Session A12 — Roc's Nest

Summary

The session opened with Karlach's farewell above the roc's nest — she was already heading to Neverwinter and only diverted because she spotted Roland about to be turned into bird droppings. She dropped her journal as she flew off, leaving the party with her private notes on each of them. Treasure sorting followed, then egg crimes: Roland and Kelvin quietly launched the roc eggs off the cliffside one by one, and Kavu emerged from the bone pile just in time to watch Dwayne — the one he'd named — disappear into the darkness below. The DM's epitaph was delivered without mercy. On the road north, the party found a collapsed halfling: Haldak Tencloak, a time-lost arcanist from the Netherese enclave of Rasilith who woke up centuries out of place. He rode along. The party visited Agatha in her woodland lair, offered the silver comb, and learned that Bowgentle's spellbook was traded to a necromancer named Surnath of Eriabor over a century ago. On the road home, several travel days and a cultural exchange between Haldak and Kavu later, the journey was interrupted by a felled tree and Zilnath — Othorion's cousin, his uncle's instrument. The test that followed was real enough to kill Othorion. Haldak reversed it, stopping the rain mid-fall and pulling blood back into the body. Zilnath acknowledged the test passed, sealed it with a blooded handshake, and promised to report that Othorion was proving capable. The closing revelation: in Haldak's foretellings, Othorion survives only in timelines where these companions stay with him.

Key Events

Karlach's Farewell

The session opened mid-conversation: Karlach explaining herself before departing. She was on her way to Neverwinter — some bloke too cozy with shadows — but had seen the roc fight from above and diverted. Her rationale was practical: "Roland's mom wouldn't have been too chuffed to see you turned into bird droppings, now would she? So I had to swoop and save your buns from the fire, didn't I?" On Roland's mom's work: "She has this thing about redemption. She likes to make sure that people are given the chances, so she sends me down from time to time to see if I can sway people from the dark to the light."

She checked that the party was survivable — receiving confirmation, plus the information that Kavu had acquired a new steed — then said her goodbyes. To Roland: "Roro, take good care of yourself and teach these fellas how to have some fun." She noted that Shadow (Othorion) hadn't said a word since she arrived and looked possibly dead: "Y'all can sort that out." Final words before the wings came out: "Take good care of him. He'll take good care of you. Don't be strangers." And to Roland specifically: "Later, Row Row."

She stood up, unfurled her wings — "a mixture between angelic and hellish because she's a celestial tiefling, which is a weird thing" — and flew north. Kavu shouted after her as she disappeared. "She's nowhere to be seen." A short while later, a small booklet landed in the bone pile. The broken leather strap looked like it had fallen off Karlach's belt.

Karlach's Journal

The notebook contained Karlach's personal observations on each party member — written exactly how she talked. Kavu read them aloud. The entries, with their assigned nicknames:

• Kelvin — "Big Tree": "He's a towering tree of a lad, ain't he? Not the sharpest axe in the shed, but it's his arts in the right place. Bless him."
• Kavu — "Sparky": "That little dragon runt Sparky, he's got guts, don't he? Brave as a lion, bold as brass. If he were just a few apples taller, he might just be the perfect man, if you know what I mean, eh?"
• Othorion — "Shadow": "Broody as the night and twice as dark. Handsome devil with a blade. Though he got a proper thumpin' before I showed up. Could use a bit of lightening up that one."

Roland's entry was in the book but was a DM handout not read aloud. Haldak had not yet been met, so has no entry. The notebook was sent to the Othorion player directly after the session.

Egg Crimes and Dwayne's Fate

While Kavu excavated the roc's refuse pile, Roland and Kelvin quietly solved the future roc problem by shoving the eggs off the cliffside, one at a time — going over the wrong edge, as it turned out. The nest was thousands of feet above the ruins; Boulders for Muscles was camped in the ruins below. The eggs simply disappeared into the darkness. Kavu kept surfacing from the treasure to find fewer eggs. He didn't understand why until the last one.

Kavu emerged from the pile holding the Boots of Elvenkind just in time to watch Dwayne — the egg he had named — fly off the edge. "That's a little high, guys." He moved to the cliffside and watched Dwayne "disappear into the darkness below," with only the pinprick of the campfire visible far below. "You just threw them off the cliff. I'm not talking to you anymore!" Kavu went to the gold pile, threw some more on it, and curled up to sulk. The DM's delivery was economical: "Dwayne the Rock Johnson, lived from Marpenoth 24, 1507 to Marpenoth 24, 1507." A player summed up the tragedy: "I didn't even get to see the sky."

