Session #2:  Recoup in Heldren, cold iron confidence, small flying foes, a talking stag- well isn't that cute...

From the Journal of Dalomar:

So we regrouped and headed back to town. Some of us went back to Isker to check on the status of the work orders of cold iron weapons and to make changes. Frankly it was a good excuse just to get a chance to check out Xanthippee again.  

Next day we headed back out and retraced our steps with the vanguard of me taking point and Sado"Bras" shadowing far enough to charge in with Typhoon while the rest trail further behind a safe distance away. Skirting past the chest trap gives me pangs of a headache and pain from the previous day. Can't believe I missed that! Let go of the moment of anger and embarrassment and continue on. Up ahead while paralleling the rough trail through the snow I catch a glimpse of something hanging off the trees. Hunker down to take a moment to scan the area and take a more focused look. Report back to Zaaz through her message spell that there appears to be crude talismans/ornaments hanging from some trees off to the left side of the path. 

The area is very still with little sound other than a slight breeze through the trees. Before I can finish assessing the situation I hear footballs in the snow from behind me and the whole group has moved up and past me to inspect the trees. Obviously we haven't worked out our tactics! I veer off the path into the woods to flank around the target area of trees with the ornaments. Within moments I hear the whistling of arrows and fluttering of wings up in the trees. Zaaz cries out in pain and moments later I hear Bras cry out "retreat, fall back!!" I withdraw deeper into the forest paralleling the trail with plans to reconnect with the group back down the road. Instead I hear continued battle of exchanged missile fire at the initial point of attack. Communication with Zaaz then goes down. Using the undergrowth as cover, I head back toward the path. Through the trees I see Zaaz sprawled on the ground bleeding, Yoska and the curious unnamed Ratboy standing in a daze in the middle of the road. Further back down the path, Bras is taking cover and exchanging missile fire with three sprites up in the trees on both sides of the path with his sling and his newly purchased cold iron bullets. Seeing retreat is not an option with three members down, I skirt back up toward the combat using the trees as cover from the fey above. Notice a group of glowing creatures up ahead appearing to move around to flank on the other side of the path. Getting closer using effort to not be detected it appears the glowing creatures are of some illusion spell! During this time more missile fire, spell casting, buzzing of wings and then cries of eagles come from above the canopy of trees. Engage the closest one up in the trees with bowfire. Appears Yoska and Ratboy broke out of their daze and rejoined the battle and we manage to bring one of the diminutive blue fey down while the two others fly away. Regroup and revive Zaaz. Decide to continue up the path and hunt down those little blue bastards. 

Take point again and trek through the snow for a couple of miles. Up ahead I see a stag standing in the middle of the path grazing. Now we were all told the rumors from town of a talking stag that lead a boy to almost drown in the frozen river while trying to sneak up on it. Message back to the Party and I decide to bypass around the animal and continue paralleling the path. The rest of the group decide to approach it. I turn and watch from afar as they seem to start to actually have a conversation with it! Can't make out much of what was said but suddenly the stag charges Yoska, goring him with his large antlers and simultaneously out of nowhere a fancy looking sprite stabs him in the back. The two sprites who had withdrawn from the previous ambush also appear to join in on the attack. Yoska falls from the combined surprise attack. Before I am able to rush back to lend support there is a blur of combat with Bras charging in and out with Typhoon dropping the stag, Zaas hexing and spellfire and Ratboy summoning eagles to bring down the fey. 

After reviving Yoska, we determine that we need to withdraw back to town before we can continue on. In passing the old trapped chest we discover a false bottom and a nice treasure hoard of weapons and armor! How did I miss that! Literally adding insult to injury! Damn fey! 

Points of interest from the DM:

•  With nightfall coming in a few hours, the party decided to head back to town to recoup and to check on the status of the cold iron weapons being made by Isker and his daughter Xanthippe.

•  After a full day in Heldren, the party headed back out to continue along the path to try and gain some clues as to who assaulted Lady Argentea Malassene and her caravan, and where she might be being held captive.

•  The Wanderers continued past the the site of the massacre and kidnapping, the trapped chest, and onward into the increasingly colder and snow covered woodlands.

•  With Dalomar in the lead, the party stopped as he observed some strange “ornamental” things hanging from the trees ahead.  As he gathered his thoughts, the party continued past him and they were engaged by some very well hidden foes with very small but very icy arrows.  Soon it was apparent that they were dealing with some diminutive and well hidden fey with the ability to fly and cast ‘color spray’ spells.  Several party members were knocked unconscious, but slowly the tide of battle changed as they awakened and drove the remaining two fey away.  Dalomar had stalked a grouping of glowing creatures that were summoned by one of the fey for most of the battle, but in the end they turned out to simply be figments of a ‘dancing lights’ spell.

• A few miles ahead the party encountered a talking stag who seemed quite friendly, but then, as the party tried to pass, charged and gored Yoska.  Simultaneously, with precision and incredible timing, an invisible fey who was flying nearby struck Yoska in the back.  Yoska went down after being dished this ‘one-two’ punch.  A battle ensued, with the previously retreating fey joining the fight, but the party in the end was victorious.

