The Thief
The day wears on…
We are passing a barren hillside when we spy a great scar set into its side. At the hollow’s base lies a sprawling nest of logs and lichen. The bird that built it must be the size of a cathedral, for it is the biggest nest we have ever seen. Certainly it cannot be the short man currently creeping across the hillside above, face wrapped in an emerald green mask.
As the man sees us watching him, his fingers fly to his lips. “Shhh! You fools! You will give us all away! If the Great Wyrm returns to find us in her nest, she will roast us for her dinner!”
We ask what the man is doing here, if this is the home of such a terrifying creature. With a dashing gesture, he introduces himself.
“I am the Green Fox, the greatest thief in the world, and I am here to steal the dragon’s egg! Quick! Help me find it, before she returns…”
The Challenge
Help the Thief steal the dragon’s egg from her nest!
All travellers except the Reader leave the room for one minute.
The Reader hides the Thief card somewhere in the room. It is in the Reader’s interests to hide the card well enough that it will not be discovered within one minute, but obviously enough that someone will find it within two minutes.
The Reader sets a stopwatch, calling “Go!” simultaneously.
At ‘go’, the travellers re-enter the room and attempt to find the hidden card as quickly as possible.
The game ends when any traveller finds the Thief’s card, or when two minutes have elapsed.
Stop the timer immediately.
HELP FROM AN ITEM
If one of the searchers carries a key, they may enter the room fifteen seconds before the others. The total time permitted remains the same.
Success. If any traveller finds the Thief’s card before two minutes have passed, the Challenge is passed.
Failure. If the Thief’s card is not found before two minutes have passed, the Challenge is failed.
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————If the Challenge was passed, and the card was found before one minute passed, the traveller who found the card wins the Blessing of the Thief. If the card was found after one minute had passed but before two minutes passed, the Reader wins the Blessing of the Thief.
HELP FROM AN ITEM
If the Reader carries a key, they win the Blessing so long as the card was found after thirty seconds had passed.
If the Challenge was failed, the party fails to find the egg and suffers the Curse of the Thief. Place the Thief’s card in an area reserved for Curses, so all the party can see it. If this is the party’s third Curse, click here.
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————Suddenly, a roar like an ocean echoes across the hills. A great shadow blots the sun — the body of some airborne leviathan, coming in to roost.
Filled with an unspeakable terror, we take cover in a copse of trees. By the time we emerge, the nest — and the thief — are gone.