Introduction
In most epic tales, the names Heroes are etched into records, harmonised in songs and embellished in poetry; remembered for eons by those saved and deeds they did. But not for all Heroes. Some of them work in the shadows of the central characters of these fables, working in the background to ensure that the ones who will be named ‘Hero’ can complete their goal. This backstage Hero that I will be documenting over the course of a Campaign is one that has existed longer than most recorded Heroes, in the background keeping them alive; this Hero is Deus Ex Machina.
Meeting Deus Ex Machina before the Campaign
First Interview with Deus Ex Machina, 11th November 2018 | Novyl Offices, 8:32am
| INTERVIEWER: | I’m here at the Novyl Office with Deus Ex Machina, and today we are going to do an introductory interview before we set out on their newest Campaign. It’s pretty early in the morning and I have a coffee- |
| DEUS EX MACHINA: | -and I have three- |
| INTERVIEWER: | -haha, yes, Deus Ex has three coffees lined up in front of them. If you would just like to introduce yourself. |
| DEUS EX MACHINA: | Uh, yes… just talk into this microphone? |
| INTERVIEWER: | Yes. You don’t need to sit too close to it, it will pick you up. |
| DEUS EX MACHINA: | Sorry, normally people don’t talk to me, much less record me, haha. |
| INTERVIEWER: | That’s okay. |
| DEUS EX MACHINA: | Alrighty. Well, hello everybody, whomever you may be. I am Deus Ex Machina, although it’s easier if you just call me ‘Dex’. |
| INTERVIEWER: | Okay, I’ll call you Dex. Now, the initial point of this documentary is just to get some insight into what it is you do. How do you think sharing your story will impact those who read the documentary? |
| DEUS EX MACHINA: | … well… I guess it’s a good opportunity to show how stories can sometimes progress or stall if people aren’t paying attention properly, and what that results in. |
| INTERVIWER: | How do you mean? When you say that people don’t pay attention properly? |
| DEUS EX MACHINA: | *laughs* Well that’s my whole job, isn’t it? I clean up after them. |
| INTERVIEWER: | And what is it that you clean up? |
| DEUS EX MACHINA: | The consequences that come with people doing dumb s***. |
After the initial interview with Dex, they explained more about their role in the narrative that make some of the greatest adventures of the world. Dex found it difficult to put their role into words, however, never really having been asked about their work in the Campaigns, though they are of course heavily involved in them. In this Campaign, Dex will oversee the journey of five individuals who were requested to form a Party, in hopes they will be the Heroes this world needs. For this Campaign we will be travelling to Chult, where I will follow Dex as they shadow the Party.
Before we embarked on the Campaign, Dex explained to me the basics of what would take place. In most Campaigns, potential Heroes are summoned to either an official or fateful meeting point where the Campaign will officially start and Dex will shadow them, initially assessing which Hero will be in the most need of Dex’s assistance; apparently, this isn’t hard to determine. He made a comment that, though skill is importance, sometimes “luck of the dice” is what aids a Party the most.
Excerpt from Running Commentary on Campaign | Chult, 11:26am
| D.E.X: | It’s always the nicest one. |
| INTERVIEWER: | The nicest one? |
| D.E.X: | The one that wants to be friends with anything and everything is usually the one I’ll help most. |
| INTERVIEWER: | Is the Campaign not kinder to them? |
| D.E.X: | *laughs* |
The Party Comes Together and the Campaign Begins
Five members made up this Campaign Party: a Mountain Dwarf, a ‘secret’ Tiefling, a swing-happy Human, a nervous Gnome and a Hill Dwarf. They were summoned to take on the task to stop a horrible Death Curse that had befallen the continent, causing those who have been brought back to life to die once more. Though the teen Tiefling was rude to Syndra Silvane who had summoned them, the other four introduced themselves as: Abalone ‘Leeroy Jenkins’, Nym, Muurond and Orgonogall. Dex informed me that most Heroes have a Hero Class that determines how their abilities can be utilised, you can see the Party’s in the table below.
Dex had an exasperated reaction when Leeroy was introduced; apparently “there have been a few ‘Leeroy Jenkins’ before”. I read the Charter of Heroes (Ahgonee, 2018) and only found a couple of mentions of other Heroes named ‘Leeroy Jenkins’, although they were all Fighter Heroes.
