Session 1: Festival of Blades
Date: October 5, 2025 In-Game Date: Festival Day (3-year cycle) Party Members: Gluthoric, Llewyn, Flynn, Luna, Nora Shores DM: Brandon
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Quick Summary
The party successfully participated in and won the Festival of Blades tournament on the Norse-inspired island of Lagadagr, defeating the tyrannical King Iler and his minions. Flynn dealt the killing blow to Iler, securing victory and potentially establishing their first territory. The session featured extensive exploration of three village towns (Kalpa, Hamar, and Fior), political intrigue with multiple jarls, delivery of a historical poem about Eric Valorin’s mysterious death, strategic tournament preparation, and culminated in an intense combat encounter.
The party gained favor with Cara, Iler’s granddaughter and Eric’s daughter, who is now positioned to become the new ruler. They secured three tournament blessings from Jarl Hrothgar the shipwright, commissioned the “Laughing Dawn” as their new ship, and established Lagadagr as a potential home base territory.
Timeline of Events
Pre-Tournament Planning (Morning)
- Kalpa Village - Party discusses need for tournament blessings from jarls
- Apple Vendor Heist - Luna successfully steals a mysterious golden apple while Nora distracts the merchant
- Decision to Split Up - Party divides to visit other villages and secure blessings
Journey to Hamar (Shipwright Village)
- Forest Travel - Party travels through woods, arrives at dusk
- Gluthoric’s Gamble - Wins dice game against Jarl Hrothgar (rolled 13 vs 6), secures all three blessings in exchange for ship improvement advice
- The Laughing Dawn Revealed - Gluthoric reviews and improves Hrothgar’s ship blueprints (orca-themed vessel with tree and koi ponds)
- Flynn’s Good Deeds - Helps unload fish shipment (receives 5 trout), milks cows for healing potions, makes bread for villagers
- Tavern Schemes - Luna pickpockets 5 shipwrights for 16,000 berries total
- Mysterious Sensing - Llewyn senses “something evil in the land” during dockside meditation
Journey to Fior (Agricultural Village)
- Afternoon Travel - Six-hour journey to the northern farming village
- Starving Children - Flynn feeds two hungry children with fish
- Meeting Jarl Uric - Former High King, now Jarl of impoverished Fior
- Epic Poem Delivery - Party delivers Eric Valorin’s epic poem, learning of his mysterious death six years ago
- Tournament Intel - Learn about Iler’s Devil Fruit powers (swamp-based), monthly tribute system, and village oppression
Festival of Blades (Next Day, Noon)
- Arrival at Mirmozha - Central city built into massive Yggdrasil tree
- The Ceremony - Hundreds gather for the three-year festival
- Free-for-All Battle - Party faces King Iler, three barbarian warriors, alongside ally Cara
- Epic Combat - Iler creates Swamp Abyss, party uses smoke grenades and tactical coordination
- Victory - Flynn’s roundhouse kick to Iler’s skull secures the win
Post-Battle Resolution
- Immediate Aftermath - Remaining warriors surrender, Cara accepts victory gracefully
- Looting - Luna collects 16,000 berries from barbarians, Gluthoric finds mysterious note and key on Iler’s body
- Cara’s Story - Witnessed her father Eric’s murder, seeks to restore Lagadagr
- Rewards - Access to Iler’s longhouse, commission of The Laughing Dawn ship
- Session Ends - Party prepares to explore Iler’s longhouse for treasure
Locations Visited
Kalpa (Merchant Village)
Description: Trading hub of Lagadagr, wealthiest of the three villages. Features market stalls, fruit vendor selling suspicious golden apples, and tavern with shipwright clientele. Jarl status achieved through wealth accumulation rather than bloodline.
Notable Events:
- Luna steals golden apple (23 sleight of hand roll)
- Nora plays music and earns tips
- Luna pickpockets five shipwrights for 16,000 berries
NPCs:
- Jarl of Kalpa (Apple Vendor) - Already distributed three blessings
- Fraga (Historian) - Cultural expert on Lagadagr traditions
- Female Bartender - Serves local shipwrights
Hamar (Shipwright Village)
Description: Coastal village specializing in ship construction with multiple docks and Nordic longships in various stages of construction. Features large longhouse, granary, and cattle farms.
