After a year of running Beyond Thule, our group is wrapping up the campaign for now. Players are already talking about returning in the future, as a player or GM.

Here’s how the final session went.

The PCs consist of a gunslinger-occultist, a mesmerist, a ranger, and a fighter (not shown).

A Swift Death

After previously flushing him out from various hideouts and safe-houses, the PCs had tracked down and cornered Baldrson, the cultist who murdered the king. He was now holed up in an abandoned mine under Crown Mountain. 

With Baldrson is the Haunter in Darkness, but only a shadow of his full strength—he cannot fully manifest when it is not a moonless night. Based on their occult research, the PCs were counting on this.

Hearing the PCs approach using the mine elevator, and still injured from a previous confrontation with the PCs, Baldrson begins his ritual of last resort: The Curse of the Living Gate. Having no captives left to perform the ritual upon, Baldrson performs the ritual on himself. 

When the PCs reach Baldrson, the mesmerist succeeds in putting Baldrson into a deep slumber, while the fighter and ranger engage the shadowy form of the Haunter.

From the sleeping body of Baldrson emerges a floating mass of eyes, mouths, and tentacles that begins to pipe a strange melody on its flute.

The gunslinger considers attacking the floating thing, but since it doesn’t appear hostile, he instead moves to his quarry.

The gunslinger walks up to sleeping Baldrson and puts a bullet into his head, ending the year-long terror the mad cultist brought to the city of Blackstone.

But this is still not the end. From Baldrson’s dead but still cursed body, another Servitor of the Outer Gods emerges. And the other Servitor pipes up another Servitor. They continue to pipe, to all appearances harmlessly, so the PCs ignore them and focus their attention on the Haunter.

In short time, there emerges another Servitor, until their number is sufficient to call on their Master.

Now the Haunter in Darkness bellows at the PCs that they are too late, that HE is here—AZATHOTH!

The Daemon Sultan

The broken and cursed gate of Baldrson’s body is torn asunder and from it pours a rapidly growing mass of pseudopods, cosmic forces, and fields of energy. The unchecked growth of this horror threatens to fill the chamber in little time, crushing the PCs.

Sensing there is nothing they can do to stop this, the PCs flee in terror for the elevator. 

The Servitors’ piping keeps Azathoth in check briefly, but soon, his rage is unleashed and he grows. And grows. Doubling in size each time. Lashing out towards the PCs, who are desperately ascending in the elevator.

The PCs reach the surface and mount their horses and carriages, riding away at top speed down the mountain.

The mountain shakes. The mountain heaves up. The mountain itself bursts! 

Azathoth presses his bulk through the crevasses of the shattered mountain as mad piping fills the air.

Boulders tumbles down to the countryside. The factory district in the city next to the mountain is buried under an avalanche of rock. The PCs’ carriage is overturned and their horses stumble. 

The End

Rocks fall.

But… everybody does not die.

Their haste has purchased for them distance from the worst of Azathoth’s destruction.

And as quickly as the Daemon Sultan appeared, he collapses in upon himself and is gone.

Broken, bruised, and shaken, the PCs pull themselves out of the rubble and make their way home.