Hi everyone. I thought I'd take a moment and share with those who may be able to make use of it an adventure that I'd been mulling about in my head but never really got to fleshing out beyond a concept. Perhaps if this offers inspiration to someone and helps them finish their own, or they can provide the finishing touches to it, they can run it as their own.
The “Wintertide” itself refers to an ancient storm that, once every fifty to a hundred years would merge with the harsh weather from the mountains located in the frozen northern wastelands and create violent and dangerous blizzards. For locals, however, it has since come to refer to a legendary battle where a legendary hero once conquered and sealed away a sorceress known as “The Winter Queen,” a witch who sought to plunge the world into a never-ending winter. After a drawn-out battle, the tides shifting constantly, the ancient hero defeated the Winter Queen and—according to legend—transformed her body into seafoam, before sealing her within the cold waters beneath the ice. Folktales speak of how the sorceress’s frigid power still haunts the shorelines and the lands on the northern frontiers when winter is at its worst. However, so long as the magic within the Brand of Victory – the sword used by the hero to seal her away – remains intact, it is said that the Winter Queen will never return to wreak her frozen vengeance. The story begins two thousand years after that climactic battle, and the ancient Wintertide rages on outside, gripping a tiny coastal village in a freak snowstorm, the likes of which no one alive has ever seen.
I have a few details sorted out about the story if anyone is interested in perhaps hearing more. If it gives anyone an idea for their own story, though, or helps you flesh out a bit of lore or whatever in your own story, be my guest!
So far, I had worked out that the characters, from one reason to another were gathered in the guild hall at the center of the village. For one reason or another, they had wound up in this village of Whitehaven. Not many would choose a place like this to travel to. Some might live there, some might be travelers passing through to other destinations, others might be treasure seekers searching out the ancient ruins that dot the landscape. As the storm grows stronger, however, one of the hall's walls is smashed in and the people within are attacked. The raid's leader, while the group is distracted, retrieves the Brand of Victory from its mount behind the bar. (The characters wouldn't know what it is yet.) As the attackers flee into the blizzard, the elder barkeep is searching frantically through the rubble.
Visitors likely wouldn't know the tale of the Wintertide, but residents of the village may. The barkeep explains that the relic they stole was the Brand of Victory from the myth, and if they figure out a way to break the seal upon it, the Winter Queen herself may yet be unleashed. This old man, for some reason, seems to know that they would be headed towards the old ruins of the fortress of Whitepeak, the final battleground between the ancient hero and the Winter Queen. If she were to be restored to power, the entire world could be at stake.
The journey to the fortress would be fraught with peril, from the snowy creatures that dwell in the wilds, to the perilous mountain terrain, to the cold itself. The ruins of the fortress would be located near the summit of one of the highest mountains in the region.
Some ideas for creatures you might encounter in the wilderness are yetis, winter wolves, ice devils, etc.
As the heroes progress, they encounter a mysterious group of human nomads (or could confront them if the group is on the verge of falling prey to the snow and elements, after the players awaken in one of their tents during their recovery). The humans introduce themselves simply as the Watchers, and demand to know why they have intruded into their forbidden lands. It turns out, these people are descendants of the hero's people who fought and defeated the Winter Queen, and they have kept vigil over the lands surrounding the fortress. It turns out, Whitepeak can only be approached by lighting the four ancient bonfires atop the watchtowers on four adjacent mountains, or with the Brand of Victory in hand. Otherwise, the characters risk becoming hopelessly lost in the shifting wilds (90% chance of becoming lost without the towers lit). The towers are infested by more enemies of the cold.
Once the towers are lit, a magical light beams through the blizzard from the fortress wall. Crossing to the fortress, the characters find the gate locked. Exploring around the outer wall, however, reveals a broken window leading into the library. Here, information regarding the Winter Queen can be found in the hero's journals, telling of the long war that was fought all those millennia ago. They also find out that the Winter Queen was once a druid who became lost in the Evergray Forests. As she neared death, she was saved by the Watchers, who imbued her with the power of the cold, that she might survive it. As time passed, however, she saw how mighty her gift truly was, and the temptation of power became too great for her to resist.
After the library, the characters wind through the fortress, eliminating all resistance in their path before making their way to the cathedral area. The Brand of Victory in hand, the cult that raided the town is now completing the ritual to break the seal on their Queen. Depending on the level of the adventure, you could either have the characters race to stop them from completing the spell to free the Winter Queen, or have them be too late and face a godly sorceress.
