Having accepted task from Cera of Longbridge in order to keep the Sustainer camp supplied, Hob gets a chance to stretch her legs in the big city and prove her worth.

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Roll: Swear an Iron Vow, Humiliate Reese the Free Warden, Troublesome – Weak Hit

Roll: Gather Information, locate Reese at the docks – Strong Hit

Mark Progress: Humiliate Reese – Locate Reese

That had to be Reese. There were many large men along the docks but none other with that scar, from an old axe wound to his bald head. Judging by the size of the scar, the blow should have been fatal. A testament to the thickness of his skull, hopefully not so thick that he could not still learn a lesson.

He was older, but not so old that his strength appeared to be waning. He was still a head taller than me and probably twice my weight. I eyed the long knife and axhandle hanging from his belt. My hand was pulled to my hilt, but I knew this time I could not answer the blade’s call. I did wonder if I could even achieve the task without its aid though.

Roll: Oracle, Does Reese have a companion, 50/50 – Yes

There was a woman with him. Both were casually leaning against barrels as they watched and sneered at the crew unloading goods from a nearby trade ship. I could not tell her age, she was weathered though, experienced. She carried a bow on her back (something I had not yet seen within Autumnrush) and a matching axhandle hung from her belt.

The two looked how I’d imagined free wardens were supposed to look. Intimidating and functional, none of the flashy jewelry and bright colors worn by Brynn. As I’d heard it though, they acted more like the way Brynn presented himself, like raiders. They had attempted to take advantage of the recent political turmoil and unrest to carve out their own shakedown. Not levies, everyone knew that independent ‘taxing’ would draw a response from any of The Three, but protection. Apparently they had grown tired of the long voyages, escorting ships along the coast or boats upriver, and decided it was easier to just offer their ‘protective services’ to ensure that goods made it from ship to warehouse, a perilous journey spanning whole dozens of yards.

The two’s menacing glances towards the crew and the axhandles on their belts confirmed the truth of what I’d been told. The agreements were coerced and their extortions needed to be answered in their outset, before they grew to threaten Longbridge’s interests.

As Cera had bluntly explained to me that morning (something refreshing after having spent weeks under the shadows of the Sustainers’ secrets), “I need Reese’s antics stopped. But moreso, I need to remind Sayer that I will not tolerate a return to the old levies or anything similar. I also need to demonstrate to Lio that I value security, despise chaos, and thus would not have been responsible for the attempt on his life and the uncertainties resulting.

“Basira, you’re an unknown. If you win, ideal. I will learn your capabilities and others will realize that you are an extension of my power once they later see you by my side. If you lose, then I’ll have to find some other use for you, one not seen at my side. But either way, this will not be a failure for me.”

I flashed a questioning glance across the docks towards Kormak, the hard eyed man from Cera’s bodyguard, who had been sent along to witness but not interfere. He nodded, confirming it was indeed Reese, so I took a deep breath and made my approach.

“I didn’t think they tolerated raiders here!”

I advanced on him, a swift pace.

The two of them looked up, startled, not sure at first if I was addressing them until I was too close to react.

“You do not belong here, marauder!” and then I spit in his face.

Roll: Compel, Iron, incite a fistfight – Weak Hit

Unsurprisingly, it worked. By the time Reese had finished wiping his face, shock had shifted to rage. What I hadn’t considered was that it would also incite his partner. She shoved me hard in the shoulder, forcing me back, and took a step forward, reaching for the axhandle on her belt.

“You’re going to regret that, girl.”

The blade screamed for my hand.

Shit! Things were escalating too quickly. I didn’t want to kill them, just humiliate. Cera had specifically said “no maiming or deaths”, as that would only heighten the port’s tension and hasten The Three towards war. Beyond that, I didn’t truly think they were as bad as raiders, not worthy of that fate (or at least the fate of all the raiders I had yet crossed). Also, they looked seasoned. I was alone, he was large, and she was swift to violence. I wasn’t confident I could fight the two at once, blade or not.

“No!” I yelled at the woman before turning back to Reese. “You, old man. I challenged you!” I pulled the scabbard and blade from my belt and tossed it aside. The cries swelled as it left my hand, pleading to be drawn.

