A cold cosmos

Today in our countdown to Christmas: a little more chat about the background to Whispers Beyond The Stars, the upcoming near-future gamebook inspired by the work of H P Lovecraft. Aspiring Cthulhu cultists can reserve their copy here. It's $35 for the hardcover + app or $15 for the app alone -- either way you get the PDF too. Why not treat yourself? After all, it's Christmas.

That's neat

“At the time, ninjas were new and exciting and everyone loved them […] So basically ninjas meets Lord of the Rings was what we came up with and it turned into a hugely successful game book series.”
-- Mark Smith 

A part of our rapid-fire countdown to Christmas, here's a look at Gremlin Graphics' Way of the Tiger computer game from the 1980s.

Having played very briefly in Mark Smith's Orb campaign, I always thought it was a pity it got overshadowed by martial arts mania. There weren't any ninja in the original Orb setting, which was a masterclass in how to use Tolkien-like fantasy elements in a D&D game. Prancing around flinging shuriken and flash powder was far less interesting than all the richly original flourishes Mark had put into his world.

The gamebooks are still available, and there's occasional talk of publishing an Orb RPG. (Basic Roleplaying or Mythras would get my vote.) Fingers crossed -- and I'm not talking about the kuji-no-in.

Happy solstice

There's nothing Yule-flavoured about this except that it's magical (or do I mean madrigal?) and riotously delightful and those are essential elements of the season. Jonas Wolf's Renaissance covers are my current favourite thing on YouTube, so I wanted to share the fun with you.

For the best in gaming pleasure, I can't think of a better way to celebrate the tilt of the year than by getting the latest issue of Casket of Fays, which comes with a periplus of the Emphidian coast (map below) as a bonus. There are the usual top-quality scenarios, solo adventures, articles and artwork that are the hallmark of Red Ruin Publishing. I feel privileged and humbled to have such talented folks as these contributing to the world that Oliver and I created forty years ago.

If you're in the north, stay warm, and the sun will resume normal service as soon as possible.

Spanning a sea of cloud

To give AI art generators some chance to redeem themselves after last time, here's an image of the Rathurbosk that I managed to coax out of ChatGPT (animated below by DeeVid). I've never cared much for that dully realistic trad fantasy style, but at least the AI managed to get a sense of the scale, though still not close to the sense of wonder that even a rough sketch by Leo Hartas conveys. Looks like the best human artists aren't going to be replaced anytime soon.

The setting and environs of the Rathurbosk have a numinous seasonal feel, and if you want to make use of that then Damian May has an excellent adventure seed for you; "Captain of the Gouge" gets right down into the chasm for another angle on Legend's most miraculous bridge. Whether you're spending the holiday period high or low, hot or cold, busy or quiet -- have a good one.

Earthsea magic with Dragon Warriors rules

With Christmas almost upon us (what, again?!) it seems like a good time to try something just for fun. I asked Claude to take my post about Tim Harford's Earthsea-like Conclave campaign and convert the rules to Dragon Warriors. Although I do sometimes use AI when I'm writing rules and scenarios, normally I just use it as a sounding board. This time I'm handing over the reins, so here is Claude's guest post. 

This is the first of a string of daily posts comprising a countdown to Christmas, so check back in tomorrow for something else.

The art below in today's post by AI too, hence the mostly trad-fantasy style. (But we can't blame Claude for that. It doesn't do images.) You can still coax decent art out of AI, but it's not as easy as it was a year or two ago, when it wasn't overtrained on the same old same old.

OK, take it away, Claude...

The Mage

A Dragon Warriors profession for Earthsea-style magic

Overview

In the island realms where magic flows like tide through ancient stones, the Mages represent the truest practitioners of the Art. Unlike the scholarly Sorcerers with their books and laboratories, or the elemental shamans who channel raw forces, Mages understand that all magic begins with the Word, the true name that binds essence to form. They are the wizards of legend, capable of reshaping reality with carefully chosen words, yet bound by ancient traditions that demand restraint and wisdom.

Minimum Requirements

To become a Mage, a character must possess:

• Intelligence 13+ (understanding the deep structures of language and reality)
• Psychic Talent 11+ (sensitivity to the true names underlying all things)

Characters with Psychic Talent 8 or less cannot use magic at all.

Initial Characteristics

Basic Combat Factors:

• Attack: 10, Defense: 5
• Magical Attack: 16, Magical Defense: 6
• Health Points: 1d6+3
• Evasion: 3
• Stealth: 13, Perception: 7

The Art of True Magic

The Two-Step Casting System

All Mage magic requires two separate skill checks:

1. Naming Roll: Roll against the Mage's Naming skill to determine how well they can discern or invoke the true name of their target
2. Art Roll: Roll against the specific magical discipline being employed

The degree of success on the Naming roll directly modifies the Art roll. If the Naming roll fails completely, the magic cannot work at all - without the true name, the Word has no power.

Naming Modifiers

Known True Names: If the Mage knows the complete true name of the target, no Naming roll is required - the magic automatically succeeds at maximum effect.

Partial Knowledge:

• Target's common name known: +2 to Naming
• Target's lineage/type understood: +1 to Naming
• Target studied for at least 1 hour: +1 to Naming
• Target completely foreign/alien: -3 to Naming

Success Levels and Art Modifiers:

• Naming roll succeeds by 10+: +4 to Art roll
• Naming roll succeeds by 5-9: +2 to Art roll
• Naming roll succeeds by 1-4: +0 to Art roll
• Naming roll fails by 1-4: -2 to Art roll, spell may still work
• Naming roll fails by 5+: Magic fails completely

The Nine Arts of Magic

Each Mage begins play knowing Naming plus three Arts of their choice. Additional Arts may be learned through study, typically requiring a teacher and 3-6 months of intensive training.

