NÉMETH ELŐD ARTÚR (Order #39808475)

Release Version 1.2

NÉMETH ELŐD ARTÚR (Order #39808475)

 Release Version 1.2

Written by
Rob Leigh
Chapter introduction scenes by
Matthew Holland (www.matthewhollandbooks.com)
Artwork by
Alex Aliferov
Omercan Cirit
Stock provided by Pixabay and Unsplash
Proofreading
Matthew Holland, Laurens Edwards, Owen McCartney
Playtesters
Rhiannon Llewellyn-Leigh, John Portsmouth, Lawrence Gillies, Harris Hoin, Matt Forster,
Jeremy Pitt, Marc-André “Dhante” Pilon, Moxie Williams, “Foxy Grandpa”, Kevin McLaughlin,
Richard Kilgour, Dicebag Heroes (Nomad1.44, Mr. Robbins, WDurbin, Sam Jean, Brookiss),
Simon Helfer, and many more...

www.whenthemoonhangslow.co.uk

www.isolation-games.co.uk

©2021 Rob Leigh. All rights reserved. Reproduction without written permission by the author is expressly
denied, except for the purpose of reviews.
Mention of or reference to any companies or products in these pages is not a challenge to the
trademarks or copyrights concerned.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the
products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons,
living or dead is purely coincidental.

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 CONTENTS
Chapter 1: Overview 4 Chapter 7: Equipment 38
The Setting 5 Weapons 39
The Characters 5 Armour 42
The Game 5 Adventuring Gear 42
What is ‘gothic action’? 6 Light Sources 43
Inspirations 6 Food and Drink 44
What you Need to Play 6 Occult Oddments 44
Chapter 2: Core Rules 8 Chapter 8: Playing the game 46
Statistics 9 Resolve 47
Skills 9 Curses 48
Knacks 11 Combat 48
Chapter 3: Characters 12 Light 55
Creating a Character 13 Jury-rigging Items 55
An Example of Character Generation 14 Downtime 56
Chapter 4: Marks 16 Experience Points 57
Scarred 18 Chapter 9: Running the game 58
Haunted 20 Chapter 10: Harrowmire 62
Tainted 22 The History of Harrowmire 63
Obsessed 24 Areas of the City 64
Infested 26 Factions 71
Ravenous 28 Chapter 11: Antagonists 74
Chapter 5: Skills 30 Chapter 12: Random Tables 82
Chapter 6: Edges 34 Example Contract: Lost and Found 86

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 CHAPTER 1:
OVERVIEW

The Necropolis was worse than I’d imagined.

We weren’t very deep, but already I felt crushed, my breath stolen, like I was drowning in the marshes. I
wouldn’t complain any more about contracts to kill Bonerot wildlife.
After a few corners I’d stopped looking at the architecture. Every join was at a different angle to the last,
or that’s what I told myself, to kill the thought that the builders hadn’t been working entirely in the space I
thought I understood.
The others seemed fine. I think they weren’t paying enough attention.
Hektor was fascinated, no more dour than usual. Wretched was enjoying the extra space, as though these
passages were made for people with huge hives on their backs.
Tobias was agonisingly cheerful. Perhaps the Necropolis – despite the name – was one place in
Harrowmire where he wasn’t hounded by the dead.
Human dead, at least.
I stopped, my hand on my belly. It didn’t ease the tightness, nausea, or the feeling of mounting disquiet.
Of inevitability.
Dye was staring at me, lips pursed and eyes quivering as though she were supposed to be looking after
me, rather than the other way around. I gave her the slightest nod, and a smile that would convince nobody.
I had work to do. None of the others could smell the trail, especially as the quarry’s bleeding slowed. I’d
worried that he’d die before he reached the boy; now instead I might lose him.
We were all in trouble if I got us lost down here.

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When the Moon Hangs Low is a gothic action roleplaying
game in which the players take on the roles of hunters:
people cursed with terrible fates who use their strange
powers to hunt down monsters. Set in Harrowmire, a
decaying city teetering on the edge of chaos, it is a game
of intrigue, investigation, and combat.
Games in When the Moon Hangs Low can cover a range
of themes. Characters may find themselves hunting
vile beasts through collapsing sewers, investigating
gruesome murders, or even becoming involved in
intrigue and politics in the heart of the cursed city.
THE SETTING
The game is set in the city of Harrowmire; a decrepit,
gothic city in the grip of a terrible curse. The world is
similar to our own towards the end of the Industrial
Revolution of the 1840s; new discoveries are beginning
to revolutionise society but there is still an air of mystery
and darkness. Harrowmire is inspired by early Victorian-
era London, Prague, Paris and similar cities. It is an
imposing and labyrinthine metropolis that reaches into
the sky, with towering buildings linked by walkways and
bridges that crisscross and overlap. Harrowmire was a
place of both incredible decadence and crushing poverty
until a series of terrible tragedies left it ruined and mired
in darkness.
Once, people flocked to Harrowmire to either seek their
fortune in the ancient necropolis beneath the city, or in
search of the miraculous life-extending Bitter Sacrament.
But now the terrible sorrow plague has ravaged the city,
striking down rich and poor alike. While most victims
simply die in agony, a small percentage are instead
twisted into bloodthirsty ghouls. As if that were not
enough, during the chaos of the plague a terrible fire
swept through Harrowmire, killing thousands and leaving
much of the city in ruins.
In the face of the plague, the fire, and the inability
of the city militia to control the situation, Harrowmire
has been sealed off from the rest of the Empire. The
mountain passes that lead to the city are now guarded
by Imperial troops under orders to stop anyone leaving.
Despite this some people still travel to the city, drawn
by stories of treasure, glory, and the Bitter Sacrament.
Heedless of the dangers inside the city, the dying and
desperate come in search of a miracle. Most of them,
however, find only death.
Inside Harrowmire the situation is dire; disease and
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Overview
crime run rampant, as those who remain spend their
days in wild abandon and their nights in mindless fear.
They have been damned by their empress, abandoned
by their god, and cursed by their home. Come nightfall
the citizens of Harrowmire bolt their doors, bar their
windows and pray for the daylight, for at night, when the
moon hangs low, the monsters rule Harrowmire.
THE CHARACTERS
In When the Moon Hangs Low, each player creates
a hunter and works with the other players and the
Gamemaster to tell their story.
Hunters are individuals from across the empire who
have had a brief, traumatic encounter with the forces
of darkness. This encounter has left each hunter with
a lasting mark which simultaneously grants them a
boon and a curse. A character’s boon is a useful ability
which will help them on their quest; their curse is an
inescapable doom which will slowly consume them and
seal their fate.
Each hunter also has access to several Edges; a set of
skills or powers that allows them to face the monsters
of Harrowmire on an equal footing. Some Edges are
mundane in origin, whereas others appear to have more
esoteric sources.
THE GAME
What is a typical game like? The primary themes of
When the Moon Hangs Low are horror, mystery, and
combat, so most games will involve one, two or all
three of these elements in varying degrees. Hunters
seem to be drawn to each other, either by fate or simple
practicality, aiding each other in their quests. They often
congregate at the Bastion; an abbey at the edge of
the city where they can pick up contracts from various
organisations within Harrowmire. These contracts can
range from hunting the monstrous creatures that skulk
in the shadows of Harrowmire, to solving crimes for the
beleaguered city militia, or other tasks to help stabilise
the city in the wake of the plague.
Games of When the Moon Hangs Low can easily
revolve around obtaining and resolving contracts, but
some Gamemasters may instead send the characters
to explore other areas of the city, investigate strange
occurances, or perhaps even unravel the countless
mysteries of the cursed city.
 Overview

WHAT IS ‘GOTHIC ACTION’? architecture is everywhere in Harrowmire, with its soaring

The term ‘gothic action’ describes the mood and
themes which games of When the Moon Hangs Low
should include. It is descended from the genre of gothic
horror and while it shares many of the aspects of that
genre, it also defies some of them as well.
In traditional gothic horror there is a certain futility to
fighting the forces of darkness: the heroes are often
helpless in the face of the supernatural. While they might
sometimes learn enough secret lore to take the fight to
the enemy, by and large it is a genre of weak protagonists
versus powerful antagonists. Running away or cowering in
fear are entirely reasonable courses of action.
In When the Moon Hangs Low the player characters
are possessed of some powerful abilities and a certain
measure of grim resolve. When faced with the forces
of darkness they are able to hold their own and, while
they may get covered in blood and gain injuries in the
process, they are capable of defeating their opponents
through guile or strength of arms. This is where the
‘action’ comes in.
The ‘gothic’ part of the name comes from the same
source as it does in gothic horror; from the overbearing,
brooding architecture of the gothic revival period. Such
towers, leering gargoyles, rambling streets and ever
present darkness. In addition, elements of suspense,
mystery and human frailty (all common themes in
traditional gothic horror) are found in the setting, and are
themes that players and Gamemasters can explore as
part of their games as well.
INSPIRATIONS
This game has been inspired by a number of other
works. Most heavily it draws inspiration from the
computer games Bloodborne by From Software and
Darkest Dungeon by Red Hook Studios. It also takes notes
from the Dishonoured game series by Arkane Studios, the
Bas-Lag Cycle novels by China Miéville, and the Berserk
manga series by Kentaro Miura.
WHAT YOU NEED TO PLAY
At a minimum you will need one or two players, plus
a Gamemaster. You will need a copy of this book,
several six-sided dice (referred to herein as d6) for each
person, some pens or pencils, and some paper. A good
imagination is helpful.

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 Overview

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 CHAPTER 2:
CORE RULES

“I’m in.” Tobias had slapped the contract onto the table.
Hektor’s brow furrowed as he read it. “Find and rescue a boy. No clue where he’d be.”
“I’ve heard some things that might help.”
“Of course you have. Mishka?”
I was desperate to help; I didn’t know why and I didn’t like it. I certainly didn’t want to tell the others.
Eventually I shrugged. “It’s not worth much.”
A loud scoff from the shadows broke Selena’s silence. “I’m out.”
I clenched my teeth. “Take my share.”
“Your share of ‘not much’ is even less.”
Wretched reached over the table and stabbed the contract with one armoured finger. Explanation would
have helped, but these days Wretched rarely spoke except to their “children”, the flies that constantly buzzed
around them.
A much larger fee had appeared on the contract. Amendments weren’t uncommon, but Dye had said she
couldn’t afford more. The new writing was in a much finer hand.
“I don’t like this.”
Hektor frowned at me. “You were ready to give up your share: now you can help the needy for
decent money.”
Before I could complain, the door opened. A familiar chill drifted in even before Alysska’s hat cleared the
doorway, but despite rising tension a glance from Tobias confirmed my fears.
We might need all the help we could get.

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The core rules of When the Moon Hangs Low are
intended to be easy to learn and also help capture the
action-adventure feel the game is intended to embrace.
It is not a system designed to simulate real life down to
the smallest detail, but one for more pulpy action where
only a few rolls are required to understand the outcome
of a given situation.
STATISTICS
All characters have three primary statistics which
describe their innate physical, mental and social abilities.
These stats are rated numerically from one to five, with
the human average falling around two in each stat. Stats
of five are extremely rare, and represent someone who is
at the peak of human achievement in that particular area.
Physique is a measure of a character’s physical
strength, agility and general constitution. Characters with
a high Physique will find tasks such as climbing, combat
and stealth easier than those with a lower score.
A character’s Intellect score shows a combination of
their intelligence, common sense and general reasoning
power, as well as governing how sharp their senses are.
Characters with a high Intellect will find skills such as
alchemy, occult knowledge and awareness easier than
those with a lower score.
The Presence stat combines a character’s charisma,
empathy and force of personality. Characters with a high
Presence will find skill checks relating to interaction and
leadership much easier than those with a lower score.
DERIVED STATS
Each character also derives three more stats from their
primary statistics.
Health is an abstract measure of how much damage a
character can sustain before they start getting really hurt;
it represents superficial damage such as small cuts and
bruises. Once a character runs out of Health, they start to
take more lasting damage in the form of wounds.
A character’s Health is equal to their Physique multiplied
by eight.
Wounds are debilitating injuries that a character can
suffer when they run out of Health. If a character sustains
enough wounds to fill their Wound Track, they are at
imminent risk of dying.
A character’s Wound Track has a number of boxes equal
to their Physique.
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Core Rules
Resolve is an abstract measure of a character’s
willpower, mental fortitude, and spiritual strength.
Characters use Resolve to activate Edges, but it is also
lost when they confront awful creatures, or are witness
to disturbing sights. If a character runs out of Resolve
their curse will become more severe, until it completely
consumes them.
A character’s Resolve is equal to five plus their Intellect
and Presence.
SKILLS
While stats represent a character’s innate abilities,
skills represent a character’s learned proficiencies
and knowledge.
SKILL LEVELS
A character can have a skill at one of three levels;
Untrained, Trained and Mastered. All characters begin
with every skill as Untrained. Any character in When the
Moon Hangs Low can attempt a check against any skill
regardless of their proficiency, however, characters who
are trained in a skill will find it much easier to succeed.
Characters who have mastered a skill will find it easier still.
SKILL CHECKS
Skill checks are made by rolling six-sided dice (d6), one
for each point in the stat associated with the skill, and
counting the number of ‘successes’ rolled. When using
an Untrained skill a success is any die that rolls a 5 or a
6. If a character is Trained in a skill then a success is any
die that rolls a 4, 5 or 6. If a character has Mastered a skill
then a success is any die that rolls a 3, 4, 5 or 6. For a skill
check to be successful the number of successes in a roll
must equal or exceed the Difficulty Value (DV) set by the
Gamemaster. The number of dice rolled for a skill check
is equal to the number of points the character has in the
stat associated with that skill.
If a character is using equipment that would help them,
or if certain situational effects make the task they are
attempting easier, then the Gamemaster can tell them to
add bonus dice to the roll.
For example: Selena is creeping through an abandoned
house when a twisted monster lunges out of the shadows
at her! Sam, Selena’s player, attempts to dodge the blow
using her Reflexes skill and the Gamemaster tells her the
DV is two. As Reflexes is a Physique skill and Selena has
three in that stat, Sam rolls three dice, which result in 5, 6,
 Core Rules

and 2. As Selena is Untrained in Reflexes, Sam only counts PENALTY DICE

dice that roll a 5 or 6, meaning she has a total of two Sometimes when a player character makes a skill check
successes. Selena successfully dodges the attack! the Gamemaster may ask them to add a number of

DIFFICULTY VALUES penalty dice to the roll.

Penalty dice are used to represent environmental
When making a skill check, the Gamemaster will assign
or situational effects that make a skill check harder.
a Difficulty Value (DV) based on how easy (or not) the task
Darkness, distractions, and fear are examples of factors
is. The DV indicated the number of successes a character
that may result in penalty dice.
requires for a skill check to succeed. Some example DVs
are listed below. The penalty dice should be rolled separately to the
normal skill dice when making a check, or if rolled
Task DV Example together they should use dice of a different colour to
Easy 1 A task that anyone without training differentiate them. A penalty die that results in a 5 or 6
could complete cancels out one success rolled on the normal skill dice.
Average 2 A task most people could complete There are a number of situations and actions listed in
Difficult 3 A task that would require either training this book that confer penalty dice. These will usually be
or above-average competence written as ‘add a xd6 penalty’ where x is the number of
Hard 4 A task that requires training, skill and dice rolled.
the right equipment For example: Tobias is lost deep in the catacombs without
Heroic 5 A task that is generally only possible a torch. The Gamemaster asks Tobias’s player to make a
with incredible skill DV 3 Investigation skill check to try and find his way out,
but with a 2d6 penalty due to the impenetrable darkness.
Impossible 6 A task that is pretty much beyond a
Tobias’ player rolls four dice, equal to his Intellect, for
normal human
his skill check, as well as two penalty dice. The skill dice

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 Core Rules
result in 3, 5, 4, and 6; as Tobias has the Investigation first check. This can include using a piece of equipment
skill at Trained this would be three successes. However, they hadn’t used previously, enlisting the help of an ally,
the penalty dice he rolled resulted in a 4 and 6, so Tobias or taking some time to rethink their approach. In any
removes one success for a total of two successes: he fails! situation, the character can only retry a failed skill check
if the Gamemaster agrees they can.
OPPOSED SKILL CHECKS
Sometimes two characters come into conflict with each KNACKS
other when making skill checks. In these situations the
Some people are just innately better at a particular
DV of a skill check is not determined by the Gamemaster,
skill than others. Every character in When the Moon
instead the characters both make skill checks and the
Hangs Low has three knacks; these are attached to three
results are compared against each other.
separate skills at which the character naturally excels.
In most opposed skill checks there will be an active When using a skill they have a knack for, a character
character and a passive character; the active character adds two additional dice to their roll.
is the one making the skill check and the passive
For example: Tobias is investigating a grusome murder
character is the one they are trying to beat. The active
that has the militia baffled. The Gamemaster tells Tobias’s
character must equal or exceed the result of the passive
player Chris that the DV for investigating the scene is four.
character’s skill check in order to succeed. If the passive
Tobias has an Intellect of four and is also trained in the
character fails to get any successes then as long as the
Investigation skill. Luckily he also has Investigation as one
active character gets a single success they succeed.
of his knacks, granting him a extra 2d6 to the roll. Chris
If neither character gets any successes then both
rolls a total of 6d6 (4d6 for his Intellect of four, plus 2d6
characters fail.
for his knack) and counts the number of dice resulting
Combat actions are one example of opposed skill in a 4 or more. Chris rolls a 3, 4, 6, 4 and 5: a total of four
checks; when a character attacks another the attacker successes. Amid the gore, Tobias finds a vital clue to the
tries to equal or exceed the defender’s skill checks to murderer’s identity.
determine if they hit their target.
For example: Selena is trying to sneak past a militia
member guarding a murder scene. Selena’s player Sam
makes a Stealth skill check and the Gamemaster makes
the militia member’s Awareness skill check. The militia
member gets three successes and Selena gets four
successes; she manages to sneak past him successfully.

THE CONSEQUENCES OF
FAILURE
Depending on the task in question, failing a skill check
can be anything from inconvenient to life-threatening.
The results of failure are not always dangerous,
sometimes tools can be lost or broken, precious time can
be wasted or valuable ingredients can be consumed and
need to be gathered again. When a character fails a skill
check the Gamemaster must ultimately rule the effects
of the failure, but in general the lower the Difficulty Value
of the check, the less unpleasant the results of failing
should be.
Depending on the task a character may attempt to
retry a failed check, but only if they do something to
change the circumstances under which they made the

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 CHAPTER 3:
CHARACTERS

I made Dye walk in front as I steered her through the main bar of the Slaughtered Lamb, playing sheep
dog and giving my best toothy glares to the more covetous patrons.
It would be much later that I finally credited her with the steel she showed, first at the wall, then as I
showed her into a back room and introduced her to the others. Not to mention later.
She was naïve as well, of course. Sometimes people escorted into back rooms in the Bastion are never
heard from again.
Now there was silence, each hunter looking for value in her: for Hektor a study, for Selena a decoy, for
Tobias a distraction; for Wretched… who knew?
I’d already accepted her as pack-mate – my first – and as Alysska turned my way I laid that claim, picking
my teeth with one clawed finger. The girl was not food.
Dye seemed oblivious, the storm of scrutiny taking nothing from her curiosity. “Why do you do this?”
Most of us laughed, whether with humour, disdain, denial or shame, but there were signs. Hektor couldn’t
hide the look of exhausted determination that always drew my sympathy. Tobias absently touched his
jerkin, where he hid a small pouch close to his heart.
“We have our reasons.”
I looked again at Dye. Most of us make a show of fine living that put her dusty travelling clothes to shame,
but in her I saw a fragile innocence; clean on the inside.
“Are you sure you want to come with us?”

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Each player in When the Moon Hangs Low controls a
character: a hunter who has been drawn to Harrowmire
by the pull of fate. It is down to each individual player to
create their character and subsequently work with the
Gamemaster to tell the story of that character’s journey
through the cursed city.
CREATING A CHARACTER
There are several steps to character creation; you can
do these in order (which is advised), or do them in the
order you choose. A typical character generation process
can involve a lot of skipping around between the various
steps, as you hone your character from a rough idea to a
finished concept.
A WIDE AND DIVERSE EMPIRE
When the Moon Hangs Low is set in an expansive world
heavily inspired by the Victorian empire, but it is not a
carbon copy of it and nor does it share the Victorian
prejudices towards ethnicity, sexuality, or gender.
While it is certainly not a utopia, the empire is a diverse
nation, and players should not feel bound by any
historical restrictions or expectations. Play the hunter you
want to play.
NAME
A name is a good place to start with a character. While
a character can have any name the player desires, a few
example names are provided below. Some characters
choose new names for themselves after they gain their
mark; casting off their old life by taking on a new identity.
Others may be black sheep, cast out of their family and
come to Harrowmire to seek their fortune; such people
often discard their family names, or even take on a
nickname. Many hunters cling to their original names,
hoping to retain what little remains of their old lives.
Example names: Albert, Adelina, Beatrix, Carlota,
Diana, Edward, Elsa, Elizabeth, Felix, Francois,
Gascoigne, Henrick, Isabel, Katherine, Leopold, Magnus,
Marianne, Monika, Oscar, Selena, Siegmund, Tomas,
Ulrike, Wolfgang
Example nicknames: Hawk, Raven, Rat, Cutter, Pike,
Blade, Nightshade, Wolfsbane, Monkshood, Mist, Rain,
Frost, Prowler, Strider, Lightfinger, Scratch, Likewise,
Butcher, Skinner, Catspaw
Example family names: Archer, Attano, Black, Baldrick,
Cavanagh, Dukenfeild, Drachenwald, Fairfax, Fitzgerald,
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Characters
Hancock, Malady, Morszo, Richtofen, Sardis, Schreiber,
Sharpe, Talcott, Vaude, Walker, Waldron, Wrythe
MARK
Each hunter has a mark; a legacy of their brush with the
dark. A character’s mark grants them a boon, but also
dictates their curse. Hunters cannot change their mark
after they have been created; their mark is an integral
aspect of their personality.
SPEND CHARACTER POINTS
Character Points are used to create the core of your
character; you use them to buy primary statistics and
skills. All characters begin with 20 Character Points
(CPs), which are used to buy both statistics and skills.
Statistics and skills cost different amounts of CPs; see
the sections below.
Buying Primary Statistics
All characters start with one point in each primary
statistic (Physique, Intellect, and Presence) for free. Adding
an additional point costs two CPs for each point added. A
character can have a maximum of five in each statistic.
Buying Skills
Characters start as Untrained in all skills. To buy a
Trained skill costs one CP; this allows a character to
treat a die roll of 4 or more as a success when making a
Skill check.
To Master a skill costs two CP; this cost is cumulative
with the one CP paid to already learn the Trained skills,
for a total of three CP to buy and then Master a skill.
Mastered skills allow a character to treat a die roll of 3 or
more as a success when making a skill check.
KNACKS
Choose three skills that your character has a knack for.
When a character makes a skill check that they have a
knack for they roll an additional 2d6.
EDGES
Choose three Edges from the list.
DERIVED STATS
Once a character’s primary statistics have been
finalised, you should calculate their derived stats: Health,
Wound Track, and Resolve. If a character’s primary
statistics change, so do their derived stats accordingly.
 Characters
STARTING EQUIPMENT
All characters begin play with the following possessions:
• A set of common clothes
• A leather satchel
• A tinderbox
• A few small personal effects such as cutlery, a
coin purse, and some minor mementos of their
former lives
• 200 Shillings
Characters can spend their Shillings to purchase
weapons, armour and other items of equipment.
FINAL TOUCHES
To finalise their character as a distinct person, it may
help some players to answer the following questions
about them:
Who were they before they became a hunter?
Who was your character before they became a hunter?
Were they a noble? A merchant? A soldier? Have they
abandoned their old life, or do they still cling to some
vestiges of it?
How did they gain their mark?
Every hunter gained their mark after an encounter
with the Dark. Was it a traumatic encounter? An
accidental one? Or did your character attempt a
misguided communion?
When did they gain their Edges?
When did your character acquire their Edges? Were
they the product of training? Or were they gained through
other means?
AN EXAMPLE OF
CHARACTER GENERATION
Sam sits down to create a character for Dan’s upcoming
game. She has already read through the rulebook and
has a rough idea of the character she wants to play.
Starting with her character’s name, Sam decides that she
will play Selena, a tough no-nonsense character who
is sneaky and dangerous. She likes the name Selena
because of its connection with the moon, and thinks that
works well with what she has planned.
Next Sam looks at the Marks. She is already drawn to
the Scarred Mark, as she likes the idea of Selena being
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driven by a physical wound that inspires her to hunt down
monsters. She notes this down on her character sheet,
along with a few notes on the Mark’s boon and curse in
the appropriate areas.
Now Sam begins spending character points to give
Selena some actual abilities. She decides that Selena is
physically competent, reasonably intellectual, but not
that great in social situations. As such she spends six
points to set Selena’s Physique to four, four points to set
her Intellect to three, and two points to set her Presence
to two. In total Sam has spent 12 character points so far,
leaving her with eight still to spend.
Looking at the skill list, Sam identifies several skills she
thinks Selena should be good at: Athletics, Fight, Shoot,
Stealth, and Awareness. Sam is building Selena as a
character who is good at most types of combat, fairly
sneaky and agile, and is good at noticing things around
her. Each skill costs one character point, meaning she’s
spent five points so far. Sam puts a tick next to each skill
she has just bought on her character sheet, marking
them as Trained.
Mastered
Trained
Knack
Physique
Athletics 
Fight 
Fortitude
Larceny
Shoot 
Reflexes
Stealth 
With three points left, Sam decides that she likes the
idea of Selena being quite mentally tough, so buys the
Willpower skill for one character point, and then spends
her last two character points to increase Selena’s Stealth
to Mastered, making her even better at sneaking about.
She checks the ‘Mastered’ box next to the Stealth skill on
her character sheet.
Shoot 
Reflexes
Stealth  

Now Sam gets to choose three skills that Selena has a
knack for. She decides that Selena is naturally good at
close combat, and so chooses Fight as one. Sam also
wants Selena to be incredibly good at Stealth, so she
chooses that skill as her second knack. Now Selena will
roll a total of six dice, and count any that result in a 3 or
more as a success!
Characters
customisation to Selena’s sword. This means she can
re-roll a single damage die each round. In total Sam has
spent 175 shillings, so she decides to keep the remaining
25 shillings. She notes down Selena’s gear on her
character sheet.
Finally Selena is almost ready to play. To finish up, Sam
looks at the questions about her character.

Shoot  Who was Selena before she became a hunter?

Sam thinks Selena was a soldier in the imperial army,
Reflexes
explaining her skill with blades and guns. Perhaps she
Stealth    was a scout, ranging ahead of the army, which would
explain her skill at stealth.
Finally Sam decides to choose Intimidate as her last
How did she gain her mark? As she thinks about Selena
knack. While Selena isn’t skilled at intimidation, she has
as a soldier, this answers the next question. While on
a natural flare for it. Sam checks each of the knack boxes
patrol with her squad, Selena encountered some kind of
next to her chosen skills on the character sheet.
monster which butchered her comrades and left Selena
It’s time for Sam to choose Selena’s three Edges. with a lasting, agonising scar.
Looking through the Edges chapter, she decides she
When did she gain her edges? Sam is now building a
likes the sound of Flurry, meaning Selena can make
good idea of Selena’s past in her head. While two of her
additional attacks in combat. She also chooses Mantle of
Edges are mundane in origin and possibly abilities she
Darkness, allowing Selena to become all but invisible in
always had, her Mantle of Darkness seems like something
unlit areas, adding to the idea that Selena is incredibly at
that came directly from her brush with darkness.
home in the shadows.
Sam now has a good idea of Selena’s past, how it’s
For her last edge Sam takes Inner Strength, allowing
shaped her, and possibly what her personality is like
Selena to heal some Health when injured. Sam notes
because of it. She writes down some notes on this in the
down each of these edges on her character sheet.
‘background’ section of her character sheet.
Next Sam works out Selena’s derived stats. Health is
Selena is now ready to play! She steps into the
equal to a character’s Physique times eight, so Selena
Slaughtered Lamb, looking for contracts.
has 32 Health. She has a Wound Track equal to her
Physique, four, so Sam shades in one box to indicate
this. She also has 10 Resolve, as this is her Intellect plus
her Presence plus five. Sam notes all these down.

