Gameplay Session 1

 

From the Journal of Jarast the Sharp:

Fire Season, 327 A.E., Cinder waxing, Wraith half:

On a journey west a couple of years ago I got to know a fellow who had traveled even further west and had lived for a time among the tribes of the Xaayda.  Up until then I’d believed that that was as far as west goes, but apparently beyond the isles of the Xaayda, there is another Greater Bounds like the one our ancestors crossed to arrive in our homeland generations ago, and beyond those Bounds lies a great empire called Kagayaku.  I think that was the name he gave.  They are a strange folk who have been steadily encroaching into Xaayda territory for some time.  To hear him tell it, the warriors of this empire are pledged to serve their nobles for life, living and dying by their masters’ whims.  I have a hard time imagining it.  Estavalians are independent minded to say the least.  But this man shared a term that these Kagayakis have for a warrior without a master: a “wave tossed man." I must admit I like the sound of it.  Perhaps that’s what I’ve always been.  It certainly seems apt now.

I was tossed into the waves when my clan’s ship was attacked by those Tamoanchanian bastards.  The waves tossed me onto the shores of that nameless rock I called home for nearly two months before Captain Hohchifo found me and took me on.  And two nights ago, a storm came upon us out of nowhere, sending one of the biggest waves I’ve ever seen to nearly capsize the Talulah and wash me right off the deck.  We took some damage, though nothing more severe than some broken rigging, torn sails, and bruised sailors. All the same we knew we couldn’t weather such a storm for long.  The Captain knows these waters well and set a course for Hutum Cecehares, the port we now call home for the moment.  Though we were spared from any more monstrous waves like the first, the journey was rough, and we were tossed about by wind and wave alike.  The crew prayed to their gods and I to mine, and at least some of our prayers must have been heard, for the fact that you are reading this now stands as proof that we were not sent to Arastag’s great hall below the waves.  The mizzenmast was snapped towards the top, but through the crew’s swift action was cut loose before it could bring anything else down with it.  The gods did not, however, see fit to spare me from being tossed from the ratlines down to the deck, where I landed flat on my back with the wind knocked out of me.  Loquosh, our healer, thinks I bruised some ribs and I am inclined to believe him, for even now, two days later, any but the shallowest breathing hurts.

The crew unleashed great whoops of joy as we cleared the storm and the lights of the village came into sight, and if my ribs would have allowed it I would have joined them.  I have not yet mastered the whoops and ululations of my Pushmatahan friends; they tease me for my throaty cheers, saying I sound like a bear or perhaps a thundermaw.  But their celebration was premature, for not long after pulling in to port and assessing our damages, a new problem was discovered.  The various fruits and vegetables we had acquired at our last port of call had been infested by some sort of verminous insect native to these isles and were a complete loss.  There was nothing to be done but dump the cargo overboard, hope the local gulls and crabs found it more edible than we did, and look to restock.  Captain Hohchifo was stoic as ever about the matter, and I believe that on the balance he thought it a small price to pay to have made it into port with an intact ship and crew, battered as we may have been.

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Inciting Incident:

Foul Weather: Stormy

Seafaring peril: Rogue Wave strikes

Move #1: Face Danger as the wave hits.  Roll +Iron

Challenge Dice: 9, 6. Action Die: 8: weak hit.  Make a suffer move at -1.

Move #2: Withstand Damage.  Lose 1 Integrity, Roll +Integrity (+3)

Challenge Dice: 4, 2. Action Die: 6: strong hit.  Going to keep the damage and add +1 Momentum.

Minor damage to the ship; some torn sails and rigging and the like, and a lot of the crew get banged up, but nothing too bad.  Still, waiting out the storm looks to be a very bad idea so they head to Hutum Cecehares, the nearest port.

Move #3: Set A Course.  Roll +Supply (5)

Challenge Dice: 5, 8. Action Die: 6: weak hit.  Going to make two -1 suffer moves rather than one at -2.

Move #4: Withstand Damage again. Lose 1 Integrity, Roll +Integrity (+2)

Challenge Dice: 2, 7.  Action Die: 7: weak hit.  Trade that +1 momentum from earlier to regain a point of Integrity.

Move #5: Endure Harm.  Lose 1 Health, Roll +Health (+4)

Challenge Dice: 9, 9.  Action Die: 7: miss.  Lose another point of health.

Match event Oracle Roll: “Infested Material”.  I interpret this as meaning that the ship has a rough night, all hands being needed to keep it from taking on any further damage, Jarast gets banged up pretty good, but they make it into port in one piece.  Upon arrival and further assessment they find out that at some point along their journey they picked up some sort of bugs that infested most of the fruits and vegetables they’d been carrying, which now need to be dumped overboard. Cross that off the list of cargo.

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Fire Season, 327 A.E., Cinder full, Wraith waning:

We’ve been in Hutum Cehecares for a week now.  The Talulah is back in fighting shape, as am I, though I remain sore.  We’ve had plenty of time for shore leave, and the crew has managed to spend a good portion of their free time playing stickball among each other and with the locals.  It’s just my luck that come the first chance to show off my skills to the rest of the crew in months, I find myself sidelined by my ribs.  I think some of them actually believe me when I tell them that the gods brought our people to Estavalia so that we could learn stickball from our neighbors.  As you can probably imagine, even practicing my whooping still hurts, so I have been left to my own devices for much of this stay, and have occupied myself with exploring the village, such as it is, getting to know the locals, and getting familiar with the town’s small tavern.

