Describe your last rpg session in 5 words
DrunkonDuty
he/him
Heroes watch villainous soap opera.
Marc_C
Solitary Role Playing
We need more details on this one!
DrunkonDuty
he/him
Well, you asked. But be warned, the following contains many more than 5 words.
I mean, you've asked a gamer about their campaign. I also use a lot of TV Tropes language. If there's any phrase you need a definition for, just go there.I've made a lot of effort to give the heroes chances to watch and interact with the villains. I wanted the players to get a chance to know the villains so they could really get to hate them. It's worked.
The Big Bad is a vampire called Lord Iniquitous.* His Dragon (not actual dragon) is another Vampire, Lady Syn. She was formally Lady Jasmine Sunblessed, the commander of the Shining Legion, of which the heroes are the last remaining members. Then there's the Star Scream, a wizard called Ferridoon. He's also a former member of the Shining Legion and the person who betrayed them. He shut down the anti-undead defences of the Legion's castle, Sunwall, allowing Lord Iniquitous to capture it and destroy the Legion.
The heroes have had various interactions with the villains. Ferridoon was the one who got away. He wasn't meant to, but the player's plans were bad and the dice were against them. While spying on Lord Iniquitous the heroes first see Lady Syn, but she's wearing a helmet and goes unrecognised. She's being given instructions and clearly the Big Bad's (new) favourite. Iniquitous's contempt for Ferridoon is also made clear. (He says "That man is an arse.")
The heroes meet Syn, Ferridoon, and another of Syn's Psycho Squad* at a party being held in a foreign land; neutral territory, no fighting allowed. This is when the heroes realise who Lady Syn is. Syn toys with them, playing up the "poor cursed by fate" angle. Ferridoon quietly offers to betray Lady Syn to the heroes. Obviously, they do not trust him.
After shadowing one another across the vast savannah the heroes find Syn and her squad in front of the Lost Temple of the Macguffins. They sneak past her and get the macguffins (a bunch of powerful anti-undead weapons) only barely ahead of her.Syn chases the heroes back across the savannah, eventually catching up to them. There's a big fight. The heroes are on the back foot (they had a good plan but the two front liners went off plan and things went south.) 2 of the Psycho Squad are down, 2 more badly injured, but Ferridoon and Lady Syn have barely come into play. Things are on a knife's edge. Lady Syn enters the fray, Ferridoon hangs back. Syn goes toe to toe with Alira, the party paladin. The other heroes are dealing with the remaining bad guys, throwing out healing, the usual. Ferridoon's turn comes. He runs away. The rest of Syn's minions go down but all the heroes are badly injured. Syn's turn again and she swings a mighty, power attacking smite at Alira and misses by 1! No fudging. Alira crits.*** Syn is smoked but we know she'll be back, somehow somewhere.
And that, finally, gets us to my 5 word session:
The heroes are back at Sunwall, spying on it, when they see Ferridoon ride up all dusty and tired. On his spare horse is a large crate. He goes into the main building, the crate carried in by minions. The heroes really want to know (as opposed to guess) what's in the crate. A couple of the heroes sneak in and get to watch Lord Iniquitous holding court in the former temple of the sun god.
Iniquitous says "Bring them in!" and in come Ferridoon and Lady Syn, both looking chastised. Iniquitous then gives a long speech about all the ways Lady Syn has failed him. Failed the mission. Allowed the macguffins to fall into the hands of the Shining Legion. Lost his treasured retainer Hor-Ahktep, even the blood drinking sword he'd given her as a gift. Ferridoon is cut some slack for at least extracting himself and his commander from the SNAFU. Then Iniquitous drops the bombshell - "Lady Syn, from now on you take orders from Ferridoon."
<Cue gasps and delighted laughter all around the table.>
Pleased with his new promotion Ferridoon starts schmoozing his way through the Court, and, with a click of his fingers, tells Syn "to stay close in case I need something fetched." Syn literally cannot refuse and follows meekly after him, burning hatred on her face.
The heroes then overhear Ferridoon talking with another courtier who complains that without the macguffins their great mission to overthrow <their lord> the Eternal Pharaoh has suffered a great setback. Cue more drama, the heroes finally work out what Lord Rasta Byron's plan has been all along.
And that's where it ended. The session was heavy on the exposition but everyone enjoyed it.
* whom they dub Lord Rasta Byron. I can't complain, it's very apt.
**a mummy cleric called Hor-Ahktep whom the players immediately dub Mum-Ra. Yeah, also apt, dammit.
*** I swear, sometimes I believe dice love drama.
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