Skip to content

Ashes Session 13

Dates

  • Real World: 2026-08-05
  • In-Game: Eighth-Ninth Day, 18th-19th Firemoot, 1137 AoD

Player Characters

Experience

  • Venathrax, 2077 + 257 = 2334
  • Anchor, 2434 + 257 = 2691
  • Kanaeda, 2434 + 257 = 2691
  • Corq, 2437 + 257 = 2694
  • Pethi, 2434 + 257 = 2691
  • Wrenn, 2434 + 257 = 2691
  • Xam, 2677 + 257 = 2934

Level 4: 2,700 XP

Session Notes

The Poltergeists

Eighth Day, 18th Firemoot, 1137 AoD
The battle in the strange chamber continued.

The party was still being attacked by unseen forces that hurled rocks, shoved them into walls, and vanished before they could be struck. The creatures were poltergeists, invisible undead presences that turned the room itself into a weapon.

Venathrax's new eye immediately proved its worth. With his truesight, he was able to see through the poltergeists' invisibility and direct his attacks toward them. Xam had a much harder time, forced to move blindly through the chamber and swing his sword through incorporeal beings he could not see.

Anchor tried to provoke the invisible creatures into revealing their positions. Corq struck one with Ray of Frost. Pethi attuned herself to acid and drove one of the spirits back with her fists. Vash landed a devastating shot and destroyed one of them outright.

The remaining poltergeists continued to strike from hiding, throwing stones and slamming party members into the cave walls. One tried to push Vash into the rocky wall, while another attacked Venathrax after slipping away from the others. The party responded by readying spells and attacks, waiting for any sign of movement.

Eventually, Venathrax and Corq managed to catch one of the creatures in the open, and Venathrax destroyed the last of them.

With the chamber finally quiet, the party found a defensible corner of the cave and settled in for a long rest.

Rest in the Caves

The long rest was successful, but the darkness beneath the sad tree was beginning to weigh on the group.

When the party woke, Wrenn was overcome with sadness and hopelessness. Pethi also seemed diminished, less cheerful and more burdened than usual. Whatever power filled these ruins was not merely physical. It was pressing against their spirits.

Wisps of light had also begun appearing more often in the tunnels.

Despite the growing unease, the party pressed onward.

The Fissure

Ninth Day, 19th Firemoot, 1137 AoD
After about half an hour of travel, the party reached a large chasm that split the path ahead.

Anchor spent roughly ten minutes securing a grappling hook on the far side, giving the party a way to cross safely. One by one, they began making their way across.

Corq gave everyone a scare almost immediately.

He slipped and fell, swinging dangerously fast toward the wall of the fissure. At the last moment, he cast Levitate on himself and stopped his fall, becoming what the party described as "balloon boy."

With the danger passed, the group continued deeper into the cave.

The Ruins Below

After several more hours of travel, the natural cave gave way to something else.

Ruins.

The party found signs of an old civilization buried beneath the swamp. The tunnels were no longer merely stone and mud. There were statues, fountains, doors, and chambers shaped by deliberate hands.

The hopelessness grew stronger here. Wrenn and Pethi felt it most clearly, but the entire place seemed saturated with despair.

The party also felt the weight of a new flaw pressing against them:

"I don't believe I can make a difference to anyone or anything."

Within the ruins, they encountered a small glowing construct.

It asked:

"Have you come to see the Lady?"

The construct identified itself as 258 Stillwaters and explained that it maintained the fountain. It instructed the party to wash away the ash before proceeding onward.

From beyond the northern doors, muttering in an unknown language could be heard.

Corq cast Comprehend Languages through his staff, allowing him to understand the words being spoken.

The Silent Vigil

The party moved deeper into the ruined complex and encountered another lantern archon performing its duties.

It fussed with unlit braziers and spoke as though an ancient ritual were still underway.

"Quiet. The dawn is being prepared."
"Do not pass shadows across the altar."

The archon recited a prayer, and Corq repeated its meaning to the others.

Among the phrases he understood were:

"Alone, none endure."
"Together, the world may be unmade."
"The Lady is eternal."

The archons seemed to believe they were still maintaining a sacred place. Their duties continued, even though the temple around them was ancient, ruined, and buried deep beneath the Dreadmist.

Leave Your Blades and Despair

At the final door, the party was instructed to leave their blades and despair behind before entering.

Everyone complied except Xam, who refused to surrender his weapon and chose to remain outside.

The others entered.

The Lady

The chamber beyond was filled with light, but at its center hung a large sphere of magical darkness.

Venathrax, looking through his new eye, could see what lay within.

There were two figures in the darkness.

One was seated. Angelic. Crowned. Her head had been crushed.

The other stood nearby, holding a mace.

To the northeast, a shimmering translucent barrier held another archon prisoner. The light in the room came from that trapped construct.

The imprisoned archon identified itself as 317 Unbroken Dawn.

Unlike the others, it still remembered the truth.

The Lady was dead.

The Lady was the Goddess of Hope.

She had been killed by the titan Magmokar.

The standing guardian within the darkness was the deva Illrain.

According to 317 Unbroken Dawn, the deva and the other archons had lost themselves to grief and denial. They had convinced themselves that all was well, that the Lady was eternal, and that their vigil continued as it always had.

Because 317 Unbroken Dawn still remembered the truth, it had been imprisoned behind the barrier.

The darkness in the center of the room was emanating from the goddess's remains.

Venathrax felt something in the chamber searching for someone. It touched on him, but not because of him. It sensed his patron, then recoiled in disappointment when it realized he was not the one it sought.

Then a loud cracking sound came from within the darkness.

The deva moved.

Illrain turned toward the party.

And battle began.

