Week 4: Hunt for the Troll Market

Trackers must find a mysterious, ancient scroll that contains secrets for reforging the Heartstone. They get a tip from the dwarf telling them the scroll is at the Troll Market!. The always exciting traveling market is currently set up near a pirate flotilla, where Trackers enter a competition with a pirate crew to vie for a treasure that includes the scroll.

Advance Preparation

You will need to make a treasure map with 9-12 waypoints. Some possible layouts will be provided, or you can hand draw your own based on the natural features of your sites.

Non Playable Characters (NPCs)

These are the characters that may be encountered in this story. They are ordered from most to least screentime in the narrative. See an in-depth guide to playing each NPC on page __.

Nash, a roguish pirate

Elwood, a steampunk mechanic

Cinna, a nomadic philosopher previously of the Village

Umoggra, the troll merchant

Peregrine, captain of the Red Line

Day One Morning

Following the first Guild Ceremony, usher everyone to the Village, which is in disarray. You can greet them as a Village native, and explain the situation based on the previous week.

“Greetings, newcomers! We’ve had a little trouble here of late. The Village’s Hearthstone was broken apart, and we called for you to help us fix it.”

Introduction Game of Choice - use the objective to pair Trackers

Introduce them to Belna and Sable while handing out unprocessed Trackers Sticks. These can be sanded or decorated as they speak to the dwarven elder.

Belna cannot speak directly to the Trackers, as she knows only dwarven. However, she presents you with a pictograph map. Sable explains it leads to the location of the mysterious, always-moving Troll Market. Belna has dealt with a merchant of ancient healing texts, and believes there to be some kind of ritual scroll about how to heal a Village’s Hearthstone.

Sable is less confident in the group than Belna, and expresses her wish to see you in action before sending you on such an important task.

Treasure Hunt Game - Send Tracker pairs into the woods to track down a bright-colored item with a number. When each pair has found their number and regrouped, the pairs with the same number become a team of four.

Sable is reluctantly impressed! She suggests you set up a space for yourself in the Village to prepare for the journey to the Troll Market.

Now in their teams, introduce Trackers to their Team and Secret Camps. Give them time to explore, map, and journal before lunch. You may also use this time to explain more of the lore surrounding the Troll Market or Hearthstone.

Day One Afternoon

On returning, it’s time to get serious about the mission! Sable will suggest a list of gear to prepare.

Caretaking Game of Choice

At last, it’s time to begin the hunt for the Troll Market! The map’s landmarks are very open to interpretation, so allow the Trackers to take the lead. When they feel certain they’ve found the landmark, confirm it and keep moving!

Treasure Hunt, part 1/6

Do your best to time the treasure hunting so they can find approximately half of the map’s markers before triggering the final scene of the afternoon.

“There's rustling from the brush, but before you can react, you’re surrounded by a dozen armed bandits, holding you all at swordpoint. They all wear a purple and black striped bandana on their ankles, arms, or heads. A tall, very tan man steps forward and snatches the map out of a Tracker’s hands.

As Nash: “Well blow me down! What an interestin’ map ya got there, strangers! Ya can tell me all about it as ye empty yer pockets. Consider yerselves prisoners of the Red Line.”

Day Two Morning

After morning activities, Trackers begin the roleplay day as the prisoners in the pirate’s camp, Nash and his gang have confiscated all your belongings and have them stacked in their camp.

“A kestrel with a message on its leg flies down to land on Nash’s outstretched arm. He reads the message and grins. “Yer some lucky ones, ye are! Our captain wants to jaw with ya about this here map . Seems it leads to a treasure cache we been after fer months. We pirates take a lie-down in the heat o’ the day, but don’t even think about trying anything. You’ll regret it before you can take a single step out of camp.”

The pirates proceed to have some downtime. There are 2-3 guards on alert. Nash is taking a nap, keeping the treasure map on his person.

Stealth Game of Choice

Retrieving the map is optional, requiring a separate thievery minigame of its own. If the Trackers skip this step, you can replace the subsequent treasure hunting with orienteering games.

