[Adventure] Building The Heart of Winter

[zedturtle]

Alright, for a good long time (probably close to a year), I've been promising The Heart of Winter... a sequel to Theft of the Moon that was designed for a more open-ended play experience. There's a lot of reasons why it was placed on the backest of the back burners for a long time, but I'm going to try and create some more accountability for myself by doing some work on it in public.

So without further ado, here's a rough draft of Chapter 1: A Winter Visitor

• While wintering at Beorn’s House, the heroes are invited to attend to Reiginar, a thane of Beorn. In a small room of the house, Reiginar waits at a rough hewn table. There’s one window in the room, it’s open and a snowy white owl is perched on the windowsill. He watches the meeting with intelligent eyes. Reiginar will ask about the heroes’ stay, incorporating any knowledge he might have of their aims (due to Undertakings or previous sessions). But soon enough, the talk turns to serious matters.
  
  Reiginar explains the situation in short and direct sentences: Viglund, ruler of the North Ford, is rumoured to be moving against Black Tom of the Sceadudene. But rather than waiting for Spring, he is planning to send his son Viglar to Tom’s stead in just a few weeks. For his part Tom has sent out messengers to other families nearby. Reiginar does not know the contents of these messages, but he fears that a conflict seeded long ago will come to fruition in Winter. But Tom is independent, and if Beorn moves openly, war between the two lords might result. No, what is needed is discretion… folks who might plausibly infiltrate the forces of Viglar or come calling to Tom’s house as simple travellers. Reiginar asks for the aid of the heroes.
  
  The heroes might have many questions, some of which might be about what reward they might expect for such service. Since it’s likely that they’ve just spent many weeks among the Beornings, they might already feel indebted to their host. If the heroes wish to learn more, the meeting will become an Encounter. The initial Tolerance is set to 1. If the heroes greeted the owl as an equal, raise the Tolerance by 1. If there are one or more Beornings among the heroes, or if they have Beorn as a Patron, or Beorn’s House as a Sanctuary then raise Tolerance by 1.
  
  The heroes can use Courtesy to ask politely for more support from the Bear Lord, or use Riddle to convince Reiginar that they can infiltrate the Viglundings with the right supplies. They might use Awe to impress Reiginar with their strength of arms, but he reports directly to Beorn… such tests are TN 18. Persuade might convince Reiginar to open his purse, or the stables. Use the following chart:
  
  0-2 Successes: Reiginar promises 2 Treasure to each of the heroes, to be paid when they report back to Beorn.
  3-4 Successes: Reiginar will grant one of the following four boons: A letter to be given to Irmgard at the Easterly Inn, which will grant them his trust; sufficient boats to travel to the North Ford by the river; sufficient ponies to allow the heroes to reduce their Fatigue as they travel; or 1 point of Treasure apiece so that they can either present themselves as successful mercenaries to Viglar or successful merchants to Black Tom.
  5-6 Successes: Reiginar will grant two of the above listed boons.
  7+ Successes: Reiginar grants two of the boons, and promises that their payment when they return will be 4 Treasure apiece.
  
  More Information:
  
  If asked, Reiginar is able to provide the following information:
  
  The Easterly Inn, while nominally independent, is protected by and friendly to the Beornings. Visiting there might not be a bad first step. If the heroes have been successful in their Encounter, Reiginar may tell them of Irmgard. Most know the man as a lazy farmhand that winters at the Inn, but Reiginar reveals that he’s in the service of Beorn and one of the few spies that Viglund has yet to capture or kill.
  
  Heroes who think to fool the Viglundings should be told that Viglar is said to be recruiting a force at the North Ford. This would be an excellent place to go in order to put such a plan in place.
  
  Heroes who ask about others who might be consulted will be told about Mab the Spinner. Reaching her may be difficult, but determined heroes might cross at the Carrock or the Old Ford and then use the Falrock in order to enter the Sceadudene.
  
  Where is Beorn?
  
