In Which The Warlock Loads the Ballistae...

With my "Tear of Ioun" game about to come to a close and our intrepid heroes closing in on that wonderous goal of becoming 'Epic', I knew that I wanted to end the campaign with a bang.  I wanted something big, something that would pit my GMing craft and creativity against their own.  I wanted a "set-piece" battle.

The idea of a set-piece battle isn't a new one.  It's featured in movie after movie, from "The Burly Brawl" in Matrix: Reloaded, the siege at Helm's Deep in The Two Towers, to the battle at Stirling from Braveheart...the idea of the set-piece battle is firmly entrenched in action narrative.

However, implementing that in a game?  More difficult.  However, I had a plan.

Last session, Martook, Guf, and Clan-Father Russell (isn't it cool to say that?) began surveying the tiefling keep above the delve of Morgordal, seeing what defenses could be salvaged or repaired before Volarn--the Opener of the Way--showed up with his mind-bending aberrent hordes.  Lupin, Shantira, Aster and "Blink"--their shardmind monk devotee--had traveled back to Gloomwrought in the hopes of establishing a trade relationship with some interplanar factions, so that they could work towards hiring mercenary troops.

At this point, I need to take an aside.  Remember my Origins 2010 swag shot?  In it, you may have missed two items that I had picked up:

Yes, indeedy.  I had picked up two sets of these, at the SJGames booth, having found them on the 3/$10 table. 

I stood up, handing Chris I and Chris II the Cardboard Heroes set, and dropped my entire set of Dungeon Tiles on the table before them.   

"These are yours, guys.  You want to know what the defenses are like?  Build them..."

They immediately set to work, punching out cardboard walls and battlements, assembling the Keep at Morgordal, while their allies recruited the Knighthood of Bane and the Salt faction of the Doomguard to aid their defense.  A few hours later, their keep arose from the ashes of history and was prepared to fend off the Far Realm invasion!

Two Fridays hence, the siege begins, Volarn at the head....and then?  He comes...

Enjoy the pics!

The Keep at Morgordal Delve

Martook and Shantira man the battlements...

Volarn and one of his minions approach the keep...