Charles Plemons' Blog

Game summary for July 9, 2019, Reign of Winter campaign, Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, for Phoenix Gaming Club. Session included: Baknarla (Adlet Shaman Ranger played by Shane Bradley), Deska Starseeker (Half-Elf Druid played by Kaliegh Averdick), Erris (Arctic Elf Bloodrager played by Casey Scruggs), Magnus Erlingsson (Human Cleric played by Chris Harmon), and Tarik (Human Bard played by Andrew Renfrow). Game Master for this session was Charles Plemons.

The team placed the 12 hearts of the crone queens into the tea pot and found themselves whisked to Vigliv’s tree where they unlocked another layer of Baba Yaga’s prison.  They were infused with yet more power from the Queen of Witches and gifted with a thread of fate from the norn allowing them to slightly alter their own fate once. 

They set off to a canyon with a portal to the Witch Queen’s Kurgan, her inner sanctum and stronghold.  She warned them she had trapped the Infernal Crocodile as a guardian, so the team enhanced their abilities with magic before moving into the area.  The half-fiend crocodile rose up into the air and hit the team with horrid wilting!  It then activated smite good and charged Deska!  The team tried to maneuver closer and found several of the spells of limited effect.  They did land some successful spells like searing light and holy smite, but some of their other attack spells like flame strike and slow faltered.  The crocodile snatched up Deska into its maw to swallow her, but she wild shaped into a mammoth!  The crocodile dropped her but then ravaged her unconscious with savage bite and tail attacks. 

The team started landing some really heavy blows bolstered by magic and Tarik’s sonic enhancement.  All of the bonuses added up as too much for the monstrosity to withstand, and it was slain before it could swallow down Tarik! 

The team then went through the portal and found themselves on a frozen steppe under an oppressive sky.  Somewhere off in the distance is the kurgan and their final showdown. 

Game summary for July 2, 2019, Reign of Winter campaign, Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, for Phoenix Gaming Club. Session included: Alfbern Winterbloom (Half-Elf Inquisitor played by Preston Harmon), Keravno (Aasimar Fighter played by Peyton Harmon), Koloth Kruge (Centaur Ranger played by Parker Harmon), Magnus Erlingsson (Human Cleric played by Chris Harmon), and Tarik (Human Bard played by Andrew Renfrow). Game Master for this session was Charles Plemons.

The team tried to open the double doors before them and triggered a frosty trap that blasted them with frigid magical cold.  Beyond the doors was a large chamber lined with fourteen thrones, the ninth and fourteenth empty.  The rest were occupied by the twitching corpses of long dead ice queens.  Some were little more than blind husks feebly trembling with a mockery of undead life.  Four, however, sprang out of the chairs howling in anger as they sensed the presence of Baba Yaga!  The team was slow to enter the room and found themselves divided by a wall of ice!  The queens started unleashing cone of cold and polar ray to devastating effect.

Tarik was able to dispel the wall, and the team crept in only to be divided again by another wall of ice.  The remaining queens unleashed spells and energy-draining melee attacks on the isolated party members.  Keravno, Alfbern, and Koloth tried to bring the fight to the queens, but they suffered greatly for their efforts.  Once again, Tarik dispelled the wall, and Magnus slipped a maximized flame strike in on the queens.  Alfbern used his inquisitor bane ability to deal some damage while Koloth found himself hit with several energy drain attacks.  Yet again, the queens divided the party with a wall of ice, and Tarik once again dispelled it.

Koloth found himself encased in ice while Magnus and Keravno pounded away with fiery spells and whirling hammer.  A fourth wall of ice divided the team, and Tarik failed to dispel it.  However, Magnus succeeded.  The queens pummeled the team with cone of cold and polar ray with the occasional crushing despair.  Alfbern died under one of the queen’s flurry of staff attacks due to the devastating energy drain, and his bear companion died soon thereafter.  Magnus started two of the foes on fire with fire storm, which caused them to run around and falter in some of their magic. 

Tarik was able to hasten the party, and Keravno’s hammer was enhanced with Greta’s baneweapon.  His thrown hammer brought down a queen while Magnus’ fire brought down another.  Greta freed Koloth from the ice, and several party members provided some healing to their allies.  The combined fire and hammer continued to wear away, and eventually the last two were slain! 

As the last crone queen died, Baba Yaga instructed the party to cut out the hearts of all twelve queens in order to steep a tea!  The team went around and collected all the hearts and then spotted a tea set on a table in the back of the room. 

Game summary for June 25, 2019, Reign of Winter campaign, Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, for Phoenix Gaming Club. Session included: Erris (Arctic Elf Bloodrager played by Casey Scruggs), Svala Alehorn (Orc Unchained Barbarian played by Todd Hughes), and Tarik (Human Bard played by Andrew Renfrow). Game Master for this session was Charles Plemons.

