Shadowdark Session Recap: 06/07/2025 – Eugene

Summary

The adventure began in the city of Khardruz, where a motley group of adventurers gathered around the dubious goblin sorceress Gibber Bones Louch. The party consisted of Khemsa, a Jafar-like wizard who had recently been hanged and buried but somehow survived; Irvane Gervain, a charismatic but dim-witted orc fighter; Ragnar, a local dwarven priest; Clay Earthson, a dwarven smith seeking to forge an artifact; Karl, an old and grizzled human thief; and Mumum, a young, spindly human thief with an expressive face. Gibber Bones tasked them with traveling to the southern village of Oak Ridge to find something mysterious that her crystal ball had detected, promising wealth from a barrow mound if they completed this task first.

The party set out on foot toward Oak Ridge, having no money for proper transportation. Along the road, they encountered a wagon train of goblin refugees fleeing north from Oak Ridge, their carts filled with unnaturally large produce – tomatoes the size of soccer balls, cucumbers like logs, and a pumpkin the size of a prize winner. The goblins spoke fearfully of giant insects attacking their village, describing a wasp the size of a pony with a monstrous goblin rider that had yellow skin, mandibles, and bug eyes. As the party continued south, they noticed the flora becoming increasingly large and vibrant, with housecat-sized ants and bees moving through the underbrush.

Upon reaching Oak Ridge, the party found a village preparing for siege. The scarred woman leader, Kaya, showed them the corpse of a wasp-goblin hybrid and explained that an army of these creatures was marching toward the village. Khemsa cast detect magic and discovered that both the dead creature and the giant produce in the market square radiated magical auras. With only an hour or two before the attack, the party quickly prepared defenses – Clay reinforced doors, Ragnar set up a field hospital, Mumum and Khemsa prepared a smoke screen, and Coral attempted to set rope traps.

The goblin assault came from the south as wasp-riding creatures attacked the village. The battle was fierce and chaotic, with buildings catching fire and the party fighting desperately to defend the villagers. Karl fell from the temple bell tower early in the fight, requiring immediate medical attention. Giant wasps swooped down while goblin foot soldiers set buildings ablaze. In a dramatic moment, Khemsa emerged from the temple and cast a fireball that immolated part of the market square, hitting both the wasps and his own ally Irvane. The battle culminated with Irvane being poisoned by wasp stings and nearly dying before Ragnar’s healing magic saved her life.

After the attack, half the village lay in ruins, but the threat had been repelled. Kaya revealed that the source of the corruption likely came from an alchemist named Vash McCready who lived upriver. She offered to join the party but also presented them with a healing potion and the village’s collected treasure. The party decided to investigate the mill, traveling east through increasingly corrupted lands where plants fought aggressively for sunlight and insects had grown to enormous sizes.

Along their journey, the party encountered a naiad in distress – a water spirit with azure blue skin and green hair who was being poisoned by pollution from the upstream mill. Ragnar successfully healed her, and she kissed Mumum on the cheek, granting him permanent swimming abilities and her blessing. She explained that Vash the alchemist used to visit her but hadn’t been seen in months, and something had gone terribly wrong at his mill.

The party continued through swampy terrain filled with purple haze until they discovered a hastily constructed goblin village. Rather than engage the settlement directly, Khemsa used alter self magic to disguise himself as a fat goblin with bug eyes and antennae. He successfully infiltrated two goblin guards who were torturing a rabbit, convincing them to follow him back to the party, where they were captured and interrogated. The goblins revealed they had been to “the mill” and drunk something called “ichor” while worshiping “the great beast.”

Following the goblins’ directions, the party found the stone mill along the riverbank. The building was covered in diabolic symbols, bone trinkets, and fetishes, with purplish water flowing from its wheel. As two party members attempted to scout the location stealthily, one stepped on a large branch, awakening a massive froghemoth – a 20-foot-tall mutant frog with three eyes, tentacles, and blood-red eyes filled with fury.

The battle with the froghemoth was epic and terrifying. Mumum managed to blind the creature by shooting it in the eye, while other party members peppered it with arrows and melee attacks. The froghemoth grappled Irvane with its tentacles and eventually swallowed her whole, carrying her off in its belly as it tried to flee. Meanwhile, Clay had climbed into the mill and discovered a magical circle of diabolic runes with strange alchemical machinery pumping violet liquid into the river.