Health 32 32
Wound Track

Resolve 10 10
For starting equipment Sam decides that Selena will
buy a sword, a pistol, some powder and shot for the
pistol, a set of leather armour, and a rope and grapnel.
All this costs a total of 140 shillings, leaving her with 60
shillings. Light is important when exploring Harrowmire,
so Sam decides to buy some Torches for 5 shillings, and
then decides to spend 30 shillings to add the Jagged

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 CHAPTER 4:
MARKS

I felt for Tobias as he led us through Bishopsgate Sanatorium. I don’t claim to understand my mark, let alone
others, but a place of so much death and despair must be a challenge to one who can see the restless dead.
It explained his ease picking a route through the sprawling building, and why it took me three attempts to get
his attention.
“Any chance this is the right place?”
He nodded, but said nothing more. I noticed Selena nearby, cradling her arm, its bandage spotted with
dark red.
“You sense something?”
She nodded. “But nothing I’ve met before.”
Tobias paused before a doorway, letting Selena go ahead and silently checking with Wretched and Hektor.
Alysska was in front of me, while I held Dye back by the shoulder; someone had given her a club, but it might
not help much here.
The fight was over before I knew it. Wretched went first, thick armour and unfeeling flesh helping them
shrug off enemy attention. Tobias closed with someone on the left, Hektor close behind, but most of our
enemies escaped, stepping through shadows or worse. Certainly no missing children.
Alysska wanted to take it out on me.
“I would have had two of them if you kept up.”
Dye took a step forward, her arms open in conciliation that Alysska didn’t deserve. I cut her off, firmly in the
way; the razor silence lasted until Selena shouted out.
“I’ve got a live one here. A ravenous one.”

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Every hunter bears a mark: a lasting sign of their
first encounter with darkness. For some their mark is
something physical such as a wound or a scar. For others
it might be something more imperceptible, but no less
traumatic and significant.
Each mark grants the hunter who bears it a boon;
a strange ability that will help them in their battles
against the creatures of darkness. Simultaneously a
hunter’s mark also confers a terrible curse which, as a
hunter repeatedly pits themselves against the horrors
of Harrowmire, will grow steadily stronger until it finally
consumes them.
Players choose which mark their hunter bears during
character creation. Hunters cannot change their mark
after they have been created: it becomes an integral
aspect of their body and soul.
BOONS
Some boons require concentration to use, whereas
others are innate abilities that are always in effect. The
general function of a boon is described in the individual
description, but they are by no means the limits of
the boon: some players may come up with clever and
unexpected applications for them.
Boons are strange, mysterious and certainly not
everyday occurrences. While hunters are accustomed
to their abilities and those of their allies, to the regular
people of the empire they are strange and unsettling.
The people of Harrowmire have a slightly broader gauge
for ‘weird’ than most people in the Empire, but even they
find Marks odd and disconcerting.
CURSES
Characters are always affected by the curse of
their mark, but in varying intensity depending on the
current degree of severity of their curse. The severity
of a character’s curse is increased each time they
completely run out of Resolve. A character can reduce
the severity of their curse by spending time between
missions recuperating.
Each degree of severity confers a separate effect:
some penalties are purely thematic in nature, whereas
other effects have a direct mechanical effect. When a
curse confers a thematic effect, players are expected to
incorporate these into the roleplaying of their character.
The effects of each degree of a character’s curse are
cumulative with those that come before them.
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Marks
For example; a character who is Embraced by their curse
will also suffer the penalties conferred by being Touched
as well.
WHAT MAKES A MARK?
Some hunters might view their mark as simply a legacy
of whatever fateful experience opened their eyes to the
existence of strange forces beyond the normal world.
While that is true, there is a deeper and more terrible
significance to marks that many are ignorant of.
A Mark is a spiritual scar left when a person is touched,
and changed, by the supernatural forces of darkness
that exist beyond the mortal world. Some people might
intentionally seek out such encounters and afterwards
(assuming they survive) become loyal adherents of the
darkness such as cultists, sorcerers, and other such
monsters in human guise. Hunters, however, differ in that
they are either ignorant of what they have encountered,
or willingly opposed to it. By luck or intent, they refuse
the offer made by the darkness that would leave them in
its thrall.
Blessed with a strong resolve, hunters are able to hold
off their curse and use the strange powers granted by it for
their own ends. However, due to the destructive nature of
the darkness, many only succeed in staving off their curse
for a few years at most before they finally succumb to it.
It is no coincidence that most hunters seek a noble end
by pitting themselves against the nightmarish creatures
found wherever the darkness is strongest.
Places such as Harrowmire.
What is the Darkness?
The darkness is a supernatural force that exists
outside of normal reality. It may be a single vast
entity, or a host of them; the truth is its nature is
so alien that humans have very little hope of truly
understanding it.
Whatever the exact nature of the darkness, it hates
the mortal world and seeks to subvert and destroy
it however it can. In places reality is thin enough that
the darkness can break through, exerting its will to
reshape the world in subtle and horrifying ways.
Some humans, and other creatures, carry traces of
the darkness within them. Even those who willingly
serve the darkness seldom realise they are little more
than its puppets.
 Marks
SCARRED
Selena never got a good look at whatever
butchered her patrol and tore open her arm.
Afterwards, thinking back, all she could
remember was a great shadow, long teeth, and
the agonising pain as her flesh was laid open to
the bone.
She had screamed until she’d gone hoarse,
that first morning when she’d woken up in the
field hospital. The surgeons had done a good
job stitching her arm back together, but even
the strongest drugs did nothing for the pain.
Even after the wound had healed and all that
remained was a long, awful scar that ran the
length of her forearm, that pain stayed with her:
a sawing, gnawing ache that caused her nerves
to thrum like the strings of a violin.
No one else understood. They tutted and
tisked when she turned to drink to numb it,
whispered when she lashed out at those
around her because of it.
There was no longer a place for her in the
army, they told her.
So Selena left her commission behind, her
friends, everything she’d known. She picked
a direction and walked in the hopes of finding
some way to ease the pain, something to keep
her mind from the unending ache.
Something in that pain guided her footsteps, a
clarity to it that dictated her path. It wasn’t until
the mountains loomed ahead of her that Selena
realised it was leading her to Harrowmire.
It was there she found the pain had a use: it
kept her sharp and focussed. It was a goad
within her, giving her swings weight and her
movements purpose.
She suffered, and so would the creatures that
haunted the cursed city.
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NÉMETH ELŐD ARTÚR (Order #39808475)
The character was gravely injured during their
encounter with the dark, leaving them with a ragged,
barely healed scar. This wound aches in the presence of
anything touched by the dark, granting the character a
form of supernatural awareness. However, the scar will
never completely heal, and the pain it causes will slowly
twist the character, turning them cruel and savage.
BOON: DARK AWARENESS
By taking a few moments to concentrate, the character
can sense any creatures touched by the dark in their
immediate presence (roughly a 20 yard radius). By
succeeding an Easy (DV 1) Awareness skill check the
character can use the degree and quality of the ache
from their scar to determine the number of any such
creatures, the rough direction and distance from them,
and how closely tied to the dark they are. Due to their
marks, this ability can also be used to detect other
hunters, and can be used to judge how consumed by
their curse a particular individual might be.
CURSE: WEEPING SCAR
The ache of the character’s scar surpasses physical
pain; it is a wound in their soul as much as their body.
In addition the wound will occasionally break open,
weeping blood in a small yet unstoppable flow for
minutes or even hours at a time. Never enough to cause
the character harm, but enough that such hunters often
have bloody bandages wrapped around the area that
bears their scar.
Touched: Foul Temper
As the character’s curse becomes stronger their scar
begins to cause them pain almost constantly. Because
of this, these hunters become foul tempered and prone
to snapping at even their allies in moments of weakness.
If they didn’t have a short temper before, the character
gains one now.
Embraced: Sadistic Impulses
As the character’s curse grows ever stronger, as does
the pain of their scar. It weeps blood almost constantly,
leaving them fatigued and sullen, and fills the character
with the sadistic urge to to cause pain to others.
A character at this stage of their curse can regain 1d6
Resolve by causing suffering to another character. This
 Marks
can be physical or mental suffering: so long as the target
experiences significant, lasting pain the character will
feel momentarily soothed. Of course, such actions rarely
endear the character to others.

Consumed: Red Fury

As they are consumed by their curse the character
becomes a sadistic pain-fueled monster. No longer
able to separate the exquisite agony of their scar from
other sensations, the character relishes combat and the
chance to injure and kill others. However when the red
fury descends upon these hunters, their ability to discern
ally from enemy is strained.
At this degree of severity the character gains a 2d6
bonus to all close combat damage due to their furious
attacks. However, when the character enters combat
they must make a Difficult (DV 3) Willpower skill check.
If they succeed the character can control themselves
and act as normal; if they fail the character will attack the
nearest target to them; whether they are friend or foe.
The character can retry a failed skill check each round.

Lost: Berserker
When the character is lost to their curse they become
a blood-drunk berserker, driven by their unimaginable
suffering, they vanish into the winding streets of
Harrowmire, where they hunt the citizens and other
hunters alike.

“Different things
make the pain change.
Sorrowful are a dull
throb. Ghouls are like
a hot needle. Ragged,
they make my scar itch.
Sometimes, down in the
necropolis, it hurts so
much I weep.”

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 Marks
HAUNTED
The stable boy nodded sadly to Tobias,
gesturing to something on the floor at the back
of the shed. The hunter shook his head at the
boy, trying to concentrate on what the two
militia constables were telling him. Something
about the innkeeper seeing a shadow last night,
and hearing screams. Distressingly usual stuff,
for Harrowmire.
The youth, his pale face hidden in the
shadows of the dank wooden shack, waved
again, this time more urgently.
Tobias turned away from him, nodding to the
militia woman talking to him. He couldn’t ignore
it though.
With a sigh he held up a hand to stop the
rambling story and turned to step into the
darkened stable.
Tobias knelt, brushing aside the filthy straw to
examine whatever he was being directed to.
“What is this?” He asked, looking up at the
boy. The shade, like all who came to him, was
insubstantial and still marked by the wounds
that had killed him. The ghost shrugged
and held up a hand, then mimed dropping
something. He pointed back at the entrance
of the shed, where the two constables stood
watching Tobias.
“The killer dropped this?” The boy nodded.
Tobias sighed. “My thanks, child. Be at peace.”
He picked up the object and walked back
towards the constables, who were watching
him dubiously.
“Find something?” One asked, her eyes
darting between the hunter and the dark
interior of the shed.
“Yes.” Said Tobias, holding out the bloody knife,
“It wasn’t a ghoul that did this.”
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NÉMETH ELŐD ARTÚR (Order #39808475)
The character died for the briefest of moments
during their encounter with the dark, and they never
fully returned to the land of the living. Now they can
perceive the silent ghosts of the restless dead which can
sometimes lend them aid. However, their ab-dead state
can often make them seem more like a walking corpse
and less like a vital, living human.
BOON: GHOST SIGHT
The character is constantly aware of the shades of
the dead, which drift silently through the mortal realm
invisible to the majority of people. These ghosts can
sometimes aid the character in their investigations by
gesturing mutely to secrets they might otherwise miss.
By succeeding an Occult skill check the player may ask
the Gamemaster for hints or clues to certain situations.
There is no guarantee the spirits may be able to help in
all situations, however.
CURSE: AB-DEAD
The character is no longer truly alive, and is very aware
that they are not quite the person they once were.
They have lost something in their return from death;
something hard to define but deeply important. Such
hunters are often quiet and dour, and others find there to
be something subtly strange about them.
Touched: Cold skin
The character’s skin becomes noticeably pale and
cold to the touch, like that of a corpse. They may find
themselves the recipients of strange looks in the street.
Additionally they seem to leech warmth from anyone they
come into physical contact with; not enough to cause
harm but more than enough to unsettle and disturb.
Embraced: Drawn to Death
The clamour of the living world begins to irk the
character. Other people seem too noisy and loud, and
the character’s interest in the mortal world begins to
fade. The quiet company of the dead becomes relaxing
to the character.
A character at this stage of their curse can regain
1d6 Resolve by resting for at least an hour in a coffin,
graveyard, or other place close to the dead. Many people
take a dim view of such actions, the churchwardens
especially. Some people may believe the character is
 Marks
actually dead, should they encounter them during such
a rest.

Consumed: Hurt by Sunlight

The character’s ab-dead nature is now fully ascendant:
their skin is ice-cold to the touch, and they begin to
exude the damp-earth smell of the grave even when
they have washed. Worse still, the character discovers
that sunlight now burns their skin unless they take pains
to wrap themselves in thick clothing, or only
come out at night.
At this degree of severity the character gains a
2d6 bonus to any Stealth skill checks due to their
natural affinity for the dark. If the character’s
flesh is exposed to
sunlight, they will take
2d6 damage per round
which ignores any
armour they are wearing.

Lost: Abomination
When the character is lost to their curse they become
an ab-dead abomination. With skin like alabaster, they
exude a numbing cold and are driven by inhuman
desires. Most such hunters vanish into the
crypts beneath the city.

“You get used to

it, eventually. It’s
comforting, in a way.
You never feel alone.
Although some of
them... sometimes
some peace would
be nice.”

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 Marks
TAINTED
Mishka should have realised it wasn’t a normal
wolf from the very beginning.
No common animal avoided traps
so meticulously. Or left poisoned bait
untouched while taking the rest. Or killed so
indiscriminately and violently.
But Mishka had been confident. She was the
best trapper in the region and the village had
paid her handsomely to kill the beast that had
been terrorising them.
Soon though, she began to wonder who was
hunting who.
Only two of the villagers had been brave
enough to come with her. The beast took one
of them on the first night, dragging him off of
his bedroll without making a sound. The other it
killed in front of her, tearing out his throat even
after Mishka put two shots into its shaggy hide.
When it turned to look at her, Mishka had
stood stunned, her rifle forgotten. She had seen
such intelligence in its red eyes, and also such
malevolent hatred.
That was when she realised it was something
beyond her experience.
The next night, when it came for her, Mishka
was ready for it and laid a trap.
Perched in a tree, her skin numbed by the
cold, she watched as the wolf lowered its head
to lap at a pool of her blood she’d left as a lure.
That was when she leapt down on top of it and
drove her sword through it’s back.
Even as it died it tried to kill her, whirling
around and sinking its fangs deep into her arm,
and in that moment Mishka felt something
enter her, as its blood flowed into her wounds.
Something dark and terrible.
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The character’s encounter with the dark left them
spiritually tainted by it. Something dark resides
within them now; a bestial presence that threatens
to overwhelm them in times of stress. However this
presence also grants the character strange, animalistic
abilities. Should they succumb to their curse, they will
transform into something no longer human.
BOON: HEIGHTENED SENSES
The character has incredibly sharp senses of hearing,
sight, and smell: more like the senses of an animal than
a normal human. Using these senses a character could
potentially track another person by smell alone, hear a
whispered conversation from across a room, or be able
to discern the details of someone otherwise hidden in
shadow. Gamemasters may ask for skill checks when
using these senses, but generally they allow a character
to notice more than a normal human would be able to.
CURSE: SAVAGE DESIRES
The character is tormented by savage, animalistic desires
thanks to the bestial presence within them. They are
constantly at war with a nameless spectre within them,
which tempts and cajoles them to give in to its impulses.
Such hunters are often seen muttering to themselves, or
grimacing as they struggle to control an impulse.
Touched: Feral Impulses
As the character’s curse gains strength so does
the animal presence within them. When confronted
with blood and raw meat, the character will become
distracted and hungry. At other times they will find
themselves snarling, adopting a stooped posture, or
even forgetting how to speak for a few moments.
Embraced: Wild Hunt
At this stage the character’s curse has an even stronger
grip on their mind. Some hunters embrace this change,
allowing them to regain strength by unleashing the
savage animal spirit within them for a short while.
A character at this stage of their curse can regain 1d6
Resolve by allowing the spiritual presence within them to
take over their body. The character will awake an hour or
so later, with only fleeting memories of what happened
in the meantime: sensations of running wild, sprinting on
all fours, howling at the moon. Occasionally such hunters
 Marks
awake feeling ominously full, with blood on their hands...

Consumed: Physical Transformation

“I can hear the
With their curse now almost fully manifest, the
character begins to undergo a physical transformation. cockroaches scuttling in
These changes are subtle but horrifying; fingernails
become long and thick, ears become slightly pointed,
the walls. I can taste the
teeth lengthen into fangs, and the hunter’s posture sweat on the people in
becomes stooped and feral.
At this degree of severity the character gains a 2d6
the market. I can smell
bonus to any Intimidation skill checks due to their new their fear when they see
bestial appearance. However unless the character
takes pains to hide themselves (such as in concealing my teeth.”
clothing, or with swathes of bandages) they are likely to
cause horror and fear in normal humans. Such
characters may find themselves chased by
mobs or the churchwardens if they are not
too careful.

Lost: Monster
When the character is lost to their
curse they become completely
enthralled by the animal spirit within
them. Unable to speak, or even think
like a human any longer, they vanish
into the depths of Harrowmire.

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 Marks
OBSESSED
“None of this bothers you, does it?”
Hektor looked across at the nun, puzzled for
a moment.
“What?”
“This.” A pale hand waved at the arcane runes
and scattered bones. “This is not normal,
Hektor. But you don’t bat an eye. You just make
your notes.”
Hektor shook his head sadly. People like
Elena would never understand.
He looked back at the scene before him.
The splatter of the blood among the bones,
was it intentional or accidental? Was there
significance in the placement of the bones?
He quickly sketched the runes in his notebook,
watching with fascination as they writhed on
the page, just as they did on the floorboards of
the dusty attic. Incredible.
“So, what do you think?” Elena asked,
clutching her symbol of Saint Baalius to her
breast as she stepped careful around the room
to join him.
“Hmm?” He had been lost in examining the
angle the shadows from the high window
made as they fell across a glistening pink-
tinged femur on the floor. Hektor shook
himself and peered owlishly at the woman
next to him. “Think? About what”?
“This!” Elena gestured angrily at the garret
around them, a flush returning to her
previously-pale features.
“I think you have yourself a problem.” Said
Hektor, closing his notebook with a snap.
“These bones are not from some looted crypt.
They’re freshly flensed. And there are three
femurs, meaning there are two victims here.
You have a killer in the abbey.”
NÉMETH ELŐD ARTÚR (Order #39808475)
Some hunters are not repulsed by their encounter with
the darkness; they are enamoured by it. These individuals
are drawn to places they might encounter the dark
once again, that they might learn more. While this dark
obsession makes them less prone to fear than others, it
also threatens to completely overwhelm them and turn
them into a willing acolyte.
BOON: RESISTANT TO FEAR
The character is more resistant to the horrors they face
than others. The character loses one less Resolve then
they normally would when they fail a Willpower skill
check in response to encountering a disturbing situation.
If this reduces the Resolve loss to 0, the character loses
no Resolve.
CURSE: DARK OBSESSION
The character is driven by their perilous desire to learn
more about the creatures of the dark. Where others hunt
these creatures to put an end to them; the character
does so in order to learn about them. Such hunters often
spend too long staring at the corpses of the creatures
they slay, or can be seen making notes in their journals
when they think no one is looking.
Touched: Unsettling Interest
As their curse takes hold the character finds it harder
and harder to hide their strange interest in death,
darkness and other subjects that unsettle others. They
sometimes offhandedly make comments that cause
others discomfort, or find themselves idly collecting
‘samples’ that cause repulsion and concern.
Embraced: Occult Omens
With their curse now gathering strength the character
begins to see occult omens in everyday life. They might
find significance in the way shards of broken glass lay in
the street, or in the pattern a swarm of bats form as they
fly overhead. They often become obsessed with these
omens, to the point that they have difficulty noticing the
world around them.
A character at this stage of their curse can regain 1d6
Resolve by studying the omens they see. These periods
of study take an hour, during which time the character
feverishly scribbles notes, stares at spiderwebs, animal
entrails, or whatever other strange omens they see.
24
 Marks
These periods are deeply unsettling to observers, and
could even be mistaken for witchcraft.

Consumed: Nightmare Visions

As they are consumed by their curse the character’s
dreams become filled with dire visions and horrific
nightmares. Regular sleep is a thing of the past, as the
character wakes every night screaming. Many such
hunters turn to drink or drugs to help them sleep each
night, leaving them haggard and drawn.
At this degree of severity the character gains a 2d6
bonus to any Occult skill checks due to the strange
visions they see in their dreams. However,
due to their nightmares the Recuperate
downtime action only restores half of their
Resolve, rather than all of it.

Lost: Disciple
When the character is lost to their curse they
become a willing devotee of darkness. Some turn
on the citizens of Harrowmire, sacrificing them to the
darkness or carving them up to read the future in their
still-twitching entrails. Others vanish into the catacombs
on their own dark missions.

“The fact that most

people scream when
faced with such
opportunity for learning
tires me. There is so
much we can learn, if
only we could suspend
the irrational animal
parts of our brains.”

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 Marks
INFESTED
When Wretched was a child, they had loved to
keep caterpillars in a glass jar on their windowsill.
They had been fascinated by the
transformation the creatures underwent, from
wriggling green grub, to brown chrysalis, to
beautiful butterfly.
Wretched had felt that they had undergone
their own transformation, over the course
of their life, from a poor child who collected
insects, to a mercenary soldier, and finally to a
hunter. Perhaps they would eventually end up
as a beautiful butterfly.
Probably not.
Wretched realised there was something
changing in them. Had been changing for a
long time. They were not so inattentive that
they didn’t realise others shied away from them
because of what they’d become.
And because of the children.
They swarmed around Wretched all the
time now, the children. Made nests in their
clothes and skin, chewed at their nerves
until they felt nothing.
Wretched didn’t begrudge them, it was all part
of the transformation.
They still wore the armour from their days
as a mercenary, but now their own skin was
armoured as well, thanks to the children. And
blows no longer carried the same sting even
when they pierced Wretched’s flesh.
Whatever it was the children were turning
them into, for now at least Wretched would use
their gifts to help as many people as possible.
Regardless of what people thought of them,
Wretched knew what they were inside.
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Infested hunters are strange indeed: their encounter
with the dark changed their very flesh, riddling them
with countless vermin that have made a hive deep within
their body. Due to the crawling, biting creatures that now
call their body home, the character is inured to pain, and
wounds that would incapacitate others seem trivial to
them. As their curse deepens, however, the unnatural
vermin consume ever more of the character’s body.
BOON: NERVELESS FLESH
The character is tougher than others thanks to their
unnatural pain tolerance. The character has an AV of
2 when unarmoured, and when wearing armour they
increase the AV of the armour by 1. Attacks that ignore or
reduce armour also affect this natural AV as they would
other armour.
CURSE: CRAWLING
COMPANIONS
Whether the vermin that infest them take the form
of flies, wasps, maggots, or even rats, the character is
constantly followed by a number of these creatures. The
character rarely seems perturbed by these unpleasant
companions, much to the distress of others. Such hunters
sometimes take pains to disguise their infestation,
whereas others see no shame in it and treat the vermin
as pets.
Touched: Deadened Sensation
With the character’s curse increasing the vermin’s
progress numbs their flesh even further. Hunters at
this stage might pick up a hot pan from a fire, heedless
of the minor burn it causes them, or absentmindedly
slice themselves while sharpening a blade. The skin of
these characters is notably scarred and toughened from
numerous small injuries.
Embraced: Abhorrent Ministrations
At this stage of their curse the character becomes even
more enamoured of their tiny pets, doting on them as if
they were precious children rather than seething vermin.
A character at this stage of their curse can regain 1d6
Resolve by spending time ministering to the vermin;
feeding them, talking to them, and even offering them
new nests within their own body. Witnessing this
 Marks
eccentric behaviour is deeply disturbing to most people.

Consumed: Living Hive

As their curse reaches its peak the character becomes
bloated and hunched as the vermin create a great hive
within them. Scores of the creatures constantly swarm
and crawl around the character, and their flesh becomes
deadened to all but the most traumatic of injuries.
At this degree of severity the character gains a 2d6
bonus to any Fortitude skill checks due to their bloated
physique. Due to their hideous appearance and the
swarms of vermin that now accompany them, these
hunters find social interaction difficult indeed. The
character adds a 1d6 penalty to all Animal Handling,
Bluff, and Charm skills checks.

Lost: Chrysalis
When the character is lost to their curse they
disappear into a back alley, abandoned house,
or other secluded place where they turn into a
strange, bloated chrysalis. The churchwardens
and militia burn such ominous pupa whenever
they find them, for fear of whatever monstrosity
would emerge if left to hatch.

“My skin may be

warped, but it is
tough. Scars upon
scars, carefully
minded by my little
companions.”

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 Marks
RAVENOUS
It was boredom, ultimately, that led Alysska to
attempt the communion.
Life as the daughter of a rich noble wasn’t all it
was cracked up to be. She wanted for nothing,
and because of that, she wanted nothing.
Wine, women, drugs: Alysska lived a life of
bored excess until that fateful night when she’d
overheard a whispered conversation at a party in
the city. Secrets, such as she’d never imagined;
things beyond the veil, the descriptions of which
delighted and enthralled her.
After that, it had become an all-consuming
desire. She’d made contacts, bought books,
used her father’s money to travel to far-flung
parts of the empire seeking knowledge.
Slowly Alysska came to understand what
those whispers had been about, and she had
begun to plan for the communion.
Sacrifices were needed, of course, that part
all the stories agreed on. Flesh was best, living
was preferred. Human was advisable.
Alysska hadn’t had much trouble luring a
girl from the village up to the house on a dark
night, plying her with both words and wine until
she lay insensible amid the red-painted runes
and wisps of curling incense.
But when the creature had come, it wasn’t what
the stories had described. No rapturous choirs
sang, no shining lights appeared. What tore itself
into reality before her was indescribable in its
awfulness, brutality, and hunger.
That hunger was its gift to her, it seemed.
Curiously, it left the girl unharmed. Curious,
that was, until that new hunger awoke in
Alysska. Then she understood. The girl wasn’t a
sacrifice for the one that had come.
She was one for her.
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During their brush with darkness the character was
cursed with an insatiable hunger that constantly gnaws
at their self-control. With this hunger comes an inhuman
metabolism, allowing the character to quickly recover
from physical injuries. Should they succumb to their
curse, however, the character’s hunger will become all
consuming and monstrous.
BOON: REGENERATION
The character has incredible powers of natural
regeneration; minor injuries heal almost instantly, and
even severe wounds knit closed in a matter of hours.
The character can use this ability once per scene to
regain either 1d6 Health or remove 1 wound from their
Wound Track.
CURSE: INSATIABLE HUNGER
The character is cursed with an unending, gnawing
hunger regardless of how much food they consume.
Even while on a contract these hunters are almost
constantly eating, whether chewing on strip after strip of
dried meat, or stuffing handfuls of nuts and seeds into
their mouths during quiet moments.
Touched: Extreme Omnivore
Anything organic begins to look like food to the
character, even substances that would normally
be unpalatable. Rotten food, old leather, scraps of
parchment, stagnant water, rancid milk: all become just
as tempting as a home cooked meal. The character
doesn’t become immune to the effects of eating such
unpleasant fare, however, and they feel no more sated by
their new diet than regular food.
Embraced: Awful Feast
When the character’s curse reaches this degree of
severity they find their hunger expanding in a new and
disturbing direction: raw meat. Some hunters resist this
new urge, whereas others become slaves to it.
A character at this stage of their curse can regain
1d6 Resolve by consuming a huge meal of uncooked,
bloody flesh which they devour in a savage, disgusting
manner. The meat can be from any source, but it must
be uncooked and reasonably fresh. Suffice to say, anyone
who witnesses the character engaging in such a feast is
likely to be horrified, and perhaps even run for the militia
or churchwardens.
 Marks
Consumed: Thirsting Aura
As they are consumed by their curse the character’s
hunger transcends a physical need and they begin to
radiate an aura of pure entropy, sapping the life force of
others nearby. Small plants and animals wither and die
in their presence, and other people feel sick and weak
when near them.
At this degree of severity the character inflicts 1d6
damage on every living creature within 5 yards once
every hour. The character can suppress this aura by
concentrating. In normal situations this is a simple
task, but if they are attacked, surprised, or subject
to something that would break their concentration,
they must make a Difficult (DV 3) Willpower check to
keep the aura suppressed. Damage caused by the aura
takes the form of gradual wasting.

