The party entered Circe’s labyrinth divided into three teams—Team Cobra (Sabine, Gestra, David), Team Shadow Murder Death (Ceiran and Scarlette), and Team Old Man (Corlissandro, Chester, Alethea)—with the objective of retrieving four magical obelisks needed to unlock a sealed door and escape. The teams navigated the twisting corridors with varying degrees of stealth, discovering shrine rooms filled with offerings to gods and goddesses. Team Cobra successfully located the blue obelisk, though Sabine paid a steep price: the artifact required a blood sacrifice to retrieve, causing her to suffer one level of exhaustion with reduced movement speed and penalties to all rolls. Meanwhile, Scarlette independently found the orange obelisk and later demonstrated her blood magic abilities by cutting her palm to create a communication totem for tactical coordination with Corlissandro’s group.

The session escalated into a tense chase sequence when multiple noise incidents—falling torches and David’s armor clanging loudly in the central chamber—drew the attention of the ancient Minotaur guardian. The beast, which had been hunting patiently for hundreds of years, began actively pursuing the party through the maze. Corlissandro’s string trail system, meant as a safety measure, was discovered by the Minotaur and led it directly to Team Old Man’s location. In the desperate flight that followed, both of Alethea’s familiar Hermes and Chester’s homunculus Grimsby were destroyed as sacrificial distractions, though Chester’s clever use of Grease spells successfully slowed the charging Minotaur and allowed the teams to escape and regroup. The party discovered the exit room containing a statue with four slots for the obelisks, confirming their objective, but they still need to locate two more magical artifacts while avoiding the relentless guardian stalking the labyrinth’s corridors.

Dates: April 27, 1690
Setting(s):

• The Labyrinth beneath Circe’s domain
  ** NPCs Featured:**
• The Minotaur: Ancient guardian of the labyrinth who hunts the party throughout the maze. Wears a key around its neck. Has been waiting hundreds of years to gore someone.
• Hermes: Alethea’s cat familiar with dark vision, used as a scout. Sacrificed himself to buy the party time when attacked by the Minotaur.
• Grimsby: Chester’s homunculus servant (appearing as a flying chess rook), summoned to distract the Minotaur and destroyed in the process.

Major Story Developments:

• The party secured two of the four obelisks needed to successfully complete Circe’s Labyrinth.

Scene by Scene Breakdown

1. The Initial Setup

The party stood divided into three distinct teams, ready to navigate the treacherous labyrinth beneath Circe’s domain. The Dungeon Mistress established their objective clearly: avoid detection by the hunting Minotaur while retrieving four key pieces needed to open the sealed door. Killing the Minotaur would grant them the key it wore around its neck, but would forfeit Scarlette’s crew—something none of them wanted.

Team Cobra consisted of Sabine, Gestra, and David. Team Shadow Murder Death paired Ceiran with Scarlette. Team Old Man included Corlissandro, Chester, and Alethea. Each group prepared to move through the maze independently, maintaining stealth as their primary defense.

2. Team Cobra’s First Movement

Team Cobra initiated their exploration with remarkable stealth. Sabine rolled an impressive 26 on her stealth check, immediately setting a high standard. Gestra followed with 21, while David managed 19. Chester demonstrated extraordinary skill with a 36 stealth roll, prompting the Dungeon Mistress to comment that “she is very ghost”—Sabine had essentially vanished from detection.

The team moved cautiously through the winding passages, debating whether to check dead ends for key pieces. Sabine suggested they peek around corners to assess their options. She rolled another exceptional 38 on stealth, maintaining her ghostlike presence. The group discovered one path led to a dead end, forcing them to regroup at a junction to reestablish their marching order.

3. Team Shadow Murder Death’s Exploration

Ceiran led this team, accompanied by Scarlette, who rolled 19 on stealth while Ceiran matched her with his own 19. Moving with their 30-foot walking speed, they encountered two altars laden with offerings—gold, bones, jewels, and stones of various kinds. Ceiran questioned aloud who would come down to place such offerings, suggesting they could take some since no one would miss them.

Scarlette, the actual certified pirate, immediately warned against this idea. The party recognized these as goddess offerings, understanding the danger of disturbing them. Ceiran reluctantly agreed to leave them untouched, though he noted they might need to go deeper if no other exit presented itself.

