Epilogue
General Summary
Epilogue
At long last, after millenia of experimentation and slumber throughout literal ages, Nhur Athemon completes his ultimate goal: The creation of life, and the seeding of the Soul.A Final Stand
In their darkest hour delving the Spire, the Pathfinders that reached his prison turned Sanctum were unable to stop the legions he called forth. A quick and decisive victory against the newborn soldiers who had yet to master their bodies and true martial arts turned sour when their numbers continued to grow, seemingly infinitely. Nhur Athemon himself fought, slinging spells at a retreating party. Iscah, the dread cleric of Abraxas nearly killed Zogan, driving him into the realm between the Material and the Shadow. Fifion, clinging to a promise she had to keep, fled the battle and entered the Astral Chasm, where the Abyss met the Material, and where she found a new beginning. Morshoon, Gnomy, and Mongo held a desperate final stand in the entrance to Nhur Athemon's prison. Overwhelmed and outnumbered, Mongo held until his last breath was taken from him by brilliant scarlet rays. His death allowed for Gnomy to remove a key to the prison, saving himself and Morshoon, temporarily locking away the threats. Morshoon and Gnomy flee, disappearing into the caverns adjacent to the Spire. They encountered no resistance on their way out; whether this was deliberate or not, whether the Lich allowed them to live, is something that will haunted the two for days to come.A New Empire Rises
In the days immediately after the Pathfinders defeat, hellknight scout regiments reinforced by mercenary accompaniment met heavy resistance upon efforts to confirm the threat. Not only were undead found wandering the Echo Wood around the Spire, but patrols of Emerald Soldiers as well, given orders to enforce expanding borders and to establish basecampss throughout the forest. By the time Lord Commander Audara Drovust of the Order of the Pike realized the severity of the threat at hand, it was too late for the few dozens of Hellknights posted at Fort Inevitable to make any substantial difference. Nhur Athemon found easy prey in the small town of Thornkeep. As a wise ruler does, he did not raze the town and its people to the ground, instead opening route for trade and commerce with gifts to the local Baron and knowledge to the Goldenfire Order. While the hidden blade of Nhur Athemon's true intentions was eventually fully poised over the throat of Thornkeep, a majority of it's leadership was fully turned to the idea of supporting this new Empire by the time the first Emerald soldiers arrived and declared their annexation. Willingly, with land little resistance in the face of Nhur Athemon's soldiers, the town turned its manpower to that of the Azlanti Empires. For the first time since the Pike's reign over the town began in 4681 AR, the Hellknights grip over the Crusader region had slipped, and with it, their reputation. Condemned by surrounding powers, without promised reinforcements, and unable to rally enough mercenaries due to their tyrannical disposition, Fort Inevitable found itself in a stalemate with the Azlanti empire that lasted several weeks. The Azlanti empire successfully raided and locked down travel by force and fear alone, abducting man and goods alike. As the Crusader road was forced to a standstill, would be crusaders found themselves waylaid in what became the siege of Fort Inevitable. The Council of Prosperity condemned the Lord Commander's ineptitude at keeping the region safe. With faith in the hellknights almost completely lost, respect for their rule faltered, and accordingly their tyrannical ways grew more irksome to the common folk, until eventually the Seven Foxes stepped out of the shadows. A group of underground freedom fighters who had been working against and undermining the Hellknight's authority since the assassination of Varden and the subsequent bout of executions that followed, the Seven Foxes cunning and charisma would shake the town to its core. Some blame the shortcomings of the recent campaigns in the Worldwound on the events that took place in the Echo Wood region to this day.Morshoon and Gnomy
Morshoon - Adventures 52-62 - Player: NathanGnomy - Adventures 52-62 - Player: Luca/Nathan Shortly after reaching Fort Inevitable and spreading word of Nhur Athemon's new empire, Gnomy and Morshoon split ways. Gnomy had lost a beloved companion and friend, and wished desperately to return home. He tricked Abernard Royst into returning him to Absalom on the grounds of needing to make a report, and quickly made himself scarce. Morshoon was haunted by the events of the Spire, and in some ways felt personally responsible for what had transpired. He personally led the first scouting parties into the Echo Wood, and worked closely with the Hellknights until they reached a stalemate despite his best efforts at rallying men and women alike to combat the Azlanti prince. His decision to support the Seven Foxes or the Hellknights would be pivotal to stabilizing the town. Morshoon's tale is not over his struggles to keep Fort Inevitable together and the fight alive continue.
