Escape from Terminus | A Sempervirēn Untold Campaign

About the adventure

Chaos. A loud explosion rattles the halls of Terminus Penitentiary as all hell breaks loose. Guards rush toward the explosion as pieces of iron cells and stone are scattered across the central courtyard. In a flash, guards approach the site of the explosion another arcane blast erupts releasing dark energy and eviscerating several guards. From the rubble of the now destroyed cells, several prisoners emerge stepping over the guards' lifeless bodies. BOOM! More arcane blasts erupt throughout Terminus as a dozen more prisoners work their way toward the exit of the Penitentiary, moving with a calm gait and purpose as this appears to be something planned for quite some time. As they reach the gate a mysterious hooded figure appears through a portal and then bows to the escaped prisoners before shifting their focus toward the gate. With the snap of a finger, the gate crumbles to the ground as the now freed prisoners walk out to the snowy hellscape of Motîbus. Amongst these chaotic moments, the Grand Warden Thrax Mythrandir emerges from his keep rushing forward with haste commanding Guards to hold back the remaining prisoners as he sprints toward the group escaping. As the Grand Warden reaches the shattered remains of the main gate he sees a dozen or so of the most heinous criminals standing next to several hooded figures as they all start to vanish one by one before his eyes. The Grand Warded rushes toward them as he grips his holy symbol, an eye pendant that glows with radiant light as he utters a few words trying to stop the last prisoner from escaping. In a flash, the chaos turns to silence. Only wind can be heard. The Grand Warden pauses for a moment contemplating the gravity of the situation before heading back to Terminus to assess damages and what is to be done next. This is where you come in... With the imminent threat of those that have escaped from Terminus Penitentiary, Grand Warden Thrax Mythrandir has made the executive decision to go outside the Montîbus Alliance and seek the consultation of those specially trained to hunt down the vilest of criminals. Bounty Hunters of the Pangari Syndicate known as Spectres. While it is rare for large groups of Pangari Syndicate members to work together, as they often work alone in the shadows if a situation calls a team will be selected to make quick work of a dangerous threat. As a trained member of the Pangari Syndicate, you know what it takes to uncover clues, get into difficult places, and make friends with enemies to track down what you seek. You live for opportunities like this. That does not mean that it is always an easy road to walk as you will face situations that may tempt you to break your oath. The question is whether you will walk the line of a paragon, a renegade, or somewhere in between. That is up to you and your companions.

Additional Details

How to prepare

You will need a working mic. A webcam is not needed, but if the group decides later on that they want to do video sessions we can explore it. When it comes to rules I will reiterate from earlier that do not feel like you need to know all the rules because there are A LOT of them. If a rule is in question or perhaps the answer is not clear at the moment I will make a call to best serve the story and make sure to address it at the beginning of the next session. I do, however, recommend that you at least review the player handbook, and look at resources online. There is a lot of great info out there, but if you need help or have any questions let me know. I am happy to help! Please register an account on D&D Beyond and I will send a link to join the campaign. From there you will have access to all the items I have unlocked. There is every type of playable character type available from the Monsters of the Multiverse Book. If there is one you want to play that you do not see just let me know and we can figure it out from there. As I mentioned above I will send a link to the campaign. The last thing you will need to do is download the Above VTT Chrome or Firefox extension. It is nothing you have to pay for, it is just needed so that you can access the campaign. I will send a link via Discord, a Google Doc, and on the Start.Playing campaign page so you have access to it on multiple channels.

What I provide

You will be given maps of the continent as you progress in the campaign, dossiers on those you seek, and much more! There is the possibility of character illustrations in the future (something I am currently exploring to enhance the player experience and will have more info later), but feel free to send over the character art you have commissioned or found. HeroForge is also a great spot to go to design your characters. Let me know if I can help you out here!

