Session Index
Digital Garden

📖 {{The Ghostlight Express - Electric Boogaloo}}

Date: 7/18/25
In-Game Date: TBD

• Party Goal: Defeat/Release the Haints
• Location: The Ghostlight Express --> Wickermoor Hollow Forest
• Party Level: 1-3

🚂 Recap

We find ourselves back on The Ghostlight Express, halfway through the train next to a sleeping tiger surrounded in green flame. Trick pokes the tiger while beau tries to speak to it with no luck. After much back and forth and failed attempts to take its ring the party moves to the next train car.

🎪 Circus Car

"The next car is strange... lining the car are five empty cages, decaying hay, musty water, and the smell of iron-blood." There are remnants of a circus, twisted whimsy, faded banners, terrifying animals, sideshows.

Suspended from the center of the car is a spectral woman dressed as a Jester, swinging from a trapeze. Her face is racked with shame. The party watches her attempt a flip and unceremoniously land on the floor, muttering to herself.

"Mr. Jay would have gotten rid of me after what I did to all those poor people... I wish they didn't get hurt..."

The party asks her if she's okay, why she is so sad.

"To make up for what I did... I did such a bad thing. Dozens of people died. I wish I could make sure it never happened again. I just wanted to pet the pretty kitty..."

The party asks her about the tiger in the previous room. They ask what the ring is that is on its tail.

"*I know that ring anywhere, it's an identification ring."

The party asks her why she let the tiger out

"*Well, i mean... I just thought he was gonna be nice. He was purring and he took off and hurt all of those people."

The party try to console her.
"It's not your fault, it's whoever left it in that cage"
"Yeah, tigers aren't meant to be in cages"

She gives a slight smile, "I guess you're right". She floats through the room and disappears with a melancholy expression on her face, not entirely at peace but released from her guilt.

The party investigate the room and old circus games and a box of creepy marionette puppets. Beau discovers one with a rock as its head, painted like a toad.

📬 Mail Car

The next car is filled with two rows of heavy mail satchels and bins filled with parcels and envelopes. In the center there is a ghostly man, with a seagull on its head, moving packages back and forth.
The Mariner

"*I just wish I could see the sea on more time... only thing that feels like I'm back where I should be - I should have died on the sea."

Beau uses minor illusion to create a picture of the sea.

"I don't know what ye'r trying to show me but all I see is a dirty hand."

Eleana Investigates the mail car and discovers:

• Right:
  • Thoughts, prayers, poems, and offerings to the dead by living family and loved ones.
• Left:
  • Letters from deported souls to their loved ones still living
  • A pink letter, inscribed with: To my dear sweetheart, From Jacob Braun

Grimm asks the mariner to "Tell me your favorite story of the sea".

"I could go on for hours... stories o' friends and people lost. Happier times. But none of it will ever bring me closer to 'er. I will continue to load the mail like I am on me ship."

Suddenly, a letter falls, addressed to "Veyk". On the back it reads "Jack 'of All Trades' D'ante". Jiwho picks it up and it disappears as he tries to pocket it. Five more rain down near Trick.

"Well it seems someone is sending you a message from beyond."

Trick tries to pocket the letter unnoticed.

• Beau insight: 16 (suspicious)
• Trick deception: 26 (stone faced)

Grimm hears the sound of a woman speaking in the next car and the party move on.

🥂 The Lounge Car

The next car opens into understated luxury. The walls are lined with gold patterns, there is plush velvet and soft light. Landscape painting line the wall, a painting of the ocean at night catch the eyes of the party.

At the bar is a man, Phillip Mr. Druskenvald and his wife Adela Mrs. Druskenvald sits at a table with champagne in her hand. The two laugh as they hear the door open.

Phillip: Hello friends, my name is Phillip. I'm the lord here and this is my wife Adela.
Adela: More Living people, this is fantastic! I've seen you guys before in my dreams or something.
Eleana: You've seen us in your dreams?
Adela: Indeed. I'm what they call clairvoyant.

Mr. Druskenvald invites the group to stay with them in their own Chateau Claire de Lune, which he claims has over a thousand rooms as the trips aboard The Ghostlight Express only happen once every two weeks.

The party introduce themselves as they meet at the bar. Trick tries to poke Mr. Druskenvald, who takes his cane and lowers Trick's hand. Beau bows to Mr. Druskenvald. Everyone grabs some alcohol ... or milk. Grimm approaches adela and says, "Madam, Grim halverek, science expert of the mortal realm, leading expert. I am pleased to meet your service." Jiwho compliments Adelas cards and she offers everyone a Tarot reading.

🔮🎴 Tarot Readings by Adela

Each card drawn will have a mechanical effect later in the campaign.

🎶 The Songstress

The Songstress
In the corner is a ghostly woman who stares longingly our the window, cigarette in hand.

Beau: "Seat Taken ma'am?"
Ghost: "No" -takes a big drag of her smoke- "All yours."
Beau: "Looks like something's eatin' at you."
Ghost: "Just the fact I never found that perfect song."

Eleana offers her the Jazz record that she had found in the sleeper car but the ghost replies "I have nothing to play it on". The party assure her that they will return with a record player so she can give one final performance.

