The Bloody Hands REBIRTH: The Stone Crack'd, Part 10 - The Merchant & Marel's Site [Tricube Tales] [Gamemaster Apprentice Deck]
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| Arcane Order Scholar, Izzia Kor. Image © Dean Spencer. |
- "Previously..." and Campaign/Arc Summary
- Setting up the Final Segments of The Stone Crack'd
- The Stone Crack'd 10 — The Merchant & Marel's Site
- Doug's Commentary
- Mechanical and Story Notes
- Credits
Previously, on The Bloody Hands REBIRTH: The Stone Crack'd
After finding Clint's corpse, the team returns from Wyrmfathom in need of mental solace. Lidia has joined the team and thanks to magical bracelets is able to communicate more telepathically with Natalia to avoid some of the language barrier. The team has stayed for three days near The Oster Gate to help protect it while Felix gets his affairs in order. Now, they have set off for the final leg of finding the Marel family's holy site.
About The Bloody Hands Rebirth: The Stone Crack'd
The once great Khelia Empire has crumbled due to a long war between mages. Now, after five generations, the world is starting to rebuild. Arden Ulet leads his team - beast-master Jalmar Dax; Probationary Guardian and explosives expert Natalia Wilson; and the Scholar Izzia Kor - on an expedition across The Shallows, a vast plains long abandoned by the Arcane Order. Their goal is to find a magic site of potential once great power to help Arden to understand the lost ways of magic that the Arcane Order are working to stamp. Along the way, they encounter places of great power, ruined villages, long-term feuds, and other strange things.
Content Warning: Mostly fantasy violence with occasional dives into harder horror [including body horror and cannibalism]. Mild and infrequent substance use, often with a fantasy twist. This is a world where a lot of people suffered and died for many years even as it tries to rebuild itself.
This post is in the standard Doug Alone post style. See Anatomy of a Post for more details. The Image Oracles described in the post (gamemaster phases and mechanic notes, especially) are from the Guardians of the Shadow Realm one-sheet. They can be seen on the Tricube Image Oracles page.
Attribution for the tools and materials used—including the splash art—can be found in the Credits below along with some details.
Setting up the Final Segments of The Stone Crack'd
As we come towards the final couple of set-pieces for The Stone Crack'd, there are a small stack of details to work out: the site, the merchant, some interesting twists, and so forth.
First, though, Izzia has been a background character since his introduction in The Late Returners. I may have given him stats, I may not, but for now we will work these out for him.
Izzia Kor is a Crafty Arcane Scholar with Great Gasp of Lore but Cowardly.
Second, the rain will be back. It was mentioned a couple of sessions that the break in the rainy season was temporary. It probably should have been over once they returned from Wyrmfathom but romantic sunsets made my heart happy. We will pull an intensity card every couple of outside scenes to find out.
Third, let's work on building up first the merchant and then the Marel site.
THE MERCHANT
We know all the way back from The Stone Crack'd part 3 that the Merchant is a "miracle oil" seller coming from one place and going to a place. The place he is going is to Agthane which I created using the new Mythic Society Crafter — the old name was a bit of an odd mouthful so I dropped the "knee" from the end — and he will be coming from some city/town near the Arch, which is a gateway to a wilder, jungle-filled region near the coast.
With UNE we get 28 Pessimistic 36 Bum + 33 Unconcerned 87 villain whose motivation is 48 Advocate 77 Narcissism. Ok, that's an immensely complete picture. Using a couple of GMA cards we get [c99] Tane and [c113] Cameron.
Cameron Tane sells Tane's Miracle Beauty Oil which is supposedly made from select flowers and herbs cultivated at the Arch which he sells in Agthane to rich folks caught up in their constant quest of one-upping each other. The Oil is made up and he mostly just puts together various fruits and foul smelling leaves. He does get it from the Arch but his operation is a scam. When not selling rich people overly priced oil, he begs off pretty much any passerby. Bounces between depression and apathy.