4. Team Old Man’s Strategic Approach

Corlissandro proposed a tactical retcon: before venturing forward, he would have given one end of his thread to Alethea with specific instructions. Three pulls meant “come to me,” while a slack rope meant “get the hell out of here.” This safety measure established, Corliss moved forward alone to scout, rolling 17 on stealth as he advanced 30 feet into the darkness.

The Dungeon Mistress confirmed that Chester would also be part of this rope system, receiving the same orders: don’t move unless signaled, or the rope goes slack. This precaution proved wise—Corliss investigated what turned out to be a dead end, not wanting all three trapped in a corner if the Minotaur arrived.

5. The Minotaur’s First Movement

The Minotaur began its hunt, moving through the labyrinth with purpose. The Dungeon Mistress emphasized the creature’s patience and eagerness—it had been hundreds of years since it last had the opportunity to gore someone. This ancient guardian remained vigilant, searching for the intruders in its domain.

6. Team Cobra Discovers the First Key

Advancing further, Team Cobra encountered another dead end requiring them to turn back. Sabine rolled 30 on stealth, maintaining exceptional silence. The team continued exploring, with rolls of 25 and 18 from other members. David, despite competent rolls, consistently appeared louder compared to his exceptionally stealthy companions.

Breaking through into a new chamber, Sabine spotted something significant: an ornate marble tabletop with fine carved details and gold filigree embedded throughout. Atop this pedestal sat a blue obelisk wrapped in gold, approximately hand-sized, faintly humming and throbbing with power. This matched the description of one of the four key pieces needed to open the door.

Sabine requested to check for traps, rolling 19 on investigation. She detected no wards or glyphs—her experience with Paris’s magical protections and the ship’s wards made her confident in this assessment. However, she noticed something disturbing: a skeleton in the corner bore burn marks on its ribcage, with ribs blasted away by what appeared to be scorch or necrotic damage.

7. The Blood Price

Sabine investigated the obelisk more closely, rolling a natural 20. This exceptional roll revealed crucial information: the obelisk wasn’t meant to be removed normally—the gold held it like a pedestal. As she examined it within inches, electricity sparked toward her like static, intensely hot. This explained the dead adventurer in the corner.

Her investigation revealed a slit on the cup’s base with a track wrapping around it, ending in a thorn. The design’s purpose became clear: it required blood. Despite the danger, Sabine made her decision. Looking at Gestra and David, she said, “If I die, find Scarlette, run. Don’t tell her I touched the thing. She’ll be really pissed.”

Touching the thorn, Sabine felt the sharp prick as blood welled from her finger. The cup created a suction, pulling blood from her faster than natural bleeding should allow. A wave of exhaustion crashed over her—heavy, tired, weighted down by everything. She gained one level of exhaustion, suffering a -2 penalty to all rolls and 5 feet reduced movement speed (now 25 feet).

The static calmed. The gold setting popped open, allowing the blue obelisk to be removed. Team Cobra now possessed one of the four key pieces, though Sabine paid a significant price for it.

8. Team Old Man Encounters Team Shadow Murder Death

As Corliss continued scouting, Alethea decided to summon her familiar, Hermes, a cat familiar with dark vision who could help search ahead. She moved 14 feet to tie the thread to a torch, creating a fixed reference point for their exploration.

Ceiran, still with Scarlette, spotted Alethea tying off the thread. He resisted the urge to pull a prank—this was serious business. He called out to her, rolling only 15 on stealth. Scarlette, right beside him, silently communicated her displeasure at his volume. The groups had inadvertently converged.

Corliss returned from his scouting mission, moving methodically and wrapping up the thread as he walked. Chester stumbled during movement, rolling only 6 on stealth, tripping over the rope and falling back into Alethea. She caught him, preventing a full fall, but Corliss felt the thread jiggling behind him. Despite the mishap, they recovered with a thumbs-up signal.

9. Scarlette’s Departure

Scarlette assessed the situation: Ceiran was now with Corliss and a group of four. She made her decision—Ceiran would be safer with them than continuing to follow her. Without ceremony, she activated her invisibility and departed, leaving Ceiran with Team Old Man. Corliss remained unaware he’d adopted another duckling into his group.

10. The Ongoing Hunt

Team Cobra pressed forward. Sabine, now exhausted, rolled 25 on stealth (27 before the -2 penalty). Gestra achieved 33, while David managed 17. Despite David’s competent performance, he remained noticeably louder than his companions, whose supernatural stealth made every creak of his leather armor seem like thunder.

