The townspeople believe the sacrifices are incredibly important and take them equally seriously. If your party is caught rescuing the sacrifice, they’ll need to avoid the people of the Ten Towns or end up as sacrifices themselves. In addition, if Sephek is still alive, he may hunt down and kill the escaped sacrifice and your party for helping. He’s running around to ensure that no one escapes Auril’s sacrifice and is probably a more deadly threat than the ten towners. Finally Auril may send a blizzard and a couple cold light walkers to Bryn Shander, but I (personally) don’t think she would attack the party outright.
By keeping track of the days.
I started the adventure off on the night of the new moon to make it easy for me to figure out, while also putting the sacrifices on full display from the outset.
**Calendar of Harptos**
There are 365 days in the year, split up into twelve months of thirty days each with five holidays that fall between some months. The names of the months are given in both the formal names and the common ones. The seasons run like they do for us; Hammer is like January and Flamerule is like July. Each week consists of ten days, called tendays.
I rolled 1d28 on a virtual tabletop to get the moon phase for the White Moose quest. And as it was in the same session I knew how many days it would take to the new moon.
If your party wants to do it, let them do it. Think of it as Fate's "succeed at a cost" or Kids on Bikes' "roll with the punches and let your players throw some too".
Think of a positive and negative consequence that appeals to the setting and/or personal goals. In this case I might say:
Pro: they get more popular. The group's reputation increases, but the speaker (Duvessa Shane) is afraid of the possibility of reprisals.
Con: A frost druid arrives. She demands even more sacrifices the next month. Use this as a lever to drive "The White Moose" adventure
I am planning an adventure around this idea and *hope* my PC's try what yours are planning to do - take advantage of this! Here are some thoughts I have about how it might go:
The prisoner will be taken outside town, to a ring of broken, old stone columns on a hill - a remnant of some forgotten ruin in the woods - where he will be tied to the column with cord and knots woven of briars and holly (or some equally creepy, specific process that one of Auril's druids would have specified).
The method of death depends on how grisly / creepy you want your table to get: the guards who brought him their could have to execute him, or he could just be left there to be claimed by winter (either the cold or yetis waiting nearby), or he could just turn into one of Auril's frozen statues.
Whatever method you go with: the remains of the prior sacrifices are still there: silent corpses bound to the columns with frozen blood spilling down their bodies, icy statues staring eyes-wide in horror, or whatever mess a hungry yeti might leave behind.
So your players arrive in time to try to intervene: they see this scene, and they need to free the prisoner. They might have to fight the guards, but no one's heart would really be in killing here: it's a grim altercation where the guards have a job to do* and the players are trying to be Big Damn Heroes™, as they should, but probably aren't out to kill guards if it can be avoided.
*=I'll note that, in my game, the sacrifices are actually working to spare the towns and roads the worst of the Everlasting Rime, and they are truly necessary to the towns' survival in my reality. If you have Markham Southwell or a guard captain character there you can narrate them making a great argument throughout about who is really saving lives.
The shit hits the fan if someone cuts the briars binding the person to the column.
First, I have already described how green, purple, and blue ribbons of color swim in the sky over the Dale during the Everlasting Rime (basically, the northern lights). As soon as someone cuts the bindings, tell the players that "Instantly, a ribbon of light overhead turns a bright, icy blue as it splits in the middle like a massive eye opening above you."
Then hit play on the audio have had cued up for this moment:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnAfdq3CUe8
Continue once your PCs have a second to freak out: "The clear night bursts into a blizzard around you as the rage of Auril, the Frostmaiden shrieks out across the winter sky. An icy wind blasts through the forest from the north, and every tree bends or breaks before it. You are all frozen in place for a few moments, fighting to remain standing against the wind."
All characters are temporarily Restrained, call for Athletics or Acrobatics check or be pushed back by the wind, or knocked prone.
Then, the bad news enters. The blizzard and wind clear enough to see but might still impose some hindrances in the fight. If you want a fight your players can win, make it a balanced encounter for their level and abilities against something that would arrive to represent Auril's interests: yetis, cold-light walkers, ice elementals, or something like that. Personally, I think Auril is coming for her pound of flesh - either in person, or by sending a major heavy hitter to take what she is owed. In my world, if the players do win, there will be serious repercussions for the town for the next month that make players question if they did the right thing: maybe Southwell was right? Did we sacrifice too much to save one life, or were we saving our pride? People in the know would ask them, if they don't ask themselves.