  Heroes that have a personal relationship with the Bear Lord might not expect to receive such a mission from a representative. In these cases, Beorn may be used in place of Reiginar… the main purpose of the thane is to keep Beorn mysterious and aloof, but he will certainly talk to those who have proven themselves to him.
  
  Plotting the Journey:
  
  If the heroes wish to go to The Easterly Inn, it will take three days and require one TN 12 Fatigue Test. Go to Chapter 2: Warm and Cozy Lodgings.
  
  If the heroes elect to go to The Carrock, it will take one day and require one TN 12 Fatigue Test. Go to Chapter 3: Crossings of the Anduin.
  
  If the heroes go to The Old Ford, it will take two days and require one TN 12 Fatigue Test. Go to Chapter 3: Crossings of the Anduin.
  
  If the heroes desire to walk to the The North Ford, it will take eight days and require two TN 12 Fatigue Tests and one TN 14 test. Go to Chapter 7: The North Ford.
  
  If the heroes take a boat to The North Ford, they must first go to The Carrock. See Chapter 3 for more details on boat travel.

[Falenthal]

I choose to go to the Easterly Inn.

Let me flip the pages to Chapter 2...

Good work giving reasons why the beornings or Beorn himself do need some outsiders to do their plans.
And of course, the great value of this beginning is opening options for the characters and avoiding railroading. That's difficult and a great amount of work.

Eager to read how it follows...

[Rue]

Having gotten to play through your PbP version of this, just wanted to say it was (still is) a ton of fun.

[zedturtle]

Thanks all. Here's Chapter 2: Warm and Cozy Lodgings.

• Despite the snow covering the roofs and the icicles overhanging the eaves of the Inn, the heroes will receive a generous welcome. Within, Dodinas Brandybuck and his wife Agatha welcome the heroes and guide them to the common room. A large fireplace roars with a warming blaze, a large dog lounges directly in front of it whilst two hobbit boys play with toys. Dinodas (Dody's brother) watches from one table, chatting with Frier the Dwarf. Across the room, two Men crouch together in conversation, both farmhands by their looks.
  
  No Encounters are required for any routine enquiries at the Inn. The heroes can secure food and lodging easily… anyone at Frugal or better can pay for their own lodgings and folks that are Prosperous or better can pay for two rooms. If for some reason the heroes are obligated to spend Treasure, 1 Treasure can secure a room that will hold up to four travellers and sufficient meals for a stay of a reasonable length. Note that these prices presuppose that the adventure takes place within a few years of the default starting date. Games set closer to the Great Years (say 2970 or later) will see higher costs.
  
  — INSET —
  
  Only a Ruin and a Memory
  
  Experienced Loremasters may have had the Easterly Inn make an appearance in their game only to fall victim to the decline inherent to Middle-earth. If the Inn has been abandoned, then the heroes have no opportunity to meet Irmgard here. Instead, he will likely be found at the community that surrounds the Old Ford.
  
  Likewise, it’s possible that your game featured the death of Dinodas. In this case, he won’t be available to interview, but this will have less of an effect on the progression of the game.
  
  — END INSET —
  
  What the Heroes Might Learn:
  
  Dodinas and Dinodas Brandybuck: Both of the brothers are excellent hosts and are eager to please their guests. However, political talk tends to not get lodged too much in their minds… in their eyes, they are friends to everyone and thus enemies to no-one. They will complain that Winter grows ever stronger North of the Inn, and it looks that their neighbours will have one of the hardest years in memory.
  
  Agatha Brandybuck: Officially, Agatha is as neutral as her husband and brother-in-law. But if a hero manages to speak to her in a place where they won’t be overheard, she will confirm Reiginar’s story as much as she’s able to… the Viglundings are gathering up at The North Ford and there are rumours of Black Tom having sent messengers out in autumn and that he has visitors coming to him despite the unseemly weather. Heroes that have already resolved to visit Mab the Spinner might be interested to learn that Agatha’s sweet treats and candies are considered the best for many leagues.
  
