Chapter 1: The Righteous Go Free

[Stirling]

Clough: 'Mouse no' 2'.

"Perhaps as the dwarves checkout the cave mouth and Cu Aislin baits his line we can check out the stream beds Haar. You might find some burdock or edible reed bulbs. I think too any current is likely to push a body to float by the bank rather than carry it downstream at this point."

The rogue will use his sailing skill knowledge of water current systems to check if Kublex is 'floating and bloating' nearby the eddy swirls.

[Enoch]

I'm going to assume that everyone that can help does, which is +4D (Grimm, Tancred, Haar, Ganna). I will use my Dreamwalker trait against myself, which gives me -1D on the test but earns me a check. With a skill of 2D, 4D Help, and -1D for using Dreamwalker against myself, I'll be rolling 5D and will earn a Test for Hunting (Passed or Failed) and a Check.

For those not familiar with the system, remember that every test we make advances The Grind a turn, and every four turns without camping we get a Condition (Hungry and Thirsty if we don't have it already).

5D: [1d6] = 1, : [1d6] = 2, : [1d6] = 4, : [1d6] = 3, : [1d6] = 3

Cu and the others fish on the banks of the river, but with each fish, the druid rejects it after careful study. He mutters something about the number of spots on their backs as he gently releases them back into the pool.

That, uh, could have gone better. I suppose this is where I demonstrate how Wises can help!

If I spend a persona point, I can use my Omen-wise with Of Course! to reroll all of the failures.

4D: [1d6] = 5, [1d6] = 6, [1d6] = 2, [1d6] = 1

That takes me up to 3 successes, which is enough.

"Of course...if I want the blessing of the Lord of Light and Dark, I need to find the boundary between the two." He moves to a shadowed eddy and almost immediately pulls up a large, speckled fish, which he holds up triumphantly.

[Marullus]

Assumed help: If you narrate how you helped, you can also record the passed test. Otherwise, your help was off-camera and we move on with our regularly scheduled roleplay.

• Laborer: Grimm
• Hunter: Tancred, Haar
• Survivalist: Ganna
• (None: Clough)

[Marullus]

Cu Aislin spends 1 Persona Point (mark sheet).
Taking some time to ply the waters for a suitable sacrificial fish, the stag-skulled druid is satisfied with his results. He carefully wraps his catch to carry it for sacrificial use when the group reaches the sacred pool... (Fish is hand/pack 1)

Clough: 'Mouse no' 2'.

"Perhaps as the dwarves checkout the cave mouth and Cu Aislin baits his line we can check out the stream beds Haar. You might find some burdock or edible reed bulbs. I think too any current is likely to push a body to float by the bank rather than carry it downstream at this point."

The rogue will use his sailing skill knowledge of water current systems to check if Kublex is 'floating and bloating' nearby the eddy swirls.

Pausing for a learning moment: this is normally where "Stating an action" makes it happen, but I'm ensuring understanding first. Simultaneous actions are generally not a thing - every action advances the Grind and splitting the group to do different things (while possible) advances the clock twice as fast with lesser dice in each action. It will be my default to resolve each action sequentially instead.

So, if Clough wants to go ahead with searching for the body, he can do so and everyone can also help him since it is sequentially after Cu Aislin's action. It is important to know that this is the fourth action, however, and at the end of it the Grind advances, everyone gets hungry/thirsty, and everyone looses Fresh. That's not terrible (because you can all drink from the stream and resolve it), but the loss of your fresh traits will persist. The other alternative is to attempt to camp now (you have two Checks currently, so may do so and spend them) and then take your action after.

As a learning point, I will let it be up to Stirling if we do his search action now or camp now.

Session 1, Turn 4. (Last test until the Grind.)

Party: Durganor (Afraid), Clough (Fresh), Tancred (Fresh), Haar, Ganna, Cú Aislin, Grimm (Fresh)

Early Autumn, Streamside, bottom of the chasm

[drpete]

Grimm pats the goblin on the shoulder, and waves him to come along. He enlists the goblin in searching under rocks and in rotten logs for worms and creepy crawlies to act as "bait" for Cu's fishing attempt.

As they look, Grimm will ask the goblin about his family and the other goblins imprisoned above. Is his family alive? How long have the humans been there? How deep do the goblin caves go (might they extend down to this shrine?)?

