The adventures of our brave fellowship finally came to and end in the summer 2012. The campaign was a huge success, greatly because the DM with partial aid from Melkors player, planned the main plot all the way back then when the heroes were just 1 level greenhorns. That kept the adventure nicely together without sliding into dumb sidequests or into general mindset of indolence. But what did we get from our four main characters?
Warning! Contains spoilers!
Arius was taken to the adventure by sudden and the young boy was soon informed about his magnificent future as the rightful king of Darnon. Sadly much of his efforts were sort of in vain as Melkor revealed his true agendas. Arius felt like a puppet, but because of his honor, he fought for Darnon until the end. In the end he united with his father, Melkor, and looked forward in to ruling the kingdom of Darnon. The relationship of Arius and Melkor was one of the key plotlines planned before the campaign even started. It came up good, and for the players the revelation of their true bond was as shocking as the famous scene in Star Wars.
Melkor was the mastermind behind all their efforts. He did everything for his own agendas of capturing the Eye of Karsus, a powerful Netherese artifact. Cold, calculating and cruel, he was a quite a character, he even had his own theme music!
Although Melkor had his good side, it was well hidden all the way to the end, when he saved (some say accidentally!) the last darnonese soldiers alongside with his son and friends. At least in the ending he gave up his cold facade and embraced his son for the first real time. As said, Melkor the loremaster was essential character for the DM to push the adventure forward. Melkors player received many secret notes depicting the future moves of the wizard, a quite cunning way to emphasize his ?26? intelligent score!! and the knowledge that his prestige class Loremaster gave him.
Jared was the cleric that destroyed undeads like thin glass vases. Jared was always bit in a auxiliary role, although he had his moments. When Jared was killed by the giant undead maggot in the battle of Durunmer, his player had great doubts about resurrecting him. We managed to make a deal where Jared actually died and his body and soul was taken by a colossal demon entity known as Gor Marrak (which I had introduced, then forgotten, but which made some "sense" why the cleric was possessed) which avatar/servant manifested in the final battle. Losing Jared saddened the happy ending a bit, but was in line with sacrifices that had to be made in order to save Darnon. A statue was later raised for Jareds memory in Iriaebor, and the brave cleric was heightened as the Patron Saint Jared of Iriaebor.
Douglas was the good guy behind it all. Always there, always ready, maybe bit uneffective against undeads and constructs, the rogue did his share of turning people and creatures into "luskanese bagpipes". He was known for his legendary sarcasm and wit, and he was probably the only one that never had any hidden plots behind him. Well he had his personal encounter with the torture chambers of Asbravn. Douglas should have deserved some more personal plotlines, but after all, Melkor hired him to aid rescuing Arius, and the thief stuck with the others in order to gain more wealth. His death and "faceswap" episode made us consider the pros & cons of raising the dead, and for the new campaign we decided to introduce a new system to replace the raise dead-magicks.
But now we are ready to depart from the Kingdom of Darnon, the greatest adventure of our gaming career. Personally as a Dungeon Master, the campaign has been a rewarding one. It sure has been a blessing and a pain, seeing the players actually excited by the adventures and plots, but also the planning processes have been the most demanding yet, almost exhausting. And then is this blog, demanding even more efforts. But the blog collects my thoughts about the late adventure and helps me to plan the new one, so I guess we're slightly on the positive side with this one. I had considered leaving the chair of Dungeon Master for a while, letting one of the players to game few adventures of something totally different, but as the campaign ended, everybody was so excited in creating a new one, as was i, so I guess no pause for me, the adventure calls! And this time it calls in the north, be my guest and take a peek at the "To the North"-campaign blog!
Now this is the farewell! Yours truly, Jakubias the Dungeon Master
Arius woke up. He was lying in a bed, and Cidela Pepperpath was sitting on his side. Suddenly Arius focused as the girl kissed him. "What happened?" He asked. Cidela told him how the demon that once were Jared, struck him down, but at the same moment, the battlefield began to drift in to shadows. Cidela had thought that her own end had come, but then from the shadows, something manifested out of the thick shadows. It was a city and a fortress, that was and was not. And then the ethereal gates of the city of shadows opened, and an army of shades marched towards the battlefield, and in the vanguard, walking alongside the Shade King, was Melkor. The shades fought hard and disbanded not until the last of Alzarseths mercenaries was slain and the demon banished back to the Abyss.
