﻿SWORD&BEARER by Viditya Voleti
Edited by Fiona Maeve Geist
Original art by Nadhir Nor
Layout & extra art by Julie-anne Muñoz

The City, Alive
SWORD&BEARER takes place in a sprawling idyllic city of industry and magic behind walls protecting it from harsh wilderness. This densely populated and thriving city houses all kinds of people with clear class and status distinctions. Around The City’s wealthier parts, you’ll see happy faces doing what they can to make life great, enjoying bustling bazaars, peaceful gardens and gorgeous museums. While the poorer districts contain factories, bars and cramped streets, where people find joy in shared culture and community. Rarely does anyone see The City’s center, where the ornate and glamorous loom over the rest, leaving only dreams of what extravenance is held inside.

The City’s people celebrate through dance and color. The streets that aren’t sufficiently wide to line with greenery and fountains are draped in colorful cloth and painted patterns. The buildings are constructed from stone, brass, marble and wood, with open designs allowing airflow during hot and humid days and creating an intimate web of passages between buildings. Wherever you are you’ll hear children playing in courtyards and see elderly sitting on balconies. Streets are often blocked by ceremonies: everything from weddings to funerals are attended by the community, dance and song audibly calling for all to come. The lower classes wear loose, open and light clothing, while the upper class dress in breathable yet decorated outfits. The city is beautiful in even the smallest places, with front doors just as beautifully crafted as the large gates that ring The City center.  Found all over on doorsteps and gateways are colorful rangoli, intricate concentric symmetrical designs made of colorful powder. These are the symbols of the city, every household has their own designs passed on through the generations, usually incorporating symbols of the elements and of the motes of those who make them. They range from simple and quick to grand and delicate depending on the occasion and are usually used to attract motes of good luck and prosperity. [a]The people live through art, movement and love—their only weapons against The City’s grinding demands.

The City is large and dense—but contained. Every street splits into two more, every district blends into the next but eventually you will hit a wall. Only a few claim to have seen everything The City has to offer and are most likely lying. There’s always a place to rest, shop and hide. In addition to a place you don’t belong, a place you shouldn’t be and a place you’ll never be found. For every warm and welcoming place, there is somewhere cold and alone.


Our Magic
S&B’s world is full of everyday magic most people can tap into, performing small tasks that help with their day to day, like bounding around rooftops or sculpting their materials. Magic and technology are also mixed and grew together leading to everyday objects like street lamps’ lightbulbs fueled by Light magic and the city patrols holstering intricate firearms rather than delicate blades. You’ll commonly see people followed by Motes—physical manifestations of the spirits of elements that bond to a young person becoming a lifelong companion.

Magic is tied to the core elemental pairs: Light & Shadow, Iron & Earth, Heat & Gravity, Melody & Hope. All truths of the world, elements acting as laws and dancing in step.

Light and Shadow represent our relationship with the cosmic cycle
Iron and Earth represent our relationship with nature and industry
Heat and Gravity represent our relationship with our bodies
Melody and Hope represent our relationship with each other.

Manipulating, studying and practicing the magic of bending these elements is a City standard and a natural part of existing. The City is always moving, alive and changing.

The Twist that Breathes
The world you know is overrun by an inhospitable nature only known as the Wilderness. It breeds horrible beasts and wretched flora seeking civilization’s ruin and to destroy those who dare oppose it. Thankfully, The City is contained, safe from the Wilderness outside, walled in and thriving. Those who run The City—the nobles, the factory owners, the landlords and politicians—all work tirelessly to keep The City moving towards progress and perfection. They assure you there are no wretched beasts in The City, no horrid mold that eats people, no system that rips you apart and destroys your body and soul. They, of course, are wrong.
        
The City you love has an infection that’s been around for generations, back to its founding. It’s idyllic lifestyle and thriving industries are a facade hiding poverty, lies, and damnation. The Twist built this city and needs people to survive by dedicating their lives to an endless cycle benefiting only it and those who fully accept it into their souls. The City is beautiful, none can deny, but it is stained with those who broke their backs making its blood. The Twist hides and changes The City’s history, convincing it’s people They are protectors and leaders, and everyone turns a blind eye at the atrocities occurring behind closed doors and in alleyways.

