The Blacksmith
As we study the knight’s runes, we hear a sound through the trees — the distant chime of iron on iron. But though we follow it, we find nothing, and the sound swiftly fades to silence.
The Blacksmith approves of the lesson you have learned. The first traveller who chose to agree with the Blacksmith wins the Blacksmith’s card as a Bargain.
HELP FROM AN ITEM
If any traveller who agreed with the Blacksmith carries a HAMMER, they may claim the Blacksmith’s Bargain for themselves.
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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.