"It is quite the costly setup that you propose," muses the woman in red, some time later. 

"It is commensurate with the stakes. I thought it would be worth the investment."

"And your fee, of course." 

"Naturally. It remains a more attractive option than outright war, does it not? To take this much territory by main force would be long and bloody work. The price I ask is not so dear, given the alternative." 

"He's got us there."

"Then we are in agreement?" 

"We are. One champion each, your methods against mine, the playing field carved out from our domains." 

The man in robes of dusk stands between the circles, and extends one hand into each. The Monarch of Shadows produces a dagger and draws it across the man's left palm; the Monarch of Guests draws blood from his right with a fingernail. Their hands clasp, Monarch to man to Monarch, and a pact in blood is sealed.

The Monarch of Shadows fades into night, darkness pooling in the circle where he stood. 

The Monarch of Guests dissolves, seeping redly into the ground below, until all that is left is a stain. 

The man in robes of dusk withdraws his hands, still dripping blood; it would be an affront to bandage them here. He departs. 

The Monarch of Shadows rises smoothly from a pool of darkness, occupying his circle once more. His nod of acknowledgement is almost imperceptible, save for the bobbing of the pinpricks of blue light where his eyes should be. "Tidebringer." 

A shimmer in the air resolves into the ghostly figure of a severe woman in robes of blue and gold. "Shadows. Be warned. The Courtiers are compromised; the master plots with the Monarch of Guests. The game is to be rigged, and not in your favor." 

Blue glints flick to the woman. The Monarch of Shadows draws a dagger from nowhere, toying idly with the blade. "You could not get through the wards to warn me while alive...you died to bring me this news. Bold of you; thanks are owed. Is there aught you would ask of me in return?"

"Escape this bargain, if you can. My agents were able to set a loophole —" 

"A feat for which I commend them, and one which may yet prove worth the sacrifice. But there is no need to be so hasty." Blue light smolders in the shadows. "The Guests may lay the board, but I set the rules. And what's the point of playing if you don't plan to cheat?"

"Then bear my soul into the Shadowlands, Lord of Death and Ashes, and use it well. Oh, and if the worst should happen, shield my nephew from the fallout. He may be young and foolhardy, yet, but if the House splinters, I expect you'll want the help." 

"You have a deal. Come, then, and let us speak of...eviction." 

Eriksmont isn't the smallest town in Valirinum province worthy of the name. Technically, that honor goes to Helicas, farther upriver, which bears the brunt of the casualties whenever there's a border scuffle with the Long Gardens. The Cabelpas is much wider near Eriksmont, and lacks a proper ford, making it rather inconvenient to raid.

That's probably why Jennifer Wolling settled here with her precocious grandson, a safe distance from the political infighting of the Imperial heartlands.

It's the 1st of Undindar, and the day of the spring equinox, and said grandson is currently being rudely awoken by the crowing of Ser Peckingsworth the Bold from the nearby Lucius farm. It's not quite dawn, so the elderly Ser Peckingsworth has probably mistaken a traveler's torch for the sunrise again. 

Alex is still young enough to greet the day with a good amount of energy even when awakened a touch early. It still takes him a few seconds to rub the sleep out of his eyes before sitting up though.

And he's greeted by a floating blue rectangle filled with text. 

Alexandr (Alex) Lustig
Player of Games
Some say the gods play games with the world, with all Creation as their board and its creatures as their pieces. But if you are a piece in a larger game, who is to say you cannot also be a Player? 

