[We’ve finally returned to our main Hellfrost campaign. When we last played this campaign, Wulfwynn, Skuli, Lia, Cuðbert, and Fenric (one of Munolfr’s men) had gone off to the Myrkr Holt to find both the pickled Rat’s Tail and the Aldin Moss. They had succeeded in acquiring both (as well as the shed skin of a Lindwyrm) and had pushed on through the night to make it back to Askvold’s Stead from the Holt. Meanwhile, Sebbi, Hervara, and the Brighthammer brothers had set off (without telling anyone where they were going) to find the Ironbloom Mushrooms. That group, unbeknownst to the others, had met with fatal failure. We picked up the game with the return of Wulfwynn et al to Askvold’s Stead.
This entry is from Kathryn…her first! As always, my GM comments in italics and brackets.]
Wulfwynn, Skuli, Lia and Cuðbert arrived back at Askvold’s Stead at 3:00 a.m. after their 6-day trip to get two ingredients (pickled rat’s tail and moss from the eldest tree) for Hervara’s cure. Upon reaching Askvold’s Stead, they found the gate locked. After pounding for some time and hollering, a tired guard from above answered them and asked them what they wanted and why they were there. The group announced that they needed to see Hervara. With that, the gates were opened and the heroes directed to the main hall only to find Hervara was not there. Apparently she left a few days prior in search of Ironbloom mushrooms with a couple dwarves and other townsfolk including Lord Sebbi. Mayor Agdi explained that she had to leave because so many people were in dire straits and the dwarves had no mushrooms. She headed “north” toward the jagged peaks hoping to find them there.
[Just a point of clarification, Hervara left with Sebbi and the Brighthammer brothers and no one else…except Sebbi’s mule, Sally.]
The party held a long discussion on what to do next. With only two ingredients and no herbalist, they decided to head north to see if they could find Hervara and her party. Ölfun’s Trading Post is mentioned, just one day north, and the party decides to try there to see if they can find word of Hevara’s party. Having decided on a course of action, the exhausted party retires for some much needed rest. Cuðbert melts some snow for the people to have fresh water before turning in.
In the morning, a new person shows up in the main hall, a Tuomi named Taranis, looking for Lord Sebbi. The party began a general inquiry as to whether anyone had any herbalism skill. Hearing that, a young Saxa woman named Nissa speaks up and offers her services as an herbalist. After some discussion about what can be done to ease the people’s suffering, a gnarled old man burst into the room. He looked Anari, had a staff with Tuomi markings, and was dressed as a Finnar. He gave his name as several different iterations of something approaching Carebear before it was clear that his name was actually Karaphos ap-Gohard. As a botanist and hedge magician, he’d been in the village for some time trying to help the people…but to little avail. Lastly, a tall armor-clad Saxa who had been tending the fire in the hearth most of the evening, introduced himself as Andwik, a Hearthkeeper of Kenaz and offered his services to the rapidly growing group.
The discussions on what action to take continued in the morning with more discussion of Ölfun’s post as well as a group of bandits known to be in the area who might also know something of Hervara’s group. The party heads out toward Ölfun’s Trading Post. Andwik led the way, a warm shield of air around him melting the snow as he passed. Along the way, Cuðbert and Taranis had a deep discussion about Tuomi culture, Nissa held sporadic conversations with the trees, and Karaphos kept encouraging the group to move quickly. When smoke is spied rising in the distance, Cuðbert moves stealthily ahead of the party to investigate and finds a small stead, Ölfun’s Trading post. The whole group approaches and is greeted by a grizzled, middle-aged, man named Ölfun who is extremely grumpy. He mentions that the group is “early” and that the “supplies aren’t ready yet.” He has mistaken the group for bandits who have been threatening to burn his post down if they didn’t receive payment.
Sian, Ölfun’s Anari wife, convinces him that we aren’t bandits, and we’re able to hold fairly amicable conversations with them, finding out that they know nothing of Hervara. As Nissa helps Sian gather refreshments for the others, she says a hermit in the Myrkyr Holt (who visits the post occasionally) might know more about Hervara. She also asks for help dealing with the bandits who will return by the end of the month (in a week). Ölfun says the dwarves, east of Aslov might help, and that the Stag Lord, leader of the bandits might know more as well, though recommends against seeking him out.
[Sian also said that the hermit…she did not know his name…would come to the Trading Post and trade alchemical devices for various supplies. The supplies have been the type of things that you might expect someone living on their own to need (e.g., different foodstuffs) or might have a bit of weakness for (e.g., mead).]
Discussion on the next course of action leads to two separate plans; visit the Sisters of Mercy in Aslov to seek their aid, or return to Askvold’s Stead to speak with Munolfr who might know where the hermit is. The party decides to split with Wulfwynn, Andwik, Skuli, and Karaphos heading to Aslov (a day away), and the rest returning to Askvold’s Stead (Cuðbert after securing 3 bottles of mead from Sian for the hermit). Both groups depart immediately.
The first group reaches Aslov with no problems, finding horrible conditions. More than half the population is living is a dirty, poverty-stricken tent camp, with fights and murders commonplace. Finally finding a guide, they are led to the Sisters in the middle of the tent city. They speak to the sister they meet who says they must speak to Sister Gróa in the morning. The party assists where they can and grabs what sleep they can before speaking with Sister Gróa who agrees to send Sister Janea to Askvold’s Stead to help. In return, the party agrees to help find Sister Katla, who went missing a week earlier between Aslov and Hellfrost Keep.
[Sister Gróa explained that Sister Katla had been traveling to Hellfrost Keep (in the company of four Swords of Necessity) to deliver much needed healing supplies such as potions and poultices. The Sister, apparently, never arrived and Sister Gróa would like her found or, at a minimum, the supplies recovered and returned.
