I thought that the forum might like to see a write-up of the first session of my Reign of Winter game. The next session is on Friday!
I only deleted real names to protect the innocent. All spelling and grammar mistakes are to be considered (sic). Enjoy!
McManus – Human Cleric of Sarenrae
Anjana – Vanara (minkey) Zen Archer
Sven Sienson – Human Viking
Zevus Djaggara – Elf Wizard (needs food badly)
So’Nej – Half Orc Ranger
The mid summer festival was in full swing when things began to change.
Old Mother Theadora had a seizure during the festival and made a mad rant prophesizing that a blanket of winter and darkness flapping in the wind would doom us all. Everyone was concerned and sought comfort while she rested and recovered. Soon after the event, a summer storm began up on the mountain and quickly made it’s way down to Heldren, covering the area in a blanket of snow and cold much colder than in seasons past and never at this time of year.
A day or so later, Uul Northman staggered down the mountain and into town, seriously wounded. He was with Lady Argentine guarding her carriages when they were attacked by bandits and cold fae. The Lady was kidnapped and taken away up the mountain. He explained that cold fae are best fought with hot fire or cold iron and that they all swear an allegiance with the White Witches of the North.
So’Nej, Sven, McManus, Anjana, and Zevus assemble to investigate the attack and what is happening on the mountain and hope to rescue Lady Argentina. They quickly gather provisions and cold weather gear and head up the mountain to the site of the attack on the carriage.
When they arrive, they cautiously approach the nearest carriage where they can hear someone fumbling around inside. So’Nej sniffs the air and informs the others that whatever is inside, is not alive. The party prepares to attack whatever comes out and they free the carriage doors so the 2 zombies inside can lumber out. They are quickly dispatched. While So’Nej searches the Lady’s carriage, the rest of the party gathers her dead (and recently re-dead) guards and lays them out respectively in the carriage so wandering animals will not disturb their remains and Sven follows tracks up the hill where Lady Argentine has been absconded with. So’Nej finds a box of her jewelry with her signet ring and is able to get a scent from it to track her. Further up the hill, Sven is hit by a log (trap) and knocked back down the hill. He decides to wait for the rest of the party.
Tracking the Lady and her kidnappers up the hill, the party finds themselves in a snow-filled bowl with high sides and just as they are getting uneasy in the waist deep snow, a Tatsul Wyrm attacks Zevus and drags him off into the bowl under the snow. The party springs into action and saves Zevus, killing the wyrm. This is a creature that should be at home far, far to the north and should not be on this mountain.
The party continues to trek up the mountain and comes across a copse of trees with strange bundles of sticks wrapped together and hung from the trees. As the party gets closer, they see that they are not made from sticks, but are crows that have been killed and mutilated. It is at this time that they are ambushed by 3 little fae creatures with wings and deadly bows. Zevus goes down first, then Sven, then Anjana, leaving only So’Nej and McManus to defend the group. Things look grim as the fae get confident and close in, but So’Nej has other plans. He lashes out and grabs one of the little fae out of the air! Squeezing it tightly, he puts it’s head in his mouth ready to bite the little bastard’s head off. The other 2 fae back off and McManus starts a hostage negotiation ending with the 3 fae leaving the party alone forever in exchange for So’Nej not having a mid-day fae snack. Before the fae is released, it is interrogated and the party finds out the fae were way further south than they thought they were and that they were scouts for the White Witches of Irrisen (which is ruled by the Djadwiga family).
After leaving the fae scouts, the party finds it’s way to Wishbone Creek where the river is frozen solid and a solitary snowman standing guard on the near side of the river. Sven approaches the snowman and it says to him via a magic mouth spell “Trespassers Turn Back!”. Sven, not pleased at being called a trespasser, attacks it and it’s head explodes with a piercing shriek.
As the party crosses the river, they are attacked by ice elementals bursting up through the river ice, but the enemies are quickly dispatched. On the other side of the river, they find Old Man Dansby frozen solid in a snow bank by the side of the road. It appeared he was up on the mountain hunting when he was attacked and he must have bled out and his corpse froze after he died.
McManus was hit by the ice elementals a couple times and was suffering from the extreme cold so the party made camp for a few hours to warm up and have a hot meal. At this time, an elk appeared nearby and spoke to the party about being heroes and whatnot. He too was surprised to find himself so far south, especially at this time of year, but wandered off just the same. As they break camp, the party surmise that the White Witches have figured out a way to expand their wintery realm in preparation for an invasion of some sort.
After trekking further up the mountain, the party hears some noise up ahead. So’Nej scouts a bit and sees 3 bandits in blue arguing over who gets what share of a treasure. It is decided that So’Nej will sneak around behind the bandits and approach from the other side to create a diversion so the others can rush up and not worry about sneaking in their armor. So’Nej creeps around and positions himself. He throws his spear and shish-ka-bobs one of the bandits clean through the middle, killing him outright. With the other two bandit’s full attention on So’Nej, the rest of the party rushes in and attacks. It is over so quickly, the party remembers afterward that they wanted to take a prisoner.
Thanks! I just started running this campaign, too. Wish I'd have thought of the Old Mother Theadora stuff.
I look forward to reading your summaries.
That is the best part, these aren't mine. I have a player that loves to be the chronicler (the one playing So'Nej), so this is all player reaction.
I actually got the Mother Theadora from these forums too.
I'm looking forward to posting them though! Feedback is almost always good.
One thing you have to realize is that Sven is probably actually insane. He is Chaotic Neutral and doing a pretty good job of it all things considered, but he definitely has one very clearly wrong character trait. He talks through a hand puppet. Not always of course, but if you want him to be articulate, you are going to be talking to his hand. Fill hit puppet hand with his sword or shield and he is practically the Evil Midnight Bomber What Bombs at Midnight. Sven smash indeed.
Without further ado, here is part two of Stone Dog's Reign of Winter Campaign. All errors are due to player perception and not to be blamed upon the GM.
After defeating the bandits they found on the trail, the party proceeded up the trail towards the Lodge of the High Sentinels. As they approached, the falling snow softened the footsteps of those not adept at concealing themselves and So’Nej noticed a tripwire across the trail, stopping the others just in time. He made a little pile of snow next to the wire to mark it, but left the trap active in hopes of letting it work against any pursuers if they needed to make a hasty retreat.
They party observed the Lodge before proceeding around the tree line of the property to check the outbuildings. The latrine was empty and the stables housed the 3 horses from the Lady’s carriages.
After another brief observation of the Lodge revealed no movement inside, it was decided they would split into two groups to enter the Lodge. So’Nej and Anjana would sneak up to the back door, while Sven, McManus, and Zevus would make a noisy approach to the front door. The strategy would hopefully give So’Nej and Anjana a surprise advantage when they entered the back door with whoever was inside focused on the front.
Sven, McManus, and Zevus marched up to the front and Sven pounded on the door, garnering a lot of activity inside. The door opened and McManus pretended that they were travelers and wanted shelter from the cold but the bandit that answered the door would have none of it. The bandit tried to slam the door shut only to have Sven barge his way right in and draw his sword. Other bandits inside rushed to the door to help and were caught off guard as So’Nej and Anjana rushed in and attacked.
