![[Publish/Assets/Session Headers/2026-07-22 — Blood and Oozes in the War-Slough.png]] # 2026-07-22 — Blood and Oozes in the War-Slough > [!quote] Session Hook > The party's first steps inside the War-Slough proper are met by a demon swarm, a nest of oozes, and two burrowing corpse worms — and the ground itself seems to be waiting to see if they're worth noticing. --- ## Overview Having slipped past the sentry tower undetected the week before, the party pushed into the War-Slough itself — a battlefield soaked in millennia of demon and devil blood, cursed since the war that first sent Zariel spiraling toward her fall. Almost immediately, a clearing full of corpses came alive: a flying demon swarm, a cluster of gray and putrid oozes, and two corpse worms that erupted from beneath the killing field. The fight ran long but was never close — the party ground through wave after wave with fire, radiant magic, and steel, and finished it without a single member dropping. With the clearing cleansed, [[The Party|Tahara Rahma]]'s Infernal Map stirred fully awake for the first time, confirming what the party suspected: the map had either been suppressed by the demonic corruption soaking the Slough, or it fed on the deaths of the damned. Either way, it was finally ready to guide them. The party weighed Rex's three marked locations — the Ruined Tower (W2), the Demon Nest (W3, believed to hold Oruo's phylactery), and the Canyon Trove (W4) — and, mindful of warnings not to linger too long in the Slough, chose to hit the Canyon Trove first before doubling back through the Demon Nest on their way out. An hour's travel later, guided by the newly active map, they reached the approach to W4 as the session closed. --- ## Key Events ### 1. Into the Slough The party crossed fully into the War-Slough — ground soaked with so much chaotic energy, demon blood, and gore that the entire region is cursed. This was the site of the war between demons and devils where Zariel first began to fall; thousands of years of battle left the land littered with lost magic items and relics tempting enough that devils still risk death to search it, even though Zariel forbade them from entering on pain of death. The sentry towers ringing the Slough exist because the area was once a breach point from the Abyss — never fully sealed, and still watched for renewed demonic incursions. As [[The Party|Tahara Rahma]] led the way, her map stirred but wouldn't activate — it seemed to need something more before it would work. ### 2. The Swarm In a corpse-strewn clearing, a mass of small flying demons rose off a body and swirled as if sizing the party up before surging at [[The Party|Lilly Pallywally]]. [[The Party|Celeste Valentin]], still wearing the horned devil form from the disguise the week before, eyed the corpses and said only: *"I'd hate to disappoint them."* Lilly tore into the swarm with eldritch blasts, scattering it briefly before it closed back around her and crawled into her armor — she shouted *"For Herfordorf!"* and kept fighting. Tahara's death magic failed to find purchase, but [[The Party|Dr. Herbert Who]] followed with a withering blight that tore through the mass, leaving most of it dead or ruined and Lilly covered in gore. Celeste struck with claw and tail from her devil form, and [[The Party|Unit-NULL]] finished the job in melee, slashing the last of the swarm off Lilly's back before it could bite down. ### 3. Oozes and the Wall of Fire While the swarm died, gray and putrid oozes fed on the surrounding corpses, largely ignoring the fight until [[The Party|Casanova Frankenstein]] dropped his invisibility to summon a flaming sphere among them — drawing every eyestalk in the clearing his way. The party fell back into a running fight: Casanova drove firebolts and the flaming sphere into the nearest oozes, [[The Party|Tahara Rahma]] repositioned with a vampiric stride to land a guiding bolt, and [[The Party|Ara-Ara Avannatto]] burned one down with sacred flame until it collapsed "like a gray thundercloud." Dr. Herbert Who flew ahead and raised a wall of fire between the party and the advancing oozes — one melted outright trying to cross it, others were seared pushing through anyway. Unit-NULL closed the distance to bring melee to bear, and Lilly, dismounted from Celeste, peppered the survivors with a demon-sinew sling and eldritch blasts. ### 4. The Corpse Worms and Jack's Leg Two corpse worms erupted from beneath the battlefield, drawn by the noise, and both went straight for Lilly — now mounted on Celeste and surrounded by freshly summoned spirit guardians. Both worms tried to swallow her and failed; the second was scorched by the guardians as it emerged. Celeste dismounted Lilly and grappled the second worm directly, taking a diseased bite for her trouble before the flaming sphere seared it to ash from the back down. As one of the worms convulsed under radiant damage, it coughed up a severed horned devil leg. The table wasn't sure at first — guesses ran from "Zach" to "Jake" — before Celeste's player placed it: *"That must be Jack."