Iron Gauntlets
Credits
This is a solo play-through of the adventure “Ironwood Gorge” by Eric Jones, published by Ludibrium Games.
Because I am not really an old-school guy, things have been converted to (originally) Iron Gauntlets by Precis Intermedia Games and after about chapter 6, Iron & Gold, also by Precis Intermedia Games. Where necessary, I use Mythic Game Master Emulator by Tana Pigeon, published by Word Mill Games.
This is the second Ludibrium Games module I’ve used for these characters, and I enjoy them. (The first was “The Sanctuary Ruin.”)
As usual, rules misunderstandings are mine and I try to present it as (bad) fiction, with game mechanics in footnotes. The italicized subtitles after the chapter title are prompts from Mythic Game Master Emulator; I try to work the intent into the scene. I am not always successful, but it keeps me a bit more honest.
“Ironwood Gorge” is meant to be the basis for a campaign, where the Bleak Tower is a home base for adventures. I have not yet decided whether I will do that; there could be additional Bleak Tower adventures, or they'll wander away until the third adventure in the trilogy is published.
1 - A Debriefing Dinner
(Mythic: Greet Weapons)
Felewin, Ninefingers, and Kagandis were eating with the man named Onomaclus, the Seneschal of the Bleak Tower. Onomaclus was debriefing Felewin, and was trying to ignore Ninefingers and Kagandis. Felewin had insisted on their presence at the table but Onomaclus had not allowed them to join.
Until Vengis confessed to raising anti-goblin sentiment. Then suddenly Kagandis became a dignitary from a nearby polity and goblins were allowed at the table.
Onomaclus said to Felewin, “Tell me again about the orcs.”
Vengis was currently locked in a tower. The seneschal had made not other arrangements, and in a week, Vengis would be fully healthy again. Ninefingers expected him to escape before a fortnight had passed.
“The orcs? Not the petrified one?” asked Felewin. He set down his goblet and contemplated another piece of coney. “Kagandis says the face tattoos indicate tribe, and they had a variety of different face tattoos. However, they were working together. The petrified one—”
“I’m not interested in the petrified one. Just the live ones.”
“With due respect, there are no live ones. We killed them all. A dozen, I think. More than two hands.”
“You say.”
Felewin shrugged. “If you take Kagandis with you and bargain in good faith, the goblins will probably let you look at what’s left of the orcs. If the dogs haven’t eaten them.”
“You have no proof.” Said Onomaclus. “You expect me to believe that the three of you defeated a dozen orcs…if there were a dozen.”
“You have Vengis’ word that the goblins exist.”
“But he didn’t see the orcs.”
Felewin patiently said, “Because we had killed them. However, goblins did not kill your man Erdwain; that was were-rats. I returned his dagger, and I’ll gladly go with your men to retrieve his body.”
The seneschal made a small movement of his shoulders that might have been a shrug. “Erdwain wasn’t my man, or even local; he had just decided to stay here.” The seneschal mulled this over while he plucked and ate sweetmeats. “Now tell me about the petrified orc.”
Felewin snagged a bun from the platter on the table. “I can’t tell you about the face tattoo because I didn’t know about the face tattoos at the time. Woodsman clothes. Petrified bow that wasn’t strung. I can’t be sure when it was petrified. It wasn’t dressed for winter. Hastwine told me, and I have no reason to doubt this, that the orc was probably petrified by a cockatrice, but—”
“Could have been a medusa,” said the seneschal.
Felewin sai, “I don’t think medusae petrify the clothes, just the body. This orc had petrified clothes.”
“I’m sure they petrify the clothes.”
Felewin shrugged. “Maybe. The one I faced didn’t. It was pregnant so maybe that changes things.” He smiled. “My mother told me that my birth ruined her vision.”
Down the table, Ninefingers covered his eyes as if in pain.
“So you’ve faced a medusa?” Onomaclus shook his head. “I’d ask you where but I couldn’t check, so never mind. How long had the petrified orc been there?”
“I can’t be sure. Did your men see it when they got to the wayshrine?”
“They did not. And they were there in the fall, less than a year ago.”
“Huh. Armour was light. A scouting orc, perhaps, or one with lower status. Maybe in the fall, maybe the middle of this spring. No footprints leading up to it, so the ground was hard. Been a wet spring where I’ve been, so I will guess last fall, after your men were there. Could be wrong, though.”
Onomaclus grunted and waved for Felewin to go on.
Ninefingers spoke to Kagandis, who answered back. Ninefingers said, “Kagandis says he appeared during the thaw in the winter—fool’s spring, the goblins call it.”
“Dressed like that, he wasn’t going far,” said Felewin.
“Or he was lost,” said Onomaclus.
