Age of Ashes Obituaries

[EdwinM]

it's me again!

Name of PC: Tenda
Class/Level: Goblin Battle Oracle 18
Adventure: Broken Promises
Catalyst: incinerated into fine ash by a balor's death throes
Story: one of two newly acquired party members fought valiantly in defence of Breachill, against giants and siktemporas, but the explosion following balor's death was too much. Two critical failures resulted in Tenda turning into fine ash, with only a general's skull (the source of his curse) remaining.

Name of PC: Melltyn
Class/Level: Elf Conjuration Wizard 20
Adventure: Broken Promises
Catalyst: soul sucked by Mengkare's memory's shadow self
Story: the barbarian, still disappointed after missing the chance to fight Mengkare proper, taunted his memory in Vengegate Node, which of course turned him into a wyrmwraith. The wizard did not like that, and what he did not like even more was rolling a crit fail on a save against the creature's breath, even with foresight. Fortunately, his pale orange rhomboid activated and saved his sorry ass.

[xcmt]

Not permanent deaths, but close enough to write about belatedly.

Name of PC: "Earthfall" Erny
Class/Level: Goblin Bard 11
Adventure: Tomorrow Must Burn
Catalyst: Pimpslapped to death by a lich
Story: Overwhelmed by Jaggaki's AoE damage output and clever tactics, after battling through many minions on their way to his lair, the party was depleted and called for a retreat. Erny's fellow goblin ally, an Alchemist, lingered behind to try a hail mary shot from the Rod of Wonder, causing Erny, the party medic, to also linger back to cover his escape. Jaggaki's advance and critical backhand slap proved that to be a poor choice. The party did eventually defeat the lich and recover Erny's body, and after a very tense ritual on Kite Hill surrounded by their Kintargo allies the party managed to claw him back from the River of Souls.

Name of PC: Qedrueltu
Class/Level: Elf Sorcerer 14
Adventure: Fires of the Haunted City
Catalyst: Ripped in half by a bug
Story: A Blade Barrier was not enough to dissuade a Mukradi from targeting a juicy clothy when he stood too close to the wall, pulling him apart very briefly before a Breath of Life sewed him back together.

[xcmt]

Again not permanent (after a year of player requests I gave them access to Raise Dead) but noteworthy and costly:

Name of PC: Qedrueltu
Class/Level: Sorcerer 17
Adventure: Against the Scarlet Triad
Catalyst: "I'm going to cast it right next to her. What's the worst that could happen?"
Story: After nearly three full weeks of taunting, Bshez "Sand Claws" Shak finally agreed to a fatal duel against the PCs to reclaim her public honor. After the horns blared, the Blood Blades and party melee ran at each other (as the melee typically do) and engaged in the middle of the arena. Meanwhile, Bshez bided her time, rotating west and looking for a soft target to pick off. That soft target ended up being the Sorcerer, who also drifted westward seeking to create distance from the Blood Blade mosh pit. The next round, Bshez carved him up fairly well, but confident in the party's healing throughput the sorcerer decided to risk the AOO by casting Hideous Laughter right in Bshez's face. Bshez critically interrupted that idea with more heavy damage, leaving the sorcerer bleeding and gravely wounded, easy pickings for another crit and finishing blows the next round.

Name of PC: Gurk
Class/Level: Alchemist 17
Adventure: Against the Scarlet Triad
Catalyst: "Let's just clean up these minions real quick before focusing on the boss."
Story: Later in the same combat as above, the Rogue & Ranger melee combo is experiencing single-digit blues, and are struggling to finish off the Blood Blades now that their major AOE damage source is dead. The Bard has spent all his higher level spell slots Maze-ing Bshez from the fight, but now he's out of juice. Fearing Bshez's coming return and onslaught, the party elects to try to focus down the remaining Calikangs with all their strength in the next rounds, so that they can concentrate on avoiding and debuffing Bshez as a coordinated unit. This left Bshez wholly unoccupied upon return to battle, and with the sorcerer's lifeblood still dripping from her kukris she ran around the tangled melee cluster and charged at the isolated bomber Alchemist, who had already been weakened from incidental Calikang damage. Another flurry of critical and normal hits left him bleeding and dying on the floor, and despite the medic Bard's best efforts to Soothe him from afar, there was nothing left to stop Bshez from chasing, knocking down, and brutally executing another so-called hero.

[elisaelli]

Coming up on the end of our adventure (they're level 19 now!), and realized I forgot to add these.

Name of PC: Laki and Brogo
Class/Level: Ranger/7 and Fighter/7
Adventure: Cult of Cinders
Catalyst: dragon statue petrification trap
Story: The players, masters of subterfuge and friends to all, conquered the mine with extremely good diplomacy and deception rolls, and a smattering of midnight vrock murders. Their new friends told them about the fortress to the south, where they regularly delivered the gold, and as a group they decided to travel forth - only having actually dismantled a single dragon statue. The petrification statue has been allowed to continue down the river with the brothers - after they were relieved of their firearms and gunpowder. So the group comes up to the fortress, disguised as cultists bringing the gold in. They get in - and a single player wanders off, into the center sanctum, setting off the dahak trap and bringing the whole damn fortress down on their heads. They race to escape, plunging through the multicolored lights - and two statues are seen, one caught in mid-run, the other, who had been flying, plummeting out of the sky to crash into the jungle floor. The remainder, bloodied and golem-cursed, struggle into the jungle.

