Farewell2kings Campaign (Greyhawk CY 576)


Campaign Journals

201 to 238 of 238 << first < prev | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | next > last >>

The experiences of the past day or two have been enlightening, to say the least. I feel a renewed strength and determination to make things right. I have the love of my life back but our party was stricken by another blow. Terranza is to leave our party to fulfill her duties as Baroness of Dorr. With the emotional ride that I have taken as of late this news hits me hard as I consider Terranza to be a very close friend and brave and true companion. We were tent mates before El and I found each other, after all! I can only wish her well and hope that we will meet once again and that we will find her to be happy and successful! She'll have more time for Lars now. I don't doubt that I shall find him to be living in Dorr the next time we happen through! We are also given some interesting news. A monk, a medegian woman, is to take Terranza's place in our group. First no one can take Terranza's place! Second, I will have to keep a close eye on this woman. She's a Medegian and apparently she is a long-time ally of Morningblade.

The next day we teleported to Thassos home in Irongate. Thassos lives in quite a nice style. Aria was so excited by the bath she practically squealed with delight at the sight of it. I have to admit that after the last few days, I am much looking forward to a long relaxing soak.....with El.

Aria has given us some very interesting news. First, she knows who took Drak and she says that the scum from the Styes that brought Drak back for us will release the hold he has on Drak's soul if we can free him from his captors. Apparently he's in some kind of sleep state somewhere. She pleads for us to help Drak. She even threatens to leave the party if we won't help. She's much too close a friend and much to valuable to our cause for us to take her threat lightly. I hope she won't do anything rash. We all say we will on the condition that Drak wants to be helped. I tell her that my first order of business is to find the Archbishop. Nothing takes priority over that. After that, however, if we can find him and he wants to be saved, I'm more than willing to help. She doesn't seem to believe that I will help. I can only assure her that I will, if he wants to be helped. She knows that if Drak makes one wrong move against us that we'll kill him. That doesn't seem to bother her. She thinks that it would be a good way to assure Drak of a proper resurrection this time. I know only too well how her heart aches. She says that her main goal is to keep Drak from spending an eternity in one of the nine hells or where ever it is that Asmodeans go when they die. I believe her. I hope she believes us. The second bit of information she give is quite frightening! She says that the Overking is scrying us and that hsi minions are constantly on our trail. This must be fixed.....and it is! We are able to procure permanent non-detection spells for the entire party! How convenient! Flamora was able to find out through research that the Archbishop of Pontylver is not far from here. Hiding in caves with fire giants! How nice! My hands tingle with the thought of sinking my blades into fire giant hide! We set out in the morning. Obad'Hai protect our path.


The Oathbound stirred a terrible fire spirit within Hellfire Mountain's temple complex and Hanor and Elrohir fell before its fiery blows. After much combat, heroism by all, Thassos dropped the fiendish fire elemental with a spell resistance penetrating coldball, but the arrival of more fire giants forced the Oathbound's retreat via teleportation. Hanor was raised from the dead and Elrohir was re-summoned from Celestia.

Returning a few days later, the Oathbound dimension doored to the kitchen, with everyone clad with "invisibility, superior" and "fly" spells up. A fire giant dropping trash through a hole in the floor was unceremoniously dumped into the molten lava lake below by use of a "grease" and "bigby's grasping hand" spell. His screams of help brought more fire giants into the fray, which Thassos dropped into lava lake below by turning the kitchen floor into mud.

Confronting Beltorius the pit fiend at the spire island, the Oathbound found that the devil had the Archbishop of Pontylver imprisoned in a magical stasis cage. In return for a non-aggression pact between the Oathbound, the Hestmark Republic (the Oathbound could only promise to try) and because Beltorius could not safely keep the Archbishop in custody due to his extraplanar nature, Beltorius turned the Archbishop over to the Oathbound and all violence ceased for the day. A non-aggression pact was also agreed upon between the Oathbound and the Styes and Councilman Thornwell, who was present as well.

The Oathbound teleported to Pontylver and turned the Archbishop, whose cage's nature precluded the need to feed him and prevented his magical detection, over to Governor Morningblade, who asked the Oathbound to keep the cage. A deception was created to make it appear that the Archbishop's cage was still in the dungeons of the mayor's mansion in Pontylver, but his cage was slipped into Aria's portable hole.

Needfest CY577--the Oathbound attend the coronation of Baroness Terranza of Dorr, to celebrate and with great feasting. At the ceremony, Boss Fromm, now the elected Spokesman of the Hestmark, grants land and title to the Oathbound (except Miya) who wanted them, and 25,000gp to those who don't.


Wow. Does this mean "they lived happily ever after?"


It should be noted that part of Beltorius' deal with the PCs included a map of the Overking's prison in Rauxes, where Drak is kept, and the name of a friendly inkeeper in the service of Mephistopheles who would help the PCs hide and give them a base of operations near the demon-infested capital.


Peruhain of Brithondy wrote:
Wow. Does this mean "they lived happily ever after?"

No, I just posted about that. They still need to get Drak out of the Overking's clutches. They're approaching 18th level. I figure another 2-3 gaming sessions, maybe 4. My friend Cory is already preparing his Ptolus campaign as a replacement to mine. After this one ends I won't run another campaign (Savage Tide) for at least a year, maybe more.

Thanks for your interest!


Oh yeah. I forgot about poor old Drak. His soul has been imprisoned for quite some time!


There's lots of stuff going on behind the scenes that the players aren't aware of and I can't post here, obviously. If you want to get the scoop, Peruhain--just e-mail me at farewell2kings (at) gmail (dot) com and you'll get the "behind the scenes look" -- assuming you want that ;)


Tun, tun, tuunnnnnnn!!


Continuance of 11/19/576

After dispensing with the door guard, I fly over to the far door with Mia, and the others. Mia enters, but failed to open the door large enough for her illusionary size and is confronted by three fire giants that didn’t believe her. A fire elemental on the HUGE scale attacks with the giants. Mia teleports back into the entry hall and informs us of the coming fight. I hover up near the ceiling, and hold a spell ready, and we don’t have long to wait. The huge pillar of flame, slightly resembling a bird, burst through the doors. The fight is on, El is dropped, but not before he delays the creature. He provided enough time for Hanor to block the doorway with a stone wall, and let me get a few spells off at the creature.

