My group is about to embark on the way of the wicked campaign starting this Saturday. They're all really looking forward to a chance to be evil dark lords of doom, and my DM nature to root for the bad guys is going to be gloriously fulfilled vicariously through my players. Let the Evil times roll.
The party makeup is as follows:
F LE Changeling cleric of Asmodeus (domain Law subdomain Slavery) -thorn will like her
M NE Half-Orc Barbarian
M LE Human Sorcerer (Elemental Bloodline [electricity]) - he's gonna be mr "I have every energy type evoker"
M LE Human Magus (also the party's best skill monkey)
I'm going to post the events and details of sessions in this thread, please feel free to comment. Hopefully my group of borderline, and not quite so borderline sociopaths will have fun being evil baddies and bringing the hurt to the happy people of Talingarde. Will update as frequently as possible. For now, blessings of the prince of Nessus be with you.
Alright, so we had a long session yesterday, almost 12 hours, and the PCs managed to get all the way up to fourth level, using the ""levelling points" of the campaign, rather than traditional xp system
...
Finding themselves in prison, our sorcerer was visited by Tiadora, who gave to him a veil of useful items. The PCs decided to make a break for it immediately, rather than waitin to see routines or anything. Using the masterwork thieves tools on the veil, the Magus managed to get the party unshackled, but fumbled about on the lock to the door, and alerted the guards, who came in to pacify the prisoners.
Drawing daggers from the veil, the party managed to fight the guards to the door of the cellblock, and then our sorcerer used color spray to knock out all the guards, who were then summarily executed, and their swords stolen, along with one bow and arrows. Using the window from the veil, they opened an escape route in the eastern wall of the cell block, and tying off the rope to the cell bars they fought a defensive action against two more guards as they bailed out into the courtyard. fortunately for them, the guards patrolling the walls were not on the east side of the prison at the time, and they managed to make it almost all the way to the southeast tower which had been retrofitted as a privy before being spotted. knowing the guards were soon to close in on them, they used the rope to climb down the rocks and, clinging on for their lives, shimmied their way around the the northeast corner of the prison, the barbarian having to rescue the sorcerer several times as he fell in. now finding themselves presented with the bridge to the mainland, they climbed back up the rocks to the road, and ran across to the portcullis. the guards and dog at the gate gave them a good fight, but were eventually cut down, and their bodies thrown onto the rocks below. successfully navigating their way through the moors, they avoided contact with any hostile entities and made it to Thorn's manor in one piece.
Level 2
The sorcerer and cleric were already devotees of asmodeus, and so were glad to find themselves in Thorn's presence, and gladly signed up for the Nessian knot. The magus was persuaded of the righteousness of the Prince of Hell's cause, and converted, also signing. The barbarian, having no interest in religious matters, but being thankful for his freedom and the opportunity to gain vengeance signed his soul to the compact as well.
The nine tests proved fairly easy for the party, they only having to come up to rest once before proceeding into the ninth room. A pit trap here, giant boulder there, and a screaming mushroom aside, they proceeded through the labyrinth quickly, and delighted in the racking of execution of Sir Balin's squire in room 4. Sir Balin himself game them a good fight, cleaving where he could, and stepping up to harass the sorcerer. The cleric was briefly unconscious, and others perilously low on health, but the magus' successful disarm of Balin's sword saved them a great deal of pain, and they won the day. Returning his holy symbol of Mitra to Thorn, they completed their training over the next few months, and gained skills they would need to defeat the forces of good.
Level 3
The party embarked upon the frosthamar with captain odinkirk, bound for the bugbears of the north. After dissuading the captain from delaying to hunt seals, and successfully fooling a Talingarde naval ship with a set of well-forged documents, they traded wares with the northern people, giving them steel for ivory at a good exchange rate. Following this, the party was set upon by a blizzard, an ice mephit, and a foursome of elementals, who they dispatched with relative ease. Using captain odinkirks warriors as a display, the bugbears on the dock where they arrived at the Fire-Axe's camp were cowed, and chose not to test the party's combat prowess. The party dined with Sakkarot, and learned that he too was bound to Thorn, as the first of the nine knots, and that his service to thorn for glory and conquest would require him to betray his people as the party would betray those in Talingarde. The following morning they reembarked upon Frosthamar and sailed for the village of Aldencross, near tower balentyne
Arriving at the south shores of lake Tarik, the party ambushed Odinkirk and his men, and slew them all, then burned his ship after having liberated all the valuables. The group made their way into aldencross, got rooms at the Lord's Dalliance Inn and sold their ill-gotten gains, purchasing new equipment as well.
