This is the way the campaign ends, not with a bang but a whimper…apologies to T.S. Eliot and thanks to Rachel for thinking the quote fit. More below the break.
Everyone was in attendance. Although I do not think there are any specific spoilers for elements of the Curse of the Crimson Throne adventure path, there are potential spoilers regarding some of the movers and shakers of Korvosa. As usual, my GM comments are in italics.
This ended up being our last session of the Korvosa campaign. None of the players felt like they could (or did) come up with some way of dealing with the Queen and her forces to save Korvosa. So, instead, they focused on getting out who they could…much of which we could just handwave. I asked if there was anything that the players would like to accomplish in the last session, but I didn’t really get a lot of actionable responses outside of Aimar fulfilling his vow to make the individual responsible for the shiver monsters and killings pay. I combined that with another of the threads still hanging out there.
This session was a few weeks ago. It’s taken a bit for me to work up the will to write this last recap. I don’t think any of us were looking to end the campaign…it just sort of ended up that way. It was a bit of a whimper for me so I wasn’t really looking forward to doing this, but here we go with a focus on just the highlights so this is short…
- Rolth Lamm had been killed in the prior session. Before beheading him and having his head dumped in the river, Aimar did grave speak on him. Lamm was quite angry but still answered. No real new information was gained.
- Later, at night, the Green Lady, Viria, returned and approached Aimar. “Mother” had insisted on returning to Korvosa. She wanted to meet with the group. The party, obviously, agreed. Viria had no other information as Mother had not been fully forthcoming with her.
- The group met with Elda. She had returned because she wanted to make Volshyenek to pay for her mother’s death (and his other crimes).
- A man had approached her one day while she was on her own.
- He offered to provide Volshyenek’s true name and that Elda could serve as bait. Aimar could then use the true name and bind the devil, Lorthract, in a circle as that is actually who Volshyenk is.
- Elda gives Aimar a holy symbol of Asmodeus that the man provided her. Aimar realizes that the man was actually Kalthrax, the devil who Aimar had inadvertently summoned a number of sessions prior.
- A plan is settled on to go through with this.
- The group head out about a half an hour from the city and Aimar prepares a circle in which to bind Lorthract.
- Once the preparations are complete, he whispers the true name. He knows that the devil has felt his call.
- A short time after, Volshyenek arrives and assumes his devil form.
- Aimar exerts his will to bind Lorthract via his true name and just succeeds. (We played it as a dramatic task and it was really, really close.)
- Bound, Lorthract attempts to bargain for his release. During the “negotiations,” the party learns the following information.
- The Queen’s Plague will descend upon the city, kill pretty much everyone and transform them into undead.
- His plan was to let the Queen succeed and then make a bargain with her, much like he had with Volshyenek, and eventually kill her and assume her identity.
- He could, for the right bargain, turn the Acadamae against her. They could stop her.
- He could also stop her as could the Red Mantis Assassins.
- The reason that Queen’s “doctors” and the Gray Maidens had taken an interest in Pop was because his soul had been tampered with…more than once. They were “academically” curious in studying him.
- A bargain is settled on that would banish Lorthract from this plane for quite some time. Additionally, he could direct no interests on this plane while banished and, of significant concern to the group, he would neither take nor direct, initiate, influence (etc.) any actions against Elda.
- As the bargain is settled and bound, Darcy hears the word, “Now!” She knows exactly what it means. She had made an agreement with Kalthrax that she would slay Aimar when directed when Aimar had summoned and bargained with that devil. That’s what the now meant.
- She attacked and, perhaps because of the tears in her eyes or sobbing shaking her body, she did not strike a killing blow.
- As the others moved to restrain her, Aimar said, calmly, “All is proceeding as planned.”
- Darcy apologizes and finishes off Aimar as quickly and as painlessly as possible.
- Elda looks terrified and, with tears streaming down her face, screams. Viria immediately discorporates into beetles, surrounding Elda and flying off.
- As the bargain is settled and bound, Darcy hears the word, “Now!” She knows exactly what it means. She had made an agreement with Kalthrax that she would slay Aimar when directed when Aimar had summoned and bargained with that devil. That’s what the now meant.
And that is pretty much where we ended the session and the campaign.
As mentioned above, not with a bang but with a whimper…a tearful and wrenching whimper. At least one player, and myself, had definite tears in our eyes…if not running down our cheeks as this played out. Emotional investment, empathy, and putting yourself in the shoes of others (even if just in a game) can be hard and impactful.
Of course, Darcy had had no problems slaying a bunch of big bad evil types in the recent sessions, but this time Rachel rolled pretty badly…even with spending Bennies. Since Aimar didn’t go down in one quick blow, a couple of the other players definitely wanted to stop her. We had to take a moment to explain that they would be sacrificing Darcy’s soul as she would have failed to meet her end of the bargain. They didn’t really accept that, but the players directly involved definitely understood all of this. It also would have ruined the narrative moment and would likely have resulted in Kalthrax killing those that interfered.
Why would Kalthrax have done that? Because this was his plan. With Aimar’s death and Aimar’s soul now belonging to him, that binding bargain with Lorthract was his to hold. Lorthract knew exactly what was happening as well as he was terrified of what was happening. Aimar could probably have asked for no better “justice” for the individual truly responsible for what had happened to Suria, Elda, and the victims of the Shiver Killings.
Aimar, for his part, was “fast-tracked” in his service to Kalthrax for having provided this service.
As for the others, we didn’t really discuss what would happen except that they’d continue to get their friends and loved ones out of the city.
I also offered to answer any questions that the players might have about the campaign and that offer still remains.
Outside of our initial adventure with the Old Fishery (as with the adventure) and a backstory that I wrote up for Suria and Elda, Initial hook and bad guy to hate? Check! Another situation to get involved with if they so chose? Yep. Overall plot and story sketched out? Nope. More adventures prepped? Nope.
I tried to let this campaign be driven by the players as much as possible. The shiver monsters were largely defined by input from them. The direction things went was largely driven by their actions or lack thereof. There were multiple sessions where I was drawing the maps on the fly (thank you Dungeon Draw!). There were multiple NPCs made up on the spot who became recurring allies or enemies (e.g., Elvo).
Outside of drawing some maps for the Sanctuary (asylum) that was often mentioned as a place to go, I never prepped anything until the day of (or day before) the next session…assuming I prepared anything. It was definitely one of the most impromptu campaigns that I’ve run for this many sessions. I certainly enjoyed the very minimal prep, but I’m not sure it was as well received/understood by every player.
I think I hit most of the keywords that the players had offered prior to the campaign. We certainly didn’t hit all of them, but I think we got: Automatons, Intrigue (Political), Mad Science, Mystery, Robin Hoodesque, Secret Society, Supernatural/Haunting, and Vampires.
Now a bit on Savage Worlds for Pathfinder (aka Savage Pathfinder). I do not see myself ever running it again. I love Savage Worlds. I do not know the licensing agreement between Pinnacle and Paizo so maybe they were constrained in some fashion, but it definitely feels like the conversion ignored the first cardinal rule of SW conversions: convert fluff not mechanics. Savage Pathfinder introduced so many of the things that I led me to leave d20 D&D (close enough to Pathfinder) for Savage Worlds many, many years ago. The production values of the books are amazing, but the content is just not for me. I had hoped for a nice “high fantasy” game for SW, but I feel like I got Pathfinder poorly forced into a SW framework instead, losing so much that makes SW a game I have enjoyed running. Obviously, this is just my opinion…Savage Pathfinder just isn’t for me.
And I guess that on that less than high note, I shall conclude this and the last of our Korvosa campaign.
