7th Sea by Mors Rattus

I tried learnin' the language, but it tasted like noodles every time I said anything. I hate noodles.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

By my count, that's 8 for 7th Sea to 4 for Gypsy.

Seventh Sea: I tried learnin' the language, but it tasted like noodles every time I said anything. I hate noodles.

So, let's take a look at Seventh Sea! Produced by AEG in 1999, Seventh Sea took the system they built for Legend of the Five Rings and tried to warp it to fit a very romanticized swashbuckling Rennaissance feel. It also had a completely insane backstory that was only hinted at early on. Like Pinnacle and Deadlands, there was a metaplot that went on through the line and required you to buy a number of books to get the full backstory of what was going on and who the major villains of the setting were; unlike Pinnacle, though, it was fairly easy for a GM to just run the parts that were cool and ignore the metaplot because it was far less of a thing.

Sort of.

We'll be looking at the books in order of publication, much as we would if we bought them as they came out! We'll start with...



The 7th Sea Players' Guide.



While the art isn't perfect, it very much captures the feel the game is going for. The art direction in general is pretty good for this book. It begins by introducing us to three viewpoint characters - the villainous Villanova of Vodacce (and his priestly companion, Bernardo), the pirate fencer O'Connell (an Inishman of Avalon), and Helena, a daring woman of Vendel.

You'll learn what those names mean shortly.

7th Sea, in its own words, focuses on: swashbuckling and sorcery, diplomacy and intrigue, and archaeology and exploration. One-liners and swordsmanship are very important, as is the noble blood of sorcery, the dark power that runs in the veins of the noble families of the world. Pirates and other freedom-seeking adventurers trawl the waters and trek across the lands, exploring the unknown and seeking treasure, as the nations sit on the verge of going beyond kingdoms and becoming countries . Royalty and nobility try to resolve disputes in the face of rising nationalism and espionage. And meanwhile, there are the Syrneth ruins. Which have no real world analogue, so let me quote at you.

Now, there's some things we'll cover as basics before the book dives into the world - just a primer, really. Théah is not the world - it's the continent. It intentionally resembles 17th century Europe. However, it has magic - each nation has its own magic, save for Castille and Eisen. Magic is bloodline-based, generally, and can be very dangerous.

The religion of most of the continent is the Vaticine Church, the Church of Prophets, which resembles Catholicism. However, the Vaticine embraced science for the most part far more than the Vatican did - until very recently, almost all scientific breakthroughs have been the direct result of priests researching or funding research. The Church has founded many, many universities to teach science. However, it has just emerged from the thirty-year War of the Cross against the Objectionists (read: Protestants), which has left chaos across much of the world, especially the nation of Eisen...and in the wake of the War, "a sinister Inquisition" threatens to take over.

There are six known seas, and the mythical Seventh Sea, where the world is strange and backwards. No one's ever proven it exists.

And the Syrneth! The Syrneth ruins exist beneath the earth, on long island chains in the western sea and in other remote locations. They were built by an inhuman race called the Syrne, of whom little is known. What is known is that the ruins have produced much wealth in the form of puzzling scientific marvels that have yet to be reproduced.

The nations of Théah are: Avalon, the enchanted land of three united kingdoms. It's Britain. Castille, headquarters of the Vaticine, which has recently been attacked by the nation of Montaigne. Castille is Spain. Eisen, a once-proud empire now struggling to recover from the disastrous War of the Cross. It's Germany. Montaigne, the most powerful nation in the world, led by a vicious emperor...but also home to the great arts. It's France. Ussura, the wild land of the north, a traditional land with great vastnesses. It's Russia. The archipelago of Vendel and Vestenmannavnjar, where the wealthy Guild traders struggle with the traditionalist raiders who refuse to give up their heritage for money. It's...well, the Netherlands. And of course there is Vodacce, once the cradle of civilization and now split by merchant princes. It's Italy.

There's also the Empire of the Crescent Moon (Arabia) and Cathay (China), but those are seperated from the rest of the world by culture and by physical barriers. There may be other continents, but no one's been there.

There's also a number of secret (and not-so-secret) societies. For example, the Explorer's Society - a gentleman's club of explorers and geographers. The Invisible College, a secretive band of academics who work to protect science from the Inquisition, which has turned against it. The Knights of the Rose and Cross, an order of adventuers who seek to bring justice and protection. Die Kreuzritter, a holy order of Vaticine knights who were wiped out centuries ago by treachery - but rumors of which still circulate. Los Vagos, the followers of a mysterious masked man seeking to protect Castille's people from all threats - internal and external. The Riliasciare, the Free Thinkers, who promote free will and self-determination...at any cost. And, of course, Sophia's Daughters, a Vodacce women's union seeking equality of the sexes and political power via covert means.

Next time: Do you care at all about the system, or shall I move on to the more in-depth look the Player's Guide goes into?

I won't have bloodshed in my house. The stains never come out.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: I won't have bloodshed in my house. The stains never come out.

First, a brief system overview.

You have 5 Traits, which are what every other system would call attributes. They are Brawn , which is strength and endurance. Finesse , coordination and agility. Resolve , willpower. Wits , wits. And Panache . which is specialness.

You then also have Skills and Knacks. A Skill is, for example, Performer. You spend points to learn the Performer skill, which you then have permanently. This gives you access to its knacks, such as Acting, Dancing, Oratory and Singing. You buy ranks in these, but can only buy ranks in knacks that you have access to.

You roll d10s based on a Trait plus a Knack, and keep a certain number of them, usually your trait rating. 10s explode. As in L5R, you can declare Raises - voluntarily making a roll harder to get more effect.

There are two kinds of attacks: normal and firearms. With normal attacks, you make your attack roll against your opponent's defense knack, which could be his Footwork or Parry (Weapon), or if he's doing something like swinging on a chandelier, his Swinging knack. You have to beat 5+(Defense Knack*5). Firearms only have to beat 5. They are very dangerous, but take forever to reload.

You then roll your damage (generally based on Brawn and your weapon, except ranged weapons which just use weapon damage) and he takes that many Flesh Wounds. Your foe then makes a Wound Check, rolling Brawn against his current Flesh Wounds total. If he succeeds, nothing changes. If he fails, he gets a Dramatic Wound, plus another for every full 20 points he fails by, and erases all Flesh Wounds. Firearms deal an extra Dramatic Wound for every 10 points you fail your check by. You can take a number of Dramatic Wounds less than your Resolve with no penalty, but once they are equal to or more than that, only your Drama Dice explode. Double your Resolve and you're KOed. (This is just for PCs. NPCs work differently.) More on Drama Dice at a later time.

Specifically, there are three types of NPC. Villains work the same way as PCs, Henchmen are KOed at Dramatic Wounds equal to their Resolve, and Brutes are low-tier bad guys who are easy to hit and get KOed when hit. However, they travel in packs. You can make Raises to take out more than one at a time.

Actions in combat are based on your Panache. You roll (Panache) dice, and the results tell you your initiative for each action. High Panache is very good.

Anyway, that's really all you need to know about the system for now. We'll cover important bits as they come up, and if you want more, then read the books.

Now, we move into the world info! We get introduced to more of our major plot characters: Archibald, the Avalonian Swordsman. Clarisse, the sinister Montaigne diplomat assigned to Castille who hires him to duel a man. Lucia, the Vodacce witch who serves Clarisse. As yet, they are utterly unrelated to the pirate battle the other plot characters are involved in. We'll see more of all these characters later.

We start with a timeline, divided into two eras: AUC, the time of the First City, and Anno Veritas, the modern era. AUC is the time of Numa, the First City, which arose in the lands now Vodacce. It was a republic ruled by a noble Senate, and worshipped a pantheon of planet-based deities. It grew corrupt and was reborn as an empire under the first Imperator, Gaius Phillipus Macer, during a military coup. A group of Senators used knowledge from ancient Syrneth artifacts to become the world's first sorcerors, turning the empire into their puppet.

The year 1 AV marked the arrival of the First Prophet. Fifty years after the birth of sorcery, a stranger appeared, speaking of a god called Theus and speaking against the use of sorcery, claiming it to be an abomination. He claimed that intelligence and free will are man's greatest assets, and that it was their duty to use these and to encourage their use. He became a threat to the Senate and was declared a criminal. He turned himself in, the Book of the Prophets says, the night before his warrent was signed, and he was put to death after predicting three prophets to follow him. His cult grew in power, and two centuries later, the Imperator declared himself a convert and made the teachings of the Prophet the true church of the empire, seizing the Senate's power and forming the Church of the Prophet.

Over the next two hundred years, the Empire split into the Eastern and Western Empires, before the whole lot collapsed and sent the land into a dark age. This ended with the coming of the Second Prophet in 305 AV, arriving from the land of the Crescent Moon. He spoke against sorcery like the first Prophet, but also spoke of a need to leave the corrupt land behind them. He led his followers east on a great pilgrimage...but he and many of them were killed on the border of the Crescent Empire, leading to a series of bloody crusades.

After the Crusades, a new Empire is formed under the rule of a man named Corantine. The Prophet's church had splintered into hundreds of sects, and Corantine united not only the lands of Théah, but also the church. He ordered the establishment of one Credo, forming the Vaticine Church in the city of Numa, to be led by a Hierophant and a council of Cardinals from across the empire. The Church was granted unprecedented power, able to rule in all spiritual matters even against the Emperor. Corantine's empire fell apart after his death, but the Church lived on.

Three centuries later, another man would unite much of Théah - the warlord Carleman, who conquered what would become Montaigne, Eisen and Vodacce. He was declared High Imperator of all Théah by the Church, which was not only politically powerful but also the beacon of education and learning at the time. AFter his death, everything collapsed again, though Montaigne, Eisen and Vodacce all gained national identities. Another 300 years of dark ages after that.

In 1000 AV, the Third Prophet arrived in Castille. Unlike his predecssors, he spoke of war and fire. He arranged for a coup to replace the sorcerous nobles of Castille with others, and declared the Crescent Empire to be infidels who must be fought, starting a new crusade. (Prior to this, Castille and the Crescents had been fairly good allies.) The Prophet declared Castille the center of the faith and led a short war against the Vaticine - which he won. While Vodacce retained control of the cardinals, the Hierophant was based in Castille. He restructured the Church to emphasize research...and he also founded the Inquisition. Its duty was to seek out sorcerors and kill them, and it answered only to the Hierophant. This made enemies among all nobles in Théah, and Sorcery became a secret for five centuries.

In 1028, the King of Montaigne invaded the island of Avalon, intending also to conquer its neighboring isles of Inismore and the Highland Marches. The Sidhe, an ancient race of strange creatures, fled Avalon and took their magical glamour with them, leaving Montaigne to rule. Eventually, they assimilated, but it left the two nations in fierce rivalry.

After 200 years of Crusades, they finally ended when the Poor Knights of the Prophet, a major crusading order, were declared heretics. They were executed to the last man, and the border with the Crescents was closed to all but a single Vodacce merchant family, who traded with them. In the meantime, culture flourished in Vodacce, between the Crescent trade and the Church's establishments of learning. This rennaissance spread throughout the world...and also led a monk named Mattias Lieber, in 1517, to denounce the Church, which had grown somewhat corrupt. He declared the Church obsolete and that only Theus had command of the human soul, starting the Objectionist movement - which spread to almost a third of all Vaticines.

The Objectionists were burned across the world until the early 1600s, when Eisen opened its borders to the "Liebers." Tensions remain high, especially after the War of the Cross. Eisen's former Imperator had allowed the Objectionists in...but his successor was a Vaticine fanatic. He demanded the Objectionists renounce their faith...which led to open war. It destroyed Eisen over 30 years, and all nations had a hand in it. The Church's power was weakened, leading into the current day.

More recently, Elaine of Avalon threw off all traces of Montaigne rule, becoming High Queen in 1658. She declared independence from the Vaticine Church and began a royal navy, uniting the three islands now called 'Avalon'. The navy, equivalent in social rank to knights, have become notorious pirates. This led to Castille declaring war, but their great fleet was defeated badly, leading Avalon to have the most powerful fleet in Théah. The deadly White Plague returned in 1665 without warning, taking many lives before vanishing without apparent cause just a year later. Church scholars remain confused.

The barbarian Vestenmannavnjar have slowly been growing a merchant caste, using their swift ships to carry cargo across the world instead of raiders. They call themselves Vendel now, and they have founded the Guilds, taking control of many of the Vesten lands. When Eisen splintered, they stepped in to gain power, starting a merchant war with the Vodacce princes. The Vendel Guilder has slowly become the common coin of Théah, much to Vodacce's dismay.

Most recently, the King of Montaigne openly admitted to being a sorceror. In 1666, High Inquisitor Verdugo assembled a largely Castillian army to arrest the king for heresy...and the King refused to surrender. The army decimated Montaigne's forces...until the King's personal guard, the Musketeers, were all that was left. The Musketeers' firearms destroyed the enemy forces thanks to the genius of their captain, Montegue. He became High General, and the King of Montaigne declared himself l'Empereur and invaded Castille. The Hierophant went to try and negotiate a peace, but he fell ill and died within the space of a few days during his stay - or so the Montaigne say, claiming he died of Plague and his body was burned. A lack of unanimous decision among the Cardinals has prevented election of a new Hierophant for two years...and in the meantime, an Avalonian scholar, Jeremy Cook, has denounced the Church's backbone science of alchemy in favor of something he calls Empiricism, leading the Inquisition to be turned against this new heresy after Cook was put to death. For the first time, scholars and the Church have broken from each other.

Next time: The Nations of Théah.

Don't they teach you Vodacce girls anything about men?

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: Don't they teach you Vodacce girls anything about men?

We're told, as the Nations section begins, that for more information we'll want the GM's Guide and the forthcoming Nation sourcebooks. AEG decided to go with the 'shell out another thirty bucks' style of setting information here. Fortunately, we at least get some information this time around.



Mad Jack O'Bannon being a lunatic while Elaine and James MacDuff watch.

We begin with the nation of Avalon , more properly the United Kingdoms of Avalon in the Glamour Isles, three kingdoms united together. The islands of Avalon are beautiful - the grass is greener, the sky more blue, the forests darker and clouds more white. Everything seems larger than life there.

Avalon's leading political figure is Queen Elaine, a woman so devoted to her nation that she turned down a marriage offer from a Castillian prince because she "was already married to Avalon." Avalon is governed by its Queen, but also a parliament of lords - to get any laws passed, both queen and parliament must agree to pass the law. Elaine's been good at making deals with them.

Just across the water is the island of Inismore, whose king is the mysterious Mad Jack O'Bannon, said to be a thousand years old. He's appeared many times in Inish history, always exactly as he looked the last time - and always disappearing again after a while, leaving only one promise: "I'll be right back." And then he walks away, not to be seen for years, perhaps a century or more.

And the northern of the three isles is the Highland Marches, least organized of the kingdoms. It is ruled by the Highland Clans, who have elected their own High King, James MacDuff. MacDuff has been High King since before Elaine's rise, and it was his support which gave the young woman the legitimacy she needed to solidify Avalon into what it is today. The two are close allies.

Avalon's peeople are hearty and rough, farmers and fishermen who love the waters. While their spiritual reverance for Mother Ocean was subdued by 500 years of Vaticine influence, they still remember the Lady of the Lake, guardian of the rivers and swamps of Avalon, who promised that so long as the waters of Avalon were kept pure, the land would remain one of wonder. This promise was symbolized by a magic cup called the graal, but the Avalons say the promise was broken when Montaigne invaded. Elaine reforged the promise when she emerged into the spotlight bearing the graal and claiming descent from the true kings of Avalon.

Elaine's been hard at work restoring Avalon's old ways. She has restored the King's knights even as she started the famous privateers of Aalon. Inismore and the Marches, meanwhile, no longer need fear Montaigne invasion...but both nations have those who would see them independent of Avalon itself now, even if that means blood. MacDuff of the Highlands dismisses these cries in his Council, and the O'Bannon, as Jack is called, either kills the men who complain or simply beats them until they apologize depending on his mood. However, rumors say that the O'Bannon is plotting rebellion, and that MacDuff is plotting marriage to the beautiful Elaine.

Now, the Sidhe are the last thing to be remembered about Avalon. The Lady of the Lake is one of these ancient people, a powerful race that has only now returned to Avalon. They are apparently unique to AValon, though some arachaeologists suggest a connection between them and the mysterious Ussuran matriach called Matushka, and the Avalons claim them to be the oldest beings in the world. The sidhe are split between seelie and unseelie - the 'good' and 'wicked', though the seelie are good perhaps only by comparison. For fear of offense, they are called only the Goodly Folke, and almost all of Avalon's customs come from the superstitions about the Sidhe. Avalons don't steal horses (they might be shapeshifted pooka), don't walk off the path in the wood (they're haunted), and they always keep a penny in their left shoe to protect against sidhe tricks.



A priest, a boy king and a masked fencer walk into a bar...

Castille is next. Its culture is a collection of oddities - founded by one of of the oldest Old Empire families, it is howeer not ruled by sorcerous blood. It shared an alliance with the Crescents for centuries, yet is home to the Vaticine Church. It's a rich, fertile land with good weather and a normally extremely strong economy. Its rulers are the Sandoval family, but the country is divided into rancheros , each ruled by a noble family led by a don .

The King of Castille recently died, leaving his fourteen-year-old soon on the throne. This boy has been dubbed Good King Sandoval, and he has held the nation together for two years - a surprisingly long time, given what his detractors expected. The Church is a powerful influence here, and the King makes hardly any decision without advice from the Church. Several have tried to assassinate Sandoval - but all attempts have been foiled by the mysterious masked swordsman El Vago , the Vagabond. Castille's biggest problem, however, is Montaigne - General Montegue is invading them, and has claimed nearly a quarter of the country by force. Montegue's advance has faltered, though, since he split his army to also assault Ussura. (The Castillians hae no idea why he did this.)

Castille's people tend to distrust foreigners, thanks to the many invasions they've suffered. They are devout Vaticines, though some have begun to doubt the church after Montaigne's invasion. The Castillians are very practical and have taken great advantage of the Church's presence. They have aqueducts in all their cities, free education and clean water. Even the poorest village has a church with medical supplies and a doctor. On average, Castillians are the best educated of all the world. The Castillians are also passionate, loving music and dancing. They are devoted to the concept of family, and especially revere motherhood - the mother is the core of the family unit, beloved by all.

The recent invasion, however, is destroying Castille. The economy, once vibrant, is in ruins. The nobles are driven from their lands, and other nations wait on the borders to seize what they can. Good King Sandoval is doing his best, but it's only a matter of time before someone tries to take advantage.



Germany - angry people in armor and a fat happy man.

The next is Eisen , the proudest of nations. Its rulers hae no magic in their blood, and they are proud of it. As a central location, Eisen has always been key to politics and war. However, it lies in ruins after the War of the Cross. Its economy is in shambles, its fields are destroyed, its military power is shattered.

Eisen is divided into seven konigreiches (read: kingdoms), each ruled by an Eisenfurst , or Iron Prince. They each rule by right of their control of the dracheneisen, the metal that has made Eisen famous - it is stronger than steel, and twice as light, able to armor even against modern weaponry. It is the traditional armor of the Eisen nobles, and it is the edge by which the Eisenfurst maintain their rule. Each kingdom is ruled differently - some strict, some lenient.

The people of Eisen have been forged by war. While their governments are ruined, the survivors have been made strong. The people have more collective combat experience than anyone else in the world. Most armies today have an Eisen advising on tactics. They have nothing left to sell - so they sell war. Their military academies are the best in the world, and they produce many, many mercenaries. Being Eisen, after all, is a good reccomendation. The Eisen are renowned for their stubbornness, as well - they never give up. The may lie back to recover, but they always return to fight. It's little wonder that many of the loyal sons of Eisen have left the nation to fight abroad, given all this.



One of these things is not like the others...one of these things just doesn't belong...

Montaigne is the center of culture, art and fashion for the world. It is a rich nation, full of farms, gardens and palaces. The peasants are poor, perhaps, but the cities are rich beyond measure. The lower classes struggle to feed themselves, but the nobles - they have no limits. All government revolves around the Sun King, l'Empereur Leon Alexandre. He is the unquestioned king, with dozens of nobles under him - the governing dukes and many lesser nobles.

The peasants are a simple people - uneducated, poor and quiet. Their sons are conscripted to the military, and many do not return, so the only men around these days are those too old to fight, and the farms are looked after by these old men, their wives and their daughters. It used to be custom to hold weddings in spring, but with the war, the custom has changed to winter, when the fighting is slowest and the young men return on leave. They get married quickly, and are encouraged to have children just as fast - after all, Montaigne will always need soldiers and farmers.

The nobles, by contrast, rarely have more than two or three children, if that. Primogeniture rules here, after all, and younger sons are rarely well-liked by their elder brothers They have nothing, for the most part, and form a sort of cloud of hangers-on in the courts, lesser nobles who have no land or power. Two sons is wise, since one might die - but more than three is bad manners. (The Emperor is free of this, of course, as well as his nine daughters.)

This contrast is built into everything. The peasants are hospitable and direct, but the nobles have made an artform out of half-truths, inferences and metaphor. They can be very confusing to outsiders, as the courts are thus a barrage of quotations and quips that bear little relation to what people actually mean. The height of rudeness is forcing someone into a direct response, especially on controversial subjects. Instead, they make light of seriousness so that no one must address it directly. It is thus that Montaigne breeds its many spies. The nobles adore the newfound freedom that comes with throwing off the yoke of the Church - but the peasantry lie in fear of their new status as a godless nation, being by and large devout Vaticines.

Next time: The other three nations.

Men reveal more with their bodies than with their tongues.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: Men reveal more with their bodies than with their tongues.



Santa was buff back then.

Ussura is a cold, cold land, full of legends of the woman Matushka, Grandmother Winter. She wanders the snowy woods, saving respectful little children from being lost - and eating rude little children in her black pot. Like Matushka, Ussura is not kind - but it is fair.

The Ussurans are some of the most primitive people in Thèah - it's commonly joked that they live 500 years in the past. They have no modern roads, their architecture is antiquated at best and even their peasant huts are primitie compared to those of other nations. The Ussurans are, however, well-fed and happy despite the frozen lands they live in. Despite the ice, the land bears crops, and hunting and fishing here are better than anywhere else.

Ussura is ruled, technically, by the Gaius, elected from the peasant class, the muzhiks . Because of his low birth, he is guided by a council of merchants or boyars called the Knias Douma . Traditionally, the boyars rule with the Gaius as their puppet. In modern days, though, that is not the case. The current Gaius, Ilya Sladivgorod Nikolovich, is no puppet. The boyars call him Ilya Grozny, Ilya the Terrible, because he will not obey and once had a boyar who crossed him fed to the man's dogs while his family watched. The people love Ilya, though - he watches out for them, not the boyars, and will forge his own destiny with or without their help.

Most people in Ussura have dark hair and eyes - but the nobles marked by Matushka have green eyes and the gift of magic. Matushka is said to have made a deal with the people - as long as the Knias stands, Ussura will support its people. An Ussuran farmer who is good and kind, who looks to his duties before himself, will always grow enough food to feed his family, no matter how harsh the year. And just as surely, one who is not will be punished by the cold.

The Ussurans are closer to nature than most people. They love the land as it loves them. And it seems to love them - for no army has ever been able to invade Ussura. Cathayan hordes have died of plague and starvation, and an Eisen army in 523 were found after the snows ended, frozen and dead. They had been buried by an ice storm that began in midsummer. The Ussurans attribute this love to Matushka, the iron-toothed old woman of legend. They also refuse the Vaticine, preferring the Ussuran Orthodox Church, which follows only the teachings of the First Prophet - because, they say, if he got it right, why do you need another one?



The vikings are angry about birdhair trends.

Once, the nation of Vendel was called Vestenmannavnjar . The island chain's largest island was Oddiswulf, now Oddis. It's capital, Kirk, was Kirkjubæjarkluster. But the Vendel have turned away from their heritage in favor of the Vendel League. Their nation is on a chain of nine mountainous islands. Once, they had a king - but he vanished after arguing with the League over military matters a century ago, and the League has been in complete control since.

The League is ruled by nine Chairs, one for each of the Guilds that founded the League and one for the inheritor of the Eisen Imperator. The seats are sold at auction each year to the highest bidder. Politically, Vendel is neutral on almost all issues - save money. They have pushed their coin, the Guilder, into prominence with merchants around the world, accepted everywhere but Ussura, Castille and Vodacce in their continued trade war with the Vodacce princes.

Their land is still split, however, between the mercantile Vendel, who live in comfort and luxury...and the traditional Vestenmannavnjar, who reject these comforts. The Vendel have gone out of their way to be accessible to foreigners, renaming their ancient lands for ease of dialogue and preparing to sell practically everything.

The Vestenmannavnjar religion, however, holds the importance of names: the soul and the name are tied together, and to lose a name is as bad as death. The Vendel endanger these ancient names and risk loss of the ancestors - and so the Vesten hate them, and many Vesten have turned pirate, perhaps fueled by Vodacce gold...or by Inish gold. Though the Vodacce claim not to be involved and the O'Bannon has sworn to keep his people from such violence, the raids have not stopped, and the Vendel are looking to other solutions - violent ones.



Cobwebs are very popular in fashion!

Vodacce is most famous for treachery. It is a dangerous place, where the powerful must watch their backs, as the merchant families play dangerous, savage games of diplomacy. It is the home of the ancient capital Numa, the birth of Thèan civilization - and today, it is sharply divided into seven territories by the seven merchant princes.

Much of Vodacce floods, and their cities are famous for the canals, especially on the southern islands. There, the cities have dammed and walled canals to allow swift travel across the island cities - and there, the merchant princes live, each controlling one of the seven islands off Vodacce. The mainland has been almost forgotten by the princes, who use it only for growing food - they far prefer the soutern islands, where each can rule their own. Each of the princes controls a different aspect of the economy - wine, Crescent trade...or, in one case, Syrneth artifacts. The Vodacce princes are all rich and powerful, and they collect money and riches like no others. All seven are cousins, tracing their lineage back to seven brothers - and they all hate each other.

The people of Vodacce are famous for their hot tempers and passionate feelings. Duels and brawls are commonplace - but always with one's own social rank. One does not insult one's betters, even if one would have a friendly fight for the same insult with one's neighbor. Of course, all thise fighting is for men - and only men. Vodacce is clear on that. Women, however, bear the blood of sorcery - and only women. The noblewomen are the Fate Witches, the Sorte Strega , who control the lines of destiny itself.

Adultery is a common passtime among the nobles - marriage is mostly for politics and convenience, and couples seldom care about the affairs they hae. Men aim for professional courtesans, who are seperate from all other Vodacce women. Where other Vodacce women do not read, the courtesans are well-educated and expected to be able to converse with the nobles. Where other women dress simply, they dress vibrantly, with complex and elaborate costumes. The courtesans are all the nobles are not - but the noble women bear the power of magic, and even the courtesans and noblemen fear their anger.

The calender is set up differently - twelve months, all exactly thirty days. 28 in seven day weeks, but the 15th and 30th are considered feasting days that are part of no week at all. The year is four three month seasons, and a five or six-day celebration at the end of the year, the Prophets' Mass.

The seas of the Thèah are these: the Trade Sea, around Vendel, known for shallow waters and hard-to-track reefs. The Frothing Sea, between Avalon and Montaigne, full of sharks, sirens and fog. La Boca de Cielo, the Mouth of God, off the coast of Castille, home to whales and the immense leviathans, giant whales of vicious disposition. It is also famous for its pirates, and the legendary Estallio, a sea serpent sed to eat the leviathans. The fourth sea is the Forbidden Sea, southeast of Vodacce, near the Crescent Empire. None are allowed there, but it is said that a miles-wide pillar of water surges to the sky there. The fifth sea is the Mirror, south of Ussura. It is said to contain a creature called Vodanken, of which little is known, and sailors speak of islands that rise from the deep only to resubmerge hours later - islands on which entire crews have been drowned by the sudden submergences. The sixth is the Corridor of Flame, called such because as it is sailed towards Cathay, a huge labyrinth of fiery walls appears, twenty feet high. They are not hot, but anything that touches them burns to a crisp instantly. There is enough space to sail between them - but it is terribly dangerous, and it is said that dead ends empty into an immense whirlpool, and a vast pillar of fire roars up from its center. And then, there is the legendary seventh sea, where the sun and moon shine together, the stars go backwards and the waters are silver. None know where it lies, but the Explorers' Guild has found an ancient Syrneth artifact they call the "alchemical compass", which they think was used to sail the Seventh Sea.

Twenty years ago, duelling became a problem for the world, and many nations looked to outlaw it. Three men of different nations came together to save their favored sport, and they created the Swordsman's Guild with the agreement of their kings. The Swordsmen have formalized duelling. Only a Swordsman can challenge, and there are strict rules. And, of course, a Swordsman may never take contract on another Swordsman. Likewise, there has been the formation of the Jenny's Guild - named after Jenny Malone, a woman arrested for murdering an abusive man...and who successfully claimed self-defense was reasonable. She has visited madams across the world, and the courtesans are now banding together for protection. They have taken to be called Jennys as a result.

Socially, chivalry is dying. The average person looks out for himself, his friends and family and is done. But honor is not fully lost. Some romantics still hold onto the ancient ways of honor, though they are still few. The ways of chivalry are hard, after all. A promise, once given, is broken only by lowborn dogs. A true gentleman would die before breaking his word, and may not turn down a duel or allow the weak to be hurt. More recently, some women have also been trying to uphold chivalry, which has been received with mixed thoughts by most of the world - some feel they are trying to be men, but others feel that trying to be noble is worthwhile even for women, and that it is to be lauded.

Thèah is a little ahead of our world in the mid-17th century - they use microscopes and telescopes, for example. They're impressive architects, and have named six known planets. The sun is Solas, and then there is Velme, Amora, Terra (where they live), Guer, Re and Volta, all named for gods of the Old Republic. They know the size of Terra to within 1%, and they can predict eclipses. Telescopes have existed for a century, but only in 1668 was the reflecting telescope invented. Chemistry is just emerging now, and mathemeticians have achieved algebra, trig and geometry along with the number zero. Probability is not well-liked because of the gambling connotations, and calculus does not exist yet but should soon. Anatomy is well-studied, and they understand that sick people spread disease, though not why yet. Recently, static electricity was harnessed, though not for anything useful yet, and the spectrum of light was discovered. Rifles don't exist yet, but mustkets do, and the Montaigne have developed primitive, unreliable grenades. They're very risky.

Next time: Sailors and Secret Societies!

So many women didn't know how to perfume a letter, but this lady did - and yes, he chose those two words very carefully.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

Here, have another one today, because I'm bored and feel like it.

7th Sea: So many women didn't know how to perfume a letter, but this lady did - and yes, he chose those two words very carefully.

Fuck, that's a lot on sailing. Sailing, despite a lack of New World, is hugely important. It's been much easier to transport around the continent by sea than to brave the mountains and rivers by land. Every nation has a navy - Avalon's Sea Dogs are the strongest, of course, and Ussura's is more of a fishing fleet, but they all have one. Protection from pirates is a lucrative business. There are four types of sailors, really. Merchants, which covers cargo hauling, fishing, whaling and so on. This is most sailors. There's also naval recruits, who belong to official navies on military vessels. They patrol, hunt pirates and do battle. Being a navy man sucks, unless you're lucky enough to have a competent captain. Then there's privateers, which includes mercenaries and general rogues. Essentially, yes, pirates for hire, but also escorts and so on. Avalon's Sea Dogs count as these. And then there's pirates. They answer to no one and are freer than any other men and women in the world. They have few friends, and all military vessels will try to sink them on sight...but they're not all bad. There's gentleman pirates, and while ruthless, the Brotherhood of the Coast is a pirate band with honor and even democratic feelings.

We'll skip all the jobs on a ship because you don't care and I don't care. If you care, you can go look it up. Sailors do have some superstitions, though, that are neat - a halo around the sun or moon means it'll rain or snow soon. A morning rainbow means a storm is coming. A clear night sky means a cold night with a frost. And a red sun means bad weather.

Oh yeah - and you never carry dead men. Ever . You wash him, dress him and throw him into the sea where he died. If a man is lost at sea, you don't make a grave for him for seven years, in case he's alive. And you don't speak of the dead save as 'Poor Jack' or whatever his name is - best to be respectful, for everyone's heard tall tales of ghost ships. The water is called Mother Ocean, and sailors believe they belong to her. If you fall over the side, she's claimed you - and so a sailor will never reach over to save a fallen man, for they're likely to be claimed too. If a corpse washes up on shore, she doesn't want that one any more. Sailors also refuse to dye their clothes with things from the sea, or use sea stones as ballast - because the sea claims her own, and they think it'll sink the ship. The sea, they say, also hates criminals. (Not pirates, mind you - murderers, thieves and so on on land, yes, but not pirates.) They're bad luck.

There's some other superstitions about luck - a lot of them, really. Luck's important. But we'll move on. The most famous pirates in the world are the Castillian Brotherhood of the Coast, former prisoners on the prison isle La Bucca. They escaped, led by a man named Allende who may be a Crescent or a Castillian - none can tell. Some say he's a sorcerer, and his crew is fanatically loyal. The Brotherhood have declared themselves a nation of free men, beholden to no king.

The Vesten Raiders haunt the north, and are very dangerous thanks to their use of sorcery. The Vesten keep runemasters aboard their ships, who are said to be able to throw lightning and call up fogbanks. The Vestens give one chance to surrender - and if you don't, you fight to the last. They take no prisoners, and leave only one man alive from any crew that fights them, to spread the word of the fight.

And then there's the famous Crimson Roger - a single ship, but terrifying. They offer no quarter and take no prisoners. They seem to be on the hunt for Syrneth artifacts, and some say they use Syrneth devices as they fight. It's even said they can sense the presence of Syrneth things. Their leader is a man called Reis, who wields a strange scythe of unknown origin. He's got an 8000 guilder price on his head from Avalon.

Speaking of Avalon - the Sea Dogs are, of course, a famous 'pirate' fleet. Officially they do not work for Avalon, but most people think that's a bald-faced lie, especially as they never harm Avalon ships or merchants. Their leader is a dashing, charismatic man named Jeremiah Berek, whose crew is loyal to the last.

The most famous pirate, though, is Philip Gosse, a Montaigne navy man who befriended an unorthodox priest named Hernando Ochoa. The two led a mutiny and turned pirate. It's said he never kills unless he has to, and that crews he raided would often join him without even a shot fired. He is said to have retired from piracy to settle an island according to Ochoa's (unknown) beliefs. However, two years ago, an old man claiming to be Captain Gosse boarded a merchant ship and seized it. He treated the crew civilly and threw a party for them, leaving enough food to reach land safely.

And the most feared pirates are the Corsairs of Kheired-Din. They are Crescent Empire men, who come out of nowhere and sack entire towns. None know how they pass the garrisons in the islands around Vodacce, but they have kidnapped thousands over the past twenty years. None have been heard from again. Their leader is a huge man named Kheired-Din, famous for his red beard and his devout following of the Second Prophet's teachings - which extends to a bloody hatred of sorcerers. He also hates alcohol. The Chuch has offered 10000 Guilders for his death.

But now, secret societies!



The Explorers' Society were founded in 1598 by a man named Cameron MacCormick. It's been at the forefront of archaeology for nine years now, has catalogued hundreds of artifacts and is open about both its existence and membership. The Society was founded to discourage "diggers" - men and women who took artifacts to sell to nobles. They are famous and well-beloved by the people.

Their greatest foe is the Vaticine Church. The Third Prophet denounced the exploration of Syrneth ruins, saying that it led to corruption of the soul. Some Cardinals defend the Explorers, but the official stance has remained that it is heresy and punishable by death if needed. The current headquarters of the Society is in the Avalon city of Carleon, with regional headquarters in Montaigne, Vendel and the Eisen city of Freiburg. Members are required to grant hospitality to each other - and, if needed, sanctuary from the Church.



The Invisible College are very recent. For the past thousand years, the Church has been the bastion of learning and science. However, the Inquisition's founding reduced funding for research...and more recently, Cardinal Giuseepe Verdugo brought them against scientific research. He has called for all research to stop, saying that it is the time of the Fourth Prophet, and time to prepare for the next world. Church leaders are too busy with Montaigne's rebellion from the church to care what he does.

The College was formed to continue research under his nose. The scholars lack funding and resources, but have created an underground communications network, to pass on data, facts and evidence to others within the Church. Most College men are ex-Church researchers, after all. Verdugo has not uncovered their members, and their papers are encoded - but he hunts for them. None can say how large the College is, though, as each member knows only two others, and then only by synonym. Verdugo believes they have at most 24 members.



The Knightly Order of the Rose and Cross is strange as a secret society because it...isn't secret. Indeed, it is surrounded by folklore and legend as a gentleman's society of justice-seekers, wrong-righters and protectors. Most Knights are fifth or sixth sons of nobles, and join the knights to gain a good reputation and perhaps prospects for marriage of a rich daughter or son of nobility.

The Order has houses throughout the continent, and they are led by Aristide Baveux, said to be the most beloved man in Montaigne. Five of l'Empereur's bodyguards are Knights of the Rose and Cross, and so are three of King Sandoval's. Even Queen Elaine has toyed with the idea - though rumor says her advisor, the druid Derwyddon, advised against it.

Joining isn't easy, though - you can buy an honorary position, but that doesn't grant you the rank of Knight, just Benefactor. Knights must undergo three years of service, and they're hard years at that - serving without question, they must do quests and perform duties that only a madman would try. But if they succeed, they become full Knights.



And lastly, Die Kreuzritter . The Knights of the Cross, as they were once called, provided hospitals for the poor, donated food to charity and fought valiantly in the Crusades. They were primarily Eisen, and in 1411, the Eisen Imperator had a puppet Hierophant declare them heretics. They were destroyed utterly in the battle of Tannen, but rumors of Die Kreuzritter surviving in disguise to do the will of the Hierophant continue to this day.

Next time: More secret socities, and also the Church!

Twisting a man's fate did have a price, after all, but the pain was better than what those two had in mind.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: Twisting a man's fate did have a price, after all, but the pain was better than what those two had in mind.



Los Vagos are the protectors of Castille. Foreign invaders control a third of the nation, the Inquisition walks openly in the streets and the king is a youth with no experience. But these men and women love their nation, and they will protect her people come Hell or high water. They are led by the mysterious El Vago, and they are beloved by many.

They fight to defend the boy king Sandoval, to save people from the oppression of the Inquisition and to liberate Castille's land from the invaders of Montaigne. Their work is secret, and they never reveal their true identities. They are a small group - but they have sympathizers in all walks of life. They have brought hope back to Castille, and rumor has it that at least one of King Sandoval's advisors is a member of their order.

The Inquisition isn't fond of them, of course, but more and more the people of Castille look up to the rooftops for the dashing figures of El Vago and his loyal followers to save them and see them through the darkness.



The Rilasciare are known by many more names than that: the Freeman League, the Oppositionists, the Freethought Society, the Guerrilla Alliance. They are anarchists, opposed to any and all forms of authority or anything that limits human freedom. They oppose Church-funded education, the government, monarchy, ownership of goods, money, religion and sorcery. They are at once the most united and disjointed of societies.

Their philosophy is simple at its base: no human should ever need to ask or want for anything. They feel it is power disparities that have caused all problems, and so they make sure that those in high power are made examples of. They take vengeance on bad rulers and those who abuse their positions, viewing law as a tool for the weak and simpleminded to protect themselves from independent thinkers. They know that strength comes from free thought, as does vero coraggio , true courage. This is the highest virtue.

The Rilasciare have no headquarters, no official meetings and no official...anything, really. They know each other by secret signs and modes of dress, and have existed for nearly a century now. They are one of the smallest societies - but one of the loudest.



Lastly, there are Sophia's Daughters . They exist, nominally, to bring equal rights to women. In practice, however, they are also a skilled group of political manipulators. They train women as spies and agents, placing them near powerful men to guide them in the "proper" direction. Slowly, they have been gaining strength, and hope to eventually make themselves public instead of secret.

When not engaged in trying to manipulate the governments of the world to their liking, they make efforts to keep women safe from abuse, help lower-class women better themselves and enhance the standing of women. The Jenny's Guild has been good for them, and many of the Daughters are Vodacce courtesans. They are more than willing to use magic to further their aims, and an abnormally high number of the Daughters are sorcerers. It's even rumored that they can make potions to restore youth, but their leadership denies this.

Each member keeps a detailed journal, copies of which which are sent to several Daughter-controlled nunneries for storage in a great library. These are, together, one of the most accurate recordings of history ever. Sometimes the Daughters sell some of these records to the Rilasciare.




The Vaticine Church believes that the world is a riddle meant for humanity to unravel, and that the closer they come to solving it, the closer they come to knowing the mind of God. They have followed a simple credo since the year 325, with six articles of faith that must be held true.

Article One
We believe in one true God, the Creator Almighty, Maker of Paradise and the World, and of all things visible and invisible.
They hold that there is only Theus, the one god, the Creator of the Universe. They cannoy believe in other gods or powers - including sorcery, which they say comes from Legion, the Great Adversary. Sorcery is use of power other than that of the Creator, and it is heresy punishable by death and cremation to purge the corruption.

Article Two
We believe in one holy and prophetic Church.
Just one church, the Vaticine. Only the rituals ordered by the Prophets are holy, and all other churches are false.

Article Three
And in its Prophet, who spoke the Creator's message for man and his salvation; who foretold the coming of three further Prophets; who delivered himself unto his enemies; and who was martyred for us in the days of Augustin Lauren.
The First Prophet's the big one, the one who reveealed the message of Theus. He gathered followers, who achieved enlightenment by reason, and he preached acceptance of fellow man to achieve salvation.

Article Four
And in the Second Prophet, who bore a staff; spoke the Creator's message, and delivered men from evil; and was betrayed by the unfaithful and was martyred for us.
The Second Prophet came from the Crescent Empre, led his followers to the Crescents on a pilgrimage and made powerless all sorcerers whom he encountered. He led his followers into the desert, and there he was betrayed and murdered.

Article Five
And in the Third Prophet, who bore a sword of pure flame; spoke the Creator's message; divided the righteous from the unrighteous; and made the way clear for him who shall follow.
The Third Prophet was a warrior, neither understanding nor tolerant of others. He was a noble who sparked a war of faith, changing the way the entire world thought with one decisive act.

Article Six
And in the Fourth Prophet, who shall bear a balanced hourglass, who shall be announced by trumpets; and the dead shall awaken and he shall reign in the visible and invisible world forevermore.
And the Fourth Prophet will bring the end, herald in Armageddon and cast the world into battle for the soul of mankind. He will bring life and his army will be the fallen, led through death and anger and conflict into a new age of truth and glory.

The Church is basically set up identically to the Catholic Church. Churches are places of court, of town meetings, of worship and of refuge and healing. Services are usually performed in Old Thèan (read: Latin), but the Eisen and Avalon have tended to translate them. There are female priests, however. (Not priestesses - female priests.) The Church is also currently arguing with itself over determinism versus free will. Some believe they have logically proven free will impossible because all effects have causes, and making a choice is an effect, and to have an explanatory cause means it can't be free. Others argue that nature must be personal, and if man can't choose it is impersonal and not what the holy books say it is like.

They also have, of course, the Inquisition. They have been, since the Third Prophet, meant to be sorcery hunters kept in check by the Hierophant. However, the Inquisition has gradually been granted more and more freedom, and with the disappearance of the Hierophant they are answerable to no one until a new one is chosen. Their leader is Cardinal Esteban Verdugo, and he has been moving quikcly to expand the Inquisition and fill its ranks with fanatics. They have declared war on the universities, burning books and hanging professors. Enemies are kidnapped and executed, and in the span of a decade they have come to dominate the Church.

The Objectionist Movement, meanwhile, was founded by Matthias Lieber and holds that the Church has become corrupt and decadent. He felt that only Theus can intercede for man, with no need for priestly arbitrators. Only Theus can perform miracles and sae souls. The proper way to live is toread the Books of the Prophets and act on that, expressing their faith through charity, hard work and helping others, with no authority overseeing it. The Objectionists have far less authority in their priesthood, and no true leader. Their priests lead mass and oversee ceremonies, but their duty is to live as an example rather than a leader. It's been a century since their formation, and the anger between them and the Vaticine is still strong.

Avalon, as noted, is no longer Vaticine. It's similar, but Queen Elaine has been granted rank equivalent to Hierophant and they pay no more service to the Church. Castille is devoutly Vaticine, more than any other nation. Half of Eisen is Vaticine, but the other half is Objectionist. Montaigne's peasants are devout Vaticines, but their nobles have rejected the Church. The Church would love the excommunicate the entire nation, but only a Hierophant can do that, and he's dead and they're deadlocked on electing a new one. Ussura follows the Ussuran Orthodox Church, which follows only the teachings of the First Prophet. The Church doesn't really care about them. The Vendel are largely Objectionist, and the Vestenmannavnjar follow their ancient pagan faith. The Vodacce, lastly, are staunch Vaticines.

And hey, let's go big and finish this chapter. The Syrneth ruins! The Syrne appear to have lived across most of Thèah, appearing everywhere in the world. The most famous remains are in Montaigne, where some buildings exist that have been inhabited by men for centuries but clearly were not built for them. Beneath the capital of Montaigne, Charouse, is a set of tunnels that have existed since before human memory, in which metal ornamentations have been found, along with a vast "Star Map", a spherical chamber containing gemstones marking out stars - along with stones that mark only what would be empty sky. This is estimated to be right below l'Empereur's palace. The Montaigne royal guard have barred entry to the tunnels now. Beneath Eisen, meanwhile, are more caverns, full of carvings of all sorts of figures. It's believed that they are meant as some form of communication, and a strange harness has been found for a creature that would have had to have a twelve-foot-long head alone. And beneath Vodacce are a set of catacombs that...might be Syrneth, possibly. Their mountains are clearer, containing a set of caverns that contained strange, brittle armor made of amber. If heated, it softened and could be molded. It's useless as armor, but it has become something of a noble fashion to wear "Syrneth armor" for show. There's also ruins out in the islands, and probably others of which very little is known.

Thèah is also home to monsters. Ghosts are well documented, and some Montaigne sorcerers have caught them in mirrors - though it's dangerous, since ghosts can interfere with some sorcery. Ghouls, meanwhile, are strange ape-beasts that eat human flesh. Kobolds, also called die Schwartzen Walden , are...well, gargoyles. They have poisonous bites. Sirens are flesh-eating merfolk who pretend to be women in danger so they can devour foolish sailors. Zombies are zombies. The Church claims the are men who are too proud to accept death, but some scientists believe that zombies are in fact caused by a strange disease.

There's also griffons, which hunt in packs but are little studied due to danger, the night terrors, which are hard to sutdy because they attack in dreams, and the drachen , strange giant lizards which have not been sighted in living memory.

Next time: Fencing!

Beloved. By tomorrow night, Good King Sandoval will be...safe within his grave.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

I have nothing better to do today since I lent my Xbox to my brother, so...

7th Sea: Beloved. By tomorrow night, Good King Sandoval will be...safe within his grave.


The plot thickens!

With the new chapter, Helena and O'Connell find that robbing the sinister Villanova was not as easy as they thought. The ships are sinking, and all three are thrown into the waves! But Villanova is luckier than the other two. He has recovered the item he sought - and been rescued by a woman! A woman we know already - it's Clarisse from the last chapter...and she's planning to kill Sandoval of Castille!

But we'll have to wait to find out more. This is the chargen chapter, so I'm skipping most of it. You get skills, advantages, and so on. Advantages can include things like having been commissioned, having a great eduation, knowing people, being huge, whatever. There's also Backgrounds, which are plot hooks you pay points for - say, that you have a Nemesis. The more dangerous, the more points you spend. Why would you do this? Well, every time your background becomes a major part of the story, you get double your background's rating in XP. The background must involve conflict somehow. And Arcana - well, they are the Tarot major arcana, and you can have them either as a Hubris or a Virtue. A Hubris is some major flaw in your character that the GM can trigger by paying a Drama die. (He has them, too.) This forces you to either spend a Drama die or follow your Hubris - and he can up the price if he wants to. A Virtue lets you spend a Drama die in certain circumstances to activate it for a special ability. You can have only one - either Virtue or Hubris, but you get points to spend for taking a Hubris.

Hubrises are things like Hot-Headed - whenever that's activated, you have to either pay the GM in Drama Dice or lose your temper and start trouble. Virtues, by contrast, are things like Passionate, which lets you activate it whenever you are making an action that directly saves the life of a loved one or friend. When you spend a Drama Die to activate Passionate, it doubles your kept dice for that action, drastically increasing its success chances.

But now we are introduced to a very special type of skill: Swordsman Schools. A Swordsman School is a fencing style (or another weapon than the sword, sometimes) which grants you special combat knacks that are pretty useful as well as special abilities when you raise the School knacks to certain levels. You start with the Apprentice ability, get Journeyman when all your knacks are at 4, and Master when they're all at 5. In this book, there's one fencing style for each nation. Except Ussura.

Also, most Swordsman Schools come with free admission to the Swordsman's Guild.

Aldana is the signature fencing style of Castille. It is one of the rarest of styles - one weapon, no shield or off-hand weapon at all. Instead, an Aldana fencer tucks his hand behind his back and faces his opponent in profile, to narrow the choice of targets. Aldana is designed for fencing swords, and can be used by nothing else. It combines dancing and fighting to create an elusive, unpredictable style. The duelist counts time in his head, mentally playing the song he "dances" to. This lets him make unpredictable moves to the rhythm of the song, since his foe has no idea what song it is. Aldana Masters are even able to work themselves into a trance that focuses them completely on the moment at hand, making them some of the most terrifying foes in the world.

The weakness of an Aldana fencer is his song's chorus. There, and there alone, the fencer is predictable - whenever the chorus comes, he will move the same way. Someone familiar with the Aldana style can easily take advantage of that. Apprentice Aldana dencers are renowned for their speed, and they roll an additional Initiative die for each mastery they've learned in Aldana. That's not too shabby. A Journeyman Aldana moves in a weaving, disorienting style that increases the target to hit them by 5, straight out, which is pretty awesome. And a Master Aldana fencer entrs a trance when fighting, giving them bonus dice each round equal to their Wits, which they can add to any attack rolls or active defense rolls that round. They can't save the dice round to round, but they get them every round, so that's pretty damn awesome.

Ambrogia is the signature style of Vodacce in recent years. It's a very popular style there, since it teaches the fencer to fight with the sword in their left hand and a main gauche in their right, making them very hard to fight with normal training. Also, it was invented by one of Vodacce's most famous courtesans, Veronica Ambrogia. The school emphasizes practicality over style, as it's the winner who tells the tale of a duel. Other Swordsmen sometimes mock Ambrogia fencers for learning from a courtesan, but it's an excellent style.

The greatest weakness, however, is that Ambrogia relies on forcing the opponent to react to the fencer's moves and tricks. If an opponent is able to ignore those tricks, the fencer's in trouble. As an Apprentice, Ambrogia negates all offhand penalties for fighting with a dagger or main gauche in one hand and a sword in the other - and it gives you the Left Handed advantage free when using the style. (Yes, that's worth points - most fencers are terrible at fighting lefties.) They also learn to twist their weapons in the wounds when they hit, adding 2 to all damage rolls with fencing weapons or daggers. A Journeyman Ambrogia fencer learns to step into danger for that extra chance, causing anyone they deal a Dramatic Wound to when using this style to suffer a second Dramatic Wound - but at the price of taking one themselves if they choose to deal the extra damage. A Master Ambrogia fencer learns the secret of the riposte, giving them a bonus to hit anyone who misses them - but if they don't attack before the end of the round, the bonus is lost.

Avalon's signature fencing school is Donovan , an old-fashioned style using a buckler and smallsword rather than a rapier and main gauche like most modern styles. It's a style of slashes and thrusts, which can confused fencers trained to fight only against thrusts - the smallsword, after all, has an edge, unlike most rapiers. The Donovan school takes advantage of that.

The great weakness of Donovan is that its elaborate slashes require a moment of preparation that a clever foe can exploit to get past their defenses. The Apprentice Donovan fencer suffers no offhand penalty when using a buckler and gets a free Raise when using that buckler - essentially, a +5 bonus to rolls. This is great for locking a foe's weapon against the shield. A Journeyman Donovan fighter learns the move named Donovan's Twist - whenever they successfully parry as an active defense, they deal damage to their foe as they rake their weapon's blade across their foe's hand. A Master Donovan fighter learns Edwards' Thrust, a special technique that allows them to interrupt a foe's attack to immediately launch a counterattack once a round.


Not Germany: The craziest motherfucking dudes.

Eisenfaust , the signature style of Eisen, is unlike most others. It is practiced with a broadsword in one hand and a panzerhand on the other - an iron glove that's meant to catch swords. It's a highly defensive style, despite using a heavy weapon instead of a fencing one. It waits for the foe to attack, and then exploits any mistake they make. Its slow buildup and patient style can infuriate foes, and that's just when the Eisenfaust master attacks, tearing them apart with the broadsword.

The great flaw of Eisenfaust is its rigidity. Eisenfaust teaches over 70 moves - but they all have specific circumstances to them, and rules to be followed when flowing between them. Some moves cannot be used after each other due to the awkward movements necessary. This means that against a canny foe, the Eisenfaust fencer is predictable enough to be exploited. An Apprentice of Eisenfaust suffers no offhand penalties when using a panzerhand, can wield a broadsword in one hand and gets a free Raise to their next attack against any foe that misses them - more, if they get missed by a large amount. However, you have to use those before the end of the round and before that foe attacks you again. The Journeyman learns how to grab an opponent's weapon with their panzerhand and break it. Whenever they successfully make an active parry with their panzerhand, they can spend a Drama die and make a Brawn roll to try and break the weapon completely - though well-made weapons and heavier weapons are harder to break. An Eisenfaust Master has learned true patience. They often hold their actions and wait for their foe to attack - and when they do, they get to roll extra damage dice for each phase they held action for, up to their Resolve. This can only be done once a round, and while doing it, you can only hold or actively defend with your other actions.

Vendel and the Vesten share a fighting style which is really more of a philosophy: Leegstra . It can be used with any heavy weapon, be it broadsword or axe, and it foscues on the will over safety. Leegstra warriors are slow but inevitable, ignoring any assaults on themselves in favor of focusing their strength into one killing blow. Leegstra fighters have spawned many tales of immense warriors cutting off heads in a single blow.

The flaw of Leegstra is that it is slow. Most fencers are used to starting off with testing and experimental lunges - which is just what doesn't work against Leegstra. However, there is little a Leegstra "fencer" can do about a foe who knows to go for a decisive blow quickly. A Leegstra Apprentie can give up actions in order to get more kept damage dice on a later attack - but if they miss, the gamble's wasted. A Journeyman of Leegstra can give up actions in order to toughen themselves up and increase their dice on a wound check, making it much easier for them to handle massive blows - but again, failure wastes these actions. A Leegstra Master, meanwhile, learns true power. When they hit with heavy weapons, opponents take damage on failed wound checks as if hit by a firearm - that is, usually taking twice as many dramatic wounds as melee weapons usually deal.

Valroux is the signature style of Montaigne, which uses a fencing weapon in the main hand and a main gauche in the off-hand. It is a defensive style, using the dagger only to parry, and famous for teasing foes into overextending themselves on attacks and leaving themselves open. Valroux fencers don't finish duels by taking advantage of those, though - rather, they draw attention to them and humiliate their foes, ending the fight only when bored. Valroux is a very fast style, making this a viable strategy - its students are fast strikers and quick movers, dancing rings around slower foes.

The great flaw of the style, though, is arrogance. Someone who knows how to fight a Valroux fencer can fake openings for their opponent to exploit - and when the Valroux fencer takes the time to mockingly draw attention to the opening, he lowers his guard, giving a canny foe time for a powerful strike. Valroux Apprentices suffer no offhand penalties with a main gauche or dagger, and they get a free Raise when parrying with one of those weapons in the offhand. A Valroux Journeyman has learned how to taunt his foe into taking risks. Whenever he makes at least one Raise on an attack and succeeds, his foe must, on the next attack made on the Valroux fencer, make at least as many Raises as the fencer did. A Valroux Master is one of the fastest swordsmen in the world, getting a free +1 bonus to their Panache - which also raises their maximum Panache by 1, letting them have superhuman Panache of 6 (or more, with the appropriate advantage).

Next time: Drama Dice, Repartee and Sorcery!

Trust an Avalon to ruin a good fist fight by pullin' a blade.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

I didn't expect this to be done so early! But it was, so...eh, why not. I don't currently have any plans to run a 7th Sea game, but if my schedule frees up enough to do so, I'd think about it. It'd be IRC or on a Telnet space I own, rather than on the boards, though, because I feel that some stuff, especially banter, handing out drama dice and the repartee system, are best done in real time.

7th Sea: Trust an Avalon to ruin a good fist fight by pullin' a blade.


Oh man, pirates!

As we move into the next chapter, Archibald runs into a Vendel woman and an Inish man - O'Connell and Helena! They've made it to port! They have a brief scuffle, but are interrupted by the arrival of a squad of brutes! The three team up to fight them, with Helena using a strange musket prepared from Vendel - what it does we don't know, but it's powerful. The three discover they are all seeking the dastardly Villanova, and join forces. The spy, Lucia, sees this and is pleased.

Now then! We get a brief sidebar on various monetary systems but look that up yourself, it's kind of boring for me. More on the system, but we've covered most of that. Except Drama dice and Repartee! Okay. Drama dice. Each arc, you get Drama dice equal to your lowest attribute. You may spend Drama dice to:

1. Add a kept die to any one roll.
2. Stand up after being KOed - however, you're easy to hit in that round and you're still heavily wounded.
3. Activate a Virtue or a Villain's Flaw. (Which is like a Hubris except you make it happen.)
4. Some magic.

Any Drama dice you spend go to the GM's pool of Drama dice at the start of the next scene. You get Drama dice for doing cool stuff. However, at the end of an arc, all unspent Drama dice become XP. Personally? I'd just say 'no they don't' and be done. Encourages you to spend 'em and use 'em rather than sit on 'em.

Now, Repartee! There are three types of Repartee: Charm, Intimidate and Taunt. Charm uses Wits, and is rolled at a target number of your target's Wits*5. Once you succeed a number of times equal to their Resolve, the target likes you better or is convinced to do something or believe something. However, if you fail any of those rolls, start over. Now - there's some limits here. First, it is flat impossible to use Charm to get someone to do anything they're inherently opposed to, morally, ethically or otherwise. Second, Charm is strictly temporary and short term - you're going to have to do more than roll Wits and smile to change attitudes or make longterm convincing.

Intimidate uses Resolve, with a target number of your target's Resolve*5. If you win, the target loses one die, plus another die for each Raise you made, from every action directed at you. If you get rid of all the target's dice, the action automatically fails. It lasts one scene. (This might be too long, in practice - I might allow Villains to recover.)

Taunt uses Panache, same target except their Panache. For every Raise you make, the target must make the same amount of Raises on their next action aimed at you. Of course, they get all the benefits of having done so if they succeed, so there's that.

All Repartee effects end when you leave physical proximity of the target. You can hit one Villain with a single repartee effect. You can hit one Henchman, plus an additional one per Raise you make to add targets. You can hit an entire Brute Squad at once, plus an additional Squad per Raise if there happens to be more than one squad in the area.

Now, skipping a whole lot of rules on ships... Sorcery . Sorcery is genetic. If both your parents were full sorcerers of the same nation, so are you. If only one was, or each was a half-blood, you're a half-blood sorcerer. A half-blood and a non-sorcerer don't have sorcerer kids...but two full-bloods of different nations or two half-bloods of different nations produce a twice-blood sorcerer, who is a half-blood in two types of magic.

A full-blood can achieve maximum sorcery power. A half-blood can't ever get past Apprentice. Achieving mastery is done pretty much the same way Swordsman mastery is - each Sorcery has specific knacks, and you get four of them them to level 4 for Journeyman and five of them to 5 for Mastery.

E: As a note: Sorcery is incredibly expensive in initial points investment to learn, especially full-blood...and with very, very few exceptions, none of which are in this book, must be taken at chargen.

The first sorcery we're going to cover is that of Avalon: Glamour . Glamour is the power of legend, harnessed to strengthen the sorcerer. It was taught to the Avalons by the Sidhe, and its power is sealed by the Graal. Without the Graal, all Glamour sorcerers would be rendered powerless. It is divided into various legends, each of which is associated with a stat. You can have one legend per stat, but not two of the same stat. There's only one per stat here, but they promise more in the Avalon book.

At Apprentice rank, all of your Reputation dice (side note - you get a number of dice called Reputation dice based on your fame, which can be used to make people like you) become Glamour dice, which can be spent exactly like Drama dice except they can't become XP and can't activate Virtues or Flaws. They can, however, power Glamour sorcery. See, you can now use the Apprentice power of your knacks, which costs a Drama die. At Adept, the GM's Drama dicepool at the start of the session is reduced by your lowest attribute, and you can use the Adept power, which costs a Drama die. At Master, your Drama dicepool is based on your highest stat, and you can use the Master power, ditto.

The following knacks are in the book:

The Horned Hunter (Brawn) - The Horned Hunter was a warrior of immense strength and stamina. He could leap great distances, hurl huge boulders and survive blows that would cut a lesser man in two.
Apprentice: Add your Horned Hunter knack to your Brawn for one roll. This can't be used in contested rolls, wound checks or damage rolls.
Adept: Add your Horned Hunter knack to your Brawn for one wound check.
Master: Add your Horned Hunter knack to your Brawn for one contested roll or damage roll.

Robin Goodfellow (Finesse) - Robin Goodfellow was a legendary archer, able to hit a target at immense range, put an arrow through a man's eye and even split an arrow with another arrow.
Apprentice: Lower the effective range of your next attack with a bow by 5 feet per rank of your Robin Goodfellow knack.
Adept: Add a die of damage to your next attack with a bow for every rank of your Robin Goodfellow knack.
Master: Lower the TN to hit for your next attack with a bow by 5 per rank of your Robin Goodfellow knack.

Jack (Wits) - Jack is the trickster, the giant-killer. Those he tricked usually never realized what he'd done until too late - and he was nearly invincible in his own home.
Apprentice: You can turn a small object (less than a cubic foot) into one of the following: a knife, a fist-sized hunk of cheese, a bird, a rock, a pair of dice, a playing or Sorte card, a Guilder, a 20-foot ball of twine or a button. The object reverts to its original form at dawn. If the cheese is eaten or the bird is killed, it doesn't turn back. The rock, card and coin effects can be used on multiple objects - five for the rock and card, five times your Jack knack for the coin. If an object is broken, all pieces but one disappear at dawn, and that last piece turns back to normal. You can cause the power to end early.
Adept: You learn one of the five following forms per rank in this knack. This power costs 2 Drama dice instead of one if used on anyone but yourself, but you may transform yourself, a willing person or a horse into the form until the next dawn. The forms are:
The Child - The person becomes younger; if middle-aged or elderly, he becomes spry (we're told to see the GM's guide for Aging rules); if younger, there is no effect. This has no mechanical effect unless the GM enforces aging penalties, in which case they are negated. An aging horse becomes young again.
The Hag - The person becomes old and ugly, losing 1 die to all social rolls, but is recognizable as himself. No other traits or skills are effected. A horse becomes hideously ugly.
The Noble - The person becomes beautiful or handsome, getting a bonus die to all social rolls. A horse becomes very good-looking for a horse.
The Ogre - The person becomes subtly more intimidating, perhaps getting sharper teeth or subtly red-lit eyes, getting -1 die to all social rolls except for intimidation and interrogation, which get +2 dice. A horse becomes frightening, perhaps with fire coming from its nostrils or red light in its eyes.
The Peasant - The person becomes bland and unmemorable, getting +2 dice to all Disguise, Unobtrusive and Shadowing checks. A horse loses any distinctive characteristics it might have to identify it.[/i]
Master: You may enchant a building no bigger than 4000 square feet in size. This takes a full month and the tear of a Sidhe to do. Once complete, you may select three of the following laws that are always true in the area you have now made your home. You may have only one home at a time, but can end an enchantment at will. These powers work without fail unless some other sorcery disrupts them temporarily, and they are permanent until you will the enchantment to end.
1. I can't die in my house.
2. Nobody's magic but mine works in my house.
3. I always know where everything (and everyone) is in my house.
4. No one can enter my house without my permission.
5. Nobody ages in my house.
6. The pantry in my house always has food and drink in it.
7. I can instantly rearrange the inside of my house with a thought.
8. My house cannot be harmed in any way.
9. The inside of my house is twenty times bigger than the outside.
10. No one can find the way to my house unless I let her.

Why would you ever not take Jack?

The Green Man (Resolve) - Legend says the Green Man once challenged a knight to strike off his head with an axe, then picked it up and put it back on his shoulders. The knight didn't survive the Green Man's own blow.
Apprentice: Roll a non-exploding die for every rank you have the Green Man knack. Keep the highest one, and give it to another hero. He gains a bonus on all rolls this scene equal to the die's number. No one may have more than one of these dice at once. You can't use it on yourself. You can only affect a number of people up to your rank in the Green Man at once. You can only use this on willing characters. At the end of the scene, the person you gave the die to suffers a Dramatic Wound for every 5 points rolled on the die, rounded up.
Adept: Choose a character, which can include you. The next Dramatic Wound that person suffers heals itself at the end of the round it was received on. This can return someoned from being knocked out, but not dead.
Master: When you use the Adept power, the target can spend the Drama die to pay for it instead of you.

Thomas (Panache) - Thomas traveled to the Sidhe court, and there he learned to sense and resist sorcery. He returned to the human world and fought many sorcerers, gaining much fame.
Apprentice: When someone or something that has sorcery comes within 30 feet of you, your left thumb begins to tingle, and continues until the thing that caused it moves out of range. (This has no cost.) When someone uses sorcery on you, you immediately detect what's being done and can activate this power to resist the magic; this can't resist magic that empowers the sorcerer attacking you. You must have a rank in the Thomas knack greater than the rank of the power affecting you.
Adept: When someone uses sorcery within 30 feet of you, you immediately detect what's being done. (This has no cost.) You may activate this power to cancel any Sorcery knack in use or active within 30 feet. You must have a rank in the Thomas knack greater than the rank of the power you cancel.
Master: When activated, magic cannot be used within ten feet of you for rounds equal to your Thomas rank. Any active magical effects that enter this area are immediately canceled.

Note - Jack's Master knack comes back on when Thomas's magic-cancelling knacks end.

Next time: Vendel/Vesten magic. That's gonna take a lot of space.

I already had me press gang this month.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

Last one for today. I didn't, again, think I'd finish this today. Seriously this is a shitload of runes. This post is huge.

7th Sea: I already had me press gang this month.


Don't fuck with viking wizards.

The Vendel and the Vestenmannavnjar practice the art of Lærdom , the study of true names. Those who perform it are called Skjæren, the Rune Carvers - and they know the twenty-four holy words spoken by their tribal ancestors, who became gods. Each represents the god who first carved it, and now their power can be tapped into by carving the Lærds, the Runes. Runes are written, carved onto objects or inscribed on living flesh. Just speaking the word is not enough - it must be made real in the world and invoked in a special ritual.

The Apprentices, the Discoverers of Secrets, know how to invoke a rune. They can write it to tap into its power - but it's not safe, necessarily. This is the raw power of the world, a live wire which you are dipping into. Most who do this use paper and ink, but any temporary writing will do. Adepts, the Wards of Secrets, know the deeper secrets, and can inscribe a rune onto an object. Its power will hold for one year, and then the rune must be rededicated. Conventional wisdom is that the best day to do this is the day they were first inscribed, which will provide the most power - even, perhaps, allowing contact with the gods. The Masters know the Heart of Secrets, the Great Wisdom. They can summon the power of a lærd in themselves, and they can perceive the Living Myth, Valhalla - vaguely, but there. They can faintly hear the chanting of the ancestors. (This has no mechanical effect, but GMs are encouraged to occasionally allow them to receive advice from the ancestors.) They are able to carve a single rune into their flesh and become it.

Invoking a rune takes one action, because it's temporary. Inscribing one on an object takes five actions and isn't doable in combat. An inscribed item receives a name, and can receive no other. Anyone holding the item, even a non-sorcerer, can say the name to become affected by its rune for one round, plus one more for each Raise made in the inscribing. No roll is needed for this. Becoming a rune is permanently carving it into your body, taking ten actions and a red-hot iron brand. This is definitely not possible in combat. This does hurt you - but after that, the rune can never be destroyed without killing you, doesn't count towards the limits of runes you can have affecting you, is always on and never needs to be maintained. There are also weather runes, which are different - the radius they affect goes up with rank - one square mile for apprentice, three for adept and ten for master. They last an hour for apprentice, a day for adept and a week for master, assuming no other sorcerer goes in to change it. The GM controls the practical effects of the weather - you can't aim an earthquake to kill a specific person, without Raises assigned by the GM. Invoking a weather rune must be done out of doors. An inscribed weather rune is good for one use, and becoming one lets you use its power at will.

Whenever you fail at using a rune knack, you take one die of damage for every five points you failed by, rounding up. You can control a number of active runes equal to your ranks in Brawn at once, though you can make Raises to do more. If you ever fail a Lærdom roll while using more runes than you can normally control, all runes immediately end and you take one die of damage per active rune as the power explodes on you. You can only try to invoke up to (Wits) times per day. Runes can be inscribed only onto you or an inanimate object. Any object can only ever have one rune inscribed - even after the spell's power ends, that's the only rune that object will take. You can maintain up to (Brawn) inscriptions - if you go over that, all runes active fail and ruin the objects they are on. They may never be inscribed again. An inscribed rune can only be activated a number of times per day equal to the maker's Wits. And you can only ever become one rune.

The Runes:

- Kjøt, Flesh
The first rune is that of Self. Its lesson is this: "Know yourself, that is the first lesson; the first truth." It demands honesty with the self, and the god who is Kjøt was the most hermetic of the Vestenmannavnjar - ever. He never spoke to anyone but Empathy after he solved the Riddle of Flesh. Kjøt adds two dice to any attempts to resist being fooled or beguiled, by magic or not.

- Bevegelse, Empathy
The second rune is the Outer World, where others move and meld in a cohesive yet chaotic whole. Empathy is the union of the Self and the Outer World, and it is said that the goddess who is Bevegelse taught Flesh to understand himself, which made her the stronger of the two. However, Solitude claimed that "the Second would never survive without the First." Bevegelse adds two dice to any social interaction.

- Varsel, Omen
The third rune is that of the messenger of the gods, the Trickster. Varsel has been blamed for being unfair, making his omens too difficult, but he disagrees, claiming that "only those willing to listen are worthy to hear." When invoked or inscribed, Varsel allows the user to make a skill check to speak in secret, making all present whom he wishes to deceive hear only gibberish unless they are using the Flesh rune. Those who become Omen do not need to roll and may use the ability at will.

- Ensombet, Solitude
The fourth rune cuts away the past, the anchor that keeps you from moving forward. It allows you to move past fears and angers, to concentrate on the present. This is the duty of the true hero, who understands that the future waits for no one. Solitude was the first to accept his gift, the first to use it and the first to fall saving his home. Ensombet adds two dice to all Resolve checks.

- Styrke, Strength
The fifth rune challenge Flesh for supremacy of the body. He was a warrior, both in mind and body, with the soul of a demon and the power of the greatest ox. His courage is remembered across Vendel, inspiring the modern sport of caber tossing from the legend of how he uprooted the tallest tree in the world as a challenge to Legion itself. He drew a line between this world and the demons it had embraced, and his conviction is today shared by many Vestenmannavnjar. Styrke adds one die to all damage rolls.

- Uvitenhet, Mystery
The sixth rune hides the truth. What was clear is concealed, what was known forgotten. Under the influence of Uvitenhet, deceits and lies go unnoticed and veiled, even from the Gateway rune. Many say th at those who carve Uvitenhet become less and less themselves, and all who have become the Mystery rune have permanently cut ties with all they knew to devote their lives to scholarly work and puzzles. Uvitenhet adds two dice to all rolls to deceive others, and counteracts the Gateway rune.

- Stans, Calm
The seventh rune is also called Sorrow. For the sailor, no tragedy is greater than a stilled sea. When used, the winds die and the air is quiet. Doom comes to the sea. The god Stans observed the moment of silent revelation after Legion was hurled back to the Abyss at the end of the war for Vendel, and has observed the same silence between each Age since. When a skjæren learns Stans, he chooses either the weather or emotional focus. This choice can never be changed. As a weather effect, Stans stills the weather conditions. Gales die into breezes, blizzards turn to light snowstorms. Weather conditions can only be lessened, not changed into another type of weather. As an emotional effect, Stans adds two dice to all rolls to calm another's mood or curb aggressive emotions.

- Storsæd, Greatness
Greatness is the fledgling hero, the young and untrained prodigy. It is an encouragement to others to be like itself, reflecting the best in all it meets. The first person to be Storsæd was a squire to Styrke. Seemingly weak and in need of protection, he was the most valiant of all the gods and never wavered through the Worst Days, proving to be an example of all they fought for. When invoked or inscribed, Storsæd allows any Raises made on an action that is successful to be distributed among those who observed the action as the skjæren wishes, acting as free raises for the targets. The skjæren can transfer a number of raises per action equal to his lowest attribute. One who becomes Storsæd gets a pool of free raises equal to his lowest trait at the start of each scene, which he may use or distribute as he wishes during the scene. Any that are not used by the end of the scene are lost.

- Kyndighet, Skill
The legends say that Kyndighet was the stout, clearheaded mentor of the gods that saved the world. He knew that victory could not be rushed, that valor could not be hurried. He taught the value of patience and the proper moment and then showed all the gods what triumph meant. His rune is one of adroitness and instruction. Kyndighet allows one die per combat round to be rerolled.

- Sterk, Wholeness
There is a Vestenmannavnjar saying attributed to Sterk: "Understanding one's weaknesses is more important than knowing those of your foes." Sterk was the warlord who never fell, a master of defensive combat. Most of his battles were won by attrition and tiring his foe out, and he was one of the greatest friends of Kyndighet. Those who use his rune are blessed with uncanny ability to avoid blows. Sterk gives +5 to the TN to hit the skjæren.

- Velstend, Wealth
The Vestenmannavnjar claim that Velstend the Pauper was the richest of men, his altruism purest of the gods. He came from a foreign land, a land destroyed by Legion long ago, and he came to protect what he saw as "an innocent culture, devoid of the rampant greed and lust spreading across the world." His rune is called Wealth for lack of a better term. It spews forth a wellspring of ideas, tapping into the collective knowledge of all who came before. Early skjæren were wary of the rune, but modern Vendel are not, and it is rapidly becoming their most popular lærd. When a sorcerer learns this rune, he must choose between a focus on money or on wisdom. Once made, this choice cannot be changed. The money effect allows the user to make a skill check to double any money he receives by any means that is not regular income while the rune is active. The wisdom effect allows the user to make a skill check to tap into hereditary memory, asking the GM a question relevant to his situation. The answer occurs as a "flashback" into the life of a previous Skjæren devoted to Velstend which is pertinent to the current situation somehow. The relevance is left to the player to interpret.

- Fjell, Mountain
The twelfth rune is one of heroic sacrifice, but also absence of suffering. Bearers of this rune ignore crippling wounds, for it takes away suffering and pain and frees the mind. Fjell was a sympathetic healer, who in the final hours of the Worst Days took on the wounds of the warrior Krieg when he fell before Legion, sacrificing his own life to save Krieg's. Krieg, however, defied the Bargainer who gave the gods their power and went into its home in the Great Tårn Mountain to bring him back - and this rune saved his life. Fjell, when invoked or inscribed, allows the user to ignore the effects of one Dramatic Wound already suffered, both for purposes of penalties and unconsciousness. Those who become Fjell can suffer an additional Dramatic Wound before falling unconscious and may ignore all penalties from one Dramatic Wound, chosen when the wound is inflicted. Once that wound heals, another can be chosen.

- Høst, Harvest
The thirteenth rune is the time of plenty. There is no famine during the Harvest, and the hunger of winter to come is forgotten. However, it is also the lesson that nothing can be gained without work and dedication, that perseverence reaps the greatest reward. Høst was the only one of the gods left behind in the Worst Days. He tended the fields and farms during Legion's onslaught, and he rallied the common folk to do the same. His long struggle is remembered over the first meal of each year's harvest, even among those who despise the traditions of Lærdom. When invoked or inscribed, Høst allows the bearer to, before each story arc, voluntarily lower a knack by one. This rank of knack is "stored away" for the story, and when the story ends, the knack returns along with 2 XP that can only be spent to raise the knack's rank. Those who become Høst do not need to make a skill check to use this power each story.

- Grenseløs, Unbound
The fourteenth rune opens the way. Those that constrain it are defeated. Shackles, ropes and bindings cannot hold it. Grenseløs was the first to show this power, and the only person to ever escape the Great Keep of Krigsfang, where even Legion was said to have been bound. When invoked or inscribed, Grenseløs causes bindings and shackles to fall off the user when activated. Becoming Grenseløs allows this power to be used at will.

- Krieg, Warrior
Krieg is victory in battle, causing arrows to find their mark and axes to thirst for blood. This rune is much-prized, though many also remember the Great War, when Krieg the Inhuman ravaged the coast with an army of branded followers as proof of its ultimate corruption of the flesh. Krieg adds one die to all attack rolls.

- Nød, Intensity
Nød is diametrically opposed to Calm. Legend states the two married each other befor the Worst Days and were driven apart by their differences once they got their runes. Intensity is all that is violent, aggressive and forthright. She is a terror on the open sea, a savage wind that stings the eyes. Those who learn Nød must choose, when they learn it, between weather and emotional effects. Once chosen, this choice cannot be changed. As a weather effect, Nød worsens the present weather conditions, turning drizzles to downpours or snowstorms to blizzards. This cannot change types of weather condition, however. As an emotional effect, Nød adds two dice when trying to incite wrath or promote aggressive emotions.

- Sinne, Anger
Sinne is the bitter gale. Anger fills the sky, uncontrollable to most and unquestionable to all. Sinne embodied this fury. She was a beauty that none could possess, control or even hold the attention of for long. She is still today the most emulated of all the gods. Sinne adds two dice to all Brawn rolls.

- Tungsinn, Gloom
Tungsinn is the sullen shower, draining all life around it and casting everything in shades of gray. He leeches courage and reminds others of their losses. He was the embodiment of malaise, a nihilistic critic who was sure the Vestenmannavnjar would lose until several moments after they won. He has been mostly forgotten, for people have far better things to do than sulk. Tungsinn adds two dice to all attempts to cause depression or fear in others.

- Herje, Ruin
The nineteenth rune is that of disruption and destructive nature. Ruin is unexpected and brutal, thrusting all it touches into a desperate struggle for survival. Herje embodied this destruction, plagued by terrible luck, worse than any other man who survived childbirth. He fled his homeland after the Worst Days, and nearly all images of him have been burned in the hopes that he will never return. Herje allows the user to add their rank in Herje to the TN of their target's next action. The rune's power ends immediately after.

You know, as a rune to Become, that'd be a really, really nasty one.

- Reise, Journey
Reise is swift, calling to all those who seek to travel. It is the path that matters, not the goal, and every experience on the way is important. Those who follow Reise hate to see a journey end, though they are prepared and careful in their travel. Reise is a common name now among the Vestenmannavnjar, and the power of the rune has been passed down easily through the centuries, as the bearers prepare for the journey into death. Reise adds two dice to any perception checks.

- Fornuft, Gateway
The twenty-first rune is the Gateway, bringing visions to the water. This rune can spy on foes and learn their plans, and the only defense is Mystery. The Vendel love those who have learned the Gateway rune, for its power has great value, especially to the Guilds. Fornuft was an aging artist who had gone blind trying to paint the sun. He received a "divine inspiration" and began to create art based on the other gods. During the Worst Days, he learned his visions were actually happening as he observed them, and from then on his art weighed on him heavily, until he joined the pantheon he had once aided. Fornuft allows the user to see visions of other places, though the Mystery rune blocks all visions within fifty feet of itself, showing only a cloudy haze. The sorcerer must close his eyes and cannot speak during a vision. Invoking the rune allows the user to view events in a place he is familiar with for one round plus one round per raise. Inscribing it allows the user to watc events in a place he has seen before for one round plus one round per raise, but the object inscribed must have a reflective surface of some kind, in which the vision appears. Those who become Fornuft may call up visions of anywhere in the world they have been to and can maintain them for one round plus one round per raise. This can be done only once per day.

- Lidenskap, Passion
Lidenskap is the rune of passion and of day. Clouds part, rains end and the sky clears. Fog is dispelled by this rune as well. Between this rune and Hatred, any journey can be made pleasant. Lidenskap was a fiery man with a sharp-edged temper. Lidenskap can increase the temperature as a weather effect, which may induce heat waves, droughts or other heat-based effects.

- Kjølig, Hatred
Kjølig is the rune of hatred and night. It brings the clouds together, cooling the air. Kjølig was a brooding angel of a woman, and her billowing black form skirts the moonlit clouds on clear nights even today. Those who felt her acid kiss linger still above the northern Tårn Mountain. Kjølig can decrease temperature as a weather effect, which may cause freezing nights, snow or other cold-based effects.

- Villskap, Fury
The final rune is both fury and lightning. The rumbling in the sky foretells the doom of enemies. Villskap fought alongside Styrke and Krieg in the Worst Days, hurling lightning bolts down at his foes. When Krieg went mad in battle, it was Villskap who slew him, but only after Krieg strangled Styrke in his madness. Villskap allows the user to hurl a lightning bolt from his hands, targeted as a normal missile attack with range of 25 times mastery degree. Value for both attack and damage is Mastery degree+Villskap knack, keeping Mastery degree.

Next time: Possibly the entire rest of the sorceries.

Go ahead, then. Kill me. Kill me and seal your fate.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

Double post, but...

7th Sea: Go ahead, then. Kill me. Kill me and seal your fate.


Opening your eyes means death, perhaps from madness at the interlaced muppet.

First, let's mention the nations without sorcery. Castille has none, and not even a consolation prize because they got a really cool fencing style. Eisen has dracheneisen instead. A half-blood noble gets a little of the armor, and a full-blood gets much more. The reason this rocks is that the armor reduces incoming damage and can make you harder to hit. Even against bullets. Because the dragon iron is just that damn good.

Montaigne, on the other hand, has Portè , doorway magic. Portè involves ripping bleeding holes in reality and pulling things through them - and that word 'bleeding' is important, because Portè is also blood magic. To do it, you'll need to bleed. The Montaignes refer to the place-that-is-not-a-place between doorways as "the walkway", and none know what might live there. It's not safe to linger there, and it is absolutely never a good idea to open your eyes while in the walkway. Don't do it. Ever. Just don't.

An apprentice of Portè can open doorways the size of a human fist, and is also taught how to "blood" an object, marking it with his own blood. They are then taught how to open a doorway to the blooded object and pull it through. An adept can open doorways big enough to walk through, and so can not just pull blooded objects to him, but travel to them, as well as pulling through objects the size of a man - though they have to be able to lift the things to get 'em through the doorway. A master can open a doorway large enough for multiple people, and can finally allow others to travel the walkway with him, up to a number of people equal to their Resolve. They must hold onto the sorcerer or someone holding the sorcerer - those who lose their grip are lost forever to the maelstrom of the walkway. Don't do that.

Portè has limits, though. Travelling the walkway causes portal sickness - like sea sickness, except you never get used to it. Nausea and dizziness are common. When you walk through a doorway, you roll a die and subtract your Resolve. That's how many turns you're sick after, and that causes -2 dice to all actions. People who don't have Portè that you pull through with you don't subtract their Resolve. Pulling things through doorways doesn't actually open a physical connection - it's just a magic hole you stick your hand through and pull an item out of. A pin thrown into the sea that you pull through will be wet, but no water will come through the doorway. If your travel to a blooded object is blocked - say it's buried underground or left inside a jewelery box you can't fit into - you'll find yourself unable to exit the walkway and forced to walk to another blooded object. You can still pull the objects out, though, without a problem. And, of course, you absolutely must have a blooded object as an anchor for where you're walking to, and can only pull blooded objects out of your magic doors.

The powers of Portè are as follows: Attunement - the power to sense, generally, where blooded objects are in relation to you. This starts out working in a ten foot radius, but at rank 5 operates out up to ten miles. Blooding , of course - the power to ritually mark an object with your blood and link it to you with magic. Apprentices can have three blooded objects at once, adepts six and masters nine. You can drop a link at any time, but must then re-blood the object to reestablish it. Bring , the power to reach through a hole in reality and pull a blooded object to you. Pocket , the ability to claim part of the walkway as your own and store things there. They can't be alive - living things just can't enter your pocket hole - and you can only store ten pounds per rank of the Pocket knack. If you go over that, your pocket bursts and you lose everything in it forever. There is a small chance of any object in your pocket vanishing - no one knows why, but people think someone's learned how to steal them. So don't leave valuable, one-of-a-kind things there long. And lastly, anything in your pocket must be able to hold its shape - no liquids without being in a container, or it'll just fall back out of the pocket. And, of course, there is Walk , the power to open a doorway big enough to pass through - and, at Master levels, big enough to bring people with you. This can cross vast distances extremely quickly.


That bear has an excellent tailor.

In Ussura, the magic of Pyeryem is practiced. It's...not really sorcery, according to the Ussurans. They claim it is a holy act granted them by Matushka: the power to take on animal shapes. These are reverent powers, not to be used lightly, and passes from mother to child. All Pyeryem sorcerers learn first how to change into a specific animal - the first to offer up its 'spirit skin' - and then how to talk to other humans. They can't change back until they learn that, or talk to animals. Acquiring new shapes is a matter of finding an animal and bargaining with it for permission to use its spirit skin. The animal who does that, in return, will live as long as the sorcerer. IF killed by other means than age, the sorcerer must care for the beast's young until they are strong enough to take care of themselves, but does not lose the power to become the animal.

An apprentice of Pyeryem learns the Shape of the Beast, the power to turn his entire body into an animal, gaining all the powers of that animal. He can speak to other animals while transformed and to other Pyeryem users, but not to normal humans. Transformation costs a Drama die to attempt, and then you make skill roll. If you fail...yeah, the die's wasted. If you fail by a large amount, you are trapped in your current form until the next dawn. Turning back to a human works the same way, including the chance to be trapped, but costs no Drama dice. Each animal (including Human) is its own knack. You can always speak to any animal native to Ussura, and can roll to speak to any other animal, but it gets harder the further from Ussura and more domesticated the animal. An adept learns the Heart of the Beast, gaining the power of partial transformation. By shifting only a part of the body, he can call on one of the animal's abilities - say, by growing down around his eyes and a slightly hooked nose to use an owl's night vision. You can't use two powers that interfere with each other, or two that'd affect the same part of the body. You can also only use one power per animal - so if you have owl vision up, you'll need another bird form to take wings from if you also want wings. You use your Man knack to turn all your powers off...and, again, can be trapped in your current form until the next dawn if you fail badly enough. The master learns the Soul of the Beast: form is unimportant, spirit is all. They learn the art of spirit conjuration, calling on the powers of their animal forms without needing to transform their body. They can call as many powers from a single animal as they desire, but can only use one animal's powers at a time. There's no need to turn back, since no transformation happens - however, all animal powers wear off at the next dawn, or can be cancelled early.

There's a list of animal forms and associated powers. There's also a list of powers, excellent for use in building an animal that isn't already there. The Ussura book has more animal forms listed, and a few new animal powers. There's stuff like claw attacks, armor (due to speed, toughness or whatever), burrowing, stat changes - though when a stat goes up, another often goes down...and the two are usually considered a single power when that happens, as are things like speed and no grasping limbs. It's a pretty flexible system, though, and while powerful animals can be hard to turn into, they've got some great abilities.

The magic of Vodacce, now, is Sorte , fate magic. It is a very rare sorcery, found exclusively in Vodacce women, the fate witches. Those who have the power can see the great web of fate and how it connects to all things. They learn to watch its strands - and the grand witches, the nonna , even learn how to create and destroy them. The young witches learn how to see the strands using a sorte deck, reading fate via the cards. They learn what the cards mean - the Arcana are strengths and weaknesses in a person, and the suits are types and strengths of connection. A fate witch can't manipulate Arcana, but can manipulate the others - Coins, the connections of business and trade, Cups, the connections of passion and emotion, Swords, the connections of conflict, and Staves, the connections of status, respect and authority. Each suit and the Arcana are the five knacks of Sorte, the skill in manipulating that type of fate. (Or, in Arcana's case, of being able to read it.)

The witches can automatically see the most powerful strands a person has - the first most important for an apprentice, the two most important for an adept and three most important for a master. They can also look closer to see the specific strands between two people. When a witch can see a strand, she knows what suit it has, where its ends are - if both ends are in sight, she can see that...but even if not, she knows what direction the end is currently in, how strong it is (from one to ten)...and whether it has a court card. Court cards mean the strand can't be manipulated - the Squire because it is too new and unstable, the Knight because it is too powerful, the Queen because it is splitting and creating a new strand and the King because it is too old and stable. They also learn if the strand is being twisted or frayed, and can tell if a strand has been cut - but a cut strand can't be altered unless you can make new strands.

The Vodacce women may lay blessings and curses. It's said they can do it just by meeting your eyes - but that is not true. It takes a bit more than that, and it's pretty risky. To do it, they must look into the eyes of a person, say his name three times and then kiss him. That lays the blessing...or the curse. And only the witch knows what she laid. She then rolls her appropriate knack - Cups to give a romantic blessing, say, or Swords for a curse on conflicts. For every 15 points rolled, the target gets either a Blessing or Curse die. However . the witch gets a Curse die for every 10 points rolled. Blessing dice are added to the results of all appropriate rolls. However, they can't explode - and if they ever roll a 1, they go away. They remain until then. Curse dice are rolled the same way...but rather than adding to the results, they subtract. They go away if they ever roll a 10.

A witch can also tug on strands she can see. This lets her increase or decrease its strength. The effects of this aren't sudden or spectacular...but it causes something to change a relationship. Perhaps when she weakened a passion strand, there will be a lover's quarrel that night. If she strengthens it, perhaps luck will bring them closer to gether after the man defends the woman's honor. It's subtle, but can be very powerful - at least until it wears off. The change lingers for one day per rank in the appropriate knack...and if you're lucky, circumstances might make it permanent. Perhaps, after all, you ruined the relationship by causing the man to be sent off to war and making it long-distance. Just because the magic wears off won't stop that from being true. However, the GM controls how the magic manifests, not you. You can't tug a strand that has a court card.

Stretching stands is much simpler. If you can see a strand, you can stretch it - and while you are doing so, it adds or subtracts dice from appropriate pools. So if you witness a sword fight and can see the Swords strand between the duelists, you can weaken or strengthen one of the fighters by stretching the strand. It's not easy, but very potent. You can't stretch a strand with a court card.

The greatest witches can create and destroy strands. Destroying is the easier of the two. It's like tearing through a web, with each part important to maintaining the structure. However, you can't destroy a strand with a court card. If you succeed the (rather hard) roll to destroy a strand, you dramatically destroy the relationship. Lifelong friends feel nothing for each other, perhaps a tragic accident tears a father and son apart and they never see each other again. It's not something you control, but it is very dramatic. However, you get caught up in the effect: you become connected to both people the strand you cut had connected, even if you have only seen them before and never spoken to them. This is a great risk, for such connections can be tracked by other witches and used to weaken you, as you well know.

Creating strands is the hardest thing a witch can do. It is less risky to the witch, but very hard. Plus, the strand must be watched carefully to ensure the relationship goes the way you want - that the political relationship between two leaders creates an agreement, not a war. That you don't start a romantic relationship with a man who just isn't what you want - you can, after all, end up accidentally turning him into a stalker if you aren't careful

Lastly, the Arcana: a Fate Witch can watch a person and see if they have a Virtue or Hubris. They can even tell what it is, based on what Sorte card they see and if it's inverted or not.

However, there's always a risk when using Sorte. Famously, "Mad Queen" Marietta controlled the fates of an entire village - and over the years, her skin developed scars as if struck with a lash. That is because she was: a fate lash . It eventually drove her insane and she killed her husband and children. Whenever a die on a Sorte roll explodes more than twice - so whenever a single die goes over 20 - you suffer a fate lash. Since you can choose to not have a die explode, it's all down to you overreaching...because while you get lashed, that explosion means the spell still worked and got lots of numbers. It's a risk that might be worth it. When you get a Fate Lash, you lose three Drama dice. If you don't have three to lose, you take a Dramatic Wound for every die you don't have. The scars remain for three months, but cause no other problems.


Dun dun duuuuuun...

The last part of the book brings us to the end of the story. Clarisse and Villanova are at a party for King Sandoval's birthday when Archibald arrives! Clarisse has hired him to fight her lover, Villanova - but why? We don't know! The two fight, but Villanova's Ambrogia fencing is too much for Archibald - he can't beat the man. While Villanova gloats, however, Archibald notices Lucia, who is doing something . She tugs on the strands, stretching them - and when Villanova moves in for the killing blow, he misses! Villanova turns, cursing at her - but that gives Archibald the opening he needs. He knocks the sword from the villain's hand and has him at his mercy. At this point, Helena retrieves the stolen object from Villanova - a Syrneth egg containing a poison virulent enough to kill everyone in the room.

Archibald is about to kill Villanova when the man reveals that he, too is a Swordsman - and no Swordsman may take commission on another! Archibald could kill him - but only by accepting death himself, at the hands of the Guild. He spares Villanova, who swears vengeance on Lucia for costing him victory. Lucia nearly faints, but Archibald catches her.

From here, we move into a player advice section which is, honestly, one of the best I've ever read. It talks about what stats do, but more importantly, aobut player expectations and what we'd today call the social contract. It talks about how players should make characters as a group, so they can hook into each others' backgrounds and cover each others' weaknesses, about sitting down and forming a charter for the PC group so that they have rules they can fall back on in times of disagreement - a novel idea, if not one I usually use. And it talks about how being dick "because it's my character" is unacceptable behavior and should not be done. This is not a game designed for interparty conflict beyond argument and debate - PVP combat just isn't what it's good at. And it's open about that. There's also advice about flexibility. Say you took Nemesis as a background, but your Nemesis hasn't shown up yet and you really, really hate this NPC the GM has just introduced - you can ask him if that guy can be your Nemesis instead! And usually he'll say yes.

Sometimes, the GM will introduce NPCs, and the game suggests that he let players decide who they are sometimes - the example is this: "Do I recognize him?" "...hm. Sure! Who is he?" "Well, he looks like my fencing instructor. What's he doing so far from home and dressed so shabbily?" "Sure, we'll go with that." The GM can veto you if he has other plans, of course. Likewise, you can improvise chandeliers into existence in fight scenes if you need something to swing on, and the GM is expected to tell you if your PC is doing something stupid that he'd know not to do - a sorcerer opening his eyes in the walkway, say, or a fencer standing somewhere that'd put him at terrible risk in battle. Basically, it's a game that suggests players be courteous to each other and not be dicks. Good advice.

It also talks about playing with an accent, and the appendix has example accents, including 'pirate'

Next time: The GM's Guide.

Perhaps the orb exerts a repulsive force on the cog similar to that of two similarly aligned lodestones?

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: Perhaps the orb exerts a repulsive force on the cog similar to that of two similarly aligned lodestones?


Tick-tock, captain, tick-tock.

We begin with the standard-at-the-time stern warning to players not to read this section, and then move into the 'metaplot' narration, this time from an archaeologist named Edward Hollingsworth. He's come into two Syrneth artifacts, a three-inch brass-like sphere on a silver rod and quarter of bluish cogwheel covered in wires, which wrap around a gray orb and have immense tension. After a visit with a man named Lord Weberly, it is discovered (by Weberly's niece) that it's a musical instrument - but it's dropped and nearly kills the niece when the strings snap and the orb goes barreling through a wall.

We're informed that the 7th Sea plot will be continuing as time moves on, and that while now it is 1668 in Thèah, time will move there as well. We start off with a rather in-depth look at Avalon. Elaine, of course, is based both on Elizabeth the I and King Arthur, while her advisor Derwyddon is Merlin.



Elaine's taking the throne has returned the Sidhe to Avalon, and brought the magic back. In Avalon, the nobles and the commoners are closer than in most nations. Elaine is well-beloved by the people, and that keeps them loyal - but a hated lord cannot expect anything. Avalon fashion is, well, utilitarian. They've invented the pocket to free up hands, tend to long hair and facial hair and frown on wigs and makeup. Married women wear their hair up, and maidens braid it.

Avalons fucking love alcohol. Beer, stout, whiskey, mead - they love it all. Except wine. They don't drink much wine. They eat cabbage, carrots and beets, and the favored meat is rabbit. Venison's illegal. Fishin, however, is extremely common. As a result, the Avalons tend to be sturdy, powerful folk. The nobles love imported delicacies, but only of food - everyone loves local beer and ale. Avalons are also renowned both for hospitality and for superstition. The supersition comes from the presence of the Sidhe, who follow strange rules - sometimes, it is vital to throw spilled salt over the shoulder or keep a copper penny in the left shoe. It's also why they're so polite to strangers: the Sidhe loathe and punish disrespect, and you never know when someone's a shapeshifted Sidhe noble.

The Avalons love song and story. While the peasants have had their native religion suppressed for four centuries, it was not forgotten - instead, it became legend and ballad. Gods become kings, heroes become knights, but it was all still there. The songs tend to follow patterns, such that even if they've never heard a song before, an Avalon can usually join in the chorus of a ballad. They tend to the bawdy, and while on the surface such things are punished, the songs mock such punishment even as they tell about it. The old names are coming back, too - the ancient Avalon tongue, Cymru, is making a comeback. Where Dyffd became David and Ieuan became Ian, now they are changing back.

There are three religions in Avalon - the Objectionists, the Reformed Vaticines (otherwise known as the Church of Avalon) and the Traditionalists. Most normal Vaticines have left after Elaine declared independence from the Church. The Traditionalists, well, they're druids. Elaine has pioneered a program of religious tolerance, trying to keep the three groups from being at each others' throats. They don't really like each other, and the Traditionalists seem to want to get the Church entirely off their island. Scholars, at least, are happy because Elaine doesn't persecute them like the Inquisition does.

Avalon's had a parliament for six centuries, but the true power still lies with Elaine. While the vocal minority doesn't like her, Elaine's moderate stance on most issues gained her the majority's support. Avalon's divided into seven regions, each ruled by a lord save one, which is the Queen's personal dominion. The capital was once Luthon, but Elaine moved it ten years ago. Now, it's ruled by Lord Mayor Nigel Bester, one of the richest and most influential lords of the parliament. The capital is Carleon, the ancient capital. It had fallen, but Derwyddon raised it again - and some whisper he did it in a single night, summoning spirits of ocean, smoke and fire. It's got a fairy tale castle to back that up.

Beyond that, major cities are Wandesborow (pronounced Wanber), the Sailor's City - a major port and home to many sailors, and Cardican, home of the rich and powerful Garloise family. The Garloises are well-known as an ambitious family, but they support Elaine as well as any other. Their current leader is a man named Mark, who is married to a powerful sorcerer named Rhiannon. There is also, just off the coast (though it seems to wander), the Isle of the of the Grey Queen. There's a tall tower there, containing a woman who has never aged. She sits at a loom and spins. No man who has ever sailed there has returned, and none have tried for a century. Some say the Gray Queen is a banesidhe or something even more terrible, but none know for sure.

While Elaine's got a very powerful navy, AValon has no standing army. The nobles objected, but Elaine focused on the navy because they couldn't afford both and the navy brought in money. The Avalons are thankful Castille is busy, as otherwise the seat of the Vaticine would be coming after them. They wish they could help Eisen, but have to keep their own house in order, and are friendly with Montaigne so long as they don't seem likely to invade. They don't know much about Ussura, and they distrust Vodacce and Vendel. They fucking hate pirates.



Inismore, just across the water, is an independent nation allied to Avalon. It is ruled by the immortal O'Bannon, the árd rí , recently returned. Some - such as the kings when he arrived, the O'Tooles - think he's an imposter, but he's powerful enough and mad enough to be the real thing. Should Elaine lose the Graal or betray the Inish, he'd turn on her in an instant, and his wrath is terrible.

The Inish claim to have been placed under a gesa when their nation was formed, a spell that enforces four laws that form the basis of all society. Three they live by - and the fourth is for those who don't. The first law is that of hospitality: All men must be hospitable. The King maintains roads and travelers hostels that are free to all, in which violence is punishable by death. A host never turns away a guest, and it is expected that those who have will be generous to those who need. When they don't - well, reputation is everything, and rumors travel fast in Inismore. The second law is that of Bravery. An Inishman would rather face a painful death than live life as a coward. The important thing to an Inishman is that he dies and is remembered. Violence is casual, even friendly - fistfights are respectful, and very common. No weapons, of course. The winner always buys his foe a drink - after all, he fought so hard he couldn't get up, and that's what matters. The last law is Loyalty. So long as a promise doesn't force a man to betray the other laws, he cannot break it. His first loyalty must always be to his own honor, and his lord is second - a strange idea to most people. This individualism can make the Inish very distinct in a world such as this one. The fourth law is Justice: those who break the law are punished. The Inish believe the land itself will conspire to do so, but if they witness a transgression, it is their solemn duty to set it right. The only way to atone is to quest to clear your name. Traditionally, this involves attempting the impossible - and often dying in the attempt, but there's no better way to clear your name than that.

Like Avalon, the Inish love songs. They've got a ton of them - rebel songs, war songs, love songs, drinking songs...the bards, the filid , are a very important part of Inish culture. They're a unique feature of the Inish, a sort of holy person and living history. The native religion of Inismore worships gods said to live in worlds beyond this one. They claim that magic can reach the gods, but the gates have been closed for centuries. They aren't all that concerned about it - just worship on holy days and leave well enough alone. Anyone, they feel, can become a god - it's a matter of making a big enough legend. This is why reputation is so important - and why the worst thing you can call an Inishman is 'coward'.

The holy men of Inismore are the druids - wise men who know the secret truths. They learn the ways of the world and how to predict them, and many believe them to be magical. Bards are the initiate druids, historians and song-singers but also priests-in-training and seekers of secret knowledge. They also serve as messangers, using the famous Inish "seven-league striders," magic boots that can walk the entire island in a single day. Like the Avalons, the Inish are superstitious. They know never to block a river, for the Sidhe will punish them if they do. The waters are important, and must be let to go where they will.

The capital of Inismore is Tara, home of the Fål Stone. It was cursed in 600, but when the O'Bannon returned years later, he broke the curse by letting his blood fall on the Fål Stone. Since then, the city has had sixty-foot ramparts guarding her. Beyond it is Carman, the face of Inismore. Tara is the capital, but Carman is the main port and trading center. And beyond that is the bastion of the O'Tooles, Lachcuan. It trades exclusively with the Highland Marches, and it is ruled by the O'Toole clan, whose distrust of their High King is no secret. Most of the Inish military is untrained, but their leadership are professionals, fanatics who can whip their followers into a bloodthirsty horde. They have no navy, but many Inish have joined the Sea Dogs. The Inish have few foreign relations, letting Elaine handle it.



Lastly for Avalon, there are the Highlanders of the Highland Marches. The Highlands are not an easy country - it's rainy, foggy and cold. The roads are poor, and bandits are common. But this has made them tough and loyal. They are formed into clans, and it's very important to belong to your clan and support it. They wear their clan tartans in public, and clans color all of their culture, from dances and songs to politics. We're told that clan support is roughly like being an American football fan - nothing to go to war over, but certainly something you might start a fight over. And, of course, unite against outsiders.

Women are, legally, second-class citizens. They can't hold office or own property, are officially less than men and could never lead a clan. However, they control most financial matters behind the scenes and wives are often the most trusted advisors for noblemen. Women can also join the army, and one of the most famous of the Sea Dogs is a Highland woman, "Bloody" Bonnie McGee. The Highlanders have also embraced the idea of aristocratic education, taking to philosophy well alongside hunting and art. They are also consummate politicians, and most are deeply concerned over the wellbeing of the nation, focusing all their work on bettering it. Peasants, on the other hand, tend to keep to themselves, farm or run small shops and hold boisterous gatherings for beer and song.

Honesty is the most important thing to a Highlander. Arguing and even fights are perfectly acceptable, so long as you're honest. Breaking your word is the worst sin you can commit...but all this applies only internally. Deceiving a foreigner is nothing - and many noblemen make a game of it. Beyond that, they are rather similar to Avalon. They have a parliament in which all the heads of the major Clans serve, and are overseen by a High King. Currently, that's James MacDuff, leader of the Unifist faction - the Unifists being supporters of alliance with Avalon who support Elaine's leadership. He is opposed by the Seperatists, who want the Highland to be sovereign and seperate nation. Their capital is their oldest city, Kirkwall, and once a month its population triples for the meeting of the clans in the king's Grand Hall. There is also Connickmoor, home of the MacBride clan, leaders of the Seperatists. So far, they haven't achieved much, but they're patient. The Highlanders generally allow Elaine to deal with the outside, but maintain relations with a number of nations, and are on good terms with both Vendel and the Vestenmannavnjar thanks to careful maneuvering.

No discussion of Avalon would be complete without covering the Sidhe, however. They are known variously - the Tuatha de Danaan, the Doine Sidhe, Tylwith Teg, the Goodly Folke...even faeries, but no Avalon would ever dream of using that word, which they despise. They fear and hate cold iron - though no one has ever gotten a clear explanation on what makes iron cold, so it's safest just to avoid any and all iron around them. They are walking dreams, legends made real. They can be found anywhere in the world, though Avalon is where they call home in this world.

Their true home is the ghost isle of Bryn Bresail, which appears at dawn and vanishes at dusk - or, at least, that's the gateway to their home. There, it is forever a frozen spring, blossoms covered in frost. Like humans, the Sidhe have nobles - tall, beautiful nobles with wide eyes and nimble, long fingers. Only those they trust have seen them eat and drink, and they are terrified of looking into mirrors. They are all lords and ladies, and are ruled by a King and Queen - though no human has ever seen the King of the Sidhe. The Queen is powerful, however, far moreso than her husband - or so they claim. She has never been seen in the same form twice, and refers to her appearance as her "costume", for the Sidhe are shapeshifters. She's always seen with a mortal man whom she calls her knight. He is usually young, around sixteen, and handsome...but some say that the knight suffers a terrible fate on the summer solstice.

As the Sidhe are beautiful, so are they terrible. They are like thunderstorms - vast, powerful and unthinking in their fury. They are capable of great beauty, but terrible cruelty and vengeance. Their magic is powerful - and their wrath is moreso. This, of course, is only for the Seelie Court, the Blessed. There is also the Unseelie, the so-called Unforgiven. They are said to be creatures of living fire, of burning shadow, full of passion where the Seelie are distant and far more aware of the terror they embody.

There's also the lesser Sidhe, the common folk. Goblins, bogeys, boggins and brownies are among their ranks. Like all Sidhe, they appreciate good manners. Respect is the key in dealing with the Goodly Folke, and must always be remembered. Nobles are always Lord or Lady, and knowing their full title and using it is a good idea. If a common sidhe is known to be kind or helpful to humans, he is a hob and should be called such - but only do so if you know he's truly a hob. To do so falsely is to show the sidhe you're a fool and need to be tricked. The Sidhe are also the masters of Glamour, far moreso than any sorcerer could hope to be. To challenge one to a contest of Glamour is an insult worthy of death.

There are many superstitions about the Sidhe, and it's up to the GM to decide which are true. They include things like 'turning your clothes inside out protects you from Glamour', 'spreading salt on your windowsills and below your door will bar Sidhe from a building', 'Sidhe can't cross running water' and 'bells frighten and may even harm the Sidhe.'

Some important folks! Queen Elaine is a careful, cautious woman who is constantly working to maintain the Avalon alliance, and is almost always seen with her twelve personal knights. She also wants to keep her support of the Sea Dogs officially secret. Her primary advisor is Derwyddon, a man with one red eye (which can see the past) and one red eye (which can see the future). He cannot, however, see himself in either - and so he doesn't know how old he is. He wants to keep Elaine in power, though he has no idea why it's so important. The leader of Elaine's knights is Sir Lawrence Lugh, and he is the best of them all. He is strong, powerful, brave - and has a number of secrets. He is a full-blooded Sidhe who was cursed by a witch who was once his lover. When she learned he intended to leave, she put him to sleep and cut off his hand, replacing it with an iron one to destroy his magic. Since then, he has become a mortal man, beginning to age and losing much of his power. He is terrified of old age, and the other Sidhe cast him out as a cripple. He is afraid of death, but hides it well...and he is in love with Queen Elaine. Due to that love, he has given up all hope of returning to the Sidhe. The O'Bannon, meanwhile, is a terriying madman who claims to be centuries old. He loves Inismore, but his moods are dangerously unpredictable, and he's been known to kill men for saying things he thinks are stupid. And lastly, there is James MacDuff II, High King of the Highlands. He's a canny and shrewd politician who enabled the Avalon alliance by supporting Elaine. He wants to preserve it as long as it is convenient - but he doesn't think it'll last forever, and his ultimate goal is to ensure the Highlands come out on top when it goes bad.

Next time: Castille!

Lord Weberly dropped the object in surprise as everyone of his hunting hounds began a most mournful howling.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: Lord Weberly dropped the object in surprise as everyone of his hunting hounds began a most mournful howling.



Castille's people tend towards the relaxed. They live fll lives, and they see no need to rush - mostly. Sure, there's a war on, but that's over there . But go into a monastery or university, and everyone's rushing. They're too busy experimenting and researching! No time to eat, no time to sleep! This is only one of the contradictions of Castille.

Good King Sandoval was forced to take the throne when his elder brother disappeared and his father, Salvador Aldana, died in 1664. Sandoval believes his brother is still alive and wants to find him - and he is indeed right. You see, Sandoval's brother is secretly the pirate Allende, the founder of the Brotherhood of the Coast! He has no desire to take the throne back, but he's definitely interested in ensuring his brother stays alive. He's in close contact with El Vago, and it was he who asked El Vago to protect Sandoval. The assassination attempts on Sandoval are plots by Cardinal Verdugo. El Vago cannot yet prove this, but he's gathering evidence to try.

Castille is primarily rural, with each part of the land, or rancho, governed by a noble family led by a Don. Castille's people are patriotic, prideful and often a little bit xenophobic. They are devout Vaticines, acknowledging King and Church as equals (though Sandoval the boy king has caused a stir there - his youth counts against him). After him are the land-holding Dons, and after them, the ones without land. Merchants are next, then the commoners. However, social status is of lesser concern to Castillians.

The great focus of Castille is la familia . There's no such thing as 'extended family.' Uncles are family. Cousins are family. Second cousins twice removed are family. Families are important and loyal to each other, usually tracing their heritage back to a common matriarch revered by all. No matter what family does, they share blood - and that is what matters. The most unforgivable sin is to kill a family member, and the worst punishment they can level is ostracism from the family.

Castillians are prone to la nostalgia , a sort of homesickness, when they are away from their country. It is largely because Castille has tended to ignore the rest of the world, focusing on itself above all, and to leave it is a shock. Until recently, the nobles have stood apart from the peasants' joyful street parades, dances and other festivals - but with the Montaigne invasion, they have adopted the peasant customs and become far closer to their people, banding together against the invaders. Castillian music revolves around the guitar, which has singlehandedly defined Castillian sound. To them, it is the perfect instrument.

For the first time since 1386, when the royal family all died of plague, the king of Castille has been denied the title of Rex Castilium by El Concilio de Razon, the Cardinal's council that acts as his advisors. They have instituted a constitutional monarchy instead of allowing him absolute power, and they are essentially running the country. They aren't, however, very good at it, being priests rather than good governors.

The Castillians are not fond of Avalon thanks to her split with the Church, but are too busy to act against them. They don't mind Eisen so much because there's little chance of danger from there. Montaigne, of course, is hated for their invasion. They pay almost no attention to the pirates after the destruction of their armada. Ussura has little contact with them, as does Vendel. Vodacce and Castille have long had a heated rivalry due to the split in the church.

The important people of Castille include, of course, Sandoval, who is trying his best to be a good king. He's been learning mostly by listening to his main advisors argue with each other. El Vago, of course, is a flamboyant masked swordsman whose skills at disappearing make many think he's actually a Montaigne sorcerer. He just wants to protect Sandoval and fight the Inquisition. Esteban Verdugo is one of the king's advisors and head of the Inquisition. He wants to save souls - by any means necessary. He will do literally anything if he thinks it will save a soul - torture, murder, anything. And if he thinks you're slipping - better to kill you now and ensure you go to Heaven. The king's other advisor is Andres Bejarano del Aldana, an excellent statesman who is concerned above all with the state of the people. He is a good swordsman who once fought alongside El Vago to protect the king. He focuses on keeping Castille happy over military matters, unlike Verdugo, and the two are bitter rivals. And then, of course, there is Headmaster Salvador Garcia, once a bishop in the church. After the Hierophant's death, he resigned in disgust at the political maneuvering he saw. He is a firm supporter of the Invisible College.



Eisen is disorganized and shattered - but it is coming back together slowly. Its internal discord is a problem, of course, but all of Eisen is trying to recover from the damage of the War of the Cross. National pride is strong - they are all Eisens, and they are ready to fight for that.

There are four classes in Eisen: the Adel , the nobles who live in grand castles. The Sölden . the mercenaries who are the next-wealthiest. They often form military academies when they grow old. The Baueren , the peasantry who farm Eisen's inferitle land. They have suffered much, and tend to be angry. And the last class was created by the War of the Cross: der Waisen , the orphans. Their homes were destroyed and their families killed in the war, and they have no real support. Many die of diseases, and others for trespassing where they once lived. The Adel claim they are easy to identify - they are the ones that don't shield themselves when beaten.

The Eisen are a straightforward people, straight-talking and blunt. They will lie for a friend, but not for no reason, and they see little point in sparing feelings of those they don't like. A friend is often called a Rücken , or "back" - meaning that the Eisen would trust him to defend his back in battle. An Eisen will never abandon a friend unless asked, and expects the same. The trust they have is very strong. Their customs are rougher than in many other lands, which can take foreigners off guard, and they have a little trouble with quietness and subtlety in speech and action.

The Eisen have become less demonstrative now. Holidays often go uncelebrated because work must be done. Children eat first to ensure they will eat at all, even before honored guests - and it is custom for those who have enough food to bring a gift of it when visiting, to ensure they have enough to eat while they serve you the best they have. The baueren believe it is bad luck to touch a waisen, that their bad luck is contagious and must be washed away with bathing. Their music tends towards the idyllic and quiet, unlike their customs.

Eisens are split between Vaticine and Objectionist, and workers often discuss religion as they toil. The mercenaries, regardless of religion, often wear necklaces bearing the names of pious mercenaries of the past - these are called Heiligen and are believed to be protected by the spirits of those named. The four most common names are Imperator Weiss, remembered for his religious tolerance, Imperator Gottschalk I, remembered for creating the Hierophancy, Stefano Wulf, an Objectionist who wasn't actually an Eisen but was a major figure in the movement and General Strauss, champion of the Eisen Vaticines.

The land is governed by seven Eisenfürst, each with their own königreich. The first is most recent: Freiburg, the free city, governed by Nicklaus Trägue. He is the first atheist to rule openly, and he was made so by the horrors of the War of the Cross. He believes all men are traitors for the right price and has been known to curse out passing priests. He tries to do his best for his people, manipulating them to do right by using their moral failings. Freiburg pays no taxes and relies on free trade - in fact, its government tries to do as little as possible. Trägue believes Freiburg will not live to see its fifth anniversary, for his atheism is not liked by the other Eisenfürsten. The next is Wische, ruled by Reinhard von Wische, a kind man who has let his land go to ruin following the deaths of his family in the War. His land was ravaged, and most of his income comes from tolls on merchants. It has more waisen than any other area. The third is Pösen, ruled by Fauner Pösen. She is most prosperous of them, except perhaps for Freiburg, and her land was left mostly untouched. The fourth is Heilgrund, ruled by Stefan Heilgrund. He works to reunite Eisen, but the others see him as a brash young fool and hae no desire to submit. Indeed, only Nicklaus will talk to him, as a potentially useful tool. Stefan is rumored to collect occult books and objects for no clear reason.

The fifth königreich is Fischler, ruled by Faulk Fischler. He is a brooding man who discovered dracheneisen in his land in 1649, thus earning his status. His land was once part of Sieger and Hainzl, a fact that Erich Sieger has never forgiven. Fischler is depressed and lonely - once, he was surrounded by nobles who looked down on him for being poor, and now by nobles who fawn on him for being rich. Much of his money comes from fishing, but the fish are getting less and less common - and now, Fischler is wrestling with whether he should cease all fishing to let them recover. Doing so could be ruin - but so could not doing it. The sixth königreich is Sieger, ruled by Erich Sieger. Technically, it is Castille land, but when Castille tried to claim it they found a madman in a fortress, willing to fight over burned, salted mud. They decided not to bother. Sieger has trougle feeding his people, but he is stubborn enough to never give up, and that may be enough to keep the königreich alive. The final one is Hainzl, ruled by the jovial Georg Hainzl. He has come out virtually untouched by the War, and in fact by most political realities. He focuses on art and culture, surviving by Hainzl's iron mines, which make enough money to let him focus on these things. All of the Eisenfürsten keep their people busy with public works, but Erich Sieger has taken to having his peasants move loads of dirt around for no clear reason, much to their confusion.

The Eisen do not wear their panzerhands save when going into battle, so the traditional challenge to a duel is 'Show me your fist!', literally meaning 'put on your glove.' They do not trust Avalon at all, believing all Avalons to be liars. They like Castille, but aren't going to debate religion with them. They see the Montaigne as arrogant but rich children - worth being polite to, but not very smart. They like the pirates, because the pirates bring in money - to Freiburg, and to Eisen mercenary guards. Eisen also likes Ussura, because Ussurans tend to, like Eisens, be quiet and strong. They respect Vendel and the Vesten, despite Vendel's role in helping start the War of the Cross, and they do not trust Vodacce at all.

The Eisenfürsten are the rulers of Eisen, and while we've talked a little about them, there's more to know. Stefan Heilgrund is a little in love with Fauner Pösen, but she has nothing but contempt for him. He sdesire sorcery powerful enough to reunite Eisen. Georg Hainzl is...well, kind of senile. He is an old man and has trouble telling fantasy from reality, and his advisor Marcus Stefan Adolfo tends to handle matters of state. Fauner Pösen is a brilliant tactician with no time for romance at all, and all she wants is to ensure that Pösen remains prosperous. Erich Sieger burned and salted his own land to keep Castille from claiming it, and since then he's been trying to restore it. He had an illegitimate son, but disowned the boy after finding that instead of military school as intended, he went to university. Sieger really wants nothing to do with the rest of the world, not after his service to the last Imperator ended with his lands being seized. He just wants to keep what's his now, and bow to no man. Nicklaus Trägue is a bitter man, and he is currently writing a book on philosophy with the aid of his scribe, Logan Gottschalk Sieger (yes, Sieger's son) which will put forth ideas on morality and ethics without need of religion. He hopes to finish before Freiburg falls to inevitable attack.

Next time: Montaigne and Ussura!

There is a silvery rod somehow driven through the middle of the sphere which is impossible to remove.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

Being stuck at home with a head cold makes it easy to read and post.

7th Sea: There is a silvery rod somehow driven through the middle of the sphere which is impossible to remove.



Montaigne's nobles, as expected, are decadent in the extreme. They've got far more money than they know what to do with and nothing better to do than make trouble. The entire country has been practically excommunicated - and while the nobles don't care, it's made the peasants very, very angry. There's a number of people to keep an eye on: General Montegue is a peasant who's risen to change the entire face of military theory more than any other man in a century. He invented the rifle line and is the first commoner to ever command an army. He's a pragmatic general, willing to do anything to win a battle - gun down retreating foes, cut off supply lines, anything. Then, of course, there is Leon Alexandre's youngest daughter, Dominique. She has shown no potential for sorcery at all, and so has been ignored by her father...but the ritual that foretold that also foretold, after l'Empereur had already stormed away, that her child would be the greatest sorcerer in the world. This was hidden until Dominique discovered it recently, and it will be the trigger to worldshaking events. Which, uh, we won't tell you about yet.

Montaigne is beautiful, fertile and glorious. Its people are fit and clean, compared to the rest of the world, and they are said to set the style for all others. That's the nobles, of course. The peasants are rather less ambitious. Due to primogeniture, Montaigne nobility is rather complex, and child-swapping of lesser sons is fairly common - to the point that except for firstborn, lineage is often very hard to determine. This is a practice called "chaffing."

The social strata of Montaigne are highly divided - the royal family wields absolute power. The current wife of l'Empereur is a Vodacce witch named Morella Alouse Giacinni - his third wife, and the third wife unable to produce a male heir. The last wife was mother of three of the emperor's nine daughters, Castillian and died of "feminine ills." Below the royals are the noblesse , the nobles. The landed nobles are highest, followed by the lesser nobles. Beneath them are the petite noblesse , the gentry. They are noble by virtue of being rich, and like second sons spend most of their time travelling between estates, mooching off their hosts. Currently, having gentry staying with you is highly fashionable. Below them are the noblesse errante , the disenfranchised nobles. They are emissaries and dignitaries for the crown. Below them are the courtesans, the talented commoners - poets, jennys, jesters, actors and so on. Below them are scholars, then merchants, and craftsmen, and then the peasantry.

The nobles avoid confrontation and are oblique to the extreme in all they say. They speak through metaphor, wit and envoy, and few have the will to go against trend and consensus. Precedent is also very important to them. The peasantry are rougher and more direct. They are taught that complaining is rude, and so unlike the nobles are humble and accepting. Montaigne is at the head of philosophy, art, fashion and music - but all of that is driven by the nobility. Their music tends to be slow, but a composer named Wolffrond von Hazel is trying to change that. He's Eisen, but is adored by the Montaigne.

Religiously, the Montaigne have been Vaticine until very recently. The last two kings saw spiritual decay, and the nobles are rejecting religion. They openly oppose the church and support secular movements. The peasants, however, remain devout Vaticines and are very unhappy with the change. Currently, there is no Cardinal of Montaigne since the last one's death, and one cannot be elected, as all the bishops have gone missing.

Montaigne once ruled AValon, but today they remain trade partners and try to ignore the old grudges. They are, of course, invading Castille with intent to conquer, and the war is seen as a righteous rebellion against the Church. The Montaigne don't much like Eisen, though they are publically cooperative. They also hate pirates, but are refusing offers of assistance from Vendel at fighting them. Recently, they have invaded Ussura, though no one is sure why the Emperor ordered that. They trade happily with Vendel and Vodacce, and of course the Emperor's wife is a Vodacce noblewoman. The Vodacce are really the last true allies they have.

Some major figures...well, of course there's Empereur Léon Alexandre du Montaigne XIv. He is the most powerful, arrogant and narcissistic man in the world. He's also eccentric, flighty and prone to losing interest in his own projects. His wife is Imperatrice Morella du Montaigne, a powerful Fate Witch who married him for political reasons. She is worried that she will be killed for bearing only a daughter, and recently awoke to find a black strand attached to her - Sorte tradition states that's a sign of impending death. So now, she plans to flee Montaigne before she can be killed. Her daughter is Dominique du Montaigne, recently married to General Montegue. She is torn between loyalty to her husband and her father, and is unsure which side to take. Secretly, she commands a web of spies in the courts of the world, who keep her informed. Her husband is a loyal soldier, but his peasant birth and refusal to follow trends has made him an outsider in court. He is direct where they are subtle, and he doesn't like it much. Under him is Jean-Marie Rois et Reines, head o the musketeers. He knows about the peasant unrest, but has sworn to protect the emperor, and cannot break his word. He tries to get the people cared for, but few listen or care. The only way he would ever break his vow is if the Emperor turned traitor to his own people. He is married to the emperor's daughter Anna.



Most of the world looks on Ussura with pity and contempt - their religion is backward, their people uneducated, their nobles boorish. Why, they are even ruled by a commoner! But they don't speak too loudly, for it's said that the forests of Ussura can hear every word spoken - and the land itself is more terrible then any threat could be.

Ussura is cold and rough, but her people don't ever really seem to notice. After all, Matushka provides for her own, and if she is hard it is only to make them strong. The people tend to be gentle, contented folks - they don't fight much but they are very open about their emotions. This and their general lack of guile and restraint makes other nations view them as very large children. They are also deeply religious and superstitious - no Ussuran would ever doubt the existence of Matushka.

There are only two classes in Ussura: muzhik and boyar. The muzhik are the peasants, and the boyars are landowners. Among the muzhik, greatest respect is given to the big and strong. Physical contests are common, from arm wrestling to tug-of-war. Women are not barred, but tend to prefer contests where their superior stamina makes up for their lesser sheer brawn. Boyars, meanwhile, derive status from the amount of land they own. Sure, a boyar can compete, but power is all about land.

Because of the physical distance between villages and the deadly cold, hospitality is hugely important to Ussurans. To refuse a traveler food and lodging is the same as killing him. Thus do Ussurans get their reputation for generosity - and, of course, for being insulted when refused the same. This also gives Ussurans a reputation for hot tempers, as they don't take being so gravely insulted lightly. The Ussurans have little care for strict table manners or for nudity taboos - they have communal steam baths, and the casual attitude toward stripping down is viewed with shock by other nations - as is the Ussuran ability to handle rough treatment of the body, going from steam bath to icy snow and water in instants.

Ussurans work hard in the summer, and in the long winter they take great love for alcohol, making the winter a long, drunken revel. Important talk is done over zvetchy , spiced tea, at the kitchen table - the most important place in the house. On the last day of the week, all Ussuran muzhiks take two hours to pray to Matushka and the Prophet at the village altar, led by the most learned man in the village - most villages don't actually have a priest. The most important day of the year is Rebirth Day, the anniversary of the bargain with Matushka. On this day, every Ussuran - even the smallest child - pricks their finger with a needle and spills a drop of blood onto the soil for Matushka. Ussurans are also famous for woodcarving, especially miniatures, which can be incredibly small and detailed. Their music is loud and boisterous, like them, and often a bit off-key. They're meant to be sung as a group, and usually are spirituals that praise the land, or fairy tales.

The Ussuran Orthodox Church is the religion of the nation, combining the teachings of the First Prophet with worship of Matushka, the Earth Mother. She is said to appear as an ancient matron with iron teeth and nails. Children must be polite to her, for she eats rude little boys and girls and takes no impertinence. However, she rewards respect. The Ussurans are close to nature, feeling it is a moral guide - something that often confuses outsiders. The teachings of the Second and Third Prophet are ignored, due to the strongly Ussuran sense that if something was right the first time, why change it?

Governance is by the Gaius, a muzhik selected by Matushka at the death of the previous Gaius. It is never, ever a boyar. The current Gaius is Ilya Sladivograd Nikolovich, a serious man who once, when insulted by a boyar, had the man thrown to his own dogs and watched him be torn apart. Ilya is guarded by the stelets , his personal musketeers. He is 'aided' by the Knias Douma, the boyars' council. There are five members, each the leader of a powerful family. The prime position is held by the Novgorovs, merchants whose leader can assume the form of the Great Wolf, the king of all wolves. The current Novgorov leader is Aleksi Pavtlow Markvo v'Novgorov, an ambitious and unpredictable man who, unlike most past Novgorov heads, does not lead the Knias. Then there are the Vladimirovichs, whose leader can assume the form of Grandfather Bear, the fiercest bear in the world. The third is the Pscov seat, a family that competes with the Vladmirovichs for trade with the Crescent Empire. They are also called the Tabularius , the Guardians of the Faith, and are very pious. Their head is said to be able to take the form of a drachen. The fourth seat belongs to the Riasanova, whose head has the shape of Firebird, a hawk whose feathers burn bright. They are the smallest family, but fierce and tenacious. They occasionally trade with the Cathayans. The last family is the Pietrov, led by the mysterious Koschei. Koschei can only turn into a raven, but his flesh is waxy and corpselike - and he has held the Pietrov seat since the founding of the Knias Douma centuries ago.

