Wyrd

The Descent

The Wyrdsong is calling.

The doom of Magik is upon you.
It lures you into the dark places of the world.
Dark Hollows, the abode of ancient Horrors.
Horrors waiting to claim your soul.
But do not go quietly.
For you are Wyrd now.

E.J. Taylor

2020 . 1.2
 Wyrd: The Descent

Contents

You Will Need 2

Hollows 3

Horrors 4

Scavenge 6

Press on 7

The Descent of Ban 9

Glossary 11

Reference 13

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 Wyrd: The Descent

You Will Need

1D100 (B) to accumulate Bones. Set this to 0.

1D20 (F) showing your Faith. Set this to 20.

1D12 (E) to determine Encounters.

1D8 (A) for your Assays.

1D4 (R) your Runestone. Set this to 1.

1D6 (M) to track your Magik. Set this to 6.

A Pen

Paper

Fifteen Generations have passed since the last Great Wytch Hunt. Fifteen Generations
have rejected Magik.

They forced you into exile, banished to die beyond the World of the Living.

But they were ever ready to accept your help in times of need. For Horrors always sought to
devour them, so concerned were they with their vain and base instincts.

But now the poison of Magik has crept upon you. You helped too much. You delved too deep,
you reached too far into the abyss of Chaos. And now, you have become Wyrd. You have been
taken by the Demons that inhabit that Realm of undying change.

You must die or be submitted to the eternal torture of Possession.

But the Demon will not let you

escape. It will not let you die.

Only the Horrors you once fought to

destroy can provide the succour of
restful slumber now.

Follow the Cycle of Despair through Hollows &

Horrors, Scavenge & Press on, until you have rid
yourself and this World of your Demon.

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 Wyrd: The Descent

Hollows
Twisted Forests, Broken Mines, Fetid Swamps, Crumbling Caverns, and Forgotten
Graves. The Dark Corners of the World that the Living have long fled are now filled with
Ancient Horrors, all waiting to claim more souls to feed their unrelenting hunger. It is to
these Bleak Hollows you must venture to find your peace.

Your Descent into Darkness begins in a Vulnerable Hollow with three exits. Move quickly to determine what
Horrors await you there.

It would be wise to draw a map of your passage. It may prove useful as you stumble through the wilderness.

If you have passed into an undiscovered area however, roll (E) & (A) to see where you find yourself:

(E) Hollow Exits1 (A) Deviance

1-2 Gloomy Passage Always 1 You may Encounter up to 3 Horrors here.
1-4: 0 Exits
3-4 Claustrophobic You may Encounter up to 6 Horrors here.
5-8: 1 Exit
1-4: 1 Exit
5-7 Vulnerable 5-6: 2 Exits You may Encounter up to 9 Horrors here.
7-8: 3 Exits
Blood will awaken this lost Shrine. Assay (A) your Prayers any
time you destroy Horrors here:
1: Horrors Encroach (Roll (E) for Horrors)
1-4: 0 Exits
8-9 Forgotten Shrine 2-3: +1 Faith (F)
5-8: 1 Exit
4-5: +2 Faith (F)
6-7: +3 Faith (F)
8: Silence
If you have a Map Fragment and the Vault is clear, you may
uncover a single Bloodstone. There are no more to be found here
10 Ancient Vault Always 0
after that. If your Magik (M) falls to 0, consuming your
Bloodstone will immediately restore your Magik to 6.
When you enter a Lair of Horrors, more Horrors will appear
1-4: 1 Exit
immediately after the first are destroyed. If you survive,
11-12 Lair of Horrors 5-6: 2 Exits
Scavenge twice. Fear not, this Lair will remain empty after such
7-8: 3 Exits
ruin.
1 Additional Exits to the way in. Amend as necessary to fit the map.

Now, what Horrors lurk in these dark places of the world?

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Horrors
Savages who have never received the Light of Civilisation, Beasts untamed beyond the
borders of the Living, the echoes of Spirits long cursed to rot, and ever the whisper of some
new menace that emerges from the depths of the Underworld itself to drag the Living into
the Darkness.

The Horrors of this Dark Age are many and endless.

Roll (E). This is the number of Horrors in this Hollow.

If (E) is greater than the limit of Horrors you may encounter in the Hollow you are in, this Hollow is
suspiciously empty. There is nothing here for you to Scavenge, Press on.

Magik burns within you.

It is a curse of Chaos itself, a tendril that gropes around in the Darkness to claw its way
into Reality. It has bound itself to you, using you to seep into the World. For those who
survive its poison, it can be forced into a tool with which the very Elements of Reality can
be manipulated.

But it is a part of you now, it has entwined itself within your soul. Exerting Magik is as
though letting your own blood. Should the flow of Magik within you ever expire, so shall
you.

