conversations.from: system
conversations.value: *There is an ancient land which borders the Evening Sea. Beyond its broken and stony coast, countless deltas and riverways wind their way through fetid jungles and dank, dreary marshes. Death and decay are rife there, constant companions that shape everything that dwells within - and the sagging trees lie blanketed in a burial shroud of mist. If one follows the riverways into that dark place, past tangles of grasping mangroves, weeping banyans and eerie, crumbling stone stelae - they say one will find an old city. Hewn from rock and wood, timeless edifices to forgotten gods are honored in sombre temples and ziggurat towers. The winding, narrow streets are paved with bones and the wailing song of a sorrowful requiem mourns each passing day. This is the city of the dead: Var'anass. They say that it was erected upon the very entrance to the Underworld itself in testament to an eon-old compact, and that the reclusive faelynn who dwell here worship the shrouded god Erashi and guard the mortal world from deathless horrors that would break free and steal the very breath of life.*
  
  *Why would anyone journey to such a horrid place, you ask? Vile marshes, dark things that hunt in the mists, bloodthirsty natives and terrors from beyond the grave - to go there  is madness you think. Come closer, young friend and listen to an old man. Legend has it, that the god Erashi likes games... she is lonely in her pale realm. Those who pass through the Shrouded Arch and challenge her are welcome. Those who triumph... well... they are given a boon. Anything the mortal heart desires... so the story goes.*
  
  *You have that look about you... it is more than simple greed or ambition. There is desperation, yes... perhaps you will consider what I have told you. Perhaps you will sail out with the *Mourning Isabel* come dawn to find those strange shores.*
  
  <---->
  
  The Shrouded Arch is a stark take on the mythic journey to the underworld by those determined to face death itself.
  
  I'm looking for 3-6 players to take the roles of troubled adventurers setting out find the gates of the underworld.
  
  Your character is seeking something that mundane and even magical means alone cannot offer - and is willing to risk everything to attain it. What could it be, and will he or she truly have the determination and fortitude to see the quest through?
  
  A handful of cards have been created to give a sense for the flavour and suggested aspects of the story, but players are welcome to add their own cards - subplots in particular, as befit their character.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: The strain of untethered sails is proving too much for the mast, and if it isn't reinforced, the wind will break it in twain.
conversations.prefix: Splitting mast:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: The peninsula city-state Athaia is renowed for its agile, swashbuckling warrior-sailors. These skilled swordsmen and duelists sell their skills to the highest bidder, and their loyalty is as capricious as the tides.
conversations.prefix: Sellsword:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: The honorable warrior-caste in service to the feudal lords of Toran. Teachers, poets and peerless swordsmen, these legendary fighters seal themselves in ceremonial armor and wield ancestral weapons passed down through generations.
conversations.prefix: Samurai:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Your favored approach is to apply wit, and outhinking your opposition.
  
  
conversations.prefix: Clever:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: The Monks of Toran are spiritual masters that bind lesser gods to their souls in order to transcend and commune with the spirit world. When the two become one, the god becomes incarnate and the mortal gains a measure of its mystical strength.
conversations.prefix: Monk:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: The stalwart praetorians of Avion are renowed soldiers who bear enchanted arms and armor in defense of the wizarding senate. Most come from families of ancient military tradition, and many journey far from home to learn and test themselves before serving Avion's army.
conversations.prefix: Praetorian:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: The magewrights of Avion practice magic through the creation of arcane devices. While some claim that they risk the gods' wrath by tinkering with their domains and trapping magical power in intricate clockwork, the potency of their work is undeniable.
conversations.prefix: Magewright:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You're direct, and prefer the straightfoward application of might, be it physical, spiritual or cerebral. 
  
conversations.prefix: Forceful:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You're not the sharpest sword in the scabbard, and often have trouble when things get too complicated or abstract. 
conversations.prefix: Dim:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You err on the side of caution and try to avoid risks at any cost - which often causes problems of its own. 
conversations.prefix: Careful:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You're distracted and don't have the best reflexes. You often stumble when snappy reactions are required. 
  
conversations.prefix: Slow:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You are headstrong and prone to rash decisions. Subtlety and careful planning don't mean a thing to you. 
  
conversations.prefix: Reckless:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You do your best work at the center of attention, and like to bring on as much audacity and flair as you can muster. 
  
conversations.prefix: Flashy:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You prefer to outmaneuver your opponents, and solve problems though speed and agility above all else. 
  
conversations.prefix: Quick:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: When you're at your best noone knows you've even been there. Careful planning, subtlety and concealment keeps you ahead. 
  
conversations.prefix: Sneaky:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Someone close to you was claimed before their time by the Shrouded Lady, and you could not, would not let go. Even if it costs you your life, you will journey to death's realm to bring them back.
conversations.prefix: A soul, lost:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You prefer submission over confrontation and your gentle demeanor has more than once caused others to treat you as a pushover. 
  