Age 22
Decrepitude 0

Might 0
Fatigue: Fresh
Wounds: None

Personality
Inquisitive +1
Muleheaded +2
Ambitious +3

Characteristics
Intelligence +4
Perception -1
Presence +1
Communication -2
Strength +2
Stamina +1
Dexterity +1
Quickness 0

General Abilities
Animal Handling 2 (+saving livestock from their own idiocy)
Athletics 2 (+climbing)
Awareness 3 (+magic)
Bargain 1 (+buying books)
Brawl 2 (+people who insulted your grandmother)
Charm 1 (+scholars)
Chirurgy 2 (+setting bones)
Concentration 1 (+reading)
Leadership 2 (+leading by example)
Living Language (Low Miezan) 5 (+arguments)
Living Language (High Miezan) 3 (+magical texts)
Profession (scribe) 1 (+copying) 
Swim 3 (+rivers) 
Valirinum Lore 2 (+Eriksmont)

Academic Abilities
Artes Liberales 2 (+logic) 
Imperial Law 1 (+taxes)
Medicine 3 (+anatomy)
Philosophae 1 (+justifying what you wanted to do anyway)
Theology 1 (+grandma's various heresies)

Magical Abilities
Magic Theory 2 (+esoteric trivia)

Supernatural Abilities
Magic Sensitivity 1 

Petronian Arts (unopened)
Creo 4
Intellego 1
Animal 2
Corpus 3
Herbam 1

Powers and Aspects
???: [locked]

Status Effects
???: [locked]

Virtues
The Gift
You have the innate potential to become a mage. You have yet to associate with a particular school of magic, though you have picked up some Petronian theory here and there. 
Great Intelligence
You may raise any Characteristic that already has a score of at least +3 by one point, to no more than +5. You may take this Virtue twice for the same Characteristic, and for more than one Characteristic. With this Virtue, your Intelligence is raised to +4. 
Inventive Genius
Invention comes naturally to you. You receive +3 on Lab Totals when you invent new spells, craft magic items, and make potions. If you experiment, you get +6.
Magic Sensitivity
You are often able to identify a place or object as magical. However, your sensitivity makes you more susceptible to magical effects: subtract your Magic Sensitivity score from all magic resistance rolls you make. Choosing this Virtue confers the Ability Magic Sensitivity 1. 
Learn from Mistakes
Being totally green has its perks. When you botch or barely fail a task, you will sometimes gain experience in an associated Ability or Art. 

Flaws
Hedge Wizard
Because you are an outsider who is neither bound to the army nor properly apprenticed, other magi distrust you, and more importantly, grant you no respect. You start with a negative Reputation within the Petronian Orders. 
Rigid Magic
Due to your lack of proper training in the Petronian style, you cannot use vis when you cast spells. Thus, you cannot increase your spell rolls with vis, or cast Ritual magic. You can still use vis in the laboratory, if you manage to find either vis or a laboratory. Good luck with that. 

Info/Characteristics
Intelligence: You are very smart. Congratulations on this entirely unearned accomplishment. Don't let it go to your head. 
Perception: You are reasonably perceptive, but easily distracted by shiny interesting things. You will notice someone calling your name, most of the time, even if you probably won't register the first sentence they utter after doing so. 
Presence: You are more noticeable than average; people will tend to pay attention to you, whether you want them to or not. 
Communication: You are socially awkward, laughably gullible, and not particularly good at making yourself understood. You can still manage not to offend people most of the time if you're actually trying. 
Strength: You are reasonably fit, and stronger than most civilians. If you put all your effort into striking someone, it will hurt. (If you use a weapon, it'll probably only hurt them.)
Stamina: You have slightly more endurance and resilience than average, and are correspondingly better at enduring the stresses of magical casting. You are moderately resistant to disease. 
Dexterity: You are reasonably agile. You can wield a weapon without putting out your eye, and maybe even hit something with it. 
Quickness: Your reflexes and ability to think on your feet are solidly average. 

That is a lot of text.

At first all he can register is that there's a lot of text and he looks around to see if there's any sort of obvious cause but upon seeing nothing but his relatively modest room he decides to read it before doing anything else. If a proper mage has gone to the trouble of sending him such a long message with a spell he's never heard of before, not that he's heard of that many spells, he figures it's probably not a trap, he's just not that important.

The text about being a piece in the God's games is a worrying start but on the other hand he has always yearned for more than this small village maybe this isn't just a trick and it's a path to being something like that.

The summary of his attributes and skills is a little hard to understand without context but the relative levels of his skills do seem about right. It adds at least a little plausibility to this being accurate.

