Flickering Lamplight:

Flickering Lamplight was written for the A Town, A Forest, A Dungeon game jam, hosted by Yochai Gal for the Cairn game system.

Two Decades Ago

In brazen political coup, the Oberant Dynasty seized control of the cathedral cities of the Commerand Empire overnight, flooding senate seats made vacant by careful mismanagement from the Belinus Priesthood. Simmering with imperialist zeal, it was not long before the dynasty’s fanaticism boiled over into the neighbouring nation of Thruule, beginning years of devastating crusades, purging the lands and stamping out cities and townships, festivals and traditions.

In the aftermath, great roads were erected, splitting out from the heart of Commerand through the lands of Thruule, serving to ensure safe passage for sanctioned merchant’s and passing nobility. It served a second purpose, to solidify the dynasty’s authority across the conquered Thruule and the outer reaches of an empire spread all too thin. Brigades of lamplighters, in sharp blue duffle coats kept the post lamps along these roads lit and the way clear.

One such road, the Oberant Road, stretches through the Landes, a great stretch of woods splitting the northern border between Commerand and Thruule, it’s furthest edges never mapped. Alongside the newly erected toll-gate rose the settlement of Rousllin, a temporary township of displaced Thruulians.

Eight Years Ago

Faced with immense debt and pending economic collapse after years of cancerous growth, the lamplighters funding was cut to nothing. Some brigades remained fanatically faithful to the empire, turning to extortion, wringing all they could from the townships they protected, others to banditry, preying on the travellers they had sheltered. Others still abandoned the coat, quietly integrating into the communities the road passed. One such battalion that had kept the lanterns lit along the Oberant Road chose to s

As the toll gate emptied, the town of Rousllin filled, an apothecary was built, a general store founded and a marketplace sprouted alongside surrounding homesteads. Rousllin forged a strong community in the hardships of the Landes between Lamplighters and Thruulians alike.

Two Days Ago

A dynasty-sanctioned merchant convoy was attacked at the long abandoned toll gate that straddles the Oberant Road, just a short wander from the village of Rousllin. Ever since, an unnerving groaning, a heavy creaking echoes through the wood and up the road from the old barracks. A hunting party has been reported missing, and more and more and source less shadows have been spotted in the woods. Under otherworldly threat the villagers of Rousllin

The village of Rousllin is faced with starvation as the forest’s that surround it grows more unfriendly with each passing day, rumours of shadows walking the woods keep frightened inhabitants inside.

Wrought iron post lamps line the Old Road, once busy night and day with passing nobles and hopeful merchants bridging the distance between the continent’s two great centres of commerce and industry, now, as either city has fallen to disrepair, so has the road between.

Treasure:

Relic: (Pair of Shears? Dagger? Utility Knife?) Cut your shadow from your body, cast Mirror Image. The duplicate is of darkness, a perfect match of form, shape, and silhouette but a shadow. When this spell is cast in this way, lose 1d4 STR until your shadow returns (or gain a fatigue until the shadow returns?).

Quest Lines:

Several convoy’s have gone missing looking to pass through the old Toll Gate on the road that split’s this forest. While higher regional authority claim to have registered the issue, the issue has appeared to have passed below the notice of this authority (in truth, a Paladin has been dispatched after hearing of demonic presence, however no word has been sent to the Village with the intention of avoiding inciting a panic) and Village leader’s are desperate for assistance.

A hunting party has been separated on the other side of the road, among them are partners of those left at the Village desperate to see their safe return.

<img src= “itchstuff/LandesMap.png”
Map of the Oberant Road, cutting through the Landes Ranges. Alongside, the town of Rousslin.

Forest Splodges

Travelling between splodges takes one hour by foot, the Landes is too dense to be navigated otherwise

Upon entering a forest splodge, roll 1d6 to determine what travellers may stumble across in the Landes, then a second 1d6 to determine whether they encounter; tracks, traces or some strange fellow inhabitant of the Landes. On a 1-2, travellers find traces, a 3-4 tracks that can be followed, and on a 5-6 the encounter itself. If travellers are looking to follow tracks, re-roll the second 1d6 and add 2, counting rolls over 6 as 6.

Road Splodges

A demon has tempted the lost and lonely of the Landes, torn from Thruulian myths lost in the crusades, known to the villagers in spoken word, a warding rhyme to keep children from distant lights, never to squash, bash or mash any of the wide winged mites that flutter around a night’s lamp.

It’s motivation is to rid the Landes of light, and will do what it can to tempt it’s inhabitants to let their shadows run rampant.

In it’s words is a playfulness that hides a deeply intelligent spite driven by an…It is hypnotised by tremendous sources of light, yet terrified of fire, the light that grows and spreads of it’s own accord.

Known by the villagers of Rousllin as the Old Road, by the mapmakers of Commerand as Oberant’s Road and as simply Oberants to ex-lamplighters.

