostile gnolls); Addition of Bulio to the TBEC

• After finding an expeditionary group massacred by gnolls and the Green Knight, the party contracted a sleepy sickness while driving off the knight and rescuing Bulio

1c: Spiders and Ichor and Ruins....oh my! (Julia, 4/29/23)

• The party secured a ruined temple of the drow goddess Lolth

1d: Kobold Khaos (Aaron, 4/29/23)

Introduction of Thinwhistle; first mention of Thelrya (not explicitly named); [[Hunk joined the TBEC

• The party made peaceful contact with the kobold village of Thinwhistle, learned of an ancient and powerful kobold city, and brought the warrior Hunk to the TBEC base camp as a liaison

2: Curious Company (Keller, 5/1/23)

Introduction of the Collector and Jack of Hearts & company

• At a temple near the Scar of Amusa, the party recovered a mind-affecting book for the Collector and temporarily allied with Jack of Hearts' party against a behir

3: All that Glitters (Julia, 5/10/23)

• After a team went missing while investigating a ley line, the party found them dead but harvested magical flora

4: River Me Timbers (Julia, 5/20/23)

Death of TBEC member Ratchet; First appearance of demonic mushrooms, foreshadowing fungal infection

• The party restored a polluted water source, battled reptilian humanoids, and harvested demonic mushrooms

5: Slim Pickins (Keller, 5/21/23)

• In Galik, the party conducted interviews and hired a crew for the TBEC's newest airship

6: A Penguin's Problem (Aaron, 5/24/23)

First appearance of demons; Introduction of Mother; Arrival of [[Pennysworth

• The party fought off demons while repairing the new quartermaster Pennysworth's downed airship and escaped as Mother approached, and some of them contracted Sight Rot

7: Winds of Change (Julia, 5/26/23)

Introduction of the Thistlebrook Conclave druids

• The party made peaceful contact with the Thistlebrook Conclave and learned a way to combat Sight Rot

8: The Loss of Tassa (Aaron, 5/30/23)

First interaction with Mother; Tassa's defection

• While acquiring Eyebright plants to treat Sight Rot, the party encountered demons including Mother, whom Tassa voluntarily joined

9: Oblex Infestation Investigation (Dave P, 5/31/23)

• Investigating an ooze infestation, the party found and disrupted the demon lord Jubilex's conduit for amassing oozes

10: Heart of Stone (Keller, 6/3/23)

Introduction of Galidant; First mention of various dragons (Kavanmort, Tiamat, Xevriss, and Alkinimic)

• In a ruined temple dedicated to Kavanmort, the party freed the undead dragonborn Galidant and escaped an attack by the Green Knight

11: Return to the Underdark (Julia, 6/4/23)

Death of TBEC member Dochás

• Returning to the temple of Lolth, the party entered the Underdark, encountered aberrations, and made peaceful contact with drow

12 (QuelmarCon 2023): Trials of the Sphinxes (Julia & Aaron, 6/10/23)

• As part of a celebration at the Thistlebrook Conclave, TBEC members traveled through time to face two related challenges and received rewards from sphinxes called The Timeless and The Nameless

13: The Shifting Scales of Mount Alkinimic (Keller, 6/11/23)

Introduction of Lorrie Haslo and the Philosopher's Stone

• At Mount Alkinimic, the party found Lorrie Haslo's team and raided the ancient dragon's hoard, acquiring the Philosopher's Stone (to be studied and eventually sold to the Collector)

14: Nature Finds a Way (Julia, 6/16/23)

• After consulting the Thistlebrook Conclave about a blight near the site of the recent ooze infestation, the party found and neutralized the mutated creature responsible

15: Off the Rails (Keller, 6/25/23)

• While transporting mysterious tablets by train, the party fended off Jack of Hearts' party and learned he had a mole at the base camp

16: A New Hire (Aaron, 6/27/2023)

• On a mission to research Thelrya, the party encountered Tassa in a cave near Thinwhistle

17: Smoke Signals (Keller, 7/1/2023)

Introduction of Ripjaw

• The party disabled a forge facility where the Gearhead gnoll pack, led by the augmented Ripjaw, was constructing massive war machines

18: Fossils and Fools (Keller, 7/7/2023)

Death of TBEC member Nester

• The party found and destroyed a vampiric dinosaur that had been preying on Thinwhistle

19: Maze Runners (Julia, 7/9/2023)

• The party escaped a maze-like demiplane to which they were transported while investigating standing stones

20: Road Rage (Keller, 7/14/2023)

Death of TBEC member Lowkey; Appearance of Ferdinand Core (as "the Music Man")

