> [!infobox|wikipedia] > # Recording > [](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scE57fns8ts) > # Basic Information > Attribute | Details | > ---|---| > Session # | 16 | > Play Date | 2024-05-26 | > Players | Deathmouse<br>JC<br>Kiwi<br>Lacer<br>Vael | > Party Level | 5 | > # Session Details > Attribute | Details | > ---|---| > Date | [[Campaigns/The Bloody Nails/Calendar/Year - 2507/01 - Water, 1st.png\|18th Water, 1st - 2507]]<br>to<br>[[Campaigns/The Bloody Nails/Calendar/Year - 2507/01 - Water, 1st.png\|24th Water, 1st - 2507]] | > Location | [[Skyreach]]<br>Travelling to [[Camaar]] > Characters | [[Lirien]]<br>[[Barak Stormrider]]<br>[[Ari]]<br>[[The Mawbreakers]] | ## Summary The assault on [[Skyreach]] began in chaos and ended in cataclysm. Amidst the burning tents of the slave camp, the party managed to free a significant number of prisoners, including a shocking reunion for [[Kai]], who discovered his foster mother, [[Lirien]], among the enslaved. The initial skirmish escalated rapidly when a hostile Magister rained fire upon the party, prompting [[Dondar]] to retaliate with a devastating fireball that incinerated the barracks. With the alarm raised and time ticking, the party ascended the massive 400-foot pillars of the viaduct, navigating deadly traps and planting gunpowder kegs at strategic weak points to destabilise the structure. After rigging the explosives and utilising a daring *Feather Fall* manoeuvre to descend, the party landed in a scene of slaughter. The extraction point had been compromised by a [[Hand of the Empire]], an elite warrior who had cut down the [[The Mawbreakers|Mawbreaker]] captain, [[Barak Stormrider]]. The ensuing duel was brutal, pushing the party to their limits. In a moment that stunned the group, the Hand recognized [[Vaeleran]], calling him "Korvas" and referring to him as an "old mentor," before nearly killing him. [[Ryo]] and the party rallied to save their companion, allowing Vaeleran to deliver the killing blow. In a grim act of defiance to mark the rebellion's presence, [[Eryndor]] hammered a rusty nail - kept from their original prison ship - into the dead Hand's forehead, leaving a brutal message for the [[The Valtorran Empire|Empire]]. As the party fled to [[The Albatross]] with the critically wounded [[Barak Stormrider|Barak]], the fuses burned down. [[Skyreach]] collapsed in a thunderous explosion of rubble and dust, blotting out the moon and dealing a crippling blow to the Empire's infrastructure. While the mission was a success, the cost was high - thirty sailors lost - and the party was left with heavy pockets (10,000 gold pieces) and heavier questions regarding [[Vaeleran]]'s secret past. ## Details ### The Infiltration and The Barracks * The party pushed through the slave camp, where [[Dondar]] used a stolen key to begin freeing slaves. * **Reunion:** [[Kai]] recognised one of the slaves as [[Lirien]], his foster mother. He cast *Cat's Grace* on her, entrusting her to free the others and head for the river while the party continued the mission. * **The Magister:** The party was intercepted by guards, dogs, and a Magister. [[Eryndor]] and [[Ryo]] eliminated the beasts and guards, but the Magister cast *Fireball* into the tower Ryo was occupying. * **Counter-Attack:** Dondar retaliated with his own *Fireball* into the barracks, killing the Magister and setting the entire building ablaze, causing chaos among the enemy ranks. * **Loot:** [[Vaeleran]] and Kai looted the Magister’s charred corpse, recovering vital keys for the tower doors. ### The Ascent * **The Door:** [[Vaeleran]] attempted to unlock the base of the massive pillar but triggered an acid trap, taking significant damage. * **The Climb:** The party began the gruelling 400-foot climb up the spiral interior. * **First Landing:** Vaeleran triggered a dart trap but evaded it by clinging to the window ledge. * **Second Landing:** Halfway up, [[Ryo]] set the first cluster of gunpowder kegs with a slow-burning 22-minute fuse. * **Third Landing:** [[Eryndor]] spotted a deadly "Black Goo" trap on the ceiling (Nat 20 Investigation), allowing the party to navigate the room safely. ### The Bridge and The Drop * Reaching the top, the party found the gatehouse unfinished and empty. They moved to the centre of the bridge. * **Rigging the Bridge:** [[Dondar]] cast *Fly* on [[Eryndor]], who flew beneath the bridge to hammer in pitons and lash the final kegs to the structure's underside. * **The Descent:** With fuses lit, the party ran back down the tower. To save time, they leaped from a lower balcony, using *Feather Fall* to drift safely to the ground just as the countdown neared zero. ### The Hand of the Empire * Upon landing, the party found the extraction point littered with the corpses of sailors and guards. [[Barak Stormrider]] was found lying in a pool of blood, defeated. * **The Boss:** A Crimson Cloak - a [[Hand of the Empire]] - confronted them. * **The Reveal:** The Hand locked eyes with [[Vaeleran]], his composure breaking. He asked, *"Korvas, what game are you playing at?"* and referred to Vaeleran as his "old mentor," revealing Vaeleran's identity as the former [[General Korvas]]. * **The Fight:** * The Hand was a juggernaut, deflecting arrows and spells. * He knocked [[Kai]] unconscious and brought Vaeleran to death's door (2 failed death saves). * He offered the party a deal: Leave "Korvas" and walk away. The party refused. * **Resolution:** [[Ryo]] used his last spell slot to heal Vaeleran. Back on his feet, Vaeleran knocked the Hand prone and executed him with a sword thrust through the chest. * **The Message:** [[Eryndor]] hammered a rusty nail (kept from the prison ship) into the Hand's forehead as a symbol of the rebellion. ### Aftermath and Rewards * **Barak's Survival:** [[Kai]] and the party utilised every resource available (Medicine checks, potions, spells) to barely stabilise [[Barak Stormrider]], who was clinically dead. * **Destruction of Skyreach:** As they boarded [[The Albatross]], the charges detonated. The bridge collapsed completely, destroying the [[The Valtorran Empire|Empire]]'s strategic supply line. * **Casualties:** [[Ari]] reported that roughly 50% of the sailors (30 men) died holding the line to let the slaves escape. * **Medical Bay:** [[Illaris Sharin]], the Drow healer, tended to the wounded. [[Kai]] bonded with her over the moon goddess [[Selûne]], performing a ceremony to dedicate Illaris to the goddess for 24 hours. * **Lirien:** [[Lirien]] and Kai caught up. She revealed rumors that the missing Elves were taken to the dungeons of [[Val Luminor]]. She also identified [[Ryo]]'s signet ring as the symbol of the [[Ithil Clan]], the ruling class of the lost city [[Ithilmara]]. * **The Reward:** Ari presented the party with a chest from Barak containing **1,000 Platinum Pieces** (10,000 Gold). * **Next Steps:** The party is sailing toward [[Camaar]] to drop off refugees before heading toward [[Val Noren]]. ## Art ### Skyreach Labour Camp ![[Skyreach - Labour Camp.jpg]]