Introduction

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, the ‘Phandelver’s Pact’ campaign I ran from 2020-21, and the ‘Shadows over Saltmarsh’ campaign from 2021-22. 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 are the session summaries from my first Pathfinder 2e campaign which I started running in 2023 after WoTC stunned the TTRPG community by deciding to be dicks about the OGL (remember that?). Like many who started playing PF2e, we commenced with the Beginner’s Box, progressed to Troubles in Otari and then to the Abomination Vaults campaign. The players, calling themselves the “Otari 2600s” (it’s amusing if you’re old enough to remember lol), are still currently playing the campaign every Sunday night!

I apologize in advance for the writing in these summaries – they’re a bit raw and not fancy at all (I don’t have time for fancy writing when typing them up late at night after each game lol).

Steve 🙂

Warning: These summaries contain spoilers for Paizo’s Abomination Vaults campaign

Session 59  – The Quandary Continues

Lob the goblin alchemist and Vydar the ranger informed the rest of the party about Carman’s location. Corny the cleric was still in two minds, but eventually decided he did not want to give Carman’s soul to the devil Eurevian. The party spent some time discussing options. They talked about attacking the devils, using guerilla tactics to minimise the risk. Lob suggested visiting Morlibint and seeing if he had any options for protecting them from mind reading. When Gunnar the fighter was relieved by Vydar, he joined in the debate. They eventually decided to capture Carman and see where to go from there.

Corny went to the Dawnflower library to research the various devils they had encountered. The library contained a number of tomes featuring the enemies of Sarenrae, from which he took copious notes.

While Ezren the wizard slept, Vydar, Gunnar and Lob headed back to Carman’s house. Vydar picked the lock and Gunnar scouted through the house. Eventually he located a secret door under the stairs which Lob opened. Gunnar descended the staircase into the cellar and faced Carman. The fighter attempted to disarm the armorer, but to no avail. Vydar flanked Carman and stabbed him several times with his rapier, and Lob managed to tangle the armorer’s feet and grapple his arm, but it was Gunnar who managed to persuade the big fugitive to surrender. Gunnar promised the party would do everything they could to help him.

Lob picked up Corny, who informed Vandy Banderdash this might be the last time he would see her and that fiends and monsters comprising Belcorra’s army may soon overrun the town. She was shocked, having believed the Otari 2600’s had the situation under control.

The party smuggled Carman out of town to their fishing camp. A round table to discuss strategy was held. Corny outlined what he had learned about the various devils he had researched. The party decided to buy silversheen, get some more holy water, grab 10 silver arrows from the Crook’s Nook that Carman advised were stolen from his shop, and to talk to Morlibint about a way to beat Eurevian’s mind reading ability.

Lob and Vydar successfully purchased all the required items (Lob believed Yinyasmeera of the Crook’s Nook owed the party a favor but she quickly disavowed him of that notion, before selling the arrows to him at a cheaper rate). Morlibint manufactured some tin hats for them (“They are effective against mind reading, but any kind of psychic attack will get through. They’re just tin foil, you know. I can guarantee you won’t be abducted by aliens.”) Returning to the camp, everyone elected to sleep for the night and to re-enter the Abomination Vaults on the morrow.      

Session 60  – Back to the Vaults

The party, having prepared themselves for an assault, headed back to Castle Gauntlight and down into the dungeons. In the entry corridor on the 7^th level, they dispatched 2 barbazu guards before making their way past the red-light alarm room into the south barracks and through the secret door into the corridor beyond. Back to the room where they first confronted the powerful will-o-wisp, Lob the goblin alchemist opened a door to the south they hadn’t entered before. Corny the cleric and Gunnar the fighter found an altar with a scrying dish in which Corny briefly had a vision of Belcorra. They found some talismans on the altar.

The party headed up the corridor and into the Stasis Chamber room where they previously encountered the Witchfire Warden, and sure enough, it appeared and attacked, blasting Lob and Corny. Needless to say, the party didn’t hang around. Gunnar threw open the west double doors and rushed into a corridor running south of the front entrance stairs. A barbazu on guard screamed to its two comrades and charged down towards the fighter. One of the barbazus rushed off to alert the other devils.

The rest of the party entered the corridor and closed the door to the stasis chamber room, leaving the warden behind. Vydar the ranger took out the barbazu with silvered arrows, and the rest of the party fled through doors on the other side as an invisible creature (likely the bone devil they’d seen before) scraped and clawed its way down the corridor towards them. The party finally made its way into the safety of the barracks to make their stand. Carman slammed the doors shut behind them. They sprung open, as if on command. Eurevian, accompanied by numerous devils, stood in the alarm room beyond. “You fellows have been causing quite a stir,” said the devil. “Luckily, I can forgive you, because it looks like you’ve brought me a gift.” The devil eyed Carman, who raised his hammer…         

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