Premises

This is GM read only.
Combat takes place in the theater of the mind — driven by narration.
Remember torches, food rations, statuses, clocks, and similar mechanics.
Maintain an atmosphere of uncertainty and dread: dripping water in the distance, echoing footsteps, strange noises.
Tests written like this: dexterity – status/k20 damage mean that on a partial success, the left-hand option applies, and on a failure, the right-hand one does.
If a player asks something like: “Can I check if the carving on the tree was made by me or one of us?” or similar, allow a Mind roll.
- On a partial success, say something like: “You think it might’ve been you—but it just as well could’ve been someone else. The carvings don’t reveal much in terms of handwriting.”
- On a full success, say: “It definitely wasn’t you—but you can’t be sure about the others.”
- Let one other player try. If they score a full success, confirm it was them.
During rests, have the players recap what has happened so far since they woke up. This helps them feel like they’re genuinely spending time together, reinforces narrative continuity, and helps guide their next decisions.

Plot outline and plot twists

The players wake up mid-march on a dirt road near a nearly collapsed village, with no memory of how they got there. Soon they discover that every night the villagers are slaughtered in a horrific massacre, and every morning everything resets. Each day is a repeat. The players die as well, but instead of vanishing, they wake up again at the same spot.

Clock 1: The loop lasts 4 in-world hours. 3 until the attacking force arrives, and 1 during the slaughter. After 2 hours, total darkness falls over the village.
If players die early, fast-forward to the moment they wake up again at the start of the next loop—this time already in the village. Anyone they previously convinced they were dead is now simply gone; their soul evaporated, weakening the curse.

The players are the only ones who retain awareness of the loop, because during one iteration, they carved a message into a tree—something that unintentionally breaks the fourth wall. In every cycle, they rediscover the same message, and this repeated awareness locks them into the loop. But awareness alone isn’t enough to free their souls—they’re still guarded.

Clock 2: Each time the players manage to convince a villager they’re already dead, the person, after a brief moment of horrifying realization, dissolves into thin air. Reality—and the players—shake violently and painfully for a moment; each must roll for resilience (suffering fatigue or a mental status effect).
After six such revelations, the loop collapses entirely, and all souls trapped inside—including the players—are lost forever. (If this is part of a larger campaign, you can go softer on the consequences.) Those who died but never “broke the fourth wall” like the players cannot see their own or others’ corpses unless someone points them out.

Important NPCs

Priestess Vernaya – Creator of the Circle. A middle-aged woman with only one arm.
Village Headman Hulda – A fat man with a small indentation in his temple.
– When made aware, he says: “I forbade it, I forbade it…”
Grandmother Lahera – A wrinkled old woman who tends the graveyard. Her daughter Larta died of Whooping Cough.
– When made aware, she says: “So I never planted those flowers for my daughter? Her spirit asked me to, so many times…”
Wondyr – A young hunter who patrols the forest and is tasked with warning the village of danger.
– When made aware, he says: “Every night I try to warn the village of what’s coming, but it’s always too late.”
Galminsz – An angry young man who’s sick of pretending that living alongside ghosts is a good thing. He hauls water from the sunken well.
– When made aware, he says: “Ah yes, I remember the blade that tears through my throat every night.”
Then he attacks the players. HP 5, deals 2 damage.
Jonas Darindo – Son of Lord Antul, current heir of the estate. He refuses to pay the players the 2 treasures owed for the task done for his father 53 years ago.
Lekko – A poor treasure hunter who once tried to retrieve something valuable from the forbidden sphere.