Treasure Hunt, part 2/6

As the penultimate last landmark is marked off, announce seeing something on the horizon. It’s the Troll Market!

Day Two Afternoon

“The clearing ahead is easily visible with bright-colored cloths covering merchant stalls. Small crowds mill about, speaking languages and wearing clothing of many cultures. You spot a large booth manned by a towering troll, which seems to match the last pictograph on the map.”

Trackers now have time to explore the Troll Market, with the suggestion that they start with the troll merchant herself.

“Welcome to the Troll Market, travelers! I’m Umoggra and this is my stall. Since you’re new ‘round here, let me explain our payment system. Everything ‘round the market is up for trade: goods, services, or information. Some merchants will take goods or services as payment, but I accept only stories. Funny stories. Scary stories. Good stories. Bad stories. Tell me what you are seeking, and I’ll tell you what kind of stories I want in return.”

Trackers can either show Umoggra the map or ask about the ancient scroll on healing Hearthstones. Either way, Umoggra will recognize what you’re looking for. However, it’s a one-of-a-kind item, and part of a treasure cache held in the private collection of someone very dangerous.

If you want more information, she needs payment. She’ll accept one story from each team, on the theme of Nature Misadventures.

Storytelling Game

As the Trackers finish their stories, the pirates stroll up. Nash loudly claims that the pirates should be given the info instead. He will gladly match the number of stories paid, and more importantly… he claims their stories will be better.

(This argument does hold some weight with Umoggra, which Nash knows from trading with her for years.)

As Umoggra: “Hmph! I can’t exactly refund their stories, Nash. Here’s what I’ll do: I’ll give the Trackers the coordinates and a head start. Then the Red Line can give me their stories and go after the treasure later in the day.”

Nash accepts this confidently, bragging that they’ll have no problem catching up to you by sea. Umoggra gives you a hand-drawn map, along with advice on a shortcut you have a feeling she will not be pointing out to Nash.

Day Three Morning

Start the day in Team and Secret Camps, journaling and preparing. The imaginary timer on hunting down the treasure cache doesn’t get started until you leave the Troll Market.

Treasure Hunt, part 3/6

Somehow the pirates beat you to the first landmark. However, you can inform your group that the pirates will have to sail around a much longer area to reach the next one, so if you hurry, you can still win!

Treasure Hunt, part 4/6

Reach the second landmark ahead of the pirates. You have the time and opportunity to set a trap for the pirates.

Trap Setting Game

Day Three Afternoon

“The trap worked, judging by howls of rage coming from behind us!”

Treasure Hunt, part 5/6

After the final leg of the hunt, the Trackers come to an area that will be standing in for an underwater area. If possible, find the edge of an incline which can play a descent into water.

As the guide, provide a recipe for a water breathing potion (designed by Isha in the Village). Send the teams out to find the ingredients, which can be improvised.

Foraging Game of Choice

Crafting a Tea Tutorial

Day Four Morning

Trackers may proceed directly to their Team camps to journal and mentally prepare. In the meantime, prepare the Water Breath Tea the Trackers created yesterday! Make sure to double-check the ingredients are all safe. You may add sugar or honey to make it more palatable.

Group everyone up in a circle to do a tea tasting. The effects need a few moments to set in, so walk them through a quick guided improv/meditation session.

“Expand the circle, making sure everyone has enough space to make large gestures. Now close your eyes. Feel the breeze on your face, smell the salt in the air. Take your first step into the water. It’s cool to the touch. Take several strides into the cold water, letting it rush over your knees, up to your waist, then your chin. Keep walking and breathing normally, and soon you realize, you’re breathing just fine under the lake!”

The last leg of the search is in an underwater area, so consider imposing a roleplay mechanic like moving in slow motion or talking with your cheeks sucked in like a fish.

Treasure Hunt, part 6/6

When you finally arrive at the destination, it is not simply the treasure. Alas! Instead, it’s an underwater lair, sealed with glass panels and steampunk tech.

As you reach the entrance hatch and start to rotate the heavy hydraulic wheel, there’s a disturbance in the current behind you. It would seem the lair has a guard: the Great Kraken! The Trackers will have to fight it off before they can open the hatch.

