The Butcher
Working together, we put the great beast down. As her calf bleats plaintively, we butcher the mother’s corpse, preserving the meat as best we can for the road ahead. Then, rising, we push on.
The Butcher approves of your choice, but it is not wholly convinced of your bloodthirst. The first traveller who chose to slaughter the cow receives the Bargain of the Butcher.
HELP FROM AN ITEM
If any traveller who chose to kill either cow carries a KNIFE, they may claim the Butcher’s Bargain instead.
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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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