Gameplay details

If you have checked out my profile you may already know my play style, but here is a breakdown of what to expect: As your GM, I know how valuable everyone’s time is and that you are trusting me to deliver a memorable experience. I do not take that responsibility lightly. With that said, I want to share what you can expect when joining one of the many Sempervirēn Untold Campaigns: WHAT TO EXPECT - Every Session 0, for any of the campaigns I host, will ALWAYS be free. Everyone has expectations and what they hope to get out of a D&D campaign so Session 0 is a great way to make sure the campaign is a good fit for everyone. We all have play styles we enjoy so let's make sure this experience will work for all in the group. - A safe and inclusive space for everyone. I do not tolerate bullies or making others uncomfortable. We are here to have fun, tell stories, and escape from reality for a bit. Everyone deserves that opportunity and feels safe doing so. - Rules…yes they are important, but if you can pitch me an idea that might bend the rules or it adds some flavor to the narrative I am here for it! I am not here to be the rule police and ruin a fun/memorable moment because the DMG said otherwise. So, if you have an idea or want to try something never be afraid to ask. I LOVE when players think outside the box and want to try unique things. It fills my GM heart with joy! - Just a little more on rules…If I miss a rule or screw something up, just shoot me a private message via Discord. While I have scoured many of the D&D official books I have not memorized EVERYTHING. I do not expect players to have everything memorized. If the rule in question is something we cannot figure out at the moment or it is taking too much time to research taking the party out of the game, I will make a decision on the spot and reconvene with the party before the next session for any clarification. Sometimes moments are circumstantial and will change from session to session, game to game. However, at the end of the day, my players and the story they are weaving is the most important thing to me. - A player-focused story. Yes, I have built the world of Sempervirēn, but I want the character you created to forge where things will inevitably go. More on that later. - Doing my homework. I know every GM has their own method of approaching each session, but know that I spend time each week planning various elements of the story, battle maps, worldmaps, etc. You are investing in me to deliver and know that behind the scenes I am planning to make sure I give you a world-class D&D experience. I am sure there are some things I am missing but those are some of the base expectations for what to expect in Session 0 and what you can expect from me as your GM. We will go into more details as we kick off the campaign. Finally, I believe we are ALL inherently storytellers, and being able to bring players into the world of Sempervirēn to weave their own stories excites me as a GM. I make a point to spend 1 on 1 time with each of my players to discuss your character’s backstory and what they hope to accomplish during their time in the campaign. Each player that joins will have a 1 on 1 session with me after Session 0 to discuss their backstory so I can begin doing my homework to weave it into the campaign. If you have a backstory already figured out before Session 0 send it my way and I will start planning based on what you send. It has been something I have been doing with the current campaign I am running and my players have thoroughly enjoyed this opportunity. So, let's start planning! If you have made it to this point I hope to see you join one of my campaigns. I have a background in screenwriting/creative writing and have done voice-over work amongst other things so know that I will be working hard to deliver an experience you will not forget. Happy gaming and I hope to see you become part of Sempervirēn Untold. -Kylie Rose <3

Content warnings

(none)

Safety tools used

Aftercare
Bleed
Breaks
Debriefing
Lines and Veils
Luxton Technique
Luxton Technique Discussion
Open Door
Session 0
Stars and Wishes
X, N, and O Cards

How will character creation work

Character creation will happen in Session 0. Players can feel free to start working on their character/backstory prior and send any information my way. There will be some aspects of your character that will be linked to the main storyline with each PC being a member of the Pangari Syndicate, but I encourage you to think about what your character's life was like before they were selected to train with the Pangari. A Google Doc with additional information will be provided on the Pangari Syndicate and what they stand for along with their greater role in the world of Sempervirēn. It is a (very) brief breakdown so you are not overloaded with lore. If you are interested in learning more or have questions feel free to reach out. A D&D Beyond Link will be provided for character creation. Multiclassing (up to 2) is allowed. Just run it by me first and let me know how you want it to play into your backstory so that we can work it into the story together. Here is a link to the Notes of Holding which has everything you need to get started in the campaign and get you caught up if you have joined after Session 0: https://docs.google.com/document/d/19OMC7krDRjeNNsThtSTMZu6uCY08nm_LHW_I0zZfncE/edit?usp=sharing

Players can expect

• Find a game to join solo or search for a professional game master for you and your friends/coworkers/family.
• Book your session and wait for the Game Master to approve you.
• If you don't have a blast with your first game, your next game is on us.