C1 S10 - The Witch’s Trail
This session played June 25, 2025
Overland C10 Swamp (UNSAFE) - Day 5 PM
As the rain patters flatly on the midday terrain, Brolga suddenly picks up a different sound—raindrops on steel. A helm! With the insignia of the King’s Gate City Watch! As we look closer, we notice more and more signs of a scuffle, including charred vegetation. Behind a burned tree stump we discover a City Watchman, gravely injured, his armor all but split open by a powerful blast. He’s alive, but barely.
? Can he be saved?
d: 1d20 (disadvantage): 2 → No.
→→ His wounds are too severe, even for Denton’s magic.
@ Brolga kneels and takes the man’s head gently in her hands.
The Watchman is conscious. Roll a death timer +0.
d: 1d4: 3 → Three rounds til death.
PC Rd 1
Brolga: Easy, friend. There is no more danger now. Can you tell me who or what did this to you?
NPC Rd 1
Watchman: It was … a woman … with a child. Such power—never … seen the like of it …
PC Rd 2
Brolga: What happened?
NPC Rd 2
? Solodark Prompts
d: 2d100: 40; 5 → AVOID VICE
Watchman: I was a fool … offered to buy her a drink in the city. Never … never seen such magic!
PC Rd 3
Brolga: Please, friend, can you tell me where she took the child?
NPC Rd 3
Watchman: To the King. Said, “Why would I waste a moment in King’s Gate, when I have an audience with the King?”
With that, Watchman’s eyes defocus. His breath slows and then stops.
Daeniel: I guess we must have missed the castle last time we were in town.
Denton: Indeed. But if there is a King in this land, I’d imagine someone in “King’s Gate” ought to know about him.
Ryarn: Good enough for me. We return to King’s Gate, report the death of this watchman, and see if we can figure out who this King might be. At the least we’ll have a good night’s rest and a stable for the horses.
@ Party moves to D9 King’s Gate, entering K’s G B13.
King’s Gate B13 Artisan District (CHAOTIC) - Day 5 PM
Planning on riding through east to High District.
? Random encounter check 1 of 2
d: 1d6: 5 → Clear
? Random encounter check 2 of 2
d: 1d6: 6 → Clear
@ Party crosses the bridge into High District D11.
King’s Gate D11 High District (CHAOTIC) - Day 5 PM
? Random encounter check
d: 1d6: 2 → Clear
We arrive at the City Watch outpost as the sun dips below the horizon.
@ Brolga approaches the guard at the door.
Brolga: Sir, we have come to report the death of one of your men.
Guard: What? What do you mean?
Ryarn: We encountered him in the swamplands an hour’s ride from the southeast gate. He was barely conscious and his wounds too grave to treat. We gave him companionship until he passed, just a few moments after we discovered him.
? Does Guard believe us?
d: 1d20: 6 → No.
→→ The Guard places a hand on the hilt of his sword.
Guard: Companionship, of course, but you chose to leave him out there for carrion rather than delivering his body to us?
@ Brolga CHA check DC 12 (Guard is suspicious but Brolga is sincere)
d: 1d20: 7 → Fail!
@Brolga uses a luck token to retry.
d: 1d20: 11 → Fail!
Brolga: The body was in no condition to be moved. We—
Guard: Quiet. [calling inside] Hillin! Isolden! To me!
Two more guards emerge and draw swords.
Ryarn: Why would we have come, only to lie to you?
Guard: Something to do with the rest of your little gang waiting for us in the swamps, I reckon.
Ryarn: That’s absurd!
Guard: I’d agree, if it were the first time folk such as yourselves attempted it. Look, fact is, I don’t think there’s a dead Watchman out there. And if there is, I assume it’s you lot that killed him. Either way, we’re holding you until all our patrols report in. If we are indeed down a man, we’ll get to the bottom of it. Now, off those horses, and move it on in here.
@ Party stays here for the night. We are adequately fed and horses are cared for.
C1 S9 - The Hunt
This session played June 20, 2025
Oath of Frost Village - Day 5 AM (Showers)
@ Ryarn drops Iron Spikes (10); Grappling Hook; Rope
@ Denton drops Grappling Hook
@ Daeniel drops Iron Spikes (10); Grappling Hook; Rope
The Oath gifts each of us a fur cloak like theirs. No armor benefit, but good for cold weather and will protect us somewhat from entropic effects.
At the Archdruid’s order, four horses are led to us as we prepare to depart. Archdruid explains these are hardy mounts, well suited for cold weather as they were bred and raised within the entropic influence of the village.
It’s not an optimistic start to the journey, with light showers freezing against us and a dreary haze surrounding the village, but we head out nonetheless and seek to pick up Una’s trail.
@ Party moves into Overland B5 Grassland (SAFE).
Overland B5 Grassland (SAFE) - Day 5 AM
We reach the spot where we camped with Una & Matteo.
@ Denton searches for the trail.
d: 1d20: 19 + 3 (WIS) = 22 vs DC 12 → Success!
? Does the trail lead to C4 (1-3) or C6 (4-6)?
d: 1d6: 6 → C6
@ Party moves intoo C6 Swamp (RISKY).
Overland C6 Swamp (RISKY) - Day 5 AM
? Random encounter check
d: 1d6: 3 → Clear
@ Denton attempts to keep the trail.
d: 1d20: 14 + 3 (WIS) = 17 vs DC 15 (swamp is difficult terrain) → Success!
