Reign of Winter — Game Session — 058

Game summary for March 6, 2018, Reign of Winter campaign, Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, for Phoenix Gaming Club. Session included: Baknarla (Adlet Shaman played by Shane Bradley), Deska Starseeker (Half-Elf Druid played by Kaliegh Averdick), Kenwrec Battleglaive (Kobold Slayer played by Peyton Harmon), Magnus Erlingsson (Alseid Cleric played by Chris Harmon), Tulvur Xandersen (Troglodyte Fighter played by Taylor Averdick), and Yelnoth the Dark (Winterborn Triaxian Sorcerer played by Casey Scruggs). Game Master for this session was Charles Plemons.

The group found their way into the kitchen and met Yrax’s chef, an enslaved nereid named Viveka.  She was overjoyed to get to cook some flavorful food for the party.  It was not good.  In fact, it was terrible; however, she appreciated their honest assessment.  She gave them some information about Yrax, but she flat refused to scheme against him directly.  Since he owns her shawl, he can kill her on a whim.  She did tell them Yrax has a bodyguard named Cesseer they should speak with.

The group followed the nereid’s directions and found Cesseer training.  They spoke for a while with her particularly interested in the Dancing Hut.  She was able to reveal that she is honor-bound to confront those threatening Yrax.  However, if one of the party were to defeat her in single combat, she would have fulfilled that requirement and would stand aside if present when the confronted Yrax.  Baknarla agreed to fight her, and in a brutal hand-to-hand tussle, the monk was knocked out!  Deska brought her back to consciousness, and Cesseer hinted how they might find their way to Yrax.

The group returned to the throne room, and Magnus used detect magic to find a section of strange wall high up near the ceiling.  Deska used spider climb and found an illusion masking a corridor.  The team scampered up and found a long stairwell.  At the bottom they emerged onto an icy floor in a room occupied by an elder ice elemental.  The team charged in, but Tulvur found himself hit several times by the elementals brutal frigid fists.  Yelnoth unleashed a wall of fire as Deska cast flame strike.  Coupled with the flaming swords and axes several of the team carried, the elemental was weakened.  Baknarla brought it down with a nasty blow from the spear.

Reign of Winter — Game Session — 057

Game summary for February 27, 2018, Reign of Winter campaign, Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, for Phoenix Gaming Club. Session included: Deska Starseeker (Half-Elf Druid played by Kaliegh Averdick), Kenwrec Battleglaive (Kobold Slayer played by Peyton Harmon), Magnus Erlingsson (Alseid Cleric played by Chris Harmon), Tulvur Xandersen (Troglodyte Fighter played by Taylor Averdick), and Yelnoth the Dark (Winterborn Triaxian Sorcerer played by Casey Scruggs). Game Master for this session was Charles Plemons.

The team moved up to a door, and Deska listened with her ear trumpet and heard nothing.  The team opened the door and found a library filled with dragon-sized books on history and military strategy.  Finding nothing of interest, the team went down another hallway.

The team came upon what may be an enormous audience chamber or throne room.  A raised dais held an ornate dragon nest and a human-sized throne.  Deska went up to investigate, and glass golems animated all around the room!  Yelnoth summoned another ankylosaurus to engage one of the golems, which kept it confined to one corner.  Magnus cast lead blades and went charging up the stairs to help Deska.  The druid was pressed by one of the golems, and although she used windy escape to reduce her injuries, she began to bleed.  Tulvur and Kenwrec moved into the fray while Greta cast baneweapon on Kenwrec’s axe.  Yelnoth dropped haste on several members of the team, and Shatha began to work over a golem with his glaive.  Deska cast swarm skin and became a swarm of army ants.

Yelnoth used cold spells to slow some golems, as did Shatha with his breath weapon.  Magnus ended up having to cast heal on himself after sustaining several hits.  Most of the team was bloodied by the glass golem attacks, but the team methodically bashed them into pieces and won the day.  Following the victory, Deska again climbed the stairs.  She sat in the throne and farted in it out of spite.

Reign of Winter — Game Session — 056

Game summary for January 30, 2018, Reign of Winter campaign, Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, for Phoenix Gaming Club. Session included: Kenwrec Battleglaive (Kobold Slayer played by Peyton Harmon), Magnus Erlingsson (Alseid Cleric played by Chris Harmon), Svala Alehorn (Orc Unchained Barbarian played by Todd Hughes), and Yelnoth the Dark (Winterborn Triaxian Sorcerer played by Casey Scruggs). Game Master for this session was Charles Plemons.

