The cavern burned with a strange stillness.

High above, Maledurk stood on the ceiling. Boots planted against stone, gravity bent wrong by Elora’s spell, the ember fungus pulsing in his grip like a dull coal. Red light played across his scales. Below him – though “below” had stopped meaning anything – his companions watched in silence, their world turned upside down.

For a moment, nothing but the hum of magic.

Then he ran.

He pushed off from the ceiling’s edge and threw himself into open air. The instant he crossed the boundary of Elora’s spell, real gravity took hold. He fell. The cavern rushed up to meet him in a blur of stone and firelight, and at the last moment instinct kicked in. His body twisted, wings snapping wide, catching just enough air to break the fall. He hit the ground hard but upright, the impact booming through the chamber.

The fungus still burned in his hand.

A breath later, gravity settled back where it belonged, as if nothing had happened.

They had what they came for.

The High Forest welcomed them differently this time. Where once it had been watchful, even hostile, it parted for them like an old ally. The river carried their folding boat with almost deliberate ease, the current gentle, the wind always at their backs. For three days they traveled through a green tunnel of leaves and shadow, sunlight filtering through in fractured beams, painting the water gold. No predators came. Nothing stirred.

Not peace, exactly. More like the forest had decided to let them pass.

By the time the mountains rose ahead of them, jagged gray teeth against the sky, the forest had already pulled back behind them, as if unwilling to follow. The river narrowed, grew rough, and finally dumped them on shore.

From there, they climbed.

Elora found something that was less a path than a suggestion. A subtle shaping of stone and earth that hinted at passage, enough to guide them upward and spare them the worst of the mountain.

Night came. They made camp under open sky, Thorn weaving a dome of unseen protection around them. Inside it, the world felt distant. Muted. Safe enough to sleep. Safe enough to dream.

But not unnoticed.

Elora saw it first. A shape circling high above, cutting silent arcs through the dark. Thorn followed her gaze as the creature descended.

A raven. Large, but not impossibly so, spiraling down with steady wingbeats until it landed on a stone outcropping above the camp.

It watched them. Not like a predator watches prey, or a scavenger watches the dying. It watched like it understood.

When Thorn stepped beyond the dome, the raven’s head snapped toward him with unnerving precision. He approached with cautious calm and offered words of greeting into the night.

The raven listened. Then it spoke.

“Get your rest,” came the voice, human and clear and entirely wrong in the beak of a bird. “You’ll need all your energy in the morning. Follow my friend Jacob when you wake.”

It said nothing more, but it didn’t leave.

At dawn, Jacob took to the air.

He led them without hesitation, away from Elora’s path and across the bare mountain slopes. No trail here, just rock and incline, but the raven never faltered. When they fell behind, he waited. When they caught up, he flew again.

An hour. Then another.

Then he vanished around a bend. When they followed, they found only stone and a dark opening carved into the mountainside.

The cave swallowed the light.

The deeper they went, the less things made sense. At first it seemed natural enough, another mountain tunnel cut by time and water. But the walls were too even. The path too consistent. No tool marks, no sign of labor, and yet it wasn’t untouched either.

Elora felt it before she could name it. The tunnel had been shaped by will, not by hand. She was sure of that much.

And probably hidden, too. She remembered the entrance, how easily they’d passed through. If there had been an illusion there, it hadn’t been meant to stop them. It had been meant to hide everything from anyone who wasn’t invited.

They pressed on.

The firelight came first. A flickering glow around a bend in the tunnel, the soft crackle of burning wood. It should have been comforting.

There was no smoke. No scent. Only the look of flame.

When they stepped into the chamber beyond, the world changed.

Trees rose around them. Tall, pale aspens stretching toward a ceiling that couldn’t possibly sustain them. Leaves whispering in a breeze with no source. Soft soil underfoot that had no business existing inside a mountain.

At the center of it all, a cabin. Simple and solid and real. The fire burning before it was not.

Jacob watched from the branches.

The door opened before they could knock.

