Neverwinter World; a Dungeon World Playset

ORDER OF OPERATIONS FOR UNDERTAKE A PERILOUS JOURNEY:

1) Chart your course.

* Option 1 is a straight shot along the precarious drop of the ridge line that falls away to the north. It is easily the most direct route but works far enough away from the waters of Neverwinter River that its heat doesn't help trekkers here. If you guys really hoof it (which would require a Defy Danger Con for both), you can arrive sometime late morning the second day.

Dangers: Entirely exposed so potentially cold, wind, and weather problems. The high point of the highlands so seriously dangerous alpha predators might lair here (Solo). Obviously the precipitous fall from the ridgeline! No game to hunt and no forage to find so if you lose your rations...

Finally, unfortunately, you're going to have to locate a crossing point and means for the river once you arrive north of Thundertree.

Discoveries/Opportunities: Due to the beauty and the pace kept, if the Lead the Expedition succeeds, take +1 to Muster the Fellowship. Ample caves (though they might be inhabited) for hunkering down/sheltering...some might even have cool stuff!

* Option 2 is a winding affair along the southern snaking body of water that is Neverwinter River. The warmth of the waters of Neverwinter River persists throughout the trek, but the affair is at least two days and could easily turn into three full legs if Lead the Expedition turns up trouble.

Dangers: The abundance of game here could be a double-edged sword as wild Fey Panthers from when the two worlds briefly merged still stalk these hills, competing with Dire Wolf packs for kills. Beyond that, Many-Arrows Orcs and Uthgardt Barbarian hunting parties call this disputed land. Sometimes they're peaceful with each other and with trekkers...sometimes not!

Discoveries/Opportunities: Abundance of game to hunt and forage to find. Light forest covers much here, so finding shelter shouldn't be too much of a trick. A friendly Uthgardt Barbarian might even let you stay the evening under the protection of the clan or help guide you to your destination!

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2) Pick which PC will Lead the Expedition and which will Muster the Fellowship.

3) If you're choosing route 1, both PCs might need to resolve Defy Danger Con if you want to hoof it in one day. Resolve Lead the Expedition for leg 1. On a 9-, stay right there (on a 7-9, make your choice), but on a 10+, continue to Muster the Fellowship.
 

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"Yes, yes, for the thousandth time, yes!" PRITCHARD sighs in exasperation. "I understand the demands this route will put upon us, Twyll. But you heard the dwarf: I have three days to help resolve his problems on top of this injunction placed upon me by my ... rather deceased and nameless ancestor. Your grueling northern route is my only hope of coming within a stone's throw of that deadline!

"You may think me but an urban fop," his mustache bristles as he exaggerates the word, "but I assure you, I can handle my own in the wide open spaces of the countryside!"

Twyll looks back at him with those wide, opalescent eyes. It is impossible for him to read any emotion in her.

"Fine," she says in her muscially accented Commontongue. "Do your best to keep up with me, then. I've trekked these ridges and riverside embankments a dozen times or more over the decades."




1. Charting Our Course: We choose Option 1, a straight shot along the precarious drop of the ridge line that falls away to the north.



Twyll's description of the sheer beauty of the landscape north of Neverwinter did not come close to doing the vista justice. Dropping off precipitously to the north, the land unfolds like a series of purple waves receding towards the horizon only to rise again in that great looming mountain, Hotenow. In truth, before his journey from Waterdeep to Neverwinter, his travels in the hinterlands had been scarce enough.

She is true to her word, guiding them expertly along tracks no wider than those made by wild game, rising and falling along the ridge; and she sets a wearying pace.

Nevertheless, Pritchard feels his spirits soar from the sublime experience, the beauty counterbalanced by a constant fear that any moment they can meet their end with one slip or moment's distraction.

His spirits soar, that is, until Twyll leads him across a thigh-deep rill running across their path--unavoidable, she claims--and his new doehide boots are absolutely ruined, soaked inside and out with viscous mud and irreparable. Indeed, he feels them shrinking from the wet even now!

When it is time for them to make camp, Twyll leads them into a cave recessed beneath a great rock overhang, where Pritchard grumbles about his ruined footwear, tipping muddy water from one boot as he fishes a worn backup pair of boots from his satchel.

Did she smirk ever so slightly?

"This cave is dry enough," she says. "We're high above the last oxbow. Hasn't flooded this high since ... well, forever! This is aarakocra territory. They choose their aeries wisely."

The night passes rather uneventfully, Pritchard's complaints about his ruined footwear now taking a comic turn that he exploits deliberately to extract the faintest of smiles from his companion. Who knew the fellow had such a store of footwear puns and double entendre!




2. Twyll will Lead the Expedition and Pritchard will Muster the Fellowship.

LEAD THE EXPEDITION


When you lead your charges through wilderness peril, chart your course, blaze your trail, and scout for danger, roll +Wis. On a 10+, you've led your charges through the first leg without danger; Make Camp. On a 7-9, choose 1:
  • Something ominous is on the horizon, around the bend, over the hill. Point to it and tell us what you sense.
  • An immediate danger lurks, but you are prepared for it. Tell us what it is and how you are prepared.
Twyll's LtE roll, r5,6 +2 WIS = 13! That's +1 forward to Muster the Fellowship.

MUSTER THE FELLOWSHIP


When you see to the morale and supply of your fellowship on a leg of a perilous journey, say how you do, and roll the worst of your allies' +Con or +Cha: On a 10+, you've managed hearts, provisions, and equipment with equal aplomb. On a 7-9, you get them through the worst of it, but choose 1:
  • Someone is ill of spirit or body; perhaps you due to your burden. They take -1 forward.
  • Crucial supply failure. Mark 1 Adventuring Gear, 1 Bandage, 1 Herbs & Poultices, 1 Bag of Books, or 5 Coin.
  • A social conflict arises with a Cohort.
Pritchard's MtF roll, r6,1 -1 CHA (worst of Twyll's CON/CHA) +1 forward from LtE= 7. I choose to mark 1 Adventuring Gear, my ruined boots.



