Bright Skies of Tela

Bright Skies of Tela is a Tale Spin fantasy Tale for 2-4 players; can do 1 as a solo quest – you are on your honors here.

Note: None of the places or events are part of any active incarnation of the Steel Realms. This is a one-off test “tale”.

The Tale

Tela is a prosperous city on the shores of Lake Samraif in the Stormfront Fastness. Its people have stood against sea raiders, barbarian hordes,
and withstood the political uphevals of the Empire of Nakria, southenr intrigue, elven affairs, natural disasters and local celebrity – all of its citizens are proud and fierce.
Its a shinning beacon of temperance, tolerance, good works, and charity. Too bad nothing ever happens here.
In the hils west is Seanus, a dirty, smelly, festering boil of a mining town
in which you’ll find no greater blight on society than Bejazer’s Saloon. Home to the the dregs of the entertainment
circut, cheap whores and booze, and strong, stinky men that fear, hate, and loathe outsiders. Its here that you are going –
trouble is brewing and its not in the miner’s bowels this time… something has shut the mine down and you are positive you can make your fortune helping these…
“men” restore the flow of silver. Its a good idea anyway, and you’ve got nothing else to do… but you may soon wish you’d have taken up
a safer trade… like badger juggling. Say goodbye to the bright skies of Tela and enter the fecund maw of
Broke Back Mine.

Theme: Fantasy; the world of the Rusted Realms.

Counters

Faith: Choose a deity for favor

Advantages

  1. Charisma: Can have the service of 2 side-kicks for the duration of the Tale
  2. Gift: Draw a reward card at the start of the Tale
  3. Inspiration: +1 on a chosen ability for the duration of the Tale

Disadvantages

  1. Rub the wrong way: The next side-kick you gain during the Tale leaves your service immediately
  2. Slow Children At Play: When you are rewarded, you will lose one of them randomly

Wandering Monsters

  1. Red Slime – Its like a giant gelatinous koolaid flavored statue… but it wants to drink you!
  2. Billy the Kid – He’s a lotta hype – but he believes in it. Straight up Fight – he goes first.
  3. Mad Jack Prat – Fast-Talk your way past him or he attacks you
  4. Prince Edmund – Droll, a fop. Encountering Edmund means you must make a check:

    1. Hot dudes/dudettes saw you – no scoring in the bar after the tale
    2. Your priest saw you; turn your favor counter back by one.
    3. Edmund’s idiotic rambles infect you: come up with a Clever plan on the spot of suffer a disadvantage for the encounter
    4. Edmund is impressed by you and transfer his title “Lord of the Royal Privy” to you. Unless you are Clever and gift it back to him, his family
      has you beaten up and half your money taken after the Tale is told.
    5. Edmund tries to involve you in one of his brilliant ideas. Unless you can Fast-Talk your way out, you must restart the Tale.
  5. Three Fingered Pete: Strikes from a distance – Take 3 damage unless you have “Eyes in the back of your head”. In which case Pete cheats and you take 5 damage!

Side-Kick Profiles

Henry the Blacksmith: He can mend a broken weapon then returns to his village

Sylvia Saint-Suacy: She gives you +1 on any Fast Talking checks

Clyde Peevy: “Confidence Man Extraordinaire” – He gives you +2 on Clever checks (but steals half your silver when the Tale is Told)

Patrick the Druken Priest: Make a check to have him intercede on your behalf once – odd= -1 favor/even=+1 favor

Bobbo: “Bam, zip, bang!” – +1 Fight

Bill: a.k.a. ‘Drain-o’ – +1 Sneak

Benny: ‘the mouth’ – +1 Fast-Talk

Belinda: Magus apprentice / 2 spells (one use each) – Fatigue (opponents lose initiative) & Puppy (turns one enemy into puppy; puppy piddles and enemy slips for -1 Fight/puppy can be sacrificed as a diversion in later encounters for a +4 Sneak, otherwise it stays as a reward)

Fate – the Cruel Mistress

Use normal playing cards

Encounters

The tale is Told

And so, you walk out of the stale air of Broke Back Mine into Bejazer’s Saloon – dreaming of the boring, bright skies of Tela. The smell of sweat, perfume, unnatural acts with barnyard animals and
whiskey greets you slap across the face. The miners all turn towards the door as you stagger throuh. You can hear the sound other chair legs dragging and the rustle of knife blades unsheathed
as you swagger up to the bar. Everyone is holding their breath (except the snoring man-whore in the back) as you turn and tell them your tale…

– All Fate cards are gotton rid of. Tell your tale to the crowd here (you must stay in tone to collect the reward) –

Failure

The crowd turns against you! Theres a lot of talk about your “real purty mouth” as the wave of miners presses in.
Make an Athletics check or receive a Wound as you run out of town.

Rewards

Toughness + randomly choose one… effects are permanent. Each one must have a brief story behind it.

  1. Weapon Training: +1 Fight
  2. Blacksmith Services: Reapir one broken weapon (then leaves service)
  3. Salesmanship 101: A gold ring which can be used to Bribe once automatically
  4. Leather armor: -1 damage

CREDITS > Dev: Kelly Berger;
Test: First Play Test: 2009 – prototype Incarna 3.0 rules