Created, written and illustrated

by MJ Alishah.
Special thanks to the Accursed
Knowledge Gaming Society.
Your feedback is very important
for the game, so please feel free to
send it by email
[email protected]
and join us on Facebook and
Twitter (@NightsCrusades).

C
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Version 1.0
© Ætheric Dreams 2012
Contents
Introduction 1 conjuring a The
character 15 Marketplace 25
What & Why 2
Overview of chapters 2 The Book of Names 16 Wealth 26
The Mythos 2 English 16 Item Rarity 26
Conjuring a Character 2 French 16 bonuses 26
The Marketplace 2 German
Byzantine
16
16
High-Quality
Selling
26
26
C
Gameplay 2
Advancement 2 Ancient European 16 The plight of the poor 27 O
Jewish 17 The profits of the prosperous 28
Weaving a Tale
Appendix One:
2
Arabic 17 N
Weapons 29
Sample Characters 2 Turkish
Persian
17
17 High-Quality and T
Appendix Two: Magnificent weapons 30
Sample Chapter – North African 17
Special rules 30
E
Over Dark Seas 2 Mesopotamian and
Ancient Egyptian 17 Armour 30 N
Glossary 3
1: Background 18 Body armour 30 T
Map of the land 4 Questions to round out Helmets 32
your character 18 Blockers 32 S
High-Quality armour 33
The Mythos 5 2: Allegiances 18 Magnificent armour 33
Faction 18 Special rules 33
The Crusader 6 Religion 19
The Assassin 6 Class 20 Attire 33
The Merchant 7 Organisation 21 High-Quality attire 34
Experienced characters 21 Possessions 34
What were The Crusades? 8
Dusk of the Crusades 8 3: Expertise and Abilities 21 High-Quality possessions 36
Death of the Crusades 9 Special rules 36
4: Dispositions 22
What were the Disposition towards a Services 36
One Thousand character 22 Servants 36
And One Nights? 9
5: Storytelling 22 Books 37
Bazaar Tales 10
The Ghouls of Ma’arra 10 6: Review 22 Intoxicants 38
The Wavering Flame 11
Example character sheets 23 Sorcerous items 40
The Cursed Knight
and the Sage 11 Character sheet 24
The Apostles of Sobek 13
Further reading 14
Internet links 14
Books 14
Atmosphere 14
 Gameplay 41 Advancement 63 Appendix 1 93

Example of play 42 Overview of organisations 64 Sample characters 93

White Quills 64 Aristocrat 93
Challenges 50 Apostles of Sobek 64 Bandit 93
Difficulty 50 Wavering Flame 65 Beasts 93
Common challenges 50 The Abu Al-Myiit 65 Beggar 95
Negotiation 51 Nizari 66 Fanatic 96
Goals 51 The 44 67 Guard/solider 96
Basic Negotiation actions 51 Merchant 96
Gaining Expertise and Physician 96
Haggling 52 Abilities 68 Priest 96
Combat 52 Communication 68
Squire 96
C Movement 53 Knowledge 73
Hostile Stance 54 Melee 76
O Strikes 54 Ranged 79 Appendix 2 97
Vigour 82
N Psychology and healing
The battlefield
55
55 Symbols of Power 84 Over dark seas 97
T Dealing with Strikes 56 Fief 84
Injury Levels 57 Entertainment Quarter 85 Cast 97
E Impact Limit 58 Forge 85 Captain Georgios Polikseni 97
Other Dangers 58
N Objects 59
Fortifications 85 Rolf the Bold
Shark
97
97
House of Worship 85
T Trauma 60 Library 86 Orestes Taphos 97
Market Place 86
S Stories 62
Ship 86
Scene 1 98
Pearls of Wisdom 62 The Thirsting Deep 98
Tower 86
Scene 2 99
Gaining Storytelling Dead Men Telling Tales 99
levels 86
Scene 3 100
Changing Allegiances 86 The Tale of the Prince
and the Ghoul Queen 100
Weaving a Scene 4 101
Tale 87 The Hunger 101
Scene 5 101
What a Tale- Weaver needs 88 Betrayal 101
Character motivations 88 Scene 6 102
The path to riches 88 Sanctuary 102
The climb to power 88
The destruction of the enemy 88 Conclusion 102
The seeking of knowledge 89
The passage to righteousness 89
The road to paradise on earth 89
How to challenge
your players 89
A typical month 90
Force, finesse or wits? 90
Action and Sorcery vs
dread and atrocity 91
Managing stories 92
Area Dispositions 92
A woman’s place 92
Introduction
As the wind and dust howled over The previous dwellers of the village
the barren ground, the traitors would have sought safety within An-
walked. Their leader thought only tioch’s walls after hearing of the ar-
of increasing the distance between rival of the vast army from the west.
him and the ravaged hell of Antioch The besiegers of Antioch, in their
– and forgetting the past. The rain hunt for food and plunder, would
that often cloaked the city reached far have then laid waste to their town
into the surrounding lands, and dark and whatever else was left behind. 
clouds approached that threatened to Antioch would have no protection for
obscure the morning sun. them now. After the once-proud city
The walls were assaulted two days
was stormed, its inhabitants would I
have received only death or slavery.
ago, and that was when these shuf-
They would now rightly condemn N
fling exiles left their city to the men
Firuz, the leader of the traitors, for
of the western countries. Their
what was left of their lives.
T
thoughts were as much a burden as
their possessions. Their bones ached R
from the hard ground where they
slept last night. They sweated, their
O
clothes sticking to their moist skin. D
They needed shelter.
U
As they descended from a barren
mountain range, the stones of a C
ruined wall came into view, looking
like the spine of a disfigured serpent. T
As the refugees edged closer they saw
it coiled around the corpse of a small
I
city. Behind the wall were orchards of O
skeletal fruit trees, and a great slum
of houses and stables. A spire loomed N
over the city and a thin bridge joined
it to the wall of a palace that perched
upon a jutting section of the moun-
tain range. Their approach was not
greeted with the usual sounds of a
large town, it was empty of life. It
would, however, do for shelter until
they decided where to go.
 What & Why Overview of
Nights of the Crusades is a roleplaying game set in
chapters
a land and time that is familiar on the surface, but
within its cracks lie tales of sorcery, madness and
The Mythos
violence. It is a world that could have happened and
then been lost to barbarity and time. Players take A description of the world that your characters
on characters that can explore its lands to plunder will enter. It gives a (very brief) overview of the
it for wealth or knowledge. The Tale-Weaver is their Crusades and the 1001 Nights; along with the tales
guide, plunging them into the horrors of war and that are whispered among those who have seen the
fanaticism as they pursue their goals. The world is secrets of the dark.
rife with dark cults, creatures that dwell in unseen
 places and bloodthirsty warriors. This is a time when Conjuring a Character
anyone’s thoughts, from king to slave, are enough to This describes the process of creating a character. It
condemn them to death and hell, and many are they is a simple process after inspiration strikes.
I that will line up to cheer the execution.
And as the characters journey through the chapters The Marketplace
N of their tale, they will become a part of the stories that Equipment, servants and weapons are described
T they hear. Magic, djinn and foul beasts lurk within here, along with the details of managing Wealth.
the minds of storytellers, yet many secrets and shards
R of knowledge can be found within these tales. Gameplay
O Nights of the Crusades is a mixture of the One Here you will find rules for challenges, Negotiation
Thousand and One Nights, the history surrounding and Combat.
D the Crusades and both modern and ancient tales
of terror. The rules reflect mature and gritty issues, Advancement
U including the psychological impacts of combat and
Characters will evolve throughout their time in Nights
C killing. The gameplay also allows for tension in ev-
of the Crusades. This section describes how they will
ery form of conflict, whether verbal or physical, and
gain Expertise and Abilities as they progress.
T the game becomes more complicated as the charac-
ters advance. A group of companions made up of an Weaving a Tale
I artist, diplomat and physician will be as enjoyable to
This is a guide for the Tale-Weaver. It delves into the
O play as one made up of a warrior, archer and thief.
possible themes of a tale and the how to challenge
At heart, Nights of the Crusades is a game and is
N meant to be a fun way to spend some time with
your players, enhancing everyones’ experience.
friends. To play you will only need a group of at Appendix One:
least three – one Tale-Weaver and two players. The
only other things necessary are the rules that follow,
Sample Characters
a pen/pencil and paper and enough ten-sided dice Character details for beasts and adversaries that can
(D10’s or D100’s) to go around. be used in a Tale.

Appendix Two:
Sample Chapter –
Over Dark Seas
An adventure that will launch you into the world of
Nights of the Crusades.

“W hat is ma n? The slave of death,

a pa ss ing wayfa rer. Ho w is ma n
placed? Like a fla me in the wi nd.”
~ Alcuin
Glossary
“The weak ness of little children’s
Ability: By gaining Abilities, characters advance in
Expertise. An Ability allows a character to gain an
limbs is innocent, not their souls .”
edge in Negotiations, Combats and other challenges. ~ St Augustine

Apex: The target number in a V test.

Chapter: A portion of a Tale that has a beginning,
middle and end. It is broken into smaller scenes.
Challenge: Any conflict that needs a resolution
through the dice.
Companion: Fellow PC. 
D10: A ten sided die.
D100: Rolling two D10’s to get a result between 1
and a 100, defining one die as the 10’s and the other
I
as the 1’s. A result of an 8 and a 3 equals 83; a result N
of 0 and a 4 equals 4; a result of 6 and 0 equals 60;
and a result of 0 and 0 equals 100. T
Discontent: The amount of disfavour your subjects R
hold towards you.
Disposition: The Favour or Hate one character
O
holds towards another. D
Divine Intervention: A natural 100 on a D100 roll. U
Expertise: How accomplished a character is in a
particular field.
C
Favour: A positive Disposition from one character T
to another.
Player Character (PC): Any character that a Player
I
Hatred: A negative Disposition from one character
to another. controls. O
Insight: The benefits from a book. Power: The strength behind an alchemical device, N
based on the creator’s deftness in the art.
Impact: Successfully besting an opponent in Com-
bat, resulting in a loss for your foe to defend against Story: A fanciful tale told by a Storyteller, who
further attacks. could be a PC or NPC. Characters gain Pearls of
Wisdom from Stories.
Injury Level: The power of an opponent’s Strike.
Tale: The enveloping adventure that contains the
Impact Limit: A character’s Melee Expertise. Chapters and Stories that all characters live in.
Modifier: When a roll becomes easier or harder Tale-Weaver: The person that creates the tale and
based on a particular circumstance. Usually add- acts as the guide and adjudicator for other players.
ing or deducting from a character’s Expertise for a Fulfills the role of a game master.
single roll.
Tax: The amount of Wealth you extract from your
Non Player Character (NPC): Any character that subjects
the Tale-Weaver controls.
V test: Designed to allow two evenly matched
Pearls of Wisdom (PoW): PoW are gained from Sto- characters a 50% chance of overcoming the other. As
ries and can be used to access powerful bonuses. differences between the characters are more pro-
Player: You or the other people in the real world that nounced, so are their respective Apexes.
are playing characters in the Nights of the Crusades. Wisdom Pool: The pool of potential PoW that have
been gained throughout a Story.
 Map of the land

Black Sea

Constantinople

I
N Aegan Sea
10 days
T
R
O
D
U Antioch Aleppo
C 1 day
Ma’arra
T Masyaf
I Tripoli 3 days
Cyprus
O Mediterranean Sea Ballbek

N Tyre
Damascus

Acre
3 days
2 days
Alexandria Damietta
Jerusalem

4 days

Cairo

Red Sea

Distances are for walking on foot, halve if mounted.

The Mythos
The thud of hooves approached. The “Ha, God allowed mercy to flee
bandits dismounted at the base of the this land many days ago. Are there
minaret. Gruff voices of men ascend- only little boys to defend you?” The
ed to where the traitors lay in hiding. sound of a sword being sheathed rang
Firuz imagined them passing through through the tense atmosphere. “Put
the spire’s threshold. They were away your bow, Omar. They will be
confident, swaggering, obviously as- worth more without scratches.”
suming the area was abandoned. He 
A slurred voice said, “Do not be shy,
took a careful look around the wall.
my flowers, you may show your faces
The bandits’ mouths gaped as they
to your new men. We have come to
approached the arch into the palace,
cure your loneliness in these troubled
T
wondering at the treasures within.
times.” He finished with a chuckle. H
The cry of child echoed through the
Firuz felt his body burn hot. He nod-
air behind him.
ded to the man across from him.
E
The bandits were startled, but quickly
regained their composure. They M
readied their weapons. Firuz could
not risk being seen now. He put his Y
back to the wall, relying on his hear- T
ing. An arrow streaked through the
archway and tumbled into the dusty H
ground. Another ricocheted off the
palace’s marble wall. More children O
began to cry. His stomach coiled like
an agitated snake.
S
The fighting would soon begin. The
whispered voice of a bandit was fol-
lowed by another’s menacing laugh.
The stink of wine reached Firuz’s
nostrils. The bandits were just on the
opposite side of the wall.
Peering out from behind a wide col-
umn, one of the women cried through
her veil, “Please brothers, show
mercy to us.”
 “Christ himself will be your leader,
wear his cross as your badge. If you
are killed your sins will be pardoned
... Let those who have been fighting
against their own brothers and
kinsfolk now fight lawfully against
the barbarians.”
~ Pope Urban II
The Crusader The Assassin
God wills it! That is the cry that strengthens the The smoke from those dark nights still burns in
 spirit. The fires of justice have swept aside any op- my nostrils, and morning never came for me. I hide
position to our righteous cause. We march onwards now, in plain sight, counting the seconds before the
to the Holy City. man before me is dead.
T In all the battles I have fought, this will be the first I have travelled far from Damascus, where I once
where I will arrive to the field without my stout made my home, tracking one of the cruel leaders of
H horse, Bellator. He was but bones wrapped in skin the massacre that butchered more than five thou-
E when his time came. In hunger lies the devil; that is sand of my Isma’ili brethren. This preacher, who
a phrase where the truth resides. I had thought of now stands not ten feet away, sows rumours and di-
Bellator as a dear friend, yet my brothers could not verts blame from his masters, enabling them to per-
M contain their yearning for meat. I was admonished form their atrocities. It was him that led the Sunni
Y for the tear I shed by Father Johan, for had not Saint
Augustine declared that, “refraining from the kill-
fanatics to our quarter. They had been fed lies about
how we were aiding the Franj to capture Damascus,
T ing of animals is the height of superstition.” I could and in return we were to be granted the port city of
not argue against the word of God, so it was with Tyre. I know not the basis of these accusations, but
H a trembling hand that I sacrificed my friend on the nor did I care as I cradled my wife’s corpse.
O altar of hunger.
Those of us who could escape fled into the wilder-
And worse still, as our bodies were shriveled and ness, but we were found. Not by those thirsting for
S blasted by the harsh desert sands, a plague swept our blood – but by a shadowy savior. He claimed he
through our ranks. Mounted scouts of accursed in- was a Nizari, a follower of Sinan, The Old Man of
fidels would harry us, and any arrows that pierced the Mountain. They were protectors of true Islam
our armour caused a black infection. Boils and sores and its adherents – the Shi’ites generally and the
began to burst from our skin. It was God’s punish- Ismai’ili specifically. We followed him to the cliffs.
ment, cried the Father. As a penance, we sent the
For many months we trained our bodies and souls
woman who had served our needs into the desert,
to fight the apostates and unbelievers, those who
and swore an oath of chastity until Jerusalem was
would seek to annihilate the only untainted follow-
ours. By this time my eyes and mouth were a hive of
ers of God.
blisters. I could barely see. I had to use a rag to keep
the weeping fluids from obscuring my sight. I hunted my quarry across the plains and deserts
and now I wait, with my head shaved and only a
Then we happened upon a number of heathen vil-
dagger beneath my ragged robe. My exterior is the
lages. God’s fury was ignited in our souls, and we
manner of the calm Sufi, but inside I am the fury
set upon them like the prophets of old as we “utterly
of hate. For days the preacher has passed with his
destroyed the men, and the women, and the little
retinue, as I sat by the path in dust. His wariness is
ones, of every city, we left none to remain. Only the
down for I am a common site to them. The flash of
cattle we took for a prey unto ourselves, and the
my dagger is not!
spoil of the cities which we took.”
Blood spurts as the blade bites deep inside the
I saw some of my brothers, so maddened from hun-
throat of the false preacher. Knowing that not even
ger, eating from the bodies of the slain.
a djinni from the flames of hell could survive such a
And so now, at the walls of the holiest of cities blow, I leap away, evading my blood-soaked pursu-
we march and sing and pray. The flagellants have ers. Adrenaline floods my veins as I quicken my
finished their wailing and we have retired to rest pace, for the alarm has been raised. Heavy footsteps
under these foreign stars. When the sun rises, so too are closing the distance.
will our banners over Jerusalem.
Should I survive, that is all good and well, however
I do not care so much. My mission is complete, and
an eternity in paradise is assured.
The Merchant We came to the estate of this old knight who, hav-
ing been involved in the earlier wars against the
A close friend of mine, Dionysius Theodoros, had Muslims, was now living peaceably. I was surprised
asked me to visit him in Acre so we could make that his slaves prepared a great banquet for us, with
some business arrangements. He wanted me to meet clean food and local spices, but I had never eaten at
with one of the Franj who had become accustomed the table of a barbarian before. As he saw my hesita-
to civilisation. I could not believe such a spectacle tion, the knight bellowed, “Eat friend, be merry in
existed, so I made plans immediately. my home! I have not eaten the food of my old coun-
The short journey was made even shorter, as I fas- trymen for many years, and have an Egyptian cook
cinated my crew with the stories of the sea to ease who ensures that the flesh of pigs does not enter
their toil. One of my favourites is that of a fellow my home.” I was pleased with what he said and we
merchant who was trying to deliver much needed left on good terms, him knowing a little Arabic and
supplies to a town besieged by the Franj. Their ships Dionysius filling in the gaps of our understanding.
circled the harbour like hungry sharks, waiting for After discussing business, I left to collect my men 
a moment’s weakness to begin a frenzied assault. and ensure they had acted with caution throughout
Oh see how this merchant outsmarted them! He their day. As I walked through the market place,
shaved his beard and those of his crew and dressed
in the manner of the infidel. He even placed unclean
a Frankish woman grabbed at me. I attempted to T
brush her away, yet she clung tightly and began
swine on the decks – but God will wash away the screaming in the brash sounds of her language. A H
dirt on his hands, for this merchant’s cause was great crowd of Franj began to surround me, and I
just. The Franj, thinking he was one of them, let saw my doom in their eyes.
E
him pass. The cheers of the besieged Muslims met
But then the old knight, seemingly come from the
his crew as they were allowed into the city! But for
those who know the whole story, it was a sad tale aether, saw me and spoke harshly to the woman. He
M
too. That city was Acre, lost to the Kings of France said, “Why do you impede this Muslim’s business?” Y
and England long ago, and holds many tales of sor- She spoke back to him through tears, “This is he
row and atrocity. who slew my brother. He was killed at the walls of T
Jerusalem!”
We soon reached port. I allowed my men to visit H
this wondrous city, as, though the Franj controlled The Christian knight dismissed her, saying, “This
it, there were many sights to see. I told even the Muslim is a merchant who has never raised a sword O
Christians amongst my crew to be careful though. It or fought for their armies.” He then ordered the
is well known that one of the largest slave markets crowd to disband, which they did on account of his
S
in the world is in Acre, and many are those slaves high standing amongst them. Although I had often
that were free men a week before they appeared at imagined my demise to be at the hands of one of
auction. I have heard that only a conversion to the these bellicose giants, I had never thought that one
Catholic religion of the Franj will save you from the would come to my rescue.
chains of a slave-master. But I know that this law is We then said a heartfelt farewell and I headed home
broken as many times as enforced, as it rests on any without further incident. Truly this is a tale that the
infidel to determine the truth or falsehood of the wise among you will heed!
pleas of the shackled. Of course, I asked my crew to
tell me should they see any strong men that could
ease their workload on the journey home, for I am
not immune to the plight of a sailor.
So I found my friend, Dionysius, and he told me of
this Franj he bade me meet. Apparently there are
some Franj that are less prone to acts of barbar-
ity than their newly arrived brothers, as they have
dwelt in the lands of the Muslims for many years.

“O fools, awake! The rites you sacred hold,

Are but a cheat contriv ed by men of old.
Who lusted after wealth and gained their lust,
And died in baseness – their law is dust.”
~ Al Ma’arri
 Nights of the Crusades combines the lands and followers of the Roman Pope – Jihad versus Crusade.
history of the Crusades during the Middle Ages The Orthodox Christians, Jews and Shi’ites conspire
(roughly 1095 to 1295) with tales from the 1001 Ara- between the two warring factions, trying to keep
bian Nights, and darkens the mixture with themes their heads above the rising sea of blood that quench-
of insanity of horror. es the scorched land.

Dusk of the Crusades

What were The Phillip Augustus - King of France - and Richard the
Lionheart clash against Salih Al-Din. The knightly
Crusades? order of the Hospitallers grows from an armed escort
for Christian pilgrims to a battle-hardened force. The
Knights Templar construct fortifications along the
The Crusades can be roughly divided into
coast and stoke the fires of battle. The Nizari assas-
three eras…
 sins plot between each, as they work towards their
master plan of a Shi’ite dominated empire.
Dawn of the Crusades
Flames of war are burning the lands from west Salih Al-Din’s desire to retake Jerusalem from the
T to east. The Iberian battles against the Moors, the Crusaders can only be accomplished by uniting
all the Muslim lands in its defence. The Shi’ites of
H Reconquista, are a forge for Christian clerics to con-
Egypt had betrayed him. After storming the once-
struct their theories of a just and holy war; and their
E faithful are marching. However, the Muslim princes land of the pharaohs and becoming its Sultan, he
between the Crusaders and Jerusalem have their turns his thoughts to the Nizaris, besieging their
nine fortresses. The assassins are now the last
M hands devoted to schemes amongst themselves.
They do not realise the true threat of the Franj until power base of the Shi’ites in the lands of Syria.
Y Jerusalem smoulders in ash, along with its Muslim, However, Salih Al-Din retreats hurriedly, begetting
whispers of what may have caused him to withdraw
Eastern Christian and Jewish citizens.
T his forces. Perhaps it was the knife by his pillow,
After the brutality of the First Crusade there is an laid by the Old Man of the Mountain himself, which
H eerie period of quiet between the warring factions. changed his mind.
Merchants and the nobility from both sides rub
O shoulders, as Christian pilgrims from the west ar- Richard the Lionheart joins the third crusade after
Salih Al-Din takes Jerusalem and destroys the forces
S rive to see the birthplace of their faith.
of the Knights Templar. Sick from scurvy, the Lion-
This is only the eye of the whirlwind. The debauched heart nevertheless joins in the assault on the walls
monarchs of the Muslim cities are losing their fol- of Acre. As Salih Al-Din’s forces arrive to besiege
lowers to more pious war leaders, as the faith the now besieged, negotiations begin between the
of Islam is used to unite the lands of the great Kings. They break down, and in the after-
Eastern Mediterranean under threat math, Richard orders the beheading of the almost
from the west. The first of the new three thousand Muslim inhabitants of Acre within
Crusader states begin to fall sight of Salih Al-Din’s camp. Salih Al-Din’s heart is
back into the hands of the hardened. No Frankish soldier will leave his hands
Saracens. The battle- alive from now on.
lines are drawn
between the Schemes are brewing against both Kings. Conrad
soldiers of the of Montferrat, the ruler of the impregnable city of
Sunni Ca- Tyre, offers an alliance with Salih Al-Din against the
liphate “foreigners” led by Richard. Richard suspects this,
and and also revolts at the prospect of Conrad becom-
the ing king of Jerusalem – should the Christians be
able to conquer it once again. After Conrad visits a
Turkish bath, a blade pierces his body and he falls
to the stones of his city. His murderers are caught.
Under torture, the torn bodies of the captured men
reveal that they are of the Nizari, and cry that it was
Richard himself who employed them.
After some victories against Salih Al-Din, Richard
departs back to the west to defend his holdings
in France against attack by Phillip Augustus. He
realises that there is no hope of him capturing Jeru-
salem. Salih Al-Din dies in Damascus soon after-
wards, bequeathing his rulership to civil war.
Death of the Crusades
“Death is not the wo rst that
Chaos and bloodshed reign. Hatred of the other
thrives. The Fourth Crusade results in the Sack of can happen to men.”
Constantinople, crushing the stronghold of the Byz- ~ Plato
antines. Genghis Khan and his Mongol hordes build
their strength in the north and east. The knightly
orders of the Templars and Hospitallers are at odds
in the domains they have carved out for themselves
in Outremar, and the Nizari step carefully in the
political dance between them.
Hulagu, the grandson of Genghis, ravages the
Nizari fortress of Alamut and sends his warriors
to Baghdad. The great libraries of these Houses of 
Wisdom are lost to the flames, and so are the people
who defy Hulagu. The greatest knowledge of the
time becomes ash and is scattered to the winds.
With the Nizari surrendering to the Mongols, the
T
path is open for them to sweep into the holy lands H
of the Abrahamic faiths.
A strange slave-dynasty has risen in Egypt. Mam-
E
luks, the soldier-slaves of the Muslim armies,
have assumed power and placed a woman, Shajar M
al-Durr, on the throne as Sultana. Baibars, the true
leader of the Mamluks, reunites Egypt and Syria Y
into a powerful state. However, he is caught be- T
tween the fortresses of the remaining Crusaders,
and the army of the Mongols. Baibars compromises
What were the H
with neither. He has been hardened by the violence
surrounding him, and focuses it on his enemies.
One Thousand And O
The Battle of Ayn-Jalut is the first major defeat of One Nights? S
the Mongols, and it is at the hands of Baibars. His
forces decimate the invaders from the steppe, with The One Thousand and One Nights are a collec-
cannons and his unflinching will. The tide of the tion of stories from the lands between the Middle
Mongols recedes, but remains a threatening force. East and China that have been told since before the
Alliances are made and broken between the Mon- Islamic Golden Age.
gols and the last Crusaders; the Mongols themselves The initial tale involves the king, Shahryar, and his
are split between the religions of Christianity, Islam new wife, Scheherazade, who marries him to save
and Shamanism. However, every campaign the the women of her city. As punishment to all women
Crusader’s wage against Baibars is repelled. The for his adulterous former wife, the King takes a
Christians of Antioch are cut off from their Mongol new woman every night – and then slays her in the
allies, and Baibars ruthlessly purges it. He mocks morning. Scheherazade begins telling him stories
its ruler, Bohemond IV – excommunicated by the that beget more stories, while always leaving a tale
church for his dealings with the Mongols – as the half finished at sunrise. The king spares her life, but
last remaining Crusader strongholds are swept only to hear how a story ends.
away by Baibars and his successors. Every massacre
is claimed to be revenge for the events of a hundred
years past.
Qalawan, once a slave bought for 1,000 dinars,
“But on my wedding night an Ifrit
leads the warriors of Egypt for a time, destroying named Jirjis bin Rajmus, cousi n of
the fortress of the Hospitallers. His son, Al-Ashraf
Khalil, is the leader of the Islamic forces when Acre
Iblis , the Foul Fiend, snatc hed me up
is finally retaken – ending the last bastion of Frank- and, flying away with me like a bird,
ish power in the east. set me down in this place”
~ The 1001 Nights
 Through his bloody beard he told of how his cara-
Bazaar Tales van thought to travel through the mountains, rather
than take a longer path around them. Creatures that
“I know what you are thinking. You think we are all cun- bore the shape of men, but were faster than any hu-
ning and untrustworthy. But, let me tell you! That is only man he had ever encountered before, attacked them.
because no honest Muslim would have dealings with the They had skin like leather and eyes of red and black,
Franj, ha ha! Except for me of course. Now let me mind and their teeth were all pointed. The beasts could
that fine horse of yours...” ~ Marid of Shayzar. have killed them all, but they wanted them alive.
The armless man’s voice wavered into a shriek when
The Ghouls of Ma’arra he began telling of how they were brought to a
What? You mean this rusted blade? I did not think village in the mountains and kept underground in
that anyone would be interested in that. I will give it rock-hewn dungeons. Some women were trapped
to you, my friend, after I tell you how I came to have in gibbets, the metal bars not even allowing them
10 it. I would be happy to be rid of it. room to turn. They were to give birth to mewling
infants that were taken from them to be locked away,
…No, I’m fine. It is just that some of this insufferable fattened, then eaten while their flesh was still tender.
dust has gotten into my eyes…
T Their captors viewed them with an uncaring eye, and
You may be surprised to know that there is an if a guard took out his frustrations upon them, they
H interesting story behind this blade. Not too long were encouraged or ignored by their inbred brothers.
Tongues were cut if prisoners spoke, and fed back
E ago, a man stumbled into the bazaar, causing a great
commotion. He collapsed near my stall, just a bit to them, along with any bones and gristle from a
behind where you stand now. He was clothed in slaughter. When it came time for the killing to begin,
M tattered rags and dust and blood. When he fell he the captives were bound and hung upside down so
had knocked the stump where his arm used to be that their throats could be cut, yet many were still
Y and blood began weeping into his bandages. That alive when the dismemberment began.
T knife you now hold, it was in his one hand before he The man was shaking by this point of his tale, and
crumpled to the ground. began thrashing upon the ground. He had suffered
H He was raving about a madness in the mountains, and many wounds and they were obviously infected. The
O I pushed my way through the crowd to hear what he crowd did not hear of how he escaped before he died.
was saying. It was a tale of horror and darkness. The worst thing he said was that these ghouls not
S Some mothers will tell their ill-disciplined chil- only used his companions’ meat for themselves, but
dren a story about the ghouls of the desert to scare that he saw them trade human flesh to merchants
them into behaving. I had never thought the tales bound for the cities of the East and West.
were true, but there was a time when there were So keep that knife. Whenever I see it, I think of the
men who ate the flesh of men in the lands ravaged despair in that poor man’s eyes. He had seen that
by war. It was many years ago, when the crusad- Hell is right here, existing beside us, and that there is
ers were marching towards Jerusalem and were no need for devils while humans inhabit the lands.
not used to the country they had come to occupy.
Many fell from disease and hunger and so were
savage in their dealings with those they conquered.
During the siege of Ma’arra, some were driven to
eating those they captured. When the army moved
on, some soldiers stayed behind. It is said that their
minds had fallen into a dark insanity, brought on by
realising that their deeds would never be redeemed
before God, the sole purpose for them to take up the
cross and join the crusade. As they continued to be-
lieve that they were destined for Hell, they became
more beast than man. The desolate mountains were
where they lived, preying on travelers and reveling
in the pain and horror of their victims - for they had
given their souls to Satan and his djinn.
It is believed by me that these tales were more than
just scary stories to be told to the young – the man
that stumbled into the market confirmed it!
 So, he died a long time ago, but in between his
death and the fall of Ma’arra, there sprang a con-
“So, too, the creeds of man: This clave of scholars, artisans and poets, who looked to
one prevails; Until another comes Al Ma’arri as inspiration. They tried to keep their
locations secret, but not their message that the in-
and fails; And if it triumphs; Oh, habitants of this world cannot progress without the
the loath some world, will always freedom to imagine and the freedom to question.
They were rumoured to have many scribes who
want the lates t fairy tales .” were busy harvesting the knowledge of the globe
~ Al Ma’arri and placing it into books. They took in the rejected
and despised, and created a vast underground net-
work. They called themselves the Wavering Flame.
When the Crusaders came to Ma’arra, they rav-
The Wavering Flame aged their base and their members were scattered 11
throughout the desert. They tried to cling to their
Ah! Yes, these are very fine wares you see before you. books, but over time, many were lost.
Has this book caught your eye? You bear the look of But not this one! For a very reasonable fee, it is yours T
a foreigner, so let me explain. my friend. H
I found it in my travels through the deep desert and
have often thought of keeping it for myself, such is The Cursed Knight and the Sage E
its beauty. It is bound in a sort of hardened fabric, You are right to be curious about this. It not just any
not leather like the many others in my collection. shard of metal on a necklace. This story is a curious M
This inscription here, on the inside page, it says, one, you may need to sit down, as your legs look
“The chained mind knows not whether its body is tired. Here, take this stool... only 3 dinars... Ha ha! Y
free or slave”. A curious saying, yes? The chapters Why the frown, of
cover a variety of subjects too. It is like a number course I joke.
T
of studies have been combined into this one book.
It is a soup of knowledge! Look at these chapters… 2 dinars. H
“How the shadows upon distant obelisks prove the ... Ha ha ha! That O
spheracy of the world”, “The grasshopper’s tale and was another
its implications on the artificial nations of mankind” joke that we use S
and “The hunt for the creatures who’s bones inhabit around these
the deep mines of Baalbek.” parts. It is fine to
And see this? There are some portraits of the au- laugh, why are you
thors. Do you think this one really had two heads? so serious. Hey,
And this girl with the gills, Jullanar, could that be that stool is mine
possible? and is not for free
use!
... I have asked many questions about this book. A
merchant from the order of the White Quills gave Now listen, this is the
me his opinion, so you should take it as truth. tale of the one who
calls himself... The
He told me that before the soldiers of the west first Saviour of Souls.
came to these lands, there was a great poet – Al
Ma’arri. He was a great blasphemer, but he man- When the Crusaders took
aged to survive persecution because he was so Jerusalem, the Jews took
popular among the people. He cared for the beasts refuge in their great syna-
of the world and did not eat meat, or drink honey or gogue. It was set to fire and,
milk. He was blind and spoke against bringing chil- as the poor souls inside began to burn and choke,
dren into such a world of horror. He claimed that two men were seen to escape. One of these men
all religions were created by men and that they are had a dark past, and the other was a man who had
only useful to those seeking power over the masses. planned to build a powerful Golem to protect the
This White Quill seemed to respect him and went city. His hopes were lost to the flames.
on about how Al-Ma’arri’s thoughts were not bur- One of the crusaders, he who had hurled the first
dened by his culture or times, and how powerful torch upon the synagogue, had met these men
his poetry and philosophy was. All I will say is that before and gave chase with his retinue. The story of
a man like that now would spend more time run- this knight has passed into legend. It is said he was
ning than doing his poetry, ha ha! cursed with leprosy and left the western countries
 The Sage of Durban prayed as the knight dipped his
blade into holy water. Before the blade fell, the sage
told the knight that he must place his head facing
the knight before he opened the locket and read
from the tiny book. This he did. The Sage of Dur-
ban ‘s head was placed on the tray and the knight
opened the locket. A shining dust rose from its
compartment and into the air. The Sage of Durban’s
head smiled and the knight began to ask the sage a
question. His head gargled a response. The knight
became angry, but the Sage of Durban had died be-
fore he could react. He was furious, but was cough-
ing from all the dust.
12 to seek favour with God and find a cure. When he The next day, his leprosy had returned.
arrived in the holy lands he set about slaying all And so, that was the knight’s past before he reached
who would not bow to his cross, hoping each infidel Jerusalem and started the chase through the burn-
T sent to Hell would count toward the blessings he ing streets. His dark helmet and mail covered his
would receive from Heaven. He captured one man,
H the Sage of Durban. He was a healer and a philoso-
rotting flesh, but his death from his cursed disease
was close. He sought to slay as many non-believers
E pher and managed to do what no one had done
before – bargain with the cursed knight for his life.
as he could to increase his rewards before he met
his judgment. During the chase between the men,
He was given a number of days to brew a potion the Jew’s guard drew his blade and their swords
M that would cure the leprosy. clashed. Although the cursed knight’s broad blade
Y The cursed knight had gathered a number of fol- was made from heavy iron, the defender wielded a
lowers that flayed the skin from their own backs sword made of Damascus steel. It bit into the cursed
T and shrieked and clamoured to burn any infidel. knight’s weapon and shards of it scattered through
the dust and ash.
H The Sage of Durban approached the knight’s throne
of skulls, through rows of his impaled victims and And one of those pieces is this one, hanging upon
O the curses of his followers, and knelt before him. He this necklace. What happened to the men you ask?
presented a cloth, damp and reeking of herbs. The Well, no one knows how the Jew and his guard
S Sage of Durban said that the knight was to wrap the ended up, but the cursed knight is still seen, more
cloth around the handle of his executioner’s blade, than one hundred years since that day. In the great-
and when he was to sweat, the medicine would est battles, where soldiers wade through blood, he
enter his body and alleviate his curse. has been sighted. It is said he has given up on all
The cursed knight did this throughout his day of sides. It is said that he believes that for those that he
beheadings and the next day he believed he was kills, the just will go to Heaven and join the ranks
cured. The Sage of Durban, thinking he would be of the armies of God, while those who are evil will
freed, was brought to the knight. The knight spoke burn in Hell. He wanders with his flock and seeks
to him and thanked God for delivering the sage only to slay for his Lord.
to him after he had been unflinching in his work.
However, the knight had an adviser whose heart
was hardened towards the Muslims. He convinced
the knight that if the sage was the only one who
could cure him, then he was also the only one who
could kill him, as no man on the battlefield had
been able to do so. This man, with the tongue of a
serpent, convinced the knight. The knight drew his
great sword. The Sage of Durban tried to reason
with him, but failed. Knowing that he was going
to be put to death the sage took the cord from his
neck that contained a locket in the shape of a book.
He told the knight that if he was beheaded, and
his head placed on a silver tray, he would translate
some of the secret language that the book was writ-
ten in, and so the knight would be able to translate
the rest. The knight immediately ordered a silver
tray to be bought.
The Apostles of Sobek
You truly have a discerning eye. The bearers of a
torch such as this should not be spoken of, but you
have gained my trust. Only because you ask of it
will I tell you how I came across this; but! I implore
you to keep your knowledge away from the ears of
the pious – for your own safety.
Many years ago, I was leading a caravan from Da-
mascus to Antioch. Not too far into our journey, a
great sandstorm led us astray. It was dark when we
came across some great and ancient ruins. A scholar
travelling with us noted that they could have been
built by the old Romans and we had probably 13
reached the outskirts of Baalbek. We set up camp
under the crumbling idols as the wind screeched
through the night.
T
It was hard to sleep, with the skittish animals mak- The tunnels twisted, but I managed to stay close be-
ing noises and the dust managing to find its way cause they held the only source of light. As the time
H
into my nostrils, but I soon drifted into a light slum-
ber. I awoke to find the very earth shaking! Then I
crawled on, I noticed the air becoming warm and E
damp. A hewn archway opened into a hall blazing
was falling. I landed heavily, followed by sand that with torches. I kept behind the arch, watching and
I had to dig myself out of in the moonless dark. I waiting for my moment to strike. There were many
M
could hear screams from my companions and the
sound of the frightened donkeys. I tried to edge my
worshippers in the cavern, and they parted like a Y
wave before their priest. He strode to an altar, a cre-
way towards them, but became lost. I could feel jag-
ged rock beneath my hands and feet, and decided
ation in the form of a nightmare. A great cauldron T
bubbled at the top of a ziggurat, and this was where
I must be in some underground cavern or tunnel. he was headed. Rising over the cauldron, towering H
When the noise became more distant I began to
panic. I could not even see my hand in front of my
over the ragged worshippers, were bones assembled
into the head of a monstrous crocodile. My eyes
O
face and I felt I would be lost and left to starve in were drawn to the cavern walls. As the light flick- S
the choking depths of the earth. I was overcome and ered across them, the shadows would be chased
knelt to the ground, hoping I was going to wake up away to reveal what could only be the skeletons
from this horrible dream. of terrible beasts. These creatures swam within
The sounds of my companions suddenly became the rock, frozen in the states of their deaths. It was
screams, and stopped with the abrupt clanging of wondrous, yet this vision shook my mind with its
metal upon stone. I tried to remain still and shrink terrible reality.
into the darkness. Footsteps, crunching across the A low chanting bubbled from the worshippers, as
cavern floor, were approaching. A flickering of light the flesh carried by the attackers of our caravan was
appeared, distant, but approaching quickly. I could thrown into the cauldron. Vapours escaped, rising up
now make out that I was in a boulder strewn cav- into the mouth and nostrils of their blasphemous idol.
ern, the walls reaching to a roof that disappeared
into the shadows. I shuffled and hid among these I realised that I would not be able to avenge my
boulders, hoping to conceal myself from whoever friends at that time. With one of their torches, I fled
– or whatever – was approaching. through the tunnels, taking the route that seemed
to lead upwards. But I was followed. As I crested the
Then I saw them! Slumped figures in the rags of pil- threshold to daylight I extinguished my torch in the
grims, led by a stout priest of a religion I have never sand, then crouched above the entry to those dark
seen. As they passed I saw he carried a staff that passages. A hooded figure emerged, but he could
rattled with the bones and teeth of giant creatures. not bring himself to stand in the sunlight.
In his other hand I saw a sack, overflowing with the
possessions of my friends – may God punish him! I After many more adventures, I found my way back
could not see his face, though. His head was covered to the civilised places of the world. And this torch
in a pointed hood and a wrapping of rusted mail is a reminder of the darkness that waits among the
lay under it. The followers carried stumps of hacked savages and infidels far from here. I feel much better
flesh – man and animal alike. My heart throbbed in with sharing my tale with you. I feel you are honest
anger and sadness. I resolved to follow them, and and, for your patience, I will take one dinar off this
avenge my friends. torch if you choose to buy it now.
 H. P. Lovecraft Omnibus III – The Haunter Of The
Further reading Dark: The uncaring terror of the beings that slum-
ber in darkness and outside of reality, waiting to be
called upon by insidious cults, is a theme that the
Internet links mythos of H. P. Lovecraft shares with Nights of the
The Crusades: Just from reading this and clicking Crusades. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Lovecraft was
on any links that seem interesting, you can gain an fascinated with the One Thousand and One Nights
excellent insight into the crusades, the empires and during his childhood.
peoples that were involved in them. The Book of Saladin by Tariq Ali: The second in a
The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night: series of novels set in the lands of the Muslims dur-
This is an internet resource for Richard Burton’s ing the Middle Ages. It is fascinating in its depiction
translation. of everyday life and the breaking of taboos. It cov-
ers a wide range of characters, from warlords and
14 The Memoirs of the Lord of Joinville: The fascinat- slaves, to noble-women and scribes.
ing chronicle of an actual knight during the 7th cru-
sade. He relates the harshness of the conditions he Jingo by Terry Pratchett: A focus on the ‘Middle
faces and has a surprisingly open-mind in regards East’ of Discworld where the clash of cultures gives
T to good and bad of both crusaders and Saracens. rise to crazy and humourous adventures.
H The Skeptics Annotated Bible: The Bible on the in- Throne of the Crescent Moon by Saladin Ahmed:
Using the mythology of the 1001 Nights, Ahmed
E ternet with a number of quick links to sections such
as violence, injustice and cruelty and intolerance. creates a world of djinn, ghouls, heretics and pious
Should a character decide to justify a good deed warriors. This story focuses on Doctor Adoulla
M with scripture, there’s a section for that too. There’s Makhslood, “the last real ghul hunter in the great
a version for the Qu’ran as well. city of Dhamsawaat”.
Y
The Sowers of Thunder: By Robert E. Howard, au-
T thor of Conan, during the last years of the Crusades.
It’s brutal and dark, and reads a bit like Conan’s
H adventures in Palestine. Howard also doesn’t allow
O history to get in the way of a good story.

