Category: Houses of the Blooded

My new group just put the Seasons chapter through the ringer in a very good way.

They asked hard questions, making me come up with hard answers. They found mistakes, they found inconsistencies, they found loopholes. They showed me how to make the game better.

A lot better.

I’m very excited for one of the most underlooked elements of the game. The part of the game that I was actually most excited about. I can’t wait to write up all the changes. I’ll be posting them as well.

Soon. Now, it’s time for sleep.

One of my players has begun an online journal of the playtest sessions.

Actually, she’s been keeping these journals from the beginning. Fun, quick reads. You can read them here.

Most ven seek Artifacts from the ruins of the sorcerer-kings. Such items give a ven power, prestige and influence. The noble caste finances groups of ven brave enough to dare the ork-haunted ruins, hoping they’ll return with such items.

Not all return.

A small party of ven crawling through an ancient ruin. The smell of ork everywhere. Darkness. Stench.

But the torches reveal a glimmer on the wall. An ancient sword, covered in dust and cobwebs. A blackglass mirror, miraculously intact. Tylvarae. These are Artifacts, pieces of history thought long buried with the secrets of the sorcerer-kings, recovered by the ven. In ven literature, these things are spoken of with awe and reverence. And more than a little fear. Artifacts are not things to be trifled with.

Consider stumbling across an atomic bomb. You don’t know how it works. You don’t know what might set it off. You don’t know if the shielding leaks. You don’t know anything. Sure, you now have access to power—unspeakable power—but you really don’t know what to do with it. How it works. What you shouldn’t do. No clue at all. This is the sensation the ven feel coming across the Artifacts of the sorcerer-kings. Objects of power great and terrible. Unknown.
After all, one of these things blew up the world.

These rules present you with the ability to build your own Artifacts. Some of them are simple things. Magical tools left behind by their enigmatic creators. But others… who knows what they may be.

These Artifacts are all different. Different qualities, different shapes, different capabilities. Each is a puzzle, waiting to be unlocked. Some are traps.

Scratch that. Most are traps.

Many Artifacts also seem to have minds of their own, whispering to the ven who holds them. And no matter the ven, using an Artifact always—always—brings ruin to the hand that wields it.

Values & “DOOM!”
Finding an Artifact calls for a Wisdom risk. The usual target number and wagers. Success indicates you have found an Artifact. Each wager allows you to assign a Value to your Artifact. Values equal power. Each Value listed below increases the potency of your Artifact… but also increases the danger. 

Each Artifact also has at least one rank of Doom. When a ven finds an Artifact, the GM rolls one die. Secretly. The roll equals the Doom of the Artifact. 

Doom represents the inevitable ruin that follows those using the Artifacts of the sorcerer-kings. In all the stories, anyone who picks up one of these things gets whacked by the fate hammer. Even the ven recognize hubris, and in ven literature, meddling in the affairs of the sorcerer-kings is the very definition of dangerous pride. 

At his own discretion, the GM may, at any time, declare “DOOM!” He does so after a roll. After Doom has been declared, the player in question automatically rolls 9, regardless of his true roll or any other bonuses. Comes up just a little short. Just not enough. 

(I recommend pointing at the doomed individual and in your scariest voice, declare the “DOOOOOOOM!”) 

Any Artifact only has so much Doom. When the GM uses the last Doom, the Artifact in question shatters, breaks or otherwise becomes useless.

One of the most common forms of murder in ven opera and pillow books is poison. The temptation to create an elaborate system for venoms is tempting… 

Actually, it isn’t. Not even in the slightest. 

Poison kills you. That’s what it does. No risk. No rolling dice. If you ingest it, if it’s injected into your system, you are going to die. Nobody makes a “saving throw” against arsenic. Or cyanide. A drop of mercury. Or a particularly nasty spider venom. Nobody. 

In ven literature, this is particularly true. Poison spells death. In all the reference materials I have, there is not a single mention of any hero or heroine who survives poison. Not one. It may take them a week to die, but they die. 

Poison has an intention. That intention is to kill you. So, here’s the game system. 

If you get poisoned, you die. 

Poison for Wimps
Okay, so you’re not that ruthless. You’re not that cruel. 

(Why are you playing this game?) 

Here’s Poison for Wimps. Enjoy.
___
The ven know five poisons. Well, they know and trust five poisons. They don’t fiddle with venoms or toxins that just make you sick. Poison is for murder. Not sickness. 

With that in mind, let’s spend a moment talking about how to make and use poisons. 

Making a poison is a Season action. The ven know many kinds of poison, but the “big five” are the ones we’ll be using in the game. Other poisons just aren’t toxic enough to affect ven biology. 

Making poison costs a Season action. You’ll read about that in the forthcoming Seasons chapter. Using poison is usually pretty risky. After all, getting caught means you get killed—unless you are under the shadow of revenge, of course. 