  The Brandybuck Boys: They are Hobbit children, cheerful and content despite the season. They’ve recently received Yule gifts from Dale’s toy market and are enamoured of them. Frier has made them some other toys to accompany their special ones. If riddled carefully (TN 16) a hero might learn that Shadrach the Watchdog and Irmgard seem to have special friendship… the farmhand often volunteers to walk Shadrach, no matter the weather or the hour.
  
  Frier the Smith: An older dwarf who is content to be a simple smith, Frier does not aspire to greatness. But his simple work is often very inventive: given time Frier can create suitable contraptions to aid in the goals of the heroes. If the heroes realise this, they can engage him… spending 1 Treasure and waiting at least three days in order to gain some item that will give them a one-time +2 bonus per hero to some test. The most likely things the heroes might want are climbing gear (once they learn about Hírilhim), traps for enemies, or defensive works for Black Tom’s Stead. Any one of these contraptions will add 1 Encumbrance to each of the heroes for the remainder of the adventure. Frier only has materials and time for one request… further requests will require more time and money than the heroes are likely to want to spend.
  
  Ebregisel the Sower: This farmhand sits with Irmgard, talking of local news and plans for the coming spring. His mind is not bent to the wills of Men, but instead to the lore and doings of plants. He can contribute little to discussions of politics but can confirm that the Sceadudene lies under a winter the likes of which has not been seen for a long time.
  
  — INSET —
  
  The Grip of Winter
  
  It’s important the heroes learn that the Sceadudene is experiencing a tough winter but the introduction of this idea should be subtle. As they continue to journey, they will realise the magical nature of the weather and eventually turn to consult Mab the Spinner or another of the Wise. But for now, it serves best as a bit of colour in the descriptions as the heroes travel.
  
  — END INSET —
  
  Irmgard the Farmhand:
  
  The heroes might wish to talk to Irmgard as well. If they can get him alone, and make a TN 18 Riddle test with a Great or Extraordinary Success, they can convince him to help them in their mission. If they realise the significance of Irmgard’s friendship with Shadrach (see “A Homely House” in Tales From Wilderland) then then the test is reduced to TN 16. If the heroes were given a letter of introduction by Reiginar, they automatically succeed in the test.
  
  Once resolved to help, Irmgard can provide information on the North Ford, from which he has recently returned. He will tell the heroes that Viglar is in command there, and was preparing to recruit a large company for some unspecified purpose. He seemed to want foreigners and mercenaries most of all… those with few ties to the Viglundings. This goes against Viglund’s usual tactics of using thralls in conflicts, and Irmgard left before he found himself forcibly recruited.
  
  Plotting the Journey
  
  If the heroes are returning to Beorn’s House, the journey will take three days and one TN 12 test. If the heroes are returning triumphantly, then the journey may simple be narrated if the LM wishes. Otherwise, Reiginar and Beorn will be very surprised (and disappointed) to see the heroes so soon.
  
  If the heroes elect to go to the Carrock, it will require three days and one TN 12 test. See Chapter 3: Crossings of the Anduin.
  
  If the heroes want to cross at the Old Ford, it will require four days and two TN 12 tests. See Chapter 3: Crossings of the Anduin.
  
  If the heroes proceed to the North Ford, it will require five days, one TN 12 test and one TN 14 test. See Chapter 7: The North Ford.

[Blubbo Baggins]

I played in this adventure... it was great fun, very well done, and truly fits into Tolkien well. It's also amazing to hear all the other possibilities, compared to the road we took.

We elected to go to the Inn, and from there to Mab the Spinner. That former encounter with Irmgard was helpful, the latter experience/adventure was just plain fun! The way Zed portrayed Mab was spot on.

[Falenthal]

Yeah, I think I'll go see Mab the Spinner now. There's something else going on here, deeper than a simple attack on a farm for supplies or thralls. The Viglunds are putting too much effort in this.

Chapter 3, please.

[zedturtle]

Chapter 3 is a fairly small chapter, since it's all about getting the heroes somewhere else. That said, it took a bit to write, because in my handwritten version of the adventure, there's virtually nothing there (I was simply going to copy off what I'd done in the PbP playtest). In any case, here goes:

• This chapter covers two possible ways that the heroes might continue their journey. See the appropriate section as needed.
  
