Frosthaven Session Report #1
4 February 2023
Prologue
Today is the day we start our Frosthaven Journey. We've prepared all the decks and components, created our characters, and are ready to begin scenario 1! Since we're already familiar with Gloomhaven, we're skipping the introductory scenario 0. Our party consists of:
We're traveling through a blizzard with extremely cold winds and snow. Hired as mercenaries, part of a support team sent to check on the human-kind most distant outpost, Frosthaven. A place that is forgotten by most of the world. Tiny settlement carved out of the frozen plains. As of last week, just enough snow has melted for a team to travel through the normal snow-covered pass. They were hiring, and our coin purses were empty. No one knows what to expect of Frosthaven... Let's hope that the few remaining people left a fire burning.
#1: A Town in Flames
Once we get closer to Frosthaven, metallic pangs, and the battle voices grow stronger. We hear people, so the town must be close. We're running now; with one last push, we round the final bend of the trail, and we see it: Frosthaven engulfed in flame. We hear a guard screaming: "Algox raiders! We're doomed!". Ten days we've been hiking, and this is what we find. Time to get to work!
While trying to figure out our new characters, we struggled to find our roles. It was a hard and long battle against the Algox Archers, Guards, and Priests. But in the end, we managed to defeat them all with only the Drifter exhausting. Only one of our ally Guards managed to survive.
With the last Algox retreating, we lower our weapons. They'll be back, but for now, we can rest. Frosthaven is almost exactly what you imagined: a knot of gray stone and timber surrounded by sharpened palisade walls. While the townsfolk suffered high losses, they are though folks and already recovering and cleaning up. We meet Satha the mayor of Frosthaven which she became after her predecessor and his lieutenant had fallen. The Algox have been attacking Frosthaven all winter, and finally managed to break through. A lot of people are killed but without our help it would've been far worse.
Once we've explained we were sent by the capital, Satha makes her displeasure known. "It's about time they sent someone to help fix this mess they made". Frosthaven was once a peaceful fishing village that lived along the Algox in harmony. This changed when the Merchant Guild, our employer, sent some garrisons and bureaucratic types to Frosthaven to make it of more use to the empire. They dug up an Alogx burial site, and the next thing we know the Algox are angrily attacking us.
Satha sent a scout after the fleeing Algox and found their cave at Snowscorn Mountain. Interestingly a small band split from the main party and entered the mountain somewhere else. Before heading there, we better get some rest in one of the remaining longhouses.
Rewards: 3 Morale (2 + 1 for the remaining guard)
New Scenarios: #2 Algox Scouting, #3 Algox Offensive
Outpost Phase #1
Outpost Event: SO-20
A group of soldiers bearing the White Oak's insignia ride into Frosthaven on horseback accompanied by a long string of prisoners. They ask for Mayor Grimlo who was Satha's predecessor killed by an Algox fist. The prisoners are delivered to Frosthaven but Satha is not to happy about it, "We're not a prison, the people here stay by choice". We have to decide the fate of the prisoners, we encourage Satha to let them work for their keep. (option B) Reward: 2 soldiers (unfortunately our Garrison was already full at that point).
We decided not to build or upgrade any new buildings, but we do craft some new items and brew our first potion with the herbs we collected in the first scenario. A Renewing Potion is revealed on the alchemy chart.
#2: Algox Scouting
We follow the small band to the side entrance, but first, a road event occurs.
Road Event: SR-03
We meet a Savvas camouflaged into the stone cliff. Determining whether it is still alive the Savvas starts to speak: "Hello Adventurers, you look clever... answer me correctly and I'll give you something worth of your answer, fail and you shall suffer the punishment"
"Fished from the waters, drawn from the earth,
My presence bears both jealousy, and mirth
I've corrupted and captivated, I'm sought out and sold
If you still can't guess me: I'm worth my weight... in gold."
We answer: GOLD. Reward: 1 inspiration, 20 collective gold. We add SR-33 to the event deck.
As suspected by the scout earlier, a small party split off from the main trail towards a back door into the mountain. We follow the small trail and our our way a dead Algox Brawler drops down the mountain in front of our feet. It seems like there is already a fight happening in the mountain, we rush inside to maybe help whoever is already attacking the Algox.
During this scenario, we're a bit more familiar with our characters, and it seems to go a bit easier. In the second room, we find an Algox Priest that we need to keep alive as she is an ally to us. At the end of the scenario, we need to break an ice barrier to complete the scenario and continue.
With the ice barrier shattered the Algox priest who we rescued from death by the other Algox grabs a handful of snow. She brings it to her face and whispers. Whirling like a miniature storm, the slow lifts her off the ground and carries her down the hole that was covered by the ice barrier. The same happens to us and we're carried down just like the Priest. She introduces herself as Lanprul. The mountain is of great religious importance to the Algox, however they are divided into two rival factions: The Snowspeakers - led by this priest - and the Icespeakers. Currently the Icespeakers (or "dirt-lovers") control the mountain, but when their war party attacked Frosthaven the Snowspeakers saw an opportunity to launch an attack of their own. While we're not sure which side we should take here, we continue deeper into the mountain as the Priest urges that there is still a battle raging in the mountain's heart.
Rewards: Gain 1 Checkmark each, Map Overlay Sticker W
New Scenario: #4 Heart of Ice (Forced Linked)
That is it for our first Frosthaven session. Next, we will have to play scenario #4 as that is forced linked.