Why is he stuck? What event is happening near Marel's site? 4,1 Rolling Log/Boulder + 2,2 Eerie Sounds. A bridge passed over the chasm where Marel's site is located but the floods have cause rocks to smash into the supports and make the bridge unsafe. While trying to organize his workers to back up and follow a path along the chasm until they can get to a new bridge, strange sounds started erupting up from down below. Most of the workers fled. Now Cameron is stuck with just a single not-great employee and a few wagons worth of vastly overpriced oil. Cameron could leave it, but someone might steal it or — worse — found out it is all a scam.
The Site and Its Inhabitants
I want there to be some fights and such here. So to generate the site's inhabitants will roll twice Dungeon Denizens and combine: 2,1 Demons/Imps and 2,3 Eldritch Horrors. This would explain the strange noises, I guess.
What, using UNE might be their motivation for being here: 26 Drive 93 Progress. They are trying to increase the gateway to their world. Are these the same entities as was spotted from "The Bloody River"? (Good) → [c93] Yes. Ok.
What current activities are they doing. We'll pull two runes from GMA and apply them a bit "loosely" if needed.
- [c97] ᛜ (Ingwaz): Monarch/Seat of Power. Control, answering to nobody; authority without implying justice.
- [c87] ᚷ (Gebo): Gift/Exchanges. Generosity, balance, contracts, relationships, partnerships.
They have some sort of leader, here. That leader is bringing in other factions to try and consolidate power.
I think that's enough to establish a plot. Chances are this is going to turn into a kind of mass combat very soon so the scene count might be low while the dice rolls might be high.
The Stone Crack'd 10 — The Merchant & Marel's Site
Setting the Scene. The Battle at the Chasm
The team approaches the edge of the chasm and contemplates what is nearby and inside.
Which direction does the chasm go? → [c65] North (and south) but the magic portion is towards the north.
Is there water in the bottom? (Even) → [c42] Yes.
Is the Merchant's stranded caravan on the same side of the chasm from which the heroes are approaching? (Even) → [c48] No.
How deep is the chasm? → [c19] 6. Let's put 5 at 50 feet and each step up around double. This would make it around 100 feet deep. Perhaps deeper in the more channeled out places.
How wide is the chasm? → [c99] 7. Double again. Around 200 feet wide. Pretty sizeable.
The old holy site is along the very northern end of the chasm, sunken down into the rock and turning the chasm into a multiple miles wide corridor building up to it. Water flows down the rocks to either side from natural springs, pooling up into a bayou like area with many weeds and plants growing down inside it. The aquatic other-worldly beings frolic in the murky water and then slither into it. Pale winged creatures have joined them. Beings from a different realm, both trying to avoid sunlight at the moment. The more rain, the more there can be. Brought together in a slow massing towards launching an invasion.
In front of the entrance to the temple is a compass of complex sigils in the ground. A plinth where the channeling stone used to sit has grown over with moss.
How many of the creatures are out during the day? → [c92] 4. Not a whole lot. They are definitely more busy at night. We'll say roughly d8. How much rain is there? → [c6] 9. A lot. So it's not just the sunlight that drives them since it's a full on storm right now. There is something going on inside.
The Invaders, Storm (d8): ☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐
The Battle at the Chasm
The lightning flashes the mid-day scene and relieves the gloom temporarily. The thunder only a breath away. The center of the storm is overhead. Four shapes move through the gloom. Up above in the sky, battling against the wind and rain, a fifth shape flies. Back on the ground, the shape near the front shakes its head. There's no good way to get a glimpse of what is going on in the chasm. This figure taps too fingers against its lips and a short while later, a raven-hawk flies down from the sky and lands on its shoulders. [1]
The figures are Jalmar, Arden, Natalia, and Lidia. Each cloaked against the storm and to provide some camouflage against the brown-gray expanse of the Shallows. The raven-hawk is Ruk, mind-melded to Jalmar. Another beast companion — Kif the monkey-dog — is half a mile away under a tent with Izzia. The scholar is comparing notes. He and the other four people each wear a silver bracelet that allows them to project their thoughts at a distance to other wielders.
