Session — February 22, 2026
Date: February 22, 2026 Location(s): Warden Vision (astral), Caer-Dineval, Dwarven Valley Present: Meldir, Nalla, Thorkin, Dax, Kelrick, Dekyna, Jarthara
Summary
The session began with the conclusion of Frisky/Dekyna’s Warden trials. An earthquake interrupted the final vision, triggering an avalanche and a fissure — Dekyna and Meldir were nearly lost. The party then returned to Caer-Dineval to drop off stolen goods, traveled to the Dwarven Valley to meet Thorkin’s twin brother Bombdeer, learned the dark crystals are Chardalyn (black ice), and infiltrated a Chardalyn-corrupted mine. The session ended in the mine with a discovery of awakened plants and Thorkin paralyzed by touching Chardalyn.
Events
Third Warden Trial — The Final Vision
- The vision resumed. Frisky (Dekyna) stood alone in the frozen plane, the others were brought in by the vision’s voice
- A colossal frost titan rose from the ice — the largest entity yet, moving toward Dekyna
- Dekyna healed himself with Lay on Hands, then stepped forward — his ring burned hot (not cold) and he heard his father’s voice: “You are not remembered for surviving. You were remembered for holding.”
- The titan shattered. The third pillar lit up brighter than the others and carved itself: Dekyna standing frozen before his friends
- Voice declared: “He does not seek glory — he creates it. The land will remember. The ring will remember.”
- The ring gained glowing crystal runes and Dekyna’s veins turned faintly blue (branching from the ring)
- Ring abilities gained:
- Witness of Deep (1/long rest): When performing a clearly heroic act and failing a roll, choose to succeed instead
- The Land Knows Him: Advantage on rolls related to ancient sites, spirits, or Warden relics
- All party members were transported back to the camp; Thorkin was absent (still unconscious from Chardalyn exposure)
Avalanche at the Camp
- An earthquake shook the camp during the vision transition; a massive avalanche came down the mountain
- A fissure opened between camp and the mountain
- Dekyna was still unconscious (locked in the vision) and began sliding toward the fissure
- Thorkin’s spiritual weapon skewered Dekyna to the ice wall — saving him from falling 80 feet into an ice cave below but dealing critical damage (44 damage, near-fatal)
- Each party member reacted differently: Dax rolled away safely, Nalla used Shape Water to deflect the avalanche around herself and Thorkin, Meldir altered self to grow gills and dove into the water, Kelrick dug a hole and covered it with Tenser’s Floating Disc
- Ice elementals emerged from the cave below after the avalanche settled — short combat, party crushed them easily with fire and coordination
- Everyone took a long rest in the communal tent (pulled from Meldir’s cloak); Dekyna recovered but was brought from 5 HP
Caer-Dineval Return — The Inn
- Jarthara returned sleds and dogs to the frozen ferry expedition
- Party delivered the stolen lantern and supplies to the inn (the two sisters Ellie and Carrie)
- Reward: 17 gold and 14 silver (lifted from the passed-out Torvos); free rooms at the inn offered to the party in perpetuity
- Goats from the fortress recovered; the sisters agreed to send someone to deal with the surviving Duergar in the cages
- Thorkin tried to sell loot and acquired a goat as payment (Meldir’s idea)
Road to the Dwarven Valley
- Party bought rations, supplies, rested
- Jarthara guided them northeast toward the Dwarven Valley (6-8 hours travel)
- Along the way, the party discussed the ring, the vision, and next steps
Dwarven Valley — Meeting the Dwarves
- Massive valley carved into the rock, full of tunnels, forges, markets, hammering; all-dwarf population
- Greeted at the entrance; a guard thought Thorkin was Bombdeer’s brother (they look identical)
- Led to the main hall to meet Dane, the valley’s leader, and his niece Hilda
- Thorkin reunited with his twin brother Bombdeer, an intensely emotional moment (five years separated)
- Bombdeer introduced to the party; he is a researcher/wizard type who survived some shared trauma with Thorkin
The Chardalyn Revelation
- Meldir presented the dark crystal shards to Dane
- Dane reacted with horror — smashed them out of Meldir’s hand with a hammer and had his elemental pet Ruby eat the shards
- Chardalyn (Black Ice): an evil magical crystal linked to Auril and/or a curse. Highly dangerous — causes madness, especially severe in dwarves. Duergar have been trying to steal it, creating a war between mad dwarves and sane ones in the past
- Dane’s pet Ruby (a small earth elemental) can consume and destroy Chardalyn
- Meldir touched the shards barehanded → triggered hallucinations (seeing Coraline’s ghost from his ring roaming around, commenting on everything) for 19 hours
- Dane hired the party to clear the Chardalyn Cavern below the valley of any Duergar/threats so Ruby could clean it up; reward: 250 GP in gems + 10% permanent discount at the Dwarven Valley shops
The Mine — Chardalyn Cavern
- Tunnels deep below the valley; took 2-3 hours to reach the main chamber