Cidela and the rest of the Darnonese army gathered the wounded and now they are in the grand halls of High Lady Cylyria Dragonbreast. Much of the city of Berdusk was saved as the berduskian wizards managed to create a protective ward to withstand the red orb. Arius was puzzled but glad that they had survived from what was nigh impossible. Then he saw Douglas who was sleeping on a sidecouch, but the rogue woke quickly and welcomed his friend back to the living. Cidela told Arius that this morning, Melkor came back, but the wizard refused to talk to others, conserving his words for Arius. Young King asked Cidela about Jared and the girl explained the little that she had managed to discover.
According to Berduskian sages, Jared suffered some sort a soulcurse where a malign entity took control of his soul and body. It was suspected that Jared changed back in Durunmer where undead maggot killed him. This theory is backed up by his journal, gathered from his belongings. Last note goes like this:
"7th of August, 1372
It truly is a joy to write again. May Lathander bless my new hands! I will write a better recitation as soon as I have more time, as now we are in haste to the village of Durunmer, since a unholy terror has risen from the ruins of Dakhet Mar. But it is to be mentioned that our pagan comrade, Hashim the Kothian was slain in a evil ambush. I will miss him. But now I must rush, praised be Lathander, unlike the last few days, today I truly feel that we will be victorious!"
In loving memory of Jared
Saddened by their loss, Cidela helped Arius to get back up, and walked him to the main hall. It had became a makeshift hospital for the injured. Among the tired yet relieved soldiers and civilians they saw Dortherion, badly maimed but still kicking. Lot was there too, petting Hero the dog. General Almatheus Ochrefield was there too, but he had given his fullest during the battle and now he was dying. And to his sickness there was no cure.
And as they reach the other end of the hall, Melkors walks in. The old wizard apologizes for his late actions, and admits that now afterwards he sees several ways to improve his methods. Melkor explains that when he reached for the artifact, he felt a connection to the realm of shades. He summoned the shade armies for their aid, but that costed him the Eye of Karsus, as the Shadeking Hardhune took it from him. After the battle, the Shadeking spoke to him and told that if he ever wishes to study the artifact, he would have to abandon his life among the others and join to shades in their realm at the Plane of Shadow.
As Arius began to understand why Melkor did what he did, and even though he had not fully forgiven him yet, he was touched by Melkors possible leave and asked what did the wizard choose to do? Melkor stared him for a while and said "I bid you farewell Arius.."
And he turned and began to walk towards the doorway. Arius couldn't find any words to stop his father from leaving, but at the doorway Melkor stopped. The wizard saw a young berduskian boy with golden hair, fencing a old bookcase with wooden sword and shield. Something changed inside the wizard, who turned and walked back to Arius "I guess I'll watch over you for couple more years, I owe you that, son." Cheers were heard as the wizard and the young king finally hugged (which was Melkors first hug since his beloved Queen Aeliathe, love of his life) as a gesture of remission and newly found relationship.
A message arrived from Uddard Blackcaster who informed that the free people pf Darnon were longing after their king. Our brave heroes walked into a balcony and gazed beyond the smoking ruins of Berdusk and beyond the green fields of Berdusk, there lied the Kingdom of Darnon, for which they had sacrificed and fought. Cidela asked from Arius:
"The Tyrant is dead, evil wizard has been slain, the kingdom is yours, what are you going to do now?"
"I could be with you.." Arius replied.
Cidela blushed, and couldn't give Arius a coherent answer just yet. The embarrassed couple was saved by Lot who walked in with Hero the Dog, bringing Arius the Crown of Darnon.
And there, standing with his trusted friends, the young boy who just over a year ago had gone for the market to run some casual errands, placed the crown on his head, and look, he was
King Ariendur the Valiant
Defeater of Tyranny, Savior of the Free People of Darnon.
