Itaz Tedali: The Apprentice
Mythic GME + Frostgrave narrative se00.1
Hello hello hello 👋🏾👋🏾👋🏾👋🏾
My fellow Inkmasters. Welcome to another installment of the Ink n Bones Podletter. Thank you thank you and thank you a million times for your support. The biggest help you could offer our small endeavor is to give us a Share. My healing is a slow process but it is coming along and pretty sure a Share would help my recovery.
If you aren't already a member of the Inkyard smash that Subscribe button for your next Exceptional Yes!
Last week
If you missed last week's installment you can catch up below.
Last we left off we met our Wizard Soldarym, now Yrkoon Soldarym - more so a title than his actual name - after fleeing Merlind he found himself Far South in the Ost Canyons were he stumbled across a Lab once used by his predecessor.
This week
The new Yrkoon will meet his apprentice. As I stated last week the building of our warband mechanically is a rather simple one. What we will be adding a bit of narrative flavor to all of this. As it will help with determining what motives our chatacters have to brave the wilds and monsters of the ruins. Rolls will be after the narrative as per usual. Hope you enjoy this one.
A Life Worth More…
A simple mission, thats what the captain said, head east and scout the path. All I had to do was scout the path. Easier said than done, I guess he forgot to mention the hatred the tribes have for us.
I sat with my back pressed against one of the canyon walls. I’d squeezed into the crack to hide and lay low for a bit, an uncomfortable fit but it'd keep me out of sight for the time being. My breath caught in the back of my throat as the light of the rising sun flickered through the opening of my hide away. Just on the other side of the wall I could hear at least three sets of footsteps.
I closed my eyes and concentrated on the dagger I’d left embedded in the ceiling above them. My senses and vision shifting from one spot to the next. Tusksilt tribe by the looks of their gear. Simple hide and bone armor dyed in shades of grey and muddy orange. Six by my count, five warriors and a sniffer.
I immediately dropped the spell hoping the damned thing hadn’t picked up on it yet. Freaks, they were twisted by the sands at birth, Sniffers were worse than Bloodcrows to a corpse. A mage’s worst nightmare-a crafty arcane starved monstrosity-and for me, an untrained lout drafted by his beloved country, for me it meant death.
The sniffer gave a shriek of excitement, it was somewhere between a giggle and death gurgle. The sound sent shivers down my spine, I started to look around frantically. The canyons were full of countless ruins. Ruins the Empire were trying to reclaim albeit in secret. Ruins meant secret passages, and rooms. This place couldn’t be any different.
The eerie sound of the sniffer echoed about me like a hollow children’s choir as it got closer. It’s long nails clicking on the stone walls. Deeper towards the back wall, a squeeze. I put my head in seeing no light or end to the crawl space and cursed. The clicking grew louder and I turned back to meet the deranged gaze of the sniffer.
A howling hoot rang through the small chamber as it bounced up and down in excitement, it’s nails sparking off the stone as it tried to dart its tongue through the opening to get at me. I had time as they would need to pull it off the opening to get to me, and it couldn’t get in here. There was only one way out, so I dove into the crawl space.
All fours as fast as I could. They’d finally gotten through, that much I could hear. I didn’t care if they were in, if I could just get as far back they wouldn’t follow. So I crawled, an arrow skipping off the stone work next to me sent me prone. Guess I was right they weren’t willing to take the chance. Only blind shots seemed to come down the tunnel for a short time, but I couldn’t hear anyone crawling after me.
My head knocked against the wall, I really should have took up that damned priest offer, to learn that light spell. His diatribes were beyond tedious though, I felt the walls with my hands effectively blind in The darkness of the tunnel. It felt like it was narrowing. Dropping back to my belly I kept crawling deeper.
I crawled until I was laying flat pushing myself along with nothing but the tips of my boots and fingers. My chest was tight and it was harder to breathe but I could hear the sound of rushing water. So I kept crawling.
I went to pull myself along with my fingers to find purchase on what felt like a smooth ledge. My lungs were working over time trying to get what little air I could in this tight squeeze I pulled with all my might. Wrist, elbows, head and shoulders. The sudden release of pressure made me dizzy and I went tumbling towards the sound of water.
I awoke to the sharp jab of a spear in my ribs, sputtering water and every inch of me in pain. I raised my head and met the gaze of one of the Tusksilt.
He lifted me to my feet with the tip of his spear beneath my chin.
“That’s it flatface nice and easy.”
He motioned two of his patrol to search me. Not the same band from before, or if they were they’d split up. Of course the tribes knew the canyons better than I, but three was better odds than five and a sniffer.