Ussura has no standing army, but no invasion of the land has ever succeeded. Attackers die of plague, mysterious summer freezes, or other strange happenings. The Castillians say that the Church has conquered Ussura - but they are wrong, and the Vaticine has made almost no inroads at all. The Ussurans are, as a result, very superstitious - they practice numerous rituals to ensure good luck. For example, a tree is planted at the birth of every child. If it does well, they feel so will the child. A legend tells of a man who went to war, whose death was known because his child-tree withered and died that instant. Even-numbered flowers are used only for funerals, and on a wedding day, the bride wears a fishing net over everything else - the knots will keep her safe from harm, and knots are believed to defend against sorcery. Every home in Ussura is said to have a domovoi , a protector spirit that is also a prankster, stealing socks as well as generally being friendly.

Ussura likes the Avalons - they are fun and friendly...but woe betide the Avalon who cheats an Ussuran, for they have long memories for a grudge. Castille is seen as stubborn and pig-headed, but good-hearted. The Ussurans feel there is something wrong with Eisen - the land, and therefore the people. They're afraid any Eisen they meet might go mad and start cutting off heads. They have nothing but contempt for Montaigne, and the use of Porté near them seems to sometimes cause physical pain. Ussurans don't actually care about pirates, since their 'fleet' is mostly fishermen. They're quite fond of the Vendels, and confused by the Vodacce.

Some major figures include the Gaius, Ilya "Grozny" Sladivgorod Nikolovich. He became Gaius at the age of nine, and the boyars took him away from his family and treated him cruelly to break his will before his sixteenth birthday. If it worked, they would control him. It didn't. He took the leader of the plot and fed him to dogs, earning the nickname Grozny, the Terrible. He is popular with the people, but keeps the boyars on a short leash. As the Gaius, he is said to have the power to strip the magic of Pyeryem from any noble at any time - even while they are in animal form. He has nothing but contempt for the boyars and wants to remove those who abuse their power. Koschei Molhynia Pietrov, the Undying, is the only boyar who shows no fear of Ilya. He has held his seat since the forming of the Knias Douma, and he is a frequent visitor to Cathay, apparently able to ignore the wall of fire that bars the path. He is obsessed with caring for his family, tending them as a gardener would his plants. Some have fled the nation to escape him, but he somehow finds them anyway, apparently unhurt by their fear. He can turn into a raven, but seems to have other, stranger magic. If Ilya were to hurt his family, he would turn on the Gaius in an instant.

There is also Ketheryna Fischler Dimitritova, once Katherine Fischler, sister to an Eisenfürst. She changed her name when moving to Ussura, thinking the Gaius position was hereditary. She has since learned that it changes practically at random, and that the marriage she worked for is not, in fact, the political coup she thought it was. Now, she works to try and improve the primitive conditions of Ussura, making it her purpose in life. However, she'd still love to make life easier for her brother. Then there is Aleksi Pavtlow Markov v'Novgorov, head of the Novgorov family. Publically, he pretends to be traumatized by watching his father be eaten by dogs - but privately, it fueled his ambition. He has the spirit skin of the Great Wolf, giving him the power to command wolves - which he uses to seek out objects of power so he can achieve godhood. Aleksi's father wanted to rule Ussura - but Aleksi wants to steal the power of Matushka herself. And then, at last, there is Pyotyr Siev Andropovich. Pyotyr is the son of a woodcarver, Andropov, and once saved Ilya's life at a woodcarving festival. He was made one of the stelets, and has since risen to become their leader. He is not the smartest man, but is easily one of the most methodical. If told to search a house for someone, he'd have his men take it apart piece by piece, then dig into the foundation for tunnels. He is a pious member of the Ussuran church, but does not let it get in the way of his service to the Gaius. He is one of few men allowed to call the Gaius by his first name. He's incredibly loyal and would do anything for Ilya.


The most adorable ruthlessly loyal bodyguard!

Next time: Vendel, the Vestenmannavnjar and Vodacce!

The sphere can be spun on the rod with almost no applied pressure and continues spinning for a long time after being spun, but to what end, I am uncertain.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: The sphere can be spun on the rod with almost no applied pressure and continues spinning for a long time after being spun, but to what end, I am uncertain.



Everyone knows there's trouble between the Vestenmannavnjar and the Vendel. The reason why? Names. The Vestenmannavnjar hold names sacred - and the Vendel are changing them all, and with each one the Vesten feel they are losing touch with their sacred ancestors. The Vendel, of course, see this as superstitious nonsense. This is the core of the problem. The islands are split politically between the old tribes and the Vendel League. The largest island, Oddis (once Oddiswulf) is firmly Vendel, but the rural people of the other islands are the Vestenmannavnjar tribes for the most part. The two groups are the same blood, but far different in philosophy.

The Vestenmannavnjar recognize kings, who are elected by blood and sacrifice of pain for wisdom, and have historically divided themselves into three casts: jarl , the warrior caste, carl , the farmer caste, and thrall , the serfs. The jarls ruled the islands for centuries until the carls started to learn from the merchants of other nations and displaced them. Within a decade, the land has changed. The Vesten still hold their herdings, a few scattered provinces, but they have no High King - he's been missing for longer than most can remember. No one dares take up the role now. In Vendel, all falls beneath the gaze of the Guilds. In Vendel land, all is for sale - including law. There is only one social divider: the Guilder, and who has it.

The Vesten value four thingS: courage, loyalty, honesty and luck. Courage, of course, is valor in the face of danger - but not fooldhariness. Loyalty is first to family, and then to others. Honesty is hand-in-hand with these - courage being honesty with one's self and loyalty being honesty with one's family. And luck - well, they feel that every man is born with a measure of luck, and those with a great deal are to be honored. Those with the wrong kind of luck...well, they're to be pitied. They also hold both mead and stories in an almost spiritual regard, and as linked - both can leave you lightheaded, make you think you can do the impossible and get you into a lot of trouble. The Vendel, on the other hand, value cunning and resourcefulness. Where the Vesten value tradition, the Vendel look to adaptation and realize that they must change or die. Neither is entirely wrong, and that makes them both angry.

The greatest piece of Vesten music is the Grumfather Cycle , a collection of epic poems about the creation of the world and the rise and fall of gods and heroes, ending in a battle of massive destruction that ended the universe. The men who tell tales and recite poems and songs are skalds , honored for their memory of the past - because the Vesten believe that a soul lives on so long as its name is remembered. Their music sounds primitive to modern ears. In Vendel, beautiful art can be found in the Guildhouses - sculpture, paintings, carvings. Only Montaigne equals them.

The Vesten religion is solid, undebatable. Their gods are not faith - they are fact, backed up by the runes. Their priests see ancestors and can call on their power. They believe a great hall awaits them in the afterlife, but only those who die in battle can go there. There, they fight a great serpent that wishes to devour the world. Their religion is a living myth, and those who master the runes are called Ypperste Prest , high priest. The Vendel, meanwhile, have turned away from this, embracing Objectionism wholeheartedly. They are currently engaged in a thirty-year plan to build the greatest cathedral in the world.

The Vesten would follow a High King as the embodiment of the Gray Wanderer, king of the gods. However, he cannot just be crowned - he must undergo an ordeal in a hidden place, in a cave. In the center of the cave is a tree, and at its roots is a well. The king must rip out one eye and drop it in the well, which will then reveal its wisdom to him and mark him as High King. The Vendel method...


Vesten law is simple...and to most people, backward. When needed, they form an impromptu court called a thing which deals with problems. They convene only when families cannot resolve problems themselves and need higher authority. When they reach a decision, it's up to the family to enforce it. This means weaker families have little chance of justice, and that's part of why the carls broke away and became the Vendel League. The Vendel, meanwhile, are governed by the Guild House. There are nine Chairs and 91 Seats. The Chairs are held by the founding Guilds - the Merchants, led by Val Mokk of Vendel (once Sigvald Mjøkke), the Sailors, led by Allen Trel of Vendel (nee Arvor Troelsen), the Carpenters, led by Joris Brak of Vendel (once Braakenjor), the Blacksmiths, led by Sela Cole of Vendel (once Selma Colbjorsen), the Jennys, led by Lorraine Weller of Avalon, the Usury Guild, led by Red of Vendel (once Reidar Engnestangen), the Brewers, led by George Skard of Vendel (once Jorgan Skaardal), the Miners, led by Eladio Ballesteros of Castille and Joseph Volker, Butler of the deceased Imperator Riefenstahl of Eisen.

The Vesten have little industry - but the Vendel are merchants supreme, having changed the face of the world with the Guilder. They announced it would have a set value that would never, ever change. Merchants adored this. It's so easy to use, after all, and it exploded international trade. It is now the most popular coin in the world, and Vendel is the most popular tourist destination. The Vesten 'military' is primitive, with rune-enchanted axes and clubs - but they're rather hard to face, since many of them are apparently able to stand back up after being shot. The Vendel, on the other hand, entirely hire mercenaries.

The Vendel were an ally to Elaine when she took the AValon throne, and remain one - but Avalon tends to be appalled by their treatment of the Vesten. The Inish are said to crew Vesten ships, but the O'Bannon never answers questions about it. The Vendel and Castille are suspicious of each other - but Vendel need Castille's help if they're to displace Vodacce as the masters of all trade. The Vesten, meanwhile, hate the idea of the Inquisition and hate Castille by proxy. The Vendel have been making lots of money on Eisen and refuse to even accept the Eisens' old coinage, replacing it with the Guilder. Eisen is actually accepting this. The Vesten have warned them against Vendel, however, and believe the Vendel are seeking the secret of dracheneisen. Montaigne and the Vendel League are great allies and friends, since they've both become very wealthy off each other. The Vestenmannavnjar hate the Montaigne nobles and would do something about him if they could. Ussura and Vendel have little interest in each other, but the Vesten and the Ussurans get on quite well with each other. Vodacce and Vendel hate each other because they're engaged in a trade war, but the Vendel no longer consider them a threat...while the Vesten are looking to them for funding to be pirates.

Here's important people! Val Mokk was the man to have the idea for the Vendel League, and he is one of its chief powers. He lives opulently and loves to be the center of attention - easy, since he's an entertaining and powerful public speaker. He wants to turn Vendel into the leading power of the world, and to live with every luxury. Joris Brak of the carpenters is a quiet, introspective man who hates the idea of war. His greatest possession is a tiny golden egg containing a tiny house, which he claims he won in a woodcarving competition in Ussura, though no one remembers him ever going there. All he wants is to keep Vendel out of war, for he knows the suffering it brings. And then there's Boli Kollsson - a Lærdom adept who works for Vendel. He's an Objectionist who looks on the old religion as a heresy, and sees Lærdom as just another type of magic, neither good nor evil. However, he has recently met a Vesten master of Lærdom who has told him he will never master the power, for the final step is faith. He wants to spread Lærdom to the Vendel to help them assume their rightful place in the world.

Among the Vesten, there is Gunrud Stigandsdottir - said to be a hundred and fifty, she may be even older. She lives in a cave overlooking Kirk, and while the Vendel would love to get rid of her, the last three men to try came back deaf, dumb and blind. She is a seer, a mouthpiece of the gods, and has no desires beyond to serve her purpose. And the greatest secret is that of Gjæving Asbjornsson, a Vestenmannavnjar thief. He was fleeing Vendel officials when he fell into a hole, where he found a cave. In the cave was a tree, and at the roots of the tree was a well. He made a promise, ripped out an eye and dropped the eye in the well. In a single breath, he became High King of the Vestenmannavnjar. He doesn't want it. He hears voices, sees visions, even occasionally the glimpses the future now - but it makes his head ache and his nose bleed. The voices tell him he has a destiny, but he just wants to go back to the way things were before. He knows if his actions are discovered, the Vendel will kill him - and so he wants to hide until he can convince the voices they picked the wrong man.



Vodacce is a dangerous place - its people favor treacherous, tall architecture with narrow bridges and walkways - and the whole place seems about to fall into the sea. The politics are worse. Vodacce is ruled by seven merchant princes, the most ruthless men in the world. They are, for once, reluctant allies in the trade war with Vendel...but they are all cousins, and they all know each other for backstabbers. There've been as many as twelve princes before...and as few as three.

Continental Vodacce is a set of peasant provinces ruled over by the Princes on their southern islands. The islands themselves are actually linked clusters of smaller islands, the Vodacce keys, that are currently divided into seven main groups by the princes. The men of Vodacce are proud and hot-tempered, quick to take offense and quick to duel. A man in the islands is judged by how he spends his money - a proper man never worries about price, but only a fool is taken advantage of. The women are quiet in public, but their arcane power is not to be trifled with. The peasants are sharply divided from the nobles, but at least they live well. They farm, eat massive meals and sleep. There are festivals, but most peasants do little more than work and rest. There is also a middle class of merchants and artisans, some of the most talented in the world. They compete massively, and bargaining is a national pastime. A man who cannot make a deal is not a man, and a woman who cannot shop properly is worthless. The nobles, or Signore, are serious men who bicker among themselves for wealth and pride, the cornerstones of Vodacce. When they convene, it is on the mainland in a neutral estate, to prevent tactical advantages. None of them trust each other. Princes do visit each other for weddings and funerals, but sacred tradition holds that at these times, none are to do any violence. The Princes compete to show off for the lesser nobles, holding elaborate feasts to show their money and power. The final class are the courtesans - they are exempt from the rules on how women are to act, being educated and witty where well-bred women are modest and shy. Romance is a virtue, but marriages are arranged, you see. While normal women are illiterate, courtesans are expected to be scholars - but they lack the protections of normal women from danger. And, of course, noblewomen have the magic, the Sorte. They do not read, but they manipulate fate as masters, a dichotomy that has long bothered many scholars - and which the Church has used as an example of the price of sorcery on the soul, for if you must give up knowledge, what is life worth? This power is the reason women are so controlled - if they were not, the men fear they would seize all power.

There's a few rules of etiquette to keep in mind when in Vodacce. Never meet a woman's eyes - you offend her husband. Always meet a man's eyes, or you are a coward. If someone does a service, tip generously. To not do so shows you can't afford it. Never let your sword touch another man's, even by accident - or else you call his blade poor, and he must challenge you to a duel to prove you wrong. And never, ever refuse a challenge. Family is also important to the Vodacce - your father's skill is as important to your reputation as your own in your trade. And you never, ever speak ill of the dead - even your worst foes.

Vodacce is strictly Vaticine...but they are also famous for adultery and sorcery. This is because the Vodacce church spends much time strictly defining what sin is and what it is not. Rumor has it that some of the most decadent Vodacce are clergymen, but it has never been proven. Religion, for the Vodacce, is first and foremost a tool of politics. They control five of ten seats of the Church's ruling council, and these five must be won over for any policy to be made. Sin, for Vodacce, is inaction. Sloth is the greatest sin, followed by envy - do not envy your neighbor, but go make your own fortune. The sin of lust, for Vodacce, is not in the wanting but in the failure to act on it. Pursue those you love, do not sit by and do nothing. Vanity and pride are sins only if unjustified - know yourself, do not fool yourself. The sin of wrath is again one of inaction - if you feel fury, challenge the man who enrages you and justify yourself. If you cower at home and do nothing, that is a sin. Gluttony, of course, is the sin of consuming more than you should...but the Vodacce define 'more than you should' differently.

The seven Princes come from seven families, to be succeeded on death by their eldest son. Three (Bernoulli, Falisci and Villanova) have enough power that they might attempt ot unite Vodacce - and each of the three tries to manipulate the lessers to support him. So far, none have yet gotten the backing to try a coup. The first family is the Bernoulli, a staunch Church family that is granted the right to trade with the Crescents. Their leader is Gespucci Bernoulli, a devout man who is growing old. His sons are taking on more duties of trade, and frequently travel to the Empire of the Crescent Moon - and the sons are far more decadent than the father. The Church is turning a blind eye for now...but when Gespucci dies, who knows what will happen?

The Falisci family is led by Donello Falisci, who believes in doing one thing - and doing it perfectly. For him, that is making wine. Falisci wine is some of the very best, and men have missed their own weddings to attend his parties. He lives opulently and owns the most fertile part of the mainland, so he is very rich. Bottles of his wine have been traded for entire estates. The Villanova family, on the other hand, are famous for their treachery. Their leader is Giovanni Villanova, whose father Allegro died at 32 when he fell down a flight of stairs. Giovanni was only ten then, and his brother Giam stepped in to help the young boy rule - but he grew sick soon after, and died after two years, when Giovanni took full control of the family. He rules with an iron fist, and he controls the only university in Vodacce, Dionna University, famous for its sciences - especially medicine, for the doctors there are less squeamish than those in Castille.

The Lucani family has only been around for a century - before then, their land was owned by the Villanovas. The Lucanis were given the land as a reward for loyalty, and they have struggled to keep it since. Four years ago, the family's control was given to Alberto Lucani, and it's clear to Alberto that the Lucani wine trade is worthless compared to the Falisci. However, their cloth is amazing, and focusing on noble-embroidered cloth has made Lucani a rich man...but when fashion shifts, who knows what he'll do? The Mondavis make their living on rice and agriculture, led by Alcide Mondavi. He is the only prince to live on the mainland much of the time, though he cannot live there permanently due to various treaties. He is least social of the princes, least decadent and most prone to visiting the mainland. The Mondavis seem fairly happy with the status quo.

While the Bernoullis may control foreign luxuries, the Vestini family rules domestic ones. 200 years ago, the Vestinis gained control of the best craftsmen by inducing them to move to their island. They were strong enough to keep it, and so they made their fortune. Oddly, the name of their leader isn't listed! The last family is the Caligaris, led by Vincenzo Caligari - the world's foremost expert on the Syrneth. He was old ten years ago, but he shows no signs of retiring. He has modeled his home on the ancient Numa republic, and he spends much of his money on getting more and more Syrneth artifacts. He believes they are the reason he's lived so long...but whatever the reason, he hasn't been ill in thirty years, and his eldest son curses that daily.

Vodacce has no standing army, but each prince keeps a house guard and garrison, and every nobleman learns how to fence. They haven't got an official navy, but their merchant fleet is armed and keeps marines on board each ship to fight pirates, and could easily be a navy at the cost of trade. Officially, the Vodacce want nothing to do with Avalon, but rumor has it that they trade using the Sea Dogs. Castille and Vodacce often have strained relations, but are very similar to each other. The Vodacce also fear Eisen invasion, given the state of the nation and their own fertile lands. They like the Montaigne since the Montaigne buy a lot from them, and they fear Ussura - the fate witches have felt a shadow over Ussura, protecting it, and that scares them. Thanks to the predictions of the witches, Vodacce suffers less from piracy than many, but they still fight them when they see them. And, of course, they really don't like Vendel, and may soon erupt into war against them. The only reason they haven't attacked is that no single prince has the power to face Vendel alone - and doing so would mean admitting trying to go behind the backs of the others for more trade.


Hope you like this guy, 'cause he's gonna be involved in a lot of shit.

Some important people include the infamous Giovanni Villanova - a man who's a villain, knows it and loves it. He pushed his own father down a flight of stairs and poisoned his brother over two years to gain control of the family. He drives his university's scholars to research dark secrets, hoping to control Vodacce. Whatever he wants, he takes. His personal courtesan is Juliette, daughter of Veronica Ambrogia - the inventor of the Ambrogia style. She is well educated and one of Giovanni;s great advisors. Secretly, she is smuggling witches out of Vodacce, and prays that Giovanni never learns of it. Beyond them, there is Vincenzo Caligari, the man who would be immortal. This is why he's learned so much about the Syrneth - he believes their artifacts hold the secret of immortality. He'd kill anyone and do anything for that. His niece is Beatrice Caligari, sister of the Imperatrice of Montaigne. She is said to be able to control even the dreaded black strands, and is the greatest fate witch of the age - or so she believes. Even her uncle is terrified of her, and the other witches say she tangled up all her own strands - though none can say why. She wants to push Sorte magic farther than it has ever gone before. Lastly, there is Donello Falisci, a vintner of immense skill. He loves parties and guests, and his parties are famously safe from poison - for any poisoner would be banned from further parties. He wants to make friends and increase his influence, but lately he has been feeling ill - a fact he is concealing. He is extremely loyal to his friends.

Next time: Pirates and priests!

I swear that I saw the cloud pulse, and grow a little bigger, right as we lost sight of it.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: I swear that I saw the cloud pulse, and grow a little bigger, right as we lost sight of it.

The most organized pirates are the Brotherhood of the Coast. They started out as a group of prisoners on the island of Bucca, off the coast of Castille. It was located in a very dangerous part of the sea to prevent escape. Rumors say that the plague broke out there, but only those who were they know what happened for sure. Whatever it was, though, the inmates overcame the wardens before anyone know what was happening and captured a supply ship. They set sail, and before long had captured three Castillian galleys, two Montaigne warships and a Vodacce merchantman.

Two years later, they're the scourge of the seas. They've got ships from every nation that sails, and sailors from across the world - and why? Because people want freedom. The Brotherhood offers it. They are still based on the isle of Bucca, now protected by the prisons' dangerous waters - full of reefs and shallows. There's only three maps of the area, and they own two. The third was stolen from the office of Castille's High Admiral by unknown thieves and hasn't been seen since. There's only one safe approach, and the "King" of the Brotherhood, Allende, has laid in traps in those waters. Only he and his men know the one safe path. The island itself is self-sufficient and has enough food and water for the Brotherhood. The local seas are also full of leviathans, the greatest whales. No one knows why they school in the area, though.

The Brotherhood is the first true democracy. All of its members, man or woman, has a voice and a vote. Public forums are common, and any time there's an issue, it gets put to vote when the talking's done. The Brotherhood's grown three times its original size since it was formed, and is now practically a small nation. The most common name for members is 'buccaneer', after the island - but that name can only be applied to the original prisoners there. Anyone else using it is in for a nasty fight. All of the members, though, are 'brethren.'

Allende is their leader and likely to remain so - he is clever, resourceful and ruthless. He also knows the waters of Castille perfectly. He avoids attacking Castillian vessels - unsurprising, since he is in fact a Castille prince, as we learned before. He is surprisingly talkative with his men, and they are all loyal to him. His favored targets are Montaigne warships. Besides him, there is the famous Jeremiah Berek - famous for both his daring and his idiocy. He is an Avalon nobleman, captain of the Black Dawn. He's got no real experience on the high seas, which accounts for his reputation for stupidity - but it also makes him hard to predict, and he's used very unconventional tactics before. He's more at home in court than at sea, though - but he makes up for it in charm and daring, and he loves to attack Castille and Montaigne ships to get more gold for Avalon.


Sure, the hook looks silly, but are you going to argue with this guy?

Another famous pirate is Reis, a bloodthirsty villain with wild eyes and thick black hair. He's the most feared pirate on the six seas, famous for his wicked, ancient scythe, which can cut through iron and bone like paper. He only cares about money - and he's getting a whole lot of it to go hunting for Syrneth artifacts. Unlike many pirates, he's a psychopath - he doesn't negotiate. He doesn't banter. And he never, ever leaves survivors. Another feared pirate is the Crescent man named Kheired-Din. He is bloodthirsty, but also devoted to the teachings of the Second Prophet. He's been seen to pray after his battles, and he's captured and kidnapped entire villages, leaving the empty buildings burning as he sails back east. He seems to have only one goal - to capture slaves. He speaks no languages of the modern world - or even Old Théan. And, of course, there's Yngvild Olafssdottir, a fisherman's daughter who learned the art of Lærdom. When the Vendel destroyed her village to make a new port, she turned to piracy for vengeance. She commands the ship Revensj, and has captured seven merchant ships so far, putting her on the list of threats to the Vendel League. She's a small woman with no real warrior skills - but her Vestenmannavnjar crew are more than capable of making up for that, especially with her magical aid. She wants nothing more than to truly hurt the Vendel.

But what of hte Vaticine? Well, the Inquisition's leader, Cardinal Esteban Verdugo, truly believes he is doing good. Sure, he's ruthless - but he, and the average Inquisitor, believe that the Inquisition saves souls, setting men on the right path by torture - or any other means necessary. Legion, after all, is a terrible foe who must be fought with any weapon.

But what does the rest of the Church believe? Well, they believe that sin is a failure of character. It is making the easy choice, the dishonorable but pleasant choice, the choice we know is wrong. That knowledge is the Creator's hand guiding us, and to keep it strong, the Church prescribes penance for sins. But no one is truly lost, for sin exists so that we may learn the virtue of forgiveness, the greatest of them all. Sorcery is a sin because it wasn't greanted by the creator, but the enemy, Legion. Sorcerers who die having not atoned and controlled themselves inevitably fall to the Abyss. Cleansing the soul is done by study of the world, enlightenment and penance - often via counselling and guidance by priests.

The Creator, Theus, is said to be just, forthright and noble. He is not human, and cannot be judged as one - he is neither harsh nor gentle. He is demanding, but only to educate, never to punish. He is rarely active, and is neither truly male nor female - both sexes are derived from him. He is, in fact, Creation itself. And man can become closer to him, by studying his works. Learning about nature and the world is the way to get closer to the divine. The world is not imperfect, though men perceive it so - that is the Eternal Puzzle, the Great Creation. It is a test of understanding, and that is what all men need to understand. There is no evil, only the illusion of evil. There is only sin, masquerading as evil. The world is as it is, and only human judgment applies the word 'evil'. Injustice, however, is caused by man's free will - but so is justice. It is man's duty to make justice where injustice is, to put right what is wrong. Theus gave this gift of free will to teach us duty. Bad things happen because people sin - and sin does not effect only the self, but ripples outwards, to hurt others as well.

After death, the soul - which all creatures, not just humans, have - passes on to a waiting place, the Elæthorum. There, it sleeps. Souls that are sinful fall to the Adversary, Legion - the collective of demons who wish to overthrow the Creator and steal his Creation. This is because corruption ways down the soul, sending it to the Abyss, where Legion devours it for power. The Third Prophet foretold that all the souls in the Elæthorum would eventually awaken in the time of the Fourth Prophet and make war on Legion and the fallen. As one might guess, there are in fact angels and demons in this theology.

Now, what are the secrets of the secret societies?

Well, the Explorers, Invisible College and the Rose and Cross don't really have them, or so we are led to believe. They are what they appear to be. Die Kreuzritter, however...

Die Kreuzritter, the Black Crosses, were not truly destroyed. A token force was, yes, but the rest went into hiding when the Hierophant warned them the attack was coming. They became the Hierophant's servants and personal guard after they were "wiped out," evolving into an elite, secretive organization that have served as bodyguards, messengers and assassins. They answer only to the Hierophant - though, of course, there isn't one now. Their leader is no Verdugo, though, but is instead a kindly old man named Gunther Schmidl, who uses them to serve the gentler goals of the Church and aid those faithful who need it.

We're told that Los Vagos have only twenty-two members (plus two dead oneS) - a fact that won't actually remain true for long. Only three know El Vago's true identity, though, and if we want to learn it we'll need to buy the Castille book. Their goal is to protect Good King Sandoval and Castille. The Rilasciare...well, the reason they hate sorcery is because they are humanists. Sorcery is a power that makes someone better, just by birth - and they hate that, and want to end it forever. They also hate law, feeling it is a way for weak, feeble men without moral authority or willpower to control others. They call this Dominion, and it is their great foe after sorcery. Sophia's Daughters do, in fact, have a magical longevity potion, which only the highest ranks of the group have access to. It is given only to a handful of people who have proven worthy, because the leadership feel a need for certain people to remain around for some long-term plan we're not told about.

There's one other society, with no sign of sigil: Novus Ordum Mundi . It has only thirteen members, and it was founded by ancient senators in old Numa. Its purpose? To control the world. Its pawns never learn its true extent - and most do not even know it exists. They work circuitously - a man steals a shipment of oranges, so a merchant is short on taxes. He must make up the loss, and finds a large shipment of lumber that must head to Vodacce. He buys it and sets sail - and because he has never done anything illegal, he is not questioned. But beneath the lumber are hidden Syrneth artifacts that are stolen and being smuggled in. That is how NOM works. Who are they? Well, we're not saying. Buy more books.


I said buy more books!

Here, we move to a new chapter and get introduced to a merchant named Vincenzo Lucani, who is negotiating with a churchman over donations, learning about science and hearing about a shipload of Syrneth artifacts being attacked by pirates who were consumed by a mysterious "black cloud" after the crew fired one of the artifacts at the pirate ship. We also hear more about the nobleman whom our archaeologist friend visited, Lord Weberly. He's a political mover-and-shaker whose butler secretly hates him, apparently turned by the man's enemies.

What's here? Well, not much that's interesting. Stuff on rules, mostly, and we'll skip it. We learn about Wiles and Flaws (Virtues and Hubrises for villains) and get some plot hooks based on advantages players take - useful, but not that interesting for our purposes. There's also animal stats! Birds, cats...and some strange ones, like aspreys - winged snakes from the ISle of Syrne who can be tamed as pets. There's also the Boca - a swarming, hopping rodent that is basically a furry plague of locusts. And ghouls, huge flesh-eating apes!

Ghosts occur when people die unnaturally, and each ghost is pretty unique. They are immune to normal weapons, have no stats and can only occasionally harm people by throwing objects. Most can't do that. They just moan and scare folks, and can make themselves selectively visible. Montaigne has "mirror ghosts", who render Porté unusable around themselves. Their full information is in the Montaigne book, we're told. Griffons are quadrupedal birds the size of wolves who hunt in packs. Hindes are thin deer of incredible speed with glowing horns. Cutting the horn off kills them, but they can be made into jewelry that makes people faster. Leviathans are immense whales - three times bigger, in fact. And Night Terrors? Well, they're living wisps of green fog that slip into your mouth as you sleep. They torment you with nightmares and can only be killed by overcoming your fears. IF you don't...you die. They can be forcibly removed from the body, though, by kissing the victim. This transfers the night terror into the kisser.

Some generic ruin monster stats that are easily customizable...sea serpents! They're gigantic sea serpents. Sirens are merfolk who feed on human flesh and aren't that bright. They pretend to be drowning to get folks to come into the water, and the 'siren's song' is the noise of pleasure they make when eating. Succubi are creatures that live in the mists of the walkway that Montaigne sorcerers travel. They don't do anything except try to convince them to open their eyes. That's it.

Zombies are worthy of special mention. A zombie is a small rat with tentacles for limbs and gray tendrils in its mouth. It lives in the water. It crawls into a body via the mouth - usually corpses - and controls it from the brain cavity. It eats the brain. It has all the skills of its victim, and uses them to find new victims, transferring into the new host to eat their brain, too. This can happen to the living, who have only a little while to get rid of the thing before they fall completely under its control. There's no known way to bring them back, though the Syrneth might have had one.

That's it for that chapter! This is from a sailor's viewpoint - a sailor aboard the ship mentioned before. Pirates attack the ship, and they're running low on cannonballs. The pirates are closing in, so he heads below deck and finds a silver sphere that's just the right size. It's really heavy, but he manages to get it loaded and fired - and when it hits, there's a flash of light before the pirates are devoured by a cloud of inky blackness. It never faded as they sailed away - just stayed there, pulsing.

And this chapter is more rules. Useful rules, mostly, but boring. We do learn something the core book didn't mention clearly - Porté takes both hands free to use, because you use them to rip a hole in the air. Also, if you abuse your Glamour, the Sidhe will come after you, apparently, and turn you into a tree. Spirits seek out powerful Lærdom mages for help, and...huh. The Ussurans try to keep Pyeryem secret, apparently? This wasn't mentioned before, and it can make things a bit awkward. It is, however, the magic that feels the best when used. Glamour is overpowering, Lærdom is a rush of energy - but also dangerous and painful when it goes wrong, Porté is terrifying even for the mage, and Sorte is disconcerting and frustrating - but Pyeryem? Comfortable and happy.

And that's really it for interesting content in this book! We get a short story about a nameless swordsman defeating a squad of brutes with ease, and then GM advice. It's not nearly as good as the player advice - while it covers 'don't be a dick' and strongly advises against killing PCs because in this genre, that just doesn't happen - villains leave deathtraps or just leave them alive to suffer - it also specifically advocates a playstyle that not everyone likes, with tons of cheating and die-fudging to make sure things go the way you like. It does, at least, give some good advice on how to shape story themes and how to ensure everyone's having fun, which is what matters most.

Next time: The first adventure in the Erebus Cross series: The Lady's Favor!

Halt! In the Name of the King!

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

Glad you guys are enjoying 7th Sea! I like sharing it, it's fun to be able to share something that...well, doesn't engender loathing.

7th Sea: Halt! In the Name of the King!



The GM's screen came with this adventure, which also includes some information on the Explorers after it. It's the first in a three-part series, and it's surprisingly flexible. It's made for groups of any experience level, with a number of encounters that are completely optional - they've got power levels assigned to them, and you take 'em out and put 'em in at appropriate points for the appropriate group. It's also intended to allow you to fit it into your game easily. It focuses on General Montegue du Montaigne - he's been assigned to invading Ussura because he's getting too popular, and that scares the Emperor. His wife Dominique has discovered this, and wants to send him a message.

Part One: A Matter Most Urgent

The adventure begins when Dominique du Montaigne. She's the emperor's youngest daughter, remember, and her father basically ignores her. She has recently learned that her husband Montegue has been sent out to die in the Ussuran steppes, and she's horrified. She wants to save the man, but she needs someone to deliver a message for her. The party will have to begin the arc in Charouse, Montaigne's capital, but it can be for whatever reason. Dominique wants to hire a group of diverse people like them because it's safer - they'll be less likely to follow national interests over their own. If they're not part of any formal group, they'll be approached by Dominique's personal witch, Anna, who will offer them a reward if they help a "noblewoman with a dire problem." If they have government status of some kind, Dominique will have their superiors approach them as a personal favor to her. Montaigne heroes are ironically the hardest to hook in, and Anna will swear them to secrecy before making her offer. Anyway, the party is instructed to meet with Dominique in the catacombs beneath Charouse. The catacombs are part sewer system, part vault and part crypt - they're huge, and very easy to get lost in, but the directions they have are easy to follow.


These black cloaks are completely subtle and hard to notice!

Dominique reveals her identity to the party, while Anna watches them carefully. She thanks them and apologizes for the surroundings, explaining that General Montegue is in grave danger, and that forces are gathered to ensure he dies in Ussura. She wants to warn him before he can become the victim. She has a letter, which will save his life if he reads it by informing him of the danger, but she needs a brave and stalwart group to deliver it. Is the party willing? If asked for more details, she becomes evasive, not wanting to implicate her father. The letter is sealed. If the players need convincing, the game says to emphasize either Montegue's heroism (for Montaignes) or the fact that he could destabilize the courts (for others). Plus. you know, Dominique is rich and powerful and will owe the party. If they accept, she sets some conditions: No one must know they're working for her, the letter must be delivered as quickly as possible and they must not have any dealings with the Montaigne government involving it, as the government has been made pawns of the enemy and will kill them. However, she is willing to provide any supplies the party needs, including documents of free passage as agents of the king, an unmarked coach and any other things they need. Her influence is strongest in Montaigne, so she can't help for the trip through Eisen to Ussura. But, most importantly, she gives the party an ancient, valuable artifact - a brass compass that will always point at its companion, which Montegue carries at all times. This will let them find Montegue.

Just as the heroes finish making their deal with Dominique, there are running footsteps! Anna and Dominique flee, urging the party to do the same - guards are coming! The soldiers were alerted to their presence by a loyal citizen who saw them climbing into the sewers, and followed discreetly to see what they were up to. The guard leader, Charles du Chevalier, heard enough to believe the party is plotting against l'Empereur, and he has ordered his men to apprehend them! There's 5 musketeers after them, plus one for each hero. What they do is up to them - they can stand and fight, but the adventure says running is the safer bet, and the GM should remind them that killing a Musketeer is a hanging offense. Should they flee, they are pursued in a dramatic chase - the book says to roll dice for the Musketeers firing, but ignore the results and stress that the bullets are just barely missing them. Any imaginative idea to escape should work. If they fight, the Musketeers try to take them alive and won't use lethal force until one of their own goes down. Innovative ways to disarm them and escape should work, but if they take too long, have more soldiers arrive to encourage them to flee.


Just keep singing, maybe they'll leave!

Getting out of the sewers is going to be hard - guards patrol the streets, and they'll notice combat. However, the party can find a private manhole that leads to the basement of the Columbe d'Or theatre, and they should find it whenever the chase gets boring. The theatre is hosting the world premiere of Anger Helven's latest opera, Das Drachenfeld , which has just started. The heroes find themselves backstage, with the opera's first song commencing. The Musketeers pursue, of course, and this is probably the best place to fight them off - lots of activity, so they can scatter and flee when they win. The theatre's full of ropes to swing on, catwalks, crew in full mythological garb - perhaps a duel even gets shoved onstage during a big production, to be called 'awkward' in the review tomorrow. Once they flee or beat the musketeers, they can make their way out easily - the guards are after them, but only a few actually know what they look like. They can escape Charouse however they like.

Once out, it's up to them how to get to Ussura. They'll have to get through Eisen, though, and there's two major routes - overland, through the Weisberg mountains, or south to the Dechain river and a barge. The river route is easier and much faster, but the overland route is more direct. Either way, they're going to be chased by Captain Chevalier, who has vowed to stop them. He's assembled a company of 20 musketeers and is off to pursue them - he'll be tracking them the entire way. If, somehow, they're captured, they'll be tortured and executed. Dominique will disavow all knowledge of them. Don't get captured.

The GM can now insert whatever random encounters he likes. The list will be covered later. If the party tries the mountains first, we go to Part Three. If they go for the river, we go to Part Two.

Part Two: On The Waterfront

This event could happen either in Montaigne at the Dechain river, or later in Eisen, on the immense Südlache. In either case, they need to head east and have little time. They're going to need a boat that won't ask questions. Chevalier should be pressing down on them, and after entering town, the party spots Musketeers on the road behind them at hard gallop. They'll have to find passage quickly - there's no sewers here to hide in. Getting into town, even just before sunset, is easy, but no matter what methods they try to secure a boat, they should fail. No one's willing to take people in such an obvious rush for any money. Eventually, they find their way to a small, mostly unmarked tavern, The Place. It's got all sorts of old, weird stuff on the wall - shrunken heads, masks, knives, whatever. There, they can ask around about a ship. Either they'll ask the steward (whose name, depending on location, is either Jean or Waldorf), or he'll overhear them. He's actually the owner, and he mentions hearing about a ship looking for crew, run by a man named Coson of Avalon. He directs them to Coson. Jean/Waldorf is secretly an Explorer, and the bar is showing off what he's got. He's not a ruin-hunter, but rather a fence - he stores artifacts and helps transport them. The Avalon is Coleson, another Explorer who needs money, and he's steering them to him to help him out. As they go, they should notice some Musketeers - they aren't spotted, but it ups the tension.

The spot they're directed to is an old, rotting townhouse...but with a reinforced door and the sign of the Explorers over the door. Inside, they find an Avalon man who is ranting about how he needs help to save his cargo. This is Reginald Coleson, the man they're looking for. He's with a man named Antonio Scalessi, a Vodacce whose job is to move things through the port. Neither has realized they left the front door open, and they're rather embarassed. Coleson listens to the party and asks why they think he can help - but in truth, they're just what he wants. The heroes have money, and he needs money to pay his crew - without funds, his store of artifacts will be seized when his ship is searched for taxes, and the crew won't move until paid. The party's got money and need his ship. Coleson will bargain for as much as he can get, but will in the end settle for whatever offer the party makes that'll pay his crew.

His ship is the River Mist (today), and its current captain is "Ringer" Gutwold. They're ready to leave and have no problem taking the party either to Eisen or the Drachenberg Mountains, depending on where the party is. Once on board, they ship out moments before Chevalier arrives, and he shakes his fist at them angrily as they sail off. The Musketeers fire until out of sight, and may hit the party, but in general they're in no risk here...and the Musketeers should have as many problems finding a boat as they did. Now they get a chance to chat with Coleson and make some friends. It takes a week to reach the destination - either the Eisen town of Stark, or the Ussuran border. Again, there's room here for random encounters on the river.

Sometime during the trip, Coleson will ask to see the relic Dominique gave the party. If allowed, he examines it and declares that it's very old - at least Old Empire, and probably not even human-made. He deduces the existence of a companion piece, and says it has a second function, in addition to being a locator. There's an inscription on the bottom of the compass that he's seen before on doors - small objects like the compass were used as keys. He's never seen a dual set before, though. He's very excited, but has no idea how the thing works or how to open it. He's got notes where he's going that'll help translate it, and asks if, once they're done, they can bring it and its companion if possible to the castle of his friend, a nobleman in northern Eisen. If they agree, he thanks them and looks forward to seeing them. Once they're dropped off, they can continue east.

Part Three: Through the Forest, Deep and Dark

Here, the party is either heading into Eisen through the Weissberg mountains, or they are heading through Eisen's legendary Schwarzen Forest. They'll ahve to go through one, but not both. No matter which they enter, though, they run into trouble: the woodcutter Fleischwulf. He is an ancient, malevolent being who hunts the souls of living men and traps them in carved wooden figures. Once in the woods, he will approach them, posing as an ordinary woodcutter. He'd love to add them to his collection. If they're doing this first, the woods are imposing but easy to navigate. The Schwarzen, on the other hand, is a terrifying place full of huge trees that block out the sun. There are many paths through whatever wood, but most are overgrown and poorly maintained. New travelers will hear horrible tales about the Schwarzen, but Chevalier is hot on their tails if they try to go around it.

Fleischwulf (who will use the name Leblanque on the Montaigne border) is a few hours into the woods. He'll be surly and suspicious of them, noticing them as they pass and whirling with his axe, threatening to kill them if they're bandits. He relaxes when they aren't, and asks them what they're doing. He'll offer his services as a guide, provided they protect him from any dangers. If they agree, it's a few days before he strikes. There's room here for random encounters as desired. Fleischwulf, however, is easily able to let the party trick Chevalier and hide from the Musketeers. He mixes friendliness and distrust in his talks, and he whittles little figures he claims are dolls for his niece as he leads them deeper into the wilderness.


Would you believe this is the soultaker?

One evening, he'll stay up with whoever's standing guard and chat with them. As time goes by, the carving he makes becomes more detailed, and the area becomes darker and darker, more and more uneasy. Fleischwulf changes while the hero isn't looking - his hands are clawed, his eyes glow red and his mouth is full of needle fangs. His carving is a perfect likeness of the hero. He's sunk his power into the party, and now they need to break it. He challenges the hero to a riddle contest - if the hero can't solve all his riddles, he wins the soul. If the hero can, though, Fleischwulf will leave. This is not a trick or a lie. This can be as many or as few questions as you like, and if the first hero fails, Fleischwulf will set his carving aside and repeat the process with each hero until one succeeds. They can also offer him their own riddles and try to stump him, for whatever stakes they like. He won't give them anything, but will swear a one-time favor if they desire it. Fleischwulf should be able to answer the first few riddles, but after that, whenever the players come up with a cool riddle he should be stumped and depart gracefully in a puff of smoke. The heroes will be transported instantly to the edge of the forest.

Alternatively, while Fleischwulf himself cannot be physically hurt, the carvings can. A quick player, with the help of others to distract the woodcutter, can seize a carving. This will make Fleischwulf very angry, and he'll threaten the party unless he gets "his property" back. However, damaging it causes him to double over in pain before glaring at the party hatefully and vanishing in an explosive (but nondamaging) cloud of wind and fire. Any souls he'd taken are restored after a terrifying vision of being imprisoned and paralyzed forever, and the camp smells of brimstone. The smell sticks to the heroes for a week. However, the person whose carving is destroyed receives a "soul scar" seared across his essence that those who are attuned to such things will notice. He can now sense monsters like Fleischwulf within fifty yards...but now, he radiates a disturbing aura that will make fate witches want to avoid being touched by him and can be noticed by dark creatures. Fleischwulf, of course, survives and swears vengeance. The book also provides some example riddles, stuff like:

Once escaping, the party can continue with whatever random encounters you like, and emerge either in western Eisen and needing to cross a river, or on the Eisen frontier, before the Drachenberg mountains.

Next time: The exciting conclusion! Random encounters! Explorers!

You've saved my life and the lives of countless thousands of my men.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

Since no one voted, I choose to post this because I want to. Tomorrow, pirates!

7th Sea: You've saved my life and the lives of countless thousands of my men.


Look, men, it's just winter! We'll be fine!

Part Four: Mother Ussura Enraged

Finally, the heroes have passed beyond the Drachenbergs. The area is full of signs of invasion - ashes on the ground, clouds of smoke filling the air. Fields lie trampled, corpses line the roads, crows and wolves feast with impunity. At least once, the party will pass an entire company of Montaigne soldiers literally frozen to death . Like, with icicles hanging off their faces. There's few travelers, though - almost no refugees, mostly just a few deserters and stragglers. The weirdest part, though? The weather.

In Eisen, it was clear and warm - but on this side of the mountains, it's freezing. Snow's piled up hugely, and the wind drops temperatures well below zero. The skies are always dark - it's only early fall, but it looks like the dead of winter. This is because of Montegue's invasion. Ussura has always been a force of itself, its land embodied in the magical and spiritual "Mother Ussura." She has been fighting the Montaigne since they arrived - and Montegue has little idea what to do. The weather fights him, snow destroys his gunpowder, the cold kills more each night. Forests seem to move around overnight, obscuring trails, and the animals steal their food and supplies. Only Montegue's unique combination of genius, willpower and charisma has kept his army together. He's convinced that if he can take the city of Pavtlow, he can return home in honor and the weather will cease its fight. This is what the Sun King is counting on to kill him.

The compass-artifact points the heroes straight to Montegue, at least. Their main problem is with the weather. When they arrive, Ussura acts against them, thinking they are here to help Montegue - which they are, but not in the way she believes. They are assaulted by mod, snow and rain, by annoyed animals of all sizes...but if and when they let their true motives slip, perhaps in conversation with others, things will change. Instantly, the skies will clear and the area will warm, their journey becoming as smooth and easy as possible when Mother Ussura realizes they, too, want Montegue out of the place.

However, as they crossed the mountains, Captain Chevalier realized where the party was going. He's used Porté to teleport to an anchored Montaigne base ahead, and he's planning to stop the party, engaging them with all the forces he's got - twenty-five musketeers and a few members of Montegue's army. He arrives as the heroes get close to the Montaigne camps, calling out to them to surrender. He's got 25-30 soldiers behind him...but by this point, the party should have Mother Ussura on their side, and she's not playing fair. The party will be on firm ground in sunlight - while just a few yards away, the musketeers are in a raging swarm. The Chevalier won't back down, though, and will attack. However, all the musketeers fight at -1 Finesse due to slippery mud, twigs lashing out at them and so on, and ranged attacks on the party automatically fail. The party, of course, suffers no penalties - Mother Ussura is shielding them. If the party doesn't take too much advantage of this or show mercy on the musketeers, just knocking them out or disarming them instead of killing them, Chevalier will grudgingly surrender and retreat when half his men are down. He'll even tip his hat in honorable defeat - though it's clear he's still holding a grudge, and will be waiting for them in Charouse.

All that's left now is to deliver the message to Montegue. The clear weather around the party makes him suspicious at first, thinking them Ussuran sorcerers...but the letter convinces him, as he knows his wife's handwriting. He becomes angry over the letter - the arrogance of the Emperor! He thansk the party, telling them that he is grateful for their saving his life and those of his men - but that the Montaigne government will be less grateful, for they have defied the Sun King. He owes them a great debt, and soon begins to prepare a retreat. The weather, of course, immediately lightens up, but he doesn't pay any attention. Montegue offers the party anything within his power to give right now - he'll escort them home (with his entire army, in fact), supply them food and equipment...if they ask for money, he'll lose a lot of respect for them but will sign a cheque for any reasonable amount, which will be honored by any reputable merchant. If the heroes remember about Coleson's interest in the compass artifacts, they can ask for Montegue's compass - he'll happily hand it over now that the campaign is ended and it won't break his promise to his wife. It is perfectly alike to the one they have, save for the inscription on the bottom.

Even if the party doesn't ask for it, though, what happens to it matters to them. As Montegue either hands it over or bids them farewell, it vanishes in a brilliant flash of light. The heroes catch sight of a hand reaching out of a crack in space and snatching it from Montegue, then vanishing in a puffo f smoke. Whichever hero is carrying their half of the artifact pair suddenl has a powerful vision: a jungle surrounds her, and she can hear the sound of exotic beasts. A man stands in a wide clearing, surrounded by stone and metal outcroppings. He's wearing explorer's gear and has a cruel look on his face unlike any she's seen. A large box stands in front of him, with an indentation matching the compass perfectly. In one hand he holds the artifact, and he turns to glare maliciously at the hero. It is cleaR: he's going to open the box.

What the party does next is up to them. The can go back to Montaigne or whatever they like. If they want to pursue the stolen compass, though, you'll need the next adventure in the Erebeus Cross series: Scoundrel's Folly! They get 3 XP if they complete the adventure, or 1 XP and a huge loss of face if they fail. Any other rewards are up to the GM.

Now, some suggestions for random encounters. I'll only cover a few of these. In one, Burning Down the House, the heroes discover a village engulfed in smoke - one of the houses has caught fire, and if nothing is done it'll spead to the whole village! There's only around twenty to thirty buildings here, and the burning house is on the edge of town. Fifty men are trying to put it out, but it's slow going and not doing much. The heroes could ignore the locals' please for help and move on, in which case the fire consumes the entire village...or they can stay to help. The burning building's a lost cause, but they should easily be able to help keep the rest of the place from being set on fire - soaking the nearby buildings, digging trenches or firewalls, even destroying the nearby buildings to cut off the path. Whatever they decide, the farmers obey with alacrity. Once the fire's under control, the party can move on, but they've lost precious time. They'll have any aid the village can provide - perhaps slowing down Chevalier and his men. Even if they don't ask, the villagers will try to help, extending their lead immensely. GMs can also have a cinematic encounter where the musketeers arrive while the fire is still blazing, starting a dramatic swordfight in the burning town as the farmers work to try and stop it.

While aboard the boat on the Dechain, they may run into the terrifying Beast of Dechain , a legend of the river for millenia. It's a serpent of immense size, said to devour entire boats. It attacks the River Mist while they are aboard. It's far too big for them to hurt - small arms and swords don't faze it, and the cannons can't be turned to fire downwards at it. The Beast will try to headbutt the boat until it cracks a hole and sinks it. The party will discover that there's twenty barrels of gunpowder aboard, though - and with care, they can be turned into bombs with a well-cut fuse. Three bombs will drive the beast awa. Alternatively, a brave hero might volunteer to pilot the ship's lifeboat as a diversion, or even dive into the monster's gullet and cut their way out, which will drive the Beast away for easier prey. It won't be easy, but it might work. There's no chance to kill the Beast, though - but anyone who's saved the ship has the sailors' thanks, especially if they did it by going into the Beast. If the heroes fail, the ship sinks. They make it to shore, where they can continue - but almost all of the crew died, eaten by the Beast as they got away. A few of Coleson's creates are salvaged, but most are lost, and he heads off to his destination in sadness. (This can be done on the other river, too, with a smaller and less famous serpent.)

There is also a minor event suggested where the party learns the secret of the River Mist - it has three co-owners who all serve as captain, switching roles when they must evade pursuit. The ship can even remove its nameplate and has several spares, allowing it to evade smuggling charges easily. Clever, but not all that interesting as an encounter. There's also an attack by gargoyles!


I can't see this without hearing the flying monkeys from the Wizard of Oz.

And, of course, there's the chance of running into an Ussuran forward group. The party can run into an ambush with five vicious if ragged partisans led by a minor nobleman who begins the battle by turning into a bear. If Mother Ussura's still against them, they're definitely in trouble here. If the party speaks Ussuran, they can try to reason with the group - they're angry, not blind. This is easiest if the the party has many nationalities, especially an Ussuran. Montaignes will make it harder, though. If the party's got Mother Ussura on their side, though, the weather will strike at their foes to try and warn them away.

Then we get NPC stats - which, incidentally, Fleischwulf doesn't have, because he's fucking invulnerable. Likewise, the Beast of Dechain only has damage stats in case someone is dumb enough to step in front of its head while it's headbutting and biting the boat. It's not able to be hurt by anything short of cannon shot. If you want to learn more about the guy who stole the artifact, though, you need to buy more books

The Explorer's Society

The rest of the little booklet is devoted to the Explorers. They were started when the last Hierophant, Julius IV, approached Cameron MacCormick to retrace the lives of the prophets, from their birth to their deaths. While traveling in southern Vodacce on this errand, MacCormic found caverns full of amber encasing strange suits of armor. Initially, he identified them as Syrneth - but earlier, he had found other ruins in Eisen, also identified as Syrneth, which looked nothing alike. In Eisen, the ruins used pictograms, while in Vodacce, they used a fluid script of curves and dashes. In Eisen, the doorways were over 50 feet tall - but in Vodacce, they were barely large enough for a man, and the armor suits were meant for small men. His imagination was caught by this, and he was unable to finish the Hierophant's request, handing it off to a friend.

MacCormick began studying the ruins, offering huge money for artifacts. He ran out of money, in fact - but he and several friends banded together to fund a new group, the Discoverer's Society - adventurerss seeking truth. This worked out until he discovered that his friend Caligari had been selling the artifacts that the group discovered! Caligari formed his own team, and MacCormick's society falterd without his money. The group began to dissolve, down to only three of its core members...but they developed a system to allow them to weed out the best sites and catalog their work. MacCormick's brother died, leaving him with the family money - but also responsibility for their estates. He solved this by declaring his home the official university of the newly renamed Explorer's Society, inviting all his old friends except Caligari, along with several others. Now, there are chapterhouses in Avalon, Vendel, Eisen and Castille, and a new one opened in Montaigne.

Publically, the Explorers seek knowledge and truth about the ancient race of Syrneth. Though some of their findings conflict with church doctrine, they are on good terms with the Vaticine and most governments. However, behind closed doors, they have theories they cannot share with the church: there was more than one race among the Syrneth. They are certain of it, having determined comparative age seperating old ruins via layers of soil, and have found different civilizations on different layers. They hope to find evidence of more than one group in a single layer, existing together. This makes them rather unpopular with the Inquisition, though - the idea of more than one race capable of intelligent thought and building is heretical at present. The society also believe the Seventh Sea exists, and its inner circle believe that it is connected to the old races and where they went.

The society is divided into ranks, each named after a different sea. EAch rank knows more than the last, and the upper ranks are given access to artifacts for personal use - there's some the Explorers have found enough copies of that they don't need to study them all. Members identify themselves as being from whatever sea is given to their rank, as a way to confuse outsiders. Many of their expeditions are not looking for new lands, but rather the Seventh Sea - though so far, none of those have reported back.

The ranks are: The Trade Sea , who are essentially laymen who've just joined up. They still believe there was only one race of Syrneth and are required to take basic courses at the chapterhouses or learn from a field tutor. This teaches them how to record findings. After that, there is the Frothing Sea , who have been on several digs. They can begin to receive unique equipment, such as globes that glow in the dark after being left in the sun. The third level, La Boca , learn that there were multiple races of Syrneth, and are allowed full participation in digs under senior explorers. They can also begin to receive credit in published journals. After that is the Forbidden Sea , who are granted housing and board for free and and have all expenses paid. They are told the agenda of trying to discover linkages between the old races - so long as only one race's remnants are found per dig, it can be claimed the race changed over time but was the same, while mixing in one area would prove multiple races. Then there is the Mirror , who learn the theory that the Seventh Sea is not only real, but a physical place that could possibly be visited, and may be connected to the old races. After that, there is the Corridors of Flame , the highest rank outside the inner sanctum of MacCormick. They are told the truth of the Explorers' expeditions seeking the Seventh Sea, and that the Explorers feel the sea may be more than a place but a doorway by which the old races left the world. The Corridor also produce false reports from the expeditions sent out to publically search for new lands, since...well, none of them have ever sent back reports so far.

What do the Explorers know about the Syrneth? Well, we got a lot of IC letters and reports, but I'll boil it down. Jules von Gregor investigated an area of Castille that had been overrun by the boca, the locust-like rodents that migrate through each year. He found a strange skull, larger even than a large man's, with a strange forward protrusion as of a beak - and evidence of wing growth below the shoulder blades. He estimates the wingspan to be four yeards in length. These have been named the "Setine." They have hollow bones, and he found similar (if much larger and with different body structure) bones in Eisen as well. The same hollow bones have since been found all over southern Théah, some male and some female, some with wings and some without. He has also found armor styled after the Old Numan Republic's but clearly useless to humans - large and form-fitted for ten-foot creatures with huge barrel chests and twisted legs. And in a Vodacce key, he has found a sample that exhibits both genders - he'd love to examine it, but Villanova will not release the specimen. He has four theories to explain why the Setines were so prolific: They may have been a slave race, a servitor race, a guide race or a ruler race. The last theory is the most popular.


The Isle of Syrne.

The Isle of Syrne's a strange place - they've found strange grids there, with uncertain significance, inside buildings with strange white cubes. These girds are aligned to magnetic north, largely, and have many cubes inside of unknown purpose. The doors are designed cor creatures about 6-7 feet tall and 1-2 feet wide, and the number two and its powers are repeated throughout the ruins. The area is sadly infested by scarabs with extremely virulent poison, strange lights that burn those who investigate and mysterious gas explosions. Other artifacts include Legion's Spike, a crystal that gives indescribable visions to those who look into it - but which sometimes drive men mad or change their personalities.

The entire sections is really a fun read, and I highly suggest it - in summary, the Explorers believe that there was more than one, perhaps far more than one prehuman race - and that their disappearance is linked to the mysterious, nigh-legendary Seventh Sea. They're hunting for proof and have found many mysterious artifacts, ruins and dangers which they keep secret both to avoid thieves like Caligari, secretive men like Villanova and the powers of the Inquisition.

Next time: Nations of Theah, Volume I: The Pirate Nations

Everybody dies, McGee. Sooner or later, everybody dies.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: Everybody dies, McGee. Sooner or later, everybody dies.



Nations of Théah, Book One: The Pirate Nations

We begin with a story about the pirate Jeremiah Berek and his companion, Bonnie McGee. They've seen a Montaigne ship - a Montaigne ship they know is captained by the man known only as The General. Their ship's in the midst of repair, but Berek plans to attack anyway. The General, an Eisen man, prepares to fight - but his ship is assaulted by snipers! That ship turns back - but there are 20 with it! Berek's in a cove that allows only one ship at a time, though, and they're holding well. Unfortunately, his plan to block the cove with the first sunk ship fails - and whho knows what'll happen next?

Now then. We start out looking at some famous pirate cities. The Straits of Blood are one such - a deadly island chain surrounded by reefs and sharks. It can be navigated only at night via use of the Bloody Lighthouse, and has only two towns on its islands - Bilgewater and Tumbledown. The pirate who discovered the way through the reef was a Montaigne named Guivere, who used it as his hideout for years. He vanished, but left the secret with his daughter Annabelle, who founded Bilgedwater. It's said that somewhere in the Straits, Guivere's treasure is still buried. The book goes through two hugely detailed maps of the islands, which I feel is actually not the best way to do this, now. It's mostly boring.

There are some interesting places, though - for example, the Captain's Daughter, a tavern with a tall platform out front, with a pretty girl on top. There's a rope. and any man can climb it. Getting to the top means they get a kiss - but falling means being mocked and having a bucket of water dumped on you. Bilgewater's the more dangerous of the two towns, and Tumbledown is quieter, frequented by retired pirates and with less dangerous jungle around it. The other islands around it are Pebble Beach, where the treasure may be hidden, Jackie's Rock (named after Guivere's dog, who was his mascot), and Coldwater Isle, a place where...well, the water is icy cold despite the heat lal over the rest of the area. It's believed that the island is haunted by Guivere's ghost and those of his crew.

There's also La Bucca, home of the Brotherhood of the Coast. It was originally founded in 1552 by Cardinal Alfonso Orduñez of Castille in an attempt to devise a new kind of prison that would reform its people. He wanted an experiment - a prison with no walls or guards, to teach the value of civilization. The island he chose was la Bucca, then called la Palabra de Dios. Within the first month, half the prisoners were rescued by pirates looking for crew. So he built walls around the prison, keeping ships out north and south while a mountain handled the west and a reef the east. Since then, seventeen escapes were tried - and all failed. However, the experiment of teaching the men the value of civilization by removing them from it failed completely: la Bucca was home to a revolt that killed a third of the guards (yeah, they showed up at some point) and 90% of the prisoners. It became just a prison - a place to put those who were unfit for normal civilization.

In 1666, though, a man was found dead at the south gates - dead of the White Plague! The guards fled the island to avoid death - but that was the plan. The prisoners had faked the outbreak, and they launched a revolt as the last two supply ships came, seizing them. The prisoners used the island's guns to defeat the guard ships, and they seized control of the island, led by the man called Allende. He proposed the Brotherhood of the Coast: a nation unbound by religion, culture or nationality. The island is mostly notable for a haunted shantytown and a dense swamp from which no one has ever returned. However, deep in the swamp is a strange obelisk made of neither stone nor mortar, apparently made of gold as hard as steel. It has an entrance just big enough for a man to slip into, but only two inches are bove water level. No man has ever seen it before, let alone tried to go into it.

And there's also the city of Canguine, in Avalon. It's a smuggler's haven, turned ugly and brutal by an ancient Sidhe curse. It was once a beautiful Montaigne city, built by the conquering army. However, the compulsive orderliness of the place brought its ruin when its mayor attempted to throw a Sidhe into jail. The Sidhe revealed his nature and cursed the city to be chaotic and disorganized until its residents could be polite to one another for a full day. This doesn't seem likely to happen any time soon.

The place has a number of (completely broken) fountains - it's said that if they ever start working again, it means Montaigne is invading. This is also the home of Jeremiah Berek and many other of Elaine's Sea Dogs. Their inn is the Broken Compass, which has an odd tradition: any time someone tells a story, they are asked if they died. If they say yes, then the pirates shout that it must be true and buy the teller a drink. If they say no, the pirates shout that the teller's a liar and throw their drinks at him. The Curse on Canguine is quite real as well - it affects everyone within two miles of the former town hall, and it means this: When the GM activates a Hero's Hubris, it costs twice as many Drama dice to resist as normal. Heroes and NPCs with the Scoundrel advantage start with an extra Drama die each story. Heroes can go to -50 Reputation before becoming villains instead of -30, and they get Drama dice for arguing with each other and causing public disorder. Oh, and there's Timberjack. Timberjack is a huge, rather dim man who beats anyone who tries to cut down the forest north of town. This hasn't made him popular with local woodcutters or shipwrights, but he's a powerful man. There's a 50 guilder price on his head.

There's also a ton of legends out there. For example - the tale of Captain Justice Rogers' lost treasure! Rogers was the first pirate to ever gain real fame, and he is the archetype. He was an Avalon who captained the Jolly Rogers, raiding the Montaigne fleets. However, at last he fled when pursued by a huge fleet, and hid on a remote island. Only his empty ship was found - and when the Montaignes took it, a storm came from nowhere and destroyed the entire fleet. Three centuries later, no one's found a trace of his treasure...but they did find that he'd hid at least on the isle of Syrne. Then there's the Black Freighter - a terrible ghost ship with many, many tales of its origin. Some say it hunts those who wreck ships in search of revenge, while others say it's attracted to death and murder. Others say that you can keep it away by hanging a dead man's shoes from the mast, or that a cat will help you avoid it. None know the truth. There's also tales of a huge siren, the Queen of the Sea, who's been seen only three times in history - first by Old Empire sailors, then five hundred years later by Vesten raiders, and then two years ago by Avalon sailors. She is a huge, bloated creature with a strange, booming song and a thirst for blood. It's said she was a beautiful FAte Witch who went too far in her magic, or perhaps a shipwrecker cursed by the sea. Whatever the truth, she threatens all sailors now.


These guys are either fighting or dancing.

Now, let's talk about the Brotherhood of the Coast. Their leader is the "Pirate King," Allende, captain of the Hanged Man. He wrote the charter they live by - a strict code of conduct that all of them swear to follow. However, they are also devoted to freedom. Every Brotherhood ship carries a copy of the charter, which does many things - it organizes how the ship is run, forbids gambling on board, even gives a method to solve quarrels. It also says that each man is to have a vote in affairs, and that no pirate crew can dissolve until each man's gotten a thousand guilders of plunder. The Broetherhood also allow every ship a chance to surrender and not be harmed. Their flag is three skeletal arms, each holding a knife and thrusting them into a single cup. Some have said the Brotherhood is in league with El Vago, and others that they've taken commissions from Queen Elaine.

Allende, of course, is secretly Prince Javier of Castille, elder brother to Good King Sandoval and in the yes of many, the rightful King of Castille. He knew many state secrets, including those about la Bucca, and he had college friends in the Rilasciare. While he never joined, he did help them on occasion. He was also the best captain in Castille. When war broke out, his father the king grew deathly ill - but while he served as regent, he became unpopular with the Inquisition, who dragged him from his bed and threw him into prison, causing his unexplained disappearance. He was found guilty of heresy and exiled to la Bucca. There, he has spent the last decade working and arranging the formation of the Brotherhood - only to discover that now he was free, his father was dead and his brother was on the throne. He can't reclaim it, for that would damage his brother's authority and hurt Castille...so he's dedicated himself to protecting Castille's shores. He's aided in this by Alesio, a Vodacce Fate Witch named Alesia pretending to be a man. She spied on him when he was royal, and when he was betrayed, she went to la Bucca after him. They are not lovers, but she feels a deep sense of loyalty to the man. He also has the loyalty of a diverse and skilled crew - including a msterious tattooed man from the Crescent Empire known only as Donna.

Jeremiah Berek, meanwhile, is the most famous of the Sea Dogs. He's also one of the most hated men in the world, because whenever he captures a ship, he makes sure to force the enemy to surrender to his pet dog, Captain. All members of the crew also swear to serve that dog, rather than Berek. He's succeed by luck and daring - when he enters a situation, he deliberately chooses the least likely way to win and then forces it to work. He's a master of unorthodox tactics. Berek allows his crew to run the ship, though - he knows he's no sailor. His flag is the Sea Dog, a dog with a knife in its teeth. He's beloved by Elaine's court, especially the women, but he is loyal to the woman he loves from afar: Queen Elaine. His first mate is Bloody Bonnie McGee, a woman who once threw herself overboard rather than admit defeat to the dread pirate Reis. She's harsh but fair, and is obsessed with finding Reis, to see why he allowed her to live. He's also got the Beast, a huge man who serves as carpenter - not that he's vicious. He's, in fact, very kind and got the nickname when Berek met his mother, who thanked him for "bringing back my little beast," which he found hilarious. The Beast is a master swordsman. The rest of the crew is no less strange and diverse, including a compulsive and creative liar, a studious monk and brewmaster and the bastard daughter of a Sidhe and a noblewoman.

More terrifying, though, is the corsair Kheired-Din. He (and the Crescents in general) are said to know more about the Syrneth and the occult than the rest of the world - and Kheired Din's flagship, the Strange Skies, has a strange device that shoots "living fire" which backs up the claim. He commands a fleet of sixty ships - and that's because of how he kidnaps slaves. Those whom he steals are forced to build a new ship, then serve aboard it as a rower. When asked what his goal was, Kheired-Din said that he sought this: "I will bring about the next age of the world. The angels shall rise into the skies and move among us once more. I, and all of you, shall be their agents, chosen of all men, to make their will known." Kheired-Din hates to fight naval battles, and so he uses any trick he can to avoid them. He is a brutal man who hates blasphemers, alcohol and...in fact, any prophet but the Second Prophet. Also Sorcery. His flag is a tattooed skull with crossed scimitars beneath. He claims that his tattoo was given to him by angels - and it heals one Dramatic Wound per hour, even if he's been killed . If dead, he reappears in his quarters on his ship, alive once more. Only by finding the magical cross that is linked to the tattoo can he be truly killed. His crew is viciously loyal, except for most of the slave rowers.

Then there are the Vestenmannavnjar raiders, commanded by Yngvild Olafsdottir. She was a fisherman's daughter driven from her home by Vendel landowners. She mastered the art of Lærdom and became a pirate captain on the ship Revensj, seeking...well, revenge. She uses weather control runes to sneak up on her targets and assault them once the crew is tired of dealing with the storms she calls up. She is a merciless captain, with no patience for disrespect - but she has a few allies in the form of Jeremiah Berek (well, sometimes) and the O'Bannon. Her flag is the Vestenmannavnjar flag, flown upside down. Yngvild herself is no great warrior, but is a master of magic...and her first mate nad lover, Red Thorfild, more than makes up for that. Red is a vicious man who would see no mercy for any Vendel, while the ship's bosun, Hoskuld Hardrada, often argues with him that women and children must be spared as the only honorable thing to do.

Last, and perhaps worst, is Reis of the Crimson Roger. No one dares surrender to Reis, for he will kill them all - and even his crew is terrified of him. He appeared ten years ago, a monster even then. It was said he was a demon summoned by putting the twelve most evil men in the world into one body, that his crew were beasts wearing human skin. He started most of these rumors himself, but since then other legends of sprung up - some true, such as the fact that he takes no prisoners and leaves none alive. His crew all swear to obey the Pact of the Crimson Roger, which is written in the blood of the first man to ever wound Reis in a fight - a dead man named Robert Langstaff. IT's written on the skin of his back. The oath is to loyalty in exchange for plunder...and Reis takes it seriously. Disobedience and disrespect are not permitted: Reis is as a god, and his devil is the sadist Riant Gaucher, his torturer and bosun. His flag is black with a red skull and crossbones. Reis is famous for the scythe he wields - a weapon that can cut even through Dracheneisen. It cannot be parried, ignores all armor and deals damage regardless of the target's Brawn - to the point that any 10s he rolls on damage are automatic Dramatic Wounds. He has no stats given, and the truth about him will be revealed "in time". His crew is vicious and hateful, coming from across the world - he's even got a strange, mysterious black man named Jemy on his crew. Reis is working for the Vodacce Caligari, seeking out Syrneth relics. He's got the man's cousin Julius on board - a swordsmasn of some skill...but also a traitorous dog who's sold his loyalty to Reis instead of his cousin. Reis doesn't trust the man any further than he can throw him.


Don't get captured.

The book introduces a new thing for chargen: the Destiny Spread, which can be done with dice or a tarot deck. This lets you get some free stuff based on what you pull, which gives you some backstory events ('When you were five, a witch foretold that you'd bring death to your family. And, indeed, you caught the White Plague and spread it to them, and they all died. You survived, though - and while you're immune to the White Plague now, your immediate family is dead.') and some hints of future trouble that the GM can use.

We also get Rogers , a new swordsman school favored by pirates. It is said to have been made by the famous Captain Rogers, and of course many new tricks have been added to it since. It relies heavily on tricks to fool its foes, as well as teaching its users to fence while a ship rolls under their feet. Its big weakness? Well, that balance that you learn for ships can be watched - it causes a peculiar flexing of the legs that can be exploited to prevent dodging. This happens even on land, it's so ingrained.

An Apprentice fencer can use the Balance knack instead of the Parry one, and learns one Pirate Trick. A Journeyman gets +5 TN to be hit while on a ship unless they're surprised, and learn a second Pirate Trick. A Master gets +2 to his Fear Rating - which is 0 if he didn't cause Fear before. This means foes can be terrified and get penalties to fighting you! Also you learn two more Pirate Tricks. What are Pirate Tricks? Little gimmicks that the Rogers style uses! Here's the list:

Against the Rails - you get a Free Raise when using the Corps-á-corps technique (read: body checking a guy) and your target is defending via Balance (usually meaning 'on a ship'). Belay That! - You roll and keep an extra damage die when attacking with a belaying pin, and get no off-hand penalty for wielding one. Dagger Ride - you may spend an action to drive a knife into a sail and ride it down to deck, avoiding all falling damage. You can even attack someone below you while doing this, dealing one die of damage per two levels you drop, rounding down. Death from Above! - if you're at least one level higher than your target, you may swing down and attack, dealing 3k1 damage and knocking them prone - but if you miss, you have to roll Swinging to not become prone. Hold Your Liquor - you get the Able Drinker advantage free and get a free raise when attacking someone with a beer mug. Kick Up - you can grab a sword off the ground and attack with it in the same action, provided you start the action standing right next to it. Over the Side! - you increase the Boarding rolls of all of your side by 1 in a Boarding ACtion; this stacks up to three times and is dealing with 'mass combat' ship rules. Quick Draw - you may draw and fire a pistol in one action. Sea Legs - you roll and keep an extra die when using your Balance knack, though that doesn't increase your passive TN to be hit when using it. Sidearm - you have no offhand penalty for using pistols.

You can also learn one of those via advantages, though not if you know the Rogers style. If you ever learn the Rogers style, you lose your advantage and it becomes your apprentice trick. There's also an advantage for being an evil dread pirate, and one that lets you start with a Syrneth artifact. The list you can get: A golden marble which is used by tapping it with a fingernail and then carrying it somewhere else and dropping it. The marble will roll towards the place you tapped it at, and will remember it until you tap it again. It rolls at a slow walking pace and can resume its journey if lifted and carried later. When it reaches water, it stops at the edge and will continue if carried across. A golden bracelet which will heal you of the first 10 flesh wounds you get each scene. A golden armband with a silvered animal skull on it, whose mouth will open when you tense your arm twice in a row rapidly. A hand comes out of the mouth, trailing a silver cable, and grabs anything it hits within fifty feet. Then, the cable retracts, swinging you over to the hand - this functions like an easier-to-use grappling gun that never slips. A gray knife that deals an additional 3 flesh wounds when it hits. a reddish metal hand that replaces your offhand, which never gets tired and repairs itself when damaged. If cut off, it can be reattached, but it has no special powers over a normal hand beyond that. An ornate glove and a dagger - whenever you pull your hand back as if to throw the knife, it appears in your hand. Yoiu can throw it once per round, otherwise it comes back to your hand before it hits the target. The knife must be left sheathed for two hours a day, or it loses its returning property until it is. The glove, meanwhile, must be worn for ten hours a day or it loses the power to call the knife until it is.

You could also get a reddish metal cutlass that lets you, once a scene after you hit and deal damage with it, immediately spend a drama die on your next action to exactly imitate the last attack, using the same attack roll and damage roll. You could get a segmented belt that, when worn, glows with a light that covers twenty feet in all directions. It can only be taken off by the person wearing it, and stops glowing in sunlight or when not worn. There's a silver box that can only be opened by you and is immune to all damage. There's a tarnished mug and tap (as in for tapping kegs), which are immune to damage. When placed on a keg and opened, nothing happens - but when someone tries to drink from the mug, liquid from the tapped keg appears in it. It flows only if drunk, and it cannot be spilled. It must be inserted in a container, though - just throwing it in a lake won't mean endless water.

Then, some discussion on what a pirate campaign might do - smuggling, ruin raiding, privateering, whatever. Some ways to make campaigns - hunting for treasure, serving a nation, fleeing with something very expensive and valuable, whatever. Navigation's not easy because, well, you can use the Prophet's Star (read: the North Star) to tell where you are north-south, but east-west is hard. The Sun means you need to know what time zone it is - or at least what time it is somewhere definite...except that pocketwatches haven't been invented. Clocks are pendulum-based and hate ships. Dead reckoning's mostly what's used, though there's also a method used by the highly educated which involves measuring the moon and stars, but the Montaigne, as mentioned, just have a guy at home with a clock who teleports in and tells you the time. This means they have the most accurate maps in the world, though they've been stolen by many other nations.

And we end by finding the fate of Berek and the General. Berek is fired on, and his ship seems doomed. However, Bonnie McGee has led a crew to swim the gap, and they've boarded the General's ship! The Marines take the General's ship and use it to sink the rest. Berek and the General duel afterwards, but it turns out that it was Lady Celedoine, the half-Sidhe, disguised as Berek! Berek himself arrives and saves her life. The General escapes overboard, and his surviving men are called off by Bonnie's trick, as she's run up flags to set them away.

Next time: The second part of the Erebus Cross!

The Montaigne would destroy the world if they thought it would entertain them.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: The Montaigne would destroy the world if they thought it would entertain them.



Erebus Cross, Part II: Scoundrel's Folly

This adventure picks up just after The Lady's Favor. If you haven't played that one, though, it can start out with the heroes getting the compass and receiving their vision by some other method, hearing about Regindal Coleson as an expert in Syrneth artifacts and so on. The visions are being sent by the villainous Lucius Malveck, who is staying on the island L'Il du Bɇte, the Isle of the Beast - a private game preserve of the Montaigne, where monsters are teleported onto the island and set loose for hunting by bored nobles. Malveck is sending visions out to the heroes using an artifact connected to them - a "pool" of silvery metal that's as hard as diamond, by which the bearers of the compasses can grant each other visions. He's trying to lure the Heroes in. They're going to play right into his hands, of course.

This is because he's sending visions of his plotting over villainous schemes - a surefire way to get any hero interested. They've already met Reginald, and should therefore be bright enough to set out to meet him at the court of Baron STefan Heilgrund, wher he's told them he's staying. If they're not interested in just stopping schemes, remind them that Coleson will pay them for the artifacts. Eager parties may just start following the compass, but fortunately Heilgrund's castle is in its path, and they can contact Coleson without losing any time. Heilgrund's castle sits on the Rotstrom river, and getting there is easy - Monteque will give them any supplies they need and a letter of passage to get through checkpoints. The weather's nice and while there might be some encounters of whatever kind, it's basically easy to get to Heilgrund's castle.

Part One: The Court of the Baron

The province is blackened by war, with ruined houses all over the place. There's a few signs of recovery, but not many. Stefan Heilgrund's castle is Heilgrundstat, and this is actually his secondary estate - his primary is in Gottkirchen, but he comes here to get away. Heilgrund intends to rule the entirety of Eisen some day, and he's friendly with the Explorers in the hopes that Syrneth artifacts can grant him the power to do so. Coleson knows Heilgrund only wants power, but the man's cash is useful, so he's happy to work with the man for now - though he makes sure Heilgrund never learns about some things. Heilgrund's home is well-protected - the portcullis is reinforced with dracheneisen. They are met by Stefan's butler ERnst Grümbel, a short-temepered and blunt man who doesn't much like the party but goes and gets Coleson. He's surprised to see them, and brags about them to the butler, who is unimpressed. He loves the compass, of course, and promises to do anything he can to help - even charter a boat, if they can wait a few days. This conversation can take as long as you like so long as folks are being entertained.

Heilgrund is not all that interested in the party when introduced, until he learns their errand - at which point he becomes gung-ho about supporting them and insists that Coleson go along to help if he's going to fund the trip. Coleson's going to take a few days, though, to examine the artifacts. In the meantime, the players can get involved in some international intrigue if they like. If you don't have any for them, there's some pre-provided - a pair of Vendel and Vodacce merchants trying to edge each other out, a Montaigne admiral trying to get free passage on the local rivers and an Avalon sent to kill him, some Montaigne noblewomen who love the 'haunted' castle and are mostly around to be seduced, that sort of thing. This can, again, go on as long as desired. In the meantime, more scientifically-minded heroes can go with Coleson and study the artifact/

Those who go with Coleson are warned not to open any locked doors in the basements - in fact, the heroes are told to open none of the locked doors in the entire castle, and there's plenty of them. Any strange noises are attributed to the wind. Those who study the compass with Coleson learn some very interesting facts. (If none do, have Coleson tell them.) The metal is a very unusual compound, even for the Syrneth, and it's only been found on a few islands. Coleson's been to all but one, and none had the intricate nature of this compass. The one he's not been to is L'Il du Bɇte. The inscriptions on the bottom are instructions, and Coleson can translate them roughly - they talk about using the compasses to open doors, raise wards on leylines and "ignite the Soul's Mirror." He has no idea what they mean, and they're incomplete - the rest must be on the other compass. The artifact also has an internal power source of some kind - Coleson could open it and find out what, but that'd break the compass and might blow everyone up. And lastly, there is a complex pattern beneath the literal translation of the inscription, matching the stars. Central is the constellation called the Erebus Cross, which apparently forms an arrow, pointing somewhere - though the compass doesn't say anything about where. Any Montaigne heroes will know the nature of the Isle of the Beasts, as does Coleson - and they'll know that only Montaigne nobles are allowed to visit. Coleson rather hates this, and the Montaigne nobility.

If the heroes go poking around, they'll have to break into the locked areas, which isn't easy, and battering down the doors is noisy. Above ground, it's mostly secrets of state. Below, however, are labs - they contain artifacts, books on various occult subjects...including ones such as summoning Unseelie or dark spirits to make pacts, or even calling on the forces of Legion. Stefan Heilgrund is after power, and will pay any price he feels is reasonable. The worst is a biology lab containing strange experiments - rats with wings, cows with siren's teeth, even experiments done on human corpses - though no live tests have been done with humans. Yet. If the players are discovered, however - and they probably will be - then Heilgrund's men will chase them from the castle as bandits, and Coleson will barely escape, having lost his position there. He will still help the party, but will lose all respect for them, even as he acknowledges their feelings in the matter as valid.

Either way, Coleson will also say that he's sure the trip is a trap - he thinks Malveck is sending the visions to lure them in, but they'll never find him and stop him without the compass, so for now they'll have to play into his hands...but at least they'll do so knowing he wants the compass they have and ready for his tricks.

Part Two: Wooden Ships and Iron Men

If they don't do that, though, Heilgrund will pay for their trip. They'll need to get a ship in Freiburg, which can be as exciting as the GM desires. It's a bustling, lively city with surprisingly little crime, especially since it has no police force. Coleson meets with an Explorer, Madeline du Bisset, trying to get passage with Jeremiah Berek. He's in Carleon, and Madeline will send the party there if they'll take along a box marked with a Vesten rune (Villskap, if you care). There's no catch, she just doesn't want to do it herself. She'll try to open the box for the party, sending sparks across the room, then close it completely again and warn them never to do that. (The box, in truth, contains a cursed rune that will lay its power on anyone who reads it. Anyone who opens the box fully will read it - and the curse is one of freezing, causing the target to become freezing cold even in the hottest weather, taking 1k1 damage per week; every fourth roll, the damage can never be healed. Eventually they will freeze to death. The rune on the box will cause 8k5 damage to anyone who opens the box. This is irrelevant, for the most part, since the heroes should be bright enough to take the warning. It is up to the GM, if it comes up, how the curse might be undone.

Getting a ship is easy, and it takes a week (in which encounters can happen) to get there, Carleon is a pleasant, well-ordered city where everyone seems happy. Finding Berek and the Sea Dogs is easy, but the Dogs don't want anyone bothering their leader without good cause. Explorer or AValon credentials will help, but otherwise it may take a few fists and a quick tongue. (They hold no hard feelings for a fistfight as long as no swords are pulled.) Berek is bored out of his mind, when the party meets him, and he's interested in helping - though he'll play coy and ask them about why they want to do this. He's fishing for as much as he can get out of the deal...unless someone mentions a chance to fight the Montaigne navy. Running their blockade will be fun for him. After they get his help, Coleson will go deliver the box, and the heroes can go with him if they like. There, they will find an inscription from a Vodacce ruin that precisely matches that of the compass! Coleson is fascinated, and wants to go the ruins - but the Explorers tell him they're off limits and he can't, for reasons they won't say. He decides to go anyway, and leaves the heroes on their own while he heads off to Vodacce. He says he'll meet them back in Carleon when they succeed at stopping Malveck. The Black Dawn's still in drydock, so Berek commandeers a ship named Hurricane, drafts a letter to the queen and sets off with the party. The crew is mostly volunteers since this is not strictly a Sea Dog mission, and the heroes are given places with the crew. They head southwest, following the compass.

Part Three: High Seas Gauntlet

This is where most of the random encounters happen. Through the voyage, the visions of Malveck come fast and hard, with a strong sense of urgency. The compass leads to the islands easily, and any sailor hero should be disgusted by the waste of resources that is the huge blockade around them - ten full frigates! The Hurricane's crew spot the ships long before they're spotted, and Berek prepares to proceed. (If the heroes have short-circuited this part by, say, taking their own ships, any reasonable precautions will result in them spotting the blockade early, too.)

The Montaigne blockade has each ship in sight of two others, to let them react in case of trouble. However, the ships are old and staffed only by moderately competent crew. With a good plan, they should be able to do this. Berek (as the GM's voice) will help point out any flawed plans - and if the party has none, offer some of his own: commandeering a Montaigne ship to pass by in disguise, slipping past in a rowboat by night or just blowing through the blockade by main force. The Hurricane can even the odds on any of these by flying a flag of distress to lure out a few of the ships and take them on more even ground.

Berek and his men won't go ashore with the heroes, though - they're just going to get them ashore and fight some Montaignes. Once ashore, the party can go for the Montaigne manors on the island or head straight for Malveck. If they want to poke around a bit, there's an encounter written for it. If not, then it's on to...

Part Four: Jungle Confrontation

The jungles of the Isle of the Beast are full of sounds - usually enraged animals. As the heroes follow the compass through the jungle, they'll run across huge swaths of the area broken by large animals. Six Syrneth buildings dot the island, all exactly sixty degrees from the last. Their purpose is unknown; the Montaigne use them as marshaling grounds for hunters. They have Syrneth posts around them that generate a field keeping monsters at bay. No controls exist, so the Montaigne believe they can't be turned off; Malveck is going to prove otherwise. The heroes are likely to encounter monsters or hunters as they pass through the jungle - and almost any animals at all can be found here.

The compass leads the party to a wide clearing, containing the silver spring mentioned previously. It never showed up in any of the visions, though. Standing next to is Lucius Malveck, holding the other compass. The stones around him form a barrier, protecting him from harm - nothing can cross the barrier. Lucius introduces himself and will answer any questions the party has, though mockingly - he thinks his scheme is foolproof. When asked about the box in the vision, he admits that it never existed - he invented it completely. He then takes his compass and uses it to pull the party's from their hands, attaching it to the underside of his own. He laughs maniacally and twists them, causing machinery under the island to rumble. He mocks them more, telling them that the manor houses have been locked and the monsters will soon be after the locals. Only he can get them out! And he's right - he's done just that. The monsters can't get into the houses, at least - but neither can anyone get out. He has no desire to fight the heroes now and in fact has no ill will towards them, saying they can leave if they wish.

He's missed one thing though: he just lowered all the wards on the island - including the ones protecting him. The heroes can discover this, but Malveck has no idea. They should be able to beat him easily - he's a good swordsman, but not good enough to face a whole band of heroes! If he realizes the danger, he'll flee or plead for his life. He promises them great Syrneth power - but ideally at this point the heroes will knock him out. Once the compasses are detached, the manor houses are restored to normal. The two campasses can now be returned to Heilgrund for a great reward, or given to the Explorers, who will be less grateful - but less likely to abuse them. If Malveck survives the meeting, he will remember the party and seek vengeance at some later date.

The silver pool has two indentations for the compasses, and if the party places them both in, the pool will give them an image of strange experiments being performed on the island - and also a splitting headache, as it gives them telepathic information meant for inhuman minds. Prolonged exposure would drive them mad and kill them. The experiments done here created an engine capable of drawing huge power from the skies, for no clear purpose. The images show its construction and the rudimentary principles involved, though the builders go unseen. It was built somewhere in Vodacce, though, they can tell - the place Coleson is going. In order to ensure it was not used improperly, the place was given heavy security and can only be opened twice a year, when the stars are right and the moon is new. The compasses can then be used to open the locks and get access to the star machine. The map is the stars themselves - the Erebus Cross points the way. All you need to do is know where the Cross will be on the right nights. If none of the heroes have the cartography skill, they can meet up with the Sea Dogs, who'll do it for them. They have thirty days to get to Vodacce and learn the fate of their friend Coleson - in the third and final adventure of the Erebus Cross: The Arrow of Heaven!

Some encounters include a strange chamber in Heilgrundstat containing Montaigne mirror ghosts. In the chamber of the ghosts, Porté does not work at all, amd there are two mirrors. The right mirror has a strange figure in it - a pale man who reaches to touch the mirror's inner edge with a thud. The ghost taps against the glass until someone gets close and touches the mirror. Anything that touches the glass can pass through it - objects disappear, and the ghost will grab anyone who touches the glass. It has Brawn 5 and will try to pull anyone through. Anyone pulled in will become trapped as a mirror ghost. Heilgrund will discover this, but he will offer to help the party on their adventure and even free the hero caught if the party swear never to speak of what they saw - he's fascinated by it and is feeling generous. Others include an attack by sirens on the Hurricane, who have holed the boat and try to come in from beneath. There's also encounters such as a storm created by Sidhe sailors fishing for the bodies of drowned sailors, who will try to catch the Hurricane's crew in their nets - only unforged iron, dracheneisen or powerful magic can cut the nets - though the cannon shells count. The Sidhe will also fight the crew, though not anyone using cold iron weapons. Anyone 'killed' does not truly die, but goes into a coma for a few days and permanently gain the effects of the Inattentive Hubris and Intuitive Arcana, as their dreams distract but enlighten them.

Malveck is Montaigne man who hates the rich. That's why he's doing all this - he wants vengeance on them as an illegitimate son of a nobleman who went unacknowledged. He's a half-blood sorcerer and an expert on the Syrneth. He's not quite a full-fledged Villain yet...but he's getting there. And now, on to the part of the adventure that is more information on the Explorers!

Their current headmaster is Vincent Bernvadore, a Montaigne fifth son of a noble who took up with a Vendel explorer woman. After following her on an adventure, he realized he loved the life, and joined the Society. He rose quickly through the ranks and has led many digs - even into the Crescent Empire, though he denies crossing the border. He was elected Headmaster in 1656, and in recent years his duties have kept him from the field. He's well liked and genuinely loves exploration, as well as being a great diplomat. The head scholar in AValon is Figuero Calleras, a Castillian librarian and noble who was once a monk. He deciphered a strange pattern in an unknown language that led him to find secrets in an ancient scroll case - it contained strange powder that came out when he depressed certain symbols, and it gave him terrible visions. He was unconscious for five days, and joined the Explorers to learn more about what he saw. He is still troubled by strange dreams and visions.

The head field scholar is Cristenne Elise d'Asourne, a Montaigne peasant girl who once viewed the Emperor as a god. As she grew older, though, she began to doubt. She embraced the Church, but its corruption drove her away. Eventually, she left home to find something else to believe in. She ended up working for the Explorers' founder as a groundskeeper, and was taken aback by the passion of the Explorers. She soon joined. She's held her position for only a year, but she's very good. She secretly hopes to find something in the Syrneth ruins that will let her prove the Emperor of Montaigne to be a charlatan once and for all. The head of the shieldmen, the guards of the Explorers, is an Ussuran named Staver Mikochov who was once one of the Gaius's stelets. His father was a boyar, who resented his service to the Gaius, and as a result caused Staver to miss a critical mission on which an Avalon diplomat was killed. The Gaius was furious, and offered to kill Staver in return, but Elaine asked him not to - so instead, he banished the man. Staver wandered until he ran into some explorers, saving them from a strange monster by turning into a wolf and fighting it. He defeated it, and from that day he considered the Explorers his family, considering the fact that Matushka allowed him to transform to protect them to be enough to earn his loyalty. He still wishes he could go home, but he consoles himself by protecting his new family.

There's a number of other members detailed, but I'm sure you're growing as bored of them as I am. If not, I suggest you pick up the adventure and read about them! We also learn some of the codewords of the Explorers, which they slip into conversations to convey secret information about digs and other such things, and also about how they make money. Mostly, it's wealthy patrons, but very rarely they will sell artifacts - the artifacts must be fully documented and catalogued, and not one of a kind, and they are sold at very, very high prices.

Next time: Secret Societies I: Knights of the Rose and Cross!

Swearing like a sailor is a vice I think the Order can live with.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: Swearing like a sailor is a vice I think the Order can live with.



Secret Societies of Théah, Volume I: Knights of the Rose and Cross

We open with the tale of a man named Cowan Cooper who is in a dangerous place - an artifact which reminds him of a woman, Adara. She was his Domini - a word we'll learn more about later - when he joined the Rose and Cross, and an ex-sailor. Five days ago, he and Adara discussed her own trainer, Corbitt, and how he has recently discovered that he has a daughter - an imprisoned one. Yesterday, they searched Vodacce to find the daughter...and twenty minutes ago, they tricked their way into her prison and fought their way up the tower. Ten minutes ago, they ran into more danger than they expected - and Adara may have died. What happens next? We'll learn eventually.


What kind of pose is that for a swordfight, anyway?

The Knights of the Rose and Cross, despite being famous, are in fact a secret society - they have a public face, sure, but they've got plenty of secrets, too. Their public history has them appear in 1613 in the form of a pamphlet declaring their existence, swearing to bring justice to the unjust, protect those who cannot protect themselves and serve those who wore the sacred seal of the order. The Hierophant ordered the Inquisition to find the authors, but they could not, and declared the incident a hoax. Two days kater, another pamphlet appeared, apparently written Verkündigen Rosenkreuz - and again, the Hierophant demanded explanation. It was an obvious psuedonym: He Who Declares the Rose and Cross. The Inquisition could find no one. Ten weeks later, a third pamphlet appeared in Castille's Grand Cathedral, A week later, the Hierophant ordered that the Rose and Cross should explain themselves and make their intentions plain. For a year, nothing - but then, in 1615, an assassination plot against a Montaigne cardinal was foiled by three men wearing the seal of the Rose and Cross, and the rescue of the Castillian king's daughter was performed by men bearing the same seal. A Vendel merchant was saved from a burning building by another such man, and the Rose and Cross soon became associated with heroic acts.

Two men and one woman claim responsibility for the Rose and Cross. The first is Brother Domingo del Aldana, one of the oldest and most powerful monks of the Davidian Order. He was the Hierophant's high advisor for a decade. The second was Beatrice Desaix du Paix, first daughter of l'Empereur and one of the most famous duelists in the world - her son would go on to become one of the first Swordsmen. The third? Salvatore Vestini, third son of Augusto Vestini and heir to the Vestini lands. These three ensured the position of the Order in society, and nobles flocked to join - but were told it was invite-only. They were allowed to be Patrons of the orders, however, and even the Hierophant recognized their might, declaring them "servants of the Church and Makers of Justice." Strongholds popped up throughout the world over the next few decades, and many have speculated on the secrets they hold - for nonmembers are not allowed within. The rose, being an alchemical symbol of purity, and the cross, a symbol of the four elements, led one Church scholar to theorize that the famous acts of the Knights were able to be done due to a secret alchemy they possessed, while another felt they were a religious order because the cross is a symbol of the Prophet and the rose is also called the Prophet's Blossom. However, others have claimed them to be Legion-worshippers - an accusation levelled almost word-for-word against the Poor Knights of the Temple of the Prophet three centuries before.

Five years ago, a man going by the name Balreaux published a book called Revelations of the Rose and Cross , claiming to have infiltrated the order and gained its secrets. He claims the knights swear three oaths on joining: to protect the weak, to bring justice to the unjust and to swear to serve the Order and those who wear its seal. If the Master Knight giving the pledge doubts the recruit for even a moment, he kills them instantly by driving his sword through their throat. He claimed the Knights had three factions - those of the first three ranks, the Apprentice Knights, those of the last three, the Magister Knights...and the Invisibles, members known only to the Masters of the chapterhouses, who control politics on a grand scale. He also claimed the Knights had an "Elixir of Life" that granted them amazing powers of physical prowess, the ability to speak any language and even the ability to turn invisible.

The Order has had little direct effect on the world - they are reactors, not actors. However, they have made sure that everyone, even the commoners, know of the Knights as heroes, who will protect everyone . Where Swordsmen sell their blades to the highest bidder, the Knights will protect everyone who needs it, and the commoners feel more safe with them around. They have also caught the hearts and minds of the newspapers, who love Knight stories. And, of course, children throughout the world dream of joining the Knights. More recently, they have been at some rather public work - one of their patrons, a cousin of l'Empereur, was accused of murder - but they saved him and brought the true murderer just as he was about to be hanged. They foiled a plot to steal a Syrne artifact and the conspiracy surrounding it that had replaced a famous Explorer. However...when the Hierophant died, a piece of fabric from a Knight's tabard was found at the scene. The Inquisition tried to accuse them, but it was deemed too easy for an enemy of the Order to plant it.

As far as outsiders are concerned, there are six ranks: the Poor Knight, the Wandering Knight, the Sergeant Knight, the Adept Knight, the Senior Knight and the Master Knight. They're organized like a military, with the upper three ranks serving as officers. Avalon only has two Chapterhouses, but the Knights are very active there, and Elaine cooperates with them. In Castille, they have four Chapterhouses, but must move carefully, for the Inquisition is watching them. In Eisen, they have only one house, in Freiburg. In Montaigne, they have six, one of which is their headquarters. The Emperor occasionally donates heavily, but tends to not care much unless a relative is involved. There are no houses in Ussura, and they have very little influence there - in fact, their attempts to gain some have been turned aside mostly by the weather. Vendel has a single Chapterhouse, and Vodacce has a single one on the isle of the Lucani family. They had one on Villanova's, but it burned down. Twice.

Secrets of the Rose and Cross!

The order goes far further back than 1613 - indeed, they go back as far as the Old Empire, the First Prophet and the Senators who bargained for Sorcery. Sixteen centuries ago, there once was a group of men and women who protected the Imperator and brought justice in his name: the Fraternity of the Sword. They served loyally for fie generations, rivals fo the Imperator's secret police, the Invisibles. The two groups were always at odds with each other...and when the senators gained the powers of sorcery and stole the Imperator's power, the Fraternity faded from prominence, leaving only the most loyal. Then, the First Prophet appeared, and his words struck a deep chord with the leader of the Fraternity, a warrior named Curtius. When the Prophet was killed, Curtius despaired, and he drank poison. After his death, the Fraternity faded even more. One of their own, Verginius, sought truth in the teachings of the Prophet - and he found enlightenment. The enemy was not sorcerers: it was sorcery . He and his friends wen to the Invisibles and banded together, vowing to undermine the Enemy (that is, sorcery) at every turn. They called themselves the Invisible Sword, and for a while, they were successful. However, in 888, a Fate Witch revealed their existence to her husband, and all of them were slain save one. He recorded the events of the betrayal before his own death in 891, and his journal laid undiscovered for a century.

In 992, it was discovered by a monk named Guillaume. He read through it, learning the ancient history of the Fraternity and the Invisible Sword, and he swore to restore their sacred order. He knew it would take years, but that did not dissuade him. He travelled across the world, even to the Crescent Empire, dying there of unknown causes - but his apprentice, the man who would become Verkündigen Rosenkreuz, continued on. His true name is lost to history. He began to realize that the First Prophet's words - "The world is a puzzle. Only those who are worthy or make themselves worthy can see even that much truth." - meant that a worthy soul could transform the world. Even sorcery would be powerless. He became freiends with an alchemist named Khalid in the Crescent Empire, who revealed that transforming metal to gold was only a meteaphor for transforming the base soul into a "golden soul" - the rose being the symbol of the soul, and the cross being, in truth, the crux , the crucible of transformation. Rosenkreuz showed his findings to the Church and was cast out as a heretic.

He didn't care. He took three monks with them, taught them the secrets he'd learned, and dubbed them the Brothers of the Rose and Cross. Together, they traveled the world to learn more and spread the words of the Prophet. They hired mercenaries, teaching them their secrets - and without realizing it, formed a new Fraternity of the Sword. The divide between monk and warrior vanished, and the scholar-warrior of the Rose and Cross was born. In 999, a man came to Rosenkreuz - the Third Prophet. He rejoiced at their discoveries, and told them they would lead man from the wicked path of sorcery, but they must go to Vodacce and build their new church. Two months later, they arrived...and found they were too late. Another Prophet was there already.

The man most of the world calls Third Prophet was false - a usurper crusading against the Vaticine, a pretender. He ordered Rosenkreuz and the Third PRophet captured and killed - and while the Brothers could rescue their leader, the Third Prophet was burned alive as a sorcerer by the newly formed Inquisition. Rosenkreuz swore that justice would be done - but not now, not by their hands, because they were not strong enough. They went underground and tried to spread the truth - but the False Prophet's charisma was too great, and his birth and power made him too strong. Rosenkreuz recorded all the events he'd witnessed, hiding them and other banned books away, and forbade nay to wear the seal of the Rose and Cross, to keep their knowledge a secret. He made them each swear they would pass down their knowledge only to a single successor each. In 1035, he went to his death, buried with his journal, the key to his tomb and a scale. No one knows why he asked for the scale.

In 1118, during the worst of the crusades, a mane named Hughes Allais du Crieux went to the Hierophant and asked to establish an order of knights to help protect the captured lands and those who wished to visit the homeland of the Second Prophet, the Crescent Empire. The Hierophant granted him this, and so the Holy ORder of the Poor Knights of the Prophet was born = and Hughes was, secretly, a Rose and Cross. His order emulated Rosenkreuz's teachings, and vowed to serve the Prophets, not the Church. They lived as monks and fighting men, and the upper ranks were taught the truth of the False PRophet. For a hundred years, they were richer than kings, for they were given donations and captured treasure - and as a monastic order, they were free from tax. However, their secretive nature led the Church to whisper of secrets - and when the Order refused to reveal their initiation rites, they became a dangerous threat. In 1307, the Hierophant declared them heretics - all of them. The Knights held off all the armies of the world for three days before surrendering - but they did surrender. They were tried for hereseym and to save himself a young knight named JEremy Johnson "admitted" to being a Legion-worshipper and that the Knights were such. Thirty-six knights were tortured to gain that confession, but only Johnson broke. The Orders' master, Jacques du Mugent, refused to confess, and it was ordered that one knight would be burned each day he did not. For fifty-four days he did not confess, and each knight that was burned swore that they Knights would have their vengeance. Finally, after fifty-four burnings, Jacques said he would confess - but refused once more, when asked to do so, and was burned at the stake, vowing, as all the others had, that they would have revenge. Jacques du Mugent, last of the Poor Knights, died in 1308 - or so many believed.

In truth, many of the Knights escaped the fires, fleeing to the Highland Marches with the magically uncorrupted body of Rosenkreuz. They swore they'd help free the Marches from Montaigne if granted protection - and the Highlanders agreed. At the battle of Dun Vahl, the Highlanders stood agains tthe Montaigne lines - and the Knights aided him, defeating the Montaignes. So they won their sanctuary. They began once more as an order of monks in the Highlands, and so they lived for two centuries. This time, they would not champion the Church, but its people. Thus, they became the Knights of the Rose and Cross, as their public history shows.

At present, there are 514 Knights, divided into ranks: The Initiates or Beggar Johns, who are not yet truly knights. They have an eighteen month training, and only one in ten graduates. Then, there is the Poor Knight, trained but untried. Usually, they serve as an apprentice under another Knight, and their master calls them a Tyro, while the teacher is Domini. Above the Poor Knights are Wandering Knights, who have proved their worth. This is the most common rank. Above them are the Sergeant Knights, who serve as trainers, though the Wandering Knights do not answer to them. Instead, they answer to the Adept Knights, who do...well, most of the paperwork. Above them are the Senior Knights, who run the order, and the Master Knights, who serve as the diplomats for the order. Above them are three more ranks, but only four men occupy them. The Seneschals, of which there are two, who carry out the daily duties of maintaining the order. The Minister, currently Miles Valroux du Martise, who is the true master of the order and the only man who knows the locations of their secret library and Rosenkreuz's tomb, and the Grand Master, currently Aristide Baveaux, the public face of the entire order and publically the highest ranking of all knights; privately, he's nowhere near it and knows only a few secrets.

There is one more rank, which no initiate or Poor Knight knows of, and few Wandering Knights. Only a few Adepts or Senior Knights would recognize them: the Invisibles, the secret hand. They do not openly wear the seal and are never introduced as knights. There are not many, possibly less than a dozen. They are the espionage experts. There are also the Patrons, the men and women who fund the order. They are members, but not Knights, and the only requirement to be one is to pay 5000 guilders a year.

Knights are trained over 18 months - grueling physical training, learning to fight, as well as taking care of all the physical needs of the chapterhouses. Most initiates don't get past three days of this. They are also required to train their minds, studying science, math and medicine. Senior knights also learn Crescent alchemy and surgery with methods that could revolutionize the world...but are heretical. They also pray and learn spiritual exercises that are their first glimpse at the Order's true philosophy. Once they pass, they perform the Ritual of Vows and swears to protect those who cannot protect themselves, bring justice, and so on. If they show any hesitation or doubt, they are killed on the spot. If they do not, they are granted a new name, known and used only by the order, a tabard and his sword. He must name the sword - but never, ever reveal the name to anyone. Poor Knights become apprentices to a Domini, though those with crafting skill are granted special privileges and service at chapterhouses. After many months, sometimes years, they are initiated as Wandering Knights and given knowledge of the Great Secret: that human souls have a power that is immeasurable, greater than any sorcery. They are told the story of the Third Prophet and the False Prophet, and the true history of the Poor Knights and the vengeance they swore. He makes his vows again - but this time, he learns the lesson of the Third Prophet: Mankind's words have power. When the ritual is over, he knows his own power: when a knight makes a Vow, a promise based on his three Vows, it will come to pass. He does not know how, or if he will even be around for it, or who will be involved - but it will happen.

The Order has no plans to control or manipulate the world. They tried that once, as the Poor Knights. It didn't work. Instead, they have a plan to bring humanity out from under the yoke of sorcery. They know the Third Prophet's message and hope to teach by example, going out to perform noble deeds, make heroic sacrifices and fulfill their Vows. As they do, they believe there will be those who understand the Truth and will come to the Order. Those who desire Truth more than pride pass the tests of the initiates and the Poor Knights, and they learn the Truth - and they, too, go out to spread it by their actions. This is the Grand Plan.

There are a number of legends among the Knights. There is the Black Rose, a man in black robes, a black mask and the Seal of the Order who has been doing great acts of heroism. The Order would take credit if they had any idea who he was, but they don't - and so he has been denied by the order. That hasn't, however, stopped him from working. Far from it. Many Knights have tried to capture him and learn his identity, but none have succeed. And then there is Louis-Claude due Sinjin, also known as Archduke of Stanley, Count of Soldano and Marquis of M'Lady. He claims to be an alchemist, a lover and a poet - and to be four hundred and ninety-eight years old. He claims he'll die on his five hundredth birthday in 1670. He's been associated with the order, and usually denies it - but sometimes, he claims to various ranks. Then there is Wandering Renaud. In 1501, a young boy came to the Order, claiming to be the best swordsman in Montaigne - and he defeated a Sergeant of the Order to prove it. They took him in for training, serving as a Wandering Knight for fifty years and refusing all promotions. He is one of the most famous knights, and died in 1572, and he is remembered as a hero. The last legend scares them the most. On a ruined wall on the border of the Crescent Empire and Vodacce, there stands a single knight, looking east. He wears the tabard of a Poor Knight, wields the sword of a Poor Knight and wears a moustache in the style of the Poor Knights. He has been there longer than any can remember. None know his name. None know how long he's been there. He is waiting, watching - guarding from some unknown horror. In 1662, a Wandering Knight awoke from a terrible dream and rode out from Castille to meet the Lone Knight. There, he emptied a waterskin into a cup and gave it to the man. The man took the cup, drained and out never looked away from the horizon, thanking the Wandering Knight. And then, the man rode home and slept for a week - and when he awoke, he thought it was all a dream. The greatest treasures of the order are located somewhere in the Highlands: the Secret Library and Rosenkreuz's Tomb. The Library contains the complete history of the ORder and all the knowledge of Rosenkreuz. Only a few ever get to read them, and those must be blindfolded for the journey. The tomb has been seen only by twenty men, ever, and its location is closely guarded by the Minister of the Order.

Avalon, of course, is on good terms with the knights in truth as well as in public - as is the Highlands. Elaine works with them, and the Knights owe a great debt to the Highlanders. Inismore, however, is less friendly. The O'Bannon tolerates them, but the idea of foreigners telling him what's best makes him very angry. In Castille - well, the people love the Knights, but the Inquisition hates them. As far as the Knights know, though, the Inquisitors have not realized these are the Poor Knights of the Prophet yet. In Eisen...well, the Order's not popular. Only Freiburg has a chapterhouse - and that's not because they're sponsored, but because the ruler of Freiburg just doesn't really care. In Montaigne...well, the knights are well-loved, and l'Empereur is their most famous patron...but there is a deep rivalry between the Knights ahd Lightning Guard. (Who are they? The Musketeers.) Matushka does not like the Knights - she hates them and all they stand for. She doesn't want them teaching her children self-reliance, liking them just as they are - and so the Knights have made no inroads in Ussura at all. Vendel likes the Order...but the Vesten do not. They smell too much like the Inquisition for them. Vodacce...well, the Knights have had little luck there. And they know why: Fate Witches are terrified of them. Most of the strands that Knights bear are guarded by the court cards, rendering them impervious to all Sorte. This makes the witches hate them - and as a result, it means that most of the Princes don't want them around. The only exception is Prince Lucani - and even then, the nobles and their wives hate the Order.

The Knights are not aware of the existence of Die Kreuzritter. They look upon the Explorers' research as a double-edged sword - they believe the Syrneth artifacts have something to do with sorcery, and so while the Explorers may lead others to further understanding sorcery...so will the Order, and understanding the enemy is key to defeating him. The Knights are very sympathetic to the Invisible College, and have saved them from the torch several times. However, they can't openly support the group. Likewise, they like Los Vagos, but cannot openly support them, thouhg its said that many of Los Vagos bear the seal of the Order, at least as patrons. They sympathize with the goals of the Rilasciare, but feel the Free Thinkers work in the wrong direction and that rebellion against all authority is the wrong way to fight sorcery. Many Free Thinkers have tried to infiltrate the Order, but so far none have succeeded. The Knights do not know that Sophia's Daughters exist, but three Daughters thus far have joined the order. They are also responsible for the longevity of Louis-Claude du Sinjin...but unlike most males given their elixir, he did not die of it. The Vendel League is liked by the order for their step away from sorcery (in the knights' eyes), but they don't like how the Vestenmannavnjar are treated, even if they are sorcerers.

Knights who betray the order are considered on a case-by-case basis for punishment, but it is the most severe crime they can commit. Fights between knights, if agreement cannot be reached, are solved by duels to first blood. The Knights believe that killing is always wrong, so they only do it when they must...but sometimes, it's required. Usually, that's because of infiltration or betrayal. When this must be done, they perform the Ritual of the Black Stone: the knights gather, blindfold themselves, and draw stones from a bowl. There is only one black stone - the rest are white. Those who draw white meditate on their fortune in not drawing the black...and the man who draws the black stone must go kill the prisoner. It is, they feel, an evil act - but one they must do, and do so their brothers do not have to.

Next time: More secrets of the Rose and Cross!

Nothing is done until blood is spilled, old man.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: Nothing is done until blood is spilled, old man.

We left off just before learning the two ways a man can lose his Knighthood: marriage and retirement. Knights can't get married. They aren't allowed to. Ever. No exceptions. A knight who gets married does, however, get to keep his or her sword - they're still part of the order, just not a Knight. Instead, they are a Fellow. The Order will always offer to pay for the wedding, though. And retirement? Well, when a knight decides to retire, he's taken to a ceremony and asked to tell the story of his greatest triumph, his worst regret and then to sum up his whole career. He, too, becomes a Fellow and is no longer a Knight.

The Knights use several codes - a cipher for written communications, a secret handshake and passphrase, a code of colored roses and hand signals for conversation and combat communication. Then there's a list of the fourteen biggest chapterhouses, but this isn't all that interesting.


Hi, I'm in a Dreamworks movie!

Now, some of the most famous knights! There is the Wandering Knight Adara, a proud and courageous fighter who has refused all promotions - she'd prefer to die fighting than to be safe. She's the daughter of a Vodacce fate witch, but has no magic. At the age of nine, she fled her home to get away from her father, who beat her and threw her in a canal. She was found by a merchant, who married her against her will, and once more she fled, meeting the Knight Corbitt, who smuggled her out of Vodacce and helped her recover. She wanted to be a knight, but was not invited yet. Instead, while traveling the world, she found a nobleman's son whose father had bought him a commission - so she seduced him, knocked him out and stole his papers, then cut her hair and went to be made a Knight. Her trick lasted about a week - but she impressed the Knights, and was invited in anyway. Higher ranking is Master Elijah Basquez, a man who takes his vows very seriously. He despises the Inquisition - they tortured his daughter Tara to death three years ago on suspicion of being a half-blood witch, thanks to a tipoff from a jilted lover. The priest who tortured the girl, the lover and every member of the Inquisition in town at the time began to disappear, one after another. It's not certain what happened, but rumors suggest Elijah is somehow responsible. He desperately wants to crush the Inquisition, and while he is loyal and maintains his Vows, he's rapidly on the route to becoming a villain. He doesn't care - he'd sell his soul to get revenge for his daughter.

The Grandmaster of the order, Aristide Baveaux, is perhaps the most beloved man in the world. He is the public face of the order, and he loves his ob. He was the second son of a Montaigne family, and decided to make his own fortune since he'd get none from them. He oined the army and became wll-respected, earning an invitation to the Rose and Cross. His father and brother were killed by highwaymen, leaving him the sole heir - and he donated almost the whole fortune to the Order, as well as convincing Duke Sebastian Allais du Crieux to donate his own estate. He once overheard someone say that he was silvertongued enough to convince l'Empereur the sun rose in the west, and he now wants to do so, just to say he did. Another important member is Marcos San Felipe, a man who secretly spent years poring over forbidden tomes of Crescent knowledge, which have allowed him to unearth medical knowledge that will remain unknown to the rest of the world for at least a decade - primarily the uses of certain plants and fungi. They have made almost supernaturally skilled at medicine, and he desires nothing more than to heal all the sick of the world. He'd love to see the Inquisition end so he can spread his techniques, and he regrets that the Church forbids all travel to the Crescent Empire.


The world's oldest fop.

Then there is the famous Louis-Claude du Sinjin - one of the Order's Invisible Knights. He really is as old as he says, though he isn't immortal - he just ages very, very slowly. At the age of seventeen, he met a girl who said she was a daughter of Sophia, whatever that was, and gave him a drink - and then fled when he didn't immediately die. Three hundred years later, he doesn't look like he's aged a day. He's convinced the woman's alive still, too. He joined the Rose and Cross in 1599 and the Invisibles in 1610. He's had to exercise more discretion than usual, but he's pretty good at being a spy. He's traveled all over the world and learned many, many things - and he's also a crack shot and deadly swordsman. But he really is kind of a dandy and a lecher - just one who's had centuries to learn how to take care of himself. The minister of the order is Miles Valroux du Martise, who proved himself clearthinking and fearless in his early days. He was offered the chance to serve special duty as the Minister - and he's never looked back. He is the only knight who knows the location of the Secret Library and Rosenkreuz's Tomb...and the only knight who knows what happened last year. He had a terrible dream on the anniversary of Rosenkreuz's death, and awoke with a voice in his head telling him to go open it. There, he found the books open, the scales full of sand and the key broken - and worst of all, the body of Rosenkreuz was gone - and when he next checked the Library, the secret passage was open and books were missing, too. He's also starting to feel his age catching up to him.

Then there's the man called only Sprague, the greatest living swordsman of the Rose and Cross. He has an oak trunk he keeps locked - people speculate that it holds the secret to his skill...but what is within it is, in fact, merely tokens of every student he's ever had. Some are marked with blood - not for magic, but because when he hears word of the death of a student, he will stay up all night and argue with the himself, shouting about how he should have trained them better before pricking his finger with a heated needle and bleeding on the student's token as a sign of respect. He wants nothing more than to see all of his students live to a ripe old age - and that's why he drives them as hard as he does. Another of the Order's great masters of skill is Rachel Milligan, an Avalon second-story thief with an unnatural talent for climbing and leaping. She's not very big, but she's very brave. Once, she was spotted during a robbery by a Knight, who chased her across the roofs and fell to his death. She felt tremendous guilt for it, and joined the Order to assuage that guilt. She really just wants to have fun.

Some of the order's patrons include Queen Elaine of Avalon, whose knights love to compete with the Rose and Cross, Val Mokk of Vendel, who is actually becoming more powerful among the Vendel Knights than their chapterhouse Master, and several other nobles - some well-liked, like the secret Invisible College man Don Julio del Bejarano, and some less, like the arrogant Duke Douard Allais du Crieux, who demands the Knights attend him for his own amusement in exchange for his massive amounts of money.

Skills of the Rose and Cross!

This book introduces Grandmastery - the ability to get up to rank 6 in a knack. You must find a Grandmaster to learn from - and the Rose and Cross have only three. Then you have to spend time training with them and spend a whole lot of XP - 25, in fact! Then you get Rank 6. You don't get to be a Grandmaster - you can't train others. You're just rank 6. The Rose and Cross have Sprague, who teaches Attack (Fencing), Rachel Milligan, who teaches Leaping, and Marcos San Felipe, who teaches Surgery. They also have their own unique swordsman school, Desaix, a Montaigne style derived from Valroux. It lacks the fun of Valroux, favoring an overwhelming offense rather than the tricks and taunts, and it is taught by the current head of the Desaix family at any time - which at the moment is Sprague. The flaw of Desaix is that it is far too aggressive, and a good swordsman can lure a fencer of Desaix into an attack and strike them down when they take the bait.

An Apprentice of Desaix suffers no offhand penalty when using a dagger or main gauche, and gets a free raise to parrying when one of those weapons is in his offhand. A Journeyman can spend an action to make two attacks on the same target - one with the rapier and one with the main gauche. The price is that each attack loses two dice from the damage roll. A Master, meanwhile, is lightning fast and once per round may make an active defense as an interrupt action for only one action die - normally, it takes more than that unless you've already declared you're using that action for defense! The Knights also teach the secret of the Third Prophet, which enables them to train beyond human potential, allowing one of their attributes to be advanced to rank 6, much like the Legendary Trait advantage - though if you have both, they must be in different traits. They also have the Vow - the power to make a vow that will happen. The rules for what you can vow to do? Well - you can't vow to do anything that would make you lose reputation points if it became public knowledge, so no vowing to murder people. You can't vow to do things that are impossible - like leaping across oceans or running across the entire continent in a night. You can't vow to do anything that directly or indirectly breaks the three vows of the Rose and Cross. And you can't vow anything that directly affects the action of others - it has to be something that's about you and what you do. You have to pay for it ahead of time, too - at the end of each story, you can convert Drama dice into Vow Points. When you have 20, you can make a Vow at any point. You can only build up to one Vow at a time, and can only have one Vow at a time - until you succeed at it, you can't make another. However, the GM will ensure that whatever you vowed for happens. Period. You might get hurt, you might even die - but you will not fail . That is the power of the human soul.

Yes, the Poor Knights of the Prophet all vowed vengeance as they died, which breaks several of these rules. Even though both the King of Montaigne and the Hierophant died shortly afterwards, that was clearly a myth. Clearly. (Yes, that's the book's stance on this: they got to break the rules just because. ) Anyway, Knights can also get a Dietrich Sword, a powerful weapon - when they make damage rolls with the sword, they can reroll 1s until no more 1s remain in the damage roll. All Knights also get a two point discount to the Indomitable Will advantage, have the TN of all Sorte actions against them raised by 10 and get a free Patron in the form of their Domini - they don't get money from that, but the Domini will happily advise them and may even occasionally provide minor assistance. They also get an extra Reputation die per story which can't be used as a Glamour die. They may also delve into the libraries to try and learn lost physical and mental techniques - though it's risky. They either have to pay for the ability in costly, costly points...or they have to roll on the Injury table.

What sort of abilities are those Lost Arts? Well, they list ten: Healing Meditation , allowing the Knights to spend an action to heal themselves of 5 flesh wounds as often as they like, Resist Sleep which lets them stay awake for a number of days equal to their Resolve, after which they must sleep for half that time, which they can do once a month, Total Focus , which lets them spend an action to get a Free Raise to their next attack roll, which they can do as much as they like...but if they don't use by the end of the round, it goes away. Ignore Pain , which lets them ignore any penalties they'd suffer from being crippled once per Act, Hold Breath , which treats their Resolve as 3 points higher when drowning, Rage , which allows them to choose to lower their TN to be hit by five at the start of a round, as much as they like, to a minimum of 5, in exchange for one more die of damage on all damage rolls that round per lowering. Feign Death , which lets them appear to cease breathing and look dead, though careful study will show they aren't, [/b]Heighten Senses[/b], which lets them roll another kept die once per act when making a perception check, Ignore Heat or Cold , which allows them to suffer one less kept die of damage from weather effects, or Endurance , which provides a free raise to any long distance running or other check to see how long they can continue heavy physical exertion.

The Knights also have a small collection of artifacts. They've got the Flash Rifle - which is a regular refile with a hollowed cylinder of strange bonelike substance mounted to the barrel. They have four of these total, and what happens is that when they fire, it makes the gunshot louder and the flash of fire from the barrel hotter, larger and longer. It deals an additional die of damage and produces a foot-long, six-inch-wide flame from the barrel, which will set fire to anything but stune or metal. A hero's that fired one has his passive defense increased by 15 for three phases due to the heat of the flame and may use the fire as a beyonet in that time. They have rather more of the beach tokens - flat things that are covered in ridges and markings. The 'top' side always lands facing up when thrown into the air, and when they touch the ground they always point due north. This doesn't work on ship's decks or the palm of the hand - just the ground. They've also found a hard metal rod, about the size of a dagger, which turns into a nearly nine foot pole with spikes on the top and bottom when slapped. The rod can then be pushed into stone with relative ease and will hold firm for an hour before turning back to the dagger-sized rod. When in use, it turns warm, about body temperature, and hums softly. Some Knights have said that they felt an unsettling sensation when standing on it.

The Knights also have a large amount of "gray powder," also called the Devil's Snuff. It's...well, super-gunpowder. It explodes with a rating three higher than gunpowder, and if used in a gun it causes the gun to have quite a kick but deal more damage, adding 2k1 to the damage but also increasing the target's TN to be hit by 10. Each use of the of Gray Powder has a cumulative 1 in 10 chance to blow the gun up, too. The Knights, Explorers and Invisible College have also learned how to cut the powder, changings its effects. IF cut with ash or charcoal, it burns slowly, lasting eight hours per pound, and releases continuous gray smoke. If cut with talc or chalk, it emits a yellowish-gray smoke that, when inhaled, knocks people out for a few hours and sometimes causes nausea. Even those not knocked out will cough and sputter for 1d10 actions. It costs about ten to twenty times as much as normal black powder to get gray powder on the black market. There are also the Black Prisms, obsidian-like stones that disperse light like a prism, though they don't show all the colors of the spectrum. They emit a low-pitched growl that can only be heard by animals and people with especially keen senses. Anything that can hear the growl have to make a resolve roll to avoid fleeing it in fear and cowering, ears covered. No two look alike, and the Invisibles control the few dozen the Order has. Lastly, they have some Vivianne's Light, a hot yellow llquid as thick as honey which must be kept in glass jars. It'll eat through practically anything given enough time, and clothes and skin get eaten quickly indeed. It is supposedly from an underwater volcano, and at night it gives off a soft red glow. It radiate 120 degrees at all times, floats and steams when poured on water, ignores air pressure completely and responds only to direct pressure of hard substances, is extremely heavy in direct sunlight but light at all other times, and absorbs blood completely. There is a vocal minority among the Knights who feel that artifacts are a tool of Legion and cannot be honorably used at all, but Knights determine their beliefs on this themselves.


Athos: Hero of the Beach!

Now, back to our little stoyline. Cowan watches as Adara's motionless body is hurled through a door. He prepares to leap as he sees Corbitt, her teacher, move in after her, not wearing his tabard. Adara awakens slowly, and it appears Corbitt has betrayed her, trading her life for his daughter's. The man holding the daughter is Adara's erstwhile husband, and Adara gives the signal to attack. Corbitt and Cowan lunge, taking out the guards and allowing Adara to take down her 'husband'. Corbitt swears a debt of honor to Cowan, though Adara refuses it, seeing herself as having already been in debt to him and just paying it back. Then, they all leave, but not before Adara hits on Cowan.

We also get a short essay on how the inspirations for the Rose and Cross are the Jedi, the Templars and the Rosicrucsians. IT's a fairly neat read, but we'll skip over it. Some talk about the concept of chivalry...the skill requirements for promotion in the Knights, and now, the list of controversial situations the Knights have taken stances on. They are waiting for Giovanni Villanova to make a mistake and give them an excuse to take him down hard. They are also aware of his courtesan Juliette's smuggling of fate witches out of Vodacce. As yet, they have been ordered not to help her, because while the treatment of the Fate Witches is a problem, they are also corrupted sorcerers. Many knights disagree with this stance. They also dislike l'Empereur, despite his huge donations to the order. They're waiting for him to die, since they think that his successor will be the peasant Montegue, who has no sorcery. Montegue's refused two offers to join the Knights so far, and when he returns from Ussura he'll get a third. They are also aware of Val Mokk's attempts to bribe young Knights with gifts...and they don't much like him, but he hasn't broken any rules. When he oversteps his bounds, they'll be there, waiting to step in and stop him.

While the Knights like Elaine, they very much don't like the Sidhe and they don't trust the O'Bannon. They feel that the Sidhe have become tyrants seeking to control Avalon, and the O'Bannon is slave to them. If they have their way, all of Avalon will be slave to their stories. Still, they really like MacDuff of the Highlands and of course owe a huge debt to the Highlanders. While they think the O'Bannon is a self-absorbed madman on a patternless rampage, they fear the Gaius of Ussura is a self-absorbed madman on a deliberate rampage. Fortunately, someone very close to Katerina is part of the Invisibles, in secret. They like El Vago and would love to help him, but the Inquisition would be on their backs the moment they did. They'd like to set up more in Eisen, but Fauner Pösen refuses to pay for them because she has no spare resources...and while Stefan Heilgrund would happily pay for them, they feel he's not interested in advancing their causes, just himself. They have spent a long time considering the Brotherhood of the Coast, and they have ultimately decided to oppose the group on the grounds that pirates are still pirates, even if they are more choosy in their victims and have a cause.

We skip some more maps and examples...the GM is advised to use the Vows of the Rose and Cross as intended, and not allow players to abuse them. Keep the players aware of how the Vows are intended to be used and that selfish/evil vows just won't work - and, in fact, suggests anyone who tries that should lose all Knightly powers immediately. If players continue, they suggest going and playing the evil genie with their vows.

Now, let's talk about the Invisibles. They're the spies and infiltrators of the Order, who do what the Knights cannot. There are only eleven Invisibles, and only the Minister knows them all - the others only know the true identities of one other Invisible each. The Invisibles have existed since the Fraternity of the Sword, and while the Knights have fallen, the Invisibles never have. Ever. They have always survived. Invisibles engage primarily in banditry, extortion and blackmail against the Order's more protected foes...but they also sometimes commit murder. They are meant primarily as an NPC-only group, but if a PC really wants to be one, the game gives the skills they're required to have and some advice fpr how to handle it: don't let everyone do it, or perhaps have the Invisible in the party be scouting the others for recruitment - but either way, be careful and try to keep to their feel - they are good people, but they do some very bad things...and the PC's going to have to find a way to explain that without revealing their true nature as an Invisible. But this can be very hard, so the again suggest that Invisibles be NPC-only.

The exciting finale of the Erebus Cross: The Arrow of Heaven!

It's a terrible thing to let good veal parmigiana go to waste.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: It's a terrible thing to let good veal parmigiana go to waste.



The Erebus Cross, Part III: The Arrow of Heaven

When Scoundrel's Folly ended, the party discovered the true purpose of the compasses: to awaken a machine that drew immense power out of the stars in the sky - immensely dangerous power. Now, they must do something about it. Jeremiah Berek will deliver the team back at Carleon, where they will learn that all has not gone well.

