LogIronsworn: The Would-Be King-Jason-8

Game log for the 2021/11/28 session of Ironsworn: The Would-Be King, as taken by Jason

Our intrepid heroes are en route to Kazeera to deliver the Rune Stone. Brunhilde's in a varou cage, hoping for rescue. Lio is moving in, in a challenging fashion, while the rest of the group looks for a way to flank.

A varou youngling has just taken Brunhilde's knife, snarling, and then suddenly the camp goes silent. In short order, the larger varou begin leaving the encampment, leaving only a handful to mind things in the village. The cub with her knife has vanished.

Lio hears paws coming his way. Kato and Aeddon try to sneak into the village, and while they get to within sight of the cages, they realize that there are still varou here.

Lio calls out a challenge to the varou, telling them that if they free his friend they don't all have to die. The varou don't like that. Kanno, meanwhile, hides off in the woods where he can flank the varou. A varou chieftain faces off with Lio and tells him his friends don't belong here, because this is varou territory.

Kato tells Aeddon he'll free Brunhilde and Aeddon should free everyone else. Kato just goes running in while Aeddon gets all sneaky-like. Kato hacks the cage open and he and Brunhilde are legging it before the varou get there. Somehow they actually manage to run away faster than the varou can pursue. The varou end up gathered at the end of the village whence the fugitives departed, which gives Aeddon an easier opportunity to free other captives. He frees two women and an old man, and helps them all sneak out of the village. The varou, meanwhile, still seem to be arguing about whether or not they should chase Kato and Brunhilde. Aeddon's party are almost out when they hear the varou howl.

The varou are angry about humans digging their holes on their land. Lio explains that his friend wasn't digging, so the varou chief or champion offers to fight him for her, to first blood. Lio accepts! The fight starts promptly, and the varou chief charges Lio faster than he expects. The foe tries to tear Lio's shield right off his arm, but the warrior rolls with the force of that grab, and comes to his feet, spear ready, and finds an opening in the varou's guard for his spea. First blood is unquestionably Lio's. The varou says that the wound will scar well, and Lio may have his friend. Lio tells the varou he fights with honor. Just then, howling starts from the village. The varou chief points at Lio and says, "*You* do not." The rest of the pack attacks. From his hidden position, Kanno opens fire and feathers one varou, while Lio sets himself to receive a varou charge. They surround him before attacking.

The chieftain barrels in on him again, but Lio fends him off and scores his flesh again. Kato decides to sneak over to where he expects Kanno might be. Three varou decide to charge the source of that arrow. The archer goes into rapid fire and kills all three that charged him.

Lio changes gears and tries to hold his foes at bay with the reach of his spear. One of the varou ducks low under it and swipes his leg, barely missing the hamstring. Aeddon realizes that one of the captives he freed has started sobbing loudly enough to give him away, and feeds her some calming herbs. Kato and Brunhilde feel a little nervous as they see the varou charge Kanno, and breathe a sigh of relief as he prevails, and then they give the archer a good scare when they catch up to him. Brunhilde steps up with her sling but misses with her stone. Kanno doesn't.

Lio exchanges swipes with the foe, which would wreck an ordinary human, but just ensures that he'll stay motivated. Kanno and Brunhilde try to push the varou back with their fire, and while that doesn't work, it provides enough cover that Lio can pull out of the fight without being pursued. The team rallies up, with the varou not pursuing, but keeping an eye on them. The team vows to convey the freed varou captives to the next settlement.

At the varou-pillaged settlement, one of the freed captive women says, "Wait, we have to take Mittens with us!" Mittens turns out to be a cave lion. They were trying to raise them as part of their defense against the varou. This settlement was here for ten years before the peace with the varou lapsed.

Aeddon then leads the group into the wilderness, trying to work our way out of varou lands. Brunhilde contributes light so that they can keep moving at night. The old man from the village, Gerd, can't understand why the varou still follow. The team travels all night, and Gerd begins to flag. The team must make camp, even in the presence of the varou. Brunhilde and Lio work together to make a defensible camp and work out a guard ratio. The human guard is so vigilant that the varou do not attack.

The team heads out, consuming the last of the supplies, and reach the next village, all without crossing a marked varou border. Aeddon makes our introductions and this settlement has no problem with the team sojourning. The freed woman gives Mittens the cave lion to Kato, since this settlement won't accept a cave lion among them. This village is small, but sufficient to let the team rest and resupply, and for Lio to heal up. They feel ready to set out again!

They make good progress, travelling down out of the Hinterlands into the Havens. The team stops briefly where Spruce Hill used to be, but doesn't make camp. It feels haunted, which is a good reason not to properly camp there. The team pushes south, making good time thanks to the improved scouting of Aeddon's new hawk, Mattok. The team passes by the deserted husk of Duskcrag too. Brunhilde suggests stopping to bury what's left of any townsfolk. Kato goes to bury Sabine, and Lio helps Brunhilde bury her husband. Brunhilde also finds a few valuables that the Black Vanguard. Kanno does some hunting and fills up the team's supplies.