Session 11.6: Visions

Vahid spills blood. Elder Kirs appears. The party decides the fate of many.

Last episode, Vahid continued his negotiations with the Valerix, seeking to shine some light on the hidden designs of Cirl-of-the-Storms, the Hillfolk hdour with whom the party has been contending with from afar for the better part of a year. The Valerix revealed much — that the sorcerer intends to strike at Gordin’s Delve in little more than two weeks, and that if he gains access to Gordin’s Delve, he plans to release the fire spirit bound within the town’s Foundry (unbeknownst to the Delvers) to wreak havoc in the town. The price for this news was most dear: One of Vahid’s living eyes, marked by both the Azure Hand and the White Key, allowing Vahid to see both the thoughts of living creatures and the flow of elemental energy through the unseen world.

Meanwhile, Anwen made her way through the dark streets of the Delve to find Vahid and deliver him safely back to Madam Parvati. What state she’ll find our Seeker in depends strongly on how Vahid decides to proceed.

We left off last week putting that decision in your hands: Does Vahid honor his agreement? Does he realize he’s gotten in over his head, and flee using his Flying Cloak? Or does he call upon the Azure Hand to destroy the Valerix, rather than paying its bloody price? Let’s see what y’all said:

Vahid will hew to the deal — he’s playing a game with big stakes here, and passions like anger and fear are distractions. Recall that this also represents a change to Vahid’s Instinct: We are going to move him from ‘Curiosity: To seek answers to questions maybe you oughtn’t’ to ‘Vision: To think big and pursue grandiose goals.’

The Valerix has presented to him a strange clockwork device that will do the deed, and invited him to look into its dark oculus. We’ll rejoin the action there:

Scene 5, cont’d: The Serai of the Red Arch.

The Valerix performs a few curious manipulations, and the cube unfurls a dark, circular aperture in its center with a whir. An eerie red glow emanates from within the device. He holds it out towards Vahid. “Gaze into the oculus, and the price will be paid. Such a small thing, for the secrets the Valerix has given. For the trust betrayed.”

Vahid looks at the cube, a shiver running down his spine. He steels himself and nods. “Very well. Take what was promised.”

The Valerix releases the device, and it floats before Vahid, its gears whirring quietly, its mechanisms twisting and turning in the air. The Seeker looks deep into the hollow oculus. There is a slow, low clicking sound and an eerie, flickering red glow comes from within. In the light, Vahid sees strange visions in flashes — grand, towering forges stoked by bronze giants, falling hammers and showers of sparks, bronze and iron hammered into blackened flesh and sizzling blood. Vaulted halls with shining hordes of gold and jewels, twisting metal serpents, and grasping claws. There is a shriek — metal on metal — and a burning red agony blooms in Vahid’s left eye.

For obvious reasons:

Vahid triggers Defy Danger with Constitution: 4+2+2 Constitution = 8, Weak Hit

On a Miss, he’d lose consciousness and get a debility, but for a Weak Hit, we’ll just give him the debility and knock him down a bit.

The next sensation he is aware of is cold, hard ground against his face, and when he rises to his hands and knees, in his blurry vision, he sees small splashes of red spattering on the floor. “So little blood,” he notes morbidly. “What clever artifice.” Disoriented, he tries to rise to his feet but stumbles and falls again to his knees.

Before him, the Valerix sits forward on its throne, eagerly awaiting its macabre mechanism as it floats back into the Ustrina’s hand.

It once again performs a few deft manipulations, and the cube disgorges a brilliant blue sapphire into the Valerix’s waiting grasp. The creature sets the device aside and holds the stone up to the hollow eye of its golden mask.

“A price well paid. The Vahid is welcome to call upon the Valerix again. We will be watching you.” The gem shines before the Ustrina’s eye -- its blue depths are shot through with cloudy white, and brief sparks of silvery light illuminate it from within. 

Two black-robed Ustrina attendants appear at Vahid’s side, helping the Seeker to his feet and guiding him to the great doors of the Serai.

---

Outside, Anwen approaches the guard. He sees her coming, holding his lantern high and peering to the edge of the circle of light. “Halt zie! War es da?” he growls.