Facing two fronts of action, the bandits were divided and several went down quickly, before more rushed in from the side rooms. McManus found a bandit that was bleeding out and healed him so that he could be questioned. With the melee over, the party began to search the first floor of the Lodge before moving upstairs. In a side room, four sick bandits were found and McManus convinced them to surrender. He then brought over the bandit he saved to join them in the room with Sven standing guard. Sven made it clear through creative use of his puppet friend that he was not to be trifled with and any funny business would be met with the business end of his sword.
Meanwhile, Zevus and So’Nej cleared checked the rest of the rooms on the first floor and found no one, but as they approached the kitchen, So’Nej sensed the presence of someone inside, a half-orc by the scent of them. They entered and looked, but no one was visible and there was no place to hide. So’Nej blocked the door while Zevus scanned the room for magic, finding something near the stove. They called out to have whoever was there to show themselves and were responded to by a female half-orc. She said she couldn’t become visible until “it” wore off so So’Nej grabbed a bag of flour from the shelf and tossed it to the disembodied voice, ordering her to cover herself with it so they could “see” her. She complied and said her name was Tenpenny.
Out in the main room of the Lodge, several of the bodies of the fallen bandits began to stir. They began to ice over, the chill freezing their flesh solid, which began to crack and fall off as they rose. Ice Skeletons! McManus, Sven, and Anjana began to fight and Zevus moved into the main room and began flinging spells. So’Nej still didn’t trust the semi-visible half-orc in the kitchen and didn’t want her escaping so he directed her to hit him so the spell would wear off and he could see her. Her fist clanged against his shield and she popped into view. So’Nej was pleased at what he saw, but ordered her to stay in the kitchen until the fight was over and she agreed, saying that she wasn’t one of the bandits and that their leader, Rocar, was likely hiding upstairs. He closed the door behind him as he left the room and joined the melee.
As the melee came to a close and the Ice Skeletons were shattered on the floor, they realized it was time to go upstairs and finish off any remaining bandits and their leader Rocar. Sven was first, So’Nej second, then came Tenpenny (they didn’t want her sneaking away while they were upstairs), followed by McManus, Zevus, and Anjana. Sven opened the door and was attacked by two more Ice Skeletons in the doorway. With little room for the melee, So’Nej pushed Sven hard against one of the Ice Skeletons, pushing them both back into the room, as he stepped in the doorway to face the other Ice Skeleton. There was an alcove space at the top of the stairs that McManus urged Tenpenny to move into so he could move up and cast, and she scooted into it.
Sven and So’Nej continued to fight the Ice Skeletons and as McManus cast a bless on So’Nej, they heard a strange voice yell “Traitor!” as they saw Tenpenny crumple fall over the railing, revealing the Bandit Leader Rocar standing in the alcove. (He was invisible there. And I forgot his copy cat ability! DON'T FORGET COPY CAT!-SD) He sneered at them and jumped over the rail to the floor below. McManus followed, vaulting over the rail and slamming painfully into the floor, almost landing on Tenpenny. Rocar cast a spell of Doom upon McManus, who immediately fled out the front door, and then turned to run out the back. Zevus flung a spell at Rocar’s back as he fled, and Anjana sent two arrows after him. Thunk! Thunk!
Rocar cried in pain and ran outside, calling for “Eos” to help him. More spells and arrows followed him and he collapsed into the snow, clawing at the snow in an attempt to crawl away. With the Ice Skeletons now dead, Sven leapt over the rail and went outside to find Rocar now pleading for his life. With a grin, Sven ended it.
With the lodge clear of apparent bandits the search for the Lady began in earnest. So’Nej searched the upstairs office, finding a lockbox, a cache of potions, a Deep Blue Ice Diamond (normally only found in the land of Irresen), and a caged winter sprite who begged him to let it go. Rocar groveled at Sven’s feet before Sven ended his groveling, and his life. Sven noticed the coat Rocar was wearing was really, really nice, so he took it from the body and put it on. Strangely there were no bloodstains upon it, and it made him feel very comfortable, even in the extreme winter cold. Sven also found Rocar was carrying a spell book, and the holy symbol of the God of Secrets and Assassination. Bad Juju.
About this time, McManus reached the narrow rope bridge that spans Redgorge Ravine. As he neared it though, a winged harpy like creature appeared and hit him with a ray of ice that hurt REALLY bad. McManus, now freed from Rocar’s spell, tried to converse with the creature, who it turns out was named Eos. He learned that the creature was using the bandits for some unknown purpose but was not allied with them and it warned McManus not to cross the bridge. Anjana went to find McManus and saw him talking with Eos so she approached with caution.
McManus and Anjana were not able to get much out of the creature except that if they did not cross the bridge the creature would leave them alone and that Rocar had made a deal with the creature to help him defeat the High Sentinel Rangers that occupied the Lodge previous to their arrival. (The Sentinels and Rocar’s Raiders had been skirmishing for quite some time by this point) Zevus questioned the winter sprite and discovered that the sick bandits were suffering from a chill type sickness and were contagious. Thankfully, no one had yet had to touch them or even go into the room where they were now locked to get them to surrender.
McManus and Anjana left the creature and came back inside to help search for the Lady, who was found by Sven locked in the cellar. She was brought up and comforted by Zevus while the rest gathered up the dead bandits, searched them, and took them outside. So’Nej went to the kitchen and cooked up a hearty soup as they settled in for the night.
Tenpenny told her story of how the bandits had found and “recruited” her by force, and as she had nothing to do with the Lady’s kidnapping or the slaughter of the Rangers, it was decided she would be allowed to go free. McManus managed to convince her that she could repent her former sins and “rogue-ly” ways by joining the party and doing good with her life and she agreed. So’Nej gave her the master crafted short sword and thieves tools he found while searching Rocar and the dead bandits.
As the rest of the party was enjoying their soup, So’Nej took some to the sick bandits and brought the healthy one out of the room for a little walk. He quietly steered him outside and asked him questions about Rocar and how the bandits had defeated the Rangers and how many he had killed. So’Nej learned how Rocar had made a deal with Eos to help them slay the Rangers and take over the Lodge and that Rocar had seemed much more sinister than usual of late. As he casually questioned the bandit, he steered him around the perimeter of the Lodge towards Redgorge Ravine, and when he was finished questioning him, he pushed him off the edge to plummet hundreds of feet to his death. These bandits had killed his friends and he was determined that they see justice for their foul deeds at the bottom of the ravine.
As So’Nej returned to the Lodge, he picked up some winter gloves from one of the dead bandits and casually went back to the room where the sick bandits were huddled to collect the next one for interrogation. McManus and the others saw him take the bandit out the back door and realized that the last one that he’d taken outside had not returned. McManus and Anjana went out the front door to intercept and confront So’Nej before he killed the next bandit. McManus was adamant that they take the remaining bandits back to Heldren to stand trial for their crimes. So’Nej was of the opinion that was a waste of time and that these filthy humans should simply be put to death for the murder of the Rangers that they already had confessed to. McManus insisted and So’Nej relented, but stated that if they tried to escape on the way back down the mountain he would track them and kill them immediately. When they returned inside, McManus went to the remaining captive bandits and showed them the evil symbol that Rocar had carried. They were shocked, ashamed, and repentant of their actions. They had no idea Rocar had been involved with such evil and they promised not to try and escape and that they would plead their case in Heldren.
