Gaz F10 The Kingdom of Kaarjala - Vaults of Pandius

ADVENTURESKaarjala On The March(Levels 10-13)Acclimating to the machinations of thecourt of Kaarja, the party has attracted aspatrons one or more of the minor nobles.Depending on how they have acquittedthemselves thus far, one or more of thecharacters is eligible to receive a landgrant, title, or other reward.Their erstwhile patron, Iiro, hasdetermined that the characters are tooperceptive (if successful and notcorruptible) or hopelessly incompetent (ifnot). To remove them, he presentsinformation to the king alleging thatShonak raiders are active in Itämaa. Theking, having been fed a steady diet ofmisinformation for several years, isconvinced that Kaarjala must take overItämaa. Absorbing the region would alsogrant Kaarjala direct access to the sea,and the promise of new lands has quietedeven the king’s staunchest opponents.Iiro’s assignment will remove the partyfrom Kaarjala while the Kaarjalan armymusters. Little do they know, he hashired several parties of thugs to ensurethey never complete their journey.The Vanguard: Iiro reports thatlarge numbers of Shonak warriors aremassing in the east and sends the party toItämaa to locate their camps. His spiesshadow the party as it encounters wildanimals and bandits with increasingfrequency.A Visit to Itämaa: The party entersthe sparsely-inhabited region of Itämaa.Instead of thousands of hostile warriors,they find a few humanoid bands and ahandful of neutral or friendly settlements.If they turn back to Kaarjala to reportsomething amiss, the thugs makerepeated ambushes until Rovaniemi,where the Kaarjalan army has massed.A Traitor Unmasked: Survivingcharacters, armed with informationgleaned from their would-be assassins,can report the inaccuracy of a Shonakinvasion. Unfortunately, King Kaarloand the army are already on the march toend the false threat and bring glory to thenation. Whether implicated or not, Iirowill do everything in his power to stallthe party and prevent theircommunication with the King.If reached in time, King Kaarlo willsummon Iiro and make him respond toany accusations. Iiro himself layscharges against the characters, and thosefound guilty face execution for treason inwhat is the party’s most dangerousroleplaying encounter. Played correctlyand supported by evidence, the king mayeven disband the campaign, but thiscarries risks, too, for the king’s politicalopponents will seize the opportunity toportray him as indecisive and impulsive.Greater Kaarjala?: If thecharacters failed to make their case, butfended off Iiro’s accusations, the Kingremains unconvinced by either side andcontinues to march on Itämaa todetermine the truth for himself. Thelocals see the move as an invasion andmount pre-emptive attacks. Withinweeks, Itämaa is a giant battlefield, withVästeränga under siege. With the warcommenced, the characters must decidewhether to see the kingdom victorious.Unless the characters can defusetensions, the fighting weakens the army,and many troops are billeted throughoutItämaa to maintain order for years tocome.With the kingdom’s attention diverted,the Rimal Hag makes her move (seebelow), and as Kaarjala now has accessto the sea, Qeodhar begins to take aninterest in this new coastal player.A Shadow SpreadsNorthwards (Levels 11-15)Regardless of whether the charactersaverted the war between Kaarjala andItämaa, Gáddjá of the Roaring Riverseeks them out, telling them that they arethe heroes that Kaarjala desperatelyneeds, but they are woefully unpreparedfor what has been set in their path,referring to it as “the cold one that is notdead”. Gáddjá becomes the characters’new mentor, offering cryptic advicebased on messages received from Saivo.Depending on the resolution of the trialwith Iiro, many of the characters now arelikely minor nobles with estates along thenorthern or southern fringes, or possiblyin newly-conquered Itämaa.Alternatively, they could be outlawsworking to save an unwelcoming nation.Rise of the Shonaks: Word ofKaarjalan aggression in Itämaa spread tothe Shonak. Appearing as Torngasuk (aShonak sky deity), the Rimal Hag incitesseveral Shonak tribes to unite and marchsouth on their enemies. If Kaarjalanforces are spread thin, much of thenorthern dominions are imperiled. Evenif the Itämaan war was averted, theShonak are still formidable and brushaside the Vaarana. The defense andcoordination of the kingdom is in thehands of the characters.Summoning the Yrgun: TheRimal Hag duplicates her success withthe Shonaks, this time appearing beforeYrgun shamans. The warriors of GoblinKing Shigath open a second (or third)front for Kaarjala. Should Kaarjala showitself too resilient, the Rimal Hag couldopen up yet another front, attacking fromTuonela. Beset from all sides, Kaarjalafaces its darkest hour since the nation’sfounding. Further complicating matters,representatives of King Ericall of Alphacould offer an alliance for the price ofsubmission.Cleaning the Mess: In theaftermath of multiple wars, Kaarjalalooks to rebuild – assuming it survived.The characters are asked to investigatethese unusually coordinated attacks – aprocess that could take some time.Gáddjá points to unallied Vaarana clansin the far west beyond the Yrgun landsand the hunting grounds of the ice trolls.From these clans, the characters can learnof ancient legends about an eternal witch,cold as death, and of great power.Meeting the Natives: Thecharacters reach the lands of the unalliedVaarana as they are being attacked bywhat appears to be several westernShonak tribes under the command of alarge white dragon. From the noaide ofrescued clans, the characters can learnhistorical details now forgotten byKaarjala – including those of thecampaign against Lovaara and theresulting flight from Isanmaa. The partyis directed to seek further answers in thesouth, “where the Northmen range”. Thepath is not so simple, and they will bebeset by vengeful noaide of lost clansand dark noaide serving their ownagendas.30