TEXT: By Eli Kurtz
  The
  Seven
  Quillcrows
  
  Author
  Eli Kurtz
  Cover and Page Design
  Lord Zsezse Works
  Artwork
  Logos by Elizabeth Galindorf
  The Twa Corbies by Arthur Rackam, circa 1919
  Layout
  Richard Woolcock
  All unique characters, names, and locations, The Seven Quillcrows, the Mythic Gazetteer logo, and the
  Blackwood logo are © 2017 Mythic Gazetteer, LLC; DBA The Mythic Gazetteer. All Rights Reserved.
  The Mythic Gazetteer grants permission to print and distribute this document, in whole or in part, for personal
  use.
  For more information about this work, visit The Mythic Gazetteer at www.MythicGazetteer.com
  This game references the Savage Worlds game system, available from Pinnacle Entertainment Group at
  www.peginc.com. Savage Worlds and all associated logos and trademarks are copyrights of Pinnacle
  Entertainment Group. Used with permission. Pinnacle makes no representation or warranty as to the quality,
  viability, or suitability for purpose of this product.
  The Seven
  Quillcrows
  
  A Savage Worlds One Sheet for the Blackwood
  The Seven Quillcrows
  Begins in: Talbrand, Denvorn Province
  Harvest, 1452
  Once upon a time, the hedge protecting the village
  of Talbrand was raised by the Elder King himself.
  Perhaps that is why the village fell on such hard times
  when he disappeared. In the past fourteen years, crops
  have failed and the forest threatens to break through
  the hedge. Many families have fled for the crowded
  safety of the town of Denvorn.
  Six months ago, the last seven young adults in the
  village were tempted away by Fly-by-Nght, an elf
  disguised as an errant. Fly-by-Night has enchanted the
  youths to turn into quillcrows, large and fearsome
  carrion fowl, between dusk and dawn. In that form,
  they raid much-needed food from their old home for
  the elf's absurd enjoyment.
  Red Sun Rising
  An overcast autumn dawn is mere minutes away. Our
  errant heroes—guarding two wagons on their way to
  Talbrand—find themselves in the midst of battle in a
  long, narrow gorge. A coven of pagans (one for each
  player) has ambushed the party from the top of the
  gorge, 15 feet overhead. The pagans will try to steal
  food from the wagons.
  In the second round of combat, a murder of seven
  large quillcrows swoops down from the sky to join the
  fight. In the fourth round, one of the birds cries “The
  dawn breaks! Fly away! Fly away!” and the surviving
  quillcrows and pagans melt into the forest.
  A successful Knowledge (Lore) roll (or a Common
  Knowledge roll at –2) will reveal that quillcrows can
  only talk in the most fanciful of children’s stories.
  If the party searches any slain pagans, they will find
  two items of interest:
  • Wingseed Pouch: Intelligent Relic; Manipulative
  (Aid Elves); Spirit d6; Knowledge (Elves) d8. Twice per
  session, the winged maple seeds in this leather pouch
  grant the Leaf Step Edge (see next page) for a single
  scene or combat. They must be thrown in the air to be
  activated. The elven magic within the seeds is cursed
  to tempt the owner to aid Fly-by-Night in its schemes.
  • Dream Bark: Mildly poisonous when boiled into
  a tea (Vigor –2 vs. Hallucination; lasts 1d6+6 minutes),
  dream bark causes the victim to suffer a –2 penalty to
  Fear tests, and also a –2 penalty to resist Persuasion
  rolls. There is enough bark for a single use.
  Unwelcome Guests
  A gang of villagers halts the party at the hedge gate
  when they arrive at Talbrand. They demand to know
  the errants’ intentions.
  A Social Conflict ensues wherein the villagers rail
  against all errants, who walk the “Way’s Margin” on
  the edge of the Elder King’s law, and who tempt good
  men and women away from their homes with foolish
  dreams of glory. The errants are denied entry to the
  village if they fail to convince the villagers that their
  intentions are admirable.
  Hidden Sorrows, Secret Hope
  One thing is clear: Talbrand harbors a rare hatred of
  errantry. Attempts to gather information about this
  are made at –2, but a success reveals that seven youths
  were recently tempted away from Talbrand by a
  mysterious female errant. Without them, the village is
  home only to the very young and the very old. Their
  departure has doomed Talbrand to slow ruin.
  If asked how the errants can help, the villagers will
  begrudgingly ask the characters to drive out the local
  pagans. They can offer no payment for the service.
  A raise on any of the tests reveals that two villagers
  may know more. Bramble, the local herbalist, and
  Lars, a recent convert to the foreign Unified faith,
  have connected the departure of the youths with the
  