And together with his dear friends, they saw many wondrous adventures, but those are different tales that deserve to be told, but not now, since now is the time to bid you and our glorious heroes farewell!
Session was held 30th of June at the Altar of Games
Melkor made Arius very upset. Poor kid.
As the great peril loomed over the Kingdom of Darnon, Arius prepared himself for a speech that was meant to raise the last remaining men for the final battle. Melkor had declared that they would should move with haste towards the city of Berdusk that was currently besieged by the Red Wizard Alzarseth. Melkor pointed out that encountering Alzarseth was crucial if they wished for Darnon's best, as the Red Wizard gathered strength with every passing hour.
But Arius found himself troubled by the late events. Melkor had always been close to him as a mentor and foster father, but now as it had turned out that the Black Wizard actually was his father, he had great problems accepting the truth. Even more so as his legitimacy for the Crown of Darnon had been forever lost. Although he still struggled with his thoughts, Arius heartened the remaining soldiers to join him for the final march. A march that was destined to end in suffering of many without a promise of victory.
The Final March
The preparations for the Last Stand of Justice were made roughly in one day. During their planning meet with the last remaining rebellion leaders they agreed that General Almatheus Ochrefield, Dortherion, Count Anthrop and Constantin Almert would join them for the last march. Uddard Blackcaster was nominated to act as regent while our heroes would be making war elsewhere, and he promised to give his fullest to prevent the conquered cities descending into turmoil. Cidela Pepperpath and Lot were stationed to guard the Cube of Tybor during the march and while Melkor would do his magicks.
During the meet Ochrefield stated they managed to raise around thousand soldiers for the march, many of them ex-Blackhelms who had deserted from King Osanders army.
While planning for the tactics, Blackcaster brought up alarming news. It had turned up that the carcass of Merthoflagrion, the red dragon that was slain few weeks ago in the Battle for Asbravn, had vanished into thin air. Blackcaster assured the rest that there was no reason to worry and that natural explanation for the disappearance of the huge rotting serpent was to be found.
Next morning the small army of tired freedom fighters began it's march towards Berdusk. Captain Ochrefield calculated that march would take four days to the Great Bulwark, where they could ask Colonel Erebald (well known sympathizer of Free Darnon) and his men to join them. But before that they would have a long forced march ahead of them that would really test the endurance of the men.
Route of the Last March.
The men marched almost two days in a row with minimum rest, but outside the village of Borhus they finally had a little rest among the village houses and maturing crops. After the nightfall when the camp had been built and most were fast asleep, Melkor was still writing to his notebook.
Zelthaum the Eldritch
Suddenly he noticed how his magical amulet began to hover on his chest, and how inside the tent every other item of magical nature did exactly the same. Arius woke up as his sword Ilbrandir began to float away from him, and soon all of our heroes charged out of the tent to see what was causing this magical anomaly. And as a thunder shook the camp, great giant appeared in front of them.He declared to be Zelthaum the Eldritch, claimant to possess the Cube of Tybor. The gigantic man listened no reasoning and the ownership of the Cube had to be dissolved with arms. Zelthaums gargantuan bastard sword was a force to be reckoned and his magical abilities boosted his power further, but as so many times before, our heroes proved to be triumphant. The giant was soon slain, heroes claim for the Cube restored and soon the camp returned to peaceful slumber.
The One who Returned
At dawn, the camp was dismantled and the march continued. Sun didn't illuminate their path anymore as a dark gloom had fallen over Darnon. The black clouds over Berdusk had grown even thicker, and the dense veil of darkness was spreading over the lands with ever growing speed. It was clear that Alzarseths magic was the cause of this unholy gloaming that hung heavily over the land. The army moved with haste towards the border Bulwark, and two days later they reached Hope's End, a refugee village outside the Morihig border station. The village was empty, sacked by the conquering army of Alzarseth. But death reeked also at the border station. Colonel Erebald, who was expected to join them, hang gutted, upside down with his close officers at the camps gate. Douglas donned his ring of invisibility (freshly acquired from Asbravnian merchant) and went for a quick recon mission. The thief soon returned and informed the others that the border station had been overrun by undead warriors. Jared was encouraged by these news and promised to get rid of the menace with his positive energy bursts granted by his deity Lathander. Talk about being positive, the crazed cleric walked all alone in the middle of the soldiers of unlife. An undead officer in black full-plate ordered them to turn because the border was closed, but the priest launched his positive burst that tore the skeleton army apart, but only partially, as many of the creatures rose again.
