session-2026-04-08

2026-04-08

Date: Apr 8th, 2026

Summary

The party followed Abi through the treacherous landscape of Carceri, picking their way carefully through forests of spiked trees and fields of razor-sharp grass. Abi led them with practiced ease, immune to the acid pits and cutting foliage that surrounded them on all sides. Along the way, he gleefully scooped up a massive grey grub from the undergrowth, declaring it a fine dinner, while the party smiled politely and silently vowed never to eat it. Eventually, they arrived at his humble hut, a structure built entirely from razor grass, with furniture to match, where he offered them tea brewed from the same deadly plant. They declined as graciously as they could.

Inside the hut, Abi pointed out a distant shimmer in the mist — a pocket of blue skies and green grass nestled within the gloom of Carceri, a divine realm known as The Steading. He explained the nature of the layers of the prison plane, warning that each descent brought harsher conditions, and that the layer below, called Minethys, was a cold, sandblasted wasteland. He also confessed, quietly and with great shame, why he lived in such a desolate place. After a goblin sapper attack had obliterated his village, he had believed himself and his nephews to be the last people alive in the world. Desperate and starving, he had eaten them — only to discover, too late, that another village existed just a few miles away. He felt he deserved to be in Carceri, and he was reluctant to set foot in the divine realm, afraid of what its inhabitants might think of him.

The party, moved by his story and unwilling to judge, convinced Abi to guide them toward The Steading. He led them through the jungle, carefully skirting hidden acid pits — demonstrating one by tossing a grub into what looked like ordinary grass and watching it dissolve instantly. Eventually, the razor grass gave way to green fields and open skies, and the party found themselves at the edge of a world that felt impossibly out of place in Carceri. There, a woman was pulling enormous carrots from the earth, and as the party drew closer, they realized she was no ordinary woman — she was a giant, easily 150 feet tall, who looked down at them with wide, delighted eyes and called them her “little ones.”

Her name was Martha, and she welcomed them warmly into her home, a structure built to the scale of a 150 foot giant. She was preparing a great feast for a festival in honor of Grolantor, the giant god of food whose divine influence had carved out this small realm within the prison plane. She mentioned that her previous tiny helpers had been killed by her husband, who had blamed them for bringing rats into the house. She pointed to a small opening in the wall — a mouse hole, to her, but a doorway to the party — and inside they found the remnants of a miniature civilization: furniture made from matchsticks, hammocks strung from sewing thread, and half-eaten food left behind by whoever had once lived there.

Martha placed the party on her massive dining table and asked them to deal with the pests that had been getting into her food. The table was a landscape unto itself, covered in enormous loaves of bread, wheels of cheese, bunches of grapes, and a glistening honey-glazed ham. Glint, ever practical, immediately began carving rations from the ham while the others investigated the damage. The grapes had been sliced cleanly in half and hollowed out, the pulp eaten and the skins left behind — not the work of ordinary rats. Something with tools had been here.

Umbra crept forward to investigate the shadows beneath the food and spotted the threat just in time to shout a warning — but not before a stinger came hurtling toward her. The pests were not rats at all. They were giant scorpions, their hard carapaces gleaming in the dim light, their venomous stingers poised to strike. Umbra opened her mouth and breathed a torrent of acid across two of them, the corrosive spray splashing over the grapes and basil as well as the creatures themselves, before she retreated to a safer distance. The battle had begun.

The fight was brutal and relentless. The scorpions struck with terrifying speed, their stingers driving deep and their claws snapping with crushing force. Corneleus transformed into a great bear to absorb punishment and fight back with tooth and claw, but the scorpions overwhelmed him, and he crashed back to his human form, unconscious. Papa Jan called upon his divine gifts again and again, pulling his companions back from the edge of death with bursts of healing light, while Umbra manifested draconic wings and took to the air, raining darts down from above. Urrilon fought with reckless fury, his glaive glowing with radiant energy, though his strikes seemed cursed to miss more often than not. Corneleus fell a second time, and then a third, each time dragged back by Papa Jan’s desperate prayers.

Finally, the tide began to turn. A thunderous wave of force from Corneleus sent two scorpions crashing backward across the table, one of them impaling itself on a stray steak knife. Umbra swooped low and breathed another line of acid across the battlefield. Urrilon drove his radiant glaive through the head of the last scorpion in a single devastating swing, nearly decapitating it. The creature collapsed, oozing across the table, and the party stood victorious — battered, poisoned, and exhausted, but alive.

