There was no real time for Lem to recover. Despite the healing efforts of the remaining priests of the temple, the world swam around him. After barricading the temple, Valeros had sent runners to the Sheriff to inform him of what they had found. The temple had now been turned into a temporary headquarters for the officers of Sandpoint.
Lem Starting Deck
BoGx3
BoCalistria
BoIomedae
Sling
Burglar
Sage
Night Watch
Amulet of Life
Bracers of Protection
Holy Light
Cure
Lightning Touch
Aid
Valeros was standing, eyes-closed, at the barricade he had constructed. His mind was focused on only one thing: the dragon. He had never faced one himself, but had always longed to test himself against such a foe. He had come a long way, and killed a lot of things to reach this point, and he would not be deterred.
Valeros Starting Deck
BoGx3
Chainmail x2
Magic Leather Armor
Masterwork Tools
Spyglass
Longsword
Warhammer
Longbow
Glaive
Shock Longbow +1
Sheriff Hemlock
Archer
Lem shuffled over to the shelves lining the small room, looking at the vials on the shelves for anything that would help them in the inevitable battle. Sadly, it appeared that no dragon-destroying liquids rested on these musty shelves.
Turn 1
Lem – BoG
Temple
Potion of Energy Resistance – Int = D4 = 2 = Fail
Valeros' eyes opened. It was time. He kicked the barricade, hard, and a satisfying crunch came from within the tunnels.
Turn 2
Valeros – BoPharasma
Temple
Ancient Skeleton – Reveal and recharge Warhammer + Melee = 13 = success
Close location
Lem heard familiar music, and knew what it meant. He knew Valeros would never succumb to it, but the same could not be said for these other officers. As expected, one began to draw his blade and come towards Valeros from behind. Lem was ready, and sent non-lethal lightning coursing through the man. What he did not expect, was that the man was not alone. A sharp clang sounded from behind him, as a guards blade was turned back by the powers of the amulet that Lem wore around his neck.
Turn 3
Lem – BoEerastil
Desecrated Vault
Traitor – Lightning Touch = D10+1+2D4 = 9 = 2 damage
Amulet of Life to reduce
Amulet recharge success
Lightning Touch recharge fail
Valeros was already in the tunnels, working his way towards the vault below.
Turn 4
Valeros – BoIomedae
Desecrated Vault
BoIomedae – Charisma = D6 = 2
Lem was also in the tunnels, leaving the other officers behind. He never thought he would say this, but he felt safer with Valeros. The familiar presence of Ancient Skeletons greeted them as they entered the vault. Lem would gladly help them move on.
Turn 5
Lem – BoG
Desecrated Vault
Ancient Skeleton – Holy Light = D10+1+2D12 = 20 = Success
Recharge fails
Roll for Vault ability – 3
Divine check to close – D10+1+D10 = 10 = Success
Valeros wasted no time in the vault, and moved quickly to where he last encountered the dragon. He was not disappointed. The great beast watched Valeros enter, calling out to him.
"You are a fool to return, human. These depths are my domain, and you will die here, returning only to serve me in death."
The creature did not count on Valeros' single-mindedness and resolve. He did not even waste time unsheathing his weapons. He dove at the creature, swinging around its scaly neck and plunging his fist into its eye. The beast roared in pain, thrashing and throwing Valeros off of it with great force.
Turn 6
Valeros – BoG
Shrine to Lamashtu
Black Fang – Valeros fails con – D4-1 Damage = 1 damage = Discard Archer
Valeros – Strength + BoG + Lem BoG + Lem Aid = D10+D10+D10+D6 = 18 = Success
Location Closed
Lem Recharge Success
Lem was impressed and appalled at the courage and foolhardiness displayed by Valeros. He followed close behind the man, but he wasn't certain whether he was going to be of any use to him in this encounter. No matter what, though, it was going to make for one hell of a story if they survived.
Turn 7
Lem – BoErastil
Throne Room
Strength – Divine = D10+1 = 11 = Success
Discard Sage explore – Pot of Fort = Int = D6 = 6 = Success
Discard Burglar Expore – Eyes of the Eagle – Wisdom = D6 = 4 = Fail
They approached what must be the dragon's lair. It was an ancient and ornate chamber, lined with various items. Standing in the center was another of the dragon's thralls. Unlike the others, though, this one was very much alive. An ogre! Much like the one that they had encountered before, when the village was attacked by poison traps. How long had this dragon been at work here? Valeros had come too far to be deterred by this creature, though. He simply walked up to the smiling giant and punched it directly in the loincloth with a sickening crunch. The ogre would be no further threat.
