Session 15 – Ding Dong the Dome is Done?!
Campaign I, session 15. Previous: Session 14. Next: Session 16.
The party beat a hasty retreat from the dungeon, dodging any random encounters. Unfortunately one of their “wolfslayer twins” guarding the carts had died fighting giant rats while they were in the dungeon, the second guard retreated along with the horses while the rats feasted and then wandered off.
Also, somewhere along the way, the silenced kobold follower wandered off into the dungeon.
The party decided to rush back to Teryk using their shortcut, knowing that they would reach town after dark, but hopefully in time to get Attendant Garalen to patch up Nevu.
Once we were in town, I started keeping time strictly, letting the PCs know that the factions within the dungeon would soon realize the center of their cultish devotion was gone, and that their response was on a timer.
Nevu’s leg was restored successfully, but the restoration awoke a great hunger for vice within her, and found herself struggling with addiction and unwilling to return to the adventuring life.
Attendant Garalen patched up other characters, then used a Divination to examine the Heart. He told that anyone with a magic weapon could attack the heart, but there might be some kind of retribution against the attacker. Singil communed with her spirits and found that a non-magical heavy implement (such as sledgehammer) could potentially break it up as well, but again the evil within would try to strike out at the destroyer.
Meathead leveled up on return to town, and again rolled a fanatical loyalty result. He is now convinced that Pashlatine is a dragon in human form.
Aeropos, the merchant guildmaster, confessed to the party that he’s been unable to hire caravan guards at the usual rate and asked Pash and Travain to increase their investments with him to cover costs.
A group of NPCs arrived in response to Casino’s earlier flyering in Vedycaer. Eventually, Casino manages to hire a fighter named Ebba, and a Dwarven Delver named Rotgrum.
Eventually the PCs decide they want to take the Heart to Vedycaer for further study to determine the best way to go forward. Since Lorelea (the venturer Pash hired to run trade routes between Vedycaer and Teryk) is scheduled to leave on the 11th, the PCs spend a few more days of downtime making trinkets, studying proficiencies, gambling, and picking up rumors.
The night before they’re scheduled to leave, Count Rolands men spot enemy forces closing on the Fort from the woods.
At this point, the PCs have several choices:
- Flee with the Heart while Roland and his men fight most of the creatures from the dome.
- Enter a Heroic Foray to attempt to take out a portion of the enemy army before combat begins
- Stick around and roll out the mass combat using the simplified rules from Domains At War: Campaigns
After some explanation, everyone agrees to skip the heroic foray (their henches are underleveled to participate and several of the PCs aren’t much for combat).
Fortunately for them, the Count’s forces win a decisive victory within a few rounds. His casualties are rough, but manageable for now.
The Count then awards the PCs the previously agreed 2,000 gp for their help in clearing the source of bandit attacks, BUT asserts his legal claim to the treasure remaining in the dome (by law, 50% of recovered treasure belongs to the landowner, and 50% to the finder).
The party agrees to these terms, and we agree as a group to use the ACKS abstract adventuring rules to speed through the remaining bits of the dungeon and tally the treasure. The PCs score a “stupendous” result, receiving no serious wounds and finding ALL the treasure.