(Heyday 30th)
(Immersion, feel something sticky)
(Stealth 13 vs passive Perception 12 (plus, he’s asleep)
Ep 3: Scene 11: Among Wild Men
Chaos Factor: 5-Expected Scene
I wake up early and slip out of the tent into the predawn light. The man on watch looks at me as I pick up the hatchet I left near the firepit when I was eating last night, and I gesture to go to the woods and cut some more for the fire. He nods for me to go ahead, and…as I head that way, I step in some horse crap that I hadn’t noticed. I grind my feet into the grass as I continue walking towards the woods, resolving to wash my feet at the river before going back to the campsite after I am done gathering wood.
-Predawn-abandoned bird nest- Q: Are my feet still foul? 50/50 Yes
I start gathering dried wood, occasionally chopping a large piece in half. I find a small bird’s nest in some brush, and it reminds me of my own empty abandoned home. I close my eyes and mutter a prayer to the goddess that my husband and children find their way to Celestia. Then I continue my work. I gather about twice as much as we’ll need for the morning’s cooking, and realizing I still haven’t gotten all of the crap off my feet, I walk down to the water’s edge, set the wood aside, and wash my feet.
Q: Am I alone? Unlikely Exceptional No Q: Do any talk to me? Likely Yes (generate soldier, oh great! perceptive, comprehend intelligence, realize the law! Reaction-Friendly)
There are several squires and levy men their watering horses and mules. One of the men near me wears our lord’s livery and is watering a group of mules. “Hey, slave! Who do you belong to?” he asks and I realize that my tunic has slipped down from my shoulder again.
-Deception 19 vs Insight 18-
I pull it back up, “The Craglander chief. The one leading the men with the white shields and black wolf on it. I don’t know his name yet. Nor has he bothered to learn mine,” I reply, picking back up my bundles of wood and my hatchet. “I need to get back to them to get the fire started.”
“And they leave you barefoot and in a torn tunic?” the soldier asks.
I shrug, “I’m a slave. Perhaps my master will give me something better if I please him?”
Q: Does he offer anything? 50/50 Yes Q: Does he have spare boots? Very Unlikely No Q: A spare tunic? Very Unlikely No Q: A holy symbol? Likely Yes
The man pulls of his helmet and coif, and then pulls a pendant from around his neck and gives it to me, “Where it as a sign of our goddess. If your master allows it. Freia loves all of her children, regardless of their past crimes.”
(Persuasion 4)
I turn the pendant over in my hand, then thrust it back to him, “I cannot take this from you. Not as you march to war.”
“Wars come and go. Battles last only a day or two. You’ll wear that brand the rest of your life. You need her mercy more than I. I’ll get another when we return home. You might never return home,” he shrugs.
“Thank you!”, I smile, closing my hand around the falcon pendant. “My name’s Cassandra.”
“I’m Guilbert,” he replies.
“Safe travels, Guilbert,” I smile, then put the pendant around my neck, once more picking up the wood and the axe and carrying it back to the camp.
Q: Is the camp up yet? Likely Exceptional No
Aside from the guard, everyone else is still asleep, even as the other camps around us start to stir. I get a fire started, having the guard help with flint and steel, then bundle up the extra wood to take with us, in case there are no trees near wherever we camp tonight. Then I carry the cooking pot down to the river, fill it, and bring it back where I start putting carrots, onions and potatoes in the pot, borrowing the guard’s knife once more.
Q: Is there time to cook breakfast? Likely Yes Q: Is the scout pleased? Likely Exceptional Yes (My perception 9)
The older warrior who cooked dinner last night wakes and sees what I am doing. “Well done,” he says in my tongue. Then he pulls something from his pouch and begins adding some seasoning to it. Then he pulls some dried meat from his pouch and adds that as well.
“What did you add?” I ask.
“Rosemary, salt, thyme,” he replies, “Dried venison.”
I nod, “Where do you keep it? I had to borrow the guard’s flint and steel to start the fire, and then his knife to cut the vegetables.”
Q: Does he give me anything? 50/50 No
He nods, “That was wise of you to do.” Then he looks at the extra wood I have bundled up. “And wood for tonight? If we do not camp near trees?” I nod. “You are a good servant. Karalk chose well.
“Is that your leader’s name?” I ask, nodding towards the tent.
“Yes,” he replies.
“Then what’s your name?” I ask.
“I am Pasuth. Karalk is my brother,” Pasuth replies. “We are helping our kin earn coin and glory in battle.”
“Why?” I ask.
“To prove themselves worthy of brides, of course. And to purchase goods for trade, and livestock to return home with,” he adds.
“Where is home?” I ask.
“Far to the west. Across the Lone Fields,” Pasuth explains.
“Am I…am I a slave to Karalk?” I decide to ask.
