From the very beginning of Campaign 4, new Dungeon Master Brennan Mulligan has maintained audience suspense with rich lore, a colorful mix of characters, and a exciting storyline including divine entities, fiends, and dark forces growing in strength within Dol-Makjar.
Note: Key plot points for the third episode of Campaign 4 follow below.
The Combat-Oriented Party Introduced
The third episode ended with a major cliffhanger and revealed the first table of heroes who will split off from the primary party to begin their separate journey, separate from the additional parties.
The combat-focused team consists of the determined fighter (brought to life by Travis Willingham), the agile character (Laura Bailey), the fierce warrior (Whitney), Wicander (the player), and Kattigan (the actor).
Why Split the Party?
With a large ensemble, it was obvious from the beginning that maintaining everyone at one table would be unworkable.
Hence, the first four episodes of Campaign 4 serve as an Prelude, connecting the personal journeys before branching into three separate parties: Fighters, Planners, and Questers.
Characteristics of the Soldiers Table
Per the DM, the combat-focused party is for adventurers who prefer a typically action-packed combat and conflict-driven narrative style where diplomatic options are scarce.
Upon first impression, characters like the reluctant priest the cleric might appear out of place, but the actions of episode 3 make it clear why these five characters are perfectly fit for the combat party.
Reasons to Leave
For one thing, the party knows exactly where to go next after a intense opening clash with The Crow Keepers.
A former ally of Thjazi Fang—whose demise started the story’s plot—used the enemy for his selfish purposes, breaking into the secret base, striking the character, and swiping all the powerful objects to auction.
The antagonist then settled his debts and fled to a secure base in the remote area, north of Dol-Makjar, with Teor’s brother hot on his heels.
Individual Reasons
Moreover, each member has a personal reason to exit Dol-Makjar:
- Thimble, as the companion and trusted friend, desires revenge.
- The adventurer is familiar with the region and warns that it is a dangerous place.
- Tyranny and The healer, having defied his family’s wishes to kill the target and instead saved him, have nowhere else to go.
- However, their status as prominent individuals in the influential clan could enable the team reach places they usually can’t.
- Moreover, Teor vowed a life debt to The savior for his salvation and will now accompany him anywhere.
Fugitives
Finally, all of them are sought by the authorities that control Dol-Makjar for a range of causes, making staying in the city no longer safe:
- Thimble and The hero are known criminals.
- The warrior and Wicander betrayed the powerful family and the legion of demons they are allied with.
- Teor is targeted for elimination by House Halovar.
This results in them little choice but to travel to Timmony in pursuit of the antagonist.
Future Episodes
According to the latest episode’s post-show segment, we find out that the combat party won’t be around the following episode, leaving the other eight players to round up the Questers and Planners groups.
Fans can expect finding out which players will be in which group in Campaign 4’s concluding setup installment, available to watch on next week.
