Player: Marc
Race/Class: Gnome Bard (clockmaker family, from Dim Forest)
Note: Currently holds Zala's spellbook.
Player: Sam
Race/Class: Halfling Circle of Spores Druid
Note: Excellent perception; discovered secret room trigger
Player: Allison
Race/Class: Child-sized Wild Magic Sorcerer
Note: Healed by Zala's scroll (7 HP); knows "Hralfrak" trigger word
Player: Christopher
Race/Class: Half-elf Ranger, 80 years old, from fallen civilization (10 years traveling)
Note: Currently pinning mimic with curtain rod
Third floor, Room 8C
The party negotiates with Zala. Key revelations:
Party acquires valuable resources and lore. Zala retires to meditate. Winston (ghost butler) escorts party downstairs.
First floor, Eastern Guest Room
Party attempts to settle into the guest room. The space manifests luxury and comfort—perfectly made beds, cozy atmosphere, and a shelf of top-shelf alcohol (the room manifests what occupants desire). Anar takes a bottle, discovering it's impossibly heavy and cannot leave the room with him (the room retains its manifestations). He attempts to carry it out (Strength check 17—not enough).
A chandelier suddenly drops. Jeremy, a Gibbering Mouther, appears: wild-eyed, congested, frothy, with spiky prehensile tentacles. Jeremy slaps the bottle, shattering it.
Anar claps for Winston, who materializes. Winston commands Jeremy to sit, then the door slams shut with tentacles holding it—Anar is trapped inside with Jeremy.
Party realizes the room manifests physical reality based on their thoughts. They collectively focus: "The dust is gone, it's not there." The pollen slowly fades, and Jeremy's eyes clear. Rule established: The guest room's manifestations respond to occupant thoughts and emotions.
Party escapes and closes the door. Winston explains that Jeremy is not intentionally aggressive—he is simply miserable with his allergy and has had it since he was a tadpole (which Winston raised). Jeremy is generally harmless when not suffering.
First floor, L-shaped portrait hallway
Party explores the hallway, examining sconces and paintings. Orimene speaks the word "Hralfrak"—a cellar door nearby shifts in response, confirming the word is a trigger for basement access. The party searches the hallway thoroughly; nothing is found on the walls or in the sconces.
Anar taps the wall near the dining room entrance and identifies a large hollow space behind it.
Party confirms the trigger word "Hralfrak" opens a door below them in the basement. They move to the dining room to investigate further.
First floor, Dining room
Orimene notices scratch arcs around a deer head plaque mounted on the dining room wall (Perception 14 from 10ft away). The plaque reveals itself as a Mimic—a creature with spiky prehensile tentacles, a wide-opening mouth revealing huge teeth, and mimicry capabilities.
Anar throws a net over the mimic. The mimic easily breaks free (net AC 10, 5 HP destroyed). Combat ensues.
Round 1: Penelope and Orimene hide behind dining room curtains. Anar rips down the iron curtain rod and jams it into the mimic's mouth. Using Acrobatics, he steers the mimic around the room like a ringette/hockey stick (Acrobatics 15—success). The curtain rod counts as an improvised weapon (d4 damage). Anar's attack: 3 damage − 1 (sick penalty from vomiting) = 2 damage.
Penelope (Insight 12) recalls the scratch arcs pattern and realizes the deer head plaque likely slides. She sneaks forward and pushes it with her staff. The mechanism activates, and a secret room opens in the wall.
Anar, continuing to steer the mimic with Acrobatics (14—success), accidentally skewers the mimic's tongue on both ends of the curtain rod, pinning it in place. Damage: 1 total from the skewer.
The party drives the mimic to the kitchen room entrance and forces it to stay there while pinned with the curtain rod. Everyone except Anar escapes into the secret room.
First floor, Secret room behind dining room plaque
The party discovers a secret room lined with bookshelves covering every wall—hundreds of books, none visible near the jars. The floor holds three ancient magic circles in a complex pattern, lit by a near-dead candelabra with flickering candles that glow like failing fluorescent bulbs. Notes scatter the floor in Deep Speech.
One wall section contains jars: a preserved head, a preserved hand, and four jars each containing a single tadpole-like creature swimming in rubbing-alcohol-smelling liquid. The room faintly smells of fermentation.
