Session Overview#
The party faces their final bombing target - Victor’s own crystal refinement laboratory - while simultaneously beginning an elaborate heist to steal gold intended as tribute to the dragons. What starts as confusion about the mission parameters evolves into a complex infiltration of the royal vaults.
The Wrong Target Revelation#
Victor’s Crystal Refinement Plant#
The party arrives at what they believe is the third V production facility, only to discover it’s actually Victor’s own crystal refinement laboratory. The facility contains:
- Advanced violessence crystal processing equipment with gyroscopic mounts
- Flying laser robots carving crystals into perfect spheres
- A massive war-forged supervisor taking notes and monitoring operations
- Civilians living in a makeshift tent under the stairway (Sandra and Cletus)
The Confusion: When an Iron Claws member arrives warning about a bomb with a 10-minute timer, the party realizes Victor either made a mistake with his maps or deliberately sent them to sabotage his own operation.
The Innocent Robot#
The war-forged supervisor proves to be remarkably friendly and helpful:
- Offers tea to the “visitors” despite their suspicious behavior
- Genuinely concerned about his work and the facility
- Ohma struggles to convince him to evacuate, showing his moral conflict about potentially killing an innocent being
- Helisanna eventually uses intimidation enhanced by Eldritch Blast to force the robot to leave for his own safety
Bomb Disposal Crisis#
With multiple bombs on different timers and no clear target:
- Helisanna retrieves and disposes of one bomb by throwing it into the Under Lake, causing fish to die from the explosion
- The party keeps their original bomb planted at Victor’s facility but questions whether they should destroy it
- Silas tracks down the Iron Claws informant (Pascal Gross) for intelligence
Intelligence Gathering from Pascal#
The Dragon Connection#
Through interrogation of Pascal, the party learns crucial information:
- The Dragons and Iron Claws are coordinating their control of the city
- Gold tribute payments go up the mountain to appease the dragons
- The dragons only listen to whoever has “the orb” - currently believed to be Helja
- The ultimate plan involves summoning a dragon army to take over the world through drug addiction and supernatural control
Pascal’s Elimination#
After extracting all useful information, Silas kills Pascal with a psychic dagger to the head, justifying it as “justice for the old man” Pascal had murdered. The party searches his belongings and finds a picture of his brother and a hoagie .
Victor’s Communication Device#
The Mysterious Crown#
The party returns to headquarters to find Victor gone and a note reading “Off to get sulfur. Be back later. Take a helmet.” The helmet is actually an ornate crown with embedded antennae that doesn’t look ridiculous.
Silas tests the device first:
- Intelligence check of 22 reveals its function as a telepathic enhancement
- Doubles his psychic connection capacity from 3 to 6 people
- Allows conference call-style telepathic communication instead of requiring him to relay messages
- Maintains the same mile-range limitation
Helisanna attempts to use it but fails her wisdom save, experiencing a terrifying sensation of being pulled into a “black hole” before using her Guarded Mind feature to break free.
