After writing Session Zero of Stonetop, I sat down with pencil and paper and wrote down four headings:

• “I Wonder” Questions
• Possible Threats
• Opening Scenes
• Follow-up Situations

I read over my notes to form the “I wonder” questions. Then started thinking about the notes and discussion from last night, and what might be in motion. This started shaping my possible threats. I put character initials beside each threat to see the representation.

With those written down, I came up with opening scenes that I can use to gently introduce the characters into the world. These are framing questions and mostly expository. With a purpose of expanding the list of Non-Player Characters (NPCs 📖) .

These opening questions are about Player Characters (PCs 📖) interacting with character’s they’ve named and introduced.

Also, while writing those scenes, I thought about follow-up situations. These are ones that have each character briefly interact with NPCs introduced by another player. The idea being to get everyone “caring” about more people. These interactions are also about asking loaded questions and making soft moves to hint at threats.

There are other threats not discussed that I’ll introduce through soft moves.

I’m beginning to see a shape of the first situation that will pull them out of Stonetop.

Notes

What follows are my initial notes I used for our first session. I printed them out and taped them into my notebook, which I then wrote notes throughout the session.

Opening Questions

• Hiltrude: what memento of Griff’s do catch him looking at with a sense of sadness?
• Ezra: who moved out to make room for you? And why was it their idea?
• Tesatu: you’re having dinner with your cousins, what dish reminds you of your dad’s cooking? And who are you surprised is absent?

First Day Vignettes

• Ezra: Mair comes seeking a remedy for her fertility.
• Hiltrude: Eurwen asking you: “are you ever scared?”
• Tesatu: Griff returning something you gave him before you left.

Throughout the day, you eye the western road, leading to the crossroads. Its ancient slabs of basalt stretching on. Snowmelt trickles amongst gutters. Never do seeds, dust, nor leaves land on these stones.

• All: The magic of the roads—the wards against violence, evil, and decay—how do they make each of you feel?

Packing up the Evening

The waning gibbous moon, smiling like a knowing fiend, rides amidst the field of stars. A damp and chilly breeze whips up from the Great Wood. The night is restless, the very land roiling, searching. Far off, the wolves wake, howling, now winter worn and hungry.

• Ezra: who amongst the villagers fills your dreams?
• Tesatu: who amongst your family in Barrier Pass do you wish were here with you tonight?
• Hiltrude: on a night such as this, why does resting yourself against the runic stone bring you comfort?

You snap out of your reverie with the sound of howls still far off yet drawing closer. What do you do?

• All: Each of you name one of the village folk on watch this evening.
• Any: What noises, likely a mile off, tells you the pack found their prey? How do you know that the prey were not an animals?

A Broken Morning

• Hiltrude: Once sleep came, dreams of you running, close to the ground, along the great road, scared, heart and legs pumping. Before you a giant rose, what reminded you of Urgben in that moment? How did you avoid him? Why were you surprised he didn’t chase you?
• Tesatu: What odd noise do you now remember hearing last night that was most certainly Crinwin within the village? What is it said to mean?
• Ezra: Even before Eurwen’s mom Fion was at your door, how did you know it was about Eurwen?

On the Road

• Any: what tell-tale signs do you find that Eurwen escaped the clutches of some crinwin and took to the western road?

“From the distance you see a man weary and struggling to carry another man.”

• Hiltrude: even from this distance, what unmistakable feature of the ambulatory man tells you this is Urgben?

Urgben (to win any fight he starts) has a bloody wolf pelt draped over his shoulders. In his arms, he’s carrying a haphazardly bandaged and naked Fflur (a hermit who lives outside Stonetop).

• Tesatu: what memory do you have of the hermit, Fflur, who lived in the village before you left.

Urgben walking on road, he was hearing noises (wolf howls and callback to Tesatu’s answer regarding Crinwin). A running boy approached, spooked, darted off the road. Then noises (callback to answer about finding their prey). I followed the boy, and bloody caranage everywhere. These short child-sized creatures, torn to ribbons, this man naked and tattered except for a wolf pelt. I searched, and there was no sign of the boy.