The Courier
The day wears on…
Cypress trees crowd about us, their trunks slathered with creeping slime. As we attempt to keep our distance, we spy a road running among the trees. There, a man in a courier’s uniform crouches beside a horse, anxiously examining the beast’s leg.
As we approach, the man straightens. “Hail, travellers! Grant me your aid! My horse has fallen lame in this bog, and I have urgent messages to deliver in the next town. Take my letters to their destinations and you will be handsomely rewarded.”
He heaves a great postal bag from the horse’s back. Inside, hundreds of letters jostle for space, each addressed to a name long-dead. “Here are the addresses. You must memorise every letter’s recipient by name. Only make haste; the post is due any second!”
The Challenge
Memorise the Courier’s recipients via a game of charades.
Shuffle the deck and place it facedown in the centre.
Set a timer for four minutes.
The Reader begins by drawing an Elder Card from the top of the deck and looking at the spirit pictured. Using charade rules and without speaking aloud, the Reader must silently mime until the party correctly guesses the name of the spirit drawn.
If an Elder Card is correctly guessed, the miming traveller places the card face-up on the table in front of them. The traveller to the Reader’s left then draws an Elder Card and repeats the process.
At any time, a miming traveller can give up on a card by placing it facedown on the table. Play then passes left to the next traveller, who draws a new card.
The game ends when the timer runs out or there are no more cards in the deck.
HELP FROM AN ITEM
If any traveller carries a LETTER, they may automatically succeed on any card of their choice by calling: “Delivery!”
Success. If the game ends and ten or more cards were guessed, the Challenge is passed.
Failure. If the game ends and nine or fewer cards were guessed, the Challenge is failed.
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————If the Challenge is passed, the traveller with the most face-up cards in front of them receives the Blessing of the Courier. If there is a tie, the eldest traveller wins.
If the Challenge is failed, the party suffers the Curse of the Courier. If this is the party's third Curse, click here.
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When a spirit is displeased by the party, it will lay its Curse upon them. Curses have dire consequences. The more Curses a party gathers, the more lives will be claimed in the Heart of the Wood. Furthermore, if a party incurs three Curses, the Wood's spirits will reject them and they will be forced to flee for their lives, ending the game.
When you incur a Curse, place it in a designated area of the table so that all travellers are aware of it.
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————We attempt to help the courier sort through the letters, memorising each name in turn. As we reach the last missive, the man cries out. “Oh! But it is too late! The post will be late!”
Leaping onto his horse, the beast’s injury forgotten, he gallops into the oncoming dusk. As we watch him disappear, we realise that we still clutch the final letter. It it addressed simply: “To the Queen.”
GAIN AN ITEM
The party jointly receives the LETTER TO THE QUEEN.
Fetch an object from around the room to represent your new Item. The letter to the Queen is held jointly by the party and cannot be discarded or traded. Perhaps this letter will come in handy. Perhaps it will not.
Re-form the deck before continuing.
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