The Wet Nurse

It is cold in the highlands — cold and dull, the sky a riddle of cloud on grey. Emerging from a shallow canyon, we behold an ancient woman pushing an equally worn perambulator over the rocks. She wears the dress of a nurse — but when she turns to look at us, we see that her eyes have long since crumbled to dust.

Her mouth curves into a smile. She cries: “But could it be… It is you! My own charges, who suckled at this very teat! Oh, but you are grown, all of you, so big and strong!”

She grins, her teeth rotten in the abyss of her mouth. “Oh, but raising you was the only joy I ever had in my drudging life! Humour an old woman, and play one last game with your nurse.”

The day wears on…

The Challenge


Appease the Wet Nurse’s spirit by playing a clapping game of Concentration.

  • The Reader begins by picking a category of nouns that their character would choose. It should be relatively broad. Examples could be ‘food’, ‘animals’ or ‘clothing’. The whole group should hear and know the category.

  • Establish a steady, repeatable pattern of four beats (a ‘bar’). The first beat should be slapping your knees, the second clapping your hands, the third clicking your right fingers, the fourth clicking your left fingers.

  • Once everyone in the party has picked up the rhythm, the group recites together over four bars:

Con—cen—tra—tion,
No re—peats no—hesi—tations,
Keep—in—rhy—thm,
Oh—kay—let’s—play!

  • Moving clockwise starting with the Reader, while keeping up the rhythm, each traveller takes it in turns to name a noun in the category. The noun should be spoken over the last two beats of each bar — that is, the clicking fingers.

  • If a traveller fails to speak their noun before the end of their bar, they are eliminated.

  • Equally, if a traveller names something that is not within the specified category, they are eliminated.

  • The game ends when all travellers but one are eliminated.

Success. If the game goes around the circle three times before ending, the Challenge is passed. The last remaining traveller wins the Blessing of the Wet Nurse.

Failure. If the game ends before the game has passed around the circle three times, the Wet Nurse is displeased. The party suffers the Curse of the Wet Nurse. Take this spirit's card and place it in a designated area on the table so everyone can see it. If this is the party's third Curse, click here.

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The nurse’s hollow eyes grow long and sad. “But you have grown so big and strong… I suppose you only play His games now.” Sighing, she dissolves to dust.