[BW One-on-One] Part 2, Si Juk's Odyssey

[luke]

This is a continuation of this thread.

One week later, Rich and I played our second session. I called Rich Friday at work and asked him if he wanted another go. He readily agreed.

Rich was an hour late and then we went out to eat, so we didn't start playing until after 10 pm.

I would like to make an unqualified, kind of crazy assertion at the ouset: This was one of the best Burning Wheel sessions I've ever played. Yup.


-L

[sanjwise]

Luke,

Ang Sun! What the? I'm so excited to read this!

Sanj

[luke]

Easter
Si Juk and Chijitsu and their new horses made sail in Cley for Easter. They booked passage on a ship heading across the Inner Sea into the mouth of the East River.*

I hadn't been asking Rich to make Resources tests for the various expenditures for Si Juk's journeys. Passage on his ship, lodging in Cley, feed for his horses (and himself!), tolls on the roads, etc. We weren't playing at that level of detail. However, I felt that a Resources Lifestyle Maintenance test was in order at this point. I think Si Juk had been going for about a year according to his log since we tested Resources.

Si Juk's Resources had been taxed from 4 to 3 literally years ago. Rich asked if they would have recovered. "Hell no!" I responded, "What, did you manage your accounts and work off your debts when you were in a coma? I didn't thinks so." If he wanted that die back, he was going to have to work for it.

"How do I do that?"

"You have to get a job."

"Do I just roll my Resources?"

"No! You can pick a skill as your job. Your obstacle is one plus your tax. The test takes three months -- that'll be our Resources Cycle. But first make your Maintenance test. A poor knight or adventurer is Ob 2. I think that's appropriate."

"Yeah," he grimaced, but he was successful. Lifestyle of living in flophouses and eating rice and water was paid for!

"Now, you have to get a job. You're in your adopted home city, Easter. So you have a lot of options."

Rich got a devilish look on his face, "Can I use Takashido?" Takashido is his specialist sword art. He recently advanced to exponent 6 (via practice) and was just a few persona points away from an epiphany.

"Sure, how?"

"I set up a little wooden stand that says 'Advice and Sword Lessons.'"

Cute. "You really teach your art?"

"Yeah."

This struck me as incredibly significant. Only eight people in all of our little world knew that sword art. Si Juk had nearly mastered it -- before he was 25 -- so he was an excellent candidate to teach. Plus he was known in Easter. He had an affiliation with a group here (that he founded) and a reputation that applied.

"Can I test?" Rich badgered me.

"Wait, dude. If you're really going to teach Takashido, that's a big deal. You get students. People come to you learn."

"I do?"

"There are two types. Undisciplined and unsuited yahoos, whom you can teach and take their money. They learn nothing. But you get inquiries from actual swordsmen who want to learn your art."

"Like who?"

"Let's see. Two representative individuals: An older sung maja [samurai] and a younger one. Both are masterless since the war. The older is a veteran soldier and a master of another art called Blue Salmon Sword Style. The younger is a slightly naive, adventurous sword-fetishist. He shows promise and he's well-equipped."

Rich was agog. He immediately changed tack, "I want to take them on as students, both of them. Do they have names? I stop accepting payments from them and invite them to train with me personally. We need to find a dojo. I go to Chima and ask him for help."

"Their names are Noye Ka-Mogin and Mok Marun. Chima gladly grants you a courtyard in the Old Temple. How do you want to handle this, Rich? You want to train them? You don't have the Instruction skill. You want to do this like we did it with you and Chima?"

"Yeah. I need to learn Instruction as I train them."

What ensued was a hilarious half hour of roleplaying and double-Ob Instruction tests. Rich started out simply demonstrating the form and then demanding they follow him. When they couldn't, he beat them. But they weren't learning -- because he was failing his Instruction tests. When he failed, it turned from 12 days of Instruction into a month's worth of practice. He would describe Si Juk berating them and demanding they practice more. Then he would slink back to Chima and say, 'They are not learning. I am bad teacher. Teach me."

The first Instruction lesson was great. I simply made Rich memorize Chima's title and refer to him by it, "Master Priest, Chima Park, Servant of Wind, Disciple of Master Kublai Park." When he got it wrong, Chima beat him with a switch. By the end of the whole instruction arc, Rich cringed every time I said "bamboo switch."

It took over four months for Si Juk to train his new students to a root skill in Takashido. He wasn't a very good teacher, but he markedly improved -- he himself learned the Instruction skill!

During the training, Rich had Si Juk pen a letter to the Han and ask that his debt be paid -- he wanted a no-dachi (for himself) and two daishos of certain specifications. The swords arrived when training was over. On graduation day, he presented his two students with brand new daishos. They shed tears of gratitude and tried to refuse, but Si Juk insisted.