Scenes

Awakening and arrival at the village Jelto

The players wake up mid-march, walking through a forest near a village. It’s early autumn, evening. They remember being mercenaries and treasure hunters hired to fight dangerous forces, but have no idea how they got here. A road sign points ahead to Jelto.
- You awaken in the middle of a forest. Roused by rustling leaves on the wind—though you weren’t sleeping. You’re marching. But where to? You look around the dense growth of linden and birch trees. None of this is familiar. You don’t remember how you got here. You know you’re treasure hunters, hired swords who deal with strange threats. That much is clear. You look at each other. You recognize each other’s faces. But what are you doing here? “Jelto,” says the wooden road sign, planted in the earth beside the path, pointing toward the direction you were already heading. Something stirs behind it in the brush. An animal? The wind? Or something else? Roll for perception.
- Perception – The players are being watched by the hunter Wondyr.
  - If they catch him, he says:
    - He’s just an observer, tasked with warning the village of danger.
    - Jelto is a poor village that lives off lumber. Nothing happens here. They barely scrape by.
    - A successful intuition roll reveals he’s holding something back. If the players succeed in persuasion or intimidation, he adds:
      - Other villages despise Jelto. Merchants refuse to buy their wood.
      - People fear the locals’ religious practices—giving voice to the dead through blood.
        
        A dead relative’s grave can be fed the blood of a family member to make the spirit speak—or even stay among the living for several days. The duration depends on the spirit’s will and the strength of the ritual.
        
        The ritual was always conducted by the priestess Vernaya, found in the chapel.
        
        He doesn’t know much else. He’s young—no one close to him has died. But his father sometimes summoned his grandfather for advice. He even lived with them for a while. It was nice, and he didn’t eat, so food wasn’t a problem.
        
        Spirits can’t be touched and never harm anyone. If upset, they simply leave.
        
        Isn’t that beautiful? People can still live, even briefly, with their dead spouses, children, or parents. Wouldn’t you want to see a child again—the one who died in your arms?
If the players head to the village, a perception/survival check lets them notice strange marks on some trees—claw marks? Or signs of a fight?
- A successful nature check shows they’re axe and sword marks—very old ones.
If the players go in any direction other than toward the village, after 3 hours they meet a patrol who tells them they were supposed to be in Jelto already and know the location of the priestess before the attack begins (see If night falls). Wherever they try to go from there, they suffocate to death within an hour and wake up at the starting point again.

The village

The village is in terrible shape—collapsed homes, some clearly burned, vegetation pushing through broken windows, moss covering rooftops.
- Perception: The village looks ruined and sunken, yet people live here like nothing’s wrong. Some homes have no doors, window coverings are torn.
- Survival: Old bloodstains still cling to beams and stones—faded, but clearly soaked into the materials. Not surprising in a place like this.
- Intuition: The players might feel they’ve been here before but can’t recall when.
The villagers are wary, expecting judgment. If provoked, they say strangers always spit on them because of their beliefs.
- Perception: A message is carved into a tree – “This isn’t the first time. Trust no one. Not even yourself.”
  - If asked, locals look at it like they’ve never seen it before, curse the vandalism, and ask “Why would anyone ruin a tree to write such nonsense?”
The players see villagers going about their lives:
- A boy draws water from a crumbled stone well. This is Galminsz—an angry young man sick of pretending that living among the dead is a blessing.
  - Persuasion: He reveals the villagers fear violence from neighboring settlements and the ruling estate, who hate their ways—keeping the dead alive as spirits by feeding them blood.
    - Outsiders want us dead. They call us cursed because we won’t let go of the dead. They whisper to Lord Darindo, urging him to drive us out or wipe us out. Let them rot. My wife was twenty when she died. Her smile, when she returns, is worth more to me than life.
- An old woman, Lahera, collapses under the weight of a flower cart. If the players help, she says she’s heading to the graveyard to plant flowers for her daughter Larta, who died of whooping cough at 14. She once begged her to grow orchids on her grave. Lahera still summons her sometimes to talk, but she’s too old to give much blood.
  - If the players accompany her and pass a perception test, they recognize names on nearby graves—names of villagers they’ve spoken to. They may also spot Lahera’s own grave nearby.
  - If they skip her here, she can be found later cleaning the village’s graveyard sign before tending to Larta’s plot.
- A portly man introduces himself as Hulda, the village headman. He asks why armed strangers have come to Jeltwo—concerned. Are they here by order of Lord Antul?
  - If the players say yes, he takes them to his home and says the village won’t abandon the spirits. They don’t harm anyone—outsiders’ hatred is mere prejudice.
    - He seems blind to the ruin of his own home.
  - If the players say no, he assumes they’re here to visit the dead at the graveyard. Are they from a nearby village?
- Intuition/Mind: A player recalls that Lord Antul Darindo is a count. If people here refer to him, this must be part of his territory.
Using the mask here will show a vision: villagers being slaughtered by a mercenary unit—houses burned, people cut down while fleeing. Among the attackers are the players themselves.

