Trilemma 31 Veil of the Once-Queen.pdf

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VEIL OF THE ONCE-QUEEN
a Fantasy Settlement by Michael Prescott
THE
S
ITUATION
Deep in the forest stands
Tanibel, a remnant of the long-
dead Martoi empire: a tall cita-
del surrounded by a mockery of
a living town.
Using their magic to strad-
dle the veil between the worlds
of the living and the dead, they
survive in a dream of their van-
ished reign.
From the side of death they
draw their patience and eter-
nal nature, from the side of
life, their vigor.
pets (but not beasts of burden)
count as Martoi for these
purposes.
2. A character with a bleeding
injury (e.g. having half hp or
less) counts as three extra
living beings.
3. Characters willing
themselves to see one side or
the other
may
5. Anyone who has drunk
the
black draught
recently
counts for nothing.
Except via special magic or
abilities, all members of adven-
turing parties will see Tanibel
and its inhabitants in the same
way as the others.
If the veil is crossed, the
shift itself is almost impercep-
tible, as if things had been this
way all along. Refer to the new
forms without introducing
them. (e.g. “The badger
shuffles
uncomfort-
ably.” “Badger?”)
THE
P
ENUMBRA
The mile-wide re-
gion where the town
bleeds into the sur-
rounding forest is
the
penumbra.
All sources of
water in the pen-
umbra are con-
taminated by the
black draught
draught.
Merely
being
in the penumbra
counts as 4 for the
Martoi side. This
tends to drag visi-
tors across the veil,
forcing them to see
this place as it was.
Tanibel
consumes
no real food, so where
most towns of its size would be
surrounded by farms and cul-
tivated forest, the penumbra
has only mushroom gatherers,
hunters, hermits, and tinkers.
Most will be encountered near
their homes; various shacks or
humble cottages.
Roll a d10 on the
townsfolk
motive
table to determine
what they want—the result
holds so long as PCs perceive
them in their preferred form.
T
HE
V
EIL
Tanibel exists on
both sides of the veil,
and appears differ-
ently to each.
To the living,
it seems to be a
ruin, overgrown
and filled with
animals.
To those who
have crossed over
the veil (even
temporarily),
it
appears as it did in
its prime: a thriv-
ing town of artisans,
culture presided over
by a glorious nobility.
If their true forms are revealed,
roll again on the motive table,
this time using a d6.
The true forms of these folk
and their dwellings are, vari-
ously:
• Talking animals—large
foxes, badgers, or owls, in
cramped dirt burrows dug out
under the roots of large trees,
or hollow fallen trunks.
• Gnarled imps and hags,
flesh as hard and dry as wood.
Either short, ancient, stooped,
or all three.
• Bog stranglers: aquatic
psychopaths whose homes
are actually dark pools,
choked with lilies and rushes.
Any who realize this after
accepting an invitation
inside will find themselves
15’ underwater. All the food
they serve is infused with the
black draught.
G
ARLEG
, L
ORD OF
T
REACHERY
Garleg has many spies in the
penumbra, and unless adven-
turers are careful to avoid en-
counters, Garleg will soon hear
about them.
Using his mastery of both
stealth and tracking, he will
attempt to place himself in the
adventurers’ path to be “dis-
covered,” in a moment of dis-
advantage (perhaps pulling on
his boots) and at close range, so
he appears in his true form: a
gnarled, limping imp.
He is also one of the three
Lords of Memory who rule
Tanibel. His task is to ensure
the security of the citadel by
fostering rebellion in a manner
that allows him to monitor it.
He will attempt to persuade
the adventurers to participate
in an upcoming coup. If they
are keen, he will guide them to
the citadel by way of the home
of a
traitor.
C
URSE OF THE
M
ARTOI
The Martoi, too, have a dual
nature. When they outnum-
ber the living, they are regal,
tall and smooth-skinned. They
have long, flowing hair, strong
noses and angular jaw lines.
When the living outnumber
them at a
distance close enough
to converse,
their true form is
revealed (this varies, see later).
Several factors modify the
count:
1. Martoi mounts and favored
raise or
lower their personal count
by 1, depending on whether
they’re trying to see the side
of the living or dead. This can
be sustained for half an hour,
after which a great weariness
descends.
4. The
Crown of the Once-
Queen
greatly enhances the
Martoi count, anywhere in the
city.
Copyright © 2016-2017 Michael Prescott — CC-BY-NC 3.0 —
c b n a
— More at http://blog.trilemma.com
v1.01 pg. 1/2
d10
1-2
Townsfolk Motive
Introduce to someone
further in who they
think will find you
useful
Money—offer a ser-
vice, or sell you some-
thing
Trap you and eat you
Beat you and rob you
Revelry, ideally to the
point of incapacity
Find allies to rebel
against the Once-
Queen
T
OWNSFOLK OF THE
W
ALL
3-4
5-6
7
8-9
10
During the day, the wall dis-
trict is full of activity: dozens
of people in dapper, brightly
colored liveries dart back and
forth along the bridges, carry-
ing loads of food, goods, mes-
sages.