He then asked for lessons in the Blue Salmon Sword Style. Si Juk quickly picked up the art.

Word came that the Princess was returning to Easter for a visit. Si Juk wanted to get out of town -- he hadn't completed her mission! Rich wanted him to head to Loretta and set up a dojo safehaven for his followers there. Si Juk had started a Red Youth Guard in Easter a few years ago. They were a controversial entity and they have been outlawed numerous times. Before he left again, he wanted to ensure they had a home should things go badly. So he was prepared to set off to Kota Bulan, a city to the east of Easter, to visit his friend Ang Sun there.

Before he left, Si Juk turned to his students and invited them to accompany him on the journey -- he told them of his destiny to destroy wizards, spirits and demons. Noye and Mok politely refused. Si Juk pressed them.

"Make a Persuasion test, man. Ob 4."

Si Juk has a Persuasion of 3. Rich managed to FoRK in Oratory and something else that I can't remember. We both blinked and did a double take when he came up with four successes on four dice.

"Well, master, when you put it that way, how could we not accompany you? We'd be honored." Noye and Mok Marun agree to accompany him.

==

Awesome! All that from a couple of Resources tests, some practice and Instruction. The world that we were playing in felt much richer for our efforts.

Next up, Si Juk, Chujitsu, Noye and Mok journey to the City of the Moon at the mouth of the Valley. Once again Si Juk returns to the aftermath of a rebellion he started.

Kota Bulan
Visit with Ang Sun

The Road North and West
Iso
Sulz -- the King's Court and Counsellor Erik

The Road West
the bandits

The River and the Shrine

More soon. -L

*Yeah, yeah.

[luke]

Kota Bulan
Once again, Rich had Si Juk retreading old ground. He told me he wanted to make a quick journey over to Kota Bulan aka Loretta. He asked how long it would take and I told him it's only five days by boat, but that'd be five days back. It seemed like a long time to have a simple conversation.

"Why don't you send one of your kids in the Red Guard?"

"I want to go myself."

"Hm. Ok." Well, I didn't have anything planned for this leg and I didn't feel like throwing in any curve balls. If Rich wanted trouble, he'd have to make it himself.

So I described an easy journey eastward across the Inner Sea and into Lorettaport. The city was worn and tattered, still recovering from nearly twenty years of upheaval. During Si Juk's stay in the city, he and his allies blew a massive chunk out of the domed roof of the mosque-like parliament building -- The House of the Moon. The damage hadn't been repaired and was likely never to be.

Rich's first priority was to head up to the palace complex and that very building. He wanted to check on something he had left behind. During the climax of the revolt, Si Juk and company were captured by a black wizard and an oni-demon. They were brought to the capital building, into a secret astrological chamber in the foundation. They were to be executed, but they rushed their captors and fought to die. During the struggle, a miracle was beseeched and answered. The oni-demon and the wizard were vanquished -- turned to carp to dwell forever in the sun-shaped pool at the center of the chamber. Once the city was secured, Si Juk personally saw to it that the chamber was sealed. It still stood sealed and guarded.

His friend Ang Sun, a young noble matriarch and fellow rebel, met Si Juk there. She and her family ruled the city now -- the demons, wizards and their minions had been driven out.

They chatted about old times and then got down to business. Si Juk asked Ang Sun if he could set up a barracks and dojo for the Red Guard in Easter. She replied that she would be honored. Five of the Red Guard had journeyed from Easter during the revolt and aided Ang Sun and her people -- they trained them as soldiers and insurgents.

No rolls were necessary. Ang Sun was a relationship and I wasn't interested in a conflict. Rich seemed satisfied.

"Where to next?" Rich and I negotiated his journey. He had decided that he want to recover the Sword of Kings. He asked Noye and Mok Marun about it. They both agreed that it was last seen born by a mysterious figure known as the Dread Lord during a peasant uprising in the Crymsah about ten years ago. I pulled out a rudely sketched map of the area. We agreed that he wanted to take an overland route from the Kota Bulan northwest to Iso and then into the Crymsah.

"Great, let's go!"

The Road North and West
"There's ghosts on this road," I intoned.

Rich sat up and gave a nervous glance to either side.

"Memories," I continued. "The last time you were on this road, you laid ambush to a Hound entourage -- guards and officials. You slaughtered them and dragged their bodies into the woods. Some you tortured and interrogated. "

"Ah, right!" Rich shuddered, "Let's move quickly along here. No stopping."