Cemetery

The players find the cemetery where the Circle of Yesterday is hidden.
Nature – it’s immediately obvious the cemetery is overgrown, as if abandoned for many years – the players find something in the brush and may roll on the Loot Table.
In front of the cemetery, there’s a signboard with writing and a drawing:
- text – “Our ancestors bore our blood, so let us give them a taste of it, so they may gain the strength to speak with us.”
- drawing – A man cutting his own hand with a dagger, letting blood drip onto the ground.
- below, an additional note: “Before summoning the ancestors, inform the Village Head. You’ll find him in his hut”
Survival – among the ruins, they find a message carved into stone: “They hate us, and who can blame them” – a note the players themselves left in a previous loop.
Perception – the graves bear names of people the players spoke with in the village.
In the center of the cemetery, on a large, sandy clearing, stands a single pillar. Behind a heavy grate, inside a recess, is a mask untouched by time. It shows distorted seer’s eyes (including one on the forehead). The air around it shimmers faintly – clearly arcane. It’s strange the villagers left such a powerful object in plain view, but cultists do odd things.
- Above the recess, a plaque: “Do not use the mask without the priestess present. Seek her in the chapel.”
- Below the recess, another plaque with a riddle: “You are dead – what covers your face?” – the answer is shroud.
  - Hint: Mind – success only – “What is used to cover the dead?”
- The mask has 2 charges – it shows a 5-minute vision from the past, within 50 meters of where it’s used. The user must remain still. On the mask is written: “Speak the date.” Anyone who touches the artifact immediately understands how it works. Using it costs fatigue.
  - If the players have already awakened a villager (destabilizing the curse), they may roll Arcana – on a success, they learn that a necromantic anomaly like this could recharge the mask if brought close enough. On a critical success, they also learn recharging it requires a Willpower test – fatigue or mental condition.
  - Max charges: 4.
  - If the players don’t know about this and awaken a villager while holding the mask, it recharges on its own.
- If the players don’t solve the riddle, they can still break the grate (Athletics) or open it (Sleight of Hand). Forcing or opening it without answering the riddle will awaken corpses in the graves.
- A wrong answer causes 6 skeletons to rise and attack the players, screaming: “You killed me, bastard – I won’t forgive you!”
  - 4 HP, 1 Armor, claws and teeth – 2 damage. If killed without smashing the bones (requires a dedicated Athletics action), they return on the next round with 1 HP and no armor (only once).
    - Mind, when a skeleton revives: allows realization of how to permanently destroy them.
  - Map:
- If the players ask villagers about the mask, they’ll say priestess Vernaya used to let locals use it to glimpse the past.
On the pillar, opposite the mask, is an image with three symbols – circle, dagger, eye.
- On the reverse of the image, a crooked old inscription: “To cross to the other side, perform the ritual of Asher – let the symbols guide you.”
- Tell the players to recall where they saw the circle, dagger, and eye along the way (you may give small hints or ask for Mind checks):
  - circle – urn in the chapel – a corpse rotating clockwise.
  - dagger – cemetery sign – a man cutting his hand to bleed on a grave.
  - eye – closed left eye of Asher’s statue.
  - The ritual: turn right, close the left eye, spill blood on the ground.
    - This activates a mechanism: a large urn rises from the top of the pillar, releasing swirling, dark green magical rings full of screaming souls across the clearing – forming a small tornado → proceed to Circle of Yesterday.
Using the mask here shows the one-armed priestess Vernaya performing the Circle of Yesterday ritual. During the ceremony, she drops something. A massive soul tornado begins to form. Sounds of battle echo in the distance. Huge waves burst from the vortex, ripping souls from bystanders and dragging them into the circle. The player sees themselves throw a spear at the priestess right before a green wave tears their soul from their body and pulls it into the storm – their body drops lifeless.
- Whoever witnessed the vision must roll Willpower – fatigue or mental condition.
- Perception:
  - Full success – the player sees that the priestess in the storm spins clockwise with her left eye closed.
  - Partial success – the player sees she spins clockwise.

