In a Wicked Age Actual Play - An Unseasonable Cold

 In A Wicked Age is a tabletop role-playing game designed by Vincent Baker and released by Lumpley Games. It is designed to create a series of one-shots in a loosely-connected anthology, with various characters looping in and out over the course of the chronology.

The setting is implied through the Oracles, which are four tables of story elements from which each session is generated. Each Oracle provides a rough genre of tale, from violence and war, to ghosts and ruins, to political intrigue or drama.

The Oracle used for this session was God-Kings of War.

Previous, in a wicked age...

...a chest containing the tax monies of a rural province, and the soldiers carrying it...

...a bitter and unseasonable cold, caused by warring elementals...

...the site of a pitched battle, ground churned and stinking, and the widows mourning there...

...a soldier's plain shortsword, gradually developing a taste for the blood of women...

    We see the village of Jaduqar, a village on the border of the Empire, far-flung in the northern hinterlands. The town is gripped in an unseasonable cold caused by the local elementals, who are engaged in a vicious and violent conflict with each other. The frenzy of their fury has spilled over and gripped the townsfolk in a bloodlust - more than thirty of them wandered into the nearby fields and violently murdered each other. The sudden deaths have left the rest of the villagers adrift.

    Due to the unnatural cold, the harvest has suffered, and without laborers to work the fields, the village is ill-equipped to pay its tithe when the Imperial tax collector, Barrold Sap-Rissen arrives with his retinue. The tax collector sets up in the tavern, unsure of how to proceed after collecting a pittance from the grieving villagers.

    One such villager is Ibari, a young roustabout who seeks an easier path through life. One of the first to respond to the sudden violence, Ibari stumbled across a seemingly-normal short-sword...unbeknownst to him, the sword is a prison for Frost Sliver, an ancient spirit which can freeze and shatter memories. Emboldened by the spirit in the sword, Ibari goes to the local tavern and attempts to take the taxes from Barrold but he is ill-equipped to deal with the man's guards and is driven away. The spirit in the sword directs him to hide in one of the now-abandoned homes.

    We see a woman at the killing field, Excelias, who lost her husband in the induced frenzy. Outwardly average, Excelias is actually the sole surviving member of an ancient imperial bloodline which grants her eyes dominion over the forces of Winter. She wanders into the killing field to search for his corpse, which draws the attention of Fridela, one of the winter spirits lurking on the outskirts of the village. Excelias attempts to compel the spirit to leave, but Fridela is empowered by the field of death, and the elemental summons a sudden blizzard which drives the woman back towards the village.

    Fridela feels the draw of Frost Sliver's power emanating from the village and moves in its direction. She appears to Ibari in the form of an old woman and attempts to take the blade. Frost Sliver warns Ibari and the boy uses the blade to dispatch her hag-form. Fridela disperses herself across a flurry of blood-red snowflakes and buries Ibari beneath its weight. Frost Sliver uses its power to subdue Ibari's life-force and places the boy in a torpor beneath the snow.

    Excelias is in the tavern, where a visiting bard is playing. Known as Valentine, the bard immediately ingratiates himself with the woman, and the two share an intimate moment. During the afterglow, the pair hatch a plan to steal the collected taxes and flee south to escape the winter.

    Valentine distracts the guards while Excelias attempts to seduce Barrold. It seems the captain is falling for the act when Fridela manifests outside the captain's window and shatters the glass. The captain's body protects Excelias from the worst of it, but the shards slice deep into Sap-Rissen and splatter his vital fluids across her. She grabs the taxes and tells the spirit that it can have the sword - all Excelias wants is the coin. This assuages the spirit, and Fridela leaves to seek the sword...

    Elsewhere, Frost Sliver has completely dominated Ibari - the young man's body heat has been completed subsumed by the spirit in the sword and Ibari is now an ice-animated corpse. Then, unbeknownst to Fridela, the sword-bearer arrives at the tavern just as the spirit is leaving. It breaks down the door and confronts Valentine. The bard attempts to fight the zombie, the Frost Sliver murders the tax collector's guards, and then shatters Valentine's recent memories. 

    Frost Sliver is advancing on Valentine when Excelias comes down the stairs with the tax chest. She is initially confused about the bard's sudden aloofness, but then confronts the frost zombie. She uses her magical sight to discern the magics animating the boy's corpse and unravels them with a single word. The zombie crumbles to the floor and Excelias picks up the sword, with plans to flee south and sell it. Then she and Valentine can start a new life with the tax coin and sword sale.

    Valentine, now with no memory of this woman who is clearly familiar with him, schemes to play along. Once they're outside the village, he'll kill the woman, take the sword and money, and continue south to an easier life. The two leave Jaduqar behind as night falls and another snow storm approaches.

    When they stop at a cave for the night, Fridela arrives, a harbinger of the oncoming snow. She confronts Excelias and attempts to weaponize the woman's guilt about leaving with another man so soon after the death of her husband, but Excelias maintains her mental fortitude and throws off the spirit's mental assault.

    Valentine attempts to take part in the conflict, but he's woefully prepared for a magical conflict. The strings on the bard's lute are snapped when Fridela sharpyl reduces the temperature, and it begins to snow blood.

    Excelias brandishes Frost Sliver and calls on her magical bloodline. In a moment of magical clarity, she realizes she has the ability to access all of Frost Sliver's stolen and shattered memories - it turns out the spirit in the sword was the one responsible for the death of the Empire in the Ice, leader of a major faction of Winter Spirits. She uses the sword to plant the memory into Fridela, which convinces the spirit that it has actually been defeated.

