Hob, a brave yet untested young woman, leaves her home, Sota’s Gate, to seek answers about the blood-stained blade.

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It wasn’t as hard to leave Sota’s Gate as I had imagined it would be. Bastien had been sullen, he was skeptical of the blade’s visions that I had shared with him and didn’t seem to understand why I needed to go to Autumnrush in the first place. Nevertheless, he embraced me, managed a smirk and a friendly jab to my shoulder, and wished me a safe voyage and quick return. I think he had always known I would find an excuse to leave the Gate someday. I like to think that’s why he was so strict about my training, ensuring I could hold my own once I left his protective reach.

It was just barely summer when I left, that tumultuous transition between storm and sun, unpredictable and unresolved. I caught a ride with old Reema who was making her biweekly trip to Stoneharbor (I know, what a silly name) for flax linen for net repair and other materials we couldn’t produce on the island. The small but busy port was as I had remembered it. A popular waypoint for the ships traveling up and down the Ragged Coast on account of the peaceful fjord it’s nestled in and the reliably supplied market, the oldest market in the Ironlands some say. Uncle Temir claimed Stoneharbor was one of the first landings on the mainland for the refugees (just after they passed the Gate) and was named after the giant stone that jutted into the water at the head of the fjord. He said the first ships, the large ones that were built for war, were able to unload alongside the giant rock without needing to be shored, making it an ideal first outpost in the dangerous new land in case a quick escape was needed. Generations had passed since the last ships arrived, fleeing the Old World, but Stoneharbor remained, thriving, though small.

We found a handful of fishing boats, similar to Reema’s, and a larger longship with brightly colored sail, the size of ship that denotes a professional coastal trader that inevitably includes Autumnfall in its route, already at port as we arrived. I bid farewell to Reema and went to track down the longship’s captain to inquire whether they were traveling to or from Autumnrush.

I found Captain Kanno picking amongst the packed stores to identify which goods were to be unloaded for trade. He was professional and abrupt, not quite annoyed by my interruption but clearly in a hurry to resolve the interaction and get back to his task. It was off-putting. 

“Yes, we’re on the return leg and have a bench free. Can you use that thing?”, he gestured towards the blade on my hip.

“Yes.”

“You’ll have to pull an oar and if the need arises, I expect you to draw it on my behalf. Otherwise, you’ll be swimming. Good?”

“Good.”

“Stay out of the way but don’t drift, we’ll be leaving shortly.”

At that moment, we were interrupted by the arrival of a new ship, plainly in distress even from a distance. The sail was tattered and most onboard weren’t moving. The few that were, were calling for aid and clearly wounded. Arrows covered the deck and had surely been responsible for the torn sail. As the ship reached the docks, a crowd of people gathered while someone ran to fetch the healer. I helped move the wounded onto the dock, there were only a handful still breathing, mostly incoherent from blood loss, and only one sailor that was unwounded, Elstan. He was oddly calm and quiet, though his puffy cheeks revealed previous tears and his clothes were coated in his comrades’ blood. A man who had already used up all of his emotions and had little else to express.

As the healer arrived and began treating those that could be treated, Elstan related his story. The merchant ship had been en-route from the south and, as they had reached the eastern horn of the fjord that led to Stoneharbor, the wind had died and the sea had calmed to a complete standstill. Everything had become eerily quiet and then a distant buzzing had begun to grow. The sea began moving again but the tides had seemed to reverse, the afternoon’s ebbing waves now flooding and pushing the ship towards the rocks at the base of the horn’s cliff. The flow of the tide increased and the sailors, realizing they would be dashed against the rocks, pulled their oars. Then the winds picked back up…powerful gusts also forcing the ship towards the rocks. Keeara, the captain and Elstan’s kinfolk, ordered the sail be furled. That was when the arrows came. Keeara fell in the first volley. They tried to shield themselves but they needed to focus on rowing to get past the horn and into the fjord before the tide battered them against the rocks. They made it to the fjord but many had perished from the steady volleys of arrows and Elstan was the only one unscathed to guide the ship to the port. He claimed as they escaped, he saw figures on the cliff overlooking the horn.

I’m not sure what came over me but the blood-stained blade, still in its scabbard, moved to my hands, it demanded action. It was right, action was needed. Gripping the scabbard and hilt, I proclaimed “I swear on this iron and this blade that those who would dare to ambush travelers within sight of Sota’s Gate will face a fitting end!”

