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, the ‘Out of the Abyss’, a campaign I ran in 2020 and the ‘Phandelver’s Pact’ campaign I ran from 2020-2021. CoS was the first campaign I sent summaries to players by email after each game (I was a bit lazy prior to that), which is why I could use them for this column.

Here’s another campaign (some might say my last 5e campaign, if you don’t count all the playtest campaigns I ran and continue to run lol) that started out with a slightly skewed version of ‘Ghosts of Saltmarsh’, then merged with a doctored ‘Descent into Avernus’ and was prematurely cut short when WoTC stunned the community by deciding to be dicks about the OGL (remember that?), prompting me to run Pathfinder 2e campaigns instead.

‘Shadows Over Saltmarsh’ was set in Greyhawk, my childhood campaign world (created by the eminent Mr. Gygax, himself). Each session was approximately 4-5 hours (sometimes more) long. Most of the summaries appear here as they first appeared. If you’re a D&D fan you may enjoy them. And maybe even if you aren’t.

Steve 🙂

Session 35 – Elturel Calling

As the party reeled from the vortex, their eyes adjusted to the ruinous scene around them. They had arrived in an eerie place reeking of brimstone and smoke, where bolts of lightning flashed from a great globe of darkness suspended above the city. The sky was filled with sulfurous clouds, their billowing plumes occasionally broken by the flash of flaming meteorites toppling to the plain below. Earthquakes collapsed buildings and split the ground. The city of Elturel (recognized by Thessalia – sea elf druid – from the picture in half elf cleric Alyona’s book) hovered hundreds of feet above the fiery plain, held by massive chains connected to giant poles thrust into the red rock far below.   

They weren’t in Saltmarsh anymore.

The aasimar paladin, Ser Keraston, suffered some kind of reaction to the atmosphere and collapsed unconscious. As the others pondered where they were, Thessalia recognized this hellscape as the one she had seen in her vision. She realized her vision of Alyona had been from a high point, probably from the White Citadel on a clifftop on the other side of the city. Granak (dwarven ranger), who had read much about the Nine layers of Hell, realized this must be Avernus – the first plane and “entryway” to Hell.

Suddenly, a Pit Fiend and an army of devils appeared to the west, marching across the square to the planar circle the party had appeared in. They all heard its voice rumbling in their heads: “The tribute for Zariel has arrived! Surrender!” At the same time, another Pit Fiend with its army of devils appeared to the east. “Arukuz! These belong to my lord Baalzebul!” The first Pit Fiend shot back: “Brog! They are not yours to claim.” The devils immediately launched into battle with each other, while the party dragged Keraston’s body to a nearby ruined house. As Fa’aoa the barbarian and Thessalia fought Bearded and Spined Devils, Felix (rogue/wizard) picked the lock and they all retreated inside.

Upstairs, Felix found Harkina, a dishevelled mother, and her two boys. She asked for the party to help them escape. Harkina explained that Elturel had been taken from a place called Faerun several days ago, and had appeared in this place – she didn’t know why. People panicked, stealing food and water and many fleeing to the White Citadel on the cliff to the west. She and her boys had hidden in a tavern, but eventually found their way here. She noticed more devils had appeared, and that they had painted a ring of strange symbols in the square. Each time she checked out the window, the ring appeared to be increasing in size. She later encountered a refugee sage who explained the entire city had been transported to Avernus and that the strange creatures attacking civilians were devils. The sage then wandered west to search for a library – more than likely at the White Citadel.

The party escaped out the second story window by rope, bringing Harkina and her boys with them. Harkina led them to the tavern where she had briefly stayed, not too far from one of the bridges connecting both sides of the broken city. As the others short rested (mindful that one hour in Hell equaled twelve hours on their home plane of Greyhawk), Felix sneaked through ruined buildings to observe the nearby bridge and another further to the north. He concluded fighting the four bearded and spined devils on the southern span were the best option.

The party moved to the bridge, with Felix using disguise self to appear as a poor man’s bearded devil and Granak speaking Infernal to persuade the devils to join the battle raging in the square. Unfortunately, the devils were not so easily convinced and attacked. As Fa’aoa and Granak fought the bearded devils, Thessalia used ranged spells and Felix his crossbow to take out the flying spined devils. The bridge started to collapse, the strain of regular earthquakes taking their toll. Thessalia and Harkina pushed Keraston across the bridge in a wheelbarrow, while Felix almost fell to his death in the blood red river winding across the plain hundreds of feet below. Fa’aoa pulled him back up and the party escaped as the bridge toppled into the abyss. Down below, hordes of devils and demons fought in an unending battle on the plain.

Arriving at the White Citadel, the party approached the steps of the cathedral within. Three Hell Hounds ignored Thessalia’s attempt to bribe them with doggy treats and her entangle spell. The party dispatched them and moved up the steps to the cathedral’s entrance…                     

The party leveled up to 7^th!

Session 36 – Visions & Vexations

Before the party could enter the White Cathedral, Thessalia experienced a vision and went into a trance.