Notable Events:
- Gluthoric gambles for blessings and wins
- Ship blueprint consultation for The Laughing Dawn
- Flynn helps with fish, bread-making, and cow milking
- Party receives three tournament blessings
NPCs:
- Jarl Hrothgar - Elderly master shipwright with gray hair and headband. Passionate about ships, dislikes tournament politics. Impressed by Gluthoric’s technical knowledge.
The Laughing Dawn Ship Design:
- Semi-large vessel (12-person capacity)
- Orca motif exterior
- Living tree on deck with treehouse lookout
- Integrated koi ponds
- Enhanced sail system (Gluthoric’s improvements)
- Wind-draft barrier protecting the tree
Fior (Agricultural Village - Uric’s Domain)
Description: Northern farming village suffering under Iler’s tribute system. Specializes in grain and livestock but struggles to feed its own people. Most impoverished of the three settlements.
Notable Events:
- Flynn feeds starving children
- Party delivers Eric Valorin’s epic poem
- Uric grants two remaining blessings
- Luna investigates slavery leads (finds nothing)
NPCs:
- Jarl Uric - Elderly former High King with hair white as winter and thick bear-fur beard. Deeply grieving his son Eric’s death. Wise and mournful, opposes Iler’s tyranny.
- Two hungry children (brother and sister) fed by Flynn
Economic Situation:
- Cannot meet monthly tribute requirements
- Iler burned villager’s home as punishment
- People subsisting on minimal food
Mirmozha (Central Capital City)
Description: Built into the massive Yggdrasil tree at the island’s center. Serves as political capital and festival grounds with longhouse built into tree trunk and coliseum arena in upper branches.
Festival of Blades:
- Occurs every three years
- Determines leadership through combat
- Anyone can challenge with jarl blessing
- Last combatant standing wins
- Traditionally non-lethal (but Iler changed that)
NPCs Encountered
King Iler Ruthgar (DECEASED)
Role: Tyrannical King of Lagadagr (ruled 6 years)
Physical Description: Large, imposing warrior build with barbarian aesthetic. Swamp-based powers manifest in his body.
Devil Fruit: Numa Numa no Mi (Swamp Logia)
- Can turn body into swamp matter (bullets phase through)
- Creates “Swamp Abyss” - 30ft radius difficult terrain
- Can sink structures into the ground
- Maintains concentration for environmental effects
Personality & History:
- Brutal raider who valued power above all
- Killed Eric Valorin six years ago during Festival of Blades
- Instituted monthly tribute system impoverishing villages
- Burns homes as punishment for missed tributes
- Created fake devil fruits to control warriors
Death: Killed by Flynn’s roundhouse kick to the skull after taking cumulative damage from the party
Loot:
- Mysterious note (contents known only to Gluthoric)
- Key to unknown location
- Fake devil fruit (turned to mush after death)
Cara (Iler’s Granddaughter)
Role: Victor of Festival of Blades, Presumptive New Chief
Physical Description: Young woman (late teens), wears bandage over eyes, raven/falcon-like features
Devil Fruit: Zoan Type - Falcon/Raven transformation
- Hybrid form during combat
- Eyes of a falcon (extreme enhanced vision)
- Must wear bandage to prevent sensory overload
Personality & History:
- Daughter of Eric Valorin (deceased noble jarl)
- Granddaughter of Uric (former High King)
- Witnessed her father’s murder with perfect clarity
- Seeks vengeance against Iler (achieved)
- Determined to restore Lagadagr to prosperity
- Noble and honorable - chose not to kill defeated warriors
Post-Victory:
- Grateful to party for help
- Offers rewards and assistance
- Plans to restore Lagadagr’s prosperity
- “A new dawn is approaching”
Eric Valorin (Deceased - Historical Figure)
Role: Former Jarl of Fior, Heir to High King, Cara’s Father
Personality & Legacy:
- Honorable and noble
- Abolished slavery (thralls) in Lagadagr
- “A shield to his people, not a scourge”
- Chose peaceful path over raiding
Death Mystery:
- Died six years ago during Festival of Blades
- Mid-fight, suddenly froze and stopped defending
- “Eyes went wide, blade fell low”
- Witnesses say he “saw a ghost” or “searched for something”
- Stared not at his foe, but at the crowd
- Iler killed him in this vulnerable moment
- Cause of freezing unknown (curse? fear? spell?)
