Solo Savage Pathfinder – Scene 1 – Mysterious Scrying
This is a continuation of running a solo Savage Pathfinder game using the Mythic GM Emulator 2ed and Savage Worlds Solo Game Guide. In Session 0 we worked on the backstory of the main character, Ondo Baridad, a potent wizard in the island kingdom of Delcor with a shameful family history.
I’ve come up with an opening scene for Ondo and I’ve filled out the lists from the Mythic book. There’s the Threads List, which I added “Father’s Heresy” and “Pearl of Storms” to. And the NPC List, which I’ve put Wran and Ness on. I’ve also added his mother, whom I’ve named Lyra. It looks like this:
Ondo has been summoned to Castle Delcor to speak with Ness the Virtuous, the High Sorceress of the realm. It is the first time someone from his family has been invited since his father’s betrayal of the kingdom years ago, when Ondo was a child.
The first scene will be him visiting his mother on his way through town. She has been consigned to care by nuns at a convent…(rolling for name of the convent – “Weather” “Foolishly”…something nonsensical about the weather? How about the Convent of the Eternal Sun?)
He visits her less and less these days, but this feels like a significant event because he’s been invited back to the castle after so many years. He wants to stop by and share the news, even if she won’t understand in her declining state. So the visit is really for him.
Scene 1 – Visiting Mother
Ondo is visiting his mother, Lyra. She lost her mind when her husband betrayed the kingdom and is now in the care of the nuns at the Convent of the Eternal Sun.
(Let’s test the expected scene using the Mythic rules. Rolling a d10 against the current Chaos Factor of 5. I get — a 2 – Interrupt Scene! That means the scene doesn’t play out as planned and something unexpected happens. I roll — “Ambiguous Event” and “Creepy” “Protective” on the Meaning Tables. Interesting.)
He arrives at the convent, striding through the large open rooms to the hall where her bed is located. He finds her sleeping peacefully. However, there is a strange disembodied magical eye floating above her bed watching her. The nuns don’t seem to notice it (oracle roll). He doesn’t know who or what is behind this turn of events.
He is, however, an accomplished wizard, so perhaps he can discover the source himself. Muttering an arcane word and making a quick gesture, he casts reveal arcana (Spellcasting d8 – rolls a 4, a success! Oracle — “Colorful” “Prison”) – he gets the sensation that the viewer who has cast the eye is trapped in a place of swirling magical color. Whoever the caster is cuts contact when they realize that Ondo is looking back. The eye bursts in a puff of multi-colored magical energy with an audible pop and then dissipates. The sound awakens his mother.
She looks around in confusion and then at Ondo, with no recognition. “Hello, young man. Can you tell me where I am?” she asks. He sits next to her bed and takes her hand, waving away the last of the dissipating magical energy above her head.
“It’s me, ma. I am your son, Ondo.” She stares at him in disbelief. He sighs – today is going to be one of her bad days. A familiar conversation ensues of him reminding her who he is, where she is, and calming her fears and doubts. He has done this many times before. He talks in circles several times, answering the same question over and over again. She offers nothing new, unsure of even what she had for breakfast or what day it is. (Oracle question – “on a scale of 1-6, how is she doing today?” Answer — 2)
Finally he tells her that he’s on his way to Castle Delcor, that Ness the Virtuous has invited him. Her eyes go wide and her body stiffens with this news. Then her eyes roll back into her head and she starts to convulse (oracle — “Conflict” “Busily”). Ondo holds her down to prevent her from bucking off the bed. “Help, nurse, help!” he yells. A group of nuns converge and assist him in calming her.
She thrashes for a while before finally settling down. The nurses hold her hands and stroke her hair, singing softly to her. At last she appears to drift off to sleep.
Ondo kisses her forehead and stands to leave. He looks to her one last time and sees her eyes wide open staring at him. (Does she have anything else to say? Yes! Oracle — “Ambush” “Curiously” – a nice ambiguous message. Let’s go with it). She hisses at him through clenched teeth, “Watch for the ambush!”
He blinks in surprise, but when he looks back at her, her eyes are closed and she is breathing softly. He leaves, slightly unnerved, the clacking of his boots echoing through the spacious halls of the convent.
End Scene 1
Let’s raise the Chaos Factor after that one. Ondo certainly didn’t feel in control there. Chaos Factor is now 6.
