Tonight the Sigil 6 sought out balance upon landing in Song, one of the last surviving Ten-Towns in this world, via Concordant Gem.

• Godbound powers continue to have a profound effect on the game. “What does Auril, the Frostmaiden, want more than she wants to freeze the world to death?” Shit, nothing. That felt like a shitty answer. Why? The other seasonal gods were cruel to her in the olden days and now she wants winter vengeance.
• Trundle has a power where he can know the fastest path towards something. He asked for the fastest path to The Elder Ring, a tree goddess they thwarted in their first sessions. Her druid sect can be found in a Gate-Town in the Outlands, Faunel – the town that leads to the Beastlands.
• They split the party. Trundle, Kuru and Shepherd went through Trundle’s Well of Worlds to find the Elder Ring. We discussed the well’s vestibule, the entryway that leads to the worlds it has access to. When they arrived the Arch-Druid was defeating a young druid challenger who wanted the leadership role (“Wasn’t that a thing in AD&D? Or was that just monks?”) Trundle’s pitch for he Elder Ring to take root in the Winter World and provide a spring-like balance was so good, I didn’t ask for a roll.
• The Elder Ring will take root in this Winter World but Trundle must craft the Arch-Druid a mighty weapon. Done deal!
• Jusko, who elected to stay in Song alone, was attacked by Auril’s Roc and several squads of Auril’s Claws (elite rangers). The rangers nearly took Jusko down in the first round. He used his powers to cause winds to interfere with their bows and took to air with his wings. He used Command to demand the Roc fetch the Frostmaiden; failed save. We’ll start there next week.

Godbound powers mean nothing ever goes the way I think it will and I am constantly asked to think about bits of lore and information I had never anticipated. Thinking of this world’s gods as seasonal deities was an interesting spin brought about from Shepherd’s question about Auril the Frostmaiden’s drives and goals. This has spawned thoughts on the world beyond the Ten-Towns.

Jotting down favorite moments at the end of the game is a nice tradition.

I dig that they are looking for ways to make this world better without killing Auril and are using setting-bits that were established 2 years ago.

Trundle’s speech to the Arch-Druid about why the Elder Ring should venture to the Winter World was just amazing.

I was glad to hear that Jusko’s fight with the winter goddess’ elite rangers and Roc was tense. I nearly dropped him in the first round. It was intense.

They fought a Giant Owl and then Auril’s Roc. The Giant Owl was rolled from the encounter table but the rangers and Roc were chosen as Auril’s reaction to the Sigil 6’s arrival (and Jusko using powers to change the weather to a chilly Autumn). “They have hollow bones,” became a phrase players said to offer confidence while combating these vicious giant birds.

Arch-Druid: “Surely you are not the Sigil 6 who stole the Elder Ring’s weapon, destroying the last remnant of the Goddess’ dead world…”

Shepherd: “That would be us.”

Each of the Ten-Towns is named for some piece of the world it safeguards. Song is home to the world’s not-yet-finished dirge but maybe the song will have some hopeful verses. Jusko took out his sitar and contributed, inspiring me to describe Song-folk’s singing and dancing.

Trundle is a dwarf who favors wood over stone, forest over tunnels. He threw his signature missile weapon, a hard wooden ball that we call, the bocce balls. After he and Kuru dropped a giant owl servant of the Frostmaiden, Song’s children went looking it and a child brought it back to Trundle and so he made her a little stone mouse for her trouble. It was a cute moment.