Wayfarer's Song - Duergar Disc.

[Peregrine]

Hi all

Well I've been chipping away at the Duergar Kithbook for Wayfarer's Song. The kithbook is not exactly nearing completion, but, well its getting bigger anyway.

I thought I'd post my write ups of the Duergar Disciplines for the sake of some feedback, so be warned - this will be a long post.

Duergar are more set in their ways and traditional than Mortal Men, so the disciplines available to them depend partly on clan (whereas men have much more freedom of choice). In the list of disciplines those that are available to one-clan only have the clan name listed next to it. Those that are available to any clan are termed 'open'.

Disciplines (for those unfamilair with WS) are five tier magical or enchanted talents that are innate and usually inherited through a blood line. Some disiplines allow for a character to delve into learned magic, but most are simply an instinctual ability to tap into enchantment.

So anyway, first a little history, then on with the Disciplines...

The Races and Tribes of Duergar
Duergar, much more than men, are both creatures of stolid nature, bloodlines and earthy charms. They are divided by kith and kin, like marble is divided from limestone, as oak is divided from willow. For the Duergar are not so much inhibitors of the earth as a part of it and they reflect all its aspects - both nurturing and destructive. They are creatures who perhaps having awakened from stone and earth and clay in ages past still retain that dour, rocky nature, mingled with a quick, fiery gods-given wit that has seen more than one mortal come to an unkind end.

So it is said…
Of their origin many strange tales are told, by the Duergar, by mortal men and the immortal aelfar. Those tales are old and obscure and lie before the time we are set to deal with, so we will mention little of them here. It is recalled by the ballads of the duergar that early in the elder age of all things they dwelled together as one race in a glittering kingdom under the mountains - a place called Nithavellir.  They had but one king and he was proud and long-lived and powerful in many ways.
That king though had seven sons and it was to these sons that the kingdom of Duergar was to be split, and by the whim of the father, to be split evenly.

The brothers lived peaceably enough while their father lived, but as he failed and in old age died, they fell to bickering, for each held varying things dear, and each had the greed and covetous nature of duergar that make them wish for all that they do not have. Bickering turned to alliance making, and alliances to fights and fights to pitched battles. The deep dark places of the earth echoed with the sound of murder and clashing of weapons.

Some of the brothers were more inclined to fight than others, and when the battles began, Bomburr and Auvarg, the youngest of the seven gathered their followers and fled in the night to scatter over the lands to mingle with the folk of men. But the warring waged on among those more ambitious and warlike clans, and for an age under the stars, to no ends.
It came to a point, it is said, that the halls of the Duergar were stained so red with blood that the ancient hordes were stained rose-gold. Battles were more savage, victories more pale and still the remaining clans fought on. Upon the final hour of a final battle a parley was struck and the remaining brothers, Harr, the eldest and his younger siblings, Eitri, Modsognir, Thriann and Fjolnir meet and agreed that the bloodshed must end or else the race of Duergar would be bleed dry. They agreed to a contest of which only those seven knew the rules and then and there played out a game that ended with the victory of Harr.
But, though the other brothers agreed to bide by their word and swore fealty to the clan of Harr, the second eldest, Eitri, spat and swore that there had been cheating in the game of which only seven knew the rules. He took his people away into the darkest depths of the earth – there to live so deep in darkness that the walk the paths of the dead.

That is the tale of the sundering of the race of duergar as told by the beardlings themselves. Mortal men tell a different tale, concerning dragons and troldes and betrayal by the gods. The immortal aelfan recall another tale again, though the Aelfan lore is a tale much despised by the Dueragar themselves.

DISCIPLINES

Bonded Weapon...............Open
Casting of Stones.............Fjolnir
Charm Craft......................Open
Crusts and Crumbs...........Bomburr
Elixirs................................Eitri
Frenzy of Heroes..............Modsognir
Hearth-Craft.....................Open
Ill-gotten Curse................Open
Heart of Flame..................Modsognir
Majesty.............................Harr
Noble of Ways..................Harr
Potent Meads...................Bomburr
Requited Greed ...............Open
Raw Arts..........................Auvarg
Rune-Craft.......................Open
Shadow-Wright...............Eitri
Talismanic Arts.................Open
Treasures........................Thrainn
Wary of Aelfan.................Open
Weird Peddler..................Fjolnir
Woodland Wiles...............Auvarg
Woven and Wrought.......Thrainn

Bonded Weapon
The axe has been passed from father to son for generations now. It hangs above the fireplace, the smoke curls about it’s haft of sea ivory, and the silvery blade, yet it never corrodes or weakens. It is the backbone of the clan chief now, his blood is its blood, it is bound to him, and he to it.

Aspects
Bonded Weapon allows a Duergar to become so emotionally and spiritually attached to a given weapon that weapon begins to acquire charmed qualities that redeem the faith, and hope placed upon it.

Rank One
Give your weapon a name if it does not already have one. At this rank the weapon will never break, bent, shatter or dulls in the course of battle. It will never rust, corrode or suffer from the passing of years so long as it remains in your possession.

