Three players were present:
- Bruno FaceSmasher
Male Dwarf Barbarian - Lupin Damakos
Female Tiefling Rogue - Garrus Ironside
Male Dwarf Paladin
Tracking Krampus to his lair in the frozen Tundra, The Heroes face their first challenge: Left or Right. Deciding that lupin should scout ahead, the Daring Demon Damsel discovers that the icy floors of the passageways look like they have been shattered and re-melted multiple times. With no traps in sight, she summons her dwarven compatriots. Suddenly, the floor begins to tremble and crack in a roaring wave, as if something was traveling beneath the ice.
Mounting its spiny shell, Lupin swings from a dorsal spike with one hand while stabbing at the Enormous Insect’s eyeball with the other. With unexpected speed, the Big Bug bites Garrus, hoisting him into the air. Before the other Heroes’ horrified eyes, the Stupendous Slug suddenly swallows the Stout Soldier whole!!!
Lupin and Bruno frantically continue to battle the Wicked Worm from the outside. Meanwhile, Garrus finds himself constricted in complete darkness. With stomach acids burning, the Powerful Paladin perceives that though he can barely move, he can still battle from within with basic attacks.
However, rendering the flesh causes a final burst of heat, damaging The Heroes while expelling Garrus out of the Insect’s Intestines encased in a layer of acidic mucus.
Fully healed, The Heroes continue through the icy corridors until they encounter a locked door that can only be opened by solving the glyphs containing puns about Winter/Christmas.
HORRIBLE WINTER/CHRISTMAS PUNS (Classics)
1: Hats made of frozen water.*
2: A spice rack that welcomes them warmly.**
3: A red-headed baker.***
4: A treasury covered with white powder.****
5: Warrior in a suit of armor filled with punctures.*****
6: Walking stick made of Sugar.******
The Evil Elemental elects to take matters into his own humongous hands and advances toward The Heroes. Lupin uses her stealth to slip by the brute so she can flank him. Trapped between The Heroes, the Big Brute begins to bludgeon them with frozen fists. However, The Heroes pummel him from all sides until Bruno strikes him with a mighty blow. The fiery core encompassed within the Chillfire’s icy shell explodes, enveloping everyone in a burst of flames and shards of ice. A singed Garrus exclaims in frustration: “Does everything here explode when it dies?”
Realizing that the Frost God has awoken, The Heroes try to hustle pass the Horrible Hounds. However, the Chilly Canines in close quarters, combined with their freezing breaths and icy blasts, prove difficult for The Heroes to pass. Bruno picks a Precious Puppy to pound while Garrus and Lupin concentrate on the Mama Wolf. As the battle stalemates, the three Frost Dwarves climb down the ladder and charge toward The Heroes. To The Heroes’ surprise, the three Wolves disengage and flee.
As Garrus and Bruno reach the exit, Lupin slips between the Frost God’s legs and flies toward the exit. With the Ice God, Krampus, and the three Frost Dwarves right on her trail, Lupin tries to destroy the stone while Garrus and Bruno battle to keep them all within the cavern. After a few tries, Lupin finally shatters the Solstice Stone. With his heart destroyed, the Frost God explodes, bringing the entire cavern down upon Krampus and his minions. As The Heroes begin their long trek home, through the cold, Bruno reminds them that he is once again hungry.
Thoughts on this Session: Since most of our group couldn’t make it this session, we decided to have a winter one-shot adventure. Originally, I had planned to supply the PCs with some minions (the first adventurers who went after the stone), but when I saw how well they did against the Remorhaz, I realized that they weren’t needed and they became collateral damage instead.
Lupin led the charge on all of the battles. Scouting ahead, she climbed on the Remorhaz’s back; scared off the Wolf pups; flanked the Chillfire; and held off the Frost God. Armed with the healing Baker’s Blade, she is quite fearless. She also figured out how to defeat the Frost God, even though it costs her any financial reward she hoped to gain from the stone. Garrus used his warrior tactics to mark his foes, causing them to concentrate on him. It did backfired when the Remorhaz paid him a little too much attention and swallowed him whole. Trying to figure out how to weaponize the Frost God to the United’s advantage showed his devotion to ending the war. Realizing that their Dwarven speed, or lack thereof, put them at a disadvantage, he was willing to let Lupin distract the Frost God while he and Bruno fled. Bruno Showed how powerful a Dwarven/Barbarian combo can be. He delivered the death blow to both the Remorhaz and the Chillfire. His constant hunger was amusing as always. As was his confusion of just what a replica is. It was like a new version of Who’s on First? Bravo to all!!!
* Hats made of frozen water: Frozen water = ice; hats = caps – Ice Caps.
** A spice rack that welcomes them warmly: Spices = seasons; welcoming = greetings – Seasons Greetings.
*** A red-headed baker: Red-head = ginger; baker = bread man – Gingerbread Man.
**** A treasury covered with white powder: White powder = snow; treasury = bank – Snow Bank.
***** Warrior in a suit of armor filled with punctures: Warrior in suit of armor = knight; punctures = holes – Holy Knight
****** Walking stick made of Sugar: Walking stick = cane; sugar = candy – Candy Cane.