1. Change (Major Art)

Transform one thing into another

• Range: Touch for major changes, 10m per rank for minor alterations
• Duration: Permanent for inanimate objects, Spell Expiry for living beings
• Restrictions: Cannot create or destroy matter, only reshape it
• Examples: Stone to bread, rabbit to wolf, iron to gold, man to tree

2. Find

Locate lost or hidden objects, places, or people

• Range: 1 mile per rank
• Duration: Instantaneous (provides direction and approximate distance)
• Modifiers: +2 if item belongs to the caster, +1 if recently handled
• Examples: Lost ship, buried treasure, missing person, hidden door

3. Gate

Open and seal magical portals and paths

• Range: Touch
• Duration: 1 minute per rank (or permanent with additional cost)
• Types: Unlock any physical barrier, create temporary passages through walls, open mystical doorways between distant places (8th rank+)
• Examples: Locked door springs open, passage through solid stone, portal to distant island

4. Healing

Restore health and cure ailments

• Range: Touch
• Duration: Instantaneous
• Power: Restores 1d6+rank Health Points, can cure diseases and neutralize poisons at higher ranks
• Limitations: Cannot raise the dead or regrow lost limbs 

5. Illusion

Create false images and sensory deceptions

• Range: 50m per rank
• Duration: Spell Expiry
• Scale: Single person illusions (1st-3rd rank), building-sized (4th-6th), landscape illusions (7th+)
• Examples: False appearance, phantom armies, invisible ships, illusory islands

6. Mend

Repair broken or damaged objects

• Range: Touch
• Duration: Permanent
• Scope: Complexity limited by rank - simple tools (1st), complex mechanisms (4th), magical items (7th+)
• Examples: Shattered sword becomes whole, broken mast repairs itself, torn sail mends

7. Pattern (Major Art)

Scrying and discerning hidden connections

• Range: Unlimited for scrying, touch for connections
• Duration: Concentration (can maintain for 10 minutes per rank)
• Applications: See distant places, understand relationships, predict consequences, read the past from objects
• Examples: Watch events across the sea, trace a person's family line, foresee storm paths

8. Send

Project your image and consciousness

• Range: 10 miles per rank (cannot cross running water)
• Duration: 1 hour per rank maximum
• Limitations: Image can speak and perceive but cannot physically interact or cast spells
• Examples: Appear in a distant council chamber, scout enemy positions, deliver messages

9. Summon (Major Art)

Call objects or beings to your location

• Range: 1 mile per rank for objects, unlimited for willing beings
• Duration: Permanent for objects, willing beings stay as long as they choose
• Power: Complexity increases with rank - small objects (1st), large objects (4th), creatures (6th), people (8th), the dead (10th+)
• Examples: Summon your lost staff, call a fish to your net, bring forth a long-dead spirit

10. Weather

Command wind, rain, fog, and storms

• Range: 1 mile radius per rank
• Duration: Natural weather patterns (typically hours to days)
• Scope: Small changes (1st-3rd rank), local weather (4th-6th), regional effects (7th+)
• Examples: Gentle breeze, thick fog, driving storm, calm seas

Magic Point System

Daily Magic Points: Rank × 3

Spell Costs:

• Minor Arts (Find, Healing, Illusion, Mend, Send, Weather): 1 MP per rank of effect
• Major Arts (Change, Gate, Pattern, Summon): 2 MP per rank of effect
• Naming: No cost (but required for all other Arts)

Example: A 3rd rank Mage using Change to turn a rock into bread would spend 6 MPs (2 × 3 for a Major Art at 3rd rank effectiveness).

Restraints of Wisdom

The true power of a Mage comes with corresponding responsibilities. Reckless use of magic disrupts the natural order and marks the practitioner as dangerous. Choose one restraint system for your campaign:

Option 1: Mana Depletion

Each casting depletes ambient magical energy in the area:

• After casting, all subsequent magic in a 100m radius suffers cumulative -1 penalty per previous spell
• Depletion recovers at 1 point per hour
• Natural phenomena may be disrupted (tides, weather patterns, animal behavior)

Option 2: Natural Consequences

Every magical act creates an opposing reaction:

• Weather magic brings equal and opposite weather later
• Healing one person may cause illness in another
• Summon magic often requires something to be "paid" to the summoning
• Effects manifest within days or weeks

Option 3: The Burden of Power

Excessive magic use affects the Mage's health and spirit:

• Each spell beyond (rank ÷ 2) per day inflicts 1 point of Psychic Strain
• At Strain equal to Psychic Talent, suffer -2 to all rolls
• Strain removes at 1 point per day of complete rest from magic
• At double Psychic Talent in Strain, risk permanent characteristic loss

Option 4: The College of Hythe (Recommended)

An organization of elder Mages monitors magical use:

• Obvious public magic draws attention (Perception check for College agents in civilized areas)
• Misuse of magic results in warnings, then censure, then active opposition
• "Good" magic use builds reputation; "selfish" magic creates enemies
• High-rank College members are 12th+ rank Mages with powerful allies

Mages and Armour

Mages suffer significant penalties when wearing heavy protection, as armor restricts the precise gestures and movements required for their complex magic:

• No armor or Gambeson: No penalty
• Padded Armor: -1 Attack, -1 Defense, 10% spell failure
• Mail Hauberk: -2 Attack, -2 Defense, 20% spell failure
• Mail Armor: -3 Attack, -3 Defense, 35% spell failure
• Plate Armor: -4 Attack, -4 Defense, 50% spell failure

Special Abilities

1st Rank: Foundation Arts

• Naming: Core ability to discern and invoke true names
• Spellcasting: Can use any three Arts chosen at character creation
• Magical Sensitivity: +2 to detect magical auras, enchanted items, or supernatural presences

4th Rank: Scholar of the Word

• Expanded Repertoire: Learn one additional Art
• True Speech: Can communicate with any intelligent being for 10 minutes per rank per day
• Magical Appraisal: Automatically identify the function of any magical item after 1 round of study

6th Rank: Master of Arts

• Dual Casting: Can maintain concentration on two different spell effects simultaneously
• Deep Lore: Learn one additional Art
• Ritual Magic: Can perform elaborate rituals taking 1-6 hours to achieve effects beyond normal spell limits (GM discretion)

8th Rank: Archmage Abilities

Select one ability when reaching 8th rank, then one additional ability each subsequent rank:

• Word of Making: Once per day, cast any Art at double normal effect without spending Magic Points
• True Name Mastery: Automatically learn the true name of any creature or object studied for 24 hours
• Sanctuary: Create a permanent mystical refuge warded against unwanted intrusion
• Weather Mastery: All Weather magic costs half normal MPs and affects twice the normal area
• Geas Binding: Place magical compulsions on willing subjects or defeated enemies
• Otherworld Travel: Use Gate magic to access planes beyond the mortal world
• Master's Voice: All Arts can be cast at +1 rank effect with no additional MP cost
• Deathward: Automatically resist one killing effect per day (death spells, fatal damage, etc.)

Initial Equipment

A beginning Mage starts with:

• Robes (counts as Gambeson, Armor Factor 1)
• Staff (d6, 3 points - can be used as spellcasting focus)
• Dagger (d4, 3 points)
• Spell Component Pouch (required for complex magic)
• Book of True Names (contains 2d6 true names of common objects/creatures)
• Lantern and oil
• 3d6 × 5 florins
• One minor magical item (GM's choice): crystal orb, enchanted ink, silver stylus, or similar

Art Descriptions and Mechanics

Using Magic in Play

You can cast Art you know at any level from 1 up to your rank. 