3. Defy Danger (CON) rolls for Pritchard, r6,4 +1 CON = 11 and for Twyll, r4,3 +0 CON = 7.

per Manbearcat
Having to keep up such a breakneck pace while simultaneously trailblazing and scouting for danger takes its toll on Twyll. Choose between:

* Twyll takes -1 forward to her next Str or Dex move.

* If Twyll has some meal or tea that she could prepare in camp to rejuvenate her (describe it), she could spend 1 Adventuring Gear to remove that -1 forward.

TWYLL feels the eyes of her companion follow her hands as she removes several small tins from her pack. As the small kettle of water simmers on their small campfire, the drow pours some of what is contained in those tins into her cup: powders of pale green and dull grey, something that looks like dried moss ... because that is what it is. As she pours water over the mixture and stirs it in, she looks up to catch Pritchard's nose wrinkle in distaste at the pungent smell the tisane emits. She lifts the cup to take a sip and smiles in satisfaction.

"Teh madarq," she murmurs, "a tea made from underground fungi: good for the body and gets the cold out of your bones. Want a sip?" She gives a quiet huff of laughter at the vehement and negative shake of his head.


Twyll opts for using another Adventuring Gear instead of the penalty.



4. Following on Twyll's 10+ LtE roll, Twyll

MAKE CAMP

When you're in the dangerous wild and the dark of night sets upon you, name your campsite to lay down your burdens and roll +Int. On a 10+, pick 2; on a 7-9, pick 1:
  • You've chosen your site well and fortified it against peril. No danger befalls you in the night (else, it does and you have to Keep Watch)
  • You scavenge some supply. Gain 2 Adventuring Gear.
  • Your stewardship moralizes your allies through their respite. Describe how and they take +1 forward.
Everyone mark 1 Ration. Anyone who needs to Recover Hit Points (half) and Prepare Spells can spend 1 xp to do so. If they have an aching Debility or damaged Equipment, they can spend xp 1 for 1 to Resolve Debility or Repair Equipment. If they do, describe how.

r4,4 +1 INT = 9. We will take that first option, having chosen the site well and fortified it against peril. And we each mark 1 Ration.

Also, I realize full well it is virtually impossible for Pritchard to return to Neverwinter in time to search for (at least leads to) Chompers. But a fellow has to try to honor his bargains!
 
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THE RIVER CROSSING

Despite Neverwinter River's extraordinary warmth due to the high magma chamber below, getting soaked at this altitude in the fall is asking for exposure and hypothermia. The river spans some twenty meters across at the shortest with a stretch of relatively quick moving waters with whitecaps and rocks. Its apex girth here is double that span. There, something large lurking beneath the waters and capturing surface-breaking fish with appendages can be seen...so surely the water is quite deep.

The Sequoias that Thundertree is known for dot the area on both sides of the river. Interspersed in this mixed-conifer forest are stray cedar, pine, and fir trees though stands are extremely sparse on this side of the river.


* How do you cross?




ACROSS THE RIVER LIES RUINED THUNDERTREE...

* The density of the wood increases, blotting out much of the morning sun.

* Thick, grey miasma covers the place like a fog. It slides across the ground like a vile soup, intermittently giving your vision purchase from the morass. What you see in those brief moments...

* A foot deep layer of detritus covering everything.

* Buildings incinerated from pyroclasm and cinder or collapsed from weight of ash and stone.

* Two remaining structures...one large near the center of the old village along with a small outbuilding...with a candle illuminating a window...

* An altar bearing red glow, of unknown alliance due to the visuals granted at this distance, set next to the structure...

* Ash zombies...forming and unforming seemingly at random around the structure and the altar like mindless sentinels.
 
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Pritchard stands impotently at the banks of the Neverwinter. He rattles his swordcane, stowed temporarily on a loop of his belt, in frustration. He throws out his arms. The far shore, even here at the river's narrowest, is about as far away as he would manage tossing even a fist-sized rock. Eddies and whitecaps whirl around boulders protruding from the surface; any crossing here would mean being battered senseless against them.

"What now?" he asks and turns to face his companion.

TWYLL does not answer him. She is overwhelmed by the olfactory reverberations: conifers, rot, ash ... above all ash. Is this where the Thayan Red Wizard lairs? From where Valindra has been spying upon her? Makes sense. But these are no circumstances to challenge the necromancer, alone as the drow is but for the diabolist. This is a reconnaissance mission only.

"What now?" Pritchard repeats his question.

"What?" the drow responds. "Oh, right. Crossing the river. Well, we've an axe." She eyes the large sequoia not too far from the near bank. "I reckon an hour of good labor can fell us a bridge. What say you, Waterdhavian? Can you roll up your sleeves for some honest labor?"

She pauses, introspecting and listening for the sounds within the woods, on both shores, more than for the diabolist's response. She has a sinking feeling about this place.




Per Manbearcat:
So I never put a Complexity on this one. I was thinking 6 originally, but I hadn't committed to that number. I think 6 is probably the value we're looking for Valindra's lair is ultimately going to be a climax element of Twyll's Threat sitch. So 6 is a good number whereby you're going to want to collect 6 - 8 Clues (minimum) before you make the move.

This is The Between's move: So you take 2d6 +Clues - Complexity (6) in this case. You only make that move once you've (a) gathered enough clues to flesh out a strong case to make and (b) stand a solid mathemtical chance of landing on 7+.

Looking at you guys' entry, I think it should just be the Discern Realities move here w/ a 7-9 result (your first move's roll) and then ask 1 question. Perhaps she comes across a clue pending the question asked and followed up on once you guys get across the river and into Thundertree proper.

First, Twyll recognizes that the olfactory input of this locale is too familiar to ignore; it resonates powerfully as familiar from her reverse-scrying of Valindra Shadowmantle. Though she has no intent (at the outset) of some kind of assault upon the necromancer's lair, this might, at least, serve some useful reconnaissance.