In a moment of desperate heroism, Clay threw himself into the machinery to destroy it, causing a massive explosion that killed the froghemoth and destroyed the mill. Mumum quickly cut open the dead creature to rescue the unconscious Irvane, who had suffered severe CON damage from the creature’s digestive acids. Ragnar’s healing magic once again saved her life, bringing her back from the brink of death.

In the ruins of the mill, Khemsa secretly discovered and pocketed a partially destroyed journal written in diabolic script. The journal contained maps of the hells, portal schematics, and notes about infusing demonic essences into physical forms, revealing that the alchemist had been a diabolist whose experiments had gone catastrophically wrong. When goblins arrived to mourn their dead “god,” Khemsa intimidated them into fleeing in terror.

On their return journey, the party stopped at the naiad’s pool, where the water had become clear and clean again. Mumum presented an old magical arrow with blue fletching to the naiad, who asked him to destroy it. When he snapped the arrow, she rewarded him with an agate of water breathing and gave him her blessing before disappearing into the water.

Back in Oak Ridge, the party was celebrated as heroes who had stopped the magical corruption. Kaya presented them with a large satchel containing 200 silver and 300 gold pieces collected from all the farmers in the area. The villagers held a grand feast featuring frog legs from the defeated froghemoth and their giant magical produce. During the celebration, Khemsa secretly read the diabolic journal, learning the full extent of the alchemist’s dark experiments.

The party returned to Gibber Bones Louch with the journal, and she provided them with “something delightful” as promised – a potion of speed containing a pickled fairy that would allow the drinker to move incredible distances for five rounds. Several party members leveled up from their experiences, gaining new abilities and increased power. The adventure concluded with the corruption cleansed, the village saved, and the party significantly wealthier and more experienced than when they began their journey.

Scenes

Character Introductions and Setup

Players introduce their characters and get settled for the game session.

Khemsa introduces himself as a Jafar-like wizard who was previously hanged and buried
Irvane Gervain introduces herself as an orc fighter
Gil arrives and joins the session
Players discuss character sheets and game mechanics
Group enjoys mystery flavored sodas and snacks
Discussion about Shadowdark rules being more story-driven than D&D 3rd edition
Khemsa (level 4 human wizard) is introduced as the party leader
Irvane Gervain (level 3 orc fighter) is introduced as ridiculously stupid but charismatic
Ragnar (level 4 priest) is introduced as a local priest
Clay Earthson (dwarfish fighter and smith) is introduced, seeking to forge an artifact
Karl (human thief, old and grizzled) is introduced
Mumum (level 1 human thief, young archer) is introduced
Gibber Bones Louch gives the party their mission to find something in Oak Ridge village
She promises wealth from a barrow mound if they complete the task first
Ragnar casts bless spell, giving luck tokens to some party members
Karl successfully pickpockets 19 gold coins from townspeople using a distraction about ‘creamy beaver sauce’

Journey to Oak Ridge

The party travels south toward Oak Ridge village and encounters evacuating goblins.

The party decides to travel on foot since they have no money for transportation
They encounter a wagon train of goblin refugees heading north
The goblins are evacuating Oak Ridge due to troubles with giant insects
Goblin children are crying and distressed in the wagons
The goblins describe finding a giant wasp the size of a pony with a goblin rider
The rider had yellow, black skin, mandibles, and bug eyes – described as a monster
The goblins mention their produce has been growing unusually large for the past two years
They report that bugs and vermin are growing huge, but other wildlife remains normal sized
The goblins continue north while the party heads toward Oak Ridge
Party observes increasingly large and vibrant flora as they approach Oak Ridge
They spot house cat-sized ants, bees, and dragonflies that could carry off small people

Arrival at Oak Ridge

The party reaches the besieged village of Oak Ridge and meets with the local leader about defending against goblin attacks.