Treasure from the Nest

Kavu's excavation of the roc's refuse pile yielded the following, in order of discovery: a yellow potion, a filthy hat (smelled powerfully of rats; Kelvin nat 1'd the nature check to identify what species, to the DM's evident disappointment), +1 plate armour pulled out with a full skeleton still inside it — skeleton pieces falling out as it emerged, "Goonies levels of disgusting" — two magical cloaks (identified later as a Mantle of Spell Resistance and a Cloak of Billowing), a +1 boomerang, and Boots of Elvenkind. There were also two magical horns pulled from the pile; one was identified as a Horn of Silent Alarm, the other as a magical hearing horn.

The boomerang required a field test. Kavu immediately threw it at Kelvin. He missed, it went over the cliff edge into the darkness, came back, and he caught it: "It came back! It came back!" followed by "I'm so bad at that, I can't believe it came back! I'm keeping it!" He wore it on his back like a small decorative weapon. Kavu had to dive back into the pile for the second cloak after the first one shot out of the hole with such force that it launched him backwards across the nest.

Haldak Tencloak Found on the Road

North of Conyberry, the cart nearly ran over an exhausted halfling collapsed in the road: Haldak Tencloak. He claimed he had simply "vanished" and woken up here. Through conversation it became clear he believed himself to be from Netheril — specifically the enclave of Rasilith — and that he was thousands of miles and many centuries out of place. The party let him ride along with the fascinated skepticism of people who have personally visited the Feywild this week. His archaic speech and unusual magical instincts made his story difficult to dismiss.

Agatha — The Silver Comb

The party left the cart and Boulders for Muscles behind and approached Agatha's woodland cottage. The forest answered Roland speaking her name with appropriate dread. Kavu offered the silver comb Sister Garaele had provided. Agatha accepted it with undead satisfaction and granted one question. Roland asked about Bowgentle's spellbook. Agatha answered: she traded it over a century ago to a necromancer named Surnath of Eriabor, and she does not know where it went after that. The party thanked her and left at pace before she reconsidered.

Travel Home — Haldak Integration

The return trip west was a compressed travel stretch: several days of road, a suspicious roadside camp with a strange carriage observed but not approached, and four downtime periods. Kavu attempted to gain Performance proficiency under Boulders for Muscles's instruction — failed all four downtime rolls (never hit DC 10). Othorion and Haldak established a language exchange: Haldak teaching Netherese, Othorion teaching current Common. Haldak's time in exile was beginning to resolve into a working relationship with the party rather than an ongoing emergency.

The Felled Tree — Zilnath

A tree across the road. A white-haired drow standing calmly on the other side. Othorion recognised him immediately: Zilnath, his cousin. Othorion moved ahead of the party to speak with him alone, which was, in retrospect, exactly what Zilnath wanted. Zilnath revealed that Othorion's uncle had sent him to find Othorion and assess whether he was coasting through exile or actually capable of surviving what was coming. He had brought others. They had been waiting.

Othorion Dies

The parley collapsed into a real fight. Hidden drow came out of the woods. The party scrambled into position. The battlefield was chaotic. Kelvin burned through Wild Shape to stay in it. Roland held a line. Kavu managed battlefield pressure. Haldak tried to parse the rhythm of a group that treats catastrophe as a scheduling preference. At the fight's low point, Othorion went down for real — not unconscious, dead.

Haldak Breaks Time

Haldak reached Othorion and placed his hands on him. What followed was not healing. The DM's description:

"The rain stops. And I don't mean it stops raining. I mean the rain stops where it was. Time ceases to flow for but a moment. And Othorion's blood wicks away from the sword of Zilnath, who is walking away casually with it in his hands. And back to Othorion."

The DM addressed Othorion directly: "You never took any lethal damage. Thus, you never had to roll death saves. Thus, you are... for all intents and purposes, combat ready. That's not to say you don't remember what happened. You didn't make it not happen. You just took... you didn't take any lethal blows."

Then, to Haldak: "The cost... has been paid. Your debt has been paid."