1. Declare Intent: Player states what they want to achieve and which Art they're using
2. Naming Roll: Roll 1d20 ≤ Naming skill
3. Determine Modifier: Apply Naming success/failure to Art roll
4. Art Roll: Roll 1d20 ≤ (Magical Attack + Naming modifier)
5. Resolve Effect: Success creates the desired effect; failure may have unpredictable results

Note: All Arts use the same Magical Attack score, just like other Dragon Warriors magic classes. The Lore skill represents general magical knowledge - understanding magical theory, identifying spells, knowing the history of enchanted items, etc. It doesn't directly affect spellcasting but is useful for magical research and investigation.

Learning New Arts

• From a Teacher: Requires a Mage of 4th rank+ who knows the Art, costs 500 florins, takes 3 months
• From Ancient Texts: Requires finding rare books/scrolls, Intelligence check, takes 6 months
• Through Discovery: GM may allow learning through special adventures or profound magical experiences

Major vs Minor Arts

Major Arts (Change, Pattern, Summon) represent fundamental alterations to reality and are correspondingly more difficult and expensive. They require greater mastery and exact a higher cost in Magic Points.

Minor Arts are still powerful but work with rather than against the natural order of things, making them somewhat easier to employ safely.

Sample Mage: Tenar the Windcaller (5th Rank)

An expert in Weather magic who has defeated warriors from three islands

Characteristics: Strength 10, Reflexes 12, Intelligence 16, Psychic Talent 14, Looks 13

Combat Factors:

• Attack 11, Defense 6 (base +0 for average Strength, +0 for average Reflexes)
• Magical Attack 22, Magical Defense 12 (base +1 for high Intelligence, +1 for good Psychic Talent)
• Health Points 14, Evasion 5 (base 4 +1 for good Reflexes)
• Stealth 14, Perception 13

Arts: Naming 14, Magical Lore 17 

Known Arts: Weather, Find, Healing, Illusion 

Magic Points: 11 per day (5×2 + 1 for Psychic Talent 14)

Equipment: Enchanted staff (+1, counts as d6+1, 4 points), robes, storm-glass pendant, charts of the seven seas

Background: Tenar earned her reputation by calling down storms that scattered three separate pirate fleets threatening her home island. Against an average warrior (Magical Defense 6), her Weather magic succeeds about 66% of the time - powerful enough to be decisive in battle, but with enough uncertainty to create tension. When she knows the true name of winds (learned through years of study), her magic becomes much more reliable, explaining her fearsome reputation among sailors.

Success Rates (typical targets):

• vs Ordinary Humans (MD 6): 66% success
• vs Trained Knights (MD 10): 47% success
• vs Other Mages (MD 12+): 35% or less

Designer's Notes

This profession balances the "great wizard" power level of Earthsea with Dragon Warriors' mechanical framework. The two-step Naming system creates interesting tactical decisions, while the restraint mechanisms prevent the "flinging spells about without qualm" problem you identified.

The progression reflects narrative power - a 5th rank Mage like Tenar has the magical firepower to deal with entire groups of warriors, but the system encourages thoughtful rather than profligate use of such abilities. The emphasis on true names creates rich roleplaying opportunities and gives GMs tools to control magical power through knowledge rather than just mechanical restrictions.

"To speak a true name is to change the world."

Adventure Seeds

The Nameless Ship (1st-3rd Rank)

A merchant vessel drifts into harbor with no crew aboard, yet the cargo holds are full and the ship is in perfect condition. Local authorities ask the characters to investigate. The ship resists all attempts at magical investigation - Find spells fail, Pattern magic reveals nothing, even simple Mend spells won't work on deliberate damage. The truth: a desperate captain erased his ship's true name to escape a terrible curse, but this has left it "hollow" - existing but not truly real. The characters must discover what the ship was called and restore its identity before the namelessness spreads to other vessels in the harbor.

The Weather Thief (2nd-4th Rank)

Fishing villages along the coast report their weather has "gone wrong" - some islands are locked in drought while others suffer endless storms. The characters discover that Koreth, a young Mage, has been stealing favorable winds from poor fishing communities and selling them to wealthy merchant captains. He knows the true names of several wind-spirits and can command them with near-certainty. The moral complexity: Koreth grew up in poverty and is sending his earnings home to his starving family. Do the characters stop him, try to reform him, or find a third option? Meanwhile, the disrupted weather patterns threaten to cause a famine.

The Apprentice's Folly (1st-2nd Rank)

The characters arrive at a coastal village to find half the buildings transformed into different materials - stone cottages turned to glass, wooden piers become silver, gardens sprouting metal flowers. A elderly Mage's apprentice attempted to impress the villagers by demonstrating Change magic, but didn't properly understand the true names of what he was altering. Now the transformations are slowly spreading and becoming more chaotic. The master is away on a long journey. The characters must either find him quickly, discover the true names themselves to reverse the magic, or find another solution before the entire village becomes an surreal nightmare.

The Truthseer's Dilemma (4th-6th Rank)

Lord Harren of Stormhaven requests the characters' help investigating rumors of treason among his nobles. He specifically wants a Mage to use Pattern magic to scry the truth, offering a substantial reward. However, the characters soon discover that Harren himself is the traitor, planning to sell information to enemies for personal gain. The honest nobles he suspects are actually trying to stop him. The Mage faces a classic dilemma: honor the contract and help expose innocent people, or violate their word to serve justice? Meanwhile, Harren knows several true names of court members, making him dangerous if he realizes the characters have discovered his secret.

The Bone Ship's Cargo (5th-7th Rank)

A skeleton crew literally sails into port -- the ship is crewed entirely by animated bones, but they're peaceful and simply want to trade rare spices for common goods. The problem: they're the remains of pirates who were executed years ago, animated by their former victim - a merchant Mage seeking revenge. The spell has gone beyond his original intent and the skeletons are now genuinely reformed, feeling guilt for their past crimes and trying to make amends. Local authorities want them destroyed, the Church declares them abominations, but the bones themselves plead for a chance to complete their penance. The characters must navigate the moral complexity while also dealing with the original Mage, whose thirst for revenge has consumed him for decades.

The College Inquisitor (3rd-8th Rank)

Master Yevon, a stern 10th-rank Mage from the College of Hythe, arrives to investigate reports of "irregular magical practice" in the region. He suspects one of the player character Mages of violating the ancient codes -- perhaps using magic too freely, or for personal gain, or without proper restraint. His investigation is thorough and his standards impossibly high. He knows numerous true names and can make magic work with frightening certainty. The characters must prove their innocence while also uncovering the real culprit: a Sorcerer who has been masquerading as a Mage and using flashy magic to gain political influence, not understanding that this brings unwanted attention from the College. [Note: I disagree with Claude here. I don't think it makes sense to have any other magic-using professions in an Earthsea-like world. There should be Mages and there should be non-wizards and that's it. -DM.]

