TEXT: 1
  The Logic of Tales and Dreams
  Being the Fragments of a Story Game, Come From Afar
  
  2
  Authored by Reason.
  Artwork provided for non-commercial use by Arthur Clip of the Educational
  Technology Clearinghouse.
  Creative Commons Licensed in 2009 by Reason of Principia Infecta.
  Attribution 3.0 License. You are free to do as you will with the words found herein,
  provided fair attribution is given to the author. Burn them, reorder them, dance
  upon them if the urge so takes you. But do not forget he who first placed them here.
  Principia Infecta is found online at www.principiainfecta.com.
  
  3
  Table of Contents
  I.
  A Few Words on the Origin of this Work
  II.
  A Place in the Taletellers' Circle
  III.
  The Crafting of Setting Seeds
  IV.
  A Gift of Seeds
  V.
  A Tale Told, a Dream Dreamed
  
  4
  I. A Few Words on the Origin of this Work
  The Logic of Tales and Dreams is not a game of our world, and found herein are evidently
  mere fragments of the original whole. It is not recorded from whence these fragments
  came, nor how they were transcribed into this form -- but perhaps we may learn from them
  despite these obstacles.
  Readers familiar with role-playing games as a form of collaborative storytelling might best
  think of the Logic of Tales and Dreams as an artefact fallen through the cracks of the
  universe, its origin a faraway place in which the role-playing game - as it is understood here -
  never came to be. The games that occupy that world's social gatherings focus upon the
  creation of ornate narratives, intricate histories, and sweeping backdrops. The playing of
  roles is merely a means to that end, necessary because a fictional setting only truly exists in
  the eyes of the fictional people who inhabit it. This is a culture of story gaming that has a
  greater connection to shared authorship or improvisational theatre than with the familiar
  totems of character sheets, heroic quests, and rattling dice.
  Story games and Taletellers do exist in our world, however, albeit within a culture small in
  comparison to that of the role-players. Readers who find the Logic of Tales and Dreams
  pleasing might consider seeking out other story games, for many are worthy of time and
  attention.
  
  5
  II. A Place in the Taletellers' Circle
  The Logic of Tales and Dreams is a modest array of guidelines, intended to assist a small
  group of imaginative gentlefolk in forming a Circle for the telling of Tales. Each takes on the
  mantle of a Taleteller or a Dreamer, the better to spin Tales that will be used to create and
  nurture intriguing Settings. There is no greater craft than to coax forth a new world from the
  merest seed of an idea, and Tales are the very foundation of a Setting. At each new
  gathering of the Circle, Taletellers bring life to the deeds of Heroes, invent new details for the
  backdrop, and debate the twists and turns of fate. This is the role of Taletellers and
  Dreamers: invention, challenge, and collaboration in the act of creation.
  While rules and strategies are a part of the Logic of Tales and Dreams, enabling Taletellers
  to make a game of their Tales and Settings should they so desire, neither scoring of points
  nor conditions of victory are found herein. Taletellers of the Circle win when they consider
  their time at play to be well spent, or when they are well pleased by what they have together
  created.
  A Glossary of Taletellers
  Circle
  Dreamer
  Hero
  Setting
  Tale
  Taleteller
  A group of Taletellers who gather regularly.
  A alternate term for a Taleteller, perhaps one more given to flights of fancy.
  A character who is the focus of a Tale, voiced and steered by a Taleteller.
  The backdrop against which a Tale is told, and which is expanded in the
  Tale's telling.
  A story, a parable, events which concern the acts and fates of Heroes.
  A visionary who tells Tales, gives a voice to Heroes, and thereby grows a
  Setting.
  
  6
  Three Primal Axioms
  These are the axioms of the Logic of Tales and Dreams, the core conceits from which all
  else follows:
  Firstly: A Setting, what we might call a world or a background, is built of the Tales that its
  Heroes tell to one another. The Setting is wholly formed of the voices, recollections, and
  prejudices of those who live and strive within its boundaries.
  Secondly: The view and personality of a Hero is the lens through which an outsider views a
  Setting. A Setting has no existence beyond its Tales or beyond the voices of its Heroes.
  Thirdly: To know a Setting, an outsider must know its Heroes and its Tales. To expand a
  Setting, an outsider must tell Tales in the voice and manner of one of that Setting's Heroes.
  What do the axioms imply? That is for the Taletellers to decide. Truth is neither more nor
  less than what Taletellers make of it.
  
