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The Day We Leave Our Forests To Die in Beautiful Silence
The Day We Leave Our Forests To Die in Beautiful Silence
There is a place beyond the horizon, a grey land of ash and snow. The fields to the east
are stained red with blood, wine, and sin. The orcs live there, clothed in armour of
obsidian to ward off the blows of angels. An endless sea lies to the west, human ships
sailing off to the edge of the world in search of starmetal to craft a sword that can kill a
reflection. The dwarves live beneath, their empire a slow behemoth in the process of
digging their way to hell.
In the middle of this all is the forests. Verdant greenery sculpted by millenium of
biomages to be unnaturally natural. Glass towers where you can meet your family from a
dimension that has forgotten you. Dreams roam this land, only to be put down by
children with sharp teeth wielding rocks that end imagination.
This is the home of the elves. Ageless, sylvan, fey, alien… all of these and more are true.
Elves are perfect, at least to themselves. They have brought the skeletons in their closet
to life and repurposed them as ornaments.
But something has changed. The Grey has come, in one of its many forms. War, the
wrath of a god, a plague, or the end of magic… it is here. There is no stopping it.
You are an elf: ancient, magical, and strange. The end of your life has come.
Elvenkind
If you haven’t heard of elves, you’re forest-dwellers, although they’re still
probably living under a rock, so we further afield than that.
aren’t going to delve into that. However,
Elves are more like the old stories of fey.
we are going to talk about what elves are
Strange, flighty, and dangerous. They
the world where the Grey attacks.
are inhuman. Trying to compare an elf
When we’re talking elves, we’re not to a person is like trying to compare a
thinking Santa Claus elves, or little person to a raccoon. They both have
pixie-like things. These elves are more thumbs, but that’s about where the
closely related to Tolkien’s smug similarities end.
Elves are generally around a human size, It would be a mistake, however, to think
although their appearance can wildly that elven elders are any less dangerous.
vary. Some have horns, some have fangs, Although much of their magic has fled,
and some are even stranger. An elf they are incredibly good at… well,
might have blood made of waterfalls and whatever they want to be. Imagine a
hands built from anger. Another might person who spent their entire lives
turn all the vegetation nearby into learning how to use a bow. Now imagine
fractals, and cause anyone who hurts they had ten times more time to
them to fall in love with them. Their practice, and were in the peak of
shields are made of nightmares and they physical condition the entire time. Elder
eat metal like candy. elves can break the laws of physics by
just being that good at something.
Elves are alien, elves are magical, and
elves are deadly skilled. They are proud, Adult elves are somewhere in between
powerful, and beautiful in equal the two, and are the most common elves.
measure. Their magic has not entirely fled, and
they have had ample time to ply their
The younger an elf is, the more magical
trade however they wish.
they are, but also less skilled and…
social. People who go looking to kidnap This is who you are. Strange and
elven children fare poorly. They’ll head wonderful and terrible in equal measure.
to the forests where the children are hid, This is your tale.
and find themselves hunted down by
Elven stories are all tragedies.
echoes of themselves that laugh as they
cut their tendons, holding them down If you’re lucky, you’ll make this a good
until a child wearing dirty white rags one.
comes by and tears their throat out with
their teeth.
The Grey
The Grey is a threat. You can let your When the Grey is dawning, it has just
GM decide what it is, or work it out been widely noticed as a problem, but is
amongst yourselves. Whatever the Grey not interfering with everyday life yet.
is, it is a threat to all of elvenkind. More When the Grey is rising, it is in full
than a threat, it is a fatal threat. Most force, breaking down elven society and
likely, elves as a people will not survive people. When the Grey is in twilight,
the Grey. It’s a sad thing, the death of a most of elvenkind are most likely gone,
people. and it will be time to watch the dying
days of a civilization. These stages can
The Grey has 3 stages: dawning, rising,
last days, years, or centuries; it is up to
and twilight, indicating it’s severity.
you. There are example Greys at the end
Generally, these stages will progress by
of this document.
1 per session for a 3 session campaign,
but you could certainly run a longer
game with this.
There is no randomness in this game. You have your playbook, where you will
Everything is certain. Rather than determine how you fit into elven society.
rolling dice to determine your successes A list of playbooks is at the back of this
or failures, you will use Moves, which document. This will determine the
are guidelines to your actions. To use specifics of how you play the game, and
moves, you will have to spend tokens, your methods of gaining tokens.
which can be gained through play. You
Finally, detail what you look like, what
start with 3 tokens, and can get more by
you carry with you, and your pronouns
acting in accordance with your
(if any). Tell us what your name is, and
playbook.
why it's important.
Moves
Act Fight
When you take action in a risky situation, When you attempt or threaten to injure or
describe what you wish to do, and how kill someone, describe what you do, and
you want it to play out. It is so. In choose 1.
addition, choose up to your tokens spent - Hurt them gently, such as a bruise,
in additional options. small scar, or lock of hair, and let
- You perform with perfect elegance, them know you could have killed
executing your act flawlessly. them.
- There aren’t any unintended - Hurt them viciously, such as a large
consequences. scar, lost eye, or bloody gash, and
- You don’t have to pay a price, either tell us why you didn’t kill them.
now or later. - Kill them, and ask them how they
- You can help other people along die.
with you. - Take something from them. Describe
You can choose to instead fail at what what you do with it.
you attempted. In that case, take a token - Put yourself in a better position or
and ask the GM what happens. escape from them.
- Protect someone or something from
Sway them.
When you convince someone that your In addition, choose a number equal to
word is truth, tell them what you wish of your tokens spent that don’t happen.
them. Choose a number of options equal - You lose something, such as a friend,
to your tokens spent, and ask the GM if your courage, or an item.
they accept. - You don’t have to give up an
- When you ask the GM if they advantage.
accept, they must answer ‘yes,’ even - You become injured. If you do not
if they otherwise wouldn’t. get help within a few days, you will
- They hold no reservations in their suffer and die.
heart.
