The session opens with the party still reeling from the previous confrontation where Helisana split into two distinct beings—the patron-controlled Helisana who departed with the ravers, and the newly manifested Liliana Goldspring, a cheerful bard who claims to be the original personality trapped inside Helisana’s consciousness for years.
Understanding the Split#
The party immediately begins questioning Liliana about the nature of her existence and relationship to Helisana. Liliana explains that she represents who Helisana was before accepting the pact with Ach’uk—a personality that was locked away when the warlock deal was struck. She has witnessed everything through Helisana’s eyes but been powerless to intervene. The group debates whether they are two halves of a fractured soul or completely separate entities.
When asked directly if they should attempt to save Helisana, Liliana—despite her heart breaking at the thought—acknowledges that her priority lies with the people in front of her who aren’t trying to murder each other. This pragmatic response is noticeably gentler than anything Helisana ever expressed, though Liliana insists that Helisana did care about the party in her own rough way.
The DM clarifies that Helisana had become so consumed by thoughts of “what if I hadn’t made the pact” that this alternate self grew strong enough to manifest as a separate being through warlock magic. They are now fully distinct entities, each with their own bodies and identities—Helisana kept the warlock powers and patron connection, while Liliana retained the original personality’s optimism and compassion.
Strategic Assessment#
With only two days remaining before the planned uprising against the Iron Claws, the party takes stock of multiple intersecting crises:
The Iron Claws Problem: The criminal organization currently maintains order in High Forge through oppressive control. The party has already set in motion a plan to use Helisana’s ravers to attack during a concert at the Great Hall, but removing the Iron Claws will create a massive power vacuum.
Silas proposes contacting his girlfriend Naomi, who manages operations at the Lotus Casino, to help stabilize the city after the Iron Claws fall. If she can manage dealing with Marvin Junior (the difficult casino owner), she can handle organizing civil leadership.
The Dragon Threat: An army of dragons will descend on High Forge in three days. The party possesses the mysterious orb that may allow them to command the dragons, though using it carries unknown risks. They recognize they got off relatively easy with the dragons during their last encounter (having given them the Bugatti), but the creatures still destroyed parts of the city.
The Helisana Situation: The patron-controlled Helisana now leads the ravers and poses an unpredictable threat. While she’s still committed to the Iron Claws attack, her actions afterward could range from simply pursuing fame to attempting to “party the city to death” as ancient legends describe Ach’uk’s influence. The party agrees they cannot defeat her in direct combat at their current power level.
Tofer explicitly warns the players that a straight fight against Helisana would end badly for them, suggesting they need to be clever about any confrontation—planting seeds for future solutions, making deals, or finding ways to avoid direct combat entirely.
Planning Solutions#
The party brainstorms several potential approaches to the Helisana problem:
Ellis proposes using the dimensional rifts: Perhaps they could send Helisana and the ravers to another dimension temporarily, giving the party time to deal with other threats. This leads to discussion of using the stellar radio technology from Red’s research.
Luke suggests a rock-off: Liliana could challenge Helisana to a musical battle, with pyrotechnics from Brew and Elspeth providing a spectacular show that might appeal to Helisana’s desire for the perfect performance.
The Vegas Solution: Ellis proposes that Silas contact Naomi about offering Helisana a residency at the Lotus Casino—giving her a venue for nightly performances with free booze and adoring crowds. This appeals to Helisana’s core motivation (fame and recognition) without requiring combat. The party generally agrees this might be their best short-term solution.
Long-term Rescue Mission: The party discusses eventually seeking out Joel (the powerful entity they’ve encountered before) to help save Helisana from Ach’uk’s influence. Tofer confirms this is a viable quest line they could pursue after dealing with immediate threats, though he jokes about his track record of keeping Joel alive.
Return to the Sewers#
Needing rest and a safe location, the party heads back to April Bonal’s underground encampment. Along the way, Brew continues his ongoing argument with April about poison (still bitter about nearly dying from testing her toxin). The group also discovers that the dwarf couple living in Olivia’s former apartment were legitimate residents assigned by the Iron Claws after Olivia fled—though this doesn’t make the encounter any less awkward.