Part One: The Dogs of War

When they arrive, they learn that Coleson disappeared on his trip to Vodacce, and they fear that the Caligari family has become aware of the ruins. The Explorers don't want them there - they know of the great machine, and will be especially eager to stop the Caligari if the heroes explain what power it holds. They'll be given all they need to get going - but there's just one problem. They can locate the ruins to within 30 miles...but the ruins are in a swamp, and they'll need more precise directions than that. The Society's destroyed all maps of the place, hoping it would keep the ruins safe. There is one man who might help them, however: Miguel Olivares, a professor in the Castille city of San Augustin, one of the greatest mapmakers in the entire world - and one of the few with experience translating Syrneth language. He's even on the way to Vodacce! The bad news is that he's also on the front of the Castille-Montaigne war - they've been trying to take San Augustin for six months. Still, the trip there is uneventful.

San Augustin stinks of gunpowder, ash and fire, and Berek will not go close - he'll give the party a rowboat to make the final appropach, while an Explorer ship will take them into port but not be able to leave. Anyway, there's no problem getting there, though there are several fleeing refugees, deserters and spies all over the place. When they make their way to La Universidad de San Augustin, it is mostly abandoned. Olivares is missing - nowhere to be found. Heroes who go hunting can find only one man to help: José Marquez, the groundskeeper. He is willing to help them now that he's seen them around for a while. He tells the party that Olivares has fled to San Cristobal to hide, and that the university these days doesn't like foreigners much - they think they're spies. He suggests that Olivares was fleeing something besides the Montaigne, though, and is fairly sure that he remains in the Castillian capital. There's just one problem: that's across the front lines. No one else around has the knowledge to help them, though Marquez will write a letter introducing them to Olivares.

The party must now make their way to San Cristobal - a sea route will be hard, as few captains are willing to risk the Montaigne blockade. A land route would be easier, but will require them to cross the front. They can use several methods for this - military tactics to pass where there are few patrols, that sort of thing. However, they have a second, harder front to cross - not just the siege forces, but the place where the Castillians have held the Montaigne to stalemate for months: El Rio de Delia. One side of the river is coated in Castille cannon and forts, while the Montaigne side has faltered, as Montegue has been busy in Ussura and unable to lead them personally. Getting there isn't hard, but crossing the water is - there are no bridges any more, and scouts will spy any boat. They could try to swim across, sneak over by night or any other method that might work, so long as it's fun and exciting - but naturally, starting a fight is a terrible idea. Once on the other side, it's no real trouble to make their way to San Cristobal.

Part Two: Truth and Consequences

San Cristobal is far nicer and less wartorn than San Augustin was. The university here is far from empty - it's practically bursting with scholars. Questions about Olivares are referred to "Dominick" in the Hall of Records - though no one can tell them where it is or how to get to it. After several amusing diversions, they should find their way to the hall, in the main building of the university. Dominick is a small priest who is very busy with paperwork - he's in charge of housing all the displaced academics, and that's taking a lot of time. He won't tell them where Olivares is until they show him Marquez's letter, at which point he gives them their directions (and tries to keep them from touching anything). Olivares lives in a little nook in the library and clearly hasn't been outside in days. He reacts to interruption badly, but ends up not stabbing the party with a sextant when he realizes they aren't who he thinks they are. He offers to help them, but only if they help him in return: he has a book which must be taken from Castille. The Inquisition is hunting it, and he wants them to take it to Dionna University in Vodacce. He is, you see, a member of the Invisible College, and the Inquisition is hunting him down for heresy because of this book. That's why he fled San Augustin and has been hiding here - though he won't explain that directly. Anyway, the party has no reason not to accept the deal, so he writes them a careful map after producing several charts - it's very exact, though he's got no clear idea what the terrain is like - just where the ruin should be based on his calculations. Once they leave the university, it's night time.

And things have gone badly: the Inquisition is here, and while they can't go in after Olivares, they can easily follow the heroes, having heard they were seeking the man. Two of them will tail the heroes back to whatever inn they have decided to stay at - though keen-eyed heroes might spot them, in which case they will flee. Either way, though, they will wait until the dead of night and then show up at the inn with around twenty other Inquisitors. They will demand the heroes be turned over to them, though the innkeeper would die before handing guests to a mob, and will set part of the inn on fire with thrown torches. All normal exits are guarded, but the innkeeper reveals the existence of a skylight through which the heroes can flee.

The Inquisitors will give chase, on the roofs and the ground, and should they get their hands on the book, they will burn it immediately and hang any captured heroes from a lamppost - which will probably require some rescuing from. However, if the party can outpace them until dawn, they will flee. Once that's over, there's two ways to Vodacce - overland or by sea. Either will work out fairly well for them, though the trip by sea is much faster and easier.

Part Three: Nest of Vipers

Dionna is on the way to the swamp, so there's no real reason to skip it. There, the party can easily find the university and drop off the book. The city itself is on one of the largest islands of Vodacce, the headquarters of the Villanova family. It's full of high towers, canals and rope bridges - and it was where Coleson began his expedition. Stopping here might help find out what trouble he got into, as well as fulfilling their bargain with Olivares. Dropping the book off is extremely easy - the headmaster of the university will happily take it and start decoding it. Coleson, while there, consulted with several geographers and avoided the local Explorers' safehouse. The party is pointed to his in,, where the innkeeper says he doesn't remember them, but does remember two explorers who were killed for asking too many questions about him. He won't say any more on that. Stopping by the Explorers' safehouse is more helpful - the party will once more meet Madeline du Bisset, who they once met in Freiburg - she was sent here because she has Porté and the local Explorers have gone to ground to hide. She's not happy about it and is going to complain to the party. A lot. She will, however, fill them in on what's been going on if they don't already know: Coleson has vanished and she thinks that he's gone off to the ruins - but he might be kidnapped. He went against orders to do this and she fears the Caligaris caught wind of what he was doing. Those, she says, are who killed the explorers who went looking for Coleson. She'll explain that Vincenzo Caligari wants immortality, and so he is obsessively hunting Syrneth artifacts. The ruins and their great machine will be immensely dangerous if he gets his hands on them.

The party must now decide what to do next. The Caligaris, meanwhile, are preparing an expedition, led by Vincenzo's great-nephew, Alfredo "Fredo" Caligari. He's busy, but sends his cousin Antonia ot deal with the party. If they go looking, they are soon directed to Antonio - but if not, they will be met on the edge of town by burly men who inform them that he wants to speak with them. They meet in a public restaurant. Antonio is planning to poison the party, and tries to put them at their ease with casual chat. He claims that the Caligaris just want to find knowledge, though it's clear he's lying. The party won't have long to wait, though - he keels over dead with a knife blade between his shoulders after a bit, his bodyguards vanished, and the other patrons are pointedly looking the other way. That's because Giovanni Villanova has arrived in full black leather. He pushes the corpse from its seat and begins eating Antonio's food as if nothing happened.

Giovanni has style , give him that much.

Giovanni has had the chef forcefed his own arsenic, and apologizes for the Caligaris' lack of manners - both to the party and to himself by not announcing their presence. He wants them to help him correct that error. He'd love for the party to hunt down the rest of the Caligaris, and asks them about their business. Ideally, he wants to know what Coleson's after, but letting Villanova learn about the ruins would be worse than the Caligaris - he's far, far more dangerous. If the heroes drop that information, he'll play dumb and wait for the entire adventure to be over before he steps in to examine the ruins. If they don't, he will ask them to kill Fredo - something he thinks they'll want to do - and tells them he will let them leave his province peacefully if they do. He will threaten them if they refuse, but they have little reason to - Fredo is a threat to their friend Coleson. Attacking Villanova...well, it is an extremely bad idea. Don't do it.

If the party isn't ready to leave yet, have the compasses get stolen. If they've dumped the compasses to keep the Caligaris from getting them...well, the Caligaris were ready for that, and will have them at the climax of the adventure, having fished them out of the sea or dug them up or whatever they need to do. From here, it's on to the bogs of Vodacce.

Part Four: Endgame

Heading into "the Swamp," as it is called - well, there are no trails, strange plants, giant crocodiles...tracking Coleson down takes several days, and they arrive at the site the morning of the new moon. The ruins jut suddenly from the swamp, masked by overgrowth of centuries. Olivares' map is extremely helpful - without it, they could have camped 30 yards away and not seen the ruins. They consist largely of a huge mosaic floor covered in strange symbols, with occasional tall towers in some unknowable pattern. There is a small camp set up in the center, with some of Coleson's men camping out. They explain that Coleson found the entrance and has gone below as of a few hours ago, and they can go after him if they like. (The adventure assumes everyone goes underground, and notes this - Fredo and his men will be attacking while everyone's below ground, and the adventure says that if anyone stays above, they should definitely survive the attack even though the rest of the camp won't be.)

Coleson's marked the way down with chalk, and it's easy to follow his path. The entire place is built around the machine chamber, and the areas Coleson hasn't explored are trapped pretty well - though Coleson has marked and bypassed the ways on his own path. Coleson's team down there is examining a hole, which coleson has climbed down with a rope. He can't hear their calls, so they ask the party to go get him. In the hole is the Syrneth engine, in a huge vault larger than anything the heroes have ever seen. High overhead, glowing stones are built into the ceiling that perfectly match the stars in the sky. The floor is a series of catwalks surrounding the huge engines, the smallest of which is two stories tall. Coleson is examining the controls, and he's very surprised and pleased to see the party - and very dismayed to hear the Caligaris are coming. He admits that he should have listened to the Explorers, and they need to leave. Coleson will go to any lengths to prevent any particularly dumb members of the party from trying to activate the machine - it's dangerous and very old, after all.

The party can leave via a set of stairs if they have the compasses to open a door, or the way they came in if not. Either way, when they get out, Alfredo Caligari is waiting for them, having killed the members of tghe expedition who'd been above ground. Fredo sneers at the party and threatens them, then offers to let them live if they take him to the engine - though he is, of course, lying. IF the heroes left the compasses elsewhere, Fredo produces them now and tells them the should have hidden them better. Fights ensue - Fredo has ten henchmen and will try to avoid personal combat - but if he gets a chance for a duel, he'll take it. Once they win, the party must decide whether to kill him or not - if he survived the fight, anyway. Killing him...well, Villanova asked them to, and there's no way he'd be charged with any crime if they let him live. On the other hand, if they've beaten him and left him helpless, it'd be murder. If they kill him, Villanova will be pleased and try to make deals with them for help in later adventures...but if they don't, he will swear vengeance on them for defying him. At this point, the moon rises.

If the heroes use the compasses on the revealed doors, which rise out of the mosaic floor, the doors will practically fly open and the machine below will hum with power. It continues until morning, when it fades to nothing once more. If the heroes are overpowered in the fight, though, Fredo will be the one to open the doors and will drag them below to gloat. He will activate the machine - a terrible plan. It's old and somewhat damaged, and he'll start a chain reaction that sends arcs of energy everywhere, collapsing the ruins. The heroes get a chance to escape, leaving Fredo's party buried in the ruins. It'd take someone very patient, rich and ruthless to repair and learn to use the machine - someone, perhaps, like Giovanni Villanova. This also happens if the party activates the machine.

Anyway. The party makes their way out of the swamp, and Coleson suggests they leave north, towards Eisen - it's safer than going back through Vodacce with the Caligari still probably upset. At Freiburg's Explorers safehouse, the explorers are very grateful. They ask for the compasses and will offer up to a thousand guilders for each of them, to hold for safekeeping. Coleson is demoted and sentenced to deskwork for a few months as punishment. And thus ends the Erebus Cross!

There's a few encounters usable to spice things up on the way. The party can run into Captain Chevalier from the Lady's Favor again while in Castille - he'll challenge their greatest swordsman to a duel to regain his honor. He only wants to first blood, of course. If he wins, he considers things settled - but if he loses, he'll be on the lookout for more revenge later. Killing him, of course, will get a huge fight started with his soldiers. The crowd wants the PC duelist to win, and if they do, then the people of Castille will like them better. Or perhaps the heroes save a Vodacce fate witch from drowning while in Dionna. If they do, her husband will feel his honor impugned - they're suggesting he couldn't protect his own wife! And he'll start a fistfight. If he wins, the party has all their coin robbed as they're left unconscious in the street and he considers the matter settled. If he loses but the party doesn't escalate to blades, he likewise considers things settled and will actually be perfectly happy - even sending them a letter thanking them and containing a gold coin worth 2 Guilders as they leave the city. After all, anyone who can beat him is surely worthy of protecting his wife, and by showing respect he regains his honor. Killing him, however, will cause his wife to curse the party and dog them through their stay with her magic, cursing them to have horrible luck while in Dionna.

Now, the last part of the book is about Syrneth races. The Explorers don't have any proof yet, but they are right - and the GM now gets to learn what the Syrneth races were. First is the confederation of legends called the Sidhe. They exist in their own world, which connects to Théah via places over overlap, like Bryn Bressail. Time works differently in their world. Then, there are the Drachen - the ancient Drachen were intelligent creatures, 500 feet tall and thousands of tons. They had wings, but no one has ever confirmed them able to fly, and it's hard to believe they did. They lived in the Eisen mountains and most of their ruins remain hidden. Those that have been found are misinterpreted - for example, tail ornaments have been taken to be carpets. Then, there were the Tessera. They appeared after the Drachen were wiped out, but were later destroyed themselves by the other Syrneth. All that is left is their technology, based in magnetism. They used magnets to fire huge cannons, to make flying machines - though most of their machines are gone completely, leaving only little toys and trinkets.

Out in the islands, there were the Thalusai - strange insects who foresaw some great catastrophe. They prepared - but they were wiped out anyway. Their amber coffins are broken open now, and their carapaces are taken to be 'armor' - the famous soft, amber armor found by explorers. The Thalusai artifacts are mostly this 'armor' and weapons - as though they were waiting for an enemy when they died. Then, there were the subterranean Domae, humanoid creatures who lived in peace and harmony - but who were destroyed by a massive civil war. All that is left is their capital, beneath Montaigne, which l'Empereur forbids any exploration of except by his own men. Last, there were the Setines - hollow-boned but diverse creatures, some with horns, some with wings. They were the most widespread, and used clockwork technology that utilized the strange energy called æther, a substance not yet understood by modern scientists.

Then we get some sample artifacts that you might run into. Each race has a theme, and not all their artifacts are actually useful or even special. Drachen artifacts are immense - generally far too large to be able to move, let alone use. The example they give is a rod covered in man-sized pictographs. A hero who touches the right pair at the same time ceases to age for five years. The only noticeable effects are a sudden surge of energy in the hero's body and the rod itself cracking and becoming useless. The Tessera, on the other hand, have magnetic objects. The first listed is a small, flattened sphere that fits in the palm. When squeezed, it becomes warm and begins to rise. It will lift up to two hundred pounds straight up at a rate of one foot per second...but will continue to heat until it's hot enough to scald skin, dealing one die of wounds after sixty seconds. It also leaves a coppery taste in the user's mouth for around a day. There is also a curved, pointed device set with gems and sometimes lenses. When the gems are touched, the device hums, vibrates and then over the span of five seconds fills the area with a strong magnetic field which causes all metal in the area to hum and vibrate intensely. The artifact and the metal objects heat up, and also scald flesh after a minute, dealing a die of wounds. If you don't take your hands off the gems (and thus deactivate it) after seventy seconds, it will turn itself off and need to be reactivated. No one knows what the lenses are for. There's a coin-sized blank disk of metal that always lands on its edge, and a small needle that, when placed in a lock, gets warm and then pops the lock open.

The Thalusai tended to odd materials. The greatest of the three listed artifacts is a gauntlet that, when worn, shuts tight around the skin and stings the wearer. It now adds an extra die to all Brawn-based actions...but it can never be taken off short of amputation. There's also a long, thin and twisted pole that is...well, just a pole. It's a really strong pole and would make a great spear shaft or walking stick. There's also a blood-red gem that resembles an eye and is made of no known material. The Domae, meanwhile, had a ton of gemstones. The most famous is the Domae Diamond, green stones with blue specks that are called that because they are the hardest things in the world - only a Domae diamond can scratch another. There's also rainbowstone, a gem that shifts colors to no known pattern, and smokestone, which has black veins that get darker and colder as midnight approaches - at midnight, it's so cold it burns to touch. Then there's bloodstone, is clear with veins of red which thicken after sunset and form a 'heart' in the center of the stone. They also have the Domae moonstones - in daylight, they are milky white, but at night their color fades to translucent and they glow, the lighting changing at regular intefvals. There's also sunstone, which does the same but in daylight instead of night. Moonstones and sunstones have been combined to make "Domaedials" which someone trained to read can use to tell the time to within the hour. There is also waterstone, a blue gem that grows darker as storms approach, and bonestone, which resembles bone in color and becomes pure white at night. It's fashionable to grind up and add to wine in Vodacce. The most dangerous, though, is blackstone - when placed near another Domae stone, blackstone makes both vibrate violently. If they touch, they'll explode, dealing a die of wounds to anyone caught in the blast. Blackstone is a black gem that turns light that passes through it blue - the light also leaves a blue stain on whatever it hits, which fades over a few minutes.

The last artifacts are Setine, and they are clockwork - clockwork with no obvious source of power, believed to run on perpetual motion...though if that were true, the artifacts would still be moving when found. The first example is a clockwork hand, of which only three are known: when attacked to a human arm, they work fine and give a bonus of one die to all attack and wound rolls...but cause permanent loss of a rank of Resolve and prevent Resolve from ever rising above 3. A clockwork eye has been found which can be surgically installed and allows the wearer to see in darkness...but to take a die of wounds for every hour exposed to sunlight. Then there's æther compasses, like the ones in the adventure. This one always points north, unless the person holding it turns north, in which case it turns and points south. Last, the Clockwork Cannon, the device used in the corebook story. It's a strange, strange gun that fires a stranger energy blast unlike anything known, which deals 5k5 damage. However, each gun has only 1-10 charges...and no one knows how to recharge them.

Then there's advice for designing your own artifacts, and advice to keep them rare and strange, so that your game is still swashbuckling rather than sci fi with fencers. And a new Swordsman school, Shield Man School. It is the philosophy taught to the warrior-defenders of the Explorers, meant to use improvised weapons. Its weakness? It's not designed for fighting human being so much. The Apprentice learns to wield improvised weapons without any offhand penalties and can prevent improvised weapon breakage 50% of the time. The Journeyman learns to be better at protecting others and can use Active DEfense on others at no penalty, and also may push others out of the way of traps more easily. The Master learns even better, and when making rolls to protect others with active defense or save them from traps, his traits are considered one higher for the attempt. He may also spend Actions for Active Defense as if he were two phases faster than he is.

Next time: Nations of Théah, Volume II: Avalon!

What mother could leave her child behind?

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: What mother could leave her child behind?



Nations of Théah, Volume II: Avalon

We bgin with Elaine of Avalon, dreaming. She remembers discussing her lover with her father, when she was younger - and how she was pregnant with his child. She remembers her wedding day, hiding the pregnancy - and being interrupted by a strange, dark figure: Derwyddon the druid. He forbade the marriage - and in the dream, her lover is suddenly dead and rotten. She awakens from the nightmare and performs some affairs of state, trying to forget the dream. It is also revealed that she lusts after James MacDuff of the Highlands. She dreams again - of the birth of her child, and how Derwyddon told her that the child has been sent to live with her father - and forbade her to cry. When she next awakes, a young girl claming to be daughter to Queen Maab of the Sidhe has arrived. She claims she has come to look for her mother. She never knew her mother - but she knew her father, who died in a shipwreck...but her own life was spared by Maab of the seas. She reveals that she is far wiser than her youth would show - and that she bears a cruel hatred for the mother that bore her: Elaine of Avalon. Her name is Meryth, daughter of Maab - and she has no pity for her birthmother.

Now then! We begin with a history of Avalon, though 'history' is more 'legend' - recorded history only began with the Montaigne invasion. Still, their ancient legends are well remembered. Long ago, before even the Old Empire, a handful of people survived a great flood in a boat that sailed to Bryn Bresail. There, they met the Sidhe and made a pact - and so, the Sidhe led the men to the isle of Avalon. For centuries, they thought they were alone...until General Julius Caius of the Old Empire led a conquering army across the isle. The Sidhe watched the Imperials for 150 years, as they built colonies, began to integrate the island...and then, quite suddenly, all contact was lost. Ships seeking Avalon were caught ins trange storms, and no one could even spy the island from afar for fifty years. The Imperator declared the place cursed and forbade any further trips. Fifty years later, though, the isle returned - and no one on it had aged a die. Within ten years, the Empire's invasion faded from the culture, and the colonists integrated. The Sidhe had torn the island from the world for fifty years.

Eventually, there came a time when the island was divided up by many petty kings. The Vesten came from the east to invade, and none were able to stand against them. A king named Elilodd tried, but was too weak. However, he fought the king of the raiders and defeated the man, demanding surrender and end of war in exchange for alliance with the Vestenmannavnjar. With their help, Elilodd united the island under his crown. While the rest of the world followed the Third Prophet, the Avalon studied the stars, learned the cause of tides and deduced the spherical nature of the world. Even the Sidhe recognized Elilodd's importance, and they gave to him the Graal, declaring that as long as he and his descendants sat on the throne, the land would be blessed. That line ruled until the year 1028.

In that year, the aged king Herygh was dying, and instead of leaving his land to one son, he split it among his three sons. The youngest son, Athrwys, objected - and he was banished to Inismore for his temerity. Moments later, Herygh died. The two elder brothers started a war over the ownership of the lands, and Athrwys returned with an Inish army when their own armies were weak and tired. Atrwys won the day - but even as he did so, Montaigne's invading forces arrived, led by Henri du Montaigne. It outnumbered all of the armies, and defeated them, killing Athrwys and his brothers. Athrwys's last act was to hurl some artifact into a pool of water, though the invaders never learned what. For the next hundred years, Montaigne ruled Avalon, forbidding its native tongue and its native religion. In 1153, though, Eleanor, the Queen of Montaigne, had her husband declared dead while he was away on the crusades, and she married the King of Avalon, giving him claim to three fifths of Montaigne. She soon grew bored, however, and began to disguise herself and go out among the people - where she ran into the bards of Avalon, who still told the old tales at risk of death. She got a monk, Christophe Flaubert du Dorém to translate the tales, and there was a slow revival of the old ways. Glamour began to return, but Eleanor's work was fought against by the nobles and the church, so she arranged for her friend Harold Guisard to become Archbishop of Avalon.

That turned out to be a terrible idea: he was a pawn of her brother-in-law, Charles. Charles and Guisard got Eleanor hanged for treason and he became the regent of Avalon. Eleanor is still remembered as the Beloved Queen, who restored Avalon to its former glory for a brief, shining moment. Charles, however, was corrupt and cruel. The land needed a hero - and it found one in Robin Lovaine, a nobleman just returned from the Crusades. He was disgusted by the injustice, spoke out and so he was stripped of his lands and titles and thrown in prison. He escaped, and began harrying the taxmen and servants of the crown under the name of Robin Goodfellow, becoming a legend. By 1215, he'd stolen so many resources that Charles lost all claim to Montaigne. He tried to invade and reclaim the lands - but he was utterly crushed. The Avalon nobles, meanwhile, marched on the capital and forced him to sign a document preventing the kings of Avalon from making arbitrary decisions - a sort of declaration of rights, though it protected only nobles.

A year later, the rightful king returned and reinstated Robin, who was thus able to marry his lifelong love, the daughter of the Beloved Queen Eleanor. She wrote down his legend, and he became immortal. In 1347, though, the White Plague came and destroyed much of the population. Inismore rebelled in this time, forcing the Avalons to focus on quelling the rebellion - and while the army was busy, usurpers claimed the throne. Another half-century of civil war commenced. The eventual winner was King David II, who managed to live long enough to get an heir, David III. David III unified the Avalon nobles, revived national pride and invaded Montaigne, defeating their armies against all odds. He even declared himself king of both countries, though the Montaigne king refused to abdicate. David died in 1422, leaving his ten-year-old son David IV as king - though he seen fell victim to infighting, and the AValons were driven from Montaigne.

This pattern of strong king->weak heir->invasion->strong king continued for two centuries, killing off many of the old noble families. Two lines eventually rose to the fore - the Camlanns, descended from Henri du Montaigne, and the Lovaines, descended from Eleanor. Two kings arose then - Henri IV of Camlann, the Bloody Boar. He was a devout Vaticine and brilliant soldier. His chief rival was Richard Lovaine, handsome and popular. In 1527, Henri tried to assassinate Richard - but the plot was foiled and war borke out. Henri found himself besieged on all fronts, and died at Richard's hands. Richard was crowned Richard II, and went on to reconquer Inismore. In 1535, an anonymous monk republished a tome of highly illegal stories of Elilodd and his knights, based on an earlier text by the Montaigne monk named Tómas Malreaux. Surprisingly, Richard publically embraced the book and became known as Richard the Kind. In 1614, his great-great-grandson, Richard IV, took the throne. He was in an excellent position to rule, but his own pride and his blind loyalty to the Vaticine proved his downfall

Richard became deeply involved in Church politics, attacking the Objectionist movement at every opportunity. He was named Avalon's Defender of the Faith by the Hierophant, in fact. However, he could get no heirs - his only child was a girl, Margaret. This caused problems, so in 1622 he went to the Hierophant and asked for permission to divorce his wife. He was refused. Stunned at what he saw as a huge betrayal, he passed the Act of Supremacy, declaring a new Avalon Church with himself as Hierophant. He then married a commoner, Morwenna Sutter. A year later, she too give birth to a daughter: Elaine. He divorced her as well and tried again. And again. And again. By his death, he'd only had the two daughters. Margaret took the throne, and Elaine was essentially forgotten - since birth, she'd been living as the child of a petty noble due to being rejected by her father.

Margaret was a devoute Vaticine, wife of a Castillian noble and the cruelest ruler ever to rule Avalon. She tried to turn the entire nation away from "heathen" religions like Objectionism and the Traditional faith by fire and blood. She became known as the Iron Queen for her cruelty - but at least she was not one of the rulers plagued by civil war. In 1654, on the night of the spring equinox, at the stroke of midnight, she fell dead. Elaine could not be found, either - she vanished on her wedding night and had been gone for eight years. A civil war seemed about to start. The Inish and Highland Marches declared independence, and Montaigne prepared an invasion fleet - when out of nowhere, Derwyddon and Elaine appeared, with Elaine seeming no older than she was on the night she vanished at age nineteen. However, she bore an object that proved her right to rule - something not seen since the Montaigne invasion six centuries before: the Graal. She ended the civil wars two years after they began, riding a tide of Glamour, and in 1658 she was declared Queen of Avalon in her new capital of Carleon.

Since then, she has made an alliance with Inismore and the Highlands, established an order of knights, sponsored the Sea Dogs and defeated the Castillian armada. Elaine's people are prosperous and proud...but there are shadows behind the bright future everyone can see. Derwyddon and his strange predictions strike fear in the court, and Elaine has never explained where she was over the ten years she was missing. Some say she was bewitched by the Sidhe - and on cold afternoons, she wanders alone down to the seashore, and listens to a child's laughter carried on the waves.

Now, let's talk ranks. There's two types of nobility: appointed and landed. Appointed nobles' titles end with them, while landed nobles are inherited. The most common appointed nobles are knights, who have the right to tax an area but do not own it. His direct vassals are squires, who own no lands and haven o vassals of their own. Knights also serve as Avalon's law enforcement. The landed nobles have three titles: Barons, who own a city and directly answer to the Queen, Earls who own large sections of land and are beholden to the Dukes above them, and the Dukes, the former kings of Avalon's counties, the most powerful men on the isle. There are currently four: the High King of Breg, the Duke of Camlann, the Duke of Lothian and the Duke of Percis.

Elaine's Knights, the Order of the High King, have seized the country's imagination. Their core are the Twelve, the greatest heroes of the realm. (Mostly.) They are the leaders of the knights, and the others serve under them. There's about two hudnred knights total, ranging from squires to masters, who perform in whatever means Elaine assigns them. To become a Knight, one must drink from the Graal. Elaine has warned all prospective knights that only a true heart can sip the Graal's waters - those who lie will be poisoned and die of the drink. This is not in fact true - the Graal can't poison people. But Elaine doesn't tell anyone that, and so she knows that anyone who refuses to drink is a liar.

The Twelve, at present, are these: the Queen's Champion, Lawrence Lugh, of whom more will be spoken later. Jeremiah Berek of the Sea Dogs, who commands no actual knights because he runs, well, the Sea Dogs. Bleddig, Elaine's stepfather and the second man to swear fealty to her. He's not the strongest, bravest or boldest - but he's the kidnest and the best liaison Elaine has for the nobles. Cowan, Elain's elder stepbrother, who is in charge of training and has earned the nickname "the Boot" for his relentless training methods. Geriant, the Queen's diplomat abroad. Gwydd, the youngest knight in the court, who showed up two seasons ago and is barely eighteen - but he has the power of Glamour and Sidhe blood is in his veins. He handles most Sidhe matters. Lamorak, once a competitor for the throne who swore service when he saw the Graal. He is the chief military tactician of the knights. Bors MacAllister, a Highlander who serves as King MacDuff's liaison with the Queen. He has since become one of Ealine's favored advisors. More on him later. Owain, son of Uwaine, one of the newest knights - he's a replacement for the fallen Sir Melias, who died during the unification of Avalon. He's brave and honorable but his position, so far as I can tell, is based on nepotism. Peppin, a brave knight who hunts the monster that has haunted his family for generations: the Mirror Beast. It exists only in mirrors, and Peppin cannot look at himself in mirrors for all he can see in them is the Beast. He divides his time up between trying to find a way to defeat the Beast and serving Elaine, and he refuses to marry or fall in love while the Beast lives. Uwaine, the first to doubt Elaine's right to rule - until he saw the Graal. He is in charge of law enforcement. And lastly, Yseult, the only female knight, who is the most daring and willing to accept any adventure.

The lands of Avalon are these: Balig, ruled by Baron Conon - who is nominally a vessel to King Piram of Breg. He's running a bit of a scam, though - while he is supposed to basically impoverish himself with taxes, the taxmen are Balig natives who are in on the scam and underreport his riches, usually doing their assessments just after major market days when all goods have been sold. Its major cities are Canguine (see the old Pirate Nations post) and Pomitain, where Conon lives. It's a fishing village. Conon's got a bit of a problem - one of Piram's taxmen stopped by recently and uncovered his little game. Now, he has to stop the man before he can report back to Piram.

Piram is High King of Breg, and he was one of Elaine's greatest rivals. He only surrendered to Elaine because he was allowed to keep his royal title, and he still would love a chance to depose her. Breg has at least two rebel groups plotting to kill Elaine, and while Piram has nothing to do with them, he'd quietly encourage them if he knew. He's not about to risk his own life, but if some idiots will do it for him he's not about to stop them. Breg is the richest county in Avalon, but its uncivilized border reaches are infested with Unseelie Sidhe. Some important towns are Brenneth, home of the rebel "Loyalists" (an ironic name they gave themselveS) who plot to assassinate Elaine by placing gunpowder under the throne during her birthday party, and Escavalon, a town that is currently undergoing a major witch hunt due to some strange, apparently supernatural troubles they've been having lately, which some people are prepared to use to settle old scores.

Camlann is ruled by Duke Mark Garloise, and it is an area that is heaily influenced by the Inish. It is also the largest concentration of Glamour sorcerers. The people are proud of their ancient heritage as the seat of kings, but are looking not to the past, but the future. More Sea Dogs come from Camlann than any other county. The capital is Bedegrane, where a new university has sprung up. Unfortunately, the baron had it built on land the Sidhe considered theirs - and now, the entire place is in grave danger of Sidhe vengeance. There's also Fenshire, a town renowned for its hatred of the Bregs. Recently, they've been causing trouble - which is normal - but it's started to get bloody - and that isn't. The next county is Gaavane, ruled over by the druid Derwyddon. It is home to the most sacred (and haunted) forest in the country: Grumweald. The county is a hotbed of druidic activity, but most people are too terrified to live there. It is illegal to go out at night without a sprig of holly - a legal enforcement of ancient traditions meant to prevent evil spirits from kidnapping people. The officialy capital is Roestock, and its population is about 20, due to the fact that most people fled in terror when Derywddon made his home there. The practical capital is Norgales, which has retained its population largely due to the fact that the inhabitants are stubborn and traditionalist folk descended from druids.

After that is Lothian, ruled by Duke Carlyle, who is half Highlander. He wears kilts to court, and Elaine once told him that his wife would have to wear trousers, since he insists on wearing a dress, and someone must wear the pants in the house. Carlyle's a stubborn man who loves the Highlands, though, and so when he next came to court, his wife was indeed in trousers. Lothian practices many highland customs and is full of legends about heroes who slay monsters. It is also home to the notorious giant Jack-in-Irons, and the oldest fortress in the nation: Cerwidden Dun, said to be haunted by the ghosts of the last men to fight against the Montaigne invasion six centuries ago. The largest county is Lovaine, ruled directly by Elaine. It is also the most glamour-filled county, its people living out stories of passion and adventure. Lothian is also the chief source of coal - Derywddon got Elaine to pass a law forbidding the burning of wood, so Avalons burn coal instead in special coal-burning stoves. Lovaine is home to Carleon, the capital that was built in a single magical night, the Forest Avalon where Robin Goodfellow once lived as King of Robbers and the former capital, Luthon, which remains home to most of Avalon's bureaucracy.

The last county is Percis, ruled by Duke Neville Chalmondeley-Featheringstonehaugh. (It's pronounced Chumley-Fanshaw.) It's heavily influenced by Montaigne, though Duke Neville is highly loyal and has no desire to join Montaigne. Rather, he is fascinated by their culture instead. It is also home to Avalon's famous playwrights, Montgomery Peerson and Frances Chandler - good friends who were also rivals. A year ago, though, Chandler was found dead in alley - and Peerson is convinced he was murdered by a nobleman who was offended by Chandler's highly political plays. He needs allies, now, for the same people that killed Chandler are after him. IT also has the town of Surluse, which is home to a sea beast named Towyn - a huge but essentially harmless creature whom they feed with fish and encourage to scare tourists. Towyn seems to avoid scholars and monster hunters instinctively. And then, of course, there's the Isle of the Grey Queen, where an ancient but ageless woman sits besides a spinning wheel and refuses to look into a mirror. Once, she looked into and saw the handsome Sidhe named Lugh, falling in love. He refused her love because he was already devoted to another, and she cursed him, giving him a hand of unworked iron to mutilate him and casting him out. The Queen of the Sidhe cursed her in return - if she ever fell in love again, she would die. That was a long time ago, and she has not dared to look in her mirror since. When she does, though, she will see her old love, Lawrence Lugh, and she will fall in love once more - and the curse will come down upon her.

The Avalons have been relearning their ancient tongue, Cymric, though it's rather difficult. The most popular book is the Graal, based on the lives of Eleanor and Elilodd. The two religions of Avalon are the Church of Avalon (which is the Vaticine church, but recognizing Elaine as head and declaring Glamour to not count as sorcery) and the Druids and other learned men ( filid ), who keep ancient secrets and draw power from them. Apprentice druids serve as bards, travelling the land and telling stories to learn the ways of the world. Bards are then initiatied as ollamdh , settling down in one place as judges, omen-interpreters, Sidhe bargainers and historians. They master knowledge and riddles. Most never rise above this rank. Sometimes, though, the world itself secretly declares an ollamdh to be a druid. He keeps this secret from the rest of the order, but learns the greatest secrets of power. There are currently only seven druids in AValon - and that includes Derwyddon. Druids also claim to not be sorcerers - they say their magic is not spells, but secrets, which they learn to recognize, and the power of omens. The secrets cannot be taught, but only learned - because if the teacher ever simply reveals a secret, he will lose its power, as will his student. It is the secrecy that grants power. Druid magic can also lay down gesa, supernatural taboos that can protect people or grant them power if they uphold a ban.

Avalon is ruled both by a queen and a parliament, whose power balances each other. The Parliament has two houses - the House of Lords, which handles internal matters, and the House of Kingdoms, which handles foreign policy. Each has 400 seats, granted to nobles from across the land - though poor ones often sell the right to the seat to 'official representatives' as a way to get some cash. Sometimes, seats are granted to heroes, such as Jeremiah Berek - who is famous for sending Sea Dogs in his place, since he finds government boring.

Avalon is not fond of either Castille or Montaigne - Montaigne for their long rivalry with the country and Castille because of Avalon's break with the Church in 1622 and the defeat of the Castillian armada. The Vodacce are tolerated a bit more, but their treacherous ways clash with the Avalonian sense of honor. Eisen is regarded with both respect (for its discipline) and pity (for its circumstances). Ussura confuses Avalon, though they tend to like what they see. The AValon respect both the Vendel and Vesten, and want to stay out of that civil war. There is also a strong sense of mixed feelings about hte Inish and Highlanders - the Avalons tend to feel they need to guide their 'cousins', and don't always understand the Inish and Highland desires for more autonomy. They also come off as really condescending.

Next time: The land of Mad Jack O'Bannon - Inismore!

You cannot marry him. You are already promised to another.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: You cannot marry him. You are already promised to another.

Long ago, the people who would become the Inish invaded Inismore and defeated the native people of the island. Those people are know basically forgotten. The Inish, meanwhile, divided the land into kingdoms they called tuatha and fought for control of the island. At last, a high king, an árd rí , came to power: Hugh O'Bannon. He proved his rule by kissing the Fål Stone, which weeped and sang. The O'Bannon ruled only fifteen years before placing his crown on the throne, packing a small bag and telling his wife "I'll be back." He walked out of his castle and was not seen again for centuries. War broke out, and the kingship changed hands many times, most often hanging with the O'Toole family - and though there've been good O'Tooles, there've been far more nasty ones.

In 430, the Prophets' missionaries came to Inismore. They were listned to - and then summarily kicked off the island. Inismore has never listened to anyone telling them to abandon their faith. In the 700s and 800s, the island was terrorized by Vestenmannavnjar raiders, and they continued until the early 1000s. Indeed, the conquered parts of the island. In 1014, however, a young man arrived in the capital, casted the Fål Stone - and it wept and sang. He called himself O'Bannon, and he walked into the king's chambers, killing both the ruling O'Toole and the Vestenmannavnjar he was meeting with. He threw the corpse from the throne and declared himself the new árd rí . The O'Bannon then raised an army and defeated the Vestenmannavnjar - but he offered them a chance: they could swear loyalty, that they "loved his mother", and he would allow them to stay as part of the Inish people. Seven years later, he took off his crown, packed up a bag and told the court that he'd be back. And then, as soon as he was gone, the infighting started again. The throne was won by a man named O'Connor - but it was only six months before Ewan O'Toole deposed him with help from Avalon.

When Ewan died in 1170, the Avalons began to expand their claims in Inishmore. An Avalon lord claimed the throne, and for the first time, Vaticine churches were built on Inish soil. The Inish language began to be supplanted by Avalon. By the fourteenth century, Avalon owned practically all of Inismore - but the Avalon lords had grown very Inish. In the late 1300s, Inismore declared independence and fought off the Avalon army sent to stop them. They held indepence until 1534, when Avalon stormed the island. A decade later, in 1541, they lost - and Richard II annexed the whole place. Avalon rule was benign, though, until the reign of the Iron Queen, who ordered any Inish who refused to speak Avalon to be hanged, and any who did not accept the Vaticine to be burned at the stake. She even refused to call the island 'Inishmore,' renaming it 'Erin' in all official documents. Her reign ended in 1650, and the Inish were given resources by Montaigne spies in order to rebel. Churches were burned, lords killed and chaos reigned for a year. In 1651, the Fål Stone wept and sang once more, for the O'Bannon had returned.

He led the war on the Avalons, and defeated them again - but in 1656, just as he was preparing to assault the capital, he called for a ceasefire. At that second, across the water, Derwyddon had introduced Elaine as the queen of Avalon. The O'Bannon immediately left Inismore, sailing for Avalon. He appeared before Elaine, knelt and declared Inismore's allegiance to the throne, just as the Highlander MacDuff had done days before. The O'Bannon's only been around for a few years, but his presence has changed everything. People are worrying about the chaos of his inevitable departure, and the O'Tooles are putting into motion plans to rule once more. Other clans more faithful are trying to stop their maneuvers, but the O'Bannon himself doesn't seem to care at all about politics. He is also doubted for his unquestioning support of Elaine - after all, Inismore was on the verge of independence when he ended his own revolution and swore fealty to a foreign throne. The O'Tooles have been using this to fuel resentment for the king and sympathy for the rebel cause.

Inismore is divided into four estates, which then break down into twenty-two counties. The four estates are Donegal, ruled by the Lynch, Carrig, by the O'Toole, Dreenan, by the O'Brien and Leister, by the McKenna. Carrig is the largest estate, and the current O'Toole is Arghyle O'Toole. His clan has held the throne more often than any other - but they are also famous as liars, drunks and cheats. Arghyle sees himself as a patriot, though, looking to bring back Inish independence. He's planning a coup. The O'Tooles are famously lacking in Glamour - indeed, the O'Toole's got eight children, and only one has the gift - and she's the second in a century to have it. The largest city of Carrig is Dunkeen, a port and home to Inismore's most famous poets and musicians. It also has the great trading port of Lochcuan, home of Dun O'Toole, stronghold of the O'Tooles.

The next is Donegal, ruled by Cathal Lynch. The Lynch and his clan claim to be of the bloodline of O'Bannon, and certainly their Glamour is most powerful of all the clans. Thus, they feel themselves rightful rulers after the O'Bannon, and are making plans for rule after he leaves. Their land holds the capital, Tara, where "Mad Jack" O'Bannon holds court from a throne carved of a living tree. At the heart of the city is the Fål Stone, which has sang a totle of three times. It also hosts one of the only universities in Inismore, Burke University. The walls of Tara have never been breached - though when the O'Bannon returned from Avalon, he scaled the wall and removed a single stone from the highest rampart, "just to show you I could do it."

Next is Dreenan, ruled by Gael O'Brien. They have not ruled the nation since the 10th century. Instead, they have focused on serving the High King. The O'Briens are traditional advisors and very well-educated. Gael himself is a friendly old man who leaves much of the ruling of Dreenan to his son, Standish. He's fond of telling tall tales that ramble on and on. Dreenan also boasts the city of Liumnech, notable only because St. Rose's Cathedral, left over from the Avalon occupation, has recently been bought by the Jenny's Guild and turned into a whorehouse. Lastly, Leister is ruled by the MacKenna, Nevan MacKenna. It is famous for its love of the arts, and many famous bards, poets and actors have been MacKennas. They are traditionally staunch supporters of the O'Bannon, but Nevan is fed up and has publically supported the O'Toole - which just might give the O'Toole the power needed to seize the throne. Nevan's son and heir, Andriu, has disavowed his family and left the country in disgust. Their largest city is Newport, which...is rather small, and while it has become a trading port, it has also become a heavy center of crime.

Inish culture focuses on the fine , the family. The "real family" or derhfine is designed as everyone you are related to all the way back to your great grandfather. Lineage is traced this way, and when a member of the derhfine dies, his wealth is divided up among it. It should be noted - none of your children are part of yours, though you're part of theirs, which means if your son dies, you inherit nothing. Each generation has a new derhfine . Marriage is purely economic and has nothing to do with love. Social rank works thusly: At the top is the O'Bannon. Under him are the lesser kings, the tuaths . Under them are the families who owe fealty to them. Each king also has a sect of knights who serve as his army, the bó aire . A knight who owns land is a flaith . The O'Bannon has his own knights, the Fianna , who leave their old families and answer only to the O'Bannon. Their duty is to serve him and guard the Fål Stone. They are always destroyed after the O'Bannon leaves. To join, one must prove their strength, their skill and their wit, and they are granted hospitality and honor everywhere. Many have Sidhe lovers.

The Inish love music - their songs tend to be variations on old legends, often grisly things turned into bawdy drinking tunes. They also love to fight. They really love to fight. A good fistfight is a friendly thing, and no one would dream of pulling a blade. They don't hit below the belt and they are always respectful - though they certainly know how to make low blows. Anyone who interferes with a fight is likely to get beaten down by everyone nearby. The Inish also practice professional boxing as a hobby. The Inish have developed the best systems of unarmed combat in the known world, centering around one major innovation: they lift their elbows and are thus able to twist their hands and move their arms easil, using uppercuts, roundhouses and elbow strikes (all very recent developments). Inish law is decided by druids, the brehon in Inish, who settle all disputes. A man's worth - and thus the price for killing him - is caled eineach and is measured in cows, determined by rank and method of murder. However, enforcement of payment is left to the winner of the court case - and if they can't manage it, they will often declare tain , a feud of cow theft that is considered a perfectly normal way to get the payment.

There is also a concept called tuarastal : you must return any gift you are given in equal or greater value. Until you do, you are bound to the person who gave you the gift. The polite way to get out of it is to refuse the gift on grounds of modesty, though of course someone can waive the right to a return gift. Lastly, there is Comhlann , the formal duel. It does not have to be to the death, and when between friends or siblings, it is usually a race of some kind or a fight to first blood. The most typical challenge, though, is this: both men take up a sword. The challenged man takes one swing - just one. If he can, the challenger than makes his own single swing. After both man have struck, the matter is settled, no matter who survived.

The Inish are fierce nationalists, who hold nothing but scorn for Montaigne (for being arrogant, conceited and overly willing to conquer) and Vodacce (for being humorless men with no sense of proportion). They are, however, very fond of the Vestenmannavnjar, and recognize the Vendel as useful if not respected. They rather like Ussura's simplicity, though the place is something of a mystery to them. They like Castille's passion, but hate her church. The Avalon alliance is somewhat shaky - it's held together by the O'Bannon's words and Elaine's charisma, but they just don't trust their old conquerors. They do trust the Highlanders, though - the Inish and the Highlands are fierce friends and allies.

There is no official religion of Inismore; their tradition religion is identical to Avalon's and there are plent of Vaticines and Objectionists around too. They get along rather well, surprisingly - they remember Iron Margaret's intolerance, and believe they are far better than her, and so have avoided most problems. The Inish refer to the Sidhe as the Tuatha de Danaan and credit them with creating the island. They say that when they first arrived, the defeated a race of giants called the firbolgs, built mounds and circles, and made a pact with man. The pact is embodied by the Fål Stone. The O'Bannon and most Inish lords maintain a very close relationship with the Sidhe.

The Highland Marches

The Highlanders began their history as disparate clans who warred against each other for centuries. The Old Empire made outposts in the Highlands, but mostly let them kill each other in peace. This ended six centuries after the fall of the Empire, when Montaigne invaded as part of the Avalon conquest. No individual clan could fight them, and they were too distrustful to unite. The Montaigne swept them aside and installed an aristocracy - and in so doing, they ended the Clan wars. The Highlanders chafed under their rule and refused to give up their identities. They did not join the Vaticine, maintaining their old ways in secret - and so the Montaigne banned kilts and bagpipes as heretical. Still, the Clans lacked the unity to resist them, and slowly they began to fade.

This ended in 1215, when Robert the Dark emerged as a powerful warlord. He resurrected the idea of clan identity and used it to bring the clans together, returning the kilts and bagpipes of the old days - but he also brought with him the idea of national unity. He advised conversion to the Church - but in an altered form, emphasizing criticism over obedience. He refused to say what clan he was from, and so transcended old rivalries. He had amassed an army before anyone knew what he was doing. The Avalons raised an army of their own to stop him, but Robert defeated them at the Battle of Dun Val in 1218. The Highland nobles could not oppose him directly, so that crowned him High King of the Marches in 1219 - so long as Robert paid homage to the Avalon kings, and through them Montaigne...and so long as he was loyal to the Church. Thus did the Highlanders first achieve unit. Robert organized a High Council of clans, advocated cooperation with Avalon and subtly increased Highland self-rule. He allowed the Highland culture to flourish, and he gave the Marches a sense of purpose. When he died, his son Robert II inherited the throne and established a new clan, the MacDuffs, who became the royal clan.

The Highlands remained this way until the death of Iron Margaret, when the High King saw a chance for independence. He was James II, and he declared himself Objectionist, rejecting both Vaticine and Avalon Churches. Almost overnight, the Highlands became fre. Their independence was short-lived, though - when Elaine rose, they were throne into turmoil. Elaine wanted a united kingdom, but few were willing to trust her youth and sudden appearance. James, who belonged to long and noble lineage, could unite the three islands...or plunge them into war. He supported her rule, to everyone's surprise, and so he is the true creator of the Avalon alliance of the three crowns, and as a result has caused the Highlands to gain a lot of prestige.

Prominent clans include the MacDuffs, the royal clan. They have expanded, and while women are usually excluded from the throne, they have had three High Queens since their founding. In exchange for their unquestioned rule, the MacDuffs have no seat on the High Council and cannot rule other clans directly. Rather, they serve their nation as generals, merchants and ambassadors. The clan, besides the king, holds little power - but they are hugely popular as heroes, and many have joined the Knights of the Rose and Cross. They have no blood feuds with other clans. The next clan is the MacBride clan - the leaders of the Highlands' independence movement. They do not believe that alliance with Elaine is the best plan. They are the Seperatist leaders, opposed by the king's Unifists. The MacBrides can trace their lineage back further than any other: a thousand years. They fought the Montaigne invasion and were branded as troublemakers, and they were the first to really to Robert the Black...but when he sued for peace, they felt betrayed. When independence came under James, they felt their time had come - but again, they were betrayed. They like the MacDuffs, but they don't like their tendency to subjugate the Highlands to foreign powers. Today, their leader Fergus MacBride does everything he can to to move for seperation.

Next are the MacCodrums, a clan of fishers who are said to have a special relationship with a type of sea Sidhe called the Selkies. They're said to have married into the MacCodrum line, and certainly the MacCodrums and selkies have excellent relations. The MacCodrums protect the selkies and forbid outsiders from coming close to them - and in return have the best fishing spots in the Highlands. The MacDonalds are rather more powerful - they suffered least of all the clans in the Montaigne occupation. They are feuding with the MacLeods, and have been for quite some time. The MacDonalds have accused the MacLeods of being Sidhe puppets, and have secretly been gathering information to fight Glamour and Sidhe power - and have thus absorbed more members of the lost MacEachern clan than any other.
nd
The MacEachern Clan were a clan that had learned the secret of destroying the Sidhe - and they were willing to use it. They were blacksmiths and metalworkers, and earned the Sidhe's ire somehow...so they developed a weapon that could kill the Sidhe, a new type of sword. They armed all their warriors...and while the Sidhe laughed at first, they didn't laugh long. The Queen of the Sidhe destroyed them utterly, scattering them to the four winds. Only a few survived, but some kept their knowledge, and now they hide in other clans, keeping their lineage secret. They still have the secret of the unforged sword, and they identify themselves with a horseshoe tattoo.

Then there's the MacIntyres, the only clan to never be conquered. They hid deep in the moors and repelled every attack. They are famous for their isolation and their berserk fighting, forgoing gunpowder in favor of claymores and woad. They worship nature spirits and are ruled by a warlord, and have savage bloodsports that outsiders may not watch. OTher Highlanders respect them as the symbols of the island's fighting spirit. While they hold a seat on the High Council, they have never claimed it and want only to be left alone. The MacLeods are next, and unlike most clans they like the Sidhe. Their power is derived from a bargain with the Seelie court. Long ago, their lord, Malcolm MacLeod, had a Sidhe Lady fall in love with him, and while he would not go with her to Bryn Bresail, he married her. After bearing him a son, the lady deperated, leaving behind a green flag. The son, Sean, grew to manhood, and when the MacDonalds attempted to defeat the MacLeods in battle, he went forth and waved the flag. Suddenly, the Sidhe came to fight for the MacLeod cause! In times of great need, the flag can call forth the Sidhe - but only three times, ever. After the third use, a curse will befall the MacLeods and they will be destroyed. It has only ever been needed once - and Lord MacLeod prays it is never needed again. The MacLeods are distrusted for their Sidhe ties...but their Glamour power has earned them immense respect, and so while they are not liked, they are powerful.

Highlanders mix rural tradition and sophistication. The wear kilts and badges to show their heritage, play bagpipes and perform traditional folk dances. However, they have also begun having gentrification. This pull between the old and new is what defines them now. Their towns are very rural - even their capital, Kirkwall, is in the midst of open country with little around it. Once a month, the High Council meets there for a week - and the population practically doubles. This is called Faire Week. The Council is 500 seats, each held either by a Clan lord or a member of the gentry. The seats are hereditary and cannot be held by anyone but their designated holder. Honesty is a watchword among Councillors, and they act with utmost respect at all times (with the exception of the MacLeods and MacDonalds in respect to each other). The High King serves as moderator and advisor for the Council. Officially, they are his advisors, but in practice they are the legislators. 400 of the 500 seats are Unifist, led by King James. T he rest are Seperatist, often fierce nationlists or mistrusting of Elaine's motives. They focus heavily on domestic affairs and are very patient.

The Highlands tend to mirror the Avalons in foreign affairs. They hate the Montaigne and have alienated Castille with their embrace of Objectionism. They respect but do not understand the Vodacce, and they fill empathy for Eisen. They respect the Vestenmannavnjar, but also appreciate the Vendels' efforts to strengthen their nation, and attempt to stay out of that feud. They have much in common with Inismore, though the O'Bannon worries them, as does the Inish tendency to cheerful chaos. They support Avalon as a whole but tend to avoid individual Avalons - they're great allies, but not the best of friends. Religiously, the Highlanders are mostly Objectionist, with a handful of Vaticines and Traditionalists. Unlike most others in the Avalon alliance, the Highlanders tend to see the Sidhe as inhuman monsters and want nothing to do with them (with the exception of the MacLeads in general, and the MacCodrums in regards to the selkies). They are respectful, of course, but do not want to be friends. Rather, they try to make life as unpleasant as possible for the Sidhe without making them actively angry. The general attitude is 'be polite but agree to nothing and leave as soon as possible' when it comes to dealing with them.

Next time: The Goodlie Folke: The Sidhe!

Grief enough to lust after a barbarian from the north?

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

Not really, at least in this book! He may or may not be going to Bryn Bresail - I don't remember if they ever actually say what he does between times when he's High King.

7th Sea: Grief enough to lust after a barbarian from the north?

The Sidhe, as a whole, lack history in the standard sense. They are timeless beings who only vaguely grasp the concept of 'past' and 'future', and certainly have no experience with aging beyond their prime or even of major societal changes in the human sense. They lived on Avalon for untold centuries before men arrived - and the bards say their retreat to Bryn Bresail was because of human history. The Sidhe wanted nothing to do with such a strange thing, so they left. There are still gates between their world and ours, however - Faerie circles, enhanted woods, that sort of thing. In Avalon, the barriers between the human world and Bryn Bresail are thinner than most, and there has been an intermixture between men and Sidhe. They have given the men and women of the islands four gifts: a Cup (the Graal), a Sword (Firinbrand, to be described later), a Banner (the MacLeod Faery Flag) and a Stone (the Fål Stone). When the Montaigne invaded, they fled Avalon to avoid the dull "progress" that was brought, and took the Graal with them. The Faerie circles closed and the Glamour left the land for six centuries. Only a few lesser Sidhe remained behind.

This all changed with the return of Elaine. Once more, the Sidhe walk the lands - but this time, there is something different. Glamour is tempered by humility and history. This fascinates the Sidhe, but they also feel violated: Avalon is no longer theirs alone. The Sidhe do appear in other lands, of course - the Montaigne have their boggies, the Vesten have their gnomes and trolls. But AValon is the place of greatest numbers, where the Sidhe are not the exception but the rule. They infest the landscape, with the lesser Sidhe found almost everywhere if one goes looking. Much of their strength is found in the waters, the lakes and streams. Every lake has its own Sidhe, and they draw their power from it - and this is why the Avalons see water as holy and refuse to hold battles near rivers, to avoid polluting them with blood. There are two other major examples of Sidhe geography: the Faerie hills and the Faerie circles. The hills are Sidhe outposts where they can live unmolested - great mounds that hold wild Sidhe parties or buried Sidhe gold. There are no doors into the Faerie hills, not unless the inhabitants want to lure someone inside for some nasty reason. You can hear the voices under the hills sometimes, but only the foolish go to investigate, and those invited in usually don't return. Faerie circles are different - they come and go at random, can show up practically anywhere and might lsat anywhere from a second to a decade. The only constant is the danger - the space within the circle is linked to Bryn Bresail, and those who enter them can be trapped and enslaved forever. The Sidhe often try to entice people across, to kidnap people. Those who escape are no older when they return than when they left - even if, in the real world, decades have passed.

There's some good news, though. The Sidhe cannot hide their circles - they don't work if they're disguised. They may appear as stones, toadstools or a ring of dancers, but they must be visible. Druids and other mystics tend to build more permanent stone circles around areas that have recurring Faerie circles, trying to tap into their power. If it works, they can be very powerful - but if it fails, well...there are twisted ruins marking the spots where some people have tried.

When people speak of the Sidhe, they usually refer to the Seelie Court, ruled by its Three Queens. The Seelie can be terrible, but they are at least not actively malevolent and can sometimes even be helpful. However, when humans first arose, there was a group that refused to follow the doctrine of non-malevolence. They preferred primal chaos, and were cast out as the Unforgiven, the Unseelie. They follow no rules and do not even try to emulate humanity. They are cruel, malicious and dangerous. Some remain vile shapeshifters, while others became ogres and giants. They have no protection, and if someone manages to kill one, there will be no revenge - though killing an Unseelie is no easy task.

The Seelie are ruled by three Queens, and divided into three "courts". Each Queen has a mortal (or part mortal) champion, whose duty...well, isn't told to them, except that their actions somehow serve the Sidhe. The first and most famous Queen is the Queen of the Sky, called only "the Queen". She appears as an inhumanly beautiful woman who is tall and thin - all other details are never the same twice, except her eyes, which remain emotionless and cold. She leads her court in parties, hunts and other such activities - though unlike human nobles, these activities are often distorted and cruel. These are what are most often thought of when one speaks of the Sidhe. Her champion is Elaine, who attempts to ensure that proper respect is paid to the Sidhe but has no idea what her actual job is. The second Queen, the Queen of the Earth, is the Lady of the Lake. She rules the stones and rivers of the islands, and it is said that she is tied to the blood of all that lives in Avalon. She is rarely seen, save in times of great change, but she can manifest in any lake or pond in Avalon. She appears as a pale woman in white robes floating beneath the surface of the water. She's mostly benight, but can be terrible when roused. Her followers are nereids and water sprites, who watch over the lakes and ponds of Avalon - even those as small as a well - and report on what they see to the Lady. She knows practically everything about the nation. Her champion is Lawrence Lugh, the sidhe turned mortal. Like Elaine, hasn't a clue what his duties are.

The third Queen is Maab, Queen of the Sea - though she is not the only one called that. Her eternal enemy is the other Queen of the Sea, the god-queen of the sirens, whom she has battled for eons. Maab watches over Avalon's sailors, claiming those who drown and granting them the fate they deserve: the good are allowed to die peacefully, while the wicked drown eternally. Those in between serve as Maab's knights until they have earned their freedom to move on. In her youth, she was kind and gave birth to many children: the selkies. Today, however, she is cold and ignores her children. They still fight the sirens in her name, but Maab has spoken to none of them since she left her original court. Maab appears in any form she desires, with no set pattern, and is the most unpredictable of the queens. Her Champion is Meryth, the abandoned daughter of Elaine. Meryth knows exactly what her duties are, and she is happy to be patient and wait to do it.

Legend also speaks of the Seelie King, but no mortal has ever seen him. He is said to be a great man with the legs of an elk and antlers sprouting from his forehead. They also speak of his son, the Holly Prince, who hunts him in vain every equinox. The Queens never speak of either being. Ever. Some famous types of Sidhe include the Inish aughisky, the water horses. They are the best steeds in the world, who never tire or hunger and can run across water as easy as land - but if they are allowed to be neat the sea, the rider will lose control and be drowned as the aughisky returns home to the water. The most famous, of course, are the Lords and Ladies of the court, tale and angular beings of painful, cold beauty. They consider themselves superior to everyone else and make sure you know it. Then there are the pookas, mischevious shapeshifters. Their natural form is a jet-black man with a goat's head, but they can appear as horses, bulls or dogs, and they try to get mortals to ride them. Once someone does, they'll be dragged off on a wild ride that lasts a whole night and leaves the rider lost and confused at the end. They especially love to do this to thieves and the overconfident. They can be benevolent, though, and guide home those already lost - and, of course, they adore children and would never harm them.

Special mention is due to the selkies, said to be the children of the King of the Sea and Maab. They were beautiful, golden-eyed children who sang and played haunting songs. When Maab vanished, the King sought solace in the arms of a witch (said, perhaps, to be the sirens' queen) - and she hated the children. She cast a terrible enchantment on them, turning them into seals - but their golden eyes remained, and they could still sing, so the king learned of what was done and banished the witch to the depths. The selkies can now take their normal forms only one night per year, when they come ashore and dance, guarded by the MacCodrums. Selkies, unlike many Sidhe, are never cruel, just shy. The MacCodrums are their special friends, and they are unforgiving to any who harm that clan. They also hate the sirens and fight them whenever they can. Last of the Seelie to be mentioned are the shapeshifting spriggans, little creatures with sharp features and spines along their bodies. They can't hurt people at all, but can take the shape of any monster they like with illusions, and they love to scare people and try to force them to pay tolls to cross areas. They also love to steal food, and have destroyed entire crops. Their official duty is to kidnap children and leave changelings in their place. Once captured and revealed, they are perfectly harmless though prone to swearing up a storm.

The Unseelie are more terrible. They appear most often in the dead of night, and run rampant every Hallowe'en (yeah, that's a holiday in Avalon). They especially love to hurt liars and murderers, but they hate basically everyone. The most feared is the goblin Redcap, who lurks in ruined towers and castles, especially those where wicked deeds happened. He appears as a guard with a halberd and bow on his back, but terrifying fangs and bulging eyes, as well as unsettling stains on his clothes. He never speaks, but instead tries to terrify his victims as much as he can before cutting off their heads and wetting his cap in their blood. He cannot be killed, only driven from a site - he'll always show up somewhere else. Many lesser goblins imitate him in the hope of gaining his power, and these can be destroyed. Inish legend says that the O'Bannon once beat the Redcap in a duel of wits, stole his cap and bleached it dry. For this reason, the Redcap hates the Inish most of all.

There is also the Unseelie Host, which appears only on the new moon or especially haunted days. It appears as a swarm of terrifying creatures on leathery wings, who snatch mortals up and bite at them, mutilate livestock, hurl stones at villages and, once done, drop their victims on hard and spiky ground. There are also the firblog, the inhabitants of Inismore before the Sidhe. They leave in cities deep underground, and appear as wretched, misshapen giants. Occasionally they come up to steal children or livestock, and they especially hate the Fianna and love to kill them and put their heads on pikes. The Firbolgs are twelve feet tall and have black skin and eyes. They are terrible braggarts.


We could make mischief but honestly we just don't feel like it.

Now then, some of the important folks of Avalon! Naturally, there is Elaine, who was never told that when she was given to be raised by a minor noble, it was by Derwyddon, who told the man that she must never be allowed to marry and that he'd come for her. After nineteen years, her foster father just gave up and let her get married to her lover - but Derwyddon came just as the wedding began and took Elaine to Bryn Bresail. Her child was torn from her flesh, and she was never told what happened to it. She assuaged her grief with learning, trying to understand the Sidhe to avoid the pain in her heart, and became fascinated by Glamour. At last, she was taken before the three Queens and beat all their challenges, earning the Graal. She and the twelve knights who were brave enough to follow her defeated all who opposed Elaine's ascension and ushered in a new age. Derwyddon, by the by, is not human - but neither is he Sidhe. Even he doesn't know what he is. He remembers when man first came to Avalon, he remembers Elilodd, and he remembers when Elaine was betreyed and her daughter killed all the knights of Avalon. He remembers a tertible bargain, and the time when the Inish and the Highlanders will march on Carleon. He remembers Bors McAllister, and he doesn't like the man, who teaches Elaine lessons of lies and deceit and treachery. He also remembers that he must sleep when he performs his great magics, and the greatest of them take years. He has no choice in what he does, for he sees the future and the past. He has one pure red eye and one pure blue, and tends to only look at people with one at a time. He speaks in riddles and tells people what they don't want to hear, so most of Avalon avoids him like the plague.

The first of the Twelve and the greatest is Lawrence Lugh, who was once a Sidhe - until he was enchanted by a witch, who cut off his hand and replaced it with iron. He was banished from the Sidhe courts for being too hideous to gaze on (that is, not perfect) and he felt great horror at his own eventual death. He has struggled with his new existence, with the intensity of his emotions, and for a long time he was a gibbering madman with constant mood swings. When he joined the knights, though, their code gave him a sense of order that brought sanity and strength. His exploits are legend already, and he fears that without the knights he would slip again into madness. His greatest and most secret emotion is his love for Queen Elaine. He refuses to grow a beard because he hates the idea of looking old, and he is never seen in public out of uniform. Even in private, he never removes the glove that covers his iron hand. And then there is Meryth, Elaine's young daughter. She is a green-skinned girl who pretends to drown to lure knights and young girls to their deaths. Elaine refuses to have anything done about her, however, because...well, it's her daughter and she can't bring herself to hurt the girl more. The knights she kills become her servants, in preparation for the day she'll need them, and the girls become her ladies in waiting.

Then there is King Piram of Breg - the most visible foe of Elaine. He may have kneeled, but he has not forgotten his ambitions. He won't publicly speak out against Elaine, but takes every opportunity to disagree with her and find flaws in her plans. He also spends a lot of time drilling his armies, claiming it's in preparation for the Montaigne. Elaine has yet to give Bors MacAllister the power to act against Piram. Piram is a tall, handsome man with cruel features. And Bors? Bors was a servant of James MacDuff and his father. James sent him to join Elaine's knights to support the queen, and Bors pretended at first to be nothing but a northern barbarian. In truth, he speaks ten languages fluently, understands the etiquette of court perfectly and can read men like a book. The truth was revealed when a group of Castillian ambassadors began discussing plans to undermine Elaine in their native tongue, not realizing MacAllister understood. When they left, he recited their entire conversation to Elaine, who let him handle the situation. Four days later, three radical revolutionaries were found dead in the river. Since then, MacAllister has been in charge of dealing with issues that no one else can handle, things that more honorable men cannot do. The last of the Avalon famous folks is the Highwayman, the most stylish thief in the world. He is a masked man in black on a pale horse, who is always courteous and polite and never harms those he robs unless they resist - and even then, he fights to wound and disable, never to kill. His gentility and power of Glamour have made him famous, and some young women have even planned lengthy journeys in the hopes that he'll rob them. He's got an army of imitators now, and for a while it was the fashion to claim to know him. He's found all this hilarious and is very rich. He now approaches robbery as an artform, and takes pride in his ability to soften the blow with flair and a show. There's a 2000G bounty on his head.

Now, let's talk about the Inish. The O'Bannon was the son of a Sidhe lady and a human. When he was twelve, his mother took him to a river in Bryn Bresail, the River of Forgetfulness. It is there that Sidhe children have the emotion, remose and regret bathed out of them, leaving them cold and immortal. His mother knew he'd never survive, so she held him by the hair when she dipped him in it. His human soul called out to the souls around him, and hundreds came into him to fight his Sidhe nature, which threatened to overwhelm him as his mother hoped it would. When he was pulled out, the battle had not been decided - and he was driven mad by the hundreds of souls within him. He was immortal, but human, Sidhe yet mortal. He fled Bryn Bresail and found himself in Inismore, home of his father - but he found his father had been killed. He spent several months killing everyone at all related to his father's death, ending with the high king of Inismore. He didn't care, and he didn't care when they made him the new high king. He just fled, screaming at the voices in his head. Ever since then, he's come back every so often to claim his throne, though he's not sure why he does. He just does it, because the clear voice in his head, the nice one, tells him to. It's this voice that told him to serve Elaine...and for now, he'll listen to it. The O'Bannon goes barefoot, save when he wears his famous Seven-League striders, and has silvery hair and a youthful face. He is covered in scars that seem to change appearance and location overnight.

Arghyle O'Toole, the current O'Toole, was not, like his predecessors, on the throne when the O'Bannon returned. He was under Avalon rule, and he hated them. They had no respect for the Inish way. When the O'Bannon returned and killed the Avalon ruling Inismore, he threw all his support behind the madman in the hopes that he'd make Inismore free. When the O'Bannon bent knee before Elaine, Arghyle was incensed, and swore he'd see the man dead. He's spent every day working towards removal of the O'Bannon, and he's gathering support - but the Lynches are blocking him, and if they don't stop he may soon arrange an accident. Arghyle was once a cheerful old man, but all his cheer is gone now. His son, Roland O'Toole, captains his merchant fleet and has made the clan rich. He's a coward who never fights fair in hopes that he won't get hurt, and while he's friendly among his family he's sarcastic and rude to outsiders. And, lastly, there is Roary Finnegan. When he was young, he got into a bragging match with another man, aliming he could take a full dozen men. He then found that twelve men were ready to take him up on that bet. He fought them all - and while at the end of the night, he had a black eye, three lost teeth, a broken hand and bitsm issing from his right ear, he'd won. He became the greatest of the Inish prizefighters, and has since retired to Donegal to train others - because there's many men who'd love to be taught by the legendary Fighting Finnegan.

And now, Highlanders!


The most beloved barbarian king in the world!

James MacDuff the II is the current High King of the Highlands. He has been groomed for politics since childhood and is both an honorable man and an extremely skilled politician. He is a quiet, thoughtful man - but a master of verbal combat when he speaks, and his debates have reduced foes to tears before. Currently, he splits his time between advising Queen Elaine and debating with the MacBride seperatists. He respects Fergus MacBride, but hopes that Fergus will realize he might be threatening the entire Highlands. MacDuff is aware that Highlanders are seen as barbarians, and so he tries to act the complete nobleman to dispel such thoughts. He is extremely well educated and the only person other than Elaine in the triple kingdom that is not afraid of the O'Bannon.

His archrival is Fergus MacBride, head of Clan MacBride and the Seperatist movement. Before Elaine, he was a tenacious fighter for Highland independence, and even lived as a fugitive for a while. He became a national hero, and he is a patriot above all. He truly loves the Highlands and doesn't even dislike Elaine or AValon - he just thinks they'd be better off without an alliance. He has no desire for a bloody revolution, but will do everything he can to fight against the alliance in Council. He is a very, very patient man and his mastery of speech rivals even MacDuff's. And, lastly, there is Connie MacDonald. Connie is an old woman who lives in an ancient forge. She rarely goes out and has few visitors. Those who know her rarely speak of her - but there are rumors. She is an iron witch, a Sidhe-killer: a MacEachern. And it's true. She is the eldest of the MacEachern clan, and she has the skills to forge cold iron into deadly weapons. She has been practicing her trade for more than fifty years, and while she rarely makes the famous MacEachern blades, she's let a few secrets of fighting the Sidhe fall to those that need them...and three times in her life, she has made the killing weapons. She has never taught anyone how to do it, or told those who used them where she lived, and she has no idea how they were used. That's how she wants it. Every once in a while, she laughs to herself about how the Sidhe aren't so tough as they think.

Next time: Sidhe powers, MacEachern weapons and Finnegan "fencing"!

The name means nothing to me anymore. I am not my father's daughter. Nor my mother's daughter. I am Maab's daughter. I am Meryth.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: The name means nothing to me anymore. I am not my father's daughter. Nor my mother's daughter. I am Maab's daughter. I am Meryth.


It's advised not to start fights with the Sidhe. Goatheaded men are the least of your worries.

Okay. Sidhe don't actually have stats. They are immune to all normal harm, and anything they do is backed by Glamour. Unless it is dramatically appropiate that they fail, they automatically succeed at everything. They can only be hurt or killed by special cold iron weapons, and will flee if struck by a weapon of unforged iron. However, making a Sidhe run in terror earns the creautre as a terrible nemesis. It won't show up while the weapon's around, but will play countless cruel pranks on the hero as much as it can without being personally present. Getting it to stop is left to the GM.

But Killing a Sidhe? That's not easy. They can be killed, to be sure - but they don't like to remember it. Most of them don't ever think about themselves as mortal and don't understand death - and so the Seelie punish any loss heavily. They can only be killed by special MacEachern weapons, some types of magic and possibly some rare Syrneth artifacts. If the heroes kill a Sidhe in the proper circumstances - either it's Unseelie or they killed it in self-defense or defense of the weak or a loved one, then they might just get away scot free. The other Sidhe won't like it, but that's allowed. They could also get permissions from the Queen of the Fae, though that's very, very rarely given and only to righteous causes. But any other death? That will draw the Seelie ire, and they will send hordes to get their vengeance. A straight-up fight is not advised. Sidhe, in combat, are considered to have 6s in all traits, and can take 7 Dramatic Wounds with a Sidhe-killing weapon before dying; they suffer no penalties until death. Some Sidhe - the Queens, say - can't even be killed by Sidhe-killing weapons.

Now, how does Sidhe Glamour work? It runs on belief. If you think it's real, it's real - and when magic exists, it's easy to see it as real. Thus, Sidhe magic rarely kills, just alters. Some Sidhe can shapeshift or make [pwerful illusions with their Glamour; Sidhe generally can do whatever they like with it as long as it fits their personal story. Including, say, turn you into a toad. They never need to roll for this and it automatically succeeds. They have no limit on how much they can do per Round with it. The catch? The Sidhe aren't native to the world and their power is almost never permanent. Any change they make fades with the rising son - and they can't kill because of this, merely send someone to enchanted sleep. Some Charms can stop Sidhe magic, too - a horseshoe over the door to protect a house, a circle of iron around the body, special ointments. The Sidhe have found some loopholes, though. Naturally, in Bryn Bresail their magic is completely permanent and can do whatever they like. And there are a few ways for a Sidhe to make its power permanent in Théah. First - anyone who steps into a Faerie circle can be permanently enchanted, as can anyone who enters a Faerie hill without protection. Anyone who eats Sidhe food or drinks Sidhe drink can be permanently changed, as can anyone struck by a Sidhe weapon. Anyone who has no Drama Dice to spend can be enchanted, and so can anyone who gives verbal permission. ( Don't do that. )

Now then! New player options! You can spend some points at chargen to be a MacEachern. All MacEachern know how to make the killing weapons, though without smith skills that's not actually useful. However, they always roll an extra kept die when resisting Glamour, and are considered to always have one unspendable Drama Die left when resisting Sidhe sorcery - so they're hard for a Sidhe to kill, as noted above. They can also make an unbroken circle of twelve iron knives around themselves, which will stop all Sidhe magic completely. They must keep their heritage secret from the Sidhe or be hounded to a cruel death, though. You can also have a MacEachern weapon! When those strike a Sidhe, they roll for wounds as normal...but instead of a wound check, just divide the rolled wounds by 5. That's how many Dramatic wounds you do. No note on which way to round; I'd go with up, this is points spent on a weapon whose sole special property is 'can kill the Sidhe.' Oh, and you shouldn't have more than one around - if there are two in the same place, any Sidhe will be able to detect them easily.

You can also buy Sidhe blood! A Sidhe-blooded hero gets to buy a package of blessings and curses that his blood provides. Naturally, any contradictory blessings and curses can't be taken together. They include: Any appearance advantage, keen senses, being large or small, and some new ones. Child of the Earth lets the hero sense impending earthquakes like animals do, and when taking falling damage the stuff they land on is considered one category softer than normal. Child of the Sea lets the hero sense storms, and are considered to have 3 more Resolve for the Drowning rules. Child of the Sky gives you use of a Glamour knack once per Act without spending a Drama Die. Fearful Countenance makes you scary, while Good Reputation gives you an extra Reputation die when dealing with the Sidhe and a discount to buying Sidhe weapons. Slow Aging and Immunity to Disease causes you to age at half speed and be immune to all diseases, as you might guess. Smell Glamour lets you detect when a Sidhe or Glamour mage is using Glamour within 30 feet, and it doesn't have to be via smell. Now, the Curses lower the cost of Sidhe Blood - which is good, because it's pretty damn expensive. Cold-Hearted makes you less emotional, like the Sidhe. You can never have True Love except via magical means and you get bored of relationships easily. Whenever you have a romance, you must ended it by the beginning of the next story and when you do you lose 3 Reputation points. You also begin the game with a 2-point Lost Love background that never gives bonus XP. Diurnal causes you to lose two dice to all rolls when not in direct sunlight. Gifts causes you to be enchanted to have to return the favor when anyone gives you a gift, and causes you to cumulatively lose a die to all rolls each day you don't. Iron Susceptability causes cold iron weapons to deal an additional due of damage to you, and MacEachern weapons to deal an additional kept die of damage. Iron Vulnerability causes you to lose a die from all actions until the end of the scene if you touch cold iron, and cold iron weapons deal an extra kept die of damage to you. MacEachern weapons treat you as a full-blooded Sidhe. Nocturnal causes you take a penalty of one die when in direct sunlight. Running Water keeps you from crossing running water without a bridge. You just can't. And Sea Bound causes you to take a -2 penalty to all rolls when more than ten miles from a body of salt water.

You can also take a Gesa, which we'll discuss more when we talk about Druid magic. Or a Sidhe weapon! Sidhe blades are light and deadly, able to be wielded with Fencing Weapon or Heavy Weapon. Swords are 4k2 weapons in Avalon and 3k2 elsewhere, while daggers are 2k2 in Avalon and 1k2 elsewhere. Either allows you to act a little faster than you should. Sidhe bows and arrows, meanwhile, are also special. Their bowstrings never break, and the arrows can always be retrieved. Anyone killed by a Sidhe arrow doesn't actually die, but instead falls into enchanted sleep for as long as the GM desires. There are also new rules for longbows, which differ from normal bows only in having 200-foot range, and the Highlands cclaymore, which are huge and heavy and unwieldy, dealing 3k2 damage. Any attack roll suffers a -1 penalty, but all damage rolls with claymores get a +1 bonus.

Now, let's talk fencing. The Finnegan School of fencing! Which isn't fencing. You don't learn to use a sword and people who learn Finnegan are not considered Swordsmen. This is because Finnegan School is a boxing style, taught by the famous Roary "Fighting" Finnegan, which teaches the user to put their weight on the balls of their feet instead of the heel, to move in circles and to use sidesteps, uppercuts and roundhouses instead of quick jabs. The big weakness of Finnegan is a tendency to hang back and observe, and someone who presses the attack and forces the Finnegan fighter onto the defensive can knock them off balance. All Finnegan fencers learn how to duck around foes, acting faster whenever their opponent misses them. Apprentices also learn how to punch hard , rolling 0k2 base damage for barehanded attacks instead of 0k1. Journeymen learn how to take hits and roll with blows, so whenever they fail a Wound check, they divide the amount they failed by in half (rounding down) before suffering any Dramatic Wounds. Masters...well, Masters learn Roary's secret: a man fights better with some beer in his belly. They reverse all penalties from inebriation into bonuses for purposes of attack and damage rolls, wound checks and active defense. They also never, ever pass out from overdrinking, and Able Drinkers, who normally ignore inebriation penatlies, can use these bonuses.

So yeah. Drunken Irish boxing.

The Goodfellow "fencing" school is, likewise, not fencing. It's archery. It is the technique originating with Robin Goodfellow, and its practitioners learn to arc their fire, build special, powerful bows and fire arrows at amazing rates. Goodfellow style produces the best archers in the world, but it suffers from a fatal flaw: there is a pause before loosing every shot which an enemy can take advantage of to fire off a shot of their own or get out of the way. Goodfellow "swordsmen" do not get free admittance to the Swordsmen, much like Finnegan "swordsmen". They all learn to Arc their fire, which increases their range. Apprentices also learn how to build a bow, and any damage rolls made with their personal bow add their Brawn, much as melee weapons do. Journeymen have learned to aim and fire, and learn now how to load faster. They can make two attacks per action, but if they do both attacks suffer a -2 penalty. Masters get a free +1 to Finesse, which also raises their maximum possible Finesse by 1.

And lastly, there is the MacDonald School, which actually is fencing. MacDonald fencers are the fiercest of the Highlands, who learn to use their claymores with deadly skill. Their style is wild and unpredictable, ignoring defense in favor of devastating blows that can take foes down in a single hit. The big weakness? Well, no finesse. A clever, quick foe can wear them down as long as they can avoid getting hit. Apprentice MacDonalds ignore the penalty to attack normally given by the claymore. Journeyman MacDonald fencers learn how to swing their swords with wild abandon, and may voluntarily take as many dice penalties to Attack as they want. If they hit, all of those dice are added to the damage roll. Masters have learned to put their whole body into swings, roll an extra kept die on all claymore damage rolls.

Now, Elaine's knights. There's a few rules if you want to be one. First, you have to be Avalon, Inish or Highlander. You must swear a ow to serve Elaine and Avalon. You must either be a Glamour mage or know one of Donovan, MacDonald or Goodfellow fencing. You must serve a specific member of the Twelve - and note, it can't be Lawrence Lugh, who has no direct command, or Jeremiah Berek, whose "knights" are the Sea Dogs. Talk to the GM about who your boss is. You do get a free 0-point Patron, though! You get no income from that, but they'll happily give out advice. However, you must keep your Reputation above 5 or you'll be kicked out of the order, and you may not belong to any other knightly order, including the Rose and Cross.

And now, let's talk magic. Druid sorcery is pretty cheap, because it's not really as good as normal sorcery. It is the power of secrets, of the stars and trees, the wind and shadow. Druid magic can be learned, unlike most sorcery which is in the blood. It ignores effects that stop sorcery, as a result - but no sorcerer may ever learn "shamanic magic" like the Druid school. Druids base their rolls on the season, except at night, when they use their Moon knack instead of a seasonal one, except on new moons. During the new moon and the Prophet's Mass, they roll just using wits, with no knacks. Apprentices learn the Auspices, allowing them to, three times per story, add their ascendant knack's rating to any roll made by another hero after it's been rolled. This may only be used once per roll. Adepts, or Bards, learn to place lesser gesa. Gesa can only be placed on full heroes or villains, and no target may have more than two lesser gesa at a time. A druid can have up to three lesser gesa active on people at once. What a lesser gesa does is place restrictions on the target's actions. If they perform the restricted action, they break the gesa and it goes away. If they don't, they get 1 bonus XP at the end of the story per active lesser gesa. You have to make a roll and spend Drama dice to place a gesa - 3 dice for gesa that are easy to uphold ("never eat dog")m 2 for harder to avoid ones ("never bathe") and 1 for very hard to avoid ones ("always offer hospitality to strangers"), as determined by the GM. If you fail the roll, you still lose the Drama dice. Anyone who breaks a lesser Gesa may not have new Gesa placed on them until the next story. And masters, or Ollamdh, learn to place greater gesa, which restrict how the target can die. Only when the condition is fulfilled can they be killed - anything else will ensure they somehow survive. Even if they do get really beaten up. To place one, you spend three drama dice and make a tough roll, stating that the target can only be killed by a specific weakness, such as "fire" or "your own horse" or "a dead man" or "a red-headed man" or "a left-handed woman". Only one trait can be attached, though - you can't go for a one-eyed, red-headed left-handed man. Anyway, there is a penatly here: when attacked by their weakness, the Hero is nearly helpless. They can't spend Drama dice while the weakness threatens them or make Active Defenses against it. If they suffer twice their Resolve in Dramatic Wounds from the weakness, they immediately die, period, and the damage can never be healed, even by sorcery. The GM can also creatively interpret the weakness - so "a dead man" might be fulfilled by a man whom everyone thinks is dead. The secret rank above ollamdh, Druid, has even greater powers, but PCs don't get to be full druids. There's only seven of them, period.

And where would we be without new Glamour knacks? Those are fun!

Anne o' the Wind (Finesse) was a legendary woman who beat the four winds in a race. As a prize, she was given a cup that was always full of wine, a pot that was always full of stew and a bag that was always full of bread - and a good thing, too, because the race had made her so hungry that she sat down and ate for three months straight.
Apprentices can add 5 times their rank in Anne o' the Wind to their Initiative total for one round. Adepts can add their rank in Anne o' the Wind to their Sprinting knack for a round. Masters can immediately spend all actions for a round at once at the beginning of a round, before anyone else can act. (If multiple mages use this at once, they go in order of initiative.)

Blackcloak (Finesse) was the greatest thief in Avalon's history, who could climb any wall and pick any lock, and he never left any trace of his passing.
Apprentices can hide the traces of their passing for one scene, increasing the TN of anyone trying to track them by 5 per rank in Blackcloak. Adepts can reduce the TN of a single Climbing check by 10 times their rank in Blackcloak. And Masters can reduce the TN of a single Lockpicking check by 10 times their rank in Blackcloak.

Iron Meg (Brawn) was the toughest woman who ever lived. She ate nails for breakfast and swords for supper, and she once caught a cannonball fired at her and took a bite out of it while it was still burning hot, just to mock the gunners who fired it.
Apprentices may instantly heal themselves of 5 Flesh Wounds per rank of Iron Meg. Adepts can instantly cance the effects of any one type of poison that they're suffering from. Masters can automatically succeed at a wound check as long as its TN is less than or equal to 100.

Isaac Snaggs (Wits) had the fastest hands in the world. Once, while he served with the Avalon army, his unit ran out of arrows for their bows. So Isaac ran in front of the enemy and caught every arrow they fired, using them to replenish the stores and allowing Avalon's forces to beat the Montaigne army.
Apprentices can add double their rank in Isaac Snaggs to an Active Defense total after they've rolled it. Adepts can catch any thrown missile weapon or arrows so long as they have a free hand, automatically succeeding on an Active Defense and taking no damage as they catch the weapon. Masters can do that to bullets, too.

Jeremiah Berek (Panache) is a living legend, and Glamour mages can draw on his infinite luck to gain a measure of his power.
Apprentices can add twice their rank in Jeremiah Berek to any single roll after it's been rolled. Adepts can activate their power before making a roll, causing any dice that explode to roll and keep two more dice instead of just one. Masters can activate their power after failing a roll to re-roll the check, though if they fail a second time, they have to keep that roll even if it's worse. This ability may only be used once a roll, and does not stack with other re-roll abilities.

King Elilodd (Wits) forged a lasting friendship with the Sidhe, and was well able to negotiate with and make deals with them.
Apprentices may add give times their King Elilodd rank to any single use of the Repartee system against a Sidhe. Only Charm and other positive effects can be used against Seelie, while only Intimidate and other negative effects can be used against Unseelie. Adepts may call on the nearest Sidhe for aid. If they succeed on a roll, a Seelie will answer their call and help you in exchange for a later repayment. If you fail badly enough, though, an Unseelie will show up - and if it doesn't just try to kill you for calling it, the price it demands for aid will be much harsher. Masters may create a ten-foot-wide circle centered on themselves which Unseelie cannot enter. If they're in the circle when it goes up, they are hurled out of it. Unseelie also can't use their magic on you or anyone in the area while this is active. You can maintain the effect until you next go to sleep, but you must stay in the same place to maintain the protection.

Mad Jack O'Bannon (Brawn) is, like Berek, a living legend - but he's been around a lot longer. Tales tell of his ability to disappear behind anything, appear out of anywhere and even take his own life only to rise again in the morning.
Apprentices can activatee their power while standing behind anything that partially covers them in order to disappear, turning invisible as long as they don't move. If you peek out around the object, though, the upper half of your body will become visible until you stop, and you are not inaudible. Adepts may step behind one object and step out from behind another object within 100 feet per rank of Mad Jack O'Bannon. Masters can spend three Drama dice when killed to return to life the next morning, fully healed and purged of all harmful substances. However, their Brawn drops by 2 when they rise again, and if that'd drop their Brawn below 0, they are dead for good.

King Robert the Dark (Resolve) united the Highland Marches with his powerful personalitiy, and great victories became associated with his name. Even today, skilled leaders are said to have Robert's Blessing.
Apprentices may add their Rank in Robert to their general's Strategy rolls for a round in mass combat. Up to three mages can do this at once, or five if the general's a MacLeod. Adepts can add their rank in Robert to their personal results roll in mass combat. Masters may add twice their rank in LEadership to the next roll of up to five people they pick, which can include themselves. They can't pick the same person more than once. If the bonus is not used by the end of the scene, it goes away.

St. Rogers (Panache) was the first pirate ever. It's said that his ship was a part of him, and when he vanished, his ship died with him. They say the two lie together in St. Rose's Coffin, but none know for sure.
Apprentices may add three times their St. Rogers rating to any check involving the Sailor skill. Adepts may instantly heal a ship they're touching of one Critical Hit (which is like a Dramatic Wound for a ship). Masters may become the ship they're piloted, allowing them to use the highest of their or the ship's traits for any roll. This ends as soon as they let go of the ship's wheel, and while active, any Dramatic Wounds suffered become Critical hits on the ship and vice versa. Also, once - and only once - in their lifetime, a St. Rogers Master can bless a ship, permanently granting it one of three abilities: the ship may get Reputation, which it can spend as if it were a Glamour mage. It gets reputation dice equal to the total of the crew's reputation dice divided by 10, rounding down. The ship can be blessed with a permanent, cap-breaking +2 to any one trait. LAstly, it can be given the ability to pilot itself, keeping it from running into any obstacles or reefs (regardless of normal movement limitations) unless the pilot actively tries to hit them.

The Stone Knight (Resolve) was a legendary defender who called for help across a hundred miles and held a narrow pass for a day and a night against an entire army. As soon as reinforcements arrived, though, he dropped dead of exhaustion.
Apprentices may shout for help, choosing a number of people equal to or less than their Stone Knight rank, who will hear the call no matter what the distance is and will immediately know where you were when you shouted. Adepts may ignore a Fear rating less than or equal to their Stone Knight rank for a scene. Masters can choose a patch of ground, bridge or whatever no more than ten feet wide and ten feet long. Until a sunrise and sunset have passed, as long as they stay on that spot they can neither die nor be crippled. They can still suffer Dramatic wounds, they just ignore them until the effect ends. Leaving the area ends it immediately. When the power ends, if you've taken three or more times your Resolve in Dramatic Wounds, you drop dead on the spot.

Next time: Magic items, secrets of the Avalon people and rules for if players insist on playing a Sidhe.

Your greatest love will bring your darkest day.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: Your greatest love will bring your darkest day.

We're almost done with the Avalon book now. We're going to start off talking about magic items. One of the four great items of Avalon is Firinbrand, the sword wielded by Lawrence Lugh. It's a 4k4 weapon that the Champion of the Lady of the Lake can wield without any penalty for being unskilled - though he's got enough skill that at present that hardly matters. While in AValon, Inismore or the Highlands, the wielder of Firinbrand cannot be harmed by bladed weapons so long as he bears its sheath. Also, Firinbrand can cut through anything, even dracheneisen - so nothing provides armor against it. Ever. It's less famous than the Graal, though. The Graal has little direct power, but it can only be touched by Elaine - others can touch it only when she does, I assume, to let them drink from it. As long as the ruler of Avalon is true to the land, the Graal protects it from falling to its enemies.

Then there are the Seven League Striders, of which a few exist. Normally, they are owned only by the O'Bannon, druids and bards. When worn by a druid, they can be used to teleport anywhere in sight, though this can't be used in combat or indoors. Anyone wearing them, though, gets a +1 bonus to Finesse for all noncombat actions. Some varieties exist that let people jump really high. Then there's Theus' Cup, a magical golden goblet. Spending a Drama die and drinking whatever liquid is placed in it will heal the drinker of all wounds - but the cup's magic only works once for any given person, ever. Once healed by it, it can never heal that person again. There's the Tinder Box, which contains any useful gear that might fit within a 3 inch by 4 inch by 6 inch area. The bearer has only to think of the object, and it will appear in the box. The items disappear after a day, and no more than 20 of any given item can be called forth in a single day. It also can't summon or create money - just useful adventuring gear. And lastly, the Unseelie Cup, the dark reflection of the Graal. It is a twisted black goblet, and any who drink from it become deathly pale for one day and one night. At night, they glow with a soft green light, and while affected by the Cup, they gain Keen Senses and Night Vision. However, anyone who drinks from the cup is marked, and any Unseelie who sees them after will know - and the Unseelie tend not to be kind with those they think have stolen their cup. Not that they're ever kind.


The Sidhe have odd fashion sense.

Now, you might want to play a Sidhe. Naturally, a true Sidhe is far too powerful to be allowed, so any Sidhe Hero will not be immortal or have all the powers of a Sidhe. The book advises against Sidhe Heroes, and definitely against having more than one around. They warn that any Sidhe player should keep in mind that Sidhe lack true emotion and are very inexperienced with it. Players will be "Fallen" Sidhe, turned mortal either as punishment, curse or because they felt true emotion. They are bound to the human world now and can never return to live in Bryn Bresail. They are new to their bodies, which bear all the weight of mortality. Unlike normal heroes, Sidhe begin with 2s in all traits instead of 1s, and naturally have Legendary Trait for all traits, so they can get up to 6. They cannot learn a number of skills - generally "coarser" and less refined ones, or ones involving technology, science and medicine. They cannot buy Advantages, but instead get a free package: Appearance at 10 points and Dangerous Beauty, one of Combat Reflexes or Keen Senses, one of Large or Small, the Slow Aging and Immunity to Disease and Smell Glamour blessings from Sidhe Blood, and up to 10 points of Sidhe equipment, with a -1 point discount. They have the same 100 points to spend as normal heroes. However, they have no Drama Dice and can never get any unless given some by magic. They cannot have Virtues or Hubrises and can never activate Villainous Flaws. They all have full-blood Glamour sorcery. Sidhe begin with 10 reputation points and a number of Glamour dice equal to their Reputation plus their highest Trait, and gain glamour dice the way normal people gain drama dice. They cannot, however, turn these into XP - just use them to boost rolls or activate magic. They also all suffer from the Iron Vulnerability, Iron Susceptibility, Salt Vunerability, Running Water and Gifts curses of Sidhe Blood.

Wait. Salt Vulnerability wasn't listed. What? Oh, and anyone who uses the Repartee system on them gets a two die bonus.

Anyway, from here let's move on to GM secrets. Elaine has two important ones. First, she is well aware of the fact that Meryth is her daughter, and knows that Meryth is a grave danger to her rule. However, she cannot find it in herself to order the death of her only child. Bors MacAllister has offered, but she's refused. She also knows the secret of the Graal: she must devote herself to Avalon above all to keep its magic strong. If she were ever to love anyone more than the Avalon isles, she would lose the Graal forever. She has vowed never to find out what that would do. She suffers terrible nightmares now of Derwyddon's darkest prophecy: "Your greatest love will bring your darkest day." She knows she has to do something - but what can she do? Derwyddon, meanwhile, has no stats. He succeeds when the GM wants him to and fails when the GM wants him to. He has all druid powers listed and automatically succeeds at any Gesa he places. He cannot be harmed by any means. He also remembers literally everything except one thing: he cannot see himself in any of his visions, except one: he knows he will be forever trapped in a teardrop at some point. He really, really hates Bors MacAllister, but he can't do anything about it and knows that Bors is important somehow.

Lawrence Lugh has none of the benefits or penalties of being a Sidhe hero, because of his iron hand. So long as it's on his body, his Glamour is suppressed completely and he has no sorcery. He is, however, a master of Donovan, MacDonald and Leegstra fencing - and he has a Gesa that says he can only be killed while kissing his true love. Which is Elaine. Lawrence suffers no special harm from MacEachern weapons as a result of his hand, and when punching with it, he deals 0k2 base damage. Lawrence is afraid of death, but doesn't understand it and has gotten his reputation for courage in part because he never truly grasps the danger he is in when adventuring. In part, it's also because he hates the idea of growing old and would prefer to die young. He keeps his love for Elaine hidden as best he can because he knows the terms of the Graal. Meryth, meanwhile, has no stats, like Derwyddon. She is immune to all mortal harm and automatically succeeds at anything she does so long as she's standing in at least a foot of seawater. She hates and resents her mother, and while she has been granted knowledge beyond her years by Maab, she remains emotionally a child.

King Piram is a Donovan Master and full-blooded Glamour sorcerer. He also is Maab's lover and plans to rule AValon in place of Elaine, at Maab's urgings. He can't act yet, though - but Maab's told him his moment is coming. Bors MacAllister is, in fact, Elaine's black knight, doing all the terrible things a queen needs done. He's a pretty sensible fellow and has never abused Elaine's trust - he doesn't want power, just to do what needs to be done. He has taken efforts to limit his own influence, in fact, and really prefers to do things personally. The Highwayman is a full-blooded Glamour sorcerer, a gentry member named Phineas Flynn. He inherited a lot of debt and he took to robbery to pay it off, specializing in using the Jack knack to disguise himself. He's long since paid his debts and now just keeps the money to live well. When not being the Highwayman, he's an unassuming fellow who just wants to have a good time.

The O'Bannon is exactly what he appears to be: an immortal madman. He has no stats and is considered to have every Glamour knack at 5. Even though the rules say you can't do that. He can only be harmed by MacEachern weapons, and must suffer 10 Dramatic Wounds to be killed. Any time he successfully hits (with an 8k5 pool), he either instantly kills or knocks out his target, at the GM's option. Arghyle O'Toole, as you might guess, plans to usurp his throne. He is trying to make an alliance with Fergus MacBride, though it's still just tentative right now. He's also seeking out MacEachern weapons. He is also meeting with Esteban Verdugo of Castille - Arghyle's a devout Vaticine thanks to the rejection of the O'Tooles by the Sidhe, and he'd like to have the Inquisition helping him out. His son Roland just wants to make his father happy - and will do anything to do that. Right now, that means sailing for the Highlands to get ahold of MacEachern blades. Roary Finnegan, meanwhile, has no secrets. He's just the best hand-to-hand fighter in the known world.

James MacDuff is a master of MacDonald fencing and has no sorcery. He cares first about the Marches, and believes that the alliance will truly help his country. However, should that change, so would his plans. He's attracted to Elaine but doesn't let that blind him to the fact that she is Queen first, woman second. He'll flirt, but has no plans to make it serious. Fergus MacBride is a full-blood Glamour sorcerer and unlike the O'Toole or Piram, he's fervently loyal to James MacDuff. He's got great respect for the High King and would never seek to undermine him. Rather, all he wants is to break away from Avalon, which he thinks is what's best for the Highlands. He doesn't fight on issues he can't win, and he wants no outside help: this is a Highlander battle, thank you very much. Connie MacDonald, meanwhile, is an old woman and knows it. She's looking for someone she can trust to be her successor, since she has no children.

Then, we have some notes on how to portray Glamour. In summary, it's meant to be mysterious, full of secrets hidden in plain sight. It can be known, but not understood. The Sidhe are similar - they are inhuman and alien, and should be shown to be such. Even when they are known, they are beyond human understanding. They lack the imagination and passion of humanity, and that is what so fascinates the Sidhe. They love to watch and play with humans, to see what they don't have. This is why their culture is a distorted mirror of humanity's. Most of Avalon's famous monsters started as humans, but became infamous and were twisted by the Glamour into hideous creatures.

For example, the Inish Banesidhe. She is a terrible creature who haunts the dying, and it's said that she appears as a pale woman in a green dress, with a wide, snakelike mouth and blood-red eyes. Her shriek can apparently kill those she haunts, and can turn the healthy people around that person into gray-haired, red-eyed people. Then there's the Hounds of Night and Fog - creatures of the Highlands who hunt travelers and appear as great dogs and wolves with strangely human features. They hunt and disembowel their prey - and those who survive are infected and will join their ranks if not cured. The hounds can only be harmed by cold iron or silver, and if you can survive them for a night, the will never harm you again.

Then there's the giant Jack-in-Irons, a convicted murderer who struck a deal with the Unseelie to escape his cell the night before his hanging. When the bailiff came in the next day, he found Jack was missing, as were his chains and the stones they were chained to. For decades after, he would assault travellers, who heard his chains before they saw him. With every attack, he got bigger and meaner. Now, he's thirty feet tall and still wrapped in chains. He carries a club but often prefers to attack with his bare hands, collecting heads on his belt. Or then there's Jenny Greenteeth, once a wise woman of Inismore. She grew jealous of the happiness around her, and the hatred poisoned her heart. She began smothering children and eating them, and when discovered, she fled into the swamps. There, she turned into a monster, and now she appears in swamps across the isles, enticing travellers to be drowned. She has long, skeletal arms that end in talonlike fingers, and her famously green teeth are wicked and barbed. She'll eat anyone, but she especially loves children. She never reveals her true, hideous form until it's too late.

Last of all are the Will o' the Wisps. They are resentful ghosts of travelers, dead of misfortune. They appear as glowing balls of light, usually near bogs or caves - wherever the traveler died, really. And they appear only at night. The ghosts appear to the lost, pretending to be lantern light, and try to entice people to follow them to their dooms. This can lead to clusters of Will o' the Wisps in one place. They have no material form and so cannot be harmed - but at least they are incapable of hurting people directly. The only way to dispel them is to find the original body of the ghost and bury it within a mile of a permanent road.

Next time: The 7th Sea Villains' Kit! Also, because that'll be like a paragraph or so, Nations of Théah, Volume III: Montaigne.

What of the new prisoners, sir?

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: What of the new prisoners, sir?



7th Sea Villain's Kit

The Villain's Kit is two things - first, a book that provides some useful but not all that interesting advice on constructing Villains, Henchmen and Brute Squads. It also came with membership in Novus Ordum Mundi, the 7th Sea fanclub. It also contained a brief introductory adventure for the idea of the Fan Club Adventures. These were how the metaplot would be decided, apparently: you'd run the adventure, then fill out a brief set of answers for important questions about the adventure, then send that to AEG. They'd use the collected answers to decide what canon would be. I think.

The adventure's pretty brief. The players are in a battle between pirates and a merchant ship. The merchant's the bad guy, by the way. After defeating him, they get a map to a lost treasure, but part of it's missing. The only person who has it is in a Montaigne prison. (Important questions: did the merchant's pilot and captain survive? Did any of the crew escape?) The heroes thus break that guy out of the island prison, which isn't easy. They can use whatever means they like. They'll not want to let him get out with his friend, though, and there's a chance to rescue two other people. (Important questions: Which NPCs survived and escaped?) They can then follow the map, assuming that it was not stolen during the last part, and there they find a giant spider guarding a reef, with quite a bit of treasure. including a stone tablet with four indentations. One has a ruby in it, and anyone who touches the ruby and spends a Drama die becomes immune to fire damage for a scene. (Important questions: Did they find the reef? Did they kill the spider? Who got the tablet?)

That's basically it for the Villain's Kit. They also provide a generic tavern location if you want to insert it somewhere, rules on changing Brute stats for different nations, and the advice. But really, kinda boring.



Nations of Théah, Book III: Montaigne

We begin with a short piece of fiction detailing the events of Montegue's Stand, when the rifleman Montegue held the line and defeated the entire gathered army of Castille and the Church. Montegue's best friend and sniper, an Eisen named Karl, takes out a commander in a single shot. Montegue then organizes the line so that there will be near-constant fire, as men fire, rotate back, reload and fire as the next group rotates back. It works perfectly: Castille has no idea how to handle it. We then get a bit of fiction about Empereur Léon Alexandre XIV. He is surrounded by wealth, but it is dull to him now. He is discussing things with an imprisoned mirror ghost, the only being he trusts - because it cannot betray him. He dislikes Montegue, who is a commoner that is loved by the people in a way he never has been. He hates the man, and hates that he gave the man rank. However, he is very happy with the move of marrying his daughter to Montegue, thinking it will ensure a male heir. He tells the ghost about his plans to have Montegue killed in Ussura.

Now then! History. Montaigne's origins lie with the first sorcerers - specifically, Senator Octavius Montanus, the man who would father the Montaigne. The Montanus family ruled in the West for centuries, apparently untouchable - until Imperator Carleman. He reduced their power massively, and on his death left the area that would be Montaigne to his son Charles. However, to maintain stability, Charles was forced to marry Isabeau Montanus. Within five years, Charles died and Isabeau was his only heir. She married her cousin, Léon Alexandre Montanus, and named the nation Montaigne, changing her name to Isabeau du Montaigne. Montaigne was the local language's translation of 'Montanus', see. She divided the nation into eight provinces, and her husband was a puppet ruler for her, remembered as Léon the Weak.

When the Third Prophet came, the Montaigne royals had to hide their magic for the first time, as the Vaticine became violent. This proved to be wise, as the Castille royals were destroyed soon after for not hiding their own power. Montaigne's king formed the Lightning Guard in response, for protection. In 1028, Henri du Montaigne invaded Avalon and conquered it, with the aid of the Leveque family. A soldier named Lucien delivered the body of the King of Avalon to the Montaignes, and was granted rule of Avalon, becoming Sir Lucien Savary du Lac, since the king died next to a lake. He ruled well, but his descendants integrated with the natives and Avalon became psuedo-independent. After 600 years, AValon threw off the Montaigne yoke entirely, and the last loyal Montaigne family, the Savaries, fled for their lives. They were stripped of their title and name, and now are known only as the "du Lac" family.

More recently, when Imperator Riefenstahl took the Eisen throne in 1636, the Church pressured Montaigne to join the war against the Eisen reformists. However, Léon XIV held a grudge against the Church and declared that he'd rather see Eisen in ruins than Montaigne. When the war had devastated most of Eisen, Montaigne invaded along with several other nations, and the Imperator was forced to sign the Treaty of Weissberg, turning over large amounts of land to the invaders. Many refugees ended up joining Montaigne's army. In 1664, Léon openly declared his sorcery, and that Montaigne would shelter sorcerers from the Church. The Hierophant issued a statement of disapproval, but didn't know what else to do. The High Inquisitor did, though, and two years later he led an army on Montaigne, reaching the capital via diversions with a minimum of bloodshed, the army days behind them. Only the Lightning Guard were there to defend the King, and they were outnumbered five to one.

The battle went poorly, with half the Montaigne dying in the first volley. The army was forced to the palace, the Cháteau du Soleil, and the Lightning Guard closed the gates before they could enter. At last, only a single division remained, led by a corporal named Montegue. He organized the survivors into an extremely efficient formation to drive out the Castillians, and snipers were used to take down officers. At last, the Castillians fled under Montegue's fire, the Lightning Guard chasing them out. Montegue was promoted to High General of Montaigne and married the King's youngest daughter. He was then ordered to invade Castille. Montegue's leadership allowed for swift seizure of two full provinces, though a small portion of the province of Zepeda maintained heavy resistance, and the advance stalled. Out of nowhere, Montegue was called back to Charouse and sent out again to invade Ussura. Since his departure, the Castille war has been a disaster; for more information, we'll see the Castille book later. For now, we just have to know that as long as the fortress El Morro and the new structure called La Muralla al Ultimo, the Last Wall (a wall along the front line, protecting southern Castille), stand, then Montaigne will be stuck in a stalemate that kills more and more men.

Now, the noble families of Montaigne! There is, of course, the Montaigne family - the royals. Only the Empereur, his wife, his children, some cousins and the husbands of his daughters can claim the name 'Montaigne'. Montaignes have effectively infinite income and get double points for Sorcery knacks during chargen; GMs are told not to let players be them most of the time. Then there's the Allais du Crieux. They are a wealthy family whose control of key ports have allowed them to even refuse the Empereur's demands on occasion. Their current leader is Douard Allais du Crieux, his nephew Fench and his sister Julie. Douard is a stubborn man, while Fench is a witty courtier and Julie is the host of the famous Spring Ball, when young nobles are presented to society. Allais nobles receive an extra 100G per month but have two fewer Reputation dice when at court in Charouse.

Next is the Flaubert du Doré family, led by Pierre Flaubert du Doré. They got very rich recently by converting all their farmland into cattle ranches - but it's put a huge crimp in food for the war effort. A famine is starting, largely because of Pierre's decision, and the family is being shunned as a result. Pierre is a hotheaded man out to improve his family at any cost. Other notable members are his brother Xavier and his daughter Sylvia. Xavier is one of Montaigne's best diplomats, and Sylvia is one of the most eligible bachelorettes in the nation. Flauberts begin with an extra 150G per month but have one fewer Reputation dice in Montaigne. After that is the Riché du Paroisse family, who control a large part of Montaigne, taxing traffic along the Sineuse River. They are renowned (and mocked) for their ferocity, called "terriers" - though doing so is likely to get you challenged to a duel. Their current leader is Mariana Riché du Paroisse, one of the more gentle of her family. Her uncle Jardin is retired admiral, and her grandson Albion is a very skilled duelist. Richés get the Small advantage free, and get 2 more points than normal if they take the Hotheaded Hubris; however, they must pay 2 points more than normal if they want the Self-Controlled Virtue. They also receive 100G less per month than normal and their maximum Brawn is reduced by 1.

Next family is the Leveque d'Aur, masters of the Leveque War College. The Leveques have led every succesful invasion of Avalon, and the commoners believe the family have some sort of power against the Sidhe. As a result of their victories, their land is tax-free in perpetuity - thus, they are d'Aur, not du Aur. They are the land, not just of it. They also tend to be less comfortable with nonmilitary life. Their current leader's name is Victor, famous for his cold demeanor and his skill in battle. His son Luc is an officer who leads the forces assaulting El Morro, both of whose elder brothers have died doing the same job; Luc has been sent to redeem the family name, even though his death will leave the family without an heir. Victor's niece Irene is a famous singer who is having an affair with the widower Pierre Flaubert du Doré. Leveques cannot be taxed in Montaigne and receive the Academy advantage free. However, all Civil Skills cost them more points at chargen and more XP afterwards. Also, they tend to have a close eye kept on them by l'Empereur. After them are the Duboise du Arrent, owners of the largest and most food-producing province. They're a very large family, currently led by a man named Samuel, known to be generous. He often donates money to the poor. His aunt Anne is a major socialite, his cousin Georges is a bishop in the Vaticine Church and has recently disappeared, and his nephew Guy is a famous scholar. Samuel has posted a 1000G reward for the return of his cousin, no questions asked. Duboise nobles get the Friendly virtue at half price and get a free Raise to all Reputation actions in Montaigne. However, they only get half points if they take the Proud hubris and it costs them more to learn Martial skills.

Next up: the Valroux du Martise! They're famous for their swords, their trading and their wit. They're the inventors of the Valroux style, and have made a lot of enemies, which are threatening their trade interests. The Valroux are somewhat standoffish and isolated, and most nobles don't like them. Their current leader is "Grandmother" Madeleine Sabine Valroux du Martise, a lady of common sense and grace whom any of the family would die for. Her son Victor is rumored to be a smuggler and her grandson Sébastien is one of the three finest duelists in Montaigne (and also estranged from his father). Valrouxs get a discount to learning Valroux and get a free Raise to all Taunt and Intimidate actions against Montaignes. However, all other Reputation actions are harder for them in Montaigne and they have an extra cost to all Montaigne styles that aren't Valroux. Then there's the Bisset du Verre, who control a key port for resupplying troops in Castille. They'd prefer the war not end, as it makes them lots and lots of money; this hasn't helped their reputation for greed. Their current leader's name is Claude, a highly intelligent man with a talent for doing math in his head. His grandfather Maurice is a crotchety old man who's got lots of money - and no real taste for his younger relatives. Claude's sister Paulette is a famous political satirist who recently got ahold of a recepit showing that a hundred peasants could be fed for six months for the price of one of the Empereur's outfits...though if it's published, she may vanish from society forever. In the meantime, she holds some clout because no one wants to upset her. Bissets get extra points if they take the Greedy Hubris and get an extra 125G per month; however, they pay extra points for the Altruistic virtue and if the war ends they'll lose their extra income and instead get 50G less than normal per month.

Then there's the Étalon du Toilles, famous for their virtue. They have strong claim to being descendants of the famous knight Bastion and are some of the physically strongest nobles. Their horses are the most prized in the nation as well. Their leader is Tristan, an ancient man who inspires the youth of the family but will likely die soon. His nephew Philippe is a cavalryman whose unit has never been beaten, though it always suffers heavy casualties. Philippe's in line for the family when Tristan dies. Tristan's great-granddaughter Marie is a black sheep in the family because of her enthusiastic embrace of Porté, and is a renowned scholar in the sorcerous arts. Étalons pay half price for all Virtues, but get no points for taking a Hubris. Instead of the normal Montaigne stat bonus, they get +1 Brawn, and their monthly income is halved; the other half goes to charity. It's expected of the family! Next are the Praisse du Rachetisse, some of the best sorcerers in Montaigne. Dogs also tend to hate them, for some reason. Their current leader is a woman named Aurore, a mighty sorceress who wants to convince Vincent Gaulle du Motte to marry her and join their two provinces. Her uncle is High Admiral Alazais Valoix, and he often arranges positions for his family. Her nephew Hughes is blind but a powerful sorcerer, especially since he can travel the Doorways with ease - he can't ever accidentally open his eyes, after all. Praisse nobles get two extra points of knacks if they know Porté, but get fewer points to spend on things and dogs hate them. Those without Porté get neither the knacks nor the points penalty and dog hatred.

Next: the Rois et Reines du Rogné, who were once two seperate families. They are famous for loyalty and valor, and more of them are musketeers than any others. It is the most trusted family, led by Thérése, a strong woman who withholds support from those in the family who oppose her or the Empereur. Her grandsons Jean-Marie and Gerard are famous musketeers - Jean-Marie heads the order, and Gerard serves as an advisor the Eisen known only as the General. Rois et Reines get Musketeer membership free, but if they take it they must take a Hubris as well, which they don't get full points for. Then there's the Gaule dul Motte; the dul is simple short for 'du la', and has no special meaning. They are reclusive and small, with no patience for the courts of Montaigne. They are famous for studying and capturing spirits. Their leader is Vincent, a powerful sorcerer who cares little for the outside world and is busy trying to convince Aurore Praisse du Rachetisse not to marry him. His grandson Simon is one of the best swordsmiths in the country and his granddaughter Jeanne is a civil engineer trying to improve the lot of the peasantry. Gaulles cannot learn the Courtier skill and lose one Reputation die in Montaigne cities; however, they get the Scholar skill free and get two free Raises against all Fear effects due to their familiarity with the unnatural.

Next are the Sices du Sices, a very recent family who rule over what was once Eisen land. They are famous for producing "Wits", courtiers who specialize in humiliating others. Their leader is Lady Jamais, the greatest Wit. Her cousin Louis is a gunner and sorcerer in the navy and her daughter Diane is a philosopher and atheist, a Wit and a frequent correspondent with Nicklaus Trägue of Freiburg. Sices get a Free Raise on all Repartee actions, using or defending, and get two kept dice for every Drama die spent on Repartee actions. However, they must spend two Drama dice to get a kept die on any roll of a Martial skill. Then there's the Michel du Gloyure, another recent family who own former Eisen land. They own part of die Schwartzen Walden , the Black Forest, and so far 20 men have died trying to cut trees down. Since the Michels have no sorcery, they have very few occult experts - but on the other hand, they're highly resistant to magic. Their leader is Jean-Paul, who is rather resentful of the sneers he gets from older families. His son Pierre is a powerful merchant and his cousin Alice is the best tracker in Montaigne. Michels cannot learn sorcery and get 75G less than normal each month, but anyone trying to use a sorcerous knack on them suffers a two die penalty. Last of the full nobles are the Deneuve du Surlign family, in charge of the Paix Embassy; this puts them in an odd position of serving foreigners, but gives them the best information network of all the families. They get little respect - until they turn their network loose on those who go too far. Their leader, Lillian, is a skilled manipulator and information seeker. Her nephew Cédric is a great scholar and her cousin Georgette is a skilled seductress who loves to use her skills to get secrets from men. Deneuves get the Servant skill free and are considered to have a Gossip knack one higher than it actually is when in Paix; however, the TNs of all Reputation actions targeting Montaigne nobles is up by 5.

Lastly, there's some other famous names. The du Lacs have no more holdings and are only technically nobles; they once owned Avalon, and even when they lost its crown they remained prominent. Only a few have survived; most were put to death when Avalon rebelled. Then there's the du Paix - a false name, equivalent to claiming to be "Mr. Smith". It's used by those who hide their true names or those who want to declare their allegiance to Montaigne in spirit if not fact. Someone from Paix would be "Jean Paix", not "Jean du Paix."

Next time: The sights of Montaigne!

My subjects, illusory or not, love him dearly in a way they have never loved me.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

Can't stand the names? That might be a problem, since they're gonna come up a lot. Nobles are important.

7th Sea: My subjects, illusory or not, love him dearly in a way they have never loved me.

Montaigne's got fifteen provinces. Charouse, of course, is the Imperial Province, ruled directly by l'Empereur. It is home to the nominal capital, also called Charouse, though the city of Paix is a strong competitor for the title in practice. Charouse was once a colony of the Old Republic, and it is famous for its cathedrals (now boarded up by order of l'Empereur, which infuriates the church), its many great public buildings like the observatory or the haunted tapestry factory called Fantóme, and of course Cháteau du Soleil, the Imperial palace which l'Empereur built when his father's mansion was not, he felt, big enough. There is an extensive cave system beneath the city, which have largely been converted into sewers, and something lives beneath them that occasionally snatches people. The sewers are called Petit Charouse, because they're practically a city in their own right. Next is the province Arrent, ruled by the Duboise du Arrent family. They are one of the largest provinces, and the western half is heavily farmed; the eastern half is covered by part of the Lockhorn Forest, and not many people are brave enough to go there. Its capital is the trading hub Rayure, and little is special except that harvest time is a very bsuy time there.

Then there's the province of Aur, another farming province ruled by the Leveque d'Aur family. The peasants there are mostly happy, since the Leveque d'Aurs are focused on the military and largely ignore them; they don't even tax heavily. The Lockhorn Forest borders Aur on the east, but they've had little trouble with it. Their capital is the only port in the province, Muguet, which is famous for being launching point for all Avalon invasions. The Duke d'Aur lives there, guarded by bodyguards second only to the Lightning Guard. There is also the lumber town of Liérre-Vallée, built in a valley that is full of lilies. Flowers make the city far more famous than its lumber, and once a year they hold a huge Lily Festival that triples the city's population as everyone comes to visit. Next is the powerful Crieux province, ruled by the Allais du Crieux. It is extremely rich and gets many concessions economically. Its capital is Crieux, famous as the headquarters of the Knights of the Rose and Cross (publically, at least). The Duke du Crieux is tolerated by his people for his economic skill, but he often holds mock battles or entire games of chess using human pieces.

Next is Doré, ruled by the Flaubert du Dorés. It's largely a cattle province. Its capitale is Dechaine, but it's rather small. The peasantry like the Duke becaus of the prosperity he's brought, though it's starving the rest of the country. They are also reputed to be more provincial and less intelligent than other Montaignes, though the Duke will not stand for such insolence. After that is Gloyure, ruled by the Michel du Gloyure. It was won by its current lord at auction, and he can't call himself a duke - his great-grandson can, if the family keeps it that long, though. Half the province is forest, but thanks to disappearances harvesting the former Eisen wood is going very poorly, but at least the other half is fretile. The capitle is the town of Prevoye, the greatest logging town in Gloyure. Morale's been having problems with the disappearances, Lord Michel has taken to going with the loggers into the forest, armed with his hunting mustket and twin pistols.

Next is La Motte, owned by the Gaulle dul Motte family. it is mostly cut off from the world, and its people don't much like outsiders. It also has a huge concentration of ghosts - outsiders are often suspected of being disguised spirits at first. It has many bountiful orchards, and Duke Gaulle is reputed to be very friendly with his peasantry despite his noble and sorcerous blood. Its capital is Bascone, a city designed to blend with the forest around it. It's a very tightknit and simple place, and the Duke treats his people like family. L'Empereur visited once, and the entire Gaulle family had to move out of their manor and camp on the lawn to make room; l'Empereur was so embarassed that he hasn't visited since. After that is Martise, ruled by the Valroux du Martise. It's huge, but most of its life is centered around the Sineuse River and Courais Lake. Riverboats are a staple, and most balls and duels are hold on them. The current capital is Echine, a center of trade that is frequently bothered by pirates at the port they trade with. Pirates are something of a problem for the whole province.

Next up: Paroisse, ruled by the Riché du Paroisse. Its economy is doing well, and it pays few taxes. The local peasants are actually happy! Its capital is Tamis, but most of the nobles avoid it. They're even considering moving, especially after Porté stopped working in Tamis some time last year, for no clear reason. No one can get in or out by magic, and even the permanent portals have closed. The Rilasciare have claimed responsibility, but no one really believes them. Then there is Rachetisse, famous for its sorcery. It has more gateways than anywhere but Charouse, and dogs are banned in the province because they tend to hate the Praisse du Rachetisse. Its capital is Vergogne, which has a population of 25,000 people and about as many cats. Cats have become a nuisance, especially since the Duchess took a liking to them and passed a law forbidding anyone to harm a cat on pain of three lashes. There are three gateways in Vergogne, leading to Charouse, Numa and Carleon.

In Rogné, ruled by the Rois et Reines du Rogné, most work is fishing. Since the war started, it's been heavily militarized and travel is extremely restricted - bribes are needed to avoid being arrested everywhere but the capital, Buché. This is the last open port between montaigne and Castille, frequented by both Vendel and Vodacce traders - though to avoid disputes, Vodacce has been asked to dock at the city of Barcino instead, and the Montaignes are trying to play the two off each other to drive prices down. In the province of Sices, ruled by the Sices du Sices, well - much of the place is uninhabitable thanks to the Lockhorn Forest. The province was won at auction by Lady Jaimais Sices, and she can't yet claim the title of Duchess, as the Michels cannot be Dukes yet. Its "capital", deep in the Lockhorn Forest, is Mont San Gabriyon, and it is surprisingly safe - none of the monsters of the forest have ever attacked the city or its roads. It is said that Saint Gabriyon, a singer, went to look in the woods for her brother. She stumbled across him in a clearing, and sang to her brother to calm him. The song drove the monsters to retreat, and she sang though the night to keep them away. The next day, they made their way out and a number of woodsmen later found the monsters would still not go near the clearing; Mont San Gabriyon was built on that very spot.

The tiny province of Surlign, ruled by the Deneuve du Surlign, was created solely for the embassy of Paix. The province is pretty much, well, the city: Paix. It is home to the embassy (known locally as Le Labyrinthe for its massive size and confusing corridors), and serves ambassadors from across Théah. l'Empereur never visits, finding the place boring and passé, so there aren't too many courtiers there either. However, many parties are held there since you can relax - l'Empereur will never show up unexpectedly! In the west is Toille, ruled by the Étalon du Toille family. It was the last province to be settled, and its people have driven off many foreign invaders - even the Vestenmannavnjar raiders. Its capital is Bastonne, home of the ancient castle of the Étalons and their famous cavalry, the Vent Conquérant - the best in Montaigne. There is also the city of Entour, where all supplies for horses in the Castille War are supplied. The Duke may not care for the war, but he knows that without his family's horses, many men will die needlessly, so he pays for them willingly.

Next, the historically poor province of Verre. The war has made them lots of money, and they're the current headquarters of the Montaigne army. Without the war, of course, they'd fall back into poverty. Their capital is Arisent, the hub of the war effort. Most of the army's leaders live there right now, and while Montegue may lead from the front, they don't - and with the Porté message system Montegue set up, why should they have to? Then there are the colonial holdings. Most famously, L'Il du Béte, the Island of the Beast - an island dotted in Syrneth ruins that the Montaignes use pretty much solely for hunting - they bring monsters and animals through in portals, set them loose and kill them. Only nobles are allowed to visit. They also maintain a number of prison islands to deal with their increasing number of political dissidents and criminals, and of course own several parts of Castille, which will be talked about in the Castille book.

Montaigne's culture is world famous - especially their art. They love art. They really, really love art. Painting is best-loved, but it also has the most volatile trends - what's in one month will be worthless the next. The current fashion is for dark, somber pieces after Basil Margonne produced a portrait of suffering peasants which was greatly loved...and completely failed at calling attention to their plight, which is what Basil wanted it to do. Sculpting is the least developed art, though recently the Vodacce sculptor Pascal Vestanzi came by and made a statue of l'Empereur and another of the Imperatrice - though he had just finished hwen he disappeared mysteriously. l'Empereur claims he was called back home, but the peasants whisper he was killed because the Imperatrice's statue was nicer than the Empereur's.

Moving on from art, we find that Montaign is also full of social clubs - groups of people who share a common interest and meet regularly. These can produce surprisingly useful political connections, and tend to foster a strong sense of brotherhood. Montaigne is also extremely advanced in architecture, having had the chance to study a number of Syrneth buildings, which have made them the forefront of civil engineering. They're also some of the best gunsmiths in the world - their artillery is arguably the best in the world. It's less powerful than Eisen cannons, but it's more accurate and their use of light, horse-pulled cannons makes them very maneuverable.

The Church, as we know, has been steadily losing ground with the nobles - but the peasants remain as devout as ever. The nobles have turned away from a combination of personal preference and to retain l'Empereurs favor - open Vaticines lose a lot of prestige, and those who retain the faith must do so in secret. The peasants, however, largely remain Vaticine - Léon is afraid that if he outlaw the Church entirely he'll have a popular uprising on his hands. So instead he just imprisons any priest that preaches against him. Musketeers have been known to attend sermons in disguise and arrest priests who break this law mid-sentence. This has caused a lot of resentment, both among priests and peasants. And no church services of any kind can be held within ten miles of the Cháteau du Soleil, and neither can anyone employed there be an open Vaticine. This is to protect the Empereur from assassination by religious zealots - and indeed, only one open Vaticine, the Cardinal Dukheim of Eisen, speaks to l'Empereur with any regularity. The Church has lost a lot of power as a result, and even some of the peasants have begun to question it - after all, if l'Empereur can get away with what he's doing, perhaps Theus does not truly exist. Some even believe l'Empereur is the Fourth Prophet, come to destroy the world.

It hardly helps that Montaigne's Cardinal has vanished along with all of his nine archbishops. Some believe they fled for their lives when the Empereur began wearing the Cardinal's ring. It's left the Church entirely without leadership - the bishops are trying their best, but no one is directing policy. And until the Cardinal is replaced - which can't be done until the Archbishops are found - a new Hierophant cannot be elected, since you need all the Cardinals to elect one.

Montaigne has two famous legends, beloved by the peasants and usually laughed at by the nobles - though both are known to be at least partly true. Sort of. Elements of truth, at least. The first is of a noblewoman of Bascone who liked to sit between two mirrors sos he could see herself infinitely, for she was very vain. One night, she heard a moaning noise and saw a ghost hovering over her bed, its hands cut off at the wrist and its eyes full of blood. She tries to use her sorcery to teleport away - but she found she could use none of her powers! The hgost reached out to her, and despite having no hands, she felt fingers on her neck. She fled, and as the ghost passed between the mirrors, it howled and found itself trapped. She showed it off proudly - her only regret that her mirrors now showed only the ghost, not her reflection. When she moved one of the mirrors so she could put the ghost in another room, though, it escaped as soon as the line between the two mirrors was broken, strangling her in an instant.

The other legend is of Montaigne's famous Puzzle Swords. Many years ago, the greatest swordsmith ever to live in Montaigne was Maitre, a full-blooded sorcerer who knew more about Porté than any man before or since. He also understood clockwork better than any other man, before or since. He was also a skilled swordsmith, of course - and he combined his three skills to create the Puzzle Swords, elaborate weapons with hidden switches that performed strange feats - they could cut through armor like it wasn't there, teleport to the owner's hand or other bizarre powers. Maitre eventually took on two apprentices, Créer and Detruire. Neither had sorcery, so he could not teach them that secret - but they learned the art of clockworks and swordsmithing. Créer made weapons that protected their owner or prevented themselves from being stolen, while Detruire made deadly weapons with secret tricks to harm the foe. When they were old, the two became rivals and each took on a single apprentice - Créer took on a woman named Renard, while Detruire took on a man named Loup. They were able to teach the secrets of the swordmaking, but not the power of the clockworks. Loup and Renard produced lesser weapons, and the rivalry might have continued had the two not met and fallen in love. They were married, and swore to pass on their secrets only to their children. unfortunately, Renard was barren and the secrets died with them. The Puzzle Swords, of all five masters, still remain, passed down among families, who show the new bearer the secret switches and how they are used. (This legend, by the way? Totally true and happened.)

