Black Cinders - Ironsworn: Entry 9
Session 3: One Foot in Front of the Other - Part 2
Hello and welcome to Black Cinders. Kanno and Kalidas continue their journey to Crowcrest, but first they must overcome the threat of the great worm that strikes from below! Lets us find out how they get on.
Entry 8 - One Foot in Front of the Other
Before:
Kanno and his trusted friend Kalidas departed Hound’s Grave, heading northwest where they hopped to pick up the Pioneer’s Path further north. They sought the Circle of Crowcrest in the Tempest Hills, where they hoped to find a falconer named Esben. Their journey so far took them out of the Sodden Plateaus and into a valley filled with towering grasses. Navigating this region was a frustrating affair, worsened by the ambush of a large, barbed worm erupting from the soft earth beneath their feet.
Barbed by Fear
20th of the 4th - 3rd of the 5th (Growing Bloom) 394.IL
[Barbed Lurking Worm. Formidable]
As its name suggests, the Barbed Lurking Worm is an ambush predator found in regions of soft earth, often within floodplains. This large, serpent-like creature will swallow its prey whole with a successful ambush. Around its soft, grey flesh are a multitude of venomous barbs that make battling this creature up close particularly hazardous.
Move: Enter the Fray, (Wits, Slinger)
Miss: 6 vs 7, 7 - Match | -1 Companion Health, Lose Initiative | Pay the Price - Match: Ally put in harms way + Separated from someone or something
Move: Companion Endure Harm (Heart)
Weak Hit: 6 vs 6, 4
Water, mud, and debris rained down as the worm erupted out of the riverbed. Its flesh was grey and mottled. Along its great length were a multitude of dark barbs of various sizes. Its mouth was a gaping, open maw that threatened to swallow Kalidas whole. As fortune would have it, the worm had clearly misjudged its attack as it crashed down with Kalidas only half in its mouth. A few spiny barbs had punctured his leathers but did not appear to breach his skin, save for one. It spiked his shield arm, just below the elbow. Kalidas winced as the worm’s mouth bit down his torso and lurched as it crashed against the riverbed. Blooded spilled into the sodden earth. If it had found better purchase on its prey, no doubt it would have bitten Kalidas clean in two.
Kanno rose upon shaking legs. His eyes were wide and his mouth agape. Unable to move. Unable to act. His eyes meet with his friend’s pained gaze, snapping him into action. He fumbled with his sling, unable to unravel it from his arm and cursed through his teeth. The creature thrashed a little bit in an attempt to throw Kalidas down its throat, but doing so weakened its grip on him. It crashed down again and sunk a little into the riverbed.
Move: Face Danger (Iron)
Miss: 4 vs 9, 8 | Burn 10 Momentum > Strong Hit: 10 vs 9, 8 | Momentum Reset, +1 Momentum, Gain Initiative
An opportunity was created in those brief moments and Kanno seized it. He bounded off the boulder and onto the riverbank, rolling as he landed. Mud caked his back and splattered against his face. A small splash of red was caught in the speckles of wet earth now upon his skin. He closed the distance and reached out to Kalidas. He seized his hand and kicked off the worm’s side. Despite the size difference, the momentum tugged his friend free from the worm’s grip, just as it rose up once more. Kalidas fell face first into the mud and wheezed. Kanno was on his back as water pooled around him.
The earth shook as the creature slammed down again. Its landing was poor which created some distance between the two men and the beast. A few barbs darted out but failed to make any contact with its prey, sinking impotently into the soft mud and surrounding grasses. It turned its large head and the open maw churned the earth as it was dragged itself through the mud.
“Kal, we need to move brother!” Kanno barked as he pulled his friend to his feet. He groaned as he struggled the move his friend to safety.
Kalidas clutched his side and rose shakily, “The Shepherd shan’t be taking me yet.” He smiled through the pain and gestured for Kanno to lead him.
