101 Sessions

A few weeks ago we got to Session 100 of my Swords & Wizardry campaign. I am sure I have mentioned this numerous times before, but this is an online game using Roll20. Given the nature of Roll20 there has been a lot of turnover of players in the campaign (a total of 22 I believe), but two players have been in the campaign since the start. This was actually the 101st session because I did have a session zero. I am not certain if this is the longest campaign I have ever run. My first campaign lasted for more than 10 years but there were definitely fewer adventures in it. This one has lasted 2 years and has gone through 65 separate adventures.

I had the players travel to Asgard for the sessions around the centennial mark. An adventure pulled from an old Dragon Magazine called Aesirhamar was written by Roger E. Moore.

Session 100: From Gladsheim to Jotunheim

Lakima (human magic-user), Eathwund (human fighter), Alrix (couatl sorcerer), Domago (human cleric), Flora (elven thief), Lantosh (human fighter NPC), Fenris the Filch (human thief NPC).

The Company of the Black Dragon, all seven of them have arrived in Gladsheim and spend the night at Himinbjorg the hall of the god Ragin. The next morning Ragin is not around but one of his servants gives the heroes a map of Gladsheim and points out the route to the ferry across the Iving River. Lakima takes note of how close the route is to Valhalla.

It takes a day to reach the immense walls surrounding Asgard. The stone walls are 80 feet tall and 40 feet thick. Their only encounter while traveling to Asgard is with a passing merchant who sells Lakima a Pouch of Holding.

The company passes through the gate in the walls around Asgard without incident. They continue on for a day and then come to a crossroads. Lakima points north towards some distant mountains and they set out. It takes the party a few more days to reach the walled settlement of Valasrialf. On the way, there Domago comes upon a friendly stallion that seems to want to join the company. He saddles the stallion and discovers that it is named Arion.

In Valasrialf, Lakima asks a local hirdman about the directions to Valhalla. The man tries to dissuade his questions telling him that only those that have fallen in battle and have been summoned to Valhalla can reach the halls of Valhalla. The area around Valhalla is surrounded for miles by the fields of battle where the einherjar battle every day. Not to be dissuaded Lakima is sent to ask the local lord.

They find the local lord, a one-eyed man dressed in huntsmen’s clothes and carrying a longbow. He listens to Lakima and tells him that he will take him safely to Valhalla if a member of the Company can best him in an archery contest. Lakima argues that no members of the group are proficient with a longbow. The man eventually agrees to a contest of darts in the great hall. Lakima is better after the first toss, but the man then scores the highest possible points in his final two tosses and wins the contest. Lakima attempts to challenge the man to another contest but it is to no avail. The man does tell them that they are welcome in his hall tonight.

Over a meal, Lakima tells the other members of the party that he wishes to travel to Valhalla and meet his father. His plan is to cross the fields of battle at night when the einherjar are not fighting. Domago, Eathwund, and Alrix tell Lakima that they will join him. Lakima uses the horse in a bottle for his mount.

They set out right after the meal in the darkness. The fields of battle are barren of any trees or grass and are strewn with broken blades, armor, and spears. But there are no bones or corpses. Their progress toward the purple glow emanating from the Halls of Valhalla to the north is blocked by the campfires of an army. At first, the einherjar pickets around the army refuse to let the company pass. But Lakima manages to convince them by telling them of his father. The einherjar tells Lakima that his father, Malkin the mighty, is one of the generals of the opposing army for tomorrow’s battle. They also warn him that the longer a soul remains on the fields of battle, the less it remembers its past life and Malkin has been here for 30 years.

The party rides across the no man’s land toward the other army. As they approach trumpets sound as they are spotted. The einherjar they encounter accuse them of being scouts or spies. It takes a fair amount of convincing to get them to bring Malkin to meet with the group. Malkin arrives, not looking as Lakima remembered him. Instead, he is a young, powerfully built warrior over six feet tall. Malkin strides toward Lakima with a huge great sword strapped on his back. Lakima introduces himself, but Malkin seems to not remember him. But after Lakima describes Malkin’s final battle – he does remember his son and greets him warmly. Father and son take a moment to catch up before saying goodbye.

The party rides back to Valasrialf and manages to reach the safety of the edge of the fields of battle before sunrise. They spend a day in the walled settlement resting. Setting out again they retrace their path to the crossroads. Domago asks Lakima if it might be possible for his father to be summoned by the Horn of Valhalla. Lakima muses that it might be possible but likely the gods chose who is summoned. He also notes that magic functions differently here in Gladsheim and it might not work at all.