Team Old Man continued their cautious advance. Corliss rolled 23 on stealth, Chester unfortunately rolled another 5, Alethea managed 15, and Ceiran rolled 21. Chester’s unsteady movements betrayed his mounting fear—this wasn’t combat with visible enemies and clear tactics. This was an unknown predator hunting them in endless dark passages.

11. Hermes Spots Movement

Alethea used her familiar as a forward scout, sending Hermes ahead with his superior mobility. The spectral cat advanced while Corliss followed at a safe distance, treating Hermes as a “canary in the coal mine.” As they approached a corner, Hermes rolled 20 on perception and telepathically warned Alethea: “Something moved by the torch ahead.”

Corliss moved cautiously, rolling a natural 1 on stealth but immediately using a luck point to reroll, achieving 24. He bumped a torch but miraculously caught it in his arms, carefully replacing it without making a sound—though Alethea’s telepathic voice in his head during the moment proved disconcerting.

The team rolled stealth checks: dirty 20 for Corliss, 5 for Chester (again), 18 for Alethea, and 15 for Ceiran. Chester continued struggling with the oppressive fear of the unknown threat stalking them through the maze.

12. The Torch Incidents

As both teams advanced, disaster struck simultaneously. Chester, seeing Corliss gesture to stop, reacted so abruptly in his stressed state that he hit a torch, knocking it off the wall with a loud clatter. The Dungeon Mistress noted this drew the Minotaur’s attention.

Shortly after, Team Cobra experienced a similar mishap. David attempted to catch a falling torch, fumbling with it and creating an even louder “grating crash bang boom” as the sconce fell and the torch clattered down. Now the Minotaur had heard disturbances from two different locations.

Team Cobra’s stealth checks: Sabine 25 (before penalty), Gestra 33, David 17. Team Old Man’s checks: Corliss 13, Chester 6, Alethea nat 20 (giving her total of 23), Ceiran 21.

13. Finding Scarlette

Hermes continued scouting and spotted a brief flare of light ahead. He communicated to Alethea: “Something brightened down the hall now. Like a flare of light. It happened for a second and disappeared again.” Alethea relayed this information telepathically to Corliss, who was growing increasingly uncomfortable with her voice in his mind.

Advancing cautiously, Hermes discovered the source: Scarlette. The familiar reported back, “I found the redhead.” This was fortunate—in the dark labyrinth, Scarlette might have attacked the unfamiliar creature on sight if she hadn’t already met Hermes aboard the ship.

14. The Reunion and Orange Obelisk

Corliss advanced with 19 stealth, while Chester managed to improve to 19 as well. Alethea rolled 14 and Ceiran 16. Scarlette revealed herself, stepping out and showing Corliss an orange obelisk—she had found the second key piece. “Found one,” she said, flipping it in her fingers before returning it to her bag. Corliss held up his fingers: “Zero.”

They reached a fork in the path. Scarlette gestured to Corliss: left or right? When he hesitated, asking which way she’d come from, she simply stated “the right” and made a command decision to go left.

15. The Blood Communication Totem

Before parting ways, Scarlette performed an unexpected ritual. She grabbed a small dagger from her belt and cut deeply along her palm, well

ing up significant blood. Smearing her hands together, she cast a spell using her own blood to create a small totem idol. Warm and with semi-solid permanence, this blood magic item would allow communication between them.

The wound remained unhealed as she tied it up—a cost she was willing to pay for tactical coordination. She handed the totem to Corliss with a simple explanation: “So we can talk later. Should have made it beforehand, didn’t think about it.” Then she delivered surprising news: “By the way, you have Ceiran now.” With that, she departed to the left path.

16. Continued Exploration

Team Cobra pressed deeper into the labyrinth. Sabine rolled 26 stealth, while David improved to 19 and Gestra maintained excellence. The team continued searching for additional key pieces, navigating the endless corners and passages while the Minotaur moved through its hunting patterns.

Team Old Man, now including their unexpected member Ceiran, continued following Corliss’s lead. Chester’s performance improved slightly, though he remained the group’s weak link in stealth. Alethea kept Hermes scouting ahead, providing advance warning of potential threats.

17. Entering the Central Chamber

The party, divided into three teams, navigated the labyrinth’s twisting corridors. Team Cobra—consisting of Sabine, Gestra, and David—reached a large, open chamber that mirrored the room where they had first entered the maze. Four pillars marked the cardinal directions of the crossroads, creating a nexus point in the otherwise claustrophobic passages.