Lost: Leech
When the character is lost to their curse they
become an abominable flesh-eating monster. A slave
to their awful hunger, they prey on the people of
Harrowmire mercilessly. Many are hunted down by their
former compatriots, but not before they leave countless
dead in their wake.

“White pepper, pinch

of salt, paprika. Black
vinegar for flavour, but
not too much. Don’t
want to ruin the natural
gameyness. Stop
wriggling, would you?”

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 CHAPTER 5:
SKILLS

We were silent until the Bishopsgate. From the sanatorium attackers, we’d kept a mask, a horrible brass
thing like those of churchwardens but somehow worse, and a key to match.
None of us had heard of church agents with marks, but now we had met them, and they us. It was only
Alysska’s private audience with the hostage that pointed us to a Necropolis entrance in New City.
The hostage didn’t survive, but Alysska looked sated. Perhaps that was good news for Dye.
Now we had a covered wagon, half hired and half stolen, queueing for the gate. Our plan was to play it by
ear; nobody cared that I thought it was a terrible idea.
The guards stopped us, peering into the darkness that hid the less human among us. Hektor launched
into a story about our shipment of valuable and perishable goods for the New City market, and nobody
was buying it.
Something large shuffled next to me. Wretched was manoeuvring into the middle of the cart, where they
might be a vague silhouette to the guards.
“Hektor, that’s enough.” The voice was at once mellifluous and jarring, the accent unplaceable but the
authority unmistakable. “Guards, you will forgive our ruse, but I represent Lord Borgo’s interests throughout
the lower city, where I must unfortunately spend much of my time. If you do not let me return for my Bitter
Sacrament, my uncle will hear of it very soon.”
We were waved through in a hurry. I didn’t know what to say, but Wretched had gone back to chattering
quietly to their children.

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Skills represent a character’s learned attributes and
innate aptitudes. When a character wants to perform
a certain action, they make a skill check. Each skill is
associated with one of the three stats; Physique, Intellect,
or Presence. The number a character has in the related
stat determines how many dice the player rolls when
making a skill check. The level the character has in the
skill determines the number on each dice that counts as
a success.
PHYSIQUE SKILLS
Athletics
The athletics skill covers various feats of physical
exertion, agility, and movement. A character might use
the Athletics skill to climb a wall, jump between rooftops,
swim against a current, or run away from enemies.
Example: Tobias is chasing a hooded figure across the
nighttime rooftops of the Shambles. The Gamemaster tells
him that to keep up with the figure is an Average Athletics
skill check. Tobias rolls his dice and succeeds; he keeps
pace with the figure. Had he failed, he might have fallen
behind, or even slipped and injured himself.
Fight
The fight skill represents a character’s ability in close-
combat, whether with weapons such as knives, swords,
and clubs, or simply with their fists and feet. It is also
used to defend against such attacks, allowing a character
to parry or counter incoming blows.
Example: Mishka is ambushed by two sorrowful. One
of them lunges at her with a rusty hatchet, and Mishka
raises her sword to parry. She rolls her dice and gets two
successes, but the attacker gets three! The hatchet chops
into her arm.
Fortitude
Fortitude represents a character’s ability to perform
feats of raw strength and also resist physical hardships
such as fatigue, pain and exhaustion. A character might
make a fortitude skill check to break down a locked door,
lift a heavy piece of rubble, or to stay awake after several
days of no rest.
Example: Wretched is exploring a ruined house when they
hear a strange noise inside a wall. They try to break through
the rotten plaster, which the Gamemaster tells them is an
Easy Fortitude skill check. Wretched rolls their dice and gets
two successes, enough to bash a hole in the wall and reveal
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Skills
a hidden passageway beyond. Had they failed they would
have had to find something to help them smash the wall.
Larceny
The Larcey skill is used for tasks involving manual
dexterity and feats of sleight-of-hand. A character might
use the larceny skill to pick a lock, palm a card, or pick
another character’s pocket. This skill is often opposed by
another character’s Awareness skill.
Example: Selena knows Sister Bethany is carrying the key
she needs to get into the church cellar. Brushing past her
in the street, she tries to pick the sister’s pocket. Selena
makes a Larceny skill check, while the Gamemaster makes
an Awareness skill check for Bethany. Selena gets more
successes than Bethany and steals the key without being
noticed. Had she failed, Bethany might have realised what
was happening!
Shoot
The shoot skill is used when a character makes a
ranged attack with weapons such as pistols, rifles,
crossbows and throwing knives. It could also be used in
situations where a character’s hand-eye coordination is
important, such as throwing a grappling hook.
Example: Alysska fires her pistol at a charging ghoul.
She makes her Shoot skill check, and the Gamemaster
makes a Reflexes skill check for the ghoul. The ghoul beats
Alysska’s roll, and dodges the shot. Alysska draws her
cleaver and braces herself...
Reflexes
The Reflexes skill is a measure of how quick your
character’s reactions are. This skill is used to dodge
attacks in combat. A character can also use the Reflexes
skill to dodge hazards such as falling debris or explosions.
Example: Snooping through a gang hideout, Hektor
accidentally triggers a boobytrap. The Gamemaster tells
Hektor to make a Hard Reflexes skill check. Hektor rolls his
dice and manages to succeed, throwing himself aside at the
last moment. Had he failed, the trap would have certainly
injured him.
Stealth
The stealth skill is used when a character wishes to
avoid detection by others. A character might use the
skill to move quietly down a hallway, hide in a darkened
corner, or even ambush an opponent. This skill is often
opposed by another character’s Awareness skill.
 Skills
Example: Selena is listening in to a conversation in the
Slaughtered Lamb. One of the targets looks up, and the
Gamemaster asks Selena to make a Stealth skill check to
remain unnoticed. Selena rolls her dice, opposed by the
other character’s Awareness skill. She fails, and is forced to
flee as the targets begin chasing her.
INTELLECT SKILLS
Awareness
Awareness covers a character’s sight, hearing, touch,
smell, and other less tangible senses. A character
might use this skill to notice a hidden door, listen to a
whispered conversation, or search for a hiding character.
Example: Mishka is searching the home of a missing
friend. The Gamemaster asks her to make an Easy
Awareness skill check, which she succeeds. Mishka notices
the distinctive scent of gunpowder: someone was shot here!
Had she failed, Mishka would have missed this clue.
Craft
The Craft skill covers a basic knowledge of alchemy,
smithing, fletching, leatherworking, and even
gunsmithing. A character might use the craft skill to jury-
rig a boobytrap, carefully construct a new weapon, or
repair a broken piece of machinery.
Example: Trapped in the Shambles by a horde of
sorrowful, Hektor attempts to brace a door with scrap
timber. The Gamesmaster asks him to make an Average
Craft skill check, and Hektor succeeds. The barricade
holds, giving him a little longer to work out a way to
escape. Had he failed, Hektor might have wasted the wood
he’d collected.
Drive
This skill covers a character’s ability to drive traps,
coaches, and carts. Drive skill checks are generally
only required when a character attempts a potentially
dangerous maneuver, such as speeding down a
narrow road, ramming another vehicle, or travelling
over difficult terrain.
Example: Tobias is driving a trap down the streets of the
New City, chased by a wagon filled with churchwardens. He
attempts to swerve into a side-alley to lose his pursuers. The
Gamemaster tells him this is a Hard Drive skill check. Tobias
tolls his dice and fails, while he does make the turn, he also
slams the trap into the wall and damages the vehicle.
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Education
The education skill covers a variety of learned and
acquired knowledge such as history, geography, and
local information. A character might use this skill to
remember a specific fact, understand the significance of
a clue, or comprehend an archaic map.
Example: In a hidden shrine Alysska finds an inscription
referencing an obscure imperial saint. The Gamemaster
asks Alysska to make a Hard Education skill check. She
rolls her dice and fails; looks like the meaning of this
particular passage is lost on her. Had she succeeded,
Alysska might have realised the inscription hinted towards
the location of a hidden relic.
Investigation
Investigation is a measure of a character’s analytical
abilities and attention to detail. A character might use this
skill to follow tracks, search an area for clues, or search a
library for specific information.
Example: Searching the study of a murdered cleric,
Wretched finds a few strange leaves scattered by the
door. The Gamemaster asks them to make an Average
Investigation skill check, and Wretched succeeds. They
recognise the leaves as Batbloom, a plant found in the
eastern parts of the Marshes. How did they get here?
Medical
This skill covers a character’s knowledge of
anatomy, biology, and medical practices. A character
might use this skill to stop another from bleeding to
death, help a character recover Health, or analyse
wounds on a cadaver.
Example: Tobias is attempting to identify the poison
used to kill a militia constable. The Gamemaster tells
him this is an Average Medical skill check. Tobias rolls
his dice and succeeds, he deduces the constable was
poisoned with arsenic in his drink. Had he failed, Tobias
might have wasted valuable time, or even come to an
incorrect conclusion.
Occult
The occult skill covers a character’s understanding of
the more esoteric aspects of the world. A character might
use the occult skill to decipher ancient texts, recognise
supernatural threats, or identify a mysterious artefact.
Example: Hektor finds a shrine in the Necropolis covered
in strange runes and littered with bones. He tries to
identify exactly what the shrine is dedicated to, and the

Gamemaster asks him to make an Average Occult skill
check. Hektor rolls his dice and fails; whatever this shrine is,
he has never seen its like before. Had he succeeded, Hektor
might have been better prepared when he later encounters
the cult responsible.
PRESENCE SKILLS
Animal Handling
The Animal Handling skill covers a character’s ability
to understand, empathise with, and command various
animals. A character might use this skill to ride a horse,
work out why a cat is behaving strangely, or calm a
nervous dog.
Example: Mishka finds herself locked in a barn with
a large, hungry-looking gutter boar. She tries to calm
the beast long enough to find a way to escape, and the
Gamemaster asks her to make a Hard Animal Handling
skill check. Mishka rolls, and succeeds. Keeping her voice
low, she keeps the boar placated until she finds a loose
board in the wall and wriggles through. Had she failed, the
animal might have decided she was lunch!
Bluff
Bluff is the ability to deceive or fast-talk a target into
believing something that is false. A character might
use bluff to talk their way past a guard, trick someone
into believing they’re a noble, or distract a character
for a short time. This skill is often opposed by another
character’s Insight skill.
Example: Wretched is creeping through the back streets
of the New City when two churchwardens spot them and
demand to know what they’re doing. Wretched spins an
elaborate lie and the Gamemaster asks Wretched to
make a Bluff skill check, opposed by the warden’s Insight.
Wretched succeeds, and the two guards believe their story,
leaving them unharmed.
Charm
Charm is the ability to change another’s inclination
towards them through friendly means. A character might
use charm to convince another to help them, seduce a
target, or sway a crowd with a rousing speech.
Example: Haggling in the Beast Market, Alysska tries to
get a better deal on a new sword. The Gamemaster asks
her to make a Charm skill check, which she promptly fails.
Offended by the attempt, the shopkeeper refuses to sell to
Alysska altogether!
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Skills
Intimidate
Intimidation is the ability to scare and cajole others
through physical strength, threats, or even psychological
manipulation. A character might use intimidate to force
a thug to let them pass, scare a citizen into giving up
information, or interrogate a prisoner. This skill is often
opposed by another character’s Willpower skill.
Example: Selena knows a broker has information she
needs. Trapping him in a dark alley, she issues a dire threat.
Selena makes an Intimidation skill check, opposed by the
Gamemaster’s Willpower skill check. Selena succeeds and
the broker spills the beans.
Insight
The Insight skill represents a character’s empathy
and emotional perception. Using this skill a character
might be able to discern the emotional state of another
character, or to tell if they are being lied to.
Example: Having talked his way into a club in the New
City, Tobias ends up playing cards against several nobles.
The Gamemaster asks Tobias to make an Average Insight
skill check to gauge his opponents. Tobias rolls his dice
and succeeds; not only does he work out who has a good
hand and who doesn’t, he realises one of the men is
extremely worried by the presence of a hunter.
Perform
This skill covers a character’s ability to perform in front
of others and be entertaining. A character might use
this skill to play an instrument, sing a song, or perform a
complex dance.
Example: Huddled around a campfire deep in the
Necropolis, Mishka tries to lighten the mood by playing
a flute. She makes a Perform skill check and gets no
successes: it looks like no one is impressed by her playing.
Willpower
Willpower is a measure of a character’s ability to keep
their actions their own. Willpower checks are made to
resist another character’s Intimidation and Bluff attempts,
and also to resist losing Resolve when faced with
horrifying sights.
Example: Wretched faces off against a huge ghoul.
The Gamemaster asks them to make a Hard Willpower
check to avoid losing Resolve. Wretched rolls their dice
and succeeds: they stand their ground, unshaken by the
creature before them.
 Skills

CHAPTER 6:
EDGES

The masks were the same. Maybe those who evaded us before had regrouped here, with friends.
Wretched waded in, as always, Tobias and Alysska behind. I made sure to keep up this time. Tobias fired
both pistols – my ears were ringing for hours – and someone shot Selena, but she melted from view and
prepared revenge.
Hektor killed one with a strange bolt of buzzing energy, and bowled another over with a short, sharp word
in a language I’m happy not to know. I saw Alysska reach the prone one and I swear his life just faded, even
before the cleaver struck.
Everything was still; we seemed to have won. Selena snapped at Alysska but eventually let her lay hands
on that bullet wound. Wretched checked their armour. Hektor sat down, drained.
Nobody was ready when an unchecked “corpse” made a break for it, faster than any of us.
Selena cursed, but I shouted over her: “We need one alive!”
But there was nothing anyone could do. Hektor wasn’t ready for another bolt. Tobias fiddled to reload a
pistol. The cloaked churchman was almost out of sight.
Another crack of black powder. It looked like a miss – I saw where it hit the far wall – but the ricochet hit
the runner in the face. His mask broken, he looked back, blood streaming from a broken nose and a scalp
wound, then planted a bloody hand on the wall as he turned the corner.
Tobias stared at Dye, noting her sheepish look and the smoking pistol in her hand.
“How the…?”
She shrugged. “Lucky?”

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Every hunter possesses several Edges: unique abilities
that set them above the humdrum and give them the
capability to go toe-to-toe with the horrors of the cursed
city and survive. Some Edges are simply natural abilities
honed to an exceptional level, others are of a more
occult nature, perhaps as a result of the hunter’s mark.
Many non-hunters are skeptical about such powers,
claiming they are charlatan’s tricks or that there must be
a rational explanation, but those who employ them rarely
need such comforts; to a hunter their Edge is sometimes
all that keeps them alive.
While a hunter may come to rely on their Edges to keep
them alive they must also exercise caution; drawing on
them too often will lead a hunter feeling drained and at
risk from their curse.
Edges can be used as desired during a game (within the
limits noted in the individual Edge descriptions below),
but each time they use an Edge it costs the character
one point of Resolve.
MUNDANE EDGES
These Edges can be explained as natural aptitudes or
physical skills which a hunter has honed to incredible
levels. While remarkable, these Edges have rational
explanations.
Flurry
When the character takes the Attack action they can
use this Edge to make two attacks rather than one. The
attacks can either be made against the same target or
two separate ones as long as both targets are within
range, and the character must roll each attack separately.
If the character is carrying a weapon in each hand they
can use this Edge to instead attack once with each
weapon if desired. This Edge can be used to make either
close combat or ranged attacks, but ranged weapons
must be capable of making multiple attacks without
being reloaded.
Mighty Blow
The character adds a 2d6 bonus to the damage roll on a
single attack. The character can choose to use this Edge
after their attack roll has been made, but before they roll
damage.
Riposte
The character can use this Edge at any time during
their turn. Once used, if the character is attacked in
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Edges
close combat at any point before their next turn they
may instantly strike at their attacker. This is handled in
the same manner as a normal close combat attack, and
occurs immediately after the enemy has made their
attack skill check and damage roll.
Bulwark
The character can use this Edge if an ally within a
number of yards equal to the character’s Physique is
attacked. When used, this Edge allows the character to
immediately move that many yards to place themselves
in the way of the attack, making the defence skill check
and suffering any damage instead of the original target.
Expert Dodge
This Edge can be used once per combat round, and
allows the character to add a 2d6 bonus to their defence
check when they use the Dodge option.
Inner Strength
This Edge can be used once per combat round, and
allows the character to instantly regain 2d6 Health. It
cannot be used to remove wounds from a character’s
Wound Track.
Quick Reload
This Edge can be used once per combat round, and
allows the character to reload a weapon without having
to use the Reload action.
Focused Attack
This Edge can be used once per combat round, and
allows the character to completely ignore a target’s
armour for a single attack.
Trick Shot
This Edge can be used once per combat round, and
allows the character to make a ranged attack against an
enemy outside of line-of-sight. The enemy must still be
within range of the weapon used, but the character is
able to ricochet or curve their shot to hit the target.
Catlike Tread
When the character uses this Edge they become
incredibly light footed. For one hour or the remainder
of the scene (whichever is shorter) the character’s
footsteps are silent, they leave no footprints regardless
of where they walk, and they can even thwart pressure-
sensitive traps.
 Edges
Lucky
This Edge allows the character to instantly re-roll a
failed skill check. The character can choose to use this
Edge as soon as they fail a skill check, however the
character can only re-roll a particular skill check once,
and the second result must be accepted, even if the
result is worse than the original roll.
Quick Reflexes
This Edge allows a character to gain a 2d6 bonus to their
initiative during combat. The character can use this Edge
at any point during combat, but the bonus is only applied
when they make their next initiative check. Once used
the bonus remains for the rest of the combat sequence,
providing the same bonus every time the character makes
an initiative check at the start of a new round.
OCCULT EDGES
Occult Edges are powers that are harder to explain.
Many hunters claim such Edges are granted to them by
one of the various saints of the empire. Others attribute
these Edges to ancient rites, long-lost lore, or even claim
they gained them at the same time as their mark.
Night Vision
This Edge grants the character the ability to see in
the dark for one hour or the remainder of the scene
(whichever is shorter). While using this Edge the
character cannot discern colour, only shades of grey, but
can otherwise see as well in total darkness as they would
in daylight.
Illumination
With this Edge the character can create a small globe of
gentle light that will illuminate an area. The globe of light
rests in the hand of the character, or can be willed to float
just in front of them. The light will last for one hour or the
remainder of the scene (whichever is shorter) and acts as
a moderate light source with a 15 yard radius.
Read Thoughts
With this Edge the character can read the surface
thoughts of another person within line of sight. The
character will learn the immediate thoughts of their
target (whatever is currently occupying its attention), as
potentially gaining an insight into the target’s current
emotional state. While most people are typically unaware
of this Edge being used, some particularly strong-willed
individuals may sense someone trying to spy on their
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NÉMETH ELŐD ARTÚR (Order #39808475)
thoughts, or even be able to resist it.
Healing Touch
With this Edge the character can lay their hands on
another person and heal their wounds. Injures healed
in this manner close instantly, often leaving no scars
behind. When using this Edge the character must be
able to touch the target, who instantly regains either 2d6
Health or heals a single wound (chosen by the character
using this Edge). The character can use this Edge on
themselves as well as others.
Mantle of Darkness
This Edge allows the character to gather darkness
around them, allowing them to blend into the shadows.
They become easy to overlook, and eyes naturally slip
over their shadowy form. When used this Edge makes
the character effectively invisible as long as they are in
an area of low light or darker and do not draw attention
to themselves. No skill check is required to conceal
themselves. They can move about slowly, but if the
character attacks another person, talks loudly, or if the
local light level is increased then the Edge immediately
ends. If another character is actively searching for
the character using this Edge then a Difficult (DV 3)
Awareness skill check will allow them to perceive the
character. This power lasts for one hour or the rest of the
scene (whichever is sooner).
Vermintongue
This Edge allows the character to communicate with
rats, bats, mice, and other small vermin. The character
speaks as normal and perceives the animals responding
in tiny, piping voices, but to any observers the animals
merely make squeaking or chirping sounds as they
normally would. While using this Edge the character can
interact with vermin as if they were sentient creatures;
they can ask them questions, request favours, or
anything else they can think of. However, the creatures
are not compelled to cooperate, and are limited by
their innate intelligence; asking a rat to pick a lock will
not work, but asking it if there are humans in a nearby
building would. This power lasts for one hour or the rest
of the scene (whichever is sooner).
Word of Rebuke
Using this Edge the character can stun another person
by uttering a single harsh occult syllable. This Edge can
be used in combat as a Primary action, and can be used

on any target within 30 yards. The target of this Edge
must make an Average (DV 2) Willpower skill check;
if they fail then they are knocked Prone. Even if they
succeed they are Staggered until their next turn.
Hand of Thought
Using this Edge the character can push, pull, or
manipulate an object that they can see within 30 yards
using the power of their mind. This Edge allows the
character to perform a single task (pulling a lever,
pushing a vase, snuffing out a torch) per use. The Edge
cannot exert enough force to injure (if used to move
a knife, for example), but it could be used to pull the
trigger of a firearm, or perform generally any action the
character could accomplish with one hand.
If trying to pull an item that is secured (held by another
character, or lodged somewhere) then the character
should make a Willpower skill check, opposed by
the other character’s Fortitude (or a DV set by the
Gamemaster, in the case of the item being secured by
something). Success means the character can move the
object. Using this power the character could pull or push
an object up to 10 yards in a single combat round.
Shield of Will
With this Edge the character can surround themselves
with an invisible shield that turns away blows as if they
were wearing armour. When activated, this Edge grants
the character an Armour Value (AV) of 10 for the duration.
The Armour Value provided by this Edge will protect the
character against normal damage but also things normal
armour would not, such as heat, cold, and electricity. The
effects of this Edge last for one minute (approximately 12
combat rounds).
Faceshifter
With this Edge the character can temporarily change
their physical appearance. They can change their
skin colour, hair colour, eye colour, apparent sex,
and any other distinguishing features. The character
can choose to imitate the appearance of someone
they’ve previously met, or to create an entirely original
appearance. Using this Edge does not change the
character’s physical abilities or stats in any way, just
their outward appearance.
This Edge cannot be used to greatly alter the
character’s height or weight; they must stay generally
the same basic shape. Neither can it be used to change
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Edges
into anything but another human; it cannot be used
to transform into an animal or a ghoul, for example.
Clothing and equipment is unaffected by this Edge; most
characters who make regular use of this Edge have
several sets of clothes handy at all times.
The effects of this Edge are usually incredibly
convincing, but a character attempting to pass
themselves off as a specific person to someone who
knows that person should be required to make a Bluff
skill check, opposed by that character’s Awareness.
This power lasts for one hour or the rest of the scene
(whichever is sooner).
Whisperings
Using this Edge the character can whisper a short
message which is carried to a target, regardless of
distance between the two. The target must be known to
the character by name, and the message cannot be more
than a few sentences long. The target hears the message
as soon as it is spoken and is aware who it is from, but is
otherwise unable to answer.
Shadowstep
With this Edge the character can step from one
shadow to another within line-of-sight. Travel between
the two shadows is near-instantaneous, allowing the
character to travel distances unnaturally fast and enter
locked rooms and other hard-to-reach areas. Those
who possess this Edge often talk of a strange realm of
infinite darkness and sibilant whispers, glimpsed as they
step between shadows.
When using this Edge the character must be in an area of
deep shadow and be able to see the target shadow they
wish to step out of. Only the character using the Edge can
travel this way; they cannot bring anyone with them.
Eldritch Bolt
This Edge allows the character to hurl a bolt of arcane
energy at a target. This Edge can be used in combat as
a Primary action, and can be used on any target that
the character can see within 30 yards. The target of this
Edge takes 3d6 damage. The bolts of energy created
by this Edge glow brightly and create a distinct noise as
they streak through the air, meaning this Edge is far from
subtle to use.
 Edges

CHAPTER 7:
EQUIPMENT

I didn’t get us lost in the Necropolis.

The scent of blood remained even after my prey stopped bleeding, competing only with that of
Alysska’s last meal. Dismissing that – and my worry that she reminds me too much of myself – I found a
large tomb chamber.
Hektor was thrilled, but soon whined about how someone had looted it, as though his looting was more
justified. Tobias silenced him: huddled behind a bier were children, chained and gagged.
Tobias and I went to them; I got the gags off while he went to work with lockpicks. Alysska kept her
distance – perhaps she and I had an understanding, finally – while Hektor sought solace with his relic of his
favourite saint.
I turned to Dye, but she wasn’t showing the relief I’d hoped. She asked each child whether they’d seen
Nicol, describing him over and over.
Wretched examined the locks. Tobias was about to speak, then watched dumbfounded as they levered a
lock open with a sturdy length of metal. Noting his shock, they pointed at it, their voice soft like the buzz of
tiny wings:
“Pry bar.”
It was Selena who noticed the missing churchman, who now hogged the sole doorway and held a small
boy. I grabbed Dye to stop her running for her bother.
He reached into a hidden alcove, and as he glanced at the ceiling I realised that wasn’t all I’d missed.
I don’t know if I can describe what fell from the trapdoor. Give me a moment, then I’ll try.

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Hunters who wish to survive the terrors of Harrowmire
will need weapons, armour and other equipment as they
venture into the depths of the cursed city. As they delve
deeper into the catacombs they will often find gold,
treasure and other, stranger artefacts.
SHILLINGS
The currency of the Empire —and thus Harrowmire—
is the shilling. Shilling coins come in a number of
denominations, from small copper 1 Shilling pieces, to
the silver 5 Shilling coins known as rooks due to the
heraldic raven stamped on them, to the large gold 20
Shilling piece colloquially known as the crown. In most
parts of the empire a common labourer would earn
about 8 shillings for a day’s hard work, which would be
enough for them to purchase their day’s food, a mug or
two of ale, and perhaps have a shilling or two left over. A
soldier or merchant might earn as much as 12 shillings a
day, with an average income of 4,000 shillings a year.
WEAPONS
In the rest of the Empire weapons are rarely carried. In
Harrowmire, they are a fact of life.
Weapon Attributes
All weapons in When the Moon Hangs Low have the
following attributes:
Damage: This indicates the amount of damage a hit
from the weapon inflicts on a target. Damage is listed in
d6 (six sided dice) which are rolled and added together.
Range: Only ranged weapons have a range attribute;
this indicates the maximum range of the weapon in
yards. Generally weapons are much more effective at
closer ranges.
Cost: How much a new example of the weapon costs,
in Shillings. Weapons may be sold for more or less than
this price, depending on the item quality and where it’s
being sold.
Qualities: Any special qualities the weapon has, such
as Blast or Incendiary, are listed here. See the Weapon
Qualities section below for specific rules.
Weapon Qualities
Some weapons have special qualities which confer their
own rules.
Blast (x): Weapons with this quality will inflict damage
on their target and also in a radius equal to the number
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Equipment
in parentheses in yards. A successful Average (DV
2) Reflexes check allows a character in this radius
to throw themselves aside at the last minute, only
sustaining half damage (rounding up). In situations
where an explosion is inescapable (trapped in a tiny
room for example) a Gamemaster can rule there may
be no roll to halve damage. The target of the weapon
cannot roll to halve damage.
Incendiary: These weapons spread burning fuel over
their target, granting a chance to set the target on fire.
Any flammable target hit by an Incendiary weapon must
make an Average (DV 2) Reflexes check or catch fire.
Targets set on fire will take additional damage each
round (see Chapter 8 for more details).
Light: These weapons can be wielded in a character’s
off hand with ease, allowing a character to wield two
weapons at the same time with a reduced penalty.
Multi-shot (x): Weapons with this quality can be fired
a number of times equal to the number in parentheses
before they need to be reloaded. Reloading a weapon is
a Secondary action (see Chapter 8 for details on actions).
Parrying: Weapons with the Parrying quality grant a 1d6
bonus to a character’s defence skill check while using
the Parry action.
Reach: These weapons allow the wielder to keep their
opponent from getting too close. Characters cannot use
the Counterattack action when fighting an opponent
using a weapon with the Reach quality.
Scatter: Weapons with the Scatter quality fire a cloud
of projectiles rather than a single bullet. In close quarters
these weapons are especially deadly; when fired at close
range Scatter weapons inflict +1d6 damage.
Single-shot: A weapon with the Single-shot quality
must be reloaded after making an attack before it can be
used again. Reloading a weapon is a Secondary action
(see Chapter 8 for details on actions).
Throwing: These weapons can be thrown with a range
of three times the thrower’s Physique in yards. Throwing
weapon attacks are resolved using the Shoot skill and
count as a ranged attack.
Two-handed: These weapons are large and heavy, and
require two hands to use properly.
 Equipment

Close Combat Weapons

Weapon Damage Range Cost Qualities
Dagger or knife 1d6 -- 5s Light
Bayonet 1d6 -- 10s Special
Whip 1d6 -- 20s Light, Reach
Shortsword, club, or hatchet 2d6 -- 20s Light
Swordbreaker or dueling cane 2d6 -- 30s Light, Parrying
Axe, flail, mace, or sword 3d6 -- 30s
Spear 3d6 -- 40s Reach
Glaive or halberd 4d6 -- 50s Reach, Two-handed
Battleaxe, greatsword, or warhammer 5d6 -- 60s Two-handed

CLOSE COMBAT WEAPONS
Swords, axes and other melee weapons are popular
with hunters, as many of them possess abilities that
increase their strength or martial prowess. Others prefer
melee weapons due to the cramped confines of the
tunnels beneath Harrowmire which mean danger could
be around the next corner.
Dagger or knife: Small blades are a common weapon
in Harrowmire, from the elegant daggers carried by
duelists, to the simple knives found in the hands of thugs
and commoners.
Bayonet: A long blade that can be used as a knife
or fitted to the end of a rifle. When mounted onto a
rifle, it deals 2d6 damage and gains the Reach quality.
Customisations added to a bayonet are not conferred to
a rifle when mounted, or vice versa.
Whip: An uncommon weapon, but one still used by a
small number of eccentric hunters.
Shortsword, club, or hatchet: These short, brutal
weapons are often repurposed tools, rather than
dedicated weapons.
Swordbreaker or dueling cane: Swordbreakers are
short, heavy-bladed daggers. Dueling canes are made
from stout ironwood and are popular in dueling circles.
Both are intended to be held in the off-hand and used to
parry incoming blows.
Axe, flail, mace, or sword: These weapons are common
across the empire and are found in a multitude of
designs and styles. All of them are equally efficient at
turning living creatures into dead meat.
Spear: Keeping a ghoul as far away from oneself as
possible is advisable; for that reason some hunters
employ spears designed for hunting wild boars.
Glaive or halberd: Glaives and halberds are both
long-hafted weapons with heavy blades. They are often
carried by ceremonial guards, especially in the precincts
of the church.
Battleaxe, greatsword, or warhammer: These
heavy two-handed weapons are difficult to use in the
cramped passages of the catacombs, but even so
many hunters favour them due to the tremendous
damage they can inflict.
RANGED COMBAT WEAPONS
Black powder weapons have existed in the empire
for centuries, and hunters often wield them due to the
advantage offered when confronted with a pack of
ghouls. Despite their archaic nature, crossbows also
remain popular due to their ability to fire different types
of bolts.
Throwing knife: Small blades weighted for throwing.
Often a weapon of surprise or last resort.
Pistol crossbow: A small crossbow. Often considered an
assassin’s weapon.
Pistol: The most common black powder weapons.
Some pistols are lavishly engraved, whereas others are
functional and plain.
Pepperbox pistol: Named for its multiple barrels and
their resemblance to a pepper shaker, these pistols have
five barrels positioned around a central axis. As they are
fired, the user revolves the next barrel into position.
Double pistol: The Double Pistol is a powerful
double-barrelled pistol, often favoured by bandits and
other thugs who enjoy the visual impact such weapons
often have.
Crossbow: An archaic weapon, used by hunters who
cannot afford a rifle.