Si Juk and company stopped in the fortress town of Iso. I described it as quiet, but prospering. "It is also surprisingly diverse. Niraih, Crymsah, Hobgoblins and Oakmen all seem to be at work and trading. The city has seen rough times in recent history. It was once an imperial outpost, but it was enslaved under the Hound banner during and after the War. It has since reverted to its loyalty to the Imperial Throne. You've been here once before. Master Garn was here holding court and you came north to ask his aid in the fight for the Kota Bulan."

"Oh, right, right. I remember. Garn gave us help, too."

"I think he did. Money and materials. No soldiers, though. Across the valley sits another fortress, smaller and quickly built. It flies the flag of the Oakman King."

Rich nodded, taking in the detail for later. "I don't want to spend any time here. We move on. I want to head out to where the Dread Lord fought his last battle."

Rich had been pumping me for information through Noye and Mok Marun. While they were on the road, he sat them down in the evenings and asked them about where they were during the rise and fall of the Dread Lord.

Noye described himself fighting in retreat all the way from the northern most fortress, Dodsfald (as the Oakmen call it), along the Cold River, until the final defeat at Gabriel. He described the organization of the peasant army, their discipline and their obvious training and backing. He implied that the Dread Lord was nothing more than a wizard or a charlatan.

Mok Marun disagreed vehemently. He'd seen the Dread Lord when he was a boy and a page in Gabriel's court. He was the risen spirit of their great ancestor, Crymsah. He had taken the body of a peasant to punish his wayward sons -- the princes -- for their misdeeds and wrong doing. He bore the crown, mantle and sword of the great dead king. His voice carried on the wind, his body glowed and he would rise above the field of battle and exhort his people. No one could defeat him in battle.

Mok Marun also mentioned that the Dread Lord described his movement as The Dream That Could Not Be Killed. His men were known as Dreamers. This fascinated Rich. He felt it tied in perfectly with Si Juk's quest to become a trance fighter.

Si Juk listened and took in both perspectives, "Do you know where he was last seen?"

His students both agreed that the last great battle was on a field between John* and Gabriel.* That site instantly became Si Juk's next destination. "How do I get there?" asked Rich.

"Hm, up along this road to Sulz and then it looks like there's a road west that goes directly there."

"Great."

"Let's do Sulz first," I said. I had an idea.

"Traveling northward along the road through the Gurzhan foothills, you find yourself in deep and cool valleys. One night in particular, you're between guest houses and you find other travelers on the road hurrying along to their destinations. They place especially large offerings at the roadside shrines."

Rich was instantly on his guard.

"As night falls, you find yourself beneath a ruined fortress which overlooks the road. The mist is settling in thick."

"We head up to the fortress. There are probably bandits up there." Rich was confident that bandits would welcome him rather than hinder him.

I described a fortress that had been ruined by sorcery -- melted bricks in the courtyard and wind-blasted roofs and walls elsewhere. It was empty, obviously haunted. Mok Marun cried out. "Master, come quickly! I see figures in the mists!"

The mist had gathered below the fortress like dense white blanket. It glowed in the moonlight and writhed. Shapes did indeed appear and disappear in its substance.

Si Juk drew his sword and whispered, "Sorcery..."

But that was all I had for him. No demons or wizards tonight, just some ghosts in the mists, just something for the atmosphere. Rich seemed a little disappointed, but we pressed on regardless.

A few days later, Si Juk emerged from the misty foothills into a lush, rolling valley. Built against a mountain cliff, stood the citadel Sulz, once ruled by a Crymsah lord, now the summer home to the young Oakman King. During the Great Rebellion, when the Dread Lord incited the peasants to rise up, the Oakmen, the Crymsah's northern neighbors, used the opportunity to prosecute their own war against the Crymsah. With the slaves in revolt and a strong and determined army, backed by a powerful sorcerer bearing down on them, the Crymsah crumbled. The Rebellion swept through the provinces and the Oakman swept aside the last pockets of resistance. Now they ruled over the land of the Crymsah princes.

Rich and I talked about what he wanted to accomplish here. He wanted audience with the Oakman king. He wanted to fleece him for information about the Sword of Kings. In fact, he was suspcious. He thought the king might have stolen the sword for himself!

"How are you going to get audience. Are you going to go as an Inspector?"

He looked at his reputations and affiliations, "I guess I have to." He left his group at a guest house out on the road and headed into the citadel alone, dressed in his Imperial finery. After a few minutes of roleplaying being lost and clueless Rich said, "Fuck it. I want to make a Circles test. I want to Circles up the King."

Buh? We came up with an obstacle. It was high, but not astronomical. His imperial status gave him entree into these worlds. And lo and behold, he made the test. I was shocked and knocked a bit off balance. There's no way the king was just going to be ambling by and be like, "Hey, yeah. Come on over..." And then it struck me. Si Juk was at court, and a powerful one at that.

