Spoils of the Gorgon Coast: Contacts in Fallen Taurochtalia

While I do eventually intend to compile the whole of my cut content from Spoils of the Gorgon Coast into a proper module featuring the Ashen City and the fallen capital in all its glory, it feels beyond pointless for me to keep materials I had cut from the original draft of the book in some dropbox. For those not in the know, Spoils was nearly double the length we ended up going with; a mixture of cut content and my own purple prose. Those of you who enjoyed it, I suggest you indulge in Best Left Buried: Deeper when it comes to kickstarter within a week or so; as I was given a chance to write much of the geographical/faction/setting details and they're of my brand. 

What follows is a list of contacts in Fallen Taurochtalia, though in theory you could put them anywhere on the Gorgon Coast. There is one for each archetype of the original edition, as well as little randomizers to determine what it is they are up to. 

Blooded Mother Sidania (Believer)

Martyr that she is, Sidania dwells among the parasite lepers of the Plaza Gorgoneia, calling the slowly petrifying masses to the daily chant and sharing sanguine blood with new aspirants to the cult. She is a tall and narrow maiden of advancing age, dressed in crimson robes and iron rings on each finger meant to allow for ease of bleeding. Always worn around her neck is a gilded goblet embellished with patterns of sharks devouring serpents. It is her most precious treasure, a gift from an Inheritor, and when she sips from it she is under the influence of bloodscent towards whatever type of creature’s blood was imbibed. She knows the rites of chivalry and hospitality upon the Gorgon Coast, as well as the layout of many a Chalice Cult site. Sidania will never assist in acts against the Cult unless given ample cause to believe the targets are in truth members of the Dissident Choir. If properly bribed with “donations to the Cult” be it high art or the blood of monsters, she can open many doors in even the most far-flung faithful hamlets of the region.

[d6] What is Blooded Mother Sidania doing?

1. Writing correspondence to the Ordo Parasitium, offering tips on arson and fire starting.
2. Whipping a recent convert to the Cult of Chalices and collecting the blood from their back.
3. Throttling a Chalice Chanter, alleging them to be a Dissident Choir heretic.
4. Proselytizing to mercenaries and deserters with little success.
5. Warbling a song of prayer while peeling the skin from her fingers.
6. Reading coded correspondence, bitterness in her twitching eyes.

The Herald of the White Tower (Cabalist)

The slave of the Wizard, no amount of gilded thread or silvered lace upon his regalia will convince others he is anything more than a thrall. Behind a solemn chorus mask is the traumatized face of a young man, beholden to mind-shattering sorceries and dark rituals which put him the least among his peers in the other Duchies. If not for the wealth he commands by proxy, he’d be treated as the craven lunatic others think him to be. But none would dare openly disrespect the poor boy, for he is the Herald of the White Tower, and to insult him would be to risk the wrath of the Wizard who usurped the godhead. Those who have witnessed the Herald’s magic might think him merely a conduit, for his spells are accompanied by agonized screams. He dwells in the Manor of the Dogaressa, finding comfort in the abandoned libraries where old truths are enshrined. On warm days he visits the Plaza of the Ten to watch philosophers preach their knowledge. He is charged by his master to ensure whoever seizes the Blackened Throne of the Gorgon Coast will bow to the law of the Wizard; but disillusioned by the mercantile aspects of warfare he has found his attention drawn more towards attempting to preserve the arts of Ancient Taurochtalia before they are lost to war. He will pay handsomely for items of antique vintage. 

[d6] What is Herald of the White Tower doing?

1. Heading to the Tower Collegium as a puppet, eyes crackling with energy, 
2. Gripping at his brow, as if fearing his head might explode.
3. Wandering the streets in a frenzy, speaking in tongues, weeping.
4. Protesting in vanity towards sellswords, against the cruelties of war
5. Walking about and then immediately crumpling to the ground in seizures, their body rippling with white fettering energies.
6. Disrobed, pale, tired, contemplating self-harm; masks himself if noticed, fears being seen as anything other than the herald, but desires being seen all the same.

