Session 0037 : Something Wicked This Way Comes

General Summary

The Heretic — Session 037: Something Wicked This Way Comes

Session Metadata

Session Number: 037
Real-World Date: 24 Aug 2025
In-Game Date: 27–28 Weißhexe 3023
Primary Location: The Merry Mug, Oakhaven; Boros Armory, Oakhaven
Secondary Locations: Underground aquifer beneath the dry well (escape sequence road north of Oakhaven (Brannick confrontation)

Characters Present

Cathlynn Strongbow — druid, escaped the well, negotiated with Queen, purchased new armor
Lev — cleric/paladin, escaped the well, confronted Brannick, purchased replacement armor
Lilly Genrill — absent this session
Dorian Greymantle — absent this session
Ikiri Kcarm — resting at the inn; not involved in field events

TLDR Summary

Cathlynn and Lev escaped the sealed well through a short rest, recovered spell slots, and Spider Climbed their way back to daylight — then caught up with Brannick on the road, put him on the ground, and left him entangled in the dirt to think about what he had done. Back at The Merry Mug the following morning, a Drow woman named Queen made herself known to Cathlynn, offered a thousand gold for the hidden book, and threatened to cut off her hands if she refused — giving her twenty-four hours to decide. Malrik offered useful intelligence about Queen's methods. The session ended at Boros Armory, where both Cathlynn and Lev spent significant coin on new armor to replace what the previous session's spiders and acid had cost them.

Recap Promise

They climbed out of a sealed well, put a carpenter on the ground, and came home to find a Drow with a dagger and a deadline waiting for them at breakfast.

Opening Situation

The session opened underground, sealed beneath the iron-reinforced pine well cap that Brannick had slammed shut above them after Thann was hauled to safety. It was approximately 4pm by rough estimation — difficult to know exactly this far below ground. Both Cathlynn and Lev were significantly depleted: Cathlynn out of second and third level spell slots and all wild shape charges, Lev without armor or shield and running low on everything else. The aquifer tunnels stretched around them in the dark. The situation called for patience before action. A short rest would restore enough for the plan that was already forming: Spider Climb for Lev, wild shape spider for Cathlynn, and up the shaft toward whatever waited at the top.

Scene-by-Scene Report

Scene 1: The Short Rest and the Escape

The party took a one-hour short rest underground. Cathlynn used her Natural Recovery feature to reclaim expended spell slots — up to three levels of combined slots, recovering two second-level slots. She also recovered a wild shape charge from the short rest.
Lev rolled hit dice to recover hit points. His short rest feature did not restore spell slots — confirmed as a class and race mechanic, not an error. He remained at base HP recovery only.
Result: Cathlynn at 35 hit points, Lev at 74. Enough to proceed.
Cathlynn cast Spider Climb (second level) on Lev, granting him climbing speed equal to walking speed, hands free, able to move up vertical surfaces and upside down.
Cathlynn wild shaped into a spider herself — her restored charge put to immediate use.
Both ascended the well shaft. At the top, Lev could lift the cap approximately three inches — locked, but not airtight. Through the gap, he could see outside. He could also see Brannick approximately 500 to 600 feet away, heading back toward Oakhaven with Thann.
Lev used his Phase Step ability as a bonus action, teleporting up to 30 feet to clear the cap. Both emerged into daylight.
Cathlynn reverted to her normal form. They assessed the situation: Brannick had Thann, was moving away, did not know they were out.

Getting out was straightforward once they had the resources to do it. The Spider Climb gave Lev free hands on the way up, which mattered for the cap. The three-inch gap was enough for him to see outside and to confirm Brannick's position. The Phase Step over the cap was clean. The harder part was deciding what came next — Brannick was walking away with a twelve-year-old boy who had been envenomed by a giant spider, and whatever feelings the party had about the sealed well cap needed to be weighed against the fact that Thann was still visibly Brannick's priority. They decided to catch up. Scene 2: Catching Brannick — The Confrontation

