Charles Plemons' Blog

Game summary for November 28, 2017, Reign of Winter campaign, Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, for Phoenix Gaming Club. Session included: Denessia Rapidarma (Dwarf Gunslinger/Paladin played by Casey Scruggs), Deska Starseeker (Half-Elf Druid played by Kaliegh Averdick), Svala Alehorn (Orc Unchained Barbarian played by Todd Hughes), Ten-Penny Tacey (Halfling Rogue played by Shane Bradley), and Tulvur Xandersen (Dwarf Fighter played by Taylor Averdick). Game Master for this session was Charles Plemons.

The team was summoned with haste to one of the keep walls.  They could see an enormous siege tower being pushed up the hill by a pair of seven-headed war hydras.  Two frost drakes circled to provide protection.  The team had only moments before this tower would arrive up against the wall providing a way for the Drakelands barbarians to swarm into Spurhorn.  Tulvur used his engineering skills to recognize the tower might be toppled backwards if the rear wheels were destroyed due to the steep angle of inclination.  The group decided they did not have time for that.  Instead, Ten-Penny gave Deska a potion of flying, and she wild shaped into a mastodon.  She then catapulted herself off the keep walls and slammed into the top of the tower!  The massive mastodon’s collision shook the tower and toppled it over!  It hit a drake and hydra on the way down.  Deska was a bit stunned by the impact and crashed prone to the ground.  Svala, having also imbibed a potion of flying, entered a rage and charged through the air to hit a drake.  She was successful initially but then crashed into it, plunging both to the ground.  After impact, Svala, still prone, rolled over and mightily lopped off the drake’s head!

Tulvur went flying out toward the other drake and bull rushed it away from Deska.  Greta, unable to fly, dropped off the wall and just tried to roll with the impact.  She was somewhat successful and rushed into the fray.  Ten-Penny did the same and ended up hiding in Deska’s mastodon fur hoping to surprise her foes.  The hydras proved devastating with their massive number of attacks, and the remaining frost drake unleashed its frigid breath weapon.  Denessia unleashed a barrage of fireballs from atop the wall using her newly purchased necklace of fireballs.  Deska cast baleful polymorph and turned one of the hydra’s into Triaxus’ first hamster.  Tulvur killed the other drake, and then he stepped over and killed the remaining hydra.

The team scrambled back up into the keep and healed their injuries while the defenders of Spurhorn cheered them on and hailed them as heroes.

Game summary for November 21, 2017, Reign of Winter campaign, Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, for Phoenix Gaming Club. Session included: Denessia Rapidarma (Dwarf Gunslinger/Paladin played by Casey Scruggs), Kenwrec Battleglaive (Kobold Slayer played by Peyton Harmon), Magnus Erlingsson (Human Cleric played by Chris Harmon), Svala Alehorn (Orc Unchained Barbarian played by Todd Hughes), and Ten-Penny Tacey (Halfling Rogue played by Shane Bradley). Game Master for this session was Charles Plemons.

The team landed upon Spurhorn, and with the help of Efrixes and Bescaylie convinced the defenders to give them audience with Commander Pharamol and the council in the morning.  They team rested in a guest room and met with the council.  After being grilled over their story, the team won over the council’s trust.  They also demonstrated the summoning of their mercane contact, Zilvazaraat.  The Commander was overjoyed at the prospect of a ready resupply line.  The team agreed to help fend off this siege in exchange for the two-headed eagle possessed by the Commander.

The next day, the Drakelands marauders attacked!  The party was dispatched to a tower to rescue the soldiers there and save the siege weapons from destruction when a frost drake landed and breathed upon them.  The party swarmed in and focused fire on the drake.  Svala decapitated it with her furious waraxe!  The group then turned on the pair of Drakelands barbarians that had ridden up on the drake.  The pair were no match for the party and were quickly cut down.  A cheer and huzzuh! went up from the defenders in support of the party after their resounding victory and saving of ten Triaxians!

Game summary for November 7, 2017, Reign of Winter campaign, Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, for Phoenix Gaming Club. Session included: Denessia Rapidarma (Dwarf Gunslinger/Paladin played by Casey Scruggs), Kenwrec Battleglaive (Kobold Slayer played by Peyton Harmon), and Magnus Erlingsson (Human Cleric played by Chris Harmon). Game Master for this session was Charles Plemons.

