Running the Session

Let’s run Session 2 of “The Brittle Steel Mystery” using our prep. This shows how preparation transforms into actual play.

The Opening (First 15 Minutes)

11:00 - Setting Up

Players arrive, catching up while you arrange materials. Your one-page plan sits center, Morak’s NPC card to the left, dice to the right.

11:05 - The Recap Question

“Alright everyone, let’s dive back into Ironhold. Who wants to recap where we left off?”

Tom volunteers: “We discovered the brittle steel crisis at the Royal Forge, met Torin who was desperate, and chose to investigate the Deepguard Archive. We descended into the archive and saw Keeper Morak about to perform some kind of purification ritual with a glowing hammer!”

“Perfect! And you have about 3 days before the clan moot…”

11:08 - The Scene

“The ritual chamber glows with ethereal light. Keeper Morak stands before the forge-flame replica, the hammer pulsing with divine energy. He hasn’t noticed you yet. The chanting grows louder: ‘Ancestors, purify your children!’ The hammer rises higher…”

“What do you do?”

11:10 - Immediate Crisis

The players react:

Lisa: “I shout ‘Wait! Stop!’”
Marcus: “I ready my sword”
Tom: “I’m preparing Counterspell”
Sarah: “I step forward respectfully”

You know from your prep: 3 rounds until the hammer strikes. Time for initiative? No—Lisa shouted first, giving them a chance to talk.

Managing the Confrontation

The Interruption (11:15)

“Morak freezes, hammer suspended. He turns, eyes wild. ‘You DARE interrupt sacred work? The ancestors—’”

Lisa cuts in: “Keeper, please! We come seeking wisdom about the brittle steel. Torin sent us!”

Reading the room: Everyone’s leaning forward. Lisa’s taking lead (as you hoped from prep notes). Marcus looks antsy—remember he needs action soon.

The Negotiation Path (11:20-11:45)

Your prep says: Will listen if they show respect, quote scripture

Sarah (picking up the cue): “Keeper Morak, we seek understanding. The ancient texts speak of purity, but also of wisdom. What drives this ritual?”

The Scene: Ancient tomes lie open on stone pedestals around the ritual circle. Candlelight flickers across pages of proto-dwarvish runes. One massive book sits beside Morak, bookmarked with prayer ribbons.

Morak’s Response (checking NPC card):

Voice: Whispered urgency
Want: Strengthen the ancient seals
Mistaken belief: His ritual will reinforce them (actually weakens them)

“The corruption spreads! Can’t you see?” He gestures to the open tome. “The steel fails because we have fallen from the ancestors’ path. The old seals are failing—they’re too weak! This ritual will purify and strengthen them, cleanse the corruption before it escapes!”

Party Reaction:

Tom (wizard): “Wait, seals? What seals?”
Lisa: “But what if the seals trap something else?”
Marcus: Growing impatient
Sarah: Trying to stay diplomatic

Adding Pressure (11:35)

Time for Marcus’s moment. From your prep: Environmental: Ritual energy lashes out

“As you debate, the suspended ritual energy crackles. A bolt of pure light lashes toward Marcus!”

Marcus finally gets to roll: Dex save (DC 15)—makes it!

“You dodge aside as the energy scorches the floor. Morak struggles to control the hammer. ‘It must complete! Or all is lost!’”

The Revelation (11:45)

Lisa succeeds on Persuasion (DC 13, rolled 16): “Keeper, what if your ritual doesn’t strengthen the seals but weakens them? What if the old texts have been mistranslated?”

Morak wavers, then frantically flips back through the massive tome:

“Weakens? No, the purification should…” His finger stops on a specific rune. “Wait. This word—I translated it as ‘purify through breaking’… but in Old Dwarvish it could mean… ‘shatter utterly.’”

Tom steps closer to see: “And this passage here—it’s not about corruption to be cleansed…”

Morak’s face drains of color: “It’s about the Whisper Man—an entity to be contained! By the ancestors, what have I almost done?”

The Investigation Phase (11:45-12:30)

Transitioning Scenes

With Morak converted to ally, shift from confrontation to investigation. The ritual energy needs to be safely discharged (Tom’s Arcana check—success!).

“The chamber settles. Morak, shaken, whispers: ‘If you’re right… the old vault. Behind the Hammer of Founding tapestry. But beware the Guardian.’”

The Vault Discovery

Players investigate:

Sarah: Perception 15—notices the tapestry hangs oddly
Tom: Detect Magic—senses abjuration (the glyph) and transmutation (animated armor)
Marcus: Just wants to pull the tapestry aside
Lisa: “Wait! Let Morak tell us about this Guardian”

Managing Different Approaches:

Let Tom’s magic detection warn about the glyph
Use Morak to explain the prayer needed
Give Marcus the animated armor fight he wants

The Armor Combat (12:00)

Tom reaches for the tome. The ancient armor’s eyes flare red!

Morak shouts: “Wait! Speak your purpose to the Guardian!”

Tom pauses, then declares: “I seek knowledge to save Ironhold from the corruption!”

