Two Stand to Fall By Amorphous and Empwnleon

Instruments: French Deck, Token, 2d6





Game Description 


This is a Carta game about returning to your partner after they sacrificed themselves to let you escape from The Crisis you were facing. You might die, they might be dead, but there's a chance you'll both survive.



Game Content Warnings 

These are content warnings that are from the game prompts and are present in all playthroughs.





Playthrough Content Warnings 

These are content warnings specific to this playthrough only.



Game Playthrough

Word Count: 4,033     Played: Nov 18, 2021



Set Up



Characters


I.K. Delpha, he/him, a priest of Iades, God of Quantities and Measurements. He is generally optimistic but also very serious. 

Y.X. Manthei, she/her, originally a swordswoman for hire but formed a strong bond with Delpha as he traveled the lands helping people, and decided to travel with him for the rest of their lives.. She is strong, quick to laugh, and enjoys a strong drink. 

When they solved crises Delpha generally figured out what was wrong and what needed to be changed while Manthei was able to go about doing it, whether it was killing a beast, moving a stone, or driving out a tyrant. They view each other as platonic life partners and have dedicated their lives to each other and their cause. 


The Crisis


Something in the EarthRine Fen is poisoning the Neulem River which feeds into the Genlam Lake. So far the lake is fine, but people fear it will soon be contaminated. 


The Sanctuary 


Ishover, a port city to the south of the Fen, known for having temples for almost every god, no matter how small.  



Preparation Phase 


Start Card: Ace of Diamonds You stumble your way to safety where you can rest and heal. Your time is short.

Delpha barely managed to make it into the town where he collapsed against one of the buildings. He was taken to the temple of Iades, where they patched his wounds and let him rest for the evening. He would not speak to anyone of Manthei, or their encounter, other than he will return for her. 


3 of Hearts 


There was a moment when you and your partner could no longer think of each other as strangers. Gain a Resource 

There weren’t many public wells in Ishover as the new aqueducts had replaced them. But of the few that Delpha passed he couldn’t help but think of Manthei. 

One time, when the both were traveling across an abandoned village, Manthei did not realize she had stepped onto a boarded up well until it fell out from under her. She had hit her head on the way down and blacked out for a few moments, but in that time Delpha thought he had lost her. 

He hadn’t realized how close they had become until he was overcome with grief and shrieked her name until had gone horse. 

When she regained consciousness and called up from the bottom of the well, he had never been happier in his life. He threw down one of the blessed ropes, cut in perfect measurement as his god had specified,and pulled her back to the surface. She laughed and started to tease him about how much he cared until she realized how serious the situation was. 

It was then they realized that they never wanted to be apart. 

+1 Blessed Rope

Resources: 1/5 

Blessed Rope

Stress: 0


5 of Clubs 


You encounter a youth who idolizes you and wishes to join you. Do you let them? Why or why not? 

At the temple to Iades a young person strode confidently up to Delpha. They had a sword on their hip and a passion in their face that only the young have. They introduced themselves, said they knew about him from the stories of the temple and the more exaggerated ones in the bars. 

They wanted to join with Delpha on their quest. They felt as though it was meant to be, for 3 is stronger than two and two is divided too easily. But Delpha couldn’t let them. 

He placed both hands on the youth’s shoulders and spoke sincerely and plainly to them. He could not accept help on this journey, it was his burden alone to bear. He advised the youth to forge their own path with their own partner. 

He could see the pain in their eyes, and they shook their head. Delpha continued, explaining that they must become someone he would hear about in stories instead of following in his shadow. 

The youth sighed but did not pursue. 

Resources: 1/5

Blessed Rope

Stress: 0


King of Diamonds


The thought of returning to the Fen gives you pause. You think if you return you face sudden death. How do you swallow these thoughts? +1 Stress 

Delpha stood at the top of a hill on the outskirts of Ishover, looking out into the beginnings of the EarthRine Fen. He could see the thick gathering of mushrooms and the rocks that jutted out in between the swampy waters. He wondered if he had the strength to make it. 

Manthei had been the one to guide them through the shallow parts. She made sure the waters never went past their knees. She knew the sounds of the beasts and the calls of the wisps and guided them through effortlessly. 

He wondered if he would remember the way back to her. Surely if he prayed the distance, time and effort required, would be short.

One by one he prayed by first touching his thumbs together, then the index fingers, the middle and all the rest. 

Resources: 1/5

Stress: 1


10 of Spades


You find a way to travel quickly, what is it, is it a normal way to get around? Fast travel to any card on the board

After swallowing some of his pride, Delpha began to ask around to others who had traveled through The Fen. Merchants and adventurers avoided the area and prefer to take a boat around and dock at the Lo’wen Peninsula if they are visiting the mountains. 

