The Clubhouse Chronicles #3: The mayor is sad and has to cry!

The mayor's letter

In episode 3 of our Clubhouse games in class the mayor sent another letter because he was sooo unhappy and sad that he needed someone to comfort him. What had happened? His favorite toy car had broken into pieces and he couldn't fix it. Now he wanted people to feel sad with him about this.

Bram (the cat) and Waren (the cook) responded and after gracefully descending the dangerous clubhouse stairs (for Bram) and ungracefully slipping, falling and getting an aching back (for Waren) they piled into their car to get to the mayor's house faster. That is, they would be faster if they wouldn't have gotten lost. In any case, they were let in to the mayor's office to find him dramatically crying over his broken car, with a pot of glue next to him. Bram started rubbing his head against the mayor in an attempt to comfort him, which did not help since Waren started laughing at the sight of the mayor crying over a toy.

Eventually Waren thought about what he could do to help his friend though, and called an old acquaintance from when he was five years old. Turns out the friend, called Adriaan Busan became a toymaker. He came over, fixed the mayor's toy car and got invited by Waren to join the Clubhouse.

***

This will lead in to our next lesson about Jesus caring for his friends, as he brings Lazarus back to life from the dead, comforting Mary and Martha. It's one of the uncomfortable situations where a story is used to teach a different lesson than the original one. It's not really about Jesus showing that he wants to comfort his friends, but rather to show that he is Life Eternal. In this case the game does a better job teaching the goals than the Bible story does.

The Clubhouse Chronicles #2: A visit from the mayor!

As an introduction to the next bible story in the lesson series about friends of Jesus, the story of Mary and Martha, we had a second episode of our Clubhouse Friends. 

Waren the Cook's Character Sheet

This time as we set the scene, the pupil was describing that Waren (played by my pupil), the cook from the previous session, was watching TV with Baby Beatrice (the NPC from previous game, turned PC for this one, played by teacher) while Bram, the cat from previous game was sleeping in the room Waren had given him at the beginning of previous game. He did not join us in this game.

As they were hanging out they hear someone climbing up the stairs to the treehouse, tripping and falling. It was established last game, that the treehouse's problem was that it was unsafe. While it's good thing was that it has many rooms. They weakly hear someone shouting "I'm okay!" from the ground.

They hear the person climbing back up and suddenly hear a knock on the door. They open to see a man in a fine suit with leaves and twigs sticking out here and there. He hands them a letter with a golden trim to tell them the Mayor wants to come for a visit, since he heard of their heroics saving Baby Beatrice's mom. Waren and Baby Beatrice accept and the fancy suit man goes back down, where they hear him slip and fall again, with a weak "I'm okay!" after the big fall.

They look around the room and realize, after reading the letter, that they have only a little bit of time to prepare for a visit, and everything's a mess. They have about half a day to clean things up, but most tasks are estimated to take up half a day's time, the main things being, cleaning the clubhouse and fixing the stairs.

They decide to work together to clean the clubhouse, but don't have enough time for the stairs. So the mayor obviously falls down when trying to climb up the stairs to the clubhouse. Here as well there's a reassuring "I'm okay!" after each fall. And the mayor eventually manages to get up, leaves and twigs sticking out of hair and pockets and take place in the living room.

Baby Beatrice realizes that they don't have any snacks or tea ready and starts clinging and clanging in the kitchen while Waren talks with the mayor. They hear a big crash and some baby wailing. Baby Beatrice had tried to bake some cookies and make some tea, but her not being able to walk, being a baby, dropped everything. Everyone, including the mayor then worked together to clean things up and do the dishes and a good time was had. Eventually the mayor had to go, but he said he would surely want to come visit again.

The Clubhouse Chronicles #1: The sick friend (Roleplaying in class)

A new school year means a new year of playing with kids in class. Specifically in 2nd grade (7-8 year old) where until fall vacation I've got small little one-shot adventures based on the stories we're going to learn from the Bible.

Usually in this game you play a care bear, but since I didn't get to printing the character sheets we could be whoever, which I think is better anyway, as most kids don't know the care bears anymore anyway.

So every player made a friend and then we kind of designed a home base, a clubhouse. The clubhouse and the characters worked about the same in creating, in that you choose something you are good at (a talent) and something you're not good at (a problem).

This session had the following cast:

• "Waren", played by my pupil. He's good at cooking, but has problems with burning his food. So, as long as he can cook stuff that does not need a furnace or flame, he's good. He's also 18 so he can drive a car.

• "Bram", a black cat player by teacher (me). He's good at climbing but his problem is that he cannot speak. 

• "Baby Beatrice", a hyperintelligent Baby who is also a Professor. This is an NPC, and thus not yet fully worked out. She might be picked up in a following game.

Our clubhouse was established to be a treehouse in a high tree without any leaves. It's "talent" is that it has many rooms to host a lot of friends, while it's danger is literally that people fall off of it easily.

We open play on a scene where I ask what we are doing. My pupil decides that he had renovated an entire room for my character, a cat. A room all for myself, with a cat-flap so I can pass through easily. My character goes in to examine this wonderful gift and returns with a letter in his mouth, which he found in the room.

Baby Beatrice's Letter

The letter was from Baby Beatrice who asked for help as her mom fell ill and she did not know what to do. The friend decided to come over and help her. Bram helped Waren climb down the tree safely and as we rolled to see what we could do to get there as fast as we could we found that the car Waren came in was out of gas, and so we had to walk. We arrived and Waren used his cooking talent to make a soup that would heal Beatrice's sick mom in no time. 

We had to end the game there as the bell went, and next class we'll start with a story about Jesus heading over to Peter's house to see if he can help his sick mom (in law).

Bearded Rats JRPG Background: Smuggler

 

Smuggler Image generated by Craiyon.com

5. Smuggler

• You smuggle things, rare things, valuable things. The Wizard, at some point in your career, made something for you. He didn’t want money as payment though, he wanted you to do something for him.


• You owe the Wizard, but for what? You have a Token Item.

• You gain the Shadow Jack trait at Rank 1 and some Contraband.

Why do you owe the Wizard?

1. He enchanted your cloak so that it’s able to hold a lot more things than it should be able to hold. The things also do not show up if someone else is searching for them. You gain a Cloak of Many Pockets.

2. He made a cloak that makes you invisible. It’s alive though, and needs to be fed gold coins to do its job. You gain Obscuritas, the Cloak of Invisibility (Rank 1), both as an object and a companion, at rank 1.