We'll skim along now - what people wear and eat is only so interesting, after all - and we learn that unsurprisingly, the Empereur is the unquestionable ruler of all the land, able to do literally anything he wants. Under him are the Dukes and Lords, who rule over provinces and are largely able to do what they like as long as they don't contradict the Empereur. Dukes outrank Lords. Under them are the Marquis and Marquises. These are the lowest rank with a title and own small portions of a province; they can do what they like in their own lands as long as they don't contradict their duke or lord. Next are the Intendants, a title even commoners can reach - they are the direct servants of the Marquis and uphold the laws, command musketeers and so on. There's only one for every four regions, though. Next are mayors, who are elected by the people and govern a single city, serving as spokesmen for the nobles. And below that, there's simple administrators. Laws have three types: Imperial, which affect all of Montaigne and cannot be contradicted, Ducal, which affect a province and cannot be contradicted by regional laws, and regional, which affect only a small region ruled by a Marquis. There are also three courts: the Low Court, which is for cases between commoners, the Middle Court, for gentry and merchants as well as appeals from the Low Court, and the high Court, for appeals from the Middle and also nobles. Only nobles and gentry can appeal from here, going up to the Empereur hmself. All citizens have the right to a lawyer but must pay for it themselves and most commoners can't afford it. Commoners also have little chance of winning, because it costs money to appeal a decision and commoners don't have that. Also, a noble's word overrules all but a ranking musketeer's, and a musketeer's is worth that of three commoners. Also, a commoner can't challenge the documents submitted by a noble. Commoners also tend to have much harsher sentences.

The Musketeers are the primary law enforcement of Montaigne. Anyone who wants to join must be at least 16, never been convicted of a crime in any court and have no crippling disabilities. The first class of the year is open only to veterans, but the other three can be applied to by anyone. Musketeers learn to be literate, learn basic math, some politics and economics and courtly etiquette. They also learn how to ride. Anyone who passes this basic training gets to go to the Musketeer's School, where they learn fencing, detective work and international etiquette. About half of these students pass and can take the Musketeer's Oath, swearing loyalty to the royal family. Their job is to be police and to serve as judges for arguments between citizens. They need approval from the order to get married, though their kids get the best schoolsm and they can receive a pretty good salary and are allowed to retire after 30 years. In fact, they have to retire. They get a pension and exemption from taxes. Oh, and you should know: Montaigne has enemies everywhere . No one likes them. The Eisen hate their involvement in the War of the Cross (though they'll still work for Montaignes), the Ussurans are nervous around their magic, the Vesten think they are popinjays. Only the Vendel and Vodacce claim to like Montaigne, and then only because of trade. However, just because the nations hate each other doesn't mean the people do - individual Montaignes can get along well with pretty much anyone even as the Montaigne people are reviled.

Next time: The sights of Montaigne!

I think you enjoy your curse more than you let on.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: I think you enjoy your curse more than you let on.


Mirror Ghost, listen to your mother.

We start things off with another short piece of fiction. A Cardinal of the Church named Erika performs a strange ritual, summoning forth the Empereur's mirror ghost with her own blood! It appears in her mirror and answers three questions for her - one useless, one telling her that Montegue is being sent to Ussura and one telling her that it's because the Empereur wants to get Montegue out of the way before his grandson is born...probably. The ghost thinks he's insane. Erika dismisses the ghost, then, after promising it that she will let it die when her vengeance is complete - and then reveals that the ghost was once her brother, Michel.

Now, let's talk important people. We can't forget about L'Empereur Léon Alexandre du Montaigne XIV. When he was twelve, his father, Léon Alexandre XIII, passed away and left the kingdom in the hands of his queen, Camille Bisset du Montaigne. She didn't much care about raising a son, so Léon was left to his nursemaids while she had an affair with the young Cardinal of Montaigne, Maurice d'Argeneau. The Cardinal became the nation's true ruler, extending the Church's influence to levels unheard of since Leon XI. The Cardinal lived extravagantly and Léon was forced to live in poverty, wearing rags unless he was being presented to nobles. On his eighteenth birthday, Léon told his mother she was a disgrace and forced her to retire to the country. She never saw Cardinal d'Argeneau again, and it's said she cursed her son while on her deathbed, swearing he'd never have a son to pass his throne to. The Cardinal remained at court, though Léon ignored his advice and often worked against it, reducing the Church's power greatly. Léon began to live well, indulging in every luxury now that no one could tell him what he could not do. When his nation became prosperous thanks to the War of the Cross, he raised taxes immediately to indulge in yet more expensive habits.

Léon's first wife was a peasant named Estelle, who bore him five daughters before dying, apparently of natural causes. Léon had loved her deeply, and he believed her death to be murder, killing her doctors before he came to his senses. He never married for love again. His second wife was a political match: Rosa Velasquez del Sandoval, princess of Castille. This helped repair the distrust the nobility had for him due to his marriage to a commoner. She gave birth to three daughters and then died; her body was not returned to Castille when requested. This didn't make Castille happy. Finally, he married his third wife, a Fate Witch of Vodacce, in 1647. She has borne only one child - his last daughter. Léon has finally given up hope; however, his wife has survived thanks to not wanting to alienate Vodacce. In 1664, Léon announced his nature as a sorcerer and said that he would shelter any others who wished to live in Montaigne.

In 1666, the Inquisition grew tired of the Hierophant's lack of action and invaded Montaigne, leading to Montegue's stand. Léon was a nervous wreck, hiding in a secret room where he was later found by his trusted bodyguard Remy. He immediately promoted Montegue to General, and emerged with a sense of invincibility, determined to bring down the Church itself. He'd always hated them, after all. When the Hierophant came to visit, the man became ill and died, and Léon took it as a sign of favor from Theus, declaring himself Empereur. Three months later, Cardinal d'Argeneau vanished without trace, and Léon was seen openly wearing the man's ring of office. He has been growing increasingly more erratic, some days paralyzed by guilt at the condition of the peasantry while other days becoming immensely cruel. Only his power and remaining political savvy keep him safe at court. He trusts only Remy and he hates and fears Montegue's popularity. He has never liked the nobles of court or his daughters, but with his youngest daughter pregnant, he is sure his chance for an heir has come at last, and has greatly increased her guard against her protests.

His wife is Imperatrice Morella du Montaigne, youngest daughter of Vincenzo Caligari of Vodacce. After her first child was a girl, Léon never lay with her again, and their relationship was purely for political alliance. Morella's relation with her daughter is also strained, for her daughter lacks the power of the Fate Witch and so they have always found each other somewhat alien. When she was five, her sister Beatrice foretold that she would marry the most powerful man in the world but displease him, that this would lead to the birth of the most powerful sorcerer ever to walk the face of Théah and that Morella's death would mark the beginning of the worst bloodbath Montaigne would ever see. The first has come true; the others are yet to come, if at all. Recently, a sculptor named Pascal Vestanzi arrived and did a magnificent sculpture of the Empereur, so she approached him for one of her own. They spent many hours talking of their shared homeland, and the sculpture he made was almost supernaturally beautiful. The Empereur was jealous, and stormed away after telling Morella she was his and his alone. Pascal was soon escorted away, and hid the statue so it could not be destroyed. Pascal did not return, so she knew he must be dead. Since then, she has taken to painting as a way to find comfort, and has been spending a lot of time with Jean-Marie Rois et Reines, who enjoys getting to spend time away from his busy schedule. Sometimes, her husband comes to her for use of her magic. When she looks at him, his strands are always far too powerful to even read, and so she has sometimes had to refuse him. Oddly, he has never gotten angry at this answer - other things, yes, but sorcery, never. She believes that when she has no further use for the man, she will die.

Her daughter is Dominique du Montaigne, youngest of the nine daughters of the Empereur. She has no sorcery whatsoever, despite being the child of a full-blood Fate Witch and full-blood Porté master. The Empereur lost interest in her when he heard that, and she has mostly been raised by the kitchen staff. She has become self-sufficient, with a mix of noble and common upbringing that has left more aware of the servants around her than most. She was put in charge of sending gifts to those who earned the royal family's favor, and used this to send out a network of maids who serve her as spies. After Montegue's stand, she was ordered to marry the peasant general, and she has been trying to come to terms with that. She's had some success relating to him, and the two are trying to deal with the relationship they have thrust into. They respect each other, but are unsure if they love each other. It's at least a friendly marriage, though time will tell if it goes beyond 'friends'.

Dominique's maid is a Fate Witch named Anna, assigned to her when both were only six. Anna has sworn to protect Dominique and is a servant of the Imperatrice - but while she will still report to the woman, her loyalty lies with Dominique and she would never hurt the princess. Dominique is also currently pregnant, and her mother says it'll be a boy. The Empereur has smothered her with so much unwanted protection and attention that she longs for the days when her parents just ignored her, and is worried that this attention bodes something sinister.

The Empereur's other eight daughters are much less important to the metaplot, but they exist. Eldest is Chérie du Montaigne, a full-blooded sorcerer married to Don Aldana of Castille. She's in an awkward position but has as yet come to no harm from it. The next two are twins, Rosamonde and Evelyne, who are sorcerers but have only been able to master a very simple sort of Porté - they can Blood only one object, a chalkboard which they use magic to pass between each other and leave notes. Rosamonde is an inspector in the nay, and Evelyne envies her adventures, as she has married into nobility and stays at home. They are quite close. The fourth daughter is Miriam, ambassador to Vendel. She has become involved with Joris Brak of the Carpenter's Guild, and the affair recently became public. Her father wants her to either break it off or marry the man. The fifth daughter, and last by the Empereur's first wife, is Lydia, a full-blooded sorcerer who recently disappeared while investigating the Lockhorn Forest.

The three daughters by the Empereur's second wife, Rosa Valesquez del Sandoval, are all half-blooded sorcerers, as Rosa had no magic. The eldest of these three is Anna, the happy wife of Jean-Marie Rois et Reines, captain of the musketeers. She is a skille dcourtier and acts as the royal family's representative at social functions. Seventh is Nicolette du Montaigne, who has been essentially banished to the Paix Embassy for angering the Empereur. She is officially the royal attaché, but has no real power. And last, Ysabette du Montaigne rebelled and ran away from home five years ago. She has since taken to calling herself Isabelle and working as a smuggler and pirate in the Castille War.

Montegue du Montaigne was originally just a peasant from Paroisse. His mother died when he was young, and his father was kicked in the head and killed by a plow horse when Montegue was fifteen. He sold the family farm and hoined the army, rising to corporal after two years of service. He was trained by his superior, Luc Flaubert du Doré, in the arts of strategy and tactics as well as military history, all things he found he had a natural talent for. It was not long after this that Montegue's STand occurred, when Montegue took command after Luc fell to Castillian muskets. Montegue was not a patriot - he just worked to save the lives of his men, saving the day in the bargain. Since then, he has been elevated to General and married to the King's youngest daughter. After receiving a brief training in etiquette (which never totally stuck), he was presented as a noble and sent to "liberate" Castille from the Church and place the "true" Castillian royal bloodline back in command if they could be found. He devised innovative ways of using Porté to communicate across the army, allowing him to conquer two provinces with relative ease. However, when the King became Empereur following the Hierophant's death, Montegue was no longer the favored son. Instead, he was ordered from the front and sent to Ussura. Montegue knew it'd be dangerous, but to do otherwise would be suicide...and he's always been pragmatic.

Beyond the royals, there is Cardinal Erika Brigitte Durkheim, Cardinal of Eisen. She is a beautiful woman, though lame in her right leg and forced to walk with a cane. She joined the church at a young age and rose through the ranks due to her belief and devotion as well as her parents' political connections. She studied in Castille under a man who would be her mentor, Salvador Garcia, and eventually became a ardinal. However, four years ago a servant claimed to see her talking to a ghostly image in a mirror, which he thought was a demon. She was interrogated by the Inquisition for three days before being cleared of all charges and later receiving a grudging apology. She recently came to Montaigne to help Cardinal d'Argeneau deal with the effects of the Hierophabt's death, knowing he was out of his depth. However, the man disappeared and when she questioned l'Empereur about it, he practically admitted to murder, made a pass at her despite her vows of chastity and celibacy (and her obvious disgust) and then ended the interview when she didn't fall into his arms. Because of things said during the meeting, she withheld this from the Council of Cardinals and has remained in Montaigne to repair some damage the Empereur has caused. She hopes she can finish her work and return to Eisen before things get too much worse.

Then there's Thérése Rois et Reines du Rogné, a sixty-year-old woman who remains strong. She was raised on tales of musketeer heroism and is very devoted to the crown - indeed, she used to be a musketeer, and even saved the life of Léon XIII once. She only retired years later after falling in love with a d'Aur, though she kept her own name as the heir to the Rois et Reines family. From him, she learned politics. Eventually her husband died and her children grew up, and she spent several years very loneely. However, it was then she became leader of the Rois et Reines. This gave her something to live for, and she has become one of the Empereur's most trusted advisors. She is sometimes called the Grand Dame of Montaigne Politics, and she hears about almost everything. She is very strict with her family, and they don't like her much. Especially after she imprisoned one of her own sons for speaking against the Empereur. Jean-Marie Rois et Reines can tolerate her as long as his wife's name is not mentioned, but Gerard Rois et Reines became a navy man solely to get away from her.

Jamais Sices du Sices is a young noblewoman who once sought to be a scholar, becoming an avid student of history. When she got bored with that, she took to reading biting satires, learning little of politics as her elder brother was supposed to succeed her father as head of the family. However, he died in a hunting accident as she was preparing to head to university, and she was instead forced to quit and study politics. She hates math and statesmanship - they were boring compared to history. She was an introvert and had trouble with court. However, one day a man insulted her in public - and she lashed out, humiliating him before the entire court with a few well-chosen sentences. His reputation was ruined, and he would not be the last. She won admiration for her talent for ridicule, and so she gradually became much crueler due to all the people encouraging her. She once humiliated a man so badly, it's said, that he committed suicide. She has taken care not to step into treason with her jabs, but she's made few friends. Thérése Rois et Reines hates her guts, and wants to see her ruined.

Perhaps more important is Karl Thomas Steiner, a short man with cropped white hair. He breaks all stereotypes of the Eisen - he's short and he's a coward. As a boy, he once spent a night in the Black Forest on a dare. He can't remember what happened, but he was shattered by the events, his hair turned pure white and he lost the ring finger on his right hand. He also bore terrible claw marks on his chest that were made by no known beast. Whenever in a deadly situation, he becomes paralyzed and then a sobbing wreck. Before he learned that happened, he was a guard of Reinhard von Wische's last son. A highwayman tried to rob the two, and Karl collapsed in fear - and the boy died. Karl wrote a letter to tell his master Reinhard of the son's death, and Reinhard sank into apathy. Karl has tried to serve others, but each time his cowardice would force him out in disgrace, ending when Erich Sieger tried to kill him for failing to stop an assassin. Karl escaped and joined the Montaigne army thanks to his sharp mind and grasp of tactics - something greatly needed. He became a sniper in Montegue's unit, since killing from a distance didn't trigger hs cowardice. The two became great friends, and Karl took down three officers during Montegue's Stand. Montegue made the man one of his advisors - the two just seem to work well together, turning Montegue from a genius to a miracle-worker. They are excellent friends to this day. He tried to talk Montegue out of the Ussura invasion, but Montegue pointed out that he'd be executed for refusing a direct order. Should Karl desert, Montegue would be left in a bad position - he's become dependent on Karl.

Next time: More people of Montaigne, more fiction and more fencing!

I'm nobody's fool, least of all the Empereur's.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: I'm nobody's fool, least of all the Empereur's.

Now then! Remy du Montaigne, the Empereur's cousin. He's a tall, handsome man who is quite possibly the single best swordsman in the country. He is Captain of the Lightning Guard and personal bodyguard to l'Empereur. He gets anything he wants, and is a rival of Jean-Marie Rois et Reines, the Captain of the Musketeers. He fears that Jean-Marie may someday replace him, and the two have nearly fought three times. The Musketeers and Lightning Guard have started to develop a rivalry as a result. Remy is at heart an honest man, but he's been spoiled by years of luxury. He loves hsi lifestyle and will indulge in anything but drunkenness - he refuses to get drunk in case someone tried to take advantage of it to kill l'Empereur. He doesn't like all that his cousin asks him to do, though - like the time he was told to close the gates and not allow Montaigne troops in, leading to Montegue's Stand; Léon wanted the men to fight for their lives. Montegue and his men still hold a grudge against Remy, and he has nightmares of that day. It is also rumored that Remy was ordered to kill Cardinal d'Argeneau and cut off the man's finger.

Jean-Marie Rois et Reines du Rogné is another handsome man of Montaigne, the Captain of the Musketeers. He's an impressive man who was once a young nobleman in the musketeers, assigned to escort Anna du Montaigne on a long journey. Over the journey, he listened to her complain for three days before finally asking her if she did anything else, since she wouldn't admire the beautiful scenery. He thought he'd angered her, but three months later she had him assigned to escort her again. This trip was in absolute silence - as were the next few. A year later, the two were married, and Jean-Marie was promoted to Captain. His happiest times are when he is with his wife; the two seldom speak when together, but instead generally spend their evenings holding hands and gazing at the stars. (They both spend all day talking; the silence is a welcome gift.) Jean-Marie is often forced to do things he doesn't like, such as diert food from villages to feed cattle, shoot protestors or have men executed for stealing a bit of bread. He has tried to make up for this by donating much of his wealth to the poor, and he is loved by the peasants for his kindness, but he wonders if he could do more.

Alazais Valoix Praisse du Rachetisse III is a regal old man who remains athletic and stately. He dreamed of becoming a sailor as a youth and joined the navy - though he learned to regret it. After finally being assigned a desk job, he turned out to be a master politician who rose through the ranks on his personality and wit. Eventually, he even got to meet personally with the Empereur - they played a game called Squares for twelve straight hours. Rumor has it that if Alazais lost, he would be killed - but if he won, he'd be made High Admiral of the Montaigne navy. And while he was the less skilled player, Alazais kept up such a stream of stories that l'Empereur could not concentrate and he won. Alazais denies the rumor, but it never goes away...even if it's odd that such a famous braggart is refusing such a grand story. His greatest strength is his tongue - he is charming and a great liar who attends all major parties and tells people what they want to hear. When he actually has to get on a ship, he allows the men to do their jobs - he's not a good commander, but he has a real talent for delegation.


Does this guy shave with a nail file?

Then there's the man called only the General. He is an Eisen who happened to be around while l'Empereur was chewing out his admirals. He said that he "bet that Eisen General there could do your job better" - and gave it to the man. He nearly choked on his food when that happened. Now, he has been given a ship and the job of killing any pirate who dares prey on Montaigne. When asked his name for the formal commission, he said that he had none he answered to, and the paper was simply filled as 'The General'. The Empereur wanted results in three months; he got them in two. The General's mastery of tactics and his stern leadership turned out to be very effective, and he killed forty pirates within his first 57 days, making his reputation as the greatest pirate hunter ever to sail. Rumor has it that he was once a noble and idealistic man whose spirit was crushed, turning him into an amoral mercenary who sneers at the word 'honor'. He cares only for money, hates his crew and is hated by them. He is a harsh man who whips them when they fail; he's used to cruder men then he's been given. However, they are a deadly team, using spies, informers and a ship's sorcerer to track down pirates and kill them. Once or twice, they've even tricked pirates into taking aboard Blooded chests and then teleporting onto the ships and killing everyone aboard.

There's also some commoners - such as Pascal Vestanzi of Vodacce. He was once the best sculptor alive, blessed by a Fate Witch whom he helped as a youth to have luck in his trade. Pascal became great - but made the mistake of going to Montaigne to seek his fortune. His sculpture was beloved, and he even got to do a job for the Empereur...but he fell in love with the Imperatrice, and while the Empereur did not love her, he was very possessive. Pascal was taken away by Remy and never seen again; it's said he returned home to Vodacce, but if so, Vodacce hasn't heard about it. And last, Private Jerome. Jerome is one man of many thousands in the army, but he is unstoppable, driven by a love that cannot be beaten. It has led him to survive three major battles, two ambushes and everything else life's thrown ath im - because nothing will stop him from going home to marry his love, Valory. There's only one problem: she got married while he was away, assuming he'd died in the year he served. She was heartbroken, and when Yanick Bisset du Verre offered her marriage, she took him up on it - a noble's income would help her family. Unfortunately, Yanick is a violent-tempered man who verbally abuses her - and even strikes her when she argues back. But Jerome is returning home now, discharged after he saved an officer from a sniper and told his story. The officer decided the best that could be done was to give the man a bag of coins, a fast horse and a discharge. He'll be home in a few weeks - and he'll learn what's happened to her. If Jerome ever learns of the abuse Valory suffers, he will kill Yanick, nobleman or no.

Why is he important? Good question!

Now we get some fiction as Karl and Montegue talk about their recent assignment to Ussura. Karl is sure it's hopeless - Eisen's tried to invade four times, and never succeeded despite being some of the best in the world. Montegue is trying to persuade him it's not that bad - but they both know it is. Until he gets proof that l'Empereur is sending them off to die, though, he can't do anything but obey. He also tells Karl that his generals are planning an idiotic frontal assault on the fortress El Morro once they leave - and so he's taking his best men with him, to ensure they don't die senselessly assaulting an impregnable position.

Now then! Some new Porté rules: Porté mages can hand off Blooded objects to other mages across any distance - but it's harder the further away the blood relation is, ranging from TN 5 for twins to TN 30 for anything past first cousin. Journeyman or higher can rip a hole to save themselves mid-fall - the longer the fall, the easier it is. If they do, they then can Walk to any blooded object as normal. A permanent gateway can be made by at least 5 Master Porté mages from different bloodlines (that is, TN 30 or more as per handing things off). This means creating a stone archway at each end which costs 1000G, as well as three months on each end of ritually Blooding the sites. They all permanently sacrifice a point of Resolve, which drops their maximum Resolve by 1. Any who hit 0 die, though as long as at least one survives the creation works. Gateways can be used by anyone to pass between the two sites at the cost of a Dramatic Wound as some blood is stolen to keep the thing working. If a gate goes unused for centuries, it will turn bloody red (normally, they're yellow) and destroy the first person to step through it, using their blood to replenish its energy. Also, Porté mages can now learn to catch incoming projectiles in portals, sending them off into the endless mists. This works only as Defense only on ranged attacks, but can be used against firearms and gets a free Raise when used as an active defense.

Now, swordsmen. The first new school, Boucher, is not really for gentlemen - though it definitely gets results. Boucher fighters use a long knife in each hand, using the two together for a flurry of blows. It's one of the fastest styles in the world, and once it overcomes the opponent's reach it is deadly. The problem? The reach. The knives are both short range weapons, and a clever foe can keep even a master at arm's length to avoid harm. Boucher students do not get free Swordsmen membership. Apprentices suffer no off-hand penalty when using a knife, and add the current phase to their initiative total when they have a knife in each hand, letting them act faster than normal. Journeymen learn to draw attention to the knife not attacking, and require foes to make two Raises when using active defenses against their knife attacks. Masters can unleash a devastating flurry. To begin it, they must make a Raise with no other benefit. If they beat the opponent's Passive Defense (even if they are actively defended against), they may make another attack, which requires two Raises with no other benefit. As long as they keep beating the enemy's passive defense, they keep getting attacks, which cumulatively require more Raises.

Next is Rois et Reines, the Musketeer school - it trains in muskets and pistols. They also learn to use their bayonets to make makeshift spears. Their big weakness? Well, they're not great in close combat, especially against anyone ready for spears. They're amazing at range, though. They also aren't Swordsmen. Apprentices add 10 to pistol and musket range, suffer no off-hand penalty for pistols and get a free Raise to all attack rolls with a mounted bayonet. Journeymans increase their range bonus to 25, may draw and fire a pistol in a single action and get +10 to their initiative total when wielding a mounted bayonet, thanks to their extended reach. Masters increase their range bonus to 50, may spend a Drama die to negate all normal modifiers (such as cover, range and so on) to a target's TN to be hit for a single attack, though TN-modifying special abilities such as Aldana's Journeyman ability or Pyeryem forms that grant armor still apply.

Then? Tout Prés, more philosophy than fighting style: they believe the best weapon is the close one. They aren't Swordsmen largely because they fight with literally anything , specializing in improvised weapons. They are most effective, of course, when backed up with a sword. Many students also wield wide-brimmed, lead-weighted hats, since they can expect to never be unarmed. The weakness? Well, improvised weapons aren't as good as swords, and a skilled enemy will take advantage of the weaknesses of the weapon. Apprentices have no off-hand penalty when using improvised weapons, get a free Raise on using Parry to actively defend with an improvised weapon. Journeymen learn to react quickly, and may pick up and attack or parry with an improvised weapon in a single action. They also get a free Raise to any non-Parry active defense. Masters may use their weapons to distract their foes. After attacking, even if they miss, they may immediately spend an action to attack with a fencing weapon; such an attack cannot be actively defended against.

We'll skip over the special family member advantages - they're just 'you have a talented family member who helps you out' - and the social clubs ('you belong to a social club, which gives you advantages like access to rich, rich men who will make outrageous bets with you if you are also rich, or access to the newest fashions if you are rich). We'll also skip over the stats for grenades, horse-drawn cannons and bayonets - they're nice, but kind of boring. Explosives are not safe to handle, though - the fuses have little quality control. We'll also skip the Courtly Intrigue rules - they're a fairly neat system which involves trading favors, blackmail and gossip to get people to do things for you. But that's all you need to know; if you care about the specifics of the rules, look 'em up.

Instead, let's talk Puzzle Swords. You'll want to set aside 10 points if you plan to start with one, because their cost varies between 2 and 10...but you find out how much you have randomly. You roll 1d10, with certain birthplaces modifying the roll up 1 or down 1 on all rolls involving Puzzle Sword generation. 0-5, and you pay 2 points and move to the Renard chart; 6-11, 2 points and the Loup Chart. But first, general rules: all puzzle swords take a TN 30 Wits check to find their hidden switches unless someone shows them to you, and if you know where they are it is a free, costless action to push one if you're holding the sword. Sometimes, using the sword's tricks will send it off balance, giving -1k1 to all attack and active defense rolls using the sword.

Now, Renard swords! You roll 1d10 here, modified by birthplace as normal. You can get: 0 - Garotte Hilt - the hilt has a garotte, and on a successful attack from behind, the victim can't make any sound and begins to suffocate as per the Drowning rules; they are also considered grappled and can break free as normal for that. 1 - Solid Grip - the grip allows for tricky feints, adding +5 to the TN of anyone actively defending against an attack from the sword. 2 - Disguised Sheath - The sheath appears to be a cane or stick, getting two free Raises on all rolls to conceal it. 3 - Well Balanced - the balance is so good that you get +1 to all attack rolls with it. 4 - Blade Catcher - Your hilt is meant to catch swords, and you get +2 to all active defense rolls when parrying with the sword. 5-6 - Roll Again - you reroll on this chart ignoring further 5-6 results, then spend 3 more points and roll on the Uncommon Swords chart. 7 - Long Reach - you get +5 to your initiative total. 8 - Locksmith's Hilt - the hilt contains a set of hidden lockpicks (TN 40 Wits roll to spot) which give a free Raise on lockpicking rolls. 9 - Secret Compartment - the pommel has a secret comparment big enough to hide a jewel, message or other small item, which requires a TN 40 Wits roll to find. 10 - Rustproof - the sword never rusts, tarnishes or corrodes, though it can still dull or be broken. 11 - Locking Sheath - There's a catch in the sheath that keeps it stuck inside unless you press a hidden latch; Brawn 6 can pull the sword free by breaking the sheath.

Loup swords! Again, 1d10 modified as normal. These are the other common swords. 0 - Serrated Blade - The blade makes ragged, nasty cuts. Whenever the wielder makes a Raise on his attack rolls for damage, he adds an addition 2 to the damage roll for each raise, on top of the normal bonus unkept die. 1 - Flambergé Blade - damage rolls with the sword reroll any 1s, until there are no more 1s. 2 - Light Sword - the sword is very light, and when making a Riposte, you get a Free Raise to the attack roll if the defense succeeds. (This is part of the fencing rules, Riposte is a counterattack fencing knack.) 3 - Unbreakable - The sword can never be broken and always straightens if bent. It can still rust or dull. 4 - Barbed Guard - The guard is decorated with bladecatchers, which give a free Raise to all disarm attempts made with the sword. 5-6 - Roll again - Roll again on this chart ignoring further 5-6 results, then spend 3 points and roll on the Uncommon Swords chart. 7 - Keen Blade - the edge is so sharp that all damage rolls get a +1 bonus. 8 - Spiked Guard - The sword's pommel is spiked, so pommel strikes do base 2k2 instead of base 0k2. 9 - Never Dull - the sword never dulls or needs any maintenance, though it can still rust or be broken. 10 - Heavy Blade - the sword is particularly heavy, and gets two free Raises when using the Beat knack. 11 - Dagger Hilt - When you push a special button, a dagger blade pops out of the pommel, letting you use the Attack (Knife) knack even when your sword is in a Bind. The dagger deals base 1k2 damage and automatically breaks the Bind the wielder's sword is in if it deals damage.

The uncommon swords table is 0-5 for a Créer sword, and 6-11 for a Détruire sword. Each has the ability ruled for common swords, plus one of their own. What's Créer like? 0 - Smoke Cloud - when a button is pressed, the sword sprays smoke in a 10 foot radius, putting the area into total darkness for 10 phases. It contains enough smoke for one use, and then needs a chemical refill costing 1G, which takes 5 actions. When the reservoir is empty, the sword is off-balance. 1 - Articulated Grip - The sword fits the hand precisely; actions may be used to parry as though one Phase faster than they actually are. 2 - Lizard's Tail - The sword has a false tip that can be 'shed'. After the sword is successfully parried, the tip falls off and forces a reroll of the parry. If it succeeds a second time, the sword's blocked, but if not, the attack goes through. It takes 5 actions to reattach the tip, and the sword is off-balance while it's gone. 3 - Coiling Hilt - Unless a hidden catch is pressed, the hilt springs shut on the wielder's hand one phase after being picked up. It takes 5 Brawn to pry the hand loose, and the victim must roll his Resolve or lower on one die or have his hand broken for a month, giving a -1 Finesse penalty. The hilt can be opened via the hidden catch. 4 - Grasping Hilt - The hilt locks around the hand, preventing all disarm attempts. It will not open unless a hidden catch is released. 5-6 - Roll again - reroll and ignore 5-6 results. Then spend 5 points and roll on the Maitre chart. 7 - Adjustable Hilt - The hilt can be lengthened or shortened, to be used either as a fencing (base 2k2) or heavy weapon (base 3k2), by spending one action. The heavy weapon form takes two hands, the fencing one. 8 - Grappling Gun - The hilt can be used as a grappling gun. It has 20 feet of cord and takes 10 actions to rewind. If used as a weapon while unwound, the sword is off-balance. 9 - Healing Touch - The sword has a button that activates a concealed injector which heals the wielder of 15 flesh wounds with a formula known only to the wielder. It costs 5G per dose, but only works by injection, and only one dose per day can work on a person. The sword holds only one dose, and takes 25 actions to refill. While empty, it's off-balance. 10 - Loyal Hilt - A poisoned needle jabs into the base of the holder's thumb one phase after the sword is picked up unless a special catch is released. The poison is either arsenic or knockout drops at the owner's choice. Heavy gloves, gauntlets or a panzerhand will prevent the poison from working. The poison must be refilled after each use, but will not knock the sword off-balance. 11 - Blade Breaker - There is a device in the sword which will catch a blade and snap it. After a successful parry with the sword, the user may hit the hidden button. The sword acts as the Journeyman Eisenfaust power with a Brawn of 4. Once used, it takes 10 actions to rewind the device before it can be used again and is off-balance until rewound.

Détruire? 0 - Pistol Hilt - There's a concealed pistol in the hilt which can be fired with a hidden button. If used after the sword has just damaged a foe, it automatically hits, dealing 4k3 damage; otherwise it takes an Attack (Firearms) roll with one Raise to hit. It is reloaded as normal for pistols (IE, it takes forever). 1 - Firebreather - When swung and a concealed button is pressed, the sword sprays oil from the tip and ignites it with a built-in flint. This causes a two-foot arc of flame, which takes a TN 20 Finesse+Rolling check to avoid, which doesn't take an action. Failure causes two dice of fire damage as per fire rules. The sword has enough oil for one use and takes 25 actions to refill. While empty, it's off-balance. 2 - Blinding Spray - The sword has a reservoir of blinding liquid that can be sprayed at a foe's face with a button. This takes an attack roll with two Raises. Instead of dealing damage, the opponent is blinded until the liquid is washed from their eyes or an hour passes, whichever is first. The sword has enough for one use and takes 5 actions to refill; refills cost .5G. When empty, it's off-balance. 3 - Dart Hilt - The sword can fire a dart from the pommel up to 10 feet. This takes an attack roll with 3 Raises; usually, the dart is poisoned. If lost, it takes a skilled blacksmith to replace it at the cost of 10G. While the dart is out of the sword, it's off-balance. 4 - Strange Metal - The sword is made from a very light metal that allows the user to either lower one of his actions' speed by one phase or add +10 to his initiative total at the start of a round. 5-6 - roll again , yadda yadda. 7 - Spreading Blade - The sword has a spring that divides it into two halves when released, usually in the body of a victim to cause terrible wounds, inflicting an additional two dice of wounds seperate from the sword's damage. However, the sword is 5 TN easier to break at all times and is useless until 10 actions are spent resetting it. 8 - Poison Reservoir - There is a reservoir in the hilt which poisons the sword when activated while the tip is pointed down for one action. Until the end of the round (or the next hit, whichever is first), the weapon will poison on its next hit. It has enough poison for one use, and takes 25 actions to refill. When empty, it's off-balance. 9 - Collapsing Hilt - When drawn without pressing a hidden catch, roll a die. That many phases later, the sword falls apart, taking (10-Wits) actions to reassemble. 10 - Tainted Metal - Whenever an enemy fails a wound check against this sword's damage, he can only erase flesh wounds equal to the total of his wound check, rather than all of them. 11 - Razor Edge - For ever 10 the wielder Keeps when rolling damage, the sword deals an automatic Dramatic wound instead of any flesh wounds. 10s do not explode and are not counted towards the damage total, and dramatic wounds so caused do not get rid of flesh wounds.

And last, the Maitre swords - so great they're magic, in addition to their other two powers. 0-1 - The Eager Blade - The sword jumps the user's hand whenever he wants it, from any distance. If he ever hands the sword to another hilt-first, that person is the new owner; if he dies, the next person to touch it is the owner. 2-3 - The Ghostly Blade - only the user can pick up and touch the sword - it is immaterial to all others when not in his hand. It transfers ownership as above. 4-5 - the Grasping Blade - once per act, the sword may cut from at range, making an attack on anyone the user can see, no matter how far away. The blade vanishes, appearing in the air by the target. They may defend as per normal, though if unaware of the wielder they need to make a surprise check on which the wielder has two free Raises. 6-7 - the Shimmering Blade - Once per act, the sword can "shimmer" like a mirage, ignoring army and becoming impossible to (actively or passively) parry until the beginning of the next round. 8-9 - The Greedy Blade - The user can spend an action to cut a hole in the air with the sword and reach into it as though he had the Porté knack Pocket at rank 3. Objects inside never vanish. 10-11 - the Thirsty Blade - Once per act, the sword can draw blood from a foe. The user declares he's using the ability before rolling damage, and then may double the value of any one kept die - including any explosions of the die.

Puzzle swords fucking own .

Next time: Secrets of Montaigne!

"Madam, your husband is no fool." "Prove it to me and come back alive."

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: "Madam, your husband is no fool." "Prove it to me and come back alive."


Surprisingly, a relatively happy marriage.

We get our last piece of fiction: Montegue and his wife Dominique are discussing his reassignment and their own relationship. Montegue is overly formal and bad at telling when Dominique is joking, but they're getting closer. They are both aware that his assignment is probably a trap - but they agree that he must go. Dominique promises that if she discovers proof, she will send a letter to Montegue calling him home. There's even a small hint of love between them, just beginning.

Now, we get an essay about playing a Montaigne. First: don't be a dick. Sure, your nation is hated by most of the world - you aren't your nation. Nationalism is just beginning, and it's still more rare to see a hero who can't put it aside to get on with his friends than one who can. Sure, you might have some friendly debates, but nothing serious, because don't be a dick. Also, the Montaigne are stereotypically stylish. Like, really stylish. What matters is not that you win, but how - because of course you'll win, you're French . The French win. It's what they do. You are courageous, honorable, never underhanded. You offer your foes their swords back when they're disarmed. And you win anyway . Of course, in court that's not so - underhandedness is the norm there, as are clever quips and insults, but that's court. It's suggested you keep a notebook with one-liners in it so that you aren't caught off-guard when you need them.

Now, then - secrets! Firstly: l'Empereur did, in fact, poison his second wife. He was angry that she bore no sons and when he saw the poison left telltale signs he refused to send her body home. He also did, in fact, send Montegue to Ussura to die, for fear that Montegue would take his throne. He also did have Remy kill the Cardinal d'Argeneau. He is in fact cursed to never be able to have a male child; somehow, his mother's dying curse worked. And most importantly? Léon Alexandre du Montaigne xIV murdered the Hierophant. There was no sudden sickness - he was killed in cold blood. Almost no one knows that, and he's got an ace up his sleeve anyway: he's kidnapped the nine archbishops of Montaigne so a new cardinal can't be elected, and without a cardinal there can be no new Hierophant. It'll take three years before church law allows them to be replaced - but the Church doesn't have three years.

The big secret the Imperatrice Morella has? Two months ago, she awakened to find a black fate strand attached to her - something no Fate Witch has lived more than six months after seeing, save for her elder sister. She is planning to escape, and has prepared a letter to her sister for help. Her daughter Dominique has only one real secret as well: when she was examined at birth, she was declared to have no sorcery...but her son would be the most powerful sorcerer ever. She's just heard about the prophecy and is furious. She is planning to perform a ritual that will steal the child's sorcery for herself, but it must be performed just before the birth.

Montegue? Has no secrets. He really is just a peasant who is insanely good at tactics. He tries to be kind and loyal, but his reassignment has made him doubt. If he received proof that Léon wanted him dead, he'd march back to Montaigne and perform a coup d'état - he doesn't take kindly to betrayal. How about Cardinal Erika Brigitte Durkheim, the Eisen cardinal? Well, she's half-blood Montaigne - specifically, a half-blood sorcerer . She's really there to find her father, if he still lives. Second, she has in fact made a dark bargain to give her new power - she traded her reflection for the power to summon mirror ghosts and ask them three questions a day. The reflection is now intelligent and can manifest in the physical world - though it's her own mirror image and limps in the wrong leg; it was the reflection that was inspected for sorcery and proven innocent because it has none. Why did she do it? Well, her boss and the Hierophant both asked her to. Her boss, after all, is Gunther Schmidl of Die Kreuzritter, which she belongs to.

Duchess Thérése Rois et Reines du Rogné is exactly as loyal as she appears; she regrets imprisoning her son but is too stubborn to forgive him. She is also planning to trick Lady Jamais Sices du Sices into insulting the Empereur and thus being killed. She's a full-blood Porté sorcerer and journeyman Valroux fencer. Lady Jamais is a full-blood sorcerer but no fighter; she does, however, get a free Raise with the Repartee system, two kept dice for every Drama die she spends on it and only one kept die for two Drama dice spent on martial skills. She is also profoundly lonely. All she really wants is some friends and her history books, but she has neither. Someone really did commit suicide over her insults, and she feels a deep guilt over it - enough to harbor suicidal thoughts herself.

Karl Thomas Steiner has a dark secret - one even he doesn't remember. That night in the Black Forest? He ran into the legendary Schattenmann himself, the Shade Man - a monster of thin limbs and shadow who dismembers victims with shears. The Schattenmann could have killed him - but instead, it looked into his eyes and saw that one day he would spread a great darkness on the world. It cut off his ring finger and told him that when it returned, the darkness would be born. Whether the prophecy is true or not remains to be seen. Remy du Montaigne, meanwhile, is a full-blood sorcerer and master of Donovan, Valroux, Ambrogia and Tout Prés, as well as an Aldana journeyman. He wields a Maitre puzzle sword with Long Reach, Tainted Metal and the Thirsty Blade. His only secret is that he didn't directly kill Cardinal d'Argeneau - he just cut the man's finger off and dumped him in the river, as he felt bad about killing an old man.

Captain Jean-Marie Rois et Reines du Rogné has only one secret: despite leading the Musketeers, he hates the Empereur; he just won't break his vows and put himself and his wife in danger by opposing the man. Admiral Alazais Valoix Praisse du Rachetisse III did, in fact, win his rank by gambling with the Empereur - but there's a clause only he and the Empereur are aware of: if he doesn't get rid of all piracy in Montaigne waters by 1670, he's going to be killed. The General was once an honorable Eisen noble who tried to unite some other nobles during the War of the Cross; they preferred to bicker and take advantage of the chaos, so he grew sick of it, buried his dracheneisen armor in a field and left. He has left his name and honor behind with his armor, feeling that none of them ever brought him anything but pain. Pascal Vestanzi is not dead - when the Empereur saw his statue of the Imperatrice, he had the man's hands crushed and his tongue cut out, then dumped in a village 50 miles away. Pascal was saved from dying of his wounds by a pair of peasant woodcutters who nursed him back to health; while he is still a good sculptor, he will never be the perfection he once was. He is also illiterate, so he can't tell anyone what happened thanks to being made mute. And Jerome? Well, Jerome has no real secrets in his past and you know what he'll be coming home to...but without him and his approaching tragedy, the looming Montaigne revolution will be impossible, so GMs are told to keep him alive - he's going to be important.

Lastly, some new monsters. During the war on Castille, the Montaigne tried some questionable things - like sending a Porté mage into a castle with some wolves on a leash. They'd go mad, he'd release them and then teleport away. The wolves were a distraction for an assault. Sometimes, the mages never came back - and soon after, black wolves the size of ponies were seen in Castille and Montaigne. These wolves are infected with Porté, able to teleport - though far more easily than sorcerers can, as they need no Blooding, they just jump from spot to spot. At least they don't hunt in packs.

There's also Echoes, creatures formed when someone dies of their worst fear. They linger near where they formed and try to lure others to the same death, which strengthens them somehow. Any physical blow will destroy an echo for a day, but anyone facing one must make a Fear check once a round, with a penalty of one die per Dramatic wound the creature's caused. If a hero has the Cowardly hubris and it's activated, they automatically fail the check. Each failed check causes them suffer an automatic Dramatic wound and feel as though they are suffering the same death as the first victim. The only way to permanently destroy an echo is to somehow force it to fail a Fear check of its own, perhaps via the Courageous virtue.

There are also the Forest Fiends of the Lockhorn. Imagine a pack of angry, abnormally large and bloodthirsty black squirrels that can skeletonize a cow in about ten seconds. That's...yeah, that's about accurate. And, of course, mirror ghosts. They appear as misty humans with bllod-red eyes and bloody stumps where their hands should be. If they pass between two facing mirrors, they become trapped - but the mirrors must remain facing each other, or they'll be freed again. While trapped, they appear in both mirrors, pounding on the glass. Porté doesn't work in the same room as a mirror ghost. They can attack, but only characters with a Hubris - and only once per round, one person at a time. Ghosts automatically hit, dealing one kept die of damage for each time the Hubris has been activated this story successfully. They move about as fast as a man can run, so you can outrun them if you're quick, and you can trap them as above. They are immune to all damage, but while trapped cannot hurt anyone.

Next time: Secret Societies of Théah, Volume II: Rilasciare!

He's a butcher in judge's robes. If we let it continue, dozens more may die.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: He's a butcher in judge's robes. If we let it continue, dozens more may die.

Well, technically the 7th Sea Compendium came before Rilasciare, but that book has no new content - it recollects fluff info from the Player's Guide, GM's Guide and the Erebus Cross. We've seen all of it. Now, buckle up - we're about to learn where Sorcery truly came from.



We begin with some short fiction about the Honorable Sergio de Benedictis, a Vodacce judge. He is a cruel man who orders many hangings as a show of power and to keep people in fear. Two people, in secret. discuss his evils, and agree that the Prince won't listen - they need the Secret Court, whatever it is. Meanwhile, de Benedictis holds court against a man who didn't pay his taxes so he could afford bread for his child. The man is sentenced to eight years hard labor for conspiracy to commit treason - de Benedictis says that tax evasion is treason because of Vodacce's merchant war. We then get a speech about the crimes of de Benedictis, presumably to the Secret Court, and a member of the Inquisition bribing de Benedictis to dispose of a troublemaking priest. The Secret Court agrees the man must die, and allow the one who discovered his crimes to do the killing. We cut to Benedictis going through his letters when he finds one sealed by a strange seal he doesn't recognize, containing a paper with the word 'Guilty' on it and some dirt. He turns - and his brother Eduardo is behind him, plunging a knife through his eye. It turns out that his "prosecutor" was his own brother, who does not regret the killing - he is cold about it, like a proper Vodacce.

Now, let's talk about the secret history of the Rilasciare. Many don't realize their true size, since they organize into discrete and small cells that cannot expose each other - but they are very powerful, and the philosophically savvy have noticed similar unorthodox arguments from different groups at the same time, while patterns exist in vandalism and seditious acts. No one's put all the pieces together yet, though - no one's realized that Rilasciare is truly a huge group across all nations. After all, their symbol has been used to preach love and to show murder! How can they be the same? And they don't even have a public face.

But they are old. WE're going to talk about Numa, the Old Empire. Eventually, the Senate lost power to the Imperators, and the conflict between Senate and Imperator came to a head in 698 AUC, after nearly three hundred years. General Gaius Phillipus Macer took power in a military coup, tired of the struggles, and was welcomed with open arms as the greatest of Imperators by the people. For 26 years, the Senators tried to kill him - but all plots failed. At last, after all possibilities were exhausted, Senator Octavius Montanus discovered a strange artifact - a rod that let him summon strange, supernatural beings. He studied it for months, then gathered a small group of allies in a hidden Senate chamber and activated the rod.

The creatures arrived through a hole in space, appearing as horrifying demons. Some of the conspirators fled screamings, others fell to their knees and one went completely mad. Only Montanus remained calm. He began to bargain with the creatures, promising them anything if they would help him and his allies, pleding himself and his bloodline to their aid. At first, the creatures threatened him with damnation - but at least, they began to negotiate, as Montanus remained strong. The creatures, which Montanus called the Bargainers, would give the Senators great power - and they would spread those powers, first by teaching...but once they died, the power would be in the blood of their descendants. Each new practitioner would give a window into the world for the Bargainers, which they'd lost millenia ago. The Senators did not care. They agreed to these conditions and swore to pass on their knowledge - so the Bargainers gave them power. To Montanus, the power to step between shadows. To others, prediction of the future, control of fire, killing with a touch. The Bargain was sealed, the rift was closed.

And unknown to all of the conspirators, they were not alone. Three common servants had witnessed the Bargain, terrified but maintaining composure. As the Senators left, they agreed they must all fight against this abomination - and the Rilasciare were born. The leaders, Philo, Matias and Vesta, knew that they could not fight alone. They bided their time, watching as the Senators used their new power to defeat Gaius and broke his power, taking control of the Empire. They called themselves Fortis, the Courageous, and gathered allies. They found witnesses of the Senators' power and recruited them, training themselves in poison and assassination. They never revealed themselves ave to those they could trust, and struck back in small ways, even managing to kill one of the conspirators by stealth. But the Senators grew in power as well, spreading their power among their friends and allies. When sorcery was revealed, it did not stop their power - people were too frightened to act against them.

It was then that First Prophet arose. Vesta, the last survivor of the founders, overheard him speak of loving mankind, worshipping the one god Theus - and decrying sorcery. She was moved by his words and noticed his great charisma as a weapon that could be used. As a street preacher, though, his power was limited. Perhaps as a martyr, he could be unstoppable. Vesta offered the Prophet the chance to speak to the Senate itself, and he did not seem surprised. After his speech, he was arrested, tried and executed - and Vesta was found as the one who let him in, dying as well. Except...she was right: the Prophet's words gained strength. Many had heard him, and a cult sprung up, growing with each generation. Fortis encouraged its spread, preaching to all the Empire. The sorcerers tried to stop the cult, but it was too strong. In 203 AV, the Imperator himself announced his conversion. The sorcerers had to flee or face the wrath of the Empire.

Fortis splintered, then - some joined the Church, others began to hunt the sorcerers out to the colonies of Numa. Without a great threat, though, they lost contact with each other and fell from power. But as the Empire fell, the sorcerous nobles began to snap it up, dividing it into kingdoms. Sorcery by now was not taught, but genetic. Some nobles lacked it, and the sorcerers came to dominate, even as they hid their power. The society that was once Vestis was divided, had even lost its name, but it still existed - partially in the church, partially without. This was when they first became called Rilasciare - an old title meaning "Troublemaker" in the language of Numa. The cells' goals varied widely - but eventually, fighting the sorcerers became its true purpose, for they knew that genetic sorcery meant the Bargainers had a stronger foothold. For centuries, they fought a secret war, butchering nobles and being hunted as bandits.

Their greatest triumph was in 918: the death of the von Drachen family, the sorcerous line of Eisen. Their magic, now forgotten, was Zerstörung , which could age things with but a touch. The society had killed others before, mostly Porté mages and Castillian fire mages. But this time, with the aide of a rival without sorcery named Karl Sieger, they devised a plan to destroy the entire von Drachen family, for their magic was limited only to the one family and a few easily snipped branches. They had a reputation for cruelty, so it wasn't hard to start a secret rebellion. They began by striking at the minor cousins, slaughtering the families in their sleep. When the main family realizes they were under attack, they gathered at their fortified castle - just as the Rilasciare wanted. The kitchen staff smuggled in assassins, and by morning no von Drachen were left alive. Sieger annexed the land - and it soon became clear they'd replaced one eivl with another, as Sieger was a brutal oppressor who knew of their existence and kept an eye out for them. Sure, he wasn't a sorcerer, but he was not a good man.

Rilasciare cells began to debate - perhaps sorcery was not the only enemy. Power itself seemed to corrupt as surely as the Bargain did. If killing sorcerers would not prevent tyranny like Sieger's, then they must also fight tyrants. Tax collectors, nobles, kings. New members were drawn to Rilasciare, and their disillusionment with power came to a head with the Third Prophet. Many Rilasciare were in the Church - until then. They applauded his stance on sorcery and actively helped destroy Castille's sorcerous royal family, but they were appalled by his abuses of power. The crusades took thousands of lives for no good reason, and the Prophet tried to steal power from the Hierophant, starting a bloody internal war. He founded the Inquisition - and used it against political enemies. He ascended on the bodies of the dead and used his authority for power. The Rilasciare were horrified. The final straw came when Niccolo Benevisti, a Cardinal and member of Rilasciare, spoke out against the Inquisition and was burned as a heretic. Many of his followers in the group burned with him, sought by the Inquisitors, and the rest fled the church. The lesson was clear: Authority is poison and power corrupts completely. If mankind was to live free of fear, all authoirty must be destroyed.

So began a five century shadow war against the Vaticine and nobility. It wasn't easy - sorcery was driven underground, and fighting both secret mages and the Church was a huge drain on resources. Both the inquisitors and sorcerers sought to destroy the Rilasciare, and while they could be played against each other, there were just too many. The Rilasciare went into hiding - and found aid from an unlikely source: non-sorcerous nobles. The Rilasciare found foothold with these elites, recruiting them in its fight even as it planned to destroy their power. It became a game of cat and mouse, with careful movements to prevent allies from becoming enemies. Reckless Rilasciare died often, usually via magic. The cells became loose and informal, unitedo nly by philosophy and correspondence. They scored a few victories, but could not enact real change. A code of communication developed among these Rilasciare, to talk to each other without being recognized as doing so.

In 1500, they had developed into salons and gentleman's clubs. Direct action gave way to debate and mostly they were concerned with political philosophy instead of direct action. The were secretive, but no longer assassins - until a new cry arose. Francois Goddard du Rachetisse published a manifesto demanding the dismantling of all authority. He coined the term Free Thinker and urged all others of the group to follow him. He ignored the debates that followed, instead infiltrating a major construction project of the King of Montaigne - a dam meant to make a fishing lake. He and his followers packed it with gunpowder and blew the entire thing up during its inaugaral ceremony. The incident, called the Firework Dam, became famous - and Goddard became the most wanted man in Théah after the flood washed away an entire noble estate and killed three of the king's entourage. Other cells began to follow his example, performing direct and often very public acts of mayhem, while others began to distribute political leaflets and educate peasants, and yet others clung to their quiet debates. But Firework Dam changed everything.

In the century since, the Rilasciare have become very active, exchanging letters, arguing, acting to further their agenda. They remain divided on how extreme their methods should be, but they are all committed to the common goal. They have disrupted bureaucracies, causes chaos and even made some real changes. They were appalled by the violance of the War of the Cross, by the twisting of the Prophet's words for senseless slaughter. They hope to ensure that the suffering is not in vain by preventing a new Imperator from rising, and have been working to keep the Eisen barons at each others' throats, to ensure they won't reunify. They are also behind the revolt of la Bucca - it's one of their greatest successes, on the lines of the destruction of the von Drachens or the martyrdom of the First Prophet.

Several Rilasciare members were friends of Prince Javier del Castille, and they spent years trying to find him when the Inquisition kidnapped him. At last, he was found on la Bucca, calling himself Allende. They made contact, and smuggled him what he needed to pull off a revolt, including chemicals used to fake an outbreak of the White Plague. The revolt went off perfectly, and inspired by the debates with his old friends, Javier founded the Brotherhood of the Coast: a genuine democracy. He's still not part of the Rilasciare, but he remains in contact with them and will help them. In return, they will help his pirate "nation".

Despite being divided so much, the Rilasciare have a fairly unified philosophy. There are three basic tenets that all members hold true: First, no man, woman or child should ever want for anything. Second, sorcery is evil and must be destroyed for the good of humanity. Third, power corrupts and thus all trappings of power, called "Dominion", must be destroyed. These form the core of their beliefs, centered around the need for enlightenment and freedom of thought for all mankind. The first tenet is focused on the positive aspects of their beliefs - to build up, not tear down. In their ideal world, no one would be hungry, fearful or oppressed; they seek to achieve this by enlightening others and thus giving them the strength they need. They call this vero coraggio , true courage, achieved by learning to think for yourself. If you can do that, you can change the world. Peasants endure becuase they know no better - teach them joy and they will not stand for it. Rulers oppress because they do not care - show them the pain and they will change. Spread enlightenment and educate the ignorant, and you will create vero coraggio , which will end all hardship.

The second and third tenets come from the first, but are rather darker. Those who disagree with the Rilasciare, who do not feel equality is beneficial - they must be stopped and destroyed. Ironically, though, many Rilasciare are the noble elite even as they seek to overthrow it. No group of oppressors, they feel, is greater than the Bargainers, the creatures which gave men sorcery. They have corrupted an entire class, giving them magic in exchange for a foothold in this world - and that magic has been used to make a huge gap between the haves and have-nots. The Rilasciare cannot destroy the Bargainers, for they are beyond mortal reach, but they can destroy magic, slamming the door on the Bargainers. N o member has ever disagreed with these core tenets; it's implementation that varies.

We've got a sidebar, as a note - most people accept that nobles are just better. Magic self-evidently proves it: some people are just innately more capable than others. 'All men are created equal' is not an idea that exists outside the Rilasciare. They know the source of the power and that something was traded for it - sure, the original three left few records, but they know that magic has a price. They can see it in the lashes that mar Fate Witches and in the blood that coats users of Porté. Knowing there is a price makes it much easier for the Rilasciare to know that every human is born equal.

Next time: Feelings on sorcery and factions in the Freethinkers.

The law does not excuse cirumstance, signore, no matter how tragic.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: The law does not excuse cirumstance, signore , no matter how tragic.

The Rilasciare know of seven original lines of sorcery; of those, only three have survived to the modern day. The rest were destroyed via infighting, crossbreeding or, in one case, the Rilasciare. Porté and Sorte are the most common of the surviving Bargainer magics, while the Castillian El Fuego Adentro survives only in isolated tribes thanks to the Church's efforts in the time of the Third Prophet. The Free Thinkgers want to drive teleporters and fate witches ot the same fate. After all - every time they do their magic, they help the Bargainers. Glamour, Pyeryem and Lærdom are harder - one comes from the Sidhe, one from Matushka and one apparently from religious beliefs. They may or may not be as bad as the Bargainer sorceries. The Rilasciare have no cohesive polciy on them, but they generally don't approve of any kind of magic. Pyeryem and Lærdom are the hardest - the cultures that practice them are similar in their lack of structure to what the Free Thinkers want . Also, Avalon's Druid magic is hard to deal with because it comes from an internal enlightenment, which they approve of, but is magic, which they don't.

As a general rule, Rilasciare all dislike the Bargainer sorceries, disapprove of Glamour but not as much and vary in their views on Pyeryem and Lærdom. However, they all agree that no sorcerers may be allowed into the Rilasciare, no matter what they practice. It should be noted - the Rilasciare believe that sorcery is evil, but it doesn't have to be. Sure, it came from the Bargainers - but countless heroes have used their magic to help others. Even the Rilasciare don't discount that. Mostly. They just feel humanity should not have to pay the price for all that power.

By design, Rilasciare has very little structure. It has no leaders, but is instead organized into semi-autonomous cells that vary widely in organization and tactics. However, there are a number of "factions" which are based on implementation - five primary ones, really, and their debates tend to shape what might be called overall policy, such as it is. The first and most common faction is the Freeman League, who are what people think of when they think 'Rilasciare'. The Freemen are pranksters, discordians and public nuisances. They are the most public and most hunted. They care less about sorcery than the overthrow of authority and replacement of nations with decentralized states. The way most Freemen go about doing this is to ridicule those in power to remove their authority, which can man illegal satirist leaflets...or it can man burying statues in cow manure or filling tax offices with paint. Or, sometimes, it means burning down government buildings and filling churches with incontinent geese. Sure, it seems frivolous - but there's a serious purpose: to render authority useless by showing people how well they can get along without it. While they tend towards good humor, Freemen have also been deadly serious - hunger strikes, for example, are another Freeman tactic. The authorities hate them because they are humiliating - and humiliation is deadly at high levels. The Freemen tend to be young nobles themselves, using that to get access to their targets and safehouses. (In fact, the Rilasciare have a surprising number of nobles, who tend to be deeply principled and feel that while they've got a lot to lose, the gains for society will be worth it.) Freemen refuse to kill if at all possible and try to ensure their pranks don't cause physical harm. They may kidnap officials, but they'll keepo them safe and release them unharmed - just very ridiculous and humiliated. Their missions tend to be planned extremely carefully, and they are very passionate.

Next is the Freethought Society, the most moderate action. They counsel caution and restraint, and are mostly older people (usually wealthy, nobles or both) whose more adventurous days are behind them. They have wisdom, experience and contacts, though, so they are well-respected. They focus on education and enlightenment of the masses. Yes, laws and government are bad and must eventually be done away with - but people aren't ready for freedom yet. They need to be educated, to be prepared for what is to come. The Freethought warn others of the dangers of sorcery, encourage tolerance and teach people. This is important - most schools are run by the Vaticine, and the Freethought Society want to change that. Sometimes that means opening their own schools, open to anyone - or perhaps leccutring on street corners, pamphleteering or even going into the fields and teaching people to read. They also use their extensive contacts to try and improve life however they can. Generally, they're modest in their goals - progressive legislation, putting their members in key positions to held others, that sort of thing. They can do more when needed, though - free wrongfully accused prisoners, plant evidence and so on. While the others may call them do-nothing babblers, the criticism goes away when someone needs their contacts and legal prowess. Their most dramatic success has been the spread of a new literary movement in Montaigne, wherein anonymous publications question everything from the class system to property rights. They have caught on like wildfire, though mostly as a fad, because no one knows who would dare publish such material. The Society's chief enemy is the Church, who see them as an affront to Church authority and shut down their schools whenever they can, arresting the owners for heresy. Several prominent Soceity members have vanished without trace, while others have been burned at the stake - but the Church underestimates how much some old men care for the idea of dying for a worthy cause.

Their polar opposites are the Guerrilla Alliance. Some Rilasciare believe that the revolution can be peaceful; these aren't them. They don't care about pranks or arguments - they want to tear down the tools of oppression now . They are largely from the lower classes, and they scorn the respectability of the other groups. They want to take down the nobility by any means necessary - and they're very dangerous. They are highly active and known for performing daring missions with no care for their own safety, attacking the instruments of government, nobility and the Church in an effort to bring it all crashing down. They target both sorcery and other forms of power, and have performed several notable bombings, kidnappings and acts of open sedition. Many know how to use explosives, most are trained soldiers, and some are even professional killers. A year ago, one of their cells infilitrated a Vendel masquerade and murdered the head of the Usury Guild, Master Solomon, in front of five hundred guests. Six months before, they blew up a prominent public works deparment in Paix with forty-two barrels of gunpowder. While most of the Paix cell was arrested, the Guerrillas have shaken society to its core - and unlike most of the Rilasciare, they have no care about killing when they feel it's needed. Almost every Guerrilla is a wanted criminal, and those who aren't are such only because they haven't been identified. They've lost the most men of any faction, but they feel the results are worth the risk. While fanatical, they are also extremely brave, and while violent, few can deny they possess vero corragio . When executed, the leader of the Paix cell laughed at the crowd and willingly leapt to his death on the noose. While their actions may be terrifying for the other Rilasciare, their courage is inspiring.

Then there's the Liberation Guild. They're...well, thieves. They steal from the rich and powerful and give to the Rilasciare, the poor and themselves. They have only two major cells to their name, the least of any faction, and have performed some of the most daring robberies in history. While they spend their idle hours in debate, much like the Freethought Society, they have few idle hours. Instead, they are always busy with the next heist, using the Rilasciare's philosophy to focus their actions on worthy targets - generally tax collectors, government treasuries and the extremely wealthy. They use a mix of planning and audacity and steal the most valuable items they can find, no matter what guards them. The wealth they steal is always sent to those in need - either Rilasciare cells or the poor. Taxes are generally given to the taxed, while art is auctioned off to the highest bidder or ransomed, the money used to keep people fed and cells well-supplied. They've started a game of oneupsmanship with each other, daring each other to greater heights. The greatest theft so far has been that of Konrad Proovost, who broke into the summer home l'Empereur and stole a prized Syrneth artifact, replacing it with a cheap fake and evading guards and hounds. He sold the real copy to the Explorers, but his coup is not total - the Empereur has not yet noticed the thing's missing. Either way - the other Rilasciare may condemn the Liberation Guild as frivolous or self-serving, but on the other hand, they're happy to use their income to fuel the society, as well as to use the skills that the Liberators bring to the table - few are their equals in climbing, break-ins and escapes. Sure, the Guild cares more about thrill than purpose - but they produce results and they have style .

The Oppositionists are closest to the original purpose of the Rilasciare: fighting sorcery. They feel all evils of power ultimately spring from sorcery, and that so long as it remains, humanity will suffer. They point to things like the growing madness of l'Empereur, the bloody history of Vodacce and the witches, the sinister nature of the Sidhe or the fact that Pyeryem keeps Ussura under Matushka's thumb. The Oppositionists want to remove sorcery from the world - perhaps by killing sorcers, by convincing them not to use their powers, by giving them little need to use their gifts - anything they feel will work. They retain strong Vaticine ties, and many Oppositionists are devout. Some are even priests. When the Oppositionists find sorcerers who abuse their power, they often try to have them killed. "Heroic" sorcerers are dealt with via subtler techniques - perhaps trying to convince them not to use their power, or giving them things that make the power redundant. Vodacce has been the hardest, as Sorte is the only power most witches have - so there, the Oppositionists have started working, unlikely as it seems, with Sophia's Daughters, to educate the witches and get them out of the country, to places where they don't need to use their power. They also attempt to place nannies, stewards and teachers into places where they can convince their charges not to use sorcery, to dissuade sorcerous marriages and so on, in an attempt to kill off the family lines. The Oppositionists possess a rare set of ancient scrolls, written by Vesta herself, about the Bargain. Few have seen the scrolls, but rumors abound among the Rilasciare about their content.

Last are the Couriers, the glue that holds the Rilasciare together. They have no political position; rather, they are the delivery service that keeps the many cells of Rilasciare in touch with each other. Without them, the Free Thinkers would have perished long ago. They are masters of safety, secrecy and anonymity, run from a main cell in the Vendel city of Kirk. Only the chief Courier knows all the secret names and codes used to address and hide the messages, and his couriers range from poor servants to wealthy merchants, using every means - except sorcery, of course - to move the messages along. Couriers have been known to burn themselves to death rather than allow their letters to fall into hands other than their recipients. They have, by necessity, remained utterly outside the factional debates, maintaining neutrality and trust. It may take them months to get letters mailed, but they get there - and so debates can take years, but the society remains cohesive. Mostly. Sure, the time between letters gives each cell time to work and splinter away from the others - but this is the best they've got right now.

And some Rilasciare have no faction. They are often members of no set cell, but rather travel the world and support the goals of the Rilasciare however they can. The Free Thinkers are okay with that - vero corragio comes in many forms. Sure, they get courted by various factions, but the independents are recognized as an important part of the Rilasciare cause.

Joining the Rilasciare isn't easy. Their members keep an eye out for those who seem to think the same way, and feel them out as best they can before inviting them to join the group. That could be years of observation! They'll then explain the cause and the dangers, and give the recruit a chance to join. Most are all too willing. Cells have varying initiation rites depending on faction, nationality or whatever. Once you're in...well, you liven normally most of the time - until it's time to act. Meetings are serious but informal, and leadership varies by cell. The only thing they all share is the Secret Court. Most of the Rilasciare doesn't like to kill, after all. (The Guerrillas and Oppositionists might disagree, of course.) Still, those noble tenets can be a disadvantage - most of their foes have no such qualms. The Rilasciare have thus developed a way to serve as judge, jury and executioner. Anyone can convene the Court - all they have to do is tell the Couriers they're doing it, naming a "Criminal" or group that will be the defendants. Then, the Rilasciare gather evidence - eyewitness accounts, listing of crimes, finding documents and so on. Any Rilasciare testimony is assumed to be true, while other witnesses are judged by circumstance. Once all evidence is ready, the accuser assembles his arguments and sends it to the Couriers, who give copies to every single cell. They then have 24 hours after receiving the evidence to debate and turn in a verfict. A majority vote of "Guilty" means the crimes merit execution.

Each cell has one vote, which can be arrived at however they like. When the couriers get the votes, they return the verdict to the accuser. If it's guilty, then the accuser may act. This can be by hiring a swordsman, a more subtle assassin, send in a Rilasciare killer or even do the job themselves. Some defendants even get tortured before being killed if their crimes were particularly terrible. If possible, the killer will always leave a small mound of black earth from the spot the Old Republic Seantors struck the Bargain. Anyone wanting to kill must convene the court; accidental deaths, of course, aren't a problem - they should be avoided, but they happen. Killing in self-defense or a personal vendetta, also not a problem. But if it's plan to kill someone to further the Rilasciare's goals? Then the Court's needed. The Guerrillas have acted without it, but doing so is very rare, lest the others turn on them en masse. Some day, the Rilasciare feel, the Court will no longer be needed - but until then, it acts as a way to ensure that any dark acts they must take are justified and their aggressive members are kept in line.

The Rilasciare have developed many codes to help identify each other, but they tend to be informal. Only two systems are universal and organized. The first is the "Coat code", a way to convey messages via clothing. It evolved from togas of the Old Empire, which were cut to pass messages among the Fortis; modern cells wear specific outfits, hats and scarves to give out information. These coats are designed to have easily changeable for many messages, and are capable of relaying three - and only three - types of information: First, precise directions within a given city. Second, types of people (such as musketeers, judges, soldiers and so on). Third, events - that is, meetings, ships leaving port or particular dates. It can't do names. So you could learn that a musketeer is at an inn five blocks up and three houses down, but not his name or the name of his inn. You also can only get three pieces of information into the code before you look too ridiculous to be normal. The coats are created by Hans Uppmann, who has also taken to adding features like hidden lockpicks or other useful items. The other code is building marks - basically, the Rilasciare use hobo code.


See? Hobo code.

Now, let's talk about relations. The Rilasciare...well, they have very little power in Avalon. People love Elaine, and what's worse, she knows about the Rilasciare and has set Bors MacAllister on keeping it in check - and he's great at erreting them out. Only a isngle major cell has survived, hiding in the city of Luthon. The Rilasciare, for their part, think Elaine's as bad as the old senators - she gained power through Sidhe magic and has spread Sidhe power like wildfire. She stands against all they believe, and they want to bring her down...but since they know little about the Sidhe, they're not sure how to do it. They love the Highlands - the government is structured much as they'd like it to be, and James MacDuff is one of the few kings who seems actually worthy of his position. On the other hand, Inismore is a disaster - chaotic and fractured, the bad side of structurelessness, and ruled by a mad demigod who could vanish at any time. Artificial authority's bad, but so is pure chaos! There's little activity in either country because the locals don't want outsiders - though there's a quiet Freethought cell in Kirkwall.

Castille has a good number of Rilasciare, dating from the days when they worked with the church to defeat El Fuego Adentro . The Liberation Guild is strong there, stealing from abandoned rancheros , while the Oppositionists have strong allies in the Church. And, of course, the Freeman League had strong friendship with Prince Javier before his disappearance. They've been keeping an eye on Sandoval. The war has given them freedom to act, though they must be careful not to weaken Sandoval too much - they very much don't want Montaigne to win. So instead, they use subtler means or pursue interests unrelated to the crown. Castillians think of them as well-meaning eccentrics, sometimes helpful and sometimes a pest. They'll happily listen so long as no actual revolutions are involved. The Church, on the other hand, has little friendship left for the Rilasciare, especially with the rise of the Inquisition. Fortunately, their contacts in the Church have kept them one step ahead of the Inquisitors so far, and they're not that high on the list of priorities.

Eisen...well, it suffered a horrible war, but at least it's left behind a disunified mess. The Rilasciare hope that without a central authority, the Eisen will learn to rely on themselves, and they are committed to keeping Eisen divided. The problem is that most of the Eisenfürsten want to unify the nation under themselves. Okay, Georg Hainzl's lost touch with reality and is pretty safe, and Nicklause Trägue is happy with just Freiburg, but the other five are dangerous. The Free Thinkers have tried to play them off each other and solidify their territorial borders; sooner or later, though, they'll have to act against one of them. The Eisen are generally unware of the Rilasciare and wouldn't care if they knew - there's enough madmen around without looking for more.

Montaigne...well, on the one hand, l'Empereur is a pig destroying his people, the nobles squander their position on petty gains and the peasants suffer. On the other, there are many individual Montaignes who are noble, courageous and devoted to their fellow man. Artists and thinkers are free to develop new theories, and the musketeers tend to be bastions of justice for all classes. The Rilasciare admire much and hate much. Ever since the Paix bombing, though, they've become rather passive in Montaigne - educated peasants, putting on radical plays, but little else. Maybe they've realized how hard revolution is...or maybe they're biding their time. Due to the Freethought Society's essays, more Montaigne than anyone else know about the Rilasciare. It's currently very avant garde to read their works and discuss them...but people are still very unsettled by the Paix bombing and other such incidents, and some wonder if they'll be next. Most believe the essays will fade when the next fad comes along.

Ussura...well, the Rilasciare aren't strong in Ussura, quite, because they don't seem needed. The country is fat, happy and largely disorganized and huge. It's everything they could want, and the few Ussuran cells mostly try to keep the boyars from overstepping. Still, the notion of Matushka is rather unsettling, though it hasn't caused the same problems as Avalon's Sidhe. The Rilasciare do dominate what intellectual debates the nation has, holding endless arguments in Pavtlow's teahouses. Many Rilasciare flee to Ussura to hide while the heat dies down, and the Pavtlow cell writes more letters than any two cells combined. The Ussurans tend not to trust intellectuals much, but the Gaius indulges them so long as they stay quiet.

Next time: More thoughts of the Rilasciare, and some important cells!

I should like to see the methods you use to obtain such pious confessions.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: I should like to see the methods you use to obtain such pious confessions.

We left off with Ussura, so we move to Vendel. The Rilasciare and Vendel hate each other. Sure, the merchants are no nobles - but their focus on profits is used for economic domination, and Rilasciare can't stand that. For their part, the Vendel hate them for driving profits down. The entire business rubs the Rilasciare wrong because the merchants thrive on making people want for things - something that goes against all the Free Thinkers believe. Vendel Rilasciare tend to be more radical than most, and the Guerrillas' largest cell is in Kirk. The Couriers are also based there. The Rilasciare approve of the Vestenmannavnjar and their old tribes, though Lærdom makes some nervous, and the two groups get on relativvely well. IF the Vesten were not so monofocused on Vendel, the Rilasciare might even consider revealing themselves as a whole and proposing an alliance.

Vodacce's an important country. The city of Numa's as close to sacred as anything is for the Rilasciare - and the nation itself, well...it's a dangerous place. There's sorcery...but in the hands of those with no other power. The nation is divided...yet when threatened, the Princes can act as one. The people are devout Vaticines...but they break the Church's laws every day. The Rilasciare still have no clear idea how to deal with it, and have settled for going for pragmatic solutions and dodging Princely reprisal. The Vodacce are proud, and don't take well to their games - most of those who know about the Rilasciare see them as a tool to be used rather than a force of change. Many Rilasciare find themselves serving petty agendas as they work, and they move very carefully to avoid it happening too much. They've also convened the Secret Court in Vodacce more than any other nation.

As noted, the Rilasciare love the Brotherhood of the Coast - they consider it their creation. While Allende may not be a member, they are both very happy to work togther. The Explorers, on the other hand - well, they approve of the quest for knowledge, but many Rilasciare view Syrneth artifacts as dangerous and destructive, though not as much as sorcery. They mostly leave the Explorers alone - but if they go too far, the Rilasciare will not hesitate to act. They really, really want to help the Invisible College, but can't, because the Invisible College is too good at hiding. The Rilasciare have no idea who they'd be assisting.

The Rilasciare believe that the Knights of the Rose and Cross, while heroes, are doomed to inevitably stagnate and become corrupt. They've tried to infiltrate the group in order to prevent it, but have yet to succeed. They suspect that die Kreuzritter werre not, in fact, destroyed when history says they were and that they still serve as the Hierophant's will. Such an order could be either wonderful or terrible - and either way, they want to know more, though they have few leads. They love Los Vagos - it's their ideal form of organization: the leader leads by example in the name of justice and never claims authority. They love El Vago. They do whatever they can to help Los Vagos, though El Vago is prepared to fight them if they ever try to harm Good King Sandoval. Until they do, though, he'll accept their help.

Sophia's Daughters have an alliance with the Rilasciare - both seek to better the oppressed, and they have some common foes. The Daughters have used Rilasciare to smuggle women out of Vodacce, and the Rilasciare have used Sophia's Daughters extensive library at times. Still, it's an alliance of convenience, not ideology. The Rilasciare are very concerned over the fact that the Daughters love sorcery as a tool, but things have been kept from getting too bad because the Daughters have claimed they'll be happy to abandon it when their goals are achieved. For now, Rilasciare will accept that. For now.

Okay. Now, cells of the world! Avalon has only one major cell, a 7-man one in the city of Luthon. They are called the Brothers of Freedom and are a member of the Guerrilla Alliance. They're the only group that's managed to evade Bors MacAllister for long, hanging around with Luthon's bureaucrats. They've gotten rid of a few corrupt clerks and passed out seditious literature but have otherwise done little, since there's not much they can do. They've made contact with Piram and offered to help him - they don't like him, but Elaine has to go first, and after that they can take him out relatively easily. In the meantime, they continue to try and dodge MacAllister, while he continues to try and arrest them and blackmail them into fingering Piram. If they get a chance, they'd not hesitate to kill the man. There is also a Freethought Society cell in the Highland capital Kirkwall, called the Faculty of the University of Kirkwall. 11 men who are...exactly what they claim to be. The University was founded fifty years back by a pair of Rilasciare nobles, Justin McFadden and Sean MacDonald, who intended the University to be a school seperate from the Vaticine and all trappings of authority. They spend most of their time running tutoring programs, building roads and so on, and they are currently funded by the King himself. They're easily the most content branch of the Rilasciare - they feel their efforts are working, and they're improving the Highlands in the hope of making it an ideal community.

Castille has a number of cells. In Altamira, there are the Nimble Fingers, one of the two Liberation Guild cells. There's 14 of them, who meet in a villa full of stolen goods. They're mostly Castillian nobles, with a few Vendel and Avalons, who try to perform the most outrageous thefts they can. They fund many Rilasciare cells, though they're seen as highly flippant and frivolous. In the Vaticine City, there's a 26-man cell of Oppositionists, the Holy Order of the Four Prophets. They hunt down sorcery, and while none of them are Church members, they are all devout. They were instrumental in the overthrow of El Fuego Adentro , and some still pursue the last users. They tend to frame sorcerers and get them killed by the government, but will call the Secret Court if they can't. They are also prominent in politics, trying to arrange marriages to dilute the sorcerous blood via a network of spies, informants and blackmailers. And in San Cristobal, there are Los Nueve y Siete, the Nine and Seven - once, they were a band of noblemen who hung around with Javier de Castille, who were outrageous pranksters. He kept contact with them, and they believe he was righteous and good. They are, in fact, a 16-man cell of the Freeman League. A year after he disappeared, the swore to find him and disrupt any authority that might take his place. Since then, they have struck out at all authority around - they even made a prank on King Sandoval...though that changed when they found Javier on la Bucca . They helped him created the Brotherhood of the Coast, but he told them to stop undermining Sandoval, and instead to try and teach him to be a good ruler. They agreed, so now their efforst are focused on the Church and dons, and are consulted from time to time by Sandoval.

Eisen only has a few cells. In Freiburg, there is a nameless group of Guerillas, 18 strong. They want to shatter the Eisenfürsten completely, leaving the nation to complete anarchy. They are based out of Freiburg by necessity - nowhere else would tolerate them - and they harry everyone but Freiburg's own people - largely because Freiburg's already in a state of near-anarchy. In Gottkirchen, there is a Freeman League cell of 20 men called the Vereingung das Uneinigkeit. I have no idea what that means. They are pranksters who work to keep the Eisenfürsten at each others' throats - they don't want to destroy them, quite, but do want to keep them from uniting the people, so that people realize they do not need an Imperator. They belittle the Eisenfürsten and place the blame on...the other Eisenfürsten, along with stirring up discontent among the soldiers and officials.

In Montaigne there are quite a few cells. Charouse has Jacob's Political Society, a Freethought cell of 12. They are a gentleman's club that debates ideals and slowly distributes anonymous essays, which are worming their way through the court. They were founded by a noble, and consist solely of idealistic nobles and aristocrats - though they've started letting in nouveau riche and upper middle class members, too. They spend most of their time drinking, gaming and debating, but their essays have brought new ideas to the fore and paved the way for major reforms. They have no idea how to implement any of this, but they have some of the most sophisticated ideas of the Rilasciare. Dechaine, meanwhile, has the Cirque d'Chaine, a Freethought cell of 15. They are a band of traveling actors who journey across Montaigne and perform radical plays, generally for the peasantry. They have also been working to educate the peasants, as well as serving as an informal mail service for them. Paix has the Paix Historical Gentleman's Club, an eight-man Oppositionist cell. They have become a bit crazy, especially with the loss of Paix's Guerrillas after the bombing. They claim to have been in Montaigne since it was formed, hunting Montanus and his family. They exclusively hunt Porté sorcerers, which they feel are most dangerous, and believe that the Bargainers live in the Walkway. They hope to eventually find proof of this or some secret weakness that can be exploited.

Ussura has a single cell, the nameless Freethought cell of Pavtlow. There are 23 official members, but it also serves as a home in exile for any Rilasciare that need to hide out. It is the central organization of the Ussuran intellectuals, few though they are, and their agenda is no secret, though their membership to the Rilasciare is. They mostly try to establish schools and teach people, which has been a slow success. They are uncomfortable with the idea of Matushka but have no idea how to address it - you might as well try to banish a forest. They also have strong ties with sophia's Daughters, and often shelter women for them. The Pavtlow cell spends a lot of time arguing and has almost no organization.

Vendel, now...well, Kirk has two cells. The first is the True Path, a 16-man cell of the Guerrillas and their most prominent cell. It is an extremely active and destructive cell, infamous even before they assassinated Master Solomon of the Usury Guild. They trade weapons with the Vesten and aim to shatter the Vendel sense of security and cause mass panic. The Couriers are also based in Kirk, and they're 45 strong - the largest "Cell" because that's all the Couriers. All of them. They are run by a man named Nolan Chaucer, who coordinates the links between all of the cells of Rilasciare. Only a few tend to be in Kirk at any one time, though. In Chaucer's free time he publishes an illegal but popular newspaper called the Rum Barrel. The Couriers have no direct links with the True Path, and go to complex drop points to ensure that none of the True Path realize they're in the same city.

And Vodacce has several cells. The first is a nameless Freeman League group based on the island of Dionna, 17 men strong. They take great pride in their work, because Vodacce will kill over insults - and that is their stock in trade. They humiliate people, and that brings results, because a humiliated man is not long for power. They have caused three suicides, forty-one duels and countless resignations, but have never directly killed anyone. They've greatly destablizied the local government - though the Villanova family has not lost any real power, and they don't dare strike against Giovanni Villanova - it'd be suicide. On Bernoulli's Isle, the Esteemed Union of Burglars, Clowns, and Roustabouts (AKA the Burglar's Union) is a nine-man cell of the Liberation Guild. They are far more prgamatic than the Nimble Fingers, and they tend to care more about money than challenge. They are largely smugglers and skimmers off ship cargo, being dockworkers by trade. They're very good at their jobs. They don't do much political work, but they do fund quite a lot of the Rilasciare. And then there's the Bane, a 13-man cell of Oppositionists based in Florentina. They are hapy to kill off any sorcerers they get their hands on...but after years of butting heads with Sophia's Daghters, they have agreed to not harm a certain list of Fate Witches and smuggle some women out of the country, in return for detailed information on Sorte mages outside the Daughters' protection and aid in striking them. It's an uneasy alliance at best, but so far it's worked.

And of course there are other cells, beyond these. But these are the major cells! You can join one or make your own.


I can't shoot a man who looks like he's having that much fun!

Now, important people. Well, most important is arguably Nolan Chaucer, the only man who could really claim to lead the Rilasciare. He's head of the Couriers, an Avalon whose family moved to Kirk when he was young. He was always an outcast for his accent and tendency to poke around in other people's things, and he had a healthy distaste for Vendel and for authority when he graduated. He ended up as a courier, and occasionally doctored the letters he delivered to be insulting or misleading, becoming quite a good forger. Eventually, a Rilasciare Courier in the same company recruited him, teaching him patiance and discipline. Eventually, Nolan ended up as Head Courier - the best man for the job. He's served for over thirty years, and reads every piece of correspondence. He knows the real names of 3/4s of the sect, as well as the headquarters of every cell. He keeps everyone connected, and is often the only voice the more radical cells listen to. His son Ryan is set to replace him when he dies - Ryan's been learning the job since he was thirteen, and he's more than competent. Nolan's a big, heavy man with a friendly face and easy smile, and he considers the Couriers his surrogate family.

Benoit Jantot du Toille is a senior Courier under Nolan, delivering the most vital messages. He never goes to the Kirk office, but rather picks messages up at drop points - he knows none of the other Couriers and only has a rough understanding of the organizational structure. Chaucer is his only contact. He is paid extremely well for his work, and has something a reputation as a chatterbox, able to talk about anything for hours. He's a handsome man with a knack for impersonations, and his wife never asks him about his job. Ever. Then there is Willem Karls, born Fritz Guren. His parents were Objectionists who died in the War of the Cross when he was 13, so he moved to Avalon and changed his name, using his inheritance to pay for private schooling at all the best Avalon universities. He learned quite a lot, but began to run out of money at age 19 - but by then, he knew more than men twice has age. He'd been noticed by the Kirkwall cell, and the Rilasciare contacted him through an aging Courier named Javier Rois del Guzman. For the first time, Karls found something he wanted, and joined easily. He has been given a sense of purpose, and at 28 he is one of the most important couriers. He serves aboard ships, and is one of the best sailing Couriers in the world. He also carries a ledger of important dates and events, coded to prevent easy reading. He doesn't ever reveal his true allegiance, but will direct the Rilasciare to men and women he feels would be good recruits.

Then there is Eduardo de Benedictis, of the starting fiction. He's a Rilasciare...but a very cold one, with little emotion or warmth. His laugh is chilling, and his eyes show no feeling. He works for the Burglar's Union, planning all their operations with immense precision. He was the son of a lawyer, and his brother Sergio was a prominent judge. He was expected to follow the family trade, attending the best law schools - but his views were radical, arguing for enforcing the law equally to all classes and defending the poor without charge. When he dared to challenge the ethics of one of his professors, he was expelled but months before he'd have graduated, and his father threw him out of the house as a failure. Fortunately, the Burglar's Union recruited him, promising him the means to change the world for the better. He agreed, and found a great knack for organization and logistics. What's made him famous, though, is that he personally sought out proof for the execution of his brother Sergio and killed him without ever blinking an eye. Sure, Sergio deserved it - but Eduardo's insistence on doing the job has made everyone else a bit weirded out. For all that he lacks emotion, Eduardo has a rigid and strong set of ethics, and has never harmed anyone but his brother. Still, it often seems like he has these ethics simply because he's expected to.

And then there's Hans Uppmann! Hans joined the Free Thinkers after the War of the Cross destroyed his country, his business and his faith. He used to be the personal tailor for Georg Hainzl, and loved it - but the War showed him the flaws of the Eisen system. He joined the Vereinigung das Uneinigkeit as a skilled and ingenious prankster, retiring when he was no longer able to keep up with the physical demands. He has taken to becoming the tailor for the Rilasciare, forming the standards for the coat code. He has strict designs to keep to, but varies them up in color and pattern to make it hard to tell they're actually all so consistent. His coats are always fashionable, and he has recently taken to custom-making cuts with various tricks in them - lockpicks in the hems, knives in the pocket linings, spring-loaded daggers in the cuffs. His coats have allowed for succesful pulling of incredibly dangerous stunts. He's a small, compact old man who always wears his own designs.

Next time: More Free Thinkers!

Bill. Bill. Transfer of prisoners - this shouldn't be here. Bill.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

Oh, Planetary, when are you not amazing?

7th Sea: Bill. Bill. Transfer of prisoners - this shouldn't be here. Bill.

We'll start things off with Hubert Michel du Gloyure, the foremost painter of the Rilasciare. He is a hihgly political artist, whose two greatest works can only be seen at the Political Society of Charouse - The Maid's Mistake , showing an 11-year-old girl cowering from an enraged noblewoman over a broken teapot, and Sunset , a portrait of Léon Alexandre du Montaigne slouched in his throne, hung over, disheveled and holding a half-eaten leg of pheasant. Hubert attempts to use his scandalous images to try and change how people think about "superiors," and in person he never really comes off as the radical he is.

And then there's Arnaud Maximilien du Charouse, a Montaigne lawyer who joined up practically by accident after he defended a Free Thinker in court. He rarely speaks in meetings, praises l'Empereur as a benevolent ruler, lives in a middle-class neighborhood and has a wife who hasn't shared his bed in years. But his writings? He writes amazingly , full of fire and revolutionary idealism. He is a utopian writer, and his cell often relies on him to write its letters and essays. He is deeply respected, despite his quiet, unassuming nature. He rarely talks unless angry, when he will deliver venomous diatribes, and takes notes on everything he sees. And if you can't guess who he is, shame on you.


What a strangely familiar face.

This is Boris Nicholaievich Sokolov, King of the Exiles. The self-given title annoys some of his colleagues...so he keeps using it. Sokolov is the practical leader of the Ussuran Rilasciare, the son of a minor boyar who was disgusted with the infighting of the boyars. He was sent to school and told to stay there rather than become corrupted. Sokolov agreed with his father, and was happy to become one of Pavtlow's intellectuals. He became a member of the Freethought Society before he knew it. He's naturally friendly and cheerful, and he is the one who takes care of the Rilasciare who have to hide out in Ussura. His main reason for being annoying to ohters? He thinks that they take themselves too seriously, and that any fanaticism can be tyrannical - so he tries to temper it with humor and annoyance. He refuses to get upset over political arguments, ever, and refuses to hold grudges, always buying drinks for his foes after an argument. It keeps most people from being able to hate him.

On the other end of the spectrum is Vincent, head of the Kirk Guerrillas. He has no use for the tamer parts of the Rilasciare. He was imprisoned at the age of 12 for stealing bread, and spend six years learning how brutal authority could be. When released, he renounced his name and life, becoming simply "Vincent". He was offered a place in the Kirk cell after he stole nearly 10000G from a prominent Vendel bank, and quickly embraced their philosophy. Vincent is now the mastermind of most of the Guerrilla Alliance's schemes. He helped plain the Paix bombing and many other acts - though he has an uncanny knack for never getting caught, even when he was personally the killer of the Usury Master Solomon. He is the unquestioned leader of the Kirk Guerrillas and is often consulted by others. He could be either Vendel or Vesten, but refuses to say which. He never smiles, though he is capable of warmth, and only very recently learned to read. He writes poorly, but sees things in the very big picture. He has no cares about killing and ignores the Secret Court whenever he can.

Then there's Gerard Trainer, who has seen the evil of sorcery firsthand. He was once an officer under a noble named Uwaine during the Avalon civil war. He believed in his lord and wanted Uwaine to rule - but when Elaine appeared with the Graal, his beliefs were shattered. Uwaine abandoned his cause to follow a young girl . Even worse, Uwaine lent her his immense skill as a general! All because of the Graal. Trainer quit rather than serve a Sidhe pawn and was hired on as a mercenary for the Rilasciare, soon becoming a full member. Trainer is the one who has kept his cell from being destroyed by Bors MacAllister. He was an advance scout and has put all his training to good use in hiding the cell. His strategic mind is a match for MacAllister's, and his planning is nearly perfect. He's turned what was once a criminal band into a psuedo-military elite who generally perform raids against Elaine's government and the Sidhe when they see a chance. Trainer has made contact with King Piram to seek his help, despite once being a foe of the man. He is calm and unemotional, and a master of hiding - Bors knows his name, but not his face, and he never betrays any emotion. As far as he's concerned, the cell is still at war.

Next, Gabriél Menendez de Altamira. Menendez was always a daring man, willing to do anything with grace and enthusiasm. By the time the Montaigne invaded, he could pick locks, climb walls and steal small objects with the best of them, earning the name "Magpie." He has also always been uneasy with the casual comforts of the ruling class and the indulgences of some of the Vaticine. Why did they have so much when others had so little? He soon fellin with the Rilasciare, and has become a leader among the Liberation Guild while his brothers joined the army to fight Montaigne. He has become one of the greatest thieves of the age, and equally good at issuing challenges - the raid on l'Empereur's palace was his idea, and he still thinks that it's hilarious. He lives decadently, treating thieving as a noble pastime, though he sells anything of value that he steals and gives the money to the poor. He doesn't care much for lectures - sure, he enjoys life, but he's still making a better world. When not thieving or partying, he can be found performing magic tricks for children, and he always lets them keep the coins he uses.

Now we'll talk about Brother Giancarlo Ciccioni. He's killed twenty-five sorcerers in his long life, mostly Fate Witches, mostly young. He is not proud of what he's done, but he regrets none of it and would do it all again if he had to. The burden on his soul is nothing to the benefits for humanity. He was once the leader of the Bane, an ex-priest who left the Church when he felt they had no true understanding of the sorcerous threat. He'd found a copy of a Rilasciare book on the Bargain, and he soon joined the Oppositionists. He proved a natural assassin, and well able to survive everything the strega threw at him while he hunted them. He should have retired years ago, but he stayed on as a de facto leader of the Bane. He helped forge the alliance with Sophia's Daughters, and he has slowly been losing his leadership role as the Bane moves to a different path. The feel he's too set in his ways now to be effective, though he is still highly respected. He wants to change things, but cannot decide how.

Next is Romona Beckett, daughter of an Avalon butler and Castillian laundress. She was raised in the household of a Castillian don who treated his servants like slaves. She rebelled against this treatment, learning a growing disgust for the noble elite. She was discovered when the Rilasciare infiltrated the serving staff, and proved a great ally. She was recruited at 15, taught valuable skills in combat and in court. She never joined a faction or cell - she didn't care. Instead, she offered to serve as the assassin of the Rilasciare. All she needed was a name, and she would kill. To further this goal, she has begun masquerading as a Castillian noblewoman in Avalon, using her looks and training to become trusted. She has killed eight people so far for the Rilasciare, each time using a different method, and each time revealing her allegiance only as they died. She truly hates nobility, but hides all her emotions perfectly behind a mask of cheerfulness.

Then there's Velik Galecatcher, whose real name is Barnard du Ganador. He's one of the Nine and Seven, and it is pretty much entirely because of him that the Brotherhood of the Coast was possible. He infiltrated la Bucca and ensured that his smuggler allies would be able to provide the goods that wer eneeded. He was the man who discovered that Javier was imprisoned there. He helped plan the revolt - and he now serves as Allende's quartermaster aboard the Hanged Man. He's a valued advisor who tends to argue for the Rilasciare cause aboard the ship, if subtly, and even Allende doesn't realize he's actually a Rilasciare.

Lastly, there is Donnabella Zümerdwindt, the daughter of an Eisen utopian. Her name was chosen because her mother felt Eisen names were coarse. She refused to compromise her idealism for the harshness of Eisen, and ended up a member of a Rilasciare cell on the Vodacce border. She handed out seditious literature for them, got caught and thrown into one of the harshest prisons. She has lived there over 15 years, and has carved several manifestos into the walls of her cell, which a spy of the Burglar's Union has seen and copied, publishing them anonymously. They have become a rallying cry for the Free Thinkers, and Donna has no idea her former comrades so revere her. She is proud of never having had to kill anyone for her beliefs or for survival, and while her idealistic youth is long behind her, her passion still burns.

Now, we move to mechanics. There's some changes about Rilasciare membership. First: you can't join if you have sorcery. You just can't. Period. Ever. However, in return, once per scenario you may add one die to any Resolve roll due to your True Courage. You may also get up to two weapons at a time free via your connections, though these cannot be panzerhands, Sidhe weapons, Syrneth artifacts or any other form of rare and magical weapon, nor cannons or heavy ordnance. You can use the Couriers to move messages across Théah in absolute security, and have a free Connection with another member of the Rilasciare, who'll give you advice and guidance if you need it. You also get a benefit from faction!

Freemen can spend a Drama die to ask the GM for a hint on how best to humiliate a Villain or Henchman - perhaps the GM will tell you about his secret mistress, or his fear of spiders. This works only for personal information, not any form of stats, and you have to spend at least a day observing the target unmolested first. You can use the ability only once per scene. Freethought members get literacy in their native tongue for free and get a 1 point discount on their first purchase of the Language advantage, to a minimum of 1 point. Guerrillas pay only 1 point for the Bomb Making or Arson skills, and may add one to the number of phases before any grenade they throw goes off, though they can do this only once per grenade. Liberation Guild members who have the Criminal Skill get a free rank of the Lockpicking knack. Oppositionists learn to spot sorcerers, and their Wits is considered 1 higher when determining if a particular person does magic. And Couriers? Couriers get all traveling expenses paid. Inns and food are free, and if they start in Kirk they can get free passage on a ship, access to a carriage or use of a fast horse for one adventure, though such things should be returned intact if at all possible.

The Free Thinkers have three Grandmasters avaialble for training - Gabriél Menendez de Altamira, Grandmaster of Lockpicking, Boris Nicholeivich Sokolov in Oratory and Nolan Chaucer in Logistics. They also have developed their own "swordsman school" - an informal sort of thing called Vipera ex Morsi, old Théan for The Adder's Bite. It is a very practical style, designed around the idea that you should only need a singel blow. It's a stealthy style, designed for long knives instead of swords, and is really meant for assassination. It's weaknesses? Well, it has little defensive value due to its nature, and any competent swordsman can fend it off if they have warning. Most users of Vipera flee if their first blows miss. It's also an honorless style with no sense of fair player - even the Rilasciare don't like it much, but use it as an ugly but practical means to an end. If a killing has to be done, after all, it should be done as absolutely as possible, with no thought of fairness.

Apprentices of Vipera ex Mortis suffer no offhand penalty with knives, and get a free Raise to attacks made with a stiletto. They also get a free Raise to called shots with a stiletto. Journeman rarely miss, thanks to supreme focus. When they miss with a knife attack by (their Attack (Knife) Knack)*2 or less, they hit anyway and roll damage as normal - the opponent just doesn't have to make a wound check. Masters, meanwhile, learn how to cut deeply with a single blow. If their foe has made a successful wound check for damage they caused with a knife attack, they can force a reroll. They can only force one reroll per blow, though - if the enemy succeeds again, oh well. Still, that's a really nasty trick.

And there are also rules for Zerstörung, in case your GM wants to allow it to still exist. By default, the magic is gone. All the von Drachens died, and Zerstörung no longer exists. But here's the rules. See, Zerstörung was the magic of entropy - it corroded and dissolved matter. An Apprentice could spend a Drama die to corrode a single non-living item no firmer than wood and no greater than a man in size, making it brittle and unusable after touching it for three actions. They can make Raises to affect additional items, to a max of their Zerstörung rank. Journeymen learned to use their power on metal, stone and earth, able to affect either a cubic foot of material or a single object no greater than three feet high, making it pitted and rusted. A single piece of armor (panzerhand, breastplate, whatever) counts for this, and each Raise allows an additional cubic foot or object, to a max of the Zerstörung rank. Masters learned to be able to corrode flesh, able to affect living things. They caused one Dramatic Wound to the target per Drama Die, and could spend one Drama die plus one for every two Raises they made, to a max of their Zerstörung rank in wounds. It still takes three actions of unbroken physical contact, but the target feels nothing until those three actions are up. Their skin dries, they lose body fat and become more skeletal. It takes a month of complete rest to heal a single Dramatic Wound made this way, and the target will always feel a certain tightness of the joints. The magic can only affect creatures up to the size of a horse.

What are the limitations? Well, you need to make those three actions of skin contact. To do so on a person or moving object, you have to make an attack roll that does no damage, and maintain contact long enough, though there are ways to speed it up. Also, dracheneisen, Syrneth artifacts and Sidhe equipment are immune to the magic, as is water and anything ageless, like ghosts, Sidhe and possibly those who drink the Sophia's Daughters' immortality potion. Now, knacks. The Zerstörung knacks are Disintegration, Indirect Touch, Distant Touch, Fast Application and Focused Effect. Disintegration lets them turn any object the user has corroded into dust, affecting one cubic foot per rank in Disintegration - but rank 5 lets you disintegrate anything, no matter how large, so long as you corroded it first. Indirect Touch lets you learn to corrode something that is touching something you are touching - flesh through a shirt, a table through the floor it's on. This is done by rolling Resolve+Indirect Touch, with the TN getting higher for each piece of material in the way, and harder for the thickness of each material. Distant Touch can never be higher than your Indirect Touch, but lets you corrode things through air - 1 foot of it at rank 1, 2 at 2, 5 at 3, 10 at 4 and 20 at 5. Fast Application lets you make a Wits check to reduce the time needed to use Zerstörung to a single action. If you fail, you can try again on the next action, to reduce it to 2 actions instead of 3. The TN is easier the more Fast Application you have. And Focused Effect? That lets you corrode a single part of a thing instead of the whole thing. You have to still be able to do the whole thing, but then you make a Resolve check, the TN based ony our rank in Focused Effect, and if you succeed you only corrode the desired area (a hand, perhaps, or one page of a book). If you fail, the whole object is corroded as normal.

The game does suggest not letting people have Zerstörung, though - it puts them very high on the Rilasciare hit list if found out, and it'll make almost any Eisen who learns about it mad, as they're proud of having no sorcery. Still, up to the GM. Beyond that, there are some new advantages, a few of which are worth looking at! There's The Bargainer's Secret, which means you know and understand what happened back in Numa, making any sorcery directed specifically at you require a Raise to do anything, in addition to any other penalties it might suffer. Or you could buy an Uppmann's Coat. You either pick a power, or you roll 1d10, and get the following powers: 1 - Picks - There's a set of lockpicks in the coat which take a hard Wits roll to find. 2 - Knives - there are two 1k1-damage knives in springloaded triggers in the sleeves, which will shoot into your hands when triggered. It takes two actions to reset them in the sleeves. 3- Pistol - there's a one-shot pistol in the sleeve, which will be shot to your palm when triggered. It has a 10 yard range does 4k3 damage. It can only be fired once before breaking, and costs 25G to replace. 4 - Secret Pockets - there's two concealed pockets, unfindable by any search, which can hold one item each that's pistol-sized or smaller. 5 - Weighted - the coat makes a good weapon because it's weighted, dealing 0k2 base damage. Anyone with the Attack (Improvised Weapon) knack or the Tout Prés school gets a free Raise when attacking with the coat. 6 - Reversible - the coat can be quickly reversed and worn inside-out, with any pattern the hero wants on the inside. Reversed coats can't use the coat code. It takes three actions to reverse the coat, or five while running. 7 - Secret Buttons - three of the buttons have small amounts of gunpowder and will detonate when given a sharp blow, dealing 1 die of damage to anyone in three feet. This can be used to loosen bars, bloow out windows or whatever. Alternatively, the buttons may contain pison, a garrote or a hollow space to hide messages. 8 - Armor - the coat reduces incoming damage from hand-held weapons by 2 Flesh Wounds per hit, but firearms ignore it. 9 - Waterproof - The coat is waterproofed using imported Cathayan materials and can be inflated via hidden tube to act as a life preserver, staying afloat for days. Only one person can use it at a time, though. 0 - Roll twice and no you can't choose this one, it has to be randomly rolled. And you ignore further 0 results.

Next time: Secrets of the Rilasciare!

This is Vodacce, Kasper. Brothers kill each other here for far less reason than I had...

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

Fuck it, I'm bored and at home.

Books until the Montaigne Revolution: 15.

7th Sea: This is Vodacce, Kasper. Brothers kill each other here for far less reason than I had...

We're skipping over the cell design rules, the rules for caltrops and special Rilasciare long-distance crossbow bolts, garrotes and improved grappling guns. and also stilettos. Oh, and the bombmaking rules. Now, there's an essay on how to play a Rilasciare hero. They're a gray area in a world that's largely black and white, and that can be hard. But the important thing? The Rilasciare stress that above their rules, above all laws, your own conscience is your master, and nothing else. It's up to you who you tell about your affiliation. It's up to you how far you're willing to go. What matters is my favorite way of describing the game's advice: don't be an asshole. You're playing with friends, and don't try to mess things up for everyone. The Rilasciare are capable of flexibility - even witches and nobles can show vero coraggio , and those that do...well, most Rilasciare will accept that a single person is worth making exceptions for. If you're going to not do that, be sure everyone's okay with it because otherwise you're an asshole.

Now then, secrets. Nolan Chaucer has recently begun to suspect that there is some sinister, very powerful group working towards world domination. He's terrified, and has begun gathering evidence to try and prove its existence. Two people have already vanished while searching for facts for him; he won't lose more. So he's moving slowly, discreetly and invisibly - and when he learns all he needs, he will call a Secret Court against every member of the group. Benoit Jautot du Toille has a huge secret: he's a full-blood Porté sorcerer. Only he and the Chaucers know this fact, and Nolan Chaucer approves, because Porté is vital to moving important information quickly. Should the Rilasciare realize he's a sorcerer, though, no one will ever trust the Couriers again, so he wears gloves to hide his stained hands, disguises his accent and everything he carries has its dates removed. Benoit doesn't mind that the Rilasciare hate sorcery - he won't be teaching it to his children, and they won't wipe it out in his lifetime.

Willem Karls is an Apprentice Donovan fencer and doesn't realize the danger of the codebook he carries. Sure, it's encrypted, but has the names of contacts and safehouse locations that threaten many, many people. He'll destroy the book before it falls in the wrong hands - but if he realized the true threat, he'd burn it on the spot. Eduardo de Benedictus is a journeyman Ambrogia fencer and an apprentice Vipera ex Morsi fencer. He was devastated by being disowned and has never recovered. He believes his ethics saved him from corruption, but the pain of the rift has never died. He hides it all by cutting himself off from emotion, clinging to his ethics as a guideline - but the longer it goes on, the more he becomes detached. EVentually, he may become a complete sociopath. Hans Uppmann is just an old man - but while nominally he'd like to keep Eisen divided, he has a soft spot for his old boss, the madman Georg Hainzl. He'd be okay if Georg became Imperator, unlikely as it is, and if anyone should move against him...well, Hans has contacts among a number of mercenaries - enough to provide Hainzl with an instant army.

Hubert Michel du Gloyure has written a play, The Birdcage Revolt , which is designed to be performed in the middle of a crowd. A few people have read it, but no one dares perform it - it's treasonous to the extreme. Hubert hopes he can perform it someday, perhaps after l'Empereur dies. Arnaud Maximilien du Charouse has little to hide right now but he is a true believer in the cause. He just lacks initiative. And seriously this guy is Robespierre. He is important. Boris Nicholaievich Sokolov...is terrified of Matushka. He always has been. She's everywhere. She's everything. What good is enlightenment against the land itself? He's tried to keep the Rilasciare from drawing her ire, and he knows that some day he may have to choose between his beliefs and the Grandmother Winter. He hopes he can make the right choice.

Vincent...is only Rilasciare to use them. He needs their money and supplies. The moment they are no longer useful in spreading the revolution and ruining Kirk, he will cut them loose - and he just might take the Guerrilla Alliance with him. He is also a master of Vipera ex Mortis. Gerard Trainer is a Journeyman Donovan fencer and refuses to talk about what he did during the Avalon civil war. He is not really a very nice man, and he did some rather nasty things. He won't hide them - but he'll never talk about them. He has vowed to kill Bors MacAllister personally, and plans to cut his throat right in front of Elaine, as he sends them both toppling from power. Gabriél Menendez de Altamira is an apprenctice Aldana fencer and really is a true patriot of Castille. He tries to focus his thefts on the Montaigne, and he's thinking of joining Los Vagos, but doesn't know how to contact them and believes they might not take an unrepentant thief.

Brother Giancarlo Ciccioni regrets his part in the Sophia's Daughters alliance, and he believes they are too dangerous, too concerned with temporal power and too willing to use sorcery. He feels the price of cooperation is too high, and he thinks that belief is what has cost him leadership of the Bane. If here weren't so old, he'd do something reckless to break the alliance - and if he could find someone he truested enough, he might let them in on his plan to kill one of their inner circle. Romana Beckett is a journeyman Vipera ex Mortis fencer and is fascinated by Bors MacAllister. The two have been flirting, and she actually is drawn to him - he seems different, he doesn't want anything from her or see her as a tool. She feels a connection to him and has no idea how to react to that. She has no idea about Gerard Trainer or his plans to kill MacAllister. If she learned it...well, who knows what she'd do? She'd have to choose between the group that gives meaning to her life and the one human being she has ever felt any kind of personal connection to. Velik Galecatcher has no secrets he knows about, beyond the fact that...well, he's a Rilasciare member. He's an apprentice of Rogers fencing. And lastly, Donnabella Zümerwindt is planning to escape her prison. She has learned of a tunnel leading to the open sea, and she just needs a boat. She's been trying to contact the Rilasciare, and is going to implement a new scheme to get their attention soon.

Next time: Nations of Théah, Volume IV: Eisen.

It's all right, Mr. Braun. I've just become one of the nine richest people in the world.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: It's all right, Mr. Braun. I've just become one of the nine richest people in the world.



Eisen isn't a happy place. It's a land of the dead and dying. We begin the book with a story of Joseph, butler to Imperator Riefenstahl. A rider approaches the palace while only he and the Imperator remain awake. He hears someone enter the Imperator's chambers, approaches with a sword drawn, and hears shouting. The Imperator is arguing with a hooded man and shouts him from the room. Joseph checks to see if he's all right, is told to leave and goes to sleep outside the door, in case the man should return. When he awakens, it is because the guards have found him outside the room. He gets them to open the door to check on Riefenstahl - who has hanged himself, much to his butler's dismay.

We then move to a bit of fiction as Fauner Pösen is interviewing her servitor, Lord Eckert. He wants her to reduce taxes, but claims he's had no difficulties this year other than with crops. She reveals that she has received a letter about bandits raiding Eckert's lands repeatedly - and him never being present to stop them. He gets upset, especially when she reveals that the writer, Father Stans Grumel, would never lie to her and that she thinks Eckert is a liar. He draws his dracheneisen blade - which she proceeds to snap in half with immense effort. He becomes very upset and attacks - and she quite handily takes him down and orders him banished, putting Grumel in charge of his lands. This turns out to not be the first time this sort of thing has happened.

Now, the history of Eisen. Before the Imperators, the Iron Princes, the rise of man - before all this, the Drachen called Eisen home. These creatures were immense, bigger than anything that has ever lived - and yet they wer eintelligent, masters of sorcerous magics who ruled the land for thousands of years. None know what happened to these ancient Drachen - some say they were wiped out. Some say they degenerated into the far smaller savage creatures that are today's drachen. But they are gone now, either way. After their fall, Eisen's people began - a group of barbaric tribes who warred amongst themselves for centuries. It was not until the Old Republic came that they were able to unite. From 236 to 255 AUC, the Numan legions tried to conquer the Eisen tribes of the Brutomannim, Alii, Exomanni and Quidii. The barbarians set aside their differences and expelled the legions in 255, when the Republic constructed a wall to keep them at bay. Thus was the Eisen reputation for war started.

The Republic continued occasional attempts to conquest or colonize for the next three centuries - and each time, they met great resistance, as the Brutomanni, Exomanni and Quidii banded together. From 502 to 508 AUC, the Republic faces immense raids on its colonies, and they were forever driven from Eisen. For six centuries, the tribes raided Vodacce to pillage the Republic's lands. The Empire splintered over time, and at last the Brutomanni sacked Numa in 297 AV, beginning the Dark Ages. Monsters emerged from the woods in Eisen during this time, and Vesten raiders harried the coast, while the Vaticine made inroads into the land. In the seventh century, Carleman arose and united the world. He trained his sons in statecraft, to avoid the mistake of the previous Imperator, Corantine, whose empire crumbled when he died. The central part of his empire, which would be Eisen, belonged to his eldest son, Stefan. Stefan did not get on well with the younger Iago to the east, and they bickered while their brother Charles, in the west, grew sick and died, leaving his land to his wife, Isabeau Montanus.

In 686, two cartographers working for Stefan discovered the first dracheneisen mines and learned to work the metal. Stefan made the two men barons, giving them the lands that would eventually be Pösen and Heilgrund. It became a tradition - anyone who found a dracheneisen mine would get land and title. Stefan refused to let Iago and his Fate Witch wife or the Montanus family to have any access to dracheneisen, and that led to bad blood for centuries to come between their kingdoms. However, Stefan knew that allowing either group to use the metal would mean he would lose his land to them. So instead, he armed and armored his own men, to ensure his strength. In 691, he realized that the three kingdoms could no longer really claim kinship - the Montanus had renamed their land Montaigne and become independent, and Stefan did the same. He named the land Eisen, a word which in the local tongue meant Iron, and he is still remembered to this day as a wise and canny ruler.

Thanks to Carleman, the Vaticine became widespread, and Eisen served as a military arm of the church. It expanded heavily, stealing land from Montaigne and invading Ussura fruitlessly four times as well as subjugating much of mainland Vodacce. Only Avalon, Castille and Vestenmannavnjar were spared Eisen conquest for the Holy Republic. This was formed in 782 by Stefan's descendant, Gottschalk I. He set aside the land around Numa for the Hierophant's own use, and was named Imperator of Eisen in return. For many years, power would shift between Hierophant and Imperator, and they were very closely associated until the Third Prophet appeared. Tired of constant arguments with the Hierophant in Vodacce, the current Imperator, Friedrich II, supported the Castillian Church and helped conquer Vodacce. In return, he was granted a pact of noninterference in Eisen that lasted nearly six centuries.

By the 15th century, Eisen was second only to Montaigne in power. In 1517, though, Matthias Lieber appeared in southern Heilgrund, accusing the church of violating its own tenets. Lieber was called before the Hierophant and was arrested after a debate with the Cardinals and Hierophant. He was to be executed the next day - but the Imperator, Franz II, had dispatched an elite band of knights to protect Lieber. They staged a daring raid and rescued him before the execution, smuggling him into Eisen and placing him under the Imperator's protection. He began the Objectionist movement, writing the text called Lieber's Book, which spread quickly throughout Eisen, thanks to the printing press invented some eighty years before. The Hierophant demanded his head, but Franz refused. When the Hierophant threatened to excommunicate the nation, Franz suggested that perhaps a new Hierophant would see things different. The Hierophant then tried to get Castille to declare war - and Franz invited him to try. The Castillian king declined. The Objectionists continued to grow in Eisen, and it soon moved beyond the borders. Franz was alarmed - he wanted reform, not a new faith, but he kept his misgivings to himself, and while never an Objectionist, he refused to persecute them. Tensions remained high between the faiths for a century.

The Eisen Objectionists had to be quiet for fear of Vaticine reprisal until 1587, when Weiss III, called the Great, came to power. He forbade the persecution of Objectionists and ruled peacefully until his death in 1636, when his cousin Riefenstahl took the throne. Riefenstahl was a strict Vaticine, and the Objectionists revolted rather than give up their new rights, hurling their Imperator-appointed governors from a window. (The men survived the three-story plunge due to a miraculous snowbank.) This started the thirty year War of the Cross. Riefenstahl sent his best general, the elderly Helmut Stauss, to crush the rebels with the aid of Castillian troops. It only took ten days, and it seemed like Eisen would be united as Vaticine.

However, before Stauss could kill the rebel leaders, a Vendel merchant named Stefano Wulf received a letter appealing to him for aid in freeing the Eisen Objectionists. Wulf, a devout Objectionist and brilliant tactician, gathered an army and attacked. Stauss had to go face him, but he died mysteriously before the two could engage each other, having stopped at his estate on the way - where he was stabbed to death by assassins. This left the army in the command of an incompetent, General Dehmer. Wulf led him in a long game of cat and mouse, and the conflict epxloded on hundreds of smaller frotns. Neighbor fought neigbor, village fought village. Warbands on both sides pillaged the land as Dehmer and Wulf clashed again and again, and the country tore itself to pieces.

At last, Riefenstahl replaced Dehmer with a wilier general, Gietl, having no more patience for Dehmer's decades of failure. The southern barons had, by then, been persuaded to secede, and Gietl had to fight both them and Wulf. He threw everything he had at it, and the war ended only when Stefano Wulf was killed by a fluke - a Vaticine bauer refused to give up his livestock to feed Wulf's army and stabbed Wulf in the throat. The army, without leadership, collapsed under Gietl's forces and the rebels dug in and waited. As Gietl turned southward, Castille and Montaigne invaded Eisen to grab land. Gietl thus had to deal with them, but his army was decimated and exhausted, and this time facing fresh troops rather than equally weary ones. Montaigne and Castille easily defeated them. Riefenstahl looked at the devastation the war had caused - disease, starvation, destruction. He surrendered.

Montaigne and Castille each took one sixth of Eisen in the Treaty of Weissberg. Riefenstahl took what he had left and tried to consolidate his power, setting aside land for both Vaticine and Objectionist. But in 1667, a cloaked figure came to the Imperator. They argued in the night, and the cloaked man left. When the butler found the Imperator after, he had hanged himself - and there was no heir. The barons of Eisen split the nation in the ensuing chaos, forming seven kingdoms, the königreichen , each ruled by a former baron, now Eisenfürsten, Iron Princes. Each had a small supply of dracheneisen that was the base of their power, and none claimed the country as a whole - all were tired of the fighting.

As a side note, we have a sidebar on monsters. Eisen has long had monsters of the dark, of shadows and hidden places. In the early days, the Eisen huddled around the hearth and would not go out at night, for fear of the Schattenmann, the Horror of Angonehm, Fleischwulf the Woodcutter and many others. Brave heroes fought them, and when the country was unified, they were driven back. With the War, however, the dark places are returning and the shadows reclaiming the night. Fleischwulf, the Schattenmann and their brethren have returned to the nights of Eisen. Eisen today has had almost half its population killed, and the War of the Cross, while over, has left a deep scar on the land. Stability is slow to return, enforced by the Eisenfürsten. But the Eisen have not given up. The Eisen never give up.

Each of the ruling families of Eisen has a motto that sums up their governance or philosophy, a crest and one of the Imperator's dracheneisen armaments. This tradition began with Stefan I, who had a full suit of dracheneisen armor, a shield and a sword. When he created the baronies, he gave his sword to Baron Pösen and his breastplate to Baron Heilgrund, saing that he did not need them any more for he had them. Eventually, the whole suit was given out, though some pieces have been lost, redistributed or stolen. Anyone who could manage to get the entire suit without stealing any of it from the Iron Princes would have a strong claim to be new Imperator. The first königreich is Fischler, ruled by Faulk Tobias Fischler. His family motto is "Pride is a poor candle," and his crest is a church in a valley with a lit window. Fischler owns the Imperator's helmet, shaped like a drachen's head and bearing two Syrneth stones in the eyes that glow faintly. Riefenstahl told Fischler: "I do not need this any more. You will be my eyes in the south. The Schwartzen Walden must be carefully watched." Fischler is a quiet kingdom, and its people have a reputation for cowardice due to their refusal to act unless they see an opening to win by. They live on the outskirts of the Black Forest, a terrifying place full of monsters. Heroes from Fischler always have a TN 5 higher than normal when making Fear checks and have 2 points added to the cost of any abilities that even temporarily let them ignore Fear. However, they get one of the Riverboat Pilot skill, Hunter skill or Keen Senses advantage free.

The capital of Fischler is Seeufer, a large town on the mouth of the Südlache, the largest lake in Eisen. Entire boats have been lost on the lake at nightm and while nocturnal attacks are infrequent, they can be terrifying. However, an 80-year-old man named Franz Behle shows little fear of the dark. As a young man, he was trapped outside the gates after dark, and went to hide but was found by a beast. He never speaks of the evening, but the townsfolk heard him sing for several hours, and he was hoarse for two days afterward. Since that night, he has patrolled outside the walls after dusk, singing. For some reason, it seems to have reduced the number of monster attacks, so the people ensure that Franz wants for nothing. Faulk Fischler was born and raised in Seeufer and he now owns a large manor in town, composed entirely from the Blackwood, the wood of the Black Forest. This is said to be bad luck, but Fischler's a good man, so they're worried more about him than themselves. Despite the dangers, people often go to the town's several taverns after dark, and Fischler himself sometimes shows up when he's feeling lonely. Once in a while, people are attacked while walking home by a small cloud of bat-like creatures, but no one has ever been killed or seriously hurt by these "Shepherd's Bats", who seem to stop attacking when people arrive at a building. They attack only those who have been drinking.

There's also the town of Tannen, home of the famous Kippe military academy and the site of the massacre of the Black Crosses in 1411, where the crusading knights were wiped out. The town centers around providing services for the wealthy students of the academy and also agriculture. Students patrol the streets at night as part of their training, and so Tannen remains open into the dusk, save on new moons, when no one goes out after dark. Overlooking the town is an old graveyard in the shape of the Prophet's Cross, each of the crosses in the graveyard carved of Blackwood. Forget-me-nots appear on the graves after new moons, and shadowy figures walk the streets on those nights, so people are sure it's haunted by ghosts seeking the betrayer Hierophant. As a result, many citizens are Objectionist to avoid ghostly wrath. However, only one man has been killed in the graveyard - a would-be murderer slain as he threatened his victim, and it's said that the ghosts drove off an army that wanted to attack the town during the War of the Cross. The academy of Kippe is supposedly cursed due to being built on top of the old Kreuzritter headquarters, but it remains popular despite the odd number of bizarre and unexplained deaths around it.

The Südlache ("Southern Puddle") is said to be bottomless, and it has always been good fishing...though in recent years, it has taken deeper nets to get the fish, and none know what they might someday drag up. It is also very, very bad luck to walk on the ice when the lake is frozen over - in one case, a broken hole fifteen feet wide and covered in blood was found after someone went ice fishing. And of course there is the Schwarzen Walden, the Black Forest. The wood there is called Blackwood, and it burns with dark red flame. It's said to attract monsters and is very unlucky to build with - and worse, the monsters of the forest are said to be able to track the scent of any man who has Blackwood sap on his clothes. Kobolds, vicious beasts the size of dogs, are known to haunt the forest - they are the least of the monsters. The greatest is the Schattenmann, a huge, spindly creature with eyes of darkness. It cuts its victims to pieces with an enormous pair of shears, and it's believed the Schattenmann was once worshiped as a god of darkness.

Certainly, once a year the people hold the Shadow Fair in every town and village within a hundred miles of the Black Forest, on the first Sabbath of each year when the sun goes down. The people each send a group to the Black Forest, and each group cuts down a single tree. They cut the tree up for a bonfire, to "honor" the Schattenmann. The villagers then dance and sing around the fire, eat rich foods and drink black beer. A single loaf of pumpernickle is left out for the Schattenmann, and it's said that anyone who eats it will suffer terrible misfortune in the coming year. The Fair ends at midnight, when an effigy of the Schattenmann is thrown onto the fire. It's believed that this protects the village from him for a year. The Church has tried to stop the Fair due to its pagan origins, and no one's ever found out if it actually works.

Next time: Freiburg!

I know Father Grumel, and he would never lie to me. I despise liars, Eckert.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: I know Father Grumel, and he would never lie to me. I despise liars, Eckert.

Freiburg, of course, is ruled by Nicklaus Trägue. His motto is "No questions," and his crest is a man in the shadow of a tower. He has the Imperator's right-handed gauntlet, which has a stylized sleeping drachen on it and is covered in carefully carved scales. When Riefenstahl gave it to Trägue, he say, I do not need this any more. You will be my right hand. Greet those who come to Eisen with open arms." Freiburg is only 30 miles in radius and is centered around a single town, which is centered around an ancient Syrneth tower caled Wachtturm. Trägue has claimed no more than this. The city is one of the largest in the world, though, due to having no taxes and being a home for refugees. It is a highly cosmopolitan and tolerant area. Heroes from Freiburg cannot take the Hunter skill and have the TNs of all their Civil knacks increased by 5 when not in a city. However, they either get 3 points of languages, the Combat Reflexes advantage or the Scoundrel advantage free.

Freiburg itself is a highly important city now - a black market, sanctuary from the law and trade port all at once. Trägue remains almost completely uninvolved, and his steward Wilma Probst does very little organizing - mostly just aiming people at the right employees for a small fee and managing the city guard, who are paid by merchants who hired them for portection. They use that money to arrange patrols of the entire city. Poorer sections of the city can get very little law, though, when business is slow, and quiet gang wars are not uncommon. There are also rumors of slavers and shady artifact dealers. Trägue is not happy to hear that slavery may be in his city - it's one of the few things he actively wants to stop. Two groups have been fighting the trend to chaos, though - the Knights of the Rose and Cross and a group of Eisen warriors who call themselves Wachhunde , Watchdogs. They fight almost entirely nonlethally, with dual panzerhands.

Freiburg is surrounded by the shantytown Verzweiflung, a much more cramped and nasty place than the city itself. About 500 people each month die there of disease or starvation, though new refugees soon replace them. Kobold corpses have also been found around the shantytown, suggesting that they've started hunting nearby. The Rose and Cross or Wachhunde rarely enter the place, so no one is at all sure who's been killing the kobolds. There's also a rather interesting cathedral in town - it's built out of the skeleton of a drachen. The locals frown on asking questions of people's pasts - doing it too much gets you thought of as a busybody or spy for the guards, and can result in beatings. In Verzweiflung, there are only three social rules: You never take food from a child, ever. You're on your best behavior when an employer comes looking for workers. And last, you never talk to the city guard about anything, ever.

Hainzl is ruled by Georg Hainzl. His family motto is "The earth does not forgive," and his crest is an owl holding a flamberge blade in one talon. He has the Imperator's boots, which have an etching of a drachen with wings spread on each boot, along with detailed scales and a spur on each hell. Imperator Gottschalk gave it to his family years ago, saying, "I do not need these any more. You will be the foundation on which the Empire stands." Hainzl is a rough and hilly region with some of the best mines in the nation, as well as being home to the Nibelungen , the secret order of dracheneisen smiths. The people are perpetually unlucky, and the area's rumored to be cursed. Whenever a Hero from Hainzl has more than one die explode in a single roll, the GM gets a Drama die which can only be used against that Hero. However, they also gain either the Small advantage, the Merchant skill or a 25% increase in monthly income free.

The main town is Atemlos, home to Eulestein Castle, the Atemlos Opera House and the Caves of Opa Nacht. Eulestein Castle is home to Georg Hainzl, and is built to be exactly like that described in the fairy tale The Three Owls. It was one of his last sane orders. An aside - the Three Owls is a tale about a miller's son who finds three magic owls in the woods. He gives them his food and is left with nothing to eat. Later, he finds a beautiful castle in the woods, and inside he meets three beautiful princesses who feed and clothe him. He's told he can stay as long as he likes, but he must never open the door leading to the roof. He lives there for years until at least his curiosity overwhelmes him and he goes to the roof, only to see the princesses as they are transforming into owls. The castle falls into ruins and the owls fly away, never to be seen again. The boy hurls himself to his death. Pleasant!

Anyway, Hainzl had the place made accurate down to the last detail, including the roof door. Everyone's very superstitious about the door - they believe Georg Hainzl's madness began when he opened it. The only other servant who's dared to open the door was found dead on the rocks below the castle, so the door is now kept sturdily locked. Hainzl himself designed and built the Opera House - before his madness, he was a great patron of the arts. It was there that he saw The Three Owls performed as an opera, giving him an idea for the castle. Out of sorrow, that opera has never been performed there again, though it still puts on shows twice a week.

The Caves of Opa Nacht, meanwhile, are the richest iron mine in Théah. It is surrounded by natural rock formations that rival the best sculptures ever made. These caves are believed to be home to Opa Nacht, Grandfather Night, and the miners are very careful to pay respects to him at the beginning and end of each day. After being mined and smelted, the ore is sent to Prachtig for export. Prachtig is a port town which handles all the trading of Hainzl and is the last stop on the way to Ussura. The place is, as a result, something of a destination for merchants and prices are very high. It's home to the Matthiast order of monks, an Objectionist order who believe in eating no solid food and drinking strong fortified ale to keep themselves pure.

The königreich is also home to the Southern Drachenbergs, an immense chain of mountains dotted with empty mines and abandoned towns - miners have been there for centuries. Such places are generally considered haunted, and they're certainly full of large animals. If any drachens have survived, they're probably here. Anyway. Local customs include recognition of Grandfather Night, Opa Nacht. He is a tiny wrinkled man with long arms and huge nknuckles, who can sense imminent cave-ins in the aching of his knuckles. He will pound the walls to warn miners away, so any Hainzl miner who hears a knocking sound that he doesn't recognize is sure to go fleeing from the mine. A few people have imitated Opa Nacht as a prank, bt oddly they all died in mining accidents within a month. Opa Nacht is treated something like Ussurans treat Matushka - a local friendly minor god or servant of Theus who must be respected. He is paid in saucers of milk and honey, and it's believed that when a thread is played out he will lead miners to a new one if given a loaf of bread, a pile of ore and a sausage. (He leaves a trail of ore.)