Village gates are open with defensive preparations underway
Market square is filled with gigantic vegetables and fruits
Scarred woman leader shows party a dead wasp-goblin hybrid with arrow wounds
Khemsa casts detect magic and discovers both the goblin body and giant produce radiate magic
Village leader explains goblins are marching toward Oak Ridge and requests help defending the town
Party learns they have an hour or two to prepare before the goblin assault arrives

Preparing for the Goblin Attack

The party prepares Oak Ridge village for an incoming goblin assault by setting up defenses and fortifications.

Party debates whether to intercept goblins, defend the town, or do an end run around the attack
Decision made to stay in town and defend it with fortifications
Players begin setting up miniatures and arranging village map for battle
Each character gets one action to prepare defenses before the attack
Clay attempts to reinforce doors as a smith but has limited success
Ragnar sets up a field hospital and trains villagers in basic medical care
Mumum prepares a smoke screen using hay and combustible materials
Khemsa assists with the smoke screen preparation
Karl attempts to set up rope traps to reduce enemy numbers
Irvane fails to rally villagers to fight due to mistrust of orcs
The party positions themselves around the temple, the most fortified building
Kaya (village leader) joins the defense efforts

Goblin Attack on Oak Ridge

The party defends the village of Oak Ridge from an assault by wasp-goblin creatures.

Goblin foot soldiers approach from the south
The party rolls for initiative to begin combat
Mumum takes a position on elevated ground and shoots a goblin with his shortbow for 4 damage
Karl attempts to climb the temple bell tower but falls, taking 6 damage and becoming unconscious
Irvane uses the group’s field medic ability to heal Coral back to consciousness
The smoke screen activates, giving aerial enemies disadvantage on ranged attacks
Buildings in the village begin to catch fire from goblin attacks
Goblins attack the village, setting buildings on fire
Mumum shoots and kills a goblin with his bow
Mumum is shot by a goblin arrow and goes down
Ragnar heals Mumum with a cure wounds spell
Clay shoots goblins with his crossbow from cover
Irvane charges into melee combat with her axe
Giant wasps arrive and attack Irvane
A goblin leader screams orders about protecting the hive and mentions ‘Tef Nut’
Ragnar fires his crossbow but misses the wasps
Clay shoots at goblins committing arson
Coral accidentally shoots an arrow that bounces off Ragnar’s back
Irvane attacks a wasp with his great axe, wounding it severely
Khemsa emerges from the temple and casts fireball on the wasps and Irvane
The fireball deals 8 damage to both the wasps and Irvane
One wasp and its rider are killed, but another wasp and rider survive
The market square catches fire from the fireball
Irvane is poisoned by a wasp sting and collapses
Irvane is stabbed repeatedly and loses CON
Ragnar heals Irvane with magic, saving her life
The remaining goblins are defeated
Half the village burns down during the battle

Temple Defense

The party defends inside and around a temple while goblins attack the village.

Khemsa intimidates villagers inside the temple while Kaya threatens him with her sword
Ragnar knocks on the temple door, asking Khemsa to come help with fireball
Mumum performs a table dance to get a clear shot at goblins
Mumum shoots and kills a goblin with his bow

Aftermath and Recovery in Oak Ridge

The party recovers in Oak Ridge after the goblin attack, receiving healing and information about the source of the corruption.

The villagers put out the fires with the party’s help
Kaya asks the party to find the source of the goblin attacks
She offers to join the party as a companion
Kaya mentions an alchemist named Vash who lives upriver
The party decides to rest in the village before continuing
Kaya gives the party a potion of healing
The party searches the dead goblins for treasure
They find 157 copper, 45 silver, and 15 gold pieces
The villagers keep the copper and silver, giving the party the gold
Failed attempt to harvest wasp venom results in getting covered in venom
Party plans to travel two days east to Bosh McCready’s abode

Journey East Through Corrupted Lands

The party travels east through unnaturally large and aggressive plant life toward their destination.

Plants are unnaturally large and fighting each other for sunlight
Insects the size of dogs move through the underbrush
The water has a thick, oily sheen with violet-covered algae
The environment shows clear signs of magical corruption

Encounter with the Naiad

The party meets a drowning water spirit who needs help with pollution from an upstream mill.

