You can purchase Sundered Isles here.
You can purchase Starforged here.
You can purchase Sea of Sands here.
Read Part One here to see what we rolled up to begin our worldbuilding
Now that I have roughly sketched out my character through some rolls and the settlement I’ll be visiting first, it is time to fill in the details. Before I do, here are the islands I rolled to generate The Crimson Gulf, this opening region to the game.
As you can see, several elements could be used to inspire hooks and take Jadyn in many directions. But I want to flesh out the character more and determine what would make sense for her in this world.
This is what I initially rolled, but I ended up tweaking & changing it to fit the ideas that flowed out:
Goal: Prevent war from breaking out between al Raml and the Trade Houses
Background: Following in the footsteps of notorious kin, betrayed by someone close to you
Look: alluring, wounded
Role: Sailor – First mate
Trademark accessories: loyal animal companion, braids strung with colorful beads
Trademark weapon: Iron-shod staff whispering irresistible commands (cursed)
Character details: criminal, confident
Goals: Serve the will of a leader, steal a valuable object
Tokens: letter of pardon
Paths: Scoundrel, Diplomat
Command: No command, serving under another
Jadyn Farani was born in the only corporate city on Audun – Dakhnour – meaning “enlightened” in the Enclave tongue. Her parents were nothing of note to the people they were forced into working for, servants to House Verfault who were in control of the planet’s Essence production at the time. It was near the end of their 70-year contract, just before House Linnaeus took over the operation, so several of the lowest rungs of the Verfault hierarchy knew they would have to return to their homeworld of Xanthous Prime. There, they would not have the indigenous people of Audun to punch down on any longer. Tempers were high. As a result, Jadyn’s mother was assaulted & killed by a particularly nasty Verfault scumtrooper. Her father’s mental & physical health declined. He took his own life after becoming lost in drink.
Jadyn was fifteen at the time and decided to run away. This was a challenging task as the desert seas that covered most of Audun are brutal & harsh. She stayed in the city & fell in with a street gang, The Silent Step, in Dakhnour, which led to a criminal record. Her closest ally while in the gang was Addahak, who made sure she had food & shelter in those frightening early months. Eventually, they became lovers. He had never known anything other than life on this strange city’s streets on the desert’s northern fringes. Addahak’s parents were unknown to him, but he swore his father was a Verfault bureaucrat; he had no proof except for the slight reddish-brown of his hair.
House Verfault’s departure brought one last bloody spasm of violence. The carpet bombing of tent camps on the edges of Dakhnour, where the poorest souls were forced to dwell. The storming of homes where people were taken as slaves for Xanthous. Addahak got into a skirmish with a scumtrooper and found himself stabbed to death. (Background Vow: I vow to avenge the murder of Addahak)
Jadyn fled their home while her partner slowed the attacker down with his life. Jadyn knew she had to escape this city. That she didn’t belong in such a rotten place. As she ran along the coast of the desert sea, crossing through the massive harbor, she ran smack into the father figure who would save her life.
Captain Deke Hardin was a small-time Essence smuggler in need of restructuring his operation with the new corporate bosses arriving in Audun shortly. Jadyn was clever and found Hardin could trust her better than most. She took very little time to rise up the ranks and become his first officer. Jadyn flourished. She even got a pet shimmerbird she named Raaya (‘Brash One’), her nickname for her lost love. Life was lived on the fringes, smuggling shipments of Essence to secret drop-off points where their clients had finagled ways to get past the blockades the Flight Syndicate held over all interplanetary commerce.
Jadyn was still wanted in the official databases as a juvenile offender. Hardin helped her find a forger who penned a pardon letter that had worked thus far in helping her get past the rare checkpoint they run into out here. What led to far more trouble was the mysterious iron-shod staff Jadyn discovered when the Erasmus came across a crashed personal transport in the Northern Wastes. She hasn’t told Captain Hardin or any of the rest of the crew that at night, she can hear the staff whispering things to her. They are commands to do things to the ship, which she has felt compelled to follow. They are nothing harmful, just strange, seemingly meaningless actions. Try as she might, Jadyn cannot throw the staff away either; she is bonded to it somehow.
