Fate of the Norns

Hi people!
Not sure if I'm in the right forum but here I go.
I'm asking you all ideas about the future of the Saga I'm game mastering.

My denizens (a galdr, a maiden of ratatosk, a stalo, a she-berserkir and a wolf-ulfhednar) are a very combat oriented group.
We've played through the beginning adventure (they fled with Egill to Evingard), Fafnir's treasure (they aided the son of Muspel) and The cornerstone of the World (were sent there by Magnus Magnusson). They are still not sure about witch side to choose even though they aided the Jotuns in Fafnir's treasure. They hate the idea of being the pawns of someone else...

Coming back to Evingard, they met with Halfdan Ingvarson and Ivar Iron Root who were mustering troops, attempting to "set things right" with plenty of axes in the head. Telling them what happened in the mines, they managed to convince them to wait and let them talk to Ingvar.

The group then went back to Evingard to recieve payment for the job done and confront Ingvar about Dreki's whereabouts.

I decided that Ingvar, ashamed to learn what might have happened and believing it was the source of the evil plaguing the region (zombears etc...), ordered Magnus to stop his mining operation. The group also explained what happened to Magnus.

They told them (Ingvar & Magnus) that more mining would trigger more shit and that they might not get as lucky the next time as they were now. It would ruin the economy of the region but it was the price to pay if they did not want to end as a walking corpse full of snakes. Basicaly, they said: Things are changing, wether you like it or not so deal with it.

I chose to make Magnus agree with Ingvar and the group's demand for now until he reasses the situation.

Through Omens and Portents, the group learned that their exploits didn't go unnoticed around the world and that powers were making moves toward securing Evingard. However, this is jus an incentive to make player move things forward.

Ingvar agreed to organize a feast as an attempt to reunite with Halfdan.

I decided it would take a couple of days before it happens so people may arrive in town, try to murder other people, the players want to do some shopping, etc...

Next play session will feature these few days and the feast.

Could you guys share some of your ideas about what might be the more profound motivations of Ingvar, Magnus, Dreki, Halfdan and Ivar? Maybe Hildolfr or someone else could arrive and try to recruit PCs to aid or prevent the "build a new sun thing"? Any and all contribution appreciated.
Many thanks

I find that in campaigns, knowing what gets your players interested is the best way to keep your players going, interested and motivated. You say you've been running a mostly combat-oriented campaign, so I assume that's what your players enjoy most. However, they will probably have to choose a side between the Jotun and the Asgardians soon, because the final battle will come, whether they like it or not. Let me try offering a few ideas that might urge your foreward.

*Have a group of assassins try to kill them because of their previous actions. They've probably upset someone, possibly even the businessmen in town.
*Have someone tell the heroes that an attack on the new sun is planned, and they can decide to either protect it or join in. A new sun will eventually be built to move it into the next age, but this can help decide when.
*The town could be threatened in some way, either by a group of invaders or something that's always been hidden in the town.
*Crusaders could come along. Convert or die!
*Lead a hunt to prepare for the feast. I'm not sure how far into Fimbulvinter you are, but a lot of the easy prey has probably already been killed.

Without knowing more about either your players or your own personal intentions/hopes, I'm not sure what else to suggest until the feast. Sometimes, you have to know your players and what they want to see in the story.

Sounds like you have a great story arc going so far. Egils, to Fafnir's to Cornerstone is a fun way to get to know an area and it's local power dynamics. You get an opportunity to place some grey characters with human motivations and vices before the dwellers and have them weigh the non-obvious pros and cons. Egil, Jotuns and self-deterministic seem like an interesting set of choices that can lead to even more great adventures.



You have a good pendulum setup here, Halfdan on the left (return this to the way they were), Ingvar the centrist (let's embrace some of the progress and try to keep the good), and Magnus on the right (capitalism and progress). None of them are without allies. Ivar wants some stability in the nature around him and is ready to do what it takes to get it. Halfdan has Grimm in his corner. Hildolfr and Magnus are all about progress, power and wealth, so they're ready to break some rules as well. Ingvar has quite a few egos to manage and desperately wants to reassert his dominance here, and will be ready to break a few eggs in the process (see Hakon). You can build up the tensions very easily using the backing characters.

Fjalar can always be the chaos factor that no one counts on. You can also use some of the seedier characters to make bodies disappear.



Well everyone's campaigns are different, so perhaps you can shed some light on what your outcomes were from each of the sagas so far.
- Where is Egil?
- Who has the treasure? Is Aud around?
- Has the Cornerstone been explored? Is Dreki alive and well?
- What have you done with the stories of Halfdan and Ivar?

Also what plot twists have you worked into your story. If you players may read this, then you can PM me. I know my players demand intrigue and surprise, so I usually have 3 layers of misdirection in my plot lines. Any one of them may be the real deal.

I have run Evingard a thousand different ways, (disclaimer: some characters and stories may have evolved differently than originally written) but I can shed some light on the characters from the weekly home games:

***warning spoilers until the end of post***

Sven is the safe home base for any adventuring team. Everyone knows your name at the Grinning Boar. Despite the shit-storm that Evingard has become, his high spirits are unshakeable. He also has a twist, he runs the black market in town and his fresh raspberries are procured from Ivar. Everyone thinks it's Knut, but really Sven is the head honcho.

