Bonds, Stronger than Steel
Once the characters haven gotten over the shock of the Games Master introducing a relative into the adventure, they should invite the trolls to join them for breakfast. If they don't, someone else will.
You quickly gather up some chairs for the Trolls to sit on, no mean feat, and Nybik whips up an extra round of breakfast. Bonehead seems a little wild around the eyes, and so his brother preforms the introductions.
"My name is Swiftfoot, and as you may have guessed, Bonehead here is my brother. I come from the Twilight Peaks, where our father, Ironfist, rules our tribe of crystal raiders, the mighty Stonehearts.
"I came here looking for my brother, to bring him back to justice.
"My brother has dishonoured his family," Swiftfoot says with a sneer, "and brought much shame to our family. He has broken a sacred oath that my father gave to another troll. For he promised that Bonehead shall marry Ronja."
If the characters weren't perplexed before, they certainly should be now. Swiftfoot will wait until the characters have calmed down before continuing.
"I am sorry but I have no choice, brother. If I don't carry out my duty, one of these trolls will. Your father wills it, and their is nothing I can do that will stop him."
It seems the characters have once again been dragged into adventure, willing or not.
Decisions
The characters will have to return with the trolls to the Twilight Peaks, but their journey is going to be nothing short of spectacular. The reason the crowd gathered was because the trolls came in an airship, and the characters will be able to experience sky travel for the first time.
After they trolls have finished their meal, and you have packed your belongings, they lead you to the centre of town, to the same park where you discovered the kidnapping of the windling children occurred. Situated in the centre of the park is an airship, one of the legendary vessels which sail the very wind.
"I hope you like it," smiles Swiftfoot.
The distance from Vors to the Stonehearts home is approximately 650 miles, as the crow flies, and will therefore take two to three days. An airship can travel 300 miles per day, travelling for an average of sixteen hours.
Once the time is right, Bonehead's brother will explain what is at stake.
"I didn't want to say this in front of the others, but you have to know. Ironfist, our father, has decreed that you will marry Ronja, or be exiled for life. Exile may seem promising, considering how ugly Ronja is, but think on it. No troll would talk to you, help you, nor any friend of a troll. You'd become an outcast, shunned for life. Normally father would not be so harsh, but I think it really annoyed him how you packed and left without so much as a goodbye. Ronja's furious, so I'd avoid her as much as possible."
The thing which will be foremost on Bonehead's mind will be the impending marriage, or so it seems, but his brother does have an idea. Soon after the airship departs Vors, Bonehead's brother will approach him with the idea.
"I have been thinking about your dilemma, and I have worked out away so you don't have to marry the cow and keep your honour at the same time. If I were to kidnap dad, and you were to rescue him, then he would have to grant you anything you desire. You could absolve his oath, and you'd bee free. Of course, I'd have to make it look like a raid or something, but think of it . . . free once more."
The characters can reject the plan or accept it, but in the end it isn't going to matter.
Raid
The characters are not going to be allowed to enjoy their first flight, as the Blood Circle doesn't want the characters to arrive in the Twilight Peaks alive, and so have sent the Bloodlores, sworn enemies of the Stonehearts.
Shouts on deck wake you from your reverie. You ask one of the sailors what all the commotion is about, and he points to a speak in the sky. As you look closer, the speck becomes an object, and the object becomes another airship.
Swiftfoot joins you, a deep rumble building in his chest.
"Bloodlores," he curses, "our sworn enemies."
A battle is about to begin . . .
Homecoming
Map 1 - Journey
Featured above is a map of the journey that the characters have undertaken. After three days of travel, their destination looms in sight.
Lights sparkle in the distance, as twilight falls, and the mountain range in front of you seems to cast a ruddy glow over the night sky.
"The Twilight Peaks," says Swiftfoot proudly.
The airship arrows towards one of the peaks, as you watched open-mouthed at the beautiful light show created by these legendary peaks.
Background Information
Twilight Peaks
see BE, page 99.
When the characters arrive, they will be met by Bonehead's father, mother and his wife to be, Ronja.
The ship gracefully docks on a platform on the edge of the mountain. As you disembark you notice that the dock leads to a large plateau, a plateau on which the Stonehearts have made their home.
