Zerywia Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Game Components
  • Expansions
• How to Use This Rulebook
  • How to Start
  • Golden Rule
  • Tutorial Videos
• Hero
  • Hero Card
  • Character Board
  • Attributes
  • The Prime
  • Taint
  • The Dread
  • Kolovrat Wheel
  • Path Stone
  • Saga Cards
  • Development and Obtaining of New Sagas
• Game Board
  • Region
  • Special Region Types
  • Harbours
  • The Oblivion Chasm
  • Sventovit's Statue
• Preparing the Land of Zerywia
  • Preparation of the Hero
• Preparing the Scenario - Path of the Chosen One
  • Path of the Chosen One
• Gameplay Overview
• Cycle Structure
  • Sventovit's Phase
  • Journey Phase
    • Action: Exploration
  • The Threat
  • Action: Rest
  • Action: Use the Harbour
  • Region Options
  • Camp Phase
  • Nix's Phase
• Challenge
  • Attribute & Nix Dice
  • Challenge Overview
  • Challenge Details
    • Initiation
    • Determination
    • Resolution
  • Injuries
  • Group Challenges
  • Challenge Example
  • Attribute Test
• Other Game Concepts
  • The Murk
  • Offerings
  • Trophies
  • Gods
  • Creatures
  • Items
  • Primal Taint and Hero Memory
  • Garrisons and Watchstones
• Main Scenario - The Memory of the World
  • The Memory of the World
  • Herald and Epic Battle
• Heroes of Zerywia
  • Expansion: "Into the Wild"
  • Expansion: "Scorned Renegades"
• Game Symbols Chart

Game Components

• 4 Board Tiles
• 4 Character Boards
• 1 Thymor Die, 1 Location Die
• Miniatures of Sventovit, Ughmor and 5 Heroes of Zerywia
• 5 Hero Cards
• 3 Nix Dice, 3 Vigor Dice, 3 Instinct Dice, 3 Will Dice
• 36 Murk/Rift Tokens
• 36 Threat/Incursion Tokens
• 10 Quest Markers
• 8 Staleness Tokens
• 6 Pochara Tokens
• 4 Dragon Tokens
• 6 Garrison Tokens
• 6 Watchstone Tokens
• 12 Trophy Tokens
• 12 Offering Tokens
• 48 Journey Tokens (Wilderness, Mountain, Ruin, Settlement)
• 24 Rune Tokens (Vigor, Instinct, Will)
• 24 Shield Tokens (Vigor, Instinct, Will)
• 39 Wilderness Exploration Cards
• 44 Mountain Exploration Cards
• 40 Ruin Exploration Cards
• 42 Settlement Exploration Cards
• 161 Saga Cards
• 6 God Cards
• 16 Creature Cards
• 24 Item Cards
• 75 Enemy Cards
• 94 Scenario Cards
• 4 Mark of Thymor Cards
• Wooden Markers: 7 Blackstone (1), 12 Injury/Attribute Blocker (2), 12 Universal Marker (3), Dawnstones: 1 Fatestone (4), 1 Lifestone (5), 1 Warstone (6), 1 Soulstone (7)
• 4 Wooden Path Stones
• Wooden Markers: 4 Turn (1), 12 Prime (2), 12 Taint (3), 4 Vigor (4), 4 Instinct (5), 4 Will (6)

Expansions

Both expansions are exclusive content, unlocked thanks to the supporters during the wspieram.to and kickstarter campaigns. For more information please visit www.zerywia.com.

"Into the Wild"

• 2 Additional Heroes
• 31 New Exploration Cards
• 22 Saga Cards

"Legends"

• 110 Delve Quest Cards

How to Use This Rulebook

This book will introduce you to the rules of the Zerywia board game. We recommend that at least one of the players reads the entire manual before starting the first game. If any questions arise, we encourage you to use the Index at the back of the book. You will find there the important terms of the game mechanics and keywords, which appear in bold in the text on the cards.

How to Start

When starting your adventure through the world of Zerywia, we suggest playing the "Path of the Chosen One" as the first Scenario which will introduce the players to the world and basic rules of the game. This scenario can be treated as a separate adventure or as an introduction to the "Ughmor's Masks" campaign. You can find the details of setting up this scenario in the Scenario Book (see Scenario book p.6).

Golden Rule

In the event of a rule conflict, card abilities take precedence over the rulebook. Zerywia is a cooperative game that focuses on adventure and satisfaction resulting from the game, so in case of any misunderstandings, it is worth working out a solution together and just have fun!

Tutorial Videos

Our Zerywia channel on YouTube (Koliba Games) hosts a series of videos that give a step-by-step overview of the rules; and setup and game modes. You can use them as the main source of knowledge when learning the game, using this book as an aid. We also give some hints on how to paint the game miniatures easily and affordably. No previous experience necessary! Satisfaction guaranteed!

Hero

Before you charge headlong into battle for the fate of Zerywia, it is wise to get to know the main characters of this story. The main characters are Heroes. They are not mere peasants, craftsmen, or warlords, but Chosen Ones. Marked at birth by the Thymor Gods, they are able to draw energy directly from the Tree of Life and Sventovit - the God of Gods. However, with great power comes great responsibility, and thus the fate of a Hero is neither light nor pleasant. It is up to the players to guide the Heroes on their paths in order to perpetuate their name in legend.

Hero Card

Each Hero of Zerywia is represented by a corresponding, two-sided Hero Card. The front shows their Chosen One form, and the back represents their Dread form - the awakened, dark nature of the Hero (see page 8). Each Hero Card features:

1. Hero's Name and title.
2. Starting (and maximum) Attribute values for Vigor, Instinct and Will.
3. Unique Hero ability.
4. Camp Ability. The symbols represent the Attributes and other elements restored by the Hero during the Camp Phase.
5. Limit for each type of Saga Cards. Indicates how many Saga Cards of the given type (Relic, Ritual, Ally) Hero can use on his Character Board. You may carry more types. Limit only apply to using.
6. The Dread form on the reverse side of the Hero Card modifies abilities and parameters of the Chosen One form, imposing limitations on the usage of some cards and tokens. It also works as a Cursed Path, a temporary state, a manifestation of the Hero's darkest instincts after being influenced too strongly by the Murk (i.e. after having acquired too many Taint markers).

Character Board

Players use the Character Board to keep track of the Attributes, time of day, and other character related statuses. It contains a place for the Hero Card (1), Saga Cards (Ally, Ritual, and Relic) (2), and indentations for wooden markers relating to Vigor (3), Instinct (4), Will (5), Attribute Blocker (6) and Prime (7), as well as the Turn Marker (8).

Attributes

Each Hero is characterised by three primal pillars: Vigor, Instinct, and Will. These Attributes are responsible for all of the Hero's actions, limiting their abilities and exhaustion level.

Vigor (strength, endurance, agility). Any Challenge requiring a physical confrontation, uses Vigor. It is the Attribute of warriors and wild beasts, allowing them to push on, in spite of sustained wounds and hostile conditions.

Instinct (perception, sneakiness, intuition). Stemming from the primal soul, Instinct is an Attribute of chieftains and hunters. It allows them to see hidden possibilities, and gain insight into human nature or forge a connection with the spirits.

Will (determination, mental strength). A gauge of resistance to fear and exhaustion, as well as acting as a bridge between the real world and the spiritual one. Will is the main attribute that influences the success in communicating with gods and spirits, and also helps to fulfill one's fate against all odds.

The Prime

Prime is the primordial force, drawn by the Heroes directly from Sventovit. It is used to activate or strengthen the effect of actions taken by the Heroes during their quest. The default Prime limit for each Hero is 3 points.

Using the Prime

During the Determination phase of a Challenge, spend 1 Prime in order to re-roll any of your dice. The player can continue to re-roll the same die, costing 1 Prime each time.

During the Camp phase, for each Prime point restored above the limit, you can restore one point to any Attribute (Vigor, Instinct, or Will) of your choice.

Taint

If the Hero comes into contact with too much Murk or its direct source, they receive a Taint. This is marked by placing a black marker (similar to Attribute markers) into one of the three slots with the Vigor, Instinct, or Will symbols engraved. If the source does not directly state which Attribute should become Tainted, select any one.

Having a Taint weakens that Attribute by 1 while also increasing the chance of suffering an Injury. Additionally, many Enemies can sense the curse of the Murk and use it, putting them at an advantage in encounters against tainted Heroes. Most of all, a Hero who receives too many Taints risks their soul and the safety of all nearby, potentially turning into their Dread form. Each Attribute can hold one Taint, with any Hero holding a maximum of three Taints. When receiving the third Taint, the Hero loses control and turns into their Dread form. Each consecutive Taint, over the limit, results in a Primal Taint [see p.37].

The Dread

The Murk and Oblivion have a less devastating influence on the Heroes than on the common people. Nevertheless, each of the Chosen Ones has their dark side, which lies dormant until a moment of weakness allows it to take over. This change occurs when the Hero receives their third Taint, at which time the Dread takes hold.

After succumbing to the Dread, the Hero immediately flips his Hero Card and is treated as if he were cursed (i.e. all cards that would be active when the hero has a curse path card under the path stone, work on him). It is a temporary state and passes as soon as the hero returns to his Chosen One form.

Curse Path is a special type of Path that can be obtained under different circumstances throughout the Journey. What makes this Path stand out from the others is that it does not yield any benefits. On the contrary, a cursed character will encounter many obstacles and is not welcome amongst the common folk or the gods. A natural way of removing the Curse is to obtain new Paths, this will push the Curse card out from under the Path Stone, as if pushing it out from the memory of the people, filling the Hero's saga with new deeds and reputation.

While being in Dread form, the Hero must adhere to all the consequences resulting from it:

• Cannot acquire new Offering tokens (1).
• Cannot acquire new Trophy tokens (2).
• Cannot acquire new Feats (3).
• Additional Banner ability allowing to add an additional die to a Challenge (4). (At a cost of 1 Prime point).
• New Camp ability (5).
• The Hero loses his own special ability and is treated as if he were Cursed.

The Dread is, fortunately, a temporary condition. Induced by the Taint, it passes when the number of Taints falls below three. Induced from an effect, it passes when the effect ends (Kolovrat Wheel). The Hero returns to Chosen One form by turning his card face up. A hero in the form of The Dread can take his turns normally, and acquiring a new Taint leads to the Primal Taint (See page 37).

Kolovrat Wheel

This is the place to mark each Hero's turn progress and used actions during each Cycle. The Turn Marker location also determines the current time of day, which can influence each Hero's actions, active Saga Cards, or even Enemies. Cooperative actions performed with other Heroes also require the time of day in which they are performed to match.

The Dread Induced from an effect - we mark it by replacing the Turn Marker with the Taint Marker. Moving on to the next Time of the Day, we mark it with the Turn marker. When the Turn marker is about to enter the field with the Taint marker, we remove the Taint from the Kolovrat Wheel, and our Hero returns to his normal form, and the Turn marker goes to the place previously occupied by the Taint.

The symbols of the Kolovrat Wheel depict the four faces of the Sventovit, the yearly cycle (the four seasons), the cycle of the day (the relationship of the Sun and the Moon), and the lands of the first four tribes - the Thymors.

Players will often encounter specific abilities which can trigger only at certain times of day. These are marked with the Thymor symbols and the phrase "[Thymor] Action" (if the ability needs to be activated), or "at [Thymor], during [Thymor]..." (if the ability is not an Action). The Kolovrat Wheel symbols in square borders refer to the Thymor Die and point to a specific section of the map. For ease of use, each board tile has its respective symbol shown in its corner. The Thymor Die also refers to the symbols of the Wheel, but in this case it refers to the symbols placed in the corners of the board, indicating a particular Thymor (quarter of the board) on the map of Zerywia.

Path Stone

Each Hero has their own Path Stone - a place where they devote their titles and glory to memory - not only to their own but also the memory of the inhabitants of these lands and the gods. This stone also holds the burdens of the Heroes' actions, as well as any Curses put onto them. It is a unique journal of their history and achievements. In Campaign mode, the Stone is transferred together with the character between the scenarios. The Exploration Cards and other events in the game will refer to the Path cards placed under the Stone.

