Chapter Twelve

Treasure, Rewards & Relics

In Dyrhal, reward is rarely clean. A purse of silver draws eyes. A fine blade draws envy. A relic draws fear — sometimes reverence, sometimes the kind of attention that follows you home and waits outside your door.

The purpose of reward in Steel Age is not to inflate numbers until danger becomes background noise. Reward should sharpen choice, widen possibility, and deepen consequence. It should make the players feel richer without making the world feel safe.

In a hard land, coin is useful — but coin alone is rarely the most interesting prize. The most valuable reward is often permission: the right to pass, to speak, to buy, to hire, to rest, to carry steel openly, to keep what you took.

Reward Principles

A good reward does at least one of the following:

Creates leverage. Access, authority, sanctuary, influence, information.
Solves a problem while introducing a new one. Wealth attracts theft. Titles attract duty. Relics attract hunters.
Changes what the party can attempt. Better tools, better maps, safer rest, a contact with reach.
Deepens the campaign. Debts, vows, rivals, obligations, reputation.

When you’re stuck deciding what to give, ask: What will make their next choice harder and more meaningful?

Forms of Reward

Not all rewards in Steel Age come as loose coin. In Dyrhal, wealth moves in many forms — portable goods, favors owed, safe passage granted, and information whispered across a table. A wise company learns quickly that the right favor or the right map may be worth more than a purse of silver.

Coin

Simplest and most immediately useful. Pays wages, buys supplies, settles debts, hires blades. Large sums attract thieves, tax collectors, and opportunistic officials.

Trade Goods

Portable wealth that must be sold or bartered. Rarely sells for full value except at large markets. Furs, amber, dyed cloth, spices, incense, fine vellum, worked glass.

Gems & Jewelry

High value in compact, portable form. Widely accepted — but distinctive pieces may be recognizable and traced back to their original owner.

Gifts, Titles & Favors

Privilege rather than coin. May carry obligations — a lord who grants favor may later expect service in return. Hunting rights, trade charters, noble protection.

Information

Often the most valuable reward of all. Leads directly to further adventure. Hidden road maps, rival weaknesses, forgotten ruins, smuggling routes.

Sanctuary

Safe places are precious in a dangerous land. Reduces risk during travel and provides reliable rest points. Monasteries, fortified manors, recognized shrines.

Liquidation Value

Minor Settlement

~50% of value

Major Settlement

~70% of value

Trade Hub

~90% of value

Contacts, guild ties, or extended time spent seeking buyers may improve this rate.

Brann Solvesson, sell-sword — written at a waystation outside Velk

We came out of the ruins with a carved silver cup, two amber pendants, and a small chest of Aurikronton coin that nobody has minted in over a hundred years. In the Free City you could sell that for what it was worth. At Velk the merchant looked at the coin like it might bite him and offered us a third of value for the cup. The pendants he wouldn’t touch at all — said he had no buyer for work of that quality and didn’t want the attention.

Treasure Generation Guidance

Note on Currency

Unless otherwise specified, all reward values in this chapter are expressed in Silver Rounds (SR). Most meaningful payments to adventurers — contracts, bounties, expedition rewards — are measured in Silver. Copper and Gold Rounds exist and follow the currency structure described in Chapter VI.

Reward in Steel Age should feel grounded in the world rather than appearing as a tidy pile of coins. Most treasure comes from people, trade, or forgotten places, and it usually arrives in mixed forms rather than a single payment. When determining rewards, think first about where the reward came from and why it exists.

Reward Composition

Rather than awarding a single form of treasure, combine several categories. A typical reward package might include:

Coin for immediate expenses
Trade goods that must be transported or sold
A piece of jewelry or a gem

Information or a new lead
A favor or privilege from a patron

Instead of awarding 60 rounds, a GM might grant 25 rounds in coin and an amber necklace worth 35 rounds. The total value is similar, but the reward feels more real and creates additional decisions for the players.

Reward Scale

Achievement	Typical Reward Value
Minor job or local task	10–30 SR
Dangerous expedition	40–100 SR
Major undertaking	150+ SR

These values represent the approximate total value of the reward package, not a requirement that all treasure appear as coin.

