Events, Threads and Omens
Each season, at the Events step, roll one d20 for the realm. Then roll one more for each settlement with an open thread, a siege or an occupation. A big realm gets more events only where its troubles are.
The realm events table (d20)
| d20 | Event | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Plague | the most populous settlement: DC 12 Surgeons or Temple check, or lose 10% pop; with an Aqueduct, +2 to the check |
| 2 | Hard winter | food required +20% next season |
| 3 | Bandits on the roads | trade −10% until cleared (a thread at 1) |
| 4 | Fire in a town | one holding loses a tier unless 400 gp × tier is paid now |
| 5 | Pretender's whisper | succession thread at 1 |
| 6 | Guild quarrel | a faction demands a charter at once (refusing doubles the usual unrest) |
| 7 | Border incident | relationship −1 with one neighbor; an envoy can mend it |
| 8 | Heresy or wild preaching | a faith thread at 1 (with Faith and Oaths; otherwise an unrest thread) |
| 9–12 | Quiet season | nothing beyond the ordinary |
| 13 | Bountiful harvest | food +10% this season |
| 14 | Pilgrims or travelers | +1 luxury stock |
| 15 | Rich vein | survey one deposit for free; a Rich grade is likely (roll twice, take the better) |
| 16 | Skilled stranger | officer search this season at −2 DC |
| 17 | Strange beasts or monsters | a thread at 2 in a rural settlement (with Dragons, a wild drake) |
| 18 | Great storm | ports and fleets: each ship rolls d6, and on a 1 it is lost |
| 19 | Omen | a free omen reading (Faith and Oaths), or a rumor that reveals one rival's next move |
| 20 | Golden opportunity | a marriage offer, a Prodigy officer, or a patron power choosing your ruler (Faith and Oaths); the GM picks what fits |
Settlement rolls use the same table, but only for that settlement. A roll of 9–12 there advances its worst open thread by 1 instead of nothing.
Threads
A thread is a trouble with stakes, a holder and a clock from 0 to 6, kept on the Threads tracker.
- A thread nobody acts on rises +1 each month.
- At 4 or higher, it can be taken to a Trial.
- At 6 it resolves on its own terms: a revolt, a schism, a war, a flight.
Closing a thread costs 1 Authority plus either a check at DC 10 + the clock, or gold of 100 gp × clock × size rank.
Omens
An omen is one question about the coming roll, answered in the voice of whatever powers your table uses. Heed the answer and the coming roll is +1; ignore it and it is −1. Without the Faith and Oaths module, omens come only from event 19, as rumors.