The Dungeon Mistress noted that Sabine was moving sluggishly, her steps heavier than before. Both Gestra and David noticed that extracting the obelisk had taken a visible toll on her—a foot drag here, decreased speed there, the weight of exhaustion settling into her movements.

David made a perception check, rolling a natural 1, followed immediately by another natural 1 on his stealth roll. As he investigated the pillars, distracted and disoriented, he bumped into Gestra. The collision threw off David’s center of gravity, and he fell with a tremendous clanging sound as his armor struck stone. The echo reverberated through the open chamber.

18. Scarlette’s Arrival and the Sound of Hooves

Team Scarlet—which was just Scarlette herself—appeared and reunited with Team Cobra. She held up her orange obelisk, announcing that made two—halfway to their goal. She asked which direction they planned to go: the door leading north, the door to the west, or backtracking east to explore another northern passage.

Sabine looked to Gestra and David, declaring they should go straight north. David agreed, reasoning that fewer turns meant less chance of getting lost. Through the use of a d4, Scarlette decided she would backtrack and explore the alternative northern route.

Then came the moment that changed everything. Scarlette, who had rolled a natural 20 on perception (total of 26), slowly turned back as the metallic clang of David’s fall still echoed. Her expression conveyed disbelief—how had he not died already? Then, cutting through the silence, came the sound: the hard clanging of hooves on stone, getting closer.

Gestra, with his 23 perception, asked if he could determine direction. The Dungeon Mistress explained that the perception was high enough to hear the Minotaur at all, but the room’s acoustics—fed by hallways from every direction—made pinpointing the source nearly impossible. With some certainty, they could only eliminate the south (where they’d come from) and the route Scarlette had used. The Minotaur was approaching from either north or west.

19. The Escape North

Sabine asked if she could take a double move and dash. Gestra confirmed she could move three times using her action to dash and bonus action to dash again. But Scarlette stopped them, demanding to know if Sabine actually knew where the hoofbeats were coming from.

“That way,” Sabine insisted, though her certainty was questionable. Scarlette thumped her on the side of the head as she walked past, muttering that she wasn’t leaving Sabine if she planned on being this stupid. She ordered them to go, promising to bring up the rear. Gestra helped David up from the floor.

Team Cobra began their escape. Despite Sabine’s 37 stealth roll and Gestra’s 23, Team Cobra managed to slip around the corner before the Minotaur entered the chamber. They heard the hoofbeats continuing and felt the vibration of his massive weight through the walls—the beast was on the western passage, exactly as Sabine had guessed.

The team reached another junction. Sabine wanted to rely on “vibes” again, but Scarlette was having none of it. They heard the hoofbeats moving past them on the opposite side of the western wall. Scarlette insisted they pick directions based on reason, not vibes, though she was exhausted, hungry, and increasingly angry.

20. Team Old Man’s Progress

Meanwhile, Team Old Man—Corlissandro (Corlys), Alethea, Chester, and now Ceiran—moved methodically through their section of the maze. Corlys had Hermes, his familiar, scouting ahead as a “canary.” They discussed marking their path, with Corlys having laid out string like a trail of breadcrumbs, while Alethea held the other end.

The team made stealth checks: Corlys rolled 23, Ceiran rolled 19, and Alethea rolled 18. Chester rolled 14. They moved forward cautiously, discovering rooms containing shrines with odd bits of metal, tinkerer’s tools, and blacksmith’s tools—but no obelisks.

Corlys had Hermes enter a northern door to scout a room. It contained another shrine but still no magical obelisk. The team was maintaining excellent stealth discipline, with Corlys carefully directing their movements.

21. The Teams Converge

As Team Cobra continued north, they suddenly encountered Team Old Man. Sabine whispered “shh” as she passed by, with Gestra gesturing to indicate the Minotaur’s direction. The two teams had inadvertently found each other in the maze.

Alethea’s stealth was 16, while Team Cobra maintained their excellent rolls: Sabine with 28 (including Scarlette’s natural 20), Gestra with 22, and David with 15. The teams coordinated silently, with Scarlette positioning herself to guide everyone toward safety.

Gestra, acting like an awkward child caught between arguing parents, tried to maintain composure. Sabine looked very pleased with herself despite the danger, having been proven right about the Minotaur’s location.