Rank Two
As with rank One, but the weapon gains an additional +1 menace to a limit of 9.

Rank Three
As with Rank Two, but the weapon affords advantage over enemies in battle as long as all other factors are deemed to be equal by the Storyteller.

Rank Four
As with Rank Three, but you may nominate a most disliked duergar, mortal, creature or species. The weapon will softly hum and glow with a pallid, flickering light when this most disliked person, creature or species comes within thirty paces.

Rank Five
As with Rank Four, but the weapon becomes a weapon of least enchantment and retains all of the above powers so long as the wielder is a direct descendant of you, and he or she invokes your name in a warcry before entering battle.

Casting of Stones (Discipline)
A mystic and closer kept art the casting of stones is a form of divination sorcery performed by the shadowy Fjolnir clan. The clatter and scatter of rune-cut pebbles is an oft-heard music by the thrones of Harr kings, and many is kingdom whose fate has been nudged by the weight of pebble.

Aspects
Casting stones are highly personal and must be collected from nature and inscribed with runes by the Duergar who intends to use them. If your set of casting stones is lost then it will take a week of dedicated work to replace them.
Fjolnir glean insight by throwing the stones upon a flat surface while dwelling on a question about the future. Questions must be reasonably general for the stones to give an answer. The stone-caster then passes into a shallow trance, examining the patterns of the stones. There are twelve recognised patterns that herald changes, strife, or peace and the key to prediction is studying the stones until the true pattern that is struggling to emerge does so. The trancework involved in casting stones is laborious and mentally draining and the number of times a character can attempt to cast stones during one game is limited according to discipline rank.

The patterns in the stones

The Coiled Wurum: Heralds treasure, gold or rewards will be had
The Hammer of Thorn: Heralds strife, war or conflict to come
The Hand of Death: Heralds a death, particularly of a close or important person
The Hearth of Stone: Heralds lack of change, immutability
The King of Thrones: Heralds the meeting of a powerful man
The Jagged Knife: Heralds an as yet unknown but dangerous threat
The Long Straight Road: Heralds safety from danger
The Maelstrom: Heralds a natural disaster
The Oath-Cup: Heralds truth or a faithful ally
The Queen of Thrones: Heralds the meeting of a powerful woman
The Rose Entwined: Heralds friendship to come, possible love
The Web of Spiders: Heralds trickery, lies or a trap to beware of

Rank One
When the Duergar casts stones the Storyteller makes a roll in secret. Make a Willpower based Test of Fatigue whenever you use this power.

7 to 10.....No pattern can be seen
3 to 6.......There are two possible patterns - one is true
1 to 2........A true pattern is seen

Rank Two
When the Duergar casts stones the Storyteller makes a roll in secret. Make a Willpower based Test of Fatigue whenever you use this power.

8 to 10.....No pattern can be seen
5 to 7.......There are two possible patterns - one is true
1 to 4.......A true pattern is seen

Rank Three
When the Duergar casts stones the Storyteller makes a roll in secret. Make a Willpower based Test of Fatigue whenever you use this power.

9 to 10.....No pattern can be seen
6 to 8.......There are two possible patterns - one is true
1 to 5........A true pattern is seen

Rank Four
When the Duergar casts stones the Storyteller makes a roll in secret. Make a Willpower based Test of Fatigue whenever you use this power.

10............No pattern can be seen
8 to 9.......There are two possible patterns - one is true
1 to 7.......A true pattern is seen

Rank Five
When the Duergar casts stones the Storyteller makes a roll in secret. Make a Willpower based Test of Fatigue whenever you use this power.

10............There are two possible patterns - one is true
1 to 9.......A true pattern is seen

Example
Mjol the Raven has a Casting of Stones discipline of Rank Three. He finds himself at a lonely road crossroads and in unsure which of two roads to take to find his way to a friendly town. Crouching down on the dirt before the left road and casts his stones while dwelling on the question of the roads. The Storyteller has determined that the left road leads to a town, whereas the right leads nowhere but through a lonely moor and a stone quarry. The player rolls a 6 which for rank three reads: There are two possible patterns - one is true.
The storyteller puts on his best mysterious voice and states: there may be two patterns in the stones, the Long Straight Road or The King of Thrones.
The Long Straight road is True (heralding safety). The King of Thrones is false (he will not meet anyone). But the player does not know this and will have to make a guess or try his luck again with the stones.

Charm-Craft (Discipline)
The enchanted art of the crafting of small charms and petty luck-amulets runs in your family and during the long winters spent hearthside in your youth you have taught yourself the beginnings of this craft.

Aspects
Luck-charms are specific to a given skill or set of skills and although usually small enough to wear on a cord about the neck, or carry in a pocket, the charm must be crafted out of a material associated with its particular skill set. For instance a charm adds luck to fishing could be carved out of a pebble from a river, or perhaps from a fish skull or ever the claw of a fishing eagle. A charm that adds luck to war could be carved from the bone of a hero slain in battle, or into a wrought from a iron shard from a famous sword.