• At Lorrie Haslo's request, the party fought their way across a fast-moving convoy of gnoll war machines to save Lorrie's mysterious cargo -- the Collector

21: Cabin Fever (Julia, 7/15/2023)

• The party battled undead in an abandoned cabin found in the wilds

22: Church Attendance (Aaron, 7/28/2023)

• In a temple pulsing with energy, the party encountered Jim Stacy and fought demons

23: Slow and Steady (Keller, 7/23/2023)

Introduction of Dynia

• In Escargodia, a community of snail-like gastrosapiens on a ley line, the party encountered Talyth, Wiggler's creator; Dynia, a Xevriss-worshipping pumpkin person; and "kopybolds", Alkinimic-worshipping mimic kobolds

24: Alkinimic's End (Keller, 8/5/2023)

Death of the dragon Old Alkinimic

• The party fought and slew Old Alkinimic in his lair

25: Underdark Returns (Julia, 8/8/2023)

• The party battled aberrations in the Underdark and spotted an aberrant dragon

26: Tassa's Demise (Aaron, 8/17/2023, simultaneous mission with session 27)

Discovery of the lost city of Thelrya; Destruction of Thinwhistle; Death of former TBEC member Tassa

• After Jim Stacy and Tassa (now serving Mother) kidnapped Matilda Shattershield and Lambda, the party pursued Tassa underground, where they slew her, recovered Lambda's body without his brain, and discovered Thelrya -- but the gnolls took this opportunity to slaughter the people of Thinwhistle

27: Recovery and Loss (Aaron, 8/26/2023, simultaneous mission with session 27)

Destruction of Thinwhistle; Deaths of TBEC members Reedy and Sneeze

• After Jim Stacy and Tassa (now serving Mother) kidnapped Matilda Shattershield and Lambda, the party pursued Jim Stacy into the western swamp, recovering Lambda's brain and Matilda (and her husband Bjorn, who had set off alone to find her) -- but the gnolls took this opportunity to slaughter the people of Thinwhistle

28: Doing Hard Time in Thinwhistle (Keller, 9/2/23)

Death of Chief Thrax of Thinwhistle

• The party teamed up with Jack of Hearts to escape a prison under Thinwhistle (run by Ripjaw under the command of the Green Knight)

29: Ice To Meet You (Julia, 9/3/2023)

Introduction of Talon

• In an anomalous ice cave in the jungle, the party drove off a group of gnolls including the hunter Talon -- who inexplicably rose from the dead during the battle -- and slew a hostile white dragon

30: Work for the Warden (Dave P, 9/14/2023)

First appearance of Gary, the Slime King; Acquisition of the Warden's staff

• The party observed (and briefly participated in) a battle between slimes and gnolls, encountered a humanoid slime creature and reported back to the Warden, who rewarded them with a druidic staff to protect the TBEC base camp

31: We're Going in Circles! (Keller, 9/16/23)

Introduction of Oliver Vincent Bartholemew (and of Thelrya-linked Drakemire Hollow)

• Guided by the mysterious explorer Oliver Vincent Bartholemew (and affected by his eternal curse), the party found the ruins of the lost kobold village of Drakemire Hollow

32: Hop to It (Julia, 9/23/2023)

• While retrieving fruit from a ley-line area for Nettle's healing soups, the party drove off gnolls, including Ripjaw, who used a magical gauntlet to control a fiery flying dinosaur

33: What Lies Beneath (Keller, 9/24/2023)

• Under Drakemire Hollow, the party recovered the powerful core of a drilling vehicle, likely used by kobolds to escape the destruction of ancient Thelrya

34: Gotta Getta Grung (Dave P, 9/24/2023)

• The party rescued grung children from a gnoll work camp and delivered them to the Warden

35: Honey, I Shrunk the Adventurers (Keller, 10/1/2023)

• At the Collector's Hallow's Eve costume party, the adventurers saved the attendees from Dynia and learned that the dragon Xevriss had returned to Amusa

36: Harvest Hoedown (Keller, 10/15/2023)

• In the Court of Hallow's Eve in the Feywild, the party proved Dynia was responsible for the disappearance of huge quantities of food, which they ensured was sent back to its rightful owners rather than to Xevriss

37: A Hunting We Will Go! (Dave P, 10/17/2023)

• After helping the Warden battle fungus-infected gnolls, the party sought and acquired antifungal plants for developing a cure for the infection

38: Disrupting Demons' Designs (Talia, 10/21/2023)

• The party helped the dragonborn Alkiir Scalesborn retrieve a powerful dragon statuette before demonic forces could acquire it

