The Horn of Nimraug

Part I - Fire and Ice

Timeline Summary

Copyright ©1999 Craig Pay

Edited for The Guild Companion by Joe Mandala, August 2000

Day 1

Morning: Koiramies leaves Arvedui’s Wreck for Mulkan Kaupunki.

Evening: The PCs arrive at Mulkan Kaupunki to a cool welcome. A Verinen
Metsästäjät hunting party arrives at Arvedui’s Wreck. Climbing inside the
wreck, they discover the palantíri and, deciding that they are two giant ‘spell
beads’, they excavate a hole in the side of the boat big enough to remove
them.

Day 2

Morning: The Verinen Metsästäjät hunting party leave Arvedui’s Wreck

with the ‘spell beads’ carried on two of their three sleds strapped together.
Alaric and the PCs start their trade negotiations with the Mulkan Lossoth.
Evening: Koiramies arrives at Mulkan Kaupunki and causes much
excitement with his story of ‘the giant beads in the belly of the frozen,
wooden bird’.

Day 3

Morning: The Verinen Metsästäjät hunting party continue their journey

across the ice. At Mulkan Kaupunki Koiramies continues to cause
excitement with his story. Alaric tells the PCs the story of King Arvedui and
the palantíri. Could these ‘spell beads’ be the lost palantíri? Alaric persuades
the PCs to set out to visit the wreck the following day to investigate.
Evening: The PCs witness a song duel between two villagers over a broken
spear.

Day 4

Morning: Alaric, the PCs, Koiramies and 3 other Lossoth depart on dog
sleds for Arvedui’s Wreck.
Evening: The Verinen Metsästäjät hunting party has been having trouble
with the sleds carrying the palantíri; they’re breaking apart under the
weight. They hold up that night in a nearby cave they have discovered on
the frozen coast. They plan that the next day some of them will depart on
the third sled to get more wood and men from their village, whilst the others
stay behind to guard the ‘spell beads’. That night Nimraug the wandering
Icedrake sniffs out the palantíri and attacks the men in their cave! Only one
man escapes, Rautakäsi, taking the third sled with him.

Day 5

Evening: Alaric, the PCs, Koiramies and the 3 Lossoth arrive at Arvedui’s
Wreck, only to discover that a hole has been smashed into the boat and the
‘spell beads’ have gone. Deep sled tracks lead out across the ice and a
broken Verinen Metsästäjät ice axe lies on the floor of the boat’s cargo hold.
Rautakäsi reaches the Verinen Metsästäjät village, with news of the ‘giant
spell beads from the belly of the wooden bird’ and the Icedrake’s attack.
Kylmyyskala consults the spirits, who tell her about the true nature of the
palantíri. Kylmyyskala then persuades Riimulaulaja that the best course of
action is to take a war party to retake the palantíri from the Icedrake by
force!

Day 6

Morning: Riimulaulaja, Kylmyyskala, Rautakäsi and 20 of the Verinen

Metsästäjät’s warriors set out for Nimraug’s Cave. Alaric, the PCs and the
Mulkan Lossoth leave Arvedui’s Wreck and EITHER follows the tracks
towards Nimraug’s Cave OR they return to Mulkan Kaupunki.
Evening: The Verinen Metsästäjät arrive at Nimraug’s Cave, launch an
immediate attack and are ripped apart by Nimraug. The Verinen
Metsästäjät flee and regroup about a mile away to consider their options.
Kylmyyskala consults the spirits, who tell her of the Horn of Nimraug,
owned by the nearby Mulkan.