Impact:
- Daughter Cara witnessed everything with falcon eyes
- Death led to Iler’s tyrannical rule
- Father Uric stepped down in grief
- Symbol of lost golden age
Combat Encounters
Festival of Blades Tournament
Location: Coliseum arena in Mirmozha’s Yggdrasil tree Type: Free-for-all battle royale Objective: Last person/team standing wins leadership
Combatants:
Party Fighters:
Party Support:
Enemy Forces:
- King Iler (Main Boss - Swamp Logia user)
- 3 Barbarian Warriors (Iler’s followers)
Allied NPC:
- Cara (Falcon Zoan user)
Battle Highlights:
- Round 1: Llewyn shoots Iler for 13 damage (bullet phases through swamp body)
- Round 2: Gluthoric uses incendiary bullet on barbarian, Nora uses Vicious Mockery
- Round 3-5: Luna sneak attacks for 15 damage (8 after resistance), Gluthoric deploys smoke grenade
- Round 6-7: Nora slices barbarian’s throat - first kill
- Final Round: Flynn uses Spring Fruit ability, deals killing blow to Iler with roundhouse kick (8 damage lethal blow)
Battlefield Effects:
- Swamp Abyss (30ft difficult terrain)
- Smoke Grenade (15ft radius obscured vision)
- Rock formations for cover
Outcome:
- Iler defeated by Flynn’s killing blow
- Remaining barbarians drop weapons and surrender
- Cara sheathes blades
- Zero party deaths
MVP: Flynn - delivered killing blow Tactical MVP: Gluthoric - smoke grenade, incendiary rounds, strategic positioning Support MVP: Nora - Vicious Mockery debuff, secured barbarian kill
Items & Loot
Currency Acquired
- 32,000+ berries total
- 16,000 berries - Luna (pickpocketing 5 shipwrights)
- 16,000 berries - Luna (2 dead barbarians, 8k each)
- Various amounts - Nora (tavern performance tips)
Mysterious & Special Items
Golden Apple (Luna’s possession)
- Stolen from Kalpa apple vendor with 23 sleight of hand
- Has FAINT swirl patterns (not obviously a devil fruit)
- Not as potent as known devil fruits
- Vendor claimed each worth 30 million berries
- Actual value/purpose unknown
Mysterious Note (Gluthoric’s possession)
- Found on Iler’s corpse
- Contents shared only via private text with DM
- Gluthoric keeping secret from party
- May give “passage somewhere”
Key (Gluthoric’s possession)
- Found on Iler’s body
- Purpose unknown
- Likely opens something in Iler’s longhouse
Fake Devil Fruit (Destroyed)
- Was in Flynn’s bag during tournament
- Turned to mush after Iler died
- Suggests Iler created these fruits to control warriors
Consumables
Healing Potions (Milk):
- 2D4+2 HP healing per potion
- Flynn obtained 3 potions from cow milking
- Distributed to party before combat
Food Supplies:
- 5 Trout (Flynn) - Used 3 for stew, 2 remaining
- 2 Bushels of Grain (Flynn)
- 2 Honeycombs (Flynn found with survival check of 12)
Promised Rewards
The Laughing Dawn Ship
- Orca-themed vessel with living tree and koi ponds
- Capacity: 12 people
- Currently under construction by Hrothgar
- Promised to party after tournament victory
Access to Iler’s Longhouse
- Full permission to loot from Cara
- Contains Iler’s accumulated wealth
- Six years of tribute collection potentially stored
- Key found on body may unlock specific rooms
Lagadagr Territory Rights
- Party established as folk heroes
- Cara offered “anything she can do”
- Potential to establish as home base
- Alliance with new ruler secured
Character Moments
Gluthoric (Dustin - Gadgeteer)
Clever Gambling Victory: Gluthoric’s brilliant negotiation with Hrothgar showcased his cunning. He wagered their unfinished ship and technical knowledge, rolling a 13 versus Hrothgar’s 6 to secure all three blessings. Even in victory, he demonstrated honor by sharing ship improvement knowledge anyway, earning Hrothgar’s respect.
