2 Weeks ago:
We had Osric’s player back, and, in the wake of the previous session’s (almost) TPK, they’re going up against Andvarri (yet again).
Having heard the others’ recap of that near-total-disaster-session, Osric’s player summarised what Osric had been up to: he’d slept through it all, curled up under some junk just next to the dragons (allowing him to recover from Exhausted).
That tracks!
Our Shaman (like, I would guess many who chose Level 4’s Heartbeast) spends a lot of time Angry, Exhausted, or sleeping to recover from the latter.
…
Goals get adjusted / rewritten, and we’re off to hunt Andvarri!
There’s various discussions about how to achieve this. The boat’s out with them, so they would have to row it back upstream and into the underground area. That sounds difficult.
Instead, Osric Has An Idea… and casts the Invocation to the Immortal Waters (walk on water, for the whole party!), with some contributions from the others.
Armed and ready (and leaving unnecessary stuff back at camp), they rush up the river, drag themselves into the mountain from where the river emerges… and plan an ambush.
They have light from their lantern, conceal themselves amongst the rocks and rapids, and are set to ambush the Dread Eel.
Bricks has a poison intended to cause sickness which, when combined with Andvarri’s existing Injury (from our previous Compromise), builds an advantage.
Tösk has a scroll of Destiny of Heroes, intended to give them an extra edge, which he proceeds to cast… unsuccessfully.
A roil storm of mystical winds, and sparkling purple rain erupts… and is dragged out of the cave system scant seconds later (Twist!). The consequences of this will become apparent at a later point.
Then, Andvarri is there, and they leap into the conflict.
Andvarri is much confused by his prey running on the water, as they strike down into him from all sorts of unexpected angles (good ambush!).
The fight is brutal, with Oddbjorn being knocked out, as the party (led by Osric’s mighty violence) finally put an end to Andvarri.
Kill conflict. Minor compromise: Oddbjorn is killed.
Oddbjorn’s player spends a Persona to have the Will to Live, as he float off facedown in the river.
Bricks realises that their Skald is missing and rushes off to find him.
He returns, but is… strange (Nature 1/1, lost Boasting Nature descriptor, turned his Steady Hands Trait to Shaky Hands).
What really made this for me (and all of us, I think) was that the player really leaned into what Nature 1/1 looks like, seeming stranger and less… lively… empathic… than before.
Brilliantly the player never had Oddbjorn do or say anything extreme, but really leaned into the tone of what he said, and the looks he gave.
Osric is keen to celebrate their victory, and encourages Radulf (Oddbjorn’s apprentice) to sing of their victory (as Oddbjorn is not engaging). Oddbjorn is prepared to offer help… judging and critiquing his student (using Music-Wise).
Still, it is a victory procession that walks on upstream to the Tree of Yðunn and Æglæckír’s hoard.
There, the magical storm is raging overhead. The purple rain fizzes and sparkles when it hits them.
They present the corpse of Andvarri to Æglæckír, as a stand-in for her dead love Monwír. They are late in fulfilling their promise, but they have succeeded.
They finalise their agreement / negotiation with Æglæckír.
They will mount Andvarri and present it back to her as a trophy. For her part, she will raise the drake that Bricks has left with her, and not attack the surrounding settlements, provided that none (other than her cultists) come here.
This magical storm, though, is an issue. Oddbjorn cuts a deal with Æglæckír to move her hoard out of the courtyard, allowing him to pick a few items from the hoard to take with them.
This last plays neatly into Oddbjorn’s Belief (“I will get my inheritance from the treasures lurking in the old places of the world.”), and allows the adventurers to get some loot of out this (very long) endeavour.
A good roll allows him to choose the Helm (… of Terror), a filled spell book (containing Mystic Porter, Wisdom of the Sages and Apotropaic Circle) and a gem that glows with a warm inner light (the Sunstone from Lots o’ Loot).
After that, out they head, to decide on next steps…