Norm decided to take the scenic route back to the tavern, a habit he had gotten into before he knew that he would be leaving the city once again. The last few times he had gone out with a letter of credit from Meringue, the luxury of having his expenses paid for by The Herald as Norm had promised them stories from the underbelly of the world. Norm felt reassured that Vlad would be footing the bill this time, and he smiled with the satisfaction of knowing that he was effectively using Casey’s cleared debt as a vacation.
At least he’s good for something, Norm thought as he left the park, mentally going over what all was expected of him.
“First, I’ve got to tell Lucy, so she won’t worry. Then, tonight I’ve got that fight, so I don’t get arrested. After that, tomorrow morning maybe, I go to Vlad and take what I can from him before I head to the docks and by passage to Asnor.”
…
Norm opened the door to The Smiling Orc and was greeted by the sight of an unusually large crowd of midday tavern goers having a heated discussion. They didn’t seem to notice him as he came in. As Norm walked slowly past them, he was surprised to hear his name being spoken by Big Jolliver, a tavern frequent, “Norm will mop the floor with anybody that they throw in a fightin’ pit with him, and that’s why my money is on him!”
Big Jolliver emphatically slammed his fist onto the table, causing a stack of coins to clink as some came unsettled. Norm had made it to the bar, but just before sitting down he heard a chorus of “Ayyys,” coming from the table, as a dozen patrons beckoned him to come over. Norm grimaced.
As he approached the table, he saw a chalkboard sitting flat on it, with his name underlined at the top and a series of names and numbers underneath. Across a column line, the chalkboard had another name, “Hirsham,” written at the top. Very few names fell under Hirsham’s column.
Norm saw the man's beaming face holding the piece of chalk and recognized the guard that had been here the previous night. The guard was wearing common street clothes, not the leather armor that was a standard issue for the city. The guard picked up his chalkboard and said, “Alright, alright, any last bets?”
With no more people buying in, the man motioned for Norm to follow him to one of Lucy’s private rooms. Norm caught the eye of Lucy behind the bar; her face was somewhat grim. When the two had made it to the room, the guard extended his hand, “There he is, my favored fighter. Just look at all these bets riding on you. Would be an absolute shame if you went down in the third and final round, wouldn’t it?”
Norm frowned, “There’s no way that I’m going to throw a fight. Not for you, not for anyone.”
The guard’s face remained somewhat cheery, “I was afraid that you would say that. I know I don’t have to remind you that dozens of people saw you kill a man in that room just on the other side of that door and that I was assigned as the investigating guardsmen, right.”
Norm leaned against the wall near the doorway, crossing his arms and thinking. He looked the guard over.
“Scrawny little shit,” he thought to himself, “If he wasn’t a guardsman, I’d make him disappear, but too many folks would know it was me.”
“Alright,” Norm said, “I’ll do it, but I need something else from you. A favor, and you have to agree to it before I tell you what it is. I’ll throw the fight; I can tell you that much about the favor. You don’t have to worry about that. I don’t want your dirty money either.”
COMPEL: 1d6+heart(1) = 5 versus 5 / 8, Miss
On a miss, they refuse or make a demand which costs you greatly. Pay the Price
I choose: “Make the most obvious negative outcome happen.”
The guard threw the piece of chalk at Norman, striking him in his face. The guard threw his robe open and placed one hand on a blade that was hidden there, gripping firmly as he spoke, “Let’s get something straight, Norman Riggs. I own you. Not only will you end up in jail until your skin rots, and then I’ll throw your bones in a pit for the dogs to gnaw on, I’ll also make your time inside miserable the entire time. Try me.”
Norm was taken aback, utterly speechless. The guard crossed the distance, and Norm was barely able to uncross his arms as the man was close enough that Norm felt the spit flung from his mouth as he spoke, “Put up a good fight, and take a hit in the third round.”
The guard took a step back, casting a look about the room’s ceiling, “Or else I may come back here and burn this place to the ground.”
