Christmas One-Shot

Introduction

Introduce the premis of this session to the players. This is a christmas themed one-shot adventure that will conclude in one sitting. The players are going to be playing the role of Gingerbread men sent from another plane onto the world of Verra'Talu. There mission is to spread some joy to a planet currently embattling a dark horde of monsters in an event known as the Calamity. We start our story many years after that event where a woman known as Freya sits with her children and says.

Freya: All throughout Verra'Talu there have been tales of mysterious tiny creatures who would battle monsters far larger than themselves. Many Aeons ago a group of adventurers on a distant moon stood against a dragon sent from the very soil of our planet. With magic and bow, sword and mechinised men these nameless heros gave their lives to buy time for the rest of their doomed moons inhabitants to escape. While this battle raged in the distant stars we here on our shielded home of Verra'Talu found ourselves shocked by an event known as the Calamity. It was in this Calamity and the months that followed our heros of this tale came to our soil. Four adveturers from another plane would come to spread some joy and treats amongst the dishearted population.
There mission was pure and purpuse simple. gift the a full belly to the desrving and punish those who werent. Yearly we celebrate the achivements of those heros from distant places great in their power and the heros tiny in their kindness. this is a tale of the four tiniest heros to every come to our home. So sit and let us tell you the tale of the struggle against the ice and the full bellies and hearts that followed.

[Scene 1 - The Frozen Forest

DM Narration

You feel this pull deep in the pits of your gingerbread stomach and your face turns into one of mixed horror and delight. This is a feeling you have all come to expect as yearly you are ripped from your home and you awake on some distant shore many candy buttons from your gingerbread house. You have been summoned here by the great list maker to help these creatures in the most dire of need. That is who you must find on this foreign soil. The list maker. As your icing eyes adjust to the two suns circling overhead you see other gingerbread creatures scattered around you.

Beat 1 - Introductions to characters

• Ask the players where they are in the Frozen Forest Map. describe their candy characters.
• There should be four different opportunities to have something gingerbread related.

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Beat 2 - The Great Listmakers Escape
As the party are ready to head out and find the great list maker they hear a deep growl come froma roudn them. With a sucessful DC17 Perception (Wisdom) Sound check they hear the rush of approaching footsteps and then the thunderoues yowl of a cat pounce upon them. The group roll for initative against the horde of Snow Cats and Will-0-Wisps.

Combat Encounter

Tactics: The priority for the Snow Cats should be the Great List Maker. While he can defende himself the great list maker is by no means a fighter and will drop after about 3 or 4 good hits. The will o wisps while only two of them will start fighting the party. it is very important to have some spell casters in here so i need to find a early level spell caster.

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Beat 3 - The Great List maker reveals the list As the fight comes to a close the Great List Maker opens his pouch upon his back and takes out his list. He settles down and looks aorund for his glasses, After a moment of not being able to find them he gives up looking and says "Ner mind, ill red it the ol fashuun way. So tis yer ou has been naughty (Giggle) and nayce! Oh ere we are! we ave ben sent ere to find....." let the party wait for a moment and then after an awkward silence the party should interject. explain to the party he is trying to read it and give the party 3 or four excuses as to why the great list maker cant read it. eventually gvie the list to the party and ask if they can do any better with the handwriting.
Give the party the list maker handout. The great list maker will also give the Party a few potions and the Nectar of a Distant World Key Item

[Scene 2 - The Town

DM Narration And so our heros with their stubby biscuit legs set out on their adventure to Caldenver. For a human it would take them a mere day but for our tiny band of confectionary it took them a week. When they finally arrive rather than the destrcution that they were expecting to see instead it was a happy village. The towns people busy decorating the streets with parchment laterns, shaped like the broken moon that hung overhead and occasinally in the patter of the snow the local wizard entertaines children with cheap tricks of magic lights floating above their head.

