An Athlete In Action
Korinne faces off against an implacable foe for high stakes.
Korinne the Swift was always a fierce cross-country racing champion. Her small frame and late start meant she had to work twice as hard as her naturally gifted competitors, but that work ethic became her greatest strength.
Level 3, Athlete 3, Naturalist 2, Endurance Running 3, Climbing 2, Competitive Strategy 3
Note that she has spent extra Karma on more ranks of Maneuvers than her free 3.
Korinne has been commissioned as a courier to carry an urgent dispatch across the Thornwall Mountains — a three-day journey through treacherous terrain that must be completed in thirty-six hours to prevent a war. The regular mountain passes are snowed in, leaving only the dangerous high route that most consider impassable in winter. This isn't merely a series of obstacles — it's a battle against the mountain itself, and the stakes are broken homes, burnt villages, and many lives.
The Thornwall crossing without the wagon-traversable passes is a Level 3 difficulty challenge. The mountain's "Roles" are Hostile Terrain 3 and Winter Conditions 2; improvised NPC thematic roles. Its "Maneuvers" are Steep Cliffs 3, Bitter Cold 2, and Exhausting Altitude 2. Korinne must reduce the challenge to zero, but the mountain fights back, and it could absolutely kill her if she fails.
Korinne knows this route, and knows how difficult it's going to be. Hundreds of feet of cliff — the switchbacks in the meager path add hours she doesn't have. The rock face between is rough, but she's a skilled climber, strong and light with good endurance, and even in this icy wind she can save hours with a more difficult but direct route. At the top is a marathon stretch of winding path at altitude. The descent on the far side is treacherous loose rock and scree that could trigger slides, hidden ice patches, and continued exposure that demands both speed and caution.
She starts with a plan. She packs light, with just enough supplies for a couple of days. She dresses carefully, layers that will keep her warm if she keeps moving and offer some protection against wind and falls. She sets her route in mind, making sure it will get where she has to be in time at a pace she can manage the whole way.
With Level 3 + Athlete 3 + Competition Strategy 3 = EL9 she wagers 3 and rolls EL6 for a 1. Thornwall rolls Level 3 + Hostile Terrain 3 + Winter Conditions 2 = EL8 for a 3 — no bonus! She needs that. She spends a Luck Token for a best-possible roll of exactly her EL6, successfully creating a 7Ps boost ("Proper Prior Planning Prevents Piss-Poor Performance") of 3 that will be available for the entire encounter unless something happens to end it...
They drive her to the base of the rise in a fast horse-drawn carriage, and she warms up with a quick run to the face. She pits her climbing expertise against the mountain's Steep Cliffs, but Thornwall is having none of it. The cliffs are relentless, with loose rock and treacherous handholds that punish every mistake, and she slips, falling back on the path beneath her halfway up.
She rolls Level 3 + Athlete 3 + Climbing 2 + 7Ps 3 = EL11 for a 6, but both the mountain's Roles apply for Level 3 + Hostile Terrain 3 + Winter Conditions 2 + Steep Cliffs 3 = EL11, and it rolls an 8 that wins by 2, so she takes 2 points of Harm from a fall! She invokes her once-per-scene single point of armor from thick travelling clothes, but +1 on her roll only reduces the damage to 1.
That hurt. The men below are lost in the snow, and couldn't help even if they could see her. She grits her teeth and considers her schedule. She can't afford to be off her game and needs to check the damage. She almost misses it in the storm, but finds a place where the rock above has cracked and dropped a boulder to the path, offering some cover from the wind and snow. She takes a much-needed break huddled out of the weather to drink some water, clean the blood from the back of her head, and wrap it before putting her cap back on.
She rolls Level 3 + Naturalist 2 + 7Ps 3 = EL8 — 1 Harm = EL7 to find shelter: a 4. Thornwall rolls the same EL11 for a 4 as well, denying her any respite; she needs this, so gambles and spends the second of her three Luck Tokens, converting her roll to exactly a best-possible 7. She wins by 3. It's enough for an after-action recovery of Level 3 + her 7Ps bonus of 3 (she brought bandages) = EL6 against her Harm of 1. She rolls a 5 and her bleeding head wound rolls a 1. She wins handily, and shakes off all the debilitating effects as just Complications.
