Night falls and the group return to their sleeping quarters to rest and recuperate. It is not to be and they are woken by screams in the night. Enemies have broken into the Temple, scaled serpent cultists swarm through the darkness and a scaly serpent priest (looking remarkably like a Dragonborn) seeks to flee with both the Key of Time and Artemis’ mother.
Fierce battle is joined. The priest tries to escape but cannot, Assamber freezes him in place and Artemis disarms him of both his prizes. Cultists die in their droves and poisonous weapons find homes in flesh. Ultimately outmatched and bereft of his targets the serpent priest flees. Investigating the shrine they find Diana, handmaiden to the High Priestess sobbing over her corpse. She has been murdered by the serpent priest. Diana is grief stricken and she demands that the Key be returned as the most sacred relic remaining to the Cult.
The group are reluctant to hand it back. It has been stolen once before from the Cult, there is no guarantee they can keep it safe. Diana is insistent. Artemis’ mother comes round and supports her. They still refuse. As he examines the body of the High Priestess Morn finds Diana pressed close against him. Her scent is intoxicating and her words ensnare his mind. “Bring me the Key.”
He cannot resist and easily knocks Artemis to the ground taking the key to Diana. Smiling as she takes it she raises her hands and unleashes fiery death against him hurling him backwards as he recovers from her mental seduction. The Shrine breaks out into violence, Diana reveals herself as the Succubus Sinestra who nearly killed them in Nabonidus’ home. Her Efreet come at her call again and she traps Azhanti and Morn in the small shrine with a wall of fire. Seeking escape she flees outside where she is stopped by Assamber who rugby tackles her to the ground. Again and again they roll backwards and forwards, Assamber clinging on for dear life. Morn destroys the side wall of the temple and they engage the Succubus again. Calling her Efreet to her she tries to immolate her enemies but she cannot overcome them. Finally she falls to Assamber who drives his thumbs into her eyes and freezes her brain solid.
Collapsing in exhaustion, utterly spent they are taken into the tender arms of the Cult. Once again wounds are tended, burns healed and reserves replenished. In the days following the group recover and the Cult makes ready to leave. The journey out of the Oasis is much less eventful than the one into it and as they head to the City the group take a chance to check on one or two things they left behind. They find that Isaac has once again failed to become Chief of Clan Antarion and they wave at all those who told them they would never return from the south.
As they enter the City Artemis refuses to take his mother to the home of Trak’Ar as agreed. Instead he imprisons her in the temple of Mael where they fill in Nabonidus on events. A meeting of the Rebellion leaders is called in the cells beneath the Arena.
The group arrive quickly and find themselves meeting the leadership of the Rebellion. Trak’Ar is there as well and accuses Morn and Nabonidus of being involved in the treason. Tempers flare, voices are raised and many claims made by all sides. Trak’Ar insists on the return of his wife, Artmeis refuses, Morn complains they are shown no respect, Azhanti makes a plea for unity and Antonius is offended by the groups obvious prejudice against Tieflings. Trak’Ar demands Antonius returns his wife or their deal is off and Assamber assents to her removal from the Temple if she wishes it. At an impasse the group leave and matters remain tense between all concerned. Morn tries to smooth things over with his old ally Marat Kesh but it doesn’t seem to help.
As they leave Azhanti receives news, a sorcerous message.
“Najentus has invested the Temple, Nihlil is close to dying, come quickly, bring help.”
*cut scene*
Not far away on the Plains of Cadiz the Dragonborn legion gathers. In the central tent the Warlord Najentus dismisses his officer’s reports of supply trains and weapon stores. Turning he regards the serpentine figure prostrate before him. “You have failed me, the Emperor will be most displeased. Now we will have to take more drastic measures. Go, if you fail again do not bother to return...”
Sunday, 26 October 2008
Session 8: The Key of Time Part 1
Having secured the aid of the Dwarves the group turn their attention to the Kireshi and Artemis’ mother. She is hidden in the Shrouded Oasis, a place of mystery and danger deep within the great salt flats of Gods Fall. Securing more riding lizards they head across the burning sands to a meeting loaded with conflict.
Reaching the edge of the flats they are stopped by a patrol of Kireshi nomads. They have orders to take them to their leader. More trekking across burning hot wasteland brings the group to a small encampment. They are brought before Three, one of the most senior male Kireshi. He has heard about the Bow of Ashura and quizzes them about where they got it and what else they took from the Tomb. Learning of the theft of the Heart he becomes despondent. The Heart was the price demanded by his people to help the Cult of the Eternal defeat the Cabal. Without it there will be a war his people cannot win. With it Ashura, the despotic Emperor of their prehistory will rise and subjugate the continent.
Seeing little hope with either option Three insists that the Bow at least remains. If it enters the Oasis then the Circle of Women will learn of what has happened and chaos will result.
Taking a spare bow for Artemis the group head out into the desert looking for the Oasis, mulling over what Three has told them. Desert crystals are manipulated which show a path to one of the old Temples of the Light. A ritual is enacted but something goes wrong, the Oasis is found but so is a giant worm. The group flee, panicked, into the jungle Oasis almost immediately losing their bearings. A hard trek leads them through the homes of carnivorous apes, through caverns of man eating plants and finally an escape across a hastily completed vine bridge.
They descend into the peaceful island retreat of the Cult of the Eternal battered, bruised and weakened. They are greeted by gentle white robed priestesses of the Eternal who soothe their hurts and feed them sweet fruits of the jungle. Artemis speaks to his mother who tries to convince him that it is her decision to return to Trak’Ar but he cannot accept it.
The group are invited to dine with the High Priestess. More chatter is had and more secrets are revealed. The Cult of the Eternal was betrayed to the Cabal by Althea; Sopias lies bound beneath the Spire and is kept there by sacrifice of the blood of the Centurion King who has been missing for 300 years; Trak’Ar seeks to place his daughter on the throne as Queen; The Cult holds the Key of Time, the only device which can control the great doors to the Spire and the Cult has finally decided to move. They will be coming with the group when they return to the City.
