Order of the Falcon is my first published supplement for the Ironsworn RPG by Shawn Tomkin under the Creative Commons 4.0 license. In my introductory post to the supplement, I expressed my thanks for Shawn and his support of the Ironsworn community's creativity. I'll echo that here! Without his support of, and openness to, fan content, this project would never have happened.
Kite walked through the dim corridors of the Order's outpost in the small fishing village of Guellin. His master, Kalrey, had sent him here ahead of her arrival to aid the outpost against a group of murderous street thugs. Excitement and not a little terror flowed through his lean muscles as he made his way to the Chamber of Ritual, where members of the Order took on contracts.
Inside the long room, he was greeted solemnly by the outpost's resident master, Ladora. The older woman was usually jovial and smiling but today, her round face was grim. Kite bowed to the master, his hood dipping low over his face. When he rose, she began to speak.
"The Order of the Falcon has gone by many names over the many ages we have served the people of our world from the shadows. Our chief duty has always been to uphold freedom for all, and to fight against any who would take that freedom away. You may yet be a Fledgling, but you bear this same responsibility. Do you accept the contract, to investigate the bandits who steal and kill among the people of Guellin?"
Kite drew his dagger and slid the razor sharp blade across his thumb, producing a thin line of crimson. He reached out his finger and dripped the blood into the silver basin before him. The blood mixed with the water, turning it a cloudy red.
Take a Contract
"Seen and witnessed. Fledgling, you will seek out these marauders. Begin by finding the Merchant Bolkan in the fishmarket. Speak the words of order and he will aid you."
Take a Contract Result
Resource Update
Kite bowed again, then walked to an opening in the roof. With a lithe jump, he grabbed hold of the ledge above and, with little difficulty, hauled his body onto the roof of the outpost.
From this vantage he could see most of the fishing village. The clear blue water of the Palrona Sea sparkled in the mid-morning sun, dazzling his eyes after so long in the dark.
The market was close, only a few streets west of the outpost. Kite leapt between the rooftops, a tight grin on his face as the wind whipped through his robes. The freedom of the run always made him swell with happiness, and this was no different. The exhilaration that filled him as he launched himself over a wide gulf between buildings seemed to him to be the same kind of feeling birds must feel as they soar through the skies.
His boots kicked up dust as he landed silently in an alley just outside of the large market square. There were no buildings in the market. Merchants and hawkers settled under expansive, colorful tents spread from pole to pole throughout the market. Kite knew where to find Bolkan and did his best to blend into the throng of people moving through the market.
The river of bodies carried him along through the various routes of the market, until he came to the large emerald tent that stood alone as a bright source of color among drab booths.
Bolkan was a reed thin, tall man with dark skin and even darker hair. His beard grew thick and long, and was often to be found tucked into the thick leather belt around his waist. The merchant's nose was hooked and, it was said among the Order, that his eyes were as sharp as a falcon's.
"The shadows are kind..." Kite began the words of Order.
"On the falcon's perch," Bolkan replied, never turning to face Kite as he handed a customer a reed wrapped fish.
"Master Ladora says you have word about the bandit menace."
"Indeed, Fledgling. I have word that a member of this group will be passing through the market soon. Find a perch and watch. I'll signal you when I spot our target. Track him back to his lair."
Kite did not answer. In silence, he slipped into the crowd of people and made his way to a nearby alley. The buildings of Guellin were perfect for climbing, with their many notches and window ledges. Kite scrambled up the side of the nearest house and settled in to wait for his target.
Mark Progress
Gather Information
Kite watched the market closely, marking several potential means of pursuit. He even noticed a pickpocket cutting the purse of a merchant in his stall. Finally, after nearly an hour, Bolkan brushed two fingers against his left brow. Kite marked the man Bolkan was indicating. He was large, with broad shoulders and rippling muscles. He was not alone, however. Two other roughly dressed people were with him: another man and a woman with half of her head shaved.
Gather Information Results
Resource Update
Begin a Scene Challenge
As the group moved away from Bolkan's emerald tent, Kite crept along the roof and watched as they passed into an alley on the north side of the market.
Face Danger
Kite leapt from rooftop to rooftop with ease in pursuit of his target, the wind rushing into his raised hood. He rolled to his feet after making the final jump, which was quite further than anything he'd attempted so far, and stealthily peered down into the alleyway.
The three brigands were crowded around another figure, this one robed in black and hooded. The brigands seemed to defer to the hooded figure, and the second man in the group flinched when the figure's voice rose.
