I’m a little pressed for time this week so I’m going to try and keep this report short. Players, current or potential, are encouraged to skip the GM notes.

Returning Players

  • Morden the Talon Knight, played by Kyani
  • Marion the Saddle Knight, played by Brendan
  • Nasus the Tourney Knight, played by Zedeck

New players:

  • Kirus the Barbed Knight, played by Ian

Portrait of a goateed and mustachioed man looking stern and a bit nervous. He wears light armour with spiked pauldrons, carries a bow, and sports a plumed helmet. Portrait of Kirus by Ian

Downtime in Old Ferry

The knights returned to Old Ferry with the dog they had retrieved from the halls of the Goblin. The townsfolk were grateful for their help and gifted them a fixed up old river barque called Old Cradle, a faithful craft as old as anyone living there that had never sprung a leak.

The knights spent a few weeks downtime recovering from their injuries. They learned of a rumour of a mysterious woman – perhaps a witch – appearing in the Rose Palace to the south. Morden, who was still in good form, stayed with the Goblin for this time. The Goblin is a king after all, and Morden wished to learn from him. After some weeks the Goblin offered a deal: set out in the world, and return to him with a love letter that had not reached its addressee. Nasus offered to help by writing a series of love letters to the Alderman’s son and putting them in the mail, in the hopes that one of them might be lost.

GM Notes

I had mixed feelings about letting Nasus do this, as besides the fact that it seemed to be stretching the game's time economy it felt decidedly... un-knightly. When asked whether Nasus's words were heartfelt, Zedeck suggested that it was more in the line of a formal exercise, which raises the question as to whether the Goblin will accept it anyway.

I also made some procedural calls here that I don't feel great about. After the last session, Kyani had expressed concern that a whole season passing after "a few weeks" of early spring felt like time was moving too quickly. I left that to the passage of time table, which dictated that indeed, Harvest would not come until next adventure. But this denied the players an opportunity to gain Glory (keyed to the passing of seasons). I think this game's implicit pace one adventure per season. I think some more clarity on that front would have been helpful here...

The Army on the Road

Next, they set out southward for the Reed Tower to speak with the Reed Seer. Along the way, they ran into a large battalion flying banners emblazoned with a golden sun on a white field, travelling northeast towards Pellgate, the fortress of the Gate Knight. Intimidated, they hid out of site. Bad weather kept them in uncomfortable proximity to this travelling army for several days, until finally it cleared and the two groups decamped, going their separate ways without a word exchanged.

GM Notes

The battalion was an Omen of the Order and the product a bungled implementation of the omen rules -- I had forgotten that they are now intended to be encountered in a specific order, not at random.

The Wall-Workers

A couple days later, they found a likely campsite occupied by a couple of labourers. They were nervous and reluctant to talk. After some urging, they admitted that they were masons travelling to repair the huge ancient wall at the south end of the realm. The Marches beyond it are forbidden by ancient taboo, and strange things – creatures, and people – had begun to emerge through its gaps. Their reluctance owed from the fact that the Shadowed Knight, who dwells in the Rose Palace, had been sending out troops to prevent the wall’s repair.

Reed Town, or, the Duel in the Swamps

Finally, they made it to Reed Town, a place of thatched huts built on stilts and quiet, placid folk who fished for eels and farmed waterlogged grains and berries. Standing over it was the Reed Tower, a tall whicker structure that bowed and swayed in the breeze. Morden went about making the ritual preparations to meet the seer (gathering a bushel of reed when the sun is halfway set, cutting them at the exact spot where the shadow meets the light).

Nasus, meanwhile, sought about securing lodgings. The people here followed certain protocols around reciprocity, and offered their hospitality for a favour: to drive away the knight who had been shaking them down intermittently for supplies. Nasus, the Tourney Knight, planned to challenge her to a joust – his specialty, after all.

As it happened, she arrived that very evening. What the townspeople had not mentioned was that she’s like, a solid 8 feet tall. Mustering his courage, he challenged her anyway. Both went in with significant advantages, Nasus from his lance and skill at the joust, and his opponent – the Titan Knight – by virtue of sheer power. They clashed, Nasus scoring a Catching Blow and the Titan Knight wanging him with her zweihander (wielded in one hand hand) for a hefty bit of damage. The Catching Blow knocked her partway out of her saddle, which would have been a big advantage in the next round. Moreover, they both took enough damage to have them saving against Critical Damage. Here, the Titan Knight passed, whereas Nasus failed, unhorsing him and costing him the joust.

The Titan Knight took her spoils of jellied eel and swamp berry compote and rode away. The townsfolk, out of a mix of pity and respect for knightly status, lodged their guests anyway.

Next session: they’ll meet the seer!