In Da Beninging

In Da Beninging — Ch 3.2

A centaur heals Nortle with the city’s favorite street drug, the party chases down a thief who’s stolen their treasure, and the only way to claim their “assumed inheritance” — because let’s face it, Xeros will not let this joke die — is to get a makeover… and a tattoo. What should they expect as they step into a secret elevator that drops them into the underbelly of the city? Looking fabulous, and wishing Foulclaw were here.

Chapter / Episode	3.2 — In Da Beninging
Arc	Trinity (the three cities)
GM	Jesse
Date / Duration	2025-06-04 · ~4h55m (gameplay from 00:30:21)
Party	Nortle (Steve), Xeros (Dave), TBD (Chris), Basil (Brin)
Departs	Foulclaw (Jesse’s owlin — off to finish his degree)
Ends on	the descent beneath 40 Lashes to a long-lost gnome: Lashara

Synopsis

Fresh off the Battle of the Bands and clutching an urgent letter from a winged messenger named Herold — “the man in charge of Lashara’s will” — the party limps toward Trinity (the three cities of the Commons, New Old, and ITYS) to claim the city and fortune promised to them in Lashara’s will (“we’re just waiting for her to die,” as Basil so warmly puts it — her being Lashara herself). The road barely gets them to the treeline before a robed centaur, Acheon, emerges to heal the battered Nortle with a glowing veil root — which promptly knocks him unconscious, because the holy Church of ITYS’s miracle medicine is also the region’s most notorious street drug: Purple Filth. It’s the first of many times this session that doing the obviously-bad thing turns out great.

What follows is a masterclass in solving every single problem by throwing money at it. Xeros bribes the party past the Commons gate, distorts twenty gold into a hundred and fifty, and — when a junkie pickpocket from the Radiantons lifts TBD’s Dreamweaver — turns a chase into a riot, flinging coins until a mob of starving beggars runs the thief down for him. The line between Dave and his character, the table notes, “blurs often.” The crew scries the thief, buys his pouch of Purple Filth, and then — because of course they do — snort it overnight, leaving Xeros pathologically suggestible and Basil hallucinating a samurai duel with her own shadow.

The drugs cost them something real, too: Foulclaw, the owlin who’s mentored them since chapter one, takes his headphones back from Xeros — who, drug-suggestible and (for once) trying to help, had pocketed them so the self-indulgent owlin would finally focus — and flies off to finish his degree at ITYS, dropping a single feather as a goodbye (which a tripping Basil experiences as a flying hot dog to the face). High, grieving, and accidentally converted to the Church of ITYS by Nortle’s misfired Suggestion, the party crosses into the gleaming red capital of New Old and follows the letter to a subscription beauty salon called 40 Lashes — a front for the secretive Lashïngs. Between a permanent-tattoo roll-table (nat 1: “mom,” spelled wrong) and a maddening wink-and-wordplay code, the party proves their membership, an Insight check reveals a hidden rune — The Shinnin — glowing over Xeros’s old Ghost Step Tattoo, and a secret elevator drops them into a hidden workshop where a gnome they haven’t seen in a very long time is waiting: Lashara. Full circle.

🎵 Song Recap (rhyming — drop into an AI song generator)

Scheme: AABB verses + chorus. Suggested vibe: scrappy folk-punk hype anthem.

(Verse 1) Back from the Bands with a letter in hand, Three cities of Trinity rose from the land; A centaur with roots that were glowing and green Healed up old Nortle and wiped the screen clean.

(Chorus) Throw the gold, throw the gold, watch the trouble unfold, Down in Commons where the welcome is cold! Snort the Filth, hear it crawl, hear the salon’s secret call — In Da Beninging, we’re here for it all!

(Verse 2) They bribed past the gate with a glittering grin, Then a junkie ran off with the loot they were in; Through the windows and walls and a mob in the street, A hundred poor beggars brought the crook to his feet.

(Verse 3) They cut up the Filth and they breathed it in deep, Xeros went puppet and Basil saw sheep; Foulclaw flew off to go finish his school, Left a feather, a friend, and one last golden rule.

