92 contacts Moon, an Unrequited Love Owyn, a Former Teacher Anaisha, a Mercy Clemenza, an Arcane Dealer Farina, a Dilettante A Member of the Coterie’s House special permission A Vulgar Display of Power - Once per errand you may use your Vulgar Display of Power to employ your knack in a flashy or dangerous way. Say what you’re doing and your intended goal. [0 load] specialized gear A Fine Arcane Focus - Describe what your focus looks like. Once per errand you may use it to increase your odds of success at a difficult task. [1 load] Impressive Costume - An ostentatious outfit that lets everyone know a wizard has just entered the room, for when you want to be noticed. [1 load] Ritual Implements - You have a set of tools unique to you, for the purpose of casting ritual magic. You decide what is in your kit. [1 load] A Familiar Spirit - An arcane creature able to carry out simple tasks, visible only to you. [0 load] The Lady’s Kiss - A powerful charm that protects against supernatural threats. [0 load]
Che Key A political mastermind.
94 People and things are not so very different. They are all bits, components, points of friction. They speak to you. You see the manner in which they might be gently modified, repaired, tinkered with, and broken down. A bit of pressure here, a subtle change just so, and there you have it. Whether with words or tools, you know how to wind them up, Key. You have a reputation for this sort of thing, a good name that could carry you as far as you are willing to push your luck. Your words are as carefully selected as the tools of a watchmaker, as sharp as the scalpels of a physician. You see how this all fits together. Because people and things follow certain immutable lines of logic, even if they do not all believe it so. It rankles them, Key, but there are few doors you cannot open. As a Key, you gain xp when you address a challenge with expertise or calculation. You are a technician. You modify the game by virtue of being a Key. You support your coterie during and after the errand with extra actions, free assists, and reduced exposure. Just as important, Ilrien’s games are the waters in which you swim. You pass among the nobles as one of them with your invitations and courtly clothes. And don’t discount Skeleton Key; rolling your best action and adapting it to the task at hand is a powerful tool. gain the following features Special armor to resist a complication related to suspicion or persuasion (when you are present). Starting Action Dots: [2] Sway, [1] Tinker questions to consider • What former problem established your reputation? • Do the other members of the House see you as an asset to be jealously guarded, or a too-clever climber to be watched with care? • Are your preparations and plans carefully thought out, or do you trust your own cleverness in the moment?
95 bonds • __ and I once worked at cross purposes. I hope they do not bear a grudge. • I’ve often found myself apologizing for __. No matter the gaffe, I’ll smooth it out. • __ is my rock. When the plan goes awry, I can count on them. • __ is rash and reckless. I will teach them discretion. • I sponsored __ into the House. They must excel or both of us will suffer. • __ and I burned many bridges together to rise this far. We share a common enemy. special abilities Skeleton Key - Push yourself and roll your best action rating while performing a different action. Say how you adapt your skill to this use. Expertise - Due to careful planning during downtime, you may give yourself or a coterie member one extra downtime activity. If you do not use this feature during your downtime, you may use it during the next errand to flashback without costing stress. I Know This Tune - You can always tell when someone is lying to you. Foresight - Twice per errand, you may assist a teammate without paying stress. Describe how you’ve prepared for it. Under the Rug - During downtime, you get +1 effect when you reduce exposure, and your shame level counts as 1 less for the purpose of entanglements so long as you explain the situation to your superiors. A Good Name - When you push yourself in social engagements, while consorting or swaying, you can gain both +1 effect and +1d, instead of one or the other. Attention to Detail - You are a stickler for details. Take +1d to your roll when working on a long-term project. You can also push yourself to ignore the drawback of a crafted device (unreliable, volatile, et cetera).
96 contacts Babette, a Banker Elijah, a Master Architect Jian, a Master Craftsman Alisha, a Diplomat Genovese, a Childhood Friend A Member of the Coterie’s House special permission A Believable Excuse - You are a master at crafting plausible stories. Once per errand, when you make an excuse, the receiver will be inclined to believe you. [0 load] specialized gear Fine Tinkering Tools - Masterfully crafted tools for manipulating tiny parts, like those found within a pocket watch or puzzle box. [1 load] A Concealable Weapon - Discretion, thy name is valor. You have a weapon you can carry nearly anywhere without detection. [1 load] Fine Courtly Clothes - You are expert at looking your part. You have an outfit of the latest fashion at all times, and when you clean up, anyone unfamiliar with you assumes you are proper nobility. [1 load] A Fine Invitation - You can acquire an invitation to any event. Say how you acquired it. [0 load] A Small Pricey Gift - You never show up anywhere empty-handed. Say what you’ve brought and why you chose it. [0 load]
97 Standard Items Luck Charm: A small, personal charm that can be used to bring a little luck to a situation. [0 load] Flint and Steel: Kept in a small case, it would be unfashionable to be caught without it. It’s also handy for starting fires. [0 load] Armor: Leather armor, capable of lessening harm. [2 load] A Blade or Two: Perhaps you carry a saber, a set of daggers, a poniard, a meat cleaver, or a foil. [1 load] Single Shot Pistol: A heavy ranged weapon, devastating at 20 paces, but slow to reload. [1 load] or Two Pistols [2 load] Lantern: An oil lantern, simple or ornate. [1 load] Documents: Maps, tomes, or volumes commonly available. [1 load] Large Weapon: A two-handed weapon such as a battle ax or hunting rifle. [2 load] Throwing Knives: Typically small and well-balanced. Dangerous at 20 paces. [1 load] Burglary Gear: A set of lockpicks, a pry bar, vials of oil, and personalized, inconspicuous burglary tools. [1 load] Demolition Tools: A sledgehammer, iron spikes, a crowbar, and personalized tools. [2 load] Arcane Implements: Containers, alchemical reagents, and a small personal tome. [1 load] Climbing Gear: A large coil of rope, a small coil of rope, grappling hooks, climbing harness, pitons, and driving hammer. [2 load] Subterfuge Supplies: Stage makeup and costumes. Blank documents and forged identifications. [1 load]
98 Coterie & House Creation The Esultare comprises the six Houses Major, with the ruling House holding supreme power of censure as voted for by the Houses Minor. At the First House’s discretion, any House with two levels of shame loses one errand for the social season, until they make amends. A new election can be called any time there is a major failure on the part of the First House, perceived or otherwise. choose a house to serve The House you serve determines your coterie’s modus operandi. What one House would consider a smart move; another house may consider ill-advised. The House you serve is not intended to be restrictive, rather another way to flavor your game play. Sometimes it will be worth angering your patrons to get a job done. Decide as a group which House you are the most interested in serving. There are six distinct Houses to choose from, and each one has its own way of doing things most of the time. Choose the House that best reflects your preferred shared playstyle, or just whichever the group is most excited about. House Corvetto - The oldest known House in Ilrien, House Corvetto is mysterious, tyrannical, and feared. House Battalia - The watchtower of Ilrien, House Battalia won the freedom of Ilrien in The Last War. They are noble, vigilant, and honorable. House Bastien - Champion of the people, House Bastien is loved by the common folk and only tolerated by the other Houses of the Esultare at best. House Lovell - The socialites of the Esultare, House Lovell makes it their business to know everything about everyone. After all, knowledge is power. House Al-Mari - Fearsome mercenary princes from across the sea, they’ve staked their claim by sheer power and force of will. House Elanda - The most powerful merchant family in the greatest city the world has ever known, House Elanda deals in goods and fiore, carefully guarding its reputation.