The gnome woman who stepped out regarded them with a knowing look, her eyes sharp with recognition before anyone could introduce themselves. “Well,” she said, more like she’d been expecting guests than meeting strangers in a hidden mountain hollow. “I heard you’d be coming.”

Inside, the cabin overflowed with life. Shelves crammed with herbs, preserved foods, strange concoctions, things that defied identification. Nothing organized. Nothing orderly. And yet none of it felt accidental.

She went to work immediately. The ingredients they’d gathered, each one hard-won, each a piece of their journey, were taken without ceremony. She sliced the blood gourd open with practiced ease. The ember fungus followed, hissing faintly as it hit the water.

Other things joined the pot. Things they hadn’t gathered. Things that had already been waiting.

The brew simmered and thickened into something that didn’t look like any of its ingredients.

All the while, the woman watched them. Listened. Asked.

Their story came out in fragments. Battles, places walked, moments of confusion and wonder. She took it all in, her expression shifting with each new piece.

“You’ve been touched,” she said at last, stirring with absent focus. “Something beyond this world.”

The words hung there.

Then she turned to Maledurk.

“Come closer.”

The fire crackled softly, giving no heat.

“Look into the pot.”

He stepped forward. The surface of the brew shimmered, thick and dark, alive with motion.

And as he leaned in, everything went quiet.

Session Notes

  • The session resumes immediately after the party’s retrieval of the final ingredient, the ember fungus.

    • The party is still in the hot cavern where the ember fungus was found.
    • Maledurk is standing on the ceiling inside Elora’s Reverse Gravity effect, holding the glowing ember fungus.
    • Thorn had previously cast Feather Fall on Maledurk so he would not slam into the ceiling when the reverse gravity took effect.
    • The rest of the party is below, outside the area of effect, looking up at him.

  • The party discusses how to get Maledurk safely back down.

    • They clarify that the reverse gravity effect is only affecting the cylindrical area where Maledurk is, not the rest of the party.

    • Elora and the others talk through several possible ways to resolve the situation:

      • Maledurk could fly.
      • He could move to the edge of the reverse gravity field.
      • Elora could dismiss the spell and let him fall.

    • It is noted that Maledurk is a barbarian with many hit points, so even a 60-foot fall would probably not be catastrophic for him.

    • The group ultimately decides to have Maledurk move out of the reverse gravity area and rely on his ability to fly.

  • Maledurk escapes the reverse gravity field.

    • Maledurk runs off the invisible edge of the gravity cylinder.
    • As he leaves the effect, he begins falling normally.
    • A Dexterity saving throw is called for to see whether he can right himself and transition into controlled flight.
    • He succeeds.
    • At the last second, he rotates himself, pulls out his wings, slows his descent, and lands safely.
    • The group jokes that he “flew like a rock.”
    • He is still holding the ember fungus, which is glowing red like a coal.
    • The fungus is hot to the touch, but this does not bother Maledurk because of his fire resistance.

  • With the final ingredient secured, the party decides to return to Jareth.

    • They teleport back to the glade where Jareth is located.
    • As they enter the glade again, Elora’s backpack pulls against her as she crosses the boundary, then jolts and allows her through.
    • Jareth confirms that they have now collected all five required ingredients.

  • Jareth directs the party to the next destination.

    • Jareth tells the party that they must now find the reclusive witch in the Star Mounts.
    • The witch’s name is given as Nimue Ashcap.
    • Jareth says the party should follow the river up toward the mountains.
    • She says the forest will not interfere with them now that they are under her protection.
    • Jareth cannot send them directly to Nimue’s exact location because Nimue has her home protected.
    • However, Jareth says Nimue will know they are coming and will likely find them once they reach the mountains.

  • The party travels toward the Star Mounts by river.

    • They still have their folding boat, which they take out and use for the journey.
    • The river is flowing in the opposite direction they need to travel, but in this part of the forest it is slow and easy to navigate upstream.
    • The river is narrow, and the forest crowds in tightly on both sides.
    • The trees arch overhead, creating a tunnel-like canopy with only bits of sunlight coming through.
    • The trip is described as enclosed and similar to their earlier journey into the forest, but easier now because they know where they are going.