39: In the Sewers (Keller, 10/22/2023)

• In Galik, a party of new TBEC recruits rescued a group of kidnapped dock workers

40: Operation Gnoll Tank (Dave P, 10/26/23)

• The party disabled a new gnoll tank at the behest of Gary, the Slime King

41: For Gourds and Glory (Keller, 10/28/2023)

Death of the dragon Xevriss; Introduction of the dragon Jatil Jivelg

• The party slew the dragon Xevriss in his lair (despite a betrayal by Chadwick Sagemoore and an ambush by Xevriss, Jatil Jivelg, and others)

42: He Who Watches Over the Wilds (Keller, 11/4/2023)

Discovery of surviving Old World Dryads; Introduction of the Seven; Revelation of the Green Knight's lore and defeat of Lord Bellephon

• After finding statues identifying each of the primordial "Sepexillium," the party rescued six Old World Dryads who had survived the genocide of their kind
• The party also learned that "the Green Knight" was not an individual but a mantle conferred by a magic helm, which they retained after defeating the current Green Knight, Lord Bellephon

43: Man Made Flesh (Keller, 11/12/2023)

Acquisition of The Philosopher's Stone

• The party discovered Paul Fletcher had been replaced by a sapient mimic creature during their successful mission to acquire the The Philosopher's Stone

44: The Node at the End of the Leyline (Dave P, 11/15/23)

• The party sought and found a Thelrya-linked arcane forge, then collapsed the entrance to prevent easy access by gnolls

45: Pixie Pilfering (Keller, 11/25/2023)

• The party infiltrated the fey court of Fairyflower Mountain and stole a rare ingredient for the Warden's fungal-infection cure

46: Hunk's Vengeance (Aaron, 11/28/2023)

Departure of Hunk

• In the wake of Thinwhistle's destruction, Hunk departed, sullen and empty-handed, after chance thwarted his efforts to find Chief Thrax's body before the enemy

47: Fundraiser Megasession (Aaron, Dave P, Keller, 12/03/2023)

Retreat to Galik; Deaths of Ripjaw and Talon; Introduction of the Gnoll King; TBEC member Sir Yewvane's departure as the new Green Knight

• A sudden and overwhelming attack by gnoll and demon forces compelled the TBEC to abandon their base camp in the wilds and retreat by airship to Galik
• The Warden's druidic staff animated the jungle itself to buy invaluable time while the defenders disassembled and loaded the arcane forge and salvaged what else they could
• The company held off the Gnoll King and slew both Ripjaw and Talon
• Sir Yewvane became the new Green Knight by donning their magic helm, purging the spirit of Lord Bellephon from the artifact

Book 2

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Overview

Major participants:

• The TBEC, who returned to Galik and concluded their conflict with the Cult of Mother, eventually thwarting her attempted apotheosis and killing the cult's leaders in the Thelryan Restoration
• Cultists in Galik, who were creating fungus-infested zombies and magical statuettes of Mother to aid in her plan to achieve godhood,
• Alistair and Lenore Hearthorne, secret leaders of the cult who had enacted a magic-fueled bounty on the company's members (while Alistair's sibling Jacqueline opposed his plans and turned out to be the TBEC's new frenemy Jack of Hearts.)

Other significant characters:

• "Sly", a high-level cult member and a major player in Galik's underground pit-fighting rings,
• The Lord of the Beneath, one of the Sepexillium and Mother's ancient ally,
• Lambda, who replaced Jim Stacy as mother's self-appointed champion upon his death, and
• The Warden of the Wilds, who completed the treatment they had been working on for several months to cure the fungal infection being spread by the cult

Other notable events:

• The slaughter of Galik's ruling Council of Burghers by Alistair Hearthorne after his election as High Burgher (and the subsequent establishment of an interim council),
• The destruction of the gnoll's Camp Emberclaw during The Gnoll Counter-Offensive,
• A venture into the dangerous Scar of Amusa,
• The slaying of the dragon Xupaynth, a former lieutenant of the dragon Kavanmort, and
• The restoration of many ancient kobolds from stasis or petrification in Thelrya and the recently rediscovered village of Emberglen

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Session Details

48: Unpaid Debts: The Musical (Keller, 12/17/2023)

Introduction of Jack of Hearts and Widgit Wizzlepop

• With the TBEC now operating in Galik, the party rescued gnome artificer Widgit Wizzlepop from a loan shark allied with Jack of Hearts and discovered someone powerful had established a bounty on all the TBEC members, but their captive exploded into acidic fungus before they could learn more

49: Into the Cursed Collection (Keller, 1/6/2024)

