Endless Bag of Games

Ok, that was the last session of the campaign. It is always a shame when time factor affects the pace of gaming, but it is a good thing we managed to pull this trough and get a actual ending to the campaign. Maybe it was executed hastily, but at least it was an ending. This time I’m too tired to write longer summary what happened during the session, but I’ll give you something at least.

Heroes decided that Victor had to be saved, so they made a plan and Hadarai was sent on a mission to retrieve needed sigils to find out the destination where Victor eventually ended. Hadarai got the sigils, but also learned that Victor was forced to go with black crows, but for their surprise, he was alive and well. Meanwhile; Dagur recruited the Arkhosian dragonborn warriors to join them in this attempt for their friend. After Hadarai got back, it didn’t take long to whole group to enter the portal where the villains had went before… So next, they kicked the door, killed the monsters, saved the damsel (Victor) in epic cathedral like-scene and in the same time, solved the problem pathfinders were facing.

After all the action, it was time for little storytelling that I like to conduct with my players whenever we end a campaign. After the obvious celebrations and dust settled I asked individually from my players “What did your character do next”? This is a part that I always like very much. It’s nice to hear what did their characters pursued after the campaign, since it gives a feeling of belonging to the world;

Dagur joined the Arkhosian Dragonborn’s group and continued working from Harn Monas, as for Galvaren continued searching ways to learn to be more skilled swordsman. Hadarai decided that being a pathfinder was not no longer fun and decided to wonder and experience the world more. Alan was curious about the island and started to solve the mysteries around the island of the dread and Victor, he decided that it was time to pull some strings and establish a thieves guild of his own.

Thanks for the players. It was nice playing with you. Next time I can play with you guys are the mini-campaigns we have been talking about, but THAT is an another story. (Original picture from WoTC).

As the campaign inevitably draws near the end, we have about three to four gaming sessions time to go before the end. After that, it’s goodbye for my current gaming group and I welcome Shanghai, the Pearl of the Orient, to my life. Who knows what it is after that, but it’s very likely that the Endless Bag of Dice is going to be a quite silent for a while. Maybe the summer 2009 will bring the longed Forgotten Realms 4th edition campaign in Helsinki.. Who knows.. Anyway, it’s time to write the session log from last sunday:

Lonely Feydark and a group consisting of Arkhosian dragonborn warriors, sailors from Waterham and our hero-pathfinders spend their time desperately finding shelter to survive. The Cyclops and their Fomorian masters were now aware, that some of the group managed to infiltrate the complex. It didn’t take long for Hadarai and the rest of the group to notice, that the entrance was now sealed. Skilled cyclops had collapsed the entrance tunnel.

After finding a shelter, little den which was easy to defend, it was decided that alternative routes had to be found. While Hadarai, Dagur and Gap headed for finding possible new routes, Alan stayed behind and studied the books which he managed to steal among the loot. Soon Alan learned that the crystal tower which worked as a unstable teleport platform possibly to everywhere was a disastrous result of a wizard Inlierins experiment to create Dream Tear, the portal to anywhere. The crystal-part was actually only a cover in order to keep the portal from expanding, thus creating more havoc to the world. It has been bad enough, that the results of the experiment, among the midst of restless times, had tore the island out of time and place and now existed everywhere and nowhere at the same time.

After spending hours in research Alan made a theory, that it was possible to use the crystal with a unique ritual which POSSIBLY could send the people atleast back to their time. The prequisite was, that the ritual had to be linked with an item created which would take the group back to that moment and maybe to that reality. This was only an assumption and it would take almost half an hour to complete the ritual. There was yet another possibility, to just hasten the ritual, without deciding the location, just the time when to enter the unspecified destination. It would be more risky, but yet there remainded a slight possibility of succeeding.

After Alan told others what he learned they made a decision. 30minutes was way too long time for them to survive so the dragonborn commander made a noble decision. They would make a stand, try to defend the others while they get the portal open in order to escape. After all, the commander had had difficult times after learning that in the future, their empire was long gone and forgotten. For him and his men, it was an honor to get the others to safety.

Meanwhile, others had found a refugee among the depths of Feydark. A mysterios blind woman, who told the heroes that he had escaped the cyclop slavers long time ago and was now living in his little home since he could not do more. Being blind and weak after all. The angelic lanterns which only appear when something divine is present however were the lightsources of this woman’s home. Zehran, the woman, appeared to be something out of the ordinary and the heroes agreed to help her too by taking her with them.

With the help of Zehran, they found a way back to the complex leading to a room where the cyclops held their mining tools. Since it would have been TOO much to play “the outbreak” with every single action included, it was decided to run as a continous, hard skill challenge. So eventually they were discovered and the battle for their life began. Alan was using all the skills that he had for the ritual with the help of Tinan, the Melora’s priestess while the others were defending the crystal and fighting. Many brave warriors perished that day, but they managed to open the portal and they jumped… trough thought and time.

Now, group of survivors were standing on a snowy plain in the middle of nowhere, not knowing where they were. When the night came, Hadarai astonished the others by locating where they were. The stars were familiar, they were the northern stars of Aerithian sky. To the rest of the survivors it was time to find new home. Thanks to the wizard they were soon in Harn Monas, At Banruo’s Scholars where Alan had started the whole journey, almost a year ago.