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 Equipment
Ranged Combat Weapons
Weapon Damage Range Cost Qualities
Throwing knife 1d6 Thrown 10s Light, Throwing
Pistol crossbow 2d6 25 25s Light
Pistol 2d6 50 40s Light, Single-shot
Pepperbox pistol 2d6 50 80s Multi-shot (5)
Double pistol 3d6 60 60s Multi-shot (2)
Crossbow 3d6 50 40s Single-shot, Two-handed
Blunderbuss 3d6 75 70s Scatter, Single-shot, Two-handed
Firebomb 3d6 Thrown 15s Incendiary, Throwing
Rifle 4d6 100 90s Single-shot, Two-handed
Repeating rifle 4d6 100 140s Multishot (3), Two-handed
Grenade 4d6 Thrown 20s Blast (5), Throwing

Blunderbuss: A short range, powerful rifle that fires
a cloud of shot rather than a ball. Sometimes called
a coachman’s gun, blunderbusses are devastating at
close range.
Firebomb: A clay or glass bulb filled with flammable
liquid and with a fuse attached.
Rifle: A basic black powder rifle; accurate and reliable.
Repeating rifle: An uncommon rifle with three barrels
positioned around a central pivot, allowing them to fire
multiple times before needing to be reloaded.
Grenade: A small iron bomb filled with black powder
and with a short fuse sticking out the top. When lit and
hurled at an enemy, the grenade explodes and scatters
deadly shrapnel in all directions.
Explosive bolts: A case of bolts tipped with a small
explosive charge. These bolts can only be fired from a
full-sized crossbow and increase its damage to 4d6 with
the blast (2) quality.
Tranquilizer bolts: Crossbow bolts coated with a
powerful sedative. These bolts inflict 1d6 less damage
than normal, but a target that takes damage from a
tranquilizer bolt must make a Difficult (DV 3) Fortitude
skill check or be knocked unconscious for 1d6 minutes.
WEAPON CUSTOMISATIONS
Hunters are known as much for the strange
customisations they make to their weapons as the occult
powers they wield. Designed to cause as much damage
as possible to the inhuman ghouls, these customisations

AMMUNITION turn regular weapons into arcane tools of the hunt.

Weapon customisations can be applied to melee or
A good supply of ammunition is vital, without it a ranged
ranged weapons. A single weapon can only ever have
weapon is just an expensive club.
two seperate customisations at any time.
Ammunition Quantity Cost
Customisation Cost
Powder and shot 20 10s
Vicious 30s
Bolts 20 5s
Defensive 20s
Explosive bolts 5 20s
Jagged 30s
Tranquilizer bolts 10 30s
Accurate 30s
Powder and shot: A package of paper cartridges, Piercing 40s
each containing a lead ball and measure of black
Vicious weapons leave lasting, unpleasant wounds.
powder. Although there are subtle differences between
Melee weapons with this customisation feature serrated
ammunition for pistols, rifles, and blunderbusses, the
blades or long spikes, whereas ranged weapons
cost is generally the same for all such weapons.
fire specialised ammunition. Weapons with this
Bolts: A case of steel-tipped wooden bolts for either a customisation gain an additional damage dice.
crossbow or pistol crossbow.

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 Equipment
Defensive weapons are finely balanced and sometimes
fitted with long quillons designed to catch the blades
of enemies. Weapons with this customisation gain the
Parrying quality.
Jagged weapons have serrated blades, wicked hooks,
or other features designed to inflict ragged wounds with
every strike. Weapons with this customisation can re-roll
a single damage dice each round.
Accurate weapons are easier to swing or fire, and
are more likely to strike their target. Weapons with this
customisation can re-roll a single attack dice each round.
Piercing weapons have hardened points, and can
punch through armour with ease. Weapons with this
customisation halve armour when calculating damage.
ARMOUR
The unofficial uniform of a hunter in Harrowmire is a
cloak, duster or similar long coat, usually matched with
a tricorn, top hat, or a wide-brimmed hat. While many of
these items of clothing provide a modicum of protection
thanks to the materials used in their construction, some
hunters seek additional defence by adding elements of
armour to their outfits.
Armour in When the Moon Hangs Low is typically
piecemeal and the cost and protection provided is based
on what the majority of a hunters outfit is made from. As
such a character can only wear one ‘piece’ of armour at a
time, and carry a single shield.
Below are the most common materials hunters make
their clothing from, and the armour value they impart.
Some materials add a number of penalty dice which
are applied to any Stealth and Athletics skill checks the
character makes while wearing the armour.
Armour AV Penalty Cost
Thick Cloth 2 0 25s
Leather 4 0 50s
Brigandine 6 0 150s
Chainmail 8 1 300s
Steel Cuirass 10 2 600s
Shield Special +1 100s
Thick Cloth made from thick tweed or padded canvas
grants some modicum of protection from the claws
and teeth of ghouls. Such outfits have the benefit of not
obviously resembling armour.
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Leather dusters are popular with hunters, who enjoy
the rakish look they grant as well as the protection
they confer.
Brigandine armour combines leather and canvas with
small steel plates sewn into the material. While it looks
a little outlandish, the protection such armour provides
means it is a popular choice in Harrowmire.
Chainmail is an uncommon form of armour. Some
hunters wear chainmail vests under their cloaks, or add
patches of chainmail to their greatcoats.
Steel Cuirass consists of a heavy metal breastplate
with matching pauldrons, bracers, and grieves, worn
over reinforced canvas. Heavy and archaic, these outfits
do provide an impressive degree of protection. Very few
hunters choose to wear such restricting armour.
Shields are relics of bygone days of the Empire. Very
few hunters carry them, and those that do are often seen
as strange eccentrics. When equipped a shield takes up
one of a character’s arms, meaning they cannot use any
weapon or equipment requiring two hands. Additionally,
a shield adds a 1d6 penalty which is added to any
penalty dice conferred from armour. When equipped a
shield counts as a source of soft cover, providing a 1d6
bonus to all defence skill checks a character makes.
ADVENTURING GEAR
There are a wealth of items hunters bring with them on
expeditions into the city. Having an appropriate piece of
gear when performing a skill check can confer bonus
dice, as determined by the Gamemaster.
Gear Cost
Rope and Grapnel 10s
Telescope 30s
Prybar 20s
Lockpicks 15s
Surgeon’s Tools 20s
Alchemist’s Kit 25s
Herbalist’s Pouch 10s
Vial of Elixir 50s
Vial of Grip 50s
Bitter Sacrament 200s
Rope and Grapnel: 30 feet of good hemp rope attached
to a sturdy iron hook.
Telescope: A useful tool for observing from a distance.

Prybar: A heavy metal bar with flattened points, used to
pry open locked or stuck doors and crates.
Lockpicks: A small leather roll containing a number of
metal picks used to open locks.
Equipment
change takes several days to complete, but eventually
the recipient will come to look younger, feel healthier,
and have more energy. It also cures most mundane
diseases (notably not the Sorrow Plague).

Surgeon’s Tools: A canvas or leather bag containing
bandages, and ointments, as well as a number of knives,
saws and other surgery tools.
Alchemist’s Kit: Often sold in a wooden transport box,
There are also appreciable immediate effects of taking
a dose of Bitter Sacrament: the recipient will instantly
regain all of their Health and half of their Resolve, and
remove a single wound from their Wound Track.

LIGHT SOURCES
this kit contains a number of glass vials and beakers, as
well as metal measuring spoons, funnels and other such
items. Light is vital in darkened back alleys of the city and the
Herbalist’s Pouch: A small pouch containing herb depths of the catacombs beneath them. The duration
poultices, needle and thread, and other various sundries listed is for a single example of each item. It should be
for dressing minor injuries. noted, carrying a light source requires a free hand.
Vial of Elixir: An alchemical preparation that instantly Light Source Duration Cost
heals the imbiber. When a character uses a vial of elixir
Matches 10 seconds 1s
they can either recover half of their Health or remove one
Torches 1 hour 5s
wound from their Wound Track.
Candles 4 hours 4s
Vial of Grip: An alchemical preparation that calms the
nerves. When a character uses a vial of grip they recover Candle Lantern -- 8s
a quarter of their Resolve. Oil Lantern -- 12s
Bitter Sacrament: This incredibly expensive life- Whale Oil 3 hours 8s
enhancing drug is manufactured by the Church of the Firewood 1 hour 2s
Undergod and is only available in Harrowmire. A dose Matches: A small box of 20 sulphur-tipped matches
causes a person to regain roughly 10 years of life. The which can be struck on any rough surface.

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 Equipment

Torches: A bundle of three wooden torches tipped with
pitch-soaked cloth.
Candles: A pack of four tallow candles. Commonly used
to illuminate poorer homes, or by hunters in a pinch.
Candle Lantern: A sturdy metal lantern intended to
hold candles. Often used by those who cannot afford
whale oil.
Oil Lantern: A sturdy metal lantern with an internal
reservoir for whale oil. They have a reputation for
exploding if dropped.
Whale Oil: Obtained by boiling whale blubber, whale oil
is the primary source of illumination in the empire. It gives
off a bright, clean light when burned, but is also known
for its pungent smell.
the nobles of the New City. Expensive and hard to come
by in recent days, occasionally a cache of bottles will be
uncovered in an old cellar or dusty storeroom.
Dried Rations: A pack of dried biscuits and salted meat.
A pack contains enough to keep one character fed for
five days.
Tobacco: Sold in small pouches containing enough
for several pipes worth. Tobacco is hard to come by in
Harrowmire, making it an expensive vice to indulge in.
Analeptic Tonic: A narcotic solution which numbs
the mind and the body. A vial contains enough tonic
for a dozen doses or more, each of which will leave
a character in a euphoric stupor for several hours.
Repeated use leads to addiction.

OCCULT ODDMENTS
Firewood: A bundle of dry wood, suitable to build a
small campfire.
There are a wealth of strange, occult items to be
FOOD AND DRINK found in Harrowmire. Many of them are ancient relics
scavenged from the tombs of the necropolis by daring
While the downtime living expenses can be used to
adventurers. Others are of more unknown provenance.
cover food for a week, sometimes you need to know
Due to their occult nature, these items do not have a
the price of a good meal. This section also lists other
fixed value; when they appear for sale their price can
supplies that hunters may find themselves in need of
vary wildly.
while traversing the city.

Item Cost Orichalcum Shards

Simple Meal 2s Average value: 2d6 x 10 shillings

Lavish Meal 5s Orichalcum is a golden-coloured alloy used by

the ympir to make numerous artefacts found in the
Strong Drink 1s
necropolis. Broken shards of orichalcum are often found
Refined Drink 6s
in previously-raided vaults in the Necropolis. Even these
Dried Rations 5s scraps have surprising worth, as they can be melted
Tobacco 4s down to make the alloy known as Witchiron.
Analeptic Tonic 6s
Holy Relic
Simple Meal: The kind of fare most people in
Average value: 1d6 x 100 shillings
Harrowmire eat on a daily basis. Stew, soup, or
sometimes a plate of roast meat and vegetables. Pray Holy relics come in many shapes and sizes but are
the meat comes from an identifiable source. typically small gilded boxes containing a fragment of
bone from one of the many Imperial saints. A character
Lavish Meal: Hard to find anywhere but the New City
who spends several minutes contemplating a holy relic
these days, lavish meals often consist of several courses
can instantly recover 1d6 Resolve. A character can regain
of painstakingly prepared food. No more nutritious than a
Resolve using a relic once a day.
simple meal, just a lot fancier.
Strong Drink: A mug of ale or glass of spirits, enough Ympir Bone Charms
to calm the nerves after a long day. Most alcohol in Average value: 1d6 x 100 shillings
Harrowmire is locally-produced and of dubious quality Ympir bone is believed to have mystical properties, and
since the Night of Madness. some adventurers place great stock in small charms
Refined Drink: A bottle of wine or liquor, as preferred by made from a scrap of bone taken from a mummy and

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scrimshawed with protective sigils. There are various
versions of these charms, each with different properties.
Charm of Luck: A character carrying this charm can re-
roll a single skill check once a day.
Charm of Doom: A character carrying this charm can
re-roll a single damage roll once a day.
Charm of Shadows: A character carrying this charm can
add two extra dice to a single Stealth skill check once
per day.
Charm of Tongues: A character carrying this charm can
add one extra dice to a single Bluff, Charm, or Intimidate
skill check once per day.
Orichalcum Blade
Average value: 1d6 x 100 + 200 shillings
A common grave good found alongside the mummies
in the necropolis are slender, curved daggers made
from orichalcum. Despite their extreme age, these
blades are incredibly sharp and never seem to dull no
matter how they are used. Some people claim these
blades thirst for blood and will turn on their wielders if
they are not careful.
An orichalcum blade is a close combat weapon that
does 2d6 damage and has the Light quality. In addition
the weapon halves armour when calculating damage.
Everburning Candle
Average value: 1d6 x 20 + 80 shillings
This small candle is made from strange black tallow
and burns with a blue flame. No matter how long it
burns, the candle never shrinks. It can be snuffed out as
easily as a normal candle, and provides the same level
of illumination.
Shadowsilk Armour
Average value: 1d6 x 50 + 200 shillings
Shadowsilk is a rare fabric found in the Necropolis,
often in the form of strange garments worn by some of
the ympir mummies. Despite the unknown years these
garments have adorned the dead, shadowsilk remains
as supple and undamaged as the day it was spun, and
is stronger than steel. Clever tailors in Harrowmire have
managed to sew shadowsilk into clothing suitable
for humans to wear, although many complain of the
unpleasant chill of the fabric when it touches bare skin.
Shadowsilk armour grants an AV of 8 and adds no
Penalty dice.
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Equipment
Witchiron Weapon
Average value: 1d6 x 50 + 200 shillings
Witchiron is made by human smiths in Harrowmire from
fragments of orichalcum mixed with regular iron. The
result is a black alloy speckled with glittering gold flecks
that holds an edge much better than steel and also
continuously sheds a curious pale light.
A weapon made from witchiron costs anywhere
between 250 and 500 shillings more than usual. It
increases its damage by an additional dice, and also acts
as a light source, shedding low light for 15 yards.
Pale Marrow
Average value: 1d6 x 10 + 40 shillings
A wretched mass of pale tissue occasionally found
within the corpse of a ghoul, pickled in ether and sold
for extortionate amounts in the Beast Market. When
consumed (a disgusting task in itself) a portion of pale
marrow increases a character’s Physique by one point
for the next 24 hours. This also increases their Health and
Wound Track by the appropriate amount.
However, the next time they sleep the character will
experience horrifying dreams that cost them 2 Resolve
per portion consumed. Many claim these dreams are the
terrible memories of the ghoul the marrow came from.
Ghoulhide Cloak
Average value: 1d6 x 20 + 80 shillings
A ragged cloak made from the flayed hide of a ghoul.
When worn sorrowful will ignore the wearer unless they
take hostile action against them. Ghouls and Ragged
are not affected by the cloak. While useful, these cloaks
are treated as taboo and those who wear them are often
shunned by the people of Harrowmire due to the fact
that, however monstrous they are now, ghouls were
once human.
Bone Flute
Average value: 1d6 x 100 + 100 shillings
A flute carved from a single long bone and engraved
with strange, eye-watering runes. Once a day the flute
can be played, sending those who hear its song into a
nightmare-filled sleep. When used any character within
20 yards of the flute-player must make a Difficult (DV 3)
Willpower skill check. Characters that fail instantly fall
asleep for an hour or until they are attacked, shaken
awake, or similar. Playing the flute in combat counts as a
Primary action.
 CHAPTER 8:
PLAYING THE GAME

The hole was right above us. I pushed Dye hard, and even as I rolled away I knew that whatever
happened to her now was my fault.
The trapdoor disgorged a mass of flesh. For a moment I thought it might be just that, but nobody who
stashed kidnapped children in the Necropolis would settle for dropping meat on us.
Tobias ignored it and shot the churchman. A second bullet to the head – now without his lucky mask –
put him down. Nicol, chained and gagged, would have to fend for himself.
The thing rose, a huge amalgam of body parts – many human or human-looking – out of which it formed
what it needed: huge orifices like mouths, trunk-like legs, and long, thrashing tentacles.
Oh saints; I wish I could forget the tentacles.
It stopped us in our tracks, shaking us to the core, all except Hektor, who had hurled two bolts of
whistling power into it before anyone else could react.
Wretched lost no more time; Alysska and I formed a line with them, the children behind us. The creature
had the middle of the room, its reach easily dividing it into three: Nicol and the door, us and the children,
and Dye.
I watched as she ducked, rolled and tried to dodge the tentacles. She was doing well, concentrating on
her own troubles, until I remembered to do the same.
On our side the line held; Wretched, Alysska and now Tobias taking hits for each other, making openings
and hacking at the thing. I tried to pull my weight.
We were making no headway: there was no way to get to the door, and no way to rescue Dye.

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 Playing the Game
When the Moon Hangs Low is a roleplaying game, and Example Situation Willpower DV/
as such the emphasis of the game is intended to be the Resolve Loss
interactions between the various characters and the
Something disturbing but rational 1
story they are telling together. But how do you tell if your
(seeing a dead body, becoming lost in
character is able to accomplish a specific task, or if they
the dark)
are able to outwit another character?
Something deeply upsetting 2
The following are the core rules by which players
(discovering multiple dead bodies,
and Gamemasters resolve events when the outcome
witnessing a strange ritual)
is uncertain. These are not expansive, and the
Something definitely supernatural 3
Gamemaster’s decisions supersede any and all rules
(coming face to face with a ghoul)
presented below.
Seeing something quantifiably unreal 4
RESOLVE (seeing a shade)
Witnessing something reality- 5
All characters have a pool of Resolve which is a
shattering (encountering a nightmare
measure of their physical, mental and spiritual fortitude.
fragment, standing in the presence of
Resolve is used to power Edges, and also to resist horror,
the Undergod)
stress and other such harrowing experiences. If a hunter
runs out of Resolve, their curse will slowly become Multitudes of Monsters
stronger until it eventually consumes them. When a character is confronted by a group of creatures
that cause Resolve loss the DV of the Willpower check
USING EDGES will increase by one. This is to simulate the horror of
When a character uses an Edge, it costs one Resolve. If being confronted with a horde of creatures.
a character runs out of Resolve, they can no longer use
For example; a group of Ragged would have a
their Edges.
Willpower DV of 3, rather than the usual 2 for confronting

HORROR AND STRESS a single creature.

Resolve is reduced by stress, horror and other No Respite from Horror

disturbing situations. When a character is confronted with
a situation which would potentially cost them Resolve,
they must make a Willpower skill check with a DV
determined by the nature of the situation. If they succeed
they resist the effects and lose no Resolve. If they fail the
skill check they lose a number of Resolve determined by
how disturbing the situation is (usually equal to the DV of
the Willpower skill check).
Regardless of how many times a character might have
previously encountered a particular creature, they must
always make a Willpower check when faced by a creature
that causes Resolve loss. No matter how jaded they might
be, a character will never become immune to horror.
Running Out of Resolve
When a character runs out of Resolve it means two
things. Firstly then cannot use any Edges until they
regain at least one point of Resolve. Secondly, and more
importantly, the character’s curse will increase in severity
by a degree.

Increasing Curses
Every time a character runs out of Resolve their curse
increases, first to Touched, then Embraced and finally
to Consumed. If a character runs out of Resolve a fourth
time, they are Lost to their particular curse.

Mortal Stress
If a character fails a Willpower check while they have

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 Playing the Game
no Resolve then they lose a number of Health equal to
the Resolve loss. This represents the effects of stress and
horror on their body. If a character has run out of Health
and fails a Willpower check then the stress inflicts a
Wound on them instead!
RECOVERING RESOLVE
Resolve can be recovered in small amounts by
performing certain actions:
Rest
Characters can regain Resolve by resting. If a character
spends at least 6 hours sleeping or otherwise engaging
in light activity such as reading, eating, or talking then
they will recover 2 points of Resolve. Resolve regained
this way is only recovered at the end of the 6 hour period:
if the character is disturbed or performs strenuous
activity before the 6 hours have elapsed then they do not
benefit from the rest.
Items
Certain items can be used to restore varying amounts
of Resolve, as listed in the Equipment chapter. A
character can use as many such items as they have
access to per scene.
Curse Effects
If a character’s curse has increased to Embraced
severity, they will have a Resolve recovery option unique
to their mark.
Downtime
A character who takes the Reflect option during
downtime fully recovers their Resolve.
CURSES
Every hunter carries with them a terrible curse as a
result of their mark.
INCREASING A CURSE’S
SEVERITY
Every curse has five degrees of severity. These run from
Nascent, to Touched, to Embraced, to Consumed, and
finally to Lost. Characters begin play with their curse as
Nascent. At this stage the curse confers no penalties to
the character. When a character runs out of Resolve their
curse increases to the next degree of severity.
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REDUCING A CURSE’S
SEVERITY
A curse can be reduced by one degree by using the
Recuperate action in downtime.
Reducing a curse removes the penalties associated
with that degree of severity; even physical changes
vanish over the next few hours as the character slowly
becomes more human.
BECOMING LOST
If a character’s curse increases to the degree of Lost
they are removed from the story as a player character.
They may still appear in games, but will be controlled
by the Gamemaster and are driven by new desires and
compulsions that pit them against the characters.
The exact effect of being Lost depends on their curse,
and the exact reason they are no longer playable
varies, but generally such doomed hunters vanish into
the darkness before they can hurt their former allies.
However, a few unfortunates may turn on their friends.
COMBAT
Harrowmire is a place of great danger, especially once
the sun goes down. All hunters have some proficiency at
combat, and a good thing too.
The following rules come into play when a scene turns
to physical violence.
COMBAT SEQUENCE
The combat sequence begins when one character
(player or NPC) takes action that will cause harm to
another character. At this point the normal narrative
gameplay is replaced with the combat sequence as
outlined below:
1. Determine surprise
2. Combat continues in rounds:
a. Determine initiative
b. Combatants act in initiative order
c. When everyone has had a turn, steps a and b
repeat again until combat ends
1: Surprise
Sometimes the best way to get the drop on someone is
to catch them unawares!
If a character has passed a Stealth check opposed by

their target’s Awareness check before combat has begun
then they are considered to have surprised their target.
This grants a 2d6 bonus to the attacker’s Initiative for the
first round.
If the victim of the ambush is particularly agile, however,
sometimes they will still beat their attacker’s initiative,
even with the 2d6 bonus. In this case, the hunter has
become the hunted!
2a: Initiative
At the beginning of each combat round, all participants
roll a number of dice equal to their Physique and count
the number of dice resulting in a 4, 5 or 6 (as if they were
making a Trained skill check). The resulting number is
their Initiative.
Those with the highest initiative react fastest and strike
first; those with the lowest initiative react slowest.
Gamemasters may wish to roll Initiative for NPCs
involved in combat as a group, or in several sub groups
(one roll for enemies, one roll for allies for example) to
speed up play.
2b: Actions
Starting with the character with the highest Initiative,
each character involved in the combat may take two
actions chosen from the list of combat actions (see below).
If two or more characters have the same Initiative they
act simultaneously (although the players may wish to
make their rolls sequentially to avoid confusion).
Once every character who is able to act has done
so, the round starts again with every player making a
new Initiative check. Any Surprise modifiers no longer
count after the first round of combat. The sequence of
Initiative and Actions continues until the combat ends, for
whatever reason.
COMBAT ACTIONS
There are two kinds of combat actions; primary and
secondary. Each round a character can perform one
primary action and one secondary action, although they
can perform them in any order. Speaking or shouting
doesn’t cost an action, but as a combat round only lasts
a few seconds characters are limited to brief sentences,
not entire conversations. If a character cannot or does not
want to make a primary or secondary action, they can only
take their other action (they can’t swap their secondary
action for another primary action, for example).
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Playing the Game
Primary Actions
Attack
The character attacks their target with the weapon
(either close combat or ranged) they are currently armed
with. The character makes an attack skill check and the
defender makes a defence skill check. If the attacker is
successful they deal damage to their target. See below
for details of making attacks.
Defend
The character prepares themself for incoming attacks.
The character gains a 1d6 bonus to all defence skill
checks until the beginning of their next turn. If a character
has been Staggered, the Defend action removes that
effect in addition to providing the defence bonus.
Create Opening
The character uses their action to create an opening
in their target’s defences, rather than injuring them. This
action deals no damage but instead Staggers the target.
A target remains Staggered until they use the Defend
action to recover.
Use an Item
The character uses an item such as a potion, tool kit, rope
or other piece of equipment. The exact effects of using an
item vary, and should be discussed with the Gamemaster.
Secondary Actions
Move
The move action allows a character to travel at a slow
jog or brisk walk. A character may move up to their
Physique plus 10 in yards. Move may be used to move
into close combat, out of close combat, or anywhere else
suitable. If the move would involve the character vaulting
over obstacles then an Athletics skill check may be
required at the Gamemaster’s discretion.
Reload
The character reloads a ranged weapon and readies it
for use.
Change Weapon
The character swaps their weapon for another they have
handy. This could be sheathing a sword and pulling out a
pistol, grabbing a rifle from the floor or anything similar.
Use a Skill
Sometimes a character may want to use a skill in
combat. This could include making a Stealth check to
 Playing the Game
hide from enemies, using the Medical skill to aid another
character, or using Intimidate to try and scare off an
attacker. Gamemasters should resolve such skill checks
as normal.
Attack Variations
Sometimes a character may wish to make an attack
that does not deal damage as normal. There are three
variations on the normal attack action: stun, grapple, and
disarm. Each of these requires the character to use a
Primary Attack action, and in each case the attacker and
defender make their attack and defence skill checks as
normal, but in the case that the attacker succeeds the
specific action result occurs.
Stun
Rather than dealing damage, this attack is intended
to stun or knock an opponent unconscious. This attack
variation can only be used in close combat. If the target
has 1 or more Health remaining then a successful stun
attack dazes them, meaning they can only take either a
Primary or Secondary action -not both- in their next round.
If the target has 0 Health then this attack knocks them
unconscious rather than inflicting a wound. The character
remains unconscious until they regain at least 1 Health.
Grapple
This attack is intended to pin another, preventing them
from acting. This attack variation can only be used in
close combat. A target hit by a successful grapple is held
immobile by their attacker and counts as Helpless for the
purposes of attacks made against them. The character
cannot move or take any other action apart from trying to
escape, which requires a successful opposed Athletics
skill check.
Each round on the attacker’s turn they can choose to
maintain the hold or release the character. While they
maintain the hold, the attacker can move and drag the
grappled character with them.
Disarm
This attack is intended to knock a weapon from the
target’s hand. This attack variation can be used in either
close or ranged combat. A target hit by a successful
disarm has the weapon they are currently holding
knocked out of their hand. The weapon lands 1d6 yards
away from the character in a random direction.
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HITTING A TARGET
To hit an enemy in combat, a character must make
a successful skill check based on the type of weapon
they are using. The Fight skill is for close combat, and
the Shoot skill is used for ranged combat. A character
must use the appropriate skill for the weapon they are
trying to use.
Both ranged and close combat attacks are resolved
with opposed skill checks, with the defender rolling as
below and the attacker aiming to equal or exceed their
result. If the defender fails to get any successes on their
skill check then as long as the attacker gets a single
success they hit the target. If neither character gets any
successes then the attack is considered to have missed.
If the attacker hits their target, they can then deal
damage based on the weapon they are using.
To attack an enemy in close combat a character must
be close enough to strike them with the weapon they
are using (generally within a yard). To attack an enemy
in ranged combat, a character must be within the listed
range of the weapon they are using, and is able to see
their target.
Defence Skill Checks
When a character is the target of an attack they can
choose how they wish to defend themselves. There are
three available options, depending on the nature of the
attack and the desired outcome.
Parry
The character attempts to knock aside the attack with
their own weapon. The character makes a Fight skill
check as their defence skill check. If they exceed the
attacker’s roll, the blow is parried and the character takes
no damage.
Parry can only be used to defend against close
combat attacks.
Dodge
The character attempts to dodge the attack by ducking,
weaving or similar. The character makes a Reflexes skill
check as their defence skill check. If they exceed the
attacker’s roll, the blow is dodged and the character
takes no damage.
Dodge can be used to defend against ranged or close
combat attacks.

