Leaf & Leather

One Shot Open Table Play Report

Mythic Bastionland

The Riddle Knight

The Fanged Knight

A Leaf-Clad Guard

Myths

The Toad - NW Island

The Boar - Centre Island

The Troll - NE Island

The Plague - SW Island

The Bull - radiant

*I have altered the Wilderness Roll to be: 1-2: radiant myth, 3-4: myth from corresponding island.

Prologue

I wanted this session to continue from the last session (despite both being one-shots). Luckily I had the Fanged Knight player reprise her role, and I had asked her to be prepared to brief the other two players.

The rundown is that the Company had been spotted crouched over the fresh carcass of the Green Bull, bringer of Blessings. Word travels fast and now many in the realm want to see the Company be brought to justice. They were subsequently accosted by two Leaf-Clad Guards, one of whom they slayed (brutally and mercilessly). The other was initially wounded, but the Company tended to his wounds and brought him to Meredith's Cabin to further recuperate.

The Leaf-Clad Guard was to join the Company for this session as a player character.

Meredith's Cabin - 008.007

The players opted to start the session at the point that the Leaf-Clad Guard awoke, and I got the privilege of being able to sit back and witness the story unfold in front of me. The Leaf-Clad Guard was justifiably perturbed to hear of the passing of his "brother" for (and I paraphrase) "what is family but those close to us, as we are all connected like leaves on a branch". He also dropped the great banger (and I quote): "I can see how the calf died, not a lot of thinking".

The Company decided to head out in the morning, make haste towards the Pale Keep in search of a lead on a great threat that was in need of thwarting, a deed so grand that it would prove the Company's willingness to uphold their oath and maybe convince the people of the realm that the rumours of their participation in the death of the Green Bull were greatly exaggerated. The Riddle Knight had not been present at the previous session so I suggested that maybe she had already heard rumours during this time and that made sense to the player. She made a roll and learned that the Troll roams the north eastern island, a Company of cowardly knights had previously neglected their duty and had deserted the hopeless smallfolk to fend for themselves. She also learned that the Plague has stopped all trade with the south western island.

The Company opted to deal with COVID-19 the Plague.

The Pale Keep - 007.009

The Company made a brief stop at the Keep to acquire a weapon for the Fanged Knight.

A theme in this realm is a disconnection between the mundane holdings and the supernatural wilds. So it made sense to me that the the rumours of the Company killing the Green Bull hadn't yet permeated into urban circles. Looking back this doesn't really make sense since the Green Bull had brought miraculous healing to many, and some events, no matter how mystical, would be hard to ignore, even to urbanites.

The Company boarded a vessel for the SW Island.

Slitherfort - 003.011

The vessel arrived as the early morning sun broke. A player made a weather roll and got Abundant Mist which felt rather fitting for an humid, boggy island beset by the Plague.

It made sense to me that the rumours of the Green Bull murder wouldn't be in full effect on this island yet, so most NPCs got a low% roll to see if they distrusted the Company.

The Company left their vessel, ventured into the settlement and soon came upon Cedric, the old coot. With wild hair and wilder proclamations Cedric stood in the almost vacant market square and scolded any passersby that they had failed to heed his warnings of the oncoming disease. The Company chatted with Cedric and realised his crazed words were mostly nonsense. There was one person who occasionally took him serious, "Lady" Beatrice to the west. The Company decided that as she and Cedric get along then she too must be crazy and they opted to avoid her.

The Plague 3 - Yornmund - 003.010

In a previous game several omens from the Plague had played out, but the myth was never resolved. I didn't wish to play through all the omens again, so decided that only the most interesting would be sufficient for today, starting with omen 3.

The Company, still in thick mist, came upon a hunter and his son, trying to kill the smiling fox (not this one). The Fanged Knight was keen to help out, while the Leaf-Clad Guard was having none of it. The party used facts and logic to convince the hunter to stand down, but the man had, in the past weeks, seen half his village undergo a horrid illness where their muscles tore from bone and pulsating hearts beat lungs to pulp, and he believed the fox responsible. He was not very open to reason.

The Company tried really hard to persuade the hunter that they would take the fox with them and that their word was sufficient, they were, after all, planning on lifting the Plague or dying in the attempt. He begrudgingly accepted, but swore a blood oath that if the fox was allowed to continue to spread the disease the Knights would hang for it.

The Knights accepted.