(Chorus)

(Verse 4) At Forty Lashes they were powdered and shined, Learned a wink and a word that the Lashïngs designed; Down a rickety lift to a workshop below — There’s a gnome that they know, and now it’s her show.

(Outro) In Da Beninging… the end is the start — They came for a city, they’re leaving with heart.

📋 Point-by-point breakdown (player catch-up — everything that happened)

1. 00:30:21 · 📖 Recap — Jesse rewinds: the party left the Battle of the Bands, traveled back, fought off a minor kobold ambush, and received an urgent message from the winged messenger Herold (one of the Lashïngs) telling them to find Lashara.
2. 00:32:50 · 🧭 Travel — At dusk the road brings them in sight of Trinity: three cities — run-down the Commons, the red capital New Old, and the holy hill-city ITYS (which keeps a nightfall curfew).
3. 00:34:20 · 🎭 RP — Robed figures forage off the trail. Perception reveals furry, ITYS-blue-robed scholars who recede as a female centaur steps out to size the party up.
4. 00:43:26 · 📖 Lore — The centaur Acheon heals the badly-wounded Nortle with raw Veil Root (“purple filth” in the raw); on a low roll he falls unconscious and hallucinates. She leads the Night Foragers, an order of the Church of ITYS that harvests veil roots by moonlight for the church’s healing potions.
5. 00:57:04 · 🧭 Travel — With ITYS locked down for the night, the party decides to head to the Commons to sleep; Acheon bids them farewell (“May Selûne be with you”) as they haul the unconscious, shrunken Nortle in his shell.
6. 01:04:26 · 🎲 Mechanic — A day of travel earns a stamina check that counts as a short rest; Basil cracks his back with a 60-foot jump.
7. 01:06:45 · 🎭 RP — At the run-down Commons gate, guards inspect Nortle’s shell; Xeros distorts value, turning 20 gold into ~150 to wave the group through toward the Hobo Hoboken inn past skittish locals.
8. 01:17:24 · 📖 Lore — The party flags down Nico, a silver-haired Selûne/Church-of-ITYS healer, who scans them as harmless, wakes the veil-root-poisoned Nortle, lore-dumps on Commons poverty and church welfare, and points them onward: go to ITYS — you might be surprised what you find.
9. 01:37:19 · 🎭 RP — Over mega pepper-jack “shad balls” at the tavern, Perception reveals a pickpocket has lifted TBD’s Dreamweaver and Nortle’s maraca; Nortle’s nat-20 hearing catches the thief slipping out a back window.
10. 01:43:18 · 🎲 Mechanic — The party runs the three-success chase (Dex at disadvantage): TBD dives out the window and gets stuck, Xeros taunts, Nortle slips on cheese-grease, and Basil busts clean through a wall on a nat 24.
11. 01:58:30 · ⚔️ Combat/RP — Xeros whips the destitute locals into a chasing mob while Basil demolishes shanties, until they pin the thief: a sickly, paranoid elf of the Radiantons who speaks only in plural (“we/us”).
12. 02:16:18 · 📖 Lore — TBD spots Purple Filth residue on the captive; an Insight read confirms he’s a brain-fried addict and trafficker, too far gone to bargain with.
13. 02:22:34 · 🎲 Mechanic — They pry three (garbled, GM-flagged) names out of him, Xeros casts Scrying to track him later, trade his freedom for his pouch of Purple Filth (~6 doses), and flee the angry tavern by throwing yet more gold.
14. 02:30:13 · 🎭 RP — Bypassing a brothel, the party crashes at TBD’s obsessive superfan Luis Buddy McBudface’s bunk-house, arm-wrestling for the top bunk before a long rest.