Ivar is an outcast and wishes to see Evingard burn to the ground. He has witnessed the region's slow downward spiral. Despite his many warnings, he was ignored by everyone. Now he wants Ingvar dead for the sentence of exile, the damage done to Dreki and the land. He will ally himself with Halfdan in order to return things to how they once were.

Ingvar's clan has never been the same since Magnus came to town. Do you have Magnus writeup in Denizens of the North? Moist of everything is explained there when it comes to ol' Magnus. Anyways, Magnus has overshadowed Ingvar in many ways, making the chieftain more of a figure head who has grown comfortable and complacent in the new comfy lifestyle. With Dreki's return he is shaken from his slumber and is keen to retake control of the lands. A new revitalised Ingvar can become a force, but Dreki has lost faith in him. This stacks the odds against the venerable chieftain.

Magnus is stupidly rich, despite trying not to flaunt it. His secret to success was sharing the wealth with everyone who came to help his mining operation. With the condemnation of the mine, almost all partners and investors have left the accursed outpost. So if and when the mining is restarted, there is an even bigger piece of the financial pie at stake. Hildolfr is a power unto himself, but with the Balle Wolves at his back, he has the momentum to shift Evingard's destiny wherever he chooses. Are you considering bringing Vargeisa to the Cornerstone? This could add a counterbalance to the power of the Battle-Wolves. You mentioned that your players chose Jotun, so that may be a good ally.

Astrid owns both leaders. Ingvar and Magnus are wrapped around her finger, but despite the power she wields, she is not a big picture person. She uses the power for petty gains within the city. You can have her throw wrenches into the player plans without even realizing it.

Dreki restored means Hel Needle (Denizens of the North) is countered to a point. The land vaettir wishes to see Hvergelmir stopped, so he will allow his champions access to the Cornerstone of the World. This is an imporant nexus and jumping off point to otherworld adventures (reforge the sun, hunt for Naglfar, free Loki, etc...). Sure there are portals elsewhere in Midgard that lead to other realms, but no one place has all of the worlds in one nexus. Players should seek to keep it neutral, or at least controlled by powers friendly to them. For sure the Cornerstone will be hotly contested.

I hope this helps. Let us know how it goes!

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Hi there
Sorry for the late comeback.
First and foremost, thank you Rognik and Andrew for your replies.
It got me thinking so much I had to delay the feast with an assassination attempt to give me more time to set my ideas straight. Basically, my players had to get back to their buried treasure stash to get money for the nice baubles they wanted to get. I decided Nidhog had a kind of nihilistic cult (for me to use as generic villain whenever I need some) set on getting revenge.
I think I'll have to come up with another speedbump before the feast to give me some more time...

About your questions Andrew:
1. Egill had left the players when they arrived in Iceland.
Writing this, I think I'll bring him back with wild adventures project. Just to offer the opportunity to my players to flee their responsibilities and suffer the consequences.

2. Aud (that was the son of Muspel right?) left with the gold producing ring.
I'm not sure how to bring him or the Giants back in the story.

3. The cornerstone of the world is free of taint and Dreki is glad the heroes saved him.

4. Halfdan and Ivar just arrived in my story.
The players just met Halfdan once. Beside the fact that he's an angry berserk, nothing is decided and I'm open to suggestions.

They met Ivar a couple of time. I believe they think Ivar is more of a D&D druid than what he really is. Ivar, up to this point, looked like the sane and thoughtful type. However, from what I've understood, he's angrier than that and I think he was lying when he talked about restoring balance etc... He was the guy pushing for peaceful father-son reunification. However, I think that he basicaly want to get everybody in one hut and burn it down, Evingard and every souls there...

I own DotN and have the write-up for Magnus. I was wondering how can he not heed the warning of Dreki, now that the players freed the vaettir. And if Hildorf and/or the Battle Wolves shows up, with their level alone they could raze the place to the ground without anybody being able to do anything...

As I said, my players are pretty unsure on wich side (Gods or Giants) to choose. Bringing Hildorf or Aud back could kill someone really quick...

Really like your ideas about Astrid having an agenda of her own without any connections to anything else. Will use her in that way... Maybe duel inducing rumors during the feast spread by her ladies...

Still I'll be glad to hear about your ideas.

Thanks

A recurring villain is always handy, makes the confrontations a lot more personal.



Egil's a good ally for the dwellers, especially if you plan on introducing high level denizens who may incite a violent confrontation (ie. Hildolfr).

Aud could make a comeback late in the story, when your players are dealing with the conflicts in other realms.

I think for D&D players, you really need to redefine archetypes like druid and skald. As for Ivar specifically, you can have him be more duplicitous with the players, using their dwellers to achieve his goals. He has grown salty over the years. However, if they saved Dreki, he would probably treat them more as allies than tools.



Hildolfr is an unwavering servant of the Aesir, and MAgnus owes a lot to Hildolfr. Some even say he's Odin in disguise. If you have the Illuminated Edda, you'll see that the Aesir have so many thing to worry about during Raganrok, that Nidhogg may not be their chief concern. To break the siege, the Cornerstone is a valuable strategic point, especially since the Einherjar movements are hindered. The realm ores moving to the Dvergar in Ath-Cliath also fuels the Aesir might in Midgard.

Egil is a good offset to Hildolfr, and Halfdan and his crew may be an equal offset from the Battle-Wolves. You may have tension building for many game sessions as a cold war sets in, neither side wanting to blow it all up.



If you move this into a cold war, you have a lot of manoeuvrability for side quests, not all impacting the stalemate at the Cornerstone.

Let us know how it goes.

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