=== INTRO ===

Here's a long excerpt from the raw notes/story file I wrote for "Arlen's Isekai", a solo RPG campaign that I then turned into a novel on Amazon. ("Shaper of Isles", https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CGKYB22G/ Not my best work; see eg. "Crafter's Passion" or "The Dream of Aveire" for better material.)

The RPG was done using the "Godbound" rule system by Kevin Crawford, starting with a Heroic Mortal character who upgrades eventually to demigod power. It's a power fantasy story with an emphasis on factions. Reaction rolls are on a 2d6 bell curve; other references to bell curves are on a 1-10 scale. Attack rolls are d20 based. The hero has a small Effort pool for certain abilities.

I also used the "GameMaster's Apprentice" card decks, which show up in notes giving three-word phrases, icon-based images, sense impressions, and some other icons like "Sword" and "Tower" that are meant to be read as standard code like "physical conflict" and "obstacle". For some dungeon-related material I improvised using "Ironsworn: Delve", which involves advancing a progress bar rather than having a map. But I also used Crawford's "Worlds Without Number" somewhat, and that has some more detailed map features. Oh, and I threw in a rule from "Mythic" that I proposed how the next scene might go, and allowed a "chaos" number on d10 to potentially change things. So I didn't hold strictly to one rule system but Godbound remained the basis.

Other things to note: the use of [brackets] to emphasize rules stuff rather than story. The use of {curly brackets} as a sometimes-used extended combat/dungeon rolls notation. The use of GMA oracle notation for yes/no questions. "Can I climb it? E:N!" means "I estimate Bad/Even/Good chance of success, in this case Even, and the answer is "Strong No!"

In the original, the natives are otter people rather than just tailed, and Arlen the human man is eventually turned into an otter lady! It's not an important part of the story besides him fitting in better.

Here in brackets is my original setup, referencing an artist I like:
[
What I'd like to do in the next RPG:
-Explore a magical land
-Work with factions
-Make significant changes to the world including magical things
-Not worrying much about making it a publishable story

You know what? Simple fun premise. Isekai ottergirl. (Ollie had just posted a new picture.) Godbound rules. Begin as a heroic mortal.
]

On with the game!


=== The Game ===


SCENE 1

Arlen, a junior mechanical engineer by trade, found a magic portal on a beach one night. He'd been watching a rocket launch and stayed after others left, to watch the stars. 

He found himself on a very different beach beneath two moons. This was a jungle island with a primitive village nearby. People were dancing around a fire. He was worried about approaching, but then he heard something growling from the dark woods. That got him moving, running toward the firelight.

The people were humanoid otters in light tropical clothing, matching the hot night. Arlen wore jeans and a jacket... and thanks to a concealed-carry permit, a revolver. He'd feared crime, not whatever this was!

The otters gaped at him, interrupting their dance.

[Reaction roll: 6]

They were frightened, drawing back from him. One of them picked up a wooden spear. Arlen raised his hands... and then the beast that'd followed him leaped into view, snarling.

[Something nasty, I think. G:Y. "Steal fetid superstition. A crack of thunder. Slamming into you. Nutmeg and warm spices. Skull, Heart."]

The creature had a large, sharp-toothed head and a bulky chest, and it crackled with lightning along its jaws. Its first blow collided with Arlen, knocking him to the sand. He cried out and grabbed for his gun.

[Can he grab it? G:Y!]

It'd landed right by his hand. He snatched it up and with shaking hands, fired twice.

[This weapon is lethal. Close range and he's trained, but this is real combat. +1 to hit. He fires two of his five shots. Miss twice.]

Several of the otters try to fend the beast off. There's the spearman, shouting. Another otter strikes a martial arts pose and runs in to kick. A girl throws a rock.

[Spearman at +1: Miss. Martial artist: Miss. Girl: Hit for d2: 1 damage via the damage conversion chart.]
[This is a Pack Hunter in stat terms, though alone. Rolled 1 for HP but give it 2. Faced with damage and opposition, it faces a morale roll: Pass! Instinct check though per WWN: Fail. First roll says to "panic and make a morale check" but I just tried that. Instead, "Take a bite out of a downed enemy", which is Arlen.]
[Arlen's AC is 10. Just enough to be hit! Damage d6, 1 point.]
[Morale for the otters: 7, barely passing. Instinct x4 for the mentioned specific ones and the rest: 5,2,2,8. Fail for all but the general mob!]

The otterfolk spearman hangs back, trying to circle behind the monster. The martial artist looks around for others to help, shouting. The rock-throwing girl is frozen with fear, partly from the thunder of Arlen's weapon. The rest of the tribe, though, begins to rally.

[d3 thrown rocks from them? G:Y, -> 3. One graze, one crit. 2 total damage.]

Rocks and sticks fly from the villagers as they strike, and one stone connects with the beast's legs to stagger it and set it up for a hard strike to its skull. It topples, and the spearman stabs it repeatedly.

[Leg wound? G:N. Say arm.]

Arlen stands up, his right arm bleeding and his jacket torn and smoking. That bite felt like an electric shock! His gun dangles from his left hand and he fears either to drop it or to raise it. The otters glare at him, then at the beast, jabbering questions in an unknown language. Arlen shakes his head and wobbles, dazed with pain and confusion. Slowly, he tries to put the gun away in his pocket in a non-threatening way.

[And how does that go? Call it a Charisma test. Success.]

The otters seem to tolerate him as not a threat. They usher him over toward their village of thatch huts... and glowing crystals. What has he gotten into?

[Most likely a healer-shaman tends to him. G:Y. "Wish fallen child. Foil malevolent leader. Identify temporary network. Heart, Target. Missing element of Water (calm and hidden depths). Runes of Need/Distress/Trial, Beacon/Inspiration/World-Changing Power. Muscles burn, festering wound, gaudy ornaments.]

Arlen enters a hut with straw beds, gaudily decorated with shells and bits of mirrors. He sees a shaman with painted fur and feather decorations, speaking with his rescuers. Then he passes out.

#

SCENE 2

[Arlen awakes in the shaman's hut and gets a quest. Allow for a Mythic style Chaos Factor here, starting at 4. Roll of 4, an interrupt type scene! The inspiring event is... Ambiguous Event: "Trespass Prestigious Council."]

Arlen wakes not in the shaman's hut, but in a boat. He's woken rudely by a spear-wielding otter. Bandaged with something spelling of mint, Arlen finds his arm is sore but not apparently broken. He follows the guard's apparent orders to go into a large coastal house where some kind of chieftain lives.

[Given the shaman's description, I think this is a sinister leader and there may be a child hostage here, held for good behavior of the first village.]
[What's this one like? "Warn unholy goal. Discourage simple monster. Succed nearby creature. Sword. Garlic, a gathering crowd, and the symbol of an obscure religion." Idea for the symbol, from the belongings listed on the cards: ancient artifact, craft tools, odd trinket.]

There's a crowd of curious otters gathered to watch Arlen being taken into the house, but they're kept outside. He's shown to a mighty-looking, muscular man wearing a necklace of an unfamiliar design, like a golden hammer. The chief jabbers uselessly at Arlen, and then he's made to kneel. More talk he doesn't understand. The chief points to a henchman, who tries several other languages. Arlen shakes his head, saying, "I don't understand, your highness."

[The chief probably has him imprisoned to be questioned by someone with more patience who can figure out how to talk with him. G:Y.]

In frustration, the chief sends him away to be put into another, smaller hut. More of a shed. The henchman goes along and begins trying to communicate. Arlen wants to cooperate at this point, drawing in the sand and pointing.

[Int test to learn anything useful: Pass.]

It takes several hours, but the vizier seems pleased by their progress toward teaching Arlen a little and vice versa. Arlen conveys, "I'm from another world. I found a door and don't know how. The tribe rescued me."

The vizier says, "How did you fight the beast?"

"Badly. I fell over and it bit me. I don't remember it well."

[The vizier probably didn't hear much about that part or chalked it up to lightning and thunder. G:Y. Arlen isn't pressed on this.]

He's wary of revealing much about the gun, but it's not brought up beyond the man saying something about lightning and thunder. Arlen is given roast fish and bread and water.

Arlen tries to ask, "Is there magic?", given the light gems he saw.

"Yes," the vizier says, thinking. "Maybe we can teach you. What do you know about metal tools?"

The question surprises Arlen. He conveys, "Some", and begins to lecture about forging and clockwork. He's seen little metal here, basically Stone Age tech with magic. Maybe he can teach them something useful and earn some respect, but he's wary of this chieftain.

The vizier leaves him with a relaxed-looking guard while he reports.

[This chief would have a magic specialist who cares mostly about earth, for crafting. He's envious of the outsider tech that washes ashore. The chief is named... Thoko. Is the vizier the same guy? G:Y.]

The vizier comes back pleased, ready right away to attempt to teach Arlen some magic. Apparently this is going to involve an initiation ritual, which has Arlen worried. But the chief doesn't want Arlen dead at this point; too useful alive.

[There's probably a ritual site he's expected to go to. As otters, this'd be a watery site like an underwater cave, right? G:Y. But he might not be easily able to reach it. What else is involved? I think some tribal accouterments are normal but frowned upon by the new chief. How loyal is this vizier to this new revised tradition, given he serves the new chief but learned by the old methods? Bell curve: 3.]

The shaman takes Arlen to a flooded cave just offshore. Getting down there is difficult due to Arlen not being a great swimmer by the standards of otter people.

[Con challenge: Pass.]

He sputters and coughs but makes it into the cave, shaken and of course soaked. The shaman tries to tell him to meditate... but quietly presses an intricate carved fetish of wood and pearl into his hands, saying, "Tell no one. Let that would speak to you, speak." And then he leaves Arlen alone with nothing but several days' bread and water.

Arlen is stuck in this other world, somewhere between captive and honored guest, being offered magic that might be impossible for him, for all he knows. And what's going on with this village? He suspects bad blood between it and the first place he saw.

#

SCENE 3

[Chaos: 3. Predicted scene: Arlen attracts the interest of the local gods or spirits and is given a basic facility for magic. Chaos test: No change.]
[What is this totem object? The cards suggest "cosmetics, hacking equipment, weapon care".]

Arlen tries meditation. He examines the mystic item he was loaned and discovers it's actually a container of glittering white paint. All around him are other mystic signs painted in a variety of slightly different styles, suggesting generations of shamans. Like contributions to magic. If magic is a real thing here, what can Arlen hope to offer whatever gods or spirits are involved?

He tries painting a design in a blank spot: a proof of the Pythagorean Theorem.

[It's a Wisdom test. 1, ow. Besides displeasure, what kind of reaction does he get? "Alter disappointing nightmare. Deviate dormant trap. Begin diabolical vehicle. Moon, Wand. Arcane knowledge. Thick fog, sudden impact, sudden quiet."]

