I am a terrible salesman

Oh my, what a day.

I run out of toner and then I accidentally release The Undercroft #2 early on RPGNow. Here I am with no promotion material written, no people lined up to pester and no damn toner. At least until Monday, but a weekend is a damn long time to glare at an empty printer and a stack of paper. Either way, here it is! Finally pulled the difficult second album together and I think it's a resounding success. With original artwork and outstanding contributions I think it is a marked improvement over the first issue.

It's a handsome beast, isn't it (Thanks +Cédric Plante )? This latest issue has a plethora of contributed content from talented artists. This issue includes, in no particular order:

That Which Sips Between by +Luke Gearing , a terrible creature, a force of abstract nature, with an adventure involving it by +Simon Forster .

+Matthew Adams  has contributed three creatures straight out of a fictional folk lore.

The obligatory Random Table entry comes from Tony A. Thompson and his Piteous Potions

I contributed a few unpleasant monstrosities, illustrated by +Matthew Adams  and +Claytonian JP .

And finally, +Simon Forster  again. He wrote a particularly good short story that captures the feel of the publiucation.



You can purchase it from my store in print or PDF or just PDF via RPGNow

Zines: curators vs auteurs

   There seems to be two main camps in the field of zeening (new word, gonna catch on) . One group primarily collect and put out work as an anthology with varying degrees of their own and others' work - we'll call these curators - while the other consists of single authors, or auteurs if we wish to be needlessly fancy (we do).

   Anyone that has followed The Undercroft knows that the first issue is more-or-less an auteur work, whereas for the second I trawled the OSR (quite successfully) for contributions. The second issue isn't out as of the time of writing, but it is finished for all intents and purposes. From this I can tell you that I enjoyed making #2 an awful lot more. I met good people and got good work from them, I even got a collaborative Mystery Top Secret side-project out of it that I'm just itching to get done. I also believe that #2 is the superior work in terms of pure content, my own and that of the writers and artists, but that's yet to be confirmed so we'll ignore that for now. The change in production has spurred me to thinking about the future of the zine, what I want and where it needs to go.

   In a world of rampant blogging it's hard to decide on a place for a zine. Where does one draw the line? Do you pull back from vomiting your brain onto the internet so as to save it for print? For the auteur the decision is obvious: you need to keep your mouth shut sometimes. As a curator you can continue to give it away for free like the slutty little writer you are. I know I can't keep my creative legs crossed, it's why I keep getting knocked up with side projects.

   You could of course just take your blog as a collection of first drafts, which it probably is in most people's cases. Even the best blogs aren't putting out publishable content, it takes a whole new level of work to get something clean and tight enough to charge money for. I'm certain there are people that disagree, that rough raw ideas from your blog are worth publishing, but I don't buy it. Ideas are cheap, tortured artists are two-a-penny. Anyway, I've stolen from myself a couple of times now with, I feel, good results. Like all second (3rd, 4th, 5th...) drafts it reveals more about that nugget of an idea you had one late night of attention whoring some months back. Is this good enough though? Does the nugget have to be new to be worth selling? Does anyone even read or care about blogs that much? It's easy to forget that the OSR is pretty damn small, well read and inbred, expecting outsiders (hisss!) to be familiar with your work is pretty silly.

   Should a zine and a blog happily step on each other? I know I don't keep up with everything everyone makes but I do buy your zines. The instant it's on paper it's permanent and important. The magic of the printed word, can't avoid it.

   The Undercroft will continue as a collaborative work, if only so I can interact with people in a productive environment. You learn a lot about folks when you work with them and have to produce a finished product, you can't just faff and waffle like the internet loves to do. You need results, you create a mini parenthood and raise a horrible monster to set loose on the world. It's a thrilling shared experience that can lead to bigger things.

   Another important distinction between curators and auteurs is that one needs to define their working relationship. From the beginning I didn't want it to be a fuzzy"do me a favour" situation, I wanted there to be definite compensation for work. Yes, I pay awfully (as much as the zine can afford, which will hopefully raise if things go well), but I pay. It's a token with no ambiguity, it defines a relationship and creates an exchange. This is not a favour, you are being rewarded for being good at something, as you should. I know some people do it for the joy of it, which is great, but that's a risky situation for a curator to be in. People help you because you are popular, well respected, or their friend. You can't enter a scene from out of nowhere and expect to get free help, at least not of any great calibre. Maybe you aren't the most personable guy? You don't have to be a good person to make good stuff, arseholes are arguably better at it even. How do they get help before they've attracted their groupies? Maybe when zines were novel you could just roll up and thumb the back of your truck, but today you're tripping over new zines. You could say "I don't care if no one reads my zine (or blog, or whatever)" but that's a big old porky, isn't it? If you don't care if people don't read your work, don't present it to them. Have the decency to care and believe in what you're putting out.

