Zu Mountain Saga Episode 1

[Lashawna Vorhees]

Asalways happens when we deal with supplements that contain adventures or campaigns, I will try not to give too many spoilers on the plot. We will therefore evaluate, together, the narrative structure and the tools offered to those approaching the volume.

Vaesen: The Lost Mountain Saga originated from the podcast of the same name by Ellinor DiLorenzo. In 2020 the Swedish actress, comedian and author, together with Sydney Gayle Amanuel and Anne Richmond, created the podcast lasting two seasons and with a total of 42 episodes on which the manual was based. The podcast is well done and, if you are familiar with the English language, I recommend you listen to at least one episode to immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the game without finding out too much about the plot.

To be transposed onto paper, the saga also made use of the experience of Tomas Hrenstam, game designer and CEO of Free League Publishing, and Kiku Pukk Hrenstam. For obvious reasons, adaptations were made to the plays brought by DiLorenzo to better adapt to the printed medium.

As I said at the beginning of this review, Vaesen: The Lost Mountain Saga comprises five investigations. Each plot specifies locations, NPCs involved, and opponents. For each investigation, a countdown is also proposed, that is the list of events that will occur as the characters proceed with their actions. This tool is particularly useful for carefully managing the tension of the plot and accompanying the players towards the closure of the story. The structure of these stories, therefore, follows the other products in the line.

In general, the investigations are designed to be played linearly and there is little possibility of making the NPCs and their reactions go off the rails; after all, it is the transposition of a campaign played.

Holding this 85-page volume in your hands, you cannot be disappointed the product is perfectly integrated with the rest of the editorial line; the cover is rigid and rough to the touch and the paper on which the text is printed (in two columns) maintains the quality we know well.

The volume does not differ from what was previously produced for this editorial line. As expected, the evocative portraits of the NPCs were entrusted to Johan Egerkrans; the maps, essential for orienting oneself in the places where the plot takes place, were instead created by Christian Granath.

To conclude this review, Vaesen: The Lost Mountain Saga is undoubtedly a volume that fills a small gap in the editorial line. Before there was no real campaign for the Nordic horror game.

The plot is compelling and allows any GM to expand and integrate what has already been written with their original ideas. Since this is a work that starts from a story that has already been played, it has, by its very nature, some limitations especially because it has difficulty managing possible unexpected choices from the players.

It is certainly suitable for novice masters who want to already have a series of investigations with a background plot to unite them. If you are passionate about Vaesen, this is a product that cannot be missing from your collection.

The Straw Hat Pirates make their way to Reverse Mountain and begin the perilous task of scaling its tricky rapids in order to enter the Grand Line. As they descend the mountain, they come face to face with not only the giant whale Laboon, but also mysterious agents Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday.

As the Straw Hats sail through a storm, Nami realizes that they will be going up Reverse Mountain to access the Grand Line. The crew expresses disbelief at the idea, with Zoro wondering why they can't just go south. Suddenly, the storm stops, and Nami reveals that they are in the Calm Belt, one of two strips of ocean surrounding the Grand Line, where there are no winds or currents. Nami urges the crew to row back to the storm, but the Sea Kings infesting the water then rise up. The Straw Hats struggle to get away, and once they escape, they turn their attention to successfully riding the dangerous current up Reverse Mountain. Their rudder soon breaks, but Luffy shields the Going Merry from hitting the mountain as the Straw Hats successfully sail down into the Grand Line.[1]

When they come down, they immediately run into a giant whale named Laboon, who is blocking their path. The Merry ends up running into the whale, which breaks its masthead. Luffy punches Laboon in the eye in retaliation for his seat being destroyed. Laboon then opens his mouth, swallowing the Going Merry, although Luffy manages to escape. Luffy tries hitting Laboon to get his friends out, but before the whale dives underwater, he spots and enters a trapdoor on the whale's back. Meanwhile, the other Straw Hats find themselves sailing towards an island inside Laboon. They soon encounter a giant squid,[2] which is taken down by a man named Crocus. After an initially tense confrontation, Crocus points them toward an escape route.[3]