Flamora and I cast spell after spell to little effect. Luckily she had cast a wall of gears that stopped the fire giants just as they bashed their way through the stone wall. The fire creature did not seem to feel the gears lashing out at it, but those giants surely felt them. hits it a couple of times, but like my spells most wash off the creatures like nothing! Hanor is next to fall, while Mia bashes away in a mad flurry of blows and Silver gets whirling away like a dervish of steel. Down goes Hanor, next Mia is dropped. Prior to Hanor’s demise I cast a strong enhancing enchantment on Silver’s fighting prowess and granting higher damage absorption. It seemed to help a little.

Aria is shooting ice arrows that seem to cause annoyance to the creature, but everything will be needed to stop this thing. Just as it appears that it will take Silver down, my ice ball breaches its magic resistance and destroys the beast.

We quickly gather our dead, and all make contact with my robes waiting for me to teleport us away. I wait, and not for long just as the first of a long line of fire giants burst through the east door of the hall, I launch a mass suggestion at them instructing them to kill the Archbishop. I don’t wait to see if the spell takes affect, I whisk us back to Greyhawk.

11/22/576
After resting, refitting and reviving and recalling the Oathbound is ready to attack the Firegiant lair again. We verify through Hanor’s Devine magic that the Archbishop is still at the volcano and we teleport back in. This time we are invisible thanks to Flamora, and find the entry hall with four giants. I open a dimensional doorway into a kitchen and soon find that there is a trap door that is used for offal by the giants. As the helpful giant was pouring a bucket of slop down the trap, I cast grease under his feet and he slips onto his rather large buttocks! Hanor’s Bigby grasping hand then sends him on his way down and out. He bellowing for help was very amusing, as it brought the other giants from the dining hall to us. They thought the entire thing was an accident, and the fracas began. I couldn’t see what the others were doing, but I checked the floor out and discovered that it was an overhang of stone approximately 200 feet above the lava!

I wait as the giants file into the kitchen, and Hanor seals the doorway with an iron wall I dissolve the stone into mud and watch all of the giants fall to the lava, and at least one didn’t survive the drop!

We head over to a likely looking spire to attempt to locate the Archbishop. We are met at the door by a Pit fiend with Councilman Thornwell. Flanking them are a pair of lava golems. I know that my magic will not be very effective against them, and will have trouble getting through the Pitfiend’s resistances, but I believe I can take Thornwell out. Just as I prepare a spell, the fiend brings out the a golden and heavily enchanted soul cage. Inside is our quarry. A deal is made and we leave with the caged priest.

11/23/576
After returning to Morningblade, we come upon a plan for me to place the archbishop somewhere that he will more than likely not be found, ever! As I am the only person to have mindblank upon myself, my thoughts cannot be read to discern his location. I must not place his location upon parchment, it would only defeat all of our plans and sacrifices.


Miya enters the next chamber and tries to bluff three fire giants. Opps, she tried to sneak in as a fire giant. A true fire giant could not have passed through the opening as small as Miya needed to get through the door. A statue in the room turns into a gargantuan fire elemental. The elemental sends El on his way to the heavens. Hanor shook the earth and the earth swallowed one fire giant. The elemental toasted Miya like a marshmallow. Thassos gave a slushy to the last fire element and cooled his sizzle. We latched on to Thassos’ coattails, literally, and went to Greyhawk. We rested three days. We prepared spells to go back including invisibility which presents a possible situation. We teleported back and then dimension doored to the kitchen disposal. Thassos greased the floor and we started pushing them into the lava below. Then Thassos changes the floor under the fire giants to mud. They fell into the lava. We followed them down. A bell was rung. We approach a spire and a pit fiend comes through the door and brings out the Archbishop in a birdcage with Commander Thornwell standing next to him. We make a deal with the pit fiend, take the archbishop, and teleport to Pontilver and pretended to bury the cage in a dungeon below the Mayor's house. We celebrate and go to Terranza's coronation. Thassos has Commander Thorn in the Butt and his cage. Because of his mind blank spell he thought that he would be able hide Commander Thornwart without anybody finding him. The knowledge can be taken from our minds. Has Thassos thought about somebody getting the information from him without using a spell, the old fashioned way? Hmmm.


Fireseek 1 CY577
The party spent the night at the exclusive Red Griffon Inn outside Dorr. Aria and Silver were awakened by the sound of a distant muffled scream, to find that two shadow giants were trying to assassinate the party. Elrohir is riddled with wounding arrows and Aria is slain, but the shadow giants were defeated. Silver was very happy that she got to kill one of her favored enemies, but chastised Elrohir for slaying the second one and taking away her pleasure of driving her twin swords into another giant’s hide.
Fireseek 2 CY 577
Aria is raised from the dead. Using a “sending” spell, Elrohir contacted the friendly cloud giants that live in the Hestmark Highlands to sell the huge sized weapons and armor that they took off the shadow giants.
Fireseek 6CY577
After returning from the cloud giant settlement, the party spends time in Pontylver researching options for freeing Drak from the Overking’s prison near Carnifand. They found none of the options appealing, nor was an attack on Rauxes feasible. Silver and Elrohir spent 10,000 gp to set up a first class orphanage for the parent-less children of Pontylver who were made orphans by Kerzit’s attack. Their research led to the discovery of the probable location of the swamp lair of Schachzaal, a renowned and feared black dragon that has served in the Overking’s service over the years. The lair was also near Carnifand. That night, the party overheard rumors that a strange ritual was taking place on a ship coming into Pontylver harbor.
Fireseek 7 CY577
While a massive storm raged, the party noticed a ship entering Pontylver’s river harbor. As they watched, a dark cloud engulfed the ship and it could no longer be seen. Thassos determined that it was a Mordenkainen’s Private Sanctum spell. The distant drumming of drums could be heard through the storm. Thassos recognized it as the beating of infernal flesh drums commonly used during summoning rituals. Remembering their agreement of non-aggression with the Asmodeus worshippers in the Styes, mainly Councilman Thornwell, the party, using invisibility, superior as a cover, teleported on to the ship. The wind blew Aria away, but the rest managed to hold on the rigging. A bugbear pirate captain and human pirates were above deck. The drumming came from below. Elrohir tried to approximate the location of the summoning and cast “dimensional lock” below decks. Aria managed to make her way back through the gale force winds, but stayed above decks with Flamora while the rest of the party, still clad by “invisibility, superior” went below decks. There, they found another Styes councilman, Mankosian, and his erinyes servants summoning Nyxthset, a pit fiend. The party did determine that the pit fiend’s intention was only to consecrate a temple to Asmodeus in Pontylver. The party decided that this didn’t warrant an attack on the ship, as the intent apparently was not to attack the Hestmark or cause immediate destruction in Pontylver. The erinyes discovered the party with their “true seeing” ability, but combat was averted as Thassos negotiated and drank wine with Markosian. The pit fiend teleported away to complete whatever mission he had been summoned for, returning a minute later. Before Markosian released him from service, Nyxthset the pit fiend spoke with Thassos about the nature of the demonic influence in Rauxes and the Overking’s influences. Thassos and the party left the “Rabid Dawn” as the ship left the harbor.

