Gatekeepers A Feyhaven Roleplaying Game by Ilya Bossov

Questions? Feedback? Please contact the author at [email protected], follow us on Twitter @Feyhaven or visit us at feyhaven.com.

PREMISE ...... 4 Optional: Aerial Combat ...... 18 WHAT YOU’LL NEED TO PLAY ...... 4 HIDING AND REVEALING ...... 18 DEATH AND TAXES ...... 18 CHARACTER CREATION ...... 5 TAKING A GEAS ...... 19 1. PICK YOUR CARDS ...... 5 Fomorian Shapeshifters ...... 20 2. GET FEY DUST OR LOOT ...... 5 Fairies and Fomorians ...... 20 3. PICK A CHARACTER CONCEPT ...... 5 PETS AND MOUNTS ...... 20 4. NAME YOUR CHARACTER ...... 5 Pet Example ...... 20 GAME PREPARATION ...... 6 GROUPS AND BOSSES ...... 21 The Game Master Is Cheating! ...... 21 Optional: Make More Connections...... 7 Cheating Bonus Example ...... 21 INTRODUCING A NEW PLAYER ...... 7 Groups ...... 21 BATTLES AND ADVENTURES ...... 8 Playing Cards for NPCs...... 21 Really Big Monsters ...... 22 CARDS AND ICONS...... 8 OPTIONAL: THEATER OF THE MIND COMBAT ...... 23 ROLLING DICE ...... 9 Ranges ...... 23 Task Example ...... 10 Diagrams and Descriptions ...... 23 ROLLING DICE TO ATTACK ...... 10 Rule of Cool ...... 23 Attack Example ...... 11 COMBAT ENCOUNTERS ...... 12 CHARACTER ADVANCEMENT ...... 24 TAKING TURNS ...... 12 Prices ...... 24 Dice Phase ...... 12 Benefits of Civilization ...... 24 Action Phase ...... 12 Retraining ...... 25 On Your Turn ...... 12 Fey Dust Mischief...... 25 Basic Attacks and Moves ...... 13 Bonded Items ...... 25 The Stance Dance ...... 13 Bonding with an Item ...... 25 Everything Happens in Turn Order ...... 14 Giving Away a Bonded Item ...... 25 MARKS AND SCRATCHES ...... 14 Item Curses ...... 25 Dodging with Clovers ...... 15 Storing Characters ...... 26 LINE OF SIGHT ...... 15 VEHICLES ...... 27 USING HEXES, SQUARES OR RULERS ...... 15 RANGES AND BLASTS ...... 15 VEHICLE ACTIONS ...... 27 Optional Rule: Circular Hex Blasts ...... 16 VEHICLE COLLISIONS ...... 28 MARKS, WALLS AND PILLARS ...... 17 SIEGE ATTACKS ...... 28 CRUISING FOR A BRUISING ...... 17 CUSTOM VEHICLES ...... 28 Falling Damage ...... 18 VEHICLES (AS SEEN IN ORODEN) ...... 29

ORGANIZATIONS ...... 30 Sid and Widow Rivers ...... 43 The Ward ...... 44 YOU CAN CHANGE THE WORLD ...... 30 POWERS AT PLAY ...... 44 By the Numbers ...... 30 House Mardeth (Dwarves) ...... 44 Status Quo ...... 31 House Lockmar (Dwarves) ...... 45 Historical Events ...... 31 House Kortano (Gnomes, Fairies)...... 45 Natural Disasters ...... 31 House Lavaghast (Dark Elves, Demons) ...... 46 Event Example ...... 31 House Dustrow (Humans, Orks, Goblins) ...... 46 Persecution ...... 32 Mirabu Tribe (Feral Elves, Vine Creepers) ...... 47 Cooperation ...... 32 Everqueen (Feral Elf?) ...... 47 Alliance ...... 32 Ashfeather Tribe (Feral Elves, City Elves) ...... 48 Example Alliance ...... 32 Skyfire Tribe (Giant Mantises) ...... 48 Pitched Battles ...... 33 Gryphon Riders ...... 49 Protracted Sieges ...... 33 REGION MAP ...... 50 Helping Your Side ...... 33 Pillar Steppes ...... 50 Sacking a City ...... 33 Silk Road ...... 50 Battle for the Hearts and Minds...... 34 Skyfather Citadel ...... 51 Mergers and Splinters ...... 34 Promised Land...... 52 EXAMPLE ORGANIZATIONS ...... 35 Tangledeep Rainforest ...... 53 Ashfeather Tribe ...... 35 Grim Peaks ...... 53 Everqueen’s War Host ...... 35 Lizard Coast ...... 53 Gatekeepers ...... 35 Twilight Sea ...... 53 Giant Slayers Guild ...... 35 FEYHAVEN CALENDAR ...... 54 House Kortano ...... 36 7012 SC (Since Calamity) ...... 55 Golden Men Guild ...... 36 House Dustrow ...... 36 ORIGINS OF SPECIES ...... 56 Guild of Whispers ...... 36 VOICES ...... 56 Mirabu Tribe ...... 37 FEYBLOODS ...... 58 House Mardeth ...... 37 CITY ELVES ...... 59 House Lockmar ...... 37 DARK ELVES ...... 60 House Lavaghast ...... 37 DEMONS ...... 62 Revelry of Spite ...... 38 DRAGONS ...... 63 Mariners Guild ...... 38 DWARVES ...... 64 The Grand Armada ...... 38 FAIRIES ...... 65 Wardens Guild ...... 38 FERAL ELVES ...... 66 ORODEN CITY, THE TWILIGHT JEWEL ...... 40 GIANT MANTISES ...... 68 GNOMES ...... 69 WELCOME TO ORODEN ...... 40 GOBLINS ...... 70 Boneyard Keep ...... 40 GOOPY BLOBS ...... 71 The Bowl ...... 40 HUMANS ...... 72 Cooks Island ...... 41 KOBOLDS ...... 74 Diggers Grave ...... 41 ORKS ...... 75 Dreamers Bay ...... 41 TROLLS ...... 77 First Fortress ...... 41 VINE CREEPERS ...... 78 Hovel Sea ...... 41 WATCHERS ...... 79 Kortano Enclave ...... 42 Low Town ...... 42 BEING A GAME MASTER ...... 81 Old Town ...... 42 YOUR FIRST ADVENTURE ...... 81 Palace Bluff ...... 43 Introduction to Oroden ...... 81

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Do Not Read to Players ...... 82 OPTIONAL RULE: SCALING DIFFICULTY TABLES ...... 91 At the Fish Market ...... 83 OPTIONAL RULE: MASSIVE ARMIES ...... 91 At Rainbow’s Trout ...... 84 Optional: Discretion vs Valor ...... 91 Alternative History ...... 84 Optional: A Wild Hero Appears ...... 91 Where to Go from Here...... 85 INDEX...... 92 BUILDING ENCOUNTERS ...... 86 Playing the Race Card ...... 86 APPENDIX A: NAMES AND GOALS ...... 94 Example Encounter ...... 87 APPENDIX B: BLAST TEMPLATES ...... 95 WHEN NOT TO ROLL DICE ...... 87 BEING FAIR ...... 88 BROODING INTRIGUE FOR DUMMIES ...... 88 WHEN YOU ARE STUMPED: DO NOT PANIC! ...... 90 DRAMATIC PACING ...... 90

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Premise Some secrets are best left undisturbed.

You are the Gatekeepers, and the world will not end on your watch.

A long time ago the world of Feyhaven was scoured by a heavenly war, now all but a myth, if it weren’t for the crumbling ruins and cursed artifacts that should never see the light of day again.

While some doubt the war ever happened, most don’t realize that it never ended. The wrath of the ancients is not sated, but merely delayed, their plagues and armies are locked away behind Gates that lead to places of forgotten wonders and horrors. For thousands of years Gatekeepers kept them shut so the world could heal. It has been long enough that the common folk take the peace for granted, and to the kings and princes of the realms you’re nothing but an obscure meddlesome cult that stands between them and power. Your work is forgotten, but it is not finished.

In the frontier city of Oroden, surrounded by rugged lands of barbarians and monsters, your conspiracy is operating in complete secrecy. The city is overflowing with refugees, bustling with trade and opportunity, yet its fate is threatened by the savagery outside its city walls and the cutthroat politics of ruling Houses within. Regents come and go, so do ambassadors and treaties, treasure hunters and merchants, spies and courtiers, none of them realizing the real stakes. Choose your alliances carefully: if this city falls, its many treasures are sure to tumble into the wrong hands.

What You’ll Need to Play To play Gatekeepers, you will need three to seven players (including the game master), these rules, Gatekeepers cards and tokens, two cups or pouches, six-sided dice (two per player plus a dozen or so for the game master) and an evening of your time. We also recommend sticky notes and a pencil for note taking. Miniatures and a battle grid or a white board with dry erase markers will help everyone visualize what’s happening.

If you don’t have the cards and tokens you can go to feyhaven.com to find out about the different ways you can order them online or print them yourself.

4 Character Creation Character Creation Creating a character for a game of Gatekeepers of the two. Loot is useful for buying more items is four-step process. or pets, Fey Dust is useful for enchanting items you already have or for learning new spells. These are the steps:

1. Pick your cards. 2. Get Fey Dust and Loot. 3. Pick a character concept. 3. Pick a Character 4. Name your character. Concept

In this step, you use imagination to come up with a character concept. Some cards have colorful 1. Pick Your Cards names to help you, but if you can’t think of a There’s a fast way (suitable for conventions and concept that embodies all of the cards you chose, one-off adventures) and the slow way to make a you can roll 2d6 (two six-sided dice, adding the character. For the fast way, lay down all the result together) and compare it with this table or available creature cards and let each player pick ignore the dice result and choose your favorite one. After that deal each player: anyway.

 2 Skill cards, Dice  2 Strike cards, Concept Result  2 Spell cards, Princess runaway 2  2 Item cards, Pilgrim preacher with a crisis of faith 3 Captain without a ship 4  2 Beast cards Knight impostor 5 Then each player picks 3 cards, not including their Merchant with a mid-life crisis 6 creature card, for a total of 4 cards. Overenthusiastic duelist 7 Thug with a conscience 8 The slow way is allowing each player to go Wrongfully accused bounty hunter 9 through all the decks so they can pick and choose, Hopelessly romantic thief 10 and then debate those choices for hours. You’ve Gifted yet haunted street urchin 11 been warned. The slow way works best for Blackmailed noble 12 experienced players who each have their own set of cards and can do this before the game in the privacy of their own home. 4. Name Your Character Make something up. If you’re truly stuck, here’s 2. Get Fey Dust or Loot a fantasy name generator. Each player also starts with 3 currency tokens: http://fantasynamegenerators.com/ either Fey Dust (Mm) or Loot (Qq), or a combination

5 Game Preparation

Game Preparation The game master will have to prepare slightly Wait, what? Right now, the player characters are more than the players to play Gatekeepers. The all separate individuals with concepts that stick playing space, a table with a battle grid or a white out every which way, like sore thumbs. They are board with a ruler, miniatures and an adventure not united by relationships, a common cause or idea are all the game master’s responsibilities purpose to make bring them into a fist or even a before the game begins. hand. Working with the game master, players should take some time to brainstorm how their The game master puts all the mark tokens into characters have met, know each other and how the “bad cup”. Mark tokens have two icons in a long they’ve worked, loved, trained or fought black and white yin-yang circle on one side and a side by side. blank white space on the other. All the XP, Loot and Fey Dust tokens go into the “good cup”. Both This part can be completely improvised with a should be thoroughly mixed so they can be drawn creative group. If one or more of the players feel at random during play. lost or uninspired, here are some suggestions to pick from or to roll against to pick your poison or An example adventure is provided in the Being a trope of choice. Game Master chapter. It is players’ responsibility not to read that chapter. It is for their own good, For each two players, you may roll 2d6 again, and of course. compare it against this table. Or you may disregard it entirely and work something out Once the players have created their characters, between the two of you. If you consult the table, there is one more super-secret step the group as player X is the one who rolls the dice, player Y is a whole must accomplish before the game starts: the other. There should be a connection between group creation. all players, if at all plausible, for the sake of group cohesiveness.

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Once relationships are all worked out, the game on the fly; it’s okay for a player to forfeit their master should step in and introduce the players connections entirely or ask the game master for to the group’s place in the world, and work with help. them to make sure that each player character has goals that may or may not be aligned with the Dice goals of their organization. Relationship Result Former lovers (what happened?) 2 In Gatekeepers RPG, the players are presumed to Love interest, affair or triangle (how 3 be part of the Gatekeepers conspiracy. But it tragic is this going to get?) does not have to be that way. If the players Best friends (since when?) 4 created all gung-ho warrior types, then maybe Dark secret (what did you both do?) 5 they would work better as a group of Giant Relatives (how close are you?) 6 Rivals at (decide together what) 7 Slayers. If they all created spies, then maybe they Brothers in arms (where did you 8 should be in the Guild of Whispers instead. This, fight? how long?) too, should be a communal decision of the group. Y suspects X of (X decides what) 9 Before the game begins, each player should be Y has strong feelings about X (Y 10 taken aside by the game master for a five minute decides feelings, X decides context) X mentors Y in (X decides what) 11 private chat, to make sure that (1) they have X and Y have issues (how ugly is this 12 unique goals all to themselves and (2) the group going to get?) doesn’t know exactly how dangerous those goals are. The game master may make suggestions, especially for players who are struggling with Connections can be anything. Be careful what their concepts, but the player has the final say you wish for: being a relation to a royal bloodline about what their private goals really are. may grant you clout and name recognition in some circles, but you may find yourself in a complicated situation in case of regicide or Optional: Make More rebellion. Connections Once the players have established themselves, their relationships and the group’s purpose, the Introducing a New Player game master may ask them to establish If a new player is being introduced to an relationships to some non-player characters that established group, the process is the same, they the players themselves get to make up. Each just need to work out their relations with other player should have the same number of players and be retroactively added to the world. connections, and they can also be suggestions Are they a long-lost uncle or a fellow sailor who from the game master. The connections can be to just returned from a long trip abroad? Decide, roll the same person or different people, or even a some dice or do both. combination of the two. Experienced role-players may be more comfortable with making up things

7 Battles and Adventures Battles and Adventures “Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room!”

–President Merkin Muffley, Dr. Strangelove

Cards and Icons Each player has a collection of cards instead of is known as a “stance dance”. Icons represent traditional character sheets to represent their character traits and have a dual purpose for character. Each card they have has a number of combat and for roleplaying. icons. The cards that are currently on the table The number of cards in a stance is half of all your face up complete their current “stance”. Icons cards. For an odd number of cards it means that and text visible on stance cards indicate their one of your cards is “half-a-card”: it is tilted and current capabilities (defenses, abilities, actions). tucked under, so you can only see one of the When a player plays a card, it replaces one of the icons, and not its ability text. cards on the table, and their stance changes. This

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) Smiles: flair, confidence, charisma. In combat: Each smile ()) reduces hits you take from spells by 1. & Boots: speed, balance, discretion. In combat: Each boot (&) increases the steps you take each turn by 1. # Shields: endurance, willpower, compassion. In combat: Each shield (#) reduces hits you take from strikes by 1. * Clovers: perception, luck, wit. In combat: You mark a clover (*) to dodge an attack: halve incoming hits (round down) and move 1 step. Marking two clovers moves you two steps and negates hits entirely. % Swords: might, fitness, valor. In combat: Each sword (%) increases hits you inflict with strikes by 1. $ Books: knowledge, laziness, logic. In combat: Each book ($) increases hits you inflict with spells by 1.

Two currency icons sometimes show themselves would be using the stance they have at the on injury and item cards: Qq (Loot) and Mm (Fey moment, with the dice they have at the moment. Dust). On injury cards, those are prices to be paid The player then commits each die to a specific to get better and skip the recovery time. Fey dust icon on one of their cards for the rest of the turn, icons on item cards allow the owner to empower placing it just above the icon on the card. This an item, unlocking its full potential by committing increases that icon by the number of pips on the Fey Dust tokens to it. Icons on the “bookmarks” die. For example, a player with a single % icon of a card indicate the type of currency needed to committing a die to it that rolled a 6 now has 7% acquire the card: Loot (Qq), Fey Dust (Mm) or XP (Pp). icons.

Rolling Dice Each player will need a pair of six sided dice. The dice represent the character’s attention. While in combat, the dice get rolled once per turn and stay at the values rolled for all purposes until the next turn (until “everyone gets a turn”).

When performing an action whose outcome is both important and uncertain, the game master declares which two icons are relevant for the task. Outside of combat, the player may rearrange their stance to get as many of these as possible before rolling the dice. Inside a combat This Dwarf has 7%, 2#, 2* and no regrets. encounter, with the time pressure on, the player

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Example Tasks Icons choice of complications to go with it. The player Shoplifting &+) gets to choose the complication. Finding a book in a library $+& Bluffing *+) If the sum is greater than the success number, the Picking a lock )+$ player gains control of the situation, and either Defusing an ancient device *+$ describes the outcome or asks the game master Climbing a sheer cliff %+# to narrate the results on their behalf. Noticing a clue *+& On rare occasions when players compete with Kicking a door down %+& each other, both players do the same test and the Negotiating a standoff #+) highest result wins (but complications from bare successes and failures will still occur). Each die must be committed to its own icon. Dice can be committed to marks, and in that case the Outside of combat, dice rolls should only happen benefit applies to both icon types on the mark. at a crossroads of the story: every time you roll Committed dice are freed at the end of the turn the dice, they change the story. A corollary to that or when the card they are on is replaced. is that no dice should be rolled if the result does not matter. Outside of combat, dice don’t need The game master determines the difficulty of the to be committed; if you don’t have the required action by a highly scientific method of eyeballing icons you may use the dice result by itself. the difficulty table below. The sum of relevant icons and their dice is compared to success numbers to find out the outcome. Task Example Lyria the Dark Elf has been cuffed and detained, Difficulty SUCCESS and is now trying to get out of her shackles. Trivial You Succeed Without a key or lock picks, this is a task of Simple 7+ Inconceivable difficulty (10+). Picking a lock Normal 8+ benefits from )+$ icons, and Lyria has 1 of each, Complicated 9+ for a total of 2. She rolls her dice and they come up Inconceivable 10+ Impossible You Fail as 2 and 6. She commits both dice to the icons and her total is 2 + 2 + 6 = 10, which is a success for this task, but barely. Thus the game master presents The game master may decrease the success her with a choice: does she take too long to free number based on the tools, cards and abilities the herself quietly, or does she rush with the risk of player has, if they are deemed relevant to the making too much noise and alerting the guards? task. An Assassin may have an easier time Either way, she’s getting out of the cuffs, but not identifying a poison than a Warrior, for example. out of trouble.

If the sum is lower than success number, the action fails. The game master describes how sideways the situation goes. The situation always Rolling Dice to Attack changes on a failure. For attacks of any kind, instead of beating a If the sum is equal to the success number, the success number, the attacker must beat the player accomplishes their objective (barely), but defender’s defense icons. The attack ability text the game master presents them a (usually ugly) indicates which icons are used for offense, and

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which are used for the defense against it. The Attack Example attacker commits dice and tells the defender how Lyria the Dark Elf is about to hit Earl the Ork with a many hits are incoming and what icons defend chair. At the start of the turn, both rolled dice, but against it, such as “five hits minus shields” or have not committed them yet. Lyria’s dice came up “seven hits minus smiles”. The defender commits as 1 and 5, Earl has a 4 and a 2. Since Lyria attacks dice to defense icons and reduces the incoming with a strike, she compares her % icons against hits by the sum. If the incoming hits are still Earl’s # icons. Lyria has 2% icons in her stance, she positive, he takes the remainder as marks. commits both dice to them and gets a result of 2 + Physical strikes like punches, sword slashes and 1 + 5 = 8%. Earl only has 1# icon, so he can’t commit arrow shots usually use % icons and compare more than one die, so he commits his highest: 1 + 4 against defender’s # icons, while magic spells = 5#. 8% – 5# = 3 hits that he has to take. That’s typically use $ icons and compare against going to leave a mark! Three marks, to be exact. defender’s ) icons.

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In other cases, the player who rolled the highest Combat Encounters dice either goes first, or delegates another player When players end up in a combat situation, the to go first. Break any ties by * icons, then by & game master describes the events leading to it, icons, then by coin toss. and draws or reveals the map for the players to After the first Turn is resolved, continue going use. Players then place their characters clockwise around the table to determine who (miniatures, candy, tokens, coins or drawn goes next, alternating between players and their symbols) in appropriate locations for the enemies. beginning of the fight, while the game master places the opposing force. At this time, players also choose and play their Action Phase stance cards. As a reminder, a stance can only Once the Turn Order is established, the Action contain a half of a character’s cards. For odd phase begins. During the Action phase, players numbers of cards that means that there is an and the game master alternate taking actions. extra icon ‘dangling’ half-tucked under one of the The game master takes an action after every player’s other cards. player, until every character on the table has acted. If one side of a fight has more characters than the other, the remaining characters act back Taking Turns to back. We call a Turn an imaginary unit of time (usually a Once every character has acted, a new Turn few seconds long) during which all the characters begins, until the fight is over. who are present at the scene get to act exactly once, nearly simultaneously. Each Turn has a Dice phase and an Action Phase. On Your Turn 1. Dice phase (all players roll their dice) On your turn, you get to perform one action and 2. Action phase (all characters resolve their move, in either order. You can also split your actions) movement, moving some of the way, perform your action, and then move the remaining steps.

Your action can be an action on your cards or a Dice Phase basic attack. Likewise, your move can be a basic Players roll dice for their characters. The game move or a move on your cards. master does not roll dice (characters under the You may also sacrifice your intended action to game master’s control follow other rules). perform a non-combat task (look for clues, Turn Order is determined during the Dice phase. disarm a device, pick up a fallen brother-in-arms, The Turn Order starts with the first player who kick a door down, knock over a table). The effect takes an action, then goes clockwise around the and difficulty of such actions are up to the game table. master to determine. Some may be trivial and not require a test, others may not even require an In an ambush or a surprise attack, a character or action. an encounter group will “go first” by default. It is the only situation where a character controlled by For example, you may speak, shout or whisper the game master will make the first action. when you act, but may only say one short

12 Battles and Adventures sentence per action. In Hollywood terms, you get to deliver a line.

You may also skip your turn, not performing any actions. Ranting is optional.

Basic Attacks and Moves On your turn, you can make a basic move or attack instead of using an ability in your stance.

A basic strike reads: attack by (% – #) all creatures in your strike blast area.

A basic move reads: move 3+& steps.

A basic spell zap reads: attack by ($ – )) all creatures in your spell blast area.

The Stance Dance During each Turn, a player can play one card from their hand, replacing one card in their stance. This is known as the ‘stance dance’. The replaced card goes back to the player’s hand.

Marks and scratches on the card being replaced are gone. You’re just ignoring them through sheer courage, luck or determination. Wounds and Injuries cannot be replaced in this manner; only Geas cards may be played on top of them to alleviate some of the ‘pain’.

A stance dance can happen in response to an attack, but it can only happen before or after all the hits are applied, not half-way through the process of marking icons. Other than that, a stance dance can happen at any time.

If the card being replaced has committed dice, they are freed and can be used elsewhere.

If the card being played is a bonded item, the player may play Fey Dust on it to enhance it. If the card being replaced is a bonded item, the Fey Dust motes are collected in full, as long as the item was not broken.

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If the player has any items in their stance without you instead start flipping them, turning your Fey Dust, then they cannot use more than three marks into scratches, one for one. items at a time. Juggling can only get you so far When all the icons of a card are covered by without magic. scratches, that card is gone from your stance. If it is an Item card, it is broken (if it was empowered by Fey Dust, that dust is gone, and the item goes Everything Happens in Turn back to your hand instead). Other types of cards Order get flipped over to become a wound. Wounds still If there are multiple actions that need to be take a card slot in your stance, they just don’t do resolved simultaneously and it’s important to anything useful. know which happens first, it happens in Turn Order. The character who will act next goes first, then the next in line character controlled by the game master, then the player to the left of the first player, and so on, until the character whose turn it is now is the last one to resolve their part. The Turn Order always goes clockwise, to the left. Similarly, the game master should have all the encounter cards in front of them in a line so it’s easy to tell in which order they should act.

Marks and Scratches This Dark Elf is two marks away from K.O. When you take hits from an attack, you take them If there were dice committed to a removed card, as marks. they are freed.

Marks are tokens that cover up your icons. On It takes 1 mark of healing to heal a mark, 2 marks one side, each mark has two random icons: this is to heal a scratch and 4 marks to heal a wound. the “mark side” and it represents adrenaline, These must be paid in full to have any effect. excitement and chaos that happens when one If your stance contains no visible icons due to brushes close with danger. The other side is wounds and scratches, you are out of the fight blank, it is called the “scratch side” and and must draw from the Injury deck: that’s the represents the pain and bruises one gets in a bad news deck, containing verdicts like ‘bleeding fight. out’, ‘missing eye’ or ‘dead’. Marks may be beneficial in moderation, but as If the Injury deck draw did not kill you, any you get more marks, you run a higher chance of creature still in the fight can easily finish you off getting seriously hurt or killed. by spending an action attacking your helpless When you receive marks, you place them face up body with a coup de grâce. over the icons of the cards in your stance, While you have an injury card, it must be in your temporarily covering them. The new icons stance at all times, but may be covered by a Geas replace the old ones. When all of your icons are card, if you have one. covered and you still have more marks to place,

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Marks are drawn at random from a “bad cup”: If you don’t want to use a grid, you may use rulers the cup that contains all the mark tokens or tape measures, where each step equals about currently not used in the game. one inch of distance. Line of sight is measured from miniature base to miniature base, and if

your base touches any marks on the table, you Dodging with Clovers have to take them as if you stepped on them. You can mark a clover (*) to dodge an attack: Abilities that place marks on the ground can’t halve incoming hits (round down) and move 1 place those touching creatures. If you use dry step. Marking two different clovers moves you erase markers, they make convenient six-step two steps and negates hits entirely, along with rulers with the cap on. the attack’s other effects on you. There are two caveats to mention: Ranges and Blasts 1. Apply reductions from # and ) icons after Attacks and other abilities function within your dodging, as it benefits the defender more this ability range. Spell range works for spells, strike way. range works for strikes. If a card increases your 2. Committed dice to * do not help with dodging, ‘ability range’ it works for both spells and strikes. because when you mark your buffed clover, it By default, your character’s range is 1, meaning suddenly changes to a new icon type and you may your strikes and spells affect only adjacent not be able to mark it again to negate damage creatures and steps. Likewise, your default blast completely. area is 1, meaning you affect one creature or step at a time. Line of Sight All attacks and actions require line of sight to the target(s), unless their ability text explicitly says otherwise. Line of sight is defined as a straight line from any corner of the attacker’s step tile Some cards increase your spell blast area or strike (square, hex or miniature base) to the defender’s blast area by 1 or more. What this means is that step tile, which can be traced without the diameter of the blast increases by the listed obstructions. Obstructions include opaque walls, amount. other creatures and pillars. On a square grid, a blast area 2 is a 2x2 square, a blast area 3 is a 3x3 square and so on. Using Hexes, Squares or Rulers These rules can be used with a hex grid, a square grid, or no grid at all. In case of a hex grid, each step is a hex. In case of a square grid, each step is a square and diagonal moves are fine.

