This session played July 2, 2025.
Overland C6 Swamp (RISKY) - Day 8 AM - Partly cloudy
Party awakens no worse for wear. Denton is in good shape and thanks Brolga for the assist. Don’t think that frog was intense enough to check Gartak’s loyalty. Time to head out. But which way?
Ryarn suggests retracing our steps through the mountains and trying a different path.
Daeniel notes we could also circumnavigate the mountain range to the north.
? Solodark oracle: Which way does Denton think we should go?
1d20 [low = side with Ryarn; high = side with Daeniel]: 10 → Denton sides with Ryarn.
? Solodark oracle: Brolga?
1d20: 13 → Brolga sides with Daeniel.
Ryarn DC 12 INT to determine if she can definitively find a better path forward.
1d20: 19 → Yes, with extreme confidence.
Daeniel DC 15 WIS (partly cloudy; bad vantage point) to check if he can see from here that the mountains give way to the north.
1d20: 12 → No, he admits he can’t say for sure that there’s a surer way through the mountains.
Daeniel and Brolga both defer to Ryarn.
Ryarn DC 12 CHA to rally the troops.
1d20: 13 → Success! Everyone’s on board.
Party moves back into D7 Mountains.
Overland D7 Mountains (DEADLY) - Day 8 AM - Partly cloudy
4x RE checks 1d6:
2 → Clear!
4 → Clear!
3 → Clear!
1 → Hit!
Shadowdark Mountains encounters:
1d100: 37 → A volcanic eruption rains down ash, hot gas, and lava flow.
The horses rear and buck at the tremendous noise of the eruption.
Party DC 12 STR checks to keep control of the horses.
Ryarn 1d20: 6 → Fail!
Denton 1d20: 18 → Success!
Daeniel 1d20: 4 - 2 = 2 → Fail!
Brolga 1d20: 17 + 1 = 18 → Success!
Gartak 1d20: 16 + 1 = 17 → Success!
Ryarn and Daeniel are thrown from their mounts.
Ryarn & Daeniel DC 9 CON against injury.
Ryarn 1d20: 5 → Fail!
Daeniel 1d20: 12 + 2 = 14 → Success!
Ryarn takes 1 DMG.
Brolga and Gartak DC 12 DEX as they each attempt to recapture a horse before they run off.
Brolga 1d20: 16 - 3 = 13 → Success!
Gartak 1d20: 3 → Fail!
Brolga secures one horse. The other is too frightened and gallops off.
Shadowdark random encounter generator: how far are we from the lava flow?
1d6: 1 → Close!
It’s as though the earth just shattered beneath us like a clay pot. We gather our wits and look for a way to escape.
? Solodark oracle: Is the way we came clear?
1d20: 5 → No, and lava is actively approaching from that direction.
? Solodark oracle: What about the path ahead?
1d20: 9 → No, and there’s more lava spurting out from a deep fissure there.
? Solodark oracle: Is there a third path, or at least passable terrain off the trail?
1d20: 16 → Yes!
We see a rocky descent, not a trail per se, but clear of lava. This is the direction Daeniel’s horse took when it bolted. We choose that way.
Party DC 12 CON checks to try and keep our breath through all this heat and ash.
Ryarn 1d20: 6 + 2 = 8 → Fail!
Denton 1d20: 14 - 1 = 13 → Success!
Daeniel 1d20: 9 + 2 = 11 → Fail!
Brolga 1d20: Critical fail!
Gartak 1d20: 8 + 1 = 9 → Fail!
Ryarn, Daeniel, and Gartak each take 1 DMG. Brolga takes 2 DMG.
Party helps each other and the horses down the rocky slope as best we can.
? Solodark oracle: Are we clear of the eruption?
1d20: 1 → No, and in fact, as we reach level ground, more hot fissures burst open around us, and debris is thrown from the first eruptions at the top of the slope behind us.
DC 12 STR to control the horses!
Denton 1d20: 6 → Fail!
Daeniel 1d20: 4 - 2 = 2 → Fail!
Brolga 1d20: 10 + 1 = 11 → Fail!
Brolga luck token 1d20: 9 + 1 = 10 → Fail!
Gartak 1d20: 15 + 1 = 16 → Success!
Denton, Daeniel, and Brolga all thrown from their horses.
DC 9 CON against injury.
Denton 1d20: 16 - 1 = 15 → Success!
Daeniel 1d20: 14 + 2 = 16 → Success!
Brolga 1d20: 2 → Fail!
Brolga takes 1 DMG.
? Solodark oracle: Does Gartak attempt to catch any of the horses? Unlikely (disadvantage)
1d20 (d): 17, 13 → Yes, but he is immediately whacked by falling debris and thrown from his own horse.
All the horses are gone. :(
Party DC 9 DEX checks to avoid the falling debris.
Ryarn 1d20: 10 → Success!
Denton 1d20: 15 - 2 = 13 → Success!
Daeniel 1d20: 11 → Success!
Brolga 1d20: 17 - 3 = 14 → Success!
Gartak 1d20: 19 → Success!
DC 12 CON checks for breath.
