Wardens of Heroes Gate

Dawndra in Fireshear

] You left Luskan early this morning with your guide, Shenthrik Spinedelver aboard his sailing vessel – the Kirn Kuldihr. Your destination is Icewind Dale, specifically Tentowns, to take part in the annual Frozenfar Fray Games as a contestant. You hired Shent as your guide – not only for the journey to and from Tentowns, but also thru the games themselves. He was guide to your teacher in the Treyvigg Monastery a few years ago. Guide Riandyl did not take home prize money from the contest, but she took home skill and experience which she wants you to have as well.

] Guide Riandyl gave you a Blue Sapphire worth 1,000gp to offer Shent as payment for his services. When you boarded Kirn Kuldhir at First Shadow, Shent produced a small chest he called a Trust Box. On top of the chest were four flat slots – two on either side. You placed the payment – the Blue Sapphire – within the chest and closed it. Then each of you place a single coin in the farthest slots. This locked the Trust Box magically. Shent explained that when you consider his services completed you will place a second coin next to your first. This will release your hold on the contents. Having placed the first remunerator coin, only you can place the second. Same with the recipient… having placed the first recipient coin, only Shent can place the second and open the chest. Guide Riandyl assured you that Shent could be trusted and relied upon, but still you felt increased confidence in the arrangement. You also decided to give Shent the Ring of Evasion you found on the slavers boat. (Potentially worth ~1-5k)

] It is dark and snow is falling lightly as you moor the boat at a dock on the far western side of the waterfront of Fireshear. You walk out onto the deck to view the town as Shent secures lines. The town of Fireshear is a short uphill walk from the piers and you see lanterns along the switchbacks. The town itself it difficult to see from the docks except for the maybe lights. There is activity among many of the other boats docked to to your left in the large port. The water is calm behind the breakers but you hear the sound of a boat rocking off the starboard side.

Dawndra] I am curious so I take a look.

] You see a flatboat with its deck loaded with crates and barrels. You do not see any persons aboard the small hauling vessel. The ship suddenly rocks again, slapping water against the dock it is tied to.

Dawndra] That’s strange, I think to myself. I wonder if there is something under the docks. Can I determine the reason for the movement? [Perception Check]

] You cannot determine the cause of the irregular movement.

Dawndra] “Shent.” I call. “Over here a moment. That hauling boat… it moved as if something moved it. I wonder… is there is something large underneath us?”

] Shent “Impossible to tell in dark waters.”

Dawndra] This reminds me that I have a new ring. “I have an idea. Find me an object you don’t mind tossing into the water.”

] Shent hands you a loaf of bread. “Like this?”

Dawndra] “That could work. I might float – but maybe that is what we need.” I use the ring to cast Light on the loaf of bread and then I try to throw it into the water on the far side of the flatboat so it will illuminate the waters underneath.

] You throw the glowing loaf of bread but it bounces off of something you cannot see and it lands inside the flatboat.

] Shent “What the… wait…” He says quietly.

] With the added light you can see that the falling snow is landing on invisible objects the shape of short people.

] Shent “Gracks! Arm yourself.” He runs to a bell near his ships helm and starts ringing it “Gracks!” He yells repeatedly.

[()]

]  As you look to see what Shent could be talking about, the boat shifts again and you see an odd movement of apparently floating snow. A javelin flies directly at you

Dawndra] I use my reaction to try to catch it (Deflect Missiles)

] You successfully snatch the javelin out of the air before it strikes you. You notice the shape which threw the weapon is now visible. You see a hairless Dwarf with dark grey skin.

Dawndra] Without really considering possible complications, I leap over the side of Shents boat and attempt to land in the flatboat while attacking the hairless Dwarf using his own javelin. [Acrobatics Check]

Results Table

Dawndra]

] You misjudge the leap but land deftly on the snow-covered wharf. The Dwarf is too far away for an attack.

] Initiation

] You see one completely hairless Dwarf – what Shent called a “Grack” – about 10 feet away from you inside the flatboat pulling a war pick from a holster on his back. You see another shape, dusted with snow, also inside the flatboat. There are words in a language you cannot understand and you hear a reply come from the shore.

Dawndra] I decide to throw the wooden spear back at its owner (Grack01). I’m not sure I want to actually attempt manuevers from inside the boat.