Fireseek 10 CY577
Shopping all done and the orphanage construction underway, the party decided to scout out the dragon’s lair and vicinity prior to planning an actual attack on the dragon. They teleported into the swamps near Carnifand and began to look around, the rangers speaking with animals to gather information. The party came upon a troglodyte village several miles from the lair and tried to negotiate with the tribe, but combat ensued when Thassos tried to cast a mental spell on the troglodyte spokesman. The trog spokesman barely got the word out to attack before he found his bones crunched by the rapidly attacking Miya, who used her hard-striking bare handed techniques to stagger the trog spokesman into retreat and It turned out that this tribe of trogs were guards and servants of the black dragon Schachzaal’s draconic family. The combat was short and brutal, as the party dispatched the troglodytes and one of Schachzaal’s family members, a female old black dragon named Fillmaa. Thassos almost mangled the casting of the reality maelstrom that destroyed most of the troglodyte tribe. The wounded dragon tried to fly back into her father’s caves, but was put down by a well placed “finger of death” spell. Flamora prevented the retreat of the tribe’s remaining members by casting a “wall of gears” on the cave mouth. After some interrogation, the surviving trogs scattered into the swamps, consisting mostly of females and young. The party pressed on into the caves, fighting more troglodyte warriors and dispatching the troglodyte chief shaman, riding a warsaddle equipped tyrannosaurus rex, by slamming them both into the ceiling with a “reverse gravity” spell and chopping them to pieces.

The Exchange

Just a note to thank F2K and his gamers for an excellent read. I'm only on the first page, but I've picked up tons of ideas that I'll shamelessly plagiarize for my First Home campaign, which appears to share some of the same political themes as this one.

Thanks again,
Tom


Thomas Austin wrote:

Just a note to thank F2K and his gamers for an excellent read. I'm only on the first page, but I've picked up tons of ideas that I'll shamelessly plagiarize for my First Home campaign, which appears to share some of the same political themes as this one.

Thanks again,
Tom

Cool, thanks!!!


Journal 5 Book 4

It has been awhile since I have had time to write. I passed away during a fight with the Fire Giants but the Oath Bound brought me back, I guess they are not all that bad. We also had to teleport to Greyhawk so we could bring Hanor back. We spend another day preparing to attack the Fire Giants and to bring El'Rohir back.

M

Journal 6 Book 4

We are headed back to find the Archbishop of Pontilver. This time we were invisiable. We met with an ugly creature by the name of Beltarius. He had the Arch Bishop in a strange cage, he was unresponsive. Beltarius stuck a treaty with the Oath Bound and the Hestmark, this treaty included us gaining the control of the Archbishop in that funky cage.
M

Journal 7 Book 4

Now that the Archbishop is disposed of there is nolonger a need for me to be in this adventuring party. I have asked permission from Morning Blade to join the Oath Bound and finish off the Over King. I must admit that I have other reasons to join, one being a pretty good looking magic user.
M

Journal 8 Book 4

We went to Terranza's Coronation in Dorr. She is not half bad, she poked the Archbishop while he was in his cage. That was funny. The coronation was nice and Terranza seemed very happy. She had many friends in the Oath Bound. Boss Fromm has rewarded all of us with land or money, 10,000 gold. I know that I am not supposed to enjoy the rewards of adventuring but 10,000 gold!

M


Wait a second. You posted this campaign journal over two years ago.

Is this the same campaign going on?


Journal 9 Book 4

Well my first night as an Oath Bound party member was very exciting. We were attakced by two Shadow Giants, well I was not attakced but Aria, Silver, and El'Rohir were. They really made some people mad in the past. One of the giants killed Aria before I could help her but she was brought back. I keep trying to catch Thassos' eye but he seems very intent on something.

M

Journal 10 Book 4

We were attacked again last night. A huge ship was preparing to dock in Pontylver. We flew to the ship to check it out, invisable and soundless. We were discovered by some strange looking women but Thassos got us out of a fight, what a talker. I will have some great stories to tell my grandchildren, this one about a pitfiend, scary and smelly. Anyway the Asmodeos church is now consecrated and that is not good.

M

Journal 11 Book 4

We went looking for information on a black dragon. We decided that the best way was to approach the area where the dragon lives and talk to the animals. I have a bad feeling about this but I will only live once.

M


MaxSlasher26 wrote:

Wait a second. You posted this campaign journal over two years ago.

Is this the same campaign going on?

Yep....I thought it would be over by now, but I'm only running this campaign once a month or so.