The company journeys across Asgard for several days. They have a few strange encounters, seeing a company of drow elves sneaking through the forest at night, and a rogue giant. They also decide to pass on entering a circus tent set up on the side of the trail. After they turn down the chance to enter, the tent disappears. They have an encounter with a strange beggar who asks to share their meal. They agree and the beggar tells them he was beaten in the last village for theft. Despite this Lakima gives the beggar a bag of gold. The beggar thanks and blesses them for their kindness.

After several days they arrive in the walled settlement of Vidi. They are invited to stay in the main hall of the settlement. The party questions locals about the route to the Jotunheim. Several of the hirdmen warn them about the desolation of Jotunheim and the lack of any source of food or water. Taking precautions, the group asks for several barrels of water and they load up their saddlebags with food and water. Lakima asks Domago to pray for create food and create water spells every day of the trip across Jotunheim.

The next day the walls of Asgard become visible on the horizon and then the trail turns to follow the wall north. It takes another day for them to reach the gates leading out of Asgard. From there they follow a tributary of the Iving River to the main river. Here they find a trail of many giant footprints following the river. After a day of travel, they see the enormous ferry pulled up on the shore.

The ferry turns out to be an enormous (90-foot square) barge of tree trunks. Two giants run the ferry service. A frost giant and another, even bigger giant of a type they do not recognize (possibly not native to their realm). The frost giant requests the fare to cross (50 gold per person). Lakima tries to engage the giant in conversation but he is dismissive and taciturn. Lakima offers an additional 50 gold for information about the dwarf they seek to no avail. Domago tries tricking the giant into talking by questioning its knowledge but it does not work. But once Lakima gives the giant 500 gold it admits they ferried a Dwarven Weaponsmith (magic-user) across the river 4 days ago. The dwarf was on foot and set out into the desolation in the direction of a mountain he calls Reykstopp. When they reach the far shore of the river the frost giant silently points at a volcano in the enormous mountain range of Jotunheim. It looks to be less than a day’s journey away.

The distance to the mountains turns out to be a mirage and the party finds that it takes them 3 days to cross the desolation to the mountains. In the desolation, they encounter no life at all whether plant or animal. They do see the bones of fantastic creatures who have died in the wastes. Fortunately, they have prepared well and the extra water they brought gets them and their horses across the desolation alive.

The party arrives at the mountains that seem to spring up out of the flat desolation. The mountains are enormous, much taller than the Valen Peaks back home. They have come across the desolation at the foot of a smoking volcano marked as Smoketop on their map. They decide to head south following tracks left by giants looking for a pass through the mountains. Later in the day, they find a pass up into the mountains. It is clearly well traveled by giants. The pass is a narrow valley between two peaks with high sides. From here they have to dismount and lead their horses up the steep path. Part way up the path they are attacked by three cloud giants. An enormous boulder is thrown by a cloud giant which smashes into Alrix. Alrix leaps to his feet and tries to control his horse, while Lakima casts a lightning bolt at all three of the giants. Alrix casts a fireball hitting all three giants as well. The lightning and fire attacks hit the giants but only seem to anger them. Domago blows the Silver horn of Valhalla and summons 15 of the einherjar to fight for them. The summoned warriors swarm over the giants landing dozens of blows. But the giants crush an einherjar with each swing of their huge clubs. In the confusion, Fenris suggests they run for it. The company leads their horses quickly up the pass and avoids the cloud giants. They see the stone hall of the giants with more giants outside of it but decide to keep running.

Once they reach the top of the pass they come to a small valley between mountain peaks. They hide off the trail in a thicket of small bushes. That evening they see a two-headed ettin leading some dire wolves. The wolves smell them and stain at their leashes to attack but the ettin moves on after making eye contact. Lakima casts a magic mouth spell to give them a warning should more giants appear. That night the warning goes off alerting them. A fire giant approaches their camp but once he sees they are no threat to him he moves on without attacking.

The next day they travel further into the mountains. Moving along trails left by the giants they make their way toward a trail up the side of Smoketop. Eathwund spots the tracks of two dwarves at one point – headed north. Atop Smoketop they come to a forge run by a pair of fire giants. Lakima tells the giants that they are harboring a dwarven smith. But the giants deny this and in fact, tell the party that they hate dwarves and would attack them on sight. Somehow, the adventurers manage to get through the encounter without starting a fight. One fire giant named Teostar does tell them that a mountain giant named Hargnar Left-Hand has been seen lately carrying a new war hammer. The fire giants claim to be the only worthy smiths in the Smoketop region and they did not make the war hammer. Taking the information about Hargnar as a clue the heroes ask for the location of the mountain giant’s home. The fire giants tell them that it is on the slopes of a mountain further north.

The company sets out again heading north encountering no trouble. As it is about to get dark, they spot a large but crude wooden cabin near the trail and they decide to ask for a place to stay. Knocking on the door they are greeted by a female hill giant. Once the hill giant spots them she turns and calls into the cabin, “Othos, dinner has walked right up to our door!”