# Ironsworn Solo Game

**URL:** https://forum.menagerie.team/t/ironsworn-solo-game/794
**Category:** Games
**Tags:** ironsworn, worldbuilding
**Created:** [November 23, 2019, 11:58pm UTC](https://forum.menagerie.team/t/ironsworn-solo-game/794 "2019-11-23T23:58:43Z")
**Posts on this page:** 1
**Showing post:** 32

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### Author: ![insomn14](https://forum.menagerie.team/user_avatar/forum.menagerie.team/insomn14/32/5949_2.png) [@insomn14](https://forum.menagerie.team/u/insomn14)
#### Post date: [January 23, 2020, 3:47am UTC](https://forum.menagerie.team/t/ironsworn-solo-game/794/32 "2020-01-23T03:47:45Z")

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Last time, we returned to the stream. Yeah, _ **that** _ stream. Now onto the game.

So Althus and crew are finally heading to Sommersbrooke (for the first since the first session of this particular vow, if we want to split hairs). I’m not terribly interested in the trip at this point and I think that Blackfalls was close enough to Sommersbrooke that it doesn’t qualify as hazardous or unfamiliar. It’s also likely that, before dealing with Kiah and his bandits, some of the townsfolk of Blackfalls could have told Althus the path to Sommersbrooke, so we’ve got our way there.

Once the team arrives, Althus gets a first hand look at Brynn’s work. Everyone in the town is shut up in their homes, weary of outsiders. Large sections of the town have been excavated, looking for Firstborn artifacts. This place probably looks a bit like a ghost town.

> [@](#):
>
> “What happened here?” Saskai asked, peering in a deep trench dug up through the center of the main road through town.
> 
> “I have no idea,” Althus answered. He was looking about trying to find some sign of life in the town, but came up short. Finally he caught movement out of the corner of his eye and turned to see the shutters of a window slam closed.
> 
> Running up to the home, Althus gave the front door three rapid, heavy knocks with the heel of his palm. “Hello!” he cried. “We’re looking for someone to tell us what happened here.”
> 
> No answer came from the house but a shout came from behind the Northerner. “They won’t answer!”
> 
> Althus spun around to find an old grizzled man leaning out from behind the corner of a nearby house. He waved for the Northerner come to him and Althus did, though not before beckoning for Saskai to follow.
> 
> “Heh,” the old man grunted amusingly, “a Northerner, his pet mammoth, and a child of the seas. What brings you three this cursed town?”

We Ask the Oracle if anyone in town is willing to talk to Althus (unlikely). Surprisingly, someone is (87). We check with the Character Role Oracle and they are an Adventurer. We continue checking with Oracles and learn they are Taylah (he | bitter, cunning, and old) and are Curious about Althus and his friends.

We’ll ask Taylah about what happened here and roll +wits to Gather Information. We get a strong hit (6 vs. 5, 4) so luckily Taylah has some good information (as well as +2 Momentum). He tells Althus about Brynn and her take over of the town, her search for the Healing Springs of the Firstborn, and his own experiences with the site (I imagine he explored it as a younger man and tried several times to unsuccessfully bypass the guardian on his own). But this means Taylah can also tell us about the guardian.

> [@](#):
>
> “Well it sounds like someone needs to deal with this Brynn,” Althus said.
> 
> “It’s too late,” Taylah said. Althus gave the old adventurer a questioning look and he continued. “She’s already made it to the spring. She used her magicks to turn into one of the elves that once watched over the springs and gone there. The springs’ guardian will protect her against anything now.”
> 
> “Guardian?” Althus asked.
> 
> “Aye,” the old man said, “it’s a massive bird. I tried my best to sneak past it many times as a younger man, but it was just too quick to outrun.”
> 
> “Why run past it? Why not fight it?” Althus asked, motioning to the old man’s axe latched to his belt.
> 
> Taylah gave a dismissive shake of his head. “Never work. The springs heal any cut or scratch you could give the bird. And its poisonous breath would kill you in moments.”
> 
> “Poisonous breath?!” Althus exclaimed. “Is this a bird or a dragon?”

