Hi everyone, and welcome back to the Finder’s Archives.
Last week we started week two (or days 8 – 14) of the D20Radio Julekalender campaign. This week we continue for another 7 days. Remember these sessions are supposed to be no more than an hour long (though some of the enterprising ones of you out there might get more time out of it), and has no set game system for it. Simple, narrative systems will probably work best though.
That said, we pick up where we left off, with the heroes having just defeated the Troll King.
15th of December
Having stayed the night at Velena’s, the heroes are once more contacted by their old friend. He’s having a lot of trouble with the puzzle, but he knows where they can get help. He’s sent the puzzle to one of his acquaintances, a man that he refers to as “Father Bear” who is an old and wise spirit, but he’s normally hibernating during this time of the year. So he’s not responded. And the heroes should go wake him. Waking the old sleeping bear is dangerous, as it takes him a few rounds after being woken to recover his wits. In that time, he’s angry and attacks anyone nearby – though once he regains control (either after 3 rounds or after knocking a hero unconscious) he’ll heal anyone that he’s harmed. Looking at the puzzle sent by their friend, he can tell them that problem is that it’s not a puzzle. It’s instructions on how to get to the Faerie realm. Some of the wording in there seems to indicate that the Troll King is actually trying to dethrone the Faerie King and Queen and take their place in the Faerie Court. Luckily Father Bear knows where the entrance is from the instructions, but the portal doesn’t open again until dawn.
16th of December
At the crack of dawn the next day, a blue, glowing portal opens where Father Bear took them, in a small glade of a nearby forest. The portal opens into another realm, into a magnificent castle. Somehow the colors are more vibrant, more ALIVE than the normal world. Sunlight filters through glorious stained glass windows, in the many rooms. But no doors open up to the outside. All doors within the castle seem to lead to other rooms. And while the castle is truly enormous – miles wide and long – it’s not infinite in size. But the rooms are empty, there is no one inside. Finally, the heroes come to the throne room, which is not empty – but the inhabitants are not the ones that are supposed to be there. In the throne room are some of the creatures used by the Troll King, who attack the heroes. Furthermore, there is a small creature hiding in a corner, a small green lizard-like creature. The Troll King’s servants can reveal that the Troll King captured the entirety of the court and imprisoned them somewhere on the planes. The lizard-like creature crawls unseen into the backpack of one of the heroes if they do not take it along themselves. (Which will come back to haunt them later).
17th of December
Following the information handed over by the minions of the Troll King, the heroes once more find themselves outside an icy cave. This one is extremely cold, and no lights can penetrate the darkness inside. Even magical lighting only clears up an area of about 5 feet around the user. The only thing that can break through the impenetrable darkness is sunlight (whether natural or magical). Fumbling their way through, the heroes eventually get to the bottom of the cave where there is a tiny fire. Around the fire are huddled two people, one young and one ancient. When spoken to, the two answer cryptically, as if reading entries from a history book. Smart players will eventually figure out that these are “Father Time” – or rather two of them. One of the times to come (the young), and one of the times that have been (the ancient one). They’ve been imprisoned in the cave by the Troll King and cannot leave until sunlight is brought to them. To do so, the characters must either enable sunlight to get there, either through magic, the clever use of mirrors, or by acquiring it. (In this world, Sunlight can be captured in a mirrored box – a box with mirrors inside). Releasing them is the work of a whole day, as the sunlight reaches them. Once it reaches them, they both stand up, powerfully and strong, no longer bent by the oppressive darkness. They promise the heroes that the next day when they wake, they’ll find themselves on the doorstep of the Troll King.
18th of December
The next morning the heroes wake up outside of a small hut. They’re not physically at the doorstep of the Troll King, but they are MENTALLY at it. As they wake, they can hear pots and pans clanging away inside, and eventually, an old crone emerges. She is HIDEOUS beyond belief, and nearsighted to the point of blindness, but she is friendly and clearly fey in nature (though she resembles the worst excesses of trolls, ogres, and hags). This is the Troll King’s mother, and she can answer many questions that the characters may have about him. She can tell them that his was a happy childhood, at least until he started in school where he was bullied relentlessly. He was beaten mercilessly by them and swore his revenge. And while she loves her little boy (still), his anger is implacable and he made a deal with the Faerie King, one that granted him power, but trapped him in an unseemly body. This was not what her son thought he’d agreed to, as he did not wish to keep his disfigured body. Using illusion magic, he covered himself up and set out into the world. Now his sights were set on the Faerie Court however, he wanted vengeance on them all. Last she heard, he’d been accepted into the court as a jester, and she’s sure that nothing good could have come of it.
The Troll King’s mother isn’t sure where he is now, but she knows where his favorite hiding spot was when he was a kid. There’s a small hollow by a nearby river, but it’s getting late in the day by that point, and she points out that the area is not safe for non-fey when darkness comes. (Should the heroes move out during the night, they’ll be attacked by shadowy creatures that drain life).