The team climbed a ladder inside the storeroom and found themselves in a hut with a cauldron.  A trio of ravens took flight in the room and began to speak, “Baba Yaga has gone on, off to see her only son.  But a trail she left behind, if the breadcrumbs you can find!”  They knocked several items off the shelves on to the floor:  a stuffed two-headed eagle, a hand mirror, and an elephant tusk.  The team used the index to enter the library and found a name for Baba Yaga’s son, Grigori.  They figured out the items were not hut keys but clues to find others.

The team exited the hut and were stunned to find themselves in a snowy mountain range with an odd sky above.  After a few moments, Kenwrec determined they were on an alien planet!  They debated for a while what to do when a red dragon swooped down from above and circled.  They could tell an armored rider was on its back.  The dragon landed, and the rider approached.  The team found themselves speaking in Draconic to a white-furred female who seemed unsure what exactly they were looking at.  After talking awhile, they learned they were now on the planet called Triaxus and the woman had never seen a human or dwarf.  The woman is named Bescaylie, and the red dragonkin is named Efrixes.  Both are members of the Dragon Legion from the citadel of Spurhorn.  Their fortress is currently under siege by the barbarians of the Drakelands.  The team discovered the commander of Spurhorn has a pet two-headed eagle.  The group agreed to help the Dragon Legion defend against the siege in exchange for an audience with the commander and perhaps possession of the eagle.

The only problem was the team needed to cross the siege lines to get into the fortress.  They waited until dark and used flying ointment to try and cross.  Magnus boosted their speed with blessing of fervor to allow them to avoid a patrol of frost drakes.  They were unable to avoid the dimensionally shifting daemons in pursuit, however.  The greater ceustodaemons swooped in and breathed fire across the party.  Kenwrec hit one with a critical sneak attack.  Bescaylie and Efrixes charged another.  Greta hit the third with a critical as well.  The team swarmed around the daemons and finally brought them all down.

The group then landed on the walls of Spurhorn and were surrounded by crossbowmen.  Bescaylie let them know they party were friends, and the crossbowmen looked at one another and lowered their weapons.

Game summary for October 24, 2017, Reign of Winter campaign, Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, for Phoenix Gaming Club. Session included: Alfbern Winterbloom (Half-Elf Inquisitor played by Preston Harmon), Denessia Rapidarma (Dwarf Gunslinger/Paladin played by Casey Scruggs), Kenwrec Battleglaive (Kobold Slayer played by Peyton Harmon), Koloth Kruge (Centaur Ranger played by Parker Harmon), Magnus Erlingsson (Human Cleric played by Chris Harmon), and Ten-Penny Tacey (Halfling Rogue played by Shane Bradley). Game Master for this session was Charles Plemons.

The team entered the storehouse and encountered a lone denizen of Leng!  They were a bit shocked to see such a creature and engaged it in conversation.  It offered to take them to its master to discuss business.  It led them across the hallway where a moon-beast emerged!  It tried to get them to trade one or more of the party members to it for information.  When they refused, it attacked!

The moon-beast tried to dominate Magnus but failed.  However, it managed to dominate Ten-Penny.  The denizen and Ten-Penny flanked Alfbern and injured him severely.  Meanwhile, Denessia began smiting the moon-beast using her pistol and broke it on a misfire!  Koloth injured the denizen, and Kenwrec studied it and was able to slay it, but not before it was able to drain all of Magnus’ dexterity and cripple him!  The moon-beast tried to dominate Greta and failed.  Finally, Alfbern’s bear companion scored a critical hit and then pawed the moon-beast to death!

The group was unable to restore Magnus, so he was left paralyzed on the floor as they ransacked the room and corpses.  They found the denizen carried several rubies, and they noticed a figure trapped inside one!  Alfbern broke it open and released a strange creature named Zilvazaraat.  He claimed to be a merchant interested in magical items, and traded the team two scrolls of restoration for a magical flail they were carrying.  He then presented them with an obsidian raven and told them to use it to call him into safe areas to conduct further trade.

Game summary for October 19, 2017, Reign of Winter campaign, Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, for Phoenix Gaming Club. Session included: Deska Starseeker (Half-Elf Druid played by Kaliegh Belda), Ten-Penny Tacey (Halfling Rogue played by Shane Bradley), and Tulvur Xandersen (Dwarf Fighter played by Taylor Averdick). Game Master for this session was Charles Plemons.