[elisaelli]

Name of PC: Pox
Class/Level: Alchemist/9
Adventure: Tomorrow Must Burn (sort of)
Catalyst: Phantasmal Killer
Story: Having survived the Mwangi jungle and Taldane jerks, the goblin alchemist Pox was looking forward to experimenting with the barrels of gunpowder they had absconded with. Alas, it was not to be. During a long struggle against the coven (modified), Pox rolled a barrel of gunpowder down toward them, exploding it to great effect and leaving them barely standing. One pointed a long claw at him, and horror struck his face. Nat 1 on a will save. The barghest that ate so many of his friends came to him in the shadows. Two fort save fails (hero pointed). And he faded into the black as his mind failed.

[elisaelli]

Name of PC: Gemma and companion Ursina
Class/Level: Champion / 12
Adventure: Tomorrow Must Burn
Catalyst: Bleeding damage, interlocuter
Story: The party had followed the scarlet triad back to the quarry. Wary after a very nasty fight with the lich, they had subdued the shadow giant and made friends with him. They snuck through to take out the caster, not giving him time to manifest his chess friends. Immediately afterwards, they go through into the final chamber. Their shadow giant friend stays outside as they haven't yet gotten rid of the ice devil (long story, basically they couldn't do any damage to it on the hill so had it leave after 10 rounds). Laslunn triggers the flood gates, and one PC runs outside to get the people out of the pits (his parents were among the prisoners). In the middle of a hail of bow fire as the twins are still around. The remaining three take on the interlocuter and Laslunn. She remains mobile, fast shot arrows striking the slowed crew. The champion Gemma and her mount Ursina are cornered by the interlocuter while the bard and swashbuckler struggle through to Laslunn. The champion and her mount are slashed, stabbed, and rended repeatedly as everyone else struggles mightily. The prisoners are freed and a wall of wind prevents the archers from usefulness. The shadow giant falls against the ice devil. The witch comes back to crush the ice devil. In the cave, Ursina falls, bleeding from a thousand cuts. Gemma struggles to her feet, only to meet the blade with her neck. The swashbuckler stabs Laslunn through the back and turns with the bard to celebrate with their friends - to see a deep pool of blood, the champion's body fallen over her faithful bear.

[elisaelli]

Name of PC: Calico, Victoria and companion Buddy
Class/Level: Swashbuckler/13, Inventor/13 and inventor companion
Adventure: Fires of the Haunted City
Catalyst: Purple worm food
Story: The party is cautiously making their way through the crystal caverns after one party member is nearly made into a carnivorous ooze. They misinterpret the worm sign though, and make their way into it's chamber. The companion is battered, and cleric and witch escape only due to opportunely cast freedom of movement. They start to move back, but the swashbuckler and then the inventor are swallowed. The companion keeps up trying to hit the creature, but is eventually battered into oblivion while the two inside are battered to death.

The next week, a new champion, fresh from the worldwound, comes to destroy the evil worm, only to have the body of their previous PC spat at them as a ranged attack. She was not amused, and much smiting occurred as vengeance was wrought.

[elisaelli]

Name of PC: Dhakosk
Class/Level: Witch/14
Adventure: Fires of the Haunted City
Catalyst: sea serpent food
Story: The party was just going on a nice boating trip. A nice, easy boating trip where nothing bad could possibly happen. On a tiny tiny rowboat (that map though). But the sea serpents attacked! They circled the boat, where the cramped quarters made it hard for the group to protect their weakest points. The champion is swallowed but escapes. Now several people are in the water, making it harder to fight. The witch is swallowed and tries a spell to get out - but fails to cast the spell, losing all remaining air and starting to suffocate. They batter at the creature but are unable to take it down before he succumbs to the darkness.

[elisaelli]

Name of PC: Sefi
Class/Level: Oracle/14
Adventure: Fires of the Haunted City
Catalyst: Accursed forge spurned, soul chain
Story: They found their way down to this hidden forge, fighting through the early opponents easily. Opening the door to the forge, they are met with a blast of stinging ash and soot - leaving 3/4 characters blind. They try to escape - but the oracle is hit critically with the soul chain, leaving him barely able to move. To prevent all of them from dying and no one finding out about these cultists, the cleric uses a wall of stone on the chamber before escaping up the stairs, leaving the oracle to her fate. Due to other issues, the cultists are able to leave the forge with the forge spurned, leaving the party to encounter them during the siege on the city to regain their friend's soul (rather than random undead encounters, I had waves of undead attack the city - they never found the issue with the walls so the walls went down in one section and we did most of the undead fights there, then they pursued back to the all temple).

[elisaelli]

And hopefully the last one I will have to write here.