    Fridela flees, and the snow returns to normal. The temperature rises slightly, and the pair are able to start a fire for the night. In the relative comfort of the cave, the two reconvene for an intimate moment before they start on south again, for warmer climate and easier times...

Facilitator Notes:

With about half a dozen sessions of In a Wicked Age under my belt, I've really started to see what kind of emergent stories are possible with this engine. Though I have yet to have a group run for long enough to really get the anthology going, the sessions themselves always turn into something special.

In A Wicked Age Writeup, Session 3: Schemin' and Blasphemin'

Previously, in a Wicked Age...

...an order of magician-monks who punish blasphemers...
...a demon-god of blood and vengeance, forgotten since antiquity, recently awakened...
...a summoner of illusions and diversions, mild and of good humor, but gullible...
...a prodigy-mage, still a maid, drunk with occult power...

Starring:

Wizzie, a healer and magician of some skill. Twenty years older and wiser since last we saw her, Wizzie is a member of the Order of Monk's Peak, dedicated to the responsible and ethical practice of magic. The recent awakening of an ancient demon-god has driven a wedge between her and the leader of the Order.

George O'Hallohan, a necromancer, demon-speaker, and general ne'er-do-well. Rumors concerning a source of fel power have drawn him to Monk's Peak in the trusty guise of an amateur historian. Though it has been near two decades since last we saw him, George has seemingly only aged a mere handful of years.

The Grand Illusio, conjurer of illusions and mystical diversions. A recent arrival to the foothill village of Tenderstone, Illusio has heard these rumors of evil in the mountains, and he's determined to prevent its escape into the wider world...

At the edge of the Known World, where the mountain's stony peaks rise to pierce the clouds stands the Father of Mountains, Monk's Peak. Rising to an unimaginable height, the crag has been hollowed out by an order of mages to serve as a place of study for the mystical and arcane...and a prison to the more dangerous aspects of that realm of study.

Recently something has gone terribly wrong. Rumors concerning the awakening of an ancient demon-god has made its way to Tenderstone at the foot of the mountain, and its people, so accustomed to peace, have grown uneasy. With the recent arrival of two strangers, it seems these rumors may hold some larger amount of truth.

George O'Hallohan and the Grand Illusio meet in Tenderstone and make their way up the mountainside. After several hours of hiking and discussion concerning the nature and practice of magical techniques, they arrive at the carved entrance to Monk's Peak just as the Order is having a bit of a tiff concerning their practices and leadership.

The argument focuses on the leader of the Order, a mage of substantial power known as Mistren Mastercaster, and the newest inductee to the Order, a prodigy of middle age but monstrous power, Wizzie. Mastercaster blames the escaped demon on her arrival, as her power signature was felt all across the Outer Lands and attempts to convince the other mages to expel her from their mountain.

Wizzie isn't having it, though. With a few choice words she brings her substantial expertise and experience to bear and embarrasses Mastercaster in front of the rest of the Order. With the argument put on ice, Mastercaster retreats to the Archive to study as the others go about their work.

Wizzie, however, notices the new arrivals and confronts them. She notices one looks familiar...this "historian" is very similar to a necromancer she met nearly two decades ago, just before the fateful showdown at Quaylude's Tower in the Outer Lands. We flash back to just after the first session, to the moments immediately after the theft of Quaylude's amulet...

Wizzie exits Quaylude's Tower, a little worse for the wear but primarily only injured in her pride. The man she thought was a historian is there, at the rear of a mass of walking dead risen from the ruins of the village. Despite her best attempts, Wizzie's power ultimately proves unable to prevent the spurned necromancer from setting his risen corpses against the ill-prepared members of the caravan, and she watches, helpless, as they are slaughtered to a man and risen to swell O'Hallohan's ranks.

Illusio sees the dawning recognition on Wizzie's face and attempts to distract her by disguising George as a woman and an illusory puppy. Wizzie, driven by unresolved rage, dispels the magic and calls George out for being a monster. After some harsh words which almost devolve to harsh actions, the three come to an uneasy peace when they agree to work towards sealing the demon first and foremost. They make their way to the Archives to see what they can discover.

You see, the most critical part of demon-speaking is knowledge of the demon's name. Without that information, it's like trying to fit a cage around the breeze. Fortunately, Monk's Peak also happens to serve as a repository of arcane knowledge, which includes various nefarious books containing information from the Fel Realms.

Wizzie leads the three to the Archives, a massive cavern lined from floor-to-unseen-ceiling with scroll racks and bookshelves, the whole of all information and knowledge in the Known World. The three split up:

Wizzie, familiar with the Archives and well-versed in this sort of thing, goes to the section containing fel knowledge and soon learns the full name of the demon: Biel Koz'biel, which translates to "Maker and Unmaker." She replaces the book and goes to check on the progress of her two companions.

Illusio, believing the name of the demon would be difficult to research, grabs ahold of a book from one of the forbidden shelves and is immediately swept away as the thing starts flying up, up, and up. The Archive, you see, is semi-sentient, as most collections of arcane knowledge are, and is guarded by a swarm of Flying Books (Unique [The Archive], Maneuvering) which act to prevent the discovery of its knowledge. So, Illusio finds himself three-hundred feet up, flying with great speed towards the back of the cavern. Once the book reaches Disposals, Illusio begins the three-hour walk back to the entrance of the Archives.