The next morning, the bandits were taken outside and bound together for travel down the mountain, the Lady was mounted on her horse, and McManus cast a few spells that would help everyone deal with the cold. Before they departed, they burned the bedding from the room where the sick bandits were kept and cleaned it thoroughly with a home remedy to cleanse and prevent the spread of the sickness. They left cleansing herb incense burning in the room and posted a note on the door to keep it closed until the incense had done it’s work. So’Nej also left a note of what had happened at the Lodge so any Rangers returning from a long patrol would know.
When they reached the site of the kidnapping, they hooked up the horses to the Lady’s carriages where they had interned her former guards and brought them back to Heldren for final burial.
On a hunch, So’Nej searched around that first tree trap that Sven had found on their way up the mountain and found a chest buried nearby. It contained the weapons and armor of the Lady’s former guard. She donated the weapons to the town to be used in it’s defense.
As they entered town, the party was greeted warmly by the citizens of Heldren and the Lady was grateful to be safe again. Their mission finished, they went to the inn for a hot meal and some rest. They would need it before they headed back up the mountain to see what cold evil lay across Redgorge Ravine.
THis looks so fun!
I am gming this AP and loving it so far. My players have just defeated Rohkar and found Lady Argentae.
We continue tomorrow and i hope we can get to the battle at the winter protal!
Missed a couple!
Anjana – Marjy – Vanara (monkey) Zen Archer
Sven Sienson – Luis – Human Viking
Zevus Djaggara – Daniel – Elf Wizard
So’Nej – Rich – Half Orc Ranger
Tenpenny – NPC – Half Orc Rogue
After returning to Heldren and resting from their adventure of freeing the Lady from her kidnappers, there was a trial for the surviving bandits. Based on their actions and the fact they were following a leader who worshipped an ancient evil cult (Rocar), they were found guilty and sentenced to death. The Lady was not without mercy though and ruled they would be executed in the most humane and painless way possible. After McManus ”preyed” for their souls and preached to the crowd, Zevius bedazzled the condemned men with a spell so they would not feel the bite of So’Nej’s axe on their necks as he severed each of their heads. As death closed the final chapter on the bandits’ lives, the Adventurers would begin a new chapter after they prepared to head back up the mountain to see what lay beyond Redgorge Ravine.
As Mc’Manus, Zevius, and Sven interrogated the captive snow pixie, So’Nej bartered with Tengezil Frimbocket for a new, stronger bow. The pixie was not as cooperative as Tengezil was, but they learned some valuable information.
• The sprite was more afraid of being tortured and killed for betraying a White Witch than meeting his end at the hands of an adventurer; however, after several days of intense interrogations, Sven was finally able to convince the sprite to talk for a short period of time by letting his puppet talk some sense into him. (don’t ask…)
• At least 1 White Witch opened a portal to let winter through from Irresen
• A troll named Teb Notten came through to establish a presence with a small contingent of sprites
• The plot behind kidnapping Lady Argentea was to replace her with an imposter and send her back to Taldor
Back up the mountain they trudged to the Ranger Outpost without incident. There was no sign of any visitors at the outpost so across the ravine they went, noticing that the creature that guarded the bridge was no longer there. The way was not without peril though, as the adventurers were soon attacked by six ice skeletons, wearing ancient Qadiran garb. Someone must have found an ancient tomb and animated soldiers killed in a long forgotten battle. No matter though, they were quickly defeated.
Further down the trail, the adventurers happened upon a blood stained area and a corpse. It was the remains of an old hunter named Dryden Kep. Some folks in Heldren had mentioned to the adventurers that he’d gone off to hunt a giant weasel. Everyone thought he was a few trees short of a forest, but it looked as if he had been chewed in half so they became wary. Among his remains were some snow shoes and his journal. So’Nej donned the snow shoes and the journal revealed where the old hunter had set bear traps to try and capture the beast. McManus said a few words over Dryden’s body before they proceeded down the trail.
After a short while, they came across an area where a circle of snow had been cleared and lined with pine needles. The ever patient Sven tossed a big rock into the center of the circle before anyone could stop him and out of the clearing burst two very angry treantlings bent on killing the intruders for crushing their young saplings to death. The ensuing melee was brief, the intruders adventurers prevailed.
Further down the trail, they came across a hilltop where a crude cabin had been constructed. Numerous blocks of ice lay between them and the cabin further up the hill, forming a crude maze. So’Nej and Tenpenny were carefully scouting ahead when right next to So’Nej, in one of the unnaturally clear ice blocks, appeared a little girl. Appearing to be about 6 years old and wearing clothes one would find in Heldren, she said to someone that wasn’t there, “I’m Sorry! I didn’t mean to say those things! Please don’t keep me here! I don’t want your stupid doll! I want to go home!” Then she turned and spoke directly to So’Nej, “I have to get out of here and you do too, before they get you. RUN!” As the little girl spoke to him, So’Nej was assailed with images that would most certainly frighten a young child; being dragged down a hallway by a guard, being scolded by her father, weeping at her father’s grave, etc. He took her advice and RAN LIKE HELL, leaving the rest of his companions scratching their heads as he dashed off into the forest.
While Tenpenny dashed off after So’Nej, the rest of the group ascended the hill to investigate the small structure at its peak. It was a small hut with a window centered on each of the three walls, with an open doorway on the fourth. Inside, a small child’s doll resembling the little girl So’Nej saw in the ice sat innocently on a wooden chair. As they approached, the doll rose from the chair and floated in the air. It gave McManus, Zevius, and Anjana a piercing gaze from its vibrant blue eyes and they were wounded by a frost spell.
Sven jumped through one of the windows in the hut and made ready to smite it. The doll responded by gazing deep into Sven’s eyes and suddenly all he could think of doing was to protect this innocent little girl from any danger, even if that meant hurting his friends. He then took a defensive position between the doll and his comrades. About this time So’Nej came to his senses and began racing back up the hill.
Anjana began firing arrows at the doll, Zevius flung spells, and McManus tried to talk some sense into Sven as the doll flung a small knife into his shoulder. So’Nej and Tenpenny made it back to the hut and So’Nej jumped through the window and tried to clear Sven’s mind by smashing the chair over his head. As daring as this maneuver was, it ultimately failed and the doll now had two allies, in addition to the hut beginning to burn due to one of Zevius’ spells. Sven and So’Nej moved outside and the doll rose higher through a hole in the roof to clear the flames.
Tenpenny sapped So’Nej and knocked him clear of the doll’s influence as Sven tried to stop his friends from further injuring the girl. Fortunately, his head was cleared when the rest of the group defeated the doll with ranged attacks. Zevius noticed that one of the doll’s eyes was made of a sapphire with magical properties and it was decided that they should destroy the gem in hopes of freeing the soul of the trapped girl from this dark magic. After shattering the gem with a large rock, they all felt the elation and joy of the little girl’s soul as her spirit left the hilltop.
As the remains of the hut burned, the party felt it was a good place to regroup and rest for a bit. McManus took first watch and came across something written in the snow as he patrolled the perimeter of the makeshift camp. He peered down, and the words “Turn back before winter devours you” were punctuated by a large explosion! Wounded deeply by the explosion, McManus returned to the others and was attended to.
