BlackwaterDnD

Adam:
Welcome to BlackwaterDnD, where good friends tell better stories. This series, Sin Eater: Absolution is a miniseries using the Sin Eater system created by Anica Cihla. The Kickstarter for Sin Eater will be available on May 26th, 2025. Much of what you hear Adam say around the ritual of sin eating is read directly from the sourcebook. This series is proudly sponsored by Hero Forge & Hunter’s Entertainment. For this story, the Sin Eater will be played by the wonderfully talented Jess Lupini, and I, Adam Lucas, will be acting as her journal.

Content warnings include: themes of death // desecration of a corpse // gore // misophonia // religious undertones // mentions of blood // complex family dynamics // depictions of mental illness // depictions of vomiting // depictions of disease // disordered eating // class inequality // depictions of spirits & the undead // mutilation

The life of a Sin Eater is not always a pleasant one. Regularly confronted as they are with what crawls from the deepest pits of the human soul, each episode may take us to a place that mirrors real world sources of pain and trauma. A list of the topics, themes, and subject matter featured has been included in the episode description. It is important to know that if at any point it becomes too much for you, our listener, and for both of us, Jess and myself, we can take a break - that is an important part of this. Recognizing when we need to step away. After all, the meal that we will prepare here will not spoil until we are ready to return.

Prologue

Adam:
Welcome to the prologue of Sin Eater. We are here to do some character creation, to do some exposition, and to kind of discuss how this podcast project is going to look. With me, joining me is Jess. Hello, Jess! [laughs lightly]

Jess:
Hey, how's it going?

Adam:
For the folks at home, Jess will be our Sin Eater, and I will also be our Sin Eater. I will be playing the role of Jess's eyes and ears, Jess's journal, and Jess's inner monologue. So, we are one in the same person, but serving different functions. To start, this system is intended for a one-person playthrough, but for the sake of, you know, auditory entertainment, we thought having two people playing off of each other might be a bit more dynamic. So, I will be fulfilling kind of the traditional role of the DM or the game master, but in and of itself, I will be fulfilling the role of the senses and the- that little voice in your head that asks those prompting questions. So I will describe things to you as you see them, and I will prompt you with questions of how you feel and how you react to various things. But primarily, this will be essentially a journaling experience, with me being the journal that you are writing to, which is interesting and should be fun. But, yeah, let's start with a little bit of exposition.

Death is broken. The spirits of the dead wander freely beyond the walls of the great cities. The world outside those walls belong to the dead. When a new spirit is formed, cleaving free of mortal flesh, their character remains largely unchanged. But within them rests a kernel, a dangerous mote of something that irritates the soul. It may be a resentment, an ambition, a regret. Some small irritant, like a grain of sand in an oyster. But, rather than forming a beautiful pearl, this focus festers and rots and becomes a singular obsession for the spirit. Eventually all remnants of the person they were in life are gone, and all that remains is a danger to the living. To prevent this from happening, there are people known as Soul Tenders. These professionals are employed to ministrate over the recently dead, and to tend to the soul so that it evaporates, rather than continue. These Soul Tenders are employed by the government and are directly tied to the church, and in the act of soul tending, you learn the secrets of the soul. And so there is a dark side to the coin of soul tending, a underbelly to this world, as some families don't want the secrets of their families known. So instead of going through the official channels, and hiring a soul tender to do things safely and correctly, they instead hire a Sin Eater. A person who is from the dregs of society, who can be trusted not to share anything that they might learn in the course of their duties, and who are often hired by singular families, and paid off for their silence. But sin eating is a… Imperfect process. Soul tending is something that has been perfected, and the people who do it are highly trained. Sin Eaters tend to be people who are desperate enough to take on the risk. Jess, you are a Sin Eater. You are a Sin Eater within the city of Shura, a walled and warded city of the living. At this point, I think, we are going to start a little bit of character creation. So, we are going to start, I believe at the genesis. We are going to start with your epithet. So if you could roll me 2d6,

Jess:
Okay.

Adam:
And your reputation precedes you, a warning of the wickedness to follow. We will learn what your epithet is with a roll of 2d6.

