The Assassin
The day wears on…
Towards noon, we stop to rest by a still pool. Suddenly, we are filled with a sense of dread. It is a perfectly idyllic afternoon; the sun shines happily upon us, painting the water a lurid green. And yet we feel in our hearts the same conviction: something terrible once happened here.
Soon, it becomes apparent what. As we linger by the pool, blinking, we notice something curious. Every time we close our eyes, we see not darkness, but the same pool as if through the eyes of another. It is clear that, long ago, another band of travellers lingered in this place — travellers who were murdered by a traitor in their party. Somehow, we are seeing their final memories.
Disturbed and curious both, we close our eyes and relive their last moments.
The Challenge
As you relive this other party’s demise by treachery, you also relive their attempts to identify their Assassin.
Travellers may not discuss. Ensure that all travellers are able to easily make eye contact from where they are sitting.
All travellers then close their eyes.
Together, the travellers count down from three. As they count, each traveller secretly chooses another traveller. On the count of zero, all travellers open their eyes and look immediately at their chosen traveller’s eyes.
If any two travellers have chosen one another and are making eye contact, both those travellers are eliminated.
Repeat this process.
The game ends when two, one or no travellers are left.
HELP FROM AN ITEM
If any traveller carries a KNIFE and is
eliminated, they may re-enter the game once.
Success. If one or two travellers remain, the Challenge is passed.
Failure. If no travellers remain, then the Challenge is failed.
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————If the Challenge is passed, and there was one traveller remaining, that traveller wins. If there were two travellers remaining, the elder one wins. The winning traveller receives the Bargain of the Assassin.
If the Challenge is failed, all travellers suffer the Curse of the Assassin. If this is the party's third Curse, click here.
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Blessings and Bargains symbolise the support of a spirit of the Elder Wood. Both offer protection against death for the traveller who wins them.
Blessings: When a spirit is pleased, it might grant its special protection to a particular traveller. Spirits who have bestowed a member of the party with their Blessing travel invisibly with them and will help to protect them when they reach the Heart of the Wood.
Travellers who win a Blessing should place the Blessing behind their Character Card so that the spirit's name and number are still visible.
Bargains: Sometimes, instead of granting its Blessing to a traveller, a spirit might instead offer a conditional protection called a Bargain. Bargains symbolise a trade between spirit and traveller; the spirit protects the traveller, but its influence affects the traveller's behaviour. The traveller must obey the Bargain rules written on the spirit's card so long as they possess the Bargain. In return, the spirit will convert its Bargain to a Blessing in the Heart of the Wood, thus helping the traveller survive.
Travellers who win a Bargain should place the Bargain card face-up to one side of their Character Card, so that they can read the card's Bargain rules.
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When a spirit is displeased by the party, it will lay its Curse upon them. Curses have dire consequences. The more Curses a party gathers, the more lives will be claimed in the Heart of the Wood. Furthermore, if a party incurs three Curses, the Wood's spirits will reject them and they will be forced to flee for their lives, ending the game.
When you incur a Curse, place it in a designated area of the table so that all travellers are aware of it.
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————Overcome by the macabre visions, we stumble away from the pool. But the other party’s last moments stay with us, etched forever on our minds.