Sources of Treasure

Patrons — nobles, merchants, guilds, monasteries, caravan masters.
Warbands and Raiders — coin, weapons, furs, jewelry, stolen goods.
Ruins and Shrines — devotional offerings, relic fragments, ancient coins, ceremonial items.
Caravans and Trade Stores — trade goods, spices, fabrics, dyes, incense.
Hidden Hoards — mixed wealth hidden during war or disaster.

Variety Over Quantity. Large piles of coin are rarely the most interesting reward. Variety encourages players to interact with the world — seeking buyers, negotiating favors, transporting goods, or deciding whether a relic is worth keeping. When in doubt, reduce the amount of coin and replace it with objects, obligations, or opportunities.

Aldric Vorn, Factor to Baron Hessek of Drevask — from a letter of instruction to a newly hired expedition company

You will be paid as agreed. What I want to make clear before you leave is what “as agreed” actually means in practice, because in my experience sell-swords count coin in their heads and are then surprised when the payment arrives in a different shape.

The Baron does not keep large sums in loose silver. No prudent man does. What he keeps is amber from the northern starostwa, three bales of Keshari silk that arrived on the autumn road, and a deed of credit held by the Strandholdt factor’s office. These are worth more than coin in the right hands. They are also worth considerably less if you try to spend them on supper.

Here is what you will receive on completion: forty rounds in silver, which I am drawing from the tolls collected at the eastern ford. An amber pendant valued at fifteen rounds by the last appraisal, though you will get twelve for it in town and eighteen if you take it to Strandholdt. And a letter of introduction to the harbormaster at Krak, who owes the Baron a favor and will honor it as safe lodging and provisioning for your company for a period of ten days.

The total value is as agreed. The form is not your choice. In Dyrhal, it rarely is. A man who holds only coin holds something any thief can use. A man who holds obligations, goods, and introductions holds something that requires knowing the land. I trust you know the land.

Quick Reward Table (GM Reference)

Use this when you need a reward package fast. Roll, choose, or combine results. Rewards in Steel Age should feel like they came from someone, somewhere, and some prior trouble.

Step 1: Reward Scale

Undertaking	Typical Total Value
Minor	Minor job / local task: 10–30 SR
Dangerous	Dangerous expedition: 40–100 SR
Major	Major undertaking: 150+ SR

Step 2: Split the Reward

Reward Type	Share of Total
Coin	30–50%
Trade Goods	20–30%
Jewelry / Portable Wealth	10–20%
Favor / Access / Information	10–30%

Step 3: Choose the Source

d6	Source	Typical Contents
1	Noble Patron	Coin, letter of passage, favor, household access
2	Guild or Merchant	Coin, trade charter, goods, buyer introduction
3	Warband / Raiders	Mixed coin, furs, weapons, stolen jewelry
4	Shrine / Ruin	Offerings, relic fragments, ceremonial items, old coin
5	Caravan / Storehouse	Trade goods, ledgers, maps, high-value cargo
6	Hidden Hoard	Mixed coin, jewelry, sealed packet, old claim-token

Step 4: Reward Packages

Minor (10–30 SR)
d6	Reward
1	12 SR coin, 1 useful map, 1 owed favor
2	8 SR coin, dyed cloth worth 10 SR, lodging 3 nights
3	15 SR coin, silver brooch worth 8 SR
4	10 SR coin, incense & vellum 12 SR, rumor of hidden road
5	6 SR coin, rare timber rights, safe storage
6	20 SR coin, but a rival now knows your names

Dangerous Expedition (40–100 SR)
d6	Reward
1	35 SR coin, amber necklace 25 SR, letter of passage
2	25 SR coin, furs & glass 30 SR, free lodging at manor
3	40 SR coin, jeweled ring 20 SR, monastery hospitality
4	30 SR coin, spices 25 SR, map to another site
5	20 SR coin, trade charter, goods 35 SR, new Contact
6	50 SR coin, but part is marked or traceable

Step 5: Add a Shadow

d6	Complication
1	Recognizable property; someone can trace it
2	Tax, toll, or legal claim follows it
3	It attracts thieves or local envy
4	A patron expects return service
5	The goods are bulky, fragile, or hard to transport
6	Selling it quickly means taking a bad rate

Fast Rule of Thumb

Give less coin
Add one portable valuable
Add one world-facing benefit
Add one complication

Example: Building a Reward Package

The party clears Shamble-Dead from a thane’s mill. Minor lord, moderate means. Step 1: Dangerous but not exceptional — Standard scale (40–100 SR). Step 2: 60 SR total, split: 25 coin, 35 in other forms. Step 3: The thane has wool and recovered mill goods, not loose silver. Step 4: 25 SR coin · bolt of undyed wool (~15 SR, bulky) · silver brooch found on a body in the mill (~20 SR, origin unknown). Step 5: GM rolls 1 — recognizable property. The brooch’s previous owner had a family. They are looking for it.

