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Vaelorys Vault

Session 36 Prep

Set Expectations

Section titled “Set Expectations”

Set the expectations for the session and communicate any above table information FIRST before starting the session…

  • I know last session was a bit confusing, I hope this one clears the air a bit.
  • Scribe system resets;
    • we have a bit of a backlog that needs to get through. Table needs to decide what the turnaround time ideally should be. Is there such a thing as “Too late?”
  • I wanted to raise the proposal to the death rules.
    • Aside from what I already know; are there any strong objections to them? If not we can start running with them today and see how it plays out.

Recap & Re-Familiarize

Section titled “Recap & Re-Familiarize”

Recap the previous session events with brevity, then reintroduce them to the world.

Last we left off…

USE SKELETON TO RECAP

And that’s where we’ll pick up from… as The Fated Eight watch Aurevald begin to approach the figure; declaring that he is the The Eternal Mountain, who had just thrown a magical hammer at him.

Immediate Event

Section titled “Immediate Event”

The immediate action for the Party to deal with.

Baldyr’s Speech

Section titled “Baldyr’s Speech”

Oh there’s no need to hide your whispers little ones; I know as well any of you that I am indeed the last Gyi’Gantos - and it’s all your fault. Your foolishness; your weakness, got my people turned to stone. Worse yet, despite all my people did for yours; how do you repay me - speak of me as some failed king, use me as a puppet in your children’s bedtime stories to teach them what not to do; like I am the one to blame?

Need I remind you that it was your Elder who allowed The Trickster back into this world - allowed him to poison the ears of my people for decades. We left the safety of our mountains for these godforsaken shades in search of answers on his advice; and what do we have to show for it but ruins.

Consider yourself lucky that your species’ betrayal of mine is second only to that of my own blood; my father - the deserter king who left me with throne set to detonate, all whilst he fraternized with those of lesser blood. It is only because I have learned of his whereabouts that I have not slain each and every last one of you already.

So I implore you, say your prayers; if any god still hears you that is. If any of you are still here when I return from Drasiyl’s Path; I promise you will shortly find out if any of them did.

Conflict with Baldyr

Section titled “Conflict with Baldyr”
  • Baldyr is taunting, snide. He’s going to do everything to get under Aurevald’s skin.
  • Let them have a taste of what he can do; then go all out and get Aurevald stunned and dropped low (non-lethal) (each round his saving throws increase by 2)
    • “Between you and me, these people should be thanking you; pretender. The Masked Man tells me it was your screwup that opened the backdoor to Drasiyl’s Path. If it weren’t for that I’d have slaughtered all of them already.
    • Pan to the little girl running to intercede between them. He’ll pander to her for a second for swatting her into the wall with the Hammer.
    • She will immediately fall unconscious and take two death saving throws unless someone tries something crazy.

Memory with his parents

“Aurvelia. I am a danger to him; to you. My mere presence here invites threats from entities far beyond our understanding; I cannot let a second family suffer the consequences of my curse. He is Havkyn Aurvelia; it is unlikely that he will take after me any more than he already has without good reason… I cannot- WE cannot not give him one.”

“Tosk - I can’t believe you. You promised me you would not repeat your mistakes…”

“Yes, I did. That is why I am leaving - the less he knows of me, the better off his is.”

Moment of Realization

  • Talk with Aurevald; describe the parallels between this situation and the day that he lost Scabb
  • Ask him how he feels once more having a smaller, weaker creature suffer trying to defend him.
  • Riff with him and build his anger and self-hatred before:
  • Something clicks deep inside with him; all that anger channelled into something- powering him, fuelling him to stand up.

Gains Fortuitous Spirit feat and learns Gyi’Gantos language.

“Ah now that’s interesting! You’re not a pretender; you’re worse. You’re Havkyn; a mistake…”

Let Aurevald have a moment of get back as Baldyr takes all the hits.

