TheLastStand

Campaign: The Last Stand

This campaign is currently running.

The characters are solars in an alternative timeline to the core rulebook. In this one, during the usurpation the unconquered sun took a larger role in the fight. Instead of being hunted down and killed one by one, many of the solar exalted banded together, along with thousands of mortal sympathizers. They retreated to the region south of whitewall and made a final stand against the organized forces of dragon-blooded and sidereals. It was a noble stand, but slowly their numbers dwindled, the unconquered sun got weaker, and the entire nation of those who worshipped the sun was on the verge of being destroyed forever. In a great final sacrifice the last ten solars gave their lives (and essences) to empower a great spell cast by the unconquered sun that threw up a barrier around the kingdom, through which nothing could pass. The sun, his power committed to maintaining the barrier and weakened by loss of his worshippers, retired to hiding, and the land settled into peace.

Roughly a millenia later, the unconquered sun's power has diminished to the point where the barrier is beginning to fall. He calls two promising mortals to him and invests in them the last of his power, the last Solars. As these two would-be heroes are learning what it means to be exalted, a great and dangerous force is gathering outside the failing barrier. Will these new exalted be able to build up the defenses of the kingdom in time? Will the evil army overwhelm the kingdom of privia? Will the worship of the sun be rekindled or will the land fall into chaos? Stay tuned for session descriptions as the last of the solar exalts prepare their Last Stand.

Prologue

Two thieves are taken aside by an elderly man who sends them east on a quest for "great rewards". Awaiting them is a hollow mountain filled with monsters, traps, puzzles, and tests of virtue. And beyond? What lies at the end of the hall of trials? And who is the glowing figure that waits atop the mountain?

Our two thieves one by one defeated each trial with their cleverness, might, and virtue. In a momentous meeting with the unconquered sun himself they were shown the threat to the land and tasked with preventing its doom. Gifted with the essences of a zenith and a twilight solar, they set off to meet their desitinies. And, at the bottom of the mountain, a familiar stooped figure awaited them.

Act 1. The Ruined Manse

The old man, Ralek, has tasked our heroes with clearing out a nearby manse so that it might be used as a "base of operations" as well as getting access to a special transportation system contained therin. Upon entering our heroes find that they aren't the only ones with an interest in this manse. There are multiple parties of monsters and humans hunting treasure and wealth, and a day doesn't go by without a series of violent and deadly encounters between them. Deadly traps fill the manse, blocking off rooms and hallways. But are these the only threats of this ancient manse? What happened to the village and its people that surrounds the manse? What do the dreams of screaming mean? Exactly what is making the bodies of dead treasure hunters vanish? And where do they vanish to? And what is in that locked room in the southern corner?

Our heroes emerge triumphantly from the manse after several forays. The orcs, goblins, and kobolds inside lie dead. The human and dwarven robbers were negotiated with and left the manse peacefully. The smoldering remains of the great demon's body lie spread on the floor in the main room. The hearthstone was found and the ghoul was killed. All of the bodies were burnt and the great piles of bones from the ancient villagers have been buried. Ralek arrived and showed them how to attune to the manse. They are given a short reprieve before their next task begins.

Act 2. Eastbrook and the Silver Scar

The town of Eastbrook is threatened goblins from the mountains. They have been quiet for the last ten years, but Ralek has had a premonition that the Goblins are preparing for battle, and the town will be destroyed without intervention. What could be instigating the goblins? Is it possible that the nameless dark enemy from outside the barrier is already causing trouble and weakening the kingdom prior to attack?

The townsfolk initially are hesitant, both to believe the threat and to fight against it. The town priestess, Faea, believes naively that the goblins can be reasoned with and aren't as hostile as they seem. Rautus, an old man whose fields account for most of the wealth of the village, was alive for the last great goblin war, and is adamant that fleeing is the only way to survive. His son, Mannath, is of a different mind, believing that with enough work and training, the villagers can defeat the goblins. Jon a veteran of the goblin wars refuses to believe they are preparing for battle; they are too disorganized, and the only king charismatic to unite them, Lurzod, was killed ten years earlier by Jon's best friend, though the battle saw him dead as well. This upcoming battle proves to reveal who each of these people truly are and what they stand for.

