Best Left Unspoken

AN ADVENTURE IN THE TITANS’ SHADOW

WE NEVER WROTE, BECAUSE WHAT’S WRITTEN CAN BE

READ, INTERPRETED, DECIPHERED. Our dreams were our
own, no one else’s. But, when those words come to light by
chance and fall into the hands of the unwary—what then
might happen; what forgotten power might awake?

BY PAUL BALDOWSKI

This product was created under license. Symbaroum and its logo, are trademarks of Fria Ligan AB. This work contains material that is copyright Fria
Ligan AB and/or other authors. Such material is used with permission under the Community Content Agreement for Free League Workshop.
All other original material in this work is copyright 2019 by Paul Baldowski and published under the Community Content Agreement for Free League
Workshop.Image credits: gianliguori and elebeZoom, iStock; cartography: Paul Baldowski

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 BEST LEFT UNSPOKEN

Andara
The settlement of Andara sits above the eastern arm They have family here, certain craftspeople necessary to
of the Titans, a distant but valuable outpost for keep the mine running smooth and a few overseers from the
Ambria. Some distance south of Mergile, within the administrative extremities of the Queen’s government.
borders of furthest Yndarien, Andara boasts a The settlement receives irregular, but roughly monthly,
productive iron mine, rich in ore with the potential visits from members of the Queen’s Rangers, or soldiers on
for many long years of output. the lookout for bandits that worry the tracks and paths on
The free settlers of Andara consist primarily of the mountain outskirts. One of the Queen’s Assessors
mine workers who took over the ruins they found in attends yearly to gather tithes, always with a unit of
the shadow of the mountains and made it their own. disinterested soldiers in tow.

Forbidden Lore
Heran, a theurg and loremaster, inhabits a small with due respect—they are sealed and utterly without
stone Lodge—between the Old Tombs and the Iron marking, and he has no wish to disturb their occupants.
Mine. The lodge is the only wholy stone building in Heran has concluded that the previous inhabitants were
the entire settlement. Heran’s respect for the not barbarians at all, but dwarves. He has pieced together
deceased means he insisted the settlers in Andara lay what he can from many disparate sources, including tools,
their dead to rest in a proper Cemetery—which they masonry and some facts gleaned from sources back in
established close to the settlement, and includes a Yndaros and Templewall.
small Chapel to Prios.
A week ago, through research and ritual, he experienced
While the theurg serves his primary role with a vision and from that has managed to scribe a few letters in
unswerving faith, he also pursues certain personal dwarven, or so he assumes.
studies with considerable vigor. He has an interest in
ancient lore that means he spends as much time Heran—Attributes as Bartolom, p241; Abilities:
around the old tombs as he does the chapel or his Loremaster [novice], Holy Aura [novice], Theurgy [novice];
lodge. He has pieced together information from finds possesses a holy symbol, many books, including a copy of
uncovered from the remains of the old settlement and The Lightbringer, but no weapons or armor)
within the mine. Heran also studies the tombs, but

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There’s Power in Words

In fact, these few letters Heran discovered are broken attack mindlessly anyone who seeks to bar their progress
elements of the controlling words that the Symbaroum or stops their searching—an act that generally involves
overmasters inflicted upon the dwarves in their pulling things apart and throwing furniture around.
servitude. These symbols retain sufficient potency to Outside of a host, Control appears as shifting
have awakened something from the tombs, a corrupt patterns of light (stats equal to a Frostlight, p230, but as
entity of Symbaroum design bound by and to these if a swarm equal in number to the player characters+2;
controlling words. the entity also possesses a natural ability equivalent to
Over the last several days people have started Bend Will [novice]). It can be damaged with holy and
turning up dead. The cemetery had few occupants before mystical powers, but no one can banish it while the
—given the short period of residence by the Ambrians controlling words remain—and these have been hidden
upon this site—but suddenly things have changed. A by Heran within a book back at his Lodge.
collapse of the mine supports in the uppermost shaft The old Lodge was constructed by dwarves using
killed three and injured half a dozen more. One person techniques handed down behind the backs of their
died on the road between the settlement and the mine, masters. Nothing of Symbaroum creation can enter the
another while gathering wood, a third while drawing Lodge—including Control; it’s rather like trying to push
water from the well in the centre of the settlement. opposing magnets together. While many other buildings
The entity—call it Control—has the power to in Andara have these stones as foundations, the timber
possess people; it uses them to move undisturbed as it elements make them vulnerable—as is the case with the
seeks out the controlling words. While possessed people supports within the mines.
appear Blighted (stats as Blight Born Human, p226) and

