The names Marta. I'm Traladaran and proud of it. Halav was greater than any of those rotbags from Thyatia. Most times people don't call on me. I'm a hermit. I live out of the way in the woods. People only find me when they have trouble. I make it go away. That is my gods-given mission. So this guy stumbled through the woods and he needed someone to go away permanently. He was Traladaran, short and non-descript but he had a bulging purse and the gods always like a good offering, so I accepted. Cash up front, of course. It's a donation to the Church, not a fee. Gods willing, his problem will go away.
Notes: I chose rather than rolled the urban adventure plot: An antagonist seeks the assassination of a target. I decided that she would carry out the assassination herself. I have not yet decided if she is actually evil, or if her assassination is in the name of the greater good. We'll see how things develop.
So this rube stumbles up to me in the woods while I'm gathering poisons for the job. He seemed a bit tough even for a young 'un that was newly sheared. His clothes spoke money but his sword and the blood on the hem of his cloak spoke danger. Said his name was Broneslav. Fortunately he was heading north and I was heading only part of his way. I figures that the target would have protection. This guy looked handy so I went along with him part way. I was tempted to try dragging him along the rest of the way but decided not to. Something told me he had a conscience. Can't be doing with that.
I got to New Chossum. It was another fleapit town with muddy streets full of detritus. Some of the detritus was human. My first job was to find where the target was.
Notes: Investigation Scene (Bribe an actor to give you a clue). This results in a conflict scene. Marta had to outmanoeuvre a local official who had been bribed by the contact.
I'd heard that Crazy Maximilian at the Red Leaf Tavern might have some gen on the mark. He spotted me the moment I walked through the door. He put down the filthy rag he had been smearing the dirt on the bartop with and planted both fists in the smeared dirt.
"What you after?"
"I'm looking for someone."
"Same old, same old then, eh? Right, here's how it's gonna go down. I been gettin' problems with the Reeve. You gotta fix that for me and I'll clue you in. Deal?"
I decided it would be easier than whaling the tar outta Max and went off to the Reeve's office. So, the official was playin' hardball. I tried to deal. I tried threats. Seems he had the backing of some of the bigger cheeses and was not going to play ball. I backed out before it got really nasty. I was going to have to try a different tack.
Notes: Miserable failure on the task check so the target gains 1 VP as Marta fails the scene.
This was going to take longer than I liked. These fleapit cities stink. Give me the forest any day. Anyway, I decided to nose around a bit. Over in the market I found a guard willing to talk. Well, it was only midday and his tongue had already been loosened by the slop they call ale round here. He was staggering around the market a bit much and I offered him support. I supported the goon right into an alley and worked him over a bit until he gave up a name. This was going to be tricky. Turns out this Elf, Fillindyl, had a little love nest over on the north side. I needed to have a word. The compound was guarded too well so I had to wait until dark. The evening wore on and eventually he came out. He had his posse with him. He looked confident with the sabre at his side. The mooks with him looked like run of the mill thugs. They never saw me as they passed, so I took the opportunity the gods had given me . Seems it was the gods of poor luck watching me tonight. I knocked one of the mooks on the back of the head and then slipped in the freezing mud. They looked like someone socked them in the kisser the way their jaws hit the floor. I guess they weren't expecting me. I followed up with a blow to the head of one mook that should have felled him but he just looked stupidly at me. I tried again and he went down. Then they decided to get their groove on. My ribs and head took a hammering. Then I got it together and crushed the skulls of two more mooks before they bloodied my face up some. Two of the goons ran for it. I let them go and pounded on their boss. A blow to the gut had him calling for Hughie. The other goon tried to stand his ground and cracked my arm in a way I took unkindly to. I returned the favour and broke his nose. Suddenly it was quiet but for the groaning of the wounded. I grabbed this Fillindyl. I'd already found an empty shack earlier. I carried him there and dumped him like the sack of garbage he was. Then I bound my wounds. A bucket of stinking water woke him up enough to talk. He thought he was a tough guy. I showed him that he did not know the meaning of the word. He sang like a canary in the end.
Notes: I diced up 7 Thugs and 1 Veteran for this fight. Marta had nothing but miserable failures to hit or do damage at the start of the fight but managed to ride out the 9 damage she suffered long enough for half the thugs to run and to take out the rest of the group. She healed 2 damage straight after the fight and gained 1 Clue and 1 VP as a result of this action. I increased the Heat by 1 because Fillindyl is a relatively important cog in this town.
I disposed of the Elf and cleaned myself up. Then I headed back to my inn. I needed a day in bed to get back on form before I did a bit more snooping around. I had the name of a local assassin. I figured to rough him up and make the target look bad. That would help get them out in the open.
Notes: With a full day's rest and her healing skills Marta regained all her hit points at the cost of ceding some advantage to her target who gained 1 VP. Her next scene will be an Action scene using 1 Clue up.
In all of these scenes I am using the rules more as inspiration than anything else. I have in mind a pulp, gumshoe style adventure and I am letting the theme develop the story based on what I am rolling.
Marta
Level 3 Cleric
Hit Points 12
Herbalism 2
Streetwise 3
Other traits to be decided still
Spells: Cure Light Wounds, Detect Magic, Hold Person
Adventure
Threat: 3
Marta's Victory Points: 2
Target's Victory Points: 2
Heat: 1
Clues: 2
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