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...