- They will ask or demand nothing of
you.
- You can get something else out of
them, such as a reaction,
information, or a coin purse.
Remember Wield
When you look back on the past, describe When you call on the magic in your blood,
a scene from your history that relates to describe how it manifests itself and
your current situation, working with the what you do with it. Choose a number of
GM. The other players can be other options equal to your tokens spent.
people in the scene. Play through the - It is quick.
scene for a few minutes. You have 3 - You don’t have to sacrifice anything.
tokens to spend in this scene, although - It is as effective as you expected.
you can gain more in it as normal. At - It can last a long time.
the end of the scene, ask your fellow - It does exactly what you want.
players these questions: - You aren’t changed from using it.
- Did I learn something from the past?
- Did I shed light on a new revelation Die
about myself? When you cannot continue on, and let
- Was what I did important? your long life end, choose 1, then join the
- Was the scene interesting and GM in narrating the end of your race.
memorable? - Die in beautiful silence. Describe
- Did I suffer? how your corpse is laid to rest.
- Did the scene reveal information - Die in violent raging anger. Describe
about the current situation? the last thing you do, and how your
For every time the predominant answer fellows leave you to your ugly death.
is ‘yes,’ take a token. Each player can - Flee from the world in shadow,
only do this once per session. wandering far away and leaving
your fate uncertain. Describe your
parting words.
- Abandon yourself to grief, and
describe where you spend the rest of
your days in mourning over your
race.
Character Creation
All elves are magical, and all elves are magic from your playbook, and 2 skills
skillful. It is what comes from being you have mastery over.
born into a body bursting with sorcery
A elder will be immensely experienced
and then living for a thousand years.
in the ways of the world. You will
As an elf ages, their mastery of their choose 1 domain of magic from your
mundane skills grow, while their playbook, and 3 skills you have mastery
magical power dwindles. A young elf over.
can make boulders move with a flick of
Do not feel constrained by the listed
their wrist, while an elder elf could scale
skills and domains. If you can come up
sheer glass walls with ease.
with one that makes more sense for your
When you create your character, you character, go for it.
must choose your age, which determines
The main difference between skills and
your magical domains and your
magic is control vs power. Magic is
mastered skills. Whenever you act in a
unconstrained and wild. It’s going to
way that exploits your magical domains
solve all your problems, but it’ll
or your mastered skills, you can treat
probably cost you in the process. Skills
any move you make as though you spent
are practiced and beautiful. It’s the
1 more token than you actually did.
difference between ripping the words
A child will have intense magical power. out of someone’s mouth forever and
You will choose 3 domains of magic cutting their sentence in half before
from your playbook, and 1 skill you have they can speak it.
mastery over.
The Bound
Magic and Mastery Rule of Thirds
If you are a child, choose 3 domains and 1 When you ask someone a question three
skill. If you are an adult, choose 2 domains times, they must answer the opposite the
and 2 skills. If you are an elder, choose 1 last time of how they answered the first
domain and 3 skills. time (yes if they at first said no, and no if
they at first said yes). If they answer
Magic. Alteration, Binding, Blood, with an in-between such as maybe or
Space, Time, Winter perhaps, they must make their decision
Mastery. Blacksmithing, Diplomacy, when you ask for the third time.
Promises, Protection, Swords, Warfare
The Last Battle
Replenish When you take a stand against
Once per scene, you can get 1 token by overwhelming odds, say who or what you
upholding an oath or promise. are protecting. Then, choose a number
of options equal to the tokens you
Once per session, you can get 3 tokens
spend.
by making a costly oath you fully intend
- You are only wounded to the point
to keep.
of having to run, and not to the
Moves point of death.
Choose 2 of the following. - Nobody slips past you.
- The enemy force is defeated.
Army of One - You gain the respect of someone
When you fight, you can add the important.
following option you can choose from:
- You kill many opponents, leaving All That Glitters
them broken and scattered. When you offer someone what they desire,
tell them what they have to give you in
All the World a Stage return. They will accept your deal
When you follow your life according to gleefully, and give you just enough time
story tropes, tell us what story you are to slip away smiling before they realize
replicating, and your role in it. As long they’ve been had.
as you continue acting out the role, you
get an extra token for all your actions.
The Hunter
Magic and Mastery reserve. As long as you don't stop
If you are a child, choose 3 domains and 1 pushing yourself, you can spend those
skill. If you are an adult, choose 2 domains tokens 1-to-1 to avoid exhaustion or
and 2 skills. If you are an elder, choose 1 injury. If you stop pushing yourself, your
domain and 3 skills. remaining tokens are lost.
Dawning: The Duke slaughters all outlying elves, burning the ones who will burn and
drowning those who will not. Elves begin to flee the forest.
Twilight: The Duke hunts the last few elves through the cooling ashen lands of their
home. Most of his armies either return home or lay down roots in the now-fertile
farmland. The last of the elves are cornered and slain.
Rising: Magic other than what already exists is dead, and is not coming back. Elves
begin to hunt each other down in desperate attempts to drain the already-existing
magic from each other. Contact between elves and humans becomes more common.
Twilight: Magic completely flees from the world. The last elves holding onto scraps of
their power hide in the forests for years, jealousy hoarding it, while others join humans
and live their lives with them. Those too magical for their bodies to sustain themselves
biologically die.
Written and designed by C.M.Ruebsaat (anxiousmimic.blogspot and @Belac93 on
twitter)
Cover art edited from Arthur Rackham’s work.
Cover layout by Cecil Howe