TW: Suicide (by hanging, sword, and non-specified means)

A power struggle unfolds in the Court of Scars.

Vicegerent Rhaej Warlenz, the Sister of Tears, has long held a solid power base at the top of the Hierarchy, but the ancient power of Mrendelfoth, the Hanged Man, is a powerful rival. He seeks her title and position as the Mother of Despair's favored servant. Modrulfr, the Dire Wolf Manifest, is a rising usurper with a strong and dangerous cabal behind him, and Alma Cree has a wide and dangerous network of her own, with mysterious goals. All of this is complicated by Hedvika Irovczyk, the Autumnal Encroacher, whose own power base is a doomsday cult that is encouraging complete self-destruction of the entire Court.

Everything will come to a head on the Autumnal Equinox..

Arcs:
1. Bleak Book:
A cloister called the Daughters of Tears living in Hanging Rock receive a call from the Sister of Tears to perform a ceremony that will obstruct the power of the Hanged Man, whose sigil names the island they are on. PCs will be Daughters who go to the pinnacle of Hanging Rock, facing powerful challenges along the way.

PCs:

2. Wolf's Den:
Followers of the Dire Wolf Manifest are in a fortress called the Wolf's Den in Frohm, deep in frozen forests. It is besieged by the Hanged Man's armies, and the bohoken, lupos, and werewolves (and other followers) there must find a way to survive to protect the Mother of Scars' Rune of Desecration. Players would be followers of the Dire Wolf Manifest struggling on whether or not to use the Rune and destroy their enemies and themselves at the same time. Connects to Indigo and Jasper.

PCs:

Vignette: A cobalt dragon speaks to the Mother of Scars and savors her pain.

3. Fomorian:
In the wastes of Bel-torren, the Fomorian giants dwell. Outcasts from far Lyrilla, these giants yearn for their homeland and survive in brutality. They have no unity on who they serve, and a power struggle between them is mounting. Players would choose as a group which faction (or none) that they follow and play Fomorians, pukwudgies, and ogres of that faction at the start of outright civil war in Bel-torren.

PCs:

Vignette: A wasteland behemoth is herded to stampede a rival faction's camp.

4. Deep Tears:
The nation of Coesania is an underground nation of the great hive of the Coesanian species. They are deeply loyal to Alma Cree and her strange purposes. Players would be Coesanians and other servants of Alma Cree in an underground cell seeking to find a traitor in their midst. Connects to Citizenship.

PCs:

5. The Woorimes:
The Woorimes are huge wyrms that eat all forms of happiness. They are not loyal yet to any faction, but both the Encroacher and Alma Cree have unspoken reasons to find them to be a crucial part of what is coming. Players would be servants of both in a temporary alliance protecting the Woorimes from followers of the Dire Wolf Manifest, who seek to slay the Woorimes. Connects to Fivefold Path.

PCs:

Vignette: A dvdegitsisqua chieftain speaks with an ogre warlord , trying to work out their factions.

6. Sacrifice:
Jreus is a lamb created by the Mother of Scars tobe sacrificed. Every year, it is sacrificed to honor her, renewing itself in a pool of tears and blood until the next autumn. Dwelling in The Shutters on a strange, sickly farm, she must be served every year by loyal servants. This year, months before the sacrifice is to be held, agents seeking to prevent it--followers of rivaling factions--are making war on the farm. Players would be servants--cowers and udasi, mostly--of Jreus seeking to protect the farm.

PCs:

Vignette: A Nakatani wasp hive is disrupted in the midst of a running battle in Tamarn forests.

7. Gallows:
The sin eaters of Quaradii mostly serve the Hanged Man. In one of their forests, almost every tree is adorned with a noose, each one washed in blood of someone driven to suicide. This forest, called Gallows Wood, or Gyosudae Namu, is a holy site full of tortured ghosts. Players would be rebel sin eaters seeking to free these ghosts, which are being used to empower the Hanged Man.

PCs:

8. Suicide King:
The King of Norrick serves the Mother of Scars, and his family is directly related to the Sister of Tears. Every ruler of Norrick for Ages has committed ritual suicide with the Obiefune sword Sacrifice at the age of 63 in order to empower their matriarch. The current King has switched alliances and joined the Encroacher's faction, and now refuses to perform the ceremony. Players would be his followers seeking to prevent the Sister's agents from infiltrating the nation and forcing the King to perform the ceremony.

PCs:

Vignette: Tamarnthek prepares for war with Furich Amol while sending emissaries to Tzuk for alliance. Connects to Kyriarchy and War of Daggers.

9. Child Killer:
Alma Cree has made an alliance with the Stillborn Cult in her subtle war: she chooses their targets, they slay children, and she feeds off the pain of their loved ones. Players would be members of Alma's cabal seeking to choose the perfect targets--Savant children.

PCs:

Vignette: Servitors of past Champions discuss war stories while waiting on the Stillborn Cultists to finish their work, so they can be dispatched afterward.

10. Lachrymosa:
Alma's plans become more clear as she proposes an allaince with the Sister of Tears. Players would be the Sister and/or her servants traveling the Bleak Path to Alma's sanctuary, where more is revealed.

PCs:

11. Obsidian Obelisk:
The power struggles in the infernal realms spills into the Cobalt Obelisk in the Broken Obelisk realm. Players would be belphegori and griles who are facing both infernal assaults and the war of the factions in the Court of Scars. Connects to Gossamer Intrigue.

PCs:

Vignette: A baobhan warrior serving Lachrymosa intimidates a dire wolf clansman.

12. Autumnfall:
The Autumnal Equinox is nigh. The Moment is coming. All factions converge. The ritual is happening. Players would be characters from previous sessions with their own motivations for being present at the Equinox Ceremony.

PCs:

Vignette: Around the world, thousands commit suicide.

Conflicting Visions | Kyriarchy | Golden Sun | Fivefold Path | Holy Matrix | Autumnal Equinox | Aeonian Configuration | Black Velvet | The Old Stories | War of Daggers | The Frontier | Branches | Veil and Hood | Indigo and Jasper | Citizenship | Gossamer Intrigue | Setting