3. He made you 10 Coins of Bribery, that will make any bribery attempt payed for with these coins magically succeed, provided the recipients possess intelligence.

4. He gave you a Crystal Dowsing Rod, which makes you able to look for items or people you want to find just by thinking of them. It will point in the right direction. With training you can refine the process.

5. He gave you a new face which, besides hiding your old one, has a very charming smile. You gain Smile of Innocence (Rank 1)

6. He trained you in hypnotism, making you able to hypnotize people and animals. You gain Hypnotist (Rank 1).

What contraband are you carrying right now?

1. Expensive Wine, in a wooden crate that carries 6 bottles.

2. A box full of Forged Documents that only need names and signatures to be filled in.

3. A crate of Star Metal, harvested from a fallen meteor. It behaves strangely.

4. 10 Magical Wands, developed by the king’s own mages.

5. A stolen Spell Book. You cannot read it. It has a menacing aura.

6. A Reliquary supposedly holding what remains of the hand of a powerful mage, long dead. It gives you nightmares.

Bearded Rats JRPG Background: Gambler

 

Gambler Illustration generated by Craiyon.com

4. Gambler

• You are a gambler, but you gambled with the wrong person and lost a bet. What did you know the guy was a Wizard! Now you are here, paying it off. 

• Losing a bet with the Crystal Wizard means you were confident enough by previous successes. You gain a Prize.

• You gain the Finger Smith trait at Rank 1 and a Pair of Lucky Dice.

What prize did you gain and who did you piss off with that?

1. You won a very expensive bottle of wine from the Innkeeper in a town of choice. 
You have a bad reputation with said Innkeeper. Bad Reputation: Innkeeper (Rank 1)

2. You won a special weapon from a warrior. You decided to keep using it. Detail it with the GM. Name the warrior. They obviously don’t like you anymore. Bad Reputation: Warrior (Rank 1)

3. You won the keys to a house in the city. It’s your property now. You haven’t seen it yet, since it’s from the same night that you lost to the Wizard. Bad Reputation: Previous Owners (Rank 1)

4. You won a strange animal. The animal seems to have little desire to listen to you though. Bad Reputation: Strange Animal (Rank 1)

5. You won a magical piece of clothing from a dark stranger. Wether this stranger is mad about it or not you cannot gauge, but they have taken an interest in you and might show up from time to time. Contact: Dark Stranger (Rank 1).

6. You died once, but managed to gamble with Death themself and win it back, for now. They might want to arrange things in such a way that surviving becomes difficult for you. Bad Reputation: Death Personified (Rank 1). You gain the trait Grave Walker at Rank 1.

Bearded Rats JRPG Background: Homunculus

One of the possible Homunculi, as depicted by Crayon.com

 3. Homunculus

• You were not born, but rather are a creation made by the Wizard. Wether or not you look human or not, there will always be at least one part of you that gives you away as inhuman.

• Because you are a servant of the Crystal Wizard you gain the Crystal Rose, a brooch that shows your allegiance with him.

• You have a Special Talent linked to your Form.

What is inhuman about you? What is your Special Talent?

1. You used to be a cat, hunting vermin for the Wizard. The wizard upgraded your intelligence and gave you a more human appearance, though he left your cat-like senses, your claws and teeth all intact. You are a Vermin Hunter (Rank 1) and a Humanoid Cat (Rank 1).


2. You used to be the powerful spirit of a lake, a fairy prince(ss), praised as a god by local humans. The Wizard caught you and stripped you of your power, forcing you to clean the Crystal Tower. You are an Urn-Trapped Lake Spirit (Rank 1) and have a Spell Slot with access to the magic lists for Elemental Water (Rank as Lake Spirit) and Cleaning (Rank 1). 
Your Magic Urn gives you Armor 8, but you have no (visible, usable) hands to use weapons or shields with and you can’t wear any other armor unless you find a way to escape the urn.

3. You used to be a porcelain doll, until the Crystal Wizard brought you to life to entertain his guest. You are an Animated Doll (Rank 1) and an Entertainer (Rank 1).

4. You used to be an owl, then the Wizard changed you into a more humanoid form. You kept your size, your wings, your feathers, your head and your talons, but gained humanoid arms. You are an Owl Creature (Rank 1) and Shadow Jack (Rank 1).

5. You used to be an ox, until the Wizard transformed you into a person with the strength of an ox. The only reminder that you were once an ox, is your tail. You still have the strength of an ox, but now the body of a human and all the perks that come with that. Grateful for this, you work for the Wizard in any capacity that needs your great strength, mainly menial labor. You are an Ox-tailed Human (Rank 1) with Inhuman Strength (Rank 1).
 Additionally you switch you highest ability score with STR and if it was not yet 2, it is now.

6. You used to be a plant, which the Wizard choose for its medicinal properties. The wizard gave you legs and intelligence, channeling your healing properties into a small capacity for magic, which makes you able to use your healing properties whenever your magic allows. You are a Humanoid Plant (Rank 1) with a Spell Slot and access to the spell lists Plant (Rank 1) and Healing (Rank 1).

Bearded Rats JRPG Background: Burglar

 

Burglar image generated by Craiyon.com

2. Burglar

• You spent your time breaking into houses, that is, until you tried to break into a wizard tower, you fool. At least now you just need to do this job and you are free of imprisonment by the Wizard.

• Because you are a prisoner of the Crystal Wizard, you are equipped with a Magical Collar that will harm you if you try to just run away.

• You gain the Finger Smith trait at Rank 1 and always have Lock Picks on you.

How do you usually get into buildings?

1. Rooftop access: You gain the Roof Runner trait at Rank 1, and have a Grappling Hook. 

2. Explosives: You gain a Bomb.


3. Disguising: You gain a Specific Disguise.

4. Sneaking: You gain a Dark Cloak and the Shadow Jack trait at Rank 1


5. Preparation: You gain a Notebook and a Pen to write down all your observations to plan.


6. Bribes: You gain a Pouch of Coin.

Bearded Rats JRPG Background: Artifact Hunter

Since the Bearded Rats idea is me tinkering with a newer idea for me, I do not want to apply it to my current game, but to another campaign I would want to play. I'm still quite in love with the JRPG esthetic, so I'm thinking wether or not that's possible.