Roll: Swear an Iron Vow – Strong Hit

The gathered crowd, surprised by the vow, stepped back, creating a circle around me. Old Reema, stared at me wide-eyed for a moment and then seemed to shrug it away like she had realized it wasn’t altogether that shocking that I, the Hob of the Gate, would do such a thing. I always giggle when I remember that matter-of-fact shrug.

“If they realize there were survivors to tell of the ambush, they may try to flee. We need to stop their escape. Will you avenge your kinfolk?” I asked Elstan.

Roll: Compel, Heart – Weak Hit

He seemed startled by the question but his eyes hardened and he nodded. “Let me find my shield first.”

He hopped back onto the ship, kneeled near one of his slain comrades, presumably Keeara, made a whispered vow, and took her shield and axe. He returned, nodded again, I dropped my pack so I could move faster (a foolish trusting move, the kind I would learn to regret down the road…not this time though) and we left on a run.

Roll: Undertake a Journey – Weak Hit (After making this roll, I realized that this should have been a scene challenge, secure advantage roll, or better yet, just an ask the oracle but I was so excited to play that I hadn’t fully read the mechanics and only glanced through the moves.)

It was late afternoon and there was still plenty of light so we were able to make good time. We ran along the coast of the fjord until we found a trail leading up to the wooded hills above. Pushing through the wooded path, we reached the horn. We made good time but we were winded.

From the cover of the trees we surveyed the clearing overlooking the cliff. I was right, they had fled. We warily stepped out into the clearing to search for tracks. The overlook was dry, dusty, and scattered with rocks, I hadn’t realized it had been so long since it had last rained. Elstan stepped to the cliff. I wonder what his thoughts were looking down at his place of loss from his attacker’s position. I left him to his thoughts and checked the ground and gravel for any clues. “Can you see anything over there?” he asked, pointing towards the cliff facing the east. That was a good question, if they fled down the eastern ridge, maybe I could see them.

Roll: Face Danger, Wits – Weak Hit

As I stepped to the cliff and peered over, I swatted away at the fly by my left ear. It didn’t seem to help, it was still buzzing around. It sounded like it was right next to my ear, I shook my head but could still hear the buzz. It got louder…wait…buzzing! Shit!

“Move away from the cliff!” I screamed as I did the same myself. Apparently Elstan had heard the buzzing as well and had the same thought since he was already doing so. The drone, now compounded by the rustling of branches, grew louder. We both sprinted towards the center of the clearing as an overwhelming gust of wind blew out of the woods, through the clearing, and over the cliff. If we hadn’t retreated, we would have been blown over and dashed to bits on the rocks below. Instead, we were just knocked down. I scraped my arm on a rock as I went down but had no major injury. Elstan had the wind knocked out of him but was likewise ok.

Roll: Gather Information – Strong Hit

I’m unsure whether the intention was to blow us off the cliff or just to cover their tracks but if it was the latter, it was a foolish move. As we dusted ourselves off, I took in the situation. The gale had not come from behind us (having arrived by the western ridge) but from eastern ridge of the woods, the only direction they could have gone since we hadn’t crossed paths with them during our approach. If anything, the broken branches from the gust had created a clear path to follow. Unfortunately though, this confirmed Elstan’s story of the ambush involving magic. I had never known rituals this powerful outside of stories and I hoped whoever was capable of them could still be harmed by a blade…because that was all I had. The blade seemed to pull me towards the wind-blown path as well, further confirming my thoughts.

“Are you ready? Let us avenge your kin.”, I offered my hand to help Elstan up. He accepted and we continued the chase.

The wind-blown path led us down the eastern ridge. Once we began following it, it became clear that there was a lightly used footpath under the fallen branches as well, though the gust had clearly covered any footprints or other signs pointing towards who or how many had traversed it. The woods weren’t thick but thick enough to hide an ambush. The twang of a bowstring. Elstan knelt behind his shield almost as if on instinct as I dove to the ground. The arrow hit Elstan’s shield and I could hear another go over my head.

Roll: Face Danger, Edge – Weak Hit; Endure Stress – Strong Hit

I scrambled on all fours to a tree. Damnit! Bows! Of course! I knew there would be bows…yet there I was with a sword and no shield. Well not much to do but move forward.

The ambushers were clearly down the trail acting as a rearguard.

“Elstan, are you ok?”

“Yeah.”

“We need to move up.”

