Companions

The full companion system: what Companions are, how characters acquire and summon them, and the Mood, Upkeep, and Bonding mechanics that govern the relationship once they're in play.

Companion Booklet

Every Companion a character bonds with needs its own sheet, separate from the Companion Card itself. The Card is fixed and never changes, Name, Role, Rank, Primary and Secondary Abilities, and the exact stat values at each Performance Tier. The Companion Booklet is where everything that can change lives: current Performance Tier, Mood, upkeep history, gifting, Bond Quest progress, and any modifier from a summoning device, saddle, armor, or active buff that shifts the Card's printed values. One sheet per Companion.

Companion Variants

Companions come in many forms, each with unique roles, restrictions, and relationships. They provide support in combat, travel, and exploration, and many carry their own Backgrounds and mission statements. See descriptions below.

• Pets (small or tiny): Rodents, mammals, marsupials, critters and bugs, etc. From most Rare to most Common.
• Guardians: Guardians can be hired by just about any character, but hirelings are not cheap, and expect pay per day. Guardians are like larger pets. Characters can mount them and they can fight by their owners' side. If they're not taken care of, they won't respond. Feed them.
• Angelics (hover): Small supernatural beings that hover at the Character's shoulder, unnervingly close, as if always watching. Angelics span a wide spectrum from radiant to infernal, each with their own appearance, temperament, and alignment. Examples include Cherubs (small radiant winged figures, warm and protective), Imps (small shadowed creatures, mischievous and dark), Wisps (glowing ethereal spirits, neutral and mysterious), Spectrals (ghostly apparitions, cold and unsettling), and Seraphlets (fierce miniature warrior angels, lawful and intense). Many more exist across Essentia. Alignment of the Angelic typically reflects or complements the alignment of the Character they bond with. Cannot be mounted.
• Fellowship (NPCs): Humanoid companions that accompany characters. They provide support and assistance, working closely with their bonded character as they face challenges and explore the game world. Fellowships can also serve as caretakers for other Companions in the Character's absence, managing upkeep, feeding, and daily needs. They may additionally act as a caddy, carrying gear, managing inventory, and keeping the Character organized during travel and downtime.
• Temps: Temps include summoned creatures, magic constructs, hirelings, or other temporary allies that assist the party for a limited time. They are versatile resources to support the party's needs during their adventures.
• Draft: Working animals and haulers, often used for hauling loads, plowing fields, or carrying supplies. They are the dependable animals that support daily life and labor, commonly kept on farms, homesteads, or in stables within a character's home or community.
• Ruminants: Animals like cows, sheep, or geese provide resources such as milk, wool, and eggs. Rumor has it, some geese lay golden eggs. Characters can raise and harvest these resources on their farms or homesteads. When slain, Ruminants drop meat, wool or fur, and skin. They may also drop items they have eaten, see the module for drop chances.
• Mechanical: Constructed companions with no biological needs. Subtypes include Vehicular, Droids, Automatons, Androids, and Drones. Upkeep consists of maintenance, charging, oil, and repair rather than food and rest.

Note: Different Companion types are restricted to specific classes, such as Warlocks and rangers respectively using summons and guardians. Scrolls or other magical methods may be used for temps, and hirelings may be rented from various hosts throughout the world. There are also vehicles in SORC, including ships of the sea and air, organic and mechanical, mundane and technologically advanced.

Companion Development Stages

Every Companion comes in three development stages: Young, Adult, and Elder. Each stage represents a different point in the Companion's maturity and development. This applies to all Companions, whether acquired through physical Box Sets or downloadable content. When a Companion is first acquired, its stage is determined by the specific card or ticket. Players receive all three stages as separate cards in a set, representing the same Companion at different points in their life, and select which stage they want to bond with initially.

Stage Characteristics: Each stage carries different stat values, physical appearance, and size category. These differences reflect the Companion's growth and maturation:

• Young: The Companion at an early stage of development. Young Companions have lower stat values, a smaller or juvenile appearance, and typically occupy a smaller size category. They are curious, energetic, and still learning. Young Companions require more frequent upkeep and are more responsive to training and bonding in early stages.
• Adult: The Companion in full maturity. Adult Companions have moderate to optimal stat values, a fully developed appearance, and their standard size category. Adult Companions represent the baseline performance and are the most common stage characters bond with. They balance capability with upkeep requirements.
• Elder: The Companion in advanced age. Elder Companions have higher stat values reflecting years of experience, a mature or weathered appearance, and may occupy a larger or more imposing size category depending on type. Elder Companions have enhanced abilities but require specialized upkeep suited to their age. They carry wisdom and experience that manifest in bonuses and unique behaviors.