  7
  Taletellers and Dreamers
  Taletellers come together in their Circles to enjoy evenings of discussion and shared
  creation, a fine distraction from the world outside. These are ordinary people, for to tell Tales
  requires no rare skill, nor any mystical training. That one wishes to craft a Tale is more than
  sufficient.
  Amaryth, Balthazar, and Corinthine are Taletellers whom we shall look in on over
  the course of the Logic of Tales and Dreams. Amaryth is practical and
  straightforward, Balthazar a grumbling perfectionist, and Corinthine would be the
  first to admit to being a dreamer, fierce in defence of her visions. But together as
  a Taletellers' Circle they take pleasure in spinning Tales from next to nothing, and
  growing esoteric Setting Seeds into sprawling Settings.
  The discussions and disputes of these Taletellers shed light on the ways in which
  the Logic of Tales and Dreams works in practice, and on the way in which some
  Circles approach the telling of Tales.
  Three and Seven
  Three and seven are magical numbers, important in stories of every age and provenance.
  They occur throughout the Logic of Tales and Dreams, and a good Taleteller learns to
  anticipate their happenstance.
  
  8
  III. The Crafting of Setting Seeds
  Every Tale requires a backdrop, a collection of shared assumptions about who, why, and
  wherefore - the foundation upon which all else is built. Here these bare bones are known as
  the Setting Seed, an evocative but minimal description of a Setting that Taletellers might
  one day bring into existence.
  A Setting Seed is assembled from a modest handful of components: no fewer than three
  and no more than seven each of Motifs, Heroes, Powers, Places, Truths, and Hidden Tales.
  Fewer is too little and more is too much.
  A Glossary of Setting Seeds
  Certainty
  Crux
  Hero
  Hidden Tale
  Motif
  Place
  Power
  Setting Seed
  Truth
  A self-assured conviction that sustains a Hero or Power.
  The essence of a Hero in his own words, a Hero's own self-image.
  He who stands at the centre of the Tale, a figure given voice by a
  Taleteller.
  A story written elsewhere, beyond the Circle, that can still influence a Tale.
  A single word that captures some vital part of a Setting's essence.
  A location within a Setting, a part of the backdrop against which a Tale is
  told.
  A figure of significance within a Tale, but of lesser import than a Hero.
  The stone in the soup cauldron, the seed from which a Setting is grown.
  A shared tradition, belief, or expectation that steers the course of Tales.
  
  9
  "I feel positively Palaeolithic today," said Corinthine, wrinkling her nose as she
  looked over the handwritten records of Settings presently guided by the Circle.
  Balthazar sighed, shuffled papers to one side, and racked them neatly. "Let us
  then put away present concerns for now, and set to making a new Seed. A
  Palaeolithic one, I presume?"
  The Name of the Seed
  Taletellers name their Seeds carefully, for names have power. Long after all else is forgotten,
  buried by life's grey woes, the name will remain.
  "Oh!" exclaimed Amaryth, "A name has just occurred to me. It is, I assure you,
  very Palaeolithic."
  "Names should really be set last in line. That is the more elegant path," Balthazar
  declared, just as always.
  "Last unless they are first," said Corinthine, lazily. "I think that the name first of
  all is a fine way to proceed."
  "Only if it's a good name, mind," Amaryth cautioned. "But you will like this one:
  'Uth Peoples Who Follow Black Mammoth.'"
  Balthazar conceded that this was, indeed, a fine name.
  
  10
  Questing for the Right Motif
  But how to find the Motifs when they hide within shifting ideas or longer descriptions? The
  Taletellers might try to answer these questions cleverly and with passion, and in doing so
  discover the words that lie at the Setting Seed's core.
  What is the meaning of Heroes to those who listen to Tales?
  What purpose is there to a Tale, what does it teach?
  To what sort of places do Tales inevitably lead?
  What forms of conflict make Tales twist and turn?
  What do Heroes see ahead, and what lies in the wake of their passing?
  By Way of Example
  The Blackened Lands Setting Seed hints at grim intrigues and open conflict
  between the rulers of patchwork kingdoms, and of the corruption, misery, and
  loss that comes of war amongst nobles. Where it rains and armies march there is
  mud, and sorcery cannot or will not prevent the decay brought by warfare and
  mistrust. The Motifs of the Seed are as follows: Sorcery, Rulers, Treachery,
  Swords, Armies, Mud, Decay
  Motifs
  A Motif is a single word, imbued with meaning, that hints at much more than it says. Taken
  together, Motifs are the colour and the essence of a Setting Seed, and they will echo in the
  Tales that grow that Seed.
  
  11
  "Well," said Balthazar, "We concur at least that our new Seed concerns the
  moderately realistic trials and triumphs of a primitive, stone-age peoples. But I
  have heard the word 'Palaeolithic' so many times in the past few minutes that it
  has quite lost its meaning in my ears. Please let us not adopt it as one of the
  Seed's Motifs."
  Corinthine made a face.
  "Besides," Balthazar continued, "it is far too obvious."
  "Obviousness is a merit of its own," Amaryth offered, "for how else are we to
  guide ourselves? Subtlety, obscurity, and human memory are not given to mix
  well."
  "I don't see why we can't just take turns to name Motifs, given that we did as
  much before," muttered Corinthine.
  "We do tend to do better when we argue for consensus," sighed Amaryth,
  recalling a doleful and rather failed Seed that resulted when turns were taken.
  "When we debate," corrected Balthazar. "A civilized and polite manner is the
  foundation of debate rather than argumentation. But I have an alternative Motif
  to propose, one which I feel captures the spirit sought after whilst simultaneously
  providing greater opportunity for diversity in the Tales ahead. What are your
  thoughts on 'Prehistory?'"
  Corinthine pursed her lips. "I suppose I might make an allowance, given your
  graceful concession on the matter of the name."
  
