II.13: Dragonshards Revealed

Xemdaresh, Q’barra
Dravago 7, 997 YK

Are the lizardfolk friendly or hostile to the party?

Parley(Anaya): 2D6(6 3) +1 = 10 Success!
Get what you want.

There has been no occasion to roll loot so far, as the party has generally been having non-lethal battles or handing people over to the authorities. This time, let’s roll loot. The leader got eaten by the shambling mound, but let’s say Vaalyun gets to loot 6 enemies. For my 6d6 I rolled 1 1 2 4 5 6, which gets them 24 gold coins, a useful item, a valuable item (small tapestry worth 140 coin), a magical trinket, and a clue.

The clue and the useful item can be a note saying what the cultists were to do here. The magical trinket I decided to roll randomly from the minor wondrous items from the Eberron Pathfinder supplement; I got a Fuel Shard; I rolled for which dragonmarked house it would be for, and got House Ghallanda. Okay then, they can sell that in town.

And we can jump cut to the arrival in the village.

Cast a Spell(Cure Moderate Wounds)(Anaya): 2D6(4 1) +2 = 7 Partial success.
-1 ongoing, 2d8=9 healed

Anaya is at full health.

Tied to a post near the communal fire, Nyseris could only sit and hope that the fight would go well and that their companions—Nyseris was thinking mainly of Anaya and Esthana, those that wielded the silver fire—would survive. Captivity ill suited the ranger, who was used to roaming freely in the jungle, but it was in the hands of their own people; Nyseris had acquiesced calmly to being bound. Lizardfolk of the tribe would stop from time to time to look at the ranger, but Nyseris was lost in their own thoughts and waited quietly.

After an hour—which seemed interminable to Nyseris—the tribe’s warriors returned. Nyseris stood up, and saw that Anaya, Vaalyun and Esthana were with them. Anaya looked exhausted by the battle, but otherwise the humankin and the tribe’s warriors seemed to have sustained few injuries.

Nyseris alone can understand the lizardfolk’s chatter.

Discern Realities(Nyseris): 2D6(6 1) +1 = 8 Partial success.
What here is useful or valuable to me?

I also rolled random 5e swamp encounters to get a suitable creature for the chieftain’s headdress.

Many of the tribe gathered to meet the returning warriors, and there was much anxious talk—in Draconic—as warriors rejoined their friends and families and related what had happened. Nyseris overhead talk of the humankin in the woods; the warriors also spoke in awe of how the cleric and templar wielded the silver fire.

Anaya and the others were brought to the communal fire, to stand before the chieftain. The chieftain was tall and muscular, carried a longspear with an ornate silver head, and wore a headdress of black ravens’ feathers.

Seenicin, the leader of the warriors, gave their report in Draconic. They described the battle that they had found, and were keen to emphasise that the humankin warband were carrying weapons of Blackscale manufacture. Then they got to Anaya’s group.

“Most remarkable of all, these two humans”—gesturing to Anaya and Esthana—“wielded the silver fire during the battle.”

The chieftain turned to Anaya, who had set herself at the front of the group. She had waited patiently as the warrior had delivered his report.

“What brings–s you to Xemdaresh, human?” asked the chieftain in Common, though they struggled a little with the words; even this close to Newthrone, the lizardfolk did not normally trade with the humankin, and so Common was rarely needed.

Anaya spoke slowly and clearly. “We tracked cultists of the Dragon Below, that your warriors saw, from Newthrone. Nyseris”—pointing to the imprisoned ranger—“tracked them with us, and left us to warn you before they attacked. Release our friend.”

Parley(Anaya): 2D6(4 5) +1 = 10 Success!
Get what you want.

The chieftain gestured to two warriors nearby, and they cut Nyseris’ bonds. Nyseris had seen the lizardfolk struggle to understand one of Anaya’s words, so she repeated in Draconic, “She said cultists of the Dragon Below.” There were gasps in the gathered crowd at the mention of Khyber.

“What brought them here?” asked the chieftain.

Anaya said “We do not know.”

“Why do you fight these cultis–sts?”

“We”—gesturing to Esthana—“are Templars of the Silver Flame. We fight those that spread evil and corruption in the world.” Nyseris moved to stand with the Templar cleric, and translated her words; the mention of the Silver Flame produced more gasps.

Anaya wants to convince the tribe of the party’s intentions; leverage is the truth.

Parley(Anaya): 2D6(4 5) +1 = 10 Success!
Get what you want.

“We have heard of human serving the orn ixen”—the chieftain used the Draconic for silver fire—“and my warriors saw you draw upon it. I am Teegwul. You are all welcome here.”

Make Camp(party): Heal

Level Up(Anaya): Wis +1; Devoted Healer: Add your level to the amount of damage healed by any healing ability

Anaya is working on getting her wisdom to 18, which would give her the best chance of successfully casting spells.

Commune(Anaya): Cure Light Wounds, Bless, Darkness

---

They sat near the communal fire that evening as the lizardfolk took their evening meal. Teegwul had invited them to sit with him—a rare honour for Nyseris, who had only once been invited to join the chieftain of their own tribe. The food, a stew of venison and root vegetables, was a welcome change from their rations.

Anaya had just rejoined them, having communed with the Flame after the day’s exertions. Nyseris had been answering the chieftain’s questions about their tribe, but fell silent when the cleric sat down. A few other lizardfolk sat with them, including the tribe’s elder wise one, Derkrkaza.

“We thank you for your action against these cultists,” said the chieftain; he spoke in Draconic, addressing himself to Anaya, and Nyseris translated. “It is troubling if the humankin have made a pact with the Blackscales.”

Investigate(Vaalyun): 2D6(5 1) +2 = 8 Partial success.
Incomplete information

“The weapons do not prove a pact,” said Vaalyun. “Count Zuokas is a wealthy man, and has the resources to arm his own men.”

“Blackscale weapons used against us is an act of aggression,” Teegwul protested loudly. “This violence must be answered.”

Vaalyun wants to convince Teegwul that the Blackscales are not directly involved.

Aid(Anaya): 2D6(3 4) +1 = 8 Partial success.
Cost

Parley(Aided)(Vaalyun): 2D6(3 1) +2+1 = 7 Partial success.
Needs proof

Fortunately, they got that clue earlier.

“The Count wanted to make it look like the Blackscales attacked the village,” said Anaya. “Perhaps it was a way to divert suspicion after the attack away from his men.”

“Can you prove this?” asked Teegwul. “The humankin want our lands, that much I know; and the Blackscales wish us ill. Perhaps our enemies make common cause.”

“Yes,” said Vaalyun, reaching into his jacket and pulling out a folded paper. “I examined the bodies of several of the cultists, and found this note on one of them.”

Teegwul took the paper, glanced at it, then passed it to Derkrkaza. They examined it briefly, and said “It is as the outlanders say, Teegwul. Their instructions were to use only bows and the spears to kill us, and leave some spears behind.”

“We must pay Count Zuokas a visit, I think,” said Vaalyun.

“If you do not, then we will,” said Teegwul. “But if we go, it may mean war with the humans—our agreement with the humankin forbids us from attacking their land.

“We will go,” said Anaya, ”and make the Count answer for his crime here. You have my word on it. But we still do not know why the cultists would attack the village in the first place.”

“The humankin have been pushing into the jungle again recently,” said Teegwul. “They seek the sacred shards that can be found in our lands.”

“Sacred shards?”

“Yes,” said Derkrkaza. “They are part of our land, the gifts of Eberron.” Derkrkaza was marked out as a wise one by a necklace of dragonshard fragments the colour of frosted pink; they held one of the shards out before them. “We are bound to protect them from outsiders.”

Spout Lore(Vaalyun): 2D6(6 5) +2 = 13 Success!
Full information

“Eberron Dragonshards,” said Vaalyun. “They are much sought after by the Twelve for use in the creation of magic items; they are suitable for a wider range of uses than other types of dragonshard. The colouring is unusual though.”

“May I see one?” said Anaya. Derkrkaza nodded and handed the neckace over to the cleric.

Discern Realities(Anaya): 2D6(6 1) +2 = 9 Partial success.
What here is not what it appears to be?