Othorion's response to finding himself standing: "Another debt that I will repay. But first we fight." Zilnath, mid-casual-retreat, felt the blood wick back off his sword blade and stopped walking.

Zilnath Acknowledges and Withdraws

Zilnath stopped walking, looked back at Othorion standing in a puddle of blood that was technically no longer his. "Oh, cousin, what an interesting turn of events." He moved forward, took his sword, and buried it point-first in the log between them. "It seems as though you have passed the test after all. Very good. Very good indeed." Othorion unsheathed Lario and drove it into the log beside Zilnath's blade.

Zilnath's full accounting of what he'd seen:

"Excellent... doesn't feel like much of a pass. Well. The death I expected. But for those that you have gathered around you to fight so valiantly for you and, frankly, perform miracles on your behalf — I don't know where you found such loyal companions, but as far as your uncle is concerned, you have what you need to survive what is coming. Let us speak, shall we?"

On why this test existed at all: "Your uncle needed to make sure that you were not simply resting on your laurels and living the easy life." Othorion: "Always. It's never been an easy day. It never will be an easy day."

Zilnath's disclosure on the accusation: "This crime you are accused of — your uncle believes it to be more important and for the intrigue to go deeper than you could ever imagine. Maybe even to the depths of Menzoberranzan. Do you understand what I am alluding to?" Othorion: "I believe so."

Zilnath's conclusion: "The power to do to you what has been done to you is beyond mere parlor tricks, and as such, the enemies that you and now our family face are greater than we are prepared to handle at this time. I will return home and report to your uncle that you are indeed capable of not only handling yourself, but surviving until we call upon you to stand for your crimes and bear witness to your proposed innocence."

Othorion: "I told you I'd find the evidence." Zilnath: "I hope you find something. As do we. Let it not be said that we do not spill blood for blood." He cut his hand with his sword and held it out. Othorion matched the cut and shook.

To the party, surveying the assembled group: "Very well. Very well indeed. Well met. I will have my men clear this log off of the road and you can be on your way. Fare thee well, cousin, until we see each other again." Othorion: "I look forward to the day when I'm stronger." Zilnath's parting shot: "Oh, if this is you at your weakest, I can't wait to see what you're like at your strongest."

The two hidden drow who had been attacking came out of the woods and were reassigned to log-clearing duty. Kavu hopped onto the tree to mug them briefly as the party walked away. As they went, Kavu: "Is this how all drow families are?" Othorion: "Mainly mine." Then, on Zilnath specifically: "He's honestly tamer than some of the women in my family."

Roland Presses Haldak

On the walk back to the cart, Roland stopped and asked directly: "At what the hells did you do to bring him back? And more importantly, what did it cost?" He was not satisfied with thank-yous: "There's always thanks, but I need to know costs so that I know how to properly thank. This goes beyond mere trinkets, gold, information, things that I am good at. The next time you do something like this, take us with you." Haldak acknowledged the debt and did not elaborate further.

The Foretelling

That night on the road, Haldak — having spent himself in ways he hadn't before — had a fitful, restless sleep. The DM's description of what came in the dark:

"Cryptic and enigmatic, these visions leave you with more questions than answers. However, there is one central theme among them. When these strangers who have shown you such kindness on the road — when these people are with you in these foretellings and these visions, you survive. And when they are not, either because you leave or they perish, you die. Your future is tied to theirs. Your fortune is their fortune. Your timeline is their timeline."

The players' response: "Fuck a duck." The DM: "One hell of a character intro." Then, unprompted, he revealed that the entire road ambush had not been scripted — the party parking the wagon 170 feet back and letting Othorion approach solo forced the encounter into a shape nobody had planned for. "I was hoping more for parlay." One player: "Wait — you saw a drow and didn't think ambush?"

