Village in the Mist

PCs can clear all Mist Marks as a downtime activity by spending time in meditation and prayer near the Sacred Flame.

When Flame Essence runs critically low, the GM gains 2 Fear as panic spreads through the village and the Sacred Flame's protective power weakens.

Spend 3 Fear to have Mist creatures breach the village's protective barrier and attack directly.

When the Sacred Flame is extinguished, start a Breach Counter at 1. Each dawn while the flame remains out, all PCs gain Mist Marks equal to the current counter value, then increase the counter by 1. The counter is set to 0 when the flame is relit.

The forge uses Sacred Flame heat, allowing superior metalwork. PCs can request equipment repairs or custom items by providing materials and time.

The smith can create special containers for transporting Flame Essence. Requires rare materials and time.

When village equipment fails or breaks during crisis, the forge becomes unavailable for PC requests until community needs are met.

Each evening, the community gathers at the hearth for a shared meal and storytelling. All PCs who participate gain 1 Hope as they strengthen bonds with residents.

When the community faces trauma (flame shortage, resident death, failed defense, external threats), morale plummets at day's end. The GM either gains 1 Fear or spends 1 Fear to give all PCs 1 Stress after their next long rest.

Before PCs depart on a new Path expedition, the flame gatherers consult their reconnaissance reports and the Path Reader studies the route ahead. Roll 1d6 to determine how many locations the gatherers can scout. Starting from the Village, reveal face-down location cards one at a time following adjacent connections. When only one adjacent location exists, reveal it automatically. At branching points, players choose which route to scout. Continue revealing cards along the chosen route until the 1d6 count is exhausted. Once all locations are revealed, roll 1d3 to determine how many prophetic hints the Path Reader can offer for the reading. The players choose a card and the Path Reader shares a roughly 3 sentence vision of the location. The vision can hint at features, dangers, or other information about the given location. Repeat this process based on the number of hints rolled.

PCs can study the carved names and epitaphs of gatherers who didn't return. Success on a Presence or Knowledge Roll reveals information about dangerous areas or failed expeditions that provides insight into specific Path hazards.

The GM can spend 3 Fear to reveal that a current gathering expedition has encountered serious danger and needs immediate rescue. This creates an urgent time-sensitive mission where delays increase the risk to the endangered gatherers.

The community maintains ongoing improvement projects tracked with Progress Counters. Each project has a target number (4 for small, 6 for medium, 8 for major). At the start of each day, add 1 to the counter unless recent setbacks have disrupted work.

PCs can invest time and resources toward Path infrastructure improvements. These projects reduce specific Path location difficulties or remove dangerous features when completed. PCs can only carry one security upgrade set per journey.

Spend 2 Fear to reveal that critical materials for current projects are controlled by dangerous Path guardians or located in hazardous areas.

When village crisis occurs, all project progress stops until the emergency is resolved.