Rise of Tiamat Session 5
Stage 4 part 2 Final session
Ceiling is 99 feet. 9 Inches. and (9/10 ths)
Day 33 – 36
PC Killed 3 Monsters Killed 95 Villains Captured 1 Villains Escaped 0
Magic Items Bone of Protection from Undead one per pc. All real dragon masks go away. Terelman can keep the false blue one.
Story Award. Tiamat Tick Off. If you me Tiamat, she knows your name. And hates you. Advantage on melee strikes against you or whatever the Dm decides.
Gain 3 levels. 60 Downtime days. 2,000 Gp. 1,600 for the last level. 400 for the 2 hours play.
All the encounters were auto promoting so I not going to list the levels. I had a strong group of six with matched the APL level of the encounters. Zeal Paladin Sorcerer. Sonya Cleric. Herkidi Rogue. Terelman Cleric. Vanessa Sorcerer Warlock. Bar Steelwind Monk.
The group is given a hardy handshake, a thank you, and two for one beer coupon good a the Trollskull manor. This was the reward for donating Xonthal’s tower to the council. As the group is waiting for their next mission. A minion from the Red Wizards of Thay approaches the group.
Ms. Minion, “You need to come with me for a meeting,”
Zeal, “Why should we? What is your name sir? I don’t go wander off with just any minion who approaches us!”
Ms. Minion, “That is madam. I deserve no name. The Red Wizards of Thay wish to….”
Zeal, “How can I tell if your unisex robes. And what strange thing no have a name. What is your real name? “(Zeal rolled for a history check and gets high enough to know Red Wizards only have names if they have a rank. I was hoping to role play out how rank up tight they are but failed to get that across. Also, Zeal was being very rude to the pc in speaking.)
After a minute or so the minion gets the point across that the Red Wizards may join the council but the adventurers need to do a face to face. The unnamed minion takes them the long away around to the meeting place. Because they pass the council concession area twice. They enter a teleportation circle and are ported to another location. The minion has not come with them. A minute passes. Three minutes pass. Just as Zeal is about to kick in the secret door; a bar slot opens in the door and a voice speaks, “I am Tharchion Eseldra Yeth. You are finally here.”
She opens the door and Zeal’s paladin radar goes off, “VAMPIRE VAMPIRE!” (Yes, I had to auto go off.) “I Tharchion Eseldra Yeth am in charge on this council. Since the Red Wizards of Thay have a common enemy at the moment you input is demanded. We will ask you questions. You will answer. Then we will decide to join weak Waterdeep. Or go alone.”
Zeal, “Eseldra we are ….”
Tharchion Eseldra Yeth, “That is Tharchion Eseldra Yeth!”
Zeal, “Most honorable lady….”
Tharchion Eseldra Yeth, “IT is Tharchion Eseldra Yeth foolish one.” (Still by role playing not getting the point how rank uptight the Red Wizards are. I do agree with Zeal I should told the group off board about it.)
In the council chamber with no secret doors are nine other wizards. Five wrights dress in Red Wizards of Thay Army uniforms are posted around the room too. They have a smart look about them.
Zeal ends up answering most of the questions. The Thay are not impress until Markus Goblin screams, ‘” DREAMS. DREAMS. ALL I WANT IS THEIR DREAMS.” The group now have to spend over night why the goblin interviews them in a dream state. They agree.
(BEEP BEEP BEEP. The book requires the dm had seeded hints, notes, and other information about NPCS in earlier adventures. This when over badly.)
The group are teleported back the council chamber. They did not get any sleep last night. (Damage and no long rest.) Each pc is given one more comment to persuade the council. (great idea on the next check. But some pcs have not chosen their gawds. But this whole encounter is set up with people knowing Realms lore. Chosen Gawds. And lots of data dumps by the DM in pass adventures.)
The council tell Markus Goblin to teleport the group back. They are teleport a few hours outside Waterdeep.
Zeal, “I think they are not going to help us. Let walk back and avoid any ambushes.”
An hour later they walk into an ambush. (Ten-minute break for the group while Zeal and I use the DMG Encounter builder. A Deadly encounter. Thanks Zeal.)
