Gaz F10 The Kingdom of Kaarjala - Vaults of Pandius

ADVENTURESThe Great Silence: Agents of theHag smuggled the Ice Scepter into theSampo and struck its central shaft,causing the mill to shut down. Withinhours local temperatures fall and masspanic strikes throughout the country. Thecharacters are summoned to Kaarja andcharged (or pleaded) with to save thefreezing nation, but the path they chooseis their own.To Commune with a Maiden: Ifconsulted, Gáddjá (or someone else)suggests heading west in search of thelegendary realm of Pojaara. Usingcryptic clues and their own ingenuity, theparty must uncover one of the realm’shidden gates. There the reawakened spiritof the Maiden has supernatural wisdomthat comes at a price – the restoration ofher life once their quest is complete.The Wilds of Isanmaa: Assumingthe party agreed to the Maiden’s terms,they were pointed to ancient Isanmaa andtold to retrieve an item where Lemminkainenand his band held off Lovaara’slegions. They must contend with localhumanoids and other monsters, whilelooking for the treasure and learning thename of their implacable foe.Into the Frozen Wastes: Aweary party returns to Kaarja. Noaidesigns reveal the frozen bogs of Tuonela,where the Rimal Hag as held sway formany centuries. The characters, familiarwith the fringes of this blighted land,must venture into its midst to reach theRimal Hag’s stronghold – a multi-level,heavily populated complex whose mostpowerful guardians were formed byforgotten magics.Ending the Evil: The Rimal Haghas nearly restored herself to her formerglory. Face-to-face with this ancient foe,the party must answer an impossiblequestion: how does one defeat a wouldbegod?Should the characters prevail, they willhave destroyed an ancient evil andbecome legendary heroes of the north,but their tasks and burdens are not yetdone. The Great Sampo must be restoredfor Kaarjala to live again, and whatshould happen if the Druids’ Councilmoves to prevent the re-introduction ofthe climate-changing artifact. The partymust also restore the Maiden of Pojaara.Failure, however, means that the RimalHag’s reach slowly expands outward,extending beyond the Great Bay. Even indefeat, surviving characters must honortheir deal and seek to restore the Maiden.Further AdventuresCampaigning in Kaarjala is not limitedto the meta-plot outlined above; nor mustit end after the fateful confrontation withthe Rimal Hag. Below are a number ofadditional hooks for use whilecampaigning in the north.In Search of Isanmaa: Over thecourse of the characters’ adventures, theycome across information leading them tothe lost Kingdom of Isanmaa [cf. ToCommune with a Maiden]. They mustfollow the beacons laid down byLemminkainen across hundreds of milesof humanoid-held terrain. Signs ofancient habitation are rare, but the ruinsof Kuusamo and other settlements do stillexist.On to Kainuu: Similarly, thecharacters might unearth the origin oftheir ancestors and trek to the easternBorean Valley.Dealing with Frosthaven: Theking and his allies have decided that thefrost giants should be dealt with once andfor all, and order a targeted attack onFrosthaven. Low-level characters arepart of the force, while higher level onescould be sent to Frosthaven in advance ofthe army to identify and/or kill giantleaders. The journey – whether on land orby sea – is long and perilous, and theisland’s inhabitants are all too ready tofight. As every northern realm is alsoplagued by the frost giants, this scenariocould be developed into a full campaign.Mysteries of the Far North: Thelands of the north hold many surprisesbesides the Rimal Hag and her minions.There are Blackmoorian ruins to explore,Nithian sorcerers may have conductedforbidden experiments in this remoteregion, or perhaps the tombs of severalbeastman chieftains await discovery.The Great War, the War of theCrown, and the HeldannicKnights: The events depicted in theWrath of the Immortals seemingly leftNorwold untouched. The Great War –the conflict that pitted Glantri, Thyatis,and the Heldannic Knights againstAlphatia during 1004-1009 AC – couldeasily turn north and sweep up not onlyAlpha but also Kaarjala. The War of theCrown (CM1 Test of the Warlords) is onepossible way of conducting this localstruggle. The Almanacs (Poor Wizard’s,Joshuan’s, and fan-created Mystaran)continue a post-Wrath story as theHeldannic Knights seek dominion overNorwold.The Halfling Way: The shortfolk ofLeeha would like to begin trade and innoperations with the Kaarjalans, butefforts are hampered by a lack of overlandconnections. Working together,Leeha and Kaarjala must pacify the areabetween the Plain of Skulls andViaskaland, but how will Alpha react tothis partnership?The Scourge of Norzee: BaronNorlan of Qeodhar has decided thatacquiring Itämaa could strengthen hisposition and further his politicalambitions. Using cod fisheries as anexcuse, Qeodhar declares war. Fromnaval engagements to assaults bymarines, the Itämaans and their Littonianneighbors could be hard pressed.Minrothaddans, who often hire outtransport to Qeodhar, could be caught inthe middle of this conflict. This can beconducted irrespective of Wrathdevelopments. Neither Alphatia nor anysuccessor powers will deign to involvethemselves in this provincial affair. As afurther development, this conflict candirectly lead into M1 Into the Maelstromand M2 Vengeance of Alphaks.Vengeful Immortal: A possiblesource for the corruption of the RimalHag, then known as Lovaara, is theinfamous Entropic Immortal Thanatos.The GazF line holds that Thanatos waspresumed destroyed at the fall of Nithia,but that his fellow Immortals could nevertruly be sure. In the intervening 1,500years, the Entropic moved across themultiverse undetected with only the mostsubtle workings (such as the Rimal Hag).The time is nigh for Thanatos’s return(perhaps via the Blood Brethren TrilogyHWA1-3 or Wrath of the Immortals) andhe well may choose to “reward” thoseinvolved in the Rimal Hag’s destruction.32