Ironsworn: Wolf and Cat, Log 9

 This is the 9th log of my Ironsworn solitaire campaign about Oddi Ice-Chosen. Character background and start of the narrative can be found at: Wolf and Cat, Log 1. 

Session length varies wildly. Some are multi-hour sessions in open evenings, others are 20-minute diversions over a lunch-break. 

Cast of Characters:

• Oddi Ice-Chosen, my main PC. Abducted by a Firstborn sorceress as a child, only recently returning to the world of men, motivated by a terrible prophetic vision. Wears an enchanted wolf-skin. Storyweaver and occasional ritual spellcaster.
  
• Sammutisel: Oddi's pet Cave Lion. 150 pounds, 4-inch fangs. 
• Kasju Frystgrotta: The Firstborn sorceress that abducted Oddi and taught him magic.
• Emelyn Firetop: Blacksmith. Survivor of the destruction of Oddi's hometown. 
• Tern: Emelyn's younger brother. Werebear.
• Myrgun Bitterblad: Oddi's sister. Currently missing in the Shatterwood.
• Fluugs the Tree-Troll: A mythical creature who, legend says, cursed the Shatterwood
• The Twisty Man: a malevolent entity that was manipulating young Tern.
  

 Log of Session 9: (8/3/2021)

As Oddi is heading towards the Shatterwood, he wishes that he had asked Tern what he did with Oddi's satchel. Oddi'd dropped it so that his food might distract the bear, but, assuming he didn't just eat the entire bag, it'd be nice to have access to the medines, maps, etc there. It's worth a quick search in the part of the Loneliwood where Tern had been chasing him.

Secure an Advantage:  Strong Hit, make another move at +1.

Resupply at +1: Strong Hit. Supply back up to 5.

I decide that though he found his bag, and most his equipment is still there (though some of it obviously messed with) one thing that's missing is the map to the Frozen Cave of Zhan. Oddi can probably get back easily enough, but this hand-drawn route map might prove problematic later, if it ended up in the hands of the twisty man or Fluugs the tree-troll. We'll just leave that dangling as potential follow-up for later. I do decide to roll a Goal for whoever may have ended up with it...

Ask The Oracle - Character Goal:  Cure an ill

So maybe that means that Tern's got it. But it could also be Twisty or Fluugs trying to overcome something, or some beneficial spirit or other actor Tern didn't mention who is trying to help him.  Or - and this is cool - maybe Tern has the map, but give it to Emelyn, and she decides to achieve 2 goals at once. Heal her brother, and confront Kasju. That's got potential.

I'm at Health 4, Spirit 4, Supply 5. Enough to go adventuring.

Discover a Site: The Shatterwood is a Dangerous Ravaged Tanglewood.

Oddi prowls through the Shatterwood. The trees are broken, jagged, and mostly swordbelt-height. For every live tree rising tall and dotted with new green or blossoms, there are three old ones, splintered and dead for decades. The miniature half-trees are wringed with a dark red stain around their roots. Brambles and itching weeds grow among the wreckage, but never atop the shattered wood or the red soil. The dead old corpse-trees bear Fluugs' curse, the seven damnable syllables Fluugs the tree-troll uttered when Sursa Trade-Star forsook him.

Sammutisel curls his nose and sticks out his tongue at the scent of the corrupted soil. He skulks between the dead trees and marks many of them, but quickly runs dry.

Delve the Depths: Wits: I roll 4, 4, and 4. So that's either a complication w/ reveal a Danger, or I can burn Momentum to both Mark Progress and Find an Opportunity. Momentum spent.

Feature: ill-fated victims

We come upon the signs of a struggle. The bodies of several have Broken left to rot. There's also two fresh graves. Could they have been two of the men that rode out with Myrgun Bitterblad? Or is my sister herself in one of those graves?

Gather Information: Wits (+1 from Find An Opportunity)   Weak Hit, +2 momentum (1 via Opportunity)

A rocky bluff rises out from the shatterwood, the near side is a cliff 8 to 15 feet high, the back side is a slope. The signs of the fight are clear. A pack of Broken waited quietly in defillade, bellies pressed against the slope until Myrgun's party passed the cliff. Then they sprung up, and leapt into ambush from above. So the Broken aren't the thoughtless madmen I'd been told they are. They have tactics, and patience. You wouldn't guess it from the looks of them. Teeth filed to points, hair dyed and spiked with blood, skin painted pierced and scarred. Oddi looks closely at the bodies. Among the painted, tattooed and scarred sigils, there's a common recurring theme. One symbol that shows up again and again, some sort of tower surrounded in water. The waves around it are fierce, giving the impression that the structure was either sinking into the water, being swamped by a sudden flood, or maybe rising up out of the water suddenly. It strikes him as clearly the most important icon of their belief system. He wonders for a moment that they probably have phenomenal stories about it, and then reminds himself these are the same foe that slew his father. Their stories will die with them.

Oddi contemplates digging up the two graves to make sure Myrgun isn't in them, but doesn't want to disrespect the dead, or prevent them reaching their rewards. Someone cared enough to bury them, but left the Broken for the bugs and the birds.