Introduction of The Collector

• The Collector hired the party to neutralize several dangerous artifacts that had gotten loose within his vast underground compound

50: Day at the Circus (Aaron, 1/13/2024)

Introduction of Benjamin Hearthorne and the Traveling Fools Circus

• Invited to attend the circus, the party briefly encountered a ravenous-looking figure and experienced nightmare visions while engaging with the various attractions

51: The Curious Case of Aftren Calpeth (Dave P, 1/19/2024)

Introduction of Sly, Master Idryel Il’lylune, and pit fighting

• Investigating a mysterious note found on the body of a fungal cultist, the party infiltrated an underground pit-fighting ring, taking as their manager the high elf Idryel Il’lylune, who was tight-lipped about the shady character "Sly"

52: Night at the Moonsea Museum (Keller, 1/20/2024)

Introduction of Jaqueline Hearthorne (actually Jack of Hearts); First appearance of Shelmlock Dolmes; First mention of the deceased dragon Kavanmort

• At the Moonsea Museum's midnight gala, where cult-linked gnolls were expected to steal the Heart of Kavanmort, the party encountered the aristocrat Jaqueline Hearthorne, who turned out to be an effective combatant and helped defeat the would-be thieves -- but in a last-minute plot twist, the party made an insurance-scam deal with the museum to steal several artifacts for themselves and the Heart of Kavanmort for the Collector

53: Restart My Hearth (Guest DM Mercedes, 1/21/2024)

• The party rescued the dragon forge master Tanis from Malakar the Maleficent, who was working for the Bozellis (who the TBEC would later learn were the family of origin of fungal cult leader Lenore Hearthorne)

54: End of the Line (Keller, 1/27/2024)

• On a moving train with a murdered conductor, the party interrogated secretive passengers to unmask "the Groomsman," a high-ranking member of the fungal cult, who then coerced them into a high-stakes poker game culminating in them betting their lives against his and winning

55: A Pile o' Bodies (Keller, 2/3/2024)

• After learning that the bounty on TBEC members might be canceled by using a magical item against whichever Galik aristocrat had initiated the bounty, the party defended the company headquarters against a coordinated attack by bounty hunters; although Jack of Hearts fought on the party's side, he stole the preserved head of the gnoll artificer Ripjaw in the aftermath

56: Carnival of Chaos (Aaron, 2/9/2024)

Death of Benjamin Hearthorne

• The party visited the Traveling Fools Circus at night, confronted and killed Benjamin Hearthorne, and encountered a False Hydra capable of selective memory erasure

57: The Search for Sly (Dave P, 2/15/2024)

• Following up on the mystery of fungus-infested corpses in Galik, the party successfully drew out and captured [[Sly with help from Master Idryel Il’lylune

58: Blood, Sweat, and Gears (Guest DM Jon, 2/16/2024)

• While successfully attracting investors to fund the TBEC's return to the wilds, the party encountered the warforged Iota impersonating his brother Lambda and destroyed him during a fight against several warforged (including Lambda's other brother Theta, who escaped)

59: Lost and Found (Julia, 2/21/2024)

• Investigating the missing Zyler Elkreak at the indirect request of his uncle, Galik's High Burger Tamlin Elkreak, the party uncovered and reported evidence that Zyler had joined the fungal cult of the demon Mother

60: The Bride and Groom Reveal Themselves (Keller, 2/24/2024)

Voiding of the bounty on TBEC members; unmasking of fungal cult leaders Lenore and Alistair Hearthorne

• Upon discovering that Lenore Hearthorne, wife of Galik High Burgher candidate Alistair Hearthorne, was responsible for the magical bounty on all TBEC members, the party voided the bounty by impaling her with a special magical dagger, and the couple fled after revealing their identities as the Bride and Groom, leaders of the fungal cult

61: Slithering into Sly's Secrets (Dave P, 2/25/2024)

• Having learned that Sly was a cultist of Mother, the party accessed his lair via the city sewers, encountered fungal humanoids and found a magical statuette intended to empower fungal creatures for the "second phase" of Mother's plan

62: Chittering in the Sewers (Julia, 3/3/2024)

• In secret tunnels connected to Galik's sewers, the party fought their way past rat creatures and fungus-infested dwarven miners to discover a tunnel riddled with fiendish mushrooms, but they decided not to investigate further

63: Vault Hunters (Keller, 3/9/2024)

First expedition into the Scar

• With Widgit Wizzlepop's protective suits, the party flew into The Scar of Amusa to explore an ancient structure -- one of whose creators had served Mother, wielding the powerful hammer she'd more recently gifted to the Gnoll King -- and escaped its collapse