At the encampment, they find:
- April working on her chemistry set, trying to improve her poison after Brew’s remarkable resistance
- Casey Bones practicing street hockey
- Litu (Ohma’s turtle disciple) and Chalk Rock (the detective) having dinner together and discussing their mentorship relationships
- Bernardo providing pizza for everyone
Litu has thoughtfully set up a complete camp including a hot tub, demonstrating his dedication as Ohma’s student. The tender moment between mentor and disciple is witnessed by Chalk Rock, who wistfully wishes he had similar guidance.
Shopping and Preparations#
Brew’s Poison Problem#
Before the group can properly rest, Brew insists on visiting a potion shop to restock supplies after his near-death experience. The party visits an establishment run by an elderly dwarf named Tunac in the Underlake district. When Ohma reveals his identity as “the Ninja Turtle” (the famous underground wrestler), Tunac agrees not to report them to authorities in exchange for the story.
However, the shopping trip is repeatedly interrupted by Brew needing to make constitution saving throws against the poison still ravaging his system:
- He passes several through liberal use of Flash of Genius
- April watches with scientific curiosity, insisting her poison should have killed him by now
- The party eventually carries the semiconscious goblin while continuing their errands
- Elspeth finally uses Lesser Restoration to cure him after he drops to 1 hit point
The incident highlights both Brew’s impressive constitution and his tendency toward self-destructive decisions in pursuit of proving himself.
Kevin’s Arsenal#
Ohma purchases supplies to upgrade Kevin (Brew’s steel defender):
- 10 flasks of oil (1 gold total—apparently oil is remarkably cheap)
- 5 scrolls of Acid Splash (100 gold)
- 4 healing potions (200 gold)
- 1 scroll of Web (240 gold)
Brew plans to modify the Web scroll into wrist-mounted web shooters for Kevin, creating a Spider-Man style combat homunculus. When Ohma questions this allocation of their shared gold, Brew successfully arm-wrestles April to claim the crafting table in their safe house, then begins extracting juice from grapes to create “acid grapes” and “toilet wine.”
The goblin’s creative chaos includes proposals to:
- Create poisonous toilet wine to revenge-poison April
- Craft grape-based acid bombs
- Install spray mechanisms for various alchemical substances on Kevin
Silas repeatedly tries to redirect Brew toward less dangerous projects, eventually coaxing him to help with Scarlet’s interdimensional glass sphere research instead.
Armor Shopping#
Liliana visits the “Purple Bottom Armory,” run by three children stacked in a trench coat pretending to be an adult proprietor named “Mr. Purple Bottom.” She plays along with their charade while purchasing basic studded leather armor (45 gold) after determining that magical armor remains too expensive for her current budget.
Olivia visits the same establishment and negotiates for adamantine plate armor with financial help from Liliana (who spots her 200 gold). The upgrade provides immunity to critical hits and reduces all physical damage by 3, significantly improving her already formidable defensive capabilities. Her AC remains 20, but she becomes extraordinarily difficult to damage effectively.
Confronting the Past#
The party needs a detailed map of High Forge to use their magical paint for creating a path from the surface to the Forge Heart (where the dragons will emerge). Olivia suggests her old police precinct, believing it less likely to be heavily monitored than other locations.
Disguising themselves (Silas as a different dwarf, Olivia as an elderly woman), the group infiltrates the precinct successfully despite Ohma’s terrible stealth roll—Chalk Rock is too absorbed in his detective work to notice even the large turtle walking past his office.
In the bullpen, they discover an elaborate tactical display that Chalk Rock has constructed:
- Detailed maps of the entire city showing Iron Claws positions
- Cross-sections revealing the three-dimensional layout of High Forge
- Figurines representing each party member seated around a table
- An empty chair at the head for Olivia
The display reveals Chalk Rock’s loneliness and his desire to have his mentor back. Eavesdropping on his office, they hear him talking to himself (or possibly to imagined versions of the party), working through his plan to:
- Coordinate with the old Tear leaders to evacuate civilians before the conflict
- Prepare a speech for convincing religious authorities to help
- Write everything down in advance since he knows he’s “not good outside this office”
The party realizes Chalk Rock is competent and well-intentioned, just anxious and socially awkward. They take the maps they need without disturbing him, with Liliana expressing faith that he’ll succeed in his civilian protection mission.
Technical Preparations#
At the Vroomfall (the party’s mobile base), Scarlet has been conducting research on dimensional magic to advance the Pocket Village project. Silas assists her in creating several basketball-sized glass spheres that emanate interdimensional energy—likely components for the village’s eventual construction or for manipulating planar barriers.
