The Torturer

Our torments grows, overwhelming us — crushing us. At last, one of us crumbles. Crying out, they relent to the voice’s demands. Another traveller must take this pain.

  • The first traveller to relent chooses another traveller to inflict their torture upon.

    • If the tortured traveller owns any Blessings, the Torturer is pleased. Those Blessings all become Bargains.

    • If the tortured traveller owns no Blessings, then they must instead discard a Bargain or Item.

    • If the tortured traveller owns no Blessings, Bargains or Items, the Torturer feels cheated. The party suffers the Curse of the Torturer. If this is the party's third Curse, click here.

  • For their willingness to inflict pain, the first traveller to relent gains the Bargain of the Torturer.

HELP FROM AN ITEM

If any traveller carries a ROPE, they may claim the Torturer’s Bargain instead.

  • 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.

  • 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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At last, the wave of pain subsides. Addled and half-blind, we limp our way from the barn. We will camp far from this place tonight.

If this is your FIRST night in the Thicket, click here.
If this is your SECOND night or later in the Thicket, click here.