Into the Dark Woods#
The session begins with technical difficulties as the party prepares to pursue the Omega Wolfotron that has just dragged Magnolia Redguard into the forest. Jasper “Red” Gaines activates his Large Form ability, growing to 12 feet tall, and immediately darts into the woods after the wolves, driven by determination to rescue Magnolia despite having no particular attachment to her.
Using his survival skills in the darkness, Red manages to pick up a blood trail despite the challenging conditions. The trail shows broken branches and blood splatters leading deeper into the woods, though the pace makes it difficult to catch up quickly.
The Pack Gathers#
The rest of the party quickly mobilizes to follow Red’s pursuit:
- Silas Fairbanks takes a moment to be healed by Retired Detective Olivia Cooper before rushing after Red
- Felonias Bru and Silas ride on the back of Olivia’s summoned goat for speed
- Elspeth Cooper and Helisanna follow on foot, with Elspeth considering riding her steel defender BoxBox
- Red casts a light cantrip above himself, creating a beacon for the others to follow
The party converges as they track the wolves deeper into the forest, with the goat-mounted riders able to keep pace with Red’s enhanced speed.
Wolf Negotiations#
Upon reaching a clearing, the party discovers three wolves surrounding what appears to be Magnolia’s badly injured body. The confrontation quickly becomes complex when Helisanna casts Command on the alpha wolf, forcing it to approach. This reveals that the wolf can walk on two legs and shows clear signs of intelligence.
Silas attempts to communicate with the wolves and realizes through an insight check that they possess unusual intelligence. Using his Psychic Blades telepathic connection, he establishes communication with the alpha wolf, who reveals himself to be Frankie - a werewolf who transforms between human and wolf form.
An Unlikely Alliance#
Through Silas’s telepathic link (which he shares with Red and Elspeth), the party learns crucial information:
- Frankie and his pack have been driven to attack the town due to food scarcity caused by devils corrupting the forest
- The devils have been taking wolves as well as humans
- There’s a shrine in the woods that has been compromised by devil activity
- Frankie is reluctant to eat humans, finding it disturbing
Elspeth steps forward to negotiate, using her natural diplomatic instincts despite her lack of charisma training. Through persuasion and the promise of healing, the party successfully recruits Frankie as an ally. Red heals both Frankie and another injured wolf, cementing their alliance.
Retired Detective Olivia Cooper heroically wrestles Magnolia away from one of the wolves in a display of impressive athletics, showcasing her “water aerobics” training to great effect.
Preparing for War#
The party stabilizes and heals Magnolia, bringing her back to consciousness. However, they face a dilemma about what to do with her, as she’s technically a communist revolutionary scheduled to execute an innocent woman. After debate about tying her to a tree or bringing her along, they ultimately decide to send her back to town on Olivia’s summoned goat.
Frankie explains that while he’d like to bring his pack to fight the devils, they’re too frightened after suffering heavy losses. He agrees to accompany the party alone, warning them that time is limited as his transformation won’t last indefinitely.
The party takes a short rest to recover, with Helisanna providing bardic inspiration to Silas, Elspeth, and Red using her musical abilities. Bru notably doesn’t receive inspiration, continuing their playful antagonistic relationship.
The Corrupted Shrine#
The party approaches a cavern marked by glowing red runic symbols along the stone walls. Red and Olivia, with their divine connections, feel the strong presence of infernal corruption emanating from the area. The group decides on a stealthy approach rather than charging in.
Rolling an impressive group stealth check (with Silas achieving a remarkable total of 30), the party successfully infiltrates the cavern undetected. They discover a massive chamber containing:
- Four figures: Three devils positioned around a large altar, and one figure floating above it
- The floating figure is identified as Ophelia, an elven communist the party had previously captured and released
- Red’s exceptional religion check (natural 20, total 25) allows him to identify the three devil types: a healer, a damage dealer, and a tank
Red recognizes the ritual taking place as one that will strengthen the devils’ hold on this reality, making immediate action necessary.
Devil Combat - Opening Moves#
Initiative Order: Red (17), Silas (16), Elspeth (15), Frankie (14), Bru (12), Helisanna (8), Olivia (6)
The party gets the jump on the devils, launching their assault:
Red begins by casting Emboldening Bond, connecting Silas, Helisanna, and (reluctantly) Bru with divine energy that allows them to add d4 to their rolls.
Silas moves to engage the healer devil, throwing daggers with sneak attack damage despite rolling poorly on damage dice. His Vex weapon mastery ensures his follow-up attack will have advantage.
Elspeth charges in with BoxBox, positioning her steel defender to protect allies while attempting diplomacy one final time. When this fails, she attacks the minor devil with her gun, landing one hit out of multiple attempts.
Frankie proves his worth immediately, delivering a devastating critical hit with his bite and claw attacks against the brute devil, dealing significant damage and establishing himself as a valuable ally.
Bru attempts to use Color Spray on the brute but discovers the devil has too many hit points for the spell to take effect. The devil merely enjoys the colorful display.
Helisanna tries Tasha’s Hideous Laughter on the minor devil but fails to overcome its wisdom save despite using cutting words to modify the roll.