  • The group jokes about how to power the boat.

    • They propose having Maledurk sit at the stern and swish his tail in the water like a propeller.
    • They imagine feeding him chocolate bars and bits of bone marrow honey to keep him motivated and energetic.
    • Although this does not make the boat meaningfully faster than rowing, it does make the image amusing and lets the group joke their way through the travel.

  • The journey through the High Forest is peaceful.

    • True to Jareth’s promise, nothing in the forest troubles them.
    • They hear normal forest sounds—birds, animals, and insects—but encounter no danger.
    • The forest feels aware of them and accepting of their passage.
    • The party also notices that the wind seems always to be at their back, helping their sail even though the river bends and the terrain should make that unlikely.
    • This gives the impression that the forest itself is aiding their travel.
    • The river journey takes about three days despite the favorable conditions.

  • The party reaches the base of the Star Mounts.

    • As they approach the mountains, the forest begins to thin.
    • The tunnel-like canopy opens somewhat, allowing more sunlight through.
    • The terrain becomes hillier.
    • Ahead, the Star Mounts rise sharply and appear rocky and craggy, sticking out abruptly from the land.
    • The river continues upward into the mountains but grows narrower, rougher, and faster.
    • The party can see a waterfall farther ahead rising into the mountains.
    • Eventually, it becomes clear that continuing by boat is no longer practical.

  • The party leaves the river and continues on foot.

    • They fold the boat back up and put it away.

    • They decide to proceed inland rather than stop and wait immediately at the river’s end.

    • Perception checks are called for as they search for a route up the mountain.

    • Elora spots what looks like a rough trail heading upward.

      • It is not a formally cleared path.
      • It appears instead to be a route that people or animals have worn over time.

    • Because they find this trail, the climb is easier than it otherwise would have been.

    • The ground is mostly rock and dirt with only sparse shrubs.

    • The party follows the trail upward as evening approaches.

  • The party makes camp on the mountain.

    • By the end of the day, they find a relatively flat area suitable for camping.
    • The trail appears to continue farther up the mountain from this point.
    • Thorn casts Tiny Hut to provide shelter.
    • The group jokes about cooking with Maledurk’s fire breath and the fact that they still have a frying pan and black salt.
    • They also note that the ingredients they collected are still with them because they are bringing them to Nimue.

  • During the night, Elora and Thorn keep aware watch while resting.

    • Because they are elves, they do not sleep in the same way as Tempest and Maledurk.
    • Tempest and Maledurk sleep normally.
    • Elora and Thorn enter their resting trance but remain aware of their surroundings.
    • Perception checks are made.
    • Both Elora and Thorn notice a bird circling the campsite during the night.

  • The circling bird turns out to be a raven.

    • At first it might have been mistaken for an owl because it is flying at night.

    • On closer observation, it is clearly a raven.

    • It is somewhat large for a raven, but not unnaturally or monstrously so.

    • Its behavior is unusual:

      • It circles the campsite.
      • It appears interested in the party.

    • The party remembers that Tiny Hut is opaque from the outside, even though those inside can see out.

    • That makes the raven’s attention notable, since it should not be able to see them while they are inside the dome.

  • The raven lands and waits.

    • After circling for a few minutes, the raven lands on a rocky outcropping about 50 yards up the mountain near the trail.
    • It stares directly at the campsite.
    • Elora notes that it is still only large in the sense of being at the upper end of normal raven size.
    • The bird remains fixed on the party’s location.

  • Thorn leaves the Tiny Hut to approach the raven.

    • The party decides not to ignore it.
    • Thorn walks out openly and non-threateningly rather than trying to sneak up on it.
    • The moment Thorn steps outside the hut and becomes visible, the raven’s attention snaps directly to him.
    • This confirms that it likely could not see him while he was inside the hut.
    • Thorn approaches while speaking words of greeting in case the raven can understand him.