The water around his rocky platform seems to boil, and he's overcome with steam that fills the chamber and hisses and roars. Something here doesn't approve of his offering! The steam becomes nightmarish shapes of snapping jaws like sharks and eels. Arlen is frightened and desperately tries to wash the paint off before it can dry. There's an eerie silence in the fog-filled chamber as his painting fades. He's left wondering whether to draw something else.

Listen, the shaman had said. Arlen decides not to draw anything else, and to sit and shut up for a while. He opens his mind to anything that feels like communicating less bluntly.

[Visions of questionable import:]

He imagines a broken, grimy crown. The pounding of distant impacts like artillery. Pearls, losts of them. Delicious sizzling meat, and a kiss under a full moon. How much of that is purely his imagination, he can't say. He arrived by morning and no one has checked in with him, no mortals anyway. He doesn't know this world's history or culture; what would any spirits want with him when he's not even their species?

At that thought, he feels like something has taken notice of him. He gulps and remains still and quiet, not wanting to give more offense. He sits like that unbearably long before fidgeting and daydreaming. He imagines shapes in the rippling water. A mountain, a water-drop, clouds, flame.

He looks again, and doesn't think he's just imagining it. There are other shapes too that he can't identify, but those four dominate. If this is a test, water seems like the most likely choice to please whatever is watching him. And if this is an actual offer of magic, water is a nice choice anyway in his opinion. He reaches toward the pool gingerly and touches the watery mark. It swirls away and flows into him, making him feel lighter for a moment.

He's excited. Was he really blessed? He has no idea how it works.

[Wis check again: Pass (barely).]

He's patient, trying to let this mysterious force offer what wisdom it wants to. He gets a vision in wafting steam, less aggressive this time, conveying in an intuitive way how a misty humanoid shape can conjure and shape small amounts of water.

"Thank you, whoever you are!" he says.

The vision changes. It has a message for him.

[Probably about the hostage situation and village dissention. G:Y. "Decrease brazen deity. Injure treacherous world. Detect scientific foreigner. Shield/Crown. A ringing chime, clicking and clacking, shafts of light, the red glow of a furnace."]

Shafts of light seem to reach up from the dim water, defining the misty vision a little better. He sees the glow of a furnace and hears the clang of a smith striking metal. A shark shape like the angry display before, attacks this diorama. An otter shape holds a hammer and is struck down the same way. So is a human who picks the hammer up. The tool gets special attention from the spirit's ire. And then, the tantrum ends and the cave looks normal again.

Arlen sits there for a while, shivering. "You don't like the hammer chief? Or me, if I support him?" There's no explicit answer, but he takes that for a yes.

He figures he's done here already. The spirits were interested enough in him to give him prompt attention. He should be flattered. It seems they've given him a job, or a warning.

He leaves the cave by swimming.

#

SCENE 4

[Arlen is taught some more and quizzed about machinery. Chaos: 2. No change.]
[Can Arlen demonstrate a basic spell already? Int test: Pass (20).]

He makes it back to the surface after a frightening swim. The vizier is surprised and annoyed Arlen would waste his time coming up so soon. But Arlen goes quiet, thinks back to his lesson, and demonstrates. A blob of water rises from the sea and hovers between his hands, making him grin widely.

The vizier is impressed. It's about sunset now and there's a meal to eat with the tribe. The common otterfolk have questions for him that he's barely able to answer with the vizier's help. It sounds like there are humans out there, living far away, but they don't come here. They steer the topic toward machines and he's uneasy, worried about his mystic sponsor.

So, Arlen tries to take the vizier aside and ask innocently about the vision, broaching the subject carefully.

[Cha test: Fail (1)!]
[Now, why is that? Is it because the vizier himself is a staunch loyalist? I established he's not terribly loyal to the revised tradition. So it's more likely he serves reluctantly, and that Arlen got overheard by the wrong fuzzy ears.]

A farmer otter overhears while Arlen is trying to explain carefully. He runs off, and before long Arlen is summoned to the chief and the vizier's made to question him. The vizier warns in bad English, "You in danger."

Arlen tries to trick his way out of it by downplaying the anti-hammer part of his vision.

[Cha test: Pass.]

The chief seems to accept that this is a misunderstanding, but he's wary. He did assign Arlen to get magic, and he went and did it promptly, and he's not rebelling. So, he seems to say, the next assignment will be for Arlen to live in this town for the rest of his life and help build machines and tools. He will have a hut of his own, and a guard for his own protection.

"That could've gone a lot worse," says Arlen, "but I want to be free."

[D6 days pass: 6. How common is magic here? I think it's uncommon, 5% x d6 of the population. G:N. More? E:Y. Make it 10% x d6: 40%.]

Six days pass. Arlen learns more of the language, and he practices the basics of magic with the vizier and anyone else he can get to show him. Something like 40% of the population seems to have at least a little magic, though few are good with it. Its uses are mostly peaceful elemental things.

Meanwhile, he's quizzed about machinery. Arlen would normally be okay with helping, even eager, but the spirit encounter has shaken him. He doesn't dare go too far, and focuses on simple technology ideas which are the best they're likely to do anyway. Sometimes it's the chief asking, sometimes the vizier or other prominent islanders.

He tries to learn what's going on with the other islands that exist in this chain, asking around.

[Cha test. Pass. "Inflict bewildering despair. Join theoretical companion. Assuage wondrous prophecy. Heart/TARGET. Offended honor, a cacophony of animal calls, curse, bones."]

The people tell him that the great chief of this island conquered the rest, demanding tribute. He came to power after a beast attack killed several of his rivals, possibly not a coincidence but a sign of the spirits' disfavor. He is a visionary who wants to make contact with the outside world. An aquatic barrier of storms and whirlpools prevents outsiders from reaching the island chain but also traps the people there.

[There are 3d4 main islands here and some tiny ones. 7. What is Arlen told about the barrier's origin? "Reward fallen legend. Foil complex source. Convince frightful network.]

The barrier, it's said, was created long ago by a legendary hero who called on the spirits to protect them from slavers and pirates. The legend is unclear on exactly where the otterfolk came from; they have some vague idea about what the outer world is like.

Arlen thinks about how he might escape from the area, possibly from the islands in general. One step at a time.

#

SCENE 5

[Leave Chaos stuck at 2. Arlen is looking for an escape opportunity when he gets the chance to rescue the hostage. Chaos rating says: No! Altered scene. "Ambiguous event. Divide Opulence (or) Propose Liberty."]

Arlen is learning what he can about the island's layout, though he's not free to travel much and guards watch him. Then, a messenger arrives by boat from the island where Opaline Village is. Arlen overhears something about dividing the village and setting someone free. He wonders if they're talking about him.

[Hostage info: Male? E:Y. Age? d20+1: 3. Huh.]
[Does Arlen understand the transaction being proposed here? Int test: Pass.]

Actually they're not, exactly. There is a young hostage being kept here, he learns, for Opaline's good behavior. A 3-year-old otter boy belonging to somebody important on Opaline.

It seems the Opaline people are basically saying, "You have this new guy you're so interested in, so let our kid go." The chief's atttitude is, "Why do you care about the new guy?" And Opaline's argument is, "He's our guest by right and we should be showing him hospitality, which means we'll do what it takes to protect him." It sounds like a weak argument to Arlen.

So Arlen tries to step in, as they speak in the chief's house. "Why don't you send me off to another island to work there? If there's any spirit trouble, better that it happen there. I can train there, too." His comment doesn't help Opaline's case, but they were apparently planning to leave him stuck here.

[Arlen's in a bind; he hasn't got a strong argument against a chief determined to use him.]
[What does Thoko think of the villagers' proposal, and of Arlen's? Bell curve, default being skepticism: 6 and 7 respectively. How to take that... Does he want to get Arlen to help build a ship capable of working with magic to pierce the island barrier? G:Y! This is best done on another island, called... "Attach/Fame" -> Ballad. It's also under his control. As for the villagers, he's willing to deal at a serious price.]

Thoko frowns, thinking. Then he sends the guests out of the room to talk in private, and looks pleased when they return. "Ah-ril-len, you will make yourself useful by building a mighty ship on Ballad Island." He turns to the Opaline villagers and says, "Your chief's daughter will marry my son. Then your boy can go."

[They probably agree for now, insincere, and plan to rescue the kid and possibly grab Arlen. G:Y! So yes, they also want Arlen.]

They're not happy about this; sounds like that means his clan gets to legally own Opaline to the extent they have that concept. But they reluctantly say yes and that they'll take the proposal back to their chief and recommend it. Thoko promises them a meal and to see them off in the morning.

#

SCENE 6

[Chaos 2. Prediction: Arlen is being used as a pawn. The vizier sympathizes with Opaline and tries to use him to get the kid out, with the possibility of getting them both to safety too. Chaos roll: No change. I think there's a storm... E:N]

There's a meal for the visiting delegation that night. Arlen looks out from his reasonably comfortable prison-hut, a converted storage shed. He hasn't been guarded closely for the last few days, but tonight a spearman's been stationed nearby for fear of shenanigans with the visitors.

[Not having much of an organized military culture, this guard is probably lax. G:Y.]
[Let's have a random event. PC Positive: Passion/Path or Inform/Hope.]

Arlen realizes there's a likely way out of being stuck working for this chieftain, but it's going to get him in worse trouble if Opaline doesn't play along. While the guard is off taking a break and ignoring him, one of the Opaline islanders sneaks close, wanting to talk. Arlen quickly tries to say, "Take me along?", partly by drawing in the dirt.

The islander nods, then explains, "Run when we make a bird call." He hurries off to avoid being seen by the guard.

A plan is in motion. Arlen isn't sure what part he can play in it. In the distance the night's activity has wound down and the visitors are retreating to their camp on the beach. He eats the last of the food left for him, and practices the magic he's been given. It should be enough to at least distract someone. He waits for a signal...

[The Opaline people are trying to grab the hostage, their top priority. How well does that go? Their plan is decent and they did something to put the chief off guard. Success? G:Y. And that gives enough confusion that the overall reaction should be from an instinct check. Panic! How well have the conspirators managed to get away? 5=a minute or three. 7.]
[Evade with Wis: FAIL.]

There's a bird screech. Arlen isn't being closely watched. He tries to sneak out... and comes face to face with his guard and looks guilty when he does it. He panics and flings a blast of conjured water as he runs downhill toward the beach!

[Chase! Two rolls on a bell curve. 4, 6.]

The guard's behind him. The otter gains ground at first but pauses briefly to look around for help, then chases again. In the confusion, he makes it to the beach, where the visitors have already prepared their boat for an escape. He's blowing what stealth there is. Cursing, a group of otterfolk are hustling into the boat to flee. There's distant shouting as the alarm is raised.

He leaps into the boat and chucks water at the guard, who's got only a knife at the moment.

[Does this do much? B:N. Does the guard attack with the knife? E:N.]
[A boatman tries to shove and hit him without lethal force, using an oar. Barely hits, no damage.]

The guard lunges toward Arlen, grabbing him by the leg. A boatman jabs an oar at the guard, starting a three-way brawl. The others are trying to get away by rowing and a burst of magic wind to the sail. Arlen sees a terrified kid huddled in the boat.

