Betrayal at Dunmouth Castle - Solo Play Report
This was two sessions played in January of 2024, after I had been experimenting with solo games for a while. I had originally posted this on Reddit, so I decided to keep it mostly intact.
You can also see echoes of what would become And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow in there.
Setting and Banter
Recently I got the idea of playing a game with "weekly turns", and this sub directed me towards Iron Valley, an Ironsworn hack that is meant to emulate Stardew Valley / Harvest Moon type games.
I'm not so big on Stardew Valley, but I am big on Pendragon, which takes place annually. So I decided to do an experiment: what if I play a normal game of Ironsworn but each move takes about a week of in-game time? Plus a couple moves nabbed from Iron Valley to make things work fine?
I didn't like my previous experience with Ironsworn, I struggled to get anything out the door and felt like my brain was turning to baby food, but I had played in the standard Ironsworn setting, which I don't really like. I'm not a gritty person, I like the pomp and pageantry, so this time I went with "Pretty Much The Once and Future King" as a setting, which is how I usually run my Pendragon games. This is the country of Gramarye in the golden days, where knights in shining armour pranced around to try and help everyone as best they can. Well, most of them... okay, some of them did.
Our Guy
Sir Paleset Huddersford, or Sir Paleset de Helibrec in proper styling, a young lad of 19 who's just inherited half of the estate from his father. His uncle, Sir Norgibor, got the other half due to an agreement they both had in life. Paleset is pretty hearty and charismatic (Heart +3) but can tell a lie and backs his words with his sword (Shadow and Iron +2). While not stupid, he never found much use in books, and he's never needed to be fast (Wits and Edge +1).
For his Background Vow I went with "Learn to let go". This is another experiment, though it doesn't come up in this session: I wondered what would happen if I put a character arc as a vow, so something you rarely act upon.
His bonds are with his manor (Helibrec), his family (in the person of his mother and uncle), and his suzerain, Lord Dunmouth, or the Duke Dunmouth. His assets are Banner-Sworn, Empowered, and Honorbound; I was tempted to change Honorbound for a combat talent, but I figure a knight is defined chiefly by his ideals rather than how he can hurt people.
With all that set, I started it without an inciting incident, I simply decided I'd either wait for schemes to happen as a result of my moves (mainly Forge a Bond), but I also put in a 1-in-6 Event Die which I rolled every week where I wasn't otherwise engaged, just to account for the unaccountable.
The Game
Our session takes place over the first four weeks of Early Spring. Paleset spent his winter mourning his father and learning the ropes of the manor with the bailiff.
Week IÂ - Spent in the Duke's court, currying favour.
🎲 Root Around, Strong Hit, 2 favours. (Root Around is a move from Iron Valley where originally you gather resources that can then be gifted to people to gain favour, which can then be used to call for help. I turned this from "resources" to mean something a bit more abstract.)
Event Die: 1
While there, Paleset stumbles upon a conspiracy. [🎲"Destroy Vow"] One night while walking around the garden he overhears a pair of shadowy figures discussing framing another vassal - one Sir Effloras Brinwall - for treason. He quietly swears to himself that this deed cannot go by [🎲 Swear Iron Vow, Matched Miss, "Break War"].
Sir Paleset considers going directly to Sir Effloras with the conspiracy, but this would be foolish: Sir Effloras is almost in open rebellion, one misstep would definitely bring war to Dunmouth. He grimly presses on and thinks on his next move.
Week IIÂ - First things first, Paleset decides to try and learn the identity of the conspirators through careful investigation and questioning people as to where they were the other day, checking their alibis, etc.
🎲 Gather Info, Weak Hit, "Fortify Trade"
Paleset eventually narrows down at least one of them: a local burgher and guildmaster called Leonard Herleston, a very influential figure whose motivation seems to hinge on Sir Effloras being a nail in his shoe. With Effloras gone, he could potentially make the duchy (and himself) even richer... which doesn't help to narrow down who could be his co-conspirators.
Paleset is conflicted on what to do with this information and spends the rest of the week thinking about it and convening with his mother about the right thing to do.
[🎲 "Defend Duty"] His mother urges him to do his duty as a knight and uphold his oath: where there is injustice, it shall be mended. Paleset makes up his mind about going to the duke with this information, and so an audience is scheduled.