Salamach the Cyclops (Cut-Throat)

Born of the Dog-Men, Salamach is a hulking brute of a man with teeth made for rending bone and hands made for throttling the innocent. He has a bounty on his head from several notable and rival Inheritors, having earned their ire after stealing a broken helmet from the tomb of a fallen Imperator. Crafted from enchanted bronze, the shimmering blue metal obscures half his face; displaying instead an armored mask of coiling snakes around a single gigantic eye. He is unaware of its monstrous power, that should someone try to take his head he will become a slithering mass of serpents (as beetle flesh). None have been bold enough to try. By strength of arms and many enemies, Salamach has postured himself into the position of a crime lord and loan shark in Fallen Taurochtalia. He doesn’t care for the city, and would flee to foreign shores if properly incentivized. He trades in favors, kidnappings and public beat-downs, employing protagonists and sellswords to shakedown non-compliant entities. He is effective, producing brutalized abductees for a modest price. 

[d6] What is Salamach the Cyclops doing?

1. Throttling a smuggler with one hand, mocking their mother and crushing their windpipe, 
2. Taking in a fight between protagonists, laughing obnoxiously at the sound of brutalized meat.
3. Sleeping in a comfortable pile with several beautiful camp followers, their make-up smears staining him and one another.
4. Strutting through town with bawdy concubines, two on each arm. 
5. Ordering around smugglers while gnawing on a roast goose he holds in a single hand, 
6. Brutalizing a deserter for some imagined failure, popping their bones out of place.

Rigamella DiLemel (Dastardess)

The troubadours have sung her deeds for the past three years, the dastardess who collects the jawbones of rakish men, the duellist who humiliated a Jerrodine lord by removing her false beard and revealing his false claims, the brazen knave who rode naked through distant Junkai with the head of an ogre as her banner. The truth of any such deed is notably hard to improve, embellished as they are. She has returned, they say, to the Gorgon Coast so she might usurp an Inheritor and claim her rightful place as a new Dogaressa of a city-state. Of course she doesn’t seem to know anything about the Chalice Cult, so she cannot be from the Coast. Just as well, she’d have to be twice her age to have bested many of the rivals she claims to have done in. What is certain is her cunning and her grace, for she is built like an amazon and quick with a rapier. She will pay well for stories of ancient tombs and derring-do, and in her web of lies there may be truth of use.

[d6] What is Rigamella DiLemel doing?

1. Bragging proudly from atop a crate as troubadours sing of her deeds.
2. Engaged in a daring duel with a protagonist, learned eyes can note dulled rapiers wielded with grace.
3. Engaged in whimsical flights of fancy, generally involving leaping and laughter, 
4. Making a show of speaking to beggars about mundane things, for she is of the people.
5. Engaging mercenaries in braggadocios conversation about where she has fought before.
6. Getting her boots shined while practicing the Chalice Chant, butchering some pronunciations. 

Ferdinand & Isolde (Everymen)

As a middle-aged couple backed by the Bank of Calmyn, Ferdinand and Isolde are a villainous sort. They’ve come to the Gorgon Coast to further their fortune, purchase art and antiquities from plunderers, and potentially carve out a place to retire. They are thus far unimpressed; the parasite lepers and slimegorged creatures of the neighboring shoals have curdled their appreciation for the region. An encounter with blood-drinking flagellants and chalice chanters have only furthered their desire to see the region broken by “a more polite and civilized society.” Ferdinand is a short, thin man with a broom-stick mustache and a charm befitting a financial venturer; the sort of sly voice that can sell you the shirt you’re already wearing. Isolde prefers wearing elaborate dresses of fine lace and brooches of polished sea shells. Neither are prone to combat, but Isolde has shot more than a few debtors who fell late on their payments. To the average cryptdigger, the pair are agreeable, they will fund most ventures in exchange for a notable cut, and will share tactical information they’ve earned to Calmynite expatriates or shareholders of the Bank.

[d6] What are Ferdinand & Isolde doing?

1. Taking in a heavy, lavish meal and discussing business,
2. Inquiring the prices for breaking various limbs with a protagonist, 
3. Holding hands and acting obnoxiously coupled.
4. Grimacing at the sight of beggars, parasite lepers, and Chalice Chanters.
5. Engaging in ledger work and mercantile exploits with a quartermaster.
6. Inciting small disputes between camp followers and mercenaries based on wage discrepancies.