Q: Do they regard me as a slave? Very Unlikely No
Pasuth looks at me in confusion, then replies, “No? You were not taken in battle. You were offered a job, and you took it. Why? I do not know. I think my brother just didn’t feel like carrying his pack anymore. He sets a bad example for the younger warriors sometimes.”
“He seems a good man,” I reply in his defense.
Q: Is Karalk Married? Likely No Q: Widowed? Likely Yes Q: Does Parulk think Cassandra is a good match? Unlikely Yes (ambiguous event Interior Close)
Pasuth leans close to me and whispers, “Your people are soft, but you are not so soft. Perhaps you would be a good match for him. A good mother to his son.”
“I lost my husband and children six days ago,” I reply, numbly.
Pasuth nods, “Karalk lost his wife four years ago, in the birth of their child. My wife is watching him now along with my sons.”
“And you are here? Far from home?” I ask in disbelief.
Pasuth nods, “Someone has to look out for my brother.” He takes a sip of the broth, then yells out something I do not understand. Soon, men are climbing out of their tents, stretching, getting dressed, and bringing bowls over to eat. Pasuth serves me first, and I sit beside Karalk’s tent and enjoy another hearty meal.
—
While we eat, horns sound, and other groups begin breaking down their tents. Karalk shakes his head and we continue eating.
Q: Does a runner arrive? LIkely Yes
A man in Westhold livery arrives while we sit around camp and starts looking around to see who is in charge. “Which one of you is Karalk?” the runner demands.
Karalks stands, “What do you want?”
“Your company is to travel with Lord Tredon’s company, along the edge of the Bosinwood. His banner is the one with the fish caught in a net,” the courier gestures. “Report to him and see where he wants you. Hurry up!”
Q: Are we now in a hurry? Unlikely Yes (Con save passed) Q: Are we sent on ahead? Very Likely Yes
Karalk looks at the man, then shrugs, and barks out some orders. Everyone quickly wolfs down their remaining food and starts breaking down their tents. I douse the fire in dirt, and am soon hoisting supplies onto my back. I fall into formation with the company as they quickly catch up to Lord Tredon’s force. On seeing us, the lord, one of the only two mounted men in the company, sends us on ahead to scout, “Keep an eye on the treeline. Watch for ambushes,” the lord commands as Karalk and his men trot ahead, and I do my best to keep up!
—
-Encounter-Refugees-
We move quickly west, passing trough farmland, into pasture and we start seeing traces of war. Approaching a small hamlet, Pasuth signals for our company to come to a halt while he and his brother look ahead. I pause to rest while the men form up into a loose line. A skirmish line, it is called. Then I see what gave them pause. A small number of women and children up ahead, walking our way.
Q: Are they scared of us? Likely Yes (Persuasion 22) Q: Do i know them? Likely Exceptional Yes (generate personalities)
Suddenly, the group stops on seeing us. “They’re afraid,” I say, and start walking towards them. “It’s safe! Lord Tredon is behind us! Keep going, east!” I call to them.
Q: From Axdull proper? Likely No
Then I recognize them, “Meliscia! By the goddess! Thera!”, and I hurry towards my neighbors.
“Cassandra?” Meliscia calls out in surprise, her pink eyes widening as I approach her and her sister. Thera’s little ones crowd around.
“Seems you’ve fallen in with a strange lot,” Thera observes, looking at the warriors now coming up behind.
“Yes!” I glance back, “But…work is work. Did…your husbands?” I start. Meliscia shakes her head no.
“We hid in the woods while the raiders passed, then salvaged what we could…but not nearly so well as you, it seems. We thought they wouldn’t come back our way after Axdull,” Thera explains.
“Hey, do you have any clothes…” I start.
“No!” snaps Thera. “This is all we have left! And we need every bit of it!”
(Meliscia Persuasion 6)
Her albino sister suggests, “I have an old dress that we saved.”
“I said no!”, Thera retorts. “Come along,” she ushers her kids past. “Lord Tredon is behind you? No orcs?”
“No orcs,” I nod, reassuringly.
“Thank you,” Meliscia replies. “I am glad to see someone survived Axdull.” Then she looks at the warriors, then back at me, “Be safe!”
Karalk, now standing beside me scowls, “Friends?”
“Neighbors. Lived in a hamlet along the forest’s edge,” I explain. The chieftain nods, and his company resumes its march.
Ep 3: Scene 12: Forest’s Edge (afternoon, 30th, cont)
Chaos Factor: 5 -Imagine See something fragile in the shadows-
We pass south of the village of Deepwater, whose hearth fires burn as normal for the mid day meals, and reach the road along the edge of the Bosinwood. If we follow it southwest along the forest’s edge, we’ll reach Axdull. There are lumber camps in the woods. My brother worked in one a few seasons to purchase some oxen and a milk cow. He’s gone. The cattle too.