Starting Party Members
| Abalone ‘Leeroy Jenkins’ | Human | Fighter |
| Feia ‘Feika’ Katoa Koe’Ofa | Tiefling | Ranger |
| Muurond | Mountain Dwarf | Paladin |
| Nym | Gnome | Sorcerer |
| Orgonogall | Hill Dwarf | Druid |
After the initial meeting, Dex followed the Party by taking on inconspicuous faces in the crowd. Dex said that letting them know that someone was recording them firsthand would “either make them behave meekly or too boldly”. As a journalist, I am already adept at being careful, but watching Dex was a thrilling experience. Dex can manifest into whatever the scenario requires, which we will see some of throughout this record.
The Party ventured into the jungle, walking in a direction they hoped their answers were in, towards the abandoned City of Omu. When I asked Dex how they knew where to go, they reminded me that it was the job of the Dungeon Master to give the Party breadcrumbs, and occasionally entire slices, when they spent too much time looking at a compass and bantering. It was around this time that I thought I would first see Dex in action.
Learning the Importance of Party Discretion
Approaching a small group of cannibals, the Party crept close to identify them when Muurond gallantly called out with a sharp “Oi!” When I asked Dex if it was normal for them to walk headfirst into such dangerous situations, they looked at me helplessly. The first thing Dex did was uncork a waterskin that smelled sharply of wine. I inquired as to whether it was part of his routine and he replied, “you should see what happens to DM”. ‘DM’ is how Dex refers to the ‘Dungeon Master’, the Party’s Campaign guide. Dex explained briefly the DMs role in the Campaign but fell asleep mid-way due to mental exhaustion. This surprised me because of the preconceptions I had of Dex’s power, having thought it was omnipotent almost. In the morning, Dex mentioned that the exhaustion came from having altered battle between the cannibals and the Party. When we returned to the site, the fight seemed to have been brief, with most damage caused to enormous plants with frond-heads that were severed. I attempted to rouse a laugh from Dex by suggesting that perhaps the Party had wound up fighting plants instead of cannibals and his expression had me moving about the jungle much more carefully.
We followed the Party hidden, with Dex reporting that there had been many “near misses” but no real reason for intervention just yet. Dex discussed that there are times when they should intervene, times when they do and times when they need a break, although murmuring at the end, “last time I took time off, a man died.” It was this day the Party noticed sets of footsteps bigger than their own bodies. As Dex talked to me about how the Party would investigate the footprints and discover more about the context of the Campaign, he fell silent when the Party charged the Giant they had tracked. The Party, made up mostly of smaller beings, attacked Giants and just as Dex crossed their arms, as if to say they were not going in, a thunderous crack split the air as Muurond brought down some sort of legendary power on the Giant, slaying it. It was here that I thought Dex might open his wineskin, but they just merely seemed gobsmacked and somewhat sulky about the Party not in fact needing them. Dex made a point that it was something that didn’t happen often without their help.
After similar incidents, Dex would reflect about the scenario and what role they played, even if they didn’t directly participate. They seemed to carry a mixture of pride and frustration, sometimes grumbling about the Party only being “level three”. Dex said it referred to their Hero Level, a system whereby Heroes are sorted in accordance to their power and skill. Apparently, the Hero Level does not impact or influence the maturity, diligence or wisdom of Heroes. Dex stated that it was likely in Campaigns that, when Party members achieved high Hero levels, Dex would be working more with civilians than with Party members. This is a shared ideology in the primary source-text for information on Hero levels, Let’s Get This XP (Fureva & Levulten, 2015).