Fluid Block

Section titled “Fluid Block”

  • They may want to rest, they may want answers:

  • Poska

    • A member of the Vad’Nya Tribe; her ancestors used to live in this refuge with the Gyi’Gantos.
      • Grandmother of the little girl.
    • She will be distraught.
    • She will implore Aurevald to go after Baldyr

      “I heard from my grandmother the stories of the war against the Serpent; I heard it every time we saw one of their statues around the Feywild, I was told The Eternal Mountain led the charge against it after sealing Drasiyl’s Path to prevent it from fleeing; he was supposed to be a hero to our people… how could I have been so blind? How did I not realize that Mad King Baldyr and The Eternal Mountain were one and the same…”

    • She offers to read Aurevald’s spirit for truths. (He has seen the mist and she can gleam insights from it by reading his Spirit)
      • “Tell me child - you seem troubled. What answers do you seek?”
        • Ask 3 Yes/No Questions about Aurevald/The World, and she will do her best to answer them.
      • After a reading; she will offer more…
        • “I sense the loving lies of the Mother & the selfless sacrifice of the Father”
        • “I sense strong regrets - you failed to accomplish something in your youth, didn’t you?”
        • “I sense the loss of a dear friend. I sense the sadness of irons. You my boy have lived a tragic life.”
      • She’ll conclude by studying the mist; explaining two things:
        • Drasiyl’s Path cannot be walked by those with material regrets. You must absolve yourself of those.

  • Flick

    • Quill said he saw most of you return from a path that wasn’t there earlier; he followed it and found a bunch of mist- did you all walk through that?
      • He couldn’t breathe in the stuff; but he could bury beneath it and found stone tablets. Unfortunately no one here can read them. (aurevald can tho)
    • Drasiyl’s Path lore

  • Dridge

    • Can re-edge the axe but upgrading it will be multiple days.

Plots Points/Paths Forward

Section titled “Plots Points/Paths Forward”

Details about various plot threads that can be explored this session - with a subheading for each one.

Getting Into Drasiyl’s Path

Section titled “Getting Into Drasiyl’s Path”

The obvious way:

  • head back through the mist
  • suffocate (Minutes equal to your CON modifier)

The less obvious way (ONLY USE THIS IF THEY GET STUCK):

  • Morgyn to synthesize Gyi’Gantos blood from Aurevalds?
  • Opens the door - leads them to the portal room. It is filled with the same mist as the door.

Toskaldr’s Refuge

Section titled “Toskaldr’s Refuge”

Have them enter the Realm-Between-Realms in a random order; but force Aurevald to go last (the axe slows the rate at which he suffocates).

You each experience a similar thing; a sense for falling - falling upwards. You feel your physical form “blur” as you cross a threshold and your senses stabilize.

INTERACTIONS:

  • Lady will distinctly feel this as different to her experiences within The In-Between. That was purely a spiritual experience; this feels like she’s physically been transported to a new realm.
  • SHAI realizes that The Dungeon Master’s powers are even-greater than he understood them to be; he hasn’t just created ONE universe - he’s created an entire multiverse.

toskaldr's-refuge.png

In rapid succession; they’ll appear in the astral snow of the Realm-Between-Realms and seek warmth. The only nearby source is the a large campfire being tended to by a man with dark skin and white dreadlocks; his beard reaching the sternum of his bare chest. There are logs setup on all sides of the campfire and you can see cast iron cauldrons levitating over it.

  • He does not seem harmful; in fact the opposite as you hear a foreboding voice call out to them
    • “You’ll freeze out there stranger. When my wolves get back; we’ll have meat for a stew. Sit by the fire whilst we wait.”
  • He can:
    • Explain the Realm-Between-Realms
    • Make idle chit-chat
    • Gleam insights about the party that they might not be aware of; or that they might have told him.
    • If they ask his name; he’ll say “I have no name. I’m just an old fool who got stuck here.”

2026-08-27-toskaldr-portrait.png

Aurevald will enter the Realm-Between-Realms and realize that he has been here, once before.

  • Explain to Aurevald as he enters Drasiyl that he recognizes that he has been here once before; when he made the deal with the Emperor of Earth.
  • Whilst it feels the same; the same timelessness and vastness of space here, it is not the same place as that time.
  • He’ll notice his axe, armour, and shield are back - if he doesn’t pick them up.

He will start further away than the others and notice paw prints of a Wolf leading East.

