Chapter 1: The Plague of Whitefall
Ironsworn Acutal Play, Session 1
The sickly-sweet smell of rot is carried by the wind screaming across Whitefall, a somber reminder that the land has turned against them. Again. The once fertile land lies covered with rotten seedlings, groaning under the weight of being forgotten. In the face of a plague that has reduced the people to ailing versions of themselves, charms and wards clatter frantically on the longhouses’ timber frames.
Whitefall
Condition: Devastated
First look: Hung with charms and wards
Projects: Farming, Trade, Preservation
Troubles: Natural disaster
With a cynical gaze, Uros Gendrik observes these fervent prayers. As a guardian of his village and witness to beasts and horrors, he is aware that the Ironlands only submit to icy steel and spilled blood; they do not negotiate with hope. Redemption will be sought at the edge of his blade rather than in a prayer, he thinks, as the food supplies run low and the threat of hunger grows. The crops were gone. The trade routes were silent. If something didn’t change, Whitefall would be nothing more than a graveyard by winter.
The summons came at dawn. Uros entered the longhouse to find the Overseer sitting by a dying fire, her demeanor apathetic and barely resembling the once charismatic leader. Nevertheless, her frame seemed strong, just burdened by a truth she could not yet name.
Overseer Sola
Disposition: Curious, Desperate
Goal: Seek a Truth
“The charms aren’t working, Uros,” Sola said, her voice rough with fatigue. “The people are scared. They look to the gods, they pray and hope. But I,” she paused, “I am looking to you.”
Uros nodded, his hand resting instinctively on the pommel of his sword. “Prayers don’t kill beasts, Sola. This isn’t bad luck. It’s a sickness, a curse, delivered by something living. Something I can kill.”
He drew his iron brand, the metal hissing softly against the sheath. In the dim light of the hall, he placed the sword in his hands, almost as if offering it to her, the blade firmly in his grip and spills of blood pooling between his fingers.
“I swear to you,” he spoke with a low voice, the words heavy in the air. “I will find the horror that poisoned our lands and end it. I will find a cure for the dying. I will not return until Whitefall is safe.”
Quest Move: Swear an Iron Vow - Rank: Dangeours
Result: Action 9 vs Challenge 8/8 - Strong Hit (+Match)
Current Momentum: +4
Emboldened by his vow, Uros made for the make-shift infirmary on the outskirts of the village. The air here was thick with the copper smell of blood and the sour reek of sickness. He knelt beside a delirious elder, examining the blackened veins spreading across the man’s skin.
Recognition struck him like a punch to the gut. He had seen this before. Years ago, in the Deep Wilds, a companion had fallen sick from a poison. Black veins had covered her the same way, seemingly taking the body one by one. The memory of his friend’s agonizing, twitching death masked the groaning villager before him.
“Rumours...,” the elder gasped during a moment of clarity, “A spider.” A shiver went down Uros’ spine, followed by a deep, burning rage in his chest. He knew of this abnormally large beast, the Giant Harrow Spider. It had escaped him once, but not again. Not this time.
“There is talk...,” the villager continued to breathe, “A druid... at Stoneford.”
Stoneford. Sola’s rivals. It didn’t matter. If they had a druid who could synthesize an antidote, Uros would beg or bleed to get it. Though the latter seemed a more likely option. Sola never really got into detail what her rivalry with Stoneford’s overseer was, Uros just knew she was unrelenting when it came to asking for their aid.
“Rest,” Uros told the elder, “I’m going to Stoneford.”
Uros left Whitefall with haste, deciding to first seek aid in Stoneford, returning with an antidote to Whitefall. And then tracking down the Giant Harrow Spider, ending it once and for all. His mind already mapping the route to Stoneford, he failed to notice the shift in the weather. The Ironlands are treacherous to those who hurry. Gray skies opened up to unleash a torrent of freezing rain and the usually calm river that marked the boundary of their territory had swollen into a raging stream of white water and debris. There was no time to wait for the waters to recede. Uros tightened the straps of his pack and waded in.
Adventure Move: Face Danger (+iron)
Result: Action 6 vs Challenge 7/8 - Miss
Pay the Price: Seperated from something (-2 supply, -1 health)1
The current was stronger than it looked, grabbing him by the waist, pulling him off his feet. He thrashed and gasped as freezing water filled his mouth. He struck an underwater rock, the impact knocking the air out of him, before a massive drift-log slammed into his left side. He tried to cry out, his mouth filling with more ice-water and the sound swallowed by the roar of the river.
Eventually, he clawed his way to the opposite bank, coughing up water. As he dragged himself into the mud, he instinctively reached for his pack, checking his gear. It was torn open. Dried meats, bandages, vital tools; all just swept away by the current, nowhere to be seen.
That’s when he heard a branch snap.
His wet hair hung in front of his eyes, but in the distance he could make out a figure at the edge of the forest. They didn’t seem to notice him. Yet.
Just as Uros had decided not to interact with the Firstborn as a measure of precaution, the Elf turned her gaze towards him. Her demeanor furtive and cautious, a spear raised in suspicion.