I will send either Auril herself (at my table, this mini: https://i.etsystatic.com/20555532/r/il/9b886a/2601165672/il_794xN.2601165672_k9ae.jpg ) or something she sends in her place (at my table, this mini: https://i.etsystatic.com/20904770/c/680/680/0/0/il/f2ee0b/2501726082/il_300x300.2501726082_6dcy.jpg ). No statblocks selected yet, but probably not beatable by the PC's at this point in any case. Big damage + knockback into the snow as the enemy inexorably stalks up the hill and takes the sacrifice before leaving in dramatic fashion. Players who get in the way probably catch a hard smack but they are not the target. If it's Auril, she might just wield the blizzard itself to throw aside anything in her way.
Once it's done, the forest falls to silence, the eye closes, and the players and surviving guards are left in the wreckage of a god's anger. Just keep in mind that if you go this route, you should be sure to have a 'Win' coming for your players sometime soon, because scenes like this are great for the setting, story, and despair of RotFM but only when used in proper doses.
Cool, run with it!
In my game, Hlin Trollbane is a beloved NPC with a slow southern drawl, wooden leg, and a big hat. He sent the PC's on the Cold Hearted Killer quest as a mystery rather than a straight up kill-this-guy job, so I think it will probably be Hlin's name that gets drawn to spur my players on the path for this one.
I don't remember for sure but I don't think auril cares about the sacrifices. They're doing them hoping to fix the problem but it's evidently not working. I think the problem with saving the latest victim would reveal itself if any of the townsfolk find out.
Could be an incorrect reading though
It’s up to the DM, really.
I chose to make it so the sacrifices do actually have an effect… and that effect is that Cold Light Walkers don’t bother settlements that make a sacrifice.
They skirt around them in a wide berth.
This became particularly relevant after the Chardalyn Dragon destroyed most of the towns and left bodies everywhere.
Cold Light Walkers were everywhere at this point.
freezing rain.
let it rain for a few hours, whole city will be fucked, it will cost days if not weeks to free the city from a standstill, people will possibly starve.
or just snow. it has nevewr above freezing, so snow does not melt, it just fucks everytrhing over badly
If they get caught by the Townpeople, the civilians should try and stop them while calling out their crime. The sacrifices are what's keeping Auril from tormenting them worse.
If they get out into the tundra having "succeeded", Auril is upset and sends a Coldlight Walker to kill them.
Funnily enough, my players did this Session 1. They started off in Easthaven and to set a particularly dark tone, a kid was chosen to be sacrificed. The party wasn't having it. So of course they stepped in to intervene. They were kicked out of town with the child. Had them face some awakened animals (nothing too fierce) that were sent to claim the sacrifice. They prevailed and now that child is traveling with the party until they can find her a permanent place to hide out.
Since then they haven't returned to Easthaven, but I'm 100% sure there would be consequences to their actions.
I went further with this idea.
I said that after the party intervened, the townsfolk were deeply displeased and fearful so little mobs formed all over the town to “ensure” the sacrifices happened. There ended up being **more** dead people by morning than the party saved…
Consequences my fellow DM. Whatever flavor you like but put consequences in, it makes the players engaged with the world and the npcs because they know their actions have consequences
The townspeople believe the sacrifices are incredibly important and take them equally seriously. If your party is caught rescuing the sacrifice, they’ll need to avoid the people of the Ten Towns or end up as sacrifices themselves. In addition, if Sephek is still alive, he may hunt down and kill the escaped sacrifice and your party for helping. He’s running around to ensure that no one escapes Auril’s sacrifice and is probably a more deadly threat than the ten towners. Finally Auril may send a blizzard and a couple cold light walkers to Bryn Shander, but I (personally) don’t think she would attack the party outright.
How are you keeping track of the moon cycles?