Phillip Debois, Lamplighter Private. Phillip might just be the last lamplighter on duty in Landes, diligently going on twenty years of service. He has patrolled the same set of twelve lamps, numbered La#2492 to La#2504, moving through every motion as written in Lamplighter’s Handbook, his closest companion taking careful note of each and every one, in the high collar blue duffle uniform as detailed in Chapter Three. In recent days however, wandering shadows have slashed and cut at the post lamps, toppling some, continuing to stalk the others. He operates out of a…

Burning Pyre: A mess of shattered merchant wagons burns, casting shaking light around it, throwing the gate’s silhouette on the road behind it, it’s shadow exaggerated in length. A thick cloud of moths blur the air surrounding the fire. Long dark streaks from the fire mark the trail of bodies dragged to the gate’s right doorway. 1. Control Room: Stairs wind around the great cogs that fill this room. Once, the machinery here operated the old boom gates, however the wooden supports have since rotted, collapsing the great machine. Nicholas tinkers here, tool boxes scattered up and down stairs. Wood shavings and stone chips cover all surfaces but the old steel cogs, kept clean and polished to a dull gleam. Lost in his work, he happily hums old marching tunes under his breath. Months ago, the Moth appeared to him as an avatar of Belinus…

  1. Archives: Decades of bi-annual reports, copies and other bureaucratic paper fill this room in reams on desks, scrolls on shelves and by the pound in shelving cabinets. A sludge of dates, second-hand verifications and dockets detail an ever downward trend of the trade that once ran like

  1. Officers Quarters: three rooms, only one is well kept, the others left undisturbed these past 16 years.

  1. The Bridge: The Moth and the shadow of Nicholas wait here. Toppled chairs, tables and shattered fallen stones are coated in thick milky sheets of silk riddled with larvae.

  1. Armoury: long halberds lie scattered on the ground here. trap involving the missing shadow heads of said spears.

  1. General Quarters: long ladders lead up dozens of bunks. unsteady?

  1. Collapsed Storeroom: the floor has given way here, spilling barrels of tar down into the room below.

  1. Flooded Workshop: flooded with lamp tar once used to light lamps.

Village Splodge

A 15 foot palisade of log’s surrounds the settlement of Rousllin, once sharp, now dulled with age, tar seals the gaps between logs and climbing blankets of moss and ivy have steadily grown up along it’s base. Well trodden dirt roads lead into town through fields of barley wheat, most left unharvested?. The road twists it’s way into and through the heart of town, either end watched by a rotating pair of villagers.

An apothecary, an inn, stables, smithy, a temple and a market.

Populace of Rousllin

1d6 Origin
1-3 Thruulian Villagers, descendant of refugees left stranded after the Oberant Crusade that came to settle at Rousllin. Older Thruulians wear brimless fur hats, and still harbour a deep wariness of Oberant authority. Younger Thruulians
4-5 Ex-Lamplighters, after walking from the dynasty’s thinning payroll, those that remained in the Landes have found friends and family in the community of Rousllin. While all have hung up the blue duffle, identifying first as villager, second as Oberant turncoat, some continue to watch the roads into town after dark, and all take care to keep the town light’s lit. A lifetime of disciplined vigilance leaves it’s mark.
6 Oberant Merchants, stranded in the village, who’s once shining black boots, pride of any proud servant of the Dynasty, have been stained a regular dull mud brown, much to their horror. Treats the town with a universal derision, but holding a special disgust for ex-Lamplighters, and their perceived scorn regarding the Oberant Dynasty. Worship Belinus by mandate as a matter of routine.

Roll 1d6 to colour a villager with distinctive characteristics.

1d6 Mannerisms
1 Cleans glasses obsessively, beyond any sensible measure of cleanliness.
2 Brings up ever-loving warmth of Belinus’ wherever possible.
3 Long, wondering, thoughtful pauses between maddeningly short sentences.
4 Always frazzled, always busy and always right in the middle of something.
5 Terrible at remembering names, determined to get them right, will never get it.
6 Always scratching their chin, with a hand mysteriously drained to a dull grayscale.

When chatting with a villager, roll 1d6 to determine what rumours they might have heard in recent days.

1d6 Truth Rumours
1 False Ghosts haunt the old toll-gate, travellers lost without the Lamplighter’s light who wail in agony, forever lost.
2 False Word has reached the Oberant Dynasty of the Landes lamplighter’s betrayal, and have sent forth a grand battalion of priests up the road to return them to service, only a few day’s march from Rousllin.
3 True Thruulian generals disappeared into the masses of refugee’s fleeing into the Landes at the height of the Crusades, their descendants hide in the forest
  1. Crazy lamplighter’s continue to stalk the toll-gate, still desperately looking to fix the broken boom, obsessing over it’s reconstruction (True)
  2. As the post lamps have vanished, so has risen a giant Moth, angered by their destruction and left adrift, lost in the skies of the Landes without their guiding lights on it’s way to the Moon from the Moaning Mountain. So the Moth flutters over the Landes, searching for the lights to send it on it’s way home. (Half True?)
  3. Lamplighters used to stand on each others shoulders to reach the lamps as they were lit, up to three at a time. (False)
  4. The Oberant Dynasty have heard word of the Landes lamplighters defection, and have sent forth a great army of priests to return them to service. (Not quite True.)
  5. Among the village are direct descendant’s of the Thruulian aristocracy, who vanished into the Landes at the height of the Crusade’s devastation. (True)
  6. Commerand merchant’s sheltering in Rousllin are concealing a great treasure of…? (False)

Thruulian: Irish names.

Commerand: French names.