The team continued past the fire giant chamber and found a horrific room like a scene from the Nine Hells with the screams of the damned filling the air and moving images of devils torturing souls lining the walls.  They watched a handmaiden devil slay a woman as they entered.  Her companions, half a dozen erinyes moved to attack!  Tarik cast a wall of force to divide the room, but the devils used teleport to move around it.  Arrows flew into the bard as Erris and Svala ripped into the devils appearing all around them.  Tarik then cast fool’s forbiddance and confused several of the creatures. 

With their leader partially out of the fight, the rest of the devils were hard pressed under the onslaught of Svala and Erris.  Desperate, they summoned bearded devils into the room, but they also fell victim to the fool’s forbiddance!  The devils could not rally and fell one-by-one to the party. 

After mopping up the devils, the team searched the room and gathered some equipment.  They then opened the double doors and found an enraged frost giant that cut Svala with a devastating axe blow!  Greta went berserk but had to tumble past the giant to get into the fight in the tight corridor.  The team landed several heavy hits, but it was finally Greta’s axe that brought the monster down!

Beyond the giant, the team found rime covered doors emblazoned with a symbol of a hut on chicken legs surmounted with a crown of icicles. 

Game summary for June 11, 2019, Reign of Winter campaign, Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, for Phoenix Gaming Club. Session included: Deska Starseeker (Half-Elf Druid played by Kaliegh Averdick), Erris (Arctic Elf Bloodrager played by Casey Scruggs), Iguruzu Koshin (Human Monk played by Peyton Harmon), Magnus Erlingsson (Human Cleric played by Chris Harmon), Svala Alehorn (Orc Unchained Barbarian played by Todd Hughes), and Tulvur Xandersen (Troglodyte Fighter played by Taylor Averdick). Game Master for this session was Charles Plemons.

The team moved to engage the baying Nessian warhounds and found themselves caught in multiple overlapping blasts of flaming breath!  Several of the team were protected from fire, but some were not and were hurt very, very badly.  Shatha breathed cold back upon the hounds while the group engaged with blade and spell.  Deska conjured a whip of spiders while Koshi, Magnus, and Tulvur engaged in melee.  Svala was caught in the back but made devastating use of her sharding axe to hit the dogs from afar.  In minutes the team had eliminated the dogs and searched the room. 

The group moved down the corridor and found a massive chamber with a flowing river of magma at the bottom of a chasm.  Across the divide was a ten-foot stone wall behind which stood over half-a-dozen fiendish fire giants!  They unleashed a barrage of heated stones at the team.  Koshi hurled one of the Russian grenades among them.  The giants puzzled over it briefly and deduced it was probably dangerous, so they threw it over the wall down into the magma!  Erris used telekinetic charge to hurl Greta into the fray!  She tore into the giants, her most hated of foes.  Tulvur mounted Shatha, and they soared across the chasm breathing ice and swinging about with blades. 

Magnus and Deska began a barrage of devastating spells including maximized flame strike and call lightning storm.  Erris entangled several giants with black tentacles, which allowed Greta, Tulvur, and Shatha to thin their ranks.  Koshi, a monk of no small measure, decided to leap the chasm and join the battle as well.  At the last moment he stumbled and plunged into chasm!  He belly-flopped into the magma.  Erris dove down after him with his winged boots, but Koshi’s body was completely consumed by the fiery flow.  The group finished fighting the giants and spent a few moments lamenting the loss of their companion. 

Game summary for June 4, 2019, Reign of Winter campaign, Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, for Phoenix Gaming Club. Session included: Baknarla (Adlet Shaman Ranger played by Shane Bradley), Deska Starseeker (Half-Elf Druid played by Kaliegh Averdick), Erris (Arctic Elf Bloodrager played by Casey Scruggs), Magnus Erlingsson (Human Cleric played by Chris Harmon), and Tarik (Human Bard played by Andrew Renfrow). Game Master for this session was Charles Plemons.

The team rested from their fight with the dybbuk and spelled up with a barrage of magic such as mass bull’s strength, protection from energy, resist energy, haste, and lead blades.  They then swooped down the sinkhole to confront whatever was down there.  They found their exploring had roused two crag linnorms and one breathed magma upon the team!  Fortunately, their magical protections held.  The two dragons flew over and began tearing into the team with venomous teeth.  Erris proved impervious to the poison, but he did end up grappled! 

The group unleashed fury upon the first linnorm and brought it down quickly, freeing Erris.  He used his sword, magically turned to cold iron, to slay the beast!  The team braced themselves as the death curse washed over Erris with no immediately noticeable effect.  Tarik tried to cast a spell and was bitten by the other linnorm.  Its horrific venom coursed through his veins, burning out his life force by the second!  He staggered back and feared himself slain.  Magnus was grappled and unable to assist, but Greta slipped out of the dragon’s reach and healed the bard. 

Deska took the form of a crystal dragon and blasted the linnorm with a cone of sonic energy!  Baknarla and Erris waded in with spear and sword landing blow after blow.  The team found their spelling up paid dividend after dividend, and the final dragon was no match for their combined might. 

