Hi all,

I previously posted some warts-and-all email summaries of the ‘Curse of Strahd’ campaign I ran in 2017-18, the ‘Tomb of Annihilation’ campaign I ran in 2018-19 and ‘Out of the Abyss’, a campaign I ran in 2020. CoS was the first campaign I sent summaries to players by email after each game (I was a bit lazy prior to that). Here’s another grand campaign that started out with a slightly warped version of ‘Lost Mine of Phandelver’, then rolled on to merge ‘Storm King’s Thunder’ and ‘Princes of the Apocalypse’ (it took the intrepid heroes to 20th level using experience points – yes, those antiquated things lol). Please note it was never called ‘Footfall’ in the beginning, as it was originally just going to be playing the Lost Mine, but I had some ideas along the way and the campaign grew as it went along in an ad hoc, improvised manner, adapting parts of Storm King’s and Princes to fill out the story. The main villain wasn’t even thought of until about three-quarters of the way through the 70-session campaign. Each session was approximately 5 hours (sometimes more) long. This campaign was also the first time I didn’t write all the summaries – some of the players were given that task and did so admirably! Most of the summaries appear here as they first appeared (with some edits). If you’re a D&D fan you may enjoy them. And maybe even if you aren’t.

Steve 🙂

Disclaimer

Okay, okay – if you’ve been following these posts, you’ll have noticed my players were writing the game summaries each week and they were fairly detailed (I originally asked them to do this as I just didn’t have the time to do the summaries myself, the way I normally do). Well, from week 29 forward, my players stopped doing summaries, and I was forced to step in.

Normally, I would spend more time writing session summaries, but this campaign it was tricky, so what you’ll see from now on is some very short session notes and some occasionally detailed ones, depending on what was available from my prep or what I remembered at the time. Sorry it can’t be as detailed as it was, but at least the short summaries give you a general idea of what was going on each week.

Steve 🙂

Part 29 – The Aftermath of the Battle for Longsaddle

Interrogating their Fire Giant captive provided the following information:The party set off after the remaining Eternal Fire Cultists, who escaped with 3 wagons. One high speed chase and battle later, the Phandelver’s Pact had triumphed once again, collecting 2000 GP for their trouble, and finding a letter, indicating:

• Duke Zalto was worshipping Imix.
• Someone called ‘Vanifer’ was apparently a bigwig in the Eternal Fire Cult.
• The Fire Giants were sending treasure south to help the cult.
• The cult would supply the giants something called ‘Maegaera’.
• The cult was based in the Dessarin Valley and controlled the town of Red Larch.
• The letter was signed IA – Iarno Albrecht? What was his role in all this?

After a few messages to Aelfwyn’s boss in Neverwinter, the reply: “Imix is an Elemental Prince of Evil; Maegera is the Dawn Titan, an ancient elemental”. 

On the way to Red Larch, the party fought a number of Stone Giants and Earth Elementals in one of the toughest battles they had faced so far. Capturing a loquacious Stone Giant, they found out:

• Thane Kayalithica, leader of the Stone Giants of Deadstone Cleft in the Graypeak Mountains, wanted to obliterate the small people and their works. By doing so she hoped to rise to the top of the ordning.
• Not all the Stone Giants agreed with her. Some believed another force might be at work behind the scenes…

The Stone Giant was released to return home and inform one and all of the Phandelver’s Pact’s exploits…umm, exploit.

While the party were resting, Aelfwyn got another message (out of game): “The ancient Vonendod, if built entirely of Adamantium, would require tremendous temperatures to reforge. It’s possible this was the reason why the Fire Giants need Maegaera, who could provide that kind of heat.”

Part 30 – Dissension!

Travelling through the village of Westbridge, the party were informed that raiders kidnapped several people from town – Oric, Lathna and Wulgreda – and to keep an eye out for them on their travels.

The party arrived in Red Larch at night – no building lights were visible and the the village was silent. They made their way into town and came across a meeting between Eternal Flame Cultists and Black Earth Cultists, apparently forging an alliance. Spreading dissension between the two factions by pretending to be Flame cultists killing Earth Cultists caused some confusion until the cultists started confronting and asking the PCs for the ‘sign’. Then the giants and cultists went to town on the Phandelver’s Pact.

By the end of the battle Kathra and Fuzz were still standing, surrendering to save their unconscious compatriots.

Stripped, bound and gagged, the party were transported via wagon to the Scarlet Moon Monastery…         

Part 31 – Escape!

The party escaped from their cells in a mine below the monastery, battling Orogs, Ogres, Gricks and Zombies, while searching for their missing gear. Finally, they found a stairway up. Several Monks were in their way and one escaped to warn his compatriots upstairs. The party planned to release a captured umber hulk to clear the way…

Part 32 – Kickass!

The Pact kicked ass in the Sacred Moon Monastery, taking names and …finding their gear. But not their treasure. Doh!