After resting up as best they could, they proceeded further down the trail and they came into a clearing. In the clearing they found some of the old hunter’s traps had been set off by the giant weasel, who was looking ragged and angrily at them, ready to charge. So’Nej stepped forward and stared the beast down, trying to calm it. The beast looked at So’Nej for a bit, then took in the rest of the party behind him and charged. After a few short seconds, it decided it didn’t like the odds and fled into the forest.
Proceeding further along the trail towards the summit was met with harsher winter conditions. Then, from out of the snow, they were attacked by Ioze (the ice creature that was guarding the bridge at Redgorge Ravine) and a wind elemental. The adventurers, sensing they were close to their objective quickly killed the attackers and proceeded up to the summit.
At the summit, visibility was next to zero as they stumbled into a makeshift encampment of igloos, however, they were not surprised by the troll that attacked them from out of the snow. Other ice sprites attacked but then fled into the snow storm as Teb Notten was reduced to Ted Nothing rather quickly. They searched the igloos and encampment, and at the center of the encampment they found a portal which was the source of the storm.
Chilling cold wind and freezing snow burst forth from the portal and it was clear that this was the source of the wintery blanket of death that was covering the land. Suddenly, a foreboding figure on a horse burst through the portal. The rider fell and the horse disappeared into the storm. The rider was clad in demonic armor and was gravely wounded. He crawled to lean against one of the igloos and propped himself up against it just as Sven attacked with a blow that was sure to kill the evil rider. The rider however was not as compliant as old Teb Notten and easily blocked the blow despite visibly being in such bad shape. He parlayed with the group and told his tale.
His name used to be Illarion Matveius but he had (until recently) been Baba Yaga’s Harbinger and he had come through the portal to seek help before he perished and returned to his mortal self. He was asked many questions and gave the adventurers answers to some of the missing pieces of this wintery puzzle.
• This was not the only portal that was opened to Irrisen, dozens more had been opened
• Elvanna (Babba Yaga’s granddaughter) had taken control of Irrisen and sought to expand her power far beyond the original borders of Irrisen as set by Baba Yaga hundreds of years in the past. Elvanna wanted to cover the entire world in winter.
• Only Baba Yaga could stop Elvanna
• He implored the adventurers to find Baba Yaga’s hut in the capitol city of Irrisen and seek out the Queen of all Witches so that she may stop Elvanna
• If they would accept this mission and commit all to its completion, he would empower each of them with abilities to help them succeed.
The adventurers pondered briefly before deciding to accept this pact as they felt it was the only way to stop the White Witch Elvanna from covering the world with snow and ice. As the former harbinger began the ritual that would imbue them with power and commit them to their quest, each was pulled into a private, inner dialogue with him where they agreed to be bound by the pact and learned of their new found abilities. When the ritual was complete, they were pulled back to the reality of the igloo encampment by a splash of hot blood. As they opened their eyes to their new reality, they discovered they were covered head to toe in the former harbingers blood as he had violently sacrificed himself to complete the ritual.
Tenpenny stared at them all aghast. She had not been willing to commit to this bloody task as the sacrifice was too great for her to bear and she had not the confidence to see it through. She agreed to help them as best she could in the time being, but she made it clear that she could not see this quest to the end and would choose to go down another path at some point.
The adventurers finished searching the encampment and took refuge from the storm spewing from the portal in one of the larger igloos, and cleaned themselves up as best they could as the weight of their task sunk in.
Decisions had to be made, would they immediately proceed through the portal and seek out the capitol of Irrisen or would they return to Heldren and prepare for a much longer journey?
Anjana – Marjy – Vanara (minkey) Zen Archer
Sven Sienson – Luis – Human Viking
Zevus Djaggara – Daniel – Elf Wizard (needs food badly)
So’Nej – Rich – Half Orc Ranger
Tenpenny – NPC – Half Orc Rogue
HeghchIS (“white death”) – Polar Bear that So’Nej befriended
And so it was decided that they would trek back to Heldren once more to prepare for a much longer journey, as when they ascended the mountain next, they would continue through the portal and who knows when, or if, they would return.
They stayed in Heldren for three full days. Zevus and McManus spent the time preparing scrolls of the spells they felt would use most often, while the rest of the party traded the loot they had acquired for much needed supplies.
While in town, So’Nej created a system for dividing any future valuables they found amongst the group, first taking into account purchases for the good of the whole group such as healing potions, wands, etc.
• Any found weapons, magic items, or other useful gear would be given to party members that could make the most use of them. Anything not distributed in this manner would be sold and the coin added to the party treasure.
• When available, healing potions and other supplies useful to the whole group would be purchased with funds from the party treasure.
• All remaining party treasure would be divided into 7 shares and distributed thusly:
o The Town of Heldren: 1 share
o Anjana: 1 share
o McManus: 1 share
Church of Sarenrae: ½ share
o So’Nej: 1 share
o Sven: 1 share
o Tenpenny: ½ share
o Zevus: 1 share
As they reached the summit and neared the portal, they encountered an aggressive polar bear. Before Sven could close the distance and hack it to pieces, So’Nej approached the beast and was able to calm it. Sensing it was merely very hungry, So’Nej tossed it some meat which it devoured. This calmed the bear and allowed So’Nej to establish some empathy with it allowing them to pass by. (The polar bear would continue to follow So’Nej who would build further rapport by leaving it packets of meat to find along their trail.)
They reached the portal without further incident and searched the adjacent camp to make sure no one had been there since they left. With the camp secure, they loaded the frozen meat they found there onto their supply sled and proceeded through the portal.
On the other side, a violent snow storm was quickly approaching. The party spied a village in the distance and decided to head that direction. Soon they spotted a group of hunters ahead that were heading towards the same village and Anjana spotted something stalking in the trees near the hunters. Skimming across the tree tops, unbeknownst to the hunters, was a giant mantis preparing to ambush them! As Anjana and Zevus quickly made a couple fire arrows, So’Nej used his snow shoes to plow down the hill towards the hunters, dragging their supply sled behind them to crush the deep snow flat so it would not impede the progress of the others. Anjana loosed a fire arrow, aiming to land in front of the hunters to get their attention. She loosed a second between the hunters and the would be ambusher. The hunters were startled by the sudden appearance of the fire arrows but were adequately warned as they quickly spotted the giant bug that was about to attack them. They were able to took a defensive position just as it attacked.
As the melee began, the bug grabbed one of the hunters and shook him violently as his companions retaliated. So’Nej, Sven, and McManus arrived on the scene a moment later and joined the melee. So’Nej speared the bug and Sven waded in and hacked it with his sword. The bug dropped the hunter and McManus rushed in to pull him to safety and attend to his wounds. Zevus and Anjana caught up and she let a few arrows fly scoring direct hits. It seemed that the melee ended almost as soon as it had started, punctuated by Sven hacking the carapace off of the now very dead and splattered bug.
Introductions were made and the hunting party, though a bit shaken up at being attacked by this terrible thing none of them had ever seen, thanked the adventurers for their assistance. The leader of the hunting party, a comely human named Nadya, suggested they make camp together in the tree line of the forest as now they would not make the village before the storm hit.
