Apes for God » Linda

End of the 2nd Era

mdk — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 16:37:34 +0000

So we finally completed the 2nd part of the epic story that the gamers have been playing for the past three years. They started so long ago with a small issue of bandits at a river crossing and since then they have battled were creatures, travelled to the centre of a world, been involved with a conspiracy involving the Gods themselves (including discovering that the twin-sister of one of the characters was on the enemy’s side), fought an immortal, a demi-arch of Orcus who was called Thanatos (Death) as this started in 2nd Edition Skills and Powers, they killed him as he fled through a portal into his own plane, which in turn destroyed the river of time and destroyed them.
They were then reborn on the Forgotten Realms world as 4th Edition Paragon Characters, the world now being merged with their own land (some of the realms were now the kingdoms of old Mystara (an extra touch to the already messed up FR – but it fits with the new scenery)). They returned to their homeland to discover that the sister was alive (sort of) and was now called the Empress of the Night and ruled the whole of a continent with her Vampire Minions. Our heroes had to travel around, raise an army, fight stronger and stronger Vampire lords before discovering that the Soul of the sister was trapped in the dead body of the immortal they killed which floated somewhere in the Astral Sea.
So they travelled to the Astral Sea and went to an Oracle who directed them to hell and a servant of Orcus who was imprisoned there- whom they freed to find the body of Thanatos (they had to promise to free him to get the information). They found the body, fought there way into the heart (the body being filled with evil demons and creatures who were awaiting their arrival to conduct a ritual to try and raise Thanatos) find the soul and then escape.
They then returned to the continent and laid seige to the tower with a mighty army, with that as a distraction they went inside, fought several very powerful wights, vampires, and a large Dracolich before confronting, renedering unconscious the queen of the night and completing a ritual to restore her soul and destroy the foul thing that inhabited her body.
Their victory was met with a bigger surprise as one of the NPCs (Surec) was in love with another (Clara – now Queen of the land by Royal heritage) and asked her to wed him. Their characters now take a well-earned break of a year to recover, see friends marry and administer the lands given to them for their mighty deeds.
Meanwhile there are still forces gathering in a distant horizon and there are many ends left loose, what of the dreams of death haunting one of the characters? What of the images of future godhood that appear to another? And will the Consort finally become King of his own lands? There are also Dreams of the Raven Queen’s chapels being attacked and a God who has been thwarted by them twice who will not tolerate them interfering for a third time….

Until then though, we take a mid Epic break…and play something different for a few sessions…now, where were those worlds I had planned?

So near…

admin — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 14:26:31 +0000

So they made it to the first antechamber of the citadel, they didn’t quite make it to the end and the final confrontation with a servant of evil and darkness, a creature that lies seething in the shell of a woman, that woman is the twin sister of one of the player characters…

One thing to be said about high level traps from the DM’s Guide – they rock and can present a real challenge. Even with two fairly low level creatures as the only mobile confrontation in the room the players came close to losing a character permanently, all down to my slight spin on an already particularly nasty trap.

So they will have to wait until next game to have the confrontation that was on the cards from the day one of the players decided that their twin sister had been seduced by evil. This wes decided before the game even started, before they were a lvl one adventurer embarking on a long quest…

There is also the matter of the small surprise concerning two of the NPCs, the players are curious as to what it is, though the clues have been there for some time…

The last one before they left for the Astral Sea…

And a small clue when they returned…

The end of an arc and the glimpses of Epic adventure

admin — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 11:45:00 +0000

So for the first time ever a group of adventurers under my care have reached Epic Level – starting from first level nearly three years ago in real time and 6 years in game time they have come a long way…a very long way…
Last game they made Epic level after defeating the second hardest creature on this part of the story arc they have followed since game one.
Tonight they may make it to meeting the hardest creature on this part of the story arc and may actually see a glimpse (though they have had tasters) of the continuing story that will take them to 30th Level.
There will be changes, there will be awesome challenges and there is a surprise for them concerning two of their NPC friends….
GAME ON.