011 12-30-2025
011 12-30-2025
Session Summary
After repairing the Iron Maw, Sin struck a deal with infernal powers to reclaim Sim’s soul, bringing her back at a heavy moral cost. The party then traveled to the desert city of Shan’dar, where they shopped, fought, drank, and acquired a sentient sword. Agreeing to escort a merchant across the dunes, they ended the session waking to an ambush by ankhegs beneath the desert sands.
Recap
Gorllewyn Gambit
AI Summary
In the aftermath of the coup, the party was finally able to complete repairs on one of the smaller prototype vessels. With time to breathe, Sin handed Faliq the Pixie Popper, and Faliq settled in to wait while the work continued. Sin, meanwhile, vanished into the library for nearly six months, obsessively searching for any information related to returning to Hell. With the help of clean energy innovations and the cooperation of the people of Gorllewyn, the party successfully finished constructing their new hybrid ship: Iron Maw.
During this downtime, Manon returned home to assist with repairs to Darkwell Keep, while Faliq traveled with Adira and Minka went to retrieve Greg, Ferdinand, and the golems.
Sin’s research proved… unsettling. Most of the tomes she found treated Hell as a theological concept, but a handful were disturbingly practical — literal guides on how to go to Hell. Sin believed she may have discovered several possible methods, including the possibility that returning as a fairy child might result in automatic damnation. Eventually, she pulled out her infernal IT ticket. Her place in line: number seven.
As the party prepared to travel toward Nordenheim, the ticket finally triggered. A smoky, flickering hologram of Alochar appeared, holding Sim’s soul in a birdcage. He granted Sin five questions. She asked everything she could about getting Sim back — but Alochar didn’t know how. Eventually, he escalated the issue, dragging Glasya into what could only be described as an evil Zoom meeting.
Glasya revealed that Sim was in trouble — but her numbers had been exceptionally good lately. Sin immediately claimed full credit for all those souls, pointedly excluding Manon and the rest of the party. The group openly laughed as she did. In the end, Glasya agreed: Sim could return, but she would be placed on probation. Sin accepted without hesitation.
Glasya produced Sim’s soul as a glowing blue sphere and set it on the table. Sin promptly dropped it into a Jumper’s Fun Hut shot glass. Just before drinking it, she turned and hurled a fireball at Dags — one last act of revenge for the time he nearly blew her up. Then she drank.
Sim returned to her body.
Sim explained that she had been mentally trapped in Hell for two years, spending most of that time stuffed inside a locker and surviving entirely on pickle-flavored Hot Cheetos. Her relief was tempered by guilt when she learned just how many souls had been consigned to Hell to secure her return.
With Sim restored, the party departed westward toward Ollmhor aboard the Iron Maw. The ship, now capable of both flight and sailing, touched down on the water, and the party docked in the city of Shan'dar.
Shan’dar proved vibrant and overwhelming. Minka immediately declared the food terrible due to unfamiliar spices, while also noting it was clearly a party city with endless distractions. The population was incredibly diverse, with many sun-tanned locals; men wore long braided hair adorned with gems, and the sandstone buildings were decorated with vivid colors — reminiscent of Moroccan architecture. A large man with an impressively beaded beard approached the party, offering information freely along with handfuls of exotic, spiced fruits.
Flynn purchased an all-black, Middle-Eastern-inspired outfit before the party explored the bazaar. Sim — being catastrophically bad with money and even worse at haggling — wildly overpaid for a decorative dagger.
At a weapons stall, Faliq met a dragonborn armorer who showed her a finely crafted steel greatsword and an obsidian blade. Dags sensed something stronger and investigated further, casting Identify on a strange greenish, semi-organic blade hidden in the back. The weapon introduced itself as Snickersnack. The obsidian blade, by comparison, was merely moon-touched.
Snickersnack cost 8,000 gold — far more than Faliq was willing to pay. She produced Sim’s old tiara to trade, unaware that Sim had no idea she still had it. Sim immediately bought the sword outright and exchanged it for the tiara. Sim walked away from the trade with nothing in her pocket, but happy as could be to have her tiara back. As the party walked away, the sword began speaking. Snickersnack explained that it was not a person trapped in a blade — it was made this way and had always been a sword. Before they left Symphony purchased some new white leather armor to replace the clothing that Sin had made her wear.
Looking for a place to unwind, the party found Bakkalli's, an upscale hookah bar with an impressive drink selection. Over drinks, Flynn took to the stage and performed with his lute, earning generous tips. When asked about work, the barmaid mentioned several businesses needing shipments delivered toward the nearby volcanic range.
Tensions flared again when Faliq and Minka resumed arguing over Minka’s contract. Eventually, Dags snapped — out of exhaustion and guilt — and paid the remainder of Minka’s contract himself. Freed, Minka celebrated by buying a cute dress and drinking excessively, since Dags was footing the bill. Faliq quietly spiked Dags’ drink, sending him into a deep, emotional spiral.
