Session 1.1: Stonetop

A wedding, a disagreement, a missing maiden

Session 1 // Scene 1 - the Village Commons on Feast Day

The village of Stonetop. Credit: Lucie Arnoux / luciedraws.com

It’s Spring in Stonetop, and we open on a wedding. The whole village, save for a few unlucky guards watching from the towers, is turned out to see two young lovers joined together. The grassy commons surrounding the monolith have been decorated with strings of flowers, and the village children run between the crowded rows of feast tables, their faces painted with berry dye. A simple band plays in the background, and spirits are high. 

The happy couple is Nia, a young woman from the village, and Donal, one of Padrig’s warriors. Nia is well-loved in the village -- she tends an herb garden in the shadow of the Old Wall and has a special talent for calming sheep while they’re being sheared in the summer. She and Donal ran headlong into one another this Winter -- before anyone knew quite how serious they were, Donal had told Padrig he’d asked for her hand and she said yes and her mother had blessed the union. After all, the Companions are heroes, having fended off a crinwin attack from the village not too long ago. 

Padrig is enjoying the festivities from a distance, near the edge of the commons. He sees his crew at an honored table near the monolith, with a seat saved for him. He sees his sister and her two daughters, chasing each other around the maypole. He’s smiling, but in his heart, he fears this won’t last. As if in answer to those fears, he sees Owain strut up to his crew, a few burly cronies in tow, and they start to exchange some heated words with Ozbeg, the crew’s second-in-command. Padrig immediately starts to head over, straining to hear what’s being said over the noise of the feast.¹

“...I didn’t see you pulling your weight at harvest time, friend. But here you are, at an honored table, sat right by the salt, eating our bread and our spring lamb. Maybe you and your ‘Companions’ should be at the foot of the table instead, sharing the bones with the dogs,” Owain says, sneering at the name of Padrig’s crew. Owain reaches past Ozbeg and grabs a piece of bread from his plate.

Padrig has seen Ozbeg stab men in the guts for a lot less. He’s a stout, unsmiling man of the Barrier Peaks, dressed in an oiled and polished leather cuirass for the occasion. The bells hanging from his dagger hilts jangle as he stands and squares up opposite Owain. 

“The reason you ain’t seen me in the fields, you whelp, is that I ain’t no fuckin’ farmer, and I don’t plan to be one. Now put that back where you found it and walk on, or I’ll show you exactly how I pull my weight at harvest time.” 

Padrig slides neatly between them, holding up his open hands. “I don’t think the bride and groom would be happy to see this strife, friends. Owain, you know well we’ve done our part. Ozbeg made a gift of that stag he hunted in the woods to your honored mother. And Donal was out working the fields with you when he met Nia, for Tor’s sake! And Ozbeg -- have some decency. We’re guests here, there’s no call to be threatening anyone. He leans in close and hisses to Ozbeg: “This isn’t Gordin’s Delve. If you spill blood here, there’ll be a feud, and nobody wins those. Now take your hand off your blade and sit down.”²

Ozbeg growls back. “He’s testing us, chief. Back him down, or let me do it. I don’t care which.”

“I’ll just take that,” Anwen says, darting out of the crowd of revelers and snatching the bread out of Owain’s hand. “Only you would stalk around on a feast day stealing food off a guest’s plate, Owain. If you’re looking for a fight, I can give you another black eye like the one you were nursing at Midwinter.”³ She smirks and tosses the bread back to Ozbeg, who grins and takes a healthy bite.

“Everyone knows you attacked me from behind, you gods-damned shrew. In a fair fight, you wouldn’t even skin my knuckles.”

Anwen glares back at him. "Let’s do it then. In front of everybody. The whole village can see how soft you go when someone’s not afraid of you.” She clenches her fists and sets her stance, ready to fight.

“Enough, both of you.” Padrig snaps. His commander’s voice carries over the festivities, and some of the surrounding tables fall silent, watching the scene unfold. “Battle is for the battlefield. We are among neighbors now. Surely you can tell your neighbors from your enemies, can’t you, Owain? Anwen?”

Owain silently fumes. Anwen looks angry but chastened.

“Seems like we’re in need of drink. Ozbeg, come with me to the public house, we’ll bring a cask back to tap. And we’d best come back to a happier table.”