Ruined chapel

Perception: on the back wall of the chapel, a fairly fresh message written in chalk: “The world weakens with each loss. Perhaps only a few more need to be removed for it to collapse. Be careful!”
- Mind – the player has a strange feeling the handwriting is identical to their own.
Outside, bas-reliefs of a face with the right half alive and the left decayed with a closed eye. On the floor, numerous stains of old blood carved into the stone. An altar with an urn stands in the center. Cobwebs thickly cover the high ceiling. A few ancient sarcophagi line the walls, most broken by time.
- Perception: sounds are coming from the leftmost sarcophagus.
  - Opening it requires an Athletics test – causes fatigue/physical status.
  - Inside one sarcophagus is a bound and gagged young man. He fears the players. He claims they put him there the previous day.
    - His name is Lekko – he came here out of desperation, hoping for treasure, but found only ruin and ghosts. He’s clearly confused and not very bright.
    - If freed, he tries to run.
    - He can tell the players this place is under quarantine because of ghost sightings – supposedly there was a massacre here, but like many places, he doesn’t know details – the year is 1087. He knows little else.
    - If the players force him to retrieve the arcana from a niche in the ceiling, he will lose his arm and bleed to death (only a full Medicine success can save him), but this will disable the trap.
    - If the players ask whether he or the villagers seem like ghosts to him, he says he isn’t sure – he can touch them, but the sensation is faint, indistinct, as if they bend light strangely. The area is restricted because of apparitions, so he suspects everyone, but he’s only been here a day and avoided most people – he can’t say for certain and doesn’t know how to verify.
It’s immediately apparent the locals worshipped Aher, Lord of Ash – a minor/local god of dying – his symbol is an urn. The players remember this deity.
In the corner stands a shovel, crowbar, and small axe.
A pile of human bones lies beneath the altar, which holds a large urn – Religion: the player recalls such altars were common in the cult of Asher, the neutral god of death.
The urn on the altar bears the symbol of a circle with a corpse turning clockwise around its own axis.
- Religion – in Asher’s cult, this symbol means the infinity of death.
Investigation: a damaged book is hidden inside the altar urn – To bind spirits to live with their families requires the blood of a relative and a sacrifice. The sacrifice is made from volunteers, or sometimes cripples, the mentally disabled, or strays. One victim can sustain 4–5 spirits. The gathered power is stored in the urn at the cemetery.
A glass display case with various urns and notes. On top: two hundred candles and a censer on a chain.
- Behind the glass is a preserved note: I should stop by Headman Hulda’s hut and ask if he still manages to contain the outsiders’ anger stirred by our practices. Our goal is simply family continuity and their happiness. Why are others so afraid of us? It’s absurd.
- Usable dried herbs – cure mental status during rest.
Perception: something gleams in the dark near the ceiling – arcana guarded by a trap.
- Investigation – reveals the trap (a blade in the niche) – with penalty: something puts the player on edge, but they can’t say why.
- Athletics to climb up – fatigue/physical status.
- To reach the glowing object, one must stick their hand into the niche. If they try, roll Dexterity.
  - Partial success – the player retrieves the arcana, but the blade cuts their hand – take 1d20 damage.
  - Failure – take 1d20 damage and suffer a physical status.
- Inside the niche lies an arcana – the Pain Cube. A small golden box. Anyone who touches it immediately understands its power. The box grants immunity to damage to everyone in the same zone for two turns. Two charges.
- A note is tied to the arcana, written hastily and stained with blood –
  Desperation made the decision. If I’m wrong, I leave this as a chance to undo the mistake. I’m assuming the worst. In that case, someone will awaken eventually. I just hope it will be one of the villagers, not their murderers. If you’re reading this, I hope you belong here! You might be able to end the Circle in a way that’s safe for us. The Cube will let you pass. Free as many of our souls as you can before the Circle collapses from lack of sustaining power. You’ll know when to stop. The oppressors and those you fail to free will be lost forever—their souls destroyed without a trace, not even an echo, as if they never existed. Those you save—will be free. They will return, untouched.
Using the mask here will show the priestess, with a bleeding stump where her arm was, yelling to her assistant:
“Quick, gather the tools. We’re going to the circle at the cemetery. We won’t let them win. If necessary, we’ll trap them all. No one will lose their family today!”
The girl replies: “My lady, the ritual is extremely delicate—and you’ve lost your arm! Any mistake could have unpredictable consequences. It’s too dangerous.”
In response, she receives a harsh slap from the priestess, who hisses:
“Do as I say, or they’ll have you impaled.”