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On a hex grid, a blast area 2 is an equilateral template by the edge to overlap the last inch of triangle with 2 hexes per side, and a blast area 3 your ruler. is an equilateral triangle with 3 hexes per side.

In this picture, both blasts are cast at range 3. If you play without a grid, you will want to use If the blast area also covers your miniature, you home-made circular templates 1 inch wide for get to designate affected creatures and avoid blast area 2, 2 inches wide for blast area 3, 3 friendly fire. Otherwise, tough, everything gets inches wide for blast area 4, 4 inches wide for hit. blast area 5, and so on. All miniatures touched by the template would be affected. When an ability affects something in a blast, that Optional Rule: Circular Hex blast must be placed within your range, and that Blasts means that at least one step of the blast must be If you use hex boards and hate the idea of within your range. If you use home-made triangular blasts, you may use either circular blast templates and a ruler or tape measure, hold the templates from the home-made set mentioned

16 Battles and Adventures above or slightly more complex alternating blast templates. Cruising for a Bruising Creature moves use a variety of verbs to For odd-sized blast areas (3, 5, 7), use a hex circle distinguish between different methods of with a central hex, where the diameter equals the transportation. blast size. Move: voluntary locomotion, picking up all marks For even-sized blasts (2, 4, 6, 8), use a triangle as in the way. the center of the blast, and measure the diameter across any two of the three central hexes as Push: involuntary locomotion, picking up all shown below. marks in the way. A creature can be pushed in any direction, unless the ability states otherwise. A push is not a move and does not trigger abilities that require a creature to move of its own volition.

Swim: voluntary locomotion, picking up all marks in the way. Swimming presumes some liquid medium to traverse. On solid ground, a creature only capable of swimming can flop around going Marks, Walls and Pillars about 1 step per action. Creatures who don’t have Some abilities leave marks or pillars on the table, a swim ability can move at half their normal speed such as hiding in the shadows, conjuring illusions in water. Creatures who have a swim ability are or walls of fire. These marks are like traps or land unable to drown in water. mines, when a creature steps on one, it has to take it, bypassing defenses. When a mark has a Jump: voluntary locomotion, jumping can avoid die on it, it is called a pillar, and it blocks line of marks, pillars, walls and creatures in all but the sight. The value on the die is extra marks that a final step where you land. You cannot jump on stepping creature has to take. Marks and pillars top of another creature, but you can jump over do not get reduced by # or ) icons, but they can them. be halved or negated by dodging with clovers. Fly: like jumping, but flying allows one to hover at Adjacent pillars form walls. Abilities that create or the end of a move, not picking up the mark or the otherwise affect marks, walls and pillars can pillar below you. You still cannot stop your interact with any of them, regardless of who put movement on top of another creature for the them there. Marks are placed face down, but sake of visual clarity at the table. whoever places them can peek at their icons as Teleport: works just like jumping, except you skip they get laid down. all the steps between you and the destination.

Pillars and walls can be attacked, and their values When a creature begins a special mode of are reduced by the number of hits they take. movement (swim, fly, teleport or jump), it Pillars are removed when their dice are reduced continues in that mode (hovering, treading to zero or less, or when someone steps through water, phasing or bouncing) until it takes a move them. in a different mode or a basic move. Knocking a When a creature places a pillar, the value on the creature out also causes the special move mode pillar’s die is equal to the $ icons of that creature.

17 Battles and Adventures to end. For flying creatures this may cause falling damage. Hiding and Revealing Some abilities allow a character to place a certain If a flying creature gets pushed, this doesn’t end number of marks or pillars on the table, and then its flight unless it get pushed all the way to the hide in them. A hidden character is removed from ground. At which point, a splat will ensue. the board. Nobody really knows where they are. A hidden character may remain hidden by skipping actions during Action phases. When a Falling Damage hidden character does not skip their action, they When a creature falls, it takes a number of marks reveal themselves adjacent to any mark, wall or equal to steps fallen (or pushed), reduced by its pillar on the table. Surprise! # icons. If another creature breaks its fall, each of Other characters can look for them by stepping them takes one half of the marks. If the falling on marks, removing them with abilities or creature has a jump ability (and is conscious), it breaking through walls and pillars. Each time this can further reduce the falling damage by its happens, draw a random mark. If either icon on maximum jump distance. the drawn mark matches an icon on the removed mark, the looking party reveals a hidden Optional: Aerial Combat character or group of their choice. The rest stay hidden. The revealed character is placed by the A flying creature can gain altitude, sacrificing 1 owner as close as possible to the removed mark’s step of horizontal distance for each 1 step of location. height. The altitude (in steps) can be recorded by placing a spare die or two next to the flying If the last mark on the board is removed, all miniature. Flying creatures can trade altitude for remaining hidden characters are revealed as extra steps of horizontal movement at the same close to it as possible, in Turn Order. Big Surprise! rate, 1 for 1, up to double the distance they can move without descent. For the purpose of attacks, altitude ranges are Death and Taxes additive. For example, someone 4 steps away The price you pay is not the price you horizontally and 2 steps up is effectively 6 steps expected. But there is always a price. away. Ability ranges from higher ground or altitude increase by 1 step. Despite all the magic in Feyhaven, death is an irreversible process. And contrary to a popular For the purpose of game balance, altitude saying, that which does not kill you, may leave difference of more than 10 steps prevents you a cripple. engagement: spells and strikes miss automatically beyond that distance. Deal with it. Injury cards are bad news with ramifications.

After a creature loses altitude, the next strike it Some are permanent, some will heal naturally makes against an adjacent target deals +1 hit for with reasonable treatment and passage of time. the extra velocity on the charge. Magic, particularly Fey Dust, can speed this up significantly. If an injury card lists a ‘Magic

Healing’ cost, then the party can collectively pay it to make the injury heal overnight back at the

18 Battles and Adventures camp. Otherwise, the character is stuck nursing All your injuries and wounds are healed, including that injury for its full duration. the one that was about to kill you. This is where the good news ends, because the price you pay If an injury card lists a ‘Replacement Cost’, then for this magical salvation is a Geas. this injury can only be treated by the infamous Golden Men Guild. For the listed fee and a future A Geas is a magical compulsion that you will favor, this secretive order of apothecaries and follow from this day forth. The spirit that rescued witches will hack together a metal body part, you is now within you, sometimes as an advisor, articulated by magic and Fey Dust, should you other times as a dictator. Multiple spirits can seek them out in a major city where they have an gather in your mind over time, fighting with each enclave. other for attention to the detriment of your mental health. They say that those who practice Sadly, even they have no cure for death. So magic often become like the ancients, fickle and before you draw that injury card that seals your malicious, if not outright possessed by them to fate, the game master may offer you one last villainous ends. bargain. The Wardens Guild offers cures to Fomorians and

other people afflicted with Geasa (plural of Geas), but the treatment at one of their Ward Taking a Geas monasteries is long and potentially lethal. They Imaginary friends aren’t either. induce you, through a ritual, to take a temporary Geas without mutating further. Then you will So long as a character has a bonded item or a have to survive with both in their care for a year Voice card, an ancient spirit will offer them a and a day. When this time passes you can get rid bargain at the last possible moment before their of one of your cards. The Geas the Wardens give death or dismemberment. you also expires when the time is up. “It does not have to be this way,” the Voice in The card you get rid of does not have to be a Geas your head says. card. If you get rid of a Creature card, you reverse The player then draws a Geas card from the deck. or go further into your mutation and stop being a The player then may either accept it or reject it. Fomorian. You can stay multiple years at a Ward, getting rid of multiple cards, if you so choose. If the player rejects it, nothing unusual happens and they face their problems or their death alone, If the Geasa you have are in conflict, these Geasa like everyone else. will kill you in a situation where you are unable to follow all of them. Breaking a Geas is a magical If the player accepts the Geas, things change, but death sentence. You die on the spot. not always for the better. A Fomorian in a deadly situation may be tempted The game master will shuffle creatures and by a Voice again. If the Fomorian accepts, all of beasts decks together, cut it and let you draw the their Geasa will be gone. And so will be their soul, top card. You become a Fomorian: a cursed half- as they will transform into a mindless Giant. They blood, persecuted and shunned by society. You will remember nothing of their former life and grow and mutate on the spot into something … will be viciously hungry. All Giants are controlled different. by the game master as really big monster creatures.

19 Battles and Adventures

There is no cure for a rampaging monster size of Wardens, for example, do not take Fairies as a castle, other than contacting the Giant Slayer patients. Fairies are unable to shed their Geasa. Guild immediately. On the bright side, Fairies are not sterile.

But there are rumors of Fairy curses bestowing Geasa on other people, rumors that do nothing Fomorian Shapeshifters good for the reputation of the Fey. Since Fomorians have two creature cards, their bodies can shapeshift to a limited degree. For Natural-born Fairies never get tempted into example, a Human-Horse Fomorian can become a becoming a Fomorian. For them, it’s a voluntary human with a horse head or a horse with a human process that can happen at any time when they torso (known as a centaur) or a satyr-like creature choose their “adult” form. If they pay XP for the that stands on hind legs but is smaller in stature, new card, they don’t take a Geas. They even get or whatever kind of nightmarish blend of the two to choose their new creature card (and that’s your fevered imagination is capable of describing. where Unicorns come from). Transformation from one form to another is painful, so most Fomorians settle on a form they prefer and stick with it. Fomorians can never quite pass for a normal person of either species. Pets and Mounts Their features are too hard, too hairy or too Players may collect Beast cards by taming or lumpy. buying pets. Shapeshifters may acquire Beast cards by eating the beast in question. Fomorians are usually sterile. They are ostracized Shapeshifters treat it as any other card in their by the “civilized” races because of their erratic stance. A pet owner with a pet becomes a group behavior, hulking features, disturbing in battle (see Groups below). A pet owner and a appearance and the known potential to turn into pet can occupy the same space, in which case one a rampaging Giant. Some colorful epithets used of them, depending on relative size, is riding the to describe Fomorians are “freaks”, “half- other; but they remain a group for all intents. bloods”, “mules”, “werewolves” and “lycanthropes”. While they are riding, they get full benefit of each other’s special move abilities. Otherwise, when a Some people are born Fomorians, out of a union special move is performed by one of the group between different species. Picturing that is left as members, the others who are not riding it or a an exercise to the reader. similar creature perform a basic move (move 3+& steps) at the same time. Fairies and Fomorians Fairies are said to be creatures borne out of Fey Pet Example Dust alone. However, in some rare cases, instead Lyria the Dark Elf is armed with a Crossbow and has of a Fomorian, a person can become a Fey (by her pet Scratch the Ferret sitting on her shoulder. drawing a Fairy as their creature card when When she takes a Silent Scream move that lets her tempted by a Voice). This is a mixed blessing. remove marks from the board, both she and the Although they may look like perfect members of Ferret stop on the same step. She removes some their species, they look too flawless to be real. marks using her crossbow’s strike range, and her Fairies are trusted even less than Fomorians are.

20 Battles and Adventures pet removes the same number of marks in his she has 2#. All her other icons are 0 (insert fireball strike range. here).

Groups Groups and Bosses Each group has a number of cards that represent Characters controlled by the game master follow each member of it. For the purposes of icons and special rules to make the book keeping simpler. abilities, the group members are identical, like The game master does not roll dice for them. soldiers in a patrol, peasants in a mob or wolves Encounter creatures are about as predictable as in a pack. Groups can include pets and cavalry. chess pieces. Groups have the option to sacrifice all members There are two types of encounter creatures: who got hit by an attack to avoid marking the groups and bosses. Groups are represented by group’s cards. The sacrificed members are several miniatures on the table who share the knocked out and draw injury cards immediately same cards. They move and act as a single or get killed outright (per game master’s character, in a mob or a squad formation. Bosses discretion). If all members of a creature type are are all the other characters, who act more like thus removed from play, the group loses that players and take their moves and actions one at a creature card. When a group member uses time. clovers to dodge, it affects the whole group. In some special encounters, the players may have When a group hides or is revealed, every member friendly groups that they are protecting or is affected. commanding in battle. When a group of riders get attacked, individual riders may sacrifice their mounts (and vice versa) to avoid damage. The Game Master Is Cheating! When a group attacks, each group member can The groups and bosses controlled by the game attack a different target with the same strike or master (also known as NPCs, or Non-Player spell. Overlapping attacks don’t hit the same Characters) don’t roll dice and don’t commit creature multiple times. them like players do. Instead, these characters add a +3 cheating bonus (official term) to each Group attacks abide by all attack rules, and icon type they have for all purposes except when require line of sight, unless the ability they use defending against attacks. This reduces the time says otherwise. This means, for tightly positioned NPCs take to act and the workload on the game groups, that only the front line can fire their master. ranged weapons.

The last surviving member of a group turns into a regular boss. Cheating Bonus Example A badly hurt Troll Forest Voice has 2# icons and a % icon left on her cards. When she attacks, she has Playing Cards for NPCs 1+3=4% icons to deal damage. When she uses An NPC or a group of NPCs may sacrifice their shields to create a multiple pillars of vegetation, action to draw a card. The new card replaces one she has 2+3 =5#. When she defends with shields, of their cards, healing marks and scratches on it.

21 Battles and Adventures

It can also replace a broken item card, but cannot sends you flying 9 steps and gives falling damage cover a wound (flipped over card), unless it is (9 – #). Flying creatures avoid this damage, but drawn from the Geasa deck. still need to do some climbing to hang on long enough to strike. The card is drawn from the deck of owner’s choice and it replaces one of the existing cards Tentacles Everywhere: after defeating two limbs, permanently. one must duck and weave (*+&) (Inconceivable, 10+) between remaining tentacles to get to the The total number of cards belonging to that NPC brain. But the difficulty is reduced by 1 for each cannot exceed the number of cards they had at additional limb that gets cut off. the start of the encounter. Multiplies By Fission: each defeated limb

becomes its own boss and must be defeated a Really Big Monsters second time. Part of adventuring in Feyhaven is encountering Flying: one or more wings need to be defeated Really Big Monsters. They’re just like bosses, before the whole thing comes crashing down. except each limb is its own boss (with its own cards and marks), and to kill one requires you to Armored Carapace: each limb halves all hits taken destroy two or more of those limbs before the from strikes (round down) until the armor is vulnerable part (head, cephalothorax, central eye melted off by a spell that leaves a mark. stalk, heart, gizzards and such) becomes Feeds on Magic: when a limb steps on a pillar or a vulnerable. Until then, another limb will block mark, it gets healed instead of getting marked. your attacks at it and the RBM will take no damage at all. Burning Footsteps: when a limb moves, it leaves a pillar with 6 hits in the starting step. If a limb When it comes to combat, each RBM limb takes steps on a pillar, all creatures adjacent to it take its own turn, like a separate character. When one the pillar hits instead of it. RBM limb takes a move action, any other limbs that belong to this RBM may take a basic move Runic Spell Reflection: when a limb is affected by (move 3+& steps) for free, either to keep up or to a spell, it can pick a different target in its ability keep balance. Invulnerable limbs usually do not range instead, regardless of the spell’s range. appear on the map, they’re only placed on the Only when the rune markings on it are marred by board when they are exposed. Each limb has a a strike leaving a mark can it be affected by spells. default ability range of 3 steps around it. RBM Really Big Monsters don’t come with an limbs cannot be pushed more than one step per instruction manual, and players have to do some action, they’re too big. Each RBM limb has the creative thinking on the fly to figure out how to footprint of a large creature (2x2 steps on a defeat one. If your players enjoy this sort of square grid, 3-hex triangle on a hex grid). chaos, perhaps the campaign should be centered Each Really Big Monster is unique. Some on the Giant Slayers Guild instead. Giants are a big examples: problem.

Really Hairy: vulnerable part is obscured by fur, after defeating two limbs, it requires (Complicated, 9+) climbing (%+#) to find the vulnerable part and hang on to it. Failing the test

22 Battles and Adventures

relative to each other: some players will want to Optional: Theater of the be in the frontline, some will want to be in the back. Consult with the players to make sure they Mind Combat are in the right place when the battle starts. When you want to make the fights go even faster, you can use these rules to abstract ranges and Alternatively, you could use a separate sheet of paper to indicate their standard ‘marching order’, use a sheet of paper and a pencil instead of and draw their enemies on another sheet, putting miniatures. them together where the front lines meet and become a single range. Ranges Invariably there will be some movement. When Draw vertical lines across the sheet, each line that happens, update your range map, erasing or indicating a range. Think of these ranges as 10 crossing out a name to put it somewhere else. Let yard lines in rugby or American football (also the crazy diagrams happen! known as handegg). Each range can hold an unlimited number of combatants and they are considered adjacent to one another within that Rule of Cool range. Each range is 3 steps wide. Ranges, blasts and marks are all trappings of It takes 3 steps of movement to move 1 range miniature war gaming. When a player wishes to do something awesome, the game master should over. For 6 steps of movement, you can travel 2 help them achieve that vision, rather than ranges, and so on. Likewise, for your attack to reach a range beyond your own, you need to have struggle within the confines of the rules. at least 3 range, and can reach further in 3-range If it sounds like something a character should be increments. able to do (like, say, using their Blood Voice ability Blast effects work slightly differently. For each +1 to grant an ally a keen sense of smell for a limited blast area beyond the first, you can affect an time), the game master should meet them half- way. additional creature in a range within your reach. If you have a weapon capable of reaching For example, the game master may require the multiple ranges, these creatures don’t have to be player to make a test using certain icons, as if they all in the same range. were not in combat at all, at the expense of 1 If there are any marks within your range, you are action. adjacent to all of them. It takes only 1 step of Rule of Cool trumps other rules. If there is a movement to move onto (or be pushed into!) a chandelier to swing from, then by all means, you mark within your range. could use it as a shortcut to get behind the & enemy’s formation, regardless of how many icons you have right now. Diagrams and Descriptions

You can draw names or capital letters for short- hand to indicate placement of where everyone is

23 Character Advancement Character Advancement Experience is what you get when you don’t get what you wanted.

After each encounter (whether it was a fight or Card Type Cost not), each player should earn a token drawn from Skill or Strike XP (Pp) the “good cup”, of a type appropriate to the Spell Fey Dust (Mm) events that transpired. If they came across Fey Item Loot (Qq) Dust or Loot, they draw until the first Fey Dust or Beast Loot or XP* Loot token they find, and take that one. If not, Creature or Geas Become a Fomorian** they draw until they find some XP. Injury Get knocked out*** * Beast Masters and Shapeshifters only Alternatively, after a major battle or story arc ** Bad idea, by the way. completion, the game master may draw one *** Don’t. token per player from the “good cup” and place When a player pays the price for training, crafting them in the middle of the table, face down. or taming, the game master may offer them three Players then take turns picking up the tokens, cards from a deck of their choice. The player then until everyone gets one starting with the person picks one. who rolled the lowest in the last round.

Lastly, at the end of the session, players should A pet owner can buy or tame an extra pet of the draw one token each and award them to other same species as the one they already have. They players for exemplary teamwork, humor, don’t get an extra card, but they get an extra courage, roleplay and other excellence. Scribbles miniature, at the flat price of 3 tokens (usually on sticky notes may make this semi-anonymous Loot). and an experience upon itself similar to academy awards. Skill cards are guaranteed to have a defensive icon (*, # or )), spell cards are guaranteed to have a $, strike cards are guaranteed to have a Prices %, item cards expand your range or widen your blast, and beast cards give you pets to help in a Players may spend tokens between scenes to fight. learn, craft or trade for new cards.

It takes XP to learn a new skill or strike card. Benefits of Civilization It takes Fey Dust to learn a new spell card. Players have opportunities to get discounted It takes Loot to craft or trade for an item card. cards by visiting merchants (even traveling merchants), especially in the big city markets. Beast cards can be bought with Loot as well. Likewise, Universities and Guilds may offer Beast Masters and Shapeshifters can also pay for training by renowned masters of their subjects, Beast cards with XP, by taming or eating wild although you may not always find what you want beasts. at those prices. The price of a new card is equal to the number of All of the cards drawn are available at -1 discount, cards you already have. with a minimum of 1. Each player can do this once

24 Character Advancement during downtime between scenes, as cramming, Bonded Items shopping and haggling take time. Characters who have at least one Fey Dust token While in a city with the best of tools and scholars are bonded with all their items. The bonded item available, a player may forego discounts to get a can be summoned out of thin air at will, and specific card they want, freely looking through unsummoned likewise. Fey Dust motes can be the deck of their choice. placed on the card to enhance the range on its ability (this means that the item can “dance” in Finally, there’s plenty of guilds interested in thin air on your command). Furthermore, when trade, both magical and mundane, that will offer an enhanced item breaks, you lose the Fey Dust to trade your currency at markup. Fey Dust and on it, but keep the item card and can summon it Loot can be traded for each other, at a rate of 4 again. If you unsummon the item before it breaks, for 3 (or better, never at a loss to the guild). XP you keep both. cannot be traded.

Bonding with an Item Retraining This process does not happen instantly, but it For the cost of 2 tokens a character may trade a happens the next time you rest for the night or a card for another. Creature cards and Geasa cards few hours. To bond with an item you need to cannot be given away that way. Item cards can be have at least one spell card and one Fey Dust traded at no cost at all, provided the other party mote. Then you may ask the Voices in your head is willing. to consume the item, destroying the original. Each spell card in your possession indicates that

there’s a Voice in your head, it’s just the cost of Fey Dust Mischief doing magic. If you have no spell cards or Fey Fey Dust is an unstable substance. Although most Dust, then a friend who has both can donate one of the time it follows the commands of its owner, or more motes of Fey Dust to you to bond with it becomes more volatile and intelligent when it the item. There’s a Binders Guild who specializes reaches critical mass. in these services, and they charge 2 Loot per Fey Dust mote. If you own more Fey Dust than you have cards, you lose control of it, and mischief starts happening when you’re not paying attention. Giving Away a Bonded Item Examples: it creates a pile of rocks in your Bonded items can be given away or sold, by backpack, devours your lunch, decorates your face summoning them without enhancement. While with glitter while you’re asleep, levitates your enhanced with Fey Dust, the item has a golden possessions into a well, fills a boot with dung or gleam in a Damascus steel pattern, something sets a horse’s tail on fire. the shop owners always check before handing over the gold. If you’re holding on to too much Fey Dust for more than a day, the mischief may culminate with a birth of a Fairy, consuming all of your Fey Dust in the process. Momma! Item Curses It makes sense for some cards to cost more every time you learn something: as you become better

25 Character Advancement at what you do, it becomes harder to achieve Just make sure you backup those perfection. But rising prices for items don’t seem pictures somewhere to make sense, at first blush at least. What’s to in a cloud. stop a low-card character for buying a bunch for their high-and-mighty adventurer friends and turning a profit?

Mythical bonds, that’s what. Bonded items are infused with Fey Dust, and their benefits outweigh the drawbacks. Bonded items are intelligent to a degree, and they become more powerful in the hands of a legendary hero. Adventurers who don’t pay the full price for their cards don’t look for the very best, and are in turn resented by their items, the bonds they make are flawed and curse their items, who are likely to betray their owners in the moment of need.

An item curse is a card drawn at random from the Geas deck, it stays with you until the full price is paid.

Storing Characters You have two options when it comes to storing character progress between sessions. The low-tech way is to put each character’s cards and tokens into a plastic bag or a card sleeve, or even using a rubber band to keep them together.

The high tech way is to take a picture with a smart phone of what the character had at the end of the session, along with any sticky notes you wrote on.

The low-tech approach works best if the players own their own cards or if the playset is being used by only one group. If the same set of cards is used by multiple groups and campaigns, smartphones are your friends.