Death Knight Irongrave and his zombie-dragon steed.
By releasing the burst, Jared also evoked the high commander of the depot of living dead. Great doors of the wall gatehouse fell, as a gargantuan beast crawled in. And look, the beast was Merthoflagrion, once slain red dragon that had risen again. The zombie dragon had a rider, donned in black full-plate, wearing a cracked helm with huge deer antlers, and the rider was the greatest of the Skull Riders, Captain Irongrave. He was slain in the battle of Treeward, but now the captain was bestowed with unholy powers and risen as a Death Knight. As a response to clerics energy burst, Irongrave grunted "Here only you can die" andlaunched a volley of unholy fire towards Jared, knocking the priest down. Then the dragon vaulted to the sky and swiped behind our heroes, frying many soldiers with it's fiery breath. Furious battle ensued as the Death Knight dealt punishment from the Beyond. As Jared regained his consciousness and was ready to continue the battle, he unleashed another burst of energy, decimating the weakened Death Knight and his terrible minions. Without these superpowers of our heroic cleric, many of the men would have died in the claws of the skeleton horde, now they could sigh and wait for day or two longer for the Kothian blades to slay them.
The army marched through the border gate and gasped as they saw malevolent powers growing in the berduskian sky. A great red sphere glowed it's death on the doomed city and it was now crystal clear that there was n more time to be wasted. With a forced march our heroes and their army struggled onwards, but soon general Ochrefield had to call for a quick rest. They headed to a farm called "The Verdants" where the men gathered fresh water and crops for fast nourishment. But encounter followed as the main building was already occupied. A great warrior launched forward, killing two soldiers. He told the heroes to back off, but when questioned, the man, called Strong-Dong, revealed that he was serving a master. And the master answered when he was called forth.
Here Strong-Dong and Man-with-a-pointy-hat both marvel
how well the Man shot his arrow into Ebonmars ribs.
A wretched shadow of a man walked out of the building, and soon our heroes recognized that familiar scumbag, he was Lord Lullicius Ebonmar. The fat coward had escaped from Berdusk just before the siege, and was hiding here with few of his menservants. It didn't take long from our fellowship to negotiate Strong-Dong to leave his slavemaster and join for the glorious battle. That obese bastard tried to sneak out of the situation but by heroes command, a man with a pointy hat & feather stopped his escape with a well aimed arrow. The pointy hatted man was complimented for his bravery in action. The owners of the Verdant-farm were found and released from the basement, and they gave their sincerest gratitude for our heroes. During the night the farmer Matteus Verdant finished his issues with Lord Ebonmar who was left to die on the yard. As morning came even more hazily than the others before, resting troops found Ebonmar hanged into nearest tree. Many wondered how that chapped farmer had strenght to lift that fat carcass high up in the air. After this scene the last camp was dismantled and the march for final judgement began.
The Last Strike
The red glowing orb over Berdusk and it's besiegers.
The Last Army of Free Darnon progressed with rather hasty pace, even though they were marching to their evident deaths. As the last hills and meadows of berduskian farmlands were left behind, the army reached a last little hill before the city, and on the top of that our fellowship finally saw how dire the whole situation actually was. The city was completely surrounded by besieging force. Dark black clouds hung heavily over the city, and in the middle of the clouds a gigantic red orb pulsated, sucking red energy from the city and the besieging forces to itself. And from that red eye, a small line of that same red energy streamed into a small mountaintop, which glowed with bright light. There on that artificial peak (that wasn't there before, foul magic of the red wizard once again) Alzarseth did his magics in order to destroy Berdusk.