Roll: Draw the Circle, Heart, Dangerous – Strong Hit, hold no iron, grant first strike

Mark Progress: Humiliate Reese – Convince him to a fair fight

He shook. His eyes flared at the insult but he still seemed confused.

“You!” I pointed at him. “Show them how little your services are worth. How feeble you’ve become.”

Reese may not have understood why I had just spit in his face and challenged him to draw the circle, but I had indeed just spit in his face and insulted him, and that was enough for him, so he accepted. He pulled his knife and axhandle from his belt and dropped them to his feet. The woman stepped back, respecting the challenge, but did not remove her hand from her cudgel. Then Reese stomped forward and, without a word, swung his large fist for my skull.

Roll: Clash – Strong Hit, +1 harm (I have been rolling really well so far this session)

I’m not considered fast on my feet, but my arms react. As if he wielded an axe and I was with my blade and shield, I stepped into his reach to weaken his swing and deflected the blow with my shield arm. And then I struck, thrust my fist into his left eye. He yelped in pain and reeled back.

Roll: Strike, Iron – Miss => Burn Momentum – Strong Hit, Swordmaster +2 harm, +1 to next move (I bent the rules since I technically should not be able to use the Swordmaster asset on account of not wielding a sword. I felt like I had previously justified it in the fiction though by linking her unarmed fighting style to sword fighting analogues. When GMing, I really enjoy it when players do these kinds of narrative tricks and always try to mechanically reward them for their effort so I thought it was fair.)

I knew I had to act. A man that could survive an axe blow to his head would soon recover from a punch to the eye. If he came at me again, more cautiously but with his full weight and longer arms, I wasn’t sure I would be able to repeat the maneuver. So I advanced and pressed my advantage. I lunged and leapt, slamming my shield arm against his neck and punching over it with my sword arm, into his jaw.

Roll: End the Fight – Strong Hit

Mark Progress: Humiliate Reese – Humiliate him

The blow to his jaw stunned him. He collapsed to his knees before gasping for air from the bash to his throat.

I turned to the woman, still gripping the axhandle on her belt.

Loud enough so that the crew, who had stopped to watch the fight, could hear, “You see? If you act like a raider, you will be put down like one. Good?”

I hoped she would respect the challenge, even after her partner had been humiliated, but I wanted to make it clear that if she did not, she would be treated similarly.

Roll: Compel, Iron, Threaten – Miss (darn it)

It didn’t work, it probably made things worse.

“I don’t know who sent you here, child. Or how it is you thought you could attack my partner, could threaten me, claim win, and then just walk away without finding your skull cracked.”

I thought she had more to say, she didn’t. Instead, she pulled the axhandle from her belt and indeed tried to crack my skull. 

Roll: Enter the Fray, Kimura the Tracker, Dangerous, Wits, ambush – Weak Hit, +2 momentum

I realized she was about to strike just before she did so. I was unarmed but could not retreat, if I fled it would undo the shame I had inflicted upon Reese. I would need to humble her as well. I looked to the blade, too far away and too lethal. Then I saw Reese’s discarded cudgel and knife at my feet, where he had dropped them for the challenge. As she raised her club, I dropped to grab Reese’s and defend myself.

Roll: Face Danger, Edge – Weak Hit; Endure Harm – Strong Hit, Embrace the Pain

I reached the axhandle but as I grasped it, she brought her’s down on me, thwacking my sword arm. I cried out and leapt backward, retreating outside of her reach. I nursed the impact with my other hand. It hurt but it was a quick blow, not a strong one. I could still swing my cudgel.

Roll: Strike, Iron – Miss => Burn Momentum, Weak Hit

I charged at her, aggressively. But Reese’s axhandle was too short, weighted poorly for reversing. This was the first time I had fought without the blade since leaving the Gate, I now realized other weapons did not so naturally arc towards a foe, towards their blood within. At first my assault forced her back. I got lucky and whacked her thigh as she retreated. Then, she counterattacked and I learned just how much better at wielding a cudgel she was than I, both more swift and skillful.

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

I retreated, trying to observe her. She was so fast, using the force of each swing to carry her club around into a backhanded swing, and then a forward swing, and then another backhand. It was too many blows, too quick. I was used to spears and axes, nothing this sustained. I continued to step back, if I retreated much further, I might as well have started running. So I braced myself and tried to hold my ground, to step into the onslaught of blows, to interrupt it.