Stat Scaling by Stage: Each Companion Card lists stat values for all three stages. Primary and Secondary Ability values scale with stage, as do Life totals and Performance Tier bonuses. The specific stat adjustments are listed on the Companion Card itself, with Young representing a baseline, Adult as the middle tier, and Elder as the peak.

Box Set and Downloadable Content: Physical Box Sets include three versions of each Companion Card (Young, Adult, Elder) as punch-out Cards. Downloadable content companions are acquired the same way through Companion Tickets, which specify the stage. Players can trade tickets before redemption or hold multiple stages of the same Companion without conflict, as each stage is treated as a separate Companion Card for tracking purposes until bonded.

Bonding and Stage Selection: When a character acquires a Companion, they choose which stage to bond with. Once bonded, that Companion remains at its selected stage. Companions do not automatically advance through stages during play, they remain the stage selected at bonding. A character may own multiple stages of the same Companion type at different slots, bonding with a Young version in one slot and an Adult version in another.

Growth System Integration: A Companion's development stage is separate from the Character's Growth progression. However, as Characters age and advance through Growth milestones, they may choose to retire an older Companion and bond with a younger version of that type, representing passing it down through the character's life, or upgrade to an Elder version for increased capability. This allows Companions to remain mechanically relevant across a character's entire adventuring lifetime.

Companion Role

Each Companion Card lists a Role, the primary function the Companion serves. Role determines what duties the Companion can perform, how they contribute in and out of combat, and what upkeep they require. A Companion may have more than one Role.

• Guardian: Combat and protection. Fights alongside the Character, defends the party, and can be mounted. Examples: wolf, warbear, trained cat.
• Mount: Travel and transport. Carries the Character and their gear across terrain. Examples: horse, strider, Gryphlet.
• Ruminant/Resource: Passive resource production. Produces milk, wool, eggs, and similar outputs daily at Content Mood or above. Examples: moorback goat, sheep, laying hen.
• Draft/Labor: Hauling, plowing, and heavy work. Carries loads, pulls wagons, and supports the homestead. Examples: mule, ox, workhorse.
• Pet: Bonding and passive benefit. Provides Presence Bonus each year accompanied. Examples: cat, rat, barn owl, tiger.
• Angelic: Supernatural presence. Hovers at the Character's shoulder. Provides Presence Bonus and unique Abilities tied to their alignment. Examples: Cherub, Imp, Wisp.
• Fellowship (NPC): Humanoid support. Can act as caretaker, caddy, and combat ally. Carries gear, manages inventory, and provides social presence.
• Temp: Temporary summoned or hired assistance. Useful for specific tasks or limited encounters. No long-term bonding or Mood system applies.
• Mechanical: Constructed task companion. Performs specific functions without biological needs. Examples: Droid (autonomous task-bot), Drone (aerial scout), Automaton (arcane construct), Android (social humanoid machine).

Companion Prerequisites

Characters can only acquire Companions at or below their own rank, a character cannot receive a Companion of higher rank than themselves. This is the primary Prerequisite and is always enforced. Some Companions are additionally restricted by character class, race, or faction standing. A Companion with a faction restriction cannot be acquired or maintained by characters who hold Disliked or Hated standing with that faction.

When a Character receives a Companion Ticket, the ticket displays the Companion type and rank. This information is visible before redemption, allowing the Character to trade the ticket with another Player or turn it in to a keeper for gold before summoning. Once summoned, the Companion is bound to that character.

Race and Companion Affinity: A character's race can influence how quickly Mood develops with certain Companion types. Some pairings are natural, bonding is faster and upkeep lighter. Others are friction-filled and slow. An Angelic that leans radiant, for example, would have a notably difficult time warming to an Orcling character. Affinity and incompatibility are noted on each Companion Card.

Hirelings can come in various forms, including squires, bodyguards, cartographers, experts, and henchmen.

Companion Tickets

To redeem a ticket, the Character brings it to the appropriate keeper, the ticket indicates what type of keeper is required. The character does not know which specific Companion they will receive until they roll at the keeper. The roll determines the Companion within the eligible pool for that ticket's rank and type. There is no fee to receive the Companion, it was earned on the drop roll.