64: Left For Dead (Aaron, 3/13/2024)

First mention of Mother's plans for apotheosis and of the Tears of a Celestial

• The party acquired a specimen -- a fungal "Corpse Lily" creature created by a demon-affiliated alchemist -- for the Warden, who informed the group that Mother likely aspired to godhood (an ambition that would make use of the "Tears of a Celestial" from a nearby fountain)

65: Helpin Gary (Dave P, 3/14/2024)

• When something serving Mother took up residence in the domain of Gary, the Slime King, the party purged the area of a large number fungal creatures

66: Soul Dealing and Gunslinging (Keller, 3/16/2024)

• To acquire Infernal Gold for weaponizing the Warden's fungal cure against demons, the party traveled to Duumal (the first layer of [[The Ten Hells|The Hells], ruled by Elytria), where they earned their prize by recovering a devil-slaying gun for the archdevil Baron Samuel Boarhide

67: Tears on my Fungal Blade (Keller, 3/19/2024)

Completion of the Warden's fungal cure; Defeat of Jim Stacy

• While recovering the Tears of a Celestial so the Warden could finish their cure, the party encountered cultists creating magical statuettes of Mother, and Lambda declared himself Mother's new champion after Jim Stacy fell

68: The Ravenborn Estate (Guest DM Gingie, 3/23/2024)

• Working for Rod Ravenborn, the party cleared out his estate house, where cultists and myconids had been regularly receiving corpses and converting them into fungal zombies

69: Unmasked (Keller, 3/24/2024)

Jack of Hearts' revelation as Jacqueline Hearthorne; First appearance of The Lord of the Beneath of the Sepexillium; Deaths of Galik's Council of Burghers; First mention of Mother's connection to Thelrya

• After the party found Ripjaw's head and a battered Jack of Hearts -- who informed them that he was actually Jaqueline Hearthorne and that Mother would use the ancient city of Thelrya to ascend to godhood -- they found Galik's Council of Burghers murdered by cult leaders High Burgher Alistair Hearthorne and his wife Lenore, and drove away the rampaging Lord of the Beneath, Mother's ancient ally

70a: Camp Emberclaw (Aaron, 3/29/2024)

Destruction of the gnoll Camp Emberclaw

• While a battle raged on the surface above, the party infiltrated the subterranean gnoll encampment and rigged its reconstructed arcane forge to explode, destroying the base

70b: Camp Emberclaw (Keller, 3/29/2024)

Destruction of the gnoll Camp Emberclaw

• As part of a multilateral military effort, the party held off the Gnoll King and his band of gnolls and war machines while another TBEC team destroyed the underground encampment

71: Thelrya Megasession (Aaron, Dave P, Julia, Keller, 4/7/2024)

The Thelryan Restoration, including: the defeat of Mother; the deaths of the Bride and Groom, (Lenore Hearthorne and Alistair Hearthorne); and the restoring of many Thelryan residents

• Mother's avatar and many of her servants, including Lenore and Alistair Hearthorne, sought to use the ley line energy in the ancient city of Thelrya to allow Mother to access the material plane and ascend to godhood, but the adventurers thwarted the incursion, slew the Hearthornes, and revived many citizens of ancient Thelrya, including its king, who had been sealed away for their own protection

72e: Caffeinated Chaos (Guest DM James, 4/20/2024)

• The party ventured into the Spider Swamps of Dolina to rescue cafe employees from kidnappers in control of giant, coffee-fueled spiders

73e: Rise of the Alliance (Keller, 4/20/2024)

• To help Queen Alyara Everlilly of Fairyflower Mountain prevent an incursion from the feywild, the party entered an enchanted temple to defeat the fey dragon Faerenia and her allies

74e: Election Day (Julia, 4/28/2024)

Replacement of the assassinated Galik Council of Burghers

• After Galik's new High Burgher Alistair Hearthorne slaughtered his fellow Burghers and was himself, in turn, killed in Thelrya, the party helped the reinstated former High Burgher Tamlin Elkreak to gather representatives of the city's noble families to establish a new ruling council

75e: The Tournament of the Elements (Dave P, Co-DM Keller, 4/28/2024)

• Assembled by Master Idryel Il’lylune to compete in the "Tournament of the Elements", the party fought their way into the finals, refused a deal with the mobster Mr. Bozelli to throw the fight, and won a large sum of money by betting on themselves

76e: Army of the Unseen (Keller, 5/4/2024)

• In Emberglen, a newly rediscovered village of the Thelryan diaspora, the party destroyed the biological weapon that had doomed much of the population, and they restored the remaining residents from their protective petrification

