Hellfrost Session #2

Warning: Potential spoilers below for the adventure, Lair of the Vermin Lord, from Triple Ace Games.

[This entry is from Rachel and marks a return to the more traditional campaign log approach…not as colorful or creative as Jamie’s wonderful prose but certainly quite informative and a bit easier for someone not in the campaign to follow. As usual, my comments in brackets and italics.] 

We were interrupted from checking the granaries and trying to salvage what sacks of flour we could by vast hordes of rats pouring over the walls of Dunross, from every direction. Not only were there multitudes of rats, there were a number of rats almost the size of ponies. The few people we saw out and about were quickly overrun by rats so we could not see them anymore. A few of the pony-sized rats jumped onto the cart with the salvaged bags of flour, and Surefoot and Thunder began to panic as rats steadily climbed up their legs. In the stress of the moment, Skuli cut the horses free of the wagon (perhaps thinking the horses might have a better chance of surviving on their own?) and they ran off across the bridge. Agnes, the Dunross priestess of Eostre, had been on the bridge but was able to jump into the river just in time to avoid being trampled, although she quickly became overrun by rats as well.

[I was stunned by the decision to cut the horses free…of course, knowing that this was not a fight that could be won gave me some foresight into things. On the other hand, the description of hordes and hordes of rats and dozens and dozens of pony-sized ones overrunning the village and taking down the villagers seemed pretty clear. Skuli apparently thought that everyone could hide in the one granary that had not been defiled by rats and wait out the storm. Unfortunately, he hadn’t really taken into account the granaries small size nor the fact that it had already been stated that the warding runes were not magical. Even more unfortunately, this action pretty much doomed the horses and made it impossible for the party to save any of the flour in Dunross.]

We took out a few of the big rats but it was quickly obvious that we were not making a dent in the hordes. Ulfwynn, the Dunross master of granaries, was still standing with us and we could see no other survivors as we started climbing up over a granary and over the wall. Cuthbert, Skuli, and Lia climbed up, I hoisted Ulfwynn up, and Cuthbert thankfully was able to pull me up as more big rats approached me. Once on the roof we saw that a fire had been started around the village and was quickly making it way to us, so we quickly jumped off over the wall and went around to see if anyone else had made it out of the town. To our sorrow, particularly Ulfwynn’s, we did not see any other survivors. We pulled what bodies we could together and created a pyre, offering a blessing for all those who perished in this plague.

[I’m still getting accustomed to some elements of Savage Worlds. The awarding of Bennies during play is one of those things. Wulfwynn has the Heroic flaw and the choice to assist Ulfwyn reach relative safety at risk to her own life seemed like an opportune time to give a Benny. It came in handy…]

We headed out and camped about an hour or so from Dunross. The next day we made it to the travel tower, which looked as though no one had been there since we stopped on our way to Dunross. Our two nights were uneventful and we made it back to Dalsetter without incident, except for Ulfwynn expressing deep suspicion and anger towards Skuli for his having cut the horses loose. Skuli tried to explain his reasoning for doing so, and Cuthbert and I said that we believe his heart was in the right place even if the outcome was not ideal, but Ulfwynn still was very suspicious that Skuli may have somehow been involved in the attack and plague on Dunross.

[His village destroyed, some sort of nefarious plot afoot to destroy the foodstuffs of the surrounding villages, and the flour that could have been saved was now lost because Skuli cut the horses free…making it impossible to get the flour to safety. I just couldn’t see any way that Ulfwynn wouldn’t be suspicious. Given that the PCs had only known each other for a couple of days, I might be a bit suspicious as well if I was another PC.]

Talking to Ulfwynn while heading to Dalsetter, we learned that Ulfwynn had not seen anyone suspicious around the granaries prior to the rats invading the town. He told us again that a man named Otto Edmunsunu had come from Dunross to collect flour a few hours before the rats started coming, and that Edmunsunu’s authorization bore a symbol with an apple tree and a wheat sheaf. Ulfwynn also told us again of the men who came to collect flour to take to the Citadel a couple of days after the rats came (they are presumably the ones whose remains we found at the travel tower with the wagons bearing the symbol of two wheat sheaves over the letter D).