99 Like a Playbook, your House shapes how you are known in Ilrien. You will be treated by the citizenry as an extension of your greater House, and anyone who is anyone will most likely know who you serve. Your coterie begins with 0 favor in its ledger. You are tier 2, with 0 exposure. choose a reputation Your coterie has just formed. Given this group of characters and their backgrounds, what initial reputation would you have winding through the streets of Ilrien? Choose one of the options below, or create your own reputation. Ambitious, Brutal, Daring, Honorable, Subtle, Arcane, Loyal, Reliable, Uncouth, Respectable, Dangerous. Your coterie gains xp when they bolster their current reputation, so this is another way to indicate the sort of action you’re most interested in. Will you be arcane masterminds, overcoming problems with magic? Will you be honorable heroes, defending your moral code even when it is not in your best interest? choose your strengths Each House begins with two Strengths, resources synonymous with the House, one preselected (listed on the House sheet) and one of your choice. These Strengths represent assets to which the House has immediate access. The coterie can leverage these Strengths for a reduced stress cost (or zero, depending on the need and timeframe). All Houses have access to all of these strengths, but they do not have the ability to leverage them all at a moment’s notice. Example: House Lovell begins with the resource Intelligence already marked. The group decides they would like to play House Lovell as strong in Magic and Intelligence for this campaign. When the coterie is faced with having to spy on the comings and goings of the Second House of the Esultare, they ask the House’s Spymistress for help, receiving the aid of one of her best spies within the target House. A leveraged Strength is typically worth +1d on an engagement roll. If, instead, they needed to leverage Force from the House, such as marshalling a small cadre to subdue a problem faction, they could be subject to a high cost, a significant wait, owing influence, or another drawback. If Force had been one of its Strengths, they may have been able to rapidly pull together a contingent from their House guard for the coterie’s use.
100 extended example uses for strengths Intelligence: Accessing Spies, Access the Latest Gossip Magic: Leveraging Arcane Artifacts, Identifying Knacks and the Supernatural Wealth: Large Bribes and Ransoms, Extravagant Parties Transport: Move Unimpeded Across the City, Move Artifacts without Questions Asked Force: Marshalling Troops, Rally a Defense Supply: Withstand a Siege, Acquiring Something Rare choose a special ability Take a look at your House Sheet, and choose one special ability. When in doubt, go with the first ability on the list- it is placed first as a good choice, thematic of the House. But choose whichever ability is the most exciting to everyone. You can add additional special abilities in the future by spending earned xp. All of these choices lead to a focused range of possible errands to keep everyone on the same page. Instead of playing a generic coterie, for example, you are playing a coterie for House Corvetto. You are ambitious, with easy access to wealth and magic, and you are known to act in mysterious ways. assign coterie upgrades An upgrade is typically a valuable new asset or an improvement to a currently owned asset. At the start of the game you choose 2 upgrades you feel best suit your coterie. You can choose any of the House-specific coterie upgrades shown on your House sheet, or any universal House upgrade, available to coteries of all the Houses. When you choose your 2 upgrades, the GM will describe two different factions impacted by your choices. One faction helped you get an upgrade and was somehow uplifted in the bargain. They are well disposed toward you. Take +1 Status with them. At your option, spend 1 Influence to repay their kindness, and take +2 Status with them instead.
101 One faction was in some way diminished when you got an upgrade. They bear you ill will. Take -2 Status with them. At your option, spend 1 Influence to mollify them, and take -1 Status with them instead. If your coterie begins with a retinue or a colleague, follow the procedure to create it. Record the faction status changes due to your upgrades. You will unlock further upgrades in the future by earning xp (see: Coterie Advancement, page 64). establish a sphere of influence Look at the map and pick a Sphere of Influence (a unique part of a larger district), other than the Palace, to be your first Sphere of Influence. Decide how to deal with the primary faction operating in the area. • Pay them 1 Influence. • Pay them 2 Influence and get +1 Status. • Pay them nothing and get -1 Status. choose a favorite contact Choose one contact from your Sphere of Influence to be a close friend or longterm ally. The GM will tell you about two more factions affected by your choice. • One faction is also friendly with this contact and you get +1 Status with them. • One faction is unfriendly with this contact and you get -1 Status with them. • At your option, these factions are even more concerned with this contact and so you take +2 and -2 Status instead. name your coterie Will you be the Wolves of Lovell? The Gilt Spindle? The Boots? Decide as a group on a name encompassing your reputation, history, or the image you wish to portray.
coterie creation summary 1. Choose a House to serve. 2. Choose your initial reputation. 3. Choose the House’s strengths. 4. Choose a special ability. 5. Assign coterie upgrades. 6. Establish your House’s Sphere of Influence. 7. Choose a favorite contact. 8. Name your Coterie.
House Corvetto The Majestic Tyrants
104 The Ilrienne would be hard-pressed to think of a time when House Corvetto did not dwell within Ilrien, plucking arcane strings and dispatching assassins from atop their shadowed towers. There is an old Ilrienne saying: Better under a Corvetto wing than a Corvetto beak. house strengths • Unique XP Trigger: Overcome an obstacle with Coercion or Majesty. • Resource Strengths: Magic. The Corvetto hoard magic and boast more Knacks than any other House. • House Healer: Grace special feature Our Reputation Precedes Us; when you execute a Social Engagement, your contact may always be Someone Who Fears Us and you start in a Risky position. (This replaces your usual engagement roll in this instance. corvetto coterie upgrades Master Keys - The Lower wards of the city are as open to you as empty streets. They cannot keep you out. Good Help - When you hire a colleague belonging to the Fox school of expertise they function as 1 tier higher. The Daunting Parlor - The coterie gains access to the House’s private negotiation rooms. When you negotiate terms in these rooms, do so with +1d. Clever Tailors - You gain +2 free load for armor or disguises.
105 special abilities Mysterious Ways - Each PC adds +1 action dot to Sway or Channel. Our Time - Take +1d to engagement rolls between the hours of tryst and whist. (midnight to 4am) Silent Footfalls - All PCs within the coterie gain +1 effect when trailing a target. Superstitious - Each PC takes +1d to all Spirit resist rolls. By the Throat - Gain additional xp trigger: Did we teach someone a lesson? Take 1 less exposure when moving against a faction with which you are at war. Ours by Right - Pay 1 influence to add a contact from a sphere of influence you do not own to your list of contacts for the current errand. Pay +1 influence for any of the following: They are happy to hear from you - You have met them before - They have not spoken to another House first. Who Do You Work For? - When you have broken a rival you may add them to your contacts.