I scanned the surroundings as they took my boot knives and the rest of my gear. Not like I had much to take. Looks like that tunnel spit me out in a small pass with a low over hang, from the looks of it I’d have my chance. They nodded at each other and said something in their tongue before pushing me forward.
Balder, figured I call the one with the spear something not like they gave their names. He was bald the one to my right was missing a few fingers, and the one to my left had a very clear chest scar. So as Balder, Chester, and No finger led me out of the pass I quietly took my time mumbling my incantation.
I hadn’t practiced this one in some time but I figured it’d be my only shot. As we neared the opening I had to catch myself from smiling. The floor sloped upward and the rocks narrowed. We’d have to go through one at a time. The spear jabbed me in the side again.
“Alright, alright!” I shouted purposely turning as I stepped forward to look back. My foot catching on the rock I reached out to steady myself on the wall.
“See what happens when you rush me? Nearly drowned I need a bit.” I said feigning weakness.
Balder was about to take another jab at me. When chester said something, I’m guessing stop since I didn’t feel the spear in my ribs again.
“You…no rest… You talk chief….” Chester said in broken common tongue.
A part of me felt bad as I released the spell into the wall. Talking wasn’t an option. The walls started to crack and crumble as the entry way collapsed. I threw myself through the opening tucking and rolling to my feet.
“Ha! Try and kill Itaz Tedali?! He spits on your tomb!” I screamed.
I turned to run and was staring down the barrel of a pistol. Behind it a one armed devil-kin. My day couldn’t get worse could it?
An Apprentice…
I started my morning like any other. Walking to the small pond I’d found. This morning was different though, instead of coming to the pond getting water and heading back to the lab. No instead I see a human stumbling out of the pass, screaming and raving about his death.
“Itaz Tedali spits on your tomb!” He shouted.
I dropped my bucket and immediately pulled my pistol. A contraption my predecessor abandoned amongst his numerous notes and experiments.
I’d taken the time to refine it some. Having one arm meant swords and other heavier equipment was out of the question so I improvised. At this range my make shift Siltsalt would be more than enough to put this human well on his arse.
He stepped directly into my pistol and went from a raving lunatic to a calculating young man. His hands were up and he was dripping from head to toe. Looking over his shoulder I could see my path to the pond blocked by rubble.
“This your doing?” I asked. He gave me no response.
“By the looks of it, you are no friend to these parts. And worse for you, you’ve disrupted my routine.” He still only stared at me, or it looked that way. I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck raise as only magic could make them do.
I pushed the pistol firmly against his head. “I know magic and what ever you are trying to cast don’t.”
His eyes widened in terror. It went just as quickly as it came. He hardened his jaw and asked “Going to kill me?”
“You don’t know your spell very well do you?”
“What?”
“Your spell,” I nodded back to his handiwork. “You don’t know it well or you haven’t practiced.”
I looked him over again. He was haggard, through the dirt he couldn’t have been much older than myself when I started learning the craft. The rocks shifted behind him giving him a start. I smiled remembering the words of my predecessor.
“Well, looks like you’re in a bind. So a choice either we wait here until whatever you’re running from clears that rubble or…” I trailed off letting him ask.
“or what?” He asked.
“Or I can teach you how to use that spell the right way so you never have to run again.” I holstersed my pistol and offered my hand.
“I could use an apprentice. What say you?”
Next week
Alright that’s where we will end it for this weeks installment
Itaz Tedali, our Apprentice of the Ajom. We will meet the rest of our band, Rasaalm, Eratha, and the Thugs over the course of the next two installments. Then we will dive into our first delve with our Cohort.
As always let’s look at the mechanics behind this weeks narrative and some of the interpretations and thought process behind this weeks scene.
2d100» 93,13 » proceeding war
Was he sent to scout? 2d10+4 » 2,6 » yes random event
2d100» 69, 7» ruin allies
Was he at fault? 2d10» 1,6 »No
Is he a refuge? 2d10» 10, 6»yes random event
Is he From the Hoviel Empire? 2d10+4» 17 »yes
Motive for leaving ? 2d100 » 72,1 » suggest wealth
Does he get away quietly? 2d10-2» 3,5 » no Exceptional
Does he get away unscathed? 2d10 » 7,6 » yes
With the above rolls from our Mythic GME. We came up with the idea that our apprentice would be on the run and would be faced with a decision. Whether or not his life serving the Empire is worth it. Or if it would be better to take a chance elsewhere.
Itaz isn’t exactly a noble character when I think about him. But what are your thoughts on him? Give us a shout in the comments!
Thanks again for reading and being part of the Inkyard. Hope you guys have a playful one!