Investigation
Investigation of the events would suit low experience The last rumour has supporting sightings of lantern
characters or even inhabitants with zero experience, if light seen in the distance at the cemetery late at night.
you want to start your campaign right here. Further questions will match the presence of the lights
with the night the wood-gatherer, Liro, died while north
If outsiders, one of the Queen’s officials, at Mergile
of the settlement. Oddly enough, the gossip will merely
or Yndaros, may ask for assistance or they may find the
see this as further evidence of spies rather than a possible
body of a Queen’s Assessor dead on the road not far from
connection between the lights and Liro’s nocturnal hunt
Andara. Should any character die in the course of the
for wood.
adventure, you can give the player a replacement from
amongst the population of the settlement. More general discussion—a standard Persuasion (0)
test—will find Tera, the local busybody, casting doubt
INSPECTING THE DEAD on the competence and focus of the theurg, Heran. She
thinks he must have received this post as punishment
The bodies of the recently deceased were moved by the
and questions his abilities. She accuses that he spends as
settlers on the order of Heran. They have been kept in the
much time wandering the ancient tombs as he does
chapel, a hall house like the others in the settlement with
ministering to the needs of the chapel or the cemetery.
one large room for worship and smaller rooms for
contemplation, supplies and storing the dead.
INVESTIGATION OF THE OLD WOODS
Inspection of the bodies recovered from the mines—
The player characters will find—with a test of Beast Lore
which have been preserved with a strong smelling herbal
/ Cunning—dead wildlife, such birds, rodents, and even
concoction—finds they have no apparent wounds, as if
a fox. None show any sign of visible wound or sickness
died from natural causes. The settlers have buried the
that might explain their death. A grueling (-1) Cunning
other recently deceased. If the player characters seek to
test or anyone with Bushcraft can confirm no evidence of
exhume them for inspection, they will need to use
poisoning or fouling of local water or food supplies.
Persuasion on the locals—a hard (-3) prospect—and will
find similar; the dead show no outward sign of injury nor Control has been drawing warmth and life from the
obvious evidence of other harm. creatures while it searches for the words. The entity has
no awareness of the negative impact its presence has on
GOSSIP the living creatures in the environment around it.

The only words of value offered by locals about the deaths

will be rumors that it must have something to do with
LOOKING AT THE OLD TOMBS
the elves / ogres, worries that the enemy might have sent Depending on whether they have spoken to Heran or
a curse across the Titans, or a couple suggest spies in the other helpful settlers, the player characters may already
woods. know that none of the tombs have inscriptions or sign of
their origins. The tombs stand low and slightly rounded,

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thick with lush moss and lichen. Of sturdy construction, QUESTIONING HERAN
clearly very old, none of the structures has even a scratch
Whether because of Tera’s gossip or as a matter of
on the exterior, never mind a symbol.
conversation, Heran admits to a fascination with the old
Breaking into one of the tombs will require the use tombs and indicates that the lack of inscription has
of tools, assistance and time—a few hours work with bothered him. To that end, he has completed his own
sledgehammers and some willing locals will suffice to research and will, in his excitement, reference his dream.
get the job done. Inside the characters will find a short,
If pressed (and which player wouldn’t!), he explains
adult skeleton on a plinth—a successful [Cunning-1] test
that he dreamed he was a slave in the mines. The
identifies it as a dwarf.
darkness that pressed about him and chains that secured
The tomb contains no grave goods, as is tradition, his servitude were all too real; they seemed to drive him,
and no inscriptions. However, once opened that tomb as if sorcerous in nature. When he looked to identify his
will become the target of Control. dreamself he found his reflection in a pool and saw a
Any locals who came along to help will be targets for dwarf followed by a flash of fiery symbols. On waking, he
possession and immediately attack the characters, scratched down the symbols as best he could remember
including Heran if present. Wounds that exceed the them.
individual’s Pain Threshold, or striking for damage that Only when forced to recount the dream and his
accumulates to the same level, drives Control out. The revelation does he realize the deaths started soon after.
characters will see a shimmering silhouette of pale light The mine shaft had collapsded before, so he didn’t make
emerge and move away. This element of Control will take any connection with it. By the time others started dying,
one round to recover, after which it can attempt to he had forgotten his research altogether—there was too
possess another suitable target with a [Resolute <- much pressing on his time to worry.
Resolute] test, as per Bend Will (novice).

Concluding
The characters need to go to Heran’s Lodge, find the inexplicable lost to something indistinguishable from
words and utterly destroy them. Having done this, they the Blight.
can then defeat Control and banish it completely. Undefeated, Control will gain power from
Getting to the lodge will not be an issue, but on possession of the words (and Challenge Rating) such that
leaving the stone house they will find a mob it will take considerably more effort to defeat. It will have
approaching—either from the mine, the settlement or considerably expanded its powers of possession and
perhaps both. The pale flesh and obvious aggravation of massed an armed force prepared to wipe out all the
the settlers signify their possession by the entity. inhabitants of the mining settlement.
The same rules apply to driving the entity out—as
described under Looking at the Old Tombs—but it can
no longer possess another target once the words
destroyed. If the characters haven’t done that yet,
Control can continue to possess others.
If they haven’t done it and don’t suggest it, either
Heran can destroy the words or the character with the
highest Cunning will have a revelation.
Anyone using the lodge for cover will find that
Control cannot enter. Anyone poking weapons out of the
windows will find themselves targeted. In addition,
Control will try to destroy parts of the building with
possessed tool-wielding settlers.
Once driven out and beaten, the characters will
banish Control completely. The people of Andara will be
released from threat and fear. If still alive, Heran will
burn his books and never set word to paper ever again.
The settlers will praise the characters for their help and
bravery; they might offer small gifts as well as strong
drink and good food. An administrator might see promise
in the characters and set them on the road to Yndaros
with the promise of opportunities in service to the Queen.
If the characters fail to stop Control, it will break
open the lodge, take the words and then enslave the
settlers completely. Supplies of iron from Andara will
stop and guildsmen sent to transport it back will
disappear. Administrators in Yndaros will raise concerns
and send someone to investigate – finding Andara

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