The Path cards are placed under the Stone (1) so that the Path type is visible to the player. Each player can have a maximum of three Paths (2). Each new Path after this number is placed into the lowest position (3) at the same time discarding the oldest of the current Paths into the discard pile (4). In a vertical layout, the oldest Path is the one touching the bottom edge of the Path Stone.

Heroes will also be able to acquire God Cards related to their Paths, which will aid them in battling the Oblivion. Such cards are placed on top of the Path Stone (5).

Saga Cards

The Sagas are unique sets of cards representing a certain development of events. Each Saga has a card that marks the beginning of the tale, and can aid the Hero on their journey. These can be influenced by the Hero, modifying their outcome to fit their will. After finishing a Saga, the Hero will acquire new items and abilities. These cards have a special "Book" symbol. During the game, Heroes can discover additional Sagas and develop them over the course of their adventure.

The Saga Cards can be divided into 5 types: Relic, Ritual, Ally, Feat, and Story. Relic, Ritual, and Ally cards are placed on the Character Board.

Feat Cards contain unique abilities; these can be used from your hand during encounters and then recovered when resting.

The last type of Saga Cards, Stories, are exactly what the name suggests - stories in which the Heroes will be able to navigate, decide their outcomes, and new Saga Cards they will receive as a reward. Related Stories matching backs so they can be easily grouped together a cohesive set leading to the climax and finale of the story.

Relic / Ritual / Ally card

1. Card name.
2. Emblem of the Saga Card type.
3. Banner ability granting a specific die during a Challenge.
4. Activated abilities of the card (Book icon represents Starting Saga Story Card).
5. Critical Effects, allowing the exchange of the rolled critical results into powerful effects.

Feat card

1. Card name.
2. Emblem of the Saga Card type.
3. Card ability, to be used in the appropriate phase.
4. Kicker Ability: active upon payment of the indicated cost (this may be the acceptance of a Taint, as in this case, a die with a Critical result, or another form of payment). The Kicker ability is an option; the Hero does not have to use it. It is also allowed to use the feat card just for the Kicker ability itself.
5. An optional ability that you can activate in the appropriate phase. Note that after using a feat card, it must be turned 90 degrees to indicate that the card cannot be used again until it is recovered in the Camp Phase or through another effect.

Story card

1. The name of the current chapter and its related Saga.
2. Flavour text telling a story.
3. Quest area specifying on what Journey tokens are needed and where to go on the Quest in order to finish the current stage of the Story.
4. Second part of the task with the name of the region where the Hero must return the required resources or Attribute points.
5. Saga Card names - reward obtained based on the Hero's choice in the second part of the Story (point 4).
6. The name of the Path, which should be placed under the Path Stone after completion (See page 9).

Development and Obtaining of New Sagas

Each Hero starts the game with Saga Cards, which will grow throughout the Scenarios. Relic, Ritual, Ally, and Story cards are placed on the Character Board, while Feat, Summon and Item cards (Summon and Item cards are not Saga Cards), are held in hand or set aside. Among the Starting Cards, each player will receive Personal Saga Cards, which match their Hero, and a unique Feat Card (with their Hero's portrait on the back), as well as any additional cards listed in the Scenario description.

Heroes Personal Sagas: Svara, Veda, Dalbor, Goryv, Hexdrinker

Preparing the Saga Deck

Saga Cards without numbers (I-II-III) on their backs (1) are Basic Cards (Starting Saga Card) which are added to the Heroes at the start of the Scenario or obtained during the game. The remaining, numbered, cards are placed in a deck ordered with the lowest number on top. Always place the card with the Book symbol on top - this is the Story Card (2). This card is followed by all the cards with the same number (3) – these are the Rewards which you get for completing the story quest. Repeat this process for each Saga stage (4-5).

After preparing the Saga Deck, place it near the Character Board and turn over the top Story Card (2), making it the Hero's active quest. During scenarios, heroes will gain benefits adding to their Saga. In the first playthroughs, do not peek at the Reward cards - to keep the element of surprise and mystery. In later plays, or at higher difficulty levels, use this knowledge to gain an edge on what is to come.

Completed Stories will become your Path, and the discarded Reward Cards will be placed at the bottom of the Saga Deck, waiting to be discovered another time (new game). You may reorganize Saga Cards during Rest Action or Camp Phase (p.22), and in challenge using your Reaction (p.26).

Acquire a New Saga or Develop the Current One

When a Hero obtains a new Saga, they can choose one card from the deck of the available Basic Saga Cards (a). The backs of these cards suggest the type of a given Saga (Relic, Ritual or Ally). The players can look through this deck before they choose their new Saga, or they can decide solely on the back of the Saga Cards, trusting fate. Alternatively, the Hero can start growing a different Saga, whose Basic Card (Starting Saga Card) they already own (b). The player then takes the corresponding Saga Deck (Saga Story, cards with numbers I-II-III) and turns over the top card as the active Story.

Sagas are the primary source of Hero development. Their growth is not obligatory, but can become necessary at a certain stage in order to face the growing difficulty of the game. Each player can always decide to abandon a chosen Saga and start developing a different one. Each Hero can have a maximum of 3 Saga Decks which they are actively growing.

Game Board

The land of Zerywia is divided into four parts known as Thymors. Each represents the native lands of each of the four primordial tribes of Zerywia and is marked in the corner of the map with a Thymor symbol. These are, respectively: Lekhian Domain, Rani Territories, Nuru Grounds, and Ystoi Cradles.

Region

Each Thymor consists of separate Regions (1) (adjacent Regions (2) share a border), where the Heroes will be traveling. Each Region has its own name (3) and one or more related Terrain Type symbols: Wilderness, Mountains, Settlement, and Ruins (4). These symbols are the same as on the backs of the Exploration Cards, which the Heroes will encounter during the Exploration Action in any given Region. A Region can have more than one terrain type and is then considered to be of all of the marked terrain types when resolving any card effects.

Each Thymor also has Special Locations (5) (marked with symbols placed before the Region's name) such as: Cradles, Strongholds, Primesources, Shrouds, Hollows, and Exis Temples. These are unique locations which relate to special Scenario events and which have unique effects available to the Heroes (known as Region Options).

Special Region Types

Cradle — Cradles are the main hubs of power and trade, as well as the homes of the oldest tribe families. They are considered sacred and extremely important, as they store the history of the tribe, its traditions, and customs.

Stronghold — Strongholds are military beachheads; their strict laws and customs favour the strong and stalwart. Conquering warbands often originate from and return to these strategic locations.

Exis Temple — Exis Temples are sacred grounds, where the highest of Priests devote their Tribes to the care of the gods. Their locations, linked to the four mystical flames, are in constant danger of raids by hostile tribes.

Primesource — Primesources are raw veins of Sventovit's power, often hidden among forbidden ruins and impenetrable forest grounds. The Chosen Ones can tap into these sources for additional Prime energy.

The Shroud — The Shrouds are mystical locations, where the worlds of the living and the dead intertwine, allowing the spirits to freely cross over. Those who know the proper rituals can walk the paths of the Underworlds and travel between the Shrouds.

Hollows — Hollows are the most mysterious areas, believed to be cursed. Some say Relics thousands of years old are hidden in derelict Ruins, guarded by even older, unimaginable horrors.

If, in the course of the game, there is a need to randomly determine a region, use the Location die and the Thymor die. The Location die displays a special location (its symbol). The Thymor die determines the Thymor where this special location is located.

Harbours

Harbours, depicted on the map with an anchor symbol, allow the Heroes to perform an Action as part of their turn, enabling them to travel between all other Harbours in the lands.

The Oblivion Chasm

No Region type, does not belong to any of the Thymors.

In the central part of the board lay inaccessible areas surrounding the Chasm of Oblivion. Veiled in the mists of the Murk. No ship can land there.

The Chasm itself is akin to a tear in the worlds, through which, directly from the Oblivion, the essence of the goddess Nix seeps. The lands surrounding the Chasm are inhabited by the Scorned, also known as the Fifth Tribe. These vicious clans, worshipping their goddess Nix, are hostile towards all other Zerywian tribes.

Heroes can only reach the Chasm of Oblivion (1) via Scenario related events. The six Ritual Rifts (2), located around it are the places of vile Monolith Rituals which draw Nix ever closer to our world. Blackstones will appear on these Rifts (Nix Phase), measuring the time left until the ultimate triumph of darkness…

Example of Time Limit: Monolith Rituals: 6 Blackstones.

Sventovit's Statue

The Extinguishing of one of Sventovit's faces (Fading). The Statue of Sventovit, whose four faces gaze upon one Thymor each, is the time-measuring mechanism of the game. It also informs the players of where and how the Dawnstones located in it take effect (1) – mighty artifacts created at the beginning of time. The Sventovit Statue Faces each indicate the specific Dawnstone to be placed at its feet initially.

As time passes, individual faces will succumb to Oblivion, which is also known as Fading. The players must place a Blackstone (2) into the slot, replacing the Dawnstone (this one we put on the Ritual Rift) that was previously there (or under the next in order, if this one has already fallen into Oblivion). This act symbolises the fading power of the god Sventovit, and the growth of the power of the dark goddess Nix. The Thymors under the influence of a Blackstone are now ruled by darkness, which will make any Hero actions in these areas more difficult. If the fourth Blackstone marker is placed on the Statue, the game instantly ends, as there is no more hope left for this world now that the Heroes have failed.

Example of Time Limit: Monolith Rituals: 5 Blackstones.

The Dawnstones

• Fatestone – Prime — Dusk – Statue Face — Thymor of the West - Goddess Yeesha
• Lifestone – Instinct — Dawn - Statue Face — Thymor of the East - Goddess Yaruna
• Warstone – Vigor — Noon - Statue Face — Thymor of the South - God Ruyevit
• Soulstone – Will — Night – Statue Face — Thymor of the North - God Moroz

Preparing the Land of Zerywia

Board and Tokens

1. Lay out the board, connecting the 4 board tiles together.
   • In the middle, at the junction of the 4 Thymors, place the statue of Sventovit and place the Dawnstones in it, assigning them to each side of the statue respectively [see p.13].
   • Prepare (preferably sorted) any tokens and markers.

Prepare Decks of Cards

2. Place a deck of Gods cards (6) and Creatures cards (12) (grouped by the color of the reverse side, in one pile) next to the board. Set aside four Devil's Creatures from the Creature deck - certain Scenario Cards will instruct you to shuffle the Devils into the Creature deck.

Shuffle and place the deck of Item cards (24) next to it.

3. Separate four Basic Decks of Exploration: Mountains (23), Settlements (24), Ruins (25) and Wilderness (21). These consist of all Exploration cards without any markings in the card name field and those with a map symbol (Zerywian Tales). From the Exploration deck, exclude the Chaser cards - these will join the game when the scenario indicates it. All Exploration decks should be reshuffled and placed conveniently, providing space for discard piles for each deck.

4. Of all the Saga cards, separate the Basic Saga Cards (without the number on the reverse side) and make a stack of them available to the players. Leave the rest of the cards in order [see p.11] in the box. Players will use them when they develop a given Saga Base Card.

Preparation of the Hero

Choose a Hero!

Along with his card, take the Feat belonging to him (bearing the image of the Hero on the reverse side) and draw your Mark of Thymor card.

• Search for the Hero Personal Saga basic card [see p.11], and additional Saga cards.
• Pick up the Character Board. Place the wooden Attribute markers on it (the Hero card states your starting values for each Attribute), three white Prime markers, and an Action marker in the Camp position with the campfire symbol [see p.7]. Take one Path Stone.

You can find a detailed description of the Saga structure on pages 10 and 11. Below is a visualization of several Personal and Basic Sagas with their Stories.

Basic Saga Sets

If the players wish to start their game faster, they may use the Basic Saga Card sets suggested below.

• Svara = Wholeater's Fang = Quarrel = Kora Hope of Dawn
• Veda = Janur's Wraith = Scarecrow = Drowned Sight
• Goryv = Leshy = Harpy = Protective Rhizome
• Dalbor = Oathbearer = Flash = Murkbinder
• Hexdrinker = Azada's Claw = Koga = Sea Sentinel's Plate

Each Personal Saga consists of 10 Cards. They relate their Story to the fate of a particular Hero. The other Sagas consist of 7 Cards and are universal basic sets that players can freely choose for their characters.

