The Triplets
The day wears on… Or does it?
We are standing, suddenly, in a foggy forest. The problem is, we have no memory of coming here. In fact, we have no memory of anything since we set out from camp this morning.
A noise — childish laughter, echoing through the fog. The mist clears to reveal a green, overgrown glade. The vegetation has a peculiar, watercolour quality, as if seen through a frosted glass. In the glade’s centre, on three logs of varying height, sit three children of no more than eight years of age. The first wears long, hooded robes. The second — the female child — wears a dress covered in silk bows. The third child wears a flat cap and dark clothes. All wear strange, crudely-carved wooden masks that hide their faces from view.
“Oh!” cries the female. “There they are! Quickly — sit and play, before Daddy finds out and ruins it all!”
We have no choice. Some fearful power compels us to walk forth. In a moment, we sit upon the logs alongside the children.
“You have to play our game,” says the female child. “I’ll be Moons!”
“I’ll be Cups!” cries the child in the flat cap.
“And I,” says the hooded child, “will be Scrolls…”
The Challenge
You are forced to play ‘Scroll, Moon, Cup!’ by the Triplets. It’s a little like Rock, Paper, Scissors…
The travellers mutually decide on three simple gestures to represent Scroll, Moon and Cup respectively. Scroll beats Moon beats Cup beats Scroll.
Together, the travellers count down from three. On the count of zero, each traveller performs a gesture simultaneously.
If all travellers have chosen the same gesture, play another round.
If two of the three gestures are performed, all travellers who performed the losing gesture are eliminated.
If all three gestures are performed, play another round.
The game ends when only one traveller remains or the game reaches ten rounds.
HELP FROM AN ITEM
If any traveller carries a MASK and is
eliminated, they may re-enter the game once.
Success. If the game is won in under ten rounds, the Challenge is passed.
Failure. If the game goes ten rounds without a winner, the Triplets get bored and the Challenge is failed.
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————If the Challenge is passed, the last remaining traveller receives the Bargain of the Triplets.
If the Challenge is failed, all travellers suffer the Curse of the Triplets. If this is the party's third Curse, click here.
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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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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 one, the children’s heads swivel, as if hearing a far-off sound.
“Oh bother!” cries the female child. “He’s coming this way! Quickly — or he’ll reap their souls, and we’ll never get to play again.”
The three children leap into the air. The colours of the glade grow brighter — deeper — more blurred. The fog descends, a cacophony of colour and —
We are waking, suddenly, by the fire. It is dawn once more, on the same day. We never set out from camp.
The rest of the day passes without incident.