[BW] Burning Shepherd

[Rafe]

DaGreatJL and I started up our solo Skype campaign last night. The idea for it can be found here.

DaGreatJL: GM
Me: Player (Castor)

Background/Concept: As an orphan, Castor had been taken in by a well-enough-to-do farming clan (extended family, matriarchal structure) as a ward/hired hand (sans payment). After listened to a wandering minstrel (eavesdropping from where he hid outside under a window), a desire was stoked to strike out on his own and forge his own place in the world.

Beliefs: 1) I will leave this farm and do great things: First, I need supplies and that old sword in the cellar... 2) I will learn about my parents; the midwife in Tyndale might know something. 3) To survive, I'll need to seek out a weaponmaster willing to teach me.

Instincts: 1) Always hum when walking or working. 2) Always stare dumbly at Elise, the head of the household's niece. 3) Never let anyone know I'm thinking of running away.

Traits: Hoarding, Cry Wolf, Unlucky, Lost

Most of session 1 catered to Belief 1.

Session 1

Knowing the head of the household (HoH) would be heading to market (10 miles away in Tyndale), Castor had to bring in the sheep from pasture. [On an Ob 2 Sheep Husbandry test, I got 1 success.] The HoH looked the small flock over and cursed. "Blast it, boy! You've let some wander astray! There'll be no food for you until you return 'em all to their fold."

Castor, seeing missing sheep for the first time, quickly high-tailed it back to the grassy slope. Thinking quickly, he climbed a tree [Climbing + Countryside-wise = success] and managed to spot a downtrodden swath of grasses leading from the grasses into the small forest nearby. [Beginner's Luck Tracking success linked from Climbing].

The youth gathered up the handful of wayward sheep and frowns. It had gotten late already. [It would have been an Ob 8 Beginner's Luck Orienteering test to find my way back. Go go Lost trait! Love it!] Feeling hunger pangs, Castor looked about for some edible berries or roots. Thinking some looked the right sort to eat, he dug in... only to realize it made his stomach upset and gave him sharp cramps.

With things looking bleak, Castor was determined not to mess things up any further. He'd have to stay out in the woods til daybreak, but first he needed a way to keep the sheep corralled. [Carpentry + Sheep Husbandry FoRK... success!] He jury-rigged a makeshift pen and then set to building a fire to ward off the chill. [Open test, with Ob 1 allowing him to start a fire and Ob 2 allowing him to feed a fire throughout the night. Firebuilding + Countryside-wise = 2 successes!]

Trying to force himself to wake up early, Castor rolled up in his cloak by the fire and fell asleep.

[DaGreatJL and I figured it'd be a Will test to force oneself awake at a particular time, and he set the Ob at 3. I rolled... and got 2 successes. Linked to Speed to get back to the farm in time, I failed pretty miserably.]

Castor, driving the sheep before him with his walking staff/crook, arrived too late -- the HoH had already left for Tyndale with his goods. Elise, the HoH's niece appeared and Castor went into wonderment mode, staring doe-eyed at the pretty young woman.

"Mmph," he sniffed at him. "You're too late. My uncle has already gone to market. As punishment, you're not to break your fast until the stables have been mucked out."

"But... it... I..." Castor sputtered futilely. Angry at himself for arriving late and, more importantly, looking a blundering fool in front of the young woman, Castor drives the sheep into their pen and goes to muck out the stables. Little did anyone know that recent events and treatments had already steeled his resolve to depart that very evening. He knew the HoH and others who went to Tyndale always stayed the night in the town, so the night was perfect. [Beginner's Luck Farm-wise failure! Hahaha! I rolled Farm-wise to know that they'd stay overnight...]

Castor mucked out the barn quickly, with little regard to doing the job properly. He only wanted it to appear as though his task was done. [Power test Ob 3... failed! Yeah... my dice betrayed me this whole in-game day. It gets worse...]

It being almost noon when he finished, and being utterly ravenous by this point, Castor got it into his head to sneak into the kitchen to nab some bread or anything laying out, unattended, for the noon meal. [Climbing linked to Beginner's Luck Stealthy vs Matriarch Ogra's (Elder) Observation successes. (Yup, ode to Dark Crystal) Climbing success but Stealthy failure!]

"What in the blazes are you doing, boy?!"