- ~ -

So there you have it. A rambling insight into my zine-related thoughts as of the last week or two. If you look carefully you can pinpoint the exacpt moment I started to stumble into "And another thing!.." territory. Please feel free to assist in sifting through them or add your own.

The Adventurer's Ready-Mule

Keeping track of mundane equipment when you're an up-and-coming hedge knight is such a chore. So, to remedy this awful bore, introducing the new Ready-Mule™!

A ready-mule can carry 20sp worth of gear per encumbrance point (as per the rules found on page 39 of the Lamentations of the Flame Princess rulebook). So a typical animal can carry 200sp worth of items before it is encumbered. The items it carries are not listed, simply mark what encumbrance points are "ready-bags". When you need something you haven't specifically listed as carrying along, buy it from the list below using the pool of ready-mule money. Ta-daa! You have that item, you are so good at packing for journeys.

Often this will not match up to the 5 items per encumbrance point rules, this represents the fact that this particular animal is carrying stuff, bits and bobs. It's a mess of obsessive buying of rainy day items. You can top up the ready-mule next time you get to a city or other area of significant trade.

This is a modified list taken from Lamentations of the Flame Princess. Italics are not encumbering, italicised bold are oversized. This is only relevant when you've taken them out of the ready-mule and are carrying them properly.

• Bedroll - 2sp
• Block & Tackle - 6sp
• Blank Book - 20sp
• Candle - 2cp
• Chain, per foot - 4sp
• Chalk - 2cp
• Clothes, Normal - 10sp
• Cooking pots - 2sp
• Crampons - 10sp
• Crowbar - 4sp
• Drill - 10sp
• Fishing Gear - 2sp
• Flask of Lamp Oil - 1sp
• Grappling Hook - 10sp
• Ink - 1sp
• Lantern - 10sp
• Lard - 2cp
• Lock - 20sp
• Mallet - 6cp
• Manacles - 30sp
• Nails - 4cp
• Paper - 4cp
• Pickaxe - 24sp
• Pole, 10' - 2sp
• Riding Gear - 50sp
• Rope, 50' - 6sp
• Scroll Case - 6sp
• Shovel - 6sp
• Soap - 2cp
• Spike, iron - 1sp
• Spike, wooden - 2cp
• Tent, personal - 20sp
• Tinderbox - 10sp
• Torch - 2cp
• Waterskin - 1sp

The "Difficult Second Album" sale

Until issue #2 is available for sale and steals the limelight, The Undercroft #1 will have its own little party and maybe help pay the bills.

So, running from right now until some indeterminate point in the very near future The Undercroft Issue 1 is on sale. Go to RPGNow to witness me smack a Pay What You Want sign on those PDFs like I'm down with the cool kids. Alternatively, head over to my very own storefront and use the coupon code "satanicpanic" to get a tidy 25% off a hard copy to read with your hands and eyeballs in public like a gentleman.

Tell your friends! Buy one for your gran! How bad can it be?

Review: Obscene Serpent Religion

Obscene Serpent Religion is evidence that Rafael Chandler can time travel. He travelled forwards in time to the point where everything I've been thinking about clerics met a logical conclusion and made it into a little death metal CD insert book.

Accusations of time travel aside, this book is eerily timely. For those that haven't read it yet, it's about a snake cult in the vein of the (good) Conan film and describes them almost entirely through random tables. Simple stuff.

It opens on what I feel is its strongest table, letting you roll for one of six possible weird requirements or beliefs of the cult. These are excellent and stay clear or D&Disms and the same old boring "snake cult" nonsense. Instead, Chandler treats them as a real religion that people who aren't completely insane might follow. Crazy! True, they are strange. True, they do kill people. But who hasn't killed someone? They're three dimensional, they defend artistic expression (except for clowns), revere victims of umbilical strangulation as saints, are evangelical in a non-hostile manner, hate ophiophages and don't get me started on St.Siavacia. Through all this they aren't complete anathema to life, their followers aren't just Evil™. It demonstrates some good thinking.

