Gloomhaven #14 - (82) Burning Mountain

22nd July 2018 (Sunday)

Game(s) Played:

No, really, the following post has MAJOR spoilers for the Gloomhaven campaign. This has been your spoiler warning.

Gloomhaven #14 – (82) Burning Mountain

Game: Gloomhaven
Designer: Isaac Childres
Players: 1 – 4 Players
Playing Time: 30 – 120 minutes (This Play: 150 minutes)
Main Mechanisms: Role Playing, Legacy, Hand Management

Player(s):

The jolt from the bump of the wheel cart over a rock rouses Rincewind from his slumber. He looks up expecting a HOUND to clamp its teeth and tear out his throat before realizing that he's lying in the back of a wagon, looking up at a cloudy sky. A second realization dawns upon him that he's not in freezing hell anymore as he lifts his head up to look at the driver and sees the biggest human he's ever seen in the driver's seat. The wagon driver looked to be even taller than All Might and had biceps that looked like he could be pulling the wagon himself if he had half a mind to.

Lying next to him and also stirring from her slumber is Xanna as well as the snoring Lyramof. Xanna quips, "I'm alive. We're alive?" "That would seem to be the case" responds Rincewind with a half smile, "But I'm not sure how or where we are going". As if a part of the conversation, the colossal human responds in a surprisingly young voice, "I found you lot outside that cave and we're on our way back to Gloomhaven". Accepting the explanation, Xanna and Rincewind settle in for the long journey back to Gloomhaven.

Finally a chance to use the Founders of Gloomhaven cover in a post

The journey ends at the doorstep of the Sleeping Lion, Rincewind and Xanna shouldering Lyramof between them off the wagon. As Rincewind turns back to thank the driver, he finds that the entire wagon has disappeared, not even the wagon tracks in the mud remain to be seen. Xanna adjusts Lyramof's weight on her shoulders and looks at Rincewind, "You know, it seemed a bit strange that we just accepted his simple explanation and didn't probe any further. Who do you think he/it was?" Rincewind just shrugs and says, "Maybe it was the avatar of the god of last minute chances? Let's just get inside, Lyramof weighs and IS actually a sack of rocks." As they drag their still sleeping companion through the doorway, Rincewind looks back at where the wagon stood and wondered who it was that had just saved their lives.

The next day... ...

The day starts with Xanna & Rincewind explaining to Thalia & All Might what had happened, but the lack of evident scars and mystical disappearance of their saviour doesn't convince Thalia & All Might that Xanna & Rincewind weren't just passed out on alcohol right next to them and had some kind of shared dream experience. By the end of breakfast, even Xanna & Rincewind don't sound as convincing themselves, was it really all just a dream? Unfortunately Lyramof can't corroborate the story as he's entered some kind of hibernation state.

"Look, let's just go out of town for a few days, we can go visit that volcano for a change of scenery and weather, do some hunting and looting to get the cobwebs out of our system" suggests Thalia. With nothing else better to do, the group heads out to the Sinking Market to provision themselves for the journey. Walking through the alleyways, Xanna quips "Hey you know what, somehow something always happens when we hit the market..." Xanna's comment trails off as she realizes the intense stares her compatriots are giving her, letting her know in certain terms that she's probably jinxed the lot of them.

I thought we've sworn off helping frail old ladies?

With that business taken care of, the party sets out towards the volcano, looking for some hot springs to soak in. Not long after leaving the city gates, the party decides to wander off the main road and approach the volcano through the forest trails.

It took a few seconds for our Brute to remember that he is an Inox

I thought we were supposed to be looking for hot springs, how did we land up here?

A group of EARTH DEMONS and FLAME DEMONS stand ready within the entrance to engage the party. Each group of demons clearly having a larger and more cunning captain in their ranks, the FLAME DEMONS decide to take a wait and see approach to allow the EARTH DEMONS to intercept the mercenaries and act as meat shields. Caught on the side with EARTH DEMONS, Rincewind quickly dons his INVISIBILITY CLOAK and casts ELEMENTAL AID to shield up All Might whilst Xanna uses FLAMETHROWER to also shield up All Might, perhaps learning from their past "mistakes" as it were.

Whilst the sudden charitable natures of his allies surprises All Might slightly, it does little to dampen the ferocity with which he engages the first EARTH DEMON. Using All Might as a shield wall, Thalia slides across the floor to flank the FLAME DEMONS on the right, taking the head of one FLAME DEMON as she bounds towards the enemy.

It's nice when everyone knows what they're supposed to be doing and does it well

Before the remaining FLAME DEMONS can gather themselves to face Thalia's imminent threat, another FLAME DEMON is cut down by Thalia's flashing dirks of steel. The last FLAME DEMON who happens to be the captain is now prepared and begins a chant to fry Thalia with flames when Thalia suddenly makes a 180 degree spin to engage the EARTH DEMONS, taking All Might's place as he makes a leaping jump over Thalia and literally pulverizes the stunned FLAME DEMON into the dirt with his shield bash.