Week IIIÂ - Before this, though, Sir Paleset needs witnesses to break Herleston's alibi. One is his attendant, Richard Kydwelly, who took notice of the leave of his master that same night. Paleset spends the whole week trying to snag him away from his master and try to incite him to rebellion, since he can't see a clear path to convince him through more urbane means.
🎲 Compel, Strong Hit
Sir Paleset seems to inspire fieriness in this man, Mr. Herleston apparently mistreats him constantly and so he's willing to do anything to bring him down. He agrees to testify against him before the Duke.
Week IVÂ - Leonard Herleston's plan is yet to reach completion. He seems to be looking for an opening, and the upcoming Easter feast in about a month would provide a good occasion for that. Paleset can't allow this, and so he takes the audience with the Duke and summons Herleston's man too, putting his entire loyalty in trying to convince the duke to do something about this. Sir Effloras is attending, as well as Mr. Herleston, looking cool and collected, but Paleset is acutely aware that a misstep here could very well start a little war.
🎲 Compel, Matched Strong Hit (LOL! I was fully expecting it to go extremely south)
Fortunately, however, Paleset's proof and conviction both seem ironclad. The entire room gasps as Mr. Herleston loses his cool and is immediately nabbed by the duke's guard. The duke seems pleased by this, and everything seems to be going right. Paleset sighs contently as the month-long investigation is put behind him.
🎲 Fulfill Vow, Weak Hit
At this moment, however, the duke's herald barges in yelling. Lord Dunmouth demands silence of the crowd and commands the herald to speak.
"It is Sir Falqueres Brinwall, sire! He has stolen away to the forest!"
And there is the other co-conspirator: Sir Effloras' own son. His own father's content seems to be turned to ashes in his mouth as he takes the shoulder of one of his squires for support.
Going on instinct, and taking advantage of the silence in the room, Sir Paleset bows his head slightly and says that his investigation is yet to be concluded, and begs leave of his liege to bring Sir Falqueres to justice.
🎲 Swear Iron Vow, Weak Hit
Lord Dunmouth waves his hand in agreement and officially proclaims Sir Falqueres outlawed and stripped of his title. Sir Paleset darts to the stables only to find that Sir Falqueres has been gone for a little while now, and thus can't be chased. Sir Paleset mounts his horse and departs for the forest, unsure about what to do next but praying that he might be able to be back in time for Easter.
My Thoughts
I'm not entirely sure if the weekly structure will work completely, as there aren't many actions that can be justified with a zoomed out approach like this, but I'm willing to bend it here and there. Besides, as I played I noticed that this is mostly a matter of convention.
Overall, even though it took a while to get into the swing of things, I think it was fun! One of the issues I had with Ironsworn back when I played it first, as well as when I tried Starforged, was the lack of structure. I like my games with procedures to follow, I like to have a little list of interesting, regular things I should try to do every so often, and by framing the game as "Generally currying favour of people until something hits the fan or they ask you to go on a quest" somehow really made it click for me, even though logically there isn't anything that different there.
Anyway, Early Spring is over and next time we'll move into Mid Spring. I'm not even sure how long I'll keep this going but I hope to finish at least a year.
Thanks for reading!
Week V - Right as Sir Paleset was gathering his things to depart, Sir Effloras came to him. (🎲) He was already in his early 60's, his hair had been white for years now and he wore it cropped close to his skull. This and the lack of beard showed he was a man of faith, and this had clearly shaken him to his core. Sir Paleset offered a shoulder to cry on and tried to be urbane, (🎲) but Sir Effloras had withdrawn within himself and his eyes looked like windows to an empty house.
The old knight revealed to Paleset that this man, Falqueres, was his only surviving child, and someone he loved very dearly despite this treason. Paleset asked where he thought he had gone and Sir Effloras told him: Castle Enfemont, a stronghold he held in the Forest des Quinquereges, probably by men loyal to him. Paleset said those men would also be in danger and, grasping his meaning, Sir Effloras told him that they had picked a side and were as outlawed as his son. Sir Paleset assured him he would use only as much force as necessary, but Sir Effloras' mind seemed to be far away already, so Paleset departed with his squire by his side - a young boy of 15 or so called Mustirant Halespont.
🎲 Undertake a Journey, Troublesome, Miss
🎲 Pay the Price, either got lost (likely) or jumped by bandits. 🎲 Jumped by bandits.
🎲 Battle, because this isn't very interesting; Strong Hit.