77e: King of Abominations (Julia, 5/5/2024)

First interaction with, and death of, the dragon Xupaynth

• Accessing the Underdark via the temple of Lolth the TBEC had found upon first entering the wilds, the party encountered and defeated the dragon abomination Xupaynth

78e: Fur and Fangs (Guest DM Anna, 5/10/2024)

• At the request of the druids of the Silver Ivy Sanctuary, the party recovered several young beasts from poachers and restored the sanctuary's magical wards

79e: Heist in the Collection (Aaron, 5/12/2024)

Ostensible unmasking of the Collector; Death and resurrection of TBEC member Heli Moltenshield

• Attempting to rob the Collector, the party found and accessed his trove of artifacts, encountered and defeated a False Hydra, met an elf claiming to be the Collector, and (by sacrificing personal magic items to resurrect a dead party member) concluded their attempted heist having lost more than they'd gained

80e: Old Friends, New Beginnings (Julia, 5/16/2024)

Formal conclusion to the TBEC's presence at the old base camp

• The party helped the Thistlebrook Conclave reestablish their ancestral home now that the TBEC no longer occupied it

Book 3 (ongoing)

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Session Details

81: Kiss of Ice (Keller, 6/2/2024: Quelmarcon 2024)

Introduction of the the Frostfell Empire, including the Glacial Rift, the Ring of Winter's Wrath, Prince Ulftiir and Ysildra

• In an artificially cold piece of Amusa, the party discovered a portal to an icy plane and saw several elements of the Frostfell Empire

82: The Community Garden (Guest DM Kade, 6/14/24)

• The party freed the new community garden from the malicious fey creature Fevria

83: Farmstead Investigation (Dave P, 6/19/2024)

Introduction of the artificer Derwin and the Markster family

• The party investigated animal deaths and deployed Derwin's "harvest reaper" scarecrows to defend the Markster farm

84: Men in Tights (Keller, 6/21/2024)

First evidence of devils opposing the Frostfell Empire

• After learning that Jack of Hearts was responsible for waylaying travellers, the party inadvertently prompted him to turn from bandit to revolutionary

85: Storming the Tower (guest DM Drew, 6/23/2024)

Introduction of Gafizmaphram, the Magnificent

• The party recovered a portrait for the Royal Family of Xender Pleth from the gnome wizard Gafizmaphram's tower

86: Grave Omens (Julia, 6/25/2024)

• The party explored ruins, finding a graveyard and what they suspected was a necromancy lab

87: Lost In Transit (Dave S, 6/30/2024)

Introduction of The Mindflayer

• The party recovered a missing Ymbtrymman caravan and briefly encountered a mind flayer in a magical/alchemical laboratory

88: Pop Up Art (Guest DM Nin, 7/2/2024)

• Working for a wizard client, the party went to Ymbtrymman to recover a magic mirror that they learned could manifest people from paintings

89: The Maiden Voyage of Windrunner (Dave P, 7/9/2024)

Introduction of the harengon guardians of the Well of Souls

• Seeking alchemical materials from the negative-plane-associated Well of Souls, the party and learned of recent magical corruption in the area from the Well's harengon guardians

90: Draconic Depths (Keller, 7/13/2024)

First interaction with Prince Ulftiir (and mention of Lieutenant Azha)

• The party learned that Prince Ulftiir planned to freeze the realm using the Ring of Winter's Wrath -- and found Mammonian devils transforming mortal worshipers into devils to circumvent The Pact Primeval (aided by Galidant)

91: Trade Relations (Dave S, 7/21/2024)

Introduction of Gumptor Flynn, the Wyvern's Roost crater, and the kobold Airship Village

• The party navigated around the Wyvern's Roost crater and established positive relations with the Airship Village

92: Tempest's Six (Keller, 7/27/2024)

First appearance of Lieutenant Azha (and mention of her master, the pit fiend Kalzivach)

• After formalizing a truce with the devils against the frost giants, the party infiltrated Prince Ulftiir's fortress and stole a Hag Eye the giants were using to keep Kalzivach out of Quelmar

93: Who Let the Cold Out (Guest DM Emma, 7/28/2024)

Introduction of Kelrynne and the Venator Syndicate from Breme

• The party freed a kidnapped wyrmling from the Venator Syndicate and brought a cosmic bear cub to Tempest's Landing

94: Don't Feed the Fears (Keller, 4/4/2024)

First appearance of Nameless of the Sepexilium; Introduction of the hag Old Ingrid Frost