It costs her an hour and a half, but gives her a chance to recoup. She'll have a headache and a sore scalp but she can ignore that — there's too much at stake, and now she's lost valuable time. She doubles down to make up for it; Korinne Never Backs Down From a Challenge and takes advantage of a lull in the snowfall to study the remaining distance and find her best route. She spots a promising Shortcut, but it means she'll be climbing over a tumble that could set her back even worse if she slips. She grinds her teeth and tries to finish the climb.
After resting it's a new scene — she gets a Luck Token. She'll need that. She rolls Level 3 + Athlete 3 + Climbing 2 = EL8 for a 5 to plan a safer climb as an immediate Boost. Thornwall rolls the same EL11 for a 3 and she spots a promising Shortcut 2. This roll is Level 3 + Athlete 3 + Climbing 2 + 7Ps 3 + Shortcut 2 = EL13 for a 7. Thornwall rolls a 6. The Shortcut 2 pays off with a Progress 1 on its Level, and she's past the Steep Cliffs 3. The GM says the weather is bad enough that he's not going to call it a scene, so no Token.
Now she has to navigate the high pass. She sets off at a trot that lets her make good time without too much likelihood of skating off into the abyss. A snowdrift has piled up and blocked the path; it does her no harm, but she can't pass without some special effort. She screams into the wind, but Korinne Never Backs Down From a Challenge. She checks the snow — the core is too dense to tunnel through, but the layers on top are still fresh, and thick enough not to just let her fall through to the slick ice underneath. She backs up for a bit of momentum, and charges up the drift. She slips and struggles near the top, about to slide back, but scrambles over the top and makes it down the far side just as the snowstorm begins to break.
With Level 3 + Athlete 3 + Endurance Running 3 + Climbing 2 + 7Ps 3 = EL14 she rolls 11. Thornwall opposes with Level 3 + Hostile Terrain 3 + Winter Conditions 2 + Bitter Cold 2 + Exhausting Altitude 2 = EL12 — her Progress 1 = EL11, and the GM spends his GM Luck Token for a best roll of 11, thwarting her again! She spends another Token of her own, making her roll a 14, winning by 2, bringing her to Progress 3. The mountain is Staggered, and the GM says that the snowstorm begins to break.
She's not down yet though; there's still a lot of the pass to run, and through the breaks in the clouds she can see an army approaching across the plain below. She's running out of time. She knocks off what she can of the snow and moves on.
This time Thornwall strikes first as an avalanche cascades down from above but the crags and chasms divert it harmlessly away after a few terrifying moments. Korinne breathes a sigh of relief and jogs on.
With Level 3 + Hostile Terrain 3 + Winter Conditions 2 + Bitter Cold 2 + Exhausting Altitude 2 = EL12 — her Progress 3 = EL9, it rolls 3 Extra Effort dice, but they betray, rolling an 11 that exceeds Thornwall's EL and fails. The GM notes the fail; if Thornwall doesn't get some success on its next roll, it will be Down; the weather will break and she'll have no more rolls to make against it.
This is the longest part of the journey, so the mountain tries one last time with a sustained wind to chill the life out of her, wet as she is from the snowbank.
This time Thornwall rolls a 7 — that's a success, so it's still in the fight. Korinne rolls Level 3 + Athlete 3 + Endurance Running 3 + Naturalist 2 + 7Ps 3 = EL14 for a 6. The mountain wins, chilling her with a point of exposure Harm. The GM calls it a scene, and grants them each another Luck Token.
Now she just has to make it down the mountain. Teeth chattering, she tries to plot a course down the slope, but the light snow covering the scree balks her efforts. Nothing for it. She starts easing down the mountainside with as much speed as she can muster while feeling her way as she goes.
She tries to roll Level 3 + Naturalist 2 + 7Ps 3 = EL8... The GM stops her, pointing out planning can't do much to help against the eroding mountainside of loose rubble and scree. She reluctantly agrees — her 7Ps is done. She rolls against Level 3 + Naturalist 2 = EL5 — Exposure 1 for an EL4 to pick a safe path. The mountain counters with Level 3 + Hostile Terrain 3 + Winter Conditions 2 = EL8 — Progress 3 = EL5. Both opponents are getting weary, but neither is giving up yet. Korinne rolls a 2, and Thornwall resists with a 2. She can't see a way to get a Boost.