I consider this as we walk the road, and then I notice something in the trees…a child’s kite, caught in some high branches. “It will be torn before it ever blows free,” I mutter to myself as I adjust the pack on my shoulders.
I feel a hand on my shoulder and look to see the bare chested man who others seem to defer to. The youngest of the three leaders. He looks up at the kite, then smirks, and I notice he has….fangs, like a cat! “Children dream of flying. That is not the fate of men. Do not imagine yourself a bird, or imagine yourself a fly caught in a web, or a kite caught in a branch. You are child of the goddess, born to be greater than beasts. Come!” he urges and we quickly catch back up to the company that had continued on without us.
-Afternoon Encounter-None- Pasuth Tracking 21-
We follow the road along the treeline until I spot the hamlet where Meliscia and Thera once lived, or what’s left of it. “That’s where that family came from!” Then I point towards the woods, “There used to be a lumber camp farther in. Lord Rodkor didn’t want us cutting within a mile of the forest edge, so there would always be deadwood to gather nearby…lumber work had to be deeper.”
(1d4=4 for days)
Pasuth heads up towards the ruined hamlet. The rest of us follow suit. I see the remains of three men, crucified on the wall of a half burnt barn. I scarcely recognize Meliscia and Thera’s husbands, and their brother. “Four days ago,” Pasuth notes. Then looks to me, “Your village, up ahead?”
“Following the treeline,” I nod. Pasuth looks into the woods to the north. “And the women hid for four days?”
I nod, “If you say so.”
“That trail?” he asks.
“Alsfair. They didn’t attack Alsfair,” I add.
Pasuth then leads us between the road and the trail, across burnt and trampled farmland, studying the ground as he goes.
-Evening Encounter-Animal remains-(1d4=1) Q: A full sized camp? 50/50 No (Survival 23)
We come to a large, abandoned campsite. We spot the signs of several fire pits, chicken and sheep bones. Discarded bloodied bandages. Pasuth studies the ground while I wait, setting my bags down for a few minutes. Then he comes over to his brother, and announces, “Nine hours ago, sixty, maybe eighty. Warriors only. Went north,” he points in the direction of Axdull.
“Not west, back into the wilds?” Karalk muses.
“Perhaps their herds are north,” he shrugs.
“My village was north. There are cellars full of supplies still. Not all was taken,” I explain.
“Argak!” Karalk calls out, and the tall warrior who pissed in the alley steps forward. Karalk gives him some instructions, and the young warrior looks a little disappointed
Q: Does Pasuth volunteer me? Likely Yes Q: Does he give me a weapon? Likely Yes
“No. Send her,” Pasuth suggests. Then turning to me, “Go find Lord Tredon. Tell him there may be a hundred near Axdull and to meet us there,” He unslings his waterskin, then pulls an axe from his belt. “Don’t get caught. Run!”
I thank him, take a draught from the waterskin, sling it over my shoulder, and then, throwing axe in hand, I run back the way we came.
-Encounter-Refugees-(five)- Q: Do I recognize them? 50/50 Yes Q: From Axdull? Unlikely No Random Event, New NPC (Survival 11)(Introduce the sergeant…and he’s a skeptical jerk)
While I run, I hear some people call out, “Hold up!” I don’t recognize them, so I keep going, and soon reach Lord Tredon’s company still lingering near the Meliscia farmhouse, cutting down the bodies of the dead.”
I race towards the banner, and then, panting, I fall to the knees before the two mounted men, “Lord…Lord Tredon.”
“Who is this?” the noble asks the knight beside him.
A soldier walks up behind me, “A slave. She bears the brand.”
-Persuasion 4-
I glance back at the soldier, then towards the lord, “My master, Karalk of the Black Wolves, moves towards Axdull. There are tracks, nine hours old indicating a hundred orcs went that way. He asks you to meet him there, if they are still in the ruins.”
Lord Tredon scoffs, “Why would they be in a ruined village?”
“Exactly,” agrees the soldier behind me. “What does this one know anyway. That band probably fled back to the wilds and is beyond our reach.”
I look back up at the noble, “Baron Alestor’s runner commanded my master to scout ahead for your force. My master believes he knows where you can strike a blow for Baron Alestor. What answer will you send my master?”
Q: Will they come? 50/50 Yes (Con save 10, sounds good enough to run some more, given I’m carrying less than 6 lbs of gear)
“Tell him we are coming,” the Lord replies. I bow, then stand, take a swig of water, then start running towards Axdull, for I know the path there from here.
