This is one of hopefully many posts detailing my solo play through of the game Ironsworn by Shawn Tomkin. If any of you are curious about the game, you can get a copy for yourself FREE at www.ironswornrpg.com/. You can view all previous sessions of this play through at typhosgames.com/index.php/tag/ironsworn/.
A Lonely Troll
As Lona’s bubbly laughter faded out into the darkness, she looked around and assessed her surroundings. The slippery, lichen covered rocks formed a thin shore on this side of the river, and the only foreseeable path forward was a thin crack in the near wall. Lona scrabbled on all fours over to the thin crack, hoping beyond hope to see sunlight or hear birds. This was not to be. More darkness lay ahead of her, and so Lona was forced to grit her teeth and shoulder through the musty, humid air to find her way.
After a few twists and turns in the thin passageway, Lona heard a strange noise coming from up ahead. The crackling of a fire, and a low, growling voice could be heard echoing through the stone tunnel. Lona rushed forward, praying she would find a friendly face at the source.
Instead, she is greeted by the largest, hairiest back she has ever seen. A tall humanoid, wearing nothing but a leather loincloth, was seated with its back to her and stirring what appears to be a large cast iron pot. Its low voice grumbled in sobs and broken speech, “hmm, but this is home. Why Moga leave when this is home? Why must Moga leave poor Gnash alone?”
The giant’s words did not sound like the common tongue, though Lona could understand every word the man was saying. Tentatively, for she had never seen a troll before, Lona stepped forward and addressed Gnash directly. “Gnash,” she called out in a voice that was not her own, “why do you cry so?”
The great man stumbled backward in surprise, nearly knocking himself into the pot of stew he was cooking over the roaring fire. “Little human! In my house! And it speaks! Why is the little human speaking?”
“Please Gnash,” Lona sobbed, “I mean you no harm. Tell me what troubles you and perhaps I can help!”
The troll looked down at his stump of a left arm and broke out into sobs again. “My Moga left me,” he wept. “She says Gnash is too broken for husband. Went to some city named Redhall to find better mate.”
“Redhall?! You should go after her Gnash! Win your woman back. Show her you are a capable warrior, and that you braved the wilds of the Ironlands to win her affection. Surely she will love you then! I need to go to Redhall as well, so we can go together!”
The troll’s face brightened at the thought. “You come with?”
“Of course!” Lona said. Seeing the chance for a huge bodyguard that no bandits would dare to mess with, she rushed around between Gnash and his pot of stew to claim his attention. “I’m going that way and it will be good to have some companionship.”
“Companionship? From a human? Bah. Gnash is going to Redhall alone. Although…” Gnash said as he put his good hand to his lice-ridden stubble, “humans make good snacks and I may be hungry on the road.”
“Yes! I can cook!” Lona said, desperate to have this giant man’s protection. “I can make all sorts of things: meat pies, thick soups, roasted animals…” her voice trailed off as she caught the look from Gnash’s eyes.
“Those too hard. Tasty road snack right here already!” Gnash roared as he grabbed for his axe and swung at the unguarded Lona.
Quick as a flash, Lona dove behind the iron pot. The ring of metal on metal cascaded through the tiny room as chunks of boiling soup splashed all across the floor. Thankfully the impact had knocked the axe out of Gnash’s fist, so Lona tries to seize her opportunity. With both feet firmly planted on the soft ground, she heaved with all her might against the support holding up the iron pot. If she could douse him in it, maybe he would be too busy to chase her out of the cave!
Before she could finish her thought, let alone knock over the iron pot, Lona felt a heavy fist grab the back of her tunic. Struggling to get away, she was lifted brusquely off the ground and hung, dangling a few feet in front of the troll’s scarred and pitted face.
“Little snack is squirming! Makes it even more fun when they bones crack,” laughs Gnash as he starts pulling Lona towards his gaping mouth. Screaming in terror and effort, Lona twists and jerks. In a sudden movement she yanks the iron dagger out of her boot and stabs Gnash in the wrist.
Howling in pain, the giant drops Lona four feet onto solid stone. Winded and dazed, Lona manages to pull herself to her feet and sees the troll staring at his wrist, which was sizzling and burning from the wound. Lona glanced down at her dagger just as Gnash charged forward, hoping to catch her unawares.
Lona was ready for him this time. As the lumbering behemoth swiped at her, Lona slipped between his legs and ran her knife cleanly across the giant’s achilles tendon. She went for a second swipe at the other leg and left a huge gash across the troll’s hamstring. Gnash stumbled to the ground, howling in pain and rage, and turned to face Lona again.
“Let me go, now, and I won’t cut you anymor… OOF,” Lona wheezed as the brutish man pounced on her with unnatural speed. Before she could react Lona was pinned to the wall by a massive fist, and could swear that her ribs were going to crack.
“I will eat your fingers, one at a time, while you stand there and watch me…” the troll was shouting, spittle flying from his mouth and nose and tears streaming from his eyes, when a bright flash of light spun through the air. Before either combatant knew what had happened, Gnash collapsed to the floor with Lona’s knife sticking out of his eye.