After the fight, the team nursed their wounds and searched the area.  They discovered a fortune in a treasure horde and equipment from slain adventurers.  They then went through some doors and heard barking.  Following the noise, they discovered a kenneled filled with massive flaming dogs the size of horses!  The canines howled and bayed as they charged. 

Game summary for May 7, 2019, Reign of Winter campaign, Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, for Phoenix Gaming Club. Session included: Baknarla (Adlet Shaman Ranger played by Shane Bradley), Deska Starseeker (Half-Elf Druid played by Kaliegh Averdick), Erris (Arctic Elf Bloodrager played by Casey Scruggs), and Tulvur Xandersen (Troglodyte Fighter played by Taylor Averdick). Game Master for this session was Charles Plemons.

The ghostly dybbuk dominated Tulvur and turned him against the party!  He immediately began attacking Erris.  Deska hit the spirit with flame strike but found it of limited effect.  Baknarla began blinking and moved in.  The dybbuk tried to possess her while Deska polymorphed Tulvur into a rabbit.  Shatha ran him down and stuffed him into a saddlebag. 

Greta cast baneweapon on Baknarla’s spear.  The dybbuk then possessed Erris and began self-inflicting wounds!  Deska kept him/her from running away by casting wall of stone.  Greta then drove out the possession with protection from good.  Erris unleashed a barrage of magic missiles while Baknarla hammered away with her spear.  Eventually, the spear drove home and killed the spirit!

The team searched the area and found several magical items.  They also realized the area was a loop and they only had the sinkhole as an option to progress.  The group decided to hole up and make camp to prepare. 

Game summary for April 30, 2019, Reign of Winter campaign, Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, for Phoenix Gaming Club. Session included: Deska Starseeker (Half-Elf Druid played by Kaliegh Averdick), Erris (Arctic Elf Bloodrager played by Casey Scruggs), Magnus Erlingsson (Human Cleric played by Chris Harmon), and Tulvur Xandersen (Troglodyte Fighter played by Taylor Averdick). Game Master for this session was Charles Plemons.

The team looked around and found what appeared to be some kind of exploration staging area filled with ropes, packs, food, and more.  The supplies were fresh and marked with stamps from Irrisen.  The group found a ledge leading down into a smoke-filled cavern.  Deska wild shaped into a bat and found the chamber quite large.  She then summoned giant eagles to fly them down into the cavern.  The group donned gas masks they found in Russia and explored. 

Emerging from the dark smoke came a glowing plasma ooze!  The creature blasted plasma rays into the team with painful effect.  Tulvur charged forward and split the ooze in half with his sword!  The group began hammering it with magic and summoned monsters.  The oozes grappled some of the team and tried to engulf them, but they could not withstand the combined attacks of the team.  The group then found a partially digested dwarf and recovered his equipment and an eversmoking bottle. 

The team explored more and found a sinkhole with ropes leading down.  Deska sent down her owl and found two badly burned corpses.  A single “hoot” causes large creatures in the darkness to growl and slither, and the owl retreated.  The team examined all the footprints and found that another individual had gone down the rope but came back up and climbed up a ledge. 

Calling her eagles back, Deska got the team up the ledge.  They went around the corner and found desiccated corpses stacked neatly.  In the center of the room, a Viking-looking man sat on the ground holding a bloody dagger.  He had slit his own throat and let the blood pool in his lap.  His dead eyes stared out at them.  Tulvur approached, and a shrieking, ghostly woman came rushing out of the corpses!  Her hands were crimson red and twitching like a mad puppeteer. 

Game summary for April 23, 2019, Reign of Winter campaign, Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, for Phoenix Gaming Club. Session included: Baknarla (Adlet Shaman Ranger played by Shane Bradley), Erris (Arctic Elf Bloodrager played by Casey Scruggs), and Magnus Erlingsson (Human Cleric played by Chris Harmon). Game Master for this session was Charles Plemons.

The team entered the kitchen and were attacked by an animated furnace!  Magnus swiftly protected the party against fire just in time for him and Baknarla to be snatched up and stuffed in the oven!  The party took several hard hits but quickly dismantled the stove.  They saw some kind of female spirit drift out into another room. 

They gave chase and found a nine-headed jotund troll arguing with itself!  It seemed confused by their presence, and the party tried to talk to it.  It got more and more agitated until it charged!  The team defeated it and saw the same spirit drift out of it into another room.  The group looked around for a bit, and the troll sat up, healing from its injuries!  They were able to talk to him a bit and then went through the door looking for the spirit.  Instead, they found a closet.  They rapped about with Baba Yaga’s broom, and suddenly the floor disappeared!  They plunged into darkness and found themselves in a frigid cave.

Baba Yaga warned them that the former queens of Irrisen were nearby and likely very angry.  The party advanced and were attacked by a massive elder ice elemental!  It dealt tremendous damage with punishing blows, but the team rallied around and took it down fairly quickly.