-My Perception is 24- (their perception rolls are 2, 4, and 6) (Stealth 22)
Along the way, I spot nearly a score of cattle! Cattle from the Lone Fields with orc markings. And I see three orc herdsmen with them. I throw myself to the ground, and hope they didn’t spot me in the waning light! I quickly pull off my robe, which is white, and easy to spot in darkness. I bundle it up in my hands and then begin sneaking past. If the herdsmen spot the soldiers behind me, an alarm could be sounded, but…I need to let Karalk know help is coming.
The orcs don’t seem to notice me, nor do the cattle grow restless. I continue some distance past before putting my nightshirt back on and starting to run once more.
Ep 3: Scene 13: Axdull (late evening, 30th)
Chaos Factor: 5
Interrupt Scene: Random NPC: Argak the Warrior, Deny Leadership
-Immersion Smell breath- Q: Are orcs in the village? Very Likely No My perception 10, vs Argak’s stealth 13
I run back towards Axdull, then leave the road before one comes in sight of the watchtower, though I don’t recall whether it still stands, and slip close behind the low rise where we would sometimes hide from work as youths. I slip out of my nightshirt once more, pour some water into the dirt behind the rock where grass never grows, and smear mud across my face and body, and into my hair….then I start creeping through our ruined fields, circling to the north to see if I can spot the Black Wolves hiding and watching. And I listen for sounds from the village.
Suddenly, I feal arms wrap around and a hand over my face. I smell the breath of my captor in my ears, and hear someone speaks menacingly in the Craglander tongue as one hand grips my bare breast. I react.
Q: Does he release me? Likely Yes Q: Are others nearby? Likely Yes
I jam to butt of my axe into the gut of whoever is holding me, and as he staggers back, releasing me, I see that it is Argak from the alleyway. I point towards the village, “Orcs!” I whisper. “Lord Tredon!” I point the other way, “and Orcs!”
-Intimidate 11 vs 10-
“Get dressed,” whispers a voice in the darkness, as Pasuth slips into view. Then he takes the axe from me, and with the handle, smacks Argak across the jaw with it. The warrior bristles…and then, backs down. Pasuth clearly curses at him.
“Lord Tredon is coming. There a score of cattle and three orcs on the road. They’ll sound an alarm. But a horn couldn’t be heard in Axdull from there.”
“Don’t get dressed. Go! Silence them!” he hands me the axe back, and signals for three of the other warriors hiding nearby, observing our exchange, to come over. He talks to them briefly, and then…gestures for them to follow me! I nod, then I start running back to where I saw the herd. The warriors close behind.
-Constitution roll 10 again, I think at this point, I incur a level of exhaustion, as DC should be higher for the second long run beyond the first-
My sides ache by the time we are near where I saw the orcs earlier. I duck down, and the three young warriors crowd near me. I then start creeping forward, looking once more for the herd.
Q: Is it still there? Likely Exceptional Yes Q: Are Tredon’s forces here yet? 50/50 Exceptional No Q: Ambushed? Unlikely No
The herd hasn’t moved at all, and I realize…the orc camp must be just inside the treeline. Within a horn call of the herdsmen. I point to the treeline, and try to signal many spears, using tradefist. The warriors nod agreement, and each moves into position against the herdsmen.
-Average stealth 20 vs average perception 6- Q: Do they protect themselves first? Likely Exceptional Yes
Breathing more heavily than I’d like, I follow one of the warriors into some brush near one of the orcs. While the other two warriors have farther to sneak. The orcs don’t seem to be paying much attention. Bored to be watching cattle. It’s like watching sheep, but worse I think. Then, I hear an unfamiliar bird call, and the man I am with suddenly lunges forward!
The axe comes down hard against the orc, who staggers away, but I find myself running at him as well, but my axe meets his shield as he lowers his spear aiming it between my companion and I, then realizing the wolf clad warrior is the threat, lunges!
My companion rolls away from a glancing blow, but my axe bites into the orc’s thigh. It wheels to face me, and then its skull is caved in from behind. It collapses to the ground with a sickening thud!
Q: Do they sound the alarm now? 50/50 No
I race towards the other nearby fight, hurling my axe as I do so. It flies harmlessly past the orc, but distracts the second before my wolfclad ally’s axe meets his neck. My companion from moments earlier races towards the other fight.
Q: Does the dying orc sound the alarm? Likely Yes (Performance 11)
I turn and see the last orc falling to the ground. He pulls the horn strapped across his chest to his lips, and winds it. One blast! Then a second, before and axe splits his skull in two.
Q: Did they hear? 50/50 Yes Q: Do they sound a reply? Unlikely No Q: Does the warrior return my axe? 50/50 No (Perception 14)
We all freeze, and look at each other. Then they quickly scatter the cattle and hide in nearby scrub. I look around for my axe, but I don’t see it. So I drag a dead orc into the scrub and strip his armor and boots. I put back on my robe, then the orc’s armor over robe. The orc also had a pouch with some coins, and a beautiful silver falcon amulet mixed in with the coins. A wooden horn, a clay cup and bowl, a knife, flint and steel, some foot and a skin full of…sour milk? I drop the skin but keep the rest.
