Archived GM Notes: This page is unsealed GM-notes pertaining to PRPG2. It is not canonical to PRPG2. It may contain contradictions (even with itself), and preliminary ideas that were merely written down as I thought of them, for later consideration. The absence of something mentioned here from the canon does not necessarily mean that the party "missed" it, it could have been mooted for other reasons or simply discarded by me.

Start off as a pre-existing band of adventurers, in medias res. Pick 2 each of 8:

Bitty Bee - Pegasus, rogue, mare Inventory: Lockpicks, sap, rope.

Big Tuck - Earth pony, fighter, stallion Inventory: Spear, armor.

Pepper Papers - Unicorn, scholar, mare Inventory: Books - Seven Years in Yakyakistan (a travelogue); Material Planes Beyond Our Own (a fantasy travelogue in which the writer claims to have visited a land of gloom and shadows he calls the "Dread Dimensions") ; Reindeer as She is Spoke (phrasebook); Jack Muleton's Paradise Estate Lost, first edition, an epic tale of sin and redemption; Writing materials; a particularly warm winter overcoat. Magic Known: Telekinesis only.

Green Bud - Earth pony zony, herbalist, mare Inventory: First aid kit; incendiary potions (4); Snowserpent venom antidote (1); Accelerated Healing potions (3)

Soaring Stratus - Pegasus, weatherpony, stallion Inventory: Bronze wingblades, a purportedly lucky parasprite wing, one bottled thunderhead. Magic known: Basic pegasus weather-magic and cloud-forming.

Moon Magic - Unicorn, mage, mare Inventory: A book: The New Mage's Hornbook (a compendium of magic); a magic wand of invisibility (2/5 charges); a silver necklace (decorative) Magic known: Basic offensive magic, decent telekinesis, winking out.

Arrow Weed - Earth pony, ranger, stallion Inventory: A crossbow and 20 arrows; a vial of poison with only a little arrow poison remaining (suitable for 5 arrows); a utility knife.

Brass Bobbins - Unicorn, tinkerer, mare Inventory: An enchanted shield that can deflect most energy and material attacks coming toward it; a kit of mechanical components and tools. Magic known: Telekinesis; enchanting.

Party items: (Carried by Big Tuck, unless you decide otherwise.) A tent. A lantern and oil. A small cookstove. <$1500> in Equestrian money. <$200> in precious metal coin, mostly Yakyakistani. Slow-Magic Lantern in which to put the Embers (quest item; carried by Green Bud)

Everyone additionally has uninteresting supplies (food, sleeping bag, water) although consumables are running low at this stage in your long journey. You have consumables for 3 days remaining.

29 CRAFTING 634 AE

Your band of adventurers were caught by the ELDER DRAGON Nares of Corundum trying to rectify a situation of profound economic inefficiency, to wit, the existence of the same dragon's vast unused hoard of precious metals, and were thus rather unfairly presented with a choice of either being burned alive or accepting a MAGICAL GEAS to perform a quest for him. You can still hear the words of the greedy old lizard ringing in your ears - literally, in fact, as that's part of the geas and seems to happen randomly at the most inconvenient times:

This quest has taken you into the farthest reaches of the FROZEN NORTH, through perilous Yakyakistan and the hostile wilderness beyond. Finally, you have arrived in the outskirts of the REINDEER KINGDOMS. It has been a long and been a long and difficult journey, and your supplies are running low.

Trudging through the arctic darkness in newfallen snow on your way to a settlement in the distance, you are suddenly ambushed by great hairy white yetis!

(They should be pretty tough. EL may bail them out, but will want payment.) "Lore, of Equestria. I am a journeymare of the Arcane Helix."

EL is going to try to filch the Tome of Ursami when it is used in the Winter Solstice ceremony on 30 Crafting.

Ceremony - the high priest of the Reindeer, Sajiyule, will open the wards of the Great Boreal hearthfire to make an offering to it, consisting of everwood (preserved by freezing). He will read from the Tome of Ursami, casting the spell to renew the hearthfire, burning up his own antlers and losing his magic until they regrow. (This is obviously when EL will try to steal the book.) Then alderbucks from each of the reindeer kingdoms will take a coal from the hearthfire to bring back to their homes. The wards are closed at this time (by underpriests) until the next year.

The reindeer settlement the party is reaching is preparing for the festival associated with the solstice. They are building a huge wicker yak. There is a reindeer there who speaks Equestrian (somewhat poorly). "Yes, are building big big wood yak, celebrates time yak attack during solstice, but we set them on fire, great victory. Terrible smell of burning hair, but great victory."

The reindeer can explain the ceremony.

There is a sick young reindeer who was bitten by a snow-serpent and needs the antidote. Her mother was a priestess but was cast out for abandoning her vow of chastity, and she knows about the boreal hearthfire stuff and will help the party. She doesn't like the established religion for personal reasons alluded to above.

people might think ponies are windigoes.

The light of the boreal hearthfire is directed around with mirrors. Everywhere its light touches is magically green and verdant, producing crops in the winter (and light).

The GBHF ceremony takes place in a large conical stone building in the center of the castle of Lulesami, hereditary custodian of the great boreal hearthfire. Ponies and random reindeer for that matter will not be allowed in, but there is a delegation with each alderbuck including a priestess and some leading subjects of each dominion, which could potentially be infiltrated.

The fire can be seen through rock-crystal panes, though, including that it is sealed within some kind of chimney which has no evident airholes (air comes from a cave below).

The cave can be reached simply by looking for it outside the castle. EL might tell them about it, if bribed.

In the cave there are equinoid troglodytes (little windigoes) using snow-serpent venom knives. They are pretty tough to beat but stupid and drain heat. They are strengthened by inter-party conflict.

The basement of the building is continuous with the cave,it has the fire air intakes but they are almost too small for a pony to pass. There are a pair of guards down here, but they are already dead, having been killed by EL.