PWM: Sanguine Dust, Ch. 13
A Simple Delivery
Sanguine Dust: Table of Contents
Pre-Chapter Notes
We are heading back to Reverie and the shattered planet, Vigrid, where we began this journey! Here’s a link to session zero if you’re interested in the details I came up with for the planet and settlement during sector creation:
Sanguine Dust, Chapter 13
A Simple Delivery
A little kid wearing rags peeked around the corner, eyeing a fruit vendor in the marketplace. He licked his dry, chapped lips and his stomach groaned. It was early morning, the vendors just getting set up. The fruit seller began chatting with the woman next to him who sold fabrics. The kid dipped around the corner and to the fruit cart, hand snatching what he could grab, piling it in his shirt. He heard a grunt, then a yell and he was off, running with his bundle as fast as he could, running away from the yells and curses that followed…
Shen woke with a start, sweating.
that was you
The voice came, uninvited, jarring Shen’s thoughts.
He sighed, sliding his legs out and sitting up, putting his head in his hands.
It was a long time ago.
He got up. “Drifter, engage the engine and begin the undocking procedure. We’re leaving.”
An affirmative beep was followed by an inquisitive one. There was a message.
After a shower…
Cleaned and dressed, Shen ensured the ship was ready for space flight and dropped into the captain’s chair, playing the message.
“Coyote, it’s Crash. Figured maybe you wouldn’t mind some company on these delivery runs. I’ll be in my ship, let me know.”
So much for being alone…
It would be good to have some back up, though.
Shen opened comms with the Poltergeist, Crash’s ship.
“Shen, glad ya called,” Crash came on.
“Bored of leviathan-hunting on Lotan?” Shen asked.
“I’ve spent enough time here, need something new, that alright?”
“Yeah, I could use the back up. I’m leaving soon, you ready?”
“Good to go when you are.”
“It’s a few jumps to Reverie, shouldn’t be too tricky, I made the trip here without much trouble.”
“I’ll follow.”
“Copy that.” Shen cut comms and undocked from Tranquility, the viewscreen becoming black and starry as the ship pulled out of the bay. He saw Crash’s ship follow and sent the coordinates for the coming jumps.
Set a Course
When you follow a known route through…perilous space, roll supply
1d6 + 5 = 11 vs (4,1)
Strong hit - You reach your destination and the situation there favors you. Take +1 momentum
Notes: Current momentum = +0
The jumps were simple and uneventful, for which Shen was grateful. He’d had enough excitement in the past week and welcomed the break, despite the presence he felt in the back of his mind.
shen. coyote. ironsworn. you are all these?
Shen is my name. Coyote is my callsign. Ironsworn is my…job, I guess. My calling.
what is a calling?
It’s something you feel…a need to do. A purpose.
what is my purpose?
How the hell should I know?
Aleko went silent.
Shen tried to ignore the presence for the rest of the trip. He chatted with Kwan during at anchorages while their e-drives recharged.
In the depths of space, their conversations drifted from topic to topic, but near the end of the voyage…
"So, Coyote," Kwan said. "How did you become Ironsworn? You never told me that story."
Shen took a moment, thinking. It was easy to remember but he wasn’t sure he wanted to share. But he’d become close with Crash over their shared struggles.
"I grew up on an orbital station, poor, an orphan scavenging for anything I could find." He took a breath. "Then one day, it started falling apart. The planet's gravity was pulling us in. The structural core was failing, something like that. All I knew then was the station started spinning faster than it was supposed to, buildings fell and everyone panicked. I came across…someone. She'd been crushed by rubble. But she grabbed my arm. She gave me her Iron and told me to take her ship. Told me to live.” He was quiet for a bit.
Kwan let the silence hang, knowing more was coming.
Shen let out a sigh. “I figured...if I was going to take her ship, then the least I could do was take the Iron as well. Become Ironsworn. Help people." Shen looked out at the vast expanse of black space, speckled with bits of white light. “It's probably why I'm not so great at it. I was grifting folks, scrounging and stealing for most of my life before that. I'm not brave or adventurous, as Ironsworn are known to be."
Kwan stayed quiet for a moment. "Well, on that, I would disagree. You rescued me, found a cure and overthrew a tyrant. That sounds like Ironsworn to me."
And then I shot him in the head before he could act…
Shen signed off the comms. He stayed in his seat, thinking.
are you there, Aleko?
always
Shen gritted his teeth.
I sense anger
I didn't ask for this.
I didn't ask either. but I wanted to live. and you took in my shell
What was that? A prison? An egg? Where do you come from?
I have no memory before the shell. do your people have no knowledge of my kind?
No. Not that I know of.
Silence for a few moments.
What do you want, Aleko? Other than to live?
Another couple beats.
To learn. to remember
Shen felt the iron on his arm.
I vow to help you.
Swear an Iron Vow
Name: “Help Aleko discover their past”. Rank: Epic. Then, roll heart.
1d6 + 1 (heart) = 5 vs (1,7)
Weak hit - You begin with more questions than answers. Take +1 momentum.
Notes: Current momentum = +1
…thank you…ironsworn shen
Any clues, anything at all that you remember?
precursor. does that word mean anything to you?
