Les cris s'étaient arrêtés. Le seul bruit était le rugissement des flammes.
Les citadins morts s'arrêtèrent au bord des arbres, le feu rayonnant derrière leurs silhouettes gaspillées. Il y avait la boulangère qui approvisionnait Busker en pâtisseries fraîches -- il y avait le marchand qui racontait souvent des histoires par le foyer -- il y avait le vieux pêcheur avec quatre fils et trois filles, aimé de la ville, maintenant debout sanglant et creux dans une brume de nuit et de fumée noire.
Ils sont restés immobiles. Attendez.
Les chevaux se permettaient d'être calmés et frappés par Pallas, et pendant qu'elle et Dirion clamberaient dans la charrette, quelque chose se déplaçait dans les décombres.
Edward était calme au milieu de l'épave, couvert de sang, un œil s'est évanoui. Il leva son canon à main, pointé directement à Seloria.
"Vous avez une belle puissance." La voix qui sortait de la bouche d'Edward sonnait comme la voix de Jargo, lilting, taquinant et entaché d'obscurité. "Vous me le donnerez. Ou mes marionnettes te dévoreront."
Au-dessus d'eux, Jargo se tenait au sommet d'un arbre, souriant dans l'obscurité, observant. Il avait découvert un nouveau pouvoir : le pouvoir de contrôler les morts. Edward était tout simplement sa nouvelle marionnette.
Edward sourit soudain -- un sourire fou, fantaisiste, meurtrier.
FAMILLE
Le recul du canon à main renvoya Edward stupéfiant. Le sang s'est abattu sur la jambe de Seloria, où une balle a été enterrée au fond de l'os.
Le bruit du coup fit peur aux chevaux; ils se boulonnèrent, caressant la route avec le chariot, et Dirion, Pallas, Busker et Wink avec lui.
Les chevaux galopaient droit pour Rucks, le chariot et ses passagers rebondissant et battant.
-- J'aurai votre pouvoir! La voix de Jargo a percuté la bouche morte d'Edward.
Jargo lui-même se jeta à terre et s'approcha silencieusement de Seloria par derrière, les yeux foudroyés et affamés.
Yer parents 're dead, yer house burned down and yer dog was kicked off a cliff. Revenge is a perfectly healthy way to cope, I think. How 'bout a refill on that ale?

Well, this development was slightly unexpected . . .
CHARACTER SHEET

ꝿ NAME: (the name of your character)
ꝿ RELATIONSHIP WITH : (Pick a Relationship and someone else's character)

Siblings
Unrequited lovers
Spouses in an arranged marriage
Linked by blood ritual
Assassin/target
Rescuer/rescuee
Employer/henchman
Former cellmates
Bounty hunter/bounty
Creator/golem
Sorceror/apprentice
Diabolist/intended sacrificial victim
Werewolf/hunter
Same non-human race
Members of the same religion or guild
Longtime adventuring companions
Drinking buddies
Reluctant allies
Vicious scoundrel/pacifist healer
You each have a scar the other gave you
"You killed my father"

ꝿ NEED: (your character's major goal)

To be a hero
...by defending the little guy
...to that one special person
...so you can lord over everybody else
...in the public's eyes, even if you really aren't
To crush your enemies
...because they ruined your life
...and enslave them
...and they're all enemies
...just to get a moment's peace
To amass a hoard
...by killing every monster you see
...through shady dealings
...of forbidden lore
...to fund a private army
To fly
...with everybody else's treasure
...after one last quest
...before they realize who you really work for
...literally, using a spell or maybe a catapult
To rule
...by marrying a royal heir
...on a throne of your enemies' skulls
...an army of undead
...and impose your type of justice
To overindulge
...with wenches
...in drink
...in rampant thievery
...in forbidden rituals
...in bloodshed
...in tavern brawls

ꝿ OBJECT: (a nifty thing your character possesses)

Weapons
Flaming sword (sword of cataclysmic combustion)
Poisoned dagger (dirk of vicious viper's venom)
Big-ass iron warhammer
Ancient elven bow
Dragonbane blade (broadsword of scaly slaughter)
Catapult
Soul-stealing scepter (scepter of severed souls)
Sentient spear (longspear of wise council)
Cursed blade (cutlass of cruel calamity)
Seeking arrow (arrow of absolutely accurate archery)
Betrayer's axe (greataxe of pliant perfidy)
Staff of resurrection with one charge left
Spells
Enchanting Charm
Transformative Polymorph
Spectral Ward
Demonic Summoning
Trapping Paralysis
Exploding Lightning
Magic Items
Invisibility cloak
Crystal ball of future sight
Crown of fearlessness
Mystery potion (nobody knows what it does)
Impervious chain shirt
Trophies
Mounted troll's head
Genie bottle
Dragon's flame sac
Tome of dark rituals
Gold ring on a mummy's severed finger
Massive pile of gold coins
Sentimental
Strange charm left with a foundling
Invitation to a prestigious order
Statue of a deity (with a hidden compartment)
Old ally polymorphed into a toad
Royal lady's garter


ꝿ DETAILS: (anything and everything you're inspired to write here)

NON-PLAYER CHARACTERS
ꝿ NAME: Busker
ꝿ RELATIONSHIP WITH WINK: Busker's the owner of this fine establishment and Wink is his daughter and most incompetent employee.
ꝿ RELATIONSHIP WITH FATE: Fate is another of Busker's employees, whom he hired when Wink demanded help with the heavy lifting. Usually Fate so good at her job that Busker forgets she works there, but some nights he hides under the bar while she flies into a rage at the patrons.
ꝿ RELATIONSHIP WITH GHARLYC: Busker and Gharlyc go way back, when Busker was young and Gharlyc was still an endearingly heartless bastard. He cherishes memories of drunken stories and exploits of cruelty and power. He credits Gharlyc for teaching him the value of self-preservation and of using others to get what he wants.
ꝿ NEEDS: To wring as much money out of his drunken patrons as possible.
ꝿ OBJECT: Mounted troll's head hanging proudly over the hearth.
ꝿ DETAILS: Busker is middle-aged and balding, with a wide girth and a toadlike nose. He stands behind the bar most nights, listening to rambling stories and adding up tabs. He's quick with a compliment and a smile that never quite reaches his beady eyes.
BUSKER IS DEAD. Sort of. He walks around all right, and some part of his mind still recognizes Wink as his daughter, and he's not murderous at all. At least not yet. But he is definitely dead.

ꝿ NAME: Wink
ꝿ RELATIONSHIP WITH BUSKER: Wink is Busker's daughter. She's also the one who runs this dump, despite what Busker may claim.
ꝿ RELATIONSHIP WITH FATE: Wink and Fate both work at the Bawdy Dog; although technically they both equally work for Busker, Wink does not hesitate to order Fate to take care of the less savory chores. Despite this, Wink considers Fate as a friend and defends her unconditionally.
ꝿ NEEDS: To win the favor of a rich nobleman and run away with him.
ꝿ OBJECT: A rabbit's foot in her pocket.
ꝿ DETAILS: Wink isn't the prettiest in town, but she keeps her hair neat and her corset tight. She can be flirtatious one moment and coolly authoritative the next, especially when the tavern's well-being is threatened.
Wink is Busker's daughter. Right now her priority is to survive, and to make sure Busker doesn't hurt anyone.