The Guardian’s Test:

Tom rolls Persuasion: 14
Guardian’s Insight (at disadvantage): rolls 6 and 15, must use 6
DC 14 vs 6… the Guardian doesn’t believe him!

“DECEPTION! NONE MAY STEAL THE SACRED KNOWLEDGE!”

The armor animates with a grinding metal sound—Marcus grins and draws his sword!

Running the Fight:

Initiative rolled quickly
Round 1: Armor moves to block the vault exit, swings at Tom
Tactics: It focuses on Tom (who touched the tome), forcing others to protect him
Environmental challenge: 15x15 vault, hard to maneuver
Marcus gets his spotlight protecting the wizard
Cool moment at half HP: Helmet falls off, revealing nothing inside
Round 4: Victory! Armor crumbles, whispers: “The seals… must… hold…”

Information Revealed (12:15)

Post-combat investigation of the tome:

Title: “The Binding of the Whisper Man”
Three seal locations (one directly below!)
The Goldbeard letter (players gasp—internal threat!)
Counter-ritual requirements

Building to the Climax (12:30-1:00)

Rising Tension

With information gained, add time pressure. From prep: Strange whispers, temperature dropping

“As you study the tome, the temperature plummets. Your breath mists. From the cracks in the floor, whispers rise: ‘Soon… soon… soon…’”

Tom: “How long do we have?” “The texts suggest six hours once a seal cracks. It’s been one.”

The Choice Point

Players debate:

Fix this seal first?
Warn the city?
Pursue Goldbeards?
Find the other seals?

Managing Analysis Paralysis: “As you debate, Morak staggers. ‘The nearest seal—below us. I can feel it weakening. Whatever you decide, decide quickly.’”

The Stabilization Ritual (12:50)

“Suddenly, deep rumbling shakes the archive. Dust falls from the ceiling. Morak’s eyes widen in horror, then determination: ‘Wait! I may not know the full counter-ritual, but I found something—an emergency reinforcement!’”

He frantically flips pages: “Here! But I need all of you. This won’t last long, but it might buy us time!”

Running the Group Ritual:

Lisa leads prayers (Religion DC 10): “Guide these ancient words…”
Tom channels arcane energy (Arcana DC 12): “I’m redirecting the residual power…”
Marcus holds the circle stable (Athletics DC 13): “This floor is cracking!”
Sarah provides divine focus (Medicine DC 11): “Keeping Morak conscious…”

Each success adds stability. With all four:

“The cracks stop spreading. The temperature stabilizes—still cold, but not plummeting. The whispers fade to barely audible. Morak collapses against the wall.”

The New Cliffhanger (12:58)

“We’ve bought time,” Morak gasps. “Three days, maybe less. The seal could fail at any moment.” He looks at you with haunted eyes. “There are two more seals. And the Goldbeards have a three-week head start.”

“What’s your next move?”

Players declare intentions—less panicked, more strategic:

Lisa: “We need to research the proper ritual”
Marcus: “Let’s track down these Goldbeards”
Tom: “Can we reinforce the other seals?”
Sarah: “The city needs to know”

“And that’s where we’ll pick up next week!”

Session Wrap-Up (1:00-1:10)

Immediate Feedback

“Great session everyone! Favorite moments?”

Lisa: “Converting Morak instead of fighting!”
Marcus: “That armor fight in close quarters”
Tom: “The Goldbeard conspiracy twist”
Sarah: “Being part of the stabilization ritual!”

Noticed Marcus getting antsy during negotiation → added environmental attack (ritual energy)
Saw Lisa taking diplomatic lead → let her drive the persuasion
Tom engaged with visible books → incorporated him into the translation revelation
Sarah staying respectful → rewarded with Morak responding positively

Managing Pacing:

Opened mid-crisis (3 rounds to disaster!)
Quick negotiation backed by mechanics (Persuasion DC 13)
Transitioned smoothly to investigation via Morak’s help
Combat encounter perfectly timed for restless players
Built to new crisis (seal weakening) for cliffhanger

Using Prep Effectively:

One-page plan stayed visible throughout
Morak’s NPC card kept his voice consistent (whispers, scripture)
Used both paths: 2A (negotiation) flowed into 2B elements (investigation)
Guardian’s Insight check at disadvantage created “natural” combat
Hit all information checkboxes while following player choices

Mechanical Decisions:

No initiative for interruption (Lisa spoke first)
Called for Persuasion at the right dramatic moment
Used disadvantage cleverly to nudge toward desired outcome
Environmental details (15x15 vault) affected tactical choices

Handling Curveballs:

Tom wanted to examine books → “Yes, and here’s what you see”
Players might bypass combat → created roll that likely fails
Marcus needed action → environmental attack, then armor fight
Time pressure (“6 hours remaining”) prevented analysis paralysis

Key Lessons

Strong openings create momentum - Jump straight into the crisis
Prep enables flexibility - Knowing multiple paths let us follow player choices
Individual spotlight moments matter - Everyone got their time
Cliffhangers write themselves - When you have clear stakes and time pressure
One-page visibility works - No shuffling, no lost information

Next: Post-Session

With the session complete, you have 10 minutes of crucial work to capture what happened and prepare for next time.

Mimir - D&D Campaign Assistant