We picked up from the moment they had left off: the vote about the fate of Horace Barnes and Tajana at the guard headquarters. Ais searched the headquarters, looking for incriminating documents; she found a variety of paperwork confirming that Riviel Jassimir had financial say over guard decisions and policies, as well as the fact that Barnes made decisions on behalf of Jassimir. Ais also found a locked drawer, but was unable to open it. (I didn't have plans for anything inside, but I was surprised when the party didn't try harder to open it.)
Content with things at the guard headquarters, the party returned to their healing center. They dealt with a customer there--a woman named Della Eckman--whose neck pain had been constant after an attack many years prior. Beor administered a healing potion, which set her right. With their customer dealt with, they discussed the future of the business with Josephine Glass, their remaining healer. She had concerns about the moral fiber of the party given what Dirk St. Patrick had told her, but she agreed to keep working with the business.
With the final bricks laid in discovering the mystery of Hildy's death, the party checked in once more with her father, Davil. They explained that Hildy had been, in a roundabout way, a victim of Rivil Jassimir, who had also been deal with conclusively. Davil was still in pain over the loss of his daughter, but he seemed somewhat relieved that justice had been made, especially when Jassimir could have so easily evaded that justice.
All that was left to attend to for the players was saying goodbye. Together, the party made their way from the mountain town of Yamseth through the forested steppes surrounding it, down into the lowlands, and finally to a small hilly town called Solitude--Montana's old home. The party found Montana's old home and saw his wife, a woman named Brandy. Montana and Brandy spoke for a while about Montana's past deeds. Brandy expressed that she wished he had tried to let the town and herself trust him instead of running away for years, and Montana explained that it had all been too much to lose his son, his surrogate son, and his ability to be with the remaining people he loved, and still have to face what he had done. In the end, Brandy urged Montana to try to stay in Solitude, starting over with her and remaking his life into something good. He seemed so inclined.
To begin again in earnest, Montana sought out the father of the boy his son had killed, a man called Jessup. He found Jessup an absolute mess, high on hard drugs and unwilling or unable to communicate. The two discussed their pasts and their losses in a tense several moments. In the end, Jessup forgave Montana, and Montana asked for his support in asking the town for forgiveness; Jessup agreed.
To communicate his condolences and regrets, Montana played an epic show. He explained his life over the last ten years through song, and by the end, most people in the town forgave him. The remaining portion who still had grief planned for Montana were defused through Jessup's passionate cry for peace; if he could forgive Montana, the rest could too.
Montana returned to Brandy and asked about whether they could have a life again. Brandy replied that they could, but that they would need to start over. Perhaps Montana could get a room at the local inn for a while and Brandy and he could go on a few dates to see where things might go? With hope between the two of them, Montana seent Ais and Beor back to Yamseth with the gift of a kalimba each for them. And as the campaign's final moments faded away, Ais and Beor made their way back towards the forested steppes of Yamseth, each adventurer playing the kalimba, their songs simple and free.
You may notice that I scrapped the plan of having Riviel Jassimir come back. I had liked the idea, but the party was so content to deal with the elements of the story they wanted to continue (and never mentioned Jassimir again), so I just let it go. They beat her once, and that's enough. I like the simply happy ending we got instead, so that's that.
I like to end my campaigns with epilogues--little profiles on each NPC and some big effects that come out of the player character actions. I find this can be a big reward to the players, who get to reflect back on the entire campaign and get both laughs and meaningful moments out of looking back at it all. So the remainder of this article will be that epilogue. Read on for the full story of what happens after the story proper ends.
Beor - In the days following the end of the campaign, Beor took a direct hand in the fate of the city. Initially, Beor used his funds and social leverage to advance the workers' rights in the city. A united front from members of the Above was eventually defeated by Beor with help from a coalition of prominent members of the Below. In the later days, when it became clear that Yamseth was bound for a different future, Beor turned to a quiet life, teaching young children how to defend themselves. By the end of his second decade in the city, the community had pitched in together to buy a statue of Beor on a bench near his home where people knew they could find him and ask for help.
