The Redemption of Brynn - session 12

The Echoes of Ash and Fang

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The Echoes of Ash and Fang

Art by Andy ‘onegraydot’ Gray

The path down to Hollowmere was quiet, but not peaceful. Brynn and Asha paused at the crest where the trees thinned, giving way to the cluster of cabins by the lake. Smoke rose from a chimney or two: nothing unusual at first glance—but the silence beneath it carried tension.

There were signs, subtle but clear. A patch on the stockade where fresh timber had replaced older logs. A line of sharpened stakes newly planted along the northern edge. A pair of figures patrolled with spears, something Brynn had never seen there before.

“Trouble found them too,” Asha said quietly.

Brynn nodded, jaw tight. “Let’s hope it didn’t take root.”

They passed the boundary stones and entered the village. Doors didn’t slam shut, but heads turned. Eyes followed them. Wariness, yes—but not hostility. When they reached the forge, the sound of hammer on steel rang out in short, clipped bursts. Willa was at the anvil, shirt off, sweat glistening on his broad back despite the chill. His movements were tight, purposeful. On a bench nearby, a freshly-sharpened axe gleamed in the morning light. He didn’t look up when they arrived.

Brynn cleared his throat. “Still alive, then.”

Willa kept hammering. “Barely. You here to change that?”

Brynn shook his head. “We heard things haven’t been easy. I was hoping the rumors were wrong.”

Willa finally set down the hammer. “A couple of weeks ago, something ripped through our traps. Tore up one of the boundary markers. We drove it off, but it’s not over. You can feel it in the woods. Something’s watching.”

Asha stepped forward, arms crossed. “Same thing’s happening up north. The varou are testing us. Getting bold.”

Willa spat into the dirt. “Then you came to ask for help?”

Brynn nodded. “Or to offer it. Maybe both.”

Willa stared long and hard, then finally gestured toward the forge-house. “Come inside. We’ll talk.”

Relationship move: Sojourn (+Heart)
Add +1 (Bond with Hollowmere)
Weak Hit: 4 + 2 + 1 = 7 vs 9 | 3
Consort
Plan
+2 spirit = 2
+2 momentum = 3

After the cold suspicion of Bleakbarrow, Hollowmere’s quiet welcome was a balm. The shared meal, simple talk, and honest cooperation began to ease the weight on Brynn’s shoulders. He felt a little more like himself again. As the sun sank behind the peaks, Brynn and Asha pored over rough maps, listened to villagers’ stories, and laid the groundwork for what was ahead. It was not hope, exactly, but it was direction. And that was enough to fuel them forward.

Adventure move: Gather Information (+Wits)
Add +1 (Bond with Hollowmere)
Weak Hit: 3 + 2 + 1 = 6 vs 2 | 6
+1 momentum = 4

As the Hollowmere villagers warmed to Asha and Brynn over the evening, they began talking, carefully, but sincerely. One older hunter, Garin, spoke up:

“North of here, in the ravines past the Briarthorn Hollow, I saw tracks. Not fresh. Not just varou either. There were claw marks on stone, like they were... dragging something. Or someone.”

Another nodded, adding:

“And birds stopped singing there. Stillness in the trees, even the wind feels wrong.”

But then, Willa muttered from across the room:

“That’s not all. Two nights ago, we heard them howl. Closer than they’ve ever come. The sound shook the forge. They’re moving in packs now.”

“Maybe someone’s leading them.”

As the chatter in the forge began to die down, Garin shifted uncomfortably.

“There’s something else... I wasn’t gonna mention it. Didn’t want to stir up fear. But... the boy. The fast one. Always running errands for everyone?”

Willa frowned. “Morgan?”

Garin nodded grimly. “He was meant to bring snares to my son two days past. Never came. We thought he just turned around—he’s clever enough to avoid danger. But now, with the talk of drag marks and howls... I think the Varou have him.”

Silence fell over the room like a dropped shroud.

Asha clenched her fists. “Why didn’t anyone say anything?”

“Because we just assumed he was away running someone else’s errands,” Willa growled.

Adventure move: Secure an Advantage (+Wits)
Miss: 1 + 2 + 0 = 3 vs 9 | 3
Burn momentum: 4 vs 9 | 3
+1 momentum = 3

Brynn and Asha huddled with the villagers in the fading light of Hollowmere’s forge. Someone pulled out a crude map of the woods. Garin marked the last place Morgan was seen, near the broken bridge above Dead Hollow. There were rumors of caves there—old varou dens.