JRPG style things without levels and ranks feels a bit weird. I want to keep some type of leveling or ranking, but still have the improvement happen in-fiction. I might have to re-write some of the rules for that, especially if traits like Briarborn or Shadowjack become ranked. I'm thinking of the ranks becoming modifiers to the danger rolls, rather than having advantage on said rolls.

Anyway, I present you with the Artifact Hunter!

Artifact Hunter art provided by https://www.craiyon.com

1. Artifact Hunter

• You spend your time in old ruins and abandoned places, hunting for artifacts. 
Sometimes people hire you to do this. This time the Crystal Wizard hired you to retrieve a specific one. You have an Artifact Hunter reputation at Rank 1

• Because you are hired, you gain a Pouch of Coins, with the promise of another one on job completion.

• You gain the Finger Smith trait at Rank 1 and an Artifact that you have kept for yourself.

The artifact in question:

1. A Large Revolver, and the ability to supply it with regular ammunition. 


Ranged, 1 Hand. 

+1 attack if using two hands to stabilize. 


Special ammunition can be found/made.


2. A barely functional Robot Body (rank 1). Can walk and hold items. 

Armor 8, HP 1


Can be upgraded in several ways, if the correct pieces are found or made.


3. A Ruined Airship (rank 1), not functional yet, but with time and effort, you are certain that you can get it to work. Currently stationed and disguised as a regular ship in the closest harbor.


4. A Giant Robot Head, useless on its own, but if powered it should be able to talk and see. If given a body it should be a frightful thing indeed. Currently stashed in your house/workshop, wherever that is.


5. A Jetpack, giving the ability to fly. You gain the Pilot trait at Rank 1


6. Special Goggles, giving you Night Vision. Different types of these exist.

Bearded Rats Background: The Wandering Knight (version 0.1)

three knights on horseback. Source unknown.

Being a knight means being a Noble. It also means upholding a Chivalric Code.

You start the game with: 

• a horse (name it), 

• armor of your choice (light +1 or heavy +2 but no advantage on sneaking, surprise or DEX tests.) 

• 2 weapons of your choice (one handed, two handed or ranged)

• a shield with your colors (what are they?)

• a signet ring 

• sealing wax

I. Order?

Being a wandering knight you do not hold any lands yourself. You might, however, belong to a knightly order. 

Roll a Danger Roll to see wether you are: 

• If you succeed you are part of a knightly order: Talk with your GM to see which one.

• If you succeed critically you are part of the most prestigious knightly order. 

In my game this will be The Order of the Golden Fleece.

• If you critically fail you were once part of an order, but were kicked out. Why did this happen? Talk with your GM about it. Was it your fault or were you set up? You have a bad reputation with the order.

If you belong to an order, you have a token item of the order that identifies you as such. The Order of the Golden Fleece has a chain, but it could be something else, like a ring, a knife, …

II. Born or Earned?

Most knights inherited their title and are part of a noble house, but some have gotten their title as a reward for services rendered to the crown. Were you born a noble or did you gain your title? Either come with advantages and disadvantages. 

Tell the GM which you prefer, then roll a Danger Roll to find out:

• If you succeed you get you what you want. You change your noble trait to either Born Noble or Earned Nobility.

• If you succeed critically you gain what you want (see the previous point) and it has earned you a good reputation. Either your house is prestigious or well liked or the actions and bravery that made you a knight are the talk of town. Whatever the case, you’ve earned a Good Reputation as a Noble. Detail this together with the GM.

• If you fail you do not get what you want. You change your noble trait to either Born Noble or Earned Nobility.

• If you critically fail people think you are undeserving of your title. You can choose wether you are Born Noble or have Earned Nobility, but you’ve earned a Bad Reputation as a Noble. They either think you were born into nobility but do not act the part or they think you gained nobility while not having earned it. Detail this together with the GM.

III. Upbringing

We know what caste you were born into. Now let's find out how your childhood went.

Roll a Danger Roll:

Critical Fail: Disaster struck you and or your family when you were growing up.

1. Your house was raided and you were the only survivor, leaving you an orphan. This was a traumatic experience that left it’s mark on the rest of your upbringing. Talk with the GM about what this might mean for your character.

2. There was an accident at home and it killed one of your parents. You were the cause. You gain a bad reputation to those that know about this and possibly a mental trauma related to this. Talk with your GM to decide what happened exactly and what this means for your character.

3. You had an accident that crippled you. How were you crippled, and what type of cripple are you?

4. You were the cause of something that drove your family to poverty. Your family remembers and brings it up whenever they can. You gain a bad reputation with your family.

5. You were abducted by an evil witch or wizard at some point in your youth. You were able to escape, but at a severe cost. Their magic has left its mark of corruption upon you. They also have not forgotten you. You gain them as an enemy. Talk with the GM to decide what all happened here.

6. You were wandering the forest when you got lost and ended up in the land of the fairies. When you finally found your way back a hundred years had past, and nobody believes you were lost in time when you bring it up. Your time in the fairy lands has also left it’s mark on you. Talk with your GM what fairy marked might be appropriate here. It should be at least inconvenient, if not downright dangerous.

Fail: Your upbringing was uneventful to say the least.

1. The only thing you did was run chores all day. You had no time to develop any skill or personality. It’s also not like you got better at it or liked it. You gain resentful servant.

2. You were overprotected, not allowed to take any risks. You were taught that everything was dangerous. You are fearful as a result.

3. You were neglected, having to fend for yourself. All you have is scrappy and worn out. It will break easily, or if you have a horse, it will tire easily, be old and/or sickly, …

4. You are from a big family and were often overlooked. Your parents sometimes can’t even remember what your name is or don’t notice you missing at family events. You are forgettable to your family. Wether you want to or not, you tend to fade into the background of things and events regarding your family.

5. You were spoiled rotten and didn’t have to do a thing. Your siblings resent you for that. You have a bad reputation with your siblings.

6. You were the black sheep of the family (reputation). Everything was your fault, wether you actually did it or not.

Success: You upbringing was promising!

1. You roamed the woods and the fields as a child, feeling quite at home there and learning its secrets. You gain Briarborn as a trait.

2. You loved to explore the house, the village, the world around you, and observe. You found spots where you could just look at people. You gain Shadowjack as a trait.

3. Even while barely able to walk, you were climbing on top of things, often found sitting on top of furniture or even the roof, with no way to get down. Growing up you learned how to get down pretty quickly. You gain Roofrunner as a trait.