Heilgrund is one of the older königreichs, ruled by Stefan Heilgrund. His motto is "The center must hold," and his crest is a man crouching behind a shield as a drachen breathes fire at him. His armament is the dracheneisen breastplate of the Imperator, which bears a roaring drachen and the motto of the Imperators: "Theus is the light." It, like the rest of the armor, is also carved with scales. When Stefan I gave the breastplate to the Heilgrunds, he said, "I do not need this any more. You will protect the heart of my nation. Remember, the center must hold, or everything else will be lost." Heilgrund is the traditional capital of Eisen, and it is famous for producing leaders and heroes - though it's been a while since it produced anything but food. Some blame this on the curse of the Undying Swamp, which has been a source of evil for over fifty years.

Heilgrund natives are very proud, but are current suffering from a strange wasting disease. All heroes from Heilgrund suffer from a permanent set of 5 Flesh wounds that can never go away - they can have more than that, but never less, even after failing a wound check. However, they get one of the Ordained advantage, the Citation advantage or both the Commander and Rider skills free.

Heilgrund's capital is Gottkirchen, ancestral home of the Heilgrunds. It also houses a number of monuments to heroes and scholars, and once it was said that heroes were their primary export. Sadly, the place seems cursed with lethargy, and those who fight against it seem to constantly get sick with the terrible wasting disease. It is home to the Steil Academy, built in 1661 by Oskar Steil, a distant cousin of the Imperator. The place has traditionally had more applications for students of war than room - though with Gottkirchen's fading reputation, the applications are dwindling fast, and Steil Academy may have to close its doors.

There is also Heilgrundstadt, once the Imperator's Palace, built away from the cities by Gottschalk I. It was owned by Riefenstahl, but after his death, Stefan Heilgrund moved in. No one else wanted the place. He enjoys the privacy the castle has now, but he wants it to be a center of culture and learning in the years to come. He has begun to refer to the palace as Heilgrundstadt, the foundation of a new city he will build when the nation is strong. This has produced a lot of jokes at his expense. Recent strange lights and noises have led people to believe the Imperator's ghost haunts the place, but Stefan seems undisturbed. There is also the Undying Swamp, believed to be the source of Heilgrund's wasting disease. Eighty years ago, the river leading into the swamp was diverted in a landslide and the place began to dry up and stagnate. Odd creatures began to show up, and a young man came back from a fishing expedition babbling about a white snake as big as a mountain, which killed and ate three of his friends. Where its skin touched, the soil turned to ash and plants withered and died. The creature has become a local legend, Verschlingen, and no one goes out to the swamp any more save for one old hermit who is sometimes seen on its outskirts. No one bothers him.

Heilgrund is covered in memorials to old soldiers and battles - there's 87 in Gottkirchen alone. The most famous is the Walk of Remembrance - each stone is inscribed with the name of a man or woman who committed a great act of valor. To get on the walk, you must be born in Gottkirchen, have committed a courageous act with at least two witnesses to verify it and receive 20G from someone not related to you by blood or marriage. Gottkirchen also has many museums. Heilgrund's wasting disease began shortly after the Verschlingen tales began, and it spreads outward up to a hundred miles from the Undying Swamp. Stefan Heilgrund believes Verschlingen is the cause and has offered a 5000G reward for the creature's head. Six groups of mercenaries have tried - but none have returned from the swamps.

Next is Pösen, ruled by Fauner Pösen. Her family's motto is "Stand against the avalanche," and her crest is a drachen with wings cupped around a crossed sword and olive branch. The Pösens have the Imperator's dracheneisen broadsword, whose hilt is carved of a gilded drachen tooth and whose blade is the finest smithing in history. It is sharp and well-balanced, and its name is carved into the blade: Totung. When Stefan I gave it to the Pösens, he said, "I do not need this any more. You will be my sword when my nation is threatened." Pösen is famous for its military tradition, and its academies are said to be the best in the world. Even the peasants have a military mindset, and due to a well-prepared army it was spared the worst of the War of the Cross. Should Fauner choose to reunite Eisen by force, all but a few of her fellow Eisenfürsten would surrender, but she seems to have little desire to do so. Her main problem is that the standing army drains the local economy, and if something's not done, they'll eat the place into the poorhouse.

People of Pösen are famous for their military preparedness and have a reputation as warmongers. Heroes of Pösen always get one fewer Reputation dice than normal to a minimum of zero, but they get one of the Academy advantage, the Heavy Weapon skill or the Firearms skill for free. Their capital is Insel, built on an island surrounded by a lake, with a land bridge appearing only at low tide. It's a grand, beautiful city - but it is also under constant near-martial law. Curfews are imposed and people are told to keep their business to themselves. It is home to the Pösen family chapel and the Gelingen Academ, which trains future soldiers. Gelingen students are taught the art of monster hunting as well as war. Those who do not stay in Pösen or become mercenaries tend to become professional monster hunters, moving across Eisen to kill marauding creatures. It's dangerous, it's a hard life and it can be terrifying - but those who live are beloved by all they save, and they are remembered as heroes for generations.

Pösen is home to some bandit-filled forests...but also the Gregorskorn, a fastness in the Drachenbergs believed to be hte last stronghold of the drachens. Long ago, a man named Gregor went into its twisting canyons and tracked down a drachen, fighting it in its lair. The Imperator's shield was lost deep within the cave in which he fought, but Gregor slew the creature and was sainted for his valor. The shield has never been recovered, and presumably lies still deep within the Gregorskorn. There is also the Salzsumpf, a salt marsh in which Gelingen students go to hunt monsters for training, killing sirens, ruin monsters and other strange things. One student even found a small drachen here nearly two centuries ago - and he killed it, though he died in the act. Townsfolk occasionally visit the place to collect the raw eungélion root, a plain white-flowering plant that emits a soft trill at night as air is forced through the stalks. The root is extremely useful in medicine, but grows only in dangerous places.

Pösen also houses several warrior orders, like the Order of St. Gregor, founded in 988 as the Imperator's personal law enforcers. They all wear unmarked dracheneisen rings as their symbol, and all the Barons had to bow to their rulings. Now, though, they sell their services as bounty hunters, attempting to take their targets alive if possible but killing if not. Payment is expected immediately on delivery. Many knights have left the Order since the Imperator's suicide - they still wear the ring, but they remain true to the old purpose rather than bounty hunting: they enforce law and justice in Eisen, working outside normal legal channels. Some are even wanted due to performing unsanctioned executions of evil men. There's also the Tobian order of monks. When one of their monasteries was attacked in the War of the Cross and killed to the last man, the monks began to study war to defend themselves. They got a reputation as deadly warriors, and many became field chaplains, performing last rites in the middle of battle, sewed up wounds and occasionally turned the tide of battle. They adopted the motto "Only with life may we teach, but only with death may we live." They intended to imply that dead men cannot do good works, and that self-defense was a necessary evil due to Legion's influence. Now, they usually go to dangerous areas that need priests. Last are the Winged Kursars, formed when a minor baron looked for a way to make his cavalry menacing and settled on a metal framework resembling wings. They gave the men an otherworldly appearance occasionally blocked blows. Then he named them for the most fearsome group he knew: the corsairs. The Winged Kursars are now one of the most famous and feared cavalry units, and while they serve Fauner Pösen now, they consider themselves a fraternity beyond her normal chain of command.

Next time: The final königreichs!

Oh Theus. No more! I will give you everything I own, just have mercy!

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

And that's pretty much exactly how every 7th Sea game is meant to begin: with the PCs as big damn heroes who are now embroiled in something bigger.

7th Sea: Oh Theus. No more! I will give you everything I own, just have mercy!

Sieger is ruled by Erich Sieger, whose motto is "Surrender is death," and whose crest is a foot stepping on a serpent, which is biting the heel. Sieger owns the left-handed panzerhand of the Imperator, which bears an attacking drachen and as usualy the finely carved scales. When Stefan I gave it to the Siegers, he told them, "I do not need this any more. You will be my fist. Make sure the barons see to their duties, and discipline any who disobey me." Sieger's one of the most devastated parts of Eisen. It used to be bigger and more powerful, but Riefenstahl used part of it to create Fischler and then gave another part of it to Montaigne after the War. Erich Sieger only has what's left because he destroyed his own fields and salted the earth to keep Castille from claiming his land. It worked, but now the land is ruined.

The people of Sieger are among the strongest and toughest in Eisen. They are also famous for being surrounded by excitement and problems. A Sieger Hero cannot take a Virtue and must take a Hubris, but only gets 5 points for it. However, they gain one of the Large advantage, Toughness advantage or Foul Weather Jack advantage free. Their capital is the fortress Stahlfort - though calling it a town is a hard thing to do. It's just the hardest defensive position in Eisen. Dueling is outlawed in Stahlfort, save for duels to the death in a ring of stones - Erich Sieger has found it cuts down on the number of duels. More populous is the port town of Stärke, famous for Wasserkampf, a form of unarmed competetive fighting performed hip-deep in water. Drowning the foe is legal. Besides that, it's known for beer, called das Bärchen , the little bear. The once-prosperous trading town of Stützung has been taken over by Sieger's men, the Mörderbande - a band of cutthroats and former bandits who can't be held accountable for their crimes since they are the police. For a while, a cloaked figure calling himself the Wächter kept them in check, but they recently trapped and captured him, revealing the mayor's son, Hans Jost. He is scheduled to be hanged within a month, and the Jenny who was hired as bait for him, Barbara Rainer, has vanished.

Unlike Fischler, Sieger uses the Schwartzen Walden in his strategies. He has men tap the trees for sap, which they then boil down into a concentrated syrup and place in sealed containers. They then sneak into and throw those containers into enemy camps near the forest, causing monsters to attack the camp due to the scent. Sieger has also captured some monsters and uses them as guards. Sieger's isolationism has been caused by the fact that Riefenstahl gave away some of his lands to a foreign power. He was willing to (grudgingly) accept Fischler, since precedent existed, but the giving of his lands to Montaigne and Castille was too much. Many of his people are leaving for Vodacce thanks to his salting the earth, and while his restoration projects are ongoing he may soon have no one to rule over. He has deliberately filled his personal guard with the vilest men he could find - they are willing to commit atrocities, and so while Sieger's made enemies, he's gained a reputation as a man not to be crossed. He keeps his peasants busy taking dirt dredged from the riverbeds, carting it to be fertilized with dung and left to sit, then putting it back in the fields. It's slowly restoring the lands to usable if not fertile status.

Wische is ruled by Reinhard von Wische...in theory, anyway. He's comatose and isn't exactly in much of a state to be ruling anything. His family's motto is "Endure," and his crest is two men pulling on a chain that binds them together. His family had the sword belt and sheath of the Imperator, made to look like the tail of a drachen and with the leather made of tanned drachen hide. When the Imperator gave it to the von Wisches, he told them, "I do not need this any more. Your eloquence will bind the rest of my armaments to me. Should they stray from their duties, remind them of the oaths they have sworn and the debts they owe their country and their Imperator." The belt vanished shortly after Reinhard von Wische went catatonic, and it remains missing.

Wische has been hit hardest of any part of Eisen. It is close to collapse, and full of the waisen packs. The waisen are not normal people - the light in their eyes is dead. They have no awareness, and do strange things. They seem to instinctively band together, and waisen will often form packs, following each other aimlessly in circles. A Fate Witch tried to cure a waisen with her magic, but within a week she began mumbling about "broken dolls without strings" and shortly thereafter became waisen herself. A Hero from Wische has no starting income and has any monthly income reduced by 25%. However, they receive either a 3 point Orphaned background, a 3 point Lost Love background or a 3 point Waisen Dependant background for free.

The capital and only real standing city in Wische is Siegsburg, the living ruin. Half of the city is rubble, but the people will not leave. They can't afford to rebuild and they can't afford to relocate. Regular guard patrols attempt to keep ghouls and other monsters from attacking, and many weakened citizens have killed themselves rather than be eaten alive by the ghouls. The city has sent out messengers looking for aid, but since they can't pay, it may never arrive. Wische is also home to the Weissberg mountains, where the Treaty of Weissberg was signed at the pass of Gold Divide. It's said that the Imperator's ghost haunts the hostel where the signing happened. Wische has developed an odd custom for dealing with grief. A person who is crying will pick up pebbles for every tear they shed, and when they cannot hold the pebbles in their hands, they scream out their anger and hurl the pebbles as far as they can, repeating the process if they cannot step crying still.

Regarding Eisen as a whole - nothing shapes the people like dracheneisen did. It has made the finest weapons and armor available in the world, can be used for great feats of engineering when used strategically, and has led to great advances in metallurgy. The Eisen are quite proud of it and of their lack of magic, having long forgotten their old mages. It's also made the Eisen private and distrustful - after all, foreigners might be spies come to steal the dracheneisen. It has also led to a highly offensive martial style, as a full set of dracheneisen armor can ignore all but the most powerful attacks. Dracheneisen, in raw form, is soft and malleable, like gold. Once the Nibelungen smiths apply their secret forging process, though, dracheneisen becomes hard enough to scratch diamond. It is dracheneisen which marks a noble, save for the Imperator himself. Claims to titles are based on ownership of dracheneisen mines - and anyone who found a new one would have a claim to be a new Eisenfürst. The War of the Cross has thrown everything into chaos, though - no more Imperator to acknowledge claims, and dracheneisen spread to the four winds after nobles died in battle.

The Nibelungen are an ancient order of blacksmith-mystics, the only ones who can forge the dracheneisen. No one knows how they learned their craft, and they guard their secrets jealously. Legends paint them as god-like heroes, gathered high in the Hainzl mountains, requesting service of the respectful in exchange for dracheneisen. They give dangerous tasks, but always honor their bargains in these legends. Today, they've lost some of those near-divine trappings - they have no magic and are no gods. They are men with a secret. Still, they are held in quiet awe by much of Eisen, and tend to live like hermits, contacted by the nobles to create dracheneisen weapons and armor but controlled by no one. They follow their own code and none dare challenge them - after all, they are ultimately the source of all authority, and no one wants to make them angry. Joining them is not easy - you must be chosen, and those who refuse to join are never given a second chance. Trainees travel into the Drachenbergs, learning their craft for years in a hidden location. Once they pass all their tests, they forge a great hammer that marks them as Nibelung. Their duties consist of attending certain meetings, forging the dracheneisen ore and ensuring only the worthy get their craft by requesting great services as pay. Only the Eisenfürst can get an item without such fanfare, since they bring the raw material. Even they, though, must not anger the smiths, or they will be cut off.

Dracheneisen is not unbreakable - but it is incredibly tough, twice as hard to break as steel, yet incredibly light. A full suit of dracheneisen weighs perhaps five pounds. Weapons are usually weighted with lead, iron or gold to give them heft. Dracheneisen never loses its edge and, once forged, is incredibly hard. It hasn't spread due to a highly limited supply - less than a thousand full suits exist, and most are split into pieces. The Eisen are very protective of the metal and are known to kill anyone who steals it. The Eisen are famous for their operas and their heroic sagas. One of the most famous of their operas is the Song of the Nibelungen, a tale of a man who tries to win a woman's heart, and must go on several quests for the Nibelungen in order to do so - swimming to the bottom of the Südlache, stealing the shears of the Schattenmann and slaying a drachen. A common theme in recent works is that meaning can be found in fighting the inevitable - even if you know you cannot win.

Eisen is split north and south - Vaticines to the north, Objectionists to the South. The Vaticines are highly traditional, while the Objectionists vary widely in their beliefs. The most focused beliefs are those objections raised by Matthias Lieber. Most notably: the church should not suppress information on sorcery, for understanding is more important and the church should not gather political power but instead rely on the truth of their own teachings. Animosity has, at least, died off since the War - no one wants to start that fight again.

Eisen gets along well with most nations, save three. Avalon is seen as a nation of tricksters and liars, and the Eisens tend not to trust them at all. Montaigne is viewed with disgust due to its opportunistic invasion at the end of the War, though enough money can get most Eisen mercenaries to look past this. And the Eisen fear Vodacce's Fate Witches, which tends to mean a general mistrust of Vodacce itself. Everyone else tends to be okay - Castille is good-hearted, despite their attempts at land-grabs. Ussura is well-meaning if unsophisticated. Vendel is civilized if shameless, and the Vesten...well, any Eisen knows not to fight a cornered dog. Still, most Eisens judge people individually rather than based on their place of birth.

The drachen have been ingrained in Eisen as a symbol of strength and power. They are everything Eisen once was - strong, indomitable, stubborn - and everything it will be again. However, they were also uncontrollable and harsh, the force of an uncaring world - and the Eisen do not look away from this. It's believed the drachens may have gone extinct ninety years ago, when Leopold Weidenhammer choked a drachen to death on a winebottle he threw at it while nobles were hunting the thing. Leopold never claimed to be a drachenslayer, attributing his kill to sheer luck rather than merit.

We move now to the next chapter, with a story about Reinhard von Wische. He is catatonic on his throne, dreaming of the deaths of his family endlessly. Over and over, they die in his mind. His clerks have no idea what he's going through - but four times a day, he lets out a terrifying cry of anguish. They try to work around it. Over and over, in his own mind, Reinhard tries to save his wife and sons - and over and over, they cannot be saved. Eisen is really not a happy place.

Now, let's talk about people. Faulk Tobias Fischler was a fisherman who wanted to be a noble - but to do that, he'd need a dracheneisen mine. He hunted for one for seven years before giving up in disgust...and stumbling over a a cave full of dracheneisen ore pretty much by accident. The Imperator named him a baron, splitting off part of Heilgrund and Sieger for Fischler's land. He was charged with taking care of the Südlache, since he was a fisherman. Unfortunately, nobility is not what Faulk hoped for. The other nobles look down on him, and his old friends have changed how they treat him, being too deferential or pleading. Only his sister remained the same. Things went from bad to worse when the fish stopped being as abundant. Now, he's running into even more resource shortages! Fortunately, a letter arrived from Gaius Nikolovich of Ussura, asking if Faulk's sister would meet with his son. The Gaius was impressed with both Fischlers and Katerina Fischler married his son in exchange for a trade agreement. This left Faulk alone, though, save for his advisor Franziska - who will speak only of politics. He's taken to traveling to the pubs, where at least the bartenders listen if he tips well.

Georg Hainzl...well, he was once a great patron of the arts. However, when he moved into his castle built to be like that from the fairy tale the Three Owls, he suffered from a superstitious fear aboutt the roof door, fearing it would destroy him. It got worse and worse until finally, he unlocked the door to see the roof for his own peace of mind. When they found him the next morning, he was a madman, huddled around a hammer he was chipping the wall with and claiming to be a miner from a famous novel. Georg has loving friends and family, who now run his kingdom for him and hope he will recover. So far, he hasn't improved - he's a new character each day, sometimes a tragic lover, sometimes an ancient tyrant. He's had to be forbidden from attending opera because he can't tell fantasy from reality and once got up on stage and nearly killed a man in what was meant to be a stage duel. The staff have learned to keep weapons away from him, and while several servant women have been passionately kissed when he's in a romantic role, they've gotten good at avoiding him on those days. Hainzl dresses in outlandish costumes based on who he believes himself to be that day. No one knows what drove him mad, but so long as the kingdom prospers, his family will care for him.

Stefan Gregor Heilgrund III has always been pressured to maintain his family heritage. He feels that he shamed his family even before he became a man - he was in the palace the night Riefenstahl killed himself, and he's still unsure what happened. He was talking to someone, and then suddenly it was morning. He knew some magic was afoot, and rushed to check on the Imperator, only to learn that nearly everyone in the palace had suffered the same blackout and that the Imperator was dead. He has always felt he should have resisted the spell and protected his liege - it was his duty, and he let it down. The guilt was reinforced when his parents, horrified by Eisen's collapse, took poison together. Stefan wants to reunite Eisen, seeing it as his chance for redemption. He's convinced this must be done by military means, and has begun studying the occult in hopes of finding magic or devices capable of conquering Eisen. The other Eisenfürsten treat him as a joke, save for Nicklause Trägue, who fears he'll be dangerous but thinks he may be useful. He's broken off relations with everyone but Trägue and Fauner Pösen, whom he has a small crush on. Heilgrund is a major patron of the Explorers, often purchasing the more unusual findings they put up for sale. He is rather more intelligent and aware than most give him credit for.

Fauner Pösen was born early in the War of the Cross and has been fighting all her life. She has been tutored by the best swordsmen and tacticians that could be found and has even developed moves she's never taught others. She has killed more than a hundred people, almost forty of them in duels. She treats killing as a tool to reinforce her authority, and no one really knows if she feels any remorse for it. She governs like a general, though her inability to delegate has made her less effective than she wants. She can handle one kingdom, but may be too rigid to rule a nation. She could reconquer Eisen, but would have no idea what to do with it. Fortunately, she seems to have little desire for conquest. When she was younger, she took a lover whom she later discovered in the arms of another woman. Fauner killed them both and has since avoided romance for fear of further pain. She is still beset by suitors, due to her power, money and beauty. When they realize she's not interested, they tend to get angry, and she's killed several of them for overstepping their bounds, damaging her reputation or in one case trying to rape her. I cannot imagine who could possibly think that was a good idea. Her most persistent suitor is Hendryk Brandt, who has been wooing her for quite so time. He started by serenading her outside her window. She threw a small statue at him, but fortunately it only broke his arm. He hasn't been discouraged in the slightest.

Next time: More people!

Charles, my whipping pistol.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

I loved Hucksters when I played Deadlands. my last character ever rolled up ended up as a zombie (who didn't know he was a zombie, he thought he'd gotten really drunk the night he died) and a huckster who ended up shattering his own leg in like five places because he tried to eavesdrop on a conversation with magic. Every other spell cast after that went similarly. I had a lot of bad luck.

7th Sea: Charles, my whipping pistol.

Erich Sieger, now, one of the biggest assholes in Eisen. He was once a devout Vaticine who led a division with his father during the War of the Cross. Erich's father planned to surrender and would not be talked out of it...so Erich strangled him to keep him from dishonoring the family name. He then led his men under a flag of truce to assault the enemy forces, breaking through them before they could react. When the war ended, though, Riefenstahl had to give away some land - and Sieger's was close to the border. More importantly, the Imperator just really hated Sieger. Sieger, of course, felt betrayed - his Imperator turned on him and his Church stood by, even eager to have Castille take his land. So he returned home, kicked all the clergy from his lands and then burned the fields and salted them. The Castillians showed up, looked around and promptly went home. Sieger has only ever been in a relationship with one woman, a commoner whom he got pregnant and who tried to use the child to get him to marry her. He realized she'd been trying to get at his money all along and promptly ceased to acknowledge her existence. He's quite proud of his son, Logan Gottschalk Sieger, however. He took a great interest in the boy, and when he came of age, Erich sent Logan off to a military academy. Logan used the money to become a scholar instead - and Erich was very pleased, for it proved that Logan was his own man. Of course, he didn't tell the boy that. Instead, he sent a later telling Logan not to come home, but to find a job in Freiburg. Erich hopes it will toughen Logan up enough to rule Sieger when he dies, and he has changed his will to ensure Logan inherits.

Next is Nicklaus Trägue, a man who became baron when he was a soldier. He participated in one of the last battles of the War of the Cross, and he fled the battle for the mountains, where he took shelter in a cave and found a dracheneisen vein. He asked for the ruined fortress of Stein as his barony, and the Imperator agreed. He set about making the fortress a trade city using the income of his mine to support it. Once it was made, he set up an administration to run the place, sat back and began writing a book about his philosophical beliefs. He's an atheist - not in the sense that he feels Theus doesn't exist, but in that he doesn't worship Theus, because he believes that any being that could create such a cruel place as the world could not possibly have humanity's best interests in mind. He also strongly dislikes organized religion, seeing it as a destructive influence on man and unneeded for a moral code. He points to the Crusades and the War of the Cross to back himself up here. He lets the Explorers investigate the Syrneth ruins near Freiburg, but he is deeply uneasy with the Syrneth and their artifacts - he feels their power threatens human ingenuity, as scholars use their minds not to forge ahead but to unlock the secrets of an ancient race who seem to have wiped themselves out - possibly with the very devices the scholars pore over. Trägue believes man must turn away from this developmental dead end or follow the Syrneth into extinction. He also sets forth the idea that sorcery has no moral standing inherently, but rather that its morality is determined by its use - a philosophy many sorcerers have begun to embrace. Of course, he admits, these are all opinions and could all be wrong. He dictates his book to his scribe, drinks and watches Freiburg. He's not really a ruler - more an alcoholic warden to Freiburg. All he cares about now is finishing his book. When he's done, he plans to drink himself to death.


Someone get this man a drink.

Reinhard Dieter von Wische was once a happy man. He had a beautiful wife named Cornelia and three strong, brave and handsome sons. What else could he want? When he was off fighting against the Objectionists, he received a message: his wife had died in a fire. He stabbed the messenger, who died three days later, calling him a liar and falling into a deep depression. His eldest son ran Wische while he was mourning, and he came out of it all right, prouder than ever of his children. His kingdom had been ravaged, so he began to rebuild while his sons took command of his army, as Reinhard was too old to charge into battle himself. His eldest son was killed in battle, and his second son died in battle a month later. He became desperate to ensure his youngest son would live, so he hired a bodyguard named Karl Thomas Steiner to protect him. For two years, it worked...Reinhard occasionally engaged in bouts of drunken self-pity and developed an irrational fear of messengers, but he was happy enough. And then came the later from Karl, telling him that his son had died to a highwayman and that Karl fled in fear of Reinhard's wrath. There was no need. Reinhard dropped the letter and spoke the last words he'd ever say: "I have become a Prince of ashes, nothing more." Since then, he has been catatonic. He eats what's given to him, walks if led - but otherwise, he just sits on his throne. Four times a day, he digs his hands into the thrones sharp iron edges and lets loose a howl of pain and anguish. When they tried to pad the throne, he tore the padding away - apparently he finds the pain comforting. None can say if he will ever recover.

Stefan Heilgrund's greatest advisor is Odel Herrickson, a Vestenmannavnjar man who never speaks of his past. However, he bears the scars of a ritual scalping and removal of the right arm - a ritual performed to strip someone of their Lærdom sorcery and generally reserved only for serious traitors. Most don't survive it, but Odel has. He can't use sorcery, but he has a number of Syrneth artifacts to serve him, gifts from Heilgrund. He acts as an occult consultant, boasting of knowledge of Syrneth ruins and lore. Odel does, however, tend to exaggerate his own knowledge - once, he assured a fellow explorer that he knew all about the dangerous of the Thalusian Isles, when he'd never been there, and ended up getting sprayed by a mist and causing a silver globe to explode into red liquid, causing a swarm of deadly insects to come after him - he was eventually found hidden in a lake, breathing through a straw, too afraid to check if the killer beetles were still there. He is very, very unpleasant-looking.

Reinhard's regent is Gisela Hilda Inselhoffer, a woman who met Reinhard when her parents sent her to court his eldest son. A few months later, there was some kind of scandal and she was sent home, plans canceled. After that, she refused all further matches, remaining faithful to the von Wisches. When she heard of Reinhard's illness, she came back to see if she could help. She has no official authority, but she hired clerks to manage the treasury and has become the de facto regent. Everyone realizes she's in love with Reinhard von Wische - she feeds him, binds his wounds and reads to him whenever she can. She desperately wants him to recover, though she fears he'll prefer the memory of his dead wife to her. Either way, she'll do anything to bring him back. Recently, though, she's been caught in another scandal: funds are vanishing from the treasury! People have accused her, though Reinhard's personal guard, the Roaring Drachens, support her innocence. Her own brother, Klaus Inselhoffer, has threatened to come take over the area if the situation continues. She can't defeat him in arms, though, as most of the army deserted when they started being paid for IOUs for months on end. Now, only the Roaring Drachens remain. Gisela knows Reinhard would never forgive her if she lost his kingdom, so she is frantically trying to find out what's going on. She has been given exactly three months to do so.

Philip Knef is the man who manages Hainzl's dracheneisen mines. He's been a miner all his life, and it's what he understands. He spent twenty years in the mines, ever since his youth, and he managed to keep his family fed by mining even during the War. As he grew older, he moved on to overseeing the mines, and by the end, he was in charge of several major lodes. His superiors were mostly killed in the fighting, so when Hainzl's new government formed, he ended up as head of the operation. Knef's large nose and broken smile made him reesemble a character from the opera Der Rabe, much to Georg Hainzl's delight. He promises Knef men and money to continue his work - though Knef realized such promises weren't much, and he soon learned to make requests by paper rather than in person. He knows how to keep the mines running without Georg's help, which has made things continue smoothly. His efforts have made Hainzl rich, so he's allowed to do what he likes. He works hard and quietly, and once broke a nobleman's nose for suggesting safety cutbacks to save money - an act which made him many friends in Hainzl's court.

Franziska Köhl is Faulk Fischler's advisor, and has been for four years. She's kept the economy going, ensured the army's armed and even managed relations with his neighbors. She's the only one around Faulk who respects him, and the only one he trusts. She was the daughter of a minor lord who resigned herself to being a bureaucrat. She married as a political move and rarely saw her husband. The War put a major strain on her family, and it was her job to run things. She awoke one day to find an enemy general outside her walls, telling her that her father and husband had been killed and that their lands were his in tribute. He demanded her surrender - and she did what any Eisen in the situation would do: she spat in his face and was besieged. It lasted forty-five days, ending when an unrelated battle cut the enemy's supply lines. Köhl's organizational skilles were instrumental in keeping everyone fed - and by the end, even with them, she was reduced to hunting rats in the cellar. Still, when the siege ended, most of her charges were alive and the walls were intact. Faulk Fischler heard about her talent and sent her a letter to see if she'd be his advisor. She agreed, and while originally contemptuous of Faulk, she soon grew to respect his sharp mind, and the two now share a mutual respect and empathy. She refuses, however, to pursue any romance, feeling she must teach Faulk that isolation is the price of power. She is a very clever, practical woman who is never, ever surprised.

Then there's Hendryk Brandt, the most persistent suitor Fauner Pösen has ever had. He's a wealthy nobleman who fought in the War without much distinction and was spared its worst ravages. He really had no goals or desires until he saw Fauner - and then, he was in love. It wasn't until later that he found out she was an Eisenfürst, but he didn't care. He was willing to do whatever it took! He beat two rivals in duels and even took a broken arm - but he's still going for Fauner. He has no real interest in power or wealth - he's just...in love. Seriously. He's sure that time and persistence will show how much he cares and give his bones a chance to knit.

And lastly, there is Miguel Soldano de Acedo, once the son of a wealthy Castillian don. He somehow angered the king's advisor, Esteban Verdugo, and was reassigned as Castille's Governor of the Eisen lands. The lands which Castille had never claimed. The lands which Erich Sieger was still living on. When he arrived in Sieger, he was tense, sore and cranky. Which is when he ran into Erich Sieger and was informed that the fields were salted and the land was worthless. He couldn't go home - refusing a royal appointment would mean death. So he ended up stuck there...and after a violent row with Sieger, he ended up being assigned to feed the pigs. He wrote a letter home, but he's not sure it ever arrived, and he's heard nothing from Castille. His "supervisor" is an eight-year-old named Petr, who torments and mocks him whenever he messes up. Miguel hates the little guy. He is also convinced that the pigs are demonic - they bite at him, trip him up, escape their pen and force him to chase them...all sorts of trouble. He's not sure what he did to make Verdugo mad, but he deeply regrets it - he was born to woo ladies, not muck out pig pens! He's sworn that someone is going to pay for this. Anyone who could get him out of his current problems would have a friend for life.

We now get some fiction of Erich Sieger meeting with Miguel Soldano de Acedo, who informs him that he is the new governor. Sieger tells him he can sleep in the pigsty - and after explaining that Miguel is having a joke played on him by someone in Castille, he again makes clear: the boy will sleep in the pigsty. Miguel challenges him to a duel, so Sieger cold-cocks him and puts him to work in the pig sty, serving under Petr. As you might guess, Miguel is not very happy about it.

Now then! There's new skills which we'll skip, and new Swordsman schools, which we won't! We start with the Drexel school, developed by the mercenary Kristoff Drexel, leader of the warband called the Blood Spirits. He developed the style as a flexible fighting style revolving around the Eisen zweihander. It's very popular because of its adaptability, and those who learn it are called doppel soldiers, because they're paid twice as much. A Drexel fencer learns more ways of attacking and defending than any other. However, because of the focus on flexibility, there is a hesitation when a fighting situation changes quickly, as the student tries to figure out how to respond - and that can be deadly. Apprentices learn two of the four Stances taught by the school, which have their own Apprentice abilities, and get a +5 to their initiative when wielding a zweihander. Journeymen learn a third Stance, and also receive a Fear rating of 1 (or +1 to their rating if they already had one), as they learn to intimidate others. This can be used to aid leadership, intimidation and panic rolls, giving a free Raise for each point of Fear - and, of course, you help counteract the Fear rating of anything you fight against for those you lead. Masters learn the last Stance they don't know and get +1 to their fear rating.

I should note - the zweihander has a special rule. It's very powerful by default, but after swinging you need to spend an action resetting your hold because it's so goddamn huge.



The Bittner, or Forward Stance counteracts this. It's mostly defensive, and reduces the zweihander to a base 2k2 weapon. However, an Apprentice doesn't have to spend an action to reset the zweihander and gets a free Raise to any Parry Active Defense. A Journeyman gets two Free Raises, and his actions are considered 1 phase faster when using an active defense. A Master gets three free Raises and his actions are considered 2 phases faster when performing an active defense.



The Gerbeck, or High Stance is the one most untrained folks use with a zweihander, and it's used for huge, powerful swings. In this stance, a zweihander has base 3k3 damage. An Apprentice learns how to attack while resetting, allowing the user to make a base 1k2 attack while resetting the zweihander. A journeyman improves that to base 2k2, and a master improves it to base 3k2, equal to a normal heavy weapon.



The Köhler, or Low Stance is meant for extremely rapid movement of the blade. It deals 2k2 base damage. The Apprentice gets +10 to Initiative on top of the normal +5, and his actions are considered one phase faster when attacking, resetting the zweihander or making an active defense. Journeymen are two phases faster when doing those things, and Masters are three phases faster.



The Metzger, or Back Stance is an offensive stance meant for quick, powerful attacks. The base damage is 4k3 in this stance, but the wielder's passive defense is reduced by 5 and the TN of any active defense attempted is increased by 5. An apprentice's actions are one phase faster when attacking, and a journeyman's are 2 phases faster. A master deals base 4k4 damage while in this stance.

The next "fencing" style is Gelingen. Gelingen...is not really a fencing style. It is, instead, the art of learning to fight monsters effectively. You learn to look for weak spots in the anatomy of creatures you fight, so that next time, you're even better at killing them. You learn to aim for joints, use poisons on monsters and go for soft parts like the eye. Gelingen is pretty shit at fighting humans and intelligent foes, though - it's designed to look for predictable, repetitive moves and intelligent foes vary too much for these simple patterns. Gelingen "fencers" do not get automatic admission to the Swordsman's Guild. An apprentice gets one Exploit Weakness (Monster) knack at 3 for free, and may purchased up to three more at normal cost. When fighting a monster whose Exploit Weakness knack they have, they add their rank in the knack to any damage rolls against the monster. They need four Exploit Weakness (Monster) knacks at 4 to become Journeymen. As a note - you can only, other than the ones for being Apprentice, get Exploit Weakness (Monster) when you kill monsters. You can buy one rank in a monster's Exploit Weakness knack when you kill one. By itself, the knack adds dice to attacks and active defenses when fighting that type of monster. All swordsman schools also have such a knack, which you normally learn by learning the school. There is an optional rule here to allow heroes to learn the appropriate knacks when they defeat a swordsman of the school. Anyway. Journeymen learn how to identify some common attacks and habits, and add twice ther rank in an Exploit Weakness (monster) knack to their passive defense when fighting that kind of monster. Their apprentice damage bonus is also doubled. When they get four Exploit Weakness (monster) knacks to 5, they become masters. Masters are considered to have rank 1 in all possible Exploit Weakness (Monster) knacks, due to having much experience and the ability to make broad generalizations based on his training, and may now purchase the knack without having to kill monsters for it.

Some advice: don't pick drachen as your starting knack. You won't be happy with the results.

Next time: Crossbows and mass combat "fencing schools"!

Even a madman is better than the tender mercies of the Vestenmannavnjar.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: Even a madman is better than the tender mercies of the Vestenmannavnjar.

We left off with the Höpken school of crossbowmanship. The crossbow is famous in Eisen for making peasants effective and able even to pierce suits of dracheneisen - something no normal bow could do. Adrian Höpken, a peasant, developed a set of techniques for the crossbow to make it even more effective, and began teaching them after the War of the Cross. It focuses on accuracy and reload speed, and Adrian developed a high-powered heavy crossbow to use with it, along with some gearing tricks and a reloading device similar to a shoehorn. The weakness? All those tools mean you're gonna be standing still, and that makes you an easy target. Also, the crossbow twitches just before launching a bolt, giving a tell for a fast opponent. oh, and you don't get to be a Swordsman, but who cares? You get to arc your crossbow bolts. Somehow. And bounce them off stuff in trick shots.

Apprentices deal 3k3 damage with crossbows and can learn the Reload (Crossbow) knack more cheaply, making it easier for them to reload quickly. it normally takes 6 actions to reload a crossbow, reduced by 1 for rank you have Reload (Crossbow.) (Guns take longer - the best way to use guns is the surprisingly period accurate method of 'have multiple guns, don't bother reloading until later.') Anyway. journeyman Höpken fighters increase their crossbow range by 10 yards, and change the short and long range modifiers to -0 and -5 respectively. They may also build a special 5000G heavy crossbow that deals 4k3 damage instead of 3k3, but require anyone with less than Brawn 4 to spend 3 extra actions reloading it. A Master is the most skilled crossbowman in the world, increasing the range by 15 now and changing the range modifiers to +5 and -0. They may also purchase rank 6 in Reload (Crossbow), allowing for a reload time of 0 and firing every action.

The Pösen school utilizes the boar spear, a mounted spear with a crossbar meant to keep a boar from fighting up the blade to kill the rider. it began as arrogant nobles using it to "hunt" enemy soldiers on the battlefield, protected in their dracheneisen armor. Eventually, it became a way to prove courage. And the Pösens developed a fighting style that turned it into a brutal cavalry weapon. It is designed around a huge initial burst of action, but its big weakness is that it leaves the fighter exhausted after that, and if they're cut off from retreat they're not too hard to take down. Oddly, despite using a spear, it does give you Swordsman status, presumably because it's a noble style. in fact, you get a 5 point discount to learning it if you have the Dracheneisen advantage (which is generally truer indication than the Noble advantage in Eisen).

An Apprentice Pösen fencer learns to use the spear to keep enemies at bay while on horseback. They get +15 to Initiative for the first round of combat, and when using their Lance (Polearm) knack in the first round, they roll and keep an extra die of damage as long as they have decent space to maneuver in. Journeymen learn to focus their strength, and during the first round of combat may choose to add 1 to their Brawn, Finesse and Resolve. if they do, though, then after that round they have to subtract 1 from all those traits for the rest of the scene. If that takes them to 0 in a trait, they become KOed immediately. A Master Pösen fighter learns to attack early and often. At the start of a round, they may borrow against their actions from next round - so if they have Panache 3, they can make up to 3 more actions this round...but next round will be reduced to however many they have left. They may use this ability once every other round.

Then there's the Steil school. Steil is not a fencing school; Steil is a commanding school. It teaches men how to lead. Specifically, how to lead by inspiring loyalty in the men. It's well-suited for small units, where good relationships are critical. However, its weakness is that the commander puts his emotional well-being in jeopardy by caring so much, and may make rash decisions to save the lives of a few men by throwing the battle away and killing many more. Steil students do not get membership in the Swordsman's Guild; instead, they get the Academy advantage. Their knacks are based around Orders, specific mass combat maneuvers that they learn to be better at. When using those maneuvers, they add (points in the appropriate knack times mastery level) to their strategy roll that round.

Apprentice Steil commanders learn to understand their men, and they get a free Raise when resisting or using the Repartee system, while all NPCs loyal to them get 2 free Raises to resist other people's use of Repartee in their presence. They also get a 1 point discount to all advantages that would give them an NPC character that follows their orders, and may spend XP to improve Henchmen and Brutes. (1 XP spent gives a Henchmen 2 to spend, and 10 times a current Brute Squad's threat level increases it by 1. You can also buy knacks for the brutes by paying XP equal to knack's rank. This makes your minions very, very good if you care to invest.) They must learn 4 Orders knacks at 4 to become Journeymen. Journeyman Steils learn to track many men at once. They may team up with a number of Brutes under their command equal to (Wits+Leadership) instead of the normal amount, and any time a Brute under their command is Knocked Out, they may spend a Drama die to prevent it. When using the Mass Combat rules, they can add their mastery level in Steil to their personal results roll to represent their men watching out for them. After learning five Orders knacks at 5, they become Masters. Masters are hugely charismatic men, and when using the mass combat rules as general of an army, they may inspire the men. Before battle, when they make a Wits+Incitation roll, they get a Free Raise for later use with every 5 points rather than every 10. Also, once per scene they can spend an action to reduce the Fear rating of a foe by their Leadership.

Oh, and there's an optional rule for allowing everyone to use the Experienced Henchmen rule, but anyone without Steil pays double cost.

Opposing Steil is the unabwendbar school, which focuses on the need to not struggle against what can't be changed. Accept it and use it. If you see a unit is going to die, don't throw away resources to save them. Instead, pull away and use them as bait for a trap. Turn these situations into tools for victory. It's a very skilled way to command, if very, very cold. It improves strategy, but tends to piss off the men, unlike Steil's inspirations to greater loyalty. Unabwendbar, like Steil, does not give Swordsman membership, but rather a free Academy advantage. Same deal with the Orders knack as Steil.

An Apprentice of Unabwendbar learns discipline and concentration. For every phase they hold an action before performing it (or every ten minutes out of combat), they add points equal to their mastery level to the roll, up to five times their mastery level (so +5 at Apprentice to +15 at Master). If they take a Dramatic Wound while holding the action, their concentration breaks and they lose the bonus (but not the action). Unabwendbar students also get a 5 point discount to the Man of Will advantage. We'll get to that. A Journeyman is generally a leader by now, and they learn to follow instructions and give orders well. If they add their rank in Leadership to their general's strategy roll, they ignore the normal -2 penalty to their personal results roll. Also, when more than one person in your party is doing the same action at the same time (such as attacking with identical weapons on the same phase), you may add three times your mastery level to each of the participating heroes' rolls. A Master of Unabwendbar is able to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. When making Tides of Battle rolls in mass combat, once per battle they can convert a past loss into a win to help accumulate the three wins in a row needed for victory. This is hugely powerful. Also, once per act, after anyone in the party's failed a roll they may turn that roll in the minimum number needed for success, though doing so cancels any Raises made for the roll - which prevents this from being used for rolls that need Raises to succeed, but would let you turn a miss on an attack into a hit at the cost of any raises made for damage.

Let's see...expanded dracheneisen rules. Depending on how much dracheneisen you're wearing, you get bonuses to your TN to be hit and reduction of kept dice of damage rolled on you. A full suit of armor gives +10 TN to be hit and -2 Kept dice, which is veeeeery nice. An expanded table of what sort of thing you can buy with dracheneisen, and rules for modifying a dracheneisen panzerhand - normal ones are not light and strong enough for these mods, apparently. You can get a locking grip, which prevents your binds from being broken and allows you use of the Eisenfaust journeyman power or disarm knacks. It also requires a key and 3 actions to release the grip, and until then your hand can't be used for anything else. You can mount a base 1k3 crossbow on the thing, or build a pistol into it. It takes 20 actions to load the pistol, but the first time you successfully punch someone it goes off, dealing 4k3 damage, with +1 unkept die for each point of Brawn you have. You can add spikes to the hand, making it deal base 2k2 damage. Or weighted knuckles, which does the same but prevents you from using the panzerhand for anything but punching, including the Eisenfaust special panzerhand tricks.

The Man of Will advantage is 25 points - that's quite a lot. You can't take a Hubris if you take it, and you can never have any kind of magical ability, ever. You get a 5 point discount on a Virtue, are immune to all mind-altering magic, including Sorte Cups or Staves magic, emotion-affecting runes and Sidhe illusions. You are also immune to the Repartee system, Fear and being Crippled. That's a lot! I'm not sure if it's worth a quarter of your points, though. Let's see..The Iron Guard. Iron Guards are the personal forces of each Eisenfürst. They all have to be Eisen natives, and beyond that each group has specific needs. The benefits? Well, you get free equipment, room and board, a stipend that varies by employer and you can ask your buddies in the Iron Guard for help.

The Wily Foxes of Fischler are hunters and trackers who wear all black with green trim and wield heavy weapons. They must have Wits and Finesse of 3 or more, 10 points or more of knacks from the Hunter skill and at least three Martial Skills. Their duties are to enforce Fischler law, obey Faulk Fischler and watch the Black Forest for trouble. They get 20G per month. Freiburg's got the Freiburg Guardsmen, who are paid by the local merchants for protection. They wear black with white trim and wield paired panzerhands. They need Brawn and Resolve of at least 3, at least 5 points of knacks from the Panzerhand skill and at least three martial skills. Their job is to enforce Freiburg law, obey Nicklaus Trägue's nonexistent orders and act as a bodyguard when hired out. They make between 0 and 40G per month based on a chart. Hainzl has the Steel warriors, who wield dracheneisen arms and armor and wear black with grey trim. They needs Wits and Finesse of at least 3, 10 or more points of the Dracheneisen advantage and at least three martial skills. Their job is to enforce Hainzl law, obey the Hainzl family and guard the mines. They get 20G per month. Heilgrund employs the ghosts, stealthy men who learn to stay out of sight and notice. They wear all black and wield heavy weapons. They need Resolve and Finesse of at least 3, 3 or more ranks in Unobtrusive, Stealth and Shadowing, and at least three martial skills. They enforce Heilgrund law, obey Heilgrund and speak to no one about what he does. They get 20G in Eisen Marks per month.

Pösen has the Swamp Dogs, who wear black with blue trim, carry lots of weapons and are all trained Gelingen fighters. They need Wits and Brawn of 3 or more, must be Gelingen fencers and have at least three martial skills. They enforce Pösen law, obey Fauner Pösen and kill monsters. They get 20G per month. Sieger has the Clenched Fists, who are usually former murderers, thieves or worse. They wear black with red trim and wield a panzerhand and spiked club (which counts as a fencing weapon). They need a Brawn of at least 4, a reputation of -10 or less and at least three martial skills. Note: by default, heroes become NPC villains under the GM's control at Reputation -30. Their job? Enforce Sieger law, obey Erich Sieger and try not to kill anyone important. They are paid 20G in Marks per month and are completely immune to legal punishment in Sieger - but on the other hand, other Clenched Fists are unlikely to want to help you out. Wische's Roaring Drachens are loyal and respected men who have not abandoned their kingdom despite being paid in IOUs that will likely never be paid back. They are all Drexel fencers, many preferring Metzger stance. They need Brawn and Finesse 3 or more, the Drexel school of fencing and at least three martial skills. Their job is to enforce Wische law, obey von Wische (or his regent) and protect the people. They get 20G per month in IOUs, which are accepted in 20% of Wische shops out of a sense of respect and loyalty. They aso get +5 Reputation.

Or maybe you prefer to be a Nibelung! For a fifth of your points, you can! This gives you the ability to forge dracheneisen into usable form, which takes two months and 1000G per unit of dracheneisen. It costs 1 unit per point the thing would cost on the dracheneisen table. You also get a Nibelung's Hammer, a special heavy weapon that deals 3k2 damage but can be wielded one-handed, which marks you as a member of thE Order. Being a member of the Order is meaningless outside Eisen, but in Eisen it means you get assloads of respect from anyone in power. Oh, and you learn the Nibelung's secret weapon: they can make a liquid that dissolves dracheneisen. It takes a month and 600G to brew a vial of it, but you can then throw it at someone wielding or wearing dracheneisen, and it will destroy one of their dracheneisen items. Completely. The items turns green with corrosion, and unless immersed in water within 2 phases, it's gone forever and slowly dissolves into goo.

Let's see...rules on gaining reputation for monster slaying, boar spears, the Eisen high-damage Roaring Cannon, zweihanders...which are base 3k3 and the whole resetting thing. Some mass combat stuff we'll skip over...we get to a piece of short fiction, where Stefan Heilgrund and Odel Herrickson are chatting with each other. Odel is still keeping it secret that Stefan knows more about the Syrneth than him. Heilgrund is close to a breakthrough on deciphering an old book, and he's sure it'll give him power. Odel warns him about an old Vestenmannavnjar myth about the Beast of Great Tårn Mountain, which gave out power that was too much and destroyed its users. Stefan is confident he can handle it, though. He receives a letter saying that Nicklaus Trägue is "delighted" to let him visit the drachen caves and "would be glad" to give him a personal tour. Odel is fairly sure that Trägue has never even seen the letter, thanks to those words, but Heilgrund is overjoyed. Odel feels a rune's power rise within him, only to die before he can grasp it - as it always does now that he's lost his scalp and hand. He thinks Stefan is mad...but, well, it could be worse.

Now we're into the essay on playing an Eisen. And here's the trick: Never give up. Ever. If you give up, you give in to fear. Fear gives power to evil. But courage denies evil its hold. Stand up. Spit in evil's face. Go into battle knowing you will lose. The fight itself is your triumph. It doesn't matter if you fail. Losing is not dishonorables. Refusing to fight is. Oh, and we get a short bit on a uniquely Eisen relationship. Everyone has friends. Everyone has best friends. The Eisen go beyond that. Maybe, just once in your life, you will meet a friend worthy of dying for. Worthy of killing for. And if you judge him or her truly worthy? Then you declare him your Rücken, your Back. It is the strongest relationship there can be short of, and just maybe, marriage. You will always be there to guard your Rücken's back, and they will be there for you - and your families, loved ones and friends. They're family now. You will help your Rücken without a second thought, and they'll do the same for you. The worst betrayal any Eisen can do is to abandon their Rücken in battle. They'll never look back to check on you, because they know you'll be there - and so you leave them to die and earn their eternal hatred. Never do this. A true Eisen would give his life for his Rücken without a scond thought. It's unlikely anyone would ever take a second Rücken once the first died - it's hard to recover from the loss of such a close friend, and many never completely heal.

So yeah, the not-Germans? They're great. There's also some stuff on roleplaying grief, since most Eisen have lost someone important thanks to the War of the Cross. But that's kinda boring, so let's move on to the secrets of Eisen. Here's the first one, and it's a biggy: the man who spoke to Imperator Riefenstahl before his suicide is named Herje. He is the Vestenmannavnjar living rune of ruin, who struggles against his own godlike power. Sometimes, it makes him do terrible things - like talking Riefenstahl into suicide. He is currently hiding out in the Undying Swamp, in the hopes that he'll cause no more trouble. He's wrong: his presence has spawned the Verschlingen, cause of the Wasting Disease of Heilgrund. He's the old hermit people have spotted in the swamp. More on him in the Vendel book.

The drachen...well, they're nearly extinct. By default, there are between 10 and 15 remaining drachen in the world, mostly in the Drachenbergs. They don't have kids often. Dracheneisen is not actually a metal, though it resembles one. Rather, it is the result of magical energies leaking from the ancient drachen ruins. It's got nothing to do with modern drachen, which are...basically monsters. The magical energies react with certain minerals to form a dense clay that is the dracheneisen "ore". The Nibelungs learned that by heating the clay and adding certain rare plants and chemicals, they could turn it into a metal-like ceramic that is very hard, yet very light. Once hardened, dracheneisen cannot be reforged, and once it's all used up, it's unlikely there will ever be more.

The Imperator's Armaments are some of the best dracheneisen arms and armor ever made. They consist of a helmet (with Faulk Fischler), two arm guards (whereabouts unknown), two boots (with Georg Hainzl), a breastplate (with Stefan Heilgrund), a gauntlet (with Nicklaus Trägue) a panzerhand (with Erich Sieger), a sword (with Fauner Pösen), a buckler (lost by St. Gregor somewhere in the Gregorskorn), a sword belt (lost by Reinhard von Wische, more on that later) and two leg guards (whereabouts unknown). Each piece is worth one more armor point than normal for dracheneisen, and if that raises armor points past 25, they get +10 to their TN to be hit and subtract 3 kept dice from enemy attacks. The sword, Totung, is a heavy weapon that gives +2 dice with Heavy Weapons knack, the buckler gives +5 TN to be hit and +2 dice with Buckler knacks, and the sword belt gives +2 dice on Repartee actions against Eisen who recognize it. Though of course you have to be Eisen to get that bonus - otherwise you're clearly a thief and should be killed.

Next time: More secrets of Eisen!

Sorcery's just like any other source of power - it can help or hinder, and it doesn't care which.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

I'm getting bored with this argument now.

Books until the Montaigne Revolution: 14.

7th Sea: Sorcery's just like any other source of power - it can help or hinder, and it doesn't care which.

We get the locations of the dracheneisen mines. Faulk's is in an underwater cave beneath the Südlache. Trägue's mine is exactly where he claims it is, in the Weissbergs, but he's removed all the dracheneisen and has hidden it beneath Freiburg's fort. Hainzl has two huge mines in the Drachenbergs, while Heilgrund's mine has actually been completely played out for years. He's got no other source, and he's keeping it a secret. Pösen's is north of the Gregorskorn, while Sieger's is ina cave hidden in the Black Forest. Wische's is in the Gold Divide, near where the Treaty of Weissberg was signed. The signtings of the Imperator's ghost there are in fact mine guards dressed up to scare folks away. Very Scooby-Doo.

In Fischler, remember that guy Franz Behle, the guy who sings at night? He found that his singing causes monsters of the Black Forest to calm down and go away; he's never met anyone else who can do it and doesn't know where he got the gift, but it's possible that if he found someone worthy he could pass it on when he dies. The Shepherd's Bats are creatures who obey the strange friends Faulk Fischler has made; more on them later. The Ghosts of Tannen are, in fact, not ghosts at all. Tannen is a recruiting ground for die Kreuzritter, and the ghosts are Knights who are careless and get spotted. They were the ones who scared off the invaders in the War of the Cross; more on them and Kippe academy in the Kreuzritter book. The Shadow Fair is, in fact, originally a rite of worship used to placate the Schattenmann, and as long as it's performed, the Schattenmann will only harm those who hurt the Black Forest or burn him with light. Should the Fair be stopped...who knows what'd happen?

In Freiburg - well there's a huge source of the magical emanations that create dracheneisen. Far beneath the city is a humongous depost that could make someone Eisenfürst ten times over. More on this in the upcoming Freiburg boxed set! Oh, and the guys who hunt kobolds in the shantytown? Kreuzritter. Let's see...on to Hainzl, Opa Nacht is totally a real guy. He's pretty cool and means no one any harm. The Hainzl curse is being caused by the ghost of a servant who fell off the roof - he's trying to get someone to investigate the roof and realize there's nothing there that could have driven Georg mad, and is also trying to reveal what really happened. More on this later.

Heilgrund...well, Herje's presence is causing the Verschlingen which is causing the Wasting Disease. If the monster is killed, the disease will end...but unless Herje is dealt with, some new trouble will start up. In Pösen, well...the Eungélion root is in fact hugely powerful as a medicine, curing all Dramatic wounds as as well as any disease or poison. However, the sirens also want the root for some ritual known only to themselves, and regularly swim into the swamp to hunt for it - anyone harvesting at night is in for a nasty surprise. Oh, and the real reason the Order of St. Gregor has split up as bounty hunters? They're looking for a new Imperator, and it's a cover to get close to the Eisenfürsten to test them. It's entirely possible that the Order's got one or more of the missing armaments of the Imperator, and they'd certainly pay highly for any pieces that people found.

Sieger's emigration problems are partially caused by a deal Sieger's made with Prince Alcide Mondavi of Vodacce. He's buying food from Mondavi in exchange for peasant farmers and soldiers. Mondavi plans to use them to take over Vodacce - more on this in the Vodacce book. In Wische, the real culprit of the money thefts is Gisela's brother Klaus, who has been stealing the money through a secret passage to the treasury and using it as an excuse to take over. The missing sword belt was stolen by a visiting Avalon merchant, but it soon proved too dangerous, so he gave it to a friend in Castille, who gave it to a friend in Vodacce and so on. The GM can decide where it is now, but it should be a merry chase to find it.

Okay. Faulk Fischler's got a friend! He was walking home one night and was kind of drunk when he met a dark figure sitting on a barrel. He struck up a conversation, and the guy seemed nice enough. As they were saying their goodbyes, the dark man told him to build a house of Blackwood, so "my kin would know your smell". He then vanished. Faulk was a bit nervous, but reasoned that his new friend wouldn't mean him harm, so he built the blackwood house. And now he meets lots of interesting people after dark! They're doing what they can to help him, like sending the Shepherd's Bats to make sure he gets home okay. Of course, the bats are a bit dim and sometimes confuse other drink people for Faulk Fischler, but no harm's been done. Yet, anyway.

Now, Georg Hainzl. He's always had a bit of a problem with fantasy and reality, but it wasn't too bad. He obsessed a bit about the castle door in Eulestein, but that was okay until he confided his fears in his advisor, Marcus Stefan Adolfo. Macrus secretly hated Georg, and so when he talked Georg into confronting his fears, he released three owls into the air as the door opened. Georg was convinced that he'd doomed everyone to die in the castle's collapse, and his mind snapped. Unfortunately, Philip Knef realized what happened and arranged for an "accident" to befall Adolfo. His body is now at the bottom of a walled-up mine, and everyone thinks he was killed by wild beasts. Knef didn't do this for Hainzl - he just didn't want any competitors. More on him later. As for the servant who went through the "cursed" door? Adolfo killed him when he found owl droppings and other evidence on the roof. Now, the ghost wants revenge on Adolfo, unaware that the man is dead. It'll continue to haunt the palace until someone tells it otherwise, but no one wants to go onto the roof for fear of going mad.

Stefan Gregor Heilgrund III becomes surprisingly athletic and eager when exploring ruins. He loves it, and he's very good at it, having discovered many secrets which he's not shared with people. His big secret he hasn't even told Odel. See, he's found evidence that one of the monsters of Eisen lore is similar to the Sidhe and other beings that have historically granted people magic. He has a very simple plan. A very simple plan.

Stefan Heilgrund is going to bargain with the Schattenmann for sorcery.

I can't see how this could possibly go wrong, can you?

Fauner Pösen is a master of Drexel, Eisenfaust, Gelingen (incidentally, 'horse' and 'wolf' are viable monsters, as is 'bear'), Leegstra, Pösen and Unabwendbar. She also has a full suit of dracheneisen, a dracheneisen boar spear and Totung. She is a Villain, but not evil - she tries to do the right thing and is honorable. She has no plans to conquer Eisen. But she is stubborn and very harsh. Many of the people she's killed didn't need to die, and many of the policies she's contemplating will bring misery to Eisen. She's used to a wartime economy, and might start a war just to balance her books - the moral repurcussions just don't occur to her. It'll keep her people fed, after all, right? And that's why she's a Villain. Also, she actually likes Hendryk Brandt but is afraid he's just after her money.

Erich Sieger is a master of Eisenfaust, a huge dick and really has no secrets. He's got a dracheneisen sword, leg guard, boot and the Imperator's panzerhand. But yeah, he's a huge asshole and not at all secret about it. Nicklaus Trägue refuses to commit violence and if attacked will hide behind his bodyguards, despite being able to fight. His big secret? He's running Freiburg - well, not running Freiburg - as an experiment to see whether man is inherently good or evil. So far, it looks like evil. Reinhard Dietrich von Wische owns a dracheneisen greatsword, helmet and breastplate, though he could only be cured of his catatonia by seeing his wife or sons again. They're dead, so that won't happen, but Gisela Inselhoffer has a plan that just might work.

Odel Herrickson knows practically nothing about the Syrneth. He hates going into the ruins, but doesn't complain because he likes working for Heilgrund. He's not very good at anything any more - not since he had his power stripped from him. He was once a master skjæren, but he was selling rune-engraved artifacts to the Vendel. That pissed a lot of people off, so they enacted the horrific ritual that stripped him of his scalp, right arm and power. However, despite being unable to use his magic, he could still teach Lærdom to someone able to learn from him. Let's see...Gisela Inselfhoffer really is innocent and isn't sure how to prove it. She's hoping the Roaring Drachens will solve the mystery within three months. She's got a last desperate plan to cure Reinhard: she's going to dye her hair blonde and dress up as his wife, Cornelia. She knows the woman's habits well enough to pull it off, and it just might work.

Philip Knef has been hoarding dracheneisen from the mines. He and a small group of supervisors hide it in an abandoned shaft, where no one looks. He plans to use it to go to the Nibelung and have it forged so he can raise an army to overthrow Hainzl - after all, if a fisherman like Faulk Fischler can rise to rule...he feels that Hainzl's madness is too dangerous and that after the War, nobles cannot be trusted. He knows the truth of what happened to Georg Hainzl but he's not really sympathetic. Franziska Köhl is deliberately underestimating Fischler's resources - Faulk thinks they have far less than they actually do. She wants to see if he can handle difficult decisions, and believes that the reserve supplies will be enough to handle any crisis. The fish shortage is real, though. Hendryk Brandt has no secrets - he really is just in love with Fauner Pösen and really does just want to marry her for love. He has no desire for power, though most suspect him of some ulterior motice. Miguel Soldano de Acedo is a journeyman Aldana fencer who attracted Verdugo's rage when he picked up a letter the man dropped and gave it back to him - Verdugo believes he read the thing, and it was an important Inquisition letter. He didn't, but that's why he was sent off to sieger: to die. The reason the pigs are so nasty to him is that Petr gets up early and hits them with a stick to torment them so they'll bother Miguel more, and sometimes he lets them out of the pen. Miguel lacks the nerve to just run away.

We now get monster stats! Drachens...are terrifying. They have a Resolve of 10, so they tak forever to kill - and that's before we get into their special defenses. All damage not dealt with dracheneisen, Sidhe or other magical weapons is halved. However, they have weak spots that can be aimed for, and so each Raise for damage adds a rolled and kept die instead of just an unkept die. Drcahens are immune to all barehanded damage, like boxing or wrestling. they can, fortunately, only use each of their four attacks once per round - two claws, a bite and a tail slap, and they've only got three actions. Their attacks, however, can't be parried. They have a Fear rating of 3, are immune to Fear, the Repartee system and most poisons. Fortunately, they cannot breathe fire. Kobolds are just little monsters the size of a dog; those with wings are called gargoyles.


You. C'mere.

The Schattenmann appears as a very thin man, twenty feet tall. Its limbs are twisted and spindly, its stomach sunken and its ribs clearly visible. Each hand has three long fingers tipped in sharp, sharp nails - from a distance, they look like a pair of scissors. The creature's face is ancient, wrinkled and human, save for two eyes that are only pools of blackness. It normally lives in the Black Forest, but can go out so long as the moon is new and there are no bright lights nearby. It draws strength from darkness - in total darkness, it is invulnerable to all harm, can pass through solid objects and can kill a man in a single blow. It can also teleport. However, it doesn't kill without cause. It'll attack anyone who's cut down a tree from the Forest within twenty days (and it can smell the sap, no matter how hard you wash it off), and will kill anyone who's harmed it before with light. Anyone else it'll leave alone. Usually.

You can hit the Schattenmann, but he can't be harmed by weapons - not even dracheneisen or Sidhe weapons. He has only one weakness: light. In a lit area, the Schattenmann can only lash out from shadow. the brighter the light, the harder it is for the Schattenmann to strike and the less damage it deals. It also takes damage from the light that can drive it away. Its claws are too fast to avoid, and armor is useless - avoiding it is based entirely on how much light is around to blind the Schattenmann and throw off its aim. More light also burns it faster; once it takes 50 wounds, it will creep away to tend its injuries. If caught in direct sunlight, it will not die - the Schattenmann is unkillable, and will instead be incapacitated until sunset. There's a chart listing how much light deals what damage and changes its attack stats to what. It has no other stats.

The Verschlingen, now...it's a huge, hundred foot albino snake that secrets deadly toxins. They spread out to a hundred miles away, but are only truly serious within 10 feet of the thing. It is also very, very hard to kill but at least it's slow. It ignores the first 10 damage of any attack, which can reduce damage to 0. Standing within 10 feet of it causes 1 Flesh Wound per phase; heroes and henchmen make a wound check every round, while brutes automatically pass out at the end of a round and die if they're exposed to the poison for more than an hour. Being bitten by the Verschlingen means instant, horrible, poisonous death. Don't get bit. The game says to have it so that the snake, if it hits a hero, is stopped the first time as a loyal NPC jumps in the way, to show off its deadly bite. After that, no more playing nice. Fortunately, should the thing die all its toxins will instantly become inert, as they are magical, and the Wasting Disease will slowly come to an end.

Next time: Nations of Théah, Volume V: Castille!

We are Montaigne! The world is ours! Am I clear?

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: We are Montaigne! The world is ours! Am I clear?



We begin with fiction about some a Montaigne general arguing with his advisors about retreating. He doesn't want to, despite the fact that a giant wall has loomed over the battlefield where there wasn't one all that long ago. He believe's it's a bluff, not truly impenetrable - especially because it covers the whole front. He plans to find the weak spot on the wall. Except...the wall was made by the best engineers in Castille, as our next viewpoint, from a Castillian general, tells us. He has been playing cat and mouse throughout the whole war, and now, without Montegue, he believes he can win. He has the men prepared. And three hours later, the Montaignes attack, throwing waves of men at the wall - several just to be killed as a distraction. Castille's general realizes that the Montaignes have stretched themselves thin so they can make a push for the wall while its defenses can't be shored up. For a moment, it seems to be working - but as things seem at their worst, Castille's cannons overwhelm the foe, and even the Musketeers move into retreat rather than die in the onlaught. Castille has defeated the inevitable - for now.

We then get a new piece of fiction, from early in the Montaigne invasion. It is a surpise assault on Barcino, in Rancho Ochoa - an attack that seems, impossibly, to have come from within, though no one knows how a hundred and fifty troops got inside. A soldier of the Ochoas is trying to flee to the docks when he finds that they're surrounded there, too - warships, who have already overwhelmed the defenders. Where did those defenders go - they should be here still! But no - things have failed. Tomorrow, Barcino will be Montaigne.

Castille's history is a bit complicated - until very recently, it wasn't written by Castillians. Castille, called Castillo buy its native people, has been invaded and occupied for centuries. In ancient times, it was caled Acraga, and it was populated by nomadic hunters and herders. They lived along the banks of the Rio de Delia and Rio de Dios, and along the coasts. They traded with merchants of what would become the Old Republic and mingled freely with foreigners. In AUC 228, they were invaded by the Old Republic, though it began peacefully enough, with trade agreements and cultural exchange. In 268, though, Numa began to envy the trade that the Acragans had with what would be Montaigne, Eisen and Ussura. They had been planning for years to do this - and when gold, silver and iron were found in La Sierra de Hierro, open warfare began. The Acragan Wars lasted for 75 years or so, until 344. The Numans were just too strong and too good at planning, and half of Acraga was captured in the first weeks. The brush wars continues until 320, when Numa had conquered all of Acraga save for three strongholds: the fort now called Puerto de Sur, the settlement known now as Altamira and the capital of Marina Linda, now called Barcino. All three were sacked by 344, putting an end to the bloody Acragan Wars.

The senators, led by Caius Castillus, consolidated control of Acraga, and Castillus's family ended up in charge. Numans continued to march for Montaigne, while the Castillus family institude widespread reforms, absorbing the Acragan society into their own. Numan technology improved the sea trade, dye and textile production that the Acragans specialized in, harvests doubled, and they introduced what would go on to become a legendary Castillian winemaking technique. Numan influence remains even today. Roads were built, cities prospered - including Marina Linda, now Acraga Nova, which would later be renamed again to Barcino. For every advancement, though, the Numans took. They stripped the ore, subjugated the people, removed the natives from all decision-making and exploited the area in a way that would be the pattern for centuries. It was here that the first threads of hatred of foreigners were instilled in the local populace. The worst came in the mid-700s AUC, when one of Caius Castillus's descendants arrived with the power of sorcery. The natives called El Fuego Adentro, the Fire Within, for it gave the power to draw fire from the soul. The art spread through the bloodline and helped subjugate the people. Eventually, some local nobles married in and learned the power, but it was always used to maintain control.

However, there was always an Acragan guerrilla resistance, until the Numan system collapsed. In AV 98, Acraga suffered political rebolution, and Imperial authority was compromised there. They and a number of other regions were given semi-autonomy and named the Western Empire. An Imperator was placed in charge, in the Numan-built San Cristobal. For two centuries, Acraga had the support of the Empire, but little interference. The provinces began to develop on their own, so the fall of the Old Empire in AV 297 was not so traumatic for the Acragans as it might have been. The Castillo family, the remnants of the Castillus, asserted their position as Numa fell, and they mostly peacefully won dominion over the other kingdoms of Acraga. In 299, Josémaria de Castillo was crowned king of united Castille. The former kings of the provinces were granted administration of their lands in exchange for fealty, and named Gubenador , governors. The monarchy advanced its power through mining and trade - especially trade with the Empire of the Crescent Moon.

The Crescent Moon alliance gave the Castillo new trade, military innovations, archictecture - and in exchange, the Crescents were allowed colonies along the southwestern coast of Rancho Gallegos; their two primary ports that stand today were Malaca and Puerto de Sur. The alliance survived the Corantine Empire, the coronation of Carleman, even the creation of the Vaticine. With it came alchemy, metallurgy, math, astronomy and the Crescents' version of the Second Prophet's teachings. For 700 years or so, there was peace and prosperity, formalized when King Josémaria married the eldest daughter of the Crescents' Caliph. In 313, their child, King Alonzo Al-Mahmud de Josémaria, was named second high king of Castille and Caliph of the Crescent Moon. (The heir to the last Caliph had died shortly after inheriting, and he was the only one left of the line.) It was more symbolic, though, than practical. Alonzo's ascent is seen today as a horrendous compromise of sovereignty, the gradual dissolution of a traditional lifestyle to outsiders.

Many Castillians resented the Crescents and wanted to lash out. In 306, they saw their chance when the Second Prophet was killed in the Crescent Empire. Vodacce called for war, and many Castillians joined the Crusades. None of the fighting was in their territory, though - it was all on the Vodacce/Crescent border. It created a schism in the ruling lines and the symbolic unification of the two nations was shattered. Alonzo's son abdicated the Crescent throne to a cousin who had never left. Still, the alliance survived, and most of its vocal foes died in the Crusades, leaving only more moderate voices. Trade continued throughout the Crusades, and for seven centuries peace remained, allowing Castille to weather the dark ages well. The Church and Crescent medicine provided a haven from barbarians, the plague and other dangers, and by the time of the Third Prophet, Castille was one of the most sophisticated civilizations in the world.

In 1000, the Third Prophet emerged, performing miracles in northern Castille. At first, the Hierophant was apprehensive, so the Prophet invited him to a pilgrimage to La Sierra de Hierro, where there was a hidden cave containing a spiraling jet of flame from the floor. They meditated for three days. At dawn on the third day, the Prophet places his hand into the flame, which turned white, and claimed that the Flames of Theus cannot harm those who obey His word. The Hierophant was convinced, and word soon spread. The Chamber of El Fuego Sagrado , the Holy Flame, is now one of the most sacred sites in Castille. However, the Third Prophet began to speak out against the Crescent Empire's influence. preaching that Castille had lost its identity and connection to the true faith. Many rejected his divinity over this in more Crescent-influenced areas, and civil unrest flared.

Open conflict began in 1002, when a mob of Crescents in Malaca murdered a Vaticine bishop. Within days, the Third Prophet stated that anyone who rejected his teachings or claimed fealty to the Crescents would be branded heretic and expelled from Castille. The Second Crusades had begun. By this time, the Crescents had a stronger foothold in Castillian society than any foreigners before or seince - but the Hierophant and the Prophet were the religious power of the nation, and had great influence. The nobles had to choose - the King, or the God. Many had already made their choices. The civil war continued for eight years, as did the Crusades. Thousands fell before the armies, in Castille and the Empire. In 1008, neither side had clear advantage, and the Third Prophet called for aid from other Vaticine nations. In 1009, High King Gracia and the Crescent armies were defeated at the Battle of Malaca, now remembered as El Fin del Cielo , the End of the Cycle. With the death of the king and his followers, the fire magic of the nobles was left only in a few renegades and those few under the Propeth's banner who used it. Those received sainthood...but only if they gave their lives for the Church. Sorcery was declared an evil heresy, to be purged and forgiven in the holy flames of El Fuego Sagrado - and many stepped into the flames, assured they were going to Heaven. Few with the blood still lived, and they fled to the wilds of Rancho Gallegos.

While El Fin del Cielo ended the war in Castille, the Crusades continued on, not ending until the destruction of the Poor Knights three hundred years later. But in the meantime, Castille needed a king. They chose a noble in 1014, a warrior of the Second Crusade named Ramaon Sandoval. He was crowned High King, and his first act was to restart the nobles, granting the peasants who'd distinguished themselves the title of Don. Roman himself was not actually pure Castillian - he was of a mixed family, his mother a Crescent and his father a Castillian noble. He changed sides several times, fighting for whoever had the moral high ground at the time. Despite that, his success on the field - he was said never to lose a single fight - and his capture of Malaca earned him a treasured place in the minds of the loyal Castillians. His life has been immortalized in the epic poem El Cantar de Mio Sayyid , the Song of the Master, and many other pieces of art.

Ramon Sandoval divided the land up into new ranchos, giving them the names of their ruling Dons' families. The land governed directly by the king remained around the ancient capital of San Cristobal. After taking his title as Don and High King, Sandoval offered part of his estate on the Rio de Dios to the Church, for a new Vaticine City. The first building was the Great CAthedral of the Prophets, home to the third Prophet until his eventual death in 1030. Castille rebuilt the land, and they didn't end up tearing down the Crescent buildings, but rather incorporating them - it is easier, after all, to maintain than to build.

A year after the Second Crusades began, though, power began to shift. Castille was becoming the home of the Church, and Vodacce wasn't happy, especially when the Prophet openly declared it to be the Vaticine's center. Hostilities began in days, and the High King joined the battle alongisde the Castillian Hierophant. From 1012 to 1019, the Hieros Wars raged, as the Castillians fought eastward to Voadacce and defeated it. The Hierophant allowed Vodacce to keep its two arch-dioceses, but only to protect the religious integrity of the Vodacce. The wound to their pride has never truly healed. Castille's Church had a secure power base for nearly four centuries.

Through the Dark Ages, the world had suffered the terrible White Plague, which killed a third of the populace before it ran its course. Castille was spared the worst thanks to the Church, though, and in the 900s most thought it was over. In 1386, however, it struck again, in the heart of San Cristobal. The disease spread out from the harbor and engulfed the city. It was quickly quarantined, and the Sandovals were removed in the hopes they'd be spared. It was too late: the king lay dying, and his family was dead. The disease never escaped San Cristobal, but the royal family was destroyed. There were no heirs or even collateral relatives - some distant cousins, but none with a clear mandate. The Church debated, and the cousins fought, and eventually a native Montaigne named Jacques Cesar Prais du Rachetisse emerged, claiming the throne. The Castillians were horrified - he was related to the Sandovals only through distant marriage, had never been to Castille and was rumored to be a sorcerer!

Faced with a popular revolt in the making and unwillign to acknowledge du Rachetisse, the Cardinals, at the request of the Hierophant, refused to grant him the title of king. Without legitimacy and support of the Church, he could not run the place - and so the Cardinals took over the government, acting as a council that served in place of the king. The Dons answered to them, as did the courts and arm. For six months, this continued despite du Rachetisse's saber rattling, and finally, a solution appeared. One of the king's cousins, a diplomat sent to Ussura, was found and recalled. He was much closer to the royals than du Rachetisse, and the Cardinals liked him. He slew the usurper Montaigne in a duel and was personally crowned by the Hierophant. The White Plague outbreak was never explained.

Through the 1400s, the Castillians realized they'd spent most of their history looking in. They took a new interest in international affairs and established political dialogues with other Vaticine states. They sent forth missionaries - and they sponsored Cristobal Gallegos, an ocean navigator who claimed that if there lay another part of the world over the horizon, he would find it and claim it for Castille. He also promised he'd circumnavigate the globe. Noth the High King and Hierophant died before seeing if he was right. He left his home in the early 15th century and was never heard from again, vanishing somewhere west of the Syrneth Isles. Many have hunted for the lost explorer's expedition, but no clues to his fate have ever been found. All ships that have gone too far west have vanished as well. Some suggest that the Corridors of Flame destroyed him as he circled the globe, while others thought he found a new land - and it killed him. Others believe he never actually left and retired in seclusion as the best con man of the age - though they can't explain why later vessels vanished. Either way, with his failure, interest in exploration waned, and Théan archaeology and cartography would nto resume until the founding of the Explorers in 1598.

When the War of the Cross began in 1636, many Castillians went to fight - Objectionism had been banned in Castille for a century, and Objectionists burned at the stake. They were happy for a chance to fight. The nation as a whole, though, stayed officially neutral until the end of the war, when it and Montaigne openly invaded to seize part of the land of Eisen. The Treaty of Weissberg gave them the lands now owned by Erich Sieger, but they have no desire to have it - it's salted and burned, and they don't even bother trying to tax Sieger. In 1659, the entire Castillian Armada - 180 ships of many sizes - set sail under the command of Hernando Arciniega de Orduño, an advisor of the King. Their goal: Destroy Elaine, who had declared independence from the Vaticine. They were doomed from the beginning, plagued by bad weather, a hurricane that destroyed a third of the fleet, a lack of supplies that forced an unplanned stop that revealed their hand - and after all that, further lack of supplies. Once they made it to Avalon, they were attacked by Vendel raiders, which used up critical amounts of powder and destroyed twenty-seven more ships. Only 94 were left to face Avalon, but they continued onwards against their captains' better judgement. On the morning of battle, they ran into a fogbank so bad they couldn't see more than six feet, and when they emerged, less than half of the fleet was there.

Which is when they ran into the Sea Dogs, 200 strong. That didn't end well, and at the end of the day only 32 ships were left. 36000 men died at sea, including Orduño, who some say was thrown overboard by a rebellious crew. Others say he died in battle, while others say he committed suicide in shame. The family was disgraced, and the King's son, Javier, was made Admiral. He served well, and he was expected to be a good king. When his father took ill, he returned home as regent, and his ideas were innovative and effective. He was well loved by the court, and everyone thought he'd be formally made king soon. Something went wrong, though - he vanished without a trace one night, and there was no finding him. Soon after, King Salvador Aldana de Sandoval died, and Javier's younger brother, the thirteen-year-old Salvador Bejarano de Sandoval, was made the youngest King in the history of Castille. Some fear his inexperience will usher in terrible things, but he was doing all right so far, if rather obviously biased towards the Church, thanks in large part to his dependence on El Concilio de Razon, the Council of Reason. It's the King's personal council of Church advisors.

Next time: Montaigne invades.

Tomorrow, a foreign sun would rise over Barcino.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

I'd love to see the revision, it'd mean not ever needing to make one of my own! And I'd need one because I fucking love fencing and sorcery and want any players to want, you know, to take them.

7th Sea: Tomorrow, a foreign sun would rise over Barcino.

In 1664, King Léon of Montaigne openly declares his sorcery. Two years later, the Inquisition gets an army mostly made of Castillians and tries to arrest him. Yadda yadda. Cue Montegue's Stand, and the Montaigne invasion. The Castillians were totally unprepared, and betrayal didn't help: remember the story about Barcino? Don Marco Ontiveros del Ochoa betrayed Castille and let the Montaigne into Barcino with only token defenders. With Barcino seized, Montegue could use it for supplies and made a huge assault through Rancho Torres and most of Rancho Zepeda, seizing towns, ports and cities with ease. Rancho Torres lost everything, and the Castillian forces were constantly overrun. The Castillian general, Jose Rioja del Montoya, was cut off from the capital and fell back to Rancho Zepeda.

Montegue turned east towards Rancho Aldana, once he'd cut Castille's forces off. El Rio de Delia was home to the finest defensive positions in the world, and Montegue wanted to take them before reinforcements came, so he left General Francois du Toille to handle Rancho Zepeda. Du Toille advanced on San Juan, a town between Ranchos Torres and Zepeda. General Montoya ordered a civilian retreat - but the people of San Juan would not leave. They wanted to defend their homes, so Montoya left what supplies he could before pulling back to La Reina del Mar. The people of San Juan built a sturdy defensive line, and they survived six days of fierce fighting on determination and high morale - indeed, the Battle of San Juan seemed to have no advantage for either side, which infuriated du Toille. These were peasant militia!

Du Toille ordered a full withdrawal, but before the celebrations could begin, he continued his plan: two days straight of artillery bombardment. When the smoke cleared, half the city was gun and thousands were dead or crippled. Du Toille easily took San Juan, gathered the survivors...and put them to the torch. As you might imagine, Castille was not happy. Meanwhile, Montaigne's amphibious forces had sat idle through the war until the attack on Castille's western seaport, La Reina del Mar. Du Toille wanted to take it by land, given its formidable sea defenses, but that plan was delayed by San Juan. The Montaigne navy put in a blockade, but the army was still behind schedule - so Don Montoya ordered another evacuation, and this time almost everyone left. Only a few regiments were left behind, ordered to hold the city as long as possible and withdraaw. La Reina fell with minimal casualties.

Meanwhile, Montegue was moving east. The Casitllians had put up a massive set of fortifications between El Morro and La Selva de Fendes. The Vaticine engineers overseeing the project believed it was unbreachable - but they hadn't count on Montegue. He used Porté mages as advance scouts and crossed the river through the Forest of Fiends, long believed impassable. Thanks to Porté and his own genius, Montegue managed it. He launched a devastating set of assaults, and withing a few months he'd destroyed all fortifications north of El Morro. Each allowed him more troops, massing for the final blow. The Castillians prepared for one final, massive counterattack in a desperate gamble to turn the tide. And then a miracle happened.

Montegue was inexplicably recalled to Charouse and reassigned to Ussura. A hundred thousand men retreated. Montegue's underlings were confident they could handle it - too confident. They pland to attack El Morro, the one target Montegue had refused to engage. They immediately launched an ill-advised attack on the fortress. At which poin the Castillian counterattack hit. Tens of thousands of Montaignes died trying to breach El Morro, and the survivors could not handle the Castillian counteroffensive. Within seven days, the Montaigne had been driven back across El Rio de Delia, recapturing what had taken Montegue months to seize. The Montaignes managed to hold the Castillians at the river, but they could not get back across.

Meanwhile, in the south, General du Toille kept advancing. Many Castillians had criticized Don Montoya for his continued retreats, but they didn't realize he'd preserved 90% of the army and given his engineers time to build a defnesive position that could do for a final stand: La Muralla al Ultimo, the Last Wall. As news of Montegue's withdrawal spread, hope begin to rise in the Castillian south. In 1667, Montoya's patience proved wise. The Castillian army slipped through the darkness to La Muralla - and two weeks later, the Montaigne assaulted what they thought would be an empty battlefield. To their dismay, a wall lasting as far as the eye could see awaited them. Du Toille arrogantly threw man after man at the wall, assuming the Castillians unable to defend its whole length. Thousands of his best troops were killed under the defenders' coordinated fire, and it soon became clear that the wall ran the entire peninsula with no weakness. The advance was stopped.

Since the autumn of 1667, the war has become a stalemate. La Muralla has been intensely frustrating, with the city of San Augustin just north of it still holding out against invaders. In the east, El Rio de Delia is a bristling line of guns, the lakeside castles and villas turned into fortresses. The Montaigne don't want to lose any ground and have been fortifying the west bank of the river. River traffic has become very, very dangerous. The Castillians are slowly realizing that while the Montaignes are still huge, their command is fractured, and they hold out hope that they can turn the war around. Today, in 1668, Castille's pride and passion remains strong. Bloody battles occur daily, and many wonder how it has come to this - but they are Castille. They know who they are, what they fight for, and that is all the difference in the world.

Castille is run largely by families, but while outsiders see only eight, Castillians see dozens of smaller bloodlines of extreme complexity - under each Great Don, there are many Lesser Dons, each with his own name and holdings, though many are now homeless and poor due to the occupation. Their system is a complex one that gives even peasants rights and judgments in property and law. There are, however, only eight major families. First are the Aldanas, formed when a young peasant alcalde , sheriff, named "Aldana" came to the Third Prophet's attention for his boundless devotion. He became one of the Prophet's advisors, and the Church even offered him the seat of Hierophant. He turned down the offer, saying he wanted no reward for his service - only to return to his home. His humility shocked even the Prophet, and his homeland was declared Rancho Aldana, with Aldana as alcade and Don. The Third Prophet declared the new Vaticine City would be built in Aldana, and the Aldanas were to be representatives of the people, speaking on behalf of the common folk in court. They've always done so. Their current leader is Don Francisco Guzman del Aldana, occasionally stubborn but largely just, fair and forgiving. He is on his second wife, Doña Cherie du Montaigne del Aldana, eldest daughter of the Empereur, but she loves her new home and its people despite the war. His nephew, Andres Bejarano del Aldana is one of King Sandoval's advisors and a master swordsman, who once saved Sandoval's life alongside El Vago. Noble heroes whose father is Aldana get a discount to the Aldana school of fencing, but can never, ever take the Criminal skill, ever. Nobles whose mother is Aldana get the Courtier skill free, but have their TNs increased by 5 when using Repartee actions against the Gallegos family. That seems like a good trade to me!

Speaking of the Gallegos...the Gallegos have been scorned since founding because of foreign influences in their blood, both Crescent and Vodacce. They lost the chance to redeem themselves, as well, when Cristobal Gallegos vanished. Since then, they've mostly just managed the coastal ports. They are friendly, once the initial stigma wears off, and have healthy appreciation for life, renowned for their daring and adventurousness. Outsiders look on the Gallegos and their commoners as savages and witches, and certainly the few surviving practitioners of El Fuego Adentro hide in their province. However, they are simply more in touch with their mystic side. Nobles with a Gallegos father get a discount to the Gallegos fencing school, but may never purchase the Streetwise skill, ever. Nobles with a Gallegos mother get a free Raise on Sorcerous knacks, but have -2 Reputation dice in Castille.

The Ochoas, until recently, were one of the most respected families in Castille. Today, they are reviled, unwelcome everywhere. It began when Don Marco Ontiveros del Ochoa, son of the family patriarch, arranged for the Montaignes to meet almost no resistance in taking Barcino, allowing the invasion to begin without trouble. None know why he betraed Castille, and rumors are raging - blood debts, money, coercion, insanity. Either way, though, the Ochoa are anathema in Castille, the survivors hiding, joining Montaigne or fighting guerrilla wars in the occupied lands. Rumors spread that Don Efron, the patriarch, was murdered somewhere in San Cristobal. Heroes from the Ochoa family may never buy the Noble advantage, ever.

The Orduño family, officially part of the lesser nobles, are nonetheless famous as shipwrights. They occupy the southeastern corner of Rancho Aldana, and they have been instrumental in thwarting the Montaignes. Orduños hold the posts of Admiral General, Headmaster of the College of Naval Engineering, Master of Naval Shipyards, Master of Royal Artillery Academy, Harbor Master of the naval base at Tarago and Admiral of the Armada. In fact, more warships have an Orduño aboard than do not. Recently, though, their fortunes have begun to fail, starting with Hernando Orduño's disaster against Avalon. They lost command of the navy to Prince Javier, and they hope to turn their performance in the war into a way to regain their former stature. The current patriarch is Admiral General Don Julio Rivera del Orduño, commander of all Castillian warship operations. He's brilliant, but also arrogant and aloof, especially with those who know nothing of sailing. His brother, Admiral Enrique Rivera del Orduño, is commander of the Armada, and...book, why are you listing all these names with positions? Anyway. Nobles with Orduño fathers get the Sailor skill free but can never have the Hunter skill. Nobles with an Orduño mother get a discount to the Commission advantage, but receive 50G less in income each month.

The Sandovals, of course, are the royal line, centered in San Cristobal. Anyone can roam their rancho along La Boca de Cielo, but military presence has increased since the war started. The Sandovals also have private ranchos in Vaticine City and the island port of Altamira, for the winter. The return of the White Plague has been terrifying for them, and Javier's disappearance has made it so there is no heir - after all, Good King Sandoval is so young! The family is now just home, a numver of cousins, "adopted" Dons - old heroes, duelists and statesmen, mostly - and relatives by marriage. The rancho halls are silent now, with Salvador and his elder son both gone. Nobles of the Sandoval family get twice the normal income and get the Castillian Education advantage free. GMs are warned to be careful with these guys for balance purposes.

The Soldano family are famous for swords and wine. Soldano blades are prized across the continent, second only to dracheneisen in strength and durability. The secret of their creation is guarded closely. The wines produced by the Soldanos are also the most exotic outside the Crescents and Vodacce. Like their wines, Soldanos are fiery and passionate, mixing Vodacce, Eisen and Crescent heritage, mostly from a mass migration during the First Crusades or marriage between soldiers in the Second Crusades. Nobles with a Soldano father get a discount to the Soldano fencing school, but can never purchase the Servant skill. Nobles with a Soldano mother get a Free Raise with the Repartee system, but 100G less income per month.

The Torres family were once the wealthiest short of the Soldanos, but they suffered greatly in the war, losing their entire province, and are now refugees. Historically, they have been export traders, but now, well...not so much. Their matriarch is the grieving Doña Elodia Avila del Torres, whose husband Fernando and three sons died defending their home. Elodia now spends her time as King Sandoval's personal guest, aiding her nephew, Andres Bejarano del Aldana. Some say she's mad with grief, and Andres is handling her family affairs in her stead. Her only living child is Elvia Avila Torres del Guzman, who is waging a guerrilla war alongside her husband, Javier Gallegos del Guzman, though their adherence to Torres fencing has caused them some trouble. Nobles with a Torres father get a discount to Torres fencing, but may never learn the Dirty Fighting skill. Nobles with a Torres mother get a free 3-point Dispossessed background and 100G extra starting cash, but they must purchase a Hubris and get only 6 points for it.

And of course, there is the other refugee family, the Zepedas. They've done a bit better than the Torres, having rallied their army and made their stand at La Muralla al Ultimo. Before the war, they twoo were prosperous traders. Now, they are symbols of Castillian determination to resist. They have become fully dedicated to the war, led by General Don Ciro Lopez del Sepeda, who got shoved into the role when his parents were captured and executed by the Montaigne. He hates the Montaigne for their deaths, and he has been fueling General Montoya's campaign of ambushes on the enemy flanks. Montoya' sson, Jorge Vasquez del Zepeda, commands an artillery battery on La Muralla. The Zepeda are classicaly very pious and isolationist, but cooperation between them and the rest of Castille is being forced on them. Heroes with a Zepeda father get a discount to Zepeda fencing, but may never buy the Performer skill. Nobles with a Zepeda mother get the Priest skill free, and get 12 points for the Overzealous Hubris, but they may never take a Virtue.

There are also a number of lesser families. They are: the Acedos (fishermen and merchants), the Arciniegas (scientists originally from Vodacce), the Avilas (administrators and alcalde), the Bejaranos (farmers), the Garcias (ore merchants), the Grijalvas (living in exile over a heretic in their family, now living as forest guides), the Guzmans (boatmen), the Lopez (guerrillas cut off from the rest of Castille), the Montoyas (soldiers), the Nuñez (artists and farmers captured by Montaigne), the Ontiveros (politicians), the Ramirez (soldiers and devout Vaticines), the Riojas (old blood smugglers and pirates), the Rios (wealthy), the Riveras (border guard)m the Rodriguez (mostly killed by Montaigne), the Vasquez (miners and lumberjacks), the Valesquez (crafters conquered by Montaigne) and the Yañez (horse breeders and traders).

Naming's pretty simple. You have your titles, your given name, your mother's family name, the word 'de', your father's family name, the word 'del' and your native country, which is usually omitted. So you have, say, Don Pablo Aldana de Lopez del Castillo - Pablo's a don, his mother's an Aldana, his father's a Lopez and he's from Castille. Married women and non-nobles are slightly different. Married women use Title, Given name, Mother's family, Father's family, de, Husband's father's family, del, Country. So Doña Celina Bejarano Aldana de Ontiveros del Castillo - Celina's a doña, her mother's a Bejarano, her father's an Aldana, her husband's an Ontiveros and she's from Castille. Non-nobles just use Given name, father's family, de, native region, del, country. So Juan Garcia de Vasquez del Castillo - Juan's father is a Garcia, he's from Rancho Vasquez and he's from Castille. Children also introduce themselves with their parent's names - so you give your name, then 'el hijo de' or 'la hija de' your parent's name. In youth, children usually have -ito or -ita attached to their names as an affectionate nickname - so Miguel becomes Miguelito, and Rosa becomes Rosita.

Next time: The Five Ranchos!

Tell the men to be ready - and tell them that the butcher of San Juan commands the enemy.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: Tell the men to be ready - and tell them that the butcher of San Juan commands the enemy.

Okay. Rancho Aldana. Rancho Aldana is the heart of Castille, and it's got...well, a lot of important cities. Vaticine City, the trading centers Tarago and La Pasiega, the fortress El Morro. All kinds of stuff. El Morro, the Black One, is the strongest defensive position in the world. It is on top of a rocky knoll, covered in cannons, and is made of four stories of black granite. Two walls are flush with the water, while another is guarded by the Pantano Grande, a huge swamp. Any approach is going to involve crossing a river or a swamp at least part of the way. It's also home to the Royal Artillery Academy, where all of Castille's gunners are schooled, and where cannons are tested. At this point, testing tends to mean 'point them at Montaigne and see if they work.' The cannons and their crews are the secret to its defenses - they use pivoting gun carriages, allowing each gun 45 degrees of turning - or 90, at the corners. This lets crews fire continuously at ships that sail by, and no ship yet has ever been strong or fast enough to outrun the guns of El Morro. Its crews are commanded by General Bardo Rivera del Rios, headmaster of the Royal Artillery Academy, and besides the siege guns, it has 2000 infantrymen with muskets, who fire from murder holes and gun slits. It also has a hospital, blacksmith and repair foundry, along with food and living space for the entire garrison. El Morro is fucking tough.

The port of La Pasiega is also in Aldana, one of the most important ports in the nation. It's home to the College of Naval Engineering and the Naval Shipyards, making it the birthplace of the Castillian Armada and merchant fleets. It's got excellent drydock facilities, and with the war it has grown massively in size. They need all those people to maintain production, but it's started to get really cramped and tense. There is no rest in La Pasiega - work starts at sunrise, ends at sunset and never stops between. The constables are overworked, between raucous borachos (read: drunks), Montaigne saboteurs and more. El Vago has even been seen in the area assisting the alcalde, and rumor has it that he lives in La Pasiega.

Then there is La Selva de Fendes, the Forest of Fiends. It is home to much superstitious fear, more than anyone except perhaps La Sierra de Hierro. Everyone's got their own ideas about the place, ranging from demons to hidden cults. The Explorers are interested in the place, looking to see what might be there - demons? Monsters? Ruins? The monster-hunters are headed up by a cartographer named Sienna de Guzman del Torres, who spent her early career hunting zombies in the sewers of Charouse. She believes the forest is haunted by monsters of Eisen myth. Her camp's been running into a lot of trouble - landmarks they use move, food vanishes, tracking markers go missing...and so have some members of their party. Eventually, the guides discovered that someone or something was tracking them in the forest...but still, Sienna and her men have gone in three times and never found actial proof. The second group is a team of scholars who feel the legends are an elaborate hoax. They are led by an Eisen Objectionist, Gregor Wische, hwo believes that the danger of the forest is a gang of criminals escaped from a Sieger prison who fled to the forest. Most people avoid the forest.

Let's see - ah yes. The capital, San Cristobal, is also in the Aldana lands. It is famous for architecture - both sewage systems and complex aqueducts. It's a beautiful, highly defensible city full of beautiful mosques and cathedrals. Once, the Vaticines wanted to tear down these structures, designed by Crescents, but the military objected - the cathedrals and mosques are full of great defensive positions, and they managed to keep them intact. Today, new buildings form an outer ring from the original city, where most people live. The most impressive structure, though, is the Turbe Malik, the Crypt of Kings, where the greatest weapons and works of art of the Crescents are displayed beside the tombs of their most honored dead. At one point it was a monastery and royal household, but it was closed to protect its contents from theft and vandalism during the First Crusades. Today, it's a major tourist attraction. San Cristobal is also home to the University of San Cristobal, one of the oldest and foremost of the world's schools. The Inquisition's been unable to close it down, though they've abducted a professor or two, and it's a haven for displaced students and teachers. Hundreds have flocked there from occupied regions, straining it to the limit, but it sitll manages to make great advances.

And...no, we can skip Tarago, that's uninteresting. The Vaticine City is the official capital of Castille, despite San Cristobal's being the trade center and military headquarters. It's also the religious center of the world, the seat of Vaticine power. It also hosts the Palace of Wolves, a set of labyrinths in which most of Castille's politics take place. Things are dire in the Palace - Torres and much of Zepeda have been lost, and the roving, homeless Dons want recompense and revenge. Until the war, things went pretty well, and the Dons managed most of it - but now, with so much land suddenly gone, it's harder and harder to meet everyone's needs. The Vaticine City also holds the famous La Ciencia university, more on which later.

Now, Rancho Gallegos! It's a very important place, though most Castillians avoid it: it's home to the mines and ports that fuel the war. The Gallegos get few resources to support themselves - the fishermen build their own ships and train their own crews, and the fish are relied on to feed the whole province. This is because Gallegos is rather hard to get to, thanks to the mountains of La Sierra de Hierro, and the superstition surrounding it. Most believe the Gallegos secretly trade with the Crescents, and it's where the last remnants of El Fuego Adentro went! Still, it's a productive and pretty land, with wild, uncharted mountains full of strange beasts. The people are sturdy and aloof, and they still refer to themselves as Acragans. Though part of Castille, they're generally left to their own devices and don't like outsiders much.

Gallegos is home to the city Avila, in the Peninsula of Oranges. They're famous for fruit. So much fruit. Orange trees, especially. They also produce wine. More important is La Sierra de Hierro, the Saw of Iron. The mountain range stretches from the Peninsula of Oranges across much of Gallegos. It is huge, stark and beautiful - and very unexplored. There are rumors of rogues and outcasts in the mountains, Los Nublados ("Those of the CloudS"). Some say they are the last sorcerers, carving out a mountain kingdom, while others say they are ghosts of those who refused the Second Prophet. Still, these spectral renegades are a major legend of the Sierra de Hierro. In the 1500s, Don Louis Trejo went looking for them, but came back empty-handed. He was sent to an asylum soon after, claiming nightmares of "men bathed in blue fire shot through with the shadow of death." None of his men would speak of his rambling, and all retired or died within the next decade. No one has dared to go find Los Nublados again.

Let's see...skipping Malaca...Puerto de Sur is a Numan-built port that makes its money as a vacation spot for the rich, but other than that not super interesting. Roja's a fishing port...yadda yadda...oh hey! San Eliseo. It's a huge city, a major mercantile port that is home to the Castillo de Santa Marillo, a nigh-impregnable fortress. Once, it was besieged by Crescent invaders, who captured the commander's son, Hecter de Basquez, and threatened to slit his throat unless the garrison surrendered. The father threw his own knife down, saying it'd be better to lose a son with honor than a castle with disgrace. The son died, but Castillo de Santa Marillo remained uncracked. San Eliseo is also the mining headquarters of Gallegos, growing richer by the day. A few miners have disappeared, and rmor has it that Miguel de Trujillo, the mining head, is looking for people to look into that. Let's see...oh, and there's San Felipe, a town that is home to the Dragos tree - an immense tree which can grow 70 feet tall and 25 feet wide, with some trees perhaps 2000 years old. Montaigne sorcerers believe the tree's sap is magical. And more fruits and vegetables come from San Gustavo, the capital which is surprisingly uninteresting.

Rancho Soldano lies between the peaks of La Sierra de Hierro and La Selva de Fendes. It's almost completely rural - it's got only one city: Altamira. There's some garrisons, but no other cities. Just villages and towns. This is omething of a preference, actually - the Soldanos have always been first to be taken by outsiders, so little has been done to give it much to lose. The primary center of activity is in the foothills of the mountains, at the passes, and the city of Altamira. Altamira is a riverport city far from the war and the trouble - it is perhaps the most peaceful city in Castille, reminescent of a lost age of youth and innocence. It is a mercantile hub for the entire world, and home to the famous de Cordoba moneylenders, who own many interests in the city, including the bullfight arena of La Vengaza. There is also Paseo Largo, the "Long Walk" of shops and flea markets. Unlike the paranoia of Vodacce or arrogance of Vendel, Paseo Largo is a cheerful, happy Castillian trade center. Prices are fair, quality is high and above all is service . Browsing is encouraged, and people often come visit the plaza during siesta, when fireworks, free lunches and children's games are all provided. Indeed, many store owners even hand out gifts to customers during siesta. It is also home to a major branch of the Swordsman's Guild, a popular and courteous branch called the Guild of San Marcos. There's also La Universidad de Arciniega, a well-stocked university and home to a great cathedral. The Altamirans also believe that Altamira is Centro del Mundo , the center of the world - it's home to everyone, even those elsewhere. Each family has a private ranch in Altamira, including the Sandovals, and it is a beloved tourist destination.

Altamira's pretty cool is what I'm trying to tell you. You should base your heroes there.

Rancho Torres is the farmland of Castille...or, well, it was. Most of the farmers were killed during the invasion, while the rest are n the army or fled to the east. Until the Montaigne can find laborers to work them, the rich fields go unharvested, severely limiting their advance. The trade centers are shadows of their former selves, and Montaigne colonists have found violent guerrilla resistance awaiting them in the Torres farmlands. The Torres are deeply Vaticine, and they know Theus supports their cause. The port of Barcino is now the primary Montaigne staging area, in Rancho Ochoa (a subprovince of Torres). Heavy tolls are levied on all but Montaigne trade, and most Barcino citizens have fled to join the resistance. So far, they've destroyed only one ship and razed some depots, but they've proved impossible to crush for Montaigne's puppet government. The city has not forgotten Don Ochoa's treachery, and many have vowed to die if it'll protect Barcino and Torres from the Montaigne's depredations.

Rancho Zepeda, like Torres, was once lush farmland. Now, it's a wasteland of battlefields, with La Muralla al Ultimo standing as the only barriers to Montaigne conquering the entire western peninsula. Most of Zepeda's population are soldiers now, serving at the wall, or fled to the east. The farmland is being worked only by colonists or imported labor from Montaigne. The Wall is a complex network of wood and soil, with trenchwork on the Castille side to allow infantry to shower Montaigne forces with bullets while maximizing cover. Both sides are clean of all natural resources to support combat. Both sides have the time and space to rebuild between assaults, and as yet the Last Wall has never been penetrated. The Montaigne thought they could starve the defends out, but the Castillian Navy's smugglers mobilized too quickly and keeps the troops supplied despite the fierce blockades.

The once proud city of La Reina del Mar now lies empty of all but the Montaigne. Controlling this base was key to the Montaigne war effort, and it's the site of one of the few successful amphibious assaults in history. La Reina was seized and held even after the Castillian Armada arrived to free it, and the elaborate port is now held by Montaigne, supplying all their forces in the south. It's a key port for them. The city of San Augustin goes uncaptured, though. Before the war, it was simply a way station with a small university - but now, it is the anchor of the Last Wall, improved so as not to fall like La Reina did. The few ships that still defend it try to break the blockade daily, and this keeps the city from being overrun. San Augustin is growin in war, filled with troops, supply depots and repair facilities that rival all but the Armada's traditional home in Tarago. Housing is becoming a problem, though - Montaigne artillery has destroyed many buildings in the northern half of the city. Should the place be overrun, General Montoya has prepared a fallback position in the south to preserve La Muralla al Ultimo. We know what happened to San Juan, but there is a note now - the Montaigne soldiers based there now are convinced the place is haunted. Disappearances are attributed to desertion, but many believe the ghosts have come to claim revenge. San Juan is being used less and less as the war continues. And...yeah, San Teodoro isn't interesting so that's it.


That bull is just pissed off, dude, it's not even bleeding.

Castille is a passionate and artistic culture, though the Inquisition has taken to policing its artists and writers who produce "heretical" works and "dissident" statements. Their architecture blends Crescent, Eisen and Montaigne as well as their own unique and rugged flair, and dancing is a cultural touchstone. Many believe (falsely) that the Castillians invented dancing - they didn't, the Montaigne started ballroom dances and Vodacce invented theatrical dances. But Castille? Castille's commoners took to their own dances, which have slowly been sporeading to the nobles over the past 300 years. Today, dancing is a widely respected art, devoted to showing off emotion and passion in mesmerizing, immersive manners. The two main types of dancing are danza , very regimented dancing with formal training needed, which is primarily the domain of bailarinas , theatrical career dancers who train for years. The other is Baile , more of a folk dance that originated in Rancho Gallegos, which is very instinctual and rugged. It's even seen as licentious among some of the nobles, for it is passionate, fast and prone to pulling onlookers into the dance. Bailadora , the common dancers, are competitive and can be found in dancing "tournaments" across Castille in homes and shops. They often dance in the street to entertain others. Danza is for nobles, and has been adopted by the Vaticine, who run academies for it, and over the past fifty years, chorales (theatres for danza) have become fashionable.

Baile is much more a commoner's style, and extremely flashy. It comes in many styles - the flashy Soldanos' Canario, the informal Flamenco of Gallegos, which even the nobles love, the wild Folia, associated with drunkenness, the Montaigne-influenced Sarabande, which has constant movement, the clapping and stamping of the peasant Villano, and the forbidden Zarabanda, which the Vaticine has outlawed for more than a century because they feel it's obscene. It doesn't stop anyone from performing it. Castille also produces literature, in the form of historic poetic texts and social satire focused on low views, justice and retribution. It's perhaps a bit out of touch with the minds of most Castillians, but some say it's just ahead of its time. More than any art but dance, though, painting is hugely Castillian. Paintings have caused duels, treaties, even wars. Paintings have reinforced faith and sent governments into chaos. Castillian paintings tend to focus on religious themes, though that has led to a certain amount of a stagnation, and cross-pollination with Vodacce styles is common.

Castille also has a number of unique festivals and celebrations - of course, there are many, many regional celebrations, but these are all over Castille. Every day is a holiday somewhere in the nation, but these are holidays everywhere. In Spring, there is El Festival de Llamas, the Festival of Flames. Its origins have been lost, though some Gallegos believe it is connected to Los Nublados. It is highlighted by the burning of niñots , giant paper-maché figures that are often bawdy or depict some unpopular event in a satirical light. Currently, that usually means lampooning the Montaigne forces, though some have targeted Ésteban Verdugo and the Inquisition. These tend to vanish quickly. The days before the Festival are full of parades and dances, and four nights after the niñots appear, they are all filled with fireworks and set ablaze.

I love Castille.

Next time: More yearly festivals!

Montegue isn't here to help you any more. Your war stops here.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: Montegue isn't here to help you any more. Your war stops here.

In summer, there is a festival dedicated Don Juan Kerenyi de Torres del Ussura, Patron Saint of Drunks. Los Borrachos, the Drunks, takes on a special meaning in San Juan, which was named for the saint. The festival begins on at midnight, Julius 6, with a fireworks display, dancing and drinking until dawn. It continues for a whole week, with parades, dancing, music and lots and lots of alcohol. In Fall, there is El Banquete de Todas las Almas, the Feast of All Souls. It is a Vaticine holiday held on the first of Nonus, to honor Theus and all saints, known and unknown. It is also a makeup day if you missed any saints' feast days. It's the most somber holiday, with candles, visiting graves and a special mass. In winter, there are two festivals! The first is the Prophets' Birthdays, La Noche Divinos, the Divine Night. This holiday, which is on the winter solstice, is celebrated differently in towns no more than a few miles apart, but all festivities revolve around the midnight mass, where the faithful contemplate the teachings of the Prophets. It is a time of forgiveness, reconciliation and inner meditation. Some more unusual traditions include reenacting the stort of El Olentzaro, when a charcoal burner is brought down from the mountains to learn the good news of the Prophets, and the villagers play the game caga tió, where a tree trunk is filled with gifts and food and then hit with sticks until it all falls out. The second winter festival is El Año Nuevo, the new year. The days between La Noche Divinos and El Año Nuevo are filled with smalelr festivals, ending with bonfires and more fireworks. In honor of all these events, the High King gives out favors and gifts, and commonly any prisoner held for more than ten years is released - or five, if the king is feeling generous. Of course, this is a modern notion, and it never applied to La Bucca prisoners, which has infuriated many pirates, who tend to pillage the ports during the first hours of each new year.

The people of Rancho Gallegos play a dangerous sport they call pelota vasca, where two players meet in a three-walled arena with long hardwood scoops on their hands, the cesta. A server throws the pelota (a ball) at the other player with his scoop, and it may be rebounded off walls but must be caught in the cesta or the server gets a point. Then the catcher becomes the server, and this continues until one player gets a set number of points. The pelota is a very, very fast ball, and it's been known to kill players who don't catch it. Other areas just play corrida , the bullfight. It began in Tarago, in 1133, as an honor to the coronation of King Guadalupe IX. Since its inception, it has been a chance of men to show their courage. It is taken very, very seriously, and with only one exception, no deviations in how it is done are allowed. First, the paseillo happens, and all the bullfighters parade on horseback escorted by their alguacilillos (servants). Ater that, the bullfighters go beneath the nobles' balcony and salute by taking off their wide-brimmed montera hats. This is called the brindis. Then, each takes their place. In the first third, or tercio, a bull is brought out to see the fighter currently up. Picadors ride in on horseback and enrage it with blunt lances, then retreat. The bullfighter studies his foe through its reaction to the capote, the red cape. Sometimes, bullfighters will face just a single bull, but usually that's only for training the novillero, the junior fighters. Generally, it's more than one man to a bull, and almost never more than one bull to a man. The sound of clarinets announces the second third, the tercio de varas, when the fighters receive their picks and lances. These are never sharpened - bullfighting is a humane sport, save by the Order of Muleta. We'll get to them. The picks and lances are to draw out the bull's strength and tire it, while avoiding its horns and hooves. By the end of the tercio, each bullfighter is judged by a panel of his peers - masters of the art - and one is chosen as Valiente, the Fearless, a title he carries until dethroned in a given region or competition. Generally the winner also gets some gifts, sometimes even titles, land or boats. Bullfighting is a sport of precision, and one false move, especially in the Second Third, can maim or kill the matador.

The tercio final, the Final Third, is no longer accepted in Castille, for the death of the bull has been outlawed for almost a century. There is a small movement, largely in Rancho Gallegos, that ignores this. In the Final Third, the matador is given the muleta, the ritual rapier, and left alone with the bull, in a duel called the faena. After several passes, the matador goes for the estoque, the final touch to the death. The matador is judged not only by whether he kills the beast (if he doesn't, he's dead), but also by length of time to reach estoque and by cleanliness of the kill. Muleta, as members of the order are killed, who fail to kill cleanly and quickly are chastised - though never expelled, for that would risk discovery, Champions are applauded and given the ears and tail of their kills, along with training in a secret, exclusive fighting style meant to kill in a single strike. Muletas may dedicate a death to someone in the audience, or even the whole assembly. If one person is observed, they keep the muleta's montera through the faena, and if it's the entire audience, the montera is thrown into the ring, or over the muleta's shoulder for luck - but if it lands upside down, that's a bad omen.

Castillians also really like duels. Challenges are always public, though actual fighting is generally done in private to avoid legal problems and the Swordsman's Guild. Duels are either first blood or to the death, but neither is taken lightly. Families can quarrel for generations over a duel if the terms are not set in stone. Castillians are obsessed with respect and graciousness, united by a fervent nationalism. They nevet turn away travelers or allow beggars to go hungry - a tradition leading back to the Crescents, who believed any wayfarer might be an angel in disguise. This doesn't hold true with foreigners, though - Castillians are polite, but rarely anywhere near as warm as they are with each other. When an outsider proves worthy of true loyalty, however, they never forget that and treat them as family forever.

The government has two heads: the High King, who controls all rules of nobility, laws, finances and the military, and the Hierophant, who advisoes on religious, moral and humane affairs. Currently there is no Hierophant, and Sandoval's advisors are circumventing him. Fortunately, the government can handle that, for those below are trained to take over when those above are neutralized or ruled incapable. El Concilio de Razon have turned King Sandoval into practically a figurehead, sequestering him in the Vaticine City. The only reason this works is because of unanimity - anyone in the government can be countered by those directly beneath him provided they are unanimous. Technically, the tax collectors (recoucadores) and sheriffs (alcalde) are on the same level as the Council, but they are merely servants of the crown and have no real power. They have, however, kept Sandoval with at least some power, as they obey him and not the church. Below the Council are the landed Dons and Vaticine Bishops, who have direct control of resources - land and people, respectively. They can make any decision to protect or administer said resources. Below them are the gubenadores, the diplomats. Their role as governors belongs to the Dons, and they have become the legislature, creating and applying law. They also handle the courts. Below them are relatively powerless tiers: the Monsignors, Church officials who represent parishes, the High Priests, who are the ordained clergy, the non-ordained clergy, and after them, the caballeros , who are the non-landed Dons. They have no rights other than to request food and shelter from landed nobles. The noble courts are informal, like a large family gathering, and generally are treated like parties. It's usually held during the afternoon siesta, and guests exchange small gifts. Large gifts are an insult, as they make the countergift look cheap. The art of gift-giving is central to Castillian diplomacy.

Laws are enforced by the alcalde and sometimes the recoucadores. There are four legal courts, each with their own jurisdiction, which they jealously guard. The secular courts handle crimes against the kingdom and people, like theft, murder or treason, and they are local affairs. The religious courts deal with crimes against Theus or the Church - the Church would love to handle secular crimes, but that would greatly cost it favor. The Inquisition mostly uses these try for heresy. The Guild courts have existed for only a little over 200 years, and deal with crimes betwene guild members. And the military courts are private affairs meant to handle crimes within the military. Neither Church nor crown ever meddles with the military's affairs - the pride of soldiers is dangerous.

Castille tends to be critical of Avalon culture, wondering why anyone would want to live in a place where nothing might be real. They also feel the place is ugly, and three of their last five ambassadors to Avalon were blind. The hate and fear Glamour. The Castillians have never truly liked Montaigne, feeling Porté is sinful and evil; some have even called for Crusade, but with no Hierophant that's very unlikely. Castillians also have a longstanding hostility to Vodacce over differences of opinion about the Church; they also tend to dislike Fate Witches and see them as evil. Every other nation...well, they like to stay uninvolved, and this feeling of laissez faire has made them relatively friendly with Eisen.

Castille has a ton of legends, being very, very superstitious. For example: La Llorona, the Woman who Cries. Several hundred years ago, the story arose of a woman who committed an atrocity on a cold winter night when food was scarce: she drowned her own children to save them from starvation, then killed herself. Her actions would not let her pass on, so now she roams the countryside as a ghost, wailing in grief. This terrifying sound is used as a warning to children, that they should lie fast asleep lest La Llorona take them away. Of course, no one's ever proven a link between any missing person and La Llorona. And then, whispers have spread in San Cristobal about a masked man who saved a peasant from burning at the hands of the Inquisition. The same man was seen near Vaticine City, saving a village from bandits. More and more, the masked man is spoken of as a doer of good deeds and a protector of the people: El Vago ! The Vagabond, soon after Sandoval's coronation, appeared to save him from assassins. They might have succeeded, had El Vago and Don Andrés Aldana not dispatched them with great skill. No one has ever tracked down his origins or found where he vanishes to when his work is done - but so far, he is always in the right place at the right time, whenever he is needed. No one can describe accurately save for his mask, and he has been in many places at once, somehow. All rejoice, though, when they see him - El Vago! He might be a person with superhuman powers, or a spirit in human form - but he is legend now, the embodiment of the resolve to stay free and enjoy life.

Why aren't you playing a Castillian right now?

Anyhoo. The Vaticine gets a section here going over their history. The First Prophet appeared 700 years after the founding of Numa, 50 years after the Bargain. He was 23, and he spoke before the Senate without fear, just a gentle smile. He had traveled much of the world, gathering followers to his side. None knew his origins and he never spoke of them, but many loved his words. He spoke of one god, not many, and the beauty of that god's creation. He spoke salvation through brotherhood with humanity, and of three prophets to follow him. Among his followers were the nine Witnesses, who had given up their lives to follow him, and who wrote down all his words. The Prophet knew of the Bargain and preached against it, but it was not enough. After five years of wandering, he gathered his followers on a hill and told them: he was leaving them, that they might all be saved. They must go apart and wait for one year before resuming their preaching. They obeyed, not understanding, and stepped down from that hill to go their seperate was. Today, that hill is in the mountains La Sierra de Hierro, between Castille and Vodacce. It is called Monte Joyas, the Mount of Jewels, and some believe it will be the staging ground for the coming Fourth Prophet's armies.

The Prophet, now, went into Numa and spoke on the corners, including to a Senate page named Vesta. She was struck by his courage and offered to smuggle him into the Senate. He agreed, and spoke directly to the Senators about the nature of the world and the Seven Deadly Sins, of the dangers of Legion. He angered them, and Senator Castillus demanded to know who he thought he was, to say such things. His answer? "I am no one, but I bear the burden for all." Castillus demanded he demonstrate his god's power. The Prophet fell silent, met the eyes of each seantor, then walked to Castillus and touched his hand gently. The Senator froze, then went into a maddened fit, twitching like a leper. His colleagues backed away in fear, save one: Tobias, who went to Castillus and tried to comfort him, instantly ending the spasms. When asked what this man, Tobias the Meek, had done, the Prophet explained. He had done nothing that anyone should not have done - he just showed courage, respect and an understanding that he and one in peril are the same. He explained that he had not harmed Castillus, but instead given him a gift - a chance to see what waited for him, should he not repent. Castillus grew angry, and cast flame upon the Prophet with his sorcery, and his fellows soon followed.

The Prophet emerged from the fires unharmed, unaffected by any magic. He walked quietly from the chamber, and what transpired after can only be told from historical records. The Senate called for his arrest, and he turned himself in before the warrant could be signed. He was imprisoned, put to trial in absentia, and sentenced to death. Tobias the Meek went to his cell and spoke to him for many hours, learning of the three Prophets to follow. Tobias went forth to find the Witnesses and told them of the Prophet's fate. He was burned to death the next morning. Tobias took the name Mattheus and renounced his senate seat. He left Numa forever to become a wandering preacher, encountering the Witnesses and telling them of the Prophet's fate, and that they should return to preaching. They were saddened, but did as they were asked.

They found that a popular following had grown around the Prophet after he was martyred. He had followers in Numa and beyond. Each witness would spend the rest of his or her life adminstering to these faithful and spreading the Prophet's message. Through their efforts, the Prophet's cult spread, despite the Senate's best efforts. By the time they passed away, the Church of the Prophets had spread across the world, to every town and village. In 203, the Imperator himself announced his belief, and the religion was truly born. In 305, three centuries after the First Prophet, a new man emerged from the mountains between Vodacce and the Crescent Empire. He had blue eyes, unheard of among Crescents, and ten tribesmen came with him. His name was Malak, and he was the Second Prophet.

He arrived at the age of thirty, claiming to be visited by an angel that showed him the Eternal Puzzle, and the plight of those who followed the Church. He told them their Church had become corrupt, and they must go to another place, so they might not be betrayed by their leaders. His message spread more slowly. He preached against drinking, prayed constantly and fasted several times a month. He refused to hunt, forage unless he needed it or even use weapons. He preaches that all should be treated equally, regardless of race, creed or nationality. He said that his followers must follow him in pilgrimage to the Empire of the Crescent Moon. The Imperator ordered the Prophet brought before him to be sure he was true - he thought the man a fraud. His soldiers returned days later, unharmed but bearing no Prophet. They told the Imperator that they could not reach him, for his ten "Witnesses" protected him and shrugged off all sorcerous power. The Imperator called for his armies.

But the angel had told Malak that nothing could harm him if his faith was true. Malak stood without fear, was taken into custody and was silent through his year in prison. The morning of Primus 1, AV 306 was calm and clear - but the guards of the imprisoned Prophet saw something come from the clouds - a blanket of light flowing across the sky and blotting it out. No one knows what happened, but Malak escaped his cell, leaving only a pile of smoldering rubble. He was next seen gathering his Witnesses on Monte Joyas, where he called for all those unhappy with the Church's corruption to follow him. 40000 men and women did. They traveled to Rahajeel, the first outpost of the Crescents, with the Imperator's armies trailing them. The Imperator didn't want to lose his people, after all.

When they arrived, though, they found only the remains of Malak and his followers, who had been killed during High Mass by some Crescent tribes, and then left out to bleed in the sand for the vultures. The armies viewed the scene, and then a sandstorm arose - and when it ended five hours later, the bodies were all gone. Completely traceless. The Imperator was shaken, and ordered retribution - such an atrocity could not go unpunished, even if the Prophet was false. The First Crusades began.

Next time: The rest of Chuch history, science and famous people.

You are scavengers, du Toille, not worthy of my anger.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: You are scavengers, du Toille, not worthy of my anger.


And now, El Vago fights the Inquisition Ninjas!

In the early 4th century, Imperator Corantine came to power and changed the world, seizing control of the Western Empire and establishing stability over much of the continent. He also unified the faiths, reconciling the teachings of both Prophets into the Vaticine Church - the messages differed enough, Corantine said, that a division had grown between them and they had become like cults. He declared that the bickering must end, and gave them a year to conceive a unified credo. In 313, the Reformed Vaticine Church was formed. The Third PRophet arose in AV 1000, claiming that the Final Prophet had visited each Prophet, and that he had been granted knowledge of the path that must be followed to avoid Legion's victory. Few of Vodacce, the center of the Church, were willing to listen - but Castille knew his power, as you know from the history.

The Third Prophet preached that science and the testing of limits was the only way to understand the Eternal Puzzle, revolutionized medicine by favoring herbs over bleeding, and was utterly extreme in his views regarding others. He invented the term 'infidel', and told his followers that those outside the Church were wrong, and needed to be punished. This led to the Second Crusades and the Hieros War. We know about that shit. In 1665, the Hierophant grew ill and died in Montaigne, and shortly after, Cardinal d'Argeneau of Montaigne vanished, quickly followed by his nine archbishops. We know that. The Inquisition has risen to fill the power vacuum left by the Hierophant, replacing the Church's traditional values with an extremist agenda, seizing Church assets and declaring an end to science. They future direction of the Vaticine is now very much in doubt.

Speaking of science - before now, the Church has always believed in science and reason. Before the Third Prophet, though, experimentation was based on changing the experimenter, not his environment. The Church had believed they could purify individuals through psuedo-scientific experiments intended to alter the world. Alchemy's the best example here. The Third Prophet, however, caused the Scientific Revolution, renouncing quackery like bleeding as barbaric and harmful, endorsed learning in all forms and helped found the modern universities. He paved the way for six centuries of scientific progress. It didn't happen overnight, though. It took a while to catch on, and was most popular in Castille, as it appealed to the meticulous locals. It has flourished there ever since. Galeno Rioja, student of Larenzo Alvarez, is still remembered as a forefaather of modern science, charting the movement of Théah and the other planets, as well as their relative distances. Castillians like him have categorized nearly everything. Umberto de Gaya once wrote that Montaigne might have the most beautiful libraries, but Castille had the most complete.

Aqueducts, sewers, road construction techniques and other innovations have all come from Castille, though until recently, they treated more military research as secondary to things of social and intellectual worth. With the war, though, more practical research is encouraged. As of the fall of 1667, more than half the scholars of Castille have been turned to weapons and defense. Powder, pre-packed charges and swiveling turrets are all scholary success stories for the military, and they want new weapons. Rumors say that Eisen has produced something new called phosphorus, and people are very interested in that. The Council of Reason has also been encouraging people to try and figure out how to mass produce Soldano steel, though so far no one has. Castille's top university has traditionally been La Ciencia (formally, La Academia de Ciencia del Profeta y Salvador, or the Academy of Science for the Prophet and Savior). It is here that many scientific breakthroughs have been made, and here that bureaucrats guide research funding in an effort to prevent the Inquisition from drying everthing up. La Ciencia also appears to be a hotbed of Invisible College sympathies, despite being run by priests.

Incidentally, the Church has placed embargoes on quite a number of "sinful" items, named heretical by the Inquisition. It includes the Crescent people, all kinds of Syrneth artifacts under any circumstances, Objectionist propaganda, scholarly works outside the authorized Church research, religious texts unless carried by clergy, anti-Vaticine sentiements, sorcerous items of any kind and more named every day. It's a long and often counter-intuitive list that only the Inquisition knows all of. These items may be restricted, but they can still be found, in full defiance of the Inquisitors.

Now, we get a piece of fiction starring Don Marco Ontiveros de Ochoa, who is trying to force the shame he feels away as he watches Montaigne invade Barcino. He'd been promised the attack would ensure minimal casualties, that all Marco had to do was allow the soldiers to teleport in...but now? Now, all seems lost. General du Toille banters with him, and it's clear that Marcos hates the man and feels intense self-loathing. He attacks du Toille, smashing the man's face with the hilt of his sword before being caught and sent hurtling out a window, where he joins the defense of the town.

We start with Good King Salvador Bejarano de Sandoval. He never wanted to be king - he thought it'd be big borther Javier's job, and Javier was good at it. Salvador could be a courtier, a diplomat or advisor, and he liked that idea. But when his father fell ill and Javier disappeared, Salvador found himself king at thirteen - and his father died weeks later, sealing his fate. Since then, he's had to deal with crisis after crisis - the invasion, the loss of the Hierophant, the Church desperate to assert its aurhoity, courtiers seeking to bend him to their will. He's been hamstrung by his own advisors and had three attempts on his life - that he knows of. There might be more. Well the church refuses to grant him his rightful title and constantly rewrites his edicts, Sandoval is no puppet. He has learned more about himself and his own strength than he ever knew - and while detractors talk about bureaucracy and a church out of control, the Montaigne advance has been halted, the people are fed and the Vaticines cannot abolish his rule. Sandoval's leadership is responsible for all of that. Unfortunately, he's far too busy to appreciate his work. All he sees are his shortcomings, all he hears are his failures. He remains unconfident, even after three years, and that may be his doom. He never wanted this. Sandoval is a handsome, charismatic and intelligent teenager who is extremely well-educated.

Andrés Bejarano del Aldana is a friendly, open-minded man. His father was a judge who believed that the spirit of the law was far more important than the letter, and he taught his son to remember the people beneath him and act with compassion in all things. Andrés learned his lessons well, and his empathy caused him to rise to be Castille's chief diplomat. While he can lie with the best of them, he rarely needs to, and people tend to trust him to do what's right. He was recalled from Montaigne when the war started to serve as Javier's advisor. When Javier vanished, he became Salvador's confidante and senior advisor. There is no one Salvador relies on more, save for Cardinal Verdugo. Verdugo talks of the nation - but Aldana speaks of her people and the need to ease their suffering. The two make a strong balance. Aldana realizes Verdugo is even right sometimes, but he feels the Cardinal is too dangerous to give any ground at all, and so argues vehemently against Verdugo at all times, on principle if nothing else. Aldana regularly heads out to the countryside to speak to the common people and listen to their concerns - it helps him put a human face on large problems, and he enjoys it. While loyal, he feels a condescending pity for a king far too young to be effective and in need of help until he gains experience. He keeps this well-hidden, though, as Salvador needs all the confidence he can get. ...man, is every dude in this book 'handsome'?