Far from the reach of the Trade Houses lies Jahar, the Great Burrow City. It was formed when a primordial worldbreaker was wounded during the War of a Thousand Storms a thousand years ago. As the grandfather worm bled out, he burrowed one last time to escape his attackers. His blood calcified and formed the Essence of such purity, Jahar has become a much-coveted place. Al Raml, the people of the desert, the first men of Audun, built Jahar to keep the Trade Houses’ hands off this substance. It serves a profound religious purpose in the al Raml culture. A cell of Verfault loyalists who stayed behind lives in Jahar, watching and waiting, searching for an opportunity to seize control of the city and this unique substance.
Jadyn has visited the city many times. Captain Hardin made it clear to the city leaders he had no interest in stealing the muqadas (pure) Essence, so he and his crew were welcomed there. Jadyn has befriended
Qasim, part of the dominant Khazeera ethnic group among the al Raml. He is a courier, meaning he is light on his feet across the deserts, able to avoid the predators that lurk beneath. Jaydn was most surprised by his performances on his great-great-great-grandfather’s fiddle, a parting gift given to his ancestor during the tenure of House Enganosa on Audun. It is a treasured possession for Qasim and his family.
A message arrived via a trained sandgull from Qasim. The Verfault loyalists have begun their attacks, taking neighborhoods and forcing others into joining their ranks. The bloodshed through Jahar is horrific, and Qasim believes the Erasmus crew could help. Jadyn’s staff whispers to her, demanding she reach the bottom of that sacred burrow.
[Set a Course – Strong Hit]
The sands are smooth today. The Erasmus makes its way across The Crimson Gulf, and the coastal settlement of Jahar can be seen as they approach. The massive circular Burrow is at an obtuse angle, easily mistaken as a mountain from afar if sailing from behind Jahar. The massive maw plunges deep into the planet when approached from the front.
Oracle question: Are there visible signs of the Verfault attacks? Odds: Likely. Answer: Yes
Gray curls of smoke trail up into the blue skies above the island. Jadyn shouts at the crew to get ready to pull into port. Captain Hardin stands on the observation deck with a pensive look. Jadyn orders nine crewmen to grab their weapons and head into Jahar with her to find out what is happening from the portmaster.
Oracle question: Do we make it to the portmaster safely? Odds: 50/50. Answer: Yes
Jadyn finds the portmaster and his guards barricaded in their offices. She and the Erasmus have come here often, so she’s recognized and admitted. Jadyn wants to know what precisely the Verfault have done, where and how much of the city they have taken.
Oracle: Suppress Creation.
The Verfault have taken over the brewing district where the ceremonial liquor is made. They have issued demands that the city’s leader, General Selima, be handed over to them, or they will destroy the production lines and set the city back for years.
Oracle question: Has General Selima agreed to turn herself over? Odds: 50/50. Answer: Yes.
Jadyn knows the Verfault will likely issue more demands once they execute Selima until they have total control of the city. She tells the portmaster that she & the crew are prepared to help General Selima if they can. The portmaster tells her that Verfault patrols are moving around the city, and to avoid them at all costs, they kill on sight.
[Undertake an Expedition w/Shadow – Miss]
Pay the Price: A new danger is revealed
Jadyn and her men are spotted by a Verfault patrol, and they open fire with their pulse rifles. The first mate orders them to rush their opponents; she swings her staff with expert skill as blades and guns clash.
[Battle w/Iron – Strong Hit]
The fight goes smoothly in Jadyn’s favor. They clearly ambushed these soldiers who weren’t expecting to be met with resistance. She notes they are using weapons that have been poorly maintained while they have been hiding here in Jahar.
[Undertake an Expedition w/Shadow – Strong Hit & Match]
Jadyn and the crew twist their way through alleys, eventually finding an open and abandoned drinking hall. Jahar is built into the side of the slope, which is shifted by the old dead worldbreaker who made the burrow. She can look up from a second-floor window to see if anything is coming.
