Maul in the Family

# Session Recap: The Cavern's Guardians

The party ventured into a frozen cavern northeast of Snowglen in search of answers, only to be ambushed by ice mephits and cornered by a charging bears emerging from the darkness.

We Stick Together

After defeating the hag Astankova, the party searched her cottage and found nothing more of value beyond the Hag's Eye already secured in Vaelan's possession. They returned to Dyrbov's home through the eerie silence of Snowglen, where no wind stirred and no animals called. Dyrbov consulted his ancient tomes and revealed two potential leads: an abandoned cathedral deep in the forest to the south, said to be blessed by the divine, and a cavern system to the northeast mentioned in pre-Great Affliction texts as a place where those seeking to restore balance might find aid—if they could overcome the trial within. The party chose the closer option, taking time to rest before heading out under the cover of darkness.

The Gentle Giant's Burden

As the party rested and kept watch, Kaelor opened up to Vaelan about his past. He revealed his true name—Kaelor Thane—and told the story of the Night of Ash, when he returned from a diplomatic mission to find his home destroyed, his wife Elira murdered in the throne room, and his six-year-old daughter Lyanna taken and killed. The attack had been deliberate, targeting the Skybreaker royal bloodline, and Kaelor swore an oath of vengeance to hunt down those responsible no matter how long it took. As he spoke, he briefly glimpsed a horned helm wreathed in flame staring back at him from the fireplace. Vaelan offered his sympathy and promised to help, revealing that he had dealt with terrible magic before. During her own watch with Torvald, Lucia confessed that she had fled her last town because people were trying to capture her, though she couldn't explain why.

Into the Frozen Dark

Torvald cast Aid on himself, Vaelan, and Lucia before they set out into the night. The party trudged through the logging area and into the tree line, with Torvald leading using his darkvision and Stonecunning to navigate the treacherous terrain. As they crossed the clearing toward the cavern mouth, they heard snickering and the beating of wings—ice mephits hidden in the dead trees launched their ambush. Vaelan opened the battle with devastating effect, casting Scorching Ray and Chromatic Orb to exploit the creatures' vulnerability to fire, obliterating four of the six mephits himself. Kaelor charged forward but threw his javelin high over the trees, missing entirely. The mephits retaliated with frost breath and claw attacks, and when slain, each exploded in a death burst of freezing shards that battered Kaelor and Torvald. Lucia shot one mephit through the throat mid-leap, and Torvald crushed another's jaw with his flail in brutal fashion, with Kaelor killing the last. The party emerged victorious but battered from the icy explosions. Before entering the cavern, the group cast Light on Kaelor's maul and on Vaelan to illuminate the way.

The Beast's Domain

Inside the cavern, the temperature plummeted and the party's lights made them visible targets. Torvald used his Stonecunning to activate Tremorsense and detected three large presences to the northwest. He also noticed that the cavern floor bore beast tracks—paw prints leading in multiple directions. Lucia attempted to scout ahead stealthily but realised all too late that the party's glowing lights had already announced their presence. As they crept deeper, three wolves emerged from the shadows and launched a coordinated surprise attack. One wolf knocked Vaelan prone, but his Shield spell deflected the worst of the assault. Lucia shot the first wolf through the eye as it lunged at Vaelan, killing it instantly. Torvald ripped another wolf's jaw apart with his hands, and Lucia casually shot the third mid-pounce while giggling at Kaelor's missed swing.

What Lurks Below

As the last wolf fell, the party heard a guttural roar echoing through the cavern—something far larger than the wolves. Torvald's darkvision caught it first: a massive shape barreling around the southern corner with terrifying speed. A bears charged out of the darkness toward Kaelor, crossing into the edge of his light radius as the session ended with the beast bearing down on the party.