The Party Harvests Eldritch Lilies in the Queen’s Garden and Encounters a Familiar Face

Pre-Session Recap

• Party had previously completed most of the Crypt of the Cathedral of St. Petrubio, leaving one unexplored chimney passageway behind
• All shields were collected from the crypt, effectively locking it down
• Party took a long rest at the Cosmological Clock Tower before heading to the Queen’s Garden
• Gust triggered combat by reaching into a pond to pull Eldritch Lilies while invisible, drawing the attention of all plant creatures

Combat: Queen’s Garden Atrium Ponds

• Initiative order: Octi (14) → Tyrius (10) → Belmir → Gust (8) → Big Plant (7) → Zadok (9) → Small Plants (3)
• Octi opened by landing a Stunning Strike on the large plant (failed Con save), followed by unarmed strikes — 27 total damage; plant stunned
• Tyrius cast Bless on Octi, Gust, and Zadok (d4 to attack rolls and saving throws), then drew Ignatius — triggered a DC 20 Wisdom save; all failed except Velmir, forcing the party to tell only the truth for the duration. Ignatius communicated telepathically, requesting to be directed toward enemies
• Belmir moved up and launched a Fireball (DC 18, 25 fire damage) — both small lily creatures were instantly destroyed; large plant took reduced damage due to wet vegetation resistance
• Gust leapt onto the dead plant body, attacked the stunned large plant with rapier (21 damage) and a psychic blade (9 damage) — 30 total damage
• Large plant engulfed Tyrius: grappled, blinded, restrained, and unable to breathe; moved to center of battlefield carrying him
• Tyrius attempted to escape the grapple (rolled 6 on Strength/Athletics) — failed; remained engulfed
• Zadok moved up and used Booming Blade + normal attacks with Action Surge (4 total attacks): ~47 total damage across two rounds, reducing the large plant to a haggard state; eventually destroyed it — Tyrius was released unharmed
• Belmir used his Wand of Magic Missiles at 6th level (8 darts total): 3 to each small plant, 2 to the large plant — 12, 9, and 7 force damage respectively; yellow small plant destroyed, pink plant survived
• Gust finished the second large plant (35 total damage with rapier + psychic blade) — it disintegrated into cuttings; Gust landed knee-deep in the pond
• Octi finished combat by leaping through the air and firing an arrow into the last surviving small lily plant — it was pierced through its bulb and fell dead
• Pollen cloud hazard: Both surviving small plants released Octarine pollen clouds; Tyrius failed the Wisdom save (rolled 7), becoming charmed/attracted to the plant; Belmir also narrowly saved

Post-Combat: Harvesting and Exploration

• Party harvested 11 Eldritch Lilies from both ponds
• Belmir examined the large mutated plant corpses (Arcana 17): confirmed they are heavily mutated Eldritch Lilies — too corrupted to be useful; noted they appear far older than the harvested lilies; made notes for future NPC handoff
• Party decided to push further into the garden to look for more lilies and loot
• Traversal checks failed (3 of 5 failed): After ~2 hours of wandering the labyrinthine hedge maze, the party circled back to the same pond atrium with nothing new found
• Contamination saving throws (DC 15) triggered after the failed traversal:
  • Tyrius — failed → now at Contamination Level 2
  • Gust — failed → now at Contamination Level 1
  • Octi, Zadok, Belmir — passed
• Party debated next steps: return to Cosmological Clock Tower for a long rest, then proceed to the Inscrutable Tower to explore its unreached lower vault

Encounter End

• As the party discussed their plan, Octi and Tyrius (Perception 22 / Natural 20) heard the sound of mailed boots approaching
• A semi-familiar female human figure in mail armor stepped into the atrium — revealed to be Rian Grainier
• She spotted the party and approached; session ended on this cliffhanger
• Note: Ignatius’s truth-compelling effect is still active — Rian Grainier will be affected and cannot lie during this encounter

👥 NPCs

Name Description Location Attitude Hooks Ignatius Sentient flaming longsword; communicates telepathically with Tyrius; compels truth in a 40-ft radius (DC 20 Wis save); radiant damage on strike Carried by Tyrius Allied (to Tyrius) Demands to be directed at foes; will likely continue compelling truth next session Rian Grainier Semi-familiar female human in mail armor Queen’s Garden Atrium Unknown; approaching the party Appeared unexpectedly; currently under Ignatius’s truth-compelling effect — conversation next session Theodore Marshall Referenced NPC Off-map Neutral/Business Has a ~12-day window before arriving at the gate ready to “do business”; party should return to town before deadline Firekeeper Ophelia NPC who can teach Tyrius a purification ritual Unknown Friendly/Helpful Requested Eldritch Lilies in exchange for teaching the ritual Oscar Yoren Academy-affiliated NPC; researcher Unknown Friendly Requested Eldritch Lilies for contamination research