Anaya held one of the pink crystals in her hands, turning it over and examining it, as it flickered slightly in the firelight. Her eyes widened in surprise, and she stood up, holding the crystal out before her. The flickering grew stronger, and then the shard burst into brilliant silver light, and silver fire surrounded the crystal and Anaya, outshining the camp fire and dazzling everyone present.

“By the Flame!” exclaimed Esthana, looking in wonder at the spectacle; and many of the lizardfolk jumped up with exclamations of “orn ixen” (the silver fire).

Derkrkaza stood up, and reached out to take the necklace from Anaya. The lizardfolk was illuminated with silver fire as well as they touched it; once Anaya released the necklace, the light gradually subsided.

Aid(Esthana): 2D6(4 3) +1 = 8 Partial success.
Reveal an unwelcome truth

Spout Lore(Anaya): 2D6(5 3) +1+1 = 10 Success!

“They are truly sacred. Dragonshards infused with the Silver Flame!” There was wonder in Anaya’s voice as she sat again. “But how did this come about? The Flame’s energy can be bound to sacred items—or to a place, like a church.”

“Did not the Cardinal say that the Flame in Flamekeep was used to bind an Overlord?” asked Esthana.

“Yes, you are right.” Anaya nodded. “If the Flame is bound to this jungle, through the dragonshards, it could be because an Overlord is imprisoned here.”

“Masvirik, the Cold One,” said Derkrkaza. “A creature of great evil, imprisoned within Haka’torvhak long ago. Thousands of years ago the dragons came here, and taught us that the dragonshards keep this evil at bay—and that if it was ever to come loose, it would destroy our land. We have guarded the dragonshards since that time.”

“And then,” Vaalyun said, “House Tharashk arrived, and started to harvest the dragonshards.” He steepled his fingers thoughtfully. “What danger would be unleashed if they take too many?”

“Could we persuade them to stop, now that we know the purpose of the shards here?” asked Esthana.

Tell them the requirements or consequences and ask

I rolled here, since I had a couple of plausible plans that Vaalyun could put forward: they could either get proof and go to the Twelve, or they could try to sabotage Tharashk’s operation. I rolled the second.

“Not directly,” said Vaalyun. “House Tharashk is a commercial operation, and their base of operation in the Shadow Marches is far from here. They have little reason to care what befalls a land so far away. And certainly not on the word of the lizardfolk, who have an interest in keeping strangers away from their lands.”

“Then what can we do?”

“House Tharashk has the support of the government in Newthrone. If we cause that support to be withdrawn, it would be much harder for them to organise the extraction of the dragonshards.”

Anaya frowned. “What you propose is no small thing. Tharashk has mercenary soldiers in the city. The government in Newthrone may rule Q’barra, but it does not have the wealth and connections of Tharashk throughout Khorvaire.”

Vaalyun smiled. “Games are always more interesting when you play for high stakes.”

---

Remember that I set up the cultists as an adventure front when we arrived in Q’barra. It is now revealed that their first Grim Portent was to attack a village and make it look like the Blackscales, and the next portent was for the Cold Sun lizardfolk to go to war with the Blackscales. The party has, by acting, managed to break that potential chain of events. This is how DungeonWorld fronts are meant to work.

The danger behind the Tharashk front, which I took straight from the Eberron setting, is also revealed: their harvesting of the dragonshards is weakening the prison of an Overlord.

Heading back through the jungle is certainly Make a Perilous Journey.

Scout Ahead(Nyseris): 2D6(2 5) +1 = 8 Partial success.
You notice sign of a nearby Danger

Navigate(Vaalyun): 2D6(6 4) +2 = 12 Success!
You avoid dangers and distractions and make good time

The party set out for Newthrone on the next morning. Some of the lizardfolk turned out to see them off; Nyseris received many thanks for warning them of the attack on the previous day, and good wishes for the travel ahead. Derkrkaza was there also and spoke to Anaya, wishing her good luck with the dangerous task ahead of her.

The sky was cloudy and it was darker, but cooler, as they made their way through the jungle towards Newthrone. Once again it was Nyseris and Vaalyun that led the way, with the Templars following behind. Only an hour from the village, Vaalyun brought them to a halt.

“I see movement in a clearing up ahead,” the elf said. “We should circle around to the east, where there is high ground; the Templars can stay out of sight.”

Nyseris agreed, and led them through some thicker undergrowth to the east. Vaalyun scouted for them and, once they were safely south of the clearing, he rejoined them.

“I got close enough to see them. It was a group of humans, half-orcs and gnolls, and looked well organised. In other words, House Tharashk.”

“Harvesting dragonshards,” said Anaya, grimacing.

“That seems likely.”

Khyber cultists are evil and Anaya has no problem with killing them, but killing Tharashk mining expeditions—well, it would be a last resort.

“We should continue south. There is no way to stop them short of killing them, and I hope there is a solution that avoids that. In any case, murdering one group does not stop them from sending others. We must deal with Count Zuokas first.”

“I hope s–so,” said Nyseris. “If we find no other way, my people will kill them.”

---

Make Camp(party): 2D6(3 2) +0 = 5 Failure!
A Danger manifests

Stay Sharp(Anaya): 2D6(3 1) +2 = 6 Failure!
They get the drop on you

Okay, so what’s the threat? We have some established threats: Blackscales, Tharashk, cultists, jungle creatures; or it could be something new. So I rolled a d5 between those options, and got a 4: jungle creatures. I rolled between forest and swamp, and got forest. Then I rolled a random 5e forest encounter, and had to convert the monster for DungeonWorld .

They travelled all day, and made camp that evening only an hour from the jungle’s edge. Once darkness fell, and the sounds of the jungle had shifted from the noise of daytime to the quieter chirpings and eerie cries of nighttime, the group settled down for the night.

Anaya took the first watch, tending the remains of the campfire while thinking over the events since they arrived in Q’barra. Defeating a cult was one thing: Count Zuokas might be a noble in these parts, but he would likely get no support from Newthrone once unmasked as a Dragon cultist. But House Tharashk was another thing entirely; its influence and power rivalled that of the Church itself.

She heard a noise that seemed closer to the camp, and stood up. Her shield was leaning against a tree behind her, but Anaya lifted her sword, preparing to draw on the Flame to light her surroundings, when suddenly something large crashed into her from behind.

The last two party rolls were failures, so two hard moves here. Use up their resources: Anaya loses her shield and her bow breaks on impact. Deal damage: 3+2d6 keep highest = 3 + (1 1) = 4 damage, 3 after armour. Lucky—the GM rolled snakes-eyes.

Anaya did not hit the ground; instead, she found herself held off of the ground in the creature’s tentacles. Then she cried out in pain, as the creature’s powerful jaws closed on her side, fangs driving through her chainmail.

Displacer Beast: group, large. 2d6dl1+3 damage (large, skill in offense, vicious armaments, dangerous due to stealth), 10HP, 1 armour (thick hide); close, reach, stealthy. Moves: displace image, grasp with tentacles, darkvision.

Monster move(Displace Image)

Defy Danger(Wis)(Nyseris): 2D6(6 5) +1 = 12 Success!
Deal damage: d8=6

Nyseris woke immediately, the experience of many dangerous journeys through this jungle having taught them to sleep lightly. Standing over them was a dark, sleek creature with fangs bared; but Nyseris saw the slight flickering of the creature’s silhouette agains the jungle canopy above, and instead rolled away and up to the left, collecting their spear. The image flickered out, and the real creature pounced from the right, closing its jaws on the empty space that Nyseris had just escaped. Nyseris stabbed with their spear, driving it into the creature’s chest.

I rolled to see who the third beast attacked; it went for Esthana.

Defy Danger(Wis)(Esthana): 2D6(3 4) +1 = 8 Partial success.
Worse outcome

Esthana woke to find one of the beasts readying to strike. She went to grab her sword, but the creature was too close and she had to scramble away. There were, it appeared, at least four of the beasts in the camp; they were like large hounds, the size of a horse but with six powerful legs and two long tentacles tipped with razor-sharp spikes.

“Displacer beasts!” Nyseris shouted; the creature in front of her snarled in return. “They project fals–se images!”