[Is the island shaman here? He may or may not have been in on this directly. E:N.]
[Strength check: Fail. Boatman with oar: Hit.]

The boat's hard wooden mast swings dangerously. Arlen tries to keep down while kicking his assailant aside. The guard is persistent. The helpful boatman tries again and whacks this guy, finally knocking him away to drop into the water. Being an otter, the guard isn't delayed long and he pursues, but he sees two boatmen brandishing knives at him. He doesn't dare climb back into the boat, and retreats.

#

SCENE 7

[Chaos 3. Prediction: Getting back to the island of Opaline, Arlen is told there's basically a civil war on, now. Chaos roll: No change.]

The chieftain's boats try to give chase, but the visitors got a head start and it soon becomes clear any pursuit will meet an angry mob when it arrives. The chase is abandoned. Arlen is in the boat with the small crew, beginning to relax.

[Int test for understanding them: Pass.]

He has trouble speaking with them, but his recent lessons have helped. It seems there's a civil war on, now, because the hostage from Opaline is rescued. But the other islands have their own, and probably won't dare to rebel. The rescuers wanted to grab them too but weren't able. Arlen fears these people doomed themselves, since won't all the other islands be forced to gang up if they weren't already inclined to?

One of the diplomats is the martial artist who helped out that first night. He conveys, "You need to learn to fight, human."

Arlen nods.

Back on Opaline, the shaman who'd healed him tries to speak with him. His first question in private is obvious: he shows Arlen the gun. Arlen tries to explain. "It's a weapon. Did you do anything to it?"

"No, we were afraid to after you struck with thunder."

Arlen checks; looks like it's in working order. He explains this is a powerful weapon, but has only three shots left -- and that back then, he missed but a hit would probably kill a man. "Spirits on Decim gave me magic, but they warned they were angry at Thoko. Maybe at all machines."

{
Time for faction info. There are 7 main islands but I won't detail them all yet. (Er...)

Some randomness from WWN:
Opaline has a "Raider Scourge".
"Outsider Enclave / Cursed Land." Ties in with my desire for a dungeon island. Has "Inhuman Cooperation" or "Hostile Terrain". I think they've made use of some ancient golem things.
"Savage Hamlet / Labyrinthian Tangle" suggests a shunned wicked community. Has "Mistreated Blighted" or "Unique Product". Thinking, a swamp with primitive iron.
"Collapsed Deep / Cryptic Art" (I discarded "Ancient Guardians" and "Labyrinthian Tangle" due to the above) suggests a wrecked underground facility of artistic significance. It has "Fallen Prosperity" or "Toxic Economy". Both.
"Military Outpost / Lost Battlefield" suggests an undead-infested area being reclaimed by Decim's ambition, at a cost in lives. "Broken Spirits" or "Neglectful Ruler". One more: "Heavy Fortification".

DECIM is the capital island, on a large volcanic peak.
Power 1 (d6), Cohesion 1, Trouble 1, Dominion 0
+Holds hostages from most of the islands.
+Good volcanic farmland.
+A tribal force of armed bullies keeps the chief's rivals in line.
-Resented for dominating the other islands.

OPALINE is a craggy island.
Power 1 (d6), Cohesion 1, Trouble 2, Dominion 0
+Islanders' main source of crystals for decoration and enchantment.
-Dangerous beasts prowl the island more than most.
-Raiders from another island steal from them.

STORMHOWL is on the edge of the island chain.
Power 1 (d6), Cohesion 1, Trouble 1, Dominion 0
+The people are good at sturdy construction.
-Close to a permanent magic storm that brings perpetual foul weather.

CATACOMB has a mostly unplundered dungeon.
Power 1 (d6), Cohesion 1, Trouble 2, Dominion 0
+Good fishing grounds.
+The people use ancient golems for some work, "paying" with crystals.
--But for one area, the land is a dangerous ruin with a curse and golem defenders.

THE MIRE is tolerated for its raider ways because it enthusiastically supports Thoko, who wants iron but doesn't much understand how to use it.
Power 1 (d6), Cohesion 1, Trouble 2, Dominion 0
+Produces bog iron, which they use for crude tools.
+Cruel raiders with mutations.
-Confusing, dangerous swamp terrain.
-A curse or disease makes some of them cruel fighters, hated by rivals they rob.

GULL CRATER was the most prominent island, but Thako's conquest released a toxic miasma that makes odd plants grow. Now the people harvest this stuff to sell as a drug that brings vigor and painlessness.
Power 1 (d6), Cohesion 1, Trouble 3, Dominion 0
+The people have a strong identity and pride in their former glory.
+The island was known for strange spiritual carvings that helped inspire their mages.
--The land has a toxic miasma making it hard to grow food and injuring the farmers, who now grow drug crops.
-Their greatest heroes were killed, bringing despair.

NEWSHORE, formerly DEATH ISLAND, is Thoko's project. Everyone avoided it because it's the site of some ancient battle, full of ghosts and monsters. But the high chief insists it can be tamed by having people fight the undead and live there over time. He's probably right, but it'll cost many lives before it's done.
Power 1 (d6), Cohesion 1, Trouble 3, Dominion 0
+Unspoiled farmland.
+The people are trained in fighting and have some specialized wards and walls.
--Undead stalk the land.
-The people are convicts or dissidents who don't want to be there.
}

The shaman tries to explain the overall situation of the islands, bringing in the current chieftain and others. Of the 7 main islands, all are in Thoko's thrall. He's been arresting people by various excuses and sending them to colonize Death Island and kill the undead. He's poisoned Gull Crater. He supports the raiders from the Mire.

This is a lot for Arlen to take in. "What do you want from me?"

The locals say, "You're from the outside. You must know how to fix this!"

Arlen whistles. "Are you going to keep me locked away so I can never leave, like Thoko did?"

"No, no," the shaman assures him.

Arlen's not sure he believes it, but he has some leverage anyway if they're looking to him for ideas -- or maybe the prestige and hope that comes from _claiming_ the people have some outsider with an unbeatable strategy. There's at least some value to that.

He takes a deep breath. "I'm not good at fighting, but I know some things..."

#

SCENE 8

[Arlen reaches level 2!]

[Arlen tries to train the locals and be trained in turn. Chaos 2; things are mostly under control. Chaos roll: No change.]

Arlen starts off by trying to explain Western notions of military organization in terms of unit tactics and logistics. It's a challenge due to his language skill.

[Int roll, and I'll apply a -2 difficulty due to language problems but +4 due to his relevant background. And he did devote a fact to trying to build a relationship here, hence the -2 for now instead of -4. So: Pass even without the bonus.]

It's good practice for his language work. He thinks the islanders grasp the general idea, and they end up sparring. In between lessons, Arlen himself receives training. He's clumsy enough to have trouble, but they teach him the beginnings of what they call the Strife of the Drowning Tide, a martial art. This fighting style is good for handling groups of foes, and its basic technique is especially helpful for Arlen: a versatile sweeping attack done with a staff or spear or bare hands that whips water around forcefully, for a near-guaranteed if weak hit.

A few days pass. Decim and its lord haven't attacked yet, but they're likely to. Cheered by the early progress of their training, the people send messengers to several of the more sympathetic, easier to reach islands: Stormhowl and Catacomb. They ask for discreet aid if they're not willing to rebel openly. "Yet," Opaline adds.

The people decide to organize a hunt for practice, going after another of the electric beasts. Arlen isn't eager for battle but at least he has a lot of allies bringing spears and shields and a semblence of tactics. He wields a two-handed spear himself.

[Treat as a Mob of Furious Peasants: AC 9, Morale 7, 12 HD, attack +0 d6, also featuring a magic attack of stone shards from a mage, +0 d6. Arlen fights separately.]
[Reaction roll of 8, warily hostile, but the hunters want a fight.]

They get more than they bargained for: two of the vicious snapping beasts fighting over a deer carcass. They freeze for a moment, faced with a lot of hunters, but the otterfolk are eager for a fight. They attack, and their best mage hurls shards of stone.

[Miss, miss. Arlen? Miss, barely, but fray 3->1 damage.]
[Beasts: one on the mob, one on Arlen. Hit! 2 and 1 damage respectively.]

The troops shout and harry the beasts, trying to jab them and keep them at bay without scattering as they might normally do. This is a war exercise, not the circling of a normal hunting band. One beast claws and slashes its way into the mob, shocking a man, and another bites Arlen in the leg. He whips his spear down and jabs at the monster, drawing blood.

[Mob: Miss, hit for 1. Arlen: Hit for 2, fray 1.]

Arlen's desperation pays off. While the monsters try to tear into their prey, he slashes again with the force of the water technique he'd learned, crashing like a wave. He staggers on his injured leg and slashes wildly at the surviving beast, then backs off as the mob's earth mage makes a spike of stone jut up from beneath his foe, impaling it. The creatures are dead and a few otterfolk lie on the ground, injured but alive. The rest hurry to tend their wounds and finish off the shocker beasts.

[The island gains a Feature: +The island has a militia trained in "Western style" warfare. However, it get a Problem because Arlen created it through roleplay: "-New militia is in rebellion against its most powerful rival."]

With this victory, the people are heartened. They go home boasting.

{
Faction turn. Arlen played out an action of creating a Feature, which came with a Problem. The islanders' internal action now should be to Enact Change and solve a problem. Fail! And the reason is, Raiders!
Their external action will be, Extend Interest over Stormhowl. This will be uncontested because they're offering covert military training for rebellion. Can they find sympathy there to make it uncontested? G:N. That means there's a lot of skepticism. Contest: Tie, defense wins. Opaline has, overall, gained some trouble but increased its defenses.
What about Catacomb? Will they offer some covert help? G:Y! Not only are they going to help defend against Decim's likely attack, there's a local hero character who gets involved.
Catacomb wants to Build Strength to prepare for war. Success. Dominion+1. Extend Interest by lending a few warriors to Opaline. Auto-success since very willing.
Stormhowl: does no action yet.
Decim: Build Strength for war. Success. Dominion+1. Extend Influence over Opaline through threats and bluster: Tie, defense wins.
The Mire has heard from the capital that Opaline needs a whipping, and they're happy to help, but aren't ready this faction turn.
}

#

SCENE 9

[Arlen meets a hero from Catacomb and figures out how to advance the rebellion, especially by rescuing the hostages. Chaos 2: Altered scene!]

A war canoe from Decim gets spotted, full of shouting warriors and bluster. The natives of Opaline shout and curse back at them. In hindsight Arlen tells them that wasn't a great idea, and they should try to look weak and lay an ambush when the attack comes. At least they didn't make it obvious that anything has changed in how they plan to fight.

Then the messenger sent to Catacomb returns, saying, "We want to see this outsider. Come to our island under truce."

Opaline's chief shrugs, saying that as a matter of honor they won't hurt him. The messenger from Stormhowl has already returned, saying the people there are too hesitant to contribute to an uprising, what with the hostage situation. Arlen has gotten the locals on the path to better self-defense and learned a few things himself, so he gets into a boat with the messenger and sets sail.