(who gets to us first: Orcs, Tredon, Karsak) (Average stealth 15)
Then the strange birdcall sounds, and my companion looks towards the treeline. Orcs! We all lay low and still. I look out at the spear and shield I left behind when I dragged the corpse over here, and I deeply regret having thrown that axe!
My companions pull the shields from their backs, laying them flat on the ground so they can be quickly picked up, but for now, their white facing is concealed. And we wait.
Q: Do any orcs investigate? Likely No Q: Are the orcs still watching? Very Likely No
The orcs in the treeline withdraw. We wait…and the rest of our company arrives. The bird call sounds again, but different this time, and our allies halt.
-Perception 17-
A few minutes later, Tredon’s forces arrive and I tense for an ambush. At that point, Karalk comes over to talk to his men. One of the men that was with us starts explaining what happened. I pick up the fallen orc’s spear and once more, search for the thrown axe…and find it at the edge of some nearby brush. The other two men search dead orcs as I had done.
“Never throw away your last chance at victory,” the shaman observes on seeing me tuck it into my new belt.
“I liked you better the other way,” Pasuth notes, tugging at the ill fitted orc armor.
“The gown was giving me away in the dark,” I explain.
“No. Without the gown,” he winks. “Keep the axe. Don’t throw it without another weapon in hand.”
“There are orcs in the trees. These sounded an alarm. They came to the edge and looked. Then withdrew,” I explain.
Pasuth nods, then barks some commands to the men, four of whom spread out, and start moving into the woods in pairs. Karalk looks back towards his brother, then nods, and Paruth heads into the woods with them.
Q: Is Tredon willing to push into the forest at night? 50/50 Exceptional Yes
Suddenly, Lord Tredorn barks out several commands, “Spread out in demi squads, fifty paces apart. Sound the horns when you make contact! They aren’t far. Let’s move!” The soldiers, steel in their eyes, move forward. The levies are hesitant, but eventually follow as well.
I look at Karalk, and notice his pack is missing. “Where is everything?”
“A cellar in Axdull. You should wait here,” he adds.
I shake my head, “I have a spear now. They killed my family.” He nods, and I follow him and the rest of his men.
The shaman walks beside me, “Pray the fire within is greater than the exhaustion without.”
“Pray they don’t beg mercy, for I don’t want to grant it,” I reply.
-No Encounter in the woods-Survival 18-
Ep 3: Scene 14: Forest Fight (midnight, 30th)
Chaos Factor: 5
-Altered Remove one activity, increase another-
-Immersion-sound of scratching–No Encounter in the woods-Survival 18-
Our groups spread wide, hoping to catch the orcs. Though I am with another from Karalk’s band, it quickly becomes clear that I am much better at reading tracks than he is. After all, I’ve been in these woods before, gathering deadfall for the fire pot all my life. I am soon leading the small force ahead, quickly reading the tracks. There are four soldiers with us, but the nervous farmers have fall behind, afraid of every shadow.
Suddenly, a warrior stands before us, a cruel looking serrated blade in his hand. With a dramatic flourish, he scrapes the blade across the steel rim of his shield. Then he yells something in orcish, and lunges towards us, and he is not alone!
Q: Is there a second group? 50/50 No
I am shocked at how fast they move! At once, the warrior races towards me, but as the man at my side raises his crossbow, the orc shifts and slashes at him, cutting him lightly as the man’s aim is briefly spoiled. I snarl and stab at him, but he moves too quick to let me drive deep. But in glancing at me, he doesn’t see the other soldier rush past his fellow to meet him, and that morning star hits hard!
Soon, I am in the middle of a brutal melee with arrows from the trees whizzing into our formation, while five orc warriors lay into us. I stab the big brute repeatedly, but he stays focused on the crossbowman who’s armor isn’t thick enough to save him! When the crossbowman falls, the bleeding warrior turns his rage fueled eyes towards me while two of his companions focus on the man who came to save the crossbowman. I duck below his blade and drive my spear up under his jaw! He slumps to the ground, blood spilling down his chest.
The man who came to his aid is fighting desperately, two on one with several arrows jutting from his mail. To my right, Karalk’s blackwolf decapitates another orc, the two soldiers with him holding firm. One drives a spear deep into the other orc they are facing, but driven down to his knees, he roars, stands back up, and lunges forward again!
I fall back behind them, trying to stab and the undying orc. Then I hear a cry as our outnumbered man falls!
I look back to where the levies should be, “Help! Help, damn you!” I cry.