Reaching the edge of the flats they are stopped by a patrol of Kireshi nomads. They have orders to take them to their leader. More trekking across burning hot wasteland brings the group to a small encampment. They are brought before Three, one of the most senior male Kireshi. He has heard about the Bow of Ashura and quizzes them about where they got it and what else they took from the Tomb. Learning of the theft of the Heart he becomes despondent. The Heart was the price demanded by his people to help the Cult of the Eternal defeat the Cabal. Without it there will be a war his people cannot win. With it Ashura, the despotic Emperor of their prehistory will rise and subjugate the continent.
Seeing little hope with either option Three insists that the Bow at least remains. If it enters the Oasis then the Circle of Women will learn of what has happened and chaos will result.
Taking a spare bow for Artemis the group head out into the desert looking for the Oasis, mulling over what Three has told them. Desert crystals are manipulated which show a path to one of the old Temples of the Light. A ritual is enacted but something goes wrong, the Oasis is found but so is a giant worm. The group flee, panicked, into the jungle Oasis almost immediately losing their bearings. A hard trek leads them through the homes of carnivorous apes, through caverns of man eating plants and finally an escape across a hastily completed vine bridge.
They descend into the peaceful island retreat of the Cult of the Eternal battered, bruised and weakened. They are greeted by gentle white robed priestesses of the Eternal who soothe their hurts and feed them sweet fruits of the jungle. Artemis speaks to his mother who tries to convince him that it is her decision to return to Trak’Ar but he cannot accept it.
The group are invited to dine with the High Priestess. More chatter is had and more secrets are revealed. The Cult of the Eternal was betrayed to the Cabal by Althea; Sopias lies bound beneath the Spire and is kept there by sacrifice of the blood of the Centurion King who has been missing for 300 years; Trak’Ar seeks to place his daughter on the throne as Queen; The Cult holds the Key of Time, the only device which can control the great doors to the Spire and the Cult has finally decided to move. They will be coming with the group when they return to the City.
Saturday, 25 October 2008
Session 8: The Key of Time
Having secured the help of the Dwarves out heroes turn their attention to the next task, finding the Shrouded Oasis, home of the Kireshi and refuge for Artemis' mother.
The Oasis is a mystical place, sacred to the Kireshi. It is the last remnant of their Empire, hidden away in the heart of Gods Fall, the burning salt flats they call home. Few travellers have ever ventured there, most are turned away by the Kireshi before they come anywhere close. Those few who have reached the Oasis and returned tell of a land filled with dangerous monsters, murderous vegetation and temples to Gods best forgotten.
Now Artemis must go there, find his mother and return her to the man who raped and abused her...
Sunday, 12 October 2008
Session 7: Discussion
OK, session 7 had a number of excellent points I wanted to touch on briefly.
First, we had the tracker of doom. The group knew that they only had 10 minutes to rescue the dwarves before Paldemar arrived. Before the game I set up 100 poker chips, one for each round in three colours, 50 green, 30 blue and 20 red. If they rescued the dwarves in the green section they could get away scot free. If they dipped into the blue then they must face Paldemar but at a place of their choosing. If they ended up in the red then they faced him somewhere of my choosing. At any point when they still had chips left if they weren't in combat they could run away leaving the dwarves behind.
The idea was to use it as a tension setter, to see time trickling away and also a way to push people to make decisions quickly. Any hesitation or time wasting would result in lost chips. I also used them for the short rest effect. In general I ignore the 5 minute short rest requirement as being pointless, if its a new scene they get their encounter powers back. In this scenario I charged them 10 chips.
Fortunately for them the group blasted their way through like nothing I have seen before. The first room was cleared quickly and they pushed on into the boss. He didnt prove too tough but the battle against the Sorceress was tense as the group were trying to conserve time and not renewing powers. Morn had his best tanking run yet, surrounded by three enemies and Artemis went all Crouching Tiger dancing on the heads of dwarves.
In the end they cleared the place fairly quickly, still just in the green zone. They could have left easily but Assamber was all for killing Paldemar and grabbing a chance at his legacy item. They decided to ambush him in the room he arrives in, a fairly small and cramped area. The trick with the Hat was inspired and I reduced the number of allies he brought with him as a result.
The battle with Paldemar was about as one sided as I have ever seen. The players are down on a lot of healing surges but he cannot get away from Morn and Azhanti. The Void Spectres reduce the players to at wills but all of Paldemar's powers are Ranged and so provoke an AoO. Assamber also gets him trapped in a Bigby's Icy Hand so he cant even relocate somewhere. One level 9 elite and two level 6 normal mobs go down very fast and Assamber claims his legacy item.
I have given it a potentially broken property so its set as a playtest version at the moment. He can chose an encounter power of his level -10 (minimum 1) and make it an at will. Very strong, possibly too strong, time will tell.
The flight through the caves follows our normal pattern of skill challenge for exploration and the players introduce all sorts of interesting elements. Mushrooom forests, underground rivers, ancient lurking evils and the Bridge of Kazad Dum! Morn has been desperate for his Gandalf moment to break a giant stone bridge with the Hammer and now he finally gets his chance.
I give the system yet another twist. Previosuly I have had one sort of penalty for any failed check on the challenge, I now start introducing different penatlies for different skills. Failed athletics result in tumblin cave ins while failed nature checks has swarms of venemous spiders. It works well and is something I will be using in the future.
I also throw out all of my hang ups about appropriate primary skills. Assamber wants to use history to get the dwarves to remember any hidden or secret ways to home. I say yes but the route passes through an area they once imprisoned some lurking undead monster. We agree, the dice hit the table, he fails and the group are now running for their lives from some undead horror.
The session with the dwarves is primarily just played out with the odd diplomacy check to guage some reactions. I drop various hints about events for the Paragon and Epic tier although it isn't anything I havent mentioned previously on our game message boards.
Overall I would rate this session as one of our best. Next week will I think be better, more game reveals and Artemis and his mother finally have a talk thats been coming for many years!
First, we had the tracker of doom. The group knew that they only had 10 minutes to rescue the dwarves before Paldemar arrived. Before the game I set up 100 poker chips, one for each round in three colours, 50 green, 30 blue and 20 red. If they rescued the dwarves in the green section they could get away scot free. If they dipped into the blue then they must face Paldemar but at a place of their choosing. If they ended up in the red then they faced him somewhere of my choosing. At any point when they still had chips left if they weren't in combat they could run away leaving the dwarves behind.
