By the end of the session, we will become introduced in more detail to the Diviner, who can use the piece of the Yggdrasil to find treasure far greater than it, in the realm of the dead, where the corpses of the old gods lie. Among the dead are the artifacts of Giant killers. The plan is to, through ritual, send the party to Skaardn, the realm of the dead, for them to retrieve the Horn of Heimdall. They may grab any other powerful artifacts they find, but they should be warned that powerful artifacts have powerful wards on them, and powerful consequences to their wielding and use. The Horn of Heimdall in particular is bound to its wielder, and cannot be taken from them by any means, save death.
Behind the scenes, the diviner had died several years past, having hung himself on the very tree under which the ritual is taking place. He spent many moons in Skaardn, and in his life prior to death, he was a storyteller. He lived, thrived even, on every shred of every tale he could find, and loved to share those stories. In Skaardn, he did the same. He spent what felt like countless lifetimes hearing every tale that every spirit had to tell him. He amassed a knowledge of the world before, and one day, that day of the year when on Slange Jotun the skies turned blood orange, marking the end of winter, on Skaardn, the skies turned a beautiful green-blue, and he blinked for just a moment, and he felt a pull on him, like a string tied to his waist, and he in only a moment felt himself wake under that tree, like the years he spent were only a dream. Now though he noticed a mark on his hand, and a cloud in one eye...
We begin in the main hall of the inn, in the early morning, the day after the heist in Steinsgard. The innkeeper has a cat that has a resting bitchface, and the party could swear that it is whispering under its breath. If the issue is pressed, it can easily determined that this cat is indeed a bitch, and it hates people on the whole. Moving on The party will be encouraged to explore the town. In town there is a single shop, the inn, a shrine, and 5 houses, 2 of which have an attached yard with sheep. The party hears a roar off in the distance. If by chance any glance over, they might see a band of dwarves, so close together they seem as one mass. All of them singing every shanty in the book, laughing and stomping as they go. If perchance the party cares to learn more of them, they smell heavy of sea salt and musty odor. They speak with scottish accents btw. They all come from the seaside cities, and have taken a chance encounter to travel the lands of this country in search of treasure and other such glories. If they get taken to a bar, be sure that the whole place will either be burned to the ground by the morning, or every last soul in the place will have the pub renamed in those dwarves’ honor, and the foundation of said pub will need restoration, for a nights’ worth of dwarven drumming will surely leave it cracked. The diviner, Caltrops, should tell the party that they will need to take a 2 day walk to where the ritual will take place. How the plan goes: They travel for 2 days on foot to an old oak tree, that seems far older and larger than the rest. On its branches, instead of leaves, it has nooses. The diviner will very carefully kill them, on the day of red sky, on the last day of winter. The party will be sent to the realm of the dead, and then a friend of the diviner (a Tortle Druid) will preserve their bodies until they return. A member of the party may choose to stand guard at the ritual grounds, but they will miss out on any possible loot. Once the items have been retrieved, the party will verbally activate (make them choose an activation word) the enchantment placed on the piece of Yggdrasil, and return to their bodies in the realm of the living. Upon entering the realm of the dead, they see a sky of deep greens and blues, and if they happen to be there longer than a day, the sky will return to it’s blood red. The ground is covered in ash, and when it rains, it merely snows soot. The whole of the place is covered in spirits of age old and new. Some speak in languages long since dead, and others may even recognize the party as the ones who killed them. Opportunity here for the party to see previous enemies for a second time. The place, which the party may learn from the dead is called Skaardn, seems to be the remains of a city, with torn down buildings and the remnant s of gilded towers. In the center of the city is a great hall that is intact aside from a large hole in its ceiling, letting in the putrid air. Far away, on a bridge, where the new dead are coming from, is a statue with only the legs remaining. If the party would ask the undead, they may find clues to find what they are looking for. On the streets, among the dead are bodies made of ash, mummified by it. There are scenes of people running, or fighting off now gone attackers, or shielding their children, still clutched in hand. Here is a realm of ash and embers, the city of the dead, and land to the once lush. Here the demons lie in wait, made from those poor undead who have become truly lost, and have lost all memory of a life before undeath. Ideally we make the whole idea to get in and get out of the realm of the dead as quickly as possible, grabbing the horn and going, but the party may find some loot if they look for it, but there will also be some areas guarded by enemies well and truly capable of murdering them.
The have to gain Heimdall’s Horn, which will call an army of giants, but it bonds to the user, making it unable to be removed until the user dies. It grants a +5 to perception, and when calculating CR for encounters, the party should be considered to have one more party than they do.
If they’d like to ask some undead for directions, they may find some luck.
As well there will also be gems and treasure (see page 136 DMG) And random magic items, (page 144-145 DMG)
19 The party finds an old worn out wooden chest. (roll for treasure)
20 The party finds an old worn out wooden chest. (roll for treasure)
1 There is an old stone tower. At its base are the bodies of those from the world before, their bodies encased in ash, holding them in place. In the arms of one victim is the shape of a small child. The place looks like it stood tall and strong once, with proud construction and gilding.
2 Run across a ruined shrine to one of the old gods. On the pedestal is carved the name Baldur, and the statue is cleaved at the shoulder, and charred.
3 The party finds the ruins of the family home of a blacksmith. The roof is caved in, there is bread still in the oven, and the forge fire is still hot.
4 The party sees a temple devoted to one of the old gods. Inside is a statue of a man with a hammer, lifting it up to the sky. The statue is cleaved in half down the middle, from the top of the head all the way down. In an old derivation of common, is written on the base the name Thor. On another statue in the temple is a story, and above the pedestal is a glove. Written in the inscription is how when Thor went to Jotunheim
5 The party runs across a dilapidated hall, still smelling of sweet mead, and still with pints placed at the tables.
6 Fire Giant cr 9- The Giant seems to be guarding the Main Hall in the center of the city. The hall itself lazily floats, crooked on its axis, above the rest of the city. The giant is also leaning on it and it’s longsword, asleep. A manticore lands on its shoulder, rousing it. It grabs the manticore by the tail as it tries to fly away, and crushes it in one blow https://roll20.net/compendium/dnd5e/Fire%20Giant#content