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We finally started Way of the Wicked this weekend after much anticipation and I've decided to journal the group's progress - in part because I love sharing the tales of our adventures with anyone who will listen and in part to serve as source material for others who might be interested in running the campaign. Obviously there will be plenty of spoilers throughout, and I will try to make a special note of things that I've changed when the group encounters them as well as why.
Our party will be four in number with the possibility of an occasional add-on by temporary players though that is more unlikely in this particular AP than in others we've run in the path. I list the characters, their full builds as they are intended to be as well as backgrouunds and motivations for each below.
Also, in the interest of full disclosure, I'm going to outline a listing of the pertinent house rules we have adopted to avoid any confusion. They are as follows:
Weapon Finesse
Spell Resistance
Actions
Make 3 swift actions.
Make 2 swift actions and 1 move action.
Make 2 swift actions and 1 standard action.
Make 1 swift action and 2 move actions.
Make 1 swift action, 1 move action and 1 standard action.
Make 1 swift action and a full round/attack action.
Also, a character gets 1 immediate action per round when it is not his turn (assuming there is opportunity for one) but this does not count against the number of actions he normally takes on his turn. Finally, Quickened spells are reduced from standard actions to move actions and only spells that can be cast as standard actions are eligible for the feat to be applied.
Summoners (Included since we have a Summoner in the group)
Magic Items and WBL
In place of the traditional cure wounds potions and wands, there is a universally available (but very expensive) healing potion (referred to as 'healing draughts'). Drinking half of one will cure a number of hit points equal to your Constitution mod (minimum 1) x your character level and provide a +4 bonus to saves vs. poison and disease for the next hour. Drinking a full one completely heals the character in question and also neutralizes any poisons and cures any diseases.
Now, with that out of the way, I'm going to post the character builds and after that begin our campaign journal for this very unique adventure path. Please, now and always, feel free to comment on anything and everything, whether its to critique, ask questions or offer advice.
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There are four primary PC's that will be playing in this game. As a group, we generally pre-build our characters but everything is of course subject to change and those builds are listed below. Also, I'm not a very big fan of 1st level adventuring - its usually over quickly anyway and there is far too great a chance for getting one-shotted - so instead I often use 1st level to run some sort of brief prelude solo adventure for each character to help establish their background which is what I did here. They start in Branderscar at 2nd level in Branderscar. I also don't normally keep track of XP, but rather advance them to a new level at the appropriate time; this kind of flexibility allows me to control the pace of my game and to put in side quests or encounters as I like without disrupting the normal flow of the AP.
The characters were built using a 25 point buy as recommended by the authors. They start out with two 'Crime' traits (the benefits of which I allow to stack when applicable) and later earn a third, standard trait as the result of training under Thorne.
Characters:
Narcissa, Lawful Evil Human Master Summoner
Narcissa is a life-long devotee of Asmodeus who's talents and abilities lie apart from his traditional clergy. She believes herself favored of the Dark Lord as in times of need he has sent fiendish beasts - hounds and shrikes (eagles) - to defend her. Now she has learned to summon such creatures so that they will come when she calls and hopes one day to be summon and command devils as well. She has come to Talingarde after hearing of the great Purge, hoping to find hidden cults lingering still in the shadows, sensing a great opportunity to prove herself to Asmodeus in the face of this persecution# Her initial forays were met with failure however, as she was captured by the Talingarde clergy. She managed to escape with the aid of a solider whom had become smitten with her only to be captured again by the Knight Sir Balin and now she is imprisoned, awaiting death by burning, keeping her faith and awaiting for some sign from the Dark Lord that he has not abandoned her.
Narcissa herself is a devilishly attractive woman with a sleek body she always artfully displays in trendy but provocative fashion and does not hesitate to use to her advantage. Her face on the other hand bears numerous scars which robs her of any true beauty, but she keeps herself carefully veiled at all times, even with rags if need be.
Focused Study
Attributes:
STR - 8
DEX - 14
CON - 12
INT - 14
WIS - 12
CHA - 17 (+2 racial bonus, +1 at 4th, 8th, 12th, 16th & 20th level)
Feats:
1st - Extra Summoning
1st - Skill Focus: Religion
2nd - Augment Summoning
3rd - Superior Summoning
5th - Extra Summoning
7th - Improved Initiative
8th - Skill Focus: Knowledge (Planes)
9th - Eldritch Heritage: Infernal (Corrupting Touch)
11th - Extra Summoning
13th - Improved Eldritch Heritage: Infernal (Infernal Resistances, Fire & Poison)
15th - Extra Summoning
16th - Skill Focus: Knowledge (Arcana)
17th - Greater Eldritch Heritage: Infernal #Added Summonings, Fiendish & Devil)
19th - Quicken Spell
Skills: (5 ranks/level)
Diplomacy - 1 rank/level
Intimidate - 1 rank/level
Knowledge: Arcana - 1 rank/level
Knowledge: Planes - 1 rank/level
Knowledge: Religion - 1 rank/level
Crimes:
Blasphemy (+2 Knowldge: Religion, Religion is a class skill)
Consorting with Dark Powers (+1 Knowledge: Planes, +1 Knowledge: Arcana)
Trait:
Focsed Mind (+2 Concentration checks)
Notes: By GM fiat, I altered the normal Infernal Bloodline to allow Added Summonings instead of On Dark Wings, similar to what the Abyssal bloodline offers except with Devils and Fiendish creatures only. The PC in turn intends to summon only Devils and Fiendish creatures, limiting the versatility of her Summoning ability.