Arden Ulet, Guardian of the Arcane Order, has brought the team here under suspicion than the old magical sites of Old Khelia are being infested with other-worldly invaders. They are not so much walking into a trap as a hungry bear's den. He wants to see what they are up against before they commit. Several small armies from Oster and Jorn are en route, set to arrive shortly. Izzia will help to guide them. Even better news, Vyryon Marel was found through the hard work of Wren Vane. The librarian still stationed near Lake Kalbarn and helping Arden in his plan to gather up a line of communication across the whole Shallows. [2]
Suddenly, the group hears a scream from somewhere out of the gloom. Arden points to Jalmar and the two start running forward, followed closely by Lidia and Natalia. [3]
As they near, they see a group of red cloaked figures. Members of The Bloody Hand? Between two members of the group is an old man who is trying and failing to struggle out of their grasp. A second man, in armor, is being tossed over the edge. The scream seems to have come from this second man whose throat is now cut as he tumbles down into the waters below. [4]
Jalmar slides to a stop and let's loose several arrows. One strikes home against one of the red cloaked humanoids causing the rest to realize there is a new threat. With speed, Lidia leaps a dozen feet forward while bringing down her sword. Her target flies back at great speed, cut in half by the immense strength of her sword swing. Arden dives to grab the old man and get him out of battle. Claws fly out of the red robes and try to tear at Arden but he dodges through them in a complex pattern that confuses his opponents. The seer manages to grab the old man and roll both of them out of the fray. Right as Natalia claps her hands together and directs and explosive blast the chasms edge. She times it perfectly, catching three of the red cloaked figures in the edge of the blast that rips them from the edge and shatters their body. The others are dropping the robes and exposing the strange fish-like beast bodies that were hidden beneath. [5]
With the old man out of the way and the remainder exposed as the invaders, the fight slides into full gear. Jalmar again shoots out several arrows but his goal is to not kill so much as keep the creatures unable to concentrate on the two women punching and fighting in their midst. Lidia takes the chance to swing her sword in a wide arc and splatters many of the distracted opponents in an explosion of gore. One still standing attempts to leap on Lidia's back as Natalia slaps the air with a silver-glowing fist and the sends a sonic blast into his chest. Right as the one remaining opponent is looking easy to defeat, shrieks are heard as winged creatures fly up over the chasm's edge. [6]
Before the team can respond to this new threat, the strange demons crack their hands and arms in a strangely grotesque way. Shards of bone pierce through their skin. Then, pointing their golden-bloodied arms at the humans and the half-elf, they fire off a rain of bone-shard arrows down. The final red cloaked invader is pierced through and dies immediately. [7]
Lidia tries to get in the way of the shards hitting Natalia and gets her sword to try batting the bone-arrows away. Several strike her in the shoulders and chest and she screams out at pain. Natalia, trying to dodge to the left, is caught off guard by Lidia's cries and one bone-arrow stabs her through gut. Arden tosses his body in front of the old man and takes several hits to the chest and abdomen. [8]
Jalmar gives a loud shout and pulls back his bow while canting the release words. The arrow glows an immense silver brigthness as Jalmar lets loose. Unfortunately it flies wide of its mark. Lidia finds her own projectile to throw in the bodies of some of the fish-faced invaders. She grabs up two of the corpses and flings them hard at the flying demons. One hits with enough force that the wings of her target snap and its body ruptures. Natalia tries to back up Lidia by channeling her explosive energy into a fireball but as she goes to throw it, one of the bone-arrows strikes it and explodes near her, knocking her down.
Knowing that the team is starting to lose the tide of the fight, Arden grabs his blade and cuts the palm of his hand so that the blood flows over his sigil. He then pulls his hands to his mouth and blows through them. The blood flies up into the already thunderous storm and great lightning bolts swirl and smash down into the demons, knocking most of them from the sky. Arden brings his bloodied hand down and it's like the storm falls out of the sky to crush the few that remain.
