Indeed, loved the ending! A great way to end the saga. :)
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Not the longest post ever, but I think that it was fitting enough. With that, I can happily put [CAMPAIGN COMPLETE] in Kalem's profile. A truly satisfying feeling. :) I look forward to reading the ending posts for everyone else!
True to form, Kalem went through the motions. He waived to the crowds, he posed for the paintings and he shook hands with the nobles. He even gave a winning smile when Neolandus all but clutched the crown, despite feeling nothing but disgust in his heart. When he saw the cheering people, all that he could think about was how much their attitude towards him had changed. And while this was, he admitted, a rationale response from the people from the top down, he couldn't help but look down on it all. Going through it truly showed him how done he was with Korvosa. He had too much emotional baggage in the city. Too much trauma from his childhood and too much blood on his hands as an adult. So what he ensured was that he got paid.
As usual, he spoke with a silver tongue, as he made sure that he was set up for life. Between the loot that they had taken from the Queen, to the rewards given by the city, gold was never going to be in short supply again. And best of all, he did so in a way that did not come across as being greedy, so that his hard-earned reputation as an "elven hero" would be left intact. He knew how fickle the adoration of the people (and their leaders) were, so there was no need to lose that. So when the time came, he made his goodbyes. First to Bashiel. For so long, Kalem had looked up to the paladin, seeing him as being a shining example of the person that he wanted to be, as well as a source of friendly competition on the front lines. He knew that true light shone in the man's heart, so he extricated himself before he could be pulled into a quest to destroy Kazavon. He had set out to kill the Queen, and he had no desire to spend the rest of his life fighting with a God. Then he went to Ilsa, whom he saw as a sister. For as long as he knew her, he had been worried about her and her powers. He saw much of himself in her and wanted to protect her, but now? Now she did not need a protector. Rather, the world needed someone to protect itself from her, if she so chose. He bid her goodbye with all of the sincerity in the world, truly wishing her well. And to Zamanda? She had been the Aasima and he the Tiefling. Two consummate liars whose words were as powerful as their weapons. But like Ilsa, she was now so much more than she used to be, and if he read the situation right, then she was to be like Bashiel. Turning her power and knowledge towards the research of ancient artifacts which Kalem wanted no part in. He wisher her, and her father, well. And with his goodbyes given to the party, he knew that he had spoken to everyone in the city that he actually cared about. All save one. Kalem and Laori left the city one early morning, just two elves walking into the sunrise. They had centuries before them and an entire world to discover. Their path would first take them around Avistan, not on a quest to destroy an ancient evil or to find relics of power, but rather of simple sightseeing. Taking in beauty of gothic buildings as well as the unspoiled natural vistas. And from there? From there they left, leaving their friends, their comrades, and all of Korvosa, behind. When the entire adventure had begun, Kalem had a surname. Darkborn. It was not a true surname, as no father and no mother had given it to him. It had been an insult that he had taken as his own, robbing it of it's power by taking it away and embracing it. But Kalem Darkborn was no more. For all of the power that he had obtained, and for all of the platinum and gold, what he truly treasured was the woman who walked by his side. For through it all, he had learned how to actually love someone else, and how to love himself as well. He took on a new name, Kalem Lightsworn, and his tale had just begun
I’ll get my post up in a day or so. But it’s been an absolute blast. I thank everyone here for such a wonderful experience, with special thanks to GM Rutseg, who made this possible.
Kalem rode along in thoughtful silence for much of the time. Their quest was over and it did not truly seem real. It felt like it was not that long ago that they came together to get vengeance against Lamm. And now? Now they had committed regicide and freed the entire city from an evil greater evil. He glanced over at Laori and reflected on how much had changed for him. And not just his outward appearance, but who he was as person. Looking at Laori, he could not help but feel that she had gone through similar growth. For while Kalem had come to terms with his own personal devil, she had broken away from a deity. He turned his attention to Zamanda, who was putting on a performance that in and of itself was worthy of song. With everyone's attention focused on the bard, he turned to Laori and used the distraction to talk to her and their future. He did not want to stay in Korvosa. He had spent his entire life there, and while the city was saved, he had no real love for it. The city had never treated him well, and he was certain that they would be heroes when they returned. The entire idea of seeing the people who spat on him as a tiefling on the street heaping praise upon him as an elven hero made his stomach churn. He had a plan, more or less, of returning to the city and going through the motions of reporting their success. There would likely be a handsome reward, and he saw no reason to let that go. But after that? He wanted to leave. To see the world, and to travel without the weight of their history dragging them down. But that was merely what he wanted. And even more than that, he wanted to know what her plans were, and if she was willing to leave, on where they should go. It didn't matter to him where, so long as it would be together.
