Hello friends!

We know that settlements in Torchbearer often have temples and shrines to various Immortals—they’re among the locations you can visit during the town phase. But the temples and shrines are generic. It’s left to the GM to fill in the details. By default, people in Torchbearer give devotion to many Immortals. Most are simply worshipped collectively as the “Lords.” But it is not uncommon for settlements to pay special attention to a Young Lord: say Yngve the Lord of Sowing, an incarnation of the Lords of Plenty.

These rules are intended to give individual settlements a bit more character by giving you tools to determine which Young Lord a settlement especially reveres. You can also determine which Chaos Immortal (Jotunn) the settlement especially fears and propitiates. These rules are intended to replace the Temples and Shrines section of the Town chapter in Torchbearer.

Use these details to color your settlements and give them character. If you’re making use of the cult rules from Middarmark , these results can help you determine if a particular cult operates in a settlement. And obviously you don’t need to roll on the Immortal Patrons table if you already know a particular Young Lord holds sway in a settlement: Freydis, Lady of Reaping, is the patron of Sunnås in Middarmark, so there’s no need to roll.

The ‘Age’ category is meant to give a rough idea of how widespread a particular Immortal’s worship is: People throughout Middarmark and beyond (e.g., Gottland, Holmsea and Svanland) often recognize ancient immortals, though it is unusual for them to have truly devoted cults; they are frequently worshipped collectively with the Lords rather than as individuals. The worship of old Immortals is widespread and often more organized—though different peoples often have different names for them. Young Immortals are recently ascended—within the past several hundred years. Their adherents tend to be devoted and vigorous in the pursuit of their patron’s goals.

Temples and Shrines

Temples and shrines in towns gladly offer prayers for weary travelers—for a small donation, of course.

Immortal Patrons

Most settlements have small shrines to various immortals, but most also have one particular patron whom they favor with spells and sacrifice. The GM may choose a settlement’s Immortal Patron or roll 3d6 on the following table:

Roll

(3d6) Immortal

Patron Age Symbols Spheres of

Influence 3 Lord of the

Wild Hunt Ancient Hunting horn made

of deer antlers and

brambles Terror, fear,

hunting, the lost 4 The Shining

One Ancient A youthful girl, hair

not yet plaited in adult

braids, adorned with a

crown of wildflowers Youth, health,

song, spring 5 Lady of the

Winter Hunt Young A woman carrying a

bundle of skis, spear

and bow over her

shoulder Winter travel,

storms, winter,

death 6 Lord of

Strength Young A young man seated

upon a throne with a

naked sword across

his knees Nobility, youth,

warriors 7 Lord of Winds

and Sailors Old A sailor with a cloak

made of feathers;

wind-blown waves; a

mountain wreathed

in cloud Weather, luck,

sailors, journeys

by sea 8 Lady of Battles Young A woman armored and

helmed, her great sword

held point down before

her Conquest and

war, courage,

order, protection 9 Lady of Reaping Ancient A young woman with a

basket overflowing with

food; a grim-visaged

warrior brandishing a

spear Harvest, death,

war, fertility, sex,

autumn 10 Lord of Sowing Ancient A boar or a naked man

with pronounced genitalia Sowing, plowing

fertility, sex 11 Lord of Victory Ancient A richly dressed noble

figure on a throne with a

sheathed sword across

his knees Battle, victory,

rulership 12 Hearthmistress,

Protector of the

Hall Old A queen seated upon her

throne, a spear and shield

at her side; a loom Hearth, marriage

children, weaving,

cooking, defense

of hearth and

home 13 Lord of Forges Old Hammer and tongs; a forge;

a thickly bearded face Craft and crafters,

swordsmiths,

cunning 14 The Huntress Ancient Two boar spears crossed;

a bare-chested woman

crouched; a she-wolf

stalking Hunting, wild beasts,

pursuit in love, luck 15 The

Dragonslayer Young A man painted black and

carrying a spear Heroes, lost causes,

valiant death 16 Lord of Mercy Old Twin idol with his sister,

Lady of Valor; they stand

side-by-side. He is a man

bearing a drinking horn Health, healing,

recovery, mercy,

justice, drinking 17 Lady of Valor Old Twin idol with her brother,

Lord of Mercy; they stand

side-by-side. She is a

warrior with a sword and

shield Courage, bravery,

fortitude, sharp

swords, strong

shields, valiant

death 18 The Daystar Ancient An ouroboros around the

sun Seasons, sunlight,

time, summer

Propitiate Immortals

Not all Immortals are beneficent. There are dark powers who seek the destruction of civilization. To keep them at bay, folk make constant sacrifice, hoping to satisfy the dark immortals’ carnal lusts so they do not visit calamity on a settlement.