Sir Paleset hadn't even gotten to the Forest des Quinquereges when he was waylaid by 3 bandits who pretended to have been a priest with a broken carriage. Sir Paleset wasn't in armour, as he was travelling, but they didn't expect him to be a knight, and he made quick work of the men by mustering his courage even when numerically disadvantaged. He kept going.
🎲 Undertake a Journey, Miss again (10 and 6, current Momentum is 5... ugh)
🎲 Pay the Price, "it is harmful".
Sir Paleset finds that he didn't come out unscathed of the previous battle [-1 Health] when the adrenaline cools down and he can take proper stock of himself.
🎲 Undertake a Journey, Strong Hit thank god, and makes good use of resources.
After a couple days of travelling, the woods become deep, dark, and dank, and Sir Paleset knows he's arrived at the Forest des Quinquereges. They hole up in a little hidden grove that seems to stretch under a chalky outcrop. They're both getting pretty tired but Paleset knows they must be close. He starts to wonder what even can he, a single knight do against a stronghold. He tries to push the thoughts away and stand first watch as Mustirant sleeps, watching the wind in the trees and hearing the gurgles and hisses like boiling kettles of the little dragons under the stones. As far as he knows, they're all that's left of the great dragons of old.
🎲 Undertake a Journey, Miss but burn momentum to turn into Weak Hit.
A couple days more, finishing the week, the forest begins to get wider, the trees grow taller, and Paleset feels as if he's witnessing just a fragment of the great jungle that covers Gramarye. His mind has been racing with stories of wild and wicked animals, but even more dangerous than them: wild and wicked men, magicians, and things that resemble animals but are bigger and wilder. Strangely, this seems to make him feel a bit more connected. (The journey will count as progress for the Learn to Let Go Vow)
🎲 Reach Destination, Strong Hit, +1 Momentum because we need it.
By his count, Sir Paleset has arrived at the castle in the Forest des Quinquereges, and his resolve is steeled. They stop for some prayers because, by his count, it should already be sunday or thereabouts, and Paleset wants to be on God's good side for this one.
Week VI - Site Discovered, 🎲 Dangerous. Theme: Fortified, Domain: Stronghold. We're delving into Castle Enfemont. Had some trouble picking enough Denizens to fill the matrix, let's hope I don't roll anything over 75 because I'm out of ideas.
Risk Zones - 1 / 3 are Troublesome, 4 to 7 are Dangerous, 8 to 10 are Formidable.
The Castle Enfemont was (🎲) surprisingly civilised, with powerfully built walls standing in contrast to the forest around it that halted a couple hundred meters giving way to the fields that supported the garrison, but it was night and it was hard to see much of the castle; the place was very dark except for the wandering guards and the brasiers. This was a (🎲) cloudy spring night, so there was no moon or starlight to guide Sir Paleset. After using a candle with his squire away from the line of sight of the castle, Sir Paleset found something that Sir Effloras had told him about: an escape tunnel that led directly inside the fortress. It was a dark and damp thing built alongside a subterranean river, but it should provide relatively easy access. He decided his approach towards this entire thing was to skulk around in the shadows and avoid being seen as much as he could, and he charged poor Mustirant with waiting for him at the mouth of the tunnel.
🎲 Delve the Depths, Strong Hit, Find an Opportunity
The thing was a bit labyrinthine but not very hard to navigate; it was meant to be navigated in a hurry after all. As Paleset was approaching the end of the tunnel, however, he noticed a grate without any light. He displaced it and climbed out, thinking the main door would likely be guarded.
Sir Paleset found himself in (🎲) the barracks of the place. The light was out because most of the men here were sleeping, and the grate seemed to be a sort of secondary escape route that could be guarded in case the main door was barred or caved in or something.
Sir Paleset, sword drawn, decided to skulk away from this room as soon as possible. The men did make him reflect on how he would manage to escape carrying Sir Falqueres, a matter he gave much thought in the last couple of days. He decided this was a bridge to burn when he crossed it.
🎲 Delve the Depths, Weak Hit, Mark Progress
Sir Paleset emerged from the barracks in an open, shadowy atrium that made him uneasy. It was too open and had too many possible ways for things to go badly, so he avoided the center of the place and went in the direction of anywhere that seemed to bring him to higher ground; the quarters of Sir Falqueres probably wouldn't be on the ground floor unless he adhered to more Roman practices.
