Tuesday, 3 February 2015

Session II.20 - The Kiss of Charybdis


Sooooo, without any sort of false modesty, I must start by saying WE HAD A BLASTING SESSION!
Hands down, the 20th session of our "The Pendants of Tor-Logos" campaign was quite certainly one to place in the podium.

Release the Kraken!
When the party reaches level 13 it is time to start sending a few GARGANTUAN monsters towards them. I couldn't pass this "RELEASE THE KRAKEN” opportunity. How often do we get a high level party in a boat? Therefore, my godly powers summoned a very angry Charybdis, a child of the god of the oceans. It was time for snacks and munchies… and the rogue was the main course!
I don't enjoy very much using these monsters which are very big and only do multiple attacks with massive damage. After two rounds it becomes repetitive (even swallowing the poor rogue along the process). That is why I threw a nereid into the bargain, thus having some magical hocus pocus to play with. I'm also not a big fan of using charm/compulsion stuff against the PCs, but we're playing D&D (more accurately, Pathfinder), so there's really not much alternative...

War, and Destruction, and Demons... Oh my!
Next, came the best of the session. One of the things I try very hard to define me as a GM is the surgical placement of puzzle pieces woven by the players' actions. When a considerable amount of pieces are moved simultaneously, triggering a major history moment, it is time for the GM to sit back and enjoy the players discussing priorities and choices. And when they have different ideas, different approaches, and different ethical and moral opinions... ROLEPLAY HAPPENS!
Resuming 2,5 hours of roleplay: there's a new Titan called Kelsier, which is a balor (and a former PC from a previous campaign). He intends to enter the Prime Material Plane with his armies of demons to help the PCs' kingdom to defeat its dwarven enemies. To do so, he needs a link between the two Planes. That link will appear in the form of a soon-to-be-born child, whose parents are a succubus and the Regent Prince's cousin. Most members of the McKymera family are followers of the same god as Kelsier, therefore their understanding of the events may be quite different form the PCs'.
How, and when, to act is less than linear. The prince's cousin is a major political enemy of the party. The prince himself may not see the situation in the same way the players do. Will they kill an unborn child, without knowing if it has any inner evil? Also, the McKymera family is under a curse that prevents them from bearing progeny. What if this is the only way to overcome that limitation?
Close the notebook, cross arms, watch and enjoy... :)

Trial of the Tree Hugger
And if the previous scene didn't contain enough roleplay... how about a trial where the accused is one of the PCs, and the defense witness and lawyer are the other PCs? Thorkron had to answer before court for being the mastermind behind an attack that caused the death of city guards. There wasn't much in the prosecution, but it offered an opportunity for the players to eliminate another political enemy. These guys are rapidly getting rid of all opposition... Mafia Family in the making? I wonder...


Session Chronicle and Epilogue (Portuguese): link

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