conversations.prefix: Meek:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: A sickness has a hold over you, or one you love. No means, practical or magical seem able to present a panacea, and time is running out. You won't give up, though. Not if Erashi can offer a cure.
conversations.prefix: Contaigon:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You were wronged, gravely so, and the villain escaped justice - well... you justice. Death has claimed your malefactor, but you have a score to settle, and even death will not prevent your vengeance from being fulfilled.
conversations.prefix: Vengeance denied:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: A fierce storm grips the Mourning Isabel, casting the ship mercilessly twixt roaring, swelling waves.
conversations.prefix: The Storm:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: The iron-grey clouds cast a dark shadow over the barren, grey sands that stretch along the coast. The skeletal husk of more than one ship grasp in futility at the sky.
conversations.prefix: Bleak shore:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: If the sails aren't brought down soon, they will be ripped apart by the gale and the ship will be left afloat.
conversations.prefix: Douse the sails:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Barrels, bottles and crates tumble with the whims of the sea. Their shifting weight threatens to unbalance the  ship, if not secured.
conversations.prefix: Secure the hold:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Reaching the shore will require successfully navigating the reefs and the ship graveyard.
conversations.prefix: Traverse the bay:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: The endless, grey dunes of the shore play havoc with your perceptions. The day is wearing on, and the prospects of spending the night exposed to thw wind and rain of this seaside is not inviting.
conversations.prefix: Find a vantage point:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: While the camp is abandoned, there may still be supplies around for the taking...
conversations.prefix: Search the camp:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: The night is going to be long, dark and cold. A fire would go a long way toward making it more bearable.
conversations.prefix: Build a fire:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: With plenty of flotsam and wood around, it should be possible to find enough to keep a fire going all night.
conversations.prefix: Gather firewood:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: A presence approaches, following the returning clockwork spider.
conversations.prefix: Something in the dark:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: The campfire is your best protection against what lurks in the dark but you don't have enough firewood to easily make it last the night.
conversations.prefix: Keep the fire going:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Twisted and ancient gnarled trees reach like mostrous claws for the sky. Little light filters through the thick canopy above and the insidious gloom persists here.
conversations.prefix: Eryth'rean Jungle:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: The acrid stench of wood-fire smoke permeates the area. Someone must be tending a fire nearby.
conversations.prefix: Find the source of the fire:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: A hermit even among the reclusive Eryth'reans. She is slight and wiry, and has an air of sybilline menace about her.
conversations.prefix: Coaxoch:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You are headstrong and prone to rash decisions. Your confidence in your own intelligence and power  can lead you to overestimate your own abilities--and underestimate others'.
  
conversations.prefix: Reckless:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You were wronged, gravely so, and the villain escaped justice - well... your justice. Death has claimed your malefactor, but you have a score to settle, and even death will not prevent your vengeance from being fulfilled.
conversations.prefix: Vengeance denied:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: The combination of a botched ritual and your horrible life choices has led to a god of vengeance taking up residence in your head. The only known way to exorcise the deity requires the death of the host body, which in this case is you. Congratulations!
conversations.prefix: Possession:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Trained from birth to deal death from the shadows. From one of the elusive Shade clans, the deadly organizations which sell their services to whoever is willing to pay the price.
conversations.prefix: Assassin :
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: The subtle dance of the knife cannot train for extended direct combat. 
conversations.prefix: Delicate:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Death claimed someone that owes you an explanation. You cannot live without knowing what they have to say.
conversations.prefix: A Question :
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Viewed by most as barely better than vagabonds, adventurers are neither inherently benevolent nor necessarily selfish; though their penchant for thrill-seeking tends to write them out of people's good books.
conversations.prefix: Adventurer:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: With your sharp mind and keen senses, it is not often that you are deceived or taken by surprise.
conversations.prefix: Perceptive:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Most of the time, your worries and your fears are more or less kept at bay. Other times, they consume you; driving you to act with all manner of foolishness that may very well be the death of you.
conversations.prefix: Desperate:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Above all else, you want an end to your greatest fears, and a beginning to your deepest wish: to live. To be *real*. Magic gave you a body and the world gave you thought-- but only a god can let you live.
conversations.prefix: Earn Your Place:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: The guild looks for skill, not brawn or size.
conversations.prefix: Small:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: When you act, it is with no holds barred, full intensity, dedicated until you see it through.
conversations.prefix: Fervent:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You're light on your feet, quick and nimble. The magecraft augmentations don't hurt, either...
conversations.prefix: Agile:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Since leaving home you've learned how to fend for yourself. You're no forest ranger, but you can set up camp and build a fire.
conversations.prefix: Basic Survival Skills:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You notice things that most others would not realize. Whether it is a person's behavior or a messy or barren place, you are able to pick up on the littlest of details.
conversations.prefix: Observant:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You tinker with the powers of gods, but your own body is all too mortal. Whether it's magical backlash or physical injury, you can't afford to take too much of a beating.
conversations.prefix: Fragile: