Campaign 2

Quick facts

Party: The FAM (Fellowship Against the Machine) · Sessions: 83 (as of C2 Session 83) · Starting point: Saline Coast · Main antagonists: the Bloodhowler, The Whisper, Velvet Truffle Company, Khalor the Dreamreaper · Preceded by: Campaign 1.5 · Status: Ongoing

Campaign 2 follows The FAM, a band of strangers who met when wolves broke loose at the Saline Splendor Festival: the halfling cleric Kip, the Saiyan monk Ellery, the young rogue Escher, and the tinkerer Wilbur. Nelda joined in Session 8, Arghen in Session 28, and Masha in Session 80. The campaign is set in Arlia after the events of Campaign 1, and the heroes of that campaign, The Cacklers, appear as established legends.

Overview

What began as a local mystery on the Saline Coast, a poisoned mayor and a political conspiracy, grew into a fight with the Velvet Truffle Company, a confectionery and shipping empire that runs puppet governments, partners with the gold dragon Khalor the Dreamreaper, and buys its technology from the enslaved gnome city of Coghaven. Along the way the party killed Wilbur’s uncle, the Bloodhowler, brought Wilbur back from the in-between, freed Kip from a fraudulent marriage and a halfling cult in Green Hollow, helped defend North City around The Cell Games, and freed Coghaven with the Black Parade. As of Session 83, the company controls the Saline Coast, Khalor has carried off Arghen, and the Fellowship is fleeing the city with Catman sealed in a detention orb.

Running threads include the vanishing stars, the war in the heavens, the identity of The Mistress, and the many contracts that follow Escher. See Open Mysteries and the Timeline.

Story arcs and session index

The Festival Conspiracy (Sessions 1–13)

Strangers meet at the Saline Splendor Festival, uncover a plot against Mayor Windrider, break a prisoner out of jail, and flee the city as fugitives.

#	Session	Summary
1	Arrival at the Saline Coast and First Encounters	Kip, Ellery, Escher, and Wilbur meet at the Saline Splendor Festival when wolves escape the zoo.
2	The Conspiracy Unfolds	At the Mercenary’s Rest the group learns about each other; a smoke bomb disrupts Cedric Lightharbor’s speech.
3	The Catman	Catman recruits the group; Isabella Thorne’s death proves to be murder, and her house is torched.
4	Interrogation & Bandits	Yorn is interrogated; Wilbur names Tobias Bigsby to Captain Stormshield; a bandit job goes badly.
5	Bandit Bruises & Bigsby Behind Bars	Caulifla confronts Ellery; Bran points her to the Cacklers; Tobias Bigsby is arrested.
6	Shopping, Suspicions, and a Haunted Bakery	Shopping, a warning from Stormshield, and an exploding oven at a haunted bakery.
7	Animated Attacks	A cursed recipe book links the attacks; Garrick is found dead and animated weapons nearly kill the party.
8	A New Ally and Unraveling the Conspiracy	Nelda joins and names E.R. as Eldon Reed; Escher overhears plans for the masquerade.
9	The Midday Midway Masquerade Ball	Nelda is cut off by her father; fortunes are read at the ball; Eldon Reed sends an invitation.
10	Bad Beat	Poker with Eldon Reed, a threat against the Warhorde, and a visit to Bigsby in prison.
11	The Prison Break	A prison break frees Bigsby; Wilbur finds the poisoned Mayor Windrider in Salt Spun Manor.
12	Explosive Escape	Wilbur kidnaps the mayor to save her, buys Steve the donkey, and the group become fugitives.
13	On the Run and a Cryptic Message	Hiding from the guards, a knife-pinned threat, and a disguised escape from the city.

The Bloodhowler (Sessions 14–20)

On the road south the party gains and loses Squeebles, learns Eldon Reed is the Bloodhowler and Wilbur’s uncle, and defends the Warhorde camp.

#	Session	Summary
14	Roadside Revelations	Talk of romance, a vision that the stars aren’t right, and a goblin ambush.
15	Squeebles	The goblin Squeebles asks for help, and the party raids Gurgle’s cave.
16	The Last Drop	Squeebles joins; at the Last Drop, Eldon Reed reveals his true form and Wilbur attacks.
17	Confrontation with the Bloodhowler I	Squeebles dies; Nodur helps the party escape; Vegeta spars with Ellery and gives her a crescent item.
18	Sandworm Steak	Nodur joins, Nappa returns Steve, and the party reaches the Warhorde camp.
19	Confrontation With the Bloodhowler II	Grommash reveals Eldon is his brother; Wilbur kills the Bloodhowler defending the camp.
20	Sylas Riverstride	Wilbur becomes “Regular Wilbur”; Sylas heals the mayor, who warns that the stars aren’t right.

