# 001 - You Can't Fool All the People tags: #play/the-solofull-fane #game/rpg/ironsworn #game/rpg/shadowdark ![[Rustling.jpg]] And so, we step forward through a few setup situations to finalize a few more from *[[000|000 - Explanation and Setup]]*. Before things go hot, we need to define what Brynn's *iron token* is for his vows. We also need to figure out what Brynn generally looks like and carries with him. We don't need to nail down supply to the specific, but it's nice to have a general idea. Obviously, we need to have a staff in order to make longarm worthwhile. Let's lean into it and say that the staff itself is shod in iron, which is unusual for the Ironlands, and probably attracts a little bit of attention, which may not be the best for most conmen. But Brynn was always a bit of an egotist and a show-off. In that vein, he wears a relatively enveloping cloak and carries a pretty hefty backpack, as appropriate to being a free warden. He's a well-worn 25, a man who looks like he did, in fact, walk all the way from the Western Isles, except when maybe he stole a horse. On the other hand, he always seems to be smiling at something you can't quite make out, and it could just be you. There we go. Plenty to start with. --- ## O'er the Hill And Near Away > [!tip] > From here on, fiction is going to be in normal type, while metacommunication will be in callouts. > > This is mainly to make reading it somewhat more interesting and to give us a little more color. Otherwise, it's just going to be blocks of text, which nobody really wants. Brynn ambled along from the southern road into Stagkirk. > [!faq] Is the weather good? > **Ask the Oracle** (Likely): 97, Yes. The day was warm and the breeze is steady, a decent autumn day in the Hinterlands. Better than the chilly time he'd have of it if he hadn't moved on from that last steading. Jokes about farmers' daughters are all well and good, but they can be a bit clingy if you decide to play them out. No need for all that; they'll be looking for a tinker who headed out to the west rather than a hooded warden who headed north, if his stories hold fast. > [!faq] Does, in fact, his story hold water for the schmucks in the last town? > **Secure an Advantage** > > **Strong hit**: 4 + 3 (shadow) = **7** vs **2**, **2**. Match event: **Eliminate Portent**. > > Looks like it. In fact, it looks like they won't be looking for him for quite a while, or at least he won't hear about it. > > Pretty rare for me to have a success with a match this early, or at all, so good on me. It's when he crested the hill which should open onto the fields around the town he'd heard might be an interesting place to spend the night that things took a turn. A trio of [[Hobgoblin Warrior|hobgoblin warriors]] lead a handful of [[Goblin Scut|Goblin Scuts]] in a day raid on the rancher's herd,[^1] while a small group of men who tended the fields nearby looked warily on. The shouts definitely suggested this isn't the first time they've lost some cattle but the shock and surprise say it's the first time the gobs had been so bold. > [!info] > Could Brynn get involved in some of these shenanigans? Absolutely. Sure, there are a lot of hobgoblins, but it is during the day, and he could probably turn that to his advantage. There is a group of men who look like they could probably get involved, which would drop the challenge rank a bit. Brynn's a pretty decent combatant. Could they drive off the hobgoblins and keep the cattle? Absolutely. Does it make sense? Is there an immediate profit to be made? Maybe not. Brynn makes careful note of the goings on. This could be an opportunity in the making. The smart thing to do is check out the group and work out who's the leader. He'll be worth talking to later, when the hubbub is over. > [!faq] **Gather Information** > > **Miss**: 2 + 2 (wits) = **4** vs **5**, **8**. > [!info] > Okay, that seriously hurts. At least it wasn't a miss. Oh, right. > > On a miss, "your investigation unearths a dire threat or reveals an unwelcome truth that undermines your quest," *Pay the Price*. > > That's deeply unpleasant. > [!faq] **Pay the Price**: Your action has an unintended effect. Brynn attempted to keep to the road, acting as if he had seen nothing despite the noise and mad running about, but perhaps he came across as a little *too* uninvolved, as the men caught sight of him and began vigorously shouting at him, though the reason wasn't immediately apparent. The thud of reluctant hooves and the high-pitched screeches of the scuts getting closer was a strong clue: the rustlers were crossing the road, right where he was trudging. > [!info] > Okay, there's a chance that the men could get here to help Brynn out before things get really out of hand. It would suck for him to have to deal with this situation all by his lonesome. Let's say there's a 50-50 chance. > [!faq] **Ask the Oracle** (50%): 67, Yes. The ranchers(?) made it to Brynn just before the cattle, whooping and waving their arms in that practiced way cattle-men have to direct their herds, at least keeping the trampling to a minimum. In this case, thankfully, none. Brynn's eyes were momentarily round as saucers as the big beasts charged forward before veering away. The hobs came on in their wake regardless, taking casual swipes at the men before riding on to the north around the town. > [!faq] **Face Danger** > > **Miss**: 2 + 1 (edge) = **3** vs **9**, **7**. > [!info] > Well, so much for the idea we might get out of this unscathed. > > These results are pretty much par for the course when it comes to rolling the dice for me. > > We