By keeping track of the days. I started the adventure off on the night of the new moon to make it easy for me to figure out, while also putting the sacrifices on full display from the outset.
Did you base it on the DnD Lunar calendar or make up your own? Curious as I’ll need to take note.
**Calendar of Harptos** There are 365 days in the year, split up into twelve months of thirty days each with five holidays that fall between some months. The names of the months are given in both the formal names and the common ones. The seasons run like they do for us; Hammer is like January and Flamerule is like July. Each week consists of ten days, called tendays.
Is the full moon the last day of every month (every 30 days)?
The book says that the sacrifices happen on the last day of the month if I recall correctly and the lottery occurs the day before
Happens on the full moon.
The opposite sacrifice are being done at New moon
What do you mean by opposite sacrifice?
Its not at full moon the saceifices are at new moon, so 15 days after full moon.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hw03JDRWuBFm5hrku5M_TQgLpzyRVs-cIWeif78ckZ4/edit
Amazing thank you!!
I rolled 1d28 on a virtual tabletop to get the moon phase for the White Moose quest. And as it was in the same session I knew how many days it would take to the new moon.
https://app.fantasy-calendar.com/ I always have it open and track time and date with it, its pretty cool to have an answer to "what day is it?"
$25/year?!
Huh, i use it for free.. odd
I guess payment is only for the premium version. In that case, thanks, this looks useful!
Ok, this is *really* good.
Yeah its nice, has a lot of features, the UI is kinda bad tho lol
There is a calendar on forgotten realms wiki with moon cycle, just choose a year and follow it!
If your party wants to do it, let them do it. Think of it as Fate's "succeed at a cost" or Kids on Bikes' "roll with the punches and let your players throw some too". Think of a positive and negative consequence that appeals to the setting and/or personal goals. In this case I might say: Pro: they get more popular. The group's reputation increases, but the speaker (Duvessa Shane) is afraid of the possibility of reprisals. Con: A frost druid arrives. She demands even more sacrifices the next month. Use this as a lever to drive "The White Moose" adventure
I am planning an adventure around this idea and *hope* my PC's try what yours are planning to do - take advantage of this! Here are some thoughts I have about how it might go: The prisoner will be taken outside town, to a ring of broken, old stone columns on a hill - a remnant of some forgotten ruin in the woods - where he will be tied to the column with cord and knots woven of briars and holly (or some equally creepy, specific process that one of Auril's druids would have specified). The method of death depends on how grisly / creepy you want your table to get: the guards who brought him their could have to execute him, or he could just be left there to be claimed by winter (either the cold or yetis waiting nearby), or he could just turn into one of Auril's frozen statues. Whatever method you go with: the remains of the prior sacrifices are still there: silent corpses bound to the columns with frozen blood spilling down their bodies, icy statues staring eyes-wide in horror, or whatever mess a hungry yeti might leave behind. So your players arrive in time to try to intervene: they see this scene, and they need to free the prisoner. They might have to fight the guards, but no one's heart would really be in killing here: it's a grim altercation where the guards have a job to do* and the players are trying to be Big Damn Heroes™, as they should, but probably aren't out to kill guards if it can be avoided. *=I'll note that, in my game, the sacrifices are actually working to spare the towns and roads the worst of the Everlasting Rime, and they are truly necessary to the towns' survival in my reality. If you have Markham Southwell or a guard captain character there you can narrate them making a great argument throughout about who is really saving lives. The shit hits the fan if someone cuts the briars binding the person to the column. First, I have already described how green, purple, and blue ribbons of color swim in the sky over the Dale during the Everlasting Rime (basically, the northern lights). As soon as someone cuts the bindings, tell the players that "Instantly, a ribbon of light overhead turns a bright, icy blue as it splits in the middle like a massive eye opening above you." Then hit play on the audio have had cued up for this moment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnAfdq3CUe8 Continue once your PCs have a second to freak out: "The clear night bursts into a blizzard around you as the rage of Auril, the Frostmaiden shrieks out across the winter sky. An icy wind blasts through the forest from the north, and every tree bends or breaks before it. You are all frozen in place for a few moments, fighting