Daemar, Neutral Evil Urban Barbarian & Invulnerable Rager
Daemar was a soldier in the Talingarde army. Respected as a gifted warrior, but a bit of a brute with a bit of a temper. He excelled in training but in his brief stint was never considered seriously for advancement which suited him fine. He had joined looking for something, anything to capture his vagrant attention, to give him a purpose, and the prim and proper Taingarde army was just as insipid and uninspiring as the prim and proper Talingarde citizenry. They were sheep, and his thinnly veiled contempt for them all could be sensed by anyone who spent time with him.
He encountered the woman Narcissa when she was imprisoned, serving as he was on guard duty for what was widely considered the most menial of assignments. He became instantly enraptured with her exoticism, with her certainty and devotion to a thing everyone around her seemed to fear. Almost immediately, despite her chains, he felt she was destined fro greatness and wanted to be a part of it. She seduced him with words, with ideas and with her body, and he consumed each in turn with equal ardor. He helped her escape and the two of them fled, evading capture for almost two weeks before Sir Balin tracked them down. He has joined her now in the dungeons, sentenced to be hung for Desertion and High Treason but even now he looks for an opportunity to escape.
Heart of the Fields alternate racial trait, Human favored class option for Barbarians
Attributes:
STR - 16 (+2 racial bonus, +1 at 4th, 8th, 12th, 16th & 20th level)
DEX - 14
CON - 14
INT - 14
WIS - 12
CHA - 8
Feats & Rage Powers:
1st - Combat Expertise
1st - Power Attack
2nd - Superstition
3rd - Combat Reflexes
4th - Lesser Beast Totem
5th - Stalwart
5th - Diehard
5th - Endurance
7th - Deadly Aim
7th - Reckless Abandon
9th - Extra RP: Extra DR
9th - Beast Totem
11th - Improved Stalwart
11th - Greater Beast Totem
13th - Dazing Assault
13th - Come and Get Me
15th - Extra RP: Extra DR
15th - Extra DR
17th - Extra RP: Flesh Wound
17th - Witch Hunter
19th - Extra RP: Eater of Magic
19th - Strength Surge
20th - Improved Initiative
Skills: (6 ranks/level, 4 ranks/level @ 5th & 20th)
Climb - 1 rank/odd level
Swim - 1 rank/even level
Handle Animal - 1 rank @ 1st
Ride - 1 rank/level after 1st
Stealth - 1 rank/level except 5th & 20th
Perception - 1 rank/level except 5th & 20th
Survival - 1 rank/level
Knowledge: Nature - 1 rank/odd level
Knowledge: Geography - 1 rank/even level
Profession: Soldier - 1 rank/level + 1/2 character levels
Crimes:
Desertion (bonus skill - Profession: Soldier)
High Treason (+1 Will saves)
Traits:
Threatening Defender (reduce Combat Expertise penalties by 1)
Guile, Lawful Evil Human Knife Master
Guile is a truly twisted individual. He is by nature a con man, capable of gaining the trust of another and using that trust to enrich himself. He's also skilled at getting in and out of places unseen and has a quick wit, able to think on his feet and adapt almost instantly to changes in circumstance. He's also unfortunately a lecher and a compulsive killer of women. He becomes fascinated with a particular woman to the point of obsession, an obsession that will not go away until he has bedded her and claimed her life. It is that twisted obsession that has led to his skill with and fondness for knives.
Guile was captured purely by chance, when a captain of the guard came home and found him cleaning up after excising his demons with the captain's wife. The man almost killed him, would have, had not two other soldiers been present to pull him off. Now he's been linked to several other murders and is imprisoned, awaiting execution by beheading. Despite his charm, the man is cold-blooded and utterly ruthless, a true sociopath, and even his impending death troubles him only because it means an end to his perverse and murderous activities. Deep down he believes that his own death should come at the hands of one of his obsessions and that only then will he know that she was his one true love.
Focused Study, Human favored class option for Rogues
Attributes:
STR - 12
DEX - 16 (+2 racial bonus, +1 at 4th, 8th, 12th, 16th & 20th level)
CON - 14
INT - 14
WIS - 8
CHA - 14
Feats & Rogue Talents:
1st - Combat Expertise
1st - Skill Focus: Bluff
2nd - Weapon Training: Knife/Dagger
3rd - Two-Weapon Fighting
4th - Combat Trick: Two Weapon Feint
5th - Quickdraw
7th - Offensive Defense
7th - Underhanded
7th - Improved Initiative
8th - Skill Focus: Stealth
9th - Improved Two Weapon Fighting
9th - Bleeding Attack
11th - Hunter’s Surprise
11th - Improved Two-Weapon Feint
13th - Opportunist
13th - Hard to Fool
13th - Improved Critical: Knife/Dagger
15th - Iron Will
15th - Critical Focus
16th - Greater Two Weapon Fighting
16th - Skill Focus: Acrobatics
17th - Bleeding Critical
18th - Weapon Specialization: Dagger/Knife
19th - Undecided
19th - Undecided
Skills: (11 ranks/level)
Acrobatics - 1 rank/level
Appraise - 1 rank/even level
Bluff - 1 rank/level
Climb - 1 rank/level
Disable Device - 1 rank/level
Disguise - 1 rank/level
Escape Artist - 1 rank/level
Knowledge: Local - 1 rank/level
Perception - 1 rank/level
Sleight of Hand - 1 rank/level
Stealth - 1 rank/level
Swim - 1 rank/odd level
Crimes:
Murder (+1 damage when flanking)
Murder (+1 damage when flanking)
Traits:
Dirty Fighter (+1 damage when flanking)
Notes: The level of Assassin comes at 6th and the levels of Weapon Master come at 15th - 18th.