Session #1, from the journal of Sadobras:

S’been a breath of fresh air to get away from the Wanderers for ‘while. All that wanderin’ and nobody does nothin’. We didn’t get half a day away before things get interesin. Just as we started gettin nigh Heldren, we started to hearin’ some strange stories that were decidedly more interestin’ than most anything we done lately so we decided to put ‘r noses in the dirt. Firstin’, seems some noblewoman’s carriage been waylaid on a ‘portant trade road, which for some reason don’t seem to cause no ruckus. Apparently, she wer’nt from here so no’ne seemed to give a care. If that wern’t nuff, folks been wisper’n bout talking animals in the local. Sound’t’me that someone’s been getting a little too deep in the hooch. Fin’ly, much’n people belly achin’ bout winter comin’ early. Interesting’ly, odd weather get more ‘tention from the locals than talkin’ animals or bandit ambushes. Tis a strange lot ‘round ‘ere.

After ‘riving at Heldren, we finds out that that someone actually escaped the bandits and was convilescing right here in town. We gotta check that out. Turns out he was the Lady Argentina Malassene’s bodyguard, Yuln. Not too much of a bodyguard since he’s here and she isn’t, but I isn’t one ta judge. Went to go see him and he seems a bit off ‘is rocker to me. Kept talking about faeries and sprites from the forest that was freezing ever’body. I hasn’t heard no stories ‘bout Fey in these parts for hunerds, if not thoands of years, but he was definitely spooked and that got us spooked. If there’s fey in the area, and theys hostile, we beeter get r’selves some protection. After getting the approximate location of the shakedown, we heads to the smithy to see if we can get some weapons that put the fear in the fey... col’ arn.

Best decision ever! Smithy by the nam’o Isker Euphram not only has the col’ arn... he gots a daughter, Xanthippe, that’s hotter than his forge. Couldn’t take me ayes off ‘er when she came ‘round. I bet she likes ‘em short. Big thin’s and small packages n’ all. Anyways, we weren’t the only ones to notice. Seems like she gots a host of ‘mirers.

We put some coin down for col’ arn, buts decide to go head and sniff out the ambush site anyway. I reckin we just lookin for sumptin t’do. Boy’d we find it. Soon as Dalomar and me gets close enough to see the carriage, we knew somethin wern’t right. Scratching from the inside got me cat’s hackles all a quiver. Also looks like some statues nearby, but covered in ice like. Hells, come to think of it, it *is* right cold round here. Much more than back in town. Must’b a storm brewin’. Anyways, we call over the lads to investigate and prepare for the worst. Open the doors and, yep... thems zombies. Dead as all hell, but no less hungry. We get to whooping on ‘em an after a while we’s able to take ‘em all down.

Them ice statues isn’t statues at all... them’s people. Well sorta, anyways. They was people. Now theys just popsickles. One ‘em even missin’ ‘is arms. Whatever done this isn’t natural. I don’t know why we thought it a good ide’ to head deeper into them freezing woods, but we done it anyway. Dalomar and I scoutin’ up ‘head when outta nowhere comes a huge dragon. He moved so fast I couldn’t even get my point to ‘em and next thing I know... he’s chompin’ on me. Don’t a’member much after that, but I guess tha lads had a go at ‘im cause he’s dead and I’m still ‘ere. Is good to have mates ‘roun ‘ere. I’m thinkin’ we need to get back to town to pick up that col’ arn. I reckon it’s gonna be a long winter!!

Welcome to the Reign of Winter (RoW) blog!

I hope this format will make it easy to not only look back a couple sessions as a recap, but to also look back months and years down the road to see the path of the adventure.  Of course it will be fun at 12th level to look way back and remember who met an icy death at 1st or 2nd after sending their miniatures to Sri Lanka to be painted (insert evil DM laugh)  :-)

A small bit of background info for anyone reading this down the road:  I didn't reveal the exact adventure path I'd be running to any of the players prior to the first session.  They had to create a character without any specific knowledge of what was to come.  I did this to keep the element of surprise, but also to keep people from being tempted into creating a character who was optimized for an adventure that they (the character) had no idea was on the horizon.

Future posts will feature a session recap from a particular character's point of view (written by the player), and then additional info and graphics provided by me, the DM, to round out the synopsis.

I can't wait to see the new characters in action in the months and years (gulp) ahead!

-  Mark (that guy that was laughing above).

Below is a list of the players and their characters' backgrounds.

Keith & Fritz:

Sadobras and his companion Dalomar were the scouting party for their offshoot band of nomadic halflings (Sadobras) and sylphs (Dalomar), the Savannah Walkers. Upon returning from an extended scouting mission, the two friends found that their entire community was gone. Vanished without a trace. There was no sign of bloodshed and no sign of imminent departure. They were simply gone! The two scouts were at a loss to determine where their kin went and began wandering the realm in search of their lost clan.