Don Javier Rios del Guzman was an important scholar and professor in Vaticine City. (And not the prince. Different Javier.) He was a professor of philosophy and literature, as well as an active attendee and orchestrator of protests, rallies and discussion forums. In 1662, he became involved in an assembly that would forever change his standing. Few witnessed what happened, but it seems he and a few students broke into a library and burned several hundred books in the North Wind of La Ciencia. A few weeks later, he resigned and fled to Avalon, joining the University of Kirkwall. He still taught, though he lacked enthusiasm - such a merry, jocular land was no place for a brooding, introspective philosopher. Still, he eventually began to grow excitied - students were easy to find, and they rekindled his love of education. His prize student was Willem Karls, an Eisen boy paying with family inheritance. The two were inseperable, and Karls even taught some classes while Javier was away. Eventually, Karls moved on, but the two remain in steady contact even today. In 1666, when war broke out, Javier returned to Castille to manage Rancho Aldana for his brother-in-law, Enrique Yanez del Aldana, a captain in the army. Javier soon mastered the work of managing the rancho (that is, the ranch, not the province - he's not in charge of the province), and he has a strong rapport with the local farmers. Today, he's trying to rebuild his reputation, and rumor has it that he maintains a haven for refugees on Rancho Aldana, and that Vodacce smugglers are helping him move contraband. He's a very erudaite man who can out-argue almost anyone. ...huh, guess not.

Cardinal Esteban Verdugo's first epiphany hit him when he was only five years old. His mother took him to church to pray for the soul of his dead father. As he knelt at the altar, an angel descended from the clouds and appeared to him, claiming to be the voice of Theus and telling him he was destined for greatness, things no other was capable of. It give him a glimpse of heaven's glory - and when he came to, his mother told him he'd had a seizure. Only he had seen the vision. It was all right, though - he'd see for his mother. For everyone. When he was old enough, he enrolled to become a priest. He moved up in the ranks on zeal and intellect, and was appointed as part of the Inquisition. He worked tirelessly to eliminate heresy in all its forms. Sure, sometimes that meant gruesome torture or destruction of beatiful art, but he did it all without question or tears. All that mattered were the souls he saved - the agony would buy their salvation. After ten years, he became Grand High Inquisitor. When the Hierophant vanished, he had another vision: the armies of Legion marched across Théah, doing battle with the righteous souls risen from the grave. He watched them fight, burying all of civilization in their battles - and when the carnage reached its worst, a great light came and overwpoered them all. Verdugo woke screaming, but he knew what he had to do. He publically declared that the time of the Fourth Prophet was at hand, and ordered the Inquisition to begin its current campaign of terror. Since then, the Inquisition has become the dominant power of the Church, and Verdugo has kept busy. Some say he wants the Castillian throne, and the disappearance of Javier Sandoval and the refusal to acknowledge Salvador lend credence to this despite his denials. Verdugo has absolute confidence, knowing - knowing - that he has saved more people from Legion's flames than any other person in all of history.

Then, there is El Malvado, the Wicked. The Castillians say that the greatest scoundrel is seen in the mirror, that the easy path is not the right one. If you are not careful, they are told, your sins will infilitrate your spirit, you will become malvado, the wicked. The saying has resonated more since the emergence of the man called El Malvado. He is believed to be Don Lorenzo Zepeda del Acedo, a charismatic soldier of San Juan, famous for his seductions and abandonments. His reputation spread after his enlistment, and he pursued women across the nation. He became called El Malvado by those enraged by what he was doing. When the Montaigne invaded, though, his family was captured by du Toille, and he was among those left behind just before San Juan was put to flame. He saw the smoke rising where his family had been, and he realized that the civilians had been put to the torch. He tried to save them - but neither they nor his men survived. Several weeks later, a message was delivered to du Toille - a scarlet kerchief stitched with a quote of the Prophets: "The deeds of the wicked will return upon them a thousandfold." The general ignored it. Days later, a man went missing, later found burned black. Other soldiers went missing or dead, all of them having been at the massacre of San Juan. Patrols have been doubled, but none have been able ot thwart the assassin. The attacks follow no pattern, save for their focus on the San Juan veterans. Even a few men recalled to Montaigne were killed, flames consuming them in their wagons. The few eyewitness accounts say the attacker resembled El Vago, but du Toille has dismissed these - for all that El Vago is an enemy, he is no killer. Some have wondered if El Malvado had always been El Vago, and if the deaths of his family put him over the edge. DOn Lorenzo was devastatingly handsome. None have seen El Malvado's face, but rumor has it he was horribly burned and now wears a hooded cloak to hide it. No one can verify it, and his victims certainly aren't talking.

Admiral Enrique Orduño was a minor captain during the disastrous naval assault of Avalon. He did very well, but one ship cannot win a battle. He took command of the shattered armada and led them home, reporting his uncle Hernando's death. He asked for the chance to make amends for the failure, but Prince Javier was put in charge instead, and Enrique burned with the humiliation for his family. When Javier vanished, he asked again - and this time, the king reluctantly agreed, despite the protests of those who remember the loss of 1659. Enrique swore to erase the shame. The Montaigne war has made that easier. For two years, he has been repairing the armada, impatient to return to sea. Even meeting his wife, Margaretta, could not dim his passion to prove himself. Not, his plans are ready. The navy has been refurbished and awaits his command. He can't seek retribution on AValon, though - but l'Empereur's navy makes a good target. He plans to make an example of them the world will remmeber, restoring the Orduño name. He is a devout Vaticine, but rarely talks about it, hiding everything behind a mask of calm.

His wife, Margaretta Orduño, has been a musician since before she could read. She then became a dancer, fascinated by the commoners' baile dances. Her father, Roberto Vasquez del Soldano, brought in nomads to teach her the dances. By the time she was 14, she was a master of flamenco and sarabande. When that, at last, bored her, she discovered swordsmanship, becoming the most enthusiastic student her teacher in the Aldana style had ever seen. She has also helped, between these projects, with diplomatic work, first entertaining her father's guests and later serving as his bodyguard. She was fascinated on one trip by Enrique Orduño, and while her father disapproved, he wasn't about to start saying no to his daughter now, and they were wed the day the admiral's ship, Corazón del Castille, launched to sea. Now, she serves as her husband's first mate and bodyguard, using her skills with a sword to make up for her lack as a sailor. The crew respects her, and she never chides them if they do their duty. She continues to train very hard, and she has helped her husband express his hidden emotions, while he's helped her keep her wild side in check. They are very, very deeply in love.

Alvara Arciniega is a rogue swordsman and theorist, one of the foremost pioneers of science. His work in math and natural science have helped forge modern philosophy, and he was one of those who supported construction of Altamira's Arciniega University. As of the summer of 1666, though, he is a wanted man, one of the most sought targets of the Inquisition. His open criticism of the new Church doctrine, particularly their control of science, has ensured him a spot as an enemy of the Church. Shortly after he discovered how to split light into a spectrum of color, three Inquisitors tried to arrest him. A fight ensued, and it was revaled that Alvara was as formidable with a sword as he was with a prism. Over the last two years, his research has continued despite the Inquisitors, and he's been helping others escape their oppression. He's gone underground, always one step ahead and filtering his discoveries through the Invisible College. His most recent invention is the reflecting telescope, proposed only a few months ago. The ramifications of the discovery and the fact that it happened right under the Inquisition's noses have contributed to Cardinal Verdugo's announcement that all forms of experimentation are heretical, punishable by death. Many astronomers are using the telescope to test the edict, arguing that it moved past theory and into practice, and rumors persist that numerous telescopes have already been built - and that two of them have been shut down by the Church, their sponsors jailed or worse. The Inquisition's hunt has been both good and bad for Arciniega. On the one hand, he's one of the world's most wanted criminals. On the other, his celebrity has given him advantages he never had as a reclusive scholar. Nobles across the world secretly fund his work, foreign printing houses publish his theories and the scientific community is more ready than ever to listen to him. His network grows by the day, and he even has contacts among the Vendel and Vodacce merchant leagues ofering him great wealth and access to new resources. He even has some rare, illegal Crescent items.

Next time: More important people! Also sword schools.

The Church has forgiven you, and believes you should not have to bear this burden alone. Find all of Efron's blood, and ensure that they join him in Paradise.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

Getting the styles of another group is fine - you just get a discount on fencing schools from your own nation. Uppmann Coat means being Rilasciare only by default, because that's a secret society thing. Puzzle Sword is Montaigne only by default because they are very, very rare and handed down in families. Though in all cases, 'talk about it with the GM' works wonders - perhaps you're a Rilasciare Inishman whose godfather was a Montaigne noble who gave you the sword.

7th Sea: The Church has forgiven you, and believes you should not have to bear this burden alone. Find all of Efron's blood, and ensure that they join him in Paradise.

We left off with Salvador Garcia, the headmaster of La Ciencia. He spent the first fifty years of his life as a devout priest and teacher, an author and a scientist. He even made it up to Bishop, and still took time out to teach. As the years went by, though, he began to doubt. He saw the Church abuse its authority and the Inquisition destroy lives. When the Hierophant died, the infighting sickened him, and he turned away from the church, using his clout to get himself out of it and appointed Headmaster. He's been a strong support of scientific research and experimentation now, and has been growing increasingly disillusioned with the church and, in fact, organized religion in general. He still believes in Theus, but he has even penned a treatise, A Need For Doubt, which declares that atheism is needed for religion to be truly just. It could get him burned as a heretic, but it could also start a revolution in secular thought. It's not published yet - but soon. Garcia is not afraid of dying for his convictions, after all. His life has been led well and he has few regrets.

Alicia Zeneta de Lazaro is a celebrity, the first prominent matadora. She was raised to be a nobleman's wife, but chafed under the restrictions, always disguising herself and going out to the field with the hired help. Her family was very distressed by all this, continually trying to get her to practice etiquette and social graces. She learned, but it never really took. One day, while she had snuck out to help tend the herds, a huge, enraged bull charged her father and his men, goring her father's horse and knocking him to the ground, unconscious. Alicia got its attention by whipping her jacket in its face, allowing her brothers to pull their father out of harm's way. The bull charged her - and at the last moment, she dodged aside, repeating this again and again until the other workers could get ropes around the beast and bring it down. Word spread quickly, reaching Don Javier Rios de Guzman, and he had a great idea. With her parents' permission, he sponsored and paid for her training and entered her into amateur bullfights. The crowd loved her fiery style and she has spent the past year touring Castille as the nation's first major female matador. She's rather unpopular with more traditional matadors, and she's been publically denounced as a dilution of the art and even been sabotaged in her more recent contests - but she doesn't care. How can mere men overcome what Theus has given her?

Luis Rafael Dominguez de San Angelo was an orphan, living to the age of six on the streets of San Angelo, where his wit caught the attention of the local Don, Alejandro Dominguez, who was without children. He and his wife Floriana took on the young boy as a ward, loving him as their own son, and they adopted him officially a year later. Luis loved his childhood from then on, learning fencing, guitar and horseback riding. He was accepted into La Universidad de San Angelo, studying with intention to join the priesthood. However, one night he was disturbed in his studies by screams - and without any pause, he grabbed his sword and ran out to to conront a gang of rowdy sailors accosting a young woman. He killed three and defeated the rest without trouble, learning that the sailors had stolen the girl's bracelet, a family heirloom. Six hours later, it was hers once more. The young woman was Sybil Morgan, daughter of an Avalon diplomat. She petitioned the Knights of the Rose and Cross to accept Luis, and when they did, he was shocked to learn that his father was a retired Knight as well. Alejandro Dominguez was so proud that his son had needed no help to join the Knights, and passed on the family sword - a masterpiece that had been in the family for generations. Luis loved being a Knight of the Rose and Cross - he was good at it, too. But when Montaigne invaded, everything changed. He and his fellows were ambushed by soldiers on the way to Rancho Dominguez, and after evading them, they found the estate had been gutted, that the Dominguez family had been killed, shot from a distance while the Don tried to defend his wife with a sword. Luis took it as a personal defeat - he failed those who meant most to him. He buried his parents beneath a great tree on the property, burying his sword, pendant and tabard with them. He no longer felt worthy of them. Ever since, he has served as a mercenary, though he's not much of a scoundrel. He's still a defender of the weak and righter of wrongs, he just doesn't advertise any more, hiding his emotions and views behind a hard face and flat voice.

Now we get some more on the Ochoas - specifically, Don Efron himself going before King Sandoval and his advisors to beg forgiveness for the family. Verdugo insists that the entire family is lost, traitors, but Andrés Aldana counsels hearing Efron out and not making decisions before there is proof. The King listens to both, thinking on how Efron was once a friend to the crown, how the man's wife helped raise him. He orders Efron be received and listened to. Efron comes in, begging that the Ochoas be spared judgement - only his son was a traitor. Blame him, and if another must be blamed, blame Efron. Punish Efron, and leave his wife and brothers out of it. Verdugo tells Sandoval this is acceptable, and it is done. We cut then to Verdugo examining Efron in his cell beneath San Cristobal, telling him that the Church has forgiven him - and believes he should not be alone. He then orders the Inquisition to find all of Efron's family and kill them, to join him in Heaven. Verdugo's a dick .

Now then! Swordsman schools. The first is Gallegos, also called the Three Circle style. It teaches that leaping around is unneeded in a fight - that a true master can stand still and be completely victorious. Each level is taught with the student forced to stand in a smaller circle, from which he cannot move, while his opponent can move freely. With this training, Gallegos swordsmen learn how to slide away from thrusts simply by turning, and achieving lightning-fast parries, forcing their foes to come to them and overextend themselves. The weakness is that they tend to forget they can move at all, making single powerful blows or firearms very effective. Gallegos is practiced, like Aldana, with a single sword in hand.

The Apprentice of Gallegos has mastered the First Circle, the easiest. He learns to play the waiting game, getting a free Raise on all parries with a fencing weapon, and the ability to act with greater initiative total on held actions, making them more likely to act first with a held action. Journeymen have mastered the Second Circle, and are comfortable only occasionally stepping left or right. They wait for attacks, shift away and riposte, receiving a free rank in the Riposte knack, which raises their maximum potential Riposte to 6. The Masters have achieved the Third Circle, and no longer need to move their feet at all to be hard to hit, thanks to their graceful swaying and flashing blade. They get +10 to their TN to be hit.

Soldano swordsmen, meanwhile, learn to fight with a rapier in each hand, borrowing techniques from an old Crescent style. They fight like a tornado, leaping all over the place, whirling around and leaving ruin. They fight with flair and skill, dispatching hordes of unskilled foes with ease and infuriating them with the dual blades. However, their weakness is that their exuberance and excitement often leaves small openings in their defenses that a skilled foe can take advantage of. They get the special Whirl knack which greatly increases their skill fighting Brutes.

An Apprentice of Soldano also learns to fight multiple foes with style. They get no penalty to the off-hand when dual-wielding fencing weapons, and at the start of each battle they get a number of free Drama dice equal to their mastery level, which go away if unspent at the end of the battle. A Journeyman, learns to make a single, devastating attack. After they've done damage but before the wound check, they may spend a Drama die (including those from the Apprentice ability or special knacks) to make it easier for a wound check failure to cause multiple Dramatic wounds - normally, it takes failing the check by 20 to get an extra dramatic wound, but that number is reduced by 5 for every Drama die you spend, though it can never go lower than 5. A Master of Soldano learns to enrage and outwit foes. Once per round, at the start of a round where they're fighting a Villain, they can use an Intimidation action free, adding 1 to the roll for each Brute they've personally killed and 5 for each Henchman. If the Master wins, instead of the normal Intimidation effects they steal a Drama die from the GM's pool, plus an additional die for every 5 they won by.

The Torres school was designed for bullfighting, and as a result members do not get membership in the Swordsmen despite using a sword. They fight with a rapier in one hand and a cloak in the other, using subtle movements to draw focus to the cloak and blindside foes with the rapier. It's a very effective defensive style, the cloak helping shield from enemy blades, and Masters are said to be some of fastest men in the world in thought and action. However, it has very little offensive power, lacking the penetrative force such that a tough foe can treat them as an annoyance. They get a new Side-Step knack that allows them to increase the speed of actions when they successfully use active defenses. (This used to be an advanced trick of the Athlete skill, but it's a basic trick of Torres.)

Apprentices of Torres fencing learn to use their cloak to draw attention. They suffer no off-hand penalty when using cloaks, and in addition may use the Side-Step knack on (Mastery level) extra dice each time it's used, rather than just one die. Journeymen learn to be fast on their feet, treating any active defense as if it was a number of phases faster equal to twice their Mastery level. Masters are some of the fastest in the world, getting a free +1 to Wits, which also increases their maximum Wits by 1.

Zepeda fencers learn to fight with dual whips. Whips, while not deadly so much as swords, are great for intimidation and defense - even a Swordsman won't want to be hit by that. It hurts! The Zepeda school teaches a number of whip tricks and intimidation techniques, but it does have a weakness. Against those who can take the pain of the whip and get close, it's next to useless - at close range, a whip has very little ability. Also, because this is whips, not swords, you don't get to be a Swordsman.

Zepeda Apprentices learn to use the whip to cause fear. They can spen an action cracking their whip to increase their TN to be hit by their Mastery level, as foes are too scared to get close. This lasts until the round ends, and can be done as many times as you like, but the bonus does not apply against foes who are immune to Fear, and ends immediately if your whip leaves your hand or becomes entangles, such as during a Bind. You also get a Free raise on attack rolls with a whip. A Journeyman of the Zepeda school learns to use the whip in very versatile ways. As long as they're holding a whip, they can use the Attack (Whip) knack in place of the Animal Training, Break Fall, Swinging or Grapple knacks. They may also try to yank a foe off their feet, knocking them prone with an attack but raising their TN to be hit by that attack by 10. A Zepeda Master is greatly feared, having learned to use their whip to teach others respect. For every successful hit against someone which causes damage, they get +1 Fear rating against that foe until the end of the battle.

We also get rules for the new sorcery: El Fuego Adentro! It is one of the most destructive sorceries known, making fire dance to the tune of the caster and allowing them to bathe in the fires of the mightiest volcanos. Sorcerers could be identified bythe tiny flames that would burn in their eyes when controlling a fire. The royal family was chased out and mostly killed, but some sorcerers have survived. Some seek to redeem their good name, while others hide and plot to take back the throne from the Church and Sandovals. Many are afraid to use their power at all. Most people who have El Fuego Adentro come from Rancho Gallegos, and must be careful about using it - it'll bring the Inquisition and other groups down on them hard. GMs may require fire sorcerers to take a 3-point Hunted background to represent this.

Apprentices learn the Heart of Flame, taking the fire and making it part of them. Fire and heat-based damage cannot harm them, nor any equipment kept in close contact, like worn clothing. They can go swimmin in molten lava and come out fine. They can also control the movement of one fire within ten feet, which will ignore winds and even move across water - though without the Feed knack, it'll be immediately extinguished by doing so. More fires can be controlled at greater distance by the Concentrate and Range knacks. Adepts learn the Hand of Flame, allowing them to grasp fire as a solid object. They've been known to climb flames like a ladder, throw fire with their bare hands and some say they even made fire dance along a sword blade. Masters achieve the Spirit of Flame, letting them give their flames the semblance of life. They can shape birds and snakes of flame with special knacks they unlock. (Yes, this doesn't do anything but unlock knacks.) The limits? Well, fire's not very fast - you can make it move faster the more mastery you have, but it's never going to win a race. Plus, you can never actually create fire, you just make it grow and control it. You need a spark or flame to already exist, and must keep it burning, using the Feed knack if it would normally go out.

The Concentrate knack lets you control an additional flame at a time per rank in the knack. The Extinguish knack lets you put out flames, spending an action to reduce the size of a flame (measured in dice) by a number of dice equal to your rank in this knack. If that brings it 0, it goes out. You can affect 100 square feet of fire per rank in Extinguish, and you can be opposed by the Feed knack. The Feed knack requires no action, and allows you to keep a fire burning without fuel by letting it draw on your own life force. For each die of damage the fire would have lost that phase, you take 2 flesh wounds, though you reduce the damage by 1 per rank of this knack. Any phase in which you take at least 1 new flesh wound requires a wound check. The Range knack lets you affect fires at a range of 40 feet per rank, rather than just 10 feet away. There are also 6 Fire Stunt knacks.

The first is Firestarting, which takes an Apprentice level of mastery. This allows you to suffer 1 Flesh wound in order to light a fire in adverse conditions. You still need flint and steel, of course - you just make the spark catch. At rank 1, you can do it with damp tinder or strong wind, with 2 wet tinder or light rain, with 3 waterlogged tinder or medium rain, with 4 noncombustible tinder or heavy rain, and with 5 you can light a fire with any material and weather. The other Apprentice-level stunt is Flaming Blade - you stab a fire, then use your magic to protect the sword from the heat and keep the fire going. This lets you add your mastery level times your Flaming Blade rank to the damage of the sword, though you take 6 Flesh wounds (reduced by your Feed as normal) at the start of each round. You can end it at any time. At Adept level, you can learn the Hurl Fire knack, which lets you spend an action to reach into a fire, pick up a handful and throw it. The range is 5 plus twice your Brawn with no penalties to hit, and the attack roll is Finesse+Hurl. If you hit, you do one die of damage, plus one per mastery level, and the fire immediately goes out. You can't use Feed to keep it going. The knack deals 2 flesh wounds to you each time it's used, but can be reduced by Feed as normal. I have no idea why you'd ever take more than 1 rank of Hurl Fire, unless by 'Hurl' they mean 'Hurl Fire', the knack, in the attack roll.

Masters get three stunts they can learn! The first is Fireflies. They can spend 3 actions and suffer 1 Flesh wound to pull a 10 foot by 10 foot cloud of living 'fireflies' from any fire at least one die big. The fire is immediately reduced in size by 1 die. The flesh wound suffered will not go away, even after suffering a Dramatic wound, until you dispel the fireflies (which can be done at will) or they are killed by immersion in water. The creatures are controlled by you and resemble burning embers floating in the wind, though they don't need to be maintained by Feed. Any creature in the cloud takes 1 flesh wound per phase unless wearing heavy clothing or some other sort of protection. The fireflies can move slowly each phase, and you can have one cloud at a time per rank in the knack. The second Master stunt is Flame Serpent. You spend five actions and suffer 3 flesh wounds to draw a serpent of fire from any fire two dice or bigger, which immediately loses two dice in size. The flesh wounds never go away, as above, unless the serpent is dispelled by you or killed by water. It can be controlled without a die roll, has 3s in all traits and is immune to all harm save immersion in water. When it hits, it deals one die of damage per rank of Flame Serpent that you had when you made it. This goes down by one die each time it hits until it reaches zero dice. When at zero dice, it is a tiny wisp of flame that must recuperate by being immersed in fire, recovering one die of damage per round of immersion, up to its original max damage. You can have one flame serpent at a time per rank in the knack. The final Master knack is Firebird, which takes ten actions and 5 flesh wounds (permanent as above) to make. It's a staggeringly beautiful bird of fire made from a fire of at least four dice, which is immediately reduced in size by four dice. The firebird can only be killed by water or being dispelled. It has a 40 foot wingspan, has all traits at 3 and can only be harmed by immersion in water. Generally, firebirds are used as steeds, flying at 50 miles a day per rank in the knack when created and able to carry one passenger per rank as well. The firebird's touch does not burn, but the creator may cause it to explode into a rank 4 explosion made of fire, instantly extinguishing it.

Next time: Castillian swords, miracles and secrets.

For you, for Castille, for all...

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

Books until the Montaigne Revolution: 13.

7th Sea: For you, for Castille, for all...

Castille doesn't really have magic swords. This is because Castille doesn't need magic swords. After all, as every Castillian knows, the finest swords in the entire world are from Castille, and the finest swords of Castille are from their home province. Though technically the people of Rancho Soldano are the most correct in this belief. Aldana blades are light and flexible, good for quick attacks and parries. They let you act one phase sooner on one action per round. A Gallegos blade is durable and well-balanced, able to survive being bent double. They add 2 to attack rolls and add +5 TN to any attempt to break them. A Soldano blade is Soldano steel forged by the best smiths, holding an edge longer, harder to break and with perfect balance. They add 2 to any roll made with them. Any roll. Including damage or swordsman knacks. They also add +5 TN to any attempt to break them. A Torres blade is exceptionally sharp and cuts very deep, adding 3 to all damage rolls. A Zepeda blade, generally seen as the last valuable, is light and sharp, adding 1 to all attack and damage rolls. All Castillian swords are base 2k2 fencing weapons, and you get a 1 point discount to a sword from your own province. You can only have one of these swords.

Because Castille is full of the faithful, they also introduce a new advantage: Miracle Worker. A Miracle Worker gets 1 Miracle die per 5 points spent on the advantage, to a mx of 3 Miracle dice. The GM controls when your Miracle dice activate, and when they do, a miracle happens. There is never any physical evidence of a miracle, and any leftover dice become 2 XP each at the end of the story. GMs make up the miracles, but some examples are given. For example, Healing Wind is a miracle which heals 2 Dramatic Wounds - they don't vanish, they just stop bleeding and hurting. They're still there , they just don't do anything any more. Righteous Fury gives you a push to succeed when you would otherwise fail, turning into three Drama dice retroactively added to a failed but important roll. Shield of the Faithful lets you cheat death, making a Villain's attack automatically miss, and causing him to lose all further actions in the round, thanks to your extreme luck. Strength of Theus gives you a little bit more luck to draw on, turning a Miracle die into two Drama dice when you run out of Drama dice. But the miracles can also just be whatever the GM likes, so long as they are in this vein of the PCs being unable to really tell if they're just lucky and tough or if Theus really is smiling on them personally.


Do not fuck with El Vago.

We now get rules on cloaks as weapons, prepackaged powder magazines for better reloading, and whips. Skipping past this...Andrés Aldana has overheard what Verdugo is planning for Efron and the Ochoa family. He prepares a sealed message, sending his messenger via very specific routes to Altamira. He knows that he can't accuse Verdugo without proof - that someone else will be needed. Someone legendary. The messenger is halted in the route by a man in purple and black, his face a pale white mask with a madman's smiles. El Vago is here! He threatens the messenger silently, until the messenger gives the code phrase Aldana had told him and hands over the messager, vanishing like he'd never been there. The messenger stands, and heads back on the road to Altamira, now missing a horse. (It ran off in terror when El Vago dropped from the trees.)

Now we get a short essayo n Castillian family and passion, and are told how everyone in your family is to be treated as close as a brother, mother, sister or father. It's pretty short. So instead, let's talk about secrets. Salvador Sandoval truly believes his brother Javier will return and take the throne, and thinks of himself as a pretender just holding it for his brother. He longs for the day when he can just be an advisor, and should he ever realize he's stuck with the job, there's no telling whether it'd give him the kick he needs to be his own king, or if it would break him. He doesn't fully trust either of his advisors, but tries to weigh their words and use them against each other.

Andrés Aldana is a founding member of Los Vagos and a master of Aldana fencing. He's participated in many of Los Vagos' missions, including the dramatic rescue of a kidnapped headmaster. Some have said that he himself is El Vago, though when he fought next to the masked man to save Sandoval, it seemed to stop. His dedication to Los Vagos is absolute, and while many suspect a connection between him and El Vago, he's so far been able to convince them otherwise. Javier Rios del Guzman is a member of the Rilasciare, and the fire that made him resign was actually him and some students trying to keep a group of radical Guerrillas from burning down the whole school. An argument broke out, a gun got fired and some books were caught in the flames. The Guerrillas fled, and he was left defending ashes. Javier resigned and went to Avalon. Now, he smuggles refugees, political prisoners and important documentation through his rancho. He is an apprentice Aldana fencer.

Cardinal Esteban Verdugo does, in fact, plan to take over Castille - but not for reasons of temporal power. He doesn't care about that: he wants to save souls, and running a country would give him more power to do so. He truly believes his actions are right, and his plans are currently being thwarted by Sandoval's backbone and Andrés Aldana's words. He can't move against the royals openly, but he doesn't let that stop him - he had Prince Javier removed, and has tried to do the same to Sandoval, though El Vago always stops him. Verdugo believers that sooner or later, either El Vago will fail and Sandoval will die, or he will convince Sandoval not to listen to Andrés. Either way, he wins. Oh, and there is nothing supernatural about his visions at all, and he's not being manipulated by sorcery or Syrneth beings. He's just crazy.

El Malvado really is Don Lorenzo de Zepeda, and he really did belong to Los Vagos at one point. However, San Juan broke him, and now he will stop at nothing to destroy the men who performed the massacre. His methods and brutality have led Los Vagos to disavow him and, in fact, to begin hunting him down - but his latent El Fuego Adentro was awakened by the burning of the town. His mother was a Gallegos and he had the blood, but never got taught how to use it even though she could've done so. Today, he is an adept of the sorcery, a full-blood sorcerer and a journeyman in Zepeda. His magic grows by the month, and he is nearly a force of nature. (Oddly, he is listed as having the Stunt knack, rather than the seperate stunt knacks.) He also, naturally, was not scarred by fire. He can't be.

Admiral Enrique Orduño is a Journeyman of Aldana who intensely dislikes the Inquisition and sees Verdugo as a huge bully. He keeps it to himself, though if he had a chance to hurt the Inquisition without risk to his own position, he'd do it with joy. His wife Margaretta is also a Journeyman of Aldana. She is afraid of heights, though her position aboard the Corazón del Castille has allowed to make some progress with it - but it's gonna be a long time before she conquers the fear completely. Only she, her father and her husband know the truth.

Alvara Arciniega is a master of Soldano fencing and a journeyman of Valroux. He is negotiating with the Vendal and Vodacce for sorcerous objects and knowledge, and is very interested in the blood of magic-wielders, which he uses for alchemy. He believes alchemy changes those who practice it and is trying to scientifically prove this, also hoping that distilled "spell-like" effects will aid the underground scientific movements. And, of course, unknown to everyone , Arciniega is the mastermand behind Novus Ordum Mundi, having inherited the job from his mentor, Don Iselo Arciniega de Aldana, whose family had controlled NOM for three centuries. He uses proxy commanders, none of whom know of each other, to administrate the conspiracy.

Salvador Garcia is an active member of the Invisible College who smuggles experiments out before the Inquisition can get them. He's published several great papers through the College, and plans to release A Need For Doubt the same way. He could, were he to reveal all he suspected, do great damage to the College...but his age and faith mean that it'd be impossible to get him to do so. Alicia Zanela de Lazaro is exactly what she seems to be - the first female matador, and currently plagued by nasty sabotage from more traditionalist rivals who resent her. She is also a Miracle Worker.

Luis Rafael Dominguez de San Angelo, called Wandering Knight Salvador by the Rose and Cross, has been under surveillence by the Invisibles since he joined the order, though he's never known. They are still watching him and waiting for a good time to approach him about returning to the Knights and recruiting him for the Invisibles. Oh, and that sword he buried with his parents? That's an ancient artifact, born in the chamber of El Fuego Sagrado. It adds a rank to any one El Fuego Adentro knack that the wielder has - though only one knack at a time, not affecting the others. Luis does not know this, being no sorcerer - instead, he's a Master of Aldana and a Journeyman of Desaix.

There's also stats for Castillian bulls (who are not weaklings by any stretch, they're pretty nasty and will kill you if you aren't careful) and...the Fire Mountain. The Fire Mountain was a fire mage who learned great secrets and secret rituals. He gathered up a ton of rare materials, including a flawless ruby the size of an egg, and headed up the side of a mountain. The ground shook, steam burst forth and molten lava oozed from the mountain. He had turned himself into a living volcano. It was very taxing, and he went to sleep for 300 years, awakening only recently. He has become a powerful, inhuman creature. He cares for nothing now - not power, immortality or friendship. He wants only to protect the flawless ruby that has become his life force. It hides in a cave on his mountain, and it is the only way to kill him. While his stats are all 1s, he is immune to all damage of any kind, and for the love of god do not let him punch you , because he takes the form of a 40-foot-tall man made of fire, his punch deals massive damage and anyone hit by it gets set on four dice worth of fire. If you were to get ahold of the gem, you could kill him very easily, however - if it's destroyed, he dies, and it's very easy to destroy. Whole, it is worth 10000G or more to the right buyer...but the Mountain will hunt it down as best he can. Destroyed, its fragments could fetch up to 250G.

Next time: Nations of Théah, Volume VI: Vodacce!

I have found a greater treasure than gold, wife.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

Awesome. Gonna have to look that over in more detail later.

7th Sea: I have found a greater treasure than gold, wife.



The Vodacce book begins with fiction about Paolo and Celia, a married couple of beachcombers. They go to explore a shipwreck, though the sound of some creature crying out can be heard. They explore, and find a child locked in a flooding sea chest - a baby girl. The two adopt her, thanking Theus for answering their prayers - for ten years, they have tried and failed to conceive a child. We jump to twelve years later, with Celia and her daughter, Lucrezia, doing needlework. Lucrezia is fourteen now, and becoming beautiful. (Which is kind of creepy, book!) Celia tells Lucrezia that the headmistress of the courtesan school has asked to buy her. Celia is very sad to tell her daughter about it - but on the other hand, the money will feed the family, and Lucrezia will never starve as a courtesan. Lucrezia agrees to be sold to the courtesans. Three years later, Lucrezia is an accomplished, well-taught courtesan, beloved by her peers for her wit. She is the most headstrong of them, the most demanding of her suitors, and the most sought after. It is there that she meets a man who, two years later, will be her lover: Gioseppe Vestini. He lacks the funds to buy her contract, though - and his wife will give him no money to do it with. He gives her a locket, which becomes her most treasured possession. Soon, there is a confrontation between Lucrezia and Gioseppe's aged and angry wife, Sofane. Sofane uses her dark power - Sorte - to try and kill Lucrezia, shredding her future. Somehow, though, the pain awakens her, allowing her to see the many threads of fate. She reaches out - and she pulls a thread, forcing it to bear her weight. She stands - and the fate strands snap back, lashing out at Sofane and slaying her. Lucrezia has used Sorte - a heresy, a woman who can read and do magic! Gioseppe has no love for her now, insulting and threatening her as she tries to understand what's happened. She declares her eternal love for him - and he hurls her locket away, promising that she will burn.

Vodacce's history is long, for it is the cradle of civilization. The earlist people in Vodacce were the first human settlements in Théah. They were sailors, hunters and gatherers. Slowly, influenced by the Crescents, they began to master pottery, weaving and livestock. They became fierce and warlike, warring against each other and the early Crescent tribes. Seven hundred years before Numa, the Crescents invaded Vodacce, driven west by some strange cataclysm. They conquered parts of Vodacce, merging with the locals - but they could never reach the Vodacce islands, and the islanders remained untouched by Vodacce's strife. They eventually became the Arene, a seperate culture from mainland Vodacce.

History truly begins with the founding of Numa in the Levanzo Hills, at the mouth of the Tigres River. It was a trading center, led by the semi-mythical figure Numus, and it soon grew rich. Numus and his governors established law, founded the first organized armies and established the idea of citizens' rights for those under their protection. The wars continued between city-states, but by 102 AUC, Numa dominated the entire peninsula and had established colonies on the islands. Over the next fifty years, the Old Empire devolped, a council of noble families rising to lead. They would eventually become the Numan Senate. They elected an Imperator each year as a titular leader and passed laws and edicts through him. The most prominent familes were each given an island to rule, and while their power remained in Numa, the Arene introduced them to new philosophies and political beliefs. The notion of a republic was formed then, and the early Senators established a system for making the people's will known.

From 148 to 189 AUC, Numa expanded through conquest, alliance and treaty. Arene thought created new philosophies, which stabilized and unified the kingdom. It was a golden era of peace and art, with the Imperators building roads and aqueducts across Vodacce. The army grew as well, and along with it the military reputation of Numa. The enemies of the city soon learned to fear them, as they made conquest after conquest, eventually defeating a superior Crescent army at the Battle of Pulo di Olimpia in 213, despite being outnumbered ten to one. Their tactics, superior weapons and unbreakable morale allowwed them to win. By 225, Numa had even expanded into the western corner of the Crescent peninsula, and the troops of the Eleventh Legio were invading Eisen.

The Imperators, meanwhile, turned elsewhere - to Acraga, across the sea of La Boca, and beyond. In 228, Priscus Tecpatus forged a treaty with the Acragans, more on which we know from Castille. The Numans conquered Acraga after Priscus's death in 268, and eventually defeated in 344, ruling it for the next seven centuries. The Eisen would prove a constant problem, and in 255 drove the Numans out. The sixth, seventh and fifteenth Legia invaded north and east, sweeping across what would be Montaigne and pushing back the Crescent tribes. They even invaded Ussura a fw times. The pinnacle came in 424 AUC, when Julius Caius conquered Avalon. They now owned almost half of the known world. Corruption set in among the ruling elite, and their noble notions gradually died in this time of decadence.

Julius Caius grew sick of the Senate's corruption and returned home, declaring himself absolute Imperator. He was assassinated as a threat, but his son Tigranus demanded vengeance and drove the conspirators to exile, ascending to become Imperator himself. His rule was absolute, and for two hundred years the Senate had no true power. In the sixth century AUC, the few Numan colonies in Eisen fell. In 573, contact with Avalon was lost for fifty years, and when it reappeared no one tried to recolonize. Despite these setbacks, the Empire prospered, and its control of its core never wavered. It reached from the eatern shows of Castille to the center of the Crescent Empire. The government was a complex system of alliances and provinces, with towns given rank and prestige by their yearly tithe, with varying levels of citizenship and various priveleges, like roads and military protection. Numa kept half a million men in arms at any given moment, and their money became the common currency of the continent. In the capital, the Senate continued to try and undermine the Imperators, and fortunes changed based on who had the upper hand. The Senate finally regained its power in 581 AUC, after the rule of Imperator Clementes the Mad, whose cruelty prompted a popular uprising the Senate backed. They proclaimed a New Republic and vowed to uphold the old virtues of Numa.

It soon became clear that nothing had changed, though. The Senate was better than Clementes, but cared little for the ideals. Occasionally, a new Imperator would rise, but they always maintained control. So it remained, with the people growing weary, until 698, when General Gaius Philippus Macer seized power after a long campaign in Eisen. He was a hero of the people, beloved by all, and when he returned to Numa, he declared himself Imperator and relegated the Senate to mere advisors. For 26 years, he ruled with absolute authority and was hailed as a savior. Power began to shift again in 724, when a small group of senators researched ancient Syrneth artifacts and made contact with the Bargainers. Yadda yadda, newfound powers. They forced Gaius to give up authority, but left him in place to keep their power hidden. They taught others sorcery, fusing it with the blood of the nobility. Eventually, their powers came out - but none dared speak against them for fear of their wrath.

Meanwhile, many colonies had become semi-autonomous, some even revolting. The Legia were busy putting down rebellions on the frontier, and new barbarian incursions from Eisen and Ussura taxed them to their limit. Still, the first real challenge to the Senators' rule appeared in 774 AUC - Year 1, AV, the Year of Truth. Few realized it at the time. The First Prophet appeared, decrying sorcery and advocating monotheism. Yadda yadda, spreading of faith. The Vaticine cult grew powerful despite the Senate's efforts to crush it, and new pressures from the outside threatened stability. The Empire of the Crescent Moon ejected Numa from its land in 32 AV, and the Second Legio stopped a barbarian horde from Ussura in 98 AV, barely managing to stop them from reaching Numan territory. The cult's growth and the government's instability caused the Senate to break the empire in two - the Eastern Empire, ruled from Numa, and the Western Empire, from San Cristobal. They put two Imperators in charge, but retrained nominal power over each.

The plan backfired horribly. Rather than stabilizing the empire, it gave others a chance to usurp power. In 105 AV, the Eastern Imperator joined the Church of the Prophet, soon followed by his Western counterpart. The Senators were unable to make being Vaticine illegal, though they did outlaw conversion - but the damage was done. The Imperators used the Church to regain power and legitimacy. A hundred years later, the sorcerous noble families ruled - and the people turned to the Church for protection. They laid siege to many sorcerous families. In 203 AV, the Eastern Imperator, Donatius, made a grab for absolute power, declaring himself Vaticine and making the Church of the Prophets the official religion of the Eastern Empire, devastating the senate. The populace rose up against them, and those who were not killed fled far - to the countryside and outlying colonies. Many retreated to the southern isles, and with their departure, Vodacce was united under Donatius. He divided the nation into eleven regions, allowing the Senate to remain powerless in exile, and set out to reforge the Empire once more.

It didn't work out. The political infighting drew Numa away from many threats, and economic instability took hold. The barbarians invaded, leeching military power, and the Imperator's authority began to splinter. Over the next century, the senators in exile would begin to establish their own kingdoms, far from the Vaticine, and the Legia began to desert in record numbers. In 297, a horde of Eisen barbarians sacked Numa and burned it to the ground. The Imperator was killed, and the central government destroyed. The Western Empire retained order of a sort, holding Castille - but the Eastern Empire had fallen. The fall of Numa shattered Vodacce into many city-states, some ruled by senators, others by warlords or renegade legionnaires. The eastern edges came under Crescent control, though that was lost after the First Crusades. Many rulers used Sorte sorceresses, called the Fate Witches by the people, to control their power, and Sorte spread throughout Vodacce's noble families.

The rise of Corantine in the 4th century originally did nothing to Vodacce - he claimed the Western Empire, but had little interest in them. However, by consolidating the faith of the PRophets into one church, he hugely affected the area. The Reformed Vaticine Church was based out of Numa, and the faithful flocked to Vodacce. By the itme of Corantine's death, the nation was full of monasteries preserving and spreading culture. The Hierophant and monasteries possessed huge power, and a strong network of control. With the support of the church, Vodacce's feudal system was introduced to Castille. Corantine died in 376, but his influence remains strong today.

We move, as we always do, from Corantine to Carleman. Carleman conquers a huge part of the continent, forges and unites an empire, dies and splits it between his three sons. Vodacce goes to Iago, a schemer who preferred to plot agianst his brothers than rule his kingdom. When Charles of Montaigne died, he threatened war against Charles' widow but was outmaneuvered. He turns to Eisen and tries to start a war with Stefan, ignoring the threat at home: a trio of ancient families moving against him. The first to act was the Delaga family, artisans from north Vodacce who sent mercenaries into the south to conquer it. Soon, the Lorenzos followed, and at last the Gallilis, a scholarly family. Iago's troops mass on the border, and by the time they realize the real threat's behind them, the kingdom is stolen away. The Lorenzos capture Iago and his wife and burn them alive. This was the last time Vodacce would ever be united. Still - it was a nation now, all Vodacce even as it had many princes.

The Delagas turned their land into a haven for craftsmen, while hte Galilli family turned to the Vaticines and study of the esoteric. The Lorenzos made the strongest mark, ruling with an iron fist and threatening all around them. They were so infamous that many foreigners thought they ruled the whole nation. Only the Church and the political skills of the Delaga family kept them in check. The rise of the Third Prophet in the 11th Century shoved Vodacce back onto the world stage. The Prophet declared Crusade against the Crescents, and Vodacce was one of the rallying points, mustering the faithful as Castille exploded into civil war. The ruling families devoted themselves to the Crusades, and many of their youngest sons died on Crescent sands for the Church. Vinchenzo Lorenzo and his wife, "Mad Queen" Marrieta (a Fate Witch of immense skill) saw many of their subjects join the Crusade just to get away from them, and they became so weak that the Delagas began to take parts of their territory. Vinchenzo promised a decisive victory agains the Crescents to put the fear of Theus until all of his enemies, and at his behest, the Mad Queen attempted to erase the entire Crescent Empire from fate itself. She had apparently learned how to turn her power backwards - to change the strands of the past. If she could erase the Crescents, she could erase anyone. As the Crusaders returned home in defeat, she attempted to rewrite history.

That didn't go well at all.

The Lorenzo island vanished entirely - destroyed by Marrieta's efforts along with every living being on it. All that remained was a sea full of blood to mark its location - and to this day, the sea south of the southernmost Vodacce isle runs red sometimes for no clear reason. Some Sorte witches say the island did not vanish, but became displaced in time, existing outside it - or perhaps it was simply destroyed. Many who were not on the island when it vanished remembered details of it, so it was clearly not removed from history. The surviving Lorenzos were destitute, forever broken. They split into two minor lines, the Bianco and Serrano, and abandoned their territory to the others. The Delaga, too busy squabbling amonst themselves, left it for the Gallili, which became the most powerful family. In fact, all of today's ruling families come from the Gallili line.

The loss of the Lorenzos and the Crusade's damage left Vodacce weak when it most needed strength. The Third Prophet consolidated the Church in Castille, filling empty seats with Castillians - and Vodacce, the Church's heartland, objected. In 1012, when Numa was declared no longer the Church's capital, the Vodacce refused to stand for it, and a new war began. It lasted seven years, with both sides strapped for resources, but eventually, the Castillians defeated the Vodacce and peace was reached with Castille keeping the power of the Church, but Vodacce getting to continue to have two Cardinals instead of one. (They now have five, thanks to intense politicking.) Vodacce has never forgotten its humiliation, though, and the wounds remain on its pride to this day.

Finally, Vodacce once again fell back to its own devices, left alone. The ruling families split and bickered and divided up the land. Power fluctuated rapidly, and the peasants learned to accept that they might have a new prince each year. It remained Vaticine, and some say the dedication to the Church allowed art and learning to flourish, while others believe the constant scheming meant humanity had to excel to survive. Either way, it was the birthplace of the Renaissance. The University of Elena's scholars produced new translations of old Numan philosophies, conducted many experiments and pursued art on a massive scale. Maneual Chrysoloras and his student Leotano Vinchenti spearheaded a movement that swept the nation's painters, sculptors, scientists and philosophers. These fields developed madly, turning Vodacce into a center of both culture and money. By the mid-fourteenth century, their ideas spread throughout the continent, and the Merchant Princes were some of the most powerful men in the world.

Next time: The White Knight, modern days and the Families.

Would that I was truly her mother. Then, perhaps, I would know what decision to make.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: Would that I was truly her mother. Then, perhaps, I would know what decision to make.

We left off in 1400, when the Bianco branch of the Lorenzos extended their power as bankers and moneylenders. Before now, they'd been quiet - but in 1400, evidence that the entire family worshipped Legion reached the Church. The Vestinis were given permission to wipe out the entire family. Even with Church support, it nearly failed. The Bianco had strange powers - probably the result of Legion-worship - which staved off and destroyed foes. It took the actions of a knight of die Kreuzritter named Andare del Casigula Rosa to turn the tides. Little is known of Rosa - he was a commoner, adopted into the Black Cross at the age of 11, in 1392. His training was uneventful but he had disturbing dreams and visions. These visions, it is said, were signs from Theus that Andare would lead a crusade against evil, which culminated in his destruction of the Bianco. He and his holy followers, now revered in shrines in the town of Saint Ivo della Sapienza, bore the brunt of the Bianco forces, and with his help the Vestini seized control of their lands. The Vaticines see Andare as a great hero, and the people of Mantua, where the Biancos ruled, believe he was instrumental to their freedom from Legion. He is revered as the greatest knight in Vodacce history. Shortly after the final battle, Andare died and was entombed in St. Ivo della Sapienza.

More recently, Vodacce emerged from the Rennaissance as an economic power, kept from true greatness by its divided nature. The Merchant Princes used their influence to plot against each other, ignoring the world in favor of their games. Because of this, the nation as a whole never rose to true prominence and never recognized the growing northern threat: Vendel. When the War of the Cross broke out, the Vendel made huge advances in the chaos and when it ended, they were equal in power to Vodacce. A quiet trading war has begun, with Vodacce ports closed to Vendel ships. They want to drive the Guilder to extinction, and have sponsored many pirates to attack Vendel shipping as well as causing many "accidents." The Vendel have responded in kind, and the subtle conflict has lasted five years so far. It's been mostly out of sight for now, but sooner or later, one side will go too far.

Today, Vodacce remains divided, ruled by seven Merchant Princes, each with ambitions of a united Vodacce. Beneath them, the country prospers and the trade war continues. The future is unstable, and even the Fate Witches cannot see what is coming, but they are unconcerned. Disaster might be coming, sure - but a thousand years of scheming has made Vodacce strong. They welcome their next challenge.

The nobles of Vodacce own her land and her trade, controlling the nation with an iron fist. Vodacce poets speak of the heart that beats for love and the heart that beats for duty - and it is the nobles' duty to guide their people. Duty is what rules the Princes, followed by pride - and then, only distantly, by love. The politics, called the Great Game, are shaped heavily by a scholar named Scarovese. Scarovese studied a minor ruler and wrote a pair of books: Means to Ends and Victory . They have taken Vodacce by storm, and they advise that politics is all about power: ensuring you have it and your enemies don't. Scarovese advised backstabbing and ruthlessness, and while outsiders may look on such bitter and cruel advice with shock, the Princes know it works. If you're not familiar with Scarovese and get into the Game, you're going to die. The Princes use his lessons to wield near-absolute power, utilizing everything they have to get more. Trust is rare - a man is considered extremely friendly and trusting as a prince if he trusts his closest relatives. Vodacce is run by dictators, and no one really tries to pretend otherwise.

Bloodlines are a bit weird - men and women of the nobility have little connection, with noblewomen being kept apart from the lives of luxury the men lead and not even being allowed to learn to read. Men take courtesans openly and bastard children are a way of life. Inheritance is done irregularly and by will, rather than any standard of primogeniture or otherwise. Many times, a man leaves his things to his illegitimate children rather than anything by his own wife. Acknowledgement of bastards is the right of a noble, and men occasionally adopt their courtesans' children. (Just the males, of course.) Noble women must sometimes even raise the children of their husbands' courtesans. Succession thus becomes a bit hazy, and any prince's heir must be on constant guard - if he's not, an uncle or cousin is likely to supplant him.

Now, the families! We begin the ancient ones, starting with the Delaga family. Luis Delaga was from a senatorial family, with several Imperators in his ancestry. He seized the southern part of Vodacce while Iago was busy squabbling over the northern border, stabilizing it with mercenaries and filling it with the exiles of other kingdoms, bringing their talents and loyalty to himself. Delaga demanded much from his people, seeing himself as their stern father, and he brutally punished those who opposed him. However, there was too much internal strife among the Delaga for them to achieve true power - their bickering kept them from capitalizing on the fall of the Lorenzos. Only the Villanovas and Caligaris now can claim Delaga blood - and the Caligaris don't want it.

The Gallili were a family of philosophers and mathematicians who maintained their education as the key to their nobility. Their family was highly interbred with Castillians, and they are in large part responsible for the Rennaissance. They began the process of translating ancient philosophy, spurred on by the Church, and established the traditions of scholarship that came with the spread of these texts. They were the ones best able to capitalize on the fall of Lorenzo, and it is from the Gallili that almost all the current Princes' family lines originally sprang.

The Lorenzos traced their line all the way back to Imperator Tigranus's eldest daughter. They claimed thus to be Vodacce's 'true' rulers, held back only by the Delagas. They built the palace on the first of the isles, now Villanova Isle, and it remains the most magnificent in Vodacce. The Lorenzos were a sadistic and twisted family who treated torture and pain as the counterpart to revelry, encouraging their descendants to do the same. Lorenzo parties generally ended in the brutal murder of all the servants in display for the guests. They loved bloodsport and torture, and their punishments for even minor crimes were cruel. Their line ended, as we know, when Mad Queen Marrieta tried to help her husband unite Vodacce by wiping the Crescents from history. She was insane, capable of forgetting people ever existed a mere day after killing them and speaking of things that never were. The last fragments of the Lorenzos became the Bianco and Serrano families, though what happened to them is anyone's guess. It's said the Serranos sold their daughters to the courtesans and retired to Numa, while of course the Biancos were eradicated as Legion-worshippers. No further heir to either family has been found.

There are seven noble families. Six claim descent from Gallili (though the Caligaris are lying - they are in fact Delagas, but changed their name), and one from Delaga. No one claims Lorenzo blood - and to do so would be suicide. The first family is the Bernoulli, descending from the first son of Gallili and inheritors of their scholarly forebears. They have always been stout Vaticines, and claim that they once housed the First Prophet, which is undoubtedly false. They control the largest section of the mainland, from Palo de Olimpia to the southern coast. Their land is full of shrines and churches, and they are the only legal traders with the Crescents. In the past, the Bernoullis have protected huge stores of knowledge, but the current head, Gespucci Bernoulli, has turned them all over to the Vaticine and renounced his claim to them. Most believe he's trying to protect the knowledge from his debauched sons, though others think it's part of a deal with the Cardinals. The Bernoulli are famous as duelists, if not as dangerous as Villanova or as treacherous as Vestini. They are direct and honorable in combat, instead. Nobles from the Bernoulli family must buy the Scholar skill and 5 points of knacks from it. However, they get a free Raise when researching or using a book-learned Scholar knack, like Astrology or Mathematics.

The Caligari claim to descend from Gallili, but they do not. They were once the Caligara, descendants of the Delaga family, and even closer to their ancestors than the Villanova. However, they have renounced all that as of three generations ago, when Prince Aldo Caligara claimed that any true son of Delaga could win a duel when his family name was on the line. Guiseppi Villanova heard of this, and took Aldo to task, challenging him to a duel with their names as the wager. Aldo was forced to accept - and he lost. The Caligara were forced by honor to reject their names and refuse their heritage, and have to this day borne a grudge against the Villanovas. Every Caligari is sworn to an oath to restore the family heritage, and they watch the Villanovas for any sign of weakness. They seek out any means to defeat their hated rivals - magic, secrecy, Syrneth artifacts, anything. Nobles of the Caligari family get a discount to the Foul Weather Jack advantage and get 75G extra per month. However, they must take a 2-point Defeated background for the insult of the Villanovas.

The Falisci are descended from the youngest daughter of Gallili and her Montaigne husband. Their loyalty to the family is unbreakable, but anyone else gets no mercy. They control the mainland's grapes and olives, and make the finest wines. They have held their land for all living memory, and no one has ever gotten them to give up any of it by any means, as they have the most loyal armies in the nation, since each soldier is paid in Falisci wine. The Faliscis hold grand parties each year, and at these parties even the Great Game is relaxed - no violence is allowed at all, and duels are forbidden. However, politicking is perfectly allowable. Nobles of the Falisci get a free Raise when trying to manipulate others, get 2 bonus points for the Arrogant Hubris and must pay 2 extra points for any Virtue. They must also roll a Resolve test at TN 15 to avoid taking any bet, as they are compulsive gamblers.

The Lucani are at once the poorest and hardest working family in Vodacce and also the most powerful practitioners of Sorte. How are they still poor? A curse. A thousand years ago, a jealous wife found her husband in the arms of a Lucani girl and cursed their witches that any attempt to bring money to the family would bring only ruin, devastation and madness to the witch. It's always turned out to happen. The family is the newest of the rulers, having been minor nobles for centuries until 100 years ago, when they made a deal with the Villanovas for land. Details of the deal have been lost to history. Even today, they lack the stability of their rivals and are mocked for their shaky claims and small fortune. Luckily, the constant gifts from suitors wishing to marry the powerful Lucani witches keep them going, and said witches often become very influential wives. This and their renowned needlework keep them afloat. Lucani nobles with Sorte get 2 extra points of Sorte knacks, but get 5 fewer points in general and may never use their sorcery to directly aid themselves or a Lucani. Lucani heroes without sorcery get neither the 5 point penalty nor the 2 bonus knacks.

The Mondavis are famous as food producers, and they control the western Mantua territory, once Gallili land. The Mondavis rarely suffer war, since their food is vital to everyone. Because of this and the mountains at their back, they are very secure against invasion, though they have had to get plenty of Eisen mercenaries to keep that true. The Mondavi continue to hope the Eisen will be happy to be paid to guard and not take to stealing the food for their home country - but a bad winter could change that. When the Lorenzos were destroyed, their last daughter married into the Mondavi line, and some say her blood turned the Mondavis from peaceful farmers to bloodthirsty politicians. Whatever the reason, the Mondavi are renowned for their valor in war and dueling. They aren't, however, very good at politics or looking pretty. Their current leader, Alcide Mondavi, is quiet, boring, short and pale, but nearly peerless with a sword. More than a dozen are dead for insulting him, and many more are dead by his wife's magic. Nobles of the Mondavi family get a discount to learning Ambrogia, but must take a Hubris and get only 8 points for it.

The Vestini family came to power by helping destroy the treacherous Biancos. They were once a mere family of artisans, becoming nobles by sheer force of will. Their tie to the Gallili is weak at best, though reinforced by marriages - they were originally servants of the Gallili line who married into it. They are famous neither for valor or magic, but beauty and wit, and they are perhaps the craftiest of the families. They are renowned for beauty and many of their line would've been great courtesans were it not for their noble blood. The first Vestini drove her husband to prominence - but she was a courtesan, and her daughters had no Sorte. Rather, they used beauty and intelligence to guide themselves to power instead of magic. Few of the Vestini women have Sorte, and those who do tend to be weak - but the entire family, including the women, are known for their skill in art and interpersonal issues. Nobles of the Vestini get the Above Average Appearance advantage free, but must take the Hedonistic Arcana, which they get only 8 points for.

The Villanovas are masters of the Great Game, powerful swordsmen and politicians. They are the last of the Delaga line (and certainly the last to openly be Delaga). Ever Villanova learns to bring about the destruction of his foes, plotting to unite Vodacce under a single king. This has been the goal of every Villanova since the family began. Giovanni Villanova, their leader, is the most powerful of the seven princes in terms of personal skill, though he still lacks the strength to unite Vodacce, and Numa hates him. The Villanovas own the nation's largest university, though they care only for results, not learning itself. The tensions between them and the Vaticine has caused quite a few problems, another reason why they have trouble uniting Vodacce. Giovanni's father once said that if they managed it, they'd banish the Vaticine from Numa and make them second to the kings; as a result, the Church really does not like them. Villanova nobles get 2 extra Reputation dice in court in Vodacce, but must take a 3-point Nemesis background representing the Church.

What of the lost blood, the Bianco and Serrano? They vanished centuries ago. The Lorenzos publically fell in 1175, when the last of the Serranos lost power due to Vestini maneuvering. The Bianco, of course, made their mark as moneylenders and were fought to death in 1398. Today, less than a hundred men and women can claim descent from these two families together. They hide their true lineage and serve as retainers to the other nobles, suffering indignities and dishonor to get close to their foes. One day, they will have the strength, they swear, to attack a prince and seize his land for their own. The Serrano were infamous as poisoners, and peasants say that children of the Serrano were fed poisons to raise their immunities. The Bianco, of course, were known as mockers of the Vaticine and dabblers in dark and infernal power. Some say they even had male Fate Witches. The eastern mountains of Mantua are said to still be haunted by Legion's men, searching for the Bianco souls. Characters (because they certainly aren't heroes ) of the Serrano family get the 1-point Poison Immunity advantage free, and get 2 free Raises when working with poison; however, they need to take the 3-point Nemesis background to represent the Vestinis. At least one Vestini knows who they are and hunts them. Characters from the Bianco get the Unbound advantage for only 10 points, but must take a 3-point Lorenzo background and are hunted by the Vaticine.

Next time: Places and culture.

Like all Witches, her heart is as cold as her bed.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: Like all Witches, her heart is as cold as her bed.

Politically, Vodacce has eight provinces, but the nation's peasants divide themselves up into the four old Numan provinces culturally: Mantua in the north, Teramo in the east, Arene Candide in the west and south, and the islands. While the land may be owned seven ways by seven Princes, the people are Mantuan, Condide or Teramos, not Villanovan or Vestinian. Mantua, in the north, is bordered by Castille, Eisen and across the Palo de Olimpia mountains by the Crescents. It is divided among three of the princes: Mondavi, Caligari and Vestini. The people of Mantua are Mantuan first, Vodacce second.

The Mondavi province is owned by Alcide Mondavi and governed by Gallisus Mondavi. It is some of the most bountiful land in Vodacce, and provides the Mondavi food fortune. Its main city is Palizza de Agitazione, between Castille and Numa. It's a major trade city, and has existed since the days of the Numan Empire. The Lorenzos owned it once. Its most notable feature is the Palizza, officially the home manor of the Mondavis, though they rarely stay there. It has 2143 windows, 1252 fireplacess, 67 staircases and 1400 fountains in its gardens. Another important city is the small Profeta Chiesa. Despite its low population, it is surrounded by the richest farmlend, and Alcide's governor (and eldest son) officially lives there - though he spends most of his time on the Mondavi island. The true ruler is Gallisus's wife, Nemice du Arrent Mondavi, who forges his signature (on his orders) and runs the province in his absence. She doesn't mind him not being there - they hate each other, and Gallisus prefers his courtesan, Marifi.

The Mondavi island-city, Chiarisa, is the farthest from the mainland. It was founded in the 12th century on an old Numan ruin, and is one of the most architecturally striking islands. It is a major tourist destination, full of towering buildings covered with a spiderweb of bridges and arches. It is home to the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, Mondavi's personal palace. It is structured on the island's mountain crest, with huge arched bridges coming out of it, and rises nearly 2000 feet above sea level. It is held aloft by good architecture and the power of the Mondavi Fate Witches, and has a pair of 640-foot bridges linking it to the Piazza della Scala (where secular business is done) and the Piazza della Duomo (where spiritual business is done), on opposite ends of the island. In 1627, a triumphal arch was added to celebrate the birth of Alcide Mondavi, his father's only son of five children.

The Caligari province is ruled by Vincenzo Caligari and governed by Vito Calligozo Caligari. Its main city is Laurentia, an ancient Numan city that is a major trade center and in fact Caligari's only mainland city. It holds the Laurentian Library and the cloister of St. Lorenzo. (The peasants claim he must have been Castillian, for no Lorenzo was ever holy or good enough to become a saint.) It also has an abundance of playwrights, architects and scholars all trying to gain entry to the cloister's prestigious academy, and those who do well are often invited to Dionna University. The library is rumored to be home to the remnants of the Serrano family.

The Caligari island, Reinascienza, is the closest to the mainland, and has few mountains. It rests just above sea level, with only a few hills. Its population swells in early winter, when the upper mainland is covered in snow and ice and many nobles must go home, passing through Reinascienza to head to their own islands and stopping along the way for the Winter's Ball in the famous Twin Piazzas. These, Piazza Navona and Piazza di Castillia, are home to a famous statue of Senator Delaga, ancestor of House Caligara. The northern plaza, Navona, was built in the monumental style of Numa by the Senator's family. It also holds the church of Saint Agnese, an immense church that had fifteen Witches aiding in its building and was made by the famous architect Stefano Campo del Caligara. It is nearly twenty stories high and is impossibly thin and delicate. It also holds the ancient monastery of House Caligari, where Prince Vincenzo comes often to pray, deep beneath the church. The Piazza di Castillia, also known as the Piazza of the Castillian Steps, suffered generations of controversy until being completed by Francesco de Sanctis, as it was built over a Numan holy site and torn down when the Senate disbanded. Some say it was the place the Bargainers first made contact with the creatures beyond. Whatever the truth, it's said to be haunted, and few go there unless a ball is being held.

The Vestini province is ruled by Marco Edorardo Vestini, and governed by Enrico Edorardo Vestini. It is not so rich as most of Mantua, but full of folklore - it was once home to the Bianco family, and some say their souls still haunt the hills looking for sacrifices to Legion. It is home to the small town of Saint Ivo della Sapienza, home ot the church were the White Knight of Vodacce, Andara del Casigula Rosa, prayed for three days straight before facing the Biancos. It holds a sstatue to him that is a common spot of pilgrimage, and some say the White Knight aids those who leave flowers there. There is a popular movement to canonize Andare. The capital, though, is Fontaine, once home of the Bianco manor house and the city Quattro Alle. The Vaticine excommunicated the place, had it cleansed, then re-blessed it for rebuilding It seems to have worked. Fontaine is one of the largest cities on the mainland, supported by great crafters and low taxes. The Vestini believe that lowering taxes for those who actively tithe to the church or contribute to the city's growth is good, which has led many to want to live there. Still, some of the Biancos' atrocities live on, and few will go near a sewer entrance at night out of fear. There is also a rumor of a cabal of Legion worshippers hidden in the city, guiding the Vestini government while the nobles stay on their island. There is also the ancient Numan city of Elena, long past its prime. It was once home to a great university...which now operates at just over a sixth of full capacity. Only the Vestinis' constant struggles to create trade keep the place alive. Thanks to continuing to teach ancient theories and old teachings, the university's a laughingstock that isn't taken seriously by any serious scientist. Still, the Vestini won't give up on their tie to the Numan past and to legitimacy, and continue to try and keep the city alive.

The Vestini island is Serine, and it's full of Fate Witches thanks to being home of the largest school for young ladies, the Dilatente. It is less a school and more a place where the daughters of nobles learn to use Sorte, manage a household and run their husbands' affairs while the men are busy. Serine is actually two smaller islands linked by many, many bridges. It is a major center for the mysterious Sophia's Daughters, as the Vestini are secretly strong supporters of women's rights - at least, more than any other noble family. They believe that their daughters should learn to be literat,e to better use their magic to help the family. They encourage their courtesans to study as well, and many of those courtesans are not what they appear, but are secretly masked girls of the Dilatente. The woman in charge of this operation is the headmistress of the Dilatente, Signore Denizia Verde della Vestini, a quiet and kind woman who, while not beautiful, is very friendly, which earned her marriage to a Vestini and, after his death, the position of headmistress. She has been a faithful servant of Sophia's Daughters and dedicates herself to helping women as much as she can. Her own daughter has been something of a scandal: Simona Verde della Vestini fled Serine the night before her arranged marriage, taking the name Morgause Mercuri and becoming a sailor aboard the Santa Cecilia. She is impractical, headstrong and a terrible sorceress, preferring to use a sword. Her mother was scandalized, of course, but her failure has made her determined to do right by the girls of the Diletante, in an effort to salve her guilt at losing Simona.

Arene Candide was once the most prestigious land in the Numan Empire. It covers most of the coastline and has ben divided many, many times. It currently holds three provinces: Lucani, Villanova and Falisci. It is a level land and has all the major ports of Vodacce, as well as the only passage to the islands. Lucani is ruled by Alberto Lucani, and governed by Fausto Luce del Lucani. It is home to Guarre de Puertofino, one of its two major cities, and one heavily influenced by Castille. It was built just before Numa fell, and its chamber of government has seen use since then, with continuous redesigns, including once by the famous Leotano Vinchenti. It is known officially as the Cuore Governo, the Heart of the State, but is generally just called the Rachele, after Vinchenti's lost love, who died of disease as he was building it. After her death, his work was never the same, and he left a small plaque, dedicating it to her. There is also the former capital of the Arene Candide lands, Sant'Andrea. It is as aold as Numa, originally being the warlike city-state of Speturas. Today, it is famous for its needlework, and the Lucani hold many balls there. It is one of the most famous ports in Vodacce and a major tourist spot. Some of the most famous ruins in Vodacce also lie just north of it, dating back perhaps even before the Numans. Many lie unexplored, and Lucani forbids any archaeologists who do not get specific permission. Many of the ruins are home to crypt ghouls. What's a crypt ghoul? Good question!

The Lucani isle, Gorivari, is a twin to the Falisci isle, just across the bay. The two islands were once linked by bridges, long since destroyed. It was originally a Billanova isle, but the Lucani got a century ago. It shows major Castillian influence, with thick walls surrounding the port. The most important site on the isle is neither a building nor a place of revelry. It is the Perseguita, the Haunting Place, a mark of black land in the otherwise beautiful streets. It was here that the Lucani were cursed by a powerful Fate Witch, banning the Lucani witches from using their powers to aid any of Lucani blood. It is fifty feet across, full of curmbling marble pillars where once there was a great manor house. Now, they form a labyrinth that rejects warmth even at noon, and its center can barely be seen from outside. Any Lucani who sits foot in the Perseguita is sturck down by a sudden illness, and must either leave or be struck by repeated seizures. More than a few have seen the ghost of a terrible woman in white in the Perseguita.

The Villanova lands are ruled by Giovanni Villanova, and governed by Dimitrius Villanova de la Deus Varna. Its most important city is Porta Serafina, the home to most of the Villanova family - their leader, Giovanni, has less efficient spies here, and those who plot to seize control from him prefer it to the island. Dimitrius, the governor, is Giovanni's greatest foe in the family, and also his cousin. Besides them, Porta Serafina is mostly known for a trade port with extremely effective military and very severe piracy laws. Just claiming to be a member of the Brotherhood of the Coast is enough to be hurled in jail. We'll skip the next two cities, which are boring.

The Villanova island is Dionna, the smallest of the chain. It is a city renowned for its university and for its shadowy politics. Dionna University is the tallest building on the island, and home to some of the most groundbreaking medical research - in part thanks to Villanova's lack of ethical guidelines for them. Giovanni lives in Dionna in...well, several places, including one only he knows of, but the official estate is atop the island's mountain, and his wife Valentina spends most of her time there. Besides its school, Dionna is famous as a trading port, and has many smugglers, despite the danger of being found face-down in a canal.

The Falisci province is ruled by Donello Falisci and governed by Meander Verde de Falisci. Its capital is Emelia, a major wine-making city and home to the governor. Meander is perfectly loyal to Donello and believes that his prince is exactly what Vodacce needs. He is also brother to the famous schoolmistress of the Dilatente in Serine. Emelia is full of refugees from the tyranny of Villanova, and Meander isn't sure what to do about them - they obviously can't be sent home, but keeping them risks war with Villanova. It doesn't help that Donello's kindness and cleverness have made him no friends among the nobles. The next city is Casigula Rosa, once capital of the entire Arene Candide. It can be entered only from one bridge, thanks to its prominent natural walls, and that bridge is so amazing that no one has been able to reproduce it. Called the Span, it is a mile long and very tall. Some call the city the City of Angels, and ancient texts mention the bridge as one of the wonders of the world, thick as three carriages and wide enough for five horsemen, with its outer edges maintained by slanted walls. Fate Witches who walk across the san become sick and uneasy due to the powerful Sorte used in its construction to keep it up.

The Falisci island is Medico, twinned to the Lucani isle. It is a hub of politics and fashion, with visitors coming all the way from Avalon and Montaigne. It is a huge mess of roads and canals, even moreso than the other cities, and is built not just up but down as well, with an undercity for the poor and diseased, that the nobles might not have to look at them. There is constant work to create more underground roads and waterways to irrigate the city and make sure sewage goes out.

The Teramo region is the only one ruled by a single prince, not chopped up among others. It has always been Gallili land, and still remains in the hands of a descendant of the Gallilis. It is a very mountainous region, containing most of the Palo de Olimpia range, including Mount Olimpia. Legend has it that the gold of Numa is somewhere in the mountains, long forgotten, but none have ever found it. The Bernoullis own the whole place, ruled by Gespucci Bernoulli and governed by Denis and Albano Bernoulli. Mount Olimpia is more than a mountain, though - it is a city as well, a huge tourist spot that was home to some of the most revered scholars in Vodacce, including the famous Scarovese. Today, it is also the capital and home of Denis Bernoulli - a particularly poor ruler who survives by following tradition in all things. There is also Porto Spatia, a port city that could be so much more important were it not run by Albano Bernoulli, a hedonist who cares nothing for laws or governing. The guard is corrupt, and gangs rule the streets. Despite that, it is very rich thanks to illegal trade with the Crescents, and also home to the massive St. Baldarrazzo monastery, which the Bernoullis keep well-funded not to pay attention to the Crescent trade. Monks also go to the city of Jesalute, a border city and home to the Abbey of St. Giovanna, the starting place for most pilgrimages to the Crescent Empire. Few return from such trips, and those who do tell preposterous tales, of dragons, rakshasha, were-creatures and so on.

The Bernoulli island is Amozare, which runs high with water. It flows not just in canals, but up through the city, lifted by fountains and water pipes - a Bernoulli secret that the other Princes have never managed. The island is surrounded by tiny islands, tied together by bridges, and today few can say where one ends and another begins, though the distance between landmasses is sometimes as great as half a mile; buildings have been built in the water itself, giving the illusion of land where there is none. Prince Bernoulli maintains a huge dock, allowing his private ship to sail directly into the city's heart; that ship is designed such that it fits into the bridges and buildings like a hand in a glove, disturbving nothing and docking right against the palace.

Lastly, there's Numa, the Vaticine's city. The church owns it and all land in a hundred miles in every direction, keeping order in the province with Vaticine guads. Even the Princes consider this land sacred and sacrosanct. The city itself is huge, larger than any other city in Vodacce. It has developed in concentric rings, with the innermost the most primitive and oldest. Ruins still stand in the center, including the huge racecourse of Hippodromus Magnificens. The city is run by five Cardinals with full autonomy from the Princes, and for 700 years was the seat of the Hierophant and the Church. It isn't now, though, thanks to the 11th century's Hieros War. Numa is nominally seperate from politics, but the Cardinals keep a close eye on the Princes, to ensure that peace is maintained. Everyone near Numa works for the Vaticine, including the peasants. It's a nice place if you're devout, and taxes are light - but tithes are heavy. With the recent death of the Hierophant, the Cardinals are considering a new building in an effort to get the next one to live in Numa again. One of the most powerful cardinals is Teodoro Ciosa, a respected man whose word is generally considered law. He is very devout, and no one has found anything on him. Rumor has it that he can even perform miracles, but he never brags or seeks fame. The other cardinals are Ernesto Denzelli de Bernoulli, who wants Numa to be indepedent, Benedetto St. Vito, whose past is shrouded in mystery and was once a mere monk who witnessed, it is said, the returning of the dead to life. (He never speaks of it, ever. Or anything. He speaks through his aides, and they say he traded his voice for another man's life.) Then there is Carouso della Spada Lucani, a major supporter of the Lucanis and proponent of bringing the Hierophant to Numa, along with other modern, perhaps heretical changes to doctrine. And last is Michel Durand del Felisci, brother to Donello Felisci, who sometimes becomes too involved in Montaigne politics - though despite his name, he's purebred Vodacce. He works closely with Cardinal Erika Durkheim and has written several letters to l'Empereur, insisting the Church be allowed back in.

Next time: Okay, the places took up a lot of space, so culture!

Shut up, woman. You are a heretic, a renegade and a murderess.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: Shut up, woman. You are a heretic, a renegade and a murderess.

Culturally, the Vodacce are obsessed with pomp and display of wealth. Scarovese wrote that a tyrant is feared, hearing everything, seeing everything, known for cruelty and enemy of all that is good and honest. His people will hate him and wish him dead: a true prince does not allow this, but rather create the illusion of delicacy and riches, using thin strands to do much work. Vodacce culture follows the Princes, who follow the teachings of Scarovese, and so image is everything .

There is no national government, of course, and the Princes meet only occasionally to discuss policy. Beyond that, they each rule their own land with absolute authority, and with the addition of Numa there are effectively eight seperate governments. Numa can cause some problems - after all, the ethics of the Church and the realities of the Great Game are rarely in line. Over time, the Princes developed a system to allow their servants to act in their names without fearing Legion's fires: the Lord's Hands. These are special writs signed by the Cardinals, which say that a person is absolved of any sin committed in the name of the Prince. They are more legal license than religious reassurance now, and can be issued as a Prince sees fit. The Lord's Hands are very powerful, and many want those writs.

Below the Princes are various councils, bureaucrats and officials, who do the actual work of governing. The Princes just serve as the guys in charge. In addition to the ruling families, there are also minor nobles beholden to the houses, who form the backbone of the bureaucracy and courts. In the islands, government focuses mostly on keeping order and controlling trade, while on the mainland the governors have more leeway, away from the Princes. Each Prince manages the specifics differently, and the system is generally byzantine and complex, all part of the Great Game of princes and rule. Numa, of course, manages itself.

The Vodacce are not simple about anything, least of all foreign relations. The only groups the Vodacce publically dislike are the Ussurans and Vendel. Officially, they want nothing to do with Avalon, thanks to the break with the church, and the same with Montaigne - and yet they continue trade with both relatively happily. Montaigne's relations with Vodacce have been heavy since their break, but the Vodacce have responded by charging Montaigne ships three times normal prices. Most courtiers believe the Vodacce princes are secretly supplying Castille with weapons and supplies, but won't do so openly until the Castillians agree to shift Vaticine power back to Vodacce. Eisen is a metaphor, to Vodacce - a sign of what happens if rulers do not manage power well. Since the fall of Eisen, the Vaticine tithes have increased quite a bit, in hopes that Theus will not strike them down, as well. Beyond that, Eisen is a happy ally of the Vodacce. The Ussurans and Vodacce don't like each other much, and they are always on the lookout for signs of hostility. The only public war is with Vendel, though - the trade war. The Vodacce sometimes fund Vesten raiders to fight the Vendel, and the one thing all the Princes agree on is that Vendel must go...or so they say, anyway. That unity will likely last only until one of the Princes makes a major screwup and loses something big to the Vendel - at which point the others will likely turn on him.

The Vodacce respect nothing more than strength. Strength of will, strength of conviction and strength of arms. The last man standing is the one who is right, and a man never backs down from a challenge. Strength is equalled only by pride - the Vodacce work hard and are not afraid to trumpet their own deeds. Both of these traits have led to the Great Game, in which the most cunning or ruthless excels and gets to showcase his strength. The Vodacce also enjoy fights - while duels to rhe death are rare, a good non-lethal fight is a daily occurance in Vodacce cities. Almost every man has a scar from a sword or knife fight, and brawls are regular. They also love to argue and can debate for hours on end. Some businesses practically even shut down whule haggling with a stubborn customer. Vodacce honor is famous - men place a great deal of importance on their word, and never break a promise once given. Friendship also matters a great deal to them, and loyalty is more precious than gold. Of course, the Vodacce rigidly define honor, and may adhere to the letter more than the spirit, but still - honor and pride, even in the Game. More on Vodacce honor later.

First, though, let's talk about the Cymbr people. The Cymbr are wanderers and travelers, who have no residence. They are explicitly not the Gypsy analogues - that's in Ussura. These guys are strictly Vodacce and have nothing to do with those nomads. Rather, they are Vodacce who reject any lord. The Cymbr tend to congregate in bthe mountains of Palo Olimpia or the abbeys of the land. They trade labor for food and board, and use their natural craftsman's skills to pay rather than have a permanent residence. A few Cymbr villages exist, but they rarely have 500 people at any point, and may change their entire population out within six months. The Cymbri identify each other with colored patchwork flags, and speak a strange dialect of Vodacce that relies heavily on the ancient Théan tongue. The original Cymbri are said to have been Numan refugees who interbred with Crescent warriors and later Eisen mercenaries. The Cymbri are commonly woodcutters and carpenters, and they rarely trust outsiders, especially nobles. They are very secretive, but have a huge sense of Vodacce honor.

The peasants speak of the Three Women of Vodacce. First, the Fate Witches, the ruling class behind the veil. They must be respected for their sorcery, and all men know they hold destiny in their hands. They are uneducated and kept behind walls, but they hold more power than all the rest of the nation put together. Second are the courtesans, who are not as powerful but have their own ways of control. They can read and are generally well educated. Their power is transitory, but more public - men are willing to listen to courtesans on matters of learning, but when they lose their beauty, they lose their audience. And last are the Senzavista, the Sightless daughters of noblemen. They suffer more than either, being neither Fate Witch nor courtesan. They lack the power and respect of the Witches, and the education of the courtesans. Senzavistas often become part of a Fate Witch's dowry - a sort of 'second wife.' Vodacce refers to these extras as Vedova. Fate Witches, of course, are never Vedova. Senzavista don't have a choice about the disrespect, though. Sometimes a courtesan is Vedova, but when that happens, she must give up all trappings of her former life and be subservient to the ruling Fate Witch wife. This rarely happens, mostly to courtesans who begin to grow old, and few of those survive it. Fate is not kind to the Vedova.

We've talked about the Dilatente...ah. Tessatore. The Fate Witches have placed a ruling council over themselves: the Tessatore, the Weavers. They are the oldest and most powerful Atropos in Vodacce, serving as a bastion of culture and tradition. They strongly oppose change, and they punish the Fate Witches who break the cultural rules - generally letting the men handle it, but sometimes taking it into their own hands. They meet only rarely, but each city has its own inner council. There's no rules to joining - when you belong, you know . Even the Princes fear the Tessatore, though they'd never admit it.

A woman who becomes engaged is given two choices: marry the man their father has chosen, or retire to a nunnery for the rest of their lives. Few Fate Witches accept nunneries, but many Senzavista accept that fate rather than become Vedova. Nunneries are strange in Vodacce - the nuns are neither members of the women's world, nor part of the Game, but they are not forgotten, and spend their days in prayer or charity. Women in nunneries may never leave the grounds, but they may speak freely to each other and even learn to read. The Church has, however, put severe restrictions on nuns: they must swear never to use sorcery if they have it, or be burned at the stake. Courtesans, meanwhile, receive impeccable schooling. Those who fail end up in whorehouses - but those who succeed can end up the personal aide of a Prince. The difference between triumph and tragedy is thin - one wrong word might be enough to be bought by an abusive nobleman or worse. However, a skilled courtesan can find a noble who will do anything for her, wielding him like a puppet. Courtesans are typically peasants or minor nobles sold to the courtesan's guild, and no sorcerer is allowed to become one. Senzavista are only rarely allowed. Some women do not obey the rules, though - they flee, trying to make a life for themselves outside. These runaways are generally hunted by Vodacce swordsmen who seek to bring them to 'justice' for their transgression of culture, and they usually have the personal backing of a Prince. The punishment is always the same: burning at the stake.

Vodacce is unique in that they do not outlaw duels, even those by non-Swordsmen. Most noblemen are Swordsmen, of course, due to their training...but some are not, and if everyone is a Swordsman, none can issue a proper challenge. The Vodacce pay lip service to the Guild at best. The Guild once considered issuing sanction against the whole country, but after Villanova killed a rival publically and then the ten Swordsmen sent to collect grievances (and sent them home in pieces), they tought better of it. We'll skip most of the art section since it's not that interesting - except one note. The Vodacce breed spiders as pets, and they take the place of dogs and cats for the nobles. Cats are common, but the Fate Witches refuse to keep them, seeing capture of a cat as unlucky. It's not that they dislike them - far from it - they just see it as a wrong to imprison them as pets, so instead Vodacce has a huge stray cat population, generally fed by donation to large public troughs. Spiders, meanwhile, are kept and bred for various functions, sometimes enchanted via esoteric Sorte.

There are a number of famous authors and artists in Vodacce. The greatest, of course, is Cristoforo Scarovese, and it should be understood: he really didn't like the people whom he wrote about. He thought they were horrible people - but he felt they could unite Vodacce, which was his goal in life. He tried to gain favor with those he wrote about, and his work shocked and outraged the public - but the nobility loved it, and adopted it wholeheartedly. Scarovese was appalled, but could do nothing - to keep his money, his family required him to embrace his 'success.' He hated what his work had become, but he had to do nothing if he wanted to live. He never wrote another book, and died mysteriously of food poisoning in 1412. Then there was the greatest sculptor and architect of Vodacce, Benzidi Poficiare. He singlehandedly restored fame for architecture to Vodacce, and his work dominates baroque architecture. His work uses Sorte to help provide tnesion for high arches, creating a strength that mere stone could not provide, and many believe he sold his soul to Legion for his talent. Lastly, there is Leotano Vinchenti, student of the Castillian scholar Manuel Chrysoloras. He was an inventor, a scholar, a sculptor and a painter. He spent years trying to master alchemy, creating traps to capture sea monsters and spreading knowledge in every way. He did everything . He is, you know, da Vinci. He could speak with fourteen languages, write with both hands at the same time and recite entire chapters of philosophy from memory. He built kites that needed ten strings to pilot and many other things. He never took any offers of patronage, taught a generation of students and was one of the most prolific men of the Renaissance. And, to everyone's admiration, he never had anything to do with the Great Game. He died at 76, and was buried beneath the Rachele.

Religiously, of course, the Vodacce are all Vaticine. All of them. However, theirs is a Vaticine belief system that is full of odd contradictions. They define vice in such a manner that it does not interferre with their lifestyle - and in return, the church is granted authority over all spirituality. Fate Witches devoutly pray for futures they could easily control with magic, husbands pray for the lives of their families and then return home to women who are not their wives. They honor the sanctity of human life, yet often duel to the death. The Vaticine has an elaborate system to address these contradictions, which is nearly as complicated as everything else in Vodacce. It should be noted - while all Vodacce might appear devout, many just use religion as a political tool. Still, the Vaticine is firmly ensconced in Vodacce, and the peasants and priests tend to be truly devout. Objectionism is never going to get a foothold here, and even Giovanni Villanova must be seen in church each week or he would have his power threatened in a way nothing else could do. Still - the Vaticine was tried hard when Scarovese's work was published and quickly supplanted their traditional values. The Church has responded by reinforcing Numa's role as an impartial moderator and become a balancing force in the Great Game, trying to mediate and be the trustworthy party in a nation of underhanded dealings. They brought peace to wartorn regions and established Numa as neutral ground. Of course, they are now part of the Great Game even as they try to control it, and have been compelled in some times to exercise Scarovese's teachings in their own unique way.

Now, important people. Gespucci Bernoulli, like most of his family, is a devout Vaticine. He is also very, very, very rich. Like, so rich only l'Empereur comes close. He works hard to stay on good terms with the Crescents, and while he hasn't left Vodacce in years, his name still holds weight there. As a result, his lands are also less of a target for Kheired-Din. However, he feels that the Church comes first, and is a major supporter of its doctrine and its finances. His sons, Augustin, Giuseppe and Dominic, are the most renowned hellions in Vodacce, despite their father's convictions. All three regularly head into the Crescent Empire for trade, and while they keep things in order, the business matters a lot less to them than their own fun. Augustin has a reputation as a womanizer, Giuseppe kills on a whim and Dominic...well, he smokes the desert weed. Gespucci's given up on correcting them, and prayers for their souls when he dies. His closest friend is Cardinal Ciosa, whom he supports without question. Common rumor is that on his death, he will turn all his lands over to the church.

Vincenzo Caligari has long sought Syrneth artifacts as a way to defeat the Villanovas, but Vincenzo takes the obsession to new heights. He once wanted to join the Explorers, but discarded the idea when he realized he'd have to follow their goals as well. He wants the Syrneth to serve him, not the other way around. For more than sixty years, he has been seeking anything to aid his quest, and is a fierce rival of the Explorers. He is the foremost expert in the world on Syrneth artifacts, and owns a huge collection. However, destroying the Villanovas is only a small part of his plan: he wants to live forever. Old age is weakening him, and he'll not have that. He spends nearly all his time searching for anything that might make him immortal. Recently, it seems like he fond it. A few months ago, he locked himself in the dungeons - and then vanished for three weeks. When he returned, he seemed more vibrant, and he paid the adventurers who'd brought him the artifacts exceptionally well. They were found dead a few days later. He is mostly interested in immortality, though he has never forgotten the tale of the Caligara name, and he does care about getting his vengeance on Villanova.

Donello Falisci is a rarity as a Falisci prince - a decent man who is more interested in wine than politics. His great-great-great-so-many-greats-grandfather was Scarovese, but he shows no signs of inheriting the family lust for power. He is content to host parties and celebrations of great extravagance, and the other Princes keep waiting for the mask to drop - but it never does. Donello is extremely intelligent and stubborn, and he never does anything with less than his full intensity. He is currently looking for a wife, incidentally. Like all Falisci, he's a hedonist - but he's got some Montaigne pragmatism in him, through his mother, and while he could make a bid for the throne, he doesn't want it. It'd just get him more enemies, and even l'Empereur would bend his knee for a bottle of wine already, so what more does he need? His search for a wife has taken an unexpected turn recently - he's been enthralled by a Montaigne noblewoman, a well-educated, clever woman without any Sorte at all. He knows it's hopeless, but it doesn't matter. He's fallen in love with Jamais Sices du Sices - and she hates his guts.

Alberto Lucani grew up being told his family was worthless - that everything they did could be done better by another ruling family. He heard this and vowed to change it. In the meantime, he tried to address the deficiencies by overcompensating for everything. He tried to become the best merchant, got his workers to be the best embroiderers, sold his textiles only to the best nobles. He sponsored the Knights of the Rose and Cross in exchange for occasional aid, dressed gaudily and threw parties just to show his wealth. By the time he was head of the Lucani, he was famous as the biggest fop in Vodacce...and he didn't manage to change his family's reputation. Thangs began to look up when he married a Vestini woman named Francesca and had four children - all daughters. He was delighted, unlike most nobles of Vodacce. They'd never usurp him, and were all powerful sorceresses. He had them trained as Fate Witches and they could be hugely useful to him. There's just one problem: he loves them dearly. They are his joy, the only genuine joy he has ever felt, and he sees their intelligence, their innocence...it breaks his heart to think that they must one day leave him. He knows he can't keep them - it's not what's good for him or the family. He must sell them to the highest bidder - and he can't stand it. It is the only way for his family to prosper, yet it will make him truly unhappy.

Next time: More men of power.

"No, Gioseppe. I love you...I will always love you." "You will be burned."

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: "No, Gioseppe. I love you...I will always love you." "You will be burned."

Marco Edorardo Vestini was a boy whose every whim was catered to. His father was a boor and a hedonist, and Marco seemed ready at first to follow his footsteps. He was essentially a sociopath, a terror to his teachers and friends and some say he drove his mother to her death. On his tenth birthday, though, he stumbled across his father, unconscious, soaked in wine and hideous. He was revolted, and sought out the family priest for guidance. (Even at 10, he was rather clever.) The aboot told him that fulfillment came from honor and devotion to one's fellow man - so long as he lived for himself, Marco would be more and more like his father, but living for others would save him. Marco took the advice to heart and dedicated himself to being an enlightened nobleman. On his fifteenth birthday, he challenged his father to a duel - and while the elder Vestini was a skilled swordsman, landing a cut above Marco's right eye, Marco won, killing his father. From then on, he was the lord of the family. Since then, he's worked to make life in Vestini lands as pleasant as possible. He employs the best craftsmen, which he sells at outrageous prices, but his schools teach the poor at no cost. AS he prospered, he came to understand the abbot's wisdom. Today, he is the golden boy of Vodacce: Young, handsome and irresistable. He plays the Great Game with skill, but never lets it cloud his goals. He is the leader of the charge against the Vendel, and has advocated outright war against them. The other Princes think he's just an upstart - but he knows he's right. No longer the spoiled boy he was, he is a noble and confident leader who still bears the scar of his father's sword.

Giovanni Villanova is the leader of the most black-hearted family in the world, and has few peers in villainy. Reis may be more terrifying, l'Empereur more capable of widespread suffering - but Giovanni is a genius, too smart to be blinded by vanity or hunted by his foes. He lacks their weaknesses. At ten, his father Allegro suffered a terrible fall down a flight of stairs, breaking his neck - and none dared mention that Giovanni was with his father at the time. Giovanni's elder brother Giam became Prince then - but Giovanni had plans for that, too. Giam promised to abdicate when Giovanni came of age...but Giovanni preferred to spend two years poisoning his brother to death. Since then, he has become the best of the Great Game, having ruthless ambition and no morals. He has killed dozens and thwarted countless coups. He never underestimates his foes and is always objective - he has no use for emotion in his plans. His reputation keeps the other princes aligned against him, or he'd have united Vodacce long ago. Today, he rules with absolute authority, threatening war on his neighbors and supporting the largest university in Vodacce. He keeps a careful eye on their work, always looking for things to increase his power an prestige. He knows about the plans of the other Princes, and intends to use them to his own benefit, ensuring they begin the war so he can end it. He trusts only two people - his courtesan, Juliette, and his wife, Valentina. One is his lover, the other merely his servant, albeit one treated with greatest respect. Valentina is a powerful Fate Witch, but not so powerful as some, and he wishes that her talent were greater, to better support him. He has recently learned that Bernice Caligari is practicing new powers of Sorte, which she won't even discuss with her closest maid (his spy), but writes in secret journals (which his spy reads). He knows she's planning to duplicate some sorcery of the Mad Queen. He's sure he can turn this to his advantage, and Juliette insists she can be controlled. Giovanni is smug, evil and not at all afraid to let you know it. He is a perfect sociopath.


Imagine giant flashing lights telling you not to fuck with this guy without a plan.

Beyond the princes, there is Cardinal Teodoro Ciosa, a child of a gentry family under the Bernoullis. He grew up wanting for nothing, and entered the clergy more out of family expectation than anything else. He didn't want to be a monk or ascetic, and chose priesthood instead. He was merely an average scholar, nothing great. But in Numa, where he was assigned, he began to see the Church as something more than just a place to eat and live. He gained a new sense of purpose as he worked with the local peasants, leading him to study harder, eat less and shoot up through the ranks as he grew in knowledge and dedication. At last, he inherited his family's lands, as his elder brother died without heir - and he promptly gave it all away, dividing the lands up and giving them to the farmers living on it. Prince Bernoulli respected the man's wishes, and allowed the locals to select their own governor. Ciosa then headed to the monastery of Saint Baldarrazzo, where he quickly rose to be Monsignor. He reformed the monastery during his tenure, making it the most successful in Vodacce. He is now an old man, made Cardinal at the same cathedral he once served at. He is responsible for nearly half of Vodacce, and has never given any reason to make people regret his appointment. He is also technically still Abbot of the Monastery of Saint Baldarrazzo, and spends most of his time either there or in Vaticine City, as the cathedral is a short trip from the monastery. He is a reformer at heart, and has put forward several ideas to put the Church back on track, advocating giving Castille a new Cardinal to replace Montaigne's and shut Montaigne out of Church politics; however, Cardinal Verdugo of Castille opposes the plan, and Ciosa trusts him less and less with each passing day. His close friends with Gespucci Bernoulli.

Bartholoemus Corradin is a man from a long line of composers. His early works were unspectacular - technically proficient but lacking. Last year, however, he wrote his first opera. Vincenzo and Belloza is a tale of love and passion, chronicling the affair of the shy Vincenzo and the passionate but circumspect Belloza, who tries to get Vincenzo to make the first move by flirting with another boy, Matteo - which leads Vincenzo to find refuge in the arms of a woman named Lucia. They all confess to Father Giovanni, who guides them to one another through continued conversations with each in turn, and the final act climaxes with the four lovers confessing their feelings in a beautiful quartet. Vincenzo and Belloza come together, and Matteo and Lucia realize they are also in love. It has received great acclaims, and Corradin was marked as a man to be watched. Six months later, he made a second opera: Rosetta . It features a serving girl, Rosetta, who marries an uncaring man, Nicolo, only to fall in love with and be carried off by Prince Dante. The sorcerous dwarf Pasquale witnesses the act, and punishes everyone involved - Nicolo for being swine, Dante for carrying off another's wife, and Rosetta for living above her station. Rosetta returns to a new, caring Nicolo and the two declare their love for each other in a stunning duet. It is hailed as perhaps the greatest opera ever written, loved by commoner and noble alike. It has made Corradin a very, very wealthy celebrity, who spends lavishly and dresses in the finest clothes. He is friendly and flamboyant, acting the hedonist in all was - though he does everything he can to avoid challenges, and his hired a huge swordsman named Giorgio Filin to be his bodyguard. He refuses to take students or to accept visitors in his own home, and says he is working on a third opera, which will be his best yet.

Sebastiano Scogna is a mongrel - his mother was child of a Montaigne merchant and an Eisen captain's daughter, and his father was the son of a Vodacce sailor and a Castillian dancer. His father was a navigator aboard a trade ship, and Sebastiano soon followed his father and grandfather's footsteps, heading out to sea, where he learned to sail, swear, think fast and pray - and to dream. His father saw to it that his curious son was given education by the best tutors available, and Sebastiano took over navigation when his father grew too old to sail. His career might have peaked there were it not for that curiosity. At 22, he knew all about seamanship - and then his ship took a Castillian pirate vessel. The ship couldn't be dragged home, and Sebastiano didn't want to leave it - so he claimed it, taking a skeleton crew to bring it to Vodacce for repairs. The Santa Cecilia, as he named it for the Patron Saint of Wanderers, has now weathered several battles under his command, and the crew is fiercely loyal. They have sailed the six seas, fought pirates, drank with pirates, helped pirates and been pirates. Now 37, Sebastiano speaks seven languages, has contacts across the world and is comfortable anywhere. His first mate's a Crescent, his ship's master is a Vesten skjæren, his head borader an Ussuran and his chief gunner a Vodacce girl. He is a first rate captain and navigator, and has made lots of money for the Princes with his ship. He's very openminded, and is a supporter (but not a member) of the Order of the Rose and Cross, as well as a member of the Explorers. He can tolerate just about anything - but when he does fight, he fights to kill.

Beatrice Caligari, the only child of Vincenzo's favorite brother, has been left to her own devices for a long time. When her parents died, Vincenzo adopted her, and she grew up with Vincenzo's daughter Morella. She showed great talent at Sorte as a youth, and was sent to the Diletante to study, where she learned to dance, sew, run a household...and to read. She has kept that secret from everyone but Morella. She made three prophecies on her sister's sixteenth birthday: that Morella would marry the most powerful man in the world, but displease him. That the marriage would lead to the birth of the most powerful sorcerer ever to live. And that Morella's death would mark the beginning of the worst bloodbath that Montaigne had ever seen. The first has come true, for Morella married the Empereur, and Beatrice fears the others will as well - she's never been wrong before. She's always felt alone - her parents died when she was young, and her uncle has always been distant. Her cousins are too busy running Caligari land. She married Aldo Falisci, but he was scared to death of her and the two sleep in seperate rooms. Morella, the only sister she ever knew, left to be Imperatrice of Montaigne, and she was left completely alone. She doesn't mind so much - it's nothing new to her. She doesn't speak, invite friendships or visit her husband in his chambers. This is best, because Aldo keeps four courtesans as well as a Vesten lover who'd probably kill Beatrice. She keeps a secret journal, known only to herself and her maidservant, and spends her days practicing Sorte, manipulating the threads to some unknown purpose. Those Fate Witches unlucky enough to live near her rooms often find themselves sick and disoriented. She is a beautiful woman, but fears that beauty and refuses to enter any room with a mirror. She also wears a heavy veil at all times, and once tried to pluck out her own eyes in her youth.

Juliette is a beautiful and powerful courtesan - the personal courtesan of Giovanni Villanova. She is the daughter of Veronica Ambrogia, the courtesan who invented the Ambrogia fencing school - but she was never allowed to learn the sword. She was trained from an early age to be the best of courtesans, and learned it well. She's veryi ntelligent, and a master of courtesan skills, both traditional and untraditional, and has learned to look after herself - for none will do it for her. She began her career in Dionna, and soon had the entire male populace eating from her hand. This made her very rich, bouncing from one admirer to the next - but to be secure, she needed a permanent consort. Only one man could fit the bill: Giovanni Villanova himself. It took a year to earn his affections, and two more before he became her sole admirer. She needed all her considerable skill to manage it, and she did. Three years ago, she became his permanent consort, and has allowed him to believe that it was his prowess that won her over. She has, since then, done whatever must be done to make Giovanni happy, and in return she gets the best life a woman could hope for - so long as she stays on his good side. She has never learned Ambrogia, but Giovanni is teaching her Villanova fencing - he thinks it's funny when his courtesan can beat his students. The only problem in her life is Villanova's wife, Valentina. The Fate Witch hates her and wants to see her drowned in a canal. Giovanni protects her from assassins - and of course she can protect herself - but Valentina is implacable. The two often fence verbally.

Morgause Mercuri, once Simona Verde della Vestini, is the daughter of Denizia Verde della Vestini, mistress of the Diletante. Simona was a small girl, bullied and abused by her father and brothers, and all she ever got from her mother were vague promises that things would be better when she was older. At 13, her father arranged her to marry a cloth merchant, who made it clear that he had no use for as anything but a bedwarmer. The night before the wedding, she climbed out a window and fled. She took her new name for her new life, stowed away aboard a ship and was only found when the ship was attacked by Castillian pirates. The captain of the pirate ship Caballero Negro took her as his share of the loot, and...kept her as a, uh, concubine for a few months. Ew ew ew ew ew stop talking about people wanting to bang the thirteen-year-old girl! She learned how to live aboard a ship, and once the captain grew tired of her, he let her learn gunnery, as her small size made her good at scrambling around in the ship. She learned how to fight, how to fire the guns. And after a few months, she put her plan into action as the ship attacked a Vodacce merchantman. She blew up the powder charges she'd left all over the ship, killed most of the crew as they prepared to board and watched as the merchantman's sailors killed the rest, hiding in the powder room. Fortunately, the Vodacce were more curious about the explosions than angry at the attack, and the navigator of the merchantman, Sebastiano Scogna, took pity on her - and when he claimed the pirate ship Caballero Negro, he took Morgause with him. (This is the ruined pirate ship from Scogna's backstory. This is why it was so ruined.) Now, she is the chief gunner of the Santa Cecilia, and is fiercely loyal to Sebastiano. She is still small, but is a great shot and the fiercest knife fighter the crew knows.

Valentine Villanova was born a Vestini, and showed signs of genius from an early age. She had a great talent for painting, sculpture and math, even then, and her mother took her to a nunnery to keep her from being killed, hoping the nuns could drive the "evil" from her. The Mother Superior was dumbfounded by the girl's intuitive grasp of theoretical math despite her illiteracy, and suggested at first that the girl be trained as a courtesan. Shortly after, her powerful Sorte emerged, and the nuns punished her severely for showing any interest in math, reading or writing. Only one person encouraged her: a local girl named Giulia. Though the two could not be friends, since Giulia was a commoner, they developed a strong kinship. Valentina was taken from the nunner at fourteen, and the two wept furiously, sure they'd never meet again. Valentina soon caugh the eye of Giovanni Villanova and was married to him, producing two sons. Her duty done, the prince promptly ignored her save for asking occasional use of her Sorte. Valentina allows him to see what he wants - that she is an eager servant whose powers are just enough to do the job, but no more. She hides her true intelligence from him, as it would be highly dangerous. Villanova once caught her looking at books and beat her senseless to "teach her her place." She's never touched a book again. When Giovanni took his first permanent courtesan, Juliette, Valentina demanded she be killed and even tried to hire assassins. Villanova foiled them easily and beat her again for her arrogance, but had expected no less. In order to taunt her, Giovanni introduced Juliette at a grand ball, and Valentina threatened her life with a dagger, and when subdued fell into a fit. She was forced to leave and forbidden to return - just as Giovanni had wanted. Valentina has never forgotten the incident, and it has changed her life. Now, she is quiet, dedicating her life to her sons, and never speaks out of turn or looks up. In public, she spars verbally and very nastily with Juliette, and many believe the two will actually try to kill each other.

We move now into the new mechanics part of the book! There's a new knack for Sorte: the Black Strand. Learning the Black Strand allows Fate Witches to see the black strands, which can never be altered in any way, and the knack can only be learned by Adepts or Masters. Those who learn the knack seem to leave unnaturally long times, remaining young throughout. The black strands representing impending death - but not every person who dies gets one, so there's probably some other condition, too, which we aren't told. There are also new tricks: the Card Spreads. These can be done when using a Sorte deck as a focus, and require ten minutes of uninterrupted concentration. After that, the witch lays out the cards and follows the rules of the Spread. Spreads can cause Fate Lashes as normal. The book also suggests perhaps using Tarot cards rather than rolling dice. (There is also a sidebar on allowing Fate Witches to learn an esoteric ability to weave fate strands into music, allowing the listeners to experience new heights of emotion. The GM can allow Fate Witches to add one die to their Composer rolls per rank in Sorte, but only if their Composer is at least two. The GM may tell them to pay a Drama die for the bonus for particularly hard songs.)

The Coins Spread, which can be done by Apprentices, is used to try and increase luck in monetary endeavors for the person being blessed. The Witch pulls out all the Coin cards from the deck, shuffles them, then picks three at random, laying the second lengthwise across the first, and the third above those two. The witch either spends 1 drama die or the target spends 2 drama dice. The Witch then rolls exploding dice equal to her Coins knack (or draws that many cards, with Court cards being 10s), adding the total to the recipient's income for the next month. This Spread can be done as often as the cost can be paid.

The Cups Spread, like the Coins Spread, is easy and can be done by Apprentices. You take out all the Cups and do as above, trying to increase the attraction of a particular person to the target - it's a temporary love spell. The Witch spends 2 dice or the target spends 4, and the witch rolls dice equal to her Cups (or draws cards as above), and for every 15 points rolled, the target gets +1 die when making Charm repartee attempts against a specific person for one month. This can be done as often as the cost can be paid.

The Staves spread is harder, and requires an Adept, though the actual physical spread is identical to the above but with Staves. It increases fame and influence. The Witch either spends 3 Drama dice or has the target spend 6, then rolls dice equal to Staves and adds the total to the target's Reputation for the next month. This can be done as often as the cost can be paid.

The Swords spread is the most powerful and valuable spread an Adept can use, as it gives a destiny to a weapon that is usable by others. The spread is identical to the above but with the Swords cards. The witch spends 4 drama dice or the person the sword is intended for spends 8. This adds one Destiny die to the weapon, which we'll go into later. The weapon must be an ordinary one - dracheneisen swords, puzzle swords and so on can't be enchanted. This can be done as often as the price is paid, but the Witch can't have more than her Swords knack in Destiny dice enchanted at any given time. She can cancel any Destiny dice given at will.

The Black Spread requires a master, and it seems very simple at first - but only the most powerful can do it, and only for themselves. Never others. The spread is done with a special suit of cards, the Skull suit, which is rarely used in other things andh as the standard 1-10 and Court cards. The spread also includes the Tower arcana. The Witch shuffles the cards, blindfolds herself and picks two at random, laying one above the other. The riitual keeps the Witch young beyond her years - it doesn't extend the lifespan, but it keeps her physically young until the day she dies. If the Tower is chosen, though, all previous Black Spreads are instantly undone. You spend 5 Drama dice on this spread, and then roll dice equal to your Black Strand knack (or draw cards as above). For every 15 points you roll, you add 1 year to your Middle-Aged and Old categories on the aging charts - so rather than being Middle-Aged at, say, 26, you are Middle-Aged at 27. You can do this as often as the cost can be paid, but if you ever get a Fate Lash, your age reverts to normal.

Last is the Arcana Spread, the most powerful Sorte effect the Witches know. It can be done only by a master, and rather than cards, the Witch weaves a tapestry and weaves Fate strands into it, taking a single Sorte Major Arcana card and weaving a tapestry of the intended target in front of the picture. The effect is so powerful that it can change the target's personality, though it will eventually reassert itself. The tapestry takes two months and 50G to make, and once woven the Witch must spend 10 Drama dice to weave the strands into it, giving the target the Arcana of her choice - either Hubris/Flaw or Virtue/Wile. It lasts for 10 months, -1 per rank of Resolve of the target. It replaces any Arcana the target normally has for the duration, and can be done as often as the cost can be paid. However, you can only have three tapestries active at any given time.

Next time: Vodacce honor and what a Destiny die actually does. Also, sword schools.

One day, she just appeared up there, laughin' like a storm.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: One day, she just appeared up there, laughin' like a storm.

The Vodacce code of honor is not adhered to by everyone, but you can take a background saying that you will never break one of its rules, ever. What are the rules? First, never harm a child. Ever. They are innocents and thus immune to the rules of the Great Game. Second, never harm a mother or expectant mother - similar reasoning, they raise the leader of tomorrow. Third, never harm the Vaticine Church or its institutions. Fourth, always meet a man's eyes unless he's clearly your superior, otherwise you're a coward. Fifth, once you draw your sword it must taste blood before it can be sheathed. Sixth, Always repay your debts - a man who can't has no honor. Always collect what's owed you - a man who can't has no strength. Seventh, family loyalty is more important than anything, and an insult to your family is an insult to you. Last, never refuse a challenge. If you take the Code of Honor background, you get XP when the rules you can't break cause you trouble...but you lose a Drama die if you break them.

The first new school of fencing is Bernoulli, a style designed based on Crescent techniques, but modified for the cavalry saber. It is designed to use sweeping moves to keep foes at a distance until they weaken, which you then take advantage of. The school's overly defensive approach and the nature of the saber make it hard to adjust on the fly, though - but on the other hand, you're hard to hit, and the methodical movements of Bernoulli can be surprising in Vodacce, where most styles use quick cuts...as long as you can keep track of them all and plan for them. An Apprentice Bernoulli fencer adds their Mastery level to their TN to be hit, learning defense first. A Journeyman learns the technique of fleché , a special lunge aimed at the head. This allows them to give up actions to add dice to the damage roll of a lunge and make it harder to actively defend against. Journeyman also get a free rank of Lunge, which raises their maximum Lunge to 6. A Master Bernoulli fencer can attack from a defensive position - even if they're retreating. Once per round, they ma reroll a failed attack.

Many do not consider the Cappuntina School a fencing school - certainly the Swordsman's Guild doesn't, and learning it doesn't get you membership. Its name is derived from the word for 'hat pin', and it's designed for women to learn to protect themselves. It uses thrown knives or, in older times, hat pins. Its great strength is swiftness, and students learn to disable foes with vicious cuts, then flee before they recover. The weakness is that Cappuntina lacks stamina - if you can't win fast, you can't win. Apprentices of Cappuntina learn to draw and throw quickly, suffering no off-hand penalty with throwing knives and letting them draw and throw a knife in a single action. They may also buy the Throw (Knife) knack as basic, not advanced. A Journeyman of Cappuntina learns to strike with more than one weapon; she can throw a number of knives per action equal to her mastery level. All must be at the same target, and you make a single attack roll for them. If they hit, they deal damage as a group, doing 1k1 damage per knife. A Master can take down entire brute squads with one rain of knives. They may modify their Journeyman flurry to hit multiple targets, but must make a seperate Attack roll for each one. For each knife you choose not to throw, you get a free Raise to the throws of each other knife that action.

The sinister Villanovas have developed the Villanova school, designed to quickly return blows and incorporating all kinds of dirty tricks. Students are taught only at a secluded academy in a swamp deep in Villanova territory, and it's said that all graduates must swear fealty to the Villanovas, though it probably isn't true. Its big strength is the ability to reverse an attack, utilizing the stop-thrust to attack the foe based on their own attack, as well as many feints. However, it also encourages overconfidence, and more than a few Villanova fencers have died due to underestimating their foes. The Stop-Thrust is a new fencing knack, which lets you use a held or current (but not an interrupt) action to make an attack on your foe when they attack you - and if you deal a Dramatic wound with the attack, they automatically miss. An Apprentice of Villanova also learns to use their concealed secondary weapon, suffering no offhand penalties when using a knife in the off-hand, and getting a free Raise on Parry (Knife) rolls. Many Villanova fencers use special ring grips as well. Villanova Journeymen learn to conceal their moves behind feints, getting a free rank of the Feint knack and raising their maximum possible Feint to 6. Masters of the school learn to trap foes by faking openings, and may voluntarily lower their TN to be hit at the start of a phase, in increments of 5. If you are attacked and perform a stop-thrust while your TN is so lowered, you get a free Raise for every 5 you lowered your TN to be hit by.

Let's see - on to Advantages! You could spend points on Cymbr Connection, which gives you Cymbr friends.
I realize it actually does do something, but it's written badly - you should never explain that an advantage has no tangible benefits, especially right before you say what the benefit is. Of course, having Cymbri as friends is not the best use of points for most people. Perhaps you'd prefer to be a governor of a territory, giving you plenty of starting cash and variable monthly income based on...Accounting rolls to embezzle. Or maybe you want to be part of a Lord's Hand - the people who have free writ to break any law while working for a Prince. You need to be Vodacce, have Wits and Panache of at least 3, have 10 or more points spent on Courtier knacks and at least three Martial Skills, and you have to obey your Prince and report treachery to him. In return, you are above all laws when serving your Prince. You could take Scarovese, which lets your Reputation go lower before you receive the mandatory moment of becoming an NPC villain.

You can also buy a Twisted Blade, which is one that's been blessed by a Fate Witch. Most such weapons are swords - but some are even guns! For every two points you spend on Twisted Blade, your weapon has 1 Destiny die, and you can buy up to 5. You can spend these dice on any roll involving the weapon, and when you do you add 1k1 to the roll. Destiny dice refresh at the start of a new act. The Unbound, as I mentioned, are Vodacce men born with complete immunity to Sorte - all strands attached to them are considered to have Court cards and thus be utterly unchangeable by magic. They have been some of the best heroes and worst villains of Vodacce, and they have Fear 2 against fate witches. Or maybe you want a pet spider. Hell, of course you do! What's a pet spider good for? Well, you either pick an ability, or roll on a chart. The chart has the chance to roll twice, but your ability is random. You can get: 1 - Glow - you have a small globe of phospherescent spiders or one big one, which lights up a ten by ten area. 2 - Poison - your pet spider is trained to bite someone who enters an area it's guarding, injecting a painful venom that deals 3k2 wounds. It has enough poison to bite once a day. 3 - Theft Mark - the spider is trained to bite anyone who takes a specific object, causing their skin to swell up for several days, making it easy to spot the thief. 4 - Door Marks - the spider is trained to spin webs over doors or windows, which allows the owner to easily spot if someone has passed through the door or window. It takes ten minutes to mark an entrance. 5 - Tough Lines - the spider's thread is strong enough to be used as rope. It takes a week to spin 50 feet of thread, which can hold up to 250 pounds. 6 - Retrieval - The spider can fetch small items - anything that's less than a pound, but either it can only do a specific type of item (rings, say) or it has to be an object the spider has marked with scent. 7 - Message Transfer - thanks to Sorte, your spider's bite is magically telepathic! When it bites someone, it transfers a message of up to fifteen words, which can only be transferred once; it can't take a reply. This power can be used three times a week. 8 - Tracking - The spider can track a specific person, leaving a distinctive trail to follow with its thread. It will go any distance, but is too slow to follow horses or wagons, and boats render its trail useless. 9 - Hide Object - The spider can hide an object weighing no more than a pound, wrapping it in thread and taking it to a secret place. It can retrieve the objects when ordered, and while hidden, the object is impossible to find by any human means. It can hide up to three objects at a time. And of course 0 - Roll twice and ignore further 0s.

A ring grip is an optional modification to a sword, which gives a Free Raise to all Feint rolls due to greater control of the weapon, but causes you to suffer 1k1 wounds when disarmed, as you nearly break your fingers. There's also stats for throwing knives and a lot of poisons, ranging from Crimson Thinner (which prevents blood clots and causes wounds to deal more damage) to Ethera (which is actually more a buff - it allows you to ignore being crippled at the cost of not knowing when you're dramatically wounded until after it wears off) to Godiva's Tears (which renders you easier to seduce). All kinds of poisons! The worst is Prophet's Breath, which causes instant death, is hugely expensive and can be made by only three men in the entire nation, using ingredients from far Cathay.

We return to the story of Lucrezia for its ending. This piece of fiction takes place aboard a ship, and Lucrezia is mad now, seeing threads everywhere and laughing for no clear reason. The sailors don't know all of her history, but they know she's a Vodacce witch that can read. She lives in the crow's nest, and no one is brave enough to tell her to come down. She can swing across the ship with amazing grace and ease, dancing as she does and cackling into the storm. She tells stories to the sailors who bring her food, and talks constantly about how there's a strand she has to find that keeps escaping her. The sailors think she's forgotten that her lover, Giuseppe, is dead and gone - because she killed him.

We get an essay on the Great Game and Scarovese's works now. It has some advice from Means to Ends, such as 'Always choose your battlefield' or that cruelty is used as an example, while execution is a punishment. Fear is more useful than love, etc. Despite the intensely cynical outlook, though, the Great Game is more than ambition: it trains you to be strong, and to make men loyal. Vodacce are also quick to point out that despite the Game, they still have honor. The Inquisition won't show its face in Vodacce, the peasants are by and large happy and for every wicked prince or scheming courtesan, there are dozens of noble heroes and virtuous women. Vodacce honor is convoluted and byzantine, but it very, very much exists. They claim it springs from virtú , virtue - the demonstration of human ability. Virtuous men make the most of their opportunities and excel in their work. How they do something is less important than why or what they achieve. The Vodacce would see a man poisoning a prince as virtuous if it allowed the peasants beneath him to feed their children - even noble, in its way. Most of the rest of the world would see it as villainy. What they believe, more than anything else, is that a man is responsible for his actions, and does not blame others for his mistakes or turn away from hard decisions. Vodacce society is, however, very cruel to women - they don't get to be seen as heroes, and must manipulate others to act for them if they wish to be seen as virtuous.

Now, secrets. Gespucci Bernoulli is a journeyman Ambrogia fencer, and a very wily trader who has been quietly subsidizing the Lucani textile industry. He's just waiting for the right chance to take control of it, and also would love to own the Falisci vineyards. He never makes the first move, but has plans for every contingency. He is very wealthy, and has whole warehouses full of things he bought just so his enemies couldn't have them. He also has secret treaties with the Crescent warrior tribes across the mountains - once someone starts a war, the Crescents will stream over the passes to crush his foes. Unfortunately, the right time to strike has not come - and Bernoulli knows he may die before it does. He has restructured his will, and while the Church is getting a lot, it's not getting everything. Instead, his right hand man, Angelo Vercelis, is his heir - his sons are getting trust funds, and he's sure they won't care as long as they can continue their vices in peace. He is trying to produce a fourth son that can be a ward to Vercelis and his official heir.

Vincenzo Caligari has a great secret: their island's not an island. It is a strange Syrneth thing, powered by artifacts deep beneath the surface, kept ashore only by the Syrneth power. The key is a great Syrneth watercraft deep within the machines, which serves as the island's engine and keeps the island above the waves. Only the inner circle of the Caligari know this. Vincenzo Caligari believes the machines are key to immortality, and he has actually had marginal success - despite looking only a little over 70, he is 120 years old.

Donello Falisci really doesn't want to be king, but he does know no prince ever will be without his support. He intends to use this to become the power behind the throne - a much better place to be. He is, in fact, truly in love with Jamais Sices du Sices - and everyone knows it. It won't be hard for someone to twist that to his disadvantage. He's trying to be careful, but his feelings may be his undoing. (Also, she really does hate him.) He is a journeyman Ambrogia fencer.

In his darkest moments, Alberto Lucani debates murdering his daughters in their sleep. He can't stand to give them away, and feels that killing them is the only way to keep them safe from the Great Game. He has even worked out a way to make it happen in his family's favor - engage them to members of another House, kill them and arrange for a third House to take the blame. The engaged family would be honorbound to avenge them, and the war would give Lucani a chance to increase his prestige. He would never have to see the girls be turned against him, never have to watch while an enemy used them, never see their innocent smiles turn cruel or scheming. He never seriously considers this course of action, of course. During the daytime, that is. Lucani is also an apprentice of Ambrogia.

Alcide Mondavi is a sadist. His travels to the mainland are so common because he's importing criminals and peasants from across Vodacce to release into a private game preserve and hunt down. He loves the fear of others and prolongs these hunts as much as possible. He keeps a private collection of bones from his kills, which he even had a local craftsman make into furniture for him. (The craftsman was soon his next prey.) The second reason is that he's trading food to Sieger of Eisen in exchange for troops. The Eisen are now his personal army, and soon will be ready for Mondavi to use - he plans to assassinate a number of other princes at once, then have the Eisen march across the mainland and seize it. The islands don't really interest him as much. He believes the plan can and will succeed if he manages total secrecy, and it's lucky for him that none of the other princes think him worthy of their attentions. His wife, Mea, is genuinely ill and stays on the mainland for her constitution. She is fully aware of Alcide's plans, and she is constantly watching the stands to tell when the best time to act will be. Alcide trusts her implcitly.

And now's when I notice I didn't do his writeup in the normal writeups part! Alcide is from an old family, and is the latest in a long line of unambitious princes. (Yeah, I know, just roll with it.) He is the lowest ebb yet, and no one sees him as at all dangerous. He travels to the mainland regularly, and has talked about living there permanently - but thanks to a number of truces and compromises between Princes, he can't. His wife is ill and unable to travel, so he heads to the mainland to visit her and keep an eye on his fields. He never meets anyone's eyes - a true sigh of cowardice. However, he's killed a dozen men in duels for calling him a coward, and he's extremely skilled with the blade, if not particularly flashy or impressive. He is a master of Bernoulli fencing.

Marco Edorardo Vestini is terrified of the idea of the Abyss and Legion. He believes he saw Legion's face in his father's drunken stupor and is certain the man now burns in the fires of Legion. He'll do whatever it takes not to do the same, and as such he has allowed the Inquisition to make subtle inroads in his territory, and protects a few Inquisition cells on his island. Sophia's Daughters are also firmly ensconced in his courtesan schools; he's aware of them and rarely interferes. As long as they don't talk his own wife into living him, he's happy to let them be. He is a journeyman of Ambrogia.

Giovanni Villanova has a shit-ton of secrets, but the book refuses to tell us most of them. His plots span the entire world and could potentially influence everyone. He is, as you certainly guessed, a member of Novus Ordum Mundi and constantly seeks to spread his influence. However, he does make mistakes - he can be deceived, can't monitor his underlings as close as he'd luke, and has drastically underestimated both his wife and his courtesan, which may well cost him dearly. He is a Master of Ambrogia and Villanova fencing.

Next time: More secrets!

Easy question, boy. He died when she killed him.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

Books until the Montaigne Revolution: 12.

7th Sea: Easy question, boy. He died when she killed him.

Cardinal Teodora Ciosa is a genuinely good man - one of the few truly good to act in the upper circles of Vodacce, and not at all a follower of Scarovese. He is deeply troubled by the Church's current situation, and thinks Montaigne is horribly shortsighted but would stop if they could see the damage they'd done by giving Verdugo free reign. He does not hate - he's just disappointed. He believes the Inquisition should never have been created, and is a member of the Invisible College in an effort to stop their devastation. He longs for a new Hierophant who will stop the Inquisition - and would be happy to be the Hierophant to do it. Politically, he is untouchable. He has no scandals, no skeletons, no dirty secrets beyond his membership in the College. He is loved by all, and if he were to die mysteriously, riots would break out across the nation. If he were proved victim of foul play, Gespucci Bernoulli would stop at no cost to see justice done.

Bartholomeus Corrodin has never written an opera. His wife, Ballfanta, is a Fate Witch whom he taught music to give her something to do while he was trying to make money. He heard her compositions after a bit and took down the libretto she dictated (she's unable to read or write). He saw the quality immediately and published Vincenze and Belloza under his name. Bellafanta wrote Rosetta, too, and he took the credit for that. The secret to their sucess isn't the writing, though - they're competent, even good, but not great. What makes them so popular is that Ballafanta has woven fate into the music - subtle Strands which take the entire opera to be laid into the audience's emotions. (this is why all the best parts are at the end.) Because of the subtlety and slow growth, there is no defense against the magic or any detection of it - especially because they play on emotions that the audience already wants to feel. The writing of the operas is hard work and dangerous, though - Bellafanta has received many fate lashes from it, and Bartholomeus is becoming very, very conceited. He beats her sometimes when drunk, and she drives herself ever harder to gain his acceptance. She may very well not survive the third opera's creation, and she believes that her husband really does love her - he's just got problems . (She is, yes, a rather classic abused woman. The book notes this.) Bartholomeus keeps her a great secret, and he cannot afford to let anyone know her abilities - he'll have his bodyguard kill anyone who gets too close to the truth, and has resources for more killers if needed.

Sebastiano Scogna is pretty much what he appears to be. He is in love with the Vestenmannavnjar pirate Yngvild Olafssdottir, and will do anything for someone who could get the two together. He is otherwise not that interesting. Beatrice Caligari is moreso - she is a master Sorte witch and an apprentice of Cappuntina "fencing." Because of her sister, Morella, she has been researching the works of Mad Queen Marietta Lorenzo. None know what she's found there, but she has impossible powers: she can control the black strands. She has huge amounts of black strands attached to her, their ends flailing wildly. Fate witches avoid her, and sometimes the black strands lash out and connect to someone nearby - those people always die within a week.

Juliette is an apprentice Villanova fencer. She is also a member of Sophia's Daughters, working to smuggle abused women out of Vodacce. Because of her, the Daughters can move freely in Villanova land, and not even Giovanni knows of her position in the Daughters. Secondly: Juliette was born Giulia Ambrogia, the same Giulia who befriended Valentina Vestini when she was young. The two were shocked to meet each other again, and have kept their friendship secret from Villanova, pretending to hate each other. They plan to improve their own positions together, and have pretended to be the worst of enemies, fooling even Villanova himself. They communicate via a private cipher, and Juliette is working to help Valentina escape her husband, but she knows she must move carefully - if Villanova ever learns how badly he's been deceived, his rage will be incomparable.

Morgause Mercuri is a Boucher journeyman and has some contacts in the Daughters but is not a member. She is extremely afraid of physical affection, thanks to the abuse she suffered when she was young, and she hates to be touched. If she were ever to fall in love with someone, she would be fiercely loyal and extremely passionate, having kept her love bottled up for years. In the meantime, she's very businesslike, and has been contacted by the Daughters, whom she's discussed with Captain Scogna. She loves their ideals and would do anything to keep other women from suffering her own torments, but Scogna has concerns over smuggling fate witches out of Vodacce. As yet, the Santa Cecilia has run no missions for the Daughters.

As noted above, Valentina Villanova is not, in fact, enemies with Juliette but rather best friends. Valentina is a master of Sorte, but more important is a mathematician and scholar on par with the best in the world. She loves playing her part in the game she and Juliette have going, relishing her moments of "jealous rage." When the time is right, the two plan to escape together, but both know that this is a very, very dangerous game.

Okay. There are also special rules for those who use the Vodacce Destiny Spread. The Destiny Spread is basically an optional set of charts to give out free bonuses to heroes, in the flavor of a Tarot spread. The Vodacce chart comes with a little extra for anyone that isn't Unbound: a Fate Knot, which places a burden of fate on the hero - something that will come to pass. A betrayal by someone close, a murder committed by the hero, a mystery to be solved. The mechanics of this are such that the GM spends dice whenever the Hero moves closer to his Fate, until he gets 15. Then, for one session, whenever the Hero tries to spend Drama dice to avoid his fate, the GM can counter the dice with dice of his own, can lower the roll of any action that would act against that Fate or even curse the Hero with terrible luck if he tries too hard to avoid it.

Also, some new creatures! Crypt ghouls are possibly ghouls or possibly a new species, but they live in the caves under Vodacce, eating the dead. They are pale, emaciated humanoids with sharp teeth and huge eyes, completely hairless and usually dressed in burial shrouds. They are much more intelligent than normal ghouls, and generally eat dead bodies rather than hunting fresh meat - though they love to ambush lone travelers. Then there's Swamp Spiders, a type of spider that comes in swarms of 30 or more and has powerful paralysis poison in its bite. They attack by ambush.

Lastly, there are the Unraveled. The Unraveled are the ghosts of Fate Witches who are killed by the fate lashes. They appear as ghostly images of their former lives, surrounded by lashing black stands. They seek out those who wronged them (truly or otherwise) and wreak terrible revenge. They especially seem to like hunting courtesans, though they also hunt children, former husbands or anyone else they dislike. The avoid churches, though, and will never attack priests. No one's sure why - they seem to have the power to do so and just don't. They rake out at foes with the fate strands around them - each hit steals a Drama die from the target, and anyone without Drama dice takes an automatic Dramatic wound instead. The strands also deflect blows - both bullets and swords. The Unraveled roll an extra unkept die on Wound Checks, and halve the amount they failed the check by if they fail. Those slain by an Unraveled must be buried on holy ground or will rise in three days as an Unraveled. Die Kreuzritter believe the Unraveled are somehow connected to another type of spirit called a Night, and keep close eyes out for them. (We'll talk about the Nights in the Kreuzritter book.)

Next time: Secret Societies, Volume III: Die Kreuzritter! Shit's about to start getting weird.

I told you not to rob that bishop. My Uncle Sigmund always said that robbing priests is ill luck.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: I told you not to rob that bishop. My Uncle Sigmund always said that robbing priests is ill luck.