Castor went rigid in the middle of the kitchen. [I wanted a Steel test but no go. hee hee!] The Crone had heard him from the other room and hobbled in to investigate. The twisted, old woman glared at the youth from the doorway into the main living area. "I finished the uhhh... finished my chores. I was told I could eat once I'd done them."

"You've tracked all manner of filth into this kitchen, you whelp!" she cried, pointing at the tracks of manure and dirt that went from the window to where Castor stood.

"I'll clean it, I swear it!"

"Get you gone, vermin! You've caused enough troubles already. I don't trust you to do well by even a simple task."

Castor raced out of the kitchen, still hungry. [All tests since and including bringing in the sheep have been made with a disadvantage due to hunger.] "I know," thought Castor. "Rast may have squirreled away some food. I'll see if he has and if I can get something from him."

[Circles test to find Rast, an older, more experienced hired hand on the farm. Circles 2 against Ob 2... failure. Rast is jealous of the attention I've been getting from Elise, the HoH's niece... and he's tossing an apple idly in the air.] "Rast, could I have that apple if you aren't eating it?"

"Eh?" the weaselly fellow muttered. "Why should I give it to you? Saw you talkin' with Elise out in the yard. Did she favour you with sweet words, Castor?"

"What? No! She despises me. Today more than usual. Rast, I'll give you my beer portions for the next two days in exchange for that apple." After squinting warily at Castor, Rast grins and tosses him the apple. "Two days it is!"

[To see if the apple would do anything for my hunger issues, DaGreatJL had me roll a Forte test, Ob 2. 4 successes! Hunger sated.]

It being mid afternoon at this point, Castor decided to get his things ready for his imminent departure. He'd have the last laugh! With his simple rucksack all packed with his meagre possessions, Castor crafted a plan to gain access to the cellar where the sword was kept: He'd unobtrusively grab a bucket, break it and, with the need to replace the broken bucket as his excuse, he'd go down into the cellar for another. Also, he'd have garden staking poles wrapped in his cloak to take down, and swap those for the sword. Fool-proof!

[Beginner's Luck Inconspicuous to grab the bucket without it seeming odd. Failure!] As Castor walked away with the bucket, humming to himself, the HoH's son (a Lazy Stayabout) decided to badger to youth. "Hey, boy. What are you doing going towards the house with that bucket? You up to more mischief?"

"Oh, no no. I got turned around. I've not eaten since midday yesterday. I'm a little addled."

"We'll see how addled you are after I get the truth out of you!" [Bloody versus: Power vs Speed (I wanted to avoid him, not injure the son of Mr. Soon To Be Extremely Pissed Off HoH). Success!] Castor dodged away and raced to the stables, going around the sheep pen. Being Lazy and a bit fat, the HoH's son didn't pursue.

Castor decided to continue with his plan. However, to cover his odd behaviour, he went to water the sheep, then get water for the horses. In the stables, he broke the bucket, spilling water all over the ground, which was a part of his alibi.

With the broken bucket in hand and vegetable poles wrapped in his cloak under his arm, we went to the kitchen door and knocked, so as not to cast suspicion on himself. No one answered, so he entered and called out that he was headed to the cellar to replace the bucket and some bent trestle poles.

Into the cellar he went. He found the old, dusty sword where he'd last seen it and took it up, his heart beating quickly. Wrapping it in his cloak and taking up a new bucket, he started back up the stairs, assured of his success.

... the HoH, the HoH's son and the family matriarch were standing at the top of the earthen cellar stairs. [The Unlucky trait is pure awesome. This circumstance was a mix of failing the roll to know when the HoH would return and Unlucky.]

"What in the hell are you about, boy?!" the HoH roars. "Not only did you fail to bring the sheep in so some could be taken to market but you mucked up the stables instead of mucking it out! Now what buffoonery are you up to?!"

Recovering from the surprise, Castor said, "The bucket was broken when your son went to beat me. I came down to replace it." Castor holds up the new bucket as proof. "There's wet in the stables where the water spilt. Also, some of the trestle poles for the garden were bent so I was fetching some new ones. I want to make up for my earlier failings."

"You can't even muck out a stable. I'd sooner let a pig in the garden than you! Give me those poles, boy," he demanded.