? Does the trail lead to C4 (1-2), D5 (3-4), D7 (5-6), or C8 (7-8)?
d: 1d8: 8 → C8
Overland C8 Swamp (UNSAFE) - Day 5 PM
? Random encounter check
d: 1d6: 6 → Clear
@ Denton attempts to keep the trail.
d: 1d20: 19 + 3 (WIS) = 22 vs DC 15 → Success!
? Does the trail lead to D7 (1-2), D9 (3-4), or C10 (5-6)?
d: 1d6: 6 → C10
Overland C10 Swamp (UNSAFE) - Day 5 PM
? Random encounter check
d: 1d6: 3 → Clear
@ Denton attempts to keep the trail.
d: 1d20: 7 + 3 (WIS) = 10 vs DC 15 → Fail!
@ Brolga attempts to keep the trail.
d: 1d20: Nat 20!
→→ Not only does Brolga keep the trail, she finds something that reveals Una’s destination.
Tbl: Solodark Prompts - What did Brolga find?
d: 2d100: 36; 38 → SURPRISE JUSTICE
C1 S8 - The Keeper & the Father
This session played June 17, 2025.
Oath of Frost Village - Day 4 Afternoon (continued)
The deeper into the copse of tents and lean-tos our party steps, the colder the air becomes. Fires are lit for meals but seem to provide little warmth as we pass. Our breath is visible.
We are led to a longhouse near the center of the village. From this vantage point we see that the dwellings we’ve passed are not placed haphazardly but rather are fanning out in wide arcs from the longhouse and the adjoining altar space. Altogether Denton reckons a settlement of some 200 cultists here.
At the entrance to the longhouse, the sentry demands we relinquish our weapons.
@ Party complies.
As soon as we enter, the Archdruid strides over and addresses the rider who entered with us.
Archdruid: What news? Who are these?
Rider: Archdruid, my party discovered the remains of a horse in the outskirts of the swampland to the southeast. It appeared to be Bramble, the mount of our brother whom we found murdered in his tent yesterday morn. These strangers arrived from the north as we were returning. Our brothers were about to turn them away, but this one spoke the names of the stranger and Matteo your son.
Archdruid: Speak, Elf, but be wary: my patience for strangers and their manifold deceptions is at an end. Speak of Matteo, does he live?
Ryarn: Matteo does, Archdruid. We encountered him and Una shortly after they were attacked by a grick. The beast took the horse but left Una and Matteo. We gave them food and rest, and my companion healed their wounds. The woman told us she was Matteo’s mother, and together they were fleeing this village’s persecution. I now believe she may have stretched the truth.
Archdruid: The foul witch! She came to us starving, a week gone. We do not often welcome strangers but she was helpless and desperate. Now I must assume her grave condition was a lie as well as her intentions.
Rider: But Archdruid, she was on the brink of death!
Denton: A powerful illusion, perhaps?
Archdruid: I must agree. And very powerful indeed. Our wards protect the village from all but our own magicks, or so we thought.
Brolga: Why would someone want to kidnap your son?
? Solodark prompts - What does Archdruid think happened?
d: 2d100: 5, 42 → DELIVER BALANCE
Archdruid: I can think of only one reason. Matteo is not only the heir to the Oath of Frost; he is the Oath of Frost. Our bloodline carries an innate force, or, more precisely, an innate entropy. Though he is far too young to realize his true potential, as long as he draws breath, his very being is a negator, a cooler, a calmer, a slower. The Oath is the un-animator and the ender. Matteo is part of that. I see how you regard me, and I beg your understanding. We of the Oath are no more or less evil than any other who walk this land; we are but custodians of a natural force. If Matteo was taken for any purpose other than malice, then it would be to counteract some equally elemental force for change or for growth. If his kidnapper is the skilled spellcaster she appears to be, then she would absolutely recognize Matteo’s potential, and might seek to exploit it.
Ryarn: Una told us they would move east. Perhaps we could yet regain their trail if she spoke true of her intentions.
Archdruid: She is a liar of the lowest description.
Ryarn: True, but she took pains to convince us your people were a terrifying and murderous lot. She may have gambled that our meeting would have ended more violently.
Rider: It very nearly did.
Daeniel: Sister, our quest for the gradonbone signet ring! And here you speak as though we would take up the mantle of heroes for this village of strangers?
Archdruid: A dragonbone signet ring?
Ryarn: Yes, Archdruid. We came to your village in search of a rare ring, proof of our father’s claim to the throne of our land. Rumors of a young woman wearing a cloak like yours, searching for dragonbone artifacts in Skalvin and King’s Gate were the best leads we had secured in all our searching.
Archdruid: It is true, we sometimes send an acolyte on a pilgrimage for dragonbone samples; dragonbone of adequate purity serves to focus our wards.
He steps closer.
Archdruid: Please. I do not know if we have the artifact you seek, but if you bring my son back to me, the Oath of Frost will spare no effort aiding you in your search. You must understand, Matteo is my son, yes, and so I ask as a father. But I also ask as the caretaker of one of the realm’s natural laws. His exploitation by the ignorant or the greedy could upset a critical balance in the universe and doom us all.
Brolga: That’s … a lot.
Ryarn: We will help.
Archdruid: You will be resupplied and we will lend you our fastest mounts. You must depart at first light; even on foot, the witch may have a means of quickening their pace without a horse.
Archdruid motions to the other men and women in the longhouse, who begin to make preparations. Party is fed and resupplied (+rations) and will rest safely for the night.
+1 XP - Crossing what feels like a big milestone in the quest.
C1 S7 - Coming Clean
This session played June 16, 2025.
A6 Oath of Frost Village - Day 4 Afternoon
As the argument between party and sentries reaches a crescendo, a group of scouts—Oath cultists on horseback—rushes past us. One of the riders calls to the sentries.