Name of PC: Rogar
Class/Level: Barbarian / 16
Adventure: Against the Scarlet Triad
Catalyst: fell out of the sky. a really long way
Story: The party was excited to make their way through Finderplain. They heard the howls, but stopped to help people - made everyone come back to the central hall as with the magnificent mansion and another spell they could easily feed the entirety of the town. They did not recognize the illness of the gnome - who fled the hall as he transformed. They followed to dispatch as he seemed hazardous to others health. In the town square, they heard the howl - and many of them froze, terribly frightened and unable to move. The barbarian however was not frightened, took to flight and clashed with the wendigo in the air above the square. It slashed at him, leaving a huge claw gash across his chest and wrapping around his chest. He struggled with it, but both started rising wispily into the air. The rolls were abysmal, and the speed of flight prevented the party from following. A huge number of rolls were made - and his body was found half a mile out of town, fallen from a great height and splattered across the rocks and sand. He was reincarnated (as a azarketi in the desert yes that was also fun), and they swore revenge, following the wendigos out into the desert to a lair near the Pale Mountain.

[Fumarole]

Until I saw the PC levels above, at first glance I thought you had a massive TPK.

[elisaelli]

It was really, really close with Event 10 of book 6. I let one of the players respec to an exemplar, which definitely saved their bacon.

[Cori Marie]

elisaelli wrote:

Name of PC: Calico, Victoria and companion Buddy

Class/Level: Swashbuckler/13, Inventor/13 and inventor companion
Adventure: Fires of the Haunted City
Catalyst: Purple worm food
Story: The party is cautiously making their way through the crystal caverns after one party member is nearly made into a carnivorous ooze. They misinterpret the worm sign though, and make their way into it's chamber. The companion is battered, and cleric and witch escape only due to opportunely cast freedom of movement. They start to move back, but the swashbuckler and then the inventor are swallowed. The companion keeps up trying to hit the creature, but is eventually battered into oblivion while the two inside are battered to death.

The next week, a new champion, fresh from the worldwound, comes to destroy the evil worm, only to have the body of their previous PC spat at them as a ranged attack. She was not amused, and much smiting occurred as vengeance was wrought.

No she was not lol

[Moonbeam]

Name of PC: Kalshema
Class/Level: Barbarian 9
Adventure: Cult of Cinders
Catalyst: C6 - Wrath of the Destroyer trap
Story: The party failed to notice the trap before it got triggered. Kalshema is the first person affected by it and makes her Will Save with a natural 20.
The trap then rolls for initiative and comes ahead of the entire party. It targets Kalshema again.
This time, she is much less lucky. She rolls a natural 2 on her Will Save, then a natural 1 on her Fortitude Save...
She used a Hero Point to survive.
Strangely, the only other PC casualty so far was also to a Phantasmal Killer.

[Moonbeam]

Name of PC: Tabisha
Class/Level: Sorcerer 9
Adventure: Cult of Cinders
Catalyst: C9 - Being critically hit by an eye beam and then lots of AOE damage.
Story: As soon as the party entered the final room, Dahak's Skull shot a beam of fire at Tabisha and rolled a critical hit that scored 70 points of damage.
In the subsequent mayhem, the party was hit with multiple AOE effects from Belmazog and the 2 Dragon Priests: breath weapons and Fireball spells.
Tabisha struggled to stay alive, going unconscious and getting revived a couple of times.
Belmazog's second Breath Weapon of the fight would have slain Tabisha: she rolled a natural 1 on her save and was already Wounded 2. She had to use a Hero Point for a reroll and survive.

[Moonbeam]

Name of PC: Zalphine Sendari
Class/Level: Alchemist 11
and...
Name of PC: Kalshema Dabunor
Class/Level: Barbarian 11
and...
Name of PC: Nilodi Rinwen
Class/Level: Cleric 11

Adventure: Tomorrow Must Burn
Catalyst: J7 - quasi-TPK to Jaggaki and his underlings
Story: The fight against Jaggaki was quite brutal in my campaign. The party suffered massive damage from a Cold of Cold and a Chain Lightning, in addition to the strikes from the two regular stone giants, who rolled exceedingly well for their attacks.

Zalphine the alchemist was the first to fall, critically failing her save against the Chain Lightning (natural 1) and, immediately after that, getting critically hit (natural 20) by Jaggaki's Bones of Stone.

Nilodi the cleric was the target of a Flesh to Stone spell, failing her initial save by 1. She tried to dispel the effect with her final actions, but rolled too low to succeed and then critically failed (natural 1) her subsequent save and became petrified.

Kalshema the barbarian was very badly wounded (she suffered 169 points of damage on the first round before she even got to act), but made "greater invisible" by the sorcerer. The remaining regular stone giant then succeeded in connecting with both its attacks despite concealment, critically hitting her with its main attack (natural 20), also causing her to collapse.

Only the party's sorcerer remained standing at this point, with only 6 hit points left. She wisely decided to GTFO.

Due to a mix of encounter difficulty and harsh dice rolls, it looks like this fight was the end of this Age of Ashes campaign.