As you walk towards the encampment, you notice three figures moving towards one male, two female. The male is wearing leather armour with metal and leather ornaments tastefully arranged on his clothing. You would assume he is the Chief of the Stonehearts, and Bonehead's father.
"Son."
This is where the roleplaying begins, and allows Bonehead to interact with the other trolls. If he does nothing, read the following passage.
One of the females, a large, buxom woman, steps in front of Bonehead . . . slaps him . . . and runs off sobbing.
The other female, a motherly figure if you ever saw one, also steps forward, but she hugs Bonehead.
"Son."
Meeting Around the Fire
This is where Bonehead gets to interact with his family, and here he has to decided what to do. Of course no matter what happens his father will be kidnapped, but his reaction to the kidnapping will be modelled on this encounter.
The family gathers around the camp fire, mother, father, Bonehead, brother and friends (ie. the characters) to have a family discussion. Bonehead's mother will be interested in what he has been doing, and wether he has been looking after himself. She will be the typical mother, fussing over him and constantly hugging him.
Bonehead's father is not going to like any of this, and is going to tell Bonehead exactly what is on his mind. He is going to tell him that he has been irresponsible, and he is a disgrace to the family.
Bonehead's brother, surprisingly, is going to be very quiet indeed, in fact he is not going to say a word. Ronja would also, normally, be here to speak, but Bonehead's mother will tell him that she is too distressed to talk at the moment.
Once the Games Master has decided that enough 'family discussion' has been had, it is time to move on. Bonehead's family will retire for the evening, and next morning Bonehead is going to receive another shock.
Disappearance
After the heart-to-heart Bonehead had last night with his father, in the morning he will find his father has disappeared.
"Bonehead! Bonehead!"
The shouts come from outside the hut that your share. Shaking the sleep from your eyes, you peer outside to see a group of trolls converging on the hut.
"Bonehead!"
Bonehead's mother leads the crowd, pushing her way into the hut, and slamming the door.
"Bonehead . . . your father has disappeared."
The characters first reaction should, of course, to ask Bonehead's brother. He will vehemently deny kidnapping their father, saying he never had time to carry out their plan. The characters may still be suspicious of Bonehead's motives, but for once he is telling the truth.
The characters will have a brief chance to investigate, before Bonehead is thrust in power. They will find that Bonehead's father's hut has been left undisturbed. There is no sign of a struggle, except for the slightly dishevelled bed. It would seem that Bonehead's father was either kidnapped by pros, or wanted to come with the kidnappers.
Bonehead's mother will tell the characters that she left the hut at 6 to make some breakfast, came back at 7 and her husband was gone. No one else say anyone leave or enter the hut between 6 and 7, but this is not unusual (the characters will be told) as not many people are on the lookout from within the encampment.
The Weight of Responsibility
As mentioned, the characters investigation into the disappearance will have to wait, as Bonehead is thrust into the leadership of the clan.
A few trolls walk up to Bonehead and incline their heads.
"Chief Bonehead, what should we do?"
This is obviously going to come as a surprise, but give him a few things to make decisions on: when to put people on watch, who should hunt, and so on.
After making a few important, or not so important, decisions as leader of the Stonehearts, Bonehead is going to need to investigate his father's disappearance fully. Without a lead, the investigation will end before it has even started. However, a lead and encouragement to investigate the disappearance will come in the form of a grumbling troll.
Henrik has been a Stoneheart Warrior for a long time, but has been dissatisfied with his anonymity. Unfortunately his lack of recognition has steamed from the fact he is only a barely competent warrior. Henrik, however, believes he is the greatest warrior that ever lived, and his lack of success is due to others jealously. Thus he was easily bought by a Blood Circle member (masquerading as a Stoneheart Troll) to spread a little discord if Bonehead took control. If Henrik had a few brains he would have to wonder how this Blood Circle member could predict the downfall of Bonehead's father.
It is up to the Games Master to intersperse encounters with Henrik throughout the adventure (I assume you read the whole adventure before using it?) but especially when it comes time to start the final episode. Henrik should always be in the background, grumbling about something or the other.