Dropping poison into a cup, without being seen, isn’t covered by any of the Virtues. Waiting for the precise moment to drop a venomous liquid into your enemy’s cup, just at that right moment when nobody is looking. Waiting… waiting… 

If only there was some kind of “patience” Virtue. That would cover it nicely. Unfortunately, the ven don’t have that Virtue, so any ven undertaking a risk involving using poison cannot call upon any Virtues for that risk. Unless she sweet talks an enemy into drinking the poison. That would be Beauty. Or perhaps throwing the poison into someone’s eyes. That would be Strength. I’m sure some clever player could also come up with a valid reason why Prowess would be an appropriate Virtue. Even Courage. But sneaking poison into a cup isn’t Cunning or Beauty or Strength. It would require some other Virtue not listed in this book. 

Other Chapters
Chapter Two covers the five kinds of poison available to the ven. 

Chapter Nine talks about how to make poison as a Season action and how to make yourself immune to poison in the same manner. 

Poison Actions
Making yourself immune to a particular kind of poison… the ven immune system is pretty remarkable. You’ll have to spend a Season action making yourself immune to one of the five different poisons. 

Arsenic
Cyanide
Hemlock
Oleander
Strychnine 

Immunity costs you a Season action. If you are immune to a particular poison, you are immune to it. No risk, no dice. Immunity. If you aren’t immune to a poison, you die. No risk, no dice. Death. 

Immunity only lasts for one Season. You can only be immune to three of the five poisons; the ven can’t sustain more than that.

When a ven noble declares Revenge, another weapon becomes available to him. A weapon declared illegal under all other circumstances. A shameful weapon. A deadly weapon. The patient kiss. Poison.

Ven biology is such that most venoms and toxins do not affect them. A few are potent enough to make him stumble or perhaps even knock him on his backside. But the ven explicitly list five poisons powerful enough to kill. Ven scholars have done their research in this field, isolating the symptoms and sources, discovering exactly what these famous poisons are. I’ll save you the work and list them here for your convenience.

Also, you should know, the ven have no antidotes for these poisons. None.

ARSENIC: THE EMERALD WASTE
The ven use arsenic as a powder, green in color. The ven originally used it as a dye, but quickly discovered its toxicity, and turned the powder to less cosmetic means. Since then, the ven have developed arsenic into a thin, white powder. Tasteless and odorless, it absorbs into liquid quickly, leaving no residue. Despite its new appearance, arsenic’s ven name remains.

Once poisoned, the victim’s skin turns pale. Headaches. Vomiting and retching. A complete failure of the digestive system follows. Horrible stomach pains. Sparkling red eyes. Death comes within hours.

Arsenic must be ingested, but it can be fed to animals, and even after cooking, any ven who eats the poisoned animal will suffer the effects.

CYANIDE: THE CRIMSON GASP
Made from fruit seeds, cyanide appears as a grey or brown powder that smells like almonds. The ven originally used it as a flavoring powder as lower dosages caused giddiness and a severe lack of judgment. Further experimentation lead to its current usage.

Cyanide poisoning shuts down the body’s ability to process oxygen, causing the victim to helplessly gasp for breath as his brain slowly dies of asphyxiation. After death, the blood takes on a tell-tale cherry red color.

Cyanide may be ingested or inhaled.

HEMLOCK: FOX’S REVENGE
The hemlock plant is beautiful to look upon. Pure white, spotted with blue, red and purple. “Fox’s Revenge,” indeed. Different stories attribute the origin of hemlock’s name. We may never know the truth, but they all make lovely stories.

Almost the entire plant is poisonous, but which part depends on which part of the year. The roots are poisonous during winter and fall, but the leaves find their venom in the spring. Once poisoned, the victim’s body begins to slow down, exhibiting symptoms of Solace. The limbs grow heavy, the body cannot move. Pain as the muscles shut down. Eventually, the victim’s lungs cease and she dies the kind of slow, agonizing, beautiful death that only a Fox can provide.

Hemlock must be ingested.

OLEANDER: IKHALU’S MILK
The ven know the entire oleander plant is toxic, but they rely solely on the sap—the white, milky sap—when seeking revenge. Ikhalu’s milk must be ingested, but once it is, the effects are immediate and fatal.

Ikhalu’s milk forces the heart to beat at a staggering and irregular pace, causing the entire body to shut down. Irregular and violent blood flow. Almost immediate death.

Ikhalu’s milk cannot be hidden well. It is sticky and thick. It does not mix well with other liquids. It must be ingested. But while the other poisons listed here provide a painful death within minutes or hours, oleander is the only poison of the five that causes almost immediate death to its subject.

(Note: this is not true of humans, but for whatever reason, oleander is immediately fatal to the ven.)

