Session 4: Shadow Fog Report

General Summary

The North Door: Draugr and the Curse of the Sea

The party made their choice—north. I don’t know why, but something about that door always gave me chills. Still, we pressed forward. Climbing a set of stairs, we passed through another door and found ourselves face to face with a pair of undead sailors. These Draugr were nasty—skeletal zombies that still carried the stench of the sea. The battle was fierce, but the party’s skill won out in the end. They struck the Draugr down, though not without consequence.   Poor Storbold… The moment he was touched by those cursed claws, something in him changed. He became sick, pale like he’d been touched by the sea itself. Whatever curse those Draugr carried had sickened him. Still, despite the affliction, we found something useful: a Black Key hidden in the tattered remains of one of the Draugr. With no time to rest, we headed back into the hallway to continue our exploration.  

The Boulder Trap: Lasso Left Behind

Back in the hall, we weren’t expecting what happened next. A sudden click beneath our feet, and before we could react, a massive boulder was rolling toward us! We scrambled, but the trap temporarily split the group. Some of us managed to squeeze back together on one side of the boulder, but not without a loss—Storbold’s pet lizard, Lasso, was trapped on the other side. Poor Lasso would have to wait. There was no way to get back through, so we were forced to continue without him.   With the path blocked, we had no choice but to double back to the entrance chamber and take the western door.  

The Black Key: A Shrine to Narthos

Through the western door, we found a pair of strange doors. One was coated in black ivory, the other in white. The Black Key seemed to be our answer, and sure enough, it fit perfectly in the Black Door. Beyond it, we discovered something disturbing—a chamber with a shrine dedicated to Narthos. His dark presence lingered in the air, but the party, for now, chose to move on.   That was when the skeletons struck, ambushing us from further down the hall. They were no match for the party, though, and were quickly dispatched. With no immediate threat, we doubled back to the shrine, where an odd bit of “shenanigans” unfolded.  

Giancarlito’s Prayer: Jib-Jub 2 Rises

Ah, Giancarlito… Our awakened orangutan companion is always full of surprises. Earlier, he’d found a skull—one that he believed belonged to his old dog friend, Jib-Jub. Now, I didn’t have the heart to tell him it clearly wasn’t, but he seemed convinced. There was even an old dog collar nearby, which sealed the deal in his mind.   Giancarlito took the skull to the Shrine of Narthos and prayed for his old friend’s return. And wouldn’t you know it? Something did happen. The shrine answered, summoning a skeletal dog that Giancarlito immediately dubbed "Jib-Jub 2," in memory of the original. The party had a good laugh, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that summoning a skeleton at a shrine to Narthos might come back to haunt us. Still, with Jib-Jub 2 in tow, we pressed on.  

The Mimic’s Trap: A Deadly Surprise

The southern door took us to an odd room filled with brown mold, of all things. The party quickly disposed of it using ice magic, gathering some treasure from the chamber before continuing further south. That’s when we stumbled upon what looked like a study. It had a beautiful, elegant chair sitting in the center of the room, and before any of us could say a word, Storbold plopped himself down into it.   Bad idea. The chair suddenly lashed out, revealing itself as a mimic—a monstrous creature disguised as furniture. The thing nearly wiped us out! Its ambush was brutal, its grip relentless. Storbold barely managed to get free before the mimic’s deadly maw claimed him. The rest of the party fought hard, using every last ounce of strength they had to bring the creature down. It was a close call—too close, if you ask me. Jib-Jub 2 died in the fight, after all.  

Gathering Strength: A New Threat Revealed

After the mimic was defeated, we were in bad shape. The party decided to rest for a few hours, licking their wounds and gathering what strength they could. While we recovered, some of us poked around the study, finding a curious book. It spoke of an evil harpy named Jean Valinik. Another name tied to darkness, no doubt. There’s always another threat lurking in this world.   With our strength restored, we headed back down the hallway. There was still the matter of that white ivory door, but we’d need to find the key for it. Something tells me that whatever lies beyond will be no less dangerous than what we’ve already faced.   The search continues, and so does the danger.