The severed hand

Stub-class article · First seen: s20 · Last seen: s21
The severed hand
Righty
The severed hand, Animated undead fragment (a severed grey human hand) portrait
Item
StatusActive
First seens20
Last seens21
TypeAnimated undead fragment (a severed grey human hand)
HolderFather Thomas (on a rope leash)
OriginCut from one of Pell's undead abductors by Fen at Greysmere (s21); first seen pinned to a chopping block at the end of s20

The severed hand, which Father Thomas has named Righty, is a grey human hand cut from one of the undead who took Pell from Greysmere. The party first saw it at the end of session 20, pinned by an axe to a chopping block with its fingers still moving [1]. The DM confirmed in session 21 that it is animated, and said it “retains a fragment of the corpse’s animation” and would crawl back towards its body if released [38][6]. Father Thomas put it on a rope leash and the party followed it north to the ridge temple, where “The hand has stopped moving.” [29][32][33].

Overview

The severed hand is the human hand that closed session 20: at a grey mill pond short of Umbrafall, an axe pinned it to a chopping block and its fingers were still moving [1]. Session 21 named the place Greysmere and put the hand “near the graveyard”, where “its fingers slowly scrape against the wood” [12]. Father Thomas leashed it and used it to lead the party to the ridge temple. It is an animated remnant, not a creature: the DM has never played it as one.

Description

When Father Thomas went to look at it, with Hugo alongside [13], the DM described it closely:

“You see the hand’s grey skin has pulled tight over the bones. You notice a ring that bears the initials E.V. And you see charcoal clothing that is twisted around one finger. The fingertips kind of drag against the chopping block, straining towards its northern edge.” — Nick (DM), [5]

The ring is The E.V. ring; Father Thomas took it and the cloth from the hand [14][15]. He named the hand: “this is very clearly a right hand so I’m going to name him righty” [8]. Terry’s rival suggestion was “Handjob” [16].

Mechanics (as played)

  • A fragment of animation. On Father Thomas’s natural 20 the DM said the hand “retains a fragment of the corpse’s animation”: if released, it would crawl a little, “trying to get back to its body” [17][6].
  • Harmless and destructible. “You would be able to destroy it with a dispel or if you burn it, however. But it doesn’t seem to be aggressive.” [6].
  • Tied to its host. On Caelumn’s Religion check of 16 the DM gave the general rule: “as long as the host is alive, body parts will keep on trucking.” [18][19].
  • A compass. Held on its rope, the hand pulled north, and Father Thomas steered by how it squirmed [20][21]. Hugo called it “a guiding beacon” [22].
  • Not checked for magic. Father Thomas meant to cast Detect Magic before the temple but did not have it prepared [23][24].

Open questions

  • Which creature was the host, and what became of it. Terry’s “We killed the host.” is a player’s claim; the DM is not confirming the connection outside play ([25]; the DM’s post-s21 clarifications, 2026-09-27). Hugo’s chopping the hand off the burial-robed undead as he killed it [26] is a separate event, not evidence either way.
  • Whether the host was one of the charcoal-robed kidnappers themselves. The charcoal cloth on its finger [5] matches their “charcoal robes” [27], but that is an inference.
  • Whose initials are on The E.V. ring.

History in the campaign

Session 20: The Man Who Was Always Here

Main article: Session 20

The hand was the session’s closing hook. On the third evening of the ride the road reached a small settlement round a grey mill pond, where a storehouse had been forced open and silver paint ran across the yard into wheel tracks that led north. The DM ended with the image: “You see an axe has pinned a grey human hand to a chopping block. Its fingers are still moving.” [1]. The session stopped there.

Session 21: The Hand That Points North

Main article: Session 21

At Greysmere the innkeeper said that Fen had chopped the hand off an undead who was dragging away his son Pell, and the body had kept moving [3][4]. Father Thomas roped the hand, took its ring and cloth, named it Righty and used it as a compass [28][29][14][15][8]. It pulled north, as Hugo’s tracking and Fen’s account did [27][30][20]. About forty minutes along a single wheelbarrow track it led them to the ridge temple’s stair [31][22][32]. In the cell block “The hand has stopped moving.” [33]. Terry asked if any undead they had killed had one hand, and declared “We killed the host.” [34][25].

Session 22: The Dragon in the Statue

Main article: Session 22

The hand did not appear in play. In the recap that opened the session, Father Thomas’s player told how he had used it “as a guiding rod”, and how it stopped moving when the party killed one of the undead in the temple, “So apparently it belonged to one of them.” [35][36].

Status

As of session 23. Presumably still with Father Thomas on its rope, and inert since it stopped moving in the temple [33][37]. It is not shown in play after session 21, and the session 22 recap is the last time it is mentioned [36].

See also

References

  1. ^ Session 20, line 1757: The session 20 hook, an axe pinning a grey human hand to a chopping block, its fingers still moving.
  2. ^ Session 21, line 56-58: Near the Greysmere graveyard the hand scrapes at the block, and the DM confirms it is animated.
  3. ^ Session 21, line 187: The innkeeper says Fen took it off an undead creature that was taking Pell.
  4. ^ Session 21, line 300: Fen says the body kept moving after he chopped it off.
  5. ^ Session 21, line 481: The DM's close description, with the ring bearing the initials E.V. and the charcoal cloth.
  6. ^ Session 21, line 503: The hand keeps a fragment of the corpse's animation, can be destroyed by dispel or fire, and is not aggressive.
  7. ^ Session 21, line 505-506: Father Thomas roped the hand and works the ring off it.
  8. ^ Session 21, line 591: Father Thomas names it Righty.
  9. ^ Session 21, line 694-708: The hand as a guide north to the ridge temple, and the DM's lore on body parts.
  10. ^ Session 21, line 1587-1596: In the temple the hand stops moving, and Terry says the party killed its host.
  11. ^ Session 22, line 87-88: The recap that opens session 22 retells the hand's part in session 21.
  12. ^ Session 21, line 56: Inline citation.
  13. ^ Session 21, line 480: Inline citation.
  14. ^ Session 21, line 506: Inline citation.
  15. ^ Session 21, line 580: Inline citation.
  16. ^ Session 21, line 696: Inline citation.
  17. ^ Session 21, line 502: Inline citation.
  18. ^ Session 21, line 701: Inline citation.
  19. ^ Session 21, line 702: Inline citation.
  20. ^ Session 21, line 584: Inline citation.
  21. ^ Session 21, line 695: Inline citation.
  22. ^ Session 21, line 694: Inline citation.
  23. ^ Session 21, line 753: Inline citation.
  24. ^ Session 21, line 769: Inline citation.
  25. ^ Session 21, line 1596: Inline citation.
  26. ^ Session 21, line 1286: Inline citation.
  27. ^ Session 21, line 289: Inline citation.
  28. ^ Session 21, line 430: Inline citation.
  29. ^ Session 21, line 505: Inline citation.
  30. ^ Session 21, line 487: Inline citation.
  31. ^ Session 21, line 668: Inline citation.
  32. ^ Session 21, line 708: Inline citation.
  33. ^ Session 21, line 1588: Inline citation.
  34. ^ Session 21, line 1592: Inline citation.
  35. ^ Session 22, line 87: Inline citation.
  36. ^ Session 22, line 88: Inline citation.
  37. ^ Session 21, line 1590: Inline citation.
  38. ^ Session 21, line 58: Inline citation.
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