We know what we have to do and how we have to go about doing it but I just can't help feeling that we are just not starting out right. Our "dealings" with the devil, Beltorius, in order to secure the Archbishop of Pontylver, (one of the more satisfactory dealings with the minions of evil that I have had I must admit!)led us to information about the whereabouts of Drak and the protections that surround the Over-King. I am fully aware that we cannot approach what may be our final quest by knocking on the Over-King's door and asking for the key to the City but, by the Gods, we certainly do not have to approach one of his more dangerous accomplices first!!! It is my feeling that we should "visit" the abominable shrines dedicated to the worship of Hextor now. They need to be destroyed! The ones that are left are regrouping and, as soon as there is order again, the Over-King will regain some of the footing he lost after the Archbishop was taken down. However, where do I find myself? On a journey to kill a dragon!! The dragon I speak of is no youngling! This dragon has been in the service of the Over-King, and several before, for years upon years upon years!! We stand a chance of sustaining heavy losses here if not total loss! What good is it going to do if we die fighting this ancient beast if not even half of what we set out to do is done? Even El and I don't see eye to eye on this matter! We are the strongest group of Hestmark defenders that there is and could do real damage to the forces of the Over-King. I am certainly not afraid to die for my cause! Obad'Hai knows that I will die fighting to make things right here if I must but I feel that this is not the right time to face this beast. I feel, also, that I am alone in my opinion. This black beast will be here long after the Over-King and all his minions have succumbed to whatever fates await them. What will happen to our work should we die here? Will everything that we have done be for naught? I will not desert the Oathbound but I must attempt to make them see. Obad'Hai give me strength!! I fear that convincing my comrades may be one my hardest battles yet.


Fireseek 10 CY577 Silver convinced the party to not press on and leave the dragon for another day. The party decided to travel to Mentrey instead and help take down a Hextorian church they found out was still under siege there. Along the way they were ambushed by some blackspawn marauders, but Thassos finished them all off with a horrid wilting spell.
Fireseek 11 CY 577 Arrive in Mentrey via teleportation and meet with the City watch, which advises that the temple to Hextor was sacked recently but that some of the priests escaped into the dungeons and sewers beneath the city. The party decided to follow up on that lead and walked into an ambush by two death knights and a lich, which managed to sent both Miya and Thassos to to Akuur, the prison layer of the Abyss. The party drove off the lich and destroyed both death knights, but retreated back into the town to discuss and cast “commune” spells.
Fireseek 12CY 577 A rescue mission was to be mounted after the party expended several spells and much effort to do research on where Miya and Thassos were now trapped. But first, they decided to find some new recruits to bolster the party while they finished clearing out the dungeon beneath the Hextor temple in Mentrey, hoping to also find some additional clues as to the location and fate of Miya and Thassos.


farewell2kings wrote:
MaxSlasher26 wrote:

Wait a second. You posted this campaign journal over two years ago.

Is this the same campaign going on?

Yep....I thought it would be over by now, but I'm only running this campaign once a month or so.

Ah, well that somewhat explains it. Even with only one game a month or so, though, you still play one consistent campaign longer than my group ever has.

We're all probably cursed with D&D ADD.

Liberty's Edge

farewell2kings wrote:
MaxSlasher26 wrote:

Wait a second. You posted this campaign journal over two years ago.

Is this the same campaign going on?

Yep....I thought it would be over by now, but I'm only running this campaign once a month or so.

How long are those sessions usually?


10-12 hours.......We start at 1pm and finish around midnight or a bit later. We play every 2 weeks on a Saturday, alternating FR (where I'm a player--see "Journal of Geldren & Rain Holdfast campaign log) with GH.

I also run an Eberron campaign using the GameMastery modules once a week or so for about 3-4 hours, usually on a week day. See the Farewell2kings Eberron Campaign thread....


MaxSlasher26 wrote:

Even with only one game a month or so, though, you still play one consistent campaign longer than my group ever has.

We're all probably cursed with D&D ADD.

My longest campaign so far ran for 8 years. From 1981 to 1989, 1st edition AD&D set in GH, PC's were 13th level when we finished. The last two years we only played 2 or 3 sessions total because we were all in college and/or starting careers/families, etc.

I switched to FR in 1987 when it first came out and was running a weekly (usually--there were periods of several months where we didn't play at all) FR campaign that ran until 1995 (another 8 years). PC's were 13th level as well by the time we finished.

Getting used to the rapid level advancement in 3.5 (which I started running in late 2004) has been one of the biggest adjustments for me. Even though you think this 2 year campaign is long, it really isn't--to me, PCs at 17th level after 2 years of play is "uncharted territory."

I've been blessed with a close circle of friends who are tied to my hometown that still love the game after all the decades. My wife plays (10 years now), my sister in law plays (2 years now) and the other people in the group have been friends of mine for 29 years, 17 years, 16 years and 1 year, respectively.


After Silver rants and raves about not being ready to take on a dragon and that is not our intention when coming to this area, the party decides to destroy Hextor churches and come back to kill the dragon later. As we travel across the country, we are attacked by 15 black spawn, which are reptilian humanoids, a mix of troglodytes and black dragon. Thassos takes them out with a spell “Hoard of Wilting”. We continue on to the town of Mentrey. The church has already been attacked and has glyphs to hold whatever is left inside. The captain of the guard sends us in through the sewers. We walk down a hall, see 2 death knights and a lich. The death knights are destroyed, but the floor falls out of the room with Miya and Thassos disappearing through the mist to the Akuur plane of the Abyss. Much information will need to be gathered to decide what to do next and how to proceed in rescuing our comrades.


Damn! Damn! Damnation and a Bollix upon all! The Abyss sucks!


I managed to convince my comrades to pursue our original quest of taking down the Church of Hextor in Mentrey. Much to our disadvantage, however, we lost Thassos and Miya through a gate to the prison plane of the Abyss. Some in our party believe that had we stayed back and fought the dragon, we might not have lost them. I, however, would rather be in the position that we are in. That is to say that all of us are still alive. It is apparent, with the influx of new members to our group, that the fate of the Hestmark is not as important to the others as it is to El'Rohir and me. We embark now on a journey to attempt to save our friends. Had we not received information that the Church of Hextor is retreating and moving their base of operations I might have an issue with this but, seeing how we may have a bit of a respite from our original goal anyhow, I am looking forward to a bit of a change. A new adventure awaits and it is likely that we may gain information along the way that may help us in our ultimate goal. Either way, I know, that Obad'Hai will guide me along my path safely.


