Most towns ask newcomers to show a small act of original artistry, as many believe that the truly tainted cannot make anything new.
As part of this campaign, each character begins with one free extra Experience tied to an expressive talent. It is used like any other Experience in play, and it also serves as the setting’s informal “corruption test.”
Defining your Talent
At character creation, add Talent: [your art] as a free Experience. Pick something expressive: singing, verse, storytelling, dance, sketching, carving, calligraphy, baking, weaving, knotwork, bellwork, mask making, whistling, and so on. Then choose:
Style: a few words that describe how you create.
Tell: what makes your work feel distinctly yours.
Token (optional): a small tool or keepsake you use when you perform.
Example Talents:
Talent: Baking. Style: simple hearth loaves with herb crusts. Tell: a braid that looks like a lantern flame.
Talent: Carving. Style: quick knife sketches in green wood. Tell: always leaves a clean guiding line.
Talent: Song. Style: call and response for work crews. Tell: a rising third that signals “all together.”
You may refresh or evolve your talent over time. New pieces and techniques are encouraged.
Talents In Play
Communities treat original work as proof of good intent and a lack of corruption by the Horrors. When asked to display your talent, your degree of success will influence any social consequences.
In addition, whenever you use your talent in a way that matters in the scene, you may spend 1 Hope to add +2 to a roll, just like any Experience.
Example uses: steady a tense crowd with a new song, bake a fresh loaf to open talks, sketch a clear map to guide evacuees, carve a warding motif that calms a frightened child.