There happen to be Saga cards that do not have the Book icon - these cards do not have a Story.

At this stage, we already have all the permanent elements of the game set-up prepared. All that remains is to move on to scenario preparation. This stage is the most variable and modifies the Exploration decks, builds the Enemy and Breed decks, and adds the Scenario cards and Story cards for each saga.

Preparing the Scenario - Path of the Chosen One

Word has spread through the Murkrifts of the Thymors' Chosen who shall bring death to the Heralds of Oblivion. No one is safe, especially those who dare to openly oppose the Darkmother Nix...

The Path of the Chosen One is an introductory mini-scenario, which should be treated as a tutorial.

Preparation of the Scenario

1. Preparing the Land of Zerywia and the Hero: Follow the instructions on pages 14 and 15.

2. Starting Sagas: Use the suggested set of Sagas for individual Heroes [see p.15], or choose any 3 Basic Saga Cards from among those available (while doing so, observe the restrictions on the use of each type of Saga the Hero has, and equip well to provide each Attribute with a minimum of 1 Saga Card to enable the Hero to take on any challenge). Match each Personal Saga with a Saga Deck and start its Story [see p.11].

   • Single Player Game (Solo Mode): At the beginning of the game, take an additional Saga Base Card (you can choose it).

3. Heroes' starting region: The Hero begins his adventure in Thymor, as indicated on the Mark of Thymor card he drew. The Region within this Thymor where the player should place the Hero figure at the beginning of the game is determined in advance by the Scenario, right in this section.

   • Heroes' starting region: Cradle.

4. Herald, Murk and Threat: It indicates which of the main antagonists is taking part in the game, where its marker or figurine should be placed, and in which regions the Murk and Threat tokens should be placed.

   • Herald: Chasm of Oblivion.
   • Murk: The Shroud, Exis Temple, Hollows.
   • Threat: Regions without special symbols and Stronghold.

5. Prepare decks of cards: Here you will find guidelines for constructing decks for a given Scenario.

   • Enemy deck (18) and Breed deck (12): Construct decks of Enemies and Breed. Of the groups of Enemies indicated by the Scenario (Fiends, Scorned, Drowners, Rotfiends, Upirs) marked by a common symbol (a), separate all cards with a single value and one card each with a double value. You will find these values on the right side of the card (b). In this way, you will create a deck of Enemies. You will form a second deck from the remaining cards - the Breed deck. Shuffle each deck and place them both near the board.
   • Exploration decks: Basic Set (without symbols and Zerywian Tales). Adventure Sets: These are additional exploration cards that are added to the Basic Set over time, depending on the scenario. Each has a special icon next to its name.
   • Scenario Cards: Here we give the name and number of the Page of Dawn, the card with which the game should begin. The same numbering is given to the Black Page, which should also be unveiled and placed right next to the Page of Dawn, in a place accessible to all players. In addition, you should (following the pattern of the Saga pile) create, consisting of cards arranged sequentially with their reverses, piles of Dawn Pages and Black Pages, starting with the previously prepared and unveiled cards that start the game. With successive Scenarios, these Pages will be discarded, depicting the progression of the Campaign and revealing the next stages of the Campaign at the same time. A detailed description of the Scenario Cards will be included in the Scenario Preparation for the Campaign.

Path of the Chosen One

Scenario Goals

Each Hero must complete the tasks from the first Story Card of his Personal Saga.

Remove the Threat token from the Fortress region. Remove the Murk from the Exis Temple region. Both tasks have to be completed in their birth Thymor (according to the Mark of Thymor card).

Time Limit

Here, the number of Blackstones is listed, depicting the time remaining until the Monolith Rituals are fulfilled, and thus the Scenario ends. At the end of each Cycle (Nix's Phase), one of the Blackstones will be placed on the Ritual Rift, a special place on the board. Heroes must achieve the Scenario's goals before these rituals end.

• Monolith Rituals: 5 Blackstones.

Nix's Phase

• Herald's Activation.
• Each Hero takes one Murk token and places it in the region of his choice in the Thymor, where he currently occupies.
• Put the Blackstone on the Ritual Rift.
• If the added Blackstone is the fifth Stone - the Scenario comes to an end.

Herald's Activation

Roll the Thymors and Locations dice: if the Location die shows the Chasm of Oblivion symbol, move the Herald to the Chasm of Oblivion, otherwise, the Herald moves to the rolled Thymor - Region and increases the Threat there.

Scenario Summary

If the Heroes reach the Scenario Goal before the Monolith Rituals end, the game ends. Keep your Hero along with any cards and tokens you have gained, and then proceed to prepare the next Scenario. Subsequent chapters of the manual will describe in more detail the mechanics of the gameplay itself, and the main scenario, The Memory of the World, will introduce the element of The Extinguishing of one of Sventovit's faces and the Epic Battle.

Gameplay Overview

Each adventure in the lands of Zerywia is played over several Cycles. Each Cycle consists of the following phases: Sventovit's Phase, Journey Phase, Camp Phase, and Nix's Phase.

Each Cycle starts with Sventovit's Phase, during which the Statue of Sventovit is rotated in the direction shown on the Kolovrat (counter-clockwise). During this phase, all effects happening at the start of the Cycle are triggered.

Next, it's time for the Journey Phase. The Heroes take turns performing one Action at each turn of Dawn, Noon, Dusk and Night marking this with the Turn Marker (four actions per Hero) on their Character Board.

Actions:

• Explore.
• Rest.
• Use the Harbour.

In the Journey Phase, Actions can be repeated.

Exploration allows you to move and discover a region's exploration card, while Rest allows you to renew your Attributes, prepare for Challenges, or wait for other Heroes to join in. Using the Harbour allows you to reach more distant parts of the Zerywia map.

After the Journey Phase is complete, the Camp Phase starts. This is the time for the Heroes to restore their Attributes, recover used Feat Cards, reorganise their active Saga Cards, Summon creatures, and call upon the aid of the Gods for the duration of the next Cycle.

Nix's Phase is the last phase in every Cycle. This is when Nix and her Sons (or other Enemies mentioned in the Scenario) activate, influencing the lands. This is also the time when Blackstones are added to the Chasm of Oblivion - marking the growing power of the Goddess of Darkness. Once the number of Blackstones meets the number stated in the Scenario rules, one of Sventovit's faces fades. After Nix's phase, the Cycle comes to an end, and a new dawn arises...

Mark of Thymor

Every Chosen One is born under one of the star signs of the Thymors (1), with its power aiding them in their endeavours. The Mark of the Thymor drawn at the start of the game are special kind of Feat Cards (2), representing a special power of the Mark (3) and the so-called Birth Thymor (4). This is the Hero's native land and indicates the starting board tile from which their adventure begins.

Cycle Structure

Sventovit's Phase

Sventovit's Phase consists of the following steps:

• Rotating the Statue of Sventovit. It should be rotated counter-clockwise, by 90 degrees.
• Resolving all the "Start of the Cycle…" abilities.

Journey Phase

The Journey Phase is divided into four turns: dawn, noon, dusk and night. Each Turn, the Hero has the right to use one Action and one Region Option. The order of the Actions performed by the Heroes, within one turn, is for the players to determine it among themselves. We mark each of the turns taken on the Kolovrat Wheel on the Character Board, thus specifying the time of its implementation.

Action + Region Option = Hero's Turn

Heroes can choose from few Actions: Exploration, Rest or Use the Harbour. Each of them can be performed as many times as the player wants (up to the limit of 4 Actions in the Cycle).

Action: Exploration

The Exploration Action symbolises the journey undertaken by the Hero, an excursion into the depths of the Region or towards new, yet uncharted areas. During this action, they will have to face many difficulties, such as visiting mysterious locations and encountering the inhabitants of Zerywia. Along the way they will acquire new treasures, knowledge, and experience needed to write the next pages of their epic story.

When choosing the Exploration Action, follow these 4 steps:

• Determine the Region of your exploration.
• Move to the designated Region.
• Draw and resolve an Exploration Card.
• Make use of one of the Region Options.

Determine a Region

Players can explore the Region they are currently in or any of the adjacent Regions. While exploring the Region they are currently in, the Hero skips the Movement Step entirely and goes on to resolve the Exploration Card.

Hero Movement

If the Player decides to explore a neighbouring Region, they must first Move there (i.e. move their Hero to the corresponding Region). During an Exploration Action, a Hero can only move to an adjacent Region (adjacent are also regions with the Harbour symbol). They must also resolve any rules related to leaving or entering a Region (e.g. Threats, see p.21).

Exploration Card

The next step is drawing an Exploration Card. Choose one of the Terrain Types available in the explored Region. Draw an Exploration Card with the corresponding Terrain on its back and resolve the effect. If the Region has only one Terrain Type, the player has no choice; if there are multiple Terrain Types, choose one of them.

Region Options

After resolving the Exploration Card or removing the Threat token (provided these actions did not result in a Failure), the player can use one of the available Region Options (see p.22). Region Options are an additional and optional form of activity that a Hero can undertake after performing their Action.

Only one Region Option may be considered per Action. Regardless of whether the Hero uses it - the Region Option permanently ends his Turn.

Example: As one of her actions, Svara can explore Dragon Spine, where she currently is, or the adjacent Region of Vid's Tangle. If she chooses Dragon Spine, she will not have to Move and can resolve a Mountain Exploration Card (2). However, she chooses to Explore Vid's Tangle, where the human settlements are located. She moves to the Region (1) and draws a Settlement Exploration Card (2). Once the card is resolved (provided Svara does not fail), she will be able to use the Region Option (3) - in this case, the Exis Temple which allows Svara to remove a Taint. Regardless of her decision, Svara's turn ends here.

Resolving an Exploration Card

Resolve the Exploration card by executing all their conditions in the order they are listed (from left to right, top to bottom).

A typical Exploration Card consists of: the name (1), flavour text combined with rules description (2) (i.e. mentioning the options available to the Hero and highlighting the more important aspects with keywords in bold (5)). Optionally, the card may also contain a Challenge consisting of Challenge Difficulty Symbols (3) and the effects related to the Nix dice symbols (4).

Over the course of the game, the players can also encounter special Exploration Cards with an included choice grid. When resolving such a card, after reading the flavour text (1), the player should choose which option they want to apply, the left one (2) or the right one (3). This will result in different Challenge and Success conditions (4) for the resolved exploration, as well as the Paths, acquired in this way (5).

Players may also encounter Exploration Cards which, as soon as they are drawn, will Increase the Threat or Spread the Murk in the region where they are dealt with. This is indicated by the corresponding tokens printed on the Exploration Card to the left (Threat, (6)) or right (Murk, (7), not shown on example card) of the Exploration Card name section.

Journey Tokens

After successfully resolving an Exploration Card, the Hero may acquire a Journey Token (of the same type as the Exploration card). This illustrates the broadly understood experience, knowledge, and interactions that the Hero experienced while exploring a given area. Journey Tokens are needed for the development of the Sagas, and they support the summoning of Creatures.

The Journey Token is collected voluntarily and only if the Hero has not suffered a Failure during the Exploration. The limit on the number of Journey Tokens a Hero can have is 3. If the Hero already reached the maximum number of tokens, he has the right to discard one of them in order to keep a new one.

After resolving the Exploration Card, depending on its type, the player can place it in the Discard Pile, or keep it as a Path or Side Quest (if they decide to accept it).

Region & Journey Token Types

• The Wilderness are dense forests, the uncharted hunting grounds of humans and creatures alike. Instinct and quick reflexes are what helps keep one alive here.
• The Mountains are feasting grounds for roaming beasts and harsh, inaccessible terrains. Valuable trophies can be found here. Vigor is the key attribute.
• The Ruins are dangerous regions. These areas are teeming with supernatural entities and overflowing with Murk waiting to ensnare Heroes.
• The Settlements are a relatively safe terrain type, representing a village, large or small, filled with inns, people in need; but beware of bandit ambushes and the ominous Oblivion Cult...

Exploration Turn Summary

1. Choose the region to Explore and Move there (don't Move if you have chosen your current region).
2. Check the Threat. If it's present - draw an Enemy and skip the Exploration Card step. If you fail at the Enemy Challenge - end your Turn.
3. Draw and resolve an Exploration Card of your current region's type. If you Fail - end your Turn.
4. Use one of the Region Options.