The team crept forward and found a three-way corridor and saw some kind of massive skeletal creature moving up one direction away from them.  They decided to go straight and avoid it.  They came upon a huge chamber displaying skeletal remains upon raised plinths.  Three other exits led out of the chamber.  The group advanced, and four bone golems animated.  Yelnoth was trapped in a bone cage almost immediately.  The group figured out some spells were ineffective, but Magnus was able to slow the constructs with channeled positive energy.  Greta cast bull’s strength and shield of faith on Svala.  Kenwrec, Svala, and Shatha waded into melee combat.  The golems hit hard, but having been slowed, they were greatly reduced in effectiveness.  Shatha unleashed his breath weapon, and Yelnoth summoned a fiendish ankylosaurus!  The team quickly turned the tide of the battle, and soon piles of bone lay all around.  Realizing they could use the ankylosaurus for a short time longer, the team darted after the skeletal creature they saw earlier.

The team came upon the fossil golem in another intersection.  The creature’s pincer-like skull hands dealt horrendous wounds.  Kenwrec was hit with a staggering blow of epic proportions.  Somehow, he remained standing, but he was in terrible shape.  Svala was also hit and turned partially to stone!  Yelnoth unleashed his own breath of cold air, and Shatha followed suit.  Greta cast baneweapon, granting Svala’s axe even greater enhancement against constructs.  Magnus observed the creature and made several key deductions of which he warned the entire party.  The group rallied and brought the construct down in a heap of bones.

Reign of Winter — Game Session — 055

Game summary for January 23, 2018, Reign of Winter campaign, Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, for Phoenix Gaming Club. Session included: Baknarla (Adlet Shaman played by Shane Bradley), Deska Starseeker (Half-Elf Druid played by Kaliegh Averdick), Svala Alehorn (Orc Unchained Barbarian played by Todd Hughes), Tulvur Xandersen (Troglodyte Fighter played by Taylor Averdick), and Yelnoth the Dark (Winterborn Triaxian Sorcerer played by Casey Scruggs). Game Master for this session was Charles Plemons.

Following the death of several allies and the reincarnation of some, the team encountered a sorcerer named Yelnoth who had deserted from the Drakelands.  He soon joined the cause, and the team found a chamber with seven bodies frozen in ice.  While investigating, a roper plunged from the ceiling trying to impale Deska!  She sidestepped, and it began whipping its paralyzing strands all about.  Deska pinned it with a wall of stone, and the group swooped in and killed it.  They thawed the ice using Yelnoth’s wall of fire, and they found the body of Sarnok.  They claimed his magical items, and Baknarla agreed to help them try and slay Yrax.

The group exited the crevasse near Ivoryglass.  They disguised themselves quite well as members of the Drakelands army and allowed Yelnoth to do the talking.  They avoided several patrols and one awkward conversation with a hydra-handler.  The group found themselves standing before the doors of Ivoryglass and several armed guards.  Yelnoth stepped up and told a lie of epic proportions so convincingly, they just ushered the team right through the doors and locked the gate behind them.

A bit shocked, the group continued into the gardens of Ivoryglass where they were challenged by a half-dragon destrachan.  They decided to just ignore it.  This perplexed the creature for a bit until it finally blasted them with a cone of cold.  A fight erupted, and the team swarmed around the creature.  It took devastating shots from the party and was soon dead at their feet!

Reign of Winter — Game Session — 054

Game summary for January 18, 2018, 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 took their first steps into the Rimekeening Crevasse, a massive glacial fissure stretching down hundreds of feet.  Deep in the depths of the world, they came upon a mated pair of frostcrawlers!  The reptilian monsters leapt to defend their lair and unhatched egg.  Svala charged and killed the first with a single hit!  The rest of the team converged on the second and brought it down with only a slight injury to Magnus.  Next the team decided to try and hatch the egg and keep the monster within as a pet.  Magnus successfully hatched the egg.  The hungry creature opened its mouth for food several times.  When none was forthcoming, it blasted Magnus with lightning and tried to eat him!  The team brought the young down in moments, with only slightly more injury to Magnus.

