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Message: <blockquote data-quote="limeskeleton" data-source="post: 9544567" data-attributes="member: 7047820">Session 03: Into the CatacombsAfter a brutally exhausting day, it was definitely time for well-deserved rest. The party, Juniper Swiftwater included, spent some time chatting over food and drinks at the Nentir Inn. After a night's sleep, they picked up a few potions of healing, alongside some alchemical concoctions, all from Naerumar's Imports. [SPOILER="Roll20 Stuff"]This was both a chance to let tension de-escalate after a near-TPK and some tough fights and a chance for me to experiment with some Roll20 fanciness I'd been working on. For example, shop wares generated from roll-tables with variable pricing, a way to get stories and songs from a tavern bard, and food/drink descriptions to get the imagination going.[ATTACH=full]390828[/ATTACH][ATTACH=full]390829[/ATTACH][ATTACH=full]390830[/ATTACH][/SPOILER]Soon after, they began their exploration of the Fallcrest Catacombs, hoping to track down the ghostly remnant of Princess Elsinore Maldranthe. Their first obstacle was a mundane one: the Peaceblade Clan was conducting a memorial service for the death of their clan elder. However, the proceedings were marred by the absence of Torinn and Vezera Peaceblade, rare twin Dragonborn who serve as priests of the Raven Queen, goddess of death.[SPOILER]I wanted to introduce a little more Fallcrest "lore" relevant to the dragonborn PC, and provide a new divine perspective since none of the PCs follow the Raven Queen. It also made for an interesting social challenge to provide some variance, as "awkwardly intruding upon a funeral" was definitely a different set of muscles than what they expected to flex at first.[/SPOILER]Following clues in the catacombs, the party tracked the twins to an ancient, abandoned section of the catacombs. Guarded by demons and undead, a wraith was undergoing the process of transforming them into undead themselves, perhaps an intentional insult levied at the goddess of death. Our heroes charged in, disrupting the process, destroying the monsters, and rescuing the siblings, who promptly offered to join them in tracking down Elsinore.[SPOILER]This was a combat encounter nested inside the larger Skill Challenge. The Peaceblade Siblings were on the battlemap, with a set number of turns before they would succumb to necromantic attack and become undead enemies. The party rolled quite well and prioritized rescuing them, leading to their recruitment as a Companion Character (Level 1 Minion Artillery). There was a great moment where the dwarf invoker managed to blast a skeletal archer right off a high wall, shattering it to pieces.[/SPOILER]Finally, after overcoming magical wards, unstable tunnels, and myriad other dangers, the party arrived in the chamber Elsinore fled to. There, she had summoned more demons, with a ritual circle prepared for some fell ritual. The party caught her by surprise, destroying one of her pet demons quickly and efficiently. Before she could complete her ritual, Forte slew her with a powerful display of divine might, turning the tide of battle.[SPOILER]This was massively satisfying for the players, I think. Even though it was ostensibly a harder encounter (more enemies, a damaging aura from a ritual circle, a countdown before reinforcements, etc.) they worked together much better, rolled brilliantly, and absolutely devastated the opposition in the Surprise Round they gained from a successful skill challenge. Definitely a fantastic high-note to end on.[/SPOILER]</blockquote>

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