The battle is over. The victory was hard-won for the villagers. More than three-quarters of the villagers that fought have died and over 800 goblins were killed, and the rest retreated with the death of their leader. In the days leading up to the battle, our heroes went to each of the leaders of the town, convincing them to fight, setting them to tasks, and encouraging them. They uncovered Mannath's treacherous (and fatal) deal with the goblin king. They convinced Rautus to lend his resources to fortifying the town. They scouted the goblin forces and despite not being able to predict their weapons built defenses that killed hundreds of goblins and saved many lives. They even interrogated a few goblin prisoners.

The battle began on the second night that the stream ran high. First torches were seen up on the moutainside. Then came the sound of thunder, followed immediately by hordes of goblins pouring out of their caves and charging down the mountainside. Faea, in the midst of convincing an archer that the goblins meant no harm, was left aghast as his body was thrown back sixty feet by a direct hit from a ballista bolt. The thunder reached a crescendo as the squad of rock sleds came shooting through the towns defenses. A minute later the hordes were upon the villagers, who had since been backed up by a 100 man army regiment. The battle was fierce and bloody. The first row of defenses in teh form of lines of hay set alight by fire arrows roasted nearly a hundred goblins, and the spikes impaled many of the first wave as their comrades pushed forward their charge. Meanwhile our heroes had teamed up with the best fighters in the village to take down the goblin king, Lurzod. As they fought through the hordes to reach their target, the town constable fell in battle and the rest of the group formed a protective wall to hold off the horde as our heroes engaged Lurzod in battle. Once he realized they were a threat he retreated to the roof of the only building not burning, the temple. On the roof of the temple, Lurzod faced off against two solar exalted. The battle was truly momentous and even captured the attention of much of the warring armies. The solars burst forth into great golden pillars of light and color, while Lurzod desperately knocked their blades away as his eyes flashed a dark light. The battle fell down into the temple where we find Faea, curled up in a corner with a strange golden staff, crying with shame and fear. When she sees Lurzod engaged in battle with the solars, the lies that he used to deceive her echoed through her head and she flew into a fit of rage. She charged him with her staff, heedless to danger. Lurzods eyes flashed both with momentary shock and fear and with a dark power that reached out to destroy the staff, and failed, repeatedly, draining him. The staff connected and sent him flying. His defenses had finally fallen. The, the twilight solar, weilding the sword that had killed him so long ago, beheaded Lurzod once again.

After the battle, the remaining villagers looked for a place to rebuild their town, and at a suggestion from our heroes chose to rebuild in the town around their base. Faea was told of the unconquered sun. Direwin a friendly woodworker, presented our heroes with a gift in the form of flower bulbs containing jade, which they planted. In the basement of the temple where the staff was fount, a small jade toy snake was found.

Act 3. Scene 1. The Empty City and the Wooden Bone

Upon returning to the manse and helping the villagers begin rebuilding, Ralek took the ground aside and told them of the history of the Unconquered Sun, the Gods, the Primordials and the great battle that overthrew them. Afterwards, he sent the group on yet another mission. Now they were to ride south to a seaside town and there retreive an ancient artifact entrusted to a line of royal knights, an artifact which could be used to reactivate some of the defenses of the kingdom. Everything seems straightforward; except... why does nobody come out to greet them when they enter the town? Why are all the doors unlocked? Are those indeed voices coming from empty houses? Why are there dark storm clouds perpetually overhead? And what has broken in the castle walls? The primordial that the artifact (a small bone) was taken from is dead and gone, any power within surely would not be malicious... right?

As our heroes explore the ruined castle, it becomes increasingly clear that something very bad happened here. They find a book refering to the history of the knight's family and hinting towards rivalry between two brothers. They also find some ominous drawings of some horrible creature. In the bedroom they find one brother, Sir Gile. Evidently posessed by some evil energy, this man is entirely mad and clutching half a wooden bone. He immediately attacks without hesitation. During the brutal fight, a storm picks up, the castle begins to shake, and when Sir Gile starts laughing about how, "It is coming..." it becomes clear that this insane knight may be the least of their worries. Immediately after the battle, our heroes rush out of the room to discover that the courtyard... and indeed the entire castle is swarming with undead. Zombies of townsfolk, hungry ghosts, and imps are all making their way up to the master bedroom. On top of that, something large is bashing at the southern wall. An exciting escape is made as our heroes flee for their very lives, diving out of the building and dashing between zombies through the courtyard. Behind them the wall collapses and something begins pursuit. This lasts until the heroes rush to where they left their horses (which have now become food for imps), and place the bone in a runed protective bag. Then the pursuit seems to stop, which doesn't stop our heroes from continuing to flee till they were far from the town. Uncertain of what to do next, they decide to bring this half of the bone with them back to the manse and consult Ralek.

Act 4. The Council of Ice and Snow.

While concerned by our heroes's recounting of the events in the town to the south, Ralek has a new task which must be handled immediately. The mountain city of Snowvale has just voted to overturn ancient legislation requiring the city to keep a well-trained massive standing army. If the army is disbanded, not only will a significant force for the defense of Privia be lost, but it may set a precedent for the other major cities too. Our heroes have one month to change the minds of the city council and get a unanimous vote to keep the army. It doesn't seem too difficult for our heroes to push around a group of politicians. They learn motivations, relationships, and make alliances. However... it all seems too easy. Nothing is as it initially seems and now it appears someone wants our heroes dead.

The Council:

Nadia - A young college student, represents worker's unions. In our last meeting with her, she claimed that she voted to disband the army because they are a relic of an age past, serving no purpose in the modern age, and horrible for the economy. Aiden flirted about over literature and manged to get a date with her.

Rusko - Our heroes haven't met this council member yet, though supposedly he is quite old, set in his ways, and in charge of utilities.

Christique - This 15-year old girl inherited her grandfather's position and business. When our heroes last met her, she seemed somewhat overwhelmed by a tough position. She runs a special hybroc squad that handles special tasks, high-importance shipping, tours, and a special public-service flight that searches the nearby mountains and retrieves lost hikers. The heroes put on a show for her, and have promised to show her proof of the dark army threatening Privia. The in return has given them tokens which they will be able to redeem for a free hybroc tour of the nearby mountains.

Golin - Our heroes managed to befriend this bear of a man early in their endeavors. He was the only person who voted against disbanding the army, even though at first glance he stands most to profit from it. He has agreed to help the heroes as much as he can, however, he must do so secretly so as not to be associated with any unsavory things they might do. He currently maintains contact through secret sealed envelopes. He runs public works and land use.

Lasanur - Our heroes, though they have not met this diplomat yet, do not have a very high opinion of him. He is thought of as a simple politician that spends more time listening to advisors and caring about reelection than his personal views.

Laille - Our heroes haven't met with this council member either. She is trying to establish as much of a monopoly as possible on the gem mining trade. Her biggest competitor traded with the army, so our heroes assume that is her motivation for voting to disband them.

Carlina - Our heroes just met with this extremely attractive council member recently. She runs the cities whorehouses, public baths, many theaters, and most other "entertainments". To get an audience they had to undergo a series of shows, culminating with an offer to work doing strip shows at one of the most prestigous clubs in the city. Aiden used charms to get her to reveal her reasons for voting to disband. Apparently, she has a network of informants wherin she learned of deep corruption in the city, getting the army's support for underhanded deeds and practices. She has managed to identify one of the sources of the corruption as one of the other council member's offices (Either Nadia, Laille, or Rusko). She agreed that if our heroes can destroy the source of the corruption, she wil vote to keep the army.

Corlainne - This man is the council member in charge of the city guard. He claims to have an intense dislike of the army and the people in it, to him it is a group of ruffians getting paid large amounts of money to do nothing. He will be happy to see it gone. Our heroes took an intense dislike to him and decided to torment him unceasingly, which they have been doing with various spells of Aiden's.

In addition to these council members, our two heroes have also met a squirrel beastman exalt named Erik Moonspear (who seems to be some sort of archeologist). Also, an assassin named The Fiend of the Flying Nettles who has a strange metal eye and shoots arrows made of solid wood is hunting our heroes as well. The current goal is to uncover the source of the corruption in the army, which they believe may be traced to Laille and/or Lasanur's assistant Quasious.

Any comments place here

-Mortos