There was barely time to breathe before the front door opened. Martha had mentioned her husband would be home later, but later had arrived sooner than expected. The party scattered across the table in a desperate scramble for cover. Umbra conjured a sphere of impenetrable darkness behind a cluster of basil. Urrilon dove into a hole in a block of Swiss cheese. Papa Jan sprinted into the darkness alongside Umbra. Glint, with characteristic ingenuity, dropped into a bowl of berries and used an illusion to disguise himself as one of them, nestling perfectly among the fruit.

The Hill Giant who entered was enormous even by giant standards, and the table shook like an earthquake with every step he took. Several of the party’s hiding spots were jostled loose, and Corneleus tumbled into the open. The giant spotted him and raised a massive club. Umbra conjured an illusion of a fleeing figure to draw the giant’s attention, and it worked — for a moment. But the giant’s eyes swept back to Corneleus, and the club began its descent.

Papa Jan did not hesitate. He charged out of the darkness, shouting a divine command that compelled the giant to flee — and the giant’s body obeyed, his legs already turning to run. But the club was already falling. There was no stopping it. Papa Jan pushed Corneleus out of the way, taking the full crushing weight of the blow, and was pinned to the table, unconscious. The giant, compelled by the divine word still ringing in his mind, dropped his weapon and fled the room. A moment later, Martha came storming in with a rolling pin and sprinted after him.

With the giants gone, the remaining party members worked frantically to free Papa Jan. Urrilon used every ounce of his strength to lever it off the table, sending it crashing to the floor below. The party stabilized Papa Jan and used what little healing remained to bring him and Corneleus back to consciousness. Glint crawled out from beneath the overturned berry bowl, covered in juice, and surveyed the wreckage of the table with the air of someone who had definitely been helping the whole time.

Seeking safety, the party retreated into the mouse hole in the wall. As if that was not enough two glowing eyes peered out in the darkness, a giant rat threatened to destroy the party. Urrilon was not having it, he rushed in in a rage and savagely attacked the beast. He was no match for the beast though, the rat, almost bit him in half and upon knocking Urrilon unconscious he tried to scurry off with his body up a pipe. But the rest of the party would not let that happen. Umbra, sliced at him in the darkness her daggers glimmering. Papa Jan jumped up smashing his hammer into the hind leg of the rat. Finally Corneleus finished the rat off saving Urrillon.

After that they found a curtain at the back concealing a remarkable discovery — a small biplane constructed from rubber bands, matchsticks, and scraps of junk, with folding wings that could be removed to fit through the hole. Beneath a giant thimble, they uncovered what appeared to be a wand of wonder. They began fortifying the entrance, bracing a button over the pipe opening with one of the rods and scattering hundreds of caltrops across the floor in overlapping layers.

Papa Jan slipped out briefly to speak with Martha through the hole, informing her that the scorpions had been dealt with and that at least one rat had been found and killed. Martha was grateful, and she mentioned that her husband had made peace with the situation and would be staying with his brother for the night. She also reminded them that her friend Jesse would be coming the following day — someone who knew the location of a trickster god on a lower layer of Carceri, which was exactly the lead the party needed to find Loki.

As the party settled in for a long-overdue rest, Papa Jan took the first watch. The mouse hole was quiet, the caltrops gleamed in the dim light, and the alarm string with its tiny bell hung motionless across the entrance. Then, from somewhere deeper in the darkness of the wall, came the unmistakable sound of something scurrying — and two red eyes blinked open in the shadows.

Short

The party followed Abi through the hostile terrain of Carceri, navigating acid pits and razor-sharp foliage before arriving at his hut, where he revealed his tragic backstory: driven to cannibalism after believing his nephews were the last survivors of a goblin attack, only to discover another village nearby, he had exiled himself to Carceri out of shame. Despite his reluctance, the party convinced him to guide them to The Steading, a divine pocket realm within the prison plane. There, they met Martha, a 150-foot-tall giant preparing a feast for a festival honoring Grolantor. She enlisted the party to deal with pests raiding her food, but what they found were not rats — they were giant scorpions showing signs of tool use. The ensuing battle was brutal: Corneleus fell unconscious three times and was repeatedly saved by Papa Jan’s healing, while Umbra used acid breath and draconic flight to strike from above, and Urrilon finally ended the fight with a devastating blow that nearly decapitated the last scorpion.