Rider: We have found the remains of a horse in the swamp east of here!
Sentry: What of the Archdruid’s son?!
Rider: No trace of Matteo nor of the stranger anywhere nearby!
Sentry: Then … ?
Rider: The horse was taken for a meal by some creature in the swamp. It seems as if …
@ Ryarn cuts in.
Ryarn: Matteo yet lives!
Sentry nocks an arrow.
Sentry: SILENCE, liar!
Ryarn: The “stranger,” you speak of Una, a very tall human? And Matteo, a boy of five or six years, who does not speak?
Sentry lowers the bow.
Rider: You have seen the son of the Archdruid alive?
Denton: I cured them both of their wounds myself. I fear the woman may have … misrepresented herself to us.
Rider: You will speak to the Archdruid immediately. Follow.
Sentry: For your sake, I pray you do not deceive us.
We are led into the village under close guard. Oath cultists, all wearing identical fur-lined cloaks, begin to gather as word spreads, watching us with a mixture of suspicion and hope, but not malice.
C1 S6 - Frost At the Doorstep
This session played June 13, 2025.
B5 Grassland (Safe) - Day 4 Morning
@ Denton offers to try and cure Una’s twisted ankle. Before attempting, he prays to Ord for success.
d: 1d20 (Adv): 15 + 3 (WIS) = 18 vs DC 11 → Success!
→→ Una’s ankle is healed (narrative)!
@ Denton wants to try healing Matteo again as well (comfort; staving off possible infection).
d: 1d20 (Adv): 14 + 3 (WIS) = 17 vs DC 11 → Success!
→→ Matteos wounds disappear (narrative)!
@ Ryarn removes the dressing and helps clean the area.
Una massages her ankle.
Matteo squeezes Ryarn’s arm as she gently sponges a scratch on his face.
@ Does Ryarn take anything from that gesture?
d: 1d20: 6 + -1 (WIS) = 5 vs DC 15 → Fail
→→ Ryarn smiles at Matteo, taking the gesture as a thank-you.
@ Daeniel approaches Una as she stands and offers her his flint & steel and some rations. Says he wishes there was more we could do to help.
Una: (smiling) We’d both have died in that swamp if not for you. You have our sincerest thanks.
Daeniel: Say, does the child not speak?
Una: He never has. I blame the Oath. They cursed my child in the womb because his father was a subordinate of the Archdruid. He has never spoken a word, and treats all, even his own mother, as a mortal risk. Even as I nursed him, the babe looked at me as though he thought I would set upon him like a beast. Still, Matteo is good, and strong, and he is mine. No doubt we will help each other survive the journey ahead; I rely on him as much as he on me. (She pauses.) Is there nothing I can say to sway you from confronting the Oath? Their power twists the very air and groudn around them wherever they gather. It is as winter among them even in the height of summertime!
Ryarn: Sadly we have no choice. If they are so powerful, how did you escape? We would be grateful for any advantage.
Tbl: Solodark Prompts - How did Una and Matteo escape?
d: 2d100: 94; 46 → CHANGE WEALTH
Una: (with a twinkle in her eye) Greed. All of the Oath are sworn to poverty, all save the Archdruid at least, and by a stroke of luck I managed to procure a rare-looking gemstone. I bribed our camp-mate with the gem so she would look the other way, simple as that. But I’ve tarried too long as it is. The morning is well underway and once the Oath realize Matteo and I are gone, they’ll be after us. Take care to avoid them as long as possible! Matteo, to me.
Matteo joins Una. Una thanks the party and the pair heads east.
@ Party convenes to figure out a game plan. By now angry cultists are almost certainly beginning to mobilize and they’ll be four hours out on foot, two mounted. If they have a trail to follow, it’ll take them as far as that swamp, and after that they’ll have no choice but to fan out. We’ll want to control if and when our run-in with Una & Matteo is discovered by the cultists, and not be caught directly on their trail.
Daeniel: I can help us cover our tracks if we head northwest and circle back south to approach the village from another direction.
@ Party agrees.
@ Party moves NW into A4 Grassland (Unsafe).
A4 Grassland (Unsafe) - Day 4 Afternoon
As we continue over low hills, sparse shocks of trees, Daeniel guides the party, having us shuffle our steps, share footprints, and other methods to hide our trail. No immediate sign of Oath cultists or other folk around.
? Random encounter check
d: 1d6: 6 → Clear
@ Party decides to break south to try and approach the village by nightfall.
@ Party forages for rations first.
d: Ryarn 1d20: Natural 20! (INT) → Critical success!
→→ Ryarn manages to take out two rabbits; saves the extra for a party member who fails.
d: Denton 1d20: 18 + 1 (INT) = 19 vs DC 12 → Success!
→→ +1 ration
d: Daeniel 1d20: 18 + 0 (INT) = 18 vs DC 12 → Success!
→→ +1 ration
d: Brolga 1d20: 6 + 2 (INT) = 8 vs DC 12 → Fail
→→ Brolga accepts Ryarn’s spare rabbit.
@ Party moves south into A6.
A6 Oath of Frost Village - Day 4 Evening
As the sun begins to set, party notices the temperature dropping steeply. Too much. The farther south we move, the colder it gets.
Daeniel: There’s frost on the grass!
Brolga: Be on guard.
Before long we see several fires nearby—torches, campfires—and the dancing silhouettes of large tents. Now there is snow dusting the ground and it’s uncomfortably cold.