Zogan
Adventures 52-62 Player: Raiyn Zogan's jaunt into a plane more natural to his essence did not heal the damage the Prince inadvertently did to his body. By the Zogan returned to the Material, he was feeling a call. His entire body yearned to be at the Prince's side, and Zogan's mind began to slip from that of his own into that of the Lich's immortal essence. For, in place of Zogan's heart was the heart of Nhur Athemon himself. The struggle of his lifetime began.Fifion
Adventures 52-62 Player: Laeis Within the prison, as Fifion ran to find an escape, she encountered a spherical chamber with a chasm leading off into darkness. There, an entity spoke to her. Abraxas himself, keeping tabs on his wayward servant who had grown too powerful for even indirect intervention. It was here that he cut his losses. He offered Fifion a deal. In exchange for her life, he'd receive a loyal servant. To keep a promise she'd made, Fifion accepted to deal so that she might keep on living. With a Geas and the secrets of countless millenia imparted, she was given the key to her escape. On that fateful day, the Pathfinder Fifion disappeared from the face of Golarion without a trace.Amari and Choz
Amari - Adventures 4 - 51 - Player: JoshChoz - Adventures 15 - 51 - Player: Raiyn While no local alive interested would know it, Amari and Choz, the only survivors of the original expeditions into the Spire that led to Klarkosh's demise, completely vanished from the region. Interested parties who would put together the Pathfinders accounts and compare it to that the original groups would circumstantial evidence that they had disappeared at the 11th floor. Yet there was almost no history or recounting that one such floor existed, save for a single Azlanti ruin next to a ruined entryway leading to a dead end of solid stone. To the Lord Commander, this loss was regrettable, and further proof that embracing Hell alone was not enough to face the serious adversity of those who would oppose Law. Her holdings defaulted to the city of Fort Inevitable at the Lord Commander's direct intervention. To Signifer Oritian Hast, her disappearance was noticed, and took up a foot note on a very large corkboard in a clandestine chamber within Citadel Enferac. The tale of Choz the Vengeful during the HillBattle for Zogsword would be told for many tendays amongst the remaining goblin tribes. Many hopefuls attempted to emulate his ways, but the Redspatters remained dominant in alchemical warfare in the region.
The Dead and Gone
But not forgotten.Lucien Dorrel
Adventures 1-2 Player: Josh Lucien Dorrel was a roving scholar who sought to gain a better understanding of esoteric creatures and locations. His ultimate goal was to further his knowledge so that he may join the Esoteric Order of the Palatine Eye, but in the Spire, he found more than he bargained for. The Spire's price for admittance was too much to pay; and so, he walked away.Aodhan Gilbrith
Adventures 1-5 Player: Laeis Aodhan Gilbrith was a low ranking apprentice at the Goldenfire Order, despite his strange talents with ink and ability to bring art to life. He was the original point of contact to the unnamed adventuring group that would go delving into the Spire this year on the hunt for two missing mages. As a half-elf who grew up in Thornkeep, life was not easy for him. Yet in the end, he died in an attempt for forge his own future and to further his goals. Aodhan perished on the 2nd floor of the Emerald Spire to Gorloth, a forsaken priest bade to guard the cellars by Klarkosh, his damnable master.Ishkar Giantscale
Adventures 1-5 Player: Tyler Ishkar Giantscale was a lizardfolk barbarian of the Severed Head tribe. A warrior of great repute in his tribe, his ultimate goal was to become the the Chieften of the tribe, which meant completing a great task as a show of strength and power. In the Stolen Lands, his tribe heard tale of a monumental Emerald Spire with untold horrors and threats beneath. And so, he set out from his tribe in the Stolen Lands to claim this tower and thus complete the Elite Trials, and being worthy enough to challenge the chieften. However, this was not to be. In the cellars of the Spire, Ishkar met his match when the parties witch, Amari, made him bigger with a spell; all the bigger a target for Gorloth to cut down with his greatsword, drinking in his life force. Surely if Ishkar had gone on to complete his trials, however, the Stolen Lands would have met yet another warlord to ravage the lands.Dozekar
Adventure 6-10 Player: Tyler Dozekar was a wandering mercenary the party picked up in Fort Inevitable. The battle against the Splinters of floor 3 was a running battle of attrition. Seeking a way to flank their main force, Dozekar opened a door to their common area, only to find a gibbering mouther babbling madness from a prison they had thrown the thing in after incapacitating it. It made short work of Dozekar, leaving nothing left of him for the group to collect after defeating it.Eran
Adventures 2-10 Player: Nathan Eran was an aasimar who knew what war and strife was like. A combat healer burdened by years of civil war in Molthune, he found himself a wandering healer. With the Empyreal Lord Dalenydra as the source of his powerful abilities that stemmed from the Postitive Energy Plane, he sought people to help and heal, and found them when he woke up in the Emerald Spire after a goblin ambush left him within inches of his life. Seeing a noble purpose in the adventurer's work, he tagged along with them, but met his end at the hands of the Splinters in their den on the 3rd floor. during the parties second scuffle with them. He died just as he lived - bright, unflappable, and courageous.Minxi