Combat or Pure Play Game of Choice

Once victory over the kraken has been attained, designate a team to finish turning the wheel, sending steam jetting into the water and opening onto a pressurized chamber. Hurry the Trackers inside, giving the team who opened the door the chance to dramatically run and jump through at the last moment.

The pressure in the chamber releases as you slam the door shut behind them. The door across the room opens into the rest of the lair, silhouetting a lanky man with goggles and bits of old tech strapped to a neat waistcoat.

As Elwood: “I say, who might you all be? Are you here to rescue me, perchance?”

Day Four Afternoon

After returning from the break, the Trackers will have a chance to question the mysterious Steampunk man. In addition to answering questions honestly, he will give them the lowdown on his plight (review on page __) and beg for help escaping the lair.

How did you get here? “Cinna approached me, telling me he had fulfilling work for an engineer, and could pay me with rations to feed myself and my family. He’s kept his word, far as I know, but the drawback is that I can’t leave. Not until I finish his mechanical abomination, at least.”

Mechanical abomination?? “He told me living puppets had failed him too many times. He wants me to build for him a mechanical chassis. Long ago they called them “ro-bits,” would you believe? I don’t understand how Cinna means to power it. Something about a magic fire stone?”

Why don’t you engineer a way out? “I don’t know how. PlusCinna has the kraken guarding this lair. Even if I could build an escape vehicle, I don’t like my chances of getting past it. Maybe with your help, though?”

So… any treasure around here? “Oh my! Of course, you’re not here for me, you’re looking for the treasure buried here. Cinna got to it and is putting it to use… he melted it down and now I’m using it to build the ro-bit.”

What about the non-metal parts of the treasure? “Anything else is probably in Cinna’s office, I would imagine. I would dearly like to see that ancient scroll. It’s supposed to include some rare potions and texts.”

Trackers may agree or deny Elwood’s request to help him, but either way, they’ll want to locate Cinna’s office and find the scrollHearthstone text. Have the teams split up to investigate the area for the treasure. Hide bright, clearly labeled “treasures” around the area, giving each team an opportunity to find more than one piece.

Find the Treasure Game

After the treasures are found, the teams may group up at Elwood’s location to plan an escape. However, you announce a clanking sound from the pressurized entrance. Elwood suggests you all hide, quick: it must be Cinna returning!

Stealth Game of Choice

“You’re all sufficiently hidden when the metal door groans open once again. In walks a group of familiar warriors. It’s the Red Line pirates, soaked to the bone and led by Nash and a six-foot woman. She empties a flamboyant captain’s hat of water and places it on her head before fixing her eyes on Elwood.”

As Peregrine: “Good day, friend! Lead me to the treasure and no harm will come to ye.”

Combat Game of Choice: Surprise Attack

The Trackers fight the pirates until the door opens again… this time, it’s Cinna!

Day Five Morning

Begin the day in a standoff with the pirates and Cinna. He isn’t surprised to find you all gathered in his headquarters.

“I see you all found your way here with the treasure map! I found it months ago, of course, and built this wondrous place! I welcome visitors... How else will I test my creation? Elwood, start the robot’s engine!”

Elwood is reluctant. If the Trackers agreed to help him previously, Elwood will find a backbone and refuse to operate the robot, leaving Cinna to do it himself. If they refused to help Elwood previously, he will obey Cinna.

Robot Fight - Improv and Combat Game

The first part of the robot fight features pirates fighting with the robot and against the Trackers. As the fight goes on, the pirates realize the robot is against them as well, so they begin to help the Trackers. Working together, the pirates and Trackers are able to defeat the robot.

“Servos and gears explode outward as the damaged engine combusts! The glass windows of the headquarters rattle with the explosion, and then you all see it… a single crack

Retrieve the treasure and escape lair

Treasure is divvied

You learn about the pirates’ pure-ish intentions

Day Five Afternoon

Either way, the ending goes...

Traverse to the village

Present village NPCS with the ancient text of Hearthstone knowledge

Celebration in the Village