It will take time and rest to allow this poison to seep back into your veins from Formless
Chaos itself. Many have died exerting Magik beyond their means, but many have achieved
wonders beyond the darkest imagination of the basest creature.

Assay (A) any Horrors against your current Magik (M).

If (A) is less than or equal to (M) then you have destroyed a Horror with some gruesome Magik.

Reduce (E) 1.

If (A) is greater than (M), the Horrors strike.

Reduce (M) 1. Do not reduce (E).

An Assay (A) of 1 always succeeds.

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 Wyrd: The Descent
Runestones.
Another damned relic of the Silver Age. Their
history is long forgotten, purged from memory for
the sake of sanity.
But you carry one. A bitter heirloom of the Wyrd,
handed down from Elder to Acolyte only in direst
need.
Cold to the touch and greasy in the palm. It is a
stone of incomparable hardness and
uncompromising polish.
Runestones burn your mind and claw at your
senses, leeching the Magik from your soul.
Master it, unleash the Magik it has stolen from you.
You may flee for your sorry life at any time.
Reduce (M) 1 and return to the Hollow you came
from.
You may never flee back into a Hollow you have
just fled. They are waiting, and will re-appear if
you should ever return here until they have been
destroyed.
You may burn Faith (F) to decrease your Assay (A):
Reduce (F) by the number needed to lower (A) </=
(M) and reduce (E) 1.
Faith cannot be used on an Assay of 8.
Faith may never be reduced lower than 1 and if it
falls to 1, you may not use any Faith to modify your
rolls until it has been replenished higher than 1.
5
When Assaying (A) your Magik (M) against
Horrors, if your Assay (A) is less than your Magik
(M), you may choose to store this effort in your
Runestone (R) instead of destroying a Horror.
Increase your Runestone (R) 1.
When your Runestone (R) = 4, you may choose to
unleash its power instead of Assaying (A) your
Magik (M).
Roll (R), the result is the number of Horrors it has
destroyed. Reduce (E) by (R) and reset (R) to 1.
When (E) = 0, you have cleared this Hollow of its
Horrors.
You may proceed to Scavenge their corpses...
If (M) should ever fall to 0 however, you have died.
Legends remain of Dark Sacrifices, Powerful
Artefacts and Enslaved Worshippers, all corralled
into the service of the Sage to augment their
Tyrannical Magik.
If such whispers were ever true, their secrets have
not survived.
Devote yourself to the Old Gods.
They watch from beyond the realm of mortal
comprehension. Whether they reward Faith or feed
on fell deeds, the end is always the same.
Blood. More blood.
 Wyrd: The Descent

Scavenge
A Life of Exile has taught you that nothing must be wasted or cast aside. Everything has
a use.

Horrors may hoard just as any other sorry creature that inhabits this World.

If they are dead, they no longer need these Things.

Bones, small iron bars clipped into size which gives them the appearance of de-fleshed
knuckles, are perhaps the most useful Thing of all. It is a common currency amongst those
who still cling to what they call Civilisation.

Once you have destroyed Horrors, scavenge their remains with (A):

(A) Thing Effects

1 Nothing -
2-4 Bones Roll (A) for amount and add to (B).
Only one can be carried at any time. They may be left in Hollow they were
found in to recover and use later.
Medicinal Herbs may only be used in a clear Hollow.
Assay (A) on use.
5-7 Medicinal Herbs 1-2: +1 Magik (M)
3-4: +2 Magik (M)
5-6: +3 Magik (M)
7-8: +4 Magik (M)
Medicinal Herbs are consumed on use and may never increase (M) past 6.
Hold onto this and use it to recover a Bloodstone from a clear Vault. Though
8 Map Fragment
it is useless after one Bloodstone is uncovered. As is the empty Vault.

Having picked the corpses clean, Press on. You are not free yet...

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 Wyrd: The Descent

Press on
Once a Hollow is clear, and there is nothing more to be scavenged, passing through any exit into an
undiscovered Hollow begins the Cycle again.

If you choose to retrace your steps into a previously cleared Hollow, Assay (A) your Magik (M). If (A) is
greater than (M), Horrors have caught your decaying scent and ambush you.

Roll for how many Horrors you Encounter (E), ignoring any Hollow limits. These Horrors may be scavenged
after they are destroyed.

This cycle has sent many into madness, and only grim whispers return from it. It is easy to get lost in such
a Dark Descent. Should you believe there be nowhere left to run, quiet your mind and Assay (A) your Magik
(M). If (A) is less than your Magik (M), a previously Concealed Exit presents itself to you, the Chaos of
Horrors must have distracted your attention before.

Press on.

Faith (F) may be used to modify this Assay (A).

