Saoirse’s Journey Day 1 – A Brambletrek Adventure

I’ve always been interested in solo-RPG games, though I never had much experience with them. When I saw the funding campaign for Brambletrek last year, I jumped right in! (The game was successfully funded, and you can now purchase the finished copy here if you’re interested!).

To play the game, you create your mouse character, choose a Legacy (class), and generate attributes like health, morale, and supplies. A standard deck of 52 cards, a character sheet, and something to write with are all you need. The cards determine each day’s events and resolve combat encounters. From there, you step into your character’s shoes and journal their story.

I’ve finally gotten around to playing, hoping it’ll help shake off the rust from my writing skills and provide a relaxing way to wind down at the end of the day. I’ll be playing Saoirse, a heroic little mouse with big dreams—and what better way to share her journey than by writing down her story for you all? Follow along and let’s see how far she gets! 😅

Character: Saoirse the Mouse
Reason: Yearning for adventure
Background: Apprentice to the village blacksmith, a scrapper. Saoirse is down to earth, not afraid of hard work, with a love for good craftsmanship.
Trinket: A wooden carving of a world crafted by her father, symbolising her family’s respect for the wild and its creatures.
Legacy: Soother
Abilities: Heal, Foresight, Harm, and Calm
Health: 10
Morale: 25
Supplies: 14

With everything ready, Saoirse’s adventure begins…

Day 1

Cards drawn: 2♠ A sudden storm (-2H) 5♠ A swift river (-5H) J♠ A territorial creature stands in your path A♦ Divine site that grants a boon (Next battle, draw an extra tactic card at the start)

I’ve always heard the out-there to be dangerous. How foolish I was to think it was just hearsay. I couldn’t have picked a more miserable day to leave my home, but I couldn’t back down in front of the whole village. I had told them the day I’d leave and that was that.

To be fair, the rain was only a drizzle when I left home, cloak on my back and a satchel full of provisions. The rain hardly made its way to the forest floor. I was finally out! Finally free! It wasn’t that my town was all that bad, of course not. But there was something to be said for the tales of great heroes and adventurers of old. If I didn’t take the chance to see the world now I felt like it’d never happen. I worked in the forges with my father for as long as I could remember and helped my mother tend to the wounded for longer. There would be plenty of time to come back and settle into the rest of my life. I felt like a cart on a track, and if I stayed the wheels would dig deep furrows to the point where I had no choice but to continue that same track set out for me.

The rain grew harder as I walked. Big splotches crashed down as leaves above filled and released their burden all at once. I gritted my teeth and continued. The last thing I needed was to be found only an hour or two from the village, huddled away like a pup.

A couple hours more, and I was completely drenched. I didn’t care now if someone found me; I just needed somewhere to ride out the storm. I didn’t want to take out my map for fear of it and everything inside my satchel getting soaked instantly. Just a little further, I was sure a known safe house was just a little further.

(-2H {8})

The sound of water grew louder if that was even possible. The mud sucked at my paws. A fallen tree came into view as did a rushing river below. That’s right, the bridge! I knew where I was now. If I could make it across I’d find a safe house with a warm fire and perhaps even a hot meal. I glanced at the river again but the idea of thawing in front of a fire won out.

I didn’t even make it halfway across before I slipped. I gave a screech and fell to the churning muddy water below. Instantly I was swept away, cloak and satchel tugging me in different directions. My already cold limbs flailed as I struggled to keep my head above the water for quick gasps of air. Branches struck me from every direction. The river ran me into rocks before I finally caught hold of a limb jutting out from the bank. My arms shook as I slowly pulled free from the river’s deadly grasp. Exhaustion threatened to drop me back in, but I knew I’d be gone for good. Heading back home looked like a much better option than all of this wilderness already. Not even a full day and it threatened to crush me entirely.

(-5H {3})

It turns out the limb I climbed was part of a cluster, all hugged there against the side of the river. All I could think of was getting out of the storm. I climbed forward, squeezing myself through mud and branches. It grew warmer the deeper I went, and the sound of the water quieter. Safe. I popped out the other side of what turned out to be the wall of a large dark room. It towered far over my head. I squeaked with delight at my luck and then froze as a pair of eyes blinked open and turned to me on a massive head.

I was not alone.

I reeled back in shock but reacted faster than the sleepy beaver did. It reared up toward me, jaws snapping, but I was quicker. Power flowed through my body, filling it with warmth and a little more life I desperately needed. Light burst from my paws and instantly the entire den was filled with it. The beaver gave a screech, closing its eyes and burying its head in its paws. The effect wouldn’t last long. I spotted another mouse-sized hole in the wall near me and dove in. The heat of the spell had warmed me slightly, but I still needed to find a safe place to recover.

(+3H {6})

Eventually, the timber of the beaver’s dam gave way to a tunnel of rock buried deep underground. Part of me worried I’d lose my way or energy and be stuck there forever, but something seemed to pull me forward. Just when I felt I couldn’t crawl another tail-length the tunnel opened to a comfortable warm chamber hidden away amidst the roots of a tree. Shining stones decorated the walls, reflecting the light of the beautiful crackling hearth. The smell of a hearty stew hit me a moment later and I stumbled my way forward to meet it.

I waited for a long time. My cloak hung by the fire, and I emptied my satchel in front of it to help everything dry out. It was wishful thinking to believe my map was unaffected by the river. I’d have to find my way.

I nibbled on my rations, waiting for whoever lived here to return. My stomach growled with the ever-present scent of stew. When it became nearly night and I couldn’t help myself anymore, I went to the little kitchen cabinet to find a bowl. On top of the cabinet sat a note scrawled in beautiful lettering.

“Fill yourself and rest dear traveller,” it read.

I grinned. A safe house. I’d take the one good bit of luck in a day of bad for certain! I fell asleep warm and with a full belly, dreaming that tomorrow would bring brighter skies and steadier ground beneath my paws. This was only the beginning—there was still so much to see, and I wasn’t giving up just yet.

[-4S {10}] [+5H {11}]

End of Day 1