Counterattack
The character attempts to counterattack instead of
evading the blow. The character makes a Fight skill
check as their defence skill check. If they exceed the
attacker’s roll, they take half of the damage rolled
(rounding down) but the attacker is Staggered.
Counterattack can only be used to defend against close
combat attacks.
Minions and Defence
Some Gamemasters might want to cut down on
rolling dice when the players are in combat with
large groups of minions. As such an optional rule
is provided here for quickly calculating minions’
defence skill checks.
Creatures listed as minions in the Antagonists
chapter have an additional stat in their profile called
‘Dodge Average’. Rather than rolling to Parry, Dodge,
or Counterattack, Gamemasters use the dodge
average of a creature as a flat DV to work out if the
player has hit the creature or not.
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Playing the Game
Attack Modifiers
In certain situations attacking an opponent will either
be easier (due to taking aim for example) or more
difficult (due to fighting in darkness for example). In
these situations a character may gain a number of bonus
or penalty dice to their attack or defence skill check.
Some example attack modifiers are listed below but
Gamemasters are encouraged to add their own attack
modifiers if they believe the situation calls for it.
Staggered
If a character attacks a target that is Staggered,
they gain a 1d6 bonus to their attack skill check. The
Staggered condition lasts for an entire combat unless
the affected character uses the Defend primary action.
The Defend action removes the Staggered effect
immediately, in addition to providing a defence bonus for
that round as per the action description.
Taking Aim
If a character has a chance to take aim at their target
before combat begins, they gain a 1d6 bonus to their
attack skill check.
 Playing the Game
Close Range
If a character is using a ranged weapon at less than
half the listed range, they gain a 1d6 bonus to their
attack skill check. This does not count if the character
enters (or is in) close-combat with the target.
Cover
If a defender is in cover they gain a bonus to their
defence skill check based on the cover they are in. Soft
cover (wooden tables, tree trunks, thin metal) grants a
1d6 bonus to the defence skill check. Hard cover (stone
pillars, thick metal) grants a 2d6 bonus to the defence
skill check.
Blinded
If a character cannot see their target (due to darkness,
being blinded, etc) they add a 2d6 penalty to their attack
skill check.
Obscured Vision
If a character’s vision is obscured by conditions such as
low light, thick fog, or smoke, they add a 1d6 penalty to
their attack skill check.
Prone
A character that is prone has been knocked off
their feet. They count as Helpless until they use their
secondary action to stand back up.
Helpless
A character that is unable to defend themselves (such
as someone who is bound, unconscious, or unaware of
an incoming attack) can only make the dodge defence
action, and must do so with a 2d6 penalty to their
defence skill check.
Two Weapon Fighting
If a character wishes to fight with a weapon in each
hand they can do so. This allows the character to make
an attack with each weapon each time they use the
Attack action. Two weapon fighting can be used in either
close combat or ranged combat. However, depending
on the weapons they are armed with they will add one or
more penalty dice to their attack skill checks:
• If one or both of the weapons have the Light quality
then the character adds a 1d6 penalty to the second
attack skill check.
• If neither weapon is light then the character adds a
1d6 penalty to both attack skill checks.
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• Holding a weapon in an off-hand but not making
an attack with it confers no penalty; it is only if the
character makes attacks with both weapons that
these rules apply.
Using Ranged Weapons in Close Combat
While some firearms excel at hitting close-range
targets, once an opponent gets too close they become
unwieldy and ill-suited to the hurly-burly of melee
combat. A character using a ranged weapon in close
combat adds a 2d6 penalty to their attack skill check.
DAMAGE
Once an attack has hit its target the attacker has to
work out how much damage they’ve done. To calculate
damage the player rolls a number of d6 as indicated
in the weapon entry and adds the resulting numbers
together to determine how much damage is inflicted.
Health
Whenever a character takes damage, their Health is
reduced by that amount. While losing Health hurts, a
character’s abilities are not reduced or affected by their loss.
Armour
If a character is wearing armour, they reduce damage
taken by an amount equal to the armour’s Armour Value
(AV) before reducing their Health. If a character’s armour
reduces the damage to 0 or less then the attack deals
no damage.
Wounds
If an attack does more than 10 damage in a single hit
(after being reduced by armour) then the character takes
1 wound in addition to losing Health.
If a character is reduced to 0 Health then they take 1
wound for every subsequent attack that inflicts at least 1
damage, regardless of how much damage the attack does.
Once a character fills their Wound Track they begin dying.
During this time they are referred to as Bleeding Out.
For example: Tobias is hit by an attack that deals 12
damage. He is wearing armour that gives him an AV of 4,
so he reduces the damage to 8. Tobias has a total of 24
Health, so this attack leaves him with 16 Health. Next he
takes a huge 18 damage. Tobias’ armour reduces this to
14, leaving him with only 2 Health. However, as this attack
did more than 10 damage, Tobias also takes a Wound. In
the next round Tobias takes another 8 damage which, after

being reduced by his armour, leaves him on 0 Health. The
next hit which strikes Tobias does 10 damage: his armour
reduces this to 6 but as he’s out of Health, this inflicts
another Wound. Tobias only has 1 box left in his Wound
Track: now he’s in trouble!
Wound Effects
Wounds are gory and unpleasant, but they do not affect
a character’s ability to perform until their Wound Track is
full. Gamemasters may choose to describe exactly what
a certain wound entails, but in general the effects should
be narrative rather than mechanical.
A table of example effects is included below.
1d6 Wound Effect
1 A huge ragged wound opens in the target’s
thigh, splattering the floor with blood.
2 With a crunch several bones break. The target’s
breath rattles in their throat.
3 The blow tears open a wound in the target’s
shoulder. Blood mists the air.
4 One of the target’s arms is sliced to the bone.
Screams fill the air.
5 The blow almost disembowels the target.
Entrails hang free.
6 A huge spray of blood soaks both target and
attacker.
Bleeding Out
A character who is Bleeding Out has a number of
rounds equal to their Physique to receive medical
attention before they die. To stop a character dying from
Bleeding Out, another character must make an Average
(DV 2) Medical skill check: success means the character
is stabilised and is no longer Bleeding Out, however it
does not remove any wounds from their Wound Track.
While Bleeding Out a character who still has any Health
remaining can continue to act, but in this state they add a
2d6 penalty to all skill checks they make.
Characters who are Bleeding Out and with no
remaining Health are either unconscious or disabled to
the point of helplessness.
If a character fills their Wound Track and begins
Bleeding Out outside of a combat situation they have
30 seconds per point of Physique to receive medical
attention, rather than measuring the time in rounds.
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Playing the Game
Death
There are a few ways a character can end up dead. The
most common way is to fill their Wound Track and bleed
out. Characters can also die through failing an extremely
difficult skill check (although this is uncommon) or
through negligent action by their player. Negligent action
is when a player insists on attempting a dangerous
action despite Gamemaster warning, such as jumping
into moving machinery or standing next to a bomb that
is about to detonate. In such situations is it advisable that
the Gamemaster give the player an Impossible (DV 6)
skill check to save their character, but the player should
be aware the price of failure is the loss of their character.
Even if the player passes the check their character
should suffer extensive damage.
Another way a character can die is through conscious
sacrifice. A player may choose that their character
willingly goes to their death, usually to save another
character. In such situations no rolls are necessary; the
character is dead.
Minions
Minions (minor NPCs) only have 1 wound regardless of
their Physique.
Unarmed Damage
A character’s unarmed strikes (punches, kicks,
headbutts, or similar) inflict damage based on their
Physique stat. See the table below:
Physique Unarmed Damage
1-2 1d6
3-4 2d6
5+ 3d6
Damage from Other Sources
There are a number of other ways a character can take
damage apart from in combat.
Fire
Fire does damage to a character each round they are in
contact with it. The damage inflicted is based on the size
of the fire. When taking damage from a fire a character’s
armour is halved (rounding up).
 Playing the Game

Size of Fire Damage each Round
Small fire (torch) 1d6
Medium fire (campfire) 2d6
Large fire (bonfire) 3d6
Inferno (burning building) 4d6
Characters can also be set on fire by contact with a
fire or by being hit with a weapon with the Incendiary
quality. Any flammable target that comes into contact
with a fire must make an Average (DV 2) Reflexes check
or catch fire. Burning characters automatically take 2d6
damage each round unless they extinguish themselves
by passing an Average (DV 2) Reflexes skill check. Other
characters can attempt to extinguish a burning character
by making an Average (DV 2) Athletics skill check.
Falling
Falling onto an unyielding surface inflicts 1d6 for every
10 feet fallen. Landing on a softer surface or somehow
breaking the fall (such as making a Reflexes check to
grab a rope, etc) may reduce the damage as determined
by the Gamemaster.
Suffocation
A character can hold their breath for a number of
minutes equal to their Physique. Once a character runs
out of air they will take 1d6 damage every round, which
ignores all armour.
HEALING
If a character has lost Health or gained wounds they can
heal those injuries in a number of ways.
The Medicine Skill
A character can use the Medicine skill to heal themself
or another character. This can be used to restore Health
or remove wounds from a character’s Wound Track.
To restore Health a character must make an Easy (DV 1)
Medicine skill check. On a success the target character
regains 4 Health. A character can only be healed this way
once per scene.
A character can use the Medicine skill to try and heal
a wounded character. Characters cannot heal their own
wounds this way. Healing a wound this way requires
at least an hour and access to surgeon’s tools. The
operating character must make a Difficult (DV 3) Medicine
skill check; success means the target character can
remove 1 wound from their track. A character can only be
healed this way once per scene.

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 Playing the Game
Items Lightsource Illumination Radius
Certain items can be used to restore varying amounts Oil Lantern Moderate 15 yards
of Health or remove wounds. The exact effect varies from
Bonfire Bright 30 yards
item to item, and is fully described in the individual item
Sunlight Bright n/a
description. A character can use as many such items as
they have access to per scene. Each level of illumination grants different bonuses and
penalties to certain skills.
Rest
Characters can regain Health by resting. If a character Illumination Example Effects
spends at least 6 hours sleeping or otherwise engaging Dark Underground Characters add a 2d6
in light activity such as reading, eating, or talking then penalty to all attack skill
they will recover 4 Health. Health regained this way is checks and Awareness
only recovered at the end of the 6 hour period: if the skill checks
character is disturbed or performs strenuous activity Low Moonlight, Characters add a 1d6
before the 6 hours have elapsed then they do not benefit candlelight penalty to all attack skill
from the rest. checks and Awareness
Rest will not remove wounds from a character’s skill checks
Wound Track. Moderate Torchlight, No effects
campfire
Downtime
Bright Broad Light sensitive creatures
Health can be fully recovered during downtime by
daylight, add a 1d6 penalty to all
using the Convalesce action. This restores a character to
bonfire attack skill checks and
their full Health.
Awareness skill checks
A character who takes the Recover action during
downtime can remove up to 2 wounds from their track. Light Falloff
A light source sheds a set type of light for a set distance.
LIGHT Light degrades outside that distance to the next type
down, every 5 yards. Some light sources, such as the
Harrowmire is a place of deep darkness. Bright light
moon or sunlight, only suffer falloff when the source
hurts the eyes of the sorrowful and so they are most
of the light becomes obscured (by buildings, or being
often found lurking in darkened ruins. Ghouls have an
indoors, for example).
even greater aversion to light. While many might think
it safest to hunt these creatures during the day, most For example: a bonfire sheds bright light for 30 yards,
contracts will take hunters into places where their prey then moderate light for 5 yards, then low light for a further
congregates; places of shadow and darkness. 5 yards. This means that in total a bonfire illuminates a 40
yard radius. By comparison, a candle sheds low light for 5
It is often important to track the level of light during
yards, which then falls off to darkness.
a game. All light sources in the game are rated for the
level of illumination they cast, and the radius that they
cast it over.
JURY-RIGGING ITEMS
Crafting a decent-quality item takes skill, time, and
Lightsource Illumination Radius
tools: this is what the crafting downtime action is for. But
Match Low 1 yard
sometimes a character may wish to create something
Candle Low 5 yards quickly, with little concern for its quality or durability. This
Candle Lantern Low 10 yards is called jury-rigging.
Moonlight Low n/a Jury-rigging is used when a character wishes to create a
Torch Moderate 10 yards trap, weapon, or piece of equipment while on a contract
Campfire Moderate 20 yards (or anywhere outside of downtime). The items created
this way rarely last for long, but can be useful in a pinch.

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 Playing the Game
Jury-rigging an item consists of three stages, as
outlined below:
1: Gather Resources
To create an item a character must have some basic
resources to craft the item (scrap metal, old wood,
alchemical dregs). These resources should be agreed
with the Gamemaster. These resources can be gathered
from the surrounding area or be items a character
already has on their person. Sometimes an item
will require specific resources as determined by the
Gamemaster which might incur a cost in shillings.
2: Agree Design
What does the item do? Is it a weapon, a trap, or a piece
of equipment? The intention of the creation should be
agreed with the Gamemaster. The DV of the skill check to
create the item is set by the Gamemaster based on the
intended function.
Some examples are listed below, which Gamemasters
should use as a guide.
Item Craft DV
A trap that injures a single target 1 Wretched
A trap that injures multiple targets 2 Comfortable
A simple one-handed weapon 1 Lavish
A two-handed weapon 3
Adding a quality to a weapon +1
A basic tool 1 By default each character can take three actions from
A sophisticated tool 2
3: Make Skill Check
The character makes their skill check. Most times this will
be the Craft skill, but depending on the item a character is
trying to construct other skills may be appropriate.
Functions of an Item
Once created, a jury-rigged item should have an
appreciable effect on a situation, usually a 1d6 bonus to a
skill check, or enabling a character to do something they
otherwise wouldn’t be capable of.
A weapon or trap will only ever do 2d6 damage at the
most, and have no intrinsic qualities unless any were
added by increasing the DV of the craft check.
All jury-rigged items break or are otherwise rendered
useless at the end of the scene, if they don’t break after
their initial use.
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DOWNTIME
Downtime is a phase of gameplay which occurs when
the characters return from a contract and have some
time to rest and recover before looking for more work.
Each downtime period simulates roughly a week of time.
LIVING EXPENSES
At the start of the downtime period each player decides
what living standard their character is enjoying for the
next week. This determines how much money they must
spend on food, lodgings and other expenses. This has
no mechanical effect on the downtime period, but it may
affect how other groups perceive the character. Living in
squalor will not ingratiate one to the church, for example,
whereas high living may make criminals suspicious.
A character can choose to live in destitution during a
downtime period, spending nothing on living expenses,
but if they do so they cannot take downtime actions
as they are more occupied with finding food and
somewhere to sleep for the next week.
Living Standard Cost per Downtime
15s
30s
60s
DOWNTIME ACTIONS
the following list each downtime period. They can
choose to perform the same action multiple times if
they so wish, in which case the results for each action
are cumulative.
Some Gamemasters may wish to limit the number of
actions characters can take if they wish to make the
game harder, or to illustrate a change in character’s
circumstances or the city’s amenities. Be aware that
reducing the number of downtime actions can have
serious consequences on characters, hastening their
decline to becoming Lost or dying.
Convalesce
The character regains all of their Health.
During this downtime action the character spends some
of their time resting, letting cuts heal and bruises fade.
Some might take curatives to aid the process, but simply
taking things easy is usually enough.

Reflect
The character regains all of their Resolve.
During this downtime action the character spends
some of their time relaxing and recovering their spiritual
strength. Some do this in quiet contemplation or religious
reflection, whereas others do so by drinking, numbing
themselves with narcotics, or similar activities.
Recover
The character removes up to two wounds from their track.
During this downtime the character visits a trained
physik who stitches their wounds, sets broken bones, and
treats them with leeches.
Recuperate
The character reduces their curse by one degree.
The character spends time recuperating. Some spend
this time praying to the Imperial saints or even the
Undergod, whereas others find other ways of renewing
their humanity. However they do it, this action helps a
character lessen the effects of their curse.
Craft
The character creates items from raw materials.
This gives the character the chance to use skills such as
alchemy and craft to produce items. Manufacturing items
is not a guaranteed process, but it is sometimes cheaper
than purchasing them yourself. It also allows a character
to create bespoke items.
Crafting an item requires a skill check with the
appropriate skill, access to a work space and raw
materials (which must be purchased). Raw materials cost
one third of the normal price of the item (rounding up).
Crafting a basic item requires a successful Easy (DV 1)
skill check. For every additional success, the character
crafting the item can add an additional feature or quality,
which should be discussed with the Gamemaster. A
failed skill check means the materials are wasted, and
the item is not crafted.
For custom items an overall cost and function should be
discussed between the player and the Gamemaster.
Trade
The character earns extra money.
The character spends time during downtime earning
money. Some do this by carrying out odd jobs, others use
their other skills to earn some coin. Some lucky hunters
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Playing the Game
head to the tavern and gamble to earn an income.
A character who takes this action will earn themselves
40 shillings.
INTERACTIONS
Each downtime section ends with a period of free time
which can be roleplayed. This is intended for players and
Gamemasters to build interactions with NPCs, drop hints
for future plotlines, or anything similar.
During this time the characters can also buy new
equipment and otherwise spend their income.
EXPERIENCE POINTS
At the end of a contract the Gamemaster should award
every character with a number of Experience Points
based on their performance. Experience Points are used
to improve primary statistics, skills, and buy new Edges.
A guide to how to determine Experience Points
awarded is shown below. As always, Gamemasters are
encouraged to adapt these rules and award more or less
experience if they see fit.
Condition Experience Points
Completed the contract 1
Completed the contract with style +1
Roleplayed their character well +1
Defeated a major adversary +1
Solved a difficult puzzle/ dilemma +1
Learned something new +1
Note that these awards suggestions are per contract.
Experience Points could be awarded at the end of each
gaming session, but the Gamemaster should ensure that
the points are reduced accordingly.
Experience Points can be spent on primary statistics
and skills in the exact same way as Character Points are
during character generation. Experience Points can be
spent at the end of the contract, during the downtime
phase. The costs are exactly the same as during
character generation and 1 experience point is equal to 1
Character Point.
Edges can be bought with Experience Points at the cost
of 5 Experience Points per new Edge.
 CHAPTER 9:
RUNNING THE GAME

I first met her at the Wall of Woe.

This girl – young woman, I suppose – looking over her shoulder like a hen among foxes. Watched for
maybe half an hour before she had the nerve to approach the wall, let alone post her contract.
I read it over her shoulder. The pay was laughable, but saving a missing boy appealed, somehow.
“Will you take it?”
I hadn’t expected her to talk to me. I may not be as far gone as Wretched, but I’m not the friendliest-looking,
even in the Bastion. My smile didn’t come easily; I hope it was of some comfort.
“I’d like to. I wouldn’t last long on that money though, and I’d have to split it with some folks.”
“You couldn’t do it on your own?”
I couldn’t help but chuckle. “Most hunters don’t.”
“I can’t afford any more.”
“I understand. You’ve done well to make it here, all the way from…?”
“Old Town.”
I don’t know why it mattered; why I was so concerned about yet another stranger who might assume they
were safe here, when at best the Bastion is “slightly safer”. I guess it was some instinct for what was to come.
Stupid tainted senses.
She still had those prey-animal eyes on me. “My name is Dye. If you change your mind, I’m at the flophouse
behind the Slaughtered Lamb. I can only stay a day or two.”
Someone was going to take advantage; eat her alive. Perhaps literally.
“I’m Mishka. Let me see what I can do.”
As I left, I noticed Aldia watching. Another bad sign.

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This section contains some background on how to run a
game of When the Moon Hangs Low as a Gamemaster.
CONTRACTS
Contracts are the most common way of sending a band
of player characters on an adventure. A contract is a
mission outlined by a group within Harrowmire offering
a reward in exchange for the completion of a task. While
Gamemasters can create any kind of story with their
players, contracts offer a quick and easy way to engage
them with the game world.
Taking a Contract
A group of hunters seeking employment generally
find their way to the Bastion; a small island of safety
on the outskirts of Harrowmire. Once an abbey
dedicated to St. Heracleona, the Bastion is now the
unofficial headquarters of many groups seeking to save
Harrowmire from its fate. Inside the abbey walls, in what
were once the cloisters, is the Wall of Woe on which
hang countless paper contracts; hunters can browse and
select them as they wish (although particularly lucrative
or interesting contracts are often sorely contested by
different bands).
To accept a contract a group of hunters simply needs to
take the contract down and seek out the issuer. In some
cases they don’t even need to take this step; simply
taking the contract, carrying it out and finding the issuer
once it is resolved is enough.
A contract will usually contain all the information
required to carry it out; where to go, what to do, and who
to find for payment once it’s complete. However, more
than one band of hunters has discovered only too late
that the issuer has omitted some vital details. Sometimes
the issuer will also paste up multiple copies of the same
contract, resulting in fierce competition between bands
of hunters.
Where do Contracts Come From?
Since the Night of Madness Harrowmire lacks any
official leadership. The Church of the Undergod have
retreated to their cathedral at the heart of the city,
seldom venturing out except to administer the Bitter
Sacrament to those who can afford it. The merchants
who once organised the secular side of the city spend
their days drinking and their nights terrified. The wider
empire has never had much influence within Harrowmire,
and now they have even less.
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Running the Game
In this absence of leadership, people turn to anyone
strong, cunning or persuasive to protect them from the
horrors of the city. By and large, this means the hunters.
Contracts are the accepted form of hiring a band of
hunters; anyone who can raise the money and make the
journey to the Bastion can hang a contract on the Wall
of Woe.
Remit of a Contract
As anyone can raise a contract and there is no official
guidance on how to write one. As such, the remit of
contracts can vary wildly.
Some may involve clearing an area of dangerous
creatures such as sorrowful or giant rats. Others may be
to hunt down and kill a single dangerous creature such
as a ghoul that has been terrorising a particular area, or
perhaps even a former hunter who has succumbed to
their curse and become a marauding killer.
Sometimes a contract will be issued to request the aid
of hunters in investigating crimes against the people of
Harrowmire. Usually these contracts are issued by the
militia, but occasionally they may be issued by a specific
faction when the crime has been committed against them.
Other contracts may involve retrieving lost artefacts,
helping reclaim lost parts of the city, or even mapping
the mysterious necropolis.
Rewards
Most contracts offer a reward in an amount of shillings.
However, some contracts will offer alternative awards in
the form of goods, services, or rare items of equipment.
If a contract is issued by a political faction such as the
Hand, the Church of the Undergod, or the Order of St.
Claudine, then a common reward is gaining reputation
and influence with the issuing faction in addition to more
physical rewards.
A typical contract offers between 50 and 100 shillings
per hunter as a reward. More difficult contracts will offer
increasing amounts. A particularly dangerous contract,
for example one that requires the hunters to venture
deep into the necropolis and slay a powerful creature,
may offer as much as 500 shillings. Provided the hunters
survive to claim such a reward, of course.
Influence
Sometimes a contract will be issued by one of the
influential factions within Harrowmire such as the Militia,
the Church of the Undergod, the Hand, or the Order
 Running the Game
of Saint Claudine. In these cases a common reward, in
addition to the regular payment of shillings, is Influence.
Influence is tracked against each faction separately,
and a character will usually earn only a single point of
influence per contract, if at all.
When a character makes a Bluff, Charm, Intimidate, or
Perform skill check against a member of a faction they
gain a number of bonus dice equal to the number of
points of influence they have with that particular faction.
For example: Selena has three points of influence with the
Church thanks to a number of contracts she has completed
in the past. While sneaking around the Cathedral district
she encounters a churchwarden who demands to know
what she’s doing. Selena’s player Sam makes a Bluff check
to convince the churchwarden she has legitimate business
in the area. Because of Selena’s influence, Sam adds an
additional 3d6 to the dice roll.
Influence can also be used to purchase certain special
favours from the faction in question. When a character
uses their influence with a faction in this way, they
permanently reduce their influence by a number of
points equal to the favour they have called in. See the
individual faction descriptions in chapter 10 for details of
the favours a character can request.
RUNNING THE GAME
Below are some tips for the Gamemaster when running
When the Moon Hangs Low.
Tone and Themes
This game is intended to evoke the gothic horror
and dark fantasy genres. Being mindful of tone and
featuring the themes of the game can help to convey
this to the players.
Tone can be thought of “what do the characters
experience and why?”: it is what the characters see,
smell, hear, and feel as they make their way through
Harrowmire. Harrowmire is a dark, disturbing place, a
once-great city that is now decaying and crumbling
because of its own hubris. It is a place of darkness, rain,
rot, tears, cries, echoes and suffering. Weather can be a
great way to add to the tone, as does lighting. Light can
be the difference between life and death in Harrowmire,
so Gamemasters should always try to remember how a
scene is being lit, and how that might change what the
characters experience.
Themes are the story points that games in When the
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Moon Hangs Low should most commonly feature on a
regular basis. There are three intended themes in this
game: Horror, Mystery and Struggle.
Horror
Horror can be included in games in a number of ways.
Visceral horror can come from discovering mutilated
bodies and pools of blood, either left by mundane killers
or more monstrous culprits.
A more existential horror can be found in the struggle
of a hunter against the dark impulses of their curse.
Other hunters have fallen to their curses, and featuring
such lost souls as antagonists can help explore this
brand of horror.
There is also an aspect of religious horror which could
be incorporated by featuring the Church of the Undergod
and the strange rituals they perform in their echoing
cathedral. Does the church willfully engage in these dark
practices, knowing full well what they entail? Or are they
deluded into thinking they are somehow helping?
When introducing any kind of horror, it is often far more
effective for Gamemasters to be evasive with the details
of what the players are facing; keeping the exact source
of a strange sound or unpleasant odour unknown for a
sustained time often lets the players’ imaginations fill in
the blanks better than any description can.
With any inclusion of horror, the Gamemaster should
be mindful of their player’s comforts and limits: if a player
has an out-of-character issue with any of the aspects
listed above, the Gamemaster should remove those
aspects immediately. This is a game, after all.
Mystery
Mystery is perhaps one of the easier themes to include.
Most games will involve a mystery of one sort or another;
whether the characters are trying to solve a crime,
explore a ruin, or hunt down a dangerous creature there
is always an element of the unknown.
Mystery can also be included in a wider sense by
exploring the questions behind some aspects of the
setting. What is the Bitter Sacrament, and where does
it come from? Who were the ympir, and what was the
Undergod? What caused the sorrow plague, and why
do some victims degenerate into ghouls? The answers
to these questions have been left intentionally vague:
Gamemasters can decide to answer them during their
games, or leave them unanswered as well.
Remember: not every question has to have a concrete
 Running the Game
answer. Some mysteries are better left unsolved. exact length of time a scene encompasses is mutable;
a scene encompasses a number of events in the same
Struggle
location that occur within a short time of each other.
Struggle is a theme that can be explored in a number of
Think of it from the point of view of a movie; a scene
ways during games. Physical struggle, such as combat,
encompasses the events that take place between a
is easy to include. Similarly social conflict, such as might
fade-in and a fade-out.
occur between the various political factions within
Generally speaking a scene is quite short; lasting a few
Harrowmire, can be just as deadly when the characters
hours of in-game time at the most. For example, a scene
are swept up in it.
could begin when the characters arrive at a mysterious
A more spiritual struggle can be explored in the
ruin, include their search for clues and conclude when
individual character’s struggles against their fates. Each
they discover a hidden trapdoor and descend into the
hunter’s curse can be seen as something to struggle
vaults below. The next scene would begin as they enter
against, and Gamemasters could use this as the basis for
the vaults.
game sessions.
A scene can cover a much longer period of narrative
On a grander scale, the fate of Harrowmire could be
time when the Gamemaster and players want to skip
explored using this theme. How do the characters aid in
over mundane and boring events as the characters move
the struggle to save Harrowmire? Or do they work against
from one key event to another.
it, seeking to hasten the destruction of the cursed city?