Fireseek 17 CY 577 Arriving in Greyhawk City, the party is met by Brilthor Ironhelm, a veteran dwarven defender from Irongate and a close personal friend of Thassos. Brilthor learned of Thassos’ imprisonment and joined the Oathbound to help free him from his abyssal prison. The party conducted much research into the location of their friends and determined that a portal existed in the demonweb of the Spider Queen Lloth which could take them to the prison plane without becoming prisoners themselves. Unfortunately, their research also revealed that the only known gate to the demonweb was in the Temple of Lloth in the drow city of Erelhei-Cinlu, located deep underneath the Hellfurnaces far to the southwest. The party gathered intelligence on the drow and decided that they might gain access to the temple as they learned that the drow clans were busily engaged in rivalries and that the drow high priestess of Lloth was in disfavor.
Fireseek 25CY577 Blown off course over the Lortmils while trying to windwalk towards the Hellfurnaces, the party engages and defeats a clan of mountain and cave trolls.
Fireseek 28CY577 Arrival at the entrance to the underdark that leads towards Erelhei Cinlu. Soon after entering the dark caves, the party makes contact with a drow merchant, who gives them some basic information on how to reach the City.
Readying 1 CY 577 After passing through a drow checkpoint where the party buys a map of the underdark, the Oathbound drive off a night time ambush by a team of very skilled bugbear bandits led by two drow.
Readying 2 CY577 Spend the night in a drow cavern town in the “Dead Elf” inn. Made contact with Enavra, an elven slave woman kept in the inn by Vestik a bugbear innkeeper who has kept her safe from the drow for almost ten years. While some in the party want to free her, wiser heads prevail and a plan is made to come back and buy her from Vestik if possible.
Readying 5 CY577 Arrive in the drow trade post town of Cereb Aslani, about 10 miles south of the Vault of the Drow. Make contact with drow noble female Oris Aleval, who enlists the party to take out the high priestess of Lloth. Oris arranges a plan to sneak the party into the Fane of Lloth and give them free run for 24 hours so they can destroy the high priestess and her guards, thus giving the constantly bickering drow a chance to put a new high priestess into place.
Readying 6 CY577 The plan back fires a bit, as the party enters the Fane of Lloth, defeating bebilith demons and penetrating the temple complex, where, even though they took grievous damage, the party managed to slay a dozen drow guards and drive off the high priestess and her constructed spider golem wielding four animated mind flayer heads on its claws. The high priestess negotiates with the party and the Oathbound are given a broach and a special “gate” scroll so they can travel to the Demonweb. The high priestess warns them never to return to drow lands. The party arrives in the Demonweb, ready for the next step on their journey to free Miya and Thassos.


Flamora, while in Irongate, meets with an agent that introduces us to Brilthor who is a dwarf fighter and friend of Thassos. We windwalk to the city of Erelhei Cinlu, but a storm hits us at the Kewl Mountains and scatters the party. The ranger is able to spot the party members over time and gather us into a group. The party makes a contingency plan. Silver, while in gaseous form and off course, notices a Troll lair. The party decides to get a practice run of fighting together since we have a new member in our party. We did not surprise the Trolls because we now have a mobile dwarven siege engine with us. We easily defeat the trolls. We continue on and end up at an entrance to a cave. The entrance is littered with junk, graffiti, and dead bodies of various stages of decay. We follow a merchant train trail. We encounter a merchant train consisting of Bugbears, with lizards pulling the carts, and a Drow escort. We question the Drow and let them pass. Me meet another merchant train and was able to purchase a map. During the watch on the first night, we were attacked by 2 drow and 5 bugbears, but the Hound alerted the party to the intruders and they were easily defeated. This encounter was quite profitable because they were heavily armed. We sold the loot to the next merchant we encountered and was able to gather information. It is interesting. The two characters that do the most talking in the party are the ones with the biggest….. weapons. Fortunately, the Drow like a show of strength and this tactic has worked, the abyss maybe different. I tried to bluff, using the airheaded female ploy that is in need of assistance, and the fighters about dropped their plate mail and pissed in it. I know there is less oxygen the higher up, but I thought you had to be in mountains before it affected a person. Also, the cleric must have bad knees or prays too much, since he keeps looking for rugs to buy. Either that or the roles of husband and wife are reversed in that dwelling, since Silver seemed indifferent about the rugs. Hmm, the members of this party are an interesting bunch. But I digress. We passed more merchants uneventfully (and unprofitably, I might add) until we are just outside of Erelhei Cinlu. We reach a big cavern and go to an inn called the Dead Elf Inn. Outside of the inn to greet us, is an elf with a collar around her neck. We all cringe mightily, but understand we have a much greater purpose at the moment. Brilthor gives a platinum bar (worth about a 1000gp) to the barkeep. I doubt that drew undue attention to us. Aria buys the services of the chained elf for the night. She finds out that the barkeep actually is pretty good to her, considering she is a slave in the drow society. Contact is made with Oris Aleval who makes a deal to smuggle us to the temple and to a secret entrance for killing the high priestess, Lolth. She has been hiding in the temple for 10 years. This may prove to be an interesting encounter. We have 24 hours to do this given that Oris’s implied his allies will then invade the temple. We encounter several barriers of alignment, but are able to proceed. After the last barrier we are ambushed by three huge spiders. Next, we come to a room that is engulfed in darkness. The party proceeds into the room. The darkness is lifted to find two dryders and 8 drows as an unfriendly welcoming committee. As we are defeating the drow a giant spider golem construct with mindflayers heads on its feet comes walking down the hall with Lolth on top. El’Rhorir does some mega damage and she disappears and decides to negotiate with the party. She lets us go with a broach and a gate scroll to go to the Demonweb. The parting instructions are to find Laveth, her daughter, to get another gate scroll to proceed to the next level of the Demonweb. We activate the scroll and land in a chamber with many faces undulating from the walls of the cavern. This will make for pleasant dreams.


