How can one not be inspired by a snowy bonfire guitar solo from the 1990s? Don’t answer that…but, I was. I saw Dinosaur Jr. in concert in 2000 or so. It was a tiny venue. They brought equipment that would have been fine for a venue ten times the size. It was so freaking loud…and awesome. The “I know your name” lyrics inspired me due to the true name aspect of the Shadowdark rules.
As the characters sit around a campfire on the road during a cold, snowy evening, one (or more) of them hear(s) a voice behind them. The voice says, very simply, “I know your name.”
Germinate
Next, we are going to germinate the seed with secrets. Some of these secrets might contradict each other. They do not all have to be used. Rather, they are to give a GM some ideas to work with. Anything highlighted in brackets is fair game to change…then again, it’s all fair game to change because you’re the GM.
- The voice [is a unique pitch; speaks in an uncommon language; has a distinct accent; is calm; is frantic; is threatening; is cautious].
- Following the voice leads to no one, as if the voice came out of thin air. Or perhaps it leads to a speaker who does not seem to match the voice for some reason.
- The voice is a trick by a fey creature to [get someone alone; draw the party in their direction; just have some fun].
- Only one party member hears the voice (working particularly well when that character uses a nickname or otherwise hides their true identity).
- The source of the voice offers a bet that they can provide the person’s name in exchange for [gold; a secret; fulfilment of a quest].
- The voice is coming from an animal in the forest, or perhaps from a tree.
- The voice is child-like and turns out to be an actual child who followed the characters from the last settlement. Did the child really follow them this far? How?
- Following the voice leads to a [door to ruins; magical portal; mouth of a cave; a waterfall].
- A bard, carrying a lute, arrives from the direction of the voice. He begins to perform a song naming each member of the party, sharing something about them that most would not know.
- The character(s) who heard the voice do not know why, but they suddenly think of an unfamiliar name like [Crall; Filip; Deluna; Panna].
Grow
This seed is simple to grow into an encounter. There could be a futile search for the voice or an encounter with the speaker. This could lead to combat, a negotiation, or a conversation.
If the goal is a one-shot dungeon crawl, then the voice could come from a portal or cave or another dungeon. Who is inside, and why did they seek the party’s attention? Or perhaps the party needs to get this kid back to the settlement safely.
As an adventure, the voice could be identified as someone who needs the party’s help. They are willing to reward the party, of course. It could even be the case that the party was prophesied or expected in the area.
Think broadly for a campaign seed. This could be the introduction of a patron who will need the party’s help moving forward. It could be the catalyst that draws a group of common shepherds into a fey world. How do they get back?
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