Lona collapsed, panting, against the hard stone wall. She stared, mouth agape, at the result of her knife for many seconds before turning sideways and vomiting all across the cave floor. Her bile mixed with the splashes of stew, creating a pungent, slick mess across a large swath of stone.
Picking herself up, Lona walked over to the troll’s corpse and wrenched her knife out of the monster’s eye socket. She wiped it off as best she could, and stuck the still sticky weapon back in her boot. She would definitely need to wash it off the next time she found a stream.
Lona looked around the room for the first time since entering. She realized that Moga must have been wrong about Gnash; he was an excellent provider. Multiple deer carcasses hung to bleed in a corner, and barrels of fish and mushrooms stood against the far wall. Lona’s stomach growled at the sight, and she rushed forward to investigate the food. Most of it was too big for her to carry, or would spoil too quickly, but she was able to find some deer jerky that Gnash had dried and the mushrooms would last a good while. Lona filled her pack with food, thankful for the good fortune. She also grabbed a small trout for dinner that evening, since it was getting late and a nice trout would be a pleasant reward for all the troubles she had endured over the last few days.
Lona shouldered her pack and made her way through Gnash’s cave toward the other side. Before she even realized it, a boulder stood before her with thin rays of sunlight peeking out from around the stone’s edges. Lona heaved against the heavy rock and was only able to roll the boulder a foot or so, but it was enough. Her slender frame managed to squeeze through the thin gap, and Lona found herself a quarter mile away from the bridge and on the opposite bank. The rays of the setting sun shone directly in Lona’s face as she surveyed the scene. The glittering snow of the night before scattered the reds and oranges of the sunset into brilliant colors, and Lona finally felt like she had proved her competence.
Resting indoors seemed much better than her ordeal the night before, so Lona gathered some firewood and headed back into the cave to make camp. With her fish roasting over a crackling fire, Lona sat, stitching up her ripped pack and wondering about the future. A soft tapping from around the fire made Lona look up, and she saw a black raven standing on a small rock. The raven cocked its head at her and stared with two, milky-white eyes. Lona was curious, but the raven did not seem threatening. Lona tossed the raven some scraps from her trout dinner (at which the bird cawed delightedly) and turned to sleep, contented and, for the first time, hopeful about her chances of surviving this inhospitable wasteland.
Game Mechanics
Denizen Oracles – Gnash the Troll – Cruel, Disabled, and Connected – Goal is to travel somewhere
Soon after, she sees light ahead. Rushing forward, she stumbles headfirst into a troll cave. The mighty gnash stands at the intrusion, his hulking frame nearly four feet taller than Lona’s slight build. Lona notices his missing arm and massive axe immediately as Gnash walks up to her. Gnash wants to know why human has entered his cave, and Lona explains that she’s lost and trying to get to Redhall.
Compel Gnash to travel with her to Redhall – Heart – Miss
Gnash says that he wants to visit his family, who live near Redhall. Lona says “Hey, we should travel together!” Gnash thinks it would be better if Lona were a snack for the road, and swipes at her. Begin combat – Gnash is Dangerous
Enter the Fray – Wits – Weak Hit
Lona isn’t quite ready for the rushing troll, but she manages to duck behind a heavy iron pot as Gnash swings his huge axe and rings the side of the pot. +2 momentum
Secure an Advantage – Iron – Miss
Lona attempts to push the pot over onto the troll’s foot, but she isn’t strong enough to push it. Instead, the troll reaches over and grabs Lona by the shirt and picks her up off the floor!
Face Danger – Edge – Strong Hit
Lona wriggles and squirms and manages to get a hold of her knife. She slashes at Gnash’s wrist, who howls in pain and drops Lona to the ground. +1 momentum
Strike – Strong Hit
Before the Troll can react, Lona rushes in with her knife and slashes at the creature’s ankles. 3 harm!
Strike – Weak Hit
Lona attempts a swipe at the other leg, but now Gnash has turned to face her and she can only get off a blow to his leg. 2 harm.
Secure an Advantage – Shadow – Miss
Lona attempts to fake left to confuse the monster, but she slips on the stone ground and gets slammed to the wall by Gnash’s heavy backhand. -2 health
Endure Harm – Strong Hit
Lona somehow shakes off the massive hit, and without thinking throws her dagger at the troll’s face.
End the Fight – Strong Hit
The dagger flies and sticks straight through Gnash’s eye. The troll drops like a 2 ton sack of potatoes.
Resupply – Weak Hit
Lona spends some time catching her breath, and rummages around through the troll’s cave looking for useful supplies. +2 supply, -2 momentum. Lona sneaks further through the cave, hoping that there aren’t any more trolls lurking around.
Delve the Depths – Shadow – Strong Hit
Not only does Lona get tantalizingly close to the surface, but this cave is well protected, and could be an exceptionally good place to make camp tonight!
Locate your Objective – Strong Hit
We escaped! Lona is going to go back and make camp in that cozy room a ways back to avoid the cold.
Make Camp – Weak Hit
Recuperate +1 health.