Hulda’s mayor’s hut

A leaning log cabin. Empty – no door. Inside: a bedroom, an office, a latrine. Everything is neglected, moss creeps over the wooden walls.
If the players are led by the headman, he seems oblivious to the state of his home. A successful Perception test reveals a skeleton sitting on the latrine, but Hulda doesn’t even glance that way. He proceeds to the study. There’s no place to sit.
- If the players mention the corpse, he is utterly shocked, runs to see it, and once made aware, disappears, collapsing the illusion of reality – see Clocks.
In what’s left of the latrine lies a very old skeleton:
- Medicine/Nature: it must be several decades old.
- Survival: the skull has a small dent at the temple, identical to one seen on a villager the players spoke with earlier.
- Perception: carved into the beam above the latrine is an old inscription: “The villagers won’t gather for defense without a leader.” And below it, another: “Don’t tell him anything!”
- In a small compartment: a hammer, nails, sack, lantern, flask of oil, soap, 2 candles.
Study:
- If the players brought the headman, he says in a defiant tone: “So the glorious Count Antul sent you. You’re here to check if we really bury our dead, is that it? Well, we do. You can go back where you came from. On your way, have a look at the cemetery if you’re so curious.”
- On the desk, a pile of decaying letters and notes, from which fragments can be read – Deception:
  - threats from other villages and from Lord Antul, ordering the immediate cessation of necromantic practices.
  - Today, envoys from Lord Antul are supposed to visit me to assess my obedience to the commands of our noble ruler. I’ve learned they intend to examine the graves at our cemetery to make sure we are truly burying our dead.
- Survival – signs of years of handling reveal a hidden compartment in the wall – roll on the Treasure Table.
- Hanging on the wall: a usable rope. In the corner: a mandolin.
- On the cabinet (locked): a figurine depicting a man’s face with the left eye closed. The left side of the face appears dead.
  - Religion: the face of Asher, god of death – half alive, half dead.
- Sleight of Hand/Athletics: The locked cabinet contains:
  - a torn letter to Lerton, headman of the neighboring village Durmila – The spirits of the dead living with their families never harm anyone and are normal to the locals. Everyone is glad not to lose their ancestors and can ask them for advice, without having to feed them. Where is our guilt, that everyone hates us so much and spits at our feet in markets and on roads?
    - Perception: the letter is dated 1034 (54 years ago), May 5th.
  - a note addressed to Vernaya – The villagers won’t accept your solution. It’s too drastic. You’re tampering with eternity at a cost greater than life! P.S. Hide it in the chapel, I know you know the right place.
  - also inside: a tube of glue, balm, first aid kit, scissors, chalk, compass.
  - Investigation: the lock hides a trap mechanism – an incorrect move (Sleight of Hand to disarm/open) will break a vial of toxic gas, forcing a Resilience check – mental status/1d20 damage + mental status.
    - the trap is single-use and doesn’t reactivate once triggered
Using the mask in this place shows the players killing the headman while he’s using the latrine. They notice that outside the window, the season is different – it’s spring – sunny.

