Neverwinter World; a Dungeon World Playset

[darkbard]

As the hoofbeats of the three riders echo ominously off the stone buildings and cobbles, PRITCHARD shivers reflexively. "Deuced eerie place, this is!" he thinks. His part in this ... murder ... is assuredly the easier: draw the Mintarns' attention long enough for Twyll to ambush Plinth from above. Provide backup as necessary. Drive off the two "innocent" mercenaries if he can.

He shivers again. There is a presence in this place that reeks of the supernatural to his trained senses. "Let us hope it does not manifest before we have done our wormwork and made off."

One of the soldiers peeks up again at the high window of the gatehouse beside which he stands, and Pritchard realizes his opportunity. He steps out from the shadows of the stone portico canopy and unfurls the ragged, billowy greatcloak he wears. His face is a white mask of stage cosmetics.

"You daaaaaaaaare," he intones in his best imitation of the rattling, parched throat of the dead. He raises an arm and points accusingly. "Begone! None living shall trespass upon the domain of the departed!"

---

Pritchard has no need to remain hidden for his part in this scene; he is using the soldiers' fear of their surroundings and the presumably haunted guardhouse to draw their attention from Twyll atop the breezeway so that she can enact her ambush.

INFERNAL INSIGHT

When you wield your environment against your foe(s), choose 1 from the list below and roll +INT: on a 7-9, pick 1, but you pay the infernal price. On a 10+, pick 1.

+ Impede or interrupt their actions

+ Create an advantage that grants you or an ally +1 forward on the next roll to exploit it

+ Deal damage appropriate to the source (b[2d4] for bruises/scrapes, b[2d6] for bloodshed, b[2d8] if it’d break bones, b[2d10] if it’d kill a common person)

r4,4 +2 INT = 10. I choose to create the advantage of distracting the Mintarns' attention, granting Twyll +1 forward on her next move to exploit it.

---

Meanwhile, TWYLL crouches, swaddled in black from head to foot, one leg practically astride the half-wall of the breezeway, ready to pounce down on Plinth from above. Though brutal, her part in the plan is simple: once Pritchard has drawn their attention, she will drop upon the mailed rider, knock him from his steed, and then do him in with her sword, clutched now in one hand.

Couldn't be easier. Their leader down, the other two riders will be sure to flee, preserving their hides. And saving her the guilt of collateral damage.

Plinth cranes his neck upward, looking about suspiciously, but she wills herself still, holding position.

Pritchard's spectral voice calls out, and just as Plinth's gaze is about to linger upon her black-clad form for a bit too long, the captain pulls his gaze away to look at the apparition at the guardhouse door.

---

Twyll blends her black-clad form with the surrounding shadows to remain hidden from the Mintarns' direct scrutiny.

CHAMELEON

When you use your surroundings to avoid suspicion or trouble, roll +WIS: on a 10+, hold 2 Guile; on a 7-9, hold 1 Guile and the GM reveals an Unwelcome Truth that cannot be resolved by spending Guile. You may spend Guile, 1-for-1, to:

+ Move about or maneuver unchallenged

+ Withstand direct scrutiny or questioning

+ Direct suspicion or attention elsewhere

r2,3 +1 WIS +1 forward from Pritchard = 7. Twyll holds 1 Guile and the GM reveals an Unwelcome Truth that cannot be resolved by spending Guile.

Presumably, she will spend that Guile to withstand direct scrutiny if that Unwelcome Truth so allows and thus be in position to Ambush.

 

[Nephis]

As Plinth and his men pass under the breezeway, TWYLL makes good her choice to leap off in ambush, hoping to unseat the captain from his horse. This is a perfect moment: the men are distracted by Pritchard's antics: time for the cat to pounce on her prey.

As she begins to lift herself onto the foot balanced atop the bridge's wall, however, the drow is startled by a familiar icy feeling along the hairs of the back of her neck. She slowly turns her head and meets the gaze of a wraith staring balefully at her, teeth bared, eyes glowing a sickly pale green. Apparently there is a good reason for the uneasiness of those below and it can easily make out her form, despite the camouflage of her clothing.

Immediately Twyll's mind casts backward years before to a routine patrol of the labyrinth of tunnels well beneath the ruins of Castle Never. There were two wraiths then, and those creatures nearly got the better of them: she still bears the sense of icy touch on her left shoulder where one grabbed hold of her. She has never forgotten the sense that she was being pulled outward from her body, downward to ... somewhere ... before one of her fellow Bregan D'aerthe slew it, and its "hand" dissipated, leaving the eternal ache.

Stomach in her throat, Twyll quickly turns and stumble-leaps off the bridge--not quite as gracefully as she was hoping--as much to escape this present evil, as to attack the captain below. As might be expected by the use of such haste, her pounce misses the captain, but her catlike instincts still land her easily on her feet.

The element of surprise may have been lost, but not everything is: the drow uses the momentum of her drop to fluidly execute a turn and draw up her short sword. With its tip Twyll not only slices across Plinth's torso, but catches his cloak as well. With a twist, she unhorses "The Hammer" and dives in for the kill.

---

Per Manbearcat: On the 7-9 result from Chameleon, the Reveal an Unwelcome Truth (unrelated to Twyll's Guile) will be that I'm activating the soft move I made in the opening framing. There is an actual spirit in the guardhouse. Something very dangerous lurks there. From her position on the breezeway some 20 paces away, Twyll can see it ... she can feel it in a supernatural shiver down her spine. Its eyes flash with profane menace; a Wraith (Elite Undead)! Clearly that is what is unnerving the horses!

