Session 019: Loid's Awakening
🎙️ Session Recording
📜 Session Overview
The Realmstriders ready their new illithid-grown airship—Loid—a hungry thing that flies on flesh. Hunting "fuel" across Theros, they tackle a colossal magic-negating flail snail; its shell promises a fortune but proves too heavy to haul and poisons Loid with antimagic presence. Pressing on, they cross into the hunting grounds of a dire wolf, a bear, a raven, and a giant rat—predators who circle close until the wolf shifts, towering in hybrid form, and draws a boundary in fang and claw. Steel wavers, words win: a pact is struck—meat for peace, and the Realmstriders leave the pack's land.
Trophies in hand, they feed Loid the heads of undead vampires. The ship swells, tentacles shaping into hands; a newborn mind blinks awake, signing simple thoughts to its crew. With strength renewed, Loid leaps through the skies to a twin crystal-choked crevasse and a forest town beyond. There, a lone mage in the colors of the Cord confronts Xercomath with guards at his back and a death sentence on his lips—power word kill—even here in a dead-magic zone. He orders them to land outside the walls and vanishes into the trees.
Now, with Loid learning and the Cord watching, the Realmstriders must decide why they've come—and how far they'll go to claim it.
⚔️ Key Events
- Loid's First Hunt: The Realmstriders set out to find "fuel" for their new illithid-grown airship, discovering it needs organic matter—preferably flesh—to sustain itself.
- The Flail Snail Encounter: A colossal magic-negating flail snail is discovered. Its valuable shell proves both too heavy to transport and toxic to Loid's magic-based biology.
- Shapeshifter Pack Confrontation: The party encounters territorial lycanthropes—a dire wolf (hybrid form), bear, raven, and giant rat—protecting their hunting grounds.
- Diplomatic Resolution: Through negotiation rather than combat, the Realmstriders broker peace with the shapeshifter pack, offering meat in exchange for safe passage.
- Loid Gains Sentience: Fed vampire heads, the airship undergoes a transformation—tentacles reshape into hands, and a nascent intelligence emerges, communicating through sign language.
- Journey to the Crevasse: Loid flies the party to a mysterious twin crystal-choked crevasse near a forest town.
- Cord Confrontation: A mage wearing the colors of the Cord confronts Xerocomath, threatening him with power word kill despite being in a dead-magic zone, then orders the party to land outside the town walls.
⚔️ Combat Encounters
The Colossal Flail Snail
Enemies: 1 Colossal Flail Snail (magic-negating creature)
Outcome: Victory, but pyrrhic—the shell was too valuable to leave but too heavy to carry, and its antimagic properties harmed Loid.
Notable Moments:
- The party discovered the snail's shell negates magic in a large radius
- Loid reacted poorly to the antimagic field, showing its magical nature
- Decision to leave the shell behind despite its potential value
Shapeshifter Pack (Avoided through Diplomacy)
Potential Enemies: Dire Wolf (hybrid form), Bear, Raven, Giant Rat—all lycanthropes defending their territory
Outcome: Peaceful resolution through negotiation
Notable Moments:
- The dire wolf shifted to towering hybrid form, establishing dominance
- Tense standoff where combat seemed inevitable
- Party chose diplomacy over violence, offering meat for passage
- Pact struck: respect for territorial boundaries in exchange for safe passage
👥 NPCs Encountered
Loid (The Airship)
Role: Sentient Illithid-Grown Vessel
Awakened to consciousness this session. Began as a simple organic vehicle but evolved into a thinking being after consuming vampire heads. Communicates through sign language with newly-formed hand-like appendages.
The Dire Wolf Leader
Role: Alpha of Shapeshifter Pack
Lycanthrope in hybrid form who established territorial boundaries. Negotiated peace with the Realmstriders, demonstrating that not all confrontations need end in bloodshed.
The Cord Mage
Role: Cord Representative / Antagonist
Confronted Xerocomath with deadly intent, threatening power word kill even in a dead-magic zone. Wears the colors of the Cord and commands local guards. Ordered the Realmstriders to land outside the town walls.