Before redeeming, the Character knows the Companion type and rank listed on the ticket. This allows tickets to be traded with other Players before summoning. Characters may also turn a ticket in to a keeper in exchange for gold rather than redeeming it for a Companion.

How tickets drop: Guaranteed from module milestone completions. Boss encounters have a low chance to drop a ticket, the higher the module rank, the lower the drop chance. No tickets drop from standard encounters.

Summoning Companions

Companions can be summoned as long as the Character has an open Companion slot of the appropriate size. Each Companion type has a corresponding summoning device, a whistle, an orb, a token, or a similar item listed on the Companion Card. The summoning device must be in the Character's possession to call the Companion. Companions that are at a safe keep, in the wild, or roaming freely return when the device is used, provided they are within range (range listed on card). Companions that do not respond to a summoning call within the expected window may have wandered too far, been harmed, or are refusing due to low Mood, the GM determines what has occurred. Behemoths and Goliaths that were released into the wild (see Companion Movement) are automatically summoned when the Character returns to the area and uses their device. Companions cannot be summoned into spaces smaller than their size category allows. A character without a summoning device cannot call their Companion remotely.

Common Companions are easier to acquire, but characters may develop bonds with their Companions, and may want to be careful with their lives, eventually providing them a safe keep, like a home. Common and Uncommon are the Companions that always come in box sets as punch out Cards. Companions of rank Rare and above can be resurrected the same way Characters can (see dying and death below). Until resurrected, passing Companions of Rare rank and above go to the boneyard. Upon resurrection, the Companion's mood resets to Annoyed, the lowest mood tier.

Companion Lifespans: Companion lifespans vary by rank. Common and Uncommon Companions have the shortest natural lifespans and cannot be resurrected upon death. Rare Companions live significantly longer, decades to centuries depending on their type. Epic Companions have extended lifespans measured in centuries. Legendary Companions may live for many centuries. Unique Companions are extraordinarily long-lived. Divine Companions are immortal and do not die of natural causes. Specific lifespans for each Companion are listed on their card.

Companions need rest, care, and proper nourishment. While they can survive without direct care, their performance is influenced by their overall condition. They have three tiers of performance: Basic, which provides standard capabilities; Intermediate (INTRM), offering enhanced Abilities and resilience; and Advanced (ADV), where the Companion reaches peak performance with maximum effectiveness in travel, combat, and support roles. A character's management and care determine which tier they operate in during their adventures.

Companion Names and Nicknames

Every Companion has a generic Name that describes what they are, for example, Moorback Goat. This name is fixed and comes with the Companion Card. Characters may give their Companion a Nickname of their choosing. Common and Uncommon Companions will respond to any nickname given. Companions of Rare rank and above already carry their own name and have their own identity, they may or may not accept a nickname given by the Character. A Companion that does not accept a given nickname will not respond to it. Whether a Companion accepts a nickname is at GM discretion, including what roll to use and which dice. Fellowships, which are NPCs, always carry a name of their own and follow the same nickname rules, they may accept a nickname but will not respond if they do not. These naming rules do not apply to summons such as whistle-calls, scroll summons, or other temporary conjurations.

Companion Vitality

Companions, Bosses, and Mobs only have Life vitality. They do not have Mana, Stamina, or Endurance and do not expend them. Only Life can be depleted. They also do not have Traits or ATTRs, their Abilities are innate and built into their card, requiring no trait or attribute Prerequisites. What they have is: Life, Abilities, Armor, and ATTKs.

Companion Ability Structure

Each Companion has one Primary Ability and one or more Secondary Abilities, all listed on their card.

The Primary Ability is the Companion's defining power, the single most impactful thing they do. It reflects their core nature: a guardian's devastating charge, a pet's unnerving distraction, a ruminant's moment of surprising defense. Every Companion has exactly one. Its value on the card is what scales with Performance Tier advancement.

Secondary Abilities are additional options available to the Companion in play. A Companion may have one or more depending on rank and type, Common and Uncommon Companions tend to have fewer; higher-rank Companions carry more. Secondary Ability values also improve as the Companion advances through Performance Tiers.

