The people of Black Brine know the rattle of dice and the gleam of crows as well as the toll of the harbor bells. Every tavern worth its salt keeps a Crow’s Chance board tucked beneath the counter, and sailors whisper that some boards are older than the city itself. They say the stone rings were carved in ages past when Sedna and the Hollow Goddess still warred, and that the boards themselves remember those battles.
Sit at the slab and the game comes alive. The circle glows faintly, and the crows—the bone-white and the jet-black—settle into their nests at the rim of the board. One of each player’s crows is marked by the enchantment, though no mortal knows which; that token is a bluff, a hollow bird meant to deceive. Not even the player who owns it knows until the right moment. Thus every match carries mystery, no matter how seasoned the gambler.
The game begins with a declaration: “Bone takes the first flight.” The dice are rolled in the circle’s heart, their tumble bright for all to see. The player chooses a crow to move the count shown. Crows fly clockwise around the board. Land upon a foe, and you may snatch them from the stone. But beware—strike a bluff, and it bursts to nothing, its worth spilling into the pot. Only the true crows can claim the Roost, the golden crown etched at the twelfth space. A bluff that reaches the Roost is cast back to the start, its hollowness revealed.
There is an old saying on the docks: “A crow’s wings are fortune’s whim.” A daring soul may declare All-or-Nothing, rolling a single die before their move to strike blindly at an enemy. Sometimes a bold gamble wins the pot in a heartbeat. Other times, it leaves you with nothing but echoes.
Victory comes when one of your real crows reaches the Roost, or when every crow of your rival has been swept from the board. When the game ends, the board itself proclaims the victor with a shower of coin-clinks and a shimmer of light: “Obsidian takes the pot! Twenty-four gold!” The crowd roars, mugs are slammed, and the tales of another Crow’s Chance match ripple across the Black Brine night.