With the scorpions defeated, the party barely had time to recover before Martha’s hill giant husband arrived home early. The party scrambled for cover — Urrilon hid in a block of Swiss cheese, Glint disguised himself as a berry, and Umbra conjured a sphere of darkness — but Corneleus was spotted. As the giant’s club descended, Papa Jan charged forward and threw himself over Corneleus, taking the full crushing blow and falling unconscious. Martha drove her husband off with a rolling pin, and the party freed Papa Jan and retreated into a mouse hole in the wall.

Inside, they were immediately threatened by a giant rat, which nearly dragged Urrilon away before the party managed to kill it in a desperate fight. Deeper within, they discovered a small biplane, a pair of rods used to reinforce their defenses, and a potentially powerful wand. They fortified their refuge with caltrops and a makeshift alarm. Martha later confirmed her husband would be away for the night and that her friend Jesse — who knew the location of a trickster god on a lower layer of Carceri, a key lead in finding Loki — would arrive the next day. As the party settled in for a much-needed rest, two red eyes blinked open from somewhere deeper in the darkness of the wall.

Stylized

Last we left off, our intrepid band of adventurers found themselves navigating the punishing hellscape of Carceri, guided by the unlikely and endearing Abi — a man carrying a burden of guilt so heavy it had driven him to make his home among razor grass and acid pits. Through his guidance, they crossed into The Steading, a pocket of impossible warmth and green carved out by the divine will of a giant god of feasting. There, they were welcomed by the enormous and warm-hearted Martha, who set them to work dealing with the pests plaguing her grand table — pests that turned out to be no mere rats, but armored, venomous scorpions with a taste for grapes and a talent for ambush.

The battle that followed was nothing short of harrowing. Corneleus fell not once, not twice, but three times, each time dragged back from death’s door by Papa Jan’s tireless devotion to his companions. Umbra took to the air on draconic wings, raining acid and darts upon the creatures below, while Urrilon fought with radiant fury until at last his glaive found the neck of the final scorpion and ended the fight in a single devastating blow. But victory brought no rest — Martha’s husband arrived home ahead of schedule, and the party was forced to scatter across the table in a desperate scramble for cover. Glint, in a moment of inspired absurdity, disguised himself as a berry. When the hill giant’s club came crashing down, it was Papa Jan who threw himself into its path to shield Corneleus, and it was Papa Jan who paid the price — pinned beneath the mallet, unconscious, until his companions levered it free with the last of their strength.

Now, the party has retreated into the mouse hole in the wall, where they were forced to fend off a giant rat that nearly dragged one of their own into the darkness before being slain. Deeper within, they have uncovered a remarkable little biplane, a pair of rods used to reinforce their defenses, and a wand of unknown but promising power. The entrance is fortified with caltrops and a makeshift alarm, and Martha’s friend Jesse — who holds the lead they need to find Loki on a lower layer of Carceri — is expected come morning. But as Papa Jan settles in for the first watch and the others finally close their eyes, something stirs in the darkness deeper in the wall. Two red eyes blink open in the shadows, and whatever made them… is not alone.

Middle English

Lythe and listin, gentilmen,
Of adventurers brave and bold,
Who walked through Carceri’s bitter lands,
As the tale must now be told!

Through spiked trees and razor grass they trod,
With Abi as their guide,
Who supped on grubs with merry cheer,
While the party stepped aside.
He told of grief and shameful deeds,
Of nephews lost to need,
Yet still he led them through the mist,
To where green grasses freed.

There Martha stood, a giant tall,
Of one hundred fifty feet or more,
She set them on her table grand,
And bade them clear the score.
The grapes were sliced, the cheese was gnawed,
By pests of fearsome kind,
Great scorpions armed with sting and claw,
Of most malicious mind!

Then Corneleus fell, and fell again,
And Papa Jan did pray,
While Umbra soared on draconed wings,
And breathed her acid spray.
Urrilon’s glaive did flash and sing,
And struck the last one dead,
The scorpions lay across the feast,
Their venom slowly bled.

But lo! The husband giant came,
And shook the table wide,
Papa Jan leapt forth with holy word,
And took the blow inside!
They hid within the mouse hole small,
Where rat of monstrous size did reign,
And near it dragged a hero off,
Ere it at last was slain.

They found within a wondrous plane,
And tools to bar the way,
And as they rested, red eyes gleamed,
In darkness where they lay!