NPCs Interacted With

  • 258 Stillwaters
  • 317 Unbroken Dawn
  • Deva Illrain

Note Taker's Recap

We resume our battle with unseen assailants who throw rocks and shove us hard into the walls. Venathrax makes good use of his new eye and is able to see through their invisibility, whereas Xam stumbles blindly, swinging his sword through incorporeal beings. Eventually, the foes are cleared, and the party finds a safe corner of the cave to take a long rest in.

Wrenn awakes sadden and full of hopelessness, and Pethi seems to be less than his cheerful self, but they move forward reluctantly. We come to a fissure in the ground, separating the path. Anchor takes some time to secure a grappling hook to the other side, allowing us all to pass safely. Corq gave us a scare as he immediately fell swinging dangerously fast towards the fissure wall, only to cast levitate at the last moment.

Continuing through the tunnel, the party is overwhelmed with hopelessness as they find signs of an old civilization. No longer natural caves but statues and fountains, occupied by small flying constructs. “Have you come to see the Lady?” The construct instructs us to wash away the dirt and proceed to the next rooms. We encounter a couple more constructs performing their duties for the Lady. When we approach the final door, we are asked to leave our blades and despair at the door before we enter. Everyone complies except Xam, who stays behind as the others enter.

The room is lit, but a large sphere of magical darkness encompasses the center of the room. The light comes from the construct, 317unbrokenDawn, who is imprisoned behind a magical translucent barrier. Within the darkness sits the Lady, the Goddess of Hope, killed by the Titan Magmokar. Protecting her body stands the Deva Illrain. The long years of grief have driven the Deva and her constructs into a state of disbelief, emitting hopelessness as they have convinced themselves all is right. All except 327unbrokenDawn, who remembers the truth and has been locked behind the barrier by the Deva.

Notes

  • 2026-08-05
  • Eighth Day, 18th Firemoot 1137 AoD, 21:37

NPCs Interacted With

  • Poltergeist

In combat,

Round 3

  • Anchor begins to move to get the invisible creature to react to find his location.
  • Corq ray of frost (hit)
  • Pethi attunes to acid and punches (hit) and pushes its back
  • VAsh crit and killed one
  • Xam moves up and heads east readying an attack
  • Venathrax true sight allow him to see invis. miss/luck reroll/hit (not resistance to force)
  • floating item failed to push Vash and throws a rock at him. (miss) then vanishes
  • floating item successfully pushes vash up against the rocky wall (9pts), then throws a rock at anchor (miss)
  • Wrenn

Round 4

  • Anchor runs north towards one
  • Corq readies dodge
  • Pethi protects corq
  • VAsh readies ranged
  • Xam tries to run into one
  • Venathrax hit
  • floating item runs away and vash takes a shot at him (miss) then attacks venathrax
  • floating item it moves away from anchor taking damage and dying.
  • Wrenn moves holds stary wisp

Round 5

  • Anchor holds toll the dead
  • Corq holds ray of frost
  • Pethi moves and swings wildly, holds patient defense
  • Vash readies crossbow
  • Xam swigns his sword lookin for it
  • Venathrax holds eldritch blast, missing, but corq fires in the ara hitting it.
  • floating item moves
  • Wrenn moves holds stary wisp

Round 6

  • Anchor holds attack
  • Corq detect magic
  • Pethi ready
  • Vash moves and ready
  • Xam moves around swinging
  • Venathrax moves and kills it.
  • This was in the 3rd cave in the area, with no rats are spiders.
  • wisps of light are happing more and more.
  • Long Rest (success)

Ninth Day, 19th Firemoot 1137 AoD, 06:01

NPCs Interacted With

  • Archon 258 Stillwaters
  • Archon 317 unbrokenDawn
  • Deva Illrain
  • Wrenn received a message and begins to sob.
  • 30mins in and a large chasm is cracked into the ground
  • Wrenn wants to stay and give up as well as pethi
  • Anchor throws a grappling hook for bout 10 mins
  • we begin to all cross, but corq immediately falls and begins swinging towards the wall hard, he levitates and becomes balloon boy.
  • we continue a couple more hours down into the cave and we stop at a mysterious ruins.
  • wrenn and pethi feel over whelming hopelessness in this room
  • we all have disadvantage on initiative

Flaw "I don't believe I can make a difference to anyone or anything."

  • Have you come to see the lady?
  • Wash away the ash and you
  • Lantern Archon 258 Stillwaters, i maintain the fountain.
  • muttering of a unknown language comes form the north doors.
  • we enter and move towards the hall and next room
  • "Quiet the dawn is being prepared" another Lantern Archon says, be messes with braziers but they are not lit
  • "do not pass shadows across the alter."
  • Corq casts comprehended languages through is staff.
  • A pretty prayer is recited that corq repeats to us
  • "alone none endure, to get the world my be unmade"
  • The lady is enteral
  • No blades or despair
  • lots of light but in the center of the room is a sphere of darkness, that venathrax can see 2 statues within.
  • charisma save venathrax, something is looking for someone and not him. they sensed his patron not him and now they are disappointed.
  • north east a shimmering barrier, behind it s another Archon emitting the light.
  • seated figure angelic, then a standing one, both Valkye, the seated one has a crown and its head crushed, the standing one holds a mace. statues are aged and worn.
  • Archons trapped me because i still have my mind, the Deva had died, and the archons lost their mind.
  • proper of authority were the gods.
  • darkness is emitting from her remains.
  • 317 UnbrokenDawn.
  • The lady was killed by the Titan Magmokar
  • Deva is illrain
  • The lady is the goddess of hope
  • A Loud cracking sounds comes from the darkness, the Deva has moved and looks in our direction.
  • initiative

Referenced by