Example: As one of her Actions, Svara decides to Explore Vid's Tangle. She first moves to this region (1). As there is a Threat Token there (2), Svara cannot resolve an Exploration Card. She has to draw an Enemy Card (3) instead and face this Challenge. If she defeats the Enemy, she will be able to remove the Threat Token and move to the Region Options phase (4). Failing the Challenge will end her turn immediately.

The Threat

Threats & Incursions

Increase Threat - The Player must place a Threat token on one of the Regions in Thymor in which their Hero is located (it happens that the Exploration or Herald cards will determine this Region). Additionally, if the Region in which we are to Increase Threat already contains a Threat token - instead of adding another token, we flip the Threat token present there to the other side, creating an Incursion.

If the region in which we are to Increase Threat already contains a Horde - then a Threat token is placed in an adjacent region, at the decision of the player who is considering the effect of Increasing Threat. This process is repeated until the Threat token is placed in the region or, if it cannot be placed, discarded. This results in the addition of a Blackstone to the Chasm of Oblivion (Ritual Rift).

The Threat Tokens (and their more dangerous side, Incursion Tokens) symbolise the groups of enemies that are roaming the region. A player who Explores a region with one of those present tokens is forced to draw an Enemy card and consider it a Challenge (see p. 24). This is an activity that replaces drawing and resolving the Exploration Card of this region.

If the Hero defeats an Enemy, they end their Action and proceeds to Region Options. The Threat Token is removed. If the Hero Fails to defeat the Enemy - their Turn ends (the Threat Token remains in place, and the Hero cannot use Region Options).

The Threat Token's special ability is not allowing Heroes to take a Rest Action. Any Hero who is in a region with a Threat / Incursion Token before they perform an Action (due to Failure in their previous turn, or due to the Token being added in between turns), can only Explore or Use the Harbour. To take a Rest Action, the Hero can either attempt to remove the Threat Token, or escape to a neighbouring Region and resolve an Exploration Card to be able to take a Rest there on their next Turn.

Threat & Incursion Effects

• As long as the Threat is present in the Region, you cannot Rest there (only Exploration is possible).
• During Exploration, the Hero is forced to draw an Enemy Card instead of the Exploration Card.
• If the Threat in the Region is increased again, the Incursion appears (turn the Threat Token to the other side).
• The Threat Token is removed from the Region if the Hero defeats the Enemy drawn there.

For Incursion Tokens, the same rules and restrictions apply as for the Threat Tokens, with the following modifications:

• During the Exploration Action, draw an Enemy Card instead of the Exploration Card. This Enemy is strengthened once per Hero participating in the Challenge (see p. 23, point 3).
• If the Threat in the Region with the Incursion Token increases again, do it in one of the adjacent Regions, of the Hero's choice.
• The Incursion Token is removed from the Region if the Hero defeats an enemy drawn there.

Action: Rest

When choosing the Rest Action, the player forfeits any exploration in order to perform restoration rituals and prepare for future challenges. While performing this Action, the player remains in their current Region and can perform any and all of the below activities once:

• Use your Camp abilities.
• Reorganize your Saga Cards (Prepare any number of them, without Attribute losses).

After that, you can use one of the available Region Options.

Example: During his Rest Action (1), Goryv first recovers 1 point of Prime, Instinct and two any points of Attribute (Vigor in this case) (2), after which he Prepares the Harpy card (3) replacing the Leshy card (the player does not spend a Will point as would be the case during a Challenge). After the Rest, Goryv goes on to select a Region Option.

Action: Use the Harbour

In this Action, move to any other region with the Harbour symbol, then you are entitled to one of the Region Options.

Region Options

Below you will find possible activities within the Region Options. They are available after performing the Actions from the Saga Cards, as well as those from the mechanics of the game itself: Exploration, Rest and Use of the Harbour.

• Murk Binding Ritual - The Hero frees the Region from the corruption of the Murk (by removing the Murk Token from it). To do this, the Hero must successfully complete the Hard Will Test or take one Taint.
• Fulfilling a Story or Quest - The Hero resolves the instruction from the Story (discarding of journey tokens), Scenario, or Side Quest Card. This can entail making a specific offering, facing a Challenge, or fulfilling any other stated condition.
• Using the Special Location - marked with a symbol next to the Region's name. Each of the six locations has a unique effect:
  • Cradle - Trade: reveal the top 3 Item Cards, and can take one of them, paying its cost with Trophy Tokens.
  • Stronghold - Restore 1 Feat card.
  • Exis Temple - Remove 1 Taint.
  • Primesource - Restore 1 Prime.
  • The Shroud - Spend 2 Will to Move into another region with the Shroud symbol.
  • Hollows - Search: take 1 Trophy, or Hunt: draw an Enemy; Success: +3 Trophy.

Camp Phase

The Camp Phase can be performed by all players at once. You can skip any of the following steps, although the order in which they are resolved should be maintained. Players can:

1. Restore 1 Attribute point related to the Dawnstone active in the player's Thymor. A Primestone allows you to recover any Attribute. If your Thymor is under the Blackstone, you restore nothing.
2. Restore Attributes from your Hero's Camp Ability. Any Prime restored above the limit is exchanged for an Attribute point.
3. Use your other Camp Abilities if you have any.
4. Restore 1 Feat card.
5. Reorganize your Saga Cards (Prepare any number of them, without Attribute loss).
6. Summon a Creature. Discard 1 Trophy to take one Creature Card at random. You draw from the Creatures of the same type as your current Region's type. If you spend one extra Journey Token of the same type, you can choose the Creature instead of taking it at random. You can have only one Creature Card at a given time.
7. Choose a God to worship. Discard 1 Offering and take one God Card of your choice, from those available. Put it on your Path Stone. You may have only one God Card at a given time.

Example: Goryv is moving on to the Camp Phase. First he Recovers 1 Instinct point, due to Lifestone affecting his current Thymor (1). Next he resolves his Camp Ability (2): Restore 1 Prime (3), another 1 Instinct (4), and 2 points of Attributes of his choice, in this case: Will (5). Then he restores 1 Feat Card, and reorganizes his Saga Cards exchanging the Leshy card for the Harpy card, placing the Weapon on his Hero Board (6), and moving the Leshy Ally Card aside. He leaves the Borovil's Heart and the Scarecrow cards in their places. The player who controls Goryv wants to prepare to one of his Story Cards with high difficulty based on the Willpower Attribute. Nearing the end of the Camp Phase, Goryv still has a few additional options. As he currently has 4 Trophies, he uses 3 of them (see p. 31) as an Offering token (7) to devote himself to Perun, one of the powerful Gods. He then places the card of the selected God on his Path Stone (8). If at that time, Goryv had a card of another God, he would have to decide which one to keep and discard the other. Goryv gives the last remaining Trophy to the spirits of the Region in which he is located, summoning a Moth Nymph (chosen randomly from the Creature deck related to Ruins - his current Region's type) (9). A similar limit of one card is in effect here - if Goryv had a Creature Card already, he would have to discard one of them. This concludes Goryv's Camp Phase.

Nix's Phase

During the Nix's Phase, the forces of the goddess of Oblivion awaken to make their mark on the lands of Zerywia and its Heroes. Follow the instructions in the description of the Nix's Phase of the scenario one by one.

If you are using Scenario Cards, follow the steps below:

1. Check for any effects of Murkrifts and Incursions, according to the Scenario Card.
2. Resolve any special steps preceding the Herald Activation.
3. Activate the Herald (e.g. Ughmor or Pochara, depending on the Scenario).
4. Add a Blackstone to the next free Ritual Rift on the Chasm of Oblivion [see p.13].
5. If the number of Blackstones reaches the limit specified in the Scenario's Time Limit description - put the last of them in the statue of Sventovit, in place of the Dawnstone (place that Dawnstone in one of the released Ritual Rifts), starting another Monolith Ritual, shorter by 1 Cycle (Blackstone). Remove the rest of the Blackstones from the game board (Chasm of Oblivion).

This completes Nix's phase - the Cycle ends and the Heroes face a new dawn, the beginning of the next Cycle, which starts with the Sventovit's Phase.

However, if, at the end of the Nix's Phase, four Blackstones are placed on the statue of Sventovit - as the heroes fail, the world (slowly but surely) fades into Oblivion and the game is over.

Challenge

Over the course of the game, Heroes will face various Challenges, which, apart from any story-related decisions, are the main means of resolving conflict in game. The term Challenge refers to any type of confrontation in which Success or Failure needs to be determined using dice. The game includes several types of Challenges, such as Enemies (in the form of cards drawn from the Enemy Deck), Exploration Challenges representing various conflicts or encounters which the players need to face, and Saga and Scenario Cards, in which Challenges relate to encounters key to story development.

Each Challenge has its own Challenge Difficulty, represented by a set of symbols related to Attributes (1). Each of the Challenges taken has at least one Nix die, so the Challenge card also determines the effects assigned to its symbols (2). The Hero must resolve them, regardless of the result of the Challenge. If a Hero provides all the symbols required by the Difficulty (whether from a dice roll, or from Rune tokens, or card effects), they Succeed. If, on the other hand, any symbols remain uncovered, the Challenge ends in Failure and the Hero suffers Attribute losses. For each Difficulty symbol they fail to match, they lose 1 point of the corresponding Attribute. The Challenges card may also contain additional effects on a Success or a Failure that also must be applied (3).

Attribute & Nix Dice

There are four types of dice in the game. Three of them represent the different Hero Attributes (Vigor, Instinct, and Will). The fourth type, The Nix Die, symbolizes the Murk and the influence it exerts on both its servant creatures as well as the Heroes opposing it.

The dice roll defines how well the Hero performed in the Challenge. Rolling a symbol assigned to a given Attribute is considered as a Pierce (i.e. a positive result). The Critical symbol (the skull) allows you to discard a Shield token as a side effect, but it can also be transformed into a more powerful ability, provided the Hero has a card or skill that allows it.

• Attribute Symbol gives you one Pierce to match one of the Challenge Difficulty Symbols. It is equivalent to a Rune token of the same Attribute type.
• Critical Symbol allows you to activate a card's Critical Ability or to discard an enemy Shield token of the same type. After using a Critical symbol, flip the used die over to the Pierce symbol.
• Empty Result has no effect.

Nix Dice

The Nix dice symbolize the corrupting influence of the Murk and the indirect interference of the Goddess of Oblivion in every action taken by the Heroes. One Nix die is always added to the Challenge or Test by default.

• Damage Symbol: For each Damage Symbol rolled in a Challenge, the Hero must lose the Attributes listed on the Challenge card. During the Test, each Damage symbol makes the Hero lose 1 point of the tested Attribute.
• Critical Symbol: Treat them as two Damage Symbols (resolved one after another), unless the specific Challenge / Test describes its effect differently.
• Murk Symbol: Represents the additional losses caused by the foul power, indicated on the Challenge card. Each Murk Symbol negates one Hero's Pierce during the Test.

Challenge Overview

Challenge Structure

Initiation. During this stage, after revealing the Challenge Card, the Hero can Prepare any of their available Saga Cards, paying the appropriate Attribute cost. Then they form the Challenge Set by gathering Attribute dice together with the Nix dice. Any abilities influencing the Challenge Set composition can be used at this time. The Initiation Phase ends once the player determines the number of dice in the Challenge Set, and then performs the roll.

Determination. After the dice roll, the player can apply any available re-rolls and abilities influencing the results on the dice. The Determination Phase ends once the player finally determines the results which are to be applied to the Challenge Card.

Resolution. During this phase, the rolled results (both the Hero's and the Enemy's) and Runes are applied to the Challenge in order to determine the outcome. Next, the Success/Failure effects are resolved, and Trophies for any defeated Enemies are awarded.

Enemy Card

Enemies are the most common type of Challenges that the Heroes will face. An Enemy Card consists of:

1. Enemy name and Breed Keywords.
2. Special Ability.
3. Challenge Symbols.
4. Advantage icon determining which Region or circumstance (Taint, Injury) will provide the Enemy with a Shield Token, thus increasing the difficulty level of the Challenge.
5. Hit effect from the Nix Die (lose Vigor).
6. Murk effect from the Nix Die (lose Instinct).
7. Breed mark.
8. Reward in Trophies.

