Scene 9: Snovingars

Gehe zur deutschen Version: Szene 9: Snovingars

GM Information

One or two days after the discovery of the dead soldier, Beron will gather the troop after lunch — naturally through the squad leaders. Once all recruits are standing in front of their barracks, he informs them that two Snovingars have been sighted. Normally, two Snovingars are not a problem, but since two others already came to Nyrian a few weeks ago to nest, the newcomers are clearly too many.

Snovingars are very graceful and beautiful creatures — several‑meter‑tall animals that can move through the air with massive wings. The problem is that they raise their young in the crevices of the Sprakmarka, and during this time they react extremely aggressively to territorial intrusions — sometimes even toward each other.

Attacking a fully grown Snovingar is extremely dangerous and avoided whenever possible. But the eggs or the young are easier to deal with. The recruit squad now in their second year of training is tasked with finding the nest of the most recently arrived Snovingar. It must be found as quickly as possible so that only the eggs need to be destroyed — and they don’t have to fight young Snovingars. A second squad of experienced rune warriors will take care of the other nest, which likely already contains hatched young.

The recruits are equipped — including with a frostglass spear, shield, and for the first time, a simple rune armor. This armor has no runes yet and serves solely as physical protection.

Read Aloud
Beron leads you into the armory. There, a full set of equipment is already laid out for each of you: spear, throwing spears, dagger, longsword or sabre — and a rune armor! The amazement and joy of finally wearing your own rune armor is clearly visible on many faces. Some stroke the scales of the armor with reverence, others can’t put it on fast enough.

As you remove your outer clothing and pull the armor over your undergarments, an uneasy feeling washes over you. It’s not a bad feeling to wear this armor — but they wouldn’t give you rune armor unless they expected you to need it. Rune armor is precious.

Once you have fully put it on and fastened the last clasp, you feel a pleasant warmth spreading inside the armor. You’ve heard that rune armor always maintains the right temperature — but feeling it yourself is something else. You move a little to test it and are surprised at how little the armor restricts you.

Your comrades test their armor just like you — some hop, roll their shoulders, stretch their arms wide,

GM Information

After the recruits have equipped themselves and packed everything else they need, they stand ready with their sleds in front of the barracks. Beron takes the lead, and the recruit squad sets out from Fort Virkin, heading south into the Sprakmarka. Some — especially those who were once trapped on the iceberg — may feel uneasy heading south again.

Let the recruits search for the nest for one or two days. They can orient themselves by the mother’s regular appearances to estimate where the nest must be and approach it step by step. On the second day, they enter the territory of the Snovingar mother. The recruits have been given white blankets on their sleds. Beron will instruct them early on to keep these draped permanently over the sleds and themselves. They can be tied to the sled and body using the small strings hanging from them. You may let the players discover these special blankets earlier — and let them wonder what they are for.

As soon as the mother appears, everyone must immediately crouch down and stay silent. The blankets simulate snow, and as long as no one moves conspicuously or stands out visually, the mother will simply pass over them.

When the heroes are already very close to the nest — about 2–3 km — they may witness the Snovingar mother attacking an ice prowler. She snatches it mid‑flight and drops it after several meters. The ice prowler crashes onto the hard ice with a suddenly silenced scream — but is still alive. The mother then lands, tears it apart with her claws, and eats it — as nourishment for the exhausting weeks of raising her young.

Have the heroes roll Survival and Perception regularly — partly to spot the mother early enough, partly to notice if anyone is visible (e.g., a blanket slipping out of place). Otherwise, the usual rolls for marching and igloo building apply. Give the squad leaders small tasks as well, such as checking the igloos, setting up camp, standing watch, scouting (after all, there are other dangers on the ice), and so on.

If the recruit squad is discovered, the Snovingar will hunt them. Beron will shout for a retreat and make sure every recruit runs for their life. They must leave the mother’s territory — only then will she leave the group alone.

If the recruits were already very close to the nest, one of the NPC recruits will fall victim to the Snovingar mother. The rest can escape thanks to the loss of their comrade. A heroic rescue is not possible — no one can fly, and even if they could, they would not stand a chance alone against the Snovingar. As soon as the victim is airborne, Beron will urge all remaining recruits to run even faster and order them to abandon their sleds.

Read Aloud
You saw the Snovingar mother circling above a larger crevice and eventually landing. “She’s checking her eggs,” Beron said, “because if hatchlings were already there, we would have heard them. They’re loud and demanding as soon as they sense their mother.” You waited until the mother flew off again — presumably to hunt for food. To be safe, you waited a good while longer, but then Beron gave the signal to move. One group stays here; the rest heads toward the nest.

When you look into the crevice, you see large chunks of ice and snow forming the base for four eggs. The Snovingar mother must have brought them here.
The four eggs are enormous — if set upright, they would probably reach your waist. They shimmer with a pearlescent sheen, like the inside of a shell or the wings of a Snovingar — beautiful. In the light, you can even make out silhouettes of bodies inside — still small, but clearly visible.

