Opening Recap#
The session began with the party recounting their previous adventures. They had recently dealt with Magnolia’s drug-addled state, discovered that Z was the murderer of Red’s parents, found Z’s journal after he burned down his own house, and learned he had fled to Eldoran. The party also negotiated with Tien’s caravan to wait for their return for 200 gold, and Bodega set up shop in the town they had recently helped liberate.
The Pilgrimage Begins#
The party set out on the Path of the Pilgrim up Grimvar’s Spine mountain. Along the trail, they noticed:
- Stones etched with scales, some ancient and moss-covered, others freshly scratched
- A weathered trail sign reading “Path of the pilgrim”
- A warning scrawled beneath: “Beware the shadows”
- Thick fog and strange echoing sounds resembling distant hymns
Jeffrey the Shepherd#
Before reaching the main trail, the party encountered Jeffrey Thompson (later called “Jeff again,” “J-Shot,” and finally settling on “Jeff”), a struggling shepherd trying to corral his unruly magical sheep. Jeffrey revealed several important details:
- He had only been shepherding for a couple of months after buying the property cheaply
- His previous job was ruined by an “enemy”
- Recent pilgrims had passed through and were heard screaming before disappearing
- The sheep had minds of their own and played pranks on him
The Sheep Collection#
The party took on the task of helping Jeffrey round up his six sheep:
Bessie - The Lightning Ewe#
- A massive, muscular ewe perched on a cliff
- Could shoot lightning and jump 100 feet in the air
- Strategy: Olivia summoned her fey ram companion Bob (spelled B-A-A-A-A-B) to seduce Bessie
- Outcome: Romantic success - Bob and Bessie retreated to the barn for intimate activities, creating a new “more perfect goat” offspring
Gus - The Cliff Climber#
- A ram who enjoyed climbing near-vertical cliff faces
- Strategy: Helisanna used the Levitate spell to float Gus down from the cliffside
- Outcome: Successfully delivered to the barn via magical levitation
The Lamb Trio - The Dimensional Pranksters#
When the party entered the forest to find the three lambs, strange dimensional effects began occurring:
Dimensional Displacement: Touching or being near the lambs caused party members to be transported to other planes temporarily
- Helisanna: Heard whispers about “the dark one” calling and needing to be fed
- Bru: Heard messages about being expected and needing to go “further afield”
- Elspeth: Repeatedly heard the word “racist”
- Red: Witnessed the endless war in the Nine Hells with demons fighting devils
- Olivia: Saw a robotic apocalypse with organized automatons
- Various party members: Some were transported to heavenly realms with angels and golden forests
Resolution: The party successfully persuaded the lambs to join “Bru’s Army” after they chose Bru as their leader
Old Myrtle - The Wise Oracle#
The final sheep was found in a cave, revealed to be far more than an ordinary animal:
- True Nature: Old Myrtle was a sheep possessed by the spirit of a god
- Abilities: Could speak and provided cryptic prophetic warnings
- Key Revelations:
- Recent pilgrims were “lost between worlds” - stuck between planes, neither alive nor dead
- The shadow realm was weakening and reaching into their world
- She would soon cease to exist and be replaced by the offspring of Bob and Bessie
- Fate: Upon returning to Jeffrey’s cottage, Old Myrtle immediately disintegrated into bones and wool
The Radio Transmission#
While at Jeffrey’s cottage, the party heard a disturbing radio transmission:
- Origin: Appeared to be from a space station near Eldoran’s moon
- Content: Astronauts reported discovering Void Dragons - large, winged, reptilian entities emerging from an unknown portal near Venus
- Significance: The dragons were described as light-absorbing creatures moving in coordinated formations toward the observers
Jeff’s Revelations#
Under a Zone of Truth spell, Jeffrey revealed his troubled past:
- Vampire Hunters: He was being actively hunted by vampires after escaping from their underwater city
- Previous Life: His last shepherding job was destroyed by his “enemy”
- Eldoran Knowledge: He knew that Eldoran’s second moon was artificial - a manufactured satellite created when Eldora ascended to godhood
The Birth of New Myrtle#
The session concluded with a spectacular magical event:
- A brilliant light emanated from the barn where Bob and Bessie had been
- A young sheep emerged, floating in golden light
- The lamb rapidly aged into an exact replica of Old Myrtle before walking off into the pasture
- This fulfilled Old Myrtle’s prophecy about being replaced by “a new, more perfect goat”
Rewards and Setup#
The party received Woolen Cloaks of the Mountain Guardians providing cold resistance. The session ended with the formation of “Bru’s Army” - consisting of:
- The three dimensional-shifting lambs
- Gus the cliff-climber
- Jeffrey as “upper middle management” and army chef
- Various party members in leadership roles
The stage was set for the party to continue their pilgrimage up Grimvar’s Spine, now accompanied by their unusual army of magical sheep and armed with knowledge about the shadow realm’s intrusion into their world.
Notable Character Moments#
- Bru established himself as a natural leader of magical creatures, forming his “evil army”
- Olivia successfully played matchmaker between her summoned mount and Bessie
- Helisanna demonstrated practical magic use with the levitation of Gus
- Silas showed his investigative skills in tracking and survival
- Red experienced visions of the Nine Hells, providing cosmic context
- Elspeth dealt with mysterious accusations of being a “racist” from Old Myrtle
The session successfully blended comedy with darker undertones about dimensional instability and cosmic threats, setting up future adventures while providing memorable character interactions and problem-solving scenarios.