Not sure how I'd wrap it up. I figure there would be a few more ways to enrich the story and tie things together, but I couldn't think of too much. One idea I had was that the old barkeep was the immortalized ancient hero, bound to the blade for as long as it existed so that he could protect it. Not sure.
But now, it's up to anyone who wants it. Thoughts? Discussion? Ideas? Have at it, storytellers. :)
Some ideas for creatures you might encounter in the wilderness are yetis, winter wolves, ice devils, etc.
As the heroes progress, they encounter a mysterious group of human nomads (or could confront them if the group is on the verge of falling prey to the snow and elements, after the players awaken in one of their tents during their recovery). The humans introduce themselves simply as the Watchers, and demand to know why they have intruded into their forbidden lands. It turns out, these people are descendants of the hero's people who fought and defeated the Winter Queen, and they have kept vigil over the lands surrounding the fortress. It seems that Whitepeak can only be approached by lighting the four ancient bonfires atop the watchtowers on four adjacent mountains, or with the Brand of Victory in hand. Otherwise, the characters risk becoming hopelessly lost in the shifting wilds (90% chance of becoming lost without the towers lit). The towers are infested by more enemies of the cold.
Once the towers are lit, a magical light beams through the blizzard from the fortress wall. Crossing to the fortress, the characters find the gate locked. Exploring around the outer wall, however, reveals a broken window leading into the library. Here, information regarding the Winter Queen can be found in the hero's journals, telling of the long war that was fought all those millennia ago. They also find out that the Winter Queen was once a druid who became lost in the Evergray Forests. As she neared death, she was saved by the Watchers, who imbued her with the power of the cold, that she might survive it. As time passed, however, she saw how mighty her gift truly was, and the temptation of power became too great for her to resist.
After the library, the characters wind through the fortress, eliminating all resistance in their path before making their way to the cathedral area. The Brand of Victory in hand, the cult that raided the town is now completing the ritual to break the seal on their Queen. Depending on the level of the adventure, you could either have the characters race to stop them from completing the spell to free the Winter Queen, or have them be too late and face a godly sorceress.
Not sure how I'd wrap it up. I figure there would be a few more ways to enrich the story and tie things together, but I couldn't think of too much. One idea I had was that the old barkeep was the immortalized ancient hero, bound to the blade for as long as it existed so that he could protect it. Not sure.
But now, it's up to anyone who wants it. Thoughts? Discussion? Ideas? Have at it, storytellers. :)
Some ideas for creatures you might encounter in the wilderness are yetis, winter wolves, ice devils, etc.
As the heroes progress, they encounter a mysterious group of human nomads (or could confront them if the group is on the verge of falling prey to the snow and elements, after the players awaken in one of their tents during their recovery). The humans introduce themselves simply as the Watchers, and demand to know why they have intruded into their forbidden lands. It turns out, these people are descendants of the hero's people who fought and defeated the Winter Queen, and they have kept vigil over the lands surrounding the fortress.
I especially like this part, where the characters wake in a camp. Sets an interesting tone. It also creates background and backstory without having to force feed it to the characters. I would expect some friendly NPCs here, some useful contacts, and perhaps later on down the road, a weaponsmith the characters can pay to forge weapons.
Designing an adventure is similar in may ways to writing an essay. Once you know your topic, you organize it. You introduce the topic, and in the body, you back it up, and then you conclude it.
Whenever I sit down to design a adventure, I write a few quick sentences that summarize the storyline. I let it sit in my head for a little while before I start writing down ideas — but that's my process; I'm a graphic designer by trade, so process is what I know. I sometimes use index cards. I sometimes use paper to construct an outline. An outline lets me see the adventure from a bird's eye view without inserting game mechanics. I use my own conventions, but I recommend you watch – as silly as this sounds – Thor.
Notice how the movie starts. Notice the scene changes. Notice when and where the characters earn weapons and items. Notice how the story builds. Notice how Loki rises to power. Although Thor, at its roots, is a coming of age story, it is also an easy outline to follow.
You want something a bit more epic, watch Braveheart or something with good characterization, watch Robin Hood with Kevin Costner, or the first Die Hard.
Adventure design is fun. And always leave room for the characters to surprise you. They will.