Beron exhales in relief and gives you a serious nod. “Group XXX (the players) comes with me. Two of you smash one egg each, and a third kills the thing inside. We don’t know how far along they are or whether they’d already be viable — so we’re playing it safe. The rest stands guard and secures the ropes.

If the mother shows up before we’re done, she’ll go berserk — and look for the culprit. Those down below try to hide between and under the ice chunks. Those above stay under their blankets and move away slowly and carefully.

Each group is on its own. When she’s gone again, we regroup.”

GM Information

The hatchlings still need about ten days before breaking out of their eggs. In theory, that leaves time for several attempts. Still, it would be best if everything goes smoothly in a single day. The recruits have about two hours before the mother returns. So unless something unexpected happens — such as a recruit falling and requiring a complicated rescue — completing the task should not be a problem.

Have the players roll simple Athletics checks between 10 and 13 while climbing down. In the nest, they need an Acrobatics check to stand safely, representing careful balancing on the ice chunks (DC 12). Breaking the eggs and killing the not‑yet‑fully‑developed hatchling is physically no challenge. However, one of the recruits may have moral qualms and be unable to bring themselves to do it. A discussion may arise, but ultimately Beron will make it clear that this is not about morality — it’s about survival. Too many Snovingars endanger the Frostfolk — the stronger or more cunning one ensures their own life and that of their offspring. That is the natural order of the world.

When the players climb back up after finishing the job, they must roll Athletics again. Since their comrades above are supporting them by securing the ropes, the difficulty remains the same. The recruits can withdraw without issue and observe the mother’s reaction from a safe distance, which turns out to be relatively mild. She returns, lands, and searches for her eggs. When she realizes they are destroyed, you hear a mournful cry, and she takes to the air, flying back toward the sea. From time to time her cry echoes faintly across the ice — then she is out of earshot.

Read Aloud

The next morning you are ready to set out again — back to Fort Virkin. Your sleds are already packed when Beron suddenly stops. With narrowed eyes, he looks eastward. When you follow his gaze, you see a lone figure running toward you through the snow — a runner, hurried and exhausted.

Beron raises his hand. “Wait.” Then he calls all squad leaders to him and jogs toward the approaching man.

Moments later you see him — breathless, frostbitten, sweat frozen at his temples. Gasping, he tries to speak.

GM Information

The runner comes from the second group, which also had the task of destroying a nest. But the situation there turned out to be far more dangerous. Instead of a normal clutch, they found an unusually large nest containing three young Snovingars and four hatchlings. Two mothers tend to the brood. They take turns, but not a single minute goes by without the nest being watched. Together they claim a vast territory where every step becomes a risk. Two scouts managed to get close enough to see the nest — but were nearly spotted by the vigilant mother.

Such a sighting is rare, almost legendary, and beyond the capabilities of a normal scouting party. Therefore, a new plan was made: while part of the fighters distracts and lures away the mother, a small, agile group is to reach the nest. For this role, they have considered the recruits.

Beron listens to the report in silence. Then he turns to his squad leaders and asks whether their people are up to the task. His posture makes it clear that he believes they are — but only under one condition: they must act decisively, without moral hesitation. “Anyone who falters at the wrong moment,” he says, “drags not only themselves but all of us into ruin.”

If the player group refuses the task, Beron will accept it. He will send them back to Virkin to deliver the message and request reinforcements. But if they choose to go along, a new and even more dangerous trial awaits them — the confrontation with a double nest, something hardly any Frostfolk has seen in generations.

Read Aloud

The rune warrior squad has set up a camouflaged outpost about two kilometers from the nest. Letvin Stormbrother is in command. When you arrive, Letvin immediately waves Beron over, who signals the squad leaders to follow. Together you enter a small room inside the hastily built igloo. Letvin and Beron greet each other with a handshake.

“Beron, are your recruits ready for deployment?” “They’re entering their third year. They’ll manage.” “Good. We wait until the larger mother goes hunting. Then we lure the smaller one away, and your recruits take care of the young Snovingars.” “How many are there?” “Five young Snovingars and four fresh hatchlings.” “That’s rough.” Letvin nods. “It’s enough if either the young ones or the hatchlings are killed. Then one of the mothers will leave.” “Yes, that’s possible — but not guaranteed.” “It’s quite likely. Even better would be if both mothers leave. There are many Snovingars around this year.”

GM Information

After the brief discussion with Letvin, Beron will speak with his squad leaders and allow them to offer their own suggestions.

Important points:

They must climb down into the nest before they can fight the young.

The nest is not large enough for an entire squad to fight inside.

It therefore makes sense to position ranged fighters at the rim and send only the best melee fighters down.

The nest counts as difficult terrain — movement costs are doubled.

by Microsoft Copilot

by Microsoft Copilot