TEXT: Copyright © 2016-2017 Michael Prescott — CC-BY-NC 3.0 — cbna  — More at http://blog.trilemma.com
  v1.01 pg. 1/2
  THE SITUATION
  Deep in the forest stands 
  Tanibel, a remnant of the long-
  dead Martoi empire: a tall cita-
  del surrounded by a mockery of 
  a living town.
  Using their magic to strad-
  dle the veil between the worlds 
  of the living and the dead, they 
  survive in a dream of their van-
  ished reign.
  From the side of death they 
  draw their patience and eter-
  nal nature, from the side of 
  life, their vigor.
  THE VEIL
  Tanibel 
  exists 
  on 
  both sides of the veil, 
  and appears differ-
  ently to each.
  To the living, 
  it seems to be a 
  ruin, 
  overgrown 
  and ﬁ lled with 
  animals.
  To those who 
  have crossed over 
  the 
  veil 
  (even 
  temporarily), 
  it 
  appears as it did in 
  its prime: a thriv-
  ing town of artisans, 
  culture presided over 
  by a glorious nobility.
  CURSE OF THE MARTOI
  The Martoi, too, have a dual 
  nature. When they outnum-
  ber the living, they are regal, 
  tall and smooth-skinned. They 
  have long, ﬂ owing hair, strong 
  noses and angular jaw lines.
  When the living outnumber 
  them at a distance close enough 
  to converse, their true form is 
  revealed (this varies, see later).
  Several factors modify the 
  count:
  1. Martoi mounts and favored 
  pets (but not beasts of burden) 
  count as Martoi for these 
  purposes.
  2. A character with a bleeding 
  injury (e.g. having half hp or 
  less) counts as three extra 
  living beings.
  3. Characters willing 
  themselves to see one side or 
  the other 
  may 
  raise or 
  lower their personal count 
  by 1, depending on whether 
  they’re trying to see the side 
  of the living or dead. This can 
  be sustained for half an hour, 
  after which a great weariness 
  descends.
  4. The Crown of the Once-
  Queen greatly enhances the 
  Martoi count, anywhere in the 
  city.
  5. Anyone who has drunk 
  the black draught recently 
  counts for nothing.
  Except via special magic or 
  abilities, all members of adven-
  turing parties will see Tanibel 
  and its inhabitants in the same 
  way as the others.
  If the veil is crossed, the 
  shift itself is almost impercep-
  tible, as if things had been this 
  way all along. Refer to the new 
  forms without introducing 
  them. (e.g. “The badger 
  shufﬂ es 
  uncomfort-
  ably.” “Badger?”)
  THE PENUMBRA
  The mile-wide re-
  gion where the town 
  bleeds into the sur-
  rounding forest is 
  the penumbra.
  All sources of 
  water in the pen-
  umbra are con-
  taminated by the 
  black draught.
  Merely 
  being 
  in the penumbra 
  counts as 4 for the 
  Martoi side. This 
  tends to drag visi-
  tors across the veil, 
  forcing them to see 
  this place as it was.
  Tanibel 
  consumes 
  no real food, so where 
  most towns of its size would be 
  surrounded by farms and cul-
  tivated forest,  the penumbra 
  has only mushroom gatherers, 
  hunters, hermits, and tinkers. 
  Most will be encountered near 
  their homes; various shacks or 
  humble cottages.
  Roll a d10 on the townsfolk 
  motive table to determine 
  what they want—the result 
  holds so long as PCs perceive 
  them in their preferred form.
  If their true forms are revealed, 
  roll again on the motive table, 
  this time using a d6.
  The true forms of these folk 
  and their dwellings are, vari-
  ously:
  • Talking animals—large 
  foxes, badgers, or owls, in 
  cramped dirt burrows dug out 
  under the roots of large trees, 
  or hollow fallen trunks.
  • Gnarled imps and hags, 
  ﬂ esh as hard and dry as wood. 
  Either short, ancient, stooped, 
  or all three.
  • Bog stranglers: aquatic 
  psychopaths whose homes 
  are actually dark pools, 
  choked with lilies and rushes. 
  Any who realize this after 
  accepting an invitation 
  inside will ﬁ nd themselves 
  15’ underwater. All the food 
  they serve is infused with the 
  black draught.
  GARLEG, LORD OF 
  TREACHERY
  Garleg has many spies in the 
  penumbra, and unless adven-
  turers are careful to avoid en-
  counters, Garleg will soon hear 
  about them.