The pair mall-walked the distance to close in on Brannick — not running, but moving with clear intention. Approximately 1,500 feet before they were within striking range.
When Brannick finally heard them approaching and turned, he saw Cathlynn and Lev very much alive. His jaw dropped.
Lev held his greatsword loosely at his side and delivered a cold three-reason ultimatum: give me three reasons I should not kill you right now.
Brannick's offered reasons: he was protecting Thann; Lilly would be upset if he were hurt; the gods would find no peace for Lev if he acted. None were especially persuasive. His hands were shaking and his dagger was drawn but he was clearly not a fighter.
Lev accused him of working for a cult. Insight check: 16. Brannick did not know what Lev was talking about — the accusation read as genuinely confusing to him.
Brannick's actual reasoning, eventually extracted: ever since The Heretic arrived in town, things had started going wrong. He suspected they were saving children from spiders in order to give them to something worse.
Cathlynn asked for initiative. She rolled a four. Brannick saw the punch coming and tried to run — but that gave Cathlynn an opportunity attack.
Unarmed strike roll: 19. Hit. She punched him in the back of the head. He went down hard — nose bloodied, blood from his mouth, begging her not to hit him again.
Lev: cold and level. "You nearly got us killed, right after we just saved the kid."
Cathlynn cast Entangle on the prone Brannick, rooting him to the ground.
Lev turned to Thann, checked on him, offered to walk him home. Persuasion check: 14. Thann hesitated.
Cathlynn tried with advantage — reminding Thann she had never told anyone about Pebble, and that Lev was lovely despite appearances. Persuasion: 7. Thann refused. He looked at Brannick on the ground and said Brannick was nice. He ran.
The party let Thann run — he was not a little child and knew the way home. They followed at a distance until he reached the farm safely. The Entangle wore off and Brannick fled as well.

Brannick's reasoning was not malicious. It was the reasoning of a frightened man who had watched his town start dying in ways nobody understood, and who had decided — incorrectly but not incomprehensibly — that the arrival of strangers correlated with the escalation of the wrongness. He was wrong about what caused it. He was right to prioritize his boy. The punch was earned regardless. What landed more heavily was Thann's refusal to come with them. He had called Brannick nice. He had seen Brannick seal the well with people inside and still defended him. That is the particular loyalty of a child who has not yet learned that the people who love you are capable of being wrong. Scene 3: Back at The Merry Mug — Farrah and the Morning

The pair returned to the inn covered in dirt, spider acid residue, and General evidence of a very bad afternoon. Farrah's expression said everything.
Lev was visibly without armor — just a cleric in whatever he had on underneath, which was not encouraging.
Farrah asked how they slept. Cathlynn apologized for coming off stern the previous evening. Persuasion check: 7. Farrah accepted it at face value without fully believing the explanation about Brannick, but declined to press.
Insight check (both): 18 and 15. Both clearly read that Farrah was telling them what they wanted to hear rather than what she thought. Neither pushed it.
Supper was sent up. Long rest taken. Full spell slot and ability recovery confirmed for both Characters.

Farrah is good at her job, which includes knowing when not to ask questions. She had watched Cathlynn and Lev come through the door looking like they had been underground and in a fight — which they had — and she had decided that what she didn't know couldn't put her in a difficult position. This was professionally sensible. The apology landed approximately as well as a seven on a persuasion roll suggests, which is to say: technically received. Scene 4: Queen — The Ultimatum

The following morning, Cathlynn and Lev came down to the bar and found the room in its usual state: Malrik still at his table, writing in his journal; various ordinary NPCs at breakfast; and a Drow woman seated against the wall.
The woman: dark leather armor matching her coloring, white hair in an intricate braid, a dagger balanced tip-down on the table and being slowly rotated with her left hand, cutting a groove in the wood. She was strikingly beautiful in a way that was probably intentional and definitely noticed by the room. When Cathlynn's eyes found her, she smiled slightly and winked.
Cathlynn approached alone. The woman cleared a path to sitting without warmth or hostility — an ambiguous invitation.
She described Cathlynn as a "busy little bee" and herself as someone who simply enjoyed watching busy little bees work. When Cathlynn pressed for clarity, she suggested they continue the conversation somewhere less observed.
In the washroom — which the woman had clearly selected for its privacy — she produced a black leather pouch. She set it on the counter with deliberate casualness. It clinked heavily with coin.
Her offer: over a thousand gold rilks, and she takes the book that Cathlynn had hidden so well. Or, she cuts off both of Cathlynn's hands and takes it anyway. Cathlynn had twenty-four hours to decide.
Cathlynn asked for the twenty-four hours, cited that she did not act rashly, and indicated she would consider what was beneficial to her.
Queen pushed back: why would anyone need twenty-four hours to accept a thousand gold? Cathlynn declined to tell her where the book was hidden. Queen warned that if Cathlynn did not appear within twenty-four hours, people Cathlynn loved would be hurt.
On the way out, Queen introduced herself formally: her given name was Qave Libr — pronounced Qave — but her friends called her Queen.
She gave Lev a parting wink — sarcastic, deliberate — and left the inn.