I appreciate the insight. I may try and finish writing up this adventure in a usable format. Some of my friends have expressed interest in running this, given the details I shared with them. I've been reading into the DMG for more of an idea when it comes to the actual mechanics of putting a balanced adventure together.
Hi everyone. I thought I'd take a moment and share with those who may be able to make use of it an adventure that I'd been mulling about in my head but never really got to fleshing out beyond a concept. Perhaps if this offers inspiration to someone and helps them finish their own, or they can provide the finishing touches to it, they can run it as their own.
The “Wintertide” itself refers to an ancient storm that, once every fifty to a hundred years would merge with the harsh weather from the mountains located in the frozen northern wastelands and create violent and dangerous blizzards. For locals, however, it has since come to refer to a legendary battle where a legendary hero once conquered and sealed away a sorceress known as “The Winter Queen,” a witch who sought to plunge the world into a never-ending winter. After a drawn-out battle, the tides shifting constantly, the ancient hero defeated the Winter Queen and—according to legend—transformed her body into seafoam, before sealing her within the cold waters beneath the ice. Folktales speak of how the sorceress’s frigid power still haunts the shorelines and the lands on the northern frontiers when winter is at its worst. However, so long as the magic within the Brand of Victory – the sword used by the hero to seal her away – remains intact, it is said that the Winter Queen will never return to wreak her frozen vengeance. The story begins two thousand years after that climactic battle, and the ancient Wintertide rages on outside, gripping a tiny coastal village in a freak snowstorm, the likes of which no one alive has ever seen.
I have a few details sorted out about the story if anyone is interested in perhaps hearing more. If it gives anyone an idea for their own story, though, or helps you flesh out a bit of lore or whatever in your own story, be my guest!
This is really interesting so far. I would love to know more of the details of the story!
So far, I had worked out that the characters, from one reason to another were gathered in the guild hall at the center of the village. For one reason or another, they had wound up in this village of Whitehaven. Not many would choose a place like this to travel to. Some might live there, some might be travelers passing through to other destinations, others might be treasure seekers searching out the ancient ruins that dot the landscape. As the storm grows stronger, however, one of the hall's walls is smashed in and the people within are attacked. The raid's leader, while the group is distracted, retrieves the Brand of Victory from its mount behind the bar. (The characters wouldn't know what it is yet.) As the attackers flee into the blizzard, the elder barkeep is searching frantically through the rubble.
Visitors likely wouldn't know the tale of the Wintertide, but residents of the village may. The barkeep explains that the relic they stole was the Brand of Victory from the myth, and if they figure out a way to break the seal upon it, the Winter Queen herself may yet be unleashed. This old man, for some reason, seems to know that they would be headed towards the old ruins of the fortress of Whitepeak, the final battleground between the ancient hero and the Winter Queen. If she were to be restored to power, the entire world could be at stake.
The journey to the fortress would be fraught with peril, from the snowy creatures that dwell in the wilds, to the perilous mountain terrain, to the cold itself. The ruins of the fortress would be located near the summit of one of the highest mountains in the region.
I'll continue the story after work. :P
It's a really interesting story! Please do continue.
Very interesting story concept!
Keep working on it.
Continuing from before...
Some ideas for creatures you might encounter in the wilderness are yetis, winter wolves, ice devils, etc.
As the heroes progress, they encounter a mysterious group of human nomads (or could confront them if the group is on the verge of falling prey to the snow and elements, after the players awaken in one of their tents during their recovery). The humans introduce themselves simply as the Watchers, and demand to know why they have intruded into their forbidden lands. It turns out, these people are descendants of the hero's people who fought and defeated the Winter Queen, and they have kept vigil over the lands surrounding the fortress. It turns out, Whitepeak can only be approached by lighting the four ancient bonfires atop the watchtowers on four adjacent mountains, or with the Brand of Victory in hand. Otherwise, the characters risk becoming hopelessly lost in the shifting wilds (90% chance of becoming lost without the towers lit). The towers are infested by more enemies of the cold.
Once the towers are lit, a magical light beams through the blizzard from the fortress wall. Crossing to the fortress, the characters find the gate locked. Exploring around the outer wall, however, reveals a broken window leading into the library. Here, information regarding the Winter Queen can be found in the hero's journals, telling of the long war that was fought all those millennia ago. They also find out that the Winter Queen was once a druid who became lost in the Evergray Forests. As she neared death, she was saved by the Watchers, who imbued her with the power of the cold, that she might survive it. As time passed, however, she saw how mighty her gift truly was, and the temptation of power became too great for her to resist.