As you're walking up toward the palace, an older man in robes of state stops you. "Do you need assistance, Inspector? My name is Counsellor Erik, I am the king's own man. Please come and dine with me."

Si Juk explained that he sought audience.

"The king is away hunting. He'll be convening court in two days time. It would be my pleasure if you'd stay at my residence."

Si Juk agreed and he and Counsellor Erik quickly become friends. The counsellor knew Si Juk's master. They were allies. The Counsellor also had audience with the Dread Lord and another of Si Juk's master's students, a man known as Vega.

These were all game-historical facts. Erik was a historical character from our previous campaigns. I was happy to have a use for him again in the game. Rich didn't have any particular character needs in the Circles test, so I decided to use this character to smooth over the believability bumps. The King wasn't about to divulge his feelings to this strange, tattooed youth in imperial finery, but the Counsellor was much more open. In fact, during the course of the conversation, it came out that the young King Anden sought the very same blade that Si Juk sought.

Rich took the news gravely, and I could see that he resolved not to mention the sword at all to the king.

At court, Si Juk was permitted to stand among the other courtiers and ambassadors while the king sat bench. From time to time, the king called to his counsellors for aid, or asked one of the ambassadors to offer his opinion on one of the matters at hand. I could see the look on Rich's face. He knew his turn was coming.

The King asked the "young ambassador from the Niraih" to give his ruling on the case of a hobgoblin skiff-maker who was filing suit against two Oakman drunks for trashing his shop. The drunks claimed the boat was faulty and that the skiff-maker stole their money.

Rich roleplayed out interrogating the two parties. I roleplayed out the irked skiff-maker, the bemused king and the Counsellor Erik worriedly translating for him.

After hearing both sides, Rich wanted Si Juk to go and inspect the site of the incident. Court was adjourned until the next mourning. Upon inspection, Si Juk saw the boat they bought was obviously too small for the drunks. When the court reconvened, Si Juk was prepared to give his ruling.

At this point, I warned Rich about the politics of this court -- a hobgoblin subject of the Oakman king, being judged by a Niraih official. It was a hotbed of ethnic tension! Si Juk announced that the two Oakmen would have to work off their debt to the skiff-maker. He would have to provide them a boat, but they would pay for the damages in labor.

"Make an Etiquette test."

"I don't have Etiquette."

"I know, but at least you'll get a test. The obstacle is astronomical -- 5 for the King's Court and then doubled."

Rich was chagrinned.

"Hey, I have an idea. Why don't you make a linked test using Rule of Law. You'll get a test toward earning that skill and the +1 Ob for failing the linked test won't really matter much."

Rich thought about it. "How about Hobgoblin Etiquette? Can I make a linked test for that since there are Hobgoblins involved? I'm working on that skill and I need some tests."

"Sure! Go for it!"

Obviously, he failed both tests. The end result being that he locked two of the king's subjects into what amounted to lifelong indentured servitude to the skiff-maker. The king, seemingly amused, stood by Si Juk's ruling. The Counsellor was not entirely pleased, but if the king was happy, then so was he.

Chujitsu, Si Juk's hobgoblin bodyguard and shaman, explained that most hobgoblins came to these lands to escape a strict caste system that enslaved them to one another. The skiff-maker, though, would have ranked a slave in his homeland. It was ironic that Si Juk just gave him in his new home what he could have never had in his old life.

"When my quest is over, I will return here and buy their freedom," Rich intoned gravely. "But for now, we must be going. Let's get Noye and Mok."

He found them down by the river fishing.

Next up!
The Road West and the bandits.

The River and the Shrine

Sorry these are so rough. I've been busy and writing quickly.
More soon.

-L

*The Crymsah Princes are Niraih stock. They are short, yellow-brown-skinned, black-haired with almond eyes. They are literate and devoutly dedicated to the Four Wheels. Their princely names are ancestral, taken from the Oakmen culture to their north. So if Mok Marun ascended to the throne of Gabriel, he'd take the name Prince Gabriel. It's tradition since the founding days of Lord Crymsah himself.

[Judd]

It is neat that you are making your way through this world, kind of going through a belief-driven tour of a campaign's landmarks.

What are the PC's Beliefs?

[luke]

Sorry I haven't posted Si Juk's numbers and BITs, but I usually don't have the character in my hands when I post. I'll try to remember to get on that.


So Si Juk left the fortress Sulz and young King Anden behind him. He was heading west along a road that skirted a coastal forest to his south and the lush lowlands to his north.