• Ingrid Frost and her frost giant allies obtained a Hag Eye to replace the one the company had stolen, and Nameless agreed to destroy the hag, for which each member of the party paid a personal price

95: Brewing Storm (Keller, 4/10/2024)

First interaction with the dragon Ysildra and the Ring of Winter's Wrath (and mention of the Lost Hoard)

• The party took the Ring of Winter's Wrath from Harrow Grimfold and learned it was connected to the Lost Hoard, but they were forced to abandon it to Ysildra and the frost giants

96: Vela's Venture (Guest DM Mercedes, 8/13/2024)

Introduction of the Crystalline Conclave druids

• The druids of the Crystalline Conclave organized a friendly race

97: Darbin's Drought (Guest DM James, 8/21/2024)

Introduction of blacksmith Ironia Koval

• The party ended a magical, artificial drought affecting Ironia's hometown of Darbin, and she accompanied them to Tempest's Landing

98: Road Warriors (Dave S, 8/25/2024)

• The party rescued Gumptor Flynn and several kobolds from kuo-toa who had been attacking people on the partially constructed road to the kobold Airship Village -- but would later learn this had been only a simulacrum of Gumptor

99: Battle for the Dryad (Dave P, 8/28/2024)

• The party captured a corrupted dryad to use as a test subject for an antidote to the necrotic corruption occurring near the Well of Souls

100: Frostfell Fallen (Keller, 9/8/2024)

Death of Prince Ulftiir; Defeat of the Frostfell Empire; First appearance of the pit fiend Kalzivach; Introduction of Leviathan of the Sepexillium

• Aided by Kalzivach, the party:
  • took back the Ring of Winter's Wrath back (and learned its origin as well as its role as a key to the legendary Lost Hoard)
  • slew Ulftiir (who was aided by Nameless of the Sepexillium), and
  • sealed the Glacial Rift, cutting off the Frostfell Empire from Quelmar and repelling the eldritch Leviathan

101: Die Dragon Die! (Keller, 9/14/2024)

Death of the dragon Ysildra

• The party slew the ancient white dragon Ysildra, the mother of Prince Ulftiir of the Frostfell Empire

102: Meet the Xandrians (Guest DM Nate, 9/15/2024)

Introduction of the Xandrian scholar Kyle Lane

• The party recovered cargo and hostages from the Venator Syndicate for the Xandrian Expeditionary Force (whose scholar Kyle Lane joined Tempest's Landing as a liaison)

103: Frigid Treasures (Keller, 9/21/2024)

• Accompanied by Oliver Vincent Bartholemew to the Plane of Ice, the party raided the hoard of the recently slain Ysildra and freed several prisoners (and the angel Samiael accompanied them back to Tempest's Landing)

104: Crushed Tomatoes (Guest DM Geoff, 9/28/2024)

• The party investigated problems in the hamlet of Redwell and defeated the tomato monster Otamot, created by a disgruntled local

105: Gumptor's Revenge (Dave S, 9/29/2024)

• Seeking the Mind Flayer in the Wyvern's Roost crater, the party unmasked and destroyed the simulacrum of Gumptor Flynn -- and concluded that the real Gumptor must have remained a captive of the kuo-toa

106: Return to Markster Farmstead (Dave P, 10/02/2024)

First mention of Aloysius Tempest

• Helping the artificer Derwin, the party rescued the Marksters from werewolves in a ruined temple, where they discovered the journal "The Explorations of Aloysius Tempest"

107: No Mourning in Mossbank (Guest DM Ali, 10/05/2024)

• The party solved the apparent murder of the Tempest Brothers' friend Sylviel Yearwood, learning she was a doppelganger and had faked her own death to escape a loveless marriage, and they agreed to pin the crime on a rogue doppelganger

108: Haunting Heists (Keller, 10/12/2024)

Introduction of the Aestorian Codex (and recovery of part 1 of 4), Dorian Shroud, and Madeline Cinder

• In Xender City, the party tracked down and banished the Mammon-affiliated Dorian Shroud to recover an extraordinary puzzle box inherited by the Tempest Brothers from Aloysius Tempest -- a piece of the Aestorian Codex, a map to the legendary Lost Hoard

109: The PumpKing Under the Hill (Guest DM Gingie, 10/18/2024)

• In a ruined village on the edge of the Mists of Sotchala the party encountered and defeated the pumpkin beholder Jax, the PumpKing

110: Sunk Cost (Keller, 10/20/2024)

• On a wrecked ship under the sea, the party sought a piece of the Aestorian Codex that had been lost with Aloysius Tempest's sister Minerva -- who it turned out was now an evil siren, which they were able to capture -- but the ghost Dorian Shroud had been hiding in the body of one of the divers and got away with the piece of the Aestorian Codex