These strangely specific details are what make religions. Traditional D&D supplements paint gods in the blandest, most vanilla way imaginable. Real spiritual traditions have symptoms of organic growth, they aren't tidy and thematically focused on being the God of fucking War/Healing/Eeeeeeevil/Wizards. The baby thing is probably the best example: it's weird, doesn't serve any real purpose, but oozes flavour. It speaks volumes and echoes the strange traditions that current religious traditions follow without aping them (how many fantasy religions make a habit of eating their god once a week?). Why do they think that way? Where did it start? There's a hinted at history with a minimal amount of space or waffle.

Okay, back on the time travelling thing: the bestowed powers section near the back of the book is totally what I've been doing with clerics. And it's great. The powers are weird and specific and anyone, not only clerics, can have access to them if the snakes dig them. In fact the book barely mentions the Cleric.

My only possible criticism is that not all the tables or entries are mind blowing. But that's fine by me, it's a grab bag. A bloody good one. So good that I think that the random table element really wasn't necessary, it's a waste not to use everything in here since they can all fit alongside each other without trouble. Just crab it and throw it into your campaign in all it's weird and bloody glory. I most certainly intend on doing so. The citizens of Lokossa have just found their new religion and I've found a new book to steal from. Thanks +Rafael Chandler.


You can get it from Lulu and RPGNow

The Immensity of Lotus Blossoms

The Undercroft #2 is finished! More or less. All that stands between it the printer is a couple of minor bits. What a to do, what a to do.

I must say, bi-monthly is looking more and more feasible. Stay tuned. Or don't, I'm just a blog post not your mum. Anyway, have some content:

The Yellow Lands

The Immensity of Sky

Climb to the top of Mt. Yatenga, the Sky Tower, without help or tools. You must climb without food or supplies, with your bare hands and feet until you reach the perfectly flat, barren top. Here you must lay down and commune with the Immensity of Sky, nowhere else are you so close to its Vastness. Each day of laying there you have a cumulative 1% chance of gaining favour. If you eat or drink the chance will reset. Every morning there is a 1 in 6 chance enough dew forms on you to count as drinking for that day (does not reset the chance of favour).

An nganga at work

1. Qadhi gives and takes away, though he has no urgency. Cure Light Wounds once per day per wisdom modifier. Each additional time this is rolled upgrade it to Serious through Critical and finally Heal.
2. Everything on A'ard's face is merely a few steps away. The nganga walks out of sight around a corner and appears elsewhere as Word of Recall, once per day.
3. The walking dead are anathema under this Immense Sky: you may Turn Undead once per day per wisdom bonus. You may do it at will while the Roof of the World is above your heads, forcing the dead to look up and see infinity awaiting them.
4. No sorcerer can lay his evil eye upon you. Witchlamp Aura once per day per wisdom bonus.
5. The Eye of the Sun burns fiercely in The People. Bless once per day per wisdom bonus.
6. After communing with the Old Leech mortals are simple creatures by comparison. Suggestion once per day per charisma bonus.
7. The Sky covers the world, not only at the peak of Yatenga. Contact Outer Sphere once per week per wisdom bonus.
8. You understand the subtle interactions of the gods and can influence their flow. Control Weather once per week per wisdom bonus.
9. You can cast out evil spirits with authority. Dispel Magic - Dispel Evil once per day per wisdom bonus.
10. We are all Children of the Sun. Speak with Animals once per day per charisma bonus.
11. Qadhi can be entreated to loosen his grip. Speak With Dead once per day per charisma bonus.
12. An Nganga speaks with knowledge of the gods and understands the deep magic, no blade may touch him. Protection from normal weapons once per day per wisdom bonus.

Llamalackelkloulothllimptishavakothvoutxikliklalpvanipvan, The Devourer

Albinos are sacred and pegged for greatness

Eating the laklishi lotus bulb is an act of holy communion directly with the spirit of the great swamp. They are, however, incredibly toxic. Save vs. posion or take 1d10xd10 damage and cannot talk for d3 months and will need help walking for a week as you have suffered what resembles a stroke- though the swamp people insist it is merely the response of a weak mind in the presence of the Devourer. +3 to your save if you are an albino. If you are successful, roll on the table below.