Many cry out in wordless
song (or merely humming),
busy chattering on inane top-
ics, or proclaiming the virtues
of their particular tower or
bridge.
R
ETURNING FROM THE
V
EIL
If they are not, he will encour-
age them to accompany him to
“those who need their aid,” by
which he means the victims of
the
Once-Queen’s gray proc-
tors.
THE
W
ALL
D
ISTRICT
The next ring of Tanibel is a
majestic wall, topped by pen-
nants in all manner of greens
and yellows.
Merely being in the wall
district counts as six for the
Martoi side.
Countless scores of towers
have been built on both sides
of the wall, some squat and
short, others tall and narrow,
connected to the wall (and one
another) by bridges and cat-
walks of all shapes and sizes,
some low to the ground, some
soaring high.
Wherever a bridge pierces
the wall, there is a gate, some
massive and fortified, oth-
ers mere doorways—all in all
there are hundreds.
This makes no sense defen-
sively, but Garleg (if present)
will explain that the Once-
Queen’s true defense is her
great cruelty (which is why she
must be overthrown).
In truth, the inhabitants of
the wall district are squirrels,
families of deer, marmosets,
skinks, weasels and birds of all
sorts. All can speak.
The ‘towers’ are actually
trees, and the ‘bridges’ their
mighty boughs.
The wall, on the other hand,
is a real wall, albeit a crum-
bling ruin. In places it reaches
its full height, in others it is a
tumble of stone barely rising
out of the undergrowth.
The many gates are choked
with the webs of the
gray
proctors.
(Some of the bridges
are webs, too.)
THE
G
RAY
P
ROCTORS
Typically are fat, long limbed,
leather-clad, placid of body,
and predatory of gaze, they
loiter by the gates (claiming to
‘guard’ them), and accost any
passers by.
They claim to be authorities
on the workings of the citadel,
and will attempt to intimidate
anyone passing by into their
schemes. Most involve tying
visitors up in bureaucratic red
tape, making complex arrange-
ments for audiences, contracts,
visas, applications and peti-
tions.
These arrangements are
always complex and time con-
suming, involving at least two
other parties, usually more.
They proffer made-up titles
(“Secretary to the Under-
petitioner for pre-noon appli-
cations via the Western upper
gate”), and grow angry with
anyone attempting to push
past them. This will draw more
proctors to the scene.
Pale,
withered
citizens
pleading to be let past as they
sign document after document
are common sight.
In truth, they gray proctors
are giant spiders. On the living
side of the veil, their webs form
impenetrable barriers across
the gaps in the ruined wall.
The silk-wrapped carcass-
es of their victims are every-
where.
Under no circumstances will
they bother Garleg or anyone
with him.
She demands oaths of service,
consummated by drinking the
black draught.
She wears the
Crown.
Also
like her sister, she is a skeletal
wraith when seen truthfully.
V
ESARCHA
, L
ADY
M
EMORY
Master of poisons, a nick from
her blade sends you into a
dreamless slumber; a kiss be-
witches.
L
ORD OF
T
REACHERY
I
NSIDE THE
W
ALL
Between the wall and the cita-
del is a narrow strip, overbuilt
with teetering houses, over-
hangs, raised walks and walled
gardens.
During the day, the streets
are thick with nobles and ar-
tisans (determine motives as
usual).
On the living side of the veil
(which is very hard to reach
when the streets are busy),
the city of death is revealed:
its citizens are skeletal sham-
blers and wisp-like ghosts, the
streets cobbled with broken
skulls.
THE
C
ITADEL
In life, a ruin no taller than a
house, yet in death the citadel
towers above the forest with a
trio of magnificent towers.
If Garleg appears here, he
adopts his deathly form,
Garleg, Lord of Treachery—a
tall, beautiful man with ra-
ven-black hair. Servants im-
mediately drape him in em-
broidered linens and cloth of
gold.
If Garleg can convince an
outsider to assassinate (either
alone, or at the head of an
armed insurrection), the eter-
nal spell of this place is nearly
complete: the next person who
wears the Crown of the Once-
Queen vanishes, replaced by a
youthfully restored Alasnia.
THE
C
ROWN
A delicate confection of ice-
cold silver, it is the crown that
moves the veil. If it ever leaves
Tanibel, its power is broken
forever.
THE
B
LACK
D
RAUGHT
Made from Lady Memory’s
tears over her fallen realm, it
suffuses all there is to eat and
drink here.
Any who partake for more
than a week become night-eyed
and no longer
count toward
the
living.
Any who stay
a month join
the ghostly
citizens
in
eternal
un-
death.
A
LASNIA THE
O
NCE
-Q
UEEN
Like
her
sis-
ter,
Vesarcha,
Alasnia’s only goal
is to enrich her city
with new subjects
to remind her of the
glorious history of
Tanibel.
Copyright © 2016-2017 Michael Prescott — CC-BY-NC 3.0 —
c b n a
— More at http://blog.trilemma.com
v1.01 pg. 2/2

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