“I’ll come too!” Anwen blurts.⁴

“Come if you like, but I need a word with Ozbeg. Companions’ business,” Padrig replies.

Session 1 // Scene 2 - A muddy alleyway

The trio heads off towards the public house, taking a long route around the crowds of the wedding feast. Ozbeg and Padrig speak quietly, while Anwen trails sadly at a respectful distance. Her hound Shadow lopes alongside her — a runty, wire-haired black hunting dog, sniffing at every puddle of mud.

“Care to explain what your plan was, Oz? These folk aren’t quite so accustomed to murders at wedding feasts as you are.”

Ozbeg bites back: “Maybe you can explain what your plan is, and how this wedding fits into it? I was hoping it was part of the grift — make these folk think we’ve well and truly thrown in with them, then raid the granary in the dead of night, and make for Marshedge. But when I told Donal as much, he was offended! Hackles up like an alley dog; thought the pup was going to call me out for first blood. You need to talk some sense into that boy. And the rest of the lads don’t know what to think. Half of ‘em are going soft and blunt, the other half are about to go stir crazy. It’s Spring, and we need to get back on the road, and meet up with Brennan.”

“I’m not in a rush to meet back up with Brennan until we know what his scheme is in Marshedge.” Padrig pauses and feigns a smile as a few revelers dash by, before continuing quietly. “Things didn’t go well in the Delve for us. When Brennan split up the Claws, you and I agreed, we’d do what it took to keep these boys alive and fed. They’re alive and fed here.”

Ozbeg snorts. “We aren’t farmers, chief. We aren’t ever going to be. If we stay here any longer, it won’t just be that meathead telling us we need to ‘pull our weight.’ These folk don’t have any use for a pack of brigands like us.”

“I’m not going to lead us out of safety and into danger just because you’ve got itchy feet, Oz.”

“Listen, chief: I know this was your home. Maybe all our lads we buried outside of Gordin’s Delve put you off this life. I’ve seen it happen to men who’ve spilled a lot less blood than you. No hard feelings, I’ll just take the boys on to Marshedge, and you can stay here and be chief of the goatherds. But you need to decide what you are. If you’re a cutthroat, like us, then we need to get on with it. If you’re not, then you’ve got no business commanding us. But you can’t stand with one foot in and one foot out. It ain’t fair.”

Padrig stops and gestures to Anwen to hold back. She stops, watching the pair curiously. “You want me to decide what I am, eh Oz? Well, if I decided I was still a bloody-handed cutthroat, then you pressing me, forcing my hand, offering to take my command, well that would stink a lot like mutiny, wouldn’t it? And maybe, before we pack up and leave, I ought to make you an example to the boys, so that they don’t get too soft before we meet back up with the boss. Isn’t that what a real chief would do?”⁵

Ozbeg freezes, like a deer who’s wandered onto too-thin ice.

Padrig leans in. “Or maybe standing with one foot in and one foot out is good for both of us right now. What do you say, Oz?”

“As you say, chief.”

“Now, when we get a chance, we’ll send someone out to Marshedge and find out what Brennan’s plan is. If it sounds right, we’ll make plans to meet up with him. If not, we’ll decide from there. I don’t want to lose anyone else to one of his damn fool schemes. Do you?”

Ozbeg blows out his breath. “We agree there, chief.”

"Good.” Padrig gestures Anwen to rejoin them. “Now let’s get that cask.”

As they are about to enter the Public House, the door opens revealing Vahid, looking flushed and concerned.

“Ah, Padrig! I was looking for Garet, but he must be somewhere among the revelers. I hope you can help,” Vahid says, only a little out-of-breath.

“I’m sure I can, Vahid,” Padrig says, smiling warmly at the bookish Lygosi. “What’s the matter?”

“It’s Blodwen. She went down to fetch water from the stream some hours ago and has not returned. It’s well past time she should’ve been back.”

Anwen sidles up, her hound at her heels. “Down to the stream? Why? There’s plenty to drink up at the feast grounds.”

Vahid strokes his beard thoughtfully. “I couldn’t say. She has always seemed ill at ease in crowds, more at home on her own. Perhaps she didn’t wish to brave the revel?”

Anwen raises an eyebrow. “You watch her closely, eh? What’s your interest?”

Vahid clears his throat. “I am a traveler, far from my home. I watch you all closely, to better know your ways and to avoid giving offense. I hope I have not given any now.”