“I know.”

“Can you go lead?”

Roll: Compel, Heart – Strong Hit

“Yep.”

With a roar, Elstan advanced down the path in a low stance, shield up. I matched his roar, and scrambled behind him, trying to stay as close and low as possible so both of us were protected by his shield.

Roll: Face Danger, Iron – Weak Hit; Endure Stress – Weak Hit

The arrows flew, we advanced, it was terrifying. It had been a long while since I had felt so helpless. Drawing the blade seemed to quiet the fear though. I could see some of the old dried blood flake off as it left the scabbard, blood from some unknown victim from some unknown time, before the blade had found me. I knew, nay, the blade knew and shared with me, that the flaked blood would be replaced soon though, very soon.

As we neared the ambushers, there were two of them, they started to slowly retreat between firing. Now was the time. “You will die in these woods and my blade will feast!”, I screamed as I sprinted out from behind Elstan. He followed suit and charged with his axe held high.

Roll: Enter the Fray, Heart – Weak Hit; Strike – Weak Hit (Not really sure what happened here as I didn’t have initiative due to the Enter Fray roll. Obviously was still not super clear on the rules.)

The closer ambusher, realizing he should have done so sooner, dropped his bow and began fumbling for his axe while retreating. As he pulled the axe from his belt, I slashed his weak arm (not fatal, but definitely painful). Before I could follow up, he swung his axe in a wild arc forcing me to leap back. I heard Elstan barrel past me in pursuit of the second ambusher.

Roll: Clash, Strong Hit; End the Fight – Strong Hit

In desperation, the ambusher advanced, wide wild swing after wild wide swing. I continued to step back out of reach. Realizing his attacks were in rhythm, I waited for the next swing to pass and then launched myself forward with all my strength, bringing the blade down in a long overhead slash and splitting his skull. The blade sighed. The man crumpled.

I stared down at his body, the first I had seen fallen by a blade. The first body I had made. It had happened so quickly. Raised as a Watcher, Bastien and Temir had trained and drilled combat into me, but due to the tower, we had always had enough early warning for the community to take refuge in the fort before sea raiders could strike, a prize too dangerous for them to risk taking. And I had always been too young to join the hunting parties when a beast took a fisher. So this was my first actual violence. I don’t know if I was more shaken by the arrows or the realization that this was just my first taste and much more would likely need to be done.

Panting, I looked up to see Elstan knock the second ambusher to the ground with his shield and finish him with two efficient overhead swings from his axe. He stood, glanced back at me, and without a word, continued down the path. Sometimes I wonder if he knew without asking that I would follow him, regardless of our recent brush with death, or if he was so determined that he didn’t care whether I followed or not. Either way, it shook me from my musings. I was impressed with his resolve.

We continued down the path. Still hurried but more attentive now. The path gradually descended down the ridge and as it neared the shore, the woods began to clear, and with it, so did our vision. In the distance we could see them. Three figures pushing a fishing boat, its mast lowered, into the water from behind a group of bushes that had concealed it from view by the sea. Two of them were doing most of the work. As we saw them, our pace increased to a run. On seeing us, their desperate shoving increased. The single-sailed boat was large enough for at least five people, heavy enough that it likely took four of those five to carry it into the concealing foliage, and, with two of those four lying in the woods, it looked like quite the task to get it back in the sea. Plus, it was now low tide so they had even further to push it. But they were moving it…and gaining momentum, each shove driving them one step closer to putting the boat to water and pushing off before we could reach them.

Roll: Secure an Advantage, Edge – Miss; Endure Harm – Miss

The path grew steeper and I was rushing downhill so quickly that I almost tripped on a small dip in the trail, barely leapt over it in time, and landed poorly on my ankle. I winced in pain but it didn’t hurt enough that I couldn’t still run (though it would hurt like hell later). I looked up to see them, with a last desperate push, get the boat into the water and the two larger ones began hoisting the smaller third in, who I could now see was an older man draped in fur. He was being lifted by a strong looking man and woman. It dawned on me that we weren’t going to catch them if we continued down the path since it meandered a bit to the left before ultimately winding back right to where the boat had been landed.

