Given what we’re taking a look at as we speak, it’s most likely a great time so as to add this disclaimer. I really like Norse myths and folklore. I really like tales of giants and dwarves and peculiar, curse spewing, serpentine dragons. I really like the concept symbols have energy, and that dovetails properly with runes and runic magic. I’m additionally a white man of Germanic heritage. I say all of that in prelude to this: white supremacists can f%@okay proper off. Odin and Thor assume you’re an asshole, Loki is laughing at you, and also you don’t even wish to know what Freyja has in retailer for you.
Again to enterprise. What are we taking a look at as we speak? We’re going to take a look at Keeper of the Drowned, a 5e SRD journey utilizing the Black Flag guidelines by way of the ORC license. The journey is a part of the Thrones & Bones setting, a setting that originated within the Thrones & Bones trilogy of novels, Frostborn, Nightborn, and Skyborn. These books comply with youthful protagonists, together with a human, a half-giant, and a darkish elf, in a world populated with components from Norse folklore. There’s presently a 5e SRD marketing campaign setting that predates the Black Flag guidelines, together with an journey anthology. As well as, one of many first adventures to return out utilizing the Black Flag guidelines, months earlier than the ultimate launch of the principles, was Banner of the Bull, which converts a number of of the races current within the marketing campaign setting to the lineage and heritage guidelines of Black Flag.
Disclaimer
I obtained this journey as a part of backing the Kickstarter for the Tales of the Valiant Sport Grasp’s Information. Whereas I didn’t obtain this journey as a overview copy, I’ve obtained overview copies from Lou Anders and Lazy Wolf Studios previously. I haven’t had an opportunity to run this journey, however I’m very acquainted with D&D 5e, each as a DM and as a participant.
Thrones and Bones: Keeper of the Drowned
Artwork Director, Writer: Lou Anders
Lead Designer: Brian Suskind
Further Designers: Lou Anders
Modifying: Misty Bourne
Cowl Artwork: Florian Stitz
Inside Artwork: Margarita Bourkova, Ksenia Kozhevnikova, Dio Mahesa, Aleksa Stajsic, Florian Stitz, Bryan Syme
Cartography: Rob Lazzaretti, Heroic Maps
Preliminary Graphic Design, Format Idea: Invisible Rocket
Norse Language Consulting: Trond-Atle Farestveit
Setting and Assumptions
Whereas the Thrones & Bones novels characteristic youthful protagonists, nothing concerning the setting materials or the principles level gamers towards youthful characters. Many Norse themed settings spend loads of time on Vikings and raiding, and whereas they could embrace magic and monsters from folklore, it typically seems like these components are each exceptionally uncommon and out on the perimeters of society. As an alternative of specializing in Vikings and raiding, nonetheless, this can be a setting the place the northern people stay in settlements that rely upon transport and commerce greater than raiding and pillaging.
As an alternative of framing PCs as Vikings that get roped into larger, supernatural occasions, the vibe I get from the setting is rather more like Beowulf. There are some travelling heroes that go across the countryside fixing issues that afflict communities. Generally bizarre magical issues and monsters trigger issues for folks. Whereas not all of the lineages are frequent within the setting, it’s not unusual for northern people to commerce with dwarves and giants. Monsters, curses, and spells are much less folklore that seems to be true, and extra simply the fact of life. It’s a extra “D&D” pleasant set of assumptions for the setting. Plus, I really like Beowulf, so I’m right here for it.
There are loads of creatures from folklore, many filtered by means of how we perceive them now, and the way they’ve been shaded by RPGs over time, however whereas there are creatures that serve related features, the standard D&D monsters aren’t current. Your participant character lineages are dwarf, elf, Frostborn (half-giants), Huldrafolk (Norse fey), and people. Most of the low-level threats are fey creatures, and monstrosities, with some undead thrown in for good measure. Oh, and people. People are jerks generally.
The Journey
It’s the wyrd of opinions to disclose spoilers, so now’s the time to flee your destiny, must you be planning on taking part in by means of this journey, or in the event you want to be stunned.
Whereas this journey will be run with out the connection, this journey shares a setting with Banner of the Bull, the settlement of Bense. This journey is for characters beginning at 3rd stage, and Banner of the Bull assumes characters will attain 3rd stage by the tip. There are some notes on how totally different NPCs will react to the PCs in the event that they took half within the earlier journey.
Bense has a statue of the god Njunn, The Keeper of the Drowned, which usually falls into the water and must be retrieved. This time, nonetheless, the statue has been stolen by some merfolk. The merfolk aren’t pleased with the native fisherfolk, and are utilizing the statue to trick people from the settlement to run a gauntlet that the merfolk have designed to assist them full a ritual that may summon climate that may wipe Bense off the map.