22. Ceiran’s Conflict and Chester’s Problem

Within Team Old Man, tensions flared. Chester made a comment about Ceiran coming from a “less civilized society,” describing the Minotaur as “a large leprechaun with horns” to the Irishman. Ceiran took offense at the British man’s insult. Alethea quickly intervened, ordering Chester to move forward and Ceiran to stay back, forbidding them from talking to each other.

The rope suddenly received three sharp tugs—Corlys’s signal that something was wrong. The team’s stealth rolls came in: Ceiran 26, Alethea 21 (natural 20), and Corlys dirty 20. But Chester rolled a 9.

23. The String Is Discovered

The Minotaur, charging through the passages toward the noise Sabine had made, came across Corlys’s string running across the stone floor. The Dungeon Mistress rolled 22 on perception for the Minotaur. Even in his agitated state—perhaps because of it—he noticed this fresh addition to his labyrinth. He diverted course and began following the string.

The string suddenly pulled taut with tremendous force as the Minotaur’s massive body rammed into it. All those connected to the string felt the sharp tug, with Corlys watching as the string began unspooling rapidly in his hands. This gave him an exact indication of where the Minotaur was.

Chester suggested a plan: Ceiran should grab the piece of the string he was near and cut it behind them. Meanwhile, Chester would cast grease on the corner behind Ceiran to slow the Minotaur.

24. The Minotaur Closes In

Corlys, hearing the string pop off with slack, shouted back “What’s wrong?” Ceiran yelled “It’s coming. We got to go!” and cut the cord. Between Corlys yelling and Ceiran’s shout—necessary because Ceiran was furthest away—the Minotaur gained absolute certainty of their location. They had sealed their fate as his prime objective.

Corlys realized with horror how much string was gone. He threw the ball of string down in a corner and shouted back at them to “go left,” then positioned himself to gesture the team in the correct direction. He rolled 21 stealth.

Scarlette, having heard the commotion and Corlys’s voice, whistled loudly down the opposite end of the hallway, calling “Down here!” to give them a sense of direction. She commented that the room they’d found looked like where they needed to place the keys once all four were collected—she could see the statue with four slot holes in front of it.

25. Hermes’s Sacrifice

The teams began their desperate dash. Stealth rolls were made: Alethea 15, Chester 19, Corlys 21, and Ceiran 23. But Scarlette rolled a natural 2 total. She had lingered a second too long ensuring everyone got ahead of her, and the Minotaur caught her scent as she tucked into the hallway.

Hermes, still in the main room where Corlys had left him, became the first target. The Minotaur charged at the familiar. The first attack rolled 16 to hit, dealing 18 points of slashing damage. Hermes was still standing, though damaged. The second attack rolled 25 to hit, dealing 17 more points of slashing damage. Even with damage resistance, Hermes fell.

The impact of the Minotaur’s axe slamming into stone reverberated through the walls. Alethea felt her magical connection to Hermes sever in that moment. The beast was now just on the other side of the wall from the fleeing teams.

26. The Grease Trap

Chester decided to use his action to summon another familiar instead of dashing—his homunculus servant, Grimsby, which appeared as a flying chess rook. After discussion about the homunculus’s statistics (concluding it had 11 hit points: 1 + 5 intelligence modifier + 5 artificer level), Chester sent Grimsby to distract the Minotaur.

Ceiran cast Jump on Chester as a bonus action, telling him to “get your civilized rear in gear and go.” This spell allowed Chester to spend 10 feet of movement to jump 30 feet. Chester’s stealth was dirty 20, and he moved as far as he could.

Chester then cast Grease on the corner where the Minotaur would turn. The Dungeon Mistress rolled the Minotaur’s Dexterity save at disadvantage: an 11, which failed against Chester’s spell save DC of 17. The Minotaur hit the grease, slipped, and crashed to the ground, prone in the corner.

The spell had worked. The massive creature’s charge was stopped as his hooves lost traction on the magical grease, sending him crashing into the wall. This bought the party precious seconds.

27. Grimsby Falls

The prone Minotaur spotted Grimsby, the homunculus. Despite being on the ground, he attacked. Rolling a dirty 20 to hit, the Minotaur dealt 15 points of damage. Grimsby, with only 11 hit points, was destroyed instantly. The homunculus had served its purpose, buying the team another few moments.