I am somewhat surprised at our ease of getting through the Templ of Lloth. Making a deal with a Drow Noble to dispose of the High Priestess got us in and we tried to fulfill our end of the bargain. In the end, though, the High Priestess gave us passage to the demon web with our agreement that we would stop our assault on the Temple. We got what we wanted but it won't be a very peaceful meeting if we ever chance to meet up with the Drow Noble, Oris, in the future. We'll have to deal with that if it comes. It will be the same with our plan to rescue the slave in the Dead Elf Inn. My conscience, I'm afraid, will not let me leave that elven girl there, though. Aria, I believe, will want to pursue her rescue as well. Again, we'll cross that bridge when and IF we get to it. We are on the demon web and are now in search of Esperix, a fallen celestial. (I have to say that El'Rohir and Hanor don't look so well here. So far they're doing okay but I'll have to watch them. I feel okay. Maybe Obad'Hai is a little closer than Pelor or Moradin are right now.) Based on the information we received from the Church of Pelor, Esperix will more than likely help us as he or she is trying to redeem him/herself. The other information we have is to beware of Laveth who is Lloth's daughter. Sounds like pretty good advice to me! I think I'll keep my eyes, ears and intuition open and alert on this very strange plane! Little did I know when I left my home, the things I would acheive, the places I would see, the adventures I would face and the love I would find that would make my life complete. I pray to Obad'Hai to keep me safe for it would be a waste and shame to not be able to pass these stories down to my great grandchildren!


Readying 6 CY577 Pushing on into the demonweb, the party battled demonic spiders, horrid swarms and many drow. Interrogating a drow prisoner leads to clues as to the location of the fallen deva Esperix, purportedly held in the Tower of the Yochlol. A bloody assault of the tower followed, with bebilith demons and wand wielding handmaidens causing grievous damage to the party, which eventually penetrated the tower, killed the yochlol and freed Esperix. The movanic deva explained that she was expelled from Celestia for failing to protect a paladin charge during a battle. He was taken to Ortryx, the prison plane and Experix was banned from Celestia until she freed the paladin. Esperix came to the demonweb to follow the same route the party was following, but she was imprisoned by the yochlol and tortured for decades.
Readying 7 CY577 Esperix and the party cut a deal with Laveth to gain the scroll that will gate them to the prison plane in return for the amulet Eclavdra had given the party. Laveth was positively deposed to the party because they destroyed the yochlol fortress, which had been a rival faction to Laveth and a thorn in her side for a long time.


We were able to find Esperix but not before we killed many drow and these very strange demon women(?) that were helping them. Hanor keeps calling them "The Handmaidens of Lloth". Ugly creatures. Uglier even than the giant spiders we keep running into which, incidentally, these handmaidens slightly resemble! Esperix does not seem to trust us. I can imagine that it would be difficult to trust anyone after decades of torture. Apparently she was bait in a trap that Laveth had set. It worked - we came and took out the ugly handmaidens and the drow that were a thorn in Laveth's side. I think that Esperix is going to help us though. She also needs to rescue someone from the prison plane.

I am very intrigued with Esperix. She has silver eyes. The exact same color as mine. I have never met anyone with eyes like mine before. Not even in my own family. My mother says that they run in our family on the female side but in my lifetime I have never met a relative that had them. Esperix says that her eye color (along with her hair color) are a trait among the Movanic Deva which is what she is. I wonder now if that is where the eye color in my own family comes from. From what my mother told me this eye color has popped up in our women for generations. This will definitely be something worth researching when El and I finally settle down.

As always, my thanks to Obad'Hai for guiding us well and my prayers that his guidance will continue.


Readying 8 CY 577 After resting in the now defunct fortress of the yochlol, the party used the special teleportation scroll to enter Ortryx. Surprised to find that the plane was not actually on the Abyss, but on Carceri, the party also found many of their protection spells removed by a magic dispelling effect. Battling through a demodand patrol, the party arrived at the prison of Skullrot, full of insane and wailing prisoners and built out of resin covered fiend skulls and bones. After cutting through the farastu demodands guarding the entrance, the party discovered Miya and Thassos’ bodies floating in vats of brine in a golem lab. Horribly, their faces were stitched on to huge flesh golems, which fought the party while Miya and Thassos spoke with the party from the golem’s faces. Through Thassos, the Oathbound learned that the creature in the cage hanging at the top of the prison had to be defeated to secure escape. The party flew to the top of the prison and confronted its guardians, a demonflesh golem of incredible size and a lichfiend cleric of Graz’zt. After defeating the guardians, the party debated resting before opening the cage holding an angelic looking figure wearing the regal robes of Ivid I of Naelax. When the party opened the cage without resting, the creature immediately teleported across the room and telepathically communicated with the party, believing Rauxes had fallen to the enemies of the Great Kingdom and the party was here to finally undo the evil that had spawned in the Great Kingdom with his, Ivid I’s, ascenscion to become the Demon Prince of Madness. He vowed to avenge his kingdom on the surface world once the party was defeated. The battle was terrible, with party members suffering grievous energy drain and wounds at the hands of mad Ivid I, who shifted from angelic to demonic form to confront the party. Elrohir was slain, but Aria’s arrow firing, aided by a “mind the gap” spell, Flamora casting wall of gears multiple times, Silver slashing at the creature, Elrohir using holy sword before being and Brilthor standing fast in front of the creature and attacking it with his own prison keeper’s adamantine scythe finally brought Ivid I to an end. It turned out that he had traded his own madness for a voluntary imprisonment that was part of a pact that allowed the demonic hordes to enter the Great Kingdom if Ivid I maintained this prison for all the other demon lords who would keep their prisoners here—those who could not be slain, for if they were their allies would just bring them back using a true resurrection spell. When Ivid I fell, the prison fell eerily silent, for the madness on the prisoners was lifed. The party went through the prison and freed all non-fiendish prisoners, leaving the rest of the prisoners behind. They then planeshifted to Celestia.
Readying 14 CY577 After resting on Celestia for several days and using a wish spell to bring Elrohir back to life, the party learned that the Great Kingdom had fallen to confusion, for the demonic hordes that had overrun the realm, especially the Rauxes area, were gone and Ivid V had disappeared. Columns from Nyrond entered the country unmolested, even cheered by the population and regiments of Great Kingdom regulars were seen joining up with their cousins………


This campaign started in February 2005 and we started posting our campaign logs on Paizo's messageboards in April 2005. The campaign is now over. All the PC's are 20th level. We may run some epic level side adventures to continue the storyline in the years to come, as some of my players are very attached to their characters and didn't want the campaign to end.