It takes most of a day's sailing to get there. Arlen arrives on a narrow beach in the shadow of white and grey cliffs. Mist shrouds much of the island under a cloudy sunset. A village with sturdy stone buildings stands here, many of them huddled together to share walls or designed so that one must climb into them.

[What's the chieftain like here? "Warn disastrous love. Clarify occult monster. Assist nearby estate. SWORD/Target. Garlic, distant lights, tiny metal figurines. Adopted by an animal.]

"Come, share dinner," say his hosts. They take him to a feast hall with a pleasant meal of sweet berry pie and savory fish pie. To his surprise, there's a golem helping with the food. It's made of grey stone and glowing crystals. He stares, and the otter he takes for the chieftain laughs.

This is a woman who seems elderly but healthy, smelling of the garlic from a vegetable dish. She says, "I wanted to learn what you are, outsider. Have you never seen these creatures before? We thought they come from the world beyond."

"I've seen similar things, but made of metal," he answers honestly. "And there was no magic involved. How do these work?"

"We use our crystals, largely from Opaline's mines, to keep the golems fed. In return, we've learned to convince a few to help us. Unfortunately they don't seem to want to leave our island, so we can't lend them to you."

A cat brushes against Arlen's leg, and he pets it and gets an approving purr. "It sounds like you want to rebel, but can't unless your loved ones are returned."

[Who is the hostage from this island? Just one person? E:N. d4+1 people. 4.]

"Four of our people are here or stuck on Death Island, though to be fair the one there rather deserved it." There's some grumbling from others about that. "We're taking a risk by having you here at all, human. If we are to provide any aid --"

[The hero: "Weaken unclear skill. Travel irksome rebellion. Return impending training. Tower/Wand. Cloying perfume, tarnished brass, sports equipment."

A young woman pipes up. "You can say no, but I won't! The outsider is our chance to fix everything."

Her perfume is cloying, and she wears white body paint in circuit-like designs with a tarnished brass bracelet on each wrist and an "armored" breastplate that looks like old sports equipment more than military gear. She's boastful toward Arlen, saying, "I've never seen a 'human' before, but I've fought!"

"Golems, yes," says the chief. "Human, excuse Meadow. Surely you know that war is serious business, if you presume to train people in this 'Western' style you speak of."

Arlen nods gravely. "It's always costly. What price are you paying right now, not to fight? How bad is Skull Island? And it sounds like many of the islands get raided by the Mire; how many people die because no one stops them?"

[Arlen tries to make a good impression and move them toward aid. Cha test: Pass.]

They talk, and it sounds like these islanders are coming around to the idea of fighting, at least in a deniable way. They want to test him, though. The would-be hero Meadow has just the thing. "Come to the ruins."

#

SCENE 10

[Arlen enters the ruins with Meadow, finding a shifting maze of golems. Chaos 2: No change.]

The next day, Arlen asks, "Why don't more people live here? This looks like there's plenty of farmland, and your people have farming."

"The land's cursed," said Meadow, and hesitates to explain more. "Among other things, there's the occasional rogue golem. Now, prepare yourself. We're going to one of the easier areas."

"Areas of what?"

She explains: there's a vast tunnel network here whose corridors are known to have shifting walls, and guardian golems. There's no obvious rhyme or reason to the constant construction done by the automated workers, and it gets more aggressive the longer you stay -- which makes short visits reasonably safe and a source of treasure.

Arlen grins listening to this explanation. "I would have paid money to do this."

He's been given a crushing weapon for the golems: a heavy stone-headed mace. The girl wields a smaller hammer and a shield. She whistles, and a hovering golem floats over from behind a boulder, startling Arlen. "Whomp is my pet. He's learned to come along on these trips."

They reach a door in the side of a cliff, traced with hexagonal designs. Meadow holds up a shard of what looks like quartz, glowing a deep red-purple, and the door rumbles open.

{
It's a dungeon crawl! The overall structure of this place is basically a WWN "Inscrutable Outsider art structure.
Room 1: dungeon entrance plus door north. Empty.
Room 2: 4 doors. Empty.
Room 3 (W): Dead end, empty. (...)
Room 4 (N of 2): 4 doors, Creature. Generally hostile. Reaction roll: 9.
Treat creatures here as "Timeworn Survivors" from GB p.158 but with behavior from Automatons on p.159.
}

Exploring a few empty rooms lit by softly glowing walls, they find one of the mysterious golems. This one seems to be repairing or maintaining the site. Arlen watches it work, trying to understand it.

[Does he learn anything useful here? Int test: Pass, if not by much.]

He compares the golem to what he knows of Earth robotics technology and local magic. These things hover and seem not to disturb a loose stone that he nudges into its path. "Not using fans," he says. "Does any of your elemental magic make things float?"

"No. The spirits give us something different from what they gave the builders of this place. I want to learn how this Outsider magic works. And you have something different even from this?"

"Yeah," he says, studying how the seemingly stone-based machine is slicing out sections of wall and transporting them across the room. "And your power crystals feed these things? How many do you bring?"

"Not a whole lot. Watch this." She leaves the crystal that she used on the door, on this room's floor. The repair bot floats over and scoops it up with the same energy ray it used on the walls. It glows brighter for a moment.

"Then it's probably recharging from some source down here."

{
Back to room 2, then east.
Room 5: 2 doors, distractor. "Odd-looking but normal household goods."
Room 6: 3 doors, "worthless personal effects".
Room 7 (N): Dead end, "bones and remnants".
Room 8 (E of 6): 2 exits, creature. Reaction: 8.
Room 9 (S of 6): Dead end, hazard. "Dangerous broken device". Going to make this a combat.
}

The two return to try another route for the moment. They find several more rooms and another of the quietly humming, floating golems. Meadow gets interested in a shovel seemingly made from a single seamless piece of hardwood, and takes it. In their exploration they find a golem like a cracked cube, that swoops in to strike them!

{
2 HD. Arlen attacks, doing 1 Fray. Meadow misses. It attacks Arlen first: Miss.
Arlen: 2 damage.
}

Arlen swings his hammer. It connects and cracks the golem, but the impact of the clash makes him stagger back. Meadow rushes it with a few wild swings, and it's Arlen who gets in the last real hit. He breathes hard as its hover effect fades away and chunks of stone drop to the floor, including a crystal. "Loot for us."

"No, don't take that. They get mad when you take the cores."

He looks at her skeptically. "What do you get here, then? Shovels?"

"Excitement. Sometimes a strange meal or a piece of ancient armor or something. So you do know how to fight."

{
They return to room 4 and go E. Start to roll at -1 on # of doors.
Room 10: Dead end, empty.
Room 11 (E of 4): Dead end, ruined goods/supplies but also treasure. Per Godbound: "Magic, Partial".
Wouldn't be a crystal given the context. Could be the equivalent of a "hearthstone bracer" but weaker, a wearable thing to increase an ability when a gem is installed. G:Y.
}

"Now this we can take," Meadow says, pushing aside some unidentifiable bits of scrap stonework and cloth in another room. It's the last one in this layout, apparently. She holds up a tube made of something like ivory, with an obvious socket for a properly shaped gem. "It won't work for very long, but it improves spells you cast. You take it."

"Do you have magic yourself?"

[Does she? E:N]

"Wish I did, but no. Anyway, you've proven yourself. Now... how are we going to get the hostages?"

#

SCENE 11

[Arlen proposes a night raid using underwater breathing magic. Chaos 2: No change.]
[Planning via Int test: Pass.]

Arlen tries to work out a plan involving what he knows of magic. Conferring with the Catacomb natives helps develop it. They will use underwater breathing magic to sneak a group of people from outside vision range, underwater. They'll also have a little boat weighed down with stones to bring it to near shore by stealth, just useful enough to get the prisoners away from the island to where several war boats will be waiting. At the same time, there'll be a distraction using a fire set on another part of the beach. The prisoners will be guarded or even moved if there's a serious threat, though, so stealth is important.

The Catacomb people are worried. It's their family members at risk. Isn't there some way to make this plan more reliable?

Arlen suggests, "You could warn Decim that I came here, and found something major in the ruins. That I'm still in town, building something. That might draw some of his warriors away."

"And into our village!" says one man.

The chief thinks. "No, drawing them into the ruins, if we say you're still in there. Of course, if they don't find you, that becomes a problem for us. We would have to set upon them and make sure they don't return."

"Are you willing to do that?" asks Arlen.

After a long discussion without him, the natives say yes. "May the spirits smile on this work."

#

SCENE 12

[Arlen returns to Opaline to gather forces for the plan. Chaos 2: No change.]

He sails back to Opaline and explains that Catacomb will risk people's lives if the two islands will stand together. Opaline's leaders are worried but pleased. They prepare as well as they can, thinking about the timing of the planned ruse to draw warriors away.

As part of the training, the natives teach Arlen a bit more of the martial arts. The mystic breathing exercises combine with other basic magic he's learned, so that he finds he can breathe underwater!

[He already paid for this ability, part of the first-tier Drowning Tide Style.]

[How well does Catacomb's ruse go? Bell curve where 5=draws a few people away. 5, okay.]

On the appointed day, an attack force sets sail for the capital island. As planned, the lead boat is a scout pretending to be offering peaceful trade if anyone asks, really there to raise an alarm if there's a serious problem, before the rest of the little fleet is discovered. The idea is that they'll approach, timing things to get near the island by evening, then have attackers swim underwater with their improvised sub ready to surface. Part of the group will set a fire as soon as there's any alarm, to distract the defenders a half-mile or so away.

[Decent plan. As we get into the action, how well does the initial phase go? Bell curve: 4. Rain. How severe? 4.]

There's moderate rain starting. This might be good overall, but it's going to increase the confusion for the attackers too, and make the fire harder to start. The spellcasters curse and think about how to make sure it burns anyway; they aren't totally unprepared for that possibility.

[Arlen needs to make a Con check due to all the swimming. Fail. There's a chance of the delay causing trouble now. B:N.]

Arlen has gotten better at swimming from a lot of recent practice with the otterfolk. Still, the swim is long, and by the time he crawls up onto the beach he's exhausted. The otterfolk are annoyed; why isn't he as good at it as them? But Arlen can't go on. He lays there catching his breath and trying to remain silent, which pretty much forces the team to do the same. They're lucky; no guard patrols as he kind of expected. The team proceeds inland, trying to keep quiet. Arlen and the others know where the hostages live. It's not a jail, since they're not being punished, but they do get locked in at night with a simple wooden deadbolt and there's a guard somewhere nearby at all times. Arlen's next move is to create a distraction with the classic thrown rock.

[Int test: Pass. Guard's reaction? "Sun". There's a chance he spots someone in hiding. B:N.]

The guard looks around warily, going toward the spot where he heard it. That's when Arlen and three otterfolk jump him, hoping to take him down before he can raise an alarm.

