Recap - 2026-03-26

• Group moved on from the Misery room to the next room, which referenced “humanity’s despair”.

This room looks like a collapsed cathedral. There are crumbling stone arches along the walls, half-standing. The stonework is stained with water damage, and age. The ceiling above you is partially collapsed, and oddly, you can see stars through the holes in it. However, these stars don’t offer the same comforting twinkling light of the stars back on the Material Plane. Instead, they seem to shine harshly down on you, causing your shadows to stand out in stark relief against the floor. The floor itself is made of uneven flagstones with deep cracks, and the pews that sit on them are broken, not through violence, but as though they couldn’t bear to hold themselves together any longer.
At the far end of the room is a small altar, with a single unlit candle sitting on it. next to the candle is a single aged flint and steel. Shadows flit across the walls, and as you all file in, you feel your own shadows begin to drag behind you, turning into chains that weigh you down.
The shadows shift on the walls, and dive at you.

• The group felt weighed down by their own shadowy chains, and were beset by shadow demons. Chibro fought his way through them and used the flint and steel to light the candle.

You light the candle, and it flares to a brightness beyond what the small candle should be able to generate. It burns away the shadows, destroying the shadow demons, and illuminating the entire chamber. The chains slough off your backs, and the altar shifts aside, revealing a passage.

• As the group searched the room, they found bones and a well-preserved scroll case. Inside was a scroll that said:

Honorable, my friend, I have a request to make of you. I have found the Pyxis, and I believe a path to retrieve it. Here are the directions; it is buried within that horrible, twisted city. I pray to Bahamut you will succeed.

• There was also a Spell Scroll of Protection from Fiends.
• The group continued on, and found themselves in a small room that referenced “humanity’s strife” on the far wall.

The floor of this room is covered in sand, in some places up to three feet deep. At the center of the room is a single pillar, and on that pillar rests a single small cup.
As you enter the room, you realize it is overwhelmingly, dangerously hot and dry. The stone door behind you slams shut, and you feel the water leaving your body, evaporating into the air far faster than normal. Your lips are chapped. Your skin feels dry. You are slowly drying out.

• The group took turns trying to figure out what to do.
  • One drank from the cup, emptying it, only to feel no less thirsty and finding the cup refilled after it was replaced on the pedestal.
  • One spilled the cup, but again, no effect.
  • Many refused the cup, seeking to avoid the conflict.
  • Finally, Angelus fed Josiah the water, and the far door unlocked.

The doors on either side of the room open, and you feel satiated again. Your mouth, just moments ago so dry you could barely croak out a word, is back to as it should be.

• The group continued on, with Chibro stepping into the next room, one referencing “humanity’s pain”.

This floor of this room is covered in bones, humanoid, bestial, fiendish. As you step into the room, a line of ghostly figures appears in front of you, seemingly stretching off into the blackness in a line that has no end. As you move, they move. If you step forward, into the room, they step back, keeping themselves in front of you. You do not see a door.
You can see that each person in front of you, at least the ones you can make out, is in some form of pain. Some of them have obvious physical wounds, but others are weeping, some are covering their faces. And as you look closer, you recognize some of them.
Angelus, you see Gertube, the head caker. She is badly wounded, with her left arm and part of her torso missing.
Josiah, you see Dust Devil, the air genasi from Bedlam who tried to steal the airship. He is covered in burn marks and scars, each movement causes a grimace of pain.
Gobbie, you see Szelti, the yuan-ti priest who attacked your party at the shrine. He is gasping for air, his eyes glazed over but still widened in panic.
Tag, you see Pythagius, the hydroloth who tried to kill Angelus, his body covered in claw marks and knife wounds.
Chibro, you see a beholder, its one eye a massive bullet hole, floating off-kilter, gritting its myriad teeth.
Kor, you see a Cwentus, the Ultraloth who tried and failed to take Naghig, with his face smashed in, grimacing through it at you.
And behind and beyond these, you realize these are the people who you have wronged, hurt and killed. An old friend you betrayed. A family member you spoke harshly to. Every person you have ever wounded, literally or figuratively, living or dead, is here. And they refuse to let you pass.