The Road West
Si Juk and his band -- Noye the old sung maja, Mok Marun the idealistic young swordsman, and Chujitsu, his Kuni Gizan hobgoblin shaman -- ambled west along this little-used road. Most of the traffic here was local, all of the trade traffic went by sea or by other more direct routes.

Rich looked up and said, "I want to Circles up some bandits."

"Ok, no problem. Definitely in your lifepaths." I was curious to see where Rich was going with this. We set the obstacle and he grabbed the dice and rolled. Success. Rich looked at me to provide more awesome NPCs.

There was an awkward pause. I was stuck. I thought HE had an idea! "Hey," I said, "Help me out. Describe for me what you're looking for or how you're looking."

Rich paused for a moment and thought, then he spoke up, "We're walking along the road and we spot a peasant working off to the side…"

"Yeah, yeah! Of course! A woodcutter. He's a lookout." I immediately caught on. Rich's simple description fired my imagination and meshed with the turning my own wheels. I was stuck because I couldn't think of what bandits would be like this area. Hadn't considered it!* I ran down the in-setting possibilities -- generic bandit thugs (boring), rebel slave soldiers, Oakmen raiders…Wait. The rebel slave soldiers and Oakmen raiders WON the war. They weren't the bandits any more. They were in charge. Well then who were the bandits now? It hit me and I hurriedly flipped through my notebook to find something. Then I asked:

"What do you do?"

"I tell Noye and the rest to stay on the road and I head up to the woodcutter."

"Awesome. When you get there, he warns you, 'You better get out of here…'"

I described movement in the woods behind him, the sound of horse hooves on turf. "Help me!" I had the peasant lookout exclaim. "Save me!"

Rich described Si Juk hefting the peasant on his shoulder and running. I stopped the action. "You do what? What's your Power?"

"6," Rich responded.

"Oh. Ok then! You heft him up on your shoulder and bolt. A horseman breaks out onto the trail behind you and two other heavily armored swordsmen break from the brush and charge you. The horseman has a crossbow."

No tests so far. We hadn't even reached for the dice or the scripting sheets.

"I stop and set peasant down. I draw my sword."

"You! Return my property," The horseman shouted, gesturing toward the peasant. I described the horsemen and the swordsmen: heavily armored in o-yorio style armor, long straight swords. They were middle aged and their faces were cut like Noye's and they spoke with the same accent.

Rich tried to use his Imperial Inspector clout and I shot him down, "You're on the road in a foreign land confronting bandits, how's that going to help?"

"Ok, I put my Inspector hat away." I described Noye, Mok Marun and Chujistu ready for a fight, but Rich was obviously worried about that crossbow. We parleyed a bit then I threw this out, "I will duel with you for my man."

Rich agreed and I indicated that the horseman motioned one of the swordsmen forward while he covered Si Juk with the crossbow.

At this point, we busted out the scripting sheets and quickly noted down our exchange. I decided right there on the fly that the swordsman had a Blue Salmon Sword skill of B5. He had a Power and Speed of 5, too. Wow. That was so hard to stat him up! Took me hours!

First volley was an Avoid and Strike for Si Juk vs a Charge from the swordsman. I told Rich that Si Juk noticed that the swordsman even fought with the same style as Noye.

Rich dodged the Charge and left me hesitating. He then spent a point of persona on his sword skill and rolled for his Strike. He rolled three successes, enough to injure him.

"But my Takeshido skill is now gray," Rich said with satisfaction.

"Wait, you spent the artha to epiphany, right? You've done it, right? You're all the way there?"

"Yeah."

I flipped open the book to the Epiphany section and read it aloud: "Instantly and immediately."

"Rich, that's 6 successes, not 3. Your skill is gray as soon as you spend the artha!"

"Are you sure? Oh wow! Then I'll spend a Fate to open-end that six…Got it. Seven successes."

"I'll take the hit on the chest. I've got heavy armor on."

"I'll spend the success to move it to his leg." I liked the formality of this little dance. I knew Rich could aim his shot, but it was important to go through the motions -- because the motions allow Si Juk to be a bad fucking ass swordsman.

"Ok, he's only got 2D of armor there, what's your VA?" I decided right then and there that these bandit swordsmen wouldn't have a full kit of armor, hence the weakened leg armor.

Si Juk cleanly cut through the armor and delivered a mortal wound to the swordsman. He fell screaming.

Now, remember: This is all part of a successful Circles test. Win or lose with the duel, Rich was owed an NPC who would at least talk to him on neutral terms.

The horseman dismounted, "You have won. My slave is yours."

Si Juk turned to the peasant, "You're free. Go."

I had the old leader turn to Si Juk and speak gravely, "Please, do not let my cousin suffer." I indicated the mortally wounded swordsman.