106 corvetto opportunities • Your invitation to the social event of the season must have been mislaid, make sure they regret that. • The House wants to clear the way for a lucrative marriage. Dissuade the rival suitor. • Two lesser Houses are on the brink of open warfare. The only way to get them to resolve their differences: give them a common foe. • The College of Satire has produced a new play to be performed this season. The target of their mockery is House Corvetto herself. This will not stand. • The Watch has promoted a new Thief-Taker Captain who is rumored incorruptible. He has refused the customary “gift” from House Corvetto. Make him see reason. • A minor scion of the House is in hot water with the Scholam Naturalis. He will pass this semester or heads will roll. • The Signora of the Roses recently came into possession of a noble’s mask and will be offering it for auction. It’s unclear, as yet, whose mask it is, only that we must have it. • A Fox in service to the House pleads for sanctuary when their latest score unearths an ancient curse. • A debtor to the House has escaped their bond by dying suddenly. “I’ll take it to my grave” were their last words. The House gets what it is owed. • Something in The Necropolitan Hill is howling between the hours of tryst and whist, unsettling residents of The Twist. The Dead Watchers have requested aid in resolving the issue. • An assassin famed for their discretion has inexplicably murdered a large number of people. Detain, contain, and explain. • The Graces have gifted the city a grand display of fireworks in honor of the Lady. Our spectacle shall be greater. Ideas?
House Battalia The Old House of Martial Valor
108 House Battalia won the freedom of Ilrien with blood and valor. With strength and honor, they hold it still. They are not naive, or blind to the games of the Esultare. They see the dance, see through the lies. What was won at the edge of a sword cannot be stolen by pretty words. Battalia stands vigilant and unimpressed. house strengths • Unique XP Trigger: Overcome an obstacle with Honor or Tradition. • Resource Strength: Force. House Battalia boasts more swords than any but the Grand Council. • House Healer: Physician special feature Duty First; your retinues heal at double the normal speed. battalia coterie upgrades Vigilant - The coterie gains access to detailed maps of old smugglers tunnels and catacombs. You know every avenue of entry into the city, and how best to defend them. Incorruptible - Your retinues and colleagues all gain the loyal trait. They will never take a bribe; they will never turn on you. They will accept death before dishonor. To the Last Man - When you hire a retinue of Blades it functions as 1 tier higher. Thoroughbreds - You are granted access to the House’s stables. You can get anywhere in the city much faster than your rivals and few can stand against a charge of Battalia chevaliers.
109 special abilities Deterrence - Each PC adds +1 action rating to Command or Maneuver. Fortified - Each PC gains +1 load when going discrete, before they are considered loaded. Ironclad - Each PC gains +1d to all Body resist rolls. Just Cause - The House trusts your intuition. When the coterie does the right thing at a cost to themselves, everyone mark 1 PC xp, and take 1 less exposure per errand. The Old Guard - People are inclined to believe you are acting in the best interest of Ilrien, rarely questioning your motives. Gain additional xp trigger: “Did we protect Ilrien or her interests?” Choose Your Ground - When you prepare for battle you may pay 1 influence for each of the following: The ground does not allow ambush - You are difficult to reach - You are surrounded by friends. Upon Our Honor - All deals you make are public knowledge and inviolate. Gain +1 influence when you keep your word. If another House goes back on a deal with you, they lose face (remove a clock tick on their House Advancement Clock).
110 battalia opportunities • A Mercy is hunting some arcane creature in The Arbor and needs assistance. • Riots sweep the Groan and the Watch turns to the Shields of Ilrien to help restore order. • A visiting Altori noble’s repeated transgressions in the Roses has led to his capture by angry citizens. They plan to summarily execute him, flaunting the First Court. • The Founder has ousted one of its bandit princes, and he looks for a new hunting ground. Convince him to look elsewhere. • A sealed tomb on the Necropolitan Hill has been broken open. Whatever horrors or treasures it once contained...it is empty now. • Spirit’s Eve approaches and while Battalia stands ready to safeguard the festivities, a crabbed mage warns a coming storm may wake something older than lost relatives. • A child of the current Maurish diplomat has been abducted by corsairs. Free the child and chasten the brigands. • Someone has set fire to an Ironmonger factory in the Arsenal. Investigate the scene, determine the guilty, mete out punishment. • A new variety of Glint has hit the streets, rapidly turning run-of-the-mill addicts into raving lunatics. Find the source and put a stop to this madness. • The Nightingale has laid a charge upon a young gardener’s apprentice. He must reclaim the Sword of Taliesen, the founder of Ilrien, from the depths of the catacombs. You will get it first. • It is a season of daggers. The Arbiter of the Grand Council’s life is in danger and they have contracted Battalia for security. Let no harm befall them. • Every night they enter, every morning the guards have seen nothing. Find how the intruders are entering the household and ensure they never do so again.
House Bastien A Rising Tide
112 Among the lower orders of the city, House Bastien is held as proof that anyone sufficiently audacious may rise to the highest ranks. Among the old Houses, Bastien is often thought of as a distressing novelty. Their true words, if tavern talk is to be believed, “They Said We Could Not”. house strengths • Unique XP Trigger: Overcome an obstacle with Audacity or Unorthodoxy. • Resource Strengths: Transport. Popularity opens many doors. • House Healer: Grace special feature Popular House; begin with +1 clock tick on your House Advancement Clock and +1 favor with the Citizenry Faction Group. bastien coterie upgrades The Lady’s Blessing - The coterie gains one additional die to roll at any time during an engagement. You may choose to use this to improve your engagement roll itself, if you like. Extended Family - When you hire a retinue of Wayfinders it functions as 1 tier higher. Open Hearts to Open Eyes - When you serve the people of Ilrien, you take -2 exposure on any Engagement or an additional point of favor. The Ledger - The coterie gains access to the House’s ledgers of good turns and kindly deals. When you consult the ledger about a House Minor, roll 1d. 1-3: Whatever good turns you find are either paid in full or otherwise woefully antiquated. 4/5: They will try and help you, but probably won’t go out of their way. 6: They are obliged to help. Take +1d to an engagement role with their assistance.
113 special abilities Care and Patience - Each PC adds +1 action rating to either Tinker or Study. Mindful - Each PC takes +1d to Mind resist rolls. Well-Earned Acclaim - Whenever you gain favor, take one additional point of favor. A Matter of Charity - You are friendly with the beggars and down-trodden of Ilrien. You may use them as a source of information. Pay 1 influence for a 4/5 result on any gather information question or 2 influence for a 6. The Waters in Which We Swim - Gain +1d to engagement rolls involving the Ilrienne citizenry as cover or support. Gain additional coterie xp trigger: Did we look out for the little guy? Stronger Together - Multiple sixes rolled during a group action are counted as a critical success. Not Me, Us - You always count the Dockers, Gondoliers, and Bakers as allied factions for the purpose of negotiations.
