This is the second installment in a series of posts in which I try to evoke the setting of Amongst the Ruins through implication rather than mere exposition. Last time, I explored the concept of harm by providing a list of potentially harmful items rooted into the material specifics of Gaúl in an attempt to bring the setting a little bit closer to life. At the end of the post, I wondered about the ways people in Amongst the Ruins care for each other and entertained the possibility of writing a blog post about just that.
This is the result.
For some reason, this list has been much harder to write than the previous one. While the concept of harm seems to be pretty self-explanatory, the notion of care feels much more tenuous and subjective, as the ways we care for ourselves and others are much more varied and context dependent, so much so, that some of the items on this list might look out of place or at least puzzling. For this reason, I have established the following rules to guide the writing process:
- This is NOT a post about weapons. Every item on this list makes or has made someone's life easier in non-violent ways somewhere in Gaúl and the Annexed Territories. Even if this fact is not immediately apparent to the reader, these items are used or have been used to take care of others.
- Mens sana... Mechanically speaking, most of these objects either reduce stress or help the body heal. If your system doesn't use stress, simply have your characters heal 1d6 HP for every 1 stress reduced. The same applies to severity and injuries.
- Caring is HARD (and so is writing). Expect to find some relatively accessible subsystems in some of the descriptions. Similarly, some of the descriptions are longer than the last time. This is the minimum amount of writing required to make items both flavourful and mechanically distinct (I promise).
1d20 Objects of Care
1. Flask of Yesterwater. Completely odourless and tasteless. 1 gulp: empty 1 Memory slot of your choice. 2 gulps: empty a random Memory slot. 3 gulps: empty 1d6 Memory slots randomly, pass a Presence test or lose 1 Memory slot permanently. 3 gulps.
2. Asturan Wool Blanket. Soft like a puff of feathers, warm like your childhood's crib. Keeps you warm in any situation. Sleeping in this blanket for at least 1 watch grants +1 Threshold for the rest of the day.
3. Saltstone. A fist-sized, rough edged chunk of essential minerals harvested from an acrodonta's gizzard. If boiled for at least 1/2 watch, the resulting soup can be drunk to obtain basic nourishment for the day. 20 uses. 1/2 slot.
4. Pot of Treacle. Thick and sirupy, overpowering sweet taste. Taken by the spoonful. -1 stress, half benefit from food during rests and feasts. One pot contains 10 spoonfuls.
5. Ictian Infusion. Water turned black by pulverised solifuge carapace. Clears the mind and reveals deception. -1d2 stress, lies spoken in your presence look like a cloud of black flies leaving the liar's mouth. 3-in-6 chance that you see your dreams for what they truly are. Don't benefit from rest that night.
6. Box of Besutu Cigars. Strong scent, tastes of toasted coffee -1 stress, thick black smoke, pass Vitality or start coughing like an old man (suffer 1d3 damage). One box contains 6 cigars.
7. Pergamum Essence Flacon. Looks like liquid gold, leaves a glittering impression on the skin. Grants an aura of ethereal magnetism (+4 Reaction Rolls with humans). You can test Presence to issue commands as long as they are phrased as suggestions. Lasts for 1/2 watch or until you fail a Presence test.
8. Nighmilk Drops. Extracted from the lilium noctis in the Lunar Fields of Ictia. Turn your eyes milk-white. You see creatures as shimmering outlines of silverine light as long as darkness is not total. Upon sudden light, pass a Vitality test or be stunned for 1 round. Lasts for 1/2 watch.
9. Silverine Mirror. A rough shard of argentum wrapped in silk. Used by Ictian maze-runners to find their way in the Labyrinthine Grounds. It only reflects the moon. If exposed to direct sunlight, it melts away in a blinding flash of silver light.
10. Ballad of Amorus & Castella. Recounts the downfall of Iudex Amorus and the rise of his beloved, Serf Castella, who would eventually rise in arms and lead a revolution in a fabled distant colony. Sung as both a cautionary tale and an inspirational folk song. The singer tests Presence and the audience tests Knowledge. One succeeds: -2 stress. Both succeed: -2 stress, +4 vs charm for 1 watch. Takes 1 hour to sing fully. 1 Memory.
