Paths of Darkness

Paths of Darkness

View all episodes in Mythic Cycle.

Season 5: Episode 3

There was a touch of insanity travelling back to the earliest beginnings.

The party travels into the interior of the jungle drawing ever close to Knox and learning more of his insanity and savagery. As they get closer to the deepest parts of the jungle, everything begins to unwind. What kind of man was this Knox? What has he been up to? What is the temple of fire and the nature of the third catasphrophe?

• Earth Temple Respite & Dispatch to Base Camp: After resting inside the enclosed surface sanctuary of the Earth Temple, Lyra dispatches a detailed missive and map back to the South Trading Company base camp using her owl familiar, Saluna.

• Compsognathus Ration Raid: A pack of tiny Compsognathus scavengers raids the party’s ration packs, leading to a quick battle where Oak turns into a direwolf and Ralph captures a surviving “compy” named George to attach to his shield as a battle chicken.

• Tracking Lay Lines & Knox’s Early Journals: Following intersecting magical lay lines across the caldera, the heroes find Knox’s initial journal entries detailing his logistics assignment and his turn toward necromancy, as well as a desecrated corpse bearing an ominous blood-painted warning.

• Ransacked Kuo-Toa Village & Extermination Order: The party discovers a destroyed Kuo-Toa settlement lined with severed heads on pikes and recovers Knox’s fourth journal entry, which orders the complete annihilation of the fish-folk after they proved useless for mine labor.

• Open Tin Mines & Temple Smeltery Discovery: At an abandoned open-pit mine, the party finds Knox’s fifth journal entry revealing that his undead gangs are dismantling and smelting the island’s ancient stone temples for tin, while Wark loots Knox’s extensive library of engineering and magic books.

• De-escalating the Kuo-Toa War Band: An ambushing Kuo-Toa war band is pacified when Oak and Cort perform ancient Kuo-Toa gestures of honor, forging an alliance against Knox’s undead forces.

• The Dragon Boneyard & Ghoul Battle: Guided by the Kuo-Toa to a massive clearing of dinosaur bones, the party engages and destroys three ghouls feeding on a carcass.

• Solving the Riddle & Rescuing the Gnome: The party recovers five carved aquatic stone coins from skull piles and solves a poetic winch riddle to lower a suspended cage, rescuing an unconscious, fiery red-haired gnome.

Earth Temple Respite & Dispatch to Base Camp

Emerging from the crystalline chasms and ancient subterranean vaults below, the weary adventurers of the Capable Hands stepped out into the open air of the Earth Temple’s surface sanctuary. High above the jungle canopy, majestic stone pillars protruded from the earth like the shattered crown of a petrified titan, encircling a quiet stone courtyard where a captured dinosaur had recently been granted its freedom.

“Its majestic pillars are like the crown of an ancient giant protruding up from the ground. “ -Dungeon master

Recognizing the tactical advantage of the high, defensible stone walls, the party swung the heavy iron gates shut and bolted the threshold against the lurking horrors of the primeval jungle. While Ralph, Oak, Wark, and Cort prepared for a long-needed rest, watch rotations were established along the stone perimeter with their loyal hirelings—Johan, Crossbow Jim, and Pike Jim. To conserve their waning travel rations, magical beads of nourishment were distributed, staving off hunger with a simple swallow.

“An enclosed structure provides some protection from the jungle and some well-earned respite. “ -Dungeon master

Before settling into sleep, the party gathered to draft a critical dispatch for Aberton and the South Trading Company (STC) at the coastal base camp. Unrolling a fresh scroll of parchment, Lyra carefully mapped out the caldera’s topography, drawing upon her expert survival instincts to mark their exact trail and key landmarks.

“Now might be a good time to send a missive back to the base camp if you would like. “ -Dungeon master

Together, the party compiled a comprehensive report detailing their findings:

• The location of a hidden smuggler route on the southern coast, revealing how contraband and tin were being moved off the island undetected.
• Their diplomatic alliance with the native Kuo-Toa, insisting that company forces refrain from attacking the peaceful fish-folk.
• Detailed warnings regarding the roaming undead forces infesting the caldera interior.
• A precise sketch drawn by Lyra depicting the terrifying, acid-spitting behemoth dinosaur they had encountered and slain.

