Endless Bag of Games

Gaming sessions run smoother every time we play and this time was no exception. Our heroes reached second level and there was a good amount of roleplaying during the gameplay. I especially liked the amount of character interactions during today’s session. Here is what happened.

The play begins at shade of The Shield. A light rain pours as a band of grey wardens arrive to the scene. Jorn and the others meet with Sergeant Warden Urvak and explain the situation they are now. Surprised from the story told, warden Urvak asked the group to follow the grey wardens to Redcliffe where they would be properly treated and the information could be put in a good use. Jorn and the others agreed, they had witnessed many horrors and besides they were curious to learn more about the wardens.

Together with the wardens, our heroes ride to Redcliffe and are given temporary accommodation from the Chantry. Larridan however, our apostate mage, kindly refuses the offer and heads off to find more suitable accommodation for his kind. Soon Jorn receives a message, that Larridan has left Redcliffe for now, but is willing to continue travelling with Jorn after the business in Redcliffe is over. At Redcliffe, they sell much of their gear and celebrate for once, that they don’t have to fear sleep through the night. Due the heavy usage of alcohol, Lintarn tries to seduce Jorn, but Jorn politely refuses and Lintarn gets offended. The drama is already forgotten when Lintarn wakes up to suffer serious hangover. Jorn however remembers everything, but doesn’t say a word.

Morning comes and Jorn, Lintarn and Avellen are summoned for the hearing which takes place at the Chantry’s vast halls. The main hall is arranged to accommodate a larger audience, but due the nature of the hearing, only a handful of grey wardens, sergeant warden Urvak and the head of the Redcliffe Chantry, Sister Sananda are present. “I am Sananda, Sister of the Chantry and I will be conducting the questions in the grace of the Maker, please do not speak falsely and were are done in no time”.

After the hearing, sergeant warden Urvak approached Jorn and asked about what they’re planning to do next. After he explains, Urvak presents an opportunity to the group to prove their worth and possibly even join the ranks of the wardens. Urvak gives the group some time to think about it. Jorn discusses the matter with Lintarn and Avellen and they approve that it would be best not to pass the opportunity. The discussion takes place at romantic boat ride at lake Calenhad, but the mood is somewhat ruined since Avellen came along as “third wheel”. Anyway, they accept Urvak’s offer before the dawn and agree to do the job they’re required to do.

Warden Masymar had two weeks ago travelled to Vintiver to deal with issues that had arisen at the nearby regions. Sergeant Urvak believes that something has gone awry, since Masymar has not returned, even the tasks nature was routine. Urvak has reason to believe that something more dire has happened to Masymar, but circumstances does not give him the luxury to send grey wardens after him. So Urvak turns towards Jorn, Lintarn, Larridan and Avellen to do the job.

The group leaves Redcliffe, rain lashes down as our three travellers negotiate their way through the valleys and runnels of the Southron hills. The fear of what have happened to Masymar wears heavily on the group, who are seeing the job as a pathway to a better life.

In the distance a murder of crows are spotted circling. Lintarn, sharp- eyed and perceptive, surmises whatever carrion attracted the birds must be large indeed for them to brave the storm. They proceed cautiously and soon the stubble of the recently grown harvest, beaten down by the pouring rain, reveals a figure lying in the mud.

Carrion birds caw angrily and scatter around when the group approaches the scene. The figure, reveals to be the body of an adult man holding a child in his arms. Gouging claw marks and spilled entrails denote their sad end. Larridan, experienced with wounds and bestiary, does not recognize the marks to be the marks made any natural animal. With serious faces Jorn and others are determined to discover the cause of such slaughter. As they reach the farmhouse door a sudden flash of lightning reveals the shape of five twisted wolf-like creatures circling about. The party flees to the farmhouse and leaves the carcass to the wolves and thus they avoid the combat.

The farmhouse reveals yet more slaughter as one carcass sits guts open face twisted to horrifying expression. Lightning flashes and a mark is revealed in the wall written in blood. “Mythal..” Larridan whispers. “Elven god of Vengeance.. “ Avellen continues. It seems that the slaughter has something to do with elves. While searching the farmhouse for clues, Jorn hears panicked mooing from the barn. Jorn and Avellen head towards the barn to investigate, while Lintarn investigates the farmhouse.