[Undertake an Expedition w/Shadow – Miss]
Pay the Price: A surprising development complicates your quest.
Major plot twist: A secret alliance is revealed
Jadyn can’t believe her eyes, but she sees Qasim leading a Verfault patrol, pointing out places other al Raml might be hiding and saying he will show them the quickest route to the mouth of the Burrow. He looks worse than ever, skin taking on the rough, leathery texture of the worldbreakers. Qasim walks with a limp, his left leg probably losing bone mass as his body is slowly metamorphosed.
Jadyn tells her men to go around the other side of the street, creating noise to distract the Verfault. She plans on grabbing Qasim so they can interrogate him.
[Secure an Advantage w/Shadow – Weak Hit]
Jadyn’s group of smugglers successfully distracts the Verfault, who rush over to investigate. She makes a move to grab Qasim.
[Face Danger w/Iron – Strong Hit & Match]
Jadyn grabs Qasim, muffling his cries and dragging him back to the drinking hall. The crewmen can draw the Verfault away and meet up with her there.
Qasim is tied to a chair, and Jadyn pushes him to reveal what exactly his angle is in all of this, threatening violence if that is what it takes.
[Compel w/Iron – Miss]
Pay the Price: A surprising development complicates your quest.
All Qasim tells them is that Jahar is damned already. General Selima has gone mad, and her erratic behavior triggered the Verfault cell to take action. She’s begun talking about blowing up the mouth of the Great Burrow to hide the crystallized Essence from the hands of the Corporate Houses. He doesn’t care if House Verfault gets it anymore, either, as he is damned to become a pathetic neo-wurm.
Jadyn tells her men to bind Qasim’s arms and cover his mouth. They are bringing him with them.
[Undertake an Expedition w/Shadow – Miss]
Pay the Price: It is harmful
A group of Verfault occupying a nearby school opened fire from the windows on Jadyn’s group. Three men are killed, and Jadyn is wounded (-1 Health). They take cover behind nearby buildings and wait until the gunfire slows to a stop.
[Undertake an Expedition w/Shadow – Strong Hit]
Jadyn and her group make it to the walls of General Selima’s fortress, located on the southwestern edge of the Great Burrow. Jadyn knocks on the large doors, hoping they will be let inside.
[Finish an Expedition – Miss]
Abandon: General Selima had already left to turn herself over to the Verfault cell in the brewing district.
Jadyn leaves Qasim with Selima’s fort guards, who remain behind; she informs them of his supposed betrayal to help the Verfault. Then she rustles her men and heads for the brewing district.
[Set a Course w/Supply – Weak Hit – Burn Momentum – Strong Hit]
Jadyn pushes her men to get there as fast as possible, and they find General Selima on her way, not yet in the hands of the Verfault.
Jadyn tries to convince Selima not to do this, that The Erasmus is here, and they can route the Verfault.
[Compel w/Heart – Weak Hit]
Counteroffer: Fortified Beast
Selima touches the wooden medallion she wears around her neck, the crude image of a worldbreaker engraved there. She tells Jadyn that she had a vision of one of the great worms coming out of the desert ocean and swallowing Jahar. Selima believes they are doomed but wants to be convinced she can change that. Jadyn reasons the worldbreaker could have come there to save them from the Verfault. Selima starts to change her thoughts; perhaps they could summon a worm and terrify the Verfault into abandoning their plans, making them believe Jahar is a powerful place with a connection to the worldbreakers beyond just a dead one. Jadyn says she thinks they can pull it off.
Jadyn returns to The Erasmus and informs Captain Hardin of the plan to summon a worldbreaker and send the Verfault operatives scattering.
Oracle Question: Is Captain Hardin in agreement on this plan? Odds: 50/50. Answer: Yes
Jadyn helps as The Erasmus leaves the port of Jahar to search for a worldbreaker in The Crimson Gulf.