Balthazar, Neutral Dwarven Evangelist (Madness)
Balthazar was a miner by trade, one who often went on delves that might last weeks before he surfaced once more, always having found a new vein of ore. One dark day he delved too deeply and was captured by the minions of an aboleth who made its lair deep beneath the earth. There he kept as a slave for months, subjected to maddening tortures for the creatures' own incomprehensible purposes. Balthazar managed to escape, fleeing not just the abberation's lair but the very mines he had called home, running, always running, seeking to get as far as possible from the visions of his captivity, seeking the surface where he imagined he would finally know peace... and as he emerged from the deep lands for the first time ever, he looked up and out at the infinite black of the night sky - the very place his captors had sojourned from. It was everywhere, touching everything and seemed to swallow him whole with its impossible immensity. It broke his mind, shattered his sanity and left him convined of the inevitable destruction of this world at the hands of his former masters.
The ultimate wild card, Balthazar is not a Cleric in the traditional sense, in that he worships a particular deity. Instead he is a herald of doom for the Old Ones, prophecying their coming, their dominion with an at times crazed fanatacism and other times left to dark and brooding mutters. His words, his very presence has an almost palpable madness to it though he seems to find both lucidity and comfort in strong drink. In his mind, everyone he sees is dead or subjugated already allowing him to be utterly indifferent to the fate of an individual. He searches for some answer, for some refuge - if not in this life, than in the next. In the meantime, his madness gives him remarkable insight at times and infects others with visions that do the same.
He has been a vagrant for a very long time, insensible when drunk and a mad beggar when not. Finally he was taken into custody for preaching doom on the steps of a temple to Mitra, and he eacted savagely when confronted, badly injuring two guardsmen before they could get him into chains. He faces charges of Heresy and Desecration, and is sentenced to death by burning.
Dwarven Favored class option, Minesight, Craftsman, Deep Warrior
Attributes:
STR - 16
DEX - 12
CON - 14 (+2 racial modifier)
INT - 12
WIS - 16 (+2 racial bonus, +1 at 4th, 8th, 12th, 16th & 20th level)
CHA - 7 (-2 racial modifier)
Feats:
1st - Power Attack
3rd - Lingering Performance
5th - Furious Focus
7th - Spell Focus: Necromancy
9th - Spell Focus: Enchantment
11th - Discordant Voice
13th - Quicken Spell
15th - Greater Spell Focus: Necromancy
17th - Greater Spell Focus: Enchantment
19th - Undecided
Skills: (3 ranks/level, 5 ranks @ 1st & 2nd)
Profession: Miner - 1 @ 1st level
Knowledge: Dungeoneering - 1 @ 1st level
Perform: Oratory - 1 @ 2nd - 20th level
Survival - 1 @ 2nd
Perception - 1 rank/level
Sense Motive - 1 rank/level
Crimes:
Heresy (+1 saves vs. divine spells)
Desecration (+1 saves vs. divine spells)
Traits:
Berserker of the Society (+3 rounds of Rage)
Notes: The first two levels are that of Barbarian, the Cleric levels following after that.
Session one took place this past weekend - sessions one and two actually as we kicked the AP off with two nights of marathon gaming. Thus far its a rousing success as the players flex their muscle and get their mind around exactly what being evil means to them. In fair warning, we as a group generally tend to play fairly mature games and do not shy away from adult themes at all - which was one of the reasons this AP was of interest to us.
Way of the Wicked, Knot of Thorns - Act I: 'Prison Break'
A whispered conversation between she and Daemar is overheard by Guile and the three investigate the veil, producing the daggers and the thieve's tools which Guile is able to use successfully to free them of their bonds. They then provoke Balthazar to go on one of his rants which eventually draws the guard into the cell to gag him. Guile chooses then to strike, unexpectedly stabbing and killing the guardsman while Narcissa Dazes the other and Daemar rushes him before he can blow his horn. The bodies of the two guards are stripped and drug into the cells out of obvious sight while Narcissa speaks with Grumblejack, offering him his freedom if he will abide by their commands at least until free.
The group proceeds downstairs where they use the veil's window to open a way into the kitchens rather than exit into the Great Hall - there they surprise the servants, questioning Gregor closely while Irena was held under threat before binding and gagging them both. The mess hall is investigated and the soldiers in the barracks surprised and killed before bursting out on the lone guard in the Great Hall. From there they investigate the rest of the keep proper, not bothering with the locked doors to the armory due to it being out in the open but picking the lock to the storeroom and searching Blackerly's office where Balthazar's Dorn Dergar has been hung up as a trophy of sorts. There the map is recovered and a plan begins to formulate. Using the side door from the kitchen, Guile slips out and does a brief circuit of the keep under the guise of a guardsman visiting the garderobe, looking in on the Tower's bottom floor before returning. The strong box from under Blackerly's bed is taken and given to Grumblejack to carry while Daemar and Guile loot the storeroom of a keg of lamp oil and some torches. Emerging disguised in armor and gear taken from the guardsmen, they sneak over to the tower and set its bottom two floors ablaze before returning to the kitchens. There the group waits for the cry to ring out - Narcissa summons a pack of fiendish hounds to provide the group an escort and, using the distraction of the burning tower, they make a break for the main gates.
