Ironsworn Session 17: Alone on the Journey Again

Valryc's status: Momentum: 5; Health: 5; Spirit: 5; Supply:3
Undertake a Journey: Travel to the Elven temple near Timbermount- 6 Progress

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Valryc finds himself on the road alone yet again. The journey with his companions these last several weeks had been a respite from the hardship of traveling alone, but he knew this would come sooner or later. He begins making his way into the dense forests that fill the lands of Timbermount. The journey was much harder than the easy way along the road and having a pack laden with supplies made it all that much harder to part from his friends. But years of such travel honed his instincts. He set off, glancing up through the trees to spot Strieg flying over head when he could. The hawk flew just underneath the canopy of the forest, continuing to keep watch ahead for danger as he was trained to do.

Undertake a Journey- Valryc presses deeper into the forest, navigating as best he can towards the location indicated by the strange elven cartography device.
Roll+wits+Strieg: Wits 2+ Strieg 1+ Action die 1
Weak hit: Action score 4; Challenge die 4/3
+1 Progress, -1 Supply, Reach a waypoint

Oracle (Location/descriptor)- 25/13: Rough Fen

 

Valryc presses forward deeper into the forest, soon finding that the forest floor has become soft and spongy. The dank putrid smell of rotting vegetation fills the air as he realizes he’s stumbled into a marshy fen. Valryc shakes his head and sighs. “I was hoping to forage for some food as I go, but that will be impossible until I make my way out of this damned marshland.”  The going is slow, but there is no other way around. Valryc decides that it is better to slowly push on through the fen than it would be to try to go around this part of the forest. It could take him well out of the way, and now that Shadiri had made themselves known in the area time was of the essence. 

GM:  The fen is going to provide a moderate challenge to Valryc. His supplies from the caravan are not as plentiful as he would have hoped and so foraging along the way is going to be important for this leg of the journey. So long as he is in the fen, it is going to be difficult to find any food that he could scavenge to refill his supply. Here I want to see if he'll find his way from the fen quickly or if this is going to be a large portion of the journey ahead.

Oracle: Is Valryc able to make his way out of the marshland and find a suitable place to camp for the night, allowing him to do some foraging and possibly snare some game to replenish his supply? 50/50- 29; No

The dense fen stretches on farther than Valryc had initially expected. The rest of the day and most of the following day he finds himself trudging through the spongy soil and is unable to refill his supplies. During a rest he sifts through his pack and takes stock of his food and water. “Well that is concerning. I should have taken more time to properly stock my pack before departing Aleko and the others. It seems I may be in need of food before I make it to Timber mount. If this fen stretches on much longer, I’ll really be in a predicament.” With a worried expression, he organizes his things back in his pack and shoulders it to continue on.

Undertake a Journey- Valryc continues navigating the difficult terrain of the fen.
Roll+wits+Strieg: Wits 2+ Strieg 1+ Action die 2
Miss: Action score 5; Challenge die 9/6
Waylaid by a perilous event; Pay the Price

Valryc continues pressing on deeper into the forest. But as he goes, the stench of the marshland and the density of the trees in this section of the forest continues to press in on him. His hopes for the terrain to ease are dashed. His food is running low and he’s moving slowly. The weight of the Shadiri moving ever closer to their shared goal presses down on him. Cursing under his breath as he continues to stumble through the spongy earth, trying to find a decent trail to follow, he feels his spirit breaking.

Pay the Price- Endure Stress; -1 spirit and roll +spirit to press on.
Roll+spirit: Spirit 4+ Action die 2
Miss: Action die 6; Challenge die 8/9
-1 momentum

Valryc feels himself struggling to press on. The only way he keeps his feet moving hour after hour through the difficult terrain is his sense of duty. He is a soldier, a wrennsguard. His people are threatened and he has a mission that will save many people if he is able to complete it. The thoughts of his friends and family push his feet forward one step after another.

Undertake a Journey- Valryc continues to struggle through the fen, his spirit slowly deteriorating as the landscape refuses to change.
Roll+wits+Strieg: Wits 2+ Strieg 1+ Action die 4
Strong hit: Action score 7; Challenge die 6/1
+1 Progress, Reach a Waypoint

Waypoint- Small lake with a good chance to rest and resupply

After several days of trudging through the dense forest and spongy soil of the fen, Valryc sees the trees begin to thin up ahead. The air begins to smell more fresh and a gentle breeze can be felt on his face. He begins moving quicker towards what seems like the end of this section of forest and finds himself breaking from the tree line to discover a beautiful lake. Valryc breathes in the fresh air, feeling his spirits rise at his final break of good fortune. “Finally free of that damned bog! And such a perfect lake at that. I’m sure I’ll be able to refill my water and find some fresh berries here. I may even be able to catch some rabbit for dinner this evening.” He immediately sets his mind on spending the rest of the day at the lake to resupply and refresh himself from the several hard days of travel through the fen. He quickly begins to set snares at likely game trails, motioning for Strieg to begin searching the area for game. The hawk is well trained in flushing out such creatures into Valryc’s snares. If there are any wildlife to be had, the hawk will find them. He then goes about foraging through the brush near the lakes edge searching for any edible fruits that he might fill his pack with.

