15.1 The Tongue and the Stinger

SESSION DATE: August 02, 2025
PRESENT: Rory, Calanthia, Kemurial, Freya

Deep Dive

![[Rory - 15_1 The Tongue and the Stinger.wav]]

Adventure Photos

Adventure Song & Lyrics

![[The Tongue and the Stinger.mp3]]

[Verse 1]
The city's hope, a weight upon our backs
We trade our stories of the failed attacks
A new lead sends us to a warehouse door
Where silent sentries settle an old score
They're propped on spears, a warning and a sign
Calanthia breaks the tripwire made of twine
A rattle of tin cans, a sudden, sharp alarm
A poison readied on her waiting arm

[Chorus]
A serpentine roar, a gaze that holds you fast
A shadow falls, a die that has been cast
We climb the crates to find a moment's peace
But there's no mercy, there is no release
From the tongue and the stinger

[Verse 2]
It charges through and throws us to the floor
I'm frozen still, can't even find the door
Its stinger bites and poison fills up Karl
Its claws find Freya in the vicious snarl
He falls so hard, our beacon starts to fade
We climb the crates, a fortress we have made
A desperate gambit, fighting for our lives
While deep inside the hungry evil thrives

[Bridge]
Kemurial's magic lifts Karl from the ground
Then Freya's spell, a green and searing sound
It rips the fiend, but still it turns on me
Its tongue wraps 'round my neck, I can't break free

[Chorus]
A serpentine roar, a gaze that holds you fast
A shadow falls, a die that has been cast
We fight for breath to find a moment's peace
But there's no mercy, there is no release
From the tongue and the stinger

[Solo]

[Verse 3]
It drags me off, into the dark alone
I hear a "NICE!" as Calanthia's bolt has flown
The fiend is dead, but others take its place
With writhing arms and horror on its face
Then Freya calls a monster of her own
An eye that floats above the blood and bone
We tie the last one up to learn their lies
And see the terror still left in his eyes

[Chorus]
No serpentine roar, its gaze no longer fast
The shadow's gone, the die has been recast
We fought for breath and found a moment's peace
We found our mercy, we found our release
From the tongue and the stinger

[Chorus]
No serpentine roar, its gaze no longer fast
The shadow's gone, the die has been recast
We fought for breath and found a moment's peace
We found our mercy, we found our release
From the tongue and the stinger

World Anvil Journal

sooo… we wint bak into the thity. the thnow wath thtiww fawwin an the wivew wath thtawtin to fweeze. the peopow we pathed wooked at uth with hope in theiw eyeth. wike they weawwy bewieve we can thave them. it made me feew wike i had a wot of weponthibiwity.

we got bak to the command potht an thaw makth an fewikth an gortek an ulwika. fewikth an gortek wewe covewed in bwood. they thed they kiwwed a wot of guyth but wewe thtiww dithapointed. i thed we had dithapointing newth too but we did thum good thtuff. kimiweel twied to take the bwame but cawanthia thpoke up an thed he did a good job an we had to change pwanth win thumone got huwt. we towd them the big theeje towew ith onwy huwt by howy wite. i awtho had a epifiny. the two majeth in the diffewent cowowed wobeth wooked jutht wike the oneth we thaw at karga doom aftew we fowt the bawow. makth an gortek thed thumtimeth thowth get put inthide weponth to make them awive.

cawanthia athked what we do nektht. ulwika thed they have a weed on the food cuwtithtth. thewe ith a meetin at one of the food thtowaje pwaceth tonite. tho we decided to go check it owt. befowe we weft i athked ulwika if i cud weave one of my thi wentheth thewe in cathe we need to ethcape. she thed yethe but it hath to go in a cage. i wint shoppin an bot thum mowe poshinth an anothew paiw of thi wentheth. thin we got aw weewawdth. a wot of gowd an a shiny fwoatin thtone an a wittow bwack howthe thtatue. we thowd the thtone an the howthe.

win it got dawk we wint to the thtowaje pwathe. it wath a big biwdin. the gawdth owthide wewent movin. cawanthia checked an they wewe ded bodith pwapped up with thpeawth. weawwy cweepy. she opind the doow an a tin can feww an made a wot of noithe. they new we wewe hewe.

we wan inthide an a howwibow fiend appeawed. it wooked at me an cawanthia an we both fwothe in pwathe. it chawged an nocked evewyone down. it gwabbed fwaya with ith cwawth an thtung kimiweel with ith taiw an he got weawwy thik fwom the poithun. we aww cwimbed up on thum cwateth to git away. the fiend hit dady karl weawwy hawd an he feww down. kimiweel uthed hith majik to wift dady karl up onto the cwateth an heawed him. dady karl woke up an catht hith hope thpeww on uth agin.