The idea was to use it as a tension setter, to see time trickling away and also a way to push people to make decisions quickly. Any hesitation or time wasting would result in lost chips. I also used them for the short rest effect. In general I ignore the 5 minute short rest requirement as being pointless, if its a new scene they get their encounter powers back. In this scenario I charged them 10 chips.
Fortunately for them the group blasted their way through like nothing I have seen before. The first room was cleared quickly and they pushed on into the boss. He didnt prove too tough but the battle against the Sorceress was tense as the group were trying to conserve time and not renewing powers. Morn had his best tanking run yet, surrounded by three enemies and Artemis went all Crouching Tiger dancing on the heads of dwarves.
In the end they cleared the place fairly quickly, still just in the green zone. They could have left easily but Assamber was all for killing Paldemar and grabbing a chance at his legacy item. They decided to ambush him in the room he arrives in, a fairly small and cramped area. The trick with the Hat was inspired and I reduced the number of allies he brought with him as a result.
The battle with Paldemar was about as one sided as I have ever seen. The players are down on a lot of healing surges but he cannot get away from Morn and Azhanti. The Void Spectres reduce the players to at wills but all of Paldemar's powers are Ranged and so provoke an AoO. Assamber also gets him trapped in a Bigby's Icy Hand so he cant even relocate somewhere. One level 9 elite and two level 6 normal mobs go down very fast and Assamber claims his legacy item.
I have given it a potentially broken property so its set as a playtest version at the moment. He can chose an encounter power of his level -10 (minimum 1) and make it an at will. Very strong, possibly too strong, time will tell.
The flight through the caves follows our normal pattern of skill challenge for exploration and the players introduce all sorts of interesting elements. Mushrooom forests, underground rivers, ancient lurking evils and the Bridge of Kazad Dum! Morn has been desperate for his Gandalf moment to break a giant stone bridge with the Hammer and now he finally gets his chance.
I give the system yet another twist. Previosuly I have had one sort of penalty for any failed check on the challenge, I now start introducing different penatlies for different skills. Failed athletics result in tumblin cave ins while failed nature checks has swarms of venemous spiders. It works well and is something I will be using in the future.
I also throw out all of my hang ups about appropriate primary skills. Assamber wants to use history to get the dwarves to remember any hidden or secret ways to home. I say yes but the route passes through an area they once imprisoned some lurking undead monster. We agree, the dice hit the table, he fails and the group are now running for their lives from some undead horror.
The session with the dwarves is primarily just played out with the odd diplomacy check to guage some reactions. I drop various hints about events for the Paragon and Epic tier although it isn't anything I havent mentioned previously on our game message boards.
Overall I would rate this session as one of our best. Next week will I think be better, more game reveals and Artemis and his mother finally have a talk thats been coming for many years!
Session 7: AP Part 3
Many burly dwarven guards surround them, skin the colour of liquid iron. The grey dwarves are taken away and the group confined in a guard house. After a while they are brought out, their weapons confiscated and then marched into a great cylindrical council chamber. Eight seats sit high above them with only three occupied. Silver, Gold and Bronze dwarves regard them while in the shadows the sounds of more watchers can be heard.
They are quizzed at length about who they are and why they are here. There is much resentment that they have brought the grey dwarves here, they left these Halls long ago and it seems are not welcome back. Morns association with the Unfettered God also seems to cause a bit of a stir but is mollified apparently by his possession of the Hammer. The group make their pitch for help.
Or they would have if Assamber didn’t first ask them to accept their grey kin back. This is cause for more muttering and discontent. Added to the Bonecracker clan they brought with them things look bad. All is not lost however and both Morn and Azhanti show a rare turn of diplomatic skill. The group are dismissed while the Council deliberates.
The next day two members of the Council call to see the group. Master Astronomer Finnest brings them to his observatory, a huge chamber of hanging gantries and giant telescopes. He explains how he spends his time watching the stars, looking for the meaning of events through their movements. He also fills the group in on much of the current difficulties with the dwarven nation.
The giants are long gone, left to fight a chaos army which punched a hole in the sky dome. They tried to wake the Dragons tro fight but it didnt work and so the Giants marched to War, one group to the breach and the other to the lost continent of Xen'Drik. Without their masters to give them direction dwarven society is fracturing. There is no-one left to operate the soul forge and replace dwarves who stop working and no Giant to appoint new Master Crafters when old ones fail.
Some dwarves remain hardline traditionalists believing the giants will return. Others begin to waver, unsure of the future and even more rebel. Some have even left their homes for ever, giving up the Immortality granted by their nearness to the Forge. These are the Grey Dwarves and, having left their people it is said they may never return.
They also meet Master Smith Hortense. He is very interested to learn about the Cabal’s Golems. He does not believe they are dwarf crafted, they are too small and ungainly. He seems reasonably impressed with the group despite their obvious shortcomings as humans. He allows Assamber access to their equipment so he can reforge his old staff and craft the dragonskin he has been carrying around into something useful.
The next day they are called before the Council. The dwarves agree to intervene to deal with the Golem issue. Such creatures should not be in the hands of those who serve Chaos. When the Rebellion starts they will be there to help. The stars will tell them when the time is right. The group are dismissed. They are lead away to a barge which ferries them underground out of the mountains and back into the desert.
Next stop, the Kireshi and Artemis’s meeting with his mother!
*cut scene*
Earthhome, the Chamber of the Ruling Council of Eight. “This is a bad idea, no good will come of it I swear Finnest.”
“The stars have foretold it, there is no doubt in my mind. Hortense agrees, so the will of the Council is decided. Those who were lost have returned. The Soul Forge will burn again and the Stone Dwarves will rise. It is they who will meet the threat of Chaos not us and so we might survive.”
In the distance can be heard the screaming of many voices as molten rock covers flesh and bone.
They are quizzed at length about who they are and why they are here. There is much resentment that they have brought the grey dwarves here, they left these Halls long ago and it seems are not welcome back. Morns association with the Unfettered God also seems to cause a bit of a stir but is mollified apparently by his possession of the Hammer. The group make their pitch for help.
Or they would have if Assamber didn’t first ask them to accept their grey kin back. This is cause for more muttering and discontent. Added to the Bonecracker clan they brought with them things look bad. All is not lost however and both Morn and Azhanti show a rare turn of diplomatic skill. The group are dismissed while the Council deliberates.
