In the gloomy depths beneath the crumbling ruins, Luna, Krenn Smith, Bob, and Ophelia found themselves thrust into a confrontation they were not entirely prepared for—one that would shape their destinies in ways none could anticipate. As the last remnants of the mephits and mud golem dissolved back into the muck from which they’d emerged, the companions knew their true foe remained untouched: Murgaxor, encased in a swirling dome of mud and water, his rhythmic chants echoing with malicious intent. The oracle’s words resonated sharply in their minds—this ritual must not be allowed to finish.

Without hesitation, Krenn surged forward, his hands crackling with electricity. “I’ve crawled through sewers darker than this,” he muttered defiantly, channeling a bolt of lightning directly at Murgaxor’s shield. But the swirling barrier was stronger than anticipated, deflecting the lethal arcs into harmless sparks. Frustration flickered in Krenn’s eyes, but determination quickly replaced it.

Luna, small but fierce, brandished her Flame Blade, slicing into the barrier with desperate resolve. Heat seared through the muck, vaporizing thick strands of mud and water. Yet, the shield held firm. “It’s like slicing through stone!” she cried, feeling the resistance of the barrier as though it were a living entity defending itself.

Their situation grew increasingly dire as Bob and Ophelia succumbed to their injuries. Luna and Krenn exchanged a horrified glance as their fallen friends’ forms shimmered momentarily before vanishing altogether. In their place stood two dragonborn warriors, Maledurk and Tempest—familiar yet distant echoes from a past they scarcely remembered.

Disoriented, Maledurk staggered slightly, visions of forgotten battles and distant worlds clouding his mind. Yet instinct guided him true; recognizing Luna and Krenn in some ephemeral, dreamlike recognition, he released a fierce, guttural roar and attacked the barrier with primal fury, claws raking fiercely through the mud. Tempest, with narrowed eyes and a wave of her hand, conjured explosive flames, her fireball blasting enormous gaps in Murgaxor’s defenses. They did not question their sudden appearance or reunion—the urgent battle demanded their full attention.

As the battle intensified, Murgaxor retaliated viciously. A colossal hand of living mud surged from the ground, gripping Maledurk, attempting to crush him. Through gritted teeth, he pushed back, breathing fire in defiance until the hand disintegrated in embers and scorched clay. Nearby, Krenn’s eyes flashed cold blue as he froze sections of the shield, weakening its structural integrity. Seizing the opportunity, Luna drove her flaming blade into the frozen mud, fracturing it in an explosion of steam and shards of ice.

The shield crumbled. Exposed and vulnerable, Murgaxor doubled down, frantic yet unwavering in his chant. He swung at Luna with a sword formed from dark mist, inflicting deep wounds, but her resolve did not waver. From the floating stones around him, beams of magic erupted, striking Krenn with unerring accuracy, knocking him momentarily to his knees. “We must end this now!” Krenn shouted through the pain, fighting to regain his footing.

United in desperation, they unleashed everything they had. Tempest’s relentless flames engulfed Murgaxor, Maledurk’s furious bite found its mark, and Krenn’s lightning cracked decisively. Murgaxor staggered, his chant faltering; the floating stones shattered, and the ritual ceased abruptly. The masked sorcerer collapsed, his form melting grotesquely into the mud beneath him.

In the sudden silence, a wave of disorientation swept over the group. Maledurk and Tempest stood panting, dazed, while Luna and Krenn exchanged confused glances as reality reasserted itself around them. But any moment of relief was fleeting, as the cavern began to shake violently. “We have to move!” Luna shouted, as pieces of the ceiling crashed dangerously close.

With adrenaline guiding their steps, they dashed toward the staircase, which twisted upward endlessly, far longer than they remembered descending. Breathless and driven by survival instinct, they finally burst onto the surface—into darkness and a thick, enveloping fog.

The mountain air chilled them, heavy with an ominous presence. Before they could fully comprehend their surroundings, Luna froze, staring into the swirling mist. A face, both hauntingly familiar and unmistakably malevolent, formed briefly—Strahd. A gasp of recognition barely escaped her lips before the fog overwhelmed them entirely.

Awakening was like clawing their way out of deep water. Their heads spun, vision blurry, lungs aching as consciousness returned. Cold stone pressed against their bodies; iron bars loomed imposingly before them, a harsh reality check. They were prisoners, held captive in a subterranean cell carved directly into the rock face of a vast underground cavern. Shadows stretched endlessly into the gloom beyond.

“What happened?” Elora whispered shakily, pulling herself upright and glancing around the dimly lit cell.

“I don’t know,” Thorn replied, confusion etched across his features. The echoes of the fight against Murgaxor, the reunion with their strange yet familiar companions, and their encounter with Strahd all felt disturbingly unreal, yet undeniably vivid.

Nearby, Maledurk and Tempest stirred, equally confused but resolute. They exchanged glances that spoke volumes—recognition mixed with uncertainty, a bond forged by shared trauma yet tempered by unanswered questions.

Together, they stood silently, each wrestling with personal mysteries while grasping a shared realization: their journey was far from over. Whatever had transpired beneath those ruins had woven their fates tighter, tying past to present in ways they had yet to understand. And somewhere beyond the bars that confined them, unseen but palpably waiting, answers—and perhaps greater threats—lay ahead.