Face Danger Result
Progress Update
Secure an Advantage
Kite slipped down onto a balcony six feet below and crouched behind a planter basket. He strained his ears to hear what the hooded figure was saying.
"The Grand Master will arrive within the week. You should have everything you need to prepare for their arrival. Is that clear, Gorna?"
"Aye, Wise Father, it is," the muscular man replied, bowing his head to the much smaller figure.
"Good, good. The Grand Master does not tolerate incompetence, and neither do I. Now go. Order your men."
The three brigands bowed to their leader and moved aside as the hooded figure slipped down the alley and vanished, as if they were never there.
Kite blinked and looked back. He had no clue how the hooded figure had managed to vanish into thin air. Even his master, Kalrey, couldn't manage such a feat.
The large man called Gorna barked an order at the others and they started off down the alley and into the main thoroughfare leading from the village up into the hills.
Secure An Advantage Result
Resource Update
Scene Challenge Progress Update
Face Danger
Kite followed, but soon realized he had lost sight of his quarry as they passed into the countryside. It took him a few minutes to make his way outside the town wall. Before panic set in, he took a deep breath and considered his training. He grinned to himself as he spotted the three sets of footprints in the dirt, leading toward a sheer rock face a few hundred feet away.
As he crept closer, keeping ears and eyes focused on any noise or movement, Kite spotted a small, almost completely hidden, opening in the cliff face. The footprints disappeared inside.
Face Danger Result
Scene Challenge Update
Resource Update
Finish the Scene
Kite hesitated. He didn't know how many brigands were inside, and he only had a brace of six throwing knives and a small dagger. If he was spotted, he knew he'd be killed before he had the chance to flee. Instead, he settled down behind a large boulder and watched the entrance until the sky began to darken.
Finish the Scene Result
Mark Progress
Ask the Oracle
As the sun dropped below the horizon, Kite moved off from the cave and started back toward the Order Outpost.
The market was emptying as Kite made his way through. Very few merchants remained open after dark, and only a few were still packing up for the night.
A fracas near his friend Oswin's fruit stand drew his attention. Oswin was being held down by a large man in leather armor. A long sword hung from a thick leather belt, and a knife flashed in his hand. The big man slammed the knife down, and Oswin screamed.
Mark Progress
Ask the Oracle
Kite resisted the urge to charge in to the rescue. A second figure loomed out of the shadows of the stall, and dropped a sack onto the table beside Oswin.
The young assassin moved swiftly, but remained almost completely silent as he crept up behind the big man.
Ask the Oracle
Strike from the Shadows
Kite struck hard and fast, slamming the hilt of his dagger into the man's temple. The thug staggered, then crumpled to the ground unconscious.
The other thug drew a long knife from his belt and advanced on Kite.
Strike from the Shadows
Encounter Progress Update
Strike
Kite caught the blade of the thug's knife on his dagger and shoved it away. The thug staggered and Kite slammed his shoulder into the man's chest, sending him flying backward into a stack of crates. The knife flew through the air and clattered off one of the market stall support beams.
"Go now, and I will not kill you," Kite said in as threatening a voice as he could manage.
The thug looked to his unconscious friend then back up at Kite. His eyes narrowed and he spat towards the young assassin.
"You've earned the ire of Brasha's Minions," he growled. "We will not forget this!"
The man struggled to his feet and, with another spit of disdain, ran into the mounting darkness.
"Thank you, Master Kite," Oswin said, picking himself up from the sandy ground. "I don't have what they wanted, but they wouldn't take no for an answer."
"What did they want, Oswin?"
Strike Results
Encounter Progress Update
End the Fight
Ask the Oracle
"Some kind of weapon. I think? They weren't very clear. It might have been an heirloom or memorabilia of some kind of battle?"
"What's in the sack?" Kite asked, dusting the merchant's tunic off.
Oswin looked inside, and pulled out a large red fruit and a handful of animal feed.
"Just the slop for my pig. Dunno why that tall one decided to pick it up."
Gather Information
Resource Update
"What do you know of Brasha's Minions?" Kite asked, while using a length of rope from his pack to bind the big thug's arms behind his back.
"Just another band of thugs and bruisers. The big one there, he's their leader, I think. Seen him around before with a whole pack of them. There's a bounty out for his capture, I think."
"Are they connected to the marauders?"
Ask the Oracle
"I think so. Least ways I've seen this one with some of the marauders a time or two."
"Are you going to be ok now?" Kite asked.
"Yes, yes, I'll be fine. What are you going to do with this one?"
