A Spell: Summons of The Travelogue

Which is a Simple Spell to Bring a Vociferous Spirit from the Genius Locorum in Order To Learn of Tabus, Rumors, or Other Things Of Note

This spell will only bear fruit if cast within an inhabited area such as a city, town, or private residence. It requires only a moment's concentration and the discarding of a coin or other monetary token commonly accepted within the location. (Should any member of the caster's party retrieve the discarded token, all members of the party lose a point a Luck.)

Cast successfully, an imp^* of one of the following kinds appears beside one of the caster's hearing organs, bearing information about the location or culture of concern. Communication is one-directional; the spirit will not respond to questions. Roll 1d10.

Statuette of a Tabu Imp, found within a traveller's shrine

1-7: Tabu Imp. This imp, about three inches tall, has huge sensory organs wildly out of proportion to the rest of its body. It is nearly invisible, like heat rising off flames, though it has a weight appropriate to that of a fleshy humanoid of its size. It cups its relatively huge hands around the caster's hearing organ and whispers warnings of cultural tabus. The most unique offenses with the most egregious penalties are named first, generally those that bring a penalty of death. 

Examples include:

“Step not on those rosy pebbles! Walking on red stones is punishable by death here.”

“The coiffure of your friend friar offends the women of this village and shames the men! His tonsure, his denuded scalp! That baldness shall surely invite their spittle and hissing.”

“Going about ungloved here invites suspicion, as it causes one to wonder what thine hands have touched.”

Tabu imps cause a headache if looked upon too intently for too long. (Intently watching one requires a DC 5 Will save each round.) They will attempt to leave after sharing 1-4 tabus, dissipating into nothingness as soon as they leave the perception of sentient creatures. If stopped from leaving in any fashion, a Tabu imp will shout loudly of any and all tabus those impeding it have broken.^†

8-9: Rumor Imp. An imp composed only of an ear like a saucer mounted on a foot-wide, wet pair of sagging human lips, which it uses to locomote. The lips press firmly to the caster's hearing organ as it speaks relevant rumors, the most recent and secret first. To qualify as a rumor, it must have been repeated by a significant portion of the relevant populace; not every secret is a rumor. Rumor imps despise blatant falsehoods deliberately spread and will never share those. Rumor imps will provide context as needed to understand the rumors they share, and in doing so may provide additional helpful information.

Examples include:

“I must tell you, the last sheriff, Sheriff Cobber, with the long nose and the good eye? Him that killed the bandits up in the hills and said he couldn't find their booty? That silly maid at the inn said she heard he really did find it and sold it all for an emerald and swallowed the emerald and it is buried with him. ”

“You didn't hear about it from me, but the good-looking one, the sleek one at Merry's farm over the hill, the new horse-groom last week, he fathered the children born nine months after the last time the Goblin Market was near, and that's what, nearly thirteen years ago? He looks familiar because all them just growing up have his green eyes!”

“The old story about the missing bloomers and the underpriest is just a joke, but the new Anti-Pope is really a woman! And not only that, she's only half-snake, the fullbloods should have eaten her long ago. I don't know what we're coming to when an egg-layer is supposedly guiding the dead away from the light of Azathoth.”

After imparting 1-4 rumors, the imp continues speaking, though it rapidly becomes meaningless chatter before quieting. The huge lips continue moving and sucking at the hearing organ of the caster. If a convincing, new rumor is shared among the party where it may hear, the imp will drop off of the caster and lie still until it is ignored and dissipates. Otherwise it must be plucked off and left behind, to slowly creep after the party until it is forgotten and dissipates.

10: Polis imp. A foot-tall, semi-humanoid incarnation of the creature and arms most associated with the culture appears, like a mascot for it. For many smaller villages, this is a representation of a local animal, the name of the local inn, or a famous ancestor. This creature is expert in local geography, architecture, and law. It whispers factual trivia to the caster, in order from the most unique features to the least, seeking to impress the caster.

Examples include:

“The mountain on your left is Mount Hill. It was first climbed by Charles Hill, a renowned mountaineer, in the fall of 940. His descendant, the noble Count Hill, had a survey performed in 989 that determined that, technically, it was a hill and not a mountain, being five feet shorter than the required height. For the following two years, it was known as Hill Hill, until the Wooden Druid was convinced to take up permanent residence at the peak, when it was rechristened Wood Hill. In 1006, the Druid used rock from the foot of Wood Hill to construct a 10-foot set of standing stones. The resultant change in height restored the status of mountain to the Hill.”

“Traveling on the lake–Lake Friendly–requires a permit from Lord Pink. This law was put into place in 973 in order to reduce the number of unsightly ice fishing huts in place on the frozen lake during winter, but has become a major source of income for the Lord since the lake was stocked with Major Serpents in honor of the King's Jubilee.”

“The Inn of the Turtle-Dove is considered the most romantic location in the country by many of those within three days' travel from it. It is said to be so romantic, a turtle and a dove mated to produce the Turtle-Dove under its influence. This is not true, but what a wonderful story. On Tuesdays, they serve meat in the stew.”

After imparting 1-4 trivia unknown to the caster, the imp departs in a manner suitable to the creature it most resembles, dissipating when not perceived. Should it be kept from departing, it attacks as a tiny version of that creature until destroyed. Each round of combat does 1d4 points of Luck damage to the attacker; the attacker with the lowest luck is subject to an 'accident' dependent on the location, such as falling rocks, stepping into a rabbit burrow and breaking an ankle, etc.

The Example of Clombo's Bravos And Their Journey to Elfward

Eighty miles of wilderness behind then, the Bravos had twice that ahead of them. Smoke betrayed the first sign of habitation since the trek began. Excitement spread through the band.

Clombo frowned.He moved to the rear of the marching order and hunted through his coinpurse. He selected an especially old, worn-smooth copper bit bearing the ghost of an embossing of the Left-Hand Emperor, who had brought his lands to the destruction in which they were passing. He dropped the coin.

Suction at his ear. He shreiked at it, cursing himself for not expecting the sensation. The group halted, turned, drew weapons, saw the thing caressing Clombo's ear, saw Clombo's gestures to cease, waited.

Clombo listened. The Imp talked. “Marths‘ third daughter, with the birthmark and the dimples, went looking for a lost kitten and wasn't seen for nearly twenty-four hours. The same twenty-four hours that Pappy Perkins was looking for his goat. On the night of the full moon. Without their demons. I'm not saying anything, I'm just saying.”

Clombo frowned. The Imp continued. “Horse puddle stick can weasel. Frog-frog hops north frog blur ban.”

Clombo frowned and pulled the creature from his ear, wincing as his eardrum flexed. He dropped it and it began spitting the soil from its lips. “Keep moving, boys. This bumbling thing will vex us until it is long behind us.” He found one final ancient copper coin in his bag. “Keep a good distance from that settlement until I discover more of it. They stink of diablerie.”

Also a Variant of This Spell

A variant of this spell exists that may be cast any any time the caster is within the range of sight (though not necessarily line of sight, as the caster may be hidden) of uniformed government or law enforcement officials regardless of physical location. The monetary token must be discarded by the caster and picked by by one of the officials in this variant. In this spell, the source of the imps is the Genius Locorum of the nation represented by the officials, which may or may not be the nation in which the spell is being cast, and a Polis imp is summoned instead on any even roll. If the caster is not within the physical jurisdiction of the officials, the imps appear sickly and/or nervous, and there is a chance (25%) that instead of departing as they normally would, they must walk all the way “home” physically. If the local Genius Locorum has an especial apathy toward the source of the imps, these imps will be subject to violent 'accidents' until they depart it and are likely to be destroyed.

* These imps derive their information from their parent Genius Locorum. A Tabu imp knows of all tabus held by the local culture, and of each breaking of those tabus that takes place there. Rumor and Polis imps are likewise experts in their related fields of the local culture. (back) 

† Tabu imps normally have no knowledge of tabus beyond the portfolio of their parent Genius Locorum or actions taken outside of their parent's physical location. Physical contact with a Tabu imp (such as that required of the caster) does give the imp complete information about the contacted creature's personal tabus and every instance of breaking them. This is every illegal, immoral, embarrassing, or regretted act performed by the creature. (back)