A voice calls out ‘help me, I drown in my own water’
A naked woman with azure blue skin and green hair appears in the water
She has mottled skin and sunken eyes, showing signs of distress
She reaches up to Mum from the water, asking for assistance
The naiad explains she’s being poisoned by the mill upriver run by Vash the alchemist
Ragnar successfully casts cure wounds to heal the naiad
The naiad kisses Mumum on the cheek and gives him her blessing
Mumum receives permanent swimming abilities and advantage on swim checks
The naiad mentions Bosh used to visit her but hasn’t been seen in months

Journey Through the Purple Haze

The party travels east through increasingly swampy terrain filled with purple haze and oversized insects.

Party travels through boggy, swampy territory with purple haze in the air
Irvane discovers she has no allergies and is unaffected by the pollen
The group follows an overgrown road that was once proper but is now like a deer trail
They spot a flickering yellowish light in the distance, several hundred feet away
The party establishes a marching order with some members hiding on the sides

Discovery of the Goblin Village

The party stumbles upon a hastily constructed goblin settlement.

Party discovers a small goblin village that appears hastily constructed
The group works together to arrange and understand the layout of the village
They observe the village from a distance before deciding how to proceed
Kaya, the NPC from Oak Ridge, accompanies them in their marching formation
The party prepares for potential conflict or negotiation with the goblin inhabitants
Party notices flowers and lilies growing as tall as a man
The smell of the goblin camp reaches them hundreds of feet away
Spot a giant gray-white wasp nest on an island near the village
See debris, shellfish, and bones scattered around the approach
Village appears shoddily constructed and hastily erected

Goblin Infiltration

Khemsa uses magic to disguise himself as a goblin and infiltrates two guards tormenting a rabbit.

Two goblins spotted on a walkway tormenting a rabbit with a stick
Goblins discuss waiting for others to return with offerings for ‘Tef Nut’
Khemsa casts alter self to become a fat, portly goblin with bug eyes and antennae
Successfully convinces the goblins he’s one of them and needs them to come see something
Leads the goblins back to the party for capture
Party ties up the two goblins as prisoners
Khemsa’s disguise wears off, causing the goblins to scream
One goblin is knocked unconscious, the other gagged
Interrogation reveals goblins have been to ‘the mill’ and ‘stone building’
Goblins mention drinking ‘ichor’ and worshiping ‘the great beast’
Bound goblin indicates direction to the mill when asked

Bypassing the Goblin Village

The party decides to bypass the goblin village entirely and head directly to the mill to find the source of the corruption.

Party chooses to avoid the goblin village encounter
Coral tickles Mumum’s feet while he’s hiding
Group decides to go straight to the mill to cut off the source of power

Approaching the Mill

The party arrives at a stone mill along the riverbank, covered in Diabolic symbols and trinkets, with purplish water flowing from it.

Party finds the mill covered in red glyphs, sigils, and bone trinkets
The mill has a water wheel turning in purplish-tinged water
No smoke visible from the chimney, appears abandoned
Party positions themselves about 60 feet away to observe

Froghemoth Encounter

The party encounters a massive mutant frog creature while investigating the mill.

Two characters attempt stealth approach to the mill
One character steps on a large branch, making loud noise
Massive froghemoth emerges from the bushes with a loud bellow
Initiative is rolled as combat begins
Clay shoots the froghemoth with an arrow, dealing 2 points of damage
Clay retreats after getting the creature’s attention
Irvane moves forward to protect the party
Khemsa casts mage armor on himself
Mumum successfully shoots the froghemoth in the eye, blinding it for 3 rounds
The froghemoth thrashes around blindly, smashing the mill wall and revealing purple light inside
Ragnar’s crossbow bolt bounces off the creature’s hide
Clay lands another arrow shot for 3 points of damage
Coral attempts to shoot but misses
Irvane moves in for melee combat and strikes with his axe for 7 damage
Khemsa uses acid vomit breath weapon on the froghemoth’s eyes, extending its blindness to 6 rounds

Battle with the Froghemoth

The party engages in a fierce battle against a massive froghemoth creature near the alchemist’s mill.