Level 4
The group spent some time gossiping with bar patrons, learning of the going-ons of Aldencross and Balentyne, before running afoul of the dwarven seige engineeres staying at the inn over a drinking contest, and beginning a bar fight. as the rest of the parton had fled the Inn during the fight, the PCs decided to finish off the dwarves, slaying them all and crushing their heads with warhammers to prevent them from speaking in death, they then fled the Inn and changed their appearance thanks to Thorn's Iron Circlets he had given them in act 1. The party also stole the map of the the fortress the dwarves had in their rooms, and forging documents which would give them access to the keep as labourers, they scoped out the place.
Having heard that there was a patrol out in the countryside, they considered ambushing them, but didnt want to spend the gold for horses so they could ride out to the patrol in the wilderness. They met the Bard of Barrington and his actors, and decided that the play would provide excellent cover for more snooping, and mischief. On the night of the play they entered the tower of balentyne, and ascended to the rookery, killing the ravens and their master, as well as destroying the supply of arrows in the castle tower, before fleeing back to the Lord's Dalliance, where they found the innkeeper smuggling wine out of the tower. Successfully intimidating him into compliance and silence, they now have a secret back door into the castle. There remain four days before the fire axe's horde could be summoned, and the lord of balentyne, his captains and guards remain largely intact.
Session two of our Way of the Wicked Campaign sees the PCs advance from 4th to 6th level as they complete module 1 and begin module 2.
Plotting the demise of the keep of Balentyne, and having alerted the defenders to some mischief taking place when they destroyed the arrow stores and the rookery, the party sought out new ways of inflicting damage on the garrison. Having heard tell of Captain Mott's affair with Captain Eddarly's wife, the PC's went to Kaitlyn Mott's house in Aldencross to spy on Mrs. Mott. They then dropped a note to Captain Mott, who confronted Eddarly, challenged him to a duel in which Captain Mott was killed, and Eddarly sent off to Branderscar Prison for his crime.
Upon the return of Captain Varning's patrol, the PC's posed as farmers and told Varning their were bugbear sightings near a farm. When Varning returned along the road, the PCs ambushed the patrol, killing all.
Sneaking into the castle through the cellar beneath the armoury, the party ambushed the few guards in the room while casting silence to cover their actions, they then snuck into captain Barhold's room to find him absent. Sneaking out they damaged the lock on his door, further alerting the guard to going-ons in the castle. Disguised as the guards from the armoury (whose bodies now lay in the tunnel connecting the keep to the Lord's Dalliance Inn), the party sought out Father Donnagin, lured him back to the cellar and killed him, impersonating him as well, thanks to their Iron Circlets. Their disguises however proved inadequate, and so were soon fighting a escalating series of bluffs, trying to convince the guards of their identities, but ending up having to be presented to captain Barhold, who saw through most of their disguises. Seeing their opportunity, they attacked, killing captain Barhold and a few more guards. They then snuck out the basement passage.
Posing as Varning and a few of his patrolmen, the PCs approached the castle, looking like they'd had a run-in with some hostiles. Being admitted into the keep, they sought an audience with Lord Havelyn, and getting the drop on the commander, they killed him, then sent a guard to summon the Magister, who, along with his ice golem, they also killed. Deciding they'd caused enough damage to the castle, they moved to open the portcullis and let the Bugbears in. Firing the rocket from the roof of the keep, they then waited until the bugbears were nearly upon the castle, killing the guards at the gatehouse, and opening the portcullis.
The bugbears overran Balentyne, Burned the town of Aldencross, several buildings of which the PCs had already set ablaze as distraction. Following the destruction of the town, Sakkarot's Horde destroyed several borderlands milita groups and destroyed the tower of Lorringsgate. Breaking the clay seal they had been given by Cardinal Adrastus Thorn, the party summoned Tiadora, who rewarded them for their services, and escorted them to a river barge, upon which they sailed to Farholde, northernmost town in Talingarde. Sowing confusion and pain amongst the townships along the river, Tiadora anchored the barge each night and by dawn the villages were ablaze.
