Demihumans Session 8: An Unexpected Alliance with Orcs and a Two-Front War

Session Opening: Establishing Questions and Moves

I opted to open the session as I did our last one with some establishing questions. That means, after the commonweal move, I asked each member of the company to provide some information about the enclave, their activities, and notable events. Each question was followed by a modified move. Here are my notes for the questions and the accompanying modified move.

• Zuk the troll: Ugluk (orc) and the other halflings whom Ugluck had saved are hanging out in the orchard glen. What do they do to show their deep bond with you and how have you reciprocated? (Intimately share knowledge with Ugluk). 
• Neris the halfling: Jasmine (the halfling family matriarch) has returned with the other halflings who had apparently fallen under the power . What was the reaction of the halfling clan when she returned (fathom a soul).
• Kane: What is the latest visible sign that human antipathy is on the rise? (assess a situation)
• Donna: Breevane (a dwarven follower of Wycraft) visited you when you returned and explained his concern: What was he concerned about? (compel honor)

I like this way of getting the ball rolling. It helps to refresh the memories of the players, it gets them thinking about their role in creating the fiction, and it has them working their moves from the start.

An Unanticipated Company Strategy

The company started by meeting up the tavern--which is also the headquarters in the enclave for the makeshift militia organized by Donna (the dwarf). The company is facing a curious two-front war: The humans are becoming visibly restless and dangerous, and Wycraft (a mysterious elf) has some powerful magic, but it is warping and twisting the natural order. Wycraft is monomaniacal in her hatred for humans, but she is willing to destroy the natural order to satisfy her hatred.

The decision they made was surprising: They decided to try to forge some type of alliance with the orcs ruled by a seasoned chieftain named Madoc Torg. One strategy that I am learning to use more and more: When I don't know what to do as a GM, I turn responsibility over to the company. For example, when the company entered the orc camp (which I had no notes for), I asked them to describe various facets of what their characters saw.

This was a session where there was plenty of discussion and debate. The brief summary of developments:

• The orcs have sealed a blood promise with the company to assist in keeping Wycraft in check.
• The company (finally!) used their boon of the library and has discovered a possible way to use Wycraft’s magic elven stones against her.
• BUT . . . to do this, they need an elven mage, and they decided to attempt to resurrect Eforis Nei (a previous member of the company who is an elf). The resurrection involved using some residual magic from some of Wycraft’s animal mutilations, some orc blood magic (courtesy of Kane the traitor) and, to stir the pot even more, Zuk the Troll used a fruiting bodies move.

So Eforis Nei now is returning to health, and he will be handled now as a Demiurge character. Eforis Nei now has both elements of Wycraft’s evil magic coursing in his veins, but there is also some of the troll’s magic at work (and the troll has some different strong magic coursing through his sap in the form of a strange pseudo-sentient algae).

Demiurge Concerns and Plans:

My sense of these sessions is that there is a kind of oscillation: It seems like we get one session (like this one) which is more about making plans and others which are more about the heavy-hitting action. The planning sessions are intriguing: The players get deeply into the roleplaying and the deep consideration of different angles. They are the type of sessions which probably come off poorly on camera, but there is so much complex thought that I find them satisfying and engaging.

I sometimes worry about the players, however. I enjoy philosophy, ethical dilemmas, and other heady material, but so many people get into RPGs for the action. One thing that softens this concern for me is how the spotlight was getting so equally shared. During the session, I was consciously tuning into how much “screen time” the characters were getting, and it was remarkable how everyone what participating, taking the spotlight, but then also generously pacing the spotlight onto another player.

I was also happy to see how the collaboration was working. When the company met in the tavern at the start of the game, I had some possibilities in mind in case they didn’t run with the ball, but I was both surprised (and very happy) when the company obviated my possibilities and went in an unexpected direction by going back to the orcs. All of us were improvising on the spot, and the session ended at a destination that none of us could have predicted.

What now? The sense is clearly that there is a three-way showdown building where the company will be squaring off with Wycraft and the humans. An analogy would be that famous scene in The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly--the one where Blondie, Tuco, and Angel Eyes engage in a three-way shootout in a cemetery. It’s exciting that I’m not sure exactly where the story will go. To add one more wrinkle, I’m thinking of throwing in a little climatological drama into the mix (in the form of a hurricane). And it's probably time to bring Squire Prador and the mounting human antipathy into focus. But aside from that, it will be up to the company to decide how they want to proceed with their two-front war.

Things seem to be building to some type of apocalyptic moment for our next session. There are so many things that are hanging in the balance.