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 Siobharek 
Verrik
(8/17/03 12:10 pm)
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Session 08/17/03
This session is just about the slowest starting session I've ever had the misfortune of running. It took just over 1˝ hours to get the ball rolling as people were getting reaquainted with their characters, with the plot and with... well with everything.
But once we got underway it turned out to be one of the most role-playing intensive sessions we've run for a very long time.
We started off near the Water Door, where the group had a harrowing encounter with the Tojanida, I almost got to drown the monk, but such was not to be. After that the group fiddled with the lever in the prison until they had released all the prisoners, amputated the halfling's demon arm and killed the troll  . Oh and they took out the four elementals in 33. In 2 rounds.
They found some treasure here and there and then heded back. Rounoux the Azer had pledged to arrange a volcanic eruption in Lake Stalagos if only the group could send him back to the Plane of Elemental Fire. So the party went back to Rastor to warn the village of its impending doom.
Meeting with Rerrid Hammersong, the group spilled the beans. A strange glint lit in Rerrid's eyes, and he took Kakloban the Stonelord down to the small dwarven warren. There, a ritual confirmed that the dwarves would be able to exert a small measure of control of the eruption, annihilating the Outer and Inner Fane, but keeping the mines from exploding.
Rerrid then told the orcs and the humans of Rastor that doom was imminent and that they should all flee. Naturally, they did, and now the dwarves are on the verge of being able to take back Rastor and the Stalagos Mines.
Kakloban was under the impression that the group couldn't be bothered with Chymon's treasure. Therefore he enrolled Rerrid and a flatbox (old magic item of holding from Tome of Magic) and the two went off to get some gold. They sorted the coins and found the hatch and went down. Through a mixture of succesful saves, potions of flying and a bit of dumb luck, they managed to get all the treasure! The greatest part was that Rerrid was almost in a state of mania: Not only did he stand to reclaim his ancestral home, he would also have some money to rebuild it with. If we hadn't played with alignments, he'd have betrayed Kakloban then and there. As it were, Kakloban was quite nervous. But also very proud to toss the 6 arcane scrolls to the sorcerer and the wizard.
The rest of the session - not that that was a lot - was taken up by a commune spell, where they were told that the doomdreamers only had one Binder and that there wouldn't be another found within the next 32 days. I think they'll debate a bit whether they are going to spend the days making items or not. If they are, then I'm almost gonna have to whip up some assassins and demons to harry them a bit 
But all in all, a great session, which has seriously boosted my morale. And the four players who'll carry on once RttToEE is finished are excited about Arcana Unearthed, so that's just kewl  (3 smileys in one post - I'm slipping...)
Siobharek
...it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing. |
Siobharek
Verrik
(9/8/03 4:40 am)
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Session 09/07/03
Entering the home stretch of the campaign, here's a re-cap of the group:
* Eldreon Azareth, elven warrior-mage (11th, Fig4/Wiz7)
* Fredorcia Alorinan, human noblewoman (11th, Sor11*)
* Jugla Mether, human bowman (11th, Rog8/Fig2/Ran1*)
* Kakloban Lebenwolf, dwarven warrior (10th, Fig6/Sto4***)
* Rachum of Neese, human cleric of Istus (12th, Cle7/Fat5**)
* Savonarola, human holy man (12th, Mon12)
* Monte Cook's revised version is used in this campaign.
** Fatespinner Prestige Class adapted to Cleric
*** Stonelord
Another slow start. Real life encroaches big time on sessions, but after a little hour's worth of coffee brewing, child delivery and last-minute cancellations, the group was off! Huzza! Hey nonny-NONNY!!
After another hour's worth of Papers & Paychecks, they were ready to go through the motions of creating a ring of invisibility and making Azareth's +2 ghost touch long sword Holy (bring on the spectres!).