fwaya shot the fiend with a gween way of wite an it did a ton of damaje. i hit it fow timeth an one of my thwingth wath weawwy thtwong. but the fiend gwabbed me with ith tongue an it made me feew weawwy tiwed. it dwagged me away fwom evewyone. fwaya hit it with anothew gween way an mowe majik batht. thin cawanthia shot it an kiwwed it. NICE.

aftew the fiend died we fowt thum mowe cuwtithtth. fwaya thummoned a fwoatin eyeball monthtew with eye thtawkth. it wath weawwy coow. one of the cuwtithtth wath weawwy abewant an it gwabbed me with tentacowth. i had fwashbakth. we kiwwed aww the cuwtithtth except one. we tied him up tho we can athk him qethtunth watew.

dwaugnir pweethe pwotect uth fwom the fiendth an the cuwtithtth. an pweethe keep my pawenth thafe whewevew they awe.

Private Notes

• We head back down the battlements and back into the city. We make our way back to the command post to debrief our mission. On our way, the snow is still falling, and it's starting to accumulate. The river is starting to freeze over. The looks on the faces of people we pass along the way are looking back at us, as if pleading with us, with hope that heroes like us can save them. They trust in the lords and ladies above them, but it's the ones who they see in action that they cling to. We feel a little weight of responsibility.
• On our way, Rory looks out for any would-be assassins (and rolls a Nat 20 in the process!). Calanthia and Kemurial also look around, but we encounter nothing. The trip is uneventful.
• Kemurial makes sure to cast Mind Blank on all of us.
• We make it to the command post and see Max, Felix, Gotrek, two unnamed captains, and Ulrika. We see that Max and Ulrika are poring over a table looking at maps. Kemural enters and greets them to let them know of our presence. Calanthia remains stealthed in the background. We take a seat at the table.
• Felix and Gotrek are absolutely covered in blood. Rory asks what happened to them. Felix looks exhausted. Gotrek said they killed plenty but it was still disappointing. Rory said we have some disappointing news as well, but that we were still productive. Kemurial tries to take the blame for our partial failure, but Calanthia speaks up and says that's not true. She explains that we did what we could given the circumstances and still destroyed some of the siege weapons. She explains that Kemurial was directing a split party and that when one of us went down, we had to quickly change plans. Max responds saying that we did good damage, and they appreciate our efforts. He asks about the main siege tower. Kemurial explains that it's impervious to all but seemingly Radiant energy. Max asks if we think it was shielded. Kemurial didn't notice any kind of barrier that the Radiant energy was "piercing" through or anything. Rory explains the tower's abilities that we saw. Max says it seems evident that this united front of Chaos is quite united indeed. They're not surprised that a demonic siege weapon would be exhibiting all kinds of capabilities that you might associated with just a single faction. It's as if all the factions worked together to create a sort of super weapon capable of many things all at once. Max says he realizes that we didn't complete the main objective and asks if we were able to discover anything else. Rory explains he thinks there's an extraplanar portal within the tent. Rory then has an epiphany. The two mages in opposite-colored robes were either the very same ones or very similar ones to those we saw at Karag Dum after the fight with the balor, when they mentioned something about us not knowing what we've just started and then they dropped their illusory form and teleported away. Bonus Inspiration die! Nice. Max and Gotrek mention that embedding souls or life inside of objects is something that has been done before. They've seen weapons before that have sentience. They're unsure if the tower is sentient, but it's not unheard of.
• Calanthia seemingly impatiently asks what our next step is. We can't sit idly by as the armies regroup and strengthen. Ulrika perks up and talks about the food investigations. She says they've uncovered a lead whereby there will be an attempt or congregation at one of the storage facilities within the city. They don't have a plan, but they've placed guards around them. They don't want to create the idea that they know we're onto them. She suggests that being something worth looking into. Calanthia asks about the object of power that seems to exist. She says they have scholars working throughout the night looking for leads toward this "Kishina" and what exactly is potentially buried under the city. It's only legend at this point without anything being developed.
• We decide to look into the food supplies issue. We're given info where the food storage facility is. We're told there's a meeting or event based on this info sometime after nightfall. They don't have specifics, but we'll be there by nightfall.
• Before heading toward the food storage facility, Rory asks Ulrika if he can place one of his psi lenses at the command post in case he needs to make a quick escape when in trouble. Ulrika says that's fine, but she requires that it be placed inside a holding cell just in case someone else gets hold of the psi lens and decides to see where it goes. At least if they do, they'll be trapped in the cage and must be let out by one of them at the command post. Rory agrees and gives the psi lens to her to be placed into such a cage.
• Rory does some quick shopping before we head to the storage facility. He finds out that potions are currently on a 25% markup. Rory buys two Potions of Supreme Healing and another pair of psi lenses.
• Rory goes back to the command post to meet back up with the rest of the party and finds them doling out our rewards for the mission. Rory (and his player!) completely forgot about it. We are given 42000g, an Ioun Stone of Awareness, and a Figurine of Wondrous Power (Obsidian Steed). Those are some great items, especially that figurine, but we feel it's best to sell both items, so we do just that before heading to the food storage facility.
• Darkness settles in and we head to the storage facility.
• We see a large building on the street. The building is lined with some lights that illuminate the street and nearby areas. The two entrances we can initially see are guarded by city guards as we expected. Except Calanthia notices that these guards aren't moving. She says they seem to be held in some way. The guards are standing, but not moving. She comes back again and tells us that these are actually corpses made to look like they're standing guard. WTF? They're held up by spears and whatnot. That's clearly not good! She asks Freya to be mind linked again so she can covertly communicate. Calanthia says she'll call us when she's ready.
• She calls us down and cracks open the door. On doing so, she hears the rattle of tin can just on the other side of the door. They've been alerted. Calanthia quickly applies poison to her dagger. INITIATIVE!!!

