Iron & Gold
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.
11 - Kagandis’ Solo Journey
Kill Technology - NPC Negative
Kagandis handed Felewin a dead bird, already gutted. “Catched that in afternoon,” she said in common tongue.
Felewin gave her a sign of approval, and added some wood to the fire. Then he started whittling a stick so he could roast it.
Ninefingers said, “How’d you do?”
“I know where his cottage is, but it’s more than an afternoon to get to.”
“Why?”
“On the other side of the river. Close but you have to walk up to where you can cross.”
Ninefingers passed that along to the others.
Hrelgi took the bird and started plucking the primary wing feathers. Felewin saw that she was examining each feather she plucked for its suitability.
“I don’t want to rush you,” he said, “But maybe you check the feathers you need and then give it to me for a faster job.”
She stuck out her tongue. “Here,” she said. “These will do.” She took out her pouch and unfolded her wallet of components. She put three feathers in an empy pouch.
“Do they get used up?” Felewin asked.
“Some do,” she said. “I put those expendable components in the outside, so I can get them.”
Felewin squatted at the edge of the clearing and started deftly pulling out feathers.
“You’re fast,” said Uthrilir.
“Practice,” said Felewin, grinning. “My father hunted three brace of — we call them quails — each week in the season, and the youngest son had to clean them before we moved on.” He paused and opened the bird. “Some birds, there’s a gland you have to cut out or the meat is tough and bitter.”
Kagandis accepted Ninefingers’ flask and drank. “I saw orcs, but they didn’t see me. I also saw another group of humans and a halfling that looked like they had managed to escape something bad. Two humans were archers; the halfling wore light armour and carried a sling. They had empty backpacks, though, and some wounds. One of the archers had taken damage to his arm; the other had a nice shield, but only three or four wouldn’t last long in a fight.”
“We managed to fight six.[78] We wouldn’t have been able to win but for the wizard. You know that armour-to-lava trick she did back at the tower? Turns out it’s one of her favourites.”
She looked at the clearing. “I smell the dead but I don’t see them.”
“Up on the rock.” Ninefingers gestured.
“No no no no,” Kagandis said. “Off the rock and dispose of them. No, dammit, two of them can’t see in proper light. We need to post a watch.”
“We will. Why?”
“Scavengers, big ones, will come for the bodies. They live down in the gorge but can come up. We had a nest destroyed by them. I hear the orcs tame them but orcs produce more garbage and carrion than goblins do.”
“How big are these scavengers?” asked Ninefingers.
“You know the mule that Odend uses?”
“That’s not so bad.”
“Imagine the size of ten mules bound together. Big armoured head with a kind of frill, poisonous bite. They present the head, and the head is tough. Fortunately, they’re slow, but I wouldn’t want to meet one in a tunnel.”
Ninefingers shared this with the others, who looked at Felewin for a judgement.
“Huh,” he said finally. “I’ve never heard of them.” He shrugged.
“You’re taking this calmly,” said Ninefingers.
“Nothing to do besides post the watch, and we were going to do that anyway.” He lifted the bird to look at it closely, then put it back nearer the fire. “Here’s what we can’t do: we can’t move the bodies to somewhere safer for us, because the goblins just aren’t up to moving six orc bodies. Even if Uthrilir helps, it’s night. Orcs can see in the dark and Hrelgi and I can’t.” He rotated the bird a bit more.
“This doesn’t sound like the man who wants to be a knight,” Ninefingers said.
“Knights are good at pragmatism.”
Hrelgi said, “Oh, big words. Do you know what pragmatism means?”
“It’s not a joke,” said Ninefingers. “Not to him.”
“Sorry,” said Hrelgi.
“There’s more at stake here than me. You’re not my property and I was wrong to think you were, even if you were my prisoner. Kagandis, and by extension all goblins, is a person. These people need to be protected, and that seems more knightly than a quest at this moment.”
Hrelgi said, “And what about orcs?”
“The orcs have not yet proven themselves worthy of personhood.”
“And they won’t,” Uthrilir said.
Hrelgi said nothing.
Ninefingers briefly explained to Kagandis, who replied in the common tongue, “Orcs are people but very very bad people.”
Everyone laughed, and Felewin pulled the stick back to check the bird. Felewin had found nuts and fruit and a few bitter herbs to offset the sweetness of the fruit. He added a bit of salt to the meat and then the meal was sufficient.
“I wouldn’t want to live on it but it will suffice. My thanks for the meat, Kagandis.” He gestured to make his meaning clearer.
“You are welcome,” she said in common tongue.
“Everyone gets some, unless they don’t want it. Hrelgi, I’ve heard that some elves don’t eat meat. Is that true?”
Hrelgi said, “Yes. They do not eat meat, because they are what we call—” and she said a word in Elvish.
“What does that mean?” asked Ninefingers.
“‘Stupid,’” said Hrelgi, and took her portion of the bird.
“She is kinder than she speaks,” Uthrilir said to no one in particular.
There was silence after that, broken only by quiet eating.
Ninefingers said, “Kagandis, you’ve traveled all day; do you need rest?” She yawned and nodded. Ninefingers and Uthrilir gamed to see who would go first; Uthrilir lost.
“If you don’t mind, a brief prayer before most of you rest.”
They held a brief prayer.[79] and all but Uthrilir went to bed: Hrelgi up in a tree, and the rest near the fire, which they let die down. It was summer; they had little fear of the cold.
Game Mechanics
[78] Does she smell the corpses? Rolls a 3 on 8≤: margin 4
[79] He rolls a 4 and he needs 9≤. They all have +1 protection.
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