Him being best at using philosophy to argue for  what he wanted to do sounds like something Jen would say.

The description of his Virtues starts to make things more concrete. He's pretty pleased with being termed an inventive genius. Honestly more pleased than the more general claim about playing on the same board as the gods.

The Flaws... don't actually seem that bad, hopefully with time he'll be able to work past those.

The explanation of his characteristics is a bit of a mixed bag. It absolutely hurts to be called laughably gullible but... he has fallen for some things over the years and he tends to get focused to the point of missing the obvious so that also fits.

Now he needs to figure out if this is one more lie someone is trying to make him fall for. And his best chance to figure that out is Jen.

Jennifer Wolling, or Jen to her grandson and friends is still fairly spry in her old age but it takes her a bit to get out of bed in the morning. She's really quite surprised when Alex bursts into her room so early.

"Jen something really weird has happened. There's this giant wall of text floating in front of me and it's saying a lot. I'm not really sure what it means or if I should believe it."

Jen can see no such thing, but she remembers the wide variety of what magic can accomplish from her time closer to the capital. The same 'accomplishments' that took her daughter from her. She shakes her head slightly but firmly.

"What exactly are you seeing? You said it's a lot of text can you read it to me?"

"Of, course." And he does he pauses occasionally in case she wants to interrupt.

But she doesn't. Her face shows off her shifts between confusion, intrigue and concern as the text goes on. It's clear Alex isn't just making this up. "I think we need to take this seriously and also to learn more if we can. Does anything happen if you try to touch it?"

"I haven't tried, I wanted to ask you first just in case especially with what it said about me being gullible." He reaches out and tries to touch the blue rectangle.

His hand passes through the rectangle without resistance. He gets a new popup, though.

Available Commands
Status: Show or hide status shade. That's the big blue box with all the stuff. You'll get used to it.
Quests: Show or hide quest shade. 
Inventory: Show or hide inventory shade. 
Info [Topic]: Show or hide detailed description of [topic], if available. Valid topics include, but are not limited to: Quests, Inventory, Advancement, and specific Abilities, Arts, Characteristics, Virtues, or Flaws. 

Huh, well that's something. He reads out the new box to Jen. Then he tries it out by saying "Status," to hide the annoying box and "Quests," to start on learning more.

Conveniently, reading it aloud doesn't trigger anything. On command, the Status shade vanishes and a new one appears.

Active Quests

The First Time's Always the Hardest
Trouble is coming to Eriksmont. Will you meet it when it does?
Objective: Survive for a year and a day. Time remaining: 369 days 17 hours 20 minutes 53 seconds
Success: +5 Might XP. Unlock [???]. ???
Failure: An important lesson. Unlock [???]. ???
Bonus Objective 1: Jennifer is still alive after a year and a day. ???
Bonus Objective 2: ???

The "seconds" number is ticking down steadily.

"Faex!" He rereads the text once to be sure it says what he thought it does but can't quite bring himself to read it out and make it more real.

"What are you seeing? I can't see what you're seeing so I can't help if you don't tell me."

He takes a deep breath and reads it out. "Reading it for a third time I'm noticing that it thinks I'll survive dying somehow. And also there's something about this being the first time. Hmm, the gods are immortal so if I'm supposed to be able to play on their field maybe that means the same for me somehow. Not that I'm eager to test it."

"Or it's as you suggested and someone is just playing a cruel joke on you. You should try more of those commands."

"Yeah, it's just hard to keep that in mind or fathom why they would want to." He closes "Quests" and opens "Inventory."

Inventory (Level 1)

[Empty]

Info/Inventory

You can store objects in your Inventory shade. You may store one object per Inventory rank. At level 1, you may store a single small object (Size -8 or less). If you have a bonded object, such as a staff or talisman, it always counts as small enough to store in your Inventory. As a general rule, living creatures not already in stasis may not be placed into Inventory. 

Inventory Commands
Store: Place held object into your Inventory shade, if there is space available.
Retrieve [object]: Restore [object] from Inventory shade to corporeal form.

Additional functionality may be unlocked at higher Inventory levels. 

