Wyvern at Redhaven

When we last left our plucky hero, she had just crested a rise at the outskirts of the village of Redhaven when the warning bells began sounding. This wasn't a single bell ringing though, it was two, differently toned bells which meant something supernatural or fearsome has been encountered.  Could it be the the Firstborn? A raiding party?

Nissus knows that if she's caught in the open, she'll be left outside the walls. For a split second she hesitates; it might be best to remain out here and blend into the forest and hills and escape whatever is befalling this place. But no, she needs to find this Euros of Redhaven, and she can't do that from outside, and she certainly can't do that if he dies from whatever is about to befall this place.

With a resigned curse under her breath, she begins to run towards the palisade walls.  "Mojo! Come!"  From out of the copse the hound bursts, racing quickly and easily alongside Nissus, his tongue lolling as if he's enjoying this game. 

Imma take the Face Danger move here; let's see if Nissus and Mojo can make it the 800 yards or so to the palisade before the gates close. 

Moves requiring speed use Edge and Nissus isn't so great at that.  I roll a 5, so net result of 6 versus 6/7.  I miss. I want a little inspiration on what happens beyond just failing to reach the gates in time... I roll battle + capture.  Hmmmm. 

Nissus gains ground on the palisade wall; ahead of her several villagers race through the gates. She can make out the panicked look of the gatekeepers peering over the pointed palisade walls. The gates are closing, and her legs and lungs are fit to burst. Mojo barks as if urging her on.

400 yards.  Her hamstrings begin to scream but she presses harder. 

300 yards. Her shield jostles loose, and she grips its leather thong in a vice grip. She can't afford to lose her shield. 

200 yards. Every muscle is on fire. The opening between the gates is just a sliver. They've spied her in the open, running, and one of the guards urges her on! 

She's 100 yards to go when she hears it.  The unmistakeable scream of a wyvern!  Mojo spins and barks fiercely. Suddenly she's buffeted by a heavy wind at the same time she stumbles, her foot caught on a tussock of grass. She falls headlong into the soft earth. A rush of wind passes overhead, followed by the heavy stink of carrion as the wyvern's claws pass right where her shoulders were a moment before. From above, the shrill shriek of the wyvern's cry as it pinwheels in the sky to make another sweep. 

Nissues scrambles to her feet and gazes skyward. Losing the creature in the sun for a brief moment, she catches sight of it as it swoops around to her right. It's a juvenile, thank the gods! But still, no less a fearsome beast.  

Her legs drive her forward. "Mojo! Come!" she yells with the last of her breath. And he's there, racing beside her.  But the gates are closed! She stops running, drops her pack, pulling her blade as she turns. The wyvern completes its circle and begins racing towards her.  Plunging her blade into the soft earth, she quickly gets her shield in place, tightening the thong on her arm, before grabbing up her blade again. Just in time as the wyvern reaches her... 

Normally Wyvern's are Extreme opponents, but I am going to downgrade it for this encounter to Formidable since it's a juvenile.

Enter the Fray:  roll +Heart which lands me a 7 vs 5/6 - a strong hit! +2 momentum and I take initiative. Strike as the wyvern flies at me; I roll 5 vs 6/7 so a miss. I lose initiative and take 3 Harm! ooof - that drops me to zero health. not. good.  A weak hit on Endure harm, which means I carry on. But anymore damage can result in serious injury (like being maimed!).  

Nissus swings her sword but it's a moment too soon, her blade passes through empty air as the wyvern's claws bite deep into her shoulder. Nissus let's loose a feral scream, and wrenches free before it can pull her off her feet.  The wyvern quickly flies up, spins hard,  and jets back earthward, claws forward as it screams.

A Clash! - Roll 8 vs 2,3 - a strong hit! I score an extra momentum with my shield. I'll take the +1 Harm inflicted. 

I really need aid in facing this beast, so I roll Compel - I want to incite the people of Redhaven to come to my aid. Another strong hit! They will come to my aid! 

As the wyvern approaches again, her blade strikes true, slashing the right hind-claw deeply and drawing blood. The wyvern screeches in pain, wheeling back skyward. Taking a fresh grip on sword and shield, she drops into a strong stance, facing the wyvern as it swoops to a new angle. 