The Last Word (6th-10th Rank)

On a remote island, the characters discover an ancient library containing the true names of things that no longer exist: extinct animals, lost islands, forgotten gods. A mad scholar has been using Summon magic to call these vanished things back into the world, but each return weakens the boundary between what is and what was. Dragons that died centuries ago now soar overhead, islands that sank beneath the waves reappear randomly, and ancient plagues return with the creatures that once carried them. The scholar believes he's restoring the world to its proper state, but his actions threaten to unravel reality itself. The characters must stop him while deciding what, if anything, from the lost past deserves to be preserved.

The Rival's True Name (Any Rank)

A recurring enemy of the party (perhaps a wealthy merchant or noble whose honor they've questioned) approaches them with an unusual request. Someone has learned his true name and is using it to work malicious magic against him: cursing his weapons to break, his horse to throw him, his food to turn rotten. He believes the culprit is another player character Mage, but swears he'll put aside their enmity if they help him discover who is really responsible and stop the magical harassment. The twist: the enemy is telling the truth, but the real culprit is using the attacks to manipulate both sides into a confrontation that serves their own hidden agenda.

FAQ

Resistance & Unwilling Targets

Q: Can you transform an unwilling person with Change? Yes, but they can resist. Treat it as an opposed Magical Attack (caster) vs Magical Defense (target) roll. If the target wins, the Change fails. Knowing their true name makes resistance impossible - the magic simply works.

Q: Does Summon work on unwilling targets? Yes, same as Change - opposed magical rolls. A summoned person arrives but isn't compelled to stay or obey. True names bypass resistance.

Q: Can you force-heal someone who refuses Healing? No resistance roll needed - the target must simply accept the touch. Someone actively avoiding you must be restrained or caught off-guard first.

Q: What if someone is holding a door you're using Gate on? The door holder can make a Strength check against difficulty (10 + Art level). Success means they hold it shut/open despite the magic.

Range & Area of Effect

Q: What's the range for Change, Mend, Healing, and Gate? All require touch for inanimate objects, or line of sight within 30 feet for living targets (Change, Healing). Gate must be cast on a portal you can see or touch.

Q: Can one casting affect multiple targets? No - one casting affects one target. To mend five broken arrows requires five separate castings (though they can be done in sequence, 1 MP each). Exception: Weather affects everything in its area simultaneously.

Q: How big can Changed objects be? Use the weight limits given. For living creatures, "small animal" = cat/rabbit, "large animal" = horse/stag, up to GM judgment for unusual cases.

True Names & Special Interactions

Q: If I know someone's true name, what exactly does that do?

• Automatic +3 to Magical Attack (no Naming roll needed)
• Bypasses resistance - Change, Summon, and similar Arts work automatically
• Makes effects permanent - Changed living beings don't revert
• Removes requirements - You don't need to have seen/touched them for Find

Q: Can I use someone's true name once I learn it, or do I have to re-learn it each time? Once learned, always known (unless you forget it, or powerful magic makes you forget). This is why Mages guard their true names so carefully.

Q: What counts as knowing the "true name"? The complete name in the Old Speech that defines the thing's essential nature. Partial names (knowing it's "rabbit" not "stone") help with the Naming roll but don't give the full +3 bonus.

Concentration & Multiple Actions

Q: While maintaining Pattern or Send, can I do other things?

• Pattern: Requires full concentration - you cannot cast spells, fight, or perform complex tasks. Can walk slowly, speak briefly.
• Send: Your consciousness is split. You can see/hear through the sending while your body remains aware but dazed. Cannot cast spells from either location.

Q: Can I maintain a Gate portal while fighting? Created portals don't require concentration once opened - they last their full duration regardless of what you do afterward.

Q: How many Arts can I have active at once? As many as you have Magic Points for, except those requiring concentration (Pattern, Send). Only one concentration effect at a time.

Ending Effects Early

Q: How do I reverse a Change before the duration expires? Cast Change again on the same target, declaring you're returning it to original form. This uses Magic Points as normal but automatically succeeds (no rolls needed) if you cast the original transformation.

Q: Can I close a Gate portal early? Yes - simply use Gate again on the same portal (1 MP, no roll required if you created it).

Q: Can I dismiss an Illusion voluntarily? Yes, at will, no action required. The Illusion simply vanishes.

Detection & Visibility

Q: Can targets sense when someone uses Pattern to scry them? Powerful magic-users (Magical Defense 12+) get an uneasy feeling when being scryed. They can make a Perception check against the caster's Magical Attack - success means they know someone is watching but not who.

Q: Is a Send projection obviously magical? Appears completely real at casual observation. Close examination or touch reveals it has no substance (hand passes through). Magical detection (Perception vs Magical Attack) can identify it as a projection.

Q: Can Mages detect active Arts being used nearby? Characters with Magical Defense 6+ can make a Perception check against the caster's Magical Attack to sense nearby magic being worked. Success reveals "someone just cast a spell" but not specifics.

Q: Do the Arts leave traces that can be detected later? Permanent effects (Changed objects, Mended items, summoned things) radiate faint magic detectable by anyone with Magical Defense 6+ who specifically examines them. Temporary effects leave no trace once ended.

* * *

And a final note from the human here: this exercise is very unfair to Claude. It does sterling work when I ask it to write code for me or to comment on rules mechanics. It struggles with creative writing because, like all LLMs and most humans, it specifically aims to recreate the standard story patterns it has trained on, which means it produces the kind of stories beloved of Hollywood writing gurus. For the same reason every AI-created RPG scenario is going to sound like a typical (aka bog standard) scenario. But ask Claude to write a parser to turn a prose gamebook into logic markup for an app and it will take flight and soar. Don't judge it by this post is what I'm saying.

Whispers Beyond The Stars (a new Cthulhu Mythos gamebook)

In Cthulhu 2050: Whispers Beyond The Stars you are Alex Dragan, a recently freed convict who has chosen to have "the Wipe", neurosurgical adjustment that has left you with no memory of your crime. The idea is that it will make it easier for you to rehabilitate, but your partial amnesia starts to complicate things when you realize that the society into which you've been released is politically divided, fraught with global tensions, and plagued by power outages and cyberhacks that seem to be tied to mysterious numbers stations.