Trying to narrate helping with laborer. I figured hunting under rocks for worms is more manual labor than really "skilled" work. If I can add a test, is it to my helping skill, or to the tested skill?

[Rex]

Ganna

Ganna will search about for anything of value, the remains of the goblin shaman and evidence of where his remains once were.

[Stirling]

Clough

Pats Tabi on the head as both he and the cat look ruefully at the druid as small fish are returned to the waters. "Perhaps you can nibble on some sacrificial offering instead."

He looks at the water channel, it is not choked with snag points. Perhaps after all the body of the goblin shamen has floated further downstream and the past canyon bend. He doesn't note any bankside cairn so feels the goblin slaves never recovered it after he was thrown off the cliff.

rather than advance the grind, I think keeping 'fresh traits' might serve us well. Clough shrugs off the curiosity off finding the body, "well curiosity killed the cat and we don't want that do we?" he says to Ganna.

He begins to think instead of using his cartographer skills to record details of the canyon and encampment so far.

[rossik]

Durganor

One eye on the goblin, the instincts of the dwarf to kill and to get away from the goblin jumps in his head.
Trying to stay calm, he decide to help the others to find something useful, using his life skills as a scavenger

[Marullus]

As they look, Grimm will ask the goblin about his family and the other goblins imprisoned above. Is his family alive? How long have the humans been there? How deep do the goblin caves go (might they extend down to this shrine?)?

Guhnk responds to the slightest kindness and chatters on as Grimm lifts rocks to find bait-worms for the druid. He learns that parental roles and responsibilities are lax and diffuse among the goblins, resulting in a clan affiliation, absent real family knowledge. His clan, including those he would identify as what Grimm recognizes as positive parental role models, have suffered greatly. Three of his matriarchs were slain as feeble, one still lives and is slaved to the cookpots. The humans came just before summer - they've been here over five months. The goblins live in the caves above - most of the tunnels have been collapsed by the humans to prevent escape or use. Once the humans are driven off, the goblins hope to restore their previous warrens and resume their lives. The caves down here are natural and sacred. They go to the Pool, of course. The Pool and its mystic power is connected to the human's shrine above and the humans draw the power off the mystic place, twisting it for their own ends.

If I can add a test, is it to my helping skill, or to the tested skill?

You can only help with a skill you possess. Success or failure then applies to the skill you helped with.
So, in this case, mark 1 successful test for your Laborer skill.

Sidebar: See OOC Discussion here: viewtopic.php?f=828&t=9236&p=460535#p460535

[Marullus]

i think Durganor is used to a life that he must take every advantage he can to make through the day, so he will take anything he thinks is useful for him

Instinct Test. Scavenger Ob 2 (i.e. two successes needed). You must roll with no help. You have 3D skill and can make that 2D or 4D by using a trait against or for yourself. Narrate your action.

[rossik]

Durganor believes that where he can find goblins, he can find trash. Sometimes, those stupid creatures toss valuable things away, as they are too dumb to realize its value. Well, as a matter of fact, humans do that too, so he will look what the water brings (if he sees the water is capable of such thing: otherwise, he will look near the cliff).

[Marullus]

That reads like he's using Jaded to his advantage. I rolled for you as 4D. (You can normally roll yourself in the future after I give you the obstacle.)
Durgenor scavenge [1d6] = 2[1d6] = 4[1d6] = 5[1d6] = 1
Success!

Guhnk scurrying away from him, Durgenor searches about as the others fish and chat with the goblin. He finds several pieces of clothing shredded as if by claws and clinging to driftwood along the bank of the stream. Snapping off dry sticks, he winds them and makes some serviceable torches, knowing the dark caves lie ahead. He is pleased to also find a large sack still in useable condition, one a load of mouldy apples is discarded. He drops his torches in.

You already hold a lantern in one hand and now hold a sack with 4 Torches (1 Slot) in the other. The sack can hold up to six slots, but if you fill more than 2, it takes both hands.