George hangs around a bit, doesn't do a whole bunch of research, and eventually gets a part of the demon's name from Wizzie: Koz'biel.

As Illusio moves towards the entrance he loses his patience and attempts to force the Archive to divulge its secrets. His threats against the books soon raises the Archive's anger and he's assaulted by a swarm of Flying Books. Driven to desperation, Illusio conjures the image of a massive book fire, and they back off...though an Introductory Volume to Demon-Speaking reveals a part of the demon's name: Biel.

As the trio convenes, George realizes he doesn't know if the demon's name is Biel, Koz'biel, or Biel Koz'Biel. Without the full name he knows he cannot safely try to bind the demon to his will. With Wizzie proving unwilling to grant him the knowledge he seeks, George loses his patience and reanimates the dead remnants of the Archive's pests to attack Illusio. The conjurer is set upon by a swam of undead rats, roaches, and a mountain's horde of vermin remains. Driven to panic by his fear of bugs, Illusio reveals the full name of the demon, and George puts his pests to rest.

The demon realizes that these practitioners have learned its name and uses its Demonic Influence (Broad, Action/Maneuvering) to trick Wizzie into killing George for his crimes in the past. She resists, but the display is enough to drive the already-unnerved Illusio to action.

The conjurer decides there's no time like the presence and attempts to seal the demon inside one of the forbidden books. Unfortunately, he doesn't possess the demon's full name, and his cage of books bursts into flames as the demon overcomes his magic. The commotion and flame spurs the Archive to shuffle them away to the entrance, and the doors slam shut behind them.

Biel Koz'biel, having just taken his freedom, isn't ready to take on such driven, knowledgeable casters. The spirit flees down the mountain tunnels, seeking an exit or a way to the deeper places of the world, where it can dwell and plot without interference. The three magicians take off in pursuit, so close to resealing this great evil.

Wizzie and Illusio, at the front of the pack, get caught in a cave-in caused by the demon's influence and are knocked out in the first round of rolls. George uses his magic to avoid the stones and herds the demon up and out to a mountainside altar, which radiates power. It is there, in the midst of a great snowstorm on the side of the mountain, where George O'Hallohan speaks the demon's full name and binds Biel Koz'biel to his will.

Wizzie and Illusio awake to a silent mountain holdfast. As she leaves, she passes the ruins of the Order, the wreckage of the mage's rooms and quarters, and the sealed-shut entrance to the Archives. Illusio follows and, after seeing the smoking ruins of what once was Tenderstone, decides this kind of thing is way above his paygrade and leaves before the demon and its master learns of his survival...

To be continued...

We Owe...
Drahn Skrallguard
Wizzie
George O'Hallohan
Astrid Morningstar
Twinkles the Brown
Drahn Skrallguard
Twinkles the Brown
Astrid Morningstar
Twinkles the Brown
The Grand Illusio


GM'S NOTES & OBSERVATIONS
This was the smallest session so far, with three players, two of which were returning. The chosen Oracle was God-Kings of War, which generated a much heavier focus on magicians than I had first expected, but it made sense with who came back. The session still lasted nearly as long as the first, which had six players, though there was a lot more in-character roleplaying and less quick-cuts between scenes.

Additionally, the Oracle wasn't quite so straight-forward as the previous two sessions. I think this partially came from all three characters coming together as magicians, which doesn't quite set up the conflict which In a Wicked Age thrives upon. I feel a bit of this comes from my own in-progress practice at setting up good conflicting scenes; IAWA does seem to do best when the GM drives a relentless pace, with actual transitions that are more than "you walk to the place."

Early into the session I noticed this was a minor issue, as the players didn't have much reason to be at each other's throats. Wizzie's arguments with Mastercaster showed that IAWA isn't really built for civil discussion, so in the future I'll probably have NPCs push for duels or just start off as backstabbers who attack at opportune times. It was interesting to simulate magical duels with Forms rolls, as it gave the players some chances to set how magic actually works. It just took a little bit of practice, as it's a different sort of conflict than "I swing my sword at his neck."\

The Owe List didn't see many additions this time, partially because most of the rolls were made with the highest Forms available. Wizzie's player in particular stuck almost entirely with her d12 and d10 forms, which meant she didn't go back on. Only Illusio, making an altruistic move towards the end, got his name on the list. This marks the second character (alongside Twinkles the Brown) by that player to have a spot on the list, so we'll see what happens when either of them comes back.

Finally, this is the third session and we've yet to see a returning Particular Strength with a change to it. One of the options for returning characters is to increase the Potency of a PS so it gains extra bonuses, but each time a character has returned thus far, they've chosen to redistribute their Forms instead. I think a part of this comes from how IAWA does character damage, as the rulebook says the only way to heal damage to Forms is to redistribute them on return. If this comes up in the fourth session, I'll probably just have the Forms auto-heal, as each session so far has been separated from the others by at least 20 years.

So far IAWA has done a very good job fostering character-investment in the world, much how FATE does with the setting creation sub-session. One difference though is that IAWA handles new players far better than FATE, and implements details in a better, smoother way.

In A Wicked Age Writeup, Session 2: Aggressive Negotiations

Previously, in a Wicked Age...

...the solemnization of treaty between two neighboring principalities, negotiated in the face of brutality and assassination, doomed...

...a baby's birth, heralded by prophets, written of in antique books, forseen by the wise...