LOCATE VALINDRA SHADOWMANTLE’S LAIR

When Twyll is confident she has countersurveiled the Thayan Leader enough to locate her position, roll +Clues.

On a 10+, the answer is correct. Kimmuriel Oblodra outfits Twyll with a crew of BD shock troopers and the lead can be pursued.

On a 7-9, as above, but the GM will add an unwelcome complication to the answer.

On a 6-, the answer is incorrect. Do not mark xp, and the GM makes a hard move.

r3,4 +2 CLUES = 9.

Secondarily and in preparation for making a river crossing,
TWYLL, a frequent traveler through this geographical region and self-reliant explorer who has no doubt had to cross obstructing waterways devoid of bridges before, scrutinizes the immediate area for threats, dangers, and whatever may be useful to the task at hand.

DISCERN REALITIES

When you study a situation or person, looking to the GM for insight, roll +WIS: on a 10+, ask the GM 3 questions from the list below; on a 7-9, ask 1; either way, gain +1 forward on your next move that acts on the answers.

  • What happened here?
  • What is about to happen?
  • What should I be on the lookout for?
  • What here is useful or valuable to me?
  • Who or what is really in control here?
  • What here is not what it appears to be?
r3,4 +2 WIS = 9. What here is useful or valuable to me?

Per Manbearcat
Upriver a few hundred yards at a relatively placid area there lies the remains of a rope ferry, the core substrate still intact; a thick rope-line knotted well to a pair of iron stanchion embedded soundly in the earth on either side.

The raft is long since gone, but there are plenty of pieces of solid, raft-worthy deadfall on this side of the river. Some solid labor and your own rope will resolve your predicament easily enough.


-------------------

1) You can each into spending 1d4 HP (labor) and one of you spend 1 AG (rope) to hastily build a raft. This will allow you to "put your back into it" build a raft within your tight schedule and resolve your transit.

2) Alternatively, you can each Defy Danger (Str or Int) w/ +1 forward (each) and shimmy across the rope-line manually. Obviously the peril there is (a) falling in or (b) being stuck on the rope when you'd rather not be!
 
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That axe comes in handy, but not in the manner first suggested by Twyll. Taking their turns instead hacking at deadfall limbs, the two work up a sweat “putting their backs into it” in the construction of an ad hoc raft, fastened securely by Twyll’s deft fingers working to knot the rope she pulls from her pack around its component boards.

It is clear that Pritchard has had little to no prior experience handling such a tool. His awkward hacks are spasmodic, and he whines at nearly every turn at slivers embedded in his palms. Twyll’s efforts are as much mentally exhausting, keeping the task proceeding apace, as they are physically so.

Soon, though, their task is complete, and they manage to pull themselves across this comparatively placid stretch of the river to Thundertree’s shore.






We opt to spend the Adventuring Gear (from Twyll’s store; she is now down to 5 AG and 11/18 Load, the latter 1 below her maximum limit for Moves such as Catlike) and 1d4 HP each in the labor.

TWYLL r4

PRITCHARD r4

That brings us both down to 13/17 HP!




“Secure” on shore, the pair experience something akin to the mirror-image of descending into a lake. Instead of the shoreline softening into finer, wetter sand, feet slowly sinking deeper into that stuff at the approach, however, the effect is the reverse: the farther they advance from the shore, the less firm becomes the surface. Ash rises from a thin film to ankle height even a dozen paces from the shoreline.

TWYLL holds up a hand, then signs in the secret language of her people for Pritchard to halt where they are. Senses tingling, the drow relies upon her finely-honed nature to discern if they are about to step into some ambuscade or trap.





Twyll invokes Danger Sense. Is there an ambush or trap here, GM? (For the purposes of streamlined play, she makes the roll in advance, should you respond “yes.”)

DANGER SENSE

You can always ask the GM, “Is there an ambush or trap here?” If they say “yes,” roll +INT: on a 10+, ask the GM both of the questions below; on a 7-9, ask 1; either way, take +1 forward on your next roll to act on the answer(s).

+ What will trigger the ambush or trap?

+ What will happen once it’s triggered?

On a 6-, don’t mark XP; you know there’s a trap or ambush, but nothing bad happens just yet.

r6,6 +1 INT = 13.

Per Manbearcat
Two traps in fact:

1) The malaise-like fog covering all of Ruined Thundertree (another few paces and she’ll be in it) is a necromantic pestilence. Simply entering it at all will induce a terrible, sickness transforming body and mind. You better ward yourself in some way or take to the trees, whose rich boughs form an interlocking web across the entire ruined settlement, above it.

2) The altar in the middle of Ruined Thundertree (right on the cusp of Far range from her point on the periphery) reveals itself to be both profane and a nexus of warding to the keen senses of the drow. Curiously, the symbol of Asmodeus…as well as runes of necromantic summoning. If you draw to Near range of it (where it wards the standing structures and the center of this place), undead will no doubt assail you.

As her twitchy companion shifts restlessly next to her, TWYLL studies in silence the “path” between themselves and the distant buildings–if the foot thick detritus through which they would need to travel can even produce something that might be called such a thing. No, that way would trigger the undead sentinels guarding the altar and its environs.

Then she raises her eyes upwards and examines the network of trees and their branches above their heads. That might be their way forward … if Blackmantle can manage the climb up. The path of the branches–an actual path, as opposed to wading through the morass of ash–should be fairly simply to traverse, even for him, but getting up there? That will be the puzzle … if he still wants to do so.

Meeting his eyes and lifting her hands, wiggling her digits, the drow gives him an inquiring look: she signs <with me in trees yes?> and waits for an answer. He gives a visible gulp, then nods in the affirmative. She shrugs in answer, then gives a universal sign for him to observe her actions. She points at his chest, points two fingers at her eyes, then finally thrusts her thumb toward her own chest: <you watch me!>





Twyll carefully plots a course of action to climb up the branches of the tree, using Defy Danger (INT)

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).

r5,6+1 INT +1 Forward (from Danger Sense) = 13




Slowly, carefully, with obviously thoughtful consideration, she makes her way up the branches of the nearest tree, moving with great care and no sound. She periodically looks back to make sure he is carefully studying the branches she has chosen and that he must also choose.