Setup Questions & Prompts
For the table:
* There’s been a string of recent disappearances, enough to get the people’s attention. What rumors are circulating concerning why people disappear and where they go? How is the Twist actually using them?
* Where do people congregate and where do they avoid? Everyone creates one, and describes why.
* The City is always changing within its confinement. What was recently destroyed? What is being rebuilt? What is currently being built?
* The Twist manifests in the people, planted and grown by Those who sit atop Their gold throne’s agents. What do Their agents look like? What does it look like when someone turns into an agent of the Twist?
* What Wilderness threat crosses the walls and terrorizes The City?


Sword:
* Which have you forgotten and which do you remember: your past form, purpose, and previous bearer? Describe those you remember and the fragments of those you forgot.
* How does your blade react to being near the Twist?
* You believe you are the last of your kind, a horrible war’s hidden relic. Is that true? What makes you doubt it?
* What can you see that your bearer cannot? What are you blind to without them?
* You are not the Twist inside you. How do you make that clear? How do you fail to fight back? 

Bearer:
* Who do you love that the Twist has taken hold in? Do you know?
* You’ve worked another job previously. What was it? What did you learn and what new truth made you leave?
* The Twist knows of you and watches you. Where is it blind and how do you trick it?
* Have you taken a life before?
* Why do you promise to bear the sword? What holds you to it?

For Both:
* Where was the Sword found? Why didn’t anyone notice it?
* What do you both love about this city and each other?
* What ‘truth’ has the Twist told the Bearer that the Sword knows is a lie?
* What is the relationship between the Sword and the Bearer’s mote? 
* How does the Sword empower the Bearer? How does the Bearer calm the Sword?

The City’s Growing Twist
The Twist is constantly pushing to root deeper in The City. The Sword and Bearer are fighting to drive it out. During play, The City has a Twist Capacity. Whenever The City is thrown into turmoil—like an influx of patrols, an oppressive ruling or destruction and disarray—mark Twist for The City. Whenever the Sword and Bearer liberate people, districts and resources, erase a Twist mark. Determine if a major change was made at the session’s end and mark or erase accordingly. When The City fills all Twist marks, a devastating change which permanently alters The City occurs which greatly benefits the Twist and severely hinders the resistance, then reset the marks. The City has a Twist Capacity of 5.

Stats in SWORD&BEARER
The Sword’s stats represent its original, twisted purpose.
The Words and Form that Rend - You are destruction, you are carnage, you are powerful
The Catalytic Will of a Tool - You are designed, you have purpose, you can be used for change
The Fragile Spirit of a Weapon - You can shatter, you can falter, you can be replaced for something stronger

The Bearer’s stats represent who you were before drawing the Sword against the Twist.
Your Soft Voice - Your voice does not carry distance, but weight
Your Tough Skin - Your barriers are up, for better or worse
Your Full Heart - You love, maybe too much


The Sword
You are a weapon forged to carry out the force of the Twist. You were never anything more or less, always a weapon, always a force. They cast you aside after your usefulness was up, after They found new weapons to fuel their factory. Your Twisted heart still beats, it still yearns to be free, to remind you that you are a weapon forged for Them. But in the hands of the bearer, you feel their heart, you see their world. Can you be more than a weapon?

Your Twisted Core
You’ve been forged with the Twist deep inside you. Spending Twist changes you into a weapon beyond your current form. You can break your current form to destroy those who stand in your way.
At any point, you may spend Twist to violently overcome a challenge without spending cards. The greater the challenge, the greater the cost.
Easy:  2 Twist 
Medium: 3 Twist 
Hard: 4 Twist

An Unsheathed Return to Form: The Twist wants out of this cage.
When you fill your 5th and 10th Twist, your seal cracks and you briefly become Unsheathed, reverting to the monstrous weapon you once were.
When your 5th Twist is filled, your attacks can hit without needing to make a Check.
When your 10th Twist is filled, old wounds you’ve caused reopen in a way that hurts You, Your Partner or The World—choose one and describe how. 
Whenever you hurt something while Unsheathed, the Twist is able to move its pawns into play somewhere else in the world—describe how and mark Twist in The City.


What is your name? ________  What are your pronouns? ________ 
What is your form?________  What does your scabbard look like?________ 
(Assign 2, 1, and 0 to your stats. You add your Stat value to the value of what you pay for Costs and Checks)
The Words and Form that Rend
The Catalytic Will of a Tool
The Fragile Spirit of a Weapon
You cannot be drawn unless you and the Bearer agree
Twist: ○○○○◇○○○○◇
Pick one Calling, tapping into it grows your Twist:
Forged in Fire: Your form becomes formless. You grow, you lash, you consume.
        Draw a card. The higher the Value, the greater the effect.
* If it is RED, your fire burns hot, you feel free, you want out. You’re able to perform beyond normal capacity but lose control before reverting,  irreparably damaging someone or something.
* If it is BLACK, you burn bright, you’re steady, you illuminate. You retain control but your light casts shadows that seek you after returning to your original form.

