CHapter 4: Lords of the Long NightKnown FactsThose from the Haunted Forest are likely to know the legend of theHuntsman and his terrifying wight direwolves. See the Huntsman, onpage 121, for that information. Although, it should be noted, it is notcommonly known that he is an Other, specifically—merely that theHaunted Forest is sometimes haunted by a terrifying winter huntsman.Unknown FactsUnknown to the characters, these wolves are not the vanguard of theHuntsman. They are merely a few of his ravenous hounds who leapt intopursuit of the deer that fled in front of him. He continues on his ownendeavor: some other poor unfortunate wildling.If the Narrator wishes, the characters may encounter the Huntsman,but it should be noted that he is a truly fearsome foe, particularly forthose unprepared for battling the Others. In such a case, hiding charactersmight see him catch his quarry, if the Narrator wishes to impressupon the players the horror of the Huntsman.Alternately, he may simply never make an appearance at all, leavingthe characters to watch around them in terror for the rest of their tripthrough the Haunted Forest.The OthersThe wight direwolves use the statistics for the Huntsman’s creatures onpage 121.WeirdnessIf the characters manage to catch up to the Huntsman’s quarry, theyfind him horribly mangled, clearly torn apart by multiple direwolves.The area where he fell is a scene of horror, spattered with frozen-blackblood and bits of viscera that was once a man. The wildling’s head hasbeen propped up on a stone, as though some kind of warning, with ascream frozen on his face.A Formidable (12) Awareness roll (Notice applies), however, revealsthat the man threw his pack into the trees, probably just beforethe Huntsman found him. The pack is relatively simple to retrieve, andcontains clothing, traveling food and a few furs that one might use fortrading. Tucked into the bottom of the pack, however, is a rolled-upbundle containing a single obsidian dagger and a dozen obsidian arrowheads.Beneath the SurfaceAs the sun sets, the black brothers come into a clearing on the edge ofa small frozen pond. The snow on the pond shows recent signs of footprints,moving from one cleared spot on the ice to another. Any whoventure out onto the ice will feel it crack and shift ominously as theymove, threatening to send them into the water at any moment.With a torch or lamp, it is possible to illuminate the cleared spaces inthe ice. Doing so reveals the cold blue eyes of the dead staring back atthem. Some may scrabble at the ice from underneath, desperate to reachthe brothers, but trapped on their side of the barrier.Once the brothers have ventured onto the ice, the Other will stalkout of the trees from the opposite shore. It moves across the ice withouta sound, even the crunch of its feet in the snow is inaudible. While thewights cannot claw through the ice on their own, they are more thanhappy to come after anyone who falls through, and will use those openingto pull themselves to the surface.TerrainThere are several battlefield qualities in play with this encounter. Likeall encounters with the Others, the light is Shadowy (-1D on Agility,Athletics, Fighting and Thievery tests, -2D on Marksmanship tests).Because of the open terrain, brothers on the ice cannot spend a DestinyPoint to hide from the Other’s approach. Brothers who remained onshore may use Stealth to hide among the trees as normal.The frozen pond is treacherous terrain for a battle, being both slipperyand too thin for aggressive movement. To move 1 yard on the ice costs 3yards of Movement. This cost can be reduced by 1 yard for a round if thebrother succeeds at a Challenging (9) Agility test (remember the poorlighting impacts this test). Spending a Destiny Point allows the brotherto completely ignore the penalty for a round. Remember that the Othersare immune to treacherous terrain effects from snow and ice.Characters who roll a Critical Failure on the Agility test break throughthe ice. Not only does this expose them to Extreme Cold (SIFRP, Chapter11: The Narrator), it also allows the wights sealed beneath the ice toattack them. Should a brother survive long enough to be pulled beneath theice, they can break through the barrier by spending a destiny point.Known FactsEven if the characters have not discovered the wights frozen beneaththe ice, they will be apparent as soon as the Other appears. They slap125
CHapter 4: Lords of the Long Nightagainst the bottom of the ice, and the encounter is underscored by thedesperate moaning of the dead as they struggle against the barrier.It is easy to break open the ice deliberately. Succeeding at a Routine(6) Attack test will create a hole in the ice that can slow the Other’sadvance, and allow a wight to crawl out of its prison.Unknown FactsThe unknowns are plentiful in this encounter. Chiefly, the reason thatthe Others are sealing wights up in the lake is a mystery for the Narratorto resolve. Are they using the lake as a larder, or storing soldiersfor a massive attack against the Wall? Is it a punishment for the wights,or the Other? Other mysteries that the Narrator may wish to consider:how many Others use the pond? Is there something special about thispond, or