...a troupe of musicians for hire, one of whom is a burglar and a cutpurse...

...the celebration of a day sacred to the city's chief cult...

Starring:

Drahn Skrallguard, in this year serving as Captain of the Bloodied Empire. Quite a bit younger than when we last saw him, this Drahn trades in his stench for authority and his stoop for stature. He's most recently visited the City for these historic negotiations...though his main goal is victory for the Bloodied Empire.

Astrid Morningstar, a Moral Paragon charged with protecting Mother Kurig and her holy baby. Her pale complexion stands out against the tanned citizens of the City on the Salt Flats, and her hair is tied up in a manner universally declared, "severe."

Twinkles "the Brown," drummer for the (in)famous traveling band, the Ragamuffins. As the "bad boy" of the group, Twinkles enjoyed his fame, despite the fact that it imposed significant difficulties on his abilities to Blend In. When he hears word of a magical baby born in the City on the Salt Flats, he becomes convinced that this particular skin-and-bone may possess the ability to ring a note so powerful, it would bring the strongest man to his knees.

Zanzibar, leader of the City's cult exalting Dav Quaylad. A man of singular ambition, Zanzibar leads the Cult of Ladar Dav Saints in bettering the City...with some returns, of course. The holiest of days has arrived, and Zanzibar's ears have heard whispers of a baby born among circumstances matching several prophesies...

There's a lot going on in the City on the Salt Flats.

The long and devastating war between the Bloodied Empire (the Bloods), and the Crippled King's forces (The Cripps) has come to an uneasy pause. Leaders from the two nations intend to host treaty negotiations in a neutral location, and no other place better fit than the Salt Flat City.

Coincidentally enough, the night of the negotiations also happens to be the festival of the City's chief religion. The central plaza is filled to bursting with a crowd listening to Zanzibar's sermon. The cult leader notices the mother and her guard, Astrid, and singles the group out in an attempt to get the baby onto the stage.

Drahn sees his chance and takes the stage, distracting the man long enough for Astrid, the mother, and another to leave, unseen. Drahn confronts the priest, who offers him a Favor to just...let him go, which he does.

Meanwhile, Twinkles "the Brown" is waiting for the right moment. He's gotten so close to the baby, and when Drahn storms the stage it's too close to divine to ignore. Keeping his eyes on the prize, Twinkles follows Astrid and company through the crowd...

Until the bodyguard cuts through a butcher shop. A devout vegetarian, Twinkles is knocked out by a side of beef.

Astrid leads Mother Kurig to a nunnery, aware that the safest place for a women is often among women. Kurig has heard whispers about a holy baby, but surely they couldn't mean her child. So what if the birth had taken place during a significant moment?

Twinkles wakes up and takes a minute to think about his life. The Ragamuffins were famous all across the world at one point (at least as much of the world as was known). As the drummer he was always seeking better beats, deeper rhythms, more powerful sounds. And for what? Maybe he needed to seek a meaningful purpose...

Zanzibar meets Twinkles as he's attempting to sneak into the cult's temple. When the musician offers to join the LDS, Zanzibar recognizes the usefulness his fame would bring the religion. Not ashamed of taking advantage of a broken man, Zanzibar promotes Twinkles to the highest echelons of the organization, so long as he brings Zanzibar...the baby.

Of course! Such a coincidence could only be arranged by a higher power! Twinkles discerns the trail of the mother and makes his way to the nunnery. Drahn, with negotiations on hold, has resorted to seeking the musician in an attempt to expose him as the criminal he is.

They wind up at the nunnery at roughly the same time, where they meet Astrid. After she dispatches a nun to catch the city guard, Twinkles insults her. In response, she punches him in the mouth and Drahn knocks him out with a swift kick to the back of the head. He and Astrid exchange awkward hellos and explanations for their respective involvement with this famous drummer, and part ways.

While the others are involved in baby shenanigans, Zanzibar makes his move. Twelve elders of the LDS depart their temple in the night and deliver quick, surgical assassinations to the ranks of the Bloods, the Cripps, and the City leadership. With most of the citizenry drunk from the festival, the entire region breaks into chaos. Where it not for the Cult of Ladar Dav Saints, the Festival of Quaylad would have marked the end of the City.

Astrid becomes separated from Kurig and the baby during the chaos, and crosses paths with Twinkles. Experiencing something of a mental break, the musician overpowers the already-exhausted bodyguard and learns the location of the baby. Unfortunately, the crowds are such that, by the time he reaches the nunnery, the mother has already left...

Drahn makes his way back to the Bloods camp and convinces his soldiers to follow him to the real cause: Zanzibar and the LDS. The fighters storm the temple...only to be greeted and granted entry by the priest himself. Drahn enters and listens to the man's offer: a position in the priest's new government, in return for unfailing loyalty.

Well, Drahn thought...so long as he didn't question his position as second-in-command, he figured things were pretty fine.

Things for Twinkles "the Brown," though, were decidedly not fine.

First, his band had gotten the sick gig to play the LDS festival. Then, he'd caught wind of the magic baby, and thought, how hard would it be to steal a freakin' baby? Then, after his new religious awakening, he'd become convinced of the realness of it all, how it was all connected.

Then the gig had been interrupted. And the baby's bodyguard had outwitted him. Then, when everything had aligned, it wound up he'd wasted his time anyway.

Now he was back in the tavern where he'd beaten the information out of the bodyguard. He looked at himself in the mirror, thinking about all the time he'd wasted.

