Looks like I get to start off 2015 this Saturday, (open seats at the table exist):
Giant’s Rapture
A 6th to 8th Level Adventure for 4 - 8 Castles and Crusader Player Characters
Stephen Chenault but tweaked by “Captain_K” (five or six 9th to 10th level PCs)
Every age of people know of stories of “The Giant’s of the North”. The story’s origins are spread about the world. The following may well be the source, or just a kernel, of one of those varied stories.
DWARVEN & GIANT HISTORY: The squirming, swarming maggots from Ymir’s flesh were many and varied. Their transformation by Odin, Villi, and Ve (the sons of Bor [1]) yielded the great diversity that is the founding fathers of the Dwarven race(s): Modsognir, Durin, Vindalf, Nordri, Sundri, Austri, Vestri, Jari, Brokk, Eitri, Alvis, and Dvalin [1] to name a few. All frost giants drown in a flood of blood and gore from the murder of Ymir except Bergelmir and his wife who rode out the cataclysmic flood of gore in a hollowed out tree to eventually settle in Jotunheim and begin the race anew with rekindled and even bitterer hatred for the sons of Bor [1].
SETTING: Any world or game with a Giant, Viking, and Dwarven past (and future) filled with magic, mischief, and a thirst for fame and fortune make an acceptable stage for this mountainous challenge. Ideally this challenge takes place deep in the oldest mountain ranges of the Scandinavian North (North and East of Bergen Norway or East of Hålogaland or Trondheim (Trondelag) Norway, but West of Uspalla Sweden for sure [3]); home to the original, ancient, or even forgotten Dwarves, Giants, and Norsemen of antiquity. Baring such a setting, any mountain range inhabited by Giants, Dwarves, and men (or their equivalent) with at least 1,000 years of history should suffice.
DETAILED SUGGESTIONS - ALIGNMENT: This adventure is fundamentally designed for Neutral to Good aligned PCs, but some degree of Evil leaning could easily be accounted for by a clever CK.
RACES: Human, Half-Orc (Trollborn [3]), Half-Elf, Dwarf, Elf, Gnome, and Halfling, in PC population order.
HOW TO GET STARTED: Two PCs each player. One at 600,000 exp pts, the other at 400,000 exp. One fighter type, one not.
SETTING THE SCENE: The adventure begins with your party in two Dragon ships (long boats or Knarr) which have quickly been run ashore deep up a fjord in Western Norway (Trondelag region North of Trondheim). You realize the fjord cannot be used to gain access to the North Sea as a small fleet of “enemy ships” have it fully blocked. The setting is roughly 997 AD. Your group was tasked with taking your local friend’s children to safety. He is not only your friend, but your fjord/village’s Jarl (Chieftain) and lifelong fellow adventurer. The new self styled “king” in Trondheim wishes to force allegiance from your friend the Jarl through a forced marriage to his young daughter (13 years old) and take his very young son (6 years old) as a foster son (hostage). You have all agreed to take the young boy and girl away to safety in their mother’s homeland of Upsalla Sweden. By sea this is risky enough with winter closing in, but now that route is blocked. Your only hope is a dash over the Keel (Kjolen) Mountain range. You are uniquely equipped for this nearly mad trek, but make it you must! You gather your final supplies from the boats, wish the rowers to lead the fleet on a merry chase as far and long as they can to keep them off your back trail, hitch up your gear, and set out with typical Viking fate tempting bravery. You turn back over your shoulders for one last look at your ships, crew and friends, to see them fleeing the shore line with a stiff wind at their backs. As you begin your climb up the steep rocky shore cranky old Ygg swears, spits, and mutters a bit too loudly, “What’s done is done [2].”
For some imagery to go with the above words see:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountain_ranges_of_Norway and
http://www.bing.com/search?q=mountains+ ... ORM=IE10TR .
REFERENCES:
1. Crossley-Holland, Kevin, “The Norse Myths”, Pantheon Books, New York, ISBN 0-394-74846-8.
2. Asala, Joanne, “Norwegian Proverbs of Asbjornsen and Moe”, Iowa City, IA, ISBN 0-941016-97-8.
3. Cook, David, “Vikings Campaign Sourcebook”, AD&D 2nd Ed, TSR Inc., Lake Geneva, WI, ISBN 1-56076-128-8.