The Compass and the Cartographer
Interview with Deus Ex Machina, 24th November 2018 | Somewhere in the Jungle, 11:30am
| INTERVIEWER: | It seems that you even need to guide the direction of the Heroes sometimes, are none of them trained to be Heroes before the Campaign? Or is their journey about becoming Heroes? |
| D.E.X: | It’s not that they’re not trained, it’s that they forgot… this time it was the Ranger… whose strength is navigation in this terrain. |
| INTERVIEWER: | Then shouldn’t she have known what direction they were going in? |
| D.E.X: | Welcome to my life. |
| INTERVIEWER: | … Is it normal for them to forget their strengths? |
| D.E.X: | Ask me the same question once the Campaign is over. |
| INTERVIEWER: | Haha, okay. |
| D.E.X: | The only direction they seem to naturally know is the way danger is. |
| INTERVIEWER: | It did seem as though they were seeking out a challenge when they followed those Giant footprints. I’ve got to say, I was pretty shocked when they ran in anyway. I didn’t expect them to come out mostly unscathed. |
| D.E.X: | DM probably also thought that. |
| INTERVIEWER: | How do you feel when people in a Campaign are faced with a situation like that, but you don’t end up having to intervene? |
| D.E.X: | Um… it’s a bit of a mixed feeling. Like… I think it’s important for them to accomplish things on their own… but another part of me thinks that it rewards dangerous behaviour. *laughs* Sorry, I feel like I haven’t really shown you what I do. |
| INTERVIEWER: | No, no, I think this is a good start. I want to show your role as honest as possible, so don’t think you have to intervene if you don’t need to. |
| D.E.X: | Yeah, well sometimes it depends on whether DM cares about if they die or not. |
| INTERVIEWER: | … What? |
| D.E.X: | What? |
When the Ranger decided to make use of her skills, the Party became well on their way towards their next goal. At some point, they came upon a large bridge with an enormous statue at the other end that looked as if it were guarding the bridge. Dex had us wait not too far away, telling me that the Party was facing a puzzle and as long as they weren’t greedy or impatient, they would be fine. It turned out that Nym was a kleptomaniac. When I expressed my concern with the Nym’s light fingers, which lifted a gem and caused absolute chaos on the bridge involving many stone monkeys animating and throwing Orgonogall off the bridge and the giant statue to awaken, Dex was surprised that I didn’t know that Parties were often thieves. Whilst doing additional research on the impact of Heroes completing Campaigns, I found there was significant evidence indicating that Heroes became rapidly rich and often upset economies because of the sheer amount of treasure they gained (often a result of looting) throughout their Campaigns (Press, 2015).
After escaping the monkeys, luckily, Orgonogall managed to turn into a monkey himself and stop his fall to death. The Party soothed the statue and made their way towards a tall cistern they saw in the distance, just because it was there. When they approached the cistern, they found themselves in the company of an elderly woman who referred to herself as ‘Nanny Poo Poo’; it wasn’t a fake name. Watching the Party interact with the woman made me somewhat uneasy as she seemed like the stereotypical antagonist from any fairy tale. The Party didn’t seem to mind her and agreed to help her with the cistern. Leeroy climbed a ladder with Nanny Poo Poo to help, easily convinced by the fact that there was supposedly treasure in the bottom of it, and was promptly pushed in by the old woman who then pulled the ladder up so the others couldn’t reach Leeroy.
What ensued was a strange chaos, with Feika trying to use a sleeping-powder plant (the plant head that had been cut off) on a zombie and the elderly lady, which Dex called a ‘Hag’, turned invisible and began to attack the others. Nym cast a levitation spell on Leeroy, bringing her up out of the cistern and returning her to the ground. At some point, the Hag turned into a copy of Feika and there was confusion about who was who until the real Feika said, “f*** you Muurond”. Orgonogall used moonlight magic to injure the Hag and Feika moonwalked out of the magic whilst ‘flipping-the-bird’ at the Hag. “Don’t be surprised if I am the only one here who operates professionally,” Dex had whispered to me.
The Hag attacked Feika again, rendering her unconscious. At this moment, Dex left my side to work as the Hag decided to try and escape with Feika rather than landing the finishing blow. When Dex returned, they explained that this was one of the most common ways they worked, in that they prevent “insta-death”. After the Party rummaged through the Hag’s home, recycling her belongings, they settled down with plans to continue their journey the next morning. The small hut filled with smoke and Dex advised me against getting close to it, though I noticed it smelt strangely.
The Sheer Intelligence of the Party
The Party was stopped on their path to one of the ziggurats (another place they looted) because they were enchanted by the sight of a Chwinga, a cute, small black creature that looked like a tiny person with a mask and curly hair. I was impressed that the Chwinga had garnered a respect and adoration from the Party that they hadn’t shown anywhere else. It was at this moment that I believed I could see them as potential Heroes. And then I watched Leeroy lick a door and say “that tastes like poison damage”.