Rich lit up. He didn't hesitate as he described: "I pull off his breastplate and take his hand and place it on the hilt of my wakizashi. I put my hand over his and then thrust into his heart." Rich physically roleplayed out the whole scene. It was awesome!

Impressed, the old horseman invited Si Juk and company back to his camp. He and his men had taken over an abandoned manor. They were all fallen nobles, masterless sung maja. That's who the bandits were in these parts!

Rich hadn't exceeded his obstacle for his Circles test, so that left me in control of any names. I opened to the page I had marked in my notebook:

"I'm Kin Cao of Cah-Mo-Gin."

And then I played a little as GM-of-the-Many-NPCs. I had Noye start in surprise, "The Kin Cao? Who fought under Won Su Gin, Master of Crossbows? Who fought at Kijang and Sihap?"

"I am."

"I am honored," Noye bowed low. Then he explained to Si Juk that Kin Cao was a famous commander driven out of his homeland by the Dreamers and the Oakmen.

Rich had Si Juk comment, "So many good men suffering…" Or something similar.

We then roleplayed a bit as Rich pumped Kin Cao for information about the Dreamers and the final battle. I gave him a more detailed military history, but nothing conclusive. None of these men knew what had happened at the end -- they were defeated and scattered! Kin Cao did mention that he knew the location of the shrine from which the Dread Lord had risen. It was a popular pilgrim's destination now. Noye and Mok Marun confirmed its location.

I was going to end the scene, but Rich pressed on. He had Si Juk offer refuge to Kin Cao in Mygmos. Mygmos is where Si Juk had gone to practice meditation when Chima sent him away from the temple. It was his master Kirin's Duchy and it wasn't too far from here.

"They politely decline the offer."

Rich grabbed dice, "I want to convince them."

"Fine, but the Ob is equal to his Will of 5. You still want to try?"

"Yes." He mustered five or six dice for Si Juk: Persuasion of 3, and FoRKs for Falsehood (Si Juk wasn't sure if there really was a place for them there), and Oratory (He spoke his language), I think. Probably a persona point, too. And I'll be damned, but he made the freaking obstacle.

I described Kin Cao becoming convinced and eventually relenting. "Very well, if you say there is a place for us there were we can live freely and have land, then we will go."

We ended the scene there. Rich and I were both smiling. This felt good.

The River and the Shrine
This next bit was mostly just set up and description. I really didn't know where Rich was going with all of this.

He journeyed across the Crymsah back to the East River. You'll recall that the city of Easter guards the mouth of said river. Easter, Rich's starting point for this leg of the journey, was now about a 100 miles to his south.

As he approached the river and the shrine, he saw the fortress citadel Gabriel in the distance to the north. It was King Anden's winter home and it guarded this network of roads. It also was the last castle to fall in The Dream Rebellion. Si Juk was close to what he sought.

The shrine was a simple roadside shrine -- a wheel-shaped stone laying flat on a low dias covered by an open-faced stone house. It was coated in graffiti -- slogans from the Dream rebellion and supplications to the Dread Lord.

Across the road from the shrine was a small town -- a few guest houses, restaurants, a blacksmith and a couple of religious trinket shops. Rich talked to the proprietors about the Dread Lord, but he didn't get more than the common folk tales. One man said he saw the Dread Lord rise from the cap stone of the shrine himself, which is why he set up shop here. Good omens and all.

Rich was tapped for ideas. He wanted to find the last place the Dread Lord was seen. We hadn't made any rolls for it, and I didn't want to give up the goods without some sort of roll. I liked the mythology behind it, the confusion and the stories. I felt like I could keep telling these stories forever!

However, we were both tired and tapped. We'd been playing for four hours. I asked Rich if he wanted to call it a night. He agreed.

We awarded artha at this point. One habit I've picked up from BE is awarding artha at the end of the session. I've always preferred this method -- I believe that artha should be a resource and a commodity. Setting the time of the reward helps with that. It's rules drift, though! BW allows artha to be awarded when ever the conditions are met!

Rich got a Fate point for playing his "I will erase the borders of the old class distinctions." And another for one of his other Beliefs. I gave him a Persona for Embodiment. The stuff at court was awesome.

Rich was pushing for more Artha, but his other Beliefs were broader and long term: They were about bringing back the religion of Fire and destroying all the wizards and sorcerers. That stuff was guiding his moves, but they weren't his immediate goals. They weren't earning him artha.

"Next time, before we start, why don't you write a Belief about the sword?"

"Yeah, I will."

I wanted him to do it at the start of the next session, rather than the end of this one. Why? Because it would refresh his mind and set the tone for the session. And it'd make it easier on me! I wouldn't have to remember it, he'd just tell it to me!