[This was my major "Oh crap" moment. I'm pretty sure I cursed DaGreatJL for playing this scene too perfectly. I decided to bid for a fake fall down the stairs, during which the bundled cloak goes flying out of my hands. DaGreatJL was totally cool with that, and made it a Speed test (Ob 3) linked to an Agility (Ob3). With flying colours, I passed the Speed test to make a controlled fall (5 successes on 5 dice), and also made the Agility test.]

[We decided this was the perfect moment to turn triumph into a horrendous failure, and thus I could remove Unlucky and gain 1 Fate and Persona.]

In Castor's bid to look a fool but not get beaten for taking the sword, he gave a short yelp and tumbled backwards as he was reaching to give the bundled cloak to the HoH. Thinking fast, he hurled the cloak back towards the corner where the sword had been (and where the trestles were). The cloak flew out well enough... but the sword twirled out from it and clattered to the ground near the base of the earthen stairs, Castor a pace or two from it.

[My next move was utter desperation, and made with the agreed assumption between DaGreatJL and I that Castor was right and properly pooched at this point.]

In desperation and filled with anger, Castor swept up his cloak... and the sword. He charged the stairs, sword first. "Make way and let me go. There'll be less trouble for all if you just let me be." [Beginner's Luck Intimidation check, Ob 4 for the HoH's son + 1 Ob for my lower station, +1D advantage for having a weapon. Failure. LOL]

Seeing them unmoved by his menacing threat, Castor broke for the top of the stairs, hoping to shoulder and speed his way through them. [My Power 4 vs HoH's son's Power 5 + 1 help die... failure.] The HoH and his Lazy Stayabout son grab the youth and easily strip him of the weapon. The crone shook her cane at Castor: "You ingrate! You had nothing! We gave you clothing, food, shelter! And you try to steal this family's heirloom, my own grandfather's sword -- used during the War of Flowers!"

Castor was beaten severely [Yay auto Ob 3 (Challenging) Steel test. hee hee! I took a Midi wound, it was decided.] and tossed off of the farm property, with all family members (easily 15-20 of them) and hired hands watching. "Never return, you ungrateful thieving knave," the HoH snarled.

In the fading daylight, the youth stood painfully and, turning his back to the farm, staggered away.

----
Fucking awesome first session. Leads right into my second Belief (midwife in Tyndale) since Castor's busted up pretty good and that was to be his first stop, anyway.

So no sword, no food, no supplies... just his meagre possessions, the wonders of the road, and a Midi wound to keep him company.

DaGreatJL awarded me with 2 Fate and 2 Persona. I'd also used up my starting 1 F and P, and the 1 F and P I'd gotten from getting rid of Unlucky. Next session is Sunday!

[Judd]

I've always wanted to see a Burning Wheel game about a shmoe making his way out into the world.

Nice.

[silromen]

That was pretty cool. I stumbled across this today, and realized who it was, because you told me about this a few days ago when we met.

Sounds like a great start to your one-on-one campaign.

[Rafe]

Heya, Silromen!

Yeah, it was my first time as a BW player and I think we both had a blast with the first session. At least, I assume DaGreatJL did, as I could hear him cackling evilly often enough and that usually implies the GM is having fun.

[DaGreatJL]

I had a blast. Can't wait to see what kind of shenanigans happen once Castor gets to the village.

[sacredchao]

That's some pretty intense stuff. Sounds like a lot of fun. I keep picturing the kid from The Black Cauldron, for some reason.

[Rafe]

That's some pretty intense stuff. Sounds like a lot of fun. I keep picturing the kid from The Black Cauldron, for some reason.

Yeah, he's definitely starting out as a kind of Taran character: Castor has no real experience with much outside of the farm and, funny enough, he's pretty bad at farm stuff (Farming 1, Sheep Husbandry 2). He also doesn't have any social skills or weapon skills... Thankfully, he's got Foraging, Firebuilding, Cooking and such "survivalist" type skills. He'll need it with his Lost trait...

He's beginning to learn: Tracking, Farm-wise, Stealthy, Inconspicuous and Falsehood. (Intimidate would be on there but it came up as a Difficult test for Will, so yay stat check!) For Practice, he's got Staff and I think I'll add Agility. 6 hours of practice a day still leaves him lots of time to travel and do the things he needs to do.

It's damn fun. I can't wait for session 2 on Sunday!

(As an aside, Assistant Pig-Keeper is a LP in the Magic Burner. I smiled when I saw that.)