4. You grew up liking to take things apart and putting them back together again. After a while, you got the understanding to use the learned principles to make your own stuff. You gain Fingersmith as a trait.

5. You were strong and agile, helping to protect the house from a young age, trying to catch rats etc. At some point, someone in your family taught you how to fight. (Who was it?) You gain +1 Attack.

6. You found that you could use your words to calm people down, scare them or rile them up easily. You gain Silvertongued as a trait.

Critical Success: Your upbringing was exceptional!

1. You roamed the woods and the fields as a child, feeling quite at home there and learning its secrets. You gain Briarborn as a trait. You also made friends with an animal that is at home in these lands. Talk with your GM about your Animal Friend.

2. You loved to explore the house, the village, the world around you, and observe. You found spots where you could just look at people. You gain Shadowjack as a trait. At one point in your exploring, you found a Special Treasure. Talk with the GM about what this might be.

3. You noticed that dreams you had often came true, though they were often cryptic and strange. You gain Prophetic Dreamer as a trait.

4. You grew up liking to take things apart and putting them back together again. After a while, you got the understanding to use the learned principles to make your own stuff. You gain Fingersmith as a trait. You actually made a thing you are really proud off. Talk with the GM about Your Own Invention. You gain that as an item.

5. You were strong and agile, helping to protect the house from a young age, trying to catch rats etc. At some point, a traveling knight taught you how to fight. You gain +1 Attack and you gain a Knightly Contact (teacher).

6. You found that you could use your words to calm people down, scare them or rile them up easily. You gain Silvertongued as a trait. You gained a bit of a following and have a Loyal Friend. They accompany you on your journeys, wether you want to or not. Talk with the GM about this friend.

IV. Finishing Up

To round things out, you should now have all you need written on your character sheet. If you do not yet have 10 items on your character sheet (including weapons, armor and the like) roll on this table (Roll 2 dice, the first result denotes the table, the other the place on the table) to fill it out with items you collected during your wanderings.

1. A Bundle of Sturdy Rope

2. Prayer-Beads (A pater-noster)

3. An Amulet of your Patron Saint.

4. A Handkerchief, given by a loved one

5. Carved Wooden Chesspieces, gift from a teacher.

6. A Lantern with Panes of Green Glass.

1. 5 Candles

2. 5 Sticks of Chalk

3. A Small Statue in a Strange Material. (talk with your GM to define it)

4. A Bag of Tea, enough for at least a month of traveling.

5. Strong Smelling Cheese, prized local cheese in a region you recently passed through.

6. A Grappling Hook, which has helped you before to reach places you could not otherwise.

1. A set of clothes and other materials, enough for a Single Type of Disguise.

2. A Psalter

3. A Musical Instrument, small enough to travel with.

3. A Handheld Mirror

5. A Goat, gifted by grateful villagers. Also a Jug of Milk, produced by said goat.

6. A Slightly Burned Doll, memory of a time when you were too late.

1. A Pair of Lucky Dice, a gift from a gambler you saved.

2. A Letter, given to you by a friend to deliver. To whoem?

3. A Keg of Trappist Beer, given in gratitude by monks for aid to their abbey.

4. A Pilgrimage Pin, a token for a pilgrimage fulfilled.

5. A Pot filled with Lard, useful for many things.

6. A Hunting Horn.

1. A Bundle of Furs.

2. A Fishing Pole.

3. A Bottle of Medicine with enough in it for 3 uses.

4. Manacles that have seen some use.

5. A Pot of Bookbinding Glue.

6. A Large Sack.

1. The Relic of a Saint (small)

2. A Map of the Region marking the location of a bandit camp.

3. The Broken Sword of a former companion.

4. A Patchwork Cape, given in thanks by the miner’s wives, who’s husbands you saved from a collapsed mine.

5. A Crown of Daisies, given by a little girl in some village you passed.

6. A Pack of Cards.

Bearded Rats: An introduction

 Not that I will be specifically groundbreaking, but I have been thinking on hacking Maze Rats to make it do more of the things I want it to do. My main thing is that I want to try out playing without XP and Levels as rewards. Advancement is still possible, but only through in fiction actions. And to be a bit silly I call my hacks of this game "Bearded Rats". 

(You know, because of the title of the game and my online ... name ... persona ... alright, I'm gonna leave now and let you guys read what I've come up with as a general brainstorm.)

"Dwarf Rat" by Mª del Mar Garcia Sanchez

BEARDED RATS: Maze Rats Hack Ideas.

No more XP. Your reward is your accomplishments or the stories you create. Advancement of character happens through character actions and accomplishments, rather than leveling up.

A. Character Creation

1. Everyone starts out the same: 
4HP, 6ARM. Human.
2. Reverse Life-paths:
 Choose a background/profession/template and then roll to see how you got there. 
3. Ties: 
What ties you together? How does this combination of characters make for a good story? Make this a conversation at the table. 
Have at least one bond with another PC. 
Optionally have a bond to the setting/locale.

B. Advancement

Advancement is only achieved in the fiction by taking specific actions. This is not to be said that there are no mechanics at all involved, but advancement should be consequence of actions or other emergent story beats.

These things will kind of work themselves out by players, especially when/if they state the intent of their actions. Still, some of the possibilities I will list here.

• Training with the troops
• Training with a master
• Self Study
• Being cursed or blessed
• Finding special gear, magic or otherwise

C. Healing

1. Healing should take time and skill, and depending on the wounds inflicted, might not be a done deal. 
2. HP should be more along the lines of Hit Protection or Luck. 
3. Once that runs out, a danger roll using a situation appropriate stat should be made to see if you survive the onslaught. The Target Number of the Danger Roll is modified by the amount of negative HP sustained.
4. If you do, you are wounded. Either the GM assigns a situation specific wound or a roll on a wounds table is made. Keep the negative HP value and keep subtracting if you get hit again.

Question: How to decide on the severity of the wound if you choose for yourself? A wound should be a hard move, but how hard? A severed limb is less severe than a wicked scar. Or is it? It depends on the situations you find yourself in, right? Could we just make it a luck roll? Or is it dependent on the modifier to the wound roll? If at 0 HP a light wound, if below that, a severe wound? That might work.

D. Danger Roll Mechanic For Procedures

While at some points we will no longer be talking about actual danger, the mechanic of roll 2 dice, adding an applicable bonus and trying to hit a target number will be the basis for most procedures, like training, healing, building, etc. Rather than just using it to see wether or not something succeeds, they should always add something to the story or highlight something setting specific. More on this later.

