Play Report Mar 2, 2026 - Boasting with the Boys #3
Introduction
Session three means itβs a habit! This session was initiated by the players, which is another gratifying sign.
Going into the session I was unsure about the druids. In Wolves, they are written as quite unfriendly, with their quest being essentially mandatoryβif you refuse to go look for Maebh, youβre going on the altar. I figured that saving Cloyne from Culemwardernβs accusations would be enough for a little leniency.
Additionally, I thought it would be fun to surface Macullenβs possible fate to the party and give them a chance to avert it. Trial by combat is always a crowd please. For this, I got use Cavegirlβs dueling rules, which were excellent to use and learn on the fly. They produced a tense and brisk scene with Baggi once again standing up for justice!
With boasts now squarely on the table, they came fast and furious this session. Iβm being pretty lenient with the interpretation of the boasts, as the table had a few issues where they over-worded a boastβthat is to say, they set some additional limitations that increased their chances of failure without increasing the grandeur or stakes. For example, Fyfeβs player initially set a time limit for himself when the table agreed that locating the druid alone merited a first boast.
Baggi and Marcus Mussen succeeded on boasts. Mussen is now has the most boasts of any member.
I was fairly lenient with time, allowing some retroactive continuity to speed things along. The trial by combat occurred afte the initial voyage to Guthram in play, but I allowed them to rewind and play it out before they departed, but the delay was likely due to some player hesitance rather than poor planning on their part.
One complaint I have is Maebh is not mentioned once in Albann, which leads one to have to reconstruct it across several region keys. I would rather it be more or less contained in the initial key for legibilityβs sake; she really puts in some miles, so a high level overview would have been helpful. I did get there, though, so could be a moot point.
Report
Wolves coasting:
- Hjlodr the Silent
- Fyfe the Pict
- Marcus Mussen
- Baggi
Fresh off the griffon-hunt, the band availed themselves of supplies, livestock, and good hospitality before setting off to meet with the druids. Consulting with a local cartographer, the band learned the map they had taken from Bonepicker depicted a ruined city at the center of Ruislip known as Lost Donenashoe. The city was said to be guarded by some type of giant. The sting of his failed boast to blind the griffon spurring him on, Hjlodr vowed to take an eye from Donenashoeβs watchman!
As the band passed through Belcarra, Marcus Mussen noted anguished wails in Latin. After cajoling the grim-faced druid zealots, they were permitted to speak with a captive priest. Mussen, unable to convince the druids to release the prisoner, gave him some theological encouragement and agreed to relay his fate to Glas in Blulach. The band moved on, the priest now steeled for martyrdom.
At the druid circle, the party received an uneasy welcome from the druids. The druid Meaghan acted as interpreter for the shadowy Arch-Druid, who solicited their aid in tracking down Maebh, a member of their order gone missing in nearby Albann. She had sought to contact the druids of that isle, but had not been seen in some time. In exchange, the druids would share with the band a number of rites and incantations. Fyfe boasted that he would be the one to find Missing Maebh!
Additionally, the band learned that Macullen, the beekeeper of Stamullen, had been marked for death by the druids for his disobedience. The matter was controversial, for some druids saw it as a perversion of their philosophy to master nature in this way, while others maintained Macullenβs actions were acceptable. Baggi offered to stand for the druid in a trial by combat, boasting that his rivalβs ribcage would be made a beehive in Stamullen!
Baggi squared off against Brigid, one of the warriors of Belcarra. Despite her prowess, the blue-painted fighter was no match for clever Baggi! They clashed weapons but twice before Baggi slew her in a single blow of his mace.
The band then sailed to Guthram, a free town on the western coast of Albann and the prime landing for most Ruismen sailing across the channel. Their hunch was confirmed by the chieftess Darlugdach, who said that a strange Ruiswoman had been through, but headed on to Diserth, deep in the heart of the island.
The band retired to discuss their options, but not before hearing from one of Darlugdachβs housecarls, Birgir. He told them of strange disappearances and a monster lurking in the hills. At night by the wharf, drunks would go missing, spirited off by strange men in white. Keen on more adventure, Marcus Mussen boasted that he quaff all the mead in Guthram to serve as baitβand do it as naked as the day he was born!
Sure enough, as Mussen staggered out into the night, he was accosted by three men in white. The band gave chase and overwhelmed them, forcing the men to lead them to the final destination. A cave stretched deep below a hill outside of Guthram, and the band was beset by a shadowy Thing!
Eager to claim Mussen, the Thing ensnared the Viking as its hide turned away spear thrusts and arrows alike! Of the band, only Fyfe landed a solid blow. The Thing made many fell promises to the sloshed Mussen. Perhaps the mead in his belly saved his life, for the floppy drunk was able to wriggle out of the Thingβs grasp!
With all the band freed and one of the would-be captors taken instead, the band beat a hasty retreat back to Guthram, eager to return to the search for Maebh and leave this horrid thing for another dayβ¦