Twyll is first using Defy Danger (DEX) to jump down on top of Plinth and unhorse him, hoping that a successful Move here will lead to an attempt to subsequently use Ambush:

DEFY DANGER
When danger looms, the stakes are high, and you do something chancy, check if another move applies. If not, roll...
... +DEX to employ speed, agility, or finesse

On a 10+, you pull it off as well as one could hope; on a 7-9, you can do it, but the GM will present a lesser success, a cost, or a consequence (and maybe a choice between them, or a chance to back down):

r3,1+2 DEX = 6

Per Manbearcat: 6- and the tables are turned: You land on your feet, but your Ambush opportunity is over. He can't get his Halberd to bear, but he can draw his longsword (but not ready his shield). You have to Clash (close range to close range).

so, no attempt to Ambush.

Twyll then wields a weapon with speed and grace (Skill At Arms) to attack and unseat the captain:

SKILL AT ARMS
When you wield a weapon with speed and grace, roll +DEX to Clash (instead of +STR). On a 7+ on Clash, you can roll 1d8 instead of b[2d8] to add Wrong-foot or Deprive.

CLASH
When you're on even footing with adversaries and fight in melee or close quarters, roll +STR: on a 10+, your maneuver works as expected (deal your damage) and pick 1.

• Avoid, prevent, or counter your enemy’s attack
• Strike hard and fast, for 1d6 extra damage, but suffer your enemy’s attack

On a 7-9, your maneuver works, mostly (deal your damage) but you suffer your enemy’s attack.
On a 10+, if your armament/implement used for Clash possesses the Area tag, you can step down the results to 7-9 and apply your damage to all foes in range.

r4,6+2 DEX = 12:

• Skill At Arms: I choose to roll 1d8 instead of b[2d8] to add Deprive to unseat Captain Plinth
• Clash: I choose the second option to gain 1d6 damage and suffer an attack:

Damage to Plinth: r3,2 - 2 Armor = 3 damage to Plinth, and he is Deprived of his horse.
Damage to Twyll: r1-1Armor =0 Damage to Twyll

 

[Manbearcat]

Captain Plinth (Elite)
HP: 7/10
Armor: 2 (horseback or w/o shield) or 3 (with shield)
Damage: Halberd d8 +1 (Reach), Longsword d8 (Close), Horse d8 (Area, Fling, Reach, Reload)
Various tags based on moves.

Mintarn Mercs (Minions) x 2
HP: 3
Armor: 1
Damage: Short Sword/Dagger d6 (Close, Hand), Horse d8 (Area, Fling, Reach, Reload)

Wraith (Elite)
HP: 10/10
Armor: 3 (incorporeal) or 0 (vs weaknesses)
Damage: d4 (Close, No Armor, Vulnerable)
Special Qualities: Scares animals, blights plant-life, flight, phasing
Various tags based on moves.

This is one of the few times, I'm going to do this, but here is a quick illustration for readers/prospective DW players to understand how Range bands and array/creatures work in concert.

---

CAPTAIN PLINTH AND MINIONS

Oblivious to the looming Wraith in the guardhouse, but startled terribly by Twyll's own spectral-like attack from above, Captain Plinth is driven from his mount yet barely keeps his footing as the steed unsteadily rears and then clops away from the site of the ambush. His halberd sheathed on his saddle, he has no choice but to draw upon his backup armaments. His longsword peels from its scabbard as he dons his shield.

"SPECTER! MILES, FORM A LINE! JAX, BRING YOUR LIGHT TO BEAR AND FETCH MY DAMN HORSE," he barks out orders to his men who comply as he squares off against what he momentarily believes is an actual apparition (Twyll).

Miles turns his horse with the reins and draws his weapon, intent on defending Captain Plinth with the horse's ample backside and barding.

Meanwhile, Jax hustles his horse into a rush for the reins of Plinth's steed, intent on getting the mighty beast under control and bringing it back to his leader.

WRAITH

The terrible, incorporeal undead in the guardhouse disappears from site...phasing through the 2nd floor substrate. Almost invisible in this ghastly darkness, it lurks...somewhere...

The hair on the back of Pritchard's neck stands up as his skin begins to crawl. He can...feel...something ominous nearby.

---

What do you guys do?

 

[darkbard]

As the hairs stand on the back of PRITCHARD’s neck, he recognizes the source of this new flight response: an undead creature nearby, within this very guardhouse!

Poor news, that. Rather poor news, indeed.

His mind races frantically. Slow down, he tells himself. He inhales slowly. Exhales. Any self-respecting diabolist worth his salt has at least a passing familiarity with the whys and wherefores of the restless dead. A sister discipline, after all, such trafficking.

He recalls the many hours pouring over a rare copy of Taming a Boundless Hunger in that private collection in Waterdeep. Therein were so many different methods of exerting one’s will over the unliving. Surely he can recall a way to direct whatever lurks within towards feeding on those hot-blooded horses instead of him or Twyll!

---

Pritchard Spouts Lore to recall what he can of wraiths and their hunger for the living.

SPOUT LORE

When you consult your accumulated knowledge, roll +INT: on a 10+, the GM will tell you something interesting and useful about the topic at hand; on a 7-9, the GM will tell you something interesting—it’s on you to make it useful; either way the GM might ask, “How do you know this?”


r6,1 +2 INT = 9

My hope here is to recall something that I can make useful in using the surroundings to direct the wraith at the horses via Infernal Insight.

---

Per Manbearcat
Despite their appetite for the vitality of hosts of physical size or emotional weight, Wraiths recoil from the light, so they will settle for an alternative, smaller meal if a creature is bathed in radiance.

Pritchard knows he is no paragon of martial prowess. And his ability to drive off the undead is predicated on his wits, not mano-a-mano combat at the cold, dark entranceway to a ruined gatehouse.

In this case, discretion–to a point–is the better part of valor. Towards the light–and away from whatever is about to manifest through the guardhouse wall–he dashes.

---

Pritchard makes as quick a removal from the wraith’s grasp as possible.

DEFY DANGER

When danger looms, the stakes are high, and you do something chancy, check if another move applies. If not, roll...

