The Raven

The day wears on…

As we push through drooping sallows, we enter a maze of reeds that quickly confound us.

Somewhere in the reeds, a raven cries. We pay it no heed... until its cry is answered by more, multiplying in a deafening cacophony. A horde of the blue-dark birds take flight from the reeds around us. Unbidden, we remember the old children’s rhyme that our mothers used to sing, when we counted ravens on the trees outside:

One for sorrow,
Two for joy,
Three for a girl,
Four for a boy,
Five for silver,
Six for gold,
Seven for a secret never to be told…

Without thinking, we find ourselves counting the birds.


The Challenge

This is a game of group counting.

  • All travellers close their eyes. No further communication is permitted besides that of the game itself.

  • The Reader begins by speaking the number ‘one’.

  • From there, the whole party must attempt to count to the number thirteen, passing the numbers between them. It is forbidden to speak two numbers in a row, or for more than one traveller to speak at the same time. If either of these things happen, the Reader must begin again with ‘one’.

  • The travellers cannot pre-discuss a pattern or a plan. If any traveller attempts to do so, the Challenge is instantly failed.

  • The game ends when either the number ‘thirteen’ is spoken, or when the game is reset for a fourth time.

Success. If the travellers reached the number thirteen, then the Challenge is passed.

Failure. If the game is reset more than three times, or any traveller attempts to cheat by pre-discussing how to speak the numbers, then the Challenge is failed. 

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If the Challenge is passed, the last traveller to speak the number ‘thirteen’ wins the Blessing of the Raven.

HELP FROM AN ITEM

If any traveller carries a QUILL, they may claim the Raven’s Blessing instead.

If the Challenge is failed, all travellers suffer the Curse of the Raven. If this is the party's third Curse, click here.

  • 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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As the ravens wheel into the sky, we recall the second part of our mothers’ verse:

Eight for a wish,
Nine for a kiss,
Ten a surprise you should be careful not to miss,
Eleven for health,
Twelve for wealth,
Thirteen — beware, it's the devil himself.