The next day two members of the Council call to see the group. Master Astronomer Finnest brings them to his observatory, a huge chamber of hanging gantries and giant telescopes. He explains how he spends his time watching the stars, looking for the meaning of events through their movements. He also fills the group in on much of the current difficulties with the dwarven nation.
The giants are long gone, left to fight a chaos army which punched a hole in the sky dome. They tried to wake the Dragons tro fight but it didnt work and so the Giants marched to War, one group to the breach and the other to the lost continent of Xen'Drik. Without their masters to give them direction dwarven society is fracturing. There is no-one left to operate the soul forge and replace dwarves who stop working and no Giant to appoint new Master Crafters when old ones fail.
Some dwarves remain hardline traditionalists believing the giants will return. Others begin to waver, unsure of the future and even more rebel. Some have even left their homes for ever, giving up the Immortality granted by their nearness to the Forge. These are the Grey Dwarves and, having left their people it is said they may never return.
They also meet Master Smith Hortense. He is very interested to learn about the Cabal’s Golems. He does not believe they are dwarf crafted, they are too small and ungainly. He seems reasonably impressed with the group despite their obvious shortcomings as humans. He allows Assamber access to their equipment so he can reforge his old staff and craft the dragonskin he has been carrying around into something useful.
The next day they are called before the Council. The dwarves agree to intervene to deal with the Golem issue. Such creatures should not be in the hands of those who serve Chaos. When the Rebellion starts they will be there to help. The stars will tell them when the time is right. The group are dismissed. They are lead away to a barge which ferries them underground out of the mountains and back into the desert.
Next stop, the Kireshi and Artemis’s meeting with his mother!
*cut scene*
Earthhome, the Chamber of the Ruling Council of Eight. “This is a bad idea, no good will come of it I swear Finnest.”
“The stars have foretold it, there is no doubt in my mind. Hortense agrees, so the will of the Council is decided. Those who were lost have returned. The Soul Forge will burn again and the Stone Dwarves will rise. It is they who will meet the threat of Chaos not us and so we might survive.”
In the distance can be heard the screaming of many voices as molten rock covers flesh and bone.
Session 7: AP Part 2
Meeting up with Rothaar and the dwarven refugees the group prepares to flee into the under caverns. Paldemar’s apprentices will have rallied the guards and are likely to pursue them, if for no other reason than to recover his Staff. One problem still confronts them, the refugees won’t travel with Rothaar. He is to remain here, punishment for having lead Paldemar to the Bronze Warders years ago.
Morn is having none of this and promptly bullies the lot of them into accepting him. This will be a feature of this session. They flee into the tunnels led by the dwarves who know the way. The journey is not without incident. Cave ins and underground rivers block their way but they push on. Assamber leads them through a field of giant mushrooms with some unpleasant venomous spiders and then past the site of some ancient threat sealed away by the dwarves long ago. Their travels disturb the restless spirit and the group makes a run for it. As they make haste across a narrow bridge leading to the dwarven hold Morn takes his stand against the undead horror. Rebuking it with the power of the Unfettered God he smites the bridge with the Hammer of the Earth Titan barring its progress. As the group run for the doors they can see closing in from many side tunnels is a mass of howling shrieking beast men and their hyena allies.
The doors of the dwarfhold creak open at their approach and two burly guards step out. As the howling mass comes closer they demand to know who they are and why they have brought their “grey” kin with them. They refuse to allow the grey dwarves entry and the Bonecracker beastmen draw ever closer. Losing his temper Morn has another moment and bullies his way inside almost having to drag the dwarves with him. As the great doors slam shut the Bonecrackers throws themselves against them in a futile effort.
They are safe for now.
Morn is having none of this and promptly bullies the lot of them into accepting him. This will be a feature of this session. They flee into the tunnels led by the dwarves who know the way. The journey is not without incident. Cave ins and underground rivers block their way but they push on. Assamber leads them through a field of giant mushrooms with some unpleasant venomous spiders and then past the site of some ancient threat sealed away by the dwarves long ago. Their travels disturb the restless spirit and the group makes a run for it. As they make haste across a narrow bridge leading to the dwarven hold Morn takes his stand against the undead horror. Rebuking it with the power of the Unfettered God he smites the bridge with the Hammer of the Earth Titan barring its progress. As the group run for the doors they can see closing in from many side tunnels is a mass of howling shrieking beast men and their hyena allies.
The doors of the dwarfhold creak open at their approach and two burly guards step out. As the howling mass comes closer they demand to know who they are and why they have brought their “grey” kin with them. They refuse to allow the grey dwarves entry and the Bonecracker beastmen draw ever closer. Losing his temper Morn has another moment and bullies his way inside almost having to drag the dwarves with him. As the great doors slam shut the Bonecrackers throws themselves against them in a futile effort.
They are safe for now.
Session 7: AP Part 1
We played session 7 tonight and had a blast.
Following on from last session the group has cut a bloody swathe through the old dwarven fortress. They push on bursting into the next section expecting to find the guards unawares. They are unpleasantly surprised to find them quite ready, a barricade in place and an ogre brute and some raiders crashing into their flank.
The fight is short, ugly and violent. The guards are routed and the ogre slain but two of their enemies flee further into the complex. Paldemar must be aware of their presence by now and the clock is ticking on his arrival. They push further inside looking for Murklemor’s chamber only to find him waiting with more raiders. Morn and Azhanti form ranks in the doorway which lets the Captain take pot shots at both of them with his sweeping halberd. Azhanti is up and down like a yo-yo but eventually the captain falls. During the battle crossbowmen try to pin them down from behind but are stymied by Assamber and Artemis.
Spending a moment to get their breath they try to decide where to hit next. They have enemies behind them holed up in a guard post and the dwarven slaves ahead of them with Paldemar’s apprentice. Focusing on the goal they push forward. The sorceress is prepared for them and brings her corrupted earth elementals to bear. Artemis gets surrounded but dances away across a slave pit on the heads of the dwarves. Morn has the fight of his life surrounded by multiple enemies but this leaves the others free to focus on the Sorceress. Things are dicey as she warps their perceptions with mind altering magic and sears their flesh with fire and brimstone. Heedless of her servants lives she catches them in her own spells. Things look grim for a while with Artemis near death while being pressed by a guard and Azhanti blind and knocked into a slave pit but they pull through.