  12
  Heroes
  Heroes are the protagonists of Tales that spring forth from the Setting Seed. Heroes shake
  establishments, upend convention, and define the world they inhabit - but are not
  necessarily allied with one another, pleasant altruists, or even in fact people. A Hero is a
  Hero solely by virtue of holding an important place in Tales yet told, and will usually given
  voice and guided by a Taleteller. Each of Seed's Hero is defined by his Name, a Crux, and
  three Certainties.
  Name
  All things have names, and Heroes no less so than any other. Remember that here, as
  everywhere, names have power.
  Crux
  The Hero's Crux is his own view of his strength, his role, or his place in the world. It is the
  central pillar of his self-image, described in brief.
  Three Certainties
  A Certainty describes something so important to a Hero, so central to his character, that he
  is sure of it in each and every moment. A Certainty might encompass an opinion, a talent, a
  memory, a possession, an oft-spoken phrase, a relationship, or indeed anything else a Hero
  might hold close to his heart.
  Brief, Evocative, and Focused
  The Crux is the essence of the Hero, and a Hero's Certainties are employed by a Taleteller to
  change the course of a Tale. To best aid the Taleteller caught up in the Tale's midst, both
  Crux and Certainties should be brief, evocative, and focused: each a single sentence, or at
  most two brief sentences to put the point across.
  
  13
  By Way of Example
  The description of Lord Namul of the Blackened Lands Setting Seed illustrates
  one way in which Crux and Certainties, brief as they are, can capture a Hero's
  nature. Lord Namul's Certainties are his most important opinions, oft-spoken and
  widely quoted.
  Name
  Lord Namul of Tarnish
  Crux
  Swordsman, then commander, and now, reluctantly, acclaimed leader of these
  ragged free peoples.
  Three Certainties
  Truth and true nature are only found in battle, more is the pity.
  Twenty sword-arms - well led and willing to lay down their lives - can break a
  kingdom.
  Emissaries are a vile necessity for a man to suffer.
  Always Three Certainties
  A Hero always possesses three Certainties. Certainties may change over time, a new
  Certainty added as a result of a Tale told. When a new Certainty is gained, an old Certainty
  must be lost.
  
  14
  Thavvogh of Uttar, on the other hand, is a Hero defined by simpler Certainties: his
  lusts, a prized possession, and the expectation of his foes' terror. This befits the
  Setting Seed of pulp sword and sorcery that bears Thavvogh's name.
  Name
  Thavvogh of Uttar
  Crux
  Only mighty Thavvogh is left to show how men of fallen Uttar once gifted their
  friends and made a bloody slaughter of their foes.
  Three Certainties
  The great-ax Ribcleaver.
  Scents of lush women and fine wine.
  Fear in the foe's bowels.
  "Why, oh why, must a Certainty be a single sentence? I simply cannot make this
  fit," Corinthine complained.
  "Limits encourage artistry, else we would all ramble on to produce epics where
  brevity is clearly superior," said Balthazar. "But you know as much."
  "Some of us use too many commas and ramble on regardless," said Corinthine
  darkly, shooting a look at Amaryth.
  
  15
  Amaryth spread her hands. "Commas are a tool of language like any other, and
  quite valid. Show us your Certainty and why don't we all see if we can make it fit."
  "You are ever so reasonable, and it quite takes the fun out of any form of
  protestation. It isn't always intended to produce results - it is just that any self-
  imposed limit comes to seem like a cage given enough time." Corinthine
  flourished her quill pen, and pushed her sheaf of papers across the table.
  Balthazar peered at Corinthine's penwork. "As to fitting, I had thought we were of
  a mind to keep Certainties shorter than usual in this Seed, suited to a simpler era
  possessed of fewer words and less language. Certainly there should be an
  absence of rambling."
  "I do not ramble," Corinthine scolded. "No, the problem lies with the Hero Yat. In
  my mind's eye, he is bullish. Forceful. Sure of himself. Thus one of his Certainties
  should be of himself."
  "I see nothing-", began Balthazar.
  "Don't interrupt! Now, there is a theatrical manner of speech common in Nippon
  wherein this vigorous demeanour is communicated by short rushes of words and
  strategic pauses in between. To my mind Yat's first Certainty absolutely must be '
  Yat is the best Uth name! You do as I say!' rather than any softer version that
  simply strides forward as a single sentence."
  "My!" exclaimed Amaryth, "and there stood I of a mind that I was the one who
  put too much thought into Certainties."
  