The source of the mooing is a panicked cow surrounded by the wolves, but to Jorn’s surprise she founds a young Dalish suffering grievous wounds similar to those of the farmer. After a feeble attempt at escape she lapses into unconsciousness before the characters can ascertain what assaulted her. As Larridan enters the scene he tells the others that the woman is in dire need of help, although she remains comatose for now.

The group hurries towards Vintiver since it is not far, and they hope for a warm welcome. But due the events recently happening in the village, the greeting is somewhat icy. Vintiver is not giving warm welcome to elves, and now four of them plus Jorn arrived to the village, and bring news about the carnage at the nearby farm. The dalish woman is quickly taken to the local chapel and sister Arda and Larridan treat her wounds. After that, the group is expected to rest at the Arbor inn, with the dalish woman.

The gossips spread quickly and in the middle of the night, a heavy knocking on the Inn’s door awakens everyone. “Open the door damn it! We demand justice! We demand to have answers! Justice!” As Lintarn takes a peek through the window she can see that angry mob has gathered around just outside the door. “Well… shit…” the innkeeper whimpers. As the mob charges in, Jorn steps out to the scene and demands that he should be heard! Having his opportunity, Jorn explains the situation and negotiates the mob to dissipate. While most of the mob accept to Jorn’s explanation, the village smith Coalan does not take it well, and leaves the scene swearing that he would remember this.

The Dalish woman finally wakes up and explains how she ended up at the Fuldor farm:

“As you may know, our band visited this village just two weeks ago, during their harvest festival. We were welcomed, then, but there was a bit of trouble: some of the locals had too much to drink, and there was a confrontation with some of our young men. Harsh words were exchanged, and Harralan, one of our hunters, attacked the big blacksmith. The village warden and a visiting grey warden separated them before it could get out of hand, but still the damage was done. We were no longer welcome here and we moved on as soon as the festival ended. Harralan was angry at our treatment, but our elders assigned him the duty of scouting as we made our way through the forest, to give him time to cool off. He was the first to disappear—he simply didn’t return from his scouting one night. “Then other scouts and hunters began to go missing, as did the ones sent to look for them. The elders decided we should go back, but by then it was too late.

“Three days after Harralan disappeared, before we could reach the edge of the forest, they attacked our camp: darkspawn emerging from the trees in the dead of night. My people were taken. Those who fought were beaten or killed. I was captured alongwith the rest, taken to an ancient ruin in a rift valley deep in the forest, off the trails. The master of the darkspawn is an abomination. He calls himself Mythallen, which in our tongue means “child of vengeance”. I was brought before him, and then to his chambers. I managed to escape, but there are still many others. Also the man you speak of: Warden Masymar.

“The darkspawn pursued me, accompanied by a pack of baying beasts. I was wounded, but managed to avoid them, hiding among the trees and gullies in the forest for more than a day, always moving, never resting for long. I stumbled upon the farm where you found me and managed to conceal myself in the hayloft. I heard some of the farmers coming… The darkspawn must have attacked. I remember the terrible screams… Then nothing until you found me. “Please… You must help my people! Mythallen and his creatures must be stopped!”

Since the group had clear goal in their minds, they were ready to set out. Next morning, they left with the instructions from the Dalish woman to find the camp before the darkspawn attacked. What they didn’t expect, was the ambush by the village smith Coalan and his stout friends. Unfortunate for the furious smith, he and his men took a beating and one of the attackers was even slain. In the aftermath of the encounter, our session ended.

Here is a new perspective to the story of our campaign. I’ve actually done this few times before in our games, but not in the Shield of Ferelden Campaign. So just to deepen the world around the players and to develop the plot further, here you go:

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To Warden commander Harold Astila,
Warden’s of Denerim,
Grey Wardens

Fellow Grey Warden,

I have acquainted a strange group of people at the Southern Shield during my inspection. You may be surprised to learn, that these people, during their journey pass the Frostbacks, have survived days along the Deep Roads. While these efforts alone are notable, their news about the stirring Avvar-threat and sightings of Blight Wolves near the village perimeters are dire indeed. While the purpose of our Inspection was not to recruit new members, I am confident, that these individuals should be heard and properly trained if they are willing to do so.