28. The Final Room Discovery

Team Cobra pressed forward, with Sabine marking X’s on the walls at every turn so the other team could follow. Stealth checks continued: Sabine 34, Gestra 26, and David 22. They discovered the exit room with the statue and four slots for the obelisks, confirming Scarlette’s assessment.

Sabine ran past the room, recognizing there was no point in entering until they had all four keys. The team only had two obelisks total—Sabine’s and Scarlette’s. They needed two more to complete their objective and escape the labyrinth.

29. The Desperate Dash

The combined teams fled through the narrow corridors in single file. Alethea led, using her telepathy to communicate “down and then left” to Chester behind her. Chester cast Grease again on the space behind them after everyone passed, then used his remaining movement to catch up to Alethea.

Stealth rolls were made: Alethea 15, Chester 19, Corlys 21, and Ceiran 23. Scarlette’s natural 2 meant the Minotaur could track them, but the Dungeon Mistress rolled a 10 total perception for the beast when he reached a fork with two parallel hallways. Unable to determine which passage the party had taken, the Minotaur charged down the wrong hallway, buying the adventurers crucial time.

30. Regrouping and Assessment

With the immediate danger temporarily averted, the teams found themselves together in the maze. They had successfully evaded the Minotaur through a combination of clever tactics (the grease spells, familiar sacrifices, and string trap), lucky breaks (the Minotaur’s failed perception at the fork), and some genuinely impressive stealth work.

The party now faced their continued objective: finding the remaining two obelisks while avoiding further encounters with the Minotaur. Scarlette and Sabine each carried one key. Corlys, Alethea, Chester, and Ceiran had found several shrine rooms but no additional obelisks yet.

Quests, Plot Threads, and Progression

Completed

• None - the session focused on navigating the labyrinth challenge without completing any major objectives

Ongoing

• The Labyrinth Challenge: The party continues to navigate Circe’s labyrinth to retrieve four magical obelisks. Progress: 2 of 4 obelisks secured (blue obelisk retrieved by Sabine at the cost of one level of exhaustion; orange obelisk found by Scarlette). The party has located the exit room with the statue containing four slots for the obelisks. Still need to find two more obelisks while evading the Minotaur.

• Rescue Scarlette’s Crew: Scarlette’s crew remains held as stakes in Circe’s challenge. The party must complete the labyrinth challenge without killing the Minotaur to secure their release. The Minotaur wears a key around its neck that could provide an alternate escape route, but killing it would forfeit the crew.

• Evading the Minotaur: The ancient guardian has been alerted to the party’s presence and is actively hunting them through the maze. The party successfully evaded the beast through tactical use of Grease spells and familiar/homunculus sacrifices, but the threat remains as they continue searching for the remaining obelisks.

New Stuff

• Blood Magic Mechanics Revealed: The obelisks require blood sacrifices to retrieve, with tangible costs (Sabine’s exhaustion) suggesting a dangerous pattern for the remaining two artifacts.

• Scarlette’s Blood Magic Abilities: Scarlette demonstrated the ability to create magical totems using her own blood, cutting her palm to forge a communication device for tactical coordination. This reveals a previously unknown aspect of her magical capabilities.

• Team Dynamics Under Pressure: Tensions emerged between Chester and Ceiran over cultural insults, with Chester’s comment about Ceiran coming from a ‘less civilized society’ creating friction that Alethea had to manage.

Logistics

Inventory Changes

• Blue Obelisk (gained by Sabine): Sabine retrieved the first magical obelisk key from a marble pedestal after paying a blood price to release it from its gold setting.

• Orange Obelisk (gained by Scarlette): Scarlette independently discovered and secured the second magical obelisk key needed to unlock the sealed door.

• Blood Communication Totem (created by Scarlette): Scarlette used her own blood to forge a small totem idol that allows communication between party members, which she gave to Corlissandro for tactical coordination.

• String/Thread (lost by Corlissandro): Corlissandro’s ball of string was abandoned in a corner of the maze after the Minotaur discovered and followed the trail, compromising its usefulness as a navigation aid.

Magical Effects

• One Level of Exhaustion (gained by Sabine): Sabine suffered one level of exhaustion after the blue obelisk drained her blood, resulting in a -2 penalty to all rolls and 5 feet reduced movement speed (now 25 feet).

• Hermes Destroyed (lost by Alethea): Alethea’s skeletal cat familiar was killed by the Minotaur’s axe attacks, severing her magical connection to the creature and requiring resummoning.

