Legend in the Mist Themes for Curse: The City of One Thousand Martyrs
I’ve been spending a lot of time with Legend in the Mist lately as you’ve seen, and one of the things I keep coming back to is just how easy it is to adapt an existing setting to the game. So naturally, I wanted to turn toward another one of my own.
Curse: The City of One Thousand Martyrs is a ruined city sitting at the edge of civilization. The streets are swallowed by unnatural mists, monsters haunt the ruins, and people continue to travel there despite generations of warnings telling them exactly how bad an idea that is. Some come looking for treasure. Others want knowledge, redemption, power, or simply somewhere to disappear. That sounds like a pretty great place for Legend in the Mist.
Below are eight Theme kits for creating heroes from Curse and the surrounding lands. As with the Theme kits in Legend in the Mist, choose the tags that best fit your particular character rather than trying to take everything listed.
Survivor of Curse
Type: Past, Origin
You have walked the streets of Curse before and somehow returned.
Power Tags: Knows the Safe Paths, Always Watching the Mist, Seen Worse Than This, Sleep With One Eye Open, Recognize the Signs, Hard to Frighten
Weakness Tags: Nightmares of Curse, Trust No One, Should Have Died There
Quest: I will never be helpless in Curse again.
Curseborn
Type: Uncanny Being, Adventure
You were born in or near Curse, and the city left something inside you. Perhaps your eyes glow strangely. Perhaps you can feel the old magic beneath the stones.
Power Tags: Glowing Eyes, Feel Ancient Magic, Mist Does Not Frighten Me, Something in My Blood, Sense What Others Cannot, Born Beneath the Curse
Weakness Tags: People Fear Me, The City Calls, Magic Without Control
Quest: Discover what Curse made me.
Fugitive Maji
Type: Magic, Adventure
The Maji see magic differently from other practitioners, perceiving its patterns and manipulating the strands around them. That gift has also made them targets of the Ephaldian priesthood.
Power Tags:, See the Weave, Pull at Magic, Ancient Lore, Hidden Spells, Sense Enchantment, Maji Training
Weakness Tags: Failing Eyesight, Hunted Heretic, Magic Draws Attention
Quest: Preserve the knowledge they tried to destroy.
Ephaldian Pilgrim
Type: Devotion, Origin
The followers of Kyr’Ephaldin see Curse as a place corrupted by heresy and forbidden worship. You have come to confront that darkness.
Power Tags: Unshakable Faith, Know the Old Prayers, Recognize Heresy, Voice of Authority, Sacred Rites, Stand Against Darkness
Weakness Tags:, Zealous, Everyone Is Suspect, Faith Before Reason
Quest: Bring the light of Kyr’Ephaldin into Curse.
Of course, whether your character eventually begins questioning exactly what they have been told about the city could make this Theme particularly fun.
Sellsword of the Mists
Type: Skill or Trade, Origin
There is always money to be made in Curse, mostly because the people hiring you would rather someone else die retrieving whatever they want.
Power Tags: Blade for Hire, Never Fight Fair, Know When to Run, Watch the Corners, Veteran Monster Hunter, Negotiate My Price
Weakness Tags: Everyone Has a Price, Old Wounds,Bad Reputation
Quest: Make enough money to finally leave this life behind.
Child of the Twisted Wood
Type: Magic, Adventure
You have spent too long among the warped trees surrounding Curse. Eventually, you began hearing something whispering back.
Power Tags: Know the Twisted Wood, Speak With Dying Things, Find Paths Through the Wild
Listen to Ancient Whispers, Herbs and Poison, Unnatural Instincts
Weakness Tags: The Whispers Never Stop, Civilization Feels Wrong, Something Followed Me
Quest: Learn what truly sleeps beneath the Twisted Wood.
Servant of Tabal’Dur
Type: Magic, Adventure
You made a bargain with Tabal’Dur, the Accursed One. Maybe you wanted power. Maybe you were desperate. Perhaps you still believe you can control whatever answered.
Power Tags: Accursed Magic, Whispers From Beyond, Forbidden Knowledge, Call Upon Darkness, Marked by Tabal’Dur, Terrible Bargains
Weakness Tags: There Is Always a Price, Tempted by Power, My Patron Is Listening
Quest: Use this power without becoming its servant.
Seeker of the Thousand Martyrs
Type: Knowledge, Adventure
Everyone knows the stories about Curse. You want the truth.
Power Tags: Student of Old Curse, Read Forgotten Languages, Recognize Ancient Symbols, Relentless Researcher, Know the Legends, Connect the Clues
Weakness Tags: Curiosity Before Caution, Must Know the Truth, Books Aren’t Experience
Quest: Discover what really happened to Curse.
Packing for Curse
Every Legend in the Mist hero also begins with a story tag in their Backpack. For a Curse campaign, I’d encourage players to make that item something practical, personal, or just slightly ominous.
A few possibilities are Ephaldian holy symbol, Maji eye-wrap, old map of Curse, silvered dagger, bottle of Crossways ale, monster-hunter’s journal, martyr’s relic, or simply one last torch, because if you’re heading into Curse, you should probably bring a torch. You should probably bring several. It won’t help.