Hack and Slash(Anaya): 2D6(5 6) +0 = 11 Success!
d6=6 damage

The three (for that’s the real number) displacer beasts are at 5, 5, 10 HP.

The creature had gripped her around the waist, but Anaya still had her sword and her arm was free. The creature has loosed its bite and snarled at her, the smell of its sweat and its hot breath pouring over her. She struggled in its grip to face the creature and, as it moved to bite again, she slashed down with the blade, cutting into the side of its head and damaging one its eyes. The creature howled in pain, and lowered her to the ground, preparing to strike with its foreclaws.

Hack and Slash(Nyseris): 2D6(1 1) +2 = 4 Failure!
Deal damage: 3+2d6dl1 = 3 + (6 4) = 9 damage

Nyseris is at 12/20 HP.

Nyseris and their beast circled one another for some seconds, the creature padding softly amidst the undergrowth, its teeth bared threateningly. Nyseris lunged with the spear, but the nimble creature sidestepped on its back four legs, while slashing with one of its forepaws, inflicting severe cuts to Nyseris’ chest.

Standing by the campfire, Esthana had one beast in front of her—standing over her bedroll, where her bow and sword still lay—and another to her right, advancing from where Nyseris’ bedroll lay. The latter moved as if to jump on her, but Esthana dived towards it anyway, rolling right through the dark creature’s false image and coming up again at the edge of the clearing, Nyseris’ bow and quiver in her hands.

Esthana has +1 for Discern in combat from Seeing Red (taken as her most recent level up).

Discern Realities(Esthana): 2D6(5 1) +1+1 = 8 What here is not what it appears to be?

All the displacer beast are projecting these false images so Vaalyun, skulking out of sight now, needs to pick the right targets.

Discern Realities(Vaalyun): 2D6(1 4) +0 = 5 Failure!
Show a downside to their class, race or equipment

Faced with a large vicious predator, he panics and tries to climb a tree. He is no warrior.

Defy Danger(STR)(Vaalyun): 2D6(1 5) -1 = 5 Failure!
Put someone in a spot

Well the thing facing him is a false image, so it cannot damage him, so let’s make him a liability instead. I’ll give Esthana her +1, as she can use her previous Discern to tell which image is real.

Defend(Esthana): 2D6(6 1) +2+1 = 10 Success!
Halve damage to the target, deal level=3 damage to target, hold 1

So the real beast can now Deal damage: 3+2d6dl1 = 3 + (6 1) = 9 damage, 8 after armour, halved to 4.

As she slung the quiver over her shoulder, silently praying to the Silver Flame that they would get out of this alive, she saw Vaalyun stumble backwards into the clearing. He had his armour at least, but had lost his weapons, and was scrambling away from one of false displacer beast images—towards the real beast that had been stalking Esthana. She drew an arrow and loosed at the real creature, catching it in the shoulder just as it struck at Vaalyun; the blow still dealt him a nasty cut to the side, but he managed to roll away. The beast grunted in pain.

Well, Esthana is too busy helping Vaalyun, so Anaya is still struggling alone against one of the beasts. I rolled randomly to determine if she struggles, tries to stab it as it crushes her, or casts a spell to dazzle it. I rolled a 2.

Hack and Slash(Anaya): 2D6(5 3) +0 = 8 Partial success.
Deals d6=6 damage, takes 3+2d6dl1 = 3 + (2 5) = 8 damage. Both reduced 1 by armour.

The beast over Anaya reared up on its hind legs, and then came down with its front and middle claws slashing at Anaya. Held below the beast by its tentacles, she grasped her sword with both hands and pushed it out above her as the creature came down. She felt the shock of the impact, and the pain as the creature’s claws drove through the chainmail into her chest and legs. The creature did not stop pressing down, and she realised that the blade was driven all the way through the creature’s torso by its own weight; it shuddered and went limp, its body sprawled across Anaya as she lay on the ground. She was pinned under the creature’s dead weight, covered in its blood and her own.

Discern Realities(Nyseris): 2D6(6 1) +1 = 8 Partial success.
What here is not what it appears to be?

Hack and Slash(Nyseris): 2D6(3 1) +2 = 6 Failure!
Deal damage: 3 + 2d6dl1 = 3 + (3 5) = 8 damage, 7 after armour

Nyseris was locked in her own fight with a beast. The creature kept using its flickering shadow image of itself to try to distract the lizardfolk, but Nyseris had faced such a creature before and stayed focused on the real beast. But even one-on-one, the creature was more than a match for the ranger; its tentacles kept grasping for their spear, and it would stand on its back four legs while lashing out with its foreclaws. The creature was bleeding from the earlier chest wound, but Nyseris was not landing any more hits, and was not able to fend away those powerful clawed strikes.

Spend hold(Esthana): Divert attacks to self

Volley(Esthana): 2D6(2 3) +2 = 7 Partial success.
Put yourself in danger, deal damage d10=8 damage, 7 after armour

Anaya is at 7/17 HP, Nyseris is at 5/20. Displacer beasts are at 5 and 1 HP.

“Ignore the creature’s false images”, Esthana shouted at Vaalyun. She loosed another arrow into the side of the creature facing him, to draw its attention; it let out a growl of pain. “I have this one, go get a weapon!”. It turned towards Esthana and charged, showing a strength and grace surprising for such a large creature. Esthana managed to let loose one more arrow, hitting the creature in the chest, before it crashed into her, knocking her to the ground and under its many legs.

Above her, she saw the arrow stuck in its chest, and heard the beast howl in pain. The creature stomped and slashed with its many clawed feet, but Esthana managed to dodge its blows, rolling away as it lifted a leg. But as she came out of the roll, she found herself grabbed by its tentacles instead.

Defy Danger(DEX)(Esthana): 2D6(1 4) +2 = 7 Partial success.
Worse outcome

Defy Danger(WIS)(Vaalyun): 2D6(1 1) +0 = 2 Failure!

What GM move to make here? Think dangerously: it is a rather critical moment. What could happen here:

• A Front move offscreen.
• A hostile Front arrives right now.
• More creatures show up.
• Vaalyun panics, tries to help, gets injured.
• A status effect.
• Vaalyun runs and gets lost in the jungle (I nearly did this the last time he failed).

I rolled a 1; then I rolled for which front. Front(Blackscales): Cast a spell over time and space. It begins!

Defy Danger(STR)(Anaya): 2D6(6 2) +0 = 8 Partial success.
Use up their resources

Anaya was able to drag herself out from under the dead beast above her; but she had to leave her sword, which was stuck right through the beast, hilt buried beneath its weighty form. Looking around, she saw Nyseris engaged with one beast and bleeding heavily. Anaya ran over to help, but as she approached, the beast struck out with its many claws; Nyseris dodged to one side but Anaya, already limping with many wounds, took a gash to the side that ripped through her chainmail and tore the flesh beneath. She fell to the ground, bleeding.

Her alignment move is to endanger herself to heal another, so that choice was automatic for Anaya.

Cast a spell(Cure Light Wounds)(Anaya): 2D6(2 1) +2 = 5 Failure!
Deal damage: 3+2d6dl1 = 3 + (4 5) = 8 damage, 7 after armour.

Anaya is at 0 HP, out of the fight. We will find out if she lives later.

Hack and Slash(Nyseris): 2D6(5 6) +2 = 13 Success!
d8=2 damage, 1 after armour

The displacer beasts are at 4 and 1 HP. Nyseris could die to the next bad roll, and she is the only person with a weapon in hand now. Vaalyun is panicked and no use.

Defy Danger(STR)(Esthana): 2D6(5 6) +1 = 12 Success!

Esthana grabbed one of the tentacles that was holding her, pulling it over her head. While the beast was still distracted by the arrow in its chest, she managed to unwrap the tentacle somewhat and then wriggle free, falling to the ground and scrambling away from the creature. Damn that elf, she thought—Vaalyun was nowhere to be seen.

But Esthana was free, so she ran to her own bedroll and grabbed up her sword, the weapon lighting up with silver fire and illuminating the clearing with divine light. She turned to face the beast following her—it was advancing slowly, clearly in pain with several of her arrows stuck in its torso. Then it made a quick lunge for her, claws flashing in the silver light from the sword. Esthana sidestepped the blow and dealt a slash to its neck, blood spraying out from the cut. The beast staggered and collapsed.