In combat, the Player draws from the full set, Primary and Secondaries together, and selects which to use on their turn. Each Ability on the card has its own defined effect, range, and value. The Companion's hand is fixed, what is on the card is all that is available. This makes each Companion's combat role distinct, deliberate, and worth knowing well. Further information on each Companion's Abilities can be found in the module by referring to the mod-ref# on the card.

Companions fight on their owner's turn, controlled by the Player, but they are not tools. Mood shapes everything. A Companion at high Mood is a willing, capable ally. One at low Mood is slow, reluctant, and unpredictable. At lower Mood tiers, a Companion may hesitate, act slowly, or ignore a command entirely, this is not a malfunction, it is their personality responding to how they have been treated. The Companion acts on the Player's turn or as specified on their card.

Companion Movement, Flight and Glide

Flying Companions have two distinct movement types. Flight is combat movement, measured in ft./turn and subject to the restrictions listed on the Companion Card. Glide is travel movement, used out of combat for long-distance travel, measured in travel time rather than ft./turn. Saddles may affect glide travel duration. Neither flight nor glide can be used in confined spaces unless the Companion Card states otherwise. Rider weight and gear affect travel range and speed during glide.

Behemoths and Goliaths in Confined Areas: Behemoth and Goliath Companions cannot enter areas smaller than their size category. When a character must enter a confined space their Behemoth or Goliath cannot follow, they may release the Companion into the wild temporarily. The Companion will survive on their own while the Character is inside. When the Character returns to the area, the Companion is automatically summoned, but only if the Character has their summoning device. Without the device, the automatic summon does not occur and the Companion may have moved on. The character is at risk of losing the Companion permanently if they return without a summoning device and the Companion cannot be located. The GM determines the outcome.

Mounting

Tiny Companions cannot be mounted by anyone. Small-sized races can mount any size except Tiny. Standard-sized races can mount anything above Small. Goliath-sized races can only mount Goliath or Behemoth Companions, these share the same Companion slot. Certain Companions cannot be mounted regardless of size, Angelics being one example. Whether a specific Companion is mountable is noted on their card.

Mounting a Companion significantly larger than the rider requires a Strength check. The GM sets the difficulty based on the size gap between rider and mount, a Small-sized rider mounting a Goliath-tier Companion will face a substantially harder check than a Standard rider mounting a standard mount. Failing the check means the rider cannot mount that Companion until their Strength improves sufficiently or they receive assistance. Success and failure thresholds are in the GM Codex.

Companion Mood

Mood Scale: Annoyed, Distressed, Uneasy, Wary, Neutral, Content, Comfortable, Tranquil, Exalted. Annoyed is the lowest tier. Exalted is the highest and is reached only through a Bond Quest. Common and Uncommon Companions have no Bond Quest and cannot reach Exalted, their Mood caps at Tranquil.

Starting Mood: All Companions begin at Neutral when first acquired, regardless of rank or type.

Race Compatibility: Certain character races have a natural affinity with specific Companion types or races, bonding comes more naturally and Mood advances faster. Others may find the relationship slower to develop. Compatibility is noted on each Companion Card. Characters with a favorable racial pairing require fewer gifts and less time to advance Mood tiers. Incompatible pairings are not impossible, just slower. This reflects the natural dynamics between species across Essentia.

Mood Effects

Mood	Effect	Example
Annoyed	-1 to all Companion Ability rolls. Stubborn and uncooperative, follows basic commands slowly and reluctantly. May wander off unnoticed during downtime at GM discretion. Does not attack the owner at this tier, just difficult.	A guardian that lags behind, snaps before obeying, or sits down mid-hunt.
Distressed	No bonuses. Companion is unreliable, GM may have them hesitate or act erratically.	A mount that keeps stopping, a ruminant that won't eat, a Droid that misfiles tasks repeatedly.
Uneasy	No bonuses. Companion follows orders without enthusiasm.	A pet that hides at the start of each session, reluctantly emerging when called.
Wary	No bonuses. Standard compliance, cautious.	A companion that stays close but offers nothing extra, present, but not engaged.
Neutral	Base performance. No bonuses or penalties.	Standard performance. The Companion does its job and nothing more.
Content	+1 to all Companion Ability rolls. Ruminants begin producing resources.	A guardian that greets its owner eagerly at camp, focused and ready.
Comfortable	+2 to all Companion Ability rolls. Companion begins gifting owner unsolicited items or resources daily (cap: 1d4/day).	A moorback goat leaves extra milk each morning without prompting.
Tranquil	+3 to all Companion Ability rolls. Owner gains +1 to all rolls while Companion is present in the same zone. Bond Quest becomes available for eligible Companions.	A war horse charges without hesitation, the steadiness of the bond bolstering its owner's resolve.
Exalted	+4 to all Companion Ability rolls. Owner gains +2 to all rolls while Companion is present. Exalted Ability unlocks, unique per Companion Card. Companion remains loyal even through mistreatment. The GM may issue an Exposed title to a character who abuses this loyalty, see Titles under Prestige.	A Bond Quest completed, years of trust built, the Companion acts as an extension of the Character's will. Abilities available to no other version of that card become accessible.