They capture the Sorceress and throw her guards to the dwarves. She tries to plead for her life but hesitates at the wrong moment so Morn caves in her skull. A quick bit of investigation reveals the remaining guards have fled. Paldemar will arrive shortly and they must decide what to do, stay and face him or escape with the prisoners. They come up with a cunning plan!
Azhanti dons the Hat of Disguise they found on the doppelganger and uses the speaking stone they found in Murkelmor’s chamber. The others lay about the room spattered with blood and gore. They convince Paldemar that his guards have defeated the group and seized many interesting items. Intrigued Paldemar tells them he will arrive shortly.
The group decide to ambush him and many different locations are considered. Finally they decide on the chamber where he will arrive. Azhanti and Morn take up position inside with Artemis and Assamber in adjoining chambers. In a burst of magic Paldemar arrives but he is not alone, two memory stealing void spectres are with him and they begin to suck minds with gusto. It is all in vain however, Paldemar, trapped in a confined space surrounded by enemies with no room to bring his magic to bear cannot withstand the assault and is soon slain. Assamber takes his Staff as a trophy and the group head off to their rendezvous with Rothaar.
Following on from last session the group has cut a bloody swathe through the old dwarven fortress. They push on bursting into the next section expecting to find the guards unawares. They are unpleasantly surprised to find them quite ready, a barricade in place and an ogre brute and some raiders crashing into their flank.
The fight is short, ugly and violent. The guards are routed and the ogre slain but two of their enemies flee further into the complex. Paldemar must be aware of their presence by now and the clock is ticking on his arrival. They push further inside looking for Murklemor’s chamber only to find him waiting with more raiders. Morn and Azhanti form ranks in the doorway which lets the Captain take pot shots at both of them with his sweeping halberd. Azhanti is up and down like a yo-yo but eventually the captain falls. During the battle crossbowmen try to pin them down from behind but are stymied by Assamber and Artemis.
Spending a moment to get their breath they try to decide where to hit next. They have enemies behind them holed up in a guard post and the dwarven slaves ahead of them with Paldemar’s apprentice. Focusing on the goal they push forward. The sorceress is prepared for them and brings her corrupted earth elementals to bear. Artemis gets surrounded but dances away across a slave pit on the heads of the dwarves. Morn has the fight of his life surrounded by multiple enemies but this leaves the others free to focus on the Sorceress. Things are dicey as she warps their perceptions with mind altering magic and sears their flesh with fire and brimstone. Heedless of her servants lives she catches them in her own spells. Things look grim for a while with Artemis near death while being pressed by a guard and Azhanti blind and knocked into a slave pit but they pull through.
They capture the Sorceress and throw her guards to the dwarves. She tries to plead for her life but hesitates at the wrong moment so Morn caves in her skull. A quick bit of investigation reveals the remaining guards have fled. Paldemar will arrive shortly and they must decide what to do, stay and face him or escape with the prisoners. They come up with a cunning plan!
Azhanti dons the Hat of Disguise they found on the doppelganger and uses the speaking stone they found in Murkelmor’s chamber. The others lay about the room spattered with blood and gore. They convince Paldemar that his guards have defeated the group and seized many interesting items. Intrigued Paldemar tells them he will arrive shortly.
The group decide to ambush him and many different locations are considered. Finally they decide on the chamber where he will arrive. Azhanti and Morn take up position inside with Artemis and Assamber in adjoining chambers. In a burst of magic Paldemar arrives but he is not alone, two memory stealing void spectres are with him and they begin to suck minds with gusto. It is all in vain however, Paldemar, trapped in a confined space surrounded by enemies with no room to bring his magic to bear cannot withstand the assault and is soon slain. Assamber takes his Staff as a trophy and the group head off to their rendezvous with Rothaar.
Thursday, 9 October 2008
Session 7: Masters of Fire and Iron
Whatever the reasons they have attacked the Citadel and made great headway. Two of the forts have fallen apparently with no alert being sounded. Now they plan their assault on the keeps ruler so they can release the slaves. Of course, the clock is actually ticking and Paldemar will arrive perhaps sooner than they expect. If that happens expect everything to go to shit very quickly.
Sunday, 5 October 2008
Session 6: Discussion
So Session 6, how did it go?
Personally I think it was our best session yet with the possible exception of the first. We had lots of interesting bits of character development and interaction together with some highly entertaining and tactical combats. A few key pieces for me:
Azhanti decided to multiclass into Warlock. Mostly this is because he finds the Cleric Utilities wholly underwhelming. He really doesnt need more healing, the group is absolutely dripping with it. The Fey Pact (flavoured to elemental desert spirits) is also very fitting for him. His ultimate goal is to overthrow and ultimately devour his own God and replace him. He is starting to gather allies in the form of disgruntled spirits pushed to the very edge of extinction.
The convincing Udun and the travel through the Badlands was handled as a skill challenge which we have used several times before. I had set up Udun to have some auto success options (offering him food and wine) which Assamber ran with without even realising it. Matt is just a genuinely nice guy and that always come through with his characters. It has created some tension in the past (not KO'ing minions) but its nice to see it pay off occasionally as well.
The section in the Hall was cribbed largely from the Thunderspine Labyrinth module. I have stolen various parts of the setting and the name and added a variety of conflicts between the residents and quests. I also heavily reflavoured a bunch of stuff. I didnt want the Dwarves in charge of the hold so they and the orcs got shifted to various human scum. I also knew something as silly as beard spines would produce only mockery from my group so instead they got little glass vials of acid which worked much better.
The group turned down the chance to help the Tiefling, not really surprising given their feelings on Tieflings. They did decide to take on Rothaars quest to kill his treacherous brother and try to free his people.
The Chewi manouver is one we have used several time before in different games. Its an old one but a classic and the gate guards weren't very bright. Assamber also bluffed like a madman despite not having the skill. The fights throughout the first area were fast and brutal. We had a time limit of 10pm so were motivated but I am continually impressed by the speed of 4e combat, especially for a group not really used to it.