Meanwhile, Brew converts his purchases into combat applications for Kevin:
- Creates wrist-mounted web shooters from the scroll
- Installs an ammunition bandolier holding alchemist’s fire, acid, and healing potions
- Considers adding acid spray mechanisms
The modifications transform Kevin from a simple steel defender into a heavily armed combat support construct, ready for the coming battle.
Character Moments#
Liliana and the Party: The new bard spends time getting to know the group properly. She expresses genuine care for them while acknowledging the situation with Helisana breaks her heart. Her sunny disposition and verbal tics (“Oh jeez,” frequent apologies) create immediate contrast with Helisana’s dark cynicism. She agrees to attempt using music to counter Helisana’s influence if necessary, though she worries about matching powers enhanced by an ancient patron.
Brew’s Recklessness: The goblin’s determination to prove himself stronger than April’s poison nearly kills him multiple times. His stubbornness manifests as both impressive constitution saves and terrible decision-making. The party increasingly treats him like a chaotic younger sibling who needs constant supervision.
Ohma and Litu: The master-student relationship continues developing, with Litu demonstrating thoughtfulness and dedication that makes Chalk Rock jealous. Ohma’s patient mentorship style contrasts with his violent combat approach.
Silas and Brew: Their friendship shows in Silas repeatedly saving Brew from his own poor choices, though he also enables some of the goblin’s more creative chaos when it serves strategic purposes.
Olivia’s Displacement: Returning to her apartment to find it occupied by Iron Claws-assigned residents reinforces her exile status. She handles it pragmatically, taking only what she needs (the maps) rather than fighting innocent civilians caught in the regime’s housing redistribution.
Timeline and Pressure#
The party completes their long rest with one day remaining before the planned uprising. The DM emphasizes that this shopping and preparation session represents the “calm before the storm”—next session will feature continuous action as multiple plots converge:
- Day 2: Final preparations and positioning
- Day 3: The Great Hall concert/uprising against Iron Claws
- Day 3: Dragon army descends on the city
- Ongoing: Helisana’s unpredictable actions under Ach’uk’s influence
Unresolved Questions#
Helisana’s Fate: Can she be saved, should she be destroyed, or is sequestering her elsewhere the only viable option? The party leans toward the “Vegas residency” solution as a temporary measure while they grow strong enough to attempt a rescue.
The Power Vacuum: Who will govern High Forge after the Iron Claws fall? Naomi represents their best current option, but she’s untested in political leadership.
Dragon Control: The party has the orb but doesn’t know how to use it safely or what consequences using it might bring.
George’s Mission: Olivia’s nephew’s quest to seal dimensional rifts remains unaddressed, though the party’s work with Scarlet on dimensional magic may eventually connect to this plotline.
Ach’uk’s Endgame: What does the ancient primordial entity ultimately want? How much control does it truly have over Helisana? Can its influence be countered or severed?
Setup for Next Session#
Tofer explicitly warns players that next session will be continuous action—the convergence of the Iron Claws uprising, dragon threat, and Helisana situation. He advises them to:
- Review their character abilities and resources
- Think about positioning and tactics
- Consider how their various preparations might be employed
- Prepare for difficult choices with no perfect solutions
The session ends with the party as ready as they can be, though everyone understands they’re heading into a situation where even the best plans may crumble under pressure from multiple simultaneous crises. The question isn’t whether things will go wrong, but how catastrophically, and whether they can adapt quickly enough to prevent total disaster.
Themes#
Identity and Change: Liliana’s emergence raises profound questions about personality, choice, and whether we can escape the consequences of past decisions. Is she truly a different person, or just Helisana without the patron’s influence?
Friendship and Loyalty: The party must decide what they owe to someone who may never have genuinely been their friend, while also protecting the innocent people caught in Helisana’s path.
Preparation vs. Improvisation: Despite extensive planning, the party knows their carefully laid schemes will likely require desperate improvisation once combat begins.
Moral Complexity: There are no clearly “good” solutions—only choices with different costs and benefits. Killing Helisana, saving her, or containing her all carry significant moral weight and practical complications.
The session expertly balances character development, tactical preparation, and escalating tension as the party approaches what may be the most consequential confrontation of the campaign.