Scene 3. The Townsfolk Demand Answers
Scene 4. Ambush at the Rebel Camp
Setup. Shoshana is roused from sleep
Scene 4. Ambush at the Rebel Camp
Scene 5. Rendezvous at the River
Setup. Shoshana is roused from sleep
Chaos Factor. 9
Altered? Interrupt! Remote Event — Travel Ambush
NPCs. Randall Morn; Eragyn, priestess of Cyric; Colderan the Mage-Lord; Constable Tren; Zhentarim; Dalesfolk; Goblin Raiders; Marlas Dwinkle, curator of the curio shop; mysterious dark elf authority; drivers
Threads. Solve the Trouble of Daggerdale; Get out of Jail; Get Randall Medical Help; Discover What Deception Took Place at the Rebel Camp
Well, this is getting crazy! In keeping this as focused as I can make it in context with the given narrative, it sounds like Shoshana is being handed off somewhere on the road, but Tren’s contacts are found dead…
In the middle of the night, Shoshana was unshackled from the iron ring in the floor in her dismal cell. The manacles about her wrists were kept on, as were the bindings around her mouth. She was roughly escorted from her erstwhile confinement and into the night air.
She recognized the despicable lackeys of Tren, including the original two that had accosted her outside of Dwinkle’s curio shop. She protested behind her muffle, but they shoved her forward.
“Move! And stay quiet,” said the leader of the small band of four.
She was ushered toward the town’s edge, where they were allowed outside by a subtle sign to the gate warden. The old wooden gate creaked open and the silent escort prodded Shoshana forward. Once they were a safe distance from Dagger Falls, two of the ruffians lit lanterns.
“Where are we to meet them?” asked one.
“By the river’s crook at Shane’s Crossing,” answered their leader. “Now be quiet!”
Q. What do they find there? Empty Cradle, Trap
The five figures continued for perhaps an hour accompanied by the crunch of grit underfoot and the jingle of the sorceress’s shackles. Shoshana’s wrists were raw and she was weary and thirsty. At last, they came to a narrow stone span over a swift portion of the river sheltered on both sides of the banks with leafless oaks and maples.
Whoever the group was scheduled to meet, none were there to greet them.
“They should be here already,” remarked one man. “We’ll just have to wait,” answered another.
They continued to wait. The men gave the mage an evil look from time to time. One finally broke the interminable silence. “Maybe we should just do away with her here and now!” suggested one. “Tren will find out, and then it’ll be our hides,” argued another. “No, he won’t!”
One of the men cried out suddenly, pointing at the base of the bridge in the water. The men looked over the edge and held their lantern aloft. There they saw the floating form of a man with an arrow in his back.
The men suddenly cursed, drawing their daggers and clubs.
That was it. Shoshana was poised and ready. She made a dash for it across the bridge to the other side of the river.
Shoshana has SHACKLED AND GAGGED, and I’ll give her Athletics at Average (+1). Her spellcasting ability is compromised until she can overcome those aspects. I think I’ll also give her those other required skills, filling in her pyramid thusly:
Shoshana
Great. Lore
Good. Shoot, Will
Fair. Contacts, Empathy, Investigate
Average. Athletics, Notice, Provoke, Rapport
I’m also giving her the following stunt:
Blast. Once per session, you may attack everyone in a single zone with Shoot. Apply your roll to each target in the zone, and they can each defend individually.
This will be a chase here in the form of a contest. These are Average (+1) Nameless NPCs with LOW-PAID TOUGHS and a +1 rank in Fight.
“Hey!” cried one of the men, seeing the Sorceress getting away.
Although her RESTRAINTS were cumbersome, and she couldn’t freely breathe, Shoshana was ahead of them. Wide-eyed and bent on freedom, she looked for an AVENUE OF ESCAPE. It was DARK through the TREES, but because she was OBSESSIVELY SINGLE-MINDED (new declared aspect), she quickly spotted a track through the forest (1 invoke). She sped forward.
The four broke into pursuit, but the leader ordered his subordinates to SPLIT UP (boost). She risked a glance before speeding headlong along a narrow game trail (2 VPs for Shoshana). She came to a crossroads and saw the dim flickering orange torchlight further behind. She took an alternate smaller track leading perpendicular to the main way (final VP for Shoshana).
Finally, gasping through her gag, she slumped against a tree, having evaded her erstwhile captors. She worked against her RESTRAINTS, pulling her slender flexible hands through the cold iron (success at cost). She freed herself, but her hands were RAW AND BLEEDING (mild consequence). They shook from pain, and she feared she might not be able to use them to work the intricate semantic patterns required of her spellcraft. She pulled her gag from her mouth.
Once she had composed herself, a white-hot need for vengeance warmed her insides. She was free, and prudence dictated she find her way to a safe house where she could recover and plan her next move. However, she had other immediate ideas…
She found her way to a nearby clearing. She rubbed her poor hands, allowing the blood to return to them. Ignoring the bleeding, she used her magic to light a few small fires nearby. She could hear the men taking note of the flame and making their way over.
When the first of them appeared cautiously at the edge of the clearing, Shoshana addressed him. “You should have killed me at the bridge when you had the chance,” she said, her voice shaking from controlled anger. “That mistake will be your last!”
With that, she lifted her bleeding hands and uttered words of magic (success). Fingers of flame shot from her hands, sizzling through the air. The men’s agonized shrieks filled the forest as the white-haired witch destroyed them.
That removes ‘Get Out of Jail’ from the thread list.
Moving the CF back to 8.
Also, I think this marks the end of a ‘Session’. I’ll bring the PCs back to their refresh levels. Amelia and Janson have 3, and Shoshana keeps her remaining total (3). Shoshana’s mild consequence will stick around until she does something about it.
No comments:
Post a Comment