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.
15 - Odend
Usurp Hope (NPC Positive)
To Felewin’s surprise, Bodkin was still there in the morning. When asked, Bodkin said, “I’m a city guy. Give me a twisty passageway, wet cobblestones, or tall buildings in city walls, I’d escape like that.” He snapped his fingers. “But here? Middle of wilderness and me injured besides? You’re my best bet.”
“You’re not trying to cozy up to us.”
“I’d stab you if I thought I had a chance of surviving, but I don’t have a chance in the wilderness.”
“Can I kill him now?” asked Hrelgi. Uthrilir yawned and put his hand on her arm to stay her.
Ninefingers scratched himself. “I brought some food. Two meals.”
“Goblin-sized meals?” asked Felewin.
“Okay, one meal for you but two for Kagandis and me.”
Ninefingers translated as Kagandis outlined the route. “We’ll follow the stream for a bit, maybe half a day. This one ends in a small waterfall down to the main river. Good fishing there. Rather than follow the river, because it’s already cutting down to the gorge, we’ll head for the sunrise. There’s some difficult terrain, but we’re cutting across a bow in the river. Odend’s cabin is visible from the other side of the bluff.” She shrugged in apology. “I’m sure there’s a shorter way instead of following the stream, but I don’t know the landmarks.”
“You’re doing fine,” said Uthrilir. “One step closer.”
“What are you guys looking for this Odend guy for?” asked Bodkin. “The jester at the tower calls him Formerly Honoured Odend.”
“Huh,” said Felewin. “You know the jester?”
“Halflings,” said Bodkin.
“And?”
“Man notices his own kind.”
“I guess. They need Odend’s advice,” said Felewin, and left it at that.
During the next day’s march, they encountered a boar. Between swords, maces, and magic, they made short work of it, and Felewin insisted on butchering it there — that cost them a day, but when they were done, Felewin felt they were provisioned for a few days. “Pity we can’t send word to the goblins,” he said. “We’re going to be abandoning a lot of meat, meat they could use.”
No one could figure out a way that didn’t involve shooting it as though from a ballista, and Felewin wasn’t sure that wouldn’t turn it into mush — not to mention that aiming was not Hrelgi’s strong suit.
Kagandis kept going ahead and scouting the path. She had checked on her first trip but she had underestimated how big Felewin was, and he couldn’t fit under some of the portions of the trail that she had chosen.
It was on one of those course corrections that they met the orcs: four plus a captain or leader of some kind. The orcs responded with practiced precision, the one with a bow firing an arrow at Kagandis immpediately. Fortunately, he missed, and the noise they made getting into formation notified the others as she melted through the underbrush.
Ninefingers hid, hoping that the orcs would pass him and he could attack from behind.
The orcs approached in a wedge formation, with the archer at the back right. When he passed close by Ninefingers. Ninefingers rose up and chopped hard.[115], cutting deeply into the archer’s neck.
The other orcs began to turn — but taking advantage of their confusion, Hrelgi had already picked on and turned one’s armour into lava[116].
The[117] orc trying to hit Felewin — the leader of the orcs — got parried. Two were occupied with being wounded, and the other froze. The last tried to swing at Ninefingers, but he overextended himself and missed.
Uthrilir[118] hit the stunned one and hurt him.
Hrelgi[119] managed to keep one’s armour lava and converted another, killing the first and disabling the second. Uthrilir[120] capitalized on the screams and hit his foe, but didn’t do enough: the orc managed a mighty blow that injured the dwarf’s torso.
Ninefingers[121] killed his opponent.
Bodkin screamed, “Can I at least have my armour?”
Felewin[122] gritted his teeth and killed the captain with a clean blow; another suddenly found his armour turned into lava, and it was too much: he fell down and died.
Ninefingers and Uthrilir advanced on the last orc. “Pray,” said Uthrilir.
“I’ll worship you!” cried the orc, in agony.
Uthrilir stopped, confused, as Ninefingers’ sword rammed into the orc from behind, nearly killing him. That last orc fell to the ground.
Uthrilir said to Hrelgi, “Some day you’re going to do that lava trick while we’re in a dry place, and we’ll be fighting a forest fire instead.”
She smiled happily. “Until then… Are you okay?”
He reached to his belly and it came away red. “No. I must pray for Her help.”
Ten minutes later, his wounds were healed, but Felewin’s were not.
“That’s okay,” said Felewin. “It’s just a bruise.”
“That’s a big bruise,” said Ninefingers.
“But it’s just a bruise,” insisted Felewin.
“Have you offended the Lady?” asked Hrelgi, with a sideways glance at Uthrilir.
Bodkin said, “I was behind you guys all the way. You didn’t have to have me tethered.”
“Oh, I think we did,” said Felewin. “But…I could give you to Hrelgi’s care.”
“Actually, I think am perfectly fine as I am,” said Bodkin.
By late afternoon they reached the hut. It was well-built for a hermit’s residence, and Ninefingers (who had some experience with building) suspected that Odend either had a history with building or had someone else do it for him.
A man who had helped drive orcs from the marches deserved some reward, after all. (Not that the jester seemed to think so.)
Beside the hut was a field of vegetables, halfway to harvest. The field was neatly weeded.
An older man was sitting outside the hut, smoking a pipe and examining a mottled plant. A juvenile war dog sat at his feet, looking expectantly at the group as they approached. “Greetings,” the man said. “You know anything about iron slug infestation? Got’em all through my garden.”
“A bit,” said Hrelgi. Everyone looked at her, surprised. “I lived in a tree,” she explained. “Plant pests are very important when you live in a tree.”