Desperate, he began to ask local mushroom and crystal hunters who showed him the footwear that they use to traverse the area quicker. They affixed wooden blocks cut in quarter circles to the bottom of their boots. This distributed their weight more evenly and made it easier to traverse through the mud. 

Delpha paid handsomely for a set and found they worked perfectly to aid him in crossing the marsh.

Resources: 1/5

Stress: 1


5 of Hearts  


You think back to when you fought with them. What did each of you do? Can you forgive them? +1 Resource a token of the argument 

Manthei was always one to stay out late in a bar before heading out the next morning. No matter how Delpha explained that they needed to leave at a precise time to get the most amount of daylight hours, Manthei would be at the bar again in the next town. 

Eventually this became a heated argument, both using the scripture of Iades to back up their beliefs. She twisted Iades’ words to mean she was allowed to have a certain number of drinks, and he argued that she needed certain hours of sleep. 

Neither would back down from their position and eventually Delpha locked her out of their room at the inn. She slept in the hallway, much to the annoyment of the staff. Their relationship was terse, Delpha feeling as though she had insulted his beliefs, and Manthei feeling as though he was pushing his beliefs onto her. 

Neither had ever apologized to one another and this is one of the long-standing arguments that comes up again and again with no resolution. They try not to speak about it. 

Deep down, Delpha prayed and hoped that he wasn’t to remain single for the rest of his life as he fiddled with the thurible, a sign of his priesthood that was attached to his staff. 

Resources: 2/5

Blessed Rope

Thurible 

Stress: 1


7 of Spades


You find a monument nearby. Who or what does it commemorate? What condition is it in? Scout one face down card

In the middle of the town there is a giant crystal that faintly glows with a yellow light. It is the largest crystal resourced from the Fen. The founding legend of the town said that Ishover used to be just a campsite before desperate people ventured through the Fen to find the Witch in the mountains. But a group was lured deeper and deeper into the mushroom covered fen by a soft glowing light. There they found the crystal and dragged it back to the campsite as a source of light in the dark. Predators stayed away from it and the people felt safe with it around.

Eventually it was moved further and further away and down near the shore where it rests now. People decided to stay in the new campsite, which became a village, which became a town, which became a city. 

Delpha learned from the many people giving tours and lecturing about the town that the crystals will guide you in the fen, should you ever need to cross. 

Resources: 2/5

Blessed Rope

Thurible 

Stress: 1


7 of Hearts


You come across a hiding place and find an old treasure still there. Your partner once obtained this powerful item through less scrupulous means. WHat was it? How did you react? 

Delpha went back to the temple, to the small room he still used on the rare occasion he was not traveling with Manthei. He moved aside the bookcase and removed a brick from the wall and retrieved a small pouch. 

It felt cool to the touch in his hand and weighed only slightly less than the air around him. He knew this item was deeply cursed and wished he had never seen it. He only looked in it once and vowed never to do it again. To look into it was to see Nothing and this frightened him to his core. 

Manthei had spent the night with a witch who was on her way to cross the Fen to see the one who lived in the mountains. She had taken this pouch off of her in the morning when she had left. 

Manthei had shown him how to use it, she poured out a cloud of swirling mists into her hands and handed him an apple made of shadow and mist. He refused to touch it and forbade her from using it. 

But times were desperate now, and he would save her in any way he could. 

Resources: 3/5

Blessed Rope

Thurible

Bag of Mists

Stress: 1 


5 of Spades 


You find a place that’s fallen into despair. Was it like this last time you were here? Did the Crisis cause this or simple disuse? You may only move left or right 

Delpha came across another well near the outskirts of the town. Around it, the plants had started dying and the earth itself was hard and more crystalline than elsewhere in town. 

On the side of the well a large sign read “CONTAMINATED” to warn people. 

Had the poison begun to spread through underground springs? He didn’t know if the water here was connected to the river or the Fen but knew that Iades had Decided there wasn’t much time left for him to save her. 

Resources: 3/5

Blessed Rope

Thurible

Bag of Mists

Stress: 1 


Jack of Hearts


you get a meal at the sanctuary and reflect upon the past. Who cooked it? Did you and your partner eat together, do you like the same things? 

Delpha and Manthei took turns doing the cooking but rarely ever ate together in towns. In Delpha’s opinion, Manthei had the worst taste in foods. She refused to eat soups of any kind, stating they were simply salty drinks. She, of course, was a fool. 

Delpha stopped by to eat a hearty carrot and chicken soup but couldn’t enjoy it as he thought of Manthei still out in the swamps. 

Resources: 4/5

Blessed Rope

Thurible

Bag of Mists

Rations

Stress: 1 


Ace of Spades 


Something makes you stop, there’s still beauty in this place - 1 Stress

The meadows leading up to the fen stretched far and wide and were littered with small wild flowers and smaller crystals that shone in the sun. He paused for a while and wondered if this is what the fen used to look like before all the water and mushrooms grew. This would be a beautiful place to retire. 

