Another Amazing Year! Conclusion to The Chronicles of the Undying!

As we bring DnD Fest 2024 to a close, it’s time to reflect on an incredible journey. This year marked the final chapter in the Chronicles of Undying… The Raven’s Labyrinth… a story that none of us—DMs, NPCs, players, or even Pam and I—knew how it would end. The outcome was ktruly in your hands, and what a ride it has been.

The weather greeted us with beauty on Thursday and Friday, perfect for setting up camp and diving into the adventure. However, Friday night brought torrential rain, which made for a less-than-ideal experience for those camping outdoors. The chill in the air added to the challenge as players tried to warm up through wet sleeping bags—but such is the nature of camping! Fortunately, Saturday and Sunday turned out to be beautiful, if a bit cooler, providing the perfect backdrop for the conclusion of the weekend.

As always, we left the final combination of the story completely unknown. Not even we knew if you would win or lose the war against the Raven Queen. With her advantage as a goddess, victory was far from guaranteed. Yet, your careful collaboration with the NPCs, choosing the right essence boxes to open, and completing each mission led to your eventual triumph. Many of you exceeded expectations, achieving full points in some incredibly difficult missions. Congratulations to all of you for your smart, strategic adventuring!

This year’s mission system granted players full agency, allowing each party to choose missions that best suited their strengths. The challenge for the DMs came in the unpredictability of not knowing which party would be at their table until the moment they sat down. No one knew which characters or character classes would step up to face the minions of the Raven Queen. It kept the energy high and the suspense alive throughout the event.

One of the most surprising aspects, at least for me, was how deliberate you all were in opening the essence boxes. Instead of opening them randomly just to see what would happen, it was clear that you truly wanted to win this war. The essence boxes, in which the Raven Queen had captured the essence of entities she wished to imprison, could have given you a significant advantage. Releasing the Shadow Lord from his essence box, for example, would have greatly aided you in your fight against the Raven Queen, Morrigan. However, despite the odds, you stayed true to your morals and chose not to release another evil into the world, even to defeat the Raven Queen. Kudos to all of you for standing by your principles!

Before session four, it was revealed which entities had been released from the essence boxes. I’ll be posting descriptions of those entities soon, as they have now returned to the world of Elladra in some form. Keep an eye out for that update!

As we wrap up the Chronicles of Undying, it’s worth noting how this campaign has built upon the Chronicles of Shadow, creating a richly woven world that you, the attendees, have helped shape. Together, we’ve crafted an epic story that has spanned years and chapters, and I couldn’t be prouder of what we’ve accomplished.

To everyone who attended, participated, donated, and supported us this year—thank you. Your contributions made this weekend special and unforgettable. This wasn’t just the end of another event; it was the closing of another remarkable set of chronicles. Each chapter has helped develop this epic campaign world, and none of it would have been possible without you.

Here’s to the memories we’ve made, and to the new adventures that await at future DnD Fests.