Roll: Face Danger, Heart – Weak Hit; Endure Harm – Weak Hit

I breathed, stepped forward and swung, and blunted her advance, but got banged up in the process. She paused for a moment and then renewed her assault. This time I did not retreat.

Roll: Clash, Iron – Strong Hit, +1 Harm

I tried to close with her, same as I had with Reese, get inside of her attacks. It worked and she was forced to step back again, wincing from strikes to her forearm and shoulder.

Roll: Strike, Iron – Weak Hit; Clash, Iron – Strong Hit, +1 Momentum

I continued to advance. She was too skilled for me not to embrace my momentum now and expect to have another opportunity in the future. This was my one chance to end it. She blocked my blows and tried to respond but my previously connected strikes were taking their toll, her arm was slower and weaker than before. And I was now swinging my club with both hands, blow after blow after blow. Pummeling her axhandle until I knocked it from her hand and then, smashing her shoulder and arm and ribs and thigh again, I forced her to her knees.

Roll: End the Fight – Weak Hit, Kimura won’t forget – marked for vengeance (oooooohhh, interesting)

“See!?” I panted and stood over her. “I told you I would put you down like a raider! You were warned!”

She nursed her ribs with her less injured arm. Glaring up at me, eyes boiling. “I won’t forget you, girl.”

“Good, don’t forget, remember what happened here.”

I turned away. Reese had by now caught his breath but was still thoroughly defeated. He stood wheezing, eye already beginning to close, angry but ashamed that he was incapable of acting on his anger unless he sought further humiliation.

Mark Progress: Humiliate Reese – Humiliate his partner, Kimura, as well

Roll: Fulfill Your Vow, Humiliate Reese the Free Warden, Troublesome – Strong Hit

Roll: Oracle, Do extorted crew express relief/gratitude, 50/50 – No, they play it safe

I looked around, the crew of the extorted ship, actually everyone within sight, was watching. All were doing their best not to react to the spectacle. They didn’t know who I was, maybe I was just some rival of Reese, no better, just the next one to offer ‘protection’. Even if they assumed the best of me, any sign of joy might result in reprisals from Reese and his companion once I’d left.

I felt like I should say something. It’s hard not to when dozens are watching you. I couldn’t stand the silence so I repeated myself, louder than before.

“Do you see? Any that would act as a raider, like these two have, will be treated as one!”

It didn’t break the silence. One hundred quiet eyes. All just watching. So I discarded the axhandle and retrieved the blade from the dust where I had thrown it, still calling to be drawn. And then, as composed as I could muster, I walked past Kormak, the hard-eyed witness, nodding as I did so, and left the docks. Making a clear path directly up the Bas to the Overlook and Cera’s grounds. I had done as tasked and so had no reason to conceal who it was that had tasked me.

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I did not see Cera immediately, she was unavailable and I was not trusted enough to be told whether that meant she was away or just busy. I returned to the modest bed that had been assigned to me that morning, where I had left my shield and pack. It was in a smaller longhouse (well, smaller than Cera’s residence) by the river dock. It appeared to be used as temporary lodging for the boat crews from Longbridge while they were conducting exchange in Autumnrush. In light of the recent turmoil, it was full, as few wanted to stay in the port proper. I took this to mean that Cera cared for her extended kin’s refuge enough that it outweighed the safety concerns of allowing so many strangers on the grounds. She was not threatened by them. As I learned in my journeys since, this trust made her uncommon. Many of the large clan chiefs in the Havens would not take such risks during such dangerous times.

Roll: Heal, Iron – Strong Hit

Soon after I settled, Willa, the grounds healer, came to find me. She was wary of me, distrusting strangers out of her loyalty to Cera. A matronly loyalty, protective and suspicious. Nevertheless, she tended to my arm and other bruises, thankfully just bruises, applying a paste that numbed the pain and smelled vile. 

Eventually, after dusk, Kormak retrieved me. He said little but led me to the docks where I had first met Cera the day prior. This time there was no riverboat being inventoried. Just her, waiting to speak with me. It had reached the point in summer where the nights were becoming warmer. The sky was clear so the waning moon was still bright. I grew self-conscious about the stench from Willa’s pungent paste. If I could smell it so strongly, others would as well. Thankfully the breeze was in my favor, carrying the stink upriver and away from Cera. I could not and still cannot place what she smelled like though, pleasant but biting. Like command.