He could hardly remember what had originally convinced him of the baby's potential as a drum. All in the pursuit of some ultimate power.

The Brown Note, he'd called it. Named after himself, of course.

After himself...

Maybe that was it.

Maybe Twinkles "the Brown" was the real "Brown Note" all along...

It all made sense. He knew what he had to do.

Twinkles the Brown gouged out his rib and cracked the mirror. The impact rang out in a note so pure, it reverberated throughout Twinkles' being. He did more than hear the note. He did more than feel the note.

He became the note, for only the briefest of moments.

And then promptly shit his pants and passed out.

***

Astrid Morningstar comes to with a foul stench in her nose. Her last memory was of fists raining down on her face as a man shouted questions at her. Strange, to say the least. When she stands up, she sees the drummer for the world-famous bard troupe, the Ragamuffins, passed out on the floor, missing a rib and smelling like a latrine.

And with that, Astrid left the City on the Salt Flats, convinced it really wasn't such a great work environment after all...

...to be continued...

We Owe...

Drahn Skrallguard
Wizzie
George O'Hallohan
Astrid Morningstar
Twinkles the Brown
Drahn Skrallguard
Twinkles the Brown
Astrid Morningstar
Twinkles the Brown

In A Wicked Age Writeup, Session 1: Towerfall

Previously, in a Wicked Age…

…a rough wolf-hunter, surly, filthy, and crude…

…a necromancer who steals the knowledge of the dying…

…a slow-moving caravan with many wagons and travelers…

…the soul of a dead wizard, seeking an advantageous rebirth…

Starring:

Quaylude “the Wise” a once-powerful wizard now deceased, his spirit has been trapped within a mystical green stone and hidden at the summit of his tower. Wishes to be resurrected so he can find the one who killed and imprisoned him. Holds a soft spot in his heart for ice cream.

Wizzie, one-time apprentice to Quaylude who may have had a hand in his defeat. She joined a caravan moving through the Outer Lands in hopes it would pass by her erstwhile master’s tower…which it does. Skilled in healing magic, she yet seeks to prevent her late master’s rebirth…or to steal the power of resurrection for herself…

George O’Hallohan, necromancer from the distant Green Isle. Driven to raise the dead and learn their secrets, when rumors rise of a powerful spirit imprisoned in the Outer Lands, George poses as a historian and accompanies the caravan. Along the way, he discovers he harbors a particular distaste for the music of a certain bard…

Helfspar “the Magnificent,” a bard of some fame and staggering, endless confidence in his musical abilities. This drive to prove his skills has delivered him to the caravan, rumored to pass through the shadow of the dead wizard’s tower in the Outer Lands. Once encamped near the ruins of an ancient village, he finds himself entangled in the dead wizard’s web…

Darra, a secretive wanderer, pick-pocket, amateur magician, and general ne’er-do-well. Dressed as a man to keep herself hidden, she joined the caravan after hearing of a powerful amulet hidden atop a mystical tower along the caravan’s path. Recently stolen of her canine companion, Darra is drawn along by a need for vengeance, wealth, and blood.

Drahn Skrallguard, filthy wolf-hunter, wild-man, and legendary hunter. Long aware of the tower in the Outer Lands, it only begins to draw at his mind when he catches ear of the tale of the Red Moon Wolf, a legendary beast of particular magnificence. When he hears of a famous bard who may possess knowledge of the magic needed to tame this beast, he makes himself known to the caravan to see if he can’t twist the situation to his needs.

A caravan, seven days into a journey across Outer Lands, comes across the ruins of a village at the base of a legendary wizard's tower. As the wagon settles in for the night, Helfspar’s playing draws quite a crowd. After being confronted by a filthy wolf-hunter and drunken historian, the three discuss the legends surrounding the tower and its supposed inhabitants. Darra, confronted by a man wearing a familiar wolf pelt, decides it may be best to seek out additional help before making her presence known.

Wizzie, overhearing the trio, goes to the base of the structure with George in tow. The door, sealed with glowing runes, has grown weak in the years following its inscription and the pair easily break its wards. Followed unknowingly by Darra, the three enter the tower and are confronted with its strange Esoteric Architecture (Action, Unique). Overcome by the shifting staircases, redundant doorways, and twisting passages, the three are deposited at the foot of the tower with little to show for it besides bruised knees and bruised egos.

Helfspar and Drahn notice the change in light emanating from the tower and make their way to its base where they meet up with the three previous tomb raiders. After some harsh words and harsher promises are exchanged, George manages to convince Helfspar to make the next run into the structure. Driven by his Endless Confidence (For Myself, Consequential [For Myself]), Helfspar rushes the first staircase and is immediately incapacitated by a recursive pit trap, which causes him to fall constantly for about six hours before he’s plopped on the grass outside as the sun rises in the morning. Sorry, buddy.

Thinking the tower’s defenses weakened by the immediate attack, the seal is broken and the rest rush the tower to try and steal the wizard’s gem. Wizzie and George break from the other two and take their own path, which ends up with Wizzie getting caught in a number of traps. Realizing she’s still not up to the task of taking on her master (even as a spirit), she decides discretion is the better part of valor and waits outside.

George, for all his magical ability, is unable to pierce the tower’s illusions. He wanders for some time before discovering…the stone chamber. Not questioning the ease with which he’s bested the tower, George takes the amulet and makes his way to the graveyard at the ruins of the village outside, intent on capturing the wizard’s secrets once and for all. Of course, the false stone offers him no knowledge, but the graveyard's corpses are more than acceptable for George's immediate purpose...