S Books
By Sword & Fire by Sean McGlynn: This book
explains why the history of the Middle Ages is
drenched in blood and the wails of the condemned.
The author goes so far as to claim that the age of
chivalry is a myth – and makes an excellent argu-
ment. The sections where the author reveals his
dark, dry humour is another reason why this book
is worth reading.
The Crusades Through Arab Eyes by Amin
Maalouf: Follows the internal machinations and Atmosphere
history of the Islamic empires that fought against
the crusaders. It offers a fascinating insight that The following albums could be a starting point for the
is often missed because the wealth of information soundtrack to your tale, as they are infused with Mid-
about Europe’s empires often overshadows it. dle Eastern darkness and fantasy. However, as music
is generally a question of taste, it is entirely up to you
The Assassins by D.B. Bartlett: An in-depth look at as to what creates the best ambience for your Tale.
the Nizari sect, who, for such a small group, struck Saurian Exorcisms: Karl Sanders
a great fear into the hearts of Franj, Saracens and Kingdom of Heaven: Soundtrack
Mongols alike. Conan the Barbarian (1985 version): Soundtrack
The Thousand and One Nights Vol 1 & 2 by Hilal: Arkan
Husain Haddawy: One of the best translations of Salam: Arkan
the Arabian Nights around, by a fluent speaker of Those Whom the Gods Detest: Nile
English and Arabic. It is much easier for the modern The Epigenesis: Melechesh
reader to digest than Richard Burton’s tome. Mother Tree: Eulen
conjuring a
character
Rolling laughter wafted over the Firuz’s men looked to him for an order.
walls after the disastrous battle, He felt for the Christian informer. In 15
followed by the heads of Ridwan’s peaceful times, only the zealots could
soldiers. Firuz lent against his tower not get along. However, in times of
as silence gripped the city. Like the war, western Christians treated the
sound of dropped melons, the heads Arab and Turkish Christians with C
cracked over the stone paths. Firuz wariness, as they believed their loyalty O
saw fear in the eyes peering from would be to their countrymen.
their windows, as well as something N
And if Firuz’s enemy were Christian,
else. It was despair. Contrary to what
then his neighbours who worshipped J
they had been led to believe, the Franj
were stronger than them.
Isa would be eyed with suspicion – as U
they were thought to harbour favour
Rain started to pour, and it continued for their co-religionists. R
for many days.
Firuz wondered how the Eastern I
The situation worsened. In the Tower Christians could live like that; never N
of the Two Sisters, Firuz received a feeling that they belonged in the only
man covered in filth and gasping for place they called home. G
breath. Tears washed the grime from
his cheeks as he slumped against two A
of Firuz’s soldiers.
When the sagging figure saw Firuz C
he blurted, “They found one of us.
Yusuf was roasted right in front of
H
my eyes. I could not watch as they A
laughed and threatened all of those
from our lands. Aziz told me later
R
that a starving fanatic ate him. I will A
never return to that hell!” The man
pointed a crooked finger towards
C
Firuz, “For many months I have been T
with them, trying to please the Emir
so I could return to my family. I am
E
returning to them now, Captain, I do R
not care how I am punished.”
 The Book of Names
English German Ancient European
Male Female Male Female Male Female
John Emma Heinric Gertrude Drustan Latharna
William Moude Wilhelm Elisabeth Meadoc Morag
Lambert Rois Dideric Methilda Oengus Eamhhair
Ricard Agneta Rudeger Hedewig Cathal Slainte
Henry Isabele Gerhard Heidi Eogan Kalliope
16 Gilbert Johanna Sifrid Agnes Uallas Xanthia
Rauf Sabine Theodore Berta Yorgos Eydis
Edmund Aweline Johann Helga Auslag Gudrun
C Matheu Alice Ludewig Hildeburg Sichar Steina
O Clement Cecilia Albert Judith Valdis Rakel
N
J
French Byzantine
U
Male Female Male Female
R
Arnaud Adeline Leo Augustina
I Eustache Ava Dulcitius Clementina
N Gaidon Emersende Martyrius Leontia
G Dreu Clarisse Maximinus Patricia
Gris Gaude Regino Vigilantia
A Malgar Jehanne Viator Sidonia
Guichard Marie Francio Iustina
C Hughes Loyse Innocentius Helena
H Rabel Martine Ignatius Aetheria
A Bernier Juliote Cyril Alexandria
R
A
C
T ... a Saracen, very well dressed, and a very
E honest fellow by his looks, came to the King,
R and offered him milk in jars and flowers of
divers kinds, on the part of the children of the
Nasac, and the Sultan of Egypt; and he made
the offering in French. The King asked him
where he had learnt French? and he replied,
that he had once been a Christian. And the
King said to him: “Get you hence; for I have
no more to say to you.”.
~ The Memoirs of Jean de Joinville
Jewish Turkish North African
Male Female Male Female Male Female
Aaron Esther Togrul Chichek Hisham Baraka
Shlomo Saris Alp Khatun Al-Qasim Idlal
Sulam Chana Malik Serakh Hakim Rashida
Baruch Beila Kilij Gulbahar Bilal Aziza
Ya’qub Yeintil Kerbogha Selime Rashid Mahjuna
Ezekiel Rashida Duqaq Zuhal Tariq Mayya 17
Elijah Sara Yaghi Yenge Wadih Zahra
Isaac Layla Otemish Zeliha Jalid Gislan
Sahl Dhahab Mawdud Kutlu Siraj Kanza
C
Yekuthiel Faras Zahir Saljan Zurar Nuzha O
N
J
Arabic Persian Mesopotamian and
Ancient Egyptian U
Male Female Male Female
R
Muhammad Aisha Ali Mahisti Male Female
Ahmad Jamila Abdullah Mihri Arnuwandas Pudukhepa
I
Ibrahim Hafsah Nasir Nihani Mutallu Ahassunu N
Umar Sajah Hassan Bija Sapalulme Ishtar-rabi-at G
Ishaq Rahil Nizar Jamali Enlil-bani Shiptu
Isa Zubaydah Ismail Khadija Nur-shamash Mkhait A
Ja’far Marajil Jalal Zaynab Ur-gula Odjit
Yusuf Qabul Imad Bidili Ishtup-sin Nanu
C
Sulayman Safwah Rostam Khanzada Buhazum Irisi H
Da’ud Nuwwar Shahrbaraz Tajlu Akhom Akana A
Shushu Sekhmet R
A
C
“With us are the Bedoui ns, who T
would be quite sufficient singly to opp ose E
our enemies; and the Tur komans , who, R
unaided, could des troy them: even our
pea sants, if we were to bid them, would
fight bravely agains t the nation s which
should come to inv ade our cou ntry, and
would despoil them of their riches and
extermi nate them. But, if you ask us
for the boon of peace, we will be at
peace with you.” Frede rick
~ Lette r from Salih Al-D in to Empe ror
Barbarossa according to Roge r de Hoveden
 1: Background 2: Allegiances
Describe your recent life before your time in the Each character begins with 1 Faction, 1 Religion, 1
Tale. As a guideline, a new character is assumed to or 2 Classes and 0 to 1 Organisations.
be in their late teens or early twenties.
Faction
Questions to round out Your Faction is an indicator of which side you are
your character on in the war, as well as your general appearance,
Why are you here? What drives you; knowledge, fluent languages and customs.
virtue, righteousness, foes, wealth? You start with 2 languages. You are fluent in your
How did you get here? Have you travelled far and first language, and speak with an accent for any
18 endured hardship? others. Your fluent language must be selected from
your Faction list. On your character sheet you
Where were you raised and where do you call home can note any accented languages by placing them
now? A child’s early life affects them greatly, and within brackets.
C you are no different. What are some of your memo-
O ries of growing up? The Franj
N What do you want to accomplish? Answering this
question will give the Tale-Weaver a direction and
‘Franj’ is the name given to the crusaders by the
peoples of the Middle East. France was the country
J character arc for you. that sent the most warriors on the Crusades, which
U Al begins his character. He wants to create a pilgrim-sol- is where the name comes from. In fact, some Islamic
scholars refer to Western Europe as ‘Franjistan’. The
R dier, Aldric, that has travelled from England to the Holy
Land for fortune and to seek penance for a dark secret. He term encompasses the cultures from the Kingdoms
I was born to toil in the mud and recently his wife and child of England, Germany and France, as well as the
Holy Roman Empire.
N have died during a difficult childbirth. He blames his lack
of piety for bringing God’s wrath to his loved ones. Aldric Languages: English, French, German, Latin.
G has believed what he has heard from the pulpit – that only
through joining the war against the infidels can he erase Renowned figures: Richard the Lionheart,
Phillip Augustus, Conrad of Montferrat.
A his sins to gain peace for his soul.
Major religion: Roman Catholic
C The Byzantines
H The Byzantine Empire lay as a barrier between the
A two major forces of the Crusades. Although allied
with the Franj for the majority of the period, the
R difference of religion between the Factions made it a
A fickle one.
C Starting languages: Greek, Latin, Aramaic, Syriac.

T Renowned figures: Niketas Choniates, John II Kom-

nenos, Alexios V Doukas.
E
Major religion: Orthodox Christianity
R
The Saracens
Originally a term used by Western scholars to de-
scribe peoples living in the deserts near the Roman
province of Arabia, it soon encompassed all Arabs.
By the time of the Crusades ‘Saracen’ meant ‘Mus-
lim’ in the majority of European chronicles.
“At once the city was taken and Starting language: Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Ara-
occup ied, and the enemy without maic, Armenian, Hebrew, Kurdish.
vanquished; every where was blood Renowned figures: Saladin (Salih Al-Din),
and death, and the heap s of the slain Kilij Arlan I, Zengi, Baibars, Fakhr al-Mulk Radwan.
Major religion: Sunni Islam
impeded their flight.”
~ Itinerar ium Peregrinorum et Gesta Regis Ricardi
(The Itinerar y of King Richard), Geoffrey de Vinsau
 Judaism
Jews were split among the lands of Europe, Byz-
antium and Islam. Like every other religion, there
were also internal schisms, most notably between
the Rabbinites and the Karaites. Rabbis are a com-
mon type of cleric in Judaism. Jews of the time
included Da’ud Abu al-Fadl and Maimonides. A
Jewish character has the option of selecting Hebrew
in addition to her starting languages.

Paganism
This is a blanket term that covers a wide variety
of religions and belief systems, yet the majority of
cultures in the Holy Land will lump them together as 19
Pagans (or idolators, infidels or witches). If relations
between the three religions that all share a common
prophet is difficult at best, the chances of a Pagan C
being welcomed by them is next to nothing. Pagan
numbers are small in the Holy Land, but could in-
O
Religion clude Slavs, some Mongols, Zoroastrians, Hindus and N
This is your life philosophy that will sometimes Buddhists. They may also include ancient Babylonian
transcend your place of birth, though it is more of- and Mesopotamian cults that worship old gods.
J
ten something you will be born into. The following Regardless, they will need to hide their affiliations U
are the major religions that dominated the area, but in the daylight, as they will be deemed as immoral
there were many others during the time of the Cru- blasphemers by most authorities. A Pagan has the
R
sades. If you want to be a Cathar, Nestorian, Copt, option of selecting an ancient language of the player’s I
Sufi or any other minority religion that existed at choosing (such as Gaelic, Sumerian or Akkadian) in
the time, choose the closest major Religion from the addition to her starting languages.
N
list then apply the sect to your Organisation. G
When the counts came to take leave of
Roman Catholicism
the Emperor he retained this haughty knight A
The religion of the crusaders and most of Europe.
The Pope is its spiritual head and Priests are one and asked him who be was. “I am a Frank,” C
type of Roman Catholic cleric. Roman Catholics he replied, “of a most high and ancient H
of the time included Hugues de Payens and Peter
nobility. I know but one thing, and that
Bartholomew.
is that there is in my country a cross roads
A
Orthodox Christianity where all those betake themselves who hope R
The religion of the Byzantines and many Christians
to show their valor in single combat, and A
of the East. There is a leader for each national line.
Priests are one type of Orthodox cleric. Orthodox there make their prayer to God while they C
Christians of the time included John Camaterus and await an enemy ; I remained there a long T
Nikephoros Bryennios the Younger.
time without anybody daring to measure E
Sunni Islam swords with me.” R
The main religion of the Islamic Empire in the Holy
Lands. Mullahs are a common type of Sunni cleric. Alexis said to him, “you now have a
Sunni Muslims of the time included Ibn al-Nafis chance to fight; and if I may give you a
and Usama ibn Munqidh. word of advice, it will be not to put yourself
Shi’ite Islam either at the head nor rear of the army but
The numerous minority of the Islamic Empire, in the middle. The experience which I have
based in Egypt until Salih Al-Din conquered it. had with the Turks has convinced me that
Imams are one type of Shi’ite cleric. Shi’ite Muslims
of the time included Hassan-i Sabbah and Nasir al- is the best place.”
Din al-Tus. – Anna Komnen e,
daughte r of Emperor Alexios I Komnenos of Byzantium
 Class Noble
Within Nights of the Crusades, your ‘Class’ is viewed You were likely born into this class, and are on the
in the political sense. It is the rank and peer-group way from being a squire to leading warriors into
that you hold within your community as defined by battle or taking part in the decision making of your
your social and economic status. Characters from the realm. However, the beauty of your life is easily
same class will have, at times, camaraderie beyond upturned by the deadly political games that must be
their cultures and religions. played to ensure your position of power. There is a
good chance you live in your family’s manor.
You can begin with up to 2 Classes. For example,
a crusading squire could be a Warrior/Noble. You Starting equipment: Sword, Slave, 20 Wealth,
gain 3 pieces of equipment from the pool of items Religious icon.
available to you. You also add 2 Abilities (see the Expertise: Any two.
Advancement chapter) from the Expertise available
20 to your Class(es). Outcast
If you don’t quite fit into the accepted mould of
Artist society – you are an Outcast. Beggars, thieves
C Expressing your thoughts through mediums such as
dance, poetry, calligraphy or illuminating manu-
and followers of un-orthodox religions are all in
this brotherhood at the edge of civil life. A sewer,
O scripts is your trade. You will likely stay in taverns beneath a bridge or a hammock in the wilderness is
N or a traveller’s den; whatever you can afford as you
experience the wonders of the world.
what you call home.
J Starting equipment: Hood, Veil, Mask or Scarf,
Starting equipment: Hood or Mask or Scarf, Hid-
den Pouches, Dagger (Discreet Weapon), Rope and
U Musical Instrument, 5 Wealth, Religious icon. Hook, Torch, D5 Portions of Alcohol, Religious icon.
R Expertise: Communication, Vigour. Expertise: Communication, Vigour.
I Cleric Peasant
N You hold a rung on the ladder to authority within You are a caretaker of the countryside and the ani-
G your religion or sect. Considered by your flock to mals within it. Your simple lifestyle is threatened by
have a great insight into the works of your god(s), war and the moods of your rulers, as both have an
you are seen as a beacon of light in these dark times.
A Your accommodation is generally attached to a
impact on the land you rely on to survive. You can
be found in a hovel, with the rest of your tired fam-
house of worship and is dependant on your rank. ily, on the land that they owe to their lord.
C
Starting equipment: Staff (Reach 3 Improvised Starting equipment: Farm Tool (Reach 2 or 3 Impro-
H Weapon), Candles, 10 Wealth, Religious icon. vised Weapon), Rope, Torch, Religious icon.
A Expertise: Communication. Expertise: Communication.
R
Labourer Scholar
A You craft the objects you sell, or toil away under the You are a seeker of knowledge. Whether it is un-
C gaze of your master. Blacksmiths, butchers, fletchers derstanding the world and its cultures, the intricate
and carpenters are all types of Labourer. You are
T likely an apprentice to a shop owner and have your
threads of life, or the very essence of creation, you
relish the journey of your never-ending quest. You
E own quarters. could be found at a monastery or some quarters at-
R Starting equipment: Hammer (Martial Weapon), tached a city’s library.
Leather Apron, Leather Gloves, 5 Wealth, Starting equipment: Candles, 5 Wealth,
Religious icon. D5 Healing Herbs, Religious icon.
Expertise: Knowledge. Expertise: Communication, Knowledge.

Merchant Warrior
You are the owner of a trading caravan, or a market You fight, and you are good at it, whether you con-
stall at the bazaar. Wealth drives you and, if you sider yourself a defender of the weak or a bandit who
can win the gambles along the way, you will walk simply takes what you can through force of arms.
the path to power and influence. You likely stay at From hiring out your services you can afford to stay
decent inns as you ply your trade. in taverns in a decent part of the city.
Starting equipment: Slave, Donkey, 15 Wealth, Starting equipment: Discreet Weapon, Martial
Chest and Lock (2), Religious icon. Weapon or Pole-Arm, Bow, Shield, Religious icon.
Expertise: Communication, Knowledge. Expertise: Melee, Ranged.
 “Hav e no fear, for it is not the 3: Expertise and
custom of kings to kill kings .” Abilities
~ Sultan Salih Al-Din to King Guy de Lusignan
Grant yourself one Ability of your choice (see the
Organisation Advancement section for the list). Each of your
An Organisation is a small, usually insular, group Abilities strengthens the Expertise group that it
that shares a goal and can include members of many belongs to. The Expertises are explained below.
different cultures, religions and classes. It is not Communication Expertise: (ComX) describes how
compulsory for you to be a member of an Organisa- well you can get a point across to another character
tion. Types of Organisations are many and varied or a group of people. It involves knowledge of the
and include the following types. subtleties of body language, various tongues and eti-
quette. You may also use it to command others. You
21
Guilds, gangs and orders: Most members share a
common class. Examples include the White Quills could use fear, love or respect to gain followers and
(Merchant), the various Knightly Orders (Warrior/ you will have the ability to understand how groups
Noble), the People’s Front of Judea (Outcast) and the think and how to use popular opinion to increase C
Wavering Flame (Scholar). your standing – whilst marginalising your enemies. O
Sects: All members share an unorthodox strain of a Knowledge Expertise: (KnowX) is the accumulated
information you have picked up from your travels.
N
common religion, and hold it very strongly. An exam-
ple is the Nizari (or Assassins) sect of Shi’ite Islam. A knowledgeable character may not gain much J
Clans and houses: All members come from the
glory, but your contributions will help friends and
confound enemies. It is also an indicator as to how
U
same extended family and can trace their roots back easily you can gain and hold onto wealth. Having R
to common ancestors. Examples include the Marid
Ibn’Iblis sept of Ghouls.
the right contacts, knowing how different markets
and bazaars work, as well as cultural sensitivities to
I
Aldric is from England originally, so Al selects Franj various goods are all necessities of a good merchant. N
for his Factional Allegiance. He also decides that Aldric
should be aligned to the Roman Catholic Religion and
Melee Expertise: (MelX) is how easily you can at- G
tack your enemies and defend yourself in close com-
gives him two classes: Warrior/Peasant. He looks at the
Class Abilities available and selects Sure Strike (Melee)
bat. Controlling pain, weapons training and coordi-
nation are some of the minor skills of this discipline.
A
and Charm (Communication). Aldric has no Allegiances
to any Organisations. Al decides that his languages will Ranged Expertise: (RngX) is the ability to launch C
be English (French). He will carry rosary beads as a an object to hit a distant target. Understanding
Religious Icon and also takes a Sword and Shield from his trajectories and predicting a quarry’s movement, H
Class equipment. whether subconscious or not, count to how much of A
an expert you can call yourself at the hunt.
Experienced characters R
Vigour Expertise: (VigX) describe how quickly you
At the Tale-Weaver’s discretion, you may conjure can react to danger. You consider evasion a more A
a more advanced character. Simply add as many noble art than testing how sharp your enemies C
Abilities as is deemed appropriate along with some weapons are. You also consider your body a temple
added Wealth. and maintain a high state of health. T
Al wants Aldric to be a strong warrior, so he grants him E
another Melee Ability, Parry. So Aldric now has 1 Com- R
munication Ability and 2 Melee Abilities. His Expertise
in Communication is 1 and his Melee is 2.

Ho w the Brothers Should Go Ab out: In ord

to car ry out their holy duties and gain the er
glo ry of
the Lo rd’s joy and to escape the fea r of hel
it is fitting that all brothers strictly ob l fire,
Ma ster. Fo r nothing is dea rer to Jes usey their
tha n obedience. Ch ris t
~ The Rules of the Knights of the
Temple
 4: Dispositions 5: Storytelling
Your Favour or Hatred towards various Allegiances Soon enough, your path will cross with a Storyteller
will be modified as you encounter them in Negotia- and you will enter a realm of sorcery and myth to
tions and Combat. Favouring an Allegiance will loot the wisdom within the stories.
allow you to help them, as you will empathise with
Storytelling is a communal affair, and the same
their values, yet it will be harder for you to enter a
story is never told twice. Your own life experiences
state of mind to do them harm. Hatred towards an
will influence what you take away from a fantastic
Allegiance will have the opposite effect.
tale and will strengthen the power of the heroes in
You may apply Favour or Hatred to Factions, Reli- the story to overcome the challenges. If a story bears
gions, Classes or Organisations. The value of the no relevance to you, you will not understand what
Favour (positive value) or Hate (negative value) is an is being imparted from the Storyteller, and the tale
22 indicator of how much you seek to protect or harm will flicker and fade from your memory.
the group. You begin play with 3 points to assign to
Further details about entering a Story can be found
your Dispositions.
C in the Gameplay and Weaving a Tale chapters.

O Disposition towards a Your Storytelling Level is equal to the points split

character between the Genres. You begin play with 3 points to
N spend (one for each of your Abilities) in the Genres
To work out your Disposition towards any individu-
J al, you will need to look at the character’s Allegianc-
of your choice.
Adventure: Whenever you hear or tell a scene
U es that you are aware of. You can work them out
involving a lot of action, your passion for Adventure
through an Impression or Scrutinise action (further
R information about these actions can be found in will determine how well the hero can overcome
physical obstacles. Physical obstacles can include
I the Gameplay chapter). Your Disposition starts at
anything from escaping from the clutches of a Rukh
0. Favour towards the other character’s Allegiances
N raises your Disposition while Hating Allegiances to avoiding the damage from the flaming breath of
a djinni.
G will lower it. The result, positive or negative, is your
total Disposition towards the character. Drama: Dramatic stories deal with the nature of hu-
A Al sets about defining Aldric’s favour and hate. He as- man emotion and delving into what makes a person
laugh, cry, love or hate. Dramatic obstacles may be
signs 1 Favour to the Peasant Class and 2 Hate to the
Noble Class. So if he comes across a Templar Knight (and convincing a jealous lover to halt his vengeance
C Aldric knows the knight has Allegiances of Franj, Catho- until he hears the end of a fable told by the hero,
H lic, Warrior, Noble, Knights Templar) Aldric will be at tricking a djinn to re-enter his prison or convincing
Hatred 2 (or Disposition –2) towards him. the hero’s father that he should be allowed to love
A the fish-woman that holds his heart.
R Mystery: Mental obstacles in a Story could be trying
A to work out how to fly a magic carpet, solving the
puzzle of a hunchback accused of murder or read-
C ing the seal on an ancient clay pot.
T Aldric adds 2 to his Adventure Level and 1 to his
E Mystery Level.

R
6: Review
For the conjuring to be complete, ensure that the
details on paper match your background. Go back
through the steps until it does.

“Robin Hood? The knav e who would

replace one king with another? The 44
are of a different cloth.”
~ Henry of the 44
Example character sheets
Nights of the Crusades: Character Sheet
Name:
Languages:
Aldric
English (French)
Fo r tho se who were poor there,
Allegiances: Franj, Catholic, Warrior, Peasant

Dispositions
here God ma kes ric h. Therefore wh y
Allegiance
Peasant
Favour (+) / Hate (–)
+ □□□□□□□□□□
x should one who ha s fou nd the Ea st
Noble – □□□□□□□□□□
xx
□□□□□□□□□□ so fav orable return to the West?
Expertise and Abilities
□□□□□□□□□□
God does not wish tho se to suffer
Communication

Charm
Knowledge Melee

Sure Strike
Ranged Vigour
wa nt who, car rying their cro ss es,
have vo wed to follow Hi m.
1 1 1 1 1
2 2 2 Parry 2 2
3 3 3 3 3
23
4
5
4
5
4
5
4
5
4
5 Fo r we who were Occidentals
no w have been made Orientals. He
6 6 6 6 6
7 7 7 7 7
8
9
8
9
8
9
8
9
8
9
who wa s a Roma n or a Fran k is C
10
11
10
11
10
11
10
11
10
11
no w an inhabita nt of Pales tine. O
Symbols of Power

One who wa s a citi zen of Chart res N

Storytelling
Adventure
Goods
Weapons and other equipment
Injuries and Trauma

no w ha s been made a citi zen of Ty re J

x□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□
x
□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□
□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□
Rosary Beads (rel icon),
Sword or of Antioch. Different languages, U
Drama
□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□ Armour (Locations) Type Def
no w made common, become know n R
□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□
□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□
Mystery
Shield H 2 Notes
to both races, and faith unites tho se I
x□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□
□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□
□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□ whos e forefathers were strangers. N
Total Storytelling Level:

Pearls of Wisdom:
3
Current Wealth: 4 As it is written, “The lion and the G
©2012 Ætheric Dreams. Permission granted to copy for personal use only

ox shall eat straw together.” A

Nights of the Crusades: Character Sheet
Massoud – Fulc her of Chartres
C
Name:
Languages: Arabic (English)
Allegiances: Saracen, Sunni, Scholar, Merchant

Dispositions
Allegiance Favour (+) / Hate (–)
H
Outcast
Knights Templar
– □□□□□□□□□□
x
– □□□□□□□□□□
x A
Noble – x□□□□□□□□□□
□□□□□□□□□□ R
Expertise and Abilities A
C
Communication Knowledge Melee Ranged Vigour

1 1 Physician 1 1 Aim 1
Staunch
T
2 2 2 2 2
3 3 3 3 3
4 4 4 4 4
5
6
5
6
5
6
5
6
5
6
E
7
8
7
8
7
8
7
8
7
8 R
9 9 9 9 9
10 10 10 10 10
11 11 11 11 11

Symbols of Power

Storytelling Goods Injuries and Trauma

Adventure Weapons and other equipment
□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□ Bow, Dagger, Donkey
□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□
□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□
Drama
□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□ Armour (Locations) Type Def
□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□
□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□ Notes
Mystery
x□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□
xx
□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□
□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□
Total Storytelling Level: 3
Pearls of Wisdom: Current Wealth: 2
©2012 Ætheric Dreams. Permission granted to copy for personal use only
 Character sheet
Nights of the Crusades: Character Sheet
Name:
Languages:
Allegiances:

Dispositions
Allegiance Favour (+) / Hate (–)

□□□□□□□□□□
□□□□□□□□□□
□□□□□□□□□□
□□□□□□□□□□
Expertise and Abilities
Communication Knowledge Melee Ranged Vigour

1 1 1 1 1
2 2 2 2 2
3 3 3 3 3
4 4 4 4 4
5 5 5 5 5
6 6 6 6 6
7 7 7 7 7
8 8 8 8 8
9 9 9 9 9
10 10 10 10 10
11 11 11 11 11

Symbols of Power

Storytelling Goods Injuries and Trauma

Adventure Weapons and other equipment
□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□
□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□
□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□
Drama
□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□ Armour (Locations) Type Def
□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□
□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□ Notes
Mystery
□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□
□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□
□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□
Total Storytelling Level:

Pearls of Wisdom: Current Wealth:

©2012 Ætheric Dreams. Permission granted to copy for personal use only
The
Marketplace
Firuz navigated the moonlit streets to Marid motioned with his gloved
the small stable where he would meet hand. The two men – scarves obscur- 25
with Marid. His back ached from the ing their faces – slithered into the
weight of the steel he carried, and light. Marid said, “Let us relieve you
his slow progress only compounded of your burden, Captain. My friends
it. Men from the city patrols lay here will ensure the deal concludes T
slumped, snoring, by the fronts of honourably.” h
deserted market stalls, some reeking of
forbidden drinks. Firuz wondered at
The situation was tense because of e
the danger both parties had put them-
their discipline when he saw one lying
in the middle of his path. He forgave
selves in. They had to go through
with it now though. Firuz would
M
this soldier though, when he saw the
crushed skull and torn clothing. It was
never have power over these men a
a corpse catapulted from the Franj’s
again. He carefully placed the sack
on the dirty floor, though clinking the
r
camp. He moved on, quickening his
pace, keeping to the shadows, and not
steel was unavoidable. Marid winced k
wanting his severed head to perch over
as it pierced the silence. e
the battlements should he be caught
with the stolen weapons from the
t
Emir’s armoury. p
He edged his way into the stable, be- l
ing careful not to disturb the horses.
It was the third stall along where
a
Marid waited. Moonlight carved deep c
shadows along Marid’s scarred face,
but struggled to reach the two men
e
behind him. Firuz squinted to see, but
knew the deal would be conducted
in darkness. Marid would not risk
any curious guards seeing a flicker of
flame and deciding to investigate.
“Is this all of it?”
Firuz nodded. He kept hold of his
large sack however. “Do you have
what I need?”
 For when that king had asked
the pirate what he meant by keeping
hostile possession of the sea, he
answered with bold pride, “What
dost thou meanest by seizing the
whole earth? Because I do it with
a petty ship, I am called a pirate,
26 whilst thou who doest it with a great
fleet art styled emperor.”
~ St Augustine
T
h
e
M Once a seller is found, it is up to the Tale-Weaver to
a Wealth decide whether the merchant is established in the
area and receives a reliable supply of the item. If so,
r At the beginning of every month, your Wealth is you may always approach the merchant for the item;
if not, you will have to search for it again if you
k reset to 10 multiplied by your Knowledge Exper-
want to purchase another one. As a general rule, if
tise. You will then gain an extra D10 to add to your
e Wealth, plus more if you have Abilities that allow it. the Rarity of an item is above 1, it is fairly uncom-
mon and will not be readily available to buy.
t Purchasing items, being robbed, bribing someone
and selling goods are just some ways in how Wealth If you buy an item then the Cost (after any Hag-
p may be modified throughout the month. gling) is deducted from your Wealth. Characters
l Item Rarity
within the group can combine Wealth between
themselves to create a pool from which to purchase
a Merchants will have a number of common goods goods. They will lose whatever they contribute to
c available to sell and these are defined by the Tale- the purchased item until the beginning of the next
month, just as if they had bought it themselves.
e Weaver. If you are looking for an uncommon item,
you will need to find it or wait for it to be delivered.
This involves passing a KnowX/ComX v Rarity (of bonuses
the item) test. If the test is passed then a merchant If you acquire more than one item that grants the
selling the item can be found. You can only search same bonus, you do not add them together. Simply
once a day and it will take a few hours. The difficul- choose which bonus to apply (it will generally be
ty is variable depending on where you are looking. the highest).
The following table gives a general guideline for the
Tale-Weaver. High-Quality
Location Rarity modifier Some items are defined as High-Quality. Generally,
High Quality equipment will be harder to find and
Port city -1
more expensive. You can find out more information
City 0 about them in their entries.
Town +1
Rural village +3 Selling
Desert camp +5 If you want to sell something, you must find a buy-
er. It will be more difficult to sell common second
hand goods than rarer items. To find a buyer you
must be in a city. You then need to take a Know/
ComX test, with a bonus to your Expertise equal to
the item’s Rarity. If it is passed then you will find a
buyer. The item’s selling price is equal to half of its
Cost. You may only make this test once a day.
The plight of the poor
The short life of the poor and destitute is one of
toil and starvation, and the descent into poverty is
harsh. If you ever greet the dawn with a Wealth of
0, roll a D10 on the following table to determine the
Misfortune that besets you. The Misfortune will last
until your Wealth rises above 1, unless the entry
specifies that it is permanent.
Another character can grant you charity to raise
your Wealth. Each point of Wealth bestowed upon
you will raise yours by one.
You do not need to roll on this table if you have al-
ready done so within the last 7 days or you rolled on 27
the Profits of the Prosperous table this month.

D10 Result T
1 Bad food: You have been forced to scrounge through garbage to find something to eat, and the rot-
ten food has made you sick. –1 to VigX. h
2 Criminal: You have turned to thievery to survive. Make a VigX test whenever you enter a crowded e
area of a town or city. You will attract the attention of the authorities on a failure, and will be set
upon by the Guard that has been tracking you. M
3 Bad Sleep: You have been forced to sleep in street gutters or places where wild creatures roam. The a
fear of being set upon in the dark reduces your time to sleep and you suffer from a lack of concen-
tration, which effects your ability to listen. Your Genre values are all reduced to 0. r
4 Stinky: Your lack of access to a bathhouse has made your clothes stink and given your skin a crust k
of dirt. Dispositions towards you are reduced by 1 and you are counted as an Outcast.
e
5 Depressed: Your plight begins to weigh upon your shoulders. You constantly ask yourself if you
will ever have enough to survive, and lack the initiative to fight for nothing. When testing to enter a t
Hostile Stance your MelX will be –1. p
6 Blame: You are disgusted or envious of the fanciful lives led by some. They would only need to
share some of their wealth to alleviate the wretched lives of you and your fellow gutter rats. Add D5
l
Hate to Merchants or Nobles – permanently. a
7 Compassion: You have been exposed to the poor and marginalised people of the area you dwell in c
and they have welcomed you. Add D5 Favour to a minority Allegiance in the area – permanently.
8 Sick: Your immune system has been run low by a lack of good food and hygiene. Your constant
e
coughing and running nose has deadened your senses. Your ComX and VigX are at –1. Also, your
group mates must pass a KnowX test or they will contract the same illness for one day longer than
you have it.
9 Wrong Crowd: You have involved yourself with a gang of criminals and take part in a robbery.
Make a VigX test. On a success gain D5 Wealth; on a fail you will gain D5 permanent Dormant Im-
pacts due to the battering you received from getting caught.
10 Addiction: To forget your sorrows you must consume some Alcohol or Hash once a day. If you do
not you will have to apply the effects of Wrong Crowd instead.

“The intentions of the various men were different.

Some, indeed, lusted after novelties and went in order
to learn about new lands . Others there were who were
driven by poverty, who were in hard straits at home;
these men went to fight, not only again st the enemies
of Chris t’s cross , but even again st the friends of the
Chris tian name, wherever oppo rtunity appeared, in order
to reliev e their poverty.”
~ Annales Herbipolenses
 The profits of the prosperous
At the beginning of every month, your Wealth
is reset to ten times your Knowledge value. This
will generally be a blessing – however there may
be times when your Wealth is above your KnowX
multiplied by 10, and so you will lose Wealth at the
turn of the month. If this happens, your coin purse
has become bloated and you can roll a D10 on the
following table for each 10 points you lose. Re-roll
any results that occur twice.

