THE BITTER FALLEN 1

HârnWorld © A. Rees, N. Robin Crossby & Columbia Games Inc., 2015

lessed Siem and mad Ilvir make different pacts with their

followers, but the other Kethiran churches teach that if a

follower obeys the tenets laid down by their god then they will

enjoy the eternal afterlife they have been promised. This is, in

part, true. Most of the population of Yashain are embodied

souls of departed Kethirans with no memory of their former life. Most are

judged worthy of entry into the afterlife, but not for eternity. When these

‘mortals’ die their memories of Yashain are stripped away with their

physical bodies and they are reincarnated on Kethira, and the wheel turns.

Only the most pious Kethirans are granted life eternal on Yashain. They

are those whose devotion in life consumed their every waking moment,

their every effort, and every action. The most potent Kethiran warriors

become the immortal generals of the gods; the most pious Kethirans serve

at their deity’s right hand; and the greatest among these are elevated to the

pantheon of demi-gods, saints and demons that surround each celestial

throne.

THE BITTER FALLEN

The exile of the deceitful among the Fallen crushes most of them, but

others discover a reason to survive. They blame their god and its followers

for their fall from grace and seek redress. These are the ‘Bitter Fallen’.

They sustain the appearance of power by squeezing emotion from the

common folk of Yashain with confidence tricks and the shreds of potency

they retain. Some survive on this pretence for centuries as feared overlords

or capricious wizards. Sooner or later, though, the common people become

wise to their tricks or sicken of their tyranny. These Bitter Fallen are

harried away from their mortal prey, hunted, and some slain, to protect the

mortals of Yashain.

When the common folk turn against them the only source of sustenance

remaining to them is their own corporeal body. As this is consumed they

become little more than shadows of their former selves; shells of their once

ideal physical manifestations. They discover that while fear and loathing

are not as nourishing as love and devotion they do sate the hunger around

which their existence increasingly revolve. As their physical manifestations

crumble they begin to embody the very fears they now rely upon for

survival. Many of the legends of Yashain, tales of devils and vampires,

werewolves and the winter fey, can be traced to one of the Bitter Fallen,

their form twisted to reflect the fears of mortals.

The ideals they once epitomised mean nothing to the Bitter Fallen. The

noble Laranian, the proud Sarajinian and the scholarly Knorran become

indistinguishable from the violent Agrikan, the greedy Halean, and the

murderous Navehan. The Peonian now sucks up the life-force which

previously she dispensed; all resemble the insane Morgathian. Finally,

when they can maintain their forbidding manifestations no longer these

monsters seem to have no hope or future.

There are, though, portals across Yashain through which shreds of

Kethiran emotion leak into Yashain. Most of these portals are closely

guarded near the centre of a gods’ power and reserved for the use of

servants intervening on their behalf. There are, though, others; lost or

forgotten among the trackless deserts, the twisted forests, or the

treacherous mountains that fringe the realms of the gods. It is to these that

the Bitter Fallen are drawn. Most lack the will to complete their quest and

disperse until they are no more than whispers on the wind and random

The Fallen

Yashain’s ‘magical’ nature is a result of

the emotions and devotions of Kethirans.

Every prayer for the dead sends a morsel

of power to Yashain where the gods

harvest it. The great clerics and heroes

of the age are remembered in masses, on

feast days, and by those reading

celebrations of their lives. This generates

a steady flow of ‘piety’ to the gods they

favoured. Every strong emotion felt or

expressed on Kethira imbues the very

fabric of Yashain with ‘magic’.

The power of the Kethiran gods is,

therefore, entirely dependent on the way

in which their once mortal servants are

remembered. The gods, in turn,

distribute the power they harvest to their

favourites in return for loyalty, advice,

and service. The way the servant is

remembered on Kethira consolidates

their power and position in the courts of

the gods.

What, though, of those who are, over the

ages, forgotten on Kethira? What of

those who are left behind by changes in

theology? What of those that fall from

grace when the devotion they harvest

ebbs away? These are the ‘Fallen’ of

Yashain.

The less prideful among them accept that

they can no longer command sufficient

power to retain a place at the high table

of their god. They accept the life of a

mortal commoner, content to die a final,

even noble, death on Yashain. They

commend their soul back to their god

who may keep it on Yashain, send it to

be embodied anew on Kethira or, if they

are displeased, have Bukrai consume it.

Others among the Fallen filch power

from those around them and eke out the

appearance of potency until discovered

and exiled.

