Solo Tabletop RPG Actual Play – Everspark Part Eight

Read the previous chapter here.

(For our journey to meet up with Korrin’s army, I will create a Spark that represents the journey. It uses a Spark like a countdown clock; with each ray, it will be a stretch of the journey. I will roll for each leg on the Yes/No oracle, asking, “Is there a significant encounter on this stretch?” If the answer is “Yes,” I will roll on a random encounters chart and create a NACHOS for that.

I will also roll on this simple terrain table to determine what the land is like generally around me:

1 – Shoreline
2 – Forest
3 – Grassland/Savannah
4 – Swamp/Marsh)

N – Reaching Korrin’s Army
A – On each No on a Fate Roll or completion of a Threat Spark
C – After each ray
H – Cypress reaches Korrin’s army before they encounter Qazid
O – Cypress reaches Korrin’s army after they encounter Qazid
S – None
Reaching Korrin’s Army – 0/5

Is there a significant encounter on this stretch? 11, Yes
Terrain: Shoreline
Event: Bandits attacking a family of Aquari (waterfolk)

In the Age of Gloaming, long before the Fae came to this plane when the sun first learned to set, the Nightveil Stone was carved from the heart of a fallen star by the ash-masons of the Umbral Court. Legends whisper that they shaped it beneath the eclipse, binding twilight to its core. It was said to grant its bearer dominion over shadow, able to veil armies or shroud entire cities in night. The Stone was gifted to Queen Vespera as tribute, though the ash-masons knew it would bring ruin. Under its power, she ruled for centuries, never aging or dying. But her people grew pale and sickly, their lives flickering like candles. She vanished, leaving behind only the Stone and her hollow throne.  

The goblin scavenger-king, Skrotch the Nimble, found the Stone amidst the ruins of the Umbral Court. He brought it back to Murkspire, where it became the heart of goblin magic. It was guarded for a time by the Shadow-Watchers, who swore oaths to the Stone, their eyes painted with enchanted ash to see in the dark. As the Stone sat in Murkspire, whispers echoed through the shadowed alleys. The Nightveil Stone could open paths to the Netherdark, realms untouched by dawn. It could reveal long-buried secrets and rewrite the boundaries between night and day. 

In time, as war and death ate up life, these stories became fragmented, blurred, and even forgotten. The Stone was found by goblin servants generations later, seeing at some bauble of a long-dead monarch. It was tossed into a vault with the rest of the knick-knacks. Some still remembered its power. A band of thieves. An Umbren named Lyric. Yet it ended up in the hands of Cypress Stonemark, a Capybarian strategist who read that its power could hold the colossal beasts that plagued the land at bay. It wasn’t until yesterday that he saw what the object could do when he seemed to send Lyric to places unknown. The Capybarian has had a sick feeling in his stomach since then.

Cypress and his companions – Hulde, a Gnomish soldier; Demis, an acolyte of The Blooming Creed, and Dothu, a Gnomish guard who quit his job at Kingshold – rode along the north shore on their way to join with the army of Field Commander Korrin, a Draconic on her way to intercept the great beast Qazid Icebreath. They ride single file, the sun rising over the world’s edge to their right. The air is sharp & cold early in the morning. Cypress can see his breath roll up in smoke-like curls. He thinks of his home, Whispering Bay, which Qazid reportedly leveled when he emerged from the sea.

This early morning idyll is broken by sudden cries for help. Cypress raises his head and spots an Aquari family surrounded by men with nets on the beach just below the cliffs the horses walked along. Hulde and Demis glance back at Cypress, who rides at the back of the line. He thinks for a moment. He should just keep moving, there’s such little time. One of the Aquari children screams and sobs as the bandits close in with their nets. He must do something.

N – The Shoreline Bandits
A – Make a Fate Check at each third of the way, advancing on unfavorable events or with failed Skill Checks
C – Only from the second ray onward
H – The bandits get the Aquari in their boat and escape
O – Cypress and friends free the Aquari
S – None
The Shoreline Bandits – 0/5

Cypress tells Demis and Dothu to find a way down to the left; he and Hulde will find one on the right. They need to flank these bandits, just like the bandits did to the poor Aquari. The incline from the ridge to the beach is steep, so it will take all Cypress’s concentration to get down safely.