] The spear makes a splitting sound as it sinks into the belly of the Grack. He staggers backwards but keeps his footing. The boat rocks. You see the other shape begin to move from the boat to the dock. The Grack with its own spear in its belly and a war pick in its hands begins to grow in size. It nearly doubles in size. There are footprints in the snow on the dock between you and the shore. Suddenly you see a second Grack become visible and enlarge in size.

[()]

] A javelin flies toward you from the shore but misses. It skitters to end of the dock and splashes into the water. [()] ] Another is thrown but strikes the back of the enlarging Grack on the dock. [()] A third lands near you and bounces into the water.

] Shent has stopped ringing the bell and you hear him yell on the shoreline. [()] He has engaged one of the now visible Gracks. You hear others from the docks responding to Shents alarm bell. The two, now giant Gracks look at you with what anyone would call extreme hatred. The one on the dock towers over you and the other has begun to move off the boat. It shifts hard under the increased weight.

Dawndra] “I’m not used to being the short one.” I attack the one on the dock (Grack02)

] You combined attack is punishing and the Grack falls [()] into the boat, shifting it hard. [()] but the other Grack (01) manages to keep his footing. He steps onto the dock and swings the war pick at you [()] successfully. You take 7 damage as the giant weapon hits you.

] You barely notice that the fighting continues on the shoreline. [()]

Dawndra] “Ogreballs! That hurt!” I attempt to return the pain

] The Grack with the spear in its belly falls [()] to the slick dock. You see it begin to shrink back to its normal size.

Dawndra] I move towards the shoreline to backup Shent

] The other three Gracks have all begun changing shape, growing into near giants. Shent continues his attacks [()] felling one of them before it can finish enlarging. Two remain. As you are running towards them, you see a Gold-scaled Dragonborn taking aim with a bow [()] but his arrow is off-mark.

Dawndra] “Three down Shent!” I attack the closest (5)

] You lunge your ice pike into the giant sized Dwarf with both hands. You sidestep as you withdraw your weapon and attempt to land a spinning back kick which misses but you follow with a snap kick into the body of the Grack.

] The other Grack says something – apparently a recommendation to flee, because they both turn towards the sparse forest behind them [Opportunity Attack]

Dawndra] I take the opportunity

] The Grack only makes it a step when your ice pike spears him through the back. He falls forward and is dead before he hits the ground. The other gets away but not before the golden Dragonborn sticks an arrow in his back.

Dawndra] “Do we chase him down Shent?”

] Shent “Let him go. His mission failed.”

] Dragonborn “Shent!? Is that you?”

] Shent turns to look “Saarvin! I thought you were in Waterdeep living the easy life!”

] Saarvin “Nothing easy about life anywhere if your friends aren’t there! How is my favorite snow-crusted Spinedelver?”

] Shent “Thirsty! What else!?”

] A handful of others from the docks further down have arrived. Saarvin explains that the Gracklebacks have attempt another raid but were stopped. They find that the flatboat was loaded with stolen weapons and supplies. Saarvin digs through the pockets of the dead dark Dwarves and hands Shent several items.

] Saarvin “No telling where this coin came from, so consider it the towns reward to you and your friend for shutting down them Gracks. Now about that thirst of yours Shent, why don’t the two of you join me ‘n Roller at Crotta’s?”

] Shent “See you there Saarvin!”

] You finish gathering your things from the Kirn Kuldihr as Shent secures moorings and locks down this hatches.

Dawndra] “So these Gracks… distant cousins of yours?”

] Shent “So say some. They are Underdark Dwarves…. Known as Duergar by most. Never seen one on the surface until recently. There’s lots of stories – and you can bet your loot that Saarvin’s gonna tell us a few of them over cups – but this much I do know. They invaded Hundlestone a few months back, came up from beneath the city and somehow took it over. It used to be a nice spot to stay over between Fireshear and Bry Shandor… but we will be going well round it on our way.”

Dawndra] “I find it difficult to forget the look on their faces – such pure hatred.”

] Shent “They hate everyone and everything. But then… pretty much everyone hates ’em back. These raids are now common in the Frozenfar. It started with things going missing – arms mostly but any sort of wealth could disappear while folks slept. They burned down the blacksmith shop and forge here in Fireshear a week back. I think they are just trying to terrorize all their new neighbors.”

Dawndra] “Well… I might guess it’s working well. How do they turn invisible like that? Or giant for that matter? Magic rings?”

