Sunday Afternoon Game Report - Yggdrasill RPG Session 4
Here's the fourth session report on the Sunday afternoon Yggdrasill game campaign. This session dates back to October 20th, 2013. You can read about the previous session of the campaign in this journal entry. This post is somewhat long, so I've put it behind a cut so that folks who don't want to read any detailed rpg posts don't have to.
April 1st, Year 101 (since founding of Ulvfrist)
It is some three weeks since the events of the previous scenario (see the last game session). A darkness has descended on Ulvfrist and the valley. There have been 12 wolf attacks (3 people killed) in the past three weeks. Some of the wolves that have been encountered have been of prodigious size. While Dagmar Ivarsdottir (Tammy), the town Volva, has attempted several prophecies, they have led to nothing but obscure visions.
Adalstein Ulfarsson's (spross) wife, Gudrid, informs him that she's pregnant with their first child. He reacts with surprise and a distinct lack of joy. Gudrid tells him that she tried to tell him three weeks ago, and that she was angry about it at the time and his seeming disregard for her. She says that he'll now have more responsibilities, but in the meantime, she reminds him that he needs to go about his normal jobs and duties.
Gerda Herildasdottir, Dagmar's apprentice, tells her mistress that she has visitors. Dagmar is surprised to see Osk Arvesdottir (the healer) and Eskel Ulfarsson (the thulr). As they talk, Gerda learns about discretion. They discuss the issue of Gudrid being pregnant in light of the curse of tthe Mark of the Wolf on her husband, Adalstein. Osk asks if they should terminate the pregnancy, based on the warnings of what will occur to the Pact Breaker and their offspring. They talk of how Adalstein was almost banished (and almost executed), but how Magni Hrolfsson, the Jarl, decided better the devil you know than the one you don't, and where he is. However, half of Ulvfrist has ostracised Adalstein (and some are treating Gudrid badly as well). Osk and Eskel decide that Dagmar must make the community's decision to tell Adalstein and Gudrid part of the truth of what may be going on and determine what to do where the baby is concerned. Gerda says that she feels more for Gudrid, because she has to deal with the Pact Breaker as well as the pregnancy. Osk and Eskel leave, telling Dagmar they believe she will make the right choice for the community.
Adalstein goes to see his father, Ulfar Hrolfsson, and mother, Kenna Eskelsdottir, to tell them of Gudrid's pregnancy. His mother won't see him, but his father says it's good news for a change. However, he inquires why he hasn't been to Osk's home to see his sister, Amana, who was mauled by a large, (grey) wolf four days ago. She was attacked while returning to the village after going out to gather herbs, and Herik (her husband) died protecting her. Adalstein's father dismisses him harshly, disgusted with him. Adalstein leaves, and tries to locate the Thulr, Eskel.
Osk returns to talk to Dagmar about Adalsteins' sister, Amana. She tells Dagmar that Amana is dying from the wolf mauling, but there is a legend of a herb called "wolf's-head bane", that may be capable of curing all wolf-related injuries and symptoms. Dagmar doesn't know about the herb, but Osk tells her all that she knows. It's rumoured from the old records to be found in Hel's Meadow, the Meadow of the Dead, located on the far side of the Hoj near Stelj Pass. While the herbalist, Nordis Gandalvsdottir, won't go herself, her apprentice Gudny Ottarsdottir might. Dagmar agrees to talk to Nordis and convince her and Gudny to let the apprentice go with her. Osk leaves, and Dagmar prepares to seek out Nordis.
Adalstein starts to look for the Thulr, and asks around, but no one has seen him this day. His friend and fellow hirdman, Gorm Hranisson, sees him and stops him. Gorm says that Eskel is probably out at his home in the woods. He is shocked to learn that Adalstein hasn't been to see his sister. What kind of a brother would place himself above his sister? he asks. Gorm storms off, but takes the time to inform him that Eskel is with Nordis the herbalist, (sarcastically) trying to figure out a way to save his sister.
