Skullduggery

“I hold it that a little rebellion now and then is a good thing, and as necessary in the political world as storms in the physical.” – Thomas Jefferson, Letter to James Madison, Paris, January 30, 1787

Skullduggery reflects a life lived outside the Old World’s rules. To many, you are someone who refuses to be bound by the rules of society. Some see that as dangerous. Others see it as necessary.

This skill does not mark you as good or bad. At face value, the world sees you as someone who rejects the norms of society. It signals that you operate by a different code, one that can close doors in polite company yet open others in places the old order could never reach. How it is received depends how you choose to use it.

As your skill grows, you gain the benefits of living beyond society’s bounds:

• Underworld Access: Enter spaces closed to the well-mannered.

• Employment Opportunities: Find work that requires cunning, nerve, or a willingness to operate outside polite norms.

• Exploitation of Weakness: Take advantage of gaps in society, using shortcuts or sabotaging regional maintenance to control parts of the map.

• Underworld Language: Speak and understand Gutterspeak, the slang and cant of those who operate outside the reach of polite society. One of the three Skill Languages.

• Hidden Skill Synergies: Discover special interactions with other skills, shaping your character’s abilities to fit your approach.

NOTE: Eloquence and Skullduggery are opposing spheres. You can only have 100% skill between them combined. Actions in one may reduce your standing in the other, and if you try to raise past 50% in one, your skill in the other will automatically drop.

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