Mumum attempts to hide and take a shot at the froghemoth
The froghemoth grapples Irvane Gervain with its tentacles and tries to swallow him whole
Ragnar moves into melee range and attacks the froghemoth with his mace, dealing significant damage
Clay climbs into the mill building and discovers a glowing magical circle with violet liquid flowing from it
Clay observes strange machinery with copper funnels, pipes, and gears operating on its own
Coral hides behind Khemsa to avoid being caught in potential fireball range
Irvane Gervain, while grappled, swings his axe at the froghemoth dealing damage
Khemsa attempts to cast magic missile but initially fails, then uses a luck token to succeed
The froghemoth becomes increasingly panicked and desperate as it takes more damage
Mumum’s arrow bounces off the froghemoth’s hide
The froghemoth tries to flee while carrying Irvane in its belly
The creature successfully swallows Irvane whole
Ragnar attacks the froghemoth dealing 8 damage
Clay makes a desperate decision to destroy the alchemical machinery

Clay’s Heroic Sacrifice

Clay throws himself into the alchemical machinery to destroy it, causing a massive explosion.

Clay launches himself into the mill’s machinery to wreck it
The machinery explodes in a gigantic blast
The explosion deals 6 damage to Clay, Ragnar, and Kaya
The mill, circle, and froghemoth are destroyed in the explosion
Irvane takes constitution damage while inside the dying creature

Rescue and Recovery

The party works to save Irvane from the dead froghemoth and searches the destroyed mill.

Mumum cuts open the froghemoth to rescue Irvane
Ragnar heals Irvane back to consciousness
The party searches the destroyed mill for survivors and treasure
Khemsa finds and secretly pockets a partially destroyed journal
The alchemical circle is completely destroyed, stopping the purple ichor flow
Khemsa searches through the mill ruins and finds a journal written in diabolic
The party discovers the mill was the source of the magical contamination
Goblins arrive and mourn the death of the froghemoth, calling it their god
Khemsa intimidates the goblins, causing them to flee in terror and turn on each other
The party decides to return to Oak Ridge

Return to the Naiad

The party visits the water spirit on their way back to Oak Ridge.

The water around the naiad’s pool is now clear and clean
Mumum presents an old magical arrow of fey slaying to the naiad
The naiad asks Mumum to destroy the arrow, which he does
The naiad rewards Mumum with an agate of water breathing
The naiad gives Mumum her blessing and disappears into the water

Celebration and Rewards in Oak Ridge

The party returns to Oak Ridge and is celebrated as heroes by the villagers for stopping the magical corruption.

Kaya observes that the town looks smaller after the recent attacks
Kaya offers to join the party as a companion
She presents her sword to the party, offering her services
Mumum politely declines her offer, suggesting her place is with her people
The party prepares to continue their adventures without Kaya
The villagers hold a grand feast with giant produce including frog legs from the defeated froghemoth
Kaya presents the party with a collection of 200 silver and 300 gold pieces from all the farmers
The party enjoys a free carouse celebration
Khemsa secretly reads the Diabolic journal in the shadows during the festivities

Journal Revelations and Return to Gibber Bones

Khemsa discovers the true nature of the alchemist’s work and the party prepares to return the journal to their patron.

Khemsa reads the Diabolic journal and discovers it contains maps of the hells and demonic portal schematics
The journal reveals the alchemist was a diabolist infusing demonic essences into physical forms
The party decides to return the journal to Gibber Bones as originally requested
Gibber Bones offers ‘something delightful’ in exchange for the journal
The party receives experience points and treasure rewards for completing the adventure

Character Advancement and Session Wrap-up

The party levels up their characters and distributes treasure from their successful adventure.

Multiple party members level up from level 1 to level 2
Fighters gain weapon mastery bonuses to attack and damage
Thieves gain improved backstab abilities
The party splits 465 gold pieces among themselves
Gibber Bones provides a random magic item (potion of speed with pickled fairy’s head) as reward for the journal
Multiple party members leveled up, gaining new abilities and hit points
Characters got attribute increases at even levels
Ragnar gained tier 3 spells as a priest
The party received a random magic item – a potion of speed containing a pickled fairy’s head
Discussion of the potion’s effects allowing far movement for 5 rounds

NPCs

Gibber Bones Louch

A dubious goblin sorceress who employs the party. She uses a crystal ball for divination and has sent the party to Oak Ridge to find something mysterious. She promises to share treasure from a barrow mound 50-50 if they complete her task first. Later offers ‘something delightful’ in exchange for the Diabolic journal and provides a magical quickling potion as a reward.

