Session 5: Black Hollow Market Tunnels and the Hollow Guardians

Session 5 is the fifth recorded session of the campaign and the party’s first foray into the underground Warrens beneath the Black Hollow Market in Umbrafall. Pursuing the lieutenants of Maelis Dirn, the party stumbles through fungus-choked tunnels, blunders a pre-emptive Sorcerous Burst into a chamber full of bio-gloom spores, fights a regenerating fungal-zombie giant, lies their way past two Hollow Guardians (badly), and limps as far as a slime-pit cavern before being ambushed by three more fungus-zombies. The session ends mid-combat with Vasquez bleeding out and the party very low on resources.

Session 5: Black Hollow Market Tunnels and the Hollow Guardians

Metadata

• In-game date: unknown
• Locations visited: Black Hollow Market underground access, fungal warrens, Hollow Guardian chamber, sludge-pit cavern
• Major NPCs present: Maelis Dirn (referenced; not encountered in person), Hollow Guardians (twin)
• Factions involved: The Hollow (Hollow Guardians), Maelis Dirn’s Warrens operation
• Sessions referenced (callbacks): s2 (Cholmondeley’s death recapped via AI quiz), s3 (the egg now glows green), s4 (Black Mask’s pact with Hugo, the Broker’s contract on Maelis)

Executive Summary

The party tracked Maelis Dirn’s enforcers into a hidden tunnel under the Black Hollow Market and found themselves in a fungus-saturated maze. Caelumn, attempting to clear bio-gloom spores with Produce Flame, detonated the spores and very nearly killed himself; the resulting blast also burned away wall-fungus to reveal a runic path into a secret chamber. The party defeated a regenerating fungal-zombie giant, then encountered two Hollow Guardians that demanded “thieves or servants of the Hollow?”; Caelumn’s Deception roll failed and the Guardians attacked. They were defeated, the party short-rested, looted a hidden satchel containing five red vials and a scroll of Wither and Bloom, and moved on into a sludge-pit cavern. There they were ambushed by three more fungal-zombies; the session ended mid-fight with Vasquez down and stabilised on 7 HP.

Narrative

The session opened with the party at the mouth of an underground lair beneath the Black Hollow Market, having tracked the lieutenants of Maelis Dirn (Nick’s preferred spelling: M-A-E-L-I-S D-I-R-N; Terry’s notes spelled it Malus) from the previous session’s broker contract. Faint violet runes glowed on the tunnel walls and spores drifted “like lazy snow” ^[1].

The party advanced cautiously into a bulbous side-cave full of bioluminescent fungi. Harvo cast Detect Magic as a ritual and described the result, in-character, as “about useless” — every surface in Umbrafall was saturated with corrupted animation magic, necrotic energy and nature magic, like trying to spot something flying in front of the sun ^[7]. When a fungus-puff hit Harvo with airborne spores, Caelumn decided the answer was to ignite them. He cast Produce Flame. The fungi exploded.

The detonation dealt 28 fire damage to Caelumn (full damage; failed save), 14 to Terry (used Absorb Elements), and 14 to Harvo (also failed). Caelumn was downed in his own fireball. Terry Cure Wounds’d him back up at 2nd level for 22 healing, on the principle that “we might as well just get him back so we can carry on and forget this ever happened” ^[8]. With the spores cleared, Harvo spotted runes on the now-exposed wall and discovered a hidden entrance into a secret lair ^[9]. Vasquez held up two fingers at Caelumn — silent warning that one more fire-related incident would result in “one very hard hit to your face” ^[10].

The party advanced into a slime-floored chamber, where Vasquez triggered an ambush by a fungal-zombie giant — a huge humanoid wrapped in tendrils and bio-gloom that erupted from beneath the slime. The fight ran fifteen-plus rounds. The creature regenerated each time it was reduced to zero, three pulsing fungal nodes around the cavern flickering in time with its heartbeat. The DM had originally telegraphed that the nodes needed to be destroyed simultaneously, though the party largely brute-forced the encounter. Notable beats:

• Hugo crit twice with handaxes (the second a nat 20), enough to bring it down the first time.
• Vasquez, in a moment of inspired gunblade improvisation, sliced open the creature’s chest, asked the DM if it had cauterised, and then Action Surged to shove an alchemist’s fire flask into the cavity ^[11].
• Caelumn then upcast Witch Bolt at 3rd level and electrocuted the creature, which detonated the alchemist’s fire and set it on fire from the inside; the spores cleared from the local area as a side effect.
• Terry Commanded “Flee” twice. One worked, one failed. He noted (correctly, per 2024 rules) that Command is no longer a charm effect and works on undead.