[Arlen's attack: 1 Fray. Miss, miss, and barely hit.]

They knock him down and bind and gag him, threatening to kill him if he makes noise. Then they open the deadbolt and nobody breathes as they look in...

[They ARE in here, right? G:N. Where, then?]

...And find nobody there. Arlen curses. "Where are they!?"

They let the guard talk. He seems surprised too! "If they're not here, they'll probably be... yeah, I thought I saw them go toward the unmarried women's quarters, but didn't make the connection."

[Close by? G:Y. That's good news anyway.]

They shove the guard into the empty building, tightly bound and locked in. Only has to hold him for a few minutes. Then they go looking for the other building.

This one's better protected. Chief Thoko apparently didn't really expect a commando raid (as Arlen likes to think of it), but he did worry.

[Not necessarily abiding by this, but here's data from a table about infiltration, rating this place as Vulnerable. "Tall wall/hedge with lights. One main ground-floor entrance with no windows. Upper floor: Numerous windows or balconies and climbable walls. No patrols. Multiple traps. Flimsy doors/windows. Weak point: roof access from neighboring building."]

There's no obvious guard posted, but there's a hedge and their best mage hisses when he peeks through it. "Reeks of magic. It's some noise ward by the front door and I think there's another hidden somewhere."

Arlen looks up. "Can we get through the hedge quietly?"

"No. I'd put the prisoners on the upper floor, and there are women who might be awake. Bright ideas, outsider?"

He thought about grappling hooks. "Think you can tie the spare rope to a spear or rock, and wedge it into that balcony? Then tie the back end to that tree so we can climb over."

[This is not that great an idea without more prep. Do they assess it'll work? B:Y. Huh.]

They're skeptical, but their best warrior considers the layout and nods. He asks the mage, "Can you give me just a few moments of sound muffling?"

"Won't last long but yes."

So they throw a spear with a rope, to wedge it sidelong. Arlen isn't even going to try making this roll, and leaves it to someone competent. Can that guy do it? G:N. He's going to try again. G:Y.]

It takes two tries and makes a little noise, but they now have a rope line from a tree branch to the balcony. They begin scurrying across carefully. Arlen's hands are tight on the rope. He's not made for this.

[Can Arlen do it? Str check: Surprisingly Pass. Can the others? G:Y.]

He manages to get across, surprising himself even as he keeps thinking he should've tried the front door. But he's across, and the others follow. They're now on a balcony and realizing they might be about to walk in on entirely the wrong room. Fortunately there's a shutter they can peek through...

[This is a matter of luck. E:Y. How many captives, anyway? They come from various islands, 4 of them, counting 3 from Catacomb. d3 from each other: 1,1,2. 7 total.]

The intruders breathe a sigh of relief. It's the prisoners in here and not random women! But there are seven people here of various ages including an old man and two children. Arlen gestures to them to hurry out, taking nothing.

[They try to climb out, the stronger folk carrying the kids. The old man holds on with desperate strength. Can they get across? G:Y!]

Desperation and teamwork drive them. Even Arlen manages to scurry back across, encouraging one of the captives. They're all a little surprised at their success. Time to get out of here! They leave the rope and spear, and make their way down to the beach.

[They didn't trigger an alarm, so security is still pretty low. Does anything major happen? B:N.]

Between magic and the hidden log boat, the party makes it to the beach and paddles away as quickly as they can. The fire-starting team got no signal, and heard no ruckus, so they weren't needed and retreat to find out what happened. They all regroup at sea with the little flotilla, and hustle back home to Opaline.

#

SCENE 13

[Things went mostly smoothly; Chaos 2. Expected scene: Arlen escorts the prisoners to Opaline Island and waves the ones from Catacomb off, which frees his group to resume spreading the rebellion. Chaos roll: No change.]

There's celebration on Opaline Island as the ships return victorious, with hardly a fight. Arlen joins in with congratulating everyone, even those who only stood by.

The loaned warriors from Catacomb go home, taking their family members along. Which leaves four hostages from Gull Crater, the Mire, and Stormhowl. Opaline's leadership kindly tells them, "You're our guests for the moment. Just until your families hear our plea for help and the good news that you've been rescued." It's a cynical play but probably smart.

[The operation acts on the faction system, destroying Decim's feature of having hostages. Opaline isn't heavily leaning on the same, yet...]

The islanders fear a raid from the Mire, something that'd worried them greatly and now becomes more urgent.

{
Faction turn! Arlen has destroyed an important enemy feature.
-Opaline tries to organize and prepare, in particular by setting up early-warning scouts and ward spells to anticipate raids. They also train by killing some of the dangerous wildlife to push it back from being an immediate threat at their back. Mechanically this is really a Build Strength action: Fail, due to the rebellion. External action: Extend Interest in Stormhowl. This is no longer contested due to the hostage and the offer of military training from the mysterious outsider.
-Catacomb wants to establish a good militia, too. They spend 1 Dominion and Opaline spends 2 Interest in them, meaning success on 2+. Success. Catacomb gets "+The island has a militia trained in "Western style" warfare." The island also works to build interest in Gull Crater, spreading word. This is contested: Fail.
-Stormhowl has good news, sort of. They will try to Build Strength for war. Success; Dominion +1. They try to Extend Influence to Opaline by tentative offers of help. Uncontested.
-Gull Crater has vaguely heard there's an uprising. Can it be true? They try to Build Strength by recalling their former glory. Pass. D+1. Extend interest in Catacomb by trying to trade intel. Uncontested.
-The Mire attacks Opaline! This is a simple raid and not organized warfare as Arlen understands it. Still, Decim spends 2 Interest in the Mire to help by sending a raider party. Catacomb sends help for 2, while Stormhowl isn't fully committed yet. Battle's likely to drop into a scene with Arlen. The raw roll for Opaline and Mire: 5 and 6.
-Decim is shocked, and Chief Thoko wastes a turn of internal improvement trying to find dissidents and secure things too late. Externally he tries to crack down on Gull Crater: Success to extend interest through bullying.
}

#

SCENE 14

[Chaos 3; the war is serious now. No roll; the stage is set.]
[Right now Opaline is losing, but only by 1 point. Arlen's performance might turn the tide.]

The alarm is raised at dawn. Raider boats from the Mire have come. They bear warriors with hunched-over bodies and prominent claws, their eyes bloodshot, their stone machetes clashing on wooden shields. With them is a boat of men from Decim, with bows and spears.

{
Arlen has been busy. He's attempted several projects:
-Capture several beasts to release amid his enemies. WIS test. PASS. d3 of them: 3.
-Convince some women to fight from the sidelines to contribute a little. CHA test (+bonus from Facts). PASS but barely.
-Build spiked pit traps and a way to lure enemies into them. INT test (+bonus from Facts). PASS easily.
-Build crude mechanical siege engines. INT test (+bonus from Facts). PASS but barely.

OPALINE GUARD: Small Mob of "Trained Soldiers". Instinct 4, Morale 9.
ARLEN
vs.
MIRE RAIDERS: Small Mob of "Furious Peasants". Instinct 4, Morale 7.
DECIM OBSERVERS: Not a Mob; 4 guys shooting 1/round and flinging 1 magic attack at range from offshore.
}

Arlen smiles; the preparations have gone fairly well. He might live through this. "Just like we planned!" he shouts. The islanders shout back. They're in a ragged array like a typical shore defense party.

The frightening mutant otter-men leap ashore, snarling and showing off. Arlen has a beastmaster, who yanks a certain rope and runs. Three angry, starved thunderjaws emerge from hidden cages. The Opaline Guard retreats to the trees, using bows and thrown rocks while the attacker are distracted. The Decim Observers are forced to either come ashore or be out of range and useless. They dither, what with the beasts on shore, and one of them shoots into melee.

[Observer: Lucky hit for 1 on a beast. Raiders attack every beast, killing 2. The other retaliates, chomping for 1.]
[Guard attack: Miss.]
[Arlen: Using CHA to keep people sticking to the plan. Pass.]

The shore guard fight defensively, and the raiders slaughter the beasts with only light wounds to themselves. They press on, heedless of the defenders' potshots. Arlen shouts and makes sure his side is sticking to the plan and not losing heart.

[Instinct check for Opaline, at +2. Fail! They will "blindly attack the nearest enemy". The Raiders also fail, and do the same!]
[Guard attack: Miss. Overwhelm for 1 and the foes fail to save. Raiders attack: Miss.]
[Arlen flings magic and uses Fray: 1 damage.]

The Guard reacts to their fear by plunging forward into battle, in defiance of the plan. The raiders are startled and start doing what they do best, too, rushing in to kill. The raiders seem so shocked to face real resistance that several of them get stabbed or clubbed. Arlen shouts and curses at the men to get moving as planned, managing to sweep one foe off his feet and get him trampled. He falls back to set the example.

[Arlen makes sure they don't blunder into traps. INT: Pass.]
[Guard attack: still a normal attack plus Overwhelm... Miss, 1 Overwhelm.]
[Raider attack: Crit for 2.]

Opaline falls back along the planned route. Arlen blusters and cheers them on. "Almost there! Get ready!"

[GUARD: 10/12. RAIDERS: 8/12.]
[Raiders should make a morale check. Fail!]

Arlen is just about to lead the foes over the pit traps he's spent so long preparing. And fire a questionable trebuchet. And have a bunch of women throw rocks from the trees. But the raiders are so startled that they fall back themselves, shaken.

[Is it an undisciplined retreat? G:N]
[Free attack by the Guard though: Crit fail. Some oaf falls into a trap.]

The raiders are smart enough to fall back with some caution, not getting exposed easily to slaughter. They raise their shields against shots from the defenders, and flee to shore. Decim's boat retreats without comment. The battle is won, and the enemy hasn't learned much yet about the new tactics. But they do know something has changed, and Opaline's revolt won't be trivial to crush.

[Eliminating faction problem "Raiders from another island steal from them." from Opaline.]

[Level up! Arlen has made it to level 3. I'm bumping him up to Lesser Strife Mastery, which he was technically entitled to before but I deliberately gave him less. He is "War-Chief of the Free Islands", though some of said islands haven't heard this yet.]

#

SCENE 15

[Chaos 4; things got crazy. Expected scene: Arlen desperately works to expand the rebellion while training. Roll: Altered scene. Hmm. A chance to introduce the transformation plot that was intended from the start? Not sure what power level I want, now. Full GB might seem like easy mode. The conflict has been combat oriented, and I don't want to rehash the powers of Ruyo or Alfred. Giving him Artifice is powerful without making him unstoppable in battle. Could do something like Artifice, Earth, Health. How about... plague from a shipwreck?]

In the days after the attack, Arlen works to improve the islanders' defenses. If they're hit again he wants them to fall back to the trap area which the enemies were rude enough to not even let him use. The island's best martial artist is impressed with his rapid progress toward mastery of the Drowning Tide Style. But he worries, because one botched battle could crush the main rebel force and the enemy might bring a huge mob. There ought to be some better way to handle this.