So’Nej helped the hunters quickly make a shelter and a fire and Sven used the carapace he’d hacked off the bug to create a wind break for the fire and the camp. As the group settled down to rest, it became clear that most of the hunters only spoke a Nordic language (which Sven understood) and it was Nadya that did most of the translating, being the only one of the hunting party that spoke the common language of the south. She and the hunting party had come from the nearby village of Waldsby and were out in this bad weather to hunt for meat to give as tribute to Nazhena, the White Witch that rules this area. Nadya told the party that her daughter had been taken recently by Nazhena after she had committed an offence in town (slandering her name) and was being held prisoner in the witches’ fortress. Nazhena had proclaimed she may be lenient with the girl’s punishment if she received a tribute, hence the hunting party’s trek into bad weather.
The party offered up some of the meat they had collected from the portal encampment as boar meat was a far greater tribute due to its scarcity in the cold winter that blanketed the land.
So’Nej had been observing the conversation and took note that Nadya looked and dressed similarly to the girl and the doll they had encountered in the hut. He asked Nadya about her little girl and described the girl they had seen in the ice by the hut with the bewitched doll. She immediately became distraught and demanded to know where they’d seen her daughter. So’Nej broke the news to her as gently as he could that they had encountered her daughter’s spirit a week before by a hut with a cursed doll but that they had destroyed the doll and freed the little girl’s spirit. Nadya took the news about as best as can be expected of a parent being told their daughter had been slain and her spirit had been cursed and bound to an evil doll.
She explained that the cursed dolls and huts are placed by the white witches to mark the borders of their territory and to act as sentries. It seemed that Nazhena was in need of a new sentry post so she found a “reason” snatch Nadya’s daughter and curse her soul to power the sentry doll.
Needless to say, Nadya was grief stricken, but she quickly buried her grief and angrily conversed with the men in her hunting party. Their tribute of meat for the release of the girl would now become a delivery of death as she meant to proceed as normal with the “tribute” but would instead attack and try to kill the witch that took her daughter from her. The party agreed to help and as they were discussing tactics, a voice was heard off in the storm, outside the encampment, “Hail camp, may a lone traveler come warm herself by your fire?”
After permission was granted, everyone stood ready to fight as a fawn-like creature slowly emerged from the blizzard and into the camp. She introduced herself as Mierul Ardelian, a wandering bard. She said she was out on her circuit going from town to town collecting stories and seeking news of anything strange or important when she was caught up in the storm. So’Nej was silently skeptical and kept a close eye on her. Sven told her a story of his homeland and McManus regaled her with a tale of his Deity Sarenrae, but these were not the types of stories she was looking for.
She then spoke of the three Heralds of Baba Yaga; Bright Morning, Red Sun, and Black Midnight (White, Red, and Black) who were overdue for their appointment to take the Queen Alvana off to her grandmother and crown a new queen. She seemed inclined that the adventurers might know something of the Heralds, to which they denied any knowledge, though something Sven mentioned gave her reason to believe otherwise.
The party asked her questions about the statues of the women in the center of the towns (they had deduced from a map that Nadya had earlier scrawled in the permafrost that Heldren and Waldsby were laid out almost identically). The fawn responded that the statues or “cold women” as they were called here, were likenesses of the witch that first conquered the area. So’Nej’s constant observation of the fawn led him to notice that she was not standing very close to the fire. Surely on such a cold and bitter night this lightly clothed creature must need more warmth than what she was getting from her position.
Responding to questions about Nazhena, the fawn informed them that she had likely been the witch of the area for 20-30 years and that she was quite capable of her duties. About this time, Zevus leaned in to So’Nej and clandestinely shared his opinion that Mierul appeared to be winter touched. The same as had all the other servants of the White Witches that they had encountered thus far.
Not one to beat around the bush, So’Nej confronted the fawn outright and called her out as being winter touched and a spy to which she startled, giving away her secret. She was no “ordinary” wandering bard, but a servant of the White Witches trying to charm information out of any she came across to bring back to them. She looked down to find So’Nej’s spear deep within her belly, and looked up into the brightness of Zevus burning hands spell, and just barely caught a glimpse of Sven’s sword as it came down to finish the job. She fell to the ground and began to bleed out but McManus quickly stepped forward and stabilized her condition so she could be questioned when she regained consciousness.
After she was healed enough so she wouldn’t die, McManus bound her wrists and the rest of the party searched her for weapons and removed her few possessions. As they turned away to discuss what to do next, Sven (we assume still wired from the exhilaration of the brief battle) stepped up to begin the interrogation with the unconscious fawn. All eyes watched in slow motion and widened as Sven’s boot raised and came down hard on her as he shouted, “Wake Up!”, a silent and split second too late cry of “NOOOOOOO!” lingered on everyone else’s lips as the force of Sven’s kick extinguished her life. Even with the storm in full force, the sounds of five hands slapping five foreheads could be heard far into the night.
With infinite patience, McManus took Sven aside and gave him strict instructions on what, when and how he could attack things in the future and gave him a “safe” word with which he would know when to unleash his wrath upon something.
With a shrug and a silent shake of his head, So’Nej slowly dragged the corpse away from the camp and out into the snow where HeghchIS could easily find and snack on the former bard.
Session Five is tonight!
I just ordered this AP for my group and am enjoying reading this chronicle, don't let the updates slide too long!
Thanks! I put a bit of a fire under my chronicler so hopefully the last Snows of Summer log will be up this weekend.
Looking forward to reading it if it's up! Got mine in the mail last night so now that I'm done with work I can settle in and read, plot and prepare. Ordered the first 2 to see how they go.
I've told my chronicler about your compliments and he appreciates them too. The latest log will cover two sessions so it is taking him a bit of time.
I was very happy, though. They went through the Pale Tower in less than ten minutes of world time. We plugged the thing round by round all the way up and even fudging a bit for dialogue with Jairess it was a speed run worth the mythic trial.
SD - going through withdrawal symptoms here! I was really enjoying your chronicler's writings, the Orc Ranger right? Anyway I'm thinking some kind of bribes are in order since I know how much every day life gets in the way of our favorite hobby!
On a side note, I'm starting this one soon, my first Pathfinder AP, on Mar 9.
Characters in development:
Oldest son: Egotistical Elf Wizard
Youngest son: Slightly deranged Orc Barby
Brother: not sure of race Inquisitor
How far along is your party now?
He is a very busy guy lately and we just had a session in our other game that he did a lot of work for, so I do have to cut him a bit of slack. Yes, the orc ranger player is the one doing all of this work. I'll see about an extra bit of bribe.
Hopefully we will be starting Shackled Hut at level 4 and tier 2 this Friday!
Well, tonight's game didn't happen due to a family emergency with two of the player's, but here are the updates to the last two sessions!