15. 02:39:05 · 📖 Lore — Overnight, Xeros and Basil snort the katana-cut Filth; by morning Xeros is extremely suggestible (obeys any non-self-destructive order) and Basil suffers paranoid samurai hallucinations.
16. 02:49:20 · 🧭 Travel — Still tripping, the party herds an accident-prone girl toward New Old’s gatehouse while Xeros disguises himself as the silver aasimar “Nega Xeros.”
17. 02:52:31 · 🎭 RP — Foulclaw wakes in the tavern and takes his headphones back from Xeros — who, while drug-suggestible, had pocketed them to force the self-indulgent owlin to focus. Foulclaw thanks him for looking out for him and departs the party to finish his degree at ITYS during finals week, dropping a feather as a goodbye token.
18. 03:00:28 · 🎭 RP — Crossing the bridge into New Old, the emotional, drugged-up party falls in with Church of ITYS pilgrims (some converted by Foulclaw back at the Battle of the Bands) — and Nortle’s misfired Suggestion accidentally converts the whole party to the faith.
19. 03:10:55 · 📖 Lore — Jesse lays out New Old: the red, regal craft-and-government capital (“Central”) of Kouréas, ideologically Gog-aligned, in uneasy alliance with the Selûne/Stalune-aligned spiritual city of ITYS.
20. 03:18:00 · 🎲 Mechanic — Driven by a “faith-based compass” craving for more Filth, Xeros bolts at superhuman speed toward the Forbidden Fruits Tavern; the party fails a one-round chase to stop him (passing the curious “40 Lashes” shop) and lets him drink alone.
21. 03:40:00 · 🎭 RP — Nortle, Basil, and TBD enter 40 Lashes — a magical subscription salon of self-operating scissors run by “Not Day” (Nadei) — and meet the crew: orc masseuse Glaba, verse-speaking Velora Mooncomb, gnome barber Snipwick, and tiefling stylist Misty Vale.
22. 03:56:12 · 🎲 Mechanic — The table builds an elaborate d20 quality table for permanent magic tattoos (nat 1 = a misspelled “mom” tramp stamp; nat 20 = a shark-and-bear high-fiving itself over a nuclear blast). The ink sticks:
    • Basil — nat 20: the shark-and-bear-with-nuke, inked discreetly on the back of the scalp (hidden under the hair); also buys the Heartbreaker’s Delight makeover → advantage on the next three Charisma checks/saves.
    • Nortle — rolled 12, which Xeros burns his chapter retcon token to bump to a 17: a shark and bear high-fiving across his two palms (so the “high-five” triggers when his hands meet); magical effect deferred/TBD.
    • TBD — rolled 7: a shark and bear riding a tricycle on the back of his calf.
    • Xeros plays the tattoo artist (hand-tapping “have a cup of tea — hammer this spike!”) and takes no new ink; he already wears the Ghost Step Tattoo.
23. 04:14:20 · 🎭 RP — Across three treatments the party decodes and echoes Nadei’s hidden speech pattern (bolded first/last letters + a confirming wink) to prove they’re Lashïngs; TBD, Nortle, and Basil each crack it, while a sips-drunk Xeros stays oblivious.
24. 04:48:13 · 📖 Lore — Cosmetologists cover Xeros’s black-and-gold; an Insight check reveals a previously hidden rune — The Shinnin — glowing over his attuned Ghost Step Tattoo.
25. 04:48:13 · 🧭 Travel — Nadei whisks the party through a secret speakeasy elevator down to an artificer’s workshop, where a long-lost gnome — Lashara — sits studying among scrolls. The session ends full circle.