Deska opened the door to the Dancing Hut and was immediately warned to stay outside by Ratibor the Bold.  Deska revealed Baba Yaga’s cookbook and enacted the ritual to free him!  He stepped outside and declared his intention to resume his quest to conquer all of Iobaria.  The team tried to dissuade him and get him to come with them instead, but instead they made him angry.  Finally, they departed each others’ company.

The team entered the Dancing Hut and placed the blue dragon scale and gold nugget in the cauldron.  Once again, reality shifted, and they found themselves in an ornate glassed-in gazebo in a great garden.  Deska sent her magical owl to scout around, and they were most interested in a clearing containing a stump upon which sat a gray cat.

The group went to the cat and learned it could speak!  They discovered its name is Syvet, and its “master” is missing Queen Yelizaveta.  The cat said it is afraid she died around 100 years ago, but it believes she has been unable to find peace.  Deska moved to pet the cat and realized it was barely in control of itself.  Suddenly, the stump split open to reveal sharp fangs and tentacles rose up all around.  The wolf-in-sheep’s-clothing pulled several of the party in close and began biting them.  Deska turned into a mastodon and began goring the stump.  Tulvur and Greta slashed away as Ten-Penny hit it with a magical ice spear.  As the entity died, the cat thanked Deska for its release.  Intrigued, she cast reincarnate upon it, and Syvet came back as an orc.  She told them she had been killed by the aberration long ago and had somehow merged consciousness with it.  Syvet was a bit unsteady and trying to get used to her new form.  Deska put her on her mastodon back and carried her around.

The team went to investigate a storage building the owl had spotted.  In the trees they were ambushed by a pair of moonflowers!  The deadly plants blinded half the party with a flash of light and then swallowed Tulvur.  He was encased in a constricting acidic cocoon and spit out upon the ground.  Ten-Penny drank a ditch dram admixture to heal injuries and turn invisible.  She then started trying to cut Tulvur out of the cocoon.  Meanwhile, Deska the blind mastodon struggled alongside Greta to fight off the plants.  Greta’s axe seemed to cut deep wounds, but Deska’s tusks were quite ineffective.  Eventually Deska regained her sight, shifted into large fire elemental form, and used Natural Spell to cast multiple flame strikes upon the plants to great effect.  Ten-Penny freed Tulvur just in time, and the team defeated the plants.

Game summary for October 10, 2017, Reign of Winter campaign, Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, for Phoenix Gaming Club. Session included: All Might (Human Warpriest played by Andrew Renfrow), Denessia Rapidarma (Dwarf Gunslinger/Paladin played by Casey Scruggs), Kenwrec Battleglaive (Kobold Slayer played by Peyton Harmon), Magnus Erlingsson (Human Cleric played by Chris Harmon), Svala Alehorn (Orc Unchained Barbarian played by Todd Hughes), and Ten-Penny Tacey (Half-Orc Rogue played by Shane Bradley). Game Master for this session was Charles Plemons.

The team cast a number of spells upon Denessia for protection and then sent her down the spiral of the Eon Pit to retrieve the key to Baba Yaga’s Dancing Hut.  She found it easily, and she withstood most of the ravages of the curse; however, at nearly the top, her mind buckled under the pressure!  She began drooling and babbling.  Bravely, and with no protection, Magnus hurtled down the stairs to rescue her.  He shook off the effects of the pit and saved his companion.  They learned that her mind was badly damaged, and she had become erratic and somewhat unpredictable.

They talked to Jadrenka again, and she mentioned some other visitors inside Artrosa that Caigreal had let in.  She led them to a forest and a meditating upasunda asura.  The dangerous woman was intrigued by the party and eagerly engaged them in battle despite their attempt at diplomacy!  She hit several with a rainbow pattern, but the team was able to shake their fascinated allies out of it.  She then activated haste and ran amok among the team.  She became a dervish of death, slaying both Ten-Penny and All Might and badly injuring Kenwrec.  Denessia, in moments of clarity, smited the creature but then accidently blew up her pistol.  Magnus, Greta, and Svala closed in, and finally Svala (enhanced by her newfound orc strength, rage, and Greta’s bull’s strength) chopped the creature down!  The team collected the monster’s treasures and left Artrosa.  On the way back to the Dancing Hut, they stopped by Vurnirn and purchased a scroll to heal Denessia, and they got All Might and Ten-Penny reincarnated.

