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 61  – Give & Take

Ezren the wizard awoke in a darkened chamber, feeling something stuck on his chest. Lighting his everburning torch, he realized it was a note from Lob the goblin alchemist, explaining he could find the party at an agreed rendezvous point in the “room with many cells”. Unfortunately, Ezren wasn’t sure where that was, so he made his way out of the chamber and into the hidden corridor beyond. Luckily, the wizard spotted peepholes in the wall and peering through, saw several prison cells. “The meeting point must be beyond those cells,” he thought. Walking down to a secret door, he entered a small chamber to find Vydar the ranger. As they moved to the main room, they noted the others standing defensively peering north, where the devil Euryvian, surrounded by his devilish cohort, stood.             

Euryvian explained to Carman that his sacrifice would save millions in Otari and Absolom. Carman was in two minds about what to do. Gunnar the fighter was steadfastly against the armorer giving himself up to satisfy the devil’s needs. Vydar, Lob and Ezren were happy for him to go. Corny was concerned and feeling a little guilty about his lack of commitment, being a cleric of Sarenrae and all.

Carman handed Gunnar his family sword. “I’ve done some pretty bad things in my life,“ he said. “Now I think I should do something to make up for it.” Corny the cleric blessed Carman as the big armorer strode to Euryvian’s side. The devil led him out of the room and closed the doors behind them.

Gunnar was upset. The others were in agreement it was the best outcome. Corny still felt guilty about not doing more, but both he and Gunnar hoped they might get the chance to recover Carman’s soul from Hell – Corny cast bless as a kind of tracker, so they might be able to find him in future… 

After some time treating wounds, the party felt a little better. Lob listened at the door and checked the corridor – the red alarm light was gone and all the doors beyond were open. The smell of sulfur that was so pervasive throughout this level was fading. The Otari 2600s moved furtively into the corridor, slowly checking the rooms and chambers beyond. True to his word, Euryvian had taken his devils (and Carman) and gone home.

Gunnar took out some of his pain on Euryvian’s desk in his office; Vydar looked for more arrows – his never-ending quest; Lob noticed the mine elevator accessing the lower levels was no longer blocked off with a force field. In a summoning room with an altar and steel pentagram suspended by chains overlooking a pool of magma, Gunnar stood on the edge of pit and contemplated his end… but only for a moment.

One final unopened door with a note pinned to it, saying: “Don’t open this door unless you want your arms pulled off”. Of course, the party assumed this was code for “treasure here”. Gunnar shouldered it open, and the big Gug inside charged him, breaking through the door and wall as it did. The mighty four-armed, headless creature bit and slashed, rending both Gunnar and Ezren before they could escape, almost knocking the fighter unconscious. The party fled to the elevator, the Gug fast on their tails. Only Lob’s quick thinking saved them: he used an Air Elemental Gem to summon a Living Whirlwind which delayed the Gug just long enough for the party to reach and activate the elevator through group willpower. As it slowly ground down the shaft, the Gug ran to the edge and commenced climbing down. The party panicked, willing the elevator to move faster.         

They entered a watery cavern below, the elevator touching down on a wharf. The party fled the zombie-like creatures nearby as the Gug dropped from above. Darting around the beach, past rows of cages containing nameless monsters, the Otari 2600s slammed open a door and entered a short corridor beyond. Panting, bleeding, groaning, the party rested and healed.

There were two more doors in the corridor beyond: the first was locked and Vydar identified a glyph on the lock; the second was opened by Lob via mage hand, with Gunnar at the ready, shield and scimitar raised. Inside were three gnome-like undead, playing a board game. Lob’s introduction didn’t do him any favors, and the creatures moved to attack… (The PCs advanced to to 8^th-level)      

Session 62 – Bog-Standard + Chuul Surprise

Corny the cleric determined the undead creatures were Bog Mummies with a weakness to cold. One of the mummies used spells, casting barkskin on itself and later using an acid arrow against Gunnar the fighter. This more powerful version of the bog-standard bog mummies caused the party some problems, as it gave Gunnar savage beatings, knocking him unconscious a few times during the battle. Prior to that, the fighter tipped the game table over, which drove the mummies into a rage. Lob the goblin alchemist occasionally swallowed game pieces to distract the mummies. Eventually the party emerged victorious, with Lob using his alchemist’s fire against the barkskinned mummy, Vydar shooting multiple arrows into the creatures and Ezren the wizard finishing off the powerful mummy with his ray of frost.

Lob determined that the game was The Dark Chase, played by deep gnomes in the Darklands. Some of the pieces were missing, but the gem-inlaid board made the set valuable. Corny thought the mummies may have been Belcorra’s servants, who had changed themselves into mummies to satisfy some dire agenda, becoming Children of Belcorra. Lob listened at another door to the west, but quickly retreated upon hearing the Gug outside.

The locked door in the corridor had a glyph of warding, which was counteracted by Ezren. Vydar used his skeleton key to unlock it. Lob opened the door with his mage hand and Gunnar faced another one of the Elder Children of Belcorra. The party surrounded it and hacked it apart, but not before Gunnar was knocked unconscious again. The mummy appeared to have been trying to convert itself into a demilich, as it had jewels in place of its teeth and eyes. The Otari 2600s realized this room was secure, so closing and locking the door, they rested for the night.

The next morning, Lob listened at the door. Hearing nothing, the party ventured forth, heading south and out onto the beach. The Gug was gone, but numerous creatures occupied partially submerged cages along the beach’s shore.

Suddenly two Chuuls emerged from the waters of the fetid, mist covered lake. Gunnar was grabbed and paralyzed by one Chuul’s tentacle poison. The others fled back to the safety of the corridor, but faced two Children of Belcorra. Ezren cast a resilient sphere around Gunnar to protect him, but the Chuul broke through. As the battle raged, the mummies were dispatched by Vydar and Corny and Lob was caught by a Chuul at the back door…

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