That was when I sprung the ambush. Basically, they had succeeeded in making the crater in Mt. Stalagos erupt and the Spike is now almost buried in Lava. The only ones to make it outr were The First and the Vrock, who was promptly dispatched to interrupt th emagic item creation process. Rachum and Azareth, both crafting magic items, contributed to the fight and all the players were in an uproar when I told thgem that the magic item pcreation process had been disrupted. One of them even called me a rules lawyer! Was I wrong?
Anyway, I told them that I couldn't be bothered to enforce my ruling if they were going to take it like that, and we moved on. I'd like to think that my players realized they'd crossed a line that's fairly bad to cross, but I don't know.
Moving in from the City of Greyhawk towards Hommlet (with Air Walk), the group could see smoke. A lot of smoke. And it wasn't the good kind of smoke, either. It set your teeth on edge and left an oily feeling in your mouth. They landed in Hommlet, where they were told that some weeks ago, fires all over had begun acting funny, so now all use of fire was prohibited and restricted to massive, well-guarded fire pits in the middle of large clearings around Hommlet.
The group realized that Imix had probably been summoned and knew that once again, time was short.
They used a find the path to enter the temple dungeons and made short work of the ogre guards and the earth elemental. The ogre miners were just a minor speed bump, and Dein's giants didn't last long either. As the demonic Dein fell, the rest of the giants surrendered and the group was told of some of the denizens of teh dungeon: Living statues of iron, a beholder, a strange mage with a elf-orc female in tow, some priests, including one called The First and another tentacled being "dressed in water" called The Second. Oh yeah, and a BIG fire-man who was called... Imix, yeah that was it.
We stopped after that, and they are basically more than willing for another foray in 3 weeks!
Siobharek
...it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing. |
Infiniti2000
Verrik
(9/8/03 6:07 am)
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ezSupporter
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Re: Session 09/07/03
"Was I wrong?"
Not wrong, but I would have disagreed. The process is interrupted, but IMO can be continued. Perhaps, you can add a day to the total time, but it is not ruined. Consider a wizard sleeping, who is interrupted at night with combat. He only needs to sleep an extra hour to regain his spells. To create the item, you should be able to pick up where you left off, for the most part.
Anyway, it's neither here nor there as your group is on the home stretch. If the demon's goal was to interrupt the creation, he should have targeted his attacks on the weapon or the lab and then teleported out.
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Siobharek
Verrik
(9/8/03 6:20 am)
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ezSupporter
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Re: Session 09/07/03
Thanks for the feedback, I2K. I based my ruling on something in the DMG where it says that any interruption of the work ruins the process, wasting materials and XP spent.
We disagreed on what constituted "interruption".
Another thing: Returning to the dungeons of the ToEE made a mental difference to me. I don't know if it was because we were away from the CRM and the Fanes or if it was because the end is now in sight, but damn, I felt... crisp. Odd word, I know, but I felt on top of my game in a way I haven't for a while. And yet I was concerned that the players were bored, but they did profess not to be, so...
Siobharek
...it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing. |
smetzger
Faen
(9/9/03 6:21 am)
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Re: Session 09/07/03
Combat is definantly interruption as far as the 3e official rules say. However this has been changed for 3.5e, from the 3.5 SRD...
Quote:
The creator also needs a fairly quiet, comfortable, and well-lit place in which to work. Any place suitable for preparing spells is suitable for making items. Creating an item requires one day per 1,000 gp in the item’s base price, with a minimum of at least one day. Potions are an exception to this rule; they always take just one day to brew. The character must spend the gold and XP at the beginning of the construction process.
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Siobharek
Cherub
(9/29/03 1:22 am)
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ezSupporter
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Session 09/28/03
Following their battle with the stone giants and their fiendish leader, the party stayed in Dyvers. Months ago, Rachum had been run out of town because of his alternative way of interpreting the dogma of Istus, but now things were different.