They arrived at Reverie with the shattered world, Vigrid appearing on the viewscreen of the Nomad.
Shen set course for the moon on which Reverie was hidden, orbited by the large abandoned cargo ship, Mercy.
He reached out to the settlement and explained that he was bringing supplies and information to help with the infection.
They were expected, allowed to dock and the cargo unloading process began.
Shen and Kwan headed into the settlement to resupply.
Sojourn
When you spend time recovering within a community, roll heart.
1d6 + 1 (heart) = 6 vs (4,1)
Strong hit - This is a safe refuge. You may choose two recover moves…assume an automatic strong hit for each.
Hearten
Notes: +2 Spirit, current spirit = +2.
Heal
Notes: +3 health. Current health = +4
Since I’m spending more time with this settlement, I roll again on the First Look Oracle table. I got “Hidden or subsurface location” the first time, which is why the settlement is hidden on a moon.
Oracle: Settlement First Look
1d100 = 88: “Within or near Precursor Vault”
The people of the settlement were thankful for the delivery of the cure, so Shen and Kwan found themselves quite welcome. Shen found a good doctor who stitched him up and gave him some medicine. Afterwards, he met up with Kwan at a bar to have a few drinks.
It was there they heard the rumor.
A man who had obviously had a few too many drinks spoke loud enough for the whole bar. “You know why we have ghosts and visions here? Y’all know why the planet’s shattered and the Mercy is full of Risen?” He took a long swig of his beer before going on. “…Cuz there’s a void-damned Vault on the planet, that’s why! I was down there with a scavenger crew…before it all went wrong…” his voice trailed off and he headed to the bathroom.
The crowd laughed and most everyone wrote him off as a fool.
precursor vault
Shen tried to ignore the voice.
PRECURSOR
He gritted his teeth.
I know! We still got a job to complete, alright?
We WILL investigate this before leaving this place
Shen clenched his hands into fists.
“You okay?” Kwan asked, looking over the top of his glass, confused.
Shen let out a breath and let his fists go. “Yeah, yeah, I’m fine.” He forced himself to take a drink. He could feel within himself an urge to go planetside. To find this vault.
He stood.
Kwan looked at him, a question on his face.
“I’m staying here a couple days before we move on to Argosy,” Shen said. “I’ll let you know when, if you still want to accompany us.”
“Us?” Kwan asked.
Shen finished his beer. “Me, if you still want to come with me, I need a couple days here.”
Kwan gave a nod. “Sure, that’s fine.”
Shen tossed some coins on the table and went back to the ship for the night.
Before going planetside, Shen wanted to find out any information he could on this rumored Precursor Vault down there. He tried to find the man who'd spoken at the bar or any of his 'scavenger crew'.
Gather Information
1d6 + 2 (wits) = 5 vs (8,9)
Miss - You unearth a dire threat or reveal an unwelcome truth that undermines your quest. Pay the Price
Pay the Price
Roll on the table
1d100 = 02: A trusted individual or community acts against you
Instead, he found Kwan, who'd been shadowing him.
"Why are you following me?" Shen snapped, his tone more aggressive than he'd meant to sound, but he went with it, feeling pissed off.
"You got real weird last night, after that drunk talked about a vault. I wanted to make sure you didn't do anything stupid."
"Stupid like what?"
"Stupid like going down to that broken planet looking for it. It's a death wish."
Shen shrugged. "I'm not your responsibility, Kwan."
"You saved my life, Shen. I'm trying to make sure you don't throw yours away. Nobody asked you to go down there. There's no vow…"
Not that he knows...
we don't like him
Shen felt a surge of adrenaline and curled his fingers into fists.
Kwan took a step back, looking wary.
Shen shook his head.
He's a friend. We aren't doing this.
Shen let out a breath and let his hands relax. "Listen, Kwan. I hear you. Alright? But you don't know everything about me or what I have to do."
Kwan grunted in response. "We still need to get the rest of the Immir to Argosy. Then you can throw your life away chasing rumors."
"We're going to leave in a couple days. And don't worry, I'm not going planetside."
Compel
When you try to persuade someone or make them an offer, envision your approach. If you…lie or swindle, roll shadow
1d6 + 2 (shadow) = 6 vs (4,5)
Strong hit - They’ll do what you want. Take +1 momentum
Notes: Current momentum = +2
Kwan took Shen at his word and left him alone.
Shen headed back to the Nomad Drifter, with no more information than what he'd started with. He sighed.
what are we waiting for?
Nothing.
Shen punched in the controls to undock and took the Nomad Drifter down towards the shattered planet, Vigrid.
Post-Chapter Notes
I didn’t want Symbiote to just be a power-up I use at will, I wanted it to affect and change the story, as having an aggressive sentient being physically attached to you should. That’s another great thing about Assets, sure they provide mechanical bonuses and cool add-ons, but they also change the narrative, the character and the story. When you build your character, your asset choices create backstory and context. As you gain experience and add more assets, these show your character changing and growing.
As always, if you have any thoughts or questions, drop a comment.
If you enjoyed this and feel others would as well, please share.
Next Chapter → Chapter 14: Across the Shattered Planet
I love how you intertwined the symbiote with the narrative.