• Grimsby Destroyed (lost by Chester): Chester’s homunculus servant (flying chess rook) was destroyed by the Minotaur while serving as a distraction, requiring the creation of a new homunculus.

• Jump Spell (cast by Ceiran on Chester): Ceiran cast Jump on Chester as a bonus action, allowing Chester to spend 10 feet of movement to jump 30 feet during their escape from the Minotaur.

• Grease Spell (cast by Chester - multiple times): Chester successfully cast Grease multiple times on corners behind the fleeing party, causing the Minotaur to slip and fall prone, buying critical escape time.

• Scarlette’s Invisibility (activated): Scarlette used her invisibility ability to depart from Ceiran and navigate the maze independently after determining he would be safer with Corlissandro’s group.

• Blood Magic Wound (sustained by Scarlette): Scarlette cut her palm deeply to create the blood communication totem and deliberately left the wound unhealed as part of the magic’s cost.

Experiences

Sabine (Amanda)

• Led Team Cobra through the labyrinth with exceptional stealth (multiple rolls in the 30s range)
• Retrieved the blue obelisk by paying a blood sacrifice, suffering one level of exhaustion (-2 to all rolls, reduced movement to 25 feet)
• Correctly predicted the Minotaur’s location “by vibes,” which frustrated Scarlette but proved accurate
• Got repeatedly scolded by Scarlette for relying on “vibes” instead of tactical reasoning
• Knocked a torch off the wall with a loud crash, drawing the Minotaur’s attention
• Marked X’s on walls at every turn to help the other team follow their path
• Eventually locked in and got serious about completing the mission after Scarlette’s frustration peaked

Gestra (Philipp)

• Accompanied Team Cobra and maintained excellent stealth throughout (consistently rolling in the 20s-30s)
• Acted as the voice of reason during navigation decisions
• Used survival checks to help determine which directions the team had already explored
• Acted awkwardly like a child caught between arguing parents (Sabine and Scarlette)
• Helped David up after his armor-clanging fall in the central chamber

David (Bert)

• Consistently rolled lower on stealth than his teammates, making him the “loud” member of Team Cobra despite competent rolls
• Rolled two natural 1s in a row (perception and stealth) in the central chamber
• Fell with a tremendous clanging sound when he bumped into Gestra while distracted, alerting the Minotaur
• Got helped up by Gestra and physically pushed/shoved by Scarlette during the escape

Scarlette (NPC)

• Found the orange obelisk independently while invisible
• Created a blood magic communication totem by cutting her palm deeply and leaving the wound unhealed
• Initially traveled with Ceiran, then dumped him with Corlissandro’s group when she realized he’d be safer there
• Became increasingly frustrated with Sabine’s “vibes-based” navigation and reliance on intuition
• Thumped Sabine on the side of the head when she insisted on following vibes
• Used her exceptional stealth (natural 20s, rolls in the 30s) to guide and protect the party
• Activated her Form of Dread while waiting to ensure Team Old Man followed the right path
• Whistled loudly to give Corlissandro’s group directional guidance during the Minotaur chase

Corlissandro/Corlis (Jeremy)

• Established a string trail system with signals: three pulls = “come to me,” slack rope = “get the hell out”
• Used Hermes (Alethea’s familiar) as a “canary in the coal mine” to scout ahead
• Unknowingly adopted Ceiran into his group when Scarlette left him behind
• Led Team Old Man with careful tactical planning and excellent stealth
• Rolled a natural 1 on stealth but used a luck point to reroll a 24, catching a torch mid-fall without making noise
• Threw down the ball of string in a corner as a distraction when the Minotaur discovered the trail
• Directed team members calmly and quietly with hand gestures during the escape
• Remained blissfully unaware that his group kept expanding and changing composition

Chester (Evan)

• Struggled with stealth throughout the session, consistently rolling poorly (multiple 5s, 6s, and 9s)
• Knocked torches off walls multiple times due to stress and fear
• Experienced mounting fear from the unknown threat hunting them (not visible combat like he was used to)
• Tripped over the rope and fell back into Alethea, creating noise
• Successfully cast Grease spells multiple times to slow the Minotaur, causing it to fall prone
• Summoned his homunculus servant Grimsby (a flying chess rook) to distract the Minotaur
• Grimsby was destroyed by the Minotaur (15 points of damage, only had 11 HP)
• Made a culturally insensitive comment to Ceiran about coming from a “less civilized society”

Alethea (Nikki)

