Let’s Try Of Blood & Clay! Part 2: Old Flame
Let’s start the playthrough for real!
If we’re starting in a settlement, the book recommends using Ur-Kharsh, a pre-made one. I’m going with that.
There are several hooks, points of interest, and npcs available, but I’m going to ignore those for now. I’m just using Ur-Kharsh as a starting point.
I think it would be more fun to begin with hexploration.
Exploration procedures
Of Blood & Clay has procedural mechanics to generate the overworld via hexes. Let’s see how they work.
Each day of travel is divided into 3 Watches: Day Watch, Dusk Watch, and Night Watch. During each Watch, we choose one Primary Action among Travel, Explore, Forage/Hunt, or Rest.
Maruzhan is searching for relics near Ur-Karsh. Since I’m moving from a settlement, I’ll head straight into a new hex.
Step 1: Hex condition
The first step is to roll a d10 on the hex condition table:
d10: 2 = Encroaching Order. Elythrian worldshapers abound in the area. Gain +1 Divine Corruption if you spend the Watch here.
When Corruption equals WIL + FOR (5 for Maruzhan), we must make a Standard Willpower check. Failing inflicts a permanent Divine Corruption trait from its table.
So the hex is crawling with Elythrians, which makes Maruzhan’s blood boil. But would he risk accruing Corruption?
No, I don’t think so. Maruzhan hunts in the shadows. This much activity makes him wary. He moves on.
I’ve spent one Watch traveling. It’s now the Dusk Watch when I reach an adjacent hex.
Let’s check the condition:
d10: 6 = Clear Path. Normal travel conditions.
Great!
I’ll spend this Watch hunting for blood. There isn’t a table or sub-system for it, so we can just assume we’re successful. However, let me make a quick Nimbleness check for it.
NIM (4) check, Standard: 1, 5, 6, 3 = Success!
With Maruzhan’s thirst sated for the day, night falls.
Step 2: Event
At the end of every Watch, we roll on the Events table:
d6: 1 = Encounter. Roll on the encounters table.
d20: 16 = Bronze Desecrator
Ok, this will NOT be the first combat featured here. This thing is terrifying. I don’t even have an armor yet. Facing that is out of the question.
I don’t see rules for fleeing, only for disengaging during combat, which requires a NIM check with 2 successes per enemy. I’m using that here. Players always go first unless ambushed.
The Talent Living Shadow gives me advantage on hiding and sneaking. I’m including it here:
NIM (4) check, Standard: 5, 3, 5, 5 = Success!
No rerolls necessary!
Maruzhan watched from the shadows as the construct marched across the plains. When it turned its back on him, the Emmaruqi quietly slipped away, unnoticed.
Whew! Let’s continue. Now that it’s night, my next action will be to Explore the hex. Exploring guarantees we discover an adventure site, which we generate using a few tables.
Step 3: Site generation
d10 Site Type: 8 = Canal Junction. A sterile, perfectly straight waterwork engineered by the Elythrians.
d10 Condition and Atmosphere: 1 = Divine Calcification. The area is turning into the Elythrian’s white marble. Spells cast here grant +1 Divine Corruption.
d10 Key Feature: 3 = Active Faction Outpost. Controlled by Emmaruqi mercenaries, Star Gazers, or Namtarash’s cultists. Open to trade, bargaining, or betrayal.
Oh, this is interesting. The area is suffering Divine Calcification, but it’s controlled by a Firstborn faction. Maybe the Elythrians are raiding the site and trying to conquer it. There’s a active battle for control going on.
That also explains the heavy presence of Elythrians in the previous hex. Nice!
I’m going to use the oracle to flesh out the scene.
Is the faction the Emmaruqi? Yes, and...
They’re lead by someone Maruhzan knows!
Ally? Yes, and...
Not only an ally, but someone close. An old flame of his.
d20 Name: 8 = Velamira
What is she doing right now? Defy/Betray, Oasis/Water
She’s figuring out a way to free the canal junction from the Elythrians and undo the calcification.
Is she in combat right now? Yes, and...
What’s up with these oracle rolls?!
She’s injured. Two Elythrians surround her, moving in for the kill.
I’m shooting one from the shadows before engaging the other.
NIM (4) check, Standard: 6, 3, 1, 4 = Success
Maruzhan lets loose from stealth, piercing one of them in the neck. They drop dead.
Does the other one attack me (Likely, +1)? Yes.
Combat
There isn’t a sheet for Elythrians, so I’m using this one as base:
The Elythrian rushes me, brandishing a sharp sword.