Twyll aids Pritchard in climbing by pointing out her path and the branches he should choose

AID OR INTERFERE

When you help or hinder someone, roll+bond with them. On a 10+, they take +1 or -2 to their roll, your choice; on a 7-9, they still get a modifier, but you also expose yourself to danger, retribution, or cost.

r6,2+2 Bond = 10; Pritchard takes +1 on his Defy Danger (INT) roll




She is both amazed and unsurprised at the ease with which he follows her instructions without flaw. He may not have hitherto given her any expectation of being able to physically climb trees–Twyll does not imagine any such activity to have sullied his cosmopolitan upbringing–but he has given much evidence of great intelligence, which obviously leads to the ability to study … well. As PRITCHARD reaches the drow’s branch, she gives a small but real smile.




Pritchard carefully studies Twyll’s path into the branches and listens to her advice about which branches to choose

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).

r6,5+2 INT +1 AID = 14




Then TWYLL continues forward with catlike grace and care, her “student” following close behind, until they reach a place where they can observe the buildings, the altar, and the sentinels of ash.




Twyll observes the buildings, the altar, and the sentinels of ash to discern their realities.

DISCERN REALITIES

When you study a situation or person, looking to the GM for insight, roll +WIS: on a 10+, ask the GM 3 questions from the list below; on a 7-9, ask 1; either way, gain +1 forward on your next move that acts on the answers.

· What happened here?

· What is about to happen?

· What should I be on the lookout for?

· What here is useful or valuable to me?

· Who or what is really in control here?

· What here is not what it appears to be?


r4,1+2 = 7; one question: Who or what is really in control here?

Per Manbearcat
From your perch it is revealed that the candle-illuminated window resides upon an exterior wall-abutting desk. There are several tomes atop with one opened to a page about the famous heroes that served the former leader of Neverwinter, Lord Nasher Alagondar; “The Neverwinter Nine.” Suddenly, a red sleeve comes into view and a fleshy finger with a ring of Asmodeus adorning it traces along the words on the page.

Window-pane open, the woman’s voice flits up to your positions. “Master Valindra, I think we have found the gravesite of our missing Ninth.”

The figure pulls the book from the desk and vanishes from your view.

The red sleeve. The gravelly voice. "it shall be done." This is no doubt the figure you saw commiserating with the trio in The House of a Thousand Faces right before they scooped up the coin purse and melted through the wall.

Not Valindra Shadowmantle, but a servant…perhaps an acolyte. Certainly a worshiper of Asmodeus. A mere coincidence or does the Lord of the Hells maintain an unholy alliance with Thay?
 

Player's mullings and a move in light of the above situation-cascade:

Per Players:
Twyll is resolutely opposed to the location of the Ninth's remains falling into Valindra's hands so she wants to GET. THAT. BOOK. Otherwise, she has gotten what she wants out of this visit to Thundertree, knowledge about its current state with which to negotiate with Rosene.

Pritchard still wants answers. (And from a metafictional perspective is motivated "to seek answers that maybe [he] oughtn’t," for which this situation certainly qualifies.) What is the link between the Thayans and the worshippers of Asmodeus? But he's not foolhardy enough to want to engage in unnecessary combat with the undead to pursue those questions recklessly. However! He posits that if the ash zombies seem under the sway of Asmodeus somehow (or would work to protect his altar, at the least), perhaps by baring the brand upon his chest he can keep the ash zombies at bay while Twyll attempts to ambush the necromancer.

What do we think? Spout Lore for Pritchard and his brand? If so, I will invoke

~~O ~~O O WELL VERSED
Mark 1 topic, in addition to the one noted in your Race. Each additional time you take this move, mark 2 more topics.
O New Neverwinter
O Abolethic Sovereignty
~~O~~ Ashmadai
~~O ~~Thayans (+1 forward when Spouting Lore)
O Netherese
O Gauntlgrym
O Evernight
When you Spout Lore about one of your topics, you can ask the GM a follow-up question of your choice (even on a 6-).

r6,6 +2 (+1 vs Thayans); not sure if this latter applies or if it's Ashmadai here. Regardless, those boxcars (Whoa! Is that the third or fourth time we've rolled boxcars so far in this game?!?) mean something interesting and useful + follow up question.

A closer look at the profane altar reveals some subtleties that will be missed by the untrained eye; an interwoven blade cleaving the top of a horned head.There is a very small and exclusive sect of oathbound crusaders in the far eastern lands (which include Thay). They go by The Flayed Memory. Directed by neither organizational structure nor material patronage, the few secret members have sworn to protect the actual name of the God, now only He Who Was, that Asmodeus served and slew when The King of Hell was an archangel.

The Flayed Memory is certain that every cult of Asmodeus that emerges of any consequence is...hell-bent...on discovering the name of the slain God that led to Asmodeus' fall. This knowledge is absolutely forbidden
.

This agent before you of The Flayed Memory can only mean one thing; she has come to destroy the Ashmodai and slay Mordai Vell. However, this crusader is also a Red Wizard of Thay and therefore must be formally commissioned to be here and working under the leadership of Valindra Shadowmantle; Szass Tam's proxy.

Consequently, this Thayan Warlock-Oathbound Paladin's warding of the altar with her The Flayed Memory magics, which are in service to Asmodeus and very much against The Ashmodai cult, should be favorable to Pritchard's disposition; the brand was afflicted upon him by the cult's rituals rather than he being a willing host or even the progenitor of the ritual.


* Twyll, what would the leadership of Bregan D'aerthe do with this information above? Are you supposed to act upon these competing priorities embedded in the Thayan faction or is it your general directive to attain this information and not act autonomously upon it before you relinquish it to leadership?