Rank One
It takes you ten days of dedicated work to slowly and ritually tool a luck-charm. The luck charm must be associated with a particular area of skill at the Storyteller’s discretion. Examples might be: archery, haggling, hunting, mining, war, smithing and so forth.
The bearer of the luck-charm can choose to automatically pass one test of skill associated with the luck-charm. Once he does this the luck-charm looses all power.

Rank Two
As with Rank One, but the Luck-Charm will regain power to work a stroke of luck upon being given freely to a different bearer. Each bearer can only use the charm once. If it passes back into the possession of a bearer who has already used it the charm to work a stroke of luck it will not regain any powers.

Rank Three
As with Rank Two, but each bearer can use the Luck-Charm three times before it looses power to work strokes of luck.

Rank Four
As with Rank Three except that it only takes you five days of dedicated work to craft a charm.

Rank Five
As with Rank Four except that it only takes you two days of dedicated work to craft a charm.

Crusts and Crumbs (Discipline)
The Bomburr are masters not just of coaxing all things to grow in their hands but also the humble arts of baking, stewing, roasting and broiling. For the Bomburr are great lovers of lovingly crafted titbits and morsels and toothsome things.

Aspects
A character with Crusts and Crumbs rank one gains an additional ‘cookery’ skill at Rudimentary. If a character already has a cooking or similar skill then he gains any other bonus skill at Rudimentary of player’s choice.

Rank One
By passing a Basic test of Cookery you can invest a meal you are preparing with a small touch of magic. Any person who consumes a dinner-sized portion will find themselves sated and without need of further sustenance for a full day and night.

Rank Two
As above but an Average Test of Cookery is required and any person who consumes a dinner-sized portion will find themselves sated and without need of further sustenance for two days and nights.

Rank Three
As above but a Fair Test of Cookery is required and any person who consumes a dinner-sized portion will find themselves sated and without need of further sustenance for three days and nights.

Rank Four
As above but an Advanced Test of Cookery is required and any person who consumes a dinner-sized portion will find themselves sated and without need of further sustenance for four days and nights.

Rank Five
As above but a Penultimate Test of Cookery is required and any person who consumes a dinner-sized portion will find themselves sated and without need of further sustenance for five days and nights.

Elixirs (Discipline)
Elixirs: the dark art of the Eitri, the mixing and mingling of elements of the world, magic and spirit into potions that can heal, and harm, poison and pleasure, make beautiful or ugly, give back years of youth, or steal the strong back, and firm body of youth away.

Aspects
The dark art of the Eitri is a secretive and complex form of Duergar Sorcery and is explained in detail later in this book. Put briefly, Eitri harvest vital essences from the world and brew these into potions of various powers and potencies.

Rank One
You can brew potions of least potency.

Rank Two
You can brew potions of lesser potency.

Rank Three
You can brew potions of greater potency.

Rank Four
You can brew potions of grander potency.

Rank Five
You can brew potions of high potency.

Frenzy of Heroes (Discipline)
So long have the Modsognir sought glory in war, so long have they defended the ancient Duergar holds, so long have the axes of the clan fallen upon their foes that the fire of war has seeped into their bloodline. The magic of war seethes there now, an ember waiting for the winds of war that will fan flames of passion into war-frenzy of the heroic.

Aspects
The Frenzy of Heroes is a Discipline that taps into the magic of war, and allows the Modsognir to pass into a trance-like frenzied state in which he is able to fight without suffering pain, and wage battle with an almost hallowed prowess of strength.

Rank One
You can choose to pass into a state of frenzy in battle. In this state you feel no pain and although you may suffer fatigue your do not suffer from the effects of being fatigued until pass out of the frenzy. Whenever you do so make a Willpower based Test of Fatigue. Every round you choose to remain in a state of frenzy you must make a further Willpower based Test of Fatigue.

Rank Two
You can choose to enter a frenzied state in battle. Whenever you do so make a Fortitude based Test of Fatigue. You gain no initial benefits but, whenever you take an injury you may increase your Menace +1, to a limit of 9.

Rank Three
As with Rank Two, but your melee and brawling skills temporarily increase one level while in a frenzied state.

Rank Four
As with Rank Three, but you now only need to make a Willpower based Test of Fatigue once every two rounds to remain in a state of frenzy.

Rank Five
As with Rank Three, but you now only need to make a Willpower based Test of Fatigue once every three rounds to remain in a state of frenzy.

Hearth-crafts (Discipline) (Open)
The Duergar sits by the fire and his clever fingers knot and twist, pluck and twine and sew. All the common things of life, the fishing hooks and tramping boots, the leather apron, the mugs of clay are the Hearth-crafter’s work.

Aspects
Hearth-Crafts allows a Duergar to make practical, well-made, if not very valuable objects for everyday use.

Rank One
You can craft any day-to-day tool smaller than a barrel out of surprising limited and poor selection of tools and materials. The tool will be worth no more than 5 marks of silver to a fellow Duergar and ten to a Mortal. If the tool might be used as a weapon, for instance a table knife or mattock, then it will have a menace of no more than 5 – and potentially much lower at Storyteller’s discretion. It takes you twenty hours of dedicated work – either spread out or lumped together – to craft it.