It was during one of these tavern visits that I met a fellow Estavalian by the name of Ekath Darandar, of the Black Porpoise clan (a clan that Imust confess to never having heard of before our meeting).  Like me, Ekath finds himself brought to these southern isles by the whims of fate or the gods.  Also like me he is Ironsworn, having sworn an oath to recover a legendary spear known as the Stormshaft.  If the legends are to be believed, the Stormshaft is the same spear with which the Black Porpoise’s great hero Ivarnale Storm-Wise slew a leviathan that had plagued their territory for a generation.  Fifteen years ago, Ivarnale sailed south and was never heard from again by her own people, and so when Ekath came of age he went in search of her.  As luck would have it, the ship that brought him here to Hutum left without him under circumstances that he has not cared to share with me.  I have inquired discreetly among the locals who have gotten to know him and what little they tell me leads me to believe the core of the matter was a bitch of a hangover, a falling out with the captain that had brought him here, or most likely both.  What matters now is that he needs a way off of this island, and the Talulah can always use a strong back and an able sword hand.  Naturally, having been in similar straits not so long ago but blessed with the good fortune to be rescued, I feel I ought to share some of that fortune with another when I can.

I discussed the matter with captain Hohchifo, who responded with his usual reserve, which I’ve come to learn is about the best I can expect from him.  A good man, the captain; fair, honest, and a good judge of weather and men alike, but not much for making merry.  He agreed to take Ekath on at least for a time, for he has also been busy this past week getting to know the locals and it seems we have a new commission.  Hutum Cehecares, despite its small size, is something of a waypoint for local ships as Maheena (the island on which it is located) is well forested with fine wood for shipbuilding and situated only a few days from a boggy island known as a source for ropereed, that unassuming reed which can be processed into some of the finest rope and sailcloth in the Isles.  These bogs are also a source of jet, with which the locals make their distinctive black jewelry.  They are central to the local economies, but perilous, and it was there that the village’s war chief Imosak lead an expedition that is long overdue to return.  This Imosak is not a man to take lightly, so whatever has waylaid him must be serious, and it now falls to us to find out.  The captain will judge Ekath’s performance in this mission (and by extension, I expect, my own), and if he is found to be able he will be offered a bunk of his own.  I take it as a point of pride that the captain thinks highly enough of my judgment and my own contributions to the crew that he would even consider my request.  I will see to it that neither I nor Ekath let him down.  I go now to tell Ekath the news, and to see that he doesn’t celebrate his change in fortune too enthusiastically, for the last thing he needs is another hangover.

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Move #7: Repair. They’re in port, so roll +heart

Challenge Dice: 1, 10.  Action Die 3: weak hit.  No biggie, that’s still worth 5 integrity repaired because they're in port, and they only need 2.

Move #8: Sojourn.  Roll +Heart.

Challenge Dice: 4, 5.  Action Die: 6: Strong hit.  Given that the repairs are relatively routine, the crew finds time for shore leave.  Jarast uses this time to heal fully and also gets to know Ekath Darandar, a fellow Estavalian who has found himself living among the tribes of the Red Horn Isles.

Move #9: Make A Connection.  Roll +Heart again.  I always forget how often you need to roll +Heart in Ironsworn games as opposed to, you know, just killing stuff.  One of these days I’ll build a character accordingly.

Challenge Dice: 2, 10.  Action Die: 3: weak hit.  Jarast gets to know Ekath, learning that he is Ironsworn like himself, and has taken a vow to find a legendary spear called the Stormshaft.  The Stormshaft is said to be one of the few weapons short of a cannon or ballista capable of piercing a kraken’s hide.  Unfortunately he finds himself marooned in H.C.  If only some band of glory seekers would come into port and take him on…

Move #10: Compel. Roll +Heart yet again to try and convince Hohchifo to add Ekath to the crew roster.

Challenge Dice 3, 8, Action Die: 6: weak hit.  There is a complication.

Oracle Roll to see what kind of complication:

Action: Locate

Descriptor: Collapsed

Focus: Commander.

Seems pretty straightforward.  Who is this jackoff they need to find?  More Oracle Rolls follow

Name: Imosak

First Look: Haggard

Role detail: Captain

Trademark accessory: Shell gorget with a monstrous face (I may have fudged that a little)

Trademark weapon: Brace of pearl-handled pistols

Character detail: Ruthless

Cursed character detail: Undying

Goal: Claim a resource

Descriptor: Flooded

Focus: Habitat

I’m picturing a hard ass, grizzled, driven veteran who would definitely be played by Wes Studi in the movie, or possibly Zahn McClarnon.  The “undying” thing probably isn’t literal, just means he’s a survivor against all odds.  He took his crew on an expedition to the bogs surrounding Sishtahallo Island’s Black Bay looking for ropereed and jet, both of which can be found in great quantities there (the jet may have something to do with Black Bay’s blackness).

The upshot is that captain Hohchifo and the crew of the Talulah have been enlisted by the village elders to go find out what happened to Imosak and bring him back if possible.  Ekath can tag along for now, and if he proves useful maybe they can bring him on full time.

Move #11: End A Session

Develop Your Relationship with Captain Hohchifo (1 box ticked), check on his life clock (Yes/no oracle, rated unlikely, clock does not progress - more about this in the next session), and call it a night.