The Hermit and his Wild Dog (Lore)

 TRIGGER WARNING: This post deals with themes of anti-semitism at it was often the case in the medieval times. This author clearly portrays the anti-semitism as wrong and evil, and the root/cause of the problems these characters might bring.

X-CARD MATERIAL: Obviously, this would be X-Card material at the gaming table, and before beginning a session or arc in which this might feature, I would ask if these things and themes are fitting or not for the group and tone we want to portray.

The Hermit and his Wild Dog.

Once a respected member of the community surrounding the keep, this man and his family enjoyed a quiet life, but once Count Leopold de Chouxchaude — the then master of the Keep —found out that there were Jews living in his village he became incensed, especially after his wife had a miscarriage. Blaming it on the family they were driven out of the community by the guards.

"An Old Beggar"
David Teniers II (1610-1690)

Taking it in stride, persecution seeming to be part of their heritage, they settled in the woods, where they built a cottage and lived from what the land brought them. The couple had children who grew up healthy and innocent of the evils outside the forest.

Then, after the harvest failing for the second year in a row, the people remembered them, and with the lack of reason that desperation and fear brings, a mob was formed. The mob went and looked for the family, finding the cabin in the woods. They locked the doors and burned it down, thinking their job done. They did not know that the father was out, checking the traps. When he came back, he saw what happened, and he broke.

I sadly have no credit I could find for this picture.

He buried his family and ripped his clothes, in the way of his people. He now wanders the woods, followed by a mean looking, black dog. Bitterness took hold in him and he wants nothing to do with people. What he doesn’t know is that the dog, who came to him in his need, is not in fact just a dog, but a force of chaos, that becomes a vessel for the man’s vengeance when the man is asleep. The man in question does not know about this.

On The Gaul (my replacement for halflings in this setting)

The Gaul used to be the dominant people here, until the Burgundian Court rose to power. They had vast agricultural and technical advancements that made them able to thrive. They ware also fearless. People don’t really remember them, or if they do, consider them “extinct”. This, however, is not the case. Seeing that they were outnumbered and outclassed by the Burgundians in the north, the Franks in the south and the Germans in the east, they went into hiding, living as hunter gatherers in the forests. They are hidden and don’t much care for what happens outside of their woods. They have their own language, which is a strange dialect mixing latin with germanic influences.

A Gallic Warrior

Life of the Gaul:

• They herd wild boar and even ride them, being significantly smaller than regular men.

• They are led by chiefs and druids, in small tribes, often limited to certain parts of the forest as defined by natural borders.


• They are very good at keeping hidden, having housing that is easily camouflaged as part of nature, or that is quickly and easily dismantled and hidden.

A Gallic Druid

Appearance of the Gaul:

• Men will sport long mustaches and long hair. The women also wear their hair long.

• They often wear torcs, and simple clothing, woven from nettle or other plant fibers.

• They are the size of human children around the age of 8-10.

Traditions of the Gaul:

• In war they will paint themselves with talcum powder, and some say they strike fear into their enemies by fighting completely nude, except for their torc. Fighting, in this society, is not just limited to men either.

• As a Gaul comes of age they have to go out and obtain some kind of metal, either through cunning or force, and bring it back It is then made into a torc and they are considered adult members of the community.

• Bravery is valued highly among these Gaul, and they will often greet each other with well-meant insults and taunts. They will also use this on their enemies, though less well intended, trying to goad them into rash and foolish decisions on the battlefield.

When you meet a Gaul in the wood, which is a rare thing, you might find them…


1. Herding boars. In this case it would only be one or two Gaul, but also a herd of wild boars.


2. Gathering plants, probably mainly women and children. Though it might just be a complete family affair.


3. Hunting in group. They might be going for a stag or try to kill a predator that has been bothering them.


4. Rough-housing. An insult match gone slightly out of control. They are not trying to hurt each other much, but they have lost sight of being low key. To those not familiar with their language and customs though, they seem to actually be fighting.


5. Courting, away from the tribe. Just a single couple, man and woman, being all lovey-dovey, or one unsuccessfully trying to woe the other.


6. Holding a ritual sacrifice at some standing stones, led by a druid. This will be a larger group, like a complete family, or a group of elders or even the entire village.

On Skeletons That Roam (And Their Motivations)

From a completely digitized manuscript called Danse Macabre.

From skeletons and zombies to ghost, phantoms and other, even more nefarious things like Vampires. These dead didn’t stay dead, for whatever reason. In fairytales, it’s often because of an unresolved thing that is so important that it keeps them from peacefully going on to the afterlife, be it for vengeance, love or some other powerful motivator, they keep alive.

Another is dark magic, either being animated by dark wizards or the devil himself, these dead are walking again. Perhaps they made a pact with the devil, not wanting to die or they or are called back and bound by a dark wizard. Perhaps the devil himself jumped back into the bones of these undead to find a way to move around. Many theories exist, some of them are bound to be true.

Skeletons

Skeletons are the bones of the long dead, generally humans, but they should not be limited to that. As the undead they have a reason to be. Depending on where we are, there are different reasons.

• They might have been summoned by a dark wizard or power. The one in control is not the original occupant, but a dark power, be it the mind of the wizard or it’s demonic minions. In this case, when defeated they stay dead until reanimated again. The link to the wizard is severed, or the demon is cast out, back into hell.

• They might also have some unresolved business and be moving about trying to resolve it. Depending on how old they are, their mind and awareness might already be slipping and their behavior might be hard to gauge. When defeated, as long as the business keeping them from dying is not resolved, they will re-assemble, or try as best they can. If unable to for some reason (because the bones cannot be reassembled or are completely destroyed, the spirit will still haunt and change tack and find another way to try and resolve their situation, for example by possession or some other measures.


• In the underworld, the realm of the dead, they just live and act as they might have had before. They are awaiting judgement at the end of days. Intrusions by the living might be seen as wrong and violently confronted.

When encountered in the wild, they are…


HP: 2 // ARM: 7 (typically)


1. A skeleton dressed up in tattered noble clothes, giving directions to six skeletons in tattered servant attire. “I will take my rightful place by my love’s side.” it whispers. It’s will animates himself and his servants to win the heart of their love. Their love is long dead though, as they are, but they might think one of the PC’s is them, or might think they are rival suitors. They will not realize they are dead, whatever is tried, but they might be convinced someone is their lover if they act the part, and find rest once their love is returned convincingly. This is a tricky thing to do.


