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Adam Flenar
United States
Carmel
Indiana
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Note #1: This series of session reports are copied from our private game forum. I thought the community at large may be interested in seeing how these books play out. Some at-the-table player knowledge is assumed in understanding these reports, so, sorry if some things aren't totally coherent. Fair Warning©: Spoilers ahead for ye players. Also, as a GM I took a number of creative liberties with books' contents.
Note #2: You'll notice we don't do anything related to kingdom building or mass combat. This is because, as a group, we found kingdom building to be fun at first, but it quickly grew tedious and, frankly, pointless. As for mass combat, I was frustrated and disappointed that the kingdom building and mass combat rules do not interact whatsoever. Also, the mass combat rules presented did not excite me. So we skipped them as well.
Adventure: Kingmaker: War of the River King's (Book 5 of 6)
Date: January 25, 2012
Session Summary
• Devin makes an exciting return and Noel a boring departure.
• The group wanders around the wilderness for a couple weeks.
Extended Summary
As the colossal carpets of weeds and tombs approach the party, King Noel gets a whisper on the wind from the ol' ball and chain and scampers off like a good hubsin. Conveniently, Dehvin arrives on the scene to fill the vacancy. He jumps right in and punishes the animated ground with his holy scimitars. Kahr and Humar take a few whacks across the face with the grave markers of long-dead monks. Sonash sits off-screen, cheering for Team Flemaria. With their Flemaria powers combined, the shambling mounds are reduced to a fine sediment.
The group decides to ignore the multitude of battles raging across the Glenebon Uplands and instead wander around the countryside aimlessly. First stop, a skeletal graveyard of huge bones, "Lion King"-style. A jangly mammoth approaches the group and bellows a greeting through his trunk. Humar casts comprehend languages on himself. Then he realizes he can't read mammoth lips. He casts comprehend languages on Dehvin instead. The mammoth introduces himself to Dehvin as Hillstomper, keeper of these sacred lands, and begs the PCs to cast out the uppity young crag linnorm that's taken up residence among the endoskeletal structures. The group obliges and the dragonish creature is killed. Hillstomper returns the favor by producing a wide variety of necklaces, rings, coins, armors, and magical items from various parts of his body. He even takes a few seconds to stamp the crag linnorm's body into a nice set of dragonhide breastplate. With a wink and a salute of the trunk, he bids the group farewell and trundles away.
They head into the Steamgrotto and avoid the 5% chance of total party destruction, i.e. 10d6 hot and steamy damage which the party would immediately spend a day healing with no further repercussions. They hike up to the peak of Mount Branthlend. Sonash tells an ancient story of his people about a warlord queen and a spine dragon or something or other. Who cares, Sonash!? Stop talking already! They follow a river down the side of the mountain and discover a big, shiny dragon skull impaled by an oak tree. Sonash is fascinated and soaks in the visceral imagery, but when he turns around, Kahr, Dehvin, and Humar have already left. It's almost as if they don't care. It's almost as if they don't want him around. The trio fights a huge wyvern and hoard its treature. They discover a familiar castle phasing in and out of existence. They sail to a lake within and island within a lake. Sonash always watches from the sidelines, receiving no treasure, glory, or eye-contact.
Kahr, Humar, and Dehvin follow a road to a little town called Littletown. Mayor Littles greets them and explains the poor town has been ravaged by the Pitax-Flemaria War. Kahr opens his heart and coin purse to the needy people. The whole town rejoices and throws a party in his honor. The Mayor opens his finest bottles of Whiterose chardonnay, but Humar, ever the party-pooper, points out the financial faux pas of Mayor Littles. Distraught, the Littletownians cry out in despair. However, in another generous gesture, Kahr offers to buy the rest of wine. Sonash parties too hard and passes out on ye old couch. Mayor Littles takes the opportunity to sketch various unsavory markings on Sonash's forehead.