Adalstein heads for Nordis's home/workplace, and comes upon Dagmar. She learns he's looking for the thulr so as to figure out a means of removing the curse, and she takes him heavily to task about not being concerned for Amana. He then asks her to tell him how to lift the curse, totally ignoring her concerns about his sister. Dagmar tells him that he must figure things out for himself; the gods help those who help themselves.
Dagmar and Adalstein reach Nordis's home, and Eskel emerges from the herbalist's. He greets Dagmar and gives Adalstein a hostile glance, and inquires of her as to their presence at the herbalist's. Dagmar tells him she's there to talk about getting a herb that could help Adalstein's sister. Eskel berates the Volva somewhat for even considering taking Adalstein on the herb quest. Adalstein exclaims that it's his sister, and Eskel rages at him about how insensitive he's being towards his family and clan, citing that he's not seen Amana in four days. He then urges Dagmar again not to take him on the quest to Hel's Meadow for the cure.
The Sunday gaming group continued to play in their Yggdrasill RPG campaign, and seemed to have had a pretty good game session of it.
Tammy is doing a pretty good job of playing her character, Dagmar Ivarsdottir, and is rather enjoying getting into her character and dealing with the day-to-day issues of being a volva as well as the basis of the current scenario that they've just started. spross, on the other hand, is struggling somewhat with his character, Adalstein Ulfarsson, for some pretty apparent reasons. He has no grasp on the character's personality, character background, and history, and hasn't really done up a character background as far as I can tell, and is playing the character extremely inconsistently. He knows about this (I've been over it with him the past week or so). Given the character's got this major, campaign-shaking plot going on, he really needs to get his act together for this, or the game will likely fall apart.
As for the adventure itself, the current scenario deals with some of the aftermath and fallout of spross's main plot, and that part of the game is developing nicely. Tammy's got the sense of social responsibility that goes along with the Norse culture, but the problem is that SteveR's lacking in that respect, and there are several issues of how the two characters are going to function together, if at all, in this situation.
Since I won't be running any games for the next two weeks (stuff going on next weekend, and then the weekend after that is HammerCon), I'll have time to figure out how to proceed with the major plot, and see what I can work out for the smaller plot going on.
April 1st, Year 101 (since founding of Ulvfrist)
It is some three weeks since the events of the previous scenario (see the last game session). A darkness has descended on Ulvfrist and the valley. There have been 12 wolf attacks (3 people killed) in the past three weeks. Some of the wolves that have been encountered have been of prodigious size. While Dagmar Ivarsdottir (Tammy), the town Volva, has attempted several prophecies, they have led to nothing but obscure visions.
Adalstein Ulfarsson's (spross) wife, Gudrid, informs him that she's pregnant with their first child. He reacts with surprise and a distinct lack of joy. Gudrid tells him that she tried to tell him three weeks ago, and that she was angry about it at the time and his seeming disregard for her. She says that he'll now have more responsibilities, but in the meantime, she reminds him that he needs to go about his normal jobs and duties.
Gerda Herildasdottir, Dagmar's apprentice, tells her mistress that she has visitors. Dagmar is surprised to see Osk Arvesdottir (the healer) and Eskel Ulfarsson (the thulr). As they talk, Gerda learns about discretion. They discuss the issue of Gudrid being pregnant in light of the curse of tthe Mark of the Wolf on her husband, Adalstein. Osk asks if they should terminate the pregnancy, based on the warnings of what will occur to the Pact Breaker and their offspring. They talk of how Adalstein was almost banished (and almost executed), but how Magni Hrolfsson, the Jarl, decided better the devil you know than the one you don't, and where he is. However, half of Ulvfrist has ostracised Adalstein (and some are treating Gudrid badly as well). Osk and Eskel decide that Dagmar must make the community's decision to tell Adalstein and Gudrid part of the truth of what may be going on and determine what to do where the baby is concerned. Gerda says that she feels more for Gudrid, because she has to deal with the Pact Breaker as well as the pregnancy. Osk and Eskel leave, telling Dagmar they believe she will make the right choice for the community.
Adalstein goes to see his father, Ulfar Hrolfsson, and mother, Kenna Eskelsdottir, to tell them of Gudrid's pregnancy. His mother won't see him, but his father says it's good news for a change. However, he inquires why he hasn't been to Osk's home to see his sister, Amana, who was mauled by a large, (grey) wolf four days ago. She was attacked while returning to the village after going out to gather herbs, and Herik (her husband) died protecting her. Adalstein's father dismisses him harshly, disgusted with him. Adalstein leaves, and tries to locate the Thulr, Eskel.
Osk returns to talk to Dagmar about Adalsteins' sister, Amana. She tells Dagmar that Amana is dying from the wolf mauling, but there is a legend of a herb called "wolf's-head bane", that may be capable of curing all wolf-related injuries and symptoms. Dagmar doesn't know about the herb, but Osk tells her all that she knows. It's rumoured from the old records to be found in Hel's Meadow, the Meadow of the Dead, located on the far side of the Hoj near Stelj Pass. While the herbalist, Nordis Gandalvsdottir, won't go herself, her apprentice Gudny Ottarsdottir might. Dagmar agrees to talk to Nordis and convince her and Gudny to let the apprentice go with her. Osk leaves, and Dagmar prepares to seek out Nordis.
Adalstein starts to look for the Thulr, and asks around, but no one has seen him this day. His friend and fellow hirdman, Gorm Hranisson, sees him and stops him. Gorm says that Eskel is probably out at his home in the woods. He is shocked to learn that Adalstein hasn't been to see his sister. What kind of a brother would place himself above his sister? he asks. Gorm storms off, but takes the time to inform him that Eskel is with Nordis the herbalist, (sarcastically) trying to figure out a way to save his sister.
Adalstein heads for Nordis's home/workplace, and comes upon Dagmar. She learns he's looking for the thulr so as to figure out a means of removing the curse, and she takes him heavily to task about not being concerned for Amana. He then asks her to tell him how to lift the curse, totally ignoring her concerns about his sister. Dagmar tells him that he must figure things out for himself; the gods help those who help themselves.
Dagmar and Adalstein reach Nordis's home, and Eskel emerges from the herbalist's. He greets Dagmar and gives Adalstein a hostile glance, and inquires of her as to their presence at the herbalist's. Dagmar tells him she's there to talk about getting a herb that could help Adalstein's sister. Eskel berates the Volva somewhat for even considering taking Adalstein on the herb quest. Adalstein exclaims that it's his sister, and Eskel rages at him about how insensitive he's being towards his family and clan, citing that he's not seen Amana in four days. He then urges Dagmar again not to take him on the quest to Hel's Meadow for the cure.
The Sunday gaming group continued to play in their Yggdrasill RPG campaign, and seemed to have had a pretty good game session of it.
Tammy is doing a pretty good job of playing her character, Dagmar Ivarsdottir, and is rather enjoying getting into her character and dealing with the day-to-day issues of being a volva as well as the basis of the current scenario that they've just started. spross, on the other hand, is struggling somewhat with his character, Adalstein Ulfarsson, for some pretty apparent reasons. He has no grasp on the character's personality, character background, and history, and hasn't really done up a character background as far as I can tell, and is playing the character extremely inconsistently. He knows about this (I've been over it with him the past week or so). Given the character's got this major, campaign-shaking plot going on, he really needs to get his act together for this, or the game will likely fall apart.
As for the adventure itself, the current scenario deals with some of the aftermath and fallout of spross's main plot, and that part of the game is developing nicely. Tammy's got the sense of social responsibility that goes along with the Norse culture, but the problem is that SteveR's lacking in that respect, and there are several issues of how the two characters are going to function together, if at all, in this situation.
Since I won't be running any games for the next two weeks (stuff going on next weekend, and then the weekend after that is HammerCon), I'll have time to figure out how to proceed with the major plot, and see what I can work out for the smaller plot going on.