The Saga of Jorunn - A WFRP2e Solo Experience (OOC)

[bramblefoot]

several questions and a statement:

who would you suggest i pick from the thralls? i would get byjan, but if im honest, he's kinda a liability in the trenches of combat with that missing eye. the other norscan is better, but i gotta feeling she would be unhappy to be bought. i do want the dwarf, but i get a feeling he may strangle me in my sleep, and then spit on me for good measure.

here is my spitballing. i think i will get the bounty hunter and then check the chaos dwarf stand

also, that was cruel to play on my player heartstrings. i legitimately feel like i kicked a puppy

[MrAbdiel]

Ahahaha. Well, let me respond to the statement, before the questions!

It was cruel! Yes, indeed. It is my sublime joy to cause players to feel things, by hook or crook! :D

You wanted to play in Norsca, my man. Norsca is bad time! I've never had to depict Norsca in a game before, but focusing on the environmental brutality and the human tragedy seemed like the right move. Now, with that said... The direction you ultimately want to take Jorunn is always going to be up to you; but it feels a little weird because Jorunn's 'hero's Journey' is kind of upside down. Normally, especially in WFRP2e, a hero story begins with the protagonist in the normal world getting flung into a strange new world they have to navigate and adapt in. In warhammer, it's often that there's some peril in town and the local tradesman, ratcatcher and stevedore have to band together to and learn to fight and work together to thrive; and by the end of their story, they aren't the same people they were when they began.

But Jorunn was born into a world of blood and iron, salt and smoke. His 'normal' is a world where the tribe is life and the clanless pitiable, the raiders take and sell thralls, and the gods are to be feared and appeased with blood and worship. To go outside of that world into something challenging enough to be a 'hero story', dark or not, he's got to be challenged on a bunch of levels. Some of that is combat, but since he's born to combat, it's unlikely the combat is going to be the most meaningful part of the saga. I hope I'm giving him reasons to question the old world - if the life of raiding is worth all the loss and calamity, if the gods whose stars he was born under are the ones worth worship at all, and if, maybe, there is less difference between the conquered and the conqueror than Norscan culture usually says up front.

All that is to say, this can go a bunch of different ways - I'll keep throwing obstacles and challenges at you, but you're always going to be deciding Jorunn's heart convictions. There's an outcome to this story that ends with Jorunn ramming a demon-sword into the skull of lava dragon to prove to the Chaos Gods his value as a warrior and leader to despoil the lands of men. Or he could decide he's had his fill of snow and sea and start travelling south, through Kislev and the Empire as far from the damnable north as his feet will carry him. Or he could gather a group of allies, steal/build a ship, and seek to cross the great ocean to see what the Skeggi are up to down Lustria way.

If you think Jorunn is best as a cold calculator, more interested in personal survival and advancement in his brutal society than anything else, then picking the 'safer' thralls seems like the better option.
If you think Jorunn, perhaps on account of never exactly being 'accepted' even within his own clan as a result of not being given his father's name, might be trending towards getting sick of this whole Tribe way of life (especially after befriending and fighting with some Tileans), there's nothing stopping you from purchasing more 'risky' thralls like the spearmaiden or the dwarf, and then immediately telling them you are going to treat them like equals if they pull their weight and help you out, perhaps even promising to get those who still have homes back where they came from. They're all branded with thrallmarks, so if they run of and are recaptured they'll immediately be placed back in irons; but an arrangement with a 'friendly' 'owner' who essentially treats them as partners is probably far more than many of these poor buggers have hoped to encounter. That's giving them a lot more latitude and trust, but that would be the gamble you take.

Specifically on skills, both the Initiate and the Student (claim to) have Heal skills. The bounty hunter, as you mentioned, is also a good pick; follow trail, outdoor survival, search, are all skills worth having in your 'party' be it composed of thralls under threat, or an understanding of partnership. The mediator or burgher are good choices if you want someone to do your bargaining for you when you get to another town and you want to squeeze those sceatta for all they're worth. Byjan and the Spearmaiden have some extra value - Both might have information about what has become of your clan and village. And Byjan is a shipwright, which is a great thing to have if you intend to steal/acquire a ship at some point, whether that's to sail around the Norscan waters or to make a break for the Empire and a new life there. The Pilgrim, Rat Catcher, and Miner all have some skills that would be useful, but they're lower value for your survive-overcome-adapt lifestyle right now. But perhaps having less to offer means they will be more grateful being spared a fate of being sold off as some mammoth-hunter's travel-wife, and therefore more loyal, thrall or not.

If you decide you want to come away from this with more than one or two thralls, you'll want to either be planning to make them 'partners' with the promise of freedom and protection, or else have one or two of the thralls (or a hireling from elsewhere) who is sturdy enough, and morally accepting, to be your enforcer so no one cuts your throat when you sleep.

(And if you are looking for an infusion of currency, you're currently lugging around two bedrolls from the hunter camp you looted - bedrolls are quality loot, and you could barter one to some of the other norscans, if you could find a buyer, for between 10 and 20 additional sceatta, depending on the rolls!)

[bramblefoot]

I think I’ll attempt to sell one of the bedrolls.