26 Vehicles Vehicles The only thing that matters is that the objects in the rear view mirror are losing.

On occasion, adventure takes you on a caravan Armor (1-100 #): the amount of hits each strike long the Silk Road in the desert, or across the on the vehicle gets reduced by, how sturdy the Twilight Sea towards Spitesreach or even on a construction is and how tough the materials are. rare and prized airship wherever you damn Speed (1-100 &): how many steps does it take per please. Vehicles have various speeds, sizes and turn. This happens during the turn of the driver, other characteristics. pilot or captain. Travel Mode: move, swim, or fly. Other methods Turn Rate (0-100 $): how many steps does the (teleport, dig) are not unheard of, but are even vehicle need to make going forward or backward rarer than airships. before it can turn 45 degrees on a square grid or Rarity: how often do you see one of these 60 degrees on a hex grid. Turn Rate of 0 means it vehicles in a major city, such as Oroden. can turn on a dime, like a character. Turn Rate higher than 0 means all the joys of parallel Crew (drivers / gunners / passengers): crew is parking. three numbers separated by slashes. The first is the skeleton crew required for the vehicle to Sentience (0-100 )): all airships and most ancient move. The second is the extra crew required for artifacts are intelligent to a degree. This makes the vehicle to move and use its armament. The them more resistant to spell attacks and also third is passengers or marines that can be fickle, sometimes even alien in motives. transported aboard. The numbers are given in Armament (0-100 %): some larger vehicles are ‘normal sized creatures’. Large creatures take armed with weapons of significant siege four times as much space. Beasts of burden are potential. These are usually too slow and clumsy not included in crew numbers. to target individual characters, but do well versus Cost (1+ O): how much does the vehicle cost to fortresses, other vehicles and giants. Armament buy used on the market. This is also the vehicle’s that is specialized against infantry is marked with Encounter Points, used by the game master to *. build encounters. Beasts of burden are sold separately. Size (1-100 *): describes the physical size of the Vehicle Actions vehicle in meters along its longest measurement In order for a vehicle to move and use its (usually length). It is also the number of hits the armament, the crew must sacrifice its actions to vehicle can take before it is destroyed (vehicles guide it. All of the vehicle’s actions happen during are never marked, they take hits straight up). So the captain’s, driver’s or pilot’s turn. Passengers, size does matter. Damaged and destroyed on the other hand, may do whatever they please. vehicles can be repaired for 1 Loot and 4 hours per hit taken, unless they take twice their size in damage. At that point, they’re scrap.

27 Vehicles

Vehicle Collisions Siege Attacks When a vehicle hates another vehicle very much, When a vehicle uses its armament to attack the two may collide by moving into each other something, roll 2d6. with explosive results. If the vehicle is attacking a creature like a player Count the difference in size and the difference in character or a pet, they reduce this roll by their # speed of the two vehicles. Here speed is relative icons like a regular attack. If it misses, the crisis is to each other: if one was moving at top speed and averted. If it hits, they take the armament (%) as the other was stationary, then the second bonus hits and most likely die. vehicle’s speed is effectively zero. If they are both If it is attacking another vehicle, a fortress or a coming towards each other, add their speeds giant, add the armament (%) to the roll together. immediately and reduce the hits taken by armor Adding both size and speed differences together (#). Giants may not lose more than one limb to a we get momentum change1. The smaller vehicle siege attack. Each limb is its own vehicle. takes the full momentum change as hits (reduced Some siege attacks are good at destroying by its armor). The larger vehicle takes only the infantry. They are marked by *. Such attacks kill speed difference as hits (reduced by its armor). their armament (%) worth of troops when they The smaller vehicle changes velocity (it may hit a character that belongs to a group. bounce, skitter or veer off, as eyeballed by the game master). The larger vehicle changes velocity only if it took more than one hit. If the larger vehicle took more than half of its remaining Custom Vehicles hits, the smaller vehicle may have broken clean through it or gotten stuck in it. To make a new vehicle, find a Wikipedia article on the closest thing you can find to what you need, then eyeball the stats and get it ratified by the game master.

1 Real physics are more complicated than that, but humans are not computers, and this is a game, not homework.

28

Vehicles (As Seen in Oroden) Travel Rarity Crew Cost Size Armor Speed Turn Sent. Arm. Mode ( d / g / p ) O * # & Rate $ ) % Cart move daily 1 / 0 / 1 1 2 2 4 1 0 0 Wagon move daily 1 / 0 / 8 2 7 4 8 4 0 0 Chariot move weekly 1 / 1 / 0 3 6 5 12 5 0 2* Ballista move weekly 1 / 1 / 0 3 3 2 3 0 0 3 Catapult move monthly 3 / 3 / 0 6 4 3 3 3 0 8* Trebuchet move decades 0 / 6 / 0 12 12 2 0 0 0 12* Siege Tower move decades 10 / 5 / 30 10 10 8 2 6 0 4* City Wall none daily 0 / 10 / 0 15 30 10 0 0 0 0 City Gate none daily 0 / 12 / 0 20 30 9 0 0 0 0 Dingy swim daily 1 / 0 / 3 3 3 3 3 6 0 0 Sail Boat swim daily 5 / 0 / 10 7 7 3 8 6 0 0 Longship swim monthly 41 / 0 / 20 15 17 5 10 5 0 0 Trireme swim monthly 170 / 1 / 29 20 37 3 9 2 0 8 Catamaran swim daily 30 / 10 / 50 30 29 7 12 6 1 10 Airship fly weekly 7 / 0 / 20 40 12 6 16 3 3 0

29 Organizations Organizations You are who you know.

The world of Feyhaven is a dynamic place, and Military (%): does the organization employ a players are the agents of chaos or order in it. standing army, peacekeepers, mercenaries, Wait, who am I kidding? Here are the rules for assassins, thugs or other armed personnel? watching the world burn. Dedication (#): how loyal are its members, how susceptible is it to outside influence or outright attacks?

You Can Change the World Logistics (&): does it have many holdings, Just because you’re paranoid does not support staff, provisions, real estate, contracts or mean they’re not out to get you. money to throw at its problems?

Whenever an adventure the players undertake The number of marks indicates the relative size of affects the world (answer: always), various the organization. 2 marks mean there are less organizations may benefit or suffer from their than 100 members able to provide immediate efforts. It is a zero-sum game: if one organization assistance. 4 marks means 200, 6 marks means benefits, another one usually loses. 400, and every two marks after that doubles the organization in size. Other events that players have little control over may also influence the stakes. After all, players Power Marks Active Members aren’t the only people in the world who pursue 2 < 100 their goals. Wars, disasters, coups and 3 100 conspiracies all play their part in shaping the 4 200 future. 5 300 6 400 7 600 8 800 By the Numbers 9 1,200 Treat each organization as a character. Instead of 10 1,600 cards, organizations use damage marks to track 11 2,400 their relative power and progress toward their 12 3,200 goals. The icons on the marks that are face up 13 4,800 mean slightly different things. 14 6,400 15 9,600 Politics (*): how much of an influence does the 16 12,800 organization have in the politics within its reach? 17 19,200 18 25,600 Fame ()): is this organization secret or public? 19 38,400 How aware is the public of its purpose and 20 51,200 existence? 21 76,800 22 102,400 Magic ($): does the organization employ Voices?

How much support does it get from them?

30 Organizations

Treat each geographically separated franchise of In both cases, as this happens, its progress is an organization as its own entity: if the travel time reset, so it flips half of its marks (round down) is significant, the other branches won’t be able to face up, and the rest face down. provide immediate assistance. The minimum number of marks an organization The number of active members does not include can have is two. If an organization is reduced all of its members or sympathizers, merely active, below this, it dissolves. involved and capable members of the community, those who can contribute more than wishful thinking and complaints. Natural Disasters These events rarely benefit anyone. It is possible for a disaster to affect all local organizations Status Quo equally poorly, spreading nothing but misery. But At the beginning of the campaign, the game even then, some unscrupulous individuals may master should draft some organizations to frame turn in a profit by jacking prices on food and the players’ adventures in terms of local politics. shelter, by raiding their neighbors or by preparing for a quick war of opportunity against weakened Use sticky notes or scraps of paper to scrawl the enemies. Treachery, thy face is human nature. name of each important organization, then draw their starting damage marks. Each organization In some cases, a historical event may cause has two numbers, in the “x/y” format, where x is power loss to everyone. The opposite happens the number of marks face up, and y is the total very rarely. number of marks.

During a gaming session, both of these numbers will change as historical events occur. At the end Event Example of the gaming session, write down the new The Gatekeepers of Oroden have intervened in the numbers for each affected organization. Don’t politics of the Dark Elf capital city, Belabis, and bother writing down or taking pictures of specific stopped an assassination attempt on the Master. marks. This event has global ramifications, because the Dark Elves control the Dark Reach, a global lattice of underground tunnels used for lucrative trade. Historical Events Gatekeepers have gained a powerful ally this day. When an event occurs, the game master decides The Master’s noble House (House Artcaster) gains 1 which organizations benefit, and which ones power, and so does the Oroden branch of suffer from it. The beneficiaries gain more power, Gatekeepers, who were instrumental in uncovering and thus flip 1 or more marks face up. The the conspiracy. The assassination conspiracy had sufferers lose power, and flip the same number less than 100 members, thus it only had 2 marks. of marks face down. Losing 2 power (1 to Gatekeepers and 1 to Artcaster) causes it to dissolve. When an organization has all of its marks face-up, it advances a major goal, and increases its total Members of House Lavaghast were also implicated marks by 1. in this conspiracy and after a few high-profile trials for treason, House Lavaghast also loses 1 power. When an organization has all of its marks face That 1 power also goes to House Artcaster. The down, it suffers a major setback and loses a mark.

31 Organizations

Gatekeepers don’t get an extra power mark from When an alliance is called upon (to become house Lavaghast because they were not involved in active), the member organizations stop the proceedings, having departed Belabis. Which is advancing their individual goals. The leader of the just as well, since House Lavaghast remains most powerful organization in the alliance unaware of Gatekeepers’ role and won’t persecute becomes the leader of the alliance, although them. more democratic arrangements can also be made.

The new alliance takes the total marks of the Persecution most powerful organization in it, and adds +1 for It’s a common practice for a larger organization each additional alliance member to determine its to persecute a smaller one. Once a month, the total marks. Its face up marks are the total marks persecuted organization gives 1 power to the of the most powerful organization without any bully organization. If the persecuted organization bonuses. is not secret, it gives 2 power per month. Persecution is not taxation, it goes beyond the When an organization leaves the alliance, these cost of doing business. The bully organization is numbers are recalculated. If the alliance gains or actively pursuing the members of the smaller loses power while it is active, the benefits and community, by legal action, ostracism, vandalism, losses are distributed by the leader. murder or worse. Most organizations have It is possible to undermine an active alliance by enough resources to persecute only one striking at its members. Should any of them suffer organization at a time. a setback, the alliance numbers are recalculated.

Calling upon an alliance to gather its forces may Cooperation take some time, depending on the geography and the sense of urgency among the allies. When two or more organizations join forces against a common enemy, they can give each other 1 mark per month to promote a common agenda. When one of them advances, the plot Example Alliance strikes at their common enemy, and each of them Everqueen calls all her tribes to march on the lands gets 2 power from it. This is how multiple smaller of Giant Mantises to the west of Tangledeep organizations can lash out at a tyrant while Rainforest. The newly formed Alliance is called working undercover. Everqueen’s War Host and is an impressive 6/17. On the path of war, these Feral Elves burn, pillage and carve a bloody path through Pillar Steppes, gaining Alliance 3 power over the season, before they return home with 9/17 power. When the alliance dissolves, Organizations can also join forces without Everqueen gives 1 power to Mirabu, Owana and keeping the fact, or their goals, a secret. These Firpaw tribes each, leaving the other tribes with can be wartime coalitions to defend against or nothing to show for their efforts. Mirabu tribe had attack a common foe, or peacetime treaties that 3/6 power before the War Host was formed, and guarantee mutual protection in case of an attack. now has 4/6 power. Alliances can be active and dormant. A dormant alliance is an agreement to form an active alliance under certain conditions, or immediately.

32 Organizations

Pitched Battles If two or more opposing organizations tie on the When two or more organizations or alliances Pursuit test, then the battle is a draw, and nobody (“belligerents”) meet in the field of battle, the gets pursued at the end of the day as both sides sides compare numbers to deal damage directly either withdraw to fight another day, begin a to one another. There are three tests done in a protracted siege or commence the peace talks. day’s work: Planning, Execution and Pursuit. Pitched battles are a more decisive way to Before the tests begin, each belligerent (secretly) destroy one’s enemies than persecution, which is chooses which of its marks should be face up why smaller organizations rarely pitch battles, (according to their “x/y” ratio) before the and when they do, they secure many allies. damage comes in.

Planning is a test of ($ + &). All belligerents compare their total scores (no dice are rolled). Protracted Sieges The winner either deals damage in blank marks to If one side of a battle has a strong defensive a loser of their choice or takes face-up marks to advantage, such as stone curtain walls advance their agenda immediately before the (dwarves!), or guerrilla tactics in their sweltering battle. Ties do nothing. poisonous rainforest (elves!), the defenders get a +3 cheating bonus on defense for the Execution Execution test is simultaneous attacks by all sides test of a battle. In such a situation a direct assault of a battle. Each side strikes out at their enemy is unadvisable unless the defenders are severely with a (% – #) attack and a ($ – )) attack. The outnumbered or disorganized. What usually defender can use * to reduce or negate damage. follows is a blockade or a siege, intended to All attacks happen simultaneously, so the starve the defenders out. After the Planning test, damage is applied after everything is resolved. No the attacker may choose to wait instead of “cheating bonuses” are applied and no dice are proceeding with the Execution. Each month of rolled. waiting gives 1 blank icon to both sides, as the If at least one mark is taken during the Execution troops of standing armies get tired, restless and test, it’s decisive enough to have a victor and a low on supplies. Pursuit test.

Pursuit is a test of morale for each side. Organizations and alliances whose & icons Helping Your Side outnumber their % icons flee from the battle During a battle or a siege, the players may help (dishonorably). Organizations that are reduced their side out by the usual means: having an to all blank icons are annihilated (with honor). adventure that promotes their organization’s agenda or undermining their enemy’s. At the end The winner of the Pursuit test is the side with the of their day, their collective efforts can give or most icons left that does not flee from the battle. take away a single token in context of one of the All of its enemies that do not flee have a choice of tests. surrendering or fighting to the last. Surrendered troops are at the mercy of the victors. Those who chose to fight to the last get to deal one more Sacking a City round of damage (repeat the Execution test) Feudal warlords often sack a conquered city to before they are annihilated automatically. offset the cost of warfare. The warlord can draw between 1 and 10 marks from the cup, based on

33 Organizations the size of the city. If they draw the maximum and cause a historical event to move one mark (or amount, the city is razed to the ground. more) around the board, at least two other stakeholders will make their moves as well. However, all drawn marks that have % or $ on them are discarded, because an army laden with It will never be the organization the players are loot and wounded does not become stronger. “attacking” with their event, it’s always another The other marks can be applied to advance the faction that they are not paying attention to that warlord’s agendas (whether the alliance as a acts either in response to their actions, or in whole or a particular organization). parallel to them. Thus, status quo in the city should change every game. Sometimes only The city population suffers greatly during such slightly, sometimes catastrophically. barbaric practices. Each local organization flips face down the same number of marks as what was pillaged. Mergers and Splinters Oroden is a 7. Rozoden is a 6. Neathyra is an 8. Organizations may merge for perpetuity when Thanatos is a 5. Baile Samhraidh is a 10. Have fun they decide their goals align indefinitely. The new storming the castle! organization is formed like an alliance, but it gains +2 total power instead of +1 for each joining organization beyond the first, as they integrate Battle for the Hearts and Minds their resources with more trust and less The battle line between good and evil runs overhead. The joining organizations cease to through the heart of every man. exist in any other capacity.

–A. Solzhenitsyn Larger organizations may suffer from internal disagreements that culminate in a permanent Membership in organizations is not exclusive, and split, often on hostile terms. When this happens, it is more fluid than most rulers would like. Some reduce the total marks of the original of your colleagues may be little more than fair organization by 1 and reset its goal progress. The weather friends, others might be spies and “newborn” organization should have total marks sleeper agents. Friends may come and go, but that are less than the original organization, by 2 enemies accumulate. One person could be a or more. member of multiple organizations, and when they come into conflict, that’s what they call a Organizational splits can also happen by conflict of interest and interesting times. Unless consensus or by a decree from the current you’re in the middle of a civil war and people are leadership, to permanently dedicate some being cut down in the streets, exchange of resources to a specific cause (i.e. rule and defend tokens between organizations is merely trading a newly conquered province or build and favors, waxing and waning influences and the maintain a professional navy). rumor mill getting out of control, blowing an event out of proportion. At the end of the day, it’s all an illusion, a trick of the light, a fleeting popular opinion of this new law or that old leader.

In game terms, every organization that has cards on the table has something at stake in the current events. Whenever players accomplish something

34 Organizations

Example Organizations Gatekeepers Here are some of the organizations relevant to We won’t die alone. Oroden’s political climate. Some of these are openly hostile. Some are biding their time. Marks: 1/2 Purpose: to protect the world of Feyhaven Ashfeather Tribe against the threat of ancient magic and weapons, to prevent breach of any Fey Gates, Never forget. to keep ancient horrors away no matter the Marks: 2/4 cost.

Purpose: mutual protection, survival in hash Structure: flat structure with only three ranks: conditions, be recognized as a political party, the young ‘Falcons’, the old ‘Owls’ and vigilant equal rights for all ‘Crows’. Owls settle down in an area and watch for trouble, Falcons swoop in when called and Structure: tribal, a council of elders rules over eliminate it. Crows in turn monitor both Falcons all. and Owls to eliminate traitors and loose lips.

Initiation: be exiled from your home, arrive to Initiation: Owls train would-be prospects. Their Oroden and settle in the Hovel Sea. rigorous training culminates in a deadly Perks: survival, no matter how poor or needy temptation test; Crows dispose of failed you are. recruits.

Perks: closely guarded knowledge, many ancient secrets that are not used unless Everqueen’s War Host absolutely necessary. Cry havoc and feast on the dying. Marks: 6/17 (Alliance) Giant Slayers Guild Purpose: demolish and devour everything in They shall not stomp. our way, fight with personal honor, achieve glory through Everqueen’s divine mandate. Marks: 1/3

Structure: tribal, disorganized. Each of the 12 Purpose: prevent giant monsters from tribes has its own war chief, each war chief stomping out your home city in a fit of rage like reports directly to Everqueen. The tribes, a hurricane. however, don’t get along. Structure: in each city there is a guild master, a Initiation: when Everqueen calls, all the tribes quartermaster and a couple lieutenants, all they answer and come together as one. do is train recruits for the next giant attack.

Perks: glory and death in battle. Initiation: be brave and stupid, sign here.

Perks: room, board, glory, short lifespan.

35 Organizations

Guild of Whispers House Dustrow A word between war and peace. Love conquers all.

Marks: 1/2 Marks: 3/6

Purpose: gathering of information, with an Purpose: maintain peace in Oroden, upkeep the occasional theft and assassination thrown in, Ward, the fire brigades and the law of the land. known to sell secrets to the highest bidder, Structure: strict military junta, meritocracy although no one knows who they all report to based on martial prowess and tactical ability. through a string of magical proxies. Initiation: sign with a local recruitment officer, Structure: top-down cell structure, cell masters be either an Orc, a Human or a Goblin… or bribe report to regional masters, regional masters a guy you know. report to someone with a lot of money to throw at any problem, especially at hiding their own Perks: rule the city of Oroden, cross-training identity. under Orc and Human commanders.

Initiation: cell masters recruit distinguished never-do-wells, often by breaking them out of jail. House Kortano Solve everything. Perks: access to a lot of sensitive information, many spymasters’ ears, some of the best spell Marks: 3/5 casters and libraries in the world. Purpose: scientific progress, trade by air, maintain postal service and Oroden’s fleet of air

Golden Men Guild ships. Be better. Structure: overcomplicated academic meritocracy, overburdened with bureaucracy Marks: 1/3 and nepotism.

Purpose: medical services for the community, Initiation: make a scientific discovery with or arcane-powered prosthetics for amputees and without setting the city on fire again, be cripples at a steep price. accepted as a fellow in one of the academic Structure: Golden Men Guild operates like a institutions in Kortano enclave. hospital. Perks: rule the city of Oroden, travel in style by Initiation: be the brightest student at the local an airship, and discover new and interesting Mage Academy, the Golden Men will contact ways to blow yourself up. you. Perks: access to some fascinating ancient artifact technology, training, room and board, comfortable life.

36 Organizations

House Lavaghast House Mardeth Fire and brimstone. Soar to glory.

Marks: 3/5 Marks: 3/7

Purpose: trade and prosperity, blood sports Purpose: rule with an iron fist, protect the and entertainment, construction of Undertown peace, and maintain Oroden’s gryphon air under Oroden. force.

Structure: slave owner democracy. By Dark Structure: military organization, meritocracy Reach laws, the slave owner gets to cast the with occasional nepotism. slave’s vote on matters of the state. Thus slave Initiation: distinguish yourself by service to the owners gravitate together to form Houses with city of Oroden, get knighted to become a common goals, often intermarrying in the Gryphon Rider, train a gryphon from birth to be process. House Lavaghast is no exception. your war mount. Initiation: own slaves, swear fealty to the Perks: rule the city of Oroden, fly a gryphon to House. battle. Perks: control the trade between Oroden and

Belabis. Mirabu Tribe Forest of thorns. House Lockmar Marks: 3/6 Live large and prosper. Purpose: protect the Tangledeep Rainforest, Marks: 3/6 seek favor of the Everqueen, gain strength and Purpose: rule by example, turn a profit, and wisdom of devoured enemies bring prosperity to Oroden, settle business Structure: tribal, warlike, volatile. disputes, preside over trade between guilds and foreign powers, build wonders of Initiation: be born or accepted into the tribe as engineering, maintain the Navy of Oroden. a mate.

Structure: feudal nepotism all the way down. Perks: own the land Oroden is built upon, trade with greedy Dwarves for excellent metal, arms Initiation: marry into the family. and weapons.

Perks: rule the city of Oroden, get rich and stay rich.

37 Organizations

Mariners Guild The Grand Armada Better safe than sorry. No quarter.

Marks: 2/3 Marks: 5/11 (Alliance)

Purpose: maritime trade, defense against Purpose: looting and pillaging for glory and pirates and coastline raiders. profit of the 7 Dwarven Kingdoms of Halekhaz (Oroden is not one of them) Structure: half of it is a Navy in service of House Lockmar, the other half are loosely associated Structure: disorganized, each of the 7 privateers and businessmen. Kingdoms has its own fleet, they’re merely a loose coalition of pirates Initiation: buy a ship, pay the fees, and attend optional meetings if you care. Initiation: be a Dwarf landowner of noble blood with a fleet of grand catamaran warships Perks: assistance in distress, price fixing, political embargoes against ports the Guild Perks: plunder, slaves, loot, crushing your hates. enemies, seeing them driven before you.

Revelry of Spite Wardens Guild Watch and learn. Hope never dies.

Marks: 1/3 Marks: 1/2

Purpose: worship of a deity, with study, work Purpose: incarceration, rehabilitation, removal ethic and vengeance as supreme virtues. of curses, cures for Fomorians

Deity: Spite is the gas giant in the sky of Structure: it’s a prison that is trying to be Feyhaven, and Feyhaven is its moon. Revelry of profitable and merciful, for creatures prone to Spite recognizes the gas giant for what it is, but violent magical outbursts. At the end of the day it remains a symbol of dutiful study, observation it’s run with an iron fist of military discipline. and cold-blooded vengeance. Initiation: be voluntold or “promoted” by Structure: grassroots and democratic structure House Dustrow, or be an ex-con with few builds around every parish, a clergy class (the prospects for honest work. Apply within! Revelers) subsists entirely on donations and Perks: honest, but dangerous work. Access to elects local leaders (bishops) and national the most secure location in Oroden. leaders (archbishops) by silent vote.

Initiation: open to all races as a rite of passage into adulthood; the initiated must be of age of consent.

Perks: the most popular religion of the world offers free education (and indoctrination).

38 Organizations

39 Oroden City, the Twilight Jewel Oroden City, the Twilight Jewel

Surrounded on all sides by lands untamed since Boneyard Keep the Calamity, the city of Oroden is a city of Located across the Lovers’ Bridge from Rook frontier opportunity and peril. It has few laws and Island, Boneyard Keep was built by combined fewer people willing to enforce them. It has no efforts of Golden Men and Giant Slayer Guilds. shortage of refugees coming far from lands both civilized and wild. Its political system is rife with The city has been attacked by Giants from Grim corruption, its rulers are quarrelsome and its Peaks a few times since its founding, and most of citizens are colorful and diverse. Yet despite all its them died on the far side of the Widow River, problems it stands against all odds, a testament before they could trample the city center. Giant to Gnomish ingenuity, Elven audacity, Human Slayers train new recruits on the grounds littered resourcefulness and Dwarven might. with bones, but the real treasure is apparently buried below the Keep.

