From the very beginning of Campaign 4, fresh DM Brennan Mulligan has maintained audience suspense with extensive world-building, a diverse cast of characters, and a exciting storyline featuring angels, evil spirits, and sinister influences expanding in influence within Dol-Makjar.
Heads-up: Spoilers for the latest installment of this adventure lie ahead.
The Combat-Oriented Party Revealed
The latest chapter concluded with a dramatic pause and introduced the initial group of characters who will split off from the central cast to begin their separate journey, apart from the other two tables.
The combat-focused team consists of Teor Pridesire (played by Travis), the nimble rogue (Laura Bailey), the strong-willed figure (Whitney), Wicander (the player), and the mysterious adventurer (the actor).
Why Split the Party?
With 13 cast members, it was obvious from the outset that maintaining everyone at one table would be impossible.
Hence, the opening chapters of Campaign 4 serve as an Prelude, intertwining the characters’ stories before splitting into three distinct groups: Fighters, Schemers, and Explorers.
The Nature of the Soldiers Table
Per the DM, the Soldiers table is for adventurers who enjoy a classically intense battle-oriented gameplay experience where non-violent answers are scarce.
Upon first impression, figures such as the squeamish cleric Wicander Halovar might appear out of place, but the actions of the third episode show why these particular heroes are best suited for the Soldiers table.
Reasons to Leave
For one thing, the party has a clear idea where to proceed after a intense first encounter with the antagonists.
An old friend of the deceased character—whose death kicked off the narrative’s action—exploited the enemy for his personal gain, entering the hidden lair, assaulting the character, and taking all the powerful objects to sell off.
The antagonist then settled his liabilities and escaped to a secure base in Gormalay, Timmony, above the city, with Teor’s brother hot on his heels.
Individual Reasons
Secondly, each character has a individual motive to leave the city Dol-Makjar:
- Thimble, as the close ally and trusted friend, wants revenge.
- Kattigan has experience in Timmony and advises that it is a nasty place.
- Tyranny and The healer, having disobeyed his family’s wishes to eliminate the fighter and instead saved him, have no other options.
- Yet, their reputation as important members in the influential clan could enable the team access places they normally couldn’t.
- Moreover, The fighter pledged a eternal obligation to The savior for his deliverance and will now accompany him everywhere.
Wanted and Hunted
Lastly, all of them are hunted by the rulers that rule Dol-Makjar for a multiple motives, making lingering locally dangerous:
- The rogue and The hero are recognized lawbreakers.
- The strong figure and The cleric turned against the influential house and the horde of evil beings they are aligned with.
- The fighter is wanted dead by the family.
This leaves them little choice but to journey toward Timmony in search of the antagonist.
What’s Next?
Based on episode three’s Cooldown, we learn that the warrior group won’t be around the following episode, leaving the remaining eight cast members to assemble the Seekers and Strategists groups.
Viewers can look forward to discovering which adventurers will be in which group in the season’s final introductory chapter, released on the upcoming Thursday.
