Session ID: 912dbedd-e70a-4e73-b645-303e6f211e86
Date: October 14, 2025
Duration: 2h 24m 19s
The party held a funeral for Sigmund at a riverside cave, only to have it interrupted by supernatural forces. The session climaxed with Sigmund rising from his grave possessed by Anansi, a confrontation with Cernunnos (a Celtic deer deity), and the party committing to travel north while dealing with an unwelcome divine passenger.
After fleeing Zaragoza, the party stopped at a cave to give Sigmund proper burial rites. Bjorn and the party's new companion Marlin (a Muslim doctor searching for his son) dug the grave together. During this work, Marlin shared his beliefs and his past, revealing he'd separated from his wife and was seeking his son who had headed north.
Axel observed Marlin carefully during Bjorn's funeral preparations, trying to gauge whether the doctor's encouragement of Bjorn's earnest but confused funeral rites was genuine. He determined that Marlin was indeed sincere, just trying to make a good impression on his potential new companions.
Bjorn conducted funeral rites attempting to honor both Norse and Islamic traditions. He:
The moment was emotionally powerful, with Bjorn genuinely trying to respect Sigmund's faith while processing his own grief.
As they began filling the grave, thunder cracked overhead. Those looking up saw an enormous deer approaching—far larger than normal, with completely white eyes (no pupils), rotting flesh falling from its body, and antlers that shimmered with heat distortion and smoke.
Meanwhile, Marlin heard coughing from the grave itself.
Most of the party failed their Steel tests and panicked in various ways, though Marlin kept focused on the sound from below.
The deer was clearly Cernunnos, a Celtic god of death and the underworld who guides lost souls. It spoke in Gaelic (which only Axel understood), repeatedly saying:
"Long is the road from the web to the wood" (or possibly "from the web to the deer")
Bjorn, despite the supernatural terror, marched toward the creature. Axel attempted to restrain him and eventually addressed the deer directly in Gaelic, asking if it wished to help them or was giving a warning.
The deer cryptically responded: "I hear a trembling web. It is always both."
While the confrontation with the deer unfolded, Marlin and Jean-Luc frantically dug up Sigmund after hearing the coughing. His arm burst from the grave, and they pulled him out.
Sigmund stood, covered in cobwebs, with completely black, faceted eyes that reflected light like a spider's. It was Anansi, the trickster spider god, possessing Sigmund's body.
Anansi cheerfully explained:
The party was horrified, especially when Jean-Luc accused Anansi of violating his agreement with them.
The deer's attention immediately snapped to Anansi. Frost began creeping across the grass (despite it being September in Iberia), and the deer's antlers began to flicker like stars.
Through Axel's translation, the deer made its position clear:
Bjorn, enraged, attempted to push Anansi back into the grave. When Anansi fell, he briefly revealed four extra spider arms before climbing out normally.
The deer, having delivered its message, departed—its silhouette visible against the distant Pyrenees mountains.
After the supernatural encounter, Axel pulled Bjorn aside for a crucial conversation. He reminded Bjorn that they'd previously chosen to make a deal with Anansi instead of following the stag they'd been seeing in visions. Axel suggested this was the consequence of that choice—and that they now had a chance to make a different decision.
Bjorn, deeply affected by Sigmund's death and the encounter with Cernunnos, agreed:
The party decided to head north, following the stag's path, while trying to figure out what to do about their unwelcome spider-god passenger.
Anansi cheerfully climbed into Sigmund's grave to sleep, treating the situation as if everything was perfectly normal. The party was left to contemplate their journey north, the warnings from Cernunnos, and how to deal with (or escape from) Anansi.
Axel:
Jean-Luc/Remy:
Marlin (new character):
Beliefs Manifested:
Points Awarded:
New Beliefs: Marlin introduced with beliefs about finding his son and the gods serving their own purposes.
Bjorn's Eulogy:
"The eyes shed tears and the heart feels pain, but we utter only what pleases Allah... Sigmund was a brave but not a wrathful man, striking down those who would do his companions harm but not extinguishing life without cause or mercy. I saw him as a brother."
Cernunnos:
"Long is the road from the web to the wood... When a guest eats at the table uninvited, who pays for his meal?... There are things in the dark that hunt spiders."
Anansi:
"This was part of my bargain with the boy. He said, life and death, that he would serve me... This body will allow me to remain disguised from the natives both mundane and divine."
Axel to Bjorn:
"This is coming back to your decision—your decision to make a deal with Anansi instead of following the stag in the woods. You may have a chance to make a different choice."
Bjorn:
"We've buried too many friends, my friend... I will go north, but I will not be the fighting man I was before."
The party is committed to traveling north, following the path indicated by the stag visions. They must contend with Anansi's presence (whether by trying to banish him, accepting his company, or attempting escape). Marlin has joined them in hopes of finding his son who also headed north. The supernatural stakes have escalated significantly, with divine forces taking active interest in the party's choices.