Golden Men have found something so valuable digging in these bones that they built a keep on Welcome to Oroden top to keep it safe (get it?). Golden Men no longer The first thing about the city a visitor would import relic body parts from overseas to treat notice is that it’s built in and around an ancient local amputees. Either they found a cache of their caldera or a crater. This water is fresh, although own or they are making these things on site. not safe to drink because of industry, city waste and the gryphons. These Mardeth House pets drop cow patties wherever they damn please. The Bowl Watch your step, watch your head. This part of the town was built after the historical An astute observer will also notice that Oroden is treaty with the Mirabu tribe allowed the Dwarves built exactly on the equator of Feyhaven, as the to cut “every other tree” to expand the city. rings of Spite are perpendicular to the horizon While felling a marked tree remains a crime and appear at the same position to the east (but punishable by death (curse these Elves and their you don’t see the gas giant itself). The rings holy trees), the city’s population doubled since become a thin line at noon and midnight. The the expansion. The Bowl gets its name for its amount of light they give is in flux throughout the peculiar-shaped curtain wall, keeping the city in night, but at their brightest they shine well and the forest out: and that’s as far as the mutual enough to read. At their dimmest, on a cloudy trust of Dwarves and Elves goes. night with both suns out, it’s easy to trip and break your foot in a pothole. Oroden is on the The Treaty square is the biggest open space in the dark side of Feyhaven, and once in a while it gets Bowl, which is otherwise filled with a real night. claustrophobic maze-like alleyways and poor city planning. Treaty square is a bustling marketplace, but it is surrounded by some historical buildings, one of which is the Mirabu Tree Keep, a towering tree-like structure grown, not built, by Forest

40 Oroden City, the Twilight Jewel

Voices, out of interconnecting tree trunks and crossing the stormy Twilight Sea far more reliably branches of a dozen oaks. It functions as the than smaller vessels. Logging, carpentry and Mirabu tribe embassy. other related industries also do business here. The lumber gets shipped down the Widow River

and gets picked up before the Twin Waterfalls Cooks Island around the Rook Island. Many elves and other This was the second island to be colonized by the unfortunates living in the Hovel Sea nearby go to exiled Dwarves and Gnomes, and it gets its name work in Dreamers Bay. Some end up being hired from the experiments House Kortano conducted as crew and become sailors. Admiralty, run by in the early days. Nowadays, it’s the prime real House Lockmar, has its offices here as well. Most estate that only nobles and well-to-do merchant of the ships built and serviced in Dreamers Bay families can afford. Mansions and guild houses dry docks are the sturdy Dwarven catamarans, line the single spiral street to the top of the hill, with one, two or three water wheels. while docks and warehouses on stilts surround the busy shipping businesses. First Fortress

Skull Island is where Oroden was founded, and Diggers Grave the First Fortress was the original structure, What the Dwarves hoped to get by building a city before the Dwarves worked out the treaty with this far south is to dig some holes, mine some ore the Elves. It was made of wood back then, and and not have to worry about the bloody Dark rope bridges connected it to both sides of Widow Elves. River’s delta, easily cut in case of an incursion. Now it’s all dressed in stone, and is little more They didn’t have to dig far to strike a tunnel than a toll booth and warehousing between leading into Dark Reach. A few crossbow bolts Digger’s Grave and the city’s markets. later, the thrice-damned Bat Ears made their point in blood. House Mardeth maintains a token military force there as reserves for its city guard. Marines, House Mardeth did not have the numbers to sailors and Gryphon Riders also receive their challenge them then, and it doesn’t aspire to training there. challenge them now. Instead, the miner town became a trade town. The forges roar day and night, and the Dwarves entertain themselves Hovel Sea with working metal instead of digging for it. Beyond the city walls of Old Town, Dreamers Bay The old mine was widened to become a high-way- and the Bowl grows the sweltering canopy of the sized spiral descent into the domain of Dark Elves rainforest as far as the eye can see. who like shiny things and don’t hold grudges. But But in the shade below it the illusion shatters: this Dwarves do. is the Hovel Sea, the slums of the city. Out of sight, but not out of mind, the hovels of exiled Feral Elves, Fomorians, Goblins, Kobolds and Dreamers Bay Spite knows what else stretch for miles in every A recent expansion of the city to the west of the direction. caldera, Dreamers Bay is the shipyard district. This is where the catamarans are built, capable of

41 Oroden City, the Twilight Jewel

Lawless, filthy and unfortunate, the Hovel Sea is change hands. The Airship Tower is nearby, a a place where the city guard isn’t paid enough to testament to Gnomish ingenuity. Goods and venture, let alone police. This is where a visitor is news pour out of it with every airship arrival. They as likely to find a good deal on footwear as being dock with the tower right above the square. stabbed for them, sacrificed to some dark entity or other, being cooked and fed to other tourists, all in one day. Low Town It’s gotten so bad that the last ambassador of This neighborhood is drifting up and down with Everqueen arrived from the south, through the the tides. Low Town is built on stilts, with Kortano Enclave, going around the whole mess wooden catwalks and bridges connecting the and crossing rivers somewhere far upstream. buildings, wharves, shacks, docks and houses of ill repute. Some structures remain afloat, while On the bright side, Silk Market has the best prices others are built high above to accommodate the on the goods coming up the Silk Road, before changing water level. Despite the spider web of they go through the city gates and get taxed. suspended walkways, the fastest way to get Caravans are well-guarded, and the caravan around the Low Town is on a boat. masters don’t relax when they come under the shade of the trees. The Long Bridge connects Low Town with the Cook’s Island, while the Impossible Bridge (so named for a historical remark by Simon Arquist, Kortano Enclave the architect who later built it) climbs up the hill to the Bowl. The newest district of the city, Kortano Enclave was built in the wake of the largest city fire Low Town smells like fish and seawater. Its Oroden has even seen. The fire decimated Low floating Wharf Market feeds most of the city with Town and the Bowl and was caused, to no one’s a steady diet of seafood. Low Town is a loud surprise, by a Gnomish experiment gone wrong. place, overflowing with sailors, merchants, Forcing House Kortano to relocate to the far side drifters and colorful language. of the caldera was a political move aimed at quelling public outrage. The next time the Gnomes and Fairies make something go up in Old Town flames, it’ll be only their own houses. Kortano Old Town was built during a volatile time of Enclave has the thickest stone wall in all of the conflict with the elves, when the Dwarves were city. It’s built to contain any fire from spilling into trying to get a foothold on the northern shore of the surrounding forest. the caldera, and a peaceful coexistence didn’t Kortano Enclave also contains the prestigious seem a possibility. Most buildings are made of Magic Academy, where the magical arts and the stone with thick walls and narrow windows. secrets of Fey Dust manipulation are being taught Some upper stories have been since added and to gifted youngsters. The Magic Academy is also rebuilt into mansions, because this is where the built like a fortress, because it’s second-most- old money of Oroden lives now. A curtain wall likely-to-blow-up building in the city. separates Old Town from the forest beyond, and unlike other fortifications of the city, it has seen Wonders square is the magical goods market in (and survived) a siege. Oroden. Smack in the middle of Kortano Enclave, this is where most precious relics and artifacts

42 Oroden City, the Twilight Jewel

City Hall, Public Library, Hall of Records and other administrative buildings are located here. Clerks, scribes and other distinguished Dwarves of Sid and Widow Rivers letters go about their business with serious There are a few folklore stories about the two demeanor, but the real power and decision rivers that feed the lake at the bottom of making that affects the entire city happens Oroden’s caldera with their spectacular elsewhere. waterfalls.

The Dwarven legend says that Sid was a lumberjack and a poacher who was shot by the Palace Bluff Elves for cutting down a holy tree with their face The tallest point along the ridge of the caldera is marks. His widow then proceeded to cry a literal inside the Bowl, and House Lockmar built a palace river when he didn’t return home, and her wailing on it to appease the growing city population. The woke a giant who descended from the Grim Palace of Commons contains the large chamber Peaks and squashed her, and her entire village, of the Parliament, and smaller wings for the six like a gnat. According to this story, Caldera Lake, noble ruling Houses for discreet meetings, lavish where Oroden is built, is merely the giant’s parties and the aftermath thereof. footprint. Clearly there are some inaccuracies, since the largest giant skull that’s ever been Surrounding the Palace are businesses that cater found was only 15 paces wide and could be to the rich and famous: taverns, clothiers, transported by a modified Dwarven catamaran. brothels, bars, lawyers and witch doctors. The Elven legend speaks of a soulful singer The Palace of Commons is a social experiment by named Willow, who fell in love with an uncouth House Lockmar, an experiment that keeps the Dwarf Gryphon Rider, a union that was forbidden city’s elite in touch with the struggles of the by both cultures (and remains a taboo today, common Dwarf. because Elf and Dwarf couples only produce The Parliament’s function is to enact laws that Fomorian offspring). When their secret was everyone, including the six Houses, must abide. In discovered, the lovers fled to the Grim Peaks on a practice, very little gets done for two reasons: 1) gryphon’s back, and it was the noisy Gryphon the current Regent has the power of veto, and 2) Riders in pursuit who woke a giant. The woken the peculiar voting mechanism of the Dwarven beast smashed them like flies, and then brand of democracy. descended into the Mirabu valley. The lovers, feeling guilt for the imminent destruction of their The meetings of the Parliament are not accessible families, fought to distract the giant and lure it to the public, but it is common knowledge that away, the Dwarf with arrows, and the Elf with deliberations are a ritual that culminates in an all- song. The story’s end depends on who’s telling out brawl (according to common wisdom, if you and who’s listening. In one version, they defeated believe in a cause, you should fight for it). The the giant and its fallen body spilled forth two winning side writes the law, once all the objectors rivers of blood that washed away their enemies, are unable to speak. Thus, every decision is made but spared their friends. In another, they died “unanimously”. Injuries are frequent. The valiantly saving their people, who named the abstaining representatives gamble on the rivers after their sacrifice, when the giant was outcome and have a good time by living lured back beyond the mountains. vicariously through the spectacle. The truth is, as usual, neither here nor there.

43 Oroden City, the Twilight Jewel

Today, Widow River is used to transport lumber to the Dreamer’s Bay dry docks for construction, and there are multiple temporary lumber camps Powers at Play along its shores upstream, carefully supervised Here are the brief descriptions of the Houses by Mirabu elves. Sid’s shores are too swampy for (some nobler than others) who play important the lumber industry, but there are some roles in Oroden city politics. fishermen who earn a living in Sid River’s waters.

The Ward Settlers from Spitesreach built a Temple of Spite on a hill to the northeast of the Old Town, in the middle of the jungle, because they wanted a good elevation point for the observatory. Proselytizing the locals did not go so well, and after the elves burned it down, the stone husk with a collapsed roof stood abandoned for a while.

After the Treaty with Mirabu Tribe was signed, the site was bought by the Wardens Guild and rebuilt as a The Ward Keep, or simply The Ward.

This is where teenage Dwarves go to work out their inner Voice issues. In some cultures (Feral Elves being one of them) it is acceptable for an adult Voice to remain untrained. Dwarves take House Mardeth (Dwarves) the dim view of magic as volatile and harmful, and Currently the ruling House of Oroden, Mardeth is thus make a point of either educating a a House of ancient martial tradition. Houses prospective magic user of its dangers, or Mardeth and Lockmar protested the purges of exorcising the Voice out of a criminal or a Feyblood folk in their homeland and harbored troubled teenager by a year-long ritual “for their refugees. The King took this defiance as rebellion own good”. In the Dwarven society, parents get and put it down with overwhelming force and to decide whether their child should keep their prejudice. Facing annihilation, both Houses went magic or not. Most don’t. into exile, and built Oroden far enough away that the Grand Armada wouldn’t bother with the The Ward is thus part academy, part monastery, same treacherous journey as they had. part prison. Oroden Wardens are less stern than in other places, and allow their “patients” various House Mardeth is best known for its Gryphon comforts in accordance to their ability to pay for Rider cavalry, its fearless Beast Masters and them. They accept willing Fomorians and other tolerant attitude towards Feyblood creatures like curse bearers as well as creatures of exotic species, except the Fairies. A Fairy cannot exist without magic, and exorcising one can only end poorly for all involved. At least, that’s the official story.

44 Oroden City, the Twilight Jewel

Gnomes, Fairies and even Dark Elves, with grumbling reservations.

Back in Halekhaz, Mardeth was a Warrior Caste House; the edifice of this tradition gave way to frontier practicality: the nobles work as hard as everyone else and lead by example, not by abstinence from mundane tasks and hard labor.

House Kortano (Gnomes, Fairies) House Kortano are the inventors and masterminds behind the Fair Mail Guild, the first (and so far the only) reliable air mail service. While in other places of the world pigeon post is the fastest way to get a message, Fair Mail Guild has figured out how to build Fey Dust and sail- powered air ships that don’t explode. Fair Mail House Lockmar (Dwarves) Guild has regular flights between Oroden, Thanatos, Neathyra and Baile Samhraidh. They House Lockmar was the Artisan House in service don’t take passengers, only cargo. of the Mardeth warriors, and they shared their triumphs and defeats, along with their exile. Here Some of the House Kortano fled from Halekhaz in Oroden they found their skills more with Lockmar and Mardeth, but it has grown appreciated. They’ve built ships, they’ve built significantly since by more recent refugees from towers and palaces, wharves and smithies, Spitesreach and other places. House Kortano are breweries and guild houses. The goods they patrons of science and art, and have a reputation produce today are the reason Mirabu tribe let the for eccentric tastes and daring experiments. They Dwarves build this city. Lockmar steel is second also finance the city’s Fire Brigade, as penance for to none. their past and present mistakes. If House Lockmar is responsible for building the city, Lockmar is often the ruling House, because its House Kortano is responsible for almost leaders tend to be both humble and practical. It destroying it multiple times. was a Lockmar initiative to make peace with the Dark Elves, and the trade that came from below is the reason Oroden is a boom town.

45 Oroden City, the Twilight Jewel

House Lavaghast (Dark Elves, House Dustrow (Humans, Orks, Demons) Goblins) A minor house from Belabis is such a regular A recent arrival to Oroden, House Dustrow trading partner of Oroden, they’ve started to wasted no time shouldering into the local politics. build their own city right under it. The ore, Originally a mercenary company fighting Orks in minerals and artifacts they bring into the city Spitesreach, Dustrow had a change of heart from the depths of Dark Reach are vital to when their commander realized that the war his Orodenians. Lavaghast do not aspire to rule the grandfather and father fought in would not end city, in fact, they don’t enjoy being above ground, in his lifetime, a sentiment eventually shared by yet they have a seat at the council and vote on both sides of the conflict. Dustrow Company had important issues. Lavaghast family members are held the same mountain pass for generations. never without bodyguards, as there are many Acting against his orders, Commander Dustrow short-sighted Dwarves in the city who would parlayed with the enemy and negotiated a local jump at the opportunity to skewer a Dark Elf for armistice that soon led to prosperity and bustling crimes real and imagined against their ancestors. trade along his part of the front. His counterpart on the enemy side, warlord Grishna, became his There is a persistent rumor that House Lavaghast drinking buddy and eventually, his bride. And has fornicated with Demons and are some sort of that’s where baby Goblins come from: too small Demon-worshipping cult. While the former is a to be Orks, too ugly to be Humans. The secret biological impossibility seeing how Demons are truce was soon found out and Dustrow Company made of liquid hot magma and Dark Elves are not, was disbanded, their disgraced leader sent to the the latter is probable, as they employ Demons capital in chains for his trial. Grishna and her and other unusual races from all corners of warriors staged a daring rescue deep in the Feyhaven. enemy territory, and the pair along with their most trusted soldiers have been on the run since.

Eric and Grishna Dustrow, when they settled in Oroden, brought with them an army of

46 Oroden City, the Twilight Jewel vagabonds, goblin bastards, undesirable heretics Vine Creepers have symbiotic relationship with and disgruntled soldiers. In Spitesreach, they are the Feral Elves. These plants are unable to speak, a subject of many a bard tale and remain a so they usually communicate by making symbols swashbuckling symbol of defiance, tolerance and or gestures with their limbs. Their cleverness is panache. In Oroden, they fit right in. infamous and they are respected members of every hunt and war party. Vine Creepers honor

the Everqueen and her decrees, for she is said to have blessed these plants with the ability to think for themselves.

Mirabu Tribe (Feral Elves, Vine Creepers) The Dwarves like to call Mirabu a House, if only to keep appearances. But the fact remains that Oroden is built on the land held by the Feral Elves of Mirabu Tribe, with their reluctant permission. Everqueen (Feral Elf?) Over the centuries, Oroden has proven worth the Feral Elves of Tangledeep Rainforest worship trouble, elevating the Mirabu Tribe in the eyes of their queen like a deity, with annual feasts and the Everqueen, but the troubles in and around tournaments that culminate in sacrifices. In the the city only grow with time and its population. Feral Elf culture, such as it is, the greatest honor you can give to a defeated opponent is devouring Mirabu Tribe are formally recognized as a noble their flesh (to partake of their strength and House in all the paperwork they wouldn’t bother wisdom). The most callous of disrespect one can to read, even if they could. Never-the-less they give is spare a captive, setting them free. By not have an ambassador who barely attends any killing them, a Feral Elf deems such a soul too sick meetings in the Palace of Commons. When she to die in the forest, as if they could poison the does, it’s usually to breach protocol and air ground water with their weakness and bodily grievances. Her word is not idle threats and the fluids. council reaches a compromise quickly, because the last thing Oroden needs is a horde of armed Such scarred and shunned exiles frequently end savages at the gates, noble as they may be. up in Oroden, for their own tribe won’t take them back after such an unworthy defeat. Feral Elves always fight to the death.

47 Oroden City, the Twilight Jewel

Everqueen holds dominion over many tribes, and wilderness or end up on the outskirts of Oroden, if it weren’t for her influence, the ferocity of the disappearing in the Hovel Sea. Some become Elves would have destroyed them and their forest honest laborers, some become thieves, and some long ago. Instead, she gives them purpose drift on to other lands. But while in the Hovel Sea, through structure of duels and championships to they are offered to join the Ashfeather Tribe, the limit open warfare in their feuds. one tribe that pays no respect to Everqueen and accepts all as equals. Misery loves company, after Everqueen has never set foot inside Oroden. She all. Ashfeather Tribe is not recognized as a noble watches the city from afar through emissaries House by Oroden, but they’ve won a few seats in and spies with keen interest. Everqueen does not the Parliament and are aspiring to become a have a fixed seat of power within the forest. majority in it one day. Ashfeather Tribe has Instead, she prowls her domain on foot, along twisted the ideals of courage and competition with her chosen champions, never staying in the into the survival of the fittest. Instead of the same place more than one night. fiercest warriors ruling them it is the clever elders Over the centuries since she made her presence that govern by guile and subterfuge. The other known, she has united the tribes into a tribes don’t think much of Ashfeather, and avoid matriarchal society of fierce warriors who obey contact with them like a literal plague. Their her every wish as a divine mandate. Where will weakness is said to be contagious, and they are this army of fanatics go and whom will they said to be even more treacherous than the slaughter? Humans.

Ashfeather Tribe (Feral Elves, Skyfire Tribe (Giant Mantises) City Elves) A recent arrival from Pillar Steppes, Skyfire Tribe fled to Oroden facing religious persecution. To a Feral Elf, being spared in a fight is a fate Skyfire Tribe preached caution when dealing with worse than death. A spared captive becomes ancient artifacts, and that the prophesized return untouchable, a term Feral Elves use for those too of Sky Father may not be as joyous event as the weak or sick to be eaten. These exiles from the worshippers in Skyfather Citadel believe. Skyfire Tangledeep Rainforest either perish alone in the

48 Oroden City, the Twilight Jewel believe that Skyfather and his entire Pantheon bonds with them – and is likely to eat any other were devoured by the Void Spider, She who lives rider. The Beast Masters of House Mardeth between the stars, and the Sky Pillar isn’t the learned all this the hard way. First, a prospective rainbow bridge to Valhalla, but a strand of Her rider undergoes a week of theoretical training web, by which She will drag all of the world into and does some tandem instructor flights (sitting Her maw. behind a real rider). Turns out, not everyone has the stomach for the choppy ride on a gryphon’s According to merchants travelling along the Silk back. It’s a test of (#+)) of inconceivable (10+) Road, Skyfire Tribe conspired to destroy the Sky difficulty to keep your lunch and still be willing to Pillar itself. Apparently they failed, and are now get in the saddle a second time. After the trainee on the run for their very lives. passes this trial, they are given an egg that’s Most of them settled in the Hovel Sea, but they about to hatch, and spend another week with it tend to stick to themselves, because Feral Elves in a warm cellar until the egg hatches, so the baby and Giant Mantises get along about as well as fire gryphon imprints on them. For the next month or and water: lots of steam, some noise, someone so, the rider-to-be is the only person to feed the gets hurt, and then suddenly there’s nothing left gryphon as it grows. After the first month the except soot and scorch marks. baby gryphon will grow to be about the size of a large dog and will start fluttering about, learning to fly, and that’s when obedience and rider Gryphon Riders training begins, first with doll-sized saddles and dolls strapped in. It takes gryphons about two There are fewer than a hundred Gryphon Riders years to become big enough to be ridden by fully in the city, and the majestic beasts have become grown Dwarves or Humans, but it takes another a symbol of House Mardeth heraldry, and by year of practice with the live rider until the extension, the city itself. They are not available gryphon learns to respond to commands. Those for sale, as they are not native to Suncradle are Feyhaven years, not Earth years (see continent. The city has been awarding the title of Feyhaven calendar, below). honorary Gryphon Rider (G.R.) to individuals for extraordinary achievements, and that’s as close If a gryphon grows up without being properly as a commoner can get to become a nobledwarf. trained, trying to mount it is equivalent of a rodeo Currently, there are three honorary Gryphon ride 1000 feet up in the air while the bull cranes Riders who have not ridden an actual gryphon: its neck 180 degrees and rips your guts out. The Esmeralda Kortano, for her contributions to the same thing happens if someone other than the invention of airships, Ferdinand “Half Face” bonded rider tries to ride without the bonded Dustrow, for decisive actions during a city fire, rider nearby. Gryphons mate for life, and bond and Justin Thatcher, for felling a giant before it with their riders the same way. reached the city. All three have been too busy with their duties to train and bond with a Taming a fully grown gryphon is possible (by gryphon. nursing it back to health from an injury), but you’ll never ride such a beast. Not the momma! Gryphons are territorial apex predators, and require a lot of time and effort to be trained as war mounts, three years to be exact. Unfortunately, only the person who trains the gryphon will be able to ride it, as the gryphon

49 Oroden City, the Twilight Jewel

Pillar Steppes Region Map A long time ago, this place was a tropical jungle. Suncradle continent is a vastly unexplored land The Mantises ate everything and fought over the on the dark side of Feyhaven, hidden away from rest until it turned into a savannah, then a desert. Spite’s baleful sight. Since the Calamity filled its The lack of resources did what the war could not: fields with bones and ruins, the tribal Giant there are fewer Giant Mantises in the world than Mantises have proven to be the dominant ever, and the land is starting to recover, grass and invasive species of this landmass. Few other shrubs taking back what left buried in the sand emerging cultures were able to compete with and dust. Eroded monoliths dot the arid their aggression and rapid breeding. A lone trade landscape between a few seasonal riverbeds, route, the so-called Silk Road, stretches from nomadic tent towns and grazing herds with Skyfather Citadel to Oroden, under an uneasy viciously territorial shepherds. peace brokered by House Dustrow. What lies beyond the Citadel and on either side of the road is only hearsay to Orodenians. Silk Road Also known as the Long Road and the Peace Road, it stretches along the equator of

50 Oroden City, the Twilight Jewel

Feyhaven, all the way from Skyfather Citadel to Oroden. All matter of goods come through the port to sail east to Spitesreach and west to the capital of the Mantises. The road crosses through the territory of many tribes, both Elf and Giant Mantis, and given how warlike they are, it’s a miracle any caravans make it through. But the peace around the road holds, because the resources it brings are too valuable to the tribesmen who fought each other to near extinction. In exchange for useless trinkets found in local ruins, cloth and spices brought from elsewhere and an occasional war trophy, Giant Mantises get more food, cattle, armor and weapons than their neighbors who weren’t blessed with such a road through their lands.

Giant Mantis tribes are nomadic, living in tents and owning no more than the tribesmen can carry on their backs and beasts of burden. Each tribe has a territory it defends from neighbors, patrolling for signs of invasion upon their livelihoods. There is only one remaining city in their lands, and it is a holy place, central to their religion, a pilgrimage site and a neutral grounds for negotiations between feuding chiefs.

Skyfather Citadel The ruins of this magnificent city, built in time before the Calamity, are humbling and wondrous to behold. Now it serves as the cultural and religious capital of the Giant Mantis tribes, the seat of power of their Oracles.

