Session Information

Session Date: 13th May 2026
Saga: 7th Saga - Winter Warriors
Attendance: Sam Gallon,Rowan Hales,Tom Brothers,Caleb Hamlet,Jae Knight

Session Summary

The party engaged in a brutal battle against Auric, who repeatedly used devastating AOE attacks that downed multiple members, including Halfbie and others. Viktor briefly lost control to the Herold, accidentally poisoning Mordecai instead of helping, but the team ultimately recovered through coordinated healing. Drache delivered the killing blow in a dramatic finish. However, victory was immediately undercut when Astra revealed herself alive and in control, casually dismissing the party. Through quick negotiation and a bold gamble by Halfbie, the party secured a massive reward by successfully landing three guaranteed magical hits on Astra despite interference.

After escaping with their winnings, the group faced deeper personal stakes. Mordecai struggled with the decision to flee but ultimately chose to confront their father, leading to a powerful transformation under Seifer’s control and the fiery execution of Robert Thornwood. In the aftermath, allies arrived via airship, and the party shared their fortune while receiving updates on the wider situation. As they departed, Astra observed them silently, and the group regrouped, identified new magical items, and prepared for future threats.

Full Session Notes

Notable moments during combat

• Combat starts, and Auric Thalassar uses a number of attacks in quick succession before using an AOE magic effect that targeted Halfbie, Drache and Aidan. Halfbie went down to this attack due to getting a Nat 1 on the saving throw.
• Viktor tried to close the gap between himself and Halfbie in an attempt to heal them. In doing this, they activate their Vulture's cape. The Herold took this opportunity to take over Viktor's body. Instead of healing Halfbie, it targeted Mordecai and badly poisoned them.
• Mordecai was able to manurver themselves to heal Halfbie without triggering an attack of opportunity.
• Halfbie used various spells to buff, damage and heal themselves as they slowly got closer to Auric Thalassar, trying their best to avoid getting caught in another AOE attack.
• Auric Thalassar repositioned unexpectedly and got Aidan, Drache and Halfbie in another AOE attack that downed all 3 of them.
• Viktor regained control and used Mass Healing Work to get the party back on their feet.
• Drache landed the final blow by using his Great Axe of Storms to shoot a large blade of light up through Auric Thalassar's head. He then finished the job by stabbing Auric Thalassar in the neck with the dagger used to kill Astra.

The party stood in the middle of the grand room that was Auric Thalassar's bedroom. All that could be heard was the sound of laboured breathing, the distant sound of cannon fire, and screaming. Halfbie shouted 'We did it!!' however the party's celebration was cut short when the body of Astra began to move.

She slowly stood up, dusting off her coat as she did so. "Thank you everyone, you were a great help," she said, a smirk plastered across her face. "you're more than welcome to take your leave now"

There was a long pause. Halfbie's eyes saw read as they were about to speak, but they were cut off by Viktor, who noticed Halfbie's mood change. Viktor tried to negotiate a way that they would leave with money. Astra almost too easily agreed and told him to name their price. Viktor panicked and blurted out '50,000 gold and the ability to choose some magic items' Astra quickly agreed before Viktor could take it back.

Viktor returned to the party defeated and making excuses for why he asked for such a low amount of money. Halfbie, who had calmed down now, told everyone not to worry and that they had it handled. They watched with nervous anticipation as Halfbie approached Astra.

(x::"Astra would I be correct in assuming that you love a good bet?"

"I guess... It's hard to make it interesting when you can see the future..."

"What if i could win an impossible bet?"

"... I'm listening"

"I bet that I can hit you 3 times in a row, no missing any shots"

"Interesting, what do you want if you win?"

"I want 1 million gold, which is surely chump change for the fort, and a better tax rate for the OFC."

"1 Million Gold no tax rate"

"Deal"

They then signed a contract that enforced the terms of the bet. Halfbie raised their hand as a magic missile. The dart landed squarely on Astra's chest. "2 more to go", said Halfbie as they began to cast a 2nd.

Astra quickly flicked a hand at Auric Thalassar's body. It jaggeredly stood up as a zombie, its eyes flicked over to Halfbie, ready to kill. Halfbie ignored the zombie and finished casting the 2nd magic missile. Without missing a beat, they began preparing the final missile. Astra ordered Auric Thalassar's body to stop Halfbie, their voice displaying the slight cracks in their confident facade. The dragon blocked Halfbie's view. Halfbie instantly teleported around the large mass of flesh and fired the final missile. It landed in the same spot as the previous two, and the room was once again silent.)

"Good game!" Halfbie exclaimed as their face quickly switched from cold, unrelenting focus to their usual bright self. Astra gingerly shook their hand and gestured broadly to the gold piles that Auric Thalassar once lay atop. Halfbie handed out bags of holding, and the party all began to fill them till they overfilled.

They then returned to the underground lava channels to avoid the ongoing battle in the city. As they came to a fork in the road, Mordecai stopped. They could hear the screams of the townsfolk above, and all they could think about was how they were going to run away yet again from their father.