  16
  Powers, Both Allies and Foes
  Powers are figures of lesser influence than Heroes, but who are nonetheless important in
  Tales that grow from this Seed. A Power may be an ally of Heroes in one Tale and a foe in
  the next, for such is the way of the world. Should a Seed's Tale circle about one Power too
  often, however, then he may become a Hero - for he has captured the Taleteller's attention.
  A Power possesses three attributes only: Name, Crux, and a single Certainty, for he is less
  influential than a Hero.
  "These concepts come to me in the twinkling of an eye, I'll have you know, fully
  formed and ready. It is only the explaining of it that requires time," said
  Corinthine, tapping her quill pen upon the table's edge.
  "We should simply make an exception," declared Balthazar. "Do rules serve us, or
  vice versa? Evidently the former, and the spirit of the single sentence rule is
  clarity. I do not see why two short sentences that together serve a single concept
  should be rejected out of hand."
  "So long as, I suppose, your exception does not mean we shall forever more be
  writing bifurcated Certainties. The rule has served us well, and should continue,"
  cautioned Amaryth.
  "Perhaps one more for this Seed," said Corinthine, thoughtfully.
  
  17
  By Way of Example
  Queen Vift of the Blackened Lands is a good example of a Power. No Tale will rest
  upon her bowed shoulders, but she stands above the masses as a figure of
  interest to the Taletellers.
  Name
  Vift, the Beggared Queen
  Crux
  A broken-hearted Lady, ruler over the waste and pain left by war.
  Certainty
  Do as you will to us. We of Feligath have nothing left but our suffering.
  A quite different form of Power is the winter storm of the Uth Peoples Who Follow
  Black Mammoth Setting Seed. In the eyes of the Uth Peoples, the ferocious
  storms from the mountains are as dangerous and disruptive a foe as any other.
  These events can change the course of Tales.
  Name
  Storm from the Mountains
  Crux
  A wind to bring the killing cold from on high.
  Certainty
  Cold, wet, and frozen.
  
  18
  "Come, now," said Balthazar impatiently. "It seems evident to me that another
  example of the animist viewpoint does no harm to the overall concept, and
  indeed even improves it."
  "It looks out of place, I say," Corinthine complained. "All of the Heroes are people
  - this is a Setting Seed for Tales of people."
  "But some of our Powers are beasts, mind," noted Amaryth. "And we did agree
  that animism in the instance of beasts made sense, given that the Seed is so
  firmly rooted in the prehistoric viewpoint of our Uth Peoples."
  "I acquiesced on the matter of the beasts, I'll have you know, because I am
  minded to be reasonable this evening. That is far from agreement," said
  Corinthine, heatedly.
  "Acquiescence for beasts rather demands acquiescence for my storm Power, I
  think," Balthazar claimed. "Constancy is a virtue, and the two are one and the
  same beneath the skin. Animism is animism, no more, no less."
  Corinthine threw up her hands. "Well," she said. "I suppose I am willing to be
  convinced, if only because I enjoy listening to you paint yourself into a corner.
  Convince me. How is it that a winter storm is in any way the same as a
  mammoth, or one of your fanged cats?"
  
  19
  Places
  Places are the locations and backdrops against which a Tale takes place, additional colours
  with which to paint the Setting. A Place is described by a Name and Crux only, where the
  Crux is that thing which all people think of first in connection with the Place.
  "That is most peculiar," noted Amaryth. "We have four of the five elements
  represented in our places. Each one but air."
  Balthazar looked over the handwritten notes, frowning. "How inappropriate for
  the theme. Really, it is too bad. Now that you have mentioned it, of course, I
  cannot help but see the elements in all we have written."
  "You were about to write in a wind-blown pass, quite unaware, were you not?"
  exclaimed Corinthine, with a flourish. "There is nothing for it but to break the
  pattern. Make the last of the Places another cave, or some similar ilk."
  "Perhaps if I simply make a few strategic edits..." Balthazar paused, then shook
  his head. "But the feel of it. Let us simply move on, and with luck the coincidence
  will have slipped our minds a week from today."
  "I must say, I am sorry," said Amaryth, contrite.
  "No, no, it is one of those unfortunate happenstances. No-one is at fault," sighed
  Balthazar.
  Corinthine rolled her eyes.
  
  20
  Truths
  Truth is no more and no less than what we all agree it to be, or what we can convince others
  of. This Truth might be factual or might be an outright lie by any measure, but it has an
  undeniable power regardless. Within a Setting Seed, each Truth illustrates beliefs and
  expectations that are second nature to Heroes and Powers. A Truth can take many forms,
  and some examples are offered below.
  A fragment of a myth recounted far and wide
  A common aphorism or article of folk wisdom held in high respect
  The prevailing view of an important event in recent history
  A widespread belief, accepted with little debate
  By Way of Example
  The great painting stones of the Uth Peoples Who Follow Black Mammoth Setting
  Seed is an example of a Place. It is important to the Uth, a Place where events
  may twist a Tale or take on an interpretation shaded by their location.
  Name
  Tall painting stones
  Crux
  Where Uth Peoples paint on rock when the moon is whole.
  