Rank Two
As with rank one except that it takes you ten hours of dedicated work to complete a tool.

Rank Three
As with rank one except that it takes you five hours of dedicated work to complete a tool.

Rank Four
As with rank one except that it takes you two hours of dedicated work to complete a tool.

Rank Five
As with rank one except that it takes you one hours of dedicated work to complete a tool.

Ill-gotten Curse (Discipline) (Open)
For the ever covetous, ever greedy Duergar there are few crimes worse than theft. Rage simmers deep in the blood of any Duergar who has ever lost a prized joy to threat, trickery, theft or extortion. Some stamp their feet and shake their fists and bare their sharp teeth and spit and scream and curse. But, then there are those whose anger is so sharp, their blood so hot, that sorcery surges in their soul and what curses are spoken, become curses woven with charm.

Aspects
A Duergar can only choose to work an Ill-gotten curse upon a possession that has been, at least in the Duergar’s opinion, unfairly, illegally, or immorally taken away from him. A Duergar who looses a possession accidentally through no one’s particular fault, or who willingly agrees to give away or sell a possession cannot choose to curse it – the curse must be worked in anger at the point of loss.
The curse worked by the Duergar will fall upon one possession and one only if many are taken at once. A Duergar cannot curse an entire stolen horde, rather just one small ring, or sword or golden necklace.
The effects of a Duergar Curse are usually bitter, perhaps painful, and anguishing but usually fairly subtle: infertility, bad luck, ill health, poverty, lose of trust, or lose of friends are all examples of possible curses. All aspects of the curse are however at the storyteller’s final discretion.

Rank One
When you work a curse upon a stolen item you must clearly make an oath, aloud, and stating what will befall those who take the item into their possession. The curse will fade either if the item is returned to you, or after it has passed out of the possession of he or she who originally took it from you.

Rank Two
As with Rank Two but, the curse will fade either if the item is returned to you, or after it has passed out of the possession of he or she who originally took it from you, and one other person.

Rank Three
As with Rank Two but, the curse will fade either if the item is returned to you, or after it has passed out of the possession of he or she who originally took it from you, and five other persons.

Rank Four
As with Rank Two but, the curse will fade either if the item is returned to you, or after it has passed out of the possession of he or she who originally took it from you, and ten other persons.

Rank Five
As with Rank Two but, the curse will fade either if the item is returned to you, or after it has passed out of the possession of he or she who originally took it from you, and twenty other persons.

Heart of Flame (Discipline)
The Heroic heart of the Modsognir burns bright in his chest, his blood runs thick with fire. For the Modsognir honour and heroism have been honed into a force behind the magic of great deeds.

Aspects
Heart of Flame allows a Modsognir to gain a charmed advantage in battle against foes or the various forces of nature when performing heroic deeds.

Rank One
You can choose to automatically pass any Test of Fortitude. Whenever you do so make a Willpower based Test of Fatigue.

Rank Two
You gain advantage over opponents in battle, no matter the odds, whenever you are defending a Duergar stronghold, homeland or settlement.

Rank Three
You gain advantage over opponents in battle, no matter the odds, whenever you are defending a fellow Duergar from harm.

Rank Four
Your weapons gain the ability to harm what otherwise can only be harmed by magic or enchanted weapons in battle whenever you are defending a fellow Duergar from harm.

Rank Five
You gain advantage over opponents in battle whenever you are defending a fellow Duergar.

Majesty (Discipline)
The light of fires always seems to fall upon your face slightly brighter than those about. The winds stir for you when you pass. The day’s cast golden light upon you and all things seem somewhat more joyous in your presence. The blood of the eldest of the seven founders of your race runs strong and powerful in your veins, so that you carry about yourself, a strong aura of the majestic that affects those of your kind.

Aspects
Majesty is the last remnant of a powerful charm of glamour that the eldest of seven, Harr, used to enchant his seeming and his words so as to gain some extra power of mastery over his subjects. The magic works best on the weak of will and only affects Duergar.

Rank One
Those Duergar with a Willpower of 2 or less will feel an irrational compulsion to admire you, and will find themselves wanting to be close to you and please you with their actions.

Rank Two
As with Rank One but Majesty now affects Duergar with a Willpower of 3 or less.

Rank Three
As with Rank One but Majesty now affects Duergar with a Willpower of 4 or less.

Rank Four
As with Rank One but Majesty now affects Duergar with a Willpower of 5 or less.

Rank Five
As with Rank One but Majesty now affects Duergar with a Willpower of 6 or less.

Noble of Ways (Discipline)
You tarry in the halls of kings, and know the ways of lords and queens. You know the rumours of marbled halls, and the talk of the regal folk, the names of their thanes, and retainers, but these are not idle pastimes. For you have in your bloodline the cunning of rulers, and the power to appear equal to those whom rule – so equal indeed that they will be more than willing to trade royal favours with you, and makes your word a matter of their honour.