An alternative and altogether more risky path to enlightenment is through eating demonic flesh. The denizens of the sub-worlds can meet a final death in the belly of the Devourer. To do this one must eat the majority of the creatures, including its head and heart or nearest approximation of both. Once ingested, the diner must spiritually "wrestle" the dinee, using wisdom bonuses instead of strength. If the shaman wins, they may roll on the table (and may shift 1 point up or down per demon HD, the Devourer especially enjoys this), if the demon wins they will possess their body. The demon can then shift back to its original form or that of the priest at will. The cleric is of course dead.



1-5 - You spontaneously Commune with The Devourer with no possibility of upsetting it. The experience is immensely pleasing and produces a profound feeling of connectedness.

6 - In a world where Dutch courage isn't a thing, laklishi courage is. Cast Heroism on yourself once per day per constitution modifier.

7 - If you can quieten the blood pounding in your ears you can hear the rich undercurrent of voices. Ability to cast Augury once per day per wisdom modifier.

8 - The most holy of acts, the consumption of sentient beings, perfected into an act of singular connection. Ability to cast Last Meal once per day per wisdom modifier.

9 - The great swamp is full of dangers. You may suck out poison from others or sweat out poison in your own system thanks to a prodigious resistance to toxic effects. Works as Delay Poison once per day per constitution modifier and requires you to physically suck it or sweat it out. If this result is rolled again, the effect becomes Neutralise Poison.

10 - When they say it's just the laklishi talking you turn and tell them "I am the laklishi". Your bodily fluids will cause Feeblemindedness if consumed by others. Approximately a teaspoon will do.

11 - It takes a force of will, and you must squint just so, but you are used to mind altering situations and can Detect Illusion once per day per constitution modifier.

12 - You have seen the logic that lies beneath and can explain it if only they will listen. You may inflict Forget once per day per wisdom bonus. You must both touch and talk to them to do this.

A beautiful laklishi blossom

Some contend that The Devourer isn't a god at all, merely the hallucination of a nation of drug users. So far no ambitious theologians have taken the trek into the Great Swamp to argue their points in person, but they assure us they will get around to it any day now.

The Jabóbo & the Mystery Cult

Mystery Cults were one of the three flavours of Hellenic religion, and one that hasn't been gamed anywhere near hard enough. Typically RPG religion is a matter of worshipping Angry-Jesus or Pretty-Standard-Nice-Jesus or maybe even Probably-A-Little-Bit-Racist-But-Mostly-Harmless-Shaman-Jesus, and only that. How dreary.

The Hellenes recognised the multiplicity of man and thus offered a rich platter of spirituality in the form of three main branches: the state or local religion (the standard idea of what religion is), mystery cults, and philosophic religions. One person would typically follow the local religion, possibly a mystery cult or two, and rarely a philosophic religion unless they were of the upper classes.


Traits of a Mystery Cult:

1. Observance of the seasonal cycles. Death and renewal were central themes.
2. A focus on secret ceremonies and initiations. Each layer of mystery unveiled offered the initiate new insight into the cult's god.
3. Mystery cults have no interest in doctrine or correct beliefs. It's all about making a strong emotional connection with the initiates with the aim of becoming closer to god.
4. Inducing religious ecstasy, usually through theatre, chanting, dancing or drugs. You can see the influence of mystery cults on Christian passion plays.
5. The primary goal of a member of the religion was union with god, or whatever it is they worship. Possibly in the form of salvation, spiritual or physical immortality, or redemption.

You can see that the a major difference between this and a state religion is that one is for the masses and one is for the individual. A mystery religion is a very personal experience centred around your journey to unity with the godhead, in whatever way that was appropriate. This system can happily be set alongside traditional cleric classes or my previously explored ideas of killing them off and replacing them with random tables of stuff. You can have a religion and be part of a mystery cult or two (or three) as long as your god doesn't have a problem with it. Even then, it's conceivable that a god would have many mystery cults dedicated to them. Think about all the Christian heresies, look at the passion plays, go read about the cult of Mary. Easy stuff.

Jabóbo fertility cult of the Prior Kairnlaw

Jabóbos flourish in Prior Kairnlaw as they do nowhere else on earth. The beasts are big quasi-bipeds, about twice the size of a man. They are cleanly (they wash themselves in the manner of cats), short-muzzled, small-eared and, except for their thick, stubbish tails and huge thighs, have a rather anthropoid aspect. They are valued for their milk, not their flesh, and no more males than are needed for breeding are ever raised. The females have remarkably pronounced mammary developments which are, if I may so phrase it, directly and immediately exploitable by men. The herdsman’s feeling of communion with such a breed is—imaginably—great. Not to put too fine a point on it, jabóbo cults—originating in various fertility-promoting rituals informally practised by herdsmen—now abound in Prior Kairnlaw. Sacred herds are designated and the rituals centred on them are reported—probably reliably—to have both dionysiac and priapic features. The herds are often called, by local cynics, “sacred seraglios.”