Monzamere (Freeblade)

Though his reputation seldom precedes him, no living beast-hearted fiend may kill Monzamere of Norui. A freeblade who has seen the world and fought across its fields of battle, Monzamere is a nearly ancient man of nigh-Dwarven proportions, his skin a weather beaten ebony, and his expression eternally pensive. Those who do know his reputation know he was exiled from Norui for some blasphemy. They call his blessing a curse, a sign of a coming age of monsters. He has come to the Gorgon Coast to seek another war to pass the time; and he heard rumor that all beings native to the region are “beast-hearted” in some manner. Monzamere does not care about the petty posturing of local lords, and no one can afford his prices for more than a few skirmishes. He dwells in the upper city, occasionally being courted by monster hunters and Inheritors who have heard whisperings of his prowess. Monzamere would easily be won in by legalists, should they be versed in the laws of Norui and able to see him return home.

[d6] What is Monzamere doing?

1. Commenting each move a protagonist will make in a street brawl right before they make them.
2. Cringing in annoyance at the sound of the Chalice Chant.
3. Grumpily eating a slice of fancy cheese on coarse country bread.
4. Sleeping in a plaza, naked, with a sign next to him reading "I am Monzamere, strike as you dare."
5. Effortlessly brawling with a gaggle of mercenaries, bashing them with ease.
6. Speaking with camp followers in search of hard-to-obtain spices no quartermaster would carry.

Hecuba Enande (Outcast)

Had they been born of nobility, Hecuba Enande would be among the Ordo Parasitium; and if rumors are to be true, they’d be vaunted among the Knights Basilisk by now. But Hecuba was born low, a thrall upon the slave ship Enande which toiled for pearls along the Gorgon Coast. Further misfortune saw Hecuba subjected with the afflictions of the parasite lepers, and for this they were cast overboard and into the drink. How Hecuba survived is not known, they speak of being awash in red, in fangs, and awakened in the harbor. Hecuba Enande dwells in the Old Slave Warrens, an outcast even among the parasite lepers. They hear a voice that heralds in a new age, in dreams it beckons them, and in the waking life it thrums through their body; like writhing worms. Hecuba’s grasp on reality is still salient, and vengeance propels them when it can. They want the taskmasters of the Enande brought to them in shackles, and they desire balms so their petrifying flesh does not slough off as painfully. They could be of use to a cryptdigger, strange visions aside, Hecuba knows well the cruelties of this region and their fellow outcasts will serve them in fear if plied. 

[d6] What is Hecuba Enande doing?

1. Ordering parasite lepers to attend to the Old Slave Warrens for "worship," 
2. Vomiting up serpentine worms and gazing madly at them. 
3. Gnawing away semi-petrified flesh off their person.
4. Consorting with bounty hunters, paying treasures for information on a slave ship.
5. Dragging a screaming deserter into a darkened alleyway.
6. Conversing with mercenaries about alleged criminals hiding in the Ashen City.

Bona of the Red Blade (Protagonist)

A degenerate spawn of a neighboring city-state, Bona fled the abuses of her family and took up residence in the ancestral villa of her line in the upper city of Fallen Taurochtalia. Her form is not broken or malevolent, save that in place of her right hand she has a long cutting appendage of fused bone and raw red meat. She is otherwise unremarkable, perhaps a bit tall and jaundiced in eyes, but generally bland. Beyond pawning off family heirlooms and drinking with mercenaries, Bona spends most of her time engaged in brawls or games of chance. She often finds herself awakening from drunken stupors in some sort of criminal entanglement. Those who can assist her in enjoying a life of debauchery and combat will find themselves with a shared pool of enemies; but also with an asset who knows the who’s-who of important figures in a neighboring Inheritor court.

[d6] What is Bona of the Red Blade doing?

1. Running from a gang of mercenaries; laughing madly, carrying a half-naked camp follower over her shoulder. 
2. Drunk off her gourd and asking everyone she comes across if they want to fight.
3. Passed out over a roast goose on the street.
4. Drunkenly trying to get a Chalice Chanter to teach her to dance.
5. Being too loud and obnoxious for this hour.
6. Defecating into a public fountain while chugging a bottle of wine.