Anwen laughs loudly. “Oh, breathe easy friend. She’s a pretty one, there’s no shame if you had your eye on her.”

His cheeks growing hot, Vahid persists. “I really think we ought to tell Garet and to go looking for her. Three more hunters told Garet that they’d seen or heard crinwin in the Woods this month. He recorded it in the Chronicle. They are moving closer, more frequently. Blodwen could be in real danger.”

Padrig’s face darkens. “There’s no need to find Garet first. We should go now. I’ll take my crew out after her.” He starts handing out orders, clearly and quickly. “Vahid, go to the revel, tell the first sober face you see what you told me, and get them to help you find Garet as quick as they can. Ozbeg, you head back to the commons and fetch the crew, gear up and bring them to meet me and Anwen at the head of the trail. Not Donal — leave him be. It’s his wedding day.”

Ozbeg opens his mouth to object — Donal’s their best tracker, after all — but Padrig kills it with a glance. “Go.”

GM Notes

I always like starting a game at a wedding, a funeral, or some other sort of big gathering. It lets you put any PC or NPC in the scene, and have moments when people can be seen at their best or worst. I like it better than “You all meet at a tavern.”

The GM’s agenda for this session is to throw a bunch of threats into the mix. In these two scenes, we advanced three threats:

1. Owain is stirring up trouble with the Companions, and with Anwen.

2. Ozbeg is pushing Padrig to regroup with the rest of their bandit compatriots.

3. The crinwin are getting bolder, and this has potentially put a named villager in danger.

Threat #1 was partially dealt with: Trouble with the Companions was averted, but Owain is going to seek revenge on Anwen somehow. Threat #2 was put on pause, but Padrig has made a promise to send someone to Marshedge to learn what’s going on. If he waits too long, Ozbeg might take action on his own. Threat #3 is the main event, and the rest of Session 1 will explore how our heroes deal with it.

Quick housekeeping note: This was a shorter one, I’m trying to balance overloading a single email vs. making sure each installment has some meat to it.

Padrig Notes

This was definitely a spotlight session for Padrig, so he should probably lean back in the next scenes and let Anwen and Vahid take more of the lead. That doesn’t mean that he can’t be useful, just that he can react rather than driving the action.

Padrig used the spotlight to expose a bunch of his character’s conflict and history, which invites the other characters to participate in it. Anwen wants to join the Companions, but she’d be shocked to hear about their bloody past, so Padrig has to keep her at arm’s length, which creates an interesting tension between them. And Vahid can read minds (with some effort), so Padrig can’t really keep the secret from him, which means the question is “How will Vahid use that information?” As always, we play to find out.

Anwen Notes

When I was first making Anwen’s character, I imagined her a bit more serious and angry than she turned out here. Ultimately that provides a good balance to Padrig’s gruffness, especially if Vahid is going to play more on the serious side as well.

Anwen also is developing a habit of jumping into scenes that start with other characters (specifically Padrig, this session). That feels like a good thing for a Would-Be Hero type character: always turning up where the action is, ready to cause trouble or save the day.

Vahid Notes

Vahid only had a few moments to be spotlighted, but he gets to push the action for the next session. He’s a messenger for the last, and biggest threat reveal of the session, and he uses some back-and-forth with Anwen to establish himself as being observant and thoughtful, as well as his somewhat uncomfortable other-ness in Stonetop.

1. Padrig uses the Seek Insight move and rolls a 10. He gets some information about Owain and Ozbeg’s intentions — Owain is trying to goad the Companions into a fight at the feast, and Ozbeg is about to oblige him. He gets an advantage on his next rolls while he’s acting on this information.

2. Padrig attempts to Persuade Ozbeg to stand down. He has Advantage, because of his earlier Seek Insight success, but still only gets a 9, meaning Ozbeg will need some sort of assurance before he lets it go. 

3. Anwen jumps into the scene here — it’s reasonable she’d be looking for trouble with Owain, given her history with him. She gets an 8 on Defy Danger with Dexterity to snatch the bread out of his hand (and by doing so, satisfying Ozbeg for the moment), so she succeeds with a cost — Owain will remember this and seek revenge later.

4. Don’t split the party, right?

5. Padrig attempts to Persuade Ozbeg once again, this time to stop pressing to leave the village soon. He gets a 10, and Ozbeg agrees.