[Rafe]

Recap: Session 1 resulted in Castor, an orphan, being cast out of the only home he'd ever known - the farmstead lorded over by Matriarch Ogra and Palmer, the head of the household - after attempting to take that family's heirloom sword and disappear into the night to seek his own destiny.

Caught and beaten within an inch of his life, Castor turned from the farm and limped towards the woods. (With a Midi wound and no treatment abilities, and all stats/skills at -2D, he can't treat himself...)

Beliefs: 1) My life is in peril; I will try to find the old hermit in the forested hills and beg his aid. 2) I will learn about my parents; the midwife in Tyndale might know something about them or me. 3) I'll need to seek a weaponmaster willing to teach me; I will apprentice as payment if I must.

Instincts: 1) Always try to foster a positive reputation. 2) Always try to earn free food and lodgings by either working or playing my instrument and/or singing. 3) If people are overly kind, be suspicious and on guard.

Traits: Hoarding, Cry Wolf, Lost

Session 2
Castor, having heard rumours of a strange hermit somewhere in the wooded crags a few miles away, limped painfully through the darkening woods. [Circles Ob 3 to find the hermit. 2 + 2 Persona... 2 successes... used a Fate... Failure.] After some time and being quite tired, he stepped out into a clearing and saw the strangest, most ramshackle building he'd ever laid eyes on (not that he had much basis for comparison): An old tower, topped by a glass dome, sat amidst a few other adjoining buildings, each seemingly added as a wild afterthought with little regard for a standard aesthetic.

Too injured, and relieved to have found something, the youth knocked at the door, slumping against the frame. After a few moments, he heard some crashing and a general disorderly din inside. The door opened and an old man stood before him, his long white and grey hair long and unkempt, his odd vestments smeared with an assortment of old stains.

"I'll speak no more with you, Trelian! Be gone!" the old man uttered. "I told ya: I want no more truck with the Fair Folk!" [Him being a Recluse Wizard with the Batshit trait was the enmity clause. Awesome!]

"Sir, I'm not one of the Fair People," Castor replied, suddenly wondering about the wisdom of seeking this man out. "My name is Castor Sarn, and I'm badly injured. I need your help or I'll surely bleed out here."

"I'll not help those damn Fair Folk. Get off my step!"

[Thinking that a crazy old hermit required a crazy response, I had Castor use Sing to create a rhyming answer to seek help and deny being an Elf. Ob 2, 1 success... Failure.]

"My gods... an Elf without the power to sing; defective, no doubt," the old wizard mumbled, nodding to himself. "Come in and let us see about your condition."

Castor entered the odd tower and found himself in a small entranceway, cluttered with furniture, paper and all manner of foreign devices. "Come on with you. I've some skill at mending wounds."

[The Recluse Wizard, Quennel, did well, giving me +1D for my Health Ob 3 test (and a Routine test for Steel). ... The powers that be hated me and I didn't get a single success. Therefore, it'd take me 12 weeks to recover, and my Speed went from B5 to B4. Castor would sport a slight limp for the rest of his days.]

Once Castor had been seen to and got some sleep, he was woken in the morning by the mad wizard. "If you wish to repay me, you may. See that tree out there? The one that's leerin' at us? Its branches are obstructin' my view of the heavens." The tree's branches were near the glass top, which was an observatory of sorts. "As I've learned to respect all manner of life, I prefer they not be cut down. Sing them branches in another direction."

"I'm a Man, sir. I know nothing of Elves but what common stories tell. See my ears?"

[Beginner's Luck Persuasion vs 4. The Ob was lower because the guy was nuts and I was clearly not an Elf. Success, barely, which translated into a Difficult Will Test.]

The crazy wizard peered closer. "You have no shine to you!" Picking through the youth's hair, he pronounced, "I've never met a First Born what didn't know how to bathe. You're a mess! You must not be an Elf, I suppose. Well, then... just take care of the branches."

[Climbing test, Ob 2. Success!] Castor climbed up and cleared the branches away. Wishing to thank the batshit wizard, Castor took those limbs he'd cleared and attempted to fashion a stool to better aid the hermit in reaching high shelves. [Carpentry Ob 2... 1 success. The result was a shoddy, wobbly stool. Maybe it only had three legs.]

"This is just horrible, horrible work. I'll break my back should I step on the damn thing!" the wizard cried. "If you're trying to kill me, you can just go about your business and be gone."

