Icewind Dale

Plot

Icewind Dale has become trapped in a perpetual winter. Ferocious blizzards make the mountain pass through the Spine of the World exceedingly treacherous, and this land has not felt warmth of the sun in over two years. In fact, the sun no longer appears above the mountains, not even in what should be the height of summer. In this frozen tundra, darkness and bitter cold reign as king and queen. Most dale residents blame Auril (oh-REEL) the Frostmaiden, the god of winter's wrath. The shimmering aurora that weaves across the sky each night is said to be her doing a potent spell that keeps the sun at bay.

Dalefolk live in a scattering of settlements known as the Ten-Towns. The drop-off caravans coming from the south and travel between settlements in this never-ending winter has left everyone feeling isolated. Although each town has resolved to appease the Frostmaiden with sacrifices of one kind or another, no respite from winter's fury seems forthcoming. Recently, reports have been made from the (neighboring) contintent Isonhound of possible effects reaching the lands from the Frostmaiden. With no end in sight, this seemingly perilous spell will consume all lands if no one is able to stop it.

For adventurers such as yourselves, Ten-Towns is a place to test one's mettle and, in the spirit of heroes who have come before, leave one's mark on this frigid blighted land.

Characters

Oisín Mosshill - David R.

Picklz - David M.

Leif Gladefel (a.k.a. Ebony Dark'ness Dementia Raven Way) - Craig R.

Huebert (Huey) del Toro - Sunny R.

Mireille Daphnes Nohansen - Rachel T.

NPCS Met So Far

Jeff Bridges - Polar bear, mutual friend, acquisition of rare objects

Hlin Trollbane - Dwarf, Retired bounty hunter

Torrga Icevein - Dwarf, Owner of Torg's, a traveling second-hand merchant of the Ten Towns

Sephek Kaltro - Humanoid , Bodyguard to Torrga (Deceased)

Session Highlights

Session 1: The Journey Begins

Short version:

Our adventurers set off from the familiar waters of Isonhound for the cold bitter land of Breme where the Frostmaiden Auril has cast a spell upon the land. Huey, Picklz, Oisín, Mireille, and Ebony Dark'ness Dementia Raven Way set off on a 2 day journey voyage which allowed them to bond a little more as a team. The first day is always the hardest on folk who have never sailed before. Mireille and Oisín both had trouble finding their sea legs; with Oisín throwing up as he immediately stepped on to Huey's boat. Picklz wasted no time in attempting to pickpocket Huey before even stepping on to the boat (named "The Kels"). After that failed attempt he resided to stealing an iron pot out of Oisín's bag which Ebony eventually slapped overboard. Mireille stepped up and held the wheel of the ship for Huey when dinner was being served. Oisín made a wonderful vegetable stew with veggies he brought from home. Thankfully Huey had another pot on board for Oisín to make it in.

The next day our travelers had a much better time riding the sea. Any seasickness that was present before was gone; no doubt to Oisín's ingenious dash on cinnamon in his veggie stew. Picklz once again set off to cause mischief on the ship as he proceeded to put onion into Ebony's boots. He was also able to swipe Mireille's holy symbol necklace which he proceeded to wear as a belt buckle perfect for his size. Oisín spent most of the day trying to reconnect with his nature roots by talking to a shearwater (bird). Mireille soon found her necklace missing and chased Picklz around the ship until she got it back. Ebony soon tossed the onions from his boots into the water, which attracted (unknowing to him) a large sea creature which Huey bravely encountered under the sea. After making friends with the Loch Ness Monster, the travelers managed to pull into the port of Bremen just after midnight.

After putting on their warm gear, our party left for the Inn/Tavern called Buried Treasure, where they were supposed to meet up with their mutual friend Jeff Bridges. However, they came in so late that everyone was asleep and so decided to buy two rooms for the night. Picklz slept in one room while everyone else slept in the other. The next morning the group was notified of Jeff Bridges' abrupt departure but were given another task by Hlin Trollbane, a retired bounty hunter. The group was left to decide if they wanted to take up her offer and how exactly they would approach the problem.

Session 2: Cold-Hearted Killer

After spending a cold night in the warm Tavern of Bremen, our adventures set off on a new day to find their mutual point of contact, Jeff Bridges. After receiving word that Jeff was no longer in town and that the party should not wait for him, they proceeded to talk with Hlin Trollbane, a retired dwarven bounty hunter. She informed the party of recent killings and a suspect she believed to be behind them. She offered the party 100gp collectively for the capture our killing of Sephek Kaltro. It is noted by this point, Picklz had successfuly stolen a hair ornament from Hlin but was unsuccessful in stealing her plated tomato. Instead Picklz ate a blue wooden apple; a trinket courtesy of Mistwalker (formally known as Ebony Dark'ness Dementia Ravenway). It is also noted that Picklz successfully stole 3 pairs snowshoes from the Inn.

The party then made their way to Targos, the last known place where Sephek was seen. While traveling through the snow, the party noticed a figure off in the distance. Faded and not resolved through the wind, however, a figure nonetheless. Taking time to veer from the path and investigate, the players came upon a deposit of Chardalyn (CHAR-dah-lin). While the mysterious figure disappeared upon arrival, the party discovered that this black crystal growing jaggedly out of the ground had magical abilities. Mireille was able to discover that once broken from it's main vain, the crystal lost all magical properties. That being said, she also was able to discern that Chardalyn can be used for spell storage. After taking the time to cast detect magic, Mireille discovered a conjuration spell stored inside the large vein of Chardalyn protruding from the ground; just in time to see Mistwalker trying to break off a piece. While the party eventually left this location with no Chardalyn to show for their efforts, they gained more knowledge on the magics of the crystal.

The players made it safely to the town of Targos by late afternoon. They spent the rest of the day getting a lay of the land in an attempt to locate Torg's. Once they found the traveling merchant, and their notorious bodyguard, Mistwalker decided to speak with Torrga and view their wares. One thing of particular interest caught several eyes as Torrga showed off a recently found amulet that is supposed to protect the wearer in some capacity. She offered it up for 10gp which was declined. Oisín tried to make friendly conversation with Sephek and the party noted that Sephek didn't appear to be effected by the cold.

The party then left the merchant cart and devised a plan to try and figure out the next target of Sephek. Oisín and Mireille went to check the Town hall records of the most recent pool of sacrifices while Picklz, Huey, and Mistwalker followed Torrga and the rest of the caravan. Oisín and Mireille were able to discover the most recent dodger of the town sacrifice and proceeded to find their house. Mistwalker and Huey followed Sephek after leaving Torrga for the evening which led them to the same house Mireille and Oisín were now at. Picklz stayed behind and was able to successfully steal the Chardalyn amulet, which he proudly displayed as his new belt buckle. It is noted however, it is not a perfect fit; there exists only one object in known existence that ever fit his bet buckle perfectly.

With most of the party converging on the same location, in an act of bravery/stupidity, Oisín disguised himself as the intended target of Sephek and proceeded to lure him down a dark alleyway. After dropping the disguise and smiling straight at Sephek, combat erupted. Oisín took a nasty blow during the fight and was considered dead for a time. However, after the rest of the party sucessfully killed Sephek, they witnessed a very odd sight. As the last breath left Sephek's body, a cold blue mist arose from him. Escaping on the wind, the mist seemed lifeless until the moment a piece broke away and entered Oisín's seemingly dead body. Mireille rushed to him to cast spare the dying after the goddess Nayru spoke to her to do so -and just like that Oisín rose from the literal dead.

This concluded session 2 with the players leveling up to level 2 and the unknown consequences of Oisín's magical resurrection.