Montana - After forging a way to rebuild back home in solitude, Montana initially struggled with a life of the simple things. When shows down at the local tavern grew lackluster, and Fharlanghn's call made the roads begin to sing, Montana truly struggled. It was a fight between Montana's truest self and what he wanted the most. In the end, Brandy made the choice for him. She had been able to pretend when alone that Montana wanted to be there more than he wanted to be out on the road, but not with his constantly wandering gaze. But Montana would not lose her again. He challenged her to join him on the road. She found that she loved the thrills and journeys of the road, and they together see to it that travelers on Evanoch's roads are safe.
Ais - While Beor was the face of the revolution, Ais was its backbone. Horace Barnes' paperwork was investigated thoroughly by Ais, making public the extensive spending of public funds on paying mercenaries to intimidate unions and the the creation of buffer funds to keep vulnerable members of the the Above in the Above. Following the revolution, her shop became something of an outpost for revolutionary intellectuals, though on an inconspicuous scale. Public knowledge that a tiefling was involved in ending the chaos storms leads to improved race relations.
Horace Barnes - Horace became the scapegoat of the revolution. His duplicitous accounting for the city and his complicity with Above rule made him a prime target for symbolic justice. Barnes was suspended in a cage over boiling water for days until a half-elven man killed Barnes with a spell.
Baldwin Weams - The bartender found himself part of a contingent of the revolution, serving as a squad leader for a number of missions. Following the revolution, he founded a collective restaurant and expanded the reach of collectivist thought.
Darla Oakfort - This helpful guard who had identified Tajana to begin with grew frustrated with the guard efforts just in time to become a major leader of the revolution. The "Oakfort Brigade" of her most trusted operatives became known as the greatest allies to striking workers in the city.
Cat burglar - She who witnessed the initial crime watched in fascination as the city began to bring itself down. She began to burglarize targeted wealthy individuals, but became interested in funding the revolution via her spoils. She became a silent benefactor of the revolution, pushing it towards the wealthiest in the city.
Derek the Dandelion - Derek continued to grow in his new alleyway, taller and taller until he became the size of an adult human. A group of rambunctious children used a pocketknife to hack Derek down at the stem one day, and Derek was dismayed to lose his place in the city. But as he fell, his seeds spread into the air, and Derek's children spread everywhere across and around Yamseth. His many progeny have taken it upon themselves to speak humanoid language and form a massive network of eyes and ears on the criminal problems of the city.
Davil Analeth - Davil completed the public housing project ahead of schedule and with a finer degree of quality than anticipated. He was at first frustrated by the slow speed of building, but was instantly won over when he saw the faces of the families that moved in. He took the payment from the party and leveraged it to buy cheap property and build more housing. Within a year, he had constructed over a dozen housing compounds, enough to house over a hundred and fifty of Yamseth's poor. He dedicated all of his work to his daughter Hildy, and her name is carved into a hidden place in each home.
Tajana - Nearly swept under the rug in the chaotic days of the revolution, Tajana remained in a cell for most of the beginning of the uprising. She managed to stage a stealthy escape after three months in the cell and made it the streets of Yamseth. But she had nearly made it to the city gates when a random gang swept her up and left her in a bloody pile. She was ignored by citizens of Yamseth and succumbed to her wounds, alone, some time just before midnight. In her heart was a song she wished to one day play on a lute.
George Turnbuckle - Suddenly the owner of the largest construction company in Yamseth, George was still in a deep depression. Unsure of what to do with his wealth and himself, he made his company publicly owned and retired. Turnbuckle Lumber and Construction lowered its prices and reoriented towards building structures for common use, and Turnbuckle himself opened a home for the blind, deaf, and mute, catering to a chronically underserved community.
Dirk St. Patrick - Unfazed by the chaos of Yamseth, St. Patrick set out to solve the greatest mystery of all. He traveled to an alternate dimension to meet his brother, Nick Valentine, and together, the two solved all the mysteries of the wasteland. Dirk would never be believed when he relayed stories of his time in Yamseth.