  Using his mastery of both 
  stealth and tracking, he will 
  attempt to place himself in the 
  adventurers’ path to be “dis-
  covered,” in a moment of dis-
  advantage (perhaps pulling on 
  his boots) and at close range, so 
  he appears in his true form: a 
  gnarled, limping imp.
  He is also one of the three 
  Lords of Memory who rule 
  Tanibel. His task is to ensure 
  the security of the citadel by 
  fostering rebellion in a manner 
  that allows him to monitor it.
  He will attempt to persuade 
  the adventurers to participate 
  in an upcoming coup. If they 
  are keen, he will guide them to 
  the citadel by way of the home 
  of a traitor.
  of the living and the dead, they 
  survive in a dream of their van-
  From the side of death they 
  draw their patience and eter-
  nal nature, from the side of 
  Tanibel 
  exists 
  on 
  both sides of the veil, 
  and appears differ-
  To the living, 
  appears as it did in 
  its prime: a thriv-
  ing town of artisans, 
  culture presided over 
  by a glorious nobility.
  CURSE OF THE MARTOI
  the other 
  may 
  shift itself is almost impercep-
  tible, as if things had been this 
  way all along. Refer to the new 
  forms without introducing 
  them. (e.g. “The badger 
  shufﬂ es 
  uncomfort-
  ably.” “Badger?”)
  THE PENUMBRA
  The mile-wide re-
  gion where the town 
  bleeds into the sur-
  rounding forest is 
  taminated by the 
  black draught
  in the penumbra 
  counts as 4 for the 
  Martoi side. This 
  tends to drag visi-
  tors across the veil, 
  forcing them to see 
  this place as it was.
  Tanibel 
  consumes 
  no real food, so where 
  a Fantasy Settlement by Michael Prescott
  VEIL OF THE ONCE-QUEEN
  
  Copyright © 2016-2017 Michael Prescott — CC-BY-NC 3.0 — cbna  — More at http://blog.trilemma.com
  v1.01 pg. 2/2
  If they are not, he will encour-
  age them to accompany him to 
  “those who need their aid,” by 
  which he means the victims of 
  the Once-Queen’s gray proc-
  tors.
  THE WALL DISTRICT
  The next ring of Tanibel is a 
  majestic wall, topped by pen-
  nants in all manner of greens 
  and yellows.
  Merely being in the wall 
  district counts as six for the 
  Martoi side.
  Countless scores of towers 
  have been built on both sides 
  of the wall, some squat and 
  short, others tall and narrow, 
  connected to the wall (and one 
  another) by bridges and cat-
  walks of all shapes and sizes, 
  some low to the ground, some 
  soaring high.
  Wherever a bridge pierces 
  the wall, there is a gate, some 
  massive and fortiﬁ ed, oth-
  ers mere doorways—all in all 
  there are hundreds.
  This makes no sense defen-
  sively, but Garleg (if present) 
  will explain that the Once-
  Queen’s true defense is her 
  great cruelty (which is why she 
  must be overthrown).
  TOWNSFOLK OF THE WALL
  During the day, the wall dis-
  trict is full of activity: dozens 
  of people in dapper, brightly 
  colored liveries dart back and 
  forth along the bridges, carry-
  ing loads of food, goods, mes-
  sages.
  Many cry out in wordless 
  song (or merely humming), 
  busy chattering on inane top-
  ics, or proclaiming the virtues 
  of their particular tower or 
  bridge.
  RETURNING FROM THE VEIL
  In truth, the inhabitants of 
  the wall district are squirrels, 
  families of deer, marmosets, 
  skinks, weasels and birds of all 
  sorts. All can speak.
  The ‘towers’ are actually 
  trees, and the ‘bridges’ their 
  mighty boughs.
  The wall, on the other hand, 
  is a real wall, albeit a crum-
  bling ruin. In places it reaches 
  its full height, in others it is a 
  tumble of stone barely rising 
  out of the undergrowth.
  The many gates are choked 
  with the webs of the gray 
  proctors. (Some of the bridges 
  are webs, too.)
  THE GRAY PROCTORS
  Typically are fat, long limbed, 
  leather-clad, placid of body, 
  and predatory of gaze, they 
  loiter by the gates (claiming to 
  ‘guard’ them), and accost any 
  passers by.
  They claim to be authorities 
  on the workings of the citadel, 
  and will attempt to intimidate 
  anyone passing by into their 
  schemes. Most involve tying 
  visitors up in bureaucratic red 
  tape, making complex arrange-
  ments for audiences, contracts, 
  visas, applications and peti-
  tions.