Roll: Secure an Advantage, Iron – Weak Hit

“Come on!”, I yelled as I leapt off the trail, taking the much steeper and uneven direct path. I heard Elstan follow. This choice was likely the culprit for most of the next week’s ankle pain but it was the only way to prevent their escape. The older man had been lifted in and the stronger man had leapt aboard when we caught up with them. The woman was still hip deep in water when I reached the shore and she made the choice to fight instead of risk being stabbed from behind as she hauled herself aboard. She took a shield from the boat, pulled her axe from her belt, and readied herself.

Roll: Enter the Fray – Strong Hit; Strike – Strong Hit

At the edge of the shore, I leapt at her, sword above me. She was able to block the overhead swing with her shield but, as I landed, I pulled back and lunged forward trying to impale her chest. She lowered her shield at the last moment, pushing my blade down and causing it to pierce her thigh instead. She screamed in pain and slackened her shield just enough that I was able to pull back, drawing the blade from her leg, and lunge forward again, driving the blade into her chest with both hands. She went silent as I drove her down into the tide.

Roll: End the Fight – Strong Hit

While straining to pull the blade out, I began to hear the buzzing again. I paused to look around. To my right, Elstan was waist deep in the water trying to approach the boat with his shield up. But the stronger man, at the prow of the boat, was repelling his advance with a spear. The older man in furs was kneeling behind him. He was erratically swinging a small leather bag and his mouth was open. I realized that the buzzing must have been a noise he was making…with his voice…coming from his throat…it was an uncomfortable realization. I could feel the water start tugging on my hips. It was ebbing, pulling out to sea. The man was using magic to convince the already low tide to go out even further…and pull stronger. My eyes widened and my mouth dropped. Up until this point, I had never witnessed such a powerful ritual nor ever really thought that I would. I felt insignificant. I felt disadvantaged. I felt fear. Then I realized why he was doing it…he was trying to pull the boat away from the shore so they could escape. The boat was pulling away from me.

I finished retrieving the blade and made a gamble. If I waded after it, I might not have been able to catch the boat in time and if I did, I would have to face the spear before I could board. So instead, I dove, pushing myself off the ground to gain enough momentum to carry me alongside the boat towards the stern, just skimming the surface and unnoticed by the man with the spear who was still jabbing at Elstan…and hoping to surface and board behind both of them.

Roll: Secure an advantage, Wits – Miss => Burn Momentum – Weak Hit

It worked. Well I didn’t get stabbed at least. I surfaced and pulled myself aboard. I was noisy though and the old man, though he had seemed to be in a trance, heard me. He turned as I caught my feet and began slamming the leather bag against the deck of the boat. I could hear the sound of branches rustling in addition to the buzzing. I felt frozen. What was he about to do to me and how could I avoid it? The unknowns are what make magic so terrifying to face. How can you act when you have no idea what you are acting against? Looking back, the obvious answer was, wind. I was going to be facing wind. Simple and based on experience. At the time though, I was too in awe to process or connect the threads in my mind.

Roll: Face Danger, Heart – Weak Hit

Eventually I pushed through though. I expressed myself. I shook it off and roared in fear. Remembered the cliff…and then threw myself to the deck just as a strong gust of wind blew over me. Had I not moved, it would have easily thrown me over the side of the boat. A better instinct would probably have been to just run him through but at least I took action, any sort of action. Anything is preferable to being frozen in fear.

Rising from the deck, I faced the end of a spear. The tide had pulled the boat far enough away from Elstan that the strong looking man could turn his attention towards me.

Roll: Face Danger, Iron – Miss; Endure Harm – Strong Hit, Opportunity

I leapt backwards as the spear hit the deck where my head had been a moment prior. He lunged again, I parried but not fast enough and the spear grazed my shoulder. I had reached the stern, there was nowhere else to retreat to, short of diving back in the sea. He lowered into a ready stance and seemed to be waiting for the right moment to strike. The only upside of the situation was that past him, I could see a hand come over the prow of the boat, and then another arm holding an axe. Elstan had ditched his shield and swam to catch up with the boat while the man with the spear was occupied.  

Unfortunately, I couldn’t wait for him to board and help. There was a good chance I would not have been able to fend off the next thrust. So I lunged.

Roll: Strike – Miss; Endure Harm – Weak Hit

It was a poor choice. As I lunged, he thrust his spear. I parried high, he thrust low…into my thigh. It wasn’t deep but it hurt like hell, an oddly a similar wound to the one I had given his companion. I gave a similar scream to hers.