... +DEX to employ speed, agility, or finesse

On a 10+, you pull it off as well as one could hope; on a 7-9, you can do it, but the GM will present a lesser success, a cost, or a consequence (and maybe a choice between them, or a chance to back down).

r4,5 +0 DEX = 9.

Per Manbearcat
Pritchard escapes the Wraith’s otherworldly clutches, but the supernatural chill from the near brush with death leaves a momentary mark.

* Your cost is Pritchard either takes 1d4 (no armor applies) or -1 forward; your call.

I choose the former; Pritchard takes r4 HP damage. He is now at 9/17 HP.

---

PRITCHARD makes his dash from the portico, but not before the Wraith, a shriveled figure of spite and malice, passes through the exterior wall of the guardhouse and swipes at him with its incorporeal claws. Its wicked talons pass right through the diabolist, but their touch is the iciness of the grave.

Gasping with pain, he continues his flight towards the panicked cluster of horses and soldiers, away from the Wraith and heading directly for Miles beside the bramble thicket median. Pritchard knows the danger those thorns present; his own face and hands play testament. Perhaps he can spook the horse, causing it to rear and throw its rider to a painful and debilitating conclusion.

He rushes the rider, greatcloak billowing about him, and emits a heinous groan, no imitation this time as he channels the pain of the Wraith’s touch into his wail.

---

Pritchard is Defying Danger to close within range of the horse and rider to enact his plan to unseat Miles from the horse.

DEFY DANGER

When danger looms, the stakes are high, and you do something chancy, check if another move applies. If not, roll…

... +INT to apply expertise or enact a clever plan

On a 10+, you pull it off as well as one could hope; on a 7-9, you can do it, but the GM will present a lesser success, a cost, or a consequence (and maybe a choice between them, or a chance to back down).

r5,2 +2 INT = 9

---

Per Manbearcat
As Pritchard draws close to the Mintarn mercenary on horseback, some kind of “devil’s sight” kicks in without his authorization. A flash of a scene through this horseman’s very eyes. It’s Lord Dagult Neverember’s seat of authority; the massive stone fortress that was a former Tyr temple; The Halls of Justice. Mordai Vell is speaking at a breakfast-casual (too casual…) with Neverember’s installed mayor, the dwarf Soman Galt. What is said can’t be heard by Pritchard, but the exchange is clearly congenial.

Suddenly, in walks in the Open Lord of Waterdeep himself; Dagult Neverember. Mordai Vell rises with neither bow nor salute…he doesn’t even bother to remove his ample hat. The pair smile and embrace…

Before the sudden, remote-viewed memory is cut-off, Pritchard notes the young Mintarn mercenary’s distinct sense that something is very strange here…

Pritchard snaps back to his present senses. Neverember and Vell. Some kind of unholy alliance? He files that away for future contemplation.

Now, however, he increases his flourishes with his greatcloak, producing batlike fluttering in a circle around him. In sepulchral tones, “I willlllll feeeeeed…”

He registers the panic on Miles the cavalryman’s face, and the horse must sense his fear, too, for it rears and kicks out with its forelegs, an accompanying whinny piercing the dark.

---

Pritchard is using the building dread of the scene–the heightened tension, the Wraith’s supernatural presence, and now especially his own depiction of the undead–to frighten both horse and rider out of action.

INFERNAL INSIGHT

When you wield your environment against your foe(s), choose 1 from the list below and roll +INT: on a 7-9, pick 1, but you pay the infernal price. On a 10+, pick 1.

+ Impede or interrupt their actions

+ Create an advantage that grants you or an ally +1 forward on the next roll to exploit it

+ Deal damage appropriate to the source (b[2d4] for bruises/scrapes, b[2d6] for bloodshed, b[2d8] if it’d break bones, b[2d10] if it’d kill a common person)

r6,5 +2 INT = 13! Finally, a return to unmitigated success! And just when we’re really beginning to need it.

I choose to damage the Mintarn mercenary.

Per Manbearcat:

Yup, Defy Danger to get into Reach range with Miles’s horse and spook it with your cape [...] then Infernal Insight; we’re just going to call Miles the Minion dead or out of the scene (your call) if that’s successful.

---

Horse and rider almost tumble over into the bramble as Pritchard intended. Even better, the pair is truly spooked now and bolts under the breezeway and back along the cobbled street, disappearing into the night.

---

"SPECTER! MILES, FORM A LINE! JAX, BRING YOUR LIGHT TO BEAR AND FETCH MY DAMN HORSE," he barks out orders to his men who comply as he squares off against what he momentarily believes is an actual apparition (Twyll).

As always TWYLL is hyper aware of her surroundings–she has had to be, how else would she have survived the treachery that eventually led her to join the Bregan D’aerthe? Hearing the panicky edge to the captain’s commands and seeing Pritchard dart forward, away from the guardhouse, she sees her chance to create an opening for herself.

As “Jax,” his horse, and–most importantly–their light source hanging from the horse’s stanchion move under the breezeway, the drow allows herself to melt into the growing shadows left behind, being sure to let her dark cloak “float” in the still air (an illusion helped by her mechanical aid). Pritchard racing past her will only strengthen the effect of her “spectral” self’s disapparition.

---

Twyll hopes to take advantage of Plinth thinking her an apparition to be able to disappear using Chameleon.

CHAMELEON

When you use your surroundings to avoid suspicion or trouble, roll +WIS: on a 10+, hold 2 Guile; on a 7-9, hold 1 Guile and the GM reveals an Unwelcome Truth that cannot be resolved by spending Guile. You may spend Guile, 1-for-1, to:

+ Move about or maneuver unchallenged

+ Withstand direct scrutiny or questioning

+ Direct suspicion or attention elsewhere

r6,2+1 WIS = 9, hold 1 Guile

Twyll will spend 1 Guile to Maneuver Unchallenged (away from the light and into the fulldark), and await the Unwelcome Truth that cannot be resolved by spending Guile.