Circle of Yesterday - cemetery

From the top of the pillar in the center of the cemetery, a platform extends, revealing a massive urn. From it erupt wide green waves of tangled souls that begin to swirl, forming a huge tornado in the clearing—though it has no physical force. The players hear the intense wailing of trapped spirits. The Circle is clearly unstable.
- Mind – this is the urn mentioned in the chapel’s book.
- Map:
The Circle of Yesterday is a tornado of spinning souls caught in a loop. When the circle is released, the players immediately notice a freshly carved inscription on a piece of stone that slid down with the platform: “I found the priestess’s notes. When you extract a soul, you have to hold on a little longer. If you die in that moment, you’re lost forever. Don’t fail us!” – another message to themselves. Within the swirling soul rings, they see echoes of their own reflections.
In the freed soul ring, the spirit of Vernaya the priestess appears. She is willing to speak to the players. She says: “You’ve come to me so many times. What words do you bring now? I always offer you a chance to redeem yourselves. I will offer it again. Are you ready to sacrifice your souls to free those you wronged?”
- If the players talk to her, she adds:
  - “Ever since you found the Circle, you’ve tried to defeat me for decades. You always failed. Maybe now you’ve grown wiser?”
  - The players were part of a mercenary band that slaughtered the villagers under orders from Lord Antul Durindo.
    - Intuition – reveals that the priestess hates the lord and craves revenge.
      - The players can attempt to Persuade her to release their souls in exchange for vengeance on Darindo. Vernaya says the lord must be old or dead by now. But he had a son. That blood—so prized by nobles—can serve.
        
        On a Partial success, Vernaya agrees to release them only if they bring her the bodies of at least 4 mercenaries from the unit that attacked the village (see If night falls for details).
        
        If the players later confront the lord, he is a spirit that has possessed his own son. Use the priestess’s stats and powers with these differences:
        
        3 Armor
        
        No Shift the Circle ability, instead: Breath Snatch: target rolls Willpower – on Partial success, loses 2 HP per failure; Darindo heals the same. On failure, damage/healing is 3.
        
        Phase 1 – Spirit in Jonasz’s body – up to 10 HP – greatsword (3 damage) – maneuvers work normally – uses one ability at a time.
        
        Phase 2 – Floating spirit, escaping Jonasz’s corpse – 2 actions, hovers – maneuvers only work on full successes – from 10 HP – hollow hands (2 damage) – activates two powers at once.
        
        Strategy: moves to block as many players from attacking as possible.
  - The Circle of Yesterday—the time loop—was her act of vengeance and salvation. She bound the killers of her people in an eternal trap. But the curse not only punishes them—it also traps the villagers and herself. None can move on.
  - The villagers opposed it—they didn’t want to tamper with eternity—but Vernaya ignored them. She is devastated that the Circle replays the massacre each night, condemning the villagers to this fate. She meant for the loop to repeat the final day—not the night… but something went wrong.
    - Intuition – suggests her guilt could be used to avoid another fight.
    - If the players press her, she says that after losing her hand—cut off by the players (randomly assign one)—she set her pocketwatch wrong, which was a ritual component, and the magic went awry.
      - The players may Persuade her that they want to help fix her mistake. On Partial success, they must prove their intention. If the test succeeds, Vernaya offers them options:
        
        sacrifice themselves with her
        
        bring a fresh, living soul to release about 10 others
        
        sacrifice the rest of the mercenary unit—one mercenary per freed villager or PC (see If night falls). She won’t agree to release only the PCs unless convinced vengeance on Durindo will be carried out.
        