Game summary for September 26, 2017, Reign of Winter campaign, Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, for Phoenix Gaming Club. Session included: Denessia Rapidarma (Dwarf Gunslinger/Paladin played by Casey Scruggs), Deska Starseeker (Half-Elf Druid played by Kaliegh Belda), Kenwrec Battleglaive (Bugbear Slayer played by Peyton Harmon), Magnus Erlingsson (Human Cleric played by Chris Harmon), Svala Alehorn (Dwarf Unchained Barbarian played by Todd Hughes), and Tulvur Xandersen (Dwarf Fighter played by Taylor Averdick). Game Master for this session was Charles Plemons.

The party proceeded, with Jadrenka’s instructions, down toward the Eon Pit.  In an antechamber, they discovered a pair of frost giant guards.  The vicious monsters attacked with massive axes.  Deska cast flame strike as the team advanced.  The giants brutally injured several of the party, and Magnus channeled positive energy to try and heal them.  Bullets flew, axes swung, swords slashed, and chaos ensured.  Finally, the giants were cut down.  Deska and Magnus spent quite some time healing the team.

The group opened the doors before the Eon Pit.  They found Vsevolod the centaur standing drenched in blood.  He cursed them in the name of Kostchtchie, demon lord of frost giants, and then hit them with an unholy blight.  The team came swarming in, and Denessia noticed a svathurim lurking in the shadows!  The creature charged Svala with its lance.  Kenwrec, Tulvur, and Svala engaged the svathurim while Deska summoned several creatures to try and keep it occupied.  Magnus and Denessia went running after the centaur.  The svathurim impaled and killed Svala and then Kenwrec.  Tulvur drove Icebiter into the creature and killed it.  Denessia edged forward and shot and killed Vsevolod.  The team looted his corpse and made camp with Jadrenka’s blessing.  Deska cast reincarnate on Svala and Kenwrec, bringing them back into new twisted forms…

Game summary for September 12, 2017, Reign of Winter campaign, Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, for Phoenix Gaming Club. Session included: All Might (Human Warpriest played by Andrew Renfrow), Denessia Rapidarma (Dwarf Gunslinger/Paladin played by Casey Scruggs), Deska Starseeker (Half-Elf Druid played by Kaliegh Belda), Kenwrec Battleglaive (Bugbear Slayer played by Peyton Harmon), Magnus Erlingsson (Human Cleric played by Chris Harmon), Svala Alehorn (Dwarf Unchained Barbarian played by Todd Hughes), Ten-Penny Tacey (Half-Orc Rogue played by Shane Bradley), and Tulvur Xandersen (Dwarf Fighter played by Taylor Averdick). Game Master for this session was Charles Plemons.

The team talked to Marislova for a bit more and then went to find Jadrenka.  At first, the crone was livid they were with her lover.  After a lot of fast-talking, she agreed to let the team try and find proof that Marislova was framed.  Their best guess was Caigreal was involved, and they went looking for her.  They found the hag down deep beneath the shrine of Mestama along with another frost giant and a green hag.  The hags used invisibility to buy time and make surprise attacks.  Meanwhile, the party tore into the frost giant.  In particular, Ten-Penny and Kenwrec dealt some terrific damage.  The giant critically hit Ten-Penny, and she only remained on her feet due to her orc ferocity.  Greta cut down the giant as All Might began charging the annis hag, Caigreal.  Deska cast call lightning storm and blasted the green hag.  Svala and Tulvur charged in laying waste as Denessia began smiting and firing her pistol.  Soon, the green hag died, and only Caigreal remained.  She was unable to escape their clutches, and the team defeated her.

Greta cut off her head, and the team returned to Jadrenka.  Using speak with dead, Magnus was able to get the severed head to confess being involved in a plot to frame Marislova.  Jadrenka and Marislova tearfully reunited.  In gratitude, Jadrenka gave the team a gold nugget she said is one of the keys from Baba Yaga.  She warned them the centaur cleric was ahead of them down in the Eon Pit claiming the second key!