  These 
  arrangements 
  are 
  always complex and time con-
  suming, involving at least two 
  other parties, usually more.
  They proffer made-up titles 
  (“Secretary 
  to 
  the 
  Under-
  petitioner for pre-noon appli-
  cations via the Western upper 
  gate”), and grow angry with 
  anyone attempting to push 
  past them. This will draw more 
  proctors to the scene.
  Pale, 
  withered 
  citizens 
  pleading to be let past as they 
  sign document after document 
  are common sight.
  In truth, they gray proctors 
  are giant spiders. On the living 
  side of the veil, their webs form 
  impenetrable barriers across 
  the gaps in the ruined wall.
  The silk-wrapped carcass-
  es of their victims are every-
  where.
  Under no circumstances will 
  they bother Garleg or anyone 
  with him.
  INSIDE THE WALL
  Between the wall and the cita-
  del is a narrow strip, overbuilt 
  with teetering houses, over-
  hangs, raised walks and walled 
  gardens.
  During the day, the streets 
  are thick with nobles and ar-
  tisans (determine motives as 
  usual).
  On the living side of the veil 
  (which is very hard to reach 
  when the streets are busy), 
  the city of death is revealed: 
  its citizens are skeletal sham-
  blers and wisp-like ghosts, the 
  streets cobbled with broken 
  skulls.
  THE CITADEL
  In life, a ruin no taller than a 
  house, yet in death the citadel 
  towers above the forest with a 
  trio of magniﬁ cent towers.
  ALASNIA THE ONCE-QUEEN
  Like 
  her 
  sis-
  ter, 
  Vesarcha, 
  Alasnia’s only goal 
  is to enrich her city 
  with new subjects 
  to remind her of the 
  glorious history of 
  Tanibel.
  She demands oaths of service, 
  consummated by drinking the 
  black draught.
  She wears the Crown. Also 
  like her sister, she is a skeletal 
  wraith when seen truthfully.
  VESARCHA, LADY MEMORY
  Master of poisons, a nick from 
  her blade sends you into a 
  dreamless slumber; a kiss be-
  witches.
  LORD OF TREACHERY
  If Garleg appears here, he 
  adopts 
  his 
  deathly 
  form, 
  Garleg, Lord of Treachery—a 
  tall, beautiful man with ra-
  ven-black hair. Servants im-
  mediately drape him in em-
  broidered linens and cloth of 
  gold.
  If Garleg can convince an 
  outsider to assassinate (either 
  alone, or at the head of an 
  armed insurrection), the eter-
  nal spell of this place is nearly 
  complete: the next person who 
  wears the Crown of the Once-
  Queen vanishes, replaced by a 
  youthfully restored Alasnia.
  THE CROWN
  A delicate confection of ice-
  cold silver, it is the crown that 
  moves the veil. If it ever leaves 
  Tanibel, its power is broken 
  forever.
  THE BLACK DRAUGHT
  Made from Lady Memory’s 
  tears over her fallen realm,  it 
  suffuses all there is to eat and 
  drink here.
  Any who partake for more 
  than a week become night-eyed 
  and no longer 
  count toward 
  the 
  living. 
  Any who stay 
  a month join 
  the 
  ghostly 
  citizens 
  in 
  eternal 
  un-
  death.
  d10
  Townsfolk Motive
  1-2
  Introduce to someone 
  further in who they 
  think will ﬁ nd you 
  useful
  3-4
  Money—offer a ser-
  vice, or sell you some-
  thing
  5-6
  Trap you and eat you
  7
  Beat you and rob you
  8-9
  Revelry, ideally to the 
  point of incapacity
  10
  Find allies to rebel 
  against 
  the 
  Once-
  Queen
  sively, but Garleg (if present) 
  will explain that the Once-
  Queen’s true defense is her 
  great cruelty (which is why she 
  must be overthrown).
  ments for audiences, contracts, 
  visas, applications and peti-
  tions.
  These 
  arrangements 
  are 
  always complex and time con-
  suming, involving at least two 
  other parties, usually more.
  ALASNIA THE ONCE-QUEEN
  Like 
  her 
  sis-
  ter, 
  Vesarcha, 
  Alasnia’s only goal 
  is to enrich her city 
  with new subjects 
  to remind her of the 
  glorious history of 
  Tanibel.
  than a week become night-eyed 
  and no longer 
  count toward 
  the 
  living. 
  Any who stay 
  a month join 
  the 
  ghostly 
  citizens 
  in 
  eternal 
  un-
  death.
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Trilemma Adventures/Trilemma 31 Veil of the Once-Queen.pdf