“Always possible,” said Felewin without agreeing. “Back to the orcs we faced. There were a dozen orcs. I hear that’s a typical slaving party. They had four barrels of pitch and tar. I didn’t check for tradesman marks. Don’t know if they filled them or got full ones.”
“Pity.”
“I was…busy, sir.” Felewin picked up the goblet again. “One chief. Weapons were mostly bows, axes, and swords, some of fine quality. Probably looted.”
“Carts? Horses?”
Felewin shook his head. “Did find three sets of leather and rope manacles. Presumably they were going to march the captives. Not carry; even goblins get heavy fast, so they were travelling for less than a day, maybe to carts and draft animals, maybe to their lair. Carts need a road, and they didn’t take a road to get there. So lair.[1]”
“But the sanctuary is a day’s walk from here,” Onomaclus said. Felewin nodded. “We’re likely several days’ away from this…lair?”
“Mayh. Unless their lair is on this side of the sanctuary.”
# # #
They stayed so late after dark that Felewin wasn’t even tipsy by the time they left. Kagandis was still inside the Bleak Tower — the seneschal swore that no harm would come to her, and invited Felewin and Ninefingers to stay too. However, Felewin and Ninefingers had their belongings in the nearby inn, A Villain’s Luck. The guards let them out to make the short trek to the inn, illuminated by lights flanking the inn’s door.
“I’d feel better if Kagandis were out here, actually,” said Ninefingers, “but she’s now an emissary.”
“You can stay with her. When we’re done this.”
“What? I don’t even know if—”
There was a low growl and Ninefingers said, “Dogs! Attacking!” for Felewin, who couldn’t see in the dark.
“I see them,” said Felewin, and drew his sword while moving sideways to the inn.
“We could just run,” said Ninefingers.
“There’s only two,” said Felewin. “We can take two.”
“I see eight,” said Ninefingers[2].
“Right, run,” replied Felewin, and he started to sprint.[3] Two dogs focused on Ninefingers: both missed, and Ninefingers managed to stab one but it wasn’t enough to disable the dog. Felewin stabbed the dog nearest him, but another appeared and bit him[4].
Felewin[5] said, “Come on!” and sprinted for the door of the inn, where he hacked at a dog that was jumping at Ubert, the innkeep. He hit and wounded the dog; others circled around, watching and waiting.
“Ubert! Inside!” cried Felewin.
Ubert said, “Get in!”
“But Ninefingers!”
The four dogs circled the doorway, looking for an attack.
“Get in!” cried Ubert and swung the fireplace poker.[6] He hit one dog in the ribs and knocked it to one side; it got up, bruised and angry.
“Not without Ninefingers! Fetch our armour!”
Ubert slipped into the building[7], closing the door behind him.
Ninefingers saw the door close and ran full-out. Please don’t have barred the door, thought Ninefingers. One dog leapt at Felewin but missed, and the man yanked the door to get them both in.
“Thanks,” said Ninefingers.
“You’d do the same,” said Felewin.
Ubert came up with their armour. Burl and Losdur, regulars, were staring at them.
“Wild dogs,” said Ubert as he handed them their armour.
“Worse,” said Felewin as he shimmied into his gambeson. “War dogs. Trained to attack. They don’t travel on their own; we’ve got to get you to the tower before the militia arrives. Ninefingers? Can you grab our bags?”
“On it.” He ran to their rooms.
“Get everyone.”
Ubert turned and yelled. “Egren!”
Daerdun walked up. “Why are you people shouting?”
“Armed attack,” said Felewin. “Anyone out in the stables?”
“A mule, but—”
“I hate to leave it but we haven’t time. Where’s the halfling, Dopkin?”
“Hiding,” came a voice from the eaves.
“They’ll burn the inn,” said Ninefingers as he came up. “I’d get down, Dopkin.” Ninefingers tossed a bag to Felewin, then finished fastening the shoulders of his hauberk. “My guess is orcs, but could be the Empire.”
“Let’s go!” called Felewin. “If they aren’t already here—”
They heard a horn outside, and shouting.
Felewin said, “No time! We have to run. Stay in a group, we’ll try to protect you. Burl, Losdur, grab those tables; any shield is better than no shield. Ninefingers, you’re our eyes. You lead.”
“Uh, guys?” said Dopkin, dropping from the rafters. “The roof is on fire.”
“Told you,” said Ninefingers, and squeezed his way to the door.
They could hear a distant sizzling, but that didn’t make the inn’s residents faster: if anything, it seemed to confuse them. Egren was now holding a bag of something from the kitchen area; Dopkin held a pan. Burl and Losdur looked tense and nervous, holding the tables. Daerdun had disappeared and then reappeared with his blacksmithing apron on and the mule in tow.