"Redhaven! Ready your archers! We stand together!" she cries. From behind her, two archers stand at the walls, and nock their arrows. 

Strike. a 3 on a 4/5.  SHIT.  I burn my +8 momentum to earn a strong hit.  The rules suggest having the aid of NPCs might reduce the difficulty of your foe, which is a welcome shift in this battle. I drop this juvenile wyvern from Formidable to Dangerous. 

I keep initiative, so I Strike again. A weak success; I inflict 2 harm, now for a total of 6.  Not nearly comfortable enough to end this. I take initiative and clash; a 6 versus 4,5, a strong hit. I choose to inflict +1 harm, brining the total to 9.  I am ready to end this fight. A weak hit, 4/9.  I Endure Stress and thankfully my loyal hound Mojo gives me a +1. I roll a weak hit; I press on but my spirit is reduced –2. 

The wyvern, driven by hunger and enraged from harm dives low, claws extended. Nissus grips her shield and is prepared to dive out of the way, when moments before striking, arrows pierce the wings of the beast. It strikes the ground hard, tumbling over in a whirl of wings and leathery limbs. Screaming in pain it rises on unsteady legs, shaking its head on its serpentine neck, its baleful red eyes focused on Nissus. 

She steels herself, eyes hardening behind her shield. The wyvern open it's maw, razor sharp teeth wet with slaver, letting loose a piercing shriek that Nissus imagines is both challenge and warning. 

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH! FUCK YOU!" She screams back as it charges forward. Another round of arrows pierce the side of the creature, and Nissus dives low, striking quickly.  She catches its claw on her shield, while she thrusts her sword deeply into the space between its chest and arm. Another roar of pain, and the wyvern knocks her sideways with the weight of its long, heavy neck.  She stumbles briefly, but quickly recovers, bashing its face with her shield, then driving her blade up into its exposed neck. 

It roars again, this time, fully in pain, its terrible jaws snapping inches from her face. It's hot, fetid breath hits almost like a furnace. The blade drives deeper, to the hilt, the wyvern's powerful muscles shudder, and Nissus loses her grip on the blade, falling backwards and to the ground. The creature spasms several more moments, and then lies still, the light in its wicked eyes goes dim, tongue lolling.

Nissus lies back panting, shaking from exhaustion and fear.  Mojo comes over, licking her face and nuzzling her ear.  

"Your breath isn't a whole lot better, Mojo" she practically sobs, twisting her fingers through the hounds' fur.  Drawing comfort from him, she staggers to her knees and takes a few more deep breaths.  Behind her, she hears the gates of Redhaven open. 

 

The Road to Redhaven

Queue the Skyrim soundtrack. 

Before we depart Highwatch, Nissus hopes to get some information about the raiders who captured Aered. So Gather Information, and since I have a bond with the town I get +1. 6 vs 2/2 - a match on the challenge die means something positive, and I take +2 Momentum - up to +6 now.

But what is she asking about? All I know so far is that she knows fearsome raider hit Deepwater hard, and took warriors. I should generate some details about this raider... I think leaving off his true name for now, as well as his Goal (that will be a milestone action methinks), let's come up with some physical descriptions she can use as well as his 'raiding' name. 85 & 35 & 15.   Loyal, and Dangerous, and Bold.  Yeah, that makes sense.  This game doesn't have much in the way of physical descriptor oracles, so I am going to say he's an intimidating man, standing over 6'5", and armed with a long axe. He wades into battle with little armor, wearing a banded mail skirt, bared torso, and wearing a helmet with two curved horns adorning each side, like a ram's head.  Kinda like this guy: [link]

  

Nissus spends the day gathering supplies and talking with the villagers of Highwatch. She begins asking folks about the summer Raids, describing the details that were conveyed to her by Shelda. After a long morning of nothing, she meets a young woman who, upon hearing the description, her eyes widen and grabs Nissus' hand and says, "Come with me."  With the promise of information she is brought to a hut where a woman of Nissus' age lies convalescing on a bed. Her head and one arm are bandaged, and scars whorl about her arms and neck - clearly she was a in a battle. 

"Elwyn, this one is looking for information about The Bold." 