The creature died. Hugo, “still in my rage and kind of hungry for that”, urged the party onward ^[12]. Harvo stabilised wounds with his Battle Medic healer’s-kit feat and the party pressed deeper.

In the next corridor they were stopped by two glowing humanoid figures — the Hollow Guardians — flanked by dozens of staring eye-sockets in the walls. Speaking in unison, the Guardians asked: “Speak. Who enters? Thieves? Or servants of the hollow?” ^[13]. Terry misheard and listed everyone’s names. After a hurried out-of-character clarification, Caelumn declared “we are servants of the hollow.” The DM called for a Deception check. Caelumn rolled poorly, used his Heroic Inspiration, still failed: “Thieves!” ^[14]. Combat.

The Guardians proved nasty: their melee touch dealt necrotic damage and reduced maximum HP by the same amount on a failed Con save. Terry spent a 2nd-level slot to Command “Flee” on both, succeeded on both saves on the first round, then on the second round one fled — only to circle back through a wall the DM had drawn between Terry and the Guardians. Caelumn twin-cast Chromatic Orb at 3rd level (Innate Sorcery + 1 sorcery point), bouncing for 20 + 24 damage to clear the threat. Hugo finished both with a thrown handaxe and a reckless nat 20.

After the Guardians fell, the party took a short rest in the corpse-strewn corridor (no max-HP recovery; Caelumn was particularly aggrieved). Searching a collapsed side-passage, Vasquez and Hugo (Athletics with Help) cleared rubble to find a hidden satchel: five vials of red liquid (one larger), a spell scroll, and assorted dust. Harvo’s alchemist’s-supplies identification check rolled badly enough to give “could just be dyed water, really” ^[15], but Caelumn identified the scroll as Wither and Bloom with a 15 Arcana check ^[16]. The vials were distributed; the largest went to Vasquez. Hugo mentally compared them to the previous session’s healing potion, decided “I’m going to assume it’s a healing potion” ^[17].

Pushing on, the party entered a humid bowl-shaped cavern with three sludge-pits “that bubbles with acid froth” and a collapsed walkway, knee-deep slime around its base. Terry spotted three corpses half-submerged in violet glowing fungus that began to jerk upright as the party approached — fungal-zombies, mutated humans bonded to bio-gloom and crawling out of the muck. The session ended mid-combat: their auras forced repeated Con saves; Hugo failed a save and was poisoned; Vasquez failed and was paralysed (auto-crit), then bitten in the throat for 28 damage, down on a death save. Hugo chopped through the last zombie one-handed before the round ended. Harvo used his healer’s kit + Battle Medic to bring Vasquez back up at 7 HP (rolled 16 healing on two hit dice).

The party closed the session bickering about whose fault Caelumn’s detonation was, and Caelumn formally apologising for “nearly killing us once” before noting he had to miss next session (Rome).

Dialogue Highlights

1. Caelumn, just before his Produce Flame detonates the entire spore-filled chamber: “Of course you are. I wonder if they’re flammable!”
2. Vasquez, holding up two fingers post-detonation: “I didn’t do anything wrong first time was in the caves second time was just now you have one more before I give you one very hard hit to your face.”
3. Harvo, after Detect Magic returns nothing useful in Umbrafall: “Well, I just… Because basically the tool for detect magic I have in mind is like some over one eye thingy like dragon ball style so basically i just go well this is about useless and just took back away.”
4. Hugo, mid-fight, on whether to keep moving: “Still being in my rage, and kind of hungry for that, I’m going to encourage the parties to keep moving.”
5. The Hollow Guardians, in unison: “Speak. Who enters? Thieves? Or servants of the hollow?”
6. Caelumn, after his Deception fails: “Damn it. Why not persuasion?”
7. Terry, narrating his own utility crisis: “So far I just feel like I kind of sit here and make people run away sometimes. try and make people feel good.”
8. DM (Nick) on the satchel-vials’ colour: “let’s just hope it’s not a off branch of alchemist fire.”

