Expedition into the demonweb pits (SPOILERS)- progress and campaign

[Bobur]

Hello guys. Glad to be here for the 1st time.

For quite a while now I am the DM of my 3.5e-ish group.

Currently I am guiding my group through the adventure
"Expedition to the demonweb pits" Of course with some changes and freedom.

If you havent played the game yourself and are not planning to be the DM, you might want to stop reading now. If you dont care, keep on reading. ^^

For the start I took some more time for a build up story. Disappearing Elves all over the country and a quest from Silvermoon (for our mage-elve) to investigate around undermountain. They found out that the Drow are behind it and entered an underground city. Raided a temple and found a letter, as well as a portal.

The letter showed that "Lolth is on the move, prepare her coming", signed with some marks and the writing "the styx oarsman".

STORY: The demonlord Grazzt is actually the one behind this. He spread those letters to bring mortals to Lolth's web, making some trouble and maybe even killing one of her aspects. Which would maybe enable him to take over.
The other plan is to unite the demonlords to shift the balance in the planes, so some dangerous mortals would be a good proof that its reasonable to unite. For that reason they hold a demoncouncil in the lower web of lolth.

The portal led to Sigil, the city of doors, a strange city on another plane, from where you can reach any plane... so they say.
This place is like Mos Isley from Star wars, rough, dangerous and you can find archons and demons on the same street.

After my team got almost killed by a swarm of rats (and were forced to flee) they got some respect for the place. ;)

They found out, that the "Styxoarsman" is a tavern in this city, they visited it once, where they met a man names "Rule of 3", who is supposed to be a kind of Questhub. He gave us the mission to go to a local celestial temple and get ourselfs a prophecy to help on our quest.

they did, but from that point on they pretty much avoided everything of the core storyline and never returned to rule of 3. ^^°
Instead they visited the library for information about lolth web and finally went for some legendary demon weapons, mentioned in the prophecy.

They went to the world ashe Igdrasyl, (a giant tree, from where you can get to other planes) met the Ratatosk, killed the great Ironmaw and went to the beastlands for the legendary bow and for the Demonblade in the Iron wastes.

In the tower where they found the demonblade, they spotted a portal into lolth's web and used it.

----
Now this was the part where it started to get tricky for me.
In the original plan, Rule of 3 would have send them there to meet a certain drow priestess for informations. But they dont know about that and run into her, almost killing her. Out of luck the drow escapes and our group begins a rather aimless journey through the web. So far they got to know that there is more happening then only in lolth's web, the other abyssal planes are more active as well, some talk about a possible demonlord council, but nothing for sure. Finding portals, some keys, a lot of spiders and finally the Fane of Eclavdra.

Thats where they are now and I am planning some stuff ahead.

1 - My group is around 2 Levels higher then what they should be, so I usually tend to pimp the enemys up a little. The usual, other spells or feats...

Right now, they used a light sphere spell (which makes spotting them in the dark really easy) + the favorite spell: Air walk, to get over the chasm, walking right between the 2 outer towers. the moment they understand where they are its already to late and the watch shouts at them, while the soldiers are already alerted.

So far they forgot most anything and are in the web in search of a big demon to kill (1st item quest of the bow or he vanishes after 1 month).
Knowing my group, they will maybe fight the drow, retreat and come back. Trying to break into the citadel with brute force.

I will let them stay a little longer in the web, maybe getting to the black gate before I trigger the "godess comes" encounter to pull them back to Sigil.

Future ideas: I have to somehow reveal the stroy to the end. Otherwise it would be boring. I could change it so that Grazzt actzally appears before the group (of course disguised as a human or elve, knowing a lot about demons and what is happening). He could appear when the group returns to sigil or gets captured by the drow. He had to make a big impression on them, so that they remember him, while he sends them around. And in the finaly he appears in the council room, thanking for the good work and truning into his true form. (The way I imagine it it would be a great twist)
He could offer the most powerful (and greedy) character in our group godlike powers to maybe turn him to his side and to destroy the group.

So good so far.
If you have played the campaign, let me know your thoughts.