The first thing about the city an approaching traveler would notice is the impossibly tall, bright pillar that rises above the clouds, and which, depending on the direction of approach, appears to bend in the wind. It continues up and up until the line becomes so thin it disappears out of sight. During sunrise and sunset, this Sky Pillar becomes multi-hued in colors of the rainbow. During night time and stormy weather, lightning

51 Oroden City, the Twilight Jewel and eerie lights occasionally ripple about it, return. The Chosen Ones don’t fear their old age, making it an easy beacon for travel. for they already earned their place in Skyfather’s host by bringing enough slaves to the city. The foundation of the Sky Pillar is a three-sided pyramid, with one of the edges pointing east, It is this very peculiar custom of pilgrimage that towards the rising sun, and the whole structure is let Silk Road exist in a culture of fierce territorial in the exact center of the Citadel. disputes. So long as each caravan is escorted by a Giant Mantis who claims to return to the Citadel According to the Oracles, the Sky Pillar was built as a pilgrim, the tribes let the caravan pass. by Odin the Skyfather, and it was used by Him and His Army to travel to Valhalla, the Hall of Heroes, and beyond it, to places beyond mortal understanding. Skyfather left during the Promised Land Calamity, and He took his best heroes with Him to There is a land beyond the Skyfather Citadel that wage war upon their enemies and charged the is rumored to be lush and green, untouched by Giant Mantises to safeguard the Pillar, a duty the Giant Mantis conquests and exploitation. tribes take very seriously. It is said that their best Its people never knew war and loss, and they live warriors will be taken by Skyfather to Valhalla simple lives, working the fields and treating the upon His return, and He will resurrect all who are land with the same kindness it returns to them. worthy for this occasion. And proving yourself to They are not curious and deal not in magic or be worthy is, of course, dying gloriously in battle inventions, preferring tradition and hard labor to (as opposed to of an old age). new fashions, hoarding of resources and the lure Skyfather Citadel is a city built atop ancient ruins, of power over others. The claim that reveals this a city of pious pilgrimage, but it is also a city of rumor to be nothing but a fairy tale is that these slavery, squalor and relentless oppression. people are apparently entirely defenseless, and their religion prohibits them to raise arms against One other way Giant Mantis warriors prove their another intelligent being, whether it looks like valor in life is by capturing and enslaving other them or not. sentient beings, because it stands to reason, that Skyfather will need many servants to feed and How could such a place exist a raid’s journey care for His soldiers. Thus, the pilgrimage of away from the Pillar Steppes and the hordes of Mantis warriors to the capital is nothing more warmongering Mantis tribes? than slave drivers force marching their catch in A more likely story is that there is a mystical force, chains under oppressive heat to be brought some sort of ancient weapon, guardian or before the Oracles. The Oracles take the strong prophecy that makes the Mantis warriors steer and the unusual to add to their ever-expanding clear of the valley of the Promised Land. collection of exotic beings, and the rest get sacrificed, their blood spilled upon the pyramid Another version of the story is that these people steps. trade with Skyfather Citadel, and the Mantis Oracles saw more benefit in trade with the so- The “lucky” few who don’t get slain or eaten are called Holy Men than their destruction, put to work for the Oracles, as the Mantises who demanding tributes of food, livestock, water, live in the city consider any work that does not wine and other goods in exchange for their involve violence or religion to be beneath them, protection. for they are Chosen Ones, honing their battle skills in the anticipation of Skyfather’s inevitable

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Either way, all of the silk along the Silk Road comes from that place, for one thing Mantis tribes do not do is weave silk. Lizard Coast Southern coast of Suncradle past the Grim Peaks is known as Lizard Coast because of reptiles and Tangledeep Rainforest dinosaurs of unusual size that live there. Specimens of this mega fauna thrive in salt water Surrounding Oroden on all sides, this forest has a and some are territorial, solitary hunters that dark reputation. A would-be traveler is advised to make travel by sea in that region even more never be separated from their native guide, and hazardous than normal for Feyhaven’s volatile leaving the city gates without one is a painful way tides. There are unsubstantial rumors in Oroden to die. Many species of insects, arachnids, berries, of a Dragon Empire in the south, waging a war reptiles and even frogs are poisonous. The fish in upon the Giants of Grim Peaks ever since the the streams are rabid. The predators are clever. Calamity. No real evidence of such an Empire Vermin carry diseases. Herd animals are huge, exists in Oroden, and no diplomatic relation has tough and ill-tempered. Even plant life has been established. For now, it remains but a song evolved into elaborate traps that catch and digest of a drunken Kobold Bard. prey much larger than flies. It’s as if the land itself developed a hunger for sentient flesh. Another Kobold story claims that this Empire has fallen, but not because of a war with Giants, but Yet somehow the Feral Elves learned to thrive in because of a Kobold slave rebellion, when the this environment, if only to perpetuate feuds and slaves and their sympathizers rode dinosaurs to bloodshed amongst themselves. battle, slew the Dragon overlords and proclaimed The Dwarves of Oroden are aware of five Feral Elf the land a United Kobold Kin Republic. Yeah, tribes living in the forest around the city, but right. there may be many more: Mirabu, Ashfeather, So far, the only thing Oroden mariners and Firpaw, Owana and Sagefury. explorers have seen of the Lizard coast are ancient overgrown ruins at a distance and huge mauling teeth snapping ship hulls in two up close. Grim Peaks Rising out of the rainforest to the southwest of Oroden is the mountain range known as Grim Twilight Sea Peaks. It has some of the tallest and widest Twilight Sea gets its name for being in the mountains in all of Feyhaven, and most of this perpetual twilight of Spite’s view. In Oroden, one place has not been seen by sentient creatures can only see the tip of the gas giant’s rings locked since the Calamity. Rumors of countless in the same spot in the sky, but as one travels treasures, cities of wonder and fertile valleys are east, more of Spite’s terrible beauty comes into tempered by rugged terrain, frigid air and view. The sea is a narrow natural barrier between ravenous giants. For some reason these Suncradle and Spitesreach continents. Beyond monstrously large creatures protect this place, the Blessed Isles to the south it opens into rarely venturing forth from the mountains. The Restless Sea, it’s bigger and less forgiving sister. latter is a good thing for they know no mercy or The four city states of Oroden, Neathyra, fear. Giants cannot be reasoned with, and that’s Thanatos and Baile Samhraidh have at times vied why every city has a Giant Slayers Guild. for control of the maritime trade, at others allied

53 Oroden City, the Twilight Jewel together against the tyranny of the Humans of Spitesreach or against the Grand Armada of the Feyhaven Calendar Dwarves of Halekhaz. Feyhaven is a tidally locked moon orbiting a gas giant called Spite. This means Spite is always in Neathyra is a city built by Humans expanding the same place in the sky, wobbling in place as west, on a ruin that predates the Calamity. They Feyhaven passes over and under Spite’s rings. speak a dialect of ancient Greek and Soulspeak, Feyhaven’s orbit around Spite is 68 hours long, and bear no love for Spitesreach Humans, who and that’s the length of Feyhaven’s day cycle. have since conquered their home province, leaving them in control of an archipelago of Spite, in turn, orbits a red dwarf called Truth. smaller islands. Spite is a “hot giant” and is very close to it, barely in the habitable zone. Its orbit around Truth is 19 Baile Samhraidh is a city of Fairies and Elves on Feyhaven days (almost 54 Earth days). That’s the the island of Brón Óige. It is the capital of the length of Feyhaven year. Summer Court, and is the largest settlement of this region, for it accepted more than a Truth, in turn, orbits a yellow dwarf called Justice reasonable share of refugees during the in a binary star system. Justice is about 10 AU Feyblood Purges on Spitesreach. Since then, the away from Truth, so on Feyhaven’s sky it’s merely Summer Court became more careful and the brightest star, bright enough to see during isolationist in its politics. the day. At night, it provides less illumination than Earth’s Moon. Spite has 15 other moons, so even Thanatos, on the other hand, remains the most on Feyhaven’s dark side (the side not facing mysterious place in Restless Sea. There were Spite), truly dark nights are uncommon. some cursed ships that Baile Samhraidh turned away: Fomorians, Demons, Watchers, Goblins and some others were not welcome in the land of skin-deep beauty. In desperation, their ships sailed the Kraken-infested southern waters until they crash-landed against the rocky shore of this island, or perished on approach. Travel by sea near this island is impossible and diplomatic relations of Thanatos and its neighbors remain strained. But this small kingdom trades with the Dark Elves through the underground passages of Dark Reach, and with Oroden by air, although the volume of this trade is limited. Their only export is oracles: seers of various races who can tell the future, who are never wrong, and who don’t particularly care whether they live or die after Feyhaven’s calendar is different from Earth’s. they’ve had their say. The week lasts two days, with humanoid species taking a siesta rest at high noon to break up the length of continuous sunlight, but also staying

awake at midnight twice a week.

54 Oroden City, the Twilight Jewel

The week has six activity periods: humid. The rain season (the humid one) begins during the last week of Springjoy and goes well  Monday (1st morning), followed by siesta into Fallst. rest at noon  Tuesday (1st evening), followed by sleep after sunset  Humpnight (1st midnight), sleep until 7012 SC (Since Calamity) sunrise  Thorsday (2nd morning), followed by Springjoy siesta rest at noon  Friday (2nd evening), sleep after sunset M T H T F G  Gamenight (2nd midnight), sleep until 1 2 3 4 sunrise 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

Summertan

M T H T F G 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

Fallst There are only four months in the year, each is a season long: Springjoy, Summertan, Fallst and M T H T F G Winterly. The New Year is usually celebrated with 1 2 3 4 5 the first day of spring. 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 The yearly calendar according to the Dwarves of Halekhaz and Oroden is shown below. Other cultures have different ways of counting the Winterly passage of time, some similar, others completely M T H T F G different. The Feral Elves, for example, don’t 1 2 3 measure weeks and don’t recognize half-days 4 5 6 7 8 9 and nights as activity periods, counting the actual 10 11 12 13 14 Feyhaven days instead.

Since Oroden is a tropical city on the leading side of the equator of Feyhaven, it experiences only two seasons instead of the usual four: hot and

55 Origins of Species Origins of Species Where do baby kobolds come from?

Everywhere.

It is unlikely for a variety of sentient species to them one way or another. Yet few troublemakers coexist on the same planet. The more likely keep in touch throughout their lives, and in outcome is for one species to become dominant return, their Voices teach them magic. Some and exterminate all others or outcompete them Voices know how to breathe fire, some can make in other ways, forcing their eventual extinction. plants grow lightning-fast, and others can mend But Feyhaven is a very special world. A long time wounds with a thought, or even read others’ ago, it was a peaceful paradise molded by minds minds. and knowledge long gone to provide sustenance Soulspeak, the language of the Voices, is a second to bizarre creatures from exotic and deadly language to all, and although some creatures places, no matter how incompatible their needs don’t have the vocal cords for it, all can are. understand at least a few common words. Since the Calamity shattered the world that was, One in five adults knows how to manipulate Fey many species became extinct in barbaric wars, Dust to do their bidding, attuned to a particular pogroms, plagues and natural disasters. The element or concept. Most Voices have only minor survivors were those who learned to thrive in the talents or don’t bother to develop them further. environment where the very soil, air and water Some rare individuals hear multiple Voices and are teeming with the magic of the ancients, the acquire more as they learn complex spells. Sanity mystical force of nature that manifests as Fey and magic do not get along. Dust, and the whispering Voices that trail in its wake. The most common application of magical talent is enchantment and summoning of tools of the Even these Voices don’t have all the answers (and trade, whatever that trade is. A well-to-do even when they do, they speak in riddles or lie), blacksmith may be able to conjure up his own so the people of Feyhaven have conflicting forge, anvil, tongs and hammers out of thin air. accounts of how they got here and why. Here are This is not to say that every good craftsman is a some of their stories. wizard, on the contrary, most pay the Binders Guild to enchant their favorite things to be summoned on demand.

Voices Among the sentient creatures of Feyhaven, Voices take a prominent place. All Feyhaven Origin Stories children hear Voices growing up, regardless of According to some Voices, they are echoes of species. According to Beast Voices, even the souls of the dead, not quite the ghosts, but the animals hear them. important messages they carry on for the living.

But most children grow too serious, too On occasion, a Voice claims to be one of the responsible for their imaginary friends, and lose ancients, the creatures who created the Calamity and were destroyed by it.

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Ancestral Voices are a common occurrence, a may think he is in control of all these abilities, but dead relative watching over a child like a guardian it is the echoes that are pulling his strings. angel.

Many more Voices are merely figments of a child’s imagination, a playmate every bit as Physiology irresponsible and mirthful as their host. But not Being able to hear a Voice is an ability all sentient all gifted children are born into happy beings on Feyhaven have, and it does not seem to circumstances, and those of a somber disposition be affected by their wildly different bodies or tend to attract less than cheerful companions of needs, only by their willingness to listen and their own. learn.

Revelry of Spite, the most popular religion on the Those who practice the gifts the Voices teach will continent of Spitesreach, holds Voices to be of sooner or later develop physiological changes divine origin, sent to Feyhaven to teach and test related to their abilities: a Forest Voice’s skin may the mortals, however the knowledge they impart acquire a green tint, a Wind Voice’s hair becomes cannot be taken at face value: Spite is not a deity windswept even in absence of wind, and a Fire known for its kindness, and many children get Voice’s palms become callused and scarred, into serious trouble, turn into Fomorians or becoming more resistant to heat. Truly powerful worse by following their Voice’s suggestions. individuals undergo dramatic changes that Truly, Spite works in mysterious ways. become hard to conceal or even explain, such as flowers and thorns growing on one’s skin, Gaia’s Union, a less popular religion, claims that walking on sand or water without leaving the Voices are fragments of a deity Gaia, who footprints or one’s eyes and hair being literally on sacrificed herself during the Calamity to save her fire at all times, with no ill effects to the children – that is, all the living things. The Gaians individual. intend to reunite all the broken pieces by letting their Voices speak to each other. They believe that each fragment of Gaia is deeply troubled and Reproduction insane due to its isolation from the others, but Voices of various species reproduce the same those who reject their Voices instead of way as their species. Being a Voice is not embracing them are truly lost, the prodigal sheep hereditary, it’s more a factor of upbringing or to be brought back to the flock. mindset – you either have what it takes to keep The ancestral worship common among Dwarves your Voice or you don’t. Everyone gets a chance, categorizes all Voices as either ancestral spirits on but not everyone takes it. It is also possible to a benevolent mission of guidance for their acquire a Voice late in life, through rigorous study bloodline or as vengeful spirits of the dead with an instructor or an (un-)fortunate accident enemies who trick one into peril, often with an ancient artifact. pretending to be someone else. As a result,

Dwarves treat Voices, and those who hear them, with deep suspicion. Optional Extra Rules When a Voice has 4 or more $ in their stance, and The most jaded view of magic is that all spell they have fewer ) than $ (without counting the casters are clearly insane, and the whims of their dice), the magical power they wield becomes insanity are echoed by Fey Dust spirits in their impossible to conceal. The player has the final say minds and in the physical world. The spell caster

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in how this power manifests around them and on their body. In game terms, the effects are minor and always beneficial, with the noted exception that everyone looking at you can tell you’re a Voice, and not to be trifled with.

When a Voice dies or is knocked out, Fey Dust in their possession drifts away in harmless sparkly clouds that cling to passersby or magical artifacts in the vicinity. The Fey Dust tokens get placed on the board near the body and other people can step on them to pick them up.

Since concentrated Fey Dust is worth a pretty penny, there are neighborhoods where one does not cast spells in the street out of the sense of self-preservation.

In darker places of the world, powerful sorcerers capture and sacrifice young gifted Voices in their realms to drain them of every bit of Fey Dust they have to fuel spells of greater power. Blood Voices in particular are both prized sacrifices and knowledgeable about extracting Fey Dust from others.

Feybloods Some creatures of Feyhaven are born with Fey Dust in their blood. Even without a Voice, they have certain abilities by being born so infused with magic of Feyhaven. Feyblood Creature cards are marked accordingly.

Some claim that Feyblood creatures are the closest descendants of the ancients, who are all now gone from the world. By that same claim, the Fairies are the Firstborn, or the spitting image of the ancients (which is ironic, because Fairies are notorious for shapeshifting).

The opposite claim is that Feyblood creatures are all mutts, born out of unions of the first survivors of the Calamity, unions that were only possible because of Feyhaven magic, and that all other

58 Origins of Species creatures in the world are closer to the origin of example, a union between a Human and a City Elf time, closer to the ancients and their likeness. creates a Half-Elf, Half-Human Fomorian, a Some go on to claim that these unions are unholy malformed baby that has both Creature cards and perversions and all their fruit need to be is one temper tantrum away from becoming a squashed without mercy. The “rational” Giant. reasoning here, as much as the term applies to the chants of an angry mob, is that mixing of creatures often produces Fomorian offspring, Optional Extra Rules and where Fomorians tread, Giants soon follow. When a Feyblood dies, draw a token. If it is a Fey Finally, there are claims of selective breeding of Dust token, place it next to their body, same as Feyblood creatures, done by the ancients before when a Voice gets knocked out. the Calamity, and by the Fairies of the Winter Feybloods can be sacrificed like Voices for the Court thereafter. If true, that means that all purpose of Fey Dust extraction. Feybloods are little more than war beasts.

Physiology City Elves The one common trait Feybloods have is that City Elves are the Elves who embrace the fruits of they never grow old, die of old age or become civilization and maintain contact with other infirm with the years. It is not a blessing that species. Unlike Feral Elves, City Elves build and many get to fully enjoy, as life in Feyhaven is live in permanent structures, study arts, sciences perilous and violent. and history; some become mariners and sail across seas. Unlike Dark Elves, City Elves live Another common trait shared by Feybloods is above ground. ancestral memories. These manifest in dreams, in violent flashbacks and in an occasional Some City Elves pledge allegiance to the Summer melancholic déjà vu episode that shows them Court, some to the Winter Court. The majority of what an ancient ruin used to be before City Elves in Oroden are the descendants of exiled everything went to hell. Feral Elves, living in the slums of the Hovel Sea, and owe allegiance to the Ashfeather tribe. There is some merit to the claim that some Feybloods are natural born wizards, adept at When a Feral Elf is exiled, their faces are manipulating Fey Dust and magic in general, but deliberately scarred to show everyone their the will and ambition seems to be more of a shame. Ashfeather tribe embraces such exiles driving factor than the lineage. and gives them purpose and a home. Some second-generation Ashfeathers go so far as to

carve scars on their faces and heads themselves Reproduction to show their dedication to the cause. The “scar- All Feyblood creatures breed true and are their heads” shave their hair to display their pride and own species, as long as they have a Creature card. rejection of Feral Elf values, often complimented A union between creatures of different species, with earrings, other piercings and an insufferable even if both are Feybloods results in a Fomorian attitude. offspring with few noted exceptions (listed below under specific creature sections). For

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Origin Stories Unions of City Elves with other species result in Like all Elves, City Elves are half-bloods. Part Fomorian offspring and are thus taboo. Human, part Fey, they spread across Feyhaven A union of a Fairy and a Human produces City Elf shortly before or after the Calamity. They played children in a civilized setting and Feral Elf children a big part in early Human settlements and history, in the wild, but the difference is in the upbringing. but most of them fled Spitesreach when Feyblood pogroms started. Nowadays Human- Fairy unions are rare, because of the bad blood between their cultures. Optional Extra Rules Like other Elves, City Elves can go on for long According to the Summer Court, the first of the periods without rest, adapted to Feyhaven’s 68- Elves were created by the ancients, in the effort hour-long day cycle. Instead of going to sleep, to find a cure to one of the plagues that laid waste they meditate for 6 to 12 hours every night and to Feyhaven, but it was too little too late to save can do so while doing repetitive menial labor, the ancients themselves. such as marching, sewing, chanting, folding steel at the forge, chopping firewood or rowing. According to the Winter Court, the creation of the first Elves was part of the deal the ancients struck A meditating City Elf is neither clever nor with their Human mercenaries: “Fight for our observant, earning them such colorful names as cause, and your children will have life eternal.” “Wood Elves” and “Dummies” from their Dwarven taskmasters and foremen in Oroden.

Physiology Technically the same species as Feral Elves, City Elves differ in culture and upbringing. Feral Elves Dark Elves consider the City Elves treacherous and weak. Dark Elves live underground in the network of City Elves consider their feral kin naïve and crude. ancient tunnels called Dark Reach. Dark Reach crosses under every continent and every ocean, City Elves in appearance are like tall, thin humans although some of the passages have collapsed, with slanted, large eyes and pointed, long ears. shifted with tectonic movements or fallen into Their skin color varies from pale white to dark disrepair. Dark Reach is said to predate the brown, same as humans. Their eyes have vertical Calamity, it was already abandoned and decrepit pupils, like cats and Fairies. Their hair and eye by the time the war of the ancients consumed the colors tend to be bright and pure, with all world. combinations of rainbow spectrum (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, or purple) occurring, Nowadays, the Dark Elves enjoy their although yellow and green shades appear more underground democracy built on honest slave often. labor, trade and mining. Their choice of entertainment is political intrigue, gladiatorial combat, sculpture and music, although the latter Reproduction does not transcend the boundaries of their City Elves, Feral Elves and Dark Elves can make culture, for their ultra-sonic hearing (very useful fertile unions, their children usually end up for echo location in the dark) encourages them to inheriting the creature card of the older parent. craft musical instruments that only they can hear,

60 Origins of Species or worse, make shrill whistling noises that are Physiology uncomfortable for other species. Dark Elves are similar in features to other Elves, except for coloration and ears. Their skin is dark, The capital of their homeland is called Belabis, ranging in hue from dark purple to rich brown to and it is founded at the site of their first decisive dusty grey. Their hair is usually bright white, victory against the Dwarves during the Dark War. although some dye it for the sake of fashion or According to the laws of Dark Elf democratic camouflage. Their eyes are usually red or orange, process, a slave owner gets to cast the votes of and reflect light like a cat’s eye. Their ears tend to their slaves. No slave can serve more than 10 be bigger than other Elves and can turn in a years, no matter how terrible their crime or debt, chosen direction like dog or cat ears. Dark Elves after which they have earned their citizenship in can navigate with echo location like bats or the Dark Reach affairs, even if they were a dolphins. prisoner of war. This system of naturalization Their sensitive eyes are nearly useless in daylight, keeps the slaves motivated and obedient in but it doesn’t hinder them, because eyesight is pursuit of the Dark Dream. It also keeps the slave not their primary sense. Open sky above their owners motivated to fund wars, trade heads bothers them more, because the echoes agreements and raids upon the surface dwellers. don’t come back from it and they feel it as a giant Belabis is the fastest growing settlement on all of “blind spot”. Feyhaven.

Origin Stories Reproduction Dark Elves can interbreed with other Elves. Dark Elves were bred by the Winter Court of the Unions with other species result in a Fomorian Fey for the sole purpose of waging war on the offspring. Dwarves. Part Human, part Fairy, part Bat, they proved to be effective underground guerrilla fighters, but unruly slaves. The Winter Court treated them cruelly despite their Optional Extra Rules accomplishments and it was only a matter of time Dark Elves do not sleep, but use a special form of before they rebelled against their masters and meditation. They can go for a long time without purged the Fairies from the Dark as soon as the fatigue, and when they finally sit down to rest, entire Dark Reach was conquered. The Dwarven they maintain full awareness of their Empire of old collapsed shortly thereafter, cut off surroundings as they meditate for 8-10 hours, from vital mineral resources and trade routes. although they must remain perfectly still and do Most Dwarves are too proud and stubborn to get not engage in conversation. over this defeat and seize any opportunity to Dark Elves developed their own language that stick it to a Dark Elf. they can speak without alerting other creatures. Unlike other creatures, Dark Elves are fairly It goes without saying that Dark Elves have a certain of their history, for it is shorter than most. number of advantages over other creatures What remains a mystery is how exactly the Fairies when it comes to underground warfare, stealth, made them, and what Winter Court is willing to ambushes and navigation in perfect darkness. do to bring them back into the fold.

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of themselves in the physical world in order to Demons affect it. They would not be able to survive on Demons are creatures of shadow and flame, Feyhaven if not for Fey Dust providing them with rather than flesh and blood. They are relatively sustenance. Feyhaven is an arctic, barren place to rare in Oroden, usually arriving there as them. mercenaries or bodyguards for the Dark Elves of While their core temperature is high enough to House Lavaghast. Fearsome in appearance and melt steel, they manifest limbs and an outer layer dangerous in close quarters, they make stalwart of rock-like substance that’s cold enough to warriors and vicious spell casters. touch things without setting them ablaze. This Demons have a terrible reputation for sticking to shell allows them to conserve their energy. the letter, rather than the spirit, of any contract On the bright side, Demons can consume just or agreement. They often misunderstand the about anything, even rocks and dirt, by melting it needs and desires of other creatures, due to their down into sludge they process for raw minerals. own needs being so alien to everyone else. Demons are long-lived, possibly eternal, unless

killed. They don’t appear to suffer from old age. Origin Stories Demons do not sleep or breathe. Some Demons claim to have come to the surface from the bowels of the world, born in the fires of a volcano or the relentless heat of a Dark Elf Reproduction forge. Because Demons build and rebuild their physical bodies out of what’s available, Demons do not Few Demons have been summoned into a have genders. Any two Demons can spawn more bargain that has them guarding something or of their kind when they have enough energy for plotting someone’s death, often a little bit of this endeavor. A lot of heat is consumed by this both. process, so they can only reproduce in extremely Some ancient Demons have memories of their hot places: forges, volcanoes, hot springs; all of home, a world wreathed in flames as dense as which immediately freeze over. steel, where pure energy swirls in hurricanes that Demons are unable to crossbreed with other last millennia, from which they have been torn species. Half-Demon Fomorians can occur only as against their will. They have a hard time a result of a curse, not at birth. describing this place in terms that others can understand. It has been hypothesized that Demons are Optional Extra Rules natives of Spite, the gas giant planet around Demons are able to provide their own which Feyhaven orbits. Another hypothesis is illumination in dark places. that they are from Truth, the sun around which Spite orbits. There is no proof of either. Although they do not need to breathe, they do not enjoy being submerged into water, as it quickly dissipates their heat. Demons take one Physiology mark every turn they spend wading in water, snow or similarly cold environments. Demons are hot. Literally, magma-melt-your-face hot. They are energy beings that manifest a part

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Demons heal at the same rate by being Another story claims that the ancients created submerged in a hot substance, like a lava lake. Dragons by breeding large reptiles and gifting Because of this, Demons can heal any sort of them with intellect and magical powers, to be injury by spending a day or two in a deliberately used as shock troops. large bonfire.

Physiology Dragon scales come in all sorts of colors. A few Dragons Dragons also have feathers. Winged, flying lizards of imposing size, few Dragons grow to maturity due to their Not all Dragons breathe fire. In fact, all Dragons notoriously volatile tempers. It is rare to see a who learn to spit some sort of damaging Dragon larger than an elephant, but folk stories substance, are Voices of one kind or another, and tell of Dragons large enough to challenge Giants. some Dragons do not have a breath attack at all.

There are only a dozen Dragons who live in Dragons grow bigger with age, and there doesn’t Oroden. Some have flown here from overseas, appear to be a limit on how big they can get. They others have lived here since before Oroden was live forever, or at least until some Giant Slayer built. They are not immediately hostile to “lesser confuses one with a Giant and then mistakes are beings”, but are solitary and proud creatures, made. who like to hoard shiny expensive things and Dragons are cold-blooded and prefer living in a remain tight-lipped about Dragon affairs. hot climate, where they can remain active and Dragons dislike living in Dwarf-built structures. aggressive year around. Dragons have a hard They find the cliffs of Oroden caldera suitable for time sleeping outdoors, and enjoy their beauty their nesting and dig elaborately trapped caverns sleep more than most. They can remain active in them. Some of Oroden’s Dragons are members and vigilant for even a week at a time, but then of the Giant Slayer Guild. Others are complete must crash and sleep for the same duration. shut-ins and don’t participate in city affairs. Dragons are light sleepers and get angry when awoken prematurely.

In colder climates, Dragons are capable of Origin Stories hibernation for an entire season. They are By some accounts, Dragons predate the Calamity. ravenously hungry when they wake up. Entire armies of them fought and perished in the Dragon vocal cords are not suitable for speech in war of the ancients. Whether the Dragons are Soulspeak, they have their own intimidating Feyhaven natives or were brought from afar is language of roars, snarls and grumbles. Some unclear and debatable. Dragons keep Kobold servants around as A popular story describes them along with translators. Demons and Watchers as invaders fighting and defeating the ancients, but at a great cost. Their flaring tempers are a consequence of a curse Reproduction placed on them, the same curse that blesses Dragons have two genders, lay egg clutches and them with unwanted Kobold offspring. share incubating duties, but use environment and

63 Origins of Species magic instead of body temperature to care for meaning: everyone works hard, this frontier city the eggs until they hatch. has no use for pompous lazybones.

Most of the litter turns out to be Kobolds, the runts that either get eaten or put to work at a young age to care for the baby Dragon. Origin Stories Oroden Dwarves went into exile from the Dragon couples tolerate each other’s presence northern continent of Halekhaz. They harbored only until the eggs hatch; the larger Dragon keeps Feyblood refugees (Gnomes, Fairies) from the the lot and raises the young. The rest of the time, other provinces of then-united Dwarven Empire, Dragons are solitary and territorial. which conquered their lands in retaliation. It was a harsh time in Dwarven history, when every Dragons do not interbreed with species other living Fairy and Gnome was put to the sword in a than themselves. Insinuating or proposing that witch hunt for agents of the Winter Court. they should marry a Kobold or a Fairy is a fast track to become dinner. Dwarven history before that time is murky and contradictory. The Dwarven Empire was founded

sometime after the Calamity, and dissolved after Optional Extra Rules a sound defeat by the Dark Elves in the Dark War. Each Dragon has a hoard of at least X tokens Prior to that, the Dwarves had been mercenaries (mixed Loot and Fey Dust), where X is the number employed by the ancients, and they were of cards they have. Finding that hoard and stranded on Feyhaven after the collapse of the disarming all the traps on the way is no simple ancients’ civilization. By another account, task. Dwarves were descendants of Humans who were bred for war by the ancients on another world, whose gravity was higher and whose climate less Dwarves hospitable. The oldest Dwarf sources cite their homeland, Nidavellir, to be a mountainous, Stout and stubborn builders of Oroden, the rugged place with bitter winters and short Dwarves make up the majority of its population. summers, and insist that it was Humans, not They worship their ancestors, distrust magic, love them, who were bred for war on Feyhaven, out alcohol and settle arguments with fisticuffs of Dwarven stock. whenever they get a chance. The present-day seven kingdoms of Halekhaz are Dwarven society is bound by rigid customs and content to leave the exiles of Oroden well alone, gerontocracy (rule of the old). Dwarven society is their maritime raids focused on closer and more traditionally divided into two castes: the Warriors convenient locations. and the Artisans. The Warriors fight and rule, the Artisans clean the dishes and do everything else, too. In some kingdoms of Halekhaz these castes mean slightly different things: the Artisan caste Physiology may rule, or there may be a third caste, the Dwarves look like short, wide humans with short Slaves, who get the shortest end of the stick, legs and puffy hair. They are blessed with while the Artisans enjoy the finer things in life. In superhuman strength that allows their short legs Oroden, the slavery is abolished, and the Artisan make surprisingly long jumps, but also makes and Warrior castes have lost their exclusive them unable to swim, because their muscle

64 Origins of Species density makes them heavier than water in Fey are often aloof, spiteful or manipulative. Both Feyhaven’s gravity. have their reasons.

Dwarves follow the same sleep pattern as Fairies have been known to “snap” in stressful Humans, resting twice per Feyhaven night and situations, such as under duress, torture, once at noon. entrapment or other forms of mistreatment. When a Fairy snaps, a much darker personality The oldest of Dwarves live to be at least 1,350 emerges, and the story doesn’t end well for all years old (about 200 Earth years), and only grow involved. stronger, more taciturn and stubborn with age, set in their ways. The extent of their lifespan is unknown, they usually die much younger of violent causes. Origin Stories The origin of the Fairies is the origin of Fey Dust, the unstable substance that brings magic to the Reproduction world of Feyhaven. Sadly there is no consensus about either. Dwarves reproduce the same way Humans do. On rare occasions when a Dwarf marries a Fairy, Like other Feyblood creatures, Fairies have their offspring are usually Gnomes. Unions with ancestral memory flashbacks. For the Fairies, other species produce Fomorians. these can be dramatic and life-altering events. Fairies like to say that they’ve forgotten more

than all the other species have ever known.

Optional Extra Rules The Summer Court of the Fey claims that the first Dwarves cannot swim, but their superior Fairies were servants of the ancients, charged strength makes it Trivial for them to jump over with keeping the world hospitable for all its great distances and apply physical strength to denizens and guests. break and bend things meant to withstand the force of other species. The Winter Court claims that the Fey are the ancients, but they had to change their forms to survive the plagues of the Calamity. They are a grieving people, and suffered such losses that Fairies they willfully chose to forget many things to let Said to be the embodiments of magic and their wounds heal. mischief, Fairies have the dubious reputation of The two Courts disagree on everything. Summer incorrigible pranksters, pathological liars who Court advocates peace, prosperity and tolerance, always say the truth and only lie by insinuation, while the Winter Court advances knowledge, omission or misdirection. responsibility and progress. Both Courts exert They can lie, but they choose not to, because direct and indirect influence on other people and communication with other species is a game to often end up in proxy wars. them, a game with rules and etiquette. The younger Fairies are prone to carelessness, Physiology absent-mindedness and naiveté. The elder of the In their natural form, Fairies appear as willow- wisp-like glowing orbs, little twisters or puffy

65 Origins of Species clouds size of a chicken. When communicating and Orks. Fairies have an easier time interacting with another species, they manifest a form that is with Voices of any species. like the other person, but smaller and often has Fairies can purchase a single Creature card with deviations like wings, horns, and tails. In this XP. This indicates their coming of age as a fully form, they tend to have squeaky, high-pitched grown Fey and establishes their semi-permanent voices. form. Fairies are immortal unless slain. As they grow Fairies are not served by the Wardens Guild and older, they settle on a form they prefer best, and cannot shed Geasa and other cards through their then are also able to manifest as a full-sized rituals. creature of that species, although their playful need for decorating always, without exception, Fairies are terrible at sneaking at night and in makes their appearance too perfect, too ornate darkness, because of their unsubtle glow. They’re and obviously magical. They are like glamourous, great at sneaking during the day when sunlight “fake” versions of creatures whose forms they makes their wispy form harder to notice. acquire. A Fairy who has grown into its full form is called a Fey. It can still revert to a wispy cloud Fairies can recover from a non-lethal injury by or a smaller form of another species for the sake paying half of its normal cost in Fey Dust (round of stealth or communication. down). They erase and rebuild the injured parts out of Fey Dust, even if the original cost was in Fairies subsist entirely on magic. They do not Loot. need to breathe, eat or sleep, although they like to indulge their grown forms in doing so. Feral Elves Reproduction Beloved godchildren of the Everqueen, Feral Fairies can reproduce by the means of any other Elves answer to neither the Summer nor the creature, depending on their fully-grown Fey Winter Court of the Fey. Instead, deep within the form. However, unions with certain other species Tangledeep Rainforest, they grow Hallowed can give birth to entirely new creatures. A Fairy Groves as shrines to Everqueen’s wisdom. and a Dwarf beget a Gnome. A Fairy and a Dragon Rejecting civilization as a corrupting force that (are rumored to) beget a Kobold. A Fairy and a breeds weakness and laziness, Feral Elves Human beget a City Elf or a Feral Elf, depending embrace harsh lessons of the natural world in on their childhood environment. survival of the fittest and dominance of the A Fairy can spontaneously be born out of a fiercest. Feral Elves practice cannibalism as a collection of Fey Dust, if enough of it is stored in ritual they claim lets them partake of the strength the same place against one’s better judgement. and wisdom of the slain and catch glimpses of their memories.

The various tribes use carved sigils to mark their Optional Extra Rules territory, but there is no alphabet or other Fairies can understand, mimic and translate any method of passing down written knowledge. To spoken language, but they have a harder time this day, the Feral Elf traditions remain exclusively interacting with superstitious folks like Dwarves oral.

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Despite being behind the curve in terms of is merely a despot who seized power at an industry, Feral Elves have some of the most opportune time. competent Voices in the world due to way they The Winter Court only recently became aware of raise their children as a community and the Everqueen’s existence and believes that her “law whole-hearted acceptance of magic and troubled of the land” is impeding Feral Elves from growth children. that comes with gained knowledge. One of their core values is growing their tools The Dark Elves have a different theory. Seeing instead of making them. Feral Elves have how the Winter Court bred them to fight the demonstrated the ability to meld trees into Dwarves and City Elves were made by the houses and mushrooms into traps, and on Summer Court and opposed Humans in the past, occasion are seen with bows and spears that it’s only logical that there is a mysterious Third have sprouted branches and leaves of their own. Court, who created Feral Elves to deal with the Despite such accomplishments, Feral Elf tribes Mantises, and that Everqueen is merely an agent remain nomadic and lack permanent settlements. of that Court. They don’t believe her to be the real All of the Feral Elf tribes, except the cursed queen because they think she’s a Fey and a Ashfeathers, are followers of the Everqueen. As secretive Fey Court wouldn’t be this direct in the each tribe patrols its territory, so too does the affairs of others. Everqueen, visiting each in no specific order.

Her sentient Vine Creepers are the messengers, eyes and ears of the forest, relaying information Physiology between her and the chieftains, and they are Similar in appearance to City Elves, Feral Elves honored members of each Feral Elf tribe. tend to have darker, more tanned skin, and wear Unsurprisingly, the Feral Elf culture is a moderate significantly less clothing. Their hair and eye matriarchy. colors wary just as wildly as their civilized cousins.

Origin Stories Reproduction According to Everqueen, the entire continent of Feral Elves reproduce just like City Elves, but with Suncradle used to belong to the Elves and their less privacy and more enthusiasm. Feyblood allies. These Elves were weak and unprepared for the cascade of disasters following the Calamity, not the least of which was the Optional Extra Rules Mantis Invasion. The Everqueen found the When a Feral Elf eats the flesh of a worthy foe, survivors and taught those willing to follow in her the Elf gains a vision of ancestral memories footsteps the way of the forest. The rest (although whose memories these are is often perished. debatable). This vision grants the Elf an immediate -1 discount on their next learned card, The Summer Court believes that Feral Elves as long as it is purchased immediately. This became savages of their own accord, fleeing discount does not stack with the ‘civilization’ from the Mantis onslaught into a poisonous discount of being in a major city, as college sweltering jungle where even the Mantises dared education has nothing in common with not follow, and then survived with the resources cannibalism, other than the tuition. they had available. According to them, Everqueen

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Feral Elves are fully adapted to Feyhaven’s long flee when their deception was uncovered were day-night cycle and only require 8-12 hours of rest eaten. The Mantises then appointed their own every 68 hours. During their rest time, they can Oracles and now await Skyfather’s glorious march, tend a fire, sing or guard a location against return. intruders, but must focus on one activity at a time According to the heresy spread by Skyfire Tribe, until stirred to wakefulness, as the rest of their Skyfather lost his battle with the Void Spider minds “is not all there” during this trance. while he was away from Feyhaven, and it’s only a matter of time before She reels the world into Her ever-hungry maw by pulling on the Sky Pillar. Giant Mantises This tribe insists the Sky Pillar should be destroyed and all Mantises should be preparing Behind every frightening exoskeleton exterior of for another Calamity, not a celebration. a Giant Mantis is a sentient being which happens to be a voracious carnivore and an invasive species of a tribal warrior culture. Giant Mantises have engineered their own decline by destroying Physiology one ecosystem after another, turning most of the Being an insect with the exoskeleton size of a Suncradle continent into an arid dust bowl. horse and having raptorial forelegs to match, Facing a lack of external enemies and resources, Giant Mantises are merciless predators. Although their tribes have turned upon each other, they have wings, they are unable to fly and use although their conflicts culminate in thefts of them for various social functions. Giant Mantises cattle rather than dedicated warfare. do not have vocal cords and their language is part pheromone smells, part clicks, hisses, rhythms, purrs and gestures. They are able to understand Origin Stories Soulspeak spoken by other creatures, but usually require translators, magic, or writing to respond. According to the Feral Elves, the Giant Mantises were but one of the many plagues that scoured Giant Mantises require a lot of sleep, and it’s not the world during the Calamity. Their mission was negotiable. For every 15 hours of activity they punitive, and they nearly succeeded. What sins need to rest in torpor for about 10. Their rest were they punishing? Weakness, complacency patterns don’t align with Feyhaven day and night and faith in the civilized world: a world that cycles, and while in torpor they are very difficult turned out to be a mere curtain draped over a to awaken. For this reason, their tribes sleep in butcher’s shop. two or even four overlapping shifts.

The Giant Mantises arrived at the Skyfather Giant Mantises would not be so giant if it weren’t Citadel, although they don’t remember how, or for Fey Dust, which allows them to breathe and where they came from, for they were circulate oxygen more efficiently. The oldest of transported as eggs. In the early days, the their kind live to be about 300 Feyhaven years old Skyfather supervised them directly, but soon was (which is about 44 Earth years). Giant Mantis distracted by other battlefields and appointed females are larger than males and their society is Watchers in his stead as Oracles to guide Giant a mate-devouring matriarchy as a result. Mantises to victory. Watchers stayed in that role until Mantises realized that Skyfather no longer talked to them either. The Watchers who did not

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Reproduction Origin Stories Mantises have a mating season every five years, Being half-breeds, Gnomish history is fairly short when half of the adult male population dies off (hah!) and certain. They emerged as a species and a lot of eggs are laid on tribal mating shortly after the Calamity. grounds. During this time, and until the eggs It is the Gnomish insatiable curiosity that led to hatch the next year, the tribes are extra territorial Feyblood pogroms in Halekhaz, and that in turn, and hostile, if slightly less numerous. The Silk led to the exile of those who would harbor them. Road shuts down due to safety concerns. That includes many ancestors of the present-day Giant Mantises are unable to interbreed with non- Orodenians. arthropod species even on Feyhaven. Giant

Mantis Fomorians only happen as a result of a curse. Physiology Gnomes are shorter, cuter and usually more plump than Dwarves, but otherwise similar in Optional Extra Rules appearance. Gnomish hair tends to be unruly, It takes an extra turn of loud combat to rouse a either frizzy or spiky, with magically bright and Giant Mantis from torpor compared to other pure colors being the norm. species. While in torpor they are unable to dodge. Gnomes have the same sleeping patterns as Giant Mantises make excellent hunters, sneaky Dwarves and Humans. scouts, uncanny climbers, but terrible watchmen. As Feybloods, Gnomes enjoy theoretically When a sleeping, downed or unconscious Giant unlimited lifespans, albeit they are often cut short Mantis is getting executed with a coup de grâce, by their experiments. draw a card from the Injuries deck. The card has no effect (and the coup de grâce attempt fails), if it does not kill the Mantis, thanks to their tough Reproduction exoskeleton. When a Dwarf and a Fairy love each other very much, they have Gnome children. Gnomes are their own species and breed true. Unions of Gnomes with other creatures result in Fomorian Gnomes offspring. Gnomes are the Feyblood cousins of Dwarves, and do their best to fit in with them. Unfortunately, their best is complicated. Optional Extra Rules Of all the species of Feyhaven, Gnomes are the Gnomes are natural illusionists and use this gift to most curious. They rarely lose their Voices and entertain friends, prank strangers and confuse have a reputation for discovering new uses for their enemies. magic, hair-brained inventions and unintentional Gnomes are naturally adept at tinkering and are arson. better than most at figuring out how ancient artifacts work. Their trial and error methods are as safe as you would expect. Run!

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As a result, Goblin butlers, Goblin cutpurses, Goblins Goblin spies and Goblin assassins are all making a Too small to be Orks, too ugly to pass for reasonable living. Humans, Goblins are the youngest and the least Goblins live about as long as Humans and follow welcome species on Feyhaven. the same sleeping patterns, but grow faster to On Spitesreach continent, they’re the unwanted maturity. children of the Long War between Orks and

Humans, the vermin that people like to pretend do not exist. They are often abandoned as Reproduction children, but survive regardless of the odds to Goblins are born in unions of Orks and Humans, in plague the cities that rejected them. many cases, unintentionally. Goblins breed true Rarely does a Goblin have a place to call home. and are their own species. Unions of Goblins with other creatures result in Fomorians.

Unlike Orks, Goblins do not lay eggs, but they Origin Stories deliver litters of four or more babies at a time. Goblin life stories are rarely happy. Oroden’s Goblin babies don’t squall and are able to crawl in House Dustrow is an exception. This Human minutes after the birth, and are able to walk and House made peace in a time of war, and literally run within the same day. They start hunting and slept with the enemy. After the eventual foraging for food as soon as they get hungry. discovery of this treason, the swashbuckling They are mammals in name only. rescue by the Ork war chief and other adventures, the Humans and the Orks of House Dustrow, along with their many, many Goblin Optional Extra Rules children, settled in Oroden to avoid war time Goblins expect the worst out of people, and are tribunal on Spitesreach. often right. This cynical view point leaves them House Dustrow is dysfunctional family, but it’s a rarely surprised by thieves, bandits or other jerks. family, it’s rich and influential, and it’s a hell of a Goblins are light sleepers and are never asleep or lot more than a Goblin can expect to have in other caught unawares when a fight breaks out. places. Goblins navigate through crowded places with ease and can follow someone without being noticed or lose a tail without much effort. Physiology Goblins’ green skin can draw sustenance from Short, green-skinned and scrawny with a sunlight, but not enough to feed a Goblin on its mouthful of shark teeth and black beady eyes, own, merely to delay starvation. In a warm sunny Goblins are about as charming as a school of climate, Goblins can go on without food about piranhas. Even other Goblins don’t like to look at four times as long as Humans before they die; them. they still need the same amount of water. This is something many Goblins learned to use to their advantage, to pass unnoticed in a crowd. So many taller and prettier people think themselves physically and figuratively above the lowly Goblins, they don’t even pay attention to them.

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some scavengers. It is then Blob Prime decided to Goopy Blobs split up to start the search for the two artifacts it Goopy Blobs are not common in Oroden, but they needed the most: the Journal and the Beacon. can be encountered anywhere on Feyhaven, The significance of these two is lost to the ages, favoring damp and warm places of the world. as descendants of Blob Prime kept dividing to These species struggle with their identity and widen the search. their place in society. Another group of Goopy Blobs claim that all Some end up in places like Oroden and Belabis Goopy Blobs are parts of a greater whole, the (the underground capital of the Dark Elves) which Grey God Sea, which swallowed the Burned God embrace and promote a multi-species culture. to quench its fiery thirst and thus to stop the final Others live solitary lives in the wilderness, or stages of the Calamity. It worked, but Grey God pursue goals alien to all but themselves. Sea splashed into thousands of pieces as Burned God thrashed around, and both Gods ultimately One of the stranger species on Feyhaven, Goopy destroyed each other. The religion of Immaculate Blobs also have the strangest theories regarding Conjecture goes on to claim that one day, Grey their origins. God Sea will be reborn, once all the missing pieces of it are found and brought together. Not only that, but it believes that Demon cultists are Origin Stories doing the same to the pieces of the Burned God A common belief is that Goopy Blobs were to rebuild it for a second Calamity on Feyhaven, created as an experiment by a Gnome studying and whoever assembles their God first, purges Blood Voice magic, by sprinkling Fey Dust on a the Other. pile of Gryphon droppings. When the pile came alive, the first thing it did was eat the Gnome, a result that surprised absolutely no one. Physiology Some Goopy Blobs disagree, and cite their As the name implies, Goopy Blobs are voluminous memories going back centuries. According to sacks of jelly-like substance contained in a flexible them, the very first Blob, called Blob Prime, was membrane. Goopy Blobs are capable of bouncing not an experiment gone awry, but a sole survivor around like balls, extend pseudopods to of a crash landing. Blob Prime was aboard a manipulate objects and even produce heavily spinning airship of silver and light of the kind slurred (hah!) speech by drawing in air and never seen on Feyhaven before or after. The pushing it back through their membranes. airship had a collision with something that sent it Goopy Blobs come in a variety of garish colors careening towards the ground in a plume of fire and change pigmentation according to their and smoke. Of the crew, only Blob Prime mood, which makes some of them terrible liars. survived, and merely with a fraction of its Others learn to control their emotions well memories intact. Blob Prime remembered that its enough to achieve a camouflage effect with mission was that of peace and observation, not matching their colors to their environment. interference, with the native species of Feyhaven. For a time, it continued to study the life forms Goopy Blobs have distributed senses: every cell around the landing, and discovered that it’s not of the membrane contributes to several of them. easy to tell which species are the natives here. Their sense of hearing is excellent, their taste and One day, the remains of the ship were stolen by smell are unparalleled (they literally lick the

71 Origins of Species ground they bounce on), and they can follow a particularly hungry, mean and acidic. The lost person’s steps like a bloodhound. Their vision is Loot represents items digested for their mineral their weakest sense: they are near-sighted, value, even if the original cost was in Fey Dust. unable to distinguish shapes and patterns closer than a few steps away. A Goopy Blob’s maximum age has not been Humans measured. Some of their surviving memories are These self-absorbed creatures are the most ancient, surviving many cycles of reproduction. numerous sentient species on Feyhaven, Goopy Blobs can digest any kind of organic however most of them live on Spitesreach matter (usually by swallowing its prey whole), but continent, and in Oroden they are only a minority they also supplement this diet with pebbles, salt, with a terrible reputation. rare gems and other “spices”. Their reputation is the bloody history of Spitesreach, a continent once home to many more species than what’s left there now. Humans Reproduction did to Spitesreach what Dwarves did to Halekhaz Goopy Blobs do not have genders and reproduce and what Giant Mantises did to Suncradle: they by binary fission. Goopy Blobs can exchange butchered everyone who wasn’t them. Some of knowledge with each other by touching their foes fought and died standing their ground, membranes, passing on memories, poison others fled to places more dangerous and antidotes, disease cures and other genetic perilous, where Humans wound not dare to go. information. Goopy Blobs are unable to Those few who dared surrender, the Humans interbreed with other creatures, so any half- enslaved, and built their Pax Hominis nation upon Goopy-Blob Fomorians are the result of a curse. their sweat, blood and eventual demise under Unfortunately, during every cycle of back-breaking labor. reproduction, all of the Goopy Blob’s memories In doing so they earned the ire of both Summer fragment into two incomplete halves, as the and Winter Courts of the Fey. While the Summer Goopy Blob’s memory is also distributed in every Court was busy taking refugees, the Winter Court cell it has, just like its senses. The two halves often planned their vengeance. A secret ritual engulfed try to stay together for a while to fill in the most the entire city of Nova Roma, then the capital of obvious gaps in each other’s recollection of the Humans, and teleported it somewhere else, former events, but invariably miss something. never to be seen again, replacing it with a battlefield full of bloodthirsty, yet confused Orks who were fighting Trolls at the time when their Optional Extra Rules sky turned a different color. The Orks won that A Goopy Blob can destroy half of its cards (round battle, and many others, and thus the Long War down). The destroyed cards are now owned by began. the Goopy Blob’s twin, usually controlled by the Millennia later, Spitesreach is a continent divided. game master. Which copy is the good twin In the north, the Winter Court advises an alliance remains to be seen. of Orks, Slavs and Norse. In the south, Pax A Goopy Blob can also regenerate non-lethal Hominis, also known as Peace of Man and the injuries by paying half the normal replacement Land of Twelve Tongues, is united more than cost in Loot. During the healing process they are

72 Origins of Species ever, having pushed back the Ork invaders and point, its creators considered it full enough, and their allies from its most fertile lands. shut off all contact with it. This act caused panic and anarchy that broke down civilization, then a

series of natural disasters followed. The Origin Stories proponents of this theory are targets of pointed Both Dwarves and Humans claim to have come to mockery despite any evidence they dig up. Feyhaven as mercenaries working for the ancients, but the records and opinions diverge about who got here first. Physiology Feyhaven Humans are not different from the A number of Humans have arrived to Feyhaven Humans of Earth, except in the technological after the Calamity, through careless tinkering sense, their civilization is stuck in early middle- with the broken Gates and other artifacts of the ages, due to fascination with magic instead of ancients, from a place with a filthy name like Dirt more physical sciences. Humans made a or Mud. remarkable adaptation to a Fey Dust-rich Most of their ancestors, however, came before environment, they hardly ever get sick, and those the Calamity, although the reasons and the who lead an active lifestyle also age gracefully, means are unclear. remaining strong and hale well into their 600’s (90’s in Earth years) until one day their health Pax Hominis scholars believe that Humans were unravels in a matter of hours, like a knitted sock. lured with the promise of immortality, the Most die of violent causes long before then. promise that turned out to be a lie, for the ancients used them as breeding stock to survive Due to sexual dimorphism, Human culture is a a plague that befell them. When the alleged plot subtle but pervasive patriarchy, with males of bodysnatching was exposed, the Humans put assuming most positions of power. Humans are an end to it by rebelling against their former the only sentient species on the planet whose masters. males tend to be larger or stronger than females.

Another legend claims that the Dwarves were the Firstborn, the most direct descendants of the ancients, and from their stock the other Reproduction Humans reproduce the exact same way on humanoid species descended, who got by with Feyhaven as they do on Earth, by planting less food, less ale and less muscle. The weak ones cabbages and waiting for storks to deliver their were of the Slave caste, and where there are babies onto them. Human and Ork couples get slaves, there are also rebels and runaways, those Goblin babies, while Human and Fairy couples get who either fled to build their own kingdoms Elf babies. Marriages of Humans to other elsewhere, or fought for their freedom fair and creatures result in Fomorian offspring. square, depending on whom you ask.

And yet another version of this story says that there was no such people as the ancients, and Optional Extra Rules there was no Calamity, either. The reason for It is possible, however unlikely, for an Earth such diversity of sentient beings on Feyhaven Human of any time period to end up on Feyhaven that it was a prison world, where all the via a malfunctioning Gate. Such Gates are miscreants and felons were exiled to die. At one

73 Origins of Species promptly disabled by Gatekeepers, who tend to together, the Dragons lost their innocence and leave no witnesses. learned cruelty, for as one stares into the abyss, it’s all too easy to fall into it. Thus the Dragons This hypothetical Earth Human would not know enslaved the very people they were sworn to Soulspeak and would have to deal with language protect. barriers, even if he or she fluently spoke Latin, Ancient Greek or some other language common Dragons dismiss that story out of hand, but are to Spitesreach. remarkably tight-lipped about the “Kobold curse”, and bringing the subject up is a sure way Humans have an excellent immune system made to flare a Dragon’s temper. Given how poorly even better by the presence of Fey Dust. They are they treat their own babies who happen to be immune to all natural diseases on Feyhaven. Kobolds, something must have happened in the past that made most of their children so small and crunchy.

Kobolds A recent rumor in Oroden amongst Kobolds has it Puny, mirthful, excitable and territorial, Kobolds that the entire Lizard Coast to the far south of the are known for pilfering shiny things and their city, beyond the Grim Peaks, was once the cowardly tactics in times of war. Kobolds dig domain of a Dragon Empire, and has recently tunnels in their burrows only big enough for risen in a Kobold revolt to overcome its masters. themselves, and then surprise any would-be This is a great topic to bring up in a casual intruders with hit-and-run-like-hell tactics. conversation with a Dragon while trespassing in Kobolds form strong bonds within their the middle of her treasure hoard. communities and use teamwork and clever traps Kobolds have a tale of their own creation out of to overcome prey much larger than themselves. dirt and fear. A huge bird who couldn’t fly In Oroden, a few Dragons keep Kobold retainers because it was afraid of heights dug a hole in the to guard and maintain their cliff-side cavern dirt to bury its fear where nobody would find it. nesting grounds, and some Kobolds are There it laid its fear in an egg, and filled the hole employed by the Fair Mail Guild as couriers. Many with dirt again, stomping it down with its talons more Kobolds end up in the Hovel Sea fending for until it was flat. And then it took to the sky, and themselves. flew without fear, and the wind felt great and the sun shone brightly. When the bird got tired, it

started to look for place to land, between the Origin Stories trees, but every place it looked reminded it of the According to a Kobold legend, a Kobold sorcerer, hole it filled with fear and dirt. So the bird flew on her deathbed, blessed an unborn egg with all around some more, looking every which way, but of her magic powers, thus creating the First it couldn’t find a spot that didn’t remind it of its Dragon Guardian. It was a protector of the people buried secret. Exhausted, the bird landed at the during the Calamity, who fought Giants and next spot it saw, and collapsed from fatigue. And entire Mantis swarms with gallant ease. But the Kobolds came out of the ground and ate the bird. Guardian was lonely, and so he blessed another egg to have a companion of his own stature. Then the two of them had babies and thus began the Dragon race. As they fought more monsters

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Physiology Optional Extra Rules Kobolds are dog-like lizards with strong social Kobolds have a hard time sleeping alone, ties, a pair of opposable thumbs on each hand, especially outside of their homes. They can only squeaky voices and boundless energy. The latter rest easy when someone else is on the lookout is only true in warm climates, as Kobolds are cold- for predators, and prefer Kobold companions for blooded. this job.

Kobolds can shed and later regrow their tail when Kobolds have excellent night vision, bloodhound- fleeing from a predator, but being temporarily like sense of smell, perfect pitch hearing and can short-tailed is a source of embarrassment and sense body heat of warm-blooded creatures stigma to them. nearby with a special organ in their forehead. Their eyes are capable of independent movement Being Feyblood creatures, Kobolds can be long- and panoramic sight, as well as binocular vision. lived in theory, but their place on the food chain In other words, it’s almost impossible to catch a is not that high. Kobold off-guard. Kobolds have relatively long legs and achieve ludicrous speeds when their life is on the line. Their running stance is that of a raptor – the front paws are tucked in, the back is kept horizontal to Orks counter balance the tail and everything else is a Orks have a reputation for their fierce warrior blur. Kobolds do not have feathers, but they like culture, rude customs and brute force. Unknown to decorate with them. to most, their clan-based society is deeply spiritual and values personal honor and respect Kobolds are omnivores, scavengers and for nature. It is also a harsh, oppressive occasionally pack hunters. matriarchy. Ork females are larger, stronger, Their rest cycles match Feyhaven day and night smarter and firmly in charge. patterns, their preferred activity periods are Orks do not have a concept of marriage or dawn and dusk, but each Kobold tribe organizes immediate family. An Ork’s entire clan is his into shifts for mutual protection. In colder family. Coincidentally, it is also his battle unit. climates, Kobolds hibernate during the winter season and keep their burrows secret. Origin Stories All Orks on Feyhaven can trace their ancestry to a Reproduction single event: the fall of Nova Roma. The Winter Kobolds lay eggs, and lots of them. About one in Court of the Fey conjured a magical storm of a thousand is born a Dragon, and likewise, immense proportions that swallowed the entire Dragon eggs often hatch as Kobolds, so the two capital of the Human nation of Pax Hominis on are likely different castes of the same species. Spitesreach, and teleported it away, replacing the Between the two of them, the Dragons are large whole thing with a battlefield, where the Orks and in charge. were winning a major battle against their sworn Kobolds do not breed with other species, so enemies, the Trolls, knee-deep in melting snow Kobold Fomorians can only happen due to a and corpses. Once the Orks claimed their victory, curse. they found themselves in a strange land ripe for conquest. The Orks spread like wildfire, and

75 Origins of Species multiplied like rabbits, but they proved to have a Orks grow up about twice as fast as Humans, and weakness that Humans were able to exploit to then slow down, growing old at about the same drive the Orks from their lands. That weakness is speed. superstitions. Ork home world has a colder and harsher climate In Ork culture, it is taboo to use magic for than Feyhaven, but its days are shorter. As a anything but healing, and it is this custom that led result, Orks get winded and sleepy in tropics, them to war with the Trolls. requiring about 13 hours of rest after every 20 hours of activity. In the colder climate of arctic Humans of Pax Hominis were fond of magic Feyhaven, they can go on 9 hours of sleep for before their contact with the Orks, but since every 20 hours of being awake. then, they’ve made it their principal weapon.

As the Orks started to lose the war, they turned to unlikely allies to gain the upper hand: the Reproduction northern tribes of Norse men and the Slavs, who Orks are mammals who lay eggs and are capable had no love for the educated Humans of the of breathing underwater. Only one in twenty south, and to the Fairies of the Winter Court. eggs is a female. But that’s not all. The Orkish mammary glands grow during incubation, it’s a This new allied horde fought the legions of Pax hormonal process that will affect whoever is Hominis to a stalemate, and that’s where sitting on the eggs, male or female. Since the Spitesreach is today. change is permanent, females are rare and large Meanwhile, Oroden is home to all sorts of cleavage does not help a warrior, the math comes deserters and war criminals from both sides, and down to the weak, the crippled and the cowards the ever-noble House Dustrow is chock-full of being stuck with the child-rearing duties. In some them. clans, sitting on eggs is a punishment fit only for deserters and criminals. In more forward-thinking

clans, they don’t let such Orks near kids and only Physiology allow handicapped combat veterans and aging Male Orks are larger and wider than Humans by heroes to retire to a squalling Ork pit. As a result, about a head, while female Orks are even taller male Orks seek glorious death in battle with than that, but appear more slender than the desperate dedication. males. Ork skin comes in shades of green, and A union between an Ork and a Human will result gets darker as the Ork gets older. Ork skin allows in a Goblin child, an outcome that generally does them to get nutrients from sunlight, although the not please either parent. Unions of Orks with amount is negligible and they must supplement it other species result in a Fomorian offspring. with a strict carnivore diet. A starving Ork will survive about twice as long as a Human, provided they have sunlight. Optional Extra Rules Ork hair is usually black and comes down in a Orks are amphibious and are capable of breathing mane, like a horse, down their spine all the way underwater, and can dive about 200 meters from the top of the head. Orks often dye their below sea level. hair into their clan colors. Ork females are natural-born leaders, trained to lead their clan to war from a very young age. Ork

76 Origins of Species males, on the other hand, are suicidal glory Trolls worship a deity of dual nature, sometimes hounds that turn everything into a violent referred to as one person, and sometimes as competition. twins overcome with sibling rivalry: the Lover and the Hater, the Giver and the Taker, the Breaker Because of their adaptation to arctic climate, and the Maker. Trolls are prone to philosophical Orks wear next to nothing regardless of the musings over their own fate, but instead of seasons and feel comfortable doing so. They wallowing in self-pity take clever passive- don’t get frostbite from wind chill or even cold aggressive jabs at those who would call water. They are better polar bears than polar themselves their masters. Trolls are masters of bears. sarcasm and understatement.

Trolls Physiology Some slave owners view Trolls as barely sentient Trolls are as big as elephants, and their thick grey beasts of burden, not much smarter than skin has appearance of rock. Their small eyes elephants, and Trolls let them keep thinking that. have a variety of colors, and their hair is thin, Trolls live long lives, and enough patience to wispy and patchy, insufficient even for a comb- watch their chains, misfortunes and oppressors over. crumble to dust around them. They are capable of regenerating the worst of injuries in hours, sometimes minutes. They live long lives, and like elephants, grow bigger and Origin Stories stronger with age. An unfortunate side effect of Trolls came to Feyhaven at the same time and their amazing healing ability is that cumulative place as the Orks. Following the Troll army’s injuries may lead to terminal cancer. defeat, the only survivors were those who fled or Like Orks, Trolls have a hard time adjusting to surrendered. Most of the species ended up as Feyhaven’s long day-night cycle, and need to slaves, prized for their endurance and strength in sleep about 10 hours after every 20 hours of mining, logging, construction and other heavy activity, with a few extra hours of sleep when industry jobs. injured or in tropical, sweltering climate. The Humans of Pax Hominis took advantage of Trolls are opportunistic omnivores. They can Troll slaves, but worked them literally to death. subsist on a vegan diet as a matter of preference. Those who avoided this fate lived in servitude with the Orks or were traded to the Dark Elves. Some escaped or freed Troll slaves ended up in Reproduction the free city of Oroden, having heard that slavery Trolls are mammals who have two genders and is outlawed in this place. give live birth. They reproduce slowly and get Because of their long lifespans, some of the Trolls very dangerous when their young are still remember their home world, its rolling hills, threatened. coniferous forests, majestic mountains, frigid Their mating season happens every six years and tundra and icebergs, wondering if their people lasts about a year. During this time, male trolls ever found peace. grow ornate horns, sometimes even antlers, and

77 Origins of Species shed them after. They also become slightly more Physiology taciturn and territorial. Vine Creepers visually resemble ivy plants and can masquerade as such with ease. They are unique in

the ability to communicate between individual Optional Extra Rules plants that grants them communal intelligence A Troll can heal any non-lethal injury without and in their lightning fast metabolism, which lets incurring a medical expense. To do so, draw them change shape, grow new limbs, uproot and another card from the Injury deck. If the second relocate in a time frame similar to a running card is non-lethal, both are discarded. If the animal. Rapid movements are exhausting to Vine second card is lethal, the same happens, but the Creepers, and that’s why they use their natural Troll develops a terminal cancer and has 2d6 toxins to hunt prey and supplement their diet months to live. with fresh meat.

Vine Creepers are colonies, and as such do not grow old – the death of the individual plant does Vine Creepers not affect the colony. As far as intelligent clonal colonies of plants go, Vine Creepers do not sleep, however in the winter Vine Creepers are in a class of their own. Each months of colder climates they shed their leaves shoot only possesses rudimentary capacity to and do not have the energy to move much, communicate with its neighbors, but together entering a metabolically slow state similar to they form a hive mind that gets cleverer the wider sleep or torpor. it spreads. Vine Creepers have unique distributed sensory organs that let them hear, taste, smell and even see, although vision is their worst sense: they are Origin Stories near-sighted, and cannot discern fine details Everqueen of the Feral Elves claims to have further than an arm’s length away. created Vine Creepers, granting them intelligence and self-awareness so that her beloved Elves Vine Creepers are unable to speak Soulspeak or would have allies in the humid, poisonous jungle other similar languages, but they can understand of Tangledeep Rainforest. This happened during what they hear and respond with gestures or the the expansion wars of Giant Mantises across the sign language they share with the Feral Elves. Suncradle continent, well after the Calamity. A dissenting opinion of some of the Vine Creepers Reproduction who live around Oroden suggests that they were Vine Creepers use cloning to grow themselves intelligent all along, but it was Everqueen who and sexual reproduction (flowers and cross- saw them for who they were and learned their pollination with insects) to make baby Vine language and passed on this knowledge to the Creepers. They can flower in the spring, but it is a Elves. Either way, Feral Elves and Vine Creepers conscious choice on their part. have been inseparable parts of the same culture, a culture that grows things instead of building Vine Creepers do not crossbreed with other them. species, so any half-Vine Creeper Fomorians are the result of a curse.

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Optional Extra Rules Watchers are bitter because the ancients Vine Creepers ignore non-lethal injuries, cloning abandoned them here, fleeing from Feyhaven as lost members on the spot. their civilization crumbled and chaos ensued.

They are also adept at hiding, skulking, For a time, Watchers built a religion around an ambushing and lock-picking, but tend to be ancient fortress, to protect themselves and socially naïve and awkward when it comes to others from savagery outside of it. But in time, interaction with other sentient beings, as if the fortress fell too, to the predations of Giant language barrier wasn’t hard enough on them. Mantises. The survivors fled far and wide.

Watchers often end up in Dark Reach, cooperating with the Dark Elves. Some stay in Watchers Oroden, as the closest ‘civilized’ city in the area. Many Watchers gave up on civilization altogether One of the more exotic looking sentient species and live as total recluses in the wild, digging up on Feyhaven, Watchers are some of the creatures caverns and lairs where they can finally be alone displaced by Giant Mantises, although they used in peace of their own home. to cooperate in the past.

Physiology Origin Stories Take a giant eyeball, stick it into an even bigger Older Watchers occasionally regale friends with turtle shell, along with a beak mouth, some tales of their home, a cavernous world of entrails and a bunch of tentacles, and there you darkness buried under ice, with no sun of its own. have a Watcher. Watchers are technically Some of its caverns were carved in ice, some cephalopods. What’s unclear is the mechanism by harbored underground lakes and rivers, others which they fly, wiggling their tentacles as they do. descended into the oppressive heat of nearby magma, spewing forth geysers at predictable Watchers don’t have a word in Soulspeak to intervals. Watchers had deduced the presence of explain, but it’s been theorized that they are able two nearby moons, although no one has seen to fold time and space to create a large extra them, because the ice became too dangerous, dimensional pouch full of a certain gas their too brittle and too cold to touch the closer one breathing produces. This cavity makes them dug to the surface. lighter than Feyhaven atmosphere when it is fully inflated, even though Watcher’s visible body Not everything was well in their homeland, as doesn’t grow or shrink. foreign despots called the Faceless enslaved their people. Then one day, a Gate opened the way to Watchers speak Soulspeak, but tend to have Feyhaven and the ancients had beckoned them grating, nasal voices. Watchers live long lives and through to free themselves and live in a better don’t appear to age after they reach adulthood, place. Many followed, and many more lived long but their lifespan is undetermined, mainly enough to regret it. On the other side, the world because of violence. of light, the world of stars and forests awaited Watchers can swim and breathe underwater with them. But all was not well there either, for no difficulty. They sleep much the same way as Feyhaven needed their help in a war, the war the Humans do, and those who came to live in Watchers don’t like to mention, because it brought forth the Calamity.

79 Origins of Species

Oroden follow the Dwarven calendar and sleep Watchers are solitary by nature and feel patterns. uncomfortable sharing their personal space with others. Watchers are unable to crossbreed with

other species, any half-Watcher Fomorians are Reproduction the result of a curse. Watchers do not have genders. They prefer the pronoun “It”. They reproduce when they feel like it and when they feel safe. Any two Watchers can Optional Extra Rules engage in sex, which allows them to exchange Watchers have an unusual anatomy and a tough genetic information the same way plants can outer shell. If an Injury card affects a limb they do cross-pollinate, but it is not a requirement to give not have, they ignore it and take no injury at all. birth. Watchers lay eggs, but do not sit on them, Watchers can perceive their surroundings using natural and magical means to keep them regardless of any light, darkness, smoke or fog. safe and incubating at the right temperature. Magical pillars still obstruct their line of sight, though.

80 Being a Game Master Being a Game Master Sufficiently advanced magic is indistinguishable from malice.

Having trouble with names? Google up a fantasy Introduction to Oroden name generator, like this one: Oroden City, the Twilight Jewel, is your home city http://fantasynamegenerators.com/ now. Centuries ago, it was built in a flooded caldera of an inactive volcano by the Dwarf and Gnome Players are advised to stop reading at this point, refugees fleeing persecution from the northern least they get a mouthful of spoilers. continent of Halekhaz. It is a secret no longer, but a bustling port of commerce legal and otherwise,

offering refuge to all not welcome elsewhere. West of it lie the Pillar steppes, the domain of fearsome Your First Adventure Giant Mantis nomads, with the Silk Road leading to Players have created their characters. Regardless Skyfather Citadel. All around Oroden is the vast of where they came from, they all work for Tangledeep Rainforest, where Feral Elves and Gatekeepers now, some more willingly than sentient Vine Creepers offer sacrifices to their others. Introduce them to a Gatekeeper Owl, an Everqueen best not mentioned in polite older veteran of this order (draw from the decks conversation. South of Oroden rise the Grim Peaks, of Creatures, Strikes and Spells if you need a desolate mountain range that spans half of the inspiration). An Owl is a title in the order, meaning Suncradle continent, home to countless giants and a senior member who trains and recruits younger elder dragons fighting among themselves since the members. Perhaps he saved the life of one of ancients disappeared from the world. East of them, has been a fencing tutor for the other, and Oroden, the Twilight Sea shimmers in the way to was a friend of the family of a third. the distant continent of Spitesreach, the Blessed Isles, the city of Neathyra and the isle of Tyr Na Nog. At one point or another the players have been initiated into the Gatekeeper order and have The people of Oroden are cosmopolitan and been sworn to secrecy. Once everyone has diverse, but also fiercely independent and thrifty. established their relationship to the Owl (let’s call Oroden is home city of the Fair Mail Guild, run by him Grandfather Rickard), let all the players secretive gnomes and enigmatic fairies delivering establish relationships of their characters with news and packages around the world. each other, working all of them into their collective backstory. Oroden is run by a parliamentary oligarchy. Six ruling noble houses elect a Regent every century Once that is out of the way, read the following (about 19 Earth years) among themselves, with the section aloud to your players. Going forward, text other heads of houses forming the Regent’s in italics is safe to read and contains no spoilers as Council. The parliament passes laws that the it is the description of the current scene or Regent must abide by, but Regent’s Council holds common knowledge of the land. the veto power. There is a hundred representatives in the parliament, and they are elected by general

vote for life, which they waste disagreeing on

81 Being a Game Master everything. Slavery is illegal, and so is theft, but population of the city ten-fold. They struggle with little else is. Buyer beware. concepts of personal space and private property, but are capable warriors and hunters. They seek

a purpose and a new place in the world.

Do Not Read to Players 5. Prince Edmond Kortano, of House Kortano, Each adventure should begin with a setup: the and the Guild Master of Fair Mail Guild, is pushing initial balance of power, with goals of different through the council and the parliament an factions at odds with each other. They don’t have agenda of mounting an expedition south, into the to be in direct conflict, but players should not be Grim Peaks, in search of minerals, new territory able to please everyone with their choices. and artifacts of power. According to him, the Here’s where the factions stand at the beginning: stories of battling giants and dragons are vastly exaggerated and this land could and should be 1. Prince Ardon Mardeth, Regent of Oroden, and exploited for its natural resources. Prince of House Mardeth, is desperate for allies in a mutual trade embargo with Neathyra. He has 6. Duke Wilfred Dustrow has mended relations secretly reached out to the Dark Elves and to Tyr between Houses Kortano and Dustrow by Na Nog, ruled by Summer Court. Both relations sharing some prized tomes of his large collection could be scandalous, if revealed. Not to mention, of antiquities with the Gnomes. Some of the Dark Elves and Fairies are sworn enemies. It could things they learned was used in the invention of get awkward either way. airships, and these secrets are held close. But Wilfred has recently had a burglary in his personal 2. Prince Mardeth is not popular with his son vault and suspects that the sneaky Gnomes of Randal and his nephew Grax. Both want the old Kortano are responsible. Many artifacts and dwarf gone so they can be next in line. They don’t treasures are missing. like each other, but they have joined forces in a conspiracy. House Mardeth is a strict 7. Taigi “Dusty Breath”, a City Elf and Jumping gerontocracy (rule of the old), being a Dwarven Spider Fomorian of the Ashfeather tribe, has house of tradition. They can’t be seen directly recently lost a fortune in old trinkets from her involved in Ardon’s demise. arcane goods store in the Silk Market. The thieves were a bunch of Magic Academy students from 3. Elder Warrior Galissa Fistcloud, ruler of rival city the Kortano Enclave, and even though she can Rozoden, has spies in Oroden tasked with name them and identify them, she can’t enter the undermining law and order. Her game is to city limits to demand justice or restitution, so prepare the city for a maritime invasion by the she’ll settle for vengeance. Grand Armada of Halekhaz. The Armada is not yet ready, as some other kingdoms have yet to 8. Ambassador Shana “Biting Tongue”, a Feral Elf pledge their ships. Oroden has been a free city for who recently arrived to Oroden to replace her too long. She hopes that helping Grax and Randal retired predecessor has already been poisoned in to get rid of Prince Ardon will play to her hand. her residence, the Mirabu Tree Keep. Weak, exhausted and frustrated, she’s expected to 4. Mother Tsi-Gik-Brak and her tribe have been make full recovery due to her magical gifts, but banished from Skyfather Citadel for heresy, and needs assistance investigating the crime and its nearly wiped out in the following purge as they causes. She blames her last visitor, Ferdinand fled the Pillar steppes. The survivors fled to “Half Face” Dustrow, G.R., for poisoning some Oroden and increased the Giant Mantis things in her fruit basket.

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9. Hototo “Unbroken Trail”, an Ashfeather City being bullied by the merchant who is not above Elf assassin, whose burned face allowed him to name dropping his guild master, Prince Edmond imitate “Half Face” Dustrow and poison the Kortano himself. ambassador, is busy preparing his next move: If players do not interfere, the Mantis will speak Prince Mardeth’s assassination, with another through a translator, and claim her kill by right of House to blame for it. His end game is to weasel protection of innocent, and blame the merchant into the city politics, in hopes that he can lessen for driving his carriage too fast for a crowd this the suffering of his people and bring recognition dense. The Mantis is eating her kill, because she to the Ashfeather tribe. does not wish to be wasteful, but offers to clean up the rest of the horse if it is inconveniencing other people. The Mantis will not clean up the At the Fish Market fruit, spontaneously offering it to the crowd. Grandfather Rickard summons the player characters (his Falcons) to a secret meeting in the The merchant then demands for both the Mantis backroom of his favorite tavern, Rainbow’s Trout. and the Elf to be arrested if they can’t pay. By the If they care to attend, read them the following: looks of them, neither can afford a horse or a cart of fruit. Meanwhile, the Elf is reprimanding her On the way to your meeting, you encounter a son for being too weak, careless and stupid to commotion in the marketplace. Far ahead in the survive on his own and bringing dishonor to the crowd, a horse rears and falls, and a sputter of tribe. blood and guts fly up and into the widening circle of people. A couple armed city guardsmen are Eventually, more of the Giant Mantis tribe mates trying to maintain a façade of order as commoners show up and together they slice the horse carcass either struggle to leave or push to see what’s effortlessly into pieces and carry it away, climbing happening. You hear retching and angry shouting. up a wall and over the rooftops, leaving the scene, while the guardsmen attempt to arrest the As you shove through the crowd, you see that a Elf woman and put her and her child in chains for blood-stained Giant Mantis (nearly as big as the a fabricated claim of “negligence”, and her horse) with a piece of fresh meat in its mandibles reaction is an aloof “you’ll need more guards for presiding over the still-twitching horse carcass. that” as she draws pair of vicious daggers out of There’s a Feral Elf mother holding a crying child and her armbraces, “I have two daggers, one for each a Human merchant yelling at the guards. A small of you. Who wants to die first?” cart is overturned and fruit is underfoot, mixing in Like any other scene, this can go in a number of with the blood from the mare. directions based on what players decide to do, If the players stay and watch, they can piece and at which point do they decide to interfere. A together what happened. The horse nearly ran Soul Voice player could, for example, offer to be over the child who ran across the street while the a translator. mother was distracted. The Mantis interfered and If it does not turn into an all-out brawl (with both stopped the horse, killing it in the process. As the more city guardsmen and mantis tribe mates story develops, the Mantis continues eating from showing up), the players may eventually make it her kill, much to the amusement and disgust of to the second scene: the meeting with the crowd, while the merchant demands to be Grandfather Rickard. The second scene could also paid for his losses. The Dwarf guardsmen, be them trying to break out of jail. This is where physically intimidated by the giant insect, are also

83 Being a Game Master the game master loses all control of the fragments mixed in with the rest of their junk. campaign and lets player choices matter. These were likely stolen goods, they didn’t look like they’ve been dug up recently. Figure out who the

supplier is, and where they found this stuff. Also At Rainbow’s Trout keep your eyes open for anyone else interested in If the player characters make it to the tavern, these, it might be more than just mere collectors.” read the following: When you enter the backroom, grandfather Alternative History Rickard sits engrossed in a book when you come in. The political climate of Oroden has always been a Barely looking at you, he flips the book closed. hotbed of intrigue and barely contained racial “Sit,” he says, “there is much to discuss.” tension. Your players and their decisions should “House Kortano is up to no good. Again. They want absolutely wreck the setting. Even if they do to mount an expedition to the south, to the Grim nothing involving the nobility, the parliament or Peaks. They suspect that there aren’t enough courtly intrigue surrounding the Regent’s giants and dragons left there to stop them. That’s succession, the world will never be the same where you come in. You need to stop them, scare again. Things will change. By way of example, them off, or failing that, infiltrate their efforts and here’s one of the many ways Oroden could monitor anything that they find. Any artifacts from become drastically different at your table. the Calamity would be too dangerous in their As you read this summary, think of ways of how hands. A friend of mine mentioned the parliament players could get involved with and thwart each is discussing their expedition proposal. Apparently of these events. Each of these could span a they want the help of other Houses. Think you’re session of your campaign. up to this task?” 1. Regent Ardon Mardeth gets killed in a If players are ambivalent or terrified of facing hunting accident, falling asleep in the dragons and giants, Grandfather Rickard will saddle of his gryphon and falling to his offer them more perilous alternatives. death, absolutely unrelated to that “The word on the street is that Prince Ardon, of poison dart mark on his neck. House Mardeth, our exalted Regent, is starting to 2. Ferdinand “Half-Face” Dustrow, the Fire lose his marbles in his old age. He’s been good to Marshall stages his own abduction only to Gatekeepers, and I know for a fact that the old involve himself in a shady pact with dwarf is as sharp as a tack, but someone’s been “Grey”, the Half-Demon Fomorian leader spreading rumors about him, and I don’t have a of the Ashfeather tribe, teaching him and better lead than that. Since what you don’t know his followers about a secret passage into can kill you, I will need you to gather some dirt on the city and about the Palace’s fire code his enemies and figure out who needs to shut their violations. trap, and subsequently, shut it. But this is an 3. Grandfather Rickard gets abducted by information gathering mission. Report when you the Ashfeather tribe, and is placed into find anything.” the Ward under false documents, signed with Half-Face’s seal, to keep “Oh, and one other thing. Several vendors are Gatekeepers from interfering with selling ancient artifacts in the Silk Market. Nothing Ashfeather tribe’s plans. illegal about that, but I had seen some Gate key