“I didn’t mean to interrupt,” Uros said breathing heavily, raising his hands. “The river-”
“Then what are you exactly doing? And who are you?”, interrupted the Firstborn and eyed him with the ancient distrust of her kind.
“My name is Uros Gendrik, and I just wanted to cross that river to be on my way to the village of Stoneford”, he explained, deciding that truth was his only currency left. He told her of the Giant Harrow Spider, the sickness, and his dying village. It didn’t sound like a plea, he simply stated the grim reality.
Relationship Move: Compel (+heart)
Result: Action 6 vs Challenge 2/10 - Weak Hit
Outcome: +1 Momentum, but they ask something in return (The Truth).
Current Momentum: +5
Her eyes remained cold, “I know of that spider”, she said and lowered her spear. “My name is Gezera”, she added and gestured to her campfire.
“I cannot fight your battle, Ironlander. My own kin suffer from an illness. But you may share my fire. Beyond that, I can do nothing.”
Uros noticed a leather bag next to her, full of herbs. He didn’t press her. They sat in uneasy silence as the rain poured around their meager shelter. It wasn’t a friendship, but it was a truce, when night fell upon them.
The next morning, the landscape shifted. Following Gezera’s vague directions, Uros entered a jagged, confusing maze of rocky spires that jutted from the earth like broken teeth. Had Gezera lied to him? Or did he simply take a wrong turn somewhere along the way?
Adventure Move: Undertage a Journey (+wits) - Rank: Troublesome
Result: Action 6 vs Challenge 1/9 - Weak Hit
Waypoint & Progress: 3/10 - Current Supply: +2
Uros abandoned the plans of resupplying in such a gruesome territory and decided to keep pushing forward. With a little luck, he might come across another part of the Deep Wilds or an adjecent forest-location.
Adventure Move: Undertage a Journey (+wits)
Result: Action 5 vs Challenge 4/7 - Weak Hit
Waypoint & Progress: 6/10 - Current Supply: +1
Navigating the labyrinth exhausted Uros’ remaining supplies. Every turn looked the same. Every shadow stretched long and menacing. When he finally broke through the rocks, the relief was short-lived. The land dipped into a dark, oppressive forest where the ground turned soft and spongy. Still, if there was anything to hunt, it’d be here and not in a rocky maze.
Adventure Move: Resupply (+wits)
Result: Action 5 vs Challenge 2/6 - Weak Hit
Current Supply: +3 - Current Momentum: +3
Hunger gnawed at him. He had to eat. He managed to snare a rabbit and forage for berries, but the hunt took hours. Darkness was falling again, and he was losing time he didn’t have. Focusing on the task ahead, he knew he was not far from Stoneford and decided to push through the night, instead of resting.
It was a mistake.
Adventure Move: Undertage a Journey (+wits)
Result: Action 4 vs Challenge 4/9 - Miss
Pay the Price: The current situation worses (Insect Swarm).
The ground beneath him gave way to a stinking bog. As he struggled to free his boots from the muck, the air filled with a deafening buzz. A swarm of marsh-insects, bloated and aggressive, rose from the reeds. Angrily, they started attacking him in his dire situation.
Uros swung his torch wildly, fire meeting insect’s wings. He crushed them against his armor, stomped them into the mud, but not before they bit deep into his neck and face. His eye swelled shut, throbbing in time with his heartbeat.
Combat Move: Battle (+iron)
Result: Action 9 vs Challenge 7/9 - Weak Hit
Outcome: Victory, but at a cost (-1 Health).
Battered, stung, and exhausted, Uros pushed forward. Only to find the path Gezera had described was gone. It was blocked by a landslide of mud and ancient roots. He shouted in frustration, the sound dying instantly in the dense trees. He forced himself to backtrack, taking a dangerous, winding route along a ridgeline that tested his resolve.
Adventure Move: Undertage a Journey (+wits)
Result: Action 6 vs Challenge 2/5 - Strong Hit
Waypoint & Progress: 9/10.
But the Ironlands, in their cruelty, sometimes offer a sliver of mercy. As he crested the ridge, he found a cold fire pit. Human tracks. Fresh. He followed them with renewed vigor. The trees began to thin. The air smelled less like swamp and more like woodsmoke and industry.
There, in the valley below, lay Stoneford.
Progress Move: Reach Your Destination
Result: Progress 9 vs Challenge 3/7 - Strong Hit
Current Momentum: +4
Uros leaned against a tree, his breath coming in ragged gasps. He was hurt, he was tired, and he was alone. But he had made it.
Now, he just had to convince them to help.
As I thought it’d be a rather short adventure to just let Uros perish in these waters, I decided he suceeds the crossing but at a high cost. Hence the -2 Supply and -1 Health.
I only realized halfway through I forgot to roll Endure Harm for the cold river damage. Same goes for Endure Stress for losing Spirit, but for now, narrative flow took precedence.
Great vibe! Looking forward to the next installment!