Plots · Discovery · Encounter

Madness on the road

Once a year, the army rounds up the Mad and takes them to the City of Asylum. While you are travelling on the road, you encounter an army unit escorting 30 insane people dressed in tattered clothes. Yet one might not be mad....

50 xp 6,053 views

Once a year, the army travelles the country and rounds up the Mad. Those insane, once collected, are taken to the City of Asylum. (See Settings Entry) This annual event has developed a number of local names, The Tribute to the Mad, The Fools Army, The Crown's Folly.

While you are travelling on the road, you encounter an army unit escorting 30 insane people dressed in tattered clothes. Most are your garden variety fool, gibbering madwoman, and fool who thinks he is a noble. They are gathered in caged carts and treated a little better than animals.

One or more of the party recognize one of the so called 'mad'. It is a noble that they have had previous dealing. While he is not acting perfectly normal, he is not a madman. Is he insane, or a political prisoner under the influence of drugs being carted off to Asylum?

They are three days from reaching the Gate of Madness. What do you do?

Scrolls

0 scrolls

Twists, chapters, and details meant to stream with the submission — not general discussion.

No scrolls yet — leave one if you have a twist worth keeping.

Sign in to plant an idea scroll.

Enjoyed this? Sign in and cross blades for MoonHunter — five clashes, up to 25 XP.

Sign in to cross the blades.

Rare mark

Hall of Honour

for Madness on the road

The Hall of Honour is your mark on a submission you believe is frick’n awesome — so good you would jump in front of a dragon’s breath to protect the scroll it is written on.

Bestowing HoH also highlights it on the front of the Citadel for about a day, so others see the recognition it earned.

You may bestow HoH on the same submission up to your level (with a short wait between strikes). Five distinct HoH voters raise a work to Golden.

Discussion

5 comments

Reader talk, questions, and feedback — not scrolls.

  1. Ylorea

    The person they recognize does not need to be a noble, or a person they have been dealing with already. He/She might just as well be able to make it obvious He/She is not mad or deranged at all.

    Or from a different perspective, maybe the PC's need to do something in the asylum and therefor need to be captured by the patrol as getting into the asylum is obviously restricted as well.

    Getting out again might of course prove quite a serious challenge again.

    0 xp Reply +XP
  2. MoonHunter

    Given an update.

    0 xp Reply +XP
  3. valadaar

    I like the idea.

    0 xp Reply +XP
  4. Murometz

    A conga-line of chained lunatics headed to their final home...

    A stub really, though stubs weren't available at the time, I know. But a very nice visual and road-side encounter, which I've used in games with some success.

    0 xp Reply +XP
  5. axlerowes

    Ah a piece from a different time.

    What if the PCs saw a rich nobleman...who was everyone agrees, a little insane, but very rich....and a nice pauper who was as even as steven but with pockets like a kiddee pool. Who would your PC's save if they could only save one.

    0 xp Reply +XP

Sign in to join the discussion.

Retellings

every piece can be retold

No Retellings yet — the best compliment on the Citadel is a Retelling.

Bonds

1 bond

Curated bonds across the Citadel — sign in to bind a bond. Kindred Favors are another thread in the same weave.

Links to this article 1

The graph

Bind a Bond

from Madness on the road

Know a piece that belongs with this one? Bind them together so every reader who finds one can find the other. Choose how they are bound.

Sign in to bind Bonds.

Use alongside

2

Browse Plots Seek the Citadel