D10 Result
1 Banquet: You throw a grand banquet and invite everyone you know, increasing the favour of those
28 close to you. However, you spend your remaining riches on the feast so you cannot make any
further rolls on the table for this month. Choose a Class; anyone from the area where the banquet is
held that holds the Class will be at Disposition (+2) towards you for the rest of the month. All charac-
T ters in your party permanently add 1 point of Favour to each of your Allegiances for every 10 points
spent on the banquet.
h
Eg; Sahib (Allegiances of Saracen, Sunni, Artist, Peasant) has 39 Wealth at the end of the month, yet
e his KnowX is only 1; therefore he loses 29 Wealth. He rolls on the table and scores a 1 – Banquet! He
chooses Warrior as the Class that will favour him for the rest of the month. Also, the other charac-
M ters in his party gain 2 points of Favour to each of Sahib’s Allegiances. Unfortunately, he loses his
a next rolls on the table.
2 Robbed: Thieves have tried to take advantage of your new riches, but have been repelled. If you
r report the attack to the authorities, there will be a 50% chance that a Guard will come to your aid
k whenever you enter a Combat within the city’s area.
e 3 Rubbing the Right Shoulders: You have involved yourself with the elite of your area and are invited
to some of their events. Make a ComX test. It is +1 if you share the same Faction or Religion as the
t area’s majority, or if you are of the Noble class. On a success you manage to fit in well, and your status
p within the area is increased for a while. Your ComX is +1 within the area for the next month.
4 Opulent Quarters: You have treated yourself to some of the best food and bedding money can buy.
l You are very well rested. Your VigX is +1 for the next month.
a 5 Money Begets Money: Your wealth has enabled you to spend time furthering your business endea-
c vours. For each roll you have left on this table – plus this one – roll a D10 and add the result to your
Wealth. You will not have any further rolls on the table.
e 6 Access to Knowledge: You gain access to a library or similar repository of books and scholars. Your
KnowX will be +1 this month.
7 Disdain: You begin to look down upon the wretched lives of the beggars that infest the streets. If
only they did some honest work and prayed harder – like you! Permanently add D5 Hate to Out-
casts, Artists or Peasants.
8 Fine Friends: You have been exposed to the rich and powerful, and they have welcomed you. Add
D5 Favour to a majority Allegiance in the area. You will be considered part of the Noble class for the
rest of the month.
9 Excellent Diet: Your immune system is at its best from all of the good food and hygiene you’ve been
exposed to over the last month. Tests to resist infection, intoxicants and disease are +1.
10 Royal Physician: You have managed to find yourself in the company of a Royal Physician, or some-
one who knows him. You are granted a consultation and his advice allows you to take steps to pre-
vent hurting yourself. You may ignore the next D5 permanent injuries received over the next month.

“But as often as it happened that any of the rich bought much bread, then
arose mour ning, and sorro w, and clamour among the poor, united in one voice
of waili ng, when they saw that quantity of bread carried away by the rich,
which, if distributed in portions, might have done good to the poor as far as
it would go.” ), Geoffrey de Vinsau King Richard
~ Itinerar ium Peregrinorum et Gesta Regis Ricardi (The Itinerar y of
 Martial weapon
Weapons Includes hammers, maces, morning stars, swords,
scimitars, axes and other weapons that are made of
Unless you can rely on very sharp wits or a quick metal and can used to either slash or bludgeon an
tongue, you will need to arm yourself for the dan- opponent. They can be wielded in one or two hands
gers that await you. and are around a metre in length.
A weapon with Reach 1 can only be wielded in one Rarity: 1
hand. If the weapon is Reach 2 you may choose to Cost: 15
use one or both hands when wielding it. A Reach 3 Reach: 2
or 4 weapon can only be wielded in two hands. Range: 4-10 (thrown)
Signifier: Warrior
Reach describes how close an enemy needs to be in
metres for you to Melee Strike them. Great weapons
Range describes the minimum and maximum metres Includes executioner’s swords, great axes, giant 29
away an enemy needs to be for you to Ranged Strike hammers and other metal weapons that can only
them. You do not need to keep track of ammunition be wielded in two hands and are well over a metre
for weapons unless specifically noted. A thrown in length. T
weapon suffers a –1 modifier to Ranged Strikes. Rarity: 8 h
Signifier describes what Allegiances are associated Cost: 25
with the weapon and Special Rules describe any Reach: 3 e
modifiers applied while wielding it. Range: 5-7 (thrown)
Signifier: Warrior M
Special rules: Unwieldy, Heavy, Long
Discreet weapons a
Includes daggers, hatchets, spiked gauntlets and
other weapons 30cm long or under.
Pole-arm r
Includes spears, tridents, halberds and other thrust-
Rarity: 0 ing weapons that can only be wielded in two hands
k
Cost: 2 and are well over a metre in length. e
Reach: 1
Range: 3-15 (thrown)
Rarity: 2 t
Cost: 15
Signifier: Outcast Reach: 4 p
Special rules: Any tests made to conceal this
weapon from another character are +1
Range: 5-20 (thrown) l
Signifier: Warrior
Improvised weapons Special rules: Long a
Includes clubs, staffs and anything else that could be Bow
c
made from wooden junk and converted to a weapon. Includes longbows and composite bows made from e
Rarity: Automatic in an area of wood or other re- lengths of wood and able to fire arrows.
fuse (ie; at the Tale-Weaver’s discretion). Rarity: 3
Cost: 0 Cost: 15
Reach: 1, 2 or 3. Decided when the weapon is found. Reach: 1
Range: 5–15 (thrown) Range: 5-75
Signifier: Outcast, Peasant Signifier: Warrior, Peasant or Outcast
Special rules: Unwieldy Special rules: Reload (1), Unwieldy, Training (Rng3)

Cross Bow
A powerful and expensive invention that is easy to
wield but requires time to reload its bolts.
Rarity: 5
Cost: 30
Reach: 1
Range: 5-150
Signifier: Warrior
Special rules: Reload (4), Unwieldy
 Unarmed
If you end up without a weapon for some reason,
Armour
the following details apply to an unarmed strike.
Armour can mean the difference between a blade
Reach: 1
being outside your body, or inside. Characters that
Range: 0
aren’t quick enough to avoid blows would be best
Special rules: Unwieldy.
advised to save their coin for some armour.
High-Quality and Magnificent Defence describes how much of an expert your oppo-
weapons nent must be to get past your armour. It is also the
loss to your Vigour and the bonus to your Impact
A High-Quality weapon increases your MelX or Limit while wearing the armour.
RngX (whichever the weapon was designed for) by
1, along with the other special rules that apply to a Defence is cumulative. You may wear a maximum
30 normal type of the weapon. It is Rarity 15 and will of two Layerable pieces of body armour over any
have a Cost of 80. A Magnificent weapon increases one location.
your MelX or RngX (whichever the weapon was
T designed for) by 2, along with its other special rules, Body armour
and adds 20 to results on the Impact Table. Its is Rar-
h ity 20 and Cost 120. Gambeson
e It should also be noted that there is no such thing as
A Gambeson or padded jack is a long quilted jacket.
Usually constructed of linen or wool, the stuffing
a ‘High-Quality’ or ‘Magnificent’ weapon being sold
M at the bazaar – there will be only ‘Blades made of
varies, and can even be scrap cloth or horsehair.
the finest Damascus steel’ and ‘The Death, a two- Type: Light on chest, abdomen, arms and legs
a pronged dagger of black metal, with eight rubies Rarity: 5
r set into its jade pommel like the eyes of the Zanjele Cost: 35
spider god.’ Defence: 1
k Signifier: Warrior
Signifier: Noble, Warrior or Merchant.
e Special rules: Layerable (Brigandine, Scale or La-
mellar Cuirass)
t Special rules
p Unwieldy: All Melee Strikes are –1. Brigandine
A Brigandine is a cloth vest, generally canvas or
l Heavy: Deals 2 Impacts with each hit instead of 1.
leather, lined with small oblong steel plates riveted
a Long: This weapon cannot be used on opponents to the fabric. It could be decorated with heraldry
within a range of 1 metre. and patterns, or simply left plain.
c Type: Light on chest and abdomen
Reload (X): After every Ranged Strike, an amount
e of Actions equal to the Reload value must be spent Rarity: 7
before the weapon is ready fire again. Cost: 40
Defence: 2
Training (Expertise X): This weapon requires train- Signifier: Warrior or Outcast.
ing before it can be used effectively. If you are below Special rules: Layerable (Hauberk)
the value of the Expertise described in the brackets,
that particular Expertise will be lowered by 2 when Leather Vambraces
using it. Since the Roman Empire, forearm protection has
been used by warriors in the form of tubular cover-
ings, from archers to foot soldiers.
Type: Light on arms
Rarity: 4
Cost: 20
Defence: 0
Signifier: Warrior

“Certain of the men of Antioch, among

the armourers , had entered into a consp iracy
with the Franj, becau se of some confis cations
which they had suffered from its ruler”
~ Ibn Al-Qalanisi
 The Bedouins’ creed is this: That no man
can die, save on his appointed day; and for this
reason they will not wear armour; and when
they curse their children they say: “ Mayst thou
be accurst, even as the Frank who arms himself
for fear of Death!”
~ Jean de Joinville

Leather Gloves
Used to protect the wearers hands.
31
Type: Light on hands
Rarity: 3
Cost: 5
T
Defence: 0 h
Signifier: Outcast or Labourer
e
Hauberk
This is a shirt and coif of mail armour. Construction M
is time consuming and very expensive, so common a
soldiers are rarely equipped with a Hauberk.
Type: Heavy on head, chest, abdomen, arms Splinted Vambraces
r
and hands A leather forearm guard, reinforced with lengths k
Rarity: 15
Cost: 80
of metal. e
Type: Heavy on arms
Defence: 3
Rarity: 6
t
Signifier: Warrior or Noble
Special rules: Layerable (Brigandine, Laminar Bands)
Cost: 30 p
Defence: 1
Signifier: Warrior
l
Scale or Lamellar Cuirass
Scale and lamellar armour consists of small metal
a
Mail Chausses or Skirt
scales or plates (lames) that are laced together in
Mail leg protection offers a flexible defence against
c
rows. Lamellar armour differs from Scale by not
needing a backing for the scales and is slightly more
attackers, though the expense is too much for all but e
the wealthiest of knights.
flexible. Both were very common from Byzantium to
the Far East. Type: Heavy on legs
Rarity: 10
Type: Heavy on chest and abdomen
Cost: 50
Rarity: 12
Defence: 2
Cost: 60
Signifier: Warrior
Defence: 2
Signifier: Warrior Leather coif
Laminar Bands A coif is a cap that covers the entire head, but the
face. Leather coifs offer some protection against at-
These are strips of metal placed over the vulnerable
tacks to the skull.
areas of the torso, often engraved with religious
verses in swirling calligraphy. Type: Light on head
Rarity: 2
Type: Heavy on chest and abdomen
Cost: 2
Rarity: 12
Defence: 0
Cost: 50
Signifier: Outcast, peasant or Labourer
Defence: 2
Signifier: Warrior
 Helmets

Great helm
In its simplest form, a great helm is a flat-topped
cylinder of steel that completely covers the head
and has only very small openings for the eyes and
mouth. Later designs have a more curved design,
particularly on the top, to deflect or lessen the im-
pact of blows.
Type: Heavy on head
Rarity: 12
Cost: 50
Defence: 2
32 Signifier: Warrior, Knightly Order, Noble
Special rules: Cumbersome

T Nasal helmet
A nasal helmet has a domed or raised centre, usu-
h ally formed around a basic skull-cap design, with a
e single protruding strip that extends down over the Blockers
nose to provide additional facial protection.
M Type: Heavy on head Shield
Rarity: 7 A shield is meant to intercept attacks, either by
a Cost: 40 stopping projectiles such as arrows or redirecting
r Defence: 1 a blow from a sword, mace or axe to the side of the
Signifier: Warrior shield-bearer.
k
Type: Heavy on hand and arm that wields it, as well
e Kettle hat
as head, chest and abdomen
t This is a type of helmet made of steel in the shape of
a wide-brimmed hat. There are many design varia-
Rarity: 2
p tions, but the only common element is that the brim
Cost: 20
Defence: 2
l can keep the sun out of the wearer’s eyes.
Signifier: Warrior
Type: Heavy on head
a Rarity: 5
Special: Cumbersome, Blocker

c Cost: 25 Buckler
Defence: 0
e Signifier: Warrior
The buckler is a simple yet effective defence against
attack, often combined with a short sword, falchion,
or rapier.
Type: Heavy on hand that wields it
Rarity: 2
Another man related to me as Cost: 15
Defence: 1
follow s: “I was with seventeen Signifier: Warrior
others along a road, and there Special: Blocker

met us a Tata r horseman, and

bade us bind one another’s I said, ‘This man intends to kill
arms . My comp anion s bega n to you immediately; let us therefore
do as he bade them, but I said rather kill him, that perhaps God
to them, “He is but one man; may deliver us.’ But I swea r by God
wherefore, then, should we not that not one of them dared to do
kill him and flee?’ They replied, this, so I took a knife and slew him,
‘We are afraid.’ and we fled and escaped.’ And such
occur rences were many.
~ Ibn Al-Athir
High-Quality armour
Forged for the leading ranks of the nobility, High-
Quality armour is designed to protect the richest
and most important members of the realm. It is also
a wonder to behold, being the work of many arti-
sans of the highest order.
And it should be noted that no knight says he is
wearing a ‘High Quality helmet’, he will say what
the mightily-plumed, shining beacon of steel is – the
‘Helm of Saints’.
Type: The armour will be either a helmet or breast-
plate. A helmet will be counted as Heavy for the
head, a breast-plate will be Heavy armour for the 33
chest and abdomen.
Rarity: 17
Cost: 100 T
Defence: 5 h
Signifier: Noble, Warrior or Merchant
Special rules: Your Communication will be +1
I curse thee with a great curse, e
while it is worn. It is so well crafted that it reduces The sweepings of the gutters be thy food,
your Vigour by 2, rather than 5. The drain s of the city be thy drink, M
Magnificent armour The shadow of the wall be thy abode, a
An armour for kings, Magnificent armour is com- The thres holds be thy dwelling-p lace. r
missioned for the rulers of empires and is the pin-
~ The Descent of Ishtar to the Underworld k
nacle of an embrace between high art and the most
devious metallurgy. e
t
The ‘Mighty Scales of Tiamut’ and the ‘Halo of Ga-
briel’ are some examples of Magnificent armour. Attire p
Type: The armour will be either a helmet or breast-
plate. A helmet will be counted as Heavy for the Attire may be worn under or over armour. l
head, a breast-plate will be Heavy armour for the
Fancy Apparel (choose Faction)
a
chest and abdomen. c
Rarity: 20 This may include the heraldry and colours of a
Cost: 150 noble family or merchant guild. Made from exotic e
Defence: 7 fabrics like silk and gilded in silver or gold, and
Signifier: Noble, Warrior or Merchant including extravagant jewellery and scents, Fancy
Special rules: This uses the Special Rules for High- Apparel will make you stand above the brown, drab
Quality armour, but will also double your Melee for masses of the lower classes. High-Quality Fancy
the purposes of working out how Impacts effect you. Apparel will increase your ComX by +1.
Rarity: 9
Special rules Cost: 45
Layerable (X): This armour can be combined with Special rules: ComX +1 during Negotiations
the types detailed in the brackets. Characters can with characters that Favour Merchants, Nobles
only wear up to two layers of body armour. and the Faction
Signifier: Noble, Merchant, Faction
Cumbersome: Movement rates in Combat are
reduced by 1 metre, to a minimum of 1 metre and Clerical Robes (choose Religion)
Awareness tests are –1. A common sight amongst monasteries and mosques
Blocker: Grants the wielder a Dodge against the and often made of simple fabrics. However, a High-
first Melee Strike in a Combat. Can be combined on Quality Clerical Robe doubles as Fancy Apparel.
top of other armours. Rarity: 8
Cost: 30
Special rules: ComX +1 during Negotiations with
characters who Favour the Religion
Signifier: Cleric, Religion
 Scholar’s Garb Hood, Veil, Mask or Scarf
Often a robe of simple fabrics, Scholars Garb is When you need to conceal your identity, you need to
comfortable to travel and study in. High-Quality cover your face. A High-Quality piece grants ComX
Scholar’s Garb takes fashion into consideration, so +1 during Negotiations with those who Favour Out-
adds ComX +1 during Negotiations with those who casts and Artists.
Favour Nobles and Merchants. Rarity: 0
Rarity: 7 Cost: 2
Cost: 30 Special: Characters trying to discern your identity
Special rules: ComX +1 during Negotiations will be at –1
with Scholars Signifier: Outcast
Signifier: Scholar
Hidden pouches
Field Garments Built into your clothing, a hidden pouch can pro-
34 These are basic, drab, practical pieces of clothing that duce an item at a moment’s notice. These may be
will not get in the way of hard work. High-Quality used to hide Discreet Weapons and smaller items.
Field Garments may include furs or patterned cloaks Rarity: 2
T and so will grant a ComX +2 during Negotiations Cost: 10
h with those who Favour Peasants and Outcasts. Special: +1 to tests made to hide something in a
Rarity: 1 Hidden Pouch from another character
e Cost: 20 Signifier: Outcast
Special rules: ComX +1 during Negotiations with
M those who Favour Peasants and Outcasts Entertainer’s Outfit
Whether a gaudy jester suit or a macabre carnival
a Signifier: Peasant, Outcast
costume, an Entertainer’s Outfit will make you
r Religious icon (choose Religion) stand out from the crowd. A High-Quality Enter-
tainer’s Outfit will allow you to gain an extra D5
k These may take the form of holy books, crosses,
rosary beads or a crescent moon and star stitched Wealth whenever you succeed at acquiring money
e onto your cloak. A High-Quality Religious Icon from a performance.
t adds ComX +1 during Negotiations with those who
Favour the religion.
Rarity: 6
Cost: 30
p Rarity: 1 Special: Anytime you test to earn Wealth or favour
l Cost: 10 from a performance, you may roll twice and choose
Special rules: +1 to any Expertise throughout the the better result
a day, must be decided upon before any rolls are made Signifier: Artist
c Signifier: Cleric, Religion
High-Quality attire
e Leather Apron Only attire that has a High-Quality alternative can be
Generally used by smiths, this leather garment will purchased or found as High-Quality. A High-Quality
protect you from the harsh environment of your item’s Rarity is 15 and its Cost is doubled.
trade. A High-Quality Leather Apron counts as light
armour on your chest and abdomen.
Rarity: 2 Possessions
Cost: 10
Special rules: ComX +1 during Negotiations
with Labourers Torch
Signifier: Labourer A wooden haft with fabric that is easily lit by fire, a
torch also doubles as a Reach 2 Improvised Weapon.
Uniform (choose Organisation)
Rarity: 0
Many orders, sects and guilds unite their members
Cost: 2
through use of a uniform. This can take the form
Special rules: Light (20)
of patches over clothing, such as the red cross over
the brigandines of the Knights Templar, or a simple Candle
item worn proudly, like the white feather of the
These offer a small, but oft times necessary, amount
White Quills.
of light.
Rarity: 10
Rarity: 0
Cost: 35
Cost: 1 (for an unlimited supply)
Special: Forbidden to non-members of the Organi-
Special rules: Light (10)
sation. ComX +1 during Negotiations with Organi-
sation members
Signifier: Organisation
Rope
“If criminals are
Has a length of 50 metres.
fated, it is wrong to
Rarity: 0 punish crime. When
Cost: 1 God’s earth was created,
Hook he knew the time that
Can be attached to a length of rope and is useful for
they would become the
scaling walls.
fountai ns for sword
blades dripping blood;
Rarity: 1
Cost: 3
to flash across the
Special: Gives climbing a wall or other tall object a
manes of horses; iron-
+1 modifier curbed, iron-shod.”
Signifier: Outcast ~ Al Ma’arri
35
Cart Alchemical Tools
A wooden carriage supported by two wheels, a cart These include a mortar, pestle and distiller and are
is used for transporting goods. However, you will a great help in mixing substances. High-Quality T
Alchemical Tools gives tests to brew an intoxicant or
have to use a horse or donkey to pull the cart.
alchemical substance an additional +1.
h
Rarity: 10
Cost: 50 Rarity: 7 e
Special: A Cart can hold an array of goods, includ- Cost: 40
ing up to 6 humans along with an average sized Special: Tests to brew an intoxicant or alchemical M
substance are +1
chest for each. Unstable, Out-Of-Reach.
Signifier: Scholar
a
Signifier: Labourer, Peasant or Merchant
r
Chest Measuring Tools
These include an abacus and scales, and make mea-
k
A heavy wooden box with a hinged lid. Locks may
be attached to it. suring weight and performing calculations easier. e
Rarity: 6 Rarity: 5 t
Cost: 30 Cost: 30
Special: A Chest can hold an array of goods, includ- Special: Appeals when Haggling are +1 p
ing a change of clothes, a blanket and a set of armour Signifier: Merchant or Scholar l
Signifier: Merchant
Labourer’s Tools a
Lock These include instruments such as tongs, hammers c
A lock can make the difference between keep- and an anvil. High-Quality Labourer’s Tools make
ing your valuables and losing them. They vary in tests to craft an item +2. e
strength depending on how much you want to pay Rarity: 5
for one. Cost: 30
Rarity: 2 Special: Tests to craft an item are +1
Cost: Varies Signifier: Labourer
Special: For each point of Wealth spent on the cost
of a lock (which can then be Haggled over), Lock-
Forge (hiring for one day)
pick attempts will be at –1. It should be noted as A forge can be found anywhere that has a perma-
“Lock (X)” where the X is the strength of the lock. nent blacksmith, which are the majority of towns
Signifier: Locks with a Cost over 20 are Signifiers and cities.
for Merchants and Nobles Rarity: 2
Cost: 1
Musical Instrument (voice also counts, the
Cost is for the training involved) Writing Kit
These include harps, fiddles, flutes, tambourines, This includes a wooden box that contains parch-
lutes, ouds, zithers and singing. A High-Quality ment, scroll cases, quills and ink. Keeping notes will
Musical Instrument grants +1 to the Rally Ability. help in remembering recipes and discoveries. You
Rarity: 2 must be Literate to use one.
Cost: 20 Rarity: 3
Special: +1 when using the Perform Ability Cost: 30
Signifier: Artist Special: +1 to Knowledge.
Signifier: Scholar or Merchant
 High-Quality possessions The maximum amount of Servants that will accom-
pany you on an adventure is equal to your ComX.
Only possessions that describe a High-Quality al- Some examples of servants are below.
ternative can be purchased or found as High-Qual-
ity. A High-Quality item’s Rarity is 15 and its Cost Whenever you order a Servant to perform a task
is doubled. that may put her in danger or goes against her
personal code of honour, you will need to give an
Special rules Order. Add your Servant’s ComX to yours and take
a ComX test. If you fail then you will have to wait
Unstable: Striking from this is –1 and it counts as
a day before attempting the test again. An obvious
Unstable Ground.
example of a dangerous task is Combat, but ask-
Out-Of-Reach: Weapons under Reach 4 suffer a –2 ing your hired diplomat to search through a pile of
modifier to Melee Strike against characters on, or in, offal for your lost jewellery is another. It is up to the
this item. Tale-Weaver to decide the Servant’s behaviour after
36 refusing a command. A Servant will break the con-
Light (X): A source of light that illuminates the area
tract between you and her should you fail an Order
around it at a radius equal to its Light value.
3 times. They will simply try to flee from you and
T become controlled by the Tale-Weaver during their
flight and onwards.
h Services
e Slave
You may often find yourself in need of an ability, Captured in battle or sold by those who he sought
M yet neither you nor your companions has it. This is protection from, a slave’s will, as well as his back, is
where the services of a Specialist come in handy. bent to serving his new master.
a Work out the number of Abilities that you need Rarity: 9
r – this will be the Specialist’s Rank. The Cost is for Cost: 30
a day of the Specialist’s time. Should you want to
k grant a Specialist specific Equipment, your will have
Upkeep: 3
Special rules: The Slave will begin play with a Reli-
e to locate and pay for it out of your own coin. gion, a Language and one Ability. Her Faction will
t Rarity: Specialist Rank
Cost: Specialist Rank x 10.
be the same as yours. Every additional Ability will
add 2 to the Rarity, 10 to the Cost and 1 to Upkeep.
p Special: Should you wish a Specialist to accompany
Arabian Steed
l you on an adventure – an example could be a Melee
Specialist (ie; a guard) – you will need to pay them A slender horse, built for speed and endurance.
a in advance for the amount of days you require their Rarity: 13
c services. They will be enlisted as a Servant of yours
until that time is up.
Cost: 80
Upkeep: 3
e Massoud needs to translate a scroll in Latin to further Beast Rating: 4
investigate the disappearance of the child-thief. He decides Expertise: Melee 1, Vigour 4
to hire a Specialist who is Literate and knows Latin. The Abilities: Fast, Fast (Sixth Sense), Large, Mount
Literate Ability is granted to a character who has Exper- Actions: 2
tise 2 in Knowledge or 6 in Communication. Massoud Defence/Dodge: 0/4
decides that all he needs is a Specialist with 2 in Knowl- Impact Limits: 2/4/6
edge, so the Specialist Rank for the service he needs is 2.
He is in a city, so the details to use a Translator for a day Donkey
are: Rarity: 2 and Cost: 20. Massoud feels that the great An animal whose survival instincts are strong,
monastery would be a good place to start... leading many to believe it is stubborn and difficult
to command.
Rarity: 7
Servants Cost: 40
Upkeep: 2
Beast Rating: 3
Servants are NPCs that are at your call. Each Ser-
Expertise: Melee 1, Vigour 3
vant has an Upkeep which must be paid at the be-
Abilities: Fast, Mount, Vicious
ginning of each month, starting the month after the
Actions: 2
purchase was made. If you voluntarily double the
Defence/Dodge: 0/3
Upkeep, then the Servant’s ComX will be doubled
Impact Limits: 1/2/3
for the rest of the month.
Hound The Books of Al-Jahiz
Hounds are often hunting in small packs or with This contains Al-Jahiz’s five most important works
street urchins. These dogs can be dangerous when including; Kitab al-Hwayn (the Book of Animals),
hungry, but they are eager to serve any replacement Kitab al-Bukhala (the Book of Misers) and Mufakharat
for their pack-leader. al-Sudan ‘ala al-Bidan (Treatise on the Zanj). His writ-
Rarity: 1 ings contain strong themes of shunning the greedy
Cost: 5 and acknowledging that the looks of peoples and
Upkeep: 1 animals are because of their environments and not
Beast Rating: 3 the punishments of God.
Expertise: Melee 2, Vigour 3 Author: Al-Jahiz
Abilities: Cunning (Blood Rush), Fast, Vicious Language: Arabic
Actions: 2 Date of creation: 9th Century
Defence/Dodge: 0/3 Insight: You will always succeed at the Fortify action.
Impact Limits: 2/4/6 37
The Canon of Medicine
This great feat of scholarship compiled most of
Books the medical knowledge of the times into a single T
bound tome.
Author: Ibn Sina (Avicenna)
h
Books throughout the lands are all extremely rare
and expensive. A vast amount of hours are spent Language: Arabic e
illuminating and crafting each tome. The following Date of creation: 11th Century
details apply across all Books. Insight: Your KnowX is doubled whenever you M
Heal. Your ComX is doubled when Negotiating
Rarity: 15 + D5
with Scholars.
a
Cost: 80 + 10D10
Signifier: Scholar
r
Kitab Al-Karaj
Special: You must be Literate to gain a Book’s Translated as the Book of Finance, this is a treatise on
k
Insight. It takes 7 days to read a Book and only one the various economic issues facing the Empire of the e
Book may be read at a time. It is considered that great Caliph, Harun al-Rashid.
you will read the Book in your spare time, so you t
Author: Abu Yusuf
do not need to allocate any time to reading. Insight
Language: Arabic p
is gained on the 8th day after acquiring the Book.
You can only have one Insight at a time and you will
Date of creation: 8th Century l
Insight: Whenever you make any money (outside of
need to have the Book within reach to gain it.
your monthly income), it will be doubled. a
The Book of the Dead Kitab al-Ahjar
c
Also known as the Necromicon, this is a compilation Meaning the Book of Stones, it is a text on alchemy e
of spells used by ancient Egyptian priests to allow that will baffle all but the most pious.
souls to pass into the afterlife.
Author: Jabir ibn-Hayyan (Geber)
Author: Various Language: Arabic
Language: Ancient Egyptian Date of creation: 8th Century
Date of creation: Various but ancient Insight: If you have Disposition (+5) for a Religion,
Insight: During a Story that involves creatures such your KnowX will be doubled when creating alchem-
as spirits, mummies and other undead creatures, all ical devices.
of your Genre values are doubled. The Apostles of
Sobek and Pagans will hold you at Disposition +2.

Mappae Clavicula
This is a compilation of recipes for a number of
different crafts including metalworking, dying
and painting.
Author: Various
Language: Latin
Date of creation: 7th Century
Insight: Labourers and Artists will gain an extra
5D10 gold a month because of the benefits to their
crafts contained within this tome.
 Kitab fi ma’rifat al-hiyal al-handasiyya
Translated as the Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Intoxicants
Mechanical Devices, this describes a number of auto-
mated inventions and contains diagrams on how to Intoxicants effect your body, whether in a positive or
produce them. negative way. They need to enter your blood stream
Author: Al-Jazari to take effect, and this may be through consuming
Language: Arabic the potion, breathing it in, or having it make contact
Date of creation: 1206 with the blood from a wound.
Insight: You gain the Greater Spark of Life and the The Cost is for one Portion of the Intoxicant. To detect
Enhance Automaton Knowledge Abilities. the Intoxicant in the air or in food or drink you will
need to succeed at a Knowledge v Aroma test. After
Greater Spark of Life ingesting the Intoxicant you will suffer the Effects.
Your alchemical genius allows you to delve further
38 into the arts of life’s creation. You may take a Portion more than once in an hour
to apply a range of its properties – re-roll if you
Type: Persistent already have the Effect you land on. However, more
T This is the same as Spark of Life, except that you can than 1 Portion an hour may result in an Overdose.
To resist an Overdose you will need to make a VigX
give life to a humanoid construct that will have the
h power of speech and some artificial intelligence. It test (because of how well you care for your body) or
e allows the Automation to gain Abilities from any Ex- a KnowX test (because you understand the toxin and
ways to best apply it). If you fail, apply the results of
pertise, though it still cannot enter into a Negotiation.
the Overdose.
M
Enhance Automaton Unless otherwise mentioned in the entry, Effects and
a Your expertise in metal craft allows you to strength- Overdoses last for 1 hour.
r en your alchemical creations.
Healing Herbs
k Type: Extended
A range of remedies exist that can staunch blood flow
e You may use this Ability after spending a day work- and stop any festering when applied to wounds. A
ing on an Automaton. If you pass then you may add
t an amount of Abilities to it equal to half of your
Portion describes a hand-full of gummy herbs.
Rarity: 3
p Knowledge. If you fail then your day is wasted. You
Cost: 10 (for 2D5 portions)
may use this once per Automaton.
l Aroma: 5
Effects: Heal tests performed on a location with the
a Ten Treatises on Ophthalmology herbs are at +2.
c This is an in-depth study of the human eye. Overdose: -1 to ComX because of the smelly concoc-
Author: Hunayn ibn Ishaq tion all over the injured character.
e Language: Arabic Signifier: Scholar
Date of creation: 9th Century
Insight: You can cure a blinded eye after spending a Hashish
day operating on it with the Physician Ability. Also, A weed used to relax the muscles and the mind,
you may use Preventative Care to grant bonuses to though frowned upon by most authorities.
you or your companions RngX. Rarity: 7
Cost: 3
Tabsirat arbab al-albab fi kayfiyat al-najah fi Aroma: 5
al-hurub min al-anwa’ wa-nashr a’lam al- Portion: Enough to fill the end of a pipe.
a’lam fi al-’udad wa-al-alat al-mu’inah ‘ala
liqa’ al-a’da D10 Effect
Roughly translated as Information for the intelligent on 1-4 -2 to VigX, RngX and MelX
how to escape injury in combat; and the unfurling of the 5-8 +1 to ComX
banners of instruction on equipment and engines which 9-10 Disposition (+2) to every character
assist in encounters with enemies. This was a military
manual produced for Salih Al-Din himself. Overdose: No Abilities may be used until the next day.
Author: Mardi ibn Ali al-Tarsusi Signifier: Outcast or Artist
Language: Arabic
Date of creation: 1187
Insight: Any Injury Levels inflicted upon you are
lowered by 3.
Alcohol Kahvee
Wine, mead and ales can generally be found in Usually mixed with milk and a bit of water, this
places occupied by the Franj, and they will only be draught will speed the drinker’s reflexes and keep
slightly more difficult to find in areas controlled by them awake, but it may also make their speech and
Saracens. A High-Quality bottle of Alcohol will put actions jittery.
you in good stead with Nobles and Merchants. It Rarity: 2
will grant +1 to your ComX during Negotiations if Cost: 3
you share it with them. Aroma: 3
Rarity: 2 Portion: Cup
Cost: 1
Aroma: 2 D10 Effect
Portion: Glass or mug 1-3 -1 to ComX
4-7 +1 to RngX
D10 Effect 39
8-10 +1 to VigX
1-3 -1 to VigX and RngX
4-7 +1 to ComX Overdose: You will not sleep for another 6 hours.
8-10 +1 to MelX Your VigX will be reduced by D10 for the next 12, as T
you are lethargic from your lack of rest.
Overdose: No Abilities can be used until the next Signifier: None
h
day, but you enter a Hostile Stance as soon as e
Combat is entered into. If more Portions than your Bears’ Nectar
Vigour have been consumed during your revelry, This is basically a selection of dense, fatty foods M
you will start vomiting, fall unconscious and make refined into a dense, fatty liquid for easy consump-
a general fool of yourself – but luckily you won’t tion. It dulls the senses and hardens the skin. a
remember much of it. Rarity: 8 r
Signifier: Outcast Cost: 25
Aroma: 5
k
Berserkers’ Brew e
Portion: Jug
This potion increases the imbiber’s muscles and
strength. Although drinking the brew is one way to D10 Effect t
activate its effects, barbarians will often slice open 1-3 -1 to VigX and RngX p
their flesh and pour the liquid straight into their
bloodstream as a show of courage.
4-7 +1 to MelX l
8-10 +2 to Defence
Rarity: 8 a
Cost: 20
Aroma: 4
Overdose: Flatulence and diarrhoea (-D5 to VigX
and ComX - roll separately) for D5 days.
c
Portion: Small vial Signifier: Warrior e
D10 Effect Arsenic
1-3 +1 to VigX for D5 rounds A common poison used by the wealthy.
4-7 +D5 to MelX for D5 rounds Rarity: 10
7-10 +D10 to MelX for D10 rounds Cost: 15
Aroma: -10
Overdose: -D5 to Vig and a high-pitched voice for Portion: Small vial
males or facial hair for females (ie; to -D5 to Com).
Signifier: Warrior D10 Effect
1-3 -D10 to VigX and MelX
4-8 Vomiting and unconsciousness
9-10 As Overdose
Overdose: The victim will be bed-ridden for the next
hour. Three Heals must be preformed on the charac-
ter within this time. If a Heal is successful, the victim
recovers after 24 hours and the healing ceases. If the
third Heal test results in a 10, the poisoned character
will die.
Signifier: Outcast or Noble
 Djinns’ Purge
This is a dangerous concoction that will speed your Sorcerous items
metabolism to an unsafe level, burning through any
infections attacking your body. What follows are some ideas for fantastical objects
Rarity: 12 that could arise in a Story. An entire adventure
Cost: 50 could also be built around them.
Aroma: 2
Portion: Vial Magic Carpet
A Magic Carpet is the work of a great artisan and
D10 Effect powerful wizard. Some claim that a Magic Carpet is
1-3 +1 to Vig, Infections are overcome. a creature unto itself, a once inanimate object given
4-7 +1 to Rng, Infections are overcome. life and the ability to fly. Others say that a sorcerous
8-10 +5 to Vig for half a day, bed-ridden for the weaving binds djinn into the fabric, ensnaring them
40 and using their powers for a human master.
next D5 days.
Special rules: Controlling a Magic Carpet requires
Overdose: The victim will be bed-ridden for the next
having enough empathy with the spirit of the rug
T 24 hours. Three Heals must be preformed on the
and so requires a Drama test.
character within this time. If a Heal is successful, the
h victim recovers after 24 hours and the healing ceases.
Lesser Djinni Vessel
e If the third Heal test results in a 10, the poisoned
This summons a djinni to act as your servant. This
character will die.
djinni does not have as many powers as the greater
M Signifier: Outcast or Labourer
djinns, but can still be a useful servant or formi-
a Angels’ Breath dable opponent.
r This wholesome draught will open up your lungs Special rules: A djinni is hateful of servitude. To
and give you a freshness of breath, though it can be make it obey your commands you must trick it some
k inconsistent in its effects. way, requiring a Drama test.
e Rarity: 4
Cost: 10 Martyr’s Shard
t Aroma: 2 Forged at the shrine made of the bones of a thou-
p Portion: Small vial sand dead martyrs and quenched with the blood
l D10 Effect
of their enemies, the Martyr’s Shard is a dagger of
glorious power. Converting the pain of its wielder
a 1-3 Nothing happens into the suffering of her foes is the power of the
c 4-8 +1 to Com Martyr’s Shard.
9-10 +1 to Vig
e Special rules: To uncover the secret of the dagger
Overdose: Flatulence (all bonuses are negated). you must pass a Mystery test, or wielding it may
Signifier: Noble claim you as its next martyr.

Sandstorm Staff
This staff of gnarled ash wood commands the des-
ert winds.
Special rules: You must be versed in the ancient
arts of sorcery, as well as being able to pass a Mys-
tery test, to unlock the power of the staff.

Ifrit’s Blade
This is a flaming scimitar from the depths of Hell.
Its bearer is at once recognised as a powerful war-
rior, as well as a converser with djinn.
Special rules: This weapon strikes fear into the
hearts of all, but defeating the Djinni that possesses
the blade requires an Adventure test.
Gameplay
Firuz was awakened. The rasping of The man took his time in answer- “You will need my help also. I am
the worm’s body always signaled its ing Firuz. They observed each other. Captain Firuz al-Zarad Ibn Sahib,
movement. Firuz saw its long, fleshy “And why should I?” a warrior from Antioch, and I have
feelers search close by and fall on the led men in many battles. A soldier
A sound of approaching footsteps
prisoner next to him. It was a very like myself could help you with the
reached their ears.
light touch, but the captive in the coming guards. Free me, brother, and
cocoon must have felt it. The prisoner Firuz thought it a valid question, but I will defend you with my life.”
began a savage spasm, thrusting from would have to be quick to answer. 41
within the webbing. Firuz began to He would have to be careful too; he
see a glint of metal under the bonds. wasn’t sure if he could trust this
The worm was slow, and by the obvious killer. G
time it reached the prisoner a hand
holding a blade had freed itself. The a
dagger began to gain momentum. It m
twirled and slashed at the webs. Bits
of the translucent stuff flew from the e
cocoon. A feverish rasping came from p
the creature’s direction. A vicious
growl replied to it, as the man ripped l
apart his prison. a
He panted, his pale eyes following the y
creature’s movement. Firuz gasped at
him for help. The wiry man ignored
him. A slurping noise preceded two
jets of slime that gushed from the
worm’s mouth. With nimbleness that
Firuz would have thought beyond hu-
man, the man managed to dodge each
one. During the twirling acrobatics,
his blade flashed at the creature’s feel-
ers, severing one. The worm recoiled
in a frenzied retreat. Firuz lost sight
of it, but could tell it was above him,
somewhere, as thick blood began to
drip upon him.
The free man hefted his blade, held his
long hair from his face, and assessed
his surroundings. Firuz tried to gain
his attention. “Please, you must help
me.” Groans from other prisoners
tried to speak too, but Firuz’s voice
was stronger and more alive.
 Luke: Massoud nods his head in agreement and
Example of play steers the donkey towards the pile of wood and fabric.
Nadia: As the sun fades and you edge closer to the
Nadia, Al and Luke begin their first game. pile, you see that it is a hastily constructed tent with
a very small cart attached. You are surprised to hear
Nadia is the Tale-Weaver, Al plays Aldric
the sounds of clanging and an angry mumbling.
and Luke’s character is Massoud. And so the
game begins after the inevitable jokes and Luke: Massoud stops in his tracks and looks for a
conversation die down… rock or small tree to tie Lulu to. He whispers to Aldric
that he thinks they should approach the tent carefully.
Nadia: Alright, so last week you’d both decided to
take the path to the Revenant of Unas’s tower and Nadia: You find a broken stump that won’t offer much
are walking through the desolate land towards it. resistance if Lulu wants to really try to break free.

