# 55. Session Fifty Five — Beneath Bastion **In-game start:** Summer 23 | **Played:** 22 July 2026 [[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/13 - Session Notes/Session 54 - To Escape a City|← Session 54]] · [[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/00 - Home & Navigation/Campaign Home|Campaign Hub]] · [[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/13 - Session Notes/Session 56 - The Wendell Ruins|Session 56 →]] ![[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/99 - Attachments/Session Artwork/Session 55/Bastion Eastgate Curfew.jpg|780]] > [!abstract]+ TL;DR > - **Freeing Elena from the Barrel:** The others steadied her, covered as much of her distinctive black armour as they could, and tried to make her appear less like an escaped prisoner who had spent five hours bathing in alcohol. > - **The Ancient Sewers:** The sewers beneath [[Bastion]] were very different from those beneath [[Gambon]]. > - **What Bastion Had Drawn Out of Them:** With the panic of their escape beginning to fade, [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] finally had time to consider what [[Bastion]] had forced him to become. > - **The Broken Walkway:** [[Elena]] came last, still recovering from the barrel and the jail, but managed the crossing without falling. > - **The Alchemical Laboratory:** Cages had been fixed around the chamber, some containing dead rats and mice. > - **Wilbur’s Letter:** He had not told his new associates about a previous “incident.” > - **A Warning for Wilbur:** The work at [[Gambon]] had ended in mutation, slaughter and disaster. > - **Into the Cavern:** Still weakened, bruised and recovering from both the jail and the whiskey barrel, she slipped during the descent and landed heavily against the stone. > [!star]- Memorable Moments > - 😨 **Temptation — Raphius / Mealla:** In the sewer, Vhail’s Blade physically pulls Raphius north/north-west and he visibly wobbles under it; Mealla is the one who closes the distance and checks whether he is still himself. > - 💔 **Confession — Raphius:** Raphius finally says the uncomfortable part aloud: the lies, disguises and compromises are beginning to grind directly against the person he believes he is supposed to be. > - 😱 **Instinct — Persephone:** The closer the group gets to Bastion’s hidden foundations, the clearer one feeling becomes inside Persephone: something within her **hates Bastion**. > - 🤯 **Mystery — Party:** The hidden laboratory and Wilbur’s letter introduce the Thistlebloom brothers properly and suggest the work under Bastion is part of something much older and wider. > - 😱 **Cliffhanger — Party:** The exploration ends with the party staring down an enormous mutated rat in the buried laboratory. ## Session Notes ### Out in the Cold The party stood outside the warehouse in the curfew-darkened Eastgate district. Behind them, the door had been bolted shut. Ahead of them, Crown Guard patrols continued moving through the streets of [[Bastion]]. Somewhere nearby lay the sewer entrance [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] had found. And in Raphius’ possession was a heavy barrel containing one extremely drunk, thoroughly soaked, and increasingly uncomfortable [[Elena]]. They had escaped the city-wide search. They had not escaped the city. The East Gate remained heavily guarded, and the streets were under curfew. They could attempt to reach the nearby inn and hide until morning, but three members of the party were now wanted by the Crown Guard. Even [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]], though not yet named on posters, had been directly involved in Elena’s escape. An inn meant questions. Names. Faces. Witnesses. The sewers remained their best chance. Before moving, [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] tried the sending stone again, hoping Talador might somehow be able to reach them or arrange a carriage. He felt the familiar pressure of the connection, but the magic didn’t take hold, and he was unable to make the connection. The party were on their own. Then the explosions began again. From far across [[Bastion]] came the renewed thunder of magic and alchemy striking the rot beneath the [[Crownshold|Crownhold]]. Whatever temporary relief the lockdown had brought was over. The battle for the [[Menagerie Gardens]] had resumed. It was time to move. ### Freeing [[Elena]] from the Barrel Rolling a barrel through [[Bastion]] during curfew was not subtle. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] decided that [[Elena]] would be less suspicious as an extremely intoxicated woman being helped home than as a mysterious barrel being pushed towards a sewer entrance. He warned her through the barrel that he was about to open it. Elena’s muffled response suggested that he should at least buy her dinner before shoving his sword anywhere. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] used [[Vhail's Blade|Vhail’s Blade]] as a lever, forcing it beneath the sealed lid. The lid resisted. He pushed harder, and with a grunt, [[Elena]] pushed upwards. Eventually, it burst free with a loud crack and sailed into the air, spinning away before clattering onto the ground. [[Elena]] emerged dripping, stinking of whiskey and other fluids best left unidentified. She attempted to pull herself upright, but hours spent folded into the barrel had left her cramped, numb, and almost incapable of standing. The moment she placed weight on her legs, they buckled. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] caught her. He had spent much of the previous day carrying [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]]. Now it appeared he would also be carrying [[Elena]]. The others steadied her, covered as much of her distinctive black armour as they could, and tried to make her appear less like an escaped prisoner who had spent five hours bathing in alcohol. The smell was impossible to hide. ### Timing the Patrols The sewer entrance lay approximately two blocks away. It was not hidden in an alley or tucked behind a building. It was in the middle of the street. The party waited near the edge of the warehouse district and watched the patrols. Crown Guard generally travelled between Eastgate and the Ironmarch, moving in pairs or small groups. The plan was simple: Wait for a patrol to pass. Move between the buildings. Cross the street. Open the sewer entrance. Disappear below before the next patrol arrived. Simple did not mean easy. When a group of guards began moving closer than expected, [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] pulled a small bell from her belongings and threw it behind them. The bell struck the cobbles with a sharp, unmistakable ring. The guards turned toward the noise. The party moved. ### Across the Street They rushed from the warehouse and into the neighbouring alley. [[Elena]] slipped and staggered, still soaked and unsteady, forcing the others to slow and pull her along. They pressed themselves into the shadows as another patrol passed the alley entrance. As [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] and [[Elena]] crouched for cover, [[Mealla Glynn|Maella]] covered them with her travelling poncho, trying to resemble a discarded heap of cloth. The others crouched behind crates and against doorways. The guards glanced into the darkness but saw nothing more than shadow and stored goods. Once they had passed, the party moved again. [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] raced toward the sewer entrance while [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] watched the routes and called the timing through their mental connection. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] and [[Elena]] followed, keeping as low as they could. They reached the cover together. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] and [[Elena]] lifted the heavy metal plate without a word. The team for once, seemed to work seamlessly, preffesionally. Beneath it waited a ladder descending into darkness. One by one, the party disappeared beneath [[Bastion]]. The cover slid shut above them. ### The Ancient Sewers The ladder descended roughly twenty feet before reaching the sewer floor. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] cast Light upon a ration and dropped it below, the faintly glowing piece of food landing with a wet slap. The sewers beneath [[Bastion]] were very different from those beneath [[Gambon]]. ![[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/99 - Attachments/Session Artwork/Session 55/Bastion Sewers.jpg|780]] They were ancient. The tunnels were constructed from worn stone, much of it carved with decorative edges and arches that looked almost ornate beneath centuries of filth. The city above had changed, rebuilt and modernised itself repeatedly. Down here, [[Bastion]] remained much as it had been when first raised more than two thousand years ago. It had an old, almost gothic character. Arches repeated into darkness. Wastewater flowed between narrow walkways. Faint light occasionally filtered through grates far above. The explosions from the [[Menagerie Gardens]] faded. Then the sounds of the city disappeared completely. All that remained was flowing water, dripping stone, and the party’s own footsteps. ### The [[Orb of Direction]] The sewer tunnels did not follow the straight streets above. Passages curved. Split. Doubled back. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] dug through his belongings and produced an old spherical object he had carried since near the beginning of their journey. The [[Orb of Direction]]. It had gone unused for so long that even he seemed surprised to still have it. [[Pipe]] had always been their sense of direction… Using the Orb to keep track of east, [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] attempted to guide them towards the city wall and the East Gate. The route soon divided into three. Ancient markings were carved into the stone above each passage. The writing was old Solandish. The birth language of “common” The spoken language had changed little, but the written form was now rarely taught. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] studied the markings, drawing upon lessons from his childhood that he had likely never expected to use while fleeing the capital through its sewage system. The signs indicated routes towards: - an outfall - a flood chamber - maintenance access The outfall sounded most likely to lead beyond the walls. They took that route. [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] seemed genuinely impressed that [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] could read the old script. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] accepted the compliment while pointing out that this was not an ideal time to discuss his education. ### Deeper Below the City The party continued east. The tunnels repeated around them: Stone arch. Darkness. Light. Another arch. More darkness. The stench grew worse as they moved, testing even Elena’s constitution after her hours inside the barrel. [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] shared a small bundle of spices, allowing the others to hold it near their faces and soften the smell. Another junction appeared. The markings here were less clear, but [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] made out two possible meanings: - service - continue Service access might have led back towards the streets or a maintenance entrance. Continuing onward appeared more likely to take them east. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] checked the Orb. They chose to continue. ### What [[Bastion]] Had Drawn Out of Them As the party followed the [[Orb of Direction]] through the winding tunnels, [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] suddenly faltered. It was not the uneven ground. Something had pulled at him. Whenever he turned towards the north-west, [[Vhail's Blade|Vhail’s Blade]] seemed to tug in that direction. The sensation did not feel entirely physical. It was closer to a pressure in his mind — the faint awareness of another consciousness stirring alongside his own. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] stopped and faced the direction of the pull. He raised the blade and stared into the darkness, trying to understand what it wanted from him. There was no visible movement ahead and no obvious passage leading towards the source, but the feeling remained. Something in that direction had caught the blade’s attention. Or perhaps something there was calling to it. Then the sensation faded. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] lowered the sword, visibly unsettled by what had happened. [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] had noticed him wobble and came closer. She asked if he was all right. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] admitted that the blade had pulled him towards something. For a moment, it had felt like another consciousness beside him — separate from his own thoughts, yet close enough to influence the way he stood and moved. He did not know what lay in that direction or why the blade had reacted to it. There was no clear route towards it, and escaping [[Bastion]] remained their priority, but he would remember where it had pointed. [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] continued watching him, sensing that there was more troubling him than the blade alone. With the panic of their escape beginning to fade, [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] finally had time to consider what [[Bastion]] had forced him to become. He told [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] that he had always tried to stand for truth. Truth, honour and light were the principles [[Solland]] claimed to represent, and they were the values [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] had tried to live by even when doing so had cost him dearly. Yet since attempting to escape [[Bastion]], he had lied more than he could remember lying throughout the rest of his life. He had lied about who he was. He had pretended [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] was his daughter. He had invented a dead wife. A new life in Jost. A career as a fisherman. He had lied to guards, merchants, warehouse workers and anyone else who stood between the party and freedom. Each lie had protected his friends. Each lie had been necessary. But necessity did not make them sit easily with him. The City of Truth and Light had forced him to survive through deception. [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] listened quietly, giving him space to speak. [[Bastion]] had not been the city [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] remembered or the city he had been raised to believe in. Beneath the proclamations of truth and divine light were corruption, cruelty, bribery, manipulation and fear. [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] felt something as well. As they walked, something inside her recoiled from [[Bastion]]. It was hatred. Her hatred, but not entirely hers. The disgust she felt towards the city was real, born from everything they had witnessed. Yet beneath it lay something older and deeper — an instinctive loathing that seemed to rise from a part of her she did not fully understand. Something within [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] hated [[Bastion]]. Something that was her, but not her. She could not explain where that feeling came from, nor where it ended and her own emotions began. For now, none of them had answers. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] returned [[Vhail's Blade|Vhail’s Blade]] to his side. [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] remained close. And the party continued east through the darkness beneath the City of Truth and Light. ### The Green Substance As they walked, Raphius’ light reflected from something smeared across the wall. A green, viscous substance. The party stopped. They had seen it before. The same unnatural residue had appeared in an earlier laboratory, where enormous vats had been used to experiment upon animals. It was associated with mutated rodents and the alchemical work of the brothers whose experiments had caused so much horror around [[Gambon]]. Small droplets appeared first. Then smears. Something had brushed against the walls while coated in it. Whatever had passed through these tunnels was no ordinary sewer animal. The party continued more carefully. Weapons were drawn. [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] formed her psychic daggers, their faint light trembling through the darkness. ### The Broken Walkway Farther along, part of the stone walkway had collapsed. A gap of roughly fifteen feet separated one section from the next. The sewer water flowed below, perhaps four feet deep but too dark and foul to trust. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] considered jumping. The others preferred caution. They tied themselves together with rope so that anyone who slipped could be pulled back before falling into the water. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] crossed first, taking a short run and launching himself over the gap. He landed hard but securely on the other side. [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] moved along the narrow remaining edge of stone, using the wall for balance. She crossed with extraordinary ease, gliding along the footholds almost like a dancer. [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] followed more cautiously. Despite there doubts, she also made it across. [[Elena]] came last, still recovering from the barrel and the jail, but managed the crossing without falling. For a brief moment, the party looked almost competent. A well-oiled machine. It was a welcome change. ### The Rot Beyond the Wall The green residue became more common as they continued. At one point, the stone beside them had cracked, leaving thin gaps between the blocks. [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] stopped. She placed her hand against the wall. Through the stone, she felt something and saw the spores in their air, similar to [[Crownshold|Crownhold]]. Not a direct voice. Not the overwhelming closeness she had experienced near the cave beneath the [[Crownshold|Crownhold]]. But a connection. Distant pain. The rot was somewhere beyond the wall. Still burning. Still suffering beneath the assault from the mages above. Even this far below [[Bastion]], [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] could feel it. The infestation was not confined to the visible cavern in the [[Menagerie Gardens]]. Its reach extended through the earth beneath the city. The party moved on. ### Towards the Outfall Another junction appeared. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] studied the old markings. One passage led towards the drainage pumps. The other was marked: Outfall. For once, the ancient sewer builders had provided exactly the information they needed. They followed the outflow. The tunnel widened, and additional channels began feeding into the main stream. Water poured through vertical openings, increasing the speed and volume of the flow. The green residue was no longer limited to the walls. It appeared upon the walkway. Across the stones. Mixed with marks in the filth. Then they found the tracks. ### The Enormous Footprints The print was incomplete, smeared across the wet stone. But it was large. Far larger than anything belonging to an ordinary rat. ![[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/99 - Attachments/Session Artwork/Session 55/Bastion Sewers Mutant Rat.jpg|780]] The visible toes were long and narrow, and the full footprint appeared at least as large as Mealla’s head. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] pressed a gloved finger into the residue. It had begun to form a skin on the surface but remained wet beneath. Whatever had left it had passed through recently. [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] studied the shape. It was not a bear. The digits were too long. A burrowing animal seemed more likely. Perhaps some vast rodent or badger-like creature altered by the same alchemical substance they had encountered before. More smudges appeared ahead. Some travelled in one direction. Others suggested movement back and forth. Something lived down here. Possibly several things. ### A False Wall At the next bend, [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] stopped. Something about the stonework looked wrong. The mortar did not match. Some blocks appeared to have been removed and replaced more recently than the surrounding wall. Sediment that should have gathered over centuries was missing from the seams. It was a false wall. The party approached carefully. The section of stone shifted when pushed, though it resisted as if caught against something behind it. With enough force, it opened. Beyond it lay a hidden chamber. ### The Alchemical Laboratory The room had been cut roughly into the softer rock beyond the sewer wall. Unlike the ancient stonework outside, this place was recent and crude. A smooth