Ryarn: We do not mention Una. We will act with the utmost courtesy until we are in clear danger. Keep an eye on your exits if we get invited in.
Sentries, wearing fur-lined cloaks in matching cream colors, but no obvious armor, notice our approach and call out:
Sentries: YOU THERE—HOLD, AND STATE YOUR BUSINESS.
@ Party stops and we show our hands. In the fading light, Ryarn steps forward.
Ryarn: Hail! I an Ryarn, daughter of Varond, the one true King of Meridia. My brother Daeniel and our companions Denton and Brolga come in peace, and hope that your people might aid us in a most important quest.
Tbl: Shadowdark Random Encounter reactions - Sentries’ disposition?
d: Ryarn 2d6: 5 + -1 (CHA) = 4 → Hostile
Sentry: We have no love of “adventurers” nor patience for quests. (He readies his bow) Begone!
@ Brolga steps up to try and deescalate.
d: Brolga 1d20: 10 + 0 (CHA) vs DC 15 → Fail!
Sentry: This is your last chance!
Tbl: Solodark Prompts - Is anything happening that the party can see?
d: 2d100: 64; 85 → WARN TRUTH
C1 S5 - Una & Matteo
This session played June 12, 2025.
B5 Grassland (Safe) - Day 3 Evening
First things first, let’s help these two. Kiddo first.
@ Denton casts Cure Wounds on kiddo.
d: 1d20: 3 + 3 (WIS) = 6 vs DC 11 → Fail!
→→ Denton has displeased Ord.
Above table: Per Shadowdark rules, this isn’t true. A Priest only incurs penance when they roll a critical failure. Didn’t realize that at the time. Whoops! Carrying on.
Tbl: Solodark Prompts - What is the nature of Ord’s displeasure?
d: 2d100: 34; 82 → FORBID NOURISHMENT
Above table: Should Denton offer a ration (or 2) to mom & kid as penance? Is Ord pissed that we didn’t punish the grick for eating the horse?
Ord keeps their secret for now but demands Denton sacrifice rations to these people.
@ Denton gives 2 rations to the mom & kid. He apologizes for failing to heal the child.
→→ Mom & kiddo accept gratefully.
@ Brolga dresses kiddo’s wounds.
Mom’s ankle is just twisted, not broken; she’s slow but not in danger. Let’s meet these two.
@ Ryarn asks their names.
Mom answers for both: they are Una and Matteo.
Ryarn: Why were you riding through the swamp?
Tbl: Solodark Prompts
d: 2d100: 7; 32 → CREATE ENEMY
Una says they’re on the run from the cult nearby. They wanted out, the leader refused, and they fled in the night. Stole a horse, knocked out its owner. She wants a better life for her son.
Una moves to draw Matteo close to her; Matteo resists, just a little.
@ Does Ryarn notice?
d: 1d20: 10 + -1 (WIS) = 9 vs DC 15 (Matteo’s reaction was involutary but he’s working hard to keep up an appearance) → Fail!
We need to find that settlement!
@ Ryarn asks where the settlement is.
Una tells us it’s west-southwest from here, about half a day’s march. But we should turn back; the Oath of Frost are just the worst sort of people. They were lucky to escape with their lives!
Ryarn: Unfortunately we’ll have to take our chances. But where will you go? You have no horse and the nearest settlement we know about is over a day’s march from here, without accounting for your injuries!
Una says they will press east as best they can and will have to take their chances as well; anything is better than returning to the Oath.
Matteo’s face drops and he sets his jaw.
@ Does Ryarn notice?
d: 1d20: 12 + -1 (WIS) = 11 vs DC 15 → Fail!
@ Party consumes 1 ration - uneventful night.
C1 S4 - A Rescue In the Swamp
This session played June 11, 2025.
D9 King’s Gate - Slums (Neutral) - Silver Blade Tavern - Day 3 Morning
At breakfast the party regroups to form a plan. What do we know? The Oath of Frost cult is our best lead (only lead) so far. They’re based somewhere to the northwest. There is a safe-ish route but it must not be obvious. It’s unlikely that Bar Guy is heading that way since we only just asked him and it would be a crazy coincidence.
Let’s get a move on—nothing else to see here.
@ Party gives a polite nod to Kieren on our way out.
? Random encounter check
d: 1d6: 6 → Clear
@ Party crosses the bridge into Low District A (Lawful).
@ Party exits King’s Gate via the west gate.
C8 Swamp (Unsafe) - Day 3 Morning
The land is swampy/marshland. There’s no discernable path or road, so we just do our best to hop between the driest spots. Heading vaguely NW.
? Random encounter check
d: 1d6: 5 → Clear
@ Brolga, following the direction of the sun, navigates out of the hex.
d: Brolga INT 15+2 = 17 vs DC 12 → Success!
→→ Party may move NW into B7.
B7 Swamp (Unsafe) - Day 3 Afternoon
Terrain is unchanging. The mud sucks at our boots with each step.
? Random encounter check
d: 1d6: 1 → Hit!
Tbl: Shadowdark Swamp encounters d100: 73 → A grick drags a riderless horse into a black pond!
Tbl: Shadowdark RE distance 1d6: 4 → Near
? Solodark Oracle - Were we noticed?
d: 1d20: 13 → Yes, but …
→→ … it’s not immediately hostile, since it just got that horse.
? Solodark Oracle - Any signs of a rider (tack, etc)?
d: 1d20: 7 → No, but …
→→ … this far from stable terrain it’s unlikely a wild horse just wandered into the area.