* Pritchard, you're owed a follow-up question. However, I'm going to punt to you to ask and answer your question here, but please have the question index either (a) the order of The Flayed Memory, (b) the legend of He Who Was, or (c) Thayan political cleavages.
 

My follow-up question is about your (c), Thayan political cleavages: What competing political loyalties threaten to undermine the hierarchy and goals of the Thayans’ leadership?

My answer: While Szass Tam demands absolute obedience from his lieutenants, as do they, in turn, demand the same from their underlings, like any sprawling organization, several internal factions and external infiltrating threats prevent monolithic control. Neither Tam nor powerful exarchs like Valindra Shadowmantle are omniscient or omnipresent, after all. One such cleavage is The Flayed Memory, whose agents penetrate powerful organizations like the Thayans, vigilant for ambitious souls amid practitioners of the dark arts (necromancy, diabolism, and the like) who might see their individual or collective path to power through the recovery of the secret name of He Who Was. These agents serve two masters: their ostensible superior within the Thayan hierarchy and their oath to prevent any and all from learning the secret name of Asmodeus’s original foe. Serving this latter oath takes precedence over even the most binding of directives from an organizational superior.

With this in mind, we would like to pivot our actions. Rather than ambush the acolyte of Valindra and make off with the book that holds the location of the remains of the Ninth, we want to directly confront this Red Wizard-cum-Thayan Warlock/Oathbound Paladin and convince her that (a) we have a common foe in the Ashmadai and Mordai Vell and (b) this tome with its information must not fall into Valindra Shadowmantle’s hands. In return for (b), we offer our alliance in bringing about the downfall of Vell and his Ashmadai, possibly including the leverage of Lady Lily-Rose’s promise to get us into the Moonstone Manor for just such a purpose.

While it’s certainly possible that Vell’s demise cannot be brought about so quickly in gameplay (although our discussion of the Ashmadai being like Hydra--cut off one head and another replaces it, as the diabolists are constantly scheming, forming subfactions, and so on--does proffer this possibility), taking actions to satisfy Ironvice’s demands and reconnoitre Vell’s personal quarters may be initial steps towards a longer-reaching goal.

As for Twyll, given that her BG superiors desire she continue to countersurveil Valindra Shadowmantle, attaining information about levers to pull against Valindra is paramount. But autonomous action should only be taken when absolutely necessary, as in the case of preventing Valindra from gaining knowledge of the remains of the Ninth to complete her ritual.

So: for Pritchard, his priority is to forge an alliance with this figure, whose goals coincide nicely with his own. Whereas Twyll’s priority is, first and foremost, preventing Valindra from attaining the information necessary to complete her profane ritual.



PRITCHARD alights upon the warded altar, eyes blazing above the layers of cloth wrapping his lower face; hopefully treatment of his collection of fine linen cravats treated with “holy water” cologne sanctified during ritual prayers to the Lord of the Ninth will protect him and Twyll from the necromantic pestilence befouling the place.

With a heretofore-unrealized flair for the dramatic, Blackmantle rips open the buttons of his white silk blouse, exposing his pale, thin chest to the world–and more importantly to the ash zombies forming and reforming on the periphery of the altar and buildings.

“Behold, creatures!” he intones, “this mysterious red stigma upon my chest! Behold a dreadful witness of it!” And it was revealed! But it were irreverent to describe that revelation here.

It is enough to know that the ash zombies recognize the mark and acknowledge its bearer’s legitimacy in this place.




Pritchard marks 1 Adventuring Gear for the holy water with which he has treated his linen neckwear to protect himself and Twyll from the pestilence.

I don’t think Defy Danger is necessary for his alighting upon the altar, for nothing is at risk; he can make the same move from the trees or upon the ground without alteration. If you feel differently, though, I can make that move first.

Then, Pritchard wields the symbol carved into his breast in relation to that upon the altar to mark himself as “belonging” to this place and to impede the ash zombies from attacking.

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)

r6,3 +2 INT = 11. I choose to impede their actions.



TWYLL carefully estimates the distance to the outbuilding’s open window and action needed to get herself from the branch on which she is crouched and gently through that window, hopefully landing silently on its floor. While she makes her mental calculations, she wraps her own dark scarf over Pritchard’s pale, holy water-treated linen cravat: it would not do to make the perfect move only to be seen by the blaze of his prudent gift. <Although,> the drow muses to herself with a smirk as she climbs closer to her goal, <the faint scent of lavender might give my position away, if I’m not careful!>

Steadily, she takes a deep inhale and grasps the branch in front of her. Then, with her exhale, Twyll swings her body forward, letting go just in time to allow her momentum to carry her forward, her back arched to thread her through the window, pointed feet first. She executes the landing perfectly and slowly straightens, eyes carefully fixed on her unsuspecting prey.




Twyll uses Defy Danger (Dex) to carefully leap through the window of the outbuilding, using her Catlike instincts to move quietly:

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).

r4,6+2 DEX = 12

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.



The drow darts forward, quickly wrapping her right arm around the warlock’s neck–HARD–stopping any sound from leaving the woman’s throat.


Twyll is using Ambush against the Red Wizard, hoping to subdue her, not kill her.

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

r2,6+2 DEX = 10: I choose Stop them from making noise/raising an alarm and Create an opportunity; you or an ally takes +1 forward on the next move to act on it.



Her other hand holding a dagger up to the Red Wizard’s eye, Twyll whispers harshly, “Yield!”