The next morning, the party awakes to a cloud of fuzzy memories and headaches. After a hearty breakfast, they again ride out. Soon, they stumble across a small camp with a single, forlorn woman sitting by a meager fire. For Sonash, it's love at first sight. Humar attempts to strike up a conversation, but is promptly ignored. Kahr tries his hand, but is too shut down. Dehvin steps up to the plate and makes it to first base, conversation-wise. She introduces herself as Ilora. She tells the group of her continued battle to hold this scrap of territory and people she formerly commanded. The lone survivor of repeated clashes with Pitaxian soldiers, the rest of her camp was either slain on the spot or taken as prisoners to Fort Cassius. She has all but lost hope. Kahr, continuing with his kindness, encourages her that they may yet be able to rescue her lost comrades. He asks for any information she can offer and she tells of a group of men headed to Whiterose Abbey. Quickly losing interest in the woman, Dehvin offers a position in the fast-growing field of prostitution in Fort Cassius. She sneers and returns to her cold-shoulder stance. "You deserve so much more, Ilora, my love," Sonash thinks. His burning contempt towards Dehvin and his two friends grows steadily. No one tells Sonash about the dirty words and crude stick-figures on his forehead.
Days later, when a monstrous tree wraps Dehvin and Humar in its sharp vines, Sonash sits and watches. When the sinister plant sinks its barky teeth into Kahr, Sonash listens. When the menacing plant cuts into the three heroes' flesh with its thorns, Sonash leans back. When the monk, oracle, and paladin lie still and bleeding on the ground, Sonash clears his throat. When they die, he hums. When Sonash stares through Kahr, Humar, and Dehvin as they approach him after the battle, they wonder why he's grinning.
Player Information
• Chris played, and his character, Kahr, started this session as a Human Monk 12 with 311867 XP with 378030 XP afterwards. Kahr levels!
• Nathan played, and his character, Humar, started this session as a Human Oracle 12 with 306012 XP with 365775 XP afterwards. Humar levels!
• Derek played, and his character, Dehvin, started this session as a Human Paladin 12 with 306012 XP with 365775 XP afterwards. Dehvin levels!
• Kyle did not play, but his character, Noel, started this session as a Human Rogue 12 with 311867 XP with 363097 XP afterwards. Noel levels!
• Sonash, the Barbarian 12, bides his time.
Experience
• "The Mammoth's Shame" quest accomplished for 51260 XP.
• "Eater of Kings" quest checked off for 51260 XP.
• Young Crag Linnorm killed for 25600 XP.
• Minognos-Ushad, old wyvern, cut down for 38400 XP.
• Tree That Weeps punched to death for 38400 XP.
• 2 Advanced Shambling Mounds crumbled for 25600 XP. [Humar, Dehvin, Kahr; 8533 each]
• Littletown graciously aided by Kahr for 6400 XP. [Kahr only]
Total: 204920 XP (51230 XP per player)
Loot
• Hillstomper, the bejeweled awakened mammoth, shakes 5800 gp out of his fur, pulls a suit of masterwork studded and leather armor out of a pouch slung over his back, instantaneosly crafts a dragonhide breastplate, pulls a masterwork cold and iron greatsword from behind his ears, squirts a silver coffer worth 250 gp that contains seven silver rings worth 200 gp each out of his trunk, unwinds an onyx and jade necklace worth 800 gp from around his waist, pulls a gold crown decorated with topazes worth a total of 1,800 gp off his head, and pulls a divine scroll of summon monster VI, a wand of mnemonic enhancer (33 charges), a leather pouch containing 3 doses of dust of disappearance, a potion of rage, and a staff of frost out of various bodily crevices.
• 5240 gp, a dozen gems worth 100 gp each, 17 +2 icy burst crossbow bolts, and a winged shield gathered from among the bodies in Minognos-Ushad's lair.
• A gray bag of tricks is rewarded to the group for completing the "The Mammoth's Shame" quest.
• A clear spindle ioun stone is rewarded for completing the "Eater of Kings" quest.
Campaign Links: First Previous Next
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Posted Fri Jan 27, 2012 2:49 am