Ironsworn RPG, Session 4
Not wanting to bother the grieving woman, Kori asked someone outside for directions to Abram, the circle’s leader. Daveza was not as large of a circle as were common in the Havens where Kori was from, so the directions Kori received were not too difficult. He found Abram and spoke with urgency, “I know I am but a stranger, but I have a matter of great import to discuss. The bounty your crops experience here is connected to the disappearances. A member of your circle has been abducting people and sacrificing them in rituals of blood. As soon as this person and their followers thought I found their secret, they killed Shekhar and tried to kill me to protect it.”
“Kiah is dead by the hands of her victims, but some of the followers she kept may be on their way back here now. You must renounce them and their dark acts. They feel the benefits outweigh the costs, but the lives of your people can’t be improved through further loss.” Kori studied Abram as the man took in the flurry of information. The man’s green eyes were pensive. Eventually the silence was broken; “Come in, I was just working on an obituary for Avella,” Abram said and gestured towards a writing desk. “You speak with the weight of a mountain, stranger. Your accusation is staggering. Kiah and I never saw eye to eye on much of anything, but I valued her alternative perspective. What evidence do you have of this?”
“The ruins to the south hold the only things I know. I fear you may find what’s left of your missing people below. There may be more in Kiah’s home, but I don’t know if I would count on it,” Kori stated.
“Then let us go to her residence and see what can be discovered”
They left outside. The circle was still nearly empty. There were no sounds of children laughing or playing, or the clattering of workers. The only sound was the croaks of Rythane coming from the too-large tree. Abram lead him past a few houses, and finally knocked on the door to a smaller cabin.
Abram explained, “This is the home of Bastien, Kiah lives next door. He might be able to help us get in.” A bulbous blond man answered the door. “Bastien, we need to get into Kiah’s house. This man claims Kiah is up to dark things.” Rythane croaked again, Kori caught himself looking in her direction as he listened to Abram. Kori did not see the look they shared.
“Yes, let me just grab my things,” wheezed Bastien. “Let me show you next door, Kori.” They traversed the yard between the houses and came into her door. Abram gave a knock, and there was no answer. Abram reached for the handle, but the door did not open. He asked, “You said there were more, who exactly have you seen working with her?”
“Asha and Morien. Bevan is dead. The boy Yuda is injured.”
“That’s more than I expected, and did you come straight to me when you escaped them?”
Kori shook his head, “I went first to Nia, and informed her of her husband’s death at their hands.” Kori leaned on the frame of the door, the effects of the day catching up to him. Abram noticed and said “I can investigate this myself if necessary, you must be exhausted. Allow me to take you back to my home, you can rest there until tomorrow.”
“I need to see this to it’s conclusion. Shekhar is dead because he was kind enough to offer me shelter from the storm, and he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. His death must have some meaning if I am to have any rest.”
“You should not blame yourself”
“He would still be alive if I had camped anywhere else.”
Footsteps came from behind them, and Bastien approached. He apologized, “Sorry it took so long, let me see what can be done.” Bastien squatted down next to the door, and used some small metallic sticks on the door’s lock. Rythane croaked on a nearer roof, then the lock clicked and Bastien swung the door open. Kori snapped out of his distracted melancholy, glad to have something to do again. He pushed his way through the door first, and began searching through the dead woman’s house.
He did not have to search long. In the open door to her bedchamber, he saw a red candle still burned: a common prayer of atonement. He tore apart that room first. Rythane flew and waddled along her windowsill. She liked to be able to stay close, within eyesight of him. Kori found a small book tied up to the underside of Kiah’s bedframe. It appeared to be a diary, exactly the kind of thing he hoped to find. Kori held it up to show Rythane and gave a weak smile, she croaked in response. Kori left Kiah’s room, and found Abram and Bastien still outside the residence. Kori still held the book up, “This may have what you need to take action.”
There were more footsteps of someone else approaching. Abram spoke morosely, “You may be right. I wish you had taken my offer and gone to rest. Your death would have been quick.” Kori’s knuckles went white gripping his spear, then red as the cuts on his hands reopened. He roared an agonized battle cry. It was all he could do.
Kori bellowed, tightening the strap on his shield, “You were mistaken earlier, Abram. I did not escape Asha, Morien, and Yuda. I allowed them to live.”
Blue text is my thoughts or meta commentary
Red text is backfilled, added after the fact some time in the future, and was not present when originally written