More demons surge up out of the chasm to press the attack but as they do, numerous arrows fly out of the gloom and strike them. From behind Arden, Marel's guards are approaching with bows out! What's more, Oster troops are riding past Jalmar on horseback and set to attacking the few aquatic-invaders as they try scaling up the chasm walls. This breaks the attack as the enemy is overwhelmed. [9]
Lidia runs over to the heavily injured Natalia and picks her up. Stroking Natalia's hair, they communicate through the bracelet. Lidia starts carrying the other woman away from battle. Natalia tries to protest but is too weak to put up much of a fight.
Arden is getting the old man to his feet. Arden is weakened from channeling such a strong storm blast and taking hits for the old man, but he knows time is of the essence. And some of the time will be needed patching up. A trumpet blast alerts folk to another arrival. Soldiers from Jorn. Izzia is now with them and comes running forward to try and help. Danna runs up with him. Unfortunately not Rishard, who might have some ability to wield healing magic. [10]
Arden has Natalia and Lidia join him in one of Marel's caravan wagons. This one belongs Marel's granddaughter - Tamora Marel, whom Arden had briefly glimpsed the last time they were in Marel's camp - and she has enough knowledge of medicine to patch up the three having been the caravan's main healer for years. Lidia sings songs and brags about how strong she is and her wounds are dressed. Arden does his best but barely gets the blood to stop flowing. Natalia, alas, has lost too much blood and passes out. The bandages are holding, but she will need deep rest to be back into fighting form. [11]
"Lidia, you stay with her, I can go on alone," Arden says.
"The hells you will, boy," Jalmar says, having entered the wagon while the others were occupied and refusing to clear the door. "You rest up. We have enough good archers and sword folk that no damned demon will step two feet outside that temple without being cut down. We'll not enter without you but you will not step foot outside of this wagon until you've had time to heal.
Setting the Scene. The Storm Rests
Arden and Natalia are forced to wait a night to heal up.
Because Natalia crit failed her "accept the cure" roll, she will only get one Resolve back. This puts her at two Resolve and a bit on a back foot.
To see how the night goes, though, drawing two cards. One for the Forces of Khelia. One for the Invaders. Relative count on the value will stand in for any sort of prolonged mass combat. c28 = 6. c93 = 2. The Oster + Jorn + Marel + Jalmar forces dominate the invaders. They would take a few losses but overall the bottom of the chasm is littered with the dead of otherworldly beings.
This means the scene can be a bit more about rest and recovery than surprise attacks.
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| Tamora Marel's wagon. Image (c) Dean Spencer. |
The Storm Rests
Lidia has removed her armor and is dressed only in her softer under-clothing as she crawls inside the bed with Natalia. She wraps an arm around the fitfully resting other woman and soon starts snoring as both are asleep. Despite losing the armor, her sword stands at ready near the head of the bed. Anything that attempts to enter will learn to regret the decision. Lidia can punch like a rhino-bull without breaking a sweat.
Tamora watches the younger women sleep and then walks over to pull the blankets up around them. Then retreats back to her own bed, currently occupied by Arden, and sits with her legs brushing up against his side. Filling her long, slender pipe with a mixture of herbs, she lights it while opening one of the shutters to let out much of the smoke. The scent of cinnamon, clove, and vanilla fills the air. She puffs on the pipe and keeps her eyes on Arden.
"They are a lovely couple. The sleep will heal a lot."
"Good."
"You are in here, coiled like a spring and your rugged older friend is out front standing guard. They are lucky to have such stout protectors."
"We are a team and have had to work together just to survive."
Tamora smiles. Her dark skin and curly black hair helps to highlight her sea-green eyes in the candlelight. "You have a whole army out there that any invader would have to get through. Grandfather's guards would die before anyone gets within feet this wagon. You should rest. Relax, my thunderstorm."
