Vladim

The repair of the Philadelphia-and the making of a copy-seems a promising one-one that Iphigenia is loathe to refuse. They will still need to find cannons to outfit the second gunboat with, she notes, but in general having more boats seems like the prudent thing to do. She quickly sets out to collecting what rumors and information she can from the locals; knowledge is power, after all, and if there's anything to be learned about their enemies here, then she had better make note of it.

Is it possible to leave a game (specifically, ) even though I'm the one who started it? There are other GMs that could take over if they are interested, but it had a bit of an anemic start, so I am not sure I can commit to it (but if other folks want to take over, that's totally fine with me). If an admin wants to remove me, that'd be appreciated!

I think Face Danger would work well, yes! But, I also think we lost ; and never really posted anything in the story thread. I appreciate your willingness to continue, but I just don't have the energy to go through more recruitment, more ghosting etc. I'm good to leave this here for me. Ironsworn can be played in solo mode too, so if you want to continue with just Ari, please feel free. And please feel free to use Melia as you wish-killing her off, handing her to a new player, whatever! Even though it was a short game, I enjoyed it while it lasted, but I just don't have the resilience to keep pushing through. I hope you understand!

I've heard good things about Roadwarden.

When discussing sandbox vs. linear adventures, I think there's a lot of false dichotomies and confusing definitions in the hobby. For example... This last bit is, in my opinion, unrelated to sandbox and potentially confusing. It is not about the setting or the premise; it's just a statement about the plot, which is improvised and made "on the fly" (and only related to the PCs' actions). Therefore, I think it's more useful to have a category of "improvised GMing" that's unrelated to sandbox/linear. These kind of "sandbox" improvised games can end up feeling a bit hollow or non-immersive because they can give an impression that nothing really happens in the world unless the PCs do it. But this is less to do with the sandbox style of play and more with the GM's (in)ability to flesh out the setting and make it come alive. As a result, sandbox games often (and imo undeservedly) get a bad rep. Same for linear-you can have "true" linear (where no choices matter, and that sucks) but also branching linear (where there might be multiple forks in the road, which makes it far more palatable). For me... It depends. The hobby truly shines brightest in an open, immersive world with much going on in the background ("plots") and with PCs with strong drives and proactive players, that also mesh really well. But in an online environment, much of that is a tall order. On the other hand, give me a compelling story and theme, and I don't mind the occasional rail in the road. So... both?

Fair enough, I guess he could just chill if the others are doing all the work :)

Hm... very interesting. Perhaps we should seek out other Kelmar-related ships (like captain... Stotard was her name?) to figure out what, if anything, they know... Edit: It's also interesting to speculate what could potentialy happen if sea-based Maliente forces sail for Kelmar... might be a useful argument to pressure our homeland with.

Private warship? I like the sound of that :) Do we know anything about the naval forces of the Maliente? Do they even have ships? In not, perhaps it would be more prudent to scout by scanning the coastline?

Idunn of Firienseld [Mom: 2 (10/2) | Health: 5 | Spirit: 3 | Supply: 3 | Uthred: 3 | Band strength: 4 | Fails: 13] Throughout the entirety of their return, the huntress stayed focused. They had already witnessed the perils of Mirkwood, especially here, in its deepest and darkest parts. Even though they were moving away from Dol Guldur, that could not guarantee that they would not stumble upon orcs or spiders or other evils. And though their journey proved uneventful, she did not let down her guard, not even when they emerged out of the forest and into the Vales. She hid her other thoughts well, but the company's discoveries troubled her. The possibility of treachery had never crossed her mind, for who of her peoples would ever do something as foolish as to align themselves with the Necromancer? They all knew the tales of terror about the deep and lightless pits of Dol Guldur. Perhaps, if it had been a Lake-Towner, it could have been someone naive or stupid, someone who, living far from the fortress, knew little of it. But Lake-Town was a great city: even if the traitor still lived, finding him would be like seeking a needle in a haystack. Maybe Mogdred would know something. She had no wish to return to Tyrant's Hill, but Mogdred had been in the dungeons of Dol Guldur; perhaps he had seen things or heard rumours. It would make sense if the traitor had been a prisoner once. As soon as they set foot in Rhosgobel, she sought out Banna, Radagast's young scout. The sparrow-as the Brown Wizard was so fond of calling her-had accompanied the others, and she quickly learned from her everything that there was to know about their journey. They had not yet returned... but that was not surprising, given the longer distances involved in their mission. She confided in Radagast her thoughts about their findings, and she sought to write her friends a letter-one to be carried by Radagast's feathered friends. OOC Ok, so mechanically... let's Advance and purchase Wildblood II for 2 XP, to represent her growing experience and skills in the forest. 1 XP is left to bank. Then, let her try to Forge a bond with Radagast as the two spend time discussing at length. I think for this we can get re-rolls given that we've just completed his quest. Edit: Ok, so after re-rolls... it's a 5+1=6 vs. a 4, 4... strong hit with match. Marking the bond and taking +2 momentum. Stats updated. Next, let her try to Forge a bond with her warband. No re-rolls allowed for that one... Edit 2: Yeah, no... but I'll burn her momentum to make it a strong hit and take the +1 spirit. Stats updated!

