We took a week break which allowed everyone to train up and get back on their primary PCs. We had a few bonafide Heroes in the mix this session, with Broderick, Raylan, and Ojisan clocking in at level 4. More on that later.
The crew started out looking at the dragons based on some (old) recon from the rangers that the gnolls might be away raiding. It turned out that everyone was back safe and sound at their glacial fortress and the PCs figured it wasn't the right time.
Thorgal shared that he had used Frigga's bowl to locate Thor's chainmail, pointing them at the weird Temple of the Fallen Jotun to the northeast. The party made it there without complication and left their handful of mercs to guard the horses while they delved.
It was a compound of 4 smaller buildings around a large central structure. A massive corpse laid across the top of the building, impaled on it, and dripped an unending stream of gore down the sides which pooled in a nasty pond around the place. Scrying let them see into one building that seemed accessible without having to brave the putrid goop so that's where they started.
Dinklage kept them from twisting an ankle on a rotten board and they entered the first building. It was a guest house of some sort, with old musty linens and wardrobe that held a small jewelry box. The box was trapped with lightning which Dinklage discovered after a failed open locks check.
The next building also smelled bad, but this time more like rotten garbage. It was a study with some fiction novels along the bookcases, some overstuffed leather chairs, and a bar. Dinklage found a nice crystal decanter and serving set and Thorgal cut open a chair to find a hidden satchel. That's when the ghasts hiding in the rafters chose to strike!
The party tried to collapse around Broderick to gain the benefit of his holy aura but the ghasts were faster, striking and paralyzing Thorgal and nearly finishing off Ojisan and Dinklage. The rest of the fight went better for the PCs and eventually they won out, only Raylan becoming paralyzed of the remaining group. There was treasure in the satchel and a key which fit the box, containing more treasure. We love treasure.
While the group rested, adventurers from the nearby city of Sland entered the room. Neither side was surprised but it took quite a bit to calm everyone down. Drugr's Warriors agreed to depart after sharing some recon about the place with Dinklage, who paid them for it. Ojisan sekritly read the mind of Drugr to ensure he was honest and was satisfied by what the spirits told him.
The central temple had statues to several of the goodly norse gods, doors leading out, stairs leading up, and a giant disgusting rift in the floor oozing pus like an infected abscess that had burst. The group didn't want to investigate the gross mystery so went up the stairs. They found a storeroom and kitchen, the latter which had a golden bowl filled with clean water and runes around the rim about hope.
Thorgal drank from the bowl and gained 2 inches in height and several points of strength, joining the other bigswole fighting men in the party. They figured that was as good as it was gonna get and bounced, heading to Sland to sell off some treasure.
Musings:
There were some differing views on how to begin the campaign originally among refs in the club. Some chose to start their PCs at higher levels or bonus experience for particular class/race combinations that they wanted to encourage. I started at 1st for a couple reasons. I wanted to DM from the ground up having never run AD&D before. I also wanted players to earn the status of "experienced" as referenced in the DMG when discussing starting players at higher level. My internal milestone for that qualification was reaching 4th level organically, which shows that the player can navigate the game well enough to survive.
Going forward, any player who has reached 4th level in Bloodfall will be considered "experienced." This means that if they have no other characters in the game and need to reroll due to PC death, they will start above 1st level. The gist of the idea is referenced DMG 111. The details will be determined as we cross that bridge.
I tried to poll the players on what they planned before the session but they were very hush hush. I don't think they really knew themselves. They have a crystal ball of sorts in the definitely not cursed or evil palantir they pulled out of the cursed swamp so they can pick and choose hooks to scout until Ojisan's brain melts. Unfortunately 2d6 went against them here putting each of their targets in a situation that was not ideal. There was some intraparty chatter about taking initiative, but that's not a DM problem. I didn't really mean to point them at a dungeon I wasn't prepared for but there it was and the rest is history.
Grading:
Thorgal: Excellent. Scouted and tried to be bold, but got paralyzed. Can't dock a man if he can't move.
Rune: Excellent. Bold in the face of ghasts.
Ojisan: Excellent. Good use of resources, especially limited combat ability.
Dinklage: Excellent. Good use of thief skills.
Broderick: Excellent. Bold, diplomatic to fellow norsemen
Raylan: Excellent. Bold, scouted, tracked.
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