2. Seven skeletons stumbling around, whisper-shouting a name. Two are adult sized, the others are varying child sized length. One of the adult ones is carrying a wooden doll wrapped in cloth. They are looking for their baby, stolen from its crib. They will not rest until they find it. The wolves that killed and ate them could not stop them years ago, nothing can.

3. Eight black-hearted skeletons cursed to roam the lands forever until they learn the meaning of compassion and charity. In life they were bandits who robbed and pillaged wherever they went. On one of their raids, they were cursed by an old lady before they stabbed her.


4. Six mercenary soldiers who have to save as many lives as they have taken before they can pass on. Any kill they make attempting to do this adds to the score they are trying to erase, but being soldiers in life, they only really know how to kill. It’s tragic. In trying to save lives, they often kill again.


5. One human skeleton and ten cat skeletons. The human skeleton is looking for ink and parchment. She needs to finish her tale before she can move on. The cats are faithful even into death. 


6. Eight animal skeletons, animated by dark magic, inhabited by evil spirits and let loose (or escaped) into the wild. Experiments of a dark sorcerer.

The Door At The End (an obstacle to overcome)

 The players in my game will be going through a secret passageway to the keep, hoping to gain access unnoticed. What they do not know is that someone in the new management of the keep has found it as well, being the curious wizard-type that he is, and installed a magic door to keep it safe. His magic wasn't entirely successful though, not he knows this, and this door gained a personality that can be played into to convince it to be opened up to the players. This is how The Door At The End's magical protection looks like.

A bas relief in Mechelen city that we found yesterday and took a picture of.

The Door At The End (of the secret tunnel)

At the end of the tunnel you find a door to the Keep's fountain. On the door is a bas relief of a lion with a ring in it's mouth through which some tassled ribbons are draped.

When you try to open it in any way, it will come alive and talk, unclearly as if the ring in its mouth is actually obstructing it.

1. Hewwo phewe. How are you phoing?

2. Ohohohhoho! Phtoooop! Phah Tickwleph!

3. Exphcuuphe me? Phwho awe you?

4. Unhand me at oneph! Phavageph!

5. Aaauw! PHTOP IT!

6. *eye roll* Wha' awe you doim?

It is recently installed and enchanted by Orion the Advisor, who found the passages. It can only allow those with the right key, but there is a flaw in it's design in that it has a bit of a personality, and it often feels lonely here. 

It might open for you if you...

1. Tell him a story. Either one he hasn't heard before, or a specific one that is his favorite.

2. Sing him a song. Either one he hasn't heard before, or a specific one that is his favorite.

3. Talk to him about the outside world. He wants to experience it through you. Does it line up with what he has heard before? How does this influence his decision on wether or not to open for you?

4. Teach him a sentence in a new language.

5. Make him pretty somehow. Paint, flowers, a ribbon ... Bonus if you can show him in a mirror.

6. Show him a dance, trick or other visual performance. 

So you found a secret passage to the Keep (encounter table)

 So you found a secret passage to the Keep

My adventurers know of a secret way into the Keep. Since due to recent events they feel they can not really trust people in the Keep with the evidence they are currently bringing into the Keep they decide to take this way into the Keep.

I found a certain map of cave systems where they will find the entrance to this secret passage. Following the passage should be interesting I feel, so I made an encounter table.

Illustration: Adam Simpson/Observer

Roll 2d6:

2. Signs of an ancient dragon. 

Giant claw marks.

If in danger, dragon cultists looking for ancient dragon bones. 

Don't like being spotted.

3. weird stuff: 

lost dwarves

if in danger, they fear you want to rob them and attack.

There is a mining shaft to the side (up, down, left or right) in this tunnel now.

4. weird stuff: 

Skeletons from a broken wall. The wall breached the catacombs below the Keep.

If in danger they have spotted you and attack

if not in danger they have not spotted you ... yet.

There is broken wall into a catacomb in the side (left or right) in this tunnel now.

5. weird sense of place: 

Green Slime.

If in danger, on ceiling, dropping down.

If not in danger, puddle on the ground as obstacle to overcome.

6. sense of place: 

Crumbling ceiling. 

If in danger: Not propped up, just a collapse when you pass under.

If not in danger: As obstacle, barely propped up by creaking wooden beams.

Danger Roll + DEX (or STR if you try to wether it) to not get pinned. 

If pinned, GM rolls an attack to see if you've got hurt.

7. recurring characters: 

Sleepwalking Shopkeep. (Miss Chloë)

If in danger, the person is in mortal danger.

8. sense of place: 

Bandit Camp spies.

If in danger, they attack immediately.

If not in danger, they try to see who they are dealing with.

9. weird sense of place: 

incursion of 1d8 Fire Beetles. 

If in danger: they attack. Roll for initiative.

There is a hole in a side of the tunnel. (left, right, up or down)

It leads to the underworld.

10. weird stuff: 

Ghostly image of Count Leopold.

If in danger, he tries to posses one of you to warn the Keep.

If not in danger he wails on how he is responsible for the creeping chaos and how he regrets it.

11. weird stuff: 

Kobolds

if in danger they try to harras, bully and hurt you

if not in danger they are cruelly bullying a small fox that got trapped. 

(the fox is a fairytale creature and will thank you and want to help you at some point.)

12. Magic user: 

Orion the advisor to the Count recently discovered this place and is exploring curiously.

If in danger he suspects you of ill intent to the Keep and will try to imprison you.

Adventures in Krowne Keep: Actual play report(s) of the play by post group.

Adventures in Krowne Keep

 So, I've been taking some players through B2 - Keep on the Borderlands through play-by-post gaming. We use Discord for this and I'm constantly learning how to do this better. There have been two "sessions" this far, which I kind of classify as a separate excursion. Our playing mainly depends on me having the time and state of mind to run it, which means that it's usually a school vacation thing. We're also in quite different time zones, which makes it slower than it might otherwise be, but I've got nothing to complain about. The pace is right for me, going from about two posts a day to one every other day moves things about quickly enough to still feel like we're getting things done. The system we use is Maze Rats, which makes things go rather smoothly. Anyway, here are the reports. I'm bundling the two sessions we've had so far together, as the first one was just testing the grounds a bit.

Session 1: We're Going on a Bear Hunt (We're going to get a big one!)

The players:

Oliver, a gravedigger who knows how to attack.