Drahn and Darra stick together and, with their mutual histories of quick thinking, wilderness survival, and sleight of hand, make it to the tower’s summit. Drahn, accustomed to physical exertion in the wild, soon outpaces the cut-purse and reaches the chamber atop the tower. Unfortunately, his speed betrays him and he’s caught and turned away by a descending ceiling of spikes. Ultimately, Drahn finds his way to the base of the tower and retreats into the wilderness, swearing off wizards as fools.

The sudden activity and presence of fellow magic-users pulls the spirit of Quaylude from his slumber. Sensing the presence of one who can remove his stone prison from the tower, he forces the spirit of his father in the structure’s stones to stand down, and Darra finds her passage to the amulet unimpeded. Unaware of the spirit in the stone, Darra makes her way outside and leaves the caravan behind, intent on learning the secrets of the stone…

We Owe…
Drahn Skrallguard
Wizzie
George O’Halloran

Dodushkun: Session 2

The System: Savage Worlds.

The Setting: Dodushkun, unofficial capital city of the Volbruggar Provinces, ten years since last we left our heroes. The decade has been rough on the hardy Volbruggar people under the Gerneschmenk Empire. Raids and burned fields due to a personal dispute between Lord-Governors has festered into almost open warfare. Dodushkun thus far has remained neutral, but whispers abound that Lord-Governor Gadelbrecht plans to intervene in some manner, should the fighting spill over onto his land.

The Player Characters

Saldo: A curious, reckless young man well-trained in the martial art Sanhar. He spent the previous ten years in Borderpost at the school there, and quickly rose as a student until he earned his wraps and left to take the odd job or Contract. He is just outside the Volbruggar border when he receives a letter from Alvra, calling him back to take care of the orphanage in her absence.

Gorvis: A confident scoundrel, Gorvis spent the last decade working under Jormind, a locksmith who is also a member of a thieve's guild specializing in selling lock specs to interested parties. He was a Lifter, one of the people the ring sent out to make sure there were feet on the ground. He is in Dodushkun when he receives his letter and goes across the city to the orphanage the next day.

Ingevla: Ingevla stayed in the city until she was old enough to legally stand on her own, and started taking Contracts. She spent the next ten years tramping about the land with the intent to make her Citizenry and family Name worth something again. She has been moderately successful, with a number of successful and impressive Contracts under her belt, but she answers the letter immediately once she receives it.

Chaya: After demonstrating her alchemical brilliance to Alvra, Chaya's guardian managed to get word to the Order of Philosophers, and the girl left soon after. Hailed as a talent, Chaya worked her way through the ranks towards mastering the Third Art of Alchemy. After a school friend leaps from a clocktower after allegedly consorting with the Forbidden Arts she dives into her schoolwork. When her letter arrives she takes a break from her education to attend.

Felix: Mysteriously absent, though rumor is he was simply delayed on the road. Jokes are made at his expense about drinking water from ditches.

Ten years or so after our last session our heroes receive letters from Mother Alvra stating that her recent duties require her absence from the area and she requests they return to take care of the orphanage during her absence, and that if they have any questions to go to the Sunken Stone and ask for Karek. They all arrive at roughly the same time and talk about their adventures before attempting to enter the orphanage.

Finding the door locked, Gorvis picks it handily. They enter the orphanage and pause...

The place is absolutely trashed. Broken pieces of furniture litter the floor, the beds are ripped apart, the chests are stomped in. They cautiously explore the building and find it empty, though Mother Alvra's room is still locked. Gorvis picks this lock and they find Alvra's room empty, though her mattress is askew. Saldo searches her desk and finds three empty imprints in the dust: an outline that looks like a dagger, and two indistinguishable square ones. Gorvis looks under the mattress and finds the outline of a door and a strange, triple-keyhole.

Gorvis replaces the lock on the front door with one from his master's shop, and hands out keys. The apprentice working there mentions that Jormind said he will be absent for a few days. The group puts together a group fund of their money, fixes the place up, and goes to sleep.

The next morning Gorvis goes to his normal morning bar, Chaya and Inge go supply-shopping at the Wall Market, where they end up indignantly bartering with a carpenter to make them some cheap chairs. After berating him on his obvious over-charging, he drops the price and promises delivery within the next one-and-a-half weeks.

They all meet up at the Sunken Stone  and quiz the bartender, Gill, about this man, Karek. The bartender says he has a room on retainer, but only visits every so often. Inge bribes him with 5% of his yearly wage, so he lets them into the man's room. They find nothing unusual, but Inge leaves a note saying, "Wayward Souls" and leave.

The next morning there's a knock at the door. They answer and it's Karek's wife. She asks why they're asking about her husband, and they don't answer. She says that he's dead and they need to leave her be. They show her the last two lines of the letter that instruct them to look for him, and she calms down. She apologizes and says that they can pay their respects at a graveyard overlooking where the river enters the lake.

They make their way through the Sprawl and towards the graveyard. It's a fair walk, but they make it in good speed. Once there they inspect the graveyard and find the right stone. While discussing what to do about it, Gorvis bends down real low, takes a whiff of that dirt, realizes something isn't right, reaches in, and feels a key. He tries to palm it, but Saldo sees through his shit and calls him out on it. After a speech from Chaya about family, they leave.