111: The Shambling Undead (Keller, 10/27/2024)

Recovery of part 2 of 4 of the Aestorian Codex

• During Ymbtrymman's All Hallow's Eve festival, the party recovered the piece of the Aestorian Codex Dorian Shroud had gotten away with the previous week and ended a zombie plague he and his devil allies had unleashed on the town

112: Kobold Festivities (Dave S, 11/03/2024)

Recovery of part 3 of 4 of the Aestorian Codex

• The party participated in a festival in the kobold Airship Village, and Chief Pyrrhin gifted them a puzzle box originally found inside the crashed airship -- a piece of the Aestorian Codex treasure map

113: A Day at the Carnival (Dave P, 11/06/2024)

Introduction of Verdantiss

• The party tracked the floral drake Verdantiss to a carnival in Luggland and expedited her return to Sotchala so she could help heal the corrupted lands around the Well of Souls

114: Fillet Fish (Keller, 11/10/2024)

Death of the hag Ingrid Frost; Introduction of the undead tiefling Elyvia

• The party freed captives from kuo-toa who had been implanting people with eggs, slew Old Ingrid, and encountered the undead tiefling Elyvia who was helping the pit fiend Kalzivach pursue the Lost Hoard

115: Dashing Through the Snow (Guest DM Cat, 11/16/2024)

• At the behest of Gafizmaphram the Magnificent and the warforged Colin, the party traveled through arctic Breme to rescue Atnas (and learned Gaphizmaphram was secretly one of the Eyes of Chronepsis and had transported them to the past to carry out the rescue)

116: Run on the Bank (Keller, 11/17/2024)

First appearance of the archfiend Philani

• Aided by the archdevil Philani, the party traveled to the Ten Hells to kill the pit fiend Kalzivach in his domain, but he escaped with his fire giant servant Lieutenant Azha after the party refused his counter offer

117: Behind Feynemy Lines (Guest DM Kade, 11/24/2024)

• The party tracked several recently (off-screen) kidnapped TBEC members and rescued all but Ronin and Amaris from a coven of hags in the middle of transporting the captives through a portal to the feywild

118: The Setting Moon (Keller, 12/01/2024)

• The party traveled to the Moon Court in the Feywild to rescue TBEC members Ronin and Amaris -- recently captured by their mother, the court's ruler, Lady Celenica Luanach -- and succeeded in both rescuing the captives and deposing Lady Luanach despite the efforts of the archdevil Philani to assist her

119: Parlay (Dave S, 12/15/2024)

• After winning a fragile alliance with yuan-ti living in the Wyvern's Roost crater, the party met with kuo-toa to negotiate about exchanging the mysterious Brain in the Box for Gumptor Flynn's freedom, but the exchange was postponed because the party was not yet comfortable with the kuo-toa's claim that the Mind Flayer needed the Brain in the Box "to return home"

120: Quelmar Past, Present, and Yet to Be (Guest DM James, 12/19/2024)

• As Sparklemas approached in Ymbtrymman two months after Dorian Shroud's zombie plague, the party solved the mystery of three normally-helpful ghosts sowing discontent, proving that investor Jason Farley was influencing them to smear his kindly business partner, Elvis Elmer Scrooge

121: TBD (Dave P, 01/08/2025)

TBD

122: The Crystalline Assault (Guest DM Mercedes, 01/09/2025)

• After Troverthian forces retaliated against the Crystalline Conclave for aiding Jack of Hearts' rebellion, killing some conclave members and capturing others, the party helped the conclave rebuild, encountered a group of rebels called The Diamonds on the road to Troverth, and used stealth and magic to recover the prisoners.

123: Down in the Dirt (Keller, 01/11/2025)

First appearance of wire-filled creatures

• With the Aestorian Codex assembled and the Lost Hoard's location in the Wyvern's Roost crater identified, the party battled ankhegs in their hive within the crater, discovered creatures with metallic wires protruding from their bodies -- including a yuan-ti whose last words were "Praise be Aloysius Tempest" -- and found the phrase "the Writhing Dark" carved into a wall

124: Fleeing the Nest (Keller, 01/19/2025)

• Responding to recent wyvern attacks, the party encountered a wire-filled yuan-ti that repeated "Praise be Aloysius Tempest," and they negotiated safe passage from a lone wyvern by rescuing her family from similar yuan-ti (who were guided by a spectral succubus that said "Fear The Writhing Dark.")

125: TBD (Keller, 01/25/2025)

TBD