NPCs

1. Hollow Guardians (twin glowing humanoids, Hollow servants): chamber gatekeepers in the Warrens. Speak in unison. Demand “thieves or servants of the hollow?” before attacking. Touch attack deals necrotic damage and reduces target’s HP maximum on a failed Con save. Both killed this session. New this session: yes. Last seen: s05.
2. Maelis Dirn (aliases: Malus, Maelis Dirn): referenced repeatedly as the target of the broker’s contract; not encountered in person. Status: alive (per intel). Disposition: hostile. Faction: Warrens / Black Hollow underground operation. New this session: no (introduced s04). Last seen: s04 (referenced this session).

Locations

1. Black Hollow Market (underground access): tunnel mouth in the Umbrafall underground bazaar; entry to the Warrens. Spores drift “like lazy snow”; faint violet runes scratched into the walls. New this session: no (entered s04).
2. The Warrens (entrance section): maze of natural caverns reinforced with wooden pillars, illuminated by bioluminescent algae and bio-gloom fungi. Saturated in corrupted animation magic. New this session: yes.
3. Secret fungal-zombie chamber: bulbous slime-floored cavern off the main spine. Three fungal nodes positioned around a giant humanoid corpse-experiment. Connected by hidden rune-marked door (only visible after wall fungus is burned away). New this session: yes.
4. Hollow Guardian corridor: passage with dozens of hollow eye-sockets watching from the walls. Two Guardians barred passage. New this session: yes.
5. Sludge-pit cavern: humid bowl-shaped cavern, three acidic sludge-pits, collapsed railing/walkway, free-cap mushrooms along the rims, three corpses half-submerged in violet-glowing fungus. Only one exit (north). New this session: yes.

Items & Loot

1. Five vials of red liquid (one larger, four smaller): from hidden satchel. Unknown contents; Harvo’s alchemist-supplies identify rolled too poorly to determine (“could just be dyed water”). Hugo speculates they may be healing potions. Larger vial assigned to Vasquez; smaller four distributed to the party.
2. Spell Scroll of Wither and Bloom (2nd-level): from hidden satchel; identified by Caelumn (Arcana 15). On Caelumn’s spell list.
3. Bag of dust / unidentified residue: also in the satchel. No mechanical effect noted.
4. Sample of fungal-zombie giant flesh: Harvo took a slice into a vial from his alchemist’s supplies for later study.

Currency split: none recorded this session.

Combat Encounters

Encounter 1: Fungal-Zombie Giant (~12 rounds)

• Party state at start: full HP after recent rest.
• Party state at end: ~70% HP, several spell slots burnt, one healing potion expended.
• Monsters faced: 1 fungal-zombie giant (Huge; CR unknown — homebrew); regenerated via three fungal nodes on first death.
• To-hit results against party: numerous; key hits — bludgeoning 16 + 9 to Hugo (round 4), 14 to Vasquez, 20 fire to Vasquez (Caelumn’s Witch Bolt detonating the alchemist fire shoved into its chest cavity).
• Saving throws: Vasquez Dex save vs. self-inflicted alchemist-fire explosion; succeeded with bardic inspiration.
• Damage types thrown: lightning (Vasquez gunblade), force (Harvo’s Eldritch Cannon), slashing (Hugo handaxes), radiant (Terry true-strike crossbow — notably effective), thunder/lightning (Caelumn Sorcerous Burst, Witch Bolt 3rd-level for 25 damage), fire (Vasquez alchemist’s fire). Resistant/regenerating until the three nodes were brought below threshold.
• Party resources: Hugo 2 rages, Vasquez Action Surge + alchemist’s fire + most charges, Caelumn 1 sorcery point + 3rd-level slot + Innate Sorcery, Harvo cannon + 1 spell slot, Terry 2nd-level Command slot.
• Notable rolls: Hugo crit (nat 20) for 24, Vasquez bardic-inspired hit, Terry’s Cure Wounds for 22 to revive Caelumn pre-combat.