Following several violent deaths, suspicion falls on you as an ex-con and you are forced to flee. On the run, you will encounter bizarre conspiracies and phenomena that defy sanity. Without your own memories to rely on you must decide who you can trust and who is a deadly foe pretending to be a friend. And as you struggle to stay alive, you start to uncover the terrible truth that connects the threat of global war to the scheming of entities older than humanity itself.

The gamebook, which will be released in both physical book and digital format, blends deep storytelling with easy-to-grasp gameplay, dropping you into a world where cosmic horror meets futuristic mystery. Your character can specialize in different approaches – fight your way through with COMBAT, sneak past dangers using STEALTH, hack systems with TECH, overcome physical challenges with ATHLETICS, talk your way out with SOCIAL skills, or uncover hidden truths through INVESTIGATION. You get to choose Dragan's training (military, police, space travel, or an undefined wildcard background) which will both shape your history and unlock unique options as you play.

The two key stats are Health and Sanity. Health drops when you're physically hurt. Sanity diminishes when you witness things the human mind wasn't meant to comprehend. If either stat reaches zero your story ends -- or maybe it doesn't, thanks to the innovative "Wake From This Nightmare" journal system. (See below.)

As you explore this broken future, the game remembers your discoveries, relationships, and key decisions through keywords that become part of your ongoing story. So your choices really do matter, opening or closing paths as you progress and having enduring consequences. In the journal you can keep track of important events and locations, which helps you to navigate the tangled conspiracy unfolding around you. (In the digital version the app does it all for you automatically.)

The "Wake From This Nightmare" save system connects gameplay mechanics with the story's themes of fractured reality. When your character, Alex Dragan, dies or breaks mentally, you don't just restart. You "wake up" at a previous journal entry as if it was all just a nightmare vision. You first death sends you back one entry, your second death sends you back two, and so on. What makes this unique is how Alex retains hazy memories of what's to come, giving you a chance to make different choices and avoid the fate you've glimpsed.

This mechanic is designed to fit the Lovecraftian vibe, where objective reality becomes increasingly unstable and elusive. The line between dreams and waking blurs until both you and Alex will start wondering what's real and what's just a glimpse of possible futures. Is Alex truly seeing the future -- or is his or her mind cracking under the weight of cosmic revelations?

Cthulhu 2050 is a collaboration between me and award-winning game designer Paweł Dziemski. We think what makes it truly special is how the gameplay elements create real narrative consequences. Your choices don't just determine which page to read next – you will forge uneasy alliances, uncover hidden truths, and ultimately decide humanity's fate against forces from beyond the dawn of history. It's currently crowdfunding, with the app version due for release the moment the campaign ends on January 6th, so if you want that and the premium hardcover edition and lots of other gruesome goodies, slither over there now and join our unspeakable cult.

Spooky seaside metagrobolization

Here's a real Christmas treat. Leo Hartas has brought back his classic cutaway adventure book Haunted Castle. Originally published almost thirty years ago, it's packed with spooky visual gags and meticulously rendered mouth-watering illustrations by one of Britain's foremost fantasy artists.

Haunted Castle has long been out of print because, while the art and the concept were Leo's from the start, he didn't own the copyright in the text, which was written by Nicholas Turpin. The brilliant but far from easy solution: write all-new text. The 2025 edition has a fresh interactive storyline by author Amanda Boulter and will appeal to fans of gamebooks and puzzles and, as they say, to kids of all ages.

"Water Like A Stone" (a Yuletide adventure set in Legend)

In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan,

Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone;

Snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,

In the bleak midwinter, long ago.

It wouldn’t be Christmas around here without a seasonal scenario by Tim Harford, but we’re trying something a bit different this year. Normally Tim gives me his notes and I lick them into shape so that it’s possible for someone else to run a game from them. Last December, though, there was a fly in the ointment.

As Tim put it, “This one was very skimpy on notes, even by my standards. I was in rebellion against our current D&D game, which has many good qualities, particularly the vividness of the NPCs, but which is overprepared and thus plays too much like a bravura performance from the GM, with not enough player agency. So I really wanted to push the other way and challenge myself to see how far I could get with minimal prep.”

Tim is also a very busy man, so he could hardly take time out to meticulously plot a six-hour roleplaying special just for one use with half a dozen friends. His notes in full were:

Tim adds: “Not much to go on I realise. There is an old scenario for Flashing Blades (‘The Grand Theatre’ in Parisian Adventures) which involves an actor who's also a spy who has stolen secret documents, and two teams of musketeers battling it out backstage. That was a direct inspiration for the Grand Theatre section, although in truth you really only need the premise, don't you? I also had in mind the image of Ferromaine's canals freezing under a supernatural cold, and the thought that a chase scene or a fight scene on ice would be a good challenge if the antagonists were equipped with skates. That's really it.”

That’s quite a challenge. My thinking for a scenario is that if you’re going to go in with a lot of plot elements then you need to work them out in advance, ideally to the extent of having a timeline of everything that would happen if the player-characters did nothing. You need to know those details (if they are going to be there at all) because the players will be trying to make them fit into a coherent picture.

For instance, imagine trying to play a murder mystery game in which all the clues were randomly generated independently of each other; it would be a complete waste of the players’ time because the clues couldn’t be assembled into any logical solution.

But once the game starts, everything can and should be improvised in response to what the players do – and that improvisation works because you had a clear idea of the NPCs and their actions and intentions to begin with. In short: plan your story as tightly as the writer of a novel or movie ought to, and then be perfectly happy to let that planned story disintegrate in response to the interpretations (correct or otherwise) and consequent actions of the player-characters.

Remember von Moltke’s advice: “No operational plan extends with any certainty beyond the first encounter with the main enemy force. Only the layman believes that in the course of a campaign he sees the consistent implementation of an original idea that has been conceived in advance, thought through in every detail, and retained to the end.”

All right, so how are we going to do this? I’ll kick off by describing how it played out in our last Christmas game.

Act One

(Yes, I hate all that Hollywood three-act guff, but we're going to need some structure to get through this bit.)

The characters are in the service of the Cotulio family of Ferromaine. Specifically they have lodgings at an orphanage run by the Abbess Emerentia, sister of Count Saltado Cutulio, who tells them to go and fetch a pine tree from the Drakken forests. Not just any pine tree, either. Rival families are contending to raise the Yule tree in the Piazza San Paolo. The tallest tree will be chosen. And off they go.

In the game as run we went upriver to a town in northern Kurland, so we must have been on the Arakose river. Another option would be to take the Liederkehn river, but that would involve passing through Tamor which the characters may prefer to avoid – and we might expect timber prices to be much higher in the New Selentine Empire. (If you opt for that, there's a possible tie-in to "The God in the Bowl" adventure, which also takes place in the New Selentine Empire.)

