Example of Play

Published on 29.02.2016

One of the scenes that happened to our sample character

Ilareon after he arrived in Spencer Hill after his falling-out with
the Warrior Gwen was the one given in the Example of Play
below. It will give you a good idea of how the game feels at the
table.
Gamemaster: You suddenly wake up in the dead of the night.
You're not sure what woke you, but you are unable to go back
to sleep.
Ilareon: I'd definitely try. It has been a long day.
Gamemaster: You roll around for a bit, but to no avail. You
are wide awake.
Ilareon: Okay, I get up. What are my companions doing?
*looks around the game table, the other players shrug*
Gamemaster: You check the other beds, they're empty. The
door is halfway open as well.
Ilareon: What? Something bad must be going on for sure! I
slip into my robes, grab my staff and cautiously approach the
door. Do I hear anything?
Gamemaster: The tavern is completely silent.
Ilareon: I slip through the half-open door to avoid any
creaking noises, and make my way down to the tavern room.
Can I spot anything unusual? I have Low-light Vision and
Investigation.
Gamemaster: Roll 'em!
Ilareon: *dice clatter* "No, ..." But the + on my bonus dice
turn this into a straight "Yes, ..."!
Gamemaster: The main room of the tavern is dark, as usual
for this time of the night. Only the moonshine sheds some light
through the roof windows. A dozen Namegivers lie around—on
the floor near the fireplace, some still sitting at the tables with
their heads down. At first glance, this looks like a normal night,
some guests staying for the night. But yes, you notice
something unusual: there is no snoring whatsoever!
Ilareon: I'll approach the person closest to me, and touch it. Is
the person alive?
Gamemaster: No need to roll dice. The person is cold. There's
also a dark sticky liquid everywhere, looks like blood.
Everywhere.
Ilareon: Uh-oh.
Other Player: Turn on the light, man. You have a lightquartz
on your staff!
Gamemaster: Shhh, you're not there.
Ilareon: Nah, I prefer darkness right now. But I'll activate my
Lifesight talent to check if anyone in this room is alive. Here's
a Karma Point. *drops a token into the bowl in the middle of
the table*
Gamemaster: You concentrate and close your eyes, opening
them again with an altered vision. Walking through the room,
you check on all Namegivers. You quickly realize that no one
in this room—apart from yourself—is alive.
Ilareon: I'll be damned. Kneeling down near the fireplace, I'll
touch one of the dead guys and use my Converse with the Dead
talent. Let's find out what happened. *grabs dice*
Gamemaster: Just as you are about to touch the body before
you, you hear a creaking sound from upstairs. There's a
silhouette standing on the top of the stairs, staring down at you
with gleaming white eyes. It's Coryn, and she's grinning.
Ilareon: ...
Gamemaster: At the same time, the tavern door is kicked open
and a handful of thugs enter the room with swords drawn. They
are led by Gwen, the Warrior.
Ilareon: I'm out of words. But I'll point at the staircase, so he
can see for himself.
Gamemaster: Gwen
glances to the stairs for a
split second, but no one's
there anymore. He yells: "I
knew it. You are a Horror-
touched murderer. This
blood is on your hands!
DIE, FIEND! He rushes
towards you in a fast,
gliding motion, sword over
his head.
Ilareon: Ieeek! Can I
evade and make a dash
behind the bar?
Gamemaster: Let’s look at the modifiers. Gwen is Fast and a
skilled Warrior—that's two penalty dice. You're also kneeling,
which gives him an advantage. So, three penalty dice total.
Ilareon: Ugh, that's heavy. I'll need to burn Karma then. I'll
counter two of those dice and hope to get lucky. *dice clatter*
"No, but..."
Gamemaster: Very well. Gwen drops down on you, slashing
his sword across your back while you attempt a jump forward
towards the bar. However, he crashes into a table, turning it to
splinters. You make it behind the bar into cover, but you
receive a Wound.
Ilareon: I'll note a Slashing Cut under Conditions, marking it
as a Wound. I need to escape. There are dead bodies all over
the place and I am the only living person here. I'll end up dead
if they catch me. Where the heck are my companions?! *looks
around the table, receiving more shrugs from the other
players*
Gamemaster: The thugs and Gwen slowly surround the bar,
ready to take you on. What do you do?
Ilareon: Is there a trapdoor?
Gamemaster: There is, but it likely just leads into the small
cellar and nowhere else.
Ilareon: The damage is done. I think some more can't hurt. I'll
prepare a Bone Shatter spell for all of them.
Other Player: Good luck on that with only one point of Karma
left.
Ilareon: Let's see. I'll need three Karma to hit all five of them.
So I'm two Karma points short. I'd rather not use Blood Magic,
so that leaves me to spend more time preparing the spell. Can I
delay them for two turns?
Gamemaster: How exactly? Remember that you need to
prepare the spell at the same time. Anything you do will result
in penalty dice when casting the spell, in addition to the Wound
you’ve taken already. They are approaching the bar from all
sides.
Ilareon: I have to take that risk. I keep my head down while
preparing the spell and shout out to the Warrior as sincere as I
can: "Gwen, this is not what it looks like! You are all in
extreme danger!" I am Persuasive.
Gamemaster: I think that’ll do. The thugs and Gwen stop their
approach for a brief moment, then they advance with more
caution. Chairs are drawn aside, you hear them whispering.
Ilareon: Long enough for me to finish the spell?
Gamemaster: You get those two turns, yes. Gwen shouts back:
"Show yourself and talk, fiend! That's your only chance!"
Ilareon: Okay, I stand up and make cracking sounds. Can I
cast Bone Shatter on all of them?
Other Player: Oh damn!
Gamemaster: You get two penalty dice for your casting roll.
One for your Wound and one because you were talking while
preparing the spell.
Ilareon: *shakes dice* Come on... *dice clatter* "Yes, but..."
Phew!
Gamemaster: You stand up; the thugs and Gwen are very
close to the bar. You can't see all of them at the same time,
however, because they stand apart, blocking all your escape
routes. You have only four of them in your line of sight at all
times.
Ilareon: I make sure Gwen is among them.
Gamemaster: Your eyes meet as you release the spell. You let
your cracking sounds fade, as they are replaced by the cracking
of real bones—they fall Prone, screaming in agony! The
leftover thug stares at his companions in horror!
Ilareon: I run. Out. As fast as I possibly can. Out of town,
really. Where are my companions when I need them? *shakes
fist*
Gamemaster: You escape into the night!
Ilareon: *stands up* I need something from the fridge.
Anyone else?
Gamemaster: Meanwhile, the rest of you wake up. Combat
noise followed by terrible screams can be heard from the tavern
room. You notice Ilareon is missing.
Other Player: I head down as fast as possible, my weapons
drawn! *motions the rest of the group to follow*
Gamemaster: You approach the stairs down to the main
tavern. The tavern is well-lit by lightquartzes and candles. You
spot a Gwen and a few of his henchmen being treated by a
Questor of Garlen. Gwen is gritting his teeth in pain while
talking to the tavern owner and a couple of guardsmen.
Other Player: What about the dead people?
Gamemaster: There are none. The guests who had been
sleeping in the tavern room are awake now. Someone had
spilled a lot of wine, however, which looks a bit like
bloodshed.
Other Player: Let’s sneak out through the backdoor and find
Ilareon before anyone else does. He’s probably out
sleepwalking again…

