Solo Tabletop RPG Actual Play – Ironsworn: The City of Eternal Night Part Five

Read Part Four here

Oracle: Reveal Warning

Uram returns to Carver’s lair to find things in chaos. Carver is ranting about Elysia Velasir, an information broker for the Society, who is withholding the date of the heist from him. Only the most elite members of the Society are getting access to when & where the citywide chaos will begin. Early on, the leadership of the Larcenists’ Society realized they were an organization of highly untrustworthy people, so the most vital information was secreted away. Carver believes he deserves to be in the know, so he wants to steal it from Velasir’s office.

Uram will be needed as the emergency muscle if any unexpected elements are encountered. Derviz will be expected to get past any alarms or locks Velasir has employed. Melicent will be the main force to take out any guards silently, and Uram will be there if they become overwhelmed. Carver will call in some favors to create distractions & diversions during the heist to draw attention away from Velasir’s office.

Velasir’s offices are located in Nocturne Plaza, where Uram & Derviz will definitely be noticed; they are predominantly human locations. The orc & goblin must keep to the shadows and meet Melicent & Carver at the rendezvous point.

Face Danger w/Shadow – Miss. Pay the Price: It is stressful (-1 Spirit).

Uram & Derviz must stay frozen in place as a large cadre of Protectorate march through multiple boroughs. They appear to be hunting for something, and Uram worries about being pulled away, unable to get to Hobbs and his people, remaining in bondage, or worse.

The pair finally arrive in an alley beside Velasir’s office. Carver wants to know what took so long. News of the increase in Protectorate patrols unnerves him. Nevertheless, they need to infiltrate Velasir’s office for now.

Secure an Advantage w/Wits – Strong Hit

Uram checks out the alley and finds the stonework makes for excellent handholds. It reminds him of scaling the Razor Cliffs to hunt for Grataat eggs. He instructs the others, pointing out their path to get to the window.

Face Danger w/Iron – Strong Hit

Uram takes one of the ropes and scales the wall to the balcony. He helps the rest climb up. Derviz gets to work on the lock.

Can Derviz unlock the balcony doors to the office without triggering an alarm? Odds: Likely. Answer: No.

A loud klaxon sounds, and Derviz stands, mouth agape, shocked. Something shimmers in the office. Melicent seems to recognize it but shouts, “Jump down!” too late. The door slams shut behind them, mystically sealed as a specter of terror manifests, the guard dog left behind by Velasir. This Haunt is a poltergeist that has been magically tortured so that when it is let off its metaphorical chain, it becomes savage.

Enter the Fray w/Wits – Strong Hit with a Match

Uram remembers the night of fifty horrors that struck the Greywolves when he was a child. They had camped in a valley that had been the site of a massacre a hundred years prior. A horde of ghosts appeared, angry at trespassers. Uram had watched, terrified, from his family’s tent. But he remembers how they salted the ground and held the ghosts in one place until sun up when they faded.

Secure an Advantage w/Wits

Uram scans the room to search for the object the Haunt is linked to. He spies a human skull on Velasir’s bookshelf and would bet that is the one. However, the Haunt begins tossing objects in the room at Uram and his companions. Derviz is struck, and Uram crawls over to check on him; he’s okay.

Strike w/Iron – Weak Hit

Uram leaps over Velasir’s desk and grabs the skull but finds it’s been covered in some kind of clear substance that makes it incredibly hard. The ghost phases through the desk and reveals the extent of the horrors it can manifest.

Clash w/Iron – Strong Hit

Uram uses the iron tip of his spear, plunging into the Haunt’s ethereal form, causing the specter to shriek and back off. It keeps its eyes locked on the orc.

Strike w/Iron – Strong Hit

Uram slams the spear onto the skull, chipping away part of it, which causes the Haunt to shriek louder.

End the Fight – Strong Hit

Uram brings the spear down with full force, and the skull shatters into a thousand pieces, the Haunt evaporating. Carver immediately yells that they must find Velasir’s safe in the office. He has no doubt her guards are on their way right now.

Face Danger w/Edge – Miss

No matter where they look, the quartet can find no trace of a safe, bookshelves are cleared, and the desk is emptied. Nothing. Uram & Melicent have been pushing large pieces of furniture in front of the door, and now they hear banging and shouting on the other side. Carver insists the notes on the attack are somewhere else.

Fulfill Your Vow – Weak Hit

Uram notices a statue of an owl on a side table. Taking a chance, he picks it up and throws it to the ground, shattering it. There is a sealed scroll inside. Carver grabs it off the floor, and the group heads to the balcony and down the rope.

Face Danger w/Shadow – Strong Hit

Uram & Derviz return to the shadows and agree to meet with Carver & Melicent in the lair. They avoid more Protectorate patrols and get there before the humans.

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Fulfill Vow – Heist – Strong Hit

Carver reveals everything he knows about the heist. He suspects it will happen in a couple of days, so they need the note deciphered. Leadership among the Society has been very tight-lipped about the when. Lieutenants will be notified hours before the event and given a pre-selected spot in Kronholm to wait at.

Morgan Copperkettle built an arcane bomb modeled after the magic that opened the shadow rift generations earlier. The bomb will be disguised and brought to the Obsidian Obelisk, destroying the one thing holding the shadow magic back. As chaos unfolds in Kronholm, the Society’s elite guard will steal the sacred weapons developed by the Luminari, giving them a leg up on the Protectorate and the Nightstalkers. They will be the only ones in the city who can fight back the horde that emerges.