“Say we’ve made friends with the local fish people because I don’t want them running up and killing them. “ -Lyra

With the letter finalized and the map meticulously rendered, Lyra summoned her trusted owl familiar, Saluna. Carefully binding the parchment to the bird’s talons, Lyra stroked Saluna’s feathers before launching the raptor off the temple parapet. Saluna spread her wings, rising silently into the midnight breeze and banking westward toward the distant lights of the coastal camp.

Compsognathus Ration Raid

As the long rest inside the Earth Temple’s surface sanctuary drew to a close, a subtle shuffling sound broke the quiet courtyard air. Wark’s keen eyes caught one of the party’s canvas supply packs jostling unnaturally on the stone floor. Peering closer, the artificer spotted a flock of a dozen tiny, chicken-sized reptiles with needle-like teeth tearing into their canvas bags and making off with dried meat.

“You see a dozen tiny chicken-sized reptiles with needle-like teeth… poking holes in your canvas bags and snatching up little bits of dried meat and rations. “ -Dungeon master

“Hey, get out of our food! “ -Wark

Springing into action, Wark hurled a crackling Firebolt across the camp, incinerating one of the thieves on the spot. Seeking to reclaim their stolen provisions, Oak felt his druidic instincts flare. His brow furrowed, thick fur sprouted across his shoulders, and he reshaped his form into a massive direwolf, bounding forward to hunt the nimble scavengers.

“I’m going to turn into a direwolf and just go ham on these guys. “ -Oak

Alongside the roaring direwolf, Ralph surged forward in a burst of adrenaline, swinging his heavy handaxe and punting the miniature reptiles through the air like scale-covered playthings.

“I’m going to start punting and axing them! “ -Ralph

With a mighty swing, Ralph landed a crushing blow that sent one compy careening over the temple palisades into the jungle canopy. As the surviving scavengers scattered in terror, one wriggling reptile attempted to slip past the half-orc cleric’s grasp. Ralph lunged, wrapping his massive hands around the writhing creature and pinning its jaws tight.

Rather than executing the captive, Ralph decided to keep the ferocious little dinosaur as a live companion, naming him George and binding him securely to the face of his shield to serve as walking rations and a newly minted “battle chicken.”

“I love it, and color George. “ -Ralph

Tracking Lay Lines & Knox’s Early Journals

Having cleared the Earth Temple and gathered their strength, the Capable Hands turned their focus to navigating the uncharted expanse of the caldera. Lyra, Oak, and Wark joined hands to perform the sacred ritual of Detect Magic, channeling their ambient powers to tune their senses to the primordial forces permeating the Isle of Dread. In the ethereal realm, brilliant veins of unseen power power crisscrossed the land—ancient lay lines linking the island’s stone temples in a grand, unseen web.

“Detecting magic together as a crew, detecting magic… “ -Wark

Following the glowing ley line southwest through the suffocating jungle undergrowth, the party pushed deeper into the caldera. Amid the tangled ferns and oppressive humidity, Wark uncovered a discarded scrap of waterlogged parchment tucked beneath a rotting log—a personal journal entry written in a firm, calculating hand. It was the first log of Knox, the South Trading Company’s missing logistics master, written when he still served Aberton with absolute devotion.

“The South Trading Company has entrusted me with the most vital endeavor on this island, unlocking the vast tin deposits buried within the primeval caldera… Order above all. “ -Knox

Pushing further along the magical path, they discovered a second, far more unsettling document. In it, Knox described how tropical rot, fever, and jungle beasts had decimated half of his living miners. Rather than retreating, he had turned to dark arcane rites discovered within ancient ruins, reanimating the fallen workers into uncomplaining undead slaves.

“Living men are shockingly fragile… Their gray skin does not burn in the sun; their dead hands do not blister. This is not desecration—it is the ultimate refinement of labor. “ -Knox

The horrific truth of Knox’s words manifested only a few miles deeper into the woods. In a small clearing, the party stumbled upon a gruesome sight: a corpse clad in weather-torn South Trading Company fatigues, bound awkwardly behind a felled tree. Its jaw had been torn away, and hanging around its neck was a crude wooden sign painted in dried, crimson blood.

“The grave is only the beginning. “ -Dungeon master

Horrified by the dark warning, Ralph stepped forward to offer a somber, pragmatic eulogy over the desecrated remains before taking matters into his own hands.

“I don’t know this person, but he is dead and he should stay dead, so let him stay dead. “ -Ralph

With a brutal display of strength, Ralph dismembered the corpse, severing its limbs to ensure the necrotic magic could never raise it again. To complete the cleansing, Lyra conjured a radiant beam of Starry Wisp, striking the severed skull and disintegrating the remains into fine, harmless ash before the party continued their march along the ley lines.