The guard gathered his chalkboard and looked down at the ground where his piece of chalk had fallen, ordering Norm, “Pick that up and hand it to me.”
Norm looked the guard right in the eyes, staring hard for a few seconds. Then, finally, Norm reached down to pick up the chalk and handed it to the guard, who said, “Good boy. Remember. Textile mill, after dark. Don’t be late.”
Norm took a few steps back and slumped standing against the wall again. The guard opened the door and stepped through, walking briskly towards the tavern’s exit. Norm remained behind in the room. After a few moments, Lucy came in and shut the door behind her, looking Norm over. She spoke, “You look like you’ve got some bad news.”
Norm slid down the wall into a sitting position, crossing his arms over his knees, “Shit always gets worse. Nothing gets better.”
Lucy flipped a chair off of the table from where it was stored upside down and took a seat, looking down at Norm, “Well, that’s no way to go about life. Things get better. They just take time. Tell me what’s wrong.”
Norm looked up at her kind gaze. For a moment, he thought that everything was going to be alright.
He told her everything, from his weird dreams to Casey’s disappearance to now, the guard blackmailing him, and he didn’t even know the guard’s name. So Norm let it all spill out.
SOJOURN
When you spend time in a community seeking assistance, roll +heart. If you share a bond, add +1.
Roll 1d6+heart(1)+ 1 = 7 versus 9 / 4, Weak Hit.
On a weak hit, choose one. If you share a bond, choose one more.
Recover: Plan (+2 Momentum), and Recover: Consort (+ 2 Spirit)
Lucy listened, following along and asking questions. Finally, she spoke, “We will figure this out. Especially since that creep’s threatened my livelihood. He’s got a big storm coming. So here’s what we should do: Go along with it for now. I’ll ask around, figure out who this guy is, and we’ll wait for the right moment to take him down. Don’t worry about Casey for now. That ship has literally sailed.”
Lucy stood up and reached her hand down for Norm to grasp. Norm took it and found that she bore more strength than he was expecting. When he rose, they were close together, and Norm could smell something sweet on her. “Perfume, maybe?”
The two stood together, and Lucy embraced Norm with a strong hug. “Don’t worry, Norm. We’ll get through this, together.”
“This won’t work,” Norm thought to himself, “I can’t let anyone close to me. Anyone close to me, bad things happen to them.”
Norm pushed away, breaking the hug, and spoke, “Look, I appreciate the help and all. I won’t turn it away, but this is my fight. I don’t want you to get hurt. I’ll deal with it on my own”
For the second time today, Norm made a promise to someone else known only to himself, “I will make this guard pay.”
SWEAR AN IRON VOW
Make this guard pay. Dangerous rank.
Roll 1d6+heart(1)+bond(1) = 6 versus 8 / 10, Miss
On a miss, you face a significant obstacle before you can begin your quest. Envision what stands in your way (Ask the Oracle if unsure), and “You give up: Forsake Your Vow”
FORSAKE YOUR VOW
When you renounce your quest, betray your promise, or the goal is lost to you, clear the vow and Endure Stress.
You suffer -spirit equal to the rank of your quest (troublesome=1; dangerous=2; formidable=3; extreme=4; epic=5).
ENDURE STRESS
When you face mental shock or despair, suffer -spirit equal to your foe’s rank or appropriate to the situation. If your spirit is 0, suffer -momentum equal to any remaining -spirit.
Then, roll +heart or +spirit, whichever is higher
Roll 1d6+spirit(3) = 9 versus 2 / 4, Strong Hit
“Shake it off:” If your spirit is greater than 0, suffer -1 momentum in exchange for +1 spirit.
No sooner had the words escaped Norm’s mouth than he realized that he had said something stupid.
Lucy wasted no time admonishing him, “Hey, dumbass, that’s the same line of thought that got you into this mess in the first place. For fuck’s sake, let somebody help you.”
Norm nearly couldn’t bear to look her in the eye, but he did. “Thank you,” he said simply, offering up the vague shape of a smile.
No comments:
Post a Comment