Goblin Refugees

A group of goblin farmers and their families evacuating Oak Ridge due to giant insect attacks. They travel with oversized produce and describe encountering a giant wasp with a monstrous goblin rider. They wear field worker clothing and broad hats.

Goblin Children

Young goblins in the refugee wagon are crying and distressed. One little goblin girl clutches a doll while wailing at the top of her lungs.

Kaya, Oak Ridge’s Leader

A human woman with a scar running across her eye who appears to be a leader in Oak Ridge. She shows the party evidence of the wasp-goblin threat and requests their help in defending the village from an imminent goblin assault. She has 15 hit points, wields a longsword, and actively participates in defending the town. Later, she offers to join the party as a companion, though she’s conflicted about leaving her small town behind. She presents the party with the village’s collected treasure as a reward.

Wasp-Goblins

Mutated goblin creatures with insectoid features including antennae, multifaceted eyes, and chitinous yellow and black bodies. They attack Oak Ridge on giant wasps, setting buildings on fire and assaulting the defenders with spears and clubs. They bleed purple blood and appear to be magically transformed.

Goblin Leader

A wasp-riding goblin with yellow stripes, bulbous eyes, who screams orders to other goblins. Commands them to ‘kill them all’ and mentions serving ‘Tef Nut’ and protecting the hive.

Giant Wasps

Massive flying insects that attack the party with an infernal buzzing sound. One carries the goblin leader on its back, and they attempt to sting and grab party members. Enormous wasps the size of ponies that serve as mounts for the goblin attackers. They have poisonous stings that can incapacitate victims and are used as aerial assault creatures in the attack on Oak Ridge.

Vash McCready

An old hermit alchemist who lives upriver from Oak Ridge. Kaya suggests he might know more about the source of the corruption and the mutated creatures. He doesn’t align with any particular order and dabbles in alchemy. An alchemist who runs a mill upriver and used to visit the naiad but hasn’t been seen in months. The naiad indicates something has gone wrong with him, and his mill is the source of the water pollution affecting her.

Shoal, Naiad

A water spirit with azure blue skin, ankle-length green hair, sunken eyes, and mottled skin. She appears naked and is being poisoned by pollution from the upstream mill. She’s fluid in the water and can ripple backwards 30-40 feet in seconds. She gives Mumum her blessing after being healed, granting him permanent swimming abilities. Later appears healthier and more vibrant after the mill’s destruction. She rewards Mumum for destroying a magical arrow and grants him an agate of water breathing as well as her blessing before disappearing into the water.

Goblin Guards

Two goblins with bug eyes were tormenting a rabbit on the village walkway. They speak of waiting for others to return with offerings for someone called ‘Tef Nut’ and have been to the mill where they drank ‘ichor’ and worshiped ‘the great beast’.

Froghemoth

A massive 20-foot-tall mutant frog with three eyes, tentacles, blood-red eyes filled with fury, and an extremely tough hide that can deflect crossbow bolts.

Goblins

Bug-eyed goblin creatures who arrive at the mill ruins to mourn the froghemoth’s death, which they consider their god. They are easily intimidated by Khemsa and flee in terror, turning on each other in their panic.

Locations

Khardruz

The orc city where the party begins their adventure, described as the starting location where Khemsa made contact with Gibber-Bones Louch.

Oak Ridge

A southern village on the coast is the party’s destination. It’s about a week’s travel south of Khardruz and is experiencing troubles with giant insects, as well as evacuating residents. A wooden palisade village with stone and wood buildings, thatched roofs, and a market square. The most fortified building is a stone temple with a bell tower. The town is preparing for a goblin attack. After the battle, the southern half gets burned during the goblin attack, while the northern half, including the stone temple, remains intact. A small farming village that was partially burned during the goblin attack. The northern half with the temple survived while the southern half was reduced to charred rubble. The villagers are rebuilding and celebrating the party’s success in stopping the magical corruption.