42 Al: Yep. Luke: Massoud begins to tie Lulu’s lead around the
stump, hoping that nothing will frighten his ram-
Luke: Yeah. I was thinking I’d do my character in
bunctious steed too much while he’s away.
third person from now on because it’s easier for me
G to describe what “Massoud’s” doing rather than Al: Adric draws his sword slowly, leading with his
what “I’m” doing. shield and tries not to make too much noise as he
a heads towards the tent.
Nadia: That’s fine, completely up to you.
m Luke: Massoud notches an arrow to his bow and
Al: I’m gonna do that too.
e follows about five metres behind Aldric.
Nadia: All sorted. So let’s begin. You crest a hill to
p overlook the bleak valley that stretches to the hori-
Nadia: [Makes a VigX v VigX test for the tent’s oc-
cupant against Aldric. The tent occupant has a VigX
l zon. There is a cold breeze blowing, and it brings a
of 0, and Aldric has a VigX of 0; however Aldric
stinging dust, along with a soft, unpleasant smell.
a As the dust clears you can make out the Tower of
also bears a shield with a Defence of 2. This means
his VigX is -2. On the other hand, with all the noise
y Unas, framed against the dusky sky. You won’t
inside the tent, the tent occupant will have a –1
make it there until dark if you push on.
modifier. Therefore, the Apex for the tent occupant
Al: Aldric strokes his moustache and says, “I think is 55. Nadia rolls a 74 and fails]. As you approach the
we should travel to the valley and set camp. I imag- tent the mumbles become more discernible. The tent
ine storming the tower will be horrifying enough occupant speaks in Arabic, so Aldric cannot under-
during the light of the day, let alone the dark.” stand it, but Massoud can. You both said last week
that you’ll translate for the other in the event one of
Luke: [To Nadia] Is there anything in the valley, or
you doesn’t know a language, so I’ll assume Mas-
is it just completely flat and barren?
soud is whispering what is being said to Aldric?
Nadia: The skeletal forms of trees break from the
Luke: Yep. And Massoud gets close enough to Al-
earth in some places. You also notice a pile of wood
dric so that he doesn’t have to raise his voice.
and fabric in the distance, which could be the re-
mains of a tent or cart. Nadia: Amongst the clattering of pans, the mumbles
become clearer and are spoken with a surprisingly
Luke: Massoud adjusts his scarf to keep out the dust
upper class Arabic accent. “You do realise this is
and says to Aldric, “If we hurry we might be able
your fault, yes? I cannot believe I trusted you to
to make it to that abandoned tent, or at least find
mind our wares – I only needed a short break to re-
a place to camp under one of those wasted trees.
lieve myself! I know you care little for where you do
Come now Lulu.” And he starts to walk down to
it, but at least one of us has manners. And you repay
valley leading his donkey behind him.
me by eating our last dates! I am serious when I say
Al: Aldric follows, glancing behind him every so that among all of this clutter I cannot find a single
often as he suspects they are being followed. piece of food and I am not going to beg at the doors
of that dark tower – no matter how much you look
Nadia: There is enough light to either just make it to
at me like that!”
the tent or a large tree. Which one are you heading to?
Al: After Massoud finishes his translation, Aldric
Al: Aldric points towards what could be the rem-
smirks and says, “I don’t think we’ll have a problem
nants of a cart or tent and says to Massoud, “I think
here, but you can never be too sure,” and straightens
that pile of refuse might be worth investigating,
up, though doesn’t sheath his blade.
what say you friend?”
Luke: Massoud agrees and relaxes the draw of his
bow as they move towards the entry.
Nadia: A lamp is lit from within the tent, casting Nadia: The merchant raises an eyebrow, “I’m sure
strange shadows on its walls. It looks like a large there is an interesting story behind you two. Go, get
figure is rifling through a cauldron, but is being your donkey. It will be safer here than wherever you
watched by some horned creature that is perched on have hidden him.”
a throne behind him.
Al: Aldric whispers to Massoud to ask if there’s
Al: Ahhh, I resume my state my readiness. [To anyone else in the tent.
Luke] Hey, did you want to back away a bit and get
Luke: Oh yeah. Massoud asks the merchant, “If I
his attention, and I’ll wait just outside the entry to
may ask one question, is there anyone, or any thing,
surprise him if he attacks?
else with you in side your tent?”
Luke: [Nods in agreement]. Massoud puts about
Nadia: The merchant’s face grimaces, “Yes, my idi-
ten metres between himself and the entryway then
otic goat that ate my last reserves of food. He should
circles it until he can see inside.
be careful, lest he end up on my plate himself. But
Nadia: [Makes another VigX v VigX test against he has been a good friend and I will surely forgive 43
Aldric to see if the tent occupant hears him. She rolls him. Well, maybe tomorrow I will forgive him.”
a 46 and succeeds] Suddenly, the noise within the
Luke: Alright. Well Massoud puts away his arms,
tent stops. Massoud, you can just see into the tent,
gets Lulu and goes into the tent. G
but cannot yet make out the occupants. The polished
Arabic voice calls out, “Salaam? Is there someone out Al: So does Aldric. a
there?” You hear an unsheathing of metal-on-metal.
Nadia: The sole lamp washes the inside of the tent m
Al: Aldric whispers to Massoud… in a warm glow. You see empty chests stacked on
each other and being used a backrest for the mer-
e
Nadia: He’s too far away for you to whisper, there’s
chant as he sits on the brightly coloured cushions p
at least 8 metres between you both, so the tent oc-
cupant will hear you before Massoud does.
that carpet the floor. He ushers you in and you see,
standing on top of a pile of chests, a black spot-
l
Al: Ahh, ok. Aldric nods to Massoud, indicating ted goat that observes you with its yellow, slitted a
that they should still go ahead with the plan. eyes. The merchant pulls out a dusty rug and rolls
it across the rocky ground. “Please, sit. You are
y
Nadia: …Hmmm…
welcome. I am sorry that I cannot provide any food
Luke: Massoud releases his arrow hand, to raise it for you, as I have none. But I can entertain you with
in a greeting, and steps into view of the tent en- tales, be sure of that!” The goat closes its eyes and
trance. He calls out, “Salaam friend. I am weary goes to sleep as the commotion dies down.
from a long journey and thought you might be will-
Each of you get Impressions of the merchant, so
ing to trade?”
make your KnowX tests.
Nadia: An overweight, dirty, robed figure bursts
Luke: [Massoud’s Know is 1, so he needs to roll a
into view, framed against the soft light of the lantern
1 on a D10. He rolls an 8 so fails and can only tell
within the tent. He looks apprehensively at your bow.
what Faction the merchant supports]
“If you plan on robbing me, I cannot wish you much
luck. Others have already come before you. I only Al: [Aldric’s Know is 0, so he knows little about other
have what the reavers could not carry and am now cultures and statuses. He needs a 1, but fails also]
also out of food because of my…” he yells back into
Nadia: [The merchant’s KnowX is 2, so he needs to
the tent, “… SELFISH COMPANION!”
roll 2 or under on a D10. His result for Aldric is 5
Luke: Massoud says, “We are not raiders, friend. and is 9 for Massoud, so he can tell that Aldric is
Simply travellers. We…” Franj and Massoud is a Saracen]. You both pick up,
from his appearance and speech that he has a Sara-
Nadia: The merchant interrupts, “We?” He takes a
cen background.
step back into his tent. “I thought I heard someone
just outside! Who is out there with you? I will warn Luke: While the merchant is occupied, Massoud
you now, I am not stupid to the ways of the road.” motions to Aldric that they should offer some of
their rations for dinner.
Al: [Shakes head]
Nadia: That’s fine.
Luke: ‘”Ah… I only travel with my friend and my
donkey. We have food to trade too. Like you, sir, we Al: Aldric nods and agrees.
also take precautions when travelling.”
Luke: Massoud says, “Excuse me, friend, but we
Al: Aldric takes a round circuit to where have some food with us, so perhaps we could break
Massoud stands and lowers his arms. He raises some bread before we rest.”
a hand in greeting.
 Nadia: The merchant looks shocked, though you Nadia: Ok. We’ll need to start a Negotiation. So the
can tell it is mostly a (pretty good) act. “Oh, I can- goals would be: Tell truth of all equipment/Stick to
not accept that! I am not very hungry, so pardon story?
my rudeness for not offering you food, for you are
Luke: Yeah. Surely he’s not telling us everything.
my guests. There is surely something here to eat.
Just give me a moment…” He jumps up and begins Nadia: He could be, but anyway, let’s begin. Mas-
searching through his chests again. soud’s ComX is 0 and the merchant’s is 2.
Luke: Massoud sighs, “Please, it is our pleasure. Is Luke: Well, Aldric has a better ComX score so if the
not every man a traveller under the heavens? Here, merchant can speak French we should get him to be
take this bread. Your goat looks hungry too.” the negotiator.
Nadia: The merchant eyes your offering with Nadia: That’s fine, but Massoud can’t Assist the
barely concealed lust, but he fights against it and Aldric because he doesn’t know French.
44 shakes his head. “If I am to accept this, my honour Luke: Ok.
says I must repay you in some way. I am eternally
grateful, please take any one of my wares, both you Nadia: Aldric’s ComX is 1, so your Apex will be 45.
and your companion. A thousand apologies for my And you’re neutral towards Saracens so your Dispo-
G rude hospitality.” sition starts at 0. The merchant, however, has 1 hate
a Luke: Massoud says, “I can see that your honour
towards Franj, so he starts at –1.

m will not allow you to argue with me when I say that Al: Damn!
we cannot take that offer…” He winks at Aldric “…
e So what do you have in your inventory?”
Nadia: The Negotiation will last 2 Rounds. Round
1: The merchant goes first because he has a higher
p Nadia: “Let me present them to you” He reaches ComX. He takes a Fortify Action. He says, “Please,
l into the folds of his robes to produce a sack and a my friend, look around you, there is nothing you can-
not see.” His KnowX is 3 verse your Knowledge of 0,
board of wood, as if out of nowhere. With a click
a on some unseen lever, the board folds out into so his Apex is 65. He gets a… 9! Success. You’re turn.
y the shape of a table. With a flourish, the merchant Al: I’m going to try to Charm him. Aldric says, “Oh
throws a patterned cloth over the table and upturns I know I cannot see anything with my own eyes, but
his sack onto it. After a clatter of steel on steel, a that may be because you are so clever at secreting
number of items come tumbling out. “Please, choose things away ” My ComX is 1 verse his Disposition
any two of these. I managed to hide them away of –1, which just means 1 according to the Ability
from those thieves. This is a jar of Greek Fire; by details. Apex of 50. Result of… 79. Damn!
flicking this lever the candle will catch fire, then
when broken on your enemies it will explode and Nadia: The merchant is going to make an Appeal
destroy them! And this is something I found in an with his bolstered Communication. “Ha ha, sadly
old tomb in Misr. It is a translation of those ancient no. I have only these goods and would gladly allow
Egyptian symbols into Arabic. Although I imagine you take all my wares if only I didn’t need them to
it to be worth a lot, I have not found anyone yet who feed myself when I return to civilisation” It’s now 3
would treasure such a relic. But you two seem to be verses 1, so I need below 60… 78. That’s a fail.
of a more discerning taste than my usual customer! Al: I’m going for an Appeal because I used up my
I also have a short sword, that axe, some of these Charm. “A clever man like you, surely you have
leather vambraces, these Healing Herbs, some fine kept some secrets to yourself.” 1 verses 3 means
quality Persian wine and this golden scarab neck- I have to roll under 40. I get… 99! What is it with
lace that, on my appraisal, would be worth a lot!” these rolls?
You also notice that it appears he has lost weight in
the process of laying out his goods. Nadia: The negotiation rounds are over, so it’s time
for the Closing Arguments. The merchant says, “So,
Al: Aldric says to Massoud, “Do you think we can as you can see, I am simply a merchant without any
trust him?” goods – and what is that? It is like a knight without
Nadia: Before Massoud can answer, the merchant armour.” I add my ComX of 3 to your Disposition of
cries out in broken French, “Yes mon-ami! Very 0 to a D10 roll of… 5. So that’s 8.
trusting we am!”
Al: Uh, so he speaks French?
Nadia: Yes, it’s a very popular language.
Luke: I might see if I can detect if he’s telling the
truth or holding anything back from us.
Al: Aldric’s Closing Argument is, “Well, I think Nadia: Ok. The merchant begins, “I will tell you the
you’ve fooled me.” My ComX of 1 to your Disposi- Tale of the Fisherman and the Djinni. It is a story of
tion of –1 plus a D10 roll of… 4. I get a 4. how a fisherman tries to trick a vengeful djinni into
sparing his life. This is how it begins. There was
Nadia: So, the result of all of that is that you two
once a fisherman who was very poor. He would cast
think that he’s got everything of value out on his
his net three times a day and hope to God that he
table – which he very possibly has…
would find something in there when he pulled it up,
Al: Well, I think as a fighting man, Aldric would be or else his family would go hungry. One day, after
eyeing off the Fire Bomb. I’ll take that. casting the net and not getting anything on his first
two tries, he finds an old stone bottle. It is sealed
Luke: As a man of Knowledge, Massoud takes up
with some engraved words that he cannot read, and
the translation parchment, marvelling at what he
he pries the lid off with his teeth.
holds in his hands.
His head is rocked back and his two front teeth are
Nadia: Very good. The merchant smiles and con- 45
blown out, as a fierce smoke shoots from the bottle.
gratulates you on your choices. He then whisks up
It condenses into the form of a great apparition that
his goods in the blink of an eye and they disappear
fills the sky. A thunderous voice addresses the fish-
within the folds of his robe. It appears he is now
back to his round self. He fills three mugs with
erman, “You have one wish. To choose the manner G
of your death so that I may deliver it to you.”
pungent wine and hands them to you with some a
generous chunks of your bread. “Now,” he says, The fisherman is shocked. He tries to come up with
slurping his drink around a mouthful of food, “time a way of delaying the djinni’s judgment. m
for a tale!” Did you want to start a Story or would
This will be a test against the merchant’s Genre e
your characters prefer to rest?
points in Mystery (which he has 2 of). I’ll try to add p
Al: Story. And I slurp some wine too. 1 to the Wisdom Pool out of this, so I’ll have to roll
Nadia: Ok, make a roll on the Intoxicant chart
under a D10 Apex of 6. The D10 roll is… 8. Sorry l
for alcohol.
guys, it’s a fail. You’re next Al. Because I got a 8, a
your scene will be focused on Drama.
Al: Got a… 4. y
Al: Alright, the story continues: The djinni roars,
Nadia: Well Aldric gets a +1 bonus to his ComX for “Impudent rat!” and throws down a massive fist,
the next hour. bristling with warts, upon the doomed fisherman’s
Luke: By the way, Massoud is not drinking any boat. The wood splinters and the fisherman is
wine. But, let’s do the Story. hurled into the cold ocean. As he rises to the surface
he tries to think of another ruse to help save his life.
Gasping for air, he says to the djinni, ‘oh great and
powerful daemon, surely my life is in your hands.
When I was below the sea I saw a great monster that
grasped for me. Please save me by putting me on
dry land so that I may make my wish.
Aldric has a Drama value of 0, so I’ll risk it and go
for adding 2 to the Wisdom Pool, so I’ll have to roll
under 3. My D10 result is… 10. What!? Where’s my
luck today?
Nadia: I don’t think you’re properly warming your
dice. Luke, it’s your turn next. Because Al rolled a 10
you get to choose the Genre your scene will be in.
 Luke: It just so happens that Massoud’s biggest Nadia: The merchant finishes off the story. With the
score is in Mystery, so that’ll be the genre of my djinni trapped in the bottle, the fisherman almost
scene. Here we go: The djinni’s face darkened. “You leaps in the air with happiness. He has saved his life
surely take me for a fool. I, who was a slave to King and now has a djinni at his command!
Soloman who bound me within the prison, will
The merchant yawns after the tale and his head
now choose the manner of death for you. And you
nods. Soon he is snoring and he doesn’t notice that
will hope to be released to Hell afterwards.” The
what is left of his mug of wine is soaking into his
fisherman raised his hands and implored the djinni,
robe. As the merchant sleeps, the goat awakes and
“I am truly sorry, it is just not an honourable thing
seems to eye you both, chewing loudly as it reclines.
to reward a good deed with evil, as surely you are
What are you doing?
planning for me. Please tell me your tale” The djinni
replied, “As I waited at the bottom of the ocean for Al: Well, Aldric is a bit wary of that weird goat, so he
the first thousand years I swore to reward my sav- recommends to Massoud that they should set a watch.
46 iour with three wishes. When that passed I swore I
Luke: Massoud agrees.
would reward him with one wish. After a thousand
years in dark madness, I swore I would only allow Al: Hmmm… It’s probably just a goat. And Aldric
my saviour the choice of his death, as one less hu- doesn’t want to be tired tomorrow. We’ll need our
G man would be one less creature working mischief wits about us if we’re going to the tower.
a across the earth.” As the djinni was distracted with Luke: You’re probably right. But Massoud will sleep
the story the fisherman is trying to swim to the
m caves to hopefully escape from it’s clutches.
with his dagger concealed but at hand. And next to
Lulu outside.
e Massoud has a Mystery of 3, so I’ll play it safe and Al: Yeah, Aldric will sleep outside too.
p try to get 2 Pearls. Just have to roll under 6… 5! Yes!
Nadia: Alright. The night passes without incident…
l Nadia: Well done. You’ve added 2 to the Wisdom
Al and Luke: … Hmmm…
Pool. Now it’s time for the Climax: The fisherman
a hauls himself out of the sea and stands on the rocks Nadia: … and the merchant calls out to you when he
y that are being lashed with ocean spray. He sees awakes. He looks at you a bit strangely when he sees
the djinni’s bottle floating nearby and picks it up. your sleeping arrangements, but bids you farewell
A thought enters his mind, just as the djinni com- and begins packing his cart. He says that he plans on
pletes his tale. The fisherman calls out to the djinni, travelling to Damascus, so remember to call on Tariq
“Oh great and powerful daemon, you are so large, Al-Mah’Farouth if you ever make it there.
yet you have said that you were trapped in this
bottle. Surely that cannot be true, which leads me Al: Well. If that’s that we’ll continue on the road to
to question your tale.” The djinni’s form enveloped the tower – Luke?
the fisherman with its darkness like a storm cloud. Luke: Just before he leaves, Massoud asks Tariq if he
“You are certainly a fool. I will show you how I was knows what is further down the road and if he can
trapped, just so you may tell my master that I do not offer any advice.
lie when you meet him in the underworld.” With
that, the djinni swirled into a vortex of smoking va- Nadia: Tariq is busy with harnessing his goat to the
pour and disappeared into the bottle. The fisherman cart, but is happy to offer his advice. “Don’t travel in
could barely believe his luck. A faint, echoing voice the dark. That is when the bandits ride. But maybe
rang out from inside the bottle, “Your faith has been they are gone from this valley. I passed a madman a
tested mortal, and you have failed.” The fisherman little while before I reached here too, so maybe you
drew the seal from the pouch he had concealed it in will see him. Do not engage him in conversation – he
to try and stopper the bottle. does not respond well. Anyway, farewell friends.”

So, the merchant’s Storyteller level is 5 and the Wis- Al: Well, Aldric waves goodbye and starts the
dom Pool is at 2. He’ll have to roll under 8. Here we march towards the tower.
go… 8! Yay! The 2 Pearls are divided between you Luke: Yep, sounds good.
both, so you get one each.
Al: Finally, some good luck.
Luke: That’s what I’m talking about.
 47

G
a
m
Nadia: Using the tower as your guide, you edge Nadia: Yes. His bones seem to poke through his e
closer to the black spire. The wind howls between skin and he seems completely lost in his own mind. p
the cliffs that rise on either side of the valley, chan- [Nadia secretly rolls a VigX test for Aldric to see if he
nelling the dust into your faces. Lulu constantly notices anything more suspicious. His VigX is 0 and l
sneezes, her eyes and nostrils irritated by the fine she rolls a 7, so she has told everything he will know]. a
particles racing through the air.
Al: Aldric brandishes his sword at the man, “Be gone
The static noise of the dust gives way to something from here old man, keep to your own business!”
y
else, something eerily human, but not quite. Ahead
Luke: Wait! The merchant said we shouldn’t talk
of you, when the dust clears, you see a twirling fig-
to him.
ure. It is directly in your path and approaching.
Al: Pffft, what could a weak old man do? Plus, if this
Al: Aldric readies his sword and shield to prepare
deviant is a danger to travellers, then Aldric’s hon-
for whatever it is.
our would not allow him to simply pass by without
Luke: Massoud stands behind Aldric with an arrow routing the beast!
notched to his bow.
Luke: Oh well.
Nadia: The dancing figure becomes less of an
Nadia: You’re all Aware of each other, so roll to see
apparition and more a lurching man. Naked but
where you are in the round. [Nadia rolls for the
for an extremely long white mane and beard, the
Bestial Ghoul and gets a total of 9 (D10 roll of 5; plus
traveller’s movements are no longer concealed by
a VigX of 4), Aldric ends up with a -2 (D10 roll of 1;
the dust and you see that he jerks spasmodically to
plus a VigX of –3 because of his shield), and Mas-
some internal, perhaps infernal, rhythm. Each of his
soud gets a 7 (D10 result of 7 plus a VigX of 0)]. The
fingers ends in cracked, yellow nails and his glazed
Ghoul is Fast and Vicious, so it automatically enters
eyes seem to look right through you as his awkward
a Hostile Stance and uses it’s first Action to Manoeu-
pirouettes take him away and behind you.
vre towards Aldric, then Lunges at him. Al, you can
Al: Aldric places himself between the madman take a swing at it because its claws are only Reach 1,
and Massoud, but recommends they just continue to while your sword is Reach 2. But you’ve only got 1
the tower. Action a round, so you won’t be able to act later on.
You’ll have to enter a Hostile Stance too.
Luke: Massoud keeps an eye on the surrounds in
front and to the sides as he guides Lulu forward. Al: Alright, I’ll try to Strike the beast. It’s Vicious
but what’s its Melee for my Hostile Stance roll?
Nadia: The lurching figure begins a crazy turn.
Maybe random actions guide his feet, but he shad- Nadia: 1. So yours is 2, so that’s an Apex of 55.
ows the path you take.
Al: I get a… 94. Urgh.
Al: So this guy just looks like an old man?
 Nadia: The crazed ghoul unnerves you so much Nadia: Round 4. The ghoul swipes and screeches
that you cannot bring yourself to Strike. It’s claws at Aldric… 8; another hit. So combined with the 2
rip at your neck and face. It combines the Lunge previous Impacts, that’s 28, but with your Defence of
with a Strike, so has a +1 to Melee for the attack. So 2 it ends up as an 8. That’s just a Flimsy attack, but
that’s a 2 verse 2. It gets a… 43. Success. However, the Impact still counts. The ghoul launches its second
you’ve got a shield, so you use your Dodge. Aldric Strike… 12. Sorry Al! With the three other Impacts
manages to turn aside the grasping claws with his that takes the result to 42, minus your Defence, so 22.
blade. Your turn, Luke. That hits your left arm, which your shield covers, so
you get an Armour Save. So that’s an Apex of 55.
Luke: I can’t shoot the thing while it’s within Reach
of a friend, so I’ll use my Action to put away my Al: I get a… 87. Great.
bow, draw my dagger and combine that with a
Nadia: Unfortunately you lose, so you are Shaken
Manoeuvre to get closer to it. I’ll also try to enter a
for your next Action. That was also your fourth
Hostile Stance, which’ll be 0 verse 1. I get a… 33 – so
48 Impact so that reaches your first Impact level, which
I pass!
is being Shaken next action. They don’t double up,
Nadia: Well done. Al, you took your turn earlier so it’s nothing extra. Your go Luke.
on, so it’s Round 2; back to the ghoul. It’s just going
G to make a Melee Strike for each of its Actions. The
Luke: Massoud sees the ghoul hitting against his
friend, and summons his strength for the attack. I
a ghoul’s foul breath envelops you as it scrabbles to get
get a… 15! Haha.
around your shield. Its Apex for Melee Strikes is 45
m now and it gets a… 99; miss and a… 34; that would Nadia: The ghoul Dodges.
e be a hit, but you Parry and deflect the blow.
Luke: [grumbles]
p Luke: Massoud Lunges and prepares to plunge his
Nadia: So it’s your turn Al, but you’re reeling under
dagger into the vile creature. His Melee is 0, and
l its Melee is 1, so that’s 45. But the beast is outnum-
the ghoul’s blows.

a bered, plus the bonus for the Lunge so that gives me Al: Aldric Guards and eyes the ghoul.
+2 for an Apex of 55. I get a… 97.
y Nadia: Round 5. The ghoul slavers over the meal
awaiting it. Strike one… 42. That would have been
Al: That’s too bad. Aldric summons his hatred
because not only has this beast attacked him, but a big hit, but your Guard saved you by lowering the
Massoud is in a Hostile Stance, so I get +2 to my roll. ghoul’s Apex to 40. For its next Strike I get a… 4. So
It’s a… 56. The Apex was 65, so I passed! And now I that all comes to 24. A clumsy attack to your Left
will launch a Strike against the rabid creature… 59. Hand, but you get an Armour Save.
Because it’s Outnumbered that’s a hit! Al: … 36. Passed.
Nadia: Alright, the ghoul manages to just slip under Nadia: Your go Luke.
your blade. It used up a Dodge. Now it’s Round 3.
The ghoul’s foul breath blasts at Aldric in it’s hun- Luke: “Do not fear Aldric!”… 26, another hit!
ger. First Strike… 14; that hits. You’ve got no more Nadia: The ghoul’s last Dodge is used up. Al recov-
Dodges, but your Defence is 2 from your shield, so ers from being Shaken.
it amounts to nothing. You gain 1 Impact though.
Second Strike… 10; that hits too. The Bestial Ghoul’s Al: Aldric sweeps his blade across the beast’s
Melee is 1, so that’s actually a Critical Strike. With chest… 87. Fail.
the other Impact added it raises the level to 20 and Nadia: Round 6. The smell of blood drives the ghoul
ignores your Defence, so it counts as a Clumsy at- to attack, but you can tell it is fatigued. First Strike…
tack. Make an Armour Save. 92; that’s a miss. Next one… 18. With all the Impacts
Al: With my Defence of 2 against the ghoul’s MelX that Aldric’s received, that’s a 68 reduced to 48. It’s a
of 1, I need a 55. I get a… 31. Take that ghoul! Deft chest wound. You are Knocked Back 4 metres
and lie Prone. You also need to take an Armour
Luke: Massoud thrusts again with the dagger… 37. Save.
Hit!
Al: I get a… 79. Oh dear.
Nadia: The ghoul uses up another Dodge to lurch
out of range of your dagger. Nadia: Your battered body lurches backwards,
kicking up dust. The blow to your ribs results in you
Al: Aldric swings with his blade at the swift devil… being Stunned by the ferocity of the attack for your
64. Another miss. next Action.
Luke: I guess the ghoul doesn’t count as Outnum-
bered anymore?
Nadia: No. You’re the only one in contact with it now. Nadia: That’s a Flimsy attack that bruises the
ghoul’s right arm and adds an Impact. It’s MelX is 1,
Luke: With the urgency of life and death, Massoud
so it is Shaken for its next Action.
slashes at the ghoul… 51. Noooo!
Al: Alright. Then Aldric slashes at the beast… 50!
Nadia: What do you do Al. You get your turn, but
That means 60 with the last Impact, yes?
your Hostile Stance has been removed.
Nadia: Yep. The ghoul crumples as its skull cracks
Al: Aldric staggers to his feet and stumbles the me-
and it is knocked to the ground due to its lack of
tre in a random direction. With a burning hatred to-
armour. This takes it to Impact Level 2, so it is also
wards the ghoul he tries to enter a Hostile Stance…
Stunned during its next Action. Round 7: The crea-
100! Woah, what does that mean?
ture is at your mercy and whimpers as it seeks to
Nadia: That’s Divine Intervention! Your Impacts are crawl away from you. What are you going to do?
halved, persistent negative effects are removed, you
Al: [Looks at Luke and scratches his head].
get D5 Actions and any Strikes ignore Dodges and 49
Defence while you are under its Power. It begins now. Luke: [Looks at Al and scratches his head].
Al: Sounds like all my bad luck is out of the way.
I’ll roll the D5 for my Actions… 4. Well, Aldric uses G
one Action to Manoeuvre towards the ghoul, then
another to Lunge. I roll… a 4. a
m
e
In that same year, on the thirteenth p
day, it rained a shower of blood for l
two whole hours, so much so that a
linen clothes which were hung out y
upon the hedges were stained with
this bloody rain, just as though they
had been dipped in blood.
The emperor was desirous to learn
if there was still any person whom
there was reason for him to stand in
fear of: on which they made answer to
him, Give us a boy without guilt to
slay, and a period of three days, and
we will give you information on what
you ask. Accordingly, a boy without
guilt was immediately delivered to
them, whom they offered in sacrifice
to the demons, and after making
lengthened investigation in his blood
and entrails by means of their magical
arts, discovered by the signs that the
close of his rule was nigh at hand,
and his death at the gate.
~ Roger de Hoveden
 Common challenges
Challenges All rolls of the dice are challenges of some descrip-
tion. However some, like Negotiations and Combat,
Chance in Nights of the Crusades revolves around need to be more formalised than others and are
the rolling of D100s and D10s. When a D100 is called described later in the rules. For all other challenges,
for, roll two ten sided dice, and note which will be the Tale-Weaver needs to decide the best way to test
the tens and which will be the ones for the final your chances of passing. Some of the more common
number – the result will be a number between 1 and challenges you may face are detailed below.
100. If both dice end up on 0, then the result is 100. A
D5 is a D10 halved. Impression: You scan another character to discern
their Allegiances. This can be done just before a Ne-
All conflicts a character faces will be a contest gotiation begins and is combined with your first turn
against a challenger or a difficulty, and is termed a in Combat – both are free actions. Your understand-
Verses test. Between two challengers of equal ability ing of various cultural symbols will determine your
50 (a particular Expertise is often used as a compari- ability to detect the backgrounds of those you meet.
son), there will be a 50% chance of success. That 50 Make a KnowX test. If it is failed you will only detect
is the Apex for the challenge, and it may be modi- the character’s Faction. The character can now Bluff
G fied by bonuses or deductions to the values used to you. If she wishes, she can make you believe that
a determine it. For each 1 in an Expertise that your
opponent has over you, deduct 5 from the Apex, and
she holds an Allegience that she bears a Signifier for.
However, if you succeed at getting the right Impres-
m for each 1 below, add 5 to the Apex. To beat a chal- sion of the character opposite you, you will detect all
e lenger you will need to roll under the Apex. of her Allegiances that she bears Signifiers for. You
will not see hidden Allegiances (ie; Allegiances that
p When the character is challenging herself she takes
an Expertise test. Simply roll a D10 and if it is under the character doesn’t have any obvious Signifiers for)
l the Expertise that the Tale-Weaver is challenging unless you Scrutinise the character.
a then the test is passed. A 1 will always succeed
whereas a roll of 10 will always fail.
Scrutinise: You spend some time observing another
character to see if they are hiding anything. This
y A roll of 100 is Divine Intervention! Divine Interven- takes one action in either the Negotiation or Combat
tion during Negotiations and Combat have defined you are involved in. You will need to pass a ComX v
results, but for other times the Tale-Weaver should ComX test if in a Negotiation or a KnowX v KnowX
come up with something suitably amazing that your test if you are in Combat. A successful Scrutiny also
character has achieved. Only PCs can get Divine removes any Bluffs that your opponent has made.
Intervention, it has no effect on NPCs. Concealment: You try to hide something, whether
it is an object or your identity. The likelihood of this
A note on rounding must be sensibly taken into account, for example
There will be occasions when a fraction of a number you may hide yourself behind a large curtain, but
is required. If a case arises that does not result in a not behind a mug of ale. If you are hiding from
full number, round the value mathematically; eg, if another character the test is VigX v VigX, if you are
you need to halve 5, the result would be 3. hiding an object from another character then the
test is Know v Know.
Difficulty
Understanding a gibbering fool: After listening for
All difficulty modifiers are cumulative and may re- about 10 seconds, you may take a ComX v ComX test.
sult in a negative value. For example; your Expertise
Pushing away three goats that want to get at the
in Melee is 2 and you face off against a foe at Melee
grain you guard: You need to pass a MelX v MelX
3. You want to take a Melee Strike against the chal-
test for each goat. A portion of the grain is lost for
lenger, which would normally have an Apex of 45,
each failed test.
yet the Tale-Weaver informs you that the manacles
still around your hands are making you a lot less Chasing a character: You take an amount of VigX v
dextrous than usual. She assigns a –2 to your Melee VigX tests equal to the highest Vigour between the
because of it, so your Apex for the Strike is now, characters. If you succeeded more times than you
unfortunately, 35. failed, then you catch your foe.

There was a knight named Ferra nd, who, after lying hid
amongst the slain, retur ned by night to the camp , but was so
disfigured by his wounds, that he could not be recognized by
his friends, and with diffic ulty gained admission.
~ Itinerar ium Peregrinorum et Gesta Regis Ricardi
(The Itinerar y of King Richard), Geoffrey de Vinsauf )
Negotiation
A Negotiation is entered into when characters
disagree on something, yet are prepared to change
their minds should they be swayed.

Step 1: First impression

The characters get their first impressions of each
other through appearance, demeanour, small talk
and the nature of their greeting. The following steps
are involved:
a) If the characters haven’t already met then they 51
must get an Impression of their opponent.
b) The characters decide what language is to be used Goals
for the Negotiation. There are no drawbacks if all Characters can enter Negotiations for a number of G
characters can speak the language used. If you do reasons. Perhaps they have stumbled upon some
not speak the language then you will have to skip thieves in the middle of a robbery or are trying to con-
a
Step 3 and only make Closing Arguments. vince a friend that they’ve been eating too much garlic m
and shouldn’t think that a stomach is possessed with-
c) This is also the time for a discussion with the
out further consultation. Regardless of the reasons, to
e
Tale-Weaver about the goals that each character
hopes to achieve for the Negotiation. enter a Negotiation there will need to be predefined p
Goals that both sides will follow regardless of the
outcome. A Goal is what the successful character will
l
Step 2: Determine the Apex
The Apex starts at 50. For each point of Communica-
gain if she wins. Using the above examples, Goals a
could include “combat/leaving in peace” or “consult a
tion you hold over your opponent, add 5 – for each trained physician/continue exorcism”.
y
point lower deduct 5.
Aldric has a Com of 3 and he is involved in a Negotiation Basic Negotiation actions
with Massoud who has a Com of 4. Therefore; Aldric’s Each character involved in a Negotiation can make
Apex is 45. one of the following actions per round. You should
describe what you’re saying before taking an action.
Step 3: Use Negotiation actions If you make the table nod in agreement or laugh
The character with the highest ComX goes first, out loud with your brilliance, the Tale-Weaver may
randomise if they are equal. Once each character grant you a +1.
has a chance to use a Negotiation Action a round is
It is up to the Tale-Weaver to decide whether a Ne-
used. The aim is to raise your opponent’s Disposi-
gotiation is necessary, or to just role-play the scene.
tion towards you so that your Closing Argument
There is no need to slow a game down by rolling
will be more effective. A Negotiation will last for an
dice over such things like whether a scarf’s colour
amount of rounds equal to the highest ComX of the
is lilac or mauve. Like Combat, Negotiations should
characters involved.
only be entered into if the range of consequences
will have a noticeable affect on the Tale.
Step 4: Make Closing Arguments
Each character then makes their Closing Argu- Appeal: You attempt to increase your opponent’s
ments. Roll a D10, adding your Communication and opinion of you, the better to prepare for your Clos-
your opponent’s Disposition towards you. Whoever ing Argument. Make a ComX v ComX test, adding
rolls highest wins the Negotiation. your Disposition towards your opponent to your
ComX. If passed, increase your opponent’s Disposi-
Step 4: Resolution tion by the number on the 10’s die.
After the Negotiation has been resolved the Tale- Critical Argument: If you succeed at an Appeal
Weaver describes how the winning character’s goals and the two numbers on the dice can be added
affects the Tale. Statistics that have changed over together and remain under your Communication
the course of the Negotiation (which may be Com- value, you will have achieved a Critical Argu-
munication or Disposition) are only temporary and ment. Apply the results of Appeal already made,
return to normal when it is over. then immediately roll a D10 and add the result to
your opponent’s Disposition.
 Dismiss: The higher your Knowledge, the surer you
are about the things you believe. You have 1 Dismiss Combat
Action for each point of Knowledge that you hold,
and can use it as an Action after an Appeal has been Glory, courage, honour, a test of skill and wits – that
made against you. Take a KnowX test. If it is passed is the mythology of war. Scribes and clerics, never
and beats the amount of Disposition you gained, witnessing or participating in battle, will describe
then the Appeal is counted as never happening. the slaughter with glee and revel in the blood of their
Fortify: This is an attempt to bolster your upcoming ruler’s enemies. However, when soldiers struggle in
arguments using logic and reason. Make a KnowX v the dirt – blood drenching their armour, the screams
KnowX test. If it is successful add 1 to your ComX. of friends and enemies ringing in their ears as they
try to stop their insides from spilling into the sand
Perceived Insult: You try to take offence at what – thoughts of glory are far from their minds.
your opponent is saying, to better to ignore his
arguments. Make a ComX v Disposition test against To be a good soldier is, simply put, to be a killer
52 whose body can overcome a human’s instinctual
your opponent, and if you are successful you can
deduct an amount of your own Disposition points aversion to slaying someone very similar to them-
equal to the 10’s dice on your roll. selves upon another’s orders. Battle training has
G been refined throughout the ages to allow this.
Assist: You may Assist a friendly character if you are
a present, but not taking part in a Negotiation, with
But still, many warriors will simply fight for their
comrades – glory, honour and their ruler’s cause are
m encouragement or just your presence. Each friendly afterthoughts. The psychological effects of combat
character Assisting will add 1 to a Closing Argument.
e vary depending on the circumstances and the char-
acters involved, but no human will leave unscarred
Divine Intervention: Should you roll a natural
p 100 during a Negotiation, you automatically win from taking another’s life.
l the argument and get a better than expected re- Although not essential, a tactical map using min-
sponse from your opponent.
a iatures or counters could be helpful in resolving
Combat, with every metre equal to an inch.
y It is up to the Tale-Weaver to decide whether a Com-
bat is needed, or just to role-play the situation. There
“Divine interv ention is simply is no need to slow a game down by rolling dice

probability taken personally” ant

whenever characters are fighting something like a
rogue kitten in their bedding. Like Negotiations,
~ Dyo nisis the Peas Combats should only be entered into if the range of
consequences will have an effect on the future.