Uthrilir stepped forward. “Honourable Odend? I am Uthrilir, blessed to work for Dilir in this world. I have come for your advice.”
Odend said, “I am Odend. I will advise you for free, but I fear that it is worth what you will pay for it. I can also give you something to drink.” He stood. “There is not enough room inside for all of us, so wait out here and make yourselves comfortable. And I really do want to know about iron slugs, because the way things are going, I will have no vegetables by summer’s end, not even fatroot.” The man made a gesture to the dog, who sat guarding the door, and disappeared into the hut.
“That’s a pretty solid door on that hut,” remarked Bodkin.
“Wild animals around,” said Felewin.
“That’s solid construction,” the halfling said. “Those shutters are repurposed doors. You don’t see a bark shingle roof like that around here, either….usually it’s thatch or sod. You sure he’s a religious hermit?”
“Hush,” said Felewin.
“Just saying…place is ready for an attack. Is it built over a dungeon? Valuables inside?”
“Now I say ‘hush,’” said Hrelgi, and Bodkin fell silent. “This is Uthrilir’s quest.”
Kagandis slipped off her pack and sat down where she could see both the dog and the forest; Ninefingers took the opposite side so they could see most of the forest around them.
Odend came out with a jug in one hand and a bowl of fruit. “Beer and the last of the spring mayberries. I don’t stock much food, and Prophet here gets most of the meat.” At the sound of his name, the dog yawned and laid down.
Odend passed the bowl around. While it was going around he sucked on his pipe and discovered it had gone out. He got up to get a light from the fire inside when Hrelgi said, “May I offer you a light?” Odend nodded. She walked over to him and cupped the bowl of the pipe.[123] “Here.”
Odend took pipe back and said, “Thank you. I had forgotten what it was like to be in an adventuring group.”
“Oh, we’re not—” started Ninefingers.
Odend raised an eyebrow. “Human, elf, dwarf, goblins and halfling together.” He pointed at each of them, starting with Felewin. “At a guess, fighter of some kind, wizard I’ve seen”—he held up his pipe; Hrelgi smiled—“and you’ve already said you’re a priest, You, I’d guess ranger or constable by the bow, and you don’t have a bow so maybe hunter. The halfling is a thief who has had a falling out with the group.”
Felewin asked Bodkin, “Are you? A thief, I mean.”
“I am a specialist in locks and access, not a thief,” said Bodkin haughtily.
“Thief,” said Ninefingers. He added, “By trade, I’m an antiquarian.”
Odend smiled and corrected himself. “Sorry—two thieves.”
Felewin said to Odend, “The halfling is our prisoner. Sorry for making you suffer his presence.”
Odend waved it off. “But if you’re not an adventuring party, what are you?”
“Ah,” said Ninefingers. He pointed at each of them as he named them. “Uthrilir has a question for you. Hrelgi comes with Uthrilir. Kagandis, Felewin, and I agreed to help them find you, and to get out of the way of the people at the Bleak Tower. Bodkin there is the survivor of a party that attacked us.”
“The Bleak Tower? What’s happening there, that you were in the way?”
“Orcs. They’re back,” said Felewin.
Odend nodded. “I knew they had been in the area; I found Prophet (good boy), and the orcs breed war dogs like him. I guess he was abandoned because he’s a runt.” Prophet was almost as tall as Kagandis. Odend turned on his stool to face Uthrilir. “Do you need privacy to ask this advice?”
Uthrilir started to speak, caught himself, and looked at Bodkin. “I’d prefer it,” said Uthrilir.
“Let me look at the garden,” Hrelgi said. “I want to see how bad the iron slug problem is. And I can take everyone else with me.”
Bodkin sighed. “Pass me another mayberry before we go.”
Game Mechanics
[115] Ninefingers attacks! He wants a called shot (avoid armour) rolls a 4, which is certainly good enough: margin of 5. The archer gets a 7, so he whirls around but not in time. Since it’s a called shot and it succeeded, we don’t roll for armour, and the archer takes 3 wound levels. An 11 fails his composure roll; that archer ain’t doing nothing this round.
[116] She rolled a 5, which makes her skill of 9 by four; that orc takes 4 wound levels, so he’s maimed.
Felewin rolls 5, his opponent rolls 8: Felewin makes his by 10, his opponent by 2; Felewin wins. Armour rolls are 1,6,3 so 1 gets through.
[117] Orc trying to hit Felewin rolls 11; not good enough. Lava boy and the archer aren’t acting this turn.
One orc fails is composure roll (10); other just barely makes it and swings at Ninefingers. A 10 misses (dueling is 9≥).
[118] Uthrilir hit him with his mace (rolls 7, needs 8) and does 2 levels of damage (4,3,5)
Felewin attacks twice; the orc blocks the first blow, but his second gets through (4,3,6) for two more levels of damage.
[119] Hrelgi maintains one transformation and adds a second one, hitting successfully (rolls a 5) against the one who hadn’t yet been hit.
Uthrilir rolls a 2 (automatic success; margin of 6) versus his opponent’s 4 (margin of 5); he only does 1 (rolls 2,3,4)
[120] One of the three orcs…the one whose armour is now lava failed his Composure roll. The one facing Uthrilir hit for 2 levels of damage. The other one missed (rolled a 8 but with current injuries that’s a fail)
[121] Ninefingers rolls a 7 (margin of 2), Scout rolls a 6 but with injuries that’s a margin of 1. Armour is (4,3,6) and the orc is dead.
[122] Felewin hit this one again;, killing the captain (6,6,4)
[123] It’s a small effect and out of combat; I’m not rolling for it.
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