However, I can sense certain air of uncertainty lingering around these individiuals and I ask further instructions how to deal with them. Within next week, I will be stationed at Redcliffe and waiting for your orders.

You will hear from me soon. Until then, I live and serve

Sergeant Warden Urvak,
Grey Wardens

It was a bright winter morning as Jorn, Lintarn, Larridan and Awellen strolled towards the pass of Caradas. One of them was already dead and they knew well, that mountain pass was now full of snow and passing the mountains could be the last thing they ever did. Still they persisted; the knowledge about the blight wolves and threat of Avvar pushed them forward: Inch by inch. While the weather had been clear now for few days, clear skies meant cold nights up the mountains so there was nothing to cheer about; cold toes and fingers, runny noses and utterly freezing wind.

It came as a surprise when they encountered a caravan of harsh men in the wilderness. It was big sized merchant: Tal Irongrip and his group. Tal told them, that they were journeying from Ferelden up to Orlais to seek trade and it would take some years to come back which meant big riches and well being for a long time. Orleasian goods were hard to get in Ferelden, so it meant big profits for a daring merchant. Tal told the heroes that few of them had perished in an avalanche at the mountain pass just one day ago, but they had been lucky to have a dwarven scout Garat with them to save their freezing buttocks. Jorn told the merchant what had been happening at the western side of the Shield and showed them the head of the blight wolf they were carrying with them as a proof. Tal was amazed by their story and offered the best help he could: Garat. He was the best scout in the area and he knew the mountains better than anybody else. Since Tal had already made pass the most difficult areas, he offered that Garat would join Jorn and the others. They were, of course, glad to accept their help.

It was time to conquer the pass, so they let Garat lead the way. The avalanche had made travelling even more difficult, since it had made changes to the landscape. The situation was only made worse when the snowstorm hit. They had to find shelter soon or they would perish. Soon they came across a “bridge” that they had to pass; a huge tree over the gorge and underneath a certain death. Larridan and Lintarn gave strong objections about the crossing, but eventually they had to agree. Some rope, knots and soon they were advancing at steady pace, until Larridan slipped…

It all happened quickly as Larridan fell. The weight of him caught Awellen out of balance and she slipped over too. Now it was Jorn and Lintarn making best of their efforts to hold on the giant tree trunk not to fall. “Garat!! Some help!!” Jorn yelled, since the scout was already on the other side. “Don’t let go”, Larridan yelled in panic,”Pull us up!!”. With the help of Garat they were luckily able to heave the two elves back to the trunk and they survived. Somehow they knew, that there was more to come, the storm had just begun.

Luckily they found some shelter, a small dint in the mountainside that they were able to slip in. So they lay there, side by side warming each other and slept. It was Lintarn who was awake, when the ground seemed to be trembling. “Wake up!! Now!!” she yelled and a not a moment too late. They saw rocks hurling by. They were caught in an avalanche. “Deeper!” Garat yelled, but Awellen and Larridan were not fast enough. Lintarn last sight before she lost her consciousness was Awellen and Larridan slipping over the edge.

Lintarn woke up head dizzy and lungs full of snow. She coughed and wondered where she was. Inside some huge cavern, a huge hole in the ceiling, a big statue and some buildings. Her hands were bloody and injured, but she struggled herself up to take a look where others were. Jorn and Garat was lie nearby, both unconscious. Jorn buried from arms down. Soon the three of them were up again, still alive. “By the paragons!” gasped Garat as he looked around the cavern they were in. “I do believe this is Hriltan thaig… never thought to put a foot here.” the dwarf said not wanting to believe what he saw. “I honestly did not believe that the deep roads continued this far, but clearly I was mistaken”. Soon they realized the danger they were in. Deep roads were sealed because they’re full of darkspawn. New Blight or not, they were sure that they would soon be facing most foul threats. “No way out…” Garat said gazing the huge hole in the ceiling, “we have to delve deeper”. A sudden shriek caught their attention; a voice of struggle coming from somewhere nearby. Since Jorn, Lintarn and Garat were on the higher ground, they saw that two elves were pressed back against back and surrounded by armored figures with twisted faces full of hatred; They had found the darkspawn. Jorn, Lintarnd and Garat joined the fight.

