I'm running a (large) group that is getting just about to the end of book one, and I decided to go through and write up the fun we've been having.
A ton of credit has to go to the player of Gnarra who takes very detailed and frequently funny session notes/bullet points that help me reconstruct this all. I'll provide them in spoilers at the end of posts
The cast of characters:
Anja: Sarkorian Elf Slayer - Chance Encounter (Specialties: Crossbows, skills, consumable magic items)
Gnarra: Mendevian Human Saurian Shaman Druid - Stolen Fury (Specialties: front-line, emergency heals, buffs)
Rinca: Gnarra's Spinosaurus (Specialties: Claw, Claw, Bite)
Karrok: Mendevian Half Orc Scarred Witch Doctor - Exposed to Awfulness (Specialties: Hexes, More Hexes, Glitterdust)
Kawatoc: Sarkorian Angelkin Oathbound Paladin of Sarenrae/Ranger - Stolen Fury (Specialties: Charging, Smiting, Martyrdom)
Kest: Isgeri Hobgoblin Pistolero Gunslinger - Touched by Divinity (Gorum) (Specialties: Close Range Damage, Surprising AC, Misfiring)
Onura: Mendevian Tiefling Investigator - Riftwarden Orphan (Specialties: Natural Attacks, Skills, Being Batwoman)
Vohk: Shoanti Human Sacred Fist Warpriest of Kurgess/Master of Many Styles Monk - Exposed to Awfulness (Specialties: Charging, Falcon Punch, Getting Enlarged)
Session 0
The campaign began with a series of short vignettes as the characters worked their way to Lord Hulrun's Invocation at the start of the Arnasse festival.
Anja crept along the roofs, stalking random passers-by for practice. Gnarra and Kawatoc attended Kawatoc's funeral - a way of saying goodbye to his family before he swore himself to the Crusade To Come.
Karrok shared a drink with some old buddies from the city guard before heading off to the festival trying not to let the day be ruined by a thoughtless remark about his orc heritage.
Kest inspected her troops, making certain that every soldier lived up to her iron discipline, that these crusaders would see the will of true warriors.
Onura groaned as she was dragged out of her home by her neighbors, blinking in the unfamiliar daylight and cursing the day she agreed to let them repay her help with a day at the festival.
Vohk wandered. There were supposed to be competitions! Places to prove his strength and skill! Even here on the edge of the greatest challenge of the world, people wasted their time listening to prattle instead of striving to better themselves.
The plaza in front of the great Cathedral of St. Clydwell was filled to the brim with people. Cheering bystanders, knights waiting to take up holy vows, mercenaries hoping to find employment, and doubtless some demonic spies waited for Lord Hulrun's Invocation.
Suddenly, it seemed that a new sun rose in the west as the Kite - the tower that housed Kenabres's Wardstone - exploded. Deafening roars shook stones loose from their foundations as Khorramzadeh the Storm King bellowed his challenge to Terendelev, an ancient Silver Dragon and Kenabres's mightiest defender.
Swarms of demons filled the skies as the heroes tried to help the teeming masses to safety, hauling the fallen to their feet to save them from being trampled. The ground itself began to split beneath the relentless onslaught of the demonic horde, and before they knew it the heroes fell.
The inky blackness of the chasm rushed past them as they saw the last dreadful moments of Terendelev's duel.
The dragon, driven back by the savage ferocity of the balor lord's hate-filled weapons, saw the heroes fall, and driven by a moment of inspiration, dropped her guard and saved the heroes, slowing their plummet with a gesture of her claw.
A heartbeat later, she was decapitated.
Terendelev (Silver Dragon) goes off to go fight them.
Drove of karamzidae the last time he broke through the portal.
Hellrun - Dick mayor. Grabs his super magical sword to go fight the demons
Other lords are asses more so, and run off. The priest of the temple does his best to keep people from being trampled, but then the cathedral is blocked off.
Terendelev is f+*!ing crushed by Karamzidae, tossing her into the Cathedral, killing most of those inside and causing it to be impassible.
Demon worms storm up from the ground cause major issues for those trying to escape.
People begin falling into the rifts caused by the demon worms, and Terendelev casts mass feather fall right before having her head cut off (omg vorpal)
We fall fall fall down into the darkness…
Thanks for sharing Cwethan, can't wait to read how book 1 shaped up for all of you (and Gnarra's notes on it, hahaha).
Session 1
New Important NPCs:
Arvashnial: Elven Wizard, Secret(ish) member of the Riftwardens - Blinded
Horgus Gwerm: Human Merchant, kind of a jerk
Anevia Tirabade: Human Rogue, Spy for the Eagle Watch
The session began in darkness.