With a sigh, Castor gathered his things and set off, not wishing to further anger the unpredictable old hermit. Surveying the land, the youth climbed an outcropping of stone and spied the road a few miles downslope from him, through thin copses of trees. [Climbing + Countryside-wise against Ob 2, 4 successes, linked to a Beginner's Luck Orienteering Ob 4 test (1 x2, and doubled again for Lost trait). 3 successes... used Fate... SUCCESS!]

Miraculously, Castor found the hard-packed roadway. Still sore and hurting, he looked for a wagon headed towards Tyndale (see Belief 2). [Circles Ob 1 yielded a success!] A farmer by the name of Bertram was headed in that direction with his young son. He did not mind Castor taking a seat in the wagon. Out of gratitude, Castor tried to make the 10-mile trip more pleasant and pulled out his flute. [Ob 2... 1 success.]

"Lad, I know ya mean well, but I play a dead cat better 'an ya do that there flute," the man said. "For my troubles with ya, ya can help me set up my stall in Tyndale." Castor, chagrined, stopped playing and focused instead on keeping the man's son occupied during the trip.

They arrived in Tyndale in the late evening. While not grand or remarkable in any way, the village was still novel to Castor who knew only the sheep pasture and the farmlands of guardians' holdings. True to his word, Castor helped the man unload, volunteering to carry the sacks of grain while Bertram unloaded the wool. Wishing to go quickly but conflicted by wanting to maintain a good rapport with the farmer, Castor resisted going quickly. [I opted not to get the Challenging Power test I needed to advance in favour of going with my first Instinct.]

On the trip to Tyndale, the farmer had told Castor of the only inn in the village. Hopeful he could earn food and a patch of floor by the fire to sleep on, Castor entered and sought out the proprietress. "I can play for some food and a place to lay my cloak." [Musical Instrument, Ob 2. 1 success... I freakin' suck at the thing I wanted to be really good at. Darn lingering -1D recovery penalty...]

"With those simple notes, you'd make my patrons angry," the young owner said. "However, dishes need doing..."

Castor sighed and nodded. "I'll see to them. Thank you." After seeing to the dishes that existed and soon swamped him as the evening deepened, he finally ate a small plate of food and settled down by the dying fire and immediately fell asleep.

Rising first thing in the morning, Castor went to find the midwife. [Circles Ob 1. 1 success! Circles advanced to B3. Woohooo! First advancement!] The woman, Wilemina by name, lived just outside of town in a cottage paid for by various villagers to reward her expertise.

"There is little I can do for you, young man, without your wife in tow," she said, kindly enough.

"Oh, no, ma'am... I'm not married. It's not about a current problem that I've come but rather one 17 years past."

Inviting Castor in, she made tea and sat down with him. "Now, what is it I can help you with, then?" Castor told her that she aided his birth 17 years ago, and that he had been adopted by the owners of the large farm 10 miles west. He named the matriarch, and told her his last name. With that information, she went to a small shelf and pulled out an old book. After many minutes, she returned to the table with it.

"Your mother's name was Gabriella. As I recall, she had a nursemaid with her. Your mother was from a well-to-do family in Tarn, City of Harbours. According to what she told me and I recorded here, she became enamoured with a sailor. He went to sea for many months, and she traveled here - or was planning to travel through here - in order to give birth elsewheres to avoid embarrassment to her family and to hide her pregnancy." Wilemina closed the book. "I'm sorry, Castor. She died giving birth to you and the nursemaid, not knowing what to do, gave you up to Matriarch Ogra and her son, Palmer, to raise you."

"I feared as much, but hearing it is still a painful thing," Castor replied, head bowed. "But there is some good, yet. My father. Could he not still be alive?" She said that she didn't know but had no reason to suspect otherwise.

Following that, Castor told Wilemina of his injuries and being cast out. Having nowhere else to stay, he begged her leave to dwell with her at the cottage, and aid her in any task she required him to do or ask of him. Feeling bad for the man whom she recognized as injured, she said he could gather, chop and stack firewood, and collect water.

[DaGreatJL decided that it was a long Let it Ride Ob 4 Power test. My Power was B3 due to an injury. The failure condition was that I couldn't do any Practice during my remaining 54 days of recuperation, but my chores for Wilemina were not at stake. 3 success on 3 dice, and two of them 6s! I put my last Fate into it and got another success!]