Curses, Sewers, and the Closing Ceremonies (Sessions 21–28)

Back on the coast: Nelda’s cursed glaive, the Whisper in the sewers, Tobias Blackwood exposed, pardons at the closing ceremonies, and Ellery’s first transformation.

#	Session	Summary
21	Bran the Betrayer	Escape from the Valedriss home; the mayor demands proof against Lightharbor; Escher hears a voice.
22	Possessed	The signal is traced underwater; Squeebles seems to possess a doll; Nelda blames her cursed glaive.
23	Player vs Player	Nelda fights her friends over the glaive; Escher’s voice is the Whisper; down into the sewers.
24	The Sewers	A scarab swarm nearly kills Nelda; Squeebles’ spirit lets her choose to live.
25	The Whisper	The Whisper offers a deal for the fate-changing artifact; Nelda’s concert reveals her to Cedric Jr.
26	The Fellowship Against the Machine	Flyers signed by the Fellowship Against the Machine; pardons promised; Victor hands over the chest.
27	Closing Ceremonies	Windrider pardons the group and steps down; false-eclipse fireworks turn Ellery into a giant ape.
28	Pardons, Plans, and a Creeping Voice	Nelda is disowned, Kip signs Alana’s papers unread, the Whisper reveals Frieza, and Arghen joins.

Death and the In-Between (Sessions 29–32)

Wilbur is assassinated, and his friends cross into the in-between to pull him back from the Bloodhowler.

#	Session	Summary
29	Suckerpunch	The Sapphire Tide job; Tobias Blackwood assassinates Wilbur.
30	Funeral	Wilbur’s farewell letters; Sylas prepares a ritual to enter the in-between.
31	The In-Between	The party crosses the in-between, paying with memories to reach Wilbur.
32	Confrontation With The Bloodhowler III	Ellery breaks Reed’s ritual, Nelda beheads him, and Escher kills Tobias Blackwood in his cell.

Khalor and the Company at Sea (Sessions 33–43)

Hunting the gold dragon Khalor, the party takes a ship, sails the islands, and runs afoul of the Velvet Truffle Company while Escher takes contracts from the Pale Fang.

#	Session	Summary
33	Encounter with Khalor I	A gold dragon steals the chest from the wreck of the Sapphire Tide.
34	The Velvet Truffle Company	The VTC ships the chest toward Chonkerton; Arghen vows to kill the dragon; plans for a boat heist.
35	Boat “Heist”	The party takes the Cresting Pearl Horizon and signs a union contract with Captain Teft’s crew.
36	The Gilded Minnow	Shopping at the Gilded Minnow; a note is slipped to Escher; Rock’s dinner divides the table.
37	Open Seas	Life aboard the C.P.H.; Ellery learns her planet was destroyed; an aboleth attacks.
38	Bellyport	Ellery escapes the aboleth; Sigzil notes vanishing stars; drunken grief in Bellyport.
39	Hamhock Harbor	Escher assassinates a VTC official in Hamhock Harbor and links Khalor to the company.
40	Set Sail for Buttermere	A moral debate and a VTC blockade; “Cats and Kittens” saves the day.
41	Buttermere	Escher meets the Pale Fang and becomes “Smoke”; an informant reports the dragon.
42	Breadstock	Gravy Bones boards the ship; the FAM Band places third at Breadstock; Nelda meets Verio Nightwind.
43	Encounter with Khalor II	Khalor reveals the dragon eggs and flees; the party turns fugitive and heads home.

Back on the Saline Coast (Sessions 44–48)

The ship becomes the Odd At Sea, Kip learns of his marriage contract, Tobias Blackwood returns undead, and Nelda wins the golden bagpipes from a devil.

#	Session	Summary
44	Re-group	The ship is renamed the Odd At Sea; Kip learns of his father’s death and his marriage contract.
45	Journalists and Lawyers	Rusty Dunlaw explains Kip’s contract; the undead Tobias Blackwood rises at the morgue.
46	Crypts and Crits	The fight in the crypt against Tobias Blackwood and a VTC necromancer.
47	Pursuit and Paralyze	Chasing the necromancer; Escher is paralyzed by a stranger; a devil arrives at the Mercenary’s Rest.
48	The Devil is in the Details	Nelda beats the devil for the golden bagpipes; Thalorian warns her off; a bullette attacks.

Green Hollow and the Cult of Brandoboris (Sessions 49–56)

Kale’s rampage, Kip’s homecoming, the Cult of Brandoboris and the ghost petals, Kip’s false death, and the killing of Judge Vellum.