Right then, Laboon begins ramming himself into Reverse Mountain, causing further injuries to his head. As this happens, two mysterious people named Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday prepare to take Crocus out to Laboon and use him to feed the people of their town. However, Luffy is sent tumbling through the corridors by Laboon's thrashing, and he ends up crashing into Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday, sending them flying into the area where the Straw Hats and Crocus were. Crocus went to calm Laboon down before confronting the two rogues and took two bazooka shots aimed at Laboon as Luffy defeats the rogues. They return to Crocus' island, where Crocus explained about Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday to the Straw Hats. He then revealed that Laboon had come to the Grand Line with a pirate crew and was asked to stay with him at Reverse Mountain as the crew could not risk taking the whale with them. Over 50 years had passed since then, but Laboon still believed that the crew would come back.[3] The Straw Hats exited Laboon's body and threw Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday into the water. The two agents swore revenge on the pirates before swimming away. At Twin Cape, Crocus revealed that he had heard that the crew with Laboon had not died, but rather had left the Grand Line. He told this to Laboon, but the whale seemed to refuse to believe him and started ramming his head against Reverse Mountain, as though trying to get to the crew.[4]

Right then, Luffy took the Merry's mast and plunged it into one of Laboon's open wounds, causing the whale to lash out against him. The two traded blows, and Luffy proclaimed that he was now Laboon's rival, promising to see and fight him again once his crew sailed around the Grand Line.[4] This made Laboon happy, and Luffy painted his Jolly Roger on the whale's forehead, telling him not to bash his head against the mountain any longer. Meanwhile, Nami was shocked as her compass stopped working. Crocus tells Nami that to navigate the Grand Line, one would need a Log Pose to chart the differing magnetic fields of each island, all the way to the last island Laugh Tale. Luffy had acquired a Log Pose that Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday had left on the Merry, but it ended up breaking when he and Sanji got in a fight. However, Crocus agreed to give them a Log Pose out of gratitude for helping Laboon.[5]

Meanwhile, Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday swam up to the Twin Cape to try to get their Log Pose back, as they needed to get back to their island and report to their boss before they got into trouble. However, the Unluckies then came to try and kill them. After recovering from the attack, the two rogues went to the Straw Hats and asked them to take them to Whisky Peak. They were unable to divulge their identities, but the Straw Hats reluctantly agreed to help. They then set sail for Whisky Peak, bidding farewell to Crocus and Laboon, and Crocus wondered if Luffy was the one he and Roger had been waiting for.[5]

Manga: After the Straw Hat pirates leave Loguetown, while passing the lighthouse, they begin to discuss how to enter the Grand Line. During the meeting, the ship drifts out of the storm into the Calm Belt. The weather is stormy and Nami wears her raincoat until after they get to the top of the mountain.

Anime: The whole discussion is moved to the last episode, and there is no drifting into the Calm Belt due to having been shown in the second filler episode. It is not very stormy and Nami is not wearing her raincoat.

Manga: The Calm Belt does not take place during the Warship Island Arc and Apis is not with the pirates. Luffy saves Usopp when he gets tossed off the ship and is about to be eaten by a Sea King.

The 4Kids version of the anime cut and changed much of this arc for unknown reasons. The Straw Hats entering the Grand Line and receiving the Log Pose is rewritten as a result, and shots from other segments of the anime are rearranged to fit the script:

As I mentioned a billion times before, Billions is a dream show for me not only because my favorite actor is in it, but also because New York, from its landmarks to its city parks and to its quirky shops, appears as a cast member in the show! As someone who feels the only home she has in the world is the city that never sleeps, I particularly love it that Billions is taking over New York, the BIG film studio that it is, and shooting all over the place, from Manhattan to Queens to Brooklyn to The Bronx to Long Island and to northern suburbs. So I have put together this Billions Season 5 Location Guide as a loving tribute to my most favorite place on earth and a heartfelt thank you to the show creators for writing a love letter to the city.

One of the high peaks, of the Adirondack Mountains, Whiteface Mountain is the fifth-highest mountain in New York state. The mountain is a major ski area, run by the Olympic Regional Development Authority, that is consistently ranked as one of the top ski resorts in the Northeast. Whiteface was a prime venue of the 1980 Winter Olympics, hosting all six of the alpine ski events. The ski center regularly hosts major alpine ski events and is also a U.S. Olympic Training Site.

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