Scenes
A scene is a common measure of time in When the
Moon Hangs Low. Many Edges and items have a number
of uses per scene, or durations that last for a scene. The

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 CHAPTER 10:
HARROWMIRE

Days later we had a bit of a service. There was nothing to bury, but I persuaded the others – even
Alysska – to join Nicol and me as we threw pansies into the sea. They were Dye’s favourite flowers, and this
abandoned churchyard had been her favourite place in Old Town; I pretended I’d known both those facts,
but really I hadn’t known her at all.
Some pack mother I’d been.
Words were said; I had trouble listening. Nicol was very kind, asking if I wanted to add anything, but I
couldn’t. I don’t know what my problem was; he was the child, the one who’d lost a sister.
He asked for passage to the Bastion; something about a new contract. I wanted him to go home, but
apparently there wasn’t one. It ended up being the least we could do, avoiding Cullen’s thugs on the Old
Road for a fairly uneventful trip.
I checked our contract again. We’d lost the issuer and her pay; I wouldn’t have taken her money anyway.
There remained the matter of the additional award, and I would have left it well alone but I owed the others
their shares.
The market stall was selling meat. The first trader had no idea what I was talking about, but his friend
overheard and took me aside. Yes, he represented those who had added the extra reward; yes, they’d
heard about Nicol and the others. No, it didn’t matter to them that Dye hadn’t come back. They were
pleased, and we were paid handsomely.
If anything it made me feel worse.

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For over one hundred years the name Harrowmire
conjured images of wealth and prosperity in every mind
in the Sarpedean Empire. A city where one could find
eternal youth thanks to the miraculous Bitter Sacrament,
or make one’s fortune by plumbing the depths of the
treasure-filled necropolis below its streets. A place where
one could make their life anew, or lose everything, it was
said. At its height Harrowmire’s wealth and influence
even eclipsed that of Achromantos, the capital of the
empire, earning the city no small measure of ire from the
empress herself.
Now, though, Harrowmire is a byword for darkness
and suffering. The entire Bittershore peninsula has been
placed under quarantine, the mountain passes into the
region are guarded by imperial soldiers, and news from
inside the city is grim indeed.
But how did Harrowmire rise so high, and fall so low?
Many imperial scholars have studied the history of the
so-called Cursed City for answers.
THE HISTORY
OF HARROWMIRE
Harrowmire sits on the Bittershore peninsula at the
eastern extremes of the Empire, overlooking the cold
waters of the eastern ocean. Reachable only by three
narrow passes that wind through the foreboding
Ironreach Mountains, for centuries Harrowmire was
nothing more than a remote whaling town, of note to
almost no one. Much of the history of the small town was
unremarkable, until the whale stocks of the Forcantor
Abyssal, the cold sea that laps at the eastern coast of the
empire, collapsed due to over-hunting.
Harrowmire had never been wealthy: the meagre income
from the whale oil, ivory, and baleen was all that had been
keeping the town afloat for years. With that gone, the town
was plunged into absolute poverty. Those who could
leave did so, and those that could not suffered.
The Necropolis Discovered
In desperation the townsfolk dug into the hills
overlooking the town in the hopes of finding tin or coal;
instead, they broke into sprawling catacombs that wound
deep into the earth. Clearly ancient, the tunnels were part
of a huge necropolis. To the amazement of the townsfolk
the tunnels were filled with ancient grave goods of gold
and silver, encrusted with precious gems. Alongside
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Harrowmire
these treasures were the mummified corpses of the
strange chiropteran creatures that obviously created
the necropolis in some unknown bygone age. These
creatures were given the name ympir, after the creatures
of myth that supposedly left gifts for those most in need.
At the center of the necropolis the stunned explorers
found a titanic example of the builders; a huge corpse
wrapped in miles of ancient linen and hung with golden
charms. They came to call this creature the Undergod,
and many people began to attribute both their luck
and ill-fortune in the underground city to the will of the
huge corpse. A nascent religion sprang up around the
Undergod, led by the adventurers who first discovered
its tomb.
The sudden influx of gold from the necropolis caused
Harrowmire to flourish overnight. People flocked to the
town to find their fortune in the catacombs. The town
began to expand, with new buildings hung with ornate
gargoyles modelled on the chiropteran inhabitants of
the necropolis being extremely popular. When the city
limits met the surrounding marshlands, Harrowmire
began to extend upwards, with great spires and turrets
becoming popular features, towering over the buildings
of the old town.
Amid the prosperity brought by the gold carried up
from the necropolis a new wonder appeared: the Bitter
Sacrament. Created by the new Church of the Undergod,
the Bitter Sacrament was an alchemical drug the
origins of which were a closely guarded secret. Many
whispered that the drug was produced by grinding
down the bones of the ympir mummies. Others claimed
it was a substance mined from the great ossified body
of the Undergod itself. Whatever its origins, the Bitter
Sacrament had incredible powers; a single draft would
cause the imbiber to miraculously grow younger, and
even cure diseases.
Stories of the Bitter Sacrament caused even more people
to flock to the city from across the empire. The Church of
the Undergod exercised strict controls on sale of the Bitter
Sacrament, forbidding it to be shipped out of the city. The
church became incredibly powerful and wealthy.
For almost a century Harrowmire was bathed in wealth,
but also crushing poverty. Many who came to the city to
seek their fortune quickly found themselves destitute
and reduced to living in the sprawling hovels known
as the Shambles that surrounded the city limits. Crime
and disease were rampant in the Shambles, while in
the city above the wealthy and eternally-young lived in
decadent excess.
 Harrowmire

The Sorrow Plague
No one knows where the plague originated or how it
was spread, but it struck both rich and poor alike, and it
quickly became evident it was both incurable and fatal.
Those afflicted shared the same symptoms: headache,
fever, red eyes, and a sensitivity to light. As the plague
progressed the symptoms grew worse, especially the
light sensitivity and reddening eyes. Most victims bled
profusely from their tear ducts, giving the plague its
name as they appeared to weep blood. In almost every
case the victims died less than three days after the initial
symptoms appeared.
Within a week the plague had spread across the
city. The church officials and the merchant leaders of
Harrowmire tried to curb its spread by rounding up as
many of the infected as possible and sending them to
three sanatoriums around the city. Most victims quickly
expired, making the sanatoriums little more than charnel
houses. However, in a small percentage of the population
the disease entered a new and horrifying phase.
These victims became irrationally violent, filled with
a psychotic bloodlust. They felt compelled to attack,
kill and consume the flesh and blood of other living
creatures. Tragically, many appeared to retain fragments
of their intelligence: wielding weapons, muttering
incomprehensible sentences, and occasionally sobbing
in apparent anguish at their condition. These sorrowful
wretches were rounded up and kept secured in cells
beneath the sanitariums. However, for every dozen
found, more were left to run rampant in the city.
The Night of Madness
Discontent and panic grew. Bodies of the plague-dead
lay rotting in the streets, the cost of the Bitter Sacrament
was exorbitant, and many people were unhappy with
the treatment of the victims of the plague. Riots of
protest began and, during the largest such protest,
the patients locked in the various asylums broke free.
In what became known as the ‘Night of Madness’ fires
started by the rioting raged out of control in parts of
Harrowmire. The patients, far from being thankful for
their liberation, were bloodthirsty maniacs who attacked
everyone indiscriminately. Worse still, some of them had
degenerated into abhuman monsters dubbed ‘ghouls’.
The militia finally got the city back under control,
but the harm was done. The empress decreed that
Harrowmire must be placed under quarantine. The
mountain passes were guarded, with no one allowed to
leave the peninsula on pain of death. Ironclad warships
were stationed in the bay, within cannon shot of the city
should anyone seek to escape by sea.
Harrowmire Now
It has been almost a year since the events of the Night
of Madness. Parts of the city are now almost entirely
abandoned, while other districts are flooded by the
marshes, or haunted by sorrowful and ghouls. A few
pockets of civilisation remain, where militia patrols or
mobs of armed citizens have managed to keep the
dangers at bay. No matter where in the city they live,
come nightfall everyone bars their doors and prays for
sunrise. Some people spend their nights in drug-fuelled
ignorance, whereas others huddle with their loved ones,
waiting for salvation.
The necropolis still lies below the city, but many
entrances have been lost during the Night of Madness,
or buried as buildings collapsed in the subsequent fires.
The Church still has access to the Tomb of the Undergod,
but much of the surrounding catacombs are now home
to ghouls and even worse monstrosities.
Despite the quarantine many people still venture to
Harrowmire seeking the Bitter Sacrament in order to
prolong their lives: those who feel they have no other
option or who do not care that they will become trapped
inside the blockade.
Others come seeking their fortune in the necropolis
below the city, even knowing that they can never leave
Harrowmire once they enter.
Lastly there are those drawn to the city by the strange
threads of fate: the hunters. These people, having had
a brush with the strange forces of darkness elsewhere
in the empire, feel compelled to make the journey to
Harrowmire, perhaps not even knowing where their
travels will take them.
AREAS OF THE CITY
Harrowmire is a dense and labyrinthine city, expanding
across the hills that contain the necropolis and down to
the coast where the old town used to stand. To the north
of the city lie the expansive Bonerot Marshes through
which winds the Coldwine River. To the south of the city
is the Bastion, the former abbey now used as a staging
post for hunters.

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 Harrowmire
The Bonerot Marshes

Wheterwhil

The Spill
er
e Riv
ldwin
Co

oad
ighR
Th eH

6
7

The Farmlands

4 The High Park

New City 5

Pilgrim’s Way
2 Old Town

Coldrack Docks

The Shambles

ad
Old Ro
The

Buildings of Note
1 1. The Bastion
2. The Cathedral
3. The Dispensary
4. Skolovok University
5. Whalebone House
The Forcantor Abyssal 6. Bishopsgate Sanitarium
7. The Old Scythe Inn

© 2022 Isolation Games

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 Harrowmire
The Bastion
Staging post and command center, the Bastion is where
many hunters come to find contracts. Once an abbey
dedicated to St. Heracleona, the Bastion lies outside
the limits of Harrowmire proper, and as such escaped
the heretical purge the worshippers of the Undergod
performed during the heyday of Harrowmire.
Now the abbey has been turned into a small fortress by
Imperial loyalists and is home to both countless hunters
and those who make their living off them. Whores,
traders, and thieves: all flock to the abbey and the
relative safety its walls bring. However, despite the lack
of ghouls and sorrowful, the streets around the Bastion
can still harbour dangers in the form of footpads and
blood-crazed hunters.
At the center of the Bastion are the former cloisters,
now home to an expansive marketplace where hunters
come to buy equipment, supplies other, more obscure
items for their hunts.
Notable Locations
The Wall of Woe: The Wall of Woe surrounds the Beast
Market. It used to be the wall that enclosed the cloisters
when the Bastion was still an abbey; now it is hung with
hundreds of layered paper contracts.
The Beast Market: Situated in the middle of the Bastion,
the Beast Market is a bustling, raucous marketplace
where almost anything can be bought or sold.
The Slaughtered Lamb: An inn and tavern located just
outside the Bastion, famous for being one of the busiest
watering holes remaining in Harrowmire. It is a good
place to seek out information and allies, as well as a
strong drink.
Notable People
Aldia Cortano: Lead agent of the Hand in Harrowmire.
Aldia is a quiet, dangerous woman who seems to know
a lot about everything that occurs within the city. She
maintains a network of informants and agents across the
city, and is constantly locked in a duel of wits with the
Church of the Undergod.
Captain Tristan DuCard: Leader of the Harrowmire
militia, Tristan took the post after the previous captain
met their end during the Night of Madness. Tristan is
an honest, noble leader who is quickly coming to the
realisation he will have to make hard choices if he is to
save his home.
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Purdita Kaldus: Mother Superior of the Order of St.
Claudine, Purdita is the nominal leader of the Bastion.
She is adored by many of the citizens of Harrowmire for
the efforts of her order to help the needy. Purdita is a
tough woman, her heart hardened by the terrible sights
she has been witness to since the Night of Madness.
Factions
The Hand, Militia and the Order all have influence in
the Bastion. There are a few agents of the Church, but
they do not tend to advertise their presence.
The Shambles
The Shambles are a huge swathe of slums that surround
Harrowmire; ramshackle housing built to accommodate
the droves of poorer travellers who flocked to the city
during its golden age. The Shambles lie between the
Bastion and the New City, meaning any hunters who wish
to reach the main precincts of Harrowmire proper must
traverse the unlit cobbled streets.
Most houses in the Shambles are only two- or three-
story buildings, made from crumbling brick and
untreated timber. In places entire rows of houses have
collapsed since the Night of Madness, either because of
the fires or the encroaching flooding. Many people still
live in the Shambles, especially those areas adjacent
to the Old Road, near the Bastion, and at the limits of
the Old Town. Other areas are now abandoned ruins
haunted by sorrowful, giant rats, and gutter boars. In the
northernmost areas of the Shambles waters from the
marshlands have inundated much of the area, flooding
the streets and bringing their own set of hazards.
Notable Locations
The Old Road: The main highway that runs from the
western mountains all the way to the New City. During
Harrowmire’s golden age the Old Road was brightly lit
and filled with travellers, now it sees a fraction of the
traffic it used to. The road is still patrolled by members
of the militia, and some of the street lamps are still lit
come night, making it one of the safer ways to reach the
New City.
Bishopsgate Sanitarium: The sole remaining
sanitarium of the three used to house sorrowful before
the Night of Madness. While abandoned, the structure
is largely intact and inside are rumoured caches of
medical supplies. There are all manner of fell rumours
surrounding the place.

Notable People
Zofia Cullen: A tenacious member of the militia, Zofia
is in charge of maintaining the safety of the Old Road.
While her intent is good, Zofia enforces the peace with
draconian diligence, and has a fearsome reputation
because of it.
Old Gabe: A wily and seasoned coachman, Old Gabe
ferries travellers from the Bastion to the New City for
extortionate fees. He is remarkably good at avoiding
trouble, however, so claims his fees are well-deserved.
Factions
The Militia and the Order both have influence in the
Shambles.
The Bonerot Marshes
The sprawling marshes that surround the northern
limits of Harrowmire, following the banks of the Coldwine
River as it makes its way to the sea. In bygone days the
residents of the town used to hunt the marshes for eels
and birds, but in recent years there are rumours of huge
bloodthirsty crocodiles, strange red-eyed herons, and
even worse monsters deeper in the swamps.
Smugglers sometimes use the marshlands as a way
into and out of the city, and it is not uncommon for
contracts to be issued to stop them.
The Imperial commanders are increasingly concerned
by the lack of control they can exercise over the
marshes, and the potential avenue out of Harrowmire
they represent.
Notable Locations
Kamil’s Pond: Deep in the marshes, Kamil’s Pond is
a wide, mirror-flat pool once famed for its eels. Locals
still risk the occasional trip to the pond in the hopes of
catching fish, but recently such trips have either failed to
return or come back with horrifying tales of something
monstrous living in the depths.
The Spill: The name given to the area where the
Coldwine River burst its banks and flooded the
Shambles. The whole area is now waist-deep or worse,
and the houses that once stood here are mud-filled
shapes in the murk. More than one band of smugglers
has made camp in the abandoned buildings.
Notable People
Bregas Agore: Quiet and grim, Bregas can usually be
found at his shack at the edge of the Shambles and is
known to act as a guide to hunters venturing into the
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Harrowmire
marshes. The militia are suspicious of Bregas’ continued
trips into the marshes, not believing his claims that he is
a simple fisherman.
Factions
No Factions have any influence in the Marshes.
The Farmlands
Surrounding Harrowmire are miles of farmlands which
used to feed the city in its heyday. Even before the
Night of Madness, the farmlands had begun to collapse
thanks to lack of labour and seasonal flooding from the
nearby marshlands.
Now the majority of the farmlands are abandoned;
miles of rotting fields studded here and there with
abandoned barns and farmhouses, and the occasional
ruined windmill.
Notable Locations
Wheterwhil: A small hamlet to the north of Harrowmire,
on the banks of the Coldwine River, Wheterwhil was a
community of farmers and millers. Some time before the
Night of Madness agents of the Church of the Undergod
led by Morningstar raided the village and burned every
inhabitant at the stake for heresy. Exactly what that
heresy was remains unknown; perhaps it had to do with
the strange wooden idols that can still be found in the
surrounding fields.
The Old Scythe Inn: One of the few inhabited buildings
in the farmlands, the inn lies on the High Road leading
towards the mountain passes. Often the first sign of
civilisation after passing through the mountains, the Old
Scythe is an island of respite in the bleak surroundings
for many travellers.
Notable People
Henstrom Morl: A former hunter twisted by the
bloodshed and intrigue of Harrowmire, Henstrom now
leads a group of bandits that prowl the farmlands.
Preying on the few inhabited hamlets, Henstrom is cruel,
malicious, and extremely dangerous.
Factions
The Order has marginal influence in the Farmlands.
Old Town
Old Town is the remains of the oldest parts of
Harrowmire; buildings that date back over a century
to before the discovery of the necropolis. Old Town
sits at the base of the hills, alongside the Coldrack
 Harrowmire
Docks. When money and fame came to Harrowmire,
new buildings quickly surrounded Old Town and then
overshadowed it with towering structures, criss-crossing
bridges and huge cathedrals. Nowadays the buildings
of the New City stand high over those of Old Town,
eclipsing the megre light during the day, and casting the
winding streets into impenetrable shadow at night.
It is home to the poorest and most impoverished
inhabitants of Harrowmire, and is a regular hunting
ground of both ghouls and hunters. The people who
continue to live here are suspicious and dour, hostile to
outsiders and known to burn ‘heretics’ at the stake.
Notable Locations
The Mayor’s Plaza: Once the heart of Harrowmire,
the Mayor’s Plaza is now a dusty and shadow-filled
square of cracked paving and faded grandeur. Since the
Night of Madness, the people of Old Town occasionally
congregate here to burn those they suspect of having
the sorrow plague on great pyres.
Whalebone House: A crumbling manor that was once
home to the wealthy Harker family, owners of many of
the whaling ships in old Harrowmire. Abandoned for
decades, the house is now host to dozens of stories of
ghouls, ghosts, and ancient treasures.
Notable People
Ludmilla Frisk: The so-called ‘Mayor of Old Town’,
Ludmilla has been consumed by paranoia and hatred.
A passionate public speaker, she whips the people of
her town into murderous frenzies, which usually result in
torch-lit hunts for outsiders.
Sibling Theo: A member of the Order of St. Claudine,
sibling Theo valiantly tries to curb the darker impulses
of the inhabitants of Old Town, as well as tend to the
sick and needy. They repeatedly clash with Ludmilla
Frisk, and it is only due to their honest reputation and
connections to the Order that they have survived so far.
Factions
The Militia have some influence in Old Town, due to
occasionally sending patrols into the area. However, their
sway is fading fast due to Ludmilla’s efforts.
Coldrack Docks
The old docks that once formed the sole source of
income for Harrowmire in its previous existence as a
whaling town have declined in recent years. With the
discovery of the necropolis the docks were repurposed
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to cater to ships bringing travellers from overseas, rather
than hauling in whale carcasses. Since the Night of
Madness the docks are quiet and still, due to the ironclad
warships now patrolling the bay.
At the southern edge of the docks, overlooking the
ocean, lie the old whale yards. Abandoned well over a
century ago when the whaling industry collapsed, the
yards are a warren of rotting wooden buildings, ancient
whale bones, and muck-filled slipways.
Notable Locations
The Whale Yards: Long abandoned, the whale yards
are a dangerous place for multiple reasons. The rickety
buildings are known to crumble underfoot, gangs of
smugglers hide out in the warehouses, and there are
rumours that horrific Nightmare Fragments haunt the
old ruins.
Notable People
Captain Anna Belgarrat: A smuggler of ill repute,
Captain Belgarrat and her crew hideout in the docks in
the hopes that they can sneak past the navy blockade.
Factions
The Militia have marginal influence in the Docks.
The New City
Although called ‘New City’, this district is nearly a
hundred years old, dating back to the first boom of
wealth experienced by Harrowmire with the discovery
of the necropolis and the Bitter Sacrament. Built around
and atop the hills containing the necropolis, the New City
towers over the rest of Harrowmire and is resplendent
with great spires, basilicas and towers, all decorated with
gargoyles and buttresses.
Ringed by an impressive wall isolating it from the rest
of Harrowmire, the New City is home to the wealthiest
citizens; those who can afford regular doses of the Bitter
Sacrament and as a result have remained young and
healthy for decades. Even though the chaos of the Night
of Madness was only marginally felt in the New City many
residents fled in the days after, leaving a great many of
the grand houses empty and dark. Those who remain
spend their days in desperate abandon, trying to numb
themselves to the horrors unfolding around them. Come
nightfall the doors are barricaded, the windows barred
and shuttered, with many people holding lavish parties in
an attempt to ignore the screams echoing outside.

The militia and churchwardens often patrol the streets
of the New City at night, but even so it is not uncommon
for dawn to fall on a house with shattered doors and the
floors inside awash with blood.
Four huge archways allow access to the New City from
the rest of Harrowmire, each guarded by numerous
churchwardens who stringently vet those seeking to
enter. Each gate has a particular name: the Iron Arch to
the south, Pilgrim’s Gate in the west, Bishopsgate to the
north, and the Old Gate to the east.
Notable Locations
The High Park: A glorious plaza created to honour
the creation of the New City, the High Park is filled with
beautiful marble statues, impressive fountains and
small gardens. Once a fashionable place for wealthy
citizens to promenade, now the area is cold and empty,
filled with shadows and menace. The trees and shrubs,
once tended by an army of gardeners, are now either
overgrown or dead.
Skolovok University: For years considered one of the
most eminent institutions of learning in the whole empire,
now it’s lecture halls stand empty and dark. Some
scholars still travel to Harrowmire to peruse the extensive
libraries, but by and large the place is abandoned.
The Dispensary: The Dispensary is an impressive
building at the heart of the New City where vials of the
Bitter Sacrament are sold to citizens. Guarded by masked
and armoured churchwardens, the building is one of the
most secure areas of the district.
Notable People
Lord Colem Borgo: The mayor of the New City, Lord
Borgo is nominally one of the most important people
in Harrowmire. In practice he is little more than a
mouthpiece for Cardinal Falken and the Church of the
Undergod.
Cardinal Nemista Falken: Emissary of the Church of the
Undergod in the New City, Cardinal Falken oversees the
Dispensary and as a result she wields incredible power
in the district. The Cardinal is a cunning and dangerous
opponent for anyone who would risk crossing her.
Sergeant Carlo Selinski: The militia representative
to the New City, Sergeant Selinski is responsible for
organising patrols and solving crimes in the district.
Frequently overruled by the churchwardens, Sergeant
Selinski is not above issuing contracts to investigate
crimes he has been forbidden to look into himself.
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Harrowmire
Factions
Due to its proximity to the Cathedral, the Church has
significant influence over the New City. While the Militia
regularly patrols the district, they have very little control
over the area.
The Cathedral
The huge cathedral of the Undergod dominates the
heart of the New City, large enough that many people
consider it to be a district in its own right. Guarded by
the masked and armoured churchwardens, and with
countless winding passages and spires, the cathedral
is more like a citadel than a place of worship. While its
entrance ways lie in the New City, the foundations of the
cathedral plunge deep into the earth, into the necropolis
itself, allowing the priests and guards access to the Tomb
of the Undergod.
The district also encompasses the associated church
buildings that huddle inside the precincts of the
cathedral: libraries, cloisters, dormitories for the priests,
reliquaries, and the mysterious alchemical laboratories
where the Bitter Sacrament is prepared.
It is unknown how many priests reside within the
cathedral these days, few venture far from the safety of
its walls unless they have to.
Notable Locations
The Ivory Nave: The only part of the cathedral open
to the citizens of Harrowmire, the Ivory Nave takes its
name from the huge amounts of whale ivory used in its
construction. Before the Night of Madness the nave saw
almost continuous use, as citizens attended services in
the honour of the Undergod, and also came to purchase
the Bitter Sacrament from the priests. Now the nave is
much quieter, but still hosts dozens of visitors a day.
The Grand Spire: Rising above the nave, casting a long
shadow over all of Harrowmire, is the Grand Spire. A work
of architectural wonder, the spire took years to complete
and is covered in strange and fantastic carvings and
gargoyles. The spire houses the upper echelons of the
clergy, including the Arch Prelate himself.
The Holy Steps: Deep in the heart of the cathedral
are the Holy Steps, a winding staircase that descends
deep into the bowels of the necropolis. Guarded
at regular intervals by the most devout of the
churchwardens, the Holy Steps may only be walked by
priests of a certain rank.
 Harrowmire
Notable People
Arch Prelate Xavier Morn: The leader of the Church
of the Undergod and the effective ruler of Harrowmire,
Arch Prelate Morn is a rarely-seen figure whose orders
are carried out by legions of loyal priests. It is known that
the Arch Prelate was once one of the original adventurers
who discovered the corpse of the Undergod, meaning
that he must be well over a century old by now, sustained
by countless doses of the Bitter Sacrament.
Morningstar: Never seen without their face-obscuring
cowl and helm, Morningstar is the commander of the
churchwardens and one of the most feared people
in Harrowmire. Known for their inflexible and brutal
enforcement of church edicts, Morningstar has overseen
countless executions and burnings, both before and after
the Night of Madness.
Cardinal Chia Vesper: A bright and friendly member
of the clergy who is in charge of the day-to-day running
of the cathedral. Many people whisper that her cheerful
persona is a mask for something dark and cruel within.
Factions
The Church has an unshakable influence over the
Cathedral. The Hand in particular constantly strives to
sneak spies and agents into the district, with no success
to date.
The Necropolis
The ancient corpse-city of the ympir, the lightless
tunnels of the necropolis wind for unknown miles
beneath Harrowmire. No one knows how long ago
the necropolis was constructed, or anything concrete
about the society that deemed it so important. Certainly
nothing existed aboveground to mark the location, apart
from a few scattered obelisks in the marshes.
The corridors of the necropolis are built to dimensions
slightly larger than human, and adhere to geometries
that most explorers find unsettling. At irregular intervals
stone doorways open into chambers and halls that
contain mumfied ympir, troves of strange treasure, or
weird relics of unknown purpose.
Anyone who has visited the necropolis and returned
talks of the awful, pregnant atmosphere of dread that
settled on them as soon as they entered the tunnels;
a feeling of being lost in the veins of a vast, ancient
creature that resented their presence.
Countless dozens of adventurers who have entered
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the city beneath the city have vanished; it is certain that
unspeakable things make their home down there.
There are entrances to the Necropolis all across
Harrowmire, from the grand gated staircases found
in the New City, to rotten bolt-holes found in the
Shambles. Because of the multitude of access points,
countless Sorrowful and Ghouls make their homes in the
Necropolis when the sun rises each day.
Notable Locations
Tomb of the Undergod: At the heart of the necropolis
lies the huge vault containing the corpse of the
Undergod. Guarded by members of the Church, access
to the tomb is carefully controlled and almost impossible
for outsiders to reach. Few have seen inside, but rumours
talk of the vast corpse, strange carvings, and the untold
riches that lie within.
Kellen’s Crypt: Kellen was an explorer from the early
days of the discovery of the necropolis, and they tried
repeatedly to chart the tunnels with little success. The
crypt that bears their name is one of the easier to locate
mausoleums in the upper levels of the necropolis, and
has been used by various groups of adventurers as a
staging ground and campsite over the years.
The Nexus: Several of the larger tunnels and stairwells
meet at the Nexus, which seems to have been some
kind of gathering place or temple for the ympir. Any
treasures that might have been here were looted years
ago, but the Nexus is a useful landmark for those
exploring the necropolis.
Factions
The Church has nominal influence over the necropolis,
mostly in the tunnels around the Tomb of the Undergod.
The further out, or the deeper down one travels, the
darker and less explored the tunnels become. No one
has influence there. Nothing human, that is.
WHEN THE MOON HANGS LOW
Everyone in Harrowmire fears the night, and with good
reason. As the sun sets behind the mountains people
hurry home, barring their doors and praying to either
the imperial saints or the Undergod that they might see
the next dawn. As the moon rises the sorrowful, ghouls,
and other, stranger creatures creep from the sewers and
tunnels to roam the streets in search of prey.
While some areas of the city are moderately safe
to travel during the day, come nightfall even the