84 Being a Game Master

4. Everqueen calls upon all of her tribes to possible, to prevent another slum from march on the city. They have grievances spilling out of the city walls. related to the treaty with the dwarves: 10. Oroden is experiencing food shortage. the Hovel Sea is a blight upon the land. Half of their produce used to come from The dwarves are supposed to live inside the Mirabu tribe, but with the Feral Elves the city, not in the forest, and all the marching off to war, normal trade dries people the Feral Elves no longer consider up. their own have no right to be there. 11. The Grand Armada is sighted three days Everqueen’s solution is to kill every out in the Twilight Sea. They’ve sacked refugee outside the city walls in the Blessed Isles and are now headed beginning of the siege, and use that as a towards Oroden. They’ve never come this just cause to sack Oroden and burn it to far before. After the recent upheavals, the ground. the city is in a terrible shape for a siege. 5. Shana “Biting Tongue”, the Everqueen’s 12. House Dustrow is struggling financially new ambassador, conveniently forgets to due to Half-Face King’s predecessor’s present Everqueen’s ultimatum to the spending habits and largesse. There’s an parliament because there is no Regent in internal plot to depose the King and charge of the city. She’s bitter about the reinstate oligarchy. assassination attempt and wants to see

the city burn. 6. Ferdinand “Half-Face” stages a city fire, Where to Go from Here burning the Palace to the ground, The players should exercise their agency and go including all the Princes and their explore the city, looking for opportunities to retinues. Many other buildings in the fulfill any of their missions or to gather Bowl also burn, but the fire is contained information. If your players love roleplaying, with the help of City Elves and his present them with suitable opportunities, such as personal “heroic” efforts. He blames infiltrating the parliament to hear the Wilfred Dustrow for his abduction, and proceedings, or attend an exclusive House the latter is too crisp to object. Kortano party, where they get to mingle with the

7. Half-Face crowns himself king of half- elite world of Oroden and eavesdrop on burned Oroden and allows City Elves to conversations. In Oroden, there is no wrong place move in, creating new slums for them in to go if you want to hear some juicy rumors. It’s the freed up space, narrowly avoiding the verifying them that can get you in trouble. Feral Elf horde at the gates. 8. After a two-day standoff, the Feral Elves If your players are lost and confused, reduce all withdraw from the city walls with no legwork to a single infiltration die roll that puts “honorable” reason to attack. Instead, them into the caravan of House Kortano they march west to raid Giant Mantis explorers and off they go to a giant-slaying lands. adventure. 9. Everqueen creates the Green Ring: a new And if at any point do they get to fight something, all-Vine Creeper tribe, entrusted with you can build an encounter you need on the fly. replanting the forest around Oroden and cultivating as many poisonous species as

85 Being a Game Master

So you’ve arrived at a difficulty of the encounter Building Encounters based on players’ choices and activities prior to it. “If you know the enemy and know yourself, Now you spend your EP budget to draw (or you need not fear the results of a hundred choose!) from various card decks. battles.” One other number to keep track of is the –Sun Tzu, the Art of War maximum number of cards any of your players have in their stances, so called stance level or SL. Encounter system is made with two simple goals: For example, a player with 5 cards has two and a let you run the game (1) without doing any half cards in their stance, so their SL is 2.5. homework for it (2). You just draft the cards when you need an encounter. You can tailor-build Double the cost of any boss or group that encounters if you feel like it, but you don’t have exceeds the players’ Stance Level. to, so you can skip to the part where you and your A boss costs 1 EP per card. If it has a bonded item, players get to have fun. each Fey Dust token on it costs 1 EP. When a Each encounter should be of a difficulty that is bonded item gets destroyed, all Fey Dust is consistent with the inner logic of the campaign, removed from it instead, just like players’ items. similar to the difficulty table for non-combat A group costs 1 EP per card, +1 EP per additional tasks. miniature beyond the first. For example, a two- For each card in party’s possession, you, the card group of 3 miniatures costs 2+2=4 EP. A four- game master, have 1 Encounter Point, or EP. The card group of 20 miniatures costs 4+19 = 23 EP. total EPs are modified up or down based on the Avoid creating bosses or groups that contain half intended difficulty of the encounter. EPs are of your EP budget or more (or they will one-shot- there so you know when to stop drafting cards. kill your players!). If you need to make a solitary  Trivial: narrate effortless victory. The players boss monster, go for a Really Big Monster (RBM) may get a choice of what to do with the instead, with each of its limbs represented by its prisoners or trophies. own set of cards. An RBM is a bunch of bosses  Simple: build it as if all the players had about with some special rules on top. The special rules 80% of the EP. Eyeballing is fine. (Flying, Really Hairy, and so on) cost 1 EP per rule.  Normal: use 100% of the EP. If your players split the party, your budget  Complicated: use 120% of the EP. remains the same. That’ll teach them.  Inconceivable: use 150% of the EP.  Impossible: narrate crushing defeat. The players may get an option to either flee, surrender or make a heroic last stand. Or they Playing the Race Card may not, depending on the graces of their Neither bosses nor groups need to have Creature opponents. It is not worth rolling the dice for cards (their Creature types can be narrated it, unless the players are trying to achieve without being represented by actual cards). Both some objective at the cost of their lives. If you can use basic moves and strikes. However, we must use combat, build an encounter with found it helpful to have Creature cards to help 200% or more of the EP and brace for serious remember which cards correspond to which bitching. miniatures.

86 Being a Game Master

Example Encounter Bandits ambush the party traveling through When NOT To Roll Dice woodlands. This encounter is Simple, because the While roleplaying, the game master and the players have taken precautions to stay on guard, players may simply narrate what’s happening, and have hired a guide to show them the way, glossing over some details via a montage or a while the bandits are underestimating them. The scene cut. If everyone is okay with skipping over party is worth 24 Encounter Points, and their “little things” like shopping for rations in a Stance Level (SL) is 3. Simple EP multiplier is 80%, so market or traveling along a lonely woodland the game master decides to go with 18 EP. She path, you can skip right to the part where the splits the encounter into two groups of ambushers, story comes across literal or figurative one is led by the leader and the other by her crossroads. second-in-command. The first group will block the Consider the following: a group of adventurous road and attack from the front, the other group gatekeepers camps out in the woods and bandits will cut off the retreat path, attacking from the attack the camp in the middle of the night. In the rear. The leader is a boss with 3 cards, and costs 3 fight that happens, one or more gatekeepers die, EP. Her counterpart is a mini-boss, with just 2 cards, or worse, take debilitating injuries. It’s not a so together they cost 5 EP. That leaves 13 points for glorious end to one’s career, but they knew the the rest of the bandits. There will be two groups, 2 risks going out into the wilderness, and this cards in each (4 EP), with 9 EP to spend on the extra outcome is as plausible as many others. guys. At 1 point per extra guy after the first, the game master spends 8 points to add 4 thugs to Do not roll dice when the results each group, and has 1 point left over. That point will not change the story. becomes a Fey Dust token on the second group’s Crossbow card, giving them an extra step of range. Consequently, when you roll dice, they dictate where the story goes or ends, instead of you. All that’s left is to draw (or choose) the cards, and then mentally assign them to the miniatures the On a related note, players love agency. It follows game master puts on the table. that you want players to make meaningful choices, not their dice, whenever possible. What about the guide they hired? Shouldn’t he have some cards too? Sure. How much did they Should the bandits never attack in the first place? pay? Next to nothing? Yeah, that’s a one-and-a-half- No, that makes the wilderness not dangerous. card commoner “boss”, if you could call him that. Should the game master cheat and not let player The guide took them the path less traveled, so characters die? No, that robs your game of fewer bandits jumped them. If the guide survives, danger and excitement. Should the entire fight their way back may be uneventful, otherwise they be narrated as a cut scene instead of rolling dice may contend with the other bandits. The game and finding out what happens? Only when you all master should tell them this, so they have the want to skip to the important part of the added incentive to protect the guide. The guide will adventure and agree on the outcome of this be under the control of one of the players, but will scene for the sake of expedience. But should follow NPC rules (i.e. gets no dice, but uses a these bandits be total pushovers? No, because cheating bonus to attack). they are motivated, presumably, by profit, and there is none to be had in a clearly suicidal attack.

87 Being a Game Master

Cooperative storytelling means that narrative and follow false leads to your evil heart’s content. continues until someone decides it’s time to roll If you must hide some information behind a task the dice. The narrative can only continue if all the dice roll, reveal some of it before, and the rest of players and the game master consent to what is it if the player is successful. You should thus happening. As soon as there is a disagreement, reward the mere act of looking in the right the dice come out and settle it, usually in blood. direction.

Imaginary blood, mind you. This is a roleplaying At the end of the day, the party is either prepared game, not a cage match. for the next encounter or is caught unawares. In most cases, they’ll be somewhere in the middle.

And this, ultimately, should dictate how difficult Being Fair that encounter is.

Roleplaying encounters should telegraph the next battle. Brooding Intrigue for Everything the players do since the last encounter may affect the next. Some actions may Dummies be irrelevant (having a meal in the tavern) while Don’t try to write a complete plot as your prep others (getting sloshed and earning a shiner in a before a gaming session. Instead, review notes bar brawl) may prove critical. Were you too drunk from previous sessions and add a few new goals to notice two large gentlemen following you in. If this is the first session, then you may need home? Did you give too much money to a beggar? more new goals than normal. Did you follow up on that rumor you heard about the local Thieves Guild? What did you do to hide A goal is something someone wants, needs and your identity now that the bounty has been will do terrible things in order to accomplish. By posted? definition, the goal also defines the actor (the person or organization) and the act or subject The fact that the game master has put two and (what it is they want, what state it’s in and whose two together does not mean that the player has. thing was it to begin with). The difference between a cruel sadistic jackass and a tough, but fair referee is how well they To start with, create five goals. Hopefully they will foreshadow what’s going down. be at cross purposes with each other. Later on you can add between one and four new goals Don’t hide all the information from the players before each session. A single actor should not behind unlikely dice rolls. If the dice roll does not have all the goals, in order to create intrigue we change the story, why bother rolling? Oh, but want multiple actors to want different things information does change the story. How much from each other and others. They don’t have to you reveal before a sudden betrayal can change want the same thing, but their vectors towards everything! The difference between changing the their goals are likely to result in a conflict of story and spoiling it is both subtle and disastrous, interests. very much like a dagger in a dark alley. The idea here is to create an unstable situation Your players should never be entirely in the dark. that will Change the World™ once players end up You should reveal clues, both important and in the middle of it and decide to help one actor irrelevant, and watch them jump to conclusions

88 Being a Game Master over another. You won’t know what will happen, them a better deal if they stop asking questions and that’s the whole point: intrigue ensues! and start killing Gofannon in his sleep.

Here’s an example of five random goals (it took This is it, that’s all the prep you need to do. The about 30 minutes, and the only struggle was with rest of it will happen in game once the players the name generator). Try to visualize them as a decide how to untangle this mess. Then you get pentagram. to the good part: let them take initiative and follow up on the results of their actions.  Gofannon, Spymaster of House Beanna wants a specific magic sword that was The next session, depending on where their stolen by Fomorian raiders. Let’s call it adventure took them, add a few more goals, and Soulbrand. reveal them (partially or fully) depending on how  Morrigan the Fey needs Gofannon dead, the story goes. Maybe that Dark Elf guide was out like yesterday. He knows too much about for Stephan’s blood all along, but didn’t get the the damned sword. opportunity to strike. Or perhaps Morrigan’s real  Fomorian raiders have gone to ground motive is to replace Gofannon with her flunky, (literally, they have hired a Dark Elf Bernard the Odd. It helps to introduce new actors guide), but are strapped for cash and will too, so maybe there’s a discord in the Fomorian sell everything they have in Belabis, Dark camp and second-in-command is biding his time Elf capital, upon their arrival there. to assume leadership and make peace with House Presumably, the sword, too. Beanna.  Stephan Raybridge, Steward of House But why? Why does Gofannon want that sword? Beanna needs a scapegoat for his Why did Fomorian raiders steal it to begin with? personal failure to defend against the Why doesn’t Morrigan do her own dirty work? cunning raid, which cost his House considerable losses, not least of which is If your players start asking themselves these the loss of face. questions, try not to cheer too loudly (that’s how  Teafa De Beanna, Queen of House you know it is working!). If they capture the right Beanna has had it with incompetence and person and interrogate them, even better. wants to see some heads roll. She also Sometimes all you have to say in response to an suspects Morrigan scheming in this, but incredulous player is “excellent question!” and needs proof to act on it. keep them guessing. But don’t be stringy when Next, decide which two goals you want to give they ask the right person the right questions, players as starting leads, and how to best present especially when they have the leverage to get the them to draw them into the thick of the plot. They answers. could be hired by Gofannon to chase after the So, inevitably, at one point or another, you’ll have Fomorians, or they could be approached by to make something up again. Stephan to prove, expose or frame Gofannon as a collaborator of the raiders. Or they could be hired by Teafa herself, incognito, to do an independent investigation to find the guilty parties and bring them to justice. And then they could be taken aside by Morrigan who offers

89 Being a Game Master

When You Are Stumped: Dramatic Pacing The information you give the players dictates the DO NOT PANIC! pacing of the game. This is your secret Making stuff up is a natural part of cooperative superpower. You don’t have direct control over storytelling. This is normal. Even if you thought their actions, but you can influence their decision the intrigue pentagram out in intricate detail, making process. The trick here is to give them the invariably the players will derail it in a direction information they need directly, and letting them you did not anticipate. So take a breath, and jump to their own conclusions. follow this five step program when you’re Avoid statements that draw conclusions for stumped for an answer. them, don’t say things like “this looks like a scene Step 1: Did the players give you any ideas during of a recent murder”. Instead, describe the details, your discussion? Take the best one and roll with “you smell something too ripe, perhaps rotten… it. Kudos to you if you twist it around in a way that is that a dried up blood trail leading to the has its own internal logic. alleyway?” If the players draw conclusions themselves, they’ll buy what you’re selling, Step 2: If they don’t know either, look at your instead of questioning it. Be their eyes and ears, notes and compare them to what happened in not their brain. the game so far. What makes the most sense? What makes the least sense? Pick one or the If you need to make them aware of some other, go with that. important news, rumor or a lore detail, do it in first person, whenever possible. Instead of “you Step 3: If you’re still drawing a blank, make heard that Neathyra city is besieged” tell them of something up. Another goal or actor may need to an airship flying overhead, tilted with a gaping be revealed. Are Fomorians cursed with hole in its hull and its sail tattered by fire. As they kleptomania? Is the sword cursing them, stare, they notice a Fairy courier nearby also with manipulating them to steal itself and then kill a mouth agape, muttering “Oh no, that’s our each other over it? Does Gofannon know about postal ferry from Neathyra… three days late! the curse? What is his plan? Was he going to offer What happened there?” it to Teafa as a gift that would tear the House apart? The first line is an abstract piece of information, delivered quickly and succinctly, but also quickly Step 4: If you are truly stumped, tell players to forgotten. The second is more verbose, but also a take a five minute bathroom break while you prodding call to action. When your players are compare your notes. Be honest about it (you recalling recent events, the first sentence is fine didn’t realize they’d get this far so quickly, or that to remind them. When you present something they would go in this direction of the story). new, strive for the first person experience, make Congratulate them on a job well done stumping them smell, taste and feel it. Make it memorable. the GM. There is no shame in this, it happens to everybody. Then sit, breathe and think. Depending on what’s happening at the table, you can switch gears to help players get on with the Step 5: Never retcon anything. If one of your adventure. If they’re stalling or confused, your actors is acting out of character, then they could next clue may be as ham-fisted as a poisoned be a) insane b) possessed c) blackmailed d) crossbow bolt from an assassin, aimed at confused e) intoxicated. Just keep building the whoever can’t make up their mind. The assassin’s card house faster than they can tear it down.

90 Being a Game Master corpse (once they’re done killing him) should have a note for them to digest and give them Optional Rule: Massive another venue to investigate. Armies These rules can be adapted into a tactical war game that does not require a game master, just Optional Rule: Scaling tons of miniatures and carnage from two or more players acting as generals of opposing forces. Difficulty Tables Both sides decide on the EP of their armies, and As your players acquire more cards, you may find build them like an encounter, with groups that they succeed at most inconceivable tasks representing military units in formation (archers, and the narrative becomes rather binary: they fail bear cavalry, sorcerer circles, fairy skirmishers, at impossible and triumph everywhere else. Given and so on) and with bosses representing high- that the difficulty of the campaign should likely ranking officers or majestic war beasts. escalate in suitably epic directions (you’re not fighting just bandits any more, heroes that you are), their challenges may need to go beyond Optional: Discretion vs Valor inconceivable. If that happens, add more lines to Every time a group loses 25% of its members (at the table. 75%, 50% and 25% of its original number), mark a An extra line becomes “possible” for every four sword of that group, then count how many cards collected beyond the four starting cards. At swords and boots it has. If it has more boots than 8 cards, players can start doing ‘Incredible’ swords, the group has ‘broken’ and is fleeing the things. At 12, they can attempt Spectacular feats, battlefield, so it must spend all of its actions and so on. leaving by the shortest route possible.

This isn’t to say that a player with four cards A rally is only possible if, at any point during the cannot try their luck at a Spectacular feat, it is retreat, their swords prevail over the boots. merely the responsibility of the game master to present the group with appropriate challenges. Optional: A Wild Hero Appears

Once per battle per army, a hero can emerge in Difficulty SUCCESS any group. That hero has two dice to roll and can Trivial You Succeed now lead the group by example, committing Simple 7+ those dice for glory and honor. The group loses Normal 8+ its “cheating bonus”. If there is only the last man Complicated 9+ standing in the group, it is that hero who survives. Inconceivable 10+ A hero may be able to rally a retreating group by Incredible 11+ committing dice to swords. A hero can abandon Spectacular 12+ their first group to join and rally another Legendary 13+ retreating group or move independently on the Wat 14+ Impossible You Fail battlefield.

91 Index

Index Ability 9 Disasters 31 Feybloods 58 Text 9 Dodging 15 Refugees in Oroden 44 Blast 15 Falling 18 In Baile Samhraidh 54 Range 15 Organization damage 31 Death and sacrifice 59 Action 9, 10, 12 Persecution 32 Pogroms 60, 64, 69 Action phase 12 Pitching battles 33 Ancestral memory flashbacks Basic actions 13 Taking hits 14 59, 65 Group actions 21 Sacking a city 34 Feyhaven, Calendar 54-55 Order of resolution 14 Siege damage 28 Fly 17 Pet actions 20 Vehicle damage 28 Aerial combat 18 Really big monster actions 22 Walking into 17 Fomorians 19-20, 41, 44, 54, 57 Vehicle actions 27 Death 18 Gatekeepers 73, 84 Ashfeather Cheating 19 Premise 4 Heraldry 48 Diagonal moves (are ok) 15 Of Oroden 35 History 48, 59 Dice 4 Geas 19-20, 22, 24 Tribe Organization 35 Rolling 5, 9 Item Curses 25-26 Attack 11 Dice phase 12 Giant Slayers Guild 35 Aerial 19 Committed 10 Golden Men Guild 19, 36 Basic 14 Rolling outside of combat 10 Gryphon Riders, training 49 Resolution 12, 15 Elves Guild of Whispers 36 Siege 30 City 59 Groups 21 Basic actions 13 Dark 60 Encounter budget 86 Binders Guild 25, 56 Feral 66 Half-a-card 8 Blast 15 Nearby Tribes 53 Hex grid, use of 15 Books $ 9 Ashfeather 35, 48, 59 Hide 18 Attack with 11 Mirabu 37, 40, 41, 44, 45, 47 Group Hide 21 Spell zap with 13 Lavaghast 37, 46, 62 Hits 11 Spell blast with 15 Encounter budget 86 Dodging 15 Boots & 9 Experience (XP, Pp) 9, 20, 24, Turning into marks 14 Basic move with 13 25, 66 Walking into 17 Bosses 21 Fairies 20, 25, 42, 44, 45, 54, 58, Healing 14 Really big monsters 22 65 General injuries 18-19 Encounter budget 86 Fey Dust Mm 5, 9 Demon injuries 63 Card 8 Empowering items with 13 Fairy injuries 66 Stance 8 Healing injuries with 18 Executing Mantises 69 Type 24 Learning spells with 24 Goopy Blob injuries 72 Clovers * 9 Mischief 25 Human immunity 74 Dodging with 15 Bonding 25 Troll injuries 78 Collisions, vehicle 28 Airships 45 Vine Creeper injuries 79 Connections 7 Origins 56 Watcher injuries 80 Coup de grâce 15 Extracting 58, 59 Icon 8 vs Giant Mantises 69 In a Dragon’s Hoard 64 Character 9 Damage 14 Fairy Regeneration 66 Currency 24

92 Index

Organization 30 Other 17 Strike 10-11 Vehicle 27 NPC 21 Basic 13 Injury 14-15 Cheating bonus 21 Learning new 24 See "Healing" Building encounters 86 Blast 15 Items Swapping cards 21 Range 15 Bonded 25 Organizations 30 Spell 10-11 Cursed 25 Events 31 Learning new 24 Jump 17 Icons 31 Blast 15 Learning 24 Wars 33 Range 15 Retraining 25 Examples 35 Zap 13 By cannibalism 67 Oroden Spite Line of sight 15 City map 39 Gas giant 54 Loot Qq Region map 50 Revelry of 38 Game Preparation 5-7 Pets 20 Rings seen in Oroden 40 On Cards 9 Pillars 17 Success 10 Spending 24 Push 17 Difficulty table 10 Mariners Guild 38 Range 15 Extended table 91 Map In Theater of the Mind 23 Swim 17 Oroden, city 39 Really Big Monsters 22 Swords % 8 Oroden, region 50 Relationships 6-7 Attack with 10-11 Marks 14, 17 Reveal 18 Task 9-10 Mirabu Tree Keep 40, 82 Scratches 14 Examples 10 Mounts 20 Shields # 8 Teleport 17 Move 17 Smiles ) 8 Turn 12 Aerial 18 Square grid, use of 15 Turn order 12, 14 Basic 13 Stance 8 Walls 17 Diagonal (is ok) 15 Stance dance 13 Wardens Guild 19, 38, 44, 66 Dodge 15 Step, definition of 15 Wound 14

93 Appendix A: Names and Goals Appendix A: Names and Goals This chapter provides a handy idea and name list for the game master to draw inspiration from as needed. Feel free to mix and match and deface your copy as necessary so that you yourself remember what you did during the last session. Someone has to connect the dots, we both know the players won’t.

Name and occupation Possible goals Hunfrith Hayward Collecting an overdue debt from ______House Lockmar Rep. Lift the trade embargo from Neathyra Flann De Beanna Undercut Everqueen’s influence Emissary from Brón Óige Establish a Summer Court spy ring in Oroden Talindra Lavaghast Build a grand gladiator arena under Oroden House Lavaghast Rep. Retire to a life of luxury and have a lot of kids Baron Ferdinand "Half Face" Send all the Gnomes back to Halekhaz Dustrow Fire Marshal, G.R. Take over House Dustrow Justin Thatcher Kill one more Giant and retire Giant Slayer Guild Rep., G.R. Find the time to train that gryphon Count Esmeralda Kortano Build a flying island, or at least a keep Librarian, Inventor, G.R. Affordable, instant cure for Fomorians Hototo "Unbroken Trail" Equal rights for all Elves and Dwarves of Oroden Ashfeather Tribe conspirator True Love Taigi "Dusty Breath" Ashfeather recognized as the Seventh House of Oroden Ashfeather Tribe conspirator Bloody vengeance on the Mirabu chieftain Prince Ardon Mardeth Be crowned King, permanently subjugate other Houses Regent of Oroden Sack Neathyra, dominate Twilight Sea trade Randal Mardeth, G.R. Become the next Regent of Oroden 1st in line to Regency of Oroden Drink and carouse to an early grave Baron Grax Mardeth Frame Randal, become Regent of Oroden 4th in line to Regency of Oroden Expand into Pillar Steppes, subjugate Giant Mantises Elder Warrior Galissa Fistcloud Sack, pillage and burn Oroden, in that order Ruler of Rozoden Unite the 7 Dwarven Kingdoms into an Empire Mother Tsi-Gik-Brak Destroy the Sky Pillar Chief of Skyfire Tribe Spread heresy Prince Edmond Kortano Get rid of Esmeralda Kortano Guild Master of Fair Mail Guild Build a better, cheaper airship Morrigan The Fey Infiltrate House Kortano Conspirator of the Winter Court Unite Twilight Sea city states against Spitesreach Shady Steve Expose the Guild of Whispers Florist, poison vendor Write a novel

94 Appendix B: Blast Templates Appendix B: Blast Templates If you wish to use these, please photocopy these pages, print, cut and glue to cardboard or plastic.

95 Appendix B: Blast Templates

Coincidentally, Blast 6 template is about the size of a typical Gate. Also shown is the Gate Altar and a Gate Key, along with some key fragments.

96