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Writer's pictureAntony Brotherton

Hellfrost: Part 13 - The Anari Ruins

Trouble in Somerlisse is a Savage Worlds campaign using the Hellfrost setting. The Games Master is Mark Hamilton and play takes place every Friday night at Dragons Keep Roleplay Club.


  • Thingol Chillblane - A Frostborne Paladin of Kenaz (Suresh)

  • Sister Athura Magnusdottir - A healer and member of the Sisters of Mercy (Tony)

  • Vigo - An engro rogue of various talents (Martin)

  • Vissarel Nerinen - A Taiga Elf and mistress of Elemental magics (Kat)

  • Alvina - A Hearth Elf and Lorekeeper (Tony)

  • Zigmursund - A human roadwarden (Dave H)

  • Roderick - A Taiga Elf Bladedancer (Kat)

After the Slaughter


Athura checks over the body of the hooded mage, it turns out he was an orc shaman his body covered with the tattoos and fetishes of Thrym. He clearly can cast frostmagic but perhaps he is not the one.


Roderick pleads with Athura "We must follow the frostborn into the gully he is getting away" Athura asks Roderick to help the prisoners "Valcoinan can wait".


Thingol and the others rush over to the prisoners pen and release them. Half of their number appear to be Saxa from the Brinya Stead and half are Finnari nomads. Among the Saxa is a friendly face an acolyte of Kenaz named Jana. Jana was captured by the orcs a few days ago, presumably they kept her alive to become a slave. The orcs seem scared of the frostborn and they appear to be followers of Thrym. Returning to the group, Athura heals Vigo and Zigmursund's wounds.


Zigmursund searches the tents and finds 4 small wine skins containing healing draughts and a larger one with a much more powerful potion of healing. In another tent they discover a box of scrolls, a codex of Anari history and 169 gold shields. Checking the dead bodies they discover one of the orcs was wielding a mace with magic runes ensribed upon it. Vissarel


Roderick talks to the Finnari who are grateful for their release. They tell him that they encountered the frostborn Valcoinan on the road as they travelled south on their annual winter migration from the unclaimed lands. He was not a good travelling companion but it is their custom to share the road with any lone travellers. They passed through Somerlisse two weeks ago but as they neared their grazing grounds, Valcoinan betrayed them to the Orc war band who killed some of their number and enslaved the rest. They heard the orders that he gave to the Orc shaman. After the battle they were supposed to meet at the Anari ruins about 5 or 6 miles North of here.


Athura recommends that the Finarri accompany the Brinyafolk to their stead and wait for their return. Vigo spends some time ensuring that all the prisoners know the names of the heroes who although outnumbered slew the horde and rescued them.


On the trail of Valcoinan


Our heroes waste no more time and head through gap in the rocks and into the gully on the trail of Valcoinan.


The gully is wide enough for two and about 8 foot deep following the course of a dry stream which meanders through the hills. In the spring months when the lake is full with meltwater this stream will be a raging torrent.


After about half an hour's walk Ziggy and Thingol round a bend and see an unnatural set of dark clouds gathering ahead. A few minutes later it begins to snow and as they continue ahead the snow worsens becoming a freezing blizzard. THey struggle on until they find a small cave in the sidewall of the gully where they can shelter. Athura finds some wood and Thingol makes a fire to keep out the worst of the debilitating cold. Late afternoon turns to night and the snow eventually stops having drifted 6 feet high in the gully. The fire has gone out and Thingol casts a cone of fire through the drift to create an exit. The snow melts flooding the floor of the cave and drenching all inside. Apologetically, Thingol lights another fire and the damp heroes begin drying their clothes.


At first light the heroes still weary from their broken rest continue to head north. It is still bitterly cold, much colder than is normal for this time of year.


After an hour and a half they reach a spot where the gully breaks between two large rocks. Athura asks a nearby robin if he has seen any people or dangerous animals in the vicinity. The robin is a small bird and seems to consider everything larger than him dangerous, but tells Athura that there are some people to the North.


The Anari Ruins


Zigmursund climbs onto the rocks and spies a structure made of cut stone in the distance. This might be the Anari ruins they have been searching for.


Hellfrost - Anari Ruin
The Anari Ruin

The valley slopes uphill to the ruins flanked on either side by trees. Vigo and Zigmursund take flanking positions right and left respectively. They head up the valley hugging the treelines. Vigo is followed by Visarel and Roderick. Thingol Athura and Alvina begin walking up the middle of the valley floor towards the ruins.


Nearing the ruins, dark storm clouds suddenly billow out of nowhere and gather over the ruins. Bolts of lightning streak groundwards exploding with thunderous booms.


A single figure walks out of a gap in the ruins towards them. A woman dressed in white...



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