After many delays, we finally had what we believed to be the final battle with Karzoug. However, with our very large group of 10 players, and the complexity of the game at level 18, it simply did not go fast enough to wrap up in a single session. This was despite adding 2 hours to our normal play time.
We finished up the portal guardians pretty quick, that only last perhaps an hour or two, and then the group eagerly faced Karzoug himself (with his remaining minions). The group started out eager, and had an amply supply of abilities and magic remaining, so things looked rather positive.
Unfortunately, Karzoug is not a foe to be trifled with – his power is rather overpowering. And with a combination of quickened timestop and normal spells, he rather rapidly transformed the battlefield in the first two turns.
Notable events was the druid discovering the power of Summon Nature’s Allies, summoning several waves of Purple Worms to distract and fight the giants on the field. Though they could not defeat them directly in straight combat, they were able to push the giants from their ledges, and drown them in the lava below.
The monk (a rare player for our game), redeemed himself by challenging Karzoug’s dragon himself (the sorcerer in Dragon Form backing him up). With a single well timed Quivering Palm, the dragon was killed in a single strike.
Despite these group victories however, Karzoug struck back hard. The evil Rune Giant dominated the fighter of the group, who stepped to the side and dispatched the wizard with his vorpal sword. Karzoug used a Finger of Death to dispatch the sorcerer, despite his dragon form, and a Horrid Wilting spell which devastated the group’s health, and finished off the monk.
The group managed to take down the giants and dragon, and faced Karzoug, who had protected himself behind a Prismatic Wall. However, with the druid’s elemental forms, and the etherealness of the rogue, the melee characters were able to move around the wall, and face the spellcaster.
Karzoug had any lucky strike as he dispatched the barbarian with a Maze spell, trapping him outside of the reach of combat (likely for the rest of the game, he needs to roll a 20 each round), but the groups priest called down a Miracle from Sarenrae, who gifted them with the return of their previously headless wizard.
While the wizard attempted to remove the prismatic wall, the paladin, rogue, and another purple worm struck at Karzoug, as the tide shifted. Through their combined efforts, the damage started to stack up, and with a final swipe, Karzoug’s lifeless body fell, actually shortly before the time we had planned to end.
Unfortunately, the Runelord had a final trick up his sleeve, and a Contingency Wish was activated, reviving and healing himself and his allies. Their resources strained by the long fight, and down half of their group, they now stand face to face with the enemy renewed.
Can they defeat the Runelord once and for all, or will the Lord of Greed triumph? We had to unfortunately hold off the conclusion for the next game, tentatively scheduled for 2/17.