  21
  Truths are used by Taletellers to steer the direction of a Tale in defiance of fate and
  happenstance; a Truth shows what is expected by Heroes, and thus what should happen if a
  Tale is to please its listeners.
  New Truths are written into a Setting as Tales are told - sometimes accurate representations
  of a Tale's events, sometimes outright lies, more often something in between. A Setting's
  expanding collection of Truths will come to form a contradictory morass, a tangled hedge
  within which details collide and cunning Taletellers can find whatever answer they wish. The
  whole will only make sense and show its artistry when seen from a distance, but such is the
  manner of Truth.
  The Limits of Truth
  A Truth may be no more than three sentences long, which is more than enough to hide
  subtlety if a Taleteller wishes. Truths may reference locations and people that appear
  nowhere else in the Setting Seed - when well done, these hints can aid in the telling of later
  Tales.
  By Way of Example
  The Truths of the Uth Peoples Who Follow Black Mammoth Setting Seed are
  fragments of a recent history; events the Uth recall well, have spoken of often,
  and that paint their expectations for the future. This Truth, for example, illustrates
  both the role of Uth women and the sanctity of their Place.
  Truth
  When Zub went into the women's cave, Uth women did a secret thing to him and
  Zub shouted. Then the women took Zub's fur and Zub was cold.
  
  22
  "I enjoy writing Truths. I think it might be the most entertaining part of making a
  new Seed," mused Amaryth.
  "That all things are history, and in defining history, you define the present?"
  Balthazar asked.
  "No, no, not at all. Well, yes, but that wasn't my meaning," answered Amaryth. "I
  mean to say it is like a reading night in the tea room cast in miniature - a little
  creation, a little presentation. A chance to perform something clever and be
  applauded for it."
  "Do stop talking - you are most distracting, and I am almost done with this last
  Truth." Corinthine grumbled.
  Hidden Tales
  A Setting Seed may come wholly from a Taleteller's mind, but even so there usually exist
  one or more Hidden Tales. A Hidden Tale is a reference work created beyond the Circle, yet
  whose genre and spirit are captured within the Seed: perhaps a novel, perhaps a moving
  picture, perhaps some other form of artist's labours. After the Seed is set and its Hidden
  Tales decided, Taletellers may use the contents of a Hidden Tale - in a manner similar to the
  employment of a Truth - to steer the course of a Tale.
  
  23
  Corinthine laughed and clapped her hands. "The both of you have read Clan of
  the Cave Bear, and the neither of you said anything this whole time?"
  "I see nothing wrong in the occasional guilty literary pleasure," said Amaryth,
  hotly.
  Corinthine pressed on, "Nonetheless, with this newfound revelation in hand I
  would expect no further objections to adding the book to this Seed's Hidden
  Tales."
  Balthazar exchanged glances with Amaryth and shrugged. "We did preface
  'realistic' with 'moderately,' and much as I am loathe to admit it, the point is
  hers."
  A Seed's Origins and Growth
  Taletellers might steal a Setting Seed from a faraway dreamer who will never notice its loss,
  or perhaps prefer to debate amongst themselves and forge a Seed to their own liking.
  Regardless, it is only a Seed - anything might grow from it with the labours of the Taletellers,
  and those labours and the end result are more important than the Seed could ever be.
  The telling of each new Tale grows the Setting Seed through the inventiveness of the
  Taletellers, painting new vistas and filling in yawning voids with strange detail. New Truths
  will be discovered, new Places established, new Powers proposed. Once day the Seed will be
  gone, and in its place a Setting will flourish. But the Seed is needed as the starting point, as
  the stone in the soup cauldron.
  
  24
  Uth Peoples Who Follow Black Mammoth
  Motifs
  Prehistory. Hunger. Death. Triumph. Clan.
  Hidden Tales
  Works of imagined prehistory and primitive, animist man in the vein of Clan of the Cave
  Bears or The Inheritors.
  Herein find Setting Seeds scattered to the winds in the hope that someone, somewhere, will
  find pleasure in the Tales told and Settings grown.
  IV. A Gift of Seeds
  "I think the Seed turned out rather splendidly, all things considered," said
  Amaryth, smiling.
  "Palaeolithic indeed," agreed Balthazar.
  