  • The raven speaks.

    • As Thorn nears, the raven gives a caw.

    • A voice then speaks through it.

    • The message is:

      • The party should get their rest because they will need all their energy in the morning.
      • When they wake, they should follow the raven, who is identified as Jacob.

    • Thorn and the party infer that the voice may belong to the witch they are seeking.

    • Thorn responds politely, saying they will rest and follow Jacob in the morning.

  • The party finishes the night and takes a long rest.

    • Everyone is instructed to take the benefits of a long rest.
    • In the morning, the raven is still there.
    • It watches the party as they wake, cook breakfast, and prepare to move.

  • Jacob leads the party farther into the mountains.

    • Once the party is ready, the raven takes off and flies ahead.

    • It repeatedly flies forward, then waits for the party to catch up.

    • It never allows them to get very close to it.

    • After about an hour of travel, the route changes.

      • The main trail they had been following continues upward.
      • Jacob turns off that trail and starts traversing sideways across the mountain.

    • There is no obvious path where the raven is going.

    • The terrain is rocky and somewhat more difficult, but not dangerous.

    • The party chooses to follow Jacob rather than remain on the apparent trail.

  • The raven brings the party to a hidden cave entrance.

    • After another hour or so traveling across the side of the mountain, Jacob flies around a bend in the rock and disappears.
    • When the party comes around the same bend, they find a small cave entrance in the mountainside.
    • The raven is no longer visible, and the party assumes it went inside.
    • They decide to continue into the cave.

  • Inside the cave, the party notices signs that the tunnel may not be natural.

    • The tunnel is initially dark as expected.

    • It bends quickly, putting them fully out of the sunlight.

    • The party is reminded of their many previous adventures underground.

    • They note that they are not descending deeper underground; the passage remains mostly level.

    • A discussion begins over whether the cave is natural.

      • Maledurk becomes convinced that it was cut by a river, even though there is no water.
      • Tempest argues with him.

    • Nature checks are made.

      • Elora and Thorn determine that the entrance may have been natural, but farther in the tunnel does not feel natural.
      • The walls and ceiling remain too consistent in height and width.
      • There are no clear tool marks such as pickaxe cuts.
      • It is not finished stone, but neither does it seem naturally formed.

  • The party concludes the tunnel was likely shaped by magic.

    • Arcana checks are made after this possibility is raised.
    • Elora and Thorn determine that magical shaping is very likely.
    • They also realize that the point where the natural cave seemed to transition into the worked passage would have been an ideal place to conceal the entrance with an illusion.
    • They suspect there is normally an illusion there hiding this tunnel, though it was not active when they entered.
    • The walls themselves, however, feel solid when touched.

  • The party sees light ahead deeper in the cave.

    • Eventually they see what appears to be firelight around a bend.

    • They can also hear what sounds like a small fire crackling.

    • Another round of perception checks is made.

    • Elora notices something important:

      • Although they can see and hear signs of a fire,
      • they do not smell smoke.

    • That absence strikes her as suspicious and suggests magic is involved.

  • The tunnel opens into an impossible cavern.

    • The party rounds the bend and emerges into a much larger cavern.

    • The space is illuminated by ambient light from an unseen source.

    • There is a campfire visible ahead.

    • Beyond and around the fire, the interior of the cavern contains what looks like an aspen forest.

      • There are living trees.
      • The ground looks like dirt rather than bare stone.
      • The setting resembles a woodland clearing.

    • In the middle of this underground forest stands a log cabin.

    • The entire sight is surreal because there is no visible sunlight and no obvious reason trees should be able to grow there.

    • The party notes that they had been walking through solid mountain rock and would not expect there to be enough soil or light for this environment to exist naturally.

  • The party studies the strange scene.

    • Arcana checks are made to determine what is real and what may be illusory.

    • Elora and Thorn conclude:

      • The campfire is definitely an illusion.