Tamora leans forward and puts her slender arms around Arden and presses her lips against his. He returns the kiss for a moment before gently pushing her back, the taste of her herbal smoke still caught against his breath. "I'm...not sure I should."
"Oh, are you married? I'm sorry."
"No, it's just..."
"A very lucky lover?"
Arden, thinking of all the times him and Kate have been so close to admitting their feelings and how they always ended up parting, shakes his head. "No, I'm too big a fool for that. Maybe one day, though..."
Tamora runs fingers across the scars on Arden's shoulders and up his neck. "That is tomorrow talk. I am not a jealous woman. One does not attempt to marry the thunderstorm even if it can be nice to invite the rain to visit for a night."
Arden looks into those sea-green eyes, and feels the human contact he has given himself so little time to feel. She puffs on her pipe one last time and then sets it aside. She again kisses him and this time he does not push her away.
Some time later, Arden awakens to the sound of a scream. He untangles himself from Tamora's arms and is at the front door with in seconds but finds Jalmar still at the front door and now holding an arm to block Arden from exiting. "Back to your nursemaid's arms, son. You have no clothes on and the troops are doing their job."
Arden looks and sees the old man he saved snoring in a chair leaning up against the wagon. Izzia is in a cot under a makeshift tent with Kif curled up on the scholar's chest. The rain has stopped and Jalmar has a small fire in front of him with several arrows sticking up for immediate access.
"I heard a scream."
"Aye, sometimes the devils are getting a lucky hit but for every person they take, those fighters are returning the favor five times over."
"Still, I should..."
"No, you should not. That army showed up right as you were pulling a thunderstorm down to destroy your enemies. They have all seen your miracles and are risking their life so they can see more. You come out half-healed and end up dying, the world will lose hope. No one, not even old man Marel, is going to begrudge you spending a night with a woman that damned gorgeous. Back to bed with you."
"How did...," Arden starts to ask but Jalmar holds up the wrist with the silver band. One of a set that matches one on Arden's hand.
"Ah, that's embarrassing."
"It is definitely different. There are worse things, by far."
Arden turns and walks back into the wagon and sees the glint of Lidia's eyes. The half-elf has grabbed her sword and is standing in a battle-ready crouch even though half-dressed. Well aware of her sheer physical strength, especially when she is holding the sword, he sends a mental image of things being ok to her. She relaxes and sits back her bed. Points to the bandages around Arden's chest and arm and mentally asks if he is healing. He nods. She accepts and crawls back into her bed to hold Natalia. Natalia is now no longer sleeping so fitfully. Tamora's medicine is helping with the pain, at least.
Returning to Tamora's bed, he finds the woman awake and holding the blankets open for him to rejoin. Which he does, right after removing the silver bracelet for his arm.
Setting the Scene. The Storm Awakens
Arden addresses the start of his new army.
After the very many dice rolls of the first scene, the rest of this is kind of just mood setting. The next two scenes will be gauntlets so it is probably a good time to cut it off after this.
The Storm Awakes
Fully dressed in full field Guardian kit, Arden steps out of the wagon into the morning light as a faint drizzle falls. Natalia, also fully kitted, walks behind him. Lidia and Tamora each hold a bit back.
"Attention, Guardian Arden Ulet is in attendance!"
This announcement is made by Izzia, standing to Arden's left. On Arden's right, Jalmar stands. Arden had let formality slip so much this past month of traveling that it catches him a bit off guard to see both assuming the roles of soldiers under rank. Even more surprising is the rest of the folks in attendance. Dozens of folks in Oster, Jorn, and Marel dress standing in Old Khelian salute. One hand clenched into a fist over their heart. Their other hand held over their head with weapon in it. The group stands silent and waits for Arden to speak.
Without saying a word, Arden pulls out his own sword. He places his left hand in fist over his own heart. Then lifts his sigil'd sword high. Silver flight flows over his body and lightning crackles across the blade of the sword.