  25
  Name
  Ba Firemaker
  Crux
  An Uth man to know secrets in the way
  of Uth women.
  Three Certainties
  The fire-making cave secret.
  Paint tales and wishes upon rock.
  An old beard to speak of many winters.
  Name
  Ku
  Crux
  An Uth woman to know secrets and pull
  the hair of Uth men.
  Three Certainties
  Birth secrets and blood secrets of the womens'
  cave.
  Gathering and finding with wide, darting eyes.
  No! Not now!
  Name
  Gog
  Crux
  An Uth man to hunt meat and feed
  hungry Uth Peoples.
  Three Certainties
  Hunt under the sun.
  Gog wears mammoth hide now.
  After the feast, Gog makes sharp killing bones.
  Heroes
  Name
  Yat
  Crux
  Yat is the biggest and strongest of Uth
  men.
  Three Certainties
  Yat is the best Uth name! You do as I say!
  Breaking bones for marrow with bare hands.
  Burned meat is good!
  
  26
  Name
  Gi
  Crux
  An Uth woman to make Uth men fight.
  Certainty
  Show the lust secrets without
  shame.
  Name
  Black Mammoth
  Crux
  The greatest beast, who tramples all when angry.
  Certainty
  Trample killing bones and
  hunters.
  Name
  Long Tooth Cat
  Crux
  The sly beast who eats warm, bloody heart-meat.
  Certainty
  Steal the meat of beasts and
  hunters.
  Powers
  Name
  Mah
  Crux
  An Uth man to find beasts in the hunt.
  Certainty
  Great laughter, so that Uth women
  know Mah is here.
  
  27
  Name
  Storm from the Mountains
  Crux
  A wind to bring the killing cold from on high.
  Certainty
  Cold, wet, and frozen.
  Places
  Name
  Cave of Ba Firemaker
  Crux
  Where the fire is made to burn, always, even in rain,
  even in wind.
  Name
  Tall painting stones
  Crux
  Where Uth Peoples paint on rock when the moon is
  whole.
  Name
  Reh Peoples
  Crux
  The only Peoples who follow Black Mammoth.
  Certainty
  Uth Peoples are ugly.
  
  28
  Name
  River that runs fast
  Crux
  Where Reh Peoples spear fish.
  Name
  Valley where Gur was lost
  crying
  Crux
  A place hard to find behind big rocks and thick bushes.
  Name
  Hill named Uth like Uth
  Peoples
  Crux
  Where black mammoth mate and trample all flat.
  Truths
  When Zub went into the women's cave, Uth women did a secret thing to him and Zub
  shouted. Then the women took Zub's fur and Zub was cold.
  Name
  Cave of women
  Crux
  Where Uth women hide secrets.
  Name
  Forest where Ot ate sick-
  berries
  Crux
  Where nothing is good to eat, and thorns are long.
  
  29
  When there was cold ice and no meat, Bok was angry and killed a great deer by himself.
  Bok would not give anyone meat until Ret who is dead now told Uth women to give Bok
  rotten berries and pull Bok's hair.
  When storms come, Uth Peoples hide from the sky. When the sun returns, Uth Peoples hunt.
  When Gur was lost, the Uth women did secret things. But Kug who broke bones with Gur
  shouted and hit Mah at the fire-pit. Kug ran and shouted on each hill and the hunters chased
  Kug and hit him many times.
  Ba Firemaker painted Dak and Ibb and Yab on the big stone when he was young. He did this
  because Reh Peoples came from the river and struck Dak and Ibb and Yab with killing
  bones, and so they were dead.
  Ebe was bigger than Yat, but only some Uth remember Ebe. Ebe became old and thin and
  weak, and then was dead - just like Ret and Wur and Ot who young Uth do not know and do
  not speak of.
  "How interesting it is that the primacy of womankind positively leaps from these
  Truths, and yet we discussed nothing of the sort beforehand," Amaryth
  commented as she read the assembled Seed once more.
  "Perhaps the incessant Archaeological Society newsprints from Palestine seep
  into even our endeavours," said Balthazar. He indicated the most recent daily,
  folded upon the floor to prop a table leg. "Certainly it is all I hear of at the tea
  house. Matriarchal Antiquity has become quite the talking point of late."
  
  30
  The Blackened Lands
  Motifs
  Sorcery. Rulers. Treachery. Swords. Armies. Mud. Decay.
  Hidden Tales
  Low fantasy stories of struggling kingdoms, plotting lords, hidden sorcerers, and mud-strewn
  armies in the fashion of a Game of Thrones or the Black Company.
  Heroes
  Name
  High Lord Crulvaine
  Crux
  The only descendant of the Old Lords
  strong enough to rule these lands in the
  harsh manner their peoples both need and
  deserve.
  Three Certainties
  Kill the transgressors! But let it be both
  public and slow.
  Fear amongst the populace is the lifeblood of
  rulers.
  My heirs shall inherit this dominion I have
  created.
  
