Recap - 2025-10-23

Angelus continued to try to woo Dreri, the fallen aaismar, but while she admitted she found him charming, didn’t seem to notice anything beyond that.
She insisted that in order for them to get on her boat, they had to prove their strength.
Chibro questioned her motives, asking why she was willing to take them, and whether she would be willing to throw them overboard at first sign of danger to herself or her boat.
She told him that she refused to sign a contract, as “that is what the fiends do”, but told him she wanted nothing more from them than to help keep her boat safe as she travelled. If she remained in one place for too long, she would find herself a petitioner, and would eventually become someone bound to fight in the Blood War. In addition, she tried to sail on her own through the Sea of Lamentations recently, and only managed to escape the mental grasp of some hellbeast deep within its’ waters by happenstance of another ferry coming by.
Chibro accepted her response, and she insisted they all show their mettle:

“Ever played that old kids’ game where you put your hands out, and the other person slaps your hands as hard as they can, then you do the same to them, and back and forth until one of you gives in? I want that, but from each of you. You give me your best shot, straight up, mano a mano - then I give you one back. Shoot me, stab me, hit me, whatever. You each get one chance. If I can take everything you all throw at me, or I knock one of you out, then no ride. If you can stagger me, then I’ll take you. Deal? And don’t look at these idiots. They won’t cross me and take you. I want you to prove you’re tough enough to travel the Styx. I won’t risk my hide for a bunch of dumb little tourists.”

The group hit her with their best shots:
- Angelus, though hesitant to attack his newfound beloved, struck true, dealing significant damage.
- Josiah at first refused to attack, merely hitting with his limp wizard hands, but Dreri insisted.
- The rest of the group made their attempts, but it was Tag that hit the staggering blow.
After this display of strength, she healed the group, and herself, and they all climbed on the boat.

You look at the tiny raft bobbing on the river, and it seems it would only be big enough for maybe two of you. You watch as Dreri hops on, then she gestures for you to follow.
Angelus, you hop onto the raft, feeling it bob under your feet. You expected to be side by side with Dreri, but as you look at the rear of the raft where she stands, she is far out of reach.
The rest of you watch as Angelus hops on, and you feel your mind twist a bit. You see them standing next to Dreri, shoulder by shoulder, but you blink, and suddenly there is a large space between them. Blink again, and it reverts.
Josiah, you step gingerly onto the raft, feeling it shift underfoot, and come face to face with Angelus. It feels mildly uncomfortable, but then suddenly your compatriot is fifteen feet away, standing astride a large wooden seat.
Those of you still on the shore have the same headache-inducing view of your friends crowded on the boat, then spread out, then crowded again.
Dreri laughs from where she stands, hands on the steering oar, and says, “It’ll mess with your head a bit at first, but I promise you, there’s plenty of room. Funny thing about being on the Styx - Every boat that’s fit to sail can fit everyone who needs to sail on it. Focus on the feeling of there being enough room, of having your own space, and it’ll snap into place.”

The group managed to all fit on the raft, somehow, then proceeded down the River.
Dreri put them on course in the center of the river, far from either bank, and played tour guide as they passed the sights.

Dreri clears her throat and calls out: “All right, you boatload of misfits - There are only three rules on the River Styx. Ignore them at your own risk.
Rule 1 - Keep your hands, feet, heads, toes, noses, tentacles, wings, proboscis, and third arms out of the River. One touch, and you lose a memory. Immersion, you lose a lot of memories. Immersion for a long while, and you’ll end up like me. No idea who you are, where you’re from, and who might or might not be missing you.
Rule the second - No fishing! Should be crystal clear as to why, but I don’t want you getting yanked off my boat by some monster or dragging that monster in.
Final Rule - If you have to hurl, do it over the edge.
As you sail, you see the field of nettles extending out from the shore, in some places for miles. In one spot, you see a pitched battle between a swarm of fiendish looking creatures. There are three large winged creatures, and one enormous hog-faced creature. These are surrounded by hundreds of stubby but vicious looking creatures, claws out, tearing at the wings and faces of the larger creatures. You pause, realizing this must be one of the skirmishes of the blood war, and are glad to be watching from this distance.
Dreri lets out a mirthless chuckle, and says, “What a useless fight. I see them out there every time I pass; killing each other for scraps of land.”

After leaving the Field of Nettles behind, they came across the Ashen Reach, its’ dusty expanse stretching into the high mountains beyond.

Dreri gently guides the boat around various hazards in the river - a large looming stone here, an odd undulating mass under the water there. It is almost peaceful, as you sail away from the field of nettles.
Out on the left bank, you see the nettles give way to ash-covered ground. Dreri calls out (in a droll voice), “To your left, the Ashen Reach, bleakest place on the bleakest plane of existence. Only souls go there are the petitioners seeking to stop existing altogether.”

