Zahn stands at the gates of White Stead and once again asks for entry – entry which he is again denied by the pernicious gatekeeper. Battered, hungry, cold and plagued by visions of Hhurn, he bares his teeth and declares that he is no ordinary traveller – he is a Scourge, the sworn protector of the Ironsworn and he demands entry!
Compel: Weak hit: – more is asked.
Laughing at him, the gatekeeper opens the creaking wooden door to the settlement and the settlement’s leader, a weasel-faced man called Vigo states that he must prove himself to be the great Scourge he claims to be by facing off against their Champion, Martu! With aching limbs, Zahn pulls himself to his feet and allows the circle to be drawn…
Draw the Circle: Weak hit: Grant the boon of first strike
Zahn stands with his spear low, in a low pose, waiting – in fact allowing – the giant man before him to come at him first. Martu is a huge, tattooed figure – bare-chested and with legs like tree-trunks. The hefty maul he carries would surely split Zahn’s skull with a clean hit.
Enter the Fray: Miss: Martu is a Troublesome foe but has the initiative
Pay the Price: Something of value is lost or destroyed. (Spear)
The first swing of the maul shatters Zahn’s spear in his hand. He is no skirmisher and his spear is one of hundreds he has borne over the years, but this was the one that killed Hhurn and he feels angered as he casts it aside. Bare-handed it is then!
Clash: Weak hit: Three damage to Martu.
Endure Harm: Weak hit: -1 Health
Zahn dances around the bigger hand who laughs and spits in his direction. His left hand snakes out and smashes the warrior in the face, drawing blood from his nose. Martu responds and jabs Zahn in the stomach with the haft of his maul, doubling him over, coughing and gasping for breath.
Clash: Weak hit: Three more damage against Martu (six total)
Endure Harm: Weak hit: -1 Health
Martu swings his maul up and catches Zahn with a glancing blow to the shoulder, spinning him around and sending him staggering into the crowd at the edge of the circle. They push him back in towards their champion, jeering, only to see Zahn lash out with a kick to Martu’s kneecap, staggering him.
Clash: Strong hit: 6 + 3 (iron) = 9 vs 7, 6.
Martu lashes out again but the huge axe misses by a considerable distance and the momentum of the blow turns Martu, showing his back to Zahn. That is all he needs. A punch to the kidneys and a kick to the back of the knee send the warrior down, and then an arm around the windpipe send his larger foe to sleep…
End the Fight: Strong hit: 4 + 3 (iron) = 7 vs 3, 1.
Zahn turns to the shocked crowd and sees a sea of suspicious eyes. Behind him the groggy figure of Martu rises and Zahn thinks he will be attacked again, but the Champion decrees him to be a great warrior and a friend of Martu – someone who will be treated as Martu would be treated!
Forge a Bond: Weak hit: Martu wants to keep the spear as a souvenir of the time he fought a Scourge!
Sojourn: Strong hit: +2 Health, +2 Spirit
Zahn spends some time in White Stead, nursing his wounds and raising his spirits. He knows he cannot stay here too long, as the Ancient Raptor Spirit is at large, but in his battered state he would be no use to Bleak Frost. He does not waste his time though, despatching Old One Eye to find the beast’s lair to speed the hunt.
Gather Information; Strong hit:
The raptor spirit nests on the peaks of an isolated mountain in the Hinterlands – the Great Horn Peak which overlooks Bleak Frost. Zahn knows the mountain well – he should be able to climb it
Augur: Strong hit: Rampaging Creature threat: Reveal a new aspect of its nature or abilities.
Finally, and to the amazement of the people of White Stead, he summons the Raven Spirits and asks for their counsel on the matter of the raptor. The birds gather, weighing down an old tree with their presence, and tell him that the Spirit is the cause of the harsh winter storms and if it is not defeated the Hinterlands will be consumed by eternal winter!
Armed with that knowledge, Zahn pushes on – in search of a new weapon!
Milestone – 2 progress on Quest.
