The Beast Fears Fire - Goblin Fruit

Goblin Fruit [Hardship]

Impulse – Tempt. No one is really sure if goblin fruit came with the goblins to the underworld or if it was already there when the goblins arrived, and I'm not sure it really matters. What matters is that goblins can eat it and you cannot. That's not going to stop your from trying, or, if you can stop you from trying, it's not going to stop you from wanting to. Honestly, it's equally plausible that goblin fruit is the food of the underworld, meant for the dead and that human attraction to it is based on a morbid longing for death, or that it's something related to the goblins and its fascination is just another one of those goblin things. The act of study, where goblin fruit is concerned, requires an iron will and regular doses of emetics, and even that isn't always sufficient.

Goblin fruit takes the form of just about any fruit you can think of, including ones that could never grow in or last a voyage to Crickton. And that's just the beginning; there are roast chicken fruits, grilled fish fruits, bread fruits (as opposed to breadfruits), cake fruits, just about anything you can think of. Goblins eat this stuff without a problem (though they tend to prefer even decidedly unappetizing things on the surface to goblin fruit), but humans who do either break a taboo that invokes a curse down on them or takes in a huge dose of incidental magic and it fucks them right up.

Harm – Moderator Happy Time. You won't ever mistake goblin fruit. It's not something you can hide in a dish or pass off as something it's not, unless you are a hobgoblin and you canned or pickled it (no one knows how they manage). Eating it brings a strong magical effect down on you, one that is unpredictable and can range from merely inconvenient to extremely dangerous. Goblin fruit is supernaturally attractive to humans, the Threshold on how attractive being set by the amount of goblin fruit and the presentation. An apple might not require a move at all, while a massive banquet set for you in the great halls of the underworld when you are already starving could manage a threshold of 5.

Yummy yummy yummy, I have... uh oh.
When goblin fruit is presented to you in sufficient quantities, face Hardship.
On a Hit, you don't have to eat, but I'll give you an Insight if you do.
On a Hard Hit, you don't have to eat, and I'll give you an Insight.
On a Miss, you chow down, unless someone else takes violent action to stop you, and I get to make a goblin fruit Move.

Goblin fruit causes all sorts of unpredictable effects on the people who eat them. Some common ones (enchanted slumber, death), are weak sauce to use on players, so both of those two are out. That aside this is a free pass to be as Gygaxian as you want in applying weirdness to the lives of the eaters (some old school chestnuts, like changing the character's biological sex [or gender, or sexual orientation] are things you ought to discuss and make sure that everyone is comfortable with it at the table. Don't be an asshole.]. Some common and/or fun ones are as follows.You gain the Addict trait (for goblin fruit) and cannot refresh Strength from your other Traits until you resolve your curse.You turn into a goblin. You remain you psychologically and in terms of capabilities, but you resemble a goblin. If you don't manage to get out of your goblinhood in a fortnight, you become one psychologically as well.All table chatter and out of character talking is something your character hears, as well as any background noise. Some of the catchiest songs in Crickton are the result of someone eating goblin fruit.I get to ask you three questions, as if you Missed facing Ignorance and you get to answer them honestly. I get to use that knowledge against you any time I want.I get to ask you one question, as if you Missed facing Ignorance, and you get to choose someone else to answer it for you. That answer becomes canon, even if it was not before.You attract the attention of a cruelty of man, traditionally a harpy, but doesn't have to be.Perils that can only be resolved by curing the goblin fruit curse are possible as well, but less fun.

You are what you eat.

Goblins brew a beer that washes the taste of goblin fruit out of your mouth, so to speak. It's not hard to come by in the goblin market, but goblins know when someone is hurting because of goblin fruit and therefore you can expect some truly extortionate prices. Witches and priests usually know a ritual or two which can help with the effects (usually requiring facing Malevolence for the ritualist and/or Hardship for the victim), but the beer is probably your best bet, as it doesn't require a Move.

Victims of goblin fruit can eat all the goblin fruit they want without further ill effect, but they will find it is minimally nutritious at best. Though I have been saying “human” all this time, all natural born sapients (humans, rukh, great wolves, shape changers, etc.) are susceptible to the lure and the sting of goblin fruit.