They head back to the orphanage, making it just inside the gate before they closed it for dusk.They open up the bed-door first, and find an extensive stash of alchemy ingredients, enough to stump even Chaya. At the bottom in a locked chest are four ingots of [Talmium](http://www.reddit.com/r/Iumendros/comments/2kzh5m/talmium/), an incredibly dangerous magical stone that can be programmed to perform magic. Unfortunately, too much exposure can cause Talmium Sickness, which kills pretty much all the time. They put that back.

Saldo goes and tries the key in the fountain keyhole. It makes a lot of deep mechanical noises and a set of stairs descends into the ground. The group, led by Saldo, descends, follows a long tunnel, and find a ladder that descends deep into darkness. Undeterred, Saldo marches onward.

At the bottom of the ladder they find...a [room](http://imgur.com/uy3rbmX). It has a few chests, filled with tinderboxes, rope, changes of clothing, all manner of things used to survive. There are two beds, well-made, and a table with a sword on it. On the floor in the center of the room is a bloodied sword lying in a drying pool of the stuff. There's a cabinet containing some nice chain shirts and two swords that match the two already out.

On the wall is a huge map of the city, including the isles. Pinned in maybe a dozen places are little flags, unmarked except by individual colors. They puzzle over this before seeing the half-open door. Once opened fully, it reveals a passage, long and low, that slopes slightly downward in the direction of the lake...

And that's where we faded to black, as our (mostly) reunited ragamuffins venture into unknown depths...

The End

Dodushkun: Session 1

The system: Savage Worlds

The setting: Dodushkun, the City of Isles. More specifically, the Shambles [1] , the northern district of the mainland city, where Mother Alvra runs her orphanage. A district with a smoke-stained history, the streets wind and twist, and buildings are an eclectic mix of run-down old styles and newer, cheap housing. We join our heroes six months after the previous session.

The Player Characters

Saldo: The dashing, somewhat dumb kid with a passion for wrestling and shooting. He has spent the past six months training with Sal, a Sannosimma gunsmith with a passion for the martial art Sanhar. When he isn't training with Sal, he is helping Mother Alvra with her errands or causing mischief with his orphan siblings. Pretty tough for a nine year old.

Gorvis: A caster and a trickster, he goes where he wants, when he wants. The past six months have seen him working (nominally) as a shop-keeper with Jormind Bedrek of Jormind's Discount Securities, a locksmith who is willing to teach Gorvis how to make tumblers dance. He makes folks reconsider the scheming capabilities of eleven year olds.

Ingevla: A far-flung apple from a stunted noble family tree, she's been spending her free time as a lady-in-waiting for a low-noble household in the city. When her mouth isn't getting her into trouble, it's getting her out of it. For being ten years old, she's smarter than you'd think.

Our Newcomers

Felix: He's one scruffy-looking nerfherder of a twelve year old, a fact he's perfectly willing to hold over Gorvis's head. Also perfectly willing to arm himself with his pretty face and foul mouth, he's a tough little sucker. Sold to Mother Alvra from the same batch as Chaya.

Chaya (kai-ah): The studious scholar of the group, Chaya's family taught her a smattering of Alchemical Philosophy before they died in a way she refuses to speak of. She's a tiny pacifist, though her brewing and Alchemical skills are far ahead of her peers, and you'd be shocked to learn she's only eleven.

We begin six months later, as Alvra introduces the two newcomers to the other orphans. Before she leaves on her daily errands she gives them the new rule talk: No magic in-doors, no fighting or thieving among yourselves, and to not go in her room. When she leaves, she also lets them know that, over the past few days, a gang of good-for-nothing street rats have been dropping shit down the chimney. She wants them to figure out who and stop them, but to cause no lasting injuries or deaths. Alvra specifically says this to Gorvis, Inge, and Saldo before leaving.

While the other kids are talking, Gorvis goes outside and climbs onto the roof where the chimney is. He takes out some grease he's found out in the city and liberally coats the roof around the chimney. Inside the group plans and goes outside, where Gorvis suggests he hide in a barrel and let them know when he sees someone coming. It's mid-day, so the prospect of locking
Cartman Gorvis away for a while appeals to them. They decide on some whistle codes and wait.

While he sits in the barrel, the rest of them decide to show the newcomers the town. Inge and Saldo take Felix and Chaya to a nearby tavern where there is known to be a large number of street kids in attendance. After Felix underestimates Volbruggar ale's potency, they notice two kids in the corner. Felix and Inge approach while Saldo and Chaya try and gather rumors from overhearing the other patrons.

After some well-done diplomacy, Felix and Inge get the kids to open up that there is a gathering that night at a run-down storefront. They give them directions and scoot. Meanwhile, Chaya and Saldo learn that other people have also had shit dropped down their chimneys at night.

The plot thickens.

They head back to the orphanage, where they find Gorvis has went back to his bed and rooted through their stuff. After some harsh words, Inge shares that she's never felt like anyone wanted her and that she just wants to belong. They inform Gorvis of their escapades and make a plan to stake out the place that night.

The storefront is a two-and-a-half level affair. After staking it out, they see a few kids enter and go inside. It seems to be a gathering of the district's streetgangs, and there's one kid who seems to be in charge. He hops up on a table and announces that it's time for that night's game of Shits and Giggles to begin. The goal is to dump as much shit, either literal or figurative, down as many chimneys as possible. Whoever wins gets a bag of coin they lifted off a merchant earlier that day. The last winners were the Broken Bottle gang, and Alvra's kids (unnamed as of this moment) have joined up to take it down from the inside.