Twyll creates an opportunity for herself to attempt to intimidate the Red Wizard, using Persuade (CHA), using the threat of violence as leverage, and taking +1 forward:

PERSUADE
When you press or entice an NPC, say what you want them to do (or not do). If they have reason to resist, roll +CHA:
On a 10+, they either do what you want or reveal the easiest way to convince them; on a 7-9, they reveal something you can do to convince them though it’ll likely be costly, tricky, or distatestful.

r3,1-1 CHA +1 Forward = 4; mark 1 point XP

Per Manbearcat

Given all the factors of the situation and setup, I’m going to (i) give you some of what you want, (ii) make a pair of soft moves (including going offscreen), while (iii) updating the situation-state outside of the move dynamics:

(i) The Thayan servant of two masters is on her feet in the middle of the room, heavy tome in hand, as the assault takes place. The open floor plan of this structure signifies it as former Thundertree’s common house. Made of hardwood with buttressing metal fasteners and clearly some kind of fireproofing, it survived the cataclysm. It is minimalist with a tapestry motif of Thundertree hanging from the rafters, a dais at the back and a built-in pulpit, and the desk at the window where she was formerly seated.

The shadows in the corners of the room coalesce like a million winding strings of utter darkness. The form is that of a rime-covered, phantasmal horse, mane and tail flowing in darkness, eyes the palest blue.

“I submit (one hand up while the other holding the hefty book stays low), but you’ll have to convince the Lethernan Mare. While we are symbiont, she is fully autonomous…and fiercely loyal…”

(ii) The Lethernan Mare paws the ground with its frozen hoof, iced-hooves cracking with the movement and a pool of rime spreading outward slowly. It bows its head and stares its eyes coldly into the soul of Twyll.

Twyll, a memory from your deep past creeps up into your psyche; something that froze you with dread. Tell us what it is and how you deal with it.

(Offscreen) It is this morning, not long ago. Rosene opens the door from her attached apartment to the common area of The Driftwood Tavern. Her head is down as her arms are full of bedding, preparing to change one of the rooms upstairs. She walks toward the stairs. NEXT is written in blood on the floor under her feet. She doesn’t panic. She lays the bedding to the side and stoops. Partially dry, partially wet. <thok> The sound of a drop of blood hitting the floor. She looks up. Her three ranking, greybeard members of the Son’s of Alogandar hanging from the ceiling’s joists, throats slit.

Gloom writhes subtly at the threshold to the front door…but already within. The door opens and closes as a pantomime. The Night Hag’s form has materialized fully, but then changes to that of the spitting image of one of Rosene’s servants; a linen-changer named Margaret. She’s here to help Rosene with the linens! Their eyes meet in horror (for one of them it is very much feigned!).

Meanwhile, at The House of Knowledge, a priest of Oghma hefts the heavy purse of coin they will put to work in fetching rare new tomes. It still amazes him that the woman traded a hefty coinpurse of one hundred coins for a collection of fairy tales, vast as it was, including an exaggerated rendering of the life of the great Lord Nasher Alagondar. Eclectic tastes <shrug>?

(Cut back in time to the booth and the shrouded figure meeting with the Nashers at The House of a Thousand Faces). The voice is low, gravely, impenetrable; "it shall be done." The figure scoops the coin purse and "melts" like dark smoke through the exterior wall. The sound of a phantasmal neigh and a singular, soft gallop from outside that same wall. Then...nothing.>

(iii) Twyll’s mental configurations of all that lies before her are halted briefly as she detects something strange about this place. She feels no “tug” from the sensor. It isn’t activating to surveil her here and now? Hmmmm…it cannot_activate. The Warlock-Paladin has it warded from Valindra’s remote scrying…
 

Per Manbearcat

Twyll, a memory from your deep past creeps up into your psyche; something that froze you with dread. Tell us what it is and how you deal with it.

As the shadows in the room’s corners wind themselves into a phantasmal horse, TWYLL fears a familiar dread pool in the pit of her gut, throwing her psyche into the starkness of deep memory:

[In the time before the Betrayal, many decades earlier] A much younger Twyll stands frozen in fear as her beloved brother, standing beside her, murmurs in a calming voice, even as he unsheathes his rapier:

“That is not her, Bridg, that is not Tanlyyd. Look at her skin: there are no pocks from the clevehgwastra. This thing only resembles the way Tanlyyd looks in our memories, not the way she looked when she was dying, her body ravished.”

Rhodri continues to speak softly as he steps in front of her, to defend her against the doppelghola’s attack: “These creatures read the images in our minds, the sharpest of which are those we long for and miss … and sometimes those we hate with a strong passion. But always those they resemble are dead. Remember that. Never forget that.

“You must always trust your instincts to speak to you. Do not succumb to the enervation of fear,” he instructs her, almost without thought, as he looks for his opening to strike.

The creature wearing their sister’s unravished face smiles cunningly, beckoning them forward, and Rhodri huffs a soft laugh in response: “Have you ever seen Tanlyyd smile at all? Let alone like that? That is not her.”

And with that, young Bridg’s brother lunges forward and thrusts his rapier through their faux-sister’s right eye… and the creature falls, revealing its true nature.

Rhodri looks down at it for a moment before speaking again.

“Your instincts know that what you long for is not there, but your mind hopes without hope: that is where the dread comes in. You must trust your instincts through that fog of hopeless hope and dread in order to act. Remember this.”

[days after the Betrayal]

Twyll looks down at the body of this new doppelghola as she wipes her blade clean. It really should have stuck with appearing as Allys. Choosing to shift into the appearance of Rhodri was its downfall. While her lover and betrayer was easily as cunning as it attempted to appear, her brother never was. Her memory of him is what broke the hold of that utter, hopeless dread the creature had planted in her: that misstep allowed her to remember Rhodri’s instructions and to allow her instincts to act.

She does not want to dwell on the fact that, as faux-Allys’s appearance confirms her death, her brother’s appearance confirms his own as well.

[Now]

Breathing deeply to calm her cold unease, Twyll relies on her senses to evaluate her situation. The mare has yet to act but will undoubtedly do so shortly: Twyll is actively threatening her partner. The Thayan has verbally submitted (if her word can be trusted), so…

The drow steps softly away from the woman, the blade still in hand but no longer pointed at her eye. Staring into the eyes of this amazing and austere beast of shadow, she thinks deeply on all she learned from her brother over their many-but-still-too-few-years together: how might he have handled this moment. He would trust his instinct, as she will now. Clearly standing down is necessary to assure the steed that her companion is no longer in imminent danger, but Twyll thinks that a battle of wills might encourage its protective instinct to stand down … somewhat … obviously very watchful of its charge. She lifts her chin slightly towards the mare … and waits.