The section in the Great Hall was interesting. Artemis had been scouting ahead and had successfully locked one sleeping guard in his room with some Thievery shennanigans. We have a tendency to introduce stake setting into any game we play and D&D is no different. If he succeeds he gets info on the layout of the upcoming areas. If he fails something bad happens, generally a guard walks in on him or an alarm is raised. His Stealth roll was a 1, miserable failure. He surprised a slave who managed to alert the whole place.
Of course he could have remembered that Udun blessed them when they left allowing each of them one reroll but he didnt...:)
The fight with Rundarr was great fun. Stinking Cloud is very dangerous, as are criticals from magic great axes with the high crit property. Rundar was an elite with 180 HP, he lasted maybe 4 rounds and suffered about three criticals.
We also had our first use of the "stunt point". So far we have had a few people stunting in combat but it can sometimes be difficult, either because different people have different ideas of what should happen or what is cool. I have given each player a "Stunt Point", like an action point. It lets them have a go at some unlikely combat move without an option for sayin "no." It might not work, it might be really difficult, it mgiht be a "yes but" answer but the player gets to choose. They work like action points and encourage players to go for the more dramatic rather than just using a power.
If only Artemis hadnt fluffed his stealth roll the main building might still be blissfully unaware of their presence.
Finally, one of the best things about this session was that we fitted the entire thing into about 4 hours. It didnt flag at any point, everyone got to be invovled and interested even when it wasnt them "on stage" and the pacing was great.
Personally I think it was our best session yet with the possible exception of the first. We had lots of interesting bits of character development and interaction together with some highly entertaining and tactical combats. A few key pieces for me:
Azhanti decided to multiclass into Warlock. Mostly this is because he finds the Cleric Utilities wholly underwhelming. He really doesnt need more healing, the group is absolutely dripping with it. The Fey Pact (flavoured to elemental desert spirits) is also very fitting for him. His ultimate goal is to overthrow and ultimately devour his own God and replace him. He is starting to gather allies in the form of disgruntled spirits pushed to the very edge of extinction.
The convincing Udun and the travel through the Badlands was handled as a skill challenge which we have used several times before. I had set up Udun to have some auto success options (offering him food and wine) which Assamber ran with without even realising it. Matt is just a genuinely nice guy and that always come through with his characters. It has created some tension in the past (not KO'ing minions) but its nice to see it pay off occasionally as well.
The section in the Hall was cribbed largely from the Thunderspine Labyrinth module. I have stolen various parts of the setting and the name and added a variety of conflicts between the residents and quests. I also heavily reflavoured a bunch of stuff. I didnt want the Dwarves in charge of the hold so they and the orcs got shifted to various human scum. I also knew something as silly as beard spines would produce only mockery from my group so instead they got little glass vials of acid which worked much better.
The group turned down the chance to help the Tiefling, not really surprising given their feelings on Tieflings. They did decide to take on Rothaars quest to kill his treacherous brother and try to free his people.
The Chewi manouver is one we have used several time before in different games. Its an old one but a classic and the gate guards weren't very bright. Assamber also bluffed like a madman despite not having the skill. The fights throughout the first area were fast and brutal. We had a time limit of 10pm so were motivated but I am continually impressed by the speed of 4e combat, especially for a group not really used to it.
The section in the Great Hall was interesting. Artemis had been scouting ahead and had successfully locked one sleeping guard in his room with some Thievery shennanigans. We have a tendency to introduce stake setting into any game we play and D&D is no different. If he succeeds he gets info on the layout of the upcoming areas. If he fails something bad happens, generally a guard walks in on him or an alarm is raised. His Stealth roll was a 1, miserable failure. He surprised a slave who managed to alert the whole place.
Of course he could have remembered that Udun blessed them when they left allowing each of them one reroll but he didnt...:)
The fight with Rundarr was great fun. Stinking Cloud is very dangerous, as are criticals from magic great axes with the high crit property. Rundar was an elite with 180 HP, he lasted maybe 4 rounds and suffered about three criticals.
We also had our first use of the "stunt point". So far we have had a few people stunting in combat but it can sometimes be difficult, either because different people have different ideas of what should happen or what is cool. I have given each player a "Stunt Point", like an action point. It lets them have a go at some unlikely combat move without an option for sayin "no." It might not work, it might be really difficult, it mgiht be a "yes but" answer but the player gets to choose. They work like action points and encourage players to go for the more dramatic rather than just using a power.
If only Artemis hadnt fluffed his stealth roll the main building might still be blissfully unaware of their presence.
Finally, one of the best things about this session was that we fitted the entire thing into about 4 hours. It didnt flag at any point, everyone got to be invovled and interested even when it wasnt them "on stage" and the pacing was great.
Session 6: AP Part 3
The group decide to use what has now become known as the “Chewie maneuver.” Assamber disguises himself as one of Paldemar’s apprentices with Azhanti in chains. They hope that will get them inside before anyone realizes the trick. They have a master key for the place and a map provided by Rothaar but they know they can’t have anyone raise the alarm. If Paldemar is alerted then he will arrive in no more than 10 minutes, the time needed to teleport into the complex from his hidden stronghold. If that happens they are probably toast.
Amazingly the gamble works. They bluff their way into the main guard house and Morn disables the alarm gong before they know what’s going on. The fight is short and brutal and none of the guards even get close to escaping. Artemis goes sneaking further into the complex. He finds a guard asleep in one of the barracks and quietly jams the door lock. He also finds the smithy, getting an idea of the layout and who is there.
Another door is kicked in and the combat is again swift and deadly. Assamber freezes their enemies in place and while it looks like the Smith Urvol might cause some pain he eventually has to flee and is cut down. Having cleared out the first gate house they are feeling confident and push on to the Main Hall with what is becoming standard operating procedure. Artemis will scout ahead and the rest follow behind.
Unfortunately it doesn’t work this time. As he heads towards the Great Hall the door opens and a dwarven slave cries out in startled alarm, a tray of noisy crockery crashing to the floor. Rundar and his guards are alerted and battle is quickly joined. Things could go badly but Assamber brings briny death down into the room and Azhanti easily holds off the guards who try to attack them from behind.