It’s also possible to set the whole adventure elsewhere. The characters could be hired in Brymstone to fetch a tree across the Mergeld Sea from Mercania. But let’s not make this any more complicated than we need to. Tim ran it as a Blades in the Dark heist game in Ferromaine; we’ll stick with that for now. 

The complication: when they reach the town of the timber merchants, it turns out the best two trees have already been sold to representatives of the Senfriti and Vassilvio families. The merchants say there is no hope of finding another tree taller or finer than either of those. The Senfriti barge has already set off the day before. The Vassilvio barge is loaded and ready to depart the next morning.

A couple of strange incidents occurred. First we noticed a white star or comet in the sky. White Light, often seen this close to Krarth? It seemed not, for this star shimmered in and out of vision. The other incident was the arrival of a mechanical bird, inside whose beak was a clay effigy of Parcelus Pike’s face (see below) telling us that he had a lucrative job for us if we would return at once to Ferromaine. But that meant abandoning the Yule tree errand so we declined.

The barges descend the river by means of locks that bypass the occasional rapids. At each lock there are customs officers – more organized if this is the New Selentine Empire, more lackadaisical in Kurland, both susceptible to bribery. Tim’s notes suggest the officials have already been bribed, so perhaps they will hold up the player-characters or demand excessive tolls to use the locks.

In our session we masqueraded as tax officials inspecting the locks. The obstacles you might consider would be that in Kurland those tollkeepers would be locally recruited under the jurisdiction of a local duke-elector and would know each other personally. Selentine officials would be identified by seals and documents (literacy being higher there) and the penalty for forging such seals or pretending to be an imperial officer is painful and brief. Directly targeting the other families’ barges, on the other hand, is mere affray and not of any great importance to either Kurlanders or Selentines.

The first “act” ended with the tallest (in fact sole remaining) tree being delivered to the Cotulio family and set up in St Paul’s Square.

Act Two

Oliver Trout is a clown whose fame has preceded him around the Coradian Sea. He’s now arrived in Ferromaine where he is booked to perform for five nights at the Grand Theatre. In our game the Abbess asked us to go to the Grand Theatre while the show is on and steal an object from Trout’s dressing-room: a wooden puzzle box.

Some of the player-characters also spoke to Parcelus Pike, a local sorcerer and curio collector, about stealing the puzzle box for him. He wasn’t interested, having already hired another team (we had disregarded his message conveyed by the mechanical bird in Act One), but left the matter open in case we should obtain the box instead of them.

We went to the theatre that night, all with the goal of stealing the box but not all with the same buyer in mind. We waited for the show to start and then sneaked backstage. The complication this time was that somebody got there first; Trout’s dressing-room had already been ransacked. The other team of thieves had not found the box, however. The player-characters did, and on the way out were ambushed by the other thieves, eight Chaubrettians who were no match under the favouritism of the Blades in the Dark rules for two murder hoboes – er, player-character fighters, rather.

The player-characters got away with the puzzle box and then cast lots to decide who should get it. The Abbess, our patron? Parcelus Pike, never very trustworthy but at least offering cash now that his other team were all dead? Or return it to Oliver Trout, whose performance most of us hadn’t even stayed to watch?

One of us (my character, Arnaud -- aka Flambeau, le Stégologue de Vyônes) objected to the way one of the murder hoboes had bullied the others during the vote, so hid the puzzle box in the mouth of a gargoyle on the roof of the church overlooking St Paul’s Square.

All through this, the white star/comet continued to grow larger in the night sky. At the same time it was growing unseasonably cold in Ferromaine. There were even some flakes of snow.

Act Three

The snow is falling steadily now, piling up in drifts around the city. Few citizens of the Ferromaine League remember living through a blizzard like this. Is it "an elfin-storm from faery land"? The player-characters may think so. Most people huddle inside by the fire.

It gets colder. Much colder. Through the driving snow a single light shines in the night sky: the strange star, bathing the whole city in an icy white radiance.

The snow stops. The star descends and settles on the top of the Yule tree. A creaking sound is heard, a little like the soft skittering of hordes of insects. It’s the unprecedented noise of the city’s canals freezing over.

Seven white-clad hooded figures are seen skating towards St Paul’s Square.

In our game, the player-characters climbing up to retrieve the puzzle box were beset by scuttling sprites with bodies of ice. On the ground, the seven hooded skaters arrived at the square, along with a tall white-clad woman who emanated waves of freezing cold that our murder hoboes were hard pressed to deal with – though they managed, of course, this being Blades in the Dark rules, and when they slew the Frost Witch she turned into flakes of ice.

One of the player-characters, a psoriatic pilgrim named Dropskin, ignited the tree with the aid of a flaming torch and fervent prayer. It was consumed in roaring orange flames accompanied by the sharp tarry tang of burning pine needles.

Meanwhile Oliver Trout ambled into the square and cheerfully received the puzzle box back from Flambeau. With a few deft twists he converted it into a stellated polyhedron which drew all of the snow and ice (including the sprites and the hooded figures) into itself, banishing the unnatural winter and restoring the city to normal.

Assumptions

After the game I told Tim my interpretations of these events:

(1) That the Frost Witch came in the white star/comet from Krarth and would have plunged Ferromaine into an eternal winter.

Tim said: “That's much better than what I had, which was that she was a supernatural antagonist who wanted the puzzle box for reasons unknown.”

(2) That Oliver Trout was a wizard or mythic being who opposed her and his puzzle box gave him some means to counter her ice magic.

Tim said: “Oliver Trout is a Santa Claus-like figure, of course – an avuncular spirit of all that is jolly and numinous about the bleak midwinter. Thank goodness I watched an episode of The Box of Delights the evening before the game.”

(3) That the white skaters on the frozen canal were her emissaries and their job was to kill Oliver Trout before he could stop her.

Tim said: “They were her emissaries. I had in mind that they would steal the box and there would be a chase scene along the grand canal. But you didn't stash the box where I expected and it became a set-piece confrontation rather than a chase.”

Here’s what ChatGPT thought:

Assumption 1: The Frost Witch and the Comet

Your Assumption: The Frost Witch came in the white star/comet from Krarth and would have plunged Ferromaine into eternal winter.

Refinement: The comet could be more than just her mode of travel—it might be her prison. Long ago, a cosmic force (perhaps linked to Oliver Trout or the city itself) sealed her in the icy heart of the comet. The comet's proximity to Ferromaine was drawn by the Yule tree ritual, corrupted by the rival families’ selfish motives. This not only makes her arrival more meaningful but also ties her deeply to the scenario's events.

