The Discordant Paths, also known as the Paths of the Traveler, are ancient phenomena associated with the Eld that connect distant places across Tarisia. When active, a Path may appear as a shimmering trail across the wasteland, a wavering field where two landscapes seem to overlap, or a more distinct threshold through which travelers can pass. Whatever their form, crossing one can carry a traveler across enormous distances in only a few steps.
Overview
The Paths were already ancient when the Old Kingdoms began studying them during the Age of Abundance. Whether the Eld created the Paths or merely learned to manipulate a phenomenon they discovered is unknown, though their connection to them is difficult to dispute.
Crumbling Eld structures surround most known Paths. Half-buried pillars rise from the sand, broken arches frame empty horizons, and obelisks, walls, and other structures of uncertain purpose mark places where Paths are known to appear. Whether these structures created the Paths, controlled them, or were simply built around them remains a matter of speculation.
No two Paths manifest in quite the same fashion. Some possess recognizable boundaries that can be crossed like a doorway, while others stretch across entire fields, ravines, or winding trails. In the strangest cases there may be no obvious threshold at all. A traveler simply follows a shimmering path until, somewhere between one footfall and the next, the world around them has changed.
Most known Paths remain dormant for years or even generations before suddenly awakening. Others appear with greater regularity, while some have vanished entirely. Many function in only one direction, leaving travelers far from any obvious means of returning.
Discordance
The Paths earn their name from the strange Discordance that surrounds them when active. Tempers shorten, anxieties sharpen, and old suspicions suddenly seem entirely reasonable. Animals become restless or aggressive, arguments erupt over trivial offenses, and travelers sometimes emerge from a Path carrying grudges they cannot adequately explain.
The effect grows stronger near the Path itself. Characters and creatures within one mile of an active Path must make a Spirit roll or succumb to its influence. With success, they recognize the unnatural agitation and resist it. With failure, they become Distracted and gain the Impulsive Hindrance until they leave the affected area. With Critical Failure, they are also Vulnerable.
Violent and unpredictable Weather frequently accompanies an active Path. Sudden winds, dust storms, abrupt changes in temperature, and other disturbances may arise even when the surrounding wasteland is otherwise calm. Whether the weather and Discordance share a common cause is unknown.
Destinations & Locations
The Discordant Paths have an intrinsic and mysterious connection with the celestial bodies above Tarisia. Depending upon the orientation of the Five Pearls, and their relationship with the constellations, the portals may appear or disappear, and wax or wane in strength, sending travelers to seemingly random destinations.
There are even unsubstantiated tales of lonely travelers stumbling through a Discordant Path to the surface of the Five Pearls themselves, never to be seen again. Though, it begs the question how the tales began in the first place.
When determining the destination for a portal, draw a card from the Action Deck and consult the following table, or choose the option that best fits narratively. This table can also be used for randomly generating a path.
The drawn suit impacts the path’s stability:
- ♠ Hostile: Violent weather surrounds the Path, such as a raging sandstorm, fierce winds, or another appropriate local disturbance.
- ♥ Harmonious: The Discordance is less severe here. Rolls to resist its influence are made at +2.
- ♦ Connected: The Path functions in both directions.
- ♣ Unstable: The Path collapses after the travelers pass through.
| Card | Destination / Location |
|---|---|
| A | Within the ruins of a lost city or forgotten Eld site. |
| 2 | Deep in the Obsidian Wastes. |
| 3 | In a hidden ravine on the Expansive Steppes far away from any towns. |
| 4 | High in the Spine of Taris, amid inaccessible peaks or ruins. |
| 5 | Somewhere among the Endless Dunes. |
| 6 | Beneath the earth, within a forgotten cavern, buried ruin, or ancient passage. |
| 7 | Deep in the white sands of the Gypsum Sea. |
| 8 | At an isolated oasis, spring, or other unexpected source of water. |
| 9 | On the shores of the Defiled Lakes |
| 10 | Inside of a half-buried urn within the Field of Urns. |
| J | In a sheltered outcropping just outside of Tarkes. |
| Q | In the heart of an inhabited settlement, where the Path’s sudden appearance is causing considerable alarm. |
| K | Within the ruins of Casshern, dangerously close to the Creeping Wild. |
| Joker | Pick any of the above. The path is stable for 1d6 weeks and functions both ways. |