114 bastien opportunities • A vicious gang stalks The Twist, abusing local merchants with impunity. Do something about it. • A brewery has fired all of its Iberican workers, refusing to pay them for their hours already worked. They are camped outside demanding justice. • A friendly contact to The House has asked for the extraction of a loved one from an indentured work house where they are trapped in servitude. • An heiress is desperate to meet with her forbidden love, a commoner. But the only way might be to stage a kidnapping. • A rival House has stationed troops to keep the Dockers in line. Smuggle supplies in to stiffen the Dockers resolve. • A foreign bounty hunter is tracking a target near and dear to the House. Dissuade them. • A rabble rouser is being hunted for bringing the depredations of a rival House to light. They need to get out of the city if they are to survive the season. • The Bank of Brass and Bone has approved funds to build a much-needed orphanage in The Groan, knowing it cannot be built on the allotted land due to angry spirits haunting the area. Cure the problem, make them pay the bill. • The poor go hungry as the price of grain skyrockets due to drought. A large shipment of foodstuffs is scheduled to arrive soon. Intercept it. Don’t get caught. • Purveyors are being priced out of their shops by rising taxes. Find a way to stop the evictions and solve the problem for good. • Two rival Houses seek to acquire a neighborhood in the Spindle for gainful development. It is currently comprised of family homes. Find a way to disrupt the sale. • A young Knack accidentally sets fires wherever he goes. A mob is forming to administer “justice.” Find the talented youth and help them learn control.
House Lovell Gossipmongers of Wealth & Taste
116 Everyone in Ilrien talks. From the Twist to the Palace, words drift in scores of tongues. Somehow, by guile or magic, they all make their way to the ears of House Lovell. It is no surprise that many of those words are words of admiration for the House. We do not speak ill when they are certainly listening. house strengths • Unique XP Trigger: Overcome an obstacle with Secrets or Discernment. • Resource Strength: Intelligence. If you mean to keep it secret, House Lovell already knows. • House Healer: Grace special feature Scandalize; you may incite rumors and scandal against a rival House. Take -1 reputation with them and for the season their House Advance rolls take -1 effect level. lovell coterie upgrades Questionable Contacts - The coterie can always find who has what they need. The price, however, is negotiable. An Eye for Talent - When you hire a colleague from the Doctore school of training they function as 1 tier higher. Sanctum Sanctorum - The coterie gains access to the House’s Arcane Sanctum. Take +1 clock tick any time the coterie researches or +1d when the coterie performs a ritual. Bag of Holding - Gain +2 free load worth of arcane components or specialized tools (arcane implements, ritual objects, et cetera).
117 special abilities Illusory Disguise - The coterie gains access to alteration magic. Gain +1 effect toward rolls made to avoid detection when disguising or altering the appearance of yourselves or objects. It’s Not Who You Know - Take +1d to rolls when you take the Uncover a Plot downtime action to discover another Major House’s long-term goal clock. It’s What You Know - Each PC may take +1 action rating to either Consort or Channel. Warded - Each PC gains +1d to all Spirit resist rolls. Waltz - Take +1d to engagement rolls that take place at a party or social event. Magical Means - Crafted items gain +1 tier for the purpose of effectiveness. It’s Also Who You Know - Gain additional xp trigger: Did we leverage information from our contacts? Any 1-3 rolled when using a known contact to gather information is treated as a 4/5. Choose one of the following: They put themselves at risk to give you the information. - It takes them longer than is ideal to get the information. - Another faction is alerted by their inquiry.
118 lovell opportunities • The House altar honoring a past Prince has cracked. Discover what has angered the ancestor, repair the rift and the damaged altar. • A friendly House pleads for House Lovell to act as an intermediary in a matter requiring both politics and discretion. • Prince Lovell desires a unique piece of jewelry that arrived as part of a traveling display. The guardian of the piece cannot or will not sell. • Masque is coming and it is House Lovell’s turn to host. Ensure the House’s party will never be forgotten. • Whispers of revolt arise as a firebrand stokes the anger of the Ibericans at the dock. Remove the threat. • Students dabbling in the arcane at the Scholam Naturalis have unleashed a magical backlash. Discover the source of the problem and see it is remedied. • A friendly faction’s assets are frozen and their whaling vessel is not permitted to dock. Uncover the truth of the matter and fix it, or lose the ally. • A powerful judge presides over a case centered on a minor noble scion of The House, and they appear to be considering a guilty sentence. This cannot stand. • Prince Lovell is aflame for a married or betrothed member of a rival House. Your life will be lousy until the tryst is arranged. • The House is known for its discretion and ability to keep a secret. It does not judge, aloud. Procure the Arbiter of the Grand Council’s vice for them, discreetly. • A particularly skilled spy stole one of the House’s books of secrets. Hunt them down before they break the cyphers. • The annual cleaning of the House’s vaults has unearthed a valuable art piece dating back to the Mad Prince’s time. It’s eldritch, doubtless dangerous, and we need to find a buyer.
House Al-Mari A Tower Built of Spit and Spite
120 They came as strangers to Ilrien, but money knows no provenance. Swords know even less. Unfashionable, gauche even, they set to the task of securing their new prize. Once mercenaries from across the seas, now they are conqueror-princes. house strengths • Unique XP Trigger: Overcome an obstacle with Dominance or Aggression. • Possible Resource Strengths: Supply. House Al-Mari is a self-sufficient House. They keep, indeed. • House Healer: Physician special feature Give Them Nothing; when you roll to recover from harm, mark an extra tick on your progress clock. al-mari coterie upgrades Prepared - You gain 2 free load for weapons and tools for violence. Swords Without Number - When you hire a retinue of Blades it functions as 1 tier higher. Well-Armed - The coterie gains access to the House’s armories. All weapons grant +1 effect. In the Know - The coterie gains an informant who is incredibly knowledgeable in one subject. What is it?
121 special abilities Deadly - Each PC may add +1 action rating to Hunt or Skirmish. Able - Each PC gains +1d to Body resist rolls. Like a Hammer - Gain additional xp trigger: Did we show a glorious disregard for subtlety? Name one faction who dares not go to war with you, and for the duration of the game they will not. Pack Tactics - Your coterie is treated as 1 tier higher when engaging in a combat roll together. Sneering Disregard - Take +2 influence on every errand, also take +1 exposure. War Dogs - Even when at war you may take two downtime actions. Strike Fear - Any time someone is clearly thinking of snitching on the coterie, or lying to a PC in it, call them out and they will think twice. Roll a fortune die to determine the outcome. 1-3: They don’t, even against their best judgement. 4-5: They don’t, but they do talk around the question or try to make trouble for you in other ways. 6: They succeed in snitching or lying (unless they have the misfortune of trying to lie to a Key with the I Know This Tune ability).