Master Craftsman Moment: When reviewing The Laughing Dawn blueprints, Gluthoric bit his thumb and drew improvements in blood directly onto the designs. His modifications were so impressive that Hrothgar offered him an apprenticeship.
Secret Keeper: Found a mysterious note on Iler’s body and immediately chose to keep it secret from the party, sharing contents only with the DM via private message.
Quote: “Tough luck, dock master. But in the fairness of the game, I will also bestow upon you…” [shares knowledge despite winning]
Flynn (Matt - Brawler)
Relentless Helper: Flynn’s compulsive desire to curry favor manifested repeatedly - helping unload fish, making bread, feeding starving children, and milking cows for healing supplies.
Power-Hungry Ambition Revealed: Flynn’s mask slipped several times:
- Asked historian about marrying into chiefdom
- Visited Uric to ask about power positions
- When rejected: “I would like to be the new chieftain”
- Stated: “I want lots of physical and influential power”
Combat Hero: Despite questionable motivations, Flynn was instrumental in victory, delivering the killing blow with a roundhouse kick to Iler’s skull (8 damage lethal blow).
Tragic Backstory Hints: Has two kids named Marzan and Marty (both blonde). Uses past tense “had” when discussing them - clearly traumatic subject.
Quote: “I have a backstory, but you guys have done nothing but help me.” [deflecting questions]
Luna (Lexy - Rogue)
Master Thief: Luna’s kleptomania on full display:
- Stole golden apple (23 sleight of hand)
- Hid it “in her boob” to conceal from party
- Pickpocketed 5 drunk shipwrights (16 sleight of hand)
- Looted 2 dead barbarians for 16,000 berries
- Total take: 32,000+ berries plus mysterious fruit
Combat Coward (Smart Survivor): During tournament, Luna showed wisdom over bravery:
- Immediately hid behind rock formation
- Only emerged for single sneak attack shot (15 damage, 8 after resistance)
- Returned to hiding immediately
- “I’m not dying for you people”
Quote: “I’m a thief. I’m supposed to steal stuff, guys.”
Nora Shores (Rachel - Skald)
Bardic Support:
- Delivered Eric Valorin’s epic poem to Uric with gravity and respect
- Offered to play lament for Flynn’s dead children (declined)
- Played “metal music” that got her exiled from her Sky Island home
Combat Effectiveness:
- Cast Vicious Mockery on barbarian (max damage, enemy failed save)
- Sliced enemy’s throat with rapier (8 damage)
- Quote: “I’m sick of this!” stabs through throat
Moral Compass: Partnered with Luna on schemes but questioned Flynn’s motives. Asked Flynn directly: “What’s your deal?”
Llewyn (Nathan - Marksman)
Sniper Precision: Opened tournament with statement shot - used “Lock On” ability targeting Iler, dealt 13 damage with first shot despite Logia intangibility.
Meditative Discovery: During dockside meditation in Hamar, sensed “the will of something evil in the land” and ran to warn party.
Cyborg Nature:
- Doesn’t need sleep (meditates for long rest)
- Can consume coal as sustenance
- Multiple vision modes
Quote: “I feel the will of something evil in the land.”
