**Session 8!** 21 March 2026 10h00 PDT (17h00 UTC) # Session Info | Players Present | Players Absent | | Starting Location | Ending Location | | --------------- | -------------- | --- | ----------------- | -------------------------------- | | Anna | BJ | | Gudesberg caverns | _Skyborn_ (en route to Vinsklar) | | Michael | Mason | | | | | Micaiah | | | | | | Ashe | | | | | # Session Overview The party resumed where we left off, near the body of the dead uloth. Dr Bungus surely wanted to harvest samples from the uloth, but since he was absent, we just pretended that he did (this would be retroactively handled [[2026-04-04|next session]]). The party explored the area somewhat. Dynamo and Anonis, who had been coated in the uloth's mucus, found they had an affinity for the underground lake the uloth had inhabited, and seemingly to water in general. They found themselves strangely adept swimmers and felt a pull towards the water, and discomfort when out of it. Uhtred was greatly suspicious of this, and urged them to stay away from the water. They mostly ignored him. The party took a Long Rest to recover from their wounds and struggles. Dynamo and Anonis found that they could not properly rest unless immersed in water, so they laid within the lake while the others slept on the shore. It seems the mucus also had granted them the ability to breathe underwater. The Long Rest did not seem to have an effect on the mucus' transformation of Dynamo and Anonis. Worse, as the party woke and explored the remaining sections of the cave, it became clear that their affinity for water was not meaningless: their skin dried out when not in contact with water, and inflicted damage on them after too long. To prevent this, all party members filled their waterskins at the lake, and the two affected party members periodically poured water over their bodies as the group explored. Uhtred, still suspicious, again cautioned them to limit their exposure to the water. It should be noted that the uloth's unnatural tainting of the water appeared to end when it died. The party found nothing more of note within the caves, and no more monsters. They did find additional dead priests, some in a state of mid-transformation. The party decided to return to the monastery proper. As they retraced their steps, they encountered living priests, wandering around in a state of confusion, having little memory of the last few weeks as they were under the creature's thrall. All of them were glad to return to sunlight, and accompanied the party. When the group returned to the monastery, Dynamo and Anonis were taken to see the Salvan healers. Although none of them had seen an affliction like this before, they were able to cure it with rare herbal extracts and distillations. Once that was dealt with, the party was debriefed by the Council of Wisdom. You told them of the uloth, its enslaving dominating will, and the effects it wrought on the environment. All of this was quite concerning to them, as no record of anything similar to this existed in priestly records. Suddenly, Brother Osric was possessed by the will of Lucuna himself, who spoke directly to the party. > **"YOU HAVE VANQUISHED AN ANCIENT EVIL TODAY. THE CREATURE YOU SLEW WAS A WARPED REMNANT OF OLD CREATION. BY DESTROYING THIS ULOTH, YOU HAVE STRENGTHENED HUMANITY'S PLACE IN THIS WORLD AND PROVEN YOURSELF TO THE GODS. YET THIS IS NOT YOUR TRUE QUEST. YOU MUST FULFIL THE PROPHECY. YOU MUST FIGHT AGAINST THE FORCES OF CHAOS AND DISSOLUTION IF YOUR SPECIES IS TO SURVIVE. DARK PLOTS ARE IN MOTION. BE VIGILANT, BE BOLD, BE WISE, AND YOU MAY YET PREVAIL."** The priests were awed, as this is the first time in recorded history that Lucuna spoke to someone not in the priesthood. [[Guthred]], the Voice of Wisdom and Most High Thane of the Order, decreed that the party has been sanctioned by Lucuna himself in their quest, and has committed to granting them whatever they need. To that end, he is allowing their initial request (from way back in [[2026-01-10|Session 3]]) to borrow a powerful artefact of Lucuna, and has granted them temporary custody of [[The Ninth Lens of Lucuna]]. He still does not know that the nature of its intended use is thaumatological. In addition, to reward the players for dealing with the priests' problem in the caverns, Guthred awarded the party the following: * 2000 crowns (gold pieces) for the party * one stone mark each * one [[Orison of Lucuna]] each (Fran did not receive any of these items for herself) Party gold: 2860 gp The party then departed the monastery to bring the Ninth Lens to Maerwynn. When they got back to the _Skyborn_, still moored at the Gudesberg docks, they noticed that the cabin door had been recently replaced – the wood, lock, and hinges were brand-new. Upon entering, they found [[Beornwulf]] sitting inside. He told them that some opportunistic thieves had noticed the ship left unguarded and had broken into the cabin to loot it, just as he arrived. He was able to drive them off before they could steal anything. He said that [[Maerwynn]] is being hunted by [[Haakon's Mercenaries]], who know details about the [[Rúnbrandr|Rune-Sword]] and its significance. It is unclear how [[Lord Haakon|Haakon]] obtained this information. Maerwynn has fled [[Prosperity]] and is now hiding in [[Vinsklar]], where she has allies. Beornwulf accompanied her to Vinsklar and then went to Gudesberg to find the party, where he saw the _Skyborn_ at the docks and arrived just in time to catch the thieves. Some party members were somewhat suspicious of Beornwulf's story, but with nothing else to go on, they set off for Vinsklar. Halfway through the journey, they encountered an airship flying Haakon's flag. The ship sailed directly at them, and Dynamo took command, instructing the others to take their stations as they entered combat with the enemy. The session ended mid-combat.