  • Round 1

    • Calanthia - Moves up and attacks a cultist with her Dagger of Venom, but misses her first attack. Bonus Action to hide.
    • Kemurial - Moves up but is unable to do much except yell "Halt!" When he does, we hear a serpentine roar. Ruh roh.
    • Friar Karl - Moves up.
    • Aberrant Cultist - Can't see, unsure.
    • Cultist - Can't see, unsure.
    • Freya - Moves up and uses Innate Sorcery, then Action to dash.
    • Rory - Bonus Action Rage, move up, Action to Dash.
    • Cultist - Disengages, yells "They're coming!", Rory takes an Opportunity Attack and kills the cultist.
    • Aberrant Cultist - Can't see, unsure.
    • Cultist - Can't see, unsure.

  • Round 2

    • Fiend - Moves up just in front of Rory. As it moves into this space, Rory and Calanthia need to make Charisma Saving Throws. Rory and Calanthia both use an Inspiration die to reroll, but we both still fail. We're now both Incapacitated. The Fiend then Charges through us all. Strength Saves for all except Friar Karl. Rory makes his save and is unaffected, but the others fail and take some damage and are knocked Prone. Kemurial uses a spell to make himself succeed and make the Fiend have to make the save against itself, which it succeeds. It's not done yet! It makes THREE attacks, two claw attacks at Freya and one stinger attack at Kemurial. The first attack hits, doing lots of damage and now she's Grappled. The second attack hits for lots more damage. The stinger attack at Kemurial hits, doing 66 (!) Poison damage. Holy heck, man!
    • Calanthia - Half her movement to stand up, climbs 20 feet up on top of the crates for cover.
    • Kemurial - Casts Misty Step and pops up on top of the crates. Then half his movement to stand up. Action to quaff a Potion of Greater Healing.
    • Friar Karl - Moves up a bit into the warehouse, but can't see because of no Darkvision. He lights up a torch as part of his movement, then continues moving toward the other side of the crates from us. He then casts Beacon of Hope, which gets all of us in it. Nice!
    • Aberrant Cultist - Moves up toward Rory, Dodge Action.
    • Freya - Misty Step up onto the crates, no longer Grappled. Action to quaff a Potion of Greater Healing. Half movement to stand up, move closer to Kemurial.
    • Rory - Still Incapacitated until the start of the Fiend's next turn, so he just moves around to the other side of the crates.
    • Aberrant Cultist - Can't see, unsure.
    • Cultist - Can't see, unsure.