Taint Advantage - The Enemy receives a Shield token corresponding to the Attribute with the Hero's Taint. Example: the Hero has a Taint of Vigour, the Enemy will receive a Shield of Vigour, and so on.

Injury Advantage - The Enemy receives a Shield token corresponding to the Attribute with the Hero's Injury. Example: the Hero has an Injury of Vigour, the Enemy will receive a Shield of Vigour, and so on.

Challenge Details

Initiation

1. Reveal an Enemy card.
2. Resolve any Ambush or Aura abilities printed on the card.

Enemies have three types of special abilities: Ambush, Aura, and Bane. They are resolved at different points during a Challenge.

• The Ambush ability is always resolved first and can be preceded only by other abilities directly related to the Ambush ability (e.g. "Ignore enemy Ambush ability").
• The Aura ability influences the entire Challenge by introducing unique rules or limitations. The Hero needs to follow Enemy Aura effects at every Challenge phase.
• The Bane ability is resolved in the case of a hero's Failure during the Resolution phase.

3. Strengthen and/or Defile the undertaken Challenge according to the rules or Challenge abilities.

• Strengthen (1) an Enemy by drawing an additional Enemy Card and adding its Challenge Difficulty symbols to the current Challenge card. This additional card is slid under the current Challenge card so that the additional Difficulty symbols are visible.
• Defile (2) an Enemy by drawing an additional Enemy Card and sliding it under the current Challenge Card from the left side so that the effects of the Nix Die symbols and Advantage abilities are visible. Both these parameters should be taken into account and should be added to the Challenge card.

4. Resolve the Enemy's Advantage Abilities.

The symbol on the shield located on the left side of the main text area on the Enemy Card, determines the conditions in which the Enemy gains an additional Advantage over the Heroes. These conditions can include the terrain type or the hero's conditions such as a Taint or Injury. The Advantage ability adds a Shield token to the Enemy Card of the type presented on the Enemy Card - an Instinct Shield in the Wilderness (green background), Vigor Shield in the Mountains (red background), and Will Shield in the Ruins (blue background).

Advantage abilities based on the Heroes' weaknesses add shields corresponding to the weakened Attributes (whether Taint or Injury).

Example: The Enemy has an Advantage ability drawing on the Hero's Taints. Goryv has two Taints - one on his Vigor Attribute and another one on his Will Attribute. The Enemy will, therefore, receive Vigor and Will Shield tokens.

If the Enemy is Defiled, the Advantage abilities from both cards must be resolved separately.

5. Determine the Nix Challenge Set.

Add one Nix die and then check whether other abilities or conditions do not require additional dice:

• +1 Nix die for Murk presence/Murkrift in the Challenge's region.
• +1 Nix die if the Challenger's Thymor is under the influence of the Blackstone.
• +1 Nix die for each Hero (beyond the first) taking part in the Challenge.
• Additional dice resulting from special abilities or rules of the Challenge.

The Nix Challenge Set can contain a maximum of 3 Nix Dice. Each additional die above the third is instantly changed into a Murk token which should be placed on the Challenge Card. During the Resolution phase, it will be treated as an additional result with a Murk symbol and resolved according to the rules from the Challenge Card.

6. Hero Reaction.

After determining the difficulty of the Challenge, the Hero can React. They can discard any of their Saga Cards from their Character Board and Prepare (i.e. place) any other available Saga Cards in their place. Each such exchange requires the Hero to sacrifice one point of the Attribute represented on the prepared Saga Card's Banner.

• If the Hero uses other Reaction abilities (e.g. from Saga Cards) allowing them to prepare a given card type, they do not have to sacrifice the Attribute point, unless this is clearly stated in the ability's description.

7. Determine the Hero Challenge Set.

The Hero can purchase Attribute dice from the available Banners (the ones Prepared on the Character Board). Each Banner provides a single die and needs to be paid for with a corresponding Attribute point.

Ally Cards are an exception, as their unique ability (marked on the Banner with a + symbol) is adding the Banner die for free, without the need to pay with an Attribute point.

Charging with an Attribute point only gives the Banner Ability; the Player may use the card's Ability and its Critical Ability at all times, provided that the Saga card in question is Prepared on the Character's Player Board.

• If the Hero purchases a die from a Banner whose unique ability is providing a Shield (marked with a Shield symbol), they will additionally acquire such a Shield token at this time (see p. 30).

8. Apart from using Banners, the Hero can also modify and acquire additional dice through Feat, Saga, God and Item Card abilities as well as other abilities available to the Hero.

• The limit for a Challenge Set is 3 dice and refers to each Attribute (Vigor, Instinct, and Will) individually. If an ability or other rule adds a die beyond this limit - the die is not added, and the Hero acquires a corresponding Rune Token as an instant Pierce for this Challenge.

9. Final set confirmation and roll.

Once the Hero determines their final Challenge Set, they add it to the previously collected Nix Challenge Set, creating the Final Challenge Set. All that remains is to roll the dice and go to the next phase of the Challenge - Determination.

Banner Abilities

Relics, Allies, Rituals, and Heroes in their Dread form have the so-called Banners. This is a special section that indicates which Attribute die this card provides. During the Challenge, the die must be paid for with an Attribute point equal to its type (Vigor die - spend 1 Vigor point, etc.). In contrast, Attribute dice are added for free during Attribute Tests (see p.29). Banners also have an additional special ability that takes effect during the Challenge.

• Relic: Special Banner Ability example - Re-roll any one of your Attribute dice. Attribute die provided by the Banner in the Challenge (paid for with an Attribute point) and in the Tests (free of charge).
• Ally: Special Banner Ability example - Help, thanks to which the Hero does not have to spend an Attribute point to get a die from this Banner. Attribute die provided by the Banner in the Challenge and in the Tests (free of charge).
• Ritual: Special Banner Ability example - Protect, providing a Shield token of the Banner's die type during the Initiation phase of the Challenge. Attribute die provided by the Banner in the Challenge (paid for with an Attribute point) and in the Tests (free of charge).

Determination

This phase allows the Heroes to influence the Challenge result with their unique abilities and the power of Sventovit. During this phase, all abilities with the Determination symbol can be used. The following steps should help to streamline this phase, although the order of resolving the steps is not fixed. The only thing to remember is that any abilities can be activated once per Challenge unless their description says otherwise.

• Re-rolls from your Saga cards. The Banners on some of the Saga Cards (usually Relics) grant a special ability which allows to re-roll a single Attribute die of the Banner's type (i.e. a Banner that grants an Instinct die allows to re-roll any single Instinct die). A single Banner provides only one reroll per Challenge.
• Re-rolls from Prime. A Hero can spend their Prime to re-roll any of their dice. A single re-roll of a die requires the Hero to spend one Prime. There is no limit for such rerolls apart from the available Prime.
• Re-rolls from Offering Tokens. Any Hero can spend Offering tokens to aid the Hero facing a Challenge. For each such token, the Hero can re-roll any single die once, including the Nix die. There is no limit on the number of Offering Tokens that can be spent in this way, apart from the total amount of such tokens in the Heroes' possession.
• Other abilities with the Determination symbol and special abilities referring to the Challenge which influence the die results.

Re-rolling the Dice

Re-roll is the re-throw of a given die, ignoring the previous result and accepting the new one. The dice may be re-rolled as many times as the Hero has the resources and abilities to do so. If the ability providing the Re-roll does not define which dice may be re-rolled, the Hero chooses them at will. If the ability states that more than one die could be re-rolled, it is necessary to determine how many dice you wish to re-roll in advance, and re-roll all of them at the same time. A re-roll of two dice is not the same as the two re-rolls of one die.

Critical Abilities

The critical symbol results on the Attribute dice can be used to activate critical abilities from the Hero's Saga Cards.

Critical abilities are located in a section separated with two swords near the bottom of the card (1). The middle symbol points to the type of die with the critical result required to trigger the ability (2) (Vigor, Instinct, Will, or any of the three for a white symbol). The text defines the ability's effect (3).

Using the Critical Abilities

1. Turn the die with the Critical result onto the Attribute symbol side (Pierce).
2. Place that die on the card from which the critical ability comes (on the Hero's card if you use the critical ability to remove the Shield). This die can no longer be modified in any way. This will also indicate that the card has already exhausted the Critical ability use limit for this Challenge.
3. Resolve the effect of the Critical ability.

There is also a basic critical ability available to all Heroes. It's called the Breaking of the Shield and allows the removal of one enemy Shield token corresponding to the die used to activate this ability. This ability can be used multiple times per Challenge, and the used dice should be placed on the Hero Card.

When the Hero does not want to or cannot use any more Determination abilities and declares the end of the phase, the die results are final (cannot be modified in any way), and the last phase begins - the Resolution.

Resolution

1. Resolution Abilities.

The Hero can use cards and abilities with the Resolution symbol.

2. Matching the Challenge Difficulty symbols.

The Pierce results on the Hero's dice and runes are compared to the Challenge Difficulty symbols. If the Hero has managed to obtain all the required symbols - they Succeed. If, however, even one difficulty symbol is left with no Pierce or Rune, the Challenge ends in Failure. For each such symbol, the Hero loses 1 point of the related Attribute.

• The Hero can use Pierces, Runes and their own Shield tokens in order to mitigate the Attribute losses from Failures. They must remove the used tokens and dice.
• In order to obtain a Success in a Challenge, the Hero must also remove all of the enemy's Shield tokens. A Shield token can be removed for each Pierce or Rune corresponding to its Attribute (i.e. a Will Pierce/Rune removes a Will Shield etc.)

3. Resolving Nix Dice symbols.

Following the information on the Challenge Card, each Nix die is resolved individually, in the following order: Critical symbol, Injury symbol, Murk symbol.

• Each Nix die should be resolved as a separate effect.
• A Critical result on a Nix die requires the Player to resolve the Injury result twice. First, they should flip the die to the Injury symbol and apply the Injury result from the Challenge Card. Next, the same Injury result is resolved again.
• The Hero can use their Pierces, Runes, and Shield tokens to mitigate the Attribute losses resulting from Nix dice. The dice/tokens used in this way should be removed after use.
• If the Hero has suffered an Injury or became the Dread, other, still unresolved, abilities and effects of the Challenge may be influenced.
• When resolving the Nix die results in a Challenge with a Defiled enemy, the symbol needs to be resolved according to both cards individually.

4. Determining the Challenge Result and its consequences.

If the Hero met the requirements of a Challenge, they obtain a Success and resolve all effects described in the Success section of the Challenge:

• Acquire Trophies listed on the Enemy card.
• Collect other Rewards as listed in the Success section of the Challenge.
• Obtain a Journey Token if the Challenge was the result of an Exploration Card.

If the Hero did not provide the Challenge Difficulty Symbols, the result is a Failure and all the Failure effects should be applied:

• Bane ability (if the Enemy has such an ability it should be resolved now).
• If the Challenge is in the form of an Enemy Card, Feed the Breed is triggered. The Hero takes the top card from the Breed deck (without looking at it) and shuffles it into the Enemy Deck along with all the discarded Enemy Cards.
• Other consequences of Failure are listed on the Challenge Card.
• If the Player faced the Challenge as a result of their Action, that Player's Turn immediately ends (losing the possibility to use any of the Region Options).

5. Return all unused markers and tokens to their respective piles (Runes, Shields, etc). Used Feat Cards are placed in the used Feat pile.

Injuries

When the Hero's Attribute marker is on the 'zero' slot marked with an Attribute symbol, each consecutive Attribute loss results in an Injury.

In order to mark an Injury, flip the wooden Attribute Blocker and move it one slot to the left. From now on, the maximum value of that Attribute is decreased by 1, until the Injury is healed.

If the injured Hero should receive another Injury to the same Attribute, they do not flip the Blocker but move it one more slot to the left, limiting the maximum value of that Attribute even more. This maximum value cannot go below zero, and the Attribute Blocker is always moved only one slot to the left. If the Injury marker cannot be moved to the left again, all future Injuries are applied to one of the remaining Attributes, as chosen by the Player.

A Hero can spend the last point of their Attribute to pay for an ability or card requirement, reducing that Attribute to 'zero'. This cannot be done, however, if the Attribute is already at 'zero' (meaning that a Hero cannot willingly receive an Injury in order to spend an Attribute Point).