Olivia charges the minor devil with her battle axe, landing a solid hit enhanced by Divine Smite for radiant damage, though failing to knock the devil prone with her Topple weapon mastery.
Devil Retaliation#
The devils respond with devastating area-of-effect attacks:
The Infernal Ravager releases a massive hellfire explosion in a 20-foot radius, forcing dexterity saves from most of the party. The 27 fire damage (half on successful save) severely injures multiple party members:
- Several party members fail their saves and take full damage
- Red uses his Stone’s Endurance racial ability to reduce some damage
- The party’s health pools are significantly depleted
The Brute devil attacks Frankie with multiple strikes while emanating necrotic damage to nearby creatures, further wearing down the party.
The Minor Devil attempts to inflict bane on nearby enemies and tries to corrupt allies while healing itself and the brute for substantial amounts.
Mid-Combat Healing and Recovery#
Red recognizes the dire situation and uses his Channel Divinity: Balm of Peace, allowing him to move his full distance while healing any creature within 5 feet during his movement. This strategic ability lets him heal multiple party members:
- Silas receives healing dice
- Olivia gets healed from near-death
- Bru and Helisanna also benefit from the divine healing
Red supplements this with Healing Word on himself, demonstrating the crucial role of battlefield healing.
However, the Ravager follows up with another area explosion, dealing 27 fire damage again and downing both Olivia and Frankie, showing just how deadly these devil encounters can be.
Turning the Tide#
The party rallies with impressive teamwork:
Silas eliminates the Infernal Ravager with precise dagger throws, using his advantage from Vex and dealing substantial sneak attack damage in a cinematic jumping attack over Elspeth.
Elspeth rushes to revive Olivia, throwing herself protectively over the fallen paladin while using her healing abilities. BoxBox provides consistent damage against the remaining devils.
Bru finally gets his Eldritch Cannon back online (having been without it due to no long rest), deploying a Force Ballista that provides both consistent damage and tactical positioning with its push effect.
Helisanna shifts to her Warlock abilities, casting Hex and then Eldritch Blast with devastating effect, landing a critical hit that eliminates the Minor Devil with a spectacular display of force energy.
Final Confrontation#
With only the Brute devil remaining, the party focuses fire:
Olivia, revived and furious, channels her Divine Strike and Imbued Weapon abilities to deal massive radiant damage. Her attacks cut through the devil “like infernal butter,” showcasing the devastating effectiveness of paladin abilities against fiends.
Frankie, despite being knocked unconscious and briefly reverting to human form, proves his mettle throughout the fight with consistent high damage.
The final devil falls to Olivia’s righteous fury as she delivers the killing blow, demonstrating the “bloodthirsty Olivia” persona that emerges when fighting evil.
Resolution and Aftermath#
As the devils die, their blood and energy flow into the altar’s symbols, briefly intensifying the ritual around Ophelia. Just as the situation seems to worsen, Eleanor arrives with perfect timing, raising her amulet and beginning a cleansing chant.
Eleanor’s divine magic successfully purifies the shrine, causing:
- The devil bodies to disintegrate completely
- The ritual to be disrupted and reversed
- The shrine’s corruption to be cleansed
- The forest’s natural balance to begin restoration
Character Moments and Development#
The session showcases significant character development:
Red emerges as a crucial support character, his divine healing abilities proving essential for party survival. His religious knowledge also proves invaluable for understanding the threats they face.
Olivia displays a fierce protective instinct and righteous fury against evil, establishing her as a formidable frontline fighter when her divine abilities are properly utilized.
Elspeth continues her role as the party’s heart, rushing to help fallen allies and attempting diplomatic solutions even in dire circumstances.
Silas demonstrates tactical thinking and adaptability, using his psychic abilities for communication and his combat skills for precise strikes.
Bru struggles without his signature abilities but adapts by working with his cannon and providing what support he can.
Helisanna shows her versatility by switching between bard and warlock abilities as the situation demands.
Technical and Strategic Notes#
The combat showcases several important D&D mechanics:
- The effectiveness of area healing abilities in emergency situations
- The devastating power of coordinated area-of-effect attacks from enemies
- The importance of tactical positioning and teamwork
- The value of having diverse damage types and abilities
- The power scaling of higher-level play with more impactful abilities
The party’s recruitment of Frankie demonstrates creative problem-solving and the potential benefits of turning enemies into allies through roleplay rather than combat.
Conclusion#
The session ends with the immediate threat resolved but the party significantly depleted. They’ve successfully:
- Rescued Magnolia (though sending her away)
- Cleansed the corrupted shrine
- Eliminated the devil threat
- Restored balance to the forest
- Gained a powerful werewolf ally
The victory comes at a cost, with most party members badly injured and resources depleted, setting up the need for significant rest and recovery before their next adventure. The successful completion of this dangerous mission demonstrates the party’s growing effectiveness as a team and their ability to handle serious supernatural threats.
The episode title “Out of the frying pan, into the Fire” proves prophetic, as the party moves from the dangerous wolf encounter directly into an even more perilous devil confrontation, barely surviving through teamwork, tactical thinking, and a bit of luck.