Hack and Slash(Esthana): 2D6(4 2) +2 = 8 Partial success.
Deals d10=4 damage, takes 3+2d6dl1 = 3 + (3 4) = 7 damage.

Defy Danger(DEX)(Nyseris): 2D6(1 5) +1 = 7 Partial success.
Put someone in a spot

Defend(Esthana): 2D6(3 5) +2 = 10 Success!
Open up for attack by an ally, hold 2

Hack and Slash(Nyseris): 2D6(4 1) +2+1 = 8 Partial success.
Deals d8=7 damage, takes 9 damage

Spend hold(Esthana): Divert attack to self Spend hold(Esthana): Halve damage

So Esthana takes 4 damage; she is at 13/26 HP.

Esthana turned to see Nyseris giving ground before the last remaining beast, dodging slashes from its tentacles. Esthana moved in front of the beast, slashing at the tentacles with her sword; she took several lacerations from their barbed ends. But it bought Nyseris the distraction that they needed; with a sharp thrust, the lizardfolk drove their spear through the neck of the beast. It thrashed around in pain for a moment, its growls silenced, and then collapsed to the jungle floor.

Without the noise of battle, the noises of the jungle became noticable again; the distant cry of some nocturnal creature made Esthana start. But Nyseris was looking past her at something; she turned to see Anaya lying on the ground in a pool of blood.

Anaya’s Scales of Life and Death does not apply to herself, I think; it is about the cleric’s presence helping others to cling to life.

Last Breath(Anaya): 2D6(6 6) +0 = 12 Success!
You’ve cheated Death

Cast a spell(Cure Light Wounds)(Anaya): 2D6(5 4) +2 = 11 Success!
Heal d8+4=9 HP

Heart still racing, Esthana ran over to the cleric, desperate and afraid of what she might find. She rolled Anaya over, and a wave of relief washed over her as she saw the cleric’s eyes open and heard her gasp for air. Anaya was clasping her holy symbol, the small silver flame pendant that normally wore under her armour, which shone with silver light.

“I will be alright,” said Anaya. Esthana saw that her wounds were already closed, and she looked in better shape than Nyseris, though the extensive damage to her chainmail was testimony to the injuries that she had sustained.

Cast a spell(Cure Light Wounds)(Anaya): 2D6(2 4) +2 = 8 Partial success.
Lose the spell, heals d8+4=12 HP

Damn, Anaya has rolled really well this session. She failed badly at a couple of crucial Wis rolls even though that is her best stat, but all the unskilled rolls she did really well at, including rolling max damage a lot of times. She should not have survived 1v1 when surprised by a displacer beast.

“Taking down a displacer beast on your own—that is a feat worthy of a Templar”, said Esthana.

Nyseris joined them, and Anaya was able to heal the ranger as well, the silver Flame flowing over their wounds and closing all of the serious cuts.

While she was doing that, Vaalyun sheepishly emerged from the shadows around the camp. He was armed with his shortbow, and had a gash in his shoulder that went through his leathers, but he did not ask for healing. He said, “Good work, Templars. You have stronger nerves than I do. Rest now; I can take the remaining watches.” He turned away, his head lowered in regret.

End of Session(party): We learned something new about the world, +1 XP for everyone; Anaya and Esthana met their alignment goals in the fight

XP:
Anaya: 2 failures, alignment goal; at 4XP.
Esthana: 0 failures, alignment goal; now at 9XP.
Nyseris: 2 failures, takes a level up; at 0XP.
Vaalyun: 3 failures, takes a level up; at 1XP.

It occurred to me, as I was thinking about what moves to take, that I could just roll randomly for the level up moves for characters where there is no obvious story thing to take. For Nyseris I was thinking of taking God Amidst the Wastes as it seems mechanically best to take that early, and it might make sense given the strong Silver Flame attachment here. I rolled instead, and got the same one anyway.

Level Up(Nyseris): +1 Dex; God Amidst the Wastes: gain level 1 cleric spells; every level gained from now counts as one more cleric level

Level Up(Vaalyun): +1 Wis; Dragonmarked Prodigy: gains Concealment as another area of influence with his dragonmark

Commune(Nyseris): Cure Light Wounds, Magic Weapon

II.12: Dying for a Cause

Xemdaresh, Q’barra
Dravago 7, 997 YK

Defy Danger(DEX)(Vaalyun): 2D6(3 3) +1 = 7 Partial success.
Worse outcome

Esthana watched nervously as Vaalyun moved ahead, moving low amid the foliage from tree to tree. A halfling in dirty leathers was standing by a tree on some higher ground up ahead, keeping watch for the cultists who were camped somewhere beyond. As she had once before, Esthana kept an arrow nocked, ready in case Vaalyun was spotted before he reached the scout.

She looked around again. “Khyber’s breath,” she cursed quietly as another scout, a human in a dark cloak, came into view from her left. Vaalyun was keeping trees between him and the halfling, but he would be seen by the other scout in a few moments. Esthana stood up and loosed an arrow.

Volley(Esthana): 2D6(1 2) +2 = 5 Failure!
Turn their move back on them

Vaalyun and Esthana have a pretty bad record of working together. This is not going at all to plan.

The scout ducked under a hanging vine at the last moment, and the arrow stuck in a tree behind him with a solid thunk. The scout looked to Esthana, and shouted “Enemies to the south!” As the halfling scout turned at the sound, Vaalyun stepped out behind him and sunk a dagger into his back.

Anaya laid a hand on Esthana’s shoulder, and she felt the purifying power of the Flame flow into her, filling her with fresh strength. “The Flame is with you,” said the cleric.

Cast a Spell(Bless)(Anaya): 2D6(2 4) +2 = 8 Partial success.
Lose the spell

Defy Danger(DEX)(Esthana): 2D6(1 3) +2+1 = 7 Partial success.
Tell them the requirements or consequences and ask: you can catch the scout, but only by getting much closer to the main camp

Esthana declines: a soldier isn’t going to solo charge a camp full of enemies.

Esthana slung her bow, charging through the thick undergrowth towards the remaining scout. The scout turned and ran down the far slope, and Esthana had to draw her sword and cut through some of the jungle vines and branches to make her way forward. As she crested the ridge, she saw the main group of presumed cultists below, alive with movement and shouting as they grabbed weapons. The cultists had only been here for an hour, and had not set up a proper camp.

Discern Realities(Anaya): 2D6(4 6) +2 = 12 Success!
What here is hidden? What here is useful or valuable to me? Hold 1

First Anaya wants to know if these really are Khyber cultists: they are.

After that, she wants info that might help the party not die rather quickly against this much stronger force. I was not sure what would be useful, so I rolled amongst a few tactical options that might help them here: terrain, creatures, tactical. I rolled “creatures”, which is cool because we have not got to see many monsters yet in this campaign. Time to dig through the monster manual...

From ten yards to the right, Anaya shouted “Demon claw!” Esthana glanced over, to see her checking the body of the slain halfling. The Templar report about cultists in this area had said that they used a demon claw as their sign. So they are the cultists that we seek.

Spend hold(Anaya): Who is in control here?: Show signs of an approaching threat; and Think dangerously, this group is large enough that they intended to masacre a village, so it’s got to be a pretty big group.

Volley(Esthana): 2D6(6 4) +2+1 = 13 Success!
d10=2 damage

Most of the cultists are Rebels from the DungeonWorld monster list: 3HP, 1 armour. Blue sash guy can be a Bandit King for HP/attacks but have the Knight moves.

“There they are!” shouted one of the cultists below them, a halfling wearing a dark blue sash. “Get them, but stay together!” The camp contained at least thirty armed cultists, and there were probably more scouts out of sight.

“We’re dead if they swarm us,” said Esthana, moving towards Anaya. She had her bow out again, and loosed an arrow at the back of the fleeing scout, hitting him in the leg and sending him tumbling down the slope into the camp. Two cultists stepped around him as they began climbing towards the Templars.