Results: ~60 SR total. The payment feels grounded, requires decisions, and drops a thread the GM can pull later.

Relics and Enchanted Items

Magic in Dyrhal is rare, unsettling, and rarely clean. A relic is not simply a better tool. It is a fragment of deeper truth — something that carries the touch of divinity, ancient craft, or forces not meant to rest quietly in mortal hands.

Relics should feel significant when they appear. They should invite curiosity, fear, and consequence. Even the smallest charm may carry a story, and greater relics often come with obligations, rivals, or history attached to them.

The Nature of Enchantment

In Steel Age, enchantment is not merely skilled craftsmanship. It is the binding of a fragment of divine essence into an object. Some traditions claim this essence comes from the Nine Gods themselves. Others whisper that it is drawn from the hidden power of the Nameless Tenth. Whatever the truth, the process is dangerous and rare.

Because of this, only objects of exceptional quality can hold such power. A lesser object cannot contain divine essence without warping, cracking, or bleeding the power away.

Masterwork Requirement: Only Masterwork weapons, armor, and crafted items can be enchanted.

Bounded Power: Magic items should rarely grant flat numeric bonuses. When they do, keep them within +1, and almost never exceed +2. Greater power should be expressed through new options, conditions, or narrative permissions rather than larger numbers.

Common Forms of Enchanted Effects

Most relics grant benefits under specific conditions rather than constant improvements. Common trigger types: Momentum Triggers · Defensive Triggers · Target Triggers (against particular creatures or oathbreakers) · Environmental Triggers (darkness, storm, sacred ground) · Oath or Duty Triggers (when defending a sworn person, place, or cause). Timing: Once per round effects follow combat-round timing. Once per day effects reset at dawn or after a full night's rest. Scene-duration effects last until the scene resolves.

Cost and Consequence

Power in Dyrhal rarely comes without price. Common costs: fatigue or strain when invoking the relic · attracting supernatural attention · obligations tied to faith, oath, or lineage · marks that reveal the relic’s presence · social or religious consequences for possessing it. Such costs are not punishments. They are part of what makes relics meaningful within the world.

Identification and Use

Relics reveal their nature through experience rather than simple inspection. Characters may learn an item’s properties through lore or study when the item bears recognizable symbols or history; trial and consequence when the item is used; or ritual appraisal performed by a knowledgeable practitioner.

Types of Relics

These categories are not strict ranks of power. They describe the typical scale, purpose, and narrative impact of the item.

Minor Charms

Small magical objects providing narrow or situational benefits. Function once per day, once per scene, or under specific conditions. Rarely attract significant attention.

Enchanted Arms & Armor

Masterwork equipment carrying a fragment of divine essence. Adds conditional effects rather than improving base statistics. Often recognized by warriors, collectors, and religious authorities.

Greater Relics

Named objects with histories tied to saints, rulers, fallen empires, or forgotten cults. Frequently carry obligations, enemies, or consequences. Seldom bought or sold.

Cursed or Costly Relics

Relics that exact a price. Their cost should create interesting decisions, not merely punish. Power that demands sacrifice leads to memorable choices and stories.

Quick Reference Tables

Portable Wealth
d6	Item & Nominal Value
1	Silver ring — 8 SR
2	Amber necklace — 15 SR
3	Gold signet ring — 25 SR
4	Silver torc — 20 SR
5	Jeweled brooch — 30 SR
6	Cut gemstone — 35 SR

Trade Goods
d6	Goods & Nominal Value
1	Furs bundle — 10 SR
2	Fine vellum packet — 12 SR
3	Dyed cloth bale — 18 SR
4	Incense chest — 20 SR
5	Spice packet — 25 SR
6	Worked glass crate — 30 SR

Non-Coin Rewards
d6	Reward
1	Safe lodging in one settlement
2	Letter of passage or right to bear arms openly
3	Monastery hospitality
4	Introduction to a powerful Contact
5	Map to hidden roads, ruins, or caches
6	Buyer willing to pay above liquidation value

Relic Hint Table
d6	Relic Type & Typical Effect
1	Minor Charm — Narrow protection or once/day utility
2	Worn Relic — Movement, visibility, detection, fatigue
3	Enchanted Weapon — Momentum, lethality, foe-specific
4	Enchanted Armor — Defense trigger, reduction, ward
5	Greater Relic — Knowledge, barrier, command, scrying
6	Costly Relic — Strong effect with meaningful price

Minor Charms

The most common sort of relic a company might see: small enchantments, practical protections, and curios with just enough power to matter.