Anwen stops short and shows her hands, empty of weapons. “I’m here for my companion, who came calling on the Valerix,” she says slowly in the Stonetongue.

The Manmarcher’s beady eyes show no sign of understanding. “Ge vegh, ge vegh!” He rumbles in Marchsprech, dismissing her with a wave of his meaty hand.

Anger flares in Anwen, and she takes a few more strides toward the guard. He rouses his fellows, who shake the sleep from their eyes and begin to stand, but before Anwen can reach them, three booming knocks sound from within the Serai. The Marcher stands between her and the archway as the other two bravos scramble to open the door.

When they slide the bronze slab open, Anwen gasps — she sees Vahid standing there, leaning heavily on his staff. His face is sallow and drawn, and in the shadows of his hood, she can see a dark hollow where once was his left eye. She rushes quickly to his side, shoving past the stunned guards. “Vahid! What happened?”

“No time to explain,” Vahid whispers, pain and exhaustion thinning his voice. “We must get off the street; I have news to share with you and Pad.”

“Danu’s grace, look at your wounds! Was it worth all this?” she gestures at his face.

“It was. Lead on.” Vahid puts his hand on her shoulder and leans heavily. Anwen, torn between irritation and worry, supports the Seeker and leads him away from the Serai as the guards shut the doors behind them with a resounding boom.

We’ll represent the climb back down as a single Defy Danger roll to escape any trouble.

Anwen triggers Defy Danger with Charisma: 5+1+0 Charisma = 6, Miss

We'll add two ticks to the clock, putting it at 7. Stakes are rising here, and Anwen and Vahid have been seen by quite a few folks, so while they're not being confronted immediately, they're being actively sought -- the confrontation in the marketplace plus the rumors spread by the emigres mean that it's really Vahid and Anwen in the crosshairs, but if Pad is caught with them, things could get hairy fast.

As they make their way back down the terraces, through the tenements, most of the night’s bustle has died down, but the few restless souls that remain watch Anwen and Vahid with intense curiosity when they pass. By the time they reach the Swap on the third terrace, she is almost sure they are being followed, but the street is dark and deserted when they come to Madam Parvati’s doors, and they duck in unseen.

NPC Breakdown: Elder Kirs

In the upcoming scene, we’re going to (finally?) find Elder Kirs, our objective in Gordin’s Delve. Kirs, a guide-for-hire for Delver treasure hunters, knows the location of the Barrow of the Thrice-Betrayer, wherein lies an artifact that will unlock the power of the arcanum beneath Stonetop.

Before we dive in, as part of my GM prep I tried to grab all the stuff we currently know about Elder Kirs, and the answer is: Not much! In Session 8.1, young Kirs said that the famous name of their ancestor ‘broke him,’ but declined to say more when pressed. We know he was exiled when Kirs and Katrin were young, but not exactly when. We also know that their mother isn’t around, so that may have had something to do with Elder Kirs’ exile.

From those established details, I envisioned a man who, after the loss of his wife in some terrible misfortune, spiraled into resentment and bitterness. That, combined with the expectations heaped on him because of his great lineage, pushed him into strife with his kin and ultimately exile. I tried to make him bitter but sympathetic — let me know how I did in the comments, if you feel so inclined.

Scene 7: Madam Parvati’s chambers

Padrig and Anwen wait in Madam Parvati’s chambers — softly appointed with what passes for luxury in the Delve, with saffron silks concealing the wooden walls and faded carpets piled on the earthen floor. Vahid rests fitfully upstairs, dreaming of the visions from the oculus.

“When will Elder Kirs arrive?” Anwen asks.

Pad shrugs. “Hard to say. The Hillfolk aren’t exactly welcome in the Delve right now, so he will not leave his hiding place until it’s dark and deserted in the streets.” His voice softens, and he continues. “But take this time to prepare yourself. It’s best if you tell of young Kirs’ death, since you stood beside him at the end.”

Anwen nods, though she looks like she’d rather face a wall of spears. She steels herself for the job ahead, and the pair of them wait: Her, sitting cross-legged, resting her chin on a clenched fist; Him pacing slowly back and forth across the carpeted floor.