• One of the group attempted to charge past them, only to be slammed back with psychic pain.
  • Chibro mocked the one in front of him as weak, and the figure flicked away, replaced by the next. Then again, and again, until finally one of his people from his original village appeared. Chibro briefly lost his composure, crying out “it wasn’t his fault” and then calmed. He rejected the idea that his clan’s fate was his fault, and the tribe member moved on. When Caloles appeared, he accepted responsibility for it.
  • Josiah took on Dust Devil’s pain, recognizing that he shot him down as he fled.
  • Angelus apologized to Gertrube, and though it may have been mostly insincere, enough genuine regret came through to appease the spirit.
  • Kor half-heartedly apologized to Cwentus, and was struck by psychic damage for it. He then actually apologized to a member of his tribe he had wronged.
  • Gobbie apologized to the yuan-ti he allowed to suffocate in his bag.
  • Tag falsely apologized to Pythagius, but was able to convince the hydroloth’s spirit he was sincere.

The line in front of you fans out, so you can see the great mass of them. They all give you some sign of relief - a nod, a grimace of begrudging respect, a smile. And then they fade into the distance. Across the room, the door grinds open.

• When they apologized, they took on the pain of their enemies for four days.
  • Chibro felt his wisdom slip (disadvantage on Wisdom Saving throws for any charm effects).
  • Josiah felt a hitch in his side, causing his arm mobility to be lessened. (Disadvantage on all arm-based dex saves).
  • Angelus felt Gertube’s aura of unpleasantness fall on him. (Negative reactions from all newly met creatures).
  • Gobbie felt his lungs constrict (disadvantage on all breathing-related con saves).
  • Kor felt his mind dull (disadvantage on intelligence saves for mental spell effects).
  • Tag felt his connection to the animal kingdom waver (disadvantage on animal handling checks for all neutral or unfriendly animals).
• Bearing these new burdens, they moved onto the next room, one referencing “humanity’s envy”.

You see an incredibly fat man with a scrabbly beard sitting upon a tarnished metal throne. Scattered around the throne is treasure galore, including a beautifully crafted blunderbuss, a holy token carved to lathandar, gold filigree glinting off items. He is holding a tarnished scepter, and when you enter, he holds it to his cheek and, drool spraying out of his mouth, mutters, “yes, yes, I see it. I see that magnificent weapon. I see that beautifully carved holy symbol. Why do others always have better things?”
He leans forward, shifting his immense bulk in your direction, and demands, “You there! Travellers! Give me those items! Give them to me! I deserve them.”

• The group, just about done with this temple crap at this point, almost to a person, refused.
• Gobbie offered him the Tablet of Pure Concentration. The king took it, but it immediately grew grey and worn, and cracked to pieces. He demanded something better, finer.
• Gobbie, feeling the hand of Tyr on him, offered the king his most valued possession: His holy symbol. That which binds him in power to Tyr. The king took it.

At this, the king, on his throne, begins to whimper, and wither. He calls out, his voice getting higher and more panicked, “No, no, no! I want them! I need them! Give me more! More! I need moooooore!” Then he withers to a pile of dust on his chair. The items around him wither away as well; all except a small pile of items in what remains of the king: The items you gave up, returned to you. The door to the next room clicks open.

• The group continued on, venturing into the next room, one that referenced “humanity’s death”.

This room has a checkered floor, one set of squares the color of blood, the others the color of ashes. Across the room is an hourglass, with sand suspended in the top, and empty at the bottom. It sits on a plinth, with the words in primordial: Thou that seekest the source of humanity’s death, must first face thine own mortality.
Nothing happens as you enter into the room and stand against the wall. The room appears completely empty, other than the hourglass. No door can be seen.

• Chibro started across the room toward the hourglass.

