Game(s) Played:
No, really, the following post has MAJOR spoilers for the Gloomhaven campaign. This has been your spoiler warning.
Gloomhaven #10 – (10) Plane of Elemental Power
Game: Gloomhaven
Designer: Isaac Childres
Players: 1 – 4 Players
Playing Time: 30 – 120 minutes (This Play: 180 minutes)
Main Mechanisms: Role Playing, Legacy, Hand Management
Player(s):
Coming down to the taproom, Xanna rubs the grit out of her eyes and stifles a yawn as she sits down next to Rincewind and All Might at the table. Noticing something amiss, Xanna realizes Thalia "Dawnwaker" is nowhere in sight, "Where's Thalia?"
Rincewind shrugs his shoulders. "Probably still 'refreshing' herself," grumbles All Might, "you women take forever to get ready to go anywhere."
"I'll go get her," Xanna gets up again and plods her way back upstairs. She knocks on Thalia's door but there's no answer and realizes that the door is still locked. Just as Xanna is about to turn around and get the spare key from the innkeeper, she notices a note jammed into the gap between the door and the door frame. Opening the note, it reads:
"Gone to the portal in the crypt, will be back later tonight" which meant Thalia never made it back last night. Rushing back downstairs Xanna shows the note to the others, "I never liked the woman but we'd better go find out what's happened to her or she will probably come back to haunt us" All Might remarks as he leads the group out the door. Xanna hurries along after All Might and abruptly bumps into him when All Might suddenly stops, realizing Rincewind had just sat down at another table to play cards with a shifty looking gentleman.
"No one cheats better than I do" grins Rincewind as he hands out some of the winnings to the others and pocketing the remaining into the hidden pocket of his robe
Feeling filthy but rich, the gang struts out the city gates with money on their mind (and Thalia's fate occupying a tiny corner of it) only to encounter a merchant who didn't take cart maintenance seriously.
"It's all about da money" hummed our three adventurers as they carry on their way leaving the most certainly cursing merchant tied up by the side of the road
It is towards sundown that we find our mercenaries standing before the portal in the bowels of the Ruinous Crypt. Looking at the shimmering grey surface, Rincewind turns to his companions "Are you sure you guys want to go through the portal? It could be anything on the other side, the air could be toxic, the soil could be acidic, heck there might not even be any air for us to breathe."
All Might replies, "We must… I just remembered that Thalia still owes me money." Sighing in resignation, Rincewind pulls out his spellbook, "Okay fine, but let me see what I have here that will protect us from the worse that I can imagine."
After casting the necessary protection spells against the elements, Rincewind deems the party ready to make the transition and volunteers to go through first, "At least if there's something I didn't prepare us for I can cast it on you as you come through."
Rincewind sees Thalia crumpled on the ground just inside the portal area and bends down to check her pulse. As All Might and Xanna come through, Xanna bends down next to Rincewind, "How is she?" "She's fine" responds Rincewind "Just a case of indigestion, the energy levels in this realm are higher than ours, another hour and we'd have found pieces of her blown apart across this room. I can fix this. You guys best see what that loud mouth has in store for us."
As Rincewind finishes his incantation, Thalia opens her eyes and looks around confused. "Cheers luv! The calvary's here!" Xanna chirps as she gives Thalia a hand up. "You're just in time to join in the fun" Thalia looks up to see two Flame Demons and an Earth Demon right up in the party's face.
Reading too many "Another World" mangas is creeping into my writing here
"About high time you join us, there's no way you're dying without returning me my moolah" shouts All Might as he cleaves the Flame Demon from shoulder to hip. Shaking off her disorientation, Thalia unsheathes her two daggers, flips one into the air and in one swift motion, catches it with two fingers and throws it straight into the other Flame Demon's face. "Didn't plan on dying today" mutters Thalia as the two Flame Demons disintegrate into motes of energy.
Thalia and All Might step up to the Earth Demon as Rincewind and Xanna provide cover fire. The Earth Demon shatters into a pile of rubble, never having stood a chance 1 against 4. "Okay, okay, hold up, let's regroup and think strategy" pants Thalia, still suffering some ill effects from being incapacitated. All Might puts up his hand and a half sword, "I could do with a rest". Xanna has a strong sense of déjà vu and looks around in horror, "Waitaminute, oh no not again!" as the door to the next room opens of its own accord. "RINCEWIND!!!" yells the trio.
Leeroy Jenkins strikes again
Rincewind manages to redeem himself by quickly pulling his signature move "Flame in the left and Ice on the right" and unleashing "COLDFIRE" on the two leading Earth Demons resulting in them being stunned and clogging up the doorway. As the Earth Demons quickly fall to an onslaught they are unable to dodge or retaliate, both All Might and Thalia have to shield their eyes as the room is suddenly brighter as if a thousand flashes are continuously going off at the same time.
It is always good to have a lorekeeper handy, even if they are useless for anything else
Rincewind shouts across the entryway "Don't look at them directly, direct your attacks by aiming at their shadows!" All Might throws a shield up in front of Thalia and himself to take the Sun Demons' attacks whilst Thalia swings her daggers under the shield and upwards, jabbing the Sun Demons but not doing a lethal blow. As the Sun Demons leap backwards to avoid impaling themselves on Thalia's daggers, All Might steps in and unleashes a devastating blow to take the heads of both Sun Demons. Amidst the chaos, a "TOXIC BOLT" flies through the clouds of dust to take the Flame Demon in the chest. With the weakened Flame Demons left, they don't stand a chance.
We still can't cut All Might any slack when it comes to the sparkle of treasure and loot
All Might sneakily makes his way over to the Flame Demons guarding the treasure chest, navigating the lava flows as he goes. As the Flame Demons converge on him, he pulls out a Battle-Axe and unleashes a "DEVASTATING HACK" towards two of the Flame Demons. Limbs and body parts go flying as black ichor is splashed all over the surrounding area.
Truly All Might gave himself for the cause this day
Even as All Might, Thalia and Xanna face down the last Earth Demon, a bigger blighter than the usual fare of Earth Demons we face, it is obvious that All Might seems smaller than his usual self as he breathes in air by the lungs full. As he focuses on breathing, All Might realizes he's now on his back and is for the first time in his career, exhausted.
The inner paparazzi of everyone around the table (except Mo of course) exploded and many pictures were taken
And then this happened…
We're going to reinforce the "No changing Initiative cards rule" for sure
Nevertheless, the evidence of All Might's first exhaustion have been taken and cries of "Pics or it didn't happen" can be pointedly ignored.
Despite the horror standing in front of them, the implied threat rankles each of the adventurers and even All Might who is being helped along by both Thalia and Rincewind looks up with a sneer and speaks for everyone on the team.
"Just bring it."
Now let's cut to the action in real time!
Results Of Game(s)
Winners:
Justin aka Rincewind "A chest! Booyah! What are these drawings in here?" – 13 Exp & 1 Gold & 1 Tick
Moses aka All Might "No, I maintain that I was not exhausted" – 26 Exp & 9 Gold & 2 Ticks
Sean aka Xanna "Stun in one hand, Poison in the other" – 20 Exp & 32 Gold & 1 Tick
Gideon aka Thalia "Ooops I've run out of throwing daggers" – 24 Exp & 32 Gold & 1 Tick
We will be back with the showdown against the Prime Demon in Gloomhaven in a weeks' time.
Until next time, keep calm and play better.
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