desk stood among scientific instruments, measuring devices and improvised lighting equipment. Cages had been fixed around the chamber, some containing dead rats and mice. Several cages were empty. Others had been left open. The room was scientific in purpose, but not professional in execution. It had the feeling of hurried, reckless experimentation performed in secret. Cowboy science. The desk held equations, chemical notes and references to various substances. Much of it was beyond the party’s understanding, though [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] recognised a few basic ingredients and alchemical terms. Among the papers was a letter. It had already been opened, then returned to an outer covering as though someone had intended to send it back or preserve it. The letter was signed: Your loving brother, [[Wilbur Thistlebloom|Wilbur]]. ### [[Wilbur's Letter|Wilbur’s Letter]] The wording of the letter was difficult in places, but its meaning was deeply concerning. [[Wilbur Thistlebloom|Wilbur]] wrote proudly that he had been welcomed among Bastion’s alchemical elite and had secured a place in which to continue his work. He had not told his new associates about a previous “incident.” He urged his brother to continue keeping it secret. The sewers were, according to [[Wilbur Thistlebloom|Wilbur]], an ideal place to test their work, even if the conditions were awful. He believed he had achieved a great deal and that they were close to success. The cages around the room suggested what that testing involved. [[Wilbur Thistlebloom|Wilbur]] also wrote that another of their brothers had begun making connections of his own, though [[Wilbur Thistlebloom|Wilbur]] had not spoken to him directly. Most alarmingly, [[Wilbur Thistlebloom|Wilbur]] had been approached by a woman connected to an organisation he described as the Order. She was eager to meet him. She wanted to learn more about his skills. [[Wilbur Thistlebloom|Wilbur]] believed this promised good times ahead. The party did not share his optimism. ### The Three Brothers The letter connected the hidden sewer laboratory to people the party had encountered before. Three brothers. Alchemical experimentation. Mutated animals. The laboratories uncovered around Misty Peaks and [[Gambon]]. One brother, [[Wesley Thistlebloom|Wesley]], had already died as a result of those experiments. The work had ultimately contributed to the grotesque mutated creature the party had been forced to fight. [[Wilbur Thistlebloom|Wilbur]] had now brought similar experiments beneath [[Bastion]]. And someone connected to the Order had found him. Whether [[Wilbur Thistlebloom|Wilbur]] understood what he had become involved with was uncertain. But the green substance, the giant tracks and the empty cages made the danger clear. The Order’s reach extended even beneath the capital. ### Word from Talador While the group searched the laboratory, the sending stone pressed against Raphius’ mind. Talador had been questioned about the chaos in [[Bastion]]. He had been placed under house arrest. He believed he would be safe for the moment, but his involvement with the party had clearly drawn suspicion. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] used what remained of the stone’s power to answer. He told Talador that they were alive and escaping beneath the city. The attack at the jail had involved the Traitor Hands. The Crown Guard had been infested and puppeted by brain-like parasites. The carnage was not the party’s work, even though they had been forced to fight their way out. He also tried to ask whether Talador had succeeded in stopping Boristov or recovering the [[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/09 - Items, Artifacts & Documents/Rose of Igoda]]. The connection ended. There would be no more conversation through the stone for now. Talador remained trapped above. The party remained trapped below. ### A Warning for [[Wilbur Thistlebloom|Wilbur]] [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] gathered the useful papers from the laboratory. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] found a clean piece of parchment and left a warning behind for whoever returned. One of Wilbur’s brothers had already died because of these experiments. The work at [[Gambon]] had ended in mutation, slaughter and disaster. [[Wilbur Thistlebloom|Wilbur]] should not trust those drawing him deeper into it. He should abandon the work before he suffered the same fate. Whether [[Wilbur Thistlebloom|Wilbur]] would listen was impossible to know. The laboratory appeared to have been used within the last week or two. Someone was likely to return. The dead rodents had not been cleared away. The cages had been left in disarray. And something had escaped into the sewers. The party returned to the main tunnel. ### From Sewer to Cavern The constructed stonework gradually changed. The ancient arches ended. The floor became rougher. Sandstone replaced the worked blocks beneath their feet. Their footsteps began echoing farther ahead, telling them that the tunnel was opening into a much larger space. The flow of water grew louder. Raphius’ Light illuminated only fragments: Red stone. A narrow ledge. Darkness beyond. Then the tunnel ended. Ahead lay a vast natural cavern. ### The Sinkhole The