Frostgrave RPG - The Summoners' Tale: Chapter V: Wraith-Slayer

With Redmaine having killed the last surviving gnoll before any further information could be gained, the party returned to The Two Kings settlement to regroup.  After having engaged in successful trading, they repaired to the inn for a meal befitting their success at the River Maragille.

Their repast was interrupted however, when they found themselves surrounded by the settlement's "police force," a hired band of Conondra tribesmen led by the resident head bouncer, an extremely ill-tempered troll named Rosko, who told them that the "Boss" wanted to speak with them.

They were escorted to a well-protected and well-appointed office where they met the inn proprietor and de facto ruler of The Two Kings, the halfling Trudeh Sweetflower

She was agitated by news that numerous magic users had been kidnapped by mysterious cultists.  Rumor had it that they were followers of a Lich Lord, a pre-Cataclysm sorcerer who had used dark magics to gain undeath and who had recently been released from a frozen entombment. Worse, it was said that some of the local magic users, primarily necromancers and summoners, were going off to join the Lich Lord voluntarily.  Given that An'var was a Summoner and had returned successfully from a battle with the cultist, Sweetflower demanded to know his plans.  An'var and the rest of the party assured her of their opposition to the Lich Lord and their desire to rescue Redmaine's apprentice, Thisbe.  Sweetflower was persuaded and decided to help the party.  She told them to make contact with the Rangifers, human-reindeer hybrids who dwelt on the outskirts of the ruined city and who had an abomination for the undead.  Rumor had it that they had been fighting the Lich Lord even before the dark sorcerer's presence was generally known.

To aid them, Sweetflower provided them with a copy of the Book of the Rangifer which described the creatures' customs and language.  One the party's rangers, Urkmaas, undertook a quick study of the language portion of the book.  The party traveled to remote outskirts of the Feldstad that were said to be the range of the Rangifers.  They were soon surround by the creatures.  In a tense encounter, Urkmaas incredibly limited knowledge of the Rangifer tongue somehow managed to convey the party's good intent.

(GM NOTE:  I didn't have any of the dedicated rangifer figures that are produced by North Star.  Instead I used some Confrontation Wolfen figures that I had available and told the players to imagine the antlers.)

Just as the party and Rangifers were reaching an understanding, a group of the Lich Lord's cultists, including a gang of zombies led by two Wraith Knights attacked the clearing.

One of the Rangifers was dispatched in the first attack.

However, the party responded quickly.  Atlantia struck an incredible first blow, eliminating one of the Wraith Knights immediately with a lucky casting of Elemental Bolt.

Ril was able to dispatch a cultist apprentice with a lucky bow shot.

The party charged forward and engaged the cultists and zombies in a frozen stream bed. Greg the Bear was downed by the zombies before An'var could cast his demon possession on the bear.

Dame Roswith skewered the cultists' wizard with her long sword.

Unfortunately, Urkmaas was struck down by zombies.  The apparent loss of their new friend enraged the Rangifers who redoubled their attacks of the zombies

Sir Emerick was beset by the remaining Wraith Knight.  Having no magic weapon, he struggled to hold off the fearsome foe with difficulty.

Redmaine came to the rescue.  Having climbed a nearby ruin, he teleported the Wraith onto the high wall.

The perch proved to be too precarious for them.  While the Wraith fell unharmed to the ground , Redmaine fortunately held onto the wall, relatively safe from the Wraitn

An'var was not having a good day.  Most of his casting proved unsuccessful and he was set upon by a zombie who had broken through the line of warriors.  The Summoner was struck down by the zombie and both plunged through the ice into the cold stream below.

A Rangifer warrior engaged the Wraith Knight, given Atlantia the chance to attack the Wraith from behind.

Using her magic dagger, she dispatched this second Wraith Knight to the wonder and admiration of all. The few remaining cultists and zombies were eliminated with ease.  An'var was pulled out of the frozen stream, lucky having loss no more than the items he carried and his dignity.  Greg the Bear was surprisingly only lightly harmed, despite being overrun by the zombie horde.  Urkmaas was found to have been merely stunned, much to the joy of his new Rangifer friends.

The chieftain of the Rangifers, grateful for the assistance the party had rendered, offered to help in any way they could.  He said that the Rangifers had seen the cultist taking looted treasure and prisoners to an old temple that remained half buried in the glacier that once covered all of Feldstad but was not slowly retreating.  He offered them the assistance of a guide, Braanx, who would show them the way and provide any assistance he could.  Given their small numbers, the Rangifers were reluctant to risk greater losses without being sure of finding and defeating the Lich Lord.

As the party congratulated Atlantia for winning herself the new title of Wraith-Slayer, a bedraggled An'varr grudgingly handed her the chain of office that marked her as a full-fledged wizard.

(GM NOTE:  Given Atlantia's incredible accomplishment in this game session, I decided that she deserved the promotion to full wizard as a reward, even though the Frostgrave rules don't really provide for this other than if the main wizard in a party is killed.  The rest of the group decided that the NPC Urkmaas wanted to become Atlantia's apprentice - I allowed this but said that he would not be able to learn more than one spell within the time frame of the current campaign.)