Adreme Soccio Verte (Scholar)

Adreme Soccio Verte, a noted academic, currently on errantry in Fallen Taurochtalia, constructing a thesis on the influence of philosophers upon teeming masses of the violent and desperate which she has entitled “Transitional Eschatological Ethics.” Mercenaries and freeblades find her silent observations in the plazas of town to be intolerable. She has a habit of staring daggers into folk without seemingly intending to, though she believes those who claim this are overly sensitive for their violent line of work. She seldom speaks at length of her studies in a collegium of the Ten Sages, as she finds it pretentious to rest on the laurels of her alma mater; something she believes most of her peers are guilty of. Adreme has yet to properly see the horrors of war, though she has done ample interviews and studies with those who suffer from petty skirmishes. She has a deep understanding of the human mind if one can break through her ego. Notably, prior to pursuing this latest venture, she was notable in assisting those suffering from afflictions by way of therapy, drugs, and esoteric techniques. She does wish to see a battle up close and personal, but would sooner befriend mercenaries than hire them.

[d6] What is Adreme Soccio Verte doing?

1. Silently people-watching a group of mercenaries to their discomfort.
2. Asking too many probing questions to military deserters.
3. Interrogating the price of various "additional services" from camp followers, gets mad when they ask her if she's interested.
4. Listening to philosophers in the upper city preach the same tired points of human ethics.
5. Questioning a Chalice Chanter about rumors of a schism in the church, much to their anger. 
6. Engaged in polite banter with a quartermaster about being "in the thick of it" until things become uncomfortable.

Iago Herelake (Veteran)

Noted among the Dogaressa’s Guard for having survived a venture into the crypts beneath the Palace of Blackened Horns, Iago Herelake was struck partially maddened from the experience. His hair is a shock white and his flesh has become albinistic from what he encountered beneath, He was placed into a position where he would seldom encounter his peers after an incident where in a somnambulist trance, carved open the throats of his barracks bunk mates and painted a labyrinthine map with their blood. Iago seeks answers to what he saw beneath the Palace and he is haunted by nightmares of what will come if an Inheritor takes the Blackened Throne. Though formerly Chalice faithful, he has begun backing the Dissident Choir; viewing his former faith as complicit in a coming apocalyptic event. To cryptdiggers and freeblades, Iago is knowledgeable on most unpleasant subjects; but so overcome with fear, he is more likely to dissuade others from delving the crypts than fighting the darkness. He also believes the map he produced is that of a mythic underworld where something hateful seeks to escape.

[d6] What is Iago Herelake doing?

1. Nursing a bottle of wine and looking at the world through a deadman's gaze.
2. Polishing immaculate armor, not worn in years.
3. Errantly doodling a labyrinthine pattern in the margins of a book. 
4. Being pestered by mercenaries who believe he makes treasure maps.
5. Providing advice to military deserters and claiming they've made a wise choice.
6. Staring at a water fixture and mumbling to himself about "how deep and twisting it all must go..."

Class Contacts: The Fighter [d20]

Well, I was on my way to running a Dolmenwood game but my usual group is wanting to give Eberron a shot using Knave; so I'll likely be running it with my B-team crew once I've got the time and means; as well as the pdfs I backed in the OSE Kickstarter.

That all being said, expect some Eberron material in the future which will likely be done up in the same sort of style/tables as Rakehell. What follows isn't any of that stuff though, it's a list of randomroll contacts who have a bit more to them than just a mere sentence. These first twenty are related to the Fighter/Warrior archetype, and they operate under the assumption that your character has become an adventurer after participating in a conflict of some sort.

I, having used this before, gave any Fighter a number of rolls on this equal to their Charisma Modifier, with a minimum of 1 Contact. Rolling the same results multiple times increases the level of importance and favoritism the contact has for you, regardless of how you might view them. Best friends can sometimes make terrible enemies.

The Fighter Class Contacts [d20]

1. Your old commander, maimed and retired and bitter about both of those reasons as much as they're bitter about everything else in life. They want so desperately to see action again. They want even more desperately to find a reason to keep on living, should they not be able to find a warrior's death fitting of their life's work. You brighten their day, which makes the darkened hours all the drearier...

2. The quartermaster of your former company, now stuck in a job that barely uses their talents. They've grown bored, lax, and corrupt. Without challenges or thrills in life, there's very little point in giving a thought to their numbers. Nobody else check's their ledgers, and that makes their descent all the easier...

3. A mercenary, from a company you once worked alongside of. Knows the good jobs, but always doubts your valor and courage; as if you're somehow good enough friends for such playful banter. Has tried to hire you to work for their company before, but there's a good reason you never signed on...