Turn 8
Valeros – BoTorag
Throne Room
Ogre – Strength + BoG + Lem recharge + Lem Strength Spell = D10+D10+D4++3 = 16 = Success
Strength recharge fail
Spyglass reveals rat swarm and secret stash
Sifting through the treasures in the room, Lem found a very nice spiked chain. Perhaps this would be useful against the dragon? He placed it in his pack for the time being.
Turn 9
Lem – BoIrori
Secret Stash – Wisdom +BoG + Valeros BoG = 9 = Success
Spiked Chain, Rat Swarm, Wooden Shield – Takes Spiked Chain
Valeros proceeded through the chamber as fast as possible. Rats were swarming out of the tunnels on the far side, no doubt disturbed by the cowardly dragon's fleeing steps. The crunch of their bones beneath his boots didn't even register to his ears.
Turn 10
Valeros – BoGorum
Rat Swarm – Melee + Reveal Glaive = D10+3+D10 = 12 = Success = Rat Swarm not coming back
Lem desperately looked for more useful items in the piles that lined the walls. He did realize by this point that Valeros would never wait for him and he certainly didn't want to be alone in this place. Cursing, he threw a flimsy wooden shield aside and ran to catch up to the man, gingerly avoiding the pool of ogre blood and rat carcasses.
Turn 11
Lem – BoDesna
Wooden Shield – Con – D6 = 3 = fail
Valeros was close now. He could smell the beasts fear, and it sent his blood pumping. It wouldn't be long now...
Turn 12
Valeros – BoCalistria
Short Sword – Melee = D10+3 = 8 = Success
Lem had lost him. He had really lost Valeros. The man was nowhere in sight, and tunnels branched off of the main chamber in all directions. As terrified as he was, he knew he couldn't stay here, and all manner of undead guarded the way back to the temple. He really had no choice but to go on.
He chose the tunnel that looked the most well-traveled, and moved with a cautious gait. Minutes went by in the darkness as he traveled deeper. Every sound sent a chill through his spine. A flash, a reflection of metal followed by a grunt of pain, nearly blinded Lem. He offered a prayer to Iomedae and sent a stone towards the source of the battle.
There was what felt like a lifetime of silence, followed by an earth-shaking crash. Lem dared to move closer, seeking his partner in the gloom of the cave. His bare feet stepped in something warm, and his heart froze. Daring to light a torch from his pack, he found himself standing in a small river of blood. He almost couldn't bear to look.
Turn 13
Lem – BoG
Black Fang – Banish Potion of Fortitude to pass Con – Valeros fails Con – D4-1 Damage = 1 damage
Lem – Reveal and recharge Sling + Dex + BoIomedae + Valeros = D8+D6+D4+D8+D4 = 13 = Success
When he did finally risk a glance, he saw that it was not his partner, but the dragon who lay in ruins. A neat hole had been made in the beasts other eye, and out the back of it's scaly head. Lem couldn't breathe. Had he...had he just slayed a dragon?
Valeros rested against a nearby wall, battered, bruised, but alive. He looked through swollen eyes at his tiny savior. He thought back to when he had first met the halfling, only a fortnight ago. He had immediately assessed him as a lazy nuisance, undeserving of the badge of a protector. He was wrong. This halfling had more heart and courage than a dozen men he had known. He was proud to call him his partner.
Scenario Reward – Lem = BoPharasma, Valeros = Quarterstaff
Adventure Reward – Lem = Charisma, Valeros = Strength
Postgame Analysis
This session went much better for our heroes! Lem is very fragile due to his hand size and relative lack of ways to reduce damage, so I had to play a lot more cautiously this time around than in my first attempt through this scenario. I think it still worked out rather well.
As I move forward with this narrative, I find myself making decisions based more on the narrative than what might be optimal for the game. That's not a bad thing for me, but it might irk some readers, and I apologize if it does. For example, deciding to close up the temple almost immediately wasn't a very good min/max decision. I could have farmed that in safety for several turns, but would Valeros really do that in my story? The answer was, of course, hell no he wouldn't.
I'm very excited to move into the AP now. Lem and Valeros both took their "expected" skill feats for their primary attributes. They might diversify a little bit later, but for now it seemed like a prudent decision.
Thanks for reading!
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