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[CAMPAIGN] Out of the Abyss – New GM [SPOILERS]
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<blockquote data-quote="Boendal2" data-source="post: 8000400" data-attributes="member: 7015844"><p><strong><strong><u>17th session:</u></strong></strong></p><p></p><p>A friend of ours joined for this session as the Zhentarim mercenary "Cy Amakiir" (high elf eldritch knight).</p><p></p><p><strong>Day 205</strong></p><p>The female deep gnome introduced herself as Gabble Dripskillet. She invited the PCs into the svirfneblin quarters and offered them lodging, food and ulitmately asked them for help saving Yantha Coaxrock, who is held by the duergar. She offered an old heirloom, a black sapphire on a silver chain as reward. The party gladly agreed even before she finished her offer. Before approaching the duergar quarters the PCs wanted to talk to Ghazrim and Lorthuun, but they could offer little help. Vanya tried to communicate with her patron once more and was led to the dead gargoyle, where she found the black gem of Fraz-Urb'luu.</p><p></p><p>Even though badly in need of a long rest, the party decided to check out the duergar quarters. Approaching from the market stands, they saw one duergar guarding the entry to the quarters. Athut realized that he was talking to someone else, and as the PCs encountered invisible duergar before they were sure the quarters were guarded heavily. After a long discussion Cy was sent forward to talk with the duergar guard, but to no avail. Finally the party decided to go back to the Zhentarim quarters for a long rest. Athut sneaked away and over the steel fence, trying to spy into the duergar quarters. He was discovered by invisible duergar guards quickly. A fight with 10 duergar guards ensued, during which Vanya threw the black gem on the floor and stepped on it. The gem broke and Fraz-Urb'luu left his prison, manifesting as black smoke and slowly transforming into the huge demon lord. He looked at Vanya, smiled and tried to hit the party and duergar with his claw, but dissolved again into nothingness before doing any damage. Vanya, Athut, Tyus and Ebert failed their Wisdom saving throw and got a form of indefinite madness.</p><p></p><p>The last remaining guard fled into the quarters, leaving the door open - the party entered into the duergar quarters and spoke to Ghuldur Flagonfist, the leader of the duergar. He was accompanied by a confused merchant, Krimgol Muzgardt. Ghuldur reluctantly agreed to speak with Gabble about the trial and punishment of Yantha - assuming that Krimgol will get his gem back. The party, Krimgol, Ghuldur and his pet xorn as well as a chained Yantha left the duergar quarters to negotiate with the svirfneblin. Tyus sprinted ahead and picked up the broken gem pieces. Gabble agreed to have a fair trial, judging Yanthas behaviour and sentencing but wanted her released from the duergar. Krimgol agreed but wanted the gem back immediately. As neither Yantha nor Gabble had it, the negotiations were not going anyway. Tyus cast minor illusion on the gem shards he picked up earlier and dramatically let it fall, while acting as he wanted to give the gem back to Krimgol. Krimgol was in tears, Yantha and Gabble confused, Ghuldur demanded compensation. Hoping to get Yantha back, Gabble offered her family heirloom, which Ghuldur gladly accepted (as it is worth roughly 5.000 gp).</p><p></p><p></p><p><u><strong>GM notes:</strong></u></p><p>I think the party is a bit paranoid (again!?) after all the mad and aggressive behaviour the witnessed in Mantol-Derith. Funny enough, they could have just asked for an audience/negotiation with the duergar, but instead discussed for 1 hour strategies how to sneak or fight their way through "as soon as the duergar attack".</p><p></p><p>I changed the black gem of Fraz-Urb'luu a bit, as it was pretty clear to me that either Vanya or Tyus would find and destroy it sooner or later. The book recommends a Wisdom saving throw of 23 for everybody that touches the stone. That, coupled with the indefinite madness seems very very harsh. So I planned a cinematic appearance of Fraz-Urb'luu in a 20ft. radius of the broken gem. Everybody in the radius had to make a Wisdom saving throw. As this happened during battle, in the midst of the entry to the duergar quarters, pretty much the whole party had to make a saving throw anyways.</p><p></p><p>The party will probably leave Mantol-Derith next session, as there is not much left to do. All in all I have to say it was an interesting chapter, but weirdly structered in the book. The chapter is written as if the party is in a sandbox where anything could happen. To any other new GM I can only recommend to anticipate, that the party will go to the Zhentarim first (if no duergar, deep gnomes or drow are with the party that have a special interest). Just one (or two, depending if you still play random encounters) sessions before Bruenor and other leaders asked the party to meet Ghazrim DuLoc.... why would they go anywhere else? Anyway, that means the party could completelly bypass the story of the mad duergar/svirfneblin and the imprisoned Fraz-Urb'luu if they wanted to (which makes Mantol-Derith a very short part of OotA). My party probably would have, if not for Vanya and Tyus who both have Fraz-Urb'luu as their patron.