”Its hard to believe that this is coming to an end. But yes, we can’t quite close the cover on this book until we report that has happened here.”
Kalem chuckled and shook his head. ”Right, right. Feed away.” He said.
"Wait." Kalem said. "We shouldn't do this to her body, we should bring it back." Walking over to Zamanda he continued "We need to prove that she is dead. What is better than her body? We already destroyed her crown, and we're looting everything of value. If we get rid of the body as well, then how will anyone believe us on the job being done?"
Kalem averted his eyes, turning away from the radiance before it could harm him.
For once in his life, Kalem looked pale of the face. He leaned on his scythe in stunned silence, staring at the pool with a distant look in his face. Just as rare, he couldn’t find any words that could do the situation justice.
So it is decided, so shall it be! It was fun. :)
Good idea on the call. Very nice way to tie it all in, and I agree on leaving it to Bashiel. I could very well be wrong, but I remember reading that the only way to permanently kill Kazavon is to destroy all of his relics, and we only destroyed one. So even with this being true, I don’t think that he will stay dead.
799 damage. “Moderate wounds”
Yay smite-song-scythe crits! Maybe some extra elemental damage too. Even if Kalem goes down, he will have given a good showing.
Driven to the brink of death, Kalem knew that he was outmatched. In seconds he would die and nothing could stop it. It was sad, given how many things there was that he wanted to do. He had fallen in love, overcome his personal demons (literally) and was going to have all of the time in the world. But now? He had but seconds. That was, until he felt Laori’s touch, healing his wounds. Realizing how close she was, he launched himself forward into a suicidal charge, striking the dragon clean between the eyes. It was the kind of blow that would fell a lessor wyrm…
”We need to strip away its magical protections! Can someone deal with those?” Kalem called out, worried about the ineffectiveness of his scythe.
“ Kalem, avoiding the lightning bolt as good as he can, swings his scythe in a frenetic rage, but finds the magic armor blocks two of his attacks while the others do not penetrate the hard scales of the dragon.” I take this as being 2 misses due to AC. But with smite (and a +5 weapon) how did the other 2 hits do 0 damage?
Kalem dove to the side, avoiding the worst of the dragon’s breath. Even so, it still hurt something fierce. Forewarned about whom to attack, he rolled to his feet and used his wings to shoot himself forward. His scythe blazed with his own energy, though it also hit with the Sonic force of Zamanda’s voice and glowed with Bashiel’s divine might. Already Kalem was a warrior with few peers, but with his companions adding their strength, his scythe became all the more deadly.
Kalem wasn’t intimidated by Kazavon, probably because he didn’t really understand what they faced. In his mind, this was just another dragon, and they had slain several already. Favored as it was, how different could it be from the rest?
I’m alright with such a “vision” but I’d prefer it to happen after the campaign wraps up. Right now we just “won” and it would break the flow to do a long combat that doesn’t impact the story
"this is basically Part of me would love to see what we could do against a legendary CR 25 blue dragon. On the other hand, I think that the chances of us losing are fairly good. We've used up alot of resources already, so we aren't fresh. To go from "we did it!" to "party wipe, Kazavon is back" is a big swing on how the campaign might end. So, I'm down for the fight. It is quite rare to have combat at this level, especially against something like this. However, my big caveat is this: If anyone is uncomfortable with risking their character at the end of the campaign, then I have no problem skipping this. I'd much rather everyone be able to enjoy the satisfaction of having completed a multi-year campaign with a well deserved ending. If anyone at all lost a PC at an optional fight at the end and felt unhappy because of that, then it wouldn't be worth it. So yes. If everyone agrees, and accepts the risks of this, then let's do it. If anyone feels that this is the proper end, then I'll change my vote to respect that.
Kalem attacking the growing figure if allowed:
Pounce on white:
Kalem was fortunate, in that he was trying to be helpful when Serithtial shattered the crown. The room exploded in a cacophony of sound and violence, of which Kalem was shielded by the clones of the queen. When the dust settled, only one still stood. Kalem flew over with his scythe and put an end to the last one, fairly certain that doing so was needed for their cleanup job.
The flames on Kalem’s scythe died and his wings faded, leaving him standing before the fallen queen. ”It doesn’t feel real.” He said, looking at the corpse. ”Is that it? Did we do it? Is it all done?” He asked, looking around at his companions.
