Session 13.2: Looking for killers

The tenements catch up to Padrig. Command weighs on Anwen.

Last episode, the party set off on a dangerous and secretive mission: Along with a group of steady-handed stalwarts, they have endeavored to steal into the tenements controlled by Odo Thriceborn and his ruthless gang, locate the hidden entrance to the man’s lair in the Forge Lord ruins beneath Gordin’s Delve, and put an end to his menace once and for all.

The first part of this mission — sneaking through the tenements — went relatively smoothly. For everyone, that is, save for Padrig and his crew — the caravan guard Jens and the old Keep¹, Lucky Finbar. By ill chance, Jens was set upon by a cutpurse, and the gold in his purse and the weapons of war hidden beneath his cloak quickly revealed that they were no ordinary marks. Padrig quickly identified that the cutpurse bore the marks of the Howling Curse, and was likely a servant of Odo himself. The man fled, they pursued, and caught their quarry. Pad had him under his knife, and had a choice before him: Let him live and try to persuade him to lay low (rather than reporting to Odo) or give him a quick, clean death. This choice was the subject of last week’s reader’s poll — let’s see what you all selected for our old bandit, Pad:

Say one thing about Padrig: He always does what is necessary. We’ll jump back into the fiction where that scene left off:

Scene 3, cont’d: Splinterfoot Way.

“Sorry, lad. Wrong place, wrong time.” Pad whispers. He slides the long dagger up under the thief’s ribs, seeking the heart for a quick, clean death — as he would with a felled stag. The man wheezes in a last breath, and his eyes roll white. His final breath rushes out as muttered syllables in a language Pad does not understand. When he rises, his blade is wet to the handle with blood.

“Let’s move,” he says, his voice held carefully level. Finbar nods in approval and falls in, while Jens looks for a moment longer at the cutpurse before gathering up his coins and following.

They’ve navigated the current danger, but still need to progress through this part of the site, per the Ironsworn Delve rules we’re using here. Pad has to make another Delve the Depths roll, and hope for a better outcome:

Padrig triggers Delve the Depths: 1+2+2 Wisdom = 5, Miss.

It is really not Pad’s day. This is the second big miss in a row, and he doesn’t have 4 XP to burn to upgrade it using Burn Brightly, like Anwen did last session. We reveal a danger, and I'm going to interpret this danger in pretty maximal way -- the party has had a lot of chances to play it safe (they could've come to the tenements in force, they could have pressed Young Brogan to lead them through safely, they could have left Gordin's Delve to its fate a week ago and never dealt with any of the bosses!). 

Corrupted Settlement Danger: Denizens converge on this area

That's a pretty interesting outcome, especially if we're making a very hard move here. With Odo's lanternmen converging and perhaps even the mob of tenement-dwellers turning against them, it's a golden opportunity to trigger the Stonetop GM move capture someone.²

As they make their way over the shanty rooftops towards Splinterfoot Way, Pad notes with growing unease, knots of tenements-dwellers gathering on the roofs above and below them, climbing up from the narrow alleyways and watching them. Pad quickens his step, and from a street below, he hears cries of alarm.

Pad quickens his step, with Jens and Finbar following suit. From behind them, they hear a cry coming from the gathering crowd — “Lanternmen, lanternmen! There’s bloody deeds afoot!”

“Murder! Murder!” another voice cries. “Find his killers! Or his restless spirit will linger!”

“I thought you said they were used to killing,” Padrig says darkly.

“I thought they were,” Finbar says, his voice uncertain. “They kill one another easily enough!”

Pad curses Finbar under his breath, and himself for listening. “We’ll have to lose them, then lay low and catch up with the others. Follow me,” Padrig growls, and leads them into an alleyway, deeper into the tangle of shanties and tents that crowd around the towering insulae, built into the Forge Lords’ rusting ruins.

Behind them, from Splinterfoot Way, there is a great hue and cry. “Any brother or sister who lays hands on them will feast at the Thriceborn’s table³!” a lanternman’s voice rings out. A crowd roars in response. “Go, curs, go! Fetch the prey!” A handbell rings out in the cool night air, waking the tenement folk from their fitful sleep.

