Life Debt
Mythic GME + Frostgrave narrative se00.2
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My fellow Inkmasters. Welcome to another installment of the Ink n Bones Podletter. Always happy to have you along for the ride. Your help is much-needed and appreciated, our small endeavor could use a Share. It would mean alot to me as we push for our first 100 subs.
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Last week
If you missed last week's installment you can catch up below.
Last, we left off We got a chance to meet our Apprentice Itaz Tedali. A deserter and former scout of the Hoviel Empire. After a botched scouting mission and trying to escape he ran smack dab into Yrkoon the wizard. Having motives of his own Yrkoon offered Itaz a choice. His service or his life. Not much of a real choice, but one far better than what waited for him.
This week
We will meet our Bard and Apothecary, Ja'meed, and Eratha, there will be somethings that will be named differently in the narrative. I’ll possibly make an entire appendix for the world terms and terminology at some point. While we may be using the base systems of Frostgrave and Mythic GME etc. to create our characters and the stories they run through. We are not using that setting but instead building out the homebrew world of Sorg. All stories and adventures take place within this homebrew world. As we flesh things out in play we will step away from time to time to focus in on worldbuilding elements. This week we'll get a bit more setting detail as our Apprentice finds himself at odds with the pair whilst on task for his Master.
Emergency Foraging
The steppes of the Ost Canyons were quiet in the early morning light. It’d been nearly three months since my desertion. If you could call it that. Master Yr wasn’t a cruel man, critical, abrasive, harsh even, but reasonable. Probably because he’s devil-kin. I still haven't mustered the courage to ask him about it. His guidance has increased my grasp of the arcane sevenfold.
I scan this mornings trail. My scout skills have been coming in handy as he's had me mapping the different paths and areas nearby. The smell of salt of the air from the eastern Vast a welcome comfort but a nuisance for today’s task. Gathering Ishath Thornweed a particular herb known for its particular use in medicinal remedies and a few other potions like invisibility.
Master Yr insisted that we prepare ourselves. The canyons were filled with riches we just needed to find them. That also meant surviving the horrors of the ruins, the beast and men alike. The trail was clear and normally I would have called it beautiful but I didn't have time to admire the high walls and the shimmering ore veins that sparked in the light.
I pushed on further east, the air becoming cooler as the trail brought me to a plateau over looking a lake. One larger than I was expecting. I pulled out my equipment marking it down. A water source like this was a boon. But, it also meant we most likely wouldn’t be the only ones. I’d need to find a way down at some point, for now I sketched what I could and continued on. The path took me down the bend and opened up onto another coppiced plateau.
The shrubs were thick and vibrant with few flowers. The pungent stank of sweet musk filling the air. It stung enough to cause me to sneeze, the stone walls echoing and amplifying it to a near roar. Out of the brush rolled one of the Jeppua people- a rather small race of sand dwellers akin to weasels and infinitely more devious.
He leveled a hand crossbow at me. “Hold!”
I shook my head in frustration as I gave him a good once over. He was nothing like any other Jeppua I’d met or seen. He wore traditional halfling garb, he was bootless and his tail while dyed like any other Jeppua was braided into a fine pattern. He trembled as he spoke.
“No closer!”
Jeppua weren’t known for liking direct conflict. I could probably out pace him at this range and as I put my hands up I noticed he didn’t even have a bolt ready to fire.
“Good morrow, Friend Jeppi, just passing through. Not looking for a fight.” I said.
His eyes darted over my shoulder.
“I’m alone. I'm Itaz, your mastery of men’s rife is unlike any Jeppi I’ve met before.”
I tried to add a layer of admiration to my voice as I inched closer.
“Course you would think that a compliment Human.”
He spat the last word. I was used to it, in the past few months I’d been with Master Yr I’d hear it in his voice from time to time,the disdain. It wasn't until a few days ago the traders started speaking with me without Yr present.
“No, disrespect intended. I simply haven’t met many of your kind in these parts. I’m just looking for a bit of Thornweed.”
At the mention of the Thornweed he took a step back a hand going to pouch on his hip.
“That what you have there?”
“You're not taking this from me!”
“I was going to ask if you could show me where you found it. Ignorant I am, I am no enemy. I have coin for your services even?”
I slowly went to jingle my coin pouch. I only had a few measel topiis but coin out here in the canyons could save your life. I watched him relax some.
“Well flatface your coin isn’t the problem. It’s where the Thornweed is.”
“What off the cliff side?”
“Worse, Bronze Coyote burial grounds.”
“Well, slagsacks…”
The Bronze Coyotes were a restless tribe, especially in death. He probably wasn’t going to let me buy any off of him. I was going to have to get him to work with me.