NPCs Encountered

Loot / Discoveries

• Karlach's journal — dropped as she flew off; contains personal observations and nicknames for each party member (Kelvin = "Big Tree", Kavu = "Sparky", Othorion = "Shadow"); Roland's entry in handout only
• +1 plate armour (from roc nest; extracted from a skeleton with skeleton pieces falling out of it)
• Mantle of Spell Resistance (cloak, from roc nest)
• Cloak of Billowing (from roc nest)
• Horn of Silent Alarm (from roc nest)
• Magical hearing horn (from roc nest)
• +1 boomerang (from roc nest; immediately thrown at Kelvin, missed, returned — "I'm keeping it!")
• Boots of Elvenkind (from roc nest; last item pulled, emerged as Kavu watched Dwayne go over the cliff)
• Potion of Heroism (yellow, person-shaped bottle; grants 10 temp HP + Bless spell effect, 1 hour duration)
• Hat of Vermin (from roc nest; smells powerfully of rats; 3 charges, summons bat/frog/rat uncontrolled; regains charges at dawn; Kelvin nat 1'd the nature check to identify species)
• Bowgentle's spellbook location: traded by Agatha to necromancer Surnath of Eriabor over 100 years ago

Combat & Encounters

The Zilnath Ambush

• Enemies: Zilnath + at least 2 hidden drow (one assassin, one archer)
• Location: Felled tree across the Triboar Trail, 170 feet from the party wagon
• Setup: Othorion approached alone; party stayed 170 feet back with the wagon — DM confirmed post-session this wasn't the expected approach ("I was hoping more for parlay")
• Surprise round: Hidden drow assassin crit-attacked Othorion immediately, dropping him to dying state
• Key spells: Haldak cast Temporal Haste on Kelvin (10 rounds, no concentration — +2 AC, advantage on DEX saves, extra action per turn, doubled movement speed); Roland used Compelled Duel on Zilnath; Zilnath cast Darkness; Kelvin wild-shaped into a bear with hasted movement (80 ft/round); Haldak attempted Corona Lance (all three targets saved); Roland hit with javelin + Divine Smite
• The death: Othorion died — not unconscious, dead. Zilnath was walking away casually with a blooded sword
• Haldak's reversal: Stopped rain mid-fall, reversed blood from Zilnath's sword back into Othorion's body — "Time ceases to flow for but a moment." Othorion stood up combat-ready, having never technically taken lethal damage. The DM ruled: "The cost... has been paid. Your debt has been paid."
• Outcome: Zilnath acknowledged the test passed; blooded handshake; drow cleared the road and departed

Item Distribution

• +1 plate armour → Roland (self-adjusting via magical cinches)
• Boots of Elvenkind → Othorion
• Mantle of Spell Resistance → Kelvin
• Cloak of Billowing → Kelvin
• +1 boomerang → Kavu (wore it on his back)
• Horn of Silent Alarm → party inventory
• Magical hearing horn → party inventory (removes deafened condition when held to ear)
• Hat of Vermin → party inventory

Party Notes

• Roland: Still hallucinating from the curse — saw Boulders for Muscles with bird wings flying by; traded the silver comb to Agatha for the Bowgentle's spellbook question; confronted Haldak directly about the cost of the time reversal: "The next time you do something like this, take us with you"; equipped +1 plate armour from the nest
• Kavu: Devastated by Dwayne's death — curled up on the gold pile to sulk; field-tested the +1 boomerang by throwing it at Kelvin (missed, it came back); failed all four Performance downtime rolls under Boulders' tutelage; identified items via ritual casting with his mentor's wizened voice
• Kelvin Fairlight: Quietly pushed roc eggs off the cliff with Roland before Kavu noticed; received Temporal Haste from Haldak during the Zilnath fight — became a hasted bear with 80 ft movement; wild-shaped into bear for combat
• Othorion: Died during Zilnath's test and was brought back by Haldak's time reversal; swore "Another debt that I will repay. But first we fight"; blooded handshake with Zilnath; began learning Netherese from Haldak during travel downtime

Threads Opened / Advanced

• Roland's mother — Karlach confirmed she's an agent of Roland's mom; "she has this thing about redemption"; implies a divine or high-powered patron sending Karlach on correction missions; Roland's journal entry from Karlach is a DM handout, unshared
• Bowgentle's spellbook — last known location: Surnath of Eriabor, over a century ago; lead to report back to Sister Garaele
• Haldak's time debt — the reversal cost something; he won't say what; "a debt is owed"
• Othorion's foretelling — survives only in timelines where these companions remain with him; Haldak knows this
• Zilnath's report — he's going back to the uncle; what he says shapes what comes next
• The accusation — Zilnath says it may connect to deeper drow power structures, possibly even Menzoberranzan; not just a personal charge
• Strange roadside carriage — observed on return journey; not approached; unresolved
• Haldak Tencloak joins — Netherese arcanist with temporal powers; his enclave of Rasilith is gone; he is centuries displaced