] Shent “I couldn’t tell you. I have fought them once before – nothing magic found on them. Stories say that all Duergar have dark magic in their dark blood. Speaking of stories, let’s make way for the Leaping Leucrotta.”

] You follow the switchback trail up to where the town of Fireshear begins. The Tavern is the first  building you come across, but you can see dozens along the hillside. The shops and homes are all dug out of the rock and made of stone with sloping, almost round roofs. Several inches of covers everything, but you get the impression that the town is accoustomed to handling a lot more than this. Stepping inside Crotta’s, you notice the majority of patrons are Dwarves but there is still great diversity – including some folk like you have never seen before. No one seems to give you and Shent a second look at you walk thru. Against the western wall, you see two golden Dragonborns at a table for four.

] Saarvin “Welcome friends! This is my daughter, Roller. And this is my old friend and fellow Spine ranger – Shent. And his friend… say… I did not get your name down at the docks.”

Dawndra] “I am called Dawndra. Well met Saarvin, Roller.”

] Shent “Dawndra is competing in the Fray games this year. What about you Saarvin? Or are you getting too old for the cold?” He laughs.

] Saarvin “I thought I might… old or not!”

Dawndra] “Have you competed before Saarvin?”

] Roller “Father has won the games twice!”

] Saarvin “And lost twice… but we don’t tell those stories.

Dawndra] “Maybe you could share some wisdom? If you don’t mind aiding the competition some…”

] Saarvin “But you are not just any competition are you… you are a friend of Shent and therefore a friend of ours. I obviously don’t need to teach you how to fight, judging from the dead Gracks on the docks and you with barely a scratch.”

] Shent “She was wise enough to notice the smallest of things – a boat rocking unnaturally in the water.”

] Saarvin “Wisdom is the better part of whats needed in the Fray games. The first round is there to weed out the ones who never should have entered… but still add their gold to the pot. The Stones Throwdown is an unarmed and unarmored wrestling match. The objective is simple… don’t get thrown out of the circle of the Twenty Stones of Thrunn. And then do it twice again if you can. If you can survive all three matches, the next Round is a lot easier… you only need to win one match to win the round. At first it is going to seem like chaos… I think they have shoved upwards of a hundred and fifty competitors into the circle. The horn sounds twice to start each match. At the first horn, every competitor enters the circle and fights to get to the center. At the second horn no one else can enter but many start leaving the circle in a hurry, on their heads.

Dawndra] “Why the center?”

] Saarvin “It is furthest from the bounds and so hardest to shove one out. You have to survive within the circle for five minutes – until the third horn sounds. That is a long time – trust me. If I were you, I would find someone who seems an even match and drag out the time. If you are engaged, expecially with another of your size, others are likely to find a single target and you can ride out the time. This might be a bit underhanded but it is not against the rules. You do not have to beat your opponent, you just need to survive the time within the stones. Now… at the third horn, the fighting stops and everyone that is still within the circle by both feet win the match. Oh… almost. At the third horn, the priests cast a magic test… anyone caught with an enchanted item will be disqualified and thrown out by the judges. ”

] Shent “I will be there to hold keep for your things Dawndra.”

] Saarvin “Yes – you will need someone you can trust. Theives are dealt with most severely in Icewind Dale but that does not stop some of them from trying. Now… if you win a match and pass the magic sweep, the priests heal all the winners. That allows you to go into the next match fresh. If you are thrown out with injuries, you can still compete in the second or third match, but at a disadvantage. You only need one win at the stones to be entered into the next competition – The Ice Pit Riot. It is better, of course, if you win two or three times… because the ice pit is far more difficult than the stones.”

Dawndra] “I understand we fight on solid ice?”

] Saarvin “Yes. The fighting arena is a large hole that is filled with water from the Redwaters. It is probably frozen hard even now. In this Round, you can use whatever magic or weapons want – there are no restrictions. You probably will not face any powerful wizards however… they usually don’t even enter, and if they did… they would hardly pass the Throwdown without their magic. Most of the barbarians of the dale are distrusting of magic anyway… mostly you are going to face men and dwarves who are extremely skilled with an axe or sword… The objective in Round two is also simple… kill both of our opponents without getting killed yourself. At the first horn, three contestants enter the ice pit, at the second horn they fight until only one remains able to stand.”

Dawndra] “The Priests of The Winter Palace can heal any I kill right?”