All felt some power reach into their minds, but only Tag and Josiah succumbed. They each saw the same vision:

You see, as if through the eyes of another, standing on top of a tall hill overlooking the largest, deepest, and darkest pit you have ever heard tell of.
A line of creatures, all covered in the ash and wreathed in grey shadows, weaves through the rocky outcroppings off into the distance, ending at the very edge of the pit. As you watch, it jumps in. As it falls, it dissolves into ash, spreading across the surrounding area. A small amount of the ash drifts upward, sailing up to you, and you see a thin grey arm with impossibly long fingers stretch out - the arm of the creature whose eyes you are seeing through. It holds out a hand, and the ash settles into its palm, then seems to be absorbed into its hand. The line below you shuffles forward, as the next creature readies itself to jump. You recognize this creature, even from this distance. Caloles, the Firbolg Sensate, stands at the edge of the pit, the lifeless body of Pasinia in his arms. The bright colors of his clothes are so muted they look brown, and his face is streaked with tears. You watch as he takes a deep breath, grips his fallen friend to his chest, squats slightly as if preparing for a lunge – and the vision ends. Your sight returns to the River around you, as the Ashen Reach disappears into the distance behind you.

Josiah was overwhelmed by a desire to jump into the pit himself, and dove out of the boat before anyone could stop him. The water washed over him, stripping the edges off of his memory of an old friend like turpentine on a painted canvas, but Chibro fished him out before he could fully succumb.
Chibro, Angelus and Tag attempted to subdue Josiah, but he kept trying to squirm out of their grasp and make his way to the Forlorn Pit.
Finally, Kor hit Josiah hard enough in the face to knock him back to reality, and the group continued on.
As they sailed along, Chibro and Angelus conversed with Dreri. She told Chibro that she just sailed up and down the river, trying to avoid becoming a petitioner. Chibro told her of Sigil, and offered up that there may be more to life.
Angelus took it further, telling her that Sigil was a place where everyone could belong. Overwhelmed by his kindness, Dreri shared with him that she doesn’t remember anything of her past. She woke up on the shores of the River Styx, washed there after being immersed long enough to have her memory fully wiped. She waited for days for someone to come get her, to rescue her, but no one came. Days became weeks, and still no one came. As she realized she was a fallen aaismar, she began to wonder what she had done to be cast out of the heavens. With no one looking for her, lost in the lower planes, and fallen from grace, she knew whatever she had done must have been terrible. So, she admitted, her travels aren’t just avoid becoming conscripted into the Blood War (though that does play a strong part); they are to see if she runs into anyone who knows her, and can destroy her for the evil she must have done. She shares that her fear is not death - sometimes, she thinks non-existence would be better than the pain she feels - but instead, fear of being stuck without her boat, without a way to travel and escape the thoughts, fiends and other dangers that would otherwise trap her.
Angelus again offered to bring her to Sigil, but before she could fully commit, she called out a warning: There was an unnatural fog rolling in.
The boat sailed through the blinding fog and emerged on the other side into a trap.
A newly erected barricade of a bridge spanned the river, manned by a half-dozen Mezzoloths, some Steam Mephits, and their invisible leader, Tholvallath.
Dreri calls out for the group to destroy the bridge and get them through safely, and a pitched battle is fought.
The Mezzoloths and Steam Mephits swarm the boat, attacking the group, dealing significant damage.
The group manages to drive them away, helped by the fact that the Mezzoloths appeared to have just recently finished capturing this bridge from whoever was there before, and were still healing from their wounds.
Chibro blasted away several, his enormous elephantine frame spanning the middle of the boat.
Tag, in a fit of ingenuity, stuck the Explosive Caker Frosting onto his Unbreakable Arrow and shot it onto the bridge, revealing Tholvallath and catching the bridge on fire.
Kor smashed two of the Mezzoloths, keeping control of the front of the boat.
Angelus fought to protect Dreri, attacking the Mezzoloths with his sword.
Gobbie healed the group, smashing the enemy with his hammer as he could.
Josiah fired at the bridge and cast a mighty storm spell, attempting to destroy it.
The boat came within mere feet of the bridge, with the myriad owls Tag summoned desperately pulling at it with their claws, and was rebuffed by the Storm Sphere long enough for Angelus to throw two javelins at it, and then allow Kor to take the final blow, breaking the bridge in half and allowing the boat to sail through safely.
Chibro attempted to salvage in the water around the bridge, but the River’s water splashed on his hands, wiping out the memory of the smell of his childhood flowers.
Tag grabbed his unbreakable arrow, but at the cost of the memory of the face of an old friend.
Angelus deftly snatched a floating +1 greataxe out of the water.
Dreri then guided the boat forward, saying, “Next stop, Gehenna!”

Treasure

(1) +1 Greataxe
- Nestled beside them, you find a +1 Greataxe, its blade forged from a dull crimson metal that glows brighter when near fiendish blood.
(1) Scorched Iron Coffer with “Tholvallath, Bridge Detail,#117X” written on the top, with 320 PP of obsidian soul coins and a handful of brass infernal marks, redeemable by someone who deals in infernal coin.

Song of the Session

Don’t You (Forget About Me) by James Morrison

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