The three party members stand on glowing summoning circles as the candles flare. Anar remains at the doorway, curtain rod jammed through the mimic's mouth, holding it in place. Cliffhanger: What happens next? What are they summoning?
| Time | Character | Check/Roll | Result | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ~20:00 | Puck | Performance (identify music) | 24 | Identifies ritual/religious music from 2nd floor as ominous and ceremonial |
| ~20:00 | Anar | Strength (carry bottle out of room) | 17 | Fails; bottle too heavy to leave the room |
| ~22:00 | Anar | Wisdom save (Jeremy's presence) | 17 | Pass; not frozen by fear |
| ~22:00 | Puck | Wisdom save (Jeremy's presence) | 20 | Pass; not frozen by fear |
| ~22:00 | Orimene | Wisdom save (Jeremy's presence) | 3 | Fail; frozen stiff by fear |
| ~22:00 | Penelope | Wisdom save (Jeremy's presence) | 10 | Pass; not frozen by fear |
| ~22:30 | Party (combined) | Strength (break through door) | Puck 4, Penelope 5, Orimene 11 | Fail; all three fall through door together |
| ~22:45 | Anar | Animal Handling (calm Jeremy) | +5 mod | Success; Jeremy partially calms |
| ~22:50 | Orimene + Penelope (assist) | Medicine (diagnose Jeremy) | 17 | Success; identify severe magical allergic reaction |
| ~23:00 | Puck | Nature (identify pollen) | 18 (implied) | Success; identifies pollen as thought-manifestation by room |
| ~23:15 | Anar | Wisdom save (gibbering aura, DC 10) | 17 | Pass; resists confusion |
| ~23:15 | Puck | Wisdom save (gibbering aura, DC 10) | 20 | Pass; resists confusion |
| ~23:15 | Penelope | Wisdom save (gibbering aura, DC 10) | 10 | Pass (barely); resists confusion |
| ~23:15 | Orimene | Wisdom save (gibbering aura, DC 10) | 3 | Fail; 5 psychic damage, walks into wall confused |
| ~23:30 | Anar | Athletics (grab Orimene and escape) | 16 | Success; hauls both Orimene and himself to safety |
| ~1:28:00 | Orimene | Perception (deer head plaque) | 14 | Success (10ft away); notices scratch arcs around plaque |
| ~1:35:00 | Anar | Initiative (vs. Mimic) | 1 (natural 1 fumble) | Fail; vomits wine all over himself and mimic |
| ~1:35:00 | Penelope | Initiative (vs. Mimic) | 19 | Win initiative |
| ~1:35:00 | Mimic | Initiative | ~14 | Acts second |
| ~1:35:00 | Puck | Initiative | 12 | Acts third |
| ~1:35:00 | Orimene | Initiative | 4 | Acts fourth |
| ~1:40:00 | Anar | Acrobatics (steer mimic with curtain rod) | 15 | Success; maneuvers mimic effectively |
| ~1:42:00 | Penelope | Insight (recall scratch arcs pattern) | 12 | Success; realizes plaque is trigger mechanism |
| ~1:44:00 | Anar | Acrobatics (skewer mimic's tongue) | 14 | Success (with critical mishap); pins tongue on both rod ends (11 total damage) |
| ~2:05:00 | Orimene | Arcana (circle identification) | 12 | Partial success; identifies binding/summoning, notes multiple circles needed |
| ~2:05:00 | Penelope | Arcana (circle identification, reroll) | 13 | Success; same as Orimene, plus safety intuition |
| ~2:05:00 | Puck | Arcana (circle identification) | 18 | Best result; identifies full ritual pulling something in or pushing something out |
| NPC | Role | Location | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zala | Spider-cursed wizard, research partner | Third floor, Room 8C | Meditating (exhausted) | Wants Great Snake Map. Provided spellbook & lantern. Rules: don't cast spells while she meditates. |
| Winston | Ghost butler, mansion staff | Throughout mansion | Active | Appears when clapped for. Raised Jeremy from tadpole. Slightly superior in tone. |
| Jeremy | Gibbering Mouther, Zala's pet | First floor, Eastern guest room (normal) | Suffering from pollen allergy | Not intentionally evil; genuinely distressed. Lives in guest room. Gibbering aura DC 10. Can be calmed with empathy. |
| Marcos Delphi | Researcher, primary mission target | Unknown (believed in mansion) | Condition: hemophiliac without Codex | Has magical blood. Stole Zala's work. Needs the Codex to survive. Mission: retrieve or rescue him. |
| Old Crow | Eldritch entity/presence | Throughout mansion (planar) | Active | CRITICAL: Never speak its true name again. Name summons shadow creatures and creates rifts. Only call it "Old Crow." |
| Four Purple-Cloaked Cultists | Unknown operatives (Session 1) | Basement (presumed) | Unresolved encounter | Encountered in Session 1. Status unknown. Likely still in basement. |