do the Others use all bodies of frozen water in this way? Whyare the Others territorial about the ice?The OthersThe Others have been placing their victims beneath the ice for somemonths now, either to store them for some future need, or to keep fromfilling the woods with their victims. Should the shoreline be searched,the dead body of a wildling will be found where the Other dropped itbefore coming out to deal with the Sworn Brothers.Because they desire the pond for their own use, the Other will notattack the characters once they have left the ice. Once the charactershave all left the ice the Other will withdraw, but if it is attacked again, itwill pursue them onto the shore and avenge what it considers a betrayalof its honorable behavior.Use the Other and Wight stats from SIFRP, Chapter 11: TheNarrator, Antagonists & Allies for the creatures in this encounter.WeirdnessAlthough this encounter can be both very challenging and very frighteningas written, there is more weirdness that can be introduced if theNarrator wishes. The wildling corpse in the words (see previous) can riseas a wight and attack characters who remained on shore. If this happens,it (and any wights created by the Others attacks) will withdraw whenthe brothers leave the ice. If they leave the ice and do not continue thecombat, the Other will break a hole in the ice and seal any “surviving”wights beneath it.The WoodsmanThe characters hear the rhythmic sound of an axe, and follow it to awildling hut, where a man splits wood on a stump with careful slowness.The fruits of his labor are stacked to one side; several cords of carefullysplit wood in orderly piles. At first the woodsman does not seem to noticethe characters, and continues with his task. If they approach within3 yards or call out, he will turn to face them. Although his blackenedhands and feet are covered, his pale face and blue-flame eyes (as well asthe massive wound to his chest) make it immediately apparent that thewoodsman has risen as a wight.If the characters attack, enter the hut or approach the woodpile thewight will attack without mercy, using its axe as a weapon. If the characterswithdraw and do not attack, the wight will pick up another log andsplit it into firewood. If it runs out of logs, the wight will collect anotherdead tree, and begin to break it down.TerrainThe clearing is very small, no more than 10 yards across, and surroundedby woods that provide cover (SIFRP, page 156). The hut is roughlyround, and about 6 yards in diameter. Its walls are made of wood beneatha thatch roof. The door is a simple opening covered with animalskins to keep out the wind. Inside the hut, a rotting meal sits on a simpletable, while more furs are piled on moldy hay as a makeshift bed.Known FactsThe wight behaves in a manner unlike others of its kind, being territorialrather than a bestial predator. It also exhibits some memories of its formerlife, as evidenced by the use of the axe. While it is clearly the result of aWhite Walker’s attack, there does not seem to be any sign of the Othersaround the hut. The hut itself shows signs of being inhabited in the past,but the hearth is long cold and the food stores that remain have spoiled.Unknown FactsOne of the big unknowns is the nature of the wight itself: is it merelyexceptional, or are wights slowly becoming more intelligent? Is it beingcontrolled by a White Walker, like a grisly marionette? If so, thento what end? Is it merely a noise lure to attract new victims, or do theOthers have some need for wood that requires them to employ wightsas an unflagging labor force?The OthersThe presence of a wight indicates that a White Walker should be nearby,but one will not show itself. The wight chops outside the hut asit plays through a dim reminder of its former life—a revelation thatshould unsettle the characters with the implications of what a wightmight or might not remember.If the Narrator wants to include the Others in the encounter, one optionis to wait into the middle of the night. Under cover of darkness,a White Walker will arrive with up to three more wraiths in tow. Thewraiths will collect the wood and follow the Other back into the woods.If the characters attempt to follow, the Other and the wraiths will attack.If the Narrator chooses the second option, the Others could be collectingthe wood to fire a tunnel beneath the Wall (either a new excavation,or one of Gendel and Gorne’s older tunnels) and collapse a sectionof the foundation.Use the Wight traits from SIFRP, Chapter 11: The Narrator,Antagonists & Allies for the wight. If it attacks with its axe, use thefollowing traits: Axe 2D, 4 damage, Two-handed.WeirdnessExploring the hut (after the wight has been killed) will uncover a woman’shair combs and a wooden doll tucked beneath the furs of the sleeping pallet.Both objects are stained with dried blood. If the characters go throughthe woodpile, they will eventually find the frozen remains of a young child,chopped and stacked with the same care as the rest of the wood. The woman’sbody cannot be found, and she may either have been dead of naturalcauses, or she has risen after death and left with her White Walker masters.126
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