Snarky

Our intrepid band of adventurers followed a cannibal hermit through a plane of literal razor grass and acid pits, politely declined both grub dinner and death-tea, and somehow ended up on a one-hundred-and-fifty-foot giant’s dining table fighting scorpions — which, to be fair, is a completely normal Tuesday in Carceri. Corneleus fell unconscious not once, not twice, but THREE times, setting a new personal record, while Papa Jan spent the entire fight essentially running a field hospital with divine jumper cables. Umbra sprouted dragon wings and rained acid from above like a very stylish crop duster, and Urrilon’s glaive finally connected with something important enough to nearly decapitate a scorpion, which the party is choosing to count as a win despite his earlier hit rate suggesting he was fighting with his eyes closed.

Then, just as the scorpion carnage was winding down, the husband came home early — as husbands do — and Papa Jan, a man of God and apparently zero self-preservation instinct, threw himself bodily over an unconscious Corneleus to absorb a club the size of a small car. He was pinned to the table like a note on a corkboard while Glint, who had spent the entire giant encounter disguised as a berry in a fruit bowl, emerged covered in juice with the energy of someone who had definitely been helping. The party has now retreated into a mouse hole, immediately had to deal with a giant rat that tried to drag one of them off, discovered a tiny biplane made of rubber bands and matchsticks (extremely normal), fortified their position with caltrops, and are trying to rest — right up until two red eyes blinked open in the darkness of the wall, because of course they did.

Limerick

Through Carceri’s razor-sharp gloom,
Abi led them through peril and doom.
He snacked on a grub,
Gave grass-tea a rub,
And confessed why he’d sealed his own tomb.

At The Steading, a giant named Martha,
One hundred fifty feet — none were larger!
She asked them to fight,
The pests in the night,
But the scorpions proved to be harder.

The scorpions stung with a snap,
Poor Corneleus fell off the map!
He dropped one, two, three,
While Jan healed with glee,
And Umbra flew acid attacks from the gap.

When the Hill Giant burst through the door,
The party dove under and hid on the floor.
Jan leapt to the fore,
Took a club to the core,
And saved Corneleus — bruised to the core!

In the mouse hole they found a biplane,
Fought a rat that near dragged off their slain,
Two rods and a wand,
All to help them respond —
Till red eyes blinked out of the dark once again.

Memorable Moments

“You’ll regret this.” — Giant Rat

The giant rat’s final, ominous moment as it attempted to drag the unconscious Urrilon into a pipe, before being slain by the party.

Papa Jan charges out of the darkness, casts Command to force the Hill Giant to flee, then throws himself over Corneleus to take the full force of the giant’s falling club, saving his friend but being pinned unconscious to the table.

A selfless act of heroism after realizing the giant’s swing could not be stopped, sacrificing himself to save the fallen druid.

Glint hides inside a bowl of berries and uses a minor illusion to disguise himself as a berry while the rest of the party scrambles for cover from the Hill Giant.

The party desperately hiding from a giant, with Glint choosing the most creative and absurd hiding spot available.

Abi confesses to eating his nephews after a goblin attack destroyed his village, believing they were the last people alive, only to later discover another village existed a few miles away.

A quiet, devastating moment of vulnerability as Abi explains why he feels he deserves to be imprisoned in Carceri.

A scorpion crit-fails its attack on Papa Jan, smashing a giant grape instead and drenching him head to toe in sticky grape juice.

A moment of absurd relief during a brutal combat, with the party laughing as Papa Jan is soaked in fruit rather than stabbed.

Scenes

A Rest at Abi’s Hut

The party follows Abi through the dangerous landscape of Carceri to his humble hut made of razor grass.

• Abi leads the party through a forest of spiked trees and razor grass, carefully following a safe path.
• Abi discovers a giant grub and excitedly scoops it up for dinner, much to the party’s polite disgust.
• The party arrives at Abi’s hut, which is constructed entirely from razor grass with furniture made of the same sharp material.
• Abi offers the party tea made from dried razor grass, which they politely decline.
• The party decides to take a short rest in the hut to recuperate before continuing their journey deeper into the planes.
• Abi explains the nature of the layers of Carceri, mentioning the next layer, Minethys, is a cold, sandy, and windy place.
• Abi points out a nearby divine realm known as ‘The Steading,’ which appears as a pocket of blue skies and houses amidst the gloom of Carceri.

Abi’s Dark Past and the Journey to the Divine Realm

The party discusses Abi’s tragic history and decides to seek a way out of Carceri by heading toward a mysterious divine realm.