After more than a few quiet, tense moments, Baraz’s thick hand sweeps the curtain aside. “Your caller has come, my friends.” The Lygosi ushers a cloaked figure into the room. When he throws back his hood, Anwen sees a vision of what Kirs, alive and grown old, might have looked like: Sharp features with a hawk nose, now bent from an old break, and clear blue eyes gone cloudy. His long grey hair is bound in a single braid, unlike the shorn Heoling warriors Anwen has come to know, and beneath it, she can see the fading rays of a sunburst tattoo got in his youth.

“Well, stren?” he rasps -- his throat is scarred from lotus-smoke, Padrig guesses -- “If this is a trap, the bait is well-chosen. What news do you have of my son?”

Anwen stands to look at him eye to eye. Her breath catches in her throat before she speaks, but she stops Padrig from stepping in with a quiet glance. She hardens her resolve and answers. “He was killed, Elder Kirs. Defending his people from a terrible enemy.”

The breath goes out of Elder Kirs in a rush, and he closes his eyes. “Of course. It could not have been otherwise. The tu’d is a ravenous beast that eats its proudest sons and daughters first. How did it happen?”

“Your kin have been drawn into a feud with a powerful sorcerer, and he was killed defending the village from a cowardly ambush.”

“I have no kin. Not anymore,” he growls.

“What about Katrin?” Padrig asks hesitantly.

“She was taken from me when she was just a girl, when old Loen saw that she was spirit-touched. Once she learned the ways of the unseen world, she forgot me. Before I was exiled, when she looked in my eyes, she did not see her father.”

“That can’t be true,” Anwen protests. “She told us to find you here. She thinks of you often.”

He shakes his head, wordlessly denying this. He turns haltingly, to leave.

“Wait!” Anwen exclaims. “Where are you going?”

“Far from here. Over the mountains, perhaps, or south to Lygos. Somewhere the tu’d has never grazed their herds.”

“Your people are in danger,” Anwen says desperately. “And mine with them. Please. We need your help.”

Anwen is making the Persuade attempt here, and triggering Speak Truth to Power in the process — she’s demanding he ‘do the right thing’ giving her advantage (and a Resolve if he refuses)

Anwen Triggers Persuade w/ advantage: 4+2+1 + 0 Charisma, = 6, Miss

Anwen really doesn't want to miss here. They need Elder Kirs, and the countdown clock is almost full -- a miss here could put the bosses at their doorstep, if we choose to advance the clock. So instead, she upgrades her success using Impetuous Youth¹. The option that makes the most sense to choose is that she 'otherwise escalates the situation,' -- Her plea has made Kirs angry, and he won't trust them easily. 

With a Weak Hit, he still needs some convincing: Elder Kirs believes the Sun-Spear have discarded him, and he needs to hear from someone could trust (i.e. — not the PCs) that they still remember him.

Elder Kirs rounds on her, his face twisted with anger. “What do I owe the Sun-Spear? Eh? When my wife was dying in a bloody bed, did Solnn’s prayers save her? Did Loen²’s spells and potions? When Juba gave my son to Rogr³ to train and my daughter to Loen as an apprentice, what was I left with? I bled myself white for the Sun-Spear — they took what they needed from me and cast me out. Let them pray to Heol, and he will answer them as he has answered me: With silence.”

Vahid’s voice comes from behind Elder Kirs⁴.” If you will not hear our plea, perhaps you will listen to Katrin herself.” He appears in the doorway, looking haggard and haunted. Padrig winces when he sees the dark hollow where his left eye was.

Elder Kirs whirls on the Seeker, and in a flash, a blade is in his hand and pressing against Vahid’s stomach. Anwen and Padrig are on their feet, weapons half-drawn, but Vahid holds his hand up to stop them. “If you have brought my daughter here, to this place that is hated by all the gods, I swear by Heol I will color the walls with your guts,” Elder Kirs hisses.

Vahid slowly raises his left hand. Around his wrist, where the burnt flesh meets the living, a braided bracelet of dry Flats grasses sits⁵. “She is safe with the Sun-Spear. This is her pharmakeia⁶. With it, we can commune with her in the unseen world.”