Lady Corwin’s Heist Plan#
The Master Plan#
Lady Corwin presents an elaborate scheme to steal 500,000 gold pieces intended as tribute to the dragons:
The Setup:
- Captain Corwin (her cousin) commands the gold transport convoy
- The party will disguise themselves as the official escort team
- Forged documents will establish their credentials
- Bru , Elspeth , and Olivia are assigned to acquire the transport truck
- The main group infiltrates Vault 7 at the royal vaults
The Route:
- Load gold at Vault 7 using official protocols
- Meet the truck team at the loading dock
- Take the tribute path toward the mountains
- Divert to a hideout instead of completing the tribute delivery
The Stakes#
- 1 million gold total needed to hire mercenary army
- 500,000 gold pieces represents their entire war chest
- Failure means Lady Corwin must flee as this represents all her resources
- Success enables retaking the city from Iron Claws and dragon control
Document Forgery and Disguises#
Silas’s Masterwork#
Silas creates perfect forged documents with a 30 total on his forgery check:
- Six official escort team certificates in dwarven bureaucratic style
- Properly aged and worn to appear legitimate
- Uses real Iron Claws names from their previous encounters
- Immaculate presentation that should pass any inspection
Identity Preparation#
The party establishes their fake identities:
- Silas : Rothgar Childress - muscle with red braided beard and X-shaped scar
- Ohma : Ziggurat - elder statesman advisor in concealing robes
- Helisanna : Befar Iron Will - additional muscle for the operation
Infiltrating the Royal Vaults#
The Majestic Setting#
The royal vaults represent the pinnacle of dwarven bureaucracy and craftsmanship:
- Marble doors and granite construction maintained for over a thousand years
- First time the doors are dirty due to the current chaos in the city
- Gold-plated hallway lined with numbered vault doors
- Pristine condition despite the city’s occupation
The Guards’ Romance#
The party encounters Jonathan and Jessica, two guards dealing with relationship drama:
- Jonathan is stuck in the friend zone, pining after Jessica
- Jessica is interested in someone named Brad
- Silas encourages Jonathan to “go boldly and decisively”
- The guards become distracted planning their first date, providing perfect cover
Vault 7 Access#
The Approach: The party successfully convinces the administrative clerk they’re the expected escort team with their forged documents.
Lock Picking: Silas successfully opens Vault 7’s complex lock mechanism after determining the magical protections have been disabled (likely by Lady Corwin’s sabotage).
The Treasure Trove Discovery#
Overwhelming Wealth#
Vault 7 contains an incredible array of valuables:
- Massive amounts of gold bars and coins
- Precious gems and diamonds
- Ancient artifacts and magical items
- Historical tapestries and stone tablets
- Both old and new treasures from across the ages
The Historical Map#
Silas ’s history check reveals a massive map made of precious stones showing:
- The entire region including cities that no longer exist
- Five circular purple dots around a harbor area
- A dragon symbol marking what they recognize as modern-day Greyport
- Confirmation this is where they originally stole the dragon orb from Helja
Cliffhanger Ending#
As the party marvels at their discovery and prepares to load the gold, they hear footsteps approaching down the corridor, setting up immediate tension for the next session.
Character Development and Relationships#
Moral Complexity#
Ohma demonstrates genuine concern for innocent beings like the war-forged supervisor, showing his ethical nature conflicts with the violent necessities of their mission.
Silas’s Criminal Evolution#
Silas shows both his growing competence as a criminal mastermind and his capacity for cold-blooded murder when he deems it justified.
Team Coordination#
The party demonstrates improved coordination in handling multiple simultaneous challenges across different locations and time pressures.
Strategic Implications#
The Dragon Economy#
The session reveals the economic foundation of dragon-Iron Claws cooperation: regular tribute payments that maintain their alliance and the dragons’ compliance with Helja’s leadership.
The Orb’s True Importance#
Confirmation that the dragon orb represents ultimate authority over the dragon army elevates its significance far beyond a valuable artifact to a key component of regional power.
Victor’s Mysterious Motives#
Victor’s absence during the critical mission and the “accident” of sending them to his own facility raises serious questions about his reliability and true intentions.
Technical and Mechanical Highlights#
Enhanced Telepathic Communication#
The crown upgrade significantly improves the party’s tactical coordination capabilities, allowing for true conference-call style communication instead of relay-based messaging.
High-Stakes Infiltration#
The royal vault infiltration showcases the party’s growing sophistication in planning and executing complex criminal operations.
Multiple Simultaneous Objectives#
The session effectively manages multiple parallel storylines: bomb disposal, intelligence gathering, infiltration planning, and vault penetration.
Session Themes#
This episode masterfully balances moral complexity with high-stakes criminal action. The party must weigh innocent lives against their mission objectives while uncovering the true scope of the conspiracy they’re fighting against. The revelation that they’re stealing tribute money intended for dragons adds cosmic-level stakes to what could have been a simple heist.
The session ends with the party having successfully infiltrated their target but facing immediate discovery, perfectly setting up the next episode’s action while providing crucial intelligence about their enemies’ operations and the broader political situation.