Thank you Paizo for providing a place for gamers to post their campaign logs. Logging on to Paizo to update my campaign logs has become part of my gaming ritual.

Thanks to those of who have read these rather rough campaign notes and made nice comments about it. We really appreciate that. It was a lot of fun and reconnected me to my favorite campaign world and my early gaming life in many ways. I know I took a lot of liberties with GH canon to finish up this campaign the way I did, but some of you know how I like to ditch 'canon' in order to shape a campaign the way I want it.

This campaign was run almost exclusively with Dungeon magazine adventures which were custom fit for the overall story line of the campaign. I'm going to go over all the notes and write down all the adventures I used to string this campaign together in the next few days.

Thanks to all my players who helped make this campaign successful and entertaining--Jennifer Kilmer, Leslie Turner, Tina White, Carol Sherman, Bruce Campbell and Cory Stone. Next time I DM for this entire group, the Savage Tide will beckon!


Congrats on a job well-done, F2K! Do you get to play Age of Worms, now?


Peruhain of Brithondy wrote:
Congrats on a job well-done, F2K!
Thank you!!!
Peruhain of Brithondy wrote:
Do you get to play Age of Worms, now?

Not quite yet, as the DM that is going to run us through the Age of Worms is still running us through a Waterdeep based FR campaign, which still has some ways to go.

It's been very hard to avoid reading the adventures and not picking up a few spoilers along the way. I do know that if no one else wants to play a cleric, I will play one again and I know that I will have lots more to do than clerics normally would.

As far as this campaign is concerned, I've encouraged my players to post "five year in the future" updates about the fates of their characters after the campaign ended.


Once through the gate, we see a tunnel with a spider and a web. The party seems to be walking within one big hollow spider strand within a humongous web. Next we walk into a swam of spiders. Hanor discerned that Esperix is in the Tower of Yochlol. As we enter a room, we are attached by 14 drow. Two of the drow open a mental box that lets out endless amounts of dreches, which later El Rhoir closes. Then we smush and smush dreches. We killed all the drow but one and questioned that one. In the next room, there is a coffin. El’Rhoir takes off the coffin. Lister is inside; we defeat her and chop off her head. The party decided to follow the drows directions to the Tower of Yochol. We enter a large room with a tower and three huge spiders at the entrance. The tower starts shooting spells at us. I start fireballing the tower. After a few fireballs, it occurs to me that Esperix may be inside. Opps, sure hope, that Esperix took cover. The party defeats the upper levels. We go into the basement to find Esperix in chains and a treasure trove. The daughter of Lolth shows up. Luckily she wanted those handmaidens in the Tower blown to bits. She was thankful and gave up the scroll to the portal. We rested up in the tower.

We go through the portal and end up on Orthyros. We lost all our protective spells. The clerics had summoned a bunch of elementals and they were gone too. We smell the stench of swamps in this plane. Hanor casts a spell to move us closer to the prison. We are on a ridge overlooking a tower. We follow a path to the prison. Seven demondands ( 1 Shator and 6 Frasctue) come down the path and blow a horn. We kill and maim. We fly up to and open the door to 10 more demondands. Esperix flew like a hawk and goes up the stairs. A big ol’ demondand is at the top of the stairs. The bigger they are, the faster they fall. We went into a room that goes up. We check out a couple of levels which are probably the cells on the different levels. El’Rhoir casts “find the path” which leads us to a room with two flesh golems with the heads of Miya and Thassos. After we dispatch the flesh golems, Esperix tells the party that another creature we seek is above. The party assumes that means Drak, a former party member. We move up to the cage to see a creature within wearing the robes of the Great Kingdom. Probably the Overking is within the cage, but the creature look angelic. When we fly up high enough to see into the cage, we are also high enough to see and be seen by two beastie golems and a lyche. Each beastie golems grapples, Aria and Silver respectfully, with its tail. The beastie golem on Silver is just an illusion which she dispels. Bilthor grapples the lyche, pins it, and El’Rhoir pummels him to dust, literally. The golem is a tough bit of meat, but we finally defeat him. El’Rhoir opens the cage and releases the 1st King Ivid. He is quite powerful and almost kicks the party’s butt. I try spell after spell with no effect, so I fall back on my favorite Wall of Gears. He easily makes his saves but does take some damage. With the damage dealt by the party, Aria is able to make the killing blow. The screaming madness of the prisoners quits. The party releases many of the prisoners that maybe allies in freeing the people from the oppression of the Overking. We return to Celestia and meet up with Esperix and the paladin she saved. We rest and heal. The paladin asks who killed Ivid the 1st. He relates that the person who delivers the killing blow will become corrupted with the evil of the Demon Prince of Madness. We return to Greyhawk and find that the curse has been lifted. The armies of the people are able overthrow the minions of the evil Overking. We celebrate, for we are victorious.


From the Journal and Mind of Thassos Silverstaff Archmage of the Ironleague.

Fireseek 11 CY 577

Damn! Damn! And further Damnation!!!

I and Miya are stuck in a literal abyss hole! I knew the dragon was a better deal, but couldn’t convince that damnable ranger of the real benefit of dragon slaying. Oh bollix! How did this happen? Well since my last entry I sort of wiped my memory due to a brilliant plan that I had conjured, he he he, get it? conjured! Oh bollix! I came up with a brilliant plan to dispose of the Archbishop. The Archbishop is no more, and I don’t remember. So it must have worked. I remember him in a cage in my vault, while Hannor and I were having a few ales in my study talking about how to dispose of him. The next thing I am aware of is waking up in my bedroom and he was gone and no one knows where!

After that I wanted to conduct….How long have I been here? The timelessness of it all and the unchanging scenery gives no reference points. I can only determine time by the growth of my beard.

Aghh, this place is wearing on my mind. At least Miya is doing her meditations; which she looks very fetching doing!!!! What a problem to see a beautiful woman feet away, but unable to touch. Our conversations have been very insightful.

Wait! I am doing it again, wandering even in my writings. Let me start afresh.