Aspects
In many legends there are those, who though not a king or queen, are accepted as equals by rulers of realms by virtue of their almost unnatural, but obvious regal quality of poise and speech. A character with Noble of Ways is one such Duergar. The magic works not merely upon Duergar lords and queens, but upon any of a royal bloodline of any folk.
The power pivots around the ability of the Duergar to make appropriately royal speeches, and act in appropriately royal ways. As the Storyteller you may wish to ask a player to recite the speech he or she wishes to make and then base the reactions of bystanders upon the quality of the speech.
A caveat to all the powers of Noble of Ways is also: so long as your intentions truly are honourable. You cannot give a speech that is pure lies and trick listeners into believing your words based on your apparent nobility. Only the truth of honourable intentions or warnings can be conveyed to listeners using this discipline.

Rank One
When you stand and give an appropriately noble speech any guard, warden or retainer of a king’s hall whose duty it is decide who may pass must make a Test of Willpower or accept on your word that you are worthy of an immediate audience.

Rank Two
When you begin speaking aloud in a crowded roam, all others feel compelled to stop their conversations and pay attention to you. Any character who has a particular reason to wish to keep talking must make a Test of Willpower to do so.

Rank Three
By making oath aloud, clearly and forcefully you can convince all listeners that your word is your honour, and your honour is as good as gold. Any who have a particular reason to distrust you are allowed a Test of Willpower to resist the urge to believe that you will do all that you say.

Rank Four
When you present yourself to a kingly hall, again by making a speech of introduction, you may make a Test of Willpower. If you succeed then the lord, lady, king or queen of the court will recognise you as an equal and invite you to eat at his or her table and share the best hospitality that can be offered.

Rank Five
When you make an impassioned speech to a king or queen then the royal of blood must make a Test of Willpower or believe your words to be truer than those of all others in the court, even their most trusted advisors. At this rank Noble of Ways will overpower other enchanted voices, cunning words or subversive social magic.

Potent Meads (Discipline)
There is a cask of aged oak that sits gathering dust in the alehouse of a certain landlord in the hills of mortal men. It is marked with the stamp of a duergar lord, and he bought it from a passing travelling charm-peddlar. But, does he dare break the cask and offer the mead to well-paying travellers and thanes? He has heard strange tales about the meads that Duergar brew in their strange little houses. He runs his fingers over the cask and feels the solid, polished wood and wonders…

Aspects
The herbal meads of the Bomburr do not merely get the imbiber drunk – though they certainly do that – but are brewed with such care, and cunning that they may have in them a certain small power to work charms upon the drinker.

The Fire in the Brew
Drinking charmed herbal mead has its beneficial effects but also carries the usual effects of any strongly, potent drink. One or more Fortitude Based Tests of Fatigue are required to gauge how drunk a character becomes after imbibing a good pint of herbal ale.

Mead of Least Potency......One Fortitude Based Test of Fatigue
Mead of Lesser Potency.....Two Fortitude Based Tests of Fatigue
Mead of Greater Potency...Three Fortitude Based Tests of Fatigue
Mead of Grander Potency...Four Fortitude Based Tests of Fatigue
Mead of High Potency........Five Fortitude Based Tests of Fatigue

Rank One
You can brew meads of Least Potency. It takes a week of work assuming you have all the herbs, spices, honey and oak barrels on hand to prepare and seal a barrel worth 50 pints. The mead must then ferment for a full season before it is ready to crack open and drink. A batch of mead can be invested with the power to add one rank to one Attribute of the brewer’s choice. The increase lasts only a few minutes, then is lost – although the imbiber may remain drunk for some time. While drunk the imbiber cannot gain any experience from failed tests of skill.

Rank Two
As with rank one except that you can brew Meads of Lesser Potency. Meads of Lesser Potency gain the same one level Attribute bonus of Lest potency, but the effects lasts one hour. While drunk the imbiber cannot gain any experience from failed tests of skill.

Rank Three
As with rank Two except that the brewer can invest charm into the brew associated with skill from the following general groups: revelry, social or warring. Revelry adds one bonus level to song, dance, riddle-telling, joke, telling and similar revelry skills of the drinker. Social adds one bonus level to the cajolery, carousing, seduction, manipulation, trickery, charm or similar social skills of the drinker. Warring adds one level to the close-combat, melee, brawling, wrestling, but not ranged or archery, combative skills of the drinker. The effect lasts one hour, and while drunk the imbiber cannot gain any experience from failed tests of skill.

Rank Four
As with Rank three except that the brewer can invest in the Mead a craving for a particular pursuit that falls within the mead’s skill group from above: A revelry mead could cause drinkers to dance. A warring mead could make one want to brawl. A social mead could make drinkers want to carouse. The drinker of the Brew must make a Test of Willpower to resist the urge to pursue this activity for the next hour. The urge is however bounded by reason. A person feeling the urge to dance would not do so if confronted with a life or death situation. A drinker give the urge to fight would not kill a friend, but might try to wrestle the friend to the ground in a roughhouse sort of way. The effect lasts one hour, and while drunk the imbiber cannot gain any experience from failed tests of skill.