] Saarvin “I like how you are more concerned about your opponents than your own self.” He smiles at Shent… “Where did you find this one?” Then he turns back to you to answer your question. “Yes, they are there to heal any who fall. Well… mostly… There have been fatal deaths from the Ice Pit Riot. I saw a man cut literally in half. The clerics of Auril tried but nothing they could do would glue that one back together. The trick to this competition is to be quick and brutal. Size up both of your competitors and take out the biggest one first. That means, unfortunately for you, your opponents are likely to both start out against you. However, they go for each other, pick the greater challenge and double-team him until it is only two of you. If you are not accoustomed to fighting on ice, you might want to practice that. Combat without solid footing is far more difficult than you might imagine. You can get claws for your feet – many do. But I’ve also seen feet chopped off in the battle to remove the advantage. There really are no rules in this round. If you get shoved out of the arena, you will probably get shoved back in by the crowd. If you have to fight more than once, and most do, you are going to want some potions in between. I can direct you to an reliable Alchemist here in Fireshear… if you wait until Bryn Shandar you won’t find any. ”

Dawndra] “I appreciate that. So if I win three times in Round one, I only need one win is Round Two?”

] Saarvin “That is right. Think of it this way, you need a total of four wins between both Rounds. If you win two in the first, you need two in the second.”

Dawndra] “How are the matches determined in Round Two? I mean… how are my opponents selected?”

] Saarvin “Ah… perhaps you have heard some of the rumblings over past years?”

Dawndra] “No, just curious to know.”

] Saarvin “Well, the contestents of each battle are supposed to be randomly selected. You might even have to fight two rounds in a row if your number is drawn. Some results, especially last year, started rumors of cheating and corruption.”

Dawndra] “You mean the judges can be paid to shift outcomes?”

] Saarvin “So say some. I’m not sure I believe it, but neither am I confident of their character.”

] Roller lightly slams a fist down on the table “I hate cheaters! Let the Yeti’s have ’em! I say.”

] Saarvin “Right you are Roller!” He mimics her fist slam for effect. “But speaking of Yeti’s… they might be the most dangerous part of the Fray Games. In Round Three you hunt down and behead a Frost Troll, but you are far more likely to find a Yeti first – and just hope it is not a big one.”

Dawndra] “Contestants take on Trolls and Yeti’s by themselves?”

] Saarvin “Some do. They usually don’t survive. The priests are not there to heal anyone in Round Three. The rules for the Frost Troll Head Roll are minimal. You have three days to hunt down and kill a troll. All contestants must return to Easthaven by the end of Lastshadow on Day 30 else be disqualified. You can team up with other contestants but only those stepping into the winners square in Easthaven with a fresh troll’s head in their hand will win. If you team up with another and you both want to win, you need to take down two trolls. Just finding one troll can be difficult and they are rarely found together with another. Many of the barbarians will have the support of a few others from their hunting parties. It’s not against the rules for a dozen men to kill a troll and allow their champion to carry the head into Easthaven, but these Reghedmen have their own sense of honor. It’s the outsiders that are more likely to use these kinds of tactics. Speaking of underhanded tactics and cheaters… some will merely wait in the outskirts of Easthaven and attempt to kill any returning contestant to take the Trolls head from their dead hands. Watch yourself as you return, if you return. You will likely be ambushed. The second time I took a prize, I circled round and took a fishing boat into Lac Dinneshere. I rolled into the docks looking like a Knucklehead fisher and no one gave me any trouble. No guarantees that play will still work.”

Dawndra] “You are right Roller!” I slam my fist down, gently… “Let the Yeti’s have the cheats! I am here to prove my skill.”

] Saarvin “If you get ambushed, show no mercy I say… let their frozen corpses speak for you.”

Dawndra] “Question… I’ve heard that trolls will regenerate lost limbs or even grow new bodies from a decaptitated head? How do you stop the head from become a whole troll again?”

] Saarvin “Fire. Or acid. Or both. Once you have chopped the head off, use a torch or a firepit to scorch all of the exposed flesh… simple enough once the fight is over – but it is not so simple while ducking its long-ass claws. Be careful though not to scorch all of the flesh off… the judges need to see that it is a fresh kill – that – and everyone in Easthaven wants to see you holding your prize up high in the winners circle.”