Step 1: Awareness and Impressions

Haggling A Combat is entered just before the first violent act
It can be assumed that whenever you visit a mer- of a character. This belligerent character and his
chant, there will be a little to-and-fro and the cost side can take actions until his opponents under-
of an object will be lowered slightly from its origi- stand the danger they are in. When that happens
nal price. This is the Cost displayed in the object’s all characters will take an Awareness test; roll a D10
entry in the Marketplace section. However, if you and add their Vigour. This will
want the price reduced further, a Haggle ensues. A be their place in the round.
Haggle is between a Buyer and a Seller. Characters can choose to
get Impressions of their
You may only Assist a Buyer if you are going to buy adversaries at anytime
one of the objects being haggled for too. during the Combat
After the Negotiation, if the Seller’s Disposition has and it will be a free
been raised and you win the Closing Argument, action at the start of
the object is sold for 75% of the full price. Any other their turn.
result and the object can only be purchased for the
original cost.
Step 2: Combat Actions Lunge
Each character will have a number of Actions You move an amount of metres equal to your Vi-
available to them equal to half of their Vigour (to a gour (minimum of 1 metre). You may combine this
minimum of 1). They may use these to perform any with a Melee Strike for no extra Action cost and a +1
moves that are allowed during Combat. The most to the attack. If your target’s Reach is equal to yours
common will be entering a Hostile Stance, mak- and they choose to Melee Strike you when you come
ing Strikes against their foes and moving around close enough, both Melee Strikes are counted as be-
the battlefield. If an action uses more points than ing performed simultaneously.
you have available, then the action will carry over Actions: 1
into your next turn; eg, Dugou is weighed down by
armour and has a Vigour of 0, meaning she has only
1 Action per round. Therefore, it will take her two
turns to complete an action that uses 2AP.
Some Actions will be described as free. This means
53
that no Actions are used while performing them
and they may be combined along with others. Ex-
amples include entering a Hostile Stance, dropping G
a weapon or shouting a word or three. a
Step 3: Resolution m
Basically, a Combat is over when the Tale-Weaver e
says it is. This is generally when one side faces no
hostile opponents because they have surrendered, p
fled or are too injured or dead to be of danger – and l
there are no more need for Rounds.
a
Divine Intervention: Should you roll a natu-
ral 100 during any Action in Combat, you will Manoeuvre
y
achieve Divine Intervention. You will immediately You move up to 3 metres. You can also use this action
gain D5 Actions to use, your current Impacts are to perform miscellaneous movements that aren’t cov-
halved, persistent negative effects are removed ered under the other actions, such as climbing a lad-
(such as Bleeding) and any Strikes you make ig- der, pulling a lever or kicking over a barrel of oil. The
nore Dodges and Defence. movement can be combined with doing something
that doesn’t involve your legs, such as swapping,
Movement sheathing or drawing a weapon, or picking fruit.
A necessity of battle is positioning yourself to make Actions: 1
your skills as useful as possible. However if you use
any Move Action – apart from a Guard – it will allow Evade
opponents to use a basic Melee Strike on you if you You move up to 4 metres and any Strikes against
pass within their weapon’s Reach during any point you will have your Vigour deducted from them
of your move. Your Melee is halved against these op- until your next action.
portunistic attacks. The Actions used in the oppo- Actions: 2
nent’s Strike carry over into the opponent’s turn.
If a Movement cannot be completed in one of your Flee
turns due to you not having enough Actions, you will You move an amount of metres equal to 4 plus your
move half the distance this turn, and half the next. Vigour, directly away from your enemies for the
remainder of your Turn. All Strikes against you
Guard are at +2 until you gain control over yourself. You
You carefully tread up to 1 metre. You are on guard will lose your Hostile Stance. To regain control of
and centre yourself. Strikes against you are –1 until yourself and re-enter Combat, you will need to enter
your next Action. a Hostile Stance against the adversaries that caused
you to Flee. Otherwise you will continue Fleeing
Actions: 1 until the Combat is over.
Actions: Rest of Turn
 Hostile Stance Strikes
For a human with an average range of emotions, To try to injure your enemies you will need to Strike
there is something within that will balk at the real- at them. Using a Melee or a Ranged attack is ex-
ity of thrusting a blade into another person. The plained below.
story of war has many interludes of combatants
shooting above the heads of approaching foes, using Melee Strike
their weapons for defence rather than slaying in a You attack a target within your weapon’s Reach.
melee and of executioners diverting their arrows Take a MelX v MelX test against them using the
from their blindfolded victims. For characters to following modifiers to your Melee value. If you
commit to cutting down their enemy, they must en- are successful, apply the result of your roll to the
ter a Hostile Stance. No character may use a Melee Impact Table, deducting any Injury Levels because
Strike outside of being in a Hostile Stance. of your opponent’s total Defence. If your attack is
You may attempt to enter a Hostile Stance at the be- not Dodged then, after any Injuries are worked out,
54 your foe gains an Impact.
ginning of your turn. This is an entirely free action
and you can await the results before deciding on Actions: 1
how you plan to spend the rest of your turn.
G Condition Modifier
To enter a Hostile Stance you must take a MelX v
a MelX test against your closest opponent, but apply
Outnum- +1 For each friendly character that
bered has your enemy within Reach
m any modifiers to your Melee first.
Lower +1 if you are on a higher platform
e Actions: Free ground than your foe
p Condition Modifier Evading Deduct target’s VigX from your
Hatred of Add Hatred but deduct Favour MelX
l enemy Fleeing +2
a Face +1 for an enemy whose face you can’t Prone +1
y obscured see (eg; they wear a mask or helmet)
Cowering +10
Attacked +1 if you’ve been the target of a
Hard cover –2 or –3 (see entry under Cover)
today Strike throughout the day
Soft cover –1, –2 or –3 (see entry under Cover)
Honour +1 if your opponent has successfully
besmirched performed a Strike against you
Belligerent +1 for each of your companions
peers within 5 metres that are in Hostile
Stance
Cowering –2 if your target is Cowering

So I looked, and seeing

the merchants beati ng it with
stones, called out to them:
“Stop, stop! Do not meddle
with that egg, or the rukh
will come and destroy us.” But
they paid no heed to me and
gave not over smiting upon
the egg, when behold, the day
grew dark and dun and the
sun was hidden from us, as if
some great cloud had pass ed
over the firma ment.
~ Sinbad, The 1001 Nights
 Psychology and healing
Combat is more than muscle. The clash of steel and
screams of the maimed will effect the minds of the
warriors, as much as a hammer blow to the chest
effects a rib cage. And a character involved in battle
will do well to know how to overcome their injuries.

Cower
You may choose to Cower or may be forced to. Help-
less characters, like bound prisoners, also count as
Cowering. When you are Cowering you will try to
make yourself as small as possible as the battle rages
around you. When you begin to Cower you will lose
your Hostile Stance and drop your weapons and
55
fall to the ground, curled into a ball or nursing your
wounds. You may crawl 1 metre as part of your Cow-
ering Action. You will need to pass a Melee test before G
Ranged Strike
being able to take any other type of Actions, and if it a
is successful you will be Prone for your next Action.
You attack a target within your weapon’s Range.
A character trying to Melee Strike you must spend an
m
Take a RngX v VigX test against them using the
action fighting against the natural urge to spare some- e
following modifiers to your Ranged value. For each
Dodge that the target has, increase her VigX by 1.
one so defenceless by passing a MelX v ComX test. p
Actions: 1 (0 if forced)
If you are successful, apply the result to the Impact l
Table, deducting any Injury Levels because of your
opponent’s total Defence. After the results of Injury
Heal a
You can attempt to Heal if you are in contact with
have been determined, your foe gains an Impact.
an injured character, and neither of you are within
y
You may not use a Ranged Strike against an oppo- reach of an opponent. You can also apply Heal to
nent within 3 metres of a friendly character. yourself. It requires concentrating on applying tour-
Actions: 1 niquets and staunching blood flow. You must then
pass a KnowX v Impacts test for it to be successful.
Condition Modifier
You remove one Impact from your target. Your Heal
Close +1 if your target is within 3m of will have a bonus of 1 if you Favour your patient.
minimum Range
Actions: 2
Far –1 if your target is in the further half
of maximum range The battlefield
Long-shot –3 if your target is at double your Combat can be fought over plains churned to mud by
maximum range warriors or the shifting sands under the desert sun.
Evading Deduct target’s VigX from your
RngX Unstable Ground
Fleeing +2 Keeping your balance on shifting ground, such
as deep sand, rooftops or a moving cart can be
Prone –1
difficult, all the more so during battle. If you are
Cowering –2 standing on Unstable Ground at the beginning of
Hard cover –2 or –3 (see entry under Cover) your turn you will need to pass a VigX v VigX test
Soft cover –1, –2 or –3 (see entry under Cover) against a difficulty that the Tale-Weaver decides
upon. As a guide, sand will be 2, ice will grant a
Critical Strikes: If you succeed at a Strike and the modifier of 5 and being on an icy, steep church roof
two numbers on the dice can be added together will be 10. If you succeed then you can take your
and remain under your Melee or Ranged value turn as normal. If you fail then you will stumble for
(whichever was used), you will have achieved a this Action and spend the next regaining your bal-
Critical Strike. Apply an Impact against your foe, ance. Unstable Ground is ignored if you are Prone.
as well as the result of the Impact Table – ignoring
Dodges and Defence.
 Cover Dealing with Strikes
Cover makes you difficult to hit, depending on how When one of your Strikes succeeds, keep your D100
obscured you are and how impenetrable the cover is. result in mind. The 10s die represents the starting
Hard cover: Decide how much of you is behind Injury Level of the Strike and the 1s die represents
hard cover (which includes castle walls, tree trunks the location the Strike falls on. However, your op-
and barrels). If your torso or legs are behind hard ponent’s Dodges, Defence and previous Impacts can
cover, any attacks against you are at –2. If your torso modify how the latest successful Strike is treated.
plus at least two limbs are behind hard cover, any Dodges: You begin Combat with an amount of
attacks against you are –3. If you are entirely behind Dodges equal to your current Vigour. If you are the
hard cover from your attackers point of view, you victim of a successful Melee Strike then one of your
will be impossible to hit. Dodges is used up to avoid it. Against a Ranged
Soft cover: If you are behind soft cover (which in- Strike, your Dodges are added to your VigX when
56 cludes anything a sword could penetrate; like thick being shot at, and a Dodge is deducted whenever
curtains or bushes) decide how much of your body you fail to avoid the Ranged Strike. Dodges are
is obscured. If your torso or legs are behind soft replenished once a Combat is over.
G cover, any attacks against you are –1. If your torso
plus at least two limbs are behind soft cover, any
Defence: The total Defence of all of your armour is
deducted from the Injury Level of Impacts.
a attacks against you are –2. If you are entirely behind
Previous Impacts: Each Impact dealt will add to
m soft cover the attacker needs to pass a VigX v VigX
test (taking 1 Action point) to detect you and any the Injury Level of future successful Strikes. It is
e Strikes made will be –3. helpful to note the Impacts received by characters
with counters or dice for this purpose. Impacts are
p Low Visibility removed when a Combat is over.
l Fighting when your vision is obscured by events Hit locations: The 1s die on the Strike result rep-
a such as dust storms or darkness will hamper your resents the location of where the blow lands. Hit
ability to attack or defend yourself. At the begin- locations are as follows:
y ning of a turn in a Low Visibility area you will need
to pass a VigX v VigX test against a difficulty that 1s die Location
the Tale-Weaver decides upon. As a guide, absolute 1 Left leg
blindness with your hearing muffled (such as with- 2 Right leg
in a raging sandstorm) will be 15, whilst combating
3 Left arm
the denizens of a candle-lit cellar will be 5. If you
succeed then you can take your turn as normal. If 4 Right arm
you fail then you may only take a single Manoeuvre 5 Left hand
Action in a random direction or Cower. 6 Right hand
7-8 Abdomen
9 Chest
10 Head

“There Lord Hugh of Scots was

wounded with three spea r-wou nds in
his face, and Lord Frederick of Loupey
was wounded with a spea r between
his shoulders , and the gash was so
wide, that the blood spurted out of his
body as through the tap of a cask. Lord
Erard of Syverey got such a sword-
cut acros s his face that his nose hung
down onto his lip.”
~ Jean de Joinville
Injury Levels 9 – Deadly: You are crushed or pierced by your foes
savage attack, the limb is Broken and Bleeding and
The following entries give details for each Injury you gain D5 Dormant Impacts. You need to take a
Level. They must be consulted when the final Heavy Armour Save or the mighty blows rips and
Injury Level is worked out. Persistent Injuries are tears through flesh, leaving your limb lying in the
those that occur over a number of Actions, Turns blood-soaked dust of battle. You can only Cower or
or Rounds and the effects overlap each other in the attempt to Heal yourself until you have staunched
event that more than one is currently occurring, the blood-loss by successfully tending the wound
such as being Shaken for your next Action and (requiring 2 Heals). You lose the limb and are Dis-
Stunned for your next Turn. figured. The area within 1 metre of you is now Un-
Many Injury Levels will allow an Armour Save to stable Ground with a difficulty of 1. The character
prevent the worst of effects. This is a Defence (of the responsible for the attack must pass a MelX v (your)
armour on the location hit) v MelX (of your attacker) Impacts test or spend her next action Manoeuvring
test. For the worst of injuries, only Heavy Armour away from the fountain of blood. This will be Lethal 57
allows a defence, and this is noted in the entries. if the location is the head, chest or abdomen. It takes
In the case of two armours on a location, simply D10 rounds for you to die though, so try to come up
choose one for the save. with something profound to say. Your allies within
hearing distance must take a MelX v (your) Impacts G
0 – Flimsy: The attack gives you a slight bump that
has the possibility of bruising. Wearing any armour
test, and if they fail they will lose their Hostile a
Stance as they are overcome by your death wails.
on the location hit will prevent an unsightly bruise. m
Above 10 – Lethal: Your vision darkens to crimson
1 – Incompetent: The inexperienced attack confuses
then black. The thundering pain is short-lived be- e
you, as only a novice could. Armour Save or your
movement is halved for your next Turn.
cause, unfortunately, you are now dead. The char- p
acter responsible for the attack must pass a MelX
2 – Clumsy: Your lucky foe surprises you – but is it v (your total) Impacts test or spend her next action l
just luck? Armour Save or you are Shaken for your Manoeuvring away from the piercing stare of your a
next Action. dead eyes.
y
3 – Graceless: A glancing hit threatens to knock
you off balance. Armour Save or you are Shaken for
Injuries
your next Turn. Bleeding: Until you receive a successful Heal, you
will gain an Impact at the beginning of each of your
4 – Deft: You are forced to move by your swift foe Turns. Any Bleeding wound is at risk of Infection.
and are Knocked Back. Armour Save or you are After Combat take a VigX v Injury Level test (it will
Stunned for your next Action. be the highest Injury Level that caused the Infec-
5 – Skilled: You fight against the pain that threatens tion). If you pass, you beat off infection but if you
to overcome you. You are Shaken for your next Ac- fail then the wound will fester. For D5 days your Ac-
tion. Take an Armour Save or you are Stunned for tions are halved, your MelX and RngX is at –1 and
your next Turn. you are Disfigured. You may take a VigX or KnowX
test after a good night’s sleep for each day of your
6 – Cunning: You are knocked breathless and fall Infection and it will be overcome if you are success-
to ground, Prone. Take an Armour Save or you are ful. If you are in the care of another character you
Bleeding and the location is Broken. may replace your KnowX test with hers.
7 – Merciless: The attack cuts deeply, you are now Broken: You cannot use your limb, drop anything
Bleeding. Take a Heavy Armour Save or add a held in it (except a shield if it is your arm or hand)
Dormant Impact and the location is Broken. If the and are at –1 to your MelX and VigX for D10 days.
location was your head then your helmet is knocked It will need to be properly Bone-set (see Knowledge
off, but your skull bone is safe. Abilities) by the end of the D10 days or the –1’s are
8 – Brutal: Your limb is torn before the power of the permanent.
blow, which is now Broken and Bleeding. You need Disfigured: In these times of ignorance, where ap-
to take a Heavy Armour Save or add D5 Dormant pearance and misfortune are often thought of as the
Impacts. If the save is failed and the location is your punishments of God, a Disfigured character will be
head then your eye is pierced. Thick goo runs down looked upon with fear and revulsion (except at the
your face. You are Stunned for D5 rounds. Your Tale-Weaver’s discretion, eg; the followers of The
MelX and RngX is lowered by 1 permanently, you Wavering Flame may welcome her). Dispositions
lose an eye and are Disfigured. If this is the second towards you will be –1. This is permanent.
time this has happened, you are now blind. If the
save is failed on your legs, arms or hand they will
be Broken. If the save is failed on your chest or ab-
domen you will be Knocked Back and end up Prone.
 Dormant Impact: This is an Impact that stays with Other Dangers
you outside of Combat without effect, but as soon
as you enter Combat it becomes a real Impact. This Fire
means that if you gain a Dormant Impact dur- If you catch on fire you can put it out by smother-
ing Combat it will be counted as a normal Impact. ing it with water or material, by rolling along the
These are permanent. ground or by removing the things that have caught
Knocked Back: You stumble directly backwards an fire from your body. Every Round you will take
amount of metres equal to the Injury Level you have automatic Impacts as burning heat combines with
just received. If it is above your MelX you will fall the choking smoke to drain your life. The amount
Prone at the end of your stumbling. of Impacts depends on the type of fire that you have
fallen into:
Shaken: You may not Strike while Shaken.
Small fire (candle): 1
Stunned: This over-rides Shaken. Hostile Stance Medium fire (torch): 2
58 is removed and you stumble 1 metre in a random Large fire (Greek Fire): D5
direction while Stunned. You may not Strike, use Particularly nasty (boiling oil): D10
Movement Actions or Abilities.
To escape from fire you must succeed at a VigX test
G Impact Limit v Impacts you have suffered. Any character that
a After the results of any Injuries have been deter-
survives more then 3 Impacts from fire will end up
Disfigured. If the flames reach triple your MelX (or
m mined, you will gain an Impact from a successful at least 10, whichever comes first) then you will pass
e Strike. The amount of Impacts you receive, on top
of any Injuries, will affect you in certain ways. Your
out and die.

p experience in Melee determines how easily you can Drowning

l shrug off your enemy’s blows and continue the fight
unheeded. Whenever your Impacts reach the fol-
You may hold your breath for an amount of minutes
equal to your VigX. Every minute thereafter, you
a lowing levels, apply the Effect: must pass a VigX test v the amount of minutes you
y Your Impacts Effect have already held your breath for. When you fail,
your lungs will begin to fill with the liquid you are
Equal to Impact Limit Shaken next Action immersed in and you will be unconscious – drown-
2 x Impact Limit Stunned next Action ing. You have an amount of rounds, equal to your
3 x Impact Limit Flee next Action VigX, for someone to Heal you within breathable
conditions or you will die.
Above 3 x Impact Cower until Impacts drop
Limit below the 3 x Impact
Limit point
Falling
To calculate falling damage work out how high you
Yes! This does mean that if you are so delicate that have fallen in metres. Any fall over 3 metres will
your MelX is 0, you will be Cowering after 1 hit. It is require you to pass a VigX test v metres fallen. If
helpful to designate the amount of Impacts you have you fail but have fallen an amount of metres under
endured with counters, squirts of sauce or whatever your VigX, you will receive a broken leg. If you fail
else will help you keep track. and your journey was over your Vig, then you will
A Serious Injury is any Injury Level that is above be dead.
your MelX. That means that any Injury Level above
Flimsy will be serious to those so inexperienced in Extreme Conditions
battle that they have a Melee of 0. In searing heat, freezing cold, drought or going
When a Combat ends you will restore your Dodges through starvation, you may end up experiencing
to full and erase the Impacts you received. extreme conditions. Every morning, you must pass
a VigX test or suffer D5 Dormant Impacts plus the
Harshness of the condition – for example; a barren
“This was the fashion of the Greek desert could be 3 – until you reach normal condi-
fire: it came on as broad in front as tions. Dormant Impacts from Extreme Conditions
will be removed when you reach safety. Survival
a vinegar cask, and the tail of fire knowledge and items such as rations, water, shade
that trailed behind it was as big as a or blankets make the Vig test easier to pass.

great spea r; and it made such a noise If the amount of your Dormant Impacts reaches
three times your Vigour (or at least 7, whichever
as it came, that it sounded like the comes first) then you will succumb to the environ-
thunder of heav en. It looked like a ment and, sadly, perish.

dragon flying through the air.”

~ Jeanne de Joiville
Disease
Disease is rife in these times of ignorance and
superstition. A plague can descend on a population
in a number of ways. The rotting heads of the slain
catapulted over a besieged city’s walls is just one
way, rats and lack of hygiene another.
Characters amongst disease will need to pass a
VigX v Disease Level test when they are exposed to
the disease. If they fail they will enter stage 1 of the
disease, if they fail a second time they enter stage
two, and failing three times puts them into stage 3.
The disease level is reduced by whatever stage the
victim is in for the purposes of the test. Heal tests
against the Stage of the disease will add +1 to the
59
victim’s VigX for purposes of overcoming it.
Every disease is different, an example is below. G
Objects a
The Glutton’s Curse
Sometimes it may be necessary for you to smash
Exposure: Ingesting rotten meat that has not been
something. This works like combat, except objects
m
cooked properly, tainted bodily fluids that have
entered the bloodstream through wounds or close only have a Defence value. They are automatically e
hit by Melee Strikes and you inflict an additional
contact.
amount of Impacts with each Strike equal to your
p
Disease level: 4 Melee value. Martial and Great Weapons add an l
extra Impact per turn that they are used to sunder
Stage 1: Uncontrollable vomiting and diarrhea D5
the object as well. When the amount of Impacts are
a
hours after failing the Vig test. This lasts for D5
days. Afflicted characters will fail at any activity double the object’s Defence, it will be damaged. y
more strenuous than a slow walk and any attempts When the Impacts are three times the Defence it
at one will cause a violent discharge of vomit and will be destroyed.
flatulence if a VigX test is not passed. After the D5 Damaging an object means that bits of it will be
days are up, afflicted characters must pass a VigX v crumbling or falling away, but it will still take up
3 test or move into stage 2. most of the space that it starting in. Destroying an
Stage 2: Diseased characters will still struggle to object will annihilate it so that it poses no challenge
keep any sustenance within them and suffer from to anyone trying to move over it or get to the secrets
thirst and hunger. Their bodily expulsions become that it protects.
red with the taint of blood. The greatest movement Most objects are immune to becoming destroyed by
they can achieve is a slow shuffle. They are now suf- discreet and piercing weapons such as spears and
fering from Extreme Conditions at a Harshness of bolts. The worst they do to an object is to damage it.
0. This stage lasts for D5 days. After the D5 days are
up, afflicted characters must pass a VigX v 2 test or Sample objects
move into stage 3 of the disease.
Object Defence
Stage 3: The weakness of the victims is apparent
Wooden door 50
in their dry, cracked lips and croaking voice. Blood
seeps from their orifices at all times and they are Chest 25
completely bed-ridden. This stage lasts for D10 days Stone wall 200
where they will suffer from Extreme Conditions un- Barrel 20
til the days are up. Characters that make it through
Hovel wall 10
the D10 days will go on to make a full recovery in
D5 days. During the D5 days of recovery the char- Curtain 2
acter will only be able to manage a slow shuffle and
nothing more strenuous.

“They ate up the head with the intestines, so that after all was consumed, nay,
devoured with avidity, they licked their fingers with a relish, that while any thing remained,
it might be removed with the tongue rather than wiped away with a napkin.”
~ Itinerarium Peregrinorum et Gesta Regis Ricardi (The Itinerary of King Richard), Geoffrey de Vinsauf
 Trauma Trauma table
Fighting and killing not only affects your body, it Roll Trauma
may also manipulate your psyche. The next time 1-2 Projection of Hate: Deduct D10 Disposition
you sleep after being involved in a Combat involv- from an already hated Allegiance.
ing a Brutal Injury or above, take a MelX v Impacts
3-4 Focused Hate: Deduct D10 Disposition
(you received) test, and use the following modifiers.
from an opponent’s Organisation involved
Condition Modifier in one of your recent combats.
Calm +2 if you didn’t enter a Hostile Stance 5-7 Class Hatred: Deduct D10 Disposition from
an opponent’s Class involved in one of your
Dead friend –2 for each companion that was slain
recent combats.
Close call –1 if a companion was seriously
8-11 Generalised Hate: Deduct D10 Disposition
injured or NPC slain
from an opponent’s Faction involved in one
60 Execution –2 if a Cowering character was slain of your recent combats.
Beasts +1 if only beasts were involved 12-15 Slay the Heretics: Deduct D10 Disposition
If the test is passed then you will be able to continue from an opponent’s Religion involved in
G on without any mental scars. If you fail then some- one of your recent combats.
a thing in the fight has stirred your emotions. Per- 16-17 Post-Traumatic Stress: Entering a Hostile
haps you saw the tragic eyes of a dying enemy that Stance now takes up 1 Action.
m reminded you of your brother, or maybe you have 18-19 Violent Episodes: If you lose a Negotiation
e come to believe that none of your enemies deserve with an opponent that you hate, make a
mercy. Roll a D100 on the Combat Trauma table. A
p recent Combat is considered as one that occurred
ComX v your Hate test. If you fail you will
immediately enter a Hostile Stance and at-
l between your last waking hours. Results are perma- tempt to punch them.
nent and cumulative.
a 20-21 Morbid Thoughts: You become uneasy at
Traumas are treated differently if the battle was
y against only Beasts, who do not have Allegiences. If
the happiness of others – can’t they see the
horrors of life? During celebrations and
you end up with a Trauma that asks you to add or merry-making (such as fairs or festivals)
deduct Disposition, you must apply it to the type (ie; you are a further Disposition –5 towards
species) of beast involved. everyone.
22-23 Ghosts of the Dead: You see a resemblance
to those you have seen killed in the eyes of
all your enemies. You cannot Strike a Cow-
ering character, and if forced to you will
Cower instead.
24-26 Night Terrors: You are plagued by bad
dreams and often wake screaming from
reliving your battles. Whenever you sleep
there is a 20% chance that you awake mud-
dle-headed. Your lack of sleep will reduce
your VigX by 1 for the rest of the day.
27-29 Moody: You cannot see the point of liv-
ing – but no one would miss you anyway.
When travelling more than an hour away
from your home your companions will
suffer -1 to Vigour as they are drained from
your mood and having to convince you to
accompany them.
30-32 Addict: You need to escape reality. You
“The battle is now fought hand must spend D5 Wealth a month on either
alcohol, hash or brothels. You keep this a
to hand; the bows are snap ped secret most of the time, though your close
asunder; the arrow s no longer fly, friends will notice you have a problem. If
you cannot spend the Wealth then reduce
and warriors have scarcely room to your Wealth to 0 and roll twice on the
Plight of the Poor table.
wield their swords.”
~ Itinerar ium Peregrinorum et Gesta Regis Ricardi
(The Itinerar y of King Richard), Geoffrey de Vinsauf
 “Stories have been related to me as to the
terror of the Tatars. It is said that a single
33-35 Hellbound: You believe you are going to
Hell for your crimes against morality and one of them would enter a village wherein
try to be as pious as you can. You gain D10 were many people, and would continue to slay
Favour towards your Religion. them one after another, none daring to stretch
36-38 Sadist: You begin to enjoy seeing living forth his hand against this horseman.”
beings suffer. For each Cowering enemy ~ Ibn Al-Athir
within reach you must pass a MelX test or
Strike them. 70-72 Voices: You are constantly hearing voices;
39-41 Sadomasochist: You begin to inflict pain on some are mere whispers, while others are
yourself. This could be to take your mind demonic. They are especially bad at night.
off of the visions of death that plague you, On a night of the Tale-Weaver’s choosing
or to punish yourself for your part in the you may be asked to take a MelX test. If 61
horrors of war. You become Disfigured. you fail, then the Tale-Weaver may create
42-45 Obsessive: You have found a secret ritual an interesting situation for you to awake to;
from finding yourself in the opposite sex’s
that kept you alive after the last combat you
were in, whether it’s saying a small prayer clothes to waking in the desert with your
G
or tapping the pommel of your sword nine hands covered in dried blood. a
times. This minor ritual uses up a Manoeu-
vre Action once you enter Combat.
73-75 Drunkard: You are violent, stink and are m
often incomprehensible. You must spend
45-55 Troubled Sleep: Your dreams ring with the D10 Wealth on alcohol every month. If e
sound of steel on steel and the wails of the you cannot then your Wealth is reduced p
dying. Your moaning and violent move- to 0 and your will have to roll twice on the
ments during sleep keep others near you Plight of the Poor table. Your Appeals are l
awake, plus you sometimes hurt yourself by at –1. a
falling out of bed. Any character that sleeps 76-77 Damaged: Future tests for Combat Trauma
in the same room or vicinity of you has a are –1.
y
poor sleep and their VigX is reduced by 1 78-79 Nihilist: You believe in nothing. You never
for the next day. There is also a 20% chance Cower, as death cannot be any worse than
that whenever you sleep you will gain a your life is.
Dormant Impact for the rest of the day,
because of the injuries you have sustained 80-81 Power Abuser: You are constantly upset-
from your rough night. ting people by abusing your power. Any
character that has a negative Disposition
56-58 Fear of Combat: You have an aversion to towards you has it doubled.
fighting, because you truly believe that the
next one may be your last. Entering a Hos- 82-84 Blasphemer: You are known to be a rebel
tile Stance is –1. of the mind, and strong believers will often
seek to do you harm. If you fail a Vigour
59-61 Hedonist: You seek to gain pleasure when- test at the beginning of a week, D5 Beggars
ever possible to balance the pain you have will set upon you at a time of the Tale-
witnessed. You are often late and reek of Weaver’s choosing.
alcohol or hash. Your Com is reduced by 1.
85-87 Religious Sympathy: Add D10 Disposition
62-64 Penitent: You give D5 points of Wealth at towards an opponent’s Religion involved in
the beginning of every month to a chari- one of your recent combats.
table cause to atone for your sins. If you
cannot pay, roll twice on the Plight of the 88-90 Generalised Sympathy: Add D10 Disposi-
Poor table. tion towards an opponent’s Faction in-
volved in one of your recent combats.
65-67 Paranoid: You feel the stare of your en-
emies upon you at all times. Your Aware- 91-93 Class Favour: Add D10 Disposition towards
ness tests are +1, but your eyes often dart to an opponent’s Class involved in one of your
ensure no enemies approach you from your recent combats.
blindside. Your Rng is reduced by 1. 94-96 Focused Sympathy: Add D10 Disposi-
68-69 Memory Loss: You block out all of the tion towards an opponent’s Organisation
pain from your last battles. You cannot use involved in one of your recent combats.
your most recently acquired Ability for D5 97-100 Reinforced Sympathy: Add D10 Disposi-
weeks. tion towards a present favoured Allegiance.
 Step 2: Middle scenes
Stories Now take turns among the remaining Players (and
Tale-Weaver if applicable) to each tell a scene. Just
Stories are how characters gain wisdom throughout like in Step 1, the Players use their characters as the
a Tale. This will be in the form of Pearls of Wisdom prism to relate their scene, however the Genre will
(PoW) and are important because they can be used be directed by the result of the previous scene. Also,
to protect characters, as well as make their rolls the hero and major villains should not be killed off!
more powerful – amongst many other things. Should the hero succeed at overcoming a scene’s
challenge, add the difficulty of the challenge to the
Fantastic realms and sorcery from a lost age can
Wisdom Pool.
be part of the journey that characters make when
they enter a Story – the nature of the tale will rely
completely on the characters (ie; the Players) partici-
Step 3: Climax
pating in it. After everyone around the table has related their
62 scene it is time for the focus to be on the Storyteller
A Story can be started by an NPC or PC. It is actual- once more. The final scene plays out like a middle
ly possible to run a Story without the Tale-Weaver’s scene is most ways, but is a chance for the Story-
G involvement. It is suggested that Players take turns
in being Storytellers throughout a Tale, but that is
teller to use her creativity to conclude the journey of
the hero. This will be done by taking a versus test
a only a suggestion. During a Story, each PC will con- using the character’s Storytelling value against the
m tribute in the form a scene. The Tale-Weaver chould
play the part of an NPC travelling with the charac-
current Wisdom Pool.
e ters if the Storyteller is a PC, otherwise she will just If this final test is successful then the Wisdom Pool
will be converted into Pearls of Wisdom and di-
p have to observe. The following steps describe the
process of running a Story. vided evenly among the PCs involved in the Story
l – with the Storyteller gaining any leftovers.
a Step 1: Opening scene
Pearls of Wisdom
The Storyteller (the character telling the tale,
y whether PC or NPC) begins the Story. She describes Pearls of Wisdom allow you to use the insight you
the title of the tale, the hero and the trials that will have gained from Stories to help you face the hor-
be faced, without giving too much away. rors that lay ahead in the real world.
Now the first scene begins. Only imagination limits The maximum amount of PoW you can hold are
what is told, but at the end of the scene the Story- equal to your Storytelling Level. You can gain ben-
teller must decide what type of challenge the hero efits from spending PoW throughout a Tale. Spend-
faces; Adventure, Drama or Mystery. She must also ing them is a free action and the benefit occurs
decide how difficult this challenge is. immediately.
Story rolls revolve around D10s, so the Apex begins PoW Benefit Usage
at 5 for an even challenge. For each challenge point
1 Re-roll any result you are Once a day
higher than your Genre value, lower the Apex by
unhappy with
1; and raise the Apex by 1 for each Genre point you
have over the challenge. 2 Enter a Hostile Stance Once a day
5 Halve opponent’s roll on Once a day
What is rolled will affect the direction for the next
Impact Table
scene; consult the following table:
10 Add D10 to your Wealth Once a week
D10 roll Next scene’s direction 10 Add a point of Favour/Hate Once a week
1, 4 or 7 Adventure 20 Reduce item’s Rarity by 5 Once a week
2, 5 or 8 Drama 20 Remove an Impact Once a week
3, 6 or 9 Mystery 20 Reduce a Combat Action’s Once a day
10 Chosen by next scene’s character points by 1
If successful in the challenge, add an amount of 30 Gain a Symbol of Power Once a month
points, equal to the difficulty of the challenge, to the 40 Reduce item’s Rarity by 10 Once a month
Wisdom Pool. 50 Gain an Ability Once a month

As he came to the mountain of Mashu, whose entrance is guarded by monsters.

guard its gate; dreadful terror they spread, and it is death to behold them. Their splendScorp ion-men
overth rowing the mountains; From sunris e to sunset they guard the sun. Gilgam our is fearful,
and with fear and terror his face grew dark. esh beheld them,