Nythrasi Dueling Disc

Minor Charm · Amulet

A small amulet on a chain, used by Nythrasi rivals during spell duels.

Effect

You gain +1 to Magic Defense Total. If your Magic Defense wins by Margin +6 or more against a Working, the Working is reflected back toward the caster; the caster must defend as normal.

Complication

The disc is unmistakably Nythrasi. In many courts, its possession is taken as a statement.

Coin of Returning

Minor Charm · Coin

A worn silver coin stamped with the faded mark of a forgotten mint.

Effect

If spent or lost, the coin returns to its owner’s pouch at the next dawn.

Complication

The coin always returns alone. Anything purchased with it remains paid for.

Charm of Steady Breath

Minor Charm · Worn

A leather thong bearing a small carved bone bead.

Effect

Once per day, the wearer may ignore the first point of fatigue gained (any source).

Complication

The charm must be briefly held and breathed upon each morning to function.

Token Against Restless Spirits

Minor Charm · Iron Disk

A simple iron disk etched with warding lines.

Effect

When undead approach within Medium Range, the disk grows warm.

Complication

The token can distinguish approach, not intent. It warns you of the dead, not whether the dead are hunting you.

Boots of the Hare’s Step

Minor Charm · Footwear

Well-worn boots that always seem ready to move.

Effect

Gain +5 ft. to your movement rate when using the Move action in combat.

Complication

Anyone wearing the boots must consume 1.5 rations per day instead of 1.

Forge Hand’s Ring

Minor Charm · Ring

A simple steel ring worn by smiths and fire-workers.

Effect

Fire-based harm treats its lethality as 1 against you.

Complication

You suffer −1 to Magic Defense Total against cold effects.

Enchanted Weapons

All Masterwork arms below carry enchantment through conditional effects rather than permanent bonuses.

Beast-Bane Longsword

Enchanted Weapon · Masterwork Longsword

A well-balanced longsword with a wolf-tooth fuller and a guard darkened by old oils.

Effect

Against Beasts, treat a successful hit as +1 lethality (once per round).

Complication

Hunters and wardens recognize the blade’s marks. In some baronies, carrying it invites questions about where it came from.

Frost-Kissed Spear

Enchanted Weapon · Masterwork Spear

A spear whose head is always cold, even in summer.

Effect

When you hit and the attack inflicts any Health loss, the target loses +1 additional Health from cold.

Complication

Too cold to hold barehanded for long. Without gloves or cloth wrapping, suffer a situational −1 on actions requiring a steady grip.

Stone-Song Hammer

Enchanted Weapon · Masterwork Warhammer

A heavy warhammer with a dimpled face and a haft wrapped in cured hide.

Effect

Once per round, when you hit a target wearing armor, reduce their Armor by 1 (minimum 0) until the end of the fight.

Complication

The enchantment bites metal, not flesh. Against unarmored targets, it has no special property.

Gloamedge Shortsword

Enchanted Weapon · Masterwork Shortsword

A short blade with a dull sheen, as if it has swallowed a little twilight.

Effect

When drawn, the blade sheds dim light out to Short Range. Within that radius, visibility improves by one step (None→Poor, Poor→Low, Low→Clear).

Complication

The light is subtle but unnatural. The blade is difficult to conceal from watchful eyes in darkness.

Viper’s Mercy

Enchanted Weapon · Masterwork Dagger

A slim dagger with a hollowed channel along the spine and a capped pommel.

Effect

Once per day, when you hit with this dagger, you may declare the strike envenomed. The target is exposed to venom: Potency CM 10; Onset: end of round; Tick: each Rest Segment; Max State: 3 (Coma); Death Rule applies.

Complication

If the dagger’s reservoir is opened in public, the smell is unmistakable. In many courts and guild halls, its mere presence is treated as intent.