Queen was the most dangerous person in the room, and she knew it, and she wanted Cathlynn to know it too. The dagger groove in the table was not a nervous habit. The bathroom meeting was not a safety precaution. It was a demonstration: I can control where this conversation happens, I can make you follow me, I can tell you what your options are and watch you accept them. The thousand gold was real. The threat was real. And the twenty-four hour window was a courtesy she did not have to offer, which made it a power display of its own kind. Cathlynn took the twenty-four hours because that was the only thing she could take. She did not tell Queen where the book was. That was the only card she had left to play. Scene 5: Malrik's Intelligence

Malrik had been watching the interaction from his table. After Queen left, he came over to sit with Cathlynn and Lev.
He introduced himself properly to Lev — they had not formally met.
He reported that after the previous morning, Queen had come directly to his table and questioned him extensively about what he knew about Cathlynn and Lev: how he knew them, how well, what their business was.
He had been honest with her — he had only just met Cathlynn briefly over breakfast the day before, knew nothing of Lev. Because he told the truth without hesitation, Queen had offered him something in return: the man he was looking for had gone east on a hunting expedition. She suggested he not go alone when pursuing.
Malrik's read: Queen knows everyone in that bar and what they are doing. The information was both a reward for honesty and a power demonstration of her reach.
He asked again whether Cathlynn and Lev might be heading east, or whether they knew of anyone suitable to guide him.
Cathlynn asked who exactly he was looking for. Persuasion check: a catastrophic result. Malrik declined to name the person — he was afraid of revealing the identity at this stage, given the man's apparent notoriety. He acknowledged the difficulty of finding a guide with no information to offer.
The conversation ended cordially. Malrik warned them to be careful of Queen and returned to his table.

Queen's method was consistent and clear: she gathered information, assessed value, and dispensed rewards proportional to usefulness. Malrik had been honest with her and received genuine intelligence in return. This was not kindness — it was management. She was mapping everyone in the inn and calibrating how much leverage she had over each of them, and Malrik's information about the Lord heading east was worth exactly as much as his cooperation was worth to her. The fact that she gave him something for it means she wanted him cooperative, not afraid. That distinction matters for what comes next. Scene 6: Boros Armory — New Equipment

The armory was a notable building on the road to The Merry Mug, signposted in both Common and Dwarvish: Boros Armory. Upper-end for Oakhaven — not the finest they had seen, but well above average. A statue of a radiant metallic figure occupied The North of the shop: Rugen, the Star-Tempered Flame, deity of the Forge, Protection, War, and Light. Lawful neutral. Represented as an impossibly tall horned shape with wings of many eyes and twin sun-bright eyes behind a blacksmith's visor.
History check (Cathlynn): 20. Identified fully via private WhatsApp — details logged.
History check (Lev): 8. He recognized a connection to dwarven mythology but could not pull the specifics.
Religion check (Lev, follow-up): confirmed dwarven mythological origin without full deity identification.
The proprietor was Boros himself — a Dwarf with a craftsman's eye for what a customer could afford and what they actually needed.

Cathlynn's purchases:
Earthbound Scale — Studded leather armor made from tanned dire lizard hide, dyed deep umber, thick interlocking scales, ivory bone studs polished to look like metal, etched glyphs across the surface (prayers to Rugen, non-magical). AC 12 plus full Dex modifier. Tailored to Cathlynn's measurements at no extra charge. Priced at 550 gold.
Doomglore Hardbark Shield — A wooden shield carved from Ironwood, reinforced with dwarven resin, sourced from Doomglore at the southern end of the Starfall Road. +3 to AC. Priced at 350 gold.
Ochre-dyed leather boots — thrown in by Boros to sweeten the deal, no extra charge.
Full Boros warranty: any damage, bring it back, repairs free for life. Boros mark hidden under a scale for authentication.
Cathlynn declined a third item — a druid-associated acorn piece priced at 2,500 gold (reduced to 1,800 as lowest offer). She genuinely wanted it. Could not justify the cost given shared funds with her sister.
Total for Cathlynn: 900 gold.