A Morningstar crushes the undying orc’s skull, then the soldier turns to face the orcs coming at us while the Blackwolf races at towards archers that keep punishing us. I find myself alongside two mailed men at arms against two fearsome orc warriors!
One of the orcs takes a brutal blow to the neck that would have laid any man low, but he just shrugs it off, and I realize why orcs have such little fear. But I narrow my gaze and stab him hard up through his ribcage, and he slowly turns towards me in rage and then, surprise, as he sinks to the ground, finally!
Q: Does the hunter break? Likely No
There is a yell as one of the orc archers leaps forward to meet the Black Wolf’s charge, his axe biting deep into Karalk’s man’s shield! I race to join him as the baron’s men finish off the last orc to have rushed us.
An arrow whizzes past me as I charge. My spear grazes the orc as he drops his bow and swings his axe at me. I try to pin him with a second thrust, but a soldier who raced up behind me finishes him.
Suddenly, it is quiet. I look around. Two of our men lay still, and seven orcs. Everyone is badly bloodied, except…me? They didn’t know I was a threat until it was too late, yet two died by my hand.
“The men….,” I gasp, and rush to the side of the crossbowman and his companion who tried to save us.
(Survival tests, crossbowman is still alive)
“Help me!” I call to my companions, “Comfrey? Woundwort? Bandages?” I plead.
Q: Does anyone have anything? 50/50 No Q: Are they policing the dead? Likely Yes (Medicine 23)
The others stand around, alert for danger. The Blackwolf checking for plunder, and one of the soldiers checking to make sure each orc is truly dead. I fumble with the straps, and pull of the crossbowman’s armor, then tearing up his tunic, begin staunching and binding his wounds.
This seems to stop the bleeding, but there is no way to revive him right now. “We need a litter,” I tell the soldiers.
Q: Does more fighting come our way? Unlikely Exceptional No Q: Do the levies arrive? Unlikely Exceptional No Perception 20 Q: Do I hear more fighting ahead? Likely Yes
I hear the sound of a horn, farther into the woods. “That’s the lumber camp,” I tell the Black Wolf, who looks at me in confusion.
“We…we need to get Varis back,” one of the soldiers says, clearly reluctant to join another battle right now, bloodied as he is.
-Persuasion 9-
“Then help!” the two soldiers look nervously around in the woods. The sound of battle rages nearby.
-Persuasion 8-
I gesture towards the Blackwolf to help me carry the wounded man, but he shakes his head and points towards the two soldiers.
Q: Do any of the orcs have cord? 50/50 Yes Random Event PC Positive-Open Failure (Investigate 26)
I find some cord in a satchel that one of the orcs had, amidst some dried meat and hard cheese. I sling the satchel over my shoulder and…feel something hard in side as it hits my hip. I open the satchel once more, and inspect it more carefully and realize there is a hidden bottom to the satchel. I decide to wait until the morning to inspect it, but I also take he orc’s bow, quiver and the unspent arrows from his companion as well.
Q: Do the soldiers wait for me? Unlikely No Q: Does the Black Wolf wait? Likely Exceptional Yes
Then, even as the two soldiers abandon their fallen, I grab two of the orc spears, lash them together beneath the spearheads, and use more cord to lash a basic mesh onto which I lay the two fallen men’s cloaks. Then I roll the wounded man onto it, and hoist it up behind me.
The blackwolf waits patiently nearby, scanning the area around us, ever vigilant. Then he throws the dead man over his shoulder while I drag the wounded man out through the woods, quickly finding the lumber trail that leads back to Axdull.
-Constitution fail-Level 2 Exhaustion-Encounter-Black Swans- Q: Are they camped? Likely Yes (Guard perception 6 my perception 20- Q: Does the blackwolf follow my example? 50/50 Yes -Reaction Neutral-
The two of us reach Axdull, but there is a man in a white surcoat in the ruined watchtower. Exhausted, I stop and wave, for I don’t want to be mistaken for an orc. The black wolf holds up his shield, which is also easily seen at night, and we wait for the guard to call to us.
“Who does there?” the man calls out.
“Black Wolves. We have a wounded man from Tredon’s company. The rest of the force is in the Bosinwood, fighting,” I call back.
“Come forward!” the guard replies, and I finish trudging my way into my old village. The sentry has called down to another watchman, and soon the company’s captain and a couple of women who apparently travel with them come to help us.
“Where’s the rest of your company?” the captain asks.
-Persuasion 14/14- Q: Had they found the supplies? Unlikely No Q: Is he grateful for the intel? Likely Exceptional Yes
“Fighting. I think near the lumber camp. There were four soldiers scouting with us, and some levies. The levies panicked in the dark of the woods. Then we were ambushed. Two men fell. The other two left while I was building the sledge. I’m exhausted. Our captain knows to find us here. He left his baggage here when we learned a hundred orcs had fled to the Bosinwood.” I explain, breathing heavily.