Deeper into the fissure, they came across what Ten-Penny recognized to be a carnivorous crystal!  The fearsome entity could petrify members of the party and eat them!  It was not fully aware of them, so they tried to run past it.  This got its attention, and its subsonic hum stunned Denessia.  Most of the team ran on, leaving her behind.  Baknarla doubled back, as did Magnus.  With the benefit of blessing of fervor, the team was able to get out of the range of the crystal and outpace it, leaving it far behind.

Quite some way into the crevasse, the team noticed something burrowing beneath them.  Suddenly, a frost worm burst up and began trilling!  Several of the party swayed in fascination at the sound, doing nothing to help.  Moments later, a second frost worm arrived and blasted the party with a breath of cold.  The trilling worm was brutally hit by several members of the party.  It stopped trilling and also breathed cold.  The combined effects hit almost the entire party, and the team was in very, very poor shape.  The worms then began biting.  Kenwrec was bitten nearly in half and swallowed.

Magnus hit back with flame strike while Baknarla and Svala tried melee.  Ten-Penny was grievously injured, and Greta was able to heal some of her wounds.  Ten-Penny consumed a ditch dram to heal further and turn invisible.  Denessia then shot the first worm and killed it, cause it to explode in a shower of piercing shards and freezing air!  This blast killed Ten-Penny outright and badly injured everyone else, including Greta and Shatha.  Fortunately, both shrugged off the cold effects.

The team continued to trade powerful blows with the surviving worm, and things looked very bleak.  Finally, Denessia shot this one dead as well.  It also exploded.  The second explosion almost eliminated the entire party.  Greta, Baknarla, and Shatha held on by a thread.  Svala only survived due to her drunken rage!  Greta quickly healed her what she could.  Magnus and Denessia were slain by the second blast.  In total, four members of the party died in the epic battle!

The group fled to nurse wounds, meet up with Deska, and reincarnate those they could.  Kenwrec and Magnus came back to life in all new forms…  Denessia and Ten-Penny’s souls refused to return and went on to their final rest.

Reign of Winter — Game Session — 053

Game summary for January 2, 2018, 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), Kenwrec Battleglaive (Kobold Slayer played by Peyton Harmon), Magnus Erlingsson (Human Cleric played by Chris Harmon), Ten-Penny Tacey (Halfling Rogue played by Shane Bradley), and Tulvur Xandersen (Troglodyte Fighter played by Taylor Averdick). Game Master for this session was Charles Plemons.

The team tried to communicate with the wolf-like alien they encountered.  Magnus cast comprehend languages and started to understand her.   This led to finding out she can speak Triaxian, which Shatha could also speak.  Baknarla, an adlet, told them she believed them to be the “destined ones” foretold in prophecy of old.  The party agreed to go with her into a deep crevasse in search of Sarnok, an adlet hero who disappeared long ago.  She wants to prove to her tribe he existed and she found the body.  She offered to give the party his famous spear he used to kill multiple dragons.  The crevasse runs alongside Ivoryglass, so the team may be able to ascend and approach Yrax’s lair unnoticed.

The party and Baknarla the adlet set out for the crevasse.  Along the way, they ran into a herd of ice runners.  Some of the birds smelled Tulvur and headed for the party.  A furious battle followed with flame strikes, charging horses, glaive-wielding dragons, exploding pistols, swarm skin, and more.  The fighting was bloody but quick, and soon the birds were slain or driven off.

Reign of Winter — Game Session — 052

Game summary for December 26, 2017, Reign of Winter campaign, Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, for Phoenix Gaming Club. Session included: Deska Starseeker (Half-Elf Druid played by Kaliegh Averdick), Kenwrec Battleglaive (Kobold Slayer played by Peyton Harmon), Magnus Erlingsson (Human Cleric played by Chris Harmon), 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.

With the siege nearly broken, Commander Pharamol asked the team to strike directly at the enemy commander, General Malesinder who was even then trying to rally the troops for one more assault.  The team contacted their mercane merchant and purchased a bunch of potions of invisibility and cast numerous enhancement spells upon themselves.  They then swooped in to attack the general.  They found her on the battlefield barking orders, they ambushed her.  It began with Tulvur trying to gracefully dive off his bonded dragonkin and instead face-planting invisibly in the snow.  He tried to make up for it by demoralizing the general, but since she could not see him, it was just odd sounds among the retreating army.  Ten-Penny bravely stepped up and fired a ­dragon-bane bolt given to her by Commander Pharamol.  Sadly, the bolt bounced of the general’s scales.  The team began to swarm in, and their dragonkin ally, Efrixes, breathed fire over the general.  Deska tried to end the fight with baleful polymorph, but it did not take.