🎲 Delve the Depths, Miss, Hostile Denizen... 1 - Common Folk
Sir Paleset was just stepping between the arches of the courtyard when he noticed a light coming and hid behind a pillar. It was what seemed to be a bored footman or groundskeeper, grumbling and checking the handiwork of the maids. Sir Paleset cursed mentally, he didn't want to raise a hue and cry but neither did he want to knock out a non-warrior like that; he swore an oath to protect the weak, dammit! Not to bump them in the dark!
Sir Paleset decided to sneak past this man using the many columns surrounding the courtyard to do so.
🎲 Face Danger, Weak Hit, Endure Stress (I'll give my reasoning below)
🎲 Endure Stress, Weak Hit
Sir Paleset did manage to get past the man but this really wasn't what he had in mind when he first became a knight. He felt a cold sinking feeling of shame as he snuck around the man like a thief in the night and disappeared in the dark corridor. But he bit his lip and pushed the thoughts away.
(🎲) If Sir Paleset was uncomfortable with the openness of the atrium, then he really was uncomfortable now, because the corridor he was on led him to the great hall - probably the main one but he couldn't be sure. Tapestries lined the walls and he felt as if they stared at him from the dark. On the plus side, there were many entries here and many tables, so Sir Paleset stepped lightly and prepared himself to go to the ground as soon as he saw a light.
🎲 Delve the Depths, Strong Hit (hell yeah), Find an Opportunity, +1 Momentum
As he wandered the great hall, Sir Paleset observed the heirlooms of the House of Brinwall. They weren't a particularly big house, but they were proud and seemingly had a lineage that stretched for a long long time. (🎲) That said, the newer heirlooms were faded and despite well-kept, it seemed like their house was struggling a bit financially, which gave Sir Paleset insight on why Sir Falqueres had taken such a drastic decision. In his mind, he was probably making a tough but necessary call to preserve the House of Brinwall.
Sir Paleset moved on in a dark mood, wondering if he would do the same in his place. He found himself (🎲) on one of the many passageways of the castle, looking out to the dark night outside through the arrow slits, and hugged the wall. He was deep in the guts of the castle now, and any one of these corridors could take him to the quarters of Sir Falqueres. (I really wanted to take a tea break here but the tension is killing me so I ended up pressing on lol)
🎲 Delve the Depths, Weak Hit, Mark Progress
(🎲 "Something unusual or unexpected", Oracle: Construct Structure)
The more Sir Paleset walked, the more he started to notice that these corridors had a different smell, like the smell of cut wood. It took a while for him to notice that the walls and ceiling had spots missing too. Then he understood what was happening, this wing of the castle seemed to be under renovations. Maybe this is related to the hardships of the Brinwall?
🎲 Delve the Depths, Strong Hit, Find an Opportunity: +1 Momentum
As he walked and traced his way back towards some corridors he had ignored, Sir Paleset seemed to notice a glimmer in the distance he had ignored previously. A shadowy 'wall' was actually a corridor with a short flight of stairs. As he climbed them, Sir Paleset gripped his sword tight and steeled himself to face the knave.
🎲 Locate Your Objective, Strong Hit, +1 to my move
(🎲 Made a couple of questions about the situation, what's he doing, what he looks like, how does he react, etc)
Reaching the door, Sir Paleset pushes a footman out of the way and kicks it open, sword in hand, only to find Sir Falqueres, knife in hand, seemingly lost in thought. In hindsight, Sir Paleset would wonder that that was the knife he probably would have used to kill his father. But Paleset wasn't ready to see Falqueres, his face disfigured and warped due to an old burn wound that covered most of his neck and rendered him mostly hairless.
He asked what was the meaning of this and immediately threatened to have Sir Paleset drawn and quartered for the interruption, but Sir Paleset pointed the sword and shouted a challenge at him.
🎲 Draw the Circle (with the +1 from above), Strong Hit, Boasts: Grant First Strike and Hold No Iron
Sir Paleset threw his sword at the feet of his opponent and told him come.
The footman had called in the night guards, who were starting to crowd in the room and awaited their master's action. These men weren't foolish, they might follow an outlawed man, but not a knight who wouldn't fight for his honour.
