Session 28 - A is for Ankheg (pt 1)

Roster

Atudark,Cyinth Agora,Guiloip Guhloo,H'er,Lyra Everlight,Suraax Smith,Vigilius Palamas,Vith Pahlok

Session Overview

Session Status: Occurred

In Game Date: 1st Tarsakh 1509

Group Cup Points

NPC's

Verelda Lang,Calypso Virellis

Summary

What begins as a routine Academy exercise quickly turns into chaotic tunnel warfare as first-year students descend beneath Neverwood to cull the local ankheg population. After being paired with a third-year guide, the group enters the twisting tunnels beneath the Prismari campus — only to immediately split up, resulting in several simultaneous skirmishes. Clever improvisation, reckless decisions, and overwhelming magical force allow the party to survive their encounters, but their noise and chaos may have drawn more attention than intended.

Assignment at Neverwood Stadium

• The students are instructed to report to Neverwood Stadium.
• Upon arrival, they find Professor Verelda Lang overseeing a field assignment alongside several third-year students.
• Professor Lang explains the annual tradition:
  • First-year groups are paired with a third-year mentor.
  • They are sent into the ankheg tunnels beneath the Academy for population control.
• Students are asked to form groups of eight and choose a guide.
• The party selects Calypso Virellis, a third-year Witherbloom student.
• Calypso leads the group to the Prismari campus, guiding them into one section of the tunnels.

Into the Tunnels

• Once inside, the group immediately splits up:
  • Cyinth and T.1.T.4.N head south.
  • Lyra, Suraax, and Vigilius move straight ahead.
  • Her and Glue travel north.
  • Vith lingers near the entrance, successfully freezing several acid puddles.
  • Atudark follows cautiously behind Suraax.
• The branching tunnels quickly lead to multiple separate encounters.

Cyinth’s Improvised Assault

• Cyinth discovers an ankheg feeding in a narrow passage.
• Thinking fast, she throws a furry ball from her Grey Bag of Tricks:
  • The ball transforms into a giant stag, wedging itself into the corridor.
• T.1.T.4.N withstands several attacks from the ankheg while Cyinth escalates the chaos.
• She throws a second furry ball directly into the ankheg’s throat.
• The ball transforms into a giant elk, expanding violently and tearing the creature apart from the inside.
• The ankheg is killed in spectacular — and messy — fashion.

The Young Ankheg

• Suraax and Atudark enter a small side cave.
• They encounter a young ankheg, which attacks immediately.
• Suraax strikes with her giant axe while Atudark unleashes Eldritch Blast and attempts to Hex the creature.
• Their combined attacks quickly bring the young ankheg down.

Chaos in the Acid Pools

• Glue and Her locate a larger ankheg surrounded by pools of acid.
• H’er opens the fight with Magic Missile while waiting for Glue and his familiars to arrive.
• The ankheg’s screech echoes through the tunnels, drawing reinforcements:
  • Lyra, Vith, and Vigilius rush to assist.
• Lyra hangs back, using Spiritual Weapon to strike from a safe distance.
• In the middle of combat, Vith decides to urinate into an acid puddle.
• Vigilius attempts to reason with him — and then physically drag him to safety.
• Glue casts Gust of Wind, pushing the ankheg backward — and unintentionally sending several allies flying as well.
• The opening allows Lyra and H’er to finish the creature.

Echoes Through the Hive

• With the ankheg defeated, Lyra worries that the noise may have attracted more creatures.
• Almost immediately, a booming voice from deeper in the tunnels rings out — Suraax, loudly echoing through the caverns.
• The group realises their position may no longer be secret.

Ongoing Threads

• Calypso Virellis’s Supervision – How much of the chaos did the third-year actually anticipate or allow?
• The Ankheg Population – Multiple loud fights may have disturbed more of the hive than intended.
• Tunnel Acoustics – Noise travels far underground, and the party has not been subtle.
• Creative Tactics – Cyinth’s bag-of-tricks strategy proves extremely effective… and potentially dangerous.
• Safety vs. Chaos – The group’s tendency to split up and improvise wildly may become a recurring problem underground.