They find a map of a few tanneries that leave their vats open at night and make their way towards one. With little effort they hop the fence and fill two sacks halfway with offal, while scaring off some kids who were targeting the same place. On their way back to the hideout, they almost get apprehended by some constables, but quick thinking with one of Chaya's Obscure potions gets them safely away.

On the way back, Felix can't help but lower his pants and drop a 10/10 turd down some poor person's chimney.

When they arrive at the hideaway they see that Gorvis's trap has caused a kid to twist his ankle and return early. In order for their plan to go right, Inge buddies up to him, takes him to a nearby bar, and fills him with enough liquor to make a ten-year-old drunk. There aren't minimum drinking ages here, whatever.

With Chaya on watch at the front door and Saldo up high on a balcony, Felix and Gorvis set up their trap: they place three of Chaya's Obscure potions (functionally identical to smoke bombs) in the bottom of the sacks and hoist them to the top of the inside. Gorvis takes the rope and climbs outside onto the roof, and the rest leave and wait across the street in an alleyway.

After all the street kids have returned, they drop the bag. The smoke inside the shattered potions carries the stinking odor of animal offal as Felix holds the door, causing the kids to be engulfed in the stench. They make their getaway and return to the orphanage (contemplating leaving Gorvis), where Inge ties an intestine around the chimneypipe as a warning.

A few days later, Alvra is impressed that the kids have succeeded so well that they are being given a wide berth by the other street kids. She buys them all some maple candy as a reward.

The End

Next time: After a ten-year time skip, the orphans are called back to Dodushkun by vague, yet distressed letters from Mother Alvra. But for what purpose?

Dun dun duuuuun!

Dodushkun: Session 0

The System: Savage Worlds

The setting: Dodushkun, the City of Isles. On the coast of Lake Dannr, and the seat of power in the kingdom in all but name only, it's a huge city marked by structures left behind by whatever race inhabited the planet originally. Technology is equivalent to late 1700s, with guns being wide-spread, magic regularly studied but rare, and the feudal system drying up.

The player characters:

Saldo: The dashing, somewhat dumb kid, he's the youngest of the group at nine years old. Enjoys wrestling, and not much else.

Gorvis: A caster, he'd been on the streets for a year or so before getting caught breaking a minor law and getting entangled in the system. Used to living on his own. He's the oldest, at eleven.

Ingevla: The cousin-of-a-cousin of an aristocratic family, her parents died and she was put into the system instead of being put up with. Pragmatic in the extreme, and always willing to use her Imperial Citizen status and natural charm to get her way. She's the middle orphan, at a new ten.

The Non-Player Characters:

Mother Alvra: Young, pretty, and head of Mother Alvra's Home for Wayward Souls, she has recently purchased three orphans from the church for an unknown purpose. She seems well-liked by the people in the district, and is always treated with more respect than normally afforded people of her age.

We start with the orphans arriving at their new home. Mother Alvra gives them a short tour [1] of the orphanage before leaving them on their own with instructions to not burn down the (stone) building. After hearing her joke fall flat, she leaves on errands, saying she'll be back within the hour.

Left to their own devices, the orphans are a little unsure of what to do. After getting some short introductions out of the way, Gorvis asks Ingevla for a few of her hair-pins, which she surrenders because he's bigger than her. He immediately makes his way through the building and then wanders over to Mother Alvra's chamber door and tries picking the lock.

Ingevla shrugs, changes into her sleep clothes, and tries to take a nap.

While Gorvis is trying to pick the lock, several other orphans enter the building, though some cursory glances reveal that they obviously don't live there. The newcomers show confusion at someone else being there, and say they didn't know someone was already trying at the joint that day. After managing to convince the newcomers that yes, it was indeed Gorvis's turn to steal from the orphanage that day, they leave the three PCs a marking to follow if they want to know what the business is.

Gorvis goes back to trying to break the lock. Saldo, apparently still unsure of his new lot in life, sans-parents, stands around and eventually gravitates, naturally, towards the older boy.

Gorvis picks Alvra's lock and steals five marcs from her desk drawer. Saldo, feeling the stirrings of what might grow into that ever-elusive conscience, tells him to put it back. Gorvis, unimpressed, tries to push past.

Saldo isn't taking that shit. He successfully grapples the older boy in a headlock.

Hearing the commotion, Inge rises from her bed and goes to see what's up. Seeing the two older boys beating each other up, she begins to hit herself on the arm enough to bruise herself. After a few hits the absurdity of the situation sinks in, and Inge sinks to the ground, sobbing.

Meanwhile, Gorvis has managed to get himself untangled from Saldo's grapple. In an attempt to get the boy out of the way, he lashes out with his magic in an icy burst along the ground, through the mistress's doorway.

Saldo sees the motions and dodges to the side, leaving the sitting, sobbing, and bruised Ingevla directly in their path. The ice pierces her and she immediately starts bleeding onto the stone floor.

"Oh fuck," was stated, both in- and out-of-game, as Gorvis realizes that he almost killed Ingevla...just as Mother Alvra returns.

Alvra drops her things and rushes over, pushing the two boys out of the way. She manages to get Ingevla fixed up, who immediately begins sobbing. Alvra calls her on her bullshit and gathers the kids at one of the tables, after shooting them a knowing look after noticing her door is unlocked. She tells them she'll get them targets for their...aggressions, and makes them clean up the ice and blood.