• Abi reveals he is a survivor of a goblin sapper attack that destroyed his village.
• Abi confesses to eating his nephews out of desperation when he thought no one else was left alive, only to later discover another village nearby.
• The party discusses the layers of Carceri, identifying their current location as a prison world.
• Abi leads the party through a jungle filled with razor grass and hidden acid pits, demonstrating one by tossing a grub into a patch of grass that dissolves it.
• The party reaches a border where the red razor grass gives way to green grass and blue skies.
• The group encounters a giant woman pulling massive carrots from the ground in a divine realm known as The Steading.

Meeting Martha the Giant

The party interacts with a giant named Martha to gather information about Loki and the surrounding planes.

• The party approaches Martha, a giant roughly 150 feet tall, who is harvesting oversized carrots.
• Martha welcomes the ‘little people’ and expresses delight at their presence.
• The party inquires about Loki and Idun, seeking a way to reach the trickster god.
• Martha mentions knowing someone who knows of a trickster god residing on a lower layer of the plane.
• The party uses insight to determine if Martha is actually Loki in disguise, but she appears genuine and means no harm.
• Martha invites the party into her home as she prepares for a festival dedicated to Grolantor.

A Giant Welcome in Carceri

The party arrives at Martha’s home in The Steading and learns about the divine realm and its inhabitants.

• The party enters Martha’s home within the divine realm called The Steading, located on the layer of Cathrys in Carceri.
• Martha, revealed to be roughly 150 feet tall, is cooking for a festival dedicated to the giant god Grolantor.
• Martha explains that her husband killed her previous ‘little helpers’ because he believed they brought rats into their home.
• The party discovers a small ‘mouse hole’ in the wall containing miniature furniture made of matchsticks and sewing string, along with food and hammocks.
• Martha places the party members on her massive dining table to help deal with a pest problem.
• The party investigates the table, finding giant pieces of cheese and evidence of pests having eaten the food, including grapes sliced cleanly in half.
• Glint begins carving rations from a massive ham while the rest of the party prepares for combat against the supposed pests.

The Giant Scorpion Ambush

The party discovers the ‘rats’ are actually giant scorpions and is suddenly attacked while investigating the giant-sized table.

• Umbra uses her dark vision to peer into the shadows and spots a threat hiding among the food, revealing the pests to be giant scorpions.
• Umbra initiates combat by breathing a cone of acid onto two of the scorpions, though their hard carapaces resist much of the damage.
• Umbra uses her monk abilities to disengage and retreat from the front line after her breath attack.
• A giant scorpion attacks Umbra with its stinger, but she successfully deflects the piercing blow using her monk training, though she still suffers from its poison.
• Papa Jan uses a healing word to restore Umbra and then unleashes a burst of radiant energy that damages all three scorpions.
• Corneleus transforms into a large bear to engage the scorpions but struggles to land solid blows.
• Umbra regains her footing, uses her draconic abilities to manifest temporary wings, and flies out of the scorpions’ reach.
• Umbra launches a precise dart attack from the air, critically striking the middle scorpion in the eye and breaking the dart off inside the socket.

The Giant Scorpion Skirmish Continues

The battle against the giant scorpions intensifies as party members are repeatedly knocked unconscious.

• A giant scorpion retaliates against Corneleus, who is in bear form, striking him with a venomous stinger and sharp claws, overwhelming him and causing him to lose his bear form and fall unconscious.
• Papa Jan uses a healing word to revive Corneleus and then unleashes another burst of radiant energy, scorching the scorpions.
• The scorpions continue their assault, focusing on Papa Jan and the newly revived Corneleus.
• Urrilon recklessly attacks with his Glaive, attempting to draw the creatures’ attention away from his weakened allies.
• Umbra uses her draconic wings to stay out of reach while continuing to pelt the monsters with darts.
• One scorpion crit-fails an attack, accidentally smashing a giant grape instead of its target, leaving Papa Jan covered in sticky juice.
• Corneleus unleashes a wave of thunderous force, slamming into two scorpions and knocking them back across the table, with one being impaled on a stray steak knife.
• Umbra flies over the battlefield, exhaling a line of corrosive acid that coats a scorpion and the surrounding oversized food.
• A giant scorpion retaliates against Corneleus, striking him in the chest with its venomous stinger and causing him to collapse again.
• Papa Jan is eventually caught by a massive claw that pierces his armor.

The Battle on the Giant’s Table Concludes

The party rallies to finish off the remaining scorpions and stabilize their fallen members.