Player Characters

Character	Player	Race	Class	Note
Xeros	Dave	Tiefling	Bard	Solves everything with gold and charm; goes full junkie this episode
Nortle	Steve	Tortle	Monk	Healed, drugged, shrunk, and revived; “that’s called character growth”
TBD	Chris	Goliath	Wizard	~10 ft tall; gets stuck in a window; cracks the Lashïngs code
Basil	Brin	Harengon	Fighter	60-foot jumps and wall-demolitions; paranoid samurai on the Filth
Foulclaw	Jesse (NPC)	Owlin	Sorcerer	Mentor since ch1 — departs to finish his degree at ITYS

NPCs

NPC	Role	Note
Herold	Lashïngs messenger	Winged (“owl”) courier; “the man in charge of Lashara’s will” — sent the party to find Lashara
Acheon	Centaur, Night Forager	Heals Nortle with raw veil root; leads the moonlight foragers of the Church of ITYS
Nico	Healer-priestess	Silver-haired Selûne/ITYS healer in the Commons; points the party to ITYS
Nadei	Salon proprietor (“Not Day”)	Flamboyant owner of 40 Lashes; a Lashïngs member who confirms membership by a wink-code
Glaba	Orc masseuse / tattooist	”Surprisingly gentle”; hand-taps the party’s tattoos
Velora Mooncomb	Cosmetologist	Speaks only in verse
Snipwick	Gnome barber	Wild-eyed; works the self-operating scissors
Misty Vale	Tiefling stylist	Handles the makeovers
Luis Buddy McBudface	TBD’s superfan	Crash-pad host in the Commons (real name Luis)
Lashara	Gnome artificer	The party’s long-lost contact; revealed in the basement workshop at session’s end

Factions

Faction	Note
The Lashïngs	Secret society fronted by the 40 Lashes salon; membership proven by Nadei’s wink-and-wordplay code
Night Foragers	Order of the Church of ITYS that harvests veil roots by moonlight for healing potions
Church of ITYS	Dominant faith of Kouréas; runs Commons welfare; the party gets accidentally converted
Radiantons	Guild of robbers and Purple Filth dealers/traffickers; the pickpocket elf is one

🎙️ Notable Moments

00:48:00 — Nortle samples the centaur's healing root like a Costco demo, fails the save, and commits to the bit.

GM: With a seven, you immediately fall unconscious. Nortle: I’m going to maintain eye contact as I fall unconscious.

00:53:05 — The centaur reveals that the church's miracle medicine and the street's worst drug are the same thing.

GM (Acheon): This is why I didn’t want to give it to your friend — people will use this in its raw form for its psychedelic properties. TBD: He’s talking about Purple Filth. GM: Many people refer to it as Purple Filth.

00:59:19 — Asked why they've come to Trinity, the party lays out the entire campaign premise — and Basil lands the closer.

Xeros: See, we inherited a large sum of money and basically an entire city. TBD: Just here to claim it. Basil: We’re just waiting for her to die.

01:24:17 — Trying to wake the magically-healed Nortle, Xeros grabs his tail and winds it like a toy.

Xeros: I’m gonna grab your tail and wind it a couple of times. Nortle: Error. Please input correct passcode.

01:48:48 — The ~10-foot-tall TBD attempts a heroic dive out the tavern window to chase the thief. It does not go heroically.

TBD: I imagine I get stuck in the window, and now I’m trying to wiggle my way out. GM: Yeah — it’s just your butt and your legs kicking around. Basil: Haven’t seen an ass this big my whole life! GM: Check out that cake, man.

02:09:59 — Mid-chase, Xeros flings 20 gold into a poor rabbit family's home the instant they finish grace.

TBD (mother rabbit): …and that’s why you always pay your tithing. Xeros: See what happens when you eat your vegetables? GM: They had literally just said amen, and gold coins fell from this guy.

02:30:13 — After an episode of throwing money at every problem, the table comments on Dave's performance.

Nortle: The line between you and Xeros blurs often. Basil: I really couldn’t have said it better. GM: Dave is a complex character.

02:54:23 — Drug-suggestible Xeros pocketed Foulclaw's headphones to detox him; Foulclaw wakes up.

GM (Foulclaw): Give me my headphones back. Nortle: …He just gave you a Suggestion.

03:06:06 — Nortle absentmindedly casts Suggestion at a crowd of pilgrims and converts the entire party to the Church of ITYS.

Nortle: Why would I tell them to join their church? That seems dumb. Oh no — what have I done?! TBD: You just did! Nortle: Drugs did what Foulclaw never could.

04:23:02 — Xeros hand-taps a tattoo into Nortle, alternating spa-soothing with hammer blows.

Xeros: Have a cup of tea. Pa-dink! Pa-tink! GM: It’s such an abrupt contrast. “Have a cup of tea — HAMMER THIS SPIKE!”

04:52:30 — The secret elevator opens on the workshop beneath the salon, and the cliffhanger lands.