Dragging along a bunch of sad people/slaves/miners, the Pact scoured the monastery, collecting loot and gathering interesting information, including another letter from IA indicating he might be playing the elemental cults and the giants against each other…

A long rest in the tub room and…

Part 33 – Things To Do…

The Phandelvers’ To Do List for today:

• Interrogate an Earth Cultist: Found out their secret sign, fingers in triangle – or is it a square? Something like that.
• Kill some Hill Giants: Yawn!
• Speak to Lich: Spoke to the Lich and found out he used to be a hero but was changed into a lich by his brother on the battlefield when he was fed a lichdom potion instead of a healing one (DOH!) – who woulda thought it was that simple? Ran away from the Lich who apparently had incredible fart powers.
• Free the slaves: Sent them north with a letter for Darathra Shendel in Triboar, telling her about the giants and their alliance with the elemental cults. Hope they survive – I’m sure they’ll be okay…
• Enter the Temple of Black Earth under the monastery: Fought gargoyles, bowling Stone Giants, shifty Duergar, lots of Black Earth Cultists (including a few mounted on Bulettes), and then beat a quick retreat! Might finish off the rest next week. Hopefully.
• Reminder: Buy more Fireballs.

Part 3 – The Temple of Black Earth

The Pact finished off the Black Earth Cultists at the gate to the ancient Dwarven City of Tyar-Besil and captured Cultist Bob. After pretending to be Black Earth Cultists and taking a long rest, they had Bob lead them to the boss. Along the way the party gave in to its mercenary urges and looted, with Bob seeing through Aelfwyn’s pitiful attempt at deception.

When the Pact got to the boss’s room, Bob sent them in and ran off as a Fulad-Zereh Demon ambushed the party! Taking out the demon, the Pact continued to loot, met up with a Dao and after some hot debate about whether to kill it, decided to get it to make some magic armor and a magic crossbow instead.

All in a night’s work for the Phandelver’s Pact… 😉

Part 35 – Into the Temple of the Eternal Flame

After clearing the rest of the Temple of the Black Earth, the Pact travelled underground to the Temple of the Eternal Flame, where Aelfwyn unwisely stepped into a fire trap and then into a Fire Giant’s sword. Doh!

Then there was a big fight (how novel) 😉

Part 36 – Alliance!

Bastion Thermandar, 2nd-in-Command of the Cult of Eternal Flame, made the party an offer too good to refuse – take out Vanifer and make him the boss! The Pact got their lost treasure back and fought Vanifer, the “very” evil leader of the cult, whose fire elemental form caused them some concern (ouch – hot!). Eventually they vanquished her, claimed her treasure and then signed a contract with Bastion to root out the Cult of the Crushing Wave and the Cult of Howling Hatred. In return, Bastion would withdraw his forces from Red Larch, return any captured prisoners and stop assisting the Fire Giants.

The Pact discovered that Maegera the Dawn Titan (you know, the dude needed by the Fire Giants to finish off the Vonendod) was originally at Gauntlegrim, a dwarven fortress in the north, but that the fire cult had already extracted the massive elemental as part of Vanifer’s joint plan with IA. “Bummer,” said Bastion.

Has the pact made a phlegmatic yet pragmatic compact with a pack of evil (yet attractive) elemental pacters? And what practical impact will the facts of the pact’s contract have on the Dessarin Valley’s cultist packs? Only time will tell…until next week! 😉 

Part 37 – The Temple of the Crushing Wave

Reaching the top of the stairs leading to the Temple of the Crushing Wave, the party fought 5 Mezzoloths cloaked in darkness!

Into the waters of the canal and underground lake, only to be steam-breathed by a Dragon Turtle! Verendus suggested the turtle run away…and it did.

The party fought cultists, lizardfolk, armored ogres and hezrou demons in the market hall, the battle raging on as trolls and cultists appeared around the corner… 

Part 38 – Fulfilling the Contract…

The Pact beat the Cult of the Crushing Wave into submission!

And now – let the looting begin!!

Part 39 – All in a Day’s Work

The Pact explored the rest of the Temple of the Crushing Wave, battled a giant octopus on an underground lake, and found a secret dock under Rivergard Keep.

Up the stairs and flashing the water cult sign, they chatted with Jolliver Grimshaw, the head of the keep, who revealed he received a letter from ‘IA’ much like the others the Pact had found. The letter indicated that a number of Storm Giants (but not all) had been converted to the worship of Olhydra, and that IA appeared to be manipulating each of the cults for some unknown purpose.

The Pact borrowed a boat from the cult and headed upriver, where they fought the Dragon Turtle from the underground temple in a harrowing battle, eventually emerging victorious.

Off to Yartar, where they auctioned off the Dragon Turtle’s body to local merchants, had a local soup named after them, spread the word via interviews in the local Yartar Yack newspaper, and sold most of their treasure.    

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