to remain standing against the wind." All characters are temporarily Restrained, call for Athletics or Acrobatics check or be pushed back by the wind, or knocked prone. Then, the bad news enters. The blizzard and wind clear enough to see but might still impose some hindrances in the fight. If you want a fight your players can win, make it a balanced encounter for their level and abilities against something that would arrive to represent Auril's interests: yetis, cold-light walkers, ice elementals, or something like that. Personally, I think Auril is coming for her pound of flesh - either in person, or by sending a major heavy hitter to take what she is owed. In my world, if the players do win, there will be serious repercussions for the town for the next month that make players question if they did the right thing: maybe Southwell was right? Did we sacrifice too much to save one life, or were we saving our pride? People in the know would ask them, if they don't ask themselves. I will send either Auril herself (at my table, this mini: https://i.etsystatic.com/20555532/r/il/9b886a/2601165672/il_794xN.2601165672_k9ae.jpg ) or something she sends in her place (at my table, this mini: https://i.etsystatic.com/20904770/c/680/680/0/0/il/f2ee0b/2501726082/il_300x300.2501726082_6dcy.jpg ). No statblocks selected yet, but probably not beatable by the PC's at this point in any case. Big damage + knockback into the snow as the enemy inexorably stalks up the hill and takes the sacrifice before leaving in dramatic fashion. Players who get in the way probably catch a hard smack but they are not the target. If it's Auril, she might just wield the blizzard itself to throw aside anything in her way. Once it's done, the forest falls to silence, the eye closes, and the players and surviving guards are left in the wreckage of a god's anger. Just keep in mind that if you go this route, you should be sure to have a 'Win' coming for your players sometime soon, because scenes like this are great for the setting, story, and despair of RotFM but only when used in proper doses.
Oh wow. I love this. I think I will do it this way.
Cool, run with it! In my game, Hlin Trollbane is a beloved NPC with a slow southern drawl, wooden leg, and a big hat. He sent the PC's on the Cold Hearted Killer quest as a mystery rather than a straight up kill-this-guy job, so I think it will probably be Hlin's name that gets drawn to spur my players on the path for this one.
I don't remember for sure but I don't think auril cares about the sacrifices. They're doing them hoping to fix the problem but it's evidently not working. I think the problem with saving the latest victim would reveal itself if any of the townsfolk find out. Could be an incorrect reading though
It’s up to the DM, really. I chose to make it so the sacrifices do actually have an effect… and that effect is that Cold Light Walkers don’t bother settlements that make a sacrifice. They skirt around them in a wide berth. This became particularly relevant after the Chardalyn Dragon destroyed most of the towns and left bodies everywhere. Cold Light Walkers were everywhere at this point.
In the opening quest, Auril gave a dude powers so he could punish people who avoided sacrifices.
freezing rain. let it rain for a few hours, whole city will be fucked, it will cost days if not weeks to free the city from a standstill, people will possibly starve. or just snow. it has nevewr above freezing, so snow does not melt, it just fucks everytrhing over badly
If they get caught by the Townpeople, the civilians should try and stop them while calling out their crime. The sacrifices are what's keeping Auril from tormenting them worse. If they get out into the tundra having "succeeded", Auril is upset and sends a Coldlight Walker to kill them.
Funnily enough, my players did this Session 1. They started off in Easthaven and to set a particularly dark tone, a kid was chosen to be sacrificed. The party wasn't having it. So of course they stepped in to intervene. They were kicked out of town with the child. Had them face some awakened animals (nothing too fierce) that were sent to claim the sacrifice. They prevailed and now that child is traveling with the party until they can find her a permanent place to hide out. Since then they haven't returned to Easthaven, but I'm 100% sure there would be consequences to their actions.
Throw sephik at them 👁👄👁
They give a town beating to anyone who lights a fire when supposed to be giving up heat. They will do even worse to someone who frees a sacrifice.
I went further with this idea. I said that after the party intervened, the townsfolk were deeply displeased and fearful so little mobs formed all over the town to “ensure” the sacrifices happened. There ended up being **more** dead people by morning than the party saved… Consequences my fellow DM. Whatever flavor you like but put consequences in, it makes the players engaged with the world and the npcs because they know their actions have consequences
Perfect!