[Gather Information w/ Wits 2+5 vs. 2, 9 – Weak Hit]
The sand sparkles with droplets of Essence, an oil secreted from underneath the fleshy plates of the worldbreaker’s skin. There’s one in the area. Jadyn helps tie rattle-bangs to long braided ropes thrown off the back of the ship. The vibrations should wake the old girl up and have her following them wherever they lead. The ropes will be cut once the worldbreaker has put on the show they need, and The Erasmus should be safe.
[Secure an Advantage w/Shadow 2+4 = 6 vs. 6, 5 – Weak Hit – Take +2 momentum]
The rattlers are now secured and tossed off the back of the boat to wrangle a worm.
Captain Hardin has the pilot make wide esses across the sands. Jadyn watches from the stern.
[Face Danger w/Shadow 2+6 = 8 vs. 4, 9 – Weak Hit – Suffer Move]
[Withstand Damage – The Erasmus takes 3 Harm]
The worldbreaker is here, but she’s closer to the ship than Jadyn, raring up just beneath and to the right, nearly tipping the boat over. Part of the deck cracks. The engines start to stutter and clank. Jadyn and the crew rush to upright the ship as the worldbreaker roars up through the sand. Jadyn shouts for the pilot to lead them across Jahar’s coastline so the Verfault can see the beast.
[Compel w/Iron 3+1 = 4 vs. 7, 3 – Weak Hit]
Jadyn checks the viewscreen in the command deck, zooming in with infrared. She can see the Verfault reacting. However, they are not heading for the hills. Instead, they are concentrating towards General Selima’s fortress on the edge of the Burrow’s mouth. It’s more inland, which makes them safer from the worldbreaker.
Raaya, Jadyn’s glimmerbird, starts bobbing her head up and down, making low rumbling squawks. Jadyn knows that her precious pet can offer wisdom in some moments and asks her what she wants to say. Raaya responds with: “Reject.” Jadyn thinks about these words, forgetting the moment she is in. One of the crew shouts a question that breaks her from the trance. “Should we keep baiting this wurm?” he asks.
Jadyn responds, “Cut the ropes, let her go.” Raaya makes a happy coo. Jadyn realizes they shouldn’t use one of the worldbreakers like this.
[Fulfill Your Vow 2 + 6,6 – Miss & a Match]
But it is too late. The ropes are cut, but the worldbreaker is riled up, hungry, and finds nothing to eat. Her body slams into the rocky coast, sending a mile-high wave of sand up into the air and then crashing onto Jahar. From the deck of The Erasmus, Jadyn watches the sand smash buildings, causing massive devastation. Then the wurm burrows deeper into the sandy sea and is gone.
Jadyn’s stomach sinks, looking at the devastation, and they still have to deal with the Verfault, who concentrated themselves around Gen. Selima’s fortress.
[Oracle Question: Is Captain Hardin willing to send all of the crew ashore to help drive back the Verfault? Odds: Unlikely. Answer: Yes]
The crew of the Erasmus, all 17 of them, pour off of the ship and onto the docks of the port. Jadyn leads them through the labyrinth of buildings and towards the fortress. She and two others scout ahead to get a lay of the land and see how the Verfault defenses are set up.
[Secure an Advantage w/Shadow – 2+2 vs. 10, 9 – Miss]
[Pay the Price: A person or community you trusted loses faith in you or acts against you.]
Jadyn and the others in her crew round the corner only to be met with the wurmtooth-pointed spears wielded by Haqiq monks. They berate Jadyn, saying that to awaken a worldbreaker means great calamity beyond this will come to Jahar. She tries to apologize but feels the blunt end of a spear strike her across the back of the head, knocking the smuggler unconscious.
Vows as of the End of Session One
- I vow to avenge Addahak’s death against the Verfault (Extreme) 0/40
- I vow to reach the bottom of the Great Burrow as compelled by my staff (Formidable) 0/10
- I vow to stop the House Verfault attack on Jahar (Formidable) 2/10
Summon a worldbreaker to terrify the Verfault (Dangerous) 2/5- Clock: House Verfault’s control of Jahar (2/8)
Progress
Get to General Selima’s fortress (Dangerous) ⅘
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