Clive, a collector of cabbages with some magical potential.

Poppy Stoker, totally not a sneak-thief.

See Johannes, a hedge knight who knows his way around the forests.

Redmaine Needle, a debt collector with some magical potential.

Our heroes and scoundrels arrive at Krowne Keep. Some of them have been here before, others are new. They're let in and warned to "Keep the law and keep your head." They explore the keep a bit, which I rushed them through a bit because I wanted to go out on adventure. That was my mistake. They found a traveling priest who wanted to help them should they want to head to the caves of chaos. He was pretty strong worded and judgy though. They left him, for now, and head on. They found out that the trader pays for furs and that Miss Chloe, the provisioner, would pay them if they could collect some berries and mushrooms should they head into the forest.

Poppy had her own little adventure when she spotted a jewelry merchant. She tried to rob him, but could not get past all of the guards, even though she turned out to be quite the "Captain America", knocking people out by throwing her shield. She was spotted, but it was by a silent acolyte, so he would not tell on her. In the end she failed, being bitten by a guard dog and having to flee.

So, they head out into the forest, splitting up, setting a trap for a bear on the one hand and collecting berries on the other hand. They catch not one, but two bears and manage to kill one and scare off the other, afterwards tracking back the wounded bear to its cave and finishing it as well. They debate on wether or not to skin the beasts, and decide to just tie them to pollards and wooden beams and return to the keep.

Session 2: To the Caves!

The players:

• Oliver, a gravedigger who knows how to attack.

• Clive, a collector of cabbages with some magical potential.

• Poppy Stoker, totally not a sneak-thief.

• See Johannes, a hedge knight who knows his way around the forests.

• Redmaine Needle, a debt collector with some magical potential.

NPC's:

• Beryl, a small, white haired bounty hunter with a crossbow. She's looking for a jester.

• Father Durant, the traveling preacher.

• Brother Gauche, silent acolyte to Father Durant

• Brother Droite, silent acolyte to Father Durant

They got to the keep and sold their stuff. They decided they might try to go to these caves they've been hearing about. They've heard that if you bring back a big treasure or trophy, or bring in valuable prisoners you might get to meet the Castellan. They ask that traveling priest and his two silent acolytes to accompany him, as well as a bounty hunter who isn't opposed to some extra coin and the possibility of finding some trace of her bounty.

Poppy, again, looking for extra coin, managed to successfully steal the lockbox of the Trader, but was spotted (not recognized though) by his sons.

They walk for a day and camp out on a hill close by the caves so they can head to the caves in the morning. Night passes uneventfully, except for Oliver spotting some glowing bugs the size of dogs on the hillside. They seem harmless enough, and being a gravedigger he knows that they are Fire Beetles and generally scavengers. Right now, they were eating a rotting log on the side of the hill. He doesn't even bother to report this to the group in the morning.

They go to the caves and choose a cave entry. After listening carefully Clive yells "Come get your cabbages!" and throws a lit torch into the cave. Little gray wrinkly men come streaming out and rumblings can be heard. Beryl recognizes them as goblins, and the team seems to be handling them right well, partly by Clive's honey golem snake restricting two at a time. 

Eventually, after the third wave of goblins, an 8 foot tall man shows up wielding an iron banded club that looks like it's a whole tree or something. He runs past, greeting Father Durant as Master Durant and attacks, immediately killing one of the team. Master Durant and his acolytes now throw off their clocks revealing pentagrams made of snakes and the acolytes opening their mouths, revealing snakelike fangs and split tongues. The monsters from the other caves, who had been spectating in their cave entrances started hooting in excitement.

Things get deadly, the goblins, after a while, flee back into the cave (the few survivors) and a lot of the party fall. Gros Jean, the ogre in question stops attacking as the goblins who payed him are no longer involved. Through cunning action and positioning Clive manages to drag Master Durant towards the cave using the snake and convinced Gros Jean that Durant was going to attack the goblins. (he had been indiscriminate in who he killed before) which made these two fight it out, the ogre surviving. The acolytes were dispatched as well by the group and in the end the only ones left standing where Oliver, Clive and Poppy Stoker.

Gros Jean got to loot his own kills (I mean, where they going to pick a fight with him now over that?) but was asked to leave the body of Master Durant so they could take it back as evidence. The rest also started looting. This took some time and all of a sudden they heard wolves howl. They decided to cut their losses, quickly grab what they could and leave. They licked their wounds on the hill they camped on and waited for the day to end, so they could walk up to the keep from there in one day. Clive went fishing and had such a success with that that he even caught a fish that had a pearl in its mouth the size of his thumb!

They discussed what they would do next. They are not sure who they can trust in the Keep. They knew the curate already suspected the traveling priest to be up to no good, so they would like to talk this over with him. They go to sleep, hoping to recover. Clive volunteers for the night watch, seeing as he's at full HP. He will not get a new spell yet but the rest heal one hit point each. Poppy really needs it, as she had only one hit point left. 

At night Poppy startled awake from a dream in which she saw the name from Master Durant's armor and heard a slithering "I sssseeee you." At that point the ground burst open from under them and fire beetles poured out, eating the leftover food and anything edible they can find. Not wanting to get into a fight again they just let the beetles go and Clive sacrifices his pot of glue to make the fire flare and scare the critters off. Their bags are ruined, which they take the time to fix and they head over to the Keep.

Arriving there they are uncertain if going into the keep carrying the body is a good idea. Poppy remembers  she heard that there was a secret way out of the keep that they could take to get in. They would exit from the fountain in the square. Going at night would be best as they would be less likely to be spotted by the guards. The question was razed where they were going to keep the body, to which Poppy smiled. She had seen where the acolytes lived. "In their own apartment.", she said.

And we cut to credits there. Next session, they will try to secretly infiltrate the Keep.

Meet Father Clement Palacz, Curate of the Keep

 Father Clement Palacz

HP: 12 // ARMOR: 10 // ATTACK +1 // Miracles: 2 // STR: +2 // WIL: +3 //

"Der Kellermeister", by Max Thedy

It is known that Father Clement Palacz:

• Is not from around here, but people disagree on where he's actually from

• Is a man of great faith, who can perform miracles

• Has a patient and merciful outlook towards people, even enemies

It is said that Father Clement Palacz:

• Is a possible candidate to become the next Pope, should the current one die.

• Used to live in Moorish lands.

• Has a powerful relic in his possession.