The people of the tenements come for justice. Source: Midjourney

They race through the twisting, narrow streets of the tenements, but dozens of its denizens are now roused against them, and quickly, Padrig and his companions are surrounded — before them and behind are a mass of angry, desperate folk. They are thin and sallow, armed with what they could lay their hands on — bricks and lengths of wood, picks and hatchets.

Pad throws down the bundle of sticks he carries and draws his longsword from its hiding place⁴, raising the blade to a middle guard. Jens and Finbar form up with him, back to back to back, with a ring of iron holding the mob at bay.

Soon, Odo’s bravos shoulder to the front: Three hard-looking men, one in the lead with a heavy iron cudgel and a lantern hanging from his belt and behind him a pair with spears — deadly in the long, tight quarters of the tenements.

Padrig scans the crowd, the alleyways, the rooftops above. He looks into the eyes of the bravos as they approach with grim glee, searching for any way out, or through.

Padrig triggers Seek Insight: 5+6+2 Wisdom = 13, Strong Hit

In some cases, a successful Seek Insight role can almost function like a brainstorming session between a PC and the GM, trying to find a way out of a particularly hairy situation. At the gaming table, this would probably be one of those times. The most useful questions he can ask are “What’s the best way in, out, through or past?” (which comes from his Read the Land move rather than the core Seek Insight move, and “What here is useful or valuable to me?” from the main list.

While I was playing out the session, I spent a good long time thinking about this. If Anwen and/or Vahid were present, it might feel right for them to cut or blast their way through — but Pad isn’t that kind of fighter, so he’ll have to think his way out of this one.

One thing Pad knows is that Odo is recruiting — using the Howling Curse, and his own naturally-cultivated cruelty, he’s jumping people into his gang and giving them power that they crave. From his time as a bandit and mercenary, Pad knows real warriors are hard to find — and so Odo’s recruitment drive might serve him.

“Orders, chief?” Jens whispers urgently.

Padrig grimaces, as though swallowing a particularly distasteful morsel. “Follow my lead.”

The lead bravo motions to his spear-bearers, and they lower their speartips and advance with unconcealed glee. Pad draws himself up and calls out to the leader: “Finally, someone with some fucking pull. You there! I hear Odo is looking for killers to join his cause.”

“Gutting some no-account thief doesn’t make you a killer. You ran. Odo doesn’t need pissant cowards like you three in the Family.” the leader sneers.

Pad raises his longsword, pointing it at the bravo. “Come see what a coward I am, then. I’ve put a dozen men like you in the mud with this blade. Maybe the mob will take me, but I’ll make sure we see the Lady of Crows together.”

Padrig triggers Persuade: 5+6+1+1 Charisma = 12, Strong Hit

A reversal of (bad) fortunes for Pad — thanks to the advantage from Seek Insight, he starts to turn things around, though their position is still precarious.

The man hisses a quiet order, and the spearmen halt their advance. The crowd stirs, fearing they’ll be robbed of revenge — and the meal they were promised.

“What’s your name?”

“Arnolf⁵, from the Marches,” Pad replies, feigning an easy swagger. “These are my mates, Jens and Quiet Quill⁶.”

“And what the fuck are you doing in my patch, Arnolf from the Marches?”

“We came here as caravan guards, and in case you haven’t noticed, there aren’t many fucking caravans leaving here. Man’s got needs, hasn’t he? And I heard Odo takes care of his people.”

The man sizes Pad up, the wheels turning slowly in his head. He has close-set, mean eyes, and his chin is split by an angry white scar. “Alright. You can speak to the man himself. But listen here: If you say you’re a killer, best be ready to prove it. Now, hand over your weapons — you’ll have ’em back when the time comes.” He motions to his bravos, who raise their spears. The crowd murmurs and stirs, speaking their anger and resentment in a half-dozen languages.

Slowly, reluctantly, Padrig puts down his sword, and he turns back to Jens and Finbar. “Lay down your arms. If we give them a reason, the crowd will rush us.”

Padrig triggers Order Followers: 1+4+1 Charisma = 6, Miss

Things continue to go pear-shaped for old Pad. It felt appropriate to call for this move here, since surrendering themselves to Odo is a pretty tall order, especially for Finbar. We’ll make him the sticking point here, as he probably has the most reasons to refuse.”

Finbar shakes his head sadly. “I can’t put myself in the hands of these fucking animals. No.”

“The only way out is through,” Pad whispers firmly. The bravo-captain behind them waits expectantly, straining to hear their conversation over the sounds of the crowd.

