COSMIC011

Ten long years of peace & tranquility have passed for the people of the Bitter Mountains. Left to their quiet mountaintops & humble villages, the traders live quietly, weaving cloth garments & exquisite shawls. Any time of prosperity brings with it security, comfort & creativity. The shepherds are sprightly, the quarry sparkles with precious delights & The Runecaster's people are content.

At the winter solstice, an augury meeting of the elders in Brekka Vale predicts darkness & uncertainty. Within weeks the first raids of a decade occur & the fishing town of Grimnir is sacked (see map, Runecaster I). News carries fast of murderous plunder without mercy, the mysterious oppressors travel with unprecedented numbers of soldiers & decisions are made for the mountaineers to leave their ancestral lands. The townsfolk live an ascetic lifestyle & their clans are able to gather vital resources quickly, meeting at boats on the east side within days. The Runecaster leads his longship with many others across The Jagged Sea towards unchartered territory. As tradition dictates, only the founding elders remain on the shores, raising their hands slowly to bid farewell as they prepare to meet their enemy.

Our adventure takes place as the community seeks refuge.... After a difficult journey of weeks into new waters, the longships finally arrive at the steaming shores of the Stony Marsh. The climate here is drastically different to their own & the mountaineers will need to adapt quickly in order to survive. At daybreak upon arrival, our hero breaks the seal of a book containing the last words left by the Elders. The passages describe a unique yellow flower which is hidden at the heart of a jungle in a remote landscape. Provided that the mountain-folk can find safe passage & the rare flower's location, only then should they lay the foundations of a new home.

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released May 25, 2022