Sister Gróa had heard of Wulfwynn and the other “Heroes of Dalsetter” and felt that a task of this sort was much more in the purview of heroes of such stature than simply assisting with the sick and wounded.]
The second group arrives back in Askvold’s Stead around midnight and decides to sleep since Munolfr is also asleep. In the morning, Cuðbert is awakened by a little girl who says a woman is drinking out of the tainted spring. He jumps up immediately, waking the others and runs outside. He sees a woman in a green gown, barefoot, with green hair and purple eyes kneeling at the spring drinking the water. He yells to the woman, “The spring has been tainted!” She is a glaistig (one of the Fey) who introduces herself as Jutta. Cuðbert asked if she knew how to remove the taint from the spring and she said, “Yes I do.” She offers to cure every citizen of Askvold’s Stead save one, who Taranis must choose. Her payment is a bowl of milk each morning, but says her Lady must also be paid. That payment is that the party return a golden chest from a nearby temple of Ullr. Everyone agrees, Taranis choosing an old man to die. Jutta kisses the old man on the forehead, then Taranis on the forehead as well. She then told everyone to go drink from the spring and everyone is cured, except those that are not citizens of Askvold’s Stead. She offers the group a small gift in return for their agreement to retrieve the chest, a small golden key, which opens the chest (which the group was instructed not to do), which is clearly an item of power.
[The young girl is the same one who, a day or two earlier, asked the heroes if she was going to die. Her mother also had not woken up one morning and all feared she was dead…turns out she was just too ill to wake up easily. I believe there were some comments about the GM being mean for tugging on heartstrings but a) that’s the situation and I thought it should be hammered a home in a bit more of an emotional manner; and, b) it’s my job to be mean if it makes sense and for a better story. 😉
Jutta never introduced herself as a Glaistig…this was Cuðbert’s opinion. As she and Cuðbert were having their discussion/negotiation, Taranis showed a lack of manners and began to whisper some questions/comments to Cuðbert. This clearly annoyed Jutta and she then said that she would heal all the residents of Askvold’s Stead save the one that Taranis picked. When Taranis asked Jutta why she had kissed him (after she had kissed the man he condemned to death), her response was so that he would never forget his choice. What exactly does that mean? Damn Fey! Right Todd?
She was also quite specific about healing the residents of the Stead as opposed to all that were ill. I hadn’t actually done this consciously but it was quite fitting for the Fey…at least in my opinion. This means that Munolfr and his men, Sebbi’s Huscarls, and possibly some others will not benefit from Jutta’s intervention. Jutta also “cured” the spring so that no others will be infected.
Cuðbert asked how long they had to complete the task of recovering the chest from the temple in the Holt. Jutta responded that it had to be completed before the next snow fell in the area. Given that it is the third week of Snaermonan and thus winter, that could be just about anytime. Cuðbert asked if Jutta knew when it would snow next and she said that she did, in fact, know. In exchange for that bit of information, she only requested a “kiss” from Gaupa. Needless to say, this was slightly shocking to some of the party as they all still assume that Cuðbert is a little bit, well, off in the head and that Gaupa is not real. Of course, we players all know that Gaupa is real and a spirit/minor deity. It makes one wonder (or at least it makes me wonder) exactly why a Fey would want to be kissed by Gaupa. Now I just need to figure that out (damn GM improvising).
Jutta said that it would not snow again until the end of the week.
Jutta also indicated that, although she did not know where they were, she could discover the location of Sebbi and the others. Such a gift would, of course, require something to be given in return.
The key was given to Cuðbert so that he could find the chest. He can sense the direction in which it lies…although he does not have any idea as to the distance. All the party has to go on at the moment is that the Temple is somewhere in the Myrkr Holt and in…as Cuðbert points…that general direction.
We ended the session at that point. The party has taken on a few different tasks: a) find and return the golden chest to Jutta; b) investigate the disappearance of Sister Katla and find and return, at least, the missing supplies; and, c) deal with the bandits coming to Ölfun’s Trading Post. One or more members of the now eight person party agreed/promised to help out with at least one of each of the above. Each has a deadline of some sort…either a specific deadline (e.g., getting the chest before the next snow) or an implied one (e.g., the longer it takes to find Katla, the more likely that she has died…assuming she hasn’t already). The party has some tough decisions to make at this point and there is some definite disagreement as to what should be the next course of action. They may even decide to split up. I have, however, reminded them that, despite the large party size, only one of the PCs has magical healing…since that seems to be one of the things that the players feel contributed to the “tpk” of Sebbi et al.
On a side note of sorts, this was an interesting session in that I had not really prepped much of anything. Coming back to the main campaign, I had no idea what the players were going to do other than they wanted to do something to help the ill at Askvold’s Stead. I just had some vague ideas of locations, people (or NPCs for those who might not be quite human), and various events transpiring about the Járn Vale and went with it.
How the players respond to all of this will dictate the direction of the campaign. For example, exactly what has happened to Sister Katla? There are some strong assumptions being made that the bandits of the area are responsible for her disappearance. Is that the case? Well, to be honest, I haven’t necessarily decided yet (but don’t tell my players that). I have a number of plausible ideas for what has happened based on the locale and things going on…that may or may not have anything to do with the PCs…but I can’t say which it is going to be at this point. I think I’ll make that decision based on whatever is going to mesh best with the emerging story as the players make their choices for what they want to do and how they want to go about doing it (along with what has already happened in the game). Fortunately for me, Savage Worlds is so easy to improvise on the fly and conducive to doing just this.
Here’s hoping it all works out well.]