The crowd cheers and begins to chant the Ulet family name that once helped lead a people out of the shadow of the War but now threatens to lead them headfirst into a new one.
Arden remembers the words of Brother Hyrdale. Remembers Tamora's flirtations last night. He turns and looks at her, splendid in her colorful gowns behind him. Pipe relit and watching like beautiful song bird. She winks at him. Lidia crouched beside her, blue eyes glittering, smiles. Natalia, still a bit weak, nods.
Arden turns back around and speaks for the first time. "Thank you all for your help yesterday and last night. Today, we strike the first formal blow against the demonic forces trying to destroy us, against those people who would sacrifice all of us for their own limited happiness. On this day, I am no longer a Guardian. I am just man. I do this not under orders but under my own will. We will fight as one. We will make this land a place where all Khelians, not merely those rich or powerful enough to hide behind walls, can find peace. The demons who try to frighten us into submission will learn what it means to be afraid."
Tamora shouts the word, first. "Stormcrow!"
As Arden strides across the sodden ground to address those leaders who will be his first generals, others take up the cry. "Stormcrow! Stormcrow!" Guardian Arden Ulet is dead. Arden the Stormcrow has been born.
DOUG'S COMMENTARY
January 25, 2025
Played on January 23-25, 2025
It's the classic issue with RPG difficulty balance, right? You are in what might be the last session for the current storyline. Here's an exciting fight and it is going a bit too well, so you tighten the screws slightly and the next thing you know everyone is down to 1hp and having to retreat. The lack of proper healing suddenly brought the constant movement to a halt. Until I remember I had a healer character from way back when that would be nearby. The rest period changed the flavor. A good deal. No longer a single long run through a temple, it now becomes the start of the end-game. The early armies have joined (at least this was decided before the fight went bad, not just a deus ex machina). Now Arden is becoming the Stormcrow to unite the people of the Shallows, and maybe the people of New Khelia, to fight back against The Bloody Hand and their various demonic and eldritch allies.
Tamora was very briefly glimpsed in the second part of The Late Returners. At the time, she was just described as Marel's granddaughter of around Arden's age escorting Marel. Since the scene with the Marels was cut short and Arden and Kate had to ride off, she got left as a kind of "chalk outline" character in my brain. A caretaker type. Fascinated by Arden at first glance. Someone kind and filled with a bit of old world magic. Since then, I have tended to refer to Arden as not so young, so Tamora is also in her late 30s. A person trapped her whole life by the Moby-Dick quest of her grandfather trying to reclaim an old family legacy.
MUSICAL SHOUT OUT: A slightly different one this time. While contemplating having more of a explosive, bombastic soundtrack while playing I had the long run of that first scene where people were dishing out and taking hits. Suddenly the game was less about super-heroic action and more about surviving while right at lion's den. Then, I had about a day break between playing and came across the wonderful Leo Ieiri's "Ame Kaze Sora Niji" and the overall vibe of striving and surviving deeply changed the heal-up scene from "the heroes hold on" to "the heroes grab destiny." Arden finally found at least some temporary love and Jalmar went from fussy uncle to fussy uncle who will absolutely shoot anyone who tries to hurt you.
Also, the gag about the silver bracelets was simply realizing what it would mean in such a situation. Ah well, new forms of communication bring new problems, eh?
On to the next session which will likely be the last for this arc.
MECHANICAL AND STORY NOTES
- Is it possible to have any visibility in this storm while retaining a safe height? (Bad) → [c40] No.
- Will Oster send aid? (Good) → [c30] Yes. Will Jorn send aid? (Good) → [c80] Yes. Was Arden able to contact Marel? (Even) → [c14] Yes. What will Marel do? → [c115] ᛒ (Berkano) : Birch Tree/Birth. Fertility, birth, growth, liberation; renewal, new beginnings, love, family. He will bring his family to liberate this area.