~ The Epic of Gilgamesh

Advancement
“And all of us die?” Firuz growled Firuz and his soldiers reached the
at the soldier who had succumbed to surging mass of men at the threshold
battlelust. to the city. The Franj were now within
range of Antioch’s archers on the wall
“Fall back to Antioch.” He gave the
and they let their arrows fly. Join-
signal. The trumpet screamed the call
ing the chaos, Firuz’s horse pushed
to retreat and it echoed throughout
through, clearing a path for his men.
the blood stained battleground. 63
Looking back from a safe position,
As Firuz lead his men away from the he saw the knights smash into the
carnage, trampling the arrow-stud- retreating soldiers. The air became
ded corpses of friends and enemies, polluted by death and the muffled A
he spotted the Frankish knights. They screams of the crushed and maimed.
were disturbingly close. They roared The Christian footmen arrived to join d
as they quickened their pace. Held the slaughter. Spears held frantic men v
before them were the standards of under the bubbling river to drown.
Ridwan’s army, and more horrifying What barbarians are these, Firuz a
trophies of their victory. thought, as he saw their blood-washed n
armour deflecting the arrows fired
The Sultan had been defeated. The
from Antioch, still bellowing through c
men of the west had now proved their
mastery in battle to every defender
their helmets when they finally turned e
away from the walls.
of Antioch. m
The knights’ mounts pounded their
heavy hooves across the plain. They
e
lowered their lances or raised their n
swords. Ahead, Firuz saw the bridge to
Antioch’s gate. It was crammed with
t
retreating soldiers struggling to enter.
Dark streaks zipped across their path.
The Christian archers were firing. A
cry came from Firuz’s horse and he
bucked. Firuz’s body left the saddle and
seemed suspended in the air for far too
long. He landed roughly on his horse,
a throbbing pain ascending from his
groin, as he scrambled to reach a rid-
ing position. He saw the arrow in his
mount’s thigh. He hoped it wouldn’t
slow him down too much.
The knights were so close that Firuz
could hear their taunts and war-cries.
He was glad he couldn’t understand
their language.
 Apostles of Sobek
Overview of Other names: Bone Worshippers, Dead Heads.
organisations Goals: To bring about the resurrection of Sobek in
the form of a mighty reptile, and to rule the world
as his most favoured servants.
White Quills
History: The first prophet of the Apostles of Sobek
Other names: Silks, Coin Counters was Yacob Alhazra, or as he came to be known
Goals: The protection of trade and merchants. – Abu Tymzahr. The story says that he was a Shi’ite
preacher during the time of the Fatimid Dynasty in
History: Seeking to traverse the Silk Road without Egypt. He was travelling along the Nile river when
fear, a number of merchants from the lands that his boat capsized and he was left with the rest of the
the road runs through gathered and swore an oath passengers in the crocodile infested waters. Onlook-
64 to keep the path safe for trading. These merchants ers screamed from the banks as the water turned red
grew in power and became known as the White with blood. But Alhazra emerged, the only person
Quills. The Council of the White Quills in the Holy on the boat to ever reach land again. However, he
Lands was based in Damascus during the entirety
A of the crusading eras. Syed Ali bin Muhammad
was a changed man. His friends started to worry
as he began to rave about the visions he received as
d was the head of the Council during the Dawn era he struggled under the dark waters of the Nile with
through to the Dusk era but was assassinated at
v the old age of 83. It was whispered that others in
the cold, reptilian beasts. He would take himself to
caves, far into the countryside to pray, he would say.
a the guild disagreed with his later decrees that When he returned, his robes would be tattered and
brought a large amount of foreign mercenaries into
n White Quill safe houses. The remnants of the guild
his hands would be caked with dirt and dried blood.
Then one day, he just never returned to his home,
c became fragmented as the Mongols took over vast leaving his wife without a husband and his six chil-
areas of the Silk Road and their numbers began to
e dwindle, so they were a power on the wane during
dren without a father.
m the Death era. His wife and eldest son travelled to the caves that
Alhazra prayed at. As they wondered at the strange
e Signifiers: Quill using the feather of a dove, white sight that greeted him a low growl emanated from
silk scarf with subtle pattern, ring embossed with
n the symbol of the White Quills.
the cave’s mouth, seeming to come from some gar-
gantuan creature deep within the tunnels. They ran
t Allegiances: Merchants, White Quills, Scholars, back to their village to raise the alarm.
Artists They told of a great shrine, made with the petrified
Initiation: Taking responsibility for the protection bones of creatures that they were sure never existed,
of a trade caravan on a dangerous journey. raised high into the sky. Atop it was a skull from
what could only be a dragon. The next day Alhazra’s
brother went back with his sister-in-law, and armed
himself and some of his friends. They could not find
the site. It was like it never existed.
Then rumours began to spread of a cult of Sobek
spreading throughout the land.
During the reign of Salih Al-Din, caravans became
afraid to travel past Baalbek on nights with a full
moon. Many caravans went missing without a trace
and the tales of Sharayar Shah, a young girl who
was the only survivor of one of the attacks, de-
scribed wailing savages, festooned with the carcass-
es of reptiles and wielding great bone weapons.
Signifiers: Bone weapon, reptile accessory, initia-
tion scars.
Allegiances: Pagans, Outcasts, Apostles of Sobek.
Initiation: The initiate must make her way from one
end of a ceremonial aquaduct to the other. The water
is deep and silty, so the initiate will not be able to
touch or see the tiled floor – plus crocodiles dwell
within it. If, by the blessing of Sobek, the initiate
survives to the end then she will be welcomed as a
new Apostle.
Wavering Flame
Other names: Candles, Children of Ma’arri
Goals: To never allow curiosity and criticism to die.
History: Al Ma’arri was a poet who died just a few
decades before the Franj arrived on the coasts of the
Holy Land. Blinded by small pox at a young age, Al
Ma’arri questioned the traditions and authorities that
ruled his lands. He became quite famous for some-
one so outspoken, even travelling to Bagdad, yet he
refused to make money from his work. He lived out
his final days in the town of Ma’arra, abstaining from
meat and other foods produced from animals, and
remaining strong in will until he passed. 65
As irritable as he was, Al Ma’arri had a small
number of followers who sought to hold on to his
message under an onslaught of irrationality and A
ignorance. They called themselves the Wavering d
Flame and took in a number of folk who did not fit
in well with the time that birthed them. Women, The Prophets, who too, among v
the deformed and those whose studies led them to
us came to teach; Are one with a
contradict the prevailing views of their rulers all
sought the Flame to guard them from the darkness those who from the pulpit preach; n
that had swallowed the rest of the earth. Barukh,
They pray, and slay, and pass away, c
the two-headed giant, was one such member, who
relished his life away from judgemental eyes where and yet our ills are as the pebbles on e
he could study the strange bones from the caverns
a beach. m
he watched over.
~ Al Ma’arri e
During the first crusade, after Antioch was taken,
the Franj came to Ma’arra on route to Jerusalem. It n
was besieged and the inhabitants were massacred. The Abu Al-Myiit t
Stories tell of the crusaders roasting prisoners, chil- Other names: Fathers of the Dead, The Lepers of the
dren and dogs on spits to quell the hunger in their Olive Grove
ravaged bodies and souls. A woman named Fatima
was regarded as the leader of the Wavering Flame at Goals: To continue to live as they always have.
that time, though she did not call herself the leader History: The father of this ghoul-sept was Ishaq
of anyone. As the fires of zealots consumed her city Atesh, a fierce preacher who roamed the desert,
she asked her fellow Candles to flee and seek refuge chastising everyone he passed as sinners who were
in safer cities so that the wisdom they had gained fit only for the flames of hell. Ishaq had been exiled
would not die with them. What actually happened from Bagdad by the vizier at the time, as he had
is lost in myth. destroyed a graveyard containing the headstones of
During the reign of Salih Al-Din, tales tell of a some of the nobility. Ishaq defended himself with
swimmer who carried messages from the besieged scripture, blasting his accusers with the claim that
city of Acre to the Sultan. It was said that he was all men are equal under God, even in death, and no
in love with a creature, nicknamed Jullanar of the headstone should stand above another’s. The vizier
Sea from the tale from the Arabian Nights. She was was worried should he gain a following, for he was
supposedly a beautiful woman, but she could only a powerful speaker, and had him dumped into the
survive under water because her body never gave middle of the desert one night.
up the gills she possessed while she was still in her Almost dead from exhaustion, Ishaq wandered into
mother’s womb. Poets with a romantic bent claim the territory of the Bandit-King, Aslan the Mace,
she was the leader of the Wavering Flame during and found himself surrounded by hardened thieves.
that time, but her sightings faded into nothing once He did not show fear and continued his preaching,
Acre was taken by King Richard and her love, the placing the fear of God into Aslan’s followers. Aslan
swimmer, was found washed up upon the coast was impressed, and made a deal with Ishaq. He
with an arrow in his back. would grant Ishaq the position of spiritual guide to
Signifiers: Inscribed candle, book, secret poem. his gang, for Aslan was continuously irritated with
their lack of discipline. It seemed to work, as Aslan
Allegiances: Scholars, Wavering Flame, Outcasts, carved a large territory for himself near the cavern-
Artists ous mountains of Antioch.
 Then the plague struck. Nizari
It did not discriminate between strong or weak, Other names: Batini, Assassins, Fedayeen
man or woman, and soon there was no one to raid,
or to till the fields. Hunger and desperation set in. Goals: To bring about the revival of a Shi’ite Caliph-
Those affected by the disease would have their skin ate, or at least offer protection to their followers.
peel away until chunks of flesh were gouged from History: Nizar was a leader of a sect of Shi’ites and,
their bodies. The sun would burn them, so they after his death, his followers became known as the
retreated to the caves. Without being able to main- Nizaris. The term ‘Assassin’, from the Arabic ‘Hash-
tain their crops the remnants of the Bandit-King’s ishin’, was used as an insult by the Nizari’s enemies
thief-state turned to hunting to survive. There were – which were many.
few animals, but many caravans passed near the
Hassan-i-Sabbah initially ruled the Nizaris from
mountains as a short-cut to trade with the large city
Alamut in Persia as Grandmaster, and his repre-
on the coast. They began hunting humans.
66 sentative in the Holy Lands was Sinan, known as
Aslan was one of the first to die from the plague. He the Old Man of the Mountain. Although the Nizari
became insane, as every movement he made seemed killers were from the lowest ranks in the order and
to result in the dripping of another piece of flesh, until used as expendable pawns to do the Grandmaster’s
A his organs became exposed and infested with flies. bidding, they underwent intensive training. The
d Ishaq was the obvious choice to take over. He had Assassins were chosen because they were young in
been afflicted with the Curse, as he called it, but to a age, and so had malleable minds and bodies. To get
v much lesser extent and he did not succumb to it. He close to their victims, the Assassins would have to
a felt little pain, and protected his skin with black, thick be patient and cunning. They were generally intel-
cloth lest the sun burn it away. His followers regarded ligent and well read because they were required to
n him as a prophet, and Ishaq obliged them, asking possess not only knowledge about their enemy, but
c only that they submit their wills entirely to his rule. his or her culture and their native language. They
Then would God allow the Curse to be lifted. were trained by their masters to disguise them-
e selves, sneak in to enemy territory and perform the
That was over a hundred years ago. Yet, it is whis-
m pered that Ishaq Atesh still lives, a walking corpse, assassinations without mercy.
e and his clan continues to hunt for the flesh of men As tensions in the Middle East grew during the Cru-
from the shadows of the mountains of Antioch. sades, the Nizari were also known for taking con-
n tracts from outside sources on either side of the war,
Signifiers: Black cloak, amputated limbs, scars,
t pale skin, trophies of human body parts, common whether it was from the invading Crusaders or the
features (of Ishaq Atesh). Saracen forces, so long as the assassination aligned
with the Grandmaster’s plans.
Allegiances: The Abu Al-Myiit
Signifiers: Dagger
Initiation: Being born into the sept in the most likely
way. If they are low on females, a woman could offer Allegiances: Nizari, Shi’ites
herself as a breeding mother, but that would only be Initiation: Conversion to Shi’ite Islam and follower
to escape the cooking pot as a breeding mother’s life of the Nizari sect. Ingratiating yourself with the
is not pleasant by the standards of most societies. hierarchy of the Old Man of the Mountain and his
inner circle would be the only way to gain access to
his fortresses.

“The sickness bega n to increa se, and so much dead flesh came upon the
gums of our peop le, that the barbers were obliged to remove it, to enable
them to chew their food and to swallow. A most piteous thing it was to
hear the screa ms of the peop le from whom they were cutting the dead flesh,
for they screa med just like women labou ring with child.” ~ Jeanne de Joinville
 ground so arrived before him and butchered his
family for his unpaid crimes. He was captured as
he wept over the rotting remains of his loved ones
that were left for his arrival. When his heels sizzled
as he was lowered into a cauldron of boiling oil, his
cries implicated the names of 44’s throughout the
Holy Land. Many of those named are now fearful
for their families in Europe.
Signifiers: Noose or other item from the execution
that the member escaped from. A Saracen member
will often wear a necklace bearing an executioner’s
blade or engrave the scene of his imminent death into
The 44 a weapon or piece of armour. Bondsmen who decide
to stay on after their year of service often scar them- 67
Other names: XLIV, The Hanged Men. selves with the ‘XLIV’ in their chest or shoulder.
Goals: To free good men who have been condemned Allegiances: Outcasts, The 44, Peasants
to death. A
Initiation: The 44 of the Holy Lands has formed a
History: Ralph Basset, an English royal justice, trav- number of peculiar practices. Once someone is saved d
elling through the country in 1124, demanded the
hanging of 44 thieves in the town of Leicestershire.
from the gallows (or whatever execution awaited v
them) they will be bound to the order for one year.
In retaliation, the sons of some of thieves became During this year they will not be able to see their a
outcasts and began a campaign of freeing other
doomed folk from the hangman’s noose. They saw
homes or families (though many are far from home n
to begin with) and will be forced to join the ranks of
nothing wrong with what their fathers did, for their The 44 in other operations for the time of their ser- c
lands and crops were so harshly taxed that they had
to hide food from the Baron’s collectors. When the
vice. 44’s here are generally disillusioned with their e
war leaders, as they were often the judges that con-
secret stores were found, they were charged with signed them to death, so the order gives their bonds- m
thieving from their lords by the harsh judge. men a chance to be baptised into a worthy cause. e
Initially, the gang had a loose set of objectives to
free only fourty-four of the condemned. However,
n
once they reached that point, they realised they had t
become quite good at it (better than they were at
being peasants at any rate) and had gathered a lot of
well-wishers and notoriety. So they continued.
No one knew where they would strike, and many
men who thought they would receive the help of The
44 where left disappointed, and dead. The order has
not been centrally organised since Robert Fletcher,
the original leader, was captured, tortured and exe-
cuted in the horrific manner reserved for traitors and
heretics. His cause has lived on, however, in a myriad
of gangs that have sprung up wherever the bards
tell his tale (in fact, the bards are often the founding
members of a new group of 44’s in a village).
The gangs of The 44 that have sprung up in the East
were originally made up of Frankish members, but
their cause has spread to other cultures. This has
inevitably given rise to arguments within the initial
order’s membership about whether they should
risk their lives for good men that follow different
prophets.
Another problem that has arisen is with how they
should deal with bondsmen – those who are bound
to the order for a year after their salvation – that
have betrayed the order. A 44, Piter la Bouche Noire,
arrived in his village in France after his year with
the order. Piter’s failed executioners knew his back-
 Gaining Expertise
One of the King’s serjea nts, called “the
and Abilities Glutton,” laid hands on a knight of my
troop. I went and complained to the King.
Each Ability you gain in an Expertise increases its The King told me: That it seemed to him I
value by 1. At the end of each game session (roughly
3-4 hours) each character has the chance of gaining
might let the matter rest. And I told him,
another Ability. A Player may roll a D10 and consult that I would never let it rest. I got justice
the value of the Expertise she plans to add an Abil- from him, and the punis hment was according
ity to. If the result is equal to or over her base Exper- to the custom of the country; namely, the
tise she will achieve the new Ability. On a failure,
add a point of training to the Expertise. Future rolls
serjea nt came to my quarters, barefoot and
68 will add the training points to the result, until you in his breeches, nothing more, with a naked
succeed at acquiring the new Ability. The limit of a sword in his hand, and kneeled down before
human’s base value for an Expertise is 10, so these the knight, and said to him: “Sir, I come
A rolls will cease when you reach this limit. However,
characters can have an absolute maximum of 11
to make amends for laying my hand on you;
d Abilities applied at any one time. The 11th, tempo- and I bring you this sword, that you may cut
v rary, Ability may come from a number of sources, off my hand, if so please you.” I begged the
such as equipment, and can be swapped for another knight to lay aside his grudge, and forgiv e
a one at the dawn of a new day.
him; which he did.
n You may only choose an Ability once, unless the
~ Jeanne de Joinville
c entry says otherwise.

e Ability types Communication

m Extended: When this Ability begins it will continue Communication Abilities will help whenever you
for a certain amount of time before the result is need to express an idea to another character. This
e achieved. could be an instruction on how to bypass a trapped
n Combat: This Ability can be used during Combat as door or convincing an opponent to allow you to sur-
render with your head intact.
t an amount of Actions described in brackets
Negotiation: This Ability can be used during Nego- Having an Expertise of 6 in Communication will
tiations as an Action make you Literate, allowing you to read anything
you speak. If you are already Literate, you will gain
Persistent: This Ability is constantly applied to you. another language.
When you reach Expertise 8 in Communication you
will gain another language of your choice.
You may also acquire Abilities that attract follow-
ers – who are treated as servants. The maximum
amount you may have at your side at any one time
is equal to your ComX.

Beggar Prince
You have taken under your wing a number of the
down-trodden and easily-led. To repay you for their
rescue, they will gladly follow you into the gates of
hell, should you ask.
Type: Persistent
You gain D5 Beggars to accompany you as you can
hold in your party and they are treated as Servants
and Followers. Should they fall along the way of
an adventure, such as by martyring themselves for
your cause, you may replenish your supply the next
time you spend a day in a large city.
 “Educate the children and it won’t
be neces sary to punis h the men.”
~ Pythagoras

Cosmopolitan 69
Blather From your wide ranging travels you have come to
know a bit of every language.
You gain yourself time by talking nonsense while
your opponent tries to fit in their arguments. Type: Persistent
A
Type: Negotiation At the beginning of a Negotiation when languages
d
If you pass a ComX v ComX test, then your oppo-
are decided you may make a ComX v Hatred test v
(testing how willing your opponent is in the attempt
nent will miss her turn. You may only attempt to
to understand you). If you are successful you will be
a
Blather an amount of times during a Negotiation
equal to your ComX.
able to speak the language with a heavy accent. n
Counsel
c
Bribe
You try to help a friend to remedy his emotional e
You know how to buy someone’s favour without
risking disdain.
trauma. m
Type: Extended (D10 weeks, plus your companion’s
Type: Negotiation current Traumas, minus your ComX – minimum of
e
You may spend up to your ComX in Wealth to add 1 week) n
to your opponent’s Disposition. This may only be
used once per Negotiation.
You will have to spend at least two hours a week in t
a quiet space speaking with the traumatised charac-
ter until the time is up. At the end of the weeks you
Calm will need to take a ComX v Traumas test. If success-
You are a bastion of composure in the whirlwind ful, a number of permanent Traumas equal to your
of battle. ComX will be cured. You may have a number of
patients at one time equal to your ComX.
Type: Combat (full turn)
You must not be in a Hostile Stance before you take Entertain
this Action. Pass a ComX v MelX test against one
assailant within hearing distance that speaks one You are known as an entertaining person to be
of your languages. If you are successful the target around, whether it is through your poetry skills,
will have his Hostile Stance removed and may not storytelling ability or philosophies.
attempt to enter another for an amount of rounds Type: Extended
equal to your ComX, or until she is attacked. This
You may spend a day enthralling the masses and
Ability can be attempted a number of times during
kindly accepting donations. Gain D5 Wealth. You
a Combat equal to your ComX. If you are Cowering
may use this an amount of times per month equal to
then add 1 to your ComX.
your ComX.
Charm
Guildsman
You find it easy to make friends with those who are
You have made friends with a powerful leader of
fairly ambivalent towards you.
a Guild. He has access to some of the most skilled
Type: Negotiation Specialists in the known world.
Take a ComX v Disposition (just the number – re-
Type: Persistent
gardless of whether it is negative or positive) test. If
you are successful then your opponent will feel that Choose one area of Expertise. When hiring Special-
you truly do have their best interests at heart. Their ists from that area, the Specialist’s Ranks will be
Disposition will be raised by your ComX. This can doubled after you have located and paid for them.
only be attempted once per Negotiation. The limit of their Expertise is double your ComX.
 Hawk Joke
You set up in a bazaar to see if you can take a few You’ve got an excellent sense of humour, which will
dinars from the locals. come in handy considering how laughter can be the
best medicine.
Type: Extended
Type: Extended
You must spend a day selling odd bits-and-pieces
you have picked up from your travels. You must be You may tell a joke outside of a Negotiation or
in a city. Take a ComX v D10 test (this represents the Combat and it must be aimed at a character that will
fickle nature of consumers). If successful you will appreciate the humour behind it. It takes around
gain D10 Wealth. Also, you may resell a number of 5 minutes. The targeted character’s next test that
items equal to your ComX at double the normal sell- includes Vigour within the next 24 hours will have
ing price (ie; their original price). This may be used a positive bonus equal to your ComX. A joke may be
a number of times a month equal to your ComX. told once a day.
70
Henchman Intimidate
You have a burly follower, but his loyalty is depen- You know how to name-drop a dangerous ally or
A dant on the depth of your pockets. powerful patron, or perhaps you just know how to
create a deadly and mysterious air about yourself.
d Type: Persistent
Either way, others will hesitate to arouse your ire.
v You gain a Melee Specialist as a Follower. His
Type: Persistent
Specialist Rank is equal to your ComX and he can
a only advance in Melee Abilities. His Upkeep is If you successfully Fortify, your opponent will lose
n 0, plus whatever else you would like to spend on their next turn. Hostile Stances against you are at –1.
him. When your Henchman rolls to enter a Hostile
c Stance, use your ComX plus whatever you paid for Lie
e his Upkeep v the opponent’s Melee. If you fail then You are a practised and cool-headed con-artist.
he will drop whatever he carries and flee from the
m battle, deserting you. You will find a new Hench- Type: Persistent
e man at the beginning of the next month. Your opponent must take a KnowX v ComX test when
gaining an Impression of you and you can Bluff for an
n Allegiance that you don’t bear Signifiers for.
t
Love of Money
You do not hate anyone who likes to trade, and you
project it onto others.
Type: Persistent
If you and/or a Merchant have a negative Disposi-
tion towards the other, it will be 0 instead.

“It is absurd to hold that a man

ought to be ashamed of being unable
to defend himself with his limbs but
not of being unable to defend himself
with speech and reason, when the
use of reason is more distinctive
of a human being than the use of
his limbs.”
~ Aristotle
 “I, Joh n Alema n, citizen of Ma rseilles
Patience faith and without guile, sell and tra nsfer to , in good
Bertoumieu, son of the late Ra ymond Ber you, Peter
Your stoic demeanour rubs off on others.
a certain Sa racen ma id of ours, commo toumieu,
Type: Negotiation Ais sa, for a price of ten pou nds in the mixnly called
You spend the turn convincing your opponent that now current in Ma rseilles” ed money
this conversation should not be rushed. The Nego-
tiation is extended by an amount of rounds equal ~ John Alem an, Slave Contract
to your ComX. This may only be used once per
Negotiation.

Peace-Maker
You try to stop the fighting raging around you and
begin shouting, threatening and pleading to the bel-
ligerents as to why it is in their best interests to stop 71
the bloodshed.
Type: Combat (full turn)
A
You may not be in a Hostile Stance before you take
this Action and its effects apply to all characters d
within hearing distance. Belligerents must also un- v
derstand the language you are using. Take a ComX
v the combined MelX (of all combatants in a Hostile a
Stance) test. If it succeeds then all characters will n
have their Hostile Stances removed and may not at-
tempt to enter another until after your next turn or c
they are attacked. e
Quip Slaver m
You are an expert at condensing an expression into You have a part to play in preparing slaves for ha- e
rems or labour.
a very short sentence. n
Type: Persistent Type: Persistent
Your Dismiss Actions are free, so you can take one
t
You constantly have a slave Follower by your side and
as soon as your opponent completes their Action and do not need to pay an Upkeep. If the slave dies then
you will receive your full turn. you will gain a new one when you return to a city.
When giving orders to slaves you double your ComX.
Rebuttal
You are a master at turning dismissive or insulting Spy Master
barbs around to your favour. You have a network of loyal spies.
Type: Persistent
Type: Extended
You can Dismiss any Dismiss or Fortify Actions.
You can also use your ComX, instead of your At the beginning of a month you may send out a
KnowX, when making a Dismiss Action. spy to an amount of Organisations equal to your
ComX. You may blackmail an individual for D5
Rousing Speech Wealth per month. Also, apart from any other in-
formation the Tale-Weaver may decide to grant you,
You share your lust for glory with your companions.
you will never be surprised by the activities of the
Type: Extended Organisation should you pass a ComX test when the
Tale-Weaver calls for one.
You spend around 10 minutes giving an enthusi-
astic tale of propaganda about the courage of your For example: You are on your way to your manor,
friends and the despicableness of your enemies. and the Tale-Weaver had planned for a Nizari to at-
Take a ComX v the number of companions you tack you on the way. However, because one of your
are enthralling test. If you are successful you may spies had infiltrated the ranks of the Nizari, he asks
choose an Allegiance. If you enter battle against for a ComX test on your part (this represents how
enemies bearing that Allegiance within 24 hours of well the Spy obeys your orders). You succeed. The
your speech, each of your companions that heard it Tale-Weaver reveals the street the Nizari is waiting
will automatically pass their first attempt at enter- in, if he has any accomplices and his possible tactics.
ing a Hostile Stance against them and gain an extra You can now choose to meet your assassin or not.
Action in their first turn. This Ability may be used
once a day.
 Sycophant Treasurer
You have one follower who waits upon your every Leading your flock would be time-consuming and
word and this character’s lack of intelligence is more expensive work without your treasurer managing
than made up for with devotion. your finances.
Type: Persistent Type: Persistent
Create a new character who will become a Follower. You decide to raise funds from your followers.
This character doesn’t advance, but is entirely con- At the beginning of each month you will gain an
trolled by you without having to resort to ComX tests amount of Wealth equal to a D10 plus your Fol-
or the like. If your Sycophant is killed or you want a lowers. Your treasurer is an NPC controlled by the
new one, you must go 2D10 days without a Sycophant Tale-Weaver and does not count towards your party
before you can groom a new character into the role. limit, as it is very unlikely for the treasurer to ac-
company you on an adventure.
72 Taunt
You know how to make someone angry – very angry. Veiled Threat
Using a sophisticated balance of metaphors and
Type: Negotiation or Combat (1)
A double-meanings, you can put a very harsh point
During a Negotiation you may take a ComX v MelX across and still maintain an air of respectability.
d test against an opponent with a Negative Disposi-
Type: Persistent
v tion towards you. If successful, then the Negotiation
will turn into a Combat, with both of you aware, Your ComX is added to your Disposition whenever
a and the opponent’s first Action to be a combination an opponent attempts a Perceived Insult on you.
n of entering a Hostile Stance, Lunge and Melee Strike
against you with whatever weapon is close to hand. Zealous
c No matter what you think, you think very strongly
If this is used in Combat you may take a ComX v
e MelX test against an opponent. If successful then about it.
m your target’s next action will be a combination of Type: Persistent
entering a Hostile Stance, Lunge and Melee Strike Your Dispositions towards everyone are reinforced
e against you. by your ComX. Eg; if you Favour a character, add
n your ComX, or if you Hate the character then deduct
Teach you ComX from your already negative Disposition.
t You grant your companions insight into the skills
you possess.
Type: Extended
Choose a companion of yours that you have spent the
previous day instructing. Take a ComX test with a
bonus equaling your student’s KnowX. If successful,
the pupil will comprehend your teachings and gain
one of your Abilities while you are by his side (within
speaking distance). Abilities gained through your
equipment cannot be taught in this way.

Trade Contacts
You have a network of merchants that keep you
informed on whereabouts of rare items.
Type: Persistent
Whenever you are searching for an item you may
deduct your ComX from its Rarity value. This Abil-
ity may be used once a month.
Knowledge
Knowledge helps you understand the ways of the
world and how to best navigate through it. You can
use it to conquer the bazaars of the land and become
rich or to unlock the mysteries of alchemy.
Having an Expertise of 2 in Knowledge will make
you Literate, allowing you to read anything you
speak. If you are already Literate, you will gain
another language.
When you reach Expertise 4 in Knowledge you will
gain another language of your choice.
Peculiarities are listed below:
73
“The docto r’s aim is to do good, Arachne’s Curse: Contraption
Creation Investment: 80
even to our enemies, so much more Bonus: This has a range of up to D10 x Power. A A
to our friends, and my profession character hit with the missile, after a successful d
Ranged Strike, will not be damaged, but will be
forbids us to do harm to our kindred, rooted to where she stands for a number of rounds v
as it is instituted for the benefit and equalling the invention’s Power. At the beginning of a
each round the stuck character can only take a VigX
welfa re of the huma n race, and God v Power test in an attempt to shake off the goo. n
impo sed on phys icians the oath not c
Blasting: Armour
to comp ose mortiferou s remedies.” Creation Investment: 80 e
Bonus: If an opponent hits you on any location
~ Al Razi
protected by your Blasting Armour, your foe will
m
Alchemy be Knocked Back for an amount of metres equal to e
the Power of the device. It has an amount of charges
The technology of one age, is the magic of another. equal to its Power and when they are used up it will
n
Sorcery, philosophy, science – all is Alchemy. need to be recharged in the creator’s laboratory for a t
Type: Extended day for each charge.
To create an invention you will need to first acquire Blasting: Weapon
the base through whatever means is available to Creation Investment: 60
you. The base for an Alchemical device will always Bonus: Your Critical Strikes will Knock Back your
need to be High-Quality, and the base is described foe for an amount of metres equal to the Power of
in the title of the Peculiarity. the device. It will have an amount of charges equal
To add a Peculiarity you must spend a day (8 hours) to its Power and when they are used up it will then
brewing or crafting it. At the end of the time roll a need to be recharged in the creator’s laboratory – a
D10 and add your KnowX. Deduct the result from day for each charge.
the Creation Investment. When the Creation Invest-
ment has been reduced to 0, you will have complet-
Flaming: Arrow or Bolt (details same as Bow)
Creation Investment: 50
ed your invention.
Bonus: Any target hit will suffer damage, as normal
Record the KnowX of the creator when the item is from the type of projectile, but she will be engulfed
created, as it will be the Power of the device. with a Medium Fire if they fail a VigX v RngX test.
A Contraption is an item with the following details: Flaming: Melee Weapon
Creation Investment: 70
Contraption Bonus: By triggering the flame with a lever, you can
A complex mechanical device that can cater to a engulf your weapon in fire. Any successful Strikes
wide range of alchemical peculiarities. will light your opponent with a Medium Fire if
Rarity: 15 they fail a VigX v MelX test. The flame lasts for an
Cost: 80 amount of rounds equal to the Power of the device.
Upkeep: 5 It will then need to be refuelled in your laboratory,
which will take a few hours.
 Greek Fire: Contraption
Creation Investment: 100
Bonus: This has a range of up to D10 x Power, roll
each time it is fired. Any character between the
weapon and the end-point will be hit by a Large
Fire unless they pass a VigX v RngX test.

Honed: Weapon
Creation Investment: 50
Bonus: Your Strikes increase their Injury Level by 1.
Your target does not count as wearing armour on a
location hit with this weapon – unless the location is
protected with High Quality or Magnificent armour.
Book Wyrm
You can write books to impart your skills to readers.
74 Lion’s Roar: Helmet Type: Extended
Creation Investment: 25
To write a book you will need to be Literate, acquire
Bonus: Your ComX has an added 1 during Combat
the materials for it, and spend time writing it. The
A and your voice carries much louder than usual.
materials will be at cost 25 and you must make a
d Scope: Helmet KnowX test each month you spend writing it. When
you pass you have created a book that will grant
v Creation Investment: 25
the reader an Insight of +1 to any Expertise that
Bonus: The Range of your weapon is doubled.
a you have 3 or over in. You cannot gain Insight from
Spark of Life: Contraption books you have written.
n Creation Investment: 150
c Bonus: You grant a multi-legged automaton the City Wise
e semblance of life. You have a pool of points to spend
on the automaton equal to its Power. One point
You are at home in cities and have studied them
enough to know their dangers.
m equals an Ability in Melee, Ranged or Vigour; a
Type: Persistent
e point of Defence; or a Martial Weapon.
Your Automaton is just like a Servant in respect to When travelling through a city, pass a KnowX v D10
n obeying your orders, yet you must use your KnowX test. If successful you will know of any possible dan-
t in place of your ComX when issuing commands. If gers as well as likely locations for shelter and short-
you fail the command then it will simply Heel. The cuts. You and your companions’ Awareness tests will
functions enabled by a Spark of Life are below: be at +1 throughout the day and you will all gain 1
Guard: It will follow you at a distance of around 2 free Action in the first round of any Combats.
metres and attack the first opponent to attack you.
Heel: It will stop where it is and wait for further Dealer
instructions. You can analyse various concoctions and deduce
Target: It will attack an enemy of your choosing. their potencies.
Perform: Undertakes one of its Abilities. Type: Persistent
Titan’s Fist: Contraption You may choose the effect of any Intoxicant you
Creation Investment: 90 buy. Also, you only buy the best, so your purchased
Bonus: This uses the Reload (6) special rule. It has a Intoxicants have their effect duration doubled.
range of up to D10 x Power. Any character between
the weapon and the end-point will be hit by a great Death’s Hand
steel ball unless they pass a VigX v RngX test. Those Your arrowheads strike fear and steel into the hearts
hit will be Knocked Back for an amount of metres of knights, your bludgeons shake the ground with
equal to the device’s Power and gain an amount of their force and the blades refined by you seem to cut
Impacts equal to half of its Power. the very air.
Winged: Contraption Type: Extended
Creation Investment: 100
You refine a weapon to make it easier to wield. At
Bonus: Your VigX is doubled in regards to falling
the end of a day’s work (8 hours) make a KnowX v
damage when the wings are unfolded. It takes 2
Rarity test for the weapon; your KnowX will be +2 if
Actions to fold or unfold the wings. You can also
you are using a Forge. If you pass, then Strikes made
glide for an amount of metres equal to the height of
with the weapon are +1. If you fail then your day is
whatever you launch yourself from, times the Power
wasted. The benefit of the Death’s Hand lasts for an
of the device.
amount of Combats equal to your KnowX.
Herbology Nomad Secrets
You can prepare potions that modify the bodily es- You know the ancient paths of the Bedouin tribes
sence of the imbibers. and other folk who dwell in wild areas.
Type: Extended Type: Persistent
To create an intoxicant you will need to acquire the When travelling through a wilderness area (ie;
materials for it, brew it, and then allow it to ferment. anywhere that isn’t within sight of a city or village),
You must pay half of the cost of the potion you plan pass a KnowX v D10 test. If successful you will know
to concoct, and then spend a day (8 hours) brewing of any possible dangers as well as a little used trade
it. It needs to be stored somewhere for an amount of route. You and your companions’ Awareness tests
weeks equal to its Rarity. At the end of the ferment- will be at +1 throughout the journey and you will all
ing time, take a KnowX v Rarity test. If you fail then gain 1 free Action in the first round of any Combats.
you create D10 portions; if you succeed then you
brew an amount equal to D10 + your KnowX. Physician 75
You have an in-depth understanding of the body.
Human Abacus You know how to best heal it.
Your memory is infallible.
Type: Extended A
Type: Persistent, Negotiation, Combat (1 tun).
You may perform surgery on another character. It d
Once a day you may try to recall something that re-
lates to a particular problem you have encountered.
will cost you 2D10 Wealth for the necessary items, v
but your patient might be happy to pay for your
You can add 1 to any Expertise for your next roll. If
expenses. a
this is used during a Negotiation or Combat it will
take one turn. You must spend a day operating on the character n
and at the end of that day make a KnowX v Dor- c
Genius mant Impacts of the patient. If successful you have
You learn new tasks with the greatest of ease. accomplished one of the following: e
Type: Persistent Boneset: The boneset character may not use their m
Whenever you roll to gain an Ability you may add 1 limb for D5 days, but it is no longer Broken. e
to the result. Mend: A Dormant Impact is permanently removed. n
Immortal Concentration Attach: You attach a prosthetic limb (either a hook t
hand or peg-leg) to alleviate the troubles of an ampu-
You can snap your focus to a task at an amazing tee. Prosthetic limbs still reduce any activity where
speed and are not easily distracted. they are used by –1 (such as most Actions in Combat).
Type: Persistent
You will halve the time it takes for any Abilities of Pressure Point
the Extended type. You can loosen a friend’s muscles, using techniques
such as acupuncture and stretching. You also know
Lockpick about the pressure points of the body.
You know ways to get into places where others do Type: Extended or Combat (2)
not want you to be.
Giving a massage will take an amount of hours
Type: Extended equal to the companion’s MelX. Your target will
You may attempt to loosen locks without needing a have her Melee, Ranged and Vigour increased by
key. Make a KnowX v the Lock Difficulty test. Each 1 and also remove any Dormant Impacts for an
attempt uses the equivalent of two Actions. amount of hours equal to your KnowX.
Also, you may attack an opponent’s pressure points
Marketeer in Combat. If you make 2 successful, unarmed, Melee
You have studied the economies of many lands, the Strikes consecutively, your opponent will be Stunned
better to ensure you can make money from them. for an amount of rounds equal to your KnowX.
Type: Persistent
Whenever you, or a Servant, use the Hawk Ability ... we hav e already sho wn you the fallacy
ing.
you may gain an extra amount of D10s of Wealth of you r argument acco rding to true rea son is
equal to your KnowX. This can be used an amount
This opi nion would mea n that the coward s
wis er tha n the brave ma n, the treacherou
of times per month equal to your KnowX.
r is
wis er tha n the loyal, and that the wo rrie
wis er tha n the patient ma n.
~ Al Jahiz
 Preventative Care Melee
Your knowledge of sanitation and of the workings When you become enveloped in force and violence,
of the body are enough to benefit all around you. Melee Abilities will allow you to wield a weapon
Type: Persistent and deal with the pains of battle. Whether you are
a blood-thirsty ravager or a foppish duellist, your
At the beginning of every month, take a KnowX test. enemies will soon fear to challenge you on the field
If successful you may add 1 to the Vigour of yourself, of combat.
a servant or a companion. This may be used on an
amount of characters equal to your KnowX (how-
ever no character may gain more than one point of
“Nor indeed can the athlete bring
Vigour). high spirit to comb at, he who has
Smith
never been trained to practise it. It
76 You are an accomplished metal-worker and can cre- is the man who has seen his own
ate weapons and armour. blood, whos e teeth have rattled
A Type: Extended beneath amother’s fist, who when
d Choose a weapon or piece of armour (not High-
Quality or Magnificent). To craft it you will need to
tripped up has strov e again st his
v spend an amount of full days in a Forge equal to the adversary with his entire body, and
a item’s Rarity. At the end of the crafting time, test
your KnowX v Rarity. If successful, you’ve complet-
who, as oft as he fell, has risen more
n ed the piece, if you fail then you will need to spend deter mined, more bold. Well is the
c another day in a Forge to take the test again. rewa rd paid for toil, when it found
e Staunch the temp le of victo ry.”
m You are an expert at mending battlefield injuries. ~ Roger de Hovede n

Type: Combat
e Backstab
Your KnowX is increased by 1 when using Heal. You You are an expert at piercing a victim’s vitals.
n can also revitalise your patients and so whenever
Type: Combat (full turn)
t you successfully Heal you will remove an amount of
Impacts equal to your KnowX. This may only be used with a piercing, Discreet
Weapon, such as a short sword or dagger. Your op-
Strength of Steel ponent must be Outnumbered or not Aware of you.
Your hammer is the bane of dents and your tongs Make a MelX v VigX test. If you are successful you
– the mender of cracks! may combine a Lunge and a Melee Strike against
your victim and your target may not strike at you
Type: Extended throughout this move. If it hits, apply an amount
You take a hammer to a piece of armour. At the end of Impacts equal to your VigX. For each Impact the
of a day’s work (8 hours) make a KnowX v Rarity target receives above her MelX, roll on the Impact
test for the armour; your Know will be +2 if you Table ignoring Dodges and Defence.
are using a Forge. If you pass, then the armour will
have an added 1 to its Defence. The benefit of the Blood Rush
Strength of Steel lasts for an amount of Combats You are overcome by your lust for battle.
equal to your KnowX.
Type: Persistent
When you enter a Hostile Stance, you will gain an
extra Action that turn. This can only be used once
per Combat.

Coward’s Bane
You urge your companion to get back into the fight.
Type: Combat (1)
Take a MelX v Impacts (of a Cowering friend) test.
If you are successful, your ally will cease Cowering
and will get a free Strike immediately with what-
ever weapon is at hand.
Death Stare Frenzy
You have a look of hate and madness about you You cannot control your emotions when something
when you enter a fight. dear to you is endangered, or an evil foe overcomes
your defences.
Type: Combat (1)
Type: Persistent
This may be used against an opponent you have
Whenever a character that you Favour has been
made a successful Melee Strike against. Take a MelX
forced to Flee or Cower due to sustaining Impacts;
v MelX test, and if you are successful the opponent
or an opponent you Hate reduces you to Flee or
will Flee for their next Action. This Ability can only
Cower – your next Action will be spent going into
be used against the same enemy once per Combat.
a Frenzy. You remove any persistent injuries, enter
a Hostile Stance and double your Actions. Your
Disarm
strikes must be directed against the opponent
With a deft flick of your weapon, you send whatever that struck down your favoured ally or tried to
your opponent holds flying. strike you down. The Frenzy lasts for an amount
77
Type: Persistent of rounds equal to half of your MelX and strikes
against you will be at +2. When it is over you will be
Whenever you successfully make a Precise Attack Shaken for the same amount of Actions. A
against a foe’s hand, you may take a MelX v MelX
test. If that is successful you will fling your oppo- Giant
d
nent’s weapon D5 metres in a random direction. If
You are a titan amongst men. v
your MelX is double (or over) your opponent’s then
you make take their weapon into one of your free Type: Persistent a
hands. You now count as larger than man-sized. Any n
armour you wear must be modified for your girth
Dual Strike so you may only wear High-Quality or Magnifi- c
You attack with a weapon in each hand, or both cent Armour that is especially made for you. Long e
weapons may be wielded in one hand and the reach
ends of your weapon.
of every weapon you use is extended by one metre. m
Type: Combat (1) However, your Dodges are reduced by 1. e
You must have a weapon in each hand, or be using
a long weapon. You gain an extra Action a turn that Grapple n
may be used for a Melee Strike at half your MelX, You incapacitate your opponent with a powerful hold. t
though your Reach will be reduced by 1 (to a mini-
Type: Combat (1)
mum of 1).
Make a Melee Strike against a human-sized op-
Feint ponent or smaller. If it is successful, both you and
You trick your opponent into blocking an attack that the target will not be able to perform any Actions
never comes, opening up your target’s defences. (unless an Ability is indicated in the entry as being
usable in a Grapple) until either your opponent
Type: Combat (1) breaks free of the hold (a turn spent performing an
Make a MelX v MelX test against your opponent. If MelX v MelX test) or an amount of rounds equal to
successful, your foe will lose an amount of Dodges your MelX is up.
equal to half of your MelX.
Hurl Opponent
Flurry You can fling your enemies into the air with your
With a flurry of attacks you force your opponent to monstrous strength.
give ground under your onslaught. Type: Combat (2)
Type: Combat (2) If you are in a Grapple with your opponent, you may
throw him an amount of metres equal to your MelX,
Make a MelX v MelX test against an opponent after passing a MelX v MelX test.
within reach. If successful you may move your op-
ponent 1 metre directly away from you.