Interview with Deus Ex Machina, 2nd December 2018 | Still in the Jungle, 1:20pm
| INTERVIEWER: | It seems that these Heroes are quite brash when it comes to making decisions, is that expected? |
| D.E.X: | You mean they’re stupid. |
| INTERVIEWER: | Surely they’re not. |
| D.E.X: | You also saw Leeroy lick that door, right? |
| INTERVIEWER: | … |
| D.E.X: | And then Nym tried to set up that teenage girl with Leeroy because she thought that Leeroy was a ‘he’, right? |
| INTERVIEWER: | They are a bit… eccentric, I guess. |
| D.E.X: | *laughs* You’ll know better after you finish this Campaign with them. |
| INTERVIEWER: | I guess I’ll just have to wait until then to fully understand. |
| D.E.X: | Ugh… and now they’re singing that song from Aladdin. |
| INTERVIEWER: | They’re using a magic blanket like the magic carpet, to add a visual for the audience. That little one seems to be thoroughly looking over the bodies before they bury them. Is she performing rites or something? |
| D.E.X: | You can think that if you’d like. |
| INTERVIEWER: | What do you me- oh. |
| D.E.X: | At least they’re on the move again. |
| INTERVIEWER: | They seem to be fighting plants a lot. |
| D.E.X: | That’s sort of normal… the fact that they keep getting smacked around isn’t as much. |
| INTERVIEWER: | Oh! The plant’s eaten Muurond! |
| D.E.X: | *sighs* Give me a moment. |
The sight of the gardens at the crumbling palace before Omu was enchanting, with a decaying temple around them, they grew until they were content, long since maintained by anyone. Large flowers filled the gardens, along with overgrown grass. As for their charm, it was also literal, causing the Party to behave strangely as they entered. A pair of flying monkeys flew over, throwing fruit at Nym. Orgonogall found a rabbit with a horn that Leeroy patted as soon as she could. It was like a piece of Wonderland in the Campaign, with strange things popping up in the garden, the folding boat being one and the skeletons being some of the others. I imagined that the gardens looked even more interesting and curious after some of the Party consumed Lysergsaure-Diathylamid (LSD) they’d found in a few vials in a room that had been sealed for decades. I did have a moment where I questioned the legality of it but by then I had become familiar with the policies of the Campaign regarding the Party’s liberties in the world, or as Dex put it “they do what they want”.
Feika’s race was also revealed to the Party at this point, her cloak and hat being removed to show her horns and tail. Dex told me that that it was not unusual for Tieflings to hide themselves because of racial stigma, but assured me that Feika was doing it just because she was a non-personable brat who was made bitter by her past rather than the fact she cared what the others thought about her. It was interesting to observe the response from the Party, who seemed surprised but otherwise unperturbed by the reveal. I did additional reading on Tieflings and found an article titled Race Doesn’t Matter – Loot Does by Cryfer Help (Help, 2017) who discussed the phenomena that exists around Hero Campaign Parties, claiming that race is usually not an issue for Party dynamics because “quite frankly, they’re all a menace regardless of their alignment or race”.
Excerpt from Running Commentary on Campaign | Somewhere Near Trees, 4:20pm
| D.E.X: | And now they’ve adopted a dinosaur. It’s like they’re trying to accumulate things that’ll kill them! |
| INTERVIEWER: | How would Heroes normally behave? |
| D.E.X: | … *heavy sigh* … Like this. |
The Other ‘Hero in the Shadows’
It became clear that Dex was constantly in contact with the Dungeon Master. Though this partnership is not mentioned in the Critical Thinking Handbook of a Dungeon Master (Bigsahd, 2012), Dex and the Dungeon Master of any Campaign work closely and in agreement with one another, cooperating to help guide the Party to their destination and give them the opportunity to achieve another win for the greater good.
The Party continued to Omu, which had become the determined site of the “big bad” as many of them called it, where they believed a powerful individual named Acererak was responsible for the Death Curse. Upon entering, the Party explored many buildings and at one point found themselves trapped in a basement where their opponents were clay-worked soldiers. They fought bravely to defeat them and protect their young Allosaurus pet, whom they named Jemimah, and eventually sought to rest and regain the energy they had expended. Feika decided to keep watch, moving to the doorway where she was promptly ripped down by a Kamadan, a Jaguar-like creature that has six snakes protruding from its neck. The Party quickly fell unconscious due to the Kamadan’s ability to breathe sleeping gas. Dex cracked his knuckles and, with a smirk, took on the face of a man named Artus Cimber who the Party had met at the ziggurat. Dex walked into the building of certain death, and walked out with the Party intact, including Feika who was almost a victim of “insta-death”.