[dice hit the table]

Jess:
They are both twos.

Adam:
Four. Okay, so what is your character's name?

Jess:
My character's name is Caradog.

Adam:
Caradog?

Jess:
Caradog.

Adam:
So you are Caradog of Barley and Bile.

Jess:
Mmm. Terrifying. Barley and Bile.

Adam:
Barley and Bile. And I will ask… Can you provide me the story of why you received this epithet, why you received ‘of Barley and Bile’ as your title as a Sin Eater?

Jess:
Mmmm. I, once upon a time, was born into a very poor family where ancient traditions clung to our lineage, and barley was the only crop that grew in our lands. But, a blight destroyed first the crops, and then eventually took my family, and… There was simply nothing left, but some dried barley and the bile of the dead.

Adam:
And, an important question in this world is, when your family died, were they afforded the ministrations of a Soul Tender?

Jess:
No.

Adam:
So their spirits wander freely within the world somewhere out there?

Jess:
No Soul Tender, no Sin Eater. Their spirits are certainly not resting, and certainly not of themselves.

Adam:
Okay. Is there a sigil or a crest associated with this title?

Jess:
I think a plow and a bone, parallel.

Adam:
Okay. Amazing. So, with this title, we will move on from names and we'll move to something more tangible. Your traits. Born, bestowed, bequeathed. I would like you to roll a d6 to learn how you move through this world or how this world has moved through you.

Jess:
Okay. [dice hit the table] That's a one.

Adam:
Okay. You bear intricate ritual scars across your neck, your face, and your hands. Once, they despised you for them. Now, these marks delineate you as worthy of respect. Why this change? What happened?

Jess:
The blight that rotted the crops that eventually poisoned my family, also poisoned me, and left me with oozing painful sores all over my body, concentrated around the eyes. And while they have healed, they've left behind strange pockmarked scars, which, as I picked at over the years, have augmented in an almost obsessive way. They've grown and created these strange halos around my eyes. They mark me as someone who walked close to death.

Adam:
Amazing, so you have these, kind of concentric rings of scars around your eyes.

Jess:
Mhmm.

Adam:
Fantastic. At this point, we can roll a d6 or we can choose. We have moved on to gender.

Jess:
Mmm!

Adam:
What of your gender? So, would you like to roll a d6 or would you like to choose?

Jess:
Let's roll a d6.

Adam:
Amazing.

[dice hit the table]

Jess:
That is a five.

Adam:
Five. The souls of men and women have passed through you in equal measure, and oh, what detritus they have left behind. So, you are a soul of any and all genders.

Jess:
Mmm.

Adam:
At a certain point, having eaten the sins of so many people, it's sometimes hard to tell where you begin and the souls of the dead end.

Jess:
Absolutely, I think I've lost myself in them.

Adam:
Amazing. And so, Caradog of Barley and Bile, I would like you to write your name down.

Jess:
Okay. Caradog of Barley and Bile.

Adam:
Okay. The written records serve many purposes. I am your journal. But the question remains, who am I for? For whom do you chronicle? You can roll a d6 or flip a coin.

[dice hit the table]

Jess:
I rolled a one.

Adam:
So you are writing for your disciples, slash, successors.

Jess:
Mmm.

Adam:
If you wouldn't mind rolling or flipping a coin once more?

Jess:
Yep. [dice hit the table] I roll a four this time.

Adam:
A four, odd. Do- Sorry, even. [chuckles] Do you journal all of your ritual meals, or is there something about… Something about this family that you are about to serve that compels you to commit it to paper?

Jess:
I keep a detailed journal of every single meal I consume, because I have learned as I have lost my gender, my family name, and most of what made me, me. In the only times that I was ever happy, I've learned that it is very easy to lose anything of oneself. Including one's memories, as a Sin Eater. And so, if I do not commit it to paper, it is not as if it has ever happened.

Adam:
The boundary between self and soul, kind of wearing thin through the, ah, activity of sin eating. A question on your disciples…

Jess:
Mmm.

Adam:
Do you have a disciple? Or are you writing for the hope of the future that someone might find your writings? Who are you writing for?