To determine to whom the folk of this settlement sacrifice—or to determine which cults secretly lurk in the hearts of the guilds and rulers of this place, roll 2d6 on the following table:

Roll

(2d6) Propitiate

Immortal Age Symbols Spheres of

Influence 2-3 Captain of the

Dead Ship Eternal

(Jotunn) A desiccated

hand from which

the fingernails

have been torn;

a ship made of

fingernails Death, undeath,

funerals, sailing

in storms,

curses 4-5 The Stalking

Beast Eternal

(Jotunn) A great black

wolf; a shadow

in darkness; a

giant hand

covering the

moon Hunting, wild

beasts, eclipse,

nightmares,

ravening hunger 6-7 Lady of

Enervation Eternal

(Jotunn) A spilled cup; a

bent, lamed

woman; a giant

hand clutching a

warrior woman Servants and thralls,

gossip, laziness,

time, cold wet

weather, curses 8-9 Lord of

Whispers Eternal

(Jotunn) A knife tipped with

a drop of blood, a

hand over the

mouth; a coin

stamped with a

skull Politics, trade,

succession,

assassination,

corruption 10-12 Lord of

Slaughter Eternal

(Jotunn) A raven; a dead

man; a shattered

shield; a giant

crushing a powerful

warrior Ravens, ambush,

battlefields, battle

madness, murder

Pray at the Shrine

A traveler may pray at the shrine of the Immortal Patron or propitiated Chaos Immortal of this place.

Make Sacrifices

You may entreat the priests of this settlement to make sacrifices on your behalf. You may sacrifice to the Immortal patron or you may sacrifice to a Jotunn Immortal to try to ward off bad luck.

Increase lifestyle cost by 1 to represent the sacrifice and roll 3d6 on the Immortal Omens table below.

Before rolling on the table, you may test Theologian to call upon the proper Immortals. If successful, you may choose to keep the result that you roll or the next higher result. If you fail, subtract your margin of failure from your result.

You may leave a substantial offering—something magical, something worth at least 3D of cash or something unique to the Immortal—and gain +1 to the roll.

You may make a propitiate offering to the Chaos Immortal who holds sway over your fate: +1 to the Immortal Omens Table roll; increase lifestyle cost by 1.

Immortal Omens Table (3d6)

2 Immortal Darkness: You have angered the combined council of Chaos

Immortals and they curse your prayers to the abyss. You may not pray to

the Immortals at the temple or anywhere (including clerics!) until this curse

is lifted. 3 Hyrm’s Notice: The shade of someone or something you killed but failed to

put to rest stalks you. It acts as a barrow wight, disturbed spirit or draugr

and grows closer with each town phase, waiting for you in the darkness. 4 Slaughterer’s Boast: The Lord of Slaughter sings of your deeds. Add one

opponent to each kill conflict until the next town phase. 5 Whispers: The Lord of Whispers stains your reputation. +1 Ob to all Circles,

Manipulator, Persuader and Orator tests until the next town phase. 6 The Stalking Beast spurns you: No game or fowl to be hunted while you are

in the wilderness until the next town phase. Not even a mouse. Any attempt

to hunt advances the grind and automatically results in a twist. 7 Curse of Slow Blood: The Lady of Enervation mocks you. You gain the

exhausted condition. 8 Death Omen: You see an item, symbol or spell you will soon encounter.

Take the angry or afraid condition. 9 Baying of the Wild Hunt: Dogs bark and fight outside the temple, drowning

out the prayers of the priests within. All invocations fail during this town

phase and automatically result in a twist. 10 The Immortals are deaf to your pleas. 11 Wind’s Laughter: The weather suddenly changes. Roll for new weather. 12 Swan of Blood: A raven lands on your sacrifice and pecks away a piece

before flying off. 13 Glory of Elves: You are visited with a vision of events to come. You see a

flash of a place or person you will soon encounter. You may remove the

angry or afraid condition once any time before the encounter comes to pass. 14 The Huntress’s Wisdom: +1 to camp events while outdoors until the next

town phase. 15 Hearthmistress’s Favor: +1 to town events and +1D to requests for hospitality

until of your current adventure. 16 Favor of the Lord of Forges: +1D to craft skills until the end of your current

adventure. 17 Gift of the Shining One: Any conditions you suffer are cured and you become

fresh. 18+ Immortal Boon: Add +1D to all tests for class skills during your current

adventure.

Sacrifice Lifestyle Cost: 1 plus 1 if making a propitiate offering.