Anjana – Marjy – Vanara (minkey) Zen Archer
Sven Sienson – Luis – Human Viking
Zevus Djaggara – Daniel – Elf Wizard (needs food badly)
So’Nej – Rich – Half Orc Ranger
Tenpenny – NPC – Half Orc Rogue
HeghchIS (“white death”) – Polar Bear that So’Nej befriended
By the time they broke camp the next morning, the storm had subsided and they headed off to Waldsby. After a short while, they saw what appeared to be a wisp of smoke traveling towards them. Noticing that it was traveling against the wind they immediately concluded it had something to do with the witch so the party hid under the tarps on the dog sleds hoping that whatever it was wouldn’t notice them. The wisp came closer and was revealed to be a flock of ravens, which unfortunately did notice them and attacked McManus and Zevus first. The fight was short. Sven bashed with his shield, McManus unleashed a sound burst, and Zevus barbequed what was left with a Burning Hands spell.
A short time later, they entered Waldsby and saw what must have been the whole village gathered at the crossroads where a statue of the local witch stood. There was a villager chained to the statue and there were seven men dressed in some sort of uniform addressing the crowd. As they approached, Nadya explained that these men were guardsmen from the witch’s tower. Now that they were close enough, they could hear the Captain telling the villagers that the man chained to the statue had violated an edict sent from Nazhena that all magic and alchemy related to fire were henceforth banned and that this man had been caught with alchemic fire. His sentence was to spend the night out without the benefit of fire. When his son complained that this would certainly mean his father’s death, the Captain grew irritated and gave a cruel order to one of his men. “You heard the boy, make sure the old man stays warm.”
McManus interceded by bursting forth from the edge of the crowd while he recited a powerful oratory about how Justice must be Just and shine with the light of Sarenrae’s holy redemption.. The rousing speech momentarily fascinated all but the Captain, who upon its conclusion threw the vial at the man anyways, lighting him ablaze and scattering the crowd. Sven and So’Nej drew their weapons and moved around the back of the statue, McManus moved forward toward the burning man, Zevus held back preparing to cast a spell, and Anjana flipped through the air landing near the man and throwing her cloak over him to smother the flames. The guardsmen moved into defensive positions and prepared for attack.
A previously unseen sprite moved to So’Nej and cast a Color Spray at him but the effort was for naught as the spell rebounded and dazed the sprite instead. Another sprite revealed itself and blinded McManus and Anjana with a Color Spray spell. A third sprite revealed itself and commanded the Captain and guardsmen to take them (the party) alive because they knew what happened to the Black Rider. So’Nej responded by impaling the closest sprite on the end of his spear. Sven pushed forward and attacked the guard Captain and was stunned by a counter attack. As Sven fought the Captain and several of his guards, Zevus cast an enlarge spell on him to help even the odds.
So’Nej thrust his spear again and impaled a second sprite and he smiled as it and the other lifeless sprite’s body now dangled from the haft of his spear. McManus, recovered from the stun, summoned forth a spiritual weapon which he sent to attack the Captain. Anjana recovered and kicked a guard hard in the gut.
So’Nej thrust his spear at the last sprite and hoped for a trifecta sprite ka-bob but ended up just wounding it. The Captain wounded Sven severely which sent him into a rage swinging his sword and shield wildly which resulted in a guard’s dismemberment. Anjana took down another guard with a strong kick. The guardsmen moved to protect their Captain as Zevus lobbed acid at them.
The third sprite was soon amongst his kinsmen dangling lifelessly from the end of So’Nej’s spear as McManus was able to reach the villager chained to the statue so he could heal his wounds. Sven raged away at the Captain and his guards, some of whom had fallen by now. McManus’s spiritual scimitar wounded the Captain as Sven’s sword struck home and So’Nej added a guardsman to the end of is sprite ka-bob.
Almost as soon as it started, the melee was over with all the guardsmen and their Captain dead and the “accused” man healed and set free. Nadya introduced the party to the villagers who were both grateful that they intervened but also fearful of what the witch Nazhena would do when she found out what had happened here. Nadya told them of what the witch had done to her daughter which seemed to harden their resolve some and that she and the party were going to the witch’s ice tower the next day. Soon the villagers dispersed back to the warmth of their homes.
While the others warmed themselves in Nadya’s hut, So’Nej piled the bodies of the former guardsmen and Captain on the edge of the cemetery and collected their belongings so Zevus could take a look at them later. He dug a small hole and built a fire in it before unceremoniously de-skewering the sprites from his spear with his boot, dropping them into the fire. When they had burned completely, he shoveled dirt into the hole and patted it down. Those little frozen bastards weren’t going to hurt anyone anymore.
Later that evening, Nadya told her other children that their sister was dead and a great wailing was heard though the house as the windows mysteriously flew open. Nadya explained to them that their house had a spirit that had helped raise the children and keep things in order. Hatch as he was known to them had favored the dead girl and was heartbroken at the news of her death. Especially so as the domovoi had previously made Thora laugh with the same insults that lead to her death.
As they ate, the party discussed the plan to assault the witches’ tower the next day and they deduced that the sprites they had seen fleeing from the troll encampment must have come back through the portal and reported to Nazhena, hence the ban on fire based magic/alchemy. Zevus examined the items found on the guardsmen and the Captain and some of them would certainly help them when they went to the Pale Tower the next day. On his watch that evening, So’Nej worked with HeghchIS and tried to teach him something that might help them in their upcoming efforts to kill Nazhena.
Anjana – Marjy – Vanara (minkey) Zen Archer
Sven Sienson – Luis – Human Viking
Zevus Djaggara – Daniel – Elf Wizard (needs food badly)
So’Nej – Rich – Half Orc Ranger
Tenpenny – NPC – Half Orc Rogue
HeghchIS (“white death”) – Polar Bear that So’Nej befriended
The next day brought clear weather and with it the glare of the sun off of the snow and ice which worked both for and against them as they approached the tower. Sven was concealed under a tarp on the sled that contained the “tribute” meat and the rest of the party (dressed in local garb) and Nadya made up the hunting party that brought the tribute to the witch. Hopefully this ruse would get them through the door. As they approached the tower, it was much taller than they had expected and both it and the wall that encircled the courtyard were covered with impressive ice spikes.
Their bluff paid off and the guards let them inside the courtyard after a short conversation. At the center of the courtyard there was a large and impressive statue of a dragon, but they didn’t have much time to examine it as they were surrounded by guards with bows on the courtyard walls and confronted by a large troll that came forward to examine the tribute. It poked at the tarp, narrowly missing Sven. The troll sniffed the air as if it wasn’t sure the meat under the tarp wasn’t all dead and So’Nej felt the time to spring the trap was about to pass.
His course of action decided, So’Nej thrust his spear deep inside the side of the troll in a surprise attack. Sven sprang forth from under the tarp and attacked the troll as McManus, Zevus, and Tenpenny joined in. Anjana started taking out the guards on the courtyard wall with her bow. McManus used his magic to protect them from evil and Zevus sent flames spewing forth at the troll. The troll was almost down when the guards on the wall started firing their crossbows at them, and thanks to Anjana’s skill with a bow, the guards on the wall were dropping left and right.
Seeing his imminent demise, the last guard alive fled along the wall towards a door leading into the tower. So’Nej ran up a set of stairs and pursued him as the rest finished off the troll. A healthy application of fire and acid from Zevus made sure it did not regenerate itself. The guard was fast on his feet and beat So’Nej to the door, slipping inside and barring it as fast as can. So’Nej quickly drew his axe and began hacking at the door hinges as Sven came up and helped. HeghchIS wandered in the front gate about this time. So’Nej tried to call him so he could break down the door but HeghchIS wasn’t having it, so So’Nej turned back to the door and put his shoulder into it.
