The Thief
The day wears on…
We come to the rubble of an abandoned town, half-consumed by the bog. In the marketplace, we discover the semi-fossilised remains of carts, stalls and — of course — people. This must once have been a bustling place.
As we survey the macabre scene, a voice sounds behind us. A boy with a thin, dirty face stands with us. His eyes rove the barren marketplace, as if searching for a mark. He sighs. “Depressing, isn’t it? These were my hunting grounds, years back. I’d pick pockets like apples. No one ever caught me.”
He turns his twinkling eyes on us. “I bet I could pick your pockets just as easy…”
The Challenge
Catch the Thief before he steals our possessions!
Shuffle the Thief’s card into the deck. Place the deck facedown in the centre.
Starting with the Reader and moving clockwise, every traveller guesses the position of the Thief in the shuffled deck by saying a number.
When everyone has guessed, the Reader counts through the deck from the top, counting cards aloud, until the Thief is revealed.
HELP FROM AN ITEM
If any traveller carries a KEY, they may make two guesses.
Success. If any of the travellers’ guesses were within three cards of the final count, the Challenge is passed.
Failure. If none of the travellers’ guesses were within three cards of the final count, the Challenge is failed.
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————If the Challenge is passed, the traveller whose guess was closest to the final count wins the respect of the Thief. They take the Thief’s Blessing. If there is a tie, the traveller who guessed first wins.
If the Challenge is failed, the traveller who was furthest from the final count must discard an Item. If there is a tie, the traveller who guessed later must perform the discard. In addition, the party suffers the Curse of the Thief. 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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————Dancing out of our grasp, the pickpocket grins. “You’re good!” he cries. “But nobody ever caught me…”
Laughing, he sprints away across the empty square — disappears into a non-existent crowd.
Re-form the deck before continuing.