To additional complicate issues, one of many jarl’s housecarls is conspiring with the merfolk to oust the jarl. The merfolk have informed the housecarl that the magical rod they’ve given him will permit him to finish the storms as soon as he has overthrown the jarl and pledged to maintain the fisherfolk away from the merfolk’s territory. In actuality, the rod is a part of the spell summoning the storm, and the large wave that may wash away Bense is directed based mostly on the placement of the rod.
Puzzling Conduct
The ocean caves that result in the stolen statue have areas which might be fully flooded, with some air pockets, permitting the PCs to catch their breath as they swim between areas above the waterline, by means of the flooded areas.
There are puzzles included on this part, which have contextual solutions. By that, I imply that they don’t require exterior data, however relatively, the solutions are based mostly on what the PCs know concerning the setting or based mostly on clues within the surroundings by which the puzzle is discovered. One requires the PCs to “attune” numerous pillars to totally different energies/components. The opposite, the Corridor of Currents, is a labyrinth the PCs should navigate to exit. The sample for escape is pretty easy, however the PCs will be pushed alongside the flawed route because of the move of water within the space.
Along with fixing the puzzle and navigating the labyrinth, the PCs are beset by further challenges. On this case, carnivorous fish swarms and sea trolls. The ocean trolls are a great instance of what I discussed above, the place they match some Norse depictions of trolls a little bit greater than D&D variations of the monsters (though I feel there’s a legislation that irrespective of the place your inspiration for trolls comes from, they now must have some type of regeneration).
The Twist
The merfolk priestess wants floor dwellers to carry out facets of the ritual that may summon the large wave to destroy Bense. Meaning that is an journey the place the PCs discover out they’re a part of the issue. We’ll come again to that. As a result of the merfolk want the floor dwellers to finish their a part of the ritual, we’ve a great motive for the PCs to stroll (swim) into the opposite half of the ritual in progress.
Every spherical, if the priestess makes use of her bonus motion to proceed the ritual, the time till the killer wave hits is shortened. If she manages to make use of bonus actions for greater than 8 rounds, the port settlement is doomed. The sooner the PCs defeat the priestess, the longer they’ve to trace down the rod and destroy it. The merfolk priestess is talkative and is keen to inform the PCs precisely what she did to trick the traitorous housecarl, letting them know concerning the rod.
If the PCs use the waterspout within the cavern to quickly return to the floor, they’ve nonetheless a lot time they purchased for themselves within the combat with the priestess to destroy the rod being carried by the housecarl. The city is already flooded by the preliminary lashes of the storm, and the housecarl has taken this chance to overthrow the jarl, which is the place the PCs discover the housecarl and the jarl after they catch as much as them. In the event that they don’t destroy the rod in time, a lot of town is destroyed, together with a few quarter of the inhabitants.
Stormbreaker
One factor I seen on this journey is that at first of the outline of an space, there are just a few traits of the realm. Not bodily dimensions, however extra abstracted, thematic components meant to be invoked by the realm, for instance—Darkish shadows, Foreboding Monuments, Rising magic. I like this as a scene setting software, and to speak to the DM why this space exists within the journey. The physique of the journey seems like an encounter with fey creatures, tricksters, or different creatures of fable. The motivation of each villains make sense and play to the energy of the narrative, even when each are pretty two dimensional threats. The puzzles are contextual, making it a little bit simpler to offer clues or level gamers in the direction of the answer with out the story stalling out. There’s a well-done, built-in motive for the PCs to indicate up in time to disrupt a ritual.
Stormbringer
I’ve talked about earlier than that one in every of my least favourite journey tropes is tricking the PCs into unleashing the villains’ plan by making them assume they’re serving to, and that’s precisely what’s occurring for the physique of this journey. It’s mitigated a bit as a result of the merfolk would nonetheless be summoning much less efficient storms with out the ritual’s completion, and the PCs aren’t tricked into doing the secretly dangerous factor by an NPC that seems to be pleasant, undermining their religion in NPCs usually. I nonetheless don’t like it, however it doesn’t hit fairly as onerous because it did in one other latest journey I reviewed.
Really helpful–If the product matches in your broad space of gaming pursuits, you’re more likely to be pleased with this buy.
Whereas Norrongard might not align completely with different 5e SRD Norse-inspired settings, it’s not onerous to run this journey as is, and simply assume that these items exist along with commonplace D&D-isms. Bizarre variations of sea trolls and carnivorous fish aren’t notably setting breaking, and I’m fairly positive merfolk work for many D&D settings the place the setting is close to a sea or an ocean. It manages to strike a pleasant stability between being a easy, comfy narrative, and nonetheless offering compelling motion and vital stakes.
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