Exploration

The Lay of the Land

Each Hex is large and diverse, a land within the land. Some may spend their whole lives within one. A forest Hex might have cliffs, streams, clearings, and caves.

Use Spark Tables (p22) and the prompts at the base of each Knight and Myth spread to help fill the blanks in your Hexes.

Exploration Actions

When ruling exploration actions, follow the standard Action Procedure (p16). In particular, consider whether the action will take a whole Phase of the day to carry out.

As with other Actions, the players should know the risks before they commit to it.

If the Action calls for a Save the Company decides who rolls, using their Virtue.

Even if they fail the Save, the goal might still be achievable, but now faces an obstacle, a hostile encounter, or an additional cost.

While the cause and consequence of failure can be personal, they also represent the whims of nature, bad weather, shifting land.

If it is unclear which Virtue to use, consider the main activity involved in the risky part:

• Vigour: Strength or physical stamina.

• Clarity: Senses or mental quickness.

• Spirit: Social or emotional influence.

Searching

It takes a whole Phase to carry out a surface level sweep of an entire Hex, thoroughly search for something known to exist there, or find a vantage point.

Vision

From a vantage point it’s possible to get an overview of the current Hex and a general sense of what lies in neighbouring hexes, but not specific details.

Gathering Folklore

Everybody knows something about Myths. How much depends on who they are.

Vassals know about their nearest Myth, and its general direction. If it is adjacent to their home then they know its precise location. They know Landmarks in their home and neighbouring Hexes.

Knights and Vagabonds have roamed enough to know about a random Myth of the Realm and its rough direction. They also know of the nearest Landmark.

All of the above know rumours that warn of dangers, but not how to avoid or undo them.

Seers know the rules of all Myths, their secrets, and their locations. They know their weaknesses, and cures to their maladies. They know all Landmarks in the Realm. Such vast knowledge isn’t given freely.

For example, take Myth 6, the Goblin.

Omen 2 describes “A lost lad, full of stories. Claims a little old man called him into the woods.”

All locals know about children going missing, and stories of a strange old man in the woods off to the north-east.

A Seer knows that this is, in fact, the Goblin, and would know that he can only claim lost things, unable to steal for himself. They even know where to find his lair.