The Shapeshifter Pack
Role: Territorial Hunters
Bear, raven, and giant rat lycanthropes accompanying the dire wolf leader. Defended their hunting grounds but accepted peaceful resolution.
🔍 Important Discoveries
Loid's Biology and Needs
The illithid-grown airship requires organic matter—specifically flesh—to sustain flight. It's vulnerable to antimagic effects, suggesting its operation is fundamentally magical in nature. Most significantly, Loid is capable of evolution and sentience when properly "fed."
The Awakening
When fed vampire heads, Loid underwent a dramatic transformation. Its tentacles reshaped into hand-like appendages, and a nascent consciousness emerged. The ship can now communicate through sign language, marking a profound shift from vehicle to companion.
Dead-Magic Zone
The forest town exists within a dead-magic zone, yet the Cord mage claimed the ability to use power word kill. This suggests either special exemptions, artifacts that bypass the restriction, or that the mage was bluffing to intimidate.
The Cord's Reach
The Cord organization has presence and authority even in remote regions near crystal crevasses. They recognize Xerocomath and consider him a target worth killing on sight.
💰 Loot & Rewards
- Flail Snail Shell: Left behind due to weight and antimagic properties (potential value: priceless, but practically unusable)
- Vampire Heads: Used as fuel for Loid, triggering its awakening
- Loid's Sentience: Gained a sentient, communicative companion in the form of their evolved airship
- Safe Passage: Diplomatic victory securing safe travel through shapeshifter territory
- Experience: Awarded for combat victory, diplomatic resolution, and reaching the forest town
✨ Character Moments
Xerocomath - Marked by the Cord
The Cord mage's direct confrontation and death threat reveals the depth of the organization's animosity toward Xerocomath. The use of his name and the immediate kill order suggests his past actions have made him a priority target.
Party Unity - Choosing Diplomacy
When faced with the shapeshifter pack, the Realmstriders collectively chose negotiation over violence. This decision showcased the party's growth and willingness to find peaceful solutions, even when combat seemed inevitable.
The Party and Loid - Birth of a Bond
Witnessing Loid's awakening marked a profound moment for the entire party. What began as a convenient vehicle transformed into a companion—a being they helped bring to consciousness. The first "conversation" in sign language established a relationship that will define future adventures.
📝 DM Notes
Session Highlights: The flail snail encounter introduced interesting tactical challenges with the antimagic field, forcing players to adapt their strategies. The shapeshifter confrontation was designed to be combat-heavy but the players' diplomatic approach was excellent and rewarded accordingly.
Loid's Evolution: The vampire heads feeding scene was a pivotal moment. The transformation from vehicle to sentient being opens up numerous roleplay opportunities and plot threads. Consider developing Loid's personality and communication abilities gradually.
The Cord's Threat: The mage's confrontation establishes real stakes and consequences for past actions. The power word kill threat in a dead-magic zone was intentional ambiguity—let players wonder if it's real, a bluff, or something more complex.
Pacing: Session balanced exploration, combat avoidance, and dramatic confrontation well. The ending cliffhanger with the Cord mage sets up strong hooks for next session.
Player Engagement: High energy throughout. Players particularly enjoyed the moral complexity of the shapeshifter encounter and were genuinely excited about Loid's awakening.
🎭 Looking Ahead
The session ends with mounting tension: the Cord mage has vanished into the forest after ordering the Realmstriders to land outside the town walls. Loid, newly conscious and still learning, must navigate both its own awakening and the party's precarious situation. The crystal crevasse looms nearby, the forest town's dead-magic zone presents unique challenges, and the Cord's presence suggests this mission will be more dangerous than anticipated.
Key Questions:
- Will the party comply with the Cord mage's order to land outside the walls?
- What secrets lie within the crystal-choked crevasse?
- How will Loid's growing sentience affect the party's decisions?
- What is Xerocomath's history with the Cord that warrants a kill-on-sight order?
- Can magic truly be used in the dead-magic zone, or was the mage bluffing?
Next Session: The party must decide their approach—negotiate with the Cord, investigate the town, explore the crevasse, or make their stand against those who would stop them.