The lackeys are disposed of quickly, one tries to run for it but icy death at Assemblers’ hands awaits him. Rundarr finds himself choking in the poisonous cloud and beset on all sides. As he begins to rage he expands growing to the size of a Giant and crushes Morn to the ground. Unfortunately he doesn’t realize that this just makes him madder. Azhanti sets the flame of Vulcan in his heart and the power of the Unfettered God spurs him forward. Rundarr can’t keep him down and Azhanti nearly severs his leg at the knee with a massive critical. Unable to withstand the assault he falls. As he collapses he shrinks, first into the form of Rundarr and then again into a grey hairless creature with bulbous eyes wearing a silver circlet.
Gathering up the circlet the group takes a breather, confidant that no-one knows they are here…
*cut scene*
The face of the Wizard Paldemar appears in the smooth obsidian sphere. “What do you mean intruders, who would dare to challenge me here?” Paling at his master’s anger, Murklemar, Captain of his Guard tries to explain. “They struck viciously and without warning my Lord. If my scout had not come to warn me we when the Great Hall was breached we would not have known until they were upon us.”
“Silence fool. Your incompetence will no longer be tolerated. I will arrive shortly to deal with these matters personally.”
Amazingly the gamble works. They bluff their way into the main guard house and Morn disables the alarm gong before they know what’s going on. The fight is short and brutal and none of the guards even get close to escaping. Artemis goes sneaking further into the complex. He finds a guard asleep in one of the barracks and quietly jams the door lock. He also finds the smithy, getting an idea of the layout and who is there.
Another door is kicked in and the combat is again swift and deadly. Assamber freezes their enemies in place and while it looks like the Smith Urvol might cause some pain he eventually has to flee and is cut down. Having cleared out the first gate house they are feeling confident and push on to the Main Hall with what is becoming standard operating procedure. Artemis will scout ahead and the rest follow behind.
Unfortunately it doesn’t work this time. As he heads towards the Great Hall the door opens and a dwarven slave cries out in startled alarm, a tray of noisy crockery crashing to the floor. Rundar and his guards are alerted and battle is quickly joined. Things could go badly but Assamber brings briny death down into the room and Azhanti easily holds off the guards who try to attack them from behind.
The lackeys are disposed of quickly, one tries to run for it but icy death at Assemblers’ hands awaits him. Rundarr finds himself choking in the poisonous cloud and beset on all sides. As he begins to rage he expands growing to the size of a Giant and crushes Morn to the ground. Unfortunately he doesn’t realize that this just makes him madder. Azhanti sets the flame of Vulcan in his heart and the power of the Unfettered God spurs him forward. Rundarr can’t keep him down and Azhanti nearly severs his leg at the knee with a massive critical. Unable to withstand the assault he falls. As he collapses he shrinks, first into the form of Rundarr and then again into a grey hairless creature with bulbous eyes wearing a silver circlet.
Gathering up the circlet the group takes a breather, confidant that no-one knows they are here…
*cut scene*
The face of the Wizard Paldemar appears in the smooth obsidian sphere. “What do you mean intruders, who would dare to challenge me here?” Paling at his master’s anger, Murklemar, Captain of his Guard tries to explain. “They struck viciously and without warning my Lord. If my scout had not come to warn me we when the Great Hall was breached we would not have known until they were upon us.”
“Silence fool. Your incompetence will no longer be tolerated. I will arrive shortly to deal with these matters personally.”
Session 6 AP: Part 2
Heading into the darkness the group can hear the howls of hyenas behind them and the grinding of metal on metal. The tunnel twists and turns and they descend far into the earth. After what seems like hours it opens into a cavern, light glowing from stones set into the ceiling. The sorcerous light reveals a veritable town, buildings litter the floor haphazardly, a tower is built into one corner and an underground stream spills into the cave and disappears into the rock.
Looking around the group quickly come on Rothaar’s Taproom, the very name they have been told to watch out for. A stockade next to it provides comfort for their riding lizards as they make their way inside the smokiest smelliest dive filled with all the worst sort of people. The group feels right at home and soon intimidate themselves a table in the middle.
Unsurprisingly they attract some attention. The first shock for the group is Rothaar himself, a Dwarf although unlike those they saw in the murals. His skin is grey rather than living metal and he has hair and a beard. Not what they were expecting at all! Artemis tries the direct approach but without success while Azhanti demonstrates unusual tact and secures them a meeting later that night.
Assamber does some scouting of his own and chats away with a down at heel tiefling noble whose family was ousted from the city years ago by the Trak’Ar’s. He happily fills Assamber in on some history. Paldemar came to the city about 30 years ago and allied with the dwarves. He spent time exploring the undercaverns and in time found and took control of the Bronze Warders, giant bronze golems of bull headed men. By some treachery he invaded the dwarven hold and slew many, enslaving the rest. He freed Rothaar although he doesn’t know why. Now Paldemar controls the Hall and allows others to explore the ruins provided he gets first pick of any interesting artifacts.
Which brings things around to the point. The noble wants a group of skilled individuals possessed of discretion to recover an item he recently had confiscated. It is a bronze heart currently in the customs house guarded by Orontor, one of Paldemars apprentices and the ogre Bruug.
The group discusses their options. The tiefling is offering decent cash but they are wealthy enough already. He is also offering a favour from his house but that may not be worth much. Eventually they decide against and instead try and get what information they can from Rothaar. As the tavern empties he comes to talk to them.
The group is keen to learn about how to disable or control Golems. Rothaar claims he can’t help them, they need to go further into the mountains to find his people. He can provide a map but only if they help him. His brother Runthar betrayed their people to Paldemar and now serves as his aide. He wants him dead. If they kill him he will give them the map. If they free his people he will lead them there himself.
Looking around the group quickly come on Rothaar’s Taproom, the very name they have been told to watch out for. A stockade next to it provides comfort for their riding lizards as they make their way inside the smokiest smelliest dive filled with all the worst sort of people. The group feels right at home and soon intimidate themselves a table in the middle.
Unsurprisingly they attract some attention. The first shock for the group is Rothaar himself, a Dwarf although unlike those they saw in the murals. His skin is grey rather than living metal and he has hair and a beard. Not what they were expecting at all! Artemis tries the direct approach but without success while Azhanti demonstrates unusual tact and secures them a meeting later that night.