The night ended with a fistfight between Dags and Flynn, sparked by Dags’ sadness, anger, intoxication, and the fact that Flynn had given Manon a ring — which she was wearing.
The next morning, the party met a merchant traveling toward Lethran, who offered payment in exchange for protection. Dags instructed Mama Yasha to sail the Iron Maw ahead and meet them there.
As they crossed the harsh desert, high winds tore across the dunes. Minka and Sim dug shallow pits for cover while Dags shattered and excavated the ground to reinforce them. That night, Minka told Sim a terrifying story about “Jack the Snipper,” a figure who cuts off the fingers of people who suck on them too much.
At dawn, the party awoke to the sound of shifting sand.
A group of roughly a dozen Ankheg were approaching.
Log
In the wake of the coup, the party was able to finalize/repair one of the smaller protoype ship. Sin gave faliq the Pixie Popper, Faliq chilled out and waited for the ship to be repaired, Sin rummaged through the library for six months looking for any information on going back to hell. The party instilled clean energy and got the Gorllewyn people to assist them with repairing/making the new ship, The Iron Maw. Manon went home to help with the repair of her city Darkwell Keep. Faliq went with Adira and Minka went to go pick up Greg, Ferdinand, and the Golems.
Sin, in searching the library, finds books on the hell as a theological discussion. There is some practical books on "how to go to hell". She thinks she has some ways to go back, or if she'd go back as a fairy child, being sent to hell. She pulled out her hells IT ticket, its on number 7.
As we are planning to travel to Nordenheim , the ticket timer counts off and seeming smokey hologram of Alochar with sims soul in a birdcage appears. He gives her 5 questions with which she asks about going back, but he doesnt know how. He eventually gets Glasya to join the evil zoom meeting, at which she says that sim is in trouble but her numbers were very good recently. Sin claimed all of the credit for those souls, not giving any to Manon or the group, who laughed openly as she did. Glasya says that Sim can come back because she's been performing so well, but will be on probation if she does. Sin agrees, and Glasya presents the soul of Sim in a blue sphere on the table. Sin puts it in a jumbers fun hut shot glass, and just before taking it she shoots a fireball at Dags, getting one last bit of revenge for when he almost blew her up.
Sim CAME BACK TO HER BODY! claiming that she was stuck in hell mentally for two years, and ate nothing but pickle hot Cheetos the whole time as she was stuck in a locker most of the time. Sim is a bit morally torn when she finds out how many souls the party got consigned in order to get her back.
The party takes off headed westward towards Ollmhor in the new flying ship. The party decides to land the ship in the water as it was adjusted to sail as well now. We docked in the city of Shan'dar
Minka says the food is bad (they put spices in it she doesnt like) and says that its a party town. Lots of stuff to do. Theres a multitude of races, many people are more suntanned. Men have their hair in long braids with gem. The structures are sandstone with lots of brightly colored accents, think morocco. The party is approached by a large man with a large beady bearded man. He gives us lots of information and hands us lots of exotic spiced fruits.
Flynn buys a middle-eastern looking all black outfit. The party goes to the bazaar. Sim overpays for a decorative dagger because shes awful with money and worse at haggling.
Faliq meets a dragonborne armorer/weapons maker. He shows her a steel greatsword of good quality and an obsidian greatsword. Dags detects a stronger magic from the back, and goes to peruse the wares of the weapons. He uses identify item and identifies a greenish blade that seems almost semi-organic names Snickersnack. The black blade is a moon touched greatsword.
Faliq wants to buy Snickersnack, but its 8000 gold. She brings out Sim's old Tiara to trade, at which Sim didn't know that Faliq had it, so she bought the sword outright and traded faliq the sword for the tiara. As we walked the sword started talking, and we learned that it is a sentient sword. It doesnt think that it is a person trapped in a sword, but that it was made this way and always was a sword.
The party looks for a bar and finds one named Bakkalli's. Its a kind of hookah bar with an impressive bar. We all got drinks and talk to our female bar maid. Flynn pulls out his lute and performs on the stage, doing very well and receiving tips from the crowd. We ask the maid about work we can do, she gives us the names of a few businesses that might need something shipped to the volcanic range near the area.
Faliq and Minka argued about her contract incessantly, and eventually. Dags got tired of it and felt bad and gave Minka enough money to pay off her contract, which she does. Minka then to celebrate, gets a cute dress on and starts drinking like crazy because Dags is paying for drinks tonight. Faliq spikes Dag's drink without him noticing, and he gets REALLY sad.
Dags and Flynn got into a fist fight because Dags was sad/mad/drugged that Flynn got Manon a ring that she was wearing.
The party awakens the following morning and meets with a merchant who is traveling to Lethran . He invites us to travel with him and says he'll pay us for helping.
Dags instructs Mama Yasha to take the ship to meet us in Lethran. We pass through high windswept dunes. Minka and Sim dig out holes, and Dags shatters the ground excavating it out for cover. Minka tells sim a scary story about jack the snipper, who cuts peoples fingers off if they suck on them too much.
In the morning the party awakes to a group of about a dozen Ankheg that are approaching us.