STRYCHNINE: THE SPECTRE DANCE
Of all the poisons listed here, strychnine is, by far, the most dramatic. Introduced into the system, the victim immediately begins suffering seizures of a most violent sort. His limbs flail, his head and neck thrash. His screams. Introduced into the body through ingestion, the victim appears as if he is suffering from a mad, vicious dance with invisible beasts.

The spectre dance.

There is nothing subtle about strychnine. Its effects are immediate and obvious. The spectre dance is used by those who wish to make a point. It is the poison hammer. “Let it be known.”

(Later, more information on the non-lethal toxins floating around Shanri.)

I’m adding a new Region type. “Swamp.”
Swamps give you access to both sorcery and poisons.

Making a poison is a Season action. The ven know many kinds of poisons. I count about 5. You’ll need to make one of those specific kinds of poisons.

Making yourself immune to a particular kind of poison… the ven immune system is pretty remarkable. You’ll have to spend a Season action making yourself immune to one of the five different poisons. Immunity lasts for one Season.

If you become poisoned, you gain the aspect “Poisoned.” You also die. The amount of time it takes for you to die depends on the poison type.

This also opens the “Poison Master” vassal. 😉

One of the most common forms of murder in ven opera and pillow books is poison. The temptation to create an elaborate system for venoms is tempting…

Actually, it isn’t. Not even in the slightest.

Poison kills you. That’s what it does. No risk. No rolling dice. If you ingest it, if it’s injected into your system, you are going to die. Nobody makes a “saving throw” against arsenic. Or cyanide. A drop of mercury. Or a particularly nasty spider venom. Nobody.

In ven literature, this is particularly true. Poison spells death. In all the reference materials I have, there is not a single mention of any hero or heroine who survives poison. Not one. It may take them a week to die, but they die.

Poison has an intention. That intention is to kill you. So, here’s the game system.

If you get poisoned, you die.

The pillow books talk about them. Other historical references cite them.

Used only in duels–except in the cases of extreme treachery–pistols existed in ancient Shanri. We know this. But I am reluctant to include them in the game.

To be completely faithful to the source material, I should have them in the book. We know the ven used them only in matters of Revenge… except for the aforementioned criminal manner. Using such a weapon outside the context of Revenge was a crime punishable by death. And only death. And to a ven, such a punishment–depriving the defendant of Solace–was terrifying enough to keep pistols out of most ven hands.

Pistols would be deadly. A successful hit gains the user an automatic four wagers, ensuring a crippling Injury. 

The only way to gain the materials neccessary for firearms would require a special region: the Swamp. No Food, no Spices. Just Black Powder.

Ven references do not mention rifles or muskets at all. Not a single citation.

And the pistol is regarded as something different than a Sword. A true weapon used for a single purpose. A single deadly purpose. The purpose of murder. Such a weapon the ven regard with awe and terror. With a sword, there is Art. The parry, the lunge, the riposte. With a pistol, there is only the squeeze of a trigger and blood and murder.

“My intent is to murder you.” Four free wagers.

I’m reluctant. But if I am completely faithful to the source material, the pistol must be present. With all the weight it carries.

As you may have gathered from the title, this chapter is for the GM. Players can read it if they wish—there are no metaplot secrets or spoilers—but reading this chapter is a lot like learning how a magic trick works. And trust me, learning how a trick works is a lot less sexy than watching the trick in the audience. 

In the audience, everything appears effortless. Magic. Once you know about the trap door in the floor or the marked cards or the slight hand gesture that hides the bird from plain sight… trust me, knowing how the trick works isn’t as cool as it sounds.

And using a magician metaphor is entirely appropriate here. After all, a GM is a kind of magician. Magicians create something out of nothing. Pulling rabbits out of hats, making beautiful assistants appear and disappear, pulling your card out of a deck of 52. Creating something from nothing.

Shanri and the ven do not exist. Not anymore, anyway. But the GM’s job is to convince you that your character does exist. To pull emotions out of you from pure fiction.

When you feel the danger of the ork.
When you feel the passion of Revenge.
When you feel the mystery of a puzzle house.

Magician. Making something from nothing.

The ven called this altrua. (Do not believe scholars who say this is the true root of the word “altruism” or “truth.” They’re talking out of their hats.) The best translation for this word is the Greek pathos.

In a dark theater, watching the hero on the screen, and you feel his pain as your own.
Watching the TV, feeling the heroine’s heart break, the pain as real as your own.
Reading the novel, the suspense in the detective’s chest, pounding as hard as your own.

Altrua. Pathos. 

This is your primary goal as the GM. To make the players feel what the characters feel. What they see. What they smell. A hint of danger. That whiff of scented hair. The taste of the wine. The bliss of new love. The cut of steel against flesh. 

All of these things are possible. Something from nothing. 

Magic. 

Let me show you.