On the night of their arrival, 3 priests of Istus knocked on the door to the party's suite and asked Rachum to attend a meeting in the cathedral of Our Lady of Fate. His safety would be guaranteed before, during and after the meeting. Rachum agreed, despite the misgivings of the rest of the group, and left with the priests. At the meeting, Rachum was told that the dogma he had been preaching, and which he in turn believed to have come from his mentor in far off Ket, was in fact official dogma, but only for senior priests. Apparently Rachum had discerned the hidden meanings in the teachings of his mentor before he was supposed to, leading to a lot of trouble for him - but also leading to his ability of taking the Fatespinner Prestige Class before he was supposed to. He was offered an introduction to the class and upon informing the other priests at the meeting that he in fact had taught himself a number of the abilities of the Spinners of Fate, he was offered teh position of seeking out other prodigies such as himself.
He was also told that the Furyondian Court planned to reward the group with landholds as thaks for bringing Thrommel back, so his asssignment should cover the western heartlands of Oerth: Furyondy, Veluna, and as much of Sterich, Geoff and the Shield Lands as would be safe. So if we ever pick up th ecampaign again, that would be the framework for continuing...
Being returned to good standing in the church hierarchy meant a lot to Rachum, so it was with joyous heart and light step that he returned to the group.
Their next foray into the recovered temple almost became their last. Just beyond the ogre-stone giant quarters, the First was waiting for them. Fully buffed, including an antilife shell and a host of other spells - all cast at 19th level - made him almost impossible to hit, and as his first spell was a DC 28 destruction on Jugla the Bowman, he was pretty set to go. After the first 3 rounds of combat, Fredorcia the sorceress, Azareth the Fighter/Mage, and Jugla laid dead. The battle went on, with the First fleeing for a few rounds to the Ethereal Plane to heal up before entering the fight again. I had decided that his only was to maintain power in the long run would be to kill the entire party. And in the end, he was pretty close. It came down to a fight between him and Savonarola, on the brink of death after taking two inflict wounds spells combined with a chill soul attack while stunned for the full 3 rounds by the First's speaking his secret (abuse at the monastery). Fortunately, Savonarola hit while the First missed, and he died.
The rest of the group - Jugla back up, but Rachum killed by a slay living - retreated to Greyhawk, where they managed to scrape enough cash to buy a Hand of Gold, a home-made relic that enables a priest to cast True Resurrection 2/day.
After that, they returned to the dungeon where Jugla offed Kex the beholder in 1 round (beat it to initiative and sneak-holy attacked it to -52 hp in one round).
After that, they got the drop on Smigmal and [the half-orc doomdreamer] and actually got a lot of intel out of Smigmal. Falrinth, however, phase doored out, snuck past Azareth, who was guarding the hallway, and is now placed in the circular room #11 with a project image, ready to take down the group. He'll give them a run for their money before 'porting out, but Smigmal should make it.
It was a great session. The energy that some of you have mentioned returning to the game once the party has left Mt. Stalagos, is definitely there, making these final sessions very enjoyable. Only blemish was an error of judgement on my part. When the First went Ethereal, Rachum and 3 others plane shifted after him and we actually ran a combat on the Ether. It wasn't until they planned to return to the Prime that we discovered that plane shifting out shifts you 5d% miles off, making it impossible for them to catch the First that way. In stead of saying, "Oh well, you got him", I retraced, and we ran the combat again. And all that time Fredorcia's player sat, unable to do anything because she was dead (the PC, not the player). In hindsight, I should have let the plane shift thing work, and that bugs me.
So, I guess I'm happy with the session, but not ecstatic because of that blunder.
Siobharek
...it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing. |
Thrommel
Runechild (mod)
Council of Magisters
(9/29/03 9:14 am)
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Re: Session 09/28/03
What I love about this phase of the module is that here's where you see all the REALLY big guns of 3E come out -- destruction spells, plane-shifting, mega-monster crits and sneak attacks.
Fun!
-Thrommel, who'll be happy to grant your players some land. In fact, there's this old, run-down moathouse not far from here...