* Jack had been one of Celeste's fellow devils during her own time serving as one, before she left that life behind. What happened to the rest of him, and whether he's truly dead, is still unknown. ### 5. Mopping Up With the worms down, the remaining oozes went quickly — Ara-Ara's guiding bolt marked the last corpse worm for the kill, Unit-NULL punched a claw through one ooze's center, and Celeste stomped another underfoot mid-charge. The last putrid ooze fell to Tahara's tolling bell magic, its jellied form dissolving into a puddle as the bell's force tore through it. With the last of the demonic infestation cleared, Tahara felt the map wake up in her hands. She wasn't sure whether it had been suppressed by the corruption around it or somehow charged by the deaths of the damned — but either way, it was finally ready to guide them. ### 6. Choosing the Route With the map active, the party reviewed Rex's three marked sites: W2, a ruined tower rumored to hold a powerful item; W3, the Demon Nest believed to hold [[The Party|Ara-Ara Avannatto]]'s brother Oruo's phylactery; and W4, the Canyon Trove, tied to the horn a devil back at the gate wanted and rumored to hold plenty more besides. Mindful of warnings against spending too long in the Slough, the party debated hitting all three versus keeping to their real goal. They settled on a plan: Canyon Trove (W4) first, then the Demon Nest (W3) for Oruo's phylactery on the way back out, skipping the Ruined Tower (W2) unless time allowed. Guided by the newly active map, the party traveled roughly an hour and reached the approach to the Canyon Trove as the session ended. Two devils who had been watching from a distance saw what the party did to the swarm, oozes, and worms and chose not to interfere — content to wait for the reinforcements the party had claimed were coming to the sentry tower. --- ## Notable NPCs | NPC | Type | Notes | |-----|------|-------| | Jack | Devil casualty (unseen) | A severed horned devil leg surfaced from a corpse worm's gut; likely Jack, a devil who served alongside Celeste during her own time as a devil. Fate otherwise unknown. | | Two watching devils | Observers | Watched the fight from a distance and chose not to engage after seeing the party clear the swarm, oozes, and worms; still waiting on reinforcements the party claimed were inbound | --- ## Locations - **The War-Slough (interior)** — Cursed battlefield soaked in demon and devil blood; site of the ancient war where Zariel began her fall - **The Sentry Tower clearing** — Corpse-strewn ground near W1 where the swarm, oozes, and corpse worms were cleared - **Approach to the Canyon Trove (W4)** — Reached at session's end after an hour's travel on the newly active map --- ## Decisions & Consequences | Decision | Consequence | |----------|-------------| | Casanova dropped invisibility to summon a flaming sphere against the oozes | Drew every ooze's attention his way, turning a slow feeding scene into a running fight | | Dr. Herbert Who raised a wall of fire between the party and the oozes | Killed one outright and burned others as they pushed through, without exposing the party | | Celeste grappled the second corpse worm instead of disengaging | Held it in place long enough to burn it down, but took a diseased bite doing it | | Party cleared the entire swarm/ooze/worm infestation rather than disengaging early | Cleansing the area let Tahara's Infernal Map fully activate | | Party chose to hit the Canyon Trove (W4) before the Demon Nest (W3) | Delays the pursuit of Oruo's phylactery but banks the Canyon Trove's loot and the horn Rex wants first; plan is to hit W3 on the way out | --- ## Open Threads > [!warning] Unresolved > - [ ] **The Canyon Trove (W4)** — party has arrived at the approach; not yet explored > - [ ] **Oruo's phylactery** — still at the Demon Nest (W3), now planned as the party's exit stop > - [ ] **The Ruined Tower (W2)** — still unexplored, rumored to hold a powerful item; party may skip it for time > - [ ] **Jack's fate** — a severed devil leg surfaced from a corpse worm; likely his, but unconfirmed and his condition otherwise unknown > - [ ] **Celeste's diseased bite** — took a corpse worm bite while grappling it; lasting effects unconfirmed > - [ ] **The two watching devils** — still out there, still waiting on reinforcements that aren't coming > - [ ] **War-Slough exhaustion mechanics** — travel/rest saves against the Slough's corruption go to a roll at the start of next session > - [ ] **Damon Charles** — still missing since being swept down the River Styx > - [ ] **Paladin of Bahamut's undisclosed news** — still never delivered --- ## Combat Summary ``` Encounter: Sentry Tower clearing — flying demon swarm, gray oozes, putrid oozes, 2x corpse worms Status: RESOLVED — full clear, no party member dropped Notable mechanics: - Swarm destroyed inside a single turn order: Lilly: repeated Eldritch Blast, swarm closed and bit through her armor Dr. Herbert Who: Blight vs. the swarm mass, DC 17 Con save failed — heavy losses Celeste (still in horned devil form from prior session): infernal flame + forked weapon + tail attack Unit-NULL: claw multiattack finished the last of the swarm - Casanova: Flaming Sphere summoned mid-fight, ending his own invisibility and drawing ooze aggro - Dr. Herbert Who: Wall of Fire placed between party and advancing oozes — killed one ooze outright, burned several more - Tahara: Vampiric stride reposition -> Guiding Bolt; Toll the Dead as recurring damage; finishing blow on the last putrid ooze - Ara-Ara: Sacred Flame (repeated), Guiding Bolt on a corpse worm - Lilly: Spirit Guardians (via her item "Longinus"), mounted on Celeste; dismounted later to finish oozes with Eldritch Blast and a demon-sinew sling - 2x Corpse Worms erupted from underground, both targeted Lilly directly (mounted on Celeste) and both failed to swallow her - Celeste: grappled the second corpse worm, took a diseased bite, worm burned to ash by the flaming sphere while grappled - Unit-NULL: acid weapon found less effective than expected vs. putrid oozes; switched to radiant-empowered strikes - Second corpse worm, on death, disgorged a severed horned devil leg — believed to be Jack's End state: swarm, oozes, and both corpse worms destroyed; area cleansed; Tahara's Infernal Map reactivated fully ``` --- ## Loot & Acquisitions No new loot recovered this session — the fight was purely a clearing action before the map would guide the party onward. > For a full loot breakdown see [[Session Loot]]. --- ## Party This Session | Character | Highlights | |-----------|-----------| | [[The Party\|Tahara Rahma]] | Repositioned with a vampiric stride for a Guiding Bolt, chipped away with Toll the Dead all fight, landed the finishing blow on the last putrid ooze, and felt her Infernal Map fully reactivate | | [[The Party\|Ara-Ara Avannatto]] | Burned down an ooze with Sacred Flame and marked the final corpse worm with Guiding Bolt for the kill | | [[The Party\|Casanova Frankenstein]] | Dropped invisibility to drop a Flaming Sphere among the oozes, then harried survivors with firebolts for the rest of the fight | | [[The Party\|Celeste Valentin]] | Fought the swarm in her borrowed horned devil form, carried Lilly through the field, grappled and burned down the second corpse worm despite a diseased bite | | [[The Party\|Unit-NULL]] | Finished off the swarm in melee, then ground through the oozes in melee once the wall of fire and ranged attacks closed the gap | | [[The Party\|Lilly Pallywally]] | Took the swarm's full attention early, summoned Spirit Guardians while mounted on Celeste, and survived two separate corpse worm attempts to swallow her | | [[The Party\|Dr. Herbert Who]] | Blighted the swarm to near-total collapse and raised a wall of fire that broke the ooze advance | --- ## Table Notes - The recording was captured via the usual channel and covers the full ~2h48m session, ending on a scheduling note for next Wednesday. - Session ended on the approach to the Canyon Trove (W4); War-Slough exhaustion/travel saves are queued for the start of next session. --- *Session recorded on Plaud · File ID: `b87414085352c5f7dcb00ea4ea942b08` · Duration ~2h 48m*