Resupply- Valryc spends the afternoon hunting for small game and foraging through the brush to fill his supplies.
Roll+wits+Strieg: Wits 2+ Strieg 1+ Action die 6
Strong hit: Action score 9; Challenge die 6/2
+2 supply

Valryc quickly finds several bushes with fresh ripe berries ready for picking. He begins his harvest, placing handfuls of berries in several different food storage bags. After he’d eaten his fill and filled his bags, he went to go check on the snares he had laid. Strieg had been busy circling over head, occasionally diving down towards the ground, while Valryc had been collecting the berries. “Good sign that he’s likely found something! We’ll be eating well this evening I garner.” Valryc smiles widely, finding several healthy sized rabbits have been trapped in his snares. He sets about preparing the game for the nights meal, setting them over a fire to slowly roast as he begins to set up camp. “Though my travel has been slowed, there’s no chance I can pass up such a perfect place to camp. A good nights sleep and a full belly will do me good in the days ahead.” He plans to stay at the lake for the rest of the day, cleaning his clothing in the fresh water and refilling his water skins. With his tent pitched and the rabbit roasting over the fire, evening falls.

Make Camp- Valryc takes full advantage of the splendor he has found in his small lake oasis.
Roll+supply: Supply 4+ Action die 3
Weak hit: Action score 7; Challenge die 2/10
+1 Spirit

The night passes by and Valryc wakes the next morning feeling refreshed and ready for the road ahead. The day to scavenge and wash himself was just what he needed, feeling his spirits lifted. After breaking down the camp and collecting more berries to break his fast, Valryc sets off on the next leg of his journey, glad to be rid of the fen he’s left behind.

Undertake a Journey- Valryc continues on from his camp by the lake, feeling that he must be near his destination
Roll+wits+Strieg: Wits 2+ Strieg 1+ Action die 3
Weak hit: Action score 6; Challenge die 6/5
+1 Progress, -1 Supply, Reach a waypoint

Waypoint- Valryc discovers a hidden path in the forest that must lead to the Elven temple he seeks

Valryc leaves the haven that he found in the rejuvenating lake deep in the woods reluctantly. But his duty continues to push him onwards and the need for haste ever nags at the back of his mind. The journey continues on much easier than his time spent slogging through the marshy terrain of the fen that he found himself traveling through for several days, the forest keeping the path cool and shaded. He travels with as much speed as he can muster, continuing on in the direction that the Elven temple must be. Finally after several more days of traveling, he comes upon a strange outcropping of trees. The trees almost seem to be planted in an organized manner against a large rocky outcropping. Upon further inspection, Valryc finds a hidden path behind the trees through the rocks. He thinks for a moment, then resolves to investigate it further. “This must be it, a hidden path leading towards the temple marked by the map device in the elven ruins. It could be a false lead, but I must investigate it to rule out all possibilities.” He continues on down the hidden path, hopeful that his destination is near at hand.

Reach your Destination- Roll against progress of 9
Strong hit: Progress 9; Challenge die 2/1
+1 momentum; Reach your destination; Your situation favors you

GM:
After a difficult journey through the fen, Valryc finally catches a lucky break. He's found the way forward and his situation favors him. The most obvious way it could favor him in this case is that the Shadiri have not reached the temple before him this time. He's got a chance to find what he's looking for and flee before they even find this place!

 

Valryc continues along the hidden trail that he has found for several miles. Dense forest and vegetation surround the path, making it near impossible to stumble upon the trail if someone wasn’t aware of its presence. Finally in the distance he spots a structure. His heart leaps to his throat as he hastens his pace towards the structure. From the outside it appears to be of the same construction as the previous Elven temple that he had discovered in the mountains north of Wrennsguard. Better yet for Valryc as he approaches the structure it appears as if it has been undisturbed for centuries. Moss and vines grow over the facade of the building, covering the door as well.  “No signs of a camp or anyone having entered the building in a very long time. It’s nigh impossible that the Shadiri have beaten me here!” Excitement fills Valryc as he approaches the door. He finds the rusted hinges difficult to press open, and the vines covering the door belay his earlier suspicions. He has beaten the Shadiri here. Now he only needs to find the piece of the blade supposedly stored here and be gone before they arrive. Hopefully well gone before they even know that he was ever here. He places his shoulder against the door, counting off in his head. “One… Two… Three!” He throws his weight into the door and finally it gives, opening into an old, dusty, undisturbed ancient Elven structure. His mind begins racing as he quickly works out how best to begin his search.  

 

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Valryc's status: Momentum: 5; Health: 5; Spirit: 5; Supply:3
Undertake a Journey: Travel to the Elven temple near Timbermount- Destination Reached!
 
Ironsworn Campaign 1: Session List