Out of the Abyss Session 1: Tethers of Madness

The session begins with a physical confrontation on the shores of the Dark Lake as Valentia and Thavos engage in an unarmored wrestling match to settle a bet. Valentia secures a victory with a powerful suplex, leading to a moment of camaraderie where she heals Thavos's injuries. Following the duel, the party focuses on long-term strategy, with Driddle acting as an 'arcane telephone' to update their allies on the demonic threat. Taryn, however, experiences a disturbing sleep paralysis dream involving a savage humanoid creature, signaling a growing mental instability that persists throughout their travel. During the night at a tavern, Brand discovers a demonic spy—a Quasit—tampering with his Bag of Holding. Using Faerie Fire and Earth Bind, he captures the creature and magically binds it to his service for ten days, naming it 'Booger.' Meanwhile, Thavos attempts to purge a demonic mark from Valentia's skin. The process is violent and painful, resulting in an acidic explosion and a permanent hand-shaped scar, but it successfully severs Graz'zt's direct 8th-level curse from her soul. As the party travels toward the Dark Lake, Thavos uses his divine abilities to detect 'tethers' of madness connecting his companions to various Demon Lords. He discovers that Taryn is heavily influenced by Graz'zt, while Driddle and Drogan show navy-colored connections to Baphomet. Thavos chooses to share this grim diagnosis only with Driddle, keeping his own connection to Orcus a secret. During a period of intense research into Gromph’s notebooks, they learn that the madness is a deliberate construction by the Demon Lords and that the only permanent cure is the death of the lords themselves. Upon reaching the Dark Lake, the party encounters a Duergar ship anchored half a mile out. After a tense approach using Water Walk and Pass Without Trace, they negotiate with a group of Duergar refugees and mercenaries. Despite initial racial tensions and an exorbitant 20,000 gold asking price, the party negotiates a 10,000 gold deposit in exchange for passage to Gracklstugh, under the condition that they clear the city of its demonic infestation. The session concludes with the discovery of 'Glop,' a wounded Intellect Devourer kept in a crate, which Driddle telepathically interrogates to reveal visions of a Mind Flayer settlement.