We begin with some short fiction about an Eisen named Dieter and a Castillian named Francis. They are fleeing through the Black Forest, and they fight off a small monster before talking about how they are being hunted by some unknown person and that maybe it wasn't such a great idea to rob a priest of all his money and his horse. The introduction then promises us that we're going to learn why the First Prophet hated sorcery. Anyway, the next bit of fiction is about their hunter, a man who is tracking them as a favor to a Bishop. He is an Eisen, and he doesn't like the Forest. He is hiding right in front of the thieves, but they don't notice him a bit. The kobold attacks the men, and after they deal with it, he pulls out his guns and shoots them at the Castillian.

Anyway. Now we get the publoc history of the Black Crosses. They started in 308 AV, in the city of Zafara in the Crescent Empire. They were started by an Eisen Crusader and his wife, as simple healers tending to wounds. When they got donations from grateful patients, they built the Hospital of the First Witness there. Over time, it became known for good works, and the healers treated everyone - Crusader or Crescent. Word spread, and even to this day the Crescents have never attacked the Hospital. Within a few years, the city asked the Hospital to expand its duties to include an order of peacekeepers, so they created a force of constables that kept peace in Zafara for years. Eventually, the Hierophant decided to honor the group by recognizing them as a holy order of knights: Die Kreuzritter, the Knights of the Cross. In 347, the Hieros Councl decreed them the right to wear their distinctive black crosses and a Hochmeister (or Headmaster) was chosen to lead them.

Over the centuries, grateful patients and pious men gave them lots of land and money, and they built a ton of monasteries and hospitals across the continent. The Knights were part of the Church's army and helped maintain its power, though it soon became mired in Church politics and the scandals about land that were not uncommon at the time. They flourished materially as they went astray spiritually, though - at their height, they were worth over 6 million Vodacce Senators; in modern coin, 2 million Guilders. They even leased huge parts of Eisen from the Imperator. Unfortunately the Imperator at the time, Arvid I, was jealous of them and convinced the spineless Hierophant Logan III to excommunicate the order, descending on their headquarters in Tannen with an army that outnumbered them ten to one.

The Battle of Tannen in 1411 was led by Hochmeister Kurgen, a man remembered and respected by the Church since that day. He gave a famous speech, which is remembered via an Imperial soldier named Jirl who wrote it down. He wrote in his journal about the valor of the Black Crosses and their refusal to flee from anything, each man fighting as three. He was ashamed of what had been done, especially after the Knights purposely released their horses to keep them from being killed or captured. He included the text of the speech, which follows.


At which point the knights all knelt in prayer, and the sun broke thr clouds to shine on them. They fought bravely, but they were killed to the last man. Arvid had them buried in a mass grave, and only after his death did Logan III have the budies reburied in proper graves. When they dug them up, though, the workers found that not one body had been looted after the battle, and each was buried with full arms and, in the Hochmeister's case, a priceless jeweled cross. The soldiers had been, it seems, afraid to disturb their remains, for fear of vengeful spirits.

Privately? All of that is true, except one thing: the Crosses survived the Battle of Tannen. Logan III sent the Hochmeister a letter of warning about the plan to destroy the Order. He offered them private sanctuary, saying they'd have to leave a token force to be destroyed. The most famous knights and Kurgen decided to stay behind as the sacrificial army, as the Imperator knew them by sight and if they weren't there, he'd know something was up. A young Knight named Judith Losch was put in charge. On the day of the battle, Judith assigned a single observer, an Avalon named Edward Vanguard, to watch the battle. He recorded the deeds of every knight that died that day, and those tear-stained notes became the basis for the first Journal of the Black Crosses, which has catalogued the Order's history for two centuries.

Judith led the rest of the knights out under cover of darkness and disguise, posing as a mercenary warband. It worked, and they got to Castille with no trouble. Once there, Judith met with the Hierophant. What happened was never recorded or repeated - she just emerged and told the Knights that the Hierophant had given them a monastery to live out their lives in peace, but that he could not save the Order. The knights' pent-up emotions released in a storm of curses and tears, and Judith promised they were just biding their time - but three of the greatest knights, a trio of brothers named Philip, Joseph and Antoine, tore their crosses off and threw them to the ground, saying that lives were not sacrificed to bide time. Judith responded by telling them that lives were not sacrificed so they could quit when things didn't go their way, and Edward took out his journal, warning them that if they left, they spat on the memory of their fallen brothers. Only Philip chose to leave, plotting to kill Arvid himself. He died on the rack, but he was true to his vows at the end: he revealed nothing.

After hearing of his death, Judith gathered her knights in the basement of the new monastery of Altamira. She etched his name into the stone wall there, naming it the Wall of Honor, which would bear the name of every knight who died without being traitor. The Knights who died at Tannen would not be recorded there, though - their names had become immortal, but this wall would be secret, just for the Knights-in-exile. Antoine swore vengeance, but agreed to wait until the time was right. Two years passed as the knights began to expand their home and wait for their chance. One day, though, as they dug a new cellar, they broke through into a dark cavern, where they found a vast city, apparently sculpted out of ice or crystal, full of strange and twisted buildings. As they watched, a ray of sunlight seeped in, and the building it touched melted away to nothing. Judith ordered all windows blocked off in the upper basement to prevent further damage, and then they began to explore. The Knights found a black couldron filled with shadows. One knight, braver than the rest, reached in - and removed a glove and a ring.

Judith chastised the man for his recklessness - and then promptly did something dumber and put the ring on. It burned into her skin, and she quickly pulled it off to reveal a black band on her finger where it had been. She ordered the ring and glove returned to their cauldron and had the place boarded up. As she went to bed a few days later, Judith noticed that her shadow was missing a piece - a tiny band on her finger, exactly where the black mark of the ring was. Judith reached out to touch the shadow - and found her hand went through the wall, feeling as though they were plunged in cold water. She tried to pull away, but was hauled in, drawing her sword from the table as she went. She found herself in her nightshirt in a strange, surreal landscape, an alien place the Knights have since named the Dark Paths. No one knows what she saw, and she never spoke of it. However, other knights have been there since, and seen the strange shadow mountain that was a mirror to the real one - saved that it had no monastery or any other man-made structures...and up in the sky, a great white film. It is believed that as she watched, Judith saw some hideous, enormous monstrosity press itself against that barrier from outside. She fled, bursting out of a shadow in the dining room, caked in sweat. A nearby knight eating dinner saw her appear, gasping about needing to tell Logan before collapsing into sleep. She remained in the grip of fever for four days, muttering and raving, but at last the fever broke, and she got up, preparing to go to the Hierophant with the knight who'd found her in the kitchens and watched over her for four days. His name was Gerald.

Judith and Gerald were detained, being warriors with no proof of identity. Finally, Judith got some charcoal and sent the Hierophant a note with a black cross on it, getting them in. She walked right up to the Hierophant and began to speak to him, while Logan stared at her as though insane. Judith, however, kept looking at one of the Hierophant's advisors - a woman named Oriana Villazio. Gradually, Judith stopped speaking, turned to the advisor, squinted and stared at her. Then her eyes widened, she drew her sword and she killed the woman in a single blow. The guards were on her quickly, but Gerald was faster, protecting the woman as she crushed a ring Oriana had been wearing, which ended the fight abruptly.

This is because Oriana's true form was revealed: an enormous humanoid grasshopper.

No, really.

The Hierophant agreed to talk privately after that, clearly shocked by the revelation that his advisor had been an inhuman monster. When they reemerged from negotiation, the Black Crosses were forever reborn. Judith knew that there was a barrier protecting the world from something in the world beyond Shadow. She knew it was trying to break through - and that at least one creature had managed to do so, becoming an advisor to the Hierophant. Mankind was ind danger, so she cut a deal with Logan. The Crosses would protect the Hierophant from both human and inhuman foes, and in return would get anything they needed to fight the "strangers." The Order would answer only to the Hierophant, and would have the power to sell off dangerous areas and go to places forbidden to others. Die Kreuzritter were reborn as a secret organization dedicated to fighting the enemies of humanity.

That's right, they're the Men in Black.

Judith took the creature's corpse home with her, showing it ot the Knights and explaining theirn ew purpose. She explained that she'd seen the creature's true form by its shadow. After a discussion, she sent two men to guard the Hierophant, and organized the rest to go look into the underground city. Judith herself reached into the cauldron this time, pulling forth the ring, the glove and four shapeless cloaks of shadow. Gerald asked to test them. He put on the ring, but nothing happened. He put on the glove - and yelped in pain as a blade of shadows projected from the center of his palm. It receded, and he pulled off the glove to reveal a black spot where the blade came from. Practicing, he found he could call the blade at will, and that it would damage only living things - and then leave no wounds to show its passing. Gerald was the one who later killed Imperator Arvid in his sleep, the "nightblade" making his murder undetectable.

The Assassins, as wielders of the nightblade were called, developed new techniques of surprise after learning the glove recharged every year, turning it into a powerful signature weapon. After the glove, another knight tried the cloak. He vanished the moment he raised its hood, reappearing suddenly shortly after. He had been sent to the Dark Paths, but unlike Judith's gift of the ring, he felt no terrible cold in that place, and found he could travel great distances just by imagining it. The ring's power to recharge each year was not found until later; before then, the cloaks were the only reliable way to enter the Dark Paths. During that time, the Knights found the cloaks would dissolve to nothing if not put in the cauldron once every 24 hours, which cost them one of the four precious cloaks. Eventually, those who could enter and navigate the Paths became more common and were organized as the Phantom Guards.

After exploring the underground city, Judith set several knights to watch it and destroy it if an outsider ever threatened to capture it. She told them they must be vigilant and watch over the ruins - thus coining the name of the last sect, the Vigilants, who would become hunters of Syrneth ruins of power. They would not use the power - they would destroy it.

Next time: The terrible secret of holes in space.

Kazi believed that a spoken compliment was an insult - an admission to a lack of faith in another man's abilities.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: Kazi believed that a spoken compliment was an insult - an admission to a lack of faith in another man's abilities.

When we left off, it was the latter half of the 15th Century. A Knight, making his way through the Dark Paths, watched a hole tear itself in the sky barrier. The edges were torn and bleeding, like the portals used by Montaigne sorcerers. Worse, the hole did not completely heal itself, but left a tiny wound in the barrier. Over time, tears like that could be enlarged to let creatures - like the "advisor" - through. With the aid of a friendly Porté sorcerer, the Knight found that the magic was actually causing the rips. However, they could do nothing but patrol the Paths and kill any Strangers they found - there were just too many Porté mages to kill them all, and the Knights didn't want to kill a child just because they had the potential to harm the barrier. This is how the Knights have tended to see sorcery - they know at least one kind affects the barrier, and they suspect the others weaken it, though they don't know how. But one sorcerer either way will not make a difference, and killing them all is just not possible. They want to lighten the use of sorcery as a whole among people, but are willing to allow sorcerers into the order as individuals - sure, their power is destructive, but they use it only when needed. And ignoring such a powerful tool in the fight against the Strangers would be foolish.

In 1517, when Matthias Lieber split the Vaticine Church with the Objectionist movement, the Hierophant ordered die Kreuzritter to assassinate the heretic. For the first time since the pact was made, the knights refused. The Hochmeister at the time, Giulio Faltoni, met the Hierophant and told him the Order would not interfere with Matthias. His translation of the Book of the Prophets into Eisen was a godsend, spreading the words of the Prophets against sorcery. The Hierophant was enraged, of course, especially when Faltoni ordered him to lieave Lieber alone. The Hierophant ordered the assassination again, cursing Giulio. The Hochmeister had the man's own bodyguards hold him down while Giulio snapped his fingers and kneecapped him with a nightblade. From that day, the Hierophant needed a cane, and he lived in fear of his own guardds, eventually wasting away and dying. The tale is told to new Hochmeister to remind them that their loyalty is to mankind first, the Church second.

In 1636, the Hochmeister at the time ordered the Black Crosses not to get involved in the War of the Cross - he didn't want Objectionism to be wiped out, but neither did he want to weaken the Vaticines. He also risked exposure of the Black Crosses if they acted, so they did nothing, preserving secrecy at the cost of who knows how many lives unsaved. In 1648, a knight named Helene Neuber found a ghoul trying to eat a young boy. She killed the ghoul and took the child to the nearest Kreuzritter sanctuary to heal. When she arrived, though, the senior knight ordered her to kill him to preserve secrecy. She refused, demanding the case be taken to the Hochmeister and getting the child back to health.

The Hochmeister ordered her to kill him. She refused, shouting about how she faked her own death for the order, breaking the man who had been her fiancé. She thought she'd be making the world a better place. How would killing a child help? The Hochmeister claimed the child's life was less important than the oath of secrecy the Knights had taken. She argued that murdering children to support the oaths was not at all okay, and that the needs of the many outweighing the needs of the few had limits. How many lives would be saved by killing the boy? No one could say. He might be the key to victory as much as the key to defeat. And killing him could not be taken back.

The Hochmeister argued, but the knights supported Helene en masse, and he had to give in. The boy was sent to a foster family in Freiburg, where he eventually became Captain of the Watch. He's a good man, and he barely remembers his experience, thinking it a strange dream he once had. He is being considered for recruitment. Anyway, following that episode, the Knights organized the Town Guardians, a sect of the knights who would patrol the streets of cities at night an do whatever they could to help. Basically, they became Batman. They revitalized the Order, and so while they've increased the risk of epxosure, the Black Cross is okay with it because they're happier and more active than they've been in years.

Today, the Knights act much as they always have. The death of the Hierophant has not changed their mission, and while they arguably must obey the Hieros Council until there's a new Hierophant, the Council rarely agrees on anything, and the Hochmeister is in charge. In the meantime, the Dark Paths need patrolling, explorers keep going where they shouldn't and Eisen cries out for justice. The Knights are particularly worried about Montaigne - since Léon embraced sorcery, the use of Porté has gone way up, and that's probably very, very bad.

The Hierophant is nominally in charge of die Kreuzritter, giving it its missions and funding. In reality, it's always done what it's pleased, though it only once disobeyed a direct order. So far no Hierophant has tried to lay down the law on them, and the Hierophant has no control over how they operate or who gets in. That's up to the Hochmeister, who runs the day-to-day operations, assigns knights to missions and decides who joins. He also promotes and punishes, and chooses his own successor. He can be removed only by a two-thirds majority vote among all the Knights, in which case they'd elect a new one. This has never happened yet. Almost every Hochmeister has been a Phantom Guard, and any who hasn't work the Black Ring when elected gets given it.

The Knights form the body of the order. They are given missions, and one chance to refuse. They don't have to explain - but if they don't take the chance, the mission is entirely their problem, with their absolute authority to deal with it and a requirement to see it through to the end. They either die or succeed. Sometimes, a team is assigned, but usually not. Knights can nominate people for induction, but the Hochmeister has final say. There are four types of knights. The Assassins, who kill enemies of the Order and Church - usually petty nobles. They are most likely to be given artifacts or the power of the nightblade. The most important Oath to them is Secrecy. The Phantom Guards, who guard the Dark Paths and serve as spies and scouts. They all have a unique sorcery which lets them walk the Paths. The most important Oath to them is Faith. The Town Guardians, who protect and heal those who can't do it themselves, as the order was originally founded for. The most important Oath to them is Charity. And the Vigilants, who guard Syrneth ruins that should not be disturbed. The most important oath to them is Loyalty.

There are also the Order's Laymen - people too old or too valuable to be sent on missions. They technically rank below Knights, but in the course of their duties have unquestioned authority - a healer outranks you in matters of health, for example. Most Knights are smart enough not to piss them off. Then there are the Acolytes - new recruits not yet sent on missions. Most don't even know the true nature of the order. Each is assigned to a Knight, who trains them any way the Knight sees fit. They become a full Knight only when the master says they're ready. Not even the Hochmeister can give orders to a Knight's acolyte - just the Knight.

If you get into the Order, you generally have to fake your own death. That way, no one wonders where you disappeared to. You then get taken to the secret room in Kippe Academy where the Order's artifacts are kept. The Hochmeister takes out a Cloak of Night and dons it, and he and five Phantom Guards put out all the lights but one, then take you into the Dark Paths. You get an explanation of what they are: the space between shadows. Then you are shown the Barrier, and a spot on the Barrier where an immense inhuman face presses against it. Creatively, this is the Face. Then you get shown a Porté-caused rip in the Barrier. Then you are asked if you will join and fight the forces of Legion (which die Kreuzritter believe is the Face). If you agree, you're a Knight. If you don't, you're killed. You must swear four oaths.


Mind you, the Oath of Faith is taken less seriously than the others. Being Objectionist's fine, as is infiltrating other groups. All members of the Black Cross must also make at least one pilgrimage to Tannen and leave flowers on a grave, after hearing a story about the fallen Knights. This has led to the legends of the graveyard being haunted. Each sect also has its own peculiar customs. Assassins have the first blooding, for example. After their first mission, the Assassin is blindfolded and given a cup full of liquid, which they are told is blood, and they are told to drink it all. It's not actually blood - it's just warm seawater, and they get to be an Assassin even if they can't finish it. There is also the practice of damning stones, used to try and keep the souls they kill from hating them. Assassins will find a stone that is nearly broken by a crack, or a rounded pieced of wood. When they kill, they touch it to the body and whisper that it is their accomplice - and any spirit should go for the stone before it deals with the killer. Then the stone is broken and the halves left a long distance from each other. This is intended to confuse any vengeful ghosts, who supposedly get trapped by indecision over which half of the stone to punish first.

The Phantom Guard, meanwhile, have the fading and the shriving. The fading is done to each new Phantom Guard. They are warned of the strangeness of the Paths: first, there is no water, so never enter them while swimming. Second, fire will not burn there, and so no guns will work. And third, anyone who dies in the Paths will rise as a Night. (More on them later.) Then they take the new Guard back out. The shriving is their first chance to prove themselves - it falls to the newest knight to hunt down and kill small, less dangerous Strangers, aided by a more experienced Knight who will intervene only if the new Guard is in danger of death. After that first hunt, they're a full Phantom Guard.

The Town Guardians, meanwhile, practice the acolyte chase, the leap of faith and the bloodletting. The acolyte chase takes place across a city's roofs on a new moon. The acolytes have been taught to know every inch of the roofs, and must flee their superiors along a prearranged route in the dark. Those who get caught have to train for another month. Those who succeed must take the leap of faith. The hunt always ends on a tall building, which they are told to jump off. Unknown to them, a net has been set up in the darkness below. After they leap, they just have to take the bloodletting. They are told of an irredeemable criminal in town and told to kill the person and bring back proof. When they do, they are a full Town Guardian.

Next time: The Kreuzritter Philosophy.

Still, we might have been better off facing him than the evils in this forest.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: Still, we might have been better off facing him than the evils in this forest.

The Church has several rewards for those who serve well. The greatest is the Black Ring: once a year, a single knight gets to put it on. It can only be used once a year, though - then it needs to recharge. The person chosen gets to participate in a little ritual, and is inducted into the Phantom Guard, putting on the ring. They lose a tiny piece of their shadow, where the ring leaves its mark, and then return it to the Cauldron. They now have the power to enter the Dark Paths. If they refuse the ring, they are likely to be given the Black Glove; if not, it's given to a runner-up for the Ring. The Glove's ceremony is silent and short. All are forbidden speech. The bearer is offered the glove; if he accepts, he puts it on, feels an icy burning and then a sensation as of a muscle clenching. A blade of shadow extends from the palm, then vanishes. Then the Knight returns the Glove and has the power to summon the nightblade.

Those who accept neither Glove nor Ring - possibly because they practice sorcery, and don't want to lose it; we'll get into that later - are generally offered a spot as one of the Hierophant's Bodyguards if one is available. There's only two spots, though. They accompany the Hierophant everywhere and never leave his side, though they take care to appear as either advisors or normal guards. One is on duty at all times, and neither is ever more than 30 feet away. There is no ceremony involved.

I mentioned the Wall of Honor before as being where the names of all dead Knights went. I was wrong! I totally misinterpreted that. Shame on me. In fact, the Wall of Honor bears the names only of the greatest Knights; it has only 17 names, and most of those on it died defending the Order. When a name is added, the Hochmeister calls as many Knights as possible to the wall, gives a speech, then etches the name into the wall with a knife. Then he drives the knife into a crack in the wall, hangs his cross on it and lets those closest to the honored knight hang their crosses as well. This is the highest honor any Knight can receive, living or dead.

Knights are expected to put aside arguments to complete missions, and if they can't resolve things, the Hochmeister serves as judge. Punishments are generally light - loss of priveleges, degrading tasks, etc. Death is used only when it is needed to protect the Order (such as if a Knight seems to be about to breaking the Oath of Secrecy). Knights are allowed to marry, but only other Knights. They cannot have children while on active duty, though. If they do, the kids are fostered elsewhere and often never seen by the parents again. A knight can retire, though, and have kids then - they get 200G per successful mission as a pension, and are reminded to keep the Oath of Secrecy. Some have been known to settle in at desk jobs with die Kreuzritter. Unless otherwise requested, all dead knights are buried in the graveyard at Tannen and added to the Ceremony of Remembrance. Knights killed for being Oathbreakers are left where they fall and expunged from the journals. Knights buried elsewhere still get a cross at Tannen and a place in the Ceremony. (The locals have yet to realize the graveyard has grown since 1411, because they think it's haunted and won't go there.)

There are some important questions the Knights answer for each member. For example: What is Legion? The knights name him as their enemy, making his home across the Barrier in the Dark Paths. Legion manifests in many forms and wants to lead humanity into damnation. So yeah, they're fighting the Devil. In his form as giant humanoid grasshoppers. Are there angels? Angels are one of two things: another face of Legion, or a fabrication of the Church to help make its followers feel secure. They have no evidence of any supernatural beings working to save mankind - just them. Why do we protect humanity? Because every man deserves a chance to live up to his potential. Legion would take that from us.

Do the needs of the many really outweigh the needs of the few? Absolutely! If killing one innocent saves two others, it was worth it. No man is worth more than any other in the eyes of Theus - ten peasants outweigh one High King, unless the King's death would result in more deaths. We are all one person each - no more and no less. If you give your life to save others, that is a good trade. Why do we use sorcery. when we know it's a sin? Because we can't afford to lose at these stakes. We know Porté is bad, and we'd guess the rest are too - but sorcery is powerful and a useful tool. Therefore, we must use it, even if it helps the enemy slightly.

Which religion is right? All. None. We don't care. Knights do what we agreed to, regardless of what we believe. We obey the Hierophant because we swore to and we need his resources, not because we are Vaticine. There are only two sides in the war on Legion: Us and them. What happens to Knights when we die? We are dragged to the Abyss for our sins. We know that. We do horrible things in the name of Theus, and we accept our own damnation. We commit these sins because we must, so mankind can live without fear of Legion. This is our burden and our price. For the sake of many, as Judith herself said, we few are damned. This is why we must honor our fallen brothers: no one else will know the sacrifice they made. Why not just sin however we want, then? Because that defeats the purpose. Sin strengthens Legion, so we sin only when we know it will do more good than harm. We must always be aware of the consequences of our actions.

The Knightly code of conduct is based on its oaths. The code is less strict than others, perhaps, but it must be to let the Knights use the desperate measures they need. Loyalty means never leaving a Knight behind unless it would mean greater loss of life. Corpses of dead Knights go to Tannen. Knights defend each other to the death and exact vengeance on any who kill a Knight. They aid each other to the best of their ability, so long as the task is just. Charity means Knights do not keep wealth. They share food, shelter and money with strangers, though they always keep their identities a secret. Knights generally give their expense money away after completing a mission; otherwise it goes back to the Church. Knights always give foes they kill Last Rites, either just before or after killing them. There are no exceptions. The Last Rites must be done, for a soul that is not given the final cleansing will be dragged down to the Abyss and strengthen Legion.

Secrecy is simple: you never reveal the existence of the Order, and you die before betraying your fellows. You also know that no matter how evil a man might be, he is not the enemy. The enemy is Legion. The fourth Oath, of Faith, is from the pact with Hierophant Logan III, and the Knights care less about it. They'd die to protect the Hierophant, sure, but the Hochmeister is their true master. Breaking this oath is overlooked when it is done on the Hochmeister's orders. Breaking an oath in any other circumstance, though, can get you declared Oathbreaker. Oathbreaker is a title given only to those who break the oaths maliciously and leaving no doubt as to their intent - and they are killed.

Now, what are the Dark Paths? They're the world that lies in the space between Shadows, enterable only by those who have worn the Black Glove. The Knights believe the Abyss lies across the Barrier, a huge white shield in the sky with strange things pushing against it. They feel Legion is trying to constantly force his way through, and have definite proof that Porté damages it. They aren't sure what to do about it, but they can't go public. A, it's insane, and B, mass hysteria is bad.

The Strangers are the creatures who slip past the Barrier. They come in many forms - blind, cralwing things, predatory beasts, things as smart as men. The Dark Paths are also home to the Nights - creatures who claim to be undead Knights of the Black Cross, and they look like shambling corpses. Some have been known to aid Black Crosses, but most are bloodthirsty killers. The Knights believe killing Strangers is priority one, and even the Oath of Secrecy comes second to destroying a Stranger. Still, they prefer to hide evidence of the monsters' existence if they can - some things, man was not meant to know. In unrelated news, they also invented Morse Code! It's a fairly specialized code - no letters, just specific messages attached to five-dot/dash combinations. You can use pretty much anything that has two different states to do it - pebbles lined up on a wall, blinks and dotting or dashing i's in a letter are all common

Now, relations with nations and groups. The Black Crosses don't like Avalon - there's too many dangerous groups there, like Elaine's Knights or the Rose and Cross. Or Derwyddon, he's scary. They are also terrified of the Sidhe and have been collecting lore on Sidhe weaknesses. The Order are okay with the Highland Marches, though they don't have to go there much. And Inismore...well, they try to be quiet, and stay as far from the O'Bannon as possible. Once, two knights were talking when the O'Bannon passed by, drew his sword and beheaded one of them for no reason. When the other Knight gathered up his fallen comrade, he found that the O'Bannon had crushed his friend's hidden black cross. The Order's taken the hint.

The Order operates well in Castille - their only opposition is the Inquisition. They are hunting for info on the more powerful parts of the Inquisition, hoping they can destroy its evil - but unfortunately, Cardinal Verdugo is too protected...and worse, he knows they exist and would reveal them if they proved a threat. The Knights have had to move very carefully, and he does not suspect their true intentions. They are also very close to Eisen, and hope to reunite the country under one of the more competent Eisenfürsten, like Faulk Fischler or Fauner Pösen. The past two years in Montaigne have terrified them - the fast changes and public sorcery have made them fear that if something isn't done, the Barrier will collapse. Somehow, they must remove the Empereur, stem the tide of sorcery, recover the missing Archbishops and get the Hieros Council to elect a new Hierophant before the Church's credibility is destroyed by the Inquisition.

The Black Crosses first went to Ussura in the 1400s, and the land itself turned against them. At last, the Hochmeister sought one of the nation's holiest priests, who took him to speak to Matushka herself. The story goes that they made a deal with Grandmother Winter, and have been allowed to operate in Ussura in exchange for doing what they already want to do: eliminate Porté. They have remained neutral in the Vendel/Vesten war; while the Vesten beliefs are similar to some of the Kreuzritter philosophies, they havve no interest in the issues at stake - they just want to work without interference. Right now, they are trying to tell if Lærdom has any effect on the Barrier.

Vodacce is extremely dangerous for the Black Crosses - secret-hunting is, after all, a noble pastime. They avoid interacting with each other in Vodacce, concealing their identities and taking great precautions against discovery. If it weren't for the ruins beneath the islands, they might leave the place entirely. The Order's trying to conceal the ruins from the Princes, and also working to tell if Sorte does things to the Barrier. They get along well with the Crescents, at least, and have more people there than in Avalon. They maintain the Church of the First Witness in Zafara, which continues the humanitarian work it has always done.

Die Kreuzritter believe that the Explorers are like a kid with a musket - dangerous to themeselves and everyone nearby. They feel that someday, the Exploers will unleash a force that could destroy humanity, and they have destroyed several expeditions to stop them getting to dangerous things. They do, however, quite like the Invisible College and support them in secret whenever possible. They don't actually like the Rose and Cross, though - their infiltrators never seem to get in, though the Rose and Cross don't realize they exist, at least. Even so - they're a threat. The Black Crosses disdain their unaware rivals and wonder if they really have the guts to do what they claim and "stop at nothing" to make justice. It might just be jealousy, though - the Rose and Cross have a lot more freedom than the Order ever will.

Next time: The other relations. Also, important places!

Run...

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: Run...

What'd we leave off with? Los Vagos? Die Kreuzritter have been considering an alliance with Los Vagos against the Inquisition. They haven't revealed their existence to Los Vagos yet, and may never, deciding to just aid them in secret. The Rilasciare have recently discovered the Black Crosses' activities and are trying to uncover who they are, though the Knights don't know why. The Hochmeister has ordered all interaction with Rilasciare members to be avoided if possible. The Black Crosses have no idea that Sophia's Daughters exist, but would try to infiltrate it if they knew.

Anyway. They have only one sanctuary in Avalon, a hovel in the city of Carmen, in Inismore. It's a 3-man operation run by Beth Gardner, with a hidden exit into the sewers beneath the city. Beth poses as a beggar and trashpicker, but is an Assassin and bearer of a MacEachern dagger. She and the others there are currently looking into rumors of a permanent gate to Bryn Bresail in the city, hoping they can use it to study Sidhe without getting caught. In Castille, there is Altamira Monastery, run by Grandmaster Kazi. There's 23 or so folks there at all times, Kazi is a native of an obscure island called Kanuba, and he's very strange for most people. The monastery is also home to the City of Shadows, buried beneath it, as well as the Crucible of Shadows and the other major artifacts, which are stored in a sealed up room. The only way in is via a tiny hole next to a torch holder - you light the torch, then enter the room via the Dark Paths, though theoretically a Porté mage could get in if they got a Blooded object into the room somehow. The City of Shadows might have other artifacts hidden inside it, and the Hochmeister occasionally sends people down to explore. Most of the city is unexplored - they knights are busy people.

There is also the Inn of the Green Eye in Puerto de Sur. It is run by an Eisen named Janko Urhoff, who claims to outsiders that he came to escape the horrors of Eisen; in reality, he's in charge of a Black Cross investigation of a society of Legion-worshippers. Recently, they found an Inquisitor's body outside town, bearing a letter intended fro someone "at the Inn of the Green Eye." They think that means there's a spy in their ranks, and they are all very suspicious of each other now. In Eisen, the Kippe Academy forms one of the other major strongholds - it is run directly by Hochmeister Gunther Schimdl himself, and it is here that they choose most of their recruits. About 1 in 100 students are chosen. Most of the faculty are Kreuzritter.

The Rusty Nail in Freiburg is another Black Cross group running an inn, led by Sylvester Weller. It's primarily full of Town Guardians, and are busy hunting a kobold nest eating the poor outside the city. They are trying to find the lair so they can stop picking them off one at a time. They also run the Harbormaster's office in Prachtig led by Harbormaster Raimund Hauk. It was formed as a result of the bargain with Matushka, and its job is to keep Montaigne sorcerers out of Ussura. The Knights run down passenger lists, and Raimund (a half-blood Glamour mage) often uses his powers to check people for sorcery before letting them go into Ussura. Montaigne mages generally find themselves caught up in unexpected red tape - and if that doesn't work, the Knights leave threatening notes. The really stubborn are sent off down the river to Ussura...usually never to be seen again. Now, they can't stop everyone - certainly not high profile visitors or those who travel in large groups - but Matushka hasn't complained yet.

In Montaigne, Charlotte Gaulle dul Motte is the leader of the Bascone Orchards stronghold, which is family land. Vincent Gaulle dul Motte is a patron of the Knights, and his niece runs the chapter. She is a master assassin, and her right-hand-man is Andrew Mills, a Glamour mage and swordsman. The Knights often work to capture mirror ghosts in an effort to use them against sorcery. Their greatest effort was done in league with Marie Étalon du Toille in Tamis, whose cell helped them set up a huge network of mirror ghosts under Tamis. It is for this reason that the central part of town is completely unable to have sorcery used in it - and that's where all the permanent gateways are, as well as all the homes of the nobles, so it might as well be the whole time. Marie also had the idea to blame the Rilasciare for the problem, and they were happy to take the credit, so despite a Musketeer investigation the Kreuzritter involvement remains secret. Because of how common Porté use was in Tamis, the Barrier over it in the Shadow Paths has a huge hole in it, which the Knights hope will heal over time.

There is also the boarded up cathedral of Lame Enflammeé in Charouse, whose cell is run by Alexis du Montaigne, cousin of l'Empereur. After it was boarded up, she and the Black Crosses moved in and claimed it and its catacombs. They are using the place to organize the recovery of the ten Archbishops of Montaigne, so they can restore order to the Church and elect a Hierophant. After that, they plan to assassinate the Empereur. In Ussura, there's St. Andresgorod's Chapel, run by Father Yuris Zhdanov. It's a little place, off the path and carved into the fallen trunk of an enormous living oak. Four brothers (Yuris, Gela, Slava and Mait) hold services there. All are Pyeryem sorcerers and all are Knights. Yuris is the priest and can turn into a deer. Gela and Slava are twins and can turn into wolves. Mait is a messenger and can turn into an otter, hawk or fox. Their chapel serve as the Ussuran headquarters for the Knights.

Vendel has the Malaram Hideaway in Malaram, run by Jørl Stensrud. They're working to find out if Lærdom does things to the barrier; it has no visible effects, but that's not conclusive proof. They are following old tales to the birthplace of Lærdom: the Great Tårn Mountain. They've got a camp set up at its base, some miles from Malaram, and are trying to avoid drawing the attention of the Vestenmannavnjar. They've even gotten an amulet bearing the Mystery rune, though they don't think it'll work. They know that eventually they'll be found, but they've only gotten a third of the place explored so far and haven't found anything. They're working as fast as they can - the Vesten aren't known for kind treatment of trespassers.

In Vodacce, there is a cathedral in Numa. Well, there's a lot of them. But this one, run by Bishop Maffeo, is special. It's home of a Black Cross cell. In 1465, the Hochmeister of the time entered a hidden stone room in the basement. He came out pale and shaking, and ordered the ream sealed forever. Anyone who entered was to be killed, and it should never be opened again on pain of death. The next day, he'd killed himself of poison. None of the Knights in the cathedral now know what they're guarding, and most don't want to. Sure, there's curiosity - but who really wants to risk death to know what made a man kill himself? In the Crescent Empire, of course, they still run the Church of the First Witness in Zafara, currently managed by Sigrun Masthoff. It is where the Order was born, and is one of their bigger strongholds. It is also one of the oldest hospitals in the world. The knights there serve as city guards, and it is the only place where they can wear the Black Cross openly. It is mostly concerned with charity work, and the old woman who runs the place is considered holy by the locals, who often reach out to touch her as she passes. Sigrun doesn't mind - she's helping to heal the scars left by the Crusades.

The Black Cross have some other resources - like the Journals. They contain records of every mission the Knights have ever undertaken, and are fill of notes, personal remarks and stories of the Order historians. Some names are blacked out - those are the Oathbreakers, removed from the Order's history that they might never be remembered. They also have the Laymen, specialists in some skill or other who help them out on occasion, like Brand Smith, an Avalon locksmith who they call in when something locked really, really has to be broken into, or Juanita Avila del Lopez, a surgeon whom they call when no other healer can help.

Now we get another bit of fiction. The Kreuzritter hunter feels a pang of regret for having to kill Dieter, who didn't help rob the Bishop, but he was ordered to kill both. It turns out that he did not, in fact, fire his guns - he aimed, but then there's a noise, and Francis moves out of the way. Then the stolen horse, Whisper, screams in pain, as a monster is on its back and digging in with claws. Dieter and Francis go to save their horses, killing many of the little monsters until they finally flee. The two men are exhausted by the battle, and wounded. Which is when Francis notices the stranger emerging from the underbrush to loom over them.

Now, senior knights! The most senior, of course, is Hochmeister Gunther Schmidl, who faked his own death 25 years ago. He was apparently a very high profile figure before then, and his "death" took a lot of preparation. The senior knights know his identity, but he hasn't told any younger ones. He moved up through the ranks quickly despite joining at an advanced age, and has done missions that younger knights wouldn't touch and succeeded. He was a Phantom Guard within five years and quickly their de facto leader. He devised search patterns for the Dark Paths to maximize effectiveness, and developed new strategies for use with their artifacts. Thanks to his leadership, the Phantom Guard was more efficient than ever and even prevented several new tears. When they needed a new Hochmeister, there was no other choice. He's served for fifteen years now, and most can't remember any other Hochmeister. He's the voice of reason for the Order, and is always calm. When the Hierophant was murdered, it was his decision to withhold action until the Empereur was more vulnerable. Though some of the younger knights wanted vengeance, he convinced them to wait. He's very, very charismatic, and the knights love him, often calling him "Grandfather." Of course, they've begun to treat him like an old man, keeping him from danger - and he doesn't like that. He's gone out on missions personally just to prove he can...though last time, he got a slight wound on his shoulder and had to stay in bed for three weeks. He longs for adventure, but he knows the price he paid by being Hochmeister now.

Grandmaster Kazi is arguably the most valuable member of die Kreuzritter. He's not officially a full Knight, but he serves as their trainer in the arts of stealth and tracking. He has an almost supernatural ability to move silently or stay in one position for hours or days at a time. He is from the island of Kanuba, a tropical island southwest of Castille and home to the Kanu people, who have dark skin and short black hair. Kazi grew dissatisfied with their simple life, and longed to see what was beyond the horizon. He could never bring himself to leave his home, though, until he learned his best friend had fallen in love with the same woman he did. He didn't want to cause a rivalry, so he gave the two his blessing, then loaded up a boat with all the supplies he could fit and sailed off to the horizon. He was picked up three months later by a Castillian merchant ship, raving and delirious but alive. He spent two weeks recovering in a Vaticine hospital and then set out to explore Théah. He first ran into the Order in Montaigne, where he rescued a pair of Knights from the Musketeers. They were impressed, and asked the Hochmeister to recruit him. After hearing about the cause, Kazi readily agreed. That was twenty years ago. He loves his job as a teacher, though he'd never compliment his students - that's an insult. He's taught them many Kanu tricks, including an ointment that conceals a man's scent from animals. His title, Grandmaster, is honorary - he's technically just a Layman - but the Knights wanted to acknowledge him for the invaluable teacher he is, and many come to him for spiritual advice, though he's not really a priest. He always listens, and tends to give straightforward advice. For example:


Anyway, KAzi is highly serene. In 1665, an Avalon ship found Kanuba. When he heard his home had been discovered, he laughed, telling them that Kanuba was not discovered - he discovered Théah . He's never openly expressed a desire to go back. His most prized possession is an ancient spear, carved of tropical wood and tipped with obsidian. Some believe it's magical, since it never misses, but Kazi says that it just "has good lan ," whatever that means. He has recently been examining the younger Knights more carefully than usual, saying he's looking for someone to carry his spear. No one's sure if that means he wants to retire or he's going to die. He looks like he's in his mid-30s, but they say he's much older than that.

Jacques Renault is a respected Knight who twice refused the Black Ring and Glove, instead becoming bodyguard to the Hierophant alongside Dirk Grossenkir. The two were close friends, and one day, Dirk approached Jacques over a private matter - Dirk had a son, whom he must now foster by the ORder's rules, and he wanted Jacques to help find a home. They managed it in Freiburg, but Dirk's wife never recovered. She requested reassignment to the Crescent Empire and Dirk never saw her again, sending him into depression. Jacques covered for his friend, and few knew. The two were present with the Hierophant when he visited Montaigne, and Jacques was guarding the door while Dirk followed the Hierophant and Empereur up a flight of stairs. Dirk lagged as their conversation grew heated, and Jacques watched from atop the stairs, standing near Remy du Montaigne, the Empereur's bodyguard. At the peak of the argument, the Empereur pushed the Hierophant down the stairs before anyone could act, killing him. He then told REmy to kill the two Knights. Dirk faced off with Remy and died fighting him as Jcaques escaped, earning a spot on the Wall of Honor - but after Jacques told the story, the Hochmeister forbade vengeance. Jacques was enraged, and he went off on leave to tell Dirk's wife. He then vanished, not seen by any knight since, including her. Several have been dispatched to find him, but no one's got any clue where he went.

And then there's Tana Garricks, a Vestenmannavnjar who never really got involved in the civil war. She was raised in the hills by her grandfather, Thrand, and they were just too little to care. Some wolves attacked their ship, so Thrand killed three of them and sent the rest packing - revealing a wolf cub, alone in the den. Tana raised it, naming it Gray, and the two grew very close. Gray was a natural sheep dog, and her grandfather insisted she teach him to fight beside her. A year later, he died of a cold, and she buried him, marked the grave, took the flock down and sold them - and then she bought a sword and passage to Freiburg. She junged the Wachhunde, coming to the attention of the Black Crosses when she held off a dozen thugs until her companions could arrive. Later that night, they offered her membership, which she eaglery accepted. The discovered something odd, though: Gray could walk the Dark Paths as naturally as any Phantom Guard. No one knows how or why, but thanks to that ability Tana got the Black Ring in record time. Now, she and Gray work together to patrol the Paths. The ability was discovered during Tana's initiation, when Gray watched her vanish in the Paths and went mad trying to find her, until Gray sniffed at the shadows and stepped through. Gray does not even seem to be bothered by the cold atmosphere of the shadow realm and completely shrugs off the shadowburn that humans suffer from. (More on that later.) The Order is happy to have her, but they really would love to know how she does it.

Next time: More and more people.

For I am far from home, and here shall I die...

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: For I am far from home, and here shall I die...

More people! Clara Grossenkir is the daguther of a wealthy Eisen family, who sent her to Kippe Academy. There, she joined the Black Crosses, cutting her ties to her former life. She became depressed and homesick, until meeting her future husband, Dirk Grossenkir. The two were married and soon had a son - but, of course, he was fostered. This was very hard on Clara, and her relationship with Dirk suffered terribly. He threw himself into his work and ignored all else, and she asked to be reassigned to guard a Syrneth ruin in the Crescent Empire. She has since become intimately familiar with the temple she guards. The site has a fearsome statue at its exact center, depicting a hideous three-armed monster with swordlike teeth, staring into a ruby worth at least 100,000G. When she was assigned, she was told that removing the gem in a similar temple made the statue come to life and ravage the area, and that the gem itself drove people mad. Her job is to keep anyone from touching the gem. Clara gets news from a Knight in a nearby city, and recently learned of her husband's death - which caused her to drink a month's supply of wine in one night. Since then, she's tried to keep a rein on her emotions. She is no longer troubled by the loss of her son, at least.

Jonas Glenfynon is a Town Guardian in Freiburg, hunting for criminals and monsters. He prefers to work alone. He is an Inish wrestler, incredibly tough and beaten in unarmed combat only by Roary Finnegan himself - and then because Roary had coated himself in pig fat. His carefree fighting life ended, though, when he and his friend Tom Morgan were staggering home drunk when they found a pretty girl - who, in the darkness, turned into a hideous Unseelie. She killed Tom in a single blow, and it was only thanks to his immense strength that he was able to wrestle her down - and even then, he began to weaken until a man stepped from the shadows and killed the creature with a cold iron dagger. The man invited Jonas to join the Order to help protect humanity against such beings. Jonas agreed.

Kursis al'Marikk is one of the best Assassins in the Order, a Crescent fighter who uses twin katars and uses a fighting style named Marikk, unknown to the rest of Théah - an acrobatic style that involves vaulting over foes to attack the unprotected back. He is one of the best killers they have. Besides that, he serves as an advisor on Crescent matters, being...a Crescent. He is extremely talkative when not on a mission, though he doesn't talk about his past much. He admits he was a Peacekeeper at the Hospital of the First Witness before his recruitment, but most of his other stories are completely unbelievable - he says he once saw an angel descending from Heaven and once killed a demon pretending to be an emir's daughter. He also claims he was carried to Cathay on a bird of fire, where he met the Mandate, the ruler of all Cathay. He also says the Mandate and his assistants are immortal, and the Mandate's wife is dead most of the time, but comes back to life when the Mandate wants her. He also says that everyone in Cathay has sorcery. No one believes he's ever been there, but they enjoy his tall tales.

Largo Gallegos de Aldana is a mole in the Inquisition. He has been a member of the Order since his youth, and jumped at the chance to infiltrate the Inquisitors, since he feels they are killing the faith of Castille. He posed as an anti-intellectual Church scholar for a few ears, and was tapped for membership in the Inquisitors - though much to his chagrin, several his papers have been made into Inquisition doctrine. He is a trusted member now, handling their financial records, and he gives the Black Crosses advance warning of Inquisition maneuvers, leaving notes taped under his desk, which a Phantom Guard picks up once a week via the Dark Paths. Unfortunately, he has recently become attracted to Lilia, an intelligent and friendly Inquisitor who is unbendingly devoted to their cause - and who has come very close to learning his true identity on several occasions. He tends to act more stupid than he actually is.

"Josephine Hearne" is an Ussuran master of disguise, currently infiltrating the Explorers. This is the latest of four identities she's had as an Explorer, and currently she's pretending to be Inish. She is a Shield Woman, a guard for Explorers, and what she does is determine if the ruins they're exploring are too dangerous. If so, she kills the expedition and changes her identity; so far she's had to do this three times. Once, she found a machine that made easy-to-use weapons more powerful and deadly than muskets, which she destroyed after killing the expedition and then used her Pyeryem to become a bird and fly home. The Hochmeister is concerned with her stress - she's done some very strange things before, like talk to herself in an unknown language or cry for no clear reason. If it continues, he plans to pull her home to recuperate.

Anita Calissano is a servant working for Vincenzo Caligari, watching him carefully and reporting on him to the Knights. Five years ago, she was an actress in Caligari's province, along with her husband and son. They were invited to perform for the prince, but her son got curious about an artifact and picked it up at the exact instant Caligari came in. He accused the boy of theft, and when his father tried to defend him both were hanged. Anita was spared only because she'd stepped out for some fresh air. She wandered aimlessly for months, until a strange man offered to help make sure Caligari died a slow death if she'd spy on him. She jumped at the chance, and is now a kitchen maid there. She watches for Syrneth shipments and expeditions, and has even told the Kreuzritter about Caligari's alliance with the pirate Reis. Caligari has no idea who she is, and has in fact been so impressed by her work that he gave her a last name. She also knows nothing about her contact or the Order - she just writes what she learns in a diary, which is replaced once a week by a Phantom Guard. All she knows is that she very much wants Vincenzo Caligari dead, and has more than once thought of stabbing him in the heart - but ultimately, she wants the slow death promised. It'll be more satisfying.

A knight who dies in the Dark Paths returns as an undead Night - and the leader of those Nights claims to be Judith Losch herself, the Hochmeister who discovered the Dark Paths. None know how she died, or if she's who she claims to be, but she has dedicated her every fiber to destroying die Kreuzritter. "Judith" tries to turn other knights into creatures like herself via a variety of tricks, and she can turn anyone on the brink of death into a Night under her control by kissing him and sucking the life out. She commands 15 of 17 known Nights in the Dark Paths, including herself. She is a threat second only to Strangers, and Phantom Guards have orders not to engage her unless numbers and circumstance are on their side. She insists she's Judith, but the Order's records claim she is Jessica Klein, an Avalon knight who vanished on a mission 120 years ago, and the Hochmeister believes she's just insane. At least Nights can't leave the Dark Paths.

Cardinal Erika Brigitte Durkheim was a Black Cross before she became Cardinal and is still an honorary member, though she no longer goes on missions. She has not had to fake her death because her high profile made it inconvenient. She is the Order's woman on the Hieros Council, and ensures they get ample funding. Thanks to her, Cardinal Verdugo doesn't know the full threat the Order poses to him, and she's even altered Church records to hide important missions. As we know, she's currently in Montaigne - and in fact, she's helped arrange several missions, including the eradication of Porté in Tamis. She has urged the Hochmeister to kill l'Empereur as soon as possible. Some Knights believe she once volunteered for an experiment done by Duke Vincent Gaulle dul Motte which gave her sorcery, but the rumor is unconfirmed; no one who'd know is willing to talk about it, and instead tell people to stop asking.

Duke Vincent Gaulle dul Motte is a powerful Porté sorcerer and patriarch of the Gaulle family, seen as bumpkins by the other major Montaigne families. He's quite happy with that. He has unparalleled knowledge of the supernatural and has been quietly supporting the ORder for thirty years, though he's never actively joined. His estate is a major base of operations in Montaigne. In addition to all that, he experiemnts with Porté and other sorcery, which has been invaluable in understanding the enemy. His current goal is tell if there's a connection between spilled blood and the ability to use Porté, and what it is if there is one. He is a sorcerer himself, but uses his magic only when needed, since he knows of the Barrier. He has also been studying Strangers themselves, having received an intact corpse a few years ago from the Order. He has dissected it and is working on theories of their weaknesses - but he's going to need a live specimen, which he doesn't expect soon. In the meantime, the creature's organs remain in jars in his lab.

Now, more fiction. Francis pushes Dieter aside, drawing his sword. Dieter warns that he's too weak to face the man, but Francis tells the boy to run - he can't dream of facing their foe. The hunter draws a panzerhand and then removes his cloak, revealing the tabard of the Kreuzritter. Francis becomes scared, asking why the hunter wears the colors of the dead. The hunter begins reciting the last rites, facing Francis and easily outpacing him. Dieter hangs back and watches as Francis finds that he's too distracted to hear the music he usually does when fencing, like any Aldana fighter would. Francis fights his best - but he cannot hope to beat the hunter, and he falls to the ground, dead.

Now, mechanics. Die Kreuzritter have only one Grandmaster: Kazi. He just has three skills he can teach Grandmastery in: Ambush, Stealth and Tracking. Kazi's a badass. The Knights have their own fencing school: Mortis. It split off the Boucher school, becoming more focused on assassination. Mortis uses twin stilettos, meant to wound and kill a foe as fast as possible, with no care for fancy moves. Mortis differs from Boucher in that it focuses on knife-throwing more and the use of poison - unlike Boucher, it has no honor. It also uses surprise and intimidation. Mortis does still suffer from a short reach, and a fearless foe can ignore some of their tricks. Naturally, Mortis doesn't come with Swordsman membership. An Apprentice learns to fight with two weapons, having no off-hand penalty with stilettos and getting a free raise to attacking with them. A Journeyman learns to take advantage of surprise - against surprised foes, raises for damage give a bonus kept die, not a bonus unkept one. A Master learns to perform the Litany of Death, administering the Last Rites during a duel to unnerve the foe. At the start of each Round, before Phase 1, the fencer's Fear Rating is increased by 1 from whatever it was before. This continues each round for a number of rounds equal to the Master's Panache, at which point his Fear rating tops out for the battle. Mortis fencers also get the Double Attack knack, which lets them make two attacks in a round at the cost of making their foe's TN to be hit rise by 10 against the attacks.

Now there's a sidebar on the difference between sorcery and shamanism. Both are magic, but different kinds. Sorcery is inherited, part of the blood. It generally comes from external sources - the Bargainers, say, or the Sidhe. Or the Black Ring. The Black Ring grants Nacht sorcery, which is special and weird but still sorcery even though it's not inherited. Shamanism, meanwhile, is a form of faith or secret knowledge. It's less powerful than sorcery, but pretty much anyone can be a shaman if they learn how. This includes druid magic, the Vows of the Rose and Cross and opah sorcery of the Kanu. (Which was in a newsletter but was released free in a PDF, which I'll cover when it becomes relevant later in the book.) No sorcerer can ever learn shamanism, and no shaman can ever become a sorcerer.

Now then. Nacht sorcery. This allows you to step to the Dark Paths via shadows. This works like Porté, except you don't have to tear a portal - you just step into a shadow, spending an action to journey to the Dark Paths. When you learn this, you swear to kill anyone not of the Order who sees you do it, but some Knights have received exemptions to this for trusted companions. We'll talk more about how this works in a bit, but the important thing is that if you learn Nacht Sorcery, you learn any sorcery or shamanism you had before - the Black Ring overrides them both.

If you have neither sorcery nor shamanism and are Kreuzritter, you can take the Blessing advantage, which reduces all damage dealt to you by one flesh wound. Apparently you really are blessed. Kreuzritter can also take the Nightblade advantage, having worn the Black Glove. This causes you to lose any sorcery except Nacht, but you get the ability to project a knife of shadow that is mechanically a stiletto except that it ignores armor and can't be parried, can't parry attacks and leaves no visible wounds. However, the knife can't be thrown, is dispilled by anything that dispels sorcery and vanishes if exposed to direct sunlight. If it vanishes due to sunlight, you can't call it back for an hour.

All Kreuzritter get 100G for expenses on each mission, which they are expected to return after if there's anything left over; most knights give the cash away to the poor after a mission's over. Before each story, they can also get one of the items from the Bag of Tricks chart (more on this in a bit) and can request other resources with a resources roll (more money, usually, or the help of a LAyman or some other Knights, though sometimes you can get a major artifact). Black Crosses have access to any area sealed by the Church, including the Crescent Empire. They also count as ordained priests for performing last rites and receive 2 bonus dice when resisting torture or interrogation. Depending on what part of die Kreuzritter the belong to, they also get a discount on the Nightblade advantage, Nacht sorcery, the Acolyte advantage (it's a sidekick) or the Blessing advantage.

Anyway, the Bag of Tricks is a 1d10 chart containing useful items - you roll on it each mission, or request a specific one. The first is Kazi's Ointment, a greenish cream that hides your scent for eight hours, causing you to be invisible to most animals unless they can physically see him. This gives -2 to the Tracking knack of anyone using scent to track them, and you get one dose of it. Or maybe you want Glowing STones - palm-sized rocks that illuminate out to six inches. You get 10 and are expected to return them. Herbal Balm is the third, which heals 1 Dramatic Wound or all Flesh Wounds when applied, which takes one action. You get one dose of it. Fourth is the Shadow Bag, a black, oily bag that can hold up to eight cubic feet of material in its two by two by two space. The contents are weightless, no matter how much they'd normally weigh, and the bag can be placed in the Hero's shadow for safekeeping, where only they or a Nacht sorcerer can retreive it. You get one bag and are expected to return it. Then there's the Disguised Blade, a knife hidden in a Vaticine cross, which gives two free Raises to conceal it. You get one and are expected to return it. Silver Thimbles are a pair of strange thimbles that, when clicked together, change the orientation of any lock with a TN of 25 or less - unlocked locks lock, and locked ones unlock. This works only on nonmagical locks, and the clicking can be heard out to 30 feet. You get one pair and are expected to return it. Seventh are Campfire Crystals, fist-sized red crystals that give off the heat of a fire for eight hours after being struck, after which they are useless. They give off no light, though. You get three. Eight is the Pebble Watchmen, a bag of small black stones that burst with a loud pop when stepped on. If scattered around a campsite, they give -2 to the rating of the Ambush knack of anyone trying to ambush the camp - though anyone tricked by them before can take special care to not set them off and ignore the penalty. You get enough stones to cover a 10 by 10 area - about 250 of them. Ninth is Sounding Beads, one-inch beads that come in sets of two, one black and one white. When noise is made near the black bead, the white one perfectly reproduces it provided they're within 50 feet of each other. You get one set and are expected to return it. Last is the Hound's Powder, which improves the user's sense of smell when snorted. You get +1 to your Tracking knack for eight hours, though this is canceled if what you're tracking has no scent. You get two doses.

Next time: Artifacts, the Dark Paths and secrets.

I believe she enjoys apples.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: I believe she enjoys apples.

All right. The first artifact the Order has is the Hochmeister's Ring, which he wears at all times. It is passed from Hochmeister to Hochmeister, and is carved of onyx, with the image of a cat on it. He touches it to every Knight as they leave on their first mission. The reason? When anyone who has touched it dies, the cat weeps blood and projects the image of the dead person. This can't be borrowed and never needs recharging. We've been over what the Black Ring and Black Glove do, and they need a year to recharge after each use. They do so in the Crucible of Night, a black bowl three feet wide and two feet deep, filled with shadows. Any who stand near it too long get the feeling of something watching them, but other than recharging artifacts they have no evidence that it has any powers. It is kept far from sunlight, because a single ray of light will turn off its ability to recharge things for 28 days. It cannot be borrowed.

Then there are the Cloaks of Shadow, which appear as puddles of shadow that can be worn as cloaks, complete with hood. If the hood is raised, the wearer is immediately transported to the Dark Paths, whether or not they are a Nacht sorcerer. The wearer and anyone touching the Cloak are immune to the effects of the Shadowburn. Further, the Cloak can instantly teleport them to anywhere in the Paths that the wearer is familiar with and can picture mentally. When the hood is lowered, the wearer and those touching it step into the real world again. Only one Cloak is allowed to be used at any given time; the other two remain in the Crucible. They must be returned to the Crucible before 24 hours have passed or they will dissolve to nothingness, and they take 24 hours to recharge.

And finally, the Dark Blade. It is sword with a blade of shadow and a hilt and pommel of human bone, taken from the body of a Night. It is seldom lent out, because it seems to curse people with its original owner's bloodthirst. It is a base 4k2 weapon that can't be parried and ignores armor. The wielder may increase the damage it deals by 1 for each Flesh Wound he willingly suffers himself, without limit. However, anyone carrying the blade gains an extra Hubris, Bloodthirsty. The GM may activate this Hubris (which can be resisted as normal) to make the Hero angry and desire to kill a helpless foe. Fate Witches who examine the Arcana of someone wielding the Dark Blade see a dark, looming shape over it.

Now then. The Dark Paths. First, understand that Nacht is different than normal sorcery. There are no half-bloods, no twice-bloods, no full-bloods. There are no knacks. There are no rolls. You just spend an action while touching a shadow and pass through it to the Dark Paths. They exist in eternal twilight, and the sky is the translucent white Barrier. Once in a while, huge shapes press up against it. The ground is pitch-black and featureless, exactly identical to the real world, save that buildings and artificial structures do not appear, except as shadows. Living creatures and plants likewise appear only as shadows. Bodies of water do not exist - and so if you enter the Paths while swimming, you are going to fall. Don't do that. Time passes at an equal rate to the normal world, but there's a few weird physical laws. Fire can't burn in the Paths - it goes out and cannot be lighted. That means your guns don't work. Oh, and you cannot dig into the ground - it's completely indestructible. And sounds are muffled, sounding much further away than they actually are. This gives everyone on the Paths -1 to detect Ambush or Stealth attempts. Thus usually isn't a problem, since there aren't many things in the
Paths, but sometimes, it is.

As noted, you enter by either having Nacht and spending an action being sucked through a shadow, or you spend an action raising the hood of a Cloak, which can be done without shadows around. You can only carry 20 pounds of equipment and never another person. There are no known natural entries into the Paths. As a perfect mirror of the real world, one mile in the Paths is one mile in the real world. Since you can't bring a horse in, though, it tends to be slower travel unless you are wearing a Cloak and can thus teleport. The Paths are mostly uninhabited, but that doesn't mean they're safe. There is, after all, the constant shadowburn. All living beings in the Paths suffer from the icy chill, which works identically to the Drowning rules except that the only way to stop the damage is to leave the Paths. You can move about 50 feet per aaction in the paths, thanks to the constant pain. The only way to prevent shadowburn is to wear or touch the Cloak of Shadows.

The second, worse danger is the Nights. These undead creatures claim to be the Kreuzritter who have died in the Paths. They wield sword-like versions of the nightblades, which can't be parried, and their armor is farged of darkness. Twenty are known to have existed, though three were destroyed. Their leader claims to be Judith Losch hersself. The final danger is that of the monstrous creatures that sometimes make it through the Barrier - Strangers, and things larger and more fearsome. You never know what you'll find there or when - the escapees of the Barrier are practically random. You can leave the Paths by touching or entering a shadow and spending an Action, reappearing as close to the shadow as possible in the real world without being inside a solid object. Exception: water. You can appear underwater, at which point you begin drowning. If you're wearing a Cloak of Shadow, you can exit anywhere by spending an action to lower the hood, shadows or no. If you use a shadow to ambush someone, you get a free Raise on your Ambush roll.

The limitations are there, though - you need shadows. Not complete darkness, not bright light. Shadows. Also, you can't throw things through shadows - you have to physically carry them through. And you can't partially pass through - it's all or nothing, you have to finish the process before you can go back or do anything else.

Now we get the last bit of fiction. The hunter feels sick at what he's had to do. He doesn't want to kill Dieter, and plans to fake the kid's death when he finds that a tree has wrapped itself around the boy. (This is the Schwarzen Walden, this happens.) It is squeezing him to death, and Dieter makes him promise to take care of his horse, Meg. The Black Cross agrees, and mercy-kills the boy before the tree can crush him. Then he flees, leaving a note with the Bishop who assigned the job, telling him that an innocent man had to die because of his lust for revenge. He warns the priest that if Meg should ever die, he will come to kill the man. (He's left the horse in the stables.)

Then there are some short essays on how to play a Kreuzritter in a party. Handy but not too interesting. So let's talk secrets. Hunther Schmidl is a Master of Unabwendbar - and that should be no surprise, when you learn his true name: General Helmut Stauss, the genius who almost ended the War of the Cross in favor of the Vaticines early on. He witnessed a Kreuzritter appearing from a shadow and worked out many things about them - including their assassination methods. It was very dangerous to have him running around, but they couldn't assassinate such a public member of the Church, and even the Hierophant didn't know of their sorcery. So they recruited him, and after seeing the Dark Paths, he agreed to join, faking his own assassination. Which, you know, kind of doomed the War of the Cross to happening. Good job, Gunther. Good job.

Kazi is a shaman, called opahkung . His spear is an ancient weapon that has been passed down by his family, but it's got magic only in the hands of an opahkung. In his hands, it gives the following boosts: You add Resolve to all your attack rolls with it, it has a TN of 110 to break, you can spend a Drama die to resist any magic while holding it and you get 8 additional Drama dice per story when wielding the spear, or double your normal, whichever is less. You can use them only when touching the spear. Kazi wants to pass it on, but only a Kanu can be an opahkung, so he's having some trouble. He's had a vision of his own death at the hands of a Stranger, so he's getting a bit nervous, and is considering sending word back home to Kanuba. He'd prefer not to, though - he doesn't want Kanuba embroiled in the Black Cross battles.

Now then - what's the Opahkung rules? They aren't in this book, we're just told it costs 10 points to be one. Fortunately, the Kanuba info (originally printed in a newsletter) is available free on the AEG site. An opahkung is a shamanic magic-user who draws out the inherent magic of items they use. There are only really rules for this for weapons. The Opahkung have a very number-heavy type of magic - they have to track each time they miss or hit with a weapon. Every 5 hits, the weapon's lan , or blessing, goes up by 1. Every 5 misses, the nal , or curse, goes up by 1. Nal and lan counteract each other - so if you have a Lan of 3 and get 1 Nal, you in fact just have Lan 2 now. Weapons start with 1 Lan normally. Melee weapons and projectiles get Lan and Nal, but ranged weapons don't - it's on the arrow, not the bow.

When wielding a weapon with Lan or Nal, opahkung get a number of benefits. First, any sorcerer (but not shamans) hit by the weapon lose the power to use their sorcerous knacks for one phase per Lan or Nal, or until the end of the scene, whichever is first. This is not cumulative and is always counted from the most recent hit. This includes rune-carved items, which lose their power when struck by the weapon as if they were sorcerers, deactivating any active runes. For every 20 Lan or Nal, the hero adds or subtracts 1 respectively when using the weapon; the modifier can't exceed the user's Resolve. For every 30 Lan or Nal, the TN to break the weapon goes up by 5. When holding the weapon, the user may spend a Drama die to resist any magic so long as the Sorcerous knack involved is less than or equal to the Lan or Nal of the weapon divided by 50. For every 100 Lan, the Hero starts with 1 additional Drama die, while for every 100 Nal, the GM starts with an additional die. Either is usable only when the hero touches the weapon. This cannot more than double either the Hero's or the GM's starting Drama dice. Whenever an Opahkung is holding a weapon invested with Lan or Nal, crackling streams of energy run up and down the weapon and arm holding it, and in the eyes. It's white for Lan and black for Nal. (Apparently KAzi's spear doesn't do that?)

Now then. Jacques Renault is a Journeyman of Valroux and has gone out seeking someone to help avenge himself on l'Empereur since the Order won't. He's met a man called the Kire, who is willing to kill the Empereur if Renault kills the man who killed the Kire's wife and daughter. Renault's okay with that. Tana Garricks has no secrets; the reason Gray can use the Dark Paths is that he has a bond with Tana that lets him follow her anywhere. After he went in once, he found he could do it at will. It is unknown why he's immune to shadowburn. Clara Grossenkir has no secrets, she just doesn't want to deal with people.

Jonas Glenfynon has been cursed by the Unseelie he fought: she left a bit of her essence in him. He is part Unseelie. This doesn't affect his personality, but it means any weapons useful against Sidhe are also useful on him. Kursis al'Marikk is a Journeyman of Marikk fencing. The apprentice power lets him dual wield katars without penalty and for every attack he makes on a target in a round, their TN to be hit is reduced by twice his mastery level against Kursis's attacks. The Journeyman power lets him spend two actions to jump over someone and perform a rear attack, though they can actively defend. He has no secrets - well, except that his tall tales are not things that happened to him. They're stories he heard other Crescents tell and he has no idea if they're true or not.

Largo Gallegos de Aldana has no secrets...but the woman he's in love with is a member of Los Vagos infiltrating the Inquisition. He's come dangerously close to uncovering her identity, and she might have to kill him if he gets too close. Ironically, if both revealed their true identities, they could form a powerful bond between the groups as well as pursue their romance. Josephine Hearne, born Jana Muratova, is an apprentice of Pyeryem. She is also infected with the trapped essence of a Stranger, which is changing her mind and body into itself. However, she has become incredibly strong. She doesn't know what to do about it, since she can tell it's happening - she's considering suicide, but fears it'll give the thing control. If nothing is done, she will be taken over completely in a year, and it will have all her memories. In the meantime, Gray and other animals don't like her and want nothing to do with her, which torments her - she feels Matushka has abandoned her.

Anita Calissando has no secrets. Judith does, though: she's a journeyman of Mortis and really is Judith Losch. The Knights have doctored their records to keep up morale. She can project nightblades from both hands and throw them as normal knives, and can make shadow armor. She can also control any Night she is in contact with when he dies. There's a bit more on her plans later.

Next time: What the hell is a Stranger, anyway?

Take care of my horse, Black Cross, or my curse upon your corpse.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

Books until the Montaigne revolution: 11.

7th Sea: Take care of my horse, Black Cross, or my curse upon your corpse.

Okay. First, secrets of the sanctuaries. The Carmen entrance to Bryn Bresail is real, hidden beneath some garbage. However, the Sidhe know instantly when anyone uses it, period. Let's see...in Altamira, there is a Night captured "alive" - his name is Alphonso, and he is bound and locked in a wine cask. He is homicidally insane, and it is because he is there that the Dark Blade still exists - were he to die, it would dissolve. Also, there are potentially more artifacts in the City of Night, all of which would have shadow themes. The dead messenger at the Inn of the Green Eye was an Inquisition ruse; the Inquisitors run the Cauldron as a way to draw Legion worshippers out and spy on the local Black Cross. The body was meant to fragment the locals and keep them from spoiling Inquisitor plans. Let's see...the cook at Kippe Academy, Hildegard Krause, is an Inquisition spy reporting to Verdugo, who has learned the faculty's secret meeting place and spies on them via a crack in the floor.

The big one, though, is the Numan cathedral's forbidden room. What was found within was a thin metal plate on the wall. It could be neither removed nor destroyed, and contained on it a detailed sketch of a male and female human being, complete and accurate in all anatomical detail. The drawings are next to a four by eight block of text in some Syrneth tongue. At the bottom of the text is a tiny picture of a mechanical humanoid - a self-portrait or signature, perhaps. This blueprint to humankind has been unseen for two centuries, after the Hochmeister ordered it sealed and committed suicide.

We know about the Empereur kidnapping the priests, so...ah. The Barrier. The Barrier was erected by the Sidhe, centuries before humanity existed as a real power. They put a great deal of power in it, meant to keep out enemies who were driven away. They never expected humans to be a danger. However, the humans found a way to contact the Sidhe's enemies and bargain with them for power, for sorcery. Four types of Sorcery, given by the Bargainers, damage the barrier. Porté, of course, rips holes in it dramatically. Zerstörung, when it existed, corroded the Barrier's essence. El Fuego Adentro is more subtle, consuming the energy that maintains the barrier. And Sorte is the most devious, for it does not directly attack, but rather manipulates events to lead to the sudden destruction of the Barrier. Fortunately, Glamour, gifted by the Sidhe, strengthens the Barrier when used. Neither Pyeryem nor Lærdom have any effect on the barrier, being gifted by entities who weren't cast out by the Sidhe when the Barrier went up and have no interest in destroying it, taking payment in other ways.

The Strangers are those enemies of the Sidhe. The Sidhe did not wipe out all evidence of their existence - there were some records, tools and ruins. Syrneth ruins. The Strangers are Syrneth. Specifically, the Strangers are Thalusai, the only race powerful enough to face the Sidhe directly in battle. They fought a great war, and were defeated and cast out for it. The creature Judith Losch killed was a Thalusai who escaped the barrier and had used artifacts to appear human. The Thalusai are trying, slowly but surely, to infiltrate human society and get them to destroy the Barrier. They treat humans as something approaching ants - and they're not ant-lovers. Less than two dozen Thalusai have escaped the Dark Paths - more have tried, but they were killed. Some hide as nobles, while others watch Avalon for Sidhe activity. A few even try and teach students magic at schools. They meet each other in hidden places and scheme, but as yet none have reached a position of power comparable to the Hierophant's advisor.

The Thalusai carry strange machines, usually based on light and bending it as illusions. The most common is the Disguise Ring, which appears as a diamond ring. It is put on a human hand and the gem is twisted clockwise. This stores the human's appearance, at which point a Thalusai puts the ring on, twists the gem counterclockwise and appears to be human. This only effects sight, however - and the shadow sometimes is unaffected. Also, if the ring is damaged the power ends, and it can only hold one image at a time - including their outfit. They also tend to have Voice Necklaces, which are similar except they're nckeclaces and do sound instead. The Thalusai often carry Light Batteries - special glass that can store light within them for letter use powering artifacts. These are generally used to power the Lens Knives, five inch rods with a lens on one end and a light battery on the other. These focus light to created a cutting blade that can destroy anything with a melting point less than 1600 degress Fahrenheit, and they deal 3k3 damage regardless of the wielder's Brawn. Thalusai also often have Steel Lenses - strange spectacles useless to any human eye. When a Thalusai wears them, though, they can see through solid objects out to six feet away, as long as the object is at most a foot thick. (The reason the effect is so focused is that if they saw through everything, the wearer would be rendered blind.)

There are other strange things beyond the Barrier, of course. Mostly insectile terrors like the Thalusai, or degenerate Thalusai who have mutated hideously over the millenia. There's also potentially unintelligent creatures native to that realm there. These produce the strange monsters sometimes found in the Dark Paths. The book has a short bit on how a Thalusai game is rather different than standard, and some advice on how to work them in. Then we get stat mods for them - they're built mostly like humans, but with different trait maximums and some free abilities because they have chitinous armor. Theyt also come with free artifacts.

We also get stats for converting human beings into Nights. Whatever force animates their bodies drives them insane, causing them either believe they can be cured by some personal quest, become paranoid, become hateful of all life or even thinking they're still alive despite being rotten. There are 17 known Nights, of which 15 are either Judith or controlled by her. The other two are working for their own purposes, and their names are Alcala nad Lakov. Alcala is hunting for a gold locket with a picture of his wife, believing it will free him, while Lakov rescues Knights in danger. Judith and her crew, though, are looking to steal a Cloak of Shadows. Becoming a Night strips you of Nacht sorcery, so Judith believes it's the only way to get back to the real world, where she plans to kill everyone.

And that's it!

Next time: The Freiburg Boxed Set!

Theus is a monster.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: Theus is a monster.



The Freiburg boxed set actually bores me. It's got one book which covers history, important NPCs and a set of boxed adventures for use in Freiburg as an introduction for your players, a book that is essentially a giant map of Freiburg with some small info on each building and an in-character gazette on Freiburg. We're not going to be covering a lot of it because a lot of it is fairly uninteresting.

Freiburg's history starts lon, long ago as a drachen burial ground - or some other place that has a reason for lots and lots of drachen skeletons to be around. The tower Wachtturm was erected there before humans ever arrived, and long after the drachen vanished, the skeletons remained. So it remained until 1267, when Imperator Stefan III ordered a military base built there. Many feared the "curse of the Drachen" but he didn't care, and instead built the base around the Wachtturm, which he wanted to use as a lookout tower. The place became known as the Stein, serving as a major northern military base. A large town soon sprung up around it to cater to the soldiers and their families. It was here that Matthias Lieber was protected when he came to Eisen in 1517.

The War of the Cross changed everything, though. The Stein became a rallying point for the Imperator and the headquaters for General Stauss. Few feared it'd be attacked still, though - until the emergence of Stefano Wulf. He targeted the Stein to weaken Vaticine forces, approaching the fortress in 1637. The battle was a bloody one, burning the city around the Stein and leaving many casualties on both sides. Nicklaus Trägue was a soldier in this battle, who escaped and fought for the Vaticine for 25 years, slowlyl osing his hope and faith. When the Stein fell, the Vaticines' hold on northern Eisen began to crumble. With it, Wulf would certainly have lost. Without it...well, the war took thirty years to resolve.

The Stein was abandoned by Wulf's forces in 1639, and civilians immediately began to rebuild. It grew into a refugee city, Steinhalt. It adapted to the leaderless chaos, and this is what attracted Trägue to it. In 1659, he'd had enough of war. He fled battle and found himself in a rich dracheneisen mine, earning himself a barony. He was granted what he asked for as his land: all the land he could see from the Wachtturm. The locals rejoiced at the idea of a new ruler, but it was short-lived. They learned that Trägue wanted a "free city" - no questions asked, few laws. The place was finally rebuilt in 1664 and renamed Freiburg, the Free City. At which point Trägue headed to the tower to watch what'd happen. He's not been disappointed. In the four years since it was renamed, the city has grown massively - merchants, soldiers, refugees. The policy of no taxxes has made the city's merchants very rich - but it's also full of criminals. Worse, it's surrounded by the shantytown Verzweiflung, full of starving refugees, disease and filth. Freiburg doesn't officially recognize the shantytown, but it still has to deal with it. Most of the citizens have become rather proud of the No Questions policy, and the city is the most cosmopolitan on the continent.

Freiburg has no mayor, no council and barely any organization. Trägue is officially in charge, but he never does anything - he just sits at home and writes his book. Wilma Probst runs what little there is to run in the city. The entire place is organized as part of Trägue's "grand experiment" to see how humans react without any restrictions. The city has only two real services for its people: the guards and the Hall of Records. The guards keep the peace, and are woefully underfunded - the city can't pay them, so merchants tend to hire them, which cna lead to horrific abuse of power. Bribes are rampant, despite the honorable nature of their leader, Vasya Wilhelm. The Hall of Records, meanwhile, is Trägue's way of keeping track of the experiment. Officially, it exists to record the aspects of life - birth, death, immigration, business transactions, etc. In practical terms, though, it just tracks property ownership for funding reasons. All land must be registered and licensed. Of course, there's nothing to stop squatters, but oh well. The Hall also generates a small income by directing people around the city for a small fee. Beyond these two, there is no official control over the populace; citizens can do business as they please. They've learned to fend for themselves as a result, and gangs are often powerful and practically running many neighborhoods.

Still, it'd all be far worse without Wilma Probst. She maintains the Hall of Records, keeps the Guards doing their jobs and handles diplomacy. She tries to keep the merchants happy without emptying the treasury and has been given free reign to do pretty much anything she wants. She has, however, avoided corruption and is basically a good person. The laws she enforces are very short - three pages, most of which is unenforced. As long as you don't commit arson, incite riots or engage in slavery, you're probably okay - especially if you keep it out of sight. However, any threat to the city itself will be heavily responded to. Trials are overseen by the guards themselves, who also handle punishment. Fines are the most common, though flogging, maiming, the pillory and execution are all available for major crimes.

Now then! Nicklause Trägue spends most of his time dictating his book to his scribe, Logan Gottschalk Sieger. He quite likes Logan, and has made plans to leave the city to the boy when he dies - though he hasn't told anyone, for fear of compromising the experiment. There are several excerpts from his book, such as the part where he theorizes that Theus is a monstrous being because of the nature of the world - a perfect, powerful being creating a perfect world would certainly never have allowed Legion to corrupt humankind with sorcery. He fears that archaeologists look too much to the past and meddle in things they do not understand - the Syrneth vanished, after all, and it could be because of the artifacts the Explorers do love so much. He also explains that the purpose of Freiburg is to tell if man is inherently good or inherently evil.

Wilma Probst, meanwhile, is the child of a rich merchant. She is extremely intelligent and a woman of will, unable to be swayed from her chosen course. She was recruited as a youth into Sophia's Daughters and has been there ever since, being groomed to help lead. She had originally planned to work for Fauner Pösen, but never got the woman's attention. When the Imperator died, she was lost - she knew the court, but this chaos was insane. She debated heading to Montaigne, but she heard about Trägue setting up Freiburg and wanted to help. He was more than happy to let her do so. She has created safehouses for women smuggled out of Vodacce across Freiburg and increased the presence of the Daughters in the city by tenfold in just a few years, She really does care about Freiburg, and spends most of her time running the place, giving the Daughters what spare time she has.

Logan Gottschalk Sieger, illegitimate son of Eirch Sieger, has had to learn self-reliance. AFter all, as a youth he learned that no one else cared what he did. He quit the military schools he was sent to at 14, against his father's wishes, and instead headed to Freiburg for school. Erich told him not to come home. He soon found work as a scribe, and was surprised by the offer of a job from Trägue. Since then, he's been documenting the man's ramblings, which have fascinated him. The grim philosophy has given him an understanding of himself and he has become a firm believer in it. However, he has less time than he'd like - people keep coming to him, asking him to deliver letters to his isolationist father. While he always says he's not spoken to the man in years, they don't believe him, and he has a huge pile of letters in his room that never end up getting to Erich Sieger.

Vasya Wilhelm was an orphan whose earliest memories are of men and women in cloaks with a black cross. They named him and taught him to read and write, and taught him about honor. He cannot recall much about them, though - they vanished when he was young. Unlike many orphans on the street, he refused to steal to survive. It was harder than he'd thought - no one cared about him, and he ended up living off trash from others, though he never stole or preyed on another person. At twenty, he ran into a group of men betting on a fight. He'd heard rumors of pit fights, but until now never believed them. He challenged the victor - and lost, but he loved the fight. He went back night after night, and eventually he started to win. He eventually was able to claim the prize money for the victor - but in doing so, he was introduced to the sponsor, REdmund Erhart, who needed guards. He offered Vasya a job, which the man took - but it was there he began to see that his employer was not a good man, collecting protection money off those who could afford nothing. He tried to defend one of these poor souls, but he was beaten badly. Vasya and the man he defended fled to the shantytown, tending his wounds, When he recovered, he quickly joined the city guard, even offering to work for no pay. That was five years ago. Now, his dedication to fighting corruption and protecting the poor has made him Captain of the Guard, and he does his best to keep his men honorable and just - easier said than done, in Freiburg. He also keeps an eye on his former employer, never forgetting what Erhart had ordered him to do - and he's sure that one day, the man will slip up and he'll get a chance to take him in.

Tibold Dedrick was once a simple farmer. He had a loving family, worked hard and lived well - until the War of the Cross. His brothers went to fight and were killed, his farm was destroyed, his sister starved to death ibold watched his father deteriorate and soon took over the farm, working to feed the family. Then, when the war was over, the Montaigne torched his farm and killed his lover. At that point, he broke. He fled, and claims he ended u[p making a small fortune as a sailor. He now owns several taverns and two ships - but the truth is, when he once saw the Crescent Empire, he saw their indentured servants and became fascinated. Now, he uses his business to capture the unwary and sell them as slaves. He doesn't care about the ethics - his morals died with his family and lover. He can hear their screams whenever he closes his eyes, but he ignores them - he cares only for himself now.

Madeline du Bisset is the leader of the local explorers and a Porté sorcerer. She sold her family's lands rather than wait for the inevitable tide of suitors when her father died, and escaped to Avalon to join the Explorers. Since then, she's been a model member. She lacks the skills for field work, but is a great administrator and cataloguer, and this is why she's been put in charge of the Freiburg office. It's taxed her skills to the limit, but she's succeeding. Secretly, she has begun to fear for Montaigne, believing that the peasants may rise up in bloody revenge.

Redmund Erhart has always been rich, even during the War. This is because he sees nothing wrong with exploiting the pain of others. He headed to Freiburg and began buying all the property he could, building immense tenements to rent out to refugees at outrageous prices. It is pretty much entirely his fault that Verzweiflung has come to be, since he won't rent to the poor. He cares nothing for his tenants, just his money. He also runs a number of other business ventures and works as a moneylender at ruinous interest levels. He's basically a Mafioso.

Geralt Gilbertine is a smuggler, a sailor who loves the idea of travel and sightseeing. He thirsts for adventure, and soon learned that he adored hunting for artifacts. He has since become a master at finding them and recovering them, and while he refuses to join he's done a lot of work for the Explorers. However, his lavish spenbding has made him fall on hard times, and so he's opened a shop offering to retrieve nay sort of bizarre or exotic item; the shop is now a front for an extensive smuggling operation, wherein he tracks down the rare and valuable and sells them on the black market, making him extremely wealthy - especially since he's learned not to throw all his money away. He's a generally good man, but he doesn't care who he sells to. He is also slightly addicted to a powder he found in the Crescent Empire which keeps him alert and awake.

Next time: A few more people, a few things of interest, but really, not much.

It is a waste of many brilliant minds.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

Books until the Montaigne Revolution: 10

7th Sea: It is a waste of many brilliant minds.

We left off with Kelby Loring, leader of the Wachhunde. He was trained at Kippe Academy and a tireless fighter for the Vaticine during the War of the Cross. However, in one battle he ended up in a mortal duel that left him scarred - both physically and emotionally. He got a huge scar on his face, but his foe lost his life...and turned out to be his own brother. He abandoned the field, never to be seen in the army again. He needed some way to make sense of life, and found it when he came on thugs beating up a refugee. He realized he'd wasted his life fighting his countrymen, and so he defeated the thugs and returned the woman's belongings, swearing to spend the rest of his life defending the weak of Freiburg, the city he had found his way to. He now serves as commander of the Wachhunde, with no patience for bullies.

Dietrich Proust is Master of the Rose and Cross in Freiburg - and for all of Eisen. He is the son of a self-loathing blacksmith who sold to both sides to keep his family fed - this attitude being the only thing that kept him from being invited to the Nibelungen. He learned the family business and his swords became famous - but he refused to sell in bulk, just to individuals. A band of snubbed mercenaries took this badly, attacking the forge one night to steal swords. Dietrich killed them all. Then he approached the Rose and Cross: if they let him join, he'd make them his only customers. They agreed. His apprenticeship was brief, and he has now been assigned to Freiburg to forge swords. Today he is the face of the Rose and Cross in Eisen, and he tries to keep the nobles liking the Order - not an easy task, given their independence. He's pretty good at it, but he prefers smithing. It's nice and simple.

Then it's just some minor NPC templates - handy, but boring - and the adventures. Mostly boring, though at one point there is a trip to the dracheneisen below Freiburg, which is guarded by dangerous, ancient traps and the Dracheneisen Beast, a drachen carved of pure dracheneisen. It can move through the metal as easily as air, allowing it to pop in and out of the walls or to ignore dracheneisen armor and weapons. Beyond that, I find these adventures pretty boring to write about.

We get stats for the Loring fencing school. It was invented by Kelby Loring himself, and it uses dual panzerhands. It's big advantage is that folks tend to underestimate it, since there are strictly speaking no weapons involved. This lets them get in close and steal weapons from the hands of their foes. It also means most foes are less willing to draw a gun or otherwise raise the stakes. The big weakness is that Loring has poor reach and is largely defensive - if backed in a corner, it's not about to win a fight. Apprentices suffer no penalty to wielding a panzerhand in the off-hand and get +1 die to panzerhand dmaage rolls per mastery level. A Journeyman learns to disarm foes quickly, and can use the Disarm knack without waiting for the foe to miss their passive defense - but if they do, the disarm attempt has a -10 penalty on the roll. Failure to disarm lowers your TN to be hit to 5 for the rest of the phase you act and the next phase. You may also increase your DIsarm to 6. Masters learn to protect themselves even better, and may use their Bind (Panzerhand) knack as a parry defense knack. If successfully used as an active defense, the attacker is bound as if the knack were used normally. In addition, you immediately get 1 extra Action that must be used on your foe immediately or be lost.

I am skipping Sights of Freiburg because it's seriously an atlas of the city with a paragraph on each building. I'm skipping the Gazette because while it's a fun little tourist booklet, I don't feel the urge to go through it. So there we are!

Next time: Secret Societies, Part IV: The Invisible College!

Crafty devil. But I invented the craft.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

I should have mentioned, yeah - the Freiburg set and its adventures make for great introductory stuff. It does cover pretty much all of what 7th Sea can do in a simple way, and it's good for a beginner. I just didn't want to cover it. Freiburg itself is also a great city, what with being cosmopolitan, mercantile and full of every nationality. Anyone and everyone has a base there because it's the Free City and there are no rules.

7th Sea: Crafty devil. But I invented the craft.



The Invisible College book starts off with a bit of short fiction as the Inquisitors read Alvara Acriniega's reports on the prism and its effects on light, declaring it heresy. They send Inquisitors after him. Arciniega sends a servant off to take his latest experiment to Aldana, then prepares to face the Inquisition. He plays with them a bit, using a few traps to take out a good many of them and then killing the rest with his sword. He then escapes, to help rally the College.

The public believes the Invisible College to be small - perhaps two dozen famous academics, much as the Inquisition claims. They are wrong, of course. It's much bigger than that. But those "two dozen" draw attention to themselves, to keep anyone from ever realizing it. These public leaders are known as The Masters within the College, and they are respected greatly for their willingness to play cat and mouse with the Inquisitors. Also because each is a great scientist. A sidebar also tells us that most members of the College are Vaticine, though there is a small but growing Objectionist contingent.

In Avalon, there is Frasier Baldred, an aging philosopher who is responsible for the group that'd go on to form the Invisible College, the Royal Fraternity of Scientific Minds. He is an outspoken believer in empiricism and questioning obvious beliefs. He is old, though, and in poor physical shape, relying strongly on his doctor. His political goals hampered his publishing, and it was not until the death of Jeremy Cook that he published The New Utopia , a utopian fiction dedicated to his societal ideals. He is not expected to live long enough to finish a second book, though some of his incomplete works, The Advancement of Scholarship and New Visions , contain much of the foundation of the Invisible College's philosophies.

Jeremy Cook, of course, was one of the first to die to the Inquisition, and one of the founders of the Royal Fraternity for Scientific Minds. He died in 1662, with a note pinned to him reading "The Fourth Coming is upon us. Prepare thy souls." He is often blamed for the entire Invisible College. Before his death, he specialized in pressures and gases, and was the first to capture gas in a container. This led to Cook's Law, which states that the pressure forced on a contained gas is spread equally throughout the entire volume of the gas. He also acquired a certain amount of the element phosphorus and its discoverer for the College: an Eisen named Herbert Bilgehan. Bilgehan and his discovery are now hidden by the College to keep them from being exploited. Cook's greatest work was The Rational Chemist , which attacked alchemy and outdated Church methods.

Joshua Daylen is an ancient member - he's in his 90s . He's got some friends in the Avalon government who keep him safe and let him stay public. He was once a brilliant mathematician, but got bored and his now turned to unraveling the secrets of alchemy and astrology. He claims to know the secret of transmutation, but he hasn't ever proved it. He's considered something of a quack these days, but his contributions are unquestionable, so he's allowed to do what he likes. His most famous work is The Mysteries of Paradise and the Saints , which he claims is an account of inhuman beings (the Syrneth), which still move among men today. Most see it as a work of fantasy and ignore it as fiction.

Wendel Hargreave is a physician who acquired a deep love of anatomy while studying in Vodacce. He challenged central beliefs about blood in his The Fluid Heart , which postulated that the heart was a pump and was thus center of the circulatory system. This earned him a place in AValon's Royal Physicians' College, where he's served since. He also works as Frasier Baldred's personal physician, which limits the time he has for actual research. The two are close friends, and he feels great pain at knowing Frasier is dying, though Frasier has asked him to document the event for science.

Ravenild Hibbet is a prolific inventor, and also the first woman to ever be inducted into the Royal Fraternity of Scientific Minds. This actually caused the thing's name to be changed to the Royal Association , since it was no longer a pure fraternity. She continues to serve as the Association's Curator of Experimentation to this day. Her great inventions include the spirit level, the discovery of plant cells and several improvements on clocks, telescopes and microscopes. She is currently trying to use Cook's Law applied to a device to gauge pressure. Her most well-known work is The Smallest Division , presenting her data on plant cells and the elasticity of human skin.

It's not all Avalons, though! Castille's got Larenzo Alvarez, one of the foremost astronomers. Until five years ago, he lived on the island of Hafen, off the coast of Pösen, given to him by Fauner for study. He and his students, Galeno Rioja and the mysterious "Antonio", studied the sky and observed many things - supernovas, comets, and even proving that the planet, Terra, orbits the sun. However, his land management on Hafen proved unpopular with its people, and an uprising removed him as owner. He is known for his tendency to get into things over his head, and once had his nose cut off in a duel. He has since replaced it with a gold and silver prosthetic, which has made it rather hard for him to hide. He has yet to publish his work, though Rioja and Antonio have credited him in theirs.

Maria Alverado was the first to generate an electrical charge using an ordinary grindstone, by replacing the stone with a ball of sulfur. She plans to use her research to improve horse-drawn carriages and build a "weather monitor." This she describes as a 30-foot tube full of water and a small human figure floating on top. In good weather, he would float high, and in bad, he would plummet to the bottom. Critics are currently reserving judgment. She has yet to publish any findings.

Of course, the unofficial leader of the College is Alvara Arciniega. He was a Fellow in the Royal Association until the Inquisition forced him into exile, and a major scientist. He currently works in hiding, continuing his research regardless of the risks. He and his companions, Joshua Daylen and Don Petrigai Ontiveros de Rioja del Castille are responsible for most advances in Blood Science (to be discussed later). His first volume, Fundamentals , is being written from exile.

Don Petrigai Ontiveros de Rioja del Castille is a vain physician and alchemist, driven from Castille to Vendel for his arrogance. He is known to rely on overly mystical ideas, though Arciniega defends him. However, he's frequently right, despite his rejection of the map of the human body in favor of the "minerals of the soul." His methods are effective, if outlandish, and he's popular with the nobility. Most of his work is unpublished, though, due to its...rather fantastic nature. Also his tendency to tell his students to burn books he isn't fond of.

Galeno Rioja is, of course, a student of Larenzo Alvarez. He utilized Alveraz's work to discover that the world orbits the sun in an elliptical pattern, as do all other planets in the system, revolutionizing astronomy. He has written about his three laws of planetary motion in New Luminaries and Symmetry of Theus . He has also invented the refracting telescope (recently improved on by Arciniega) and number of other optical advancements, including improvements in microscope design. He has also worked to explain how people see and what causes rainbows.

Eisen's Julian von Henning is one of Petrigai's students, and has become a respected chemist and physician in his own right. He stubbornly clings to certain mystical beliefs (like that water is the base of all substances), but continues to develop new material. His most important work is Visible Medicine , in which he describes "invisible spirits" which become visible after escaping bubbling flasks. He calls these spirits "gases" and has begun cataloguing them with names like animus sylvestris (Numan for "spirit of wood").

Then there's Clarisse Margaret Hadewig, a former lawyer and mathematician who took to mechanics and clockmaking at her father's urging. She is a marvelous clockmaker, and her clocks and other mechanical devices can be found in many cities. She gets along with almost everyone in the Royal Association, except Arciniega after an argument over his theories of gravitation. She has developed new methods of grinding and polishing lenses, and even observed what appear to be rings around the outermost planet Volta. She publishes only infrequently, and then mostly designs.

Next time: More of the public face. Wow. Hopefully we make it to history, too.

No speeches. Thank Theus for small favors.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

Thanks! I'll use it when I figure out what I want.

7th Sea: No speeches. Thank Theus for small favors.

Goskelen Leman is a genius, capable in math, mechanics, history, geology and linguistics. However, his peers often feel his devout faith holds him back - especially Arciniega. He is famous for a "wildly optimistic" theory that all of creaiton consists of "monads", which has mostly gotten him laughed at. He claims that Theus is the Supreme Monad, dictating past, present and future - and thus proving, he says, that religion and science are not at odds. Leman's metaphysical papers tend not to be received all that well.

In Montaigne, there is Father Albere, forefront of research on the White Plague. He was once one of the Church's most renowned scholars, but the Inquisition forced him to flee. Now, he lives in the remnants of a village decimated by the Plague, where he's managed to preserve a number of the victims in a set of frozen caves for study. He is trying to balance his duties and his research, and he worries about his countrymen. The peasants are getting angry, the Church is hunting scholars and he is slowly getting more and more stressed. He has published no major works of his own yet, but his critiques of other medical texts are essential reading for Montaigne doctors.

Reimar Derviny is a logician and philosopher, famous for his questioning of all things but mathematics and the human ability to think. He is trying to understand creation through pure logic, and is best known for his work with numbers and cognition...and also for his quest to define and prove Theus using them. He has published three books from his new home in Vesten, all on human thought: Method and Mode , On Second Thought and Questioning Conviction.

Pawel Gabien is a critical and abrasive scholar who's made few friends. His biggest contribution has really been his rejection of old Vaticine conventions. He is a fervent materialist (in the scholarly sense - he believes everything is made of things too small to be seen by the naked eye) and one of the few supporters of Goskalen Leman's work. However, his efforts have tended to be propagandist rather than scholarly and have been somewhat counterproductive as a result. He is largely unpublished so far because his arguments tend to revolve around the ideas of others.

Camilia Pascaut showed great scientific skill in her youth, but that was well before women became accepted in scholarly circles. Her father didn't care, arranging for the best tutors for his ingenious daughter. When the Royal Fraternity became the Royal Association, she was more than ready. Then 28, she had already invented the first calculating machine, built to help her father with accounting ten years before the "official" invention of the thing by Goskelen Leman. Recently, though, her health has been failing due to overwork. Her biggest literary effort has been Considerations , a religious text saying that reason is incapable of revealing ultimate truths, and that man must rely on faith. This has actually turned a lot of her fellow scientists against her.

In Ussura, there is Valeri Siev Nimzovich, who si working to classify and document the species of animal. He is a peasant zoologist who is deeply interested in studying and organizing animals into a coherent system that will accomodate new species when discovered. He classifies things by their having bones or shells, feathers and so on. It is not revolutionary, but it is very thorough. Still, taxonomy has earned him less renown than his catalogues of animal behavior - he is a very thorough observer. His expeditions into the wild reaches of Ussura have kept him safe, but also mean he doesn't publish much.

In Vendel, Franz Deleboe has been endeavoroing to produce a new map of the human body, unsatisfied with the Church's humor theories. He has spent nearly thirty years on it, requiring the dissection of countless corpses - which has won Deleboe very few friends. Still, he completed the work in 1661, meticulously detailing the human body, naming every bone, muscle, tissue and fluid. He has no idea what some of the body parts do, but he was confident that they're important. Of course, this was before he was burned at the stake by the Inquisition, a note pinned to his chest reading 'The time for science is past.' His work, The Mechanical Nature of Man , is now world famous and required reading in practically every medical school.

The mysterious Antonio of Vodacce is a mystery to the public, despite his work with Larenzo Alvarez and Galeno Rioja. The Inquisition has been hunting him for some time, but his famous name has been used by the College to spread many sentiments; it's worth far more publicity than actual scientific credit. Antonio's publish work focuses on physics and the motion of objects - he was the first to determine that all falling bodies accelerate at the same right, regardless of mass or density, and the first to establish that an object moving along a perfectly smooth plane would neither speed up nor slow without external stimulus. His most famous book is The Order of Two , which brought the wrath of the Inquisition onto him for his work mapping the skies and the movements of planets.

Lastly, there is Gismar Arnauld, a visionary astronomer and physician who is working on a comprehensive comparison of human and animal bodies against basic machine principles. His incomplete work, The Mechanism of Man and Beast Alike , has captured the interest of the Inquisition and a number of nobles. The work has not been made public yet - Gismar wants to finish it before publishing - but enough has been leaked to get the world's attention. Before his work spread, he was a faceless member of the Association, normally overlooked - but now, he's been made a celebrity. Should his work be published, it will forever change the face of science and medicine.

This is twenty-one of the twenty-four Masters. The other three are purposely undetailed to give the GM room to make things up, or let a PC be one of the Masters. Now we actually get to talk about history! Hooray, finally. Now, officially the College's history begins in 1620, when the Royal Fraternity was founded, but it really starts before then, thanks to the influence of historic events.

In 400 AV, the White Plague first struck. For ten years, it ravaged the continent, and many feared it would spread to the whole world. It slowed to a crawl and vanished, though, for reasons none could ever figure out. The death toll was in the thousands, and it forever scarred Théan society. It reappeared, more virulently, in the 10th century, when it spread to the entire known world. It remained for 400 years, consuming a third of the continent before it finally went away. No reason for the outbreak was ever found, though not for lack of trying. The Third Prophet declared it was divine retribution, after all, and ordered research into its origin and nature. Still, they never found anything conclusive. Twice more in 500 years - in 1347 and 1386 - it reappeared. Both outbreaks were primarily among nobles, dispelling rumors that this was a purely peasant disease. It also established a pattern that would go unnoticed for 300 years.

In 1402 AV, exploration was on the rise...but practically all attempts to sail west of the Midnight Archipelago met abject failure. The lucky ones returned with nothing; the rest did not return. In 1402, Cristobal Gallegos vanished without trace, as did several later expeditions. This quelled serious enthusiasm for exploration until 1598, when the Explorer's Society was founded. The early 1600s saw a major change in academia - no longer was it the domain of monks and scholars alone. Nobles embraced it, and for the first time it was profitable. By 1610, the Scientific Renaissance was in full swing.

A new saying arose: Publish or perish. With so many rich men looking to support academics, more and more scientific journals were established as a way to distinguish authors in the field. The "trend" slowly became a culture of scholars, spawning mroe and more brilliant minds. As the community grew, their work started to make the known world seem smaller; the scholars began to meet each other more and more, developing strong bonds. In 1620, the Royal Fraternity for Scientific Minds was founed by Jeremy Cook and a small collection of other scholars in Avalon. It would be the predecessor to the Invisible College. It formed an exclusive and elite club for the academics, and the sciences it supported would flourish, while those it did not withered in obscurity.

In 1638, Gismar Arnauld (then a member of the Fraternity) agreed to go with an Explorer through the reaches of Ussura to Wall of Fire shielding far Cathay. Rumors abounded of a fiery creature that went through the wall, and Arnauld wanted to see it. What they found was not what they planned for - but it was stunning. The expedition found a splintered vessel buried in three feet of ice: La Lumbre de Theus . This was the lost ship of Cristobal Gallegos! They chiseled a tunnel in the ice and recovered the navigator's log - strangely well-kept for a 200 year old document. It explained how the fleet had sailed past the outer rim of trade routes before finding a strange, enormous barrier of inhuman origin. It stretched for days in both directions. Gallegos had somehow gone past the barrier, finding a realm where the rules of natural philosophy did not apply. At the end of the logs, Arnauld found the last entry, dated 1634, which spoke of a desperate final attempt to find land, followed by a wreck on the shores of Ussura. Gallegos truly had made his way around the world - it had just taken him two centuries, through an alien land beyond a supernatural barrier.

Arnauld's mind raced. He realized he could not allow this information to be revealed - it was too dangerous. He laid a trap and killed the rest of his party, then burned the ship and all the bodies. He never found the fiery creature he blamed for the destruction, and he carefully hid the logs in the Fraternity's vaults, where they have been very quietly studied ever since. They have maps, directions and references to a new world, filled with fantastic creatures and people with strange and different sorcery and technology. Unfortunately, the logs also lapse into a strange and indecipherable language in many critical places.

Next time: The Invisible College is born.

This so-called 'empiricism' is a disease in the Church.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: This so-called 'empiricism' is a disease in the Church.

Okay. The Invisible College only started to take shape over the last 40 years, with the discovery of the Lumbre de Dios logs. The Fraternity gradually came to realize that dangers lurked that mankind could not comprehend or control - so they decided to do something about it. The organization had grown massively at this point, but only the original 20 or so who would go on to be known as the Masters were truly famous. This core group established themselves as an inner circle: the Invisible College, the College within a College. They gauged and evaluated new discoveries, to tell if the world was ready for them, and stressed the need to understand the moral implications of their research. Over 20 years, they remained a close secret, with new members invited only by unanimous vote.

In 1657, though, the Royal Fraternity finally opened its doors to women, when Ravenild Hibbot petitioned to join. Her obvious talents were greater than the tradition of not accepting women, and she was quickly brought in. It wasn't long before more women were brought in, too, to both the Association and the inner circle. Today the College is roughly 30% female. In 1661, though, problems began to arise after Jeremy Cook published The Rational Chemist. The Vaticine attacked the Royal Association as a "heretic house" and the Inquisition began covertly attacking members financially - and they even assassinated Franz Delebgoe. It came to a head the next year, when Cook was attacked and killed, with his newest invention (the air pump) destroyed. Had the College not intervened, his notes would have been burned. Fortunately, they saved the notes and recreated the pump. Over the next six years, the College shifted towards more and more defensive research, studying Blood Science, gadgetry and swordsmanship.

However, in 1665 to early 1666, the White Plague returned. Like every instance before, the cause and origin were unknown and it vanished before any major study could be mounted...but this time, it did not vanish without trace. Richard Kailean, a scholar of the Church "on loan" to the Rose and Cross discovered something strange when dissecting the body of a Plague victim: the Plague did not leave microscopic organisms. He checked his findings on a dozen victims, and it was always the same. The Plague, whatever it was, was no biological disease. He alerted the Church, and he and a small group of scholars began a full investigation of the disease using the most recent inventions - including some that were not yet available to the public. It was not until Don Petrigai of the Blood Scientists compared the disease to his own work that anything conclusive was found.

The result was worse than anyone had feared. The disease spread through the blood, like sorcery. It seemed, even worse, to be controlled by an outside source. It was impossible to tell who or what was controlling the Plague, but Petrigai realized it was only safe to assume it had been controlled from the first. Someone or something was killing people by the thousands, even millions, deliberately . The Invisible College knew that going public would incite the wrath of the Plague's controllers, so they decided to study it privately, dedicating several of their best to the mystery. However, nothing new has been found in the last two years. They hope to solve the problem before the next outbreak.

In 1666, of course, we know that the Hierophant died and the Inquisition rose. The Invisible College's more prominent figures and original founders opted to step into the spotlight to draw attention off their colleagues. It made their own jobs harder, but it had to be done. The entire College operates based on the philosophies of that inner circle, but they have had to operate on their own far more now as the Masters are hunted. This is a new age for the College - one that will either make them strong or destroy them.

The operations of research have slowed drastically, and communication is very difficult. Some scholars have formed small cells to operate in, but this only makes them bigger targets. Scientists everywhere are flooding the College for safety, and no one can be sure any given scholar is not secretly an Inquisitor in disguise. To make things worse, noble funding is at an all-time low, with the Montaigne-Castille war draining support from both nations and the Vendel-Vodacce trade war taking up their finances. Still, the fight's far from over, and it's only a matter of time before a new Hierophant, right? Maybe that one will like science.

All members of the Invisible College are expected, even encouraged to participate in independent research and to create new inventions. The only rule is that they must share their discoveries with the college and must take on certain secondary responsibilities: they most catalogue new discoveries and collect information on them, they must watch for potential recruits and induct them if they're promising, and they must watch out for dangerous knowledge that cannot be released to the public. And, of course, they need to watch out for Inquisition spies. Now, it shoudl be noted - only a small percentage of scholars and scientists are Invisible College members. It's entirely possible to be a scholar and academic without being part of it. There's a sidebar on it!

Anyway. On top of the College's regular projects, there are a number of special projects that require careful secrecy. There are currently five such projects, called the Mysteries. Most College scholars don't know what they are, or who works on them. Only scholars working on the mysteries know what they focus on and what their goals are, and they are told not to speak to others about their work. The First Mystery is historical research, focusing on recovering lost knowledge of the Numan Empire and the cultures it conquered. The Numans approached, perhaps even exceeded in some ways the level of science current researchers have. Their culture was vast and sprawling, yet had great communication and had irrigation and architecture centuries ahead of their time. Some weapons extracted from archaeological sites have suggested they understood physics and anatomy in ways rivalling today's scientists. The College considers it one of their greatest obligations to recover and study the remains of early civilization, with a focus on their science. Much of their work is done with the aid of the Explorers, and College scholars often secretly join Explorer expeditions posing as unaligned nobles or archaeologists...and some just join the Explorers.

The First Mystery's greatest discovery so far has been in the ruins in Petit Charouse. There, the College helped the Explorers find a monstrous astronomy room several levels below the city surface. They immediately began charting the constellations on the walls, and they realized that while the stellar positions indicated by the gemstones were similar to those of Théah, they were actually very different. In fact, several of the stars that the world's finest astronomers had identified and tracked for years for were clearly visible but in very different places than ever seen in the night sky. The astronomers set out to figure out the position of the mural, and realized - several planets were visible too, including some that none of the Explorers were able to identify. By comparing the mural with some obscure works by Arciniega, Alvarez, Rioja and Antonio, the College realized the planets were indeed Théah's... backwards . The mural showed Terra's solar system as seen from without . They have flagged the discovery as something for which the world was not ready and have set about ensuring the Explorers don't go back into the ruins of Petit Charouse, even putting pressure on l'Empereur to keep them out. They're even prepared to cave in the astronomy room to keep it secret.

The Second Mystery is the "mundane" sciences. Archaeology (in which few advances have been made by the College) and architecture (in which they are working on mass production of sheet glass, which will revolutionize house building), for example. Astronomy is one of their fastest-growing fields, and recently the College has calculated the distance from Terra to its nearest neighbor, Guer, a feat only possible thanks to Arciniega's new reflecting telescope. Chemistry is also home to major shifts, with the recent development of the microscope being pivotal. One very recent discovery was phosphorus, whose destructive nature and applications are terrifying - but the College has been unable to entirely suppress knowledge of it. They're worried on how to proceed. Mathematics has seen some very huge advanvements. The first was only discovered in the last few months: integral calculus, which assisted in the determination of the true nature of Petit Charouse's chamber. Everyone knows it's just a matter of time before calculus bcomes public knowledge, though. The second advancement was the creation of a universal decimal-based system of measurement, which the College has happily adopted after its suggestion by a Castillian priest tired of dealing with the difference in his native measuring and the Montaigne measurements. We get a sidebar here on how the College do not know the secret of forging dracheneisen - they'd love to use it in their experiments, since it's so powerful, but the Nibelungen will not allow them or teach them, saying only weapons and armor are worthy of the metal, and that it is not some trinket to be puttered with.

Medicine's advancements publically have no foundation - they're just things people know work. They don't know why hygiene, boiling bandages and quarantining sick people prevent disease, but they know they do. The College understands the reasons why, but have been reluctant to release it. Ten years ago, Anthony von Leese discovered "animalcules" on the body of a man who died of exposure. He theorized that these tiny, tiny creatures were the cause of the death, and he worked to prove it, leading to the discovery of the effectiveness of clean bandages and sanitary conditions, and even the use of crude antiseptics. He also realized that animalcules wer eeverwhere at all times, but that washing reduced their numbers for a short time. The College has decided the world can't handle such news - it'd unsettle people in the extreme - so they have been very, very slowly disseminating the knowledge to people via physicians. So far, it's working.

Most of the College's work in natural philosophy (read: physics) has been in trying to find new forms of power, operating on stress and torque. They are slowly coming into the idea that steam and electricity might bring power, but both sources are still very primitive and will take several decades to bear any fruit. We're not steampunk. Not yet.

The College is working on two inventions to aid in navigation, though only one is close to feasible. The first is a chronometer capable of determining longitude. If effective, it'll reduce the need for Porté mages on long-range watercraft. Unfortunately, this one is still only in the planning stages. The second invention has been named "geometric-block communications", and is much further along in development. It is...well, it's a semaphore using four shadow-boxes, allowing over ten thousand different messages to be transmitted great distances - perhaps hundreds of miles with a powerful telescope. Ravenild Hibbot is leading research on it, and hopes to have a prototype by spring of next year, believing that the Vendel Guilds and Elaine will sponsor a network of such devices for fast communication.

Weapons, now...well, Nezhek Cheremshenavich has discovered rifling, but that's very suppressed. More on it later. The College has mostly been working on defensive weapons - that is, how to defend against them if the concepts arrive in enemy hands. All are guarded ruthlessly. Improved grenades and a new weapon called the mortar are both in development.

The Third Mystery is practical application of scientific knowledge. It was originally inspired by designes brought back from archaeological sites, and focuses on making useful devices. The grappling gun, for example, first seen ten years ago, originally came from the College and this Mystery. Some recent cranks and locking mechanisms now used by sailing vessels were also so designed. The Third Mystery usually doesn't make martial designs, though recently they have created the much-maligned "musket sope" based on a telescope blueprint, which somehow reached the public. Other things include the windmill-cranked irrigation system and the friction-generated electric motor for horse-drawn carriages. It concentrates as much in improving existing designs as making new ones. It also makes most of the advanced field equipment for the College, such as underwater breathing devices, thin armor able to be hidden and even rudimentary gliders, of which we will speak more later.

Next time: The final Mysteries and the College's philosophy.

Welcome, gentlemen. Do step in and make yourselves at home.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: Welcome, gentlemen. Do step in and make yourselves at home.

The Fourth Mystery is the study and classification of living nonhuman creatures - animals, monsters, whatever. It's extremely dangerous, of course. The scholars have to go out in the wild to learn the strengths and weaknesses of all these strange creatures - and quite a lot of them die. Exposure, bad conditions and hungry animals are all great dangers. On the other hand: if you don't die, your notes are going to live on forever in the Bestiary , and that's worth it to a lot of people.

The Fifth and final Mystery is Blood Science. It was developed by Alvara Arciniega, Joshua Daylen and Don Petrigai, all of whom have gained a reputation for less...wholesome research. For this reason, their science is viewed with skepticism, ridicule, even fear. Many consider it a disgrace of ethics - but Arciniega defends it and shrugs it off, secure in its integrity. He considers it the final mystery, upon which all things will be built. Blood Science is originally based on the work of Wendel Hargreaves (who discovered circulation) and Ravenild Hibbot (who advanced the idea of blood transfusion), though it's doubtful either would approve of it now. It exists, ostensibly, to discover the nature of sorcery; its source, why it passes down through blood, how to trigger it and cure it. But it has become more. Today, the Fifth Mystery studies the blood of different sorcerers, learning to manipulate it, improve it and blend it.

Alchemy never discovered it, but sorcerous blood can be combined, altered and prepared as a catalyst to produce magical effects. The Fifth Mystery has even succeeded in transferring sorcerous ability to those without the gift for extremely limited time periods. Most startling, they have learned how to combine the blood of sorcerers to create new, often unforeseen effects - new powers never seen before. More on them later. There is, of course, a price. Blood Science is very, very risky. The developed extracts can kill people or have terrible side effects. And, of course, you need to have fresh sorcerous blood. And...well, no one knows where it's going. It started as alchemy. It looks like alchemy. But it's something new. It's firmly supernatural - and no one's sure where it's going.

In order to practice Blood Science, you need blood. Sorcerous blood. And to get that, you can't kill people - that lessens the supply. Also it's murder. Yet you can't just ask for it or you reveal what you're doing. So the Blood Scientists have taken to employing the Harvesters, a group of servants who drug and sedate nobles, drain them of a certain amount of blood - never more than two points, often less - and then leave the noble in a room somewhere with evidence of an encounter with a Jenny. So far no one's realized what they're actually doing.

The Vaticin e has always seen the world as a riddle to be unraveled, and that information comes from interpretive efforts. That what humanity learns can be understood only through the Vaticine dogma, the ultimate interpreter. This is part of why Verdugo called for research and experimentation to end - with no Hierophant, there is no Vaticine interpretation, and potentially dangerous information would not be contained. The Invisible College, on the other hand, believe that information is indeed everywhere - but it exists independent of interpretation. The Church, they say, confuses information with meaning . They claim that the entire universe is made of information, that it is the raw material of all things. The answer to the riddle of Creation is not information: it is meaning. This new paradigm was born of Frasier Baldred's idea of Empiricism and Jeremy Cook's dedication to the scientific method. They taught that meaning comes from methodical experience and proof, not faith. Things occur not because they were part of Theus' plan, but for a reason. You must understand that reason, understand why things happen to truly grasp their meaning. The universe is governed by laws, but the College believes man can understand those laws and express them mathematically - and Cook proved time and again that a full description of any physical system mathematically would yield an accurate prediction of its state at any future time.

So far, the College has found nothing to contradict Baldred's empirical laws. This has led most scholars to conclude that even if there is no Theus, there must be some intelligence behind such an elegant universe. But because the same laws that control the universe also control the functioning of the body, the College embraces the Vaticine idea that man is a small reflection of Creation. Any meaning that can be drawn from the universe in macrocosm can be applied to the human in microcosm. With a true understanding of one, the meaning of all can be reached, they say. The College is thus very, very interested in human potential. They care little for the Syrneth as a result - they don't want an extinct race's knowledge. They want man's knowledge. Each scholar has their own reason for thinking this way, of course.

The most interesting is perhaps that of Goskelen Leman, a devout Vaticine. His Theory of the Best Possible World (which Arciniega has called wildly optimistic) states that Theus could have created any kind of world. Thus, since Theus is perfect, he created the best possible world. In this world, the Syrneth did not survive because humans were destined to flourish. Therefore, humans are the best possible creation in the best possible world and only human endeavors have any importance. He summarized this theory with a simple verse: "Know your own nature, presume not Theus to conceal: in the study of all things, it is yourself which is revealed." The College has taken this as something of a popular motto.

Because of the importance of mankind, the College feels an incredible sense of responsibility. They know that their work could alter the fate of the world in the wrong hands, and they take every precaution to ensure that doesn't happen. This extends even to discoveries outside the college - they will take such discoveries and hide them if they must, as they did with Nezhek Cheremshenavich (more on him later). They rarely destroy any information, though - they prefer to hide it until the world is ready. They also appreciate the importance of free will, and believe that individuality should be nurtured in all perople, regardless of gender, social standing or circumstances of birth. It is this which keeps them civil even when they disagree strongly with one another - as they do often. Likewise, they have no prejudice against sorcery. It is no "Dark Gift", they say - it is just the ability to tap into unseen natural forces which have yet to be properly studied. The ability is just passed down hereditarily, like hair color - that's the only reason it's a noble thing, because the noble families have it. So far, no sorcerer has become a major contributor in the College, but that's just because there aren't that many sorcerers, so the odds of any scientist being one are fairly low.

The College has organized itself into what it calles the "Chain of Knowledge." Each member only knows two other members, besides the famous Masters. This links the entire organization in a chain, and hides their numbers from the Inquisition by ensuring they themselves don't know them. It makes them far less of a traditional organization than most, with no centralized authority or permanent meeting houses. (Well, there's a few, but they're more hideouts than anything.) They also have no ranks or command, though of course members are respected based on their works.

The name 'Chain of Knowledge' comes from old Numan myth. It speaks of a wise but poor man. People would come to him for solutions, and he always gave simple, practical ones that worked. This wise but poor man had two sons and a daughter, and while they respected his wisdom, they hated being poor. So each one set off to make their fortune. One son became a forester, the other a troubadour and the daughter a merchant. Years passed, and eventually they learned that their father was dying. They hurried home, finding many mourning - but not for their father. They were mourning that no one would be there to solve their problems. When they got home, they found their wise but poor father very ill, and he gathered them close.

Now, he told them, it was their duty to solve the problems of the villagers. They must find the answers. Before they could protest, he told them that he knew they thought they were a forester, troubadour and merchant, and that they had no answers to give. But he would teach them the secret of wisdom. He took out a map, telling them they must go through the Forest of Insciens to the City of Eruditio. Then they must sail to the Island of Conscientia, where they would find the Chain of Knowledge. He died soon after, and the three siblings set out to find the Chain.

In the Forest of Insciens, they were troubled by weather and fierce beasts. The merchant and troubadour were confused, but the forester told them he knew the way of the woods, and led them safely through the forest. When they reached the City of Eruditio, they had many fine pelts and meats. In the city, they were accosted by a gang of thieves and lost all their money. But the merchant told her brothers that they need not fear, she would see them through. And she did, trading their meat and pelts for a boat. When they landed on the Island of Conscientia, the siblings saw it was full of monsters - but the troubadour turned to his siblings and told them not to fear, for he would see them through. He sang the monsters to sleep, so they might pass. So the climbed a tall mountain, confident that the Chain would be at the top. There, they found a beautiful woman draped in a rainbow.

She told them that to find the Chain of Knowledge, they must take each others' hands. And thus she showed them - they were already part of the Chain of Knowledge, and that it was their duty to go to the world, teaching and learning, and always add new links. They did so, fulfilling their father's wish, and pledged to each other they would always continue his legacy.

This story, the College says, allows for each person to shine without having to stop cooperating with the group. They can collaborate with each other by trading facts and figures from one member to the next. They share all of what they do, and thanks to that, the process functions smoothly. Ideally, each member has as much influence as their achievements warrant, but it's not perfect and this can be abused by the more eloquent members of the College, who gain support while their less charismatic fellows are overlooked. They have no written code of conduct, but each member understands the importance of secrecy and discretion.

The seal of the College, by the way, is full of symbolism. The Inquisition ahs declared it a mockery of the Vaticine cross (and, well, that's part of it), but its purpose is to display the college's beliefs. The circle around the seal represents the whole of creation, without beginning or end, perfect and consistent. The cross represents the cardinal directions, showing that knowledge is everywhere. Factum is from the ancient Théan language - it means both 'work' and 'achievement.' The two triangles are the alchemical symbols for fire and the heart, representing passion and devotion. The rays of light are illuminating knowledge, driving away the shadows of ignorance and superstition.

Next time: College relations and practices.

Those who put an end to Arciniega will be welcomed into the kingdom of Theus.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

Glad you guys are liking the Invisible College!

7th Sea: Those who put an end to Arciniega will be welcomed into the kingdom of Theus.

The College doesn't just do research - there's also humanitarian work! This mostly means making toys for orphans or sending anonymous tips to city planners on how to improve water quality or waste disposal. The biggest effort, of course, has been to fight superstition and publically debunk frauds in an effort to keep interest in science alive. The most visible debunking has been when Diego Torres de Zepeda del Castillo listened to a salesman named Jasper Wellfellow selling a miracle cure - he wrote a letter explaining how it was impossible for the cure to work to a popular periodical, and soon others followed suit - letters humorously debunking all sorts of claims. The Public loves them, and an Avalon is even printing a collection of the letters, The Wisdom of Jasper Wellfellow II . (See, Diego used that as a pen name to avoid being located by the Inquisitors, and it caught on.)

The College isn't just scholars, of course. There's also swordsmen and sailors who help the society survive. There's also artists and writers, whose work has been important for the college - especially in developing codes. Psuedonyms and codes are very important to the college's survival. Psuedonyms are generally chosen by one of three methods. Vaticine scholars often take the name of a Vaticine saint related to the nature of their work. There's also anagrams, such as that used by Ravenild Hibbot (Baron Beth Livid; no, she doesn't like being told it should be Baroness) and last, names based on their work, such as 'Dashell Telescopic.' As for codes, there's two major codes. The first is the Math Code - it utilizes a cipher agreed on by sender and receiver that translates each letter into a specific number, then codes words into math problems. So you send several sheets of math problems to your friend, he solves them and then translates the message; this has proved completely baffling to the Inquisition. However, it can only be used for written communication. Galeno Rioja and Abrianna Lucilla Forenza saw another way. Fiorenza, a Vodacce composer, showed Rioja her innovation of musical time signatures. He was working on calculating musical scales from the velocityies of the planets at perihelion and aphelion, and by comparing notes they realized that messages could be hidden in music much as the Math Code. They developed the Music Code using variations in pitch, rhythm and tempo, and it caught on even faster than the Math Code - now, ebture experimental procedures are being disclosed in the midst of symphonies, and all that needs be done is to take notes on the music and then translate it out of code - and people have been taking notes during musical performances for a century.

Let's talk foreign relations now. Avalon, of course, is the birthplace of the College, in the form of the Royal Fraternity. When the Inquisition murdered Jeremy Cook, their illusion of security was shattered - but the Avalons supported them even after, shocked that the Inquisition would dare infiltrate their nation. Few nations are as openly supportive of the College's cause as Avalon. Still, the Inquisitors hide in the shadows there, and they are dangerous. Castille, meanwhile...well, it's seen their greatest triumphs and their worst struggles. It's the home of the Inquisition, and they have full authority there. Still - it's also here that many universities still stand, founded by the Church - and they tend to support the College. You have to live by your wits, but no nation has so many scholars as Castille, and none have had such pride.

Eisen is a mixed blessing. It's dangerous, but there's plenty of places to disappear to, and some of the rulers even like the College or hate the Inquisitors. Heilgrund loves academics, and Trägue hates Inquisitors...though he doesn't act much. You can easily find privacy in Eisen...but the price is that isolation makes communication very hard, so if you run into trouble, there's no one to call for help. Montaigne's a double-edged sword for a different reason. Sure, the nobles love to sponsor people and the Musketeers defend the weak...but the nobles are all too willing to gossip about who's sheltering whom, and the peasants are still devout Vaticines who are too ready to report things to the Inquisitors. It's a good place to hide if you can handle the courts, but it's far from perfect.

Like Eisen, Ussura's a great place to take refuge...but it's also a dangerous wilderness and seems completely technologically backward. The College has learned that Ussurans have no patience for elaborate theories and experiments - they prefer simple, honest work. The scholars have found that the best way to make friends is to design new and improved farming tools. You get a lot of time to work, but it's a very lonely, isolated place. Vendel, meanwhile, loves the scientists. It's happy to help them...for a price. The Vendels are really, really, really interested in some projects - like the solution to the longitude problem. That'd hold immense use for them, and they intend to make full use of it. The Vestenmannavnjar are riskier - they see the College's members as puppets of Vendel and don't like them much...but they also hate the Vaticine and the Inquisition, so it's a matter of balancing risks there.

The College has actually found allies in the Vodacce Church. After all, the Vodacce clergy don't like the Inquisition much and are willing to ignore some Castillian mandates. A few fanatics can be found, of course, but much of the church there is willing to grant sanctuary to any scholar that needs it. Besides, the universities are prtty good. On the other hand, the Princes are not philanthropists and are all too happy to force scholars to serve them rather than just hide them - and the moment you aren't useful, you;ll be thrown to the wolves.

As for other societies...well, the College both pities and is jealous of the Explorers. They waste too many minds trying to uncover bizarre Syrneth junk that doesn't really help the world much. Their work is ultimately pointless. However, they are full of heroes of the people and are beloved by almost everyone. They aren't hunted nearly so much. Thus the jealousy. Still, many College folks have friends in the Explorers, and they try to keep tabs on them to keep them from learning things that might hurt mankind - like, say, the discovery of Gallegos' ship. The College is utterly unaware of die Kreuzritter, though they have been infiltrated by it. The Black Crosses have not yet learned the dark secrets of the Order, though some are close.

The College once helped fund the Order of the Rose and Cross, and the Knights have not forgotten that. The Knights help the College as much as they can, but there's limits to what they can do. The Order also has some rather less benign interest for the Blood Scientists. Arciniega's noticed that they seem to be immune to Sorte, and he wants to know why. He's gotten several pints of Knightly blood and is studying them thoroughly to see if he can duplicate the phenomenon. As for Los Vagos, the College loves them. El Vago's followers have saved them from the Inquisition time and time again, helping many scholars in Castille. They've even donated weapons and devices to Los Vagos, and the two groups operate quite closely.

A few key members of the College are aware of Novus Ordum Mundi. They don't actually hate the group. They may dislike NOM's goals, but it's hard to despise any group that wants to change the current political structure. They are currently operating under the belief that an enemy of an enemy is a friend, and the College - well, the parts in the know - have accepted aid and funding from NOM. Of course, NOM is prepared to exploit that to its fullest, but try to keep the connection as quiet as possible.

The College doesn't think much of the Rilasciare - they see them as fragmented rabble, and the two aren't really sure how to talk to each other. They'd both be surprised how frequently they interact with each other, though - in debates, arguments and advising the same nobles. There is one major exception: the Freethought Society happily publishes the College's findings, and the College makes great use of that, though it's very careful to select what information is leaked. As for Sophia's Daughters...well, they're the ones who ensured Ravenild Hibbot got into the College, and they're quite interested to see the society survive. They are also well aware of the Fifth Mystery and have quietly helped it...when they feel like it, anyway. They know far more about elixirs than the College, though the sorcerous blood stuff is new. They could answer many questions if they wanted, but they've no intention of just giving away their secrets.

I'm going to skip the safehouses - they aren't that interesting and have no major secrets, unlike prior ones. Instead, it's time to talk about people. There is the Castillian woman who only calls herself Bonita - a shockingly beautiful woman with one of the finest mathematical minds on the planet and one of the best sword arms - she's invented an entire fencing school. She has not made many creative leaps; rather, her genius is for connecting the innovations of others in new and interesting ways, as well as for refuting proofs and creating more efficient ones than even the creators of a theorem. She is also studying probability, believing it will help her maximize the efficiency of her swordplay. Her sword skill is amazing - she's so fast her movements can be hard to track, and she almost never gets hit thanks to her defensive style, which she mixes with Gallegos fencing for attacking. She is clearly using a psuedonym, but never reveals her true name and no one knows who she actually is.

Mus Borwin was once more outgoing and adventurous - as a student, he was a bralwer and traveled the continent studying the stars. He became a mapmaker and devoted much of his time to abstract nautical pursuits...when not drinking or brawling, anyway. However, after he was caught in a battle in Eisen, he lost his right leg and has abandoned frivolous things. He is obsessed with solving the longitude problem, especially at sea. He devotes much of his time to trying to design a truly accurate chronometer that won't be interfered with by sea air and the motion of ships. He is also an expert on the satellites of the planet Re, studing their movements and orbits such that he can predict the moons' locations up to 30 months in advance. He believes these tables will let him determine longitude to within 40 miles...but the method's not perfect. It needs a literate navigator with immense math skill, who has the table of positions of the satellites that's accurate to ten minutes, and a table of hours of sunset based on latitude and date. And then you have to do it at night, and accurately measure the location of the moons and compare them to the table. Then you have to compare the time of sunset to the time in Kirk (helpfully provided by the tables). Then you have to check the table comparing the two. Then you can find the difference in longitude between you and Kirk. If you do anything wrong or lose your tables, you lose the accuracy. And it only works on clear nights. Borwin has yet to find a way to solve this problem, and has not published because he hasn't verified his work in the field - he's currently gathering funds to do so.


Can you guess who this guy is supposed to be?

That's Reimar Derviny, a man renowned for his irreverence and skepticism. His central argument stems from the fact that all perception is subjective, and thus flawed. He feels the only pure science is math, and is trying to prove that everything can be defined mathematically. He started as a lawayer, then joined the Montaigne military - but there, he found only questions, not answers. He came to realize that it was the fault of his perceptions, not what he saw, that he lacked direction and answers. He reconsidered how he viewed everything, developing an analytical approach to all things. He cast aside all things he could not prove, relying only on absolute truth. Eventually, this led him to what he feels is the only absolute truth: math. He knew he was on the cusp of something great, but also that he'd be excommunicated. So he fled to the lands of the Vesten, hiding there so he could formulate and articulate his ideas in safety. He has disproven, he feels, everything save one thought: ratio probat mundum , reason verifies the universe. It is the only statement he has been able to come up with which he cannot doubt, so it has become his core principle. He's not quite a scientist, and not quite a philosopher - he's something new, something brilliant and controversial. His speculations have expanded to include animals, and he has been studying their behavior recently. At home, he dresses in traditional Montaigne clothes, but when traveling he wears Vestenmannavnjar clothing - a sight which the Vesten find hilarious.