The FLAME DEMON captain's demise triggers a hidden mechanism within the chamber and through the wonderful technology of isometric viewing, the party sees the doorway on the left rumble open revealing three STONE GOLEMS bashing their fists together.

So of course now we're stuck on the wrong side of the chamber with five hulking monstrosities asking us how we doing

"Hey, maybe if we take down the EARTH DEMON captain, the other door on OUR END will open as well?" Rincewind throws the thought out there for consideration. "Consideration made, group up" Thalia tells everyone and double thrusts into the core of the EARTH DEMON captain. Even as the EARTH DEMON crumbles into dust, the sound of the grinding of cogs opens the doorway into the next room revealing yet another three STONE GOLEMS.

Some of us are actually afraid that IRON GOLEMS will show up later

Xanna takes a bead on the STONE GOLEM captain and fires off her STUN SHOT, just a little concoction of liquid electricity that stuns the STONE GOLEM in the doorway. Thalia, Rincewind and Xanna continuously hammer away at the grouped up STONE GOLEMS until finally the STONE GOLEMS break at the seams and fall apart. A grinding sound indicates the opening of another door but not the one the party is expecting.

This definitely does not look good for us at all

Time to have a thorough, in depth, rigorous discussion about the eternal moral choice of wealth vs goody two shoes

In the lull of the shambling STONE GOLEMS slow but impending arrival, Xanna sets to constructing her DANGEROUS CONTRAPTION a.k.a. "The Dreadeka" (patent approved). In the meantime, Rincewind, Thalia and All Might face off against each other, the classic standoff between "Greed, Greedier & Greediest". This is happening when they haven't even found the artefacts to be sacrificed to the greater volcano deity. Thalia looks over Rincewind's shoulder and points behind him at the approaching STONE GOLEMS, "Time's up, to be continued". "COMING THROUGH!!!" screams Xanna as her completed Dreadeka rolls through the party, unfurls into a mechanical swiss army knife the size of a dog and launches itself at the STONE GOLEM captain.

Good job! Who's a good Dreadeka? OUCH!

Seeing the STONE GOLEM captain go down, Thalia & All Might immediately turn around and rush towards the slowly opening entrance behind them, Thalia being slightly in the lead. Even as the FLAME DEMON tries to block the doorway, Thalia launches a dirk with her left hand at the FLAME DEMON who dodges the slow underhanded cast but misses the flying bullet that is Thalia who slams her remaining dirk into the FLAME DEMON'S face triggering our Gloomhaven voice over!

BOOM SHAKALAKA!!!

All Might concentrates the chakra to his feet and jumps through both enemy and ally alike to land right on top of the chest, revealing the Mountain Hammer and Helm of the Mountain of the Savvas king! The greed in his eyes glows brighter as he picks up all the coins lying around the treasure chest, triggering the green eyed monster in his fellow team mates. Thalia and Xanna turn around and begin making a break for the exit whilst Rincewind shouts at All Might, "If the volcano blows it's the Inox villages that get washed away by lava!!!" before turning for the exit. A wave of emotional nostalgia overcomes All Might's conscience as the volcano mountain begins to shudder and shake. With bits of the ceiling falling around him, All Might looks up and begins charging towards the sacrificial platform.

And so All Might does the right thing and throws the artefacts into the lava pool to appease the volcano, all the while crying out "MY PRECIOUUUSSS!!!"

And so the Inox villages are saved!

"You were totally not going to give them up if the villages were not Inox weren't you?" Thalia eyes All Might questioningly. "Nope" is the short, nondescript response as the party exit the cavern.

Now let's cut to the action in real time!

Results Of Game(s)

Winners:
Justin aka Rincewind "6 more gold to retire! Curse you All Might!" – 15 Exp (LVL UP!) & 11 Gold
Gideon aka Thalia "Money, money, money" – 18 Exp & 20 Gold & 1 Tick
Sean aka Xanna "Cost of materials, assembly plus a beautiful margin of profit" –16 Exp & 6 Gold & 1 Tick
Moses aka All Might "Treasure chests, treasure chests, treasure chests" – 19 Exp (LVL UP!) & 38 Gold & 1 Tick (1 Perk)

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Some of us are actually quite close to retirement of our characters. In fact for Gideon (Thalia) and myself (Rincewind), the fate of our characters' retirement is actually in our hands. I have two weeks time to consider but I will most likely pull the trigger and retire Rincewind. It's not that I don't enjoy playing the Spellweaver but melee attackers have always been more of my cup of tea. Plus from the rulebook, retiring a character adds more content to the game, not just with new characters but also with new quests.

We will be back with more Gloomhaven in two weeks' time.

Until next time, keep calm and play better.