• Urrilon recklessly stabs a giant scorpion with his glaive, dealing significant piercing and radiant damage.
• Papa Jan casts a bolt of guiding light at a healthy scorpion, blasting it and leaving it vulnerable to the next attacker.
• Papa Jan finishes off one of the scorpions with another guiding bolt, causing its shell to crack open and ooze.
• Corneleus transforms into a bear and delivers a powerful uppercut claw attack to the remaining scorpion.
• A giant scorpion retaliates against Corneleus, striking him with its stinger and claws, knocking him out of his bear form and into unconsciousness once more.
• Urrilon delivers a decapitating blow to the final scorpion, swinging his radiant glaive through its stinger and neck.
• Papa Jan uses a healing stone to stabilize and revive the fallen Corneleus.

Chaos on the Giant’s Table

The party attempts to gather food from the giant’s table but is forced into hiding when Martha’s husband, a Hill Giant, enters the room.

• The party scavenges for food on the massive table, collecting bread, ham, cheese, and mushrooms.
• The front door opens, signaling the arrival of a giant, and the party members scramble for cover.
• Umbra casts a sphere of darkness to hide herself and Papa Jan behind some basil.
• Urrilon dashes behind a large block of Swiss cheese while carrying a mushroom.
• Glint hides inside a bowl of berries and uses a minor illusion to disguise himself as a berry.
• Corneleus hides underneath a large ham leg.
• Several party members fail their stealth checks as the giant approaches.
• Glint’s hiding spot is compromised when the bowl of berries falls off the table, trapping him underneath.
• The Hill Giant, spotting some of the intruders, charges toward the table with a large club.
• Umbra creates a minor illusion of a person running away to distract the giant from their actual positions, and the giant fails to see through it.

The Giant’s Wrath

The Hill Giant smashes the table and nearly kills Corneleus, but Papa Jan makes a heroic sacrifice.

• The Hill Giant smashes the table with his club, dealing massive damage and causing the party to make saving throws to stay hidden.
• Corneleus is spotted and the Hill Giant swings his massive club directly at the druid.
• Papa Jan heroically charges out of the darkness, casting a command spell with the word ‘Flee’ to force the giant to turn and run.
• Though the command takes hold, the giant’s club is already in motion and cannot be stopped.
• Papa Jan throws himself over Corneleus, taking the full force of the blow to save his friend, and is pinned to the table by the giant’s club, falling unconscious.
• Martha enters the room and chases her husband out with a rolling pin.

Recovery and Stabilization

With the giants gone, the remaining party members work together to free Papa Jan and stabilize their fallen comrades.

• Urrilon uses his strength and to lift the giant’s mallet off the table and off of Papa Jan.
• The party uses a healer’s kit and medicine skills to stabilize Papa Jan.
• Glint emerges from a crack in a bowl to assist the group.
• Umbra uses a philosopher’s stone and a good berry to restore some of Corneleus’s vitality.
• The party regroups on the table, battered but alive after the giant’s departure.

The Rat in the Mouse Hole

Seeking safety in a mouse hole, the party encounters a final menacing threat lurking in the shadows.

• The party retreats into a mouse hole to rest, but they are confronted by a giant rat with glowing red eyes.
• Urrilon recklessly charges the creature, slicing its face and blinding one of its eyes with his glaive.
• The rat retaliates with vicious bites and scratches, dealing heavy damage to Urrilon.
• Papa Jan and Umbra join the fray, with Papa Jan delivering a heavy blow with his warhammer.
• Corneleus casts a radiant starry wisp that illuminates the rat, dealing damage and causing it to glow.
• The giant rat bites down on Urrilon, knocking him unconscious and attempting to drag him into a pipe.
• Umbra delivers a series of rapid strikes with her daggers, wounding the creature as it tries to flee.
• Papa Jan drops his shield and delivers a powerful two-handed blow with his warhammer, cracking the rat’s back.
• Corneleus casts another starry wisp that deals the final blow, causing the rat to drop Urrilon from its jaws just before reaching its escape hole.
• Papa Jan uses spare the dying to stabilize Urrilon, then uses a healing stone to restore some of his vitality.

Fortifying the Mouse Hole and Resting

After the battle, the battered party searches for a safe place to rest and begins securing their surroundings.

• The party explores the mouse hole and discovers a miniature biplane made of matchsticks and rubber bands hidden behind a curtain.
• Papa Jan uses an immovable rod to brace a button against a hole, blocking a potential entrance against intruders.
• The group finds a second immovable rod hidden under a giant thimble, along with what appears to be a wand.
• The party sets up a defensive perimeter using caltrops, string, and a bell for an alarm.
• Papa Jan speaks with Martha through the hole, informing her that the scorpions and at least one rat have been dealt with.
• Martha reveals her husband is staying with his brother for the night and mentions her friend Jesse, who can guide the party to a trickster god the following day.
• Papa Jan takes the first watch as the party settles in for a long rest, hearing something scurrying outside the hole as the session ends.