“If they took him, and he’s still alive, there’s no knowing how long he will be. We must hurry,” Asha said quietly.

Brynn traced the route with his finger, then turned to Asha.

“We’ll get him back. Whatever it takes.”

Brynn stepped away from the huddle. The fire from the forge threw jagged shadows against the wall. He drew his blade, then pressed its flat against the old scar on his shoulder.

“I swear upon my mark of failure—I’ll bring him back. Whatever they’ve done to him... I won’t let another soul vanish into the dark.”

Quest move: Swear an Iron Vow (+Heart)
Add +1 (Bond with Asha)
Miss: 2 + 2 + 1 = 5 vs 7 | 8
-2 momentum = 1

New track: Rescue Morgan from the varou

Just as Brynn finished his vow, a weathered hunter from Hollowmere, one of the few who had dared to scout the hills recently, stepped forward, face grim.

“You’re too late. The tracks lead north through the brambles, past the old gully, then they vanish. Not just hard to follow. Gone. Like they knew someone was watching.”

Quest move: Reach a Milestone
Help Asha drive back the varou and secure the roads to Bleakbarrow: 2/10

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After Brynn had sworn the vow, he and Asha wasted no time. Willa supplied them with directions to the last known sighting of Morgan, near the edge of the deep brambles that straddle the north edge of Hollowmere’s domain. The village sent two lightly armored scouts to assist: reluctant, but loyal. Before they departed, Willa gripped Brynn’s forearm.

“Find the boy. Whatever else happens—find him.”

As they made haste, Asha turned to Brynn, eyes hard with urgency.

“No more waiting. No more false leads. We find where they took him, and we bring him home. Even if it kills us.”

Adventure move: Gather Information (+Wits)
Weak Hit: 5 + 2 + 0 = 7 vs 9 | 2
+1 momentum = 2

The four of them—Brynn, Asha, and two of Hollowmere’s younger hunters—stood in a muddy patch beneath a wind-twisted pine. The boy pointed at the ground.

“Trail ends here,” he muttered. “No prints beyond this.”

Brynn narrowed his eyes and crouched. “No,” he said. “It doesn’t end. It turns.”

He ran his fingers along the edge of a slope, where broken ferns marked a careful passage. Not gone. Just _subtle._ Asha followed his gaze.

“Where does it go?” she asked.

“North,” the hunter said, shifting uncomfortably. “Into the Crooked Hollow.”

A hush fell. Even the birds had gone silent.

Asha stood. “You knew, didn’t you?”

The boy didn’t meet her eyes. “No one goes in there. Not even the varou used to.” He took a step back.

“You’ll have to go without us,” the other one said.

And just like that, they were alone again.

Quest move: Reach a Milestone
Rescue Morgan from the varou: 2/10

Adventure move: Secure an Advantage (+Wits)
Miss: 4 + 2 + 0 = 6 vs 7 | 9

Fate move: Pay the Price
Pay the Price: 43 - A new danger or foe is revealed.

As Asha and Brynn crouched at the edge of the Crooked Hollow, scanning the undergrowth for signs, the silence began to change. It wasn’t the quiet of caution, it was absence. Birds stopped calling. Wind stilled. Even the rustle of the trees seemed to hesitate.

Brynn moved to take a closer look at a clawed print in the dirt when Marou might’ve barked—if she’d been there. Instead, it was Asha who hissed a warning.

“Up there. On the ridge.”

Dark against the canopy, a figure stood: lank and tall, wrapped in ragged furs, face obscured beneath a bone-carved mask. It wasn’t varou. They didn’t speak. They simply watched. And then, slowly, faded back into the twisted trees.

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Afterthoughts

And so, again everything has to be complicated for Brynn. Not only has the varou invaded Hollowmere, too, but they’ve taken Morgan (which was because of the weak hit on the Gather Information when they were asking the villagers for clues about the varou. In hindsight, that might have been a pretty harsh price to pay, but at the same time, I couldn’t come up with anything else fitting, and again, this was connecting the dots.

Time will tell if this dynamic duo will be able to rescue the boy, or if it will be another fool’s errand, like the Ashvine one. Stay tuned for the next session which will probably be up either on Thursday or Friday, depending on when I have time to edit and publish it.

For now, may steel guide your steps!

Click here to read the next session, Blood and Moonlight!