Per Manbearcat
Whether it is the Wraith or the moonlight-blotting tower above you, the supernatural cold of the darkness is pervasive here.

You can spend 1 Adventuring Gear to summon something from your pack to stave off the spine-chilling, proprioception-distorting freeze or you take -1 forward.

I am choosing the first option here: spend 1 Adventuring Gear (4 remaining) to summon something from my pack to stave off the … freeze.

---

As Jax and the light continue to recede under the bridge, TWYLL reaches into her satchel and pulls out an old pair of woolen fingerless gloves, well-worn and much beloved. With her head scarf wrapped around to mask her face and her feet shod in warm and ancient leather boots, covering her hands should reduce the chill–that much she learned growing up in the inclement Underdark. Not a perfect solution for such bitter, bone-chilling cold, but it will do, particularly given their source, turning these simple gloves into a talisman that warms her heart, warding off the supernatural chill.

Her eyes are easily able to see, even in this strange gloom, Pritchard’s antics designed to frighten off one of Plinth’s men. As he rushes between herself and the “Hammer” toward Miles, Twyll quietly steps forward into the preternatural darkness, using her pliant soles to make little noise against the cobblestones, closing the gap between herself and her intended victim.

Stepping up behind him, the drow thrusts her short sword forward. Time to seal the deal.

---

Twyll uses Defy Danger (Dex) to sneak close enough to Ambush Plinth,

DEFY DANGER

When danger looms, the stakes are high, and you do something chancy, check if another move applies. If not, roll...

... +DEX to employ speed, agility, or finesse

On a 10+, you pull it off as well as one could hope; on a 7-9, you can do it, but the GM will present a lesser success, a cost, or a consequence (and maybe a choice between them, or a chance to back down).

r3,5+2 DEX = 10

Twyll then uses her close proximity to Plinth (which he didn’t see coming) to ambush him and attack him up close

AMBUSH

When you attack someone up close and they don’t see it coming, deal your damage or roll +DEX: on a 10+, deal your damage and pick 2; on a 7-9, deal your damage and pick 1.

+ Deal +1d4 damage

+ Stop them from making noise/raising an alarm

+ Slip away before they can react

+ Create an opportunity; you or an ally takes +1 forward on the next move to act on it

I choose to roll, rather than just deal damage: r4,3+2 DEX = 9: choose 1: Deal +1d4 damage

Damage to Plinth: b[r1,3]+r3-3 Armor = 3 Damage

 

[Manbearcat]

Captain Plinth (Elite)
HP: 4/10
Armor: 2 (horseback or w/o shield) or 3 (with shield)
Damage: Halberd d8 +1 (Reach), Longsword d8 (Close), Horse d8 (Area, Fling, Reach, Reload)
Various tags based on moves.

Mintarn Mercs (Minions) x 1
HP: 3
Armor: 1
Damage: Short Sword/Dagger d6 (Close, Hand), Horse d8 (Area, Fling, Reach, Reload)

Wraith (Elite)
HP: 10/10
Armor: 3 (incorporeal) or 0 (vs weaknesses)
Damage: d4 (Close, No Armor, Vulnerable)
Special Qualities: Scares animals, blights plant-life, flight, phasing
Various tags based on moves.

CAPTAIN PLINTH AND JAX (MINION)

"Damnit, Miles!" Captain Plinth vaguely registers his subordinate’s flight from the scene as he squares off against the threat that again just assailed him from the dark.

Still on unsteady ground regarding exactly what he is facing, he sheathes his blade to grab the reins of his horse that Jax has corralled and brought to him. Hunkering behind his shield, he throws one foot in a stirrup as he prepares to fling the other leg over the mighty steed. His words ring out through the haunted street as he again instructs Jax.

"ALCHEMIST'S FIRE! DRIVE THE THING BACK WITH FLAME AND LIGHT!"

On cue, Jax opens up his saddlebag, retrieves an ample flask of volatile contents, and measures a throw at Twyll's figure which is now in the darkness-defying luminosity of the sturdy lantern.

WRAITH

The hungry undead loses its incorporeal quality <no Armor, no Vulnerable tag on its attack> as its insatiable nature drives it inexorably forward in gliding flight toward the boundary of the light, like the proverbial moth to flame, as all possible "meals" are now bathed in the radiant kryptonite.

Twyll has a brief opening to potentially slay Captian Plinth as he mounts the steed, but simultaneously she is now caught between the looming volley of alchemist fire in front of her and the closing Wraith right behind her!

---

What do you guys do?

@Nephis , you can act upon this opening to straight up deal your damage to Plinth (minus his armor of 3) as he mounts his horse. However, if you do, you're getting the hard move of both Jax and the Wraith here; hit by both alchemist's fire and life stealing touch. That would be 1d4 w/ Burning Tag (and Area for light and flames on the ground) and 1d4 damage; no armor applies to either.

 

[darkbard]

Despite the sense of an otherworldly presence drawing nearer, TWYLL grimly continues to focus on her task at hand: the assassination. As the captain ignores her and presents his back to her as a perfect target in order to climb back atop his horse, she stabs her short sword upward into the small of his back, through a chink in his armor.

Chemical flames engulf the drow–along with a searing, aching chill, courtesy of the actual wraith–as she removes her blade, dripping in the “Hammer’s” blood. His death is now but moments away.

---

Twyll chooses to take this opportunity to continue her attack and deal damage to the captain: rb[3,6] - 3 Armor = 3 Damage to Plinth (1 HP remaining)

Damage to Twyll from Alchemist Fire: r4 = 4 Damage + Burning Tag
Damage to Twyll from the Wraith’s life-stealing touch: r3 = 3 Damage; Total Damage to Twyll = 7 + Burning Tag

---

PRITCHARD has no desire to fight the undead. Their task, a grisly one of questionable moral underpinnings, at best, is to take out Neverember’s arrogant, murderous mercenary captain.