NPCs

Abi

A resident of Carceri who is immune to acid. He acts as a guide for the party, leading them through the razor grass and acid pits toward The Steading. He carries the heavy burden of having eaten his nephews during a famine following a goblin sapper attack on his village, not realizing other villages existed nearby. He feels he deserves to be in Carceri and is reluctant to enter the divine realm.

Martha

A roughly 150 foot tall giantess living in The Steading who worships the giant god Grolantor. She is hospitable and welcoming to the party, offering them food and shelter in exchange for clearing out pests. Her husband previously killed her small helpers, believing they brought rats. She chases her husband out with a rolling pin after he attacks the party, and promises to introduce them to her friend Jesse the following day.

Grolantor

A giant god of food worshipped by Martha and other giants. His divine influence defines the realm of The Steading within Carceri, though Martha’s husband is currently not on good terms with him.

Martha’s Husband (Hill Giant)

A massive Hill Giant who views small creatures as pests and nearly crushed the party with a giant club. He was magically compelled to flee by Papa Jan’s command spell, and was subsequently chased out of the house by Martha with a rolling pin. He is staying with his brother for the night.

Jesse

A friend of Martha mentioned as a potential guide who knows the location of a trickster god on a lower layer of Carceri. She is expected to meet the party the following day.

Giant Scorpions

Three massive arachnids with hard carapaces, powerful pincers, and deadly venomous stingers that were hiding among the food on Martha’s kitchen table. They proved to be extremely dangerous opponents, repeatedly knocking party members unconscious.

Giant Rat

A large, intelligent-seeming rat with glowing red eyes that lurked in the mouse hole. It spoke a threatening parting word, and attempted to drag the unconscious Urrilon into a pipe before being slain by the party.

Locations

Carceri

A multi-layered prison plane characterized by acid pits, razor grass, spiked trees, and a desolate, oppressive atmosphere. The party is trapped here and learns that each deeper layer features smaller, more distant planets with increasingly harsh conditions.

Abi’s Hut

A small dwelling located in a forest within Carceri, constructed from razor grass with furniture made of the same dangerous material. Abi lives here, immune to the acid and razor grass of the surrounding environment.

The Steading

A divine realm located within the layer of Cathrys in Carceri, featuring blue skies, green grass, and oversized proportions suitable for giants. It is the personal divine realm of the giant god Grolantor, and stands in stark contrast to the surrounding prison plane.

Martha’s House

A massive dwelling within The Steading, home to the giantess Martha and her husband. It contains a small hidden living space in the wall once used by previous tiny inhabitants, complete with matchstick furniture and sewing-string hammocks.

Martha’s Kitchen Table

An enormous wooden table covered in massive portions of food like ham, bread, cheese, grapes, and basil. It served as a battlefield for the party against giant scorpions, and later as a hiding place when the Hill Giant arrived.

The Mouse Hole

A small opening in the wall of the giant’s kitchen, large enough for the party to use as shelter. It contains makeshift furniture, a matchstick biplane, a giant thimble, and various pipes used by giant rats. The party fortifies it for a long rest.

Cathrys

The second layer of the prison plane Carceri, where the planets are smaller and further apart than the upper layers. The party is currently located here.

Items

Razor Grass Tea

A beverage prepared by Abi using dried razor grass boiled in a pot, offered to the party as hospitality. They politely declined.

Giant Grub

A large, grey protein source found by Abi in the forest of Carceri, which he considers a delicacy. The party politely avoided eating it.

Giant Carrots

Massive vegetables harvested by Martha in the divine realm of The Steading, proportioned for a giant.

Giant Ham

A massive, honey-glazed ham on Martha’s dining table from which Glint carved rations during the scorpion battle. Corneleus later used it as a hiding spot when the Hill Giant arrived.

Giant Cheese

Large blocks of cheese found on the table and in the wall-hole, showing signs of being nibbled on by pests. Urrilon hid inside a hole in the Swiss cheese block to avoid the Hill Giant.

Dart

A small throwing weapon used by Umbra to pierce the exoskeleton of a giant scorpion, critically striking it in the eye and breaking off inside the socket.

Urrilon’s Glaive

A two-handed polearm wielded recklessly by Urrilon to stab and sap the strength of the giant scorpions throughout the battle.

