The Melting North | Thelen Expeditions, Open World
The frigid North is frequently swept by snowstorms. The only refuges are the underground dwarven cities, but their gates are now mysteriously closed.
$20.00
/ Session
Details
Weekly / Wednesday - 11:00 PM UTC
Session Duration / 2–3 hours
Campaign Length / 16–20 Sessions
0 / 6 Seats Filled
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About the adventure
Begin an open world adventure in the icy, mountainous home of the dwarves! The Chiefdom of Jargund, dominating the northernmost reaches of the Thelen continent, is known for its barren tundras and great mountain ranges. It is home to the nomadic tribes of Arans, who brave the frequent snowstorms as they follow and tend to the great reindeer herds. Less hospitable denizens also stalk the tundras, preying upon any who let their guard down. COOPERATIVE STORYTELLING - Beginners need not worry, we make this campaign together as a table! Every character will get their time to shine! Any new ideas or backstory additions are welcomed and encouraged. What sounds cool to you? OPEN WORLD - Your characters' goals are the priority! HOMEBREW WORLD - The homebrew world of Thelen has been worked on and played in for more than 10 years! It has enough classic D&D/Fantasy vibes to feel familiar, along with plenty of new and exciting things to discover! NEW RACE - The Arans are a goat-like race (think satyrs but larger) who are built to handle the freezing cold and barren landscapes. Though mostly a nomadic people, there are some who have left the tundras behind to experience the wider world of Thelen for themselves.
Game style
Rule of Cool (RoC)
Sandbox / Open World
Theater of the Mind
Game themes
Meet the Game Master
5.0
(4)
Less than a year on StartPlaying
Highly rated for: Rule of Cool, Storytelling, Voices
About me
I've been a fantasy nerd since I was 10 years old, when my grandpa gave me his copies of The Magician's Nephew and The Hobbit. Soon after, my uncle gave me The Crystal Shard and I was hooked. We didn't know about TTRPGs at the time, but my siblings and I spent countless hours waving sticks around and fighting orcs in the woods and creeks behind our house. We first found out about D&D while preparing for a family roadtrip. I'll never forget those first couple sessions, sprawled out in the backseats, rolling nothing but d6s because that's all we had. And then having all my plans and preparation go out the window with my players as they leapt from the tower I had painstakingly built for them to climb. It was the perfect introduction to the game that I ended up falling in love with. I've been a GM for 15 years now, from one-shots and game nights, to years-long campaigns. I've run games for friends, family, children and strangers. I love bringing the game to new people and seeing them roll that first natural 20 and saving their first town. Or that first natural 1 and learning that failing can be more fun succeeding. My siblings and I are still playing that same campaign that we started on that roadtrip 15 years ago. College, military, marriages, babies, jobs; we've found time to play together through all of it, and made some damn good memories along the way.
View Profile →Character creation
Creating your character
Session 0: We will handle character creation at our first session. Characters will start at level 3 and be built in D&D Beyond. Feel free to refer to either 2014 or 2024 rules.
What to expect
Preparing for the session
Accounts needed for Session 0: Discord D&D Beyond
What Dillon brings to the table
- In this house, we praise the Rule of Cool! For new players, this means that the rules as written can be overruled if you come up with something awesome. - Each NPC will have their own voice and characteristics. - I will have music prepared for ambiance and combat. - Combat will often be challenging but fair. - I ask that metagaming (using knowledge that your character would not have) is kept to a minimum. If you're not sure if your character would know something, just ask!
Homebrew rules
Critical Hits always hit for max damage. IT'S A CRIT!
Equipment needed to play
Internet
Computer
Microphone
Platforms used
Safety
How Dillon creates a safe table
We will use Session 0 to go over our safety tools. We will have a discussion using the Luxton Technique to identify any triggers that could come up, along with breaks during sessions.
Content warnings
Safety tools used