💤 Doubling back to Long Rest

👻Departing Spirits

• The Mariner:
  "Y'er back again I see", says the Mariner. Jiwho turns the painting so he can see. "Oh. Aye, this here painting" his face washes over with a sense of awe. "Oh it's so beautiful, the sea, at least I was able to see ya one last time. Thank ya friends" The bird squawks "Aye, yes Polly, it do be time to go". The Mariner vanishes into a fog.

• Baggage Car:
  The tiger's ring now sits alone on a wooden crate. Beau slinks the tip of his tail through the ring and feels a tingle.

• Daydreamer:
  In the dining car, the daydreamer continues to stuff his face. Beau tosses the recovered rock on the table. "Oh boy, well!" He picks it up. "Hey, thanks for that. Now I can go tell her how I feel and give her her rock back I guess. It's not time to go face the stone cold truth."He looks at the window with newfound confidence and vanishes.

• Sweetheart:
  Eleana gives the letter she found to Beau. He enters the woman's room, "How are you ma'am, I believe this belongs to you." With tears still running own her face she gasps and reads the letter aloud, "My sweetheart, It pains me to tell you that we will not be able to be together. You see, I've been in a terrible accident and I won't be back home. I love you, Jacob Brawn". She sobs, exclaiming "He's there waiting for me!" and vanishes.

😴 Rest?

That night, the group experiences disturbing dreams. They all see figures: a giant thing made of wood, burning; an alligator smiling with glowing eyes; a tall man with a long nose and no pupils. Upon waking up the group does their morning rituals. Beau examines his ring, Eleana pricks her finger and bleeds into a vial, Jiwho seems to be talking to himself, Trick plays with his cards, Zora prays and Grimm grooms himself. (a very normal group doing very normal things)

The group levels up to level 3

🎵 A Final Song

With one last haint left to free, the party returns to the lounge car, phonograph in hand, ready to fulfill the songstress's last wish. Phillip and Adela are gone but the ghost is in the same spot they left her, puffing on her cigarette. "We found a record player for you" says Eleana. The songstress sings a melancholy tune about her and her lost love, about how great it was for them to be together and how it was just them. She closes her eyes contently as she stops and vanishes into a fog.

Jiwho rummages through the room, leaving empty handed as there is nothing of value. Suddenly, Zora's compass begins to vibrate, the needle pointing ahead to the tender. She shows it to Grimm and the two listen to the door, unable to hear anything above the loud mechanical whirring.

Zora: "Well Big guy, what do you say?"
--intimidate the door--
Grimm: "Stay close behind me."
Zora: "Right behind you"

🚂 The Train Explodes ⚔️

Heat floods out of the tender, the room has a wavering light that shines from the central tank. There is a sickly blue green glow inside. The air vibrates with unnatural energy as faint whispers echo from haunting disembodied voices.

Zora senses undead energy emanating from the space and her compass points to a name stamped on the firebox: Stranger Ferryworks.

Eleana: "The Stranger is the Vagrant, right?"
Beau: "What do you think Grimm?"
Grimm: "This is different"

Suddenly, Zora's shadow contorts, it's neck bending at an unnatural angle.
💥BOOM💥
The tank bursts and branch like tendrils of shadow begin whipping out of the pipes, the floor and windows shattering as the storage tank explodes and the blue green glow turns dark. The train begins to groan as a battle begins. The party fights off the enemies, Zora killing the green girl and Trick landing the final blow on the shadow.
💥BOOM💥
The train lets out an ear splitting blare as it comes to an abrupt and violent stop. As it does, the party is tossed forward and ejected from the tender into the dark of night.

🌙 Crash Landing in the Woods 🌲

The crescent moon that hangs above them is gargantuan, it shines sickly milky colored light on the surrounding forest. It is a haggard visage of a crone that stares down at them with mad eyes, a long bent nose, and a crooked grin. The hair on their arms and necks rise as they feel like they are being watched.

Emerging from the wreckage of The Ghostlight Express are the Druskenvalds and The Vagrant, stunned.

"*Oh boy... that's never happened before. Friends, listen, I need your help one more time. We need to free the locomotive from the roots. We need fuel, only the souls of the dead will suffice. We need six soul cans to get it going. And find any signs of the phantom train hopper."

Eleana tries Wither and Bloom which doesn't work on the roots.
The rest of the party find the scattered soul cans.

The vagrant loads the soul cans and the train groans and lurches to life. The Vagrant is flung from it as the train begins to change, whistling as metal shifts and transforms into a face with curning wicked eyes. It charges the group.

The party fights the train and knocks it prone, nbd, while Jiwho does some crazy temporary hit point thing and Zora smashes it and Grimm rages....

The party watches as within a few minutes the entire train returns to normal, though more ghostly this time. "That was Phenomenal!" says Mr. Druskenvald. The vagrant looks over at the train, "It's back together, oh my goodness..." and he hops back on. "Bad news friends, looks like the Ghostlight Express ain't taking any living passengers in its current state. I'll be sure to come and pick y'all up!"

Phillip, Adella and the party stand there in the forest that's no longer burning. Mr. Druskenvalds says, "well friends I'm very thankful, Wickermoor Village is a few hours away. Why don't i give you all something to thank you" He flips open his suitcase and inside is a collection of objects.

• +1 Weapon (work with the player to determine the weapon)
• +1 Shield
• Bag of Tricks (Gray)
• A snuff box with Dust of Disappearance
• Immovable Rod with goat heads on each end
• Medallion of Thoughts
• Bag of Holding
  Mrs. Druskenvald hands each party member a 25 GP ring.