Resources: 4/5

Blessed Rope

Thurible

Bag of Mists

Rations

Stress: 0


7 of Clubs 


You try to find out more about the crisis from local gossip, but the trail gets further and further into unknown territory. What do they talk about? Do you push yourself to find out?

He decided to stop and listen to the people of the city. Though he had lived here for many years, in some ways he was still an outsider. The more he heard from people the less he understood. Many people had started to blame the witches for the poison, but it made no sense to him, as visiting the Witch on the Mountain was as close to a pilgrimage as they ventured. He decided these people were scared and were pointing fingers at anyone, and that their word was not to be trusted. 

Resources: 4/5

Blessed Rope

Thurible

Bag of Mists

Rations

Stress: 0


Ace of Hearts


You find a breakthrough and a Key that could help you surpass the Crisis. What is it? A weapon, knowledge, an ally? Go immediately to the Confrontation Phase or take 1 stress to continue exploring 

She was the one who first approached Delpha, asking him how he had found her bag. He started to stammer an excuse but realized she could read the truth on the lines in his face, in the wrinkles on his coat, in the number of buttons and buckles, and in any other pattern she found. 

Manthei hadn’t just robbed any witch. She had robbed Cherice, The First Witch--The Immortal Witch and now she was asking for her belongings. 

He began to blubber and try to explain before breaking down in front of her. How could he begin to explain that the thief was in danger. But she was kind and patient, for she had nothing but time on her hands, and they sat together under an awning dedicated to a smaller god as he explained everything to her. He told her about the poison in the fen, his escape and her sacrifice, and finally of his plan to rescue her. 

She placed a hand on his shoulder and said she was on her way to visit the Witch on the Mountain and had seen in an oracle her bag was here and went to look for it. She told him, if the fen was poison, then there was something deeply wrong with the magic of the EarthRine. He knew little of it’s magic but was eager to have her help. 

Resources: 4/5

Blessed Rope

Thurible

Bag of Mists

Rations

Stress: 0

Key: Cherice 



Confrontation Phase 



3 of Clubs 


A chasm, opening up to swallow you whole 

Setback Challenge: 8 

Roll: 3 

Lost Item: Blessed Rope

They came across a vast and gaping chasm, one neither of them remembered from their previous visits to the fen. Cherice merely shook her head and said this wasn’t the first chasm she’d encountered on an adventure. He didn’t know if she was serious or not. He was able to anchor the blessed ropes on the other side and they used them to cross safely. They strained against the mold and fungus of the fen and quickly started to decay into a useless state. They would be unusable for any purpose so he left them by the chasm. 

Resources: 3/5

Thurible

Bag of Mists

Rations

Stress: 0

Key: Cherice 


Queen of Diamond 


You have made your decisions long ago. Even shall beasts or men stand in your way. 

Setback Challenge: 7

Roll: 7

Success! 

They passed by more and more dead and decaying beasts. Some covered with fungus, some with crystals, but all looked to have died a painful death. 

“The land is reclaiming them, but they should not have died,” Cherice told him. This did not make him feel better, but still he was resolute in his decision to find Manthei. 

Resources: 3/5

Thurible

Bag of Mists

Rations

Stress: 0

Key: Cherice 


7 of Diamonds 


Bodies become things, twisting and wretched with flesh. +1 Stress

Setback Challenge: 9

Roll: 3

Item Lost: Thurible 

They started to move and twitch. Even Cherice was startled by their movement and she gripped onto Delpha’s shoulder. He was quick to light the incense in the thurible and wave it in around them, protecting them from the dead’s wake. They were hidden for this moment but soon the incense would run dry and they would face the dead again. 

Resources: 2/5

Bag of Mists

Rations

Stress: 0

Key: Cherice 


Queen of Hearts 


One of your resources is invaluable in a time of need. Scout one card ahead 

She was an expert on how to use it, as it was her bag of mists to begin with. She summoned forth a large elk from the shadows and set it running upon the dead that gave chase. 

It still made his skin crawl to see her use it. There was something wrong with how there was something from the Nothing and he closed his eyes each time she made use of it.  

Resources: 2/5

Bag of Mists

Rations

Stress: 0

Key: Cherice 


Ace of Clubs 


The Crisis is no longer familiar. You are Lost. 

Setback Challenge: 5

Roll: 5

Success! 

Around them it almost seemed like the fog of the fen took the shapes of people, their faces twisted in pain. Delpha wrote this off as something of his imagination, but Cherice stopped in her tracks. She took out her pendulum, a signature tool for witches, consulted it, then announced they were going the wrong way. 

