The Convict
The day wears on…
We shuffle through miles of muck, our skin sticky in the humid air. This leg of our journey feels particularly miserable — and, with the mist of the Mire pressing around us, there is no end in sight.
Suddenly, in the distance, we hear a cacophony of rattling chains and manic shouts. A ghostly prisoner dashes from the fog, his expression a marriage of ecstasy and terror. As he approaches us, images flash unbidden to our minds, horrific visions of roach-bedevilled prisons, urine-stained cells, cruel guards and maggot-ridden rations.
We behold, in our mind’s eye, the convict’s terrible imprisonment — and, in the end, his daring escape.
The Challenge
We relive the prison break of the Convict.
Shuffle the deck. Deal out a pile of facedown cards equal to the number of travellers plus one. Place the pile in the centre.
This pile of cards represents the prison, with each card representing a door.
Clockwise starting with the Reader, every traveller takes it in turns to say a number from one to thirteen aloud. Once a number is spoken, it cannot be chosen by another traveller in that round.
Flip over the top card of the prison. If the number of the card matches any of those guessed by the travellers, the party has successfully ‘picked' a lock’ and may move to the next room of the prison.
If no traveller has guessed the correct number, the traveller with the numerically furthest guess is eliminated. In case of ties, the traveller with the high total number value (their Blessings, Bargains and Character Card values combined) is eliminated.
Play continues with the next card, repeating the process.
The game ends when the pile is exhausted or every traveller is eliminated.
HELP FROM AN ITEM
If any traveller carries a KEY, they may call out two numbers for every round of play.
Success. If the pile is exhausted and at least one traveller remains in play, the prison break is a success and the Challenge is passed.
Failure. If all travellers are eliminated before the deck is exhausted, the prison break — and the Challenge — are both failed.
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————If the Challenge is passed, the last traveller to pick a lock (guess a card number correctly) wins the Blessing of the Convict.
If the Challenge is failed, the party suffers the Curse of the Convict. If this is the party's third Curse, click here.
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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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————The escapee charges desperately towards us, a cry on his lips. But just as it seems certain we will collide, his form dissolves into shadows and light. Only the billowing fog remains.
Re-form the deck before continuing.