Enemy roll their Attack Pool dice. Each result at or above their Attack Rating (4+ for these) is a hit, causing 1 damage. We can mitigate damage with armor, but alas I have none.
Enemy Attack Roll (3d6): 3, 4, 5 = 2 damage
HP down to 4! Maruzhan puts the bow away and draws his long dagger.
To hit the enemy, we must roll at or above their Defense (4+ here). The dagger uses Nimbleness.
NIM (4) Attack Roll: 6, 4, 2, 1 = 2 damage
Quick and fun, right?
The Elythrian nicks Maruzhan (1 damage), but Maruzhan counters with a underhand stab to the throat (4 damage!), felling the enemy.
Per my trait, I recover 1 HP immediately after combat (4 now).
Maruzhan wipes the blade on the Elythrian’s cloak and runs to Velamira. He helps her up, and the two catch up. Let’s say there’s no bad blood between them, they just took different paths.
They’re both surprised to find each other here.
Can she still fight? No.
Is a quick rest enough for her to recover? Yes, and...
Velamira doesn’t need medical attention. A quick rest will be more than enough, as she’s eager to go back into the fray.
I’d offer her some of my rations and water, but as a fellow Emmaruqi, she needs neither. I quickly check the fallen enemies for valuables.
d20 Human Enemy Loot Table: 6 = A waterskin half-full of stale but drinkable water.
13 = Unfired clay tablet in a wooden guard box with a reed stylus.
I’ll say that the clay tablet contains Elythrian orders or reports. I hand it to Velamira, then sit by her side.
Once per day, we can do a Quick Rest, consuming x1 Ration (for those that need it). It lasts 5 minutes and we recover d4 Health.
d4: 2, Health topped up to 6!
She reads the tablet, deep in thought. I ask her if it helps her reclaim the site, and what can I do.
Seduce/Deceive, Blood/Sacrifice
"The Elythrians are obsessive bureaucrats," Velamira said. "They don’t move a single marble block without specific orders. Let’s abuse that."
With the reed stylus, she traced fresh glyphs onto the soft clay surface. "This dispatch now claims you are a mercenary delivering a Firstborn blood-sorceress for ‘purification’."
Her plan was simple: Maruzhan would bind her hands loosely with rope and march her through the front gate as a prisoner. Once they reached the heart of the canal junction, Velamira and her allies would do the rest.
Maruzhan raised an eyebrow. "What is the rest, Vel?"
She smirked. "You’ve grown soft. I’ll do what it takes to drive these bastards away. Will you help or not?"
Maruzhan nodded, and they rose to their feet. She went to share the plan with her warband. They would follow from a distance and had their own orders.
Alright, this is fun! And good enough for a first adventure, right? Let’s follow Velamira’s plan.
I light a torch, bind her wrists with some rope she gave me, and guide her toward the Elythrians with a hand on her shoulder.
We reach the guard post. I show the tablet to the gatekeeper. Let’s make a Presence check:
PRE (4) check, Standard: 4, 2, 2, 6 = Success!
That was close! We’ve done it, though. The guard reads the tablet and waves us through.
Thinking about it now, I could have added another die to that roll. Party members can contribute to checks. We add +1 die per character. In this case, I could interpret it by Velamira selling the prisoner bit, acting and fighting against me, making the bluff more convincing.
In any case, it worked!
At the center of their command post, there were Elythrians everywhere. Maruzhan snarled but kept moving, mind on the task.
The worldshapers chanted in Logeion. Hearing the true name of things made Maruzhan falter. The language of conquest turned the air heavy, as if invisible chains were ready to shackle him.
He gripped Velamira’s shoulder for support, his mouth dry and his heart leaping.
Cool stuff, and I’m going to call it here! Let’s see how the rest of the plan unfolds next time.
This is my hex map so far:
First hex crawling with Elythrians, followed by the contested canal junction in the adjacent hex. Created with Tiled + 2-Minute Tabletop assets.
Since I’m ending the session here, I’ll take the opportunity to go through the XP procedure suggested in the book.
4 hours is a bit much for me as I usually don’t play that long, so I’ll just make that every meaningful session, however long. +1 XP.
Did you travel through at least one hex that you had not visited before?
Yes! +1 XP.Did you discover a new adventure site?
Yes! +1 XP.Were you victorious in combat?
Yes! +1 XP.Did you engage in meaningful roleplaying or interacted with NPCs in a meaningful way (beyond purchasing a new weapon)?
I’d say the interaction with Velamira counts, right? So yes! +1 XP.
+5 XP for Maruzhan. Halfway to Level 2.
Thanks for reading. See you next time!