Her eyes flutter open, and she grimaces. "You're the one who dealt with the mystic yesterday?" I nod. She looks me up and down, "You don't look like much yourself, but if what my sister tells me is true, you have a spine of steel. They call him Kuron the Bold.  He spent the summer raiding the isles and coasts. I was in Redhaven, trading, when he struck.  I ended up as you see me.  He practically raised the village, and took many of their healthy who bent the knee to save their families. Seek out Euros. If anyone can tell where The Bold went next, it would be he."  She falls back on her bed, closes her eyes and returns to rest. 

To Redhaven! 

His raiding name is Kuron the Bold.  Fuck this guy.  I count that as a milestone on my quest; I mark 2 progress. But before I am off, I think I need to spend this experience! 

I am going to upgrade my Shield-Bearer - in consultation with his lordship Daviau, I have determined that Highwatch has sought fit to grant me their shield; iron bound with the sigils of their town and painted with a stylized shade, denoting me as the savior of Highwatch from the shade. We'll come up with a cool name for this later.

 With my new shield in hand, I depart for Redhaven.  The route to Redhaven is dangerous, so I mark it as such. Even with my +1 bond to start the journey, and good momentum, I rolled a miss. Shhhhhit. 

A days out, I end up in the tiny village of High Bridge; a small stop on the way North. It's named for the small rope bridge that crosses a deep east-west river canyon, shortening the journey North by a day.  Unfortunately the rope bridge is out of commission and under repair.  So I must go further north to bypass the deep canyon. While spending time in the town trying to learn how to navigate my way around the canyon, I ask about Kuron the Bold.  One of the villagers shares with Nissus the knowledge that Kuron doesn't keep his prisoners long... I must race against time to save Aered.

Clearly this stressful. I roll for stress, and Mojo gives me a +1; a strong hit! I take -1 Momentum but I am resolved so gain +1 Spirit. The Journey continues, a strong hit, I choose to gain momentum (now +6) but I burn through supplies feeding my ravenous beast-dog Mojo. –1 to Supply which leaves me at +2 overall. Another Journey - a weak hit this time, suffer –1 supply. I am running low on supply so I am going to Resupply by foraging/hunting.  A weak hit; I take +2 supply for a –2 momentum, leaving me at +4 momentum. More journeying... twice... a strong hit and then a weak hit. So mark 4 progress total, and lose a supply.  Let's close this journey off... I attempt to Reach my Destination and I roll a weak hit...  you arrive but face an unforeseen hazard or complication. 

The Settlement Oracle tells me Dreadful Omens. 

As Nissus crests a small hill beyond the outskirts of the village, she hears the unmistakable sound of warning bells being rung.  She notes that it's two toned, meaning something supernatural or fearsome has been spotted and Redhaven is calling it's people back within the palisade walls.  This is not going to be good...

Prelude — The Return to Highwatch

I arise in the morning. Dev is nowhere to be found, but Polliver's shield is there, propped against the log.  Mojo is at the edge of an overgrown field; sniffing, pissing, doing the things his kind does. I break my fast quickly; I want to scour the grounds for a replacement blade.  If I have to face off against another Karrox again, I would like to be properly armed. 

[I roll a strong hit on resupply; instead of taking two supply though, I opt to say I take 1 supply, and I discover that Cadaverous Dev found a decent short blade and left it visible for me, leaned up against the body of one of the headless statues.] 

I heft the blade, taking a few practice strokes with it. It's well balanced, and the grip could be replaced, but it will serve. I slide it into my leather frog, I already feel more comfortable with a decent blade at my hip. 

[I begin the journey back; but because the way is now familiar to me, and I know the signs of a rampaging Karrox, I will set it to troublesome. A strong hit right away with double 3s on the Challenge dice. Something auspicious happens! I am going to say I make great time and will cover additional progress.]

The day has passed quickly and Mojo and I made good time. I even had a moment where the afternoon light was filtering through the trees where things felt... almost good. Sure, the wounds on my back itch something fierce, and I lost my good blade, but, Dev wasn't shite and shared his ale, Mojo and I have full bellies, and we're about to put paid to this vow I made. I am eager to get back to finding Aered. 

[My next day doesn't fare quite as well; a weak hit.  I make good time, but need to use supply.  Not a terrible result. With the strong hit the day before, I am at 7 progress. Going to call it and attempt a Reach your Destination. ... well... shhhhit.  Weak Hit. I arrive, but face an unforeseen hazard or complication... let's see.]