As the alchemical concoction explodes into flame against the cobbles, Pritchard draws close to Jax, atop his horse, bathed in the lantern’s light.

The brand upon his chest burns.

“Jax, is it?” he murmurs. “Plinth always treats you so demeaningly, like some cur to be brought to heel, doesn’t he? Makes a man want to strike out, get some revenge, doesn’t it?”

---

Per Manbearcat

Pritchard won’t need to Defy Danger to close to Hand/Close weapon or implement range vs any creature here because their fiction/moves either don’t have any Reach tags or they can’t bring them to bear.

WRAITH: No Reach tag.

PLINTH/JAX: Neither can bring their horse to bear to use its trample move (Reach); Jax is throwing alchemist’s fire, and Plinth is getting on his steed.

Pritchard spends his only charge of Burning Brand to Inflame Jax to strike down his captain in violent betrayal–else die in resisting!

INFLAME

When you unleash your BRAND and incite an individual to violent action (hand, close), you may erase 1 charge to roll +CHA: on a 10+, they must pick 1 from the list below:

+ Act as you suggest, without doubt or fear, dealing +1d4 damage while they do so.

+ Resist, but suffer painful burns (b[2d4] damage, ignores armor).

On a 7-9, they lash out at you but suffer painful burns (b[2d4] damage, ignores armor, wrong-foot).

When you Inflame someone and they are killed by your brand or kill one or more living beings as a result, mark 1:

OOOO

When you make the last mark, gain BURNING HATRED

r6,3 +1 CHA = 10

Jax might choose to resist me, immolating in hellfire–I roll b[4,4] (ignores armor, wrong foot) = 4 HP damage, slaying him outright. Or he may act as I suggest, betraying Plinth, r6 + r3 -3 armor = 6 HP damage, which would kill the captain instead.

Either way, I mark 1. OOOO

 

[Manbearcat]

ON CAPTAIN PLINTH & JAX

Jax is south of his twentieth year, but as a Mintarn mercenary, that is considerably seasoned. Most die out well before that age. So Jax has many-a-day & month under Captain Plinth's command. Some might say "too firm." Some might say "just right for the job-at-hand." Regardless, Jax's memory has recorded slight-aplenty in that period; a quip here, a lack of promotion there. More than enough for Pritchard's temptation to turn Jax into a murderous implement.

When Jax's senses come to him, he's staring down at the body of his former Captain, neck clearly broken from the fall of his horse. Jax's blade is dripping with blood...which can only be from one source.

Recoiling in horror with a "GAH," the young-but-old merc commands his steed to gallop away from the site. He'll toss his weapon into Neverwinter River and report this as an ambush by the undead that haunts the fallen district. Gods, he hopes General Sabine believes him...

The only light remaining is that of the alchemist's fire, immolating the cobbles like a bonfire, but the fuel will burn through quick!

* Obviously going with the former. Jax kills Plinth.

* Captain Plinth inventory if you want to attempt to recover it with the Wraith still haunting the area. You have the briefest of moments while the Wraith recoils from the deep burning radiance of the alchemist's fire. However, unless you introduce a lamp or torch via Adventuring Gear, things will be going dark as soon as you go through Plinth's things. Further, you will absolutely have to deal with the Wraith bearing down on you either (a) in the darkness at the height of its might or (b) diminished (as above) if you bring to bear a torch or lamp via Adventuring Gear. Plinth's inventory:

1) Purse of 60 Coins.

2) Poultices & Medicinal Salts (3 uses, Slow, 2 weight) which allow the following move:

When you take time to catch your breath and tend to what ails you, expend 1 use and regain 5 hit points. You can't gain this benefit again until you take more damage.

3) Plate armor, longsword, shield. Each will sell, but the armaments will bear the mark of Mintarn and the armor Lord Neverember. Finding a buyer will be "a thing."

2) The steed is mighty. All of the steed, its barding, and Plinth's polearm will sell, but all are extraordinarily well-known and bear the mark of Lord Neverember. Finding a buyer will be "a very big thing." Further, you will absolutely have to make a move to Build Rapport with Plint's Steed (Defy Danger Wis).

---

WRAITH

Whatever the creature was in life, be it a noble Neverwinter guardian or Harper or villain of one type or another, it is now a vessel of fragmentation and woe. Tragedy, spite, longing, love or violence unrequited holds it here. To this place.

Its spectral, incorporeal mass looms under an actual cloak, gray and ancient...but oddly pristine. The cloak itself bears a clasp of silver which binds it. Without a doubt it is magical.

If you can vanquish the creature or lift its curse, the magical cloak could be yours.

---

Decide what you're going to do here. The alchemical fire has the Wraith at bay for the briefest of moments. Long enough for you to flee the scene of soon-to-be enveloping darkness, back to the south and the embrace of Blakelake District and "civilization."

What do you do?

 

[darkbard]

In the weird, green, alchemical light, PRITCHARD’s eye is drawn to the silver pin clasp of the spectral entity’s gray cloak. Once a Harper? The reputation–once pristine, that of noble defenders of the downtrodden against the various evil threats, magical and mundane, that threaten the Realms; now sullied by scandal and calumny–and insignia of that famous organization may once have been something of a guarded secret. But those social climbers who have made however-unconscious a study of the movers and shakers across the Realms recognize the signs when they are so brazenly presented. Does this Wraith act upon some atavistic instinct in defense of the weak? Can it be put to rest and its treasure claimed?

---

Pritchard Spouts Lore to recall a tale of a Harper who may have fallen in Neverwinter under circumstances that led to such a transformation–and a way to put such a spirit to rest.

SPOUT LORE

When you consult your accumulated knowledge, roll +INT: on a 10+, the GM will tell you something interesting and useful about the topic at hand; on a 7-9, the GM will tell you something interesting—it’s on you to make it useful; either way the GM might ask, “How do you know this?”


r5,5 +2 INT = 12. Interesting and useful, please and thank you!