The smiling fox joined the Company and offered to lead the Company to Beatrice, an individual who has seemed to be able to hold off the disease. This means that the party accepted the judgement of a fox that couldn't stop smiling over a man who had correctly predicted the Plague coming...

The Bull 5 - Notus - 002.011

This trip brought the Company to the top of a cliff-face, but the smiling fox, ever helpful, knew a safe path down. Once at the bottom the Company heard the cries of a distressed horse. They cautiously approached and found it was beset by two winged fiends. The smiling fox held back, telling the Leaf-Clad Guard that this seems like a coincidence like this would not favour someone in his position, given the accusation of sowing death. This was also partially since the fox desired to witness a death, so he wanted a good viewing spot.

The knights lunged forward and one fiend was quickly slain, it's dark acidic blood sprayed across the ground, its body shrivelling into a raisin-like husk. The other fled.

The Leaf-Clad Guard took a moment to calm the horse down, it's hide covered in shallow cuts. I even described how there was a long incision along the neck, but not deep enough to draw blood. I had described the wound on the Green Bull as pretty similar, but the player of the Fanged Knight didn't pick up on this (it had been a month...).

The Company then continued and found Beatrice's cabin atop a terp, surrounded by a flourishing herbal garden. The Company called out and they were soon chatting. Beatrice, a pleasant middle-aged lady knew a thing or two about the island and the Plague, claiming that the small piece of land off the shore [004.009] fell to the Plague before the rest of the island.

She also mentioned there were two armed individuals, dressed just like the Leaf-Clad Guard, who had visited her earlier in the day, they were looking for a small Company of Knights allegedly responsible for the killing of the Green Bull. For a moment the two Knights averted their gaze, attempting to look innocent, but they needn't worry, Beatrice aint no snitch!

Bull 6 - On the road to Slitherfort

Earlier in the session the Leaf-Clad Guard player had described their character as having been in nature enough to have a slightly adapted appearance. This prompted me to adjust the character sheet to allow hiding in greenery (like the Emerald Knight). And it made sense that this was an ability that all Leaf-Clad Guards could utilise.

So imagine the shock, while travelling to Slitherfort, when two Leaf-Clad Guards emerged from their verdant hiding pace.

I allowed the Leaf-Clad Guard player to determine if his character knew them. He wanted to roll for it, but rolled a 1, so not only did they not recognise him, they thought him an impostor, possibly having acquired the leafy attire by murder and theft! In addition, they estimated the knights were those responsible for the death of the Green Bull and as you can imagine the accusations started flying.

The Leaf-Clad Guard was gently pushed forward by the Knights and he started to make his case. It was probably quite persuasive, but the whole parlay was rudely interrupted when five winged fiends swooped in to attack the two Guards.

Highlights:

• The fiend's initial charge caught the two Leaf-Clad Guards off-guard and the fiends managed to knock one out of battle.
• Two fiends were promptly cut in halves.. I was really pleased when my players started describing how parts were being lobbed off and how their knights were covered in fiend blood, etc etc.
• A fiend set upon the fallen Leaf-Clad Guard, severing his head and attempting to run/fly off with it. The Fanged Knight's sword halted those plans. The smiling fox silently cheered!
• When there was only one fiend left, it attempted to flee, it spoke in an unnaturally deep voice "we have slain your friend as we cut up your precious Green Bull". But the Riddle Knight rode it down, grabbing a limb with one hand and decapitating it.

The battle was over. The remaining NPC Leaf-Clad Guard now knew who was responsible for the death of the Green Bull and would certainly vouch for the Company.

The two Knights had previously returned a slain shadow steed to life, and therefore believed they could do something similar to the fallen Leaf-Clad Guard. The Riddle Knight had a moon amulet that brings the wearer new forms under moonlight, so she broke it open, releasing milky wisps onto the corpse. Somewhere in the distance a wolf howled.

The Fanged Knight wanted to "help" by biting the removed head and body at the same time. I quote: "The effect I'm going for is a sewing machine".

'T was not to be though, as the fallen Leaf-Clad Guard had lost too much blood and the moon essence was insufficient.

Epilogue

In the coming days the Company's reputation will be cleansed. And the Company shall receive fewer and fewer accusations of murdering the Green Bull!

The remaining Leaf-Clad Guards will bring their fallen brother to a dense area of forest on the main island for the burial ceremony. (And I get to have a headless ghost wandering around in future sessions.)

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Mythic Bastionland