Let’s Play The Outcast! Part 3: The Forge
Savoro secured a place for the resistance, but he’s now stranded in the island and must fix his skiff if he wants to leave it.
Scene 2
I’ll get some ideas first:
Missions Table: Strengthen, Relationship
This is great! Savoro now has to recruit allies and nurture relationships with exiles and deserter Abyss Watchers.
How populated is this island?
d6: 5 = very populated
There are a lot of discontents here. Makes sense for Savoro choosing the place as the base for the rebellion.
Let’s say it’s a crowded sky port, floating just above the black clouds of the abyss. The docks are full of old ship hulls.
Because it is highly populated, the air is thick with smoke, the smell of drying leviathan meat, and the loud conversations and haggling of deserters, smugglers, and exiles.
They seem used to the daily life, but there’s always some tension on their shoulders, as if something could go wrong at any second.
Savoro wants to recruit a seasoned engineer, Katrin, as his second in command. She would handle the rebellion’s resources, like weapons and the base itself.
But she’s highly distrusting. To even get an audience, someone will need to open the door for Savoro.
So first, he’ll try to convince Orin, an old Abyss Watch elder who used to speak out against the sacrificial pact. For this, he was blinded and cast out.
Meeting Orin: Origin, Destiny
The elder has seen visions about Savoro.
How favorable were they?
d6: 2 = bad
They were visions of terrible augury, indicating that Savoro is a harbinger of doom.
Savoro tries to convince Orin that the ancient ones will sabotage all acts of resistance, doing everything to keep the covenant alive and the sacrifices coming. They are not to be trusted.
Savoro uses his flashes of the future and finesse to plead a case.
Roll: Light 6, Dark 3
Great! Savoro convinces Orin. The elder realizes the sense in his arguments.
He joins the rebellion, and all deserters and exiles with him follow.
Savoro and Orin go down into the lower, rusting rings of the sky port to find the engineer, Katrin.
Sparks: Spirit, Decline
Katrin’s health is deteriorating. The toxic mist from the nearby abyss is ailing her, and she’s exhausted from working alone for months in poor conditions. Her hope for a real rebellion is almost gone.
Despite that, Katrin possesses a fiery spirit. She refuses to bow to the cult elders. She would rather burn her own hangar down than let them take her engines.
As Orin approaches, she locks eyes with Savoro. “Orin,” Katrin starts, but then bends over to cough and spit for several moments. “Why have you brought a cultist to my forge? I can smell the void on him from here. Tell me why I shouldn’t throw him over the edge right now.”
Two henchmen covered in soot leap down from a steam engine they were working on, holding huge spanners, and stand by Katrin’s side.
Orin speaks on Savoro’s behalf, telling her of his powers and his plan to destroy the Abyss Watchers.
Let’s see how this lands:
Roll: Light 2, Dark 5
Oof, not good. Katrin doesn’t wanna hear it. She sends us away and orders the huge men with her to make sure we’re gone.
I’m going for the scene’s climax.
Savoro steps forward. He focus on his connection with the ancient ones, and a vision comes to him. There’s a fracture in the engine’s copper piping they are working on.
“I reek of the void indeed, Katrin, for I have been marked by it. However, that can be used to protect rather than destroy. My will is my own. I am no thrall of the deep. I have paid a high price to be here in front of you, and the rebellion will move forward with or without your skills. My choice is to stand with you, but you must choose as well.“
Scene Resolution Roll: Light 4, Dark 4 = Add or Refresh an Edge
There’s no Check or Taint on the Progress Track, so this should represent a partial success or failure.
Savoro points and warns Katrin of the fracture coming on the engine. She and the henchmen look at it, and soon a fracture snakes across the piping. A shrieking jet of steam hisses out of it.
If they had tightened the valve as they intended, the pressure would have ruptured the boiler, blowing the entire forge.
Katrin throws a heavy leather over the crack to relieve the pressure. The engine groans and falls silent, venting.
”I still don’t trust you, Kingswood. I’ve seen what the ancient ones do to the minds of those they touch. But... you just saved my forge.“
Katrin’s fear of the occult is too deep, and her pride is strong. She is not ready to officially join the rebellion.
Savoro and the others will need to do more to gain her trust.
The henchmen clap Savoro’s shoulder and nod to him, walking away.
While without Katrin’s full cooperation, the rebellion won an important foothold.
New Edge: Friend of the Forge
Savoro started a relationship with Katrin and her followers, and they might help him (with reservations).
The Outcast: A Game of Reputation and Redemption is available on Itch.