Session Notes

  • Initial Recap by the DM

    • The DM recounts that the party explored some ruins above ground and encountered a floating skeleton. The skeleton seemed repelled by them. It screamed when they got close and flew off. Some party members briefly fell unconscious during that event but decided to press on.
    • The group descended into a basement area, which was more intact than the ruined walls above.
    • They found Murgaxor standing in a magic dome of swirling mud and water with five stones floating around him. Murgaxor wore a mask, was chanting, and gestured to summon creatures: several small winged mephits and a large mud golem.
    • A battle ensued, and in the process, Bob and Ophelia fell unconscious. Their bodies disappeared and were replaced by two unfamiliar dragonborn figures (Maledurk and Tempest), who were actually the party’s former characters from a past campaign.

  • Setup of the Battle with Murgaxor

    • The dome of mud and water appeared to shield Murgaxor while he continued chanting. Five stones spun around him, seemingly powering the ritual.
    • The DM reminded players that the oracle had warned them to disrupt the ritual before it completed.

  • Krenn Smith’s Attempt to Attack the Shield

    • Krenn (the half-elf wizard) decided to fire a lightning bolt at Murgaxor and the swirling dome.
    • The lightning struck the mud-and-water barrier. It caused visible damage but did not pierce fully. The swirling shield deflected the attack around Murgaxor.

  • Luna’s Approach with Flame Blade

    • Luna (the fairy druid) already had her Flame Blade active. She attempted to slice the mud shield with it.
    • She felt physical resistance from the swirling mud and water but managed to deal significant damage to the dome.

  • Maledurk Enters (Replacing Bob)

    • Maledurk, one of the newly appeared dragonborn, emerged disoriented. He recognized Krenn and Luna as older allies, though they looked different.
    • Maledurk raged (as a barbarian) and clawed at the mud shield, tearing away large chunks.

  • Tempest Enters (Replacing Ophelia)

    • Tempest, another newly appeared dragonborn (where Ophelia once stood), unleashed a Fireball at the shield.
    • The Fireball blasted chunks of mud free, weakening the dome further.

  • Unicorn’s Appearance

    • There was a summoned unicorn (left over from a previous effect), which attempted to help attack but missed on some of its strikes.

  • Murgaxor’s Mud Fist Attack

    • A large muddy fist rose from the floor and tried to squeeze Maledurk. Maledurk took some damage, but as a raging barbarian, he halved it.
    • The fist then began gripping him, restricting his movement until he broke free.

  • Krenn Freezes Portions of the Shield

    • Krenn used a frost spell (Frostbite) on the dome, freezing part of it to potentially make it easier to break.

  • Continued Assault on the Mud Shield

    • Luna struck again with her Flame Blade, targeting the weakened, frozen section. She shattered part of the shield.
    • Maledurk unleashed his Breath Weapon (fire) while still caught in the giant fist. The breath burned away the mud fist and further damaged the dome.

  • Tempest’s Second Fireball

    • Tempest cast a second Fireball, causing massive damage to the remainder of the swirling mud barrier.
    • The combined efforts of the entire group destroyed the shield completely.

  • Direct Attacks on Murgaxor

    • With the shield destroyed, the group could see Murgaxor unprotected.
    • Krenn cast a Cloud of Daggers on Murgaxor, causing him constant damage while he tried to maintain concentration.
    • Luna slashed him with Flame Blade, dealing more damage but not breaking his focus.
    • Maledurk launched claw and bite attacks. He scored a critical bite, gravely injuring Murgaxor.

  • Murgaxor’s Counterattacks

    • Murgaxor tried to continue chanting and maintain the ritual with the floating stones.
    • He struck at Luna with a black mist sword, hitting her once for significant damage. The second swing missed.
    • The stones lit up and fired multiple Magic Missile-like attacks at Krenn, dealing damage.

  • Final Blows

    • Krenn launched a lightning bolt that destroyed two of the floating stones and knocked the remaining three inert onto the mud.
    • Tempest cast another destructive spell (Fireball), and the group pummeled Murgaxor further.
    • Maledurk’s final bite attack inflicted heavy damage, and Murgaxor fell into the mud, dissolving into it. The ritual ended.

  • Aftermath of the Battle

    • Once Murgaxor’s form merged with the mud, all swirling magic ceased.
    • The party felt a wave of confusion wash over them, and Luna and Krenn returned to their original states of awareness. Maledurk and Tempest also stood there, breathing heavily.
    • The unicorn disappeared.

  • Collapse of the Ruins

    • The ground began to shake and the structure around them started to collapse. Debris fell from the ceiling.
    • The party decided to run up the stairs in the basement.
    • They ascended countless flights of stairs, far more than they recalled descending. No landings or doors were visible.

  • Emerging into Fog

    • Finally reaching the surface, they found themselves on a mountainside in dark, overcast conditions. A fog rolled in.
    • They recognized an ominous presence in the mist—reminiscent of Strahd—but barely had time to react.
    • The fog consumed them, and they blacked out.

  • Waking in a Stone Cell

    • The party awakened in a small alcove with walls, floor, and ceiling of stone.
    • Metal bars blocked the exit, and dim light trickled in from a larger cavern beyond.
    • They realized they were in some sort of underground prison cell or alcove, with only a faint view of an enormous cavern outside.

  • Session Conclusion

    • The DM ended the session on this cliffhanger, leaving the party imprisoned in an unknown subterranean location, unsure of how they arrived there or what happened to them after the fog.