Assamber does some scouting of his own and chats away with a down at heel tiefling noble whose family was ousted from the city years ago by the Trak’Ar’s. He happily fills Assamber in on some history. Paldemar came to the city about 30 years ago and allied with the dwarves. He spent time exploring the undercaverns and in time found and took control of the Bronze Warders, giant bronze golems of bull headed men. By some treachery he invaded the dwarven hold and slew many, enslaving the rest. He freed Rothaar although he doesn’t know why. Now Paldemar controls the Hall and allows others to explore the ruins provided he gets first pick of any interesting artifacts.
Which brings things around to the point. The noble wants a group of skilled individuals possessed of discretion to recover an item he recently had confiscated. It is a bronze heart currently in the customs house guarded by Orontor, one of Paldemars apprentices and the ogre Bruug.
The group discusses their options. The tiefling is offering decent cash but they are wealthy enough already. He is also offering a favour from his house but that may not be worth much. Eventually they decide against and instead try and get what information they can from Rothaar. As the tavern empties he comes to talk to them.
The group is keen to learn about how to disable or control Golems. Rothaar claims he can’t help them, they need to go further into the mountains to find his people. He can provide a map but only if they help him. His brother Runthar betrayed their people to Paldemar and now serves as his aide. He wants him dead. If they kill him he will give them the map. If they free his people he will lead them there himself.
Session 6: AP Part 1
We played again tonight and I wanted to get the details down while they were still fresh in my mind.
The session opened with the group returning to the Clan Sietch with the body of Agamon, the former chief. His funeral will take a week to complete and they don’t have that long to wait. A new Chief will be chosen after a period of mourning and the group don't consider interfering in the process, a decision which may come back to bite them later.
Before heading South they discuss whether to try and invoke the spirits of the desert to slow the Dragonborn army. If they want to do it then Artemis will need to invoke their aid with the blessing of the witch Sybelle. This will cost him as his family is tainted by its association with the Tieflings. They decide not to and leave things be for now.
They head into the southernmost desert with a Clan Antarion escort. At the very edge of the Pashtun lands they are told of an old hermit, Udun, who lives on the edge of the Badlands who might be able to help them. Many people mutter about how they are mad and their bones will end up bleached by the sun.
Ignoring this sage advice they head out anyways. They find Udun living in a small hut on stilts surrounded by the bones of ancient creatures. He is a stunted and suspicious old shaman but quickly swayed by offers of food and wine. He tells the group of a way through the Badlands to the Forbidden City, a ruined Giant Hold now controlled by the Wizard Paldemar. The name is familiar to some. Paldemar is a former rival of Darius, leader of the Cabal, who was thought to have died in a power play 30 years ago. He warns the group that the City has become a hive of scum and villainy, populated by thieves, murderers, exiles and tomb robbers. He also gives them the name of a man he has heard of there, one Rothaar. He also warns the group of the People of the Rock, twisted bestial humans, one time slaves in the Giant Hold who now infest the Badlands.
As night falls Assamber and Udun talk shop, discussing magic item creation. The group have the hide of the dragon and Assamber is keen to create something from it. He leaves with the very strong impression that Udun is not quite just the mad old hermit that he appears to be.
Azhanti spends the evening meditating in the rocks. His presence attracts many spirits of the area, once desert powers who have been pushed to the very edge of extinction in this blasted wasteland. He opens himself to them and offers them power in return for their aid (Azhanti multiclasses into Feypact Warlock)
Setting off the next day the group head into the Badlands Their directions are generally spot on but some of their exploration isn’t. They disturb a grave ghost of the Beastmen and only just escape their ambush by the skin of their teeth. Fleeing into the mountain pass the pursuing creatures refuse to follow them. As night falls they enter the valley and see the ruined city built into the side of the mountain. The howls of hyena’s greet their arrival and they spur their riding lizards down into the valley and into the bowels of the city escaping their pursuers.
The session opened with the group returning to the Clan Sietch with the body of Agamon, the former chief. His funeral will take a week to complete and they don’t have that long to wait. A new Chief will be chosen after a period of mourning and the group don't consider interfering in the process, a decision which may come back to bite them later.
Before heading South they discuss whether to try and invoke the spirits of the desert to slow the Dragonborn army. If they want to do it then Artemis will need to invoke their aid with the blessing of the witch Sybelle. This will cost him as his family is tainted by its association with the Tieflings. They decide not to and leave things be for now.
They head into the southernmost desert with a Clan Antarion escort. At the very edge of the Pashtun lands they are told of an old hermit, Udun, who lives on the edge of the Badlands who might be able to help them. Many people mutter about how they are mad and their bones will end up bleached by the sun.
Ignoring this sage advice they head out anyways. They find Udun living in a small hut on stilts surrounded by the bones of ancient creatures. He is a stunted and suspicious old shaman but quickly swayed by offers of food and wine. He tells the group of a way through the Badlands to the Forbidden City, a ruined Giant Hold now controlled by the Wizard Paldemar. The name is familiar to some. Paldemar is a former rival of Darius, leader of the Cabal, who was thought to have died in a power play 30 years ago. He warns the group that the City has become a hive of scum and villainy, populated by thieves, murderers, exiles and tomb robbers. He also gives them the name of a man he has heard of there, one Rothaar. He also warns the group of the People of the Rock, twisted bestial humans, one time slaves in the Giant Hold who now infest the Badlands.
As night falls Assamber and Udun talk shop, discussing magic item creation. The group have the hide of the dragon and Assamber is keen to create something from it. He leaves with the very strong impression that Udun is not quite just the mad old hermit that he appears to be.
Azhanti spends the evening meditating in the rocks. His presence attracts many spirits of the area, once desert powers who have been pushed to the very edge of extinction in this blasted wasteland. He opens himself to them and offers them power in return for their aid (Azhanti multiclasses into Feypact Warlock)
Setting off the next day the group head into the Badlands Their directions are generally spot on but some of their exploration isn’t. They disturb a grave ghost of the Beastmen and only just escape their ambush by the skin of their teeth. Fleeing into the mountain pass the pursuing creatures refuse to follow them. As night falls they enter the valley and see the ruined city built into the side of the mountain. The howls of hyena’s greet their arrival and they spur their riding lizards down into the valley and into the bowels of the city escaping their pursuers.
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