~Council of Magisters~
~ Arcana Unearthed ~ |
Infiniti2000
Cherub
(9/29/03 9:26 am)
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ezSupporter
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Re: Session 09/28/03
"After the first 3 rounds of combat, Fredorcia the sorceress, Azareth the Fighter/Mage, and Jugla laid dead."
Ouch! That's a real tough fight, and I'm glad they pulled out of it.
On a side note, do you have an Imix mini prepared yet?
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Siobharek
Cherub
(9/29/03 10:54 am)
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ezSupporter
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Re: Session 09/28/03
Why thanks, my prince. Might I remind you that you (that is, Thrommel, IMC) was officially declared dead and found in the Barrier Peaks and recovered amidst great rejoicing and the casting of a True Res? If we ever get to play post-RttToEE, the PCs will have a lot of leverage because they are the only ones who know that Thrommel did in fact become a Blackguard. Oh, the only ones except the Church of Istus in Dyvers (competing trade centre on the borer of Furyondy...), who might also use it...
Damn. My campaign is ending and NOW I get all the juicy ideas!
In fact, Inf2K, the combat with The First included 5 deaths: Jugla by destruction, Jugla by something else, Fredorcia by fire storm/flame strike, Azareth by fire storm/flame strike, and Rachum with a slay living. Heh.
That antilife shell is worth a lot, provided you've got entropic shield, a decent SR, and a way to take out the party archer (there's always one, isn't there?).
No real Imix prepared - time issues - but I have bought me a Darth Maul, which I'll either get painted or use as is.
Siobharek
...it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing. Edited by: Siobharek at: 9/29/03 11:05 am
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Thrommel
Runechild (mod)
Council of Magisters
(9/29/03 6:59 pm)
Reply
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Re: Session 09/28/03
Quote:
the PCs will have a lot of leverage because they are the only ones who know that Thrommel did in fact become a Blackguard.
I have no recollection of that, Senator.
Ahem.
I plead the Fifth.
-Thrommel, who'll plead it twice if it's a fifth of bourbon! *ba-domp bomp!*
~Council of Magisters~
~ Arcana Unearthed ~ |
Siobharek
Cherub
(10/19/03 12:37 pm)
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ezSupporter
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Session 10/19/03 - The End
And then it ended.
This session found the group going up against Falrinth, who having heard that they had subdued Smigmal, went through his phase door and made for room 17, where he made a stand. Maybe he thought he could kill off one or two, maybe he wanted to gather information about this rising group of heroes. Either way, he died, following a rash of very good die-rolling on the part of the players.
After that, his two ropers went the same way, before the group retreated one last time, re-equipped and went back in.
Estalion, Thucos Nalred, and Susain Caroun were waiting in the main temple with the ogre elites and The Second behind the curtain. Depite conducting the ritual and getting the amulet, the 3 were just blown out of the water with the Second being forced to go ethereal soon after. The ogres were less than a speed bump for the gang, whose dice could have heated up the room.
And they continued into the Fire Node after just curing up a little! There, Jugla found tracks that led to Imix, and despite his ability to dish out severe damage, the group still managed to take out Lareth, Maliskra and the Lord of Fire without suffering casualties.
In the end, we had the following party composition:
- Eldreon Azareth, elven warrior-mage (11th, Fig4/Wiz7)
- Fredorcia Alorinan, human noblewoman (12th, Sor12*)
- Jugla Mether, human bowman (12th, Rog9/Fig2/Ran1*)
- Kakloban Lebenwolf, dwarven warrior (11th, Fig6/Sto5***)
- Rachum of Neese, human cleric of Istus (12th, Cle7/Fat5**)
- Savonarola, human holy man (13th, Mon13)
* Monte Cook's revised version is used in this campaign.
** Fatespinner Prestige Class adapted to Cleric
*** Stonelord
And that was it. What began sometime in the autumn of 2001 is now over, as is that incarnation of my campaign. 3 of my players are leaving: Jugla's player wants to GM GURPS again, and his wife as well as another player goes with him. Another player (Azareth's) is taking a break from RPGs altogether, so the group is effectively broken.