“You lie, magus. Never trust a dealer in sorcery; suffer not a hdour to live.” The dagger point presses a little harder, and Vahid winces.

“This is the pure magic of your people, I promise you. And there is only one way to know truly.” Once again, he offers the bracelet to Elder Kirs.

Scene Breakdown

This bracelet was a parting gift from Katrin back in Session 8.5. Using it requires the moon be full, so I asked the Ironsworn Yes/No Oracle if we had a full moon this evening. Since Stonetop has two moons (and it’s a nice little connection to make), I made the probability “Likely.” I got a “Yes, but…” So, I’ll envision that one of the moons is full, but that this little ritual takes time — the Bosses are now actively searching for our heroes, so they don’t have much time before they either have to answer some questions (and risk Pad’s exposure) or escape the town.

Vahid now triggers Persuade again -- this time, trying to convince him to trust this strange magic (and if he does so, Kirs' requirement from Anwen's original Weak Hit can be fulfilled, securing his aid. The Seeker is offering Kirs something he wants really badly here, so he triggers Persuade with a side of Let's Make a Deal, meaning a 7+ gives a Strong Hit here. 

Vahid triggers Persuade: 6+1+1 Charisma = 8, Weak Hit-->Strong Hit

He’s ready for a trip! When the ritual is complete, we’ll mark the last tick of the countdown clock and and push the confrontation with the Bosses to a head.

The old nomad swears under his breath. Vahid feels the sharp point at his belly ease as Elder Kirs cuts the woven grass from Vahid’s wrist. The blade flashes copper and red in the firelight -- orichalcum, the Seeker notes with a strange calm.

His eyes narrow as he studies the braid, searching for some small sign of his Katrin’s handiwork. At last, his eyes meet Vahid’s again. “Very well. Show me.”

A low table is cleared, and Baraz brings forth a hastily-emptied and cleaned incense dish. “Best hurry, friends” he whispers. “Rumor is that Jahalim and the Smiler⁷’s lanternmen are on the hunt -- searching for a strange man in blue robes and a copper-haired champion from Stonetop. Sound familiar?” The bouncer smiles grimly and departs.

Vahid and Elder Kirs sit across from one another as the loop of woven grass burns. Its thick, earthy smoke curls to the ceiling, and the pair lean over it, breathing deeply. Anwen and Padrig watch at a distance, standing vigil by the door. “How long must we wait?” Padrig whispers urgently.

“If it is anything like the last pharmakeia Katrin bestowed on me, the drugs are quick. Just a moment of patience, my friend,” Vahid says with a small smile.

Padrig gives a reply, but Vahid cannot hear it -- he feels far away, and the sounds of the grassland winds drown out his comrade’s voice.

What dreams may come. Source: Midjourney

Scene 8: A dreamscape of grasslands

They open their eyes on a vast trackless, plain, grasses bowing in prayer to the wind as far as the eye can see. Above is a sky full of unfamiliar constellations of stars, and green ribbons of aurora flow and twist through the black. Katrin awaits them there, her simple white Deel robe and straw-colored hair whipping in the breeze.

In the dreamscape, Vahid’s body feels light and painless. He looks at his reflection in the mirror-bright headpiece of the Azure Hand, and his face is whole once again, and his once-burnt flesh is unspoiled.

At his side, Kirs calls out her name, his voice clear and unmarred by the lotus-smoke. She turns to face him. Her eyes are already wet with tears, and she clasps her hands tightly at her waist. “Father. When I gave the Seeker my magic, I dared not wish for this.”

“Is it so painful to look upon me, Katrin?”

“I have looked on you in my dreams a hundred times since you were exiled. I only feared the pain it would cause you.”

“What care have you for me? When Louen took you as his apprentice, the spirits filled your head and heart, and you forgot me. You were all I had left to remember your mother by, and you treated me like a stranger.”

“I understand that now. But then, I was young, hearing the voices of the wind and the grasses; it was all so beautiful and overwhelming. I was only a child; I couldn’t have known how much you needed me. But I know now. I am sorry for all that’s happened since then.”