She might not want to destroy Ferromaine outright but instead transform it into her icy domain, drawing its magic and culture into her eternal kingdom. This makes her a more nuanced antagonist with a vision, albeit a chilling one.

Assumption 2: Oliver Trout as the Frost Witch’s Opponent

Your Assumption: Oliver Trout was a wizard or mythic being whose puzzle box allowed him to counter the Frost Witch's ice magic.

Refinement: Oliver Trout is perfect as a mythic "spirit of midwinter," embodying the warmth and hope needed to survive the harsh season. Rather than being solely a wizard, he could be an ancient protector whose jovial demeanour hides immense power. The puzzle box could symbolize the delicate balance of winter—it holds the key to containing the Frost Witch but must be wielded with wisdom and care. To deepen their rivalry, Trout might have been the one who originally imprisoned her. She now seeks both vengeance and the box, which could free her fully. This personal connection raises the stakes of their confrontation.

Oliver Trout might not be omnipotent. His reliance on humour and goodwill could mean his power wanes in the face of despair. This would explain why he leaves the puzzle box unattended—he can’t directly confront the Frost Witch without gathering enough "light-hearted energy," which is why he was performing on stage at the Grand Theatre – but the wintry weather meant smaller audiences, making the PCs’ intervention crucial.

Assumption 3: The White Skaters and Their Mission

Your Assumption: The white skaters were emissaries of the Frost Witch sent to kill Oliver Trout before he could stop her.

Refinement: Rather than simply assassins, the skaters could have a dual purpose: to retrieve the puzzle box and prevent Trout from using it, as well as to sow terror and chaos in the city. They might represent different facets of the Frost Witch’s will (eg, cold precision, relentless pursuit, and icy despair), making them thematic extensions of her power. The skaters could be former residents of other cities she has conquered, now turned into icy thralls. This twist would highlight the stakes for Ferromaine—failure means the citizens could share the same fate.

The puzzle box could be tied to the very nature of winter—when solved correctly, it harmonizes the forces of cold and warmth, sealing the Frost Witch while allowing winter to remain balanced. Solved incorrectly, it could unleash an eternal winter or destroy Trout's protective powers, adding a moral or tactical dilemma for the PCs.

Explanations

These were the things I still wasn’t sure about after the game. What was actually going on? Players are going to ferret away at the details looking for an advantage, so you’ll want the answers at the ready even if they’re never needed.

What was it that invited the Frost Witch into Ferromaine? (The tree in some way, perhaps?)

Tim answered: “My initial premise was merely that the Frost Witch wanted the puzzle box, but in truth that's a fairly flimsy idea – and almost immediately came the idea (Christmassy, but also ominous) that she had a celestial body that steadily approached as the adventure progressed.”

ChatGPT suggested: “The Yule tree seems a strong candidate. It could serve as a mystical beacon tied to ancient traditions, perhaps imbued with ceremonial significance that inadvertently opened a pathway for the Frost Witch when it was raised in St. Paul’s Square. Maybe Ferromaine’s people used to perform protective rituals tied to the tree, but these have been forgotten in recent years. Alternatively, the comet/star might have been drawn to the competitive, somewhat self-serving motives of the rival families vying for the tallest tree, allowing the Frost Witch to exploit this discord.”

Why was Oliver Trout performing at the theatre?

Tim said: “I love these questions but I have no answers to any of the rest of them – the perils of the improvised game. Any answers you can dream up will be better than anything I had.”

ChatGPT’s answer: “Oliver Trout’s performance could have been part of a larger plan to mask his true purpose in the city. He might have been drawn to Ferromaine because he sensed the Frost Witch’s growing presence, and the show was an excuse to stay nearby without arousing suspicion. Alternatively, the theatre could hold symbolic power, such as being a historic cultural heart of the city where his magic would be stronger. Or see above, the idea that his performances at the theatre were parts of a magical ritual intended to build up a ‘charge’ of good-natured warmth to counter the winter spell."

Why did Trout leave the box unguarded?

ChatGPT: “Oliver Trout likely underestimated the Frost Witch’s influence—or overestimated the secrecy of the box’s location. He might have thought his jovial reputation or distractions like the theatre performance would deter any would-be thieves. Another possibility: he intended the box to act as bait, drawing her agents into a trap. It would also add tension if he intended for the PCs to become involved but misjudged their chaotic methods.”

What would have happened if the characters had failed to act? (The white skaters would have killed Trout?)

ChatGPT: “If the PCs failed, the white skaters might have killed Oliver Trout or captured the puzzle box, allowing the Frost Witch to solidify her hold on Ferromaine. This could mean the city plunging into eternal winter, its citizens slowly frozen into lifeless statues as her icy dominion spread across the region. The PCs' intervention was likely the only thing standing between the city and its doom, adding weight to their actions.”

Would burning the tree have had any effect once the frost had already taken hold of the city?

ChatGPT: “Burning the tree could have served as a powerful symbolic or magical act, disrupting the Frost Witch’s anchor in Ferromaine. If the tree was the conduit for her power, destroying it could sever her connection and weaken her ice magic. However, the tree might also act as a focal point for Oliver Trout’s magic, meaning its destruction could have been a desperate gamble—potentially undermining his efforts to banish her unless done at the right moment. This ambiguity could leave the PCs wondering if they helped or hindered.”

Time for the robots to take over

ChatGPT was doing sterling work, so I thought I should let it off the leash. How would it have improved on the scenario? This is what it said: 

1. Tie the Frost Witch to the Yule Tree More Strongly 

The Yule tree could be central to her power. Perhaps it is the "World Tree" in miniature, a mystical link between realms, and raising it without proper rites allowed her to invade. The rival families’ selfish competition could amplify the magical imbalance. You could use the apples and wafers used to decorate the base of the tree to symbolize temptation, sin and redemption. The Frost Witch might need the tree to fully merge her icy domain with Ferromaine, giving the PCs a clear reason to stop her.

2. Oliver Trout’s Purpose 

Oliver Trout can have a more defined backstory. He might be an ancient protector, akin to a winter guardian or even a rival to the Frost Witch in a cosmic balance between light and cold. His performances could be a way to gather joy and goodwill—essential to his magic—and the puzzle box might store that energy, which he intends to use against her.

3. The Puzzle Box’s Role 

The puzzle box could act as both a key and a trap. It might be the only thing capable of sealing the Frost Witch away but is equally coveted by her because it could seal Oliver Trout’s power if twisted incorrectly. This would give the PCs a tough moral choice, especially if factions try to sway them. 