Injuries are permanent states, which can be removed only through special abilities, or through some Exploration Cards.

Group Challenges

Heroes can join forces and attempt to resolve a Challenge together in order to gain an advantage. The following conditions must be fulfilled to attempt a Group Challenge:

• All participating Heroes must be in the Region where the Challenge is taking place.
• The Challenge must be attempted by all Heroes during the same time of day (each player's Turn Marker must be in the same position).

Group Challenges have an additional set of rules listed below:

• The single Nix Die added to any Challenge is, in this case, multiplied by the number of participating Heroes (use 2 Nix Dice for 2 Heroes, 3 Dice for 3 Heroes etc.). Each additional die above the third is instantly changed into a Murk token which should be placed on the Challenge Card.
• If the Hero group fails to match all the Challenge Difficulty symbols, the Hero group decides who will take the loss.
• When determining the Hero Challenge Set, a Hero can purchase 1 Attribute Die to the set using their available Banners (or other abilities) and places it on the card from which it was obtained. After this, the next participant of the Challenge can do the same. This step is repeated until all Heroes pass.
• All Heroes form a pool of Attribute dice together. Together, they must counter the Nix dice pool [see p.26].
• All of the players' Saga cards, located on the Character Boards, are active. Players decide which Attribute dice, available from the Banner, they purchase (if the limit of 3 dice of a given type is exceeded - the die is not added, and the Hero inserts the corresponding Rune token as an automatic Pierce counting towards the Challenge - Hero may use the Banner's special ability in such a case).
• The Rewards do not change - the Heroes decide how to divide the spoils.
• Challenges from Saga Cards must be resolved individually, by the owner of the Saga.
• Any arguments have to be settled by the players.

Challenge Example

Initiation: Goryv is going to face the Chort, which he drew when resolving an Exploration Card. He moves on directly to the Initiation Phase. The Enemy Card states that the Hero will have to get a Vigor and Will Pierce in their roll in order to get a Successful outcome (1). Additionally, the Chort has an Aura ability (2), which needs to be resolved in this phase. Luckily for Goryv, the Region is not affected by the Murk, and the Chort will not be Defiled. The next step is checking for the enemy's Advantages. As the Challenge occurs in the Wilderness, the Chort receives an Instinct Shield Token for its green Shield symbol (3). Now, Goryv will have to get an additional Instinct Pierce result to best his opponent. Finally, the Chort will add two Nix Dice to the Challenge Set. One basic Nix Die is used in every Challenge and the other one as a result of the Scenario's rules. Now it is Goryv's turn! Despite the available Reaction action allowing Goryv to swap the Saga Cards prepared on the Character Board, Goryv decides not to use the Harpy (4). The additional Will die which this would grant him is not very useful for this particular Challenge. He moves on to form the Challenge Set, adding a red Vigor die from the Leshy Card (5) (this die is free due to the ability of the Leshy's Banner), and an Instinct die from the Borovil's Heart card (6) (spending 1 Instinct point and also obtaining the Instinct Shield from the Banner ability of this card). Finally, he adds a Will die from the Scarecrow (7) (for 1 Will). The two Nix Dice (8), obtained by the Chort are then added to this Challenge Set. Lastly, he activates the Leshy's Initiation ability which gives him another Instinct Shield (9) while in a Wilderness region. Now, all is left is to roll the dice and move on to the Determination Phase.

Determination: Goryv performs a roll using the Challenge Set with the following results (1): empty on Vigor and Will dice and one Instinct Pierce result. The Nix dice rolled one critical hit from the Chort and one Murk symbol. This is definitely not a good roll for the Hero, which is why Goryv will use his re-rolls. First, he spends one Prime (2), to reroll any one of his dice. Goryv chooses his Vigor die and the result (3) is more than good - it is a Critical result! Next, Goryv uses his relic's Banner Ability: the Scarecrow, and re-rolls the Will die (4), rolling a Pierce this time. Now is the time to use the great result of the Vigor die; Goryv uses the Critical Ability of Leshy (5) and swaps the Critical result (by turning the Vigor die to a Pierce symbol) for a Vigor Rune and a Vigor Shield (6). This enables him to use the ability of the Scarecrow (7), which allows him to remove any single Shield from his Enemy when activating a critical ability. The Chort thus loses its Instinct Shield (8). After this step, Goryv determines his final result (9) and moves on to the Resolution Phase.

Resolution: In this last phase of the Challenge, Goryv uses the rolled Pierce results and Runes (1). He compares them to the Challenge symbols on the Chort card (2). The Vigor Rune and the Will Pierce are enough to defeat the Grimer. The Instinct and Vigor Pierce results (3) (during the Resolution, Rune tokens and Pierce symbols have an identical effect - they can cover the Challenge symbols or protect from losing Attribute points) remain unused. Now, it is time to resolve the Chort's rolls from the Nix Dice. A Critical Hit (4) (meaning a double Hit result) forces Goryv to lose 2 Vigor points. However, the Hero cancels this effect completely, using the Vigor Rune and Shield (5) (each symbol protects Goryv from the loss of 1 Attribute point). Goryv is also prepared for the Murk symbol (loss of 1 Instinct point), by having obtained two Instinct Shields (6) (from Leshy and the Borovil's Heart). This means that he will emerge from this Challenge unscathed. The Success means that he collects the Chort's Trophy (7). This ends the Challenge.

Attribute Test

Attribute Tests are simplified Challenges, or trials, which the Heroes need to brave while exploring the world of Zerywia. A Hero attempting a test must collect the required amount of Pierce results (rolled using the Attribute dice). The amount of Pierce results for a Success result is determined by the difficulty level stated on the card:

• Easy Test - at least 1 Pierce result needed.
• Hard Test - at least 2 Pierce results needed.
• Epic Test - at least 3 Pierce results needed.

Before attempting a test, the Hero can use their Reaction (swapping one of the active Saga Cards from the Character Board for a different, available one). The price for this is one point of the Attribute provided by the newly prepared Saga Card (the one being placed onto the Board). A Hero can perform only one Reaction unless an ability states otherwise.

Next, the test Dice Set is formed. The Hero adds 1 Attribute Die of the tested Attribute (a Vigor Die in a Vigor Test, etc.). For each Banner corresponding to the tested Attribute, the Hero can add an additional die of that type.

After collecting 3 dice in this way, any additional die of the same Attribute will grant the Hero an immediate Pierce result, which should be marked with a Rune Token of the corresponding type. It is worth stating that card abilities marked with a Challenge Phase symbol do not apply to Tests (i.e. an Ability needs to explicitly state that it can be used in a test).

After determining the Test Dice Set, the Hero adds 1 Nix Die (as in case of Challenges), checking whether there are no additional conditions that would increase this number (see p.23). The Nix Dice are also limited to 3 per Test Dice Set, and every additional one is swapped for a Murk Token, which will be resolved as a Murk symbol (canceling one Pierce result from the Hero's dice).

After collecting all the dice for the Test Set, a roll is performed. The Hero can then modify the rolled result:

• Reroll any one die in the Test (including Nix Die) for a spent Offering Token.
• Reroll any one of the Hero's dice for a spent Prime point.
• Reroll any one of the Hero's dice for a spent Journey Token of any type.
• Use any other ability influencing Tests.
• The options above are limited only by the Hero's resources.

Other Heroes can influence the test result by using Offering Tokens (spending them to re-roll dice) or Abilities that are explicitly stated. Once the final roll results are determined, they need to be resolved according to the diagram:

• Empty Result — no effect.
• Pierce — remove 1 Pierce.
• Critical Hit (Pierce x2) — lose 1 point of the tested Attribute for a Hit, or lose 2 points of the tested Attribute for a Critical Hit.

The Hero sums up the rolled Pierce results, reducing their number by 1 for each Murk symbol rolled on the Nix Dice. Next, they lose points of the tested Attribute, depending on the rolled Hits and Critical Hits. If the Hero still has the required number of Pierce results - the Test ends with a Success. Otherwise, they failed the Test. Any additional Pierce results in a test can be used to cancel Attribute losses resulting from Nix Dice.

If more than one Hero attempts the test, one Hero is chosen to form the test Dice Set using the rules above, and each additional Hero taking part in the Test adds one Rune of the tested Attribute, which grants a Pierce result for this test. No additional Nix Dice are added for the other Heroes, unlike in the rules for the Group Challenge.

Combined Tests

Sometimes a card may order the Hero to perform a test of two or more Attributes. Such Tests are performed in the order listed and separately. The condition for doing the second Test is a Success result in the preceding one. A Success in the entire Combined test is obtained only when the Hero successfully passed all the individual tests.

Example: Easy Will Test in a Region with Murk.

Other Game Concepts

The Murk

Murk Tokens are used to mark Regions in which the emanation of the Goddess of Oblivion - Nix - begins to dominate. These are referred to as 'affected by the Murk'. The foul vapours make the Challenges, which the Heroes must face, more dangerous, and the Enemies more fierce, being supported by their dark goddess. What is more, the Murk can spread, which is symbolised by flipping its token over to the red Murkrift side. These will, in turn, influence the final confrontation of the Scenario or cause the Faces of Sventovit to fade earlier...

Spread the Murk

If the game orders you to Spread the Murk do the following:

• The player must place a Murk Token on one of the Regions in Thymor in which their Character is located (it happens that the Exploration or Herald cards will determine this Region).
• If the Region already contains a Murk Token, no new token is added and instead, flip the token which is already there to its red side, thus forming a Murkrift.
• If a Murkrift is already present in the Region in which the Murk is spreading, a new Murk Token should be placed in any adjacent Region, selected by the player who is resolving the effect.

This process is repeated until the Murk Token is placed in a Region or discarded due to the lack of eligible Regions.

• If no more Murk Tokens can be added to a Region, one Blackstone should be added to the Chasm of Oblivion.

Some of the Exploration Cards have a Murk Token symbol next to their name. This means that once the card is revealed, the player must Spread the Murk in the Region for which the card is being resolved.

Dispersing the Murk

This is the act of removing a Murk Token from a given Region. If a card tells players to Disperse the Murk (without specifying a Region) - it should be dispersed in the Region with the Hero resolving the effect. If the card points to an adjacent Region, the adjacency refers to the Region with the Hero as well. Dispersing the Murk does not affect Murkrifts.

Example: As a result of exploring the Creeping Marsh, Svara has to Spread the Murk. She should do this in her current location, but the Creeping Marsh already has a Murkrift (1), which is why the Murk must be spread to an adjacent Region. If Svara selects the Ardor Spire (2), a Murkrift will be created there as well. It is, therefore, safer to choose the Cadavar Estuary, where there are currently no tokens (3).

The Murk and Murkrifts

Murk:

• All Challenges and Tests receive an additional Nix Die.
• Leaving the Region, a Hero must take a Taint or, if they already have one, lose 1 point in any Attribute.
• The Region is 'affected by the Murk'.
• Spreading of the Murk in a Region with a Murk Token causes the token to be flipped to its Murkrift side.
• Removing the Murk as a Region Option: Hard Will Test or taking one Taint. Reward: 1 Offering Token. Failure: Take a Taint.

Murkrift:

• All Challenges and Tests receive an additional Nix Die.
• Any Enemy in a Murkrift Region becomes Defiled.
• Leaving the Region, a Hero must take a Taint, even if they have one already.
• The Region remains 'affected by the Murk'.
• Spreading the Murk in a Region with a Murkrift results in the effect occurring in an adjacent Region instead - the Hero chooses the Region.
• Removing the Murkrift as a Region Option: Encounter a random Enemy. After defeating the Enemy perform a Hard Will Test or take one Taint. Reward: 1 Offering Token. Failure in the fight or Test: take a Taint.

Regions Affected by the Murk

In any situation when the Hero faces a Challenge or Test in a Region affected by the Murk, they will have to add an additional Nix Die to the Dice Set. This effect is cumulative with other effects that add Nix Dice to the Set, including the basic Nix Die present in every Challenge and Attribute Test.

Additionally, any Hero leaving a Region affected by the Murk must take one Taint or lose 1 point in any Attribute if they are already Tainted.