“And what do you know of what’s happened?” he spits, growing bitter again.

“Much,” Katrin replies sharply. “Remember to whom you speak -- a traveler in the unseen world. I have stood beside you in your dark times. I have wept with you many nights, even though you could not hear me. And I have seen you be courageous, strong, and compassionate, despite it all. I would not have sent these three to you if it were not so.”

“And why did you send them to me?”

“A new power is rising over our homeland: A sorcerer who commands storms like servants. He seeks to rule the tu’d as a great king and has gathered many storm-folk to his band. It was his command that killed my brother, your son. These three and their kin at Stonetop are our allies in the fight against him. They need a guide to lead them to the barrow of the Thrice-Betrayer, to recover the crown that our ancestor hid there — a treasure this villain covets.”

“Madness,” Kirs whispers. “That barrow is doom to all who enter.”

“Not to you. You have been there, I know. Please help us. Fate has placed you at the turning point in that lonely, accursed place. If you wish your future to be different than your past, surely this is the way.”

Elder Kirs wipes the tears from his eyes. “You sound just like your mother.”

“I wish I could’ve known her. But your stories were enough.”

“Enough,” he repeats in a whisper. “I will help you, Seeker.”

“Thank you,” Katrin whispers, to Elder Kirs and Vahid both.

Vahid bows his head in thanks. “We should make haste, Elder. I am sorry, but our enemy is moving, and we have little time.”

The old man nods, and Katrin closes her eyes. The wind grows to a gale, whipping the grass against their legs, and with a start, they awaken.

Scene 7, cont’d: Madam Parvati’s Chambers

Vahid’s eye opens, and Padrig and Anwen’s anxious faces swim into view. Across the table from him, Elder Kirs stirs, his gaze distant and misty. Padrig’s eyes meet Vahid, and the Seeker nods in quiet confirmation.

"Good," Padrig mutters. “Just in time. Baraz says the lanternmen are moving through the Swap as we speak. You and Anwen must have made quite an impression.”

As though on cue, Baraz peeks through the doorway. “They are drawing near. If your negotiations are concluded, it is best you leave through the cellar -- there is a passageway there that leads to the old tunnels beneath the city. I trust you still know them, Padrig?”

Padrig grimaces. “Well enough. Gather your things, everyone.”

“Wait,” says Vahid, holding up a placating hand. “There is more I learned from the Ustrina.”

“Surely it can wait,” Padrig says, exasperation creeping into his voice.

“It cannot. The hdour may seek the crown, but first, he intends to strike at the Delve, when the twin moons are full, in two weeks.”

“What?” Padrig hisses. “The fool. This place is unassailable. Even if they were to gain control of Sorrow’s Gate or fight their way down the slopes, the Foundry is a fortress with unbreakable doors and six months of stores in the cellar.”

“Unassailable to a normal force, perhaps. But he commands the storms and can bestow great power on his fighters, if they are willing to die -- which we know they are. He has a key to the Foundry’s great doors, bought from the Ustrina. And he has an agent -- the assassin, Cicatrix, I believe -- already within the city.”

Padrig chokes. Anwen gasps. “What does he intend?” Pad asks.

“There is a powerful fire spirit bound into the Foundry. He intends to release it. Undoubtedly, it will wreak havoc in the Foundry itself and then upon the surrounding tenements. If he strikes such a blow against Gordin’s Delve, he will be a hero to many among the tu’d. His numbers will swell with glory-hungry warriors.”

“We have to warn them!” Anwen cries.

“Warn who?” Padrig hisses. “This isn’t Stonetop -- there’s no village council to speak to, no elders to petition. You walked the streets -- folk preach all sorts of madness about the nomads and their plans. Why should they trust us? And if we go to the Bosses, they’re as like to slit our throats as to heed our warning.”

“We can’t do nothing, Pad! What about Baraz and Parvati and their people? And Rheisart⁸? "

“We can get them out before the hdour strikes. They can return when the threat has passed or meet us in Stonetop when our mission is done. And if we move now, we can steal a march on the bastard -- find the barrow before he does, have the crown in hand, and be on the way back to Stonetop before he even reaches it.”