He nods, “You’ve done well. Get some rest. Most of the cellars are intact. Pick one and I’ll have food brought over.”
“Thank you,” I reply, and I look to the Black Wolf, who leads me to Haraldson’s cellar, where Karalk had stashed his company’s supplies. The Black Wolf rolls out his bedroll, then grabs a second one and rolls it out too, and I collapse onto it. A few minutes later, I am wakened by a woman with some food and wine for the two of us. I eat and drink, then collapse once more into slumber.
Ep 3: Scene 15: Mourning or Glory? (Heyday 31st)
Chaos Factor: 5-Expected Scene
-Immersion-Sound of Cawing-
-Pleasant, It will rain-All night-intermittent, heavy wind, rough sailing-
-Exhaustion drops to Level 1-
I wake to the sound of a crow cawing. Opening my eyes, the cellar door is open and there is a bowl of cold pottage and some bread sitting beside me. I am unsure how late in the morning it is. The Black Wolf is nowhere to be seen, but his bedroll has been put away. I sit up and eat. Then I roll up my bedroll, gather my things, and step out into the sun.
Q: Are the Black Swan Soldiers gone? Likely Yes Q: Are their camp followers here with the wounded? Likely No Q: Have the Black Wolves returned? 50/50 Yes random event PC negative Communicate Group Q: Did the levies hold during the battle? 50/50 Q: Did Lord Tredon win? 50/50 No Q: Has his force retreated here? Likely Yes Q: Did the Black Wolves lose anyone? 50/50 Exceptional Yes (3d4=8 men “lost”, survival check, 3 dead, 5 badly wounded-Belsh is wounded, the others were unnamed) Q: Did Tredon’s forces suffer similar losses? Likely Yes (11 dead, 11 wounded by the dice) Q: Did they give as good as they got? Likely No
(Daralk or Pasuth? (Daralk persuasion 13)
I see several of the Black Wolves here, and also soldiers from Westhold. Tents are pitched in the village square and I hear the cries of the wounded. The man from the alley spots me, and thunders towards me. I back up, and he grabs the pouch from my belt, and starts going through it. He holds up the silver pendant and the coins. He curses angrily and I hear the shaman say something to him. The man from the alley glances between us, but then pulls the purse away and takes it into the cellar.
“He says you had no claim on any plunder from the herdsmen. He won’t begrudge you the armor and weapons, but the coin and…that silver thing in the purse. Those belong to the company,” the shaman explains.
“I didn’t know,” I stammer.
He shrugs, “How could you? None told you. When the fighting is all done, spoils are divided. Not before. It keeps people from grabbing what they can in the midst of a fight, or squabbling over this bauble or that. After all, I might want it, and my claim is greater than any other’s for my claim is that of the First Father.” He winks.
“How did the battle go? We heard the fighting near the lumber camp,” I ask.
Q: Did the black swans intervene? Likely Yes
“Badly. We took the camp by surprise, and the orcs withdrew. As the spoils were being divided, they fell upon us once more and the levies panicked and fled. Thankfully, the Black Swans joined the battle…having come searching for us, and the orcs retreated again, unsure of their numbers no doubt, and we withdrew. The levies were outside the woods, and their sergeants got them into good enough order that the orcs did not pursue…so, we withdrew here. Most of the men who can still fight have been sent west, where a runner says men from Farhold and Hammerfel are under attack,” Daralk shrugs.
“You didn’t go with them. Are you injured?” I ask.
“No. We are guarding the wounded. Karalk has seen enough blood for this campaign. We lost three men who we thought were coming home with us after this campaign, and five others are wounded so badly we cannot go home as soon as we had planned,” the shaman shrugs.
“Three died? Is Pasuth alright?” I ask.
“Yes. He and his brother have a knack for surviving. The All Father blessed them with lives like a cat!” he grins, his fangs clear as day, and a sparkle in his eyes. His smile unnerves me.
Q: Did Gunsrung say anything? Likely Yes
“Gunsrung says that you killed two orcs last night, and then dragged a wounded man through the woods to help,” the shaman asks.
“Is Gunsrung the man who was with me last night?” I ask.
The shaman chuckles, “Yes. And I am called Daralk.”
“I am Cassandra,” I reply.
He smirks, “Yes. You are Cassandra. Widow or widow maker?”
“Do orcs marry?” I ask.
Q: Does he test my bloodlust? Likely Yes
“Yes. But perhaps not the ones you killed,” he shrugs. “Did it feel good to kill them?”
I look down, and reply softly, “No. But I am glad they are dead. Their tribe killed my kin. I recognized the shields.”