Ser Keraston abruptly awoke from his sleep, having experienced a bizarre vision of his own: in his angelic, celestial form, he was surrounded by devils dragging at his body as he attempted to fly high over the ruined city of Elturel. A great black globe floated above him, arcs of lightning bursting in the air and clouds around it. Keraston realized he needed to get to the globe, but it was just out of reach, and he was feeling so weak… When Keraston awoke, he was in his aasimar form and couldn’t seem to change back.

Granak also experienced a vision: he saw giant dragon of many heads battling a fiery angel and a humanoid devil with bulbous fly-like eyes, while a red devil with wings and a tail sat upon a living throne made of enmeshed, pulsating, humanoid bodies, observing and laughing from far above. Granak stood between them all, his body glowing blue as power coursed through his veins…  

Fa’aoa experienced a vision: his brother, sitting upon a throne of bones, wreathed in fire. Nohea’s eyes glowed a fiery red and he smiled cruelly. Fa’aoa, secured spreadeagled to a wooden frame, screamed in pain as he was flayed by four devils, each with a spiked and blood-stained whip. Below the barbarian’s body, a bucket collected blood as it drained from his body. When he came to, Fa’aoa could not cease raging.

Felix went into a trance and saw an image in his mind: a sweat-soaked young woman holding a baby before her, comforting the child. Felix could see through the baby’s eyes. The woman raised a glowing red pearl and moved it closer to the baby, then it disappeared as if outside of the baby’s field of vision. Felix could feel an uncomfortable pain in his chest.

Fa’aoa sprung up the stairs and burst through the cathedral doors into the vestibule, to be confronted by numerous dragon cultists and two mages. His adrenalin surging, eyes glowing with white fire, he rushed forward and eviscerated two of the cultists, their blood spraying the barbarian from head to toe. Granak and Ser Keraston entered next, with Felix hiding at the door and sniping cultists from cover. Each time Felix shot a cultist, he felt a wave of confidence and his chest briefly glowed red – each shot that struck hit with astounding accuracy, killing the cultist outright. Each of the party realized they had some kind of new power, perhaps activated by the visions they had, or perhaps dormant until they came here. Granak could strike with his rapier with pinpoint accuracy, Felix was a deadshot whenever sniping from a place of hiding, and Ser Keraston’s angelic wings and form were always ‘on’.

A large white dragon burst into the vestibule from the altar room, attacking Fa’aoa and Keraston as a mage blasted them with lightning bolts. Meanwhile the other mage across the room turned invisible and suggested Felix lay down his weapons, tie himself up and wait – which he did. Granak headed over to Felix to untie him, but Felix kept tying himself back up again. Granak was caught in the far radius of a fireball, knocking him unconscious.

As Fa’aoa was knocked unconscious by the white dragon’s cold breath, Keraston finally killed it and headed back to Granak and Felix, healing Granak as he arrived. Another fireball blast knocked Granak and Keraston unconscious. The mage pulled out a sending stone and reported the party were captured, and to “send someone for a pick up”. While his attention was elsewhere, Felix awoke, untied himself and shot the mage with a crossbow bolt. Felix hid on the stairwell while the mage enticed him to come out and surrender, at one point threatening to kill his companions: “we only need two of you.” As Felix ran to the front doors from the staircase to hide, the mage blasted his readied fire bolt and almost knocked the rogue unconscious. Felix sneaked around the doorway to another entrance, and was blasted by the mage but missed! Felix fired a quarrel and the mage crumpled dead to the floor.

Using a potion of healing to wake Keraston (who then partially healed Granak and Fa’aoa), Felix collected Harkina, her boys and Thessalia, still entranced and laying in the wheelbarrow. Investigating an altar shaped like a fist, Felix discovered the lever nearby apparently opened the fist statue – perhaps for offerings?

The party decided to head to a nearby tavern, where they could secure themselves in the cellar and rest. Each talked about their vision, their newfound powers and pondered about Avernus and the three factions: It seemed that Tiamat (queen of chromatic dragons, who was imprisoned somewhere on Avernus), Baalzebul and Zariel were all after the party for some reason. And apparently only two were needed out of the group for whatever reason. The party knew that a portal was required to access or exit Avernus, and that devils and demons constantly battled on the plain below, but the mystery of why the party were so important eluded them.

Keraston summoned a steed, which turned out to be a Nightmare called Fr’an’kk. Aside from taking up space in the cellar and generating a lot of smoke, Fr’an’kk couldn’t do any ethereal stuff but was good with puns.

The next day Felix sneaked out to the White Citadel to continue to search for Alyona, who the party suspected might be held somewhere within. Keraston, Fa’ao’a and Granak ran into trouble, battling some bearded and spined devils. Felix showed up later to help out.

In the courtyard of the White Citadel, the party waited as a young black dragon slunk out from between the pillars: “Good. I’ve been waiting for you lot to show up…”         

Next week: Here be dragons…

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