I was in need of financing to carry out some magical research and creation that I wished to undertake. The attack on the Overking’s black dragon minion would have taken care of the monetary problem. Apparently Silver didn’t believe in the task, and only wished to attack churches of another faith. I guess she didn’t realize that the Hextorians are of the late Archibishop’s powerbase; not the Overking’s. Oh well she effectively convinced half the party, and without all to attack, the point was moot.

I teleported all of us out to Mentrey where we had word of a Hextorian church under siege by the forces of good. When we arrived we entered a typical merchant square, where I purchased some horrid tasting and unidentifiable meat and information. I was able to decipher the location of the church from the meat seller, and gathered the rest of the Oathbound. We headed off and soon located the dilapidated structure. The windows had been blown out, stone crushed and scorch marks decorated the exterior. My Arcane sight detected that the entire structure had been glyphed, warded, and ensorcelled in Abjuration spells. Any attempt to enter would set off a cataclysmic explosion to rival my ex-girlfriend’s emotional outburst when I ended the relationship!

The local guard spotted us and through diplomacy we were directed to the containment garrison captain.

For once I was surprised by El-Rohir. He addressed the Captain and got the point quickly. I was expecting him to be vague and banter about the subject as if this man was a covert operative of the Overking. The Captain plainly gave us our only option.

If we wished to enter to help slay the tougher creatures in the dungeons below the church, he would allow it; although if we died, it was our problem and not his. He also cleared up the issue about what happened with the fall of the church. They attacked the church, slew the acolytes and priests quickly, but only in the public areas. Once the inner sanctums were breached all Abyssal Damnation erupted. Men were torn apart like so much bloody papyrus. Priests from all over with mages and sorcerers jumped into the fray and the siege was set and all upper levels cleared and wards and glyphs were set to prevent the creatures from the dungeons from escaping.

We are given a guide into the sewers and then left to our own devices at the supposed entrance of the dungeons of the church.

We are soon beset by two Death Knights and a Lich, at least that is what I believed them to be. I entered to test my superior Arcane might against the foul creature, but then the floor dropped away and here I am!

By my shavings, I think that 5 days have passed. I am not sure, but Miya and I have had some very good discussions. I have learned a lot about the discipline and dedication that a Monk must go through to practice their art. It is very similar to what a Wizard must put into his art. My perception of Miya’s vocation definitely has risen. It is a shame that either of us cannot break these damnable bone cage bars. My dagger broke while sawing at the floor, I think two days ago?

Fireseek 20 CY 577?

Why does my skin itch? Why do I smell baking muffins with ….. this sucks. Miya, why are you growing fangs? She doesn’t give sensible answers any longer. When I asked her if she knew what the date was she answered that frogs make great dancers!

I think she cannot take confinement well.

Fireseek 11 CY 600
I just found my journal again. It has been 23 years since my capture and imprisonment. Miya had turned into a toadstool. I think that is a monkish ability. At least things changed today. I was taken out of the cage and put into a bath and my face removed. My face was put on a Golem and Miya’s on another. She claimed that she never turned into a toadstool and that I was insane. HA!

Date is unknown, I hate being in this Golem. The screams of the other prisoners though drown out all thoughts except for muffins!

Oh my, my friend Brilthor is here! He must have heard of my plight. Hi there, watch out for Miya she’s gone completely insane and thinks that she’s a toadstool!
Ouch! Yes keep hacking at this creature that has my face!

I am restored! The date is Readying 14 CY577. I am quickly brought up to speed about the party. I use a wish spell to bring El-Rohir back from Celestia and learn that the Overking is missing and all is well in the world of Greyhawk.

Anyone interested in hunting an ancient black dragon?


From the warped mind of the player of Drak'Arath, Thassos, Brilthor.

I would like to say that this was the first time I have had any character reach 20th level. I have been playing since 1980 or somewhere around there and the highest level attained was 15th. He was a dwarven fighter "Brilthor" (sorry I like the name) and he died at the breath of Tiamat as I ran two characters with an assorted group that I had joined for the sole purpose of invading the Hells!

The group I play with now are a great bunch of foul minded wierdos and my hat off to the DM for running the campaign.

SO I plan TPK for them in my campaign, MUWAHAHAHAHAHAHA


Ray'Kal wrote:


SO I plan TPK for them in my campaign, MUWAHAHAHAHAHAHA

At least you're consistent....LOL.....

It was a great ride, this campaign was. Thanks again everyone!!!!


I too had a great time in this campaign. The Character El'Rohir was my first experiment with a Barbarian/Cleric character. He was an amazingly well balanced character. I ran him to 4th level Barbarian and up to 16th level cleric. Along the way, he obtained half -celestial status.

The idea behind this guy was to create a warrior-priest outside the paladin mode. All of his feats were warrior feats. His clerical abilities were used primarily to enhance his (and the party's) fighting ability. Of course, later on at very high level, the other warriors in the group outstripped him in ability a bit (but, he always remained an extremely effective fighter type) and he began behaving more "clerical" near the end.

I enjoyed playing this class combination a lot and would like to try other variants of it in the future.

The side plot romance between him a Silver was also a huge plus in this campaign. I enjoy such detail as a player (and heavily encourage it as a DM). At some point we will be posting a joint post (Silver and El'Rohir) about their future plans and what they set up on their estate and other things for those interested in seeing such stuff.

This gaming group is the best I have been involved in. The fact that our group has a majority of women playing has created a very enjoyable and different player dynamic than games I have been a part of in the past. And the fact that they are all my closest friends makes a real difference as well. Conflicts are solved with greater ease and we seem to have a hard time staying really mad at each other for very long. That makes coming together to play a really enjoyable experience. Not to mention that our two DM's that have been running things for the past few years are both smart and very talented...

Even when we waste a bunch of time and do more chit chatting than real gaming, the time is still well spent... I will begin DMing my Ptolus/Mungo campaign in January 2008 with this same group. I can only hope to begin to be half as good as our departing DM (who will now just be a player in both campaigns).

My thanks to everyone involved.

201 to 238 of 238 << first < prev | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | next > last >>
Community / Forums / Gamer Life / Gaming / Campaign Journals / Farewell2kings Campaign (Greyhawk CY 576) All Messageboards

Want to post a reply? Sign in.
Recent threads in Campaign Journals