Jess:
The city of Shura, does it have… A, a large number of folks who are not very well off?

Adam:
Yes.

Jess:
Yeah.

Adam:
There is a particularly large district in Shura, known as The Lanes. It's a slum of alleys. It is a very populated area of the city.

Jess:
The Lanes?

Adam:
The Lanes.

Jess:
The Lanes. I think, I mean, I think that's probably where I've resided for a large portion of my life. And, I would imagine… I know a young boy, with no family there. And he has nothing and no one. I hope to one day give him something.

Adam:
Amazing. And how much of yourself do you reveal in your writing?

Jess:
Altogether too much.

Adam:
Okay, and finally, what are the consequences of that?

Jess:
I know that when I do pass along these notes, I will cease to be. I've committed my spirit and soul to paper, and while I hold it, while I possess it, I can still maintain that link. But, I believe with all my heart that when I pass this along, I too will pass.

Adam:
Then that opens us up to an interesting question. Caradog, when you do pass, is your plan to have this young boy- does this young boy have a name?

Jess:
Gruffold.

Adam:
Gruffold?

Jess:
Yep.

Adam:
Is your plan for when you pass to have Gruffold attend your sins?

Jess:
He must.

Adam:
The weight of that is… Special. But heavy and dark. You are trusting Gruffold not only with your skills, but with your sins. And with the sins of every soul that you have ever attended. And that is a heavy burden to pass on.

Jess:
I would not pass it on to somebody who I did not feel already had a heavy burden to bear. This will be a drop in the bucket.

Adam:
Absolutely. But speaking of that burden, what of your own transgressions? After all, why would a pure soul choose to become the wretched sumter of the sins? So, we will be rolling on the sins tables, and we'll be rolling 1d6 for a major sin, 1d6 for a minor sin, and 1d6 for a modern sin. So, if you could roll, let's work backwards, if you could roll 1d6 for modern sin.

Jess:
Okay. [dice hits the table] It’s a two.

Adam:
Parasociality. You find yourself forming parasocial relationships. How do those manifest?

Jess:
Mmm…

Adam:
And to whom are they directed toward?

Jess:
When I enter a home, and meet the family of someone who has recently passed, I outwardly… Act as if I am an outsider, but inside my mind I create elaborate fantasies as to how I may have fit in with this family, and been loved and cared for and, on my death, worthy of spending some money or resources, or even if it's just a crust of bread on, absolving me of my sins.

Adam:
Okay. And to give context of this world, because I realize that parasociality is a very modern sin. We rolled on the modern sins table. To give context of the era, it is an equivalent to like Victorian era London, where the poor are very poor and the rich are very rich. And there is a divide that is… Uncrossable between them. If you would like to roll a d6 for your minor sins.

Jess:
Absolutely. [dice hit the table] Also a two.

Adam:
A two! Banality.

Jess:
Hmm.

Adam:
You are, to your core, fairly unoriginal. How does that manifest in your day to day?

Jess:
So many of the thoughts that pass through my mind, I do not trust as my own, I believe to be those of others.

Adam:
Interesting!

Jess:
And so, I... Whenever I have an idea of something I want to do for myself, I am forced to assume that it is not mine.

Adam:
Okay. Incredible. I will also add a minus in. This is not rolled, this just is, given the nature of what you do, you practice blasphemy almost on a daily occurrence.

Jess:
Mmm. Absolutely.

Adam:
By being a Sin Eater, you act directly in opposition of the teachings of the church. The church is… The church and the government are almost one and the same in this world.

Jess:
Mmhmm.

Adam:
Because of this relationship to death, and because of this broken afterlife, there is no denying that there is some tangible soul. You see it every day when someone dies and they are not administered to, their soul appears without the confines of the walls. It's a direct proof of the existence of a higher state. But not everyone is willing to kowtow to the teachings of the church, to the laws of the church. And so you find yourself in the position of a Sin Eater, which in and of itself is blasphemous. And so, I will add to that sin to you. That is a sin that is inherent in what we do here.

Jess:
Mmhmm.

Adam:
And lastly, I would like you to roll a d6 or choose a major sin.

