A playbook for Castle Lysander
The Stolen Child
I met her in a forest glade // Where starbeams grew like trees // I did not take her for a witch // She wasn’t what she seemed // She turned the key of endlessness // And locked me in a dream // Infinity
Once upon a time you were a child, playing alone. Queen Antipathie approached you and asked you to be her knight, tempting you to shed your youth and become an adult in her Realm. Not knowing what you had given up until too late you became the protector of her Realm, loving its people as much as you hated her.
| 1d12 | What was your first sight of the castle, and how did you enter? | Gain |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | You emerged on a balcony to a skyline of minarets, spires and bell-towers under a starlit sky. | +2 INT, +1 WIS, +1 CON, Skill: Astrology |
| 2 | You arrived at the Southern Gate and hammered your fist on the oak door until they allowed you in. | +2 STR, +1 CON, +1 CHA, Skill: Intimidation |
| 3 | You cut your way through a mass of ivy to locate a small archway in the Eastern Wall. | +2 CON, +1 DEX, +1 WIS, Skill: Spot Hidden |
| 4 | You nearly drowned wading through a mire to reach the North Gate. | +2 CON, +1 STR, +1 DEX, Skill: Swimming |
| 5 | You leapt a chasm to reach the West Gate. | +2 STR, +1 DEX, +1 WIS, Skill: Athletics |
| 6 | You climbed up the well in dining hall. | +2 DEX, +1 INT, +1 WIS, Skill: Climbing |
| 7 | You remember falling forever, then waking in an amphitheater surrounded by weather-worn statues | +2 WIS, +1 INT, +1 STR, Skill: History |
| 8 | You wandered through the arboretum until you found the Southern Gate. | +2 DEX, +1 INT, +1 CON, Skill: Navigation |
| 9 | You entered a submerged bunker in the desert and followed a rough-hewn passage to the Eastern Gate. | +2 INT, +1 DEX, +1 CHA, Skill: History |
| 10 | A portal in the temple by the lake carried you over a blue-starred causeway to the North Gate. | +2 WIS, +1 INT, +1 CHA, Skill: Legend Lore |
| 11 | Stones around your ankles dragged you down to the sea bottom, where you found the Western Gate. | +2 CON, +1 WIS, +1 DEX, Skill: Breath Control |
| 12 | You emerged from a sarcophagus in the mausoleum. | +2 CHA, +1 WIS, +1 CON, Skill: Sense Death |
| 1d8 | Upon entering the castle you were told that you were now in Lysander’s domain and under his protection. What happened? | Gain |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lysander addressed you in a booming voice from a balcony, his features obscured in shadow | +2 STR, +1 INT |
| 2 | Lysander entertained you in a grand room, offering you a jet-black wine | +2 WIS, +1 CHA |
| 3 | Lysander’s seneschal regretfully informed you that his master was occupied, and to enjoy the lavish meal laid in front of you | +2 CON, +1 WIS |
| 4 | You chased Lysander, a cloaked figure in a white mask, through a hedge maze demanding answers — but he was always just out of reach | +2 DEX, +1 STR |
| 5 | Old and kindly Lysander appeared at your bedside, asking if you had rested well and offering you bread and fruit | +2 CHA, +1 CON |
| 6 | Young and androgynous Lysander escorted you through a gallery of their ancestors’ portraits | +1 WIS, +1 INT, +1 CHA |
| 7 | You glimpsed Lysander, flanked by an entourage of armoured hyena warriors, as they passed through a grand colonnade | +1 CON, +1 INT, +1 STR |
| 8 | You crept into Lysander’s sanctum, and witnessed them converse with a living mist billowing from a brazier | +1 DEX, +1 INT, +1 WIS |
| 1d8 | Who else did you meet in the castle? | Gain |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Prome, librarian | +2 INT, +1 CON |
| 2 | Fulker, mistress of owls and hawks | +2 DEX, +1 INT |
| 3 | Madame Zmeice, keeper of the observatory | +2 WIS, +1 CHA |
| 4 | Vain, steward | +2 CHA, +1 INT |
| 5 | Constable, castle security | +2 STR, +1 INT |
| 6 | Orville, fool in motley | +1 INT, +1 DEX, +1 CON |
| 7 | Elle, sitting in an apple tree | +1 CHA, +1 INT, +1 DEX |
| 8 | Durt, skulking pot-washer | +1 CON, +1 WIS, +1 CHA |
As you sit down to eat with your fellow knights you recall your past life. Your armour and weapons leave no doubt that you’re a Warrior of some skill. You have the class abilities of knacks and weapon specialisation.