To make the characters really suspicious have him lurk around all the time, following Bonehead wherever he goes. He will constantly criticise Bonehead's leadership, going as far to disdain his warrior skills. The turning point should come when Henrik outright accuses Bonehead of kidnapping his father.
Eventually the characters are going to question him, and as Henrik is a weak-willed character his story will come out.
"One of my brother trolls told me I was the best warrior in the village, which was true, and thus earned my ear. He then told me that Bonehead was plotting to kill his father and take his place as head of the tribe.
"I was outraged and would have proceeded directly to the Chief, but my troll friend dissuaded me, saying his father would never believe me. I saw this to be true, and upon his suggestion proceeded to sway people to the truth. Now, however, I see it is too late as Bonehead has bought your souls."
The nest logical step would be for the characters to find this masquerading troll. Henrik will be happy to point the lucky troll out, as he feels his 'friend' will help persuade the other trolls of the truth of 'his' cause.
Once the troll has been identified, he knows the game is up and so will pack up and leave immediately. This should be roleplayed out as a little chase seen to add to the tension and excitement. Once he is caught, the characters are going to have to carefully extract their information.
The troll's name is Jerok, and he is a veteran warrior from the Bloodlore camp. He was chosen for the mission because he is considered the best talker amongst the Bloodlores (which isn't saying very much). He was sent to encourage as much dissent amongst the Stonehearts as possible, have them killing each other at best, or just hostile at worst.
Trails of Blood
Once the characters know the Bloodlores where behind the kidnapping, the hunt can begin. Henrik or Jerok will tell the characters the most logical place the chief has been taken is the Bloodlore camp, located south-west of the Stoneheart camp. Though this seems a little obvious to the characters, remind them of the nature of trolls.
Map 2 - The Trail
Indicated on the map above is the trail the characters will have to travel to get to the Bloodlore camp. The journey will take approximately four days, and can only be taken on foot due to the treacherous nature of the hills around the area.
Two encounters have been provide to liven up the journey, and emphasise the danger of travelling though the mountains. More encounters can, as always, be added, but remember not to bog down the characters on this journey.
Map 3 - The Campsite
The Map above indicates the layout of the Bloodlore camp. The small 'dots' indicate one of the tribe member's huts. They are small, single room buildings containing only a pallet for sleeping on and a few possession (varying according to the individual). Each hut can contain at most a single troll. Average statistics for the trolls have been given with Creature Statistics.
Not all of the trolls will be in their huts, and so it is up to the Games Master to decide which huts contain trolls, how many trolls are roaming about the place and how many are hunting. This allows the Games Master to modify the adventure to suit the needs of their particular party.
The most interesting building, however, is the Chief's hut and is where Bonehead's father is being kept hostage. A schematic of the building and details have been provided in the section titled The Chief's Hut.
The troll statistics below are only typical, and should be modified according to the tastes of the Games Master and the strength of the characters.
Below is a schematic diagram of the interior of the Bloodlore Chief's hut. Inside is where Bonehead's father is being held prisoner. Once the characters reach the 'prison' room, got to Success in the epilogue for details on how to play out the encounter. If they go to the 'chief's room' go to Showdown below for details on how to proceed.
The building is made from wood with a thatched roof. Black lines indicate wooden walls, and rectangles indicate doors (which swing inwards).
Map 4 - The Chief's Hut
Entry
This room is bare and is merely the crux of the building, leading to all other rooms.
Prison
No, normally the chief's hut does not have a convenient prison. This room as the chief's war room/relaxing room (he is a troll) but has converted into a prison to house Bonehead's father. The square object in the corner is a wooden cage in which Bonehead's father has been placed.
There is a table and two chairs in the room which are occupied at all times by two troll guards (see Creature Statistics).
Chief's Room
This is where the Bloodlore Chief sleeps and has a pallet and a small chest. The chest is locked and heavily discourage the characters from riffling in the chest. It is there because a chief is supposed to have gold and treasure, not because the characters should.
Showdown
The Chief of the Bloodlores will not fight to the death, thinking himself beneath fighting such lowly warriors as Bonehead and his companions (unless the characters are very powerful, or the Games Master thinks it is dramatically appropriate). His statistics have been provided for interests sake only.
Once the characters meet him however, refer to The Opening Cantos in the epilogue for what happens next.