122 al-mari opportunities • Armed pirates are attacking city ships off of the coast, The Grand Council agrees this is a job for mercenary princes. • The Ten Hammers are poaching talented fighters from the retinues of the House. • Twistjacks have taken a scion of the House into custody, claiming connection to a string of bloody duels. It’s true, of course, but Al-Mari do not stand trial. • A Berylyne merchant has produced a writ of claim to a portion of the Houses’ assets for services rendered. His claim looks legal, but his bodyguards look a bit spare. • A senior Ironmonger has refused House Al-Mari’s custom. Bring him to heel. • The Broadsheets have become a problem of late, and their constant questioning of House business grows tiresome. Convince them to rake muck elsewhere. • Word has reached us that an old enemy from Maur is coming to Ilrienne to lay a formal challenge. How much easier if they never arrived, no? • A Motley footpad has stolen a marked courier wallet and retreated into the Founder. Secure the case at any cost. • A vice purveyor in the city is being held by the Grand Council and is prepared to testify. You cannot kill the Grand Council, but you can ensure that they never hear the panderer’s testimony. • An important Altori noble is in Ilrien on his “grand tour.” A perfect time to rid yourself of a future problem. • The Dead Watchers have made it clear that no foreign-born nobles will be interred in the catacombs beneath the city. Make our case. Loudly, if necessary. • An assassin’s blade narrowly missed the heart of our Patriarch. The Prince of Tatters has struck again. It is time to show the city that ghosts bleed.
House Elanda A Fist Around the Heart of Trade
124 I lrien was once a city of merchant houses; dozens of tightening fists around the gold which flowed through the city of canals. Now, only House Elanda remains. If there is something you need, be assured the Elanda either make it, import it, transport it, or ensures that you need it in the first place. house strengths • Unique XP Trigger: Overcome an obstacle with Guile or Extortion. • Resource Strength: Wealth. None can match the accounts of House Elanda. They like it that way. • House Healer: Physician special feature Volatile Market; at the beginning of each social season House Elanda may trade its strength in Wealth for any other strength. elanda coterie upgrades Industrious - The coterie gains one extra downtime activity to work on any long-term project or intrigue. Sly Contracts - When you hire a colleague from the Courtier school of training they function as 1 tier higher. Factorum Factotum - The coterie gains access to the House’s workshops. You may mark +1 segment whenever the coterie researches an invention or +1d whenever you roll to craft. The Right Tool for the Job - Gain +2 free load to be spent on tools (burglary gear, tinkering tools, demolition tools, et cetera).
125 special abilities Circumspect - Each PC may add +1 action rating to Skulk or Maneuver. Wit - Each PC gains +1d to Mind resist rolls. Merchant Warriors - Gain additional xp trigger: Did we leverage our power over transport or supply? You are notified when another House of the Esultare begins a long-term goal related to transportation or supply. Counterfeiting - No one questions the authenticity of your goods. Take +1d to Sway or Consort for the purpose of negotiating over value. The Weird Stuff - Take +1 effect level to any acquire asset roll for the purpose of acquiring arcane or obscure ingredients. High Society - Take -1 exposure during downtime and +1d to gather information about the rest of the city’s elite. Patronage - When you must make egregiously large bribes or payments, pay half the amount of influence normally required to do so (if the cost is 1 influence, pay 0).
126 elanda opportunities • A lucrative trade route is being disrupted by a rival merchant; put an end to the disruption. • Someone has stolen an original work of art from The House and replaced it with a very convincing counterfeit. Discover how it happened and get the piece back. • Braelian, a vintner, has produced a wine that is taking the city by storm. He refuses to sell the secret of his success. Our profit will be all the higher when we steal it. • The House has recently purchased an exotic beast for their menagerie. Transporting it is proving troublesome. • A contentious trade negotiation has turned bloody. Clear the evidence, pay the witnesses, whatever is necessary. This must not affect business. • The crimson powder used in the Pomegranate Festival has not arrived. Find a substitute. Quickly. • Lorenzio is a genius in his field and nearing a breakthrough that will revolutionize Ilrien. Sadly he works for a rival House. For now. • A mysterious bit of cargo requires special delivery to the Ribelle Foothills. It cannot be inspected, the recipient is unknown, but it is highly desired. • You are tasked with stopping a trade arranged by the House. It must look like outside interference. Discovery that the House robbed itself to get out of a bad trade deal would stain its impeccable reputation. • A killer is stalking the Trinket, leaving behind cryptic riddles as to their identity. Master Craftsmen seem to be the only targets. • The pleasure craft belonging to a wealthy patron of the House has been impounded by the Watch. At least, they think it was the Watch. Be a love and fetch it? • A craftsman in league with one of our rivals wishes to defect. As a show of good faith, he is turning over a prototype weapon he has been working on. Unfortunately, getting to it will require a bit of assistance.
127 Standard House Upgrades Universal House upgrades are, as the name implies, additional upgrades to which every House in the Esultare has access. upgrades Quality Documents - Forged, stolen, or otherwise acquired Documents are of +1 tier. Gear - Your Burglary and Climbing gear are customized and tailored to provide +1 tier. Implements - Your Arcane Implements are potent, refined, and of the highest quality to provide +1 tier. Supplies - Procured from the costliest and most convincing of sellers, your Subterfuge Supplies provide +1 tier. Tools - The mechanical advantage and ingenious design of your Demolition Tools provide +1 tier. Weapons - Forged and fashioned to suit your particular needs, all Weapons provide +1 tier. Training Mind – You gain access to facilities for rigorous study and private tutors. Training downtime actions provide +1 experience for the Mind xp track. Body - You adopt a stringent personal regimen or have trainers assigned to you by the House. Training downtime actions provide +1 experience for the Body xp track. Spirit – You are awarded elocution and etiquette lessons or acquire dusty tomes, as you prefer. Training downtime actions provide +1 experience for the Spirit xp track.
128 Other Retinues and Colleagues- The coterie hires a retinue or colleague. Retinues are groups of trained professionals working in unison. Colleagues are experts with a specific area of mastery. (See: Retinues and Colleagues for creation and management.) Private Apartments - You are given apartments within the House proper, granting a measure of safety and security away from those who mean you ill. Hidden Exit - You are given the knowledge of a hidden exit from the House. Your comings and goings will not be observed by your rivals, and a hasty retreat can be made when trouble comes knocking. Workspace - You are given a private work area equipped with the tools and materials to suit a talented craftsperson. All long-term project rolls made in your Workspace gain +1d. Ritual Space - You are given a private sanctum within which to work all manner of magical experiments or Rituals. All Rituals undertaken in the Ritual Space gain +1 Arcane Magnitude and can reduce the consequences of their Magnitude Effect by 1 level. Private Library - You gain access to a research space filled with biographies of noble families, local and world histories, arcane compendia, bestiaries, civic plans, and other needful volumes. Gathering Information on the subject of an errand in the Private Library grants +1d on a related engagement roll. Arcane Wards - Magical countermeasures against intrusion and sorcerous eavesdropping are tailored at your instruction. The House is screened from arcane encroachment and made safe from supernatural threats. Dedicated Transportation - You are given custody of a personal vehicle, either land or waterborne, and the necessary crew to pilot it to ensure that you arrive in style wherever your business in Ilrien draws you.
