Ironsworn Session 11: The Long Wait

Valryc's status: Momentum: 6; Health: 5; Spirit: 5; Supply: 2
 
Valryc bides his time waiting for the council to summon him for his next assignment. He reports for duty but his commanding officer informs him that he has been given a week of leave after his long journey

Valryc awakes from his restless sleep feeling worn out. He rolls out of bed, thinking on what to do next. “I suppose I best report for duty. It will be good for me to get back to routine. At least until the council summons me…”  He dresses in his uniform, still wearing the stains and tears from his long journey. “Might need to get this repaired. Or replaced I suppose,” he thinks to himself, examining the tears and rips in his travel worn tunic. He dons his leather armor after oiling it to a glistening shine. Shouldering his bastard sword, he sets off towards the training grounds where his commander would be overseeing the morning training.

Upon arrival, he greets soldiers and friends who he had not seen since departing the city on his mission. He feels warmed by the comradery that he had missed for so long on the road after losing his squad so early into his mission. He thinks back to his lost companions, swearing again that he will continue to see their mission through and end the threat of the Shadiri to the Ironlands. Finally he finds his commander, working with a few fresh recruits. New faces were always welcome among the Wrennsguard. Commander Rafe nods to him as he sees Valryc approach. “I’ll be with you in a moment, Captain. Meet me in my office, I’ll be along shortly.”  The curt greeting from Rafe leaves him feeling uneasy, but he assumes that the commander wants to continue the new recruits' induction before handing them off to some of the other captains to begin their training. Valryc salutes the commander, raising his hand to his chest forming a fist around his Iron arrowhead, before departing for Rafe’s office.

A short while later, Commander Rafe steps in and takes a seat at his desk. “At ease Captain. Have a seat.” Valryc nods and sits across from the man. “I’ve returned from my mission successfully. I’ve lost my men, but I am ready to return to duty. What shall my next task be? '' Valryc asks. Commander Rafe’s brow furrows as he takes a moment to collect his thoughts. “I’m sorry Valryc. The council has sent orders this morning just before you arrived. You’ve been placed on leave until they have reached a decision in whatever matter it is they’ve involved you in. It seems they have use of you yet in their plans. Ah, Ah, Ah, don’t speak any more on the matter. It seems that whatever it is is above even my pay grade. You will spend the next week off duty, that is a direct order.” Valryc sits for a moment, too stunned to speak after listening to the commander’s words. After a moment he nods and stands, turning towards the door. He stops before exiting the room. “I trust that I’ll have full use of the training grounds at the very least… I don’t want my blade to rust in its sheath while I wait for their summons.” Rafe smirks at Valryc before silently nodding and waving his hand towards the door.

Valryc steps out into the morning sun feeling listless at the sudden relief from duty. After a moment, he shakes his head and moves towards the training grounds, planning not to waste his time waiting around for the council. He unsheathes his blade as he steps into the sparring pit looking for a fight to burn off some of his energy. He spends the morning training hard, exhausting himself as he hones his skills.  

Advance- Valryc spends time sparring to hone his skills with his blade. Spend 2 experience to advance sword master asset.
When you score a strong hit with a clash, add +1 to your next action if it is a strike

After his training, Valryc stops into the requisitions office to acquire a new uniform before heading back to his home. “I suppose I’ll stop by Kyara’s. I’m sure she could use the help this afternoon.”  He finds his sister hard at work forming dough into loaves for baking tomorrow. As she listens to what happened that morning, Kyara throws her arms around her brother, happy that he is home and glad for the help. “Well, best not leave hands idle brother! Who knows what trouble they might get into.” She turns back to the kitchen and they spend the afternoon together working dough and laughing as they work. Kyara fills her brother in on what she has been up to for the last month while he was away.

As the afternoon drags on into the night, there is a knock at Kyara’s door. With a bit of surprise on her face, Kyara opens the door to find a handful of Wrennsguard standing outside her home. “Ah, hello Kyara… We went by the captain’s house but he wasn't home. We all expected that if he wasn’t home, he might have ended up here.” The man smirks and waves as Valryc steps up behind his sister, wearing an apron covered in flour. “We thought if he wasn’t too busy working the dough, he might come have a few drinks with some of the men. We’d like to give him a proper welcome back home.” The man smirks and laughs and Kyara does the same as she turns back to her brother. “It looks like your friends are asking if you can come out to play Valryc. Well? Don’t keep them waiting now! Out of that dirty apron and out on the town you go, I can’t bear fixing all your mistakes one minute longer!” She jests, smaking her brother on the shoulder and walking back inside. “I’ll see you tomorrow bright and early and we’ll get some of these sad loaves into the ovens since it seems you’ve found yourself with extra free time. Best not be late, I’ll dock your pay for every half hour you aren't here.” Kyara smiles as she accepts Valrycs dirty apron. He steps out into the refreshing night air, embracing his friends with a smile and many shaken hands as the group leave for a night of drinking and swapping stories.

Sojourn- Valryc spends time with his sister and men at arms to decompress after his mission
+1 bond with sister and Wrennsguard
Weak hit- Action Die 5; Challenge die 5/3 Choose 1 +1 for bond
+2 supply; Take a quest

In the morning, Valryc rises from bed a bit later than he usually would. Feeling groggy, but rested and rejuvenated from the night spent in the company of friends. Seeing that the sun has already begun to rise into the late morning, he quickly makes his way to Kyara’s house to help with the backing. He laughs and curses himself, sure that he’ll face the wrath of his sister after missing most of the morning bake. Upon arriving there, he finds Kyara in the company of a distraught woman. Kyara is listening intently as the woman speaks to her. As Valryc steps into the room they both look up.