        • It gives off light and sound.
        • It does not produce smoke.
        • It does not produce heat.

      • The trees appear to be real.

      • The soil appears to be real.

      • The cabin appears to be real.

    • The group discusses whether this might be a dimensional effect or some other magical space rather than a simple illusion.

    • Looking around, they spot Jacob the raven perched in one of the trees near the cabin, watching them.

  • The party approaches the cabin.

    • They decide to walk forward and knock on the door.
    • Before they can do so, the door opens on its own.

  • Nimue Ashcap appears.

    • A gnome woman steps out of the cabin.
    • She is small, as expected for a gnome, but the cabin itself appears human-sized.
    • She says she heard the party would be coming.
    • She asks whether they brought all the ingredients.
    • The party confirms that they did.
    • She refers to the raven as Jacob and remarks that he is “not the brightest bird.”
    • She invites them to come in and mind the fire, then returns inside.

  • The party enters Nimue’s cabin.

    • Inside is one main room with:

      • A hearth and cooking area.
      • A table.
      • Chairs.
      • Shelves lining the walls.
      • A rear doorway or hall leading to another room.

    • The shelves are crowded with all kinds of stored items:

      • Herbs.
      • Plants.
      • Vegetables.
      • Cured meats.
      • Jars of preserved or pickled ingredients.

    • The room looks heavily stocked but disorganized.

      • Similar items are scattered in multiple places.
      • There is no visible system to the arrangement.

  • The party speaks with Nimue.

    • Someone asks whether she lives there alone.
    • Nimue answers that she does, apart from Jacob, and says she is not lonely.
    • When the party refers to her as a witch, she says that perhaps that is technically true, though it is not how she would describe herself.
    • She confirms that she can help them if they have brought the ingredients.

  • Nimue begins preparing something with the ingredients.

    • She puts a pot on the hearth and adds water from a bucket.

    • The party gives her the collected ingredients.

    • She examines them and is pleased, especially with the blood gourd, calling it a very good specimen and remarking that it is always difficult to obtain.

    • She chops the blood gourd and dumps it into the water.

    • She slices up the ember fungus and adds it as well.

      • She comments that ember fungus is very useful.
      • She says that with such a good specimen, she might not even have needed to place the pot on the fire, but that it is still helpful in cooking.

    • She also begins adding other ingredients from her shelves that were not part of the party’s collected items:

      • A jar containing liquid and preserved matter.
      • Dried meats.
      • Powders or flour-like substances.
      • Additional herbs and ingredients taken almost absentmindedly from various shelves.

    • As she stirs the pot, it begins to thicken.

  • Nimue asks what the party wants from her.

    • She asks directly what it is they need.

    • The party answers that they want to understand:

      • Why all of this is happening to them.
      • Whether there is a greater purpose.
      • Why they have been on this journey.
      • What they are supposed to be doing.

    • Nimue studies them carefully as she stirs.

  • Nimue gives her first reading of the party’s situation.

    • She says that there is much change in them.
    • She says they seem to have been through many places.
    • She appears to sense that they have been affected by powerful forces.
    • She tells them that they have been “touched by something powerful, something beyond this world.”
    • She asks for details about the various trials, tribulations, adventures, and strange places they have experienced.
    • The party tells her about what has been happening to them.
    • Based on what she hears and what she perceives, she says she thinks she can help and that they can figure out what to do.

  • Nimue chooses to begin with Maledurk.

    • After continuing to stir the pot and observe the party, she looks specifically at Maledurk.
    • She tells him to come closer.
    • She instructs him to look into the pot.
    • Maledurk approaches.

  • Maledurk peers into the pot.

    • As he leans over, he smells something pleasant.
    • The mixture smells earthy and slightly spiced.
    • Nimue watches him closely while he looks into it.

  • The session ends on a cliffhanger.

    • Before describing what Maledurk sees, the session is cut off for the night.
    • The group ends with the unresolved moment of Maledurk looking into the pot while Nimue observes him.