Humans, always a pain in the tail. If it weren’t for the fact Eratha was on the other side of the burial grounds I would have let him figure it out on his own. But here I was looking over the shoulder of this flatface.
“So, if don’t mind my asking why the Thornweed?” He asked as he searched the area.
“Less talk flatface, more digging.” I nudged passed him and walked towards a patch brush.
“Not to pry you just don’t seem of the arcane bent or one for the land for that matter.” He said.
“You mean civilised?”
“I mean you still haven’t noticed you have no bolt in your crossbow.”
I looked down and winced at the truth of his words. He was right I’m no fighter. I put my crossbow away and sighed. The flatface silently went to work and let his statement sit in the air.
“I’m an aspiring Howler.” I mumbled.
“A Howler? Oh, wow I used to love Howlers as a kid! Do you know Itar's Sonnet, or The White Stag and the King?” He asked excitedly half stopping.
It took me by surprise a human knew such tales.
“I'm still earning one of those. But Itar's Sonnet is a classic. No Howler of worth could ever not know the sonnet. How did you come to know it?”
“Ah, well Howlers are some of the only outsiders allowed beyond the walls of the Empire. They brought stories, gifts, they brought wonders from the broken world outside…” he trailed off then corrected himself, “…no,they brought us wonders from the world hidden from us.”
He went back to digging when a hand shot from the earth and yanked him down. The groan of another two undead Bronze Coyote soldiers from behind marked the start to a really long day.
I struggled to pull myself from the undead Bronze Coyote. Having to smash its arm with a rock I rolled to the side to see another two baring down on us.
The Jeppi Howler was already firing at them to little avail. I drew the contraption the master gifted me -a Hexalock- and took aim.
“GET DOWN!” I Shouted a bolt of dark firey light striking one undead warrior and jumping to another like arcing electricity. The first shattered into dust and bits of bone while the second was set ablaze.
I slammed the butt of my Hexalock into the skull of the one still trying to make its way out of the ground.
“This is why I said less talking!”
“Perfect time to take your own advice.”
I took another shot dropping another undead. As the second shot rang out more graves stirred. We needed to get out of here. The way we came was blocked.
“We need an exit!”
“There, back towards my camp.” The Jeppua pointed toward a ledge that led to another path.
I laid down cover fire and told him to go. Master Yr was going to love this.
“How long has she been like this?” I asked.
“Going on two weeks now.”
They’re camp was set high in a canyon crag. Our escape from the burial grounds had been a hasty one but it left me wondering how they ended up here. Eratha the halfling laid on her bed roll in a fever state. Strewn about the camp were books and scrolls, most of which looked to be her stuff. He must have scoured ever thing to try and help her.
I picked up one of the scrolls, it had drawings of herbs and flowers. Notes scawled in the corners.
“Her work?”
“Yes, she is a Mender. Her tribe studies the land, recording new discoveries and recipes. Kind of like us Howlers gather stories and songs.”
I nodded we would need to stay here for a while until the burial grounds settled.
“Well, Friend I think I know how to help. But, it would help to know your name.”
“Ja'meed, is what they call me.”
Next week
That is where we will leave it this week.
Ja'meed the Howler and Eratha the Mender. I’d planned to introduce Rasaalm and the Thugs next week but we will dive into our first delve and introduce them in a small way through that vignette. You may have noticed that audio episodes have not been coming out. Currently this is due to some laptop issues, however I’m working on that so stay tuned.
Bones and Mechanics
This installment was an interesting one to write. Let’s look at how the Bones shook out this time around to create this weeks scene.
2d100» 72,12 » increase adversities
Mender sick? 2d10+2» 10,2» yes random event
2d100» 57,74 » create liberty
A poison? 2d10+2» 7,3» exception yes
Potions description 2d100»41,93» fully tranquil
Is the Howler hostile? 2d10» 9,8» yes
Herb grab» d20»1» fail
Skeletons» d4+1» 2»3
Do they get away? 2d10+4» 6,1»yes
With the above rolls from our Mythic GME. We came up with the following The Mender is poisoned. A poison that has put her into a stupor...
Itaz is looking for the ingredients to an invisibility spell although he is looking in the wrong place.
The Bard is incompetent. Because he just wants to tell stories. He's hostile because he is scared and doesn't know what to do but also because it's the Ost canyon. A lawless land. He is able to keep her comfortable and going with the notes.
The Apprentice causes the skeletons to pop up. And they can get away without much issue. While not overly action packed I hoped some of the worldbuilding and setting stuff piqued your interest.
Thanks again for taking the time out to read and support. Our first poll will be up next week! Make sure to drop your questions, comments and critiques below. Have a playful one!