• Summoned Hermes, her flying cat familiar, to scout with dark vision
• Tied the string to a torch to create a fixed reference point
• Used telepathy for the first time to communicate with Corlissandro, warning him about movement ahead
• Felt her magical connection to Hermes sever when the Minotaur destroyed him
• Had to mediate conflict between Chester and Ceiran over cultural insults
• Swore in three different languages (including German - “Verdammt”) when she stumbled
• Maintained decent stealth throughout despite focusing on helping Chester

Ceiran (Player)

• Started with Team Shadow Murder Death alongside Scarlette
• Suggested taking offerings from the goddess altars, but Scarlette (the actual pirate) shut that down
• Got dumped by Scarlette and unknowingly joined Team Old Man
• Yelled/stage-whispered too loudly multiple times, compromising stealth
• Cast Jump on Chester to help him move faster during the escape
• Cut Corlissandro’s string when the Minotaur found it, but the necessary yelling sealed their fate
• Got offended when Chester called him from a “less civilized society”

Character Moments

Funny Moments

• Sabine’s “Vibes” Navigation: Sabine repeatedly insisted on choosing directions based on “vibes,” declaring “the vibes are bad” for certain hallways. This drove Scarlette to absolute frustration, culminating in Scarlette thumping her on the head and declaring “We’re not picking hallways in the deadly labyrinth based off of vibes!”

• David’s Double Natural 1s: David rolled two natural 1s in a row (perception and stealth), resulting in him falling with a massive clanging sound that echoed through the central chamber, prompting Scarlette to look at him with a “how have you not died already?” expression.

• Team Names: The party came up with increasingly ridiculous team names - Team Cobra, Team Shadow Murder Death (which became just Team Scarlette), and Team Old Man (which almost became “Average Bros”).

• Corlissandro’s Obliviousness: Corlissandro remained completely unaware that he kept “adopting ducklings” as his team composition constantly changed, thinking everything was going great while chaos erupted behind him.

• Chester and Ceiran Cultural Clash: Chester described the Minotaur to Ceiran as “a large leprechaun with horns” and called him from a “less civilized society,” prompting Ceiran to take offense and Alethea to immediately separate them. Fortunately, Corlissandro unknowingly intervened in the clash before it could escalate.

Emotional/Tense Moments

• Sabine’s Blood Sacrifice: Sabine touched the blood thorn on the blue obelisk despite knowing it could kill her, saying “If I die, find Scarlette, run. Don’t tell her I touched the thing. She’ll be really pissed.” The obelisk drained her blood and gave her a level of exhaustion.

• Scarlette’s Blood Magic: Scarlette cut her palm deeply to create a communication totem, deliberately leaving the wound unhealed as part of the magic’s cost, showing her commitment to keeping the party safe.

• Hermes’s Death: Alethea felt her magical connection to Hermes sever when the Minotaur destroyed him with two brutal axe blows, the impact vibrating through the walls.

• Chester’s Fear: Chester’s consistent poor stealth rolls were explained as mounting fear - he was used to visible enemies and clear tactics, but this unknown predator hunting them was psychologically overwhelming.

• The String Discovery: The moment when Corlissandro felt the sharp tug on the string as the Minotaur discovered and followed it, realizing the beast was coming after them.

• The Final Chase: The desperate dash after Sabine’s loud crash, with Scarlette shoving David forward and yelling “now we run,” while the sound of charging hooves echoed through the halls.

Noteworthy Character Moments

• Gestra as the Awkward Child: Gestra perfectly captured the feeling of being “like a child caught between arguing parents” as Sabine and Scarlette bickered about navigation.

• Scarlette’s Tactical Mind: Despite her frustration, Scarlette consistently put the party’s safety first, dumping Ceiran with a safer group and positioning herself to protect everyone.

• David’s Self-Awareness: David acknowledged with good humor that he was consistently the loudest member of the group despite rolling competently, overshadowed by his teammates’ exceptional stealth.

• Alethea’s First Telepathy: Alethea used her telepathic abilities for the first time to warn Corlissandro about danger, which he found “disconcerting.”

• Corlissandro’s Luck Point Save: Corlissandro rolled a natural 1 on stealth but used a luck point to reroll a 24, managing to catch a falling torch mid-air without making a sound.

• Chester’s Grease Saves: Despite his poor stealth, Chester’s tactical use of Grease spells saved the party multiple times, causing the Minotaur to slip and fall prone.