torch-lit boulevards of the New City are prowled by
bloodthirsty monsters.
FACTIONS
There are several powerful factions that operate in
Harrowmire, each with its own goals and plans for the
city. Hunters often find themselves dragged into the
machinations of these factions, whether they plan to
or not.
The Militia
The remains of the city militia still try to bring order to
Harrowmire, despite being hopelessly under qualified.
Before the plague and the fire, the militia’s only duties
were to keep nerdowells out of the church precincts,
and guard the houses of rich merchants. Now, in the
absence of any other real leadership the common
people of Harrowmire have turned to the militia for
leadership and protection.
Dressed in faded and tattered uniforms, the militia can
be found patrolling the Shambles, Old Town, and the
Docks in an attempt to keep the citizens who live there
safe from the monsters and criminals that now haunt
the streets. Few are trained soldiers, however, and their
chances when faced by a horde of sorrowful or a ghoul
are slim. As such, the militia often contract hunters to
cull dangerous creatures that threaten the areas they
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Harrowmire
oversee. Occasionally they will ask hunters to help
investigate murders and other crimes that are too bizarre
or dangerous for them to deal with.
Using Influence
The Militia isn’t wealthy, but it has access to rumours
and the good will of the common citizens. Hunters
with influence in the Militia can call in favours for aid in
these forms.
Rumour (one influence): The militia gives the character
a piece of information; often a rumour of a hidden supply
cache, potential treasure, or other useful tidbit.
Resupply (two influence): The character is allowed to
resupply from a militia armoury: they can take a number of
pieces of mundane gear or items worth up to 200 shillings.
Deputy (three influence): The militia provides the
character with a badge of office, making them a deputy.
This may give them access to secure areas, and authority
over loyal citizens.
Backup (four influence): The militia will provide two
guards that will accompany the character for a short
while (usually the span of the next contract the character
undertakes).
The Church of the Undergod
The Church of the Undergod is still powerful and
wealthy despite the fall of Harrowmire. Secure in their
cathedral, the priests of the church want nothing more
than to see the city returned to its glory days and the
money of those seeking the Bitter Sacrament flowing
once more. With close ties to the nobles that remain in
the New City, coffers filled with gold, and a small army of
zealous wardens, the church is not to be trifled with.
While a rare sight in the lower parts of Harrowmire,
agents of the church exercise impressive control over
the New City, the Cathedral, and the Necropolis. In
those areas it is not uncommon to see patrols of white-
robed, armoured churchwardens in their intimidating
masks. These warriors are much better trained than the
militia, but rarely place themselves in danger if they
can send a hunter instead. As such, the church often
contracts hunters to clear lost shrines and chapels of
monsters, or recover artefacts ‘misplaced’ during the
Night of Madness.
Using Influence
The Church’s power lies in its incredible wealth, the
fervor with which the citizens view it, and its control of the
 Harrowmire

Bitter Sacrament. Typically it is these resources that the character a useful secret. This could be the location of
church offers to hunters allied with it. a hidden supply cache, but could also be warden patrol
Financial Aid (one influence): The church will give the routes, or even the name of a reliable underworld fence.
character 200 shillings, no questions asked. Blackmail Material (three influence): The Hand gives
Bitter Sacrament (two influence): The church gifts the the character a useful piece of blackmail material on a
character a single vial of Bitter Sacrament. citizen. This can be used to leverage money, other favours,
or a wealth of other possibilities.
Holy Seal (three influence): The church gives the
character a holy seal, marking them as an agent of the Assassination (four influence): The Hand can arrange
church. This may make interactions with religious citizens to have a citizen assassinated, within reason. Such a job
easier, and allow the character access to restricted areas. might take a few days to complete, but eventually the
target will turn up dead, or vanish altogether.
Holy Artefact (four influence): The church will give a
Holy Relic to the character (see chapter 7 for details). The Order of Saint Claudine
The Hand The Order of St. Claudine are a monastic order who
cared for the poor and downtrodden during the glory
The Hand began as a group of imperial agents sent
days of Harrowmire. Since the fall they find themselves
to Harrowmire some time before the Night of Madness
stretched to breaking point, trying to care for the sick
to investigate the Church of the Undergod and its
and injured that now overflow their small hospitals. The
influence over the city. When the plague and fire
grey-robed monks and nuns of the Order are highly
ravaged the city, members of the Hand stepped out
respected by the citizens of the city for their compassion
of the shadows to help reestablish order and restore
and medical skills.
imperial leadership.
The Order wishes nothing more than to care for the
It is the Hand’s ultimate goal to see Harrowmire
bulk of the population of Harrowmire; those who have
returned to the empire rather than remain in the control
witnessed their loved ones die of plague or transform
of the Church of the Undergod, with an unspoken
into hideous monsters. They have no political concerns,
implication that this would also include the dissolution
and try to stay out of the conflict between the Hand and
of the church once and for all. Both these goals have
the Church.
earned the Hand considerable ire from the church and
the citizens of Harrowmire still loyal to it. The hospitals of the Order are often surprisingly well
stocked with medical supplies considering how dire the
The Hand’s power lies in the many secrets they know,
situation in Harrowmire is. The hospitals also maintain
rather than strength in numbers. There is very little that
small cloisters and gardens that are a balm to the minds
occurs in Harrowmire the Hand are not aware of, with the
of those who have witnessed strange and terrible things.
exception of some areas closely controlled by the church.
The Order often contracts hunters to cull monsters
The Hand often contracts hunters to investigate parts
threatening the citizens of Harrowmire, or sometimes to
of the city in the hopes of discovering the cause of
retrieve caches of medicine or supplies lost in the city.
the plague, or sometimes to recover church artefacts
Other times they might ask for hunters to escort one of
for analysis. Occasionally they may ask hunters to
their members to a remote part of the Shambles so they
investigate seemingly mundane crimes which have links
can tend to the inhabitants.
back to the church.

Using Influence Using Influence

The Hand trades in secrets, manipulation and the
occasional special-issue piece of equipment. They are
happy to extend such services to hunters they favour.
Tinkering (one influence): The Hand will add a free
weapon upgrade of the character’s choice to one of
their weapons.
A Little Secret (two influence): The Hand gives the
The Order’s strengths lie in the devotion of the poor, its
access to medical equipment, and its hospitals.
A Little Pick-me-up (one influence): The Order gives
the character two Bottles of Elixir.
Surgery (two influence): The Order will remove a single
wound from the character’s Wound Track (this does not
require a downtime action).

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Peace of Mind (three influence): The Order helps the
character regain all of their Resolve (this does not require
a downtime action).
A Moment of Calm (four influence): The Order helps
the character reduce their curse -or the curse of another
character- by one degree (this does not require a
downtime action).
THE WIDER EMPIRE
While most games in When the Moon Hangs Low focus
on Harrowmire, some Gamemasters might wish to start
their stories before the characters arrive in the cursed
city, or even set their games elsewhere in the empire.
The empire, referred to by some as the Sarpedean
Empire, has existed for centuries and encompasses
dozens of countries, territories, and colonies. Its influence
spreads even further than its borders, affecting trade,
technology and society across the rest of the world, even
to countries that consider it a rival. Few nations escape
the empire’s reach: none approach its political power or
technological advancement, leaving it unmatched.
The Empire is a diverse and wealthy nation and is
currently in the middle of an age of industrial revolution
and discovery. New developments such as the steam
engine, gas lighting, and factories have revolutionised
the world, and the economy is driven by advancement
and capitalism.
The current ruler of the empire is her August Majesty
Empress Vulphelmina Sarpedos the Third, Queen
of Midland. The empress has ruled for almost thirty
years and has a reputation as a dedicated and strong-
minded leader, but also for her ruthlessness towards the
quarantine of Harrowmire and the Bittershore region.
Areas of the Empire
Geographically and politically the empire is divided into
five broad areas:
The heartland of the empire is called Midland, and
the folk who live here are referred to as Midlanders. The
imperial capital Achromantos is located in Midland, and
because of that the region is politically and economically
powerful even compared to the rest of the empire. Due
to the level of burgeoning industry located in Midland,
the region is both incredibly wealthy and also rife with
crime and suffering.
Northwatch is a land of tall mountains and beautiful
alpine pastures. The people who live here are often
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Harrowmire
called Watchers, and have a reputation for being hardy
and aloof but with an intense sense of loyalty to their
friends. A lot of coal and metal ore is mined from the
mountains of Northwatch, meaning landowners from the
region are incredibly wealthy compared to those who
work for them in the mines.
The Bittershore region, home to Harrowmire, is well
named. Separated from the rest of the empire by the
forbidding Ironreach Mountains, the region is cold and
remote; it is not without reason the people who live here
are known as Bitterfolk. For a little under a century, during
the golden age of Harrowmire, the Bittershore briefly
eclipsed Midland as the wealthiest territory in the empire,
something that did not endear it to the Midlanders. Now,
however, it is a cursed and shunned region.
Southreach, which lies to the south of Midland,
encompasses huge prairies of rolling grasslands, fertile
coastal estuaries, and numerous small islands located
in the Starfall Sea. It is often said that Southreach is the
most idyllic territory of the empire. The region produces
much of the empire’s food; with the introduction of new
technology such as threshing machines, many farmers
have been left without jobs and even without homes.
The West Bounds of the empire are known for the cold
steppe lands that make up much of its terrain and the
nomadic people that make their home there. Considered
backward by the rest of the empire, these people (often
referred to as Bounders) herd flocks of great steppe
goats famed for their horns and thick coats. The shamans
of the steppe tribes put great stock in their tattoos, the
inks for which are mixed from ground sky iron and rare
herbs, which are reputed to imbue their bearer with
powerful charms.
Other Places of Darkness
There are places across the empire where the forces
of darkness have cast a shadow deep enough to affect
the real world, but none as large and concentrated as
Harrowmire. Whispers of these places persist across the
empire, and some hunters might even find themselves
drawn to them rather than the cursed city. Each site will
be centered around a focus of darkness, such as the
Undergod beneath Harrowmire, which affects everything
around it in subtle -or not so subtle- ways.
Gamemasters who wish to explore such places are
encouraged to use their imagination when creating these
convergences of darkness.
 CHAPTER 11:
ANTAGONISTS

I later met survivors of fights with similar things. They say it’s the city’s fear, anguish and anger made
manifest, no doubt focused by the otherworldly design of the Necropolis.
Those who know them say that they’re not the same; something is missing. I can sympathise.
At the time, I just wanted to survive. Wretched was hurt; the tentacles just smashed through all that
armour and the resilience of being infested. The others made themselves harder targets, but soon nobody
was unharmed.
I felt for Alysska, healing us at every chance. Those tricks take it out of you, wear you down and make it
easier for curses to take hold, and for the first time I wondered whether I could really blame her for what I
disliked in her.
Nicol was struggling with his bonds, trying to uncover his mouth despite his hands chained together. I
remembered Dye, but could not see her for tentacles and the devastation they wrought.
A noise tore through me; a familiar sinking in my gut. It was Hektor’s word, but louder, angrier and more
shrill, from Nicol’s now-clear mouth. The flesh-beast roared, attacks abating as it reared in pain and
thrashed at the walls and ceiling.
We ran. I stopped near the door; I could barely make out Dye as stone fell around her, one piece pinning
her leg. Nicol’s next word was lost in the noise, and the tentacle response would have crushed him if
Wretched hadn’t pulled him aside.
Dye’s eyes were set, all strength and no fear.
“Go! Save Nicol.”

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Hunters will come into contest with all manner of
people and creatures in the course of fulfilling a contract.
This chapter lists the profiles of some of these creatures.
CITIZEN
An average citizen of Harrowmire. This profile can also
be used to represent bandits and other criminals hunters
may encounter.
Antagonists
their Physique. Additionally, they will only ever take the
dodge defence action in combat.
CHURCHWARDEN
The hooded and armoured churchwardens are
a common sight in the New City, if not the rest of
Harrowmire. Grim and fanatical, the wardens are sworn to
protect the priests and the cathedral above all else.

Physique 2 Health 16 Physique 3 Health 24

Intellect 2 Wound Track 1 Intellect 2 Wound Track 1
Presence 2 Armour Value 0 Presence 2 Armour Value 8
Dodge Average 1 Dodge Average 2

Trained Skills Trained Skills

None Fight, Reflexes, Willpower

Equipment
Knife (roll 2d6, success on 5+, 1d6 damage)
Special Rules
Minion: Average citizens only have 1 wound regardless
of their Physique. Additionally, they will only ever take the
dodge defence action in combat.
Equipment
Halberd (roll 3d6, success on 4+, 4d6 damage, reach,
two-handed) or Blunderbuss (roll 3d6, success on 5+, 3d6
damage, range 75, scatter, single-shot, two-handed)
Shortsword (roll 3d6, success on 4+, 2d6 damage, light)
Plate armour, robes, and holy scriptures

Special Rules
MILITIA GUARD
Minion: Churchwardens only have 1 wound regardless
A typical member of the city militia. Underpaid,
of their Physique. Additionally, they will only ever take the
overworked, and having seen far too much horror,
dodge defence action in combat.
these valiant men and women often try to do their
best but are hopelessly ill equipped to face the CHURCH MINISTER
monsters of Harrowmire.
The priests of the Church of the Undergod. Wearing
Physique 3 Health 24 silver masks and obscuring white robes, these ministers
Intellect 2 Wound Track 1 seem sinister to those who do not share their faith. It is
the priests who are charged with administering the Bitter
Presence 2 Armour Value 6
Sacrament to their flock, a task they undertake with
Dodge Average 1
fanatical devotion.
Trained Skills Physique 2 Health 16
Fight, Intimidate Intellect 3 Wound Track 2
Equipment Presence 3 Armour Value 6
Truncheon (roll 3d6, success on 4+, 2d6 damage, light)
Trained Skills
Pistol (roll 3d6, success on 5+, 2d6 damage, range 50,
Charm, Intimidate, Willpower
single-shot)
Brigandine hauberk and steel helmet
Equipment
Heavy Crosier (roll 2d6, success on 5+, 3d6 damage,
Candle lantern, flask of strong drink
reach, two-handed)
Special Rules
Silver mask, brigandine armour, priestly robes, and holy
Minion: Militia guards only have 1 wound regardless of scriptures

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 Antagonists

Leather pouch (roll 1d6, on a roll of 1 to 3 the pouch is Physique 2 Health 16

empty, on a 4 or 5 the pouch contains a vial of Elixir, on a
Intellect 2 Wound Track 1
6 the pouch contains a vial of Bitter Sacrament)
Presence 1 Armour Value 0
Special Rules Dodge Average 1
Undergod’s Blessing: Church ministers have a single
Edge, chosen by the Gamemaster. Rather than Resolve, Trained Skills
ministers use their own Health to power their Edges. None
Each use of an Edge reduces their Health by one.
Equipment
SORROWFUL Rusty axe (roll 2d6, success on 5+, 2d6 damage)

One in ten people who contract the sorrow plague
do not die, but instead become what are known as
sorrowful. Driven by an inhuman rage, these poor
wretches weep blood and shy away from bright light,
only to emerge at night in packs and prowl the streets
of Harrowmire. While they initially look human, as the
disease progresses sorrowful begin to degenerate into
ghouls; their arms lengthen, their features turn gaunt and
their skin begins to lose its pigmentation.
Special Rules
Light Sensitive: Sorrowful find light painful and shy
away from it. They add a 1d6 penalty to any attack skill
checks and Awareness skill checks in the presence of
Bright Light.
Minion: Sorrowful only have 1 wound regardless of their
Physique. Additionally, they will only ever take the dodge
defence action in combat.
HIVELING
‘Hiveling’ is the common name for a dead body
animated into a semblance of life by an adult corpse
louse that has taken up residence within it. Found in
the bonerot marshes but also in the spill and anywhere
corpses are left unburied, corpse lice are large
segmented insects about the size of a house cat with a
mottled brown carapace and a head bristling with fine
tentacles. By burrowing into a cadaver, the louse can use
its tentacles to drive the corpse’s dead limbs, allowing it
to seek out living prey.
In the early days of the plague huge numbers of dead
were buried in mass graves, the locations of which are
now lost. Because of this the militia often contracts
hunters to locate and burn such mass graves in an
attempt to curtail mass uprisings of hivelings.

Physique 2 Health 16
Intellect 1 Wound Track 1
Presence 1 Armour Value 4
Dodge Average 1

Trained Skills
Shoot

Equipment
Claw (roll 2d6, success on 5+, 1d6 damage)
Spit larvae (roll 2d6, success on 4+, 2d6 damage, range 10)

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Special Rules Physique 4 Health 32
Minion: Hivelings only have 1 wound regardless of their
Intellect 2 Wound Track 4
Physique. Additionally, they will only ever take the dodge
Presence 1 Armour Value 6
defence action in combat.
Horrifying: Hivelings are disgusting and unsettling; Trained Skills
characters confronted by one must make a DV 1 Awareness, Fight, Stealth
Willpower check or lose 1 Resolve.
Mastered Skills
Dead Nature: Hivelings cannot be poisoned, knocked
Reflexes
unconscious or be subject to any other effects that would
require living biology. Equipment
Corpse Louse: When encountered outside of a rotting Claws (roll 4d6, success on 4+, 2d6 damage)
body a corpse louse is weak and easy to kill. The stats Bite (roll 5d6, success on 4+, 3d6 damage, special attack)
above represent a corpse louse when it is inside a
Special Rules
human corpse.
Claw and Bite: If a ghoul hits a target with its claw
GHOUL attack, it can pull the character in for a bite attack in the
No longer recognisable as previously human, ghouls next round.
are pallid-skinned, long-limbed monsters. Taller than a Rending Attacks: A ghoul’s attacks are incredibly
human, covered in rangy muscle and lean leathery hide, powerful; both their claw and bite attacks halve the
these creatures skulk in the darkness of alleyways and armour of their target when calculating damage.
sewers, waiting for night to fall before they emerge. Natural Cimbers: Ghouls are adept at climbing, able
There is something disturbingly to scramble up walls and across ceilings with
batlike to the features of most incredible dexterity. Ghouls do not need
ghouls; something many hunters to make skill checks related to climbing,
have commented on, drawing and can cling to almost any surface.
similarities to the mummified Horrifying: Ghouls are deeply
ympir in the necropolis below. unsettling creatures;

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 Antagonists
characters confronted by one must make a DV 3
Willpower check or lose 3 Resolve.
Light Sensitive: Ghouls hate light and try to avoid it.
They add a 1d6 penalty to any attack skill checks and
Awareness skill checks in the presence of Moderate or
Bright Light.
RAGGED
Not all sorrowful degenerate into ghouls. In some cases
something goes wrong with the transformation; their skin
does not grow to accommodate their new lanky forms
and instead tears open, hanging in rotten tatters.
These wretched creatures are known as ragged, and are
found in filthy, damp places such as sewers and the canals
around the docks. Their rotting hides are surprisingly thick,
granting them an increased degree of protection.
Physique 3 Health 24
Intellect 1 Wound Track 3 Claws (roll 6d6, success on 3+, 3d6 damage)
Presence 1 Armour Value 8 Bite (roll 7d6, success on 3+, 4d6 damage, special attack)
Trained Skills
Stealth
Equipment
Claws (roll 3d6, success on 5+, 2d6 damage, special)
Special Rules
Rending Attacks: A ragged’s attacks are incredibly
powerful; their claw attacks halve the armour of their
target when calculating damage.
Horrifying: Ragged are vile creatures; characters
confronted by one must make a DV 2 Willpower check or
lose 2 Resolve.
Light Sensitive: Ragged hate light and try to avoid it.
They add a 1d6 penalty to any attack skill checks and
Awareness skill checks in the presence of Moderate or
Bright Light.
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ANCIENT GHOUL
Some ghouls encountered deep in the necropolis
are far larger and more dangerous than those seen in
the upper levels. Some hunters whisper that, based on
their size, these ghouls somehow predate the Night of
Madness. Surely this is impossible; that would suggest
the plague has been abroad for far longer than thought.
Physique 6 Health 48
Intellect 3 Wound Track 6
Presence 1 Armour Value 8
Trained Skills
Awareness, Fortitude, Stealth
Mastered Skills
Fight, Reflexes
Equipment
Special Rules
Claw and Bite: If an ancient ghoul hits a target with its
claw attack, it can pull the character in for a bite attack in
the next round.
Rending Attacks: An ancient ghoul’s attacks are
incredibly powerful; both their claw and bite attacks halve
the armour of their target when calculating damage.
Natural Cimbers: Ancient ghouls are adept at climbing,
able to scramble up walls and across ceilings with
incredible dexterity. Ancient ghouls do not need to make
skill checks related to climbing, and can cling to almost
any surface.
Horrifying: Ancient ghouls are monstrous creatures;
characters confronted by one must make a DV 4
Willpower check or lose 4 Resolve.
Light Sensitive: Ancient ghouls hate light and try to
avoid it. They add a 1d6 penalty to any attack skill checks
and Awareness skill checks in the presence of Moderate
or Bright Light.
SHADE
The dead have never rested easily in Harrowmire, as far
back as anyone can remember. Since the discovery of
the necropolis the number of ghosts seen in the city has
increased dramatically. The spirit of someone who died a
particularly tragic or violent death will sometimes return
 Antagonists
as a shade; an insubstantial silhouette that saps the will SCARLET BAT
of the living and feeds on suffering. These large red-furred bats have always inhabited
Physique 3 Health 24 the marshes around Harrowmire, feeding on the blood
of animals. Since the Night of Madness the bats have
Intellect 2 Wound Track 3
moved into the limits of the city, where they prey on the
Presence 2 Armour Value 2
wretched citizens, and have become large and twisted,
Trained Skills due no doubt to the Bitter Sacrament they sup from the
veins of their victims.
None

Equipment Physique 1 Health 8

Touch (roll 3d6, success on 5+, 3d6 damage, special) Intellect 1 Wound Track 1
Presence 1 Armour Value 0
Special Rules
Dodge Average 2
Spectral Touch: The touch of a shade chills flesh and
saps life. As well as inflicting damage, a successful Trained Skills
attack by a shade causes a character to lose 1d6 resolve. Reflexes, Stealth
Additionally the attacks of a shade ignore a target’s
armour when calculating damage. Equipment
Insubstantial: Shades can pass through solid matter, Bite (roll 1d6, success on 5+, 1d6 damage)
although attacks still strike them as normal. Special Rules
Horrifying: Shades are grim and unsettling spectres of Minion: Scarlet bats only have 1 wound regardless of
death; characters confronted by one must make a DV 4 their Physique. Additionally, they will only ever take the
Willpower check or lose 4 Resolve. dodge defence action in combat.
Flight: Scarlet bats are fast and nimble in the air, but
GIANT RAT clumsy on the ground. When taking the Move action to
The rotting bodies of countless citizens lie in forgotten fly, a scarlet bat can move up to 22 yards per round. If
alleyways and disused sewers across Harrowmire. forced to the ground, they can only move 5 yards per
The vermin that feed on those corpses grow huge and round.
bloated; twisted by the dregs of Bitter Sacrament left in
Blood Drain: If a scarlet bat hits a target with their bite
the veins of the dead.
attack, they latch on and begin to drain their victim’s
Physique 1 Health 8 blood. Unless knocked away using a standard attack, the
Intellect 1 Wound Track 1 bat will automatically inflict 1d6 damage on their target
Presence 1 Armour Value 0 each round. This damage ignores a target’s armour, but
may be reduced by Edges.
Dodge Average 1

Trained Skills GUTTER BOAR

Descended from common pigs that broke loose during
Awareness, Stealth
the Night of Madness, these creatures have grown to
Equipment impressive size. Living wild in the Shambles, they feed
Bite (roll 1d6, success on 5+, 1d6 damage) on anything they can find, including corpses or even
hapless civilians.
Special Rules
Minion: Giant Rats only have 1 wound regardless of their Physique 3 Health 24
Physique. Additionally, they will only ever take the dodge Intellect 1 Wound Track 3
defence action in combat. Presence 1 Armour Value 2

Trained Skills
Fight, Fortitude

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 Antagonists

Equipment CONSUMED HUNTER

Bite (roll 3d6, success on 4+, 2d6 damage) Sometimes hunters fall to the various curses which
Special Rules plague them, becoming dangerous monsters. Many
hunters see it as their solemn duty to track down and
Charge: Gutter boars prefer to begin combat by
neutralise such tragic individuals before they do too
charging towards their opponent, aiming to gore them
much harm to the remaining citizens of Harrowmire.
with their fearsome tusks. If a gutter boar takes the Move
action before attacking and moves at least 10 yards then
they add an additional 2d6 to their bite damage (for a
total of 4d6 damage).

MARSH STALKER
These giant herons have always been common in the
marshes north of Harrowmire, but since the Night of
Madness they have become a more ominous threat.
Fattened on corpses dumped in the marshes, Marsh
Stalkers have acquired a taste for human flesh. They are
excellent ambush predators.

Physique 3 Health 24
Intellect 1 Wound Track 1
Presence 1 Armour Value 0

Trained Skills
Fight

Mastered Skills
Stealth Physique 4 Health 32
Intellect 3 Wound Track 4
Equipment
Presence 2 Armour Value 6
Peck (roll 3d6, success on 4+, 3d6 damage)

Special Rules Trained Skills

Patient Hunter: Marsh stalkers can remain still for hours Athletics, Fortitude, Reflexes, Stealth, Willpower
on end, and with their grey plumage they can blend into Mastered Skills
shadows very well. If a marsh stalker remains in an unlit Fight, Shoot
area, it gains a 2d6 bonus to any Stealth skill checks.
Equipment
Flight: Marsh stalkers can fly, albeit slowly and clumsily.
When taking the Move action to fly, a marsh stalker can Sword (roll 4d6, success on 3+, 3d6 damage)
move up to 13 yards per round and can fly over obstacles. Pistol (roll 4d6, success on 3+, 2d6 damage, range 50,
single-shot)
Various pieces of hunter equipment

Special Rules
Edges: A consumed hunter will have three Edges,
chosen by the Gamemaster. Due to the depth of their
curse, they use their own Health to power their Edges,
rather than Resolve. Each use of an Edge reduces their
Health by one.