Day 7

Morning: The Verinen Metsästäjät sled to Mulkan Kaupunki, reaching

there by midday. On the outskirts of the village Riimulaulaja calls for the
‘one who bears the Horn of Nimraug to step forward’. Lumijalat steps
forward brandishing the Horn and shouting her defiance. Kylmyyskala then
screams for the attack and after a brief but bloody fight the Mulkan are
beaten back and Lumijalat is captured, though she still grips the Horn
firmly in her left hand. Whilst some of the Verinen Metsästäjät warriors are
struggling to get the Horn from Lumijalat’s grip, Kylmyyskala impatiently
walks up, takes Lumijalat’s left arm and viscously hacks off her hand at the
wrist. Kylmyyskala then hands the blood soaked Horn to Riimulaulaja and
the Verinen Metsästäjät leave for their village.
Evening: IF the PCs have returned directly to Mulkan Kaupunki from
Arvedui’s Wreck, they arrive to find the village in disarray after the attack
(see Day 10+). OTHERWISE they are still on the ice tracking the Verinen
Metsästäjät towards Nimraug’s Cave.

Day 8

Midday: The Verinen Metsästäjät arrive back at their village and

Riimulaulaja begins to attune herself to the Horn of Nimraug.
Evening: IF the PCs are tracking the Verinen Metsästäjät then they arrive
at Nimraug’s Cave. The remains of several Verinen Metsästäjät can be seen
lying near to the cave. Nimraug is inside the cave and will poke his nose out
if he hears anything, but will only attack if provoked. If the PCs circle the
Cave they will find two sets of tracks: the first set comes from the Verinen
Metsästäjät village, arriving at Nimraug’s Cave: the other set lead away from
the Cave towards Mulkan Kaupunki. Neither set of tracks includes the deep
sled tracks from Arvedui’s Wreck to the cave, and the PCs may correctly
guess that the palantíri are now with the Icedrake in the cave. The PCs must
now decide what to do and where to go from here. Their Mulkan Lossoth
companions would prefer to return to Mulkan Kaupunki, but will
accompany the PCs if they insist on continuing to the Verinen Metsästäjät.

Day 9

Midday: IF the PCs decide to return to Mulkan Kaupunki, they arrive to

find the village in disarray after the attack (see Day 10+).
Evening: IF the PCs decide to track back to the Verinen Metsästäjät village
they arrive this evening to a hostile welcome. The Verinen Metsästäjät will
think that they have come for the Horn of Nimraug and there could be some
confusion as to who wants what. The Verinen Metsästäjät obviously
outnumber them and the Mulkan Lossoth wish to return to Mulkan
Kaupunki.

Day 10+

The PCs return to the recently attacked Mulkan Kaupunki. The Verinen
Metsästäjät have returned to their village with the Horn of Nimraug and
Riimulaulaja is attuning it. The night the PCs return to Mulkan Kaupunki,
Nimraug attacks the village, killing several villagers and both of Alaric’s
ponies. Lumijalat asks for the PCs help in returning the Horn of Nimraug.
The PCs and some of the Mulkan Lossoth then travel to the Verinen
Metsästäjät village to take the Horn. After a possibly violent encounter with
Rautakäsi and the remaining villagers, the PCs discover that Riimulaulaja,
Kylmyyskala and a group of the Verinen Metsästäjät have already left for
Nimraug’s Cave. The PCs and the Mulkan Lossoth chase after Riimulaulaja
and Kylmyyskala to Nimraug’s Cave. They arrive in time to see Riimulaulaja
scare away Nimraug with the Horn. The PCs and the Mulkan Lossoth do
final battle with the Verinen Metsästäjät. During this battle, Kylmyyskala
sneaks into the cave, slips the smaller of the two palantíri (Annúminas) into
her furs and escapes on her White Warg.

The Mulkan are relieved to have the Horn of Nimraug returned. They return
the remaining palantíri to a safe place in their keeping. Alaric reveals to the
PCs his true mission on behalf of Gandalf and invites the PCs to help chase
after the other palantíri.

Locations & Travel Times

Mulkan Kaupunki to Arvedui’s Wreck: 2 days.
Arvedui’s Wreck to Nimraug’s Cave: 3 days.
Nimraug’s Cave to the Verinen Metsästäjät village: 1 day.
Mulkan Kaupunki to Nimraug’s Cave: 1/2 day.
Mulkan Kaupunki to the Verinen Metsästäjät village: 1 day.