A Hollow Vengeance, session 1
Playing with "Hollow Hike", a pocket-sized Soulslike TTRPG by Jake C-B (RollForThings), available on itch.io
Prelude
Estrid of the Eadgyth People feels empty. Hollow.
Sitting at the edge of the Bonfire, she only remembers a few things, the rest of her memory blasted away by some monstrous thing she can only half recall. She knows her name, and the name of the people she came from (3hp, 3fp1). She knows how to use the two swords she carries on her back (2d6). She knows that she was trained as a warrior since childhood (+1hp, able to reroll up to 2 dice for 1fp), though not who did the training. She knows how to use the Hexer's Seal (reroll a foe's dice) she keeps tied on her belt like a talisman, though not how she came by it. She knows what the glass vial of Sunlight Drink (heal 1hp, refills at Bonfire rests) tucked in her pocket, does but not how.
And lastly she remembers dying to protect the people she has forgotten, killed by the King of Cinders, one of the Ashen Lords who stormed the world and laid waste it all. Though she can only recall half of his twisted, ashen face and the way he cackled with laughter as she fell, within her emptiness she feels a tiny spark of hatred. No matter how long it takes, she is going to hunt the Ashen Lords (4 Ashen Lords + the King of Cinders) down and avenge her lost memories and people.
Realm One - Domneva
Domneva (1+1d6, rolled 1, 2 encounters) is situated on the coast, a thin strip of heat-blasted land, nothing left but blistered sands and ruined mountains separating it from its neighbor. What few cities and villages it had before the devastation are gone, swept clean off the land as if by a giant hand clearing a table. All that's left in this land are the remnants of animals, twisted, monstrous, and hungry.
After leaving the relative safety of the Bonfire, Estrid begins her trek through the hard, gray land toward the mountains. It's a hard trek, with nothing to occupy her mind as she walks. She sees nothing for two days. No animals, no people, no sign of life. Then on the third day, she spots something.
Encounter 1
(2d6, rolled 8: a foe with a Quality. 1d6, rolled 5: Volatile, foe deals 1 damage each time it rolls a 6. 2hp, 1d6 attack)
She spots the figure just before it reaches her. A hulking figure, tall and broad-shouldered, though emaciated and covered in matted, patchy fur. A bear, though it makes a high-pitched keening sound when it spots her and instead of falling to all fours, it stays on two like it's forgotten when it means to be a bear.
(Estrid rolls 3, 2. The bear rolls 6, of course.)
The bear's bloodcurdling scream startles Estrid and she fumbles as she draws her swords. It is a terrible mistake that costs her dearly, as she misses with both swords and fails to block the bear's heavy swing. Claws cut through her leather armor, cleaving into her side (-1hp).
(Estrid rolls 3, 3. The bear rolls another 6!)
She swings wildly with her swords, trying to force the bear back, but despite it's size and apparent emaciating hunger it nimbly dodges out of the way, swatting at her with another paw. This time it catches her across the head, sending her stumbling, blood pouring across her vision (-1hp). Estrid can only take a couple more hits, she knows, and she steels herself for the next attack.
(Estrid rolls 5, 3. The bear rolls 1.)
Squinting through the blood sluicing across her face, Estrid lunges forward with both swords. The bear bats one of them aside, but her arm shudders as the second sword bites deep into the bear's torso (foe -1hp). The bear keens again, that awful, ear-splitting sound raking against Estrid's ears.
(Estrid rolls 5, 1. The bear rolls 3.)
While the bear screams and stumbles back, shocked at the sudden injury from what it had thought was an easy target, Estrid presses her advantage. She takes a few steps forward to match the beasts stumble, and slashes at it again, ignoring the painful pull of her damaged torso. Her swords carve a matching injury across the bear's chest, blood drenching the muddy and matted fur (foe -1hp) and with one last breathless scream the bear falls mid-stumble, crumbling to the ground, skinny limbs akimbo (foe defeated).