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Boendal2, post: 8000400, member: 7015844"] [B][B][U]17th session:[/U][/B][/B] A friend of ours joined for this session as the Zhentarim mercenary "Cy Amakiir" (high elf eldritch knight). [B]Day 205[/B] The female deep gnome introduced herself as Gabble Dripskillet. She invited the PCs into the svirfneblin quarters and offered them lodging, food and ulitmately asked them for help saving Yantha Coaxrock, who is held by the duergar. She offered an old heirloom, a black sapphire on a silver chain as reward. The party gladly agreed even before she finished her offer. Before approaching the duergar quarters the PCs wanted to talk to Ghazrim and Lorthuun, but they could offer little help. Vanya tried to communicate with her patron once more and was led to the dead gargoyle, where she found the black gem of Fraz-Urb'luu. Even though badly in need of a long rest, the party decided to check out the duergar quarters. Approaching from the market stands, they saw one duergar guarding the entry to the quarters. Athut realized that he was talking to someone else, and as the PCs encountered invisible duergar before they were sure the quarters were guarded heavily. After a long discussion Cy was sent forward to talk with the duergar guard, but to no avail. Finally the party decided to go back to the Zhentarim quarters for a long rest. Athut sneaked away and over the steel fence, trying to spy into the duergar quarters. He was discovered by invisible duergar guards quickly. A fight with 10 duergar guards ensued, during which Vanya threw the black gem on the floor and stepped on it. The gem broke and Fraz-Urb'luu left his prison, manifesting as black smoke and slowly transforming into the huge demon lord. He looked at Vanya, smiled and tried to hit the party and duergar with his claw, but dissolved again into nothingness before doing any damage. Vanya, Athut, Tyus and Ebert failed their Wisdom saving throw and got a form of indefinite madness. The last remaining guard fled into the quarters, leaving the door open - the party entered into the duergar quarters and spoke to Ghuldur Flagonfist, the leader of the duergar. He was accompanied by a confused merchant, Krimgol Muzgardt. Ghuldur reluctantly agreed to speak with Gabble about the trial and punishment of Yantha - assuming that Krimgol will get his gem back. The party, Krimgol, Ghuldur and his pet xorn as well as a chained Yantha left the duergar quarters to negotiate with the svirfneblin. Tyus sprinted ahead and picked up the broken gem pieces. Gabble agreed to have a fair trial, judging Yanthas behaviour and sentencing but wanted her released from the duergar. Krimgol agreed but wanted the gem back immediately. As neither Yantha nor Gabble had it, the negotiations were not going anyway. Tyus cast minor illusion on the gem shards he picked up earlier and dramatically let it fall, while acting as he wanted to give the gem back to Krimgol. Krimgol was in tears, Yantha and Gabble confused, Ghuldur demanded compensation. Hoping to get Yantha back, Gabble offered her family heirloom, which Ghuldur gladly accepted (as it is worth roughly 5.000 gp). [U][B]GM notes:[/B][/U] I think the party is a bit paranoid (again!?) after all the mad and aggressive behaviour the witnessed in Mantol-Derith. Funny enough, they could have just asked for an audience/negotiation with the duergar, but instead discussed for 1 hour strategies how to sneak or fight their way through "as soon as the duergar attack". I changed the black gem of Fraz-Urb'luu a bit, as it was pretty clear to me that either Vanya or Tyus would find and destroy it sooner or later. The book recommends a Wisdom saving throw of 23 for everybody that touches the stone. That, coupled with the indefinite madness seems very very harsh. So I planned a cinematic appearance of Fraz-Urb'luu in a 20ft. radius of the broken gem. Everybody in the radius had to make a Wisdom saving throw. As this happened during battle, in the midst of the entry to the duergar quarters, pretty much the whole party had to make a saving throw anyways. The party will probably leave Mantol-Derith next session, as there is not much left to do. All in all I have to say it was an interesting chapter, but weirdly structered in the book. The chapter is written as if the party is in a sandbox where anything could happen. To any other new GM I can only recommend to anticipate, that the party will go to the Zhentarim first (if no duergar, deep gnomes or drow are with the party that have a special interest). Just one (or two, depending if you still play random encounters) sessions before Bruenor and other leaders asked the party to meet Ghazrim DuLoc.... why would they go anywhere else? Anyway, that means the party could completelly bypass the story of the mad duergar/svirfneblin and the imprisoned Fraz-Urb'luu if they wanted to (which makes Mantol-Derith a very short part of OotA). My party probably would have, if not for Vanya and Tyus who both have Fraz-Urb'luu as their patron. [/QUOTE]
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