1st Mystery

Better to build strong children than repair broken men.

Initiation: The initiate is staked to the ground while a heard of jabóbos are allowed to meander around them. If the herd settles and grooms then they are accepted into the first mystery. (Reaction test adding your wisdom bonus to the roll, needing 6+)

Reward: Your next character's strength and constitution will be at least 13.

2nd Mystery

If your herd is strong you can make the devil plough.

Initiation: The initiates must suckle from the breast of the herd matron. To do so they must wrestle the the young (though still enormous) young away and be accepted by the matron. They must successfully wrestle away D4 STR 14 young and either have a reaction test of 9 (adding your wis bonus) or wrestle her for 2 rounds (the matron is strength 20). If the young pin them or the matron rejects and resists them then they have failed.

Reward: The character has one chance to say no to the GM, and he must accept it. Once it has been used it is gone.

3rd Mystery

We reap as we sow.

Initiation: The initiates are set amongst the herd naked to engage in the jabóbo mating season. Men must secure a strong female for copulation and possibly defend themselves against an enraged bull (strength 18), asserting their authority over him. Women must attract the amorous attention of the bull. 

Reward: The character is incredibly fecund. Any sex will result in pregnancy and those children will be strong and healthy. What's more, for each child the character spawns they will receive an additional single use rebuttal as seen in the 2nd mystery.

4th Mystery

What is bred in the bone will not leave the flesh.

Initiation: Initiates attempting the 4th mystery present themselves to a Golden Calf. One will be selected to bear its child and shall enter the final circle of the mystery. Men will bear this child, the details are up to you to decide (caesareans are very advanced in the Kairnlaw since they are a nation of herdsmen).

Reward: The character will produce children with anything they have sex with. Any man, any woman, any animal. Their fertility is boundless. However when copulating with members of other species consult the following tables:

Roll 1D6:

1 - The child is a healthy human blessed by the gods, roll 4d6 and keep the best three for its stats. 

2-5 - An animal is born. It is especially fine in every way.

6 - A Golden Calf is born, a chimera of both its parents.

Golden Calf chart:

1. It has the head of the animal that spawned it, 1 in 6 chance it can't speak human language. The thick pelt extends down its back to the base of its spine.
2. The child matures at an astounding rate. Within a month it will be fully grown.
3. Their skin is that of the animal. Their natural armour class is now 13.
4. It looks exactly like its animal parent, except it can talk and is incredibly wise from the moment it's born.
5. They have ungulate legs where human ones should be. They move twice as fast as normal.
6. A tail adorns the base of their spine. It twitches and whirls with a mind of its own but is not altogether unattractive.
7. They are barrel chested and thickly muscled. Strength and constitution 18 when they mature.
8. It receives unquestioning adoration from all those who view it. Save vs. magic or be positively inclined towards it. Save again to strike it, and each future attempt.
9. The child has all the rewards of the highest initiation in the mystery cult.
10. They can talk to animals.
11. Roll twice (re-roll 11s or 12s)
12. Roll three times (re-roll 11s or 12s)

Rumours born of jealousy of those seen as being too successful or too popular are often accused of being golden calves. None in the Kairnlaw would take it as a point of pride to be accused of being the love child of a cultist and a beast.

I think this is all gameable in its current form, but let me know if you think I've left anything out and I'll clear it up. All this stuff has been part of my campaign world for ages so it's easy to forget bits that seem obvious to me.

Kill/Raise/Repeat

So I killed clerics.

Let's invent clerics! Or paladins, paladins are cool. Or whatever a sneaky disciple of god is (Jehovah's Witness? Mormon enforcer?). Everyone is welcome to embrace the deep-heart beliefs of god(s) and be their chosen few if you have the strength of conviction. To be the instrument of divine power is no small feat but is open to all who look for it, not just the spell slinging hymn humpers. 

Become the bodhisattva, a hoary guru, Joan d'fucking-Arc. A god will have people who embody them entirely. These persons could well be prophetic figures, although just as often will not. A god of war may pick a great warlord that fits his requirements, regardless of his perceived piety. Maybe unbeknownst to him he has become all that his god desires in mankind. 