At this point she cannot run. She cannot climb. Planning can't help. It's still a fair challenge. Thornwall strikes again with another landslide; the scree beneath her begins to shift, and the whole area starts to move. The landslide carries her toward a precipice, with an ugly, probably fatal landing far below...
She's Level 3, Naturalist 2 (awareness), and Athlete 3 (agility, endurance) for EL8, — Exposure 1 for EL7. She's made it below Exhausting Altitude 2 but the mountain makes a final stand: Level 3 + Hostile Terrain 3 + Winter Conditions 2 + Bitter Cold 2 = EL10 — her Progress 3 = EL7, rolls 1d[0-7]. A 7! Korinne can't beat it. She rolls 1d[0-7] in a desperate hope of matching it, but gets a 0! Her once-per-scene single point of armor won't help this time. She spends a Luck Token for Plot Armor!
Clawing desperately at each stable shard of sharp rock as the scree carries her past, they rip and tear her heavy clothing until a piece catches her sash. It too tears, spinning her round as it unwinds, but slowing her down. Her jerkin catches and shreds on another, and as she slowly tips over the edge the strap of her left elbow cop hangs just long enough for her to manage a grip on the lip of the precipice! She hangs by one hand, battered and exposed, but doesn't fall...yet. Her armor has absorbed all the damage and left her unharmed, but her "armor" was just her sturdy clothes and they are now almost entirely gone. Her fingers are still numbed from the cold, but she holds on and struggles to get her other hand on this lip.
She's Level 3 + Athlete 3 + Climbing 2 = EL8 — Exposure 1 = EL7. She rolls a 3 to pull up. The GM rolls another 7. She spends her last Luck Token for a 7 as well, bringing it back to a standoff. She taps her character sheet's Hook of Never Backs Down From a Challenge (3). The GM laughs out loud and agrees that it certainly applies here, which brings her final effect up to 3, plenty of success.
She tries to pull up, but the cold, the strain, the disorientation and battering from the slide are too much, and she's slipping! She grits her teeth and adjusts; she doesn't fall yet, but still can't pull up. It's Korinne's turn to grin. "Well, if this isn't a challenge I don't know what is," she grunts, and with a grim effort and a lot of shaking she manages to pull herself up to sit on the ledge.
She tries to rest for a bit, but she has lost her canteen, and her clothes are mostly tatters. She's still exposed and has a ways to go yet. No recovery here, but the landslide has swept away much of the snow. She decides to try again to see a better path down. With most of the loose scree tumbled, she should be able to get some benefit from her Climbing skill now, looking ahead for a better path…
With Level 3 + Athlete 3 + Naturalist 2 + Climbing 2 = EL10 — Exposure 1 = EL9 she rolls a 6. Still at the same EL7, Thornwall rolls the 1d8 yet again, also getting a 6.
Again, she is denied, and must venture on with only patience, caution, and determination. She creeps around the gap of the precipice and down the slope along its edge.
Using the same EL9 she rolls a meager 2. Thornwall rolls a 3, doing her 1 Harm.
She slips again, another rock digging into her spine with an agonizing edge. She rolls over and cries a moment, but then snarls and gets to her feet again. Being a little more careful — she can see the army close now, approaching the fort, and in a moment of panic reassures herself she didn't lose the courier case! But it's there, somehow still securely strapped in place... She has to keep moving. She struggles on.
This time she rolls Level 3 + Athlete 3 + Naturalist 2 + Climbing 2 = EL10 — Exposure 1 — Hurt Back 1 = EL8 for an 8! Even if he spent his Luck Token the mountain's current EL7 could not prevent another point of Progress, and she finally overcomes the task as it exceeds the Mountain's level of 3.
She makes it to the bottom and staggers across the bit of open approach, and the fort sends riders out to gather her in. She stumbles into the valley fortress commander's office thirty-one hours after beginning her climb, battered and exhausted and wearing little more than a blanket they wrapped around her shoulders, but package in hand and victorious. The mountain fought her every step of the way, but her training gave her the tools to win a battle that would have broken anyone else.
"How?" the man asked, shaking his head.
Korinne accepts a cup of hot broth with hands that barely shake despite her exhaustion, and just smiles.