Awful & Abhorrent Acts -- a Secrets Generator

 

“The secret to life is honesty and fair dealing. If you can fake that, you’ve got it made.” - Grouch Marx

     Drama cannot exist without a disparity of knowledge. This can be accidental, in the case of misunderstandings or miscommunications. We’re not going to talk about that sort of drama. We’re going to talk about LIES. Most forms of deception are innocuous or personal in scale and won’t fall under the auspice of the table below, the kind of lies useful for writing are the sorts that ruin the life of those they are about, the kind which lead to duels, wars, or other kinds of dramatic happenings.

     To use this table, roll 4d8 and consult the table below.

1d8	What kind of information is being hidden?
1	A long-ranging conspiracy such as a coup, trade cartel, or criminal activity.
2	The details of the death(s) of someone or several people important or vital to the local community.
3	The truth of a mystical secret such as a hidden artifact, style of magic, or some arcane lore.
4	Knowledge of the resting place or prison of a being of world-shattering potency.
5	The true name of a being such as a fiend, celestial, archmage, or dragon.
6	The weakness or vulnerability to a fortress, castle, or other defensive structure.
7	Complex interpersonal drama; this can include infidelity, or matters of inheritance.
8	Something relatively insignificant. Mountains of lies have been told to protect it.

1d8	Who knows?
1	A single person or family line; e.g. a single woman per generation.
2	An entire family or tribe.
3	Some small group, such as the guards of a village, or a ruler’s closest companions.
4	Members of a secular organization such as a trade guild.
5	Members of a particular religious or arcane order.
6	The local elites, or the regional government.
7	Everybody knows. It is an open secret. It is uncouth to speak about openly.
8	Nobody. Everyone who had knowledge of the deception is dead.

1d8	Who’s looking?
1-3	A single individual, driven only by their own inscrutable motives.
4-5	A small group, such as a sworn brotherhood, or a group of elite conspirators.
6-7	A secular organization, such as a magistrate’s office, or a security force.
8	A secret society or some other clandestine group.

1d8	How well has it been kept?
1-2	Turns out, you can keep a secret without everyone being dead. No one knows besides those who are supposed to.
3-4	Some loose ends haven’t been swept up. Determined investigation could turn up some leads.
5-6	A number of clues have either escaped containment, or have simply been made public knowledge. Everyone seems to know a rumor or two.
7-8	It seems like the truth is right there, plain to see. No one has acted on it, why?