Soon the darkspawn were defeated, but not without a price. Garat had lost his thumb and an arrow stick out of Lintarn’s thigh. Luckily Larridan was able to sew the thumb back with his equipment, but the results were not the best. If Garat’s thumb would heal, it would be awfully tilted. The arrow in Lintarn’s thigh was stuck deep and she was not happy to hear that it had to be pushed through. She managed, but the wound required some time to heal. “Genlocks” Garat snorted. “I guess they’ll the first of the many…”

They searched the Hriltan thaig for torches and equipment for the journey below the ground and with five torches they had found, they began their journey in the deep roads. It was pitch black and the dwarven road seemed to be endless and tiring. They had no way of knowing when it was day or night; they decided it would be best if they rested now, since they could not start a fire here. The young apostate proved his resourcefulness by “arming” their chosen sleeping place so, that the one on guard would feel a pull from a rope if something slumbered in the darkness towards them. They had to rest in total darkness because they had to save their precious torches. It would have been wishful thinking to be able to rest without interruption…

The giant spider was only few feet away of Lintarn’s face when the torches were lit in panic-like motion. The spider was handled with ease if you compared the threat to the darkspawn. “Did you know that these huge arthropods were once raised by the dwarves to prey on the numerous species of large bats that plagued their caverns? They called them Deep crawlers.. that they did, long ago…” Garat was talking to others as they stared the huge carcass. “Ugly bastards..” was everything Larridan managed to say. In silence, the group soon continued hoping for an opportunity to get out alive.

After a big T-junction Garat realized that they were closing the Gherlon thaign which had been a tribute for a paragon Gherlon the Blood-risen. Thaigs were pretty much the only changes they had if they wished to get out. Orzammar were miles away, and there was little or no hope to reach that amount journey with darkspawn lingering after every corner. They ventured forth, only to find out that near the entrance, there was a band of darkspawn camped there, but for some reason only three of them were present. One hurlock and two genlocks. When the attempt to sneak past them failed, a fight emerged. Three dead darkspawn were left behind as they continued quickly They knew, that once the darkspawn were aware of their presence, they would become the hunted…

Most excellent session if I might add. I had the intention of making the past encounters more difficult, but since the system is still fresh I noticed that big amounts of damage are not so lethal since the armor rating will reduce the damage quite heavily. Still I do seem to like the system more and more. Few more sessions and it is time for a review.

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The Cast of Characters:

Jorn Saavorwel: A noble from Denerim. Jorn is on a journey to prove himself – and his father – his worth. Jorn’s father is a notable bann in Denerim.

Awallen (Fenwyn): A cast out Dalish elf woman with bad temper. She is travelling to learn some self-discipline.

Larridan Alawei: Apostate elven healer learned with the arts of magic. Larridan wants to be acknowledged and wants to work real hard in order to achieve it. The fact he race is what it is, makes it difficult.

Lintarn: Lintarn has lived a tough life in Denerim, suffering from racism and the fact of being a woman. After a mysterious incident, she was forced to fled the city and has been travelling ever since.

Garat: A dwarven scout who had left the life in Orzammar behind him. Knows the Frostbacks very well.

Tal Irongrip: A warrior-merchant who travels from Fereldern to Orzammar seeking riches.

Mavervo: The head of the village Cantagan. Middle-aged man with already grey beard and big gut.