4. An old enemy who has since fallen into neutral terms with you as the conflict which bore such ill-will is of little modern concern. Harbors no lingering spite but fears you planting a dagger in their back. Is utterly profit-minded now, though when they whisper your name to peers, it is hard to know their intent...

5. A chaplain who once roused your spirits in an hour of darkness. Now, sadly, disillusioned by conflict, clinging to their faith which they now view in tatters. Chastises your level of devotion, be it too high, too low, or not important at all. Wants so desperately for there to be a sign that all of this was worth it...

6. An old ally of yours who committed heinous war crimes in the field. They show no sign of any regret. Strangely calm and treats you like you're a true friend. They treat you like you were complicit in their horror show. They wear the face of a good citizen, but you see a fracture in that mask and something wicked deep beneath it waiting to emerge...

7. A minor lordling who has heard tales of the conflict and thinks you a good source of stories. Likes to play soldier, likes to get in the rough of it. Will get themselves killed trying to emulate your deeds or those of your superiors, as they lack a frame of reference or a friendship with death...

8. A knight who once used your companions and self as a means to gain personal glory; much to your suffering. Is terrified of the many deaths caused by such avaricious gloryhounding may be revealed and see him undone. Assists out of fear you might blackmail them, certainly not a true friend...

9.  A young watchman, the first person who saw you when you came back from the war. Hasn't been to war proper, but knows they might get sent someday. Genuinely kind company, but treats you with a gentle and distant touch; like you're a hound that's been beaten one too many times, not a person.

10. A once cruel officer who saw you take the lash, but now home from the war has shown themselves to be a pleasant person with a loving family. They speak of the war and their actions only when asked, and do not dwell in glory or lies. They do not take back their actions, they were right at the time. They treat you like you're lost, like you don't get how things are now...

11. A deserter, ever apologetic for having left the night before that devastating massacre. Lives in fear of being outed for their flight, lives in shame for their cravenness. Is well-connected and living under a false name, just wants to be left alone but is burdened to you by their own guilt...

12. A bilious wandering judge who had once hired you to keep them safe from "the rabble" and "the riff-raff." Loves to blather on about precedent and law, and always seemed to care more about profitable interpretation than just ones. Brought you around so your might could make right...

13. The plague doctor who kept you in quarantine upon your return, probing and peeling at your flesh for sake of "the community" and a fear of war-time contaminants. Trusts you because you were "clean", somehow thinks of you as a grand old friend. Is always announcing you when they see you by saying "And this is my friend..."

14. Local "monster hunters," really a couple reckless youths who seem to know their local legends and possess a nearly perverse desire to risk their lives in combat against the unknown. They're so impressed by everything about you and want you to show them the ropes, but they're very dismissive as well. They will end up charlatans, surely...

15. A troupe of lepers who have heard of your deeds from others who have passed through their ill-treated brotherhood. They linger on the fringes of the roads, but they know the nature of your soul at a glance and deem you a fair-weather friend in worthy of protecting; for so few are ravaged by conflict and decide to keep moving forward...

16. Your sibling who went off to fight in the same war, at your side even, but who has lost their way since the end of the conflict. They have readjusted to society by telling tall tales and exaggerating their actions to scales both grand and minute. They rouse to anger quickly, brought down only by the weight of their shame for not weathering it as well as you have, or with the numbness dolled out by the oblivion-seeking sips of a bottle...

17. A corpse-picker who once helped you bury the body of a friend. They lent you a sip from their lucky flask and allowed you to vent your rage and your sorrows. They promised not to take his boots, because its harder to do that when they see someone cared for the body. They always seem to know a buyer from something...

18. A camp follower, to whom you spent many nights with in comfort despite vows or promises made to anyone before you left. They know things are different now that you're not out warring. They try their best to not act like anything you had with them was real...

19. A maligned caster of spells from some cloistered tower or institution, who sees in you a capacity do what needs doing in the world. They speak pompously, seldom with kindness in their tone, but they are always good for the money they owe. They want you to know that their reputation is embellished and hope you'll make a proper appraisal, if only so they might hear something new...

20. A local lord who has heard of your work and deeds, and considers you to be an appropriate rook to be used in combat with their enemies. Invites you to feasts and tournaments, but seldom will you two have a moment to speak. Their counsel makes it know you are utterly disposable as an asset, but when you and the lord have words it is clear they value some small bit of your world-view.