Roll: Turn the Tide; Strike – Weak Hit

He pulled the spear out to strike again and in desperation, I lunged forward and brought the blade across his weak arm. He didn’t drop the spear but instead took a step back and readied to strike again. I started hearing the buzzing again and risked a glance to confirm that Elstan had boarded and was advancing on the old man from behind, who was still focused on me and smashing his bag against the deck.

Roll: Face Danger, Iron – Miss

The spear lunged forward again. This time less true and a bit slower than before, I knocked it aside with my blade but he then swung it down, whacking my wounded thigh with the haft. I screamed in pain again. Almost so loud that it drowned out the buzzing. Not quite though and the swelling drone brought me back out of my pain. 

Roll: Face Danger, Heart – Strong Hit; Secure an Advantage. Heart – Strong Hit

I had to act and I had to act now. I screamed again, but this time in defiance. I faced the spearman and I roared.

Roll: Strike – Miss; Endure Stress – Strong Hit

He took a step back and lowered his spear for a moment but I could do nothing but roar. The buzzing was overwhelming. I couldn’t swing my blade. I needed to clear my head. I needed to drown it out. I needed to scream louder.

Roll: Strike – Weak Hit => Burn Momentum – Strong Hit, Swordmaster Bonus; End the fight – Strong Hit

Then the buzzing stopped, and I was able to swing. And so I swung, still screaming as I buried the blade where the man’s neck met his shoulder. As his body fell, I continued to scream at it, letting go of the blade and allowing it to fall with him, lodged deeply in his shoulder. “Let it quench its thirst!”, I hoarsely roared, though I didn’t remember doing so until Elstan later reminded me. 

Eventually, I looked up from my panting. Elstan stared at me, “Are you ok?” The old man laid crumpled before him, blood from a wound on his back. I slowly collapsed to the deck and vaguely remember Elstan removing my blade and dumping the spearman’s body overboard. Then he searched and did the same to the old man’s corpse before finding the old man’s leather bag and, while holding it at arm’s length, dropped it overboard as well. He helped dress my thigh wound and then I drifted in and out as he raised the mast and sailed the boat around the horn back to Stoneharbor. I was in no condition to hike and it was a very steep path for him to carry me so a short sail in a bloody boat seemed like the preferable option.

Roll: Heal – Weak Hit; Fulfill a Vow – Strong Hit; Forge a Bond (Elstan), Storyweaver – Strong Hit; Sojourn (Elstan & Stoneharbor) – Strong Hit (Focus Gamble – Weak Hit)

I don’t remember much of that evening. I know the port’s healer tended my wounds. Who I later learned was Shona, Shona with the limp and cheerful smile. I remember Elstan relating the story to a crowd, I don’t remember how he described me in it. I remember old Reema holding my hand and telling me she had always known I would become Ironsworn, even when I was a babe…I remember realizing that meant she must have been friends with my parents before the sea took them. I had no idea…why hadn’t she ever mentioned that prior? I did not see her again, likely having returned at dawn before I woke, and I wondered what, if anything, she had told Bastien or any of the others back at the Gate. The next morning I remember Captain Kanno thanking me for making the sea safer and apologizing that he was going to leave and could not wait for me to heal to the point that I was fit for the voyage. He assured me another ship would likely pass through going that way in a day or two. He was right but I’m suspicious that sailing with him would have been less chaotic, and less bloody, than the voyage I ended up undergoing. Though if I had gone with Kanno, I would probably never have met Pella, so I guess I am thankful to have been left behind.

I rested the next day and then on the third, I drank. Elstan joined me along with one of his surviving crewmates, Kalidas, another young sailor with her arm in a sling. Elstan informed me that they planned to attempt to sail their ship back west to Whitbarrow once Kalidas and the rest of the survivors had recovered enough to try. I lamented that we weren’t able to identify the motives of their ambushers and he informed me that he knew. He recognized the type of fishing boat. It was clearly from Red Brog, a rival clan that was known for sea raiding in addition to trade. What he didn’t know but planned to find out was whether the attack was coincidental raiding or specifically targeted. A mystic of that power seemed to imply the latter. We laughed and drank the day away, all three feigning good spirits and unshaken resolve. I told them of Sota’s Gate, the First Landing, how the lighthouse was built to guide the other refugees and how the fort was erected in case the Skulde followed. They spoke of Whitbarrow and the efforts to reclaim the Blighted Bay, the bickering council, and the previous assassinations. Then, the next day, I embraced and bid them farewell, continuing to Autumnrush and the answers I hoped it contained.