Only one unit of enemy troops was not under the same lure that doomed Berdusk. These men guarded the small peak where the archmage was conjuring death and demise for thousands. Our valiant crusaders decided to head straight towards the peak in hope of intercepting the conjuring. The enemy let them proceed quite a distance until three-men sentry rode towards them. Their leader, Shadhum Khozo, the leader of Kothian mercenaries, announced that his master is currently occupied and cannot attend their business whatever it was. But mercenary captains speech was interrupted by the red mage himself telepathically saying "Shadhum, I do have time"
And with this sentence, dust began to move in a circle of hundred feet radius. And from that circle rose half-dozen enormous metal blades that reached the sky, still circling with blinding speed, enclosing our heroes into deadly cylinder. And inside that cylinder was Alzarseth the Red. As predicted, the mage was wearing deep red robe, his face looked powerful, and his eyes stared under pitch-black brows.
This is the speech Alzarseth held when addressing our heroes:
"We meet at last! The King is dead, long live the King!
Congratulations Ariendur, there's finally a man on the throne who righteously deserves it!
And you must be Douglas of Berdusk. It seems that you've lost your face?
The priest of Lathander, Jared. We shall talk about the matters of faith later when all this is over, for then whe truly have time for it.
Oh but Melkor the Black, Confidant of Queen Aeliathe, The Wise Man of West, Descendant of the Great Ancient Wizards of Netheril. Far have you traveled from your books, and even farther from the havens of rationality are your thoughts, how do you believe that you'll ever reach your goals when even your closest ones do not know about your endeavors?
Melkor, let me explain to your little friends..
Don't you remember? You arrived to Iriaebor long time ago, visions of long gone artifact in your eyes. You had managed to dig up that the arch-wizard of the city could possess an item of tremendous power and you decided to investigate this lead. Yes, the Eye of Karsus was mine back then already, even though I had not yet unleashed it's true powers.
Melkor and Arius back when everything was well.
You conspired with the beautiful Queen, but did you do it for love, I dare not to know. You managed to discover a lot, but much was yet to be discovered, when something unexpected happened. The Queen succumbed as did her first-born, prince Ariendur. But the people of Darnon didn't know that the boy was actually alive and safe, as the Queen foresaw her own death and gave the baby to you Melkor. Little prince was kept hidden in your servitude until now, as I couldn't suspect you back then when I order the Queen and her bastard to death! Yes, I gave that order as the weakling King Osander could not do it. Power is a cruel game my friend.
See, deaths of the Queen and the prince were good excuses for radical shifts in the power balance of the kingdom, because all these years that you call as grim years of tyranny and fear, were only running in for the terror machinery that will lift me to greater power. The Cult of the Bitter Lord has proven itself as crucial aid for my endeavor and without the Queens death and the national mourning that followed it, I couldn't been able to introduce it for the masses, not to mention spreading it.
But what comes to you Melkor, after receiving the boy, a sinister plan began to grow it's roots in your mind. I am even little envious how cunning your plan was. You raised the boy to obedient young man, and you never told him about his true origins. But when the boy turned eighteen, you betrayed him for the Order of the Black Cliff, who had been searching for him all these years. Then you rescued him from the dungeons and told all these tales and lies how he would be the legitimate king of Darnon and how the young prince would act as the sword of righteousness and release the kingdom from tyranny. And the boy believed and your route for power opened. People of Darnon dismissed the tyrant and welcomed Arius with great cheer as their new rightful King. Your success has been great and you almost managed to mess my own personal schemes. But Melkor, your destination is still ahead of you, but now you have managed to create your own machinery for power, which shield might be more polished than mine, but the insides are as covered in smut as mine. And now that long forgotten artifact is at your grasp, The Eye of Karsus. You have been pursuing it all this time, heedless of anything else... As I said, power is a cruel game.
But now I must continue my own agendas. Extracting the souls from a whole city and from the army besieging it, in order to raise myself to godhood, is not a task done with ease. I am flattered that you've come to share my day of ultimate triumph. Thank you.