? Solodark Oracle - Are there more gricks in the area?
d: 1d20: 8 → No
? Solodark Oracle - Is there a rider in this hex?
d: 1d20: Natural 20! → Yes, and …
→→ … it’s a mother, and her child!
We hear a child’s desperate cry as the last fitful splashes issue from the pond. Not far off, we see an old but living tree, festooned with moss and hanging vines. The child’s mother is frantically helping the child up onto a low bough so he can climb up higher out of reach.
@ Party rushes over to help.
Tbl: Shadowdark RE reaction 2d6: 7 → Suspicious
→→ Grick is aware of us but sated from its kill. This attack was not a territorial thing; we are not in immediate danger.
@ Ryarn runs to the woman.
@ Others form a perimeter around the tree just in case.
Ryarn: Are you injured?
? Solodark Oracle - Well, are they?
d: Woman 1d20: 16 → Yes
d: Child 1d20: 12 → Yes
→→ She twisted her ankle when she was thrown from the horse; her son has some minor lacerations from thorny underbrush.
We see the marshlands give way to drier terrain to the north. Ryarn suggests we help the pair to safety and figure out what’s what. Mother’s injury and child being smaller makes movement slow.
? Random encounter check (slowed movement; more time in hex)
d: 1d6: 5 → Clear
@ Party crosses north out of swampland into B5.
B5 Grassland (Safe) - Day 3 Afternoon
@ Party sets up camp for the night.
C1 S3 - Sleuthin’ & Drinkin’ at King’s Gate
This session played June 6, 2025.
Skalvin D9 Market (Neutral) - Day 2 Morning
Above table: New house rule: Shadowdark RPG rules say to treat CHAOTIC settlements/districts as RISKY for purposes of triggering random encounter checks. I’ll expand to say NEUTRAL is UNSAFE and LAWFUL is SAFE.
@ Party moves from Skalvin Market (Neutral) to Skalvin Artisan A (Lawful).
? Random encounter check
d: 1d6: 5 → Clear
@ Party moves through Skalvin Artisan A (Lawful) and out of Skalvin to the north.
The muggy swamps of Skalvin give way to drier terrain where the marshy wetlands collect into a widening river. The boardwalk leading north out of Skalvin terminates in a well-trod dirt path along the east bank of the river that leads a short distance to a sturdy but modest palisade wall.
? Random encounter check
d: 1d6: 2 → Clear
The gate is guarded but open; we’re welcome to come and go as we please.
D9 King’s Gate - High District (Chaotic) - Day 2 Afternoon
We enter King’s Gate and pass a City Watch outpost. A guard courteously welcomes us but warns us to keep a hand on our pursestrings, as there’s been a recent uptick in petty crime.
Several larger and nicely-constructed homes, painted bright colors. Street is bustling but not chokingly crowded. We see the Crimson Dragon, a clean-looking tavern.
@ Party enters the Crimson Dragon.
Carlsby is behind the bar. We all order House Ales (free).
? Solodark oracle - Does Carlsby know about the cloaked woman?
d: 1d20: 5 → No, but …
→→ … the description reminds him of the garb of a cult he thinks is based far to the northwest. Says we should ask at one of the temples here in town.
@ Party also asks if he knows where the Silver Blade is.
→ Carlsby directs us north toward the slums. Yikes.
? Random encounter check
d: 1d6: 1 → Hit!
d: High District Encounters 1d100: 79 → A weeping bard singing a tragic ballad follows the PCs.
? Solodark oracle - Is this guy a thief?
d: 1d20: 17 → Yes, and …
→→ … he’s not alone!
@ Denton WIS check to see through the bard’s ruse.
d: 1d20: 15 + 3 (WIS) = 18 vs DC12 → Success!
→→ Denton remembers the City Watch guard’s warning and realizes they’re being played.
@ Daeniel WIS check to notice the hidden accomplice.
d: 1d20: 10 + -1 (WIS) = 9 vs DC12 → Fail!
@ Denton confronts the bard and starts arguing with him.
@ Ryarn WIS check to notice accomplice.
d: 1d20: Nat 20!
Above table: The natural 20 here will mean Ryarn notices the hidden accomplice, and the jig is basically up. Thieves must pass a flat DC15 check to commit to the bit and attempt to mug the party. Let’s give them disadvantage, too.
N Thieves gooned-together “morale” check.
d: 1d20 (dis): 5 → Fail!
→→ The thieves are well outmatched without the element of surprise, and flee as the party draws our weapons and makes some noise, attracting attention.
Above table: Just for fun, let’s say one of them drops something as they run.
@ Brolga WIS check to notice what the thieves dropped.
d: 1d20: 6 + 1 (WIS) = 7 vs DC15 (busy street, general commotion) → Fail!
@ Denton, same check.
d: 1d20: Nat 20!
→→ Denton notices a small pouch on the ground!
Above table: Keeping it simple, let’s say 1d4 gp.
d: 1d4: 4 → Denton gains 4gp!
@ Party decides to head toward Temple District A to ask about the cultist.
? Random encounter check
d: 1d6: 4 → Clear
D9 King’s Gate - Low District B (Lawful) - Day 2 Afternoon
No encounters (safe district). We cross a bridge over the river into Low District A.
D9 King’s Gate - Low District A (Lawful) - Day 2 Afternoon
No encounters (safe district). We cross a bridge over the river into Temple District A.
D9 King’s Gate - Temple District A (Lawful) - Day 2 Afternoon
We arrive in the district mid-afternoon. The two largest structures here are a stone meeting house to the west and an imposing cathedral overlooking the river to the east.
@ Party enters the cathedral.
