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Character Death

On Duskara, people die. Sometimes it's meaningful. Sometimes it's not. Either way, it's part of the story.

When Death Occurs

A character dies when the fiction calls for it. There are no special conditions, no dramatic requirements, no exceptions for plot armor. If a failed roll in a dangerous situation means the character doesn't survive, then they don't survive.

This can happen:

  • Mid-mission, in the middle of nothing important
  • Quietly, without fanfare
  • Anticlimactically, without a final speech
  • From simple mistakes or bad luck
  • In ways that feel wrong or unfair

All of these are valid. The fiction doesn't care about narrative timing.

The Character Is Gone

When a character dies, they're gone. There's no resurrection, no last-minute save, no retcon because the timing felt off.

Acknowledge it simply: "Your character dies here."

Then the facilitator and table move forward.

Their Impact Remains

Even though the character is gone, what they did matters:

  • Relationships persist — Other characters remember them, grieve them, or carry obligations they left behind
  • Consequences continue — Projects the character started affect the world. Promises made shape what comes next
  • Legacy — The settlement remembers them. They changed people. They left marks on Duskara
  • Unfinished business — Other characters might pursue the dead character's Goals, or struggle with their unresolved Nemeses

The character may be absent, but their presence in the story doesn't disappear.

Next Scene: A New Character

Usually immediately, sometimes after a brief moment, a new character joins the story. They might be:

  • Someone the group knew and who was already present
  • A new arrival to the settlement
  • Someone stepping into a role the dead character left empty
  • A completely different person with different Goals and connections

There's no mechanical cost or delay. The world keeps moving. People die on Duskara, and life continues.