Skill Roll: 2, very bad
The Shoreline Bandits – 1/5

Cypress tries his best, but his horse loses its footing. Cypress tumbles off into the weeds, and Hulde swings by to check on him. This has drawn the attention of the bandits, who see Demis and Dothu coming. Two of the four bandits take aim with their crossbows. Cypress gets up and finds a stone to toss at them while shouting, hoping it causes them to miss.

Skill Roll: 4, Bad
The Shoreline Bandits – 2/5
Spark Check: 1, success, Hit
Reaching Korrin’s Army – 1/5

Cypress pulls their attention away long enough. An arrow flies through the air and strikes Cypress in the left shoulder. He flips in the air and crashes back down on the ground in pain.

Demis rides up, his sun spear at the ready, and plunges it through one of the bandits, exploding them into glittery pollen-like flakes. The three others are stunned, turn tail, and run towards their boat, rowing away as fast as they can.

(Now, I’ll create a Condition Spark to represent the injury Cypress has received in battle.)

N – Shoulder Wound
A – Roll a quick Fate Check before each character action. On a positive result, gain Leverage and advance the Positive side of the Spark. On a negative result, apply a Drawback and advance the Negative side of the Spark.
C – After an advance on either side
H – (Any of the sides) The wound no longer pains Cypress
O – The pain overwhelms Cypress, and he passes out
S – None

Shoulder Wound

Hulde helps Cypress up and uses her dagger to gently remove the arrow from his shoulder. Demis grows a moss from his limbs and smears it across the wound, an icy poultice that becomes warm in seconds. Dothu and Hulde help Cypress back onto his horse. The Aquari family is incredibly thankful for their help and offers them food: Kelp Wine and Coral Biscuits, spirals of dried kelp paired with small, crunchy biscuits made from ground coral and fish roe. The biscuits crumble easily in the mouth, while the wine has a briny sweetness that leaves a feeling of refreshment. 

Our heroes continue on their way.

Is there a significant encounter on this stretch? 17, yes
Terrain: Grassland/Savannah
Encounter: Quicksand wyrm lurks

The quartet turns inland, crossing through the Sacred Plains, a reasonably even grassland where various herds of animals graze, always on alert for colossal beasts on the hunt. Dothu lets loose a sudden cry. Cypress looks to his side and sees the Gnomish guard’s horse mired in quicksand. A closer look reveals something significant moves inside this considerable pool of shifting earth. They must act quick.

N – Quicksand Wyrm
A – After each successful action or favorable event
C – After each advance
H – Dothu is saved from the quicksand wyrm
O – Dothu is pulled completely under
S – None
Quicksand Wyrm – 0/5

Cypress quickly thinks over the supplies in his and his companion’s packs.

Fate Question: Do the travelers have rope? 16, Yes
Quicksand Wyrm – 1/5
Spark Check: 4, still open

Cypress thinks for a moment. Then he tells Demis & Hulde to hold an end of the rope and see if it will span the circumference of the quicksand pit.

Fate Question: Does the rope stretch that far? 13, Yes
Quicksand Wyrm – 2/5
Spark Check: 3, still open

Cypress tells Dothu to reach up for the rope when it passes overhead, and he will be pulled to safety. He needs not panic, and Cypress will keep talking to him to keep him focused.

Skill Check: 9, OK

Dothu stays calm and when the rope passes overhead, he can reach out and grab it. Demis & Hulde pull him through the sand back to where the horses and Cypress wait. However, the tail of the quicksand wyrm emerges from the shifting ground and swings out over the pit’s edge toward the horses. Cypress rushes to move the horses out of the way.

