The Barkeep
The day wears on…
In the soulless quiet of the Thicket, it can be easy to forget that we are not the only travellers to essay these lands. Abandoned camps litter the wayside like graves — mementos of unknown journeymen who came before us.
We pass one such camp now, its rubble long picked over by animals and wayfarers. And yet, against all odds, one of us spies a single treasure amongst the detritus. It is a wooden keg, plump with warm, honeyed ale.
How such a luxury could have survived so long out here, we cannot say. However, it is a mystery we do not care much to solve. Breaking the barrel open, we toast our own good fortune.
The Challenge
Make a toast to your fellow travellers!
Clockwise starting with the Reader, each traveller takes it in turns to make a dramatic, in-character toast to the traveller on their right. You must address other travellers by their names.
The travellers then count to three. As one, they point simultaneously to indicate the traveller they think gave the best toast.
Success. If one traveller earns a majority vote, the Challenge is passed.
Failure. If the vote is tied or split, nobody made an astounding toast to please the Barkeep, and the Challenge is failed.
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HELP FROM AN ITEM
If any traveller carries a FLASK, they receive an extra vote.
If the Challenge is passed before the flask’s rule is applied, the traveller who gained the most votes (post-flask) wins the Blessing of the Barkeep. If the post-flask result is tied, the Reader casts the deciding vote.
If the Challenge is failed before the flask’s rule is applied, the party earns the Curse of the Barkeep. 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.
Leaving the keg well-drained, we set off once more. But as we walk, the warmth in our bellies fades, leaving a thirst that cannot be quenched. The ghostly ale was nothing more than a phantom itself.