Lev's purchases:
Two pieces of used armor from the shop's wall display. Both chosen from Boros's used rack, with full disclosure on provenance as per shop policy. Budget: 100 gold plus healing potions offered in trade.
Stormlit Bulwark (item 7 on the used wall) — noted as a personal favorite selection.
Red Mantle (item 5 on the used wall) — history behind the piece appealed to Lev; the provenance was part of the draw.
Boros confirmed: used items still covered under his repair warranty. He does not let crap leave the store regardless of prior ownership.
Total for Lev: 61 gold (within budget).
Both sets of armor were measured and fitted on the spot by Boros's dwarven assistants.

Boros was the specific kind of craftsperson who takes more pride in the work than in the transaction. The Earthbound Scale armor was not just functional — it was a piece designed with druidic sensibilities in mind: no metal to offend the grove gods, materials sourced from something already dead, prayers to a forge deity etched into the surfaces not for magic but for intention. He had been watching Cathlynn's face when he named the price for the lizard-hide set and the Doomglore shield, assessing whether she had the money without asking directly. She did. He threw in the boots without being asked twice. Lev buying used armor with a healing potion for partial trade was the kind of negotiation Boros respected. He said as much, in the way dwarven craftspeople say things — by simply making sure the used pieces were still covered under the same warranty as everything else in the shop. Cathlynn left the acorn piece behind. She wanted it. The price was not possible right now. Boros told her he knew where it was.

Character Pulse

Cathlynn Strongbow spent the session moving from underground survival to a negotiation she was not equipped to win and choosing to buy herself time instead. The Spider Climb and the wild shape got her out of the well. The punch got Brannick on the ground. The twenty-four hours bought her a window she does not yet know how to use. Queen knows about the book. Queen has people watching. Queen gave her a name and a handshake and a deadline. Cathlynn is now the only person who knows where the book is, which is both her only leverage and the thing that puts a target on her hands — literally, by Queen's accounting. The Earthbound Scale sits on her shoulders now, etched with prayers to a forge deity she did not know this morning. She took the acorn off the table because she is already carrying too much. Lev walked out of a sealed well with no armor, put a carpenter on the ground at swordpoint without drawing the sword, received a sarcastic wink from a Drow who had already decided how this ended, and spent sixty-one gold on used armor with a history he found interesting. He is carrying the page from Malrik's Draconic journal. He is watching the Drow woman's pattern — Queen gathered information from Malrik immediately after observing him interact with Cathlynn, which means she is working the room systematically and they are now in her model. He does not have a plan yet. He has information and a new shield and a religion check he almost made.

Clues, Revelations & World Details

Queen (given name Qave Libr) is a Drow operative with active surveillance on The Merry Mug. She knows about the hidden book and has offered 1,000 gold for it, with a threat of physical harm as the alternative.
Queen systematically interviewed Malrik after observing his interaction with Cathlynn. She rewarded his honesty with useful information. This is a consistent intelligence-gathering method — map everyone, calibrate leverage, reward cooperation.
The twenty-four hour deadline runs from the morning of the 28th of Weißhexe. Cathlynn must respond or face consequences to people she loves.
Malrik's target — the tall, bearded, blue-eyed Lord — has gone east on a hunting expedition. This came directly from Queen's intelligence, which means Queen knows the movements of the hunting party.
Boros Armory in Oakhaven carries upper-end gear including items with dwarven provenance and full lifetime repair warranty. Notable item available: an unnamed druidic acorn piece at 1,800–2,500 gold (Cathlynn's interest noted).
Rugen, the Star-Tempered Flame: a figure of the Forge, Protection, War, and Light domains. Lawful neutral. Appears in dwarven mythology. The Boros Armory statue depicts this figure. Cathlynn has a history roll result on file via WhatsApp.
Brannick sealed the well cap out of fear and suspicion of the party, not cult affiliation or deliberate malice. His reasoning: The Heretic's arrival correlated with the escalation of wrongness in Oakhaven.
Thann reached his farm safely. He defended Brannick to Cathlynn and Lev and refused to leave with them.