Daralk nods his head, “It will get easier to kill. But do not let bloodlust consume you, or you will become as they were.”
I nod. Then ask, “So…you are killers? Killing for coin.”
Daralk shrugs, “Fighting for coin. A foe that flees is not killed. And gnolls must be culled, and goblin and orc raiders put down. It’s not like the farmers these lords call up to bolster their ranks have the sand to fight.”
“Not in a forest, but in their own lands,” I protest.
Daralk looks around my ruined village, “Outside your own home is the worst place to fight, for defeat will cost you everything, and victory grants nothing.”
“Except to live another day,” I counter.
Daralk shrugs, “And be preyed upon again by those who do not fear you. Make them fear, and then you are safe. Strike their home. Then they flee.”
“Only to come back later as you learned last night?” I argue.
“The lumber camp was not their home, just a camp. A place to sleep, bait, observe, and counter. Lord Tredon took the bait,” he shrugs. “Strike the herds and homes. Then they will flee.”
“Then what are we waiting for?” I stand tall.
He chuckles, “This is not our fight.” And he looks around, “and with your family gone, who is it you are fighting for now? Revenge? That’s an all consuming fire that will never be quenched and will burn you out inside, hollow you out and leave you cold.”
I tremble at his words, then slump down to the ground. “What becomes of me?”
“An untethered kite can soar to the heavens, or crash to the ground, or get caught in a tree. Winds will toss it about, but the kite goes where it will,” he shrugs.
“They always crash to the ground,” I furrow my brown.
“All men return to the earth. How high will you soar before you are dead and buried?” he shrugs.
“I don’t understand,” I object.
He shrugs, “Perhaps that is for the best.” Then he gets up, and heads over to where the wounded lay in tents. I follow him, and I watch as he inspects bandages, and applies salves and poultices. On seeing what he is doing, I head out to the fields, and begin gathering more woundwort, yarrow and comfrey, for he will need more than he has.
-Morning Encounter-herding dogs- Q: Do I know them? 50/50 Yes (Animal Handling 11)
I am out gathering and two herding dogs soon join me and start circling around, “Shasta! Pepper!” I call to them, and they bark eagerly as I kneel down and pull some dried meat from my satchel. I feel the heaviness at the bottom, and resolve to hand over whatever is inside when I return to the village, but for now, the dogs eagerly eat what I have to share. “Good to see you got away too!”
Bellies quickly filled, the two dogs race away to wherever they’ve been hiding. I shake my head and yell after them, “Go find your sheep!”
Then I continue. I find plants to make fleabane, mosquito balm, gut soothe, and pipe leaf, all of which I cut to take with, though that was not my purpose. Then I find ingredients for a sunberry salve, some bone mend, and enough comfrey, yarrow and woundwort to treat a score of wounds! I gather everything into my satchel and return to the village.
(Karalth vs Pasuth, d6=Pasuth)
Ep 3: Scene 16: Dry goods (31st)
Chaos Factor: 5
-Immersion-someone gestures me to come over-Altered Scene-reduce activity
Back at Axdull, Pasuth gestures me to join him at the fire pit he has set up near the village well.
I walk over an set my satchel down beside him. “Where have you been?” he asks.
“Searching for herbs,” I reply.
Q: Does he talk about last night? Likely Exceptional No
“Anything useful?” he asks.
“Not until I’ve had a chance to prepare them,” I shrug.
“Then go prepare them,” he suggests, pouring me a bowl from his stew.
I shake my head, “Thank you.” Then I sit and eat before I head over to Archibold’s cellar to string some of the herbs up to dry and use his hand mortar to start working with those I can use wet.
Q: Does anyone interrupt me? Unlikely Yes Q: A black wolf? Likely No (Geenerate who) (It is Adaum, a soldier from last night)
While I am working, a Westhold soldier enters the cellar. “I was told you were down here,” he says.
-Perception 20-
I glance at him, “By who? Oh, it’s you.” I scowl.
“The cook,” he replies.
“Pasuth is his name. Why are you here?” I ask.
Q: Does he beg forgiveness? Unlikely No Q: Does he try to intimidate? Unlikely Exceptional No
“I’m not a coward,” he says.
“I’m not your judge,” I reply dismissively as I continue working.
“We should never have gone into the woods in the first place,” he argues.
I shrug, “Lord Tredon sent us.”
“You led us faster than the levies could keep up!” he says.
“I thought the levies were yours to command. I was just following tracks,” I sigh.
“You left them behind!” he protests.
-Intimidate 19-
I stop my work and look at him, “That makes two of us.”
His eyes narrow, then he sighs, and leaves. I shake my head, finish up my work, and take the healing poultices to Daralk, who I find inside one of the wounded tents. I spend the rest of the evening helping tend the wounded until it is time for me go to sleep.
It begins to rain.
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