Tharkold

The laws of Tharkold are nasty, cruel, and perhaps short-sighted — much like the demons who thrive within them.

The Law of Domination

The first and most important law of the cosm is simple: The strong take what they want because they can. The weak must either serve the strong or rely on their mercy, a commodity in very short supply.

Everyone in the realm is either a dominant or a submissive. In general, reality–rated heroes and villains count as dominant and everyone else is submissive. The Game Master may rule on specific exceptions as the situation warrants, but in general submissive individuals do what any dominant personality orders them to do—without question.

Tharkoldu are organized in prides run by a dominant alpha. The members of the pride still dominate their own thralls, but must obey the alpha or duel him to become the new leader.

Denizens of the realm tend to automatically fall into one of the two roles without consciously thinking about it. Storm Knights and Stormers feel dominant to observers, but a display of weakness may swiftly change that. A Player’s Call intimidation might even force a villain into a submissive role, at least temporarily.

Cosm cards such as Kneel! and You Work for Me Now emphasize the cutthroat nature of the Tharkoldu’s world.

• Domination: When intimidation is an Approved Action, a success allows the character to draw two Destiny cards and choose which one to keep. He must discard the other. Outside of combat, the first successful intimidation attack against a reality-rated character in an act grants a draw from the Destiny Deck. Once that character has been intimidated, further successes have only the usual results.

The Law of Ferocity

The technodemons and the humans who thrive in their service are short-tempered, brutish, and zealously suspicious. They trust no one and believe tearing down a rival mentally and physically is a sound preemptive tactic. Kindness is simply a window of vulnerability waiting to be exploited by someone who understands the world better.

Beings from Tharkold generally aren’t subtle, but they are ruthless and murderously effective, both in political maneuvering and in combat. The ferocious nature of the realm accentuates violence, and most conflicts end with bloodshed.

This wild energy courses through Cosm cards like Scourge and Supremacy, and adds a feral desperation to the realm’s denizens. Hold nothing back, give no quarter, and always shoot first.

The Law of Pain

Tharkold is a savage place of blood and barbarism. Pain works as a source of power, literally. The secret to activating many demon devices and implants is the suffering of the user (or an unfortunate proxy). Vril, sometimes called Agonite, is a form of crystallized suffering demons occasionally use as fuel.

Inflicting pain draws palpable energy from the target, but for some, suffering has become a gateway to strength as well. This economy of torment reinforces the do unto others before they can do to you aura in the realm.

Tharkold Occultech works on the same principles, trading constant anguish from implants for inhuman power. The Cyberpsychosis and Enraged Cosm cards unleash this pain on those with implants, while Torturous Visions taps into the same energy but on a psionic wavelength. Even those without precognition can feel the suffering that reverberates throughout the realm.

• Pain: This brutal cosm rewards those who inflict great suffering. A character recovers one if his action causes one or more . The demons of Tharkold often harm their own pitiful thralls to prolong their loathsome existence when engaged in direct combat with belligerent monkeys.