| Game Master: System: Date: | Ken Dungeons & Dragons 5e Homebrew Campaign 20th July 2023 |
| Characters: | Fayd – Half Orc Barbarian (Deceased) Gunnar Orcsson – Half Orc Barbarian/Fighter Jaraziah Grimm – Human Cleric (On Hiatus) Iivan – Drow Rogue/Fighter Balasar Aurumingis – Dragonborn Sorcerer (On Hiatus) Luther Merton – Half Elf Bard/Warlock Navarro Trovatero de Vimaa – Half Elf Paladin Hamlet Wolffort- Half Elf Warlock Dorian Hammerbeard – Dwarven Cleric Sylas (nee “Tourist”/”Nick”) – Human Fighter Gregg the Guide – Human Druid Tad Hemlock – Halfling Bard (Retired) Tianzi – Half Elf Sorlock (Retired) Yorhorn – Half Elf Paladin (Retired) |
Due to a “technical issue” (that didn’t involve me wiping the file in error due to a lack of caffiene…) I lost the original version of this write up so this is a summary based on the notes I still had to hand
As is typical for the Renegades the combat opened with the party split, as while Iivan and Gunnar had moved to investigate a side passage the others had rushed deeper into the complex following Luther and encountered the Ghoul King in his lair. Luther immediately pulled back into the ante chamber with the lightening trap while Navarro, Sylas, Dorian and Navarro’s youung squire Tristan formed a shield wall to block the door and hold a defensive line. Gregg, Hamlet and Luther positioned themselves behind this to provide support and ranged attacks where they could. Things were looking pretty good for the Renegades initially but then a surge of ghouls were able to crawl along the walls and ceiling to bypass Navarro’s sheild wall and began attacking the spell casters and allowing the larger winged ghouls to engage the Renegade’s shield wall directly at the doorway. However, by this time Gunnar and Iivan had arrived and Gunnar acted as a modile reserve, moving to help plug holes in the line and trying to protect Gregg and Luther. While not a front line fighter Dorian was able to stand their ground without too much trouble thanks to their heavy armour and magic. Navarro, Sylas and Tristan all took the brunt of the punishment, with Tristan in particular suffering as the ghouls swarmed then Renegades, their paralysing attacks causing considerable trouble for the party far out of proportion to the creature’s actual attacks.
With the front line hard pressed but holding and Gunnar, Luther, Gregg and Hamlet mopping up the ghouls which had outflanked the shield wall things were beginning to stabilise again when a second huge group of ghouls attacked from the rear. Surprising everyone, Iivan threw himself into combat at the door to try and hold this press of new enemies at bay – sadly he was cursed by bad luck with his pistols jamming shortly after he made his stand and forcing him into melee combat with his short bladed swords instead. Gregg at least was able to support him by calling down a moonbeam to block the entrance, the ghouls surged through it to surround Iivan but took damage in the process which left him and Gunnar with a better chance of fending them off. Navarro’s squire however was taking a beating, forcing the Paladin and his comrades to spend time healing and protecting him and reducing their effectiveness at battling the larger flying ghouls. Things took a further turn for the worse when Sylas was paralysed and dragged out of the shield wall and into the Ghoul King’s lair. He was only saved by Tristan’s military training rallying him just long enough to allow him to cast Misty Step and escape the lair into a side chamber, though he remained cut off from the rest of the Renegades
With the battle raging on two fronts the Ghoul King entered the fray, looking to lead his minions to victory and end the Renegade’s defiance once and for all. Battered though he was Navarro was ready for such a move though and in a fearsome assault managed to fell the huge ghoul in a single round of combat thanks to his magical spear and his last smites (just for the statto’s reading this the Paladin dished out an astonishing 96 damage in two attacks to finish him off!). Alone, Sylas healed himself as best he could before taunting the remaining winged ghouls, splitting their attention and drawing one away from their attack on the beleaguered Renegade shield wall. With their leader cut down so emphatically the other ghouls were unable to maintain their pressure and the Renegades gradually began to cut them down in droves, but not before they managed to kill Tristan and tear chunks of flesh from his body despite the best efforts of Navarro, Luther, Dorian and Gregg. With the last of the smaller ghouls cut down, the last two of the larger winged ghouls began to retreat and were pursued by the vengeful Renegades who were able to hunt them down and destroy them – despite Sylas’s disturbing desire to feed on their corpses instead of finishing the fight.