4. Escalate Tension With a Chase Scene 

Instead of a static confrontation, you could add a thrilling chase along the frozen canals [I'm pretty sure it got that idea from Tim's notes. - DM] as the white-clad emissaries pursue the PCs, trying to retrieve the puzzle box. Ice sprites could create hazards, and Oliver Trout might aid from afar, giving cryptic advice. 

5. Make the Burning Tree a Gamble 

Destroying the tree could weaken the Frost Witch but at a high cost, such as damaging the city’s spiritual defenses for years to come. Alternatively, the PCs might need to perform a complex ritual at the tree to channel its power against her, adding urgency to their decisions.

And how about some stats? This is ChatGPT’s response, using D&D rather than Blades in the Dark. I haven’t played enough D&D 5e (just one session) to know if any of this makes any sense, but it looks creative and it kept spelling "fay" wrong, which is probably a D&D mistake as ChatGPT is usually right about things like that. 

D&D 5e Stats Suggestions

The Frost Witch

• CR: 10 
• Type: Medium Fay (or Elemental) 
• Abilities: 
• Legendary Actions: Use Cone of Cold, summon ice sprites, or freeze enemies in place. 
• Lair Actions: Intensify cold damage in her lair (e.g., the area around the tree), create difficult terrain with ice, or summon blizzards.
• Unique Ability: Shatterstar Descend – Once per day, create an icy storm that deals 6d10 cold damage in a 60-ft radius and reduces visibility to 10 feet. 
• Defences: High AC (18) from icy armour, resistances to nonmagical bludgeoning/piercing/slashing, immunity to cold.

White-Clad Emissaries

• CR: 4
• Type: Medium Humanoids (Icebound Knights)
• Abilities:
• Frostbite Blade – Melee weapon attacks deal 2d6 cold damage. 
• Glide on Ice – Move effortlessly over difficult icy terrain. 
• Aura of Chill – Enemies within 10 feet take 1d6 cold damage at the start of their turn.

Ice Sprites

• CR: 1/2
• Type: Tiny Elementals
• Abilities:
• Freezing Touch – Touch attack deals 1d6 cold damage and reduces movement speed. 
• Frosty Mischief – Use actions to create minor hazards (slick ice, frosty fog).

Oliver Trout 

• CR: 7 
• Type: Medium Humanoid (Mythic) 
• Abilities: 
• Puzzle Box Mastery – As an action, manipulate the puzzle box to unleash bursts of radiant light (6d6 damage to undead/fay). 
• Aura of Merriment – Allies within 30 feet gain advantage on saving throws against fear and charm. 
• Spellcasting: Casts Wall of Force, Greater Restoration, and Daylight as innate abilities.

Incidentally, I do hope "Frosty Mischief" is a real D&D ability. Finally, ChatGPT had some ideas about how to integrate all this into Legend's medieval setting where the real force is religion, not D&D-style fantasy:

1. The Yule Tree as the “Tree of Paradise”

The Yule tree in St. Paul’s Square could explicitly represent the "tree of paradise," decorated with symbols of humanity’s fall (apples) and redemption (buns standing in for eucharist wafers). These decorations might play a magical role in the story, either as a defence against the Frost Witch or as something she seeks to corrupt.

The apples could represent temptation, tying into the rivalry among Ferromaine's families. Perhaps the tree is adorned with gilded apples to symbolize the city’s prosperity, which the Frost Witch views as a hubristic affront to her dominion over winter. She might aim to corrupt the apples into frozen fruit that spreads despair or frostbite to those who touch them.

The white wafers could become a mystical ward against her influence. If the PCs retrieve the puzzle box and return it to the tree, the wafers might glow, symbolizing humanity's capacity for redemption and banishing her icy hold.

2. The Frost Witch as a “Tempter”

The Frost Witch could serve as a supernatural force akin to the serpent in Eden, embodying temptation and humanity's darker impulses. Her emissaries might offer subtle deals or promises to the PCs and city officials: wealth, power, or eternal life in exchange for cooperation. She might try to claim that eternal winter represents purity and perfection, twisting the tree’s symbolism of paradise into her own vision of a frozen utopia.

3. The Puzzle Box as the Fruit of Knowledge

The puzzle box could represent the forbidden fruit, a mystical object that must be handled with care to prevent disaster. Just as Adam and Eve’s choice brought consequences, solving the puzzle box could trigger a significant moral choice for the PCs:

• Correct Solution: Harmonizes the balance of winter and seals the Frost Witch.
• Incorrect Solution: Unleashes eternal winter or destroys Oliver Trout’s ability to fight her.

This creates tension as the PCs grapple with whether they can (or should) wield such power.

4. The Role of the Nobles and Clergy

The Cotulio and rival families could reflect the pride and materialism that the Frost Witch exploits. Of course Abbess Emerentia’s and Count Saltado's loyalty is to themselves and their family, but lower ranks in the Church might represent humanity’s spiritual side, trying to remind the city of the tree’s true symbolic meaning and rallying the PCs to act with virtue.

The clergy might have an old ritual involving the tree of paradise. If forgotten or corrupted, this might explain why Ferromaine was vulnerable to the Frost Witch’s influence. The PCs could discover fragments of this ritual, such as chants or blessings, that must be restored to banish her. However, this would work better in a northern setting as it’s unlikely that Ferromaine would have ever had any problems with winter magic in the past.

5. The Frozen “Garden of Eden”

When the Frost Witch descends, her icy magic could transform the city into a twisted, frozen garden—a parody of Eden. The canals might become shimmering paths of ice, trees could bear crystalline, inedible fruit, and the citizens might begin to freeze into statues.

The characters could face a challenge to “restore” the true paradise by reigniting the Yule tree’s warmth through symbolic acts of kindness or sacrifice.

6. A Winter Solstice Play

Integrate a play into the Grand Theatre performance that reenacts the Fall and Redemption story, echoing the medieval mystery plays. Oliver Trout might be secretly manipulating events to parallel the play’s themes with the PCs’ struggle, subtly guiding them toward the right choices.

Sources that I suspect influenced Tim and that may be useful are The Box of Delights and The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe. TV/movie versions here for those in a hurry. The old Santa-like character from The Box of Delights was apparently based on Ramon Llull, but I have only Wikipedia's word for that.

If you play the adventure, do let us know in the comments how you got on. I will just add that Tim's gaming group use Blades in the Dark, which casts every adventure in the form of a heist. Perhaps your heart sinks at the thought of heist games, or indeed any preset story-pattern in roleplaying, in which case you would normally get wholehearted agreement from me, but Christmas gaming makes its own rules. After a couple of mince pies I just sat back and went with the rompy flow.