I arrive just outside the short palisade walls and immediately can tell something is wrong. Mojo's hackles are up even before we pass through the gate.  The entire village is gathered at the edges of their circle, huddled back in obvious fear.  Suspended in mid-air is Themon, hair and beard whipping in an unseen breeze - or no! It's much too slow - it's almost as if looking at him underwater. 

[The spirit has somehow gained possession of Themon ... what does it want?!  Gather Information and with a 2 versus 9/10 I am boned. "On a miss, your investigation unearths a dire threat or reveals an unwelcome truth that undermines your quest. Pay the Price." I am going to say that Possessed Themon has killed Pendry, the leader of Highwatch, who lies below the hovering bare feet of the mystic. Themon's back arches impossibly, and from his throat a ragged but powerful voice shouts words in an unknown tongue. Shit! Pendry was the one who had the information I needed, and the one I bargained with. But something must be done. However, I've returned and I have the shield, and that qualifies as a Milestone on the vow, methinks.]

Nissus steps forward with Polliver's shield.  Her clear voice rings out in the late morning air, "By iron and blood I swore to return, and here I stand spirit with your descendent's shield!" The heads of the villagers turn towards Nissus; their eyes tight with fatigue and fear.  She catches the panicked look of a young boy gripping tightly to his mother's hand, they are almost wild with fear. His hair, she thinks. That, and something about the way he stands.  Suddenly, she recalls a memory of Aered watching Nissus step into the warriors circle for her first training with the wooden blade and shield. Nissus smiles lightly, and nods to the boy, before straightening her spine and turning to fully face the floating Themon-spirit. 

[I think it's time to Face Danger, I think this takes Courage from Nissus, so we roll +heart... a 6! vs 2/8 = weak hit, I choose to Endure Harm. I think given the quest is Dangerous I'll take 2 Harm, and then I roll a strong hit on Endure Harm, I choose to embrace the pain and gain +1 Momentum]

The Themon-spirit screeches and the mystics eyes roll back into his head, and begin to glow with a blue-white light. Nissus raises Polliver's broken shield and shouts out "I have returned with your descendants shield, spirit! We will restore the sigil and place it upon a hero's bier and restore his name to the rolls of your clan!" In the blink of an eye, the floating body of the mystic shoots across the village circle and takes grip on the shield. 

Cold and malevolence radiate from the Themon-spirit, his/its hands have become claws, and they grip Nissues own hands on the shield, and they burn.  She grimaces, but refuses to relinquish the shield and stares defiant into the face of the wrathful of spirit.  "I will do right by Polliver. And Themon's truth will be known. This I swear if you go, leave off the tormenting of the people of Highwatch." 

[Enduring this harm and standing resolute before the angry spirit I think qualifies as another milestone for this quest. I account 8 progress.  Time to end this.  I Fullfill My Vow... 3 & 7! Strong hit! I gain 2 XP.]

A surge of cold and hate hits Nissus almost like a wave, and then, something else. A hint of gratitude, of a weariness beyond time, and the mystic falls abruptly to the ground. His eyes remain rolled back, and white froth bubbles from his mouth as he convulses, then stops.  Themon is dead.

Nissues proceeds to work with the local woodcrafter to restore and re-bind the shield, and they paint a bright, clear sigil for Polliver - a boar's head with a broken tusk. She relates the story of Polliver and Themon to the village.  They are disgusted by the cowardice, particularly from a man they once trusted to guide them through lean winters and prosper in the summer. They mourn for their chief, and raise up a new leader: Staysa (Hardhearted, Charming w/ disposition of Friendly); I figure this is a good chance to roll for Bond with the town...  Strong Hit! I choose not to attempt a bond with Stasya - at least not on this outing. But the town sees Nissus as a friend. 

Nissus is impressed by this young, strong woman whom the villagers have raised up.  She is kind, but realistic and will serve her people well. But, how will the town survive the forthcoming winter without the aid of their mystic? 

Prelude — from the river to Morraine's Sanctuary.

I dare not let my gaze waiver; we are locked eye-to-eye, this Karrox and I.