“I have an idea,” said Anaya. “Blue sash must be in charge—see if you can take her out.”

Vaalyun had his shortbow out as well, and loosed an arrow at the halfling commander. He hit her in the arm, penetrating her leather armour. She cursed, then shouted, “In Masvirik’s name, kill these wretches!”

Volley(Vaalyun): 2D6(6 2) +1 = 9 Partial success.
d4=4 damage; use up ammunition

Blue sash is at 9/12HP. Our heroes are all full health.

GM move(soft): Tell them the requirements or consequences and ask: You have one round before the first group of cultists reach you. You can shoot at the boss, but any mistake and the cultists will get to you before you draw your sword.

Esthana chooses to shoot at the approaching cultists instead.

Volley(Esthana): 2D6(4 5) +2+1 = 12 Success!
d10=2 damage

“For the Cold One!” shouted several cultists as they charged up to the high ground. Others back in the camp had drawn crossbows and were shooting. Esthana was getting most of their attention so far, her plate mail standing out in the jungle. She loosed another arrow, hitting a human cultist in the chest as and knocking her over.

Ducking behind another tree, Esthana drew her sword and unshouldered her shield now. As she dashed to the next tree, several crossbow bolts whizzed past, and one struck her shield firmly. As she reached cover, she saw Vaalyun sheltering behind the next tree.

“So much for stealth,” said Vaalyun, in Elven.

“I hope Nyseris gets here soon,” said Esthana, as she turned to face the cultists behind her.

---

The village was set in a small clearing in the valley, with a tributary river running down through it from the east. The village was similar to those of Nyseris’ own tribe, and so it felt like a homecoming of sorts. The wattle and daub huts of the tribesfolk were scattered around the outside, with the largest huts for the village elders set near the great communal bonfire in the middle. There were a thousand villages like this in the jungle, though few lizardfolk would ever see those beyond their own tribe.

Nyseris was spotted by one of the tribe’s lookouts as they approached. In draconic, the watcher called out “Who emerges? Come forward and state your tribe and business.”

GM move(soft): Show a downside to their class, race, or equipment: the plan relies on a character with Cha 8 to persuade the village to quick action.

Nyseris wants to get to the tribe elders and explain, quickly; the leverage is the information she has about the troop of cultists camped less than a mile away.

Parley(Nyseris): 2D6(1 3) -1 = 3 Failure!
Turn their move back on them

Obviously Nyseris doesn’t lisp in draconic.

“Nyseris, of the Eternal Fire tribe.” Nyseris used draconic amongst other lizardfolk; few had any need to learn Common. “I come with urgent news, of danger to your village. Humankin are come from the south, armed and warlike.”

“Approach, and drop your weapons. Ineius!”—shouting over their shoulder to someone out of sight—“Stranger here!”

Nyseris did as was bid. The lookout was armed with a stout spear and several throwing spears; gesturing with the spear, they got Nyseris to back away from the weapons on the ground, and picked up the bow and spear themselves. With Nyseris’ weapons secure, the lookout seemed less nervous.

“Are there others with you?” they asked. Another lizardfolk, also armed, came into view.

“No—there are humankin camped to the south,” said Nyseris.

The lookout did not even look that way. “You come with us. Teegwul will deal with you.”

They drew attention as they walked towards the centre of the village, as many tribesfolk stopped what they were doing to look curiously at the newcomer. The lizardfolk of this tribe were blue-skinned with green dots; Nyseris’ grey scales marked them clearly as an outsider.

The chieftain was standing by the communal fire, and here Nyseris was presented. “We stopped this outsider at the edge of the village,” said the lookout loudly, so all could hear.

“I am Nyseris, of the Eternal Fire tribe.” Nyseris lowered their head, partly out of respect, partly out of fear.

“We know of the Eternal Fire, and honour the Cold Sun Alliance. What brings you so far from your own lands?” asked the chieftain, suspiciously.

“I travel to seek the source of the humankin that plague our lands. I come from their city on the Adder Bay.” Nyseris talked hurriedly, nervous and urgent. “There is a humankin warparty camped just to the south—I tracked them here, and come to warn you!”

Here’s the really big roll.

Parley(Nyseris): 2D6(1 2) -1 = 2 Failure!
Offer Aid from an Enemy, or Opposition from an Ally: House Tharashk has bought this tribe.

I took a little time to think about that move. I had expected that this tribe would be happy to reward the party’s help, but now it’s more complicated. Past Conflict, Present Intrigue: it fits a major theme for Eberron, that everything is shades of grey, and every organization has its traitors. The lizardfolk are no different.

There were murmurs of concern among the gathered tribesfolk; Nyseris heard someone say “But he said no more would come.”

The chieftain silenced them with a gesture and an angry stare. “We will learn the truth of this. Seenicin, take some warriors and scout to the south. Be wary: I do not trust this one”—gesturing to Nyseris—“so expect a trap.”

---

So the party is outnumbered and in a bad spot, but the lizardfolk are approaching cautiously, not dashing to rescue them. Also, Separate them: Nyseris is a prisoner in the village, not able to help them.

Since the cultists are working to release a godlike being of pure evil, they count as evil themselves for the purpose of Esthana’s Exorcist weapon: indeed, she was gifted the weapon specifically to kill Khyber cultists. Give an opportunity that fits a class’ abilities

Hack and Slash(Esthana): 2D6(3 5) +2+1 = 11 Success!
d10+d6+2=16 damage

That kills five cultists.

Anaya paused and glanced back up the ravine. Still on the high ground, Esthana cut effortlessly through the neck of a cultist, her sword burning brightly with silver fire. Blood sprayed over the next two cultists to jump forward to attack; several more already lay dead at her feet.

Anay turned away—there were shouts of cultists from all around, and they would surely find her in a moment. Ahead of her was a great mound of vegetation, as she had seen from above. Nyseris would never have camped so close to this thing, but the cultist troop had been in a hurry and had overlooked it. Anaya was not a gambler normally, but she had learned to trust her instincts, and a desperate situation required desperate measures.

Anaya gets +1 forward for acting on her Discern Realities.

Cast a Spell(Light)(Anaya): 2D6(1 5) +2+1 = 9 Partial success.
Lose the spell

“Flame, illuminate the darkness!” cried Anaya, holding her shield out in front of her. The shield exploded into silver light, the dazzling flash of blue fire driving away the shade of the jungle.

The mound in front of her erupted upwards, recoiling from the sudden light. Vines and branches and fungi, tangled and rotten, lurched up, flailing around in the unnatural blue light. It stood 12 feet off the ground, its upper limbs standing above the edge of the ravine, and a stench of rotten vegetation rolled outwards; the monstrosity let out a loud groan like creaking wood.

Offer Aid from an Enemy, or Opposition from an Ally: when I rolled a creature to be the “useful” thing for Anaya, I then went to a 5e random encounter generator and took the first jungle monster that I rolled. This one isn’t in the DungeonWorld monster list, so I’ll quickly make a DungeonWorld monster for it here.

Shambling mound: solitary, large. d10+3 damage, 16HP, 1 armour; close, reach, forceful, stealthy, terrifying. Moves: lurk, devour.

It lashes out immediately—Think dangerously—Deal damage: d10+3=13 damage. Damn.

The creature’s limbs lashed out wildly. A group of cultists advancing parallel to the ravine were caught entirely by surprise; Anaya saw a flailing branch break the necks of the first two with a single sweep. Vines grabbed another man, tossing him across the ravine where he crashed into a tree, twenty feet off the ground. Another was grabbed around the neck by a vine, and in a few seconds his neck was crushed and he fell limp.

Hack and Slash(Esthana): 2D6(3 4) +2+1 = 10 Success!
d10+d6+2=12 damage

Another 4 dead.

“Devourer’s teeth, what is that thing?” shouted Esthana. Anaya looked up, to see the other Templar at the top of the ravine now, cultists swarming around her. The cultists attacked fiercely, but Esthana cut through them effortlessly, smashing one in the face with her shield while she ran another through with her sword. The cultists blows were wild and reckless, and failed to find a gap in the Templar’s armour.

“Get to the other side of the ravine!” shouted Anaya. Cultists were shouting as well, both battle cries and, from behind the main fight, someone was giving orders.

