Session Report: Total Party Kill
Part 4 of 4 sessions exploring the Tower of the Stargazer. Part 1 Part 2 Part 3
Campaign Date: The wee morning hours of June 7th, 1630 CE
Location: The Tower of the Stargazer, then what was formerly the Tower of the Stargazer
Cast: Bartholome the Fighter, Hadrian the Dwarf, Mystery the Specialist, Peter the True XXVI the Fighter, Seigjagt Crowe the Magic-User, Vesper the Specialist, and a plucky young peat-farmer guide
The session began with the party advancing through the foul-smelling, blood-filled second floor and pushing through Calcidius's magic barrier. They caught him just as he was disappearing into a mysterious shaft filled with cogs and pulleys, and did their best to stop his retreat by jamming a metal stand which had held a large egg-shaped crystal into the works. They succeeded in grinding it to a halt, and heard a clatter below, presumably the failing machinery of the shaft falling. Checking downward, they did not see a body as they had hoped.
They took a bit to discuss a plan of attack and examine the machinery. Under no circumstances would they leave the room without killing Calcidius first, lest he surprise them in another room or catch them outside the tower. They settled on heading down the shaft, with no other preparations of any substantial nature.
Unjamming the gears, they found the machinery to still be in reasonable working order. Hadrian and Seigjagt headed down first, Bartholome presumably having cooled off from his foolhardy rush at the forefront of the party. Upon arriving at the bottom level they saw more thick, sepulchral fog. Advancing through it cautiously, they could barely make out the figure of Calcidius, standing next to a series of levers. Seigjagt fired at him with his pistol. The Ref was shocked and delighted at first, because Seigjagt had considered the possibility of using one of his custom made iron monster hunting bullets, which would have connected with the electrical energy and shocked Calcidius on the other side, thanks to an extremely lucky random roll behind the screen. Alas, before he could share this incredibly awesome, remote occurrence, he was corrected by the player that he had used a regular lead bullet, producing a much more disappointing result, his bullet stopping mid-flight by the invisible barrier of electrical energy and causing only a slight spark. The players should really learn to slow down a second, thought the Ref, as this would have resulted in Calcidius's death. Alas, the session took a different path.
Above, the platform had arrived again, and Peter & Vesper loaded on to it and headed down. Below, Hadrian decided that the Ref's question about iron meant he should strike the field with his iron shovel. He did so, and the electrical field conducted through it, dealing a total of 6 damage from a 1d6 roll. This was amplified, however, by the effects of the Funeral Fog spell Calcidius had cast, which causes all damage within its area of effect to be multiplied by the caster's level... 13. Hadrian took 78 damage from electricity, causing the Dwarf Whisky and gunpowder on his body to alight as he melted from within. The resulting explosion was rolled as a mere 2, but this became a 26, killing Seigjagt and increasing the body count to two.
Had they not already been on their way down, it is possible Peter the True XXVI and Vesper would have lived long enough to GTFO with Bartholome. Unfortunately, the explosion caused the platform to fail, and the two of them fell 2 stories, causing 2d6 falling damage and resulting in a total of 6... once again multiplied by 13 for a total of 78. Bartholome, hearing their screams and wet crunch, resolved take off running in hopes that he might escape the tower, which had begun to collapse. His last act before doing so was to dump his own powder horn down the shaft, causing another incredible explosion and bringing the tower down even faster. He was allowed two saves versus Breath in succession to avoid falling rubble, one for each floor. He made the first, but failed the second. The tower came down on top of all of them, including Calcidius, who was imprisoned once again within unbreakable barriers which had been stuck in the on position, but this time without the benefit of a ready supply of oxygen.
And so it came to be that the entire party was killed, except for Mystery, whose whereabouts remain unknown by dint of Bill, her player, being absent, but who doubtless would have been crushed alongside the rest of them had he been in attendance. TBD.
Campaign Date: The wee morning hours of June 7th, 1630 CE
Location: The Tower of the Stargazer, then what was formerly the Tower of the Stargazer
Cast: Bartholome the Fighter, Hadrian the Dwarf, Mystery the Specialist, Peter the True XXVI the Fighter, Seigjagt Crowe the Magic-User, Vesper the Specialist, and a plucky young peat-farmer guide
The session began with the party advancing through the foul-smelling, blood-filled second floor and pushing through Calcidius's magic barrier. They caught him just as he was disappearing into a mysterious shaft filled with cogs and pulleys, and did their best to stop his retreat by jamming a metal stand which had held a large egg-shaped crystal into the works. They succeeded in grinding it to a halt, and heard a clatter below, presumably the failing machinery of the shaft falling. Checking downward, they did not see a body as they had hoped.They took a bit to discuss a plan of attack and examine the machinery. Under no circumstances would they leave the room without killing Calcidius first, lest he surprise them in another room or catch them outside the tower. They settled on heading down the shaft, with no other preparations of any substantial nature.
Unjamming the gears, they found the machinery to still be in reasonable working order. Hadrian and Seigjagt headed down first, Bartholome presumably having cooled off from his foolhardy rush at the forefront of the party. Upon arriving at the bottom level they saw more thick, sepulchral fog. Advancing through it cautiously, they could barely make out the figure of Calcidius, standing next to a series of levers. Seigjagt fired at him with his pistol. The Ref was shocked and delighted at first, because Seigjagt had considered the possibility of using one of his custom made iron monster hunting bullets, which would have connected with the electrical energy and shocked Calcidius on the other side, thanks to an extremely lucky random roll behind the screen. Alas, before he could share this incredibly awesome, remote occurrence, he was corrected by the player that he had used a regular lead bullet, producing a much more disappointing result, his bullet stopping mid-flight by the invisible barrier of electrical energy and causing only a slight spark. The players should really learn to slow down a second, thought the Ref, as this would have resulted in Calcidius's death. Alas, the session took a different path.
 |
| The instrument of their undoing. Except, y'know, imagine a handle. |
Had they not already been on their way down, it is possible Peter the True XXVI and Vesper would have lived long enough to GTFO with Bartholome. Unfortunately, the explosion caused the platform to fail, and the two of them fell 2 stories, causing 2d6 falling damage and resulting in a total of 6... once again multiplied by 13 for a total of 78. Bartholome, hearing their screams and wet crunch, resolved take off running in hopes that he might escape the tower, which had begun to collapse. His last act before doing so was to dump his own powder horn down the shaft, causing another incredible explosion and bringing the tower down even faster. He was allowed two saves versus Breath in succession to avoid falling rubble, one for each floor. He made the first, but failed the second. The tower came down on top of all of them, including Calcidius, who was imprisoned once again within unbreakable barriers which had been stuck in the on position, but this time without the benefit of a ready supply of oxygen.
And so it came to be that the entire party was killed, except for Mystery, whose whereabouts remain unknown by dint of Bill, her player, being absent, but who doubtless would have been crushed alongside the rest of them had he been in attendance. TBD.
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