Mood Decline Resistance

Tier	Consecutive days of neglect to drop one tier
Annoyed, Wary	1 day
Neutral, Content	2 days
Comfortable	4 days
Tranquil	7 days
Exalted	Cannot decline from neglect alone. Only sustained betrayal or abandonment, at GM discretion.

Overworked: If a Companion is used beyond their daily action threshold (listed on their Companion Card), Mood drops 1 tier at the end of that day regardless of upkeep quality.

Bond Quests

Upkeep

• Feeding: Organic Companions require appropriate food and water daily. Type and quantity are listed on the card. Mechanical Companions require charging, fuel, and consumable equivalents.
• Exercise and Activity: Companions need regular physical engagement suited to their type. Guardians and mounts need movement and stimulation. Ruminants need grazing and open space. Neglecting this causes Mood to decline.
• Rest: Companions need adequate rest between uses. Repeated overwork without rest triggers Mood decline regardless of other upkeep.
• Injury Care: Injured Companions left untreated decline in Mood each day until treated. Treatment type depends on the Companion, healing abilities, a vet NPC, or a repair station for Mechanical Companions.
• Presence: Some Companions are sensitive to their owner's absence. Extended time away, even with a caretaker, may cause Mood to decline past the Absence Threshold listed on the card.

Caretakers

Without a caretaker, Companions will leave. What happens to them after that is unknown, they may survive in the wild, be found by another, or simply disappear. If a Companion is locked up without a caretaker, they will die. The GM may issue an Exposed title to a character who abandons or locks up a Companion without care, see Titles under Prestige.

Even with a reliable caretaker, some Companions are sensitive to extended absence from their owner. Once the Character has been away beyond the Companion's Absence Threshold (listed on their card), Mood begins to decline 1 tier per week regardless of caretaker quality. Upon return, the Character must restore full upkeep and gift the Companion to rebuild Mood.

Gifting

Characters can gift Companions to improve Mood. Gifting is capped at once per day per Companion. Mood progress accumulates over multiple days, it does not jump tiers immediately. The number of successful gifts required to advance a tier increases as Mood climbs.

Learning Preferences: A Companion's Preferred and Disliked gift categories are not revealed at acquisition, they must be discovered through Experience (XP). When a gift is accepted enthusiastically, the category is revealed as Preferred. When a gift is refused or ignored, the category may be Disliked. Players learn their Companion's tastes through trial over time. Some Companions are harder to read than others, the GM determines how quickly preferences become clear. For example: a common pet may have no obvious tell at first, but slip them a piece of sugar and they light up. Over time, the Player confirms sugar (sweet treats) as a Preferred category. Try giving the same treat every single day and the effect diminishes, mix in other gifts to keep it meaningful.

Over-Gifting: Gifting the same category repeatedly in a short period reduces its effect and may eventually cause the Companion to lose interest. A Companion that receives the same type of gift too often may begin treating it as a Standard gift rather than Preferred, or stop responding to it entirely for a time. Variety is rewarded.

Gift Type	Effect
Standard gift (not disliked, not over-used)	+1 Mood progress toward next tier
Preferred gift (discovered preference, not over-used)	+2 Mood progress toward next tier
Beloved gift (rare, meaningful, GM discretion)	Immediate +1 Mood tier
Disliked gift	No effect
Disliked gift repeatedly	May cause Mood to drop 1 tier at GM discretion
Over-gifted category	Effect reduced or lost temporarily, GM discretion

At Comfortable Mood and above, Companions gift back, items, resources, or finds, rolled daily (cap: 1d4/day). Ruminants gift resources only (milk, wool, eggs). The quality and frequency of Companion gifts scales with Mood.