Lyssbetonk Cogswagon - Given a new lease on life after dying, she dedicated her life to actually developing her inventions for good. With months of gradual attempts, Lyssbetonk managed to leave her home and resume a standard life outside, where she made deals to mass produce inventions like the Weather Controller and the Automatic Plower to multiply the effects of farming in the countryside, leading to an overall increase in the quality of life. She enjoys an occasional walk at night through the local cemetery, where she visits the grave of her old friend Hildy Analeth.
Aaron Brown - After butting heads with the party, Brown turned his attention to silently opposing them. Brown enlisted a small group of mercenaries to become guards and oppose the party's actions from within, but their presence proved inadequate to oppose the revolutionary spirit of the city. Brown grew frustrated with the change in the city and moved to New Dalton for a better fit for his home.
Dulk Sart - The stablehand who winessed Tajana's flight and who hid out in Beor's cabin for his safety returned to Yamseth and was fixated on improving public safety to avoid what happened to him. He organized a movement of common laborers who lobbied for greater rights and protections, and soon, Yamseth's laborers were as safe as anyone else.
Isha Blackchain - In the upheaval of releasing and adding prisoners in the revolution, Blackchain was released. He immediately went to a bar, got into a fight with a half-elf, and was mortally wounded by the half-elf's self-defense. Blackchain died in the street alone.
Clover Loom - Oblivious at first to the effects of the revolution, she tried to stay above it all by staying inside of her tower. But as the revolution reached her door, she began to trade away goods and money for another day unbothered by the masses. Within weeks, Loom had given away her tower, now the collective home of dozens of gnomes and halflings. Loom herself fled the city for fear of her life, escaping the fate that other less generous members of the Above faced (public executions of the Above were common for a short while).
Quarsa Fielt - Invigorated by matching skills with Beor, Fielt opened a public space for people to learn basic self-defense skills. Later, she would combine forces with Beor on his own self-defense center, and the two would make various neighborhoods and establishments an unsafe place for someone looking for a brawl.
Tane Stonehauler - Dissatisfied with the conditions at the failing Loom Healing Center, Stonehauler created his own fledgling business, "Tane's Healing," which catered mostly to common work injuries. He would also expand his business to a team of healers, and they were able to be repurposed as emergency healers during the bloodier days of the revolution.
Sally Cloudworth - The magic item vendor and bookseller realigned her library's contents, focusing instead on political philosophy and histories of peoples' movement. Soon, she would be giving her books and items away in exchange for food in order to make it easier to spread the ideas. She would become a target of remaining forces from the Above and would die in a skirmish in the final weeks of the revolution.
Sippikup Magee - The corporate spy would quickly find his services in high demand, then suddenly no demand at all, as the Above grew defensive and then desperate. Magee tried to take advantage of the situation, causing a rift between him and his previous clientele--the result was that Magee was effectively blacklisted. Without consistent work, he relocated to the elven capital of Mishara where espionage remains lucrative.
Carl Sjunior - Carl opened his own tavern, "Sjunior's," with a discount for anyone who could show evidence of an address in the Below. "Sjunior's" became a go-to center for collectivist action. Carl himself became something of a folk hero for singlehandedly stopping a robbery at the next-door general store, known henceforth as "Carl Sbad."
Edgar Hillerman - The mind-controlled member of the Above grew more and more resentful of the spell which robbed him of his agency. He poured money into a spell-creating process to reverse the effects of mind control, but the effect only resulted in restoring the memories of what he had said and done under the spell's effect. This caused him great misery, and he leapt from his tower to his death days after the spell's debut.
Lort Drenk and Riell Destin - These two partygoers at Loom's became swept up in the revolution; Drenk dispersed all his money to avoid being caught up in the revolution, while Destin tried to insulate herself from the changes. Drenk was unable to convince average Yamsethians that his support was real; Destin could not purchase a way to safety. As a result, both members of the Above were made examples of by revolutionaries, executed publicly.
Nyrill Gennellon - Nyrill got paid for his work at the Misty Morning Healing Boutique, bought a bunch of booze, and got drunk. Very drunk.
