In reply to Dungeon Master (msg # 582):

I suppose that would be justice if justice were a fickle mistress :).

Thank you, I used to teach English so I've been known to indulge in the occasional close reading.

The sorcerer is on the opposite side of the chamber from the melee with the warrior and hellhound. Since the hound was killed, as Renia is the only character actively engaging in melee with the warrior, any of the characters who were fighting the beast could reach the Shadow Lord if they ran. There’s nothing in the rules that I’ve seen which forbids running and attacking in the same round.

Splendid. Greyband's waiting until the others have flung their various objects at him so as to have as few duplicates active when he attacks. If he hits a duplicate, he REALLY destroys it. :-)

Just to update everyone: I’m going to give those who haven’t yet posted in the current combat round though tomorrow afternoon to give their input. I’ll move the game forward tomorrow evening and I’ll NPC anyone who hasn’t been able to respond at that time.

Sry, not able to post today, plz npc.

Just to clarify Dimitri's recent post, is the black-armoured warrior dead or simply defeated?  I thought the latter, but Dimitri's post makes it sound like he's dead.

He surrendered.

The warrior is alive. Dmitri wounded him prior to his surrender, but he is absolutely still breathing. The party will need to determine what they want to do with their new prisoner.

In reply to Dungeon Master (msg # 591):

I will edit then.

With the Elvenstar secured, I don’t know if there is anything specific that the adventurers wish to do in the tower. To be up front, there aren’t any enemies remaining within the (partially destroyed) structure. With that in mind, I can bring things to a close with a summary of the party’s journey back to the Kingdom of Wendar and the restoration of the Elvenstar, if that is acceptable to the group.

Which brings me to a second inquiry. There is a second portion to the Saga of the Shadow Lord module. I wasn’t certain if those here were interested in pursuing another quest within this campaign world, or if the successful retrieval of the Elvenstar served as a satisfying  ending. I’m sincerely good with either course but, should we elect to continue, I believe that I will attempt to recruit an additional player or two into the ranks prior to moving forward.

Satisfying on both counts: a wrap-up narration (what fate befell the gorgon?) (those silly little potion ids) and a proper coda to our time in this world.

Question: are you open to running a different classic adventure for this group (+ new recruits)?

Gratitude: Thank you for running this module in such a rich, satisfying manner.

Yes, I would be.

One group of classic adventures that I’ve had my eye on for a while are the set of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons modules authored by Lenard Lakofka and set in the Spindrift Isles in Greyhawk, starting with The Secret of Bone Hill. Bone Hill is pretty cool, in that it offers a number of opportunities for adventure, both in dungeons and the wilderness. Of course, if I were to undertake such a game, I would utilize the First Edition AD&D/OSRIC to run it.

I’ve also given thought to taking one of Greg Gillespie’s dungeons out for a spin, either Barrowmaze or The Forbidden Caverns of Archaia.

If anyone is interested in either of those options, please let me know.

Wow, talk about being in harmony. The Secret of Bone Hill was one of the first adventures I ever sampled (albeit with two total players: a DM and myself). And there is the follow-up, The Assassin's Knot, more of a mystery + RP.

As for systems, I prefer AD&D/OSRIC for a few reasons I don't need to detail. OK, I'll share one. Damage output is higher for non-casters which improves the pace of combat.

Megadungeons. Gillespie’s dungeons would be major, if not possibly life-long, undertakings. I'm in a well-run Stonehell and Arden Vul game. Personally, I've wanted to play Tegel Manor (awkward to run PBP).

Forbidden Caverns seems to get some fair criticism here:

https://tenfootpole.org/ironspike/?p=3881

I think you could overcome the lackluster writing, but it might be too much work in the end. Barrowmaze seems to have had a more positive reception.

I’m down with that, or with any of the other possibilities that have been mentioned.

I'd be happy with another adventure.

I remember Bone Hill!  Don't know that I ever really played it, but I recall seeing the module and such.  That would be neat.

Of course, I'm happy to continue with that or any other adventure you're willing to put on.  I always enjoy your games and am happy to participate.  If the group wants to realign around different characters or different mixes of classes, I'm also good with that.  I've played Orin through a few different adventures now - he could comfortably retire and be repaced with a different adventurer if that better fits the overall needs of the group.

Sounds great!

As for the next campaign: I have no real interest in playing AD&D again. That system gave me headaches when I played & ran it decades ago and refreshes of it didn't make me feel any better. I really joined because I wanted to dust off my Basic/Expert books, and that was fun. I'm very satisfied with the completion of this run and would be content to step away at this point.

Like Greyband, I'd prefer to stick with B/X or a clone system. That's what I've been running on here for the past 3 years.

Sorry for having been awol the last little while, I've had a lot to deal with.

I truly enjoyed this game, even though I was absent for quite a bit of it. I enjoyed playing Patch and Windor and would love to continue. I'm partial toward B/X or retroclone.

Thanks for running a great game and for keeping a good group of players together!

I’m still trying to decide which (of several) projects to pursue. Once I have, I’ll make certain to alert everyone here who has expressed interest.

My sincere thanks to each of you for seeing this quest through to its conclusion, and for your kind words. Each of you is an outstanding player and you’ve made this game a joy to run.

Bravo! Bravo! Clap! Clap!

<- Looking forward to the next undertaking.

Great ending post!  Thanks for running the game and looking forward to another chance in the future to carry on.

Hurray! Awesome summary. Feels good to finish an adventure on RPOL, I think I've only had that happen once before. Thanks everyone!

P.S. What? No lists of lootz and pryzes? :-P

Tell me about it.  I’ve had SO many games die out in just a few weeks!

Huzzah! Very well done, good DM. Thanks for running a fantastic game. It is a rare delight for me to actually finish a story like this :-)