---

TWYLL stares after the retreating Jax, in a momentary pause from her frantic slapping at the flames and cinders. Did he just … Turning, she spies Plinth’s body on the cobblestone street–more importantly the cloak that has fallen off his shoulders. Grabbing it, she throws it around herself hard, stifling any lingering embers. She begins to call out to Pritchard, looking back and intending to suggest he search the saddlebags before the captain’s horse takes off, then stops to stare again, this time at her companion.

---

Twyll seizes the fleeting opportunity to use the late captain’s cloak to put out the flames from the Alchemist’s Fire. Removes Burning Tag

---

What is he doing, staring at that thing? Turning back to face the wraith and the fresh body at her feet, she begins to puzzle in her head various alarm bells set off by her new acquaintance:

• The burning at the ambush on the manor house grounds…
• The fact that Nimor Ironvice knows of and came looking for him…
• The secrets she can feel (almost see) in his face and eyes…
• The weird phosphorescence he seemed to give off as he chased off “Miles,” more than his make-up should warrant…
• The murmuring she heard in his voice before Jax suddenly attacked and finished off his sorely wounded superior…
• The wraith … the fact that after her eyes met its a few moments ago, it seemed to look away, looking for something … or someone? Pritchard?

What the hell is he? Who the hell is he? Whatever the answers are, Pritchard Blackmantle bears watching.

These thoughts dance and coalesce in her mind as she gives an impatient huff and looks around for light to ward off the wraith before the rest of the flames go out from Jax’s projectile weapon. There are still a few lingering embers on the cobblestones giving off a semblance of light. As she drops the singed and no longer necessary cloak, she hears clanging at her feet. The captain must have secreted a flare within it, for here it is, ready and waiting to be used … which she does without hesitation, thrusting its light between herself and the wraith, and not coincidentally protecting her strange companion as well.

---

Twyll spends 1 Adventuring Gear to pull out and light a flare (fictionally, though, I hope it’s okay the way it appears! I feel that she, as a drow, would not likely need to carry such objects herself), 3 uses of Adventuring Gear.

In order to quickly put out the flames spreading across her garb and get a lightsource up and running to hold back the encroaching dark, Twyll makes a Defy Danger (Dex) Move:

DEFY DANGER

When danger looms, the stakes are high, and you do something chancy, check if another move applies. If not, roll...

... +DEX to employ speed, agility, or finesse

On a 10+, you pull it off as well as one could hope; on a 7-9, you can do it, but the GM will present a lesser success, a cost, or a consequence (and maybe a choice between them, or a chance to back down).

r5,2+2 DEX = 9

Per Manbearcat
The cost here is simple. You have to spend 1 additional Adventuring Gear as the first “flare” is a dud! You’re down to 2 Uses of Adventuring Gear.

---

Per Manbearcat
An infamous last stand took place at this very gate a century ago when the city fell to primordial calamity. Elementals poured forth from the pyroclasm and lava flow. A lone , unnamed Harper without renown, knowing their life was forfeit, died at this very place so others might live.

Unfortunately, despite their magical cloak saving their life once to delay the enemy, their sacrifice was ultimately in vain. The guard overseeing the escape of the refugees out of the River Gate’s northern exit was not up to the task. Rather than force the march far and away from the in-progress eruption, the poor fool had them camp on the northern slope of the mountain due to so much exhaustion. One final titanic eruption took all those the Harper saved. There they lay buried in an unmarked mass grave, a tragic ossuary long grown over in this last century.

An angel bore this noble hero to the afterlife. However, a sacrifice for nothing, their own family rent by cruel fire, this hero cursed the gods and demanded to be brought back. The angel understood the rebuke and honored the fallen hero’s wishes, despite the inevitable fate that would await.

If only the bodies could be found and properly laid to rest? Perhaps that would be something?

Perhaps if the tale was spread far and wide so another guard won’t be so ill-prepared for the next inevitable eruption and evacuation?

Do you somehow know this hero’s name? What was it? Who was their lost family?

As his companion tamps out the alchemical flames and replaces their glow with some other, flaring source of light, PRITCHARD hastily grabs the coin purse and medic’s bag from Plinth’s fallen form.

In this sudden bloom of light, the Wraith’s form has taken on a corporeal solidity, at least temporarily. Seeing its features more clearly now as a result, Pritchard has the greatest shock of the day, one remarkable for the number and gravity of shocks already. The Wraith is the spitting image of that nameless ancestor whose portrait hung above the hearth in his grandparents’ musty manor house in Waterdeep. There was some dark but nebulous story associated with the figure, whispered rumors about a noble stand during the pyroclasm that took Neverwinter, his remaining family’s shame at a sacrifice made moot … and a ruinous bargain made thereafter.

That latter part intrigued Pritchard the most, the notion that extraplanar powers were ripe for negotiation. There! There was true power! Power beyond mortal limitation. As a youth, such stories had filled his head with desires, dark desires, at times, and ultimately set him upon his path of diabolism.

“Hold!” he calls out. “In the name of Asmodeus, Lord of the Ninth, I adjure you!” Startled a bit by his own temerity, he steps back. “Creature, do you recognize the resemblance between us? Surely, we share heritage, share blood. More than that, there is the mark I bear on my breast, which marks me as compatriot.

“This is no chance encounter. Perhaps fate, or the machinations of an infernal patron, have contrived for us to meet here. Though your name is forgotten to history, tales of your deeds linger on, as do you, powerless to redress the calamity that befell your charges.”

 

[Manbearcat]

"Yes," the word oozes from the deep recesses of haunted spirits cowl.

"Blood of my blood. This shall you do. Find our shared kin's bones. Taste the sting of radiant Selune and consecrate them into her bosom as would be their wish. Seek ye a coffinmaker of grand repute for the scattered remains of the rest and bury them in kind. Do it and I will retreat to the Ninth, servant of Asmodeus forevermore. Upon this place you will find my cloak, which delivered me from many a deathstroke. Do it not, and I shall haunt you for all of your days. You have until the moon is fullest (3 days beginning tomorrow)."

