Rusty Dagger - Cursed in Iron

This is a scenario I wrote myself based on a Conan story. I have tried to make this adventure with more choices like a choose your own adventure novel rather than locking the adventurers into a linear path.

Several of the events can happen in a different order or location depending on the outcome of the players choices and the success or failure of the narrative challenges.

After Arzag's experience with the Cult of Dagon Arzag joins up with a mercenary company. Unfortunately, the commander backs the wrong side in a civil war and the mercenaries are shattered. Survivors fleeing the battle are ruthlessly ridden down and killed. Those captured alive are killed a variety of hideous ways. Arzag is one of the few to evade capture by hiding in a swamp. Days of hiding in mud up to his eyeballs and eating raw frogs and roots is getting to him. (The fantasy equivalent of no beer and no TV).

Arzag has found a boat and is waiting for nightfall before rowing out across the great lake. When he hears sounds of someone approaching. He ducks back into cover just in time.

Arzag observes see a young woman emerge through some nearby reeds. She looks terrified, here clothes are torn and seem unsuited to travel through the outdoors.

A man rides up behind her and dismounts. You recognise the man as the leader of the army that destroyed your unit and murdered many of your friends.

He grabs the woman and tries to drag her back to his horse waiting nearby. At this point Arzag could chose to keep hiding or to try and gain revenge on his enemy.

Never one to let a good enemy go to waste, Arzag emerges from cover. The man looks at you, “I thought we had killed all you dogs” Hi draws his sword and advances. You must now battle Shah Amurath.

The Shah is wearing armour whereas Arzag is only wearing swamp mud for protection.

Round 1

Arzag activates Primal Rage, then drinks his Ironskin potion and moves up.

He then draws the third activation, this is not great because it will give the opposition the next three actions and they can move in and start swinging.

Arzag moves back behind the tree.

The Shah moves up twice and then lunges with his sword but, this misses 6-10.

Round 2

Arzag strikes with a Heavy Blow 9-3 and then parries the return swing 11-11

The Shah then misses 8-12

Arzag hits with a pair of Heavy Blows, 11-8 and 10-7, both of these succeeding due to rerolls from primal rage.

The Shah not to be outdone hits back with a heavy blow of his own 10-5, the Ironskin potion blocks 1 but this is enough to cancel Primal Rage.

Round 3

The Shah misses 10-12 then hits with another heavy blow 10-8 but misses his last strike 5-9

Arzag then misses 10-12 and then chops down his foe with a crunching strike 7-3.

The Shah is rolling 2D8 for his action dice vz Arzag's 2d6+3 so it's a pretty even fight. 

Arzag rifles the Shah's pockets and finds 5 wealth, he also gains one SP for defeating the dangerous enemy.

Arzag took 3 damage in that battle with one stopped by his Ironskin potion

The womans runs over and begs to go with Arzag so she is not left for the Shah's men. Arzag agrees and gains the companion Olivia.

They set off rowing across the lake. They see an island and decide to pull in there to rest for a while.

Arzag is able to pass the survival check to find fruits nuts and fresh water to regain some strength. this allows him to heal 2 wounds.

Much of the island is covered in forest, while walking through a glade ad huge stone bolder comes crashing through the branches. Arzag just managed to dodge out of the way Agility score of 10 vs the target of 8.

Examining the thicket Arzag passes a wisdom check to recognize the prints of a giant carnivorous ape. Knowing that the apes are creatures of the forest Arzag is determined to find somewhere out of the forest to camp for the night.

Arzag decides to camp in some ruins. Olivia is not keen and thinks the architecture is creepy.

During the night Olivia has nightmares and wakes, screams and runs out of the ruins. Arzag and Olivia spend the rest of the night on the bluff overlooking the beach.

(that could have gone very differently and very badly...)

The next morning Arzag and Olivia have time for a quick breakfast of fruit and nuts (sounds like a cereal advert) before they observe a galley beaching itself. A ragtag crew disembark.

"Pirates!" 

The Priate crew find Arzag's row boat and drag it aboard their galley.

