Charles Plemons' Blog

Game summary for July 31, 2018, Reign of Winter campaign, Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, for Phoenix Gaming Club. Session included: All Might (Human Warpriest played by Andrew Renfrow), Iguruzu Koshin (Human Monk played by Peyton Harmon), Magnus Erlingsson (Dwarf Cleric played by Chris Harmon), Nikolai Pavlenko (Human Fighter played by Casey Scruggs), and Svala Alehorn (Orc Unchained Barbarian played by Todd Hughes). Game Master for this session was Charles Plemons.

The battle with the gorynych dragon started poorly.  The dragon had initiative and hit the entire party with all three blasts of flame!  Magnus dropped back and warded himself with protection from energy.  Koshi stepped up and hit the dragon with two devastating punches.  The group closed in and hit with several attacks.  They found the dragon partially resistant to their melee attacks, and it appeared to regenerate damage done.  Greta cast baneweapon on Nikolai’s rifle, and he dealt some serious damage.  The dragon began biting and clawing, and the team was not too impressed.  Then a half-dozen headless Siberian Cossacks arrived.

Their leader, riding a flaming nightmare, slashed Magnus with his ride-by attack.  Horseman after horseman filed through an opening in the barbed wire and hit Magnus repeatedly.  The last came crashing in and impaled Magnus, killing him instantly.  The horsemen scattered and began a grueling campaign of hit-and-run attacks.  The team was able to focus on the dragon and deal enough damage that it collapsed to the ground.  With the dragon down, they focused on the horsemen.  Nikolai ended up isolated away from the group, and the horsemen crisscrossed their charges to bring him down with their lance attacks.  Nikolai ended up unconscious on the ground and then slain by a malicious rider.

All Might ended up unconscious on the ground, and one of the riders stood over him as his horse stomped him to death.  Greta cast breath of life to bring him back from the dead.  She also cast cure serious wounds upon him.  Koshi and Svala slowly picked off Cossacks with some impressive attacks.  However, Svala found himself unable to withstand the barrage from the remaining horsemen and was soon dead on the ground.  All Might tried to cast flame strike but was hit by multiple attacks of opportunity.  Eventually, he bled to death on the ground.

Finally, Greta and Koshi took out the last of the horsemen and mounts.  Suddenly, the dragon stood up!  It was not slain earlier, merely rendered unconscious.  Throughout the fight, it had been regenerating hit points!  It hit the survivors with a triple blast of flame!  Greta fled one direction while Koshi ran toward the church.  Much to his horror, golems made of stained-glass stepped from the windows before him!  With golems before him, a dragon behind, and grievously injured, Koshi felt despair as Greta continued fleeing out of sight.

Game summary for July 24, 2018, Reign of Winter campaign, Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, for Phoenix Gaming Club. Session included: All Might (Human Warpriest played by Andrew Renfrow), Baknarla (Adlet Shaman played by Shane Bradley), Iguruzu Koshin (Human Monk played by Peyton Harmon), Magnus Erlingsson (Dwarf Cleric played by Chris Harmon), and Nikolai Pavlenko (Human Fighter played by Casey Scruggs). Game Master for this session was Charles Plemons.

The group investigated Viktor’s corpse and learned it was too damaged for raise dead.  They decided they would need the tombstone fairy’s assistance in bringing him back.  After much consideration on how they would march the body across the camp, they wrapped up his prosthetic leg and cut off his head, which they stuffed into a bag of holding.

The team met with the fairy and finally struck a deal with her that they would deliver Rasputin’s body to her after they killed him in exchange for recovering Viktor.  They sealed the deal by revealing their names to the fairy.  She asked about the body, and they pulled out the head.  She informed them she needed more, so they went up and found some ammo crates and smuggled the body down into the catacombs to her.  The fairy chanted and danced and brought him back to life.  She then gave the soul shawl to Baknarla.  They also asked if she knew anything about Rasputin’s stitched soul and how to kill him.  She said she did and would exchange that information for more payment.  Eventually, they agreed to also deliver to her the body of Elvanna.  She told them how the stitches worked, and the team realized they have their work cut out for them.

The group talked with Viktor awhile and convinced him to help them reconfigure the World Anchors to force the World Engine back into this world.  The team, still disguised with their magic hats, went back to the surface.  A sniper in the ruined chapel saw him and shot him dead.  To try and cover themselves as not being with Viktor, Nikolai shot the body several times himself.  Baknarla then dropped a fog cloud, and the party slipped back into the catacombs with the body.