Before the pain can overwhelm her, Estrid pulls the glass vial from her pocket, hand shaking, and downs the bitter concoction. It's a thick, sticky liquid that slithers down her throat, cold and stinging, and she shivers against the sensation. A moment later, as the Sunlight Drink settles in her stomach, the gashes across her side heal themselves, flesh knitting together leaving nothing but couple of scars that itch (+1hp). She's not a hundred percent again, but she no longer feels like she's in dire straits.
When she looks at the bear's corpse, she notices a wisp of silvery light hovering over the body, bobbing about like a buoy in the ocean. When she reaches out to touch investigate, unconsciously drawn to touch it, the wisp lets out a soft snapping sound and it moves to hover over Estrid's head. With a quick flash of memory, she remembers the wisp is called a Soul, and that collecting them can make her stronger. Perhaps strong enough to defeat her enemies (+1 soul).
She's not sure where the memory comes from, but it feels right, so she accepts it and leaves the bear's corpse behind to continue her hike toward the mountains that loom closer and closer.
Encounter 2
(Realm boss. 4hp, 2d6 attack, 2 Qualities. Rolled 1: Ambush, has +2 strength (2d6) the first time it is encountered. Rolled 4: Brutal, beating all of Estrid's dice in a round deals extra 10 damage(!))
The mountains are dark and barren, even the old roads broken and dangerous. Estrid slows down so as not to twist an ankle or fall down, but every mile weighs on her. She's so focused on her footing that she doesn't notice until it is too late, the bulky man standing just off the path, a massive sword in his hand and six Souls circling like a halo above his mangy head.
(Estrid rolls 1, 3. The man rolls 1, 3, 2, 3.)
The man catches Estrid unawares, and before she has had a chance to draw her swords he swings his weapon in a big arc toward her, his eyes watching her singular Soul with greed. She tries to dodge, but the ground is uneven and only she only succeeds in moving moving enough not to get completely chopped in half. But the foot-wide sword still hits her, cutting deep at her hip, only stopped by her hipbone (-2hp).
(Estrid rolls 3, 3. The man rolls 4, 5. Warrior power used, -1fp, Estrid rerolls 4, 6.)
Despite the pain and weakness in her leg, as the man pulls his heavy sword free and moves to swing again, Estrid draws on her warrior training to move faster. In the same motion of pulling her swords free of their sheaths, she twists them around, catching the man's arm and carving a deep gash in his forearm (foe -1hp).
(Estrid rolls 1, 3. The man rolls 4, 6.)
Her successful hit only serves to enrage the man, and he swings the massive sword impossibly fast, hitting her once, twice, again and again, cutting her down (-12hp), and before he's finished hitting her with all his brutality, Estrid dies, angry at the injustice of it all.
Prelude (redux)
Estrid of the Eadgyth People feels empty. Hollow.
Sitting at the edge of the Bonfire, she only remembers a few things, the rest of her memory blasted away by some monstrous thing she can only half recall. She knows her name, and the name of the people she came from. She knows how to use the two swords she carries on her back. She knows that she was trained as a warrior since childhood, though not who did the training. She knows how to use the Hexer's Seal she keeps tied on her belt like a talisman, though not how she came by it. She knows what the glass vial of Sunlight Drink tucked in her pocket does, but not how.
And lastly she remembers dying to protect the people she has forgotten, killed by the King of Cinders, one of the Ashen Lords who stormed the world and laid waste it all. Though she can only recall the way he cackled with laughter as she fell, within her emptiness she feels a tiny spark of hatred. No matter how long it takes, she is going to hunt the Ashen Lords down and avenge her lost memories and people.
Aftermath Report
Well, I didn't expect to die so quickly, that's for sure. The dice were against me most of the day, and there was just no way to overcome the realm boss's high stats with what little I had. Despite that, I had fun, and it did manage to keep me from getting sucked into my phone. Not bad for a first attempt!
The game itself feels very very much like a Soulslike, with a harsh difficulty and brutal enemies, especially with the dice rolling against me. There's also an element of a Roguelite, though I haven't progressed far enough yet for it to actually start mattering. Hopefully next session I will get beyond the first realm!
focus points, used to activate special class powers↩