#	Session	Summary
49	Travels and Targets	Escher saves Nelda from the bullette and receives the Vellum contract; Kale goes berserk.
50	Saiyans and Halflings	Kale is subdued; a star vanishes; Kip returns to Green Hollow and a cold welcome from Pipkin.
51	The Death of Kiplivarian Milo Evari Jaspern Oakhart	Alana silences Kip at the Cornucopia festival; Kip collapses; Sawyer’s cult is revealed.
52	Trick or Treat	Time glitches; Kip is taken; Alana confesses; into the Temple of Cyrollellee.
53	Plants and Plans	Arghen defends the village; four halfling cultists fall; the ghost-petal storeroom is found.
54	Cyrollellee’s Judgement	Cyrollellee restores Kip’s memories; Sawyer dies; Kip and his father Broul are found alive.
55	Reconnaissance	Reconnaissance on Judge Vellum in Brinewick Hollow; Lint explains the ghost petals.
56	Court Adjourned	Escher and Wilbur kill Judge Vellum; the Gnoloo takes the wagon; Cell announces his games.

The Saline Coast Election (Sessions 57–58)

The party backs Catman for mayor, Kip’s marriage is broken, and Thalorian Valedriss and Lazra Vant die at the Valedriss estate.

#	Session	Summary
57	Election Interference	The party joins Catman’s campaign; Escher accepts the contract on Bulma; Kip seeks an annulment.
58	Death and Divorce	Veshka Knoteater dies and the marriage ends; Thalorian and Lazra Vant die at the estate.

North City and the Cell Games (Sessions 59–71)

Through the Underdark to North City: the Whisper’s betrayal and death, the Ozaroo rampage, Fable, the Cell Games, and the VTC’s plans for the Fellowship.

#	Session	Summary
59	Behold the Underdark	Into the Underdark with the Whisper; an armanite and a beholder.
60	What are you Saiyan?	Wilbur’s metal-flower vision; arrival at North City; the Whisper reveals himself to Vegeta.
61	Retreat	The Whisper flees the fight with Vegeta; Nelda meets Bitch Perfect.
62	Splitting Time	The VTC takes the Saline Coast; the families head to the Saiyan compound.
63	Breaking and Entering	The Whisper revives Nelda’s curse; Escher is caught stealing from the Cacklers.
64	Opportunity	Five Star Orbs are stolen; the Whisper’s false moon turns four Saiyans into Ozaroo.
65	Monkey Business	The Cacklers and the FAM fight the apes; Greene cuts off Goku’s tail.
66	Whisper No More	The apes are stopped; the Whisper dies at the Academy; Will Jr. is killed.
67	Scorched Earth	Scorch is revealed as Escher’s brother Fable; Will Jr. is revived; six Star Orbs recovered.
68	Truth or Dare	Vegeta leaves for Namek; Ruby purges Nelda’s glaive; truth or dare.
69	The Cell Games	A quiet night before the Cell Games.
70	Severed Ties	Cell is defeated; Escher breaks with the Pale Fang; Mia warns Nelda about Asset Songbird.
71	The Monitoring Desk	Escher hears the VTC’s plans; Mia reveals the plot on Cedric Jr.; the decoy plan is set.

Coghaven (Sessions 72–80)

The party frees the enslaved gnome city of Coghaven with the Black Parade, destroys Dr. Wheelo, and rescues Cabba and Masha.

#	Session	Summary
72	The Toll	Wilbur studies the tracker; Kip faces a toll-demanding dragon alone.
73	Welcome to Coghaven	Arrival in Coghaven; the Black Parade reveals Wilbur is Goric’s son.
74	Shake It Up	Nelda stops Ellery’s solo plan; the Black Parade’s ambush and diversion.
75	The Chancellor’s Vault	Escher cuts off the Chancellor’s leg to open the vault.
76	Otto	Otto guides the party toward the lava forge.
77	Draining the Forge	The forge is drained and a hidden door found.
78	Dr. Wheelo	Masha is freed and Dr. Wheelo destroyed; Cabba breaks loose.
79	The Gnoloo	The Black Parade’s losses; the volatile crystals; the Gnoloo takes the crate.
80	We Carry On	Coghaven is freed; Masha joins; the airship arrives; Ellery and Cabba kiss.

The Gallows (Sessions 81–83)

The return to a VTC-controlled Saline Coast: Catman’s staged execution, Khalor’s trap, and the loss of Arghen.

#	Session	Summary
81	The Gallows	Catman’s capture and interrogation; the gallows trap with Khalor in disguise.
82	Encounter with Khalor III	The fight at the gallows against Khalor and Daask Bruiser.
83	Old Friends, New Enemies	Daask dies, Khalor takes Arghen, Elara returns, and Bran’s old party covers the escape.

See also

• The FAM
• Timeline
• Open Mysteries
• The Wonders of Arlia (Campaign 1)