The plan is largely successful. Two guards are surprised at the main gate but are slain by Daemar, Guile and Balthazar. Another guard is encountered and slain at the guardhouse at the end of the bridge but there is no immediate pursuit and the PC's are able to disappear into the marsh with dawn still hours away. From there it is a two hour plod to the Old Moor Road and then to the manor house, the trip broken only by the ambush of a massive toad who unsuccessfully attempted to swallow Balthazar whole before being driven off. The sun is just beginning to brighten the sky when they are met at the manor's door by Tiadora.
[GM's note: I decided early on that any reasonable plan put together by the PC's was going to work since its pretty much a requirement that they escape for the AP to even get off the ground. Still, the way things worked out the escape was quite exciting, with players certain they were being pursued the entire time. I extended their time in the marshes a bit despite having the map, forcing them to make Survival checks and figuring the time it would take for a dwarf to slog a reasonable distance away from the prison to be more than an hour.]
Way of the Wicked, Knot of Thorns - Act II: 'Into the Knot'
Thorne himself is away for three days during which time the PC's encounter the other knot. Narcissa and Elise take a liking to one another while Daemar and Trak develop an instant enmity. Guile and Trik interact coolly, sensing kindred spirits but feeling no kinship while Balthazar and Dostan become solemn drinking cohorts. During this time the PC's reach 3rd level. They also pillage Blackerly's strongbox and divide the loot found there, with Balthazar content to keep the liquor. Grumblejack is considered a servant or henchman of the PC's for the time being and is given a room of his own away from the others - he is not included in the agreement nor given an Iron Circlet as his arming, training and conduct is considered the PC's responsibility.
Upon Thorne's return, he congratulates the PC's on their decision and in a binding ritual they are subjected to an Extended Quest spell in service to Thorne and his plans. They are then told to prepare themselves, and Tiadora will collect them to undergo their first test - the Nine Lessons. She gathers them not long after and leads them to a set of Stairs, leaving them there. As it is a test for them as agents of Thorne, Grumblejack is not allowed to accompany the PC's into the chambers below.
[GM's note: I decided to do away with the contract, preferring instead to find motivations specific to each PC (or allowing them to find their own) because, of course, the players themselves already want to go on this adventure. I also thought that a ritual akin to a Geas/Quest that required a willing subject was more appropriate and a touch less cheesy than a contract written in blood. Narcissa agreed because she is ambitious and devoted to Asmodeus, Daemar because he is devoted to Narcissa and enjoys the opportunity for bloodletting while Balthazar agreed because he wants to know that a place is assured for him in the next world after the inescapable doom that he believes will come to this one. Guile on the other hand becomes obsessed with Tiadora, always pursuing but never quite crossing the line, looking forward to the day when he can make her his greatest prize. The flirtations between them are wicked, a combination of threats and promises where both know exactly where the other stands, but the two never quite consummate their relationship in sex or blood. Guile's future victims all wear her face in his mind as he savors his obsession. Tiadora is, of course, acting on orders to secure the PC's cooperation by whatever means necessary, playing on their weaknesses and desires, and looks forward to killing Guile at her leisure, visiting upon him all of the delicious sins and perversions he has subjected so many women to.]
In the first chamber, Daemar and Guile both fall into the pit trap and have to be helped out. Balthazar then locates the secret doors, discovering both the Alchemist's Ice and the passageway to the next room. There they use the ice to defeat the mold without setting off any of the other traps. In the darkened room Balthazar enters first due to his darkvision, discovering the obsidian globe and being attacked by the vampiric mist. He flees, bringing the globe and the darkness with him. He is attacked again and smashes the globe, revealing the mist. The PC's attack in turn, dealing some damage but not enough to drive it away before fleeing back until the mist no longer pursues. Frustrated, they regroup and head back upstairs, figuring from the clues given that they need to find a source of fire. They return an hour later to the chamber with torches and use the burning oil from several smashed lamps to kill the creature when it retreats beneath the floor. Before its destroyed, both Daemar and Balthazar suffer more of the creature's attacks and are weakened.
In the next chamber they encounter the mithril cobras, bypassing Timeon's Redoubt. Narcissa summons fiendish hounds while Guile, Balthazar and Daemar join the attack, Balthazar urging them on with a rant of madness. With so many flanking opportunities and Balthazar's aid, the fight goes well and the cobras are destroyed. Moving on to the Chamber of Sin, the PC's are extremely cautious, discovering the secret door, the trap and realizing the false value of the dragon pendant. They advance to the Chamber of the Shrieker, setting the creature off and killing it quickly, alert for whatever might come next - when the Draugr arrive, they attack at once, attempting to keep them clumped in the doorway. Narcissa again summons fiendish dogs to attack them from behind as the others use their weapons, eventually defeating them. During the fight Daemar is hurt badly and must be stabilized, and Narcissa demands a withdrawal. The PC's backtrack and return upstairs to recover, watching the clock warily as they take time to rest.
The group rises early the following morning weary and cautious, Balthazar having regained and used his spells to heal Daemar and the two of them slightly recovered from the effects of the vampiric mist. They retrace their steps, this time investigating Timeon's Redoubt and discovering the boy hidden there. Upon speaking with him they learn of Sir Balin, recognizing him as the one who hunted down and captured Daemar and Narcissa. The boy realizes who they are then and resists but is easily broken with mere threats of torture. The PC's suspect that Balin awaits them behind the locked door they had seen and bring Timeon along as they go to face him. After Narcissa has summoned a half-dozen fiendish dogs, they have Timeon open the door - therein waits Balin and the battle is joined. Timeon hides in the corner until it is over and the PC's leave him there with Balin's corpse, their prize in hand along with Balin's fine cloak.