They asked the tombstone fairy to bring Viktor back, and she asked for more payment.  The group declined and found a “safe” corner of the catacombs to call Zilvazaraat, their mercane contact.  He sold them some scrolls of raise dead, a hat of disguise, and necklaces of fireballs.  The group raised Viktor, put the hat of disguise and an amulet of natural armor on him and went back to the top after they had him give them an overview of how to reconfigure the World Anchors.

The party then went from World Anchor to World Anchor bluffing their way up to do “maintenance.”  Eventually, they configured all four, and the chapel began to materialize!  The sky turned red with swirling clouds, and crackling red-orange lightning crashed all around.  An intense screaming rent the air, and the shimmering chapel appeared from the Thrice-Tenth Kingdom!

The group marched straight for the front door, stopped, and thought maybe they should go get Alexei and Anastasia.  They diverted toward the surgery building and found the kids outside staring at the chapel and sky.  Alexei demanded to know what they had done, and from his comments realized he could see through their disguises.  They tried to lay hands on him, but he suddenly transformed into a massive three-headed dragon and roared in defiance!

Game summary for July 10, 2018, Reign of Winter campaign, Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, for Phoenix Gaming Club. Session included: All Might (Human Warpriest played by Andrew Renfrow), Baknarla (Adlet Shaman played by Shane Bradley), Deska Starseeker (Half-Elf Druid played by Kaliegh Averdick), Magnus Erlingsson (Dwarf Cleric played by Chris Harmon), and Tulvur Xandersen (Troglodyte Fighter played by Taylor Averdick). Game Master for this session was Charles Plemons.

The team decided to try and investigate the cemetery.  Using Magnus’ touch of glory, Deska was able to bluff the soldiers at the burned prison barracks into going to help with the burning watchtower, which allowed the party to slip into Nikolai’s tunnels beneath.  Within, they came across a tombstone fairy digging and opening coffins.  From her, they learned the location of Viktor’s body and that she has the ability to bring the dead back to life.  The group was a bit freaked out by the disturbing entity and left her digging in the dark.

The group entered the old building she pointed them toward and found some kind of jackal- or wolf-headed monster eating Viktor’s corpse.  The party attacked, and suddenly a trio of baykoks sprung up around them as well.  Several of the party were paralyzed by the undead, and the monster somehow inflicted an exhausting hunger upon Deska.  Deska summoned a fire giant and stone giant, and the team rallied around Magnus’ channeled energy and several tremendous displays of melee prowess by All Might and Tulvur.  Soon, the undead were slain, and the beast teleported away.

Game summary for July 3, 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 (Dwarf Cleric played by Chris Harmon), Nikolai Pavlenko (Human Fighter played by Casey Scruggs), 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.

Six of the ectoplasmic mediums stopped restraining the ghost of Tsarina Alexandra and attacked the party!  Kenwrec bravely stepped forward and was killed almost immediately.  Greta blessed the party while the mediums walked through walks to try and surround the party.  Deska used her cauldron to summon a fire giant and two stone giants, which nearly filled the house!  Magnus and Svala engaged with their powerful melee weapons while Nikolai unleashed a barrage of bullets still enhanced by Greta’s magic weapon spell.  The giants proved helpful in the battle and allowed Deska to maneuver to blast off a fire snake that devastated the entities.  Several of the team took hits and negative levels, but they maintained the pressure and soon wore their foes down.

After freeing the Tsarina, they began talking to her.  They learned that Anastasia is not only an heir to the Russian throne, but she is Rasputin’s daughter, and thus, granddaughter of Baba Yaga!  They were a bit shocked and realized there were plots within plots going on.  They figured out the spirits were holding the Tsarina to prevent her from telling anyone about Anastasia’s lineage.

The team then searched the house and found Viktor’s plans for the World Engine!  Tulvur’s expertise in engineering proved extraordinarily valuable, and he was able to make out a lot of information including that reconfiguring all four World Anchors within one hour of each other could force the World Engine to bring back the monastery.  Meanwhile, Magnus found a black cloak that he identified as a powerful magical item.  Deska immediately put it on and discovered it was cursed!  She burst into flame and flailed about on the floor trying to extinguish herself.  Magnus pulled out a scroll and was able to remove the curse long enough for Deska to extricate herself from the cloak of immolation.