They group is ambushed. A Gladiator, assassin, two dragonwing, and young red dragon attack. I zero out Herkidi but Sonya stabilizes him. The monk and Zeal fly up and take out the dragon in two rounds. (Icky mean DM. I told the group it was a deadly encounter. So, I would either add more monsters in waves to tko two pcs. Or Kill a pc.) Since the assassin noticed Herkidi was still living. And they knew they were going to die the last three of the cultists used all their attacks on the deadest. NOW DEAD. PC. INSERT EVIL DM Laugh.)
The group brings Herkidi back and reports to the council. (Ten-minute break. Take 2 levels. And decide if the group want to press on to stage 5. Set up is SNEAK into a volcano and then call for help if they find something major. Mean while I am totally the scorecard. The scorecard determines the groups allies in final battle. Oh, and this was 8 PM.)
The scorecard results. Harpers 10. Gauntlet 11. Emerald 9. Lady Silverhand 10. Dagult soon to be a thief Neverember 9. Brawnanvil 12. King Melandrach 9. Ulder 12. Hornblade 9. Sir Isteval 13. Everyone is by the Red Wizards are coming to the fight.
The setup. Find a secure way in. Call for back up and break the ritual. (The book reads as one friendly force will null an enemy force. The players will assign these. I skipped this and just assigned the suggested make ups.)
The group takes two days to scout for a weak entrance. About twenty feet into to guard post 1B is a small platoon. Bar Steelwind shove Herkidi and Venessa into his bag of holding. Terelman shove Sonya and Zeal into his bag of holding.
(wait. What. You are going to shove four. Four of you party in BAGS OF HOLDING?)
Well we both have dragon masks. And the bags hold ten minutes of air. They be okay. (um well. Okay. I was also trying not to smile.)
Bar Steelwind and Terelman approach the guard post. Bob, “Name. Black mask.”
Bar, “Bar.”
Bob, “We don’t have you check out at this station.”
Bar thinking fast, “Well um it was to far to walk back to that on.”
Bob, “Blue mask name.”
Terelman, “Terelman. “
Bob, “We don’t have you check out at this station.”
Terelman, “I with him. That is a long walk back. “
Bob, “Follow me. Mumble Mumble Morons with masks.” Bob walks toward the forest. “Mask Check. Black mask faces the forest and breath weapon please.”
Bar Steelwind faces the forest. And let’s loose with acid breath.
Bob, “Blue mask. Face the forest. And mask check please.”
Terelman faces the forest. Nothing happens.
Bob, “MASK CHECK PLEASE SIR!”
Terelman blows hard into his mask. Nothing happens.
Bob, “FALSE MASK. FALSE MASK. ATTACK. “(Now the group suddenly remembers they have a fake mask. Some talk about having face the monsters, or used a wand.) Swords are drawn and the guards and guard drake charge.
Bar Steelwind, “I CHOOSE YOU HERKIDI!” He reaches into the bag and toss out Herkidi. She does a back flip drawing her sword and magical daggers.
Terelman. “SHI BEEEP. GET OUT. HELP!” He up ends the bag and shakes hard. Zeal and Sonya fall prone at his feet.
(YES, they did Pokémon this sneak attack. And no, I would not let Bar just up end the bag since he such drama with Herkidi. I did declare it was a full action to do the bag.). They take down three drakes, three dragonwings, and three dragonclaws.
They sneak through three or four empty rooms. (WHAT. Grumble Grumble. This was about ten till ten. The group agree to a break while I set up the final battle. I was not thinking they get this far and winged parts of it.)
The group kicks open the door to the chamber it is the huge map we have on the table and then some. And ONLY 99 feet. 9 and 9/10th inches. (Not really. Sorry Terelman it was really higher than that but again some the information is buried in the text.) They see five wizards chanting on the first level. On the second level standing on a clear mystic floor are five more. In the center of the chamber is a stairwell of 70 feet leading up to the second floor. Bar Steelwind charges. (not waiting for a fly spell.)
Ok. This was a messy combat. Some people were flying. Some were not. I had the second floor disappear after they killed two mages on the second floor. Some people got multiple fireballs. (I was making the monk roll my damage because I didn’t want to use average damage during the boss fight. Some interesting rolls.) In the end they stopped the ritual with three rounds to go.
DM Notes. The book has lots of interesting ideas and encounters. But a lot of information is buried or hinted at. I feel as DM would have read and take a lot of notes to make this book work. The maps are muddy and it had to see detail. The map scale change which is not a problem. But the scale notes some time is only a shade or two different from the background number. I love the black and white maps of the more recent books.