129 Retinues & Colleagues types of retinues • Doctore - Scholars, tinkerers, magicians, and alchemists. • Courtier - Con artists, spies, and socialites. • Wayfinder - Sailors, carriage drivers, and couriers. • Fox - Scouts, infiltrators, and thieves. • Blade - Killers, bodyguards, and roustabouts. creating a retinue Choose a retinue type from the list above. A retinue has scale and quality equal to your current tier. It increases in scale and quality when your coterie moves up in tier. If your coterie is tier II, your retinue is quality II and scale 2 (12 people). When your coterie is tier IV, your retinue is quality 4 and scale 4. Certain coterie upgrades can alter these rules. creating a colleague A colleague is an expert in any skill the coterie considers valuable. Example: A craftsman, a diplomat, a physician, an exorcist, et cetera. Record the colleague’s type (their area of expertise). A colleague has quality equal to your coterie’s tier +1. Their scale is always zero (1 person). Your colleagues increase in quality when your coterie moves up in tier. edges and flaws When creating a retinue or colleague give them one or two edges and an equal number of flaws. Edges • Fearsome: Terrifying in aspect and reputation. • Independent: Can be trusted to make good choices. • Loyal: Can’t be bribed or turned against you. • Tenacious: Won’t be deterred from a task. Flaws • Principled: Has ethics or morals that it won’t betray. • Savage: Excessively violent, bloody-minded, or cruel. • Unreliable: Not always available due to flights of fancy, obligations, or vices. • Uncouth: Loud-mouthed, drunken, or debauched.
130 modifying a retinue or colleague You can add an additional type to the retinue or colleague by spending two coterie upgrades. When they perform actions for which its types apply, it uses full quality rating. Otherwise, its quality is 0. Any given retinue or colleague can have a maximum of two types. using a retinue or colleague When you send a retinue or colleague to achieve a goal, roll their quality to see how it goes. Or, a PC can oversee the maneuver by leading a group action. If you direct the retinue with orders, roll Command. If you participate in the action alongside the cohort, roll the appropriate action. The quality of any opposition relative to the retinue or colleague’s quality affects the position and effect of the action. Retinues or colleagues may be dispatched to handle errands or House business on their own. If, for example, an entanglement calls for another faction to task the coterie with another errand, a retinue or colleague may be entrusted to see to the task. A band of Blades might secure a location on the coterie’s behalf, or a detachment of Wayfinders might escort an important shipment in their stead. When the coterie dispatches a retinue or their colleagues to see to an errand rather than engaging in the errand themselves, roll the retinue or colleague’s tier, modified by opposition or expected difficulty. Remember to take into account the specialties of the retinue or colleagues. Courtiers will have an easier time negotiating a new trade agreement than a skulk of Foxes, for example. Adjudicate success or complication as normal and describe to the PCs how the errand turned out. This allows a coterie with retinues or colleagues of their own to accomplish far more in a social season than they might otherwise hope to accomplish alone. retinue and colleague harm and healing Retinues and colleagues can suffer four levels of harm. • Weakened: The retinue or colleague has reduced effect. • Impaired: The retinue or colleague operates with reduced quality (-1d). • Broken: The retinue or colleague can’t do anything until they recover. • Dead: The retinue or colleague is destroyed. All of your retinues and colleagues heal during downtime. If circumstances are amenable for recovery, each cohort removes one level of harm (or two levels of harm instead, if a PC spends a downtime activity helping them recuperate). If a retinue or colleague is destroyed, it may be replaced. Spend influence equal to your tier +2 to restore it, plus two downtime activities to recruit new members of your retinue or hire a new colleague.
Downtime Chapter Three
132 Payoff & Exposure payoff After an errand, the PCs take stock of what they have achieved; both the influence they have earned within their House and the favor they garnered with the other factions in the course of the operation. A successful errand always generates influence. influence The coterie earns 2 influence per errand by default. If the target of the errand is of a higher tier than your coterie, take +1 influence per tier higher. If the target of the errand is lower tier than your coterie, take -1 influence per tier lower (minimum zero). If you keep the errand completely quiet so that no one outside of your House is aware of it, take +1 influence, but gain no favor. If no one knows about your masterful manipulations and maneuvers, you can hardly be the toast of the town. The coterie earns influence based upon the nature of the errand they engage in and/or any secrets or leverage they uncover while on the job. The GM sets the influence awarded based on the examples below. • 1 Influence: Faithful service as a coachman. • 2 Influence: A friendly chat with a business associate, perhaps a bit of negotiation and compromise. • 4 Influence: Covering a significant social gaffe, exposing a rival’s shame. • 6 Influence: A ruinous secret, found or hidden. • 8 Influence: Discreet disposal of a body, escorting an heir of the House for a weekend’s carousing. • 10 Influence: Interception of an assassin’s blade, admission of high treason in lieu of shaming the House. Divvy up the influence your coterie has earned amongst yourselves, marking them on your individual Playbook sheets. You may set the scene and play out the meeting with the patron within the household who dispensed your errand if there is something interesting to explore there. If not, gloss over it and move on to the next part of downtime.
133 favor Unlike influence, the coterie does not earn a default amount of favor. Favor is drawn from other factions within the city, and is only given out when a service preformed benefits them. The following factions have their own favor tracks on the coterie’s House Sheet: Each Individual House Major, The Houses Minor, The Uncouth, The Outsiders, and The Citizenry. The coterie earns favor based on how far they went out of their way to help the other factions of the city, or how much they accomplished on their behalf. • 1 Favor: Ended a minor menace, protected something important, stopped a bad situation. • 2 Favor: Ended a major crisis, rallied a defense of the city, saved a Prince or important leader’s life. Examples: The coterie hunted down a strange creature menacing The Arbor, and gained 1 favor with the Houses Minor. Or, the coterie stopped an assassination attempt on the Prince of House Corvetto. They gained 2 favor with their rival. Record your favor on the coterie’s House Sheet. exposure & shame Ilrien is a city of prying eyes. Anything you do might be witnessed or provable by the evidence you leave behind. To reflect this, your coterie acquires exposure as they go about their errands. After an errand or encounter with an opponent, your coterie takes exposure according to the nature of the job. • 0 Exposure: Only your House is even aware that you were dispatched. • 2 Exposure: Contained, discreet, and sensible; standard exposure. • 4 Exposure: Loud and chaotic; high exposure. • 6 Exposure: Wild and devastating exposure. Add an additional level of exposure for high-profile, well-connected, or constantly surveilled targets. Add +1 exposure if the errand took place in hostile territory. Add an additional +1 exposure if your House is currently at war with anyone. Add +2 exposure if you left bodies. Bodies draw questions, even in the poorest parts of Ilrien. Discretion is the worthier part of valor. Your coterie is expected to maintain a certain level of secrecy and politesse while about the House’s business, otherwise it reflects poorly upon the House. Unwanted attention results in gaining ticks of exposure and exposure ultimately leads to levels of shame.