Show signs of an approaching threat: crossbowmen

Volley(Vaalyun): 2D6(4 6) +1 = 11 Success!
d4=4 damage

Four crossbow-armed cultists took up position above the ravine now, preparing to fire at the retreating Templars. One had a bolt already loaded, and took aim at Anaya, but then an arrow shot from behind Anaya hit him in the eye, killing him instantly. Vaalyun is still with us, then.

Defy Danger(INT)(Anaya): 2D6(5 2) +1 = 8 Partial success.
Put yourself in danger

Shambler deals d10+3=4 damage. In total, we have killed 15 cultists so far: half of the main group. Monster move(Shambling mound): Devour

Anaya moved further down, moving closer to the shambler but putting it between her and the crossbow cultists. It recoiled from her, trying to move its body away from the blue fire around her shield; it reared up the side of the ravine, grabbing the nearest crossbowman in its vines. It hauled him into a crushing embrace, forcing his body into the centre of its own mass, devouring the corpse whole.

But it lashed out at Anaya as well, vines reaching down and grabbing her legs before she could jump back. It dragged her up into the air; the jungle swung dizzyingly around her, and the rotten smell of the creature was stifling as it pulled her closer.

Defy Danger(DEX)(Anaya): 2D6(2 2) +1 = 5 Failure!
Put someone in a spot

The silver fire around her shield, due to the earlier Light, doesn’t actually set fire to things; it’s just divine light.

Those crossbows are about to shoot at the now exposed cleric as well: the party didn’t deal with them. Tell them the requirements or consequences and ask: deal with the crossbows or the shambler right now.

Summon Living Dragonmark(Vaalyun): 2D6(1 6) +2 = 9 Partial success.
Living shadow, 1HP, all basic moves with +1

He is going for the shambler. Golden opportunity: Deal damage: d6+1=6 damage, -2 armour for Anaya. She is at 13/17 HP.

Hack and Slash(Vaalyun’s shadow): 2D6(4 5) +1 = 10 Success!
d4=2 damage

More vines tried to close in on her, and Anaya struggled to push and cut them away with shield and sword. The two cultists with crossbows, backing away from the shambler, saw their chance to take a shot at her; Anaya felt a jolt of pain as a bolt stuck into her side.

The light from her shield cast sharp, waving shadows all around the creature as she struggled in its grip. The shadow itself seemed to move with an energy of its own; shadowy vines seemed to grapple with the real vines of the tree, and the creature’s attacks slowed as it instead grappled with the shadow around it.

Two cultists head for Vaalyun now that he has revealed his position.

Defend(Esthana): 2D6(1 4) +2+1 = 8 Partial success.
Divert attacks to self

Okay so Deal damage: d6+1=3 damage which is negated by Esthana’s armour of 4.

Defy Danger(INT)(Anaya): 2D6(5 2) +1 = 8 Partial success.
Hard bargain: cut yourself free & take fall damage. Deal damage: d8=3 damage, no armour.

Anaya accepts the damage, and is at 10/17 HP.

As the creature was distracted, Anaya saw that she could cut herself free. With a few strokes of her sword, she cut the vines still holding her—and fell down into the side of the ravine, rolling down into the stream running along the bottom of the ravine, bruised and in pain.

Hey, a smart person could steer the creature using the shadow. Give an opportunity that fits a class’ abilities

Defy Danger(INT)(Vaalyun): 2D6(6 2) +2 = 10 Success!
Deal damage: d10+3=8 damage

The creature still stood over her, flailing at its own shadow. As Anaya lifted her shield, the shadow seemed to move to the other side of the creature, drawing it away and up, out of the ravine—and into the two cultists with crossbows, still reloading at the top. Lashing branches cracked the skull of one of them, and the other was crushed by a vine grasping wildly at shadow.

Hack and Slash(Esthana): 2D6(1 2) +2+1 = 6 Failure!
Deal damage: d6+2=4, doesn’t get past her armour

Defy Danger(CON)(Anaya): 2D6(2 5) +0 = 7 Partial success.
Show a downside to their class, race, or equipment: climbing out of a ravine while wearing armour and shield is hard

Volley(Vaalyun): 2D6(5 5) +1 = 11 Success!
d4=1 damage; the target falls for an extra d6=6 damage

An arrow whizzed past Anaya’s head; she turned and blocked with her shield as two more struck home, the force jolting her arm. “Archers above!” she shouted; two halflings had climbed trees further down the ravine, and were shooting down at her. Seconds later, an arrow struck the nearer one in the arm, and he lost his grip and fell to the ground hard. Anaya glanced up to see Vaalyun nocking another arrow. Behind him, several cultists were stabbing at Esthana with spears.

Hack and Slash(Vaalyun’s Shadow): 2D6(6 3) +1 = 10 d4=4 damage

The shambler is at 12/16 HP. 18 or so cultists dead, and their cohesion is shattered now.

Hack and Slash(Anaya): 2D6(4 4) +0 = 8 Partial success.
Deals 1 damage (absorbed by armour), takes 2d10 keep highest (3 2) = 3 damage (1 after armour)

There was a sound of leaves and undergrowth shifting from Anaya’s left; she turned to see the blue-sash halfling sliding down. The halfling was stout, wearing a chain shirt and a demon-claw pendant; she found her feet immediately and came at Anaya with a short sword. Anaya parried the first blow; the second got past her but glanced off of her mail.

“Who in Khyber are you?” asked the halfling, as she circled for another strike.

Defy Danger(INT)(Vaalyun): 2D6(4 2) +2 = 8 Partial success.
Worse outcome

d10+3=12 damage. That kills the halfling; if it had been a successful role, I would have given Vaalyun enough control to say that the halfling was crippled rather than dead.

Defy Danger(DEX)(Anaya): 2D6(6 5) +1 = 12 Success!

Suddenly a shadow loomed over them. The halfling looked up, turning her face just in time to meet a branch of the shambler crashing down; it smashed the halfling’s skull with a sickening crunch. Anaya ducked and scrambled away just in time as more vines and branches came down, thrashing around in the ravine.

She clambered up the side of the ravine. There were more arrows flying past now, but not aimed at her. Looking around, she saw that there were lizardfolk at the top of the ravine now. Dead cultists lay everywhere around the ravine, many around Esthana’s feet, others with arrows in their backs; Anaya could see a few more fleeing into the forest. Behind her, she could hear the crunching of bones and groaning of boughs as the shambler devoured the cultist leader’s body.

End of Session(party): Esthana risked herself to defend someone weaker (the lizardfolk villagers), meeting her alignment.

XP:
Anaya: 1 failure; at 10XP. (Ready to level up.)
Esthana: 2 failures, alignment goal; now at 7XP.
Nyseris: 2 failures; at 5XP.
Vaalyun: 0 failures; at 7XP.

The plan that I came up with for the party, for the record, was:

• Vaalyun and Esthana take out a scout on the far side of the cultist camp, so Esthana and Anaya can take up position there.
• Nyseris gets to the village and rouses them to fight the cultists, before the cultists make their attack.
• Vaalyun would then work his way around to the north side and try to take out the scout there, so they could not report that the village was being mobilized for battle.

Obviously, the plan went off the rails completely. But the party rolled well in the fight itself and crushed the cultists.

I had no idea, when I started the session, that there would be a shambler, or what the party would do with it. Vaalyun rolled really well to manipulate it: I kept making him roll hack-and-slash for the shadow that he animated, to give the shambler a chance to destroy it, but he kept making those rolls and the rolls to actually direct it against enemies.

II.11 The Ranger

Newthrone, Q’barra
Dravago 6, 997 YK

When Esthana came down to the hostel’s common room the next morning, the lizardfolk was waiting for her. The common room was fairly quiet, with a few halflings moving from table to table collecting tankards and cleaning the remains of the previous night’s party, and no other guests in sight.

Time for the character sheet.

Nyseris - Ranger. Damage d8, hit points 20.

Str	Dex	Con	Int	Wis	Cha
16 +2	15 +1	12 +0	9 +0	13 +1	8 -1

Alignment: Good: Endanger yourself to combat an unnatural threat

Race: Lizardfolk (Cold Sun): When you keep still in natural surroundings, enemies never spot you until you make a movement.

