I ran my first session of Iron Kingdoms as a GM which was a little nerve racking but fun!
Spoiler note. This is a adventure from No quarter magazine No. 44 if you plan on playing this as a player you should not read on.
The group are the only known surviving members of a mercenary group that had been hired to help defend Cygnar's southern coast. With their unit destroyed they where forced to pick up whatever work they could to try and earn passage back to the city of Five Fingers the home of their base of operations.
Current Party Members
Grodde Lochforge
Intellectual Dwarf FieldMechanik/Investigator
Shengis
Mighty Trollkin BountyHunter/Ranger
Iggy Radburr
Interlectual Gobber Alchemist/Thief
They picked up a job guarding a merchant's supply caravan to the Cygnaran city of Mercir and then back all the way to Five Fingers. On the return journey the group reached a coastal village they intended to stop at for the night finding it burnt to the ground.
A young woman the lone survivor desperately trying to bury her dead neighbors. After calming her the party learn that she survived as she was in the cellar during the attack. She heard her brother and sister screaming and crying as they where carried off towards the end of the attack.
Surveying the bodies ........ came to the conclusion that the villagers where killed in a methodical and efficient manner, most likely by professional killers. What items of value did exist in the simple fishing village had not been stolen. .......... found tracks leading away from the village into the nearby forrest.
The young girl pleaded with the party to take her to the nearby Cygnaran fort of SouthShield and they agree.
At the fort they meet Captain Finnean who is grateful they have helped out and ask if they could track down the perpetrators and gives them authorisation to deal with them as he doesn't have the resources to send out any men.
The party agree and head to the forest following the trail left by the bandits ..... tracking their movements through the trees.
They come across a wounded man in a clearing who lifts his pistol to aim at them but passes out.
They provide him with medical attention, bringing him round so they can talk to him. After reassuring him of their good intentions he tells them that he was tracking a rouge arcanist called Bowden Haightly. They are told that Bowden has been practicing dark magic and has stolen a Necromantic tome that the Order of Illumination would be willing to reward them for recovering.
He dies shortly after from his wounds, ...... pockets his pistol and closes his eyelids.
Following the trail of blood the Illuminated one left the party reach the farmstead.
They have arrived just as a fight has broken out between five armed men and a Talon Warjack (which for some reason is carrying a man instead of a shield.
Hearing children's screams coming from the barn the party move forward to join the fight.
As soon as they approach the battle the Warjack disengages and runs off further into the forest.
The party move forward to the farms outer walls for cover firing as they advance.
After a few initial volleys of gunfire Shengis cuts down two of the mercs with Grodde and his Jack accounting for two more. The last guard runs off into the woods.
With the immediate danger passed they set about freeing the children who they find chained up in the barn. While Iggy is picking the locks the others take a look around the barn and get a sense of what has transpired here. The story the children tell them combined with Bowdens journal they found under a tool box they come to realise that Bowden was coerced into continuing his research by a man called Vladislav Abrosim. They also find what they assume is the stolen book the Illuminated ones had be trying to retrieve .
They pick through the bodies of the fallen guards and find that one is still alive, Grodde administers first aid and they "have a little chat". The guard doesn't reveal all too much only that he and the other mercs where hired via an intermediary to keep Bowden in the barn working and keep anyone else out. Shengis him up and they follow the trail of broken branches and scrub left in the wake of the Warjack.
They catch up with it in a clearing, the man they presume to be Bowden laying at its metal feet.
Desperate and unable to talk in his current form Bowden gestures to the party to keep back. They lower their weapons and try to talk Bowden down, after some time and persauation they convince Bowden that they are not there to harm him. Grodde indicates that he can extend the burn time on Bowdens boiler, which should keep him alive longer.
They all head back to Southshield and report to Captain Finnean who is extremely pleased to hear that the culprits of the destruction of the village have been brought to justice.
He gives them 50 gold for their efforts. He also informs them that a member of the Order of Illumination arrived just after they left and has asked to meet with them. He offers to have their Warjack refueled while they talk.
Inside the fort they find Joss Reyson who debriefs them. They tell him the events of the day and where to find the bodies of the other members of his order. He asks after the Necromantic tome and if it was recovered. The party hand it over and in return Joss hands them a sword. The Deprecator telling them that it will protect its owner from magical foes. They also inform him of Bowdens fate and appeal on his behalf to try to save the man, saying that his knowledge about the man who forced him to experiment with evil could be used to find a more dangerous foe. He reluctantly agrees and promises to do what he can for Bowden.
The party inform Bowden what will happen next and he offers a huge Warjack finger as a hand shake.
After sleeping the night at the fort the party return to the caravan and carry on their journey towards Five Fingers...
Just in case anyone wanted to see what it really looked like!