Road to Oak Ridge

The travel route south from Khardruz to Oak Ridge, where the party encounters goblin refugees fleeing north with their oversized produce. The flora along this path becomes increasingly large and vibrant as one approaches the village.

The Temple

The most secure stone building in Oak Ridge, with a bell tower, serves as the primary defensive position for the party and villagers during the goblin attack. Where villagers take shelter, Khemsa intimidates them while Kaya confronts him.

Market Square

The central area of Oak Ridge is filled with unnaturally large vegetables and fruits, including soccer ball-sized tomatoes and massive pumpkins, where much of the combat takes place. The central area of the village is filled with giant magical produce, including enormous melons, tomatoes, and squash. Becomes a battlefield during the goblin assault.

Corrupted River Route

A waterway with thick, oily sheen and violet algae where the party encounters unnaturally large plants fighting for sunlight and dog-sized insects moving through the underbrush. A waterway where the party encounters the naiad. The water has a thick, oily sheen and is covered with violet-colored algae in slow-moving sections. Purple slime clings to the naiad, indicating pollution from upstream.

Swampy Terrain

Boggy, swampy area filled with purple haze and thick pollen. Contains oversized insects and an overgrown road that was once proper but is now like a narrow, choked deer trail.

Goblin Village

A small, hastily constructed settlement was discovered by the party. The buildings appear to be of shoddy construction, suggesting that they were erected quickly. A hurriedly built, shoddy village in a swampy area with walkways over water. Features debris, bones, and shellfish scattered around the approach. Has a giant gray-white wasp nest on a nearby island.

The Mill

A stone mill along the riverbank with a water wheel turning in purplish water. The building is covered in red glyphs, sigils, and diabolic symbols, with bone trinkets, baubles, and fetishes hanging from it. It has a chimney but no visible windows, and appears to be the source of the magical corruption affecting the area. A stone building with a water wheel containing a magical circle of red and violet runes in the center, surrounded by strange alchemical machinery with copper funnels, pipes, and gears. Violet liquid flows from the circle into the river through cracks in the floor. An alchemical mill that was destroyed in a massive explosion. The stone building contained diabolical circles and machinery that produced the purple ichor, poisoning the water. Now lies in ruins with walls blown out.

Shoal the Naiad’s Pool

A river location where the water spirit dwells. The water has become clear and clean again after the mill’s destruction, and the naiad appears more vibrant and healthy than before.

Vash’s Abode

The dwelling of an alchemist hermit is located two days east of Oak Ridge, accessible by road. Suspected to be connected to the source of the corruption affecting the region.

Spells

Bless

A divine spell cast by Ragnar the priest that grants luck tokens to party members. The spell can only be cast once per player per session and requires a DC 12 roll to succeed. It provides divine favor and good fortune to the recipients.

Detect Magic

Cast by Khemsa to investigate the magical nature of the dead wasp-goblin and the oversized produce. The spell revealed that both the goblin body and the giant vegetables radiate faint magical auras. Also, cast to search for magical sources in the destroyed mill, revealing the rapidly fading magic in the runic fragments and confirming the destruction of the alchemical circle.

Cure Wounds

Cast by Ragnar to heal Mumum after he was shot down by goblin arrows. The spell brought Mumum back from unconsciousness and restored him to fighting condition. Successfully cast by Ragnar to heal the naiad, causing the mottling in her skin to fade and made her hair appear more lustrous and bronze-colored. Also successfully cast to bring Irvane back from the brink of death after she was rescued from the froghemoth’s belly, restoring 10 hit points.

Fireball

Khemsa’s signature spell that he casts on the market square, hitting both the giant wasps and Irvane for 8 points of damage each. The spell immolates part of the market square and sets it on fire.

Magic Missile

Cast by Khemsa against the wasp rider leader. The magical projectile automatically hits its target and deals force damage to the goblin commander. Also cast at the froghemoth after initially failing and using a luck token to succeed. The magical bolt slams into the creature, causing it to gronk more panicked than aggressively.

Alter Self

A Tier 2 wizard spell cast by Khemsa that transformed him into a fat, portly goblin with bug eyes, antennae, and mandibles. The spell lasted 5 rounds and allowed him to successfully infiltrate and deceive the goblin guards.