Condition Fate Check: 18, Gain Leverage – Reduced Risk
Shoulder Wound

Skill Check: 12, OK
Quicksand Wyrm – 3/5
Condition Spark Check: 6, still open

Cypress moves fast, despite the pain, and secures the horses. The tentacles are still out, and the Capybarian realizes his backpack has been left on the ground. These tendrils draw closer as they search for something to pull under. Dothu is almost to the edge where Demis and Hulde can lift them out.

Cypress rushes to grab his pack before the Quicksand Wyrm takes it. He takes a deep breath and makes his move.

Condition Fate Check: 14, Gain Leverage – Higher Tier

Shoulder Wound

Skill Check: 16, Good > 20, Very Good
Quicksand Wyrm – 4/5
Condition Spark Check: 6, still open
Encounter Spark Check: 6, still open

Cypress bears down and makes it to his pack before the wyrm tentacle whips meters away. Not only that but Dothu is also pulled free from the quicksand pit. Demis immediately pulls out his sun spear. He is a Slayer, after all, and he finds pride in slaughtering these horrible monsters that plague the land. Cypress pulls his Inferno Flail, ready to help his comrade drive back this monster.

Condition Fate Check: 16, Gain Leverage – Skip the Roll

Shoulder Wound

Quicksand Wyrm – 5/5
Condition Spark Check: 1, Overturn
Encounter Spark Check: 3, Overturn

Cypress feels the pain in his shoulder fades. From the corner of his eye, he notices the Nightveil Stone softly glow inside his pack. He ignores it for now and brings his flail down as Demis plunges his spear in. The Quicksand Wyrm rears up and crumbles into ash, sinking back into the shifting earth.

The group takes a few moments to rest in the grasslands.

Sigil Check: Fear

Cypress checks his pack. The Nightveil Stone has stopped glowing. He’s no fool. He knows the pain in his shoulder fading must have some connection to this thing. Did he bond with it in some way when he used it? The quicker they can finish this business, the happier he will be. He wants to go back and help rebuild Slumbering Bay. Cypress chooses not to tell his cohorts. Just get to where they need to go.

Reaching Korrin’s Army – 2/5
Terrain: Forest
Encounter: Antlered forest god

The quartet diverges through the forest to the west. Demis certainly seems at home here. Reflexively, the Bloomwalker grows small buds across his branch arms, which bloom into beautiful powder blue flowers. Cypress has read that this is a sign of a Bloomwalker at ease, almost always when they are in a forest. 

Sunlight filters through the thick canopy, casting dappled patterns on the mossy ground as the four riders move in careful silence. Cypress inhales the scent of damp earth and pine. Demis, who has taken the lead on this stretch of the journey, raises a hand to slow the pace. Hulde makes a gesture with her hand, drawing the group’s attention to a copse of trees on the ridge above them. They can also see the shape of a massive deer shifting, following them in parallel.

Fate Question: Does this figure make its intentions known? 9, No.

For now, the many-antlered figure walks quietly alongside them. The soft flora that coats the forest floor makes each step of its hooves imperceptible to the group’s ears. Eventually, they reach the edge of this part of the forest and a glen where they can see how heavy the sun hangs in the evening sky. Cypress believes this will be a good spot to make camp, each of the four taking watch throughout the night. For a brief moment, Cypress sees the antlered figure glimpsing from the thick mass of trees behind them.

Druvahn, the Rootfather. That’s what the old books that Cypress had read called him. He is not native to any one forest in the land but can be found in all of them. The god looms at the edge of the treeline, his towering form blending with the ancient oaks and tangled undergrowth. His many antlers gnarled like the roots of elder trees, stretch wide, adorned with hanging moss, curling vines, and the glimmer of fireflies caught in the dusk. His bark-covered body creaks with slow breath, his moss-covered shoulders rising and falling like the swell of the earth. Deep-set, dark-hollow eyes peer through the shifting shadows. Druvahn’s face is unreadable and ancient, filled with the weight of countless seasons. When he moves, it is with the sound of wind through leaves. Cypress blinks, and he is no longer there.

He cannot tell if this was an omen for good or ill.

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