Giant Grape

A piece of fruit so large it provided cover during combat. When a scorpion crit-failed an attack, it smashed a grape instead of its target, coating Papa Jan in sticky juice.

Steak Knife

An oversized utensil found on the giant’s table that became a lethal hazard when a scorpion was knocked backward by a thunder wave and impaled upon it.

Healing Stone

A magical stone used by Papa Jan to channel healing energy into fallen party members. It has a chance of breaking when used, determined by a die roll.

Urrilon’s Glaive

A heavy polearm that glows with radiant light, used to deliver the killing blow to the final giant scorpion by decapitating it.

Giant’s Club

A massive club wielded by the Hill Giant to smash the kitchen table, eventually pinning Papa Jan until Urrilon pried it off using his strength.

Healer’s Kit

A collection of bandages and remedies used by the party to stabilize Papa Jan after he was crushed by the giant’s club. It has a limited number of uses.

Philosopher’s Stone

A small magical stone carried by Corneleus and used by Umbra to channel healing energy into the unconscious Corneleus after the scorpion battle.

Biplane

A small two-seater aircraft constructed from junk, rubber bands, and matchsticks, found hidden behind a curtain in the mouse hole. Its wings fold off so it can be moved through the hole.

Immovable Rod

A magical rod that can be fixed in place; the party used one to brace a button against a hole to block rat intrusions. A second immovable rod was discovered hidden under a giant thimble in the mouse hole.

Giant Thimble

A large metal sewing tool found in the mouse hole, under which the party discovered hidden magical items including a second immovable rod and a wand.

Wand of Wonder

A mysterious magical wand found hidden under a thimble in the mouse hole alongside a second immovable rod.

Caltrops

Small metal spikes scattered by the party across the entrance of their resting area to injure and slow down any approaching creatures. The party had a large supply of them, enough to cover a significant area.

Mushroom

A large mushroom scavenged by Urrilon from the giant’s table before the Hill Giant arrived.

Spells

Acid Breath

Umbra’s draconic ability, used twice during the session. First as a 15-foot cone that splashed over giant grapes and basil to damage hidden scorpions, and later as a line attack that coated a scorpion and surrounding food in corrosive acid.

Healing Word

A quick restorative prayer used repeatedly by Papa Jan and Corneleus throughout the session to bring fallen party members back from unconsciousness, including reviving Umbra, Corneleus, and Urrilon at various points.

Radiance of the Dawn

A channel divinity ability used by Papa Jan that emitted a 30-foot radius burst of searing radiant light, burning all three giant scorpions simultaneously.

Wild Shape

Corneleus’s druidic ability to transform into a large bear, used twice during the scorpion battle to gain extra durability and natural weapons, though he was knocked out of the form both times.

Draconic Flight

A magical manifestation of temporary wings used by Umbra to take to the air above the giant table, keeping her out of reach of the scorpions’ stingers while she continued to attack from range.

Guiding Bolt

A flash of radiant light launched by Papa Jan at the scorpions. One bolt missed, but another successfully killed a scorpion, causing its shell to crack open and glow, and granting advantage to the next attacker.

Thunder Wave

A concussive burst of sound emitted by Corneleus that damaged two scorpions and physically knocked them back across the table, with one being impaled on a steak knife.

Warding Flare

A burst of divine light used by Papa Jan as a reaction to impose disadvantage on incoming attacks, successfully causing a scorpion’s stinger to miss and strike the table instead.

Darkness

Cast by Umbra to create a magical sphere of impenetrable blackness behind the basil on the table, concealing herself and Papa Jan from the approaching Hill Giant.

Minor Illusion

Used by Glint to disguise himself as a berry while hiding in a bowl of fruit, and used by Umbra to create a decoy image of a person running away, successfully distracting the Hill Giant.

Guidance

A minor divination cantrip used to provide a brief boost to a companion’s ability checks during the tense confrontation with the Hill Giant.

Command

Cast by Papa Jan with the word ‘Flee,’ successfully forcing the Hill Giant to want to turn and run. Though the giant’s club was already in motion and could not be stopped, the spell caused the giant to drop his weapon and flee the room.

Starry Wisp

A radiant cantrip cast by Corneleus that damaged the giant rat and caused it to glow in the dark, illuminating it for the party. A second casting dealt the killing blow to the creature.

Spare the Dying

A divine cantrip used by Papa Jan to instantly stabilize the dying Urrilon after the giant rat dropped him.