Jess:
Hmm. Okay, I’m gonna roll. I’m enjoying the rolling. [dice hit the table] It's a five.

Adam:
You, punitive hatred towards, an innocent perhaps? Or an obsessive or all-consuming vitriol, your major sin is wrath. How does it manifest? How does it present?

Jess:
When I lost everything, when my family lost everything, and then I lost them, it felt wrong that we should be the only ones to face such tragedy. I first reacted in fear, then anger and hatred, and I carried the blighted barley to the neighboring fields, separated from our land by a large waterway, an enormous rushing river, and I crossed it over the river. And I seeded the neighboring land with blight. I destroyed acres and acres of farmland. With one act of rage, and a handful of poisoned barley.

Adam:
[releases a heavy breath] Okay! [vocalized sigh] Incredible. Yeah, I love that. You… You took what had laid you low, and in an act of selfish rage, you shared it. Incredible. So, we now know the depths and breadths of Caradog, of Barley and Bile. Are there any other things that you feel are important to discuss about this character, about this person that we will share during this journey, during this...

Jess:
Hmm. [sighs] I think Caradog does not know why they do what they do anymore. They feel like some sort of mechanical automaton, moving from house to house, from soul to soul, not knowing whether they eat sin for selfishness, or, some need to absolve them of their own sins, or simply… To find the next meal, but there is a complete lack of understanding of their own behavior.

Adam:
Okay. That almost leans into the banality,

Jess:
Mmm.

Adam:
Where it’s… It’s… Are your thoughts your own? And even more so in this story, because they are not, your thoughts are mine. It leads to a question of control, of personhood. Where does the line end? Where do you begin? And where do your sins change you beyond recognition?

Jess:
I believe that none of us are in control, and the only difference between you and I, is that I have come to accept that fact.

Adam:
Amazing. So, finally, we come to your latest employment. You have been employed by the Evagrius family. And that in and of itself is something of a surprise to you. You have administered to a lot of well-to-do houses. Those that can afford to pay under the table, and flout the laws of the church, but the Evagrius family is singular in its renown, and its respect. Within Shura, there is no family quite as prominent or as powerful as the House of Evagrius. So even in the hiring of you, there are questions that are raised within you. What secrets could this house hold? What hidden dark sins are worth risking the souls of their family just to avoid the Soul Tenders reporting? In these next seven episodes, we will explore the relationship between Caradog of Barley and Bile and the House of Evagrius, as over the years, Caradog tends to the dead of this household. But for now, this prologue comes to a close, as there is nothing more to discuss, there is just meals to prepare, and souls to tend. Thank you for listening.

Adam:
Sin Eater: Absolution is performed by Jess Lupini and Adam Lucas. Special thanks to our campaign artist, Cenzi, who you can find as @cenzi03 on Instagram. Music and effects by Epidemic Sound and Si Rutherford. For more stories, come follow us everywhere at @blackwaterdnd, and make sure to check out our Main Campaign on Monday nights at 8pm PST at twitch.tv/blackwaterdnd. This show is made possible by our sponsors who support us and allow us to tell the stories we want to share. We are grateful to be sponsored by Hero Forge, who offer fully customizable miniatures made with their online 3D character creator! Head on over and design your own Sin Eater, and get them printed in a variety of materials, including colour printing options! With new content added each week, check out www.heroforge.com to start bringing your character to life! We would also like to thank our sponsor Hunter’s Entertainment. Hunter's Entertainment is a premier purveyor of tabletop RPGs and board games, providing amazing alternative systems for whatever setting or scenario you want to bring to the table. With titles like Kids on Bikes, Alice is Missing, God's of Metal: Ragnarok, and of course, Sin Eater, Hunter's brings beautifully written & designed books to dive into with your players. Check them out at huntersentertainment.com and sink your teeth into something new. Finally, we’re thankful for our Patrons for joining us on our first adventure within Shura. You too can come join us on Patreon, where you can check out behind the scenes info, our talkback show Chatwater, as well as exclusive Sin Eater bonus content and so much more. Head on over to patreon.com/blackwaterdnd for all the info. Thank you for listening, stay hungry and be safe.