134 Each time your exposure tracker is filled, add one level of shame and clear your exposure. Any excess exposure rolls over into the next track. Example: Your exposure was at 7 ticks, with 0 shame. You took 4 additional exposure, so you marked the tracker with 2 ticks, filling it. You marked 1 level of shame, then erased all ticks of exposure and added the 2 ticks you earned but didn’t have room for. You’re left with 1 shame and 2 exposure marked. The higher your shame level, the more serious the responses from the Grand Council, the Esultare, and the city of Ilrien at large become. You invite more public attention to your actions, forces of higher quality and scale will be dispatched to thwart you, and you open the House to public censure. • Level 1 Shame: The coterie loses one downtime action (one PC must spend a downtime action explaining or apologizing on behalf of the coterie after every errand). • Level 2 Shame: The coterie’s House finds itself subject to the First House’s censure and loses one errand per social season until they make amends. • Level 3 Shame: The House loses a tick of progress on their House Advancement Clock. As well, choose one of the following: A PC is sent to the guillotine to atone for the coterie’s shame, the coterie dedicates a Social Season in abject service to the Grand Council, or the coterie is dismissed from the service of their House. reducing exposure & shame Exposure is reduced by spending downtime actions covering your tracks, making apologies, or otherwise alleviating blame directed at your coterie. Any PC can spend a downtime action reducing exposure for the coterie. Simply describe what you’re doing to help, and roll the appropriate action or fortune dice to determine the amount of exposure reduced. Multiple PCs can spend their downtime activities to reduce exposure. 1-3: Reduce exposure by 1. 4/5: Reduce exposure by 2. 6: Reduce exposure by 3. Critical: Reduce exposure by 5. Shame is reduced by making amends with Houses Minor, Rival Houses, or the City at large depending on the cause or severity of shame. To make amends, the coterie must spend an errand appeasing the appropriate faction. If the coterie succeeds in their errand to make amends, reduce shame level by 1.
135 Downtime Activities Between errands, your coterie spends time at liberty, attending to personal matters, needs, and side projects. These are called downtime activities. During a downtime phase, each PC has time for 2 downtime activities. When you are at war, each PC only has time for 1 downtime activity. You may choose the same activity more than once. You can only attempt actions you’re in a position to accomplish. If an activity is contingent on another action, resolve that action first. A PC can make time for more than 2 activities at a cost. Each additional activity from the list costs 1 influence. This reflects the time and resulting imposition upon the good graces of your House while you are “off the clock” and not available for your duties. When you complete a new errand, you reset and get 2 “free” activities again. Activities on the downtime list are limited; normal actions are not. During downtime, you can still go places, do things, make action rolls, gather information, talk with other characters, et cetera. In other words, only activities that are on the list are limited. For every downtime activity, take +1d to the roll if a friend or contact helps you. After the roll, you may spend influence to improve the result level. Increase the result level by one for each influence spent. So, a 1-3 result becomes a 4/5, a 4/5 result becomes a 6, a 6 result becomes a critical, as normal. Below is a quick reference list of all of the activities that are limited to downtime actions. Continue reading to see them explained in detail. downtime actions • Acquire Assets • Uncover a Plot • Long-Term Projects • Intrigues • Recover • Make Amends • Train • Indulge & Reduce Stress
136 acquire assets Gain temporary use of an asset: • One special item or a set of common items (enough for a retinue of your tier scale). • A retinue or colleague. • A vehicle. • A service, such as transport from a smuggler or gondolier, use of a warehouse for temporary storage, legal representation, et cetera. Temporary use constitutes one significant period of usage that makes sense for the asset—typically the duration of an errand or a social season. An asset may also be acquired for “standby” use in the future. You might hire a gang of dockyard thugs off the books to guard a witness, for example, and they’ll stick around until after the first serious tussle, or until some time goes by and they lose interest. To acquire the asset, roll the coterie’s tier. The result indicates the quality of the asset you get, using the crew’s tier as the base. 1-3: Tier-1 (Minimum 0) 4-5: Tier 6: Tier+1 Critical: Tier+2. You can spend influence to raise the result of this roll beyond critical by spending 2 influence per additional tier added. The GM may set a minimum quality level that must be achieved to acquire a particular asset. For example, if you want a set of Mercy’s robes and the blessed ammunition they use to hunt monsters, you’d need to acquire a tier III asset. A lower result won’t do. If you acquire the same asset again, you get +1d to your roll. If you continue to re-acquire an asset every time it’s used, you can effectively rent it indefinitely. Alchemicals, poisons, bombs, and other such dangerous gadgets are carefully monitored and controlled in Ilrien. When you acquire one of these items rather than crafting it yourself, you take +2 exposure. To acquire an asset permanently, you can either gain it as a coterie upgrade (using the rules for advancement) or work on it as a long-term project to set up permanent acquisition.
137 Uncover a Plot When you spend a downtime activity on uncovering the plots of your rival Houses of the Esultare, select which House you are targeting. Explain what actions you are taking to uncover the machinations of your rivals and roll a gather information roll with the related action. Remember to take an additional die if your maneuvering involved a friend or contact. • On a 1-3, you uncover any clocks the House is currently working toward involving Reach. Clocks involving Reach are typically conducted relatively openly, in or adjacent to territory already controlled. • On a 4/5, you reveal any clocks the House is currently working toward involving Grasp. Clocks involving Grasp are less overt than Reach, as the element of surprise is often key to Ilrienne maneuverings. If there is no Grasp clock in play, you uncover the most recent Reach clock instead. • On a 6, you reveal any clocks the House is currently working toward involving Sleight. Clocks involving Sleight are, by their very nature, hidden from all but the most careful scrutiny. If they are already working to cover their tracks, imagine how hard your Retainer is going to have to work to uncover them. If there is no Sleight clock in play, you uncover the most recent Grasp clock, or Reach clock. • On a Critical Success, behave as though you had rolled a 6, and also reveal how many ticks toward completion the House has achieved. Alternately: You may choose to uncover the clock closest to completion, though you will not know how many ticks the clock has left. You may spend influence to improve the results of this roll at a cost of 1 influence per level of improvement. You may do this even after the GM regretfully informs you that the targeted House has no clocks of the rolled type. This influence may be used to leverage contacts, press delicate issues, and generally get your questions answered. Example: Jo wants to find out what those sneaky Corvettos are up to this season, so she does some snooping. She decides to check in with her Gondoliere contact, Benecio, to get the word on the canal, as it were. She rolls her two dice in Consort and takes an extra die for leveraging her contact. She rolls a 1, a 4, and a 6. Nothing gets past Benecio. He tells Jo he’s heard word that the Corvetto are currently embroiled in a bit of house cleaning. They are destroying evidence of bribery paid to City Watch officers...a lot of crooked watchmen are turning up dead. Jo decides she needs to know how close the Corvetto are to completing their goal, so she pays an additional influence to learn that the Corvetto are 5/6 of the way to cleansing their malfeasance.