Then there's Abrianna Lucilla Fiorenza, born Lucilla Falisci. She was a nobleman's daughte,r but senzavista , without magic. Her mother pretended hse was stillborn and smuggled her out to a courtesan school. She grew up not knowing her true parentage, and served as an exemplary courtesan for years, showing an immense aptitude for math and music. That got her in trouble - she played violin well, but she wanted to compose, which Vodacce women are not allowed to do without a man to take credit for it. After several years trying to find a patron and failing, she left Vodacce with the (secret) help of her mother and found a patron in the form of Camilia Pascaut. She has become a huge success in Montaigne's courts with her Spiderweb Minuet, and also assists Camilia with her experiments. With the aid of Galeno Rioja, she has created the Music Code, developing a symphonic alphabet which has exceeded even her wildest expectations. So far, no one's realized the connection between her "bold new style" and the College, and she plans to keep it that way.

Next time: More Collegiates!

Lost your nerve? Come now, gentlemen. I'm sure you're responsible for worse...

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: Lost your nerve? Come now, gentlemen. I'm sure you're responsible for worse...

We left off with Ravenild Hibbot. She's something of an eccentric. She grew up among fishermen in Avalon, and while her father was annoyed by her endless questions, her mother supported her in her education. She had few friends, preferring study to play as a child, but her natural affinity for tinkering made her a natural scientist. At 18, she discovered cells in plants and was already improving clocks. Eleven years ago, she changed the course of scholarship by becoming the first woman into the Royal Fraternity. She was, however, treated as "just a clever girl," until one morning she awoke her fellows with a huge fire in the courtyard. She wore only a bodice and pants, burning all her dresses and gowns. She then cut off her long hair, telling the men that since it was difficult for them to see past her gender, she wanted to make it easier for them. Less than a week later, the society's name was changed. Hibbot has dressed like a man ever since, though she's let her hair grow out again. She has also taken to milking the scandal by smoking a pipe and riding astride a horse instead of side-saddle. She is making her rebellion into a social experiment, but doesn't let it disrupt her scientific research, which has made her a hero in the College.

Goskelen Leman is known as a genius. Also an unrealistic optimist, at least according to his peers. He's only in his early twenties, but he's already famous. He was once a lawyer, but found it too limiting, and turned to science, making contributions to math, linguistics and possibly even understanding the nature of the world. He'd like a girlfriend, but he's not really very good at dealing with people - he treats them as experiments, and so most women can't tolerate him. Leman wants to believe in a perfect, benevolent deity - but his beliefs have led him to a rather bizarre conclusion. Following the logic he used in creating the idea of monads, he realized it was possible for humans to have had six fingers, or to have three. However, no possible world could have both at once. He thus defined 'compossibilities', things that are compatible with each other as opposed to possibilities that are not. The total of any one set of compossibilities would make up a possible perfect world. He believes, thus, that Théah is one of a potentially infinite number of possible worlds. He finds this idea highly troubling and wants to reconcile it with his Vaticine beliefs. He wants a confidant to share his concerns with, but knows few will take him seriously.

Nezhek Cheremshenavich is a man we've spoken of before. Now we get detail. He is the creator of what may be the greatest weapon of all time. He was a devout Ussuran man with a wife and two sons. He was an avid hunter, but lamented the poor accuracy of muskets, and tinkered with many ideas to improve them. One day, whole his sons sledded down an ice slick, he noticed the curving, almost spiral angle of the slope they played on, and then opened up a gun and set to work filing away at the inside of the barrel. He didn't realize at the time, but he had invented rifling. After testing it, he showed it to his neighbors, and excitement grew. Word began to spread of this marvelous new weapon. Luckily for Nezhek, the College got to him before anyone else did - and that was luck indeed, since they aren't usually in Ussura. They knew the Inquisition would destroy the gun and kill Nezhek and his family - so they smuggled him into Eisen, then stole the gun and replaced it with one that would concince others the bragging was fraudulent and had been just luck. When the Inquisitors got there, all they found were disillusioned and angry neighbors who believed they'd been duped. Fortunately, Nezhek had never explained the actual rifling to anyone. Since then, he and his family have been living in a safehouse in the Eisen city Atemlos, trying to refine the new weapon and understand the physical laws behind its accuracy. The Inquisition is still looking for the family, though - but Nezhek will destroy the weapon and kill himself before he falls into their hands. He doesn't want anyone dangerous to have such a deadly weapon - and everyone would want it.

Richard Mutz is a Freiburg resident who didn't much care for science. He was a well-educated man, but more interested in novels and poems. He made a living as a bookseller and minor poet, and was good enough at brawling to fight off gangs that might want to hit him up for protection money. He was also a good enough salesman to hire a few bodyguards. By the time Freiburg was reopened, he owned one of the largest book collections in Eisen, catering to academics of all sorts. Thus he made contact with the College. When they approached him, he thought they just wanted more books - but what they really wanted was for him to serve as a front for a printing operation. They offered to pay for presses if he could give them a secure location and use of the presses. He was overjoyed to agree to it, and today the Book Emporium is a major College facility. Mutz runs the presses in the back, publishing all kinds of scientific documents and hiding them in books to pass on to his College customers. He has devised a cunning way to hide the documents in the spines of the books, letting him move them without revealing their nature, and also uses the Math Code to communicate with his clients. He also hands out leaflets containing his poetry. Few people read them, but he doesn't care - the presses let him indulge his muse, and he loves to do it.

Father Conal Martin of Inismore is a Vaticine priest, and the Vaticine of Inismore are close-knit - for defense as much as anything. You never know when some toughs will try to beat you up to gain favor with the Sidhe. Conal learned to defend himself as a youth, physically and philosophically. He was a defender of the bullied, and very popular with the youth. He became an altar boy early, and became a priest just as quickly. He attended La Ciencia in Castille, where he met and befriended a young Salvador Garcia. Garcia became a teacher in La Ciencia, while Martin returned to Inismore, but the two stayed in touch, using ciphers just to entertain each other. Conal studied natural science and theological philosophy in his spare time, eventually becoming a Bishop and headmaster of the Burke university. When the Hierophant died, Garcia visited him and told him of the horrors of the Inquisition, recruiting him into the Invisible College. Today, he stores much useful information for Garcia and the College, keeping it safe from the Inquisition. He carefully archives everything, and has one of the biggest collections of forbidden material in the world.

Captain Julius Mendoza is not one of the College's geniuses. He's an engineer and mathematician, but his work is slow and plodding. However, he knows more of the College's members and safehouses than anyone else. He was once a navigator aboard a smuggler's ship that was seized by the navy, and he was imprisoned on la Bucca before the revolt that made him a member of the Brotherhood of the Coast. He has turned to piracy with ease, and he is now captain of the Lady Miriam. During one such mission, the College set up a safe harbor on la Bucca. He ended up returning to the island to find out, and was delighted to help them. His academic skills, long unused, finally got an outlet, and his work as a pirate was highly valuable, able to show up anyhwere to help the College with far more strength than might be expected. He now serves as something of a trump card for the College, and has more than once sent the Inquisition packing with well-timed cannon fire and daring rescues. He also often brings escaping scholars to la Bucca, to work at the enclave there - or to other places, but he has a soft spot for the island.

Diego Torres de Zepeda del Castillo is seen by most as an accountant and a fop. Few realize that he is - or at least was - an active supporter of the College. He was born the son of renowned swordsman Alejandro de Zepeda and poet Anita de Torres. He wanted nothing more than to be a scientist as a youth, but his father forced him to learn fencing instead. He eventually wagered with his father that if he could ever beat the man, he could go to university. From that day on, he studied both fencing and, secretly, the works of Daylen and Cook. At 15, he challenged his father to a duel - and won, barely. His proud father sent him to university, where he made great insights into chemistry and applied mechanics. There, he met Mariana de Aldana, a young woman who was as smart as him in every way. He was in love with her, but she felt he was socially beneath her. The same determination that let him beat his father led him to study etiquette so he could sweep her off her feet, and the two were married. The last few years, however, led to an outbreak of White Plague claiming his father's life. His mother wrote poems about the church's inability to find a cure and was killed as a heretic. STories of his mother brought the Church down on him, and he was forced to give up his science to save himself and his pregnant wife. The ordeal has crushed his spirit, and he works now just as a bookkeeper, though his love for science still burns. Whenever he can, he funnels funds from his wealthier clients to the College, and he longs to do more.

We know about Alvara Arciniega, but now we learn that he has been a member of the College for 25 years - and a scientist for longer than that. His fixation on alchemy and Blood Science can't erase his immense achievements. He has proven his worth time and again, and it was he who first supported Ravenild Hibbot's application to join, he who laid the groundwork for the Chain of Knowledge. He also realized the dangers of the Inquisition long before anyone else, and when Jeremy Cook died he was able to convince the others that the College must prepare for the worst. He's paid the price for his foresight, though - he's at the top of Verdugo's hitlist, and lives in permanent exile after the Inquisitors ambushed him in his home.

Duc Auguste Danceny du Rosemonde is a bitter and hateful old man who cannot recall true happiness. His wealth failed to make him happy, his work as a Musketeer did not make him famous, his talent with Porté never truly developed. Only two things have held his interest: politics and alchemy. He is a natural in the Montaigne courts, with a keen eye, sharp tongue and rabid hatred for foreigners. His studies of alchemy kept him from enjoying it, though - too focused to care about anything, even his wife and daughter. He only took notice of them when his daughter eloped with a minor Vodacce noble, and then only because a foreigner had taken something of his. He sent Swordsmen to retrieve her, only to find she'd died in childbirth. The loss hit him hard, and he swore to raise his granddaughter, Gabrielle, to the best of his ability. He doted on her, and when she grew spoiled, he sent her off to school, burying himself in alchemy again. This brought him to Arciniega's attention - he needed someone to help finance the Fifth Mystery. Auguste distrusted a Castillian, but he was intrigued with the idea of increasing his own sorcerous power. He started just by giving money, then blood - and then he tried a potion. And he became addicted. Now, he is convinced that potions are the key to happiness for him, and he has become Arciniega's unwitting slave.

Skyla Koenrad is the daughter of a poor Vendel household who went to the big city to become an actress. Life in the city wasn't easy, not without money - and when she tried to join the Actor's Guild, she was laughed off the stage. An older woman confronted her and told her that she might have beauty, but she had no talent and would be better employed in the Jenny's Guild. It was an insult, but she did just that. Uncomfortable at first, she soon grew to enjoy her work, though she couldn't tell her family of her true profession and let them believe she was an actress. Things went well until a Montaigne noble and his friends assaulted her. The experience traumatized her, and that was when Arciniega came into her life. He took her into his care, nursing her back to physical and emotional health, offering her a job that would let her get back at those who hurt her. For the next three years, she trained to move silently, climb walls and physically overpower foes. She developed her acting skill and mastered the art of disguise. She learned about anatomy and circulation - and when she was done, she had become the perfect Harvester. Now, she gathers sorcerous blood for Arciniega, seducing nobles and then drugging them, stealing their blood and fleeing. She considers her work an art form, which she greatly enjoys.

Devoren Rivinova was born and raised Ussuran. Her father told her that Matushka was fickle, and must be respected, for she would turn on those who took too much from the land. While hunting ,she never took more than she needed, and the wilderness became part of her. One day, though, the land changed - the forest became dark and brittle, the waters warm and bloody, and the skies rolled with storms. The area began to die, and her village with it. With nothing to eat, they starved. She called out to the skies, asking Matushka why she was forsaken, but no answer ever came. The village was without friend or faith, and many fled. She refused to, though. Three months later, the Explorers came upon the bog that had once been her village. She had gone insane, reverting to a primitive, almost animal state. They took her back to Carleon, hoping to cure her so she could tell them what had happened. Early efforts to communicate didn't seem to work - but then Alvara Arciniega approached her. She didn't respond immediately, but eventually, she took notice of him. He was fascinated, and spent a lot of time working with her, getting her to speak. Over ten years, he brought her back to the world, coming to realize that she had not caused Matushka's anger - she had just been its victim. This changed her, making her resentful of her homeland and all of nature. Today, her loyalty is only to Arciniega. Through him, she oined the College - though not as a scholar. She is a tracker and hunter, set to acquiring things the College needs, especially things like rare animal parts.

Now, mechanics. Being in the invisible college gets you a stipend yearly of (1d10*10)G. These are intended for use in science, but there's no one keeping track what you use them for. All members know tow other members, usually by psuedonym, who act as free 1-point Connections (which can be bought up as normal). They also all can recognize the Math and Music Codes, though you need Math 2 or Music 2 to decode them respectively, as well as knowledge of the sender's cipher. You also may buy Astronomy and Natural Philosophy as basic knacks rather than advanced knacks of the Scholar skill. The College has three Grandmasters - Reimar Derviny in Mathematics, Ravenild Hibbot in Research and Alvara Arciniega in Natural Philosophy.

The College are the sole users and students of the Bonita fencing school, which teaches students to hold their ground against many foes until they have a chance to escape. It is an almost entirely defensive school of fencing, relying on swift parries and running. Students learn when to hold ground and when to run, and it exists to buy time while minimizing risk. Its weakness is a lack of offense and a constantly moving defensive rapier. Someone who knows the weakness can find the rhythm of the parries and exploit them. Because of its secrecy, the school doesn't grant Swordsman status. Apprentices get a Free Raise when parrying with a fencing weapon, and when they hold an action, they may increase its number by 1 at the end of each phase, giving them higher initiative as they wait. A Journeyman gets an extra Raise during any chase sequence, and may add his Wall of Steel knack to any active defense made with Parry. A Master can spend a Drama die to make an active defense even when they have no actions, and get a free rank of Parry (Fencing), which raises their maximum Parry to 6. (Wall of Steel is a knack that raises your TN to be hit if you haven't attacked in a round.)

We also get the Alchemist advantage. You need it if you're going to use Blood Science. The secret of Alchemy, by the way? It requires faith. Alchemy does not work unless you believe it'l work - and that's why it's been systematically debunked. It's not replicable. The true alchemist realizes the magic isn't the point: it's about transforming your spirit. Thus, they raise the maximum limit of one of their traits by 1, to 6. (It does not stack to 7 with any other advantage, though.) They can also learn Blood Science formulas.

Then we get the Invention rules. You can try to make anything, so long as: A. it can be built with technology that exists in the modern day or earlier and B. it doesn't require a material you don't have available, like rubber or electricity. The base TN to come up with the idea is 5, but you take the 'present day' of the game and subtract it from the year the thing was invented in the real world. Then you add that number to the base TN. You also add 10 to the TN for every Leap of Logic - which is to say, every important intermediary step your skipping, like artillery without calculus or rubber tires without galvanized rubber. You subtract 2 for each assistant whose Wits is at least as high as your own, to a max number of assistans equal to your Wits, and add 10 if the invention was truly pivotal in the development of the modern world (such as calculus or the printing press). You then spend a Drama die and roll the Conception check. IF you succeed, your PC has the idea and you can try to design it. The base TN for this, again, is 5 - but you add to that based on the size of the invention (if it's an invention and not a theory), abd then add to it based on how complex it is, and subtract if the design utilizes difficult-to-get components. You then subtract for assistants and add for Leaps of Logic. Then, you make the Design check, and the GM records the result secretly. However much you passed by is removed from the construction TN, but if you failed, how much you failed by is added instead. The Construction check costs you money based on components - (TN)G if you make the components, or twice that if someone else does. The base TN for any component is 5, modified by size and delicacy, and then with penalties for leaps of logic and bonuses for assistants and if the device is a modification of something that already exists - but it can never go below 5. A steam engine, for the record, is TN 47, pivotal and has 1 Leap of Logic, while a ship's chronometer is TN 75 and pivotal. Champagne is TN 25, and the pressure cooker is TN 17.

Next time: Blood Science!

The very notion that light can be broken down into a - what does he call it? - a 'spectrum.' Blasphemy of the first order.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: The very notion that light can be broken down into a - what does he call it? - a 'spectrum.' Blasphemy of the first order.

Before we get to Blood Science, there's a list of some inventions of the College that can be requested - though since there's usually only a few copies of the more dangerous ones, you won't necessarily get them. First up is the Assault Vehicle. Which was stolen by Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood for Leonardo's tank. (Well, no, but same basic idea.) It is completely unarmed, but has gunports and protects those inside. It travels at eight miles per hour on level ground thanks to a special set of springs, and it can go for twenty minutes at full wind. You can wind it from inside while it's moving, and it takes 20 Actions to fully wind a spring.

Less dangerously, there is the Automatic Cooking Spit, which rotates based on convection of air. The hotter the fire, the faster it turns, keeping the meat on it from burning. They have also invented the bicycle, though it has no brakes - if you want to stop, you drag your feet on the ground or veer from side to side. They've also managed a diving suit, which can let you stay underwater for half an hour. It works with a pair of glass goggles, a leather suit, flippers and two wineskins full of air. It also comes with a cutlass and a manual drill for holing boats. They've made an encoding device that doubles as a harpsichord - the big difference between the two is that it can play music from thin wooden keys which feed into a slot and tell a tumbler what notes to play. You can also switch it to compose messages, too, which will punch out teeth in blank keys. It should be noted - you have to write both musically and backwards, but those familiar with the Music Code can easily adapt the machine to it.

They have also invented folding furniture - tables and chairs, mostly. They fold into compact traveling modes. There's a mechanized drum (consisting of three drums, six sticks and some cogs that turn based on carriage wheels) which will automatically play a steady marching beat. The College has managed to design multi-barrel artillery, too, though it has to be anchored with a spike before it can be fired. There are three rows of guns, and you fire one row at a time. It consists solely of boarding cannons - anything else was too big - and it's pretty slow, but it makes a lot of damage. There are also the special paddle boots.


See? Paddle boots.

The College has also invented the parachute, though they don't fully understand the science and so it isn't capable of adult human weight. Instead, it can handle up to 45 pounds safely, but will at least soften the blow of heavier things. They've also invented the Porté Dampener - really, it's a specially designed locket containing a set of two mirrors trapping a mirror ghost. It's a very small ghost, but it snuffs out all Porté within 30 feet. They've also got the Rope-Descending Device, which uses a wodden cylinder with a spiral groove in it to descend a rope at a controlled rate, and the sword-sharpening scabbard, which uses specially placed rocks to sharpen swords that are drawn from or returned to it. And lastly, the table lamp - it's a ball full of water, containing a second glass ball with a flame in it. There's a valve to drain it, and the water acts as a lens for the light. You can also dye it to get color.

Now, let's talk blood. Blood Science was developed by Don Petrigal, Joshua Daylen and Alvara Arciniega using alchemical principles. The initial breakthrough came when Arciniega studied texts and became aware of the Numan Bargain, suggesting that all sorcery came from a common source. This let him formulate several key axioms, especially when he realized that sorcery runs in the bloodline - even those that didn't come from the Bargain obeyed that law. He speculated that sorcery was thus in the blood itself. Thus he began the art of Blood Science. The basic component is called an "extract", the result of using chemistry to render down sorcerously charged blood, remove the gross biological material and concentrate the physical traces of sorcery into an elixir. It's not purely chemical, of course - you need alchemy to concentrate the blood, just boiling and evaporating does nothing. You need blood from a sorcerer, of course - you can get up to 5 extracts' worth by killing the sorcerer, but that's wasteful of resources. Draining enough blood for one extract causes 1 Dramatic Wound, enough for two causes 3, enough for 3 causes 6 and enough for 4 causes 10. Most Harvesters only ever take one or two extracts' worth at a time. Reducing the blood to usable state is called 'rendering' and it takes a full alchemical lab and a day's worth of effort by someone with the Alchemist advantage. Each Extract produced requires the expenditure of a Drama die to infuse it with power and, if it was taken from an unwilling subject, a point of Reputation - but success is automatic provided the blood is from a single person and not tainted. You can't mix the blood of multiple people.

Extracts from different types of sorcerers look very different and can easily be told apart. Twice-blooded sorcerers can't be rendered currently, and nor can non-sorcerers (with one notable exception later). Extracts can either be drunk immediately for their effect, or they can be combined with other Extracts to form a Cordial, a sort of mixed potion. What do Extracts get you, though?

Well, Glamour is a glittering gold liquid that grants you one level of the Appearance Advantage ntil the next sunrise or sunset. If you already have 2 levels of Appearance, you get a third level which humans normally can't do. You can be affected only by one Glamour Extract at a time. El Fuego Adentro is a fiery orange liquid that makes the imbiber immune to fire and heat-based damage until the next sunrise or sunset. It also grants this immunity to any equipment in close contact with the imbiber, but no one knows if that's because it generates a protective field or if it's a quality of the skin. Porté is a deep crimson, and grants the ability to "blink" once during the next 24 hours. When you blink, you automatically succeed on any one Active Defense by vanishing and reappearing after the attack's finished. If you don't use your blink within 24 hours, it fades away.

Pyeryem is a brown, earthy liquid that grants the ability to speak to and understand animals until the next sunrise or sunset. However, any animal that has a particularly keen sense of smell will be nervous around you for 24 hours after you drink the Extract. Lærdom is a pale yellow liquid that immediately heals the drinker of all Flesh Wounds and 1 Dramatic Wound. Sorte is an inky black liquid that immediately gives the imbiber 3 Drama dice that last until the next sunrise or sunset. They can't be turned into XP and you can only get benefits from one Sorte Extract in 24 hours. Zerstörung produces a dark green liquid that is not drunk but instead thrown. Any object it touches is dissolved as though immersed in acid, affected up to 10 cubic feet of material. Dracheneisen, Syrneth artifacts and other mystical material is unaffected, as is particularly high grade glass. Only two Zerstörung Extracts have ever been known to exist, and no one has any idea where Arciniega got them.

Cordials are magical formulae made by mixing Extracts together in careful proportions and spending a number of Drama dice to infuse the mixture with power. It takes 1 Action per Extract used in the Cordial, and can only be done by someone with the Alchemist advantage. Here are some of the known Cordials, but you can make others.

Daylen's Cordial uses 1 Sorte Extract, 1 Glamour Extract and 1 Drama die. It is black with veins of gold running through it, and it gives its imbiber a huge run of luck. You roll a non-exploding d10. For that many rounds, you can spend a Drama die to reroll any roll you make, inclding damage rolls, as often as you desire. Petrigal's Cordial uses 1 Porté, 1 Pyeryem and 1 Drama die. It appears as clotted blood, and drinking it immediately causes permanent loss of 1 Brawn. However, when thrown, it explodes with the force of a Rank 5 Explosion. Arciniega's Cordial uses 1 El Fuego Adentro, 1 Lærdom and 1 Drama die. It's bright yellow, and anyone who drinks it bursts into flames for 1 round, but takes no damage from the fire. They inflict an extra die of damage with barehanded attacks and anyone who grapples or is grappled by them suffers the effects of being set on fire.

Magebane Cordial is the only thing you can make with the blood of a non-sorcerer. It takes 1 Drama die and 1 Extract from someone who is not a sorcerer and has the Faith or Miracle Worker advantage. Any sorcerer who drinks the cordial loses all powers for 24 hours, though shamans and other non-sorcerers are unaffected. And last is The Great Cordial , which takes 1 of each type of Extract and 5 Drama dice. No one knows where Arciniega got the Zerstörung he needed for it, and it may not even be brewable any more as a result. It is a rainbow-colored liquid which grants complete immortality for 5 Rounds. During that time, the imbiber cannot be harmed by any means. Ever. Nothing at all can hurt the imbiber. When it wears off, though, he falls unconscious for 24 hours and can't be revived by any means during that time.

However, while Blood Science is powerful, it's also imperfect. Every time anyone drinks a Blood Science formula, they roll two non-exploding dice. If either comes up a 1, they have to roll on the Side Effect table. You can, however, spend a Drama die to roll three dice and pick the two you like best to avoid these mishaps. What's on the table? Well, you could go permanently insane, gaining 2 Brawn and 2 Resolve but lowering your Wits to 1 and blindly attacking everything in sight. You take one Dramatic Wound per hour until knocked out, at which point you will die in a few hours and can't be woken up. The good news is the formula lasts until you die! Or you might get tremors, which permanently reduce your Brawn by 1 and lower your maximum Brawn by 1. Or there are two different kinds of poison you can suffer from. Or swollen joints, which do what tremors do except to Finesse. Forgetfulness does the same to Wits, or you could go into a coma for 1d10 weeks (halved if you spend a Drama die). Or you could get a Fever for 1d10 days that lowers your Brawn and Resolve by 1. If either hit 0, you die. Or you could get a worse fever, which does the same for four hours but reduces both by 2. The good news is that the magic lasts the full fever! Also you hallucinate. And the final possible result is a horrible set of fits that permanently reduces your Panache by 1 but at least doesn't lower your maximum Panache.

After this, we get a short essay on playing scientists of various archetypes and other members of the Invisible College. Pretty handy, but you don't need me to cover it for you. Instead, it's time for secrets! Bonita's real name is Marisol Verdugo. She is a master of both Gallegos and Bonita fencing, and she is second cousin to Cardinal Esteban Verdugo of the Inquisition. She left home when she was young and took on a psuedonym to keep from staining his honor - something she now regrets. Her instructor in math and fencing was Don Miguel Rivera de Gallegos, who is now dead. Bonita is ashamed of her cousin and feels guilty for hiding her name and thus letting him gain his position. She can't reveal her identity now, though, or he'd target her for special attention.

Mus Borwin's only secret is that he's an agnostic. Publically, he remains Objectionist, but the battle that cost him his leg also destroyed his faith - he feels that no deity worth worshipping would let him suffer so much. Reimar Derviny has no secrets. Abrianna Lucilla Fiorenza is an apprentice Cappuntina fencer. She's learned it because she knows there's a contingent in Vodacce who want her dead for being a woman and a composer. Her popularity in Montaigne has kept them at bay for now, but it's only a matter of time before someone tries something. She plans to be ready for them when they do.

Next time: More secrets!

It mocks the glory of Theus and defies all common sense.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

You would have a lot of new alchemists. This was how things were until Jeremy Cook went and declared it bunk - what's been happening is basically the exact opposite of your idea. More and more scientists have tried to do it as skeptics since him, and so it has been dying out.

7th Sea: It mocks the glory of Theus and defies all common sense.

Ravenild Hibbot is a journeyman Finnegan boxer. She's pretty badass. She is also unaware of the two secrets surrounding her. First: her mother is a Fate Witch and a member of Sophia's Daughters, who raised her from birth to be strong and independent. Were it not for the Inquisition's interest in her, the Daughters would have already approached Hibbot to have her join, and they still quietly support her in secret. The second secret is that Alvara Arciniega stole her work on blood transfusions for his research into Blood Science, and if she knew about it she'd be horrified and act to stop him.

Goskelen Leman's theory has implications even he doesn't understand. The issue has put his faith to agonizing tests, and he often regrets conceiving of it. Still, he believes that Theus intended for him to find this truth, and that would not be so if he wasn't capable of handling it. If he could find someone to share it with, he's sure he'd be free from torment. Of course, many would say Goskelen had gone mad. Others would claim he'd solved the secret of where the Syrneth went. And others still would believe every word of his theory - and then reluctantly slit his throat with a knife blade made of shadow.

Nezhek Cheremshenavich is less concerned with the Inquisition than he is with the military powers of the world. Rifles would make an army devastating, and he knows the world's generals would stop at nothing to get one. Given the war in Castille, the ambitions of some of Eisen's rulers and the growing trade war between Vendel and Vodacce, he's very nervous, and knows he must keep the weapon a secret from everyone. He is deeply suspicious of anyone he doesn't know. He also deeply misses Ussura, and in his worse moments he considers destroying the rifles and fleeing to Ussura, trusting Matushka to protect him. In his more lucid moments, though, he realizes the College must understand his invention before someone else recreates it, and that his homesickness must not interfere.

Richard Mutz pays a street gang called the Mailed Fist to keep an eye out for Inquisitors. They do a good job, but are also bullies and have roughed up innocent Vaticine priests because they "looked like Inquisitors." Mutz feels terrible about this and has donated money to the church to help himself feel better. He also worries that such incidents will draw Verdugo's attention.

Father Conal Martin has made a deal with the local druids to keep his forbidden library safe. He doesn't believe in their religion, but he needs allies outside the Church and trusts them to stay quiet. They'll guard the library, which lies near one of their gathering places, and in return they will be allowed to study its texts. Conal considers this a fair bargain, and so far its worked out. He hasn't told Salvador Garcia, though - the man would never understand.

Captain Mendoza has no secrets. Diego Torres de Zepeda del Castillo does, though. He's a journeyman Aldana fencer and he's not the broken man he seems to be. He's just playing one to keep the Inquisition away. He's determined to stop their injustice, and has gone one step further than the rest of the College to do it. Inspired by El Vago, he has donned a mask and a belt of useful gadgets, taking to the rooftops to fight the Montaigne and the Inquisitors. His wife Mariana aids him with inventions and devices, but wishes he could settle down and return to their research. Still, she wants a better world for their daughter, and understands that drastic measures are needed. Diego's devices are based on his and Mariana's work in chemistry and applied mechanics, and generally rely on nonlethal takedowns. He mostly uses a crossbow whose bolts are coated with the knockout drug ethera, as well as net guns and other such things. Those who see him in action tend to think he's a member of Los Vagos, which he's happy to allow them to do.

Alvara Arciniega, as we know, is a master of Soldano, a journeyman of Valroux and a leader of Novus Ordum Mundi. In fact, he plans to eventually merge his two beloved organizations into one. He believes they will benefit each other - for example, Blood Science is a great insight into the nature of sorcery for the College, and also a great weapon for NOM. It was Arciniega who betrayed Jeremy Cook to the Inquisition, knowing that his death would galvanize the College and instill the right sense of urgency. It was also he who leaked the knowledge of the light prism to the Inquisitors, leading them to declare all-out war on science - just as he knew they would. It's helped him create a strong hold on the College. However, it almost backfired - the Inquisition moved faster than he'd anticipated, and a trio of assassins nearly killed him before he could escape his villa. He's resolved never to underestimate Verdugo ever again.

Duc Auguste Danceny du Rosemonde is more addicted than even Arciniega realizes. He's a journeyman Valroux fencer and his Porté remains weak, but he thinks of nothing beyond Porté extracts and the day he can finally master his atrophied sorcerous power. He's suffered the side effects of several imperfect samples, but it hasn't stopped him. If the Blood Scientists don't get their work perfected soon, he's going to die. The Duc is also the one who revealed to Dominique du Montaigne that her father had sent her husband to Ussura to die. He is currently waiting for Montegue to return home, hoping for a civil war that will kill many nobles and thus let the Blood Scientists get access to a lot of blood. His one concern is his granddaughter Gabrielle. She's just got back from finishing school, and he's worried she'll die in the coming bloodshed. So he's preparing to get her out of the country, and will go to great lengths to ensure she's safe.

Skyla Koenraad is neither cruel nor evil. She honestly believes that Arciniega is doing good for mankind and actually has a small crush on him. The Harvesting work has been therapeutic for her, and while it hasn't erased the trauma of her assault, it has very much helped her deal with it. She has yet to find her assailants, and has no idea what she'd do if she did. Her parents still believe she's an actor and are very proud of her. Now that their kids are grown, they plan to visit Kirk and catch one of her performances.

Devoren Rivinova is an apprentice of Soldano and one of Arciniega's NOM agents. Everything stated about her is true - she just does NOM work on the side. She was recently entrusted with delivery of a scroll to Vincent Bernvadore of the Explorers. The scroll contained a single page copied from an old logbook, explaining the final landing of Cristobal Gallegos' vessel on Ussura's eastern shore. Arciniega's reasons for releasing it are unknown, but it's definitely going to raise tensions. Arciniega also knows one secret that Devoren doesn't: the reason her village was blighted so long ago was that her father helped a Porté sorcerer escape the Gaius, earning him Matushka's wrath. Were she ever to learn the information, Devoren would probably return to her animalesque state forever.

One of the 'secrets' of Blood Science: it doesn't have any power on animals. It's as toxic as it would be for humans, but the magic just doesn't work for anyone but a human being. Machines can't be built which are powered by Blood Science, either. And more importantly, the power comes from concentrating sorcery to a devastating degree. Even Arciniega doesn't know what the prolonged effects of such tampering are, and were the Black Crosses ever to learn of it, Blood Science would have a new and very deadly enemy.

Now, the White Plague. Some believe the Plague is an attack, by some unknown party for unknwon reasons. They believe there's a larger pattern to the outbreaks, and want to find it. OThers believe there is some natural cause, and that when they find the root, the source will be clear. Don Petrigal's work has revealed a third possibility: the Plague might somehow be rooted in sorcery, and magic increases the risk of outbreak. He's yet to work a concrete theory out of this finding, though. The earliest sign of White Plague is a sense of unease, followed in an hour by aches, coughs and a rash of white blotches, particularly around the cheeks. This tends to trigger a wave of hysteria. The early symptoms last a day per point of (Brawn+Resolve) the person has. Four days after the early period ends, the character suffers a permanent, incurable Dramatic Wound. The pain becomes unbearable as the disease affects circulation, nerves and digestion. Hallucinations begin, and judgment and morals become impaired. Mild fever increases as well, and the blotches spread. The victim's sweat becomes milky white. Folklore says the fluid spreads the disease, but that is actually not true. You take another incurable Dramatic Wound every four days. Once you become crippled, the second stage begins. The original sites of the blotches become puffy and swollen, and the pain drives you into a thrashing madness. The wounds continue until you reach a number equal to twice your Resolve. At that point, you can no longer functon, and fall into a fitful sleep. Your skin becomes white, and white sweat oozes from you. You will die within 6 to 10 hours. There is no known cure for the White Plague. What's worse is the panic that surrounds it - the disease kills hundreds, but the panics kill thousands more - it's a strangely uncontagious disease, but most people don't know that and will do anything to avoid catching it.

The Inquisition gets detailed here, and we're promised more in the Church of the Prophets sourcebook. Their secrecy and terror tactics are what partially caused the College, and only their fanaticism forced such drastic measures. However, they don't have infinite reach, and they can be defeated. The gretest strength they have is their zeal and devotion. Each Inquisitor truly believes their cause is right, and honestly wants to see all sorcery and research destroyed. The head of the Inquisition, of course, is Grand High Inquisitor Cardinal Esteban Verdugo. Beneath him are the High Inquisitors, who receive his orders and ensure the rest carry them out. When Verdugo took over, he found that some High Inquisitors knew how to move unseen or how to fight, and found them very useful in hunting down heretics in areas the Inquisition didn't control. He seperated them and gave them the title Knight Inquisitor. Their servants are the Defenders of the Faith, the Inquisition's military might. They are the principle foes of the College.

Each Knight Inquisitor hunts in a specific region, and regularly report to Verdugo via messages sent by ship. They are closely monitored, and each receives a gold ring bearing the Prophet's Cross. The rest of the High Inquisitors work in Castille, managing interrogations and confessions. The Knight Inquisitors often disguise themselves as merchants, mercenaries or even Objectionists to hunt out their foes. The official costume of Inquisitors and Defenders of the Faith is a red robe and a red mask with a gold Prophet's Cross, while High and Knight Inquisitors wear black robes and a black mask with a red cross. Knights also get black armor if needed. When Verdugo appears publically, he wears white robes and a white mask with a black cross. At these times, he is referred to as Grand High Inquisitor Tobias.

In Avalon, Verdugo's influence is highly limited. He'd love to kill Elaine, but his operatives have to remain very, very stealthy. Mostly, they attack with coordinated precision strikes, since they have so few members and have so much trouble getting people into the Avalon islands. In Castille, they have ree reign, of course - they're practically running the place in many areas, with only Los Vagos keeping them in check. Only the universities serve to protect academics, despite Verdugo's best efforts. In Eisen, well...mixed success, really. The Inquisitors mostly operate in the north of Eisen, where people are largely Vaticine, and move in large bands indistinguishable from the other armed men wandering around. They can go pretty much anywhere - or so they think. However, die Kreuzritter stalk them and have been quietly killing them off. At least three full Knight Inquisitors have died in Eisen, along with a dozen Defenders of the Faith. The Inquisition has no idea who's doing the killing, though, and have made it top priority to find out.

Next time: More on the Inquisition!

Let him stand as an example to all who would follow him.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

Books until the Montaigne Revolution: 9.

7th Sea: Let him stand as an example to all who would follow him.

Okay. The Inquisition hates Montaigne and l'Empereur. Well, they hate the nobles, anyway. However, the Empereur is just too powerful to hit directly, so they've been focusing on hunting sorcerers and patrons of science. They are, at least, able to vanish easily into the peasantry and hide among them. Sometimes peasants get executed for this, but that's all to the good - it sends Montaigne closer to civil war. The Musketeers have made life very difficult, though - they're as beloved by the peasants as the Church is.

We get a sidebar now on how the Inquisitors communicate: a lodestone. When needles are touched to the stone simultaneously, then placed on seperate pivots, they will always remain parallel to each other. Verdugo gives them to his most trusted spies, and they are used to relay messages. See, each needle is on a circle that contains the alphabet, letting them spell out reports with it. Of course, the lodestone is all rumor - but if it exists, the College would love to steal it, since it'd enhance their communication and destroy part of Verdugo's network.

Now, on to Ussura. Ussura's huge, and the Inquisition is mostly near the border or in large cities. They are very weak there - but because of their weakness, Matushka has ignored them because she thinks she doesn't have to handle them. The people can manage it. In Vendel, the Inquisition is much more powerful. Sure, it's mostly Objectionist, but all they need is money. Money makes everything go in Vendel. The Inquisitors focus mostly on gathering information here rather than attacking, though - they tend not to succeed on attacks ever since the disappearance of Franz Deleboe, since the Guilds watch for such things like hawks. Among the Vestenmannavnjar...they have no influence whatsoever.

The Inquisitors must be stealthy in Vodacce - sure, it's Vaticine, but the nobles treat them as tools to be used rather than as priests to be respected. Inquisitors often end up doing dirty work, which they aren't very happy about. However, they can't anger the populace too much since it's where all the donations come from. In Vodacce, Inquisitors work in small cells and go to great lengths to cover their tracks. Long plans get good results.

Defenders of the Faith operate in gangs, but Knight Inquisitors tend to be much more stealthy and very, very competent. They will be detailed more in the Church book, but it is possible that they possess mystical powers, possibly a result of their fanaticism...or maybe even from Theus. Or, perhaps, from a terrible Bargain much like sorcery. Not all Inquisitors have such abilities - and it's possible that none of them do. But if they do have them, a few example powers are provided.

Silver Tongue gives the Inquisitor 2 bonus kept dice on any one social roll once per Act, generally used to recruit new members or plant the seeds of doubt. Gaze into the Abyss lets an Inquisitor meet someone's eyes once per Act and make a contested Resolve check, which he gets two free Raises on. If he wins, he gets a Fear Rating against the target equal to 1 per 5 points he won by. This lasts until the end of the story or until the target beats the Inquisitor in a fight, whichever comes first. Fanatic Strength allows the Inquisitor to, once per act, get +3 Brawn for one action. However, this ability fails if used to attack someone with the Faith advantage. Vanishing ACt allows the Inquisitor to, once per act, vanish without trace so long as none of the PCs are looking at him and he isn't physically restrained. No one ever sees the Inquisitor vanish - he just ends up gone while no one was paying attention.

And there we are!

Next time: Nations of Théah, Book VII: Ussura. This one's going to be a doozy.

You should drink. You are too pale, and it is cold outside.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: You should drink. You are too pale, and it is cold outside.



We begin with a short bit of fiction about Ketheryna, wife of the Gaius. She is meeting with Montegue in secret. Montegue has tried to disguise himself, but failed. He doesn't know that she's the empress, though. She has intercepted a letter from his wife, and is returning it to Montegue, trying to convince him to go home. He won't disobey orders, however. Suddenly, an Ussuran ambush happens, and Montegue realizes who Ketheryna is. His men defeat the ambush, but Montegue believes she didn't call for it. She binds his wounds and gives him a medicine which will ease the pain of his sick soldiers. She asks again for Montegue to retreat, but he refuses again. It is then revealed that the immortal boyar Koshchei watched the entire thing. He thinks Ketheryna did quite well, and sees that Matushka has set a pack of wolves to guard her coach.


Don't screw with Matushka. Not only will she eat you, but she also has a pet tiger.

Anyway. The history of Ussura begins with Matushka. She was old when man was young. None know where she came from nor who she really is, but her power has been with the land from the first. When the first men came to Ussura, she was there. It is said she was born when the mountains rose, that the rivers were her milk as a babe. She walked the fields, and in her wake all the beasts of the earth were born. She drank from the oceans, and all the fish of the sea were created. But she was alone. In her loneliness, she slept deep beneath the earth, wishing for more. One day, her wishes took shape: humanity. They tamed the world, and Matushka smiled in her sleep, for such creatures could give her what she neeeded. They were not the only ones blessed with her power, though. As she slept, the earth remembered where she walked, and reached out for. The Azov forest sprang up around her cave, to shield her. The animals came to her home and sang to her.

Four beasts in partciular kept vigil over Matushka's cave. These were a bear, a cat an eagle and a wolf, each of which took some of Matushka's magic. So long as they were with her, they would not age or die. Eventually, they would travel through the world and bring Matushka stories of the humans. They became true people, and passed on a limited version of their gift to those beasts of their race within Matushka's influence. While Matushka slept, mankind spread far and wide, warring and seeking dominance. Most went west, to found great empires. But a few remained, feeling instinctive comfort in Matushka, and they became her true and favored children.

This is the myth, of course. Recorded history in Ussura begins with the Zakut. The Zakut are not one people, but were a vast array of tribes springing from a common, forgotten source. They were the savage tribals of the Ussuran wilds, and little is known of them. It is known that their first contact with the outside came with the rise of Numa, which came north to conquer and trade. The Zakut were impresssed by them, nad opened their arms for trade, adopting many Numan beliefs. For a while, the southern people of Ussura, in the Somojan ranges, considered themselves an ally of Numa. The Numas considered the province of "Somojez" to be a client state. It brought new culture to Ussura, including architecture, waterways and the first major roads.

From 230 to 255 AUC, the Numans began to war with the tribes of Eisen. They ultimately lost, and constructed a great wall to keep the hordes at bay. However, the wall also isolated Ussura from Numa, and the aggressive Eisen tribes soon turned on the Ussurans, with battles erupting through the Drachenbegs. Meanwhile, between AUC 250 and 698, the Vestenmannavnjar tribes warred for dominance. After the battle ended, a single tribe stood above the rest, and another tribe was exiled: the Novgod. The Novgod made their way to northern Ussura, and quickly conquered the peaceful Zakut of the coast. The Novgod then turned their attention west, to the Eisen tribes. At first, they found it hard to keep their goes at bay, but they soon found allies. The natives welcomed their assistance in fighting hte Eisen, and the Novgod taught them to make war. They added their forces to the Numan-inspired men of Yarlyk and Sousdal, fighting a number of wars to stop the Eisen invaders. In AUC 365, a final great battle took place in the fields west of modern Donskoy. The Novgod devastated the Eisen, sending them home for good. They changed their name to Novgorov, to better join the Ussurans.

The Novgorov built a city on an island in the mouth of the Ekaterina river, to stop further Eisen incursions. They named it Ektar, and its name eventually changed to a more Ussuran one: Ekaternava. While the Novgorov were exiled, they still traded with their former homeland in Vendel, and the trade soon made them very wealthy. The provinces of Rurik and Somojez were formally created, bound together by war and oaths. Together, they formed a feudal government, led by two Knias, two kings, who ruled through a series of noble boyars. The current form of government can be traced all the way back to these two Knias. In AUC 698, Gaius Phillipus Macer declared himself Imperator of Numa, and he opened the way for more trade with Ussura. Things had changed over two centuries, though, and the Knias were not so subservient, paying little tribute. Still, the alliance brought peace to the continent and Ussura again enjoyed trade with Numa.

However, in 724, there was a day that changed everything. The Bargain was made in Numa - and on that very day, Matushka awoke from her slumber. No one knows the details, but the Ussuran Orthodox Church says that she was met by the First Prophet, fifty years before he went to the Senate. They spoke for a long time, of many things - including another Prophet, whsoe coming would destroy the world. Matushka swore to prevent his coming, to guide and guard the people...or so the Orthodox Church says. Regardless of what happened, he return was felt throughout Ussura. She couldn't stop the Bargain, but she could protect her land, giving the people the gift to know that the animals were their brothers, that they could use that magic.

Matushka was not the only enemy of the Bargain. Senator Edwardus Ajax Gallen fled Numa, afraid that if he spoke out against his peers he'd be killed, and fled to Ussura, to the site of what would one day be the city of Sredbirskyoye. His descendants founded Gallenia, third of Ussura's five provinces. Unfortunately, even Gallenia had trouble. For reasons none could tlel, the rulers of Cathay raised a huge wall of magical fire along the border, quickly and without warning. One day it was nothing - the next it was there, roaring along the eastern frontier. Anyone approaching it was instantly burned to a crips. Sine of the Cathayan tribes were thus locked from their homeland. One such was the Tumen, savage men who sealed pacts with toasts of blood drunk from human skulls. Now cut off, they began a campaign of conquest, led by their ruthless Khans. They destroyed and enslaved the local Zakut people of the northeast, and those who survived fled the raging Tumens to the far north, where their descendants live to this day. With a new stronghold in what would become Molhyna, the Tumens turned south towards Gallenia. The Khans believed it would be an easy conquest. They were wrong. The Gallenians were brave and had new Numan tactics, driving the Tumens back. Those who continued to fight the Gallenians were struck down by plageu and famine, while the more cautious Tumen tribes were able to settle down and integrate with the Zakut. Gallenia became a dominant power, and would so remain until the rise of Jaala Khan in the fourth century AV.

We get a sidebar now on Pyeryem. It came to be when Matushka awoke, and the land's magic awoke with her. She gave its gift to the people of Ussura, and it was not born of the Bargain, but of her essence, of the part of her that was the land. It is not carried in the blood of the noble families: it is carried in the blood of the oldest families, of those whose power developed over centuries of contact with Matushka's slumbering dreams. Usually that's nobles, but commoners with ancient blood do appear, usually adopted into noble families as retainers. Pyeryem is literally a part of Matushka, so she can grant or take it away at will. This is a power she has also given to the Gaius: the power to take away Pyeryem from the boyars. She can give her power to anyone she wants, so long as they've become part of Ussura. Even a foreigner could be given it, should they have lived off the land and spent time in Ussura, becoming Ussuran. Such a gift has been given no more than a dozen times in all of history, and it would touch the very foundation of the Orthodoxy if given. It would also provide unshakable proof that the foreigner receiving the gift truly did Matushka's will. It could easily change the destiny of the entire nation.

In 774 AUC - that is, 1 AV - the First Prophet appeared before the Senate. They killed him, and his followers traveled far and wide. Some eventually came to the province of Rurik, wher they were welcomed and quickly accepted. Worship of Theus spread throughout Rurik, Somojez and even Gallenia. First among those not following the Prophet's faith was a vicious and wise tactician named Vladimir Aryov, who led a brief war of conquest and founded a new principality: Veche, "Blood". It became known as a savage land, full of darkness and death. Faced with this new enemy, Rurik's army mobilized. As Numa's empire crumbled, Rurik took up the slack, securing borders, improving trade and even launching quick incursions on the neighbors. Soon, Somojez, parts of upper Vodacce and even some Crescent lands belonged ot the Rurik Empire, a bulwark of civilization between Numa's remains and the Tumen tribes.

In 306 AV, a Tumen tribe called the Kosar united under a powerful leader: Jaala Khan. He became absolute ruler of his people and created a massive army with which to conquer the world. His horde swept across Molhyna and upper Gallenia, and the Caliph of the Crescent Empire was so terrified he called for Rurik to assist. The Knias of Rurik had his own problems, which we'll get to in a moment, and could not spare more than 500 men. They went to stop the Kosar as the horde traveled through the Gora Bolshoi passes to the banks of the Mirror. At the fortress of Sousdal, the Knias got terrible news: the Crescent army was in chaos after a coup that killed the Caliph. He had no heir. There would be no aid for Rurik - the 500 would stand alone.

The commander, Demetrian, realized that if the Khan passed through the mountains, he would be free to take the whole of the Crescent Empire, the Rurik Empire and every bit of western civilization. Demetrian knew the Khan must be stopped at Sousdal, and set to work having his engineers create great fortifications. He swore then: "We will hold the pass or die in the attempt." This statement is now carved on the pass known as the Gates of Fire. The next three months were endless fighting, as the Khan tried again and again to destroy Demetrian's forces. Their superior position let them repulse very incursion. By the end, they were all but destroyed - but they'd done it, they held the pass until winter came. The Khan was forced to withdraw. By spring, Crescent reinforcements arrived, enough to stop Jaala for good. The snows had killed the last of Demetrian's forces - not one remained alive - but the people of Sousdal still remember the battle, and celebrate Demetrian's Day each year. Jaala was forced to content himself with the north, and managed to keep the Tumens united under him and even established a line of Khans that would live on for another century. The Tumen have since then been called the Kosars when spoken of collectively, in memory of his power.

As Jaala's horde rose, the Rurik Knias faced internal threats, though. The Second PRophet had appeared, and his words caused a deep schism in Rurik. Some thought him a fraud, others a messiah. The two sides were unable to reconcile, and the Knias responded by rejecting the Second Prophet and brutally repressing his followers. This severely weakened his regime, but he prevented civil war. In 312, Imperator Corantine came to power in the west, declaring the Faith of the Prophet his Empire's official religion. For a while, there was peace with Rurik, and reunification seemed possible. If it had occured, Corantine would have ruled the whole of Théah. But in 325, the Corantine Convention declared the Vaticine Credo, unifying the cults of the First and Second Prophets. Corantine ordered the Knias to sign the document, and the Knias said that he would come to the Numan capital to do so. Corantine expected him to bend knee and bow before the Vaticine. He was wrong.

Next time: The Knias acts.

I walk in Matushka's lands. He cannot harm me here.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

The Knias is not the Gaius - we're not even out of the fourth century yet.

7th Sea: I walk in Matushka's lands. He cannot harm me here.

When we left our history lesson, Corantine expected the Knias of Rurik to bend knee before the Vaticine Credo. Instead, Knias Oscor Pavtlavich Nikalai Novgorov took his copy of the Credo and tore in half, spitting upon the document rather than recognize the Second Prophet who had caused such strife in his kingdom. The Knias and all of his guard were executed for his audacity, but his scribe, Cyrus, escaped. He wrote a transcript of the whole event in a coded alphabet to protect it, and delivered it home to Ussura. The code eventually became the modern Cyric alphabet, the standard alphabet of today's Ussuran tongue.

We get a sidebar here on how the Cyric alphabet differs from every other in the world. It was named for St. Cyrus the scribe, who smuggled the account of St. Oscor's defiance in it, as just told. Before Cyric, most Ussurans spoke the court language Teodoran, and after the incident, Cyric slowly replaced Teodoran in common usage, becoming modern Ussuran. The Cyric alphabet resembles the Teodoran one, with a dozen exctra letters to represent Numan sounds not found in Teodoran. Many letters seem reversed, strangely ornamented or taken directly from ancient Numan texts.

Anyway. After the Oscor incident, Rurik and all her provinces rejected the Corantine Convention and remove their nobles, merchants and ambassadors from Corantine's courts. In the city of Sousdal, the Grand Duke Vsevolod declared his city a safe haven for "the true faith" - he didn't particularly like the Second Prophet's ban on alcohol, being a heavy drinker himself. Corantine tried to invade Sousdal, but Vsevolod's followers, the Tyomny, reppelled after a two day battle. When news reached the Rurik capital, Prince Oscor's widow Domitrova gathered an army for invasion. Before she could, though, a strange woman arrived. No guard could hold her, and no beast would stand in her path. The gates of the place swung open for her iron steed, and when she finished speaking with Domitrova, she left as quickly as she came. She would not return for two centuries, but Rurik did not invade and instead stabilized its borders. The Novgorov established the Orthodox Church of the True Prophet of Theus, and the Second Prophet's works were declared heretical and banned, as were all references to later Prophets. Duke Vsevolod was granted the title Tabularius, Guardian of the Faith - a title every Somojez Knias has borne ever since. Sousdal became the Orthodoxy's capital, and the Tyomny became a knightly order of the church. Knias Oscor was the first saint of the Church, and considered a holy martyr, foremest saint and nearly a Prophet in his own right.

When the White Plague first appeared in the 400s, nothing seemed able to stop it...save for Matushka. A series of ice storms and freak earthquakes sealed the mountain ranges, and walls of stone rose mysteriously. The storms continued through every season, and Rurik's empire found itself cut off from the rest of the world. Thus, the White Plague never spread beyond the coastal cities of Odyesse and Ekaternava - and even then, outbreaks were scarce. Trade occured only by sea for nearly a century. However, the isolation brought a gradual decline. Unrest grew, and outlying principalities demanded more independence. In 446, the Komnenian family seized full control of the kingdom and began to ensalve the peasantry in a dying effort to save the Rurik Empire. In 492, the peasants revolted and Somojez declared independence. The Novgorov had fallen.

Somojez quickly established its own kingdom under the Somojan Treaty, established precedent for later law. It contained several 'truths': Honor your fellow man, show loyalty to your nation and lord, and show true fellowship between those of like mind. Also, be USsuran Orthodox. It established a framework for member states to trade with outsiders. And meanwhile, in the east, another rebellion was brewing. The Molhyni tribe grew tired of the savage Kosar rule, and rebelled in 452. Their chief, Pietr, led his forces against a horde of Kosars at the city of Goroduk. They were defeated, though it cost Pietr his life. His son Anton took the surname Pietrov, rallied his people and united the settlements into a nation: Molhyna. He took the title of Khan from the Kosars and kept a standing army to fight them. The area remained volatile until Koshchei Pietrov became Khan of Molhyna in 520. He was more scholar than warrior, and vowed to make Molhyna glorious as any nation. He moved the seat of power to Sladivgorod from the traditional center of Goroduk, and had the castle built which would become Pietrov Castle. He instituted many reforms, gaining stability and legitimacy for Molhyna. Thanks to Koshchei, there were now five distinct political bodies: Rurik, Somojez, Veche, Molhyna and Gallenia, the Five Kingdoms. It was then that Matushka chose to act.

In the years between 520 and 525, Matushka visited each of the rulers of the Five Kingdoms. She easily ignored their defenses and spoke to them like an angry mother, warning them of difficult times ahead. She gave them a single option: Unite with each other, or die in the Last Days. Rurik and Somojez easily accepted her, while Veche and Molhyna resisted. Gallenia remained neutral, waiting to see the outcome of the other Knias' argument. In 523, though, a warlord named Johann von der Velde launched a massive invasion, the first such from Eisen in centuries. It caught everyone by surprise, and von der Velde was a tactical genius, easily beating their defenses. It seemed as though conquest was inevitable...until an ice storm appeared in the middle of summer, burying his army beneath a hail of snow and frost. Those who fled were mired in bogs that sprang up overnight, trapped dead in valleys that had never existed before. The storm lasted a week, and every Eisen soldier was dead by the end. When news spread, the peasants hailed it as Matushka's work and demanded the rulers obey her words. Matushka appeared shortly after, and this time the five Knias listened. They came together in the city of Pavtlow, where they met with Matushka and were told to put aside their differences. The five nations merged under one banner: Ussura.

Matushka herself named the new ruler, called the Gaius in honor of the great Numan ruler Gaius Phillipus Macer. His name was Baveroc Fyodovich, a peasant herdsman from Rurik. She personally escorted him to PAvtlow, where the Knias swore oaths of fealty to him. DEspite his background, he proved a hugely capable ruler, whose first decree created the council of the Knias Douma as his advisors and lords of the provinces. With their help, he established a system of law based on the Treaty of Somojez and created a solid foundation for Ussura. When he died, Matushka picked a new Gaius from the ranks of the peasantry, signaling her choice by turning his hair the color of fresh snow. The system has continued in this form for a thousand years. Matushka's blessing makes the land propser, and the people with it. Dozens of Gaius have come and gone, and under them, the Ussurans have become a nation.

Still, the outside world did not always respect this. Between 1000 and 1350, the Eisen launched three seperate invasions, in all cases perishing before they reached the Ekaterina River thanks to the wrath of Matushka. Two of the invasions retreated before they could be killed to the last man, but the third, led by Ernst Heilgrund, was killed in total thanks to a humongous flood. At that point the Imperator stopped endorsing invasions. Despite all this, though, the Ussurans remained largely unaffected by the outside world. The Orthodox Church spread across the nation, merging its teachings with "pagan" worship of Matushka. The Renaissance came later to Ussura than the rest of the world - the principles of theology and politics had little value to them, and the Church's decrees had no meaning. When Objectionism emerged in the 1500s, they watched with bemused detachment. They appreciated Lieber's complaints, but he continued to follow the heresies of the later Prophets. They did, however, support his followers and hide the refugees that came to them, but otherwise maintained a healthy distance from the Church schism.

However, the War of the Cross could not be ignored. By this point, Eisen and Ussura were trade partners, and when the War started in 1636, Ussura lost its trade. The Gaius did not want to support either side with trade, so instead he turned to the Vendel merchants, and their Guilder. Thus did VEndel make inroads into the province. The Ussurans may not have publically supported the Objectionist armies, but many nobles of Somojez and Rurik sent troops to "aid and protect their treaty agreements in Eisen. Still, they remained largely untroubled by the war, and Matushka ensured the borders were guarded properly.

Now, in modern days, it should be understood that Gaius Ilya Sladivgorod Nikolovich, Ilya "Grozny", Ilya the Terrible - he's not like the Gaius of the past. He is the first Gaius to be son of a Gaius, not born a peasant. The boyars who know the full story know why. The tale is told only in the dark of night, and quietly: Nikolai, the last Gaius, tricked Matushka. He had married a woman of Montaigne named Chevaliene. Chevaliene had no sorcery, which was why she was married off to a "savage" Ussuran, but she had a prestigious lineage and was greatly mocked by the Montaigne court. Angered, she spent her life tearing down her husband. He loved her beauty and grace, but she hated him and used her power over him to ruin his confidence and self-esteem, constantly reminding him of his peasant origins. Nikolai was overwhelmed, and promised her that her children would be the first of a noble line to rule the nation. She accepted this, and in 1649, on the fifth anniversary of their marriage, she gave birth to a boy.

Matushka herself came to the birth celebrations, to offer a gift. She met only with the royal couple, but the outcome has become legend. Nikolai and Chevaliene tricked her into offering anything in her power. Once she did, Nikolai demanded that his son be Gaius after his death. Matushka grew enraged, her anger swelling into roaring wind and pounding hail - but a promise is a promise, and it must be kept. She left the palace in fury, but would keep her word. When Nikolai and his wife died in 1658, his wish came true. Ilya's hair turned snow white, the mark of the Gaius. The boyars seized him, to raise him as the new leader for seven years - from his father's death to his sixteenth birthday. Few people know what happened exactly, but speculation says that the boyars tortured poor Ilya in an attempt to break his will. If that's so, it failed miserably. When he turned 16, no law could stop him and he returned to Pavtlow to rule. His first command was to have the noble in charge of his "education", Markov Petranski v'Novgorov, fed to his own dogs while the man's family watched. Ilya declared it to be a fitting tribute for his hospitality. No one questioned him.

Ilya has seized on any excuse to persecute the nobles, resulting in the unintentional unseating of some cruel and savage boyars. This has made him very popular with the commoners, but he's got a lot of enemies among the boyars. It seemed as though his reign would be troubled - but in 1667, that proved the least of Ussura's problems. Montaigne's General Montegue was recalled from Castille and ordered to invade Ussura, arriving by ship in the city of Odyesse with a hundred thousand men. They quickly overwhelmed the city and headed inland. Matushka, as always, sent her wrath. Crops burst into flame, forest fires swept down at the armies, and snowstorms followed after. Montegue's soldiers died by the dozen, but he pressed on, his genius compensating for the setbacks. It wasn't easy. When he reached Ekaternava, he found the rivers and streams had turned to salt water, with only the Ekaterina river still running fresh - but all animals his men killed filled with maggots before they could be stripped of flesh for meat. Those that were eaten spread plague through the army.

As he dealt with these setbacks, the Ussuran militia began to ambush and counterattack the Montaigne forces. They fought Montegue with guerrilla tactics, never allowing a simple fight. Still, the army advanced despite all the problems. Montegue has left a token force to besiege Ekaternava, but it's mostly there to prevent aid from reaching Pavtlow than to take the city. He plans to capture Pavtlow - because if it falls and the Gaius is captured, Ussura will be defeated. The nation stands now between its old ways and the modern powers and their guns. The Montaigne hold a swath of the north, and threaten to take more thanks to Montegue's genius. In the Derevyanniy Forest, the forst truly Ussuran army is forming, led by the muzhik known as Drutsky Kethna Pastovich. His army holds men, both peasant and bogatyr, from across each Douma, and it's said that many Knias have even sent their personal bodyguards to join. They certainly have help in the Gaius's court and from Matushka. However, Montegue has made it further into Ussura than any general in history. He is even something of an anti-hero there, a determined man fighting for a lost cause. Soon, he will have to choose between his own life and conquest. When he turns east once more, he will find the unified army waiting, ready to make him pay. It will be a day that no man will be happy for.

Ussura's political structure seems like a fairy tale to most outsiders. When the Gaius dies, his children do not get the throne - rather, seven riders leave Pavtlow to hunt for the next Son of Matushka. They search not the boyars' families, but rather those of the peasants. And no matter whether the one they find is a man or woman, child or adult, they are taken back to Pavtlow to rule. Even the Inish, with the O'Bannon, find this a strange, mad way to rule. Yet the chosen one always shows a talent for statesmanship, a sound military mind and a just nature. Matushka never chooses someone who would not do well, so the Ussurans trust her - even with the strange circumstances around Ilya. Of course, the Gaius's power is not absolute. He rules Ussura and makes decisions for the peasants and universal law, but he is not unquestioned master. He unifiees law and custom and provides justice, but holds little land of his own. The Knias Douma serves as his advisors, and he does not rule them - but he does command them. Thus, the Knias rule their territories independently except when the Gaius intervenes for the sake of the nation. He can make decisions for the Kingdoms only in cases of national interest. The Knias Douma do not go to him for internal policy, and he truly rules only Pavtlow directly. However, his control has increased over the last few generations. Some say this is good - it leads to prosperity. Some say it's bad, especially with Ilya, and say it usurps the rights of the Knias.

The Knias Douma (or Council of Kings) was founded in 525 as a gathering of lords, and consists of the hereditary kings of Molhyna, Veche, Somojez, Rurik and Gallenia. It was originally a common meeting place and bargaining table, until the selection of the firsT Gaius. Because the Gaius typically is a peasant without understanding of law and social precedent, the Knias Douma retain a great deal of power and control...except when issues become national or Matushka's interests are at stake. Only the leaders of the five ruling familes serve on the Knias Douma, but other nobles rule lesser cities within the five kingdoms and serve as a larger council to the Knias. In modern times, each member of the Knias Douma has been leader of their family - the Novgorov, Pscov, Vladimirovich, Pietrov and Riasanova. The individual ruler of each kingdom is the Pscov, rather than a Pscov, for the families are very widespread. There's a huge difference between Fyodor Vladimirovich and Fyodor the Vladimirovich.

Next time: Ussuran social classes.

Did you expect a battalion of men? Three talking wolves? Perhaps one of the Leshii?

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: Did you expect a battalion of men? Three talking wolves? Perhaps one of the Leshii?

There are three general classes in Ussura: the boyars (nobles), the vyeche (merchants and freemen) and the muzhiks (peasants). Each has duties. The nobles actually come in two types, though. First are boyars, whose power is determined by how much land they own. The land they have is determined by the Knias of the kingdom and approced by the Gaius. If the Gaius does not approve of them, he can't remove them directly...but those the Gaius disapproves of are plagued by bad harvests and other problems thanks to his connection to Matushka. Most boyars have an estate in a city or at the center of their land, and the legal right to tax their peasants and send the taxes to the Knias Douma and Gaius. Boyars who actually lead a province, city or small state hold the title Voevod and are the core of the Knias council. Titles are passed down either to the firstborn or most capable child depending on the family's decision. Those who do not rule have a choice - swear fealty to their sibling and serve him (or her)...or become bogatyr , wandering knight.

The bogatyr are the second type of noble, and their siblings owe them nothing. They are the wandering nobles, seeking their fortune. The difference between them and boyars is land: a boyar owns land, and a bogatyr does not, so he sells his services. Most bogatyr are mercenaries or guardsmen. Others become merchants or diplomats. Some become members of the smerdi, of which we'll speak in a moment. A few bogatyr even leave Ussura to seek their fortunes and then return to buy a boyar's land - but that's very rare.

The merchants come beneath the nobles and are technically peasants...well, usually. Sometimes a bogatyr blurs things. The vyeche are the more prestigious of this middle class - it's a term for thow who control their own lands or are headmen in towns. Their contributions to society are measured by full grain silos and well-fed peasants. They are the voice of the people, relaying concerns to the boyars and carrying out commands from above. They raise the towns and typically serve as town councils over one city, a group of townships or a large area of farmland. The smerdi, on the other hand, are merchants, artisans, bureaucrats and craftsmen. They're less respected, but their work keeps things going. They rise in prestige through craftsmanship, and the greatest are called Typov, Masters. Smerdi also include those who sell goods in cities. Most are peasants, and the few nobles are inevitably descended from landless bogatyr. Both the smerdi and vyeche are expected to be literate and numerate, and any child of this class that is apprenticed must spend three of their seven years of apprenticeship in the church, to learn such things. Despite their roughness, the middle class tend to be good at math and philosophy.

Below the merchants are the muzhiks, the peasantry. First are zakupi, the landless laborers and migrant workers who work the land of a rich vyeche or smerdi. They are technically free men but are bound to the land they work. Some are indentured servants, others are just peasants. Beneath the zakupi are the kholopi, who are practically slave labor. They are so indebted that they no longer own their freedom, but instead serve daily at the command of a vyeche or boyar. Their lives need not be unpleasant but are severely limited - no kholopi or child of a kholopi can leave their master's land without permission, and any who does forfeits position in the master's household - essentially, losing all their belongings. It's practically a death sentence in winter. However, because the Gaius comes from these classes, they can't be ignored. The muzhiks tend to be able to do simple math and read basic words, ever since the time three centuries ago when the Gaius was kholopi and had to be taught to read and write.

Until very recently, Ussura has never had a need for an army. Matushka guarded the borders and the people never wanted to expand, so they had no need for an aggressive army. Matushka handled all the defenses. But that doesn't mean they have no traditional armed forces. Each Knias maintains a personal guard that enforces laws, hunts bandits and so on, each having their own command structure and rules from the Knias which must be obeyed. The greatest of these is the Gaius's personal brigade, the stelets. They were formed by Ilya to represent his authority, and ensure that Matushka is properly revered, that the kingdoms are governed and the Gaius's justice is served. They wander the country to ensure all this, and also directly protect the city of Pavtlow and guard the Gaius and his family. They're basically professional adventurers. It's quite an honor to be a stelet, but the initiation rites are severe.

Ussura gets on fairly well with Avalon, and especially likes the Inish and the Highlanders. They also like both the Vendel and the VEstenmannavnjar, respecting the Vesten's struggle to maintain their heritage but also loving Vendel trade. It's less kindly with Castille, thanks to the Orthodoxy and the Vaticine not really getting along, and Castillians are also too proud for them. Eisen is viewed with a mix of compassion and pity, but Ussura has not forgotten their aggressive past. Ussura also tends to avoid dealing with Vodacce - the political games are looked on with scorn. But worst of all is Montaigne, the invaders. Ussurans have never liked Montaigne even before that, though, and Matushka has always hated Porté sorcerers for some reason. Her people are happy to accept that dislike.

Ussura, it should be noted, is huge . Like, really huge. One province might be as big as Montaigne - the whole of Montaigne. It is bigger than every other nation. It is also home to a ton of animals, many of which are dangerous. The greatest is the Arkanun tiger, a cat that can reach up to 20 feet long, including the tail, and weight over 1600 pounds. They are one of the most magnificent beasts in the world, and even Pyeryem mages avoid them. Only the Gaius himself is able to assume their form - it is the greatest of spirit skins.

The Gaius directly rules the city of Pavtlow, the site of the meeting of the first Knias Douma. It has a population of 70000, 2000 of which are stelets. The name of the city means 'faith', and it is the heart of the faith of Ussura: Matushka's chosen son lives there, and it is home to one of the largest Orthodox churches in Ussura. The two faiths have lived in harmy for centuries, and are rarely at odds. Many foreigners are surprised by the air of authority and trade that hangs over the city - they don't expect that in Ussura. However, the city is extremely advanced in many ways, and home to one of the nation's few universities: Shkola Pravda. The people are very well fed here, and the nobles very ifnormed. The city is surrounded by a thousand-year-old wall, which is whitewashed every spring. The main entrance to the city is Aitskaya Bashnya, the Familiar Tower, which guards the boyars' homes. The southern boundray is Lake Pavtlow, root of the Ekaternava river. The Gaius's palace rises over the rest of the city, with huge gilded onion domes. It is not the heart of the city, though; that is the Gaius's Square, which has thousands of shops and is nearly sixteen blocks large. Pavtlow is also famous for its steam baths, built atop the hot springs of the volcanic Gora Sorivdgeastov. They aren't as luxurious as Vendel's, but on the other hand, they're open to everyone - muzhik and boyar alike. The primary defense of the city is the stelets, though until recently the city has never been threatened. Now, the stelets guard the walls constantly to watch for Montegue's army. The residents feel it won't come to that...but Montegue is still a major threat.

Gallenia is ruled by Tamara Breslau Fyodnava v'Riasanova, whose crest is a gold field with red flames flickering from the bottom. Three white knives stand in the flames, blades down. Their army is 15000 strong, the Lyontosh (or Ice Knives). Gallenia is home to one of the last horse nomad cultures in the world. The province ranges from warm in the south to frigid in the north, and it's common to run into nomadic families on the move, either in horses or drawn troika. (That's carts pulled by three horses.) The Fhideli are also often found on the steppes, their unique culture being tolerated by the local Knias. (More on Fhideli later.) The people of Gallenia are hospitable folk, with a long tradition of offering shelter to travellers in their traditional gers, or felt tents. The nights of Gallenia are, after all, freezing. Gallenia's got only a few churches, instead maintaining the shamanic meditation of Sud'ya - a dying faith, of which we'll speak of more in a moment. Most Gallenians worship the Prophet at dawn and dusk, wherever they are. Gallenia is also home to the Firewall, the impenetrable barrier to entering Cathay which has stood for two thousand years. No one knows why it was put up, but it's a fifty foot wall of fire that's 20 to 25 feet wide and can weave around for a mile strip called the Rteshoi Desert. Locals rarely go there, and claim that mighty salamanders that rival the drachen live there, and that the ground is not sand, but ash. Little is known about Cathay, on the far side of the wall. Tamara v'Riasanova maintains the Lyontosh legions to defend against Kosar incursions and watch the Firewall. They never, ever leave Gallenia en masse.

We get a sidebar now on how Matushka is said to have a magic steed - either a great iron horse, a mortar and pestle, a cauldron or a troika made of human bone. Whatever it is, it seems able to teleport anywhere in Ussura and can enter the Thrice-Tenth Kingdom at will. (More on that later.) Anyone who "borrowed" the steed, in whatever form it takes, would also have that power. Anyway. The Gallenians are descended from three ethnic groups: the native Zakut, the Numans who came there with Senator Gallen, and the Tumens and other ancient Cathayans. They have not completely integrated, but live in peace. Most are nomads, raising goats, sheep, cattle (including yaks), camels or horses. The ancient tradition of Sud'ya is still extant, barely, though even traditional Gallenians barely practice it. It originates in far Cathay, and is a sort of shamanist worship of the land and nature, revering a cycle of death and rebirth. This transitioned easily into Matushka - for the Sud'ya practitioner, Matushka is not a single woman, but the collective of every tree, rock and river, every storm and wind. Once, many monasteries of the Sud'ya stood, but those days are long gone, the practitioners long since integrated into the Orthodoxy and its traditions.

There's only a few Gallenian cities. There is Breslau, ruled by Voevodova Dauntaina Bourdillion v'Riasanova. Breslau has no true night, for it is built by the Firewall, and even the moon's light dims against those flames. The Firewall never comes closer than a hundred feet to it. It's a very, very warm city thanks to the flames. It is also one of the few places that sees Cathayan wonders - sometimes, a traveler will appear from beyond the wall with goods to trade. Only in Breslau do these folks come - it's somehow special. When they're done trading, they leave as fast as they can, and are always very private. From this a great economy of artifacts has risen, full of rare plants and animals, including some thought extinct elsewhere. A central part of the city is the Spire, technically part of the Duchess's palce. In the past, only nobles could climb it, but it was recently opened to the public, that anyone might climb it and see the museum within that shows Cathayan art...or the top, which looks over the Firewall into Cathay. There is also an ancient Sud'ya shrine with a small hot spring outside the city, which the Sud'ya still maintain. None can see what the significance of the three-faced dancing man at the shrine is, but some say it is a Cathayan god called Yama King, who keeps the past, present and future. Others say it is the Prophet, and others that it is Matushka's only son, who died in Cathay. They say that Matushka herself erected the Firewall to keep the Cathayans out.

Then there is the nominal capital, Sredbirskyoye. It is ruled by Voevod Andros Paropovich Trentsky Riasanova. It's not nearly as influential or civilized as Breslau, and is basically the low point of Ussura. There's even slaves there, and it's said the pirate Kheired-Din has been seen at the wharves. There's also gladiatorial pits. The place is technically the capital, but the Knias barely visits and there's little governing done there - it's mostly in Breslau. High in the mountains is said to be the nest of the legendary Firebird, symbol of the Riasanovas. Those who find and capture her are said to be given a single feather and a single wish. Many scour the hills, but none have come back with any sign of the Firebird. There is also the Kosar Hall of the Dead, hidden in the southern passes. There, the Kosar bury their dead heroes in a labyrinth. Jaala Khan is said to be buried there with his greatest treasures - including enchanted Cathayan weapons. The Kosars sometimes hint that the chambers conceal a secret passage into CAthay, and recently the Explorers paid the Kosars a huge fee to see the labyrinth. They have not returned.

Molhyna is ruled by Vladimir Goroduk Drakov v'Pietrov, whose crest is a white field with a red chevron containing three white stars in a V pattern. Its army is 5000 strong, the Oprechnina. It has always been a remote province, with only two good roads - one to Sladivgorod off to Breslau, and one from Pavtlow to the Cathayan border. It has only small, poor ports and has not even been invaded by anywhere since the days of the Khans. It's a lonely province with plenty of its own problems. Its major tie to the rest of Ussura is its wheat - it produces huge crops, along with the Lake Vigil golomanka, or oilfish - so called because half its weight is oil that is useful for burning and medicine. Life in Molhyna is fairly similar to the life that was led there when Koshchei abdicated in 525. The White Plague never got there, the Kosars still raid the villages and the boyars still fight them back. The Pietrovs still rule there, descendants of the immortal, spying Koshchei. All has been the same until one generation ago, when Drako Goroduk Stanimirov v'Pietrov took the throne. His reign was an exercise in brutality, and he kept an army backed by his guard, called Oprechnina - meaning "blackness of hell." Drako was ruthless, and when his son Vladimir took over, he seemed to be the exacto pposite - wise and calm...until an accident several years ago turned him into a cold-blooded tyrant who cares for nothing. He lets his boyars do as they please, only demanding tribute in what is essentially barely disguised banditry. Some of his boyars have even taken to driving off his Oprechnina when the come to collect, and Molhyna is rapidly descending into chaos.

Lake Vigil is hugely important to the province - in Ussuran, it is Ozero Bodrustvovany, an inland sea the size of the isle of Avalon. It's so deep it can't be measured and no ship has ever sailed across it. It was once freshwater, the Zakut say, but Matushka cursed it to salt when the Tumen came. It is full of odd fish, which tend to give live birth, as well as the strange episura - little crustacheans an eighth of an inch long, which eat the algae and thus make for very clear water. Its waters never freeze, but there are terrible storms. Fishermen speak of strange creatures in the lake - huge, dark forms that swim in the depths. There are also legends that the water is home to the Vodyanoi, terrible creatures of great power who command the waters of Ussura. They live at the bottom of the lake, it's said, with a series of underwater passages that let them go anywhere in the waters of the world. There are also legends of several great islands that float in the lake, traveling in odd patterns above and below the water.. Some fishermen even claim they've seen these islands, though few know what might live that deep.

Next time: Molhyna's cities, the Kosars and other provinces.

Your name is Montegue du Montaigne, General.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: Your name is Montegue du Montaigne, General.

Molhyna has several cities, like Eniseisk, run by Viacheslav Tchernivich. It is a fishing city on the edge of Lake Vigil, and also a major trading center for golomanka oil. Its ruler was a captain under Drako, and when his leader died, he retired and married a woman half his age. Despite that, he's not a bad man. He is, however, considering declaring his city independent - especially of Timurbek of the Kosars can maintain control (more on him later). If Timurbek fails, he probably won't do it. For now, he just watches and pays his tribute. Then there's Kuzetzk, a farm town run by Efiopskaia Svatikova Virineia. Its major feature is that it is haunted by a spirit called the Fair Lady, who abducts men. Her power is in her "platter", which can be any reflective object - especially puddles. People keep careful track of their possessions to be sure they have not been given the platter. The Lady targets men exclusively - if a woman angers her (and generally she gets mad because you stepped on her platter), she will take it out on a close male relative. Men who step on her platter generally vanish - so everyone knows better than to step on a puzzle. Once, the Lady kidnapped half of a band of marauding Kosars in the night. However, she can't stand the sound of a bell, so the bell tower is rung at dawn and dusk every day, and livestock have bells put around their necks. Grooms wear a suit sewn with bells. The current governor runs the place because her husband was baducted, and people have decided that having a male ruler just doesn't work here.

The capital of the province is Sladivgorod, officially run by Vladimir Sladivgorod v'Pietrov. Until recently, it was a cheerfully simple place. Now, it is the heart of the reign of terror, without any safety. Thugs in uniform "tax" people for the right to enter certain areas. Those who speak out vanish in the night. And then there's Castle Pietrov. It's a huge, towering thing - a piece of architectural insanity. Every Pietrov boyar's added to it, and over the generations it's kind of gotten out of hand. The central spire is hundreds of feet tall, and just looking at the exterior can make people dizzy. Inside, it's worse - each boyar has tried to snub his predecessors, so the place is a maze of grand and opulent rooms, sealed off passages and more.

The Kosars are the remnants of Cathayan brigands who were stranded by the Firewall. They are now Ussuran, but are not loyal to the Gaius or the Knias Douma. Rather, they rule themselves and are often raiders, though at least they tend to stay in Molhyna. They are seen as lower even than slaves, though it's hardly safe to tell one that. They are horsemen and horse breeders of amazing skill, and they also raisse goats and cattle. Last year, a Kosar khan named Jyrgal Timurbek overthrew the Verkhotov family and declared a Kosar nation, Kosara, in their lands. He based the claim on extremely dubious evidence that it was the former homeland of his people, and no one has any idea what his so-called proof is. He seems to have tapped into a vein of latent nationalism, though, and several other tribes have united to back him. Indeed, the non-fighters are even settling down there, planting crops and raising food in a way the Kosars never have before. Unfortunately, the Molhyni of the area are doing less well - centuries of hostility are remembered, and the Kosars are persecuting them bitterly. Refugees flee Kosara constantly, heading to Sladivgorod or south to Gallenia. Still, at least Timurbek's raids have slowed down a lot - he's got a nation to rule, and that takes a lot of time.

Now, Rurik. Rurik is run by Aleksi Pavtlow Markov v'Novgorov, whose crest is a field divided vertically between silver and black. There's a circle of four orbs that show the opposite color; two of the orbs are both colors, being in the middle. Rurik actually has two standing armies - the personal guard of Aleksi, the 5000-strong Adaryat (or White Legion) and the army forming under Drutsky Kethna Pastovich, which is officially under Aleksi's command but acts entirely on its own. Rurik is one of the most famous provinces in Ussura, and the one most associated with the nation's stereotypes. It is a major center of trade thanks to several good ports, and is more "civilized" than much of Ussura. Montegue has recently invaded from Somojez, spreading devastation across the province. The Reka Ekaterina flows here, though it often requires ice boats in winter to chip away the ice that forms - and it's practically frozen since the invasion. There is also the Derevyanniy Forest, an ancient and dark place considered to be home to Peroon, the Thunder God. This is because there's a lot of storms in the area. Drutsky's army is building in the forest, and it's the perfect place or guerrilla assaults. However, Drutsky's army is still much smaller than Montegue's.

The second largest city in Rurik is Ekaternava, ruled by Voevod Vassily Piotr Ekaternava Novgorov v'Novgorov. It is currently under siege by a quarter of Montegue's army, and has been for six months. The people are managing to survive, thanks to open ports in the north and a few sewer grates that can still be used to get in and out...but it's not enough to stop the slow death. Montegue's army, at least, is much worse off thanks to a number of earthquakes that hit their camp on the mainland. They have since moved to the island Ekaternava sits on, but are still plagued by snow, ice, poor food and little fresh water. The commanding officer of the siege, Yves-Theron del' Sices du Sices really, really hates this war, and longs for the day he can return to Montaigne to get revenge on his cousin, Jamais, for an insult she gave him.

Then there's Donskoy, run by Voevod Andreev Pavtlow Malenkov. It's a major crossroads and a bastion in the fight against Montaigne. Durtsky's army gathers near the city and often comes in for supplies. Besides that, Donskoy is a center of learning and trade, once the seat of the Rurik Empire and center of the Novgorovs' power. It still retains the palace and estate of the Knias, as well as several ancestral homes. Its markets are full of activity, and the soldiers have bolstered the local economy enough to flourish despite the war. There is also St. Tremult, ruled by Voevod Kalman Vitov Zakharii. It stands between Pavtlow and the war, and serves as the lifeline of the nation's capital. It's a small city, but it shields Pavtlow well and allows supplies through, guarded by a thick forest between it and Pavtlow. The forest, once bright and open, has grown thick and foreboding, and most travel is forbidden now save by the Knias's men.

Then there's Somojez, ruled by Borin St. Andresgorod Sergeiov v'Pscov, the Tabularius. His crest is a white shield with red spots and the image of a coiled drachen. Its army is the Tyomny, 7000 strong. Somojez stands on the border of Eisen, and it's full of mountains. So many mountains. It has been invaded often, and yet has rarely been passed by any army. In fact, it was believed unconquerable until Montegue. He has not even tried to hold the ground there, but has left a blackened trail in his wake as he passed through Somojez, razing crops and leaving people to starve. Northern Somojez is a barren, burned-out wasteland, but the southern half continues to thrive. The Ussurans are confident that one day, Montegue will leave and Matushka will heal the land. The locals refer to the Drachenbergs as Bushka Gora, Mother Mountain. No Ussuran's ever found dracheneisen in the mountains - it seems to all be on the Eisen side. And of course they have never really tried, not knowing how to smith it. The southern mountains are the Gora Boloshoi, which can be crossed into the Crescent Empire. Somojez also borders both the Mirror and the Trade Sea, making it a major trading province.

The most famous of Ussura's religious centers is in Somojez: St. Andresgorod, built in a pass in the Drachenbergs. It's run by Voevod Alik Andresgorod Fedulyov. It is named after St. Andre of the Scarlet Oak, a man who is said to have stopped two men from cutting down Matushka's holy trees by stepping in front of the axes and dying for them, staining the great oak scarlet and turning the two woodcutters into trees. There is a holy grove near the city where it supposedly happened, and there is indeed a huge oak tree with red bark and two smaller white oaks near it. The city also has the Church of the Prophet's Breath, which is visited by the Patriarch once a year for the festival of St. Covratski, who died fighting the Eisen tribes in the dawn of history. He is the patron saint of the Tyomny. The Academy of Tyomny lies in the city as well, where the Dark Guard are trained. Unlike most standing armies, the Tyomny are priests as well as soldiers. They are the knights of the Church, and have always been bitter foes of the fallen order of knights called die Kreuzritter. However, since the destruction of that order, the Tyomny have claimed that their own existence proves Theus's judgment against such heretics.

Then there's Sousdal, run by Bogdan Khmelinkisirov. If you can pronounce that, you're better at this than me. He is a commoner, and that's made Sousdal a bit of a joke, but despite that and its small size, it's a rich trading city thanks to Vodacce and the Crescents. Some say it's the beginning of the rise of the bourgeois class, and Vodacce architecture outnumbers Ussuran buildings there. It is home of the Ussuran Orthodox, and has been since Duke Vselvod renounced the Second Prophet. The Patriarch lives there, in a huge cathedral. It's also home to most of Ussura's fishing fleet, and the Gaius is considering stationing stelets there to guard against pirates.

Then there's Odyesse, the occupied city. It is currently being run by Marquis Allivohn Valroux de Martisse. Legend has it that the city was built by the Giants of Estermarch, the Firbor - tremendous warriors twice the height of a man. Certainly the walls are 85 feet tall, with immense archeways and most stones used in the city being huge. Legend says the Firbor were driven out by Svayatogor Muron Pscov, and wait in the mountains for the chance to recapture the city. Today, it's a beautiful and open trading port, which the Montaigne didn't destroy because it's useful. There's only a few Montaigne guards, and the Vendel have used their influence to ensure trade can continue to Ussura through the port. In fact, while nominally enslaved by the Montaigne, pretty much nothing's changed in Odyesse. The city remains in an unspoken standoff and is a home for smugglers and black marketeers getting goods into Ussura right under Montaigne noses.

There's also the ruins of Yarlyk, said to have been a great and magnificent city with a palace whose roof was made of gold. It was the capitol of Somojez - until the Firbor came. They destroyed the city, pillaged the area and tortured the people, and seemed immune to Matushka's wrath. It's said that the people of Yarlyk had worked with the Firbor in exchange for protection from Matushka, but the Firbor betrayed them and slew them once inside the city. Matushka then sealed the city and ravaged the land around it with fire and earthquakes. They say that the Firbor General and his men still live, trapped in the city atop the mountain...and certainly, storms surround the place and the earth shifts and moves constantly. The province also holds the fields of Garim, the site of a huge monument to the defense of the Orthodoxy against the Vaticine armies. It's one of the most sacred sites in Ussura.

Then we've got Veche, run by Staver Sievv Aryaov v'Vladimirovich. His crest is a white bear on a red shield, with three silver trees on a black bar above it. Its army is the Claws of the Bear, 10000 strong. Veche is a dark, damp land surrounded by the Gora Bolshoi and the Gora Sorvidgeastov. It is full of a huge and mystic forest. The people there are fervently Orthodox, desperate for the reward of Heaven after centuries under tyrannical Knias. The place is uncivilized and full of superstition, and while Orthodox it still hangs on to the old ways. The Gora Sorivdgrastov, or Mountains of Smoke, are site of a great legend, that of Romain Tomiech and his daughter Saska. The Tomiechs ruled Veche with an iron fist a thousand ears ago, and once slaughtered thousands of their own peasants to block the passes from the Kosars. It's said that Saska served Legion itself, and bathed in the blood of young women to stay beautiful. Her father, who was also her husband after her mother died, celebrated their wedding by killing a thousand girls to bathe in their blood. When Matushka united Ussura, Romain had died - but Saska still lived, along with their child, Ilhyna. The palace, Tara Oasului, was a place of dark magic. However, Matushka faced the sorceress and froze both Saska and her son in a block of solid ice in the core of the mountain, which is said to be the source of the smoke that surrounds the peaks.

We get a brief sidebar now on the Thrice-Tenth Kingdom. It's said that if you go deep into any Ussuran forest, you will find a point of no return, called Matushka's teeth. Those who reach it and go farther find the road to the land of Murom, the Thrice-Tenth Kingdom. It is a city of gold and amber, guarded by the valiant dead of Ussura - soldiers who die for their country and all the stelets who die in the line of duty. They come to the afterlife here, and nothing can remove them. Only legends can come, and it's said that anyone who eats, drinks or sleeps in Murom will be trapped there, living as a man by night and an animal by day. Only Matushka or perhaps the King of Cats can free them. There hero of Murom is the Iron Sentinel, a seven foot man in armor made of coal, who serves as Matushka's general, preparing for the war that will end the world.

Anyway. Veche is home to the Azov Forest, a strange and magical place that is the biggest forest in the world. Some say Matushka lives there! It's the heart of legend, and a wild place that may hold the quickest path to the Thrice-Tenth Kingdom. If that place actually exists, that is. Certainly one man in three never leaves the forest once entered. There are also the Volog and Paterya Rivers. The Volog is frozen for three quarters of the year, and cold during the rest. The Paterya, meanwhile, is a trading river - it brings goods to the ports of Gallenia and back. There is also Ozero Madvyed, the Bear Lake, where all the bears come in spring. It's been said that fishermen can fish safely, though, so long as they throw a catch to the bears - indeed, some say the bears teach them secrets, such as that of the ancient hero at the bottom of the lake. Of course, it's likely few stories of the bears are true, if any.

Next time: The cities of Veche and the Ussuran Orthodoxy.

Considering that you have an entire army less than two miles from here, I believe three men is 'alone' enough.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: Considering that you have an entire army less than two miles from here, I believe three men is 'alone' enough.

Veche's largest city is Siev, ruled by Veovodova Zabol Maksakov. It was the capital of Veche when it was an independent republic, and still the most civilized and advanced city. It is a magnificent city and always has been, even in the times of Numa. It is home of the tomb of Ivanich Gostyny Syn, the said to be the last true giant of the mountains. It's the size of a small cathedral, and its said that Ivan's giant wife sitll sits by his body, weeping eternally. The woods south of Sieve are believed to be haunted by the spirits of the last Domiator, the old rulers of Veche, and also home to the Danyogor wolves, beasts able to tear apart horses and carry children away whole.

Then there's the trading part Malaya, ruled by Voevod Andrei Kolodenko. It sits on top of Myerskny swamp, and to avoid the boggy delta, its dock is actually out on floating wharves just outside the bog, and flat-bottomed longships carry goods and sailors into the city proper. The swamp has many dark legends of waving lights and ghostly voices. Sirens infest the place, as well. The city itself is full of Crescent missionaries, merchants and nobles - and the stigma against them is higher here than in Sousdal. Recently, Kheired-Din's Corsairs sacked one of the other boats on the wharves, outraging the Malayans - and should he ever be seen again, the Malayans will shoot on sight. Tensions are high now, and violence will erupt if there's too much provocation.

Kuloi, ruled by Voevodova Apraksia Siev v'Vladimirova is a small town with little political influence that serves as the link to the western parts of Ussura. It is also ruled by the daughter of the Knias and his sole heir, though she's currently in disgrace after being ordered to marry a man twice her age and spitting in his face. She was "exiled" to the town to reconsider, but the ploy has failed. Apraksia is a great governor and has grown the town greatly while there. Her father is rather upset, but she's very pleased. The peasants whisper that she's having an affair with the spirit-man the King of Cats, but most think that's just lies spread by her rejected suitor. Montaigne deserters have been practicing brigandry around Kuloi, and with them have come Matushka's wrath, trying to drive them out. The town guard won't last forever, so Apraksia is having a wall built in the hopes of stemming the bandit attacks.

Last is Podshiversk, a logging town ruled by Lazlo Magidovich. It is a wild, rough town full of wild, rough folk. They have invented a special style of fighting called 'gouging' - a fighting style in which the point is not to win, but to maim the foe permanently. Most men in Podshiversk are missing an eye, an ear or the tip of the nose. Lazlo runs the place not by birth but because he's beaten the shit out of everyone who's tried to stop him. His ears are mangled stumps, his nose does not exist and one of his eyes is gone. He refuses to cover the socket with a patch. Basically, Podshiversk is the insane town you don't want to go to. (And no, there is no fencing school for gouging, it's just that these people are bugfuck crazy and rip off parts of your face when they get you in a wrestling hold.)

Veche is also home to Valaamzhensky Castle, hall of the Vladimirovich family. Though small. it is a chilling and fearful place, said to hold captive the ancient owners of the place: Saska Tomiech and her infant son, imprisoned in bitter ice for all time. Every night, Fveryot, the son of Staver Siev Aryaov v'Vladimirovich, makes his way past the servants to a secret chamber he found two years ago. There, he goes down into the mountain, through an ancient labyrinth, past a series of stone gargoyles to a chamber of frozen beauty. There, he sits and watches the unearthly beauty of Saska until he cannot stand it, and escapes to the dawn's light. One day, he might just do something more than look.

Now then. Religion! The Ussurans believe the First Prophet spoke metaphorically when he spoke of "those to come", referring to all the generations of man instead of actual prophets. Their canon is the book compiled by the Nine Witnesses, and has not changed in over 1600 years. Even the Hierophant ratifies it as the true words of the First Prophet - though at the same time, he condemned Ussura as heretical for not integrating them with the Second and Third Prophet. The Orthodoxy has also mingled the Prophet's teachings with stories of Matushka. The Ussurans say that the First Prophet knew of the Bargain, and before he went to the Senate he went into Ussura's deepest forest to find the Thrice-Tenth Kingdom. There, he found a cave guarded by a Bear, a Cat, a Wolf and an Eagle. They told him to go back, but he would not.

First, he bested the Bear with strength, then the Wolf with cunning, then the Cat with riddles. At last, he beat the Eagle with a test of loyalty that singed and blackened her wings. The four animals, defeated, let him pass, but the Cat was curious and followed him in. There, he found Matushka in her ancient vigil. No man or woman knows what passed there, but when the Prophet left, Matushka awoke and spread her power throughout Ussura. Only the King of Cats witnessed the exchange, and he will not tell. But it is said that this is why cats walk with their tails aloft, and why their eyes hold such secrets: they know the truth of the Prophet and Matushka. But cats do not tell tales.

The Ussurans believe the Second and Third Prophets are heretical. Like Vaticines, they believe Tobias the Meek visted the PRophet in his cell, but they believe his account of the meeting is a lie, especially the parts about prophets to come. They call him Tobias the Betrayer and spit at his name. The Orthodoxy's canon states that Tobias served the sorcerous Senators, who had told him to go to the Prophet. They say he tested the Prophet's virtue, saying he could be saved if he would just recant, but the Prophet refused. Tobias threatened the Nine Witnesses, but again the Prophet refused to recant. At last, the Betrayer threatened to destroy all that the Prophet had built...and again, the Prophet refused. When Tobias returned, he ordered the Prophet burnt as a traitor, and then hunted and killed the Nine Witnesses. But the worst thing he did was twist the Prophet's words, claiming he was converted, and writing the Book of Mattheus after he changed his name to Mattheus. Thus, the Orthodox Church considers itself the last remnant of the true faith, undiluted by Tobias's treachery.

They believe there is but one Prophet to come: Legion's Prophet, the Apocalyse Prophet. The Fourth Prophet, to the Vaticines, whom the Orthodox believe is Legion's End, the bringer of the fall of man. They believe he heralds the time of great war that will end the world and bring forth Legion. Thus, the Ussurans have no love for any who encourage his coming and will do anything to prevent such a thing from happening. They have spent many centuries trying to destroy any sign of the Fourth Prophet that they might avert his doom. Incidentally, we get a sidebar on how in 1334, St. Sergius of Radonezh left Siev to convert the Kosars to the Orthodoxy. It took him 40 years, but in 1381, he baptised the leader of the Molhynan Kosars. Most Kosars only pay lip service to the Patriarch, but they can be as fervent as any other Ussuran in matters of faith.

Faith is important in the lands of the Knias Douma. By 600, all of the great cities of Ussura had at least one cathedral, and the Orthodoxy has never wavered. At their head stands the Patriarch, who serves the same role as the Hierophant. The first Patriarch was Illarion Belafustus Pscov, who left behind his name to become Innocent the First. (There have since been three other Innocents in the line of the Patriarchs, along with several other names.) Innocent the First proclaimed that each Knias would help him appoint two Pontiffs (equivalent to Cardinals) for each province, and beneath them would be lesser priests and monks. The Orthodoxy quietly tries to make the Patriarch more important than the Knias Douma, and the Church would love to run the entire nation as a theocracy. Though most Ussurans are Orthodox, they also follow the old ways, praying to ancient nature gods in the guise of Saints or Angels - and of course, pure nature worship via Matushka is common. Few priests, even, lack icons of both the Prophet and Matushka, who has been made a revered figure of the Church.

The four Beast Kings have all been canonized as saints, as well, amd are said to still walk the land. The first among them is Firebird, the eagle who gave up her wings for Matushka in the test of loyalty. For her love, the old Grandmother Winter gave her wings of fire and set her free. She is still occasionally seen in Gallenia and Cathay, though it's been many years since the last confirmed sighting. Her spirit skin was given to the Riasanova family, to teach them loyalty and the steadfast heart. Firebird is most beloved of all Matushka's creatures. The second is the Wolf King, a creature of intellect and trickery. He is revered by those who must trick the greedy, and figures prominently in tales of those men who are so greedy they will chase a silver piece down his throat. The Wolf King is revered as St. Okam the Wolf in the Church, but to peasants he will always be the Great Fenris of Rurik, whose spirit skin was given to the most powerful of the Knias.

Third is the Great Bear, the strongest of the beast kings. He was slow-witted but faithful and protective, and the Azov is his land. Any kill there has part of it left for him, to placate him. In the Orthodox church, he is St. Ussurus, patron of Siev, and supposedly raised the city's walls in a single day. His spirit skin was given to the Knias of Veche, guardian of the Azov and the heart of Ussura. And last of the beast kings is the King of Cats, the reclusive and silent lord. He walks alone, with only his own kind as companions, and never gave up his spirit skin. When he aids another, he expects equal trade - sometimes all that someone has, and more. He is the guardian of secrets and silence, and the only one to witness the conversation between Matushka and the Prophet. He appears as a simple cat, though he can become human if he wants, and it's said he's seduced everyone from Queen Elaine to the Empress of Cathay.

While the Ussurans are simple and practical, they're far from uncultured. Their architecture is often simple, because most buildings aren't made to last. They're there for a generation or two, and then will be rebuilt of new mud bricks, much as the last building was. Of course, churches and cities are different - they are built of stone, grand and glorious, with straight and shining Numan-style roads and careful jewel-like paint. Onion domes are common, as is gold leaf. Likewise, most major art is religious - primarily icons. The tradition comes from Rurik, and it's a solely Ussuran one. Icons do not depict human appearance or the real world - they are highly stylized, exaggerated pictures meant to aid in contemplative prayer and harmony. The world, perhaps, as seen through the eyes of Theus. Ussura also practices egg-painting, called Pysanka. Eggs are seen as something of a sacred object, and the Pysanka eggs are brightly colored and richly ornamented. Rarer are Krashenka eggs - not eggs at all, but egg-shaped art, sometimes of wood or glass, occasionally filled with candy. In recent times, gold and precious metals have been used for Krashenka eggs, and some contain clockwork or incredibly delciate paintings. The most famous Krashenka artist is Leon Ivanov Batist, who made three eggs to commemorate Gaius Piotr II of the late 1200s. The first was a gift to Empress Praetora v'Riasanova, which contained a miniature copy of the Imperial carriage. The egg has been lost, but many descriptions remain. The second, the Knias's Heart, remains in Ekaternava, a self-winded table clock in the form of an egg, which chimes each hour. It has a secret latch known only to the Novgorov royal family, which when opened reveals a jeweled rooster. The final egg, the Windows of the House, was made of pure gold ,carved and painted with the faces of all previous Gaius before Piotr. There is a globe in the egg, which opens with a key, and on it are the symbols of the Orthodoxy entwined with the branches of a miniature silver oak.

Ussurans are huge practitioners of gift-giving, and it is traditional to give gifts to guests and people you want to business with. Ambassadors have been turned away from a boyar's home before for lacking a gift for the host, and the best gifts are those of some rarity or value - sketches, porcelain statuettes or useful trinkets. They are also used to help encourage people to listen to political proposals, though this is not seen as bribery - just how things are done. Ussurans are very serious about law as well, called Pravda (or 'truth'). The Pravda is simple and straightforward, and the basic laws don't change, though of course each Knias has some additional laws. Hanging is a common punishment in Ussura, as is the use of stocks, which have gone by the wayside in most other nations. Those who break the law and live generally get whipped, as well.

The Ussurans are also superstitious - and for good reason, much as with Avalon. Matushka is real, and their superstitions protect them. If you do not follow the path through the woods at night, you will get lost. Period. The land is magical, and Matushka's people are the trees and the animals. The Zalozhniy, the lost souls of those who strayed in the woods, are said to still wander them. Peklo, the land of the dead, is said to lie below the Mountains of Smoke, and sometimes spirits escape to hunt for a wanderer they can leave to take their place, that they might forever be free. Such a captured mortal is believed to be unable to ever return to the living world.

Next time: The Fhideli!

How did you get my wife's letter?

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: How did you get my wife's letter?

Before we can talk about gypsies, we need to mention holidays. New Years, or Theustide, is 12 days long and are originally a celebtration of Matushka and her 11 children. They have since become about Matushka and Theus. There is also Shrovetide, a fertility festival to welcome in the spring, "with all that implies." The Church is not fond of Shrovetide, but the people are. There is also another grand celebration on the Summer Equinox, where people offer prayers to Matushka for a big harvest. There is a firm belief that you should not sleep on the Winter Equinox - folklore says that if you sleep, you will be swallowed up by Vrosty Dvoya, the evil spirit of nightfall, who will carry you away forever. The last important holiday is Thundermas, the day dedicated to the ancient god of thunderstorms, Peroon. It is a very sad holiday, reserved for prayer and sacrifice of harvest fruits and toys. Thundermas is meant to placate the brutal weather that might destroy things. The Church has altered it to St. Ilea's Day, and holds a somber and regal procession on the 20th of Julius for it.

Now then, gypsies - I mean, Fhideli. This is surely not going to be a little racist. Ah well, let's see. The Fhideli (or, as they call themselves, the Tibesti) are wandering nomads who travel in brightly colored caravans across all of Ussura. They are known for festive music, acrobatics, carnicals and being tricksters. However, thi is all surface. Even the Tibesti are not sure where they came from. They claim to have come from an island in the Mirror Sea, exiled after an ancient war, but there is no proof. All people know is that the three hundred years ago, scattered bands of Tibesti began to wander the roads and countryside of Ussura, forever outside of the native culture. The first encounter with them recorded was in 1329, in Somojez. OVer the centuries, they have earned many names. Some call them Tinkers, for their great crafting skill. Others call them vagabonds, for their nomadic lifestyle. Some call them Travelers, a name they seem to like.

The Tibesti have been seen with mistrust for quite a long while, and are subject to a lot of prejudice and bigotry, especially outside of Ussura - most nations see them as dangerous criminals. Only in Ussura do they thrive, and even there they are seen with pity and scorn. The Fhideli refuse to speak of the dead, which rather limits their ability to discuss history. What's known is that they have some kind of special relationship with Matushka. Non-Fhideli, whom they call gadjo, sometimes look on this with envy, but most don't begrduge the frequent visits that Matushka pays the Travelers.

The Fhideli are divided int ofour major clans, or vitzi, and maybe a dozen minor ones. The most influential and famous are the Vitzi Basulde, the largest caravan in the world. Their route takes through Ussura, and sometimes into Eisen. Their numbers have been growing for ten years, and what started as a large caravan is now a huge wagon train. Some of their members were probably from smaller vitzi and joined Basulde for security. Others might be adopted from the empty villages of Eisen. Wherever they come from, the Vitzi Basulde is twice the size it was ten years ago. They are famous for their musicians. After them are the Vitzi Curara, once a familiar site in western Ussura. They were devastated during the War of the Cross, having been caught in Eisen. They fled back to Ussura, swearing never to enter Eisen again. They are famous for their smithing, said to be as good as Castille's. Then there's the Vitzi Munit, who travel in southern Ussura. Where the Basulde are the public face of the Fhideli, the Munit are their secretive, insular side. Most find them an annoyance, for no one can predict where they'll show up next, and they seem to travel at strangely great speed. Some believe they use Porté, but the Fhideli say they just know where they're needed, and everyone who knows about sorcery knows that the idea's absurd. Some Ussurans think they have dark powers, but anyone who tries to find out tends to have bad things happen. Last is Vitzi Ursari, famous for their animals. They are not so large as Basulde or so frightening as Munit, but they're great trainers. Rumor has it that the keeper of l'Empereur's menagerie is an Ursari, and the Ursari are the best animal trainers of anyone who has no Pyeryem.

The Fhideli follow the Vayu, their word for tradition. It is a religion, a philosophy and a law. It sets down ritual for every major event in a Fhideli's life. Despite this universal adherence, though, Vayu is very adaptive. If a Vaticine asked about Vayu, he'd be told that it was the Fhideli way of honoring the prophets. An Ussuran would be told it was based on the teachings of the First Prophet and Matushka. Both explanations might be true, but they're also both pragmatic. The Fhideli...



Understand that I don't know much about the Roma, but I'm pretty sure this is a negative stereotype that's coming up. Anyway. The Fhideli consider that gadjo truth is stiff. They think a fact is a fact, and the only truth. The Fhideli disagree. They believe that a truth is what someone believes. A Fhideli may declare that he is a horse thief - and even if he's never stolen a horse, it's true if he intends to steal one. Every opinion, they feel, is true. This tends to cause people to distrust them even as they find it charming, because a Fhideli might declare a bracelt to be pure gold - and if the customer believes him, he'll say he told the truth even if it's not. If the customer doesn't, well, the jeweler was "obviously mistaken" and changes the story.

What almost no one in the outside knows is that the Fhideli are strictly matriarchal. They take great pains to hide this from the gadjo, preventing men as the leaders while the women secretly run things behind the scenes. The vadins, or speakers of a caravan, are usually men. However, they are only rarely involved in hard decisions. They handle small day-to-day matters, but it is the sanat, generally the eldest woman, who decides on large issues and serious questions. The sanat and vadin have cooperated since time beyond memory. The sanat is almost always a woman, sometimes a healer or jivanti (a sort of shaman or witch whose magic is not at all mentioned anywhere in the book), but always a leader. She makes the important decisions and leaves the vadin to handle the details. The sanat generally has a council of which the vadin is part, and in a crisis, all of the vitzi has a voice - even the unmarried or children. The sanat, however, is always in charge. She also serves as a judge, handling things based on the Vayu and her own conscience. She can banish people from a vitzi, but rarely does.

The Fhideli love freedom, but consider it a burden as well. For them, freedom means the ability to pursue life as they wish - but also the need to accept the consequences of their actions. If they steal, they must accept the chance of being caught and hanged. This is called choosing the dangerous path of freedom, and sometimes conflicts with their other main virtue: duty. The highest expression of duty is to sacrifice yourself for the freedom of the vitzi. After that is marriage and parenthood, which are considered the best way to live and preserve your soul, and are called the sensible path of wisdom. Fhideli children are taught that life has choices, and each choice has consequences. CAuse and effect are a major part of Fhideli teaching. Their duty also includes helping those in need, which they see as a way of paying back any liberties, perceived or real, that they have taken. They pride themselves as excellent hosts and are happy to share out their belongings with those in need. They believe all actions eventually have consequences, and that the balance is always adjusting to reflect individuals and groups. Theft, for them, is a borrowed value - it'll be returned, perhaps with interest, some time down the road.

...

The Fhideli caravans are generally quiet when moving, to help with hunting. However, when encomaped they are festive, with music both to amuse themselves and catch gadjo attention. They have games, spectacles and craftwork, bringing people in to sell and entertain. Naturally, camps rapidly become filthy because of all the people, and the Fhideli leave it that way to ensure the gadjo don't stay too long. The wagons, of course, remain spotless and sedate inside. Marriage is their most important celebration, and those who are married get a voice in the vitzi's affairs. Unmarried people...technically have a voice, but their status tends to negate their votes. Their marriages are generally arranged, though children under ten will just have a betrothal ceremony rather than a formal marriage. After the marriage or betrothal, the couple gets their own wagon, though the groom's family must provide the horses for it. Without them, you can't arrange marriage or court someone. Haggling can take months. No child has to marry against their will, of course, but they may have to work hard to get their voice heard on the matter. Fhideli marry for life. To abandon a spouse would be prastlo, dishonorable. If a man abuses his wife, her father can reclaim her, but it must be done carefully, with a judgment to settle with the groom's family for the bride's price. Fhideli choose their couples carefully to avoid untrustworthy abuses of the system.

The Fhideli celebrate all aspects of life, including death. They cremate the bodies, then hold a series of pacheeve, or death feasts, three, six and twelve months after the death. Relatives tell stories of the deceased (mulangro), celebrate his or her contributions and give away his or her belongings to those who wish to honor the mulangro. After a year, any remaining belongings are burned, and the mulangro is never spoken of again, to prevent them coming back as mulo, a ghost.

The Fhideli say that the gadjo do not understand life and the balance of things. They appreciate some things and discard others with no logic, talk of honor but do not understand it is nothing without integrity. They forget why they do things and live without thinking. Still, they watch gadjo culture, and sometimes a Fhideli will give up freedom to become a servant for the gadjo, in order to gather information for the sanats. That way, they can keep tabs on changes that affect the vitzis. Only the craftiest are sent on this duty - after all, joining gadjo society risks having their ways rub off...or worse, being hurt by gadjo intrigues.

One thing that gadjo don't get is memlo, defilement. It defines matters between men and women of the Fhideli, and has a lot of taboos. A woman can wash a man's clothes, but not with a woman's clothes. The water used for washing clothes can't be used for bathing, cooking or cleaning dishes. A man can't touch a woman's clothes in public, and a woman can defile a man by touching him with her skirts. A woman never reveals her ankles. Children and old women are a bit freer, but not much. Failure to follow the taboos results in disgrace, ridicule or worse.

Once every two years, the Fhideli of Ussura get together for the Grand Kris. Sometimes this is in a city, sometimes the countryside. They exchange news, ideas and stories, foster children, settle legal disputes, hold death feasts and take care of important Vayu rituals. The Fhideli also send representatives to meet every ten years for the same purposes, no matter where they live. It's not uncommon for a Grand Kris to last all summer, with people arriving after it starts or leaving before it ends.

Recently, the Naditi have begun to appear - the first was found by Vitzi Basulde ten years ago. They were strange people who spoke the ancient Fhideli tongue and were in shock. Their most recent memories were of being on a boat, but there was no water nearby. Their memories were of an ancient war with mythical demons and the loss of the Fhideli homeland. They were adopted into Basulde, and the vitzi has found several dozen more. Nona of the Basulde believes they have come from the true home of the Tibesti, the mythical island they were from, and has taken to calling them Naditi, or "free", for they are free of their insubstantial prison.

One reason the Ussurans tolerate the Fhideli is that Matushka seems to like them. They call her Haimati and have their own set of legends about her. Like the Ussuran tales, they see her as powerful, benevolent, terrifying, vengeful and caring - often all in the same story. Haimati sometimes drops in on a vitzi without warning, they say, to share the fire and speak with the sanat and vadin. The Fhideli generosity stems from such legends - none would dare turn her away. Sometimes, once in a great while, Haimati will come to a vitzi with a child, entrusting it to their care to be raised as Fhideli. She never says where the child is from and does not react kindly to such questions. The vitzi is expected to see to their welfare and upbringing, or risk her displeasure.

Well, that...could have been much worse, I think. It could have been Gypsy.

Next time: Important people.

I know you do not wish to make war on us, and that when any of your men die, you feel it as keenly as if he were your brother.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: I know you do not wish to make war on us, and that when any of your men die, you feel it as keenly as if he were your brother.

We begin by looking at Ilya "Grozny" Sladivgorod Nikolovich. His father, Nikolai Nikolovich, was an unassuming farmer whose first wife and son died in an assassination attempt just before his coronation. He was unable to allow himself to love again, and instead married Chevaliene Rois et Reines for political reasons. Because of her machinations, he tricked Matushka into promising his son would be Gaius after him - the first such thing ever to happen. Nikolai had no other children after Ilya, and he grew up spoiled. He was taught by Montaigne and Eisen tutors, which made Ilya scornful of Ussuran things, and was fascinated by the Eisen Order of St. Gregor. When he was seven, he saw a picture of a young woman named Katerina Fischler, sister to Baron Faulk Fishcler, and was instantly smitten, though she was twice his age. He demanded to meet her, and Faulk agreed to send his sister. When he saw her, the infatuation became obsession. He swore eternal love, and threatened to kill himself when she went to return home. Nikolai, terrified of his son's tantrums, agreed to ask for Katerina's hand in marriage. Faulk and Katerina agreed to it, and the marriage was scheduled for Ilya's sixteenth birthday.

However, when Ilya was nine, his parents died. Officially, the record says they were ice skating on the river and the ice broke - but Ilya knows the truth. He saw the Pavtlow guards sneak into their bedroom, kidnap them and throw them in the river. Not stelets - Adaryat, the guards of the Novgorov family. Ten minutes later, after Ilya watched his father die, his own hair turned snow white. The boyars took him and spent seven years moving him between Ekataternava, Sousdal and Sladivgorod. They wanted to turn him into a puppet, so began a regimen of cruelty to break his will. They had only a few years, but were sure they could do it. They tortured Ilya, treating him like a dog, and his only mercy was staying in Sousdal, where the monks of the Church cared for him...but could do nothing to aid his escape. The Knias Douma - well, two of them, Markov v'Novgorov and Drako Goroduk Stanimirov v'Pietrov, ruled in Ilya's stead while he was young, forging his name on papers to allow it. The Riasanova, Vladimirovich and Pskov were not aware of his suffering, though Ilya believes the Knias of Somojez was willingly blind rather than get involved with things.

At fifteen, Ilya tried to escape his captors, fleeing Sladivgorod into the snowy wastelands to the north. He tried tpo cross the Mountains of Smoke to Pabtlow, but was caught in a howling blizzard. There, he received a visit from a creature of flame - the firebird, traveling in the region for who knows what reason. She curled herself around Ilya, guarding him from death until he was found by searchers. Less than a year later, just before his formal succession, a unit of Tamara v'Riasanova's guards led their Knias to Ilya as he was on his way to coronation. She approached the Gaius and turned into a terrible creature of flame, the very same firebird that had guarded Ilya's life on that snowy night. Since that day, Ilya has shown his undying gratitude to the Riasanova family, who saved him when things looked worst.

Now freed by his ascension to Gaius, Ilya began to take revenge on those who had tortured him. All were subjected to the same cruelties he had suffered, while his boyar "hosts" were impaled upon pikes. Drako v'Pietrov had sadly died a few months earlier, but Markov v'Novgorov was publically fed to the very dogs whom he'd forced the Gaius to share a kennel with. Ilya married Katerina on the day of his coronation...but gone was the spoiled young prince, and in his place was a bitter, cruel and uncompromising man. Today, he rules with an iron fist. He reads books as much as he can, trying to make up for his lost years when he could not study, his interest in Eisen mixed with a new interest in Ussura itself, studying its history. He hopes to make it a world power, and has mastered the art Pyeryem completely as well as studying the Bogatyr school of combat. He is the only man in the world with the power to turn into the white-furred Arkanun tiger, and has the power to strip Pyeryem from anyone he wants - even while they're in animal form.

However, Matushka did not attend his coronation - the only time this has ever happened. This has caused a lot of rumors and concern among the boyars - none dare speak openly, at least, because those who suggest he's not the true Gaius or that his power is not from Matushka are hanged. Despite that, he's very popular with the muzhiks, who see him as their protector against the tyranny of the boyars. His wrath, after all, is directed at the upper classes, for whom he has nothing but contempt. He has little sympathy for the peasants, but they've not suffered his direct anger. Since he doesn't persecute them, they support his rule and treat his title of "Grozny," the Terrible, as a mark of affection. Should he ever turn on them, though, his popularity will likely melt away. Did I mention the guy's only nineteen?

Now then. Ketheryna Fischler Dimitritova, born Katerina Fischler, is the daughter of a fisherman whose brother, Faulk, found a dracheneisen mine and thus became Baron. His sister idolized him, and while their parents were not alive when he was elevated, she supported her brother however she could. She was his only support when others saw him as either just a rich man or just a jumped-up peasant, and was a trusted friend and advisor despite her youth. When she was 13, a Montaigne painter made a portrait of her that was sent out to several nations to try and find her a noble husband. She didn't want to leave Faulk's side, but she knew that without an ally, Fischler's people would starve for lack of trade. Most nations regarded her as a jumped-up peasant girl...but the Ussurans did not. The Gaius wanted her to visit!

She and Faulk went to Pavtlow, but were met in Freiburg first by the Imperator himself. He asked them to dinner and seemed to be judging her. When they left, he told her: "Show the Gaius your steel, girl, and remember your roots are in Eisen." When she arrived in Pavtlow, she expected to be one of many girls vying to marry Ilya...but was surprised by two things. First, he was just seven, and second, he was already infatuated with her. She spent time with him, helping him study and playing games with him, and when the twime came to leave, the Gaius came to her and proposed marriage on behalf of his son...provided she'd convert to the Ussuran Orthodoxy. She spoke to Faulk about it, and then agreed. She'd never see Eisen again. The Patriarch himself performed the ceremony, and Katerina changed her name to Ketheryna. She was the love of the court for two years...until the Gaius and his wife died, and Ilya, she was told, became so grief-stricken that he refused to see any but his doctors, magicians and priests. The nobles would not let her visit her young husband, for his "illness was too great". She was kept in Pavtlow, and Ilya vanished for years, leaving her the loneliest person in court. If he returned, she'd be powerful...but if not, she'd be a nobody.

Ketheryna remained alone for seven years, but did make some true friends in that time. The first was her maidservant, a cousin of the nobles of Gallenia named Leonore, the second was the Avalon ambassador Sir Thomas Merriday, and the last was her confessor, the priest Egor Belofsky. They helped her learn Ussura's history and laws, learn the language like a native and even study military and strategic texts. She spent her time with the peasants, using what influencce she had to save the lives of the unjustly accused. She tried, in her way, to ensure that her fiance was not forgotten. When Belofsky discovered that Ilya was being held in Sladivgorod, Ketheryna sent a message to Tamara v'Riasanova via Leonore's family, alloiwing the Gallenian troops to find and free the young Gaius before his coronation. She expected many things when Ilya returned...but not a monster. The torture had turned her happy prince into a bitter, vengeful man. Though grateful for her aid, he didn't listen to her please for leniency and levied harsh taxes on the boyars. Now, Ketheryna fears for the future of Ussura. The muzhiks love her, at least - they respect Ilya, but speak glowingly of the "doting mother" who rules at his side. She is their hope and savior, and they would do anything for her.

Now, Ketheryna spends her time assisting Ilya as best she can, trying to prevent more butchery. She is not allowed to sit at the Knias coundil, but often sews quietly in the corner during their meetings, and is aware of all that goes on in Ussura. She has begun to suspect that one of the Knias is actively working against the Ussuran war effort. Though everyone knows that Aleksi v'Novgorov hates Ilya, she can't believe he'd allow his people to be butchered for old rivalries. She's sure someone else is responsible, but has no proof. She can't tell Ilya until she does - he'd butcher a hundred people, innocent or guilty, within hours. She needs to know who's responsible, and uses her contacts among the servants and lesser boyars to keep track of troop movements and supplies in the hopes that proof will reach her that way.

Who is Aleksi Pavtlow Markov v'Novgorov? Well, he's the Knias of Rurik and son of Markov v'Novgorov. He watches his people flee as refugees from Montegue's army, and fights against them - as everyone knows - for his people and not for Ilya. He hates the Gaius, and the only reason Aleksi has not been impaled for treason is that the Gaius has no popular support in Rurik - it might trigger a rebellion, and that's the last thing Ussura needs right now. Aleksi thinks of Ilya as a blasphemy - a boar and yet Gaius, a useless vengeful beast. He regrets that his father didn't destroy the man. Aleksi was eighteen when Ilya fed his father to the dogs, and though he openly showed controlled anger, he was not bothered. It fueled his own ambitions: to become a god. Oh, it sounds insane, yes, but he knows it can be done. He's spoken with Caligari of Vodacce, and the two share information that has taken Aleksi farther than he ever dreamed. He knows that Matushka can be tricked - after all, Ilya is Gaius. And he knows that if she can be tricked, she can be destroyed. He just has to find a way to do it and take her place. In the meantime, he fights against Montaigne, though he has no personal hatred for Montegue. He's willing to sacrifice hundreds of people to stop Montaigne as long as it lets him continue his true work - and besides, the war keeps Matushka distracted. Aleksi has the power to take on the form of the Dire Wolf as the Knias of Rurik, and he's mastered many other Pyeryem forms as well.

Staver Siev Aryaov v'Vladimirovich is Domiator and Knias of Veche. He is an old man, nearly 70, and completely insane. He shows no signs of physical weakness, and when he chooses to act in politics it is with clear mind and iron hand, but he spends all his time isolated beneath his palace, building thousands of intricate clockwork gadgets. Forty years ago, he was just a diplomat. His parents, while eccentric, didn't do much in Veche and allowed the boyars and Voevods to run things without interference. Staver was impressionable, though, and was determined to bring Veche out of the dark ages. He believed he could bring in new technologies and bring about an era of enlightenment. He traveled Vodacce, Avalon and Eisen, looking for scholars, but found few. Eventally, he headed to the Crescent Empire to find more - but what he found would drive him mad. He returned to Sieve on his parents' fiftieth anniversary, announcing he'd marry his childhood sweetheart, a boyar from Malaa, and accept the crown of Knias. Then he demanded the servants clean the caverns and iron prisons beneath the palace, and brought in an entire caravan of Cathayan and Crescent equipment into those chambers. The guards who escorted it were all blue-turbaned Crescents. After moving the equipment, they burned the caravan and all committed ritual suicide. Since then, he has spent almost all of his time beneath the Siev Palace. He rarely leaves the city save to attend the Knias Douma, and then returns as quickly as he can. For thirty years he's never left Ussura. Every five years, a blue-turbaned emissary comes to him, then commits suicide. Three years later, he sends a return envoy to the Crescent Empire, who never returns.

Some good things have come out of his madness, at least. He's rebuilt the palace of Sieve into a marvel of modern technology. He's obsessed with clockwork, and has designed elaborate patterns of mosaics and added new rooms to his palace. Occasionally, he brgins clockwork wonders out from the tunnels - singing krashenka eggs that spout metal flowers, cunning toy soldiers that march and fire puffs of smoke and more. Yet he never seems satisfied. He has a son and a daughter, both of whom grew up with their mother at the Valaamzhensk PAlace. He had little to do with them. His daughter, Apraksia, has none of her mother's grace but all of her father's brilliance, and was "exiled" to Koloi for defying his choice of husband. His son, Fveryot, was extracted from his mother after she tried to throw herself off the palace walls. He has fallen deeply into myth and superstition, and it's said he practices ancient rituals that have not been kept since the Tomiechs. Staver has clamed Fveryot as his heir - his daughter has been entirely removed from the lineage until she repents. The people dread his rise to the throne, and expecti t will mean a return to the old, dark ways. Staver doesn't seem to care.

Tamara Breslau Fyodnova v'Riasanova is the ruling Knias of Gallenia, a beautiful and intelligent woman born on the night called the Night of the Dragon - a Cathayan holiday that happens only once every five hundred years. An "emissary" came through the Firewall to bless her in the Sud'ya tradition, and gave her father a sword. He told her to give it to the girl at the proper age, saying she would be strong and wise, knowing the light of truth...but that she'd die in darkness. Then he left, and no one coujld stop him. None have seen him since. His words have shaped her life. Her mother refused to ever allow her to be in complete darkness, ensuring there was always a source of light around at all times. Servants were told to never let the fireplace go out, and she never experienced true darkness. She got the Cathayan sword at fourteen and has worn it ever since. Her first love affair ended in disaster when she learned the meaning of the first part of the prophecy: she can't be lied to. People try, but when they speak to her they find they can only speak the truth...or say nothing at all. This gift made her father pass the Knias's crown to Tamara, rather than her elder sister or his firstborn son. This has never bothered her sister Dauntaina, who never wanted to rule, but her brother Dreng would have seized the throne shortly after his father's death had he not spontaneously told his sister about the arsenic in her wine. When asked how he knew, he said that he'd put it there. Rather than sentencing Dreng to death, she sent him to their mother in a Sud'ya convent in Astradastan. He's nearly 30 now and still resents his sister, but has never managed to escape the convent.

Tamara has two goals in life: First, to find the true Firebird, whose spirit skin she has as Knias. It hasn't been seen in years, though it once flew over Breslau often. She considers its absence a bad omen, and believes it must be found and freed from whatever has held it captive so long. Her second goal is to aid the Gaius however she can. He's the only man who has never tried to lie to her, and she respects him despite his youth. Though he's cruel, he fiercely defends Ussuran history and beliefs, and she knows that the other Knias kept her in the dark about what happened to him. She resents them for it. When she got Ketheryna's letter about Ilya, she helped free him from his captors, and the two have a deep mutual respect. She is both grateful and hateful towards KEtheryna - she's an ideal wife, something Tamara could never be, and that just adds to her resentment. She has no reason to dislike Ketheryna and every reason to like her, but she can't help but turn a cold shoulder on the bride of Ilya.

Borin St. Andresgorod v'Pscov is a small, portly man whose common looks hide a cunning mind. He's the first son of a huge family - his father had three wives and seventeen children, though only six had Pyeryem. The rest were sent to Eisen to be adopted. Borin can't remember where most of them wen, let alone what happened to them after. He doesn't care, as long as they don't come asking for money. He's always wanted to be a swordsman, but a youthful axe injury ruined his plans, so he instead turned his cunning to becoming the richest man in Ussura. Though as Knias of Somojez, he technically commands the Tyomny, he has no interest in them. He is instead fascinated by Eisen soldiers, and has three legions of mercenaries to "instruct the Tymony in their duties with the blade." Ilya seems happy, but the natives of Somojez and his troops don't. Matushka's wrath and Montegue's passage have blackened the north of Somojez, and a Montaigne rules over Odyesse, but Borin does little besides have the Tyomny spar against Eisen mercenaries. HE's arranged for trade to continue through Govny, west of Odyesse, and that's kept people fed but does little for the province's pride. Without proper aid, the Tyomny struggle against Montegue but are outgunned and outclassed. Borin claims that if he can find a vein of dracheneisen, he can force Fauner Pösen to be his ally and stop Montaigne, and has been hunting for a vein with cheap scouts. His family bears the spirit-skin of a legendary drachen - not a beast of Ussuran myth, and so presumably the skin was given to an early Knias (generally believed to be Svyatogor Muron, hero of ancient Somojez). Some say the Drachen's essence keep the Firbor imprisoned beneath the Drachenbergs. Whatever the legends say, though, Borin ignores them - he's more interested in commerce. His two wives ignore his strange rotuines of counting his gold at night and his five children go to private boarding schools and know little of him. The Tabularius is, ironically, not a very faithful man, and rarely goes to church. He does, however, say his prayers with his personal bishop twice a week. Or, rather, he listens and does his accounting while the bishop prays at him.

Next time: Koshschei.

Better our lives than our honor.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: Better our lives than our honor.

Koshschei the Undying was born more than a thousand years ago. He remembers the first Knias Douma, the first Gaus, the formation of the five kingdoms into Ussura. He was there for all of it. He was the ruler of Molhyna in the early sixth century, back when he was a normal man. When Matushka