“Confused?  Not surprising.”  Steiner grumbled. He’d circled back on his pursuers once he’d realized they’d faltered in their chase.  “Head back the way you came, a shaman named Branwhyn will explain.”

The knot of Twin Rivers Ironlanders, recently ensorcelled and under the dominion of an Apostle of the Broken, shook their heads in confusion.  Their minds were muddled by the experience and for a moment, it looked as though they might press Steiner further. However, when the small contingent from Bramblehall arrived, the Twin Rivers Ironlanders decided it was best to move on. 

The wardens and mercenaries from Bramblehall had unfortunately survived the battle.  With the freed Ironlanders of mind control, Steiner presumed that meant Branwhyn had succeeded.  The absence of Gunvar, the Bramblehall officer, was suspicious though and the wardens and mercenaries didn’t look particularly friendly either.

Continue reading “22 – The Leshen” →

Note: Several of the Assets used by Branwhyn and Steiner have been updated and their assets have been altered to reflect the change.

The structure was like a massive birds nest that had been placed on its edge and had its center punched out.  Made haphazard of large tree limbs and narrow tree trunks, all thrust together it appeared to be a standing circle or a massive crown of brambles that stood on its side.  Branwhyn had seen it, or something very much like it, once before. An augury performed near White Tree that had gone awry had thrust him into the shadow lands and led him to see a structure very similar, though much further to the North.  A Leshen, what he’d called a devourer at the time, had come out of it. That this place and that structure were linked to the Apostles of the Broken was certain, how and the implications of such a link were far less so. The Broken Ironlanders, travel weary and worn, their clothes tattered and torn to the point of nearly be indistinguishable from actual Broken, were arrayed around the standing wooden structure in a broken half circle.  Most had dropped to the ground, to exhausted to do anything else. A few walked stiffly with glassy eyes, as if their bodies had become so used to movement that even now they could do nothing different. At the center of the half ring, standing before the haphazard amalgam of branches, stood the Apostle of the Broken, a human possessed somehow by a Leshen. Wood and bone had been tied to the arms like some kind of crude armor and claws extended out from between fingers tightly clenched into fists.  The arms, made to appear more akin to the Leshen’s normal form, were spread wide as if welcoming whatever might step out of the standing circle.

Continue reading “21 – Drawing Out ” →

Looking at Branwhyn, Steiner dragged his thumb across his neck, signalling that they should take the Wardens from Bramblehall by surprise and slay them whilst they were unaware.  Branwhyn shook his head though, he knew this woman to be an Warden of her word. If they could work together, it would be better than fighting.  Though Branwhyn and his company had the element of surprise on their side, the Bramblelhall Wardens were likely far better rested. Steiner clearly thought it better to kill them outright, but didn’t press the issue.

Standing, Branwhyn called out.  “Hello Gunvar. It’s good to see you again.  Might my friends and I enjoy the warmth of your campfire?”

Continue reading “20 – Working with Brambles” →

The walls of Twin Rivers fell away behind them as they traveled North.  The dirt road that led to the city was too well traveled to have any sign of any recent passing upon it, even a departure as significant as the Ironhold’s entire population leaving had left no trace.  If there were any sign, it would be on the side of the road, when they departed from the trade route that ran north. So it was that Steiner walked on the East side of the road and Branwhyn, with Corinna, on the West looking for any sign that would indicate the passing of such a large number.  The Valknut, the wardens who’d helped Branwhyn face down the Leshen in Crow’s Perch, were a loose line between.

They all knew, of course, that the Broken Ironlanders from Twin Rivers might not be traveling as a group.  They could have easily departed in small numbers, a few at a time over several days. Sent out or simply let loose until the town was empty of its native inhabitants and then the Leshen itself left the true Broken behind.  If that were the case though, they had little hope of finding the Ironlanders and virtually no chance of returning them home again. So they journeyed North along the road, looking and hoping for any sign of their quarry’s passing.

Continue reading “19 – Pursuit” →

Dipping two fingers into the bowl of blended blood and ash, Branwhyn painted the mixture under each of Cyne’s eyes and then two lines up from between his eyebrows to the retreating line of his hair.  The six wardens who had been with him when they fought the Leshen at Crow’s Perch once again were received the blessing at his hand in the hopes that it would protect them. And once again, Branwhyn hid his guilt as he painted the same blood and ash onto his wooden mask of the Horned Hunter, giving himself a protection he could not bestow upon them.

We need to know a bit more about Leshen’s before going forward.  Fortunately we have a monster hunter about. If we were researching it would be Gathering Info, but since Steiner is relying on his own stores of monster lore, dispensing information to help focus the group, we’ll use this as Securing an Advantage w/ Wits + Slayer (1, 5, 3+2+1).  Strong Hit. +2 Momentum (+7).

