Session Overview#
The party returns to Milstrom just in time for the winter solstice celebration, where the entire village is decorated for the festivities with garlands, a skating rink, snowman building contests, and carolers. However, their peaceful celebration is disrupted when an evil doppelganger of Caspian (the Winter King’s assistant) appears and corrupts the solstice magic, forcing the party into a series of battles to save the celebration.
Opening: Solstice Festivities#
The session opens with the village of Milstrom in full winter solstice celebration mode. The town square features:
- An ice skating rink in the center
- A snowman building contest in a nearby field
- Carolers performing throughout the village
- A massive decorated Yule tree in the beer garden
- Various festive decorations and gatherings
Party Activities#
- Silas and Bru operate a sketchy ice skate rental business, stealing townspeople’s skates and relabeling them with their own branding
- Red joins the snowman building contest with local children Billy, Jimmy, and Timmy, using his height advantage to build massive snowballs
- Elspeth sets up a tinkering booth making sleds and ball-throwing devices for free (much to Silas’s dismay)
- Hellasana explores the beer garden and festivities
- Olivia observes the celebration
Introduction of Jasper Gaines#
A new character enters the scene: Jasper Gaines, a human barbarian wearing Eldoran armor with dull crystal embellishments. He arrives leading a wagon full of beer casks for the tavern, demonstrating his connection to the local community through his friendship with Roscoe.
The Corrupted Solstice Attack#
The Winter Storm#
A sudden, unnatural winter storm descends upon the town, filled with pellets of snow and strange crystal dust that obscures everyone’s vision. When the storm clears, the entire celebration has been corrupted:
- Children’s toys have been replaced with “werewolf erotica”
- Roscoe’s precious alcohol has been replaced with “bangers and mash”
- A child’s insulin has been replaced with a crystal figurine
- Various other gifts and celebration items have been corrupted
The Impostor Revealed#
From atop the church, a scantily clad water genasi in a bikini (despite the winter weather) reveals herself as “Caspian”. However, Elspeth’s religion knowledge (rolling an 18) reveals this is likely an impostor, as the real Caspian is known to be fully clothed and complains about magical image distortions.
The impostor declares: “Listen up, you wankers! I’ve turned evil now. I am Caspian Shores. I need to ruin your solstice.”
Initial Combat#
Jasper immediately attacks the impostor (dubbed “Negacast”) with his hand axes, dealing significant damage. The impostor retaliates by creating snow fists that attack Jasper, then disappears while promising more chaos.
Three Crisis Points#
The party must split their attention to handle three simultaneous magical attacks across the village:
Crisis 1: The Corrupted Yule Tree#
Location: Beer garden behind the pub
The massive 30-foot Yule tree becomes bewitched, with its decorative ribbons transforming into deadly tendrils that pierce villagers and transform them into Christmas ornaments that get pulled onto the tree.
Combat Highlights:
- Hellasana uses Misty Step to get to high ground and attacks with Eldritch Blast
- Olivia charges in with her battle axe, dealing massive damage with critical hits and Divine Smite
- Jasper follows up with devastating greatsword attacks using his berserker rage
- The party discovers a corrupted crystal tree topper that’s controlling the magic
- Hellasana destroys the crystal with psychic damage Eldritch Blasts, breaking the enchantment
Resolution: The tree is toppled and the crystal destroyed, freeing all the ornament-people and returning them to normal.
Crisis 2: The Snowman Army#
Location: The snowman contest field
All the snowmen built for the contest come to life and begin attacking the children who built them. The party discovers that destroying individual snowmen only causes their snow to flow back to the giant snowman Red had built with the children.
Combat Highlights:
- Olivia lights her battle axe on fire using lamp oil to combat the snow creatures
- Jasper performs an incredible flaming sword strike, sliding on the ice and lighting his blade mid-attack with bardic inspiration
- The party realizes they need to destroy the controlling crystal rather than the snowmen themselves
- Olivia delivers the killing blow to the crystal with Divine Smite
Resolution: All snowmen return to normal snow once their controlling crystal is destroyed.
Crisis 3: The Corrupted Carolers#
Location: The carolers’ stage
The carolers become possessed with milky white eyes and begin singing Norwegian death metal that mind-controls anyone who listens. Those affected begin joining the horrible song against their will.
Combat Highlights:
- Only Jasper (rolling a 21 perception) spots the controlling crystal above the stage
- Jasper charges through the mind-control effect with a successful charisma save
- Olivia summons her fey ram Bob and uses Fey Step to teleport directly to the action
- The party coordinates attacks while resisting the mind-control effects
- Multiple party members fall under the song’s influence and attack their allies
- The crystal is eventually destroyed, freeing all the carolers
Resolution: The horrible music stops and the carolers return to normal holiday songs.
Final Confrontation: Negacast#
The Ice Rink Battle#
The party converges on the ice skating rink for the final confrontation with Negacast, who is revealed to be floating above the center of the rink.
Key Combat Elements:
- The ice rink becomes a battlefield with treacherous frozen terrain
- Negacast uses ice-based magic to restrain and attack the party
- Olivia lands a devastating critical hit with Divine Smite (40 damage total)
- Jasper deals consistent damage with his berserker rage
- Elspeth provides ranged support while BoxBox engages in melee
The Protective Tattoos#
During combat, the party notices strange tattoos on Negacast’s abdomen. Elspeth’s arcana check (17) identifies these as sigils of warding designed to keep out outside observation and presence.
