Wolf and Cat, log 16

    This is the 16th 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.
• Grassa Bitterloss: Oddi's mother. Recently reunited after 12 years.
  
• 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.
• Rygar Bitterblad: Oddi and Myrgun's recently deceased father. Grassa's ex-husband.
• Amolfir: A villager who'd gone missing in the shatterwood. I thought I'd found and rescued him, but it seems like it was some sort of imposter. 
  

Session Log 16:  8/11/2021

Reminder: My wolf pelt is no longer charged by the Bind Ritual.

Myrgun Bitterblad and I talk for a while longer, each of us buying time to recover somewhat from recent exertions. I ask her to speculate where Fluugs the Tree-Troll and his Broken may have gone.

Oracle: Is it The Island? 50/50: 52: Yes

What's on The Island? Coastal Waters Location: Fleet  Descriptors: Remote and Desolate.  Quick settlement name: Low Mark  Major Plot Twist: A more dangerous foe is revealed.   These answers are great, but I'm going to keep them secret for now, and play like the characters don't know them.

The Broken have an entire fortress here, but they abandoned it without much of a fight. Is this just more madness on their part, or is their some other plan at play? Myrgun says that Fluugs said something about a boat when he was rounding up his cohort to leave with their prisoners. The Bitter Lake is quite large, and has a sizable island that can be seen from Despair. A tower on an island, or a tower in the water, appears all over the symbols that the Broken had painted and tattooed all over themselves, and their belongings. Maybe they have another fort out on that island? We probably need to go out to the island, and see if that's where they went.

This will, of course, meaning going out over The Thing Beneath The Lake. I consider asking Myrgun about the things the Gloom had shown me. Did Rygar Bitterblad really try to trade his firstborn sun for a magic sword (the Bitterblade) and worldly power? No, we're just starting to cooperate, and father's corpse is too recently in the ground. Making accusations right now may hinder the healing process... literally if I piss her off. Later, when we've fought together instead of fought each other, when we have something more to bond over, then I'll broach the subject of ancient sacrifices and personal betrayals.

I sort out Emelyn's throwing knives from the pile of weapons that Myrgun had gathered, and take a couple extra shiv-like Broken knives and a spear I can use as a walking stick. I call out to Sammutisel again, and when he doesn't respond, we head out without him. Getting to the island won't be easy without a boat, so we decide to retrace our steps back to Despair, and see if any of the village's fishing vessels survived the raid.

Before we go, I take one last walk around the courtyard of the Bramblekeep. I hate to leave such a place without truly exploring its mysteries, or making an effort of learning its stories, so I vow to return some day and learn the tale of its origins.

Swear An Iron Vow - Troublesome Rank -  Miss with Complication!

What Oddi doesn't realize is that there is some additional local mystery waiting here, and when he comes back he'll have a lot of trouble. It may have something to do with False-Amolfir. I will crank it up to Dangerous Rank, since it got complicated. 16 sessions, and I've only completed one vow and earned a single experience point. These dice just hate me.

Escape the Depths - Wits - Miss      Reveal a Danger: 56 - You encounter a hostile denizen    Feature: A Rocky Outcrop    Denizen roll: 58 - that's a Gloom again! It's from the same entry on the Denizen chart as last time.  The chart for the Shatterwood is currently: 1-27: Broken, 28-55: Make up something new, 56-69: Gloom, 70-100: Make up something new.

So, I'm probably starting next session with more Gloom!