  31
  Name
  Lord Namul of Tarnish
  Crux
  Swordsman, commander, and now,
  reluctantly, acclaimed leader of these
  ragged free peoples.
  Three Certainties
  Truth and true nature are only found in battle,
  more is the pity.
  Twenty sword-arms - well led and willing to lay
  down their lives - can break a kingdom.
  Emissaries are a vile necessity for a man to
  suffer.
  Name
  Ekranul the Dark
  Crux
  Sorcerous assassin since time
  immemorial, inscrutable chooser of
  kings and lords.
  Three Certainties
  What matters it who rules?
  Love is the death of strength, and none are
  immune, not even Ekranul.
  Act and you will be acted against - this is as sure
  as the next dawn.
  Name
  Lady Caliwyn of Coinhold
  Crux
  The only descendant of the Old Lords
  who strives to bring change to those
  made blind by tradition.
  Three Certainties
  In time, common people take on the aspect of
  their Lord. What lies in your heart?
  Never will I wed if this is all there is to choose
  from!
  Great evil has been built on silver coins, where
  once there was great good.
  
  32
  Powers
  Name
  Trantail, Anointed of the Allfather
  Crux
  A master of worship, corrupt and wealthy, who begs
  the Allfather's forgiveness each night.
  Certainty
  Corruption and coin is the only
  way for the Cathedral to survive.
  Name
  Councillor Lafane
  Crux
  The right hand and voice of High Lord Crulvaine,
  loathed and courted.
  Certainty
  Power is its own reward, fineries
  and deference merely the spice
  upon the sweetmeat.
  Name
  Vift, the Beggared Queen
  Crux
  A broken-hearted Lady, ruler over the waste and
  pain left by war.
  Certainty
  Do as you will to us. We of
  Feligath have nothing left but our
  suffering.
  
  33
  Name
  Sage of the Golwastes
  Crux
  A seer who did not foresee his own downfall, and
  paid with his name and his place in the land.
  Certainty
  That all is as it is does not make it
  right.
  Name
  Namul's Free Company
  Crux
  Rough and clever men, scarred by battles, tired of
  war - but unafraid of it.
  Certainty
  All that is good and worthy must
  be bought with blood and lives.
  Name
  The Circle of Knives
  Crux
  A secret society of spies, assassins, and those
  tempted to treachery, its eyes everywhere.
  Certainty
  The servant and the master are
  weak roles to play upon any
  stage, so easily reversed.
  
  34
  Places
  Name
  The Golwastes
  Crux
  Desolation, where dead armies rot.
  Name
  Cathedral of the Allfather
  Crux
  The source of all ills that beset the faith, where worship
  rusts and corruption festers.
  Name
  Feligath
  Crux
  A ravaged city of the war-lorn and wretched.
  Name
  Tarnish
  Crux
  The free town of vigour and rebellion, built amidst
  ruins.
  Name
  Luwening Forest
  Crux
  Darkened and haunted, where those who betray their
  Lord are hung until dead.
  Name
  Coinhold
  Crux
  A free town sustained by its silver mine, safe atop the
  high Vassak pass.
  
  35
  Truths
  An army is exactly like a sword in one respect only. Once raised it must be blooded, or great
  misfortune will fall upon he who wields it.
  Hidden within every Lord's hold lie the remains of a dozen noble lives cut short by the
  assassin's knife. Forgotten, each and every one, their dominions and deeds gone to the
  mists of time and march of armies.
  Feligrath fell as Old Tarnish fell, not by sword and spear from without, but by the crumbling
  of once-stout hearts within. Whilst a city remains undaunted and proud, its peoples can be
  humbled, even slain, but never defeated.
  An army routed is a slow blade directed to its Lord's heart. Yet this is a ruinous purchase in
  comparison to the equally capable blades of fear, doubt, and well-wrought treachery.
  Faith in the Allfather is as the rain that falls. It gives life to the fields, which must be
  celebrated. Yet it also damps the fires of injustice in the hearts of men, and makes the road
  to uprising one of clinging mud and obscuring mist.
  No good ever comes of sorcery or foreknowledge, but neither do the resulting ills reliably fall
  upon the most deserving. To that end, only good blades and steadfast soldiers will suffice.
  A battle of armies is a fulcrum upon which the future course of Lords and commoners alike
  stands poorly balanced. The fulcrum tilts this way and that, and so great change comes of
  the least acts undertaken upon the fields of war.
  
  36
  Thavvogh the Barbaric
  Motifs
  Barbarians. Rogues. Wilderness. Temples. Opulence. Decadence.
  Hidden Tales
  The barbarians and primordial Earth of pulp tales, of which Conan is king.
  "The Thavvogh of Ashton Smith, absolutely," asserted Corinthine, putting her foot
  down once more. "Lovecraft's Thavvogh has little but the name in common, and
  is as much wholly an excuse to tell tales about the dread powers of the cosmos
  as any of his New Hollander protagonists."
  "It is just you say, I am sure," said Balthazar, quill pen poised. "Howard's Konan
  remains first in the Hidden Tales, however. That, at least, is incontestable."
  