Many of the heroes could see and those who couldn't began producing light through incantations and more mundane methods. While the heroes themselves were essentially unharmed, Arvashnial had been caught by a stray blow from Khorramzadeh's whip, and his eyes had been melted in his skull, and Anevia's leg had been crushed by falling debris.
While Horgus was unhurt aside from some scrapes, he complained loudly, and swung the biggest club he could to get help - a 1000 gp reward if they brought him out safely.
Anevia hung back until she saw the holy symbols of Kawatoc and Vohk, but once she saw those, and had her leg splinted, she tried to help as best she could.
Arvashnial attempted to take the lead, insisting that his experience outweighed his handicap
The heroes explored the caverns that they had fallen into, finding (and fighting) monstrous vermin, the ripples of Deskari's influence.
The party was generally uncoordinated, a lot of blocking each other's shots, not a lot of flanking. This was all very much not helped by Arvashnial firing spells and cantrips blindly into melee. He never connected with a friendly, but definitely came close. Anja, Horgus, and Onura were all very upset by Arvashnial trying to lead when he was so reliant upon others. Arvashnial doubled down, insulted by their implication that he was helpless, and continued to insist on leading the party through the tunnels.
As they journeyed through, in addition to more horribly giant insects feeding on one another, they found signs of other people down in the pit, tracks with strange shapes, lost tools, even a campsite with a piece of jewelry featuring a bat perched on a mushroom.
Following the strange creatures by their trail in the dust they found a small temple carved out of the rock. Tremendous flies swarmed out from behind the temple as the party approached. The bugs were brought down by the hail of swords, claws, and arrows, but not before they caused a fair amount of havoc, including knocking out Arvashnial.
The noise of the battle awoke something inside the temple that began to shout in Dwarvish.
Okrak Rik,
Duri Rik, Koli Rik, Slotchi Rik-ha!
Or Skrunded Lokirkuli a-durar an-ek. Skratit Bezek a-Baraz. Wan-Un Bezor galbaraz arm iken. Wanrag arm bezor bryndurazi, bezor grindali? Nai-sar-Bezeked Wazzgal nai-sar krut!
Ungrimi-ha, ? Wan-Lokirkulan Anarm barnu anskruffi un weriti
Ok? Ok? OK?
Nai-Nu
Angandit uzkular
Khazukan Kazakit-ha!
None of the heroes spoke dwarvish fluently, though Onura was able to piece together a lot of it after some fantastic Linguistics rolls. Though the idiom wasn't all there they pieced together that whoever was shouting was very upset with Torag over not giving him his proper reward for this temple that he had dug out of the living rock.
Worried that this didn't sound like the friendly parishioner they'd been hoping to meet, they went crashing into the temple in force.
Standing at Torag's Anvil was a dwarf dressed in his holy vestments, but as they drew near, the creature's illusion faltered, the flesh fell away from his frame, the wounds of his suicide stood revealed, and it lunged for their throats.
Horgus [Plump A%+%!+%] who will give 1000g to get him out of the pit alive. Was given a rapier by Anja [Biles]
Anevia [Woman with Bow] has super bad broken leg, and seems to know which people are alligned good. Her leg has now been Splinted by Vokk and Kawatoc, can’t offer 1000g to get out of here alive.
Found a massive spider that was being eating by maggots, after killing it we found an abandoned campsite.
Arvashnial still attempts to cast spells while blind, and does not like being talked down to. Horgus was very upset about Arvashnial trying to lead us.
We stumbled upon a small campsite that had some lizard bones and cockroaches. The campsite was mostly dismantled, a broken pick and frayed rope was all that was left. There was a fancy broach of a Bat sitting on Mushroom with amethyst eyes.
In a nearby alcove, Onura was able to collect a masterwork backpack that carried a few days of rations and supplies.
We then found a pit viper, it almost poisoned us, but luckily the bite that Onura took was dry instead of injecting her with venom.
We found a temple to Torag, in which we found a massive fly and a dwarf mouthing off at Torag(?) asking why he hadn’t gotten any rewards for the deeds that he had done.
After the priest had declared that the Dwarves were going to war, we entered into his sanctum and he knocked a hammer off of an anvil, apparently not interested in wielding a weapon. As we approached we saw the priest had an illusion up which melted away, showing his disfigured face, withered to the bone.
[Hecuva] Undead blasphemous priest
King of Craftsmen
Lord of stone (good/hard), lord of stone (mourning/blackened), lord of stone (mining slurry)
I dug this hall/temple out of the granite for you. Scavenging in your name. And I am repaid with vermin? Where are my golden baubles, my maiden's favor, I have not even received fool's gold and krut[venereal disease].
You oath-holder [negative], am I to stay here til my beard has gone patchy and I cannot remember where I have put my tankard?
Why? Why? WHY?
No More!
I go to seek my end!
The Dwarves are on the warpath!