Nissus begins to slowly - so slowly - untether her shield from her shoulder, getting it into position, drawing her long knife, stepping softly to her right - always with her eyes on the Karrox.  Mojo stands, hackles raised, growling.  The giant cat-thing hisses and breaks for Nissus!

My knife drawn I curse the loss of my good blade. I shift my gaze for just a moment to Mojo when it strikes! RHUN! this creature is fast! I raise my shield just in time, catching his foreclaw, but it's strength sends me sideways. 

[clash: a strong hit!]  

I swirl aside as it lands panther-quick, but my blade slashes its shoulder!

[2 harm & Nissus has initiative... a quick series of back and forth, with a single shift in Iniative back to the Karrox before Nissus wins it. Mojo harries the beasts' flanks, giving Nissus opportunities to strike as it pivots in turn to face each opponent. Burning Momentum (+6), she is able to strike a grievous blow; one that ends the fight. She and Mojo emerge victorious, but with some cost: 2 Harm.]

So. This is a Karrox, eh Mojo? Bigger, and faster than I thought. The mutt sniffs the warm corpse, whines and steps back to the edge of the copse. He is still unsettled, and truth be told, so am I. If I hadn't been quicker, we both would have been its snack. 

Nissus continues her journey, eventually making camp, recovering 1 Health. 

At the end of several days, I arrived, a little bedraggled and wounded from my fight with the Karrox. It occurs to me now that I should have taken its pelt to keep me warm in the coming winter. But fuck it, it was literally dead weight. That said, it's claw will make a nice souvenir for my wall back home when I return with Aered. The thought of relating the story of how I faced a Karrox to him, eyes wide, disbelieving, makes me smile. But sad also. 

We arrive at high sun; walk the perimeter. There at the center is the timbered ruins of the sanctuary.  It's in fair condition, with most of the walls intact, its roof largely missing.  The outlying buildings, most of wood, some of stone, are crumbled and overgrown with moss and lichens. A healthy young oak grows through the broken timbered roof of one.  

[We begin to Delve... a series of strong and weak hits allow us to progress quite steadily]

A series of statues are placed about the grounds, but they've lost their heads... chip marks mar the necks. The heads are missing... who does this?!

After some searching, I find a hidden entrance into the main shrine, which opens into a room with a large mural to Morraine. Filled with iconography depicting her past and good works conducted for her people. And there! in the corner, a set of crumbly stone stairs descend into the depths.

Clearly this place was built as a literal sanctuary. The pathway here is designed to be easily defended by 1 or 2 people at a stretch, with other defensible positions within reach. The door, still intact, is heavy oak and can be barred, and it is recessed allowing defenders to attack their assailants from safe position. Good for them. I wonder if it served them well in the days of this battle that Polliver and Themon were at.  There are no remains here in the corridors...

[A strong hit on the delve, with an opportunity!]

After wandering the crumbling corridors and rooms of the undercroft of this sanctuary, I come to a hidden bolt hole that leads back above ground. I emerge into late, afternoon light. It's hazy with motes of dust and pollen in the air. Before me though lies rough ground with the marker of the cowards' grave before me.... 

[I decide to end this Delve and attempt to locate my objective... a weak hit.  I find it, but there's a potential threat or difficulty to navigate.]

I see Polliver's shield, broken in twain as is our tradition for those who die a cowards death at a battle, but his sigil can still be seen on the shield, damaged, yes, but visible enough. But I am not alone....

The cadaverous form of a human (I think?) approaches me from the shadows of the sanctuary... he interposes himself between me and my prize. He calls himself Dev... but he's earnest and sincere. He claims this is a false cowards' grave (he claims to have the sight) and I am unsettled by this. He's right, and I tell him so.

"I must make things right with this shield. Will you let me have it?"

"Stay awhile, and listen, and perhaps I can share some of my mead, and you can share your food. It is close to evening, and I will share the secrets of this place. Come morning, you can take your prize and some knowledge."

We strike an accord; I'll take the shield, and spare some of the supplies I have, he'll share his mead and some stories, and we'll both come out ahead. We spend the evening trading stories, he tells me about this place and the people who visit, including the dark things that he avoids. I tell him about life in the islands, the thrill of the raiding, and I begin telling him a happy memory of last summer when Aered and I stole our grandfathers boat and went off to Blavicken to steal their ale, but I grow quiet. Grandfather has gone back to the mud, and Aered... his story is not over yet. Or so I tell myself. I tell this old man, the past lies unquiet at times, but I shall need my rest for the journey back to Highwatch tomorrow. He nods and we go to our sleep. I with loyal Mojo next to me, and he, to somewhere in the dark ruins of the sanctuary. The idea of sleeping underground ... repulsive.