Red’s Crucial Role: Red successfully uses Dispel Magic to remove the protective tattoos, rolling exactly the DC needed (15) after using inspiration to reroll.
The Real Caspian’s Arrival#
Once the protective wards are dispelled:
- Gentle snowfall begins to replace the harsh storm
- All of Negacast’s corruptions across the town begin reversing automatically
- The real Caspian appears, wearing proper Winter King assistant attire (blue suit with crystal studs, appropriate for the weather)
- Caspian traps Negacast in a crystal prison for the party to deliver finishing blows
Team Finishing Move#
The party coordinates a spectacular team attack:
- Hellasana blasts Jasper with Eldritch Blast to propel him forward
- Jasper and Olivia perform simultaneous cross-decapitation strikes
- The attack reveals Negacast wasn’t actually Caspian but some kind of construct or summoned being
- Negacast dissolves into snow and ash, with a screaming skull at its core that also disintegrates
Resolution and Aftermath#
Caspian’s Gratitude#
The real Caspian thanks the party and:
- Heals all the injured villagers
- Completely reverses all the corruption (booze returns, proper gifts restored, etc.)
- Gives each party member beautiful crystal figurines as rewards
- Gives Elspeth an autographed copy of her favorite Caspian novel
- Helps restore the celebration atmosphere
Gift Exchange Tradition#
The party participates in a “White Owlbear” gift exchange (their world’s version of White Elephant):
Gifts Exchanged:
- Hellasana receives: Silas’s “one crime carried out on your behalf” coupon
- Jasper receives: Olivia’s detective magnifying glass
- Elspeth receives: VIP tickets for 10 to “Gaines Brewery Bakery and Bankery” in Eldora
- Olivia receives: Hellasana’s bottle of Emmervale Elixir from High Forge
- Red receives: Elspeth’s custom train track with mini Vroomfall and Doomfall cars
- Silas and Bru’s exchange: Deferred to next session
Celebration Continues#
Despite the interruptions, the village successfully continues their winter solstice celebration with:
- The Yule tree restored to its upright position
- Children healed and gifts returned
- Community spirit restored
- A general atmosphere of warmth and celebration
Cliffhanger: Crowley’s Return#
As Caspian prepares to leave town using the Winter King’s magic to travel on the north wind, she finds herself trapped in an eerie void with no stars or ambient sound.
Crowley’s Appearance: The fae entity Crowley appears in a caroler’s outfit (top hat and puffy jacket), singing a menacing version of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” with threatening lyrics. He greets Caspian as an “old friend,” revealing their prior history, and the scene cuts to black after he blows out his candle.
Implications: This suggests Crowley has larger plans involving multiple powerful beings and may have been behind the Negacast attack as part of a broader scheme.
Character Development#
Jasper Gaines Integration#
- Successfully proved his worth to the party through consistent combat effectiveness
- Demonstrated connection to local community (friendship with Roscoe)
- Showed tactical thinking and berserker combat prowess
- Improved Eldoran reputation in the village through heroic actions
Party Dynamics#
- Excellent teamwork displayed across multiple simultaneous combat encounters
- Creative problem-solving with environmental obstacles (ice, fire, crystals)
- Strong coordination in the final team attack sequence
- Growing acceptance of Jasper as a temporary or permanent party member
Red’s Growth#
- Successfully used Dispel Magic at a crucial moment
- Showed improved tactical awareness in identifying magical threats
- Continued role as primary healer and support character
- Genuine joy in receiving the toy train set gift
Combat and Mechanical Highlights#
New 2024 D&D Rules in Action#
- Jasper’s barbarian abilities showcased the improved skill system (using Strength for Perception)
- Mount combat mechanics with Olivia and Bob the ram
- Creative use of environmental factors (fire, ice, crystals)
- Effective use of bardic inspiration and team coordination
Tactical Elements#
- Multi-front combat requiring party coordination
- Environmental puzzle-solving (identifying crystals as weak points)
- Creative weapon enhancement (lighting axes on fire)
- Effective use of positioning and battlefield control
Ongoing Plot Threads#
- Crowley’s Master Plan: The fae entity appears to be targeting powerful magical beings systematically
- Eldoran Relations: Jasper’s presence and heroics improve relations between Milstrom and Eldora
- Gaines Brewery Mystery: The tickets suggest potential future adventures in Eldora
- Caspian’s Fate: Her capture by Crowley may require future rescue efforts
- Party Composition: Jasper’s potential permanent addition to the group
Session Themes#
This session expertly balanced holiday festivities with serious threats, showcasing:
- Community Spirit: The importance of protecting celebration and tradition
- Teamwork: Multiple simultaneous threats requiring coordination
- Good vs. Corruption: The contrast between genuine celebration and twisted imitations
- New Alliances: Jasper’s integration and improved Eldoran relations
- Growing Threats: Crowley’s expanding influence and mysterious master plan
The winter solstice setting provided an excellent backdrop for both heartwarming community moments and dramatic magical combat, while the cliffhanger ending sets up significant future plot developments involving Crowley’s schemes.