To remove a Murk Token from a Region, a Hero must perform a Murk-binding Ritual as a Region Option [see p. 19]. The ritual is a Success after the Hero succeeds in a Hard Will Test, or willingly takes one Taint. Regardless of the method used to succeed in the ritual, the Hero then collects one Offering Token as a reward, and the Murk Token is removed from the board. If the Hero fails the Test, they will have to take the Taint, and the Murk Token will remain in the Region.

Murkrifts

Murkrifts result from a prolonged presence of the Murk in a Region and the blasphemous rituals of Nix. Their presence has an even more defiling influence on the surrounding reality and strengthens the reign of the Dark Goddess in this region of Zerywia.

Murkrifts, similarly to the Murk, add an additional Nix Die to any Challenge and Test faced in their Region and keep the Region 'affected by the Murk'. Additionally, every Enemy fought in such a Region becomes Defiled (gains an additional card granting additional Advantages and results of Nix Die rolls).

A Hero leaving a Region containing a Murkrift must take a Taint regardless of being already tainted or not.

To close a Murkrift, a Hero must defeat a Rift Guardian (as a Region Option, draw an Enemy and defeat it). If the Hero succeeds in this, they can attempt a Hard Will Test. As with the Murk, instead of performing the Test, the Hero can willingly take a Taint. If both steps end with a Success, the Hero will receive an Offering Token, and the Murkrift token is removed from the Region. If Failure in any of the two steps, the Hero must take a Taint, and the Murkrift remains in the Region.

If more than one Hero is involved in the process of Dispersing the Murk or removing a Murkrift, both the Offering Token reward and the Taint resulting from failure are applied to each Hero individually.

If in any other way than the one described above (e.g. Saga Card, Creature, or God ability), no Offering Token is gained as a reward (the effect is usually referred to as dispersal - in the case of Murk Tokens).

Offerings

Offering Tokens reflect the support and grace of the Gods that support the Heroes in their time of need. They allow the Heroes to gain aid from Sventovit as well as other Gods, Elements and Powers.

Heroes can obtain an Offering Token by completing tasks, dispersing the Murk, as well as by sacrificing Trophies. There is no limit to the number of Offering Tokens a player can have at any given moment, apart from the total number of Offering Tokens in the box, which is 12.

Once this limit is reached, the grace of the Gods has been granted and is no longer available until any Offering Token is used and returned to the common pool.

Using the Offerings

Heroes will often use the Offering Tokens to resolve their current Exploration or Saga Card. They can also make a direct offering to Sventovit to gain his support. For every Offering Token discarded in this way, the Hero chooses one of the effects below:

• Restore 1 Attribute point related to the Dawnstone currently influencing the Hero. The Fatestone relates to any Attribute. This effect does not occur if the Hero is under the influence of a Blackstone.
• Reroll any one die (including a Nix die) during a Challenge or Test.

The Offering Tokens are unique, as in any situation when a Hero is to spend such a token, this can be performed by any Hero in the game. In other words, the players can help each other, by spending their Offering Tokens to benefit other players. The most common example is spending an Offering Token so that another Hero can reroll a die, or activating another Hero's God Card by placing an Offering Token on it.

Trophies collected by Heroes, which are later sacrificed to the Gods, work similarly to Offering Tokens. This is possible using the amber Trophy Token with a value of 3 (or any 3 normal Trophy Tokens) as an Offering Token with any abilities or card requirements. It is necessary to stress that this rule does not work in the opposite direction. Trophy Tokens also cannot be physically exchanged for an Offering Token.

Trophies

Trophies are a type of currency in the world of Zerywia, although in reality, trade is based on bartering. The Trophy Tokens represent loot from slain enemies and can be understood as any sort of valuables, precious stones, runic bonds, jewelry, or weapons.

Heroes gather Trophies by slaying Enemies, fulfilling tasks, and exploring the lands of Zerywia. In the Hollows, there is also a special Region Option available, which enables players to obtain Trophies for free or face a Challenge in order to gain even more Trophies.

Trophies from Enemies are gained according to the symbols located to the right of the enemy's Banner. If the Enemy was Strengthened or Defiled by another card, the player collects the sum of the Trophies from all cards used in the Challenge.

There is no limit to the number of Trophies a Hero can have at any one time. If the pool of Trophy Tokens is depleted, they should be replaced with alternative markers (e.g. empty tokens). The Trophy Tokens are double-sided, with one side representing a single Trophy and the other - amber side - representing a value of 3. The amber token can be additionally treated as an Offering Token used to activate Abilities or card effects.

Heroes can pass Trophies from one to another if they have not started their Action and are in the same Region.

Gods

God Cards provide protection and support to the Heroes. Using Offering Tokens, the Heroes are able to conjure godly powers that aid them in difficult Challenges.

Summon a Deity

Heroes can call upon an available God during the Camp Phase. This requires an offering of an Offering Token. If the Hero already has a God and gains or calls a new one, they must choose which one to keep. Apart from this, Gods can also be summoned by Heroes as a result of Exploration Cards or Scenario effects. The card of the summoned God is placed on the Hero's Path Stone.

God Card

1. Name.
2. Card Type (God).
3. Main ability paid for with an Offering Token.
4. One-time ability. Discard the card after resolving.

Using a God Card

There are two types of abilities that the Hero can benefit from while having a God Card on their Path Stone.

• Main Ability (top box on the God Card) requires making an Offering to activate. Its effect can be multiplied by the number of Path cards of a specific type owned by the Hero. If you have 3 Heroic path cards: you can either reroll three times, or choose each option once. The same principle works when resolving Exploration cards. This ability can be paid for with an Offering made by any of the Heroes, but the effect applies only to the Hero who has the God Card. This ability can be used three times in a Hero Turn, which is marked by placing the Offering Tokens used to activate it on the God Card. Those Offering Tokens are returned to the common pool at the end of the given Cycle, so that a God Card cannot be activated more than 3 times per Cycle (Kolovrat Wheel). A Hero cannot benefit from the main ability of a God Card if they do not have the Path preferred by the God (listed in the ability description).
• The second ability is a one-time effect that can be used only by the Hero who summoned the God. It has no cost apart from discarding the God Card after resolving the ability. Its effect can be applied to any Hero, depending on the ability description. After it is resolved, place the God Card back on the God deck, from where the God can be summoned again.

Creatures

Creatures are mythic half-god beings. They include ancient beasts, cursed entities, personifications of elements and feelings, ghosts connected to nature or the world of the dead. The Heroes can count on their support, although at a cost. Creatures are fickle, and they always demand payment for their service.

Heroes can summon Creatures during the Camp Phase. This can be done by sacrificing a Trophy and randomly drawing a card from the Creatures available for the current Region. Creatures available in a Region are those whose type (marked on the back of the card) matches one of the Region types where the summoning is taking place. However, if the player adds one Journey Token of the type matching the current Region to the Trophy when summoning the Creature, they will be able to pick any available Creature.

The ability of a Creature can be used at a time indicated by the icon on the card. Additionally, after paying the cost in the lower section of the card, the Hero can also use the special ability. Once used, the Creature card returns to the Creature deck.

At any given moment, a Hero can have only one Creature. If they wish to summon another one, they must decide which Creature to keep.

Players can look through the deck of Creatures at any time. When drawing a random Creature, the respective stack should be shuffled first.

Creature Card

1. Name.
2. Card Type (Creature).
3. Main Ability.
4. Special Ability, paid for with a resource (Offering Token in this case).

Items

Strange trophies, mysterious concoctions, runic stones, and many other items can be found across the lands of Zerywia, whether crafted by the hand of man or formed by the elements or created through ancient power. Markets found in old Cradles are homes to merchants willing to barter or sell some of these items…

Item Cards are one-time cards that are discarded after use. The moment at which they can be used is presented using a symbol relating to a specific Turn Phase or Challenge Phase during which the effect can be resolved. If an Item has two such icons, the Hero chooses which one to use. The map symbol relates to any moment before or after a Hero's Action.

When in a Cradle, Heroes can perform a Trade as one of the Region Options. This means that they reveal the three top cards from the Item deck and can purchase one of them by paying its cost with Trophy Tokens.

A Hero can only have 3 Item Cards, and when they acquire another one, they must decide which to discard and which to keep.

Heroes can trade Items between each other, as long as they have not started performing an Action and are in the same Region.

Item Card

1. Name.
2. Card Type (Item).
3. Trophy number determining the Item's value.
4. Main ability.
5. Alternative ability.

Primal Taint and Hero Memory

In rare cases, a Hero may be forced to take a Taint while already having 3, the maximum number. That Hero will instead receive a Primal Taint which marks a lasting, virtually irreversible taint on the spirit of the chosen one. As a result of this taint, the black Taint Marker is moved from the slot with the Attribute symbol to the slot corresponding to the white Prime Markers. The player decides which marker to choose and ultimately which Attribute to permanently Taint.

From now on, the Hero has their maximum Prime pool equal to 2.

Additionally, the Attribute carrying the Primal Taint becomes weakened and its Attribute Blocker is moved 1 space to the left (similar to Injury but without flipping the marker). Such Attribute can no longer be tainted, as it is considered as carrying a permanent Taint.

If this happens again and the Hero receives another Primal Taint, balancing on the edge of Oblivion, the whole process is repeated and another Prime point is locked using a black marker.

Once a Hero receives a third Primal Taint, they are lost to the world and fall into Oblivion. Their Saga reaches its sad ending, and the player can select another Hero to continue the game. The players should find the Defiled version of the lost Hero in the Monolith Guardians Breed [see p.42], and add it to the active Enemy deck.

Garrisons and Watchstones

Garrisons (represented by tokens on the map) are footholds of the Zerywian Tribes, watching over a given Region. Heroes can acquire and place Garrisons by resolving Special Scenario Rules or Exploration Cards.

During play, if a Garrison is placed in a Region with a Threat Token, that Threat Token is moved to any adjacent Region. However, a Garrison cannot be placed in a Region containing an Incursion Token. The Garrison must be moved to an adjacent Region in this case.

• When the Threat must be increased in a Region containing a Garrison, the effect is cancelled and the Garrison token is taken from the board (discarded).
• A Hero taking a Rest Action or spending the Camp Phase in a Region with a Garrison can Recover an additional Attribute point, and one Feat Card. This effect can be combined with the effects of Watchstones.

Watchstones are ancient, holy stones infused with the might of Sventovit, able to quell and repel the vile Murk from a Region they are located in. They are a safe haven from the intruding fog of Oblivion. Heroes can create new Watchstones by resolving Special Scenario Rules or with the help of powerful rituals uncovered during Exploration.

When a Watchstone is placed in a Region containing a Murk Token, that Murk token is moved to an adjacent region. However, a Watchstone cannot be placed in a Region containing a Murkrift. The Watchstone must be moved to an adjacent Region in this case.

• When the Murk must be spread in a Region containing a Watchstone, the effect is cancelled and the Watchstone token is taken from the board (discarded).
• A Hero taking a Rest Action or spending the Camp Phase in a Region with a Watchstone can Recover an additional Attribute point, and remove one Taint. This effect can be combined with the effects of Garrisons.
• Players keep the gained Garrison and Watchstone Tokens between Scenarios, with a limit of 1 of each type per player. When preparing for the next Scenario, once all other tokens are placed on the map, the players can place their Garrison and Watchstone Tokens in any Regions that are not marked as special Regions [see p.12].

A Region may have a maximum of one Garrison and Watchstone token each.

Main Scenario - The Memory of the World

The tear between the Worlds spews the black Murk, akin to a festering wound on the Memory of this world. Common folk forget about Gods and ancestors, all creatures rebel against nature itself. With each new Dawn, the eyes of Sventovit become heavier, foretelling the coming of the eternal dark...

"The Memory of the World" is an independent, universal Scenario, offering the full gameplay experience, which can be additionally modified using additional game modes.

Preparation of the Scenario

1. Preparing the Land of Zerywia and the Hero: Follow the instructions on pages 14 and 15.

2. Starting Sagas: Use the suggested set of Sagas for individual Heroes [see p.15], or choose any 3 Basic Saga Cards. For each of the starting Basic Saga Cards and Personal Saga, match a Stack of that Saga and begin its Story. Example: Wholeater's Fang, Quarrel, Amber Heart.