Next up, Si Juk nearly dies!

This is the end of this session, so comments and questions are welcome.

*Even though I should always keep bandits in mind when playing with Rich. Si Juk's last lifepath was Bandit. Rich will always use bandits as a fall back when he's stuck. He's very explicit about this -- it's a clear flag!

[Fourth Horseman]

Rich paused for a moment and thought, then he spoke up, "We're walking along the road and we spot a peasant working off to the side…"

"Yeah, yeah! Of course! A woodcutter. He's a lookout." I immediately caught on. Rich's simple description fired my imagination and meshed with the turning my own wheels. I was stuck because I couldn't think of what bandits would be like this area. Hadn't considered it!* I ran down the in-setting possibilities -- generic bandit thugs (boring), rebel slave soldiers, Oakmen raiders…Wait. The rebel slave soldiers and Oakmen raiders WON the war. They weren't the bandits any more. They were in charge. Well then who were the bandits now? It hit me and I hurriedly flipped through my notebook to find something. Then I asked:

"What do you do?"

"I tell Noye and the rest to stay on the road and I head up to the woodcutter."

"Awesome. When you get there, he warns you, 'You better get out of here…'"

I described movement in the woods behind him, the sound of horse hooves on turf. "Help me!" I had the peasant lookout exclaim. "Save me!"

Rich described Si Juk hefting the peasant on his shoulder and running. I stopped the action. "You do what? What's your Power?"

"6," Rich responded.

"Oh. Ok then! You heft him up on your shoulder and bolt. A horseman breaks out onto the trail behind you and two other heavily armored swordsmen break from the brush and charge you. The horseman has a crossbow."

No tests so far. We hadn't even reached for the dice or the scripting sheets.

"I stop and set peasant down. I draw my sword."

"You! Return my property," The horseman shouted, gesturing toward the peasant. I described the horsemen and the swordsmen: heavily armored in o-yorio style armor, long straight swords. They were middle aged and their faces were cut like Noye's and they spoke with the same accent.

Rich tried to use his Imperial Inspector clout and I shot him down, "You're on the road in a foreign land confronting bandits, how's that going to help?"

"Ok, I put my Inspector hat away." I described Noye, Mok Marun and Chujistu ready for a fight, but Rich was obviously worried about that crossbow. We parleyed a bit then I threw this out, "I will duel with you for my man."

Rich agreed and I indicated that the horseman motioned one of the swordsmen forward while he covered Si Juk with the crossbow.

At this point, we busted out the scripting sheets and quickly noted down our exchange. I decided right there on the fly that the swordsman had a Blue Salmon Sword skill of B5. He had a Power and Speed of 5, too. Wow. That was so hard to stat him up! Took me hours!

First volley was an Avoid and Strike for Si Juk vs a Charge from the swordsman. I told Rich that Si Juk noticed that the swordsman even fought with the same style as Noye.

Rich dodged the Charge and left me hesitating. He then spent a point of persona on his sword skill and rolled for his Strike. He rolled three successes, enough to injure him.

"But my Takeshido skill is now gray," Rich said with satisfaction.

"Wait, you spent the artha to epiphany, right? You've done it, right? You're all the way there?"

"Yeah."

I flipped open the book to the Epiphany section and read it aloud: "Instantly and immediately."

"Rich, that's 6 successes, not 3. Your skill is gray as soon as you spend the artha!"

"Are you sure? Oh wow! Then I'll spend a Fate to open-end that six…Got it. Seven successes."

"I'll take the hit on the chest. I've got heavy armor on."

"I'll spend the success to move it to his leg." I liked the formality of this little dance. I knew Rich could aim his shot, but it was important to go through the motions -- because the motions allow Si Juk to be a bad fucking ass swordsman.

"Ok, he's only got 2D of armor there, what's your VA?" I decided right then and there that these bandit swordsmen wouldn't have a full kit of armor, hence the weakened leg armor.

Si Juk cleanly cut through the armor and delivered a mortal wound to the swordsman. He fell screaming.

This was a pretty cool session. But just like in Rashomon, I have a slightly different recollection of the fight with the bandits on the road. I just wanna bring it up to illustrate one point.