Oracle (Mother’s name): 67; Nazmi

“Valryc, finally you're here. This is Nazmi. Her son has been missing for several days… She says she’s gone to the Wrennsguard, but with you absent for so long and the scouts stretched so thin… They’ve been unable to spare the men to go after him. She’s worried, it's been far too long since he left the city. He was only supposed to be gone for a day at most!” Valryc listens to the Nazmi’s story intently, concern covering his face. “This is no good, the fact that the scouts are so stretched and yet I’ve been put on leave… This can't be right. I will go out after him. I’m sure that Commander Rafe will allow me to take this on myself.” He reaches up to his iron arrowhead, looking directly into the woman's eyes. “I swear it. I’ll do my best to return him to the city. And if I can’t do that…. I’ll make sure I bring him back to you one way or another.” Valryc grimaces as he puts forth the possibility that the boy is already gone, but the woman seems not to realize what he said. Tears well up in her eyes as she hugs him thankfully. 

Oracle (Boys name): 81; Pendry

Swear an Iron Vow- Troublesome vow; Find missing boy and bring him back to his family
Roll +1 for bond with Kyara (swearing vow to for his sister’s friend)
Weak hit- Action die 9; Challenge die 7/10
+1 momentum; envision a way forward

Valryc is troubled that other scouts aren’t available to venture into the forest to retrieve the boy. Though he has sworn this vow, he thinks on the possibility that his absence will come with consequences. He thinks to himself that before he leaves to find the boy he will stop by and inform Commander Rafe of his plans. "I’ll need more information before I set out. Your best description of the boy, what was he wearing on the day he set out, and  where was he headed. Anything you can give to me will be useful. I’m very familiar with the woods around the city, but they are vast. If you can point me in the right direction, I’ll have a better chance finding him.” Valryc hopes the woman can supply helpful information so that he can set off in a proper direction. Wandering the forests outside of town would be fruitless in the end. He’d need something to get him on the trail.

Gather information- He asks the woman where her boy might have been headed, hoping that something she mentions might strike him as a solid landmark to start his search.
Roll +1 for bond
Weak hit- Action die 7; Challenge die 4/7
+1 momentum; Find a complication in your quest

Nazmi describes a place that is familiar to Valryc. “He said he was going towards some cave system that he had discovered. Nearby there were some herbs that would fetch a good price at market. He only wanted to help earn some extra gold for his mother is all…” Valryc recognizes the cave system near the area where he was headed. A good start, but he fears the boy might have ended up in the caves, which were dangerous and infested by dangerous creatures. His only hope was to get there as quickly as he could. He reassures the woman, mentioning that he knows the cave system she speaks of and that this information will point him straight towards the boy. He makes his exit, saying goodbye to Kyara and the mother, heading back home to gather his things. “One quick stop to inform Rafe before I depart. I’m sure he won’t stop me at this point. He knows how serious a vow such as this is.” 
 
He makes his way to the training grounds, finding Rafe working with a few of the new recruits. He salutes and quickly addresses the commander before he can wave him off. “I’m stopping by just to let you know that I’m going after a missing boy. Pendry’s mother came to my sister this morning after hearing I had returned to town. I will be gone a few days. It wont be a long trip and I have good information pointing me towards where he may be. If I can’t find him in that time I will return so that I don’t miss the council’s summons. If they do come preemptively then just inform them that I’ll be back shortly.” Rafe hesitates for a moment before stepping aside and waving Valryc over. “Yes, I’ve heard of the missing boy… Unfortunate that all of the scouts are out trying to ascertain the movement of the Shadiri now. I’m sure you’ve heard there have been sightings of their troops in the villages outside of Wrennsfall. But seeing as you are off duty, I can’t stop you from going after him. Be safe, captain. And make sure you return quickly, don’t want to keep the council waiting.” Rafe nods and dismisses Valryc with a wave, returning his attention to the new recruits training regimen.

He quickly leaves town, heading towards the cave system. It is not far from Wrennsfall, just a few hours journey from town. He arrives at the suspected location that was the boy's destination and begins searching for any signs of the missing boy.
 
Gather Information- Valryc searches for tracks and signs of the boy near the cave system
Strong hit- Action die 8; challenge die 1/6
+2 momentum

Valryc quickly finds evidence of the boy’s presence in the area. The boys pack lay outside of the cave entrance, torn and abandoned on the ground. There are signs of struggle, and it appears that the boy fled into the caves fleeing whatever assaulted him outside. Valryc sighs heavily, thinking the worst. “Well, I suppose I’ll be venturing into these caves if I am to fulfill my vow. I only hope that the boys luck got better inside the caves than it was out here.” He sorts through the boy's pack and retrieves food and a few useful tools that might come in handy before drawing his bastard sword, lighting a torch, and cautiously making his way into the cave system.

Reach a Milestone- Valryc has found evidence of the boy's location and can be certain to find him in the caves
+3 progress on Troublesome vow

DELVE INTO THE CAVES- In the next session, Valryc will be delving into the caves with the hope that Pendry has found a safe place to hide long enough that he has a chance to find him.


Valryc's status: Momentum: 10; Health: 5; Spirit: 5; Supply: 4
Vow: Find the missing boy and bring him back to Wrennsfall: Progress 3
 

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