The Steep Mage
A gothic fantasy one-shot for Of Yarn and Bone or any system Compatible With Roleplaying
Introduction
Fog chokes Veshra Cemetery. Monuments lean at drunken angles and a half-collapsed chapel marks the cemetery's northern edge. At its center, three excavated graves form a triangle around Lady Veshra's monument.
A robed figure sits on a stool near the monument, dark lantern at his feet. Tea service arranged just so on a headstone. The Steep Mage sips from fine bone china while his gravediggers work, their spades biting into consecrated earth. His shadow looms over the marble, rocking ever so slightly as he mouths a verse over and over.
But the cemetery itself betrays him. Sentinel Crows are its eyes; Grief Wraiths its vengeance. Veshra's descendant is here for her inheritance. And breaking Lady Veshra's coffin seal releases the wraiths, who protect the cemetery and the Soulstone from disturbance.
But the Steep Mage is not alone. His murdered wife has returned as a Dybbuk; a desperate spirit who possesses the living. She haunts the chapel, trying to help him succeed. Tonight is their last chance.
Tonight he joins his true love in life or in death.
As the PCs approach the cemetery gate, mercenaries lean against the pillars, passing a flask. One mutters "Where is she?" They are puzzled by your arrival...
Who Are You?
- Possessed: The Dybbuk found one of you first. She slipped inside you like burning ice water, and now you're drawn toward the monument. You still have some control, but she's stronger when you're emotional or tired. She needs you to help him complete the ritual. You feel her grief; her desperation. Sometimes you speak in her voice. Sometimes you can't remember what you just did.
- Veshra's Bastards: You share Vira's blood but not her title or inheritance. The Soulstone should be yours by right of kinship. You arrived early to claim it before your "dear cousin" and her hired thugs. You know the cemetery's layout from childhood visits before the exile. The crows remember you, but you're not sure if that's good or bad.
- Magistrate Flunkies: The magistrate reluctantly sent his "best agents" to assess the situation. Vira came to him with wild accusations of grave desecration and dark magic. He thinks she's batshit crazy but if things go badly, you have the authority to act.
- Grave Tenders: You maintain Veshra Cemetery. You know every name on every headstone. You've felt the cemetery's eye for years. You put flowers on the Paupers' Pit. The cemetery called you here...
Factions
The Steep Mage (Grave Rituals, Cursed in Verse, Wife's Tea Set, Desperate Love) Soft-spoken between verses and sips, exhausted and trapped in perpetual rhyme. He sways back and forth, mumbling the same couplet endlessly:
“Three graves dug, three souls bound. Within the fourth, it shall be found.”
Only when he sips his tea can he speak normally for a few precious moments before his lungs seize again. Tonight is his last chance. Without the ritual, he dies by dawn.
- Grett: (
His Loyal Fool, Strong Back) Lead digger. Thinks the Mage is just misunderstood. Protective and suspicious of intruders.
The Dybbuk (Steep Mage's Wife, Violent Possession, Cannot Rest) She died violently and now exists as a disembodied spirit. She drifts through the cemetery, slipping in and out of bodies, to aid the ritual. She might possess Grett to dig faster, a merc to drive away intruders, Vira to steal her own family's Soulstone, or even a PC to guide them toward helping.
Her love is real. Her control is not.
Veshra Cemetery (Protective, Vengeful)
- The Sentinel Crows — Black birds with silver eyes. They perch on headstones and rooftops, cawing warnings when graves are disturbed.
- The Grief Wraiths — They sleep beneath the earth, bound by the Soulstone's seal. Break it, and they rise.
- The Soulstone - A fist-sized crystalline shard that absorbs grief and binds spirits. It has bound Veshra's dead to the cemetery for generations. It is the cemetery's heart.
Veshra’s Descendants Vira believes the Soulstone is family property; her last asset. She is terrified of being caught grave-robbing, so she’s deliberately late: she went to the magistrate in town to claim her family crypt is being desecrated. She hopes the law will arrest everyone (including her own mercenaries), letting her claim the stone legally.
- Vira Veshra (
Last of Her Line, Shabby Elegance, Penny Pincher) - Mercenaries (
Street Tough, Bar Stool Bravado, Let's Loot The Place) Paid to guard the gate. Paid poorly. Considering leaving. Considering theft.
The Twist
Breaking the seal on Lady Veshra’s coffin releases the Grief Wraiths (Cemetery Vengeance, Sorrowful Touch, Lingering Cold). Translucent figures in burial shrouds; only a sudden cold betrays their presence. They attack any who disturb the cemetery. Their touch drains hope and warmth; victims relive their worst memories. They cannot cross salt circles and are vulnerable to blessed silver.
The Curse in Verse
The Steep Mage suffers a curse delivered at his wife’s murder. If he fails to speak in rhyme, his lungs collapse. Tea grants brief clarity, allowing him to speak normally for a moment. He believes the Soulstone can free him and truly restore her.
Your victim must communicate
consistently in verse
for if they fail to rhyme their words
their lungs are going to burst
small amounts of food and drink
might quickly be consumed
but should they falter or take sleep
their lives are surely doomed.
Locations
Main Gate: Rusted iron, scraping hinges; the cemetery knows when you enter. Weeping angels flank the pillars while crows watch from above.
Lady Veshra’s Monument: The heart of the cemetery. Three ancestor graves, recently excavated, surround a large marble angel. The Soulstone rests within the unearthed coffin.
Collapsed Chapel: Roof gone, leaning walls, bell tower warped. The bell's clapper is long gone but rings nevertheless when wraiths are near. Rung by the cemetery itself. The Dybbuk is strongest here but cannot fully enter.
Paupers’ Pit: Mass grave. Loose soil, cold ground, wilted flowers. Disturbing it awakens the earliest wraiths. Crows avoid it entirely.
Witch’s Cairn: Stone mound like a witch's hat, bound in iron chains. Inside: rare herbs, rune-bones, charred teeth. The Dybbuk cannot come near it.
2d6 Complications
- The Seal Cracks – The coffin splinters. Cold pours out. Wraiths rise from the Paupers' Pit
- She Takes Someone – A PC/NPC gasps, eyes wide: "Help him. Please." Their voice isn't theirs
- A Wraith Strikes – Sudden cold. A wraith attacks whoever last touched the Soulstone
- Grett Breaks – He drops his spade, screams, runs... or was he shoved?
- Torches on the Road – The magistrate's men. Voices, dogs, the jangle of chains
- The Cemetery Blinds You – Fog devours the graveyard. You can't see past your hand. Sound carries
- The Mage Pleads – His voice echoes through the graveyard, clear for the first time: "Please. Let me finish."
- The Gates Slam Shut – Rusted iron crashes closed. The cemetery won't let you leave
- A Murder of Crows – Beaks, talons, shrieking. The cemetery has marked you
- The Cemetery Quakes – Ground heaves. Everyone falls. The tea set shatters on stone
- The Ritual Begins – His voice rises, desperate verse echoing. The Dybbuk swirls around him like smoke
d6 What's In The Box?
- Mourning Locket – Contains hair still growing
- Porcelain Fingers – A child’s hand, cold and delicate
- Last Breath Bottle – Glass vial labeled “Final Words”
- Burial Coins – Two silver coins dated next year
- Love Letters – Ribbon-bound, ink still wet, in her handwriting
- Antique Crucifix – Silver and ruby; burns cold when the Dybbuk nears