Then I took up a great stone from among the trees and coming up to him,
smote him therewith on the head with all my might and crushed in his skull as
he lay dead-drunk. Thereupon his flesh and fat and blood being in a pulp, he died
and went to his deserts – the Fire – no mercy of Alla h be upon him!
~ Sinbad, The 1001 Nights
 Juggernaught Ox’s Strength
You are huge and cannot be easily stopped when You can carry almost anything without slowing
moving. down and are renowned for your great strength.
Type: Combat (full turn) Type: Persistent
You must be larger than man-sized and be in a The Vigour lost from one of your armour pieces is
Hostile Stance to use this Ability. In Combat, no hu- ignored.
man-sized opponents can stop a Juggernaught from
moving, unless they themselves are a Juggernaught. Parry
Roll a D10, you will move in a straight line for that No blades can pass through your defences.
amount of metres. Any enemies in your path need
to pass a VigX v MelX test. On a success, an enemy Type: Persistent
will be moved 1 metre in a direction of their choos- You gain an extra amount of Dodges equal to half of
ing, if failed the Juggernaught will trample them your Melee, against Melee Strikes.
78 where they stand. The Impacts they will receive will
be half your MelX. Precise Attack
A Lead Fist
You aim a blow at a particular location on an enemy.

d You throw your body weight behind your attacks. Type: Combat (1)
Your Melee Strike will have a –2 modifier, but if
v Type: Combat (1)
your Strike is successful, you will be able to add or
If you successfully hit your opponent using a Melee
a Strike, add 1 to the Injury Level it causes. If you use deduct 1 point from your Injury Location die.
n this Action, your Defence will be reduced by 1 until
Protect
your next Turn.
c You conjure a whirling wall of steel between your
e Lead from the Front enemy and those you hold dear.
m You charge your enemies and inspire courage in
your friends.
Type: Combat (1)
e Type: Persistent
Choose an ally within 5 metres. Whenever your
defended ally is Impacted it will be applied to you
n Whenever you combine a Lunge with a Strike and instead, taking into account your Defence. You can-
t Impact your enemy, all of your companions’ Melee not Dodge hits made in this way. Your Actions are
Strikes will have a +1 bonus until your next turn. reduced by 1 while you defend your companion.

On Your Feet Second Wind

With a roar you snap your companions into uphold- You exhort an ally to push hard before giving in to
ing their part in your stratagem. exhaustion.

Type: Combat (1) Type: Combat (1)

You may deduct an amount of Impacts from your Select a companion within hearing distance. If you
companions equal to your MelX. This may only be pass a MelX v VigX test against your friend, she will
used once per day. gain an extra Action in her next turn.

Skewer
Your strikes are so powerful that they will cleave
through one opponent and into another.
Type: Persistent
Whenever you successfully Impact an opponent,
you will hit an enemy within your reach if he fails a
VigX v MelX test. Only one extra hit per turn can be
the result of a Skewer. Abilities like Hydra’s Strike
accumulate after this, so if you were to successfully
use the Hydra’s Strike against two enemies within
reach you would hit your first target once, then
Skewer the second enemy, then continue the Hydra’s
Strike against the second enemy.
 Ranged
Expertise in ranged weaponry will allow you to
destroy your enemies while remaining beyond their
reach. You will also be able to lead from the rear.
Although you may be looked down upon by the up-
per classes and chivalrous knights, you will eventu-
ally be looked up to you as you retrieve your arrows
from their pierced bodies.

Duri ng this time it seemed that

God had charge over the city, for
who can say why one man who was 79
Strike from the Heart hit died, while another wounded man
You cannot keep your emotions from the battlefield. escaped? Arro ws fell like raindrops. A
Type: Persistent The phys icians in the city were hard d
Melee Strikes against foes have their Injury Lev-
els raised or reduced depending on the Hatred or
put to extract the miss iles from v
Favour you hold towards them. Eg, if you are at Fa- bodies. I myself was wounded in the a
vour (2) towards an opponent then the Injury Levels
you inflict upon him will be reduced in power by 2;
face by an arrow which struc k the n
however, if you are at Hatred (2) towards an oppo- bridge of my nose. The wooden shaft c
nent, then all your hits will add +2 to Injury Levels. has been taken out, but the metal tip e
Sure Strike has remained there to this day. m
You observe your opponent and anticipate where to ~ De Expugatione Terrae Sanctae per Saladinum,
(The Capture of the Holy Land by Saladin)
e
make the most effective attack.
n
Type: Persistent
t
Select a target within 10 metres. Each consecutive Aim
Guard Action you use will add +1 to your next
Your skill to account for wind and difficult trajecto-
Melee Strike against your foe assuming it is the next
ries greatly enhances your missile attacks.
Action you take after the Guard. The maximum
bonus you will receive will be an amount equal to Type: Combat (1)
your MelX. Any effects that break your concentra-
Select a target within range. Each consecutive Aim
tion, such as becoming Shaken, will interrupt the
Action will grant a +1 bonus to a Ranged Strike
Sure Strike and you will lose any bonus.
against your foe assuming it is the next Action you
take after Aiming. The maximum bonus you will
Thick Skin receive will be an amount equal to your RngX. Any
You’ve received so many hits that your resistance to effects that break your concentration, such as be-
attacks is higher than average. coming Shaken, will interrupt the Aim and you will
Type: Persistent lose the bonus.
Your Defence is raised by 1.
Bleeder
War Cry You split your opponent’s skin, drenching the area
Your voice is like a trumpet, urging your comrades in blood.
to battle Type: Persistent
Type: Combat (1) If your Precise Shot hits an un-armoured location
This effects friendly characters (including yourself), you will cause the target to bleed on top of any
within hearing distance. If you succeed at a MelX other damage, for an amount of rounds equal to
v the amount of friendly characters you hope to your RngX.
effect test, then you will all instantly enter a Hostile
Stance. You may only use this once per Combat.
 Tia-mat’s innards were distended and she opened
her mouth wide. Be’l let fly an arrow and pierced her
belly. He tore open her entrails and slit her innards.
He bound her and extinguished her life, he threw down
her corpse and stood on it. After he had killed Tia-
mat, her assembly dispersed, her host scattered. Be’l
placed his feet on the lower parts of Tia-mat and with
his merciless club smashed her skull.
~ Enûma Eliš

80
Charging Shot Feigned Retreat
Your weapon has become such a part of your body You throw up a distraction and order a retreat that
that movements do not affect your aim. gives your companions a good chance of escape.
A However, the retreat could be a trap.
Type: Persistent
d Type: Combat (full turn)
You may combine a Lunge with a Ranged Strike.
v During their turn each of your companions can take
a Cold Blood a VigX v MelX test against every opponent that has
them within reach. They may add your RngX as a
n You see your enemies as objects; they are simply
bonus to their VigX. If successful they will Evade for
targets to you, nothing more.
c their next Action and may not be the target of Melee
Type: Persistent Strikes.
e
Tests to ignore Trauma have a +1 bonus if you didn’t
m launch – or become the target of – a Melee Strike. Focus
e You’ve spotted the head of the snake and cutting it
Confusing Shout off will lower the resolve of your enemies.
n You call out a signal word so that your companions Type: Combat (1)
t disorient your enemies.
Select a single opponent. All companions within
Type: Combat (1) hearing distance will have a +1 bonus to Melee
Your friends will each gain a free Manoeuvre Ac- Strike the target for a number of rounds equal to
tion immediately. A number of your enemies equal your RngX. This may only be used once per Com-
to your RngX within the battle (starting from those bat.
closest to you) will be disorientated and will not be
able to Strike during the confusion. This may only Point Blank
be used once per Combat. You fire into an enemy to drive a wedge between
you both.
Defensive Shot
Type: Combat (1)
You pop out of cover to unleash your missiles before
ducking back. Make a Ranged Strike against an enemy that has
you within Reach, ignoring the minimum Range of
Type: Combat (2) your weapon. If successful, apply any Impacts and
You may Manoeuvre, Ranged Strike, then Manoeu- move your target directly away by an amount of
vre again. metres equal to your RngX.

Entangling Missile Precise Shot

Your hail of missiles helps your comrades to over- You fire at a particular location on an enemy.
come their distracted enemies. Type: Combat (1)
Type: Combat (1) Your Ranged Strike will have a –2 modifier, but if
Make a RngX v VigX test against an enemy. If you your Strike is successful, you will be able to add or
are successful the target will count as being Out- deduct 1 point from your Injury Location die.
numbered until your next turn.
Rain of Death Warning Shot
You can fill the air with pain. Your shot darts past your opponent’s eyes, and the
target realises that it could easily have been be-
Type: Persistent
tween them.
It takes you 1 less Action to reload a weapon and
Type: Persistent
this may result in a 0.
If your Precise Shot hits your target’s head you may
Snare choose not to apply any damage but regard it as a
You drive a missile through your target’s legs. Warning Shot instead. Your foe will be Stunned for
an amount of rounds equal to your RngX.
Type: Persistent
If your Precise Shot hits an opponent’s leg you will Weak Spot
cause your target to hobble. The opponent cannot You target an enemy’s soft spot.
move any metres for an amount of Actions equal to 81
Type: Persistent
your RngX.
Call out a location on your enemy. If you Aim more
Snipe than once, then hit with a Precise Strike on that lo- A
cation, it will not count as being armoured and you
You have practiced well at hitting moving and dif-
ficult targets. can ignore your opponent’s Defence. d
Type: Persistent
v
When firing at a target in cover or under the ben-
a
efits of an evade action, your Ranged Strikes will
Crocodile signifies the Devil in n
have a +1 bonus. this life; when he sleep s with his c
Target Weapon
mouth open, then he represents hell e
You fire at your target’s weapon, knocking it from and death; hell rests with mouth m
his hands. open, not closed; And Phys iologus e
Type: Persistent says that the crocodile is bred in n
If your Precise Shot hits a hand of an enemy, you the water of the Nile, and is a very t
may choose to knock the object out her grip. If you
pass a RngX v MelX test against your target, what- vile beast.
ever the opponent holds in that hand is sent D5 ~ The Bestiary of Philippe De Thaun
metres in a random direction. Objects and weapons
that are long or held in two hands, as well as block-
ers, cannot be lost in this way.

Taunting Shot
Your shot distracts your enemy, giving you time to
get to a better position.
Type: Combat (2)
Make a RngX v MelX test against an opponent
within range. If it is successful you may Manoeuvre,
while your target’s next action will be a Lunge and/
or Melee Strike at his nearest enemy that isn’t you.
 Vigour Cliff Spider
Speed and strength will ripple through your You can navigate uneven surfaces just as easily as
muscles as you advance in Vigour. You will gain the flat ground.
ability to avoid attacks and maintain your health Type: Persistent
through the pristine condition of your body.
Your Vigour is doubled when calculating falling
damage. You may also Manoeuvre vertically up any
surface for 2 metres without penalty.

Cobra’s Bite
You dart through a battle to strike, before backing
away to safety.

82 Type: Persistent
The reach of any weapon you wield is raised by an
amount equal to your VigX, to a maximum of 6.
A
Crowd Mastery
d You blend in with the crowd and swim through it
v like an eel through water.
a Type: Persistent
n Anyone trying to detect you in a busy crowd has a –2
modifier to their tests. A crowd of people never slows
c you down. If you are involved in Combat within a
e crowd, all Strikes against you have a –2 modifier for
an amount of rounds equal to your VigX.
m At One With Shadow
e You can disappear from sight to strike your enemies Cutpurse
n where they least expect it. You can make money just by walking through a
crowded market place.
t Type: Combat (1)
Take a VigX v combined VigX of all enemies that Type: Extended
have you within their Reach. If you are successful You can spend a day stealing from the unwary. Take
you will be, in effect, invisible until you affect an- a VigX v D10 test, if successful you will gain Wealth
other character in any way, such as Striking or using equaling the D10 result you were challenged with.
an Ability on them. At One With Shadow will last If you are unsuccessful you have been caught! Pass
for an amount of rounds equal to your VigX. If an a MelX v D10 test or roll immediately on the Impact
opponent starts a turn with you within Reach, you Table, deducting an Injury Level for each point of
must pass a VigX v VigX test to remain hidden. your VigX. If you are incapacitated by a broken leg
or something similar, you could end up in a dun-
Blur geon or beaten to a pulp, it is at the Tale-Weaver’s
You are a constant whirl of action in combat. discretion. You may use this a number of times a
month equal to your VigX.
Type: Combat (1)
Your Vigour is doubled when you are Evading. Erratic Dance
You can anticipate where a missile will land and
Body Temple how to best avoid it.
Your body cannot be defeated by plague or poison.
Type: Persistent
Type: Persistent
Your opponents will have a –1 modifier when trying
You gain a +1 bonus to resist diseases, infection and
to Ranged Strike you.
intoxicants. Also, if you survive an Overdose, you
will become immune to that particular intoxicant
and only suffer it’s Effects from then on. When
undergoing a Heal, you may choose to replace your
healer’s KnowX with your VigX.
Holistic Awareness Regenerate
Your senses are so finely tuned that no condition Your supreme health overcomes even the strongest
is too hard for you to navigate through, and your of attacks.
other senses more than make up for the loss of one. Type: Combat (1)
Type: Persistent When you use your Hyena’s Heart to replenish a
You may ignore darkness for an amount of rounds Dodge, you may spend your next Action trying to
equal to your VigX from when it begins. Also, your centre yourself and shake off an Impact. Make a VigX
Awareness tests are at +1 and you are never affected v your Impacts. If successful you may remove one.
by Unstable Ground.
Resistant to Elements
Hydra’s Strike Whether it is the heat from the desert or the freeze
You transform into a whirlwind of steel. of snow, your holistic health keeps you from death.
Type: Combat (2) Type: Persistent 83
You take half damage from sources of heat or cold,
You get one Melee Strike against a number of foes
such as fire and freezing conditions. You also be-
equal to your VigX. Each Strike has a –1 modifier.
come quite famous for feats of endurance and will A
gain D5 Wealth if you choose to spend a day per-
Hyena’s Heart
forming to a crowd. This may be used an amount of d
You never tire. times equal to your VigX per month. v
Type: Persistent
If you take a Guard Action you may replenish one Sixth Sense a
of your Dodges. You cannot gain any more than you You have an uncanny ability to react to danger from n
began Combat with. any direction. c
Type: Persistent
Quick Draw
At the start of every round during a Combat, and
e
Your opponent may think you will be at a disadvan- before any other characters act, you can take one of m
tage wielding a bow, until a blade is an inch from
his face.
your Actions. If there is more than one character with
Sixth Sense, then the character with the highest VigX
e
Type: Combat (0) goes first. Determine randomly if they are equal. n
You may swap whatever you wield in one hand Somersault
t
with a Discreet or Martial Weapon as a free action.
You can flip out of combat and into a safe place.
You may also enter a Hostile Stance and gain a +1
bonus when doing so. Type: Combat (1)
Take a VigX v MelX test. If it is successful you can
move an amount of metres equal to your VigX, verti-
cally as well as along the ground. No Melee Strike
I may also report may be made against you during this move.

that at this time a Swift of Foot

woman after two years Time seems slower to you than to other people.
gestation finally gave Type: Persistent
You are able to spread your Actions between the
birth to a boy who was Actions of other characters anywhere within the
able to talk,; and that round. Decide when you will use your Actions at
the beginning of a round. If there is more than one
a child with a double character with Swift of Foot, then the character with
set of limbs, another the lowest VigX decides first. Determine randomly
if they are equal.
with two heads, and
some lambs with two
heads were also born.
~ Ekkehard of Aura
 Symbols of Power D10 Event
1 Plague: A hideous disease spreads amongst
When you have made your mark and drawn the at- your subjects, weakening their bodies – and
tention of influential patrons, you will start to reach your economy. Take a Know v 15 test to see
new levels of power. if you can find a cure. If you fail, the corpses
will pile up and so will the bodies of hated
You gain access to Symbols of Power when you minorities within the area who are being
reach 10 in an Expertise and pay the cost for it in blamed for the curse. You should also test to
Pearls of Wisdom. Types of SoPs are listed below. see if you fall victim to the disease as well.
Apart from a Ship, you must have a Fief before you
2 Raid: News has reached you too late, and the
can add any other Symbols of Power to yourself.
reavers have come. They will be from an op-
posing Faction and have launched an attack
Fief
84 to demoralise their enemies. Your subjects
You are granted, or grant yourself, a large patch of are at risk of being plundered and slain. You
land with a manor house that includes spare bed- will not be able to gain any Wealth unless
rooms, a hall, armoury and kitchen. You gain a Stew- you have Fortifications to repel the assault;
A ard (see the Sycophant Ability) who will mind your because it will be spent on repairs and build-
d grounds while you are away and will not leave the ing back your economy.
premises except under extraordinary circumstances.
v 3 Spy: A pigeon reaches you from a trusted
The area around you is worked over by peasants ally. A spy, either from an opposing Faction
a who expect your protection from the harsh world or Organisation, has infiltrated your house-
n that threatens them. However, to pay for this protec- hold. You must be careful to conceal your
tion you must tax your subjects. At the beginning of whereabouts, especially if you leave your Fief
c the month decide how many D10s of Wealth you’d on a journey, as the spy may use the informa-
e like to gain from them – this is their Tax. Make a tion to the advantage of those that seek your
ComX v Tax test. If successful you gain the tax as downfall.
m extra D10s to add to your Wealth. If you fail, then 4 Banditry: The roads leading to and from
e your subjects will revolt. You will sustain one injury your land have become perilous for mer-
from the uprising before you quell it (roll on the
n Impact Table, your ComX counts as your Defence).
chants and travellers. You may send mem-
bers of your garrison to guard the roads, but
t For each revolution against your rule in the past, that will leave your stronghold unprotected.
your subjects will gain a level of Discontent. During However, if you do not then you will not
a revolt you must add 1 to the Injury Level for each gain the benefits of a Marketplace and your
point of Discontent amongst your subjects. people will feel the bite of hunger.
Should you wish to not tax your subjects, then your 5 Famine: A bitter drought has descended, or
land will be become unkempt and its buildings a pestilence has hacked its way through your
will fall into disrepair. All the Wealth you gain food crops. Your people grow restless as you
this month will be spent on upkeep for your estate sit in your mansion, far from the hungry
and people (ie; you cannot gain Wealth under any mouths below. It will cost you 100 Wealth
circumstances). However, you do not need to roll on per month to alleviate the suffering. Failing
the Plights of the Poor table. that, you will suffer a minor revolt and be
reduced to the level of your peasants – roll
Also, the village of your Fief (you should name it)
on the Plight of Poor table and the effect will
and the majority of characters within it will be simi-
stay with you until the Famine ends. Your
lar to you in Allegiances and Dispositions.
subjects will also gain a level of Discontent
At the Tale-Weaver’s discretion, you may roll on the for each month they starve.
following table at the beginning of the month to see 6 Evil at the Gates: Whispers are told of an
the events happening in the areas nearby and how approaching evil, creeping towards your
they affect you. Each Event lasts for D5 months. land. The remnants of horrifying rituals are
found in the alleyways of the peasant homes.
Everyone fears their neighbours and zealots
“If we consider things well; scream about the end-times. You can either
they surely disclo se this secret: The allay their terror quickly with the creation
of scapegoats or seek to find the root of the
peop le’s leader is the serva nt, of rumours that, though a longer process, will
those he rules .” inoculate your people against further in-
stances of mass hysteria.
~ Al-Ma’arri
7 Friendly Army: There’s only one thing worse Entertainment Quarter
than an enemy’s army, and that is an ally’s You section a part of your Fief to become its Enter-
army passing through your land – you can tainment Quarter, housing an arena for plays and
at least attempt to refuse access to an enemy! tournaments, taverns for travellers, and (if you are
Although you will gain favour with the com- not careful) brothels and gambling dens. Owning
mander, the day-to-day life of your people an Entertainment Quarter is a gamble in itself, as it
will be severely disrupted as the soldiers is the first place where secrets will be told and illicit
expect handouts for defending your faith and items traded. It is also the first target of fiery preach-
take advantage of your hospitality. On the ers who condemn worldly pleasures during these
plus side, there will be no chance for a peas- dark times – and its existence can cause as many
ant revolt as the army sweeps through. problems as the coins it sends to your coffers.
8 Mysterious Stranger: The astrologers predict
At the beginning of a month roll a D10; add 1 D10
a coming storm, heralded by the rise of an
for each number above 5 to your Wealth, however 85
unknown traveller among your people. Is she
deduct 1 D10 for each number below 6 from your
seeking your head for some deed you have
Wealth. Also, an Entertainment Quarter keeps your
committed during your road to power or is
subjects’ minds from wandering to their troubles
she filling the minds of your subjects with
too often, resulting in a shortening of their memory
A
heretical and obscene thoughts?
spans. To account for this, each month without a d
9 Festival: Though expensive in terms of revolt reduces one level of Discontent from them.
repairs to any entertainment quarter on your v
land, a Festival will take the peoples’ minds Forge a
off of their daily troubles. It will also draw
travellers to your town and result in a boom-
You build a forge, allowing smiths to ply their trade n
on your land. You do not need to pay to hire a Forge
ing marketplace. Decrease your subjects’
from now on. Also, weapons and Armour have c
Discontent by 1.
10 Bountiful Harvest: Your people are blessed
their Rarity and Costs reduced by 1 if you buy them e
within your Fief.
with the results of a good crop. This ends m
any Famines that occur while the Harvest is Fortifications
under way. Also, your ComX is doubled for
e
the purposes of Taxing your subjects. You have constructed a large wall around your
town, with the only entry being through the heavy
n
portcullis manned by a couple of guards from your t
garrison. Your stronghold is considered a target for
enemies and a sanctuary for your friends.
And Iblis came to him and blew Your garrison consists of a building that houses an
upon him the breath of hauteur and amount of soldiers equal to your total Expertise.
You must arm and equip them yourself. They will
conceit, so that he glorified hims elf be loyal to you if your ComX, MelX or RngX is 10,
and said in his heart, “Who among otherwise they will follow orders from one of your
patrons; ie, the noble who has granted you the Fief
men is like unto me?” on his lands.
~ The 1001 Nights
In the case of a revolt, the garrison will protect you
by adding 1 to your Defence. Also, Melee or Ranged
Specialists will be half price for you to hire.

House of Worship
You have constructed an imposing mosque, church
or other house of worship on your land. Your sub-
jects will attend services there on their holy days
and the clerics who maintain the grounds will have
you to thank for their employment. Because of this,
they will seek to translate your actions as justified
through scripture and so counsel the populace to
go along with your rule. A House of Worship will
grant you a +1 bonus to Defence against revolts, and
Communication Specialists (ie; clerics) will be half
price for you to hire.
 Library
You have a large room within your house dedi-
Gaining
cated to storing books and scrolls of all types. Any
Knowledge tests taken within reach of your library
Storytelling levels
will have a +1 bonus. Knowledge Specialists (ie;
librarians and lore masters) will be half price for Whenever you gain an Ability, you may add a point
you to hire. to one of your Genres. Your Storytelling Level is
based on your Genres points added together.
Market Place
You have a large courtyard where your people may
trade during their days away from work and Mer- Changing
chants will travel to it from neighbouring towns. At
86 the beginning of a month, a Marketplace will grant Allegiances
you an extra D10 Wealth for each Symbol of Power
you possess. It will also allow you to gain merchants If you have a Favour of 10 for any Allegiance, plus a
contacts from many far away places, so when search- Signifier for it, you can make it one of your own. Or-
A ing for any item its Rarity will be reduced by 1. ganisations are the only exception, as you must also
d pass an initiation rite to join their ranks. You may be
Ship allied to as many Organisations as the Tale-Weaver
v thinks is sensible; too many and you may start to be
You buy a galley from the Byzantines, powered
a by oars and sails and holding a crew of around 70 viewed as a double agent by your fellow members.
n sailors. You may use the boat for your own ad- You may remove one of your Allegiances if you ever
ventures or send it on a merchant voyage. Decide end up with 10 Hate for it.
c how long your ship’s voyage will be. At the begin-
e ning of the month that it returns, take a KnowX
v voyage months test, to determine how well you
m had planned. If successful, you gain an amount of “Whenever a man from speech
e Wealth equal to the amount of months on the voy-
refrains, his foes are few; even though
age, times your KnowX. You do not need a Fief to
n acquire a Ship. he’s stricken down by fortune and
t Tower falls low. Silently the flea sips up its
You have a stone tower that looms over your land. fill of human blood, thus making less
Beneath it lies a dungeon and your jailer (see the
Sycophant Ability to create this character), who will
the heinousness of its sin: It follows
be, no doubt, a man to be feared and will not leave not the way parched mosquitoes go:
his place except under extraordinary circumstances. Trumpeting with a high pitched note,
Because of the fear and horror that your tower in-
stills in your people, you may gain +1 to your ComX
you nervous all the while.”
when taxing them, but you must add D5 to their “If an insolent man thrusts a
Discontent when it is built.
sword of speech against you; oppose
him with your patience, so you may
break its edge.”
“The body, which gives you during
life a form; is but your vase: Be not
deceived, my soul! Cheap is the bowl
for storing honey in, but precious is
the contents of the bowl.”
~ Al Ma’arri
Weaving a Tale
Firuz turned his head, his face winc- “I...” Firuz stammered, trying to be Firuz collected his thoughts. “Please,
ing as the heat dried his eyes. A flick- careful of his words, “I do not wish great djinni, why do you reward such
ering brightness crept into his field to die.” a good deed with evil. I saved you
of vision. He saw only a hazy smoke. from your prison. Surely your lord
The djnni huffed. “Your fate was
The glow had vanished. Firuz shifted and mine would be dishonoured by
sealed when you released me. If you
his body to look beyond the wall at your actions.”
do not make your choice then it will
his back. The silhouettes of the jagged
be mine to make – a most painful The djinni’s eyes blazed, “You would 87
orchard and ruined houses were the
and horrifying outcome for you.” know much of dishnonour, Firuz.”
only things that he could make out.
The djinni turned its head up to the
A bead of sweat ran down from his
moon. It was on its descent. “Quickly
temple. This was foolish. He would
now, we must move past this.” W
get up and find a safer place among
the ruins to sleep. e
He brought his feet under him. An a
explosion of light filled his eyes. The v
stench of sulphur rose through his
nostrils. He covered his face and fell i
back heavily against the clay wall n
behind him.
g
A sound, like a gale of air rushing
to feed a monstrous fire, preceded a
high-pitched, crackling voice, “You
a
may ask one wish of me.”
t
Firuz was in danger of passing out.
The heat was intense. His mind a
struggled. A ‘wish’ did the thing say? l
He allowed his hand to slip from his
face, but was horrified by what con- e
fronted him. Two bolts of flame lit the
creature’s face as eyes. Its hair was
black and animated, as if a powerful
wind blew from below it. It had the
face and torso of a child, but below its
waist was nothing but a smoky trail
that faded into the night. Those traits
were strange enough, but rage began
to mingle with the fear inside Firuz’s
mind – the djinni had chosen to wear
his son’s face.
Its mouth gaped like a cave, “Wish
for the manner of your death.”
It took Firuz some moments to come
to terms with what he beheld. The
djinni hovered over him, arms folded,
waiting for his reply.
 The climb to power
What a Tale- “If I was king, that type of behaviour would be forbidden
Weaver needs so I wouldn’t have to put up with it.”
Power-hungry characters want authority over oth-
Put simply, a Tale-Weaver’s role is to create an enjoy- ers for whatever reason – whether for their own
able and challenging experience for the Players. selfish purposes or a more noble cause. They may
Some props might make this easier, and suggestions believe that life would be easier for them and those
are: a calendar or diary to note what is going on and they care about if only they had the manpower to
when, a tactical map and miniatures or counters for get things done. But, like King Shahryar, power
accurate combat, a source for background music, a often brings its own problems, such as betrayal
bunch of D10s, pens/pencils and this rulebook (and from those thought most close and the possibility
a computer can easily fulfil all of those needs). of rebellion from once-loyal subjects. A Tale where
88 characters are motivated by power needs to include
them gaining authority over others. These under-
lings could be anyone such as a ship’s crew, a small
Character rural village, or a cult of raving fanatics. It could
W also be an army and the characters may seek glory
e motivations on the field of battle to further their ambition, as
involvement with war was probably the best way to
a For Players that have a vague interest in the medi- achieve social mobility throughout the middle ages.
v eval middle-east and its ancient literature, it will be Characters that gain power will also gain influence
easy to dive into the setting at full force. For Players and enemies among their neighbours, and they will
i used to western fantasy and history, it may be best have to enter the shadows of intrigue to maintain
n to use the Crusading forces as an initial lense to their position against those that covet it.
open up the vast world that awaits them.
g The destruction of the enemy
It is worth talking to your Players to discover what
a motivates their characters to ensure that your Tale “I will not rest until they have been burned from the earth
so that our sheep can graze freely and our women may
meets their needs. Here are some types of character
motivations so that the story-arcs of the PCs can once again nurse children in safety!”
t drive the central themes of the Tale. Often through a life-shattering experience, charac-
a ter’s that follow this path think only of the eradica-
The path to riches
l tion of their foes. They often hold a strange juxtapo-
“Is there a problem? I don’t see it. We just need a few sition in their minds; on the one hand they believe
e dinars to grease our path” that their enemies are less than human – inferior
creatures who deserve only death for their pollution
Characters following the path to riches want wealth
upon the world. However they also have a tremen-
so that they can eat the finest foods, have the best
dous fear of their enemies, because in their minds
equipment and live in luxury. Theirs could be a
the foe is a danger to all that these characters hold
rags-to-riches story, like Ali Al-Din after he came
dear. Blood, vengeance and war are the staples of
across the djinni in the lamp, or perhaps they were
a Tale demanded by these characters. Pitting their
born into wealth – and are beset by those who seek
combat skills against their enemies is their calling.
their treasures. The motivating factor for these
Negotiating with anything but steel means that
types of characters is loot. They may not want to do
time is being wasted by not slaying their adversar-
it the honourable way (by increasing their Knowl-
ies. These characters have a black and white view
edge Expertise), but they will want to be given the
of morality, yet this view will be challenged with
opportunity to gain wealth in other ways, such as
every step they take into the complicated tapestry
banditry, hiring themselves to powerful patrons or
of cultures and personalities on their path. Moral
being able to explore desolate regions where they
dilemmas are a part of any good Tale, and charac-
may find long lost artifacts. However, they may also
ters whose goals are only to eradicate their enemies
want to build a powerful mercantile empire, with
may look at themselves one day and realise that
caravans and ships that travel to the most exotic
they are worse than the monsters they have sought
places on the planet, but, like Sinbad, their gambles
to destroy.
may leave them with many scars along the way.

...it is written in the book of the Holy Land that when the Saracen children
cried, the women would scold them, saying: “Hus h! King Richa rd is coming!“
to quiet them. Jeanne de Joinville ~
The seeking of knowledge
“Books are my blade, the abacus – my armour”
Knowledge seeking characters crave information
about the world they are in, as well as recognition
for their contributions. Characters that are deemed
as highly intelligent yet have no role to play dur-
ing exciting elements of a Tale, such as battle, may
wonder why they bother. It is the Tale-Weaver’s duty
to ensure that a knowledgeable character can point
out that the leader of some marauding bandits bears
the sigil of House Bremen, so will not attack anyone
carrying a purple silk cloth; or that the character
knows that a lunar eclipse is due in two nights, so 89
that will be the best time to fool the Apostles of
Sobek into believing that the companions are Her-
alds of Osiris and demand the release of the sacrifi-
cial victims. Both of these examples would translate
W
into real benefits for the characters by making the The road to paradise on earth e
inevitable combat easier.
“Since when was a king’s law based on what is right and a
These characters also seek new places, peoples and
artifacts that they can discover and announce to
good for us?” v
the world. Perhaps they will find a powerful patron This is a path not often tread in these dark times. The i
who also holds the quest for knowledge dear. There type of characters that follow this road seek to make
is danger for too much free thought in these times the world a better place to live in, putting thoughts of n
too. When the vast majority of the population are the afterlife into the background. Because the people g
ill-educated and there are vested interests in keep- in charge have not benefitted their subjects, they
must be removed. Such heretical beliefs may include
ing them that way – seekers of knowledge will gain
enemies by simply voicing their discoveries. Tales such views as women not needing to be servants to
a
focusing on the uncovering of truth will have an- men; or that a ruler should be chosen for his merits
tagonists violently opposed to their blasphemies so rather than for his father. These characters’ main t
this will never be a path to a peaceful life. challenge will be the bastions of authority that hold a
the world back from becoming (their version of) fair
The passage to righteousness to everyone. Battling corruption and manipulation of l
“And how many times has God granted victory to a few
the lower classes by the powerful will be the main fo- e
cus of these characters. And this will make their lives
over many? Charge, God wills it!”
very difficult. There are many stories of individuals
These characters will act as bastions of their faith. seeking progress throughout the Middle Ages, but
Either clerics or intensely devout laypeople, charac- to deny the authority of a King or Caliph is not only
ters on the passage to righteousness will take vows against the law – it is against God – and torture and
and be on the straight path of their religion, which death await those who blaspheme and rebel against
will, they have no doubt, lead them to heaven. Every the rightful order.
event is seen as the invisible hand of God, angels
or saints; or the work of demons and djinns. Prayer
and faith is the best type of armour and the words
of God are the best weapons against the only true
How to challenge
enemy – Satan/Iblis. Those who work against God
are many and treacherous, so a constant vigil is
your players
necessary. It goes without saying that Tales for these
types of characters are helped if all companions The rules for Negotiations and Combat aim to give
either follow the same religion or at least know two evenly matched opponents a 50 percent chance
each other well enough to be lenient in their inter- each of overcoming the other. A very easy fight
pretations of scripture in regards to their choice of would have only one opponent whose MelX was
friends. Otherwise, a fanatical zealot would have roughly the same as the lowest PC’s. A challenging
little reason to be in a group with a drinking, swear- combat would have either an opponent who was
ing, womanising lute-player because the zealot may outnumbered yet could easily defeat at least one
well have slain others for lesser transgressions. Vast of the PCs single-handedly, or an even number of
evil cults, wicked/tolerant clerics (both are as bad opponents that only some PCs could defeat in a one-
as each other to a fanatic) and the touch of the devil on-one combat.
should infuse these types of Tales, so that the char-
acters can truly fight against what they want to.
 Force, finesse or wits?
The best Tales will allow every character to shine.
You, the reader, may be able to list many Roleplay-
ing games, whether they are on a board, using pen,
paper and dice or on a computer, that only offer a
single solution to a challenge – and that solution is
often slaying those that stand in your way. The Cru-
sades were a time of war and bloodshed, but that
does not mean that a Tale should be one constant
sword fight.
After a Tale-Weaver finishes preparing the Tale, it is
worth looking back on it and analysing the chal-
90 lenges that the characters will face. The goal of a
Tale-Weaver is to offer multiple ways of overcom-
ing these hurdles so that there will be a chance for
any group to succeed if they’re smart about it, no
W matter if they are made up of scholastic monks or
e the remnants of a mercenary band. This basically
translates into offering a solution that may not
a involve Combat, or will make Combat much easier.
v The characters should be able to use force, finesse or
wits to overcome any challenge.
i
n A typical month Example one
g People generally need a base to call home, even if
Three bandits hold up the characters’ progress through
a narrow mountain pass. The alternative is a dangerous
they are intrepid travellers. It will suit most char- journey over the jagged, dust-blown cliffs. They must use
a acters to spend a lot of their time within a large this pass to reach Acre before sunset because if they don’t,
city, such as Jerusalem, Acre, Damascus or Cairo, Hugh Vaughn will escape from justice once-again.
t especially if some of them need access to a stable
workshop for some of their Abilities. It is also worth Force: By killing the bandits, or making them flee
a bearing in mind that a character’s Wealth resets at by a show of force, the characters will be able to ac-
l the end of every month, so it will be a painful expe- cess the path.
rience for some characters if they are far from civili-
e sation at this time, though as the Tale-Weaver you
Finesse: Although the cliff face is difficult to climb,
dexterous characters could find a decent ledge
should feel free to bend the rules. A way to organise to use with a VigX v 2 test, then climb it without
a month is to plan it in weekly blocks, ensuring that drawing any attention with a VigX test. They will
the characters will not be away from civilisation for be above the bandits so another VigX v VigX test is
more than a week at a time. There should also be needed to keep from being seen. Once that is done
at least one week of downtime for the characters to the path will be clear.
purchase goods or use Abilities over an extended
period of days. Wits: With a successful Negotiation a character can
convince the bandits that a piece of junk is worth
You can also add an extra element of realism by the toll and pass by safely. Also, a successful KnowX
preparing weather in advance. You would only need test sees that the rocks above could avalanche with
to prepare it around seven days into the future, but only a tiny bit of encouragement from a well placed
may want to plan more days should you be running bolt or arrow. Using this tactic, the knowledgeable
a marathon gaming session. With an internet con- character could either warn the bandits that they
nection, getting realistic weather is not a problem, as will send the rocks onto their campsite so they’ll
the cities of the Nights of the Crusades are also in the lose whatever ill-gotten gains they’ve received, or
real world. At the time of writing, typing ‘damascus just run through as the dust settles and the moans
weather forecast’ into a search engine results in a site of the bandits are buried under the rubble.
that displays that Damascus’s weather is fairly stable
for the coming week. It seems to have clear skies and
a temperature variance of 38 C/100 F in the middle of
the days to 18 C/64 F during the nights.
Example two Wits: The knowledgeable character knows that even
The carriage of Yasmina, the Vizier’s daughter, is out of though the Baron’s guards fear him, they also hate
control and is heading straight for the bazaar! him with a passion. A bribe to the captain of the
guards escorting the prisoner should be enough for
Force: A well-placed spear would stop the horses them to turn the other way, but the warden will be
pulling the carriage within seconds, yet it is well suspicious. Brewing a poisoned beverage, then get-
known how expensive and loved the horses of the ting him to drink it should keep him in his bed on
Vizier’s stables are. Alternatively, a large cart of hay the day of the execution. Another means of achiev-
could be moved into the path of the carriage that ing the result could be to petition Lady Sidonia, the
would slow the horses and perhaps save everyone in Baron’s young wife, to pressure her husband for the
the carriage injury if it is used as a barrier. However peasant’s son’s release. She is quite powerful in his
there isn’t much time and the cart is heavy. Three court, as it is only through her that he maintains
VigX tests are needed to push the cart with the good relations with the Byzantine merchants that
amount of failures determining the Impacts caused provide him with so much power. However, gain-
to the horses and passengers. No successful results
91
ing an audience with her may require some thought,
means the carriage continues into the bazaar on top as she is often accompanied by the Baron’s eunuch
of any other injuries. when she leaves the castle walls. A chance may arise
Finesse: An agile character could leap onto the car- if the PC’s can somehow slip her a note. W
riage as it passes and hopefully direct the horses e
Famine urges the most horrible
away from the bazaar. The character must pass a
VigX test to get onto the carriage to then steer it. of crimes, and yet pardonable ones; for a
Wits: The most knowledgeable character remembers
the Lord created all things for man, v
and gave them into his hands to be
that a Chinese merchant is selling fireworks and of service to him, that man should not i
also knows that the entrance to the bazaar has a
side gate that can be opened out to the fields. While
perish while beasts lived. n
the crafty character runs to get the fireworks the
~ Itinerarium Peregrinorum et Gesta
Regis Ricardi (The Itinerary of King g
others in the group can work to open the gate. As Richard), Geoffrey de Vinsauf
the carriage bears down upon the character with the
Action and Sorcery vs
a
explosives, there will only be a few rounds to pass
a KnowX test to start the fireworks and divert the dread and atrocity t
horses outside the city’s walls.
Action heroes are borderline super-human; dodg-
ing arrows and slaying their foes as if every soldier
a
Example three arrayed against them was a child. This is the fabric l
Rescuing a peasant farmer’s son, wrongfully accused of
treason, from the gallows.
of fantastical stories. Characters in the real world
know that numbers in combat often count for more
e
Force: Although it would be suicidal for the PCs to than skill with a blade, plague takes more men to
storm the Baron’s dungeon, they could launch their hell than war, and wounds will bleed and fester
rescue when he is being transported to the town when they are cut. Every combat should be bru-
square. However, the Baron’s guards are well armed tal and the wails of the dying should ring in the
and fear the Baron enough to fight with their lives. characters’ ears long after the dust had died down.
This is the ebb and flow of the chapters in your Tale.
Finesse: A character could don a disguise, perhaps Compare, say, Batman with X-Men – although there
that of a prison guard or cleric offering last rites. is very little “magic” (eg; Mutant Powers etc) in
Even if the ruse is successful, the keys to the cell Batman, the feeling of a warped reality is achieved
must be found or the lock must be picked. Then through utterly insane villains and advanced
how to escort the peasant’s son out? Maybe another technology. The same comparison could be made
disguise would need to be brought for him. Alter- between Nights of the Crusades and Eberron.
natively, the sneaky characters could drop to the
carriages roof as it passes under the bridge of the Horror and mystery must not be overlooked, no mat-
Blind Archer’s Gateway, and gain entry to the inside ter what character paths your PCs are on. The mythi-
of the carriage. The warden may put up a bit of a cal figures of dark fantasy and horror exist in this
fight but has become fat from the Baron’s purse and world; serial killers, death cultists, insane and uncar-
loves life too much to face a dagger in the belly. He, ing science. Build up layers of dread in your Tale as
like the coach driver, will be easily thrown off and the characters see the remnants of some ritual. Lead
the PC’s, after setting some obstacles to slow down them onwards through rumours of the terror that
the Baron’s guards, will be able to escape with the waits – then annihilate their sanity with the atrocities
peasant’s son. of men; for the unwashed events of history are far
darker than the fanciful tales of a minstrel.
 Managing stories A woman’s place
Some players may balk at too much freedom, yet From your own research, you may have gathered
others will live for it. The only limits to Stories are that women in the Middle Ages, from West to East
the players’ imaginations, but it may be useful to set where not involved in as much adventure as men
down a few guidelines in regards to them. Knowing were – at best. Women where able to be married
your players will determine how to best run stories at 12 or younger and were often used as the glue
and how often they occur. Part of the Tale-Weaver’s between the alliances of families and empires.
responsibility is saying “no” should players start Noble women were educated, not in knowledge,
telling a story at a ridiculous time, such as whisper- but in etiquette and courtly duties such as dancing
ing a story when walking up a dark, spiral staircase and history. To be a better choice for powerful men
to the Heretic of Bon’s lair, just to mine PoWs before they could learn the potential language of a suitor
a potentially dangerous combat. As a general rule, and maybe become a lady-in-waiting, spending her
stories should only be entered into when there is life by the courts and at tournaments in the hope of
92 enough time for every character involved to actu- attracting a husband. Peasant women worked the
ally hear it (about an hour of free time) without any fields but were constrained by their sex to the role of
major distractions. Examples for good times: On a mother, wife and perhaps worker.
W boat trip or around a campfire; whereas a bad time
Biblical and Qu’ranic precedents of the sinful Eve
would be when giant boulders are bombarding the
e tower they are cowering in and are threatening to
and the laws requiring women to obey men were
used to justify their place as inferior directly from
a destroy it at any moment.
the pulpit. Rape was a crime that was often unre-
v Area Dispositions ported and unpunishable, especially by all-male
courts with the backing of misogynistic clerics.
i What follow are some sample Dispositions of im- There were even cases of women being thrown out
n portant areas, which could be helpful when creating of crusader camps when God would not grant them
NPCs from their majority and minority groups. victory during a long siege.
g
However some women did gain power, the most ob-
Damascus/Dimashque/Sham
a Favour: Saracen, Sunni, Noble, Merchant
vious being some of the queens of Europe and Sha-
jar al-Durr, the Sultana of Egypt after the Mamluk’s
Hatred: Franj, Catholic, Knightly Orders
took power. Islamic chroniclers record their shock
t when they hear of women amongst the fighting
Jerusalem/Al Quds
a Frankish rule (1099 – 1187)
forces of the Franj. Female characters, to justify their
part in an adventure, could use the examples of
l Favour: Franj, Catholic, Noble, Cleric, Knightly Muhammad’s wives, Khadija the merchant and Ai-
e Orders such as the Knights Templar and Knights sha who led her troops into battle on a white camel.
Hospitaller However it was generally seen as a disruption to
Hatred: Saracen, Sunni, Shi’ite, Judaism the natural order for a woman to be equal, let alone
Saracen rule (1187 onwards) have authority, over a man during the middle ages,
Favour: Saracen, Cleric and so a female adventurer will often have those
Hatred: Franj supposedly closest to her – her family – pressuring
her to settle down and be a lady.
Cairo/Misr Interestingly, the stories of the time often have intel-
Fatamid rule (up to 1169) ligent and adventurous women in the lead roles.
Favour: Saracen, Shi’ite Shahrazad, the storyteller of the Arabian Nights,
Hatred: Franj, Sunni saves an entire kingdom from the vengeance of a
Ayyubid rule (after 1169) king against any woman he lays his hands upon
(however it’s hardly a feminist tale – she does, after
Favour: Saracen, Sunni
all, marry him!).
Hatred: Franj, Shi’ite