Twyll is using her willpower to withstand the mare’s stare:

DEFY DANGER

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

… +WIS to exert willpower or rely on your senses

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).

r6,5 +2 WIS=13



Per Manbearcat
The ice snakes from the Lethernan Mare’s hoof across the wooden substrate of Ruined Thundertree’s common house…then abruptly stops. It is unclear how much this creature from The Hells is demon and how much horse. Whatever the amount of each, it now very much resembles the worldly latter. It trots slowly forward, head down. Across the room now, it nickers softly as its snout gently prods against Twyll’s hand and the cruel blade hefted at its master.

Hypnotically watching, the mare’s master says nothing.

Fascinated, mouth slightly open in awe, TWYLL slowly lowers the hand that threatens the warlock, raising her weaponless one to gingerly stroke the mare’s snout.

Meanwhile, outside:


Per darkbard

“Behold, creatures!” he intones, “this mysterious red stigma upon my chest! Behold a dreadful witness of it!”

At the sound of Pritchard’s dramatic declaration, all in the small building instinctively look to the window before returning their attention to each other, the two women carefully studying their opponent.

Per Manbearcat

(iii) Twyll’s mental configurations of all that lies before her are halted briefly as she detects something strange about this place. She feels no “tug” from the sensor. It isn’t activating to surveil her here and now? Hmmmm…it cannot_activate. The Warlock-Paladin has it warded from Valindra’s remote scrying…

TWYLL’s eyes widen then narrow, as the drow now speculates about her options. Then she smiles, lifting an eyebrow and tilting her head: “It seems we both seek to occasionally hide from your illustrious leader. Perhaps we should talk freely–including our friend outside–as apparently we are able to … here.” As she says the last word, the drow gestures with her hands at the walls of the structure they are in.
 

PRITCHARD climbs in through the open window with less grace than the drow. Indeed, he resembles nothing less than a land-bound octopus awkwardly forcing its way between two rocks at the shore.

In the public house and on two feet now, he straightens and smoothes his mustache reflexively.

Giving the magnificent shadow mare a wary glance, he bows his head in deference.

"Nameless One," he addresses the Red Wizard, "long hours of study have familiarized me with the iconography of your sect. And as you can see," he flutters the ruffles of his blouse aside rather unnecessarily, "I bear the brand of The Lord of the Ninth, though I am no agent of the Ashmadai. For this is His gift directly, a mark I bear without understanding or pretension.

"In fact, the enemy you seek to root out, whose ambitions outstrip what the Raging Fiend would desire, is my enemy, as well. And that makes us allies. At least allies in purpose. For Mordai Vell seeks my death, and I very much wouldn't mind returning the favor. Er, in advance, as it were.

"What I propose, then, is a truce between us. We can aid you in surprising the Tiefling unawares, for I have clever contacts within Neverwinter who have this within their power ... and whose debts to me come due. In return, we require that the hoary tome you clutch within your grasp--and its secrets regarding the remains of certain heroes from the city's past--never reach your Master.

"Do these terms and this alliance meet with your acceptance?"


Per Manbearcat
She studies Pritchard hard without betrayal of her inner workings.

Flatly, “what you propose is seditious to my worldly allegiances. Beyond that, Valindra Shadowmantle is a foe more dangerous than either of you have encountered in your lives.”

Turning to Twyll, “you are perceptive, and quite right that I have taken measures to mask my doings here from her. No doubt she knows, but she has allowed me, and I do mean allowed, this scant reprieve from her watchful gaze. Should she decide to rescind this privacy she has afforded me…or, worse still, should she become suddenly outraged by it…I will let your imagination fill in the rest…”

Turning back to Pritchard, “she has tasked me with finding this <she hefts the book in her hand>. My time in this quest is limited. Should I fail her…again, I will let your imagination fill in the rest…”
Pritchard sputters. Twyll blinks impassively.

“You misunderstand,” the drow drawls, “the moment you accepted this parley, you sealed your fate. Valindra has been monitoring our actions,” Twyll gestures to herself and her companion. “She knows we must be meeting you here now. What we offer is a way out.” Holding her hand up to forestall any objections: “It was never our intent to entrap you, but there it is. This is now the situation. We must work together.”


Per Manbearcat
For the first time you see some let-up of her stoic resolve; turmoil.

She passes a hand over you and invokes a demonic litany to The Lord of the Ninth; Detect Magic. She senses the divination magic of the arcane sensor.

“She will likely attack in force the moment you leave the common house with your heads on your shoulders and without my own head as a trophy. How do you propose to rectify this snag in your plan. What ruse do you have that will placate her once her enspelled sensor activates again beyond these walls?”

”Simple,” Pritchard speaks up again. “Twyll leaves the sensor here. The fact that Valindra hasn’t immediately attacked us already means we have some time to effect an escape. The sooner we leave, the better.

“Twyll? Red Wizard?”

Twyll nods affirmatively; despite the feeling that she is abandoning her orders to countersurveil the lich, she knows the Bregan D’aerthe would prefer her alive than dead.


Per Manbearcat
The Nameless One strokes the head of the Lethernan Mare. After a long moment of consideration, she replies.

“It seems the only way forward.”


She hands you the tome (2 Weight) <metacommentary; this back-and-forth has done the work to press or entice her such that she has no reason to push back and no leverage, so trigger for Persuade is resolved without the move>

“You must have a rendezvous point in Neverwinter in mind. Name it. I will meet you there.”

"Tilly's Rather Doubtful Coffeeshop. Two doors down from the Fallen Tower in the River District. Two days' time, at dusk," finishes Twyll as she accepts the weighty tome and divests herself of the scrying sensor that has been such a burden in so short a period of time.

"What consequences from this ..." she muses silently.