Nythrasi Spell-Seeker

Enchanted Weapon · Masterwork Crossbow

An angular crossbow of dark wood and pale metal, its prod etched with concentric marks like ripples in still water.

Effect

When you hit a target that has been affected by a Working in the current or previous round, treat the attack as +2 lethality for that hit (once per round).

Complication

The limbs hum faintly near active magic. In sanctified places, many find the sound offensive — or ominous.

Viktor — written some weeks after the duel outside Phanokastran

I have used the casting three times in my life that I am willing to count. The first two I do not think about. The third was the duel — Caldrin’s duel, not mine, though it became mine when the third man came in from the flank and Caldrin was already down.

The working takes something. Not in the way exhaustion takes something, where you sleep and it returns. It takes something you do not get back the same way. I have tried to explain this to people who do not cast and given up. They hear “you feel tired afterward” and they nod like they understand.

The blade I carry is not enchanted. I want to be clear about that. I would not carry an enchanted blade. I have seen what happens to men who do — the way they start to trust the weapon more than their own judgment, the way the weapon starts to feel like a solution rather than a tool. I have seen a man reach for a relic blade to solve a problem that needed words and come away with a worse problem and fewer options.

The casting is different. I do not carry it. It lives in me or it doesn’t, and mostly it doesn’t. I am careful about that.

But after Phanokastran I sat with Freyja for a while and neither of us said much. She had taken a hit getting to Caldrin. I had spent something I will not get back the same way. Caldrin lost something permanent. We did not lose the fight. I am not sure that is the same as winning it.

Enchanted Armor & Worn Relics

Masterwork protective items carrying conditional enchantments.

Shield of the Sixth Turn

Enchanted Armor · Masterwork Shield

A battered shield with a hidden boss-plate and a faint six-point mark hammered into the rim.

Effect

Once per round, when you lose a Momentum Press and would suffer Health loss from that Press, roll 1d6. On a 6, you take no Health loss from that Press.

Complication

If the shield negates damage this way, you gain 1 fatigue at end of round.

Arrow-Warded Gambeson

Enchanted Armor · Masterwork Gambeson

A thick padded coat stitched with tight chevrons and heavy thread, surprisingly resistant to missile strikes.

Effect

Against attacks made with bows, crossbows, or slings, reduce the attack’s lethality by 2 (minimum 0).

Complication

The padding drinks water and sweat. If soaked (rain, river crossing, prolonged wet weather), the lethality reduction is 1 instead of 2 until dried and re-fluffed during a rest.

Wayfarer’s Mail Hauberk

Enchanted Armor · Masterwork Mail

A mail shirt of unusually fine links that settles on the shoulders like cloth.

Effect

Treat this hauberk as normal clothing for movement and stealth-related encumbrance penalties, while still counting as mail for all other purposes.

Complication

The links are delicate. If neglected for a week of hard travel, it becomes noisy and snag-prone until maintained.

Far-Seer Helm

Enchanted Armor · Masterwork Helm

A conical helm with a narrow brow band set with pale, glassy inlays.

Effect

Your sight-based judgments treat visibility as one step better (None→Poor→Low→Clear).

Complication

The helm narrows your far vision. At Extreme range, treat visibility as one step worse than it would otherwise be.

Greater Relics

Named objects with histories and reputations. They draw attention: from claimants, cults, priests, collectors, and the desperate.

The Ironbound Chronicle

Greater Relic · Tome

A heavy tome of smoke-dark vellum bound in riveted iron, its margins crowded with cramped hands from three dead centuries.

Effect

Once per day, if you study the Chronicle for 10 minutes about a specific place, person, ruin, or faction, you may ask the GM one concrete question. The GM answers truthfully, though the answer may be cryptic. If the question concerns something deliberately hidden, the GM may call for a Knowledge Skill Check; on success, the answer becomes clear.

Complication

The Chronicle is a known heresy in some circles and a holy artifact in others. Possessing it openly can win patronage — or put you under suspicion.

Rod of the Boundary Oath

Greater Relic · Rod

A pale metal rod capped with a ring of blackened silver. When held, it feels like standing on the edge of a cliff — steady, but unforgiving.

Effect

Once per day, you may plant the rod into earth or stone and speak a boundary no wider than Close distance (a doorway, bridge, threshold, or marked circle). Until the end of the scene, undead and Workings must overcome CM 10 to cross that boundary.