This is a temple to Ord. Denton, as a Seeker to Ord, is immediately calmed, and approaches one of the many prayer altars lining the nave to offer a prayer. Out of respect, all party members donate 1gp to the charity box at the entrance.
A Haruspex of Ord approaches, noticing these sugns of respect, and greets the party warmly.
@ Denton bows.
@ Party asks the Haurspex if she knows anything about the cult in the northwest, and specifically about a cultist traveling through the area some years ago.
? Solodark oracle - Does she remember the cultist?
d: 1d20: 18 → Yes
The Haruspex says the temple has long been aware of the cult but had never met one of its members before—so it was pretty memorable when the young woman came into the temple in search of a safe place to sleep. She stayed in the rectory for several days and was a good and respectful guest of the temple. Came and went several times. Seemed very stressed out, ate little, conspicuously sweaty even in the autumn cool. All of a sudden she was gone, leaving nothing but a generous donation behind.
? Solodark oracle - Does Haruspex remember clearly enough for details of the cultist?
d: 1d20: 2 → Nope
→→ Just a young woman, never shared her name.
@ Party thanks the Haruspex and leaves.
Above table: Housekeeping! Party should have earned XP as well as gold as a group for that cash drop from the thieves. Whoops. All PCs get 4gp. A “bag of gold” is considered “Normal” loot, so +1XP all around.
The day is almost over. Let’s find Kieren, deliver the letter, and see if there are beds for us there.
@Party heads to the Slums (Neutral) via Temple A, Low District A, and Low District B (all Lawful).
D9 King’s Gate - Slums (Neutral) - Day 2 Evening
We arrive at the Silver Blade Tavern just as the sun is setting.
? Random encounter check
d: 1d6: 4 → Clear
The Silver Blade is an upstanding establishment with a diversity of patrons. The evening crowd is thick and good-natured. Tasty smells from the kitchen door behind the bar lead the party up to Kieren. No space at the bar, so it takes a minute to catch her attention. Kieren soon spots us and brings a round of ales.
@ Ryarn pulls Ginny’s letter from her pack and hands it to Kieren.
Kieren is delighted! Says it’s been hard for them to see each other lately because of dicey conditions along the palisade (crime, etc), and it means a lot we were willing to help.
Above table: For delivering the letter, we’ve earned Ginny’s discount! +1XP all around.
Kieren assumes we’re not heading straight back to skalvin, but if we check with her next time we pass through, maybe we could deliver a response?
In the meantime, Kieren says we should make ourselves at home, free rooms for the night as a thank-you.
@ Party hangs out & socializes.
@ Party buys dinner: 2x cheese & bread, 2x rat-on-a-stick, 4x more ales.
→→ -2gp & 16cp
? Solodark oracle - Does anyone here know the way to that weird cult? Let’s retcon a name for them: The Oath of Frost.
d: 1d20: 13 → Yes, but …
→→ … not for free. A patron challenges one of us to a round of Wizards and Thieves. If we win, he’ll mark the safest route to the Oath’s village on our map.
? Solodark prompts - What if we lose?
d: 2d100: 88, 48 → ACQUIRE DARK
→→ He gets to try and knock me out with one free punch.
Note for the blog: Wizards and Thieves is a tavern game described in the core rules for Shadowdark RPG that I was excited to try out. I’m going to omit the log of this game for three reasons:
Gambling games are a lot more fun in a group rather than solo.
The written log of a gambling game is hella boring to look at.
I completely borked the rules anyway ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Suffice to say, the game happened, and near as I can tell, the bar patron won.
? Solodark oracle - Is the bar patron serious about fighting?
d: 1d20 (adv): 12 → Yes
→→ Bar guy socks Daeniel in the face.
Above table: I’d make it a combat encounter but neither party is interested in dying and Daeniel will just get his HP back when they rest, so mechanically let’s call it a wash.
Daeniel takes the hit. The small crowd that gathered to watch the game cheers with raucous laughter. Daeniel shakes it off and Bar Guy helps him up. They shake hands amicably and Bar Guy says he has no idea how to get to the Village of the Oath.
Jesus, probably time to turn in. Thank goodness for full bellies and free beds.
Above table: Want to clean up / rewrite the context for Bar Guy. Bar Guy is a trader working for a major trading corporation. The corp jealously protects its routes—especially those that traverse dangerous roads—and it could cost Bar Guy’s employer dearly if that knowledge becomes public. That’s why nobody else raises a hand to help—the route is secret. Bar Guy was just drunk enough and just cynical enough to bet that knowledge on the game. We’re accepting the loss and not attempting to intimidate Bar Guy because A: we’re not assholes, even though our quest is serious, and B: it’s likely Bar Guy travels with an armed entourage and we don’t want trouble. Maybe try to follow, or track?
C1 S2 - The Fortune Teller of Skalvin
This session played June 4, 2025.
Skalvin D9 Market (Neutral) - Day 2 Morning
There is no real entrance to Skalvin; we simply have to walk through wetter and wetter mud to reach the nearest dock/walkway. Close by is a large meeting-house on one side and some smaller structures on the other. Shops?
Nestled between two shops is a small platform with a lean-to on one side. An old round table is set in the center with two chairs. There’s an old woman sitting on a cushion under the lean-to. A fortune teller!
@ Party investigates the fortune teller.
→ Fortune teller singles out one of us.
d: 1d4: 3 → Daeniel
→→ Briinpil (the fortune teller) says the cattails speak only to Daeniel, and only in exchange for gold.
@ Daeniel pays 1gp to Briinpil to receive a fortune.
Daeniel: Will we be successful in our quest to find the elves’ heirloom?