   • Single Player Game (Solo Mode): At the beginning of the game, take an additional Saga Base Card (you can choose it).

3. Heroes' starting region: The Hero begins his adventure in Thymor, as indicated on the Mark of Thymor card he drew.

   • Heroes' Starting Region: Exis Temple.

4. Herald, Murk and Threat: It indicates which of the main antagonists is taking part in the game, where its marker or figurine should be placed, and in which regions the Murk and Threat tokens should be placed.

   • Herald: Ughmor, start: Frozen Debris.
   • Murk: Primesource, The Shroud, Hollows.
   • Threat: Regions without special symbols.

5. Prepare decks of cards: Here you will find guidelines for constructing decks for a given Scenario.

   • Enemy deck and Breed deck: Construct decks of Enemies and Breed. Of the groups of Enemies indicated by the Scenario (Fiends, Nightmares, Scorned, Drowners, Vilas, Rotfiends, Upirs), separate all cards with a single value and one card each with a double value. In this way, you will create a deck of Enemies. You will form a second deck from the remaining cards - the Breed deck. Shuffle each deck and place them both near the board.
   • Exploration decks: Basic Set (without symbols and Zerywian Tales).
   • Herald's deck: Herald's cards (Ughmor) and Herald's Attack cards.

Special Scenario Rules

• The Scenario does not use Pages cards.
• A Hero entering a Region with a Herald is attacked by him. [See Herald's Attack].
• The Hero, using the Region Options, can exchange the four indicated tokens for a Garrison token. Place the token in the Hero Region (limit 1 per Region).
• The Hero, using the Region Options, can exchange the three indicated tokens for a Watchstone token. Place the token in the Hero Region (limit 1 per Region).

Time Limit

• Monolith Rituals: 6 Blackstones
• Monolith Rituals: 5 Blackstones
• Monolith Rituals: 4 Blackstones
• Monolith Rituals: 3 Blackstones

Monolith Rituals (Time Limit): With the completion of the first Ritual (6 Blackstones), The Extinguishing of one of Sventovit's faces occurs [see p. 13]. Then the next Ritual begins, with a limit of 5 Blackstones. Similarly, the third Ritual with 4 Blackstones and the last one, with 3 Blackstones. The Heroes must fulfil the objective of the Scenario until the last face of the Sventovit Fades.

Every time a Face of Sventovit is extinguished players need to resolve one of the effects below:

• If it's the first face, add the Raid of the Scorned Set to the Exploration deck and shuffle each of the four decks.
• If it's the second face, add the Black Monolith Set to the Exploration deck and shuffle each of the four decks.
• If it's the third face, add to the Enemies deck the entire Monolith Guardians Breed.

The Memory of the World

Scenario Goals

Each Hero must complete one Saga and remove the Threat and Murk tokens from the Regions: Cradle and Exis Temple in his Birth Thymor.

If all Heroes meet this condition, they may give an Epic Battle to the Herald [see p.40], attacking him as a Joint Action.

Nix's Phase

• Herald's Activation.
• If there are 3 Murkrifts or Incursions in any single Thymor, add a Blackstone on the Ritual Rift.
• Put the Blackstone on the Ritual Rift.
• If the sum of Blackstones on the board (including the ones in Sventovit's statue) equals 4 or more - Feed the Breed. The Hero takes the top card from the Breed pile (without revealing it) and, together with the discard pile of Enemies, shuffles them into the Enemies deck.
• If the Blackstone that is added is the last one of the Time Limit, The Extinguishing of one of Sventovit's faces occurs.

Scenario Summary

• If the Herald is defeated and there is at least 1 Hero remaining on the battlefield, the players are victorious!
• The Scenario ends on its own, once the last Face of Sventovit is extinguished. In this case, Nix is victorious and the world succumbs to the void of Oblivion. The Heroes become faithful servants of the Ughmors.

Herald's Activation

Roll the Thymor and Location dice: on a Chasm of Oblivion result, move the Herald to the Chasm of Oblivion, otherwise the Herald moves to the rolled Thymor - Location and increases the Threat there.

Herald's Attack: If there is a Hero in the Region, he will have to deal with a random Herald's Attack Card (in this case we do not increase the Threat there).

Challenge: Success: Take an Offering Token.

After the Challenge, the Attack Card is returned to the Herald's deck.

• Each Hero (we ignore the Hero being attacked) who is in the same Thymor as the Herald, makes a Nix dice roll: on a Critical result, move the Herald to the Player's Region and perform a Herald's Attack. On a Murk symbol result, Spread the Murk in the Hero's Thymor.
• Each Hero, being in a different Thymor than the Herald (Chasm of Oblivion does not belong to any of the Thymors), makes a Nix dice roll: on a Damage/Hit result, Increase Threat in the Hero's Thymor. On a Murk symbol result, Spread the Murk in the Hero's Thymor. On a Critical result, if the Herald is on the Chasm of Oblivion, draw an Enemy card and resolve it as a Challenge.

When rolling the Nix dice, Heroes can Re-roll the dice by spending an Offering Token or 3 Trophies.

Herald and Epic Battle

An Epic Battle is a special Challenge type in which the Heroes join forces in grand combat. Their opponent is one of the Heralds, an incredibly powerful enemy designated by the Scenario, who foreshadows the coming of the Goddess Nix.

To start an Epic Battle, each Hero spends an Action (at the same time of day), then we roll the Thymor dice (a Chasm of Oblivion result moves everyone there) and Location dice (ignore in the case of the Chasm of Oblivion). The Herald and all Heroes are moved to the chosen Thymor and Region. This is where the Epic Battle begins.

Preparing the Herald

• Draw one of the available Herald Cards (1) and activate its ability (2). The unveiled card represents the difficulty of the Challenge.
• For each Murkrift on the map, a Will Shield Token should be added on the Herald card.
• For each Incursion on the map, a Vigor Shield token should be added on the Herald card.
• Heroes recover all Attribute points, all Prime, and all Feat cards. Taints and Injuries remain unchanged.

The Battle

A Battle is fought over a series of rounds, until defeating the Herald or the failure of all Heroes.

Each round means resolving 1 Herald attack card by each Hero - these are individual challenges for each Hero.

• A Herald (1) has its own Attack deck (2), which is treated as a Challenge deck. At the beginning of every round, each Hero draws one face-down Attack Card (3).
• Next, the Heroes individually resolve their Attack Cards in an order they decide (4).
• A Herald attack gains 2 Nix Dice instead of one.
• If the Hero successfully resolves their Attack Card, they can transfer unused Runes and Pierce results directly to the Herald Card (5). Pierce results transferred in this way are replaced with corresponding Rune Tokens.
• Repeat the following steps for another participating Hero: draw a Herald Attack Card (6), resolve the Attack card (7) and for successfully resolved Attack Cards, transfer unused Runes and Pierce results to the Herald Card in the form of Rune Tokens (8).
• If all Heroes have resolved their Attack cards and the Herald has not yet been defeated, another round starts, and the players return to step 1. The Runes placed on the Herald card remain there until the end of the Battle. If the Attack deck runs out, reshuffle the previously resolved Attack Cards and create a new deck to draw from.
• Each Attack round must be resolved until its end. If the Herald is defeated before all Heroes resolve their current Attack cards, they should finish doing so before ending the Battle. The extra Pierce results and Runes do not have to be transferred to the Herald card anymore, but it is important for the Heroes to fend off all of the Herald's attacks trying to avoid Injuries (which means removing a Hero from the game).

Result

• If a Hero receives an Injury during an Epic Battle, they are considered defeated and removed from the Game. He will be able to continue the Campaign with another Hero along with the next Scenario.
• When a Hero is removed from the game, you must add to the Enemy deck his hostile version.
• Heroes are victorious when all of the Herald's Shields are removed and all difficulty symbols covered with corresponding Runes.
• If a single Scenario is being played, the Battle result is the final result of the Scenario. During a campaign session, a Success or Failure of a Scenario is linked to consequences described on the Scenario Card.

Heroes of Zerywia

Svara — A mercenary, roaming the land together with packs from Wolf Gate. All those years of training with the best scouts have shaped her mind. Once a peaceful priestess, now a huntress filled with primal instincts. She is fast and deadly, eager to spill blood. She swore vengeance on the beast, which burned down her family shrine along with the life she once had…

Goryv — They said he came in from the Barren Woods and fell, almost lifeless, under the Watchstone. He has been fighting the unnamed taint ever since he could remember. The beast has been growing inside him, restless, filled with a hunger one could not resist. When the druids found him, half-dead, he told them of his taint in the hope that his Saga would not end with the next full moon…

Veda — Veda, like her mother before her, carried the Gift. She was born into it and even when she was a little girl, her mind wandered between worlds. After losing her beloved brothers she did not want to accept the cruelty which fate had bestowed upon her. She thrust herself into the spirit world in search for her brothers...

Dalbor — A child found by a witch. It wasn't supposed to survive, had no chance to resist the cursed fog in which it had been abandoned. And yet the hungry Murk did not monstrify the boy, granting him strength instead. He would soon find his heritage and embark on a journey...

Hexdrinker — He was raised to confront the Murk, hunt the Scorned ones and kill monsters that invade human settlements. He is always able to evaluate the offer. After all, you have to live somehow. And drink as well!

Expansion: "Into the Wild"

Otok — Otok did not ask why he was different. The rest of the trolls he grew up with didn't care either. As a human child, he knew there was something more out there somewhere. His curiosity for the world pushed him towards the new, and the dawn of his wanderings came...

Asuba — A demon with red eyes... It is said that the girl, whether of her own or forced will, became a messenger of the Chorts, and it was known that whoever did not keep the pact with them, soon will be visited by Death. It's time to gather the strength to finally break the evil pact, and claim the freedom…

Expansion: "Scorned Renegades"

At the start of the game, the Hero of the Scorned Renegades, in addition to the Mark of Thymor card, draws one random Scorned card from the four available in this expansion (same reverse as the Mark of Thymor).

Kost — You have to be born a sorcerer. A body capable of holding power, a soul akin to the afterlife, eyes that can see beyond a single life. Kost stole the old runic tablets, the few books of the BlackStone magic. He decided to secretly sail away from the cursed isles and cross Zerywia in search of the forbidden knowledge hidden by the Gods eons ago.

Zagra — It is said that blood magic warps the witch's body, disfigures it and scars it like a flame, but the one who tames it becomes one with elemental gods. Zagra devoted her life to the ritual blood magic, gave part of herself to the rift... Now it's time, to take care of the remains of her soul and save her inner flame from oblivion.

Asir — She is the heiress of a long-forgotten family that once ruled in the HoarFrost. Fluid and agile as the wind, and filled with hot ancestral blood, during one of her raids she discovers her roots and abandons the Scorneds forever. She is looking for a place in the world, if something is due to her, she will take it at any cost, without regard for others.

Widnur — He was born with a fused, empty eye socket, spat on and pushed around by others, soon chained and enslaved. So he fought, tempering above all his will to survive. He showed extraordinary reflexes and endurance. On one night, he managed to escape and so his journey, to the lands of Zerywia, has begun...

Game Symbols Chart

Dice and Results

• Vigor Die, Instinct Die, Will Die, Nix Die, Empty Die Result
• Point of Vigor, Point of Instinct, Point of Will, Point of any Attribute, Point of Prime
• Take the Taint
• Vigor Symbol, Instinct Symbol, Will Symbol
• Murk Symbol, Critical Symbol, Damage Symbol
• Shield of Vigor, Shield of Instinct, Shield of Will

Resources

• Trophy, Offering, Item

Time of Day

• Dawn, Noon, Dusk, Night

Terrain and Region Types

• Wilderness, Mountain, Ruin, Settlement
• Stronghold, Cradle, Exis Temple, Primesource, The Shroud, Hollows

Symbols of the Saga Cards

• Relic of the Saga, Ritual of the Saga, Ally of the Saga, Feat of the Saga, Basic Saga Card

Abilities of the Saga Cards

• Map Ability (works before or after Hero's Action)
• Camp Ability
• Initiation Ability
• Determination Ability
• Resolution Ability

Breed Types

• Fiends, Nightmares, Scorneds, Pochara's Spawn, Drowners, Popiel's Sentries, Fomors, Vilas, Rotfiends, Heartless, Upirs, Monolith Guardians