When you meet Father Clement Palacz:

1. He will ask you how you are doing, and how he can help you.

2. He asks what your thoughts are about the last sermon he gave.

3. Asks you if you can help one of the people in this parish with a problem where he believes your talents might come in handy.

4. Asks your help for one of the villagers outside. Someone is ill, and they need some muscle around the farm until they have recovered.

5. Invites you for a walk, during which there will be some small talk, through which he attempts to judge your character.

6. Asks you to join him in prayer.

Backstory

Father Clement Palacz is a Polish priest. He left his country together with the troops in a crusade for Jerusalem, but their forces were defeated at Varna. Seeing his zeal and conviction he was chosen by a commander in the papal army to go on in secret, with a small task force, and provide them with information on the goings on in these parts of the world. They did, but could do nothing more than watch the fall of Constantinople, at which point he got separated from his troops, got captured by the Moorish troops and enslaved. 

He saw another side of the enemy then he was used to. Like Joseph in the scriptures, he decided to just work hard and wait for God to work in his life. He became a valuable and preferred slave. A hard worker who didn’t complain. At some point he, and the family he belonged to got shipwrecked on their way to Egypt, after being attacked by pirates. He tried to save and protect his masters but was flung overboard, bleeding, into the Mediterranean sea. He washed up on the shores of Egypt and was taken in by a fisherman who found him. 

The fisherman turned out, much to his surprise to be a Christian too. And he found the Coptic Church to be a shining light of Christ in this world. He got to experience life as a Christian in a place where it isn’t the state-enforced religion, and it changed him. He got a Coptic Cross tattoo on the inside of his arm, as well as a tattoo depicting the trinity. He became a valuable member of that local church.

Not much later he had a vision telling him to join a certain young adventurer on some adventure in Greece. Telling this to his congregation they prayed about it and gave him a holy relic to use there. A special staff, said to have been the staff that Mozes himself used and turned into a snake to free His people out of slavery. 

This is how he eventually ended up in the company of the Castellan, the adventurer in question, and ending up, later on, being invited to join him as Curate of the chapel in Krowne Keep.

Gear

Holy Plate Mail of Saint Michael: 


• +2 ARMOR


• No advantage on DEX Danger Rolls or Surprise Attack Rolls.

• Can sprout angel wings on command, allowing flight.

Shield:

• +1 ARMOR

• 1 Hand 

Blessed ring bearing the image of Saint Micheal the Archangel:

• +1 ARMOR

Blessed Mace of light:

• Word LIGHT always available for use with miracles.


• 1 hand

Holy staff of Mozes:


• 2 hands


• +1 DAMAGE


• Can strike foes that cannot be stricken by mundane weapons, like ghosts.

• On a successful hit: Upon a human-sized (or smaller) creature, the wielder of the staff may speak the command word, causing it to transform into a serpent and coil around the victim. (Danger Roll +STR/DEX depending, can be released by will of the wielder)

• When the victim is released: The snake returns to the owner and transforms back into a staff.

• Does not use charges, may be used any number of times.

Meet Orion Romatet: Advisor to the Castellan

Advisor: Orion Romatet

HP: 8 // ARMOR: 6 // SPELL SLOTS: 2
DEX +1 // WIL +2

Orion Romatet is the delicate, nine-fingered advisor to the Castellan.

Study Head of a Woman
Anthonis van Dyck

Orion Romatet is known to:


• Be the personal Advisor to the Castellan.


• Have only nine fingers.


• Have a strong fashion sense.

Orion Romatet is rumored to:

• Actually be girl, disguised as a man so as to be able to be around the Castellan. Scandalous!

• Have sold his finger to the devil for dark, magical power. Why does he get away with this?

• Actually be a fairy prince, tagging along with the Castellan to see if a possible alliance would be a good idea.

Orion Romatet will ask you:


• What your Zodiac Sign is.

• What strange things you have seen.

• Wether you could bring back something strange next time, preferably alive.

Gear:

Magical Plate Mail:

• +2 Armor

• no advantage on DEX Danger Rolls or Surprise Attack Rolls.

• Orichalcum armor inscribed with illusion runes, giving it the look of pretty, regular clothes.

Ring of the Phoenix:

• A ring holding a single feather from a phoenix’s tail. This gives free access to the word FIRE or LIFE for use in spells, wether or not the winds of magic or the pre-ordained position of the heavenly bodies would dictate it so. You can only choose one of the two words. You cannot use them both at once.

Short Bow:

• 2 handed weapon for shooting ranged arrows.

Magical Arrows (10): 


• Contain their own spell slot each.

• One of the words is already set by the rune carved in the arrowhead (SHOOT/SHOOTING) the other depends on the winds of magic and a user of magic to fill in.

Meet Father Winoc Le Drôle: The Castellan's Scribe

Father Winoc Le Drôle, Warrior Priest of Saint Martin and Scribe to the Castellan:

HP: 6 // ARMOR: 9 // Miracle Slot
 // WIL +1


A young, zealous and scrawny warrior priest on his way to holiness. 

"Portrait of a Young Benedictine" - Giovanni Francesco Caroto

Father Winoc Le Drôle is known to:


• Be the personal Scribe to the Castellan due to his training in reading and writing, and his devotion making him trustworthy.

• Be a warrior-priest devoted to Saint-Martin. Devoted and Zealous in his protection of the weak.


• Have accompanied the Castellan on at least one adventure before coming to the Keep.

Father Winoc Le Drôle is said to have:

• Spoken with angels.

• Broken his nose in a fistfight with the devil. Rumors cannot agree on who won.

• A jealous streak when it comes to friendships.

Father Winoc Le Drôle will ask you:


• Your opinion on the parable of the good Samaritan. What would you do?

• To pray with him later, and seek the Lord’s counsel in routing this land of chaos.

• What sources of Chaos you have witnessed and where? Can you point to it on a map?

Gear:

Plate Mail:


• +2 Armor


• no advantage on DEX Danger Rolls or Surprise Attack Rolls. 

Shield: 


• +1 ARMOR (1 hand)


Mace:


• 1 hand


Angel’s Promise:

• A shimmering feather, given by an angel in a vision with the promise of assisting in restraining an enemy once when called upon.


• Enemy in question needs to make a Danger Roll + WIL or be paralyzed for the remainder of the scene.


Holy Symbol:

Medallion of Saint Martin on a rosary. When brandished, it gives access to the word PROTECT for the use with Miracles.