Ransacked Kuo-Toa Village & Extermination Order

Pushing deeper into the suffocating humidity of the caldera, the Capable Hands felt the jungle air turn thick and foul with the sickeningly sweet stench of rot and stagnation. Before them lay a silent Kuo-Toa settlement, its crude mud structures eerie and lifeless—a grim contrast to the vibrant, aquatic village they had visited weeks before along the lake.

“The air is thick… The sickening sweet smell of decaying jungle. “ -Dungeon master

Approaching the nearest hut with weapons raised, the adventurers found the entrance kicked violently off its hinges and the interior thoroughly ransacked. Broken blue stone idols depicting ancient sea gods lay shattered amidst overturned trinkets and scattered fishbones. Wark carefully gathered a fragment of a shattered blue deity idol, tucking it away to preserve a piece of the village’s sacred heritage.

Investigating the churned mud surrounding the ruins, Cort and Oak uncovered a chaotic web of heavy boot prints made by human mercenaries. The tracks converged violently on the huts before forming a disciplined column that marched onward along the glowing ley line.

“There are footprints all over the place… They seem to be footprints of men. “ -Dungeon master

Following the perimeter of the ruined village, the heroes halted in horror at a gruesome sight. Lining the muddy border stood a grim palisade of wooden pikes, each bearing the severed head of a Kuo-Toa warrior. Their milky, lifeless eyes stared blindly into the distance, jaws gaping open in frozen terror along the path of the ley line.

“Top each one is a Kuo head that has been skewered… Their milky lifeless eyes stare blindly off into the distance and their jaws are gaping open in silent horror. “ -Dungeon master

Tucked into the blood-soaked mud beneath a fallen stake, Wark discovered a waterlogged parchment written in Knox’s sharp, calculating hand—his fourth journal entry detailing the ruthless subjugation and destruction of the indigenous fish-folk.

“In my pursuit of labor efficiency I attempted to force the native Kuo-Toa into the tin mines… A disastrous miscalculation. These damp frantic creatures are utterly useless for honest work… Eradicate them completely. KILL THE BRUTES. “ -Knox

Reading the chilling order aloud, Wark voiced the party’s growing outrage at Knox’s descent into darkness and tyranny.

“I’m going to say it now, I’m not sure I want to work for your client… We are on a dark path. “ -Wark

Refusing to leave the desecrated remains as a gruesome trophy for Knox’s mercenaries, the party moved to grant the fallen villagers a proper resting place according to Kuo-Toa traditions. Cutting down the wooden pikes, Ralph and Oak carried the severed heads to a deep, stagnant pool at the edge of the settlement, carefully submerging them in the dark water.

To ensure Knox’s dark necromancy could never twist the slain fish-folk into reanimated horrors, Lyra stepped forward and cast Starry Wisp. Beams of radiant celestial light pierced the dark pool, disintegrating the submerged remains into harmless, glowing dust and bringing peaceful oblivion to the fallen Kuo-Toa.

Open Tin Mines & Temple Smeltery Discovery

Marching past the ruined jungle settlement, the Capable Hands emerged at the base of the caldera’s soaring basalt cliffs into a vast, clear-cut moonscape. The lush green canopy had been brutally stripped away, leaving a jagged scar across the earth littered with rotted timber scaffolding, rusted pickaxes, and mounds of fine white granite dust.

“These are open coffin mines… where you would gather up the stones from the ground, maybe grind them, and then extract the tin. “ -Dungeon master

Deep gashes and abandoned trench pits gouged into the bedrock lay eerie and silent, filled only with stagnant rainwater. Scattered among the abandoned gear were wooden supply crates emblazoned with the South Trading Company seal alongside unbranded boxes, revealing that contraband and ore had been secretly moved off the island beyond the company’s knowledge.

Advancing through the desolate quarry, the party approached a solitary administrative hut constructed with raw timber walls and a corrugated metal roof. Stepping inside the humid office, Cort and Wark sifted through waterlogged ledgers strewn across a central desk, tracking the paper trail of Knox’s illicit tin shipments until the records abruptly ceased. Tucked into the final pages of the ledger was Knox’s fifth journal entry.