GM: Across the room, sitting at a table studying scrolls and tinkering — you recognize a gnome you have not seen for some time.

🗺️ Locations

Location	Mentioned / Traveled	Note
Trinity	Traveled	The three cities founded right after The Forgotten Hour: Commons, New Old, ITYS
Commons	Traveled	Run-down shantytown city; lax security; the party’s first stop
New Old	Traveled	Red craft-and-government capital of Kouréas; Gog-aligned; built on the ruins of Old Town
ITYS	Mentioned	Holy hill-city; nightfall curfew; pilgrimage destination (next session’s goal)
Hobo Hoboken	Traveled	Inn/tavern in the Commons; site of the theft
40 Lashes	Traveled	Magical salon; a Lashïngs front; the elevator down to Lashara
Forbidden Fruits Tavern	Traveled	”The Applebee’s of Kouréas” — gridded into every city; Xeros’s drinking destination
[[El Cinede	Cinede]]	Mentioned
Pearl	Mentioned	Xeros’s home town; source of imported Tortle Tarot Cards
Old Town	Mentioned	The city destroyed during The Forgotten Hour; New Old built atop its ruins

🎒 Items

Item	Used / Introduced	Note
Veil Root	Introduced	Moonlight-foraged root; the Church of ITYS’s healing ingredient; raw powder = Purple Filth
Purple Filth	Used	Street drug refined from veil root; ties all the way back to ch1; the party snorts ~6 doses
Dreamweaver	Used	TBD’s magic item, stolen by the pickpocket and recovered
Ghost Step Tattoo	Used	Xeros’s chest tattoo (attuned since ch1); hides the newly-revealed rune The Shinnin
Enchanted Ink Tattoo	Introduced	40 Lashes’ permanent magic-tattoo service (500+ gold)
Basil’s tattoo — shark + bear + nuke (nat 20)	Introduced	On the back of Basil’s scalp, hidden under the hair; top-tier roll
Heartbreaker’s Delight	Used (Basil)	Salon makeover → advantage on Basil’s next three Charisma checks/saves (+ the tattoo)
Nortle’s palm tattoos — shark / bear “high-five”	Introduced	One per palm; the high-five triggers when his hands meet (rolled 12 → 17 via Xeros’s retcon token); effect TBD
TBD’s calf tattoo — shark + bear on a tricycle	Introduced	Back of the calf (rolled a 7)
iBard	Introduced	Foulclaw’s crystalline magic music-player (iPod analog)
Tortle Tarot Cards	Mentioned	Nortle’s collectibles from Pearl; he hunts “The Mathematician” (a TMNT/Donatello nod)
Envious Pinot Red / Slothful Amber Ale / Succubus Sweat	Used / Introduced	The Seven Deadly Sips Xeros drinks at the salon — ties to The Forbidden Fruits Orchard / Zen

⛩️ Pantheon & Religion

Power	Mentioned / Seen	Note
ITYS	Seen (church)	“I Told You So” — dominant faith of Kouréas; Foragers, healers, pilgrims, accidental converts
Selûne	Mentioned	Moon goddess; the silver-haired healers are Selûne-coded; Acheon’s farewell blessing
Gog / Goggish	Mentioned	The craft-and-government ideology of New Old (vs ITYS’s spirituality)
Stalune	Mentioned	The spiritual culture/ideology of ITYS (tied to Selûne), vs Goggish

Cliffhanger

A hidden rune — The Shinnin — flares over Xeros’s old Ghost Step Tattoo, and the floor of the salon gives way to a secret elevator. At the bottom: an artificer’s workshop, and the gnome the party has been hunting since the messenger arrived — Lashara. In Da Beninging, indeed.

Transcript

Full cleaned transcript: 250604-ch3.2-in-da-beninging-transcript · bundle on the tedit scratch SSD (250604-ch3.2).

Related

Echoes of ITYS · 250626-ch3.3-to-the-library · Trinity · Commons · New Old · ITYS · The Lashïngs · Lashara · Foulclaw · Purple Filth · Church of ITYS