[During Castor's spare time, he practiced Staff (2 checks) and worked on his coordination and movement (Speed), to build his strength and compensate for his limp. Also, the challenging test was all I needed to hit Power B5. Additionally, since Wilemina was a midwife, Castor was exposed to the... unpleasantries of child birth and got a test for Steel, enough to boost him to B3.]

The session ended with Castor finally recovering from his old injuries in the late summer, and with DaGreatJL hinting of a scene/conflict that would occur before Castor left Tyndale for Tarn. . .

----
It was yet another awesome session. I don't know why, but playing a game based around such mundane and personally-driven activities is fucking great fun.

Next session is Thursday evening! Can't wait, as I have an idea what his surprise scene next time is. He confirmed my suspicions, but you'll have to wait to see!

[Rafe]

Recap: Castor spent 3 months recovering from his beating at the hands of the Head of the Household of the farm he sought to flee. He lived with the midwife in Tyndale by working at chopping firewood, carrying water and doing other mundane tasks required. In his spare time, he practiced with his staff, his flute and kept a low profile (Inconspicuous).

Beliefs: 1) I will do great things; I will take the name Aedan Kast and earn a reputation for wisdom, good deeds and music. 2) I will learn about my parents; I will journey to Tarn to uncover more about them both. 3) I'll seek a mentor; someone wise who can strengthen my musical abilities.

Instincts: 1) Always try to foster a positive reputation. 2) Always try to earn free food and lodgings by playing, singing or by working. 3) If people are overly kind, be suspicious and on guard.

Session 3

As the summer was drawing to a close and Castor had finally recovered from his ordeal at the hands of the head of the farming household (though he would ever after bear signs of a slight limp), the youth found himself wandering the early morning market to browse the wares on hand.

Approaching the wide commons, he spied three of the local militia guards pestering a merchant or farmer. When he got closer, Castor saw it was Elise [his only Relationship - hateful, forbidden] being pulled away from her uncle, the very head of the household who had injured him so badly months before. The youth tried to approach without drawing attention to himself. [Beginner's Luck Inconspicuous Ob 4... failure]

The main soldier, dressed in ill-fitting chainmail, hoisting a shield and with an old sword girt at his waist spotted him. "What do you want? Are you looking to make trouble?" One of his lackeys (armed with a spear and wearing leather armour) began to approach Castor with the intent of driving him off or taking him into hand.

"I only want to help, if I can. What's going on here? What have they done?"

"This one won't pay the fee for using the commons on market day," the sergeant claimed. "So we'll be recompensed with... other services." His eyes glinted as he laughed and tightened his grip on Elise.

Castor knew there was no such official levy; only one imposed by these blackguards looking to line their own pockets and terrorize others.

[This was a great situation, and played really well both to my first Instinct and first Belief. It was also a tough situation, as I had few skills applicable. I went all in!]

Standing up tall, Castor raised his voice: "What dark days these are when men sworn to defend and protect the innocent become petty thugs and try, instead, to rob them of their virtue. No doubt the folk here are not surprised by your actions -- I am sure your knavery has been forced upon a good many of them. I know in their hearts they wish to act, feeling how foul your actions are. But then they glance beside them and think 'Will those beside me join with me, or will I stand alone, barehanded against armed thugs?'. Well I will stand and I pray the good sense and righteous feelings of those who bear witness to what is happening here will surface and give these people the strength to let justice be done!"

[I had a pretty sweet speech -- it was actually better than that. I should have recorded it. I was going with Beginner's Luck Conspicuous linked to Beginner's Luck Oratory to gain the attentions of the crowd and, through a bit of guilt and saying what I hoped they were feeling, bring them to take action. Ob 6 Will test... I put a Persona into it for 5 dice and got 3 successes, two of which were 6s. I used Fate and got a 5 and 6. Rolled the 6 again and another success! 6! Success! The crowd was watching and listening. Oratory, Ob 6. With a Will B4 +1D good roleplaying the speech +1 Persona, I got 5 successes... including two 6s. Used Fate and wound up with 8 successes! First aptitude ticks for Conspicuous and Oratory.]

Hearing the words of the young man standing before these three armed bullies, the people began to mutter angrily and shout their outrage. As Castor moved forward, so did they. Shocked and uncertain of what to do, the two militia lackeys tried to hold off the peasants. The sergeant struck Elise, knocking her to the ground and charged Castor, who brought his staff to bear.