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. Investigating the iconography of the altar, despite the danger & our desiderata in Thundertree already being met.

* Twyll Alignment (Neutral); to deceive, misdirect, outthink. Yes. Outthinking Valindra by divesting herself of the scrying sensor. Cleverly avoiding the traps set in Thundertree. Besting the river challenge by locating the former ferry location and building the raft.

3) Then answer these three questions as a group:

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

* Yes. Thundertree is overrun by necromantic power. The Flayed Memory has infiltrated the Thayan Red Wizards. The Nameless One sought to raise the last of the Neverwinter Nine on behalf of Valindra.

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

* Yes. We have forged an alliance with The Nameless One and the Lethernan Mare.

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

* Yes. We have put a wrench into Valindra's plans to raise the Neverwinter Nine.

3d) Did we prevent an Impending Doom?

* No.

In addition, Nephis earned 1 XP via 6- rolls. Thus, Pritchard earns 4 XP (levels up to 2 and has 3 extra XP) and Twyll earns 5 XP (L2 with 5 extra XP). Pritchard raises his CHA from 15 to 16 (now +2) and chooses as his Advanced Move

FIREBRAND

When you introduce a new idea to an NPC, roll+CHA. On a 10+ they believe the idea to be their own and take to it with fervor. On a 7-9, their passion fades after a day or two. On a miss, they respond negatively, speaking out against the idea.



From here, we head directly to the slopes north of Neverwinter, to lay to rest the remains of Pritchard's ancestors.
 
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Metacommentary x 2 first:

1) Regarding the offscreen soft move just recently made above.

The transaction was exclusively between The Nameless One and The Nashers:

* The coin paid to The Nameless One by the Nasher faction of the Sons for the summoning of the hellborne Night Hag to embed herself into The Driftwood Tavern, terrorizing the senior leadership of The Sons of Alagondar (which escalated to murder!...oopsie!) into relinquishing their grasp on the faction’s trajectory to the younger Nashers...perhaps even doing enough work that the elder faction of the Sons of Alagondar will elect to leave Neverwinter entirely and leave the dirty business of insurrection to the young revolutionaries and their violent vision of uprising.

* Meanwhile, that coin for the transaction bought The Nameless One the tome of fairytales regarding the burial location of the 9th of The Neverwinter Nine (which still evaded Valindra Shadowmantle).

This move was working off of two Grim Portents for the Thayans:

* Destroy the Sons of Alogandar from within by subverting The Nashers to her malign will. Will Twyll expose Bregan D'aerthe's own subversive machinations to the Harpers and Sons?

* Awaken the Neverwinter Nine; Will Valindra infiltrate Neverwinter’s new government via these undead Shapechangers?

2) Concretizing the thematic premise and resolution necessaries) of the immediately following conflict.

(i) An angel bore the noble hero (revealed to be Pritchard's ancestor) 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.

(ii) The Hero-Turned-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.

So, essentially, you've got the "fallen angel" angel of this that sort of mirrors Asmodeus with He Who Was > the family secret > that family secret animating Pritchard toward diabolism downstream.




Before we leave Ruined Thundertree's Common House and "fast travel" (we've just successfully dealt with the dangers of this route...we are calling it "safe travel without significant change in circumstance" for resolution purposes now so we aren't going to employ the UaPJ move again):

* Twyll finds a small, papyrus rubbing backed by reinforcing leatherwork on the desk (1 weight). The language and iconography will require discerning, but the subtle scent coming off of this is "as-death;" Valindra Shadowmantle held this. A Clue for your Locate Valindra Shadowmantle move @Nephis .

On to Ruined Thundertree. Concretizing the resolution necessaries of the immediately following conflict:

1) Find the long-forgotten ossuary that nature has since claimed.

2) Unearth the mass grave.

3) Consecrate these bodies under the light of the moon (Selune...most of the folks, or all of them, would have worshipped the moon goddess, at least in part). For Pritchard, branded by profane Asmodeus, that divine radiance will absolutely cause him suffering.

4) Bury them rightly. The "coffinmaker" dictate is metaphorical here. Each body deserves individual care, grave, and liturgy. You don't literally need "a coffin" or "coffinmaker."

---------------------

The trek back to Neverwinter was warmed by the river's heat and the large moon in the sky made for relatively easy travel despite how brisk the ridgeline trek was. Here we are...the sparse woodlands north of Neverwinter...slope falling away from us at a gentle grade.

Similar conditions to what those who perished here those years ago would have faced when they made camp for the night and the pyroclasm claimed their lives.

Surely the group expeditioning desperately northward would have bedded down near water; to wet their own throats, to make stew, to water the few horses they escaped with. A small, well-known tributary runs northward off of Neverwinter River to a drainage basin in the flatlands below. Its narrow, snaking path juts this way and that in a gulley which is steep-sided (perhaps 65 degrees) and some 7-8 meters tall on the eastern side where you arrive. The opposite, western gulley wall is barely a third as steep and only a few meters tall. Over there, the ample, verdant space is a gentle escarpment featuring a dense copse of trees before it converges into a small beach next to the riverbed. A carcass of an animal, nearly fully eaten signifies that this place is a watering hole and an ambush location for the area's predators. You can see that most of the trees were debarked from the pyroclasm and its winds. Some of them survived and regrew, but many died there and lie upward and in place, bereft of foliage, like an eerie time capsule and woodland grave. As moonlight pours over them, from this vantage Twyll's eyes can make out a trio of felled, softwood conifer trees near the shoreline, the technology of sharp axe strokes revealing themselves as the cause rather than nature's fury.

This area is a good three hours north of Neverwinter's gate.

Baying is heard from a distance. Multiple howls answers the call of the first, closer still. Then a third, singular answer of much higher fullness, much higher magnitude crosses your ears...closer still.

The partial medley of nature's throbbing nature, insects and birds, suddenly cut off. Only the wind on the pine needles and the flies buzzing the corpse can now be heard.

What do you do?
 
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