“And if we stop him here, our way to the barrow and the crown will be clear,” Vahid reasons.

“How will we stop him? As you have said, he has dozens of riders and commands the storm to aid them.”

“We will need treat with the Bosses. Raise the town’s defenses. And stand with them. United, with our aid, they might stand a chance.”

“Unite the Delve? Vahid, come to your senses,” Padrig pleads. “You do not know these men — I do. They are ruthless. They care nothing for the people of the Delve — they know there will always be more emigres coming from the Marches, the mountains, or Lygos. They will not risk what they have to protect the town and its people — If we forewarn them, they will retreat to their boltholes and protect those closest to them.”

“This is a new kind of danger. If the nomads destroy the Foundry, the Delve as they know it will cease to be — such a fear can be a powerful motivator, as it was when they united against the Claws.”

Padrig stops short, turning Vahid’s words over and over in his mind. He looks to Anwen. “It might be possible, but it’s damn risky. For me, especially — but the Bosses won’t look kindly on you and the Seeker when they learn I’m with you. And if we fail, the sorcerer’s way to the crown will be clear. From there, he marches on Stonetop.”

“The Bosses’ bravos are searching the Swap for us,” Vahid says calmly. “If we wish an audience with one of them, there will not be a more opportune moment. But we must decide now: Escape and seek the crown? Or stand fast and fight for the Delve?”

Session End, Reader Poll, and Housekeeping

We’ll close out the episode, and Session 11, there. The party has found Elder Kirs and is prepared to pursue their ultimate goal in the Barrow of the Thrice-Betrayer, but first, they must decide: Do they leave the Delve to its fate and stay fixed on their pursuit of Stormcatcher’s Crown? Or do they try to unite the disparate factions of the Delve to turn back the hdour’s attack? The choice is up to you all: Forge a plucky coalition (or steal away in the dead of night) and mash the button below to vote now:

With Session 11 in the can, I’ll be taking another short break — we’ll pick back up with Session 12.1 on Monday, May 1. That episode will likely⁹ be a shortish GM prep episode where we reveal the poll results and talk about what Session 12 might have in store for the PCs. If we’re standing fast, I’ll talk a bit about the process of building the coalition and a bit about how I run mass combat in PbtA game, and if we’re racing for the crown, we’ll talk a bit about the Ironsworn supplement Delve and how it can be used to create rich, dramatic dungeon crawls.

As always, thank you for reading, and I’ll see you in your inboxes next month!

1. The last reference to this move was back in Session 8.3 — ironically, the very scene where young Kirs died.

2. Loen has been referenced a couple of times, starting in Session 7.4. He was the spirit-talker of the Sun-Spear band before Katrin, and trained her as an apprentice.

3. Rogr was the war leader of the Sun-Spear before young Kirs took over, we first heard his name in Session 8.1. From the details Elder Kirs is sharing, we can imagine that Rogr replaced him when things went south between him and the Sun-Spear, and even before that, Juba gave him the task of training young Kirs over his own father.

4. A reader asked me in the DMs how I decide when to bring PCs back into the scene — like with Padrig showing up dramatically right as Parvati and Anwen discussed him in Session 11.4. The answer is: When the party is separated but trying to reconnect, I always ask myself: Is this a dramatic and compelling moment for the character to show up? And if it is, I envision it that way. Simple as! In this case, Vahid has a particular advantage in these negotiations, so now is an opportune time for him to have awakened.

5. This was a parting gift from Katrin back in Session 8.5. It requires the moon to be full, but it’s too nice of a connection not to envision at least one full moon — the world of Stonetop has two, after all.

6. We last referred to magic, potions, and drugs as pharmakeia in a scene with Katrin in Session 8.5. It’s a fascinating term in ancient Greek — it means everything from mundane wine to poison to strange drugs to magic spells. Well worth reading about if you’ve got the time and curiosity.

7. ‘The Smiler’ is Smiling Ffrancis, who we touched on in the session prep for Gordin’s Delve.

8. Anwen’s blacksmith friend, currently on furlough because the forges are quiet.

9. 50/50 chance I get itchy and write the GM prep during the break. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