When we arrived in Dalsetter, we were greeted by a couple of guards who directed us to Rodgar ap-Annwyn’s farm. The door was answered by Aelwic, who works for Rodgar. We explained that we had been hired by Rodgar and needed to speak with him, but Aelwic said he had not yet returned from his trip. Aelwic asked us where Surefoot and Thunder were, and he was quite upset as we began to tell him what had happened and that we were very sorry to report that Surefoot and Thunder, along with Ulfwynn’s family and friends and neighbors, did not survive. Aelwic suggested that we speak to the mayor of Dalsetter and took us to his residence.

After some delay by the boy working for the mayor, and after Ulfwynn berated and intimidated him into immediately taking us to the mayor, we got an audience with Agdi Skulisunu. We told him of the tragedy in Dunross and that it appeared to have been intentionally brought upon the town, and we asked him about the symbol shown by Otto Edmunsunu when he picked up flour in Dunross. Mayor Skulisunu told us that the symbol represented Penda Ranulfsunu, another farmer in town, but did not think that he could be involved in the plague that struck Dunross. The mayor asked the boy to take us to Penda’s so that we could speak with him.

[“…after Ulfwynn berated and intimidated him…” Hmm…the poor boy was subjected to all the anger that Ulfwynn needed to release. If I recall correctly, Ulfwynn actually used the boy’s face to smash open the door to the mayor’s office…despite Wulfwynn’s attempt to stop him. Intimidated indeed!]

Penda seemed surprised by what had happened in Dunross and confirmed that he had sent Otto to collect his flour on the first Marketday of Snowmoon. Penda said that he just happened to have one of his grain sheds empty and figured he might as well store his flour here in Dalsetter rather than pay to store it in Dunross, although it did not sound like he had done this before and Cuthbert was a bit suspicious. He said that he definitely had enough flour for Dalsetter and the nearby towns, which was a bit of a relief, but something in his manner still seemed suspicious to Cuthbert. With a bit of pushing, Penda began to break and said that he had been told there would be an accident and had no idea that the plague would strike Dunross and that the village would be destroyed. Penda told us he had been approached while heading home from the Four Sheaves on the 1st of Snowmoon by a tall, slim man with a black beard and buck teeth who said he could make Penda rich and/or a savior to his community. All Penda had to do was remove his flour from the granary in Dunross. The man said an “accident” would happen so that Penda had the only grain/flour available but Penda insisted he had no idea what would happen and that it would be this destructive. Ulfwynn was very upset with Penda and I made it very clear to him that he had betrayed Eostre by playing a part in destroying and wasting her bounty. Cuthbert intimidated Penda and made it clear that he must provide his flour to everyone charitably and should not even consider “scalping” or selling his flour at exorbitant prices. Penda broke down and took us to his grain shed to show us where the flour was after we asked if he was sure his flour was secure.

[Ulfwynn actually wanted to kill Penda…or at least use his head to batter open a door. Penda also couldn’t really explain why he so readily accepted the stranger’s offer so readily. If I recall correctly, there was some speculation amongst the PCs that some magics may have been involved.]

Penda’s key would not turn the lock in the shed door, so Skuli kicked in the door. In the first room we see lots of sacks of flour but we also see four of the nearly pony-sized rats. We were able to take the rats out, although a couple people were bitten by the rats. Penda was attacked by a rat and hit by a couple of arrows as he moved into the second room and was knocked unconscious. The arrows came from a couple of orcs in the third room of the shed that we were able to take out, although Wulfwynn was wounded and Lia was fatigued.