| 1d6 | What were you doing when Queen Antipathie approached you in the forest glade? | Gain |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | You were daydreaming in that magical spot. | +3 WIS, skill: sense magic |
| 2 | You had enticed a doe into the glade. | +3 CHA, skill: animal ken |
| 3 | You were foraging for mushrooms. | +3 INT, skill: survival |
| 4 | You were swimming with your friends the Naiads in the river nearby. | +3 CON, skill: swimming |
| 5 | Intent on becoming a hunter like the adults in your clan, you had cornered and were facing down a wild boar. | +3 STR, skill: hunting |
| 6 | You were hiding, waiting to see who approached. | +3 DEX, skill: stealth |
| 1d6 | What weapon did your Queen give you? | Gain |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | A golden spear, with two scarlet ribbons twining from the spearhead. | +2 CON, weapon specialisation: Spear |
| 2 | A broad sword of ancient design that she said had been held by many heroes before you. | +2 STR, weapon specialisation: Sword |
| 3 | A long-hafted axe, struck with a dwarven prize-mark at the head. | +2 STR, weapon specialisation: Axe |
| 4 | A slender side-sword, nimble in your hand almost as if it knew your intent. | +2 DEX, weapon specialisation: Sword |
| 5 | A silver hammer, with a pommel shaped like a beetle. | +2 STR, weapon specialisation: Hammer |
| 6 | A short and jagged sword that seemed to pulse with a heartbeat as you held it. | +2 CON, weapon specialisation: Sword |
| 1d6 | The Queen brought you to her Realm to face an even greater evil. What was it, and where did you fight your battle? | Gain |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | A demon demanded the Queen lay down her life or it would blight the Realm. You slew it in single combat in the stone circle at Nearbury. The friend to your right has seen, heard of or read about a similar place; what do they know? They gain +1 STR. | +2 STR, knack: Great Strike |
| 2 | You uncovered a political plot against the Queen and slew her would-be assassin and the Vizier attempting the coup when their endgame played out in the Owl Spire. The friend to your right has seen, heard of or read about a similar place; what do they know? They gain +1 INT. | +2 INT, knack: Fleet |
| 3 | You hunted the Crone to its lair in White Marsh, and made an elixir of its brain and heart to cure the disease it had spread. The friend to your right has seen, heard of or read about a similar place; what do they know? They gain +1 CON. | +2 CON, knack: Resilience |
| 4 | You hunted for a colossal Wyrm in the Undermaze beneath the Realm. The friend to your right has seen, heard of or read about a similar place; what do they know? They gain +1 STR. | +2 STR, knack: Great Strike |
| 5 | You confronted the Lichling in the cyclopean Temple of Aan, and resisted its offer to unite against the Queen. The friend to your right has seen, heard of or read about a similar place; what do they know? They gain +1 WIS. | +2 WIS, knack: Resilience |
| 6 | You battled Antipathie’s twin sister in the Inverted Citadel. The friend to your right has seen, heard of or read about a similar place; what do they know? They gain +1 DEX. | +2 DEX, knack: Defensive Fighter |
| 1d6 | When you left the Realm and plunged into the surrounding Mists, what did you take with you? | Gain |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Antipathie’s cartographer gave you a compass that might help beyond the Mists. | +2 INT, a compass |
| 2 | You took a golden mask from the theatre to remind you of the players there. | +2 CHA, a golden mask |
| 3 | A cobbler made you boots that would allow you to step between shadows. | +2 DEX, shadow-step boots |
| 4 | An alchemist gave you what she claimed is a bag of dragon’s teeth, hinting that it may help you on the road ahead. | +2 STR, a bag of dragon’s teeth |
| 5 | You took a mirrored shield from a statue of one of your predecessors in the Realm’s Hall of Heroes. | +2 CON, a mirrored shield |
| 6 | You found and stole Antipathie’s phylactery containing her true name | +2 WIS, Antipathie’s phylactery |