Arriving in Forholde, the group did some shopping, selling loot they'd found, and buying new and improved kit, before being introduced to Baron Vandermir by Tiadora. They were able to secure his aid in searching for their next target, given by Thorn, the Horn of Abbadon. The party also met up with the 7th knot, the knot Hibernal led by the With Elise. The 7th knot explained that they would set up a spy network in Farholde and keep other treasure keepers away from te Horn, and alert the PCs to any impending threats they may find.
Acquiring some horses, the party set out into the Caer Bryr, rainforest of eastern Talingarde in search of the Horn. After running afoul of a Dire Tiger, and meeting a treant who warned them away from the Bryr, but with who combat was avoided, and searching for several additional days, the party eventually discovered the location of the Horn. Advancing into the caves below the spire, the PC's discovered a Boggard tribe, who through restraint and diplomacy, they were able to make a quick deal with, trading some goods, and not engaging in combat with any. The barbarian fell into the pit trap screened by fragile flooring in the western cave, but otherwise their progress through the lower level was uneventful....
Progressing up through the spire, the party entered via the exterior hole on the first floor. Seeing nought but rubble and ruins, the only thing of note that was found was the remains of an alchemical golem. The party discovered the secret staircase in the temple room, and followed it down, discovering that it emerged near the boggard camp, then back up, gaining access to the second level of the Horn. On the second level of the Horn, the party found vast murals depicting ancient rites of the Sons of the Pale Horsemen, as well as more destruction caused by the Victor's armies. They happened upon a room of broken statues, with one more head than statue, and brought the extra head to the headless statue of an acolyte in the north end of the level. Miscellaneous small treasures were also found. Having found the second teleporter throne, the party quickly solved the nature of the key words, and were able to travel between the first and second floor with ease.
The party discovered the set of staircases which led up through the third floor to the sanctum, managing to get by Hexor and Vexor by thinking quickly and saying they were here to release Vetra-Kali. Not dallying in the sanctum, the party returned to the second floor to finish their sweep, and then made plans to return to farholde for needed supplies, including some form of reduce person to squeeze through the narrow passage in the caverns, and to have someone take a better look at the schematics for the alchemical golem, which they were only able to get a vague impression of.
Having cleared the Horn of Abbadon, our party returned to Farholde to get a second opinion on the alchemical designs found in the workshop as well as to pick up supplies, specifically some reduce person to fit through the hole leading who knows where in the cagers below the spire.
Returning to the spire, the party discovered the remains of a cultist, holding one of the three Eyes of Vetra-Kali, as well as his book on the Dirges of Apollyon. Most helpful. The group also finished deciphering the rituals found on the second floor, proceeding to summon the nightmare and hell hounds. Some prisoners were taken and kept in the cells on the third floor, but kept being slain mysteriously, so the PCs set out to investigate. They then ran into Ezra the Thrice-Damned, and what remained of the Fourth Knot. Negotiating a peaceful agreement, Ezra agreed to give the PCs the treasure in the secret vault, and not eat them, in exchange for the PCs bringing Vetra-Kali once more into the material plane, and giving them a steady supply of a commoner a week upon which to feed.
The party completed their repairs of Artephius with objects purchased from farholde, as well as the lightning elemental which was found hovering in the upper room of the Horn, he was then set to defend on entrance along with a squad of newly-minted skeletons.
The PCs made an alliance with the Bogards, folding them into their Evil Organization, and have had the boards filling the lower levels with dangerous snakes, crocodiles, etc to fend off intruders. The boards even managed to catch a Hyrda, which the PCs have set up as part of one of the pit traps inside the spire.
The first adventuring party which managed to make it past the 7th Knot back in Farholde reached the spire this session, and the PCs dispatched them with relative ease, slaying all except the follower of Mitra, which they are holding in a cell on the first floor in anticipation of using her for the second ritual, in which her heart need be removed to further Vetra-Kali's return.
The PCs also ran into a pair of moon dogs come to destroy the evil of the Spire. The moon dogs made a sneak attack into the spire, destroying many of the skeletons the cleric had set up as defence, then attacked again from the outside, running into more skeletons, as well as Artephius, the alchemical golem, now made whole once again. The moon dogs were beaten back, but escaped away from the horn by teleporting (Fortunate that they had not made it inside yet).
Nice journal!! I hope you carry on playing this amazing AP :)