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Chapter I - Act II: Games of Chance

Narrative: Narrative ModeThe second mode, called Narrative Mode, handles the more flexible activities in the game in terms of detail and time. While no one is tracking things carefully in rounds or strictly managing turns, everyone’s still at the table, the Path of Suns board and Sooth Deck are out and in play, and the GM is managing the actions and outcomes. There are still die rolls to be made, points to be spent, and so on, but probably not with the frequency of Action Mode.

Sooth Deck: The Harvesting Spider

Effects: Effective level of all Red magic is raised by 1, or Sorcery cost reduced by 1. Effective level of all Blue magic is decreased by 1, or Sorcery cost increased by 1. Stoics receive a +1 to all Actions.

Divination: "As terrifying as this card appears, its meanings are more esoteric, but still significant. The always active spider signifies action. Act— immediately. Work—hard. Success can be had, but only as the result of action and toil. The Harvesting Spider is also a subtle hunter, and thus can suggest that stealth might be required in one’s endeavors."

Ignoring their new hostess to focus on the vanished interloper, Xanah had to cut a wide swath around the enshrouded figure in order return to their noble steed. The massive azure butterfly appeared unharmed as she drew near, and yet something was wrong. She could feel it as she came to a stop, like a miasma that sunk into her skin. There was a stain upon the air about her, felt more than witnessed, for as her eyes looked over the gleaming statues and pristine white marble she kept looking for oil slicks that weren't there. Something profoundly unnatural had tainted this place with its very presence. Had it been the strange grey man she'd seen standing there only moments before? It was by far the easiest explanation. The massive butterfly cleaned its antennae, and though she had no talent for reading the construct's thoughts, it felt like agitation.

"It follows me even here..."

The entity hovering before Felicia, Shustliel, and Aldrion said, her whispered voice sounding suddenly sad as she gazed in Xanah's direction. She turned slowly, her feet not touching the ground as she towered over them. There was no croaking to her voice, no secret to understanding her tongue. She wished for them to understand her words, and so they did. She wished for them to hear the sorrow in her voice, and so they did.

"And you have followed me here too, it seems."

Her black eyes took in the trio, her mouth and nose obscured by the same Mantle of power that flickered out behind her.

"Or else that treacherous little toad of a Somniferous Husk would still have me trapped in dream, and my Unkindness would still be in distress."

They noted the quiet then, how the massive flock had settled about them. It was not silence, Ravens still gargled and cackled at each other. Yet most had landed at her appearance, and settled down to watch with rapt attention. Even noting that she was the one the birds had sought, they couldn't put a name to her. They could think of her as a queen of Ravenkind, but the moment they tried to describe her as the Queen of anything, the name slipped from their minds. They could imagine the idea of a Trueraven, but they couldn't attach the name to the spirit floating before them. She felt wrong for it too, a minor reflection of the corruption that Xanah was experiencing. She should have had a name, she should have had many. Yet all that was her name had been taken, and nothing had been put into its place. It shouldn't have been, something should have slipped in to fill that void. Yet nothing had, and they got the sensation that nothing ever would. She just was, they couldn't even think of her as "the Nameless," because that was too close to giving her a title. She simply was.

Felicia looked at the aftermath of their struggle, her Maker's eyes picking up treasures amongst the corpse of the creature they had been fighting that others would have missed. More Dream than substance, the Somniferous Husk's EctoplasmLevel 3 Material was already decaying in the midday sun, Raw NightmareLevel 5 Ingredient splattered like blood about it. She'd be able to collect a bottle or two of both if she acted quickly. More importantly, she spotted a beautiful gem, a Crystalized DreamLevel 5 Power Source discarded amongst the wreckage of their conflict.

Threads

• Go talk to the Unkindness
  • Talk with Magister Kuros about flight
    • Accept the Magister's bargain
  • Learn more about names from Magister Lui
  • Discover what has invaded the Nest
• Retrieve five Cordovin Stones from the Ruined Expanses Bleed