"I need answers. I think he can supply them. Help me move him to the alley."
Kite and Oswin dragged the big man across the road and into the alley. They tossed his unconscious form against a wall and he slid down onto his side, arms behind his back.
Kite walked Oswin back to his stall, and slipped the other thug's abandoned long knife into his belt before returning to his captive and slapping him several times, hard across the face.
Finally, the burly man started awake. His eyes were wide as he sought to find out where he was. Kite wore his hood drawn low over his eyes, the dark canvas adding to the sinister visage he was trying to project.
"Who are you?" the man stammered.
Secure an Advantage
Kite brandished the long knife he had taken from the other thug.
"You've been marked by Brasha then, I see," the man said, and laughed.
Kite's confidence wavered. He'd never done this sort of thing alone before, and hearing his captive laugh at him shook him deeply.
He was silent for a moment, embracing the failure as his master had taught him. Then, with a growl in his voice, he said: "Who is this Brasha."
Secure an Advantage Results
Secure an Advantage: 5 (+3 shadow) vs 8 & 9 = miss (Pay the Price) Pay the Price: it is stressful Endure Stress (-1): 6 (+4 spirit) vs 4 & 2 = strong hit (+2 Momentum)
Resource Update
Failure Track
Compel
"You will know soon enough," the man spat the words.
Kite didn't know how to respond, and wished, not for the first time, that his master was present. Suddenly, the thug kicked out at his knee.
Compel Result
Failure Track
Ask the Oracle
Face Danger
Kite manages to twist out of the way, but stumbles, giving the thug time to regain his feet and toss the broken ropes to the ground.
Face Danger Result
Resource Update
Enter the Fray
The thug's size and recent blow to the head made him sluggish, and Kite propelled himself up the wall and back flipped over his foe's head.
Enter the Fray Result
Resource Update
Strike
Kite's trick was short lived and the big man turned to meet him even as Kite was slashing down with the long knife. The blade cut deep, but the thug caught Kite's arm and wrenched the blade free. It clattered to the ground as Kite danced away from the thug.
Strike Result
Encounter Progress Update
Clash
The thug charged like an angry bull, head down and snorting. Kite deftly side stepped, and tripped the man as he passed. The thug fell face first into the dirt and Kite dropped onto his back, driving the hilt of his dagger down on the back of the man's head.
Clash Result
Encounter Progress Update
End the Fight
Kite stood in the alley trying to catch his breath. The unexpected assault had caught him off guard and only his instincts had kept him alive. He regretted not sending Oswin to the outpost for backup. Perhaps had he done that, he'd have avoided such a dangerous encounter.
Half an hour later, he approached the hidden ground entrance of the Outpost and handed off his prisoner to the guards there. He trusted them to take the thug to the Outpost's holding cell. Leaping agilely up, he found easy hand holds and climbed up the side of the building. A few moments later, he dropped through the open roof of the Outpost and landed silently in the darkness of the Ritual room.
"What word do you bring, Fledgling?" a familiar voice asked from somewhere in the shadows.
Kite recounted all that he had seen and heard. He marked the sharp intake of air when he described the hooded figure in the alley.
"You've done well, Kite," the voice said when he finished speaking.
There was a bright flash and his master's angular face was visible in the orange glow of a match. Her hood was down, revealing her tightly braided hair and stern expression. Kite remembered being afraid of her when she'd first taken him as her apprentice. She was known as the Falcon's Talon, the single most successful assassin in the entire order. She was fast, agile, shrewd, and terrifying.
"Will we go back to the bandit lair tonight?"
"No, I will speak with Master Ladora when she returns and question the prisoner. This may be a task for more than just the two of us. Perform the ritual, my Apprentice."
Kite stepped up to the basin in the middle of the room and dipped the thumb he had sliced open when taking the contract. The water swirled a brilliant silver and he felt a light burning sensation along the healing flesh. When he withdrew his hand, the thumb continued to radiate a silver light. It faded slowly, and vanished completely.
Fulfill a Contract
Experience Update
"Well done, Fledgling. Your contract is complete."
"Thank you Master."
"Go now, Kite. Rest. I will find you when the masters have determined our course of action."
Kite bowed to his master and left the Chamber. He was looking forward to a warm bowl of soup and a long nap.
Sojourn
Resource Update
Thanks for reading my Order of the Falcon One-Shot! Kite might return with the rest of this adventure at a later date, but in the mean time you can get the supplement for yourself for free (or for whatever you want to pay) here, on my itch page.