Queen's intelligence network inside a small inn in a small town is the most immediately concerning development of the session. She knew about the book. She had Malrik's conversation reconstructed within hours. She has a twenty-four hour window in which she expects compliance. The book is hidden in The Merry Mug basement — the same building Queen is apparently using as her base of operations. That proximity is not comfortable. The Earthbound Scale armor deserves a note for continuity: Boros etched prayers to Rugen into the scales. Rugen's domains include Protection and War. For a druid wearing non-metal armor with forge prayers worked into the surface, this is either a meaningful convergence or an interesting tension, depending on how Cathlynn's relationship with the forge deity develops.

Items, Purchases, Commissions & Loot

Earthbound Scale armor (Cathlynn) — dire lizard hide, bone studs, Rugen prayer glyphs. AC 12 plus full Dex modifier. Tailored fit. Boros lifetime repair warranty. 550 gold.
Doomglore Hardbark Shield (Cathlynn) — Ironwood, dwarven resin reinforcement, sourced from Doomglore. +3 AC. Boros warranty. 350 gold.
Ochre leather boots (Cathlynn) — complimentary from Boros as part of the deal. No additional cost.
Stormlit Bulwark (Lev) — used armor, full provenance disclosed, Boros warranty applies. Part of 61 gold package.
Red Mantle (Lev) — used armor with history behind it, full provenance disclosed, Boros warranty applies. Part of 61 gold package.
Acorn piece — available at Boros Armory, druidic item, 1,800 gold minimum (original ask 2,500). Cathlynn declined for now. Boros knows where it is.
Cathlynn's old leather armor — replaced. Disposition not specified; no longer in active use.

Active Timers & Future Dates

Queen's twenty-four hour deadline: Runs from the morning of the 28th of Weißhexe. Cathlynn must respond with a decision about the book or face threatened consequences to people she loves.
Commune with Nature (Ikiri pregnancy check): Still pending. Cathlynn was going to prepare this spell. Confirm whether this was done during the long rest and whether Cathlynn has spoken to Ikiri.
Candlekeep book delivery: On hold. Full party required. Queen now knows about the book and is actively pursuing it. The book is in Merry Mug Basement Level 2.
Tibbin Reedwhistle auction proceeds: Items taken to auction approximately four to six weeks prior. Proceeds pending return. Tibbin takes a 10% cut.
Malrik and the Lord: Lord confirmed heading east on hunting expedition per Queen's intelligence. Malrik is at The Merry Mug and looking for a guide.
Boros Armory acorn piece: Available at 1,800–2,500 gold. Cathlynn's interest noted. No time pressure.
Full party reunion: Lilly and Dorian expected to rejoin next session. DM confirmed next session should be full party.

Combat / Encounters

One combat encounter this session. Cathlynn's unarmed strike on Brannick: initiative rolled (4), opportunity attack triggered when Brannick attempted to flee, hit with 19, five bludgeoning damage plus DM-rolled 1d10 for fall result (rolled 6) — Brannick went down hard, bloody nose and mouth, begging for mercy. Cathlynn followed with Entangle on the prone Brannick. No lethal intent. Brannick fled when the Entangle ended; no further engagement.

Character Conditions & Consequences

Cathlynn: Fully rested after long rest. New armor equipped — Earthbound Scale (AC 12 plus full Dex) and Doomglore Hardbark Shield (+3 AC). Previous leather armor replaced. Wild shape at full charges. All spell slots restored. Queen's twenty-four hour clock is running.
Lev: Fully rested after long rest. New armor equipped — Stormlit Bulwark and Red Mantle (used). Scale mail AC penalty from previous session's acid corrosion no longer relevant — old armor replaced. All spell slots restored. Phase Step charges refreshed on long rest.
Queen's threat: Active. Twenty-four hour window from morning of 28th Weißhexe. Consequences unspecified beyond harm to loved ones.
Thann Thorne: Returned safely to the farm. Recovering from envenomation. Emotionally attached to Brannick despite the incident. Pebble's secret still intact.