For a while, Dex continued with the Party as ‘Artus’. I continued to observe and take notes from a distance. The Party recuperated before continuing their Campaign to end the Death Curse, with Artus (Dex) still at their side. They wandered around the city more, moving stealthily through decrepit buildings, when they suddenly became faced with a Tyrannosaurus Rex. I was entranced by the fluffy-like appearance of the T-Rex, but the Party quickly became focused on the fact that it could teleport, causing them to follow it, like how they had followed the Giant’s footsteps. When the T-Rex spotted them, attracted to the smell of Jemimah, I wondered how they would escape from a teleporting predator. The Party were saved when Artus created an ice fist to block the path of the dinosaur, allowing the Party to flee from the situation, which they may or may not have created themselves.
I believe this was one of the most incredible displays of Dex’s power. Before this, Dex had intervened in subtler ways to guide the Party away from the hands of death; he informed me that Muurond’s death was decided as final by the Dungeon Master as it was Muurond who decided to chase the assassin without informing the others (this occurred just before the T-Rex encounter). The ice fist sat in the middle of the stone road, frost falling from it like misty waterfalls, shimmering in the light of the sun. Though I am not well-versed in the laws of magic, I understand that it is taxing on individuals, with spells and abilities only being able to be used so many times a day. And so, I was concerned when the Party decided to follow the T-Rex… again.
A Tabaxi (cat-person) confronted the T-Rex with an exclamation of “King of Feathers! I challenge you!” and he was promptly devoured. Our stealthy Party, who had recently gotten out of the sights of the dinosaur due to Dex’s intervention as Artus, then decided to follow the T-Rex again anyway, a decision made by their very own Tabaxi. At this point, it is prudent to point out that Muurond met his fate at the hands of a mercenary Tabaxi named Bag of Nails just after the Kamadan attack. Dex moved in to work when it happened and upon their return, it seemed that the Party member who had been Muurond now resided in the body of Bag of Nails. This seems to be common practice in Campaigns, according to Dex, although they have pointed out that it can depend on the Dungeon Master. Whose Skin is it Anyway? points out that it is more common than not (Stayded, 2013).
Captured in the City of Omu: Tragedy Strikes the Party
After having saved the Party twice, Dex’s work was undone by a puzzle trap that put them all to sleep, allowing the Yuan-ti (snake-people) who had taken over the city to imprison them and take their possessions. The Party tried and failed to escape the prison by lying and were eventually enslaved. It was here that the sword Leeroy had acquired, that Dex had said “was just a normal sword”, had compelled Leeroy to find the Ring of Winter, which Artus (Dex) had been wearing before being captured by the Yuan-ti. I’m not sure if Dex was preoccupied because of the capture or if it was the will of the Campaign or the Dungeon Master, but Leeroy lost herself in the power of the ring, entering a chilling rage and wreaking havoc, massacring many of Yuan-ti before she was killed. When Dex returned to report what had occurred, they seemed regretful and said that the Party members were grieving. The Party member who had been in Leeroy’s body was brought back in the form of a Dwarf Cleric named Sahandi. It was slightly confronting to discover what lengths the Party members would have go to in order to fulfil their roles as Heroes but Dex had this to say on the matter:
Interview with Deus Ex Machina, 20th December 2018 | Yuan-ti Temple, 7:11pm
| D.E.X: | Leeroy’s death is actually a little upsetting because she was doing her best. Muurond died because he made a dumb decision. Deaths in Campaigns aren’t always tragic to me. |
| INTERVIEWER: | You must see so much for your feelings to come to that conclusion. |
| D.E.X: | Even if I don’t do anything, I’m always there on the sidelines… just in case. So, yeah, I see almost everything that goes on. |
| INTERVIEWER: | Have you ever thought about quitting? |
| D.E.X: | Hmm… not really. I mean, there’s always going to be a need for me, whether it’s being lazy or just needing me. |
| INTERVIEWER: | Do some people think that asking you for help is lazy? |
| D.E.X: | Yeah, but sometimes they’re right. In the Campaigns it’s a little different because sometimes the Dungeon Masters feel like they have no choice because of the Players. |
If he was a little upset then, he was very upset once we journeyed into the Tomb. Compared to the shenanigans the Party had committed, the Tomb truly was the place of horrors it was made out to be. Dex moved in full force but there were moments when they and the Dungeon Master couldn’t stop the impending deaths of Party member after Party member. Feika met her death in a feast room where she was enchanted by a statue of a boar, which promptly decapitated her and Muurond fell into a meat grinder; just to name some of the deaths.