Marietta Pushman - This street food restauranteur turned the open space near Misty Morning Healing Boutique into one of the most popular urban spaces in Yamseth. When faced by demands to make the business represent collectivist concerns, she expanded the business to include a meal service which does not compromise on taste. Marietta's Munchies made rabbit nuggets an unofficial dish of Yamseth.
Polly Bridgerman - The head of the Yamseth College of Magic became haunted by the notion of mind control spells being used in the city for any purpose, so she set to developing a permanent counterspell. With this spell, she managed to remove a handful of people from Riviel Jassimir's magic grasp, making Jassimir's return substantially more difficult.
Josephine Glass - The healer employed by Misty Morning Healing Boutique used her position there to expand the use of healing potions for common ailments. With her promotion of the healing options, which she created a few alterations for, the potions soon began selling as a cure-all in great demand. Under her care, the healing potions became a key ingredient of collectivist success.
Nicole Fyrra and Grat Sharn - These former employees of Misty Morning Healing Boutique tried in the early days of the revolution to discredit Beor, Montana, and Ais due to their pasts, but the momentum of the revolution was too great for them. Fyrra decided to join up with the revolutionaries rather than continue on, and Sharn was killed as part of a counter-revolutionary attack on the city's food provisions.
Peyton Copperminer - The painter of Misty Morning Healing Boutique was outraged by the revelation of the guards' control by Riviel Jassimir and began to paint an enormous mural on the base of Jassimir's tower. The mural depicts Jassimir riding an angry dragon which is spraying fire, ice, wind, and electricity, all over a collection of poor people trying to hide.
Seven Fifteen - This corporate spy found himself in hot water when members of the Above turned on him following reports that he had worked closely with Beor, Montana, and Ais. He fled for the gnomish capital of Vestry, but was killed by a roving band of bandits just outside Yamseth.
Tunder - The chaos dragon flew away from Yamseth and over the sea. He flew for days at a time and eventually landed on an icy, mountainous land which swarmed with magical creatures and dragons much like himself. His chaos attacks here interacted with the chaos of the natural landscape, created order across the land. He was truly happy, and thanked the stars every night for his freedom.
Dolly Bronzebane - This prominent young guard advocated for a new way forward for the Yamseth city guard. The guards' contract would be tendered by the citizens, and the new Yamseth would be patrolled by people pledged to the common good. Bronzebane became close friends with Carl Sjunior, and together the two managed to create a new culture in Yamseth which honored the average person. It was Bronzebane's order that called for the repurposing or demolition of every tower in the city; the bricks of demolished towers became used for new civic buildings, especially town halls where the matters of community governance were tended to.
Izzunech - Ais' demon was trapped inside an amulet, suspended in a solid block of amber, and left harmlessly on a coffee table. Ais would occasionally place pictures of things Izzunech would enjoy on top of the amber, such as a sketch of sliced bodies atop a craggy mountain, and an audible but heavily muted scream would emanate from the amulet deep within the amber. Ais saw to it that following her own death, Izzunech would be transferred to somewhere he could never escape, in perpetuity. Izzunech became a shell of himself, barely able to so much as protest after hundreds of years in isolation.
Riviel Jassimir - After surviving the fall from her tower, Jassimir lay in wait. For days, she waited for the ideal moment to strike back against those who had taken her city from her. Days after her disappearance, she disguised herself as an elderly woman and made her way to the center of town. As luck would have it, Seven Fifteen collided with her as she walked, and the disruption of her magic disguise caused several nearby revolutionaries to notice her. Without realizing her identity, the revolutionaries began to chastise her, and she snapped at them, beginning a conflict that ended in a burst of magical energy that left Jassimir and most of the revolutionaries dead. It would be weeks before anyone made the connection to Jassimir. Thus, her grip on the city ended as unceremoniously as it began, and Yamseth entered a new chapter of its life.
So ends the mystery campaign. I want to add a special thanks to my players, without whom this would be impossible in a variety of ways. Thanks to you for reading as well. Until next time, happy gaming!
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