“It won’t work, Arnolf,” he whispers back. “They’ll recognize me as one of hers⁷ before long.”

The lead Bravo calls out from behind Pad. “Seems like your friend isn’t so eager to join our cause. You want us to take you to see the Thriceborn? Prove that you’re a killer, worthy to join the Family? Time to cut the dead weight.”

Finbar looks in Pad’s eye and nods. “Make sure she survives, damn your eyes. Or I will crawl back from beyond the Last Door to find you,” he whispers, before stepping back and drawing his hatchet from his belt. Pad still has his dagger in his hand, red with the cutpurse’s blood, and he raises it slowly, as what Finbar is preparing for begins to dawn on him.

“I knew you’d stab me in the back, Arnolf. I hope Odo slits your throat,” Finbar calls, pitching his voice so the crowd and the bravos can appreciate his performance.

“I’m tired of your nattering voice, old man,” Padrig replies.

Finbar lunges at him — the woodsman is strong despite his age, but untrained, and Pad neatly sidesteps the blow. The crowd roars in approval to see them turn against one another, and the bravos smile in cruel anticipation of the bloodshed to come.

This isn’t a fight, exactly — Finbar doesn’t want to win. They just need to make it look good, so we’ll use Defy Danger with Dexterity, since Pad’s trying to use a bit of finesse here.

Padrig triggers Defy Danger: 5+4+1 Dexterity = 10, Strong Hit.

An easy win — though probably tough to stomach for the old bandit. Just a quick side note re: NPC motivation here — Finbar is willing to do this for the mission because of some things we already established about him. When we first met Finbar up in the foothills of the Huffel Peaks back in Session 12.5, we envisioned that he’s suffering from some wasting sickness that will soon claim his life — some sort of ill-understood cancer. Padrig doesn’t know this, of course, so no doubt Finbar’s move here comes as a bit of a surprise, but neither of them has a lot of time to hesitate.

His stomach churning, Pad doesn’t waste time — quick and hard, he moves inside Finbar’s clumsy guard, and holds him close as the blade slides between his ribs.

“I’m sorry,” he whispers.

Finbar’s voice is strained by pain, but still steady and calm. “I see the Lady, at long last. I will tell her to await Odo.”

Pad nods, but says nothing, lest the onlookers overhear them. He shoves Finbar’s body to the ground with feigned contempt and turns to the bravo’s leader. “Well?” He holds up his bloody knife. “Proof enough for you?”

The bravo grins. “Back to your homes, all of you! That’s all the justice you’ll see tonight,” he shouts, his loud, grating voice cutting through the crowd’s din. As they are dispersing, the spear-bearers press a few into service to take up Finbar’s body. Their leader returns his gaze to Pad, and he gestures with a curt jerk of his head for them to follow before turning back towards Splinterfoot Way.

Scene 4: The Mess Hall

The mess hall within the Crooked Tower is a sprawling space, taking up the entirety of the insula’s first floor. The oil lanterns hanging from the vaulted ceiling are dark, and the only light comes from moons shining through the high windows, through the holes and tears of dirty roughspun curtains.

Anwen, Baraz, and Vahid arrive through the northern entrance into the deserted hall, moving low and quietly between rows upon rows of rough timber tables, worn from use and scarred from countless brawls and knife games. There is no place of honor or high table here, but the far end of the room is dominated by a massive hearth, fit for a great king, as wide as a horse-drawn cart, and twice as tall as a man. Unlike the shabby timber and infill, the hearth is stone, rusted iron, and tarnished bronze, set there by the Forge Lords who once built this place, and marked by their icons — faded carvings of giant craftsmen working metal with their bare hands, wreathed in elemental fury, cracked and sundered by time, but still quite discernable.

Naturally, the trio is going to take stock, see if anyone is hiding in this deserted mess hall, and try to locate the hidden entrance to the complex below. All three of them are looking around, but Vahid leads and triggers the move, since his +1 Wisdom gives them the best shot at a strong hit.

Vahid triggers Seek Insight: 5+4+2+1 Wisdom = 10, Strong Hit

From the Seek Insight list, they choose ‘what here is not what it appears to be?’ and what should I be on the lookout for?’