Catacomb requests help with training. People have been sailing back and forth while trying to entice other islands to help. Arlen goes, somewhat worried the island's already fallen and he's heading into a trap. He arrives without incident though. The locals welcome him and say they killed several warriors of Decim. And that there's a secret to reveal.

[I want to know something about the island's curse, other than the golems sometimes attacking. "Ambush ghostly exposure. Trick hostile reputation. Violate delicious grudge. Skull/Shield." I'm not sure. "Corrupt material work. Inerrupt slovenly mystery. Isolate curious tool. Heart/Wand."]

The island is cursed, the chief explains, in the sense that golems attack people entering large parts of the place. But also, the golems seem to examine and judge people. The islanders are tolerated in the labyrinth, but deep delves lead to lethal aggression, and so does being present in the other outdoor areas. From talking it over, hearing about exactly how the golems behave, Arlen gets the idea that maybe the golems are reacting not just to any intruders but to people with a certain appearance or bloodline. So by being an outsider, he might get a different reaction. He's skeptical but it's worth the experiment. The golem that attacked him earlier seemed to be broken.

Meadow chimes in with, "I wouldn't assume they'll all ignore you. Just maybe fewer."

The locals have a fairly good idea of where they must not trespass. They escort Arlen toward one of these areas. He's sporting some armor made from turtle shell and hide, and carrying a heavy mace again. They've also made sure he has three energized crystals from Opaline. He enters the restricted area aboveground...

[A golem approaches and does not attack. G:Y. What's its behavior like? Crown. Carries him away? G:Y.]

One of the golems approaches him within minutes, and he steps back worriedly. It pierces him with its lifting ray, and he's carried off in midair!

He floats, struggling but caught in the same beam that was used to rearrange the walls. He decides it's probably best to let it carry him somewhere. This is certainly different behavior.

[Where is it taking him? I've been leaning toward the idea that the ancients were a human colony tolerating the otterfolk but excluding them from secure areas. GB suggestion on ruin purpose: "Prison for a supernatural entity." I literally wrote a series of books on that one. Reroll. "Vault or treasury for some mighty relic." That works. I think there are other resources stored here too but mostly long since decayed. What terrain surrounds it? Light forest.]

He is dropped off inside what looks like the same catacomb he was in before. The golem waits by the entrance.

"Can you understand me?" Arlen asks in the islanders' language.

[Any useful reply? B:N]

It merely waits, but the door remains open. Arlen is seemingly free to go. Instead, he venures inward...

{
Dungeon delve. Running this with GB and WWN rules. Say that there's an endpoint with a 5% chance of appearing each room, +5% per room found.
Room 1: 1 other exit, Enigma: Oracular object. Treasure: scattered carelessly; "Coffers, casks or jeweled containers. A prized trophy from Outsiders. Jeweled/Religious." It's a sort of reliquary. He takes it, puzzled, and moves on.
Room 2: 4 exits. Statuary or carvings. Statues of humans? G:Y.
}

Arlen finds some kind reliquary that's been left carelessly on the floor. He takes it and puts it in his backpack without opening it yet. Around him are several doors, a set of statues of humans with halo-like crowns, and a crystal slab pillar that he recognizes as a kind of security desk with monitor.

[Int test to get this thing working to some extent. Pass even if you impose a -5 penalty.]

It'd be alien to the natives, but he knows the concept well enough to find a power switch of sorts that reacts to his crystal supply. "Interesting convergent evolution," he says, discovering something akin to a keyboard and pointer. It doesn't clearly log him in, and he doesn't know the language, but some information is available.

[A map of sorts, probably referring to what's beyond this layout? G:Y.]

He's gotten his hands on a slab of slate and chalk for note-taking. He's slightly introduced the concept of writing to the illiterate natives, but has been way too busy to go into detail. Here, he sketches the map and bits of the language, hoping he can come back to read more later.

{
Room 3 (W of 2): 2 exits (N/W), household goods, treasure slid beneath furnishings. "Ancient/Exotic, religious tokens in precious materials."
Room 4 (N of 3): Dead end, hazard: "Damaged supports that give way in combat."
Room 5 (S of 3): Dead end, treasure for bait in a trap, and this triggers the endpoint goal. What does this treasure look like? Probably another religious artifact but especially shiny. G:Y. Some thinking about the context: "Poison diabolical container. Alter precise beast. Confuse haphazard trap. MOON/Wand."
}

Arlen examines a kind of kitchen. The layout of this place seems strange and most of the place is damaged. He finds some old utensils and shrugs, taking a few sets. As he explores further he finds something. Looks like a jeweled chest too big to move and marked with mystic signs. Arlen approaches, trying to open it.

[This should be a Reflex or Hardiness save. Say Hardiness given the "poison" reference. FAIL. A damage rating from WWN is d6+Lv/2. Godbound suggests 10d6 (damage filtered, ie ~10 HP) for a trap specifically meant to kill godlings, which this isn't. If this can kill an average person it's 1+, heroic 4+. Call it... d6+1 straight. OK, but then Arlen will do his first-ever Effort commitment to save for half. Given the "Alter beast" wording, how about it marks him as a thief by giving him otter paws?]
[6->3 straight damage (8/11), 1 Effort spent for the day.]

A fog like razors engulfs him, tearing at him! He staggers away but the damage is done, leaving him feeling ill. Then he notices that his hands have become fuzzy otter paw-hands, four-fingered, like those of the natives! He's been marked as a thief, it seems. Strange but at least not painful. He blinks away the pained tears and moves on.

There's an imposing doorway standing open to a space with more purposeful architecture than he's seen in this labyrinth.

{
Delve level 2, this time using Godbound rules and a rising 10% chance of goal.
Room 1: A fountain with harsh geometric angles, finely made. Encounter chance 20%: No.
Room 2: Actually gonna combine this with WWN. Another fountain? Creature. Utility room. Vault. Uh... Golem enemy. This one probably attacks using ice and water. G:Y, muscle icon.
}

Arlen is attacked in a room with a large pool connected to the previous room. A golem rises from the water, scans him, then visibly glitches. Its color shifts and it tilts a bit off-kilter as it attacks! It uses the water to create icy projectiles and walls.

[3 HD, AC 5, d4 damage.]
[Arlen dives into the pool to get behind the thing. He can pass close by without danger thanks to his training. In passing he hurls a blade of ice: 1.]
[It tries to strike him with jets of freezing water. Miss.]
[He comes up from the pool and swings his hammer. -2 to hit. That actually beats it, with the fray die.]

He dives into the pool and comes up behind it to strike with hammer and magic. It goes down quickly!

[Room 3: A dark, ruined temple where light draws danger. WWN gives nothing helpful here. Does the defense system attack light sources not being held? E:N]

Arlen finds a dark room. He raises a crystal to see better, and something shoots out from the depths and knocks it from his hands! He dives for cover, but the room has gone quiet again. By the dropped gem's light he can see a little of the room: a place with a broken altar and a cracked, pitted floor. He nudges the gem on the floor with his hammer...

[Shot at? G:N]

He prods his way carefully along the floor. Occasionally he nudges the gem along with his mace. Nothing seems to attack him.

[DEX text to cross without problems. Fail. What goes wrong? Reveals a gem, gets shot at? G:N. Trips. D4 damage: 1.]

He trips over some rubble, crashing and bloodying his nose. In the process one of his other gems gets exposed, drawing another shot from whatever is attacking. He feels it whip by him as he yanks his jacket over the light.

[Impose an Evasion test to finish. Pass! Can he get the gem back? G:N]

He makes his way warily onward. At the room's exit he tries pushing the gem along to see if he can pick it up without getting shot. But a shot rings out and he's forced to abandon the thing.

{
Room 4: the goal! "Assembly area. Heavily fortified. A closed door is trapped or load-bearing. Low magic ward or trap." Cards: "Refresh curious evil. Corrupt artistic salvation. Control callous mystery. Moon/Crown/Shield. Crisp winter wind. Teeth chattering. Barbs catch your clothing."
}

The next area is freezing. Icicles catch on his clothes as he proceeds down a stairway, and rubble of stone adds to the danger. He takes a look at the blocked passage ahead, trying to judge how he might melt or chip through the ice without triggering a cave-in.

[INT test. PASS.]

He works with magic and his mace to manipulate the ice, trying to make a hole. This seems to work all right. He makes his way through, and stares.

An artifact is contained here in an energy field, like a glowing cube that shifts form. He instinctively senses that it's something awesomely powerful, not a weapon or a power source but a tool, kept here in stasis for an unknown purpose. It has some controls nearby.

[Figure them out? INT test. PASS barely.]

The field deactivates, leaving the device drifting to sit on a platform. Arlen approaches, worried, and pokes it with his mace. Nothing happens. He touches it...

And is pulled inside! In there, he is transformed in a transcendant and amazing way that I don't have to describe because this isn't a book! Yay. Lots of particle effects. Also, he finds himself converted into an ottergirl, which among other things means he is no longer recognized as belonging in this ruin.

[Not sure about the experience I want to have at this point. Fighting for the islands is a worthy goal but I want to avoid getting completely OP. Picking non-offense gifts for GB, anyway.]

He feels he's received incredible powers related to craft and medicine and stonework! Unfortunately a guardian golem has identified him as an intruder...

{
3 HD, AC 5, d4 damage.
In confusion, he attacks with a magical blast: a Wrath of Earth. 2 HD damage.
It strikes: Crit for 2.
He attacks normally: Hit for 1. It's destroyed!
}

Transformed and hurt, Arlen lays there panting and looking himself over. He feels considerably tougher and stronger! He finds he can reshape stone around him as well as using it to fight. He walks out of this strange ruin, worried now about more battle.

[Is the facility shutting down around him? B:N! In fact, it's reshaping, doing something like reconfiguring for another use. He needs to get out of here!]

The base rumbles, its floors reshaping. Arlen instinctively learns how to open a path for himself wherever one closes, hurrying away from here to the outer exit.

[Hmm... Roll a DEX test to see how that goes. Pass.]

He makes it to the outside as everything shakes and shuffles. A door slams shut behind him. He's left on the hillside exhausted, changed.

[So what is this facility doing, if not shutting down? "Exchange inconvenient lookout. Trespass restrained fear. Beguile religious research. Stomach drops, frigid draft, hazy air. SKULL/Crown/Moon. Is this place going to start hovering? E:N. I think then that it shuts off the barrier sealing this region off from the outside world, before the war is resolved.]

#

SCENE 16

[Chaos 5. Didn't think to roll for this one.]

He returns to Catacomb's town, where he finds Meadow, looking around for Arlen. "That's me," he says. "Yes I know."

"Prove it."

Arlen draws his revolver and shows it off. Then he demonstrates the low magic and fighting techniques he'd learned.

[CHA test: Fail!]

Meadow is alarmed and not quite buying it! She runs away. He's soon met by a whole squad of armed otterfolk demanding to know what happened. He calmly explains what happened, going over the history of what he's been doing before that.