Move: Face Danger, (Edge, +1 Kindred)
Strong Hit: 9 vs 7, 8 | +1 Momentum
Kanno did not think; there was no time. His legs moved before he even could. Taking Kalidas’ hand, he splashed through the shallow waters and hoped he was heading north. His friend stumbled and wheezed behind him, but kept pace. They darted into the concealing grasses and did not stop. Kanno’s legs thundered under him and began to burn with the exertion. Still, he did not stop. By the time he did, he found himself bent over, with his hands resting on his knees, panting heavily. He felt like he could collapse at any second. Moments later, Kalidas burst through the thicket of grass and fell to one knee, clutching his side and arm.
For a brief while, only the sound of the two men wheezing and the soft breeze could be heard.
Once Kanno was sure the beast had not given chase, he checked over Kalidas’ wounds. A thin barb had peirced his arm, which Kanno pulled free. Though his gambeson was torn and stained a deep crimson, his wounds were not too deep. Kalidas assured his friend he did not need attending to and urged that they both push forward.
Oracle: Does Elva’s Spirit aid him? | 50/50
Yes
Move: Secure Advantage, (Wits, +1 Spirit-Bound)
Miss: 6 vs 6, 6 - Match | -1 Spirit
Move: Endure Stress
Miss: 9 vs 10, 9 | -1 Momentum
Reluctantly, Kanno pushed aside his concerns and turned to the latest problem. In his rush to retreat, he fled into the grass without a heading. Now their position was uncertain and he had no idea how long it would take to get the pair of them back on track. His thoughts were racing. They needed to find higher ground. They needed to tend to Kalidas’ wounds.
That now familiar coldness crept up his spine and into his heart. It slowed his heartbeat but not his mind. More thoughts came rushing in. His concern for Kalidas. Was he going to lead another friend to his death? His chest tightened. Were they fools to even attempt this vow? Were the Ironlands too great for either of them? Hundreds of questions and worries danced through his head. He couldn’t focus or prioritise. That coldness within his heart took on a new form and bloomed within his chest as an deep, icy dread. Sweat beaded off his forehead.
They were doomed.
His daze was broken by a hand upon his shoulder. It was Kalidas. His smile was firm and its warmth tore away at the chill within his body. “Where to?” Kalidas asked.
Kanno didn’t speak and didn’t think. He wiped his brow, picked a direction, and urged his friend to follow him. Silence persisted between them as Kanno fought to tame his thoughts. All the while, he could feel a cold presence lingering, far to the south, like a silent appriation watching him from miles away.
Move: Face Danger, (Edge, +1 Kindred)
Strong Hit: 8 vs 7, 3 | +1 Momentum
It was a few more hours like this, with Kanno leading the way and Kalidas dutifully following his tail and stumbling through the strath. They carved a path through the thick grasses and found themselves on the gentle rises out of the valley by late afternoon. Gazing back, they could see the path they had come and the hills leading up to the Sodden Plateaus far beyond the horizon. Kanno only paused briefly to look back, before pushing onwards to find a suitable place to rest before night fell. He could not help but feel like they were being followed.
Region: The Havens | Lands: The Cloven Hills - Shrubland
Observed from Afar - Dry, Rugged Hills and Valleys
Geography - Dense Brambles
Characteristic Nature - Massive Herds of Driven Bovids: Goats
Regional Feature - Circling Birds of Prey
The Cloven Hills is a hardy region and one of tough living, even in the Havens. The hills lurch upwards in a jagged fashion and deep valleys cut between them. Though the Ironlander may struggle to carve out a life for themselve here, the hills are filled with herds of Bramblebane — Goats that feast of the vast and dense growth of brambles that cover the hillsides.