The first step forward feels heavier than it should. Your hair seems to grey in streaks, your bones ache with each motion. For some, your muscles weaken so suddenly that you feel every joint protesting. For others, the effect is slower, almost imperceptible—but you know it is happening.
As you begin to cross the room, you feel your bones begin to ache. Your vision blurs, your senses dim. As you approach the hourglass, you notice it is filled with sand, but not full. Your now-knobby knees buckle, your limbs weak and frail. You sense that if you go any further, you will perish.

• Unable to reach the hourglass, Josiah follows, to the same effect. The hourglass is almost filled, but never fully.
• When they return to the other side of the room, they regain their lost time, but the hourglass empties.
• The group, thoroughly done with this whole thing, decides to just shoot the hourglass.
• A terrifying dragon, made of blackness like the empty starless sky with horns like solar rays, appeared, and attacked.
• The battle was pitched, with the dragon using myriad time effects on the adventurers, but they were able to handily defeat it with no loss of life and only minor mental trauma.
• Finally, they crossed into the last room.

This room is small, the smallest of any room so far, but it is also beautiful. The walls are gently glowing with a calming amber light. You are immediately healed of any conditions, exhaustion, and regain all hit points. Being here, especially after what you have endured, feels like being drowned in peace, in calm. You feel a feeling bubbling up in your chest, for the first time in a week: Hope. There is hope to be found yet in this universe, despite all you have seen.
In the center of the room is a small chest, the size of a loaf of bread. It hums, faintly, and has a massive red-hued lock bolted around it.
Treasure is stacked all around it, piled high, with each large item attached to a yellowing index card with wire.
Laying on top of the chest, which you assume to be the Pyxis you seek, is a scroll.

The Scroll

Thou that seeketh the source of humanity’s sickness,
must first cure thy own ills.
Thou that seeketh the source of humanity’s greed,
must first save that which you hold dear.
Thou that seekest the source of humanity’s misery,
must first battle your own.
Thou that seekest the source of humanity’s strife,
must first quiet the demands of your own heart.
Thou that seekest the source of humanity’s envy,
must seek another’s fortune first.
Thou that seekest the source of humanity’s pain,
must first feel the pain thou hast caused.
Thou that seekest the source of humanity’s despair,
must first light the shadows of thine own heart.
Thou that seekest the source of humanity’s death,
must first face thine own.
Thou that hast felt the ills of mankind, I beseech thee, open not this casket, But bear it onward, until the gods deem thee worthy, And seal it henceforth.
I, Epimetheus, didst retrieve this pyxis from the Prime Material many ages agone, to guard what remained of humanity from the doom Orcus wrought upon them. I am in my final days, for though we yugoloths live many hundreds of years, we are not immortal. I hide this here, in the Crawling City I have aided in creation, until one comes to destroy it. The gods will not hear me; I stripped their storehouses, seized their treasures, and with their stolen powers fashioned this city.
Take it, wield it if thou must, then destroy it. But open it not, ever. The word to do so is hidden from thee, and shall remain so until the gods share items. 
This may not return to the Prime. For verily, if humanity is lost from this world, who remains for us yugoloths to torment?

• This is the Pyxis of Pandemonium, and it cannot be opened without knowing the word to release the latch.

• There is also:

  • A large pile of ancient gold coins, totaling 3600 GP.
  • Alchemy Jug (Orange) - Covered in ancient glyphs. A note is etched into it in primordial: “Stolen from Dionysus. Not good for humans.”
  • Bow of Melodies - “Stripped this off the body of Apollo after the first godsfall. Keeping here to avoid humans from using it, as the tune is damnably annoying.”
  • Deck of Wonder - “Snatched this from Leonidas before he could draw a second card. One of the gods must have thought it was a right good trick. Their second working with next Deck was far better. Keeping here to keep the humans from wreaking havoc.”

• A couple of members of the group took turns drawing from the deck, with only minor effects.

• They breathed a sigh of relief, and took a brief rest before venturing back out into the city.

Treasure

• 3600 GP
• Alchemy Jug (Orange)
• Bow of Melodies
• Deck of Wonder (-1 card)

Song of the Session

Look Up by Joy Oladokun

Previous Session: Sigil - 2026-03-12
Next Session: Sigil - 2026-04-23

#sigil/recap