] Shent “I will help you track and hunt down your troll. Saarvin is correct about the fact that we are just as likely to find a Yeti as a Frost Troll. Yeti’s travel on all fours so if the tracks are fresh, we can avoid them, but if we need to start poking our heads into caves and caverns looking for their dens, we could find either. When I was guide for your teacher, Riandyl, it was a Yeti that caused her loss in the games. We were exploring a narrow cave that looked and smelled like a Frost Troll lodge, but a Yeti followed us in. They have powerful smellers… Yeti’s. Even in a blizzard they can track you by smell if they are hungry enough.”

Dawndra] “How did you defeat the Yeti?”

] Shent “Only by a hair. Riandyl and I both were badly injured and spent over a day in that cave just trying to regain the strength to return empty-handed.”

Dawndra] “Too bad the Yeti’s head would not substitute.”

] Saarvin “That is, I think, the real part of the challenge of Round Three… there are more Yeti’s in the Spine than there are Frost Trolls, and while you are tracking one, the other is likely tracking you. This is why it is foolish to hunt alone. Most have the support of someone like Shent or myself.”

Dawndra] “Oh, you have been a guide to other contestants?”

] Saarvin “Many times… that is how I gained the experience to compete myself four times.”

] Roller “And win twice!”

] Saarvin “And win twice! And loose twice… but to be honest, that first loss turned out better for me… financially… I happened into the lair of a White Dragon. I told you this story once Shent.”

] Shent “At least. But please tell-tell again… it is one of my favorites.”

] Saarvin “I knew by the way my scales tingled that there was a dragon nearby. I lost sight of my goal to find a Frost Troll as we went deeper into the Spine… Relgar was certain we found a lair. It took several hours to find it, but sure enough – we walked into the treasure hoard of an adult white dragon as it slept on a massive hoard. ”

] Shent “And you stole a whole pouch of coins from under the sleeping dragons chin…”

] Saarvin “No, that was another time and another dragon. This dragon was clever and  kept every last coin frozen inside a giant mound of ice.”

] Roller “Then father made fire. I can almost make fire.”

] Saarvin “We’ve been practicing… haven’t we Roller. And you are right, I used my flame breath to melt away some ice along the far edge of the hoard. We barely each pulled some treasure from the ice when the dragon stirred. I escaped with just a silver ring. Relgar and Gryna each nabbed some gems. Just tokens really, we thought… but I later discovered the ring was quite valuable. I never did tell Relgar and Gryna how much I sold it for… so if you happen to see them… ”

] Shent “What made you leave the comforts of Waterdeep and return to this ice hole?”

] Saarvin “Yarinn and I left Fireshear when Roller was born. We thought a big city behind big walls would be a safer place to raise our child. It wasn’t though… was it Roller?”

] Roller “Mother was killed by bad men. We lost her.”

] Saarvin “I realized I would rather fight off crag cats and yeti’s than fight the politics of the big city and its scheming power mongers. Besides, Roller is almost four now – she needs to learn to survive in the Frozenfar like her father and mother before her.”

] Roller “I’m going to be a Spine Ranger!”

] Shent “We will be lucky to have you Roller.”

Dawndra] “I’m certain of it. So are ‘Spine Rangers’  a collective of sorts? Like a guild or something?”

] Shent “Informally. We thought about making things formal, years ago… didn’t we Saarvin?”

] Saarvin “Perhaps we still can. The Fray Games are bringing more visitors from below the Spine. It used to just be The Tribe of the Elk and some Tentowners, but I’ve heard that the last few years have brought folk (and their gold) from all over the Realms.”

] Shent “I keep busy all year round as a guide for hunters and delvers in these parts. You are correct though, the games draw a lot of outsiders who don’t know the first thing about surviving the Frozenfar.”

] Saarvin “What was the total purse last year Shent?”

] Shent “There was over 200 competitors in the Stones Throwdown. At 150gp apeice, that’s what… 30,000 in the purse? Only three returned to Easthaven as winners last year, so ten each? Not bad.”

Dawndra] “Wow! Over 200 competitors?”

] Shent “Like Saarvin said, that first day of the games is chaos. Less than half of ’em made to Round Two. There were less than twenty competitors in the hunt and most of them are probably still out there buried under snow and ice.”

] The four of you continue to talk over a meal and more ale. Afterwards, Saarvin takes you to an alchemist where you purchase as many healing potions as you think you might need for the games.  Shent also suggests some vials of acid for dealing with the Trolls. The four of you head back to the docks to get a long rest before morning.