| Kyujaq |
The chapter does say that the Smoking Eye Template is required to defeat Adimarchus, but other then that the chapter does seem a little pointless.
Did anyone else have any cool ideas to make this chapter a little more meaningful?
In my game the chapter ended up being one of the most memorable.
1st of all it was a good way of having the characters away while stuff happened to Cauldron, like the tax raises, the unrest, what was subtly escalating suddenly became much more apparent when they came back.
2nd in my game, they did not kill the Imp in the flood festival (Gut) and the imp has been following them while invisible and trying to corrupt the less good of them all. When the wizard died while fighting the salamander and the fighter died against the bebilith, the Imp tried to have them sell their soul to go back and help their friends, the wizard (good) refused, the fighter (neutral, low wisdom) jumped on the occasion, triggering a chain of event that still has consequences in chapter 11 (they are now about to go to hell to save his soul)
3rd The succubus escaped, coincidently they found a poor woman that was captured by evil demons that needed a way to go back to the material plane, so they brought her along, bringing her back to Cauldron, where she became the concubine of the now lawful-evil fighter, and people started to disappear....
4th I used the smoking eye template from the repository which gave a wish to whoever has the smoking eye, once a year, while standing in the skull.
5th the barb/cleric dwarf did no hesitate to throw himself in the fire and came back, but the fighter, part of his deal with the imp was to get control of Occitipus to give it to devilish powers (instead of demon vs angels), so he grabbed his goblin companion (another player, goblin druid )and tossed him in the fire, also getting the template.
6th The dwarf used his wish to ask his gods to bring his best friend, the wizard, to life, and he came back to life. The wizard, seeing that the fighter was alive, realized he must have made a deal with the devilish imp (since he was proposed the same deal but refuseD) and wanted to ask, in front of everyone, if he made a deal. The fighter did NOT want him to reveal his secret, so he used his wish as follows :
I WISH HIM DEAD !!!
Hilarity ensued, we paused the game for about 3 weeks. When we came back, the dwarf was about to jump the figther, but what they didn't plan was the wish getting "perverted" and the wizard turning into a Lich, with the fighter as his philactery...
God that was good times....
Also my players are idiots and it took them forever to get out of the swamp.
| Greystaff |
I used Delvesdeep's dream sequence which tied in nicely with ToTSE and provided the backstory to the whole AP. It's particularly useful if you plan to run your players through the Asylum installment.
| Greystaff |
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Yes. I used it almost verbatim. I converted my material to a Golarion-based campaign so I didn't have to worry about naming a layer of the Abyss; instead only naming the region where Adimarchus, the demon Occipitus, and the chunk of Celestia came to rest. Since Occipitus' skull would be a major landmark, it made sense to Adimarchus to name that area of the Abyss after his dead general.
| TyroAmberhelm |
I just looked and it's not on the Adimarchus dream page. You have to download delvedeeps original document to get it. This is what it says....
This dream will replace the first dream found above in the Adimarchus Nightmare Realm. It also the dream that Adimarchus dreams the most and that the player with the Dream Haunted Trait dreams the most but unfortunately can not decipher.
It is the dream that the player dreams ‘in-between’ the other first nine dreams which appears as a maddening collection of insane images. This is because it is the dream that Adimarchus finds the most painful to relive and thus twists it with dark emotions and insane images....
Nidrama is the only way the party can witness the most important and fateful moment in Adimarchus’ life.
The dream also foreshadows (as do most of the other dreams) events that transpire in the final encounter with Adimarchus when he is realised by the party from the cage healed (hopefully) from his insanity.
Nidrama presenting Adimarchus with the same damaged flower that he gave her that fateful night is the final key to convincing Adimarchus to seek redemption.
Haunted Dream Ten
“Now don’t open your eyes my love” you hear a lyrical male voice whisper into you ear, “we are almost there”.
“Where are you taking me Adimarchus?” you hear yourself say with a sweet feminie voice.
“Now open your eyes Nidrama we are here”.
You slowly open your eyes and gasp at the beauty what you see. A large golden blanket has been spread out on the glittering silver sand of small cove. The wine-dark Silver Sea gently washes up against the beach creating a faint reassuring chime as each wave breaks.
The sky above you is dark but filled with silvery stars bright enough to illuminate the shore.
Turning your attention back to the beach, Adimarchus has moved to sit on the blanket where he fills two crystal glasses with a glittering red wine. By his side a basket sits open and he has laid out fruits, cheeses and breads on an ivory platter.
“Oh this is wonderful Adimarchus!” you say breathlessly, “it is so perfect”. You move closer to embrace your love and kiss him passionately.
“But what if we are seen?” you say after a moment looking about.
“We are safe here Beautiful” Adimarchus assures you, “we are miles from anyone and I made sure we were not seen. Now sit down and enjoy yourself, the wine is from the vineyards of the Elven Lords of Arborea”
You sit down and have a sip savouring the taste and the moment. You look over at Adimarchus and reach out to hold his hand squeezing it. He turns to smile at you and leans in to give you another kiss before turning to look out over the sea and waves.
You continue to look at him. He seems more at peace than you have seen him in months. You know he has been worried about others finding out about your love but tonight his usual furrowed brow is smooth.
He feels your gaze and turns back to you.
“I have something for you my love” he says reaching into the basket, “now close your eyes.”
“You and your surprises” you tease him.
“Hold out your hand”, you reach out your small smooth hand tentatively, your mind excitedly attempting to guess what the gift could be.
“OK, have a look”.
You slowly open your eyes and look down at your hand.