- Pulled a card to find some way to bring the merchant in and to stop from just sitting back until the support shows up. On C2 the thing that jumps out the most is the 'what you hear' prompt: A scream.
- Standard Crafty for Arden to realize these are the invaders. No successes. The d8 clock starts with a strike. ☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☒.
- Standard Agile for Jalmar. One success. Hard Brawny for Lidia because she is having to get there and not hit the prisoner. One more success. Hard Agile to actually get the prisoner away. Two Karma spent (against Preternatural Senses) to get one success. Natalia has Hard Crafty to time the blast. Actually gets two successes and does it even better than expected. All told, two checks for dominating the fight and an additional for the exceptional success. No further Xs. ☑☑☑☑☑☑☐☐☐☒
- Easy Agile for this task, getting two successes. Both Lidia and Natalia will get one shift down. Lidia would therefore be at Easy Brawny and gets three successes. More close range Natalia is at Easy Brawny and gets one. Arden is still out this round trying to get the old man to safety. Do reinforcements arrive for the invaders? (Good) → [c81] Yes. How many? → [c56] 6. A good number. Enough I'll bump the task-die to d10. Though the heroes have scored another three progress with no additional penalties. Still, next round will be harder. ☑☑☑☑☑☑☐☐☐☒
- What spell are the winged ones able to cast? Thought about using the catalysts but those don't really fit. Image Oracles should do: 5,5 Meat + 4,1 Pocket Bow. They can shoot out bony spines from a distance. The team will have a turn where they need to dodge.
- Standard Agile except for Lidia who is trying to use her sword to punch them aside at Hard Brawny. No successes from anyone. ☑☑☑☑☑☑☐☐☒☒
- Jalmar gets no successes on Standard Agile. Lidia gets one on Standard Brawny. Natalia gets none on her attempt to throw a fireball and is down to a single Resolve. Arden sacrifices a point of Resolve to activate his storm weaving sigil and gets 3 successes. This fills the d10 with 7 successes and 3 failures. A check on the end state is 3 out of 10, which turns it positive.
- Did Rishard come who might have healing magic? (Even) → [c82] No.
- Tamora is from c107. Hard Brawny to heal by one in the short time given. One roll each. Lidia spends one point of Karma versus her Always See the Positives perk and is back up to three. Arden misses it and is still at one. Natalia critically misses it and passes out.
CREDITS
The absolute core of The Bloody Hands REBIRTH: The Stone Crack'd remains Richard Woolcock's Tricube Tales one-sheet: Guardians of the Shadow Frontier. The in-game terms "Khelia," "Guardians," and "Arcane Order" are all derived from the initial one-sheet. Most have changed greatly since their introduction and several related phrases are creations by myself.
The Bloody Hands, as a whole, is a series of exploration with one of the things explored being various solo framework. It started using Tricubes Solo (also by Richard Woolcock), switched to Mythic (by Tana Pigeon), and at this stage is using Gamemaster Apprentice Decks (by Nathan Rockwood). Elements from both previous solo frameworks remain in the series.
Other sources used include:
- Zach Best's Universal NPC Emulator.
- Cesar Capacle's Random Realities
- Kevin Crawford's {Worlds | Ashes} Without Number as well as Scarlet Heroes
- Matt (& Erin) Davis's Great Book of Random Tables, Book of Random Tables: Dungeon, and Great Book of Random Tables: Quests [with potentially some others, but especially those three]
- Madeline Hale's Table Fables 1 and Table Fables 2
- Ben Milton's Knave
- Raging Swan Press: Various tools from the GM Miscellany series.
ART CREDIT AND EXPLANATION
Both pieces of art in this one are © Dean Spencer. All rights reserved. Used with permission.
I went on a bit of a search for finding the art that said "Izzia Kor" and as soon as I saw the one above I knew I had found it. The other one picked up back when The Stone Crack'd was only supposed to be a couple of sessions ending back with the Marel's caravan. It got used in a different sort of way and that's ok. It's been nice to have these glimpses into characters.
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