  The Carrock:
  
  From the Eastern shore, the river may be forded and the sacred Carrock reached. Here, Grimhild the Old is the keeper of boats for Beorn. She has both coracles and a few rafts. If the heroes simply wish to cross to the Western shore, they may borrow boats from her. As long as there is at least one Beorning hero or another hero with a Standing of 2 or higher in a neighbouring culture, she will trust the heroes to secure the boats on the far shore, for the next travellers to use coming Eastward. See The River Crossing, below.
  
  If the heroes wish to take the boats Northward (either to the North Ford, or far enough to reach the Sceadudene by the river), then Grimhild will require more from the heroes… each Prosperous or Rich character can secure one boat, and heroes of lesser means can pay 2 Treasure for each boat. If Reiginar has sent word to her, she will instead give the boats to the heroes, as part of the previously arranged boon. If the heroes intend to go North, she will warn them about the northern weather (especially if the heroes come here directly from Beorn’s House, this might be their only warning that Winter is stronger this year).
  
  The Boats of the Beornings:
  
  Each coracle is a smallish oval boat that sits on top of the water and is powered by a broad-bladed paddle. Two heroes may occupy one of these boats, or it can be three heroes if at least two of them are Hobbits or Dwarves.
  
  A small number of rafts are available for heroes who are crossing to the Western shore with ponies. Each raft has room for a pony and one hero to pole the raft across to the far shore.
  
  Crossing the River:
  
  The distance between the Carrock and the Western shore is not too great, but the Anduin is especially strong here and the cold weather does not aid the heroes in their endeavour. Each hero must make a TN 14 Athletics tests in order to do their part in getting the boats safely to the other shore. If a hero fails this test, they’ve strained themselves and add 1 to the Fatigue score. If all heroes in a boat fail their Athletics tests, then the boat has become capsized. Each hero loses Endurance equal to the result of one Success die.
  
  From the Western shore, the heroes are likely to want to go to the Falrock, in order to cross into the Sceadudene. This trip takes four days and requires two TN 14 Fatigue Tests.
  
  Going Up the River:
  
  If the heroes elect to take the boats to the North Ford, the journey takes eleven days and requires four TN 14 Fatigue Tests. Remember that travelling by boats reduces the Fatigue gained by any failures.
  
  As the heroes pass by the Rushdown Forest, they will garner the attention of some orcish scouts. A number of Goblin Archers equal to the heroes come close enough so that they may exchange Opening Volleys with the heroes. If the heroes attend to the boats, they can be past the goblins quickly, and they will only endure three volleys. However, for each hero that elects to return fire instead of paddling increases the number of volleys by one. If the heroes try to land their craft, the goblins will launch one final volley at the heroes and then scatter into the forest.
  
  Once the heroes have travelled for at least six days, they are into the Upper Vales and could land their craft and continue on foot. They will likely be only a few days away from Mab’s house, and a week or less away from Black Tom’s Stead. Now that they are in the Sceadudene, they bear the full brunt of the Winter… heroes gain 1 Fatigue even on a successful Fatigue Test.
  
  If the Heroes make it to the North Ford, see Chapter 7. If the heroes visit Mab the Spinner, see Chapter 5. If the heroes head directly to Black Tom, see Chapter 8: The Patrol for a required scene and then proceed to Chapter 6.
  
  - - - - - -
  
  The Old Ford:
  
  Maracar the Bald is captain of the garrison here, charged with keeping the ford safe and collecting tolls from travellers. Depending on the year, there may also be a bustling community on the Eastern shore (or both shores). If the heroes were not able to find Irmgard at the Easterly Inn, there is every chance that he is here. Heroes that spend time with others before crossing the Ford might hear of the unusually strong weather away up North, but little other news has reached this far south.
  
  Heroes that have a Standard of Living of Prosperous or better are able to pay the crossing fee without trouble, and can even pay for another companion. Beornings can cross without charge. Heroes that find themselves forced to pay learn that 1 Treasure is sufficient to pay for the entire company to cross.
  