After the library, the characters wind through the fortress, eliminating all resistance in their path before making their way to the cathedral area. The Brand of Victory in hand, the cult that raided the town is now completing the ritual to break the seal on their Queen. Depending on the level of the adventure, you could either have the characters race to stop them from completing the spell to free the Winter Queen, or have them be too late and face a godly sorceress.
Not sure how I'd wrap it up. I figure there would be a few more ways to enrich the story and tie things together, but I couldn't think of too much. One idea I had was that the old barkeep was the immortalized ancient hero, bound to the blade for as long as it existed so that he could protect it. Not sure.
But now, it's up to anyone who wants it. Thoughts? Discussion? Ideas? Have at it, storytellers. :)
Continuing from before...
Some ideas for creatures you might encounter in the wilderness are yetis, winter wolves, ice devils, etc.
As the heroes progress, they encounter a mysterious group of human nomads (or could confront them if the group is on the verge of falling prey to the snow and elements, after the players awaken in one of their tents during their recovery). The humans introduce themselves simply as the Watchers, and demand to know why they have intruded into their forbidden lands. It turns out, these people are descendants of the hero's people who fought and defeated the Winter Queen, and they have kept vigil over the lands surrounding the fortress. It seems that Whitepeak can only be approached by lighting the four ancient bonfires atop the watchtowers on four adjacent mountains, or with the Brand of Victory in hand. Otherwise, the characters risk becoming hopelessly lost in the shifting wilds (90% chance of becoming lost without the towers lit). The towers are infested by more enemies of the cold.
Once the towers are lit, a magical light beams through the blizzard from the fortress wall. Crossing to the fortress, the characters find the gate locked. Exploring around the outer wall, however, reveals a broken window leading into the library. Here, information regarding the Winter Queen can be found in the hero's journals, telling of the long war that was fought all those millennia ago. They also find out that the Winter Queen was once a druid who became lost in the Evergray Forests. As she neared death, she was saved by the Watchers, who imbued her with the power of the cold, that she might survive it. As time passed, however, she saw how mighty her gift truly was, and the temptation of power became too great for her to resist.
After the library, the characters wind through the fortress, eliminating all resistance in their path before making their way to the cathedral area. The Brand of Victory in hand, the cult that raided the town is now completing the ritual to break the seal on their Queen. Depending on the level of the adventure, you could either have the characters race to stop them from completing the spell to free the Winter Queen, or have them be too late and face a godly sorceress.
Not sure how I'd wrap it up. I figure there would be a few more ways to enrich the story and tie things together, but I couldn't think of too much. One idea I had was that the old barkeep was the immortalized ancient hero, bound to the blade for as long as it existed so that he could protect it. Not sure.
But now, it's up to anyone who wants it. Thoughts? Discussion? Ideas? Have at it, storytellers. :)
Glad you liked it. I had really wanted to write it up as a module, but not being a DM, I wasn't sure how to approach it.
Designing an adventure is similar in may ways to writing an essay. Once you know your topic, you organize it. You introduce the topic, and in the body, you back it up, and then you conclude it.
Whenever I sit down to design a adventure, I write a few quick sentences that summarize the storyline. I let it sit in my head for a little while before I start writing down ideas — but that's my process; I'm a graphic designer by trade, so process is what I know. I sometimes use index cards. I sometimes use paper to construct an outline. An outline lets me see the adventure from a bird's eye view without inserting game mechanics. I use my own conventions, but I recommend you watch – as silly as this sounds – Thor.
Notice how the movie starts. Notice the scene changes. Notice when and where the characters earn weapons and items. Notice how the story builds. Notice how Loki rises to power. Although Thor, at its roots, is a coming of age story, it is also an easy outline to follow.
You want something a bit more epic, watch Braveheart or something with good characterization, watch Robin Hood with Kevin Costner, or the first Die Hard.
Adventure design is fun. And always leave room for the characters to surprise you. They will.
I appreciate the insight. I may try and finish writing up this adventure in a usable format. Some of my friends have expressed interest in running this, given the details I shared with them. I've been reading into the DMG for more of an idea when it comes to the actual mechanics of putting a balanced adventure together.
Happy adventuring!