| Item | Holder | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zala's Spellbook (loaned) | Puck | In use | 9 spells, each usable once before Zala must reattune. Spells: Arcane Lock, Detect Magic, Detect Thoughts, Knock, Mage Armor, Magic Missile, Phantasmal Force, Shield, Suggestion. |
| Hooded Lantern | Party (unknown who carries) | In use | Gift from Zala. Permanent protected flame. Requires oil for fuel. |
| Black Protective Dust | All party members | Active (~1 hour) | Applied by Zala. Grants +1 AC for ~1 hour from application time (~20:00). |
| Anar's Net | Anar | Destroyed | Destroyed by Mimic when it broke free. Net AC 10, 5 HP. |
| Top-shelf alcohol (bottle) | Guest room (manifestation) | Destroyed | Manifested by guest room. Mimic destroyed it. Cannot be removed from room. |
| Iron Curtain Rod | Anar (makeshift weapon) | In use | Ripped from guest room. Used as improvised weapon (d4 damage). Currently pinning Mimic's tongue. |
UNRESOLVED — Three magic circles are now fully activated with brilliant light. What happens next? Are Penelope, Puck, and Orimene summoning something in or pushing something out? What's the ritual's true purpose?
UNRESOLVED — Puck identified ceremonial, religious music coming from the 2nd floor around 20:00, growing louder and more ominous. Party has not yet investigated its source. Connection to Zala's ritual work?
PRIMARY MISSION — Marcos is bleeding out without the Codex. His magical blood keeps him alive, but the Codex is essential to his survival. Location unknown. Zala confirms he stole her research.
UNRESOLVED — Zala needs this map from the basement to break her spider curse. Party has not yet retrieved it. Location: basement (exact room unknown).
DANGER — The entity's true name must NEVER be spoken again. Speaking it summons shadow creatures and creates rifts. Only refer to it as "Old Crow." Zala has been nullifying its effects via ritual. Exhaustion may make her vulnerable.
FORBIDDEN — Westernmost room on first floor contains potions in a curio closet. Room creates an eldritch rift if the door is opened. Off-limits until party understands more.
CONTAINED — Mimic is pinned with curtain rod through its tongue at secret room doorway. Party has escaped into secret room. Mimic remains trapped but not defeated. Will it escape?
INVESTIGATION NEEDED — Secret room contains notes in Deep Speech and jars with: a preserved head, a preserved hand, and four tadpole-like creatures in rubbing-alcohol liquid. Origin and purpose unknown. Connection to Marcos? To the entity?
UNRESOLVED — Encountered in Session 1, presumed still in basement. Allegiance unknown. Connection to Old Crow? To the summoning circles?
Rule: Ritual magic is completely immune to wild surges. Only instantaneous magic triggers wild magic surges. Zala has been using ritual magic to suppress surges in this location; without her, many more would occur. Her exhaustion means surges may return to normal frequency.
Rule: The eastern guest room on the first floor manifests physical reality based on occupant thoughts and desires. What occupants think about, the room creates. Important: items manifested by the room cannot be removed from it—they resist being taken out and must be left behind. The room also responds to collective focus (e.g., thinking the pollen away).
Established: "Hrolfrak" is a trigger word that opens doors to the basement level. Orimene knows this word. Other trigger words may exist.
CRITICAL RULE: The entity's true name can never be spoken aloud again. Speaking its real name summons shadow creatures and creates eldritch rifts. Players must only refer to the entity as "Old Crow." This rule has no exceptions.
Established: Gibbering Mouthers are not inherently evil creatures. Jeremy is a confused, suffering pet with a severe magical allergy. He can be calmed with empathy and gentle handling. His gibbering aura (DC 10 Wisdom save) causes confusion and psychic damage (5d) to those who fail.
Established: Three magic circles form a single summoning ritual. The ritual's purpose is ambiguous: it could pull something in from another plane or push something out. Stepping on each circle in sequence activates the ritual. Brilliance and candle height increase with each activation. The ritual requires all three circles to activate fully.
Established: Mimics in this location mimic mundane objects (deer head plaques) and only reveal themselves when threatened or when the object is attacked. They have prehensile tentacles and high Strength. They can be restrained or pinned with improvised weapons. The mimic in the dining room can be kept pinned with the curtain rod.