  • He can follow them for a few minutes and catch the trail of a large wolf with dark grey fur; you also notice it has a collar. You can see it is carrying a familiar bear corpse and heading South east.
  • Following it he’ll see it get close to a source of light (and the sound of conversation); give him a perception check. He’ll hear a second wolf run up behind him; unthreateningly, and begin to smell him profusely; it will look at him with puzzled familiarity.
    • It’s collar reads; “Skoll, the Second”
    • It is very playful and runs after the one in front; who grumpily drops the bear corpse.

Aurevald can follow and is reunited with the others, and a man he does not recognize

  • Riff this section; Toskaldr has been waiting for this day but will let Aurevald take the lead. Drop vague hints:
    • “You all are in for a treat. My wife taught me how to make this particular stew. It was my favourite - her tribe used to make these big batches of it.”
    • These two are “Skoll” and “Hati”; the second. They’re named after pets I had as a boy.

Toskaldr lore:

  • Former King of the Gyi’Gantos. Abdicated to his Son whilst he searched for an answer to a blight affecting his people.
  • He was lost in the Realm-Between-Realms for a while; where a Serpent named The Husk offered him escape in return for service. He declined and was warned that “his Son” would pay the price; seeing his Son naively lead their people into a battle they could not win.
    • His wife turned into a statue and eaten by a Serpent made of bark and twigs.
  • He could not return to the Feywild to help; and ended up in Stahn. His magic did not work in the Material Plane.
  • A beautiful, warrior woman saved him and they fell in love.
  • Aurevald is born, The Husk begins to threaten Toskaldr again.
  • He offers himself if Aurevald is kept safe. Unbeknownst to both of them; the power of his rings prevented The Husk from using him as it had planned. They’ve been in this constant stalemate ever since.
  • It sought Aurevald from the Material Plane; using the Wayward spirits of the Primordial Titans.

Snippets:

“Now that it looks like everyone is here; how about a story?” Tells the vague mythology of the Gyi’Gantos and how he ended up here

“From as soon as you could walk; The Husk has used you as leverage to get to me; that blizzard was it’s trump card. When it learned I was of no use to him; it waited till you were closet to a nexus and summoned that tidal storm.”

“I’m not claiming that I am the Father you needed - I’d hate myself too”

Meet The Spirits / Made Good On A Promise

Section titled “Meet The Spirits / Made Good On A Promise”

Travel Eastward; see the big tree.

  • Journal entry

spirits-limit.png

  • Wayward spirits begin to collect around Aurevald, at first faceless; then coming into view.
  • The spirits are trying to show him something; but before he can see it - he has to make good on his promise.

Scabb will appear, for real this time

  • is scared
  • doesn’t have much time

“That tree guy that attacked us. After you left they started building something using the stone from those pillars we saw. There’s this scary Goliath woman too; I’m getting worried they’re going to do something scary to me boss…”

“Whatever happens boss - I want you know to… I love you. You’re the bestest boss an Imp could ever ask for…”

Scabb will disappear and a portal will open up where he was

  • Aurevauld will recognize this clearing - it’s the clearing in the Shadesorrow Forest where he lost Scabb originally.

Jormun Fight

Section titled “Jormun Fight”

jormun-fight-setup.png

  • Aurevald will recognize the humanoid tree figure standing a top the stone pillar in the middle.
  • They can all hear the chants of a fanatical, Goliath woman echo around them: “My beloved Trickster. Take these sacrifices as an offering of my devout; choose me - Angrah to command your twisted Serpent to turn this world to stone!”
  • They’ll recognize
    • Scabb; twisted into a tree like form, in the arms of the tree-like figure’s arms. The runes on stone begins to alight and you can see them start to fade.
    • The large corpse of the Gandyr that they fought earlier. If you’re going to do anything; now’s the time to strike.

She either dies or gets sucked into the ritual.

  • The ritual is not expecting that much Giant blood and overloads; fusing all three into The Jormun; Middle child of the The Trickster.
  • A 25-30 foot tall serpent, it’s scales made of enchanted wood and it’s flesh glowing an energized, runic blue.
  • Scabb can be seen trapped inside the mouth.