Dolmenwood by the Dozen: Grey Sally

Grey Sally

AC 9 [11], HD 2 (9hp), Att 1 × knife (1d4), THAC0 19 [+1 to Hit], MV 60’ (20’), SV D13 W14 P13 B16 S15 (M1), ML 6, AL CN, XP 45, NA Unique. 

• Mistress of Moppets: Grey Sally can control any raggamuffin moppets she can see, infusing them with an extra +1d4 HP and increasing their damage by one dice degree. Moppets outside her view are considerably weaker. 
• Hand of Pentacles: Grey Sally would prefer to read a person's tarot than fight them.
• Enemy of Clewdites: Grey Sally is considered to have Morale 10 when fighting against Clewdites and their plots.

Raggamuffin Moppet

AC 6 [14], HD 2 (7hp), Att 1 × slash (1d4), THAC0 18 [+2 to Hit], MV 60’ (20’), SV D12 W14 P14 B15 S16 (F1), ML N/A, AL C, XP 30, NA 1d3.

• Surprise: Hides as discarded strands of cloth and fabric, surprise on a 1-4 when not expected.
• Immunities: As animated fabric, moppets are immune to psychic damage, poison, and most forms of enchantment which boggles the minds of victims. 
• Flammable: Fire damage does double damage.
• Lightweight: Raggamuffin moppets can levitate and move double when caught in a breeze. They are easily blown away by gusts of wind.

Sally of the Old Wold wasn’t always so grey, she was a pretty thing once; she walked the path of many colours and experienced the glens and fells of the Dolmenwood in the ways that only a wanderer and friend to the Elflands can. She was a prismatic soul, and any bit of good fortune that shined upon her would be reflected in beautiful fortune upon all those who witnessed her. She had a dance in her step and a laugh to her voice which would remind a young man of why he must live and an old man of why life was worth living.

This was before she made herself an enemy of the Clewdites. The incident was stricken from the records as anything more than just some “woodfolk knave” the wizards encountered on the road. She cannot speak of it, but those who can see magic note the sight of many a baleful polymorph upon her person; scars on her back almost look like the screaming faces of frogs. No one cared about what these wicked men did; they held true power in the arcane and the ear of the Bishop of Brackenwold; they were of power. She was not.

Her friends in the Elflands, who once watched her dance and sing and sway through the woods, offered her a means of revenge in exchange for the last vestiges of her lingering joy of who she was once. The elfs stole away her colors, her skin, her hair, her eyes; all that she wears, all that she eats; a somber ashen shade of grey. Her voice now monotone, unfit to sing; no laughter to be had, only a small smile and a wicked glint to her eye when she plays with the boon she gained in exchange. She dresses in drab black, with ribbons of grey around her neck and in her hair. She seems drained and tired, angry and drowned in a distant violence.

Grey Sally wields the Hand of Pentacles, a gift the faeries pilfered from the Clewdites; a suit of cards from a tarot deck. When she displays the cards aflot in the air, they are struck by wicked powers from the beyond. She’s thus far used these cards to shift the fates of rogues and agents she sends to abuse the Clewdites. In exchange for threads and hairs from the Clewdites, she’ll change your fortunes too. The Pentacles do strange things to the Future, by revealing something wicked in the past and forcing a strangeness in the present.

Those who know themselves a proper tarot will notice she does not ever draw the Knave of Pentacles, the card itself kept bound in cord made from the stolen threads. She uses it with a whisper of words, “Such colors,” she says; and any latent clothing in her environs springs to life as a raggamuffin moppet.

She can be found anywhere in the wood, often upon the road in her derelict and half-destroyed wagon.

To have a player receive a reading from Grey Sally, roll a d12, three times and assemble the notes below. The words in bold, if she speaks with emphasis, causes a change to the character’s past, force motion to the character’s present, and change the character’s future; if so desired. Fortune telling is a fickle practice after all.

The Past Card [d12]

1. The Ace of Pentacles. “You come from a place of plenty, but of ignorance, innocence. You hurt someone, and not someone you realized you were hurting. You denied them a chance of the plenty by your ignorant wicked ways.”

2.  The Two of Pentacles. “You have long struggled under the shadow of another in your life, they have prevented you from being your true self. You are still under their sway, whether you’re willing to admit it or not.”