Quenched in Ice: You’re not alone, the Twist manifests all around you, you just need to shape it.
        Deal 3 cards in a row face up on the table. You can forge cold creations of your own. If the 3 cards:
* Ascend in value: You make something powerful but not obviously applicable 
* Descend in value: You make something powerful you cannot control
* Neither: You make something immediately useful yet incredibly fragile

Seal: Your blade has been etched with a seal.
Personify this seal to fight back the Twist and clear marked Twist. Pick one:
An etching of City Walls and Open Books, ancient words of faith
An etching of an Ancient Tree, it’s leaves on fire, it’s roots grow deep
An etching of Two Dancers in joyous step, one crying, the other dead


The Bearer
You used to live a peaceful life in the city full of love and admiration, ignorant of the travesties the Twist boils under the surface. You used to go to work, chat with friends and neighbors, visit the bazaar and enjoy a nice meal without worry or fear. At least you told yourself that, until now. Now you know of your true purpose, your greater calling, you can no longer sit idly as the Twist grows like a miasma and consumes. Can you shoulder the burden of rebellion, fight for those you love, and bear their pain to save this city?

A Deep Connection
You have a natural connection to those around you. The world seems to listen to you and your actions.
When you hold someone’s well-being in your hands or heart, you may protect them by taking their harm yourself. Describe how your Hope and Will protects them—whether by happenstance, putting yourself in the harm’s way or dissuading them from acting.
For NPCs, you gain two Connection whenever this is successful.
For your Partner, you gain up to as much Harm or Twist as they would instead—they take the remainder. (If your Partner would take 3 Harm or mark 3 Twist, you can take 2 as Connection and they take 1)

Your Connection track fills up left to the right and is split into three sections: Body, Mind, and Spirit. Every 5th Connection gained fills the Change Marker between each section. When a Change Marker is filled, describe the change to that aspect of your being. When losing Connection, the Change Markers become unfilled and you decide if the change remains.

When your Connection fills to the brink, you unleash in an uncharacteristic way more befitting your Partner. Clear all marked Connection, choosing which Changes from Change Markers stay as normal. When your Twist meter fills, you absorb the Sword’s spirit into your Being, merging and becoming the Twist’s agent for eternity.


What is your name? ________  What are your pronouns? ________ 
What is your look?________  What was your day job?________ 
(Assign 2, 1, and 0 to your stats. You add your Stat value to the value of what you pay for Costs and Checks)
Your Soft Voice
Your Tough Skin
Your Full Heart
Connection: ○○○○-◇-○○○○-◇-○○○○-◇
Twist: ○○○

A Utilitarian Magic
As daily life before finding your Partner, you are familiar with simple magic, minorly bending reality’s laws related to a specific Element. Choose a pair of Elements to be your Canvas, your Mote is of the same soul.
To utilize these magics, spend one Connection and pay with 2 mismatched cards from your hand. The higher the value the greater your effect.
Light & Shadow, Iron & Earth, Heat & Gravity, Melody & Hope

A Lifelong Bond
Your Mote is always by your side, a friendly sprite bonded to you. Give it a name and look and choose one of your Magical Elements that it’s born from.
Whenever you spend friendly time with your Mote you may erase Connection but the Twist inches closer to Their goal. The more you erase, the greater the consequence.
Additionally, pick 2:
* It is connected to another element, allowing simple manipulation
* It always warns you of danger nearby
* It can relay messages from other Motes it has met
* It knows The City and can guide you anywhere within
	

In addition to the applicable options in GUN&SINGER, gain and spend Braids in the following ways:
Gain Braids if you:
* Pushed back the Twist from a district
* Liberated people and drew them to your cause

Spend Braids to:
* 10 Braids to:
   * Find a new place the Twist can’t find you
   * Create a situation the Twist must focus its resources on in another district
* 20 Braids to:
   * Remove a Twist mark from The City, describe how this manifests.
SWORD can spend Braids to:
* Manifest a new etching
   * Costs 15 Braids per etching
BEARER can spend Braids to:
* Raise the Connection Capacity of one section
   * The cost is the current capacity of that section x3
* A new Mote ability:
   * Costs 15 Braids, you have a maximum of 3 Mote abilities.