  37
  Heroes
  Name
  Thavvogh of Uttar
  Crux
  Only mighty Thavvogh is left to show how
  men of fallen Uttar once gifted their
  friends and made a bloody slaughter of
  their foes.
  Three Certainties
  The great-ax Ribcleaver.
  Scents of lush women and fine wine.
  Fear in the foe's bowels.
  Name
  Zanzya
  Crux
  Dark woman of Llasa, bold daughter of
  warriors, proud thief of hearts and jewels.
  Three Certainties
  Fierce passion and unfamiliar lovers.
  All that glitters to make the greedy eyes of
  merchants gleam.
  Sharp knives wrapped in soft silk.
  Name
  Culthar Three-Rings
  Crux
  A scarred and unwilling brigand, for whom
  victory in far Va-Yael brought naught but
  the bitter taste of ashes.
  Three Certainties
  The hawk's cry that calls the traveller from
  afar.
  The long-dead foe who haunts dreams and
  memories.
  Scaled armour of Va-Yael, each gleaming
  shard a shield.
  
  38
  Powers
  Name
  Z'thol Akar
  Crux
  Priest of pre-human Gods, a half-breed blessed by
  the blood and sorcery of mighty fish-men.
  Certainty
  Great will be Kathuul woken!
  Drowned will be the cities of men!
  Name
  Bal Ephram
  Crux
  A merchant of means, a remorseful coward, and a
  man too loyal to his friends for his own good.
  Certainty
  That war of regrets made between
  the wealth of deceit and the
  poverty of honesty.
  Name
  Peerless Yinzeel
  Crux
  Beauteous ruler of Shining Thallay, unchallenged
  queen of all she surveys.
  Certainty
  None shall disobey without
  suffering - at length - for their
  temerity.
  
  39
  Name
  The Lich-King Rul
  Crux
  A lord amongst ancients, left doomed and dead,
  cursed and undying for his acts in life.
  Certainty
  Death is too kind by far for tomb-
  thieves.
  Name
  Formless Balug
  Crux
  A God spawned of the primal ooze, fearsome,
  terrifying, and inscrutable.
  Certainty
  Endless time passes, but men will
  one day sacrifice to Balug again.
  Name
  Prince Amoth
  Crux
  The last bronzed young scion of a faded dynasty,
  set forth from his lands to find greatness.
  Certainty
  The Gods judge a new-crowned
  King by the magnificence of his
  past deeds.
  
  40
  Places
  Name
  The Tomb-City beyond
  Llasa
  Crux
  A place of death and scorpions at the desert edge, where
  gold lies buried and old sorceries await to trap the unwary.
  Name
  Basalt Temple
  Crux
  A fearful structure, crumbling walls and great blocks to
  hide the form of Balug from the eyes of man.
  Name
  Drowned Mazathe
  Crux
  A city long claimed by the sea, where adherents of primal
  Gods gather, and darker things sport in the greasy waves.
  Name
  Cursed Uttar
  Crux
  A land made dead and ruined, scourged by foul sorcery and
  vile beast-demons.
  Name
  Shining Thallay
  Crux
  Jewel of the ragged Varre coast, a port of riches, decadent
  thieves, strange bazaars, and wonders built atop rags and
  filth.
  
  41
  Truths
  To love is to live, but to love too long - that is to die.
  Words caged by ink and parchment are broken and have no value.
  Men and women lie to others and themselves until such time as the shadow of death is
  upon them.
  Well-forged steel and stern hearts may stand against sorcery and prevail.
  All works of man are destroyed by man - or by the Gods, when men forget.
  Live for today, for even the Gods know not what comes tomorrow.
  
  42
  But after this point, all else is lost and torn, made invisible by fate. We hold but fragments of
  the whole transcription, and from these fragments we may do little other than extrapolate or
  build anew. Let us ponder this, and close with one later, disconnected splinter, a hint at how
  the Logic of Tales and Dreams unfolds for Circles of Taletellers.
  V. A Tale Told, a Dream Dreamed
  "Did I mention that I was invited to an evening's telling with Desiree and
  Euripide's Circle last week?" asked Amaryth.
  "You might have," replied Corinthine. "What became of it in the end?"
  "Well - I must say that they are quite charming and clever, but so very adversarial
  as Taletellers," Amaryth related. "Polite applause given when leaping from
  ambush to unexpectedly sway the Tale or whilst pulling the rug out from under
  one, that sort of thing. I was entirely at sea the whole time, and the Circle's
  panoply of unwritten rules quite drown the few that are in fact written. It was an
  interesting experience, there is that to be said for it, but I am not sure that I
  would do it again."
  "Beware of Greeks," cautioned Balthazar.
  "Come now! Each to their own," said Corinthine, charitably.
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Collections/Collaborative & Peer & Gm-less & Shifting GM/The Logic of Tales and Dreams.pdf