Encounter 2: The Hollow Guardians (~10 rounds)

• Party state at start: post-fungal-zombie, no short rest yet.
• Party state at end: 50%–60% HP across party; multiple party members at reduced max HP.
• Monsters faced: 2 Hollow Guardians (Medium humanoid-type; CR unknown — homebrew). Touch attack: necrotic + max-HP reduction on failed Con save.
• To-hit results: ~6 attacks made; hits on Caelumn (10 necrotic, max -10), Vasquez (7 necrotic, max -7; later an additional crit for 21 slashing+necrotic that Nick mistakenly thought one-shot Vasquez before recalculating), Hugo (9 slashing + 8 necrotic).
• Saving throws: 2 Con saves attempted by Caelumn and Vasquez; both failed.
• Damage types: lightning (Caelumn Chromatic Orb, twin-spell upcast 3rd level — 20 + 24 in one action, key turning point), force (Harvo Eldritch Cannon — 12, knockback 5’), radiant (Terry true-strike crossbow), slashing (Hugo handaxes including a final nat 20), fire (Harvo Eldritch Cannon firebolt — partially effective).
• Party resources: Caelumn used last Innate Sorcery + 1 sorcery point; Hugo continued raging across encounters; Terry spent 1 2nd-level Command slot (failed both saves first try, both made saves second try).
• Notable rolls: Hugo nat 20 with handaxe; Caelumn Chromatic Orb bounce for 20 then 24; Caelumn’s 12 Deception (with inspiration) failed and triggered the fight.

Encounter 3: Sludge-Pit Fungal-Zombies (incomplete; ~3 rounds, ends session)

• Party state at start: post-short-rest; some max-HP loss carried from Encounter 2.
• Party state at end: Vasquez down at zero HP, then stabilised at 7 HP; Hugo poisoned; Caelumn took a Burning Hands AoE that caught all three for 3 each (rolled badly); session pauses mid-combat.
• Monsters faced: 3 fungal-zombies (Medium; CR unknown — homebrew). Touch + bite: slashing/necrotic + Con save vs. paralysis (auto-crit if bitten while paralysed) and poisoning.
• To-hit results against party: Terry hit for 7 slashing, Hugo hit for 9 necrotic + poisoned (failed Con), Vasquez hit for 5 + paralysed (failed Con) then auto-crit-bitten for 15 piercing + 13 necrotic = downed.
• Saving throws against status effects: ~5 attempted, ~2 succeeded.
• Damage types: fire (Caelumn Burning Hands — all three failed saves but the spell was 1st-level and rolled poorly), force (Harvo cannon — significant chunks), slashing (Hugo handaxes — kills), radiant (Terry true-strike crossbow), lightning (Vasquez gunblade primer charges).
• Party resources: Hugo’s 2nd rage starting, Vasquez Bardic Inspiration (wasted on a 1), Terry true-strike + Cantrip-only late.
• Notable rolls: Vasquez death save nat 20 to recover for stabilisation, Hugo nat 20 (handaxe). Harvo’s 2 hit dice rolled 5 + 9 = 16 healing into Vasquez via Battle Medic + healer’s kit.

Clues & Foreshadowing

1. Bio-gloom-bonded humans with injection ports: the fungal-zombie giant and the sludge-pit zombies both bore obvious necrotic-tech and clearly visible injection ports (“syringe ports… almost like someone has been experimenting on the less fortunate” — DM, ^[18]. Source: Terry’s perception/investigation; corroborated by Hugo intelligence check.
2. The Hollow asks a binary: “Thieves, or servants of the hollow?” — implies the Warrens has its own faction below or beside Maelis Dirn, with allegiance categories.
3. Wither and Bloom scroll in Maelis Dirn’s henchmen’s stash: necromancy/druid 2nd-level mixed-school spell (heals + necrotic) — points to mixed-school caster with necrotic and life-domain leanings running the Warrens.
4. Detect Magic returns “everything”: Umbrafall is itself “soaked in a corrupted form of animation magic”, with the bio-gloom fungi having magical properties. The corruption is environmental, not localised.
5. The fungal-zombie giant regenerated via three fungal nodes: this is the same mechanic the party will encounter on a larger scale later (per DM hint).