We’ll use the new Monstrosity Oracles from Delve (Delve, pg. 214-216) and learn that it is a giant-sized bird with four taloned legs and an oversized mouth on its stomach, lined with rows of sharp teeth. Taylah also tells of its poisonous breath, its incredible swiftness, and its ability to recover from any injury thanks to its bond to the healing springs. Fantastic.

Well let’s see how we’re doing on this quest. We’ve made it to the town of Sommersbrooke and found out about Brynn and her plot. I think that qualifies for two milestones on our quest which, since this is a Formidable quest, counts as two progress (2/10). We’re going to make some headway here.

With that out of the way, let’s return to the guardian of the springs. Normally I would say something like this is an Extreme foe, nigh unassailable in combat, but Taylah has armed us with knowledge of the beast’s capabilities. Let’s see if we can fashion a makeshift gas mask.

> [@](#):
>
> Althus dunked the cloth under the water and then tried his best to tie it around his head.
> 
> “This a fool thing to do,” Taylah exclaimed.
> 
> “I tell him that a lot, it does not help,” Saskai chimed in.
> 
> “The poison will still scorch your flesh even if it doesn’t suffocate you,” Taylah said gloomly.
> 
> “Then I’d best end this quickly,” Althus said quickly, the water filling his mouth despite his best attempts.

We roll +wits (since this seems like something insightful) to _Secure an Advantage_ and get a strong hit (7 vs. 1, 2). This seems like the definition of preparation, so we get +2 Momentum (now up to +6) but since it will partially nullify one of the guardian’s traits, I think it makes sense to drop the threat of this monstrosity to “merely” Formidable. Let’s see if we can secure another advantage…

> [@](#):
>
> Althus dug through Cratch’s side bags, pulling odds and ends out. Finally, Althus produced a thick wool cloak and a length of metal wire with irregular, twisted wire barbs covering it.
> 
> Saskai nodded to the metal wire. “What’s that? Iron?”
> 
> “Yeah,” Althus replied. “The farmers of Lora’s Rise use it to protect their sheep from trogs.” Saskai grimaced at the mention of the bipedal lizard.
> 
> Althus quickly donned the woolen cloak and then handed the length of wound metal to Saskai. “Wrap me in it. My iron shirt should protect me against the worst of the barbs.”
> 
> “What you planning?” Taylah asked, curiously watching Althus’ preparations.
> 
> “Well, you said the guardian was quick, correct?” Althus asked in return. The old adventurer nodded in agreement. “Well, what is it going to do when it catches me?”
> 
> “Stomp you with its talons,” Taylah said, the idea starting to dawn on him. “Bite at you with its infernal mouth.” The old man gave a tired groan. “You lucky bastard, if I had this wire I’d have made it past that bird in my heyday!”
> 
> “I just hope it dislikes iron as much as its Firstborn creators do,” Althus said while Saskai finished wrapping the iron wire around him.

We make another +supply roll to _Check Our Gear_ and get another strong hit (10 vs. 2, 6)… the law of averages is going to be pain soon I suspect. We get another +1 Momentum (up to +7) and have something very useful against the bird and its tactics. This should also knock it down from Formidable to Dangerous. At this point, we are just about ready to fight the beast.

> [@](#):
>
> Once they had left Taylah and Sommersbrooke behind, Althus started to say something to Saskai but they cut him off. “I’m going to watch Cratch while you’re gone.”
> 
> Althus smirked. “You’re going to watch Cratch? You don’t want to insist on assisting me slay the Firstborn abomination?”
> 
> “No, I think I’ll be just fine here.”
> 
> Althus gave a half-hearted sigh. “And here I thought you had told Quinn you wanted to join my clan.”
> 
> Saskai hit Althus in an exposed part of his shoulder and blow landed solidly enough to make his arm turn numb for a moment. “Shut up and go kill the evil demon bird.”
> 
> Althus gave a hearty chuckle at Saskai’s words–likely the first laugh Sommersbrooke had heard in quite some time. “You know if I die, you’re going to feel really bad that those were your last words to me.”
> 
> “I doubt it,” Saskai said, crossing their arms and scrunching up.
> 
> Althus chuckled again and doused his mouth coverings with water from his waterskin. Unable to speak any more, Althus merely gave a quick wave goodbye to Saskai and Cratch as he departed for the Springs.

Next time, we fight the scary bird monster and maybe face-off against Brynn.

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