Mage Armor

Khemsa cast this protective spell on himself, providing AC 14, with a flat AC bonus that doesn’t include DEX bonus.

Acid Vomit

Khemsa’s dragon breath power that allows him to projectile vomit acidic bile in a 60-foot arc, used to blind the froghemoth’s remaining eyes.

Items

Luck Tokens

Magical tokens granted by Ragnar’s bless spell that provide good fortune. Jen and Khemsa successfully received them, while Mumum’s god apparently doesn’t favor him.

Winter Weather Gear

Fur clothing and protective gear that Clay and Mumum possess for cold weather travel. These items take up inventory slots and are essential for surviving harsh conditions.

Oversized Produce

Magically enlarged vegetables and fruits grown by the goblin farmers, including soccer ball-sized tomatoes, log-sized cucumbers, and a prize-winning-sized pumpkin. The goblins have been selling these in Khardruz’s markets. Also found in Oak Ridge’s market square, radiating faint magic and resulting from the magical contamination affecting the area.

Dead Wasp-Goblin

A slain goblin with wasp-like features including antennae, multifaceted eyes, and chitinous yellow and black skin. The body has an arrow wound and radiates faint magic when detected.

Village Buildings/Fortifications

Stone and wood buildings with thatched roofs that the party is arranging and fortifying for defense. The temple is the most secure stone building, while other structures are more vulnerable wood and stone construction.

Field Medical Supplies

Bandages and medical equipment set up by Ragnar that allows the party one free healing action during combat, providing 1d6 hit points to any party member as an action.

Smoke Screen Materials

Hay and combustible materials prepared by Mumum and Khemsa to create a defensive smoke screen that reduces aerial attackers and gives them disadvantage on ranged weapons.

Rope Traps

Improvised traps set up by Karl using rope and spears from the smithy, designed to impale enemies and reduce the number of infantry attackers the party faces.

Healing Potion

A vial of reddish liquid was given to the party by Kaya as payment for defending Oak Ridge. Described as something the village had been saving for emergencies, and it’s dangerous to go alone without it.

Goblin Treasure

Currency found on the defeated goblins consisting of 157 copper pieces, 45 silver pieces, and 15 gold pieces. The villagers keep the copper and silver to help rebuild, giving the party the 15 gold pieces.

Naiad’s Blessing

A permanent magical blessing bestowed upon Mumum by the naiad through a kiss on the cheek. Grants the ability to swim like a fish, advantage on swimming checks, and makes swim checks unaffected by armor. Described as feeling like an electric thrill coursing through the recipient.

Rabbit

A small animal being tortured by the goblin guards, which one of them snapped the neck of and threw over their shoulder when startled by Khemsa’s approach.

Diabolic Journal

A partially destroyed journal was found in the mill ruins, written in Diabolic script. Contains schematics of diabolic circles, portals, maps of the Hells, and notes about infusing demonic essences into physical forms. Khemsa secretly keeps this journal. It belonged to the alchemist who was practicing the art of infusing demonic essences into physical forms before dying in his experiments.

Runic Fragments

Remnants of the magical circle that was destroyed in the explosion. The magic in these fragments is rapidly fading, and they contain traces of the Diabolic runes that powered the alchemical process.

Agate of Water Breathing

A magical stone given by the naiad to Mumum as a reward. When held in the cheek, it allows the user to breathe underwater for about an hour, functioning like a potion of water breathing.

Magical Arrow

An old, stout arrow with bright blue fletching from a magical bird and a hand-wrought brass point. Mumum destroys this fae-touched arrow at the naiad’s request, which brings her great relief.

Village Treasure Collection

A large satchel containing 200 silver pieces and 300 gold pieces was collected from all the farmers in the Oak Ridge area. Represents everything the village had to offer as a reward for stopping the magical corruption.

Potion of Speed (Quickling Potion)

A sulfurous brew in a clear jug containing a pickled fairy’s head that smells like vinegar. When consumed, it allows the drinker to move far (up to 120 feet) on their turn while still taking an action for 5 rounds. If double moving, could cover up to 300 feet per round.