Rank Five
As with Rank Four, but the brewer can also cause the skill nominated at Rank Four to gain an extra level of charmed potency. So that for instance a revelry mead of singing would add a single bonus level to all revelry associated skills and two level to the drinker’s singing skills. The effect lasts one hour, and while drunk the imbiber cannot gain any experience from failed tests of skill.

Requited Greed (Discipline)
The force of a Duergar’s love for things of beauty and invention can sometimes take on a real, manifestly magical form, binding the object to the heart and soul of the Duergar. In essence, the Duergar learns to love an object so much that the object develops a minor sheen of enchantment that loves the Duergar in return.

Aspects
Any object that is nominated as loved by a Duergar can never be lost or parted with for long. It will work in its own subtle way to make its way back to its master if separated, often seeming to return via a chain of inexplicable stroke of luck. This holds true so long as the object is stolen, lost or cheated off the Duergar. If, however, the object is sold or given or bartered away willingly then the Duergar betrays his love for it and ceases to have any heartfelt link to it.

Rank One
You may nominate one beloved object. This object will return to you if lost, stolen or cheated from your possession. You may change a nominated object to another that has newly come into you possession should you so wish.

Rank Two
As above but you may nominate two beloved objects.

Rank Three
As above but you may nominate three beloved objects.

Rank Four
As above but you may nominate four beloved objects.

Rank Five
As above but you may nominate five beloved objects.

Raw Arts (Discipline)
You have learned the hereditary natural craft of the Auvarg in which things of beauty are carved, scoured and tooled not from the gemes and ores of the earth, but from the raw materials of nature: bone, wood, ivory and the such.

Aspects
This Discipline confers the ability to carefully to craft natural objects into valuable, but not magical, items of beauty.

Rank One
You can tool wood, bone, sea-ivory, or antler into small, beautiful, but seldom practical objects, boxes, statuettes or jewellery. It takes your ten hours of work, all at once or spread out, to craft a small ornament. When finished the ornament will be worth one silver mark to a fellow Duergar and three to a mortal.

Rank Two
As with rank Three except that when finished the ornament will be worth five silver marks to a fellow Duergar and ten to a mortal.

Rank Three
As with rank Three except that when finished the ornament will be worth ten silver marks to a fellow Duergar and twenty to a mortal.

Rank Three
As with rank Three except that when finished the ornament will be worth twenty silver marks to a fellow Duergar and fourty to a mortal.

Rank Three
As with rank Three except that when finished the ornament will be worth thirty silver marks to a fellow Duergar and sixty to a mortal.

Rune-Craft (Discipline)
The path of Rune-Craft is open to any Duergar to learn and practise. The art revolves around the power inherent in ten sacral runes handed down from the days of old and so it is said taught to the Duergar by the ancient gods. The words are written in runic inscriptions called Bindrunes on objects to imbue it with magic. They are both closely and jealously guarded and any unscrupulous Duergar who dares to teach the secrets of his folk to mortals can expect swift and merciless death at the hands of his fellows. The fate of the unfortunate mortal student is likely to be worse.

Each rune consists of a an angular, mystic character in the secret runic language of Duergar, and when several words are described together the result is long, wending scripts, often twining down the length of an object – a shape termed a Bindrune.

Aspects

Quick Reference List
Rune of Beauty
Rune of Flames
Rune of Luck
Rune of War   
Rune of Burden
Rune of Need
Rune of Strength
Rune of Passions
Rune of Gifts
Rune of Knowing

Rank One
You know one rune and craft the one bindrune that is derived from it.

Rank Two
You know two runes and craft the three bindrunes that are derived from them.

Rank Three
You know three runes and craft the many bindrunes that are derived from them.

Rank Four
You know four runes and craft the many bindrunes that are derived from them.

Rank Five
You know five runes and craft the many bindrunes that are derived from them.

Shadow-Wright (Discipline)
The Eitri have darkness thick in their souls, and have lived close to the paths of the dead, deep below th earth for an age-long litany of years. Through these years, the ancestors of the Eitri have found ways to use their will to reshape the shadow-stuff of wraithlike souls as if they were beating out gold into thin and delicate shapes.

Aspects
The Shadow-Wright Discipline works only on Wraiths (Gnissa) as described in the Core rules book. It has no power over the souls of either living beings or those souls that have instilled themselves into dead flesh to walk again, as restless corpses such as the Duergar.

Rank One
A Shadow-Wright gains the ability to see and commune with those normally invisible spirits of the dead. Also, a Shadow-Wright can enter into a contest of Willpower with any Wraith to force it to keep distance and make no attempt to harm the Wright. At this rank the power the Wright can only affect Wraiths of Least Enchantment.

Rank Two
A Shadow-Wright can call to his presence the wraith of a specific person. The call is highly ritualistic and requires the Wright to have in his possession some physical lifetime possession or relic of the body of the dead wraith being summoned.  At this rank the power the Wright can only affect Wraiths of Lesser Enchantment.