The door finally gave way and So’Nej moved inside down a narrow corridor that turned right, then left, and sloped from the height of the courtyard wall back down to the ground floor. So’Nej could see the tracks of the fleeing guard and followed them quickly with everyone following behind. He came to another locked door which was quickly smashed down to reveal an oddly shaped room with a hot spring in the center that left the air warm and heavy with moisture. On the walls next to the spring hung several mirrors, and next to the pool stood several ice statues. Two strange patches of ice sat on the floor at opposite sides of the room.
There was a door directly across from them and So’Nej saw that his quarry had run directly towards it. Moving into the room cautiously, he saw no one so he strode directly to the door and kicked it down to reveal a barracks room with beds and foot lockers, and huddled in the doorway at the end of the room were a group of humans, all armed and ready to defend themselves. So’Nej and Sven moved into the barracks and began the attack, each cutting down a man before the rest of the party could.
Anjana held back in the oddly shaped room so she could survey it while giving ranged support to So’Nej and Sven who were both silently thankful she was such a good shot. McManus moved into the oddly shaped room and towards the pool where he noticed another door, Zevus followed closely behind. Suspecting it would lead to an area behind the entrenched guardsmen, he opened the door… and came face to face with the remaining guard Captain who at that moment decided to try to sneak out and flank So’Nej and Sven. McManus clocked the guard hard who then saw stars for the half a second before Zevus lit up the doorway and room beyond with a Burning Hands spell. So’Nej and Sven hear the screams of burning men around the corner in front of them and push forward through the doorway, each killing a guard in the process.
As they slaughter the remaining guards, a water elemental emerges from the bubbling hot springs and attacks McManus who responds by summoning his spiritual weapon to counter the elemental. Tenpenny moves to flank the elemental as it grapples with McManus and tries to pull him into the pool. Having fought their way through the last of the guards, So’Nej and Sven emerge from the door by the pool and see McManus in trouble. So’Nej spears the elemental as it pulls McManus into the spring.
As they try to grab McManus and pull him out of the pool before he drowns, HeghchIS lumbers up to the pool and dips his head into the water, grabbing hold of McManus’ shoulder and pulls him clear of the pool just before Sven makes a flying jump/dive into the pool, striking the elemental with such force that it dissipates.
Meanwhile, Zevus has been studying the strange patches of ice and has determined that they are magical teleporters to other areas of the tower but they require a key. A quick search of the dead guards turns up an amulet that they then use to transport everyone (including HeghchIS) to the next level of the tower.
The teleport process included a phase where the subject was encased in ice and HeghchIS did not like this one bit. Upon his arrival to the next floor, he immediately burst through the closest doors and entered a garden space which in turn agitated a nasty plant creature. So’Nej, Sven, and Tenpenny moved forward into the garden to fight the plant-beast there and McManus and Anjana heard something down the hall to the left and investigated. Zevus stayed where he could see everyone and lobbed acid at the plant.
The mandrake was tough to kill and let off quite a shriek, it was certain to have alerted anyone nearby with its death knell. At the end of the hall to the left, McManus and the rest found a small bedroom with a woman inside who attacked them when they opened the door. She drank a potion of Enlarge Person and smacked McManus with a great sword. Zevus cast the same spell on McManus as he went toe to toe with her and Anjana fired arrows into the giant woman at point blank range. Anjana ended the combat with a well-placed arrow, but not before McManus had taken a flurry of blows.
In the garden, there was another door that led further into the tower. So’Nej listened at the door and looked through the keyhole and spotted a sprite that darted off to the right. The door was not locked so he opened it and tried to spot the sprite down the hallway as the others moved in behind him. Zevus spotted two sprits and dispatched them with yet another Burning Hands spell. All the spell scrolls he’d taken the time to make were certainly coming in handy. They moved down the hall into what appeared to be a conference room that only contained a large table, several chairs, more mirrors on the walls, and another magical patch of ice. Sven jumped up on the table to look around and McManus smashed all the mirrors. They quickly moved on though the next door and discovered a library with floor to ceiling book shelves and research materials scattered across the table. Zevus took a quick look and determined that whoever was here last was studying white dragons. He’d have to circle back around to this place after they’d cleared the tower and killed the witch.
They moved on and found another small bedroom and kicked in the door to find their Lady from Heldron! Upon them entering, she expressed her disdain for her captors not even knocking. Everyone was shocked that she was here because they’d rescued her weeks before and brought her back home. They were equally shocked when So’Nej put his spear through her chest. He’d taken one look at her and knew she wasn’t human because her scent was all wrong. On the end of his spear, the doppelganger’s form shifted and revealed its true self. The rest of them joined in and the would-be Lady was slain quickly.
Rounding the hallway to the last area on this level that they had not been yet, they discovered a room with a pair of ice nymph statues on either side of yet another mirror and another magical teleporter. When they tried to use the teleporter to go to the next level, the statues animated and attacked. After a brief combat, they were destroyed and Zevus figured that each port pad required its own key. After a brief search, they found it in the bedroom where McManus and Anjana killed the enlarged woman.
Sven went up first, followed by So’Nej, and then the rest came one by one. The floor they entered had one wall that was made of icicles that opened up to the outside with the gaps just wide enough for birds to fly in and out and the ceiling was very high. In the center of the room were three poles with wire running in between them to make perches for the ravens that sat there now. Off to the left stood a woman, and upon their arrival, she drank a potion and flew up into the air out of reach and then she cast another spell and a great wind sprang up around her to deter ranged attacks. . The ravens swarmed and attacked So’Nej and Sven, who bashed them with his shield. The flying woman ordered her ravens away as she summoned an obscuring mist to hide them. Sven ran forward towards the sound of her voice and leapt upwards to try and strike the woman with his sword but was unsuccessful. He was clear of the mist though. So’Nej moved forward and Zevus moved up and cast Burning Hands again. Some of the mist burned off which allowed more of the party to see her. So’Nej and Sven tried to reach her but she was out of melee range until Zevus enlarged Sven which startled the woman and she moved away and lost the protection of her wind wall. Anjana climbed one of the poles and shot arrows at her. Sven attacked and hit her and So’Nej took his throwing spear and flung it right through her midsection. Suddenly near death from the critical blow, the woman immediately surrendered.
After liberating her of her equipment and binding her, McManus and Anjana questioned the woman who ironically sung like a bird. She was named Jaires Sonn and she had surrendered because she felt the witch didn’t pay her enough to die and she was afraid for her life and her ravens. Her job was to take care of the ravens which were generally used to send and receive messages. She told them that Nazhena was not in the tower but that her apprentice Radosek awaited them on the next level. Apparently Nazhena was in Whitethrone and would not be back for some time. With Jaires Sonn’s port key in hand, they left her there, bound, knowing she couldn’t leave the room without the key. They’d deal with her later.
