Recap: It’s been a while?

As you leave the comfort and heat of the walls of Brynn Shander, the cold starts to set in around you… Within mere minutes of taking to the eastward road, all you can see is the whirling snow and ice as you head to the base of Kelvin’s Cairn, seeking your prey.

Hello, all! It’s… been a little while. According to my notes, we last touched this campaign 11-months ago. We’ve played here and there in one-off adventures, but this story has been chilling (hah. hahaha. Ahahahaha.) for just under a year. Here’s a quick catch-up for everyone, as to where we were.

• Your party started from Waterdeep, all hired from the Adventurer's Guild to help a small town known as Nightstone. The town had been overrun by goblins, who themselves were on the run after a fierce battle between two different races of giants. As you helped the townsfolk, you were set on a journey to further assist them. You were asked to inform family members of the deceased in Nightstone, requiring travel to the frigid northern region of the Ten Towns in the Icewind Dale.

• Along the way, you were met by a Cloud Giant (Zepheryos) in a flying tower who seemed to believe your group would be forced to intervene in a large upcoming conflict between ALL of the races of giants. This event is known as Breaking The Ordning, and involves removal of the societal rules that keep the giants from waging all-out war against any race they wish. Now all the giant races and clans will be vying for dominance with each other and will cause untold destruction to the world as they do so. To stop this, Zepheryos stressed that a single clan or leader must restore control and place a new Ordning over giants as a whole.

• On your journey, you traveled to the town of Dougan’s Hole, and dealt with an evil elemental creature of light known as The Shimmer. From there, you traveled to the capital of the Ten Towns, Brynn Shander, where you have been since.

The Current Session:

When last we left our heroes…

The party had been preparing themselves and learning information about the town of Brynn Shander. After delivering the news of his sister's death to Sheriff Markham, you visited various different stores and shops, most notably of which was Rendaril’s Emporium. After reviewing your current equipment, the party placed a number of orders for custom upgrades and decided to take on a hunting/gathering quest while waiting for the gear to finish.

• The party made a brief trip out of the city walls, and encountered a small pack of Winter Wolves. You were able to slay the wolves, and take their pelts as a test-run gathering materials for hunting requests.

• The party returned to The Northlook, the inn at which they were staying, to rest and plan for a longer trip to the base of Kelvin’s Cairn, a day's journey east of the city. You have been tasked to hunt at frost skeletons for their bones. The Emporium informed you that the magical nature of these creatures is highly sought-after for their anti-cold properties. The party was given a set of magically-sealing bags that can contain and preserve the materials collected.

• The request specified that you must return with the following at minimum, all intact (amounts or materials not specified are subject to further compensation):

  • 5 skulls

  • 4 rib cages

  • 7 arms

  • 100 teeth

• Upon completion of the task, your party will be given 300gp + further compensation regarding extra materials in good condition.

• Your requested custom gear is ~4 days from completion for the party, and will be delivered in locked cases to your suite at The Northlook.

For new Players/Characters

The party is set to embark on a hunting trip that is going to take a couple of days. New characters could be added to the party here in a number of ways… Are you someone who wants to join in on this request, and try to earn some of the reward for offering your services? Maybe you are already out in the wilderness, and come across the party by chance as they travel? Perhaps another reason entirely!

Contact me as you are making your character, and I can work with you to ensure adding your character to the party goes smoothly. Other thoughts to consider when making a new character for this story:

• Use D&D 5th Edition rulesets, please. Homebrew or other rulesets might be allowed on a case-by-case basis. The current party all uses a website “dndbeyond.com” with a shared account to make and maintain our characters. This is not required but is recommended. (An example character)

• The party is all currently 5th level, and gains exp from both combat and story encounters. Leveling requires rest in a safe location. Party balance gives us some options, but is not required. If everyone wants to hit stuff with hammers all day, I’m fine with that.

• We will be using a digital battle map!

  • This means you will need to make a “token” for your character. We use this website, but you can provide a different one if you would like: https://tools.2minutetabletop.com/token-editor/ Please save the file as a transparent PNG, or else there will be a white or black square around your token on the map. Once you have a token, you can email it to me at “ccevans42@gmail.com” along with your character name and I will add it into the game.

Finally, tone:

This adventure is run with some humor and jokes, but is not a comedy. Please do not make “joke” characters for the sake of them simply being a joke. A character based around humor is fine, but should feel like they fit naturally into the world around them. There are light horror elements, and a fairly even mix of combat, puzzles, and role-playing. No one is required to fully engage in all aspects or be proficient in all aspects, but I do ask that you respect the choices made by other players and the way that they play. If you have any questions or requests, feel free to reach out to me at any time!