However, in 3 weeks' time, I'll begin an AU campaign with Kakloban's and Savonarola's players (as well as 2 others, including my wife), and I'm also running a small campaign with my wife and two others.
Okay, what to say? What's the final analysis of RttToEE?
Parts of the adventure are absolutely outstanding. DM's should pay special attention to the following:
- Hommlet
- The Rastor situation
- The dynamics surrounding the Old Temple on the surface and the later excavations of the dungeons below
- Using Varachan properly
The parts that I feel require the most consideration in terms of timing are the CRM and the end game in the recovered temple.
The Crater Ridge Mines are a long dungeon crawl. Make sure that all the conflicts are brought to the players' attention, and that anyone who could be seen as theoretically choosing talk in stead of combat, talk. Otherwise, the Mines wil be one long hack-fest, and while that may be just the thing for some groups, mine complained about it in the end. Suggested roleplaying opportunities: Vranthis the green dragon, the water temple and their conflict with the fire temple, the elf - human - kuo-toa triangle in the water temple, Eeridik the sorcerer (my group never met him, but still), and the gargoyle-led gladiator arena near the South Entrance. Milk each of these opportunities for all they're worth, because they will increase the enjoyment for the method actors and role players in your groups.
As to the timing of the end game, be mindful of how Hommlet will interact with the growing threat. Will they try to ignore the probem or will they see the arrival of the PCs as a help from the gods? it is easy to rush the final chapter (it was for us, at least), but there are many opportunities for the PCs to have their first meetings with political figures who maybe now begin to bring some help.
Well, this is perhaps a little disjointed, so I'll stop now. I'm gonna stick around here on the boards, and I'll check in on the Forum regularly. If there's anything you want to know, post here, in a new thread, or PM me - I'll be happy to help in any way I can.
Monte, thanks for a great D&D system and thanks for a great adventure. Thank you also for providing these boards, which seamlessly leads into my next thank you to Thrommel, Andorax, Infiniti2000, Cordo Crowfoot and all the rest of you whose ideas made my game better than I could have done on my own and whose words of encouragement kept me going when I just wanted to call it quits and take up knitting.
Now, where did I put my Arcana Unearthed...?
Siobharek
...it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing. |
Thrommel
Runechild (mod)
Council of Magisters
(10/19/03 5:22 pm)
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Re: Session 10/19/03 - The End
Congrats to you and your players!
-Thrommel, who always likes a happy ending.
~Council of Magisters~
~ Arcana Unearthed ~ |
ZansForCans 
Cherub
(10/19/03 7:53 pm)
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Re: Session 10/19/03 - The End
Woohoo! Thanks for the ride 
And thanks for getting obsessed enough to do the Errata/FAQ/BoB. They have been incredible resources.
Group Editing & Authoring Support
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info :: demo |
Siobharek
Cherub
(10/19/03 10:40 pm)
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ezSupporter
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Re: Session 10/19/03 - The End
Hey, no prob Zans (and sorry for missing you in the thanks shortlist). I'm just sorry that things got so messed up with the delivery of my 3.5 books that I couldn't be of any help in the conversion project. The job you guys have done there dwarfs any other fan project I've seen.
Siobharek
...it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing. |
Cordo Crowfoot
Dynama
(10/20/03 9:38 am)
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Re: Session 10/19/03 - The End
Congrats Siobharek! You have been a truly invaluable member of the board during your tenure as an active DM, I hope you can still stay involved as a "graduate".
I'd be very interested in seeing a description of how that last fight went if you have the time to write it up.
And if you write up your UA/Freeport game let us know where to find the campaign logs, I'd be interested in reading them.
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Infiniti2000
Cherub
(10/20/03 10:06 am)
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ezSupporter
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Re: Session 10/19/03 - The End
Congratulations to you and your players, Siobharek! Wish them well for us and encourage them to post their thoughts here on the forum. Thanks for your years of hard work here on the forum. You have contributed to more campaigns out there than anyone probably knows.