And she replied: “Ye must come

down forthright. And if ye come not,
I will rouse upon you my husband,
this Ifrit, and he shall cause you to
die by the illest of deaths.”
~ The 1001 Nights
Appendix 1
Sample characters
NPCs, as a guideline, will usually have dispositions Although a Beast will be able to communicate with
similar to their area of origin, with as many points other members of its species, it will not be able to
of Favour/Hate spread between Allegiances equal enter a Negotiation with humans and use Abilities
to their total Expertise. What follows are novice based on speaking. The natural claws and teeth of
characters that a Tale-Weaver can use as a base for a Beast give the equivalent of a weapon at Reach 1
93
antagonists and allies throughout the Tale. with no further Special Rules. A Beast can only be
granted Beast Abilities, and the amount of them will
Aristocrat be equal to its Beast Rating. S
Raised in the security that only wealth can provide, a
Beast Abilities
an Aristocrat prefers the finer things in life – be-
cause she knows nothing else. Armoured: Protected by scales or carapace, an
m
Expertise: Communication 2, Knowledge 1, armoured beast will not shrink from a blade. Its De- p
fence is raised by an amount up to its Beast Rating.
Melee 1, Vigour 1 l
Abilities: Bribe (Com), Henchman (Com), Aquatic: The creature is at home in water and suf-
Book Wyrm (Knowledge), Sure Strike (Mel), fers no negative effects to its movement while in it.
e
Blur (Vig)
Actions: 1 Blind: Haunters of the darkness, blind creatures C
hunt with senses other than sight. A Blind Beast
Defence/Dodge: 0/1
Impact Limits: 1/2/3 suffers no negative effects in Low Light. h
Equipment: Sword, Jewellery worth 2D10 Wealth Camouflaged: Lurking in shadows or concealed a
amongst the rock to ambush the unwary, a Camou- r
flaged Beast will be silent and swift in its assault.
Bandit Awareness tests against this Beast suffer a negative a
When there are no wars, soldiers must find other modifier equal to its Beast Rating and so do any at- c
ways to make a living. Switching enemies from tempts to seek it out.
foreigners to locals isn’t too much of a burden on the Creeping: Multi-legged, serpent-like or slimy, this
t
conscience of a Bandit. creature can move silently along walls at no cost to e
Expertise: Melee 1, Ranged 3, Vigour 1
Abilities: Blood Rush (Mel), Aim (Rng), Bleeder (Rng),
its movement. r
Precise Shot (Rng), Somersault (Vig) Cunning: A bestial cleverness shines behind the
eyes of this creature. It is granted a Melee Ability.
s
Actions: 1
Defence/Dodge: 2/0 Fast: With the thunder of hooves or blurring swift-
Impact Limits: 2/4/6 ness, this beast moves at an incredible speed. The
Equipment: Short Sword, Bow, Brigandine creature doubles the metres moved for any move-
ment Actions it takes. Additional selections of Fast
will allow a Beast access to a Vigour Ability.
Beasts
Flying: With light feathers or leathery wings, this
Any creature that is of a different species to humans
beast has gained the power of flight. It may move
is a Beast. Some are gentle, some will violently de-
vertically as well as along the ground, and it will
fend their territory and others will prey on humans
pay no heed to any obstacles it can fly over. Any
for food.
Stunned or Shaken results on the beast will result
Beasts are created just like any other character, how- in it plummeting to the earth at D10 metres a round.
ever they have certain rules that only apply to them. Melee Strikes with a weapon under Reach 4 will
A beast will have a Beast Rating, which is equal to suffer a –1 modifier to hit a Flying Beast.
the highest level of Expertise it holds. Entering a
Hostile Stance against a Beast is +1 because most
philosophies of the times give far more consider-
ation to humans than to other animals.
 Horrific: The mere gaze of a Horrific Beast is
enough to shatter a warrior’s confidence. At the end Goliath Deathstalker poison
of each round all foes in combat with the Beast have A creature that is often dismissed as myth, but
their Hostile Stance removed. – if the tales are true – this yellow, almost trans-
lucent scorpion dwells in Tell es-Safi, the Philis-
Large: Towering over a man, this beast is roughly tines’ once-city of Gath. It is said to be the size of
double the size of a human. Its Reach is increased by boar and its sting could pierce the breastplate of a
1 and it’s Impact Levels are doubled. Further selec- Roman Legionnaire.
tions of this Ability are cumulative.
Aroma: 0
Mount: This creature can be ridden by a maximum Portion: Poison gland
of two human-sized characters. When on a mount, a
character can perform Movement Actions using the D10 Effect
mount’s details, simultaneously with Actions that 1-3 Shaken for next Action
94 don’t require use of the character’s legs. Melee Strikes 4-7 Limb numbed and cannot be used for
against characters on a mount, with weapons under D5 Actions. If location is the torso or
Reach 4, suffer a –2 modifier. Strikes from a charac- head, treat this as a result of 8-10.
ter on a mount count as being made from Unstable
S Ground, with a modifier equal to the amount of 8-10 Stunned for D5 Actions
a metres being moved throughout the Action. Overdose: The victim will be bed-ridden and
borderline paralyzed for the next 24 hours.
m Projectile: A lashing tentacle or ejection of spines
Three Heals must be preformed on the character
makes this creature a dangerous foe. The Range of its
p attack is double its Beast Rating. Further selections of within this time. If a Heal is successful, the victim
recovers after 24 hours and the healing ceases. If
l this will grant the creature a Ranged Ability.
the third Heal test results in a 10, the poisoned
e Venomous: A creature with a sting or long fangs, character will die.
ready to plunge them beneath your skin to deliver a
terrible toxin is the stuff of nightmares. Any Injury
C Levels you sustain above 3 from a Venomous Beast
h will force you to take a VigX v Beast Rating test. The
Gorgon Kin venom
result of failure is like taking an Intoxicant. Some Often featuring in the tales of Al-Hakim, the rav-
a example venoms are listed to the right. ing beggar of the Tyrian Coast, it is said that Gor-
r Vicious: Territorial and prepared to attack any foe,
gon Kin have a great queen serpent with 9 heads,
lairing in a galley sailed by a heretical Byzantine
a a vicious beast is afraid of nothing. The creature cult. The stories say that as they pass close by
will enter a Hostile Stance at will and characters
c attempting to enter a Hostile Stance against it will
coastal cities the holds of the galley are opened
for the Gorgon Kin – the black, multi-headed
t be at –1. spawn of the queen – to swim out and infest the
e strongholds of their enemies.
Aroma: 0
r Portion: Poison gland
s
D10 Effect
1-3 Must test for Infection
4-7 Area around the bite swells and, if on a
limb, it cannot be used for D5 hours.
8-10 Shaken for D5 Actions
Overdose: The victim will suffer from cold chills,
vomiting and diarrhea, effectively being able to do
nothing but a slight shuffle, for the next 24 hours.
Three Heals must be preformed on the character
within this time. If a Heal is successful, the victim
recovers after 24 hours and the healing ceases. If
the third Heal test results in a 10, the poisoned
character will die.
Sample beasts Rukh
The Rukh is a legend amongst sailors, but tales from
those who have been shipwrecked on far-away
islands hold the stories of the Rukhs to be true. A
Rukh is a great eagle, able to carry off a man and
tear the flesh from his bones in the process – or
capsize a ship that holds a Rukh’s eggs by smiting
its mast and sails. Because of the story of Sinbad,
who witnessed Rukhs feeding on elephants in a for-
gotten valley carpeted in diamonds, the search for
them continues. Some say they dwell off the coast
of Africa, others claim they are further South at the
edge of the world.
Beast Rating: 6 95
Expertise: Melee 6, Vigour 5
Abilities: Cunning (Grapple), Cunning (Hurl Oppo-
nent), Cunning (Lead Fist), Flying, Large, Vicious S
Actions: 3
Defence/Dodge: 0/5 a
Bestial Ghoul Impact Limits: 12/24/36 m
After forsaking civilisation for generations, some Lair items: D5 great eggs of the Rukh on a wind-
human clans in the wilderness devolve from a soul- swept mountain. The eggs are worth their weight in p
destroying state of cannibalism to the depths of cun- gold, but getting to them is all the more treacherous l
ning monsters, ready to ambush and gorge their dark because of the Rukh’s neighbours swooping and at-
hungers on the soft and foolish who stray near. tacking as your climb the inaccessible cliffs. e
Beast Rating: 4
Expertise: Melee 1, Vigour 4
C
Abilities: Creeping, Fast, Fast (Somersault), Vicious h
Actions: 2
Defence/Dodge: 0/4
a
Impact Limits: 1/2/3 r
Lair items: Bones and a 50% chance of a damaged
piece of equipment that is salvageable.
a
c
Cavern Wyrm
Haunting the humid mountain caves, that bubble
t
with strange gases from the depths of the earth, e
is the Cavern Wyrm. From its soft body protrudes
countless legs, ending in claws, and two large an-
r
tennae that seek its prey. Should its delicate touch s
find a suitable victim, jets of acidic slime are pro-
pelled from glands on either side of its mandibles,
covering its prey in a sticky web. Its slow advance
will then continue over the prisoner, as it slavers
over and devours limbs and bone.
Beast Rating: 6 Beggar
Expertise: Melee 2, Ranged 6, Vigour 2
Abilities: Blind, Creeping, Horrific, Projectile, Pro- Forced from homes, refugees from famine and war, or
jectile (Precise Shot), Projectile (Snare) perhaps born in the gutter to die in the gutter – Beg-
Actions: 1 gars can be found in any large town or city, hoping
Defence/Dodge: 0/2 for charity so that they can survive another day.
Impact Limits: 2/4/6 Expertise: Communication 3, Knowledge 1, Vigour 1
Lair items: The corpses of the Cavern Wyrm’s vic- Abilities: Charm (Com), Cosmopolitan (Com), Enter-
tims, enmeshed in webbing, and an 80% chance of a tain (Com), City Wise (Know), Crowd Mastery (Vig)
damaged piece of equipment that is salvageable. Actions: 1
Defence/Dodge: 0/1
Impact Limits: 0/0/0
Equipment: Rags
 Fanatic Merchant
A rage lies inside each Fanatic, whether it reveals Weapons, slaves, jewellery – everything has a price
itself in a frothing outburst or a curse against unbe- and merchants know it; as well as where to find it.
lievers through clenched teeth – for only when the Expertise: Communication 3, Knowledge 2
earth burns will the righteous remain. A Fanatic Abilities: Hawk (Com), Patience (Com), Lie (Com),
will scorch this world because only immortality Human Abacus (Know), Marketeer (Know)
through the next is worth a care. Actions: 1
Expertise: Melee 2, Vigour 3 Defence/Dodge: 0/0
Abilities: Frenzy (Mel), Strike from the Heart (Mel), Impact Limits: 0/0/0
Hyena’s Heart (Vig), Regenerate (Vig), Swift of Foot (Vig) Equipment: Goods worth 3D10 Wealth
Actions: 2
Defence/Dodge: 0/3
Impact Limits: 2/4/6 Physician
96 Equipment: Flail or club With dour eyes, at home with pain and gore, a phy-
sician investigates the sick to best alleviate their ills.
Expertise: Communication 1, Knowledge 4
S Guard/solider
Abilities: Cure Trauma (Com), Bone-set (Know),
a Being a professional warrior, in the service to a lord Herbology (Know), Staunch (Know), Preventative
and captain, is one of the best ways to raise in status Care (Know)
m and gain riches in these times. Because of this, war Actions: 1
p is a common trade and plunder is its currency. Defence/Dodge: 0/0
Expertise: Melee 3, Vigour 2 Impact Limits: 0/0/0
l Abilities: Grapple (Mel), Parry (Mel), Protect (Mel), Equipment: D5 Healing Herbs, Staff
e Crowd Mastery (Vig), Hyena’s Heart (Vig)
Actions: 1
C Defence/Dodge: 2/0(2) Priest
Impact Limits: 4/8/12 Well-fed men, unlike the travelling preachers, and
h Equipment: Spear, Gambeson, Nasal Helmet aware of the ways of the world, Priests advise the
a nobility as well as acting as guides for their flock.
r Expertise: Communication 4, Knowledge 1
Abilities: Beggar Prince (Com), Blather (Com), Calm
a (Com), Peace Maker (Com), Staunch (Know)
c Actions: 1
Defence/Dodge: 0/0
t Impact Limits: 0/0/0
e Equipment: Coins worth D10 Wealth, Staff

r
Squire
s
As a knight’s apprentice, a Squire has spent most of
his life in luxury. However, his path now lies across
blood and sand.
Expertise: Communication 1, Melee 4
Abilities: Taunt (Com), Feint (Mel), Parry (Mel),
Precise Attack (Mel), War Cry (Mel)
Actions: 1
“No one can excel in the alchemical Defence/Dodge: 6/0(3)
art without knowing the principles Impact Limits: 10/20/30
Equipment: Sword, Hauberk, Nasal Helmet, Shield
in himself; and the greater the
knowledge of the self, the greater
will be the magnetic power attained
thereby and the greater the wonders
to be realized.”
~ Geber
Appendix 2
Over dark seas
What follows is a short Chapter for your Tale that A great crashing shudders you from your light slumber.
will introduce the characters to each other and You seem to be tilted at a crazy angle, then you are drop-
launch them into the dark times ahead. Before play ping to a floor or wall. You aren’t sure which. The ground
starts, each player should prepare a background sto- moves again and you feel objects flying past your head in
ry as to why they where passengers on a Byzantine the darkness. You almost utter an uncontrollable scream. 97
merchant ship that was stopping at ports along the You have lost all sense of where you are. Then it dawns.
coast of the Holy Land, and let you know. Just a note; You are at sea. And the demons of the ocean must have
it’s probably best if a character doesn’t die during this unleashed their evil upon your ship. A chill seeps into O
Chapter – unconsciousness should be the worst that your feet. The ship is taking on water!
can happen – but they shouldn’t know that.
v
You hear distant screams of panic and moans of pain as
Send the following description of recent events to you ascend to the deck. Lightening lashes out, and from its
e
your players before the game, so that they will have pale, blue light you can make out where other passengers r
answers to why they were on the ship, and can even are running. You do not hesitate to follow, but there are
prepare acquaintances between themselves before not many left on board. As you reach the open deck, past
the Tale truly begins, on the second of the month. the treasures that are on a journey to the bottom of the
D
You finally lay your head to rest after the long night you’ve
sea, you hear the bellow of the Captain, calling you over. a
It seems he has been in charge of sending off the other pas-
spent hearing stories from your new companions. You
sengers onto smaller boats, and is now preparing the last
r
wonder how many more days the merchant vessel, mainly
carrying Byzantines to ports along the areas controlled by
one. You head towards him, followed by the other mem- k
bers of your cabin, and try to avoid looking out across the
the Franj, will be at sea. The ocean seems violent outside,
and you pray that you can sleep through the groaning of the
unwelcoming darkness of the churning water. S
ship’s old wood and the roar of the cold depths. e
a
Cast s
Captain Georgios Polikseni Shark
Languages: Greek (Latin, French, Arabic) The wolves of sea, giving no mercy to the victims of
Allegiances & Dispositions: Byzantine, Orthodox, their hunger.
Merchant; Favour: Byzantines 2, Merchants 3.
Beast Rating: 4
Expertise: Communication 3, Knowledge 2
Expertise: Melee 4, Vigour 1
Abilities: Hawk (Com), Patience (Com), Lie (Com),
Abilities: Aquatic, Fast, Fast (Somersault), Vicious
Human Abacus (Know), Marketeer (Know)
Actions: 1
Actions: 1
Defence/Dodge: 0/1
Defence/Dodge: 0/0
Impact Limits: 4/8/12
Impact Limits: 0/0/0
Lair items: A shark’s stomach will hold the rotting
Equipment: Short Sword
carcasses of it’s victims, and has a 10% chance of
Storytelling: 5 (3 Adventure/1 Drama/1 Mystery)
containing a piece of undigested jewellery worth
Rolf the Bold D10 Wealth.
Languages: Norwegian (German, French) Orestes Taphos
Allegiances & Dispositions: Franj, Catholic, War-
rior; Favour: Franj 2, Hate: Saracens 3. The Captain’s cousin who has almost wasted away
Expertise: Melee 3, Vigour 2 and given himself to the cold embrace of the ocean.
Abilities: Blood Rush (Mel), Flurry (Mel), War Cry His depression has caused him to effectively be at 0
(Mel), Hydra’s Strike (Vig), Hyena’s Heart (Vig) for all of his statistics if they should be needed.
Actions: 1
Defence/Dodge: 0/2
Impact Limits: 3/6/9
Equipment: Axe
 The PC’s have a few options. You should reinforce
Scene 1 the constant sinking of the ship, as well the splash-
ing of hungry sharks, throughout whatever their
course of action is. A KnowX test reveals that the
The Thirsting Deep rations the Captain has with him will be almost
Ambiance Centerpiece: Beyond the North Waves worthless with Rolf on board. PCs may Negotiate
by Immortal, Sons of Northern Darkness. with him, however during the Negotiation he will
continue to climb into the boat– the goals will be to
Scene: The sinking merchant vessel of Georgios enter the boat with Rolf/Rolf begins to kick against
Polikseni. Lightning lashes the skies, rain drenches the ship’s wall in an attempt to desert the PCs. An-
you to the bones and the ocean bucks like an an- other option is to fight the giant. Rolf will surrender
gered leviathan. if badly injured (ie; if he is Stunned, or his blood
Cast: Captain Georgios Polikseni, Orestes Taphos, drawn or bone broken) and plead to enter the boat.
98 Rolf the Bold, Sharks and Player Characters. If Rolf starts to launch the boat into the ocean with-
The PCs only have what they slept in; ie, no armour out the PCs, a VigX v Rolf’s VigX will allow a char-
or other equipment, apart from perhaps a discreet acter to jump into the boat. A RngX test will allow
O or martial weapon they kept near them. a PC to see that a weight suspended from the ship’s
rigging could be used as a thrown Ranged Weapon
v Read the following: to swing and hit Rolf into the ocean, allowing the
e Through the cracking thunder and stinging rain, you and Captain to regain control of the boat.
your new companions manage to free the small row-boat
r from the ship,. The Captain looks at you through the drip-
If Rolf ends up in the sea, read the following
ping black hair that almost covers his eyes, and asks you With a yelp of surprise, the titan falls into the black water.
D to help his nephew on board, indicating at the shivering Lightning illuminates his stricken features as his fate dawns
boy clinging to a mast as the ship heaves. The Captain, upon him. Grey fins edge closer to the doomed man.
a feet as steady as if he were on land, jumps into the boat “Please, your forgiveness…” His head disappears below
r and guides the boy in. the water. “I am your thrall should you save me!”
k “Now you all, there’s enough room” He says. With his eyes wide, like a man who has had his first taste of
“Hold!” bellows a deep voice from behind you in accented fear, he grimaces as his head goes below the frothing sea.
S German (his actions also speak as strongly as his tongue The Captain wrestles with his soul and says, “my honour
e if none of the characters speak German). “I will have my will not allow me to leave a drowning man at sea.”
place on that boat!”
a A blonde titan staggers from below deck and thunders
The PCs must decide whether to rescue him or not.
Should they do so, Rolf will be forever in their debt,
s towards you. “Clear my way. The boat is fit only for those thanking them and only believing his debt to be
in it plus me”. repaid once he saves the life of every man who
As he shoves past you and prepares to enter the boat, you saved him.
manage to smell the scent of ale upon his breath, even The characters will then sleep. Should Rolf have
through the salty winds that buffet you with cold fists. perished violently, the PCs must check for Trauma.

He was frightened and tried to escape,

but the fishermen rowed quick ly and caught
him in their net. The man, being an expert
swimmer, had pass ed their nets with a skin
of Greek fire, desti ned for the besieged in
the city. The fishermen landed with their
capti ve and after scourging him severely and
gibing at him, they sadly mangled, and then
beheaded him.
~ Itinerar ium Peregrinorum et Gesta Regis Ricardi (The Itinerar y
of King Richard), Geoffrey de Vinsauf
 The crews of these ships
were Danes and Frisons,
men inured to labour by
the rigours of the north,
and having three qualities
good in war – large limbs, 99
invincible minds, and devout
fervour for the faith.
~ Itinerarium Peregrinorum et Gesta O
Regis Ricardi (The Itinerary of King
Richard), Geoffrey de Vinsauf v
e
him sits his even younger cousin, Orestes Taphos, whose
r
Scene 2 eyes never seem to leave the maelstrom of fins and teeth
that circle the small, barely floating, chunk of wood you D
are calling a boat. His blank stare is distant and morbid.
Dead Men Telling Tales [If applicable: Rolf lies snoring, his pale skin baking under
a
Ambiance Centerpiece: Redemption Lost by Ahab, the heat. You wonder what he will be like sober]. And the r
others who shared your cabin before the storm, though
The Divinity of Oceans.
you really do not know much about them at all.
k
Scene: A rickety boat, almost submerged below the
ocean waves. Burning sun. No land in sight. No land breaks the endless waves. It is as much a desert as S
any made of sand. Only chunks of debris from the cursed
Cast: Captain Georgios Polikseni, Orestes Taphos, ship offer a change in scenery. e
[possibly Rolf the Bold], Sharks and Player Characters.
All characters, but Rolf, are awake now. If none of a
Debris from the sunken ship floats around the PCs.
The sharks circle the boat. Any attempt to attack one
the PCs start up a conversation or one of them ques- s
tions the Captain, he introduces himself and his
will cause a thrashing as the other sharks take ad- cousin. Orestes Taphos ignores anyone who speaks
vantage of its wounds, starting a dangerous rocking to him.
of the boat. It is up to the Tale-Weaver to decide if
any characters need to test to see if they are thrown Read out what the Captain has to say:
overboard. Because of this it will be too dangerous “I know there isn’t much to say, but all men, [if appli-
to slay and eat one. cable: “and I suppose, women”] are old friends at sea. You
Read out the following: all know my name, I’m the Captain that’s responsible for
where you are. I’ve sailed through a storm every month
The blaze of the sun wakes you. Your uncovered skin is since I became captain of that ship more than five years
roasting. You consider putting your hands below the salty ago, and only didn’t get through one.” He smiles at his
water, just to cool your face, but think better of it. Your joke. “This is my sister’s boy, Orestes. He’s been at my
mind may be blurred from the constant glare of the sun, side since the start of the year and didn’t really see himself
but you are not yet foolish enough to reach into the water. here, I’d wager. But I suppose none of us did...” He turns
The slap of a shark’s tail against the side of your sinking away and looks into the distance, then turns back to the
boat reminds you of what you are afraid of. PC who is most likely looking at him (the PC with the
You look at the faces of your fellow passengers that are highest Vigour or the one who is yet to speak). “You there,
also wary of the ocean’s mercy. Captain Georgis Polik- what’s your story? How’d you come to be on my ship?”
seni, the Byzantine who commanded your doomed vessel, Once all the PCs have finished introducing them-
sits quietly with his eyes closed. His face is weathered, selves as much as they plan to, night begins to fall.
far beyond what it should be for a man who has seen less The character with the highest Vigour sees that the
than thirty summers. Maybe that’s why you are where rations they just ate for dinner will be their last.
you are now, because of an inexperienced captain. Beside
 However, the King’s Vizier, didn’t believe so. The Vizier
Scene 3 thought that managing the kingdom’s treasury was hard
enough with the short-sighted King, but his son was
worse, caring only for the pleasures of the harem and the
The Tale of the Prince and the glory of the hunt.
Ghoul Queen
The Vizier told him of a great beast that laired at the base
Ambiance Centerpiece: When Halos of Candles of a far-away mountain range. And the Prince set off to
Collide by Melechesh, The Epigenesis. slay it. Across the open plains, under the shadow of the
tusks of the great mountain range, the lone Prince raced.
Scene: A rickety boat, almost submerged below the
His fine hunting cloak whipped in the wind, revealing the
ocean waves. Burning sun. No land in sight.
blade of his ancestors, the Claw of Lions.
Cast: Captain Georgios Polikseni, Orestes Taphos,
As sun began to descend, he heard a soft weeping. The
[possibly Rolf the Bold], Sharks and Player Characters.
100 barren rocks began to give way to what seemed like an-
The next day, leave the characters to decide what cient ruins, steeped in old sorcery and heathen rituals.
they will do, but they won’t be able to do much (be-
“My lord, save me!” came a woman’s voice, followed by a
cause they’re on a boat in the middle of the ocean!).
O When they run out of ideas (and before they start
hissing and a growl. A dark shape leapt passed the Prince,
striking as it passed.”
v telling a Story) read out the following:
Captain Polikseni is the Storyteller for this and has
e A gleam enters the Captain’s eyes. “Maybe a story will
keep our minds off of our empty stomachs? It might even
just finished the Opening Scene. He will try to roll
r take your mind off of our other hungry friends below the
for the Prince as he tries to avoid the creature, using
his points in Adventure.
water. An old Arab friend of mine told me it. It’s called
D the Tale of the Prince and the Ghoul-Queen, and this is It is up to the players to decide what happens next.
how he told it... Rolf will sleep through it, so won’t contribute – as-
a Once, there was an old King who was nearing his journey
suming he is still on the boat. Either will Orestes.
r to heaven. His son was growing up fast and the King was
When their turns are over, the Storyteller’s chal-
lenge for the Climax is to guide the story back to
k sure he’d keep his people happy and make a fine ruler.
the Prince escaping from the Ghoul-Queen’s trap, or
slaying the Vizier who sent him on the mission.
S
e
a
s
Scene 4
“They slaughtered them by
The Hunger
cutting their throats and roasted
Ambiance Centerpiece: A Darker Place by En-
slaved, Below The Lights
them for the King’s eating, but as
Scene: A rickety boat, almost submerged below the for the savages them selves, they
ocean waves. Burning sun. No land in sight. ate huma n flesh raw. When I
Cast: Captain Georgios Polikseni, Orestes Taphos, saw this, I was sore dismayed for
[possibly Rolf the Bold], Sharks and Player Characters.
myself and my comrades.”
The characters will now awake to experience
Extreme Conditions at a Harshness of 1. If Rolf is
~ Sinbad, The 1001 Nights 101
with them then their test will be at –1 due to having
more bodies to share the rations around with.
The pangs in your stomach are enough to almost drive you Scene 5 O
to hallucinations. The sun takes on the looks of a leering v
skull, and the slap of the sharks’ tails sound like they are
clapping and cheering at the jesters before a great banquet. Betrayal e
You spend another day, then another. You begin to lose Ambiance Centerpiece: The Harvest Floor by Cattle
r
track of time. Your skin is peeling and flakes away, all Decapitation, The Harvest Floor
your senses are numb – except the clawing rage of hunger
Scene: A rickety boat, almost submerged below the
D
within you.
ocean waves. Burning sun. No land in sight. a
As the moon begins to rise one night, the Captain’s hoarse
voice whispers, “We need to start thinking what we’re go-
Cast: Captain Georgios Polikseni, [possibly Rolf the r
Bold], Sharks and Player Characters.
ing to do here…” He trails off for a while. Then he pulls a k
number of lengths of wood splinters from his pocket. Even The first PC to awake (the one with the highest
in the moonlight, you can see that one is shorter than the Vigour, roll if tied with others) is greeted with the
sight of a frenzy of sharks surging around the boat.
S
rest. “We’ll all die if someone doesn’t make a sacrifice.
Old Poseidon has visited us with one of his most feared It is rocking dangerously from side-to-side. Orestes’s e
curses. But, we’ll be able to go for weeks on one of us. arm has fallen over the side of the boat in his sleep.
On closer inspection, the character sees that his
a
What do you say, my friends?”
throat has been cut and blood drips overboard, s
Allow the players to talk amongst themselves for a
infuriating the sharks.
while. Orestes will agree almost straight away with
the Captain and so will Rolf if he is still around. The PC with the lowest Vigour (if tied with another
To any character that refuses, the Captain has this than the lowest Melee between them is the decider,
to say, “You’re a selfish fool! Has your mind gone roll if still even) is responsible, but only the Tale-
the way of your stomach – completely empty?” The Weaver knows it at the moment. When the Captain
character will need to enter a Negotiation with the awakes he finds his knife has been stolen.
Captain, and will take part in the drawing of splin- Only a successful VigX v 10 test can prevent a charac-
ters if he or she loses out through a combination of ter from eating from the corpse. Characters that don’t
peer pressure and hunger. If the Captain loses, then eat from the corpse will suffer Extreme Conditions at
before he begins to offer splinters to those par- a Harshness of 5. Throughout this day another Story
ticipating, he will look right into the eyes of those may be told, but characters suffering from Extreme
sitting out and say, “You’ve been warned, coward, Conditions will not be able to participate in it as they
you’re no friend of mine.” The shortest splinter ends will be almost mad from starvation.
up being chosen by Orestes. Read the following:
As the characters begin to sleep, the PC who slew
The Captain begins to weep as Orestes just stares over- Orestes finds a bloody knife in his or her pocket. All
board. After a while, the Captain says, “You don’t have characters need to test for Trauma tonight, and the
to do it, son. I’ll defend you.” Orestes replies without murdering character’s test is at –1. Any characters
looking away from the sharks, “No, I like my lot as well as that ate from the corpse are also at –1. Any Trauma
any other.” There is silence for what seems like hours. The results that rely on an enemy will instead be di-
Captain finally replies, “You should see the sun rise again, rected at the suspect that the Traumatised character
we should sleep.” Orestes just nods his head and rests it believes slew Orestes.
on his hands, closing his eyes.
The characters will be so exhausted that at one point
or another during the night they will all fall asleep.
 Scene 6 Conclusion
This is where the adventure ends. Each player can
Sanctuary
now roll to see if they gain an Ability.
Ambiance Centerpiece: The Storm Still Rages In-
It is up to the Tale-Weaver to decide what horrors
side by Orphaned Land, Mabool.
the characters will undergo in the village by the sea,
Scene: A small, poor village by the sea, far from and if they will ever see civilization again...
civilization.
Cast: Captain Georgios Polikseni, [possibly Rolf the They said: “Oh, Captain, it was by
Bold], Old Woman and Player Characters.
the order of Almighty Allah. The red
Read out the following:
102 winged Azrail took his life.”
The shriek of a bird startles you. You rub your sun-burnt
eyes as they adjust to the brightness of the bloated sun. “What sort of fellow is this Azrail
O Something claws at the back of your mind. That’s it! Birds who takes people’s lives? For the sake
are only ever near land. You are close to shore! Your com- of your existence, O Almighty Allah,
v panions awake and realise the same thing. You all laugh
let me see Azrail. Let me fight and
madly as you guide the boat towards the gulls, trying to
e ignore the rotting stench and bones at your feet. scuffle with him to save the life of such
r Soon the faint dark line on the horizon turns into a ragged a fine youth, so that he never takes a
cliff-face. Upon reaching the beach you see the washed up life again,” said Delu Dumr ul.
D remains of your doomed vessel and the smoke from a small
village over the treacherous mountain range. Now, Almighty Allah was not
a pleas ed with Dumr ul’s words . He said:
Any characters that did not eat from Orestes’s
r corpse will suffer from Extreme Conditions at a “Look at that madman. He does not
k Harshness of 8. understand my oneness. He does not
S
The PCs can rummage through the debris and expres s his gratitude to me and dares
find any soaked equipment that they had taken on
to behav e arrogantly in my might y
e their ill-fated journey. After a while, they see an old
presence.” He ordered Azrail: “Go and
woman hobbling towards them from the direction
a of the village. Read out the following: appea r before the eyes of that madman.
s From a space between the cliffs that you would not have Make his face pale and strangle the life
thought existed, hobbles a woman. She’s sprightly for out of him.”
someone who looks like the oldest person you have ever
seen. Her bony limbs thrust her robe in awkward angles ~ The Book of Dede Korkut
and her skin looks like a weathered olive branch. She calls
out in a shrill, cracked voice [in Persian accented Arabic],
“Welcome strangers, welcome.” She bids you to follow
her. “My people are welcoming of the refugees of the sea
and will look after you like one of our own.” She squints
and peers over each of you. “I see you have come from a
long way, but you may soon see your homes again, never
worry, never worry!” She cackles, “A caravan is due in
not too long a time. They will take you to one of the cities
so you can go back to your homes.”
If any of the PCs are obviously Franj, she will take
them aside and say, “You are a guest, so you are un-
der my protection. But you should not wander with-
out me in these parts. Shhh, I can not say more.“