Moves: Command (Snake companion: Ferocity +2, Cunning +2, Instinct +1; stealthy, keen senses), Called Shot, Hunt and Track

Equipment: Hunter’s bow, Spear, Leather armour, Adventuring gear

Scaly skin is probably as good as leather anyway, so let’s say the leather is actually their skin.

We should check what languages the party speaks; it has not really mattered until now:
Vaalyun: Common, Elven
Esthana: Common, Elven
Anaya: Common, Celestial
Nyseris: Draconic, Common.

The lizardfolk was sitting at one of the tables, and seemed better equipped for the wilds than for a city. They wore no clothes, with just a belt and baldric to hold their bow and spear—though Esthana supposed that scaly skin was as tough as leather. Their skin was grey and white, mottled with blue-grey flecks.

Esthana would have just nodded and walked past, but the lizardfolk rose as soon as she appeared and approached her. “May I see you s–sword again?” they asked.

“No, why—let me pass.”

“The silver fire, it was so beautiful. I have never seen its like. I am Nyseris.” The lizardfolk towered over Esthana and blocked her way, although they did not seem threatening.

Esthana frowned, but she was a templar, so spreading the light of the Flame was a duty for her now. She stepped back and drew her sword; the silver fire of the Flame flickered around the blade.

Two CHA 8 characters walk into a bar...

Let’s see how much Nyseris actually knows about the Silver Flame.

Spout Lore(Nyseris): 2D6(4 2) +0 = 6 Failure!
Introduce a new faction or type of creature, Past Conflict, Present Intrigue: The Church of the Silver Flame contains agents working for the Overlords

I had this in mind already. It’s strange that Tassis, the Templar’s Commander of Foreign Lands, doesn’t know that there is a whole civilisation of lizardfolk out in the jungle here that worships the Flame. But perhaps he, or a predecessor, did know and the knowledge has been suppressed, to hinder the Flame’s work.

Nyseris’ mouth hung open in awe. They reached out to touch the blade; Esthana would have stopped them, but they were too fast. But the Flame did not burn them, and Nyseris simply said, “It is wonderful. I have never s–seen the fire on a weapon before.”

“I am Esthana, a Templar of the Flame,” said Esthana. “The Flame is the source of peace and light in Eberron: it shields us all from the darkness that lies beneath.”

“I know s–so little of humans,” said Nyseris. “I have never heard of humans carrying the orn ixen before.”

Discern Realities(Esthana): 2D6(4 5) +1 = 10 Success!
What here is useful or valuable to me? Who’s really in control here? What here is not what it appears to be?

Control: Right now, Nyseris seems to be in the palm of your hand.
For the others, let’s answer in the text.

Esthana considered for a moment. Nyseris was clearly a tracker, and useful in a fight, and they would know the jungles outside of Newthrone well. Perhaps they would help us.

“Join us for breakfast, and I will introduce you to Lady Anaya—she is a cleric of the Flame.”

Nyseris followed Esthana to the private room that Vaalyun had arranged for them. Anaya and Vaalyun were already seated and eating. Esthana introduced Nyseris to them, though Nyseris was entirely interested in Anaya.

“Ah yes–s,” Nyseris said, “the one whose hand burns with the silver fire. Honoured to meet you.”

“With respect, Templar,” Vaalyun cut in, “we have important matters to discuss. In private.”

“Anaya, you said that some of the lizardfolk of Q’barra follow the Dragon Below?” asked Esthana.

“So the Commander’s report said.” Anaya looked to Esthana.

Spend hold(Esthana): What here is not what it appears to be?

“Nyseris touched my sword, and was not burned. They are certainly not part of that.”

Spout Lore(Nyseris): 2D6(4 3) +0 = 7 Partial success.
Vague information

“Khyber?” asked Nyseris, an expression of anger forming on their face. “My tribe is gul siksta; we do not worship that one.”

“What do your people know of Khyber?” Anaya asked.

“Only what is said in the Tale of Beginning.” Nyseris retold the legend by rote, as if they had heard it many times. “In the emptiness, the three Great Dragons danced. Siberys placed stars-s as she went, lighting the sky; behind her, Khyber ate the stars greedily. Finally, Siberys turned to face her s–sister; for thousands of years, the two fought, until Khyber dealt the killing blow. Filled with triumph and anger, Khyber turned on Eberron, but she refused the fight, and for a thousand years more they fought, Khyber striking and Eberron dodging aside from every blow. Eventually, Khyber tired, and Eberron surrounded her, so she could do no more harm. The dragons slept, Khyber below, Eberron between, and the body of Siberys circling above. And thus–s was the world formed.”

Esthana’s mind turned back to the prison cell in Thaliost, where the light of the Ring of Siberys had made the night less dark for her.

“The Silver Flame has shown us a vision of Khyber stirring; somewhere in Q’barra, some group tries to awaken this ancient evil.” Anaya said.

“That mus–st not be,” said Nyseris and, while their Common was distorted coming from a lizardfolk, Esthana sensed the determination in their voice. “We will aid you in this, if we can.”

---

Count Zuokas’ estate was a few miles outside of Newthrone. Parts of the jungle close to the city had been cleared to make way for agriculture, and the Count’s estate was in this area. The manor house itself was three storeys high, the lowest storey made of fine marble with the upper floors made of wood. It was a fine building designed to show the owner’s wealth; Vaalyun guessed that the Count owned many of the surrounding plantations.

Blur the lines between magic and technology: arcane powered pumps would be very Eberron.

He and Nyseris were at the edge of a copse of trees on a hill, overlooking the field in front of the manor. The sky was clear and the afternoon air was warm and humid, though no doubt less so than in the jungle itself—Vaalyun, used to the cities of the Five Nations, found it stifling, but Nyseris was untroubled by it. A few metres away from them, an arcane screw turned without pause, lifting water from an acquifer into an irrigation channel.

They had been watching the manor for hours, and had seen some comings and goings but little to excite interest. A covered wagon had pulled up an hour ago, but had not been unloaded yet.

“Do the lizardfolk trade much with the human settlements?” asked Vaalyun. He was still sceptical about letting Nyseris join the group, but he saw the value in another perspective on the local politics.

“No,” Nyseris replied, without taking their eyes from the manor house. “The humans promised thirty years ago to leave our lands be; but s–still small groups come and take dragonshards–s or loot ruins from time to time.”

“Adventurers hoping to get lucky and get rich; there’s no stopping them.”

“You think they act against the wishes of their chiefs?”

“Yes and no,” said Vaalyun. “They act without permission, but kings are happy enough to reap the benefits of their work all the same.”

Give an opportunity that fits a class’ abilities: Nyseris’ animal companion has keen senses.

“Quiet.” Nyseris dropped down lower; despite their great size, they almost vanished in the foliage when they wanted to. Vaalyun shrank back as well.

Two humans, armed with crossbows, were walking down the edge of the field, quite close to where the elf and lizardfolk hid.

Defy Danger(DEX)(Vaalyun): 2D6(2 1) +1 = 4 Failure!
Put someone in a spot

“I thought I saw something over here,” said one of them, a bald man in his fourties. “Who goes there? Svaust gethrisjic mobi?”

Vaalyun could not move while they were looking at his hiding place, but knew they would see him if they approached. He began to channel the power of his Dragonmark, reaching out to the shadow behind the man.

Dragonmark(Vaalyun): 2D6(5 4) +2 = 11 Success!

Defy Danger(DEX)(Vaalyun): 2D6(6 6) +1 = 13 Success!

“Hey, what was that,” said the second patrolman; Vaalyun could not see him clearly. The bald man turned to see. Vaalyun had stretched his shadow strangely out of shape, but let it snap back into place quickly—just enough to distract them for a moment, long enough to sneak away behind a tree. The constant churning of the arcane screw nearby masked the sound as he shifted through the foliage.

Give an opportunity that fits a class’ abilities: Nyseris’ animal companion has stealthy.

Suddenly, a fox ran rushing past Vaalyun and burst out from the foliage in front of the two patrolmen. They started, then one slapped the other on the back. “Come on, it’s just some trees. Let’s get on with this.” They walked off, continuing on their patrol.

