Somewhere in the fens of the north, a hooded woman deals out cards upon a low, crude, and rickety table covered with a coarse black-dyed cloth. Though she is bent with the ravages of age and feels the chill of the damp in her aching joints, a spark of scorn and defiance burns like smoldering coals in her eyes as she speaks to shadowy presences unseen by any mortal...





Each of you receives three cards, face down. I draw three more for myself.

We shall begin with those cards dealing with your RELATIONSHIPS.

I reveal the first card ~



THE TOWER, REVERSED

Together you saved something important. What was it and how did you save it?

What if, several years ago, we saved a child from drowning in a river? What if it was Gerod's younger sister?

Maybe she was out riding with Gerod when she dared him to ride across the river. He declined, and she tried to show off her own skills and tried to ride her horse across. She fell off of the saddle and lost her grip. What if Torah swam out to grab her, having heard the cries for help, and a younger Gerod threw them a rope before wrapping it around a tree and helping them both back onto the shore?

I'm also open to other ideas if this doesn't sound right to you Torah.

We can go with that, Gerod.  Here was the reply I was working on...



When the two of them were still youths... bandits stole a horse belonging to Gerod's father.  Torah herself witnessed the crime.  The pair of them followed the bandits back to their camp and took back the horse.  Later on, the horse fathered a young stallion that would become Gerod's own steed.

Oh! I like that. It is also very good. You know what, let's use your idea. It has the right amount of derring-do for my mind and establishes a level of trust and mutual respect/support which would help us be able to go on adventures together. We can save the 'rescue someone from a river' idea for later.

An excellent tale! Now we have some history to Sir Gerod's personal sense of investment in his steed, and perhaps a formal initiation of Gerod and Torah's adventures together - the seeds of mutual respect and trust, planted.

Next, each of you shall draw a card. The question asked of the cards is for you alone to answer, though it may concern the other.*

Sir Gerod, you have drawn...