Edit: So when are you starting Banewarrens?
Edited by: Infiniti2000 at: 10/20/03 10:07 am
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Siobharek
Cherub
(10/20/03 10:22 am)
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ezSupporter
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Re: Session 10/19/03 - The End
Here's the translated player's log for that part of the session:
We rush on, and potions are guzzled as fast as possible (fire resistance. Ed.). We turn a few corners and reach a high-ceilinged, long chamber. Here, we are met by one of the most frightening, awe-inspiring sights we have ever seen. At the end of the room, a 50-foot tall, ebony skinned man, flames dancing over his body, sits on a glass throne filled with fire. At his side, dwarfed by his presence stand The Chosen and a (bow-carrying) female Doomdreamer.
We clash with an almost audible crash. Savonarola starts off unlucky and is struck by Imix' enormous sword, and he falls, though not permanently. A combination of Rachum's healing powers and some pretty nifty tumbling brings him back into the battle and he deals Imix mighty blows while taking grievous damage from the colossus' fire and sword, and in the end, he retreats.
Fredorcia flies in and unleashes 3 blasts of apparently destructive ice against the deity (well, they're riding high here, it seems) before she too is struck by his sword and wise retreats out of the temple, popping healing potions as she goes.
Meanwhile Rachum and I (this is written by Jugla) have vanquished the female, a medusa whose stony gaze was ineffective, and Azareth and Kakloban have taken care of Lareth. When Kakloban chops off Lareth's head with a mighty blow, Imix roars in anger as Tharizdun can now no longer be summoned! Imix attacks wildly, and his anger gets the best of him. For each mighty hit from us, he retaliates with a wild miss, and again it is Kakloban's axe that finishes the battle as his great swing impacts on the Lord of Fire, laying him low.
We look at each other. We notice our at the same time smouldering and frozen clothes, our slashed faces and limbs, our cuts and bruises. We realize that it has been no more than 5 minutes since we entered the lower part of the complex.
We realize that we, in that fateful second, have accomplished what we set out to do. Tharizdun's coming has been prevented and the doomdreamers and Imix are defeated. There still remains a lot of work to search the place through and pick off any stragglers, but right now, it seems of lesser importance.
We have won.
We have brought this tale to a close.
The Sevenoaks Campaign - March 11 2001 to October 19 2003.
As to my other campaign, I'll definitely post a link. Don't go there if you intend to play Plague of Dreams and Siege of Ebonring Keep. If you wish, you can check out my other AU campaign, which began 5 weeks ago. There, we'll be playing the Freeport Trilogy before embarking on the Banewarrens by some guy named Monet Cook or something.
Inf2K, I don't know when banewarrens will begin. I probably won't run my old group through it - they've just finished one mega-dungeon. No reason to press my luck by sending them into the next. As I'm starting off with a first-level group, it'll take a while, I'm afraid. Realistically, you'l probably have to stick around for a year before I start mentioning tall spires and magic-spouting litorians in the streets of Ka-Rone...
Siobharek
...it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing. Edited by: Siobharek at: 10/20/03 10:27 am
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HeresDaryl
Memunite
(10/20/03 10:54 am)
Reply
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Save a kipper for me!
Congrats Siobh, well done for nurturing them through, and a huge thank you for all your input and answers regarding so many other DMs campaigns. I look forward to joining you in the promised land, very soon... we're also approaching the end - just have to hold it together a little longer.
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 Monte Cook
Yeah, you know
(10/20/03 12:51 pm)
Reply
ezSupporter
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Re: Save a kipper for me!
Congrats! Can't wait to hear about what happens next.
Monte
http://www.montecook.com |
TrinityDM
Memunite
(10/20/03 9:06 pm)
Reply
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Re: Session 10/19/03 - The End
Wowsers. Congrats for sticking with it, and thanks for being a continual source of knowledge and inspiration for this group. Best of luck with the AU campaign!
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