The Campaign of 2025

We didn't know it when we started the campaign of 2025, but it became the West Marches campaign. It can be hard to keep a party together week after week for so so many sessions. So we gathered at different times on different nights (sometimes a Wednesday, sometimes a Saturday, but also other days and times), with a pool of players who could help overcome the unknown obstacles in the way. Little did we know that those players would pick the hard way to find the path to glory.

Paul left the group early. It was sad, but we know he'll be back next year. A bunch of people we thought were going to be in the core group just weren't there. There were players that needed to show up once or twice a week and we just wouldn't see them for months at a time.

And that's how the campaign of 2025 became the West Marches, a collection of more than 20 players who all would contribute when they could, not knowing ahead of time whether it would be them or another who could show up on a particular adventure.

This is our collection of tough kids – youth and veterans from around the world.

They are intrepid heroes, or at least that's what they've become during this quest.

The campaign started with struggle. And then the action rose. There were key victories. On the fields of the Duwamish this group shone. Displaying grace and glory they dominated all comers – until the very world came.

Could there be moralizing defeat? That adventure with the world says yes.

The heroes rallied. They became known around the continent as challengers, ones to watch. And then the second set of international glory came.

Those fools and charlatans came to Elliot's Bay to lose, badly. Shamed and forlorn they left. None could top this collection that now had to go 23 deep due to injury and foolishness.

They defeated the very gods of soccer. A pantheon came for a trophy that could only be theirs, because everything deserves to be theirs.

Our Sounders embarrassed them – defeating the gods.

The rally continued for a bit. A climax that would continue. But then denouement. The pace couldn't hold. Perpetual injury is a plague. No matter the depth, time catches up.

There remains a second chance at glory. Standing in the way are the starry Loons, a chrome and azul manufactured menace, the angels or the True North, and likely again those gods of soccer or some other party that unseats them.

2025 was a long campaign – there's been glory. There's a chance at more. The final adventure starts Monday night and the Seattle Sounders’ cast of characters are as ready as they can be.

*Registrants at D&D Beyond can see the 23 most-used Seattle Sounders players as D&D characters created using the core rules of the 2024 ruleset. These character sheets are stories told in shorthand. Their playing time in leagues of MLS quality or better are their level.
Paulie Rothrock is an Arcane Trickster Rogue, lucky halfling, practitioner of stealth and deception. Moose is a Barbarian Wild Heart, getting right in the face of opponents with no trickery, just rage channeled into a ball. Pedro de la Vega is an Evoker Wizard – all power and tricks.
Feel free to ask questions about choices in comments or in the Sounder at Heart Discord.

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