[GM's note: I increased the number of mithril cobras from two to four, but the mindless constructs were too occupied with the summoned creatures to be much of a threat. Apart from that, I was glad that I had leveled the PC's as both the Draugr fight and the Vampiric Mist fight were brutal, especially in succession. There is a lot of damage resistance in one small dungeon for what would normally be 2nd level characters and conditions like Nausea and ability damage is difficult to overcome. Not to mention the Dragr can hit pretty hard. Narcissa and Daemar were pleased to have a chance to avenge themselves on the antagonist of their prelude, and I leveled Balin up to 6th on the fly to compensate for the party being well-rested and prepared.]
Thorne is pleased with their success and makes that pleasure known. Rigorous training begins and lasts the next three months during which they all reach 4th level and gain an additional trait. Grumblejack also gains a level of Barbarian. At the end of their training each is presented with a gift (valued at 20,000 gp or less) as well as a vial of healing draughts:
Narcissa receives a Cloak of Invisibility (functions as the ring)
Molgrim receives a +1 Unholy Bardiche
Silk receives two +1 Keen Daggers
Balthazar receives a +4 Mithril chain shirt fashioned from the cobra's remains.
At this point the only other magical gear the party has is the +1 Cloak of Resistance taken from Balin which Guile keeps. They also have the Iron Circlets, standard (non-magical) gear, Balin's holy symbol and the coin taken from Blackerly's office.
Also during this time frame Timeon is taken as a plaything by Tiadora and Guile kills another serving girl. Balthazar reveals his reasons for joining Thorne's cause to Dotson. Daemar and Trak's enmity comes to blows (non-lethal ones) when Elise and Narcissa become intimate.
[GM's note: As mentioned, we do not use the traditional wealth by level standards and we operate in a low magic campign. These items, while potent, will likely be the last the PC's get for some time as magical equipment is almost never available for sale. Elise and Narcissa's intimacy is casual, engaged in as much to size one another up as for pleasure - each considers the other as both a potential ally and a potential rival. The jealousy which infects their male counterparts only serves to heighten their shared amusement.]
As always, comments or questions are encouraged.
After discussions with the players, I've instituted a slight retcon regarding the magical equipment each player recieved - and somehow I included the wrong names from an earlier campaign for two of the characters when listing said equipment. The final part of 'Into the Knot' should read like this:
Narcissa receives a Ring of Invisibility
Daemar receives a +1 Unholy Bardiche
Guile receives two +1 Keen Daggers
Balthazar receives a +2 adamantine Raging Dorn-Dergar.
We completed another double session, Friday and Saturday nights, and managed to finish off the first book. Gotta say, it was an absolute blast with all the skulking around and then high drama you could want. One of the better 'weekend finishes' we've had.
Way of the Wicked, Knot of Thorns - Act III: 'Fire-Axe'
Event One: The Blade of St. Martius
The first week aboard ship is relatively uneventful, the routine monotonous highlighted by the sight of the city of Daveryn in passing. That monotony is finally broken by the appearance of the ship Blade of St. Martius. The patrol boat draws near and orders them to heave to. Once they do so the Captain, Edward Sambryl, comes aboard with four men intent on performing an inspection - he is initially welcomed by the gruff Odenkirk at Narcissa's request, but once the men begin to inspect the cargo the PC's attack. Guile stabs Captain Sambryl as Odenkirk and his crew fall upon the other soldiers. From behind cover, Narcissa begins summoning a flock of fiendish sea shrikes (eagles) to harry and harass the archers still aboard The Blade as Daemar and Grumblejack leap across onto the ship. Balthazar begins his orations and retrieves his Dorn Dergar from its hiding place as he and Guile finish off Sambryl and remain behind to protect Narcissa. The battle ends quickly and the ship is looted of rations and armaments before being scuttled, its crew likewise looted (75 gp) and tossed overboard into the sea. Balthazar heals Daemar and Grumblejack of the minor wounds they suffered - Odenkirk loses a single crewman with two more injured in the fighting and is allowed to keep the arms, rations and coin as compensation - after all, the PC's plan on killing him later anyway.
Event Two: Hope of the Haunted was skipped.
Event Three: Seal Isle was forestalled by the PC's who will not allow the captain to divert the ship from its mission. Balthazar managed to divine the captain's true motives, thwarting his story after showing himself able to produce drinkable water at will.
Event Four: The Whale Hunters takes place over Odenkirk's objection (he doesn't care for the tribesmen), but he calms when he is allowed to trade what weapons that were taken from the Blade of St. Martius for a profit in ivory, in part to mollify him over missing his hunting trip (earning him 450 gp worth of ivory) . The negotiations are done through a translator, the Yutak Medicine Man. There is nothing aboard ship worthy of the narwhale tusk and a successful Knowledge: Local check suggests it would be unwise to murder these men, so the PC's allow them to leave. Before they go, the Yutak warn the PC's of the Storm that Laughs, a story that Odenkirk laughs off as a barbaric superstition.