        sacrificing herself alone isn’t enough
      - She may explain how the Circle works:
        
        To manipulate souls in the Circle, their “vessels” (bodies) must be present in the loop – if a soul is pulled with no vessel within 100m, it returns to the vortex
        
        To free villagers, their vessels must be brought to the Circle via Persuasion (with Disadvantage), Intimidation (with Advantage), or force (they see the players as butchers)
        
        Once a soul pours into a suitable vessel, it exits the Circle in 1d2 turns
        
        If the vessel is killed during that time, the soul is trapped forever, no longer present but still fueling the Circle
        
        A trapped soul can no longer forget its identity, never moves on, and becomes the Circle’s anchor—reducing the number of souls needed to sustain it
        
        These can be freed without collapse—one permanent soul for one released soul
        
        Unless a fresh soul (Lekko) is brought in—his energy can release about 10 souls
        
        The Circle is unstable. Releasing 6 souls (minus the number of awakened villagers) collapses it (so not all PCs may escape if they choose force)
    - If the players choose true sacrifice, the priestess invites them into the Circle, hands over souls, and kills them to bind them to the loop, then releases some villagers. Session ends.
      - If they change their mind or try to deceive her, resolve the next point.
    - Deceiving the priestess with Deception – on Partial success she briefly trusts them, but as soon as they free their own soul, she realizes the trick and attacks. She remains suspicious throughout.
If the players attempt escape by force, they must extract their or others’ souls before dying or the Circle collapses:
- When a PC retrieves their echo, they merge and vanish after 1d2 turns, escaping the loop. If they die during that time, their soul fuses with the Circle forever. They no longer participate but help sustain it. Lost forever.
- Catching your own soul requires a successful Dexterity test – fatigue/nearby souls scream at the player, inflicting a mental status.
  - Pulling another’s soul has Disadvantage.
- Souls are marked on the map and move 1 zone left per turn – Vernaya’s power moves them right.
- Extracting any soul causes a painful shake of reality. All roll Resilience or take fatigue.
- Extracting (6 minus the number of awakened villagers) causes the Circle to collapse—unless the vessels are killed, which strengthens it. Killing a vessel gives the Circle +1 stability.
- Entering the Circle requires a Willpower test – Disadvantage/fatigue. Re-entering requires a new roll. Staying inside causes no harm.
- The priestess’s ghost attacks:
  - 18 HP, 2 Armor, hollow hands – 3 damage per success, her attributes use 3 dice.
  - Hits 2 enemies in the same zone with one strike.
  - Maneuvers work only on full successes—she’s semi-corporeal.
  - On player Partial success: she attacks or uses 1 power.
  - On player Failure: she attacks and uses 1 power. Roll 1d4 to choose power:
    1. Wall – glass wall (4 HP), blocks 2 zones. Breaking it causes 1d2 magic damage to adjacent zones.
    2. Summon Wraith – 1 HP, 1 Armor, hollow hands – 2 damage on success. Can pass through circles and the priestess’s spells.
    3. Shift the Circle – she triggers another shift, pushing souls right and dealing 1 unavoidable damage to all within range.
    4. Terror – all within 2 zones roll Mind:
      - Partial: gain TERRIFIED – can’t move toward fear source for 2 turns. Attacks toward it have Disadvantage, unless paying fatigue.
      - Failure: TERRIFIED + mental status.
  - Phase 1 – up to 10 HP: uses 1 power per turn. Souls move 1 zone per turn.
  - Phase 2 – from 10 HP: uses 2 powers per turn. Souls move 2 zones per turn.