Sure! It's not really a big deal, to be honest, so don't waste your time on it. But if you can easily get her hair brown (or any realistic color, really) then go for it! I generally go for less cartoony, more realistic / grounded art, but I like this one, so I don't mind it otherwise staying as-is.

After some discussions, the company decided not to linger on Traders' Isle. There was little left for them here, and both Dahr-Ol and Elfwyn would be sure to benefit from resting in a safe haven. Stonyford was the one closest; a village of the Beornings, and home to both Dahr-Ol and Elfwyn. It lay upriver, and in the same general direction as Mountain-Hall. The company could rest there, as the folk of Stonyford still remembered how they had fought against Valter and his bandits, holding them off long enough for Beorn to arrive on the field and route them. There was only one possible downside: Radagast had counselled for secrecy, and by arriving in Stonyford with such wounds, the company was bound to invite questions and give rise to rumors. The other option was Mountain-Hall, which they had only recently departed from. Assuming that the mountain-goblin incursions had been dealt with, the Woodmen village could serve as an excellent sanctuary-but it lay further along the Vales, to the west, along a long hike up the foothills of the Misty Mountains. OOC raises a good point-you could also go to Stonyford, where you should be welcomed. So I leave it up to you to decide. I've attached the old map which shows your initial route; since the company is in Traders' Isle already, you are looking at only an upriver boat-journey towards the lands around Stonyford and then (potentially) a march up the Misty Mountains, if you head for Mountain-Hall. The river-journey is an Athletics check (TN 14); the march up the mountains (assuming you go that way) is a Travel check (TN 14). Both receive a free Attribute bonus (+Body/Favored Body or +Heart/Favored Heart respectively), since you are just repeating a journey you have recently done. Please include both rolls in your post and add (either in the IC or an OOC box) your PC's preference-Stonyford or Mountain-Hall. I'll go with the majority (and if the final decision is for Stonyford, I will disregard the Travel rolls). Good luck!

Gently nursing a sore shoulder, Thorkell nevertheless nods, accepting whatever may come as Aurora leads them onwards.

It looks pink in the picture (unfortunately), but if it's brown to others, then yes please-let's make that canon!

Iphigenia kept a wary look-out throughout the long trek homewards. Truth be told, she was fully expecting another Maliente attack-the price to pay for allowing their mage to escape. She was as surprised as any when it never materialized; still, that did little to allay her fears. Were they being watched? She would hate to find herself responsible for another settlement's destruction. Still, she stole what time she could to convey in greater detail what the Oracle had told her. To Karadoon, in particular-but truly to anyone else who would listen-she spoke of what the Oracle had explained about magic. How it had said that everyone had a patina for magic-something that could survive death and even grow after it, and even mirror aspects of the individual that it once belonged to. But she was no mage, and such explanations or theories made little sense to her untrained mind. Free Harbor was a sight for sore eyes. The prospect of a well-cooked meal and a bed made her positively giddy, but she let the dwarf do the talking. She turned to Stavard as Karadoon offered introductions. "Or we can hunker down here for the winter. Fortify the place, make sure that it's as strong as it can be. I haven't heard any reports about the Maliente having a navy of any kind... maybe we are safe from the sea?"

I think ChatGPT doesn't do images; other AI tools might but I can't be bothered... I'll try to get a post up tonight or tomorrow!