Solo Tabletop RPG Actual Play – Everspark Part Nine

Read the previous chapter here

Quick Fate Check: Were there any disturbances during the night?
Answer: 1, definitely not

Quick Fate Check: Is there an encounter on the next stretch of the journey?Answer: 7, no

Reaching Korrin’s Army – 3/5
Spark Check: 4, still open

Not much happens as Cypress and his group traverse the dense forest. He doesn’t mention seeing Druvahn, the Rootfather. He wonders if Demis knew already, due to their connection to the trees and nature. The Bloomwalker doesn’t say if they did or not. 

Quick Fate Check: Is there an encounter on the next stretch of the journey?
Answer: 5, no

Reaching Korrin’s Army – 4/5
Spark Check: 4, Closed

The air hangs thick with the scent of damp earth. Cypress catches the acrid bite of oiled steel as he guides his horse through Field Commander Korrin’s war camp. Demis, Hulde, and Dothu, form a line behind him, riding slowly. The sky is swollen with clouds that threaten rain. They hold their burden for now. Cold wind whips through the valley. Fires gutter low in shallow pits, struggling against the stiff breeze, while the rhythmic clang of a hammer on steel echoes from a distant tent forge.

Soldiers from all walks of life trudge through the muddy paths between rows of worn tents. Armor dulled by grime faces hollowed by exhaustion. A group of burly orcs and broad-shouldered dwarves stand by a pile of stripped-down weapons. They sharpen blades and mend splintered hafts. Nearby, an elf with sunken eyes mutters a quiet prayer while stitching up a nasty gash on the arm of a grimacing halfling scout. A trio of gnomes sit hunched over a crude map drawn in the dirt, murmuring amongst themselves.

As Cypress rides past, some look up from their work, eyes filled with wary curiosity or dull indifference. A few soldiers nod in acknowledgment, while others, too weary to care, merely return to their tasks. A grizzled infernal mercenary leans against a wagon wheel, sharpening a long dagger. Her curled horns catching the weak light. She gives you a slow once-over before spitting into the mud. 

Closer to the command tent, discipline becomes more evident. The guards outside Korrin’s quarters, hulking draconic clad in battle-scarred plate, stand rigid. Their golden eyes track Cypress’s crew with silent scrutiny. Beyond them, the tent looms, larger than the others, its canvas stained with the marks of war and weather. 

NPC: Field Commander Korrin
Ancestry: Draconic  |  Disposition: Director – someone in charge who organizes people and resources

Inside the command tent, Field Commander Korrin’s bronze-scaled hands move efficiently, gesturing to maps, documents, and messengers as she directs the camp’s operations. She doesn’t sit—there’s no time for that. She stands over a broad wooden table covered in maps weighed down by daggers, stones, and half-drained tankards of lukewarm tea.

Her golden eyes flick between her officers and scouts as they give reports. A grizzled half-orc tactician is mid-sentence when Korrin cuts him off, redirecting him to deliver his findings to a waiting scribe. “I want those casualty numbers on my desk before sundown,” she says, turning to a weary elven quartermaster. “And get the supply caravans moving. We’re running thin, and I won’t have soldiers collapsing before they reach the front.”

Messengers dart in and out like bees to a queen, each one delivering hastily scribbled notes or murmuring quiet confirmations before being sent back out with fresh orders. A dwarven engineer unrolls a blueprint of a defensive structure, and before he can launch into an explanation, Korrin has already grasped the key details. “Fine. Get me two squads to help you dig in before nightfall. Take whoever isn’t on patrol rotation.”

She glances up as Cypress enters, taking his measure with a brief but piercing look. One of her lieutenants starts to speak, but she lifts a hand to silence them. “Good, you’re here.” She doesn’t waste time with pleasantries. “I was told you hold a message from Lugal Apogee. Let’s see it.” 

Korrin’s eyes quickly scan over the letter, arching a brow at the end. “Well, thank you for the message, Mr. Cypress. At first light, we’ll move out to make camp at the base of the Whispering Mountain. But tonight, we face Dreadmaw.”

Stories from the survivors of past encounters say Dreadmaw moves like a living landslide: slow but unstoppable, with a body of jagged, stone-plated hide, thick, armored legs that churn through the earth, a segmented, ridged carapace that bristles with jagged spines, and a head like some abyssal predator, its maw a cavernous pit lined with interlocking fangs the length of a grown man’s arm. Though nearly blind, the Dreadmaw hunts by sound and vibration, its senses so acute that even a heartbeat can draw its attention if one stands too close. When it roars, the very ground quakes.

The camp prepares. Ballistae are reinforced, their bolts tipped with alchemical fire. Mages etch runes into stone anchors, hoping to bind the beast’s legs before it can trample their defenses. If the Dreadmaw is not stopped here—at this valley, with this army—there may not *be* a next sunrise at all.

(This is an excellent opportunity to make a layered Spark. Darkmaw is the central Spark, and layered on top is Stone-Plated Hide. That second Spark must be completed before I can handle Darkmaw.)

N – Darkmaw
A – Make a Fate Check at each third of the way, advancing on unfavorable results or with failed Skill Checks
C – Only from the second ray onward
H – Darkmaw decimates Korrin’s forces, leaving them unable to fully protect Cypress on his journey
O – Darkmaw is defeated, providing a morale boost to Korrin’s forces
S – None
Darkmaw – 0/5

N – Stone-plated Hide
A – After each successful action or favorable event toward breaking through the hide
C – After each advance
H – Darkmaw’s stone-plated hide is broken, allowing for a more significant attack
O – Darkmaw’s hide remains intact, making Darkmaw impossible to defeat
S – None
Stone-Plated Hide – 0/5

Cypress is briefed and decides to lend his strategic know-how to the battle against Darkmaw. He offers this idea: have as large a mass of soldiers march in an area as possible to vibrate the ground. The Capybarian believes this will draw Darkmaw to them. Having Darkmaw in the area of their choice will help defeat him more efficiently. 