Complication

The rod does not hide its power. Any undead or active magic within Medium range can sense its presence, and those drawn to such power may come to investigate.

Horn of the Ash Host

Greater Relic · Horn

A war-horn stained the color of old blood. Its sound is too deep, as if it comes from below the earth rather than from air.

Effect

When blown, choose one: Rally — allies who can hear it may clear 1 fatigue (once per ally per day). Dread — enemies who can hear it must make a Magic Defense Total vs CM 10; on failure, they lose their next action.

Complication

Outdoors, its call can be heard out to Extreme range. Those who know the old wars may come looking — friend or foe.

The Sootglass Orb

Greater Relic · Scrying Device

A fist-sized sphere of dark glass. In lamplight it reflects faces that aren’t present.

Effect

Once per day, focus on a known person, place, or object for 10 minutes and make an Unseen Craft (Casting) Check vs CM 10. On success, gain a brief vision revealing one of: the subject’s general condition · immediate surroundings · direction relative to you (not precise distance).

Complication

Each use leaves a residue of attention. After you scry, the GM may introduce an omen or consequence tied to being observed. Consecutive days strengthen this consequence.

Creating New Relics (GM Tools)

Relics are easiest to balance when they obey a few hard rules. Use the guidelines below to create new items that feel powerful, strange, and consequential without breaking Steel Age’s tight math.

Hard Rules

Enchanted arms and armor must be Masterwork first.
Enchantment does not add more permanent base bonuses. It adds conditional effects, permissions, or costs.
Keep numbers bounded: within +1 most of the time, rarely +2. If you grant +2, make it conditional and give the relic a meaningful limitation.
Default to once per round or once per day. Add a limiter unless the relic is intended to reshape the campaign.

Effect Patterns That Fit Steel Age

Combat: Conditional lethality (Against X, +1 lethality) · Conditional Health loss · Armor/shield disruption (reduce by 1, min 0) · Momentum, Engagement, and Defense triggers.

Utility: Detection (warns when undead approach) · Visibility one step better/worse · Ignore 1 fatigue (once per day) · Access/permission (opens wards, marks sanctuary).

Magic: CM-based tests (Unseen Craft vs CM 10) · Magic defense hooks (+1 to Magic Defense Total; Margin +6 reflects) · Boundaries and wards.

Cost and Consequence Patterns

Choose one cost (or two for a greater relic): Upkeep (oiling, rites, special care) · Logistics (extra rations, weight, cannot be concealed) · Social heat (recognizable craft, forbidden symbol, noble claim) · Detectability (undead or active magic can sense it) · Fatigue (gain 1 fatigue when invoking) · Oath restriction (power only works while a vow is upheld). Avoid costs that simply punish play. Prefer costs that introduce choices.

Quick Relic Template

Name

One line.

Appearance

One line.

Effect

One sentence, expressed in existing Steel Age terms.

Limiter

Once per round / once per day / only under a condition.

Complication

Upkeep, heat, detectability, oath, fatigue, or logistics.

Hook

Who wants it back, who fears it, or what it invites.

Example: Building a Relic

The GM wants a relic for a ruined Aurikronton shrine — something a priest might have carried. Not powerful enough to be a Greater Relic, but meaningful. Form: A small bronze disc on a cord, worn at the throat. Effect pattern: Enhance an existing action. Effect: Once per day, when you make a Stabilization check, treat the result as one step better on the outcome table. Cost/Consequence: The disc grows warm when someone nearby is close to death. It does not hide this. Others notice.

Check against Hard Rules: No automatic success. No permanent stat increase. No damage immunity. Conditional, limited use, carries a social consequence. ✓

Results: A Minor Charm that rewards the healer’s role, fits the setting, and creates table moments — the disc warming in the middle of a tense negotiation, everyone wondering who it’s reacting to.

In Dyrhal, reward is never just payment. It is leverage, permission, and consequence — coin that draws eyes, jewelry that carries a name, trade goods that must be moved and sold, and relics that refuse to stay quiet. Use treasure to pull the party deeper into the world: into markets and halls, into favors owed and debts collected, into old roads that aren’t on any map and old stories that won’t die.

Relics should arrive rarely, and when they do they should change the shape of play. The best ones do not make the company safe — they make the company capable, and then make the world respond. Give power with a cost, and wealth with a shadow, and Dyrhal will remain what it is: a hard land where victory is earned, carried, and paid for.