He didn’t believe her, but he knew better than to doubt someone as skilled as her. She held out her hand for him to take and guided them through the shapes in the winds and onto the correct path. 

Resources: 2/5

Bag of Mists

Rations

Stress: 0

Key: Cherice 


2 of Clubs 


Something stands in your way. Darkness, the unknown. 

Setback Challenge: 9

Roll: 7

Item Lost: Rations

Then before them there was Nothing, stretching out endlessly in all directions, a darkness that was total and complete. Delpha gripped her hand and began to shake as she led them forward into the unknown. 

Each step sounded like an echo and they could feel the water leaving wakes around them as they trodded ever forward. He didn’t notice the rations of food slipping from his bag until he heard the splash behind him. 

They sank deep into the darkness far below where their feet touched earth. He tried to reach down to grab them and would have fallen into blackness if Cherice wasn’t holding onto his hand. 

It was lost forever and he wondered if he would be too. 

Resources: 1/5

Bag of Mists

Stress: 0

Key: Cherice 


Six of Spades 


Your will falters. You whisper a short mantra to try and keep going. -1 Stress 

There was no point in seeing the darkness so he shut his eyes to see the lights behind his lids. He hadn’t realized before how much having Manthei by his side kept him calm and his hands began to shake. 

Cherice in his ear whispered to him. Asking him about the holy measurements, the ones she knew he memorized. He repeated them. The number of major gods. The number of rivers. The number of temples on the main street of Ishover. How many priests of which rank in his order. 

He repeated these numbers to her over and over the correct amount of times and the distraction calmed him. 

Resources: 1/5

Bag of Mists

Stress: 1

Key: Cherice 


Six of Hearts 


A place you’ve been before. You and your partner were here once. No changes!!

When she told him to open his eyes they were back in The EarthRine Fen, surrounded by the mushrooms and the crystals that seemed to glow. 

Before them stood a clearing, one with solid ground and a lamppost for travelers to light. He felt a calm wash of relief over take him as he lit the lamp and sat below it. 

They had been here before, him and Manthei. He remembered her laughing about thinking of the construction crew who set up the lanterns. He longed to hear her laugh again.  

Resources: 1/5

Bag of Mists

Stress: 1

Key: Cherice 


Eight of Clubs


You fight a familiar enemy. A dance against darkness. 

Setback Challenge: 7

Roll: 8 

Success!

They had time to rest in the clearing and rearrange themselves and their belongings. Cherice took dried herbs out from her bag, pondered them, then tossed some into the water, behind her back over her head and some over the head of Delpha. She then took a pair of fresh anise flowers and pinned them to his collar, one on each side, with a copper fasciner and handed him a handful of rue. 

She said it would protect against the risen dead and told him to watch and she threw it into the water. 

Something underneath it convulsed then concaved into a pit that sucked the water in. 

He looked at her with wonder and horror at how she had known something was there and she simply smiled and winked. 

Resources: 1/5

Bag of Mists

Stress: 1

Key: Cherice 


8 of Spades 


You see a distant vantage point. You may be able to use it to see the landscape. Do you have the time? Scout 1 card and take 1 stress or do nothing. 

They came across a mushroom, one with a long veil that could be used to climb. He had already placed one foot on a ring when she told him they were almost there. Her pendulum swung wildly and glistened in the faint light. 

He nodded to her and followed her through the swamp. 


Ace of Hearts


You find them. 

If you have the Key and are not in Desperation then it is a complete success, you stop the crisis. 


Complete Success 


They were able to find her, at the center of everything. She was barely conscious, clinging desperately onto a crystal--one larger than the one in the center of Ishover and buried half underground. She looked up at them and laughed at her luck. Fate has a way of bringing everything together and her own petty thievery is what saved her in the end. 

Delpha held her in his lap while he watched Cherice run her hand over and around the crystal. She shook her head and said it was infected. He hadn’t the slightest clue what she meant and was only barely listening to her. 

Once he was sure Manthei wasn’t in danger he helped Cherice with her ritual. Together they drew and redrew sigils in spiraling patterns around the rock until she was satisfied. 

He wondered why the gods would let such a thing happen, but Cherice could only shrug and say as horrible as what was happening, it was completely natural, if not by their power. 

Then by whose? He asked her over and over but she danced skillfully around the question as she completed her purification. The sigils seeped into the crystal like a carved etching and they could feel the air around them lift. 

She had fixed it completely without their help and they both felt as grateful as they did useless. They made it through the rest of the marsh unharmed by the rest of the natural horrors it had to offer and the two left on a boat back to Ishover from the nearest town. 

They wondered if they were through with saving people, if even stronger people needed to save them. They stayed in each other’s sight for the rest of the boat ride, knowing the only certain thing was they needed to be with one another for the rest of their lives.  





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