Perhaps on my next visit, I shall ask Cadaverous Dev why the statues are missing.

[I strike a Bond with ol' Cadaverous Dev, and mark a milestone/progress on my quest to quiet this eidolon of Highwatch]

Prelude — The Road to Morraine's Sanctuary

So... I flagged this vow as Formidable, and the journey to the ruins of Morraine's Sanctuary as Dangerous.

{I think a good rule of thumb, to prevent too much nesting on vows and actually make progress, the subsequent moves should mostly be comprised of efforts 1 level below the current vow/move.   I was going to set this journey to Troublesome, but because of my weak hit on Gather Information, I increased it one level.  I'll let some of the outcomes push it up or down further, as well as the think of the needs of the story.} 

We begin this dangerous journey with +5 momentum and full supply. 

It's just two hours after midday when Mojo and I set off. Themon and Pendry leave me at the edge of the settlement—Pendry isn't aware of the cowardice of Themon yet. His cowardice sickens me. But Highwatch deserves better than its damnation at the spectral hands of this spirit. If I can bring release to to Polliver's ancestor's spirit, then I will do so, and Themon and Pendry will give me the info I need to find Aered. 

Move: Undertake a Journey: 8 vs 5/6 = strong hit. reach a waypoint. Because I am in a hurry, I will choose to move at speed; mark progress +1 momentum, –1 supply. Since I am at healthy and undamaged, I will press on. I pressed my luck too much! 7 vs 10/10 = a miss! I am waylaid by a perilous event and a twist is added (for the double 10s). Pay the Price... ⏣ 25 = something of value is lost or destroyed. Truly this is not good...

I was fording what appeared to be a small river; Mojo was barking in warning at the banks as I probed the edges for a stable ford. I should have listed to him. I thought I had found a good crossing; I put Mojo across my shoulders to keep him from being swept downstream, but a misstep on a river stone caused me to lose my balance. Mojo was being swept downstream! I swam hard to him (thank the gods we outer islanders are more than capable swimmers!), but we moved many meters south of the ford into dangerous, turbulent waters. I managed to get him just before we was pulled into a hard rapid and we forced our way to the banks.  When I emerged, I discovered I lost my sword... I am left now with my long knife, my shield, a soggy pack of supplies, and a grumpy wolf-mutt. But I would trade my sword for Mojo again if I had to revisit this choice. 

Let me see what the complication is... I will roll on the Threat tables. Rampaging Creature... great. 

The river has carried us further than I thought. We are now off course, and to make it worse, Rhun has sought to place us in the path of some fell beast.  We emerged into a copse of twisted and gnarled trees, scratch marks and particularly odorous scat. It is fresh and warm and as I begin to back away, Mojo begins to snarl in warning. I glance up as a the beast steps quietly to the edge of the copse...

I guess it's time to learn to fight in Ironsworn. 

Prelude — World Building & the Journey Commences

I've decided the conflict occurred deeper into the interior, in the Deep Wilds; perhaps whatever the site was has been slowly reclaimed by the wilds in the decades since, hence adding to the formidable quest. 

— it says of the Deep Wilds: "The vast swath of ancient forest is largely uninhabited and unexplored by Ironlanders. Most avoid this region." 

Sounds lovely. I feel as a result, this battle will have taken place at the former site of a settlement or fortification; I will let the oracles decide.  For now, my map looks like this: 

Let's name this site something, and learn a little about the history of what came to pass. Let's roll! For theme I roll Hallowed (a place of great reverence, suffused with the power of the old gods), and domain is Ruin. Well, of course it is.  So a Hallowed Ruin. Let's roll on the Site Name — We get Description + Place of Namesake.  

100 on Description gives me RUINED. It's almost like this is fate... Place is Sanctuary, also apropos. Finally, Morraine. So, the Ruined Sanctuary of Morraine. Since it's a hallowed ruin I am thinking Morraine is a revered saint or goddess. Let's go Saint.  Let's worldbuild...