138 Long-term Projects When you work on a long-term project (either a brand new one, or an already existing one), describe what your character does to advance the project clock, and roll one of your actions. Mark segments on the clock according to your result: 1-3: one segment, 4-5: two segments, 6: three segments, Critical: five segments. A long-term project can cover a wide variety of activities, like researching an arcane ritual, investigating a mystery, gaining someone’s trust, courting a new friend or contact, changing your character’s indulgence, and so on. The distinction between a long-term project and an intrigue is that long-term projects are self-contained, and do not target another character, faction, or location. If your long-term project is somehow opposed or opens you to consequences, use an intrigue (see Intrigues). Based on the goal of the project, the GM will tell you the clock(s) to create and suggest methods by which you might make progress. In order to work on a project, you might first have to achieve the means to pursue it—which can be a project unto itself. For example, you might want to make friends with a member of the Grand Council, but you have no connection to them. You might first work on a project to Consort in their circles, building the opportunity to meet one of them. Once that’s accomplished, you could start a new project to form a friendly relationship. recover When you recover, you seek treatment and heal your harm. You might visit a physician who can mend your wounds with anatomical expertise, or a Grace who can remove a curse with charms and restorative alchemy. Each House has one of these on retainer to provide treatment to their coteries. See Healing Harm (page 33) to review this mechanic. reduce exposure & shame Describe what your character does to reduce exposure, mollify the House, or hide the evidence, then make an action roll. Maybe you Consort with your friend who is a City Watch Inspector and she arranges for the evidence to disappear. Or maybe you Command the fear of the locals in the Twist such that they keep silent about your maneuvering.
139 Reduce exposure according to your roll result: 1-3: reduce by one. 4/5: reduce by two. 6: reduce by three. Critical: reduce by five. Reducing levels of shame is more difficult than reducing exposure. It requires making amends via forfeiture of an errand during a social season, as the coterie must spend one errand working to reduce their shame. The coterie will have fewer dice to roll to advance their House of service at the end of the season, but if your coterie succeeds in their errand you will erase a level of shame. train When you spend time in training, mark 1xp on the xp track for an attribute or Playbook advancement. If you have the appropriate coterie training upgrade unlocked, mark +1 xp (2 xp total). You can train a given xp track only once per downtime. indulge & reduce stress The retainers of the Esultare are a special lot. They defy the powers that be and exist in a swirling maelstrom of delicate maneuvering and sudden treachery and violence. They push themselves further than ordinary people are willing to go. But this comes at a cost. A retainer’s life is one of constant stress. Inevitably, each turn to some means of coping. A retainer’s indulgence is their obsession. But this indulgence grants a brief respite from stress and the ability to once again face the overwhelming and all-consuming struggle of the House’s climb to the top. Indulging: When you indulge, you clear some stress from the character’s stress track. Describe how your character indulges, including what source or avenue they use to satisfy their needs. This indulgence takes some time, so it can only be done when the coterie has downtime. Alternatively, you may choose to release your character to be “lost in their indulgence” during a game session, allowing them to indulge off-camera while you play a different PC. Another retainer of the house, a friend, or contact of the coterie may be created as an alternate character to play, thus fleshing out the landscape of the PCs. Roll to find out how much relief your character receives. An indulge roll is like a resistance roll in reverse—rather than gaining stress levels, you clear stress
140 levels. The effectiveness of your indulgence depends upon your character’s worst attribute rating. It’s their weakest quality (Mind, Body or Spirit) that is most in thrall to self-gratification. Make an attribute roll using your character’s lowest attribute rating or ratings if there’s a tie. Clear stress equal to the highest die result. Overindulging: If your indulgence roll clears more stress levels than you had marked, you overindulge. An indulgence is not reliable or controllable. It’s a risk, one that can drive your character to act against their best interests. When you overindulge, you make a bad call because of your indulgence—in acquiring it or while partaking in it. To bring the effect of this bad decision into the game, select an overindulgence complication from the list below. • Attract Trouble. Select or roll an additional entanglement. • Brag about your exploits. Take +2 exposure. • Lost. Your character vanishes for a few weeks. Play a different character until this one returns from their bender, spree, or obligation. When your character returns, they have also healed any harm they had before they vanished. • Tapped. Your current source becomes unavailable. You’ll have to fix things before you can indulge again. • A favor. You lose a downtime action to help someone or cannot indulge again until you have done so. Ignoring your Indulgence: If you do not or cannot indulge during a downtime phase, you take stress equal to your scandal level. If you don’t have any scandals, you’re free to ignore your indulgence. You are not currently overburdened by your life in the public eye. Roleplaying & xp Along with your character’s heritage and background, their indulgence reveals what kind of person they are. This obsession and how they deal with it feeds into their motivations, goals, and behavior. When you ponder what your character might do or say next, consider their indulgence to help you think of something. As an added benefit, by playing to the nature of your character’s need to indulge you earn xp at the end of the session.
141 Intrigues An intrigue is a special long-term clock that establishes covert action to change something about the balance of power in the city. This is the player-facing version of the agendas of the other Houses of the Esultare. If you mean to assassinate a high-profile rival NPC, seize territory for your own use, or interfere with the machinations of another faction, you might undertake an errand to see it done, but you might instead begin moving pieces to bring about your desired aim over the course of the social season. Intrigues allow you to engage in long-term machinations which upset the status quo. With them, you reach above your station and with craft and subtly, target foes who would otherwise be out of your power to manipulate or engage. The disruptions you bring to Ilrien with intrigues are beyond the scope of a single errand, and entire power structures can be upset with forethought, guile, and luck. The intrigue clock differs from a standard long-term clock in that it establishes a pair of racing clocks. The player’s clock typically begins as a 6-part clock, while the opposition’s begins as a 4-part clock. The player and the GM answer the following questions, establishing the truth of the narrative surrounding the Intrigue, recording their answers for future reference: GM asks: “Who or what is the target of your intrigue; what do you mean to do, and what are you risking?” Your answer sets the parameters for the change you would make to the status quo. You might subvert a rival House’s assets or allies, discredit a powerful rival, or arrange for a notable in the city to quietly disappear. At the same time, you set the stakes for what you stand to lose if this intrigue is found out. Wager boldly, for great changes call for great risks, and tepid deceptions make for poor stories. Player asks: “How long will this take, and who else do I need to involve?” This question starts a discussion with regard to how far-reaching and involved the Intrigue you mean to begin needs be. Here, you will establish the size of the intrigue clock you must complete before your rivals complete their racing clock to find you out. Suborning a local watch officer who is already on someone’s payroll, or acquiring the services of a spy in a minor noble House might be a 4-section clock, while a far-reaching conspiracy with grander designs on the life of a Prince might be as high as a 12-section clock. The GM will also tell you whose help you need to ensure the success of your intrigue. If you can do it by yourself, it might be better handled as a long-term clock rather than an intrigue.