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Sunday, April 30, 2023

Recap 1: AD&D Ice World "Town of Ranier & Hardin's Rock"

 


Dungeon Master: Bill (running his first campaign ever)

Characters & Players:

Bolus II (Male Human Ranger) - BJ

Fern (Female Elf Ranger) - Steve

Kallik of Clan Boarfrost (Male Dwarven Druid) - Tim

Tazgah (Male Elf Wizard) - Wes

Yanni (Male Yeti Barbarian/Ranger) - George


The characters met in desperation to find work when they answered the call for adventurers. They traveled North from the Southlands (the town of Oakcrest) on Kallik's heavy-duty sled pulled by 6 oxen. They eventually pulled into the frontier town of Ranier and found Alvin's General Store. They were told to wait for Alvin many times ("He'll be here soon...) before he finally transformed & revealed himself as a tall Elven Mage.

Alvin sold the adventurers a few magic items before informing them of an Evil Wizard who had made a pact with the Demon Lord Orcus... This pact had cursed the frigid land that brought about a scourge of undead. Intelligent beings that die rise from the grave soon after if not properly dealt with by burning. 


A series of problems were mentioned to the characters but the foremost one was dealing with the supply line issues due to Orc raiding parties. The group hid in transport sleds and let the Orcs steal their goods before following them and slaughtering them with the help of town reinforcements piling out of portals in the back of the other sleds. 

Kallik the Dwarf learned by talking to a spirit of a fallen Orc about another one of their raiding camps further to the North. The Orcs would not reveal the Evil Wizard's name. It seemed they were forced into service for fear of the Demon's power coursing through the Evil Wizard's body and because he wielded Orcus' Rod of Death. A demonic artifact was also given to the Evil Wizard that causes the Undead scourge befallen the local area.

Alvin cast Reincarnation on an Orc corpse and brought him back as a Gnoll with a change of heart. He agreed to guide and help the group. Kallik nicknamed him Skippy. The Orc-turned-Gnoll didn't seem to care. As they were talking to him a Snow Fox approached Tazgah and became his familiar. He named it Folar.

The group returned with Alvin and were given free room & board at one of the guest houses near to his secure Keep. Alvin showed the group around and introduced them to his "Kitties" that were in actuality a score of White Dragons at various stages of age & development held behind a magical dome. 

After a restful night the characters were given a hot breakfast and informed about their next mission which involved Gnomes who were using magic to help them steal food, iron, yaks, and other sundry items from a Northern Dwarven settlement. 

The group headed North from Alvin's Keep and after a day's travel they arrived at the Dwarven settlement Hardin's Rock. Alvin the Wizard knew a secret way into the mines that avoided several Traps and a false door. They were introduced to the Dwarves and learned more about the magic-wielding Gnome thieves. 

The group set an ambush around the sites that the Dwarves suspected would be robbed with some magic alarms in the form of crunching snow. A few hours after nightfall the invisible Gnomes were caught in the trap when their presence was noted as they stepped on the magic snow. 

Kallik the Dwarf Druid held the Gnomes in place with a spell as Tazgah the Elf Wizard put most of them into a deep sleep. One of them was shot & killed by Bolus II the Human Ranger. After the short battle the surviving Gnomes were questioned, and they revealed the location of the Gnome settlement East of the Dwarven town. They also learned that the Evil Wizard's Keep was far North of where the Gnomes live and he comes once a week to terrify them and threaten them into his service.

Through a few Invisibility and Alter Self spells the group pretended to be the Gnome thieves returning home. The characters convinced the Gnomes to seek forgiveness with the Dwarves and to flee the shadow of the Evil Wizard and head South. Alvin guarantee the Gnomes safe passage and to help them find their path going forward. 

We ended the characters back in the town of Ranier in Alvin's General Store. 















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