Herein lies the tale of our abrupt and terrifying end to Death Frost Doom. As if it could end any other way.
When we last met with The Pillories, their halfling, Remi Knotwise, had crawled through an air vent and landed in a hidden part of the dungeon, the tomb of an undead horror (the Exalted Inquisitor). After realizing he was trapped in the tomb, and taking some horrendous internal and psychic damage from the Interrogator's questions-from-beyond-the-grave, he quaffed his potion of gaseous form and flew out of there (leaving all of his stuff in the room).
Over the course of a few game sessions, the players scrounged for clothing for Remi amongst the crypts. Allister tried to use ESP on the jelly monster guarding the "well of souls" to find out its secrets, and went temporarily insane when he was assaulted by the anguished thoughts of all the souls trapped within the creature. Instead of whacking the creature and continuing past it, they decided (once Allister recovered) they would follow Remi's path through the ceiling tunnel and go whack the Exalted Inquisitor instead. The undead Inquisitor was whacked. Remi collected his gear, the magic user "knocked" the door, and the players found themselves in a new part of the dungeon, the tombs of the "Greater Repugnances". They made the fateful decision to go left.
Left brought them to the Tomb of the Blessed Afflictor, the undead commander of the legions buried within the mountain. He appeared as a long-robed skeleton lord sitting on his throne, leering at them. He showed off his freaky undead mind-powers by telekinetically slamming the door behind them so they were stuck in the room with them, horror-movie style.
Maximus, the name of the undead general, wanted them to swear an oath, first requesting him to raise his undead army, and then a promise from them to guide him to a large mortal city. in return, he would swear not to harm any of them, directly or indirectly. These oaths would break the powerful magic keeping him trapped within the mountain.
The priest, Father Blackburn, was first to speak - "We will never serve you, monster!" His henchman, Geoff, drew his sword. The undead lord hoisted Geoff into the air with a lift of his hand after Geoff failed a saving throw, and with a flick of the wrist, sent Geoff telekinetically smashing into the far wall with a sickening thud. Geoff died instantly (he was only level 1, after all).
Initiative was formally rolled, and the monster went first - sucking Blackburn into his grasp via the telekinetic force pull, and telling the others it was not too late to stand down before he killed their priest. The rest of the players froze! Intimidated by the undead lord, they watched as Blackburn continued to squirm and resist, denying all the monster's overtures towards capitulation, until the thing grew tired of dialogue with the rebellious cleric and drained the life energy out of him! It may not have been a glorious death but it was well-respected by the others, as Blackburn's player perished while staying strong for his ideals (knowing this was the campaign finale). What a dramatic moment - this is why we play these games. Remi, Yuri, and Allister each took a knee and agreed to help the undead lord escape the mountain.
Time seemed to distort as a nightmarish delirium descended on them... the monster escorted them to the Crypt of the Testifier, where supernatural oaths were spoken and sealed. The jelly monster at the well of souls was ordered to dissolve, releasing the anguished souls of the dead. Maximus's undead army was reformed. The players reeled as if in a living nightmare when they beheld the legions vomiting out of the crypts. The hungry dead from the frozen earth above them clawed their way out of the soil and rampaged down the mountain and into the high vales and valleys, overwhelming clan holds and besieging the village of Langholm. These were the anguished victims of the cult, now turned into free-willed ghouls and hungry dead, desperate to eat the living. There would be rumors for weeks to come, spread across Scotland and Northern England, of a strange plague across the northlands, causing its victims to waste away while infecting them with a horrible form of cannibalism.
Maximus ordered his army to fortify the mountain and close the passes, awaiting his return. He needed to learn about this new world in the year 1630. He collected the skin and clothing from Geoff back in the dungeon, consuming Geoff's likeness so he could pass as human once more. The monster was pleased the characters would be taking him to York, a place he knew from Roman times when it was still called Eboracum. He didn't mind that the characters claimed the campaign's "MacGuffin", a book of esoteric lore and knowledge that was on an altar by the Well of Souls. Maximus had larger goals now.
The campaign ended when the group once again passed under the medieval gates of York. The players felt the supernatural bonds of their oaths dissolve as they crossed the threshold to the city. Maximus made to disappear amongst the busy streets, pausing briefly to look back at them over his shoulder and smiling from behind Geoff's stolen face and skin. "Be seeing you." He winked before flipping Geoff's hood over his head, and melted away into the crowd.
I'm not sure this is truly the end of The Pillories, but what a glorious and horrible way to part ways with our erstwhile heroes. This group is going to undertake a gothic-themed Curse of Strahd campaign next (converted to Shadowdark), and that will keep us busy for some time. Maybe I'll have The Great Virginia Disastrum read by then, and that could be our next LOTFP foray, a fun-filled trip to colonial Virginia. But first, a nice vacation to Barovia.
Be seeing you.
