The Blacksmith

We walk to dull, distant sound: the clang of iron on iron. It plagues us through the morning, echoing through the seemingly empty trees, bouncing off the scattered cliffs and rocks.

At last, emerging from the shadow of an overhang, we see the source of the noise: a cave, carved into the mountain’s side. Within, a hulking figure leans over an anvil, her high hammer raised overhead, her bulging muscles emblazoned with ink. Behind her, swords and shields in their hundreds stand piled against the cave wall — enough, surely, to outfit some small army.

Without looking up, the goliath woman grins. “Greetings,” she says, her voice as booming as her hammer. “I am the smith of my clan. With my weaponry, my brothers and sisters wage their eternal wars. Walk on, and ask no questions, for I work in solitude. Or…” She looks up at us, grinning with pointed teeth. “Or step forward, and show me the strike of your own hammer.”

Without another word, she holds out her hammer to us. The invitation is clear. We must try our mettle against her iron.

The day wears on…

The Challenge

This is a precision game. Show the Blacksmith that you can strike iron more accurately than your fellows, and win her approval.

  • Deal two cards from the deck to each traveller.

  • Each traveller lays one of their cards in front of them on the table.

  • Then, standing, each traveller takes it in turns to hold their second card roughly three feet above the table. From a height of three feet, they must try and drop the second card so that it lands on top of their first card.

  • The game ends when all travellers have had their turn.

HELP FROM AN ITEM

If any traveller carries a HAMMER, they may repeat their drop.

Success. If any traveller’s first and second cards make contact at any point (it doesn’t count if they touch other travellers’ cards!) then the Challenge is passed.

Failure. If no traveller’s first and second cards make contact at any point, the Challenge is failed. 

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If the Challenge was passed, the traveller whose two cards are closest to one another wins the Blessing of the Blacksmith.

If the Challenge was failed, the party suffers the Curse of the Blacksmith. Take this spirit's card and place it in a designated area on the table so everyone can see it. If this is the party's third Curse, click here.

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As the final strike rings upon the anvil, the smith laughs abruptly. “How weak is the flesh of man!” she cries. Then, seizing the hammer from us, she — and her forge — are gone. Only the anvil remains, overgrown with weeds and vines, dusted with ash.

  • Re-form the deck before continuing.