Adventures 1-15 Player: Nick Minxi was a goblin outcast of the Redspatter tribe, which specializes in alchemical warfare and is known for being almost entirely all female. Too fiery even for the explosive goblins and unable to learn her place, she was banned after one accident too many. Left to wander, she found her way to Thornkeep, where she was recruited to find the missing Wizards by Aodhan. Along the way, the party found themselves working for the Brambleclaws of Thornkeep after recruiting Klog and Sparky. Tasked with finding the Sword of Zog, a powerful goblin artifact, Minxi found the new goblin males to be too stupid and frustrating to deal with, so she left.Palla
Adventures 6-45 Player: Laeis Palla was a kitsune hired by the party the same day as Dozekar, after heavy losses suffered in the Cellars. A slave pet champion of Tymon's gladitorial arena, she had quite a background of fighting and great divine aptitude to match. She never learned where this divine strength came from, but given the black fur and constant bad luck that followed her her entire life, she always assumed it was not exactly the most comforting. Her tenacity, strength, and renowned bastard sword Shine of the Rivers led her and the party through countless horrors and challenges within the Spire and the region as a whole. She met her end to Iscah's favored hunter on the first floor, shortly after Nhur Athemon realized he should start regulating just who all was wandering around his spire.Klog
Adventures 12-45 Player: Tyler Klog was a feisty goblin fighter of the Brambleclaw tribe. As he accompanied his battle brother Sparky with the party on what summed to him up as mercenary work that could pay for a lifetime of Soupdrink, he reached potential unmatched by many goblins in the region. But this potential was cut short by Iscah herself on the first floor when the party went to investigate the disturbances Klarkosh wrote of.Sparky
Adventures 12-51 Player: Nathan Sparky was a goblin of the Brambleclaw tribe. He originally joined the group to find the Sword of Zog, but they grew on him, almost becoming a second tribe. Sparky came to know a life of drama and strife over the year he spent with the party. Being imprisoned by Klarkosh; finding his brother had joined another tribe; clashing with Amari time and time again. But fiery and brave, Sparky continued to care for his companions, until eventually he found a fire that matched his own, that of the Elemental Prince Ragnis, Courage Eternal, who's essence was bound to Spark's torch. Despite Ragnis' ulterior motives, the two fought together as one well oiled machine and overcame many hardships. Unfortunately, the pair were cut down in the Crypt of Yarrix, where a place directly connected to who and where Ragnis' antithesis had originated. Locked within the Crypt, none made it out after they faced Yarrix herself, and not even a trace of him or Ragnis was ever found.Junk
Adventures 49-51 Player: Luca Junk was an Orc of the Belkzen Holds who was not unlike many of his kind, but who's philosophies drifted away from his tribes over time. He saw the flaws of the constant warfare in the Holds, and began to guard caravan's through it. A great hunter, he would defend those in need. Eventually his life transitioned to that of mercenary work, and after a brief flame with an elf he grew unsettled and shaken to the core, nearly reverting back to his old ways. Eventually his steps took him to the Spire, where he wanted to find and slay a great prey. But to Junk, this goal was surely a metaphor for a different beast he was struggling with internally. Before he could fully come to terms with it, he was torn apart by a very real beast in the Tomb of Yarrix - A giant spider bristling with razor spikes and claws. Nearly eviscerated, he was pulled into a paradoxical shaft where reaching the bottom launched you back down from the top. The party had no choice but to leave his remains in this shaft, along with the spider's.The Emerald Spire
62 4 hour sessions, Mondays March 11th, 2019 to April 26th, 2021.
Thank you guys. To everyone who played in this story, no matter how big or how little part of it you were. It was a really tumultuous journey of ups and downs, highs and lows. Epic moments, shitty rolls; comical skits and random asides. Experimentation and comraderie. It was a lot of fun, and while it didn't end the way we thought, I hope everyone looks back on the two years of campaign we played here and doesn't regret it. Some things I'll never forget:First enemy roll vs Josh's squishy archivist, adventure 2
"Tricksy, tricksy in the night Deep Deep goblins sneak and bite. Look up high, you'll never know, we'll bite your feet and bring you low!"Fuckin, LaeisAdventure 2
Note: Useing dice as sound affects will both create tension and waste 10 minutes of sessionKitsune.exe - Adventure 6Adventure 4
"We started off tonight wiiiiith, dinner tiiiime. Except instead of food coming, drugs did" -Nick's opening recap for the Splinter DinnerAdventure 11
"Ashes to ashes, dust to dust -- YEET" -The Emerald Spire Gang goodbyeAdventure 11
"We don't use soap in the goblin village, we just eat it" -Eran/Sparky, Emerald SpireAdventure 12
"From what you've been saying the only interaction you've had [with girls] has been with Laeis and bath water" -Raiyn to TylerMinxi has left the chat - Adventure 15Adventure 15
Tyler talking about the undead monk in thew Zog Quest: "Yea so he did 30 points of damage. Like. Is that a fucking DOWN PAYMENT or something?"Adventure 24
"How does this guy LIVE HERE!?!" -Tyler talking about Floor 6 of the Emerald SpireTPKs hurtyAdventure 25
Nathan: "I hate calling them Heros" Jared: "Well what aren't they tho? What else would they be? Champions? People? Dudes? Nathan: "I like DUDES yea" - Nathan sus as ususal,"How many of the kids get incinerated?" - Adventure 37Adventure 32
"Amari?" "Ahhh, I ripped and teared until the job is done" -Josh/Amari regarding torl children - Adventure 37"pathfinder"
"I don't like the water, but I like the idea of getting executed less" - SparkyAdventure 42
"The Bitch with the Bow"Adventure 45
