Wretched Royalty

Bowed down only by the memories of your own lost glory, you could never submit to anyone else. Not you, of noble blood! (Not that you expect these peons to understand the depths of your sorrow.)

• Begins with: 4d6 × 10s and d2 Omens.
• HP: Toughness + d6.

Abilities

• Painfully average: you adjust no abilities.
• Roll a d8 on the weapons table.
• Roll a d4 on the armor table — but reroll if you receive heavy armor.

Things Were Going So Well, Until... (d6)

1. ...your Wästland palace was reduced to rubble.
2. ...your caravan kingdom of Tveland fell into penury.
3. ...King Fathmu IX's brother Zigmund, your father, was murdered.
4. ...the southern empire of Südglans sank into the sea.
5. ...Anthelia demanded a gift of noble blood.
6. ...two young princes were kidnapped west of Bergen Chrypt and disappeared into the black crevasse of the eastern slopes.

You Begin With Two of the Following (d6)

1. The Blade of Your Ancestors: This magnificent and clearly magical talking sword is foppish, unreliable, and quietly despises you. It taunts your failures and, if continually disappointed, develops a 1 in 6 chance to "accidentally" attack you or your companions. Deals d6+1 damage. Attack/Defence dr is 10.
2. Poltroon the Court Jester: While practically useless, personally irritating, and an emotional drain, Poltroon's capering actually makes enemies lose their focus in combat. For the first two rounds you and your allies get +2 on attack/defence.
3. Barbarister the Incredible Horse: Barbarister is magical, intelligent, arrogant, and vain. He can also talk. If you can persuade him to care, Barbarister occasionally adds +2 to Presence tests involving logic and intellect. The horse may be smarter than you and is quite aware of this.
4. Hamfund the Squire: This intensely cowardly servant acts only as guardian for the scabbard of the cursed sword Eurekia. Once per combat, if Ham can be found, Eurekia may be drawn. The sword does 2d6 damage, and for every swing of Eurekia roll a d6. On a 1 the squire is slain and Eurekia vanishes forever.
5. The Snake-Skin Gift: An expensive sandalwood box bound in snakeskin. It contains a seemingly ordinary dagger, wrapped in silk. The dagger does d4 damage, but on a 1 the target dies immediately of deadly poison weeping from the blade.
6. Horn of the Schleswig Lords! Once per day release a blare from this dented old trumpet and test Presence dr12. One creature may make their next non-combat test an automatic success.

Gaps/Expansion Notes:

• Zigmund — Fathmu IX's murdered brother, named only here. Who killed him? Was it political, or one of the older powers?
• Südglans — a southern empire that sank into the sea. Its fall is canonical but no other source describes the disaster, the survivors, or what came up from the water.
• The black crevasse of the eastern slopes of Bergen Chrypt — princes vanished there. Adventure seed: descend after them.
• Eurekia is a cursed talking-sword distinct from the Blade of Your Ancestors. Two royal swords in one class. The scabbard is the squire's whole purpose; the blade itself is hungrier than its bearer realizes.
• Anthelia's noble-blood tribute is the only origin in which the family was not destroyed — only gifted away. The Wretched Royalty in this case may be the gift that escaped.