? Solodark Prompts
d: 2d100: 8; 90 → RESIST ORDER
Briinpil reaches to one side and cuts the head off one cattail. She squeezes it over the table, releasing a rusty-colored fluid, which she smears across the surface with the remains of the cattail. Discarding it, she sits and considers the smear of fluid, smelling and sampling its viscosity between her fingers.
Briinpil tells the others to move away, and then speaks to Daeniel.
Briinpil: Your quest is noble, but will come with unintended consequences. Be wary of the corruption all power brings, and be skeptical of all those who seek power for themselves. Ask yourself: why does the elf that would be King not defend his birthright himself? Why send not one, but both of his heirs in his place?
The cattail juice bubbles on the table and evaporates.
@ Daeniel thanks Briinpil uneasily and rejoins the party.
Ryarn notices a shop, The Village Lantern, and wants to pop in to see if we can find a lead on the heirloom.
@ Party enters The Village Lantern.
Inside, the shopkeep, Ginny, is dusting artifacts displayed on a few shelves and tables. Another customer is in the rear of the store examining some books—we can’t see his face.
@ Party greets Ginny and asks about the heirloom
Above table: Okay let’s take a second to figure out what this is.
Gen: Shadowdark RPG - Mundane Items
d: Unique Feature 1d20: 20 → Historic/Famous
d: Luxury Items 1d20: 15 → Dragonbone
→→ It’s a polished dragonbone signet ring that’s been lost for generations.
? Solodark Oracle - Has Ginny heard about the ring?
d: 1d20: 6 → No
? Solodark Oracle - Does the idea of polished dragonbone jewelry sound familiar?
d: 1d20: 18 → Yes
→→ Ginny remembers someone coming into the shop looking for dragonbone artifacts several years ago.
? Solodark Oracle - Was it the cult in overland hex A6, or the sorcerer in overland hex G6?
d: 1d20: 10 → Cult
→→ Ginny says it was a young woman carrying an odd-looking fur-lined cloak. She was sweating, and seemed in a rush. When Ginny couldn’t help her, the woman seemed frustrated but thanked her anyway, and left without incident.
? Solodark Oracle - Is Ginny aware of the cult in A6?
d: 1d20: 6 → No
→→ Ginny says they’re pretty isolated in Skalvin and don’t get a lot of visitors, so she’s not as worldly as she’d otherwise be. Says we may have better luck up in King’s Gate since it’s a much bigger city on the river.
We thank her for her time. As we head for the door she stops us.
Ginny: Could you please deliver a letter for me, if you’re headed north anyway? It’s to Kieren, bartender at the Silver Blade.
@ Party agrees and accepts the letter.
Ginny blushes as she hands over the envelope. She says she’ll give us a discount at her shop next time we’re around.
C1 S1 - Why are we here?
This session played June 4, 2025.
Before I dig in, a quick word on notation. In my handwritten logs, things are, well, informal. Over time I have developed some formatting conventions to keep things somewhat readable, but my pages are incredibly dense, and that well-intentioned formatting not uncommonly falls by the wayside.
To make things a little more palatable here, I am going to try out a slightly modified version of Lonelog by Zeruhur, a solo roleplaying notation system that seeks to maximize legibility and searchability without slowing down the pace of the game (notetaking can be a real mood-killer). I’m adding my own indentation conventions, and am replacing the “->” and “=>” used for dice results and consequences, respectively, with “→” and “→→” since Squarespace autocorrects “->” to “→” and I definitely don’t want to spend my time re-correcting it. Additionally, I’ll limit the use of this notation to game mechanics, e.g. dice rolls. When I relay fiction, there won’t be any special syntax for that, and I’ll handle dialogue sort of like a screenplay format, the way I do in my handwritten logs. That’s it! Let’s get to it.
? SoloDark Oracle - Do I start in a settlement? → No
→→ Start in a random location
? Roll for starting hex:
d: 1d8: 2 → Column B
d: 1d20: 13 → Row 13
→→ Starting at hex B13 Unsafe Forest.
? SoloDark Oracle - Why are we traveling together?
d: 2d100: 30, 16 → CAPTURE INFORMATION
? SoloDark Oracle - Is this a personal quest?
d: 1d20: 19 → Yes, but
→→ … the information has value to someone else as well.
We are traveling together in search of evidence that proves Ryarn and Daeniel’s father has claim to the throne of their homeland.
? SoloDark Oracle - Why are Denton and Brolga involved?
d: 2d100: 40, 21 → AVOID FAMILY
→→ They are connected to the pretender to the throne!
We travel to the eastern coast following rumors of an ancient elven heirloom that will certify Ryarn and Daeniel’s royal bloodline.
LET’S FUCKIN’ GO.
B13 Forest (Risky) - Day 1 Morning
Party elects Brolga as navigator. This means it’ll be her INT modifier which determines whether we get where we’re going, or get lost. She has us following a narrow stream to stay close to game, and hopefully lead to civilization.
@ Party moves northeast.
? Random encounter check
d: 1d6: 2 → Clear!
@ Brolga wants to keep following the stream.
d: Brolga INT 15+2 = 17 vs DC 9 → Success!
C12 River (Risky) - Day 1 Afternoon
Brooks and streams gather into a widening river. Treees thin out. Foothills to the north and west; fields to the east.
@ Party continues northeast.
? Random encounter checks x2
d: 1d6: 5 → Clear!
d: 1d6: 5 → Clear!
To the north, the river floods out into inhospitable looking marshes. To the northeast, we see a small town with homes and small buildings on stilts built over thick swamplands. Buildings connected by docks and wooden walkways. Few lights burning as the daylight fades.