🧙 PCs

PC Player HP/Status Inventory Changes Notes Octi Clay Full HP; no conditions — Used multiple Stunning Strikes and ki points; used longbow for kill shot Tyrius Blake Full HP; Contamination Level 2 — Engulfed and restrained mid-combat; escaped after Zadok destroyed the plant; failed Ignatius Wisdom save (truth-compelled); failed contamination save Belmir Matt Full HP; no conditions Used Fireball slot; used Wand of Magic Missiles charges (6th level) Saved vs. pollen (barely); examied mutated plants; leading navigation effort Gust Kevin Full HP; Contamination Level 1 — Triggered combat; performed high damage (30+ per turn); failed contamination save Zadok Tom Full HP; no conditions — Used Booming Blade + Action Surge for heavy damage; used Shield reaction; recently learned Misty Step

💰 Loot & Resources

• 11 Eldritch Lilies harvested from the Queen’s Garden ponds (stored in Belmir’s bag of holding)
• Drakenheim loot distribution reminder (from prior session — verify all players have updated):
  • Per-player split: 212 platinum and 3,540 gold
  • Players absent that session (Clay, possibly others) may not have added this to their sheets
• Bow and arrows (magic): distributed to a party member prior to this session — confirm recipient has updated inventory

⚔️ Quests & Plot

Active

• Eldritch Lily Collection: 11 lilies obtained; intended for Firekeeper Ophelia (ritual components for Tyrius) and Oscar Yoren (contamination research); Belmir also hopes to use some for arcane study
• Theodore Marshall Meeting: ~12 days remaining before he arrives at the gate; party must return to town before deadline
• Inscrutable Tower – Lower Vault: Party plans to long rest at the Cosmological Clock Tower, then explore the unreached vault beneath the Inscrutable Tower; access method currently unknown
• Cathedral of St. Petrubio – Crypt: One unexplored passageway (a high chimney) remains

Completed This Session

• Queen’s Garden Atrium cleared of hostile plant creatures

Unresolved Hooks

• Rian Grainier’s appearance: Why is she in the Queen’s Garden? What does she want? She will be unable to lie due to Ignatius’s aura — next session will likely involve a significant information exchange
• Inscrutable Tower vault: Referenced abyssal hole/broken section and anti-gravity zone (~100 ft gap); party is uncertain what lies below; Belmir plans to use Arcane Eye to scout safely
• Contamination escalation: Both Tyrius (Level 2) and Gust (Level 1) are accumulating contamination; continued haze exposure is a growing concern

🌍 World & Lore

• Queen’s Garden is described as palace-scale (Versailles-sized), multi-level, and highly labyrinthine; surface and subterranean levels exist with “vaults” below ground
• Traversal rules mirror city movement: moving cautiously = slow pace; failed navigation checks result in looping back to the start
• Eldritch Lilies: Confirmed as ritual/spell components with uses related to contamination purification; heavily mutated versions (as seen in the large plant creatures) are too corrupted to be useful and appear to have been in the garden far longer
• Octarine pollen from mutated lily creatures acts as a charm/compulsion effect (Wisdom save); causes attraction to the pollen source
• The Cosmological Clock Tower continues to serve as a safe long rest location for the party

📋 DM Notes & Reminders

• Rian Grainier encounter begins next session; she is under the Ignatius truth-compulsion effect — plan her dialogue accordingly
• Ignatius truth aura (DC 20 Wisdom save): confirm whether it resets on a new rest or remains active; several party members are still affected
• Confirm how long Ignatius’s truth compulsion lasts and whether it applies to new characters who enter the radius (e.g., Rian Grainier)
• Contamination tracker: Tyrius = Level 2, Gust = Level 1 — factor into upcoming saving throw DCs and narrative consequences
• Theodore Marshall deadline: ~12 days; keep this timer visible for planning
• Wand of Magic Missiles charges spent (6th level = several charges used) — confirm remaining charges with Belmir’s player
• The unexplored chimney passageway in the St. Petrubio crypt is still available as a future location