Rank Three
At this rank the Eitri gains the ability to command a wraith to find out a secret of the past, present or future and return with the knowledge.

Rank Four
At this rank the Eitri gains the ability to command a wraith to perform one simple deed or action for him. Once the deed is done the Wraith is released from any obligation and returns to the netherworld. Otherwise as with Rank Three but the Discipline now affects Wraiths of Greater Enchantment.

Rank Five
At this rank the Eitri may bind a wraith to an object that was owned by the wraith in life. In so doing the Eitri must permanently sacrifice one point of Willpower. Once bound the wraith must do all that he who possesses the personal object commands of it.

Talismanic Arts (Auvarg)
You have inherited the ancient secrets of the crafters of talismans, charms and protective pendants. You can use these mystic arts to work such things as the skins, bones and teeth of magical creatures into powerful charms.

Aspects
In game terms this allows a character to craft any of the Talismans discussed in the Core Rules book for Wayfarer’s Song. Talismans are made from the body parts of magical creatures - a skin of a dire wolf could be turned into a cloak that gives hunting bonuses. The teeth of a dragon can be made into a necklace that makes a person fearless and proud in battle.
Note that Talismans are a sub-class of enchanted artefacts which as a general group are termed Relics. The ability to craft Talismans does not entitle a character to create any manner of relic.

Rank One
With the appropriate tools and materials (at Storytellers discretion), you can craft one talisman over ten days.

Rank Two
With the appropriate tools and materials (at Storytellers discretion), you can craft one talisman over eight days.

Rank Three
With the appropriate tools and materials (at Storytellers discretion), you can craft one talisman over six days.

Rank Four
With the appropriate tools and materials (at Storytellers discretion), you can craft one talisman over four days.

Rank Five
With the appropriate tools and materials (at Storytellers discretion), you can craft one talisman over two days.

Treasures (Discipline)
The soot-blackened Duergar who strains over the fires of a forge, where the bellows issue storms of scalding air, and the drumming clamour of hammers, falling, falling upon the silver-iron-gold of the Duergar craft ring from the walls. But, when he is done, when the fires die, and the soot is washed away, the treasures that the Duergar may forge – these are things of true beauty. Wonder. Power. Joy. Magic.

Aspects
Treasures is the art of crafting wonderful works of metals and stone and ivory and imbuing into these a grain of magic – a first initial spark about which enchantment is then hung in veils. The process of producing magical treasures works through taking advantage of the contagious nature of magic. To forge a magical relic with a given power the Duergar must hunt down a source of magic that exudes a similar if not identical power. Further examples are provided below, but for instance to create a sword that flickers with magical fire the sword could be forged from the metal that falls fiery from the sky, or from the bone of a fire breathing dragon, or from ore taken from a volcano.

Rank One
You can imbue a relic with enchantment during forging by dying it with drops of blood from an enchanted creature or person. This rank can only create Relics of Least Enchantment.

Example: To imbue an amulet with the power to heal the wearer the blood of a sorcerer who deals mostly with sorcery of healing and curing is needed. To make a sword skilful and charmed the blood of a powerful warrior is needed.

Rank Two
You can imbue a relic with enchantment by using a piece of corpus from the body of an enchanted person or creature in the crafting. At this rank Relics of Lesser Enchantment can be forged.

Example: The bone of a dragon could be used to make a fiery sword. The teeth of a sea troll could be made into a fish hook that never fails to catch a meal. The skull of a scrying seer could be made into a relic that conjures up visions. A ring made of enchanted deer horn could make the wearer graceful and silent.

Rank Three
You can imbue a relic with enchantment culled from a place or substance of power or enchantment reworked in your forge. At this rank you can create Relics of Greater Enchantment.

Examples: A piece of wood taken from an enchanted grove, rock cut from a circle of enchanted stones, strange hard metal that falls from the sky, reeds from a magic-haunted swamp are examples of base materials.

Rank Four
As with Rank Three except that relics of Grander Enchantment can be forged.

Rank Five
This is the darkest and most shunned level of power of the Treasures art. Few Duergar practise the art to this rank. This level of power rquires the death of a being, creature or person of magic or power at the point of the forging of the relic. This level of power can be used to craft Relics of High Enchantment.

Example: Quenching a red-hot blade into the chest of a powerful and magical warrior.

Wary of Aelfan (Open)
The Duergar have long mistrusted the illusory, ghostly Aelfan folk and their strange, ephemeral magic. Wars fought long ago in the lonely places of the earth left the bloodlines of certain Duergar wary of Aelfan charms, and has heightened their distaste for that ever-changed, emotive magic.

Rank One
You get an uncomfortable feeling whenever you come within twenty paces of one of the Aelfan Folk, even if you cannot see the Aelfan or he or she is in disguise.

Rank Two
You can choose to automatically see through an Aelfan illusion by force of will. Make a Willpower based Test of Fatigue whenever you use this power.

Rank Three
You can choose to automatically resist the power of an Aelfan charm or enchantment. Make a Willpower based Test of Fatigue whenever you use this power.

