Breaking Rules

Roster

Atudark, Guiloip Guhloo, Harry Blackstone, Lyra Everlight, Vigilius Palamas

Session Overview

Session Status: Occurred

In Game Date: 23rd - 24th Hammer 1509

Group Cup Points

NPC's

Fain, Construct V339, Denis “Bluntfang” Dragontongue, Infernal “Jarex” Houndfist, Lupus Thunderpelt, Vormor

Summary

After a cold, miserable night in the hunting hut the students are rescued and thrust straight into campus bureaucracy — medical checks, bed rest, and a brutal detention copying the Compendium of Campus Conduct. While most endure punishment, Harry and Glue slip out, assemble a ragged rescue party (including reluctant members of The Hellhound Gang), and follow the trail into the storm. They catch the wintergeist in the forest — the Star of Remembrance glowing from inside the creature — and fight a chaotic, painful battle that leaves friends injured, the elemental dissipated, and the star still missing. The party ends the day sheltered in a giant oak by a kindly forest guardian named Vormor, who promises to guide them to the wintergeist’s lair in the morning.

Found and Returned

• The students wake in the hunting hut cold, hungry, and stiff from the previous night.
• Voices echo through the blizzard — Neverwood staff searching the woods and calling names.
• Staff find the group and escort them back to the Academy.
• On return: medical check-ups for each student, then sent to bed to recover.

Detention: The Compendium of Campus Conduct

• The next morning they attend detention run by Professor Fain and Construct V339.
• Punishment: copy the entire Compendium of Campus Conduct by hand.
• Several party members tackle the copying head-on while Glue and Harry stage a distraction:
  • Glue and Harry create a cloud of fog to divert V339’s attention and slip out of the detention room.

Glue’s Distraction (and Excess)

• Glue heads to the Bow's End Tavern and drinks himself into oblivion.
• Rumours begin to spread on campus that several students are still missing out in the woods.

Harry’s Rescue Plan

• Distrusting that staff are doing enough, Harry resolves to rescue the still-missing students himself.
• He recruits Glue, Lyra, and Atudark for help.
  • Lyra refuses to go — she chooses to remain on campus, insisting it isn’t her problem.
  • Atudark and Glue agree to follow Harry.
• Short on numbers, Harry asks members of The Hellhound Gang if they’ll help “make bonfires in the forest.”
  • Jimmy Pyre declines — putting Chasey Lain first.
  • Denis “Bluntfang” Dragontongue, Infernal “Jarex” Houndfist, and Lupus Thunderpelt agree and set off with the party.

Preparing for the Cold

• The rescue party collects rations and cold-weather supplies from campus before heading into the woods toward the wintergeist’s last known direction.
• The blizzard bites deeper as they march; wind and snow make travel slow and dangerous.

Lyra’s Research and Late Departure

• Meanwhile, Lyra spends hours in the library researching sigils and the magic of candour, desperate for a solution to whatever is afflicting her.
• She notices an advertisement in a local guide for a wizard offering magical services at a “fair” price, which troubles her.
• Growing concerned for her friends, Lyra eventually rushes out several hours later, hoping to fly above the treeline and catch up.

The Wintergeist Appears

• As the party presses on, the temperature plummets; wind spirals around them.
• The wintergeist forms in front of them — the Star of Remembrance glowing embedded deep within its icy form.
• Combat erupts:
  • Atudark lunges repeatedly to retrieve the Star, only to be flung away by spiralling winds and shards of ice.
  • Harry adopts a strange tactic: thinking warm, comforting thoughts — which draws the creature’s attention and buys time.
  • Glue reaches the fallen Atudark and stabilises him with medicinals from his pouch (herbs he’d been saving), briefly reviving him.
  • Atudark is struck again by ice, sneezes a shower of glitter, then collapses unconscious in the snow.
• Injured and struggling, the Hellhound Gang members judge the fight too dangerous and attempt to retreat.
  • Harry persuades them back into the fight; they land several blows.
• The wintergeist suddenly dissipates as quickly as it formed, scattering weapons it had been carrying but leaving no trace of the Star.
• Harry deduces the Star must have been intertwined with the creature — bound into it by some form of magic.

Aftermath & Lyra’s Arrival

• Lyra sees a burst of icy light above the treetops and flies toward it — finding the party battered and injured.
• She tends wounds and heals as best she can, then sends The Hellhound Gang back to the Academy.
  • She warns them that Harry was hunting a dangerous creature and that they had been misled into helping him.
• In private, Harry presses Lyra about the odd behaviour she’s shown recently.
  • Lyra brushes him off, but when she lies the sigil on her arm sears with pain — a painful tell that flares whenever she lies.
  • Concerned, Harry probes further; Lyra deflects and ultimately convinces him to drop it (for now).

The Oak House & Vormor

• Exhausted, injured, and chilled to the bone, the group spots a massive oak studded with little windows.
• Lyra circles and peeks into the panes — she sees a half-giant contentedly sipping a hot drink and reading a book.
• She knocks; a large, friendly man answers and invites the students in, worried they’ll freeze to death.
• He introduces himself as Vormor, guardian of the forest.
  • Vormor feeds the party roast beef and pie, warms them, and tends to their injuries and spirits.
  • He offers to take them to the wintergeist’s lair in the morning, attempting to reassure and placate the worried students.
• The party sleeps in the house for the night. Glue ends up sleeping with Vormor.

Ongoing Threads

• The Missing Star of Remembrance – The Star was bound to the wintergeist. Where did it go when the creature dissipated? Is it hidden, stolen, or transformed?
• The Wintergeist’s Origin – Why did the elemental form with the Star inside it? Who or what bound them together?
• Lyra’s Sigil – The sigil that causes pain when Lyra lies: what is its origin, and what secret is it connected to?
• Harry’s Recklessness – Harry’s refusal to trust staff and lone-wolf rescue attempts have drawn in dangerous allies and risks — how will this affect campus politics?
• The Hellhound Gang’s Involvement – The Gang aided briefly and returned to campus; they were lied to. Will they spread the true/false story, or become new enemies/allies?
• Vormor, Guardian of the Forest – A potential ally with knowledge and shelter. Can the party trust him to lead them safely to the wintergeist’s lair?