This will be a 4e-ified version of the Grim Tales game I ran last year. It'll be my attempt to run a grimmer, grittier, lower-magic 4e game. Return of the Winter Witch
St. Silas is a town at the far edge of Esqerra, nestled in a valley at the foot of the imposing Daschreadle Mountains. Over a century ago while the armies of the Three Kingdoms were distracted by a prolonged war with the ancient Machree Empire, a woman known only as the Winter Witch asserted her dominion over the mountains and the surrounding lands.
For nearly a decade she ruled with an iron fist. Those who dared raise arms against her were slain, their families enslaved, their villages buried under ice and snow. Every year, the winters grew longer and more harsh. The once bountiful harvests began to shrink, and the inhabitants of the land grew desperate. Men kissed their wives goodbye and slipped into the dark. Each was tasked with making their way to a city to try and find anyone who would help. Most were never heard from again.
A few returned, though, with mercenaries whose bloodlust and greed had not been slaked by the war. In exchange for grants of land and what meager wealth remained, they agreed to steal into the mountains and end the Witch's reign. The day the company left, it started to snow in St. Silas. For nine days the snow fell, burying the town. The subzero temperatures proved too much for the old and weak, and many died.
On the tenth day, the snow stopped.
Of the four score men who had left to liberate St. Silas, only twelve returned.to tell the harrowing tale. Skirmishes with wolves and giants thinned their ranks as they made their way towards the mountain aerie of the Witch. The howling winds were so cold that many froze in their tracks. Others were swept to their death by sudden avalanches.
Finally, they reached the summit and confronted the Winter Witch. She conjured foul creatures to fight them, and cast fearsome spells. But at the last, sinew and steel proved stronger than the Witch's magic, and her tyranny was ended.
Every year since that day, St. Silas has held a week-long festival to commemorate the victory. As years passed, memories of the wars faded and prosperity returned to the Three Kingdoms. The Festival of St. Silas became a popular attraction. Troupes of travelling entertainers play music and perform plays. Feasts are prepared and consumed. Visitors play games of chance and engage in tests of skill. On the first day of the festival, a young woman is crowed Winter Princess.
Since the Witch's defeat, it has snowed rarely in St. Silas. The winters have, for the most part, been mild, and the harvests bountiful. Superstition has it that snow during the festival heralds a harsh winter.
1. der_kluge
2. Steel Wind
3. Mistwell
4. Marcus Americus
5. Pielorhino
6. Reserved
Ragnar's Raiders
For the past two years, you and your companions have explored the abandoned cities of the Machree Empire. The terrible magics unleashed in the war devestated the countryside, and the survivors found it easier and safer to move away from the frontier than try to rebuild. In their hasty passing they left behind riches unimaginable.
You don't have to imagine. You've fought fell creatures, escaped fiendish traps, and walked away alive and with more wealth than you've ever had at one time. You've even recovered some artifacts of the war. It was not all easy, though, and each of you bears some lingering taint of the arcane power that still pollutes the lands.
You've recently returned the the Three Kingdoms, and encountered travellers on the road from the city. What better way to celebrate your good fortune than the Festival of St. Silas?
Ragnar Longtooth
The ostensible leader of the bunch, although the others listen more out of respect than duty. You're a skilled archer, and not too shabby with an axe, either. You served in the Esqerran army for a number of years, and although you have a knack for leadership, you also have a knack for pissing off those in charge. A band of fortune-seekers is a better fit than a company of soldiers. You thank the gods that your companions agreed it was time to return to civilization. The visions had become almost unbearable.
Phillip of Quarregnon
An unlikely adventurer. Of all the companions, you had the least reason to turn your back on civilization and spend two years risking life and limb for not much more wealth than you left behind. Whereas others learned the way of the sword in the heat of battle, you learned from private tutors, and few can cross steel with you and walk away unmarked. You've been an equal partner in this expedition, and the teasing from the others has become a sign of friendship instead of contempt. You seem least affected by the trials faced in the Empire, but still you sometimes awaken in the dark of night and choke back a scream.
Lyracae Du Lac
You are something of an enigma. While women of the Three Kingdoms are considered fully equal with men, very few live the life of an adventurer. When you left the room where Ragnar was conducting interviews after only a few minutes, the rest of the companions assumed you were some starry-eyed runaway sent packing. When Longtooth followed a moment later and announced you were joining the band, they were stunned. What could you have done to impress their cynical leader? And what would they say if they knew that you were not some simple warrior, but the last of the Imperial line?
Paulus Morrel
While slavery has been outlawed in the Three Kingdoms for generations, indentured servitude is still used as a punishment for criminals. You are the stereotypical ‘innocent man wrongly accused’. Except for the ‘innocent’ and ‘wrongly’ parts. And if you’d returned the noble’s jewels, you’d have probably gotten off with hard labor. But you truly, honestly, couldn’t remember where you hid them. The noble was more than happy to sell your contract to Ragnar – the thought of you dying a horrible death in some forgotten tomb was better than the money, anyway.
Brother Elian
Magic is uncommon in the Kingdoms since the war. Some think this is because of the knowledge lost in the carnage; others think that it’s practice has simply moved into the shadows. Your ‘gift’ would have been considered terrible even in the darkest of places. Although your Order forbid you to use your power, it has come in quite useful during the expedition. If the others were bothered at first, they’ve learned to hide their revulsion.
Amethyst
You are not one of the original companions. They found you wandering the Machree wastelands. Although you did not speak for weeks, you could understand simple directions. They named you after your striking violet eyes. Slowly, with the kindness of the others and the growing distance from the wastes, you emerged from your shell, Your memory is fragmented – you remember travelling with your family, and being attacked by fierce creatures, but little else until the others found you. They were shocked the first time the change came upon you, but they did not turn you away. Perhaps a woman transforming into a wild panther before their eyes was not the strangest sight they had seen among the ruins.
Linear Mode
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