Bonds

A Bond is a separate element of character creation. It connects your character to the world through an unresolved obligation, debt, promise, secret, person, place, past event, or supernatural circumstance.

A Bond is not a Life Path and does not replace an Omen.

Roll d20 or choose a suitable result.

d20	Bond
1	You inherited an old belt with a metal buckle from a deceased relative, along with a debt your family preferred not to discuss. Recently, a stranger recognised the buckle and spoke of that debt. Now you want to find out whom your relative owed and why.
2	Many years ago, your family left a winter settlement the elders forbade you to speak of. Before dying, one of them told you its former name and asked you to return there. When you once repeated that name in an outsider's presence, the stranger replied: “They are still waiting for you there.”
3	You wear a coin necklace (Petty) that belonged to someone dear to you who once vanished in the steppe. Their trail was lost long ago, but you are certain they are still alive. Sometimes you meet people who seem to recognise the necklace.
4	In an old burial mound, you found a smooth piece of rock crystal (Petty). At sunset, looking through it sometimes reveals the distant outlines of a place that is not actually before you. At times, you can see movement within those outlines.
5	You once saved a traveller from dying beside a dried-up well. Before parting, they gave you a silver pendant (Petty) and told you to show it at any large caravanserai if you needed help. You do not know who will respond to this sign.
6	During a harsh winter, a neighbouring clan shared its last supplies with your family and helped you survive the cold. Your elders believed that debt had long been repaid. But recently, someone from that clan came to you and said: “Now we need help.”
7	Two clans once shared a spring and the road leading to it. After an old quarrel, the route was closed, and the reasons for the feud have almost been forgotten. Before dying, an elder relative asked you to uncover the truth and reconcile the clans, if that is still possible.
8	Among your family's belongings, you found an old sealed sheet (Petty), written by someone whose name the clan avoids speaking. It describes a distant country: unfamiliar cities, roads, and huge pyramids of unhewn stone. At the end, it names a winter settlement and says: “If you want to learn where this story came from, come alone.”
9	You owe your life to an influential person and carry their token (Petty). It opens some doors for you, but also reminds you of an unpaid debt. You know that one day this person will demand a favour in return.
10	You once found someone in the steppe who remembered neither their name nor their past. You helped them reach other people, but by morning they had vanished. Recently, another traveller called them by an entirely different name and confidently declared that this person died many years ago.
11	A wandering storyteller told you of a place where “the earth remembers a falling star.” You did not believe them until they left you a piece of tanned hide marked with landmarks (Petty). You have already seen one of those landmarks with your own eyes.
12	On the road, you met a dying hunter. Before dying, they asked you to deliver a sealed letter (Petty) to their loved ones. The letter bears neither a name nor a location — only an unfamiliar sign and an instruction to head north.
13	You once left a wounded animal to die in the steppe. Since then, you sometimes see it in the distance, but only when no one else is around. It does not approach or seem hostile; it appears to be patiently waiting for something from you.
14	As a child, you promised a close friend that one day you would return with a gift no one else possessed. You still wear the bracelet (Petty) they made for you. Years have passed, but you have never fulfilled your promise.
15	Far from the roads, you found a dead traveller and buried them. They carried nothing that could reveal their name except an unusual clan token (Petty). You kept it, hoping to find their loved ones one day and tell them where the traveller lies.
16	Near an ancient burial mound, you found a bone whistle (Petty), half buried in the earth. However often you try to leave it behind, it returns to your belongings. If you blow it in the empty steppe, a quiet answer sometimes comes from afar.
17	An unfamiliar band once saved your family and left you a dried red flower (Petty) as a sign of your debt. You were told to keep it and wait. When the flower turns white, it will be time to find those people and return the favour.
18	A wandering musician stayed in your home for several days, then vanished without saying goodbye. They left a small sybyzgy. Something rattles inside its hollow stem, although the instrument appears intact. You do not know whether it was left behind by accident.
19	In a dream, a white crow flew to you with a small white feather in its beak. When you woke, you found an identical feather (Petty) in your hand. Since then, you have noticed it appear several times in places where something unusual happened soon afterward.
20	One of your ancestors broke an ancient oath, and its consequences still haunt the clan. Their old metal bowl was passed down to you. In still water inside it, you sometimes see not the surroundings, but an unknown place, a person, or an event from the distant past.

Notes

• The table contains exactly 20 results and uses d20.
• A Bond creates an unresolved connection between the character and the world, and a potential foundation for a future Adventure.
• Items marked Petty use the term Petty and occupy 0 Inventory Slots.
• Bond items count toward the total Inventory limit. An item without a special designation occupies 1 slot, including the old belt (No. 1), sybyzgy (No. 18), and metal bowl (No. 20).
• Result No. 8 deliberately leaves the nature of the distant country undefined and contains no direct references to other game worlds.

Basis of Adaptation

The mechanical and structural basis is Bonds (d20) from Cairn 2e Character Creation, CC BY-SA 4.0. DAIRN preserves the table's purpose and d20 format, adapting its specific connections and imagery to the Great Steppe.