  • Round 3

    • Fiend - Moves up to our aisle now. Friar Karl and Rory avoid the trample. It attacks Rory with its claws, missing the first attack and hitting with the second, and grappling him. Moves toward Friar Karl and CRITS him with his stinger, dropping Friar Karl immediately. OH CRAP. We lose Beacon of Hope.
    • Calanthia - Moves up and quaffs a Potion of Speed, comes out of stealth to fire at the Fiend, hitting it for a boatload of damage, but it wasn't as effective as she'd hoped. Action to Hide. Moves to gain cover.
    • Kemurial - Bonus Action drink a Potion of Speed, Action to cast Telekinesis on Friar Karl to lift him up onto the crates, then moves back slightly to break line of sight from the Fiend and, as a Hasted Utilize action, uses the Keoghtom's Ointment to heal Friar Karl for 15 HP, bringing him to consciousness once more. Nice!
    • Friar Karl - Remains prone and recasts Beacon of Hope on us. Thanks Karl!
    • Aberrant Cultist - Can't see, unsure.
    • Cultist - Moves up toward Rory.
    • Freya - Moves over a bit and upcasts a 7th Level Disintegrate on the Fiend, doing 95 (!) damage to the Fiend when it misses its save by ONE. Then she proceeds to fire three Eldritch Blasts at the Fiend, hitting twice for a bit of extra damage. She steps back a bit more to get back within Kemurial's aura.
    • Rory - Still grappled, Rory re-Rages, and attacks four times with the help of Action Surge, hitting all four times (one CRIT). He does decent damage as none of the sword's damage types seem to be as effective as he'd hoped.
    • Aberrant Cultist - Can't see, unsure.
    • Cultist - Can't see, unsure.

  • Round 4

    • Fiend - Wraps its tongue around Rory's neck, causing Rory to gain a level of Exhaustion and one on each of its turns, then takes two claw attacks at Rory, hitting once, and moves with Rory away from the party. Not good.
    • Calanthia - Attacks a cultist, hitting it for 69 damage (nice) and kills it outright.
    • Kemurial - Casts Cure Wounds on Friar Karl for 69 HP (nice). Moves up to gain line of sight on the Fiend, moves back slightly.
    • Friar Karl - Half movement to stand up, moves toward Kemurial, casts Guardian of Faith close to the Fiend, it triggers causing the Fiend to take a bit of damage.
    • Aberrant Cultist - Can't see, unsure.
    • Freya - Moves toward Kemurial and Friar Karl to get a better look at the Fiend, casts another Disintegrate at the Fiend. The Fiend makes its save, taking half damage, but still doing a lot of damage nonetheless! Quickened Eldritch Blasts, hitting three times this time for a bit of extra damage.
    • Rory - Two Reckless attacks at the Fiend, first attack misses, but the second attack hits. Bonus Action to quaff a Potion of Speed, Hasted Action to make a third attack, which hits.
    • Aberrant Cultist - Can't see, unsure.
    • Cultist - Can't see, unsure.

  • Round 5

    • Fiend - Starts its turn in the Guardian of Faith's area so takes some damage. Moves with Rory northward and around the corner to another aisle. Three attacks at Rory. All three hit, one of which would've crit but Rory can't be crit. A decent chunk of damage.
    • Calanthia - I went AFK and came back after she killed the Fiend. Nice! She Readies an action to fire at whatever it was she heard recently down the hallway.
    • Kemurial - Casts Healing Word on himself. Flies down to the floor to take care of a nearby Cultist. As soon as he jumps down, from the end of the aisle. He makes his Saving Throw, so he's not Poisoned. He would've taken some Psychic damage, but he's immune. So nothing happens. He then attacks the cultist, hitting and killing it. He then flies 10 feet up into the air.
    • Friar Karl - Moves west atop the crates and lies Prone before taking the Dodge Action.
    • Aberrant Cultist - Can't see, unsure.
    • Freya - Moves up slightly and casts Summon Aberration to summon a Beholderkin (!). It makes two Eye Ray attacks and the nearby Aberrant Cultist has to make a save against its Whispering Aura. Freya has some seriously cool spells! She then Quickens a couple Eldritch Blasts, critting with one of them! All three hit for some really good damage! She then moves up a bit.
    • Rory - Moves up, Hasted Dash Action, two attacks at the Aberrant Cultist, critting once and hitting with the other for some decent damage. He adds a Staggering Smite into the second since he didn't even think about adding it on the crit (stupid me).
    • Aberrant Cultist - Two tentacle attacks at Rory, one misses and the other hits. Rory takes a minimal amount of damage thanks to being immune to Psychic damage from Mind Blank, and is Grappled and Restrained again. He's having flashbacks!

  • Round 6

    • Calanthia - Moves up and attacks the Aberrant Cultist next to Rory and then Readies an attack on the next enemy that comes into her view.
    • Kemurial - Flies toward Rory and the Brain on top of the crates. Uses Telekinesis to drop the remaining Aberrant Cultist from ceiling height, causing him to fall Prone. Nice! Hasted Utilize to heal himself with Keoghtom's Ointment.
    • We decide to subdue the last remaining Aberrant Cultist to question him. We restrain him as good as possible.
  • Combat over.

That's it for this session!

Adventure Loot

• Ioun Stone of Awareness (12,000g)
• Figurine of Wondrous Power (Obsidian Steed) (128,000g)

Loose Gold Found

Total: 42000g
Converted:
Split: 10500g + 17500g (sold items) each

• Gold has been split