The dark spirit peels away from the Twyll's light as if being sucked into a vacuum...and disappears...

---

At this, order of operations for the following:

* Go ahead and vignette word of Plinth's death, your deal now fulfilled with Lady Lily Rose and Belyse; the latter will give the former her place at The Macabre's table and the ferry ticket to the anchored vessel. The day after this one that immediately follows (where she will be preoccupied at The Macabre), Lady Lily Rose will assist you as a Hireling/Cohort with a Cost etc.

* Squid House at The Swamped Docks is dangerous. It qualifies as a Peasant's Inn for purposes of RECOVER. However, you'll have to both (a) spend the Peasant's Fee (below) as well as (b) Sleep Lightly at Squid House.

SLEEP LIGHTLY AT SQUID HOUSE
When you attempt to recover at Squid House, you’re nerves on end as something fraught may break into your room or unrest may plague the common area; roll+Wis.

✴ On a 10+, you keep whatever disturbs you (describe it) at bay and get a full night's rest.
✴On a 7–9, something you wish hadn't disturb you does, but you're ready for it.
✴On a miss, something you wish hadn't disturb you does, and it becomes a real problem. Whatever comes of it, recover only half your Hit Points or Spells (if you have to Prepare them).

Otherwise, Madame Rosene at the Driftwood Tavern has a pair of rooms available (yes, you have to pay for 2 x rooms!), though only 1 x Peasant's Inn. The other room is Well-to-do Inn.

Peasant's Inn 14-Charisma coins: You Recover Hit Points (full) and Prepare Spells
Well-to-do Inn 30-Charisma coins: You Recover Hit Points (full), Prepare Spells, and Resolve 1 Debility.
Convalescence House 43-Charisma coins: You Recover Hit Points (full), Prepare Spells, and Resolve all Debilities.

* Go ahead and perform END OF SESSION move.

* Tell us what your aims are for the following day and I'll frame the opening scene for it.

 

[Nephis]

After a pause to be sure of the Wraith's true disappearance, TWYLL bends down, retrieves the flare, and hands it to Pritchard. She mentally notes that once again this hapless man has inadvertently saved her life, her debt to him remaining as yet unpaid. To the man himself she reveals none of her inner consternation. Instead, she mildly suggests that he "take this light and move fast. Put it out as soon as you don't need it."

He takes the flare, bewildered, and asks, "what about you?"

Her answer is that he shouldn't worry about her and that it's safer if they don't together. "I will meet you back at Tarmalane House," she says quietly, before disappearing into the blackness surrounding them.

* * *

Some time later, Pritchard arrives at Belyse's establishment to find Twyll has already arrived and is conversation with Belyse and Lily-Rose, as they discuss advantages of various items and barter their cost.

Turning at his entrance, the drow smiles and suggests that perhaps he--like she--would like to purchase supplies here: "I foresee many adventures in our future." Returning her attention to Belyse, Twyll says, "Blackmantle can confirm that the deed is done, and we have met your terms for the bargain."

The former Harper Agent nods with grim satisfaction.

Lady Lily-Rose boops Pritchard on his scratched nose playfully. "I knew you had it in you, Blackmantle!"

* * *

When Pritchard returns to the Driftwood Tavern, Rosene looks up at him, concern on her face at his blanched features.

"Thought you might not be returning tonight, Mr. Blue, late as it is. Your usual room, I take it."

"No, no, Madame Rosene. I think I am moving up in the world. Your more luxurious quarters, if you please."

He smiles wickedly to himself as she turns to retrieve the key.

---

They split the loot: Twyll takes the Poultices & Medicinal Salts (10 coin value, 3 uses, Slow, 2 weight) and 25 coin; Pritchard takes 35 coin. They also each buy Adventuring Gear (5 uses, 20 coins, 1 weight) and Dungeon Rations (5 uses, 3 coins, 1 weight).

Twyll returns to her usual haunt, Squid House, to recover: spends 14-8 CHA = 6 coin and

SLEEP LIGHTLY AT SQUID HOUSE
When you attempt to recover at Squid House, you’re nerves on end as something fraught may break into your room or unrest may plague the common area; roll+Wis.

✴ On a 10+, you keep whatever disturbs you (describe it) at bay and get a full night's rest.
✴On a 7–9, something you wish hadn't disturb you does, but you're ready for it.
✴On a miss, something you wish hadn't disturb you does, and it becomes a real problem. Whatever comes of it, recover only half your Hit Points or Spells (if you have to Prepare them).

r1,4 + 1 WIS = 6 --> Twyll marks 1 XP.

If you want to see the metacommentary re the consequences for Twyll's 6-, feel free to check out the following spoiler...

Spoiler

per Manbearcat:
As you guys mull the above, here is what I'm thinking for Nephis's 6- result here.

• First, we're going to elide the bulk of this (think of treating it like a Blades Entanglement).
• Second, I'm thinking "Sahuagin Attack!" We can handle the scene and its fallout one of two ways.

1) This is just a Twyll scene. The entire place is stormed by a Sahuagin raid. The rough-and-tumble folks of the Swamped Docks fight off the raid, but not without cost in lives and treasure. Twyll plays her part, but the cost is similarly severe. She either takes 1d8 damage (armor applies) before her recovery of half her HP, or she takes a Wis debility from a concussion. Either way, a trophy of the tremendous scrap.

2) This is an opportunity for Pritchard's Bond w/ Twyll. The pirates, sailors, harbormaster, and marines fight off a brief raid of Blacklake District on the bay...right near where Pritchard is staying. Being the canny fellow that he is, he infers that this small number was only a diversionary force and the real force is heading to the Swamped Docks for the "soft target." He musters some swarthy seafolk and they set out by small vessel to the scene. He arrives amidst the fighting and jumps right in...perhaps to Twyll's great surprise! Due to his reinforcing intervention, things go "less bad." The pair of them each take some to give some. Exhausted from the fighting, Pritchard takes -1 to his UaPJ role move the following day and Twyll takes 1d6 (armor applies) damage.