Vaalyun breathed a sigh of relief, and moved back into position at the edge of the treeline once they had departed. Nyseris emerged as well; he had not been able to see them hiding.

Discern Realities(Nyseris): 2D6(4 2) +1 = 7 Partial success.
What happened here recently?

“A patrol,” said Nyseris. They then said something soothing, in their own language, to the snake wrapped around their left arm.

“Did they startle your snake?” Vaalyun found it disconcerting that the lizardfolk kept the snake about their person most of the time.

“No; I told Asumre to startle that fox, to distract from your clums–sy attempt to hide.”

“Ah. I am more used to dark alleys than forest.” Vaalyun considered that he could get used to the snake, if it was capable of that.

“This is no forest, vaecaesin,” said Nyseris dismissively. “We have been here for hours, but this is the first time we s–saw a patrol. What is different?”

Discern Realities(Vaalyun): 2D6(1 3) 4 = +0 Failure!
Introduce a new faction or type of creature: Blackscale lizardfolk tracker is following the party

Initially I was going to just make the group that they are tracking be larger & more formidable, but then I had the idea of following up on the move last session where we found that Anaya was wanted by the Blackscales. I rolled a d2 (I’m making all the actual rolls in Roll20), 1 = danger ahead, 2 = danger behind. I got a 2.

They were right. Vaalyun saw that there was activity down at the manor now: some humans and dwarves were getting into the covered wagon, and more humans and halflings were forming up around the wagon. The troop was readying to leave.

“They are going to head out somewhere,” said Vaalyun. “We should follow them. You keep an eye on them, I’ll go get the others.”

---

Defy Danger(CON)(Anaya): 2D6(4 3) +0 = 7 Partial success.
Hard bargain

Anaya had to shed equipment.

The jungle north of Newthrone was ancient, little changed in thousands of years, and full of life and noise. Esthana was glad that the foliage overhead shielded them from the sun, but the air was hot and humid, and her plate mail was stifling. She had experienced worse in her army days, though; Anaya, on the other hand, was having a hard time, and Esthana offered to carry her shield to make things easier for her.

They had crossed into the jungle less than a mile from the manor. At the jungle’s edge, the troop that they were following had halted briefly while everyone disembarked from the wagon; the wagon could not pass through the jungle, so it had turned back to the manor. The troop then headed into the jungle, and the party had followed.

Hunt and Track(Nyseris): 2D6(4 5) +1+2 = 12 Success!
Gain a useful bit of information about your quarry

+2 for her companion, who specialises in hunting.

Nyseris and Vaalyun led the way, staying a little way ahead of the two Templars. They did not try to follow the troop too closely, as they did not want to risk being seen. Nyseris was easily able to follow their trail; every so often, they would stop and let their snake down to investigate some footprint or to slip through some disturbed foliage, and soon they would find the right trail.

“At the jungle’s edge, I was close enough to see that they took many weapons from the wagon,” Nyseris said at one point when the Templars caught up with the elf and lizardfolk.

“A warparty then?” said Esthana.

“The weapons were spears and s–shields—wooden, jungle-made. Not normal for humans,” said Nyseris. “Something is–s not right here.”

Anaya looked to Vaalyun, then said “We keep after them. Where they go, or what they do, may reveal their purpose here.”

The troop kept moving for a few more hours, then—Nyseris informed them—made camp. Nyseris found a gulch where the party could camp for the night, not too far from the clearing where the Count’s troop were resting.

Vaalyun had bought bedrolls and provisions from the Dragon’s Bounty before they left Newthrone, as they had expected to be out of the city for at least a few days while they investigated the Count. It was after dusk as they set up camp, and the jungle around them was dark; there was no lessening of the noise of the jungle around them, but the sounds changed, as day creatures retired and night creatures began to emerge.

Manage Provisions(Esthana): 2D6(1 6) +1 = 8 Partial success.
Normal camp, rations consumed

The jungle is not safe, so the party now makes the Perilous Wild’s version of the Make Camp move, to see if anything happens at night.

Make Camp(party): 2D6(5 6) +0 = 11 Success!
Heal; The night passes without incident.

Esthana was glad to take off some armour and sit by the fire awhile as the air cooled. Nyseris sat opposite her, lost in thought; Esthana supposed that the lizardfolk must have been travelling alone for a while.

“Tell us about your people, Nyseris,” she asked.

“The lizardfolk have always lived here,” said Nyseris. “The dragons gave us their blessing eons ago; this land is ours. My tribe is many days north-east of here, but there are many tribes throughout this land.”

“Are the tribes friendly; do they have a common ruler?”

“Many of the tribes are part of the gul siksta group; we seek to protect the jungle. There is no one ruler, but the... wise ones of the tribes talk if there is need—usually when the Blackscales threaten us–s.”

“Rival tribes?” asked Vaalyun.

“Yes. Our ancient enemies, Blackscales reject the harmony of the gul siksta.” There was some sadness, or resignation, as Nyseris said this. “They are strongest to the east, towards Haka’torvhak.”

“Why did you leave your tribe?” asked Anaya.

“More humankin come, searching deeper into the jungle than ever. We have los–st some of our lands already, and will lose more if the humans keep coming.” Nyseris turned her head in the direction where the Count’s troop was camped. “Whatever they are doing here, they bring only danger and death to us. I seek a way to stop the humankin harrying our lands.”

---

Make a Perilous Journey(party):

Scout Ahead(Nyseris): 2D6(3 3) +1+2 = 9 Partial success.
You get the drop on whatever lies ahead

Navigate(Vaalyun): 2D6(6 6) +2 = 14 Success!
You avoid dangers and distractions and make good time

On the next day, Nyseris scouted ahead, while Vaalyun led the two Templars through the jungle, following the markers that Nyseris left them.

Esthana was glad that they had the lizardfolk to do their scouting. Vaalyun was fit enough and stealthy when he wanted to be, and certainly faster than she or Anaya could be in armour, but he was unused to the jungle. They would have probably blundered into the troop’s scouts more than once without Nyseris’ guidance.

The troop made some attempt to conceal their passage, but they were a large group and easy for a skilled tracker like Nyseris to follow. The troop did have their own scouts, keeping a watch around the main group, and those were the main danger; but Nyseris was at home in the jungle, and could move faster through the undergrowth, or hide there easily.

In the early afternoon, the troop stopped. Nyseris rejoined the group.

Discern Realities(Nyseris): 2D6(4 3) +1 = 8 Partial success.
What is about to happen here?

“There is a gul siksta village ahead,” Nyseris said anxiously. “The humankin have camped far enough away not to be s–spotted, but they have scouts watching the village. Humankin here with weapons—they must plan to attack the village.”

“Why?” asked Anaya. “What would the village have that they want?”

Investigate(Vaalyun): 2D6(1 4) +2 = 7 Partial success.
Vague indication

I had this village raid in mind when I came up with the Cult’s first on-screen move here. Having Nyseris in the party has completely changed the party’s involvement in it, though: I imagined that the party would have a hard choice deciding whether to intervene, but with Nyseris here, it seems likely that they will aid the lizardfolk.

I rolled to see if Nyseris wants to warn the village, and the result was Yes.

“Perhaps it is not anything in the village; perhaps the motive is political,” said Vaalyun calmly. “The peace between Q’barra and the lizardfolk could be broken by such an attack. Do they aim to start a war?”

“I mus–st warn them,” said Nyseris, their agitation growing.

Esthana nodded. “Yes, they must be warned; we are too few to stop these humans—cultists, if that is what they are—alone anyway. But if they are watching the village, they will surely either attack or run as soon as they see the villagers roused.”

Okay, let’s cut it there before the big battle. The troop of Cultists number around 40, I think, and we will want a more powerful enemy or two amongst them. So it should be an interesting fight.

End of Session(party): Learning Eberron’s creation myth means that we did learn something important about the world, +1 XP for everyone.

XP:
Anaya: 0 failures; at 9XP.
Esthana: 0 failures; now at 4XP.
Nyseris: 1 failure; at 3XP.
Vaalyun: 2 failures; at 7XP.