Malesinder was close to surrounded, and she desperately tried to drive her enemies back with her icy breath.  It did tremendous damage, but the team already had the upper hand.  She was too swarmed to flee, and she went down beneath a hail of blades and spells.  There was much rejoicing at Spurhorn that evening, and the team was hailed as heroes.  They were awarded the two-headed eagle as payment.  Commander Pharamol told them about a larger army gathered at the command of a dragon named Yrax at a stronghold named Ivoryglass.  Meanwhile, the team tried to puzzle out the meaning of their remaining clues:  a hand mirror and an elephant tusk.  They finally realized they were meant to be combined in name, a looking glass and an ivory tusk…  Ivoryglass.

Several of the Dragon Legion volunteered to fly the team most of the 200 miles to Ivoryglass.  They dropped them off nearby so they could infiltrated on foot.  They came across a wolf-like adlet on the run for her life from two massive ursikkas!  The insect-like monsters had already injured her.  The team engaged and found the monsters hit with tremendous force.  Shatha and Tulvur got in trouble early.  Greta managed to slay one, but soon Tulvur lay dead on the ground.  Finally, the team won the battle and Magnus healed much of the party, including the adlet woman who was being chased.  They began trying to communicate with her as Deska reincarnated Tulvur.  The team was appalled by the sudden horrific stench that assaulted them as his body reformed…

Reign of Winter — Game Session — 051

Game summary for December 21, 2017, Reign of Winter campaign, Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, for Phoenix Gaming Club. Session included: Deska Starseeker (Half-Elf Druid played by Kaliegh Averdick), Svala Alehorn (Orc Unchained Barbarian played by Todd Hughes), and Tulvur Xandersen (Dwarf Fighter played by Taylor Averdick). Game Master for this session was Charles Plemons.

After nursing their wounds from the blockhouse encounter, the team started across the courtyard when a pair of black dracolisks and a copper dragonkin swooped over the walls!  Several of the defenders were petrified by the dracolisks’ gaze!  The team rushed to their rescue and wisely deduced the dragonkin was keeping around 35 feet or so from the dracolisks.  The group assumed this to be the range of the gaze attacks, and they endeavored to engage while averting their eyes.  Deska cast ice spears from her icicle wand to great effect while Tulvur and Svala moved in.  Greta blessed the party and cast bull’s strength on Svala.  The team was doing an excellent job avoiding the dracolisk gazes, but finally, it caught up to them.  Tulvur was turned to stone!  Svala and Deska each killed a dracolisk, and then they converged on the dragonkin, and Svala cut it down before it could flee.  The Triaxians then revealed the blood of a dracolisk, if applied within an hour, can restore the petrified to life!  They were able to recover everyone who had fallen victim.

Badly depleted and injured, the team was able to rest.  By midday the next day, the group witnessed a silver dragonkin, Shatha, under attack by a trio of Drakelands dragonkin!  As they watched, a blast of lightning knocked him from the sky to crash to the ground nearby.  The team rushed forward to assist.  Greta cast bull’s strength on Svala once again.  Enhanced, the orc barbarian rushed into battle and drove the blue dragonkin back with a barrage of blows.  Deska attempted baleful polymorph on it but failed.  Meanwhile, Tulvur charged the gold dragonkin.  The white dragonkin charged Deska and then disrupted her second casting of baleful polymorph.  Greta slipped over and healed Shatha as the dragonkin began unleashing their breath weapons.  Between glaive attacks and breath weapons, the party was rocked with injury.  Deska fought back with a trio of flame strikes!  Svala dove in a decapitated the blue dragonkin!  Deska used flame blade and killed the white dragonkin, and Tulvur and Shatha killed the gold dragonkin!

After the battle, they nursed their wounds, and Shatha and Tulvur recognized they made a great team.  In appreciation for saving his life, Shatha performed a rider bond with Tulvur!  The two can now communicate telepathically and coordinate their attacks.

Small Adventures — Game Session — 010

Game summary for December 16, 2017, Small Adventures campaign, Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, for Small Timers. Session included: Elsbeth Blackburn (Half-Elf Druid played by Maddy Smalling), Goshik Trakar (Elf Sorcerer/Dragon Disciple played by Jack Smalling), Kyras Sonata (Afflicted Werewolf Half-Elf Monk/Rogue played by Noah Smalling), Reth Steelarm (Half-Orc Fighter/Rogue played by Luke Smalling), and Valetin Krupova (Halfling Paladin played by Jared Smalling). Game Master for this session was Charles Plemons.