It was almost too good to be true, they had survived and now they were back home. When things seems to be to good, they usually are not. Yes thet had arrived, yes they were safe, but the portal had malfunctioned and it was the same night, when Victor was captured… With a small beacon of hope, we ended the gaming session.

First of all, I think congratulations are in order. One of our players was absent today, but I think he had a reason good enough. Your first children being born is maybe little more important than our gaming sessions!!But only a little!! Fun session though, a struggle to survive trough the island.

Time crawled slowly as our heroes delved deeper to the jungle. On their route they entered a ruined city, which proved to be ancient eladrin city of Viviecan. The ruined city had had it’s problems, but that was the least of our groups problems. Fomorian giants were looking for them and they had to find way out of the island. Ruins of the city proved to be good place for hiding, but they could not continue doing that forever. Stocks of food grew thinner every day and ruins itself was inhabitet by dangerous creatures.

“I say we still trust what the wizard can do whit his rituals” Redgar said with a trust in his voice. He had seen Alan working in his ship and trusted that he was the only one who could get them out of there. Commander of the Arkhosian soldiers agreed so they continued. Alan made another ritual which showed them the way. Underground, towards the tower…

As they entered underground trough a watery temple dedicated to Zehir, they followed underground river coming straight from the mountain (near the distant tower). That however was not a easy task. A stone-eye basilisk put the whole group in danger, but the heroes emerged victorious. As they delved deeper, it was clear that they were slowly descending to Feydark. Where the Underdark is bare stone, the Feydark is lined with bizarre fungi. Forests of mushrooms, as tall as a human, cling to the jagged cliffs descending deep into the earth. Waterfalls run blood red with algae that’s evolved to live off the magical emanations.

After descending long stairs leading to a enourmos cavern full of bizarre fungi it was time to rest. The group had travelled for a long time and it was time to rest. It was thanks to perceptive Hadarai who noticed when something strange was going on. Huge Demonweb spider was crawling with swarms of blade spiders around it on the other side of the cavern. The group falsely believed that they were unnoticed…

Little misjudgement and suddenly the whole camp was in chaos. Blade spiders were everywhere and everyone got their hands full. Cavern was filled with sounds of battle. Heroes and the tough Arkhosian warriors made a good job defending sailors as best as they could. Even so, there were casualties. Eight people dead, the group was getting smaller…

The forest of the fungi wasn’t easier. Difficulties with the feytoched displacer beasts did not made the situation any easier. Luckily for them, there were no casualties this time. Another ritual by Alan and their route was still clear. They delved deeper…

They spent numerous hours in the dark, only small sources of light with them. They started to grew tired for the situation when they finally arrived to caverns made by skillful handwork. As the heroes scouted further, they heard familiar sounds. Cyclops talking. They had arrived.

Hadarai vanished to the shadows, scouting the place as he was the only one skilled enough for that. The complex seemed to be quite big, but the Hadarai had difficulties to find out more about the place because of the guards, but he did find out something interesting. Room of red shimmer and two cyclops guarding it. He learned that there was big crystal inside, which made some of they cyclop guards feel nauseated. Eladrin headed back to tell what he had seen. They decided, that Alan and Hadarai headed back to complex to investigate more of this shimmer…

Alan felt it from a distance. Strong feel of magical energy, somehow distorted coming from the room. Still it was not enough for Alan to know what was the source of it by just feeling it, so it was time to make a little diversion. After succesfull ghost sound by Alan, our heroes found themselves inside the room. There was huge crystal coming from the ground and trough the ceiling. They had found their tower. Next to the crystal was a room where Hadarai and Alan hid themselves. It was the treasury, full of amazing craftwork and valuables…

Alan had drew a conclusion that the crystal was actually somekind of portal but there was much uncertain things about it so they decided to leave the room. After quickly taking as much as they could they tried to sneak back. They tried to sneak close enough for Alan to make the diversion and were noticed. The guards were almost too stunned to move, but soon they yelled “Alarm!! Guards!!”. Hadarai had no difficulties to get past the guards because of his inborn teleporting ability. Alan however had more difficulties. It looked that Alan was doomed, but miracously, with his magic the young wizard was able to escape the strong hands of cyclops with only few scratches. So they ran…

For the players: I forgot the give the EXP for the session and promised to put a list what you guys stuffed in your bag of holdings. So first the EXP = 1700 and then generous loot from the treasury:

*Hide armor, Laughing Dead Armor lvl 9 AV p.47
*Mace, Crusader’s Mace lvl 9 AV p.66
*Staff, Staff of the serpent lvl 7 AV p.106
*Shield, Pelaurum Shield lvl 4 AV p.118
*Gloves of Agility lvl 5 AV p.134
*Polyglot Gem Draconic AV p.175
*Longsword, Communal longsword lvl 4 AV. p66
*Dagger, Assassin’s dagger lvl 8 AV p.63
*Gems, Gold, Valuables worth 7211gp
*Material components worth 300gp
*2x healing potions
*1x elixir of flying AV p.186