- Needle Spawns (blighted plant creatures, twisted by Chardalyn) attacked in multiple chambers — defeated
- Traps on stone pillars (needle-launch traps): Kelrick identified and disarmed one; Dax triggered one in the middle but avoided damage; Thorkin set off another causing a partial ceiling collapse
- Awakened Plants: Found Clay and Hugo — two awakened berry bushes created by a druid named Verna (not Ravisin) in a greenhouse room. Still in pots, unable to walk. Friendly. 8-9 more days until they can move independently
- Mushroom rooms: Four types of useful fungi discovered and harvested (healing properties, food, scroll material, water storage)
- Shrine to Dumathoin (dwarven god of buried secrets): Riddle on a statue “A shroud that hides both day and night…” — solved by placing dirt in the statue’s outstretched hand → party received a blessing: 5 temp HP, advantage on poison saves, resistance to poison for 8 hours
- Spectre encounter: Kelrick walked into a room with a dwarf ghost → combat; spectre reduced Kelrick’s max HP by 12 (temporary)
- Chardalyn Room found: Room with a large pile of Chardalyn shards and a beautiful dagger (magical). Thorkin reached into a dead Duergar’s pocket → touched loose Chardalyn → rolled Short-Term Madness (table 74): unconscious for 9 hours
Additional Discoveries
- Mason tools and a stone-carved dwarven figurine in living quarters
- 6 banded agate gems (found in a room under a bed)
- A horned battle helmet (one horn broken off) — magical
- 2 gold ingots worth 25 GP each + small coin purse (24 gold, 17 silver) in an armory-like room
- Awakened tree (Fred): A massive, aggressive plant creature burst from a pod in the southern rooms. After combat (Meldir fireballed it heavily), Thorkin used the Charm of Plant Command found on the Needle Lord’s body to communicate. The awakened tree revealed:
- Its creator was Verna the druid (different from Ravisin)
- Verna changed over time — consumed by the Chardalyn, eventually transforming into the Needle Lord
- Verna had a journal in her private room
- Verna’s Journal: Entries spanning months — she came to the mine to grow a nursery, found the Chardalyn, started hearing whispers from the rocks, and gradually lost her mind. The final entries show her transforming. Referenced someone named “Galuvikin” she wanted to impress
- Owlbear returned: At the tunnel exit, the party’s old owlbear companion was found silently following them — touching reunion with Nalla
Combat
- Needle Spawns (multiple encounters) — defeated; fire effective
- Needle Lord (Awakened Verna) — epic boss fight; defeated after significant damage. Dropped Charm of Plant Command
- Spectre (dwarf ghost) — fought in a small room; reduced Kelrick’s max HP
- Ice Elementals (post-avalanche, outside) — quickly defeated
NPCs Encountered
- Dane (dwarven valley leader) — hired party for the mine quest; revealed Chardalyn lore; has pet Ruby that eats Chardalyn
- Bombdeer — Thorkin’s twin brother; researcher; joined party as inn manager in exchange for room and research space
- Hilda (Dane’s niece) — wanted to enter the mine, was kept outside; clearly eager to fight
- Clay and Hugo — awakened berry bushes; adopted by Nalla; joining the party
- Fred — the awakened tree; convinced to join the party and live at the Lonelywood Inn
Quest Updates
- Illithid Ship — Party is aware of the distress signal northeast; not yet addressed
- Thalmor Expedition — City Under the Glacier — Vague references to a city under the ice connecting to this
- Chardalyn Cavern (new, completed) — Mine cleared; Ruby sent in to clean up the rest
- Next: Black Cabin identified as priority; Dwarven Valley Expedition complete
Loot & Items
- Charm of Plant Command (3 charges/day, speak with plants + advantage on plant persuasion) — attuned by Thorkin
- Magical dagger (found in Chardalyn room)
- Horned battle helmet (magical, one horn broken)
- 6 banded agate gems (10 GP each)
- Various mushrooms harvested (healing paste, food, scroll material, water)
- 250 GP + gems from Dane
- Pot of Awakening (plant a seed, 30 days → awakened plant)
- Mason tools and stone dwarven figurine
Character Moments
- Thorkin and Bombdeer reunion — first time they’ve met in 5 years. Deeply emotional. Bombdeer revealed Thorkin’s pain was his own pain
- Bombdeer joined the inn staff
- Thorkin used thaumaturgy to pull off a fake “Verna speaking from beyond” to release an awakened bear from its obligation — successfully deceived the bear with great roleplay
- Nalla befriended Clay and Hugo; promised to protect Clay when Clay volunteered to help with the shrine puzzle
- The party named themselves The Unordained Wardens Unit (UwU) — Dane named the mine hall after them
Session End State
Thorkin is unconscious (Chardalyn madness, 9 hours). Party is at the mine entrance with the dwarves and Ruby. The owlbear has reappeared. They will take a long rest before continuing. Next session: travel back to Lonelywood Inn with their new companions (Fred the tree, Clay, Hugo, the owlbear), and then toward the Black Cabin.