Should your Assay (A) fail however, you may not try again here. There is nothing there to be found. Look
elsewhere for another way through a Dead End.

Through your Descent:

Amass Bones. Your body may yet be found, and such trinkets put to use.

But remember...

Those infernal Horrors deserve nought but to join you in Eternal Damnation.

Take as many as you can.

You trudge through the Hollows, enticing more and more Horrors out of the shadows.

It is not easy work, but the Demon that claws at your mind refuses to let you lay down
and die. For if you do, without a host, it will be dragged back into Chaos, devoid of any
Worldly Delights.

You must be killed. And You must Hurry.

The Darkness that is consuming your mind gnaws at you, devouring your sanity. But
through the haze of dreary consciousness you begin to doubt.

Did you leave something important behind...?

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Wyrd: The Descent

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The Descent of Ban

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 Wyrd: The Descent

After spending a lifetime banishing Horrors from the world of the living, Ban
has finally succumbed to the Wyrdsong. She enters a Vulnerable Hollow with
three exits.

Rolling (E) comes up with 12. The Hollow is empty as there may only be up to 9 Horrors in a
Vulnerable Hollow.

She must Press on, heading West.

Ban rolls (E) & (A). A 1 & 6. A Gloomy Passage with only one exit awaits.

Rolling (E) again gives Ban only 1 Horror to deal with.

Ban Rolls (A). 1. The Horror is obliterated, regardless of Ban’s (M).

Rolling (A) for her Scavenge comes up with 8. A Map Fragment. Ban holds on to this.

She can now either go back to where she entered the Hollows or Press on. Ban heads South, determined to
continue.

A 5 & 5 on her (E) & (A) sees Ban in a Vulnerable Hollow with 2 Exits.

An (E) of 5 confronts her with 5 Horrors. Her first (A) is 7. She burns 1 (F), taking her to 19 (F) to reduce her
(A) to 6 and destroy a Horror.

The remaining 4 are similarly dealt with but leave Ban with only 17 Faith. Ban Scavenges the remains of
the defeated Horrors. Her (A) is 5, Medicinal Herbs. She takes these with her East.

An (E) & (A) of 12 & 5 means a Lair of Horrors. Ban rolls 12 again with (E). 12 Horrors await her in their
Lair.

Ban is confident with 6 Magika and 17 Faith, but her first Assay (A) is 8, reducing her (M) 1 without the
option to burn (F). She panics, fleeing the overwhelming number of Horrors.

Returning to the Vulnerable Hollow she had just left, her (M) is reduced to 4. An (A) of 4 means that no
Horrors have crept back in here. Ban uses her Medicinal Herbs. Rolling an (A) of 2 means that she only
recovers 1 (M). Losing her nerve, Ban explores South rather than facing the Lair again.

Fortune bestows a Vault upon Ban. But she burns 7 (F) to destroy the 4 Horrors lurking there. Now the
Vault is clear However, Ban uses her Map Fragment to unearth a Bloodstone.

Her confidence restored, Ban returns to the Lair of Horrors. A fresh roll of (E) allows Ban to deal with the
first set of Horrors. But the second wave reduce Ban to 0 (M). She consumes her Bloodstone to restore (M) to
6 and finish off the last of the Horrors.

Two Scavenge rolls of (A) give Ban 4 Bones and some more Medicinal Herbs.

Ban eventually comes across a Forgotten Shrine, and destroying the Horrors who have defiled it, Ban Prays
to the Old Gods who grant her 3 more Faith with which she can continue to descent into the Darkness of the
endless Hollows...

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 Wyrd: The Descent

Glossary
Assay (A) D12

A test. Roll (A), a D8.
Bloodstone
An ancient Sage artefact. When in possession of a
Map Fragment, a Bloodstone may be unearthed in
a clear Vault. When consumed, restores Magik (M)
to 6, this may be during an Encounter with
Horrors.
Bones (B)
Currency used amongst the living. Track your
accumulation during Scavenges with (B), a D100.
Chaos
The unknowable beyond. A shifting immaterium
and source of Magik.
Cycle
The Cycle progressed through to achieve release
from your Possession. Hollows, Horrors, Scavenge
and Press on. Repeat until dead.
D4
A die or dice with 4 total sides. Used as your
Runestone (R).
A die or dice with 12 total sides. Used to determine
the number of Horrors you encounter (E), or the
type of Hollow entered (E).
D20
A die or dice with 20 total sides. Used to track your
Faith (F).
D100
A die or dice with 100 total sides. Used to track
your Bones (B).
Demons
Unnatural monsters born of Chaos. They ever seek
to claw into the Physical World.
Encounter (E)
A confrontation with Horrors. Roll a D12 (E) and
use this die to keep track of how many remain. (E),
the D12 is also used to determine Hollows.
Exit
A misnomer. There is no escape from the Hollows.
But you can delve deeper through here. Fit to your
Map.