don't have nearly enough momentum to do anything about it, so it looks like we are going to pay the price. The sensible thing to do is the most obvious thing to do. > > Brynn takes a shot as the hobgoblins run by, driving the cows. > > Let's see how bad it is. > > It'll be *Suffer Harm (2)* because the hob was not exactly shy about giving him a good smack and there were some cows to bounce off of as well. > [!faq] **Endure Harm** > > **Strong hit**: 5 + 5 (health) = **10** vs **2**, **8**. > [!info] > That could have been a lot worse. Our health drops to 4, but we're going to *Embrace the Pain*. > > Momentum goes up to 3. We might as well get something useful out of this. The hobgoblin warrior smacked Brynn across the shoulder and jaw with his club with a wild hissing laugh, not even breaking stride as he bounded by, letting the man spin into the dirt a moment as the others looked on with understanding. Brynn's eyes narrowed as he marked the warrior's bright red pelt, slung around his shoulders, and nodded to himself, making that one for "special attention." ^5fd4c8 > [!faq] Were any of the other men hurt in the raid? > **Ask the Oracle** (50%): 31, No. One of the men extended his hand to Brynn. > [!faq] Create NPC > ![[Masias]] "That was quite the fall you took, man. You took it well, though. Masias." "Brynn. I was just travelling. Hobgoblin cattle rustlers are something you don't see every day." He made his way to his feet, dusting at his cloak, checking his staff to make sure it hadn't been damage in the fall, while covertly examining Masias. He had a hooked nose and half-closed guarded eyes. The hands of a farmer and a stoop to match. "Well met, Brynn. Not many travelling out this way. Not that we mind that overmuch; there could be fewer." Brynn nodded in the direction the goblins could still be seen, running in their loping way, easily keeping the cows in check. "Those visitors seemed unfriendly enough." "Oh, aye." The man chewed his lower lip. "S'my fault. I should have been watching. But who expects the hobs in the day, right!?" "You expect them in the night?" "Sometimes. More often lately. Too often." Masias nodded at a couple of the other men. > [!faq] Create NPCs > ![[Delkash]] > > ![[Aida Shivers]] "That's Delkash. He took a knife to the side a week or so ago and ain't been hittin' full since then but he's a good man to have in the field still. And that's -" The sigh in his voice was unmistakable without the sigh. "That's Shivers. No boy should be out doin' this work but here he is. One of the night raids hit his family's coops and he's got blood in 'is eye." Shivers stuck out his hand. He couldn't be more than fifteen. *Maybe*. Brynn shook it and felt why he got his nickname; boy was shaking like a leaf. "Brynn. I'm a -" He paused, considering what to tell and what to hide, as ever. "I'm a free warden from the west but moreover I think I can help you gentlemen. Have you ever met a *sorcerer* before?" Brynn's eyes gleamed with the lie; he lived for this. Shivers jumped back as if he'd seen a snake. > [!faq] Using *Pretender* to convince them he's a sorcerer > **Miss**: 3 + 3 (shadow) = **6** vs **7**, **8**. > [!info] > Well, if that doesn't actually fit with my luck, nothing does. The man who is a straight-up, full-bore con man doesn't persuade anybody that he's not who he is. Luckily, we are not in a deeply stressful situation, or this could end poorly. > > Though I am curious as to how it could fail in this case. It's not because Brynn is not a great liar. That's part of the character concept, so that's simply true. > > Let's do an Oracle roll to see if we've got some inspiration. > [!faq] Oracle Roll > - **Action**: Raid. > - **Theme**: Deception. Masias looked over Brynn with a casual ease, making particular note of the iron-shod staff and the rough dexterity of Brynn's fingers. "Can't say as I have met a sorcerer before, but I've met a few men such as I believe has laid a few others low in my day. I reckon you look like one of them. Don't hold it against you none; we all done rough work when we need to." Delkash clutched Brynn's hand a moment and nodded silently, and Shivers just stood away as if Brynn might clout him around the head at any moment. He sighed. *They think I'm a raider. Well, maybe we can make something of this yet.* "Men, do you think we might find a place for a drink?" He rubbed his jaw where a welt was already rising between chin and neck. "I think we deserve one. There might be rough work ahead." Masias started walking toward Stagkirk. "I think we can find something for a free warden hero like you, my man. And for heroes like the rest of us, too." ## Onward Well, that's an interesting start to things. First, you get smacked across the head, and then you fail to actually convince someone of your false identity, and instead have them invent an entirely different false identity for you. Welcome to how things go. A bit short today, but that's what happens when you're figuring out the best way to put the mechanics into the actual post. Next time, we'll get off to Stagkirk itself and undoubtedly end up swearing a vow. The way things are going, there will be unexpected complications. And don't think that Brynn has given up on this idea of convincing people that he's a sorcerer. I mean, sure, yes, he does know *one* ritual, but the man has bigger dreams—not actually learning more rituals, because that sounds like work. [^1]: A trio would be certainly enough in this situation to drive the challenge rank up to *formidable* from *dangerous*, especially with the help of the Goblin Scuts.