“Oh Adimarchus its so…but how?” you stubble.
“It is an Elysium Tulip! Taken from the field where I first looked upon your beautiful face and lost my heart the save moment” Adimarchus whispers.
You feel as if you are floating, your heart bursting with love as you lean towards Adimarchus.
“Well isn’t this touching”, a snickering voice yells out from high above you on the cliff top.
Instantly you spin about in shock and panic dropping your flower on the sand.
Your love has been found out.
Adimarchus springs to his feet as a group of eight angels float down to the sand each bearing the symbol of Justice upon their armour. These were no normal angels; these were here to arrest them both.
Floating down last of all is a ruby haired angel, “Well, well, well, what do we have here!” he says with undisguised smugness, “the great Adimarchus found embracing a lesser. Now what will the Celestial Fathers say?”
The ruby haired leader slowly walks over towards you shaking his head in mock disbelief. “It’s a shame Adimarchus, so many angels look up to you – The great all conquering general…and now have been found out for the fraud you really are!”
“We are doing no harm to anyone, that law is an antiquated mockery of Heavens beliefs. Love should be more embraced in this place rather than structured by your standing!” Adimarchus retorts.
“What a wonderful speech Adimarchus. But you said it yourself didn’t you general…it is a law.” Stopping right in front of you the leader moves his hand up to lift your face and ads “but I must say Adimarchus I would have been tempted too with a beauty such as this!”
Adimarchus face screws up with instant rage, “Do not touch her soldier lest I teach you some well overdue manners” he commands through clenched teeth.
Turning his head back to Adimarchus the guard leader returns coldly “With all due respect general you are no position to teach me anything, now fly these two back to face trial” he orders to his men.
Two guards quickly grab your arms and you watch the rest of the angels walk towards Adimarchus more hesitantly.
Turning to the approaching guards Adimarchus says calmly “I won’t if I were you”
“Take custody of the criminal now!” you hear the leader scream and the guards lunge at the general.
With a loud whoosh Adimarchus flies straight into the air kicking out at two gaurds and sending them sprawling to the ground, one motionless the other clutching his shatter nose.
Instantly the remaining four guards draw their weapons and take to the air in pursuit. The call of a horn resounds across the sky from the shore below.
Adimarchus flies fifty feet into the air spins and rolls about turning his ascent into a fall catching the guards by complete surprise. With outstretched hand the general grabs at the arm of one angel as he dives through them, twisting the blade out of his hand and then slashing with the weapon at one of his wings sending surprised guard spiralling to the ground before he even knew what happened.
Arresting his fall Adimarchus then lifts himself once again into the air and meets the charge of another angel by catching the wrist of his clumsy slash with his free hand and using the pommel of his blade to smash into his face sending him floating to the ground also.
The remaining angels attempt to organise their next assault more by coming in at different angles. One comes from his left while another strikes at from above him to his right but the general can not help but shake his head at their lack of training.
Adimarchus simple ducks beneath the first blow from the left and striking the angel in the head with the flat of his blade knocking him unconscious and then following up his spin with a slash to the back of the angel to the rights knees.
Diving down quickly Adimarchus arrests the unconscious angels fall and lays him on the ground.
“Let go of her soldiers and you will allowed to leave unharmed” you here Adimarchus order coldly.
From behind you you hear the leader order with rage and frustration betrayed in every syllable – “Kill her now! She and Adimarchus and no more than common criminals whose sentence is assured!”
You snap your head to your left and right to the guards that are holding you. Both look confused and frustrated, duty bound to follow the order but reluctant to execute such a command.
Slowly one begins to draw forth dagger while Adimarchus holds out his hand to stay his actions – “This is not the act of good angel, you can not do this” he attempts to frantically reason.
“She is a criminal and I am your superior, DO IT NOW!” the guard leader screams.
You see the guard staring like a frightened child at Adimarchus, sweat rolling down his brow his face betraying a mix of a thousand conflicting emotions.
“I beg you to drop the weapon now or I will be forced to kill you myself. This is your last warning – STOP NOW!” Adimarchus orders his voice rising with urgency.
“Please I beg of you, I don’t want to die!” you plead
“DO IT!” you hear the leader command his voice reaching fever pitch.
Adimarchus stares into the guards eyes looking for hope, for doubt but then he sees them flash and look he has seen thousands of times on the battlefield and the soldier moves the blade slightly to begin the cut.
Adimarchus acted immediately slashing out horizontally in a precision arc and then following the direction of the blow spinning around and thrusting backwards at hip height.
“No Adimarchus!” you hear yourself scream and then you see that you are too late.
The guard with the dagger’s head lies at his feet, a shocked look permanently frozen on his angelic face and the other guard clutches at his abdomen, Adimarchus blade sunk to the hilt in his stomach.
Looking up to your love you say in little more than a whisper – “What have you done?!” and you see Adimarchus face change from a mask of rage to one of shock as he drops to his knees.
From out of nowhere a club savagely strikes Adimarchus in the back of the head sending him sprawling, face first into the sand motionless.
“And now great general Adimarchus you have doomed yourself” and turning to you “and your whore forever!”
Anger rises up inside you but before you can act angel guards begin too fly down from the sky.
“Take her first then this other criminal away!”The guards can not mask their surprise when they see Adimarchus lying on the sand but comply with the order lifting you into the air.
You watch Adimarchus slip further and further away from you, left helpless upon the beach with the other guards and feel a wave of horror and despair settle in your stomach.
You knew at that moment that your love was forever lost and your life would be changed forever.