[Retry. Pass.]

They're confused and suspicious, but he explains he's got new powers to help the rebellion. He was hit with some kind of encoded set of construction and transmutation techniques. In demonstrating, he finds that he can not just shape stone but transmute it into iron. "Well, then. Thoko might get his wish."

It occurs to him that, first of all, he can now equip the rebels with serious weapons and armor. And second, some kind of island spirits are probably going to hate him for this one weird trick.

In the town, he begins demonstrating. He creates a large block of iron, then pulls up chunks of it and turns them into swords, shields, breastplates, even common tools. The people are astonished. "I can't pierce this chest armor with a stone spear!"

"It doesn't make you invincible though. I need to learn more about the island spirits, and about these ruins."

{
Can they tell him anything noteworthy about the spirits? G:Y.
OK, what? We've established that they oppose Thoko's use of technology and warn that they don't want Arlen using it either. Seems like a native force hostile to the ruin builders. "Wish empowered belief. Create awkward leader. Cleanse temporary journey. Wand/Tower."
The "Cleanse journey" part is interesting because it suggests it's these spirits responsible for the storm ring, not the ancient techno-ruins. I said that the ruins turn the barrier off as they power up, when I'd assumed the ruins might be creating it. So we have here a conflict between the techno faction and a spirit faction that sealed the islands away from the world to keep the land from being "spoiled" any further by technology.
Wishing for more belief is expected, but "create leader" could mean they can empower a champion much like Arlen. Except nobody's actually standing up for them right now except maybe Thoko's right-hand otter shaman, who doesn't necessarily oppose Arlen. Let's say the spirits are desperate and going to tell the shaman Arlen will bring ruin and must be defeated.
Meanwhile, it's only a matter of time before human sailors from the lands beyond discover that the storm is fading.
The island of Stormhowl loses this trouble: "-Close to a permanent magic storm that brings perpetual foul weather."
}

Arlen is troubled as he listens to the theory that it was the spirits that sealed the islands away from the world, and that the ruins have deactivated that. He's been chosen as a sort of champion of the old builders, but that seems to make him opposed to the spirits' anti-tech leanings and weirdly sympathetic to what Thoko is doing.

Explaining the conflict to the people, he asks, "Do you people care about advancing your knowledge and tools, versus the magic of the spirits? I understand you want to be free of Thoko to chart your own course, but where do you stand about the rest of this?"

["Launch amusing love. Sneak occult solution. Assist helpful advice. Skull/Shield. Discarded armor, a rhythmic shanty, tiny metal figurines." The figurines came into play earlier with the chief here.]

An argument breaks out. Some of the warriors put down the armor they've been given, saying they didn't realize they'd offend the spirits. They all know their lives are going to change, but they won't have their freedom without change. The weird ancient ruins are no longer just a curiosity and a source of golems, but a sign of major change.

"Yeah," says Meadow. "But the golems are helpful! If only we could learn to let them take more of the island. Which we won't do by asking spirits."

[The chief is wary. What's her thinking as the argument develops? Pro-tech, on a bell curve: 3. Ow.]

The chief is thinking, and scowls. "You've given us a lot to think about, Arlen. For now I don't want to disrupt everything by using some newfangled type of weapon. Take back these metal things and let us win our freedom the proper way."

Arlen says, "If you're that sure, then can I at least give you some defenses for your town, by magic stone-shaping? That shouldn't offend the spirits, if what they object to is machines and tools."

[Does she accept this? G:Y. Meadow, I think, leaves the island. G:Y.]

Arlen uses his new power to raise a fortress on the island, stronger than anything these people have ever seen. It's got parapets and arrow slits and a door of finely balanced stone.

[This creates the positive feature: "+A stone fort provides strong defense and protects the islanders' valuables and civilians." However, it's matched with a new problem: "-The islanders are suspicious of innovations that might anger the spirits."]

Meadow decides to leave home with Arlen. She's upset about how the discussion went, and has been dreaming of inventions and discoveries.

#

SCENE 17

[Chaos 4. Arlen equips the Opaline Islanders and explains the conflict to them. Roll: No change.]

Meadow helps sail back toward Opaline Island. "So you're one of us otters now. Also a girl. Uh... how'd that happen? What's that like?"

Arlen blushes. "Well, it's probably going to get edited out of any book version, and you'll probably be human."

"Wait, what?"

"Don't worry about it. I'm confused about all this. I just got handed a lot of power, but I don't know why the old base is here or what the spirits are after. They seem to want your people to stay primitive and dependent on them."

"But you're using some kind of earth-shaping magic. Wouldn't you have lost that and your water spells if the spirits were angry?"

"I don't know how that works. Are these spirits oppressing you? Like, demanding that you throw people into a volcano or chop out their hearts?"

"No!"

"Then I don't necessarily want to stop them. It might be a good idea to make some peace with them if we can communicate again."

"Well, you'd want Decim for that. Or maybe Gull Crater."

They arrive at Opaline Island to find the natives are confused. Arlen and Meadow have to convince the people of who he is. At least he's still got his clothes, not that they fit well.

Once that's done, the argument pops up here too. Arlen demonstrates the fine-quality armor, weapons and tools he can make along with the earth-shaping. Meadow argues: "If the spirits don't understand we need these things, then we should convince them."

"Do we need this metal gear, though?" asks the chief martial artist.

Arlen says, "I've been worried that Decim's forces will attack you. They beat your people before, right? Even with the new training I wanted to make sure."

"Then you should go to Gull Crater to speak with the spirits there. And turn them to the rebellion while you're at it."

[For now, can Arlen convince the people to equip advanced tools? Their base attitude is neutral about this. Arlen makes an argument, citing his friendship with the people and his de facto War Chief status, saying that they should at least adopt these new customs long enough to win their freedom. This is a CHA check at +4: WOW. Nat 1.]

As Arlen makes his case, he's astonished at how hostility breaks out toward his proposal to use new equipment. They don't even want his weird earth magic. He and Meadow are stunned. "I'm trying to save your lives and win your freedom!" he says.

"And you somehow got transformed by the cursed ruins."

"All because of your loyalty to the island spirits?"

It seems that's the root of their objection. They see the Catacomb ruins as hostile to those. And they'd like him to go somewhere else, suggesting he go to Gull Crater as planned, and not bother them.

Hurt and shocked, he sets out with Meadow.

#

SCENE 18

[Chaos 5. That was unexpected! The plan now is that he arrives on this new island and tries to explain to the people there. Roll: No change. Note that Arlen hasn't yet heard the storm is dissipating. Opaline learns of this soon after he leaves.]

"I have all this power, and they don't want it!" he complains.

Meadow is glum. "We've all trusted the spirits to protect us, but we get raided by the Mire and robbed by Decim. What good are they?"

[Smooth sailing? G:Y]

They arrive at a mountainous island with a substantial town, but it's shabby. It's sunset, and they see an ugly blue miasma over much of the land. It seeps from the ground. Meadow explains, "This happened around when Thoko took over, and it killed their heroes. Since then, the crops are bad and they've turned to growing a drug instead."

Arlen hails the people on shore. He tries to convince them he's friendly and needs to speak with their chief.

[CHA test: PASS.]
[What's the leadership here like? "Autocratic." I get "Vibrant with activity" which is strange; maybe the drug use has become fashionable among some people. "Titular ruler who has access to the state treasury. Clergyman very influential with the military. Disposable plaything. Foreign artist. A marriage is being pressured. Consequence of destroying the leadership is, only they know how to work the government. Swarms of trained guardsmen. (Reroll) A magical defensive construct."]
[The chief: Skull, Sword, Wand. Hassan. A cloud of tobacco smoke.]
[Shaman: Tower, Sword, Target. Judith. Musical instrument. Oily coating.]

The chief is a sickly old man named Hassna, smoking something with an earthy scent from a pipe of bone. He coughs as he welcome Arlen and Meadow. With him is the shaman Juti, a slinky woman with a stringed instrument on her back and an insincere smile. The chief says, "I thought you were a 'human'."

"I was, sir. I was changed by the magic of Catacomb Island."

"But not by the spirits," says Juti.

"I wish to speak with the spirits, to better understand what they want. I've seen that they're hostile toward Thoko."

Juti insists, "They are not! It's a misunderstanding, caused by a bunch of malcontents."

The chief rouses himself. "Traveler, what is this great magic you're spreading? Is it more poison to ruin our lives?"

"I've been blessed with the power of water already, and of earth. I would better understand how to win the spirits' favor; that's why I'm here. Using my powers would help you win your freedom and protect you from the Mire raiders, but I fear to cause more problems."

"Hmmph. Juti, take these two to visit the holy crater."

"Of course, chief. First thing in the morning."

Arlen is shown to a simple hut of thatch, and given meager food. That evening when a few natives come to see him, he's all smiles, asking about their problems and trying to befriend them and learn about the miasma and the spirits.

[CHA test: FAIL, even with a +4. Wow. Not crit though.]

They're cagey, not trusting him at all. He fumes to Meadow, "I want to help them, damn it!"

"Maybe the spirits will work this out," Meadow says, sounding doubtful.

#

SCENE 19

[Chaos 4. The idea is that Arlen goes up this mountain, and the shaman and some loyalist goons try to assassinate him. Roll: No change.]

It's before dawn when Juti comes to his door, saying, "I have prepared the way, traveler. Please come."

Meadow reluctantly wakes up and makes ready to go too, but the shaman says, "It should only be the chosen one who goes. You don't wish to interfere, do you?"

Arlen says, "She's with me. And I thought the spirits were the guardians of all the islands' people? They've welcomed me so far, and she's seeking their guidance."

[CHA check. Reluctant Pass by invoking his friendship with the islanders.]

The shaman reluctantly lets Meadow come. She insists the two disarm and wants Arlen to disrobe, wearing only traditional tribal wear -- which isn't much. Arlen had been about to try keeping his revolver, but he can't easily object to the outfit... what there is of it, mostly a grass skirt. He has enough privacy in the hut that he's able to hide the gun beneath its floor with manipulated stone, and with a little paranoia, to rotate the cylinder so it's loaded but won't fire the first time some thief tries it.

Stepping outside bare-chested and blushing, Arlen comes along. Meadow is not quite as flustered but had preferred to dress more anyway.

[CON test: PASS easily.]

They journey quietly up a rocky slope. It's a tough hike and Meadow is panting, as is Juti. Arlen slows down for them. It's still just before dawn when they get to a plateau with some pillars of stone jutting up. Arlen might notice something is wrong...

[WIS test: Fail! Number of goons: 2d8? G:Y. 9 of them, 1 HD each, d6 weapons, AC 7. Is there a minor but dangerous (2 HD) elemental spirit here? E:Y. 2 HD, +2 Attack, d6 damage, AC 5, Earth element by chance; able to do the equivalent of Builder of Mountain Peaks but 10' cubes? G:N. Give it something like Rebellion of the Soil instead; it makes the ground collapse.]