Halfbie instantly noticed and began mumbling something before stopping themselves. "Hey, can you say it? I don't know how to put it... thanks" they said, seemingly to themselves.

"Mx Reverence..." said Chenris, "The boy wants to know if you're ok leaving your shitty father like this?"

"I would have put it a bit more tactfully... but yes as chenris said"

Mordecai was quiet for a moment before shaking their head and backtracking down the passage to a fork in the path.

Astra nodded stocily, "and with that, I will also take my leave. As promised, here are the items I mentioned earlier." She said she handed over a small bag before vanishing into the tunnels' darkness.

Mordecai walked in silence for a while before getting to the ladder that would lead them to the engineer corps.

"Seifer, are you there?"

"Always, what's up?"

"I'm sorry for being so hard on you all this time."

"No its completely understandable someone not reacting well to an entity living in their head and potentially taking over. In fact you had every right to be meaner"

"... I'm done being passive. I'm done running away from everything"

"Good, let's go deal with your father. He can't just lead an army to kill all of these lovely people"

Once Mordecai had climbed the ladder, they stood on top of the battlements and surveyed the battlefield with disgust. Burnt bodies littered the streets as pirates and automatons slaughtered one another. From where they stood, Mordecai could see their father off in the distance, laughing manically with every slice of his blade.

"it's time to stop being scared" said Mordecai, their voice steadier than they actually felt.

Mordecai's consciousness dimmed as they felt the capable hands of Seifer take over.

She stood at the top of the battlement, as still as the dead for just a moment before ginormous phoenix wings sprouted from their back. She took a step forward and let herself fall for just a moment before she began to fly through the winding streets of the golden fort. All spectators could see was a red blur before the street was engulfed in flames that neither burned nor hurt them. She raced past all the automata before grabbing Robert Thornwood by the throat and lifting him high into the air.

They both watched as Robert's lungs gasped for air that would no longer come. Flames slowly climbed his limbs, causing him to laugh in agony and joy. "SEE!! This whole time I told you, you would become a butcher, just...like...me!"

Mordecai's vision blacked out in that moment as they awoke in front of the rest of their party outside the walls of the fort. "We did it, the filth is dead," Seifer said, their voice ringing in their head.

Mordecai felt a strange emptiness pang in their chest as Drache helped them to their feet. "Is it done?" he asked.

Mordecai nodded.

"We got rid of one butcher," Seifer said, "Now you have six more waiting for you in the OFC."

"The New Gods?"

"Yes, if you let them grow up, you will be complicit in their butchering. Either doing for yourself or do it for me. As long as they die."

Mordecai did not have the energy to respond anymore. The other were about to ask for further details when the rumbling sound of an OFC airship could be heard above them. Looking up, they also saw Steve Ulan and Keith Horrigan, worry and confusion plastered across their faces, looking down at them.

Their ship found a clearing, but Steve had already jumped the bannister before it had properly landed and ran as fast as his legs could carry him to the party. Steve frantically asked if everyone was ok.

"Yeah, we're all ok..." Said Drache

"Why are you here, Steve?" asked Halfbie

"Ugh...after these kids randomly appeared in Blackwall, we weren't sure if you needed help, so we thought we would come anyway.

"Yeah... about that..." started Halfbie.

"One of them kept calling themselves Destroyer of Worlds and Bringer of...Comedy..?" said a confused Steve.

"Oh, Cas? Yes she does say that often," said Viktor, smiling like a proud parent as they all followed Steve back to the airship. Waiting for them was Ringo, who seemed to have been camping nearby, and upon seeing the airship came to investigate.

Keith Horrigan greeted them with a smile and gave them a brief update on Blackwall and the wider OFC nation. "So yeah i finally looked at that plan you made for the city, and a lot of it was really useful. We're starting to bring in a bit of money."

There was a short pause as Mordecai and Drache stared at the councilman for a moment. "good..." said Drache. We went to say more, but were cut off by an egar Ringo, "So where's my cut?"

"I do hope this was all worth it", added Keith.

"Oh don't worry it was!" said Halfbie with a large grin as he pulled out the 3 bags of holding. "im sure these will help the OFC's Coffers"

"I mean, yeah i guess... we could definatly sell the bags for a few gold each"

"No, no have a look inside them!"

Keith opened one of the bags and nearly fainted at the sight of the bags full of gold. Halfbie happily spouted that the other 2 bags were the same before glancing at Ringo, "Atleast 50,000 gold! Please could you give Ringo 5000 for all his help on this mission."

They then all boarded the airship. Ringo joined as well, explaining he was going to open a pub in Blackwall with the money he had earned. As the airship rose into the sky, the party saw that on one of the towers was a small group of the golden fleet surrounding Astra. Seeing the airship, the pirates began aiming their cannons towards it before Astra signalled for them to stand down. At their distance, her face was unreadable.

(x::On the way back, they took a moment to rest before Halfbie took the time to identify each of the magic items they were given:

• Orrery Compass
• Tomentum Vitreum
• Coin of The Borrowed Face)

Trivia

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