sewer water poured over the edge of the constructed tunnel and down a steep slope of red stone, dropping roughly twenty feet into the cavern below. Several underground streams converged there, flowing toward an enormous depression in the cavern floor. A sinkhole. Water churned into it and disappeared beneath a raised section of rock, forming what appeared to be an underground channel or river continuing somewhere beyond sight. Falling into the centre would almost certainly be fatal. Across the cavern, however, there appeared to be another opening. A natural passage. And from that direction came something the party had not felt for hours: Fresh air. Not clean air exactly. But movement. A breeze suggesting that the cavern connected to somewhere outside. It might be their route beyond [[Bastion]]. They had to descend first. ### [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] Goes Down [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] attempted to anchor a rope near the top of the slope. The wet sandstone crumbled when pressure was placed upon it. A dagger driven into a crack simply tore loose when tested. There was nothing secure enough to leave the rope tied in place. Instead, [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] held the rope while [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] volunteered to descend and investigate. He lowered her carefully over the edge. The stone was wet and slick, and spray from the falling water made the descent difficult, but [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] reached the cavern floor safely. She moved cautiously toward the distant tunnel. The breeze was real. So was another sound. Scurrying. Many small feet moving somewhere in the darkness. Through the mental connection, [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] warned the others. There was fresh air ahead. There were also rats. A lot of rats. ### Into the Cavern [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] lowered [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] next. She joined [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] below, visibly uncomfortable with the sounds moving through the darkness. [[Elena]] followed. Still weakened, bruised and recovering from both the jail and the whiskey barrel, she slipped during the descent and landed heavily against the stone. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] came last. Without anyone above to hold the rope, he climbed carefully down the wet slope, using a dagger to slow himself and search for handholds. The descent began under control. It ended as a slide. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] reached the bottom with less dignity than the others, but remained upright. He drew [[Vhail's Blade|Vhail’s Blade]] and raised his shield. The light from the sword revealed green residue across the cavern stones. Far more than they had seen above. ### Rats in the Darkness The party moved along the edge of the underground river. The sinkhole churned beside them, fed by several streams and waterfalls. The water disappeared beneath the raised stone with enough force to make it clear that entering it would mean death. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] threw another glowing ration away from the route they intended to take. It landed upon the stone. For a moment, nothing happened. Then the scurrying changed direction. The darkness around the ration came alive with movement. The party kept walking. Slowly. Quietly. [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] stayed close behind [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]], one hand gripping his sleeve. The sounds multiplied behind them. Then something heavier moved ahead. ### The Creature Ahead A shadow stepped into the edge of Raphius’ light. It was enormous. Rat-like, but grown far beyond any natural size. Green, glowing segments and strands clung to or protruded from its body, trailing the same alchemical substance smeared throughout the sewers. Its eyes burned red. Two enormous teeth protruded from its mouth. Heavy clawed feet struck the cavern floor as it moved into their path. Behind the party came the continuing sound of smaller creatures closing in. Ahead stood the result of Wilbur’s experiments. The way out of [[Bastion]] lay somewhere beyond it. And that is where the session ended. ## Session End State > [!success]- Where Things Stand > - [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] found a clean piece of parchment and left a warning behind for whoever returned. > - Their footsteps began echoing farther ahead, telling them that the tunnel was opening into a much larger space. > - Still weakened, bruised and recovering from both the jail and the whiskey barrel, she slipped during the descent and landed heavily against the stone. > - The darkness around the ration came alive with movement. > - Ahead stood the result of Wilbur’s experiments. [[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/13 - Session Notes/Session 54 - To Escape a City|← Session 54]] · [[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/00 - Home & Navigation/Campaign Home|Campaign Hub]] · [[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/13 - Session Notes/Session 56 - The Wendell Ruins|Session 56 →]]