Event Five: The Laughing Storm takes place just a couple of nights out from Sakkarot's camp. The temperature drops precipitously at night when 2 PC guards and 2 sailors are on watch and Kiliketz wakes the others with his shrill, inhuman laugh. He casts Chill Metal on Balthazar but the spell fails, so in frustration he follows up with a Magic Missile spell, injuring the dwarf. The sailors panic when the ice elementals begin to climb aboard, but Kargeld, Daemar and Grumblejack hold them at bay while Narcissa begins summoning Lemure devils to combat them. Kiliketz casts spells at range, eventually flying low enough to use his breath weapon on Narcissa and Balthazar, sickening them, but Balthazar manages to strike the mephit with his dorn-dergar, injuring him and driving the little fiend off for good.
[GM's note: I increased the number of Ice Elementals from four to eight (coming in two waves of four a couple of rounds apart) and gave Kiliketz 3 levels of Sorcerer (Elemental Water Bloodline) to make the fight more challenging for my group of 4th level characters. With no one in the party having an effective ranged or fiery option, he proved a real nuisance to them, but once the elementals were slain and his Sorcerer's spells exhausted it became a stand-off and he decided to depart rather than put himself at further risk.]
The remainder of the trip is uneventful - Kargeld proves his worth by successfully navigating the heavily laden craft through ice floes, eventually clearing them and turning upriver and heading into Lake Tarik along who's northern banks awaits Sakkarot's assembling army. They are challenged by a handful of bugbears as they draw along the crudely built pier. The face-off between the they and the PC's seems destined to end in bloodshed until Balthazar steps up and Enthralls the humaoids with a menacing and confusing oration. Sakkarot eventually arrives and proclaims them friends and allies, threatening any of his forces who might act against them with death. The captain threatens to leave the PC's if they linger overlong or do not return from their meeting with the bugbear general - Narcissa threatens him with her demons should he depart without them, making a successful Intimidate check.
The army has a feast of sorts in honor of the arrival of the PC's cargo, the bugbears and assorted creatures reacting to the dispersal of weapons with barbaric glee. A dire boar is roasted and Sakkarot gluts himself on pork and wine before retiring with the request that the PC's join him. Histories are shared and speculations about the future made and some planning done as well, the bugbear general making it clear to them that the attack will be staged in exactly one month, at the next dark of the moon - beyond that the army will likely have fallen apart anyway. His army will stage that evening and await the PC's signal rocket before launching their attack. It is decided that Grumblejack will remain behind with the army as one of Sakkarot's lieutenants since his presence in Aldencross would be difficult to explain.
The PC's return to the ship an hour or so after midnight and the Frosthamar departs, carrying them across the mist-shrouded lake under cover of darkness to a mooring a couple of hours walk from Aldencross. There the PC's turn on the captain and her crew, Narcissa summoning Lemures once more to rip them apart while Balthazar orates and Molgrim and Silk deal with the captain. The ship is searched and Kargeld's payment recovered (5,000 gp and a smattering of lesser treasure worth another 150 gp) along with the coin and ivory acquired along the way. The ship is then set afire and put adrift, the PC's putting distance between they and the wreck lest the smoke or fire pierce the mist and draw curious eyes.
Way of the Wicked, Knot of Thorns - Act IV: 'Burning Balentyne'
The PC's reach Aldencross, arriving separately over the course of a couple of days and all taking up residence at the Lord's Dalliance. Guile poses as a common migrant laborer looking for work, Balthazar as an eccentric merchant prospecting for silver mines and Narcissa and Daemar as a married couple - he a retired soldier and she an exotic wife from the mainland - looking to buy a homestead and settle down. All are in disguise using their Iron Circlets.
Balthazar meets Barnabus and the other dwarves staying there - they are not overly fond of him, but his gold is always welcome in their games and his liquor always drunk with appreciation. He remains in the inn almost constantly, keeping an eye on the goings on there and learning what he can about the castle's fortifications from the workers. Guile begins a dalliance with a dancing girl, using her for gossip, particularly about the soldiers at the Tower. He is able to get himself in as one of the servants who work in the Tower and begins to spy out its layout and the comings and goings there. Narcissa and Daemar begin shadowing the Tower patrols to find the best approach for the army and to discover what routes they take.
After the first week, they've identified the dwarven engineers, the four captains and their lord, the priest and the magister as their primary targets and have determined that the rookery must be destroyed as well as the gatehouse taken and held. Plans are being made to that effect when Guile discovers the affair between Kaitlyn Mott and Sir Eddarly, snooping through the vacant Knight's quarters when they are away and finding the love letters secreted there. Its decided that they will be the PC's first victims.
On a night when they learn Eddarly is visiting Kaitlyn while her husband is on duty, Daemar barges in on them in the guise of Sir Mott, killing them both in a rage while Guile keeps watch. Narcissa and Balthazar meanwhile wait in ambush for the newly off-duty Sir Mott to return home just after midnight - his horse is taken out with a Create Pit spell and Balthazar and Summoned Lemure Devils fall upon the knight, aided by a Haste spell from Narcissa and Balthazar's rants, killing him. When Daemar and Guile arrive on the scene both the knight and his horse are taken care of in a fashion that ensures their bodies will never be found and signs of the struggle obscured. The next morning the bodies of the lovers are found and Mott is discovered missing. A Speak with Dead spell cast by Father Donnagin reveals that Sir Mott had killed them. Love letters planted by Guile further incriminate him and patrols are sent to try and track the renegade knight down. The plan was a rousing success, but the dark of the moon is fast approaching and the death of two captains after ten days feels like too meager an accomplishment given the goals set forth. Plan after plan is proposed and discarded and frustration begins to mount for the PC's.