D6 Faith (F)

A die or dice with 6 total sides. Used to track your Belief in the Old Gods. Keep track with a D20 (F)
Magik (M). and use this to augment your Encounter Assays
(A). Can be replenished at Shrines.
D8
Flee
A die or dice with 8 total sides. Used for Assays
(A). Sometimes alive is better. Reduce (M) 1 and go
back to the Hollow you came from. You cannot Flee
back into the Hollow you have just fled from.

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 Wyrd: The Descent
Hollows
Dark places of the world beyond the abode of the
Living. Here be Horrors. Determine where you
stand with (E) & the Exits with (A).
Horrors
Monsters. It is these you must entrust your
salvation to. Determine how many with (E).
Lair of Horrors
A Hollow that Horrors have called home. Here you
must destroy two waves of Horrors, but you may
gain twice as many rewards.
Magik (M)
A secret and rare type of stone presenting properties
An elemental force that can manipulate the
Physical World. Exert it too much and you will
die. Keep track of this with a D6 (M).
Map
It would be wise to plot your progress through the
Hollows so you do not get lost. This can be done
with pen and paper. Adapt the Hollows so that
the exits match.
Map Fragment
Although the language of the Sage is long lost,
their drawings of where they hoarded their
treasures are readable to even the most illiterate.
This will lead you to a single Bloodstone in a
single Vault.
Medicinal Herbs
The most called upon task for an exiled Wyrd is
healing. You may only carry one at a time, but
they can be left in a Hollow to come back to. Roll
(A) when the Hollow is clear.
12
Possession
A consequence of drawing too much
attention from Chaos. A common side effect
of using Magik. Once a Demon has taken
hold of your mind, the only release is death.
The Demon will not like this.
Prayers
A supplication to an Old God. Usually made with
blood to ensure attention. Can be conducted at a
Shrine after destroying Horrors there to restore
Faith (F).
Runestone
which soak up Magik from its environment.
Sage
The Ancestors of the Wyrd and legendary Magik
users.
Scavenge
The act of taking that which is no longer being
used. Much is lost in the Hollows and much can
still be useful. Bones, Medicinal Herbs and Map
Fragments you should covet the most.
Forgotten Shrine
A Hollow once dedicated to an Old God. A little
Sacrifice and Prayer should get their attention
again.
Vault
A Hollow that was once used to store the treasures
of the Sage. A single Bloodstone can be uncovered
here, consuming a Map Fragment.
Wyrd
The reviled descendants of the Sage. An insult, it
is correctly reserved for those who have become
Possessed by Demons
 Wyrd: The Descent

Reference

Dice
Bones Faith Encounter Assay Magik Runestone
(B) (F) (E) (A) (M) (R)
D100 D20 D12 D8 D6 D4

Cycle
1: Hollows 2: Horrors
Roll (E).
(E) Hollow Exits1 (A)
If (E) > Hollow limit, Press on
1-2 Gloomy Passage Always 1 Assay (A) against (M)
1-4: 0 Exits If (A) =/< (M), -1 (E)
3-4 Claustrophobic
5-8: 1 Exits If (A) > (M), -1 (M)
1-4: 1 Exit
-(F) to –(A)
5-7 Vulnerable 5-6: 2 Exits
(F) cannot be 0
7-8: 3 Exits
1-4: 0 Exits If (A) = 8, -1 (M)
8-9 Forgotten Shrine
5-8: 1 Exits To Flee -1 (M)
10 Ancient Vault Always 0 If (A) < (M), (R) may +1
If (R) = 4, Roll (R)
1-4: 1 Exit
Reduce (E) by (R)
11-12 Lair of Horrors 5-6: 2 Exits
7-8: 3 Exits When (E) = 0, Scavenge
If (M) = 0, You have died

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3: Scavenge 4: Press on
(A) Thing
Pass through an exit to discover a new
1 Nothing
Hollow (1)
2-4 Bones (B) + (A)
Medicinal Herbs Pass through an exit to a previously
5-7
(Carry 1 at a time) explored Hollow: Assay (A) against (M).
8 Map Fragment If (A) > (M) Horrors attack (2)

Things
Bones (B) Medicinal Herbs Map Fragment Bloodstone
A form of currency in Restores Magik (M) Use to find a Bloodstone When (M) = 0,
this Dark Age. in a clear Vault. Useless instantly consuming a
(A) +(M) afterwards. Bloodstone restores
1-2 1 (M) to 6.
3-4 2
5-6 3
7-8 4

Prayers
(A) 1 2-3 4-5 6-7 8
Response: Roll (E) for + 1 (F) + 2 (F) + 3 (F) Silence
Horrors

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