Not all Campaigns are Fated to end in Triumph
Dex and the Dungeon Master worked on a “Reincarnation Room” that allowed them to bring some Party members back, albeit in different bodies as they couldn’t quite seem to control the mechanism. Time after time, Acererak’s love for puzzles and evil beasts killed them, until the Party finally confronted him over a pit of lava. The origin of the Death Curse was in front of them, and they even managed to polymorph Acererak into a fish and kick him into the lava, but it was to no avail, the evil being stronger than the four of them that remained, in bodies they’d been wearing for mere hours. The famous Party that Dex and I had followed across the jungle through to Omu finally met their end at the hands of the evil that guarded their goal. Their names were wiped from the world, no mention of them appearing in the Charter of Heroes (Ahgonee, 2019), and the Campaign came to a gritty, swift end; one that I did not expect.
Final Interview, with Guest: the Dungeon Master | Local Tavern, 9:06pm
| INTERVIEWER: | So, Dungeon Master, you prefer to be called DM, don’t you? |
| D.M: | Yeah, when people hear someone call me ‘Dungeon Master’ without context, they think some pretty weird things. |
| INTERVIEWER:
|
Alright, I’ll call you DM. Now, we’re here today with both DM and Dex to talk about their work relationship in terms of how they interact with one another in a Campaign. |
| D.E.X: | I’m like an ‘under the table’ kind of partner. |
| D.M: | *laughs* Yeah, kind of. Instead of crushing the Party, sometimes I need to ask Dex to do me a favour. |
| INTERVIEWER: | You both seem to get on well. |
| D.M: | Yeah, well it’s not me who criticises Deus’ work… um… actually that’s not entirely true, I guess… |
| D.E.X: | Yeah, not when it’s you that’s asking me for the favour. When other people ask me you sometimes pull a face. |
| D.M: | Hey, don’t make me sound like a hypocrite. |
| D.E.X: | *laughs* |
| INTERVIEWER: | I imagine that, though it looks like it might be a bad move for others to ask Dex for a favour sometimes, there are just moments that you need Dex. |
| D.M: | … Yeah… it’s really like that. Things happen quickly. It’s not like we’re narrating and editing a story and so sometimes things come in Campaigns that you really weren’t expecting… like the Party doing some of the most idiotic things ever. |
| D.E.X: | ‘Idiotic’ is one way to put it. |
| INTERVIEWER: | Yes, I was surprised that they thought it was a good idea to confront the Frost Giants. I’ve never been in a Campaign before, but I feel that I would have high-tailed it out of there. |
| D.M: | They were meant to! They were meant to just get the information but they decided they would try and fight them instead. Who does that?! |
| D.E.X: | Party members. |
| D.M: | F****** Party memb- oops, I probably shouldn’t say that on here. |
| INTERVIEWER: | *laughs* If you can help it, it would be great. We can just remove that part from the interview. |
| D.M: | *laughs* Yeah, I’ve developed a bit of an anger issue… just a little bit. |
| D.E.X: | Just a litt- |
| D.M: | Don’t…. Sorry, we’re kind of derailing your interview… ironically. |
| INTERVIEWER: | The point of the interview is to reflect on how you two worked together for the sake of the Campaign and how you interact with one another is important for that. |
| D.M: | Yeah, it’s really just a love-hate relationship. Sometimes you get to a point in the Campaign where you want to give up on the Party but you can’t, and so you look to your left at Dex and put both thumbs up as you try not to cry… and they’ll go in and clean it up. |
| D.E.X: | If I’m not cleaning up situations then DM has to clean up bodies, so it’s kind of a win-win. |
| INTERVIEWER: | Oh, that’s a way to put it. |
| D.M: | Dex is not wrong though. To be honest, I’m surprised they lasted all the way to the Tomb only having two members having to body-shift… and then I remember how much Dex overworked and kinda just put my head in my hands *laughs* |