Not long after, Balthazar awakens to the sounds of the innkeep Bellam's creeping and he follows at a discreet distance, noticing that he disappears into the basement storeroom and doesn't emerge for a very long time. Balthazar investigates and finds the storeroom empty, getting just enough warning right before Bellam's reappearance to flee. The following night he, Guile and Daemar investigate the storeroom (which isn't locked) and discover the secret door - Balthazar keeps watch in the common room, pretending to be passed out at one of the tables while the other two scout the tunnel all the way out to the storeroom of the Ballentyne Tower. They have what they needed and it had been beneath their feet the entire time; plans form quickly after that. The PC's also achieve 5th level as a result of the discovery.
The following plans go into action:
Varning's patrol is tracked by Daemar and Narcissa, the two of them attacking their campsite with summoned devils and Daemar's bardiche and killing them to a man. The battle involved a chase through the woods as one soldier managed to escape on horseback but a fumbled Ride check results in his horse breaking a leg and the two of them going down - easy prey for the pursuing PC's. When the patrol fails to return and another party is sent out to look for them the PC's put their final plan into motion.
The night before the dark of the moon, Guile poisons the beef stew that is traditionally prepared for the men by Mama Guiseppe using arsenic stolen from the alchemist's store the niprevious night. The men fall ill, some of them even dying and the operations of the Tower are thrown into disarray. Father Donnagin suspects something and investigates, eventually successfully detecting the arsenic in the stew with divine magic - Lord Havelyn orders a search of the keep and even 'Mama' is questioned. Guards are put on alert to watch for anything suspicious and the ill are gathered in the barracks where Donnagin's acolytes can look after them.
The following night, Guile uses the secret door to infiltrate the castle, disguised as a guardsman and kills Mad Martin outside of his rookery, taking his key and killing all of the ravens there. Meanwhile, under the cloak of a Silence spell, Barnabus and the other dwarves are slaughtered in their beds as are the innkeep Bellam and his family by Daemar and Balthazar. The building is then set aflame using lantern oil from the storeroom and the PC's use that cover to retreat through the secret door to meet Guile. They have reached the point of no return. On his way to the vault beneath the tower to meet his compatriots, Guile kills the lone guard on duty in the Hall of Flags, hiding his body below. There he tells the others that he has seen Father Donnagin cleaving to Lord Havelyn and that the two of them together might be better avoided. He also knows that Captain Barhold has been relieved of his command of the Gatehouse in order to take a contingent of the already weakened garrison into town to investigate the fire burning there as they had hoped.
The four of them move through the keep to the barracks where Balthazar, Guile and Daemar kill the guards they encounter and Narcissa summons a small horde of devils to attack all of the soldiers in their beds, healthy and sick alike. From there Balthazar and Guile climb up into the kitchens, killing the servants there and heading up to the Magister's chambers, encountering and killing two more guards along the way. There Balathazar casts Silence upon Guile before they enter the Magister's chamber and kill him, the magically induced Silence thwarting his spellcasting. The wizard does manage to activate his ice golem however, ordering the creature to attack; the two of them flee downstairs, still disguised as soldiers, with the golem in pursuit. By then Donnagin and Lord Havelyn have arrived on the scene where the devils were butchering their soldiers and the ice golem seeming to pursue soldiers is caught up in that melee.
Under cover of that distraction, the PC's meet up once more in the courtyard at the base of the tower, ascending the wall and crossing the Bridge of Death to alert the soldiers in the gatehouse as to what's happened. The door to the bridge is locked and barred before they reveal their true nature and begin to slaughter the soldiers on duty. Everyone there is slain with Narcissa staying her hand, conserving her remaining summons for the eventual defense of the gatehouse. The soldiers on the battlements are likewise attacked and killed and the siege equipment sabotaged - Narcissa takes position there along with Guile to defend the bridge and Guile sets off the signal rocket while Balthazar and Daemar go back to the level below, disabling the hot sand cauldrons and blocking the trapdoors from the level below. There they are to hold until Sakkarot's forces arrive.
There is an initial calm within the gatehouse as the soldiers of the Tower deal with the threat of the ice golem and the devils and the distraction of the town of Aldencross ablaze, but eventually the PC's are discovered and attacked. Balthazar and Daemar lower the drawbridge and raise the portcullis as Narcissa (using her Ring of Invisibility) begins to summon devils upon the skybridge to hold it against the soldiers who fight to get inside, exhausting all of her summons in the process as well as her compliment of spells (she casts Create Pit, Summons Swarm twice and uses Daze and Acid Splash when her Summons run out). Soon the Lord Havelyn arrives with Father Donnagin at his heels and the two cut through the creatures, clearing the way for the soldiers to begin battering down the door... but by then it is too late - a cry goes up from the drawbridge below - Sakkarot's forces have been sighted. The door is finally battered down and Lord Havelyn steps forward to lead the assault but Daemar, Balthazar and Guile are able to hold long enough that Havelyn finally orders everyone back into the keep and the Pontine Gate locked and barred. The effort is not enough as the bugbears swarm over the drawbridge, smash the gate and pour into Balentyne Tower, slaughtering the beleaguered defenders. Captain Barhold returns with his force from Aldencross just in time to witness Lord Havelyn being drug down by a half-dozen bugbears, Sakkarot delivering the killing blow with his flaming axe.
[GM's note: I decided to have Barhold and his forces retreat from the castle back to Aldencross in order to sound the alarm and attempt cover the evacuation of the town as best he could. At the moment I'm considering having him resurface later in the AP, properly levelled up.]