During their many travels, they eventually fell in with another band of travelers, the Varisian Wanderers, and resumed their roles as scouts. Due to their traumatic experience with their own people, both are extremely fanatical in their attempts to keep their adopted family safe from harm. They no longer pursue extended scouting missions, realizing that too much time away from the group could have undesired consequences. The only thing more powerful than their loyalty to their group is their loyalty to each other. They have faced the very real possibility that they are the last of their respective kinds. Any contact with others like themselves would be of great interest and likely lead to complex social interactions.

Pierre:

Yoska comes from a long line of witches in the family. Young witch Zaz is her cousin. Their mothers were sisters. Yoska's mother, Ezmeralda, is not a true witch, but she acts as the midwife and healer in the clan. His father was a traveler from the North, a stranger only worth a one night stand.

Yoska had a talent for magic very early on. And he carried the mark of witchcraft, a lazy eye that wanders on its own. Things would happen around the toddler, mainly frozen objects. It got worse as he got older. Kids would stay away from him, out of safety. Only Zaz was brave enough to play with him. His mother started to place tattoos on him, pouring all her love as wards. It boosted his confidence, and incidents subsided. But people were still weary of him. Being alone so often, he started playing with an imaginary friend he called Yana. The cold and the snow never bothered him, he would often play in the snow with Yana long after the other kids were safely back by the hearth. When he was of age, he was placed in the care of the clan's hedge wizard to get a grip on his magics. He learned to control magic, but he was not so interested in studies. He liked to practice the blade games with the other boys. Yoska was good and the boys finally accepted him for who he was. A tattooed teenager with an imaginary friend and a creepy lazy eye.

Age: 19; Height: 6'2"; Weight: 180; tall trim and skinny frame. Tan skin, ponytailed jet black hair, one green eye one black eye (lazy)

Eli:

Zaaz was born on the road and grew up in the wagons.  Her mother became harrower of her clan and Zaaz learned intrigue literally at her mother’s knee.   At age 13 Zaaz was assisting her mother while she was bargaining with a spirit for knowledge to help the clan when her mother cracked and killed herself.   Zaaz can't seem to recall what knowledge it was that drove her mother to take her own life.   Her fellow travelers found her shivering by her mothers side.   On that day her hair started coming in ivory white and the cold never touched her like most others.  The birth tattoos that she had solidified as well giving her a strange icicle looking tattoo under her right eye and a mystic pattern above her eyes.  Though Zaaz doesn’t remember making a bargain herself that day, she found that she could draw forth magic and make it do her bidding.   While Zaaz is essentially good, her patron power seems to delight in misfortune and deception. 

Zaaz is determined to someday take her mother’s place as harrower for the clan.   She knows she has a long way to go and is anxious to gain experience that will stead her well in her quest.  She also seeks to learn more about her powers and what they can do.

Zaaz is also close with her cousin Yuska in the clan, a Magus with odd freezing abilities.

Chris

Not all souls go directly to the outer plans when they die, many get lost in the Realm of Dreams.

Sobolan was a half-elven child who was stricken with plague.  

During his last few days of fevered dreams he manifested lucid dreaming

and was able to enter plane of dreams.  During one night he saved another 

dreamer (one of the pcs?) who was being poached by a Night Hag, using 

his near limitless child imagination.  He was able to disrupt the Night Hags, nightmare 

attack causing her enough frustration to find prey elsewhere.

A passing Azata witnessed this event (knowing the child was drying) and gave the child a seed that would take him to Elysium and let his soul rest there, the Azata did not wish the child to fall prey to another Night Hag or worse.

The next night the child dreamed he planted the seed, a crystal tree sprouted opening a dream gate to Elysium.  He was greeted by the same Azata who gave him the seed.  Seeing the child was in his last hours he gave him a tour of Elysium and told him this would be his new home.  The child grew frustrated, sad angry and through force of imagination being able to link dream to physical substance manifested his dream powers on the plane of Elysium.  Not wanting this mortals potential to go to waste the Azata offered the child a choice in one hand presented some ambrosia cider which would protect his soul and allow him to live in Elysium forever and the other hand a chrysalis a new opportunity at life and adventure.

The child chose the chrysalis waking up in a crystal cacoon that purged his being with holy fire of the sickness, creating a new body in the process.  During the time it took the body to develop the child spent much time traversing the dream world and Elysium being mentored by the Azata and training his powers.

A year passed the crystal cracked and a furry Rat boy emerged with 3 gems upon his forehead. Still the disease was powerful and left his new body weak, small and lame.

He found his village decimated by the plague, those that survived must have fled.  

So off he goes to find a new family, while at night he searches the dream world for his lost family guiding there souls to Elysium as he finds them.

His summoner powers and spells are his manifestation of the dreamworld crafted by his imagination.  His summons and Eidolons are his friends family, and lost souls he has guided to salvation in the realm of dreams.  He found the group not by chance but by meeting them in dreams and perhaps guided all the members together.  Now his new adventure begins.