Rank Four
Aelfan folks must make an additional Test of Willpower whenever they attempt to use a charm, enchantment or illusion in your presence. If the Test of Willpower fails then the Aelfan magic becomes transparent and powerless.

Rank Five
You gain a +bonus 1 Menace to a limit of nine when fighting Aelfan Folks, Dwimmer or Kith of the Aelfan-Folk.

Weird Peddler
Now here is a pretty sword, yes? What is the price you ask? Gold? No, I ask merely for the colour of your eyes? No? Perhaps I’d consider taking your singing voice and three years of your life. Bad years mind – the unhappy years at the end? Your heart’s desire? Your merry whistle?

Aspects
The trader of weird things is able to buy, sell and bottle up any of the incidental, strange and seemingly inseparable facets of reality. Any weird quality must be given freely and agreed to with intentional verbal consent. The quality once bought can be drawn away from the seller as if it were a gossamer thread that the Duergar is able to pull away like a strand of spidersilk and then store in a bottle until needed.
A person who sells a quality may not initially be aware of the change. Physical traits which are sold vanish immediately: hair or eyes will loose colour, a voice will immediately loose its ability to laugh or sing. More ethereal things such as luck or desire or hope may be noticed as having truly and utterly gone only more slowly.

Rank One
You can trade for weird qualities upon a successful bargain being struck. Any weird quality you own can be dropped into water, simmered and brewed into a potion that will bestow the quality on the drinker for ten minutes.

Rank Two
As with Rank One but the potion will bestow the quality upon the drinker for one hour.

Rank Three
As with Rank One but the potion will bestow the quality upon the drinker for one day.

Rank Four
As with Rank Four but the quality can be woven into an item or jewellery or clothing. The wearer can make a Test of Willpower to bestow the quality upon themselves for an hour. The wearer gains one Soulburn every time he or she invokes this power.

Rank Five
As with Rank Four but the quality can be woven into an item or jewellery or clothing that will bestow the quality on the bearer as long as the item is worn.

Woodland Wiles (Discipline)
The Auvarg have gained a certain understanding of the natural world, of the dark, lonesome forests and black, rocky hills that no other Duergar can hope to awaken to. For this is knowledge born of love, and no other clan knows the love that the Auvarg have to the desolate, lonely moors and twisted forests.

Aspects
This Discipline confers of the Auvarg a certain charmed power of insight into the natural world, as well as some abilities to craft natural objects into items of beauty.

Rank One
When in the open wild you can make a Test of Perception to gain insight into whether there are any large or dangerous creatures nearby, or other potential natural hazards – such as avalanche prone slopes, deep, drowning holes in moors or stormy weather coming.

Rank Two
In the first instant that you chance upon a creature, or person in the wilds you can make a Test of Dexterity to try and ‘vanish’ from sight into undergrowth or behind craggy rocks. If you succeed the creature or person will not have noticed anything more than a rustle and flutter of subtle noise.

Rank Three
As with Rank Three except no Test of Perception is required.

Rank Four
You gain some subtle charmed mastery over wild and living things. You can speak in slow halting words in the language of that the hawk uses to speak with the fox and badger, and will generally find wild creatures friendly and helpful.

Rank Five
As with Rank Four except that you may nominate a preferred animal such as raven, bear, hawk, fox, or bat. This kinship-animal will always react strongly and favourably to you, and members of the species will risk their lives to help and aid you. You can also speak fluently and clearly with your kinship-animal. The friendship however works both ways and you will lose all powers associated with the Woodland Wiles if you choose not to aid a distressed kinship-animal or act to harm one.

Woven and Wrought
The Duergar have long been know for their talent for making the ordinary extra-ordinary in shape and form. The Charmed Wrought discipline allows you to re-work the basic form of inanimate things, weaving silver into hair-thin threads, or gold into a cool watery liquid.

Aspects
Woven and Wrought is a very intensive discipline to practise and takes both time and effort and a dedicated forge to work – although the forge does not have to be anything more special than an average blacksmith’s furnace and tools.

Rank One
You can transmute the form of inanimate material into mildly unnatural states. You can turn stone soft and clayey or clay hard as rock. You could make gold hard as silver and silver as hard as iron. It takes you a full week of work to transmute a handful of material in this way.

Rank Two
It takes you a full week work to transmute an armful of material in this way.

Rank Three
You can make any solid so hard and strong as to be all but indestructible or so soft it could be shaped and moulded by hand. It takes you a full week of work to transmute a barrowful of material in this way.

Rank Four
As above but, it takes you a full week of work to transmute a barrelful of material in this way.

Rank Five
You can significantly change the form of substances to the limit that you cannot make solid into liquid or liquid into solid. You could however give gold the strength and edge of steel, spin rubies into threads to weave a cloak. It takes you a full week of work to transmute a wagonload of material in this way.



Phew!

Well, at least that is done with.

Any comments and crits welcome

Chris

Wayfarer's Song Download at: http://www.geocities.com/mythopoetic_games/Mythopoetic.html