Session 13: The Soul Well

As Vesper is pulled into the Soul Well, they experience a vision of a lost memory from when they first joined the circus. In the vision, a young Vesper walks a tightrope with ease. Maestro Grin watches, telling them:

You'll be the best.

Emerging from the vision, Vesper confronts the Maestro, who taunts them:

Let me show you what you could have been, what you could still be.

Outside, the rest of the party looks into the depths. They tie a rope to Jin, with Moss acting as an anchor and Gimbol assisting. Jin leaps in, but the momentum pulls both Moss and Gimbol down after him.

The party lands on a platform where Vesper is clutching their head, overwhelmed by visions. Lightning balls hang in the air, arcing across the chamber. Below them, a spiral of stone leads to a lower platform where a maskless copy of Vesper stands.

As Gimbol lands, he begins clawing at his own skin. An image of Bullog attempts to tear itself free from Gimbol's body.

The party begins their descent. Moss, still tied to Jin, jumps but lands poorly, causing Jin to fall further and dragging Moss along. The fake Vesper fires a red, bone-like crossbow at the rope but misses.

Vesper jealously claims that they would have made the shot, prompting a command to echo in Vesper's mind:

Shoot.

Under the influence, Vesper fires at the rope. Sol attempts to intervene but fails; fortunately, Vesper misses.

As Moss nears the bottom, Vesper fires magic at a lightning ball. The act triggers another memory of the Maestro teaching them to create these lightning orbs. Nearby, they see a ghostly dwarven figure—Durim—screaming in terror within a cage of lightning bars.

The Maestro's voice returns to Vesper's mind:

Do you remember your first soul, Vesper?

Vesper recalls a faceless person and a ribbon of pale fire attaching to a small child. As Vesper grapples with their double, more memories surface. Vesper hears a familiar voice from the graveyard:

Will it hurt?

Vesper screams back:

No, you will fly!

A vision reveals Vesper throwing a little girl into the Soul Well. The Maestro applauds:

Now that is my soul reaper.

As Vesper screams, gravity inside the Soul Well inverts.

Sol strikes the fake Vesper with Eldritch Blast, causing the double to vanish and gravity to return to normal. The entire area shakes as spectral apparitions fill the platforms. Vesper collapses under the weight of the souls they have taken. The ghost girl, Annabelle, appears beside them:

You said you'd fix this.

One final vision: Vesper is on the circus grounds, flinching at the applause. Vesper refuses to continue, and the Maestro sneers:

If you won't work for me, you're just another clown.

Vesper's nose transforms into a clown nose, and the memory fades. They recall waking up at House Marrow with no memory of their past, only the face of a clown in the mirror.

The Maestro turns his gaze to Moss and Jin:

All good things come to an end, don't they?

His arms elongate as he transforms into a hulking beast. He dives for them, misses, and plummets into the void.

As the Maestro disappears, Vesper's gear melts away, replaced by new armor. The mask crumbles, and their face returns to normal. The souls dissipate, and Annabelle vanishes with a final “Thank you.”

At the bottom, the party attempts to free Durim. Moss consults the Scepter of Oaths, which identifies the prison as a Soul Vault. Moss forcibly removes the object creating the bars, severely damaging his hand—now a skeletal hand remains—and tosses the 🗝️ Soul Vault to the party. Vesper catches the vault just as Gimbol is sucked inside along with Bullog.

Using a newly remembered ability, Vesper uses their dagger to create two orbs, teleporting the party to the top of the Soul Well. Sol flies out with Moss, who pulls Jin and Vesper up with a rope.

Back in the circus tent, the “shadow acrobats” are revealed to be normal people. Vesper recognizes an old friend, the circus strongman, who takes leadership of the group. The party and the circus folk head back to Blackreef.

At the tavern, they encounter the man Sol met previously:

Back in Blackreef already?

Moss asks the man, now revealed to be named Kaelen Cross, for something to cover his skeletal hand. Kaelen mentions a 🗝️ Package left for Moss by someone in a reddish cloak and mask, claiming it was from Moss's grove. Kaelen and Sol then depart for Kaelen's manor.

Vesper visits the graveyard with wine. Annabelle and a ghost boy thank them and ask them to do good before disappearing. Vesper notices a glass of wine already poured on the ground.

At the tavern, Jin orders a strong drink. The bartender sends it down an ice slide. A wizard offers to make it stronger. Moss pulls back the wizard's hood, revealing Parsons.

It's time for your friend to drink.

Parsons pours a caustic liquid down the slide. Moss punches him, and Jin narrowly avoids the “drink,” which burns a hole through a chair.

At the manor, Kaelen instructs his servants to alert him of any newcomers and to delay “the hunt.”

Alert me if anyone shows up , and put off the hunt until the little one shows up.

Back at the tavern, Parsons casts Fireball, destroying the building. Moss and Jin escape and meet up with Vesper before heading to Kaelen's manor. Jin finds bottles of alcohol waiting for him in a bush.

Moss receives the 🗝️ Package. It smells of rotting flesh. Inside is a note:

Moss, you wander the world trying to mend what was broken, I'll give you something to practice on.

The note is signed by Parsons. Inside the box is the severed head of Moss's friend, Bartholomew.