(1d100)[42]

[MrAbdiel]

That’s a failure - but not a crushing failure. You’ll get… I’ll say, 12 sceatta for that on the spot sale.

[MrAbdiel]

Boo, I've run out of time in the evening - I'll get a reply up tomorrow, after work!

[bramblefoot]

do what you must. i can do nothing but wait

[MrAbdiel]

Post is up! :D

[bramblefoot]

fyi, jorunn will be hard but fair. he knows better then to waste lives unnecessarily and like it or not, he has a small heart inside that lump of a chest

[bramblefoot]

alright, several questions and a statement:

do i get the wicked blade to kill them now, or do i hafta kill the beastmen and then return for the blade.

is it wise to ask the dwarf questions about how many are in the tribe and such?

also, i have a feeling the blade is possessed by a daemon

[MrAbdiel]

do i get the wicked blade to kill them now, or do i hafta kill the beastmen and then return for the blade.

He expects you to do whatever you need to do to make the beastment from the mountain stop raiding with your own weapons; the blade is the reward he offers you upon success. Although he's open to offering more reward if you find anything, information or otherwise, of interest to him, up there.

is it wise to ask the dwarf questions about how many are in the tribe and such?

You can certainly ask; he's unlikely to get angry about such a sensible question scheme!

also, i have a feeling the blade is possessed by a daemon

... :D

[bramblefoot]

do you think i can trust my thralls with weapons yet? im of the opinion ill hand them out to some, but only those i can trust

[MrAbdiel]

It's a 'maybe'. Hard to say - if you want them to like you, you can make a charm test. If you want them to fear you, you can make and intimidate check. Both will be at +30% at this stage, since they are both desperate for friends and willing to believe in their peril. Failing this roll doesn't mean they'll definitely cut your throat when they get a chance - just that they haven't warmed to /feared you yet.

Let's see how this initiate goes.

VS44 - (1d100)[49]. Adding a plus +20 because I'm assuming the thralls can barter away their crappy rags for fewer, clean rags to make bandages and you are not out in the wilderness when this happens; you're indoors in the longhouse hall with light and fire and shelter. With a +20 for a TN of 64, that's a pass.

If he succeeds, (1d10)[1] wounds back. If he fails, no luck; he'll have to try again tomorrow on ya.

Edit: ...Lol. 1 wound back. Atleast it's in addition to the 1 you'll get for rest!
Edit Edit: Oh, apparently it's not. Well, atleast he proved he has skills, even if you're healing slow.

[bramblefoot]

i made them fear me. are you proud?

[MrAbdiel]

Extremely! :D

[bramblefoot]

im assuming it would be charm to parley with them?

and does jorunn know anything about dryads?

[MrAbdiel]

Charm; with a modifier based on the tone of your interaction with them. Jorunn has probably heard enough tales of spirits and fantastic creatures in the dark corners of the world; so he probably has heard tale of trees than walk like men, and women. But nothing with helpful specifics. The most he knows is what Marlene just told him - they hate beastmen, and they are vicious.

[bramblefoot]

perception check

(1d100)[93]

[bramblefoot]

fp that

(1d100)[15]

[MrAbdiel]

Ahaha, classic Jorunn. Perfect accuracy; rolls a 1 for damage. Damn.

Well, you beat the gors in initiative; so you can swift attack to follow up!

[bramblefoot]

confirming fury of the dark gods

(1d100)[17]

(3d10)[5][7][8](20)

[MrAbdiel]

Well. Meaty.

First attack does 1 wound to it, the next one does 6, and then the last one does... 19, which is an overflow of 15 to the... head.

Well, that's a dead goat right there.

(1d10+4)[14] Marlene's initiative.

[bramblefoot]

two one one now! tables have turned, until something terrible shows up.

also, dont forget to roll for unsettled, as im flipping my hood off

[MrAbdiel]

UnsettledVS25 - (1d100)[29] for this poor gor

[bramblefoot]

well thats just cheery. i doubt mime is a good idea, so lets put the bastard outta his misery an continue up the mountain

[MrAbdiel]

Dead beastmen is its own reward! First swing misses on him, second one bonks for minimal damage.

WSvs30 - (1d100)[7] for (1d10+3)[12] at you. You're getting a +10 from outnumbering with Marlene right now, but she's no fool; she's full defencing.

[bramblefoot]

makes sense. no armor means a full defense strat cant hurt

parry and dodge

(1d100)[84]

(1d100)[36]

[MrAbdiel]

That Parry won't do. He's only dishing out one attack per turn, so the dodge is redundant - but if you wanted to FP it to reroll, I'll let you use that dodge roll result and succeed, since you've already hit it. Otherwise, it's gonna be a chunka wounds.

[MrAbdiel]

Oh, and roll me a d100 for the crit!

[bramblefoot]

That Parry won't do. He's only dishing out one attack per turn, so the dodge is redundant - but if you wanted to FP it to reroll, I'll let you use that dodge roll result and succeed, since you've already hit it. Otherwise, it's gonna be a chunka wounds.

i will.

(1d100)[36]

what quality are the weapons the beastmen have

[MrAbdiel]

They have a poor quality spear each, and six poor quality javelins between them. None of it is saleable loot; it's all below norscan standard, though spears is spears, for your thralls.