Ryarn 1d20: 15 + 2 = 17 → Success!
Denton 1d20: 19 - 1 = 18 → Success!
Daeniel 1d20: 19 + 2 = 21 → Success!
Brolga 1d20: 10 → Fail!
Gartak 1d20: 2 + 1 = 3 → Fail!
Brolga and Gartak each take 1 DMG.
We move towards the clearest area nearby.
? Solodark oracle: Are we clear now?
1d20: 10 → Twist!
Solodark prompts 2d100: 25, 33 → CONSUME INTEGRITY
Ryarn notices, as they find themselves at the edge of the ash cloud, that the wind seems to be gathering at a single point on the ground nearby. Ash is flowing inwards as heat is pumping out. It’s like a tornado, but more focused, and definitely emanating from amongst the stones and rubble.
Ryarn: Denton, Daeniel, do you see that? What could it be—is that the source of all this?
Denton: Not now—you’re hurt!
Denton casts Cure Wounds on Ryarn; DC 11 WIS.
1d20: 4 + 3 = 7 → Fail!
Daeniel: I’ll check it out.
Daeniel moves carefully towards the point on the ground. Oddly, outside of its funnel, the heat is not too intense and the air is clearer. Daeniel reaches the spot and moves some small rocks, revealing an intricately carved amulet—dragonstone.
Daeniel: It’s dragonstone, I’m sure of it! What—what do we do?
Brolga: Destroy it!
Brolga attacks the amulet. With all her strength she brings her greataxe down on the dragonstone.
? Solodark oracle: Does it break? Likely (advantage).
1d20 (a): 12, 19 → Yes, but!
In a flurry of sparks, the amulet shatters, and all at once air seems to rush in to fill a void that wasn’t there a moment ago. All of a sudden, there’s an instant of silence, before a massive pulse of energy bursts from the broken amulet.
Party DC 15 CON check to see if the energy burst harmed us.
Ryarn 1d20: 18 + 2 = 20 → Success!
Denton 1d20: 12 - 1 = 11 → Fail!
Daeniel 1d20: 7 + 2 = 9 → Fail!
Brolga 1d20: 7 → Fail!
Gartak 1d20: 12 + 1 = 13 → Fail!
Ryarn is already more or less prone; she’s rolled back but otherwise unharmed. Everyone else is blown back by the blast and takes 1 DMG apiece.
Brolga gets the worst of it and is down!
1d4: 1 + 0 = 1 round til death.
Gartak recovers and runs over. He attempts to stabilize Brolga (DC 15 INT).
1d20: 16 → Success!
Gartak casts Healing Touch on Brolga; DC 11 WIS.
1d20: 18 + 2 = 20 → Success!
Brolga is healed for 2d4: 3 HP.
Slowly things quiet down, the last of the ash dissipating on the lost and anxious wind.
Ryarn: So that was dragonstone?
Daeniel: No doubt about it.
Denton: The Archdruid said the Oath uses dragonstone as part of their rituals. Could it have belonged to Matteo?
Ryarn: Like some kind of protection talisman?
Brolga: Or a container. A whole lot of bad came out of it when I hit it.
Ryarn: Is any of it intact?
Daeniel: …No, it’s in pieces. Still pretty striking to the eye though. Might be worth something, especially now that it’s not full of world-ending entropic energy.
Daeniel collects the pieces (1d10: 8 / 2 = 4x pieces). Worth 10gp each.
Amulet pieces are worth 40gp together, -7gp to Gartak.
Treasure find bonus +20gp.
? Solodark oracle: is this Normal or Fabulous treasure?
1d20: 5 → Normal.
+1 XP all around.
Daeniel: Let’s get the hell out of here.
Leaving the hex, the way back (C6) and the original path (to E8) are clear to see from the eruption.
Brolga DC 9 INT to navigate the other directions.
1d20: 3 + 2 = 5 → Fail; can’t find the trail due to fresh debris.
Could end up in D5, E6, D9 (King’s Gate), or C8. We’ll say it’s twice as likely that we end up in an unexplored hex than accidentally doubling back into familiar territory.
1d6 [1 = D9, 2 = C8, 3-4 = D5, 5-6 = E6]: 6 → E6.
Overland E6 Swamp (SAFE) - Day 8 PM - Partly cloudy
We finally pass out of the foothills and are almost grateful to see the muddy fields of cattails and stinging insects before us. There is no sign of the horses; it’s all on foot from here. We met the river at the base of the mountains where it drained into these wetlands, and can start to smell salt on the air. The walk is easy. Feels like a deep breath.
At the end of the day, we reach an area where sandbars begin to take the place of cattails; the gnarled trees thin out, and we can hear sea birds in the distance. We make camp at the edge of the wooded estuary.
Time to forage: DC 9 INT.
Ryarn 1d20: 8 + 2 = 10 → Success!
Denton 1d20: 7 + 1 = 8 → Fail!
Daeniel 1d20: 19 → Success!
Brolga 1d20: 19 + 2 = 21 → Success!
Everyone catches fish except Denton; Ryarn shares a ration.
Safe hex; no encounters. Goodnight.