"I think it gave me something like a spell." He reaches over and grabs a quill Jen has on her bedroom desk and then says "Store."

The quill vanishes in a wisp of black smoke.

Inventory (Level 1)

Jen's quill

"It worked! Retrieve Jen's Quill."

There's another tendril of black smoke (?) from nowhere, and then Alex is holding the quill. It seems unchanged by the ordeal.

"Incredible."

"It is I've only heard of one sort of magic that's supposed to be anything like this and it's supposed to be out of reach of everyone but archmages."

"Well that's certainly an escalation in how seriously we need to take this all. I still can't read what you're seeing though. Read it all out for me."

Alex does. "And that makes me wonder about: Info Advancement."

Info/Advancement

You can improve your talents by earning experience points (XP), completing Quests, or acting the part of a hero or villain out of legend. 

By default, XP accrues to your Abilities and magical Arts through practice, study, and learning from books or teachers, with the amount of XP determined by the breadth, depth, and intensity of practice and by the Quality of the source(s) from which you study. In other words, you get better at what you practice, just like anyone else. 

As the Player of Games, you are unusually advantaged in your ability to learn and grow without limit, and you may occasionally discover a way to access skills and talents normally restricted by birth or circumstance. Use these secrets well.

As a prospective Named, you also have a Might score, though currently your ability to use Might is sharply limited. XP accrues to your Might as you follow in the footsteps of the mighty who came before, impose your will upon Creation, or seize power that once belonged to another. But be warned; those who entangle themselves in Fate find that the strings pull both ways. To be Named is to be a character in a story, with all that is entailed thereby. 

When Alex is done reading, another shade appears unprompted. 

There Is Always a Choice

Congratulations! You have completed the tutorial content! The important bits, anyway. 

Here's the thing: You don't have to go any farther than this. You can always reject a Name, and the power and entanglements that come with it, although doing so is not wholly without cost. 

The Game goes on, whether or not you play it. Should you refuse this power, the deeds you would do with its aid will go undone, for good or ill. The troubles of the world will remain; and although they will be less inclined to treat you, specifically, as a fulcrum on which Fate turns, nor shall you enjoy any special protection from them.

What say you, Alexandr Lustig? 

Accept / Decline

A tendril of shadow snakes around the border of the last two words. 

He gasps a little when it mentions him becoming a Named. In a sense it was implied but not even all archmages have Names. He blinks briefly when the other window appears and blows out his cheeks when he reaches the end. He reads it all out to Jen and then he says. "I'm pretty sure I have to accept. There's no guarantee that whatever is supposed to kill me at the end of the year won't still happen if I say no."

"If we grant that it's being truthful I agree with you. But the games of the Named... they're the sorts of people who might do something as elaborate as this as a deception. I don't see why they'd offer you the chance to decline though."

"That sounds like I should accept in either case, if someone is playing games with me I doubt they'll take it well if I call their bluff. And if this is real... It's a risky choice but it's also the opportunity of a lifetime."

Jen nods slowly. "I'm worried about all the implications there especially about the influences of fate and the narrative, but if I'm being honest I would do the same thing if I got that offer."

"Right then. I Accept."

By resolving to become the Player of Games in truth, and taking your first step on the road to becoming a legendary hero and/or villain, you have gained 1 Might XP! (Might 0: 1/5 to next level) 

It should go without saying that it only gets harder from here. 

It does, actually, feel faintly like something has solidified in Alex.

He feels a brief moment of doubt at it saying things will only get harder but he's committed, and a large part of him relishes the challenge. "Apparently I'm a fifth of the way to my first milestone on the path to being Named." He reads the whole message just in case there's something important he missed.

"Whatever that means."

He nods. Hmm, what is important to get info on first. He'll go through it all eventually but priorities. "Info Quests."

Info/Quests

Fate loves agency, but She's not above sweetening the deal. Sometimes, you will receive a unique opportunity to accomplish something of note for an appropriate and commensurate reward: coin, XP, Reputation, items, rare spells or Abilities, and even large-scale consequences to others might be among the stakes of any given venture. Of course, not every consequence of your actions will be listed among the details. You'll have to discover the rest for yourself. 