Oracle: Is there a settlement in sight? | 50/ 50
Yes
Settlement: Cliffell
Small, Crowded, Steep | Scorched Earth
Trouble: Mysterious Phenomenon, Mystical Blight, Crops are ablaze
Disposition: Curious + Cooperative
The next day and a half of travel was hardly gentle. The landscape here changed rapidly from the lush greenery of the grasslands to the dense and thick brambles of the Cloven Hills. Gone were the gentle rises, usurped by deep valleys and jagged hills. Hiking up and down this terrain was exhausting work and both Kanno and Kalidas found themselves taking more breaks that they ought to.
They were not alone in these lands. Herds of wild goats munched on the dense brambles, creating hills covered by patchwork. The caprine heads raised their heads in the direction of the two interlopers but otherwise paid the men no mind, other than to stare intently from afar. Though Kanno was tempted to claim one for their next meal, he thought better of it. Better to not potentially steal a man of his livestock, on the off chance they were not wild.
Fortunately, as the hiked deeper into the Cloven Hills, the herds became more numerous and with it, the two men found ample goat trails to navigate their way. Signs of civilisation were a growing sight too. While majority of their companions so far had been goats or the occasional hawk circling above, they did spot figures hiking on a distant hilltop, before disappearing down into a valley. Late in the afternoon, they spotted the thin streams of smoke drifting above a hillside in the distance, and altered course for the Circle. A well-earned rest was in order and new company would do the two of them well.
They crested the last rise as the sun hung low in the sky. It would set within the hour and cast great shadows into the bramble infested valleys. From this summit they looked down into the valley below and spotted the Circle. It sat halfway up a sheer cliff-side with narrow, winding path leading up either side to it. To the outside observer, it looked like the cliffside had been carved out with a chisel to create a nook for the settlement to rest upon. The road continued through the town and lead further up the cliff face, creating two points of entry that were defended by a set of wooden palisades.
With the promise of a warm meal, a secure place to sleep, and the setting sun beckoning the shadow of night, Kanno and Kalidas worked their way quickly down the valley to pick up the ascending trail. In the waning light it quickly became apparent to the two of them that something was wrong here. Kanno didn’t realise it at the top of the hill, but the shrubs and brambles they had become accustomed to appeared blackened and almost charred. The growing of night further revealed the glow of orange lights crawling across the terrain like ants. Fleeting embers that seemed to consume the earth here. Under the shadow of the rising cliff-face, they could see the Circle above was seemingly afflicted, as it softly glowed in the spreading darkness.
Kanno’s first thought was an active wildfire, but he heard no screams come the settlement above. No fleeing Ironlanders were scrambling down the switchback with their worldly possessions. No sound of roaring fires as they climbed up the narrow path. In truth, the night seemed calm despite this alarming effect around them. Choosing to trust is gut, Kanno nodded to Kalidas and began to run further up, towards the cliffside settlement.
Post-Session:
Honestly, this session — which is covered by this and the previous entry — was kind of a mess all over. Looking back, there are definitely things I would have done differently, but I’ll put that down to still getting used to the system. If I were to run this again, I think escaping the worm would be more of a scene challenge or at least a extra roll or two. I think the two misses with matches in a row really threw me as well and I don’t think I really capitalised on that per se. Likewise with the miss match on the Secure Advantage roll with Elva. I definitely have a better grasp on how to incorporate those results into the narrative now. Additionally, I made a mistake on the Companion Harm. Kalidas should have lost 3 health instead of one due to the rank of the worm. As a result, I didn’t feel the need to make a Heal move to treat him.
That being said, I think within the next couple of entries I might write a very short interlude to compensate for the matches here. A little something to foreshadow a growing thread that won’t mechanically or narratively bare fruit for quite a few sessions.
Next session we reach Cliffell and I warn you, this marks the beginning of a massive detour due to a side quest I picked up on a whim! I’ve fallen victim to the narrative hydra unfortunately. Despite this, I really like how the next arc plays out so I can’t complain too much.
Catch you next time folks! Be sure to subcribe if you’re enjoy this tale.