If night falls – after 3 hours

At night, the rest of the mercenaries sent by the lord to destroy the village arrive.
They immediately recognize the players and ask where the priestess is—without her, the villagers can no longer bind the spirits to their homes or give them voice.
The players may fight them. But they are 4 units.
One hour after this event, the time loop closes and restarts.
The players can use the mercenaries’ souls to release other souls—or their own. If they try, the mercenaries follow them to the priestess, since that’s exactly what they came for. A Deception roll determines whether the mercenaries see through the players’ ruse. 2 units will follow to the Circle. Even if the players lure only 1, its members will pull another along on the way.
- If the players made a deal with the priestess to use the mercenaries’ souls to free themselves and/or some villagers:
  - She helps them in battle—each time the players roll a full success, she may perform a move+attack (1d20 damage). Don’t use her normal stat block to keep it fast.
  - The priestess tells them they must knock the mercenaries out, not kill them—so their souls can be placed back into their bodies and then slain. This way, their spirits are permanently trapped in the Circle, and the stability they provide will allow other souls to move on.
    - For each mercenary treated this way, the players may free 1 soul.
    - To free a soul, it must be extracted from the Circle and merged with its body, so if the players want to release villagers, they must bring them to the Circle by Persuasion (with Disadvantage), Intimidation (with Advantage, since they see the players as butchers), or by force.
The players may bring the mercenaries (2 units – the other two remain busy handling villagers) to help them fight the priestess.
You’re the ones who told us this was the only way. You’re the ones who convinced Lord Darindo that if he let them stay—if he didn’t wipe them all out—they’d eventually gather enough spirits and ghosts to threaten his manor. You planted the idea: no survivors. And he listened. He listened carefully. You said: the dead must remain dead. If the villagers can’t accept that, let them go join their ancestors!
You dragged us into this. Over drinks at the tavern, you promised we’d split a big payday for an easy job ordered by the lord. You said someone had to die—a priestess or something—but you never said we’d have to butcher an entire village!
If a fight breaks out in the village:
- Map:

Ending: Return to reality

The players regain their memories and awaken next to the old lord’s manor, rising from graves where they were buried soulless. They have not aged. They are naked and covered in dirt.
They are met by a stunned gravedigger who saw them claw their way out of the earth and immediately drops to his knees, praying to Asaher for mercy. He tells them it’s been 53 years since they were buried. He has spare sets of work clothes stored in his shed. He says he’ll run to the manor to inform the lord—surely he’ll welcome people sent back from the dead by the god of death.
The area of Jelto is under magical quarantine, labeled as haunted and off-limits—there’s a sign on the road pointing toward the village.
The former lord’s son—Jonasz—recognizes the players, says they came to his father when he was a child, but that was 50 years ago, and they haven’t aged a day. What magic is this? He refuses to pay the 2 treasures his father promised them. He never signed any deal.
Jonasz explains that the curse was discovered when some villagers were buried—only to appear again in the village that same night. They stopped trying to bury the rest. The area was sealed off from the world. No one since has dared to break the curse.
He finishes by saying:
“Yes, my father ordered the massacre. But he never would have if not for you. Looks like your memory’s failing. You came to our home and told him that if he could extract the secrets of spirits, he could rule these lands forever—as a ghost, advising his heirs from the shadows. Only later, after he’d bought into the idea, did he realize other returning dead might threaten him. So he gave the order—fueled the hatred of neighboring villages. And he succeeded. He stood alone. And ruled. Here and now. Having possessed the body of his own son. Yes. Welcome back, old friends. I’ve been waiting for you, all these years. Together, we can still accomplish so much.”
- If the players kill him – they find belongings in his house worth 2 treasures.
- If the players listen to him – he tells them about the omen of the red angels, flying over the Valley of Flowers. They must find out what the angels are after—it must be something of immense value. Otherwise, Lexarion would never break his own decree of nonintervention to send them.

Witnesses of Yesterday