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Consumed by Darkness: Each such hunter is fully
consumed by their particular curse. Due to this they
vary wildly in appearance and behaviour: some might
be emaciated killers, others have turned into wraith-
like creatures.
NIGHTMARE FRAGMENT
These horrific creatures are thankfully rare, but those
who face them are often haunted by the experience, if
they survive such an encounter. Nightmare fragments are
towering conglomerations of human flesh, animated by
the combined fear of the people in the city. Seething and
surging, fragments screech and gabble in a chorus of
maddened voices as they hunt for victims.
Physique 5 Health 40
Intellect 1 Wound Track 5 Mastered Skills
Presence 1 Armour Value 8 Fight, Willpower
Trained Skills
Fortitude, Reflexes
Mastered Skills
Fight
Equipment
Fanged Tentacle (roll 5d6, success on 3+, 4d6 damage)
Special Rules
Churning Chaos: A nightmare fragment can attack up
to four separate targets each round, although it can only
attack each target once.
Rending Attacks: A nightmare fragment’s attacks are
incredibly powerful; their tentacle attacks halve the
armour of their target when calculating damage.
Horrifying: Nightmare fragments are terrifying;
characters confronted by one must make a DV 5
Willpower check or lose 5 Resolve.
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Antagonists
YMPIR REVENANT
Not all the ympir rest easily in their tombs; some of
the ancient mummies have become animate and now
prowl the darkened halls of the Necropolis, clad in thick
orichalcum plate and wielding fearsome hooked swords.
No one knows what drives these ancient guardians; is
it their own will that rouses them? Or the dark magic
of some other entity? Regardless, they suffer none to
trespass in their ancient tombs.
Physique 4 Health 32
Intellect 3 Wound Track 4
Presence 1 Armour Value 12
Trained Skills
Awareness, Reflexes
Equipment
Orichalcum Sword (roll 4d6, success on 3+, 3d6
damage, special) or Orichalcum Lance (roll 4d6, success
on 3+, 4d6 damage, two-handed, reach, special)
Ancient armour, bandages, and charms
Special Rules
Orichalcum Weapons: The hooked swords and
elegant lances carried by revenants are made from
orichalcum and halve the armour of their target when
calculating damage.
Worth their Weight in Gold: Due to the orichalcum
weapons they carry, and the charms and gems they
wear, a revenant is worth an incredible amount of money
if destroyed. The remains of a revenant and its gear are
worth 1d6 x 200 shillings.
Horrifying: Revenants are implacable and ominous
opponents; characters confronted by one must make a
DV 4 Willpower check or lose 4 Resolve.
 CHAPTER 12:
RANDOM TABLES

We took a few more days before I went back to the Wall of Woe. We could afford it, with those extra
shillings, not that I’ve any idea how the others spent them.
I was there when Nicol went back. I should have stayed away – it’s not like there aren’t dozens of yards of
wall, crammed with contracts – but I couldn’t help but stand over his shoulder.
Before long, he noticed me. “Want to read it?”
“I will, eventually.”
“Don’t force yourself. It’s just a little investigation into what was going on back there.”
“What do you know so far?”
His lips turned up a little, half a smile. “Not much. They were testing something on us, although I might be
the only one it didn’t kill. And now I’m… I don’t know what. A hunter, I guess; a hunter without a mark. I know
what you’ll say: marks make hunters.”
I shook my head. “Curses make hunters.”
“Well, I doubt I’ll have to look far for one of those.”
I let that lie, hoping he wouldn’t continue. Glancing around, I noticed Aldia, watching us from across the
market; I gave her a nod, hoping some pleasantry might mask my suspicion.
“What does the contract pay?”
“Satisfaction.”
I couldn’t live on satisfaction, but I couldn’t help what I said next:
“Let me see what I can do.”
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 Random Tables
The following are some random tables to help Gamemasters quickly generate ideas for contracts, loot and other
useful details during a game.

CONTRACTS
Roll 1d6 and and then again to quickly generate a contract found hanging on the Wall of Woe in the Bastion.

1d6 1d6 Contract

1-3 1 Deal with an infestation of dangerous animals (giant rats, scarlet bats).
2 Hunt down a group of Sorrowful.
3 Locate and burn a mass grave containing a number of hivelings.
4 Slay a dangerous creature (a ghoul, ragged, or gutter boar) that has been hunting citizens.
5 People report a shade has been haunting an area. Exorcise it or destroy it.
6 Investigate a curious theft.
4-6 1 Investigate a strange murder.
2 Retrieve a lost relic for one of the factions (the Church, the Hand, the Militia, the Order).
3 Locate vital documents lost along with the courier.
4 Explore and map an area of the Shambles for the Militia.
5 Explore the Docks and ensure smugglers are not using the old warehouses.
6 Roll two more times: the contract is a combination of the two (ignore further rolls of this result).

CONTRACT COMPLICATIONS
Contracts rarely go without a hitch. Roll 1d6 and and then again to see what makes a contract more difficult than
expected. Gamemasters should note that not every contract needs a complication.

1d6 1d6 Complication

1-3 1 Difficult terrain (flooding, rubble, collapsed buildings) makes travelling through the area hard going.
2 A group (churchwardens, criminals, rival hunters) have taken over the area, and they don’t like
interlopers.
3 The contract issuer wants to accompany the hunters, requiring protection.
4 An unexpected creature has made its nest in the area.
5 The job is a trap set by locals who plan to feed the hunters to their ‘pets’.
6 The issuer has no intention of paying upon completion.
4-6 1 The contract vastly underestimated the number of creatures. Double the number of targets.
2 The hunters become the hunted as a creature begins stalking them without their realising.
3 The contract takes place in the New City, requiring the hunters to be mindful of their appearance and
attitude.
4 The contract was issued by the Church, a priest will accompany them to ensure they carry it out
perfectly.
5 The contract is out of date, and either the target or the employer is nowhere to be found.
6 The area is located above a sinkhole, plunging the hunters into the depths of the necropolis!

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 Random Tables

LOOT
All manner of loot lies scattered in the ruins of Harrowmire. Roll 1d6 and and then again to see what items of worth
are uncovered.

1d6 1d6 Loot

1-3 1 A purse of coins (1d6 x 10 shillings).
2 A large bag of coins (1d6 x 50 shillings).
3 A heavy chest of coins (1d6 x 100 shillings).
4 A small, mostly worthless antique (worth 1d6 x 10 shillings).
5 An uncommon antique, worth a reasonable amount (worth 1d6 x 15 shillings).
6 A rare antique, worth a great amount (worth 1d6 x 50 shillings).
4-6 1 An item of equipment (a weapon, piece of gear, or light source) worth 20 shillings or less.
2 A few pieces of equipment worth a total of 80 shillings.
3 A pile of equipment worth a total of 150 shillings.
4 A pouch containing a single vial of Bitter Sacrament.
5 A handful of Orichalcum Shards (worth 2d6 x 10 shillings).
6 An occult artefact (Holy Relic, Ympir Bone Charm, Everburning Candle).

SAINTS
There are dozens of saints in the Imperial religion. Roll 1d6 and and then again to see who a particular shrine or
artefact is dedicated to.

1d6 1d6 Saint

1-2 1 Anastasia the Soldier, patron of the courageous.
2 Baalius the Anchorite, patron of the faithful.
3 Heracleona the Vigilant, patron of guards.
4 Constantine the Enucleated, patron of the blind.
5 Ysabella the Flayed, patron of thieves.
6 Leonidas the Whaler, patron of the crafty.
3-4 1 Claudine the Kind, patron of the downtrodden.
2 Himerius the Farmer, patron of the ernest.
3 Maria the Humble, patron of travellers.
4 Sophitia the Sybarite, patron of gamblers.
5 Valorous the Confessor, patron of the truthful.
6 Demetrios the Broken, patron of lost causes.
5-6 1 Zephira the Inquisitor, patron of the lawful.
2 Agatha the Beggar, patron of the worthless.
3 Euthymius the Herbalist, patron of the caring.
4 Diana the Teacher, patron of the learned.
5 Arcadius the Shackled, patron of the hopeless.
6 Joannina the Thrice-Impaled, patron of the outspoken.

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 Random Tables
WEIRD EVENTS
Sometimes strange things happen in Harrowmire. Roll 1d6 and and then again to see what disturbs the city tonight.

1d6 1d6 Event

1-3 1 A thick fog fills the streets and screams echo from within.
2 Mirrors in parts of the city show strange shadows and reflections.
3 Whispers can be heard coming from wells across the city.
4 Strange shapes flit across the roofs, people talk of the scrabble of claws on tiles.
5 All the bells in the city strike thirteen tonight.
6 Statues of a particular saint weep tears of blood. What omen is this?
4-6 1 As night falls, the stars are missing. The night sky is dark and ominous.
2 Come dawn the streets of the Shambles are strewn with bloody bones.
3 The carcass of something that is certainly not a whale washes ashore in the docks.
4 Rats fill the streets as the vermin flee a particular quarter of the city.
5 An eclipse turns day into night, bringing all manner of creatures to the surface.
6 The moon is red tonight. Ghouls are especially hungry.

DARK SECRETS
What dark secrets does a particular NPC know? Roll 1d6 and and then again to see what awful truths lurk in the
heart of a particular character.

1d 1d6 Secret
1-3 1 The meat sold by a certain butcher in the Shambles isn’t pork, or dog, or even rat. It arrives at night, in
crates brought in from the Bonerot Marshes.
2 A particular door in the Necropolis can only be opened when the lock is smeared with fresh blood.
Behind the door is a vault filled with ancient treasures.
3 In a hidden plaza in the Shambles, a sewer grate leads down into the Necropolis, directly outside a
lost vault filled with the bones of vanquished hunters.
4 A cabal of nobles in the New City seeks to curry favor with the Church by arranging the assassination
of a prominent member of the Hand.
5 A broker in the Beast Market is in possession of a particular holy relic which the Church would do
anything to get back.
6 Some citizens of Old Town hold nightly meetings in dark basements, where they commune with
something strange and terrible.
4-6 1 Sweet old Mrs. Vitermahk keeps her son-turned-ghoul locked in her basement.
2 A hooded and masked priest stays in the Slaughtered Lamb, waiting for someone to arrive.
3 Every night a merchant in Old Town carries a paper-wrapped parcel to a certain sewer grate and drops
it in. Something within mumbles thanks.
4 A hunter uncovered the secret of the Bitter Sacrament, and the church had them burned at the stake
for heresy.
5 A criminal gang posts phoney contracts then murders the hunters that answer them.
6 Bishopsgate Sanitarium is home to a murderous fallen hunter that uses the former inmates as the
subjects for their awful experiments.

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 EXAMPLE CONTRACT:
LOST AND FOUND

Lost and Found is an introductory adventure for When the Moon Hangs Low. It is an example of a
(somewhat) typical contract with a few twists and turns. After all, nothing is ever simple in Harrowmire.
In this adventure the player characters are hired to find a missing militia courier and the important
documents he was carrying. In looking for him, they will face a criminal gang, a nest of sorrowful, and
discover rumours of an untouched vault of treasure in the necropolis.

GAMEMASTER’S INFORMATION
This is an overview for Gamemasters, so they understand the full extent of what is going on in the contract. Players
should not read this section unless they want to spoil the adventure for themselves.
A militia courier, Johan Vex, has gone missing on his route from a watch outpost to the Bastion. Vex was transporting
a set of maps compiled by a group of hunters, that show the location of a curiously-untouched vault in the upper
levels of the Necropolis. These maps are of particular interest to the militia, and also the Imperial agents of the Hand.
Unfortunately for Vex, rumours about the maps were leaked and picked up by a criminal gang called the
Greencaps. The gang, assuming the vault would contain treasure, ambushed Vex on his way through the Shambles.
Beating the poor courier unconscious, the gang dragged him back to their hideout, found the maps, and ventured
into the Necropolis.
The criminals made it to the vault, but before they could open it they accidentally alerted a group of sorrowful that
had been using the tunnels nearby as a nest. The infected citizens slaughtered the gang to a person, and the vital
maps now lie scattered amid their mutilated corpses.

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THE CONTRACT
The contract is hung on the Wall of Woe, just like the
countless others. Of note is the seal stamped in one
corner, indicating it was raised by the militia, rather than a
private citizen.
The contract reads:
“Hunters needed to locate Johan Vex, militia courier, who
went missing travelling from the Pilgrim’s Way outpost
to the Bastion two days ago. 50 shillings reward for
each hunter upon the return of the documents Vex was
transporting. Bonus payable if Vex is also returned alive.
Speak to corporal Tanner in the Beast Market for details
and payment.”
It appears the contract has only recently been hung on
the wall, and there are no duplicates that the characters
can see (if they look for them).
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
The players may choose to seek out corporal Tanner
for more information, in fact it is encouraged if they do.
The corporal can be found patrolling the Beast Market,
and is happy to answer some basic questions about the
contract. Below are the salient points he will cover.
• The Pilgrim’s Way outpost is a small guard tower
in the Shambles, overlooking the road that is its
namesake.
• Johan Vex was a courier who often transported
important messages and documents between
outposts. The corporal will be evasive about what
exactly Vex was carrying in this case, apart from
telling the characters they were “Vital documents”.
• Johan was expected to arrive two days ago and
failed to report in, something quite unlike him.
When the next squad arrived from the outpost, they
said Vex had left on time. It seems like he vanished
after leaving the outpost, and is now missing. Tanner
assumes something bad happened to him, but he’s
not sure what.
• While returning Vex would be nice, the documents
he was carrying are the real focus of the contract.
The corporal will pay the player characters 50
shillings each if they return with the missing
documents. If they find Vex alive and bring him
back, they will each receive a bonus 20 shillings.
• The corporal can give a description of Vex, and
directions to where he was last seen: the Pilgrim’s
Way outpost.
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Lost and Found
Characters who want to get more information from
Tanner could make an Easy (DV 1) Bluff, Charm, or
Intimidate skill check. If successful Tanner will reveal Vex
was actually carrying maps recently compiled by a team
of hunters. The maps were of previously unexplored
parts of the upper Necropolis, highly valuable to the right
people and vital for the militia to work out where ghoul
and sorrowful nests might be found.
SHOPPING FOR SUPPLIES
After the characters have spoken to Tanner it might
be a good time for Gamemasters to remind them they
could quickly buy some supplies from the Beast Market.
Almost any item of equipment from chapter 7 can be
found here in the various stalls and tents.
FINDING VEX AND THE MAP
It is now down to the players how they wish to proceed.
Listed below are the significant locations the investigation
should lead the players to, and some suggested
scenes that might unfold at those locations. However,
Gamemasters should encourage the players to unravel
the contract as they see fit, and use the information below
to accommodate the story as it unfolds.
PILGRIM’S WAY OUTPOST
Pilgrim’s Way outpost is a small watchtower overlooking
the Pilgrim’s Way road, this was the last place Vex was
seen by the militia. The outpost is staffed by ten militia
guards at any one time.
It takes about an hour to travel to the outpost from
the Bastion, along the echoing cobbled streets of the
Shambles. As long as the characters travel during the
day the route is safe enough, with only the occasional
citizen hurrying about their own business crossing their
path. If the characters chose to travel at night they
might encounter anything from giant rats to sorrowful
out hunting.
The Gamemaster should read or paraphrase the
following when the characters arrive:
“Pilgrim’s Way outpost is a three-story tower constructed
from rough timber and brick, standing at the side of the
wide thoroughfare that is the Pilgrim’s Way. Stretching off
towards the distant Ironreach Mountains in the west, the
flagstoned road was once packed with pilgrims heading
for the cathedral. Now it is quieter; only a handful of
dishevelled travellers can be seen walking cautiously
 Lost and Found
towards the New City. Several militia guards patrol the
outpost, keeping wary eyes on the travellers and the
surrounding slums.”
When asked about Johan Vex the guards who staff the
outpost give much the same report as Corporal Tanner:
• Johan left the outpost two days ago.
• He had taken possession of a leather satchel
dropped off a few days earlier by a team of
hunters. One guard mentions he thought the
satchel contained maps before being shushed by
his superior.
• The guards will tell the party that Johan would have
taken Blanchet Street, the quickest route to the
Bastion. The guards recommend searching the area
for clues.
• One of the militia members mentions she heard
a gang of criminals had been seen near Blanchet
Street recently. The guard suggests that they could
be responsible for Vex’s disappearance and maybe
the residents of Blanchet Street might know more.
There’s not much more the characters can learn at
the outpost. The guards don’t know any more than they
have already revealed, and there are no clues in the
immediate area. Unless they come up with some very
clever ideas, Gamemasters should try to lead the players
to Blanchet Street next.
BLANCHET STREET
Blanchet Street is where Vex was ambushed by the
Greencaps. There are several witnesses here who can
help the characters, and also some clues they can locate
on their own.
The Gamemaster should read or paraphrase the
following when the characters arrive:
“Blanchet street is a typical part of the Shambles. A poorly
cobbled street running with filth, littered with trash, and
bordered on each side by shabby, crumbling tenement
houses. Apparently some people still live here, but other
houses are either boarded up, or obviously abandoned
with shattered windows and gaping doorways. As you walk
down the street, you are aware of suspicious eyes watching
you from the narrow dust-streaked windows.”
Questioning the Locals
The people that live in Blanchet Street, like elsewhere in
the Shambles, are fearful and suspicious. When outside
they hurry about their business, eyes darting for threats
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and moving quickly and quietly. If the characters knock
on doors, they will need to make an Average (DV 2)
Charm or Intimidate skill check to convince the resident
to talk to them, otherwise they will get nothing but a
mixture of hurled insults and paranoid questioning from
behind locked doors.
If successful the characters will uncover the following
information from the locals:
• Johan Vex often travels down Blanchet Street and is
known to some of the people who live here.
• Several heard a loud commotion two days ago and
saw Vex, unconscious, being dragged away by the
Greencaps.
• The Greencaps are a band of scavengers and
robbers who operate in the area. They’ve been
skulking around the street a lot recently, as if
waiting for someone.
• Several locals mention the Greencap hideout
is nearby, in an abandoned tavern named the
Dog’s Head.
Other Clues
There are several clues the characters can uncover
using other skills, or even with certain Edges.
• There are a wealth of footprints, bloodstains, and
other tracks that could be followed by a character
with a successful Average (DV 2) Awareness or
Investigation skill check. If successful a character
can determine Vex was attacked by four or five
assailants, injured and dragged away in the
direction of the Dog’s Head tavern.
• Characters with boons such as Heightened Senses
or Ghost Sight, or the Edge Vermintongue could
use their abilities uncover these clues. In each case
the DV of skill checks to find the clues is lowered to
Easy (DV 1).
Keeping Things Moving
If the players keep failing skill checks to uncover clues,
or seem to be struggling to work out what to do next,
Gamemasters could have a helpful citizen nervously
approach them and tell them she saw Vex dragged off to
the Dog’s Head tavern by the Greencaps.
THE DOG’S HEAD TAVERN
The Dog’s Head Tavern is an abandoned tavern in the
Shambles, not far from Blanchet Street. The Greencaps

THE DOG’S HEAD TAVERN
Ground Floor
Back Door
Back Room
Kitchen
Main Bar
use it as their hideout, and it is here that Johan Vex can
be found.
Normally there would be almost a dozen thugs here,
guarding the area. However, currently there are only four
gang members left as the others have ventured into the
Necropolis in search of the treasure vault. Vex is held
prisoner in an upstairs room, injured but alive.
The Gamemaster should read or paraphrase the
following when the characters arrive:
“The Dog’s Head was probably a nice enough tavern,
before the Night of Madness. Now it is a miserable ruin:
the roof slumping, the plaster of the walls flaking and
rotting, and the windows covered in mould-streaked
boards. Curiously, for an apparently abandoned building
the front door looks sturdy and a curl of smoke rises from
the chimney.”
There are several routes the characters could take to
get what they need from this scene:
Combat
This is possibly the easiest route, depending on the
character’s abilities. There are four gang members inside
the tavern and their natural inclination is to fight anyone
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Front Door
Upper Floor
Lookout
Johan Vex
Windows
trying to get into their hideout.
Use the statistics for citizens from chapter 11 for the
thugs. As well as knives, two of them are armed with
clubs (roll 2d6, success on 5+, 2d6 damage), one of
them is armed with a sword (roll 2d6, success on 5+, 3d6
damage), and one of them has a pistol (roll 2d6, success
on 5+, 2d6 damage, range 50, single-shot).
One of the thugs is keeping watch from the front
window of the tavern. If the characters attempt to get
close without being seen they will need to make Stealth
skill checks, opposed by the thug’s Awareness skill check
(roll 2d6, success on 5+). If the thug spots the characters
coming, they will raise the alarm and the others will
charge out into the street, while one shoots from inside.
The front door to the tavern is quite strong, and bolted
from inside. It can be broken down with a successful
Average (DV 2) Fortitude skill check, or the lock picked
with an Easy (DV 1) Larceny skill check.
The gang members will fight to defend their hideout,
but as soon as two of them are killed the other two will
attempt to surrender unless it looks like the characters
won’t be merciful.
 Lost and Found
Negotiation
This is a more difficult route. The gang members will
initially not want to negotiate with the characters. They
are dangerous, spiteful opportunists and feel safe
inside their hideout. However, if the characters make a
successful Difficult (DV 3) Charm, Bluff, or Intimidate skill
check they can convince the gang to comply.
The four gang members are actually worried about
their missing friends. They know something must have
happened to them in the Necropolis, but are too scared
to go looking. If the characters manage to negotiate with
them, the thugs will hand over Vex and also a copy of
the map they made, asking if the characters might go
looking for their missing comrades.
Stealth
Sneaking into the hideout is another route the players
might come up with. While a thug is watching the front of
the tavern, the back door can be accessed by sneaking
through the nearby alleyways.
Each character attempting to sneak into the tavern
should make an Average (DV 2) Stealth skill checks, but
with a bonus 1d6 to their skill check for using the back
alley. Rather than being opposed by the thug on watch
at the front, this represents avoiding being heard by the
gang members inside the tavern.
The back door is locked, but can be picked with an Easy
(DV 1) Larceny skill check.
Various Edges such as Catlike Tread, Mantle of
Darkness, or Shadowstep could be used when
infiltrating the tavern.
Inside the Tavern
Once the characters have gained access to the tavern
via any of the routes above, they will discover Johan Vex
tied up in an upstairs room, as well as a copy of the map
he was transporting. While not the original, it’s good
enough to take back for the reward.
There are also plans of the Shambles laid out on a
table, with an entrance into the Necropolis highlighted:
it’s clear the rest of the gang went to find the vault on the
map. Johan and the thugs (if any survived) will also tell
the characters that the rest of the gang (six individuals)
went to find the vault two days ago and never returned.
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WHAT NOW?
At this point it’s entirely possible the characters might
consider their contract fulfilled and return to the Bastion
with Johan to collect their reward. This is entirely
acceptable, and they should each be paid the 50 shillings
they are owed (as long as they actually return the map)
and the bonus 20 shillings each if Johan survived.
However, many players will not want to leave the
Necropolis unexplored, especially with the rumours of
treasure. If so, proceed to the Upper Necropolis location.
THE UPPER NECROPOLIS
The characters can enter the Necropolis via a collapsed
sewer located near to the Dog’s Head tavern. This leads
them down into the ancient catacombs not far from the
hidden vault.
As long as the characters are using the copy of the
map taken from the Greencaps, they can navigate the
necropolis with reasonable ease. Even so, Gamemasters
should try to impress on the players the feeling of disquiet
and unnatural dread that the tunnels of the Necropolis
exude. It is also pitch black down in the tunnels; if the
players neglected to bring any light sources they will
quickly get lost and also begin to lose Resolve.
After a little while of traipsing through winding, oddly-
angled corridors, the characters will come to a large
hallway. The double doors to the vault lay at one end,
but occupying the room between the characters and the
doors are a group of six sorrowful, currently feasting on
the remains of the Greencaps.
The Gamemaster should read or paraphrase the
following when the characters arrive:
“The tunnel opens out into a large hallway with high
arched ceilings and numerous alcoves containing ancient,
inhuman statues. At the far end of the hall stands a
set of huge double doors which must lead to the vault
described on the map. However, between you and the
doors lies a macabre scene. The remains of six people
are strewn bloodily across the oddly tessellated floor tiles,
gore sprayed across the primaeval statues. Hunched over
the bodies, chewing and worrying at the dead flesh, is a
pack of six sorrowful; victims of the terrible plague that
ravaged Harrowmire.”
This scene is disturbing, to say the least. Every character
should make a DV 2 Willpower skill check. Any character
who fails instantly loses 2 points of Resolve.

The sorrowful will quickly become aware of the
characters (due to the lights they are presumably
carrying) and instantly attack.
The fight with the sorrowful shouldn’t be too difficult,
but Gamemasters should be aware of the light rules.
Depending on what light sources the characters are
using, they may need to add Penalty Dice to their rolls.
Similarly, the sorrowful may add penalty dice to their rolls
if the characters light sources are bright enough.
Once the sorrowful are dead the characters can
find the original map in the possessions of one of the
dead Greencaps. They can also uncover a few items of
undamaged gear amid the gore: the Gamemaster should
roll twice on the Loot table in chapter 12 to see what the
characters find.
THE VAULT
The vault doors are closed, but not locked. In fact this
whole hallway seems strangely untouched (apart from
the mutilated bodies, of course). How did this part of the
Necropolis avoid being looted for so long?
The Gamemaster should read or paraphrase the
following if the characters open the vault:
“The great doors swing open to reveal the interior of the
vault. A surprisingly small room stands before you, sealed
for unknown centuries since the ympir last walked these
halls. Confusingly it is largely empty. A stone altar stands
at the apex of the semicircular room, behind which rears
a tall statue of disturbing and alien design. Is it a ympir
the statue shows? Or something else? There is certainly
an unsettling chiropteran design to the thing, but it is
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entirely unlike the statues that can be found elsewhere
in the Necropolis. Whatever it is, it is deeply upsetting to
look upon and something you will not be able to forget in
a hurry.”
Any character entering the vault should make a DV 3
Willpower skill check due to the alien horror the statue
exudes. Any character who fails instantly loses 3 points
of Resolve. Exactly what the statue is, and why this vault
has lain untouched for so long is a mystery best left
unanswered. Gamemasters are encouraged to come up
with their own answers, but not to share too much with
their players. Leave them guessing.
As a consolation for opening the vault, there are a
number of orichalcum ornaments on the altar that are
worth a total of 120 shillings.
CONCLUSION
Whether the characters ventured into the Necropolis
or not, if they find either of the maps (the original or
the copy) and return it to Corporal Tanner, they have
completed the contract.
After being paid, the Gamemaster can run the players
through a downtime session, allowing them to heal up,
recover Resolve, or similar actions.
Each character should be awarded experience points,
using the table on page 57 as a guide. Most characters
should earn between one and three experience points
for this contract.
If the characters decided to venture into the Vault,
they may have attracted the attention of the Hand. The
Imperial agents are keenly interested in the strange
statue for their own reasons; if the characters spend any
of their Interactions period asking about the vault or the
strange statue, they may find themselves visited by Aldia
Cortano, who may have her own jobs for them, in time...
 Name:

Mark:
Experience:

Primary Statistics: Health Physique x 8

Equal to
Physique Intellect Presence Wound Track Physique

5 + Intellect +
Resolve Presence

Armour Value

Skills: Untrained: success on 5+; Trained: success on 4+; Mastered: success on 3+; Knack: additional 2d6 on skill check
Mastered

Mastered

Mastered
Trained

Trained

Trained
Knack

Knack

Knack
Physique Intellect Presence
Athletics Awareness Animal Handling

Fight Craft Bluff

Fortitude Drive Charm

Larceny Education Intimidate

Shoot Investigation Insight

Reflexes Medical Perform

Stealth Occult Willpower

Edges Boon

Curse

Touched Embraced Consumed Lost

Weapons
Weapon Damage Range Qualities

NÉMETH ELŐD ARTÚR (Order #39808475)

 Background

Equipment

Influence
Faction Current Influence

Secrets

NÉMETH ELŐD ARTÚR (Order #39808475)