In the aftermath, Sakkarot sets up the Great Hall as a temporary command post while his bugbears pillage the town of Aldencross and the surrounding areas. The PC's are reunited with Grumblejack who has gained another level of Barbarian and made quite a name for himself in the battle for his ferocity and toughness. The seal that Cardinal Thorne has given them is broken, and Tiadora appears in their midst to receive a full report. She meets with Sakkarot at length, relaying orders and gathering information on the army's condition as well as the totality of their success before she returns to the PC's and congratulates them. They are told of the successes of the other knot and led to her ship where it lies moored and waiting. Gifts await them in their rooms aboard as rewards for their success: holy symbols to Asmodeus that also serve as Amulets of Natural Armor +1 and matching cloaks in black and crimson that serve as Cloaks of Resistance +2. In Guile's room is an additional present left for him by Tiadora - the dancing girl he had dallied with in Aldencross, bound and terrified, along with a note asking that he think of her while enjoying the girl.
[GM's note: The PC's reach 6th level at the conclusion of this Act. For the benefit of those scoring at home, the following victory conditions were met:
Captains Mott, Eddarly and Varning were slain (6 victory points)
Tacitus of Morimun was killed (5 victory points)
The Rookery was destroyed (3 victory points)
Barnabus and all 10 dwarven engineers were killed (4 victory points)
The Siege Engines and the Murder Holes were sabotaged (5 victory points)
The Portcullis was opened and the Drawbridge lowered (5 victory points)
5 soldiers killed by arsenic poison and 20 more made non-combatant (5 victory points)
5 soldiers killed on patrol with Varning (1 victory point)
15 soldiers killed by the PC's while in the castle (3 victory points)
15 soldiers killed by summoned devils in the barracks (3 victory points)
20 soldiers killed by spells and summoned devils on the Bridge of Death (4 victory points)
20 soldiers outside the keep in Aldencross at the time of the assault (4 victory points)
10 soldiers outside the keep searching for Varning's patrol at the time of the assault (2 victory points)
Lord Havelyn alive during the assault (-10 victory points)
Total victory points: 40
I elected not to assign the penalty for Havelyn still being alive and used the outcome described under victory condition 41-50: Victory]
Dot for future reference :)
Dot for future reference :)
Don't just dot, comment! I only type all this stuff up in the hope that someone might actually read it and want to discuss :)
Starting Book II tomorrow night by the way. I'm worried that Fire Mountain won't print the next books before we get there...
Quite an enjoyable read, Wiggz! It looks like your players are having quite a blast running through this campaign. It seems your going quite fast. How long are your sessions?
Quite an enjoyable read, Wiggz! It looks like your players are having quite a blast running through this campaign. It seems your going quite fast. How long are your sessions?
The first two weekends were 2-night sessions, about 6 hours on Friday and about 10 hours on saturday. That will obviously not be able to continue - I'm not even 100% sure that we'll be able to get together this weekend. Blame the fast start on fortuitous timing and being very excited about the AP in general.
Obviously there are some concerns about the books after #2 getting published in a timely manner.
As far as the story goes, is it written in a manner thats easy to follow all the way through? I was more tempted to write it like a story, similar to those in the backs of traditional AP's, but the time commitment something like that requires makes it difficult.
Dot for future reference :)Don't just dot, comment! I only type all this stuff up in the hope that someone might actually read it and want to discuss :)
Starting Book II tomorrow night by the way. I'm worried that Fire Mountain won't print the next books before we get there...
Our group went through book I in few sessions. But Book II took us a lot more, the longest book so far. It's quite sandboxy, and the groups can take a lot of actions to improve the Horn. Depending how much they like the construction mini-game, it can take for a while.
Looking really awesome so far. Only point I found a shame (though GM discretion I completely agree with) is the fact that the climactic battle with Thomas Havelyn didn't take place.
Though you ended that in a very scenic matter, the 10 VP deduction shows that Havelyn is indeed a key figure, and he could seriously influence the battle through both his own power and being a rallying-point for his men. Indeed, even though you raised the drawbridge, it shows that Haverlyn alone is indeed enough to turn the battle.
Ergo, I probably would have at least made the PCs work for it, having them, not Sakkarot, deal with Havelyn in the midst of the battle. Havelyn is also too cool, and too much related to the rest of the plot, to have Sakkarot kill him off!
But again, seriously awesome, and the end result should be that the players felt they were part of an epic-scene, so big thumbs up!
I appreciate the kind words - so far its been a really fun adventure to run, and I'm loving the opportunity to share it with you guys.
The Havelyn thing... meh... the thought I had was that once the drawbridge was down and thousand of bugbears (and other creatures) started pouring in against a hundred or so beleaguered soldiers, a single 7th level character wouldn't be a 15 point swing in the victory conditions. Moreover, they had already depleted his resources a bit, first with the battle against summoned devils in the barracks and again when they fought him directly at the Gatehouse - that was what was exciting; the PC's feeling like they were outmatched and at the end of their rope, not knowing for sure when Sakkarot was going to arrive but knowing they had to hold if they were to have any chance to survive. We seriously had guys in single-digit hit points fighting defensively when the horns blew...
...though I'll be honest with you - that was by design. I feigned that they would have to hold an unknown but pre-determined number of rounds, but intended all along to have the enemy withdraw right when they could take no more. They had a good plan and they executed it well, so there was no way I wasn't going to reward them for it over a technical number of 'victory points'. Call it the cinematic rule of cool.
We didn't get to play this weekend which might be a good thing - Book II is indeed sandboxy and I'm not 100% certain I was adequately prepared to run it just yet.