The Wooden Parrot

Chapter 5: The continuing adventures of Olvir in the Ironlands

In the previous instalments of this journal, we were introduced to Olvir, the Forgotten—a man haunted by a dark secret from his past in the Old World who arrives in the Ironlands determined to seek redemption.

• Discover more about Olvir the Forgotten.

• Learn more about his version of the Ironlands.

• Find out even more about Olvir’s backstory.

• Read about his first steps into the Barrier Islands.

For this instalment, I’m doing something different! Instead of a tightly written narrative, I’m recounting my notes from this session, showing where I made oracle rolls, made moves or played asset cards. I’ll conclude with some prose about his next steps.

Some Oracle rolls were created using the tables in the Ironsworn core book. Additionally, I received assistance from “Coastal Encounters Random Tables” from DriveThru RPG. This resource provides tables specifically related to the sea, islands, and coastal regions. Asterisks delineate these rolls. *

We pick up directly after this narrative…

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Olvir still thinks that the woman is holding something back. He decides to [COMPEL] Sola using his [ASSET] “Sway.”

He gazes out the window and mutters “Sola” three times, seeking insight from the wind whipping through the village. [ROLL: MISS.] He hears nothing. He wonders if this place is somehow cursed. Could the nearby cultists be involved?

Nonetheless, Olvir promises the woman that he will help her. Grasping his iron pendant, he decides to [SWEAR A VOW. ROLL: MISS - add a complication.]

Sola interrupts and says an overseer is in the village, and Olvir must speak with him before setting out on his quest.

Will Olvir work with this complication? [ASK THE ORACLE] Yes, he will!

He goes with Sola to meet the overseer, whose name is [ORACLE] “Nisus.” As Olvir comes into view, Nisus flies into a rage, pinning him against the wall and accusing him of theft.

Why? A cherished item belonging to his wife, Saskia, has gone missing—and since you are the only newcomer in the village, you have effectively become the prime suspect.

What is this item? [ORACLE *] It is an ornate, carved wooden parrot passed down through the generations in his wife's family.

Sola assures Nisus that Olvir was always in her sight both last evening and this morning. Nisus calms down and agrees with Olvir’s suggestion to help.

[SWEAR A VOW: Roll: WEAK HIT.] Gain +1 momentum. The issue is that Nisus is uncertain about where to begin searching.

At that moment, Olvir’s raven companion squawks. From the corner of his eye, Olvir sees a surly-looking youth duck around the corner. He pursues him on foot and finds the youth cowering under a farm cart. He grabs the youth, whose name is [ORACLE] Kendi.

Olvir decides to [COMPEL] the youth to explain himself. [Roll: MISS.] “He’s a sly one, this young man,” but Olvir has an ace up his sleeve. [ASSET: SWAY, Roll: WEAK HIT.] He admits he stole the parrot, stating it was a joke that went too far. He was scared and hid the parrot in his stash in [ORACLE*] a nearby quarry. He will tell you the location but resolutely refuses to go with you. You sense he is afraid of something, but says no more.

Olvir finds Nisus and explains that he knows where the parrot is and will go to seek it out. In exchange for locating the parrot, will Nisus accept Olvir into the community and form a bond with him as they work to thwart the cultists?

Nisus agrees, so Olvir decides to [SWEAR A VOW “Weak Hit” with +1 momentum.] Olvir sets out, wary about what might be ahead on his journey.

Olvir stepped back, narrowing his eyes at the youth before him. The lad had been frustratingly evasive, his words as slippery as fish on the docks, darting around the truth with practised ease. Yet Olvir wasn’t without his tricks. The faint twitch of the boy’s lips and the shifting gaze—he read the telltale signs with the precision of a man who had honed deception into an art form. When logic failed, persuasion and subtlety came into play.

With a measured tone and a hint of charm, Olvir pressed just enough. The boy, reluctant and filled with fear, finally broke. “Fine,” he muttered, his voice shaking, “I took the parrot. I thought it would be funny—just a stupid joke, right? But it got out of hand...” His words faltered as the truth spilled out in disjointed fragments. Olvir sensed the tremor in his voice when he mentioned the quarry, where the stolen parrot now lay hidden in his stash. There was fear there, palpable and biting, but the boy offered no further explanation. His refusal to accompany Olvir was resolute, a barrier that no amount of charm could overcome.

The quarry would be Olvir’s next stop. However, he first turned to Nisus, the rightful owner of the parrot. With calm conviction, Olvir laid out the story, his offer clear and deliberate—he would retrieve the stolen bird, and in return, Nisus would grant him a foothold in this community. It would be a chance to earn trust and to build a bond.

Nisus regarded him carefully, his face etched with both gratitude and caution. It wasn’t easy to place trust in a newcomer, but the prospect of the bird’s return tipped the scales. “If you recover it,” Nisus said finally, “we’ll talk. Help us, and you’ll have a place here.”

It was enough for Olvir. He grasped the iron pendant at his chest and whispered his vow—quiet but firm, carried on the breath of the wind that seemed always at his side. The quarry awaited, and with it, the next step in his journey through the Ironlands.

As the sun dipped low, Olvir set out, his raven Ashencry circling overhead, a watchful shadow against the evening sky.

Whatever the quarry held, he’d be ready.