Venture-Captain Jalden Krenshar sent the Small Timers to the criminal city of Riddleport to seek a sextant hidden in the pirate haven of Bloodhull.  They believed the sextant had a secret compartment holding a map and journal fragments.  A pirate had read part of the journal before losing it in a card game.  He claimed the map led to a lost chest that could contain books from long-lost Thassilon.

The team rowed boats out to Bloodhull, and Elsbeth wild shaped into a rat to look around.  She was spotted by two Hook Crooks pirates who decided a rat would make a fine meal.  They gave chase, but she slipped into another room through a hole in the wall.  While several of the pirates got stirred up looking all over for the rat, Elsbeth found the sextant (and the map!) in a chest.  She wild shaped into a raven and flew off with it to reunite with the team.

The party then hired Captain Jioti Frank of the Victory to sail them to the island on the map.  The first night out, a full moon rose over the calm sea.  As the light shone down, one of the new crew members transformed into a wereshark!  Much to their horror, Kyras also transformed… into a werewolf!  They recalled him getting bit by a werewolf the previous month!

Elsbeth bravely took her wolf and went toe-to-toe with the wereshark while the rest of the team focused on Kyras.  Their former friend tore into Goshik and Reth until Valetin used smite evil and hammered him with divine power.  Gretchen climbed the stairs behind Elsbeth and began enhancing her abilities with spells like heroism and bull’s strength.  The team decided against trying to cure Kyras of his affliction.  Instead, they killed him.  Meanwhile, Elsbeth defeated the wereshark!

The team did not have time immediately to mourn the loss of their friend, because in the fray, Goshik accidentally set the sails on fire!  As the blaze roared, Valetin communed with this deity and managed to summon an elemental of water to put out the flames!

Ruins of Undermountain — Game Session — 019

Game summary for December 16, 2017, Ruins of Undermountain campaign, Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, for Harm Incorporated. Session included: Boran Gibbs (Human Cleric played by Chris Harmon), Kalil Bakran (Human Sorcerer played by Parker Harmon), Paddy Brandywine (Halfling Bard played by Preston Harmon), and Rumbald Shieldcracker (Dwarf Ranger played by Peyton Harmon). Game Master for this session was Charles Plemons.

The party entered a weird section of Undermountain wherein snow gently fell and the sound of bells rattled in the distance.  The team found two fairy-like men with red hats, and a large man in a red suit.  In the corner sat an ornate evergreen tree with wrapped packages beneath it.  The fat man turned around; it was Krampus!  The evil faerie finished swallowing some poor individual while his redcaps charged with their iron boots and massive scythes!  The fey proved difficult to harm with their damage reduction, evasion, and spell resistance.  Kalil had mixed success with lightning arc and fire snake while the rest of the team tried their hands at melee.  Eventually, even Kalil was using a melee weapon!  The fighting was prolonged and vicious, but one-by-one, the redcaps fell leaving only Krampus.  He stuffed Paddy into a bag wherein he reverted to a child!  With some quick-thinking he consumed a potion of enlarge person and countered the effect.  Krampus swallowed him anyway.  Boran also got stuffed in the bag while Paddy cut himself out of Krampus’ guts.  Eventually, the team brought down the monster, and the snow and ornate tree faded away.  They found one of the greatest gifts of all in Krampus’ bag, gold.

Next the group came upon a faltering portal to the Nine Hells.  Intense heat washed out and had melted the floor and walls to near lava.  The portal popped out of a existence, and the young infernal dragon that had stumbled through earlier attacked them in a rage!  Kalil hit it full on with a disintegrate, and Boran hit it with cold ice strike and holy smite.  Rumbald managed to cut it down with his axe.

Finally, the group came upon a bizarre yithian and gug savant negotiating over a chest.  They stopped long enough to try and crush the party!  The gug tore into the group with savage teeth and claws.  So brutal was the attack, it kept the party back on its heels for a few moments.  The yithian tried to hold Rumbald with no success.  Kalil’s lightning arc blasted both creatures, and Paddy’s tiny frosty sword dealt nasty wounds.  The gug was cut down, and then Boran accidentally healed the yithian along with his allies.  However, the group rallied and brought down the aberration and claimed the fortune in gems in the chest for themselves.