Open Threads

Queen's twenty-four hour deadline. She knows about the book. She has surveillance on the inn. She offered a thousand gold and threatened hands. Cathlynn has less than a day to respond. The book is in the same building Queen is using.
The book itself. Its delivery terms forbid Cathlynn from giving it to anyone other than the designated recipient at Candlekeep. Accepting Queen's offer would breach The Dark Oak Trading Company commission entirely — with unknown consequences from Carass's end.
Queen's intelligence network. She knows the hunting party's movements, the contents of Malrik's conversation, and where the book approximately is. How deep this surveillance runs is unknown.
Malrik's Lord heading east. Confirmed by Queen's intelligence. Malrik is still at the inn, still looking for a guide, still writing in Draconic about feelings he has not named.
Ikiri's possible pregnancy. Still unconfirmed. Commune with Nature pending. Cathlynn was going to check. Did she prepare and cast it? Track through next session.
Brannick and Thann. Brannick is on notice but free. Thann defended him and returned to the farm. The relationship between the party and Brannick is not resolved — just paused.
The acorn piece at Boros. Cathlynn wants it. 1,800 gold minimum. Boros knows where it is.
Tibbin Reedwhistle's auction proceeds. Still outstanding. Four to six weeks was the estimate from the original arrangement. Check timing against current in-game date.

Next Session Hook

Queen's deadline expires within twenty-four hours of the morning of the 28th of Weißhexe. The book is in the basement of the building she is currently using as her base. The full party is expected to return next session — Lilly and Dorian rejoining after their absence. Cathlynn will have to explain the situation to four people instead of one, and the explanation will include a Drow with a dagger who already knows too much, a thousand gold offer, and a threat against people they love. Whatever decision gets made about the book, it needs to be made quickly and with the full weight of everyone's input. Queen did not give Cathlynn twenty-four hours out of generosity. She gave it because she is confident in the outcome, and confident people with daggers and good intelligence networks are more dangerous than confident people who show it through aggression alone. She has already mapped the room. Now she is waiting for Cathlynn to step into the space she has prepared.

DM Notes / Continuity Flags

Queen's deadline: Expires approximately morning of the 29th of Weißhexe. This is the immediate pressure point entering next session.
Queen's name: Given name Qave Libr (Q-A-V-E, L-I-B-R). Common name: Queen. She is a Drow, rare above surface even in Nehwon. She is using The Merry Mug as a base and has active surveillance on guests.
The book: Still in Merry Mug Basement Level 2, loose stone. Only Cathlynn knows exact location. Queen knows the book exists and approximately where it is ("so very well hidden").
Dark Oak Trading Company implications: If Cathlynn hands the book to Queen, she breaches the commission from Carass. Flag what the consequences of that breach might be — Carass was described as taking security extremely seriously.
Cathlynn's new armor: Earthbound Scale (AC 12 + full Dex) plus Doomglore Hardbark Shield (+3 AC). Boros Armory warranty active — free lifetime repairs, authenticate with hidden Boros mark under a scale.
Lev's new armor: Stormlit Bulwark and Red Mantle, both used. Boros Armory warranty active. Old acid-corroded scale mail retired.
Rugen the Star-Tempered Flame: Dwarven forge deity, Lawful neutral. Cathlynn has a history roll on file (20). Full details sent to player via WhatsApp during session. Log for future reference.
Boros Armory acorn piece: Available at 1,800–2,500 gold. Cathlynn's interest noted. Not purchased. Boros said he knows where it is — implying it will still be available.
Commune with Nature (Ikiri): Was planned for the 28th. Confirm whether Cathlynn prepared and cast this during the long rest period. If not yet done, flag for early next session.
Tibbin Reedwhistle auction: Four to six weeks estimated from original arrangement. Check in-game date and calculate whether proceeds should be arriving soon.
Full party return: Lilly and Dorian rejoin next session. They are unaware of Queen, the deadline, or the book situation. Cathlynn will need to brief them immediately.
Malrik: Still at The Merry Mug. Draconic journal page still with Lev. Confirmed target heading east per Queen's intelligence. Looking for a guide. Has coin.

Report Date

24 Aug 2025

Related Characters

Cathlynn
Lev