“The open den pits across the caldera… have finally run dry. The surface veins are completely exhausted… We are melting down the temples themselves for the company ledgers. “ -Knox

The horrific document outlined Knox’s newest atrocity: after discovering that the white granite megaliths of the ancient island temples were rich in high-purity cassiterite, he deployed undead labor gangs to pry the sacred stones from the temple walls. Heavy gear-driven crushers pulverized the sacred architecture, boiling quicklime baths stripped away the quartz casing, and volcanic vents smelted the stone matrix into pure tin ingots.

While the party digested the gravity of Knox’s desecration, Wark’s eyes caught sight of the hut’s towering bookshelves. The office held an extraordinary library of rare tomes—works of history, advanced engineering, metallurgy, precious stone identification, and even wizardry manuals from the mainland’s prestigious Ashford Wizardry School.

“I don’t think I’m going to do anything else for the rest of the adventure because I’m just reading engineering books and start learning new stuff. “ -Wark

Enraptured by the treasure trove of knowledge, Wark immediately uncreated and emptied his Bag of Holding, clearing out the interdimensional space so he could loot every rare volume from the shelves to study during their journey ahead.

De-escalating the Kuo-Toa War Band

As the party stepped out from Knox’s administrative hut, the humid silence of the abandoned open-pit mine was shattered by guttural croaks and the splashing of mud. Charging out from the surrounding jungle came a frenzied war band of Kuo-Toa warriors, their pincer spears raised and weighted nets swinging. High above the mud, their priest raised his webbed hands, conjuring a whirling vortex of spectral, glowing fish to swarm the intruders.

“A war band of Kuatoa come charging out… They have the jump on you and they are attacking. “ -Dungeon master

While the hirelings—Johan, Pike Jim, and Crossbow Jim—braced for battle, Oak and Cort instantly recognized that these fish-folk were survivors mourning their slaughtered kin. Refusing to shed innocent blood, Oak called out a stern command to the crew before shifting his shape into a massive, armored Ankylosaurus and hunkering down to absorb the incoming blows.

“I’m going to instruct the gyms to not fight and to back away. “ -Oak

Cort darted into the fray, using his lightning-fast martial prowess to grapple a charging warrior and pull him safely clear of the priest’s spectral guardians without dealing a single point of damage. Meanwhile, Wark called out in confusion, trying to invoke the name of the Kuo-Toa priestess they had befriended at the lake village.

“Have we made peace? You’re so mad at us! What did you do? “ -Wark

Rather than counterattacking, Oak lowered his massive, reptilian head in solemn obeasance. Raising one heavy armored claw, the druid touched his forehead—the sacred Kuo-Toa gesture of remembrance and thanks for the fallen—before heavily thumping his chest to signify battle honor among warriors.

“Touching of the head is sacred… It’s a sign of thanks or remembrance. Thumping your chest is like fighting honor, warrior honor. “ -Dungeon master

Watching the giant Ankylosaurus perform their most sacred rites, the Kuo-Toa priest halted in astonishment. He held up a webbed palm, commanding his warriors to lower their weapons, and dismissed the swirling spectral fish. Stepping forward, the priest gently pulled his weighted net off Oak’s armored back.

“The Kuatoa put down the weapons, and you see the priest let down the guardian spirits. “ -Dungeon master

Seeking to channel their mutual grief into action, Oak shifted back into his true form while Cort unrolled their map of the caldera. Through deliberate pantomime, Oak mimicked the shuffling gait of Knox’s shambling undead miners, pointing toward the mountains and thrusting his weapon in a gesture of shared vengeance.

Grasping the intent, the Kuo-Toa priest took the parchment, turned it in his webbed hands, and pressed his damp claw onto two key locations where Knox’s forces lurked. The fish-folk warriors beat their chests in unison, raising a fierce chorus of croaks as they forged a solemn alliance with the Capable Hands to march together and destroy Knox’s undead army.

The Dragon Boneyard & Ghoul Battle

Guided by their newly forged Kuo-Toa allies, the Capable Hands ventured off the lay line and deep into the dense, uncharted backwoods of the caldera. The fish-folk warriors moved with swift, practiced grace through the jungle undergrowth, leading the adventurers toward a massive clearing that sent a shiver through the trees—a graveyard of colossal prehistoric beasts.

“Out in the middle, crouched over the carcass of a large massive herbivore… they are leaning over this corpse. “ -Dungeon master

Jagged white ribs, spinal columns, and massive skulls of ancient dragons and behemoths jutted from the mud like a petrified forest of bone. Crouched in the center of the clearing, gnawing voraciously upon the rotting carcass of a massive dinosaur, were three gaunt, slick-skinned undead horrors—ghouls with elongated claws and sunken eyes. Above them, suspended high in the air from an arching bone rib by an ancient winch contraption, hung a wooden cage holding an unconscious captive.