3. The Three of Pentacles. “You have a talent, a skill, a reason to be respected. But you are undone by a moment of assumed banality, you know this moment was misread. But it lingers, it weighs upon you.”

4. The Four of Pentacles. “In a moment of dragon-sickness, of greed; you put yourself above another. They know you did this, and they do not forgive you. No matter what it is they’ve said, they still hold a hatred in their hearts.”

5. The Five of Pentacles. “Oh, no. I’m sorry. Your life has been grim and hard fought. Your indecision, however, has caused further harm. You prolonged the suffering you’ve been in, to your own pain and that of another…”

6. The Six of Pentacles. “You had a period of great need and stress, and few were kind during it. You know who your true friends are, at least...you believe this to be true.”

7. The Seven of Pentacles. “You’ve made poor commitments, and the damages of which still haunt you. I cannot say what it is you should do, but I am sorry for your burdens.”

8. The Eight of Pentacles. “You have long worked upon a skill, upon a craft of sorts… Patience however, rewarded you nothing. Just more toil. Things will change, in time.”

9. The Nine of Pentacles. “My how comfortable you have come to be. But your old fear, it knows you. It is waiting. It has not engaged with you yet, it wants you to suffer truly for having thought it a distant memory.”

10. The Ten of Pentacles. “The affluent, the wealthy, the powerful. You have long suffered by the hand of the rich. They know you revile them, even if you might desire to stand among them. They are planning something….something wicked.”

11. The Knight of Pentacles. “Through stubbornness or being set in your ways, you have courted disaster. The current travails you face are born from this sense of self, which is entirely misplaced.”

12. The King of Pentacles. “ You indulged too heavily in earthly delights, and now you have many an enemy who saw your actions and wish to put you to ground as a result. Such is the price of any pleasure in this world, yes?”

The Present Card [d12]

1. The Ace of Pentacles. “You find yourself in a place of flowers, of wealth, of glory and pride. You will hurt someone by gaining such treasures. What matters from now, is if you’ll care?”

2.  The Two of Pentacles. “You have learned how to balance the many issues in life, or at least how important it is to do such a thing. Others will disrupt your balance, unless you can find a way to make them live in your shadow.”

3. The Three of Pentacles. “You are skilled in your workings, but another views you as a worthless degradation on the craft. They challenge you, even if only to your back. None will take you seriously with this issue in play…”

4. The Four of Pentacles. “Huh. Curious. The Pentacles say there is great fortune on your horizon, material wealth that will test your morality and your mental acumen. We will see what such wealth does to you…”

5. The Five of Pentacles. “I am...so sorry. Your love, your faith in another, will be tested and likely lost. You will lose your security, and your purpose. But in doing so, perhaps you will find your true purpose yes? Let us draw another card…”

6. The Six of Pentacles. “You’re finding your balance, this is good. Many are imbalanced. But you will be tested. Desire will challenge your vigilance, and you must determine that which you will be bound to forever more…”

7. The Seven of Pentacles. “Your commitments are misplaced but you are young enough on the road to take the forest for the trees. Be careful how you invest your emotions and your energy, lest it be misspent.”

8. The Eight of Pentacles. “Hmm…. You will be granted a chance of work, work that will really show you to be what you are. But it may also spell your death, or worse; your infamy, if not properly handled….”

9. The Nine of Pentacles. “ Fatal proximity to danger is fast awaiting you, and you are ignorant. You must be wise and sophisticated quickly, lest you fall to an uncertain and wretched doom.”

10. The Ten of Pentacles. “Family, however that is defined by you, is at the root of this card. Family will distract you from proper gain, but in denying family you may lose them. Is family worth more than riches to you?”

11. The Knight of Pentacles. “You have a chance to grapple with radical truth. You will be confronted by those who deny such truths to you, and you must ask yourself if truth is worth the violence it takes to attain, yes?”

12. The King of Pentacles. “You have a potential for great wealth, for a crown, for all your joys on the horizon.  You will encounter great misery before you attain any of this. Will it be worth it?”

The Future Card [d12]

1. The Ace of Pentacles. “You will be forced to make a terrible sacrifice, losing much of what you hold dear. Others will be richer for it, healthier for it; alive for it. You however, will be forever broken, to save them. I could invert this, if you wish. Others will suffer, your friends will suffer, for your wealth and health.”