WRITER

Alun Rees

CONTRIBUTORS

Anders Bersten

Neil Thompson

Andy Gibson

Playtesters at IviniaCon &

the Harnwriter Group

B

THE BITTER FALLEN 2

© A. Rees, N. Robin Crossby & Columbia Games Inc., 2015 HârnWorld

patterns in the dust of ages. Some others, fuelled by their bitter hatred,

succeed in their search.

Communities of a sort form around these portals where the strongest

Bitter Fallen consume the weakest. Sometimes they muster sufficient

power to cross into Kethira; the vilest spirits of Kethira are Bitter Fallen who

have escaped Yashain determined to exact payment for their suffering.

The less fortunate can only circle the portal and use their remaining

potency to entice unsuspecting Kethirans close enough to the other side for

their soul to be nibbled at or consumed. On the Kethiran side of the portal

these places develop evil reputations; places where people go to die. Any

mortal crossing into the arms of the Bitter Fallen can expect no mercy as

the creatures compete to rip their soul from their body before devouring

even that.

POWERS AND MANIFESTATIONS

No two Bitter Fallen are the same; each has followed a unique path to

this nadir of existence and this has shaped them and their capabilities.

While they are all ethereal some Bitter Fallen can craft a physical

manifestation from materials with which they have a particular affinity.

Sometimes they can influence mortal perceptions to cloak themselves in an

illusion more attractive or convincing to a victim. Their objective is always

to generate fear or veneration, and therefore the emotion they need to

survive and to power the vestiges of the gifts granted by their god, though

perverted by their life path.

Their physical or illusory manifestations can reflect mortal desires or

fears, memories of their life before their Fall, or parodies of the being they

once were. Others conflate all these influences in unpredictable ways.

‘Lord of the Fallen’

This Bitter Fallen was a legendary master merchant known for his

uncanny ability to strike bargains and his ambition to be the best at what he

did. When he died Halea adopted him into her court where he became

ambassador to Agrik’s chief underling, Demon Pameshlu the Insatiable. He

used his gifts of empathy and rhetoric to survive and strengthen Halea’s

reputation; in return she granted him gifts to influence those he met. Over

time he came to envy the power Pameshlu wielded, and struck a bargain

with the Demon. He would betray Halea’s cause in return for power over

the mortals of a nearby kingdom. Inevitably Pameshlu betrayed him and he

fell from Halea’s grace.

Escaping to a distant land far from both divine kingdoms he traded (and

stole); bargained (and lied), to gain positions of responsibility and the power

needed to use Halea’s gifts. Alas his ambition and greed always led to

disaster: betrayal here; illegality there; and poisoned relationships

everywhere. He continued to survive on lies until a bounty placed on his

head forced him to flee civilisation. In the wilderness he sacrificed

everything to survive until it was released back into Kethira.

It gained the fealty of others of its kind when it found a way to release

them from Yashain. Unfortunately its tenuous control of these Bitter Fallen

is not enough to satisfy its desire for overlordship. It continues to seek

supremacy through the mortal puppets it can influence and through the

efforts of those other Bitter Fallen it can command. It is invariably involved

in a plot to grant it both an immortal body and mortal power.

Lord of the Fallen*

He would be a King

Never satisfied

In your head

The self-styled Lord of the Fallen is only

ever encountered when ‘riding’ a mortal

body. The body retains its original skills

but adds the following skills and stunts,

improving skills it already possesses to

these levels. While ridden the mortal

body ignores Fate Core’s ‘skill pyramid’

rule:

+6 Will (Influence: Spend a Fate Point

to ‘ride’ within a mortal’s body and

change one of their Aspects to its

advantage (with a free invoke), for one

session), AND (Confuse: Spend a Fate

Point to leave misleading memories

within any mortal who suffers a point of

mental stress as a result of a successful

mental attack by the Lord using Will)

+5 Empathy (Identify weakness: +2

to identify and use a mortal’s aspect

against them)

+4 Rapport (Master of bargains: +2

when using Rapport to strike a bargain

or negotiate a desired outcome spending

a Fate Point to ignore a language barrier)

+3 Strength (Ignore the blow: Use

Strength to defend against Melee/Fight

attacks though the mortal body takes +1

damage on a tie)

+2 Endurance (Ignore the strain:

Once per session spend a Fate Point to

reduce the severity of a serious physical

consequence to mild, or remove a mild

consequence altogether)

+1 Intimidate

Weapon: As for the mortal body but at

+2 due to Strength.

Armour: As for the mortal body

Physical

(minm of)

Mental

Mild

Serious

Grievous

*see Fate of Harn and Fate Core for

an explanation of these statistics.