“Undead gnawing on a dinosaur. Over. “ -Wark

“Is it okay if I just go for it? “ -Cort

Stealthily encircling the clearing alongside the Kuo-Toa war party, Wark initiated the ambush by channeling an arcane invocation of Faerie Fire. A swirling cloud of glowing green light erupted across the clearing, bathing two of the ghouls and the suspended winch contraption in a luminous, eerie aura.

“In honor of our Kua friends, I’m going to make these guys glow green. “ -Wark

Seizing the opening, Cort cast Protection from Good and Evil upon himself and leaped onto a towering bone ridge. With a surge of celestial energy, Cort struck the first ghoul with a devastating Divine Smite, channeling radiant lightning that obliterated the creature into a pulp of ash and bone. However, as the ghoul exploded, its foul, paralyzing secretions splattered across Cort’s face, instantly freezing his muscles and leaving him paralyzed upon the stone.

Seeing their companion fall stiff, Ralph, Lyra, Wark, and the Kuo-Toa warriors swarmed the remaining undead. Lyra called down radiant beams of Starry Wisp, Wark blasted them with Guiding Bolt, and the Kuo-Toa priest hurled bolts of Sacred Flame while his spear-men pinned the monsters with weighted nets and pincer spears. Johan, Pike Jim, and Crossbow Jim provided covering fire from the bone perimeter.

Surging forward with his heavy handaxe, Ralph deftly ducked beneath a ghoul’s tearing claws and cleaved the beast’s head clean off, sending it tumbling into the jungle bushes.

“Today’s a punty day. I’m going to kick his head off! “ -Ralph

With the last ghoul destroyed and the boneyard secured, the party turned their attention to the mysterious winch contraption and the unconscious figure suspended in the cage above.

Solving the Riddle & Rescuing the Gnome

With the ravenous ghouls vanquished and their foul remains smoldering in the mud, the Capable Hands turned their attention to the towering graveyard of giant dragon ribs and petrified behemoth skulls. High above the clearing, suspended from an arching bone spine by heavy chains and an ancient winch contraption, hung a weathered wooden cage holding an unmoving captive.

“Out in the middle… on the far side there’s a cage strung up and hanging off of some of the ribs. “ -Dungeon master

Determined to lower the cage, the party scoured the bone mounds and skull piles surrounding the clearing. Wark, Oak, Cort, and Ralph carefully investigated the eerie stacks, recovering five ancient, carved stone coins depicting primordial sea creatures: the Squid, the Shark, the Crab, the Stingray, and the Eel.

“When the chaos beast reigned supreme, from them came apex predators, which made even the most protected run in fear. “ -Dungeon master

Approaching the winch contraption at the center of the boneyard, Wark examined a waterlogged piece of vellum pinned to the rusted iron casing. Upon it was inscribed a cryptic, poetic riddle detailing the ancient hierarchy of the ocean depths.

“Farther below than ever, venom spine silt dwellers, amid the violence the slitherer turns the world again. “ -Dungeon master

Gathering around the mechanical device, Wark, Oak, and Cort analyzed the verses, matching each carved aquatic coin to its corresponding line of the riddle:

1. The Squid (Chaos Beast): The primordial horror that ruled supreme in the ancient void.
2. The Shark (Apex Predator): The relentless hunter born from the primordial chaos.
3. The Crab (The Protected): The heavily armored crustacean fleeing in terror.
4. The Stingray (Venom-Spine Silt Dweller): The venomous lurker buried deep in the seabed.
5. The Eel (The Slitherer): The serpent of the deep that turns the world anew.

Working together, the adventurers slotted the five stone coins into the vertical mechanism in exact order. With a loud, metallic clunk, the ancient gears groaned to life, unspooling the heavy chains and lowering the suspended cage to the stone floor below.

“The winch comes to life as you slot these into the right locations… and the cage descends down. “ -Dungeon master

As the cage settled upon the earth, the latch unbuckled, revealing an unconscious gnome cradled in a fetal position inside. Drenched in cold sweat with a shock of fiery red hair, the mysterious survivor breathed in shallow, labored gasps—rescued from the brink of oblivion by the sharp wits of the Capable Hands.

“He has fiery red hair… drenched in sweat, so his body is in a little fetal position. “ -Dungeon master