Continue reading “18 – Twin Rivers” →

Steiner is once again scouting, but as he is in need of momentum any bonus he picks up he won’t be passing along.  So, we will Secure Advantage w/ Wits + Ranger (7, 5, 2+2+1).  Miss. Well, I suppose that is what he gets for not being a team player and trying to build his own Momentum.  😀 His assumptions betray him. We’ll go to the Oracle for some inspiration. Action – 76 Betray. Well, that gives us more than enough.  Someone is betraying them, 1-33 Crow’s Perch, 34-66 White Tree, 67-00 Outside the group. Oracles says, 21 – Someone from Crow’s Perch. Following the fiction, I don’t think it is Cyne or one of his wardens.  Thane Thorsten we have a bond with, so one of the other Wardens then. We’ll start w/ a Face Danger w/ Wits (5, 1, 2+2), Weak Hit.  I think the realization of a traitor is damaging to the Spirit, and Steiner will Test Spirit w/ Spirit (4, 10, 5+3), Weak Hit.  Pressing On.

Kneeling to examine the tracks along a game trail, Steiner heard the breaking of a twig behind him.  He spoke without bothering to rise or turn around. “You might as well come out, I know you’ve been following me.  I’ve just been waiting for you to catch up.”

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw one of the Warden’s from Crow’s perch step out of the woods.  An arrow nocked to his bowstring, but not yet drawn. He wasn’t committed to the attack yet. “It’s your fault.”  The warden’s voice only shook a little. “It’s your fault my sister is dead.”

Continue reading “17 – Old Grievances” →

I had debated about the need to make Journey rolls since it is a twentyish trained fighters traveling as a group, but I decided to go ahead since this lets us see two Ironsworn working together and that is something I haven’t played with much yet and it lets us possibly run into bigger beasties on the way.  Steiner will start off by ranging ahead and scouting for the group by using Aid your Ally w/ Wits + Ranger (7, 5, 3+2+1).  Weak Hit, for +1 momentum but there is a complication.  We’ll get to that in a moment. Branwhyn will then Undertake a Journey w/ Wits (5, 10, 5+3), Weak Hit.  -1 Supply (+4), but we make progress.  The is a Dangerous Journey, so 2 of 10 progress.  There is no particular need to resupply or make camp yet, so that leaves us asking the oracle what the complication is.  Action/Theme – 25/95 Eliminate Warning. Cool. Who is being warned, likely suspects: Twin River Broken 1-50, Brambelhall 51-75, Someone Else? 76-100.  45 – Twin River Broken

Just over a score and half of men and women set out from Crow’s Perch the next morning.  Most were warden’s eager for the renown and glory that Thane Thorsten had promised them. Humblingly, Cyne and five other warriors who had helped Branwhyn free Crow’s Perch had chosen to come as well.  The rest of the company was made up of the men and women who Snorri had brought with him from White Tree. They were hunters mostly, skilled with bow, spear, and in woodcraft. Thorsten, Branwhyn, and Snorri each captained a group while Steiner ranged ahead marking their path and speeding their travel.

Continue reading “16 – To Twin Rivers” →

The mood in White Tree was varied. News of the alliance had spread quickly and as Branwhyn and Corinna moved from one long house to the next – bartering their furs for the supplies they would need for the journey back to Crow’s Perch – everyone seemed to want talk to them about it, sharing both hopes and fears about what the future would hold.

Resupply w/ Wits (6, 9, 5+3), Weak Hit.  -2 Momentum (+3), +2 Supply (+5).

Even so, they were able to make a few good trades for their skins, they time being spent with  Branwhyn listening as patiently as he could. Alas, it makes a few simple trades take forever.

Undertake a Journey w/ Wits (4, 7, 4+3), Weak Hit. -1 Supply (+4). 3/10 Progress, back to Crow’s Perch. Camp w/ Supply (10, 2, 5+4), Weak Hit. Relax +1 Spirit (+4), Bind w/ Wits (9, 4, 3+3). Weak Hit. +1 Wits, fades on 9 or 10. 

They were glad to be away from the strangeness of While Tree and that eagerness overflowed into using a bit more of their supplies for mealtime than they normally would. The other loss came from Corinna practicing with the new bow they’d acquired for her. Eager to practice, a number of arrows missed the target tree altogether and were lost in the woods, never to be recovered. Delighted as she was at the beginnings of her martial training, the mismatched eyed girl still stopped to eagerly watch as Branwhyn prepared the binding ritual upon the cloak of stitched boar’s hide that they had acquired.

Continue reading “15 – Finding Allies” →