Everything Luke recalled leading up to meeting the bandits on the road was spot on. A few different recollections though, first, I thought Luke had narrated the presence of the peasant off the road into the scene not me. Moreover, when I picked up the peasant and bolted with him I had to make an opposed speed test with the bandits which I won. That allowed me time to get back to my comrades on the road and warn them. Before the horsemen emerged from the woods we ALL were able to draw our swords. It was shaping up to be a major confrontation. I was a little alarmed at the prospect of fighting mounted warriors, with nary a bit of armor on my shoulders, it was packed away on my horse. But that wariness turned to abject terror when I saw they had a mounted crossbowman--that's a potential B12 wound staring me and my companions in the face. Let's just stop right there, there are few systems out there where the combat system imparts such a sense of urgency--its one of the great strengths of BW and it does a lot to add to the suspense and gravity of fight scenes in the game. I changed tac, there was no way in hell I was going to abandon a fellow peasant to former slave owning noblemen, but I wanted to try to parley my way out of such a disproportionate fight. First, I tried pulling rank over these class conscious fallen nobles by referring to my imperial office.

No luck. At that point I could have DoW'd them, but returning the peasant was non-negotiable, I wasn't going to risk that by putting it out on the table. Then I thought I'd appeal to the way of the warrior to get them to even up the odds. My character has the many faced character trait, part of wearing different faces is being able to read which face will work with different people.

As I recall, I first challenged the leader of the band to a one on one duel dismounted, "let's be fair & honorable I started in." The leader took the bait on the duel but he sent his second instead to conduct the fight. At this point I was satisfied I had avoided a badly balanced fight for my band, but I was still concerned about fighting a skilled armored swordsman, while I was completely unarmored. Still, I knew I'd have the advantage on speed, 5 reflexes, and that I was probably a more highly skilled swordsman. If I lead off defensively each volley and picked my spots to offensively strike I could own this guy. No special stances, I needed to be flexible. I scripted out, Volley 1: Avoid, strike/block (Takashido allows me to use my wakisashi as a shield when I'm not striking with it); Volley 2: Avoid; & Volley 3: Counterstrike, disarm.

The dismounted swordsman charged with the first volley. I managed to avoid the charge with my avoid successes alone, but it was good to know I would have had my natural defences as well--which because of a special Takashido move are counted by substituting my sword skill. I took the opportunity to spend one point of persona to add 1D to the strike and trigger an epiphany for my sword skill. I rolled 6D for the skill, forked in 1D from brawling, I fight dirty, and 1D from persona.

I lobbied for a 1D fork for blue salmon but Luke balked--I was fighting with two swords, not the single sword the style is meant for. He later reconsidered, after the session. It would have been legitimate--because I could have used the KNOWLEDGE of the style to adjust against it. It was no big deal--I actually prefer BE in this respect which only allows you one skill fork and one wise fork for a roll. Sometimes the number of forks thrown into a BW roll can be absurd. But I digress.

I'm pretty sure I came up with 5 standard successes (not 3) on 8 dice, 2 of which were sixes. That was just enough to score a superb blow--which is a B13 for me (6 base power, +3 po add from katana, va 1). Ouch!!! Years of playing with Luke told me there was no way in hell that blow was going through the chest armor on his warrior--Luke NEVER fails an armor check when he has more then 3D in his hands.

I was reaching for the 2 sixes to spend a fate point and open end them when Luke reminded me I had just epiphanied. I looked at the dice again and moved a three to the success pile. 6 successes. I moved that extra success to the legs.

At that point I'm still a little worried. Cause I've seen Luke roll a lot of double successes on two dice. He rolled, one four came up on the table the other die somehow snuck underneath a piece of paper, when we pulled up the paper a two was facing up. Cool. The rest is as Luke described.

The point I wanna illustrate? Its that subtle difference that one success makes that distinguishes the ultra skilled, lucky character from the ultra skilled heroic character. When all was said and done after 5 years (realtime) of roleplaying on and off with this character, 27 fate points, 10 persona, and 3 deeds spent on the sword skill--a 3 LP character who had started life out with no sword skill whatsoever had managed to reach a Gray 6 sword skill.

Heroic skills really redefine the ceiling for a character--don't take them lightly. When I'm running a game, a character has to have a pretty sweet backstory to justify allowing him to start with a heroic skill. Working toward an epiphany is very rewarding and it creates a nice backstory on its own.

It was a nice little milestone to roleplay out.

The rest of the game proceeded exactly as Luke described. All in all a solid session.

[luke]

Sorry I messed up the successes, Rich. Thanks for clearing that up. I really don't remember the Speed test, but I trust your memory on this one.

More coming soon!
-Luke

[DavidLawson]

I'm a new convert to BW, and still clumsy with the mechanics to say the least. I have to say the potential to play games like the one you describe above is exactly what convinced me to take interest in this game. That and Sanj's high praise.

The shared authorship concept is phenominal, and I think it allows GMs to enjoy the game a great deal more than in a traditional RPG. I'm still new to shared authorship, and never seem to know how far I can push it. Examples like this, especially where there is only one character (and therefore that character provides more story), offer me lots to feed on for my future gaming. Thanks a bunch.