Ruminant Resource Production

Companion Ailments

Performance Tiers

Tier	Stats	Availability	Story Depth
Basic	Base values as printed on card	Standard. Responds when called.	Surface-LVL. Limited engagement before rest needed.
Intermediate (INTRM)	+1 to Life, +1 to Primary Ability value	Increased. Longer engagement duration.	Personality and history begin to surface through interactions.
Advanced (ADV)	+2 to Life, +2 to Primary Ability value, Secondary Ability values improve	Maximum. Extended engagement duration.	Full story depth accessible. Bond fully expressed. Companion feels truly alive.

Companion Aging

When a Companion dies of natural causes, the Character is expected to treat the passing ceremonially and respectfully. Failure to do so, dismissing the death, abandoning the body, or showing indifference, may cause the GM to issue an Exposed title reflecting the Character's disrespect. See Titles under Prestige.

Companions of higher ranks are extraordinarily long-lived and will rarely die of old age during a character's lifetime. However, Companions may be passed down to family members across generations, a Companion bonded to a parent may outlive them and bond anew with their child. Players can take on these inherited roles in later sessions, beginning with an existing Companion and the history that comes with it.

Accompanying

At every long rest, the Character decides which Companions accompany them. This decision determines which Companions are active, present, and counted toward all Mood, upkeep, environment, and presence bonus rules. Companions not chosen to accompany are left behind, at a safe keep with a caretaker, or released into appropriate care. The term "accompany" applies universally across all companion rules.

The Presence Bonus (see below) is lost if a Companion goes unaccompanied for more than 2 consecutive months. It rebuilds at the same rate, +1 to the associated Trait per year accompanied, once the Companion accompanies again.

Companion Presence Bonus

Companion	Type	Trait
Mule	Draft	Strength
Tiger	Pet	Agility
Moorback Goat	Ruminant	Constitution
Cherub	Angelic	Piety
War Horse	Guardian	Courage
Barn Owl	Pet	Perception
Droid	Mechanical	Focus

Companion Environments

Disliked Environment: The character must actively compensate to keep the Companion functional. This costs 1 Endurance Chip from the Character every 3 hours of in-game time. Mood also drops 1 tier every 3 hours the Companion remains in a disliked environment.

Favored Environment: The Companion sustains itself, no upkeep required while in a favored environment. Mood rises 1 tier passively every 3 hours. No additional actions are granted to the Character from this.

Companion Equipment and Gear

Companions can be equipped with gear appropriate to their type and size, harnesses, armor (barding), saddles, signal whistles, and more. All equipped gear is recorded in the Companion slot on the Character sheet alongside current stats and nickname. Armor for Companions provides PROTS bonuses and varies by type: scale barding, hide wraps, plate barding, chain mail coverings, and more. Saddles improve rider comfort and stability, but custom or travel saddles increase travel duration. Signal whistles can be used to call a Companion home from a distance. Equipment for Companions is not included on the Companion Card by default, enter the green portion of the card's ref # at the website for available equipment and digital content.

Safe Keeps and Home Duties

Characters can provide their Companions with a safe keep at their home or property. Safe keep types vary by Companion: stables for mounts and drafts, kennels for pets and guardians, aviaries for flying Companions, enclosures for large or exotic creatures, and pens or pastures for ruminants and draft animals. Companions kept at home can be assigned duties during downtime, including guard duty, draft labor, ruminant resource production (milk, wool, eggs, etc.), and other roles suited to their type. Duties are determined by Companion type and the Character's property setup.

A safe keep requires a keeper, a hired or assigned caretaker responsible for the Companions left behind. Without a keeper, Companions cannot simply be released or abandoned. If left without care and no way to leave, they will die. If left able to wander but without care, they will leave, and what becomes of them is unknown. Characters who abandon Companions without proper arrangements face consequences: damaged standing with factions and higher powers who care for the Companions' welfare, and potential Exposed titles issued by the GM. Abandonment may also affect your alignment depending on your ideological stance toward such cruelty. See Titles under Prestige. Failing to arrange a keeper means the Companion holds its slot, it is not free, and no new Companion can fill that slot until the situation is resolved.

Ruminants and other farm animals kept on a plot are vulnerable to predators, wolves, large birds of prey, and other wildlife may hunt them during the Character's absence. Guardians assigned to the plot actively protect it and its animals from predators and other threats.