When arriving into the town of Caldenver the party should be greated by sights and sounds akin to a festival. Lights should fill the sky in full spheres of magic and children should be runnign around playing with sticks, most of the population are elven by sight and with a sucessful DC 16 insight check the party spot children eating baked goods. Bread, Canes of cinnamon, roasted pretzels. Baked goods as far as the eye could see. The party should see this one boy alone skrt down an alley with cookie crumbs falling behind him. If the party pursue they learn the boys name is Nicholas (Hes only 7 and he got the cookie from the local baker. however he promises it wasnt alive when he ate it.

Soical Encounter: Nicolas

What Nicohlas can tell the party:

1. There is a very nice woman in the town called Annalyse who is the local baker.
2. Annelyse has been the towns baker for many years since her family died. She is a young woman (only 20)
3. Nicholas brother has a crush on Annelyse but he always gets her name wrong

When asked for directions to the baker Nicholas will point it out then the mother will come and ask for nicholas and he will run along.

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Beat 2 Annalyses Bakery

Upon entering the bakery the party should be met with a non-threatening elven woman who has clearly just finished a glass of wine and is taking large loaf of bread from the kindling oven. The bread should smell delicious and as she takes a slice for herself she notices the party. Annalyse should be very welcoming of the party and not at all described by the great list maker.

• Annelyse should point the party toward her sister who hasnt been seen in the town for awhile since their parents died.
• Annelyse should tell the party her sister has been gifted with the power of magic and thought the gingerbread men were from her
• The party will be warned that Anna has shunned many attempts by outsiders but maybe a present will warm her heart enough to come back to Caldenver
• Anna always used to play games with her sister when she was a child. Maybe there is a safeway in that Anne would leave open only to her. Her favouirte games was when she pretended to be an adventurer.

Scene 3 - Anne's Hideout

Area 1 (Party Starter Location)

As the party enter the location hideout the group should feel an icy wind wrap around them. In the first section should be a potion or 2 of healing and a potion of cold resistance.
Area 2 (Puzzle Room Page 180 on TCOE)

As the party break the clearing of the forest they notice a series of 10 statues made of pure crystal with ice twinkling on them. The statues are of each of the races of Verra Talu. Behind the statues lie a grate that cannot be easily passed through. Infront is a pedistle with 4 bottles in each with a piece of paper rolled up inside. as the party move it seems like the statues are watching them but motionless.
The prty must complete the puzzle to progress by smashing statues number 3,4 and 8, these statues are not the ones of the "Chosen Races" of Verra Talu. each of the statues in order are

1. Dragonborn
2.Elf
3. Dwarves (Smash This one)
4. Tabaxi (Smash this one)
5.Gnome

6. Firbolg
7.Human
8. Tortle(SMash this one)
9.Genasi
10.Arracockra

Everytime the party get the combination wrong a chill air blows through the area and all creatures take 3d10 Cold Damage or half on a DC15 Constiution Saving Throw. After the damage the statues are reset by some unseen magic.

Area 3 (Guards Post) There are 2 Ice Golems gaurding the path to the entrace of Annes House. They will fight the party if they try and get past, if the party want to avoid an encouter they must give the golems a present of something shiny like themselves. A earring a Necklace etc.

Scene 4 - Final Boss - Snow Queen

DM Narration
With a heavy forbakdj g the band of swets entered the cave of Anne. not sure what they would find. ice clung to the cealing like a grduge that failed to let go and all through the cave carved into the ice were pitures of the sisters and their parents etched inti the reciving crystal. Suddlenly there is a break in the path that opens out into a cavern and there in the middle stands a young female preserved in ice.

When apporaching Anna she will let out a scream and ask who summoned them. There will be a brief social encounter before the fight to end the session. The social encounter will tell the party about Annes past.

• Anna doesnt belive anyone can give her the presents her parents used to give the girls in a time long ago.
• Her Parents were killed in a fire that was caused by The Calamity that befell Verra'Talu
• Though Anne had no knowledge of Negus Prime it was thought her constant starting at the stars helped Negus Prime navigate to Luna

When the party defeats her, rather than dying she will get death saving throws. in this time the party can feed her the benevolence bean.