2.  The Two of Pentacles. “You will find self-actualization and care for the self, but you will break the wills of others and make them serve you. I could invert this, but then you would be lost to ignorance so others might have a sense of self.”

3. The Three of Pentacles. “You will be a master yourself, if you make this your only focus in life. However, I could change this for you… If you abandon your crafts to live a life of indignity, many new masters will rise to fill your place. One or the many.”

4. The Four of Pentacles. “You will be awash in wealth, but if you spend it you will fall. You would have to be cautious, but if you were of a wiser sort I could invert this. You would have little in coin, but the friendship of many would easily come to you.”

5. The Five of Pentacles. “You will find the end of your quest, and the long journey you’ve faced will end. But you will be destitute and troubled forever more once this task is completed. I’m sorry. I could change this. If you abandon hope now, you may find joy in other places in your life.”

6. The Six of Pentacles. “You shall have joy, bountiful joy! But...it can so easily be taken away, and in knowing this, your joy will ring hollow. I can change this of course, a swoop of the card my friend, don’t worry. But then all you will have is security against your rials and unending envy for this joy denied.”

7. The Seven of Pentacles. “You shall have your desires, but you must flee! Flee and leave this life behind! Your new life shall be better, yes? If not, I can change this. I can defy fate for you. You will remain in your comfortable place, but be scorned by your desires. A terrible fate, but man can adapt yes?”

8. The Eight of Pentacles. “You will have the trophies you so desire, deep in your heart. But lo, such vanity will see you suffer. I can change this. You will know only the void of failed ambition, but find comfort in cunning and skill you’ve yet to let flourish.”

9. The Nine of Pentacles. “You will choose not to act upon your power at a critical moment. Perhaps you are a coward, or perhaps you will find yourself so easily seduced to comfort. With a twist of this card, I can change your fate. You will act upon your power, but the future will be then uncertain and filled with rivals.”

10. The Ten of Pentacles. “As I draw this card, you will have wealth but no love. I can change this, perhaps you will find value in having love without wealth. The choice is yours, friend. An empty heart or an empty purse.”

11. The Knight of Pentacles. “The Knight demands action. You will carry on in a vicious cycle, perpetuating it and not questioning why. This can be shifted, but in your questioning and denial of the cycle, you will find yourself riddled with mysteries.”

12. The King of Pentacles. “I beg your pardon, but your ego will lead you into misery and hedonism. You will care for status over the self. I can change this, I can save you; but in doing so you will deny yourself joy, for the betterment of others and for lackings of the self.”

What about the Queen of Pentacles? Grey Sally has to keep it close to her heart so as to stave off the numbness which has so depleted further joy from her life. It demands further vengeance on the Clewdites, and it makes her feel content in her unnatural pallor.

Regarding Vagabonds & Clewdites

To wizards who are of an organized look (i.e. they don’t look like weirdos proper), she’ll be terse and cold. If they make it known they’re Clewdites, she’ll sic her beautiful raggamuffins moppets upon them when she has the upper hand. She cannot stand the Clewdites, and really anyone from Castle Brackenwold is deserving of pain as far as she’s concerned.

Helping Grey Sally

Grey Sally, if given time in the company of women who are kind, wizards (or Clewdites) who are genuinely empathetic and helpful, and the presence of Vagabond men who attempt to reconcile her distance from the culture; Sally will come to realize she’s poisoned herself with vengeance. She is still rightfully hateful of the cruelties she has suffered, but she will realize she has allowed such wicked men to continue tormenting her by making her a crueler person. If Grey Sally is given a token from the Duke of Yellow, her color will return and she will again become a happy person. She will give gladly, the full Hand of Pentacles, Knave and Queen included, to whoever can arrange this situation.

If Grey Sally is helped and the Hand of Pentacles taken, she will return to a life of isolation and enjoyment of the wilderness. If the party ever asks for her, she will bring her wagon to them as quickly as she can, with fresh and pungent mushroom-curry stew brewing for the enjoyment of her friends.

Killing Grey Sally

If killed, none will take real notice or care. If killed with the Clewdites aware their viciousness has been noted, they will seek to reward and corrupt the party into their debt, so as to never speak again of their abuses of magic upon a young woman in the woods.

Next Up: Brian got a full time gig, so things are a bit backed up, I have many more cats mostly finished, as well as a Vagabond class for Dolmenwood, and an adventure scenario for ratlings.