[shroomofinsanity]

Having been rather focused and not at all nervous about the dangerous climb down a cliff near violent humans, Haar has been keeping rather quiet, and it took him some time to get his head back in the adventure at hand, but once he saw his associate casting line into water he remembered why he even left the Wood to begin with:

Look at all this, a rushing river, a cave mouth, this can be the perfect place for some tasty tasty morsels. Haar reaches into his satchel and withdraws one of the small sacks, and after taking another moment to refill his waterskin looks around in hopes of finding new ingredients.
I'm not looking for anything in particular, Haar has never been in this environment before so he is curious just what may be around. I'm ready to roll once I know if I receive any help from any other instincts of my fellows. I think I may also use Thoughtful here for the bonus die. I will narrate how I really think about it.

[Marullus]

Anything edible (i.e. one portion of forage) at the bottom of a rocky gorge is Ob 2. That's enough to feed the group with a Cook test, though. Herbs or minerals to improve your Cooking (give a +1D to your cooking test) is Ob 3. Something to give Ganna a +1D for Healer or Alchemist to help Durgenor is Ob 4. Go ahead and roll and narrate.

[shroomofinsanity]

Haar takes his time, as the others are gabbing about the cave, and prepping for the delve ahead, to survey his surroundings muttering to himself: You know this isn't too different from a stream running through the Wood, especially where it bends through a place little light reaches. I bet I could find some quality ingredients here if I really took the time and looked.

So rolling my scavenger 2 plus my thoughtful trait die against the Ob 2 to just find anything that may be around leads to:
[1d6] = 3[1d6] = 4[1d6] = 3

Of Course! exclaims Haar to no one in particular, these rocks have an entire different palette to the ones in the Wood, so they would like very different flavors of moss and root!

Using my persona point to use my needs a little salt wise to reroll my failures on this test gets me:
[1d6] = 4[1d6] = 5

I knew it! you have to look just behind the tasting rocks to find the good stuff! Haar is making less and less sense as he goes along, but it must make sense to him, as he pulls out a small lizard by the foot and quickly smashes its head in with his tenderizer before tossing it in the small sack he had prepared. You folks will thank me later when we get to eat fresh meat over the fire instead of stale bread, trust me.

Added 1 forage to a small sack that Haar will hold in his non-lantern hand.

[Rex]

Ganna

Once camp is set Ganna takes a watch and then rests up.

[drpete]

Once the group makes camp, Grimm will tell a story about a fairy pool guarded by three beautiful pixies. The story tells of the brave boy who snuck into the grove with the fairy pool and riddles with the fairies until one falls in love with him.

The goal would be to help Durganor not be afraid (if that's possible) or to inspire the group, getting everyone to laugh together (not sure if there's a good mechanical thing for that... getting the goblin to feel more like one of us, maybe?)

Grimm won't tell a story prior to the camp, though.

[Marullus]

Okay, I will allow a successful story (via your instinct) to count as +1D tools on Durganor's recovery test. You can narrate it by the campfire and you need a Persuader test, Obstacle 2. Grimm doesn't have Persuader (he normally talks to larger crowds) so is rolling Beginner's Luck with Will 3.

Total up the dice for the ability, wises, help, supplies and gear, divide that by half and round up. Then add traits, persona points, tapped Nature, the fresh condition and any other special or magic bonus dice.

No help, since it is your instinct. So, 2D +1D Fresh +1D for a trait if you choose.

[drpete]

Alright. Grimm will put some "thought" into the story, trying to give the hero a few of Durganor's traits, and give the tale a good bit of bawdy dwarven humor.

Storytelling: [1d6] = 2[1d6] = 3[1d6] = 5 plus Thoughtful: [1d6] = 4

Looks like a success!

[Enoch]

Cu Aislin

Cu holds the fish by the spine, belly-up, as he draws his dagger and slices the belly open. He intones a prayer as he does so.

Ritualist 4D + 1D for supplies (fish) vs. Ob 2. I'll use Dreamwalker against myself, taking it back to 4D.

As he intones the prayer, his words slip between the common tongue and one that is at once sibilant and harsh. His eyes roll back in his mask, and the blade wavers in his hand as he seems to lose track of what he's doing. Finally he shakes his head and plunges the dagger into the belly of the fish, crying out to his gods.

4D: [1d6] = 5, [1d6] = 6, [1d6] = 2, [1d6] = 1

2 successes, which is what I needed, and I earned a second check. As a reminder, checks let you make tests during the camp phase, so they are super-useful.