Looks pretty iffy. Denton votes we camp here beyond the border of the town and head in during the day.
@ Party consumes 1 ration apiece and sets up camp.
? Overnight random encounter checks x4
d: 4d6: 3; 4; 4; 3 → Uneventful!
C12 River (Risky) - Day 2 Morning
@ Party moves into town - D11 Skalvin.
Approaching from the southeast, we enter town in the Market District, Skalvin D9 Market (Neutral).
End of Session 1
C1 S0 - First Cuts
Session Zero! I’ll create my adventuring party and start building out the world for this first solo campaign.
This session played May 29-30, 2025.
First, we roll up four characters!
*For now, I will keep information that changed over time (e.g. HP, AC, Talents, Spells, and Gear) abstract, since I did all that bookkeeping with a pencil & eraser on the same sheet of paper. TBD if one day I’ll start recording that data; we’ll see if it’s fun or not.
RYARN (she/her), Elf Wizard
STR 10 / +0 INT 14 / + 2
DEX 10 / +0 WIS 9 / -1
CON 15 / +2 CHA 9 / -1
TITLE: Apprentice
ALIGNMENT: Lawful
BACKGROUND: Scholar
Bought Crawling Kit (-7gp)
Bought Dagger (-1gp)
DENTON (he/him), Human Priest
STR 12 / +1 INT 12 / +1
DEX 6 / -2 WIS 16 / +3
CON 8 / -1 CHA 8 / -1
TITLE: Seeker
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
BACKGROUND: Cult Initiate
DEITY: Ord
Bought Crawling Kit (-7gp)
Bought Shield (-10gp)
Bought Longsword (-9gp)
DAENIEL (he/him), Elf Thief
STR 6 / -2 INT 11 / +0
DEX 11 / +0 WIS 8 / -1
CON 15 / +2 CHA 9 / -1
TITLE: Robber
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
BACKGROUND: Scout
Bought Crawling Kit (-7gp)
Bought Leather Armor (-10gp)
Bought Longbow (-8gp)
Bought Arrows x20 (-1gp)
BROLGA, Half-Orc Fighter
STR 13 / +1 INT 15 / +2
DEX 5 / -3 WIS 13 / +1
CON 11 / +0 CHA 10 / +0
TITLE: Squire
ALIGNMENT: Lawful
BACKGROUND: Orphaned
Bought Crawling Kit (-7gp)
Bought Greataxe (-10gp)
Then we create The World.
I built out the hexmap for my starting area by placing a settlement in the center hex and prerolling on Shadowdark’s Overland Hex Maps rules for the surrounding eighteen hexes, to give myself the lay of the land:
Rolled up a swampy mess with a METROPOLIS smack in the center.
Danger level for each hex is rolled on a d6 ranging from 1 (safe) to 6 (deadly):
Roll 19 danger levels: 2, 6, 6, 6, 5, 3, 2, 1, 1, 5, this place SUCKS, jesus, 6, 1, 5, 3, 5, 5, 3, 4, 5
Roll 18 points of interest: 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0
Consider how to start; roll for starting hex?
What am I even doing?
In my first Actual Play post, a quick introduction to Shadowdark RPG and a couple of secondary tools I’ll use to get started with the campaign.
Welcome to my Actual Play section! The posts that follow will be my way of publishing the adventures I’ve stumbled through in my head. My journey began back in May of 2025, so the majority of my first posts here will be publishing my backlog of sessions. There’s lots of weird stuff coming down the pike, so strap in and get ready for some solo roleplaying! What is solo roleplaying, you ask? I’ll have a blog post for that.
I’m dedicated to keeping this hobby fully analog, but when bringing the logs onto the World Wide Web I’ll lightly edit my sessions for clarity and consistency. Since thinking, playing, and recording all takes brainpower, I’ve found that sometimes I lose track of my own canon as it develops; I’ll leave those imperfections (as well as bad rolls, rules mistakes, etc) intact here rather than retconning anything. Playing forward from whatever’s happening now is a meditative challenge with this hobby that I think is part of the fun.
So, it’s time to set up the first campaign! We’re playing Shadowdark RPG by Kelsey Dionne. Kelsey describes Shadowdark as “old-school gaming, modernized.” It’s fast, and life is extremely cheap (when the rules are followed, at least!). One of its differentiating mechanics is light management: torches, lanterns, or light-emitting magic are all that push the extremely deadly darkness back. Light sources are all costly and temporary, lasting just one hour of real time before sputtering out, and hanging out in Total Darkness means the player suffers disadvantage on most tasks (disadvantage: player rolls 2 d20’s and takes the lower result; advantage would have the player take the higher result), and experiences random encounters (usually dangerous run-ins with monsters) are triggered every turn. It doesn’t matter if you’re a level-zero nobody or a godlike level-10 veteran, everyone is equally squishy against the crush of Total Darkness.
In addition to the core rules, I’ll supplement with SoloDark, the official solo rules for Shadowdark. SoloDark provides oracles, some helpful random tables, and a few mechanical tweaks as well. Most relevant right out of the gate, the solo rules recommend allowing torches to last ten turns rather than one real-time hour; that allows for the slower pace and more flexible session times that distinguish solo play from traditional group play. As the campaign (and my skill at running the game) evolves, I’ll be adding and removing rules and tools to try and find a fun balance of narrative freedom and simulationist “crunch.” But for now, it’s just two books, a three-ring binder with character sheets and hex map templates, and roughly a pound of dice. Without further ado, let’s get the [adventuring] party started.