They had to go back down a level to go up to the witches chambers where Radosek waited. Zevus summoned Mage Armor for himself and Anjana. Sven ported up first again, followed by So’Nej, then McManus, Tenpenny, Zevus, Nadya, and Anjana. Radosek was ready and waiting for them and was using magic to summon sharp, icy stalagmites under them as they appeared. He also summoned a pair of ice elementals. As Sven fought the ice elementals, So’Nej threw his spear and got a solid hit on the Radosek (who was also flying high out of reach in the high ceilinged room). McManus cast a Doom spell on Radosek but he shrugged it off. Radosek was severely wounded by an arrow shot by So’Nej and he attempted to flee the room through the only open window in the room, which, was conveniently located right where So’Nej was standing. As Radosek flew towards him, So’Nej seized the opportunity to pick up his boar spear that he’d just dropped at his feet and braced himself. As Radosek tried to fly past him, he struck a lethal blow to the apprentice witch and the combat was over. Zevus later deduced that Radosek was attempting to fly down to the dragon statue in the courtyard so he could animate it and destroy the intruders.
With their enemies either killed or subdued (Jaires Sonn was the only survivor) the party had time to pick the tower clean of valuables and information. It was unfortunate that Nazhena was not there so they could kill her, they did learn where she was and that she would not be coming back for some time. When she did, she would discover her tower completely destroyed and the “disloyal” inhabitants of the town gone.
Fearing that Nazhena would take her anger out on the local villagers, McManus convinced several of them that they should abandon Waldsby. It was suggested that they migrate through the portal and on to Heldren to settle there. While some decided to go to nearby villages because they had family there, others did decide to move to Heldren, which coincidentally (?) was laid out almost exactly like Waldsby. The party discovered that the local (Waldsby) craftsman, a gnome, looked virtually identical to Tengezil Frimbocket back in Heldren. It was soon confirmed that they were brothers separated long ago. His excitement at finding out his brother was alive and living in Heldren bolstered the morale of others and helped convinced more of them to move there.
Unfortunately, the language barrier kept the exodus from being as effective as hoped for. With a small fraction of the village speaking common, most of McManus’ stirring words fell on deaf ears and the power was lost in translation. combined with a strong sense of pride, most of the town stayed and sadly, those were the people that were least likely to be kind to their liberators. In fact, Nadya brought word soon that a sympathizer informed her that they had been reported. It was good that they would be moving on swiftly.
The party had also decided to share the riches they found in the tower with the villagers of Waldsby to help them settle into their new lives, which persuaded even more of them to leave. Waldsby would be diminished for a time, but people would return with more family members once things had blown over and life would begin anew. Perhaps a little better since the shadow of the White Witches would pull back for a time after the destruction of their tower.
Zevus had figured out how to control the portal through the tower and it was decided best that they close the portal to prevent both winter and winter touched from going through it and harming their home. This meant that everyone moving to Heldren had to be through the portal before they destroyed the tower. So they rallied everyone to take what they could and move through the portal.
So’Nej and Sven lead the refugees through the portal and to the Ranger station by the gorge where they camped for the night. So’Nej found that some of the Rangers that had been on long range patrols had finally returned and he filled them in on what had happened there and what they’d found on the other side of the portal. He arranged for the Rangers to lead the group down to Heldren the next day and entrusted them to deliver a letter and a hefty bag of gold to the Mayor. The letter explained what the party had encountered to date and that they were going to close the portal and continue their quest. The gold was for the Mayor to use to improve the infrastructure of Heldren to support the influx of refugees/new citizens.
On his way back to the portal, So’Nej was joined by an owl that quickly took to him and was sure to be an ally in their quest. When he and Sven had returned through the portal Zevus closed it and they prepared to destroy the witch’s ice tower with a strategically placed fire that would melt part of the base and send it toppling over. When this was complete, they would set Jaires Sonn free as she would have to flee the witch’s wrath for failing to stop the intruders, and they would head to a nearby village where Nadya had family. It was her intention to continue traveling with the party but she would have to see her children safely to her family so they could be kept safe. She had lost too many family members. She would not abandon the ones she had left.
During the last stage of the Exodus, Zevus tasked Jairess with keeping an eye on the party and letting him know when they returned through the portal. He was still a little bolstered by the power rushing through him after the Mantle granted the party even more might and so felt that he could take care of one last thing himself. He went to a small cave to alter a ley line flow ever so slightly to prevent backlash from the portal closing, but encountered a pair of fey wolverines there.
While the two creatures snarled and mocked him for his arrogance, they were also not particularly bothered that the Pale Tower had been defeated. The presence of elf meat was enough solace. Their conflict with Zevus was short lived, however and they shamed the reputation of their savage kind. Zevus avoided teeth and claw with grace (if not ease) and they fell to his acid and fire.
The party moved to the Pale Tower, ironically a warmer home than Waldsby these days. Only one more night passed before they lit the pine wood stuffed in the ground floor, watched the place burn and tumble under its own weight and went to the North West to find Nazheda and the Dancing Hut of Baba Yaga.
Woot, lunch time reading material! Tell your player I love the journal!
Wow, I like this party. Makes me wish I were close enough to game with you all.
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I'm going to have to start up a new thread soon, but not just yet. Part One of Shackled Hut was today with a marathon of 8+ hours.
I hit them pretty hard. Seven Winter Guard Falconers with Norgrimm (who almost killed Najya and her kids with his breath weapon), two mindslaver molds (one got Sven and turned him against the party). The Haunted Village was 3 Heucava, 14 Skeleton Champions and 1 Attic Whisperer. Between 2 Mythic Tiers and Wounds and Vigor rules in effect, they are much better off than normal, but Nazhena's Hunters, Wood-Wife's Plight and the Haunted Village were all very challenging. Three characters almost died in the Village; McManus, Anjana and Ten-penny. Poor... poor Ten-penny. She is so out of her league.
I can't wait to present you all with the new entry!
I think I'm going to have to add some Skeleton Champions to the Heucava encounter. They'll have 2 Mythic Tiers at that point so they'll need the extra challenge.
It worked out very well for me. And when the Heucavas "activated" I had them scream out "WE GAVE HER THE CHILDREN, WHY DO YOU TORMENT US?!"
That made the party righteously angry, by crickey! They are getting less and less cozy being the superpowered minions of the original wicked witch.
Great read! And inspiring too!
We have started Reign of Winter in March. We will be starting our second session this weekend.
I went to Japan for a bit and spent some time getting back up to speed, but we got to Whitethrone last night so I am hoping to have a new thread up and running before Memorial Day weekend!
Thanks for following, everybody!
Looking forward to the updates. I started my group last month, so far they've been pretty smart and cautious. I had to advance template and max hp because there are 6 party members:
Ninja, Barbarian, Cleric, Sorc, Monk, Inquisitor.
Their attack on the lodge was interesting. After encountering the guards on the trail the agreed the Ninja should solo scout up ahead. A few good rolls and timing things right, he observed them and returned. The plan was the Ninja and Monk get on the roof well after dark and smoke them out by clogging the chimney over the main room and kitchen. The sorc and the barbarian took the back porch, the inquisitor and cleric the front as they weren't sure which door they would run out of (or come out to investigate). Several good rolls later on climbs and stealth and 2 hero point burns they made it into the appropriate positions. They got cocky with the bandits until a well placed backstab and some zombies getting up off the floor a few rounds later. They pulled it off though.