“And the music of its crying, never dead, ever dying,
Far Beyond the Place of Stopping, R. J. Willamson
Sent me running in a madness I can scarce compare to fear,
Not to safety, but to silence – unto my own unmaking.
And yet now, upon awaking, once again the song I hear.”
Banner photo by Rebecca Moody
The pitch
When a traveller in southern Kallavesa takes the wrong fork at Talstone, on the winding Pilgrim’s Trail past Wittal, they come upon the curious valley of Kevät. A lonely country of damp earth and dark woods, long ago stolen from encroaching swamp. Sitting beneath sallow sky where the seasons bear down like a magistrate’s sentence.
The homesteads and scattered halls, that lean and creak within the wind, live and die by the strange and perilous work of the Keepers of Blodmoþþalh. The Hall of the Blood Moth, as it is otherwise known, is famed for harvesting from the eponymous creatures all manner of bountiful by-products that aid in the growing of food, the tending of herbs, and even the casting of magic.
This Autumn season however, as the swarms of blood-moths stir from their dormancy, the careful operations of Blodmoþþalh are faced with ruin. Fell fortunes have struck the community of moth-keepers, members of the Hall have gone missing, and unfriendly eyes are rumoured to watch from the surrounding woods. The Keepers call for aid from Wintermark and beyond, imploring the knowledgeable, the Virtuous and the strong to avert a disaster that looms over the folk of Kevät and threatens to bring down the Hall of the Blood Moth.
About the game
Hall of the Blood Moth was a game set in the Empire LRP universe, focused on exploration, problem-solving, and peril, with a tone inspired by cinematic and literary horror. Our intention was not necessarily to scare, but to evoke repulsion, disgust, unease, and fear in order to give players the kind of thrills found in an engaging ‘scary story’.
Prominent themes of the game included: psychological stress, crisis management, death, moths, magic, decay, corruption, moths, medical pathology, moths, moths, and some of the weirder elements of the Wintermark national brief (participants were advised not to sign up if they were phobic of moths). A dedicated space was set aside in case any of these themes provoked Out of Character distress.
Physical threat was also an element of the game. While combat was restricted at certain times and in specific areas, the entire play area was considered a “Combat Possible” space, in line with Profound Decisions guidelines. There were also opportunities for Player Characters to use Magical, Religious, and Healing skills.
Although the game was set in the territory of Kallavesa, in Wintermark, we welcomed interest from Player Characters from any nation. We believed the game was especially relevant for those who were interested in:
- Opposing the sinister forces lurking in the dark corners of the Empire
- Magic—particularly Winter and Spring Magic—and its effects on the land, both good and ill
- Healing and herblore
- Problem-solving
- Unusual creatures
- Wintermark culture