[The Fight! lasted 4 exchanges, with lots of fun back and forth but no solid hits. Castor didn't get hit at all as he won every positioning test and kept the sergeant at longer distance. With his poor quality sword (Ob 2) and +1 Ob due to lunging distance, he just couldn't hit. The sergeant fought dirty and even attempted to Intimidate Castor, but no luck. Caster battered his shield and armour (reducing almost every piece of armour the sergeant wore, and his shield, to 1D) and, after having landed a Light hit, struck hard: Great Strike, with Persona and Fate thrown in. A Mark hit to his chest and the sergeant failed his Steel test. Having nowhere to run...]

The sergeant dropped to his knees and begged for mercy. Castor said, "Tell your men to lower their weapons and do no harm to these people." It was done and the two had their spears taken from them. Castor also said to the mob: "Forgive these three for what they've done. They lost their way. It has passed."

Castor then went to the prone girl, Elise, and offered her his hand. "Are you alright?" She nodded and looked at him uncertainly. Where once there was derision and scorn, there was wonder and surprise. "Go to your uncle, then," he told her, not unkindly, and she did so.

Turning back to the kneeling sergeant... the young man offered his hand. Surprised, the man took it and stood. So none could hear, Castor said, "Do no more wrong to these people. Remember your noble role and do right by these folk." The sergeant nodded dumbly, still shocked. More loudly, Castor said, "Any other 'fees' taken from these folk today will be returned to them!"

With things settling down, Castor acknowledged the few villagers he knew on sight and nodded to others. He moved through the thinning crowd to where the head of the household and his niece, Elise, stood.

After an awkward moment or two, the youth said, "I am sorry for the things I have done. I meant no harm to you when I acted as I did."

"Words cannot repair the emotions you tore that day when you tried to steal what was ours and flee into the night," Palmer (the HoH) said. Castor nodded, preparing to leave. "But you've saved my niece's virtue and kept her from harm. We are even."

"Even, then," Castor agreed. With a last look over his shoulder at Elise, he wended his way through the crowds, leaving the market behind.

Castor went to seek the prior of the village who held the only official station there. Searching his memory, he knew that the villagers held him in high regard and thought him to be well meaning and good hearted. [Rumour-wise, Ob 2. Beginner's Luck Perception B3. Success -- so my fiction (that he was a good man and not corrupt) was true. Then a Circles Ob 2 test to locate him at a convenient time and in an amiable mood. Failure.]

Entering the Priory of Gilon, Castor found the prior tending to an alcove in the nave. "I have heard of what you've done," the older man said, after telling Castor to come forward. "You are here to atone for causing a fight in the streets and your other indiscretions, then."

Taken aback, Castor shook his head. "No, I came only to tell you of the actions of those under your authority. I regret none of my actions this morning."

"He who strikes lowers himself, and the ends do not justify the means," the prior counseled sternly.

"I acted as the situation demanded," Castor replied. "I am sure the bright face of Gilon will shine on my example today and I will be judged as righteous."

[While this could have been a DoW, we went with a Persuasion test. The prior was adamant and Castor was on his defensive - it was up to him to convince the prior he acted within his rights, and justly given the situation. Ob 10. lol Yup, no Persuasion. Will B4 and 1 or 2 successes. But... Got the test I needed to advance Will to B5!]

In his debate with the unmovable prior, Castor saw the sense in the prior's words, but still felt he had acted as he must have. "You have done ill in this village. You will take upon yourself a pilgrimage. Travel to Tarn and seek a shrine to Gilon there. Perform the necessary rites to rid yourself of this stain."

Saying so, the prior wrote out a letter of introduction for Castor to the senior-most churchman of the shrine. Not mentioning that he was determined to travel to Tarn regardless to discover more about his mother, and perhaps find his father, Castor nodded, accepting the letter. "I will do this."

----
Another fucking awesome session.

Quick question that arose from it: If one is untrained in the weapon used in a Fight!, is the weapon's Add value also doubled? In other words, does it cost 4 successes to move an Incidental to a Mark if the weapon is Add 2?

Next session: Trait vote (woo!) and the voyage to Tarn, City of Harbours, begins!

[luke]

No, do not double the add. Add ain't obstacle, which is why it has it's own (dumb) name.

-L