| INTERVIEWER: | In the end, the Party were all defeated by Acererak. How do you two feel about that? Do you feel any responsibility over it? |
| D.M: | Yes and no. I’m here as a guide and Dex is here as a miracle, we’re not meant to guarantee they can complete the Campaign, that really isn’t our roles here. |
| D.E.X: | DM is right about that. We’re here to help but we’re not here to do the work for them. At the end of the day, it really is up to them. I mean, most people want the “greater good” to win in the end but if they’re utterly defeated like this Party was, there’s nothing we can do about it. |
| D.M: | Some blame might get thrown at us- or more-so at me really- but we Dungeon Masters don’t always write the Campaign. But, even if I did plan out this one, it wouldn’t entirely be my fault if the potential Heroes can’t see it through. |
| INTERVIEWER: | You two worked hard on the “Reincarnation Room”, but in the end, the Party amassed a death total of twenty deaths, with the only person not having to “body-shift” being Nym. |
| D.E.X: | That’s only because she ditched the Party. Can’t die if you don’t participate. Gnomes. |
| D.M: | Oh no, she definitely died with the others, she just didn’t get a second chance. |
| D.E.X: | Oh, really? Brutal. |
| D.M: | Ah, but, back to the question: no. Not for me at least. It’s not unusual for a potential Hero to body-shift, but this was a lot of times. This Campaign really was a tough one. |
| D.E.X: | I’m afraid of what the count’d be if I wasn’t here. |
| D.M: | Let’s not think about that. But, I’d like to point out that there’re Heroes who’ve completed their Campaign without dying. Not all Campaigns are as terrible as this one. |
| D.E.X: | You could say… they were annihilated. |
| D.M: | *scuffling sounds… smacking sound* |
| D.E.X: | That kinda hurt… |
| D.M: | Save yourself from it next time. *thudding of glass* Maybe we shouldn’t have started drinking *laughs* but this really is how we finish Campaigns. We say a toast to finally gettin’ the Kill Bill Siren out of our heads. |
| INTERVIEWER: | It seems that this has been quite taxing on you two. |
| D.M: | Yeah, look at Dex… still wearing the Artus Cimber face. |
| INTERVIEWER: | That’s true. Before you adopted the Artus Cimber persona, you often appeared as Idris Elba. |
| D.E.X: | Who wouldn’t wanna look like that guy though. |
| D.M: | If I could face-change like Dex, I’d look like Sasuke. |
| D.E.X: | … from Naruto? |
| D.M: | Yeah. |
| D.E.X: | … I wonder if I could pull off an anime character… |
| INTERVIEWER: | We should start wrapping this interview up before you two get too lost in your grief. *laughs* Once I’m done you’ll be free to chat about whatever you like. |
| D.M: | Grief and relief. |
| D.E.X: | Yeah, yeah, sorry about that. |
| INTERVIEWER: | What was the most profound moment from the Campaign, for each of you? |
| D.E.X: | Er… |
| DUNGEON MASTER: | Hmm… um… maybe… What about you? |
| D.E.X: | I dunno actually… definitely not those idiots thinkin’ it was a good idea to double-cross triple-cross. |
| D.M: | Oh! That’s right! Orgonogall did that. Told Ras Nsi that the other people were planning to overthrow the him before the others could even decide whose side to take! *exasperated noises* Just what the f***? There’s always one of those. Sometimes it’s good to keep the Campaign going but other times it’s just like… “what the f*** mate. Please don’t let this turn into friendly fire”. |
| INTERVIEWER: | But they did end up defeating both of the factions and Sahandi managed to banish the monster that was summoned. |
| D.M: | She literally just said “b**** bye” and cast Banish on that bloody thing- |
| D.E.X: | I didn’t even have any involvement on that one. |
| D.M: | -and it just went bye bye! *groaning and growling noises* |
| INTERVIEWER: | It’s almost as if you wanted them to have to fight that monstrosity. |
| D.M: | … Just for the record: I never said that. |
| D.E.X: | Out loud. |