This is the 100th post here at Endless Bag of Dice and the first session log of our new Dragon Age: The Shield of Ferelden campaign. I don’t know was it bad karma or something like that, but the session had some unexpected turns of events. Since this is the first session log of Dragon Age, I will include a Cast of Characters to the end of the post:

In the Frostback Mountains, there had been numerous reports of the Avvar tribes raiding more arrogantly the farms and outskirt villages near the The Shield. The early months had been the coldest in many years and have forced the village’s hunting parties to scout food from a wider area. Village of Cantagan was not an exception, but they were lucky enough to have the help of our PC’s

It was a cold winter morning. The sun was shining, but it didn’t help at all. Clear skies meant cold nights so there was nothing to cheer about. In addition the group was hungry, since it they hadn’t eaten for a long time. That was the reason they were there, at the hunting trails of village Cantagan, searching for food. Once they were ready to continue, Jorn Saavorwel, the group’s leader, took control of the scene and soon they were heading north following the tracks of a reindeer. The tracks weren’t fresh, but due the skills of Jorn, they were steadily gaining on the animal.

The weather was a poor friend at Frostbacks and it took its toll on Lintarn who didn’t have enough warm clothes for the hunt. In the freezing cold they continued, until they saw strange marks depending from the trees; deer skulls, white feathers and sticks. They had arrived to the territory of the Avvar tribes. It didn’t take long until they saw a small wisp of smoke in the distance. Lintarn snuck closer and was not prepared to the sight she saw.

There was blood everywhere in the snow. One of the barbarians lay dead with his face towards the ground. He was partially eaten, now covered in small red curtain of snow as the snowflakes were slowly falling from the sky. There was another body in the tent, mutilated badly and it was almost hard to tell was the gob of meat ever human or something else entirely.

The hunger makes people to do desperate things – even when there was fresh tracks of reindeer at sight – and Isik and Lintarn allowed themselves to eat the flesh of the poor bodies. Larridan was horrified, Jorn too stunned to say anything and Awallen disgusted by this act. The words of Larridan went to deaf ears as the hunger had already taken control of Isik and Larridan. It was almost that the act was considered normal according the steadiness and calmness of their deeds.

After that they resumed to tracking and soon Jorn found the animal. As the animal sprung to escape its attacker, a pack of big, dark brown figures rushed to the animal. They looked unnatural, like wolves, but not quite. They were bigger, meaner and way fiercer. As the creatures learned that Jorn was standing there in amazement, they attacked without hesitation. A fight followed. Two of the creatures attacked Isik, one ran straight to Jorn and the last of them attacked the dalish elf Awallen.

The fight was bloody and Larridan had to put extra effort to his healing spells to keep his companions standing. Few moments later, the creatures lay dead on the ground and Isik took one of their heads as a trophy to himself. Awallen settled for the teeth. What surprised the group was the nature of the creatures. The creatures were something that they had never seen. Could it be, that the blight – the sin, stemming from men itself – was returning to the world once again. The circling falcon above the group got the attention of the group. It was time to return to the village, and fast.

When the night came, Lintarn was complaining the weather once again. It was too cold and she was the only one who didn’t have a tent. Awallen was kind enough to let her in. When Isik came to woke up Lintarn, since it was her time for stand watch, Awallen was not too happy to see Isik trying to take Lintarns place next to her. Awallen’s fists made that clear. The next morning, events too a more dangerous turn. Lintarn and Isik demanded to eat parts of the deer flesh, but Larridan disagreed. The village was not long away and there was dozen of hungry mouths to be fed. Larridan suggested that the deer was to be taken to the village and they would all get their share of the meat. This however was not ok to Lintarn and he approached the carcass. Larridan gave a warning strike with his staff to stop Lintarn taking the meat. Isik reacted to Larridan and attacked him with fierce strike to the head. Stupified and suprised the attack, Lintarn cast a spell to defend himself. Isik, now enraged to witness spellcasting, drew his steel with the murderous intent. Jorn and Awallen tried their best to prevent the events from happening, but Larridan had to flee and there was nothing they could do. “You’d better run!” Isik yelled as the apostate ran. They took their meat, ate it and continued towards Cantagan.

