Session Analysis
No Means No, Spider Lady
The Party
Julius
Human Monk
Ja'ms
Half Orc Bard
Elora Meridian
Half Elf Ranger
Drisella Red Dawn
Half Elf Druid
Azareal Dawnsinger
elf Cleric
Namta
Tiefling Bard
Session Recap
As the Abbot's grisly cure procedure continues, Cameo is confirmed dead and shoved head-first into a bubbling cauldron in a desperate revival attempt, while Elora keeps her sword at the Abbot's throat throughout. Meanwhile, Julius, Namta, and Ja'ms hunt for the Abbey's forge and instead crack open a covered well, drawing out Mishka, a spider-woman mongrelfolk who demands a kiss from Julius before turning violent. Julius beats her unconscious and cracks off her venom-tipped mandible; the group quietly dumps her back down the well. The cure ultimately succeeds on a perfect roll, and Cameo begins breathing again, slowly reverting toward human form. Reunited, the party accepts a new task from the Abbot: escort two casks of ale to Vallaki and return with a wedding dress for Vasilka, who is set to marry the vampire Vasili von Holtz. The Abbot reveals he is bound to the Abbey by the Morninglord and Vasili. The party gets the forge operational to smelt silver, shares long-guarded secrets around the fire, and plans to eliminate the werewolves during their delivery run.
Notable Quotes
"Ordinarily I say yes, but I'm kind of spoken for. I think she's really into me, and if I kiss another person, she might not be so into me anymore. So I'm gonna have to respectfully decline."
— Julius, declining a spider's marriage proposal moments before decking her
"You're Abbot the Abbot?"
— Elora Meridian, unimpressed by a man who traded his name for a title
"Yeah, he shines his light far and wide as he can, all for you. He loves it so much. You hear, he fucking loves attention. Just wait until he sends you to Barovia."
— Azareal Dawnsinger, airing grievances about his own god
Developing Situations
- Escort the two casks of ale to Vallaki and return with a wedding dress for Vasilka
- Finish smelting the silver at the operational Abbey forge to arm against the werewolves
- Locate and eliminate the werewolf den, reported as both northeast and southeast of the Abbey
- Meet with burgomaster Dimitri Krezkov to collect the caravan and provisions before departing in the morning
- Determine why the trees around the forge camp appear to be shifting position
- Investigate the whispering child-like voices and small faces seen behind the Abbey's broken upper windows
- Uncover the true nature of the Abbot, who claims to be bound to the Abbey by the Morninglord and Vasili and has no memory of his real name
- Determine the significance of the platinum sun medallion with a blood-red gem and raven emblem taken from the Abbey scarecrow
- Verify whether Mako's invitation to J'aams from another plane is genuine or a trap
Major Events
The Cauldron Cure
With Cameo dead—chest caved in and organs likely punctured—the Abbot insisted on completing his ritual over the party's objections. Elora kept a short sword at his throat while Azareal was forced to abort a Revivify. After multiple medicine checks, the Abbot mixed a foul concoction smelling of grass, pine, and finally wet dog, said a prayer to the Morninglord suspiciously similar to Azareal's Lythander prayers, and had Cameo submerged head-first into a bubbling cauldron. When the caustic liquid spilled toward Azareal and Drisella, Drisella spider-climbed the wall to escape. The process required a full redo. On the second attempt, the DM rolled a natural 20, and roughly an hour later a mongrelfolk reported that Cameo breathes again—his chest healed and some of his fur receding to reveal bare human skin, though full recovery would take 72 hours.
The Spider in the Well
Searching for the forge, Julius, Namta, and Ja'ms uncovered a covered well and heard scratching below. Namta hopped onto the rim and fired a Firebolt down it, striking Mishka—a mongrelfolk with a human carving of a face atop a full spider body and three red eyes. Lured up by an offer of water, she wrapped a leg around Julius and demanded a kiss, which he politely refused. Combat erupted; Julius struck for max damage, dealt non-lethal blows, and attempted a Stunning Strike before knocking her out. He cracked off her venom-tipped mandible as a paralytic weapon. The party quietly rolled her back into the well and covered it, playing innocent when the Abbot came asking. The Abbot fed a red vial down to the reviving Mishka, revealing she is a dangerous Bellevue he keeps quarantined.