"Now they know someone is here and that we can't escape." "Wait here, I'm going to go and talk to them."

The Pirates are startled to see Arzag emerge from the brush. The pirates respond with blistering oats and a rattle of weapons.

"Wait friends I want to join your brotherhood!"

The Captain pushes through the crew "If you want to join you have to get past me!"

The crew spread out and form a ring to surround the two combatants.

Round 1

Arzag activates primal rage

The Pirate Captain bellows and charges forward

Arzag loops around the crates and strikes 14-10

The Pirate Captain strikes back 11-9 

Arzag strikes with a heavy blow 11-9

Round 2

Both combatants are battered and bloody but the pirate captain is looking desperate, He redoubles his efforts. He hits 9-8 and 7-5 ouch!

Arzag then retaliates with two heavy blows 12-7 and 13-10. Arzag's sword slides out of the Pirate Captain's body as he slumps to the sand.

"What say you lads! I have defeated your captain in a fair fight, by the laws of the brotherhood that makes me your captain!"

Arzag passes the Candor test with a 9 and the crew agree.  "Aye you are our captain!" 

"Swear by the hilt lads!"

"We swear you are our captain!" a forest of hilts are raised to the sky.

The crew need to get fresh supplies and water for the ship and Arzag needs to go back and get Olivia.

Arzag tells them where he found food and water and some of the pirates break out bows to hunt for meat. Arzag says not to go deep into the forest. The Pirates not being the most disciplined (thats why they are pirates) break out casks of ale and set up camp in the ruins.

Arzag climbs back up to the top of the bluff and greats Olivia. With a big smile on his face, he tells her that he is now the captain of a pirate crew and that she can come with him on further adventures. Faced with the choice of going with Arzag or staying alone on the island it's not much of a choice. She smiles "Why not, it's got to be better than where I came from."

Suddenly a huge shape climbs to the edge of the clearing. It's the Carnivorous Ape, driven by hunger to attack in the open.

Round 1

Olivia screams and runs back behind a rock. (an entirely sensible reaction)

Arzag moves and drinks his Ironskin potion.

The Ape charges forward bounding on all fours.

Arzag dodges the ape's first attack by millimetres 10-10

The Ape then smashes Arzag with a Heavy Blow 15-10

Arzags return strike misses  12-16

Round 2

the Ape misses 11-14, thats a double 6 for defence from Arzag

The next attack misses 7-10

Arzag hits with a Heavy Blow 14-10

The Ape Grabs Arzag with its huge paws 8-6

Arzag struggles to find room to use his weapon and misses 10-16, then strikes 13-7

At this point Arzag is down to 9 Health and the Ape is on 6. So, I need to land 3 successful heavy blows before the Ape hits me 5 times.

Round 3

This gets off to a good start,

Arzag Heavy Blows the Ape 9-7 and 12-9

The Ape strikes back 11-8

The Ape then misses 6-10

Arzag then ends the fight by sinking his blade into the Ape's torso right to the hilt. 9-5.

It's hideous vitality finally overcome the Ape sinks to the ground.

Prologue

Arzag and Olivia scramble down to the ship to await the return of the crew. Suddenly they hear shouts and screams from the direction of the ruins. 

"Thats what I saw in my nightmare"

Arzag and Olivia get on board the galley.

The surviving crew come running up looking back fearfully. Some are torn and battered or bearing other injusries.

"Cast off me harties!"

The crew get the galley afloat.

"Where to Captain?"

"I'm parched, where can we go to get a drink? "

Arzag gets another 10 wealth and a third Skill Point. Thats 20 Wealth and 3 skill points. Arzag also gains Olivia as a companion, she might not be good at sword fighting but is quite knowledgeable in other areas.

With the wind filling the sail the ship races off looking for a beachfront bistro.

Those combat encounters were pretty tough. Arzag finished the Adventure with only 7 of his 15, health remaining. He does go up to 5th level and picks up the skill Crushing Attack, just the thing to finish off an opponent with odd numbered health.