Sir Falqueres still hurled threats about what would happen to Paleset when he lost, how he might destroy him, but now he was shaken and his confidence seemed to faulter. He wasn't that tough after all. He grabbed the sword and approached carefully, sword held in front of his body while Paleset stood with his fists clenched, looking for an opening.
🎲 Clash, Matched Strong Hit (LOL), Find Opening
🎲 Since it was Matched, we get a random event: NPC Action, 🎲 Lord Dunmouth. (What the hell? Oracle: Learn Opinion)
Sir Falqueres charges honorably and is honorably pummeled with a quick discharge of punches in Sir Falqueres' head and body. If Sir Paleset had a sword, the fight would be all but over. Sir Falqueres was reeling while Sir Paleset gave him absolutely no space or range and pressed him to the wall to beat the snot out of him, when a herald arrived panting in the room.
"Milord! It is the Duke!"
Both knights looked surprised at this then the herald explained that a troop headed by one of the Duke's captains had arrived at the gates and demanded that Sir Falqueres surrendered.
Then Sir Paleset looked at the expression in the faces of the other knights and it dawned on him: they had no idea that Falqueres had been stripped of his title and outlawed. Whatever he had told them, it hadn't been the truth, and just now they learned the true opinion of the Duke towards Falqueres.
"It's over, Brinwall. Surrender yourself now under penalty of high treason." Said Sir Paleset, grasping the moment.
🎲 Compel, Miss, Endure Harm because that bastard hit me
🎲 Endure Harm, Matched Miss (Random Event: Ambiguous Event, "Develop Tension")
But Falqueres was desperate and cornered, and immediately slashed at Sir Paleset, spraying blood on the ground. A chill wind started blowing, the clouds in the sky turned out to be storm clouds, and the grim face of Falqueres was illuminated by a flash of lightning glinting off of Sir Paleset's own sword as he stepped closer and followed up his strike.
🎲 Clash, Weak Hit (Now at 0 Health, this is getting very dangerous, but a strong hit will drop him)
🎲 Endure Harm, Weak Hit
The exchange of blows is quickly turning brutal and bloody. Paleset elbows Falqueres' face and opens a huge gash, and the knights seem to be starting to draw their swords to act and take Falqueres Brinwall down. He lets out a roar of rage and pain and charges Paleset, both of them crashing through the window and into the rooftop outside, exposed to the cold rain that starts to fall.
Paleset's jaw tightens when he sees Falqueres raising his sword and pressing him once more.
🎲 Clash, Strong Hit (YESSSS)
🎲 Use that to End the Fight too, Strong Hit
I actually don't know. Should he die unintentionally, Oracle? 🎲 No.
Falqueres comes charging once more at Paleset, everyone is congregated on the window, and even though they're on the second floor, the castle stands on a hill and the men of the Duke outside can see two sillhouttes fighting.
Paleset steps out of the way and Falqueres tries a quick slash, but Paleset steps on a tile and traps his sword, then follows it with a well placed hit on the arm, breaking it, and wrenching his own sword free with a kick. Falqueres falls back, his eyes glinting as lightning and thunder crown the figure of Paleset, sword raised, the broken window behind him a fiery halo of broken glass.
Falqueres averts his eyes, waiting for the blow to end his life, but he feels cold steel slowly being placed in his neck. Now it is truly over and done.
🎲 Reach Milestones, I'll consider the Delve and the Fight as Milestones, plus the journey and the insight of the great hall. Let's fulfill this quest without a round journey.
🎲 Fulfill Iron Vow, Strong Hit (ALMOST a weak hit.)
As Falqueres is being taken in irons off the front gate, his face swollen and bloody illuminated by the torches stops at the hooded figure of Sir Effloras Brinwall, who seems (🎲 on UNE) entirely withdrawn and cold. Falqueres murmurs something but Sir Effloras says nothing, and the guards take him away.
Sir Effloras' eyes land on the damp, bloody, and shivering Sir Paleset.
"The house of Brinwall thanks you, Sir Paleset Huddersford." He says a businesslike tone, clearly empty of life. The house of Brinwall has its days numbered. "You are welcome to enjoy the hospitality of Castle Enfemont for as long as necessary."
That mid spring night, Sir Paleset and Mustirant (who was out on the rain this entire time) took a steaming hot bath. He was content with himself and with his actions, but it was a shame that he couldn't do more for poor Sir Effloras and the house of Brinwall, but such is life.
At least he'd be home for Easter.