#1: Shadfeld

Our new campaign opened upon Shadfeld, a woodland village along the River Mirar in the lower foothills of the Spine of the World. The characters, Audric and Zeb, a Mystran crusader and refugee Malaran cultist, had arrived in escort of a fur trader named Erathmar, having traveled east from an outpost known as West Tower and, previously, Mirabar.

Erathmar, a retired adventurer in search of rare ore from the nearby mountains, bade the PCs to take leave during their stay; soon after, their presence was sought by Shadfeld's high priestess who, along with a hunter named Rould, questioned the party's intentions and origin. The duo explained that a local druid had recently fled after imparting a premonition that great evil would descend upon the village. The druid, Damyca, served as a pillar of protection for the area, and her departure to seek meditation at a site known as Moonglow Cave spawned concern, both for her vision and in her failure to return after several days. Pledging their aid, Audric and Zeb offered to accompany Rould and Tussugar Grim, dwarf and village marchion, in search of the missing woman.

A day's travel took them deep into forested terrain, where they set a defensive camp in the bowels of a low valley. During the night, their alarms were triggered by an enormous bear that assaulted them from the darkness. Unable to run, they fought, Tussugar exchanging blows from the creature's paws with a gruesome cut from his rune-encrusted dwarven axe. Then, inexplicably, Tussugar dropped his weapon and convulsed, his stocky form melding into that of a bear, equal in size and strength to their aggressor. As the allies rained missiles upon the attacking bear, the transfigured Tussugar crushed its neck with his mighty jaw. The creature fell limp and Tussugar convulsed again, his body contorting back to that of a dwarf, ere he collapsed. The others, distraught, guarded the camp until sunrise.

Tussugar awoke to interrogation, and though he acknowledged what had transpired, he failed to explain his transformation, gruffly asserting that the company should continue on. After persisted questioning, however, the dwarf conceded possession of a pewter ring, purchased from an ore trader many weeks prior, which he suspected to be the source of the previous night's event. Using detect magic, Audric discerned an overwhelmingly powerful aura emanating from the artifact.

That eve, Moonglow Cave came within view, a rocky outcropping emanating a blue luminescence atop a small peak amid the forest. The company approached, discovering the blood-drained husk of Damyca inside its mouth. Too, they found claw marks from some massive creature and, in the cave's depths, undecipherable runes scribed in an unknown language.

DM's Commentary

Sean, Jason, and I have been playing at the idea for this campaign for a long time, so it's great to see it finally kicked off. Zeb and Audric are already deep characters, with aspects that extend well beyond anything written above. I think this session was a decent start, despite a bit of strangeness and quite a lot unanswered. Hopefully the player's agree!

It's Really Not Lord of the Rings

I don't love D&D games having a MacGuffin; I realize that the plundered scepter felt like one during the last campaign, and that the sudden appearance of a transcendent ring ushers in similar vibes here as well. I don't stage the exact way sessions will unfold (even first sessions!), and there were elements of chance involved that I can't elaborate on presently, but that definitely contributed to much of what transpired in-game. You guys may just have to take me at my word, for now...