Open Mysteries & Unanswered Questions

1. Who is conducting human experiments in the Warrens? Best evidence: injection ports, mixed necrotic/nature-magic constructs, “ill experiment” descriptors. Likely tied to Maelis Dirn but not confirmed. Cared about: Hugo (project parallel?), Terry, Harvo.
2. What are the red vials? Best evidence: similar in colour to a healing potion, but found in a Maelis-aligned cache. Could be poison, healing, or alchemist’s-fire variants. Cared about: whoever drinks one first.
3. What is “the Hollow”, and how does service to it differ from being one of Maelis’s people? Best evidence: Hollow Guardians’ binary phrasing. Cared about: Caelumn, Harvo.

Quests

1. [active] Kill Maelis Dirn for the Broker: enter the Warrens, eliminate Maelis Dirn (and her giant). Reward: payment + untaxed entry through Umbrafall gates. Progress: in tunnels; Maelis not yet engaged.

Faction & Relationship Changes

• Hollow Guardians turned hostile after Caelumn’s failed Deception. The Hollow as an entity now treats the party as “thieves” by default.
• No reputation changes with The Broker this session.
• No movement on Hugo’s pact with Black Mask.

Table Rulings

1. Command no longer charm-typed in 2024 rules: Terry asserted (and DM confirmed after a moment) that Command is its own thing, requires no shared language, and works on Undead. Future-relevant: Terry can attempt Command on undead enemies.
2. Forced movement from cannon push is not optional: Harvo asked whether he could choose not to push 5’ on a hit; Nick ruled it is not optional under the cannon’s rules. Future-relevant: positioning around the cannon must account for forced movement.
3. 40’ fire-spell range (Caelumn’s Sorcerous Burst / Burning Hands): adjudicated as ~40’ range/area for combat-positioning purposes when Caelumn asked.
4. Drinking own potion = bonus action; administering to another = action (clarified mid-combat by DM).
5. Crit damage on 2024 rules: roll all damage dice once and double the total roll, not roll twice; DM clarified this twice when Hugo and Harvo were unsure.
6. Healing potion grants 2d4+2 HP (standard); used as the baseline this session.

Callbacks

• s2: AI-generated quiz at session start recapped Cholmondeley’s death (“killed by the dragon’s poison breath”); the AI got it almost right.
• s2/s3: The egg’s current state (glows green after absorbing Death-at-Sunset’s essence) confirmed in the same quiz.
• s4: Black Mask’s pact with Hugo, the Broker’s quest to kill Maelis, and the Mire Strand events recapped by Harvo at session open.

Next Steps

• Finish the sludge-pit combat (party is mid-fight, Vasquez at 7 HP, Hugo poisoned).
• Continue deeper into the Warrens to find Maelis Dirn.
• Potentially destroy the fungal nodes that regenerate her experiments.

References

1. ^ Session 5, line 171-176 — Entrance to underground lair.
2. ^ Session 5, line 281-322 — Caelumn ignites the spores; Hollow Guardians revealed by burned fungus.
3. ^ Session 5, line 484-806 — Fungal-zombie giant combat.
4. ^ Session 5, line 891-921 — Hollow Guardians: 'thieves or servants of the hollow?'.
5. ^ Session 5, line 1517-1551 — Hidden satchel: red vials and Wither and Bloom scroll.
6. ^ Session 5, line 1607-1787 — Sludge-pit fungal-zombie ambush.
7. ^ Session 5, line 239 — Inline citation.
8. ^ Session 5, line 342-349 — Inline citation.
9. ^ Session 5, line 378-384 — Inline citation.
10. ^ Session 5, line 373-376 — Inline citation.
11. ^ Session 5, line 734 — Inline citation.
12. ^ Session 5, line 878 — Inline citation.
13. ^ Session 5, line 893-894 — Inline citation.
14. ^ Session 5, line 908-909 — Inline citation.
15. ^ Session 5, line 1532 — Inline citation.
16. ^ Session 5, line 1538-1551 — Inline citation.
17. ^ Session 5, line 1562 — Inline citation.
18. ^ Session 6, line 185-186 — Inline citation.