The Society’s agents scattered around the city will loot as people run for their lives and use the sewer system to meet at the Society’s HQ – location not disclosed at this time. Kronholm will become the City of Thieves.

Uram sits for a moment, thinking about the Society’s plan. Uram confers with Derviz in private, trying to bond with him.

Forge a Bond – Miss. Stressful.

Derviz cuts him off. He’s not here to make friends with an orc. He can take him to Copperkettle; he promised he would, but there’s no friendship here.

Heal – Miss. Pay the Price: A community turns against you.

Uram is trying to mend his wounds; the past few days have been brutal. He’s interrupted when the door to his room slams open, and Carver walks in. He’s furious, points at the orc, and says one of his eyes around the city saw Uram meeting with a Protectorate officer, a really nasty one named Hobbs. Carver draws his blade. Explain.

Does Uram’s honesty cause Carver to lower his blade? Odds: 50/50. Answer: No

Carver says he has no room for traitors. Uram snatches up his spear as the fence goes to attack him.

Enter the Fray w/Wits – Weak Hit

Uram stumbles while grabbing his spear, finding himself on the floor and Carver’s blade against his throat. However, the orc has a firm grip on the weapon.

Clash w/Iron – Strong Hit.

Carver goes for the kill, and Uram rolls out of the way, sweeping his spear to knock Carver on his ass.

Strike w/Iron – Strong Hit.

Carver lunges wildly & Uram meets him with the back of the spear, hitting the man in the small of the back, sending a shot of pain through his legs.

Strike w/Iron – Strong Hit.

Carver is too emotional, but Uram has remained calm. He taps Carver on the top of the head with the back of the spear.

End the Fight – Strong Hit

Uram states he isn’t going to kill Carver, though he understands why Carver wants to kill him. He reiterates that he only wants to free his people from the Torchlight Market, and Hobbs backs him in this corner. Carver relents, but he isn’t happy.

You go nowhere on your own! He orders. Melicent, Derviz, or I are with you 24/7. Uram reminds him that Hobbs is expecting a meeting at Crescent Gardens tonight. If the orc is not there, his people are done for.

Compel w/Heart – Weak Hit. Oracle: Uphold Faction.

Carver says then he & Melicent will be there in the shadows watching. If Uram tells Hobbs any bit of the plan that is true, then he is dead, and Carver will find his people in the Market and kill them, too. That’s a guarantee.

Endure Blame – Strong Hit. Assume responsibility. +1 Momentum

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Oracle: Avenge Power

Spend 3 Reputation to purchase a favor: Assistance of a single thug for a specific task.

I finally got a moment to use the Rep I’d gained using the Feats & Favors rule. The faction mechanics there feel like something that works best as an extended campaign component.)

Uram asks if things go south with Hobbs, will Melicent step in and help him. Carver agrees.

Uram tells Hobbs a partially made-up story about the Society’s plan of attack.

Compel w/Shadow – Result: Weak Hit.

Oracle: Affect Time

Hobbs needs hard & fast times – when will the bomb be placed, when will Society members be put in place, when will the bomb be detonated, etc.

Uram says he doesn’t know those things and is unsure. Hobbs is getting angrier. He begins to threaten Uram and his people.

Compel w/Iron – Result: Weak Hit

Uram feels his blood boiling and glares at Hobbs, saying that if anything happens to his people, then Hobbs will pay; Uram will see to that.

The officer tells the orc to calm down; this is just the push & pull of these things. But he needs something in writing by their next meeting, particularly from someone in Society leadership.

Enter the Fray w/Iron – Miss. Pay the Price: A person or community you care about is exposed to danger.

Hobbs anticipates Uram and dodges his blade. Hobbs says those orcs in the slave pens are as good as dead now, but first, he will kill this one.

Clash w/Iron – Strong Hit with Match.

Hobbs pulls his sword and attempts to plunge it into Uram’s stomach. The orc moves away, bringing the hilt of his sword down on the back of Hobbs’ head, knocking him to the ground. Uram places a foot on Hobbs’ back, telling him to stay down.

Strike w/Iron – Weak Hit.

Uram’s blade comes down just as Hobbs pushes back. The sword tears into the officer’s arm, but he’s back on his feet and charging at Uram.

Clash w/Iron – Weak Hit. It is stressful.

Uram’s blade finds one of Hobbs’ legs, but the old man is quite agile and pins Uram up against one of the posts holding up the glowing gardens’ ivy-covered ceiling.

Turn the Tide

Strike w/Iron – Strong Hit.

Melicent emerges from the shadows. Hobbs looks shocked. You!? He is distracted, and Uram stabs him through the side with his sword. The officer stumbles backward, and Melicent gets in a slash of her own.

End the Fight – Miss. Pay the Price: You are separated from someone.

Blood dribbles from Hobbs’ mouth. He glares at them both, smiles, and then charges Uram. Hobbs gets the young orc in a headlock and sends both of them tumbling over the railing and into the waterfall that pours down into the dark depths beneath Kronholm. Uram can see Melicent run to the edge. She grows smaller as the darkness swallows him up.

End of Book One