There were many things that Kalem expected to happen, but to see the Queen dance? That caught him by surprise. He almost stopped to watch in stunned amazement, but Ilsa snapped him out of it. Coming back to his senses, he followed her lead and attacked.
The way open and the dragons dead, Kalem shot forward, propelled by his wings. His scythe blazed with energy as he went about attacking anything, image or real, that looked like the Queen.
(1) Zamanda, can you move so Kalem can pounce on her?
"The pool is draining!" Kalem yelled out. "We can do this." He added, to himself, as he launched himself at an attack against the newly formed dragon. His scythe was a blur of motion as he attacked the dragon without hesitation. Few things could stand up against such a whirlwind of destruction, and he truly hoped that the dragon, already wounded by Zamanda's arrows, wouldn't be one of them.
Completely agreed. You've gotten through a really tough time at work, and are also juggling a very complicated final fight here. No worries at all, and get some rest!
Speaking of which…
So -1 to all will saves, right?
Kalem stayed firm, only because of Bashiel’s reassuring pretense next to him. The Bloodrager steadied himself as sound and nauseating dragon-breath washed over him. Stepping forward white-wings formed on his back and he began the party by leaping forward towards the dragon without any thought towards his own safety. This was the final battle and he was ready for it!
Right before they were ready to go in, Kalem cast haste upon himself and the rest of the group and ablative barrier on himself.
"That's probably why." Kalem replied. "You have an uncanny ability to dominate the minds of others and to instill fear. Imagine what would have happened if that creature had brought you over to it's side? How long do you think it would take before the two of you could have dominated me, causing me to take my scythe to the team? Or Zamanda, for her to shoot us in the back? While I doubt that either of you could have quickly dominated Bashiel or Laori, it would have swung the fight against us very quickly." With a smile he said "Good thing we killed it first. Now, as there is an excuse for something more enjoyable..." Picking up Laori he once more he spread his wings and sped his way towards the top.
"Such a shame. Well, it looks valuable enough so we can take our time to appraise it and remove whatever curse is on it at our leisure after we kill the former queen. Let's get going."
Kalem's first swing almost went completely wide as he saw Laori stumble, but he caught himself and refocused on the task at hand. The best way to defend others from danger was to remove the danger. So he threw himself at the creature, slicing away with his scythe. Seeing that it was immune to the cold, the flames on his scythe burnt with flame only. He didn't know what was needed to destroy it, but he figured that with enough force and enough fire it should be possible.
Kalem spread his wings and moved in. Feeling confident, given that all the ooze had done thus far was talk, he swung his scythe with skill and ease. He wondered if the creature could survive without a head, and decided that the scientific process required him to conduct the experiment.
"Yeah, agreed. But are we going to waste time killing it?" Kalem asked, as if though it wasn't there. "We have more important things to do. Like comparing wings, shopping for new clothes for Zamanda, and regicide."
Kalem made a ‘tsk’ sound as he poked one of his wounds. Seeing that it was mostly superficial he nodded. ”Right. She’ll certainly rush the ritual once she realizes how close we are. Let’s finish this.”
Lvl 17! HP: +6 (class) + 3 (con) + 1 (FCB) = +10
Thanks to tireless bloodrage Kalem can now rage cycle. Meaning that each round he can have a new bloodrage. So each round, he has 1 re-roll on will saves and can automatically confirm 1 critical hit.* * I completely forgot that I could confirm 1 critical hit. Meaning that the two failed confirms last fight could have went through (maybe, they had some resistance). Ah well...it's on me to remember. :P
With a grimace of pain, Kalem grunted "Just die already." Doing his best to ignore his wounds, he continued attacking, putting everything he had into the assault.
Kalem raised his scythe and swung in at the faux-angel's neck. The blow was almost true, and would have certainly decapitated it, if the outsider hadn't been as fast as it was. It got an attack in first, so while Kalem's attack still hit, it was not the immediate killing blow that it could have been. The elf winced in pain as he was wounded, but continued his attack, believing that the best defense was a good offense.
Kalem spread his white wings as he launched himself into the air against the faux angels. To the uninitiated, it would look like a civil war in heaven. Truth be told, it was anything but. Still, that did not take away from the violence of the situation, as Kalem's blade went to work clearing the air of the creatures.
Kalem paid the price for believing that he had scored a killing blow as a tentacle lashed his face. Shaking away the blood in his eyes he continued his assault, though his accuracy was certainly affected by his impeded vision.
Shaking away the confusion, Kalem spread his wings and pounced upon the outsider. His scythe blazed with red, blue and golden flames. As he charged he swung it with his usual display of force and confidence.
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