Regardless which you choose, go ahead and edit your last post and drop in the above from me and amend with any fiction you deem fit. And if you go 2 and resolve Pritchard's current Bond with Twyll (affirming her growing suspicion of his strength), then Nick needs to take 1 xp, make a new Bond and pick an advance.

per darkbard:
From my perspective, definitely go with option 1 above. I don't see Pritchard rushing in, swashbuckling style, to help save the day. As play has developed & we've seen his play suite manifest, pretty much everything has been super subtle or offscreen. What were those flames in the opening scene? What did Pritchard do to Jax (from Twyll's perspective)? Her questions about him aren't convenient contrivance to intersect their actions; she literally doesn't understand what is happening. I see this subtlety as perfectly representative of the diabolic.

per Nephis:
I will then choose to go with option 1, taking 1d8 damage. If it proves too much, I can always use one of those poultices I just got!

---

The first indication that the night would not be a restful one--something she needed after that late night assassination tour beneath the Shard of Night--were the horns mournfully singing their dirge into the night. It was a strange harmony of ship horns and--TWYLL suddenly realized--horns of the Sahuagin, made out of conch shells: beautiful and mysterious, but not what she wanted to hear in her exhaustion.

The next marker of the conflict was the shouting, countered by piscine gargling noises, both strange and somehow aggressive. A glance out Twyll's window revealed to her that there would be no avoiding this combat: the Fish Heads were winning the attack, unless enforcements joined the residents of the Swamped Docks ... and surely none would be expected from Neverember's men. The rough-and-tumble folk--including Twyll herself--were on their own. This thought was confirmed by someone running through the corridor outside her tiny cell, banging on doors and calling urgently for everyone to come out. Normally everyone here in the Docks keeps to their own business, day and night, just as the drow prefers. However, times like this transforms "their own business" into something more communal: it was time for all hands on deck.

After what seems like hours (and could even have been that), Twyll limps back to her room, holding her side. She mentally curses herself for not noticing that the Sea Devil she had fought (and killed) was holding a net along with the trident she knew about. Getting tripped by the net and falling onto that trident had not been in her plans for recovering after the earlier activities of the night. She is worse off than before!

Twyll falls onto the bed with a moan, then turns to look at her satchel. "I guess I will be making use of the captain's 'gift' sooner than I'd intended!"

---

Twyll takes r8 damage from the battle with the Sahuagin, recovers 7hp from 1 use of her poultices & medicinal salts (2 uses remaining), and finally recovers 1/2 her hp value after FINALLY getting a few hours of sleep. This leaves her with 17 hp.
* The 1 xp earned via the 6- roll above also puts Twyll over the edge into level 2. I choose to raise my Wisdom score to 16 (+2), and add the following move:

CATLIKE
When you carry a light load (Load -6) and move with care, you make no noise.
When you keep still in shadows or darkness, you remain unseen until you draw attention to yourself, move positions, or attack.

Pritchard chooses to head to Driftwood Tavern, opting for the Well-to-Do room: spends 30-15=15 coin for the room, and he recovers full HP

---

END OF SESSION MOVE

1) Did you resolve any bonds? If so, mark XP and update your bonds.

* None of our Bonds have been resolved nor need updating at this point.

2) If you fulfilled your alignment at least once this session, mark XP.

* Pritchard Alignment (Neutral); to seek answers that maybe you oughtn’t. Yes. Lingering to inquire into and negotiate with the Wraith about its past and burden. Prying into Ironvice’s hidden motivations via Give Me Fuel, Give Me Fire.

* Twyll Alignment (Neutral); to deceive, misdirect, outthink. Yes. Ambushing Plinth and his men by impersonating the specter they feared. Foiled (some of) Valindra’s scrying reconnaissance by use of Drow hand signals. Feigning innocent bystander status for herself and Lady Lily-Rose at Tarmalune Trade House.

3) Then answer these three questions as a group:

3a) Did we learn something new and important about the world?

* Yes. Neverember’s Mintarn mercenaries killed another Son of Alagondar. Thundertree was sacked by the undead and may now be a Thayan outpost. Mordai Vell has leverage in the form of an abducted pet over Nimor Ironvice. Pritchard’s ancestor was a Harper and died in Neverwinter.

3b) Did we overcome a notable monster or enemy?

* Yes. We murdered Captain Plinth and drove off his men. We successfully bargained with the Wraith, an ancestor of Pritchard.

3c) Did we make notable progress toward or forestall a Grim Portent?

* No.

3d) Did we prevent an Impending Doom?

* No.

In addition, darkbard earned 1 XP via 6- rolls, and Nephis earned 2 XP via 6- rolls.
Total XP (no longer matching): Prichard: 7; Nephis 8 XP (6 + (2 x level (1)) = 2 = 8 needed to level up; (0 XP and level up to 2)

---

At 10 Bells the next morning TWYLL meets Pritchard--as planned--in the Driftwood Tavern to break their fast. After taking a deep sip of the strong black coffee, she stares at him, bleary-eyed, studying him carefully. Finally she speaks.

"I would find out who you are, diabolist. Who and what you are."

Pritchard leans forward eagerly. "I also would find out who I am! Help me do so: come with me to retrieve my ancestors' bones, as I was asked."

After a beat, the drow answers him: "all right. But first you must accompany me to Thundertree to scope out matters there abouts."

---

For the next day we intend to journey to Thundertree (likely a Perilous Journey!) to scope out the situation there to facilitate Twyll's winning over of Rosene and the Graycloaks.

Fighting Thayans. Getting out of Dodge. What's not to love?