  arrival of the quillcrows.
  Both suspect the youths have been enchanted by an
  elf. They have held this knowledge in secret (even
  from each other), waiting for errants to come save
  them from despair. Both believe they know how to
  break the curse. If either becomes aware of the other’s
  plan, both will insist that theirs is the only guaranteed
  method to free the youths.
  Into the Elven Wilds
  The villagers, the herbalist, and the convert all point
  the errants southeast. The pagans live inside elven
  wilderness, which slowly migrates throughout the
  Blackwood. The party must enter the wilderness, then
  navigate its perils with a Survival-based Dramatic
  Task at the standard –2 difficulty penalty. Should this
  Dramatic Task fail, our heroes will be lost to the forest
  forever. On a success, the party finds its way through
  the elven wilds and arrives at the pagan camp.
  A Murderous Flock
  Located in a naturally-tiered grove, the coven is made
  up of one pagan per player (regardless of how many
  were killed earlier), any remaining quillcrows, and the
  elf. The pagans will fight to the death to protect their
  home. Fly-by-Night will fight to protect its pagan pets
  but flees if the battle turns against it. The remaining
  details of this scene are determined by the errants’
  actions back in the village:
  • Villagers: The party must assault the coven. Slain
  quillcrows will revert to their human form when
  killed. If the elf is killed, it will be revived 2d6 minutes
  later to escape.
  • Herbalist: The errants must assault the coven but
  they are armed with the secret of the elf’s mortality:
  salt to wither it, and fire to burn it away. A simple
  Alchemy roll successfully administers the herbalist’s
  salty poultice to the elf, and burning its corpse doesn’t
  require any roll at all. Once the elf is truly destroyed,
  the pagans will flee and the youths will be freed of
  their enchantment.
  • Celebrant: One errant must conduct a ritual (treat
  this as a Faith-based Dramatic Task at –2) to hallow
  this area with a portable Unified shrine. The coven,
  quillcrows, and elf will attack as normal. If the ritual
  is completed, the elf and coven are repelled, but the
  youths are not cured of their quillcrow enchantment.
  LEAF STEP (WEIRD EDGE)
  Whenever this character uses the “run” action, they
  gain the Wall Walker ability for 1 round. If they run
  during combat, they may also make an Agility Trick
  as a free action.
  QUILLCROW
  Larger than most eagles, quillcrows are cunning
  scavengers with an intimidating caw. They prefer to
  strafe their targets and paralyze from a distance with
  dartlike feathers. When their targets are helpless, they
  swoop in to finish the job. These quillcrows are better
  than average.
  Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d6 (A), Spirit d6,
  Strength d6, Vigor d8
  Skills: Fighting
  d6,
  Intimidation
  d8,
  Notice
  d6,
  Shooting d8
  Pace: 2; Parry: 5; Toughness: 6
  Special Abilities
  • Talons: Str+d6.
  • Flight: Flying Pace of 10 with Climb 1.
  • Quills: Str+d4; Range 3/6/12; Paralysis Poison.
  PAGAN
  Living in magical wilderness is the height of folly for
  anyone but a pagan, and that allowance is dearly
  bought. Pagans bind themselves to elves in pacts of
  servitude, power and protection. In battle, pagans
  work in eerie harmony and use every dirty trick they
  can get away with.
  Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit d6, Strength
  d6, Vigor d6
  Skills: Fighting
  d6,
  Intimidation
  d8,
  Notice
  d6,
  Throwing d8
  Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 6 (1)
  Hindrances: Outsider, Zealot (Major: Elves)
  Edges: Arcane Background (Elven Pact), Leaf Step (as
  described at the bottom of this page)
  Powers: Beast friend (Friend of Ravens), elemental
  protection (Hard Living), 15 PP
  Gear: Spear x2 (St+d6, Parry +1, Reach 1, Range
  3/6/12), Antler Knife x2 (St+d4, Parry +1 if dual-
  wielded, Range 2/4/8), Hide Armor (+1)
  FLY-BY-NIGHT
  Mostly humanoid save for strangely sharp
  features and a hole in its back revealing a
  hollow wooden body, Fly-by-Night is a kind of elf
  known as a Hollowback. Fly-by-Night keeps its
  pagans as pets, and demands the youths steal food and
  wine from the surrounding area by day to fuel absurd,
  theatrical feasts each night. It wants the villagers to
  abandon Talbrand for good.
  Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d6, Spirit d6, Strength
  d12, Vigor d8
  Skills: Fighting d12, Intimidation d8, Notice d6
  Pace: 6; Parry: 8; Toughness: 6
  Hindrances: Stubborn
  Edges: Ambidextrous, Coven Pact (+1 PP per Pagan),
  Martial Artist (Str+d4 Hoary Fists), Two-Fisted
  Powers: Armor (Oakenheart), 6 PP
  Gear: Daggerbraid (Str+d6, +2 Grapple)
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Savage Worlds System (SWADE) [multi]/Blackwood/Savage Worlds - Blackwood - The Seven Quillcrows.pdf