Ubert threw open the door and dogs immediately attacked,[8] but Felewin was ready;[9] he didn’t hit the dog, but he scared it away. “I only see five,” Ninefingers reported as Felewin moved outside. Out here Felewin could hear the roof burning.
The dogs immediately tried to circle him but Ninefingers was right behind him. Felewin swung wide with his shortsword, trying to dismiss the dogs.[10] The animals swarmed in and one caught Felewin on the hip, but now he was wearing chain, and it protected him down to his knees. None of the dogs got Ninefingers. Burl and Losdur kept the tables low and the others—Ubert, Egren, Dopkin, and Daerdun—stayed in the middle. Ninefingers led, and Felewin took the rear.[11] Felewin actually managed to hurt two of the dogs (two more? The same two? No dogs died) when the procession of people suddenly stopped.
Ubert was looking backward. He moaned, “My inn! My beautiful inn!”
Felewin said harshly, “Keep moving or I’ll let the dogs get you!”
Ubert whimpered, transfixed by the sight of the burning building.
Just then the horn blew again, closer this time. Two arrows sprouted from one of the tables, and they came from the direction of the woods, not the tower.
That got Ubert moving, except no one indicated it to Felewin, who was looking at the woods, trying to see any attackers. The group without Felewin began to move, and suddenly Felewin found himself surrounded by dogs.[12]
An arrow on fire went by his head. Above his head, he could hear, “There’s someone still down there!”
Felewin sprinted to the tower, trying to dodge as he did so, but he was big and slow; one dog still managed to bite him on the mail; he shook it off and banged on the tower door.
They opened the door and yanked him inside, shutting the door on one dog’s leg; the dog yelped and the man (Burl, it turned out) opened the door slightly and kicked the dog out.
Game Mechanics
[1] Does he convince the seneschal? +1D for Vengis’ corroboration and +1D for Kanagis, but -1D because he doesn’t want to think of goblins as equals.
[2] As written, the orcs appear two turns after the dogs. I have altered the situation by having the characters not in armour, and the party size is a third of what they expect. So it’s dogs only for longer.
[3] Reaction times Felewin 3, Ninefingers 1, Dogs 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 7, 9, 9 We care about four of them; the other four heading for the inn. Mythic: Does the first dog go after Ninefingers? 05: Exceptional yes. Dog attacks with 4,8,8: 1 success, but it needs 3 to hit. Ninefingers gets 4,4,6,6 and he hits. The dog gets 2 Fat, 1 Inj.
Does the second dog attack Ninefingers? Yes (09): 4,5,9 but that misses.
Felewin attacks: 3,3,5,8,9: hits the dog nearest him; dog takes 2 Fat, 2 Inj.
[4] First dog gets 8,9: none succeed. Second misses with 5,6,7 — only 1 success and the change of gimmicks means that Felewin is 2 Diff to hit in combat.
[5] Reaction times Felewin 2,3; Ninefingers 5,6 Dogs: 1,1,3,4,7,7,7,7 Oooh, Felewin’s in trouble. Mythic: Do Felewin’s dogs go before him?? 99 — No. Felewin runs: He gets 1,3,7 (-1D because of the Slow-stepped gimmick). That’s good for a sprint, and rolls 2,3,4,6 to hit.
[6] Ubert is Fitness 3 and has a small amount of Brawling to break up fights; he gets 2,3,3 so he hits the dog with the iron poker; that does Inj instead of Fat, so it causes one level of injury damage…and makes the dogs more cautious.
[7] War Dogs try to attack: Rolls: 1,7,9 (miss); 1,5,5: bites Felewin but armour stops it; 6,2,10 misses; 10,6,9 misses. On Ninefingers: 8,4,5 misses; 4,3 (hurt one) misses; 6,8,9 misses
[8] Reaction times with groups to avoid this being unwieldy: Felwin 1,4, Ninefingers 4,5 Dogs 4, Orcs 6, Burl & Losdur 9, Mule 10.
Because Felewin is also proficient at Animal Handling, I’m going to give him +1 Diff to be hit by the dogs.
[9] Ready doesn’t translate to success, though: 1,1,7,7 misses the dog.
[10] Or he rolled 4, 5, 6, which is only two successes.
[11]Mythic: I don’t want to do the whole thing. They have a plan; do they get part of the way (50/50: 65% for yes: 58, so yes)
[12] Reaction times Felewin 2, 6; Dogs 3. Felewin rolls 2,3,6,7 to run all out, and gets to the doorway of the tower. He then rolls for a dodge: 1,1,3,3, which is a heck of a success for a guy with Athletics 3. One dog bites him, but the armour stops it as well.