The 8 of CUPS

You want Torah to try something new. What is it and why hasn't she tried it yet?

~~~

Torah, you have drawn...



The 9 of CUPS

You shared an epic failure with Sir Gerod but it brought you closer. What was it?

---

*Of course, the player may veto what the other player decides about their character if it goes against their concept or simply doesn't appeal. Consent is key!

I’m tempted to be a little silly with this one. I’m thinking that he really wants her to try this dish he had once when he was traveling north of the wall with his father. It is made by stuffing a chicken, then putting it inside of a duck, then putting the duck inside of a turkey. She hasn’t tried it yet because she is sensible.

Or, a more serious option, he wants her to try praying to the god in whom he has put his own faith. She hasn’t done so because she maintains her own faith in the gods of her homeland. This doesn’t bother Sir Gerod. He just wants to share something that means a lot to him. He’s no evangelist.

Either of those are fine, your choice Gerod :)



Torah wanted to celebrate Gerod’s birthday with a fine gift.  While she took the plate of delicious food to the castle, a flock of ravens assailed her and made off with everything.  Lots of people who saw this laughed and Torah had never been so embarrassed.

In that case, I pick the Religious story. It fits the setting more appropriately than a TurDuckIn.

I definitely approve of your answer.

Tales of hands outstretched, and yet failing to clasp. Not for the lack of wanting, but for the jests of Dame Fortune and the claims that heavenly powers lay upon our hearts. We are but playthings for the gods. It is to laugh...

And now shall I draw a card to further illuminate your relationship. Both of you shall answer this question, each for yourself.

I reveal my second card ~



The 7 of STAVES

You find yourselves strangely drawn to one another. What captures your attention?

Some things which draw Gerod to Torah as a companion are her skills, courage, and the way that she tells the stories about Camelot.

Her skills, cleverness, and courage were proven to him during their tracking and raid on the horse-thieves who stole his father's priced, and only, charger. That same charger which became the sire of his current horse. Thus she earned his respect.

Also, the way that she talks about Camelot and the Knights of the Round Table make Sir Gerod want to believe in that dream. He dreams of a world where Might fights for Right, where violence is not strength and compassion is not weakness. He wants to dream the impossible dream, fight the unbeatable foe, and reach the unreachable stars by following the examples that the Knights of the Round Table have set in the songs that Torah shares with those who listen to her.

Such nice things said from Gerod :)

Torah is drawn to Gerod for a few reasons.  She admires his 'never say die' determination that comes from courage (not recklessness).  Torah also loves the way he improvises when lacking the usual knightly means and resources.

Obviously Gerod is blessed by handsome looks, good morals (without being inflexible), and his kindness for others.
This message was last edited by the player at 12:35, Thu 01 Apr 2021.

From focusing upon one another we shift our gaze to the world you inhabit.

We shall draw cards which speak of your LOCATIONS - presumably this will be in reference to your home, Castle Angrave and the domain of its lord. However, the things the cards speak of are not bound to the past or the present. If you believe it may tell of another location of importance to you, such as Camelot, Britannia itself or Torah's ancestral lands across the sea, you may speak it into being.

I shall draw the last of my cards, and allow it to pose a question to you. Do not answer it yet, but instead allow yourselves to consider it and contemplate your answer. You shall be asked for an answer in time.

The last of my cards is drawn ~



The 4 of SWORDS, REVERSED

Someone vital left Castle Angrave but returned. Why did they leave? What brought them back?

Do not answer yet! Hold this question in your heart and listen for what it tells you.

In the meantime, each of you shall draw a card and answer its query.

Torah, you have drawn...



The 6 of COINS

Castle Angrave was generous with someone and earned goodwill. What happened?

Sir Gerod, you have drawn...



The QUEEN of SWORDS, REVERSED

Your actions cut you off from a group that's important to your father's lands. Who? What did you do?

Answering this from a location perspective...

Some years prior, the northern harvests were poor and famine loomed on the horizon.  Castle Angrave waived its taxes and dug into its own food stores so that the people could eat.  When word reached a local monestary, the priests were moved by such charity.  They journeyed to castle Angrave and presented a sanctified chapel icon to its Lord.  Local superstition holds that the icon is lucky and many pilgrims come to view and honour it.

Sir Gerod, then Squire Gerod, had a chance encounter with a fur trader while on the road. He was in a rare bad mood and didn't pay as close attention to the trader's questions as he should have. This negligence led the trader to lose their way and get caught out during a rainstorm.

The trader nearly died from the illness, and vowed to never deal with such a remote location ever again. They also contacted their friends and passed the word about how unreliable the locals nobility has proven in addition to the local terrain. This led to a loss of vital trade and income to the fief and made life more difficult for nearly everyone. Gerod feels completely responsible for this situation and he hopes to repair the damage somehow. Maybe with new trade agreements or other sources of income that can help his father's people.

Ever do the bony fingers of want and destitution claw at the fringes of the Angrave lands. Despite its stark beauty, the northern holdings can be hard lands for crop and farmer and require great mettle to rule wisely and fairly. It would be all too tempting for a lord to squeeze its people tighter for revenue or wage bloody warfare upon his neighbors to lay claim to more. Yet Lord and Lady Angrave have resisted these temptations, and for their humility and compassion, they have won the gratitude of their people and the gift of a holy relic that brings honor and revenue to their fief.

Now, the time has come ~ answer together the question posed to you by my card:

Someone vital left Castle Angrave but returned. Why did they leave? What brought them back?


Draw now the last of your cards, and collectively answer the questions they pose about your GROUP DYNAMIC.

Sir Gerod, you have drawn...



XVIII ~ The MOON

The two of you distrust a well-known figure whom everyone else supports. Who are they and why do you distrust them?

Torah, you have drawn...



0 ~ The FOOL, REVERSED

How did you first meet, and what went wrong?

Gerod’s mother left for a year and few people know why.  Lord Angrave does not brook it’s discussion.  Maybe it was a secret mission to Camelot or troubles with her family?



Lord Marrondale, a neighbouring lord has always said the right things and respected a traditional truce.  But Torah is certain the horse bandits were working for him.  However before the captured bandit could be properly questioned, he was found dead in his cell...




I’ll give Gerod first go on this one...

"The sins of the parent shall not carry over to the child." Gerod's mother said in a firm voice as she glared at the group of men standing with his father.

A young Gerod, barely eleven winters old, glanced from the gathered adults and their serious expressions to the girl dressed in dirty strange looking clothing. She was sitting by the fire and seemed very sad. Gerod didn't understand what the adults were talking about, or why his father had ridden away so suddenly that morning. She was a stronger, and seemed lonely. That was something he did understand.

What to do? Well, Mother always offered guests something to drink. Gerod found a clay pitcher of water and poured some into a cup. He frowned then feeling like that wasn't enough. What would make a girl feel better? Umm, flowers? His little sister liked making flower crowns. Feeling very proud of himself for his ingenuity the lad rushed outside and gathered three small flowers and some greens from his mother's herb garden.

With water and gift in tow Gerod approached the girl. He tried not to look at the rough looking man who was watching her with a grim expression. Instead he put on his best smile. "Hello, I'm Gerod, welcome to Angrave. Would you like some water?" He held out the cup and gathered plants to her.

Also, I like your ideas for the other two. Thumbs up from me. :)

Do you mind this addition, Gerod?



...only to lose his footing.  Torah received a face full of flowers and a spilt drink upon her clothes.  Obviously she was less than impressed.

“You did that on purpose.  Do you know who I am?!”

The guard was easily able to hold the girl child back from any clumsy fisticuffs.  Those present either sighed... or stifled laughter.  It was not the ideal start to things.

Ha! I actually laughed out loud reading that. I approve! Gerod needs to remember to never take himself so seriously.

So it is decided. This fellowship began on unsteady footing and persisted through awkward misunderstanding, but persist it did, forging a bond that will now be tested by the trials and travails of the wider world.

We shall see how these brave youths fare...