anb's logs

Lake-lady, a Cairn 2e background

This is an idea I've had in my mind for a while now, but never felt solid enough to write down, so I've decided to force myself into writing it due to Weird Writer's girly bandwagon. Next week, I'll stop falling down blogwagons and try to come up with something myself.

I do feel like Cairn 2e backgrounds aim to be similar to common-but-risky jobs, while this one is a bit more hmmm esoteric? And even though it's Cairn-shaped, I've tried to avoid adding too much system specific terminology to it. Stuff like "cutting someone" in the Glass Sword description assumes you know that in Cairn or Odd-ish rules, that means Strength damage, while in other games it might need a different definition.

Lake-lady

You were once tasked to take care of the Lake and its legendary Sword, waiting for a worthy warrior to take it. You spent years learning the ways of the water mirrors and droplets of dew, and being steadfast enhanced your patience and discernment. Now you've waited long enough.

Starting Gear

How did you end up as a sword-keeper anyway?

  1. You were dying in the Forest, but a nature spirit guided you to the Lake and took care of you, in exchange of you taking their place. They left you a Spongeroot, that can suck up gallons of water over time, becoming extremely dense.
  2. A servant of a noble family of a distant kingdom, you were tasked with journeying into the Wood and keeping the sword safe until their firstborn was old enough to retrieve it. You still keep the Kingdom's Insignia (petty) with you, who knows what it's worth?
  3. You come from a long line of Lake-ladies, who taught you how to measure up warriors against the Dripping Scales (bulky). Weighing someone's blood in its cup reveals every being they've ever killed.
  4. Chosen among many others by the knightly Order of Mirrors, you received the Waterfall Greatshield (Armor 2, bulky) to aid you in your task. Made of polished rock, it is somehow always cold to the touch.
  5. You found a perfectly round stone while swimming in a river once, with directions to the Lake and a description of the task. When you arrived, the rock became a Stony Frog (STR 8, DEX 15, WIL 10, tongue (d4)) that has been with you ever since.
  6. You never met your parents, since the Fey took you away as a baby to be the next Lake-lady. They cared for you in your youth and you still have the Waterveil you used to sneak out of their woodland halls. Once per day, it allows you to appear as a lacustrine creature for as long as you want to.

What magic sword did you take from the Lake?

  1. Glass Sword (d6). Cutting someone with it makes them transparent to you, both physically and mentally. Where once was a being, now you'll see a translucent fog of intents and desires. Breaks when hitting armor.
  2. Petal Sword (d6). A menagerie of curled blades sprout from its hilt. The first four times you slash someone with it, it'll drop a Petal Blade (d4). After that, the sword will need to be replanted and watered for a couple of days.
  3. Whistle Sword (d8). Long blade with several holes and notches. Slicing through the air causes a loud, high-pitched sound to echo constantly for a few seconds.
  4. Perfect Sword (d8). This is the sword that everyone pictures in their minds. It doesn't do anything particularly magic, but there's no one in the world that wouldn't want it after a glance.
  5. Mole Sword (d10, bulky). Large, quadrangular blade. Slicing the earth opens tunnels with ease, but you know it ended up in the Lake after the creatures of the Roots had enough of it.
  6. Grip Sword (d6). Creatures stabbed by its hooked blade can only release themselves through even more magical means. The sword does not care if the creature is dead.

Obviously inspired by all those girls in lakes who kept arming people in the middle ages. Also, I missed a couple weeks of blogging due to foreseen circumstances well within my control. Oh well.

anb

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