Juti springs a trap. She whistles, and figures step out from hiding all around. Then the ground collapses under Arlen!

Meadow shouts and Arlen lands painfully [d4=1 damage]. The shaman shouts, "Monster! Trickster! I won't let you defile our home! Get her!"

[d4 goons have bows? G:N. Can Arlen get at the shaman? G:N. Fray: Miss.]

Because the ground collapsed, the nine goons can't easily get in and attack. They're armed with spears, surrounding Arlen and Meadow in the pit. There's a pause.

Arlen flings a jagged stone at the first enemy in reach, one of the spearmen, and misses. He shuts the earth overhead to entomb himself!

[Does anyone leap into the pit? B:N]

This move startles the enemies enough that they don't join him. That just leaves him realizing he's in a pit with a green-brown glowing earth spirit lunging at him with claws of rock.

[Hit for 1.]

Arlen is safe from the attack from above for now, so he lashes out at the spirit, trying to slam it around by its earth elemental essence.

[Hit, but I just realized he's unarmed. He's going to activate Fury Of the Avalanche for this scene, giving him a d10 magic weapon... and a terrifying all-targets Fray die. 2 damage.]

The spirit gets crushed in his magical grip. He's not sure how he did that but is brimming with destructive power. Above, he hears the attackers scurrying around, figuring out how to carry on with the assassination.

Meadow is wide-eyed. "What do we do?!"

He's grim. "Can a shaman like her tear open the ground?"

"I think so...? But not instantly."

Arlen nods, and begins digging a tunnel by thought. Off to one side, close to the surface, making lots of noise. Then he waits a bit, opening the tunnel up there... and instead, erupts from right where he was, having led the ambush group away.

[INT test: Pass. I'll say two stayed here including the shaman.]
[Shaman attacks with a bolt of fire! Hit for 1 fire.]
[Goon attacks with a spear! Hit for 1.]
[Arlen strikes the shaman (but he does not strike the deputy): Crit for 2. Defeated. Now he strikes the deputy with Fray and doesn't bother with the rest yet: 1.]

Singed by fire and gashed by a spear that skitters along his tough hide, Arlen retaliates with blades of stone! The shaman and a nearby guard go down. The other spearmen turn to see the fight. Arlen beckons them.

[Morale test. Pass! The squad of 8 guys comes after him. Fools. They probably can't get to him and attack in one round, right? G:Y]
[You get a fray, and you get a fray! 6 go down. Forego regular attack.]

Arlen rips up the ground in rocky spears. Six of the eight are nailed, impaled, or hammered by flying shards. The other two charge him desperately.

[Miss. Arlen counters with a regular attack and fray: Just 1.]

He slashes another spearman and the other falls back, terrified, running for his life. Arlen stands there bleeding and panting.

Meadow says, "That... that was no ordinary magic! And she tried to kill us!"

"Yeah. You want a weapon? Armor?"

"I'm afraid I need them, now."

Arlen transmutes stone to iron and wrings weapons for them out of it, and armor. The breastplate is really uncomfortable and he winces. Then he realizes he doesn't really need it, and gets rid of it. The two otters continue up the trail after a brief rest... and they leave Juti and seven guards to die.

#

SCENE 20

[Chaos 3. Arlen reaches the crater to confront the spirits. Altered scene! So... The spirits are more conciliatory, and have a dire warning because the situation has changed.]

Arlen is grim as he ascends. "They're likely to fight us. If that happens, you should run."

Meadow says, "Why is this happening? Why do we all have to fight?!"

"There's a change coming, and like it or not, it'll cause trouble."

A hissing, whistling voice from the crater says, "You're more right than you know."

Meadow takes a step back. Arlen hesitates. "Show yourself!"

"You know who we are. Troublemaking outsider! We gave you power, and you used it to unseal our domain!"

"What, the ruins?"

"The islands!" An image forms of the whole island chain, with a storm around it... and the storm is fading. "Now that you've activated that blasted intruder facility, we can't keep the plunderers out anymore. This is your fault."

"Attacking my friend here won't solve that. Leave her out of this."

"Very well. What of you, champion of the outsiders? Merchant of machines? You will bring ruin down upon our people."

"Seems to me they're having a lot of trouble already."

"They had stability. Safety from the outside world. You know nothing of it."

"That's true, I don't. You basically told me you wanted Thoko stopped, and I worked on that. If you had a clearer message you could've said it."

The spirits seem to whirl and hiss, arguing among themselves. "We disagree on Thoko's status. But you must stop the outsiders. They will come again."

"Seems to me, the islands' best chance against invasion will come if they're unified. They don't want Thoko in charge, and the war will be bloody and destructive if the rebels refuse to use my powers -- and they're refusing for fear of angering you."

Seething elemental anger reigns in the crater.

[CHA test: Pass, finally.]

"You are an outsider. You will not rule the islands."

"That's fine."

"You will purge the islands of evil."

"What exactly? The raiders of the Mire? The undead of Death Island?"

"That which poisons the Mire must be purged. We cannot see it. Finally, you must unify the islands under a new high chief who respects us."

"Who?"

"You must find someone. This is your task. Only then can the islands be safe. You must hurry."

Arlen turned to Meadow. "Have they ever talked to you so clearly?"

"No!" She stared into the roiling crater. "Why are you so quiet to us?"

"Presumtuous child."

Arlen said, "It's a fair question."

The spirit voices shifted and split. "We do not wish to be the masters and rulers of the islands. To speak too loudly and often would do this."

"There's wisdom in that."

Meadow knelt and said, "Oh spirits, I want to help Arlen. He needs proof that you support him, and we were nearly killed by a woman claiming to speak for you. How can we convince others?"

The internal bickering of the elemental lords was a contained storm. Finally they said, "Our shaman was wrong to fight you. Meadow, if you would have proof of our support, leap."

She gasped. Arlen started to get in front of her. "I won't let you kill her just to --"

"She will live. Come forth, child."

Meadow steeled herself. "I wanted them to speak..." She screamed as she leaped off the crater's rim.

Arlen reached toward her, but a wind snatched her up and she floated in a vortex of mixed energies. It lifted her back to where she'd come from, with a new light glowing in her eyes and around her hands and feet. She stared, weeping, then thanked the spirits.

[Meadow is already a Heroic Mortal. She receives two levels of Aeromancy, which for her includes arrow deflection, wind control, and the WWN "Steps of Air" spell (self only, 3 rounds). Not at Arlen's level but neat.]

She told Arlen, "They whispered something to me. I can prove they approve."

Arlen said, "One other thing. I intend to give the people the tools they'll need. I don't plan to go back into the ruins to bring them more things from the outsiders; we can deal with whatever that is, later. Are you going to demand that the islanders defend themselves with nothing but sticks and stones?"

[CHA test: Pass, only by bonus.]

The sullen spirits eventually answered, "Do what you must. Now go. If you would prove your worth, slay that which poisons this island."

#

SCENE 21

[Chaos 2. Arlen shows off Meadow to the islanders, saying the shaman and her supporters tried to kill him. He heads out to kill something on the island. No change.]

The chief is surprised to see Arlen return, but it's hard to tell whether he knew about the assassination or just assumed the spirits would kill him. Arlen leaves it be, and lets Meadow talk. He's shocked when she whispers a secret to him, and demonstrates her new magic.

"It seems I was mistaken. I don't know why they chose you, outsider, but I will trust you on the spirits' behalf."

"What is it that creates the island's miasma?"

[Some kind of unholy termite nest? G:N. A single powerful creature, I think. It feeds on despair.]

Arlen listens to the tale of an intangible beast that manifests as a slow-killing haze that ruins crops and sickens people. "It feeds on our despair."

He thinks. "You want to rise up against Thoko, don't you?"

The chief sits up straighter, looking around. "Yes. But our shaman, and her friends..."

"Only one of them will likely be coming back."

"I see." He goes quiet for a while. "Will you train us, as you trained others?"

So Arlen has the locals' permission to begin training and equipping them as a "Western" military unit. He also demonstrates the creation of a little canoe harbor, and a fort. "See? This is how you can stand against Thoko or a raiding party, protecting your families and treasure. And if the fort bothers you, I can tear it down again later."

{
At this point he's not only made the argument but had Meadow present evidence that it's spirit-sanctioned. Declaring auto-success here. The island rapidly gains:
+The island has a militia trained in "Western style" warfare. (This'll take a little while.)
+A stone fort provides strong defense and protects the islanders' valuables and civilians. (Practically instant, though explaining its use takes a lesson.)
-The people fear imminent war and argue over whether to fight.
}

A day or two later, the islanders have iron weapons and armor and at least a basic notion of tactics.

The practice he conducts is also meant to hearten the people and weaken the island's miasma beast. Meadow begins pushing wind around in the miasma zone, and he rips up chunks of tainted soil and replaces them with fresh earth. The color is different as he makes his way through cursed ground.

[Hardiness save vs. miasma, for him and Meadow. Him: Crit fail. Her: Pass. He must commit Effort.]

He pushes on through the cloying blue fog, though it burns his lungs. He's tougher than this. Meadow coughs but forces herself onward. The villagers lose sight of them in the mist.

And then it comes, congealing into something dripping and many-mouthed. Arlen tells Meadow to run.

{
Call this a Minor Spirit: 5 HD, 5 AC, +5 Attack, d6, 2 Effort.
Arlen activates his Earth-tremor ability and strikes. Miss.
Its attack: Hit for 1.
Meadow chips in, trying to distract and weaken it! INT test for her vs. oh, 7: Pass. Weaken its AC to 7.
Arlen attacks: Hit for 2!
It uses a gift: a fear strike vs. Spirit. Crit fail! Arlen is terrified, and must spend Effort not to flee.
Meadow helps again and Arlen strikes for 1.
It lashes out with some kind of direct spiritual damage strike for d10. Crit fail on the save, 4 damage! (Arlen's at 4/9 HP.)
Meadow and Arlen fail this round. The spirit rolls 1 for tactics for the third time, but it has 2 Effort. A 6 implies spending Effort again but also "drawing on the area's power or nature". Say it spends a turn recharging...
Meadow helps but it's not enough. Monster "savagely assaults the most obvious opponent" but misses.
Miss. Monster: "Do something that serves its purpose even if it's tactically imprudent or pointless." It whips all around, whirling drug plants through the air and exulting in the intense cursed fog.
In the distance the villagers see this battle, and cheer it on. Its AC is worsened for one round.
Arlen misses even with that and Meadow's help. The spirit "uses a gift to boost/heal/empower itself". It grows larger and scarier, boosting its attack to +7.
It attacks: Crit for 3! Arlen's at 1/9!
"Now we run," he says.
He and Meadow flee for their lives. Do they get away without much trouble? G:Y.
}

The villagers are scared, seeing them flee. Arlen quickly tries to reassure them with a smile. "We beat it up! It was a little tough for us today, but we really hurt that thing and now we know what we're doing. You'll see soon."

[CHA test: Pass.]

The villagers don't lose heart from the defeat today...