This path is open to all PCs, whatever class they may be. All they need do is fulfil the tenets to gain favour and a roll on the table of divine gifts. Further gifts may be gained through the same process.

Note: The player must actively pursue the favour and worship of a god/gods to gain their favour. If they ever ruin the relationship they will lose all powers. May only have favours from one source.

Assume all "equal to wisdom modifier" bonuses are a minimum of 1.

Qadhi, god of the End of All Things

Garner favour via severe ritual scarification. Must be administered by the nomads of the Ekidna desert or another suitably knowledgeable and equipped remote guru. Each application drains d3 permanent constitution, takes a full day of preparation and 500sp worth of tools, including rare inks, blades, hammers, piercings, hot coals and scorching white sand. You will be extremely distinct and noticeable from then on, unable to hide your markings with anything short of a burka.

You will lose these powers if you somehow become immortal.

1. The Kindly one gives, but any gift is a theft. You can heal others by transferring your own hitpoints to another with a number of d8 equal to your wisdom modifier per day. You may use them all at once or one at a time, but you must transfer the full amount rolled.
2. You can Turn Undead with the Fear of What Lies Beyond once per day per Wis bonus. Cleric level is equivalent to class level.
3. You are inured to mundane suffering and prepared to meet Qadhi. Instead of dying from an otherwise fatal wound you can take the fatal damage as permanent Constitution loss. Your body will bear the scars but it is a small price.
4. Speak With Dead once per day. They never get a save to resist answering questions as they come from Qadhi's realm and relish the release.
5. May Commune at will. Qadhi's realm is the terminus of all things and exists outside of time so offers an excellent vantage point for the aquisition of knowledge. However, Qadhi doesn't have a pleasant afterlife and the caster will age 1d10 years regardless. There is no penalty for casting it regularly, Qadhi doesn't care, you'll all end up in the same place regardless.
6. You are The Hand That Felled The First Tree and they dare not look upon you. You are invisible to non-sapient undead, and sapient undead struggle to meet your gaze. They must save vs. magic to strike you.

Bashu, the Summer Lord

Source

1 in 100 chance of a favour for every day's food worth of trapped animals you release when in desperate need of them (less than three days of food while more than three days from civilisation).

Gain a guaranteed favour if you can catch and release Bashu.

You will lose all powers if Bashu is killed

1. You can sneak about in natural environments as though you had 6 in stealth.
2. You can use Clairvoyance to look through the eyes of animals once per day per point of wis modifier. If it's unlikely for there to be an animal at the desired location, 2 in 6 chance there is.
3. If you travel alone you can cover up to 100 miles per day. To you it just feels like a bracing hike through the forest, to others you disappear behind a tree and reappear from behind another 100 miles away that evening.
4. The seasons breath through you. Extremes of weather no longer harm or slow you.
5. Speak with (mundane) Animals at will. They will not necessarily be inclined to help but they can at least understand you.
6. You can intensify the weather either towards summer or winter. It will be shifted one increment (DM can figure out what that means to them, though something like " rainy to clear to sunny to scorching" is intended) per day you maintain the desire to do so.

Invenit, who Makes Clear the Way

Source

1% chance of gaining favour for every 100gp (5'000sp) worth of (total, before splitting) lost treasures you find in a single location. It must be in a place that has not seen human feet for at least a generation and was previously forgotten. Add an additional 50% if it is an item or place of great cultural importance that was believed lost.

Lose your powers if you ever buy a home or settle down.

1. Though lost, inevitably found. Always search as though you had 6 in 6.
2. Can cast Vision once per day, but may only ask for directions and may only sacrifice wealth. On a failure the Geas put on the devotee will be to travel to a far away place for a forgotten treasure. They will know the direction and nothing more until they find it. What they do with the treasure is their own business.
3. Invenit provides for weary feet. Wherever you are you will find a mount not far away. They will be loyal and sturdy and if lost, another will approach within d3 days.
4. Locate Object once per day per point of wisdom modifier.
5. Legend Lore once per month.
6. You can entrust your path to Invenit, follow the Blue Goat and be lead to the quiet places. The player may instruct his DM that he is following Invenit and is starting off in a seemingly random direction to find great adventure. The DM will provide this and is obliged not to screw with them in at least so far as there must be a significant payoff at the end. Gaining the party's approval for this is obviously recommended.

It's all rather rough at this point but I think it's a functional foundation to build on.