  Once crossing, it’s likely that heroes will proceed directly to the Falrock. The journey takes six days and requires two TN 14 Fatigue Tests. Since they are still not in the Sceadudene, they do not gain any Fatigue on a successful Travel roll.

[Falenthal]

Just a minor concern: I've seen you always ask for Treasure to pay for something. While it's not a big deal, TOR always encourages to simply use the Standard of Living for this transactions. Treasure is scarce, and should probably be better used to increase the Standing or invest in Holdings. For the business done during the Adventure pahse, I'd recommend just sticking to the Standard of Living. If the whole party can't pay for enough boats or the toll at the Old Ford, then another way must be sought.

[zedturtle]

Sorry for the lack of clarity; the Treasure costs are always last resort things, SoL should provide in most cases. I'll try to make that clearer.

[zedturtle]

I did tweak things a little bit... I should also mention that I anticipate that these adventures would be broadly compatible with D&DME, and I imagine that game might be more mercantile in its approach to such issues.

In any case, here's a rough draft of Chapter 4, which is a small thing to write about, but usually occupies a goodly bit of time in the adventure:

• 
  
  When the heroes arrive at the Falrock, they’ll find that the main island is held against them… careful heroes might sneak up on the Orcs that hold the Falrock, but unwary ones might find their enemy ready for them. The Falrock is currently occupied by one Orc Guard and as many Orc Soldiers as there are heroes. Two Goblin Archers have recently arrived, bearing messages. Unless the heroes have made a specific plan otherwise, assume that they have arrived at dusk, explaining the recent arrival of the archers.
  
  Stealthy heroes have a chance to hear the goblins’ message before attacking. As these orcs are from separate tribes of the Misty Mountains, they mostly use the common speech to communicate. The goblins tell the orcs: “We’ve met with the Grey One: he says that we are to attack on Burzhan, Grûku will be quiet then.” Those with Orc-lore or Enemy-lore will know that Burzhan is the night of the new moon, and that Grûku is the name of something or someone, and might mean ‘Old Woman’. Inform the heroes that the new moon is about a week away.
  
  When the orcs become aware of the heroes, they will defend the crossing. The orcs have command of the ruined watchtower, and thus hold the initiative. Any opening volleys made from the southern shore are moderately hindered due to the ruins (severely hindered if the heroes attack at night). The ruins provide enough shade that orcs within the ruins are not affected by sunlight. Orcs that are drawn out of the ruins are affected however.
  
  If the heroes try to interrogate any remaining orcs, they might learn a little more… they’ve been drawn from the mountains and promised a great reward if they make war upon the Sceadudene under the cover of the stormy weather. The plan referred to above is an attack on Black Tom’s stead. If they can destroy Black Tom, they know they will break the back of the Sceadudene. Heroes that harm or kill captive orcs should receive Shadow points, in proportion to the nature of their actions.
  
  Once the heroes have crossed the Falrock, they might wish to go to Mab the Spinner. The journey takes two days and requires one TN 16 Fatigue Test. Even if the heroes succeed in the test, they still receive one point of Fatigue, due to the severe storms and bitterly cold Winter. Remind the heroes about the weather whenever they are travelling in the Sceadudene. See Chapter 5: Old Mab
  
  Heroes might elect to go directly to Black Tom. This requires four days and two TN 16 Fatigue Tests. If the heroes succeed at a Fatigue Test, they still gain one point of Fatigue due to the severe weather conditions. As the heroes travel, remember to describe the howling winds, driving snowstorms and bitter cold that the Sceadudene is suffering. On the way to Black Tom’s they will see the remains of the patrol (see Chapter 8: The Patrol) and then arrive at Black Tom’s stead (see Chapter 6).

Edit: in posting the below picture, I realised I need to put in the info from the page below about jumping from rock to rock, especially in battle conditions.

Here's a map of the Falrock (current layout, the map in Heart won't have the tent):