[Bobur]

Finally, I brought the group back to the story by adding Grazzt (in form of an old elvish paladin called Lorien)

After retreating from the drow citadell, they rested and during the night Lorien appeared.
he heard of the group when they visited the library in Sigil, searching for knowledge about lolth for days, maybe weeks. He wanted to contact them, but they left before he could do so. And when the group entered the web, they almost killed a low priestess, which was actually an informant of his (which is true) from who he knew that they are here.

He fought evil, demons and lolth in particular in his prime, but is now too weak to really threaten her anymore. But now something is going on and he needs help to fight the web.

He is well known in both good AND evil magic, as he visited drow cities and other sources of power in his life. Our group is suspicious of him but cant get a evil or chaotic aura from him, even after he gives them his "mind shielding" item. (He is too strong to be read so easily ;) )
For motivations, he gives 300GP and talks about power with our mage, giving him ideas of the dark arts. Our Mage wants to know more about possible power, and Lorien shows him the "book of flesh". Which is a possible reward in the original story too.

He explains lolth web and a lot of things + options. Although nothing about the upcoming demon council yet. The group thinks about returning to the fane, but then decides to go to the hall of the great web (for the map) and from there to the black gate (they want to activate the demon bow)

Fighting the palrathees and the whispering corridor on the way is hard, but thrilling. Those encounters were not that dangerous, but they sponged up a lot of spells and powers.

Now standing in front of the silver door, they have to find a way through or around it.

Note: I am happy that I entertained my players and that I found a way to regain some control over the story line. ^^°
Lorien left for Sigil, where uses his contacts to find out more. The group can find him in the libr. or the tavern to the goldne ancer.

My group is already stronger then what they should be + Prestige classes and items. So I will buff up the kasthigur at the black gate by a good amount.
The version in the book is only CR11 (-1 of our group Lv) so I make him CR12-13.
I took an oaken defender as a comparison, he has 3 nat attacks too but does more dmg, as his CR is higher.

If they manage to kill the demon, they have some rounds to try something on the black door, which is possible to be opened but unlikely.
If they use force, the warlocks on the other side attack them.

This all trigger the "godess comes" encounter, which forces them back to sigil. Or death if they really dont read the signs at all and stay for loth to come. When meeting with Lorien again, he can now tell them about the demon council. And lead the way to the next part of the book, to get the golden pass.

[Bobur]

The next Session:
The fought the Kasthigur and our rogue died in the 2nd round. Saved by a scroll of revivefy (or what its called)

Our druid was close to death too and would have died for sure if the cleric hadnt slain the beast literally in the last moment.

I gave them a short break, before I started the "goddess comes" encounter, which was a blast. Giving them the feeling that lolth comes for them, chasing through the web. My group lost the map so the last string of hope was a div. spell to get to the portal to sigil.
I made Lolth break through the ceiling of the room in the moment they were stepping up to the teleportation circle.
Veeery nice.

Afterwards they shaped up in Sigil and went to the libr. where they met Lorien again.
He had a much brighter appearance now, long white hair, clean, a white robe.
Giving all the praise and glory to the group he could come up with. ^^
They surely enjoyed that part.

Now our mage was hot for the book, but Lorien wasnt quite ready to give it to him already, instead he gave him a lavender ioun stone. Surely a nice gift as well.
He then told them about the depending doom, that the rumors are no rumors and there is indeed a demon council and our group is the kind of champions to stop Lolth and kill her. (or at least one or more of her aspects)

He explained the next part about Dawnat sanp, the ambassador of Orcus, waiting in Zhelatar, the demonic capital of Grazzth.
They had a perfect knowlede check and new most important things about it. Knowing that merchants are protected they had the idea of becoming one (good idea) but didnt come up with any follow up or at least asking about it... so that was lost afterwards. The found a Ratakin in Sigil and bribed him to be their guide. But thanks to a lot of intimidation and magic he already has a plan to get rid of those mortals as fast as he can.
He guides them to the portal and to Zhelatar, but he wont show them the way to the tavern they are looking for but to the next best demon horde of some kind.

Currently they are in the maine gate, hiding the cleric. But the two guardians (elder viper trees) smell the "stench of the archons" and attack the cleric.
The remaining demons will just watch, as long as they arent attacked or provoced.

This surely is a thrilling part, where I can send some huge encounters at them.