Quests may be started in a variety of ways, but it helps to leave the house.

He'll read this one out as well. He had been planning on just trying to get info for all the things he can find on the status screen but maybe he shouldn't get quite that focused quite that quickly.

That can be something to do in the evenings or when he happens to be free during the day. A year isn't actually that long all things being equal. He conveys this reasoning to Jen.

"I don't remember everything but I'm inclined to agree nothing jumped out at me. Maybe you can use it to learn more about magic though. That seems like one of the faster paths to advancement."

"Of course!" A part of him wants to start on that immediately but he resists the urge and instead gives Jen a kiss and goes off to do his morning chores. He'll read more over breakfast.

Dawn creeps over the horizon as Alex works, loudly announced (again) by Ser Peckingsworth. 

A few others are up and about as well. Edmund, a young farmhand working for the Lucius family, waves cheerfully. "Mornin', Mister Alex! You goin' to the festival today?"

The Festival of Asteron is a longstanding tradition in Eriksmont and a few surrounding villages, dating back to before the Miezan Empire conquered and enslaved the local populace. It's not as grand as the summer celebrations, nor as bounteous as the autumn harvest, but it has remained stubbornly popular nevertheless. There's a blessing of homes and ploughs, a burning of incense to the ancestors, and a mock battle between costumed monsters. 

These rites are grudgingly tolerated by the Empire, officially because it isn't worth the effort to stamp them out, and unofficially because the last several times the Empire tried, they started right back up again a few years later.

In the last few years, recruiters for the Imperial army have been taking advantage of the festival-driven surge in population to make their pitch to as many people as possible. (Imperator Khale is said to have abolished or at least restricted conscription, but he's off campaigning across the Beluic Sea, now, and who knows when or if he'll be back.)

He had actually forgotten that was today with all the events of this morning but his mysterious benefactor did encourage him to get out of the house in order to succeed. "Of course."

"I'm excited to meet the foreigners!* I heard there's even a wizard in town this year." 

* i.e. anyone who lives more than fifty miles away. 

A new quest is available! 

Party Like There's No Tomorrow

Eriksmont is not famous for very many things, but the town does know how to celebrate. Many find it an excellent opportunity to mingle.

Objectives:
- Have a drink at the tavern, like a proper adventurer. (+1 Carouse XP)
- Meet folk from out of town. (0/10) (+1 Folk Ken XP)
- Attend the afternoon and evening festivities. (0/4) (+1 Carouse XP, +1 Magic Sensitivity XP) 
Success: Several new connections to pursue. +2 Might XP. 
Failure: ???

Accept quest?

Well he was going to go to the festivities anyway... the bit about failing worries him but hopefully it won't be anything bad. He'll mutter "Accept" to see if that works. Some other time he'll need to see if he can do things without speaking somehow.

To Edmond he'll try to pass off his surprise as just being about what he said. "Wow, I'll have to see if I can meet them then."

That does make the translucent blue shade go away, yes. 

"I hope I get to see them too!" Edmund grins, then excuses himself to go about his own chores.

As much as part of him wants to depart for the tavern immediately he still isn't quite finished with his chores and even if he plans to break his fast at the tavern it would be polite to let Jen know first. So he'll finish his chores and then tell Jen about the quest before putting on some nicer clothes to make a good impression and picking up the purse with the money he saved up so he could use it at the festival.

Jen's property sits just at the edge of town, at the base of the hill from the wooden gates that guard Eriksmont. It borders the town's sprawling outbuildings to the west, the Lucius farm to the east, and the public road known as Via Janus to the north. To the south, past a few more buildings and farmsteads, is the river Cabelpas, ever winding its long and lazy journey to the sea.

Nothing much disturbs Alex while he's getting ready, though he can see people heading into town along Via Janus already. He does overhear some excited chatter from the farmhands next door about a goat. 

Well then he'll depart without too much delay. It's always great to see how cheerful people are on Festival day.