The Final Encounter

Final Trial — Malovar the Extremely Unpleasant

At last, your party reaches Blackspire. You climb the final stair, force open the great doors, and enter the sorcerer’s hall. There, beneath a vault of black stone, stands Malovar the Extremely Unpleasant. Behind him rests the MacGuffin! I mean, yeah, the Crown of Stars!

Also behind him is a dragon. This was not mentioned in the briefing. Do you get paid extra for dragon extermination? You probably should have negotiated better.

Malovar raises his staff. The Crown begins to glow. The dragon unfolds itself from the shadows. Somewhere deep beneath the fortress, something starts making the sort of noise buildings make shortly before becoming ruins.

You have come too far to turn back now. Recover the Crown at all costs! Defeat Malovar! And yeah, try not to die.

Score Your Party

Add the score for each hero you brought with you.

  • Warrior: +5 — Holds the front line, keeps the dragon occupied, and finally gets the straightforward problem they were promised.

  • Mage: +5 — Counters Malovar’s spells, disrupts the Crown’s magic, and participates in the sort of wizard duel that will later be described using far too many adjectives.

  • Paladin: +5 — Shields the party, stands against Malovar, and delivers at least one sentence involving justice that would look excellent carved into a statue.

  • Rogue: +4 — Slips past the fighting, bypasses the wards, and gets suspiciously close to the Crown while everyone important is looking the other way.

  • Healer: +4 — Keeps the party alive through fire, curses, falling masonry, and several injuries that really should have ended the adventure.

  • Scholar: +4 — Recognizes the ritual Malovar is performing and identifies the one part of it everyone should absolutely smash immediately.

  • Ranger: +3 — Finds the weak point in the fortress defenses, lands several very important shots, and continues to wonder why nobody listened when they suggested entering through the back.

  • Barbarian: +3 — Discovers that enchanted stonework is still stonework and begins enthusiastically reducing the fortress’s resale value.

  • Druid: +3 — Uses the natural magic bound beneath Blackspire against Malovar and has a surprisingly productive conversation with the dragon.

  • Bard: +2 — Distracts Malovar, rallies the party, and somehow finds time to shout something memorable immediately before the final blow.

Final Trial Result

22–23 points — A Properly Heroic Finale
Malovar falls, the dragon is defeated or persuaded to reconsider its career choices, and the Crown is recovered with appropriate dramatic timing.

20–21 points — Victory, More or Less
You recover the Crown and defeat Malovar. Blackspire is also on fire. These things happen.

18–19 points — Technically Successful
The Crown is yours. Malovar is gone. The dragon may still be a problem. But that feels like a problem for the sequel.

17 points — Heroism Was Attempted
You recover the Crown through a combination of bravery, desperation, property damage, and what future historians will politely call “unclear circumstances.”

15–16 points — This Is Why Kingdoms Have Insurance
Against all reasonable expectations, someone has the Crown.

Nobody is entirely certain who.

The fortress is collapsing.

Run.

Epilogue