An Ending, For Now

Last night marked the seventh (and last, for the time being) game in the Shadows of the Past campaign. To sum up the events of the last two games:

Ulbarun's Raiders, also known as the Wolves of the North, set seige to the Keep. The players managed to hold them off quite well; the bandits weren't well prepared to take a fortified position, and they certainly weren't expecting to be roasted alive by Kedrin's magical stick. After their first encounter with that particular item, they had to seriously reconsider their options.

The bandits didn't have much time to reconsider things. Tolbert, one of the Keep's ghosts, reminded Herger of his promise to put Lady Gallaigh's ghost to rest. One way to do this would be to show her proof of her husband's death, and Tolbert had seen the necessary proof upon the finger of the bandit leader: Lord Gallaigh's golden signet ring.

The characters launched an attack on Ulbarun's camp, laying their enemies low. Some good rolls, not to mention an exceptional critical hit, ensured the fight was shorter than it might have been otherwise. The heros did not emerge unscathed: Blair, the NPC fighter who's been with the party since the first game, all those years ago, was killed by a lucky hit that separated his head from his body.

Victory and sadness, in equal amounts.

The remaining bandits, leaderless and unwilling to continue the seige, packed up and rode off. Of course, Herger's sworn enemy, Toral, survived, and rode off with his bandit pals. Perhaps they will run into him at another time..?

Athael managed to finish the ritual, which tied a spell of masking into the shadowy nexus that lies within the bowels of the Keep. The keep, obfuscated from sight, will be largely ignored by any passers-by who might otherwise notice it. Those who do know of it, but who are not living within its walls, will lose their memories of it over time, unless they are somehow reminded of the place on a regular basis.

And so the game ended. The player characters, now 6th level, will begin their next adventure when next we meet to play Midnight. When will this be? Who knows. Perhaps later this year, closer to autumn. For now, we had a good run, the game came to a satisfactory conclusion, and all seem content with the resolution...for now.

Thanks for the game, guys.