The answer to the first question tells Vahid exactly where the entrance to the hidden passageway to Odo’s lair is, but he’s not sharing that information just yet, so it will appear in the fiction once he does. The second question reveals Mutra and her squad’s hiding place — back to the fiction:

Anwen and Baraz move quietly among the long tables as Vahid approaches the fireplace, looking up in wonderment at the carvings. From behind a moth-eaten curtain, Cerdic Snake-Eye emerges, motioning to Anwen. Behind him, lying low in a cluttered storeroom, are Mutra and Olem. “About time,” he says, smirking smugly.

“You came through with no trouble?”

Mutra sneers with contempt, showing her black iron teeth. “The night market scum were too addled to pay us any mind. You?”

“Nothing — the route was near-deserted, as your man Finbar promised.”

“And where is my man, and yours?”

“Not here yet.”

Cerdic sucks in his breath. “Their route was the most dangerous.”

“Pad is a survivor. He’ll get them through.”

“His route was the most direct. He should’ve been here before any of us,” Mutra says curtly. “Instead he’s late — Perhaps too late. The streets of the tenements aren’t known for their hospitality. We should move.”

Anwen’s gaze is firmly fixed on Mutra. “We should wait for him. He’s one of us. And Finbar is with him — one of yours.”

“Who leads here, girl?” Ollem rumbles. “I follow Mutra, not you.”

Vahid clears his throat. “I believe the question at issue here is not who leads, but who commands. For my part, I follow Anwen’s commands. And I am the one who has seen the path to Odo’s sanctum, and so it is I who lead.”

Ollem regards Vahid impassively⁸, not rising to the bait, and waiting for Mutra’s word.

“Padrig knew the risks, just like Finbar did. Every second we dally, we risk discovery. We must move,” Mutra says.

We’ll break here with this choice before Anwen. At the gaming table, I can imagine this being a bit of a barn-burner of a discussion: arguably, Pad and his new friends will have to come this way, and they could be ambushed, and Pad freed. But Anwen has no way of knowing that, so it’s hard to use that as justification for her decision (even if it does make that choice appealing from a metagame standpoint).

Anwen also believes what she said — Pad is a survivor. Mutra does have a point — they risk exposure by staying here, and she might trust that Pad, if alive, will find them again. He has many times before in the past.

At the gaming table, I would be perfectly OK with a player making a metagame-y choice here — wait and rescue Pad from his captors — as long as they could derive a compelling explanation for their character’s actions, using the knowledge they have in-game. You all should make the choice however you like, but let me know in the comments how you thought about it!

1. ‘Keep’ is the term for underbosses in Gordin’s Delve — the Keeps control a given trade or business, and the bosses control the Keeps with protection and patronage.

2. I’m sort of switching on the fly between Ironsworn: Delve’s slightly more mechanistic GM systems and Stonetop’s slightly more freeform ones, here. As always, feel free to let me know in the comments if you feel I’m not doing either system justice!

3. Recall that the stat block we’re using here for these denizens, which you can see right here, includes the move “do something unsavory if there’s food or coin in it” — that’s what’s at play here.

4. In the previous session, we did some outfitting and determined that Pad had his composite longbow hidden in a bundle of sticks he was carrying (as fuel for a fire, it likely wouldn’t be too eye-catching), and now we’re declaring that his sword is in there, too. Since each member of the party is taking a Light loadout, that means Padrig can’t use the Have What You Need move for the rest of the expedition — he’s declared he has a sword, a bow, and a dagger, which entirely marks off the three load that a light loadout allows. Not ideal!

5. This is the same false name he gave way back in Session 4.6, lying his way past some Marshedge sentries.

6. Quiet Quill was one of Padrig’s crew who died on the road to Gordin’s Delve in Session 10.3, saving Vahid from an assassin’s garotte. Pour one out.

7. He is referring to Mutra the Teeth, but won’t say her name aloud in case someone overhears it. She is Odo’s most bitter rival, and he is one of her Keeps. He might not be instantly recognizable, since he spends a lot of town out of town with the logging crews, but someone eventually might make him (which is also true, albeit less so, for Pad, thanks to his time in the Delve with the Claws).

8. Recall that, acting on Vahid’s advice in Session 12.6, Mutra selected Ollem for this mission because he keeps a cool head and doesn’t lose himself to violence — something the Seeker should probably be grateful for since he’s sassing him.