Larridan however, had arrived first and there was not a warm welcome to Isik and Lintarn. Larridan had gone to the Chantry and explained what he had seen about the flesh eating: Act that is considered to be connected to blood magic and demon worship. As the villagers expressed that these two were no longer welcome to the village and they were to take the meat, Isik was enraged and accused Larridan of witchcraft and sorcery. Larridan however had a reputation of a healer and his actions proved him valuable, so the words of the Fereldan freeman were not taken heavily. Enraged by the course of events, Isik threathened to kill everyone who was even considering to take the meat and thus he took it to himself and Lintarn. They left while Jorn, Larridan and Awallen stayed at Cantagan. Jorn did what he could in favor of Isik and Lintarn to be able to return, but since there was no sign of remorse or efforts from themselves, the village elder Mavervo had his decision.

Not wanting to involve, Awallen went straight to the inn and started heavy drinking. She was soon joined by Larridan who was sorry for the whole thing. It was morning when they both found themselves passed out with formidable amount of empty bottles around them. As you can guess, the feeling was not the best. Mavervo, Jorn and few other respected figures in the village however had been involved in a council concerning the creatures Jorn and others encountered and dire news they had got from the village of Verrano. The Avvar had ransacked Verrano and it was a matter of time when it was time for Cantagan. It was decided that someone should head straight towards The Shield and ask for the help and tell them about the creatures. Jorn, of course, accepted the mission and soon Awallen and Larridan agreed.

Meanwhile Isik and Lintarn were suffering from the cold weather and problems with harassing wolves. The smell of blood was too much for other creatures as well. They were hungry, it seemed that the whole Frostbacks was starving. While Jorn, Awallen and Larridan were sleeping steadily at Cantagan, Isik’s and Lintarn’s good night sleep was interrupted by big black bear, hungry for the meat they had in their camp. When Isik saw what was happening, he instantly charged against the huge, formidable and dangerous animal. No one could blame that Isik did not have courage, but it was not enough. The bear destroyed the warrior, but the cost had been great. Lintarn was considered lucky since the animal was gravely wounded and she managed to finish the creature. So she stood there, stupefied and freezing. Not knowing what should she do now…

One day later the three of them found Lintarn wandering towards Cantagan. She explained what had happened after their ways had parted. Jorn explained where they were going and Lintarn joined their cause. They burned Isik at the slopes of Frostbacks and stood silent. “Back to the mud…” Larridan said as he thought the journey what was just starting. “This is just the beginning”.

I enjoyed the system. The stunt-system especially is to my liking, since it brings visuality and selection to combat maneuvers. The combat is handled quite quickly while there are some things that would require some clarification. Few quick house-rules fixed these issues. All in all, Dragon Age Role-playing game hits the spot!! I’m very anxious to continue this campaign.

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The Cast of Characters:

Jorn Saavorwel: A noble from Denerim. Jorn is on a journey to prove himself – and his father – his worth. Jorn’s father is a notable bann in Denerim.

Awallen (Fenwyn): A cast out Dalish elf woman with bad temper. She is travelling to learn some self-discipline.

Larridan Alawei: Apostate elven healer learned with the arts of magic. Larridan wants to be acknowledged and wants to work real hard in order to achieve it. The fact he race is what it is, makes it difficult.

Isik: Isik was a thick-headed Fereldan freeman. He used to live in Denerim for years working as a small thug and scoundrel. A black bear ended his journey at Frostbacks.

Lintarn: Lintarn has lived a tough life in Denerim, suffering from racism and the fact of being a woman. After a mysterious incident, she was forced to fled the city and has been travelling ever since.

Mavervo: The head of the village Cantagan. Middle-aged man with already grey beard and big gut.

Since the release of Dragon Age: Origins, I’ve been a huge fan of the world of Thedas. Last Sunday, our 4th edition Forgotten Realms campaign: The Merchant’s Domain ended which means there is a gap to be filled. To fill that gap, Green Ronin Publishing has released Dragon Age Roleplaying Game. Right now, I don’t see any better opportunity to give this a try, so next Sunday we will begin something titled: Dragon Age: The Shield of Ferelden Campaign.

To deliver a good campaign, we sat down together with my players and thought what do we really want from this campaign. The results were clear: Some crawling in shit, slowly ascending to results and fighting with some darkspawn. In other words, the Blight was a clear choice for the theme. So without further ado, here is the introduction to our campaign: