The Quality of Gold

Part 18: The End of the Operation and the Party

Comments in Blue have been added after publishing.

Details

Well, sometimes the best laid plans don’t work out like they should. I had written the final chapter to this campaign in a completely different storyline, but as I do not want to explicitly railroad the players’ actions, I gave them free rein and what I thought were many many warnings signs along the way…

Here is the intended ending of this adventure –

The End of the Operation (Success!)

When the party defeats Osanna, the timing is perfect, for Brunin has just finished his part and the Citadel’s weight is beginning to shift the mountain. They must leave for Stonehaven as quickly as possible and if they do not, there is a good chance they will be caught in the destruction. Assuming they try to quickly escape:

You quickly make your way through the hallways of the dungeon. The ground, ceilings and walls are shaking and large ancient carved stones are dislodging from the old fortifications. As you make haste through the hallways, you have to dodge small cave-ins. A large group of stones and mortar falls over your head.

• Each party member needs to make a DC20 Refl save or take 3d8 damage from falling debris.

Passing though the secret exit from the dungeon you find yourself hurrying through the ancient crypt where you found a pair of vengeful residents earlier. The construction in here is even older and a fine dusting of dirt and pebbles falls on you as you pass through. You suddenly see a huge stone, as wide and as tall as the corridor sliding down to block your path! You have to think quickly –

• Choose 1 random party member – that person sees a huge block coming loose from the ceiling. It looks like it will most likely fill the corridor where they are getting and trap anyone on this side in the crypt. They have to make a decision to a) try to leap through the opening using a DC18 Athl or Acro roll or b) stop up short, trapping anyone behind them in the crypt. If they try to go through, each person after who tries to make it increases the DC by 2. If anyone is trapped behind the stone, it will take 10 minutes to dig through unless they have magical means. They will most likely not make it to Stonehaven unless they come up with some clever magic. (i.e. they will be crushed to death in moments)

Escape order:

Fitz

Skratte

Tempest

Tuck

Plink

The ancient crypt leads you into the natural caves where the underground river converges and Xulgath had made their new camp. Your travel through here now is eerily different as find that the rivers are all dry – there is no water to be found. However, you do hear a torrent of water running somewhere nearby – possibly below you? When you get to the main intersection, you see that the riverbed is starting to collapse through into an area below this level. You almost make it to the dry tunnel that leads to Stonehaven, but the normally easy path has now narrowed into a thin walkway hugging the stone wall.

• All party members must make a DC20 Balance check (Acrobatics) or fall through the floor and die. Grab an edge per falling rules applies. DC20 Refl save to succeed then DC20 Alth/Climb to get back up again and roll Balance again to complete movement.

The ground heading to Stonehaven is much easier to traverse from this point and the party will find itself passing the chamber where the Brownies were fighting. The room is empty now as the brownies are all at the surface watching in awe as the Citadel is slowly sinking into the ground. When a battlement falls they cheer as if they were at a sporting event.

The party can choose to leave the tunnels at the Brownie cave (DC20 Climb to get out) or the secret cellar door or back at the Opera House. They will not find any refugees here, but Brunin is waiting for them at the bottom of the stairs with a big smile on his face.

“Well, one way or another, this place is going to be different soon! Let’s watch the show.”

He will lead them out of the Opera House where a few families are loading carts and attaching horses. It looks like many people are hastily leaving the area. Toward the Citadel, the air is in a haze, but it becomes apparent that the haze is actually dust. Streams of people are rushing down the main road or over the rough terrain as chasms begin to open up, swallowing rocks, trees, roads and few unfortunate flee-ers.

In a couple days, a 200-person military contingent from Caliphas will arrive and begin sorting out the mess. Brunin will not be around to tell his side, and no one except for the party knows the truth of the disaster, but the army will confirm from interviews that evil was afoot in this town and it seems to have been snuffed out by the destruction of the Citadel.

Most of the complicits have fled to the four winds and few of the remaining will paint themselves as victims but with enough information to fill in the holes about Osanna/Lethia and her undead-creating operation. A huge number of “Knights” who are not real knights will be arrested and detained for questioning and the party will earn free entrance to the City and transportation to the port of their choice if they wish to leave. They also have the thanks and gratitude of the survivors of Stonehaven!

Instead, the party decided to exit the Necromancer Labs through the 10′ wide passage to the Dead Pens where the armies of undead were being kept for possible future conquests. Although, the whole area was about to be crushed under the weight of the mountain and snuff out everything living or otherwise.

Here is the original description of this area which is part of an earlier section:

Through the Back Door

If the group decides to enter the Citadel underground via the caves they found when tracking the undead earlier, they will find the staging area for an imminent invasion. Mistress Cadell has been creating and converting normal people into her undead minions for months and has at her command (so she thinks) hundreds of lower-level undead (ghouls and zombies) in 5 sets of pens which can be accessed via long, wide and winding, but direct access tunnels from the base of the Citadel into the holding areas. This is also where cartloads of dead refugees are brought for the necromancer to perform her unholy rites.

The tunnels travel for about 500 feet until they converge on the five identical holding cell pens. A zombie lord walks the cells every hour to make sure that everything is under control and when not on patrol, stands in the hallway leading to the Labs. If he hears a commotion, he will check it out, but if he hears sounds of combat or voices (the ghouls and zombies should not be talking) he will report back to the masters in the Labs.

If the party gets into the Pens and begins riling up the undead, they will quickly begin ripping the doors open and will attack the party in force, most likely finishing their careers.

And that is exactly what happened. They had the opportunity to escape the devastation by continuing east to the side of the mountain, but instead repeatedly poked (there were multiple warnings here by the way) the imprisoned undead and sent them into a frenzy, ripping their way out of the cages. Soon, the party was beset by wave after wave of 2000+ undead!

<sad trombone music could be heard>