Best Quotes
Combat & Action
- “I’m sick of this!” - Nora, slicing barbarian’s throat
- roundhouse kick to Iler’s skull - Flynn’s calm delivery of session’s climactic moment
- “I feel the will of something evil in the land.” - Llewyn’s ominous warning
- “Now that he’s gone, I do believe a new dawn is approaching.” - Cara’s hope after Iler’s defeat
Comedy & Character
- “I’m a thief. I’m supposed to steal stuff, guys.” - Luna’s worldview
- “I’m not dying for you people. Somebody else goes.” - Luna’s survival instinct
- “I’ve also changed the name to Long Dong.” - Gluthoric’s ship naming (immediately rejected)
- “What’s YOUR deal?” - Flynn deflecting questions about his motivations
- “You’re going to judge me for stealing and here you’re kissing butt? Fake butt. ‘Cause we all know something’s up.” - Luna calling out Flynn
Worldbuilding & Lore
- “Not all fall by blade or battle. Some are taken by the unseen.” - From Eric Valorin’s poem
- “The tribute, we’ll admit, though it weighs heavily upon our folk. May this folly soon end.” - Uric’s burden
- “You really have a knack for this.” - Hrothgar impressed by Gluthoric
Mysteries & Hooks
The Freezing Mystery
Eric Valorin’s Death: Six years ago, Eric suddenly froze mid-combat and stopped defending himself. “Eyes went wide, blade fell low” - he stared not at his foe but at the crowd, searching for something. Cause completely unknown. Theories: curse, witchcraft, Devil Fruit power, saw something/someone in crowd.
Why It Matters:
- Cara witnessed everything with falcon eyes
- Caused Uric to step down as king
- Led to Iler’s tyrannical rule
- May indicate hidden enemy
The Golden Apple
Mystery Item: Luna stole golden apple with FAINT swirl patterns (not as potent as real devil fruits). Vendor claims 30 million berries value, but no one has bought one to test.
Questions:
- Real devil fruit or fake?
- Related to Iler’s fake fruits?
- Will Luna eat it?
Gluthoric’s Secret Note
The Note: Found on Iler’s corpse, contents known only to Gluthoric and DM. Mentioned it might “give us passage somewhere.”
Why It Matters:
- Could reveal Iler’s motivations
- May indicate larger conspiracy
- Might connect to key found on body
- Gluthoric’s secrecy creates party tension
The Lingering Evil
Llewyn’s Warning: Sensed “will of something evil” during meditation. Strong enough to interrupt meditation and make him run to warn party.
Questions:
- Was it Iler’s presence?
- Separate threat beyond Iler?
- Still present after Iler’s defeat?
- Connected to Eric’s death?
Slavery Investigation
Luna’s Quest: Luna was being transported as slave before shipwreck, heading TO Lagadagr. Yet Eric abolished slavery six years ago. Asked multiple NPCs but found no leads.
Questions:
- Where was Luna being taken?
- Who was trafficking her?
- Is slavery secretly continuing?
- Was Iler involved?
Flynn’s True Intentions
Suspicious Behavior: Helps everyone but constantly seeks power. Asked about marrying into chiefdom, stated “I want lots of physical and influential power,” immediately sought necromancer after rejection.
His Tragedy:
- Had two children (Marzan and Marty)
- Uses past tense about kids
- Won’t discuss details
- Trauma seems to drive power-seeking
Questions:
- What happened to his children?
- Why does he want power so desperately?
- Is he threat to party?
- Will he betray them for position?
Session Statistics
- Duration: ~5-6 hours real-world time
- In-Game Time: Approximately 36 hours
- Battles: 1 major combat (7 rounds)
- Enemies Defeated: 1 King, 4 Barbarians (1 killed, 3 surrendered)
- NPCs Met: 10+ (Hrothgar, Uric, Cara, Iler, and various villagers)
- New Locations: 4 villages/cities explored
- Villages Visited: 3 (Kalpa, Hamar, Fior)
- Major Buildings: 4 (2 taverns, 2 longhouses)
- Total Travel Distance: ~25+ miles
- Wealth Acquired: 32,000+ berries
- Notable Firsts: First major political victory, first territory established, first ship commissioned, first tournament won, first king defeated, first secret kept from party
Tags: session session-01 combat exploration political-intrigue lagadagr festival-of-blades king-iler cara tournament
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