Quick Fate Check: Does this plan draw Darkmaw to them?
Answer: 18, yes

The earth trembles. Then, the tremors deepen, growing into violent, bone-rattling shakes. Soldiers brace themselves, gripping weapons and shields, while horses rear and whinny in panic.

Then, with a deafening crack, the ground erupts.

A massive chasm splits open at the center of the battlefield. A monstrous shape surges forth from the depths, a tidal wave of armored flesh and raw destruction. Dreadmaw has arrived, shedding the debris as it heaves its colossal body upward. Each plate of its hide is the color of scorched iron, scarred from countless battles. Clawed forelimbs, thick as siege pillars, gouge into the earth, dragging its massive bulk from the depths as its hind legs churn the ground to pulp. 

Then comes the roar, a shockwave of raw fury that blasts outward, sending dust and loose rock flying in all directions. For a moment, the battlefield is consumed by sheer chaos. Soldiers clutch their ears, banners whip violently in the displaced air, and even the ballistae groan on their foundations.  

Its eyes emerge from the dust, twin pits of molten orange that smolder beneath the thick ridges of its skull. 

Cypress’s plan continues as he nods to Korrin, and she has the arches shoot flaming arrows. They signal the anchor bearers to make their thunderous ride past the monster’s legs, tangling the chains around them and, hopefully, anchoring Dreadmaw to one spot.

Skill Check: 15, Good

Dozens of riders move as one, a whirlwind of galloping hooves and flashing steel. The enchanted chains, their dark metal etched with glowing runes, trail behind them, kicking up dust as they race toward their monstrous quarry. Dreadmaw thrashes, but the riders are quick, disciplined, and fearless.

A half-orc lancer leads the charge, gripping the heavy chain in one gauntleted fist while guiding his warhorse with his knees. “Now!” he bellows. On his call, an elven rider matches his pace on the opposite side, their cloak snapping like a banner in the wind. They veer toward the beast’s front legs, banking hard as the Dreadmaw slams one colossal limb down.

The half-orc and elf dart between its steps, twisting and looping the enchanted chain around the monstrous leg. The moment the loop is in place, a gnomish spellcaster, clinging to the back of another rider, chants a command word, and the runes blaze white-hot. The chain snaps taut, locking into place as the magic binds to the beast’s thick hide.

They need more.

From the opposite flank, a human rider and a scaled draconic knight ride toward the beast’s hind legs, the second enchanted chain trailing behind them like a metal serpent. The riders do not falter. Timing is everything.

At the last second, the draconic knight swings down from his saddle, boots barely skimming the ground as he loops the chain around the beast’s ankle before hauling himself back up. The human rider, gripping the other end, flicks her reins and urges her steed into a full-speed gallop, pulling the chain tight before the beast can step free.

Another surge of magic pulses through the links. The runes ignite. The chain locks. The Dreadmaw stumbles, its massive weight shifting as the bindings hold strong. For the first time, the behemoth is contained.

The riders don’t stop moving, circling wide, avoiding the flailing tail and thrashing limbs. Behind them, the ground teams with soldiers who rush forward, hammers and stakes in hand, ready to drive the enchanted anchors deep into the earth. 

Stone-Plated Hide – 1/5
Spark Check: 4, still open

Cypress remembers how he sketched the plan out in Korrin’s tent. Now that the anchors are secured, the ballistae will fire. Their cold iron spears should begin to break away Dreadmaw’s nearly impenetrable stone hide.

(I will say I am rolling with Leverage. The anchors ensure that Dreadmaw can’t move too much to avoid being hit. If successful, I will have Increased Effect as a result.)
Skill Check: 20, Very Good – goal achieved plus more

The signal horn blares. In an instant, the prepared ballista crews unleash their deadly payload. Cold iron spears slice through the air with a sound like ripping canvas. The runes carved into their shafts glow a faint, icy blue.

The first spear strikes home, slamming into the Dreadmaw’s armored hide like a battering ram. Instead of glancing off like lesser weapons, the cold iron bites deep, piercing between the ridges of its stony plating. A deafening roar erupts from the beast, shaking the air around them.

Then, the second spear lands. Then, the third.

Each strike is perfect, aimed at the weaker points along the beast’s limbs, joints, and exposed underbelly. The enchanted chains had already slowed the beast, but now the ballistae have drawn blood, thick and black, spilling from fresh wounds onto the battered earth. The cold iron burns as it sinks deeper, its very presence sapping the Dreadmaw’s monstrous vitality.

The ground-shaking steps of the unstoppable beast now stagger.

A moment of hope surges through the army for the first time since the battle began. Cheers ring out from soldiers on the perimeter. Even the weary, the wounded, the ones who had doubted—they see it now. The Dreadmaw is not invincible. It can bleed. It can hurt.

But the beast is far from beaten.

With a thunderous bellow, the Dreadmaw thrashes against its restraints, its rage burning hotter than ever. The chains groan under the pressure, the anchors buried deep into the earth, straining against its colossal strength. It lurches forward, not yet free, but not yet broken either. And now, it fights angry.

Stone-Plated Hide – 2/5
Spark Check: 1, closed

Dreadmaw’s stony hide is shattered. The cold iron spears pulse with deep, old fae magicks that turn what was once seen as unbreakable into falling pieces of debris. The massive rat-like body of Dreadmaw is revealed beneath. Now, the real fight begins.

To be continued…