Sample Character

The following character was played in one of our playtesting

sessions last year. As an elf haunted by his past, Ilareon is a
new arrival in Spencer Hill, a remote mining town on the edge
of the Caucavic Mountains. He hopes to find other adventurers
aiding him in his quest.
We'll use this character for an upcoming example of play,
which will also shed more light on some of the stats and
abilities you'll find in here.

Ilareon the
Haunted
Concept: Elf Nethermancer
Circle of Mastery:
Journeyman

Description
Ilareon has long black hair and
dark eyes. His stern look is
accompanied by a deep scar
on his right cheek, a testament
to the terrible events of his
past. He wears dark clothing
under a bright robe with a
legendary heritage and magic ability.

Drives
Where do you come from?
Kaer Dorzak was my home for many years. I had found my
love Coryn and had no desire to leave. When the kaer opened
its doors last year, a Horror woke from his waiting sleep. Kaer
Dorzak fell after all, but I escaped. The Horror is hunting me,
using Coryn as his avatar.
What do you want?
The official version is that I am in need of orichalcum. Spencer
Hill is the right place to get it. What I don't tell is that I have
proof that the legendary Staff of the Everdying is located in the
mines. I need it to free my beloved Coryn from the Horror's
claws.
What is stopping you?
The Horror that has possessed the love of my life Coryn, which
is haunting me since the events in Kaer Dorzak. A first
expedition into the mines failed because of that. Now there is
the Warrior Gwen, making me responsible for the failure of
that expedition. I should have known better than to get in
league with such a brainless thug.
What will you do?
I’d do everything short of selling my own soul to free Coryn
and get her back. I’d have second thoughts about betraying my
companions, but otherwise—the ends justify the means, right?

Character Tags
Body: Haughty
Personality: Eloquent and Arrogant
Edge: Persuasive
Flaw: Paranoid

Talents
Animal Possession*, Converse with the Dead*, Frighten,
Healing*, Lifesight*, Read/Write Magic, Steel Thought*

Spells
Animate Skeleton, Blood Servitor, Bone Dance, Last Chance,
Bone Shatter
Racial Ability
Low-Light Vision

Skills
Investigation, Riding, Tattooing

Equipment
Astral Sensitive Eye, Quarterstaff w/Lightquartz, Burning
Robe of the Scarlet Sea, Firestarter

Relationships
Gwen (Enemy): This human Warrior wants to get back at me
for the failure of the first expedition I took into the mines a few
weeks back. He’s always a few steps behind me, though.
Goron (Friend): On my way to Spencer Hill, I befriended this
dwarf. He won’t say what he actually wants there, because it’s
definitely not the metal he’s after. I enjoy our agitated
discussions, probably because we’re so different in pretty much
everything. And he’s sharp-minded, even though I wouldn’t
admit it.
Indan (Neutral): My favorite Travarian Merchant Amara put
me in contact with this aged human. He’s a local, but probably
knows his way around the mines.

Karma
Pool: 4
Points Available: 4
Conditions
Wound Slots: 2
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