And with these words the wizard vanished and the great metal blades that formed the cylinder descended back to earth. Melkor grinded his teeth in anger, as the others looked at the wizard in disbelief, how could he betray them in this horrible manner. Arius especially was completely blown out. His blank expression was wiped when the earth below them began to tremble. As they backed up, the ground fell into abyssal pit more than hundred foot wide. And from the red depths of the pit rose a terrible many clawed and eyed abomination later identified as Elder Odopi.
And thus began the final battle for Darnon.
Manifestation of Tybor
Arius, Jared and Douglas struck against the bizarre aberration of hell, while Melkor concentrated his energy in awakening Tybor from his Cube. The Odopi trampled over many and struck forcefully with it's crooked claws. It grappled Arius and swallowed him. There Arius remained for almost the rest of the battle, fighting the nightmarish innards for his freedom. The creature struck Jared down, mangling the priest badly, but just then Melkor managed to release Tybor. With great white light, the ancient wizard manifested over his Cube, glazing furiously to the top of the peak where Alzarseth did his spells. Then Tybor released a burst of force that knocked the Red Wizard down, ending his dire spells. By that instant the red glaring orb on the sky of Berdusk began to fall. And just before reaching the rooftops it exploded with great white light. Force of the explosion tore down towers and walls, knocked the besieging army down and when it reached our battling army, reeled many. Soon the battle ensued, and the manifestation of Tybor withered slowly away. For a moment the Red Wizard was gone, but then he returned with terrible wrath.
Arius managed to force himself out of the Elder Odopi, just in time to help Douglas who had been left completely alone as Jared had succumbed to terrible agony. The young prince saw Alzarseth standing on a hill, but the wizards appearance had changed from the previous. The Archwizard was a twisted visage of it's former self, and it was quite apparent that the Red Wizard was a lich, terrible undead spellcaster of tremendous power.
Alzarseth the Red
The maddened Red Wizard began his battle by casting the feared Meteor Swarm upon our heroes. While dodging the terrible blaze, Arius was puzzled by Melkors apparent absence. The Black Wizard had put his eye on the Eye of Karsus, a powerful artifact that he had desired for so long. Now it laid unused on the ground as Alzarseth had thrown it away in his whims as he failed to re-activate it, thanks to Tybors strong dispelling charge. And so, Melkor abandoned his friends and pursued his own goals instead, a move that sealed our fellowships destiny.
As the traitorous loremaster disappeared into a dimensional door, Jared, who had already been struggling, was slain by Alzarseths meteors. None could have seen what happened next. The death of the faithful priest evoked a terrible spirit that had been lurking inside the priest since his first demise in Battle of Durunmer. Now the cleric corpse transformed into a shape of terrible demon that growled:
In some sources Arius is portrayed with a horned helm,
but like true heroes, he fought bareheaded.
"I am the Harbinger of Gor-Marrak the Eater of Nations! Alzarseth, your time has come!
And in instant the demon began to slay the men around it, progressing towards the Red Wizard who flew his spells on it. One of the spells was Horrid Wilting that killed brave Constantin Almert. Arius also rushed towards the wizard, as he wanted to deal with him personally. Some said later that his plunge towards the hill was archetype portray of recklessness, as he rushed through prismatic spray-spell to face archmage lich and a terrible demon of horrific hellish power. But the daredevil hero did it, and for a moment he battled alongside with the demon. Alzarseth could not withstand such an attack for long, and our young king struck his glorious sword through the lich, slaying the Evil that had tormented Darnon for decades! Off-balanced by the shock that followed the Red Wizards destruction, the demon took the advantage, and even though Douglas did his best to support Arius in battle against the creature that once had been their friend, the demon struck Arius down with it's mighty heaves.
Arius fell, and while laying there in the middle of the battlefield, he felt his end coming. He saw how Douglas screamed as he tried to save his friend, but Arius couldn't hear him no more. Memories of wondrous adventures full of joy and friendship, rushed to his mind, but then the shadows began to roll over him. Everything grew darker and darker, and as Arius felt he was succumbing to the eternal darkness he knew that this is it, his end....