| INTERVIEWER: | Okay, well it seems that the number of flagons have increased exponentially- I don’t even know when these four were emptied *thudding sounds*- and so we’ll wrap up the interview here on the final thoughts of the Campaign. |
| D.M: | *sniffling* |
| D.E.X: | Alright, let’s get this done. |
| INTERVIWER: | What do you think can be gained by people reading this documentary? |
| D.E.X: | I’m going to let you go first on this one. *slurping* |
| D.M: | Dex just wants to hear me say good things about them. |
| INTERVIEWER: | Do you have good things to say about Dex? |
| D.M | … Some people criticise Dex’s work because they think it’s lazy, but sometimes it really saves us, especially Dungeon Masters. Campaigns can be really chaotic things and so havin’ Dex helps us when we’re in a tight spot is great. I dunno if the Heroes will ever appreciate Dex but I know that I do. |
| D.E.X: | *sniffs* Bruh… that’s the nice- nicest thing *shuddered breaths* anyone’s said about me. *light sobs* |
| D.M: | *clinking* Here’s to us making it through another Campaign… well, not the Party… and I kinda feel psychologically damaged… but, yeah, y’know… yay. |
| INTERVIEWER: | Now Dex, what are you final thoughts on the Campaign? |
| D.E.X: | *heavy sigh, sniffs* I think… I think it’ll show people that I can be employed in different ways to help. *sniffs and clears throat* But it also shows that, even with my help, sometimes the people who’re meant to be the Heroes don’t prevail… and though it’s scary to think about Heroes not always winning, sometimes it’s just how it’s meant to be. |
| D.M: | Wow. |
| INTERVIEWER: | I think that is a pretty profound message for our audience, and I thank you for allowing me to follow you during this Campaign. |
| D.M: | I commend you for keeping your sanity. |
| D.E.X: | It’s been a pleasure. |
| INTERVIEWER: | And with that, we close this interview and documentary on Dex’s work on this Campaign, reflecting on what was achieved and what was learn- |
| MAN IN BACKGROUND: | Oi! Dungeon Master! Syndra Silvane is asking you to gather another Party to try and conquer the Tomb of Annihilation again! |
| D.M: | *incoherent screeching* |
My Final Thoughts
From Novyl Offices, to Chult, to the Ziggurat, to the Cistern, to the City of Omu, to the Yuan-ti Dungeons, to the Tomb and finally to a tavern; I followed Dex as they did their best to ferry the Party through the Campaign and defeat the infamous Acererak, the creator of the Death Curse. There were many moments I thought the Party was going to be obliterated, including moments where they probably should have, and many moments where I appreciated the efforts of Dex. Dex saved them from near “insta-death”, from rabid monkeys, from Hags, from complete death and also from themselves.
In the end, the Party was crushed by Acererak, cursed to reside within the Tomb for the remainder of their spiritual lives. The Party began as Feika, Leeroy, Muurond, Nym and Orgonogall; and ended with Bag of Nails, Blush, Vidyola and Zuri. Though I may judge the Heroes slightly on their conduct, at the end of the day they really did their best to defeat the Death Curse.
We started with a light-hearted interview at Novyl Offices and ended up with a sombre and messy interview, true to the style of the Party’s Campaign, at a local tavern. I agree with how Dex felt about the Campaign, believing that this documentary of their life will show the necessity of their role, but also the limitations. Dex is the Hero we deserve, but not the one we need all of the time.
Bibliography
Ahgonee, J. (2018). Charter of Heroes. Annual Charter of Heroes.
Bigsahd, E. (2012). Critical Thinking Handbook of a Dungeon Master. East Some Where: That’s a Crit Inc.
Fureva, E., & Levulten, J. (2015). Let’s Get This XP. South Some Where: Yes, We Publish.
Help, C. (2017, September 22). Race Doesn’t Matter – Loot Does. Putting the Psychology into these Psychos, pp. 43-46.
Press, F. (2015, March 11). Heroes: Warriors or Celebrated Thieves? DND Heroes Daily, pp. 23-24.
Stayded, J. (2013). Whose Skin is it Anyway? North Some Where: Nat 1 Have Fun.
Hopfield is Writing 