The Abbot's Bargain and Bound Servitude
Once Cameo stabilized, the Abbot asked the party a favor in exchange for the cure: escort two casks of ale to Vallaki and return with a wedding dress for Vasilka, who is to marry Vasili von Holtz—the very vampire who attacked Drisella. Elora negotiated to keep one barrel and receive another on return. Under questioning, the Abbot revealed he is bound to the Abbey by both the devil Strahd and the Morninglord, has tended three generations of Bellevues, and cannot recall his own name, going only by 'Abbot.' Azareal, disillusioned with Lythander, grew openly sarcastic about their shared god's love of attention. The party noted the Abbot's strange refusal to speak the Morninglord's name and his desperate, Calypso-like servitude, deepening their distrust.
Forge Fires and Firelit Confessions
Marzena, a Bellevue caretaker, revealed the hidden forge concealed by illusory trees on the Abbey's east side. Julius stripped down and worked the smelter for hours, melting the silver plates Namta had gathered, while Namta cast Leomund's Tiny Hut—camouflaged—to shelter the camp from the shifting trees and watching child-faces. Around the fire, Julius pressed Namta and Ja'ms about their Waterdeep panic, drawing out their confession: they are marked for death on sight by the Thieves Guild after robbing a crime lord. Ja'ms opened up about his lost teacher Mako, who vanished years ago and has now mysteriously reached out from another plane; Namta cautioned it could be a trap. Julius gifted Mishka's venomous mandible to Namta. The party resolved to kill the werewolves during their ale-delivery journey.
DM Archetype
Achievements Unlocked
Azareal Dawnsinger
The Morning Lord Loves Attention, Apparently
You listened to an ageless monk pray to your god under a stolen title, in a corrupted Abbey, while bound in servitude to a vampire — and something in you finally snapped. You spent approximately thirty seconds airing decades of divine grievances directly at the Abbot's face before apologizing, which is genuinely the most relatable thing you have ever done.
Drisella Red Dawn
I Have Spider Climb And I Will Use It
When a caustic magical brew began pooling across the floor, you did not panic, negotiate, or wait for instructions — you activated Spider Climb, grabbed Azareal, and walked directly up the wall while everyone else scrambled. The solution was always on the ceiling. You just got there first.
Elora Meridian
Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow
A lying mongrelfolk ate Azareal's hair, claimed Lukan had sent him, got punched in the face, and still had the audacity to ask for dog hair as payment for the truth. You negotiated, got played, delivered consequences, and somehow walked away having used Spike's fur as currency. The economy of the Abbey is inscrutable.
Julius
No Means No, Spider Lady
A half-spider mongrelfolk climbed out of a well, wrapped a leg around you, and asked for a kiss — and you politely cited your romantic obligations before decking her unconscious, cracking off her venom mandible as a trophy, and rolling her back into the well like nothing happened. Chivalry is not dead. It's just very, very firm about boundaries.
DM
Morning Lord, Give Me Strength
You introduced a new VTT, kept six players on task across a cauldron revival, a spider ambush, a negotiation, and a forge operation — all while one player was putting the baby down, another was half-naked, and someone dumped a bucket of well water on Orange Julius's head. The Morning Lord works in mysterious ways. So do you.
Ja'ms
We Didn't Start The Forge
You played moral support, howled along with Spike, and provided musical accompaniment to a shirtless blacksmithing session for four hours — your primary lyrical contribution being the phrase 'we didn't start the fire,' repeated indefinitely, while Julius sweated over molten silver and the wolf harmonized. Bardic inspiration comes in many forms.
Elora Meridian
Chop Chop, Doctor
You kept a short sword at the Abbot's throat for the entire duration of a medical procedure, through a cauldron spill, a full redo, and a lengthy negotiation about ale barrels — and somehow this is exactly as threatening as his first impression warranted. Your bedside manner is impeccable.