Nissus recalls hazy details of the saint Morraine. She was the consort of a great king (name tbd), but was kinder of heart than her warmongering king, and used his great wealth in displays of piety and to offer succor to the dead & dying.  She had waypoints built along major routes from her husbands Caer in the Havens out to the sea. These waypoints became natural places for travelers to place offerings, inter their dead along the route to their destination, etc. This particular sanctuary was built along a natural resource (clean water likely) and was developed over the decades and into the last century.  What caused it to fall into ruins?Why was it fought over? And where in the 5 hells will I find Pollivers

 remains?!

Okay.  Time to flesh out a bit of the world. Per the rules, I need to go through my world Truths. 

World Building — My Ironlands Truths

The Old World

Selected: the savage clans called the Skulde invaded the kingdoms of the Old World. Our armies fell. Most were killed or taken into slavery. We escaped to the Ironlands, having endured a months-long voyage.  Created: This hard land was settled before us, but is sparse and wild. My people arrived some 13 generations ago. Memories of the old world are distant and hazy, but it was rumored we once hailed from a land of milk and honey. 

Iron

Selected: The weather is bleak; rain and sleet sweep in from the ocean. Winters are long and bitter, so summers are treasured. "Only those made of iron dare live in this foul place."  We have become a hardy and tough people, suited to the harsh ways of this place. created: it is known that most of the Firstborn shun Iron, and the dark creatures are wounded as if burned by the strike of our iron... assuming once can land a hit against them. 

Legacies

Selected: Before the Ironlanders, before even the firstborn, another people lived here. Their ancient ruins are found throughout the Ironlands. 

Communities

We live in communities, ranging in size from steadings with a few families, to villages with several hundred. Some are nomadic, and within the last 5 generations, some have grown into small towns with low fortifications.  

Leaders

Selected: numerous clan-chiefs rule over petty domains. Most are intent on becoming the one true king. Their squabbles will be our undoing. 

Defense

selected: our warbands are rallied to strike at our enemies or defend our holdings. The banners of the warbands are adorned with depictions of their Old World history. created: Named Men/Women are warriors of great reknown, known for their bravery and strength in battle, and their victories in the circle. Carls are household warriors and settlement chiefs in service to a clan-chief, and lead their thralls in battle (themselves barely trained or poorly armed warriors drawn from their communities. 

Firstborn

selected: the firstborn live in isolation and are fiercely protective of their own lands. 

Beasts

selected: monstrous beasts stalk the wild areas of the Ironlands

Horrors

Selected/created: We are wary of the dark forests and the deep caves for monsters lurk in those places. Only fools venture far from their homes on the new moon. 

Prelude — A New Vow

...

"Very well", I say.  I draw forth my knife, cutting a furrow on my palm and then grasp my iron talisman in hand. "This I swear before the old gods and the new, a vow of iron and blood, that I shall do what I can to quiet this eidolon of Highwatch. I shall put your cousin to rest."

[I think this will be a formiddable vow. I roll 7 vs 2/8 = weak hit. I am determined but have more questions than answers; take +1 momentum (now +4) and envision what you do to find a path forward. ]

Hmmm. I think Themon's recall is hazy and doesn't know precisely where the battle was fought and where this cousin was buried. I am going to have to do some discovery... I think Gather Information is next. 

I ask Themon if there are others at Highwatch who remember this battle. He says he thinks not, as he came here many years after the battle, escaping the guilt he felt. Coming here unlocked his powers - these consultations with the spirit of Highwatch. I'll begin asking around...

[Gather Info: roll 6 vs 4/7; a weak hit.  I gain some momentum... A villager recalls some info about the battle, but there is a new danger... I check the oracles... it would appear that my destination is a fairly arduous journey—I'll make it Dangerous—and I expect there will be a few milestones to navigate.  Finding the correct site, finding the correct remains, returning voyage, with who knows what encountered along the way...]

Well, no time like the present to get started, eh Mojo? Let's gather our supplies and get started. We can make camp in a few hours before night falls.

I suppose I should give this cousin of his a name. How about Polliver?  Lucky cousin Polliver.  We're off to find Polliver's remains and tomorrow shall reveal a little about this battle.