Kormak had already briefed her on what had transpired at the docks. She was pleased. I’m unsure why, but it made me happy to know she was pleased. Not in the same way I rejoiced when I brought Pella to laughter. This was an impersonal joy, as if the magnetism of her satisfaction forced those around her to share in her contentment.

“Thank you, Basura, you have exceeded my expectations and I am grateful for it. You are indeed as capable with your arms as you are with your words.”

I blushed. I frequently blushed at praise but something about Cera of Longbridge being the one to give it made it even more impactful. She continued.

“That said, I already have a capable bodyguard, my father’s, most since I was a child. They are steady and competent. Many say that one can never have enough reliable and loyal sentries when war announces its approach but, more important to me, is knowing someone who can speak for me when needed. Another voice and hand that is not already tied to my person.

“You came to me as another’s proxy and I wish to make you mine for what is about to pass. I need someone that can argue or speak for me when I am unable to attend. When it is too dangerous for me to attend. Someone that wields similar sway, that is not readily dismissed or ignored. Someone that demands respect and attention.

“So what say you, Ironsworn? Will you stand under my banner?”

I was startled by the offer. I had not known Cera more than a day and had assumed my commitment to her would be temporary, just until tensions in the port loosened or the Sustainers finished their task and no longer needed her aid. But I liked being around her already. I liked how she, someone brandishing such authority, spoke to me as if an equal. I liked how she talked to me plainly. How she clearly stated what she asked of me and explained to me why it was important. I liked how me helping her ensured Pella and the Sustainers got the support that they needed. But mostly, I think I just liked sharing her presence, being in proximity to something larger. So I agreed, I wanted to be closer to this bigger thing, this larger purpose, whatever it was.

“Aye, I will stand under your banner in what is to come, Cera of Longbridge.”

Roll: Forge a Bond, Cera of Longbridge – Weak Hit = Reroll – Weak Hit, asks something more

Purchase Asset: Banner Sworn (this was not an asset I expected this character to ever acquire. It seemed so at odds with wherever the unknowns of her personal vow would take her. The opportunity seemed too interesting to pass up though. I’m excited to see where it leads, how it might impact existing bonds, and whether it will end in conflict, if Cera’s will ever interferes with the blade’s goals. — Also, I technically can’t get it yet until I mark the bond with Cera, but narratively it made more sense to purchase it here. So I won’t use any of the mechanical benefits until the bond is marked. And if shit goes bad while fulfilling the request, then I guess the stakes are probably higher now.)

She flashed a grin, the grin of someone just getting what they wanted. Whether she expected my assent or just felt entitled to it, I could not say.

“Ideal.” She continued, “As my voice, I will need you to approach Lio. To introduce yourself as my proxy. I need you to gauge him, see if he sees me as a threat, whether he will act against me. And, if possible, I need you to try and convince him that I was not behind the attack. That doing so would have run counter to everything I hope to achieve. In his heart, he knows it was not me, but he will need me, well you, to state as much.”

Roll: Swear and Iron Vow, Approach Lio and convince him that Cera wishes to uphold the truce, Dangerous – Strong Hit

“But first, I would like the news from the docks to spread. I would like it to be known that Basira, ally to Cera, was the one who humbled Reese before you approach Lio in my name. So, while we wait, I want you to move into the longhouse among the other bodyguard.” Then louder so the hard-eyed man, again waiting at a respectful distance, could hear. “Kormak will find you a room.”

It seemed like a signal that the conversation was concluded so I retrieved my pack and shield from the crew house and followed Kormak into the longhouse proper. He led me to an actual room, small but comfortable, and abruptly left me to settle in. I was exhausted, sore from repeated strikes from an axhandle, drained from the audience with Cera, and my mind dulled by how much had changed in the last day. I was overwhelmed by where these choices might lead me. So I slept.

And that is how I became Basira ‘Hob’ of Sota’s Gate, Bannersworn to Cera of Longbridge.

Roll: Sojourn – Weak Hit, Consort +2 Spirit