19th of December
The following morning she takes them all down to his hiding spot. And it turns out that someone HAS been there recently. The Troll King himself was there for a day or two, after his initial defeat at the hands of the heroes. She leaves them to it, and they can investigate the area. There they find an old, battered diary of the Troll King. Most of it is childish nonsense, but the most recent entries are only a few days old. They talk of “the Plot” finally coming to fruition thanks to the interference of a bunch of “so-called heroes.” It turns out that their rescue of Velena’s dad was a cover-up, and they were under a spell at the time – one that caused them to see the Faery Court as being the Troll King’s minions, and the heroes were instrumental in defeating them. (If they had a game against the Troll King, that too turns out to be a cover, while the King and Queen were whisked away). Now he has them trapped in his dungeons in the Shadow Dimension. To get there, once more walk “Through the Valley of the Shadow of Death.” Consulting with their old friend, they eventually discover that this an actual place. On the planes, there is a gigantic statue of the Grim Reaper, one that oversees a valley, and covers the entire thing in darkness. Their old friend believes that this is where they need to go, but to get there, they must first get back to him, and something is blocking his transport spells, so they’re going to have to walk.
20th of December
Getting back to their old friend turns out to be a chore. They spend a few hours going through torrential rain, only to be followed for a few hours by a raging sandstorm. That is then followed by a 2-hour blizzard, and that is followed by a hurricane that rages for 3 hours. That is finished up by a couple of nice hours of weather before they arrive at their old friend’s house. Regrettably, waiting for them there, are the Troll King’s minions who are laying siege to the place, and they will have to fight their way through to get to their friend. He has been busy keeping these creatures at bay, but he’ll prepare the needed ritual overnight so that they can get there first thing in the morning.
21st of December
Overnight their friend prepares the ritual, and he is ready to send them off. A dizzying sensation and they find themselves standing at the entrance to the Valley of the Shadow of Death. A titanic statue of the Grim Reaper towers above the valley and canyon. Walking down it, they’ll eventually encounter the Guardian. The Guardian is an enormous female sphinx that thunders “Stand Ready to be Judged Mortals or Fall Before the Gaze of Eternity.” In reality, she’s quite nice, but a bit lonely. She’s got a duty to attend to, however, and she’ll get it done. In order to get through, each hero must answer a riddle. Here are few sample riddles:
Riddle: This thing all things devour: birds, beasts, trees, flowers; gnaws iron, bites steel; grinds hard stones to meal; slays kings, ruins towns; and beats high mountains down.
Answer: Time
Riddle: In spring I am gay in handsome array; in summer more clothing I wear; when colder it grows, I fling off my clothes; and in winter quite naked appear.
Answer: A tree
Riddle: I’m alive, but without breath; I’m as cold in life as in death; I’m never thirsty, though I always drink.
Answer: A fish
Riddle: As small as your thumb, I am light in the air. You may hear me before you see me, but trust that I’m here.
Answer: A hummingbird
Riddle: Never resting, never still; moving silently from hill to hill; it does not walk, run or trot; all is cool where it is not.
Answer: The sun
Riddle: What can bring back the dead; make you cry, make you laugh, make you young; is born in an instant, yet lasts a lifetime.
Answer: Memories
Riddle: What is always old and sometimes new; never sad, sometimes blue; never empty, but sometimes full; never pushes, always pulls?
Answer: The moon
Riddle: What is large, yet never grows; has roots that cannot be seen; and is taller than trees?
Answer: A mountain
Riddle: At night they come without being fetched, and by day they are lost without being stolen.
Answer: Stars
Riddle: I create my lair with earthen string, and dispatch my prey with a biting sting.
Answer: A spider
Riddle: Some try to hide, some try to cheat; but time will show, we always will meet. Try as you might to guess my name.
Answer: Death
Riddle: What can run, but never walks; has a mouth, but never talks; has a head, but never weeps; has a bed, but never sleeps?
Answer: A river
Anyone keeping an eye on the sphinx will notice that she mimes the answer for those who struggle – as she wants them to succeed, but she is bound not to say the answer out loud.
Once all heroes have passed the test (anyone not passing is struck by a lightning bolt —The so-called Gaze of Eternity – if they survive, they must try again), she breathes a sigh of relief and says “Let me take you to the Troll King’s palace. It is far from here, but I was bound to not reveal it. Now that you’ve passed the test, I can help once more.” She lets them all climb onto her back (she’s big enough to accept all of them on her back), and flies off, on a journey that takes the rest of the day and night. She answers any questions about the Troll King and his minions as best as she can, but she doesn’t know much. She offers to tell the heroes tales about heroic exploits over the millennia, many of which she has seen firsthand. Anyone accepting and listening properly gains the benefit of a Bless spell for the next week.
And that concludes this week – next week, we finish up our gaming Julekalender! 😊
Kim Frandsen
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