Nobody is coming to get you.

Stress that climbs, panic that follows

Every character carries their own stress, and it goes up for the reasons you would expect — the dark, the dying, the thing in the next compartment. When it has to be tested, the check is right there on the sheet.

The table watches it happen together, which is the point. A number creeping upward in front of everyone does more work than any amount of description.

Contracts, payouts, and what it cost

Jobs are tracked between sessions — what was promised, what was actually paid, and who is owed. The money is a pressure, not bookkeeping, so it belongs in the tool rather than in someone’s notebook.