[The key actually did work in the door but the door could not be opened normally…the orcs had piled some bags of flour against it. Skuli, however, had no problems kicking it open. Penda was pretty reckless in attacking the orcs and rats. He’s no warrior but he also knew that he had done a grave harm. After Penda lost consciousness, Ulfwynn took his sword.]

As Cuthbert looked carefully around the room where the orcs were, he noticed a couple of empty vials on the floor and a number of vials still filled with liquid on the orcs. Cuthbert also noticed that some of the flour sacks in that room were damp and smelled like the vials. After Wulfwynn healed herself and Penda, guards showed up in response to the fight that had occurred. Penda told the guards that he has committed a crime and we asked the guards who could help identify what was in the vials. The guards took Penda off and suggested that we seek out Eowyn, a hedge magic herbalist in town.

[I think this was probably a good chance to award a Benny but I didn’t…still getting the hang of it. Cuthbert’s searching and connnecting the vials to the flour was a key piece of information that may have saved many lives.]

Cuthbert went to Eowyn’s to seek her help, which Eowyn, who was very friendly and flirty with Cuthbert, seems to be very happy about. Although Eowyn would have liked Cuthbert to stay at her place, she accompanied him back to the shed to check out the vials. Eowyn took them with her to examine, and said that she would find us (especially Cuthbert) later.

After a brief visit to the mayor’s, we went to the Four Sheaves to stay for the night. Eowyn came later and told Cuthbert that the vials contained a poison with rat urine in it. The damp bags were poisoned and the best way to destroy them would be to burn them. We realized that it was good we got to the shed when we did, before the orcs had a chance to poison more of the bags; although we cannot be absolutely sure that they had not gotten to more of the bags than the several damp ones in the third room of the shed. Someone obviously had double-crossed Penda, wanting him to think he had usable flour but destroying and/or poisoning it so that anyone who ate it would be poisoned, and rather than being a “savior,” Penda could be seen as a murderer who tried to poison and perhaps kill his friends and neighbors.

[The mayor did have Penda arrested and locked up. He was somewhat saddened that it had to be done. Penda, for his part, did not resist or protest in any fashion.]

Although Eowyn tried to suggest to Cuthbert that they retire to a room at the inn together, after a few barbed comments from the innkeeper, Eowyn left. We asked the innkeeper if he had seen a tall, slim man with a black beard and buck teeth around the inn or the town. The innkeeper said he had not seen anyone who looked like that, but that we should talk to Rudwulf who runs the store in Dalsetter. It sounded like he might still be open in the early evening, so we headed to Rudwulf’s.

Rudwulf asked if we were there to purchase something, we said we were and had a few short swords to sell, but wondered if he had seen the tall, slim man with the black beard and buck teeth. Rudwulf said that the man came in at the beginning of the month and purchased ale and foodstuffs to be delivered to him about a quarter mile out of town the next morning. When Rudwulf met the man to deliver the goods he ordered, the man had a cart and seemed to head north. We asked Rudwulf if there was somewhere outside of but near Dalsetter where someone might stay, and Rudwulf mentioned an old ruined tower about a day north of town. He said that no one has stayed there in a very long time, but Ulfwynn said he knows where it is and how to get there.

Rudwulf agreed to purchase the three short swords that we recovered from the travel tower, but after learning that their previous owners had been killed, he deemed them bad luck and said he would only pay us 300 scields for them. Momentarily forgetting the innkeeper’s recommendation that we haggle with Rudwulf before agreeing to prices, Ulfwynn quickly agreed to that price. We continued to figure out what we would need to purchase before heading out to the old tower.

[The price that Rudwulf offered for the swords was actually quite fair. Under normal circumstances, Rudwulf would have only offered them 150gs for the swords (1/4 their normal selling price). However, word of the characters actions have already spread and so he offered 1/2 price…just as if a Raise had been rolled on the Streetwise check (per the Hellfrost PG, pg. 32) but the players may think they got gyped since they didn’t haggle…I hope none of them read this. :)]