11. Death Pins. Hard and pliant, harvested from immature mesechin hoglets. Stabbing yourself with one of these makes you overconfident and reckless (+1 vs Fear, +1 damage dealt, +1 damage taken per pin). Removing a pin causes 1 damage.
12. Hunters & Preys. An intuition driven board game popular among Trailblazers. It can be played with a board or few lines on the dirt and pebbles of varying sizes. Both players roll Intuition. Winner: -1d2 stress. Loser: +1 stress. Crushing Victory (Nat. 1): -2 stress and advantage to your Intuition tests for 1 watch. Astounding Defeat (Nat. 20): +2 stress. Draw: -1 stress to both players.
13. Bottle of Hagslime. Sticky and slimy. +4 vs grapples, can fit through a whole as small as your head. 3-in-6 chance of dropping an object when trying to use it. Dries and falls off after 1/2 watch. 3 uses.
14. Joy Peepers. A pair of crystallized chamaeran eyes, said to fend off bad dreams and evil spirits. Gives off a dim, hollow light. Sleeping under their gaze grants a dreamless sleep.
15. Pungent Pouch. A small sackcloth bag filled with egresian dried petals and crushed halys husks. If put under someone's nose, wakes them up immediately. Allows a Presence test to break free from stuns or charms.
16. Soothing Words. Full of warmth and comfort. Test Presence to care for someone you esteem. On a success, -1 stress to both of you. On a failure, -1 stress to them. Alternatively, you can try to pacify someone in an agitated state of mind, granting them a Presence test to clear their mind. You can only soothe a given creature once a day. 1 Memory.
17. Witch Spit. Earthen sludge, smells of rotting vegetation. Cool to the touch. If applied to a burn within the hour it was caused, reduces its Severity by 1. Comes in clay bottles. 3 uses.
18. Faulty Music Box. Scratched and worn. The etching of a faded rose languishes on the top. When wound, the box plays a melancholic tune for 1d6 minutes, invoking memories of better times (-1 stress) or unspeakable longing (+1 stress, test Presence or start crying).
19. Voidfold. Its like staring at absolute darkness. Inquisitors in training wear them to hone their senses and signify the neutral devotion to their cause. If worn for at least 1 watch, reduce the Severity of any sight related injuries by 1. 1/3 slot.
20. Koyaanis Comb. Made with solidified metamorphic ossein extracted from the Argosian caverns of Koyaanis. Elegant, floral carvings adorn the piece. With a twist of the handle, the comb morphs into various other grooming utensils. -1 stress and +1 Presence in civilized environments if you groom yourself for at least 1 hour.
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| Ke Liu |
Materiality
The more I write about this stuff, the more apparent it is to me that the key to immersion is located in the relationship between the PCs and the physical world. In my previous post, I commented on the link between specificity and historicity, implying that there is a strong connection between setting-bound equipment and the capacity to bring worlds to life. While there is a lot to be said about representation and flavour, I do believe that, in the end, most relationships are mediated, at least partially, through a material medium. Whether it be a mother wrapping a slice of smoked porkin meat for her child, the duchess spraying some pergamum on her forehead right before tonight's reception or a nervous bachelor combing his hair for the umpteenth time with a Koyaanis comb before his date with Melantha, the Scarlet Daughter, this or that object is always present. Having the players find, or even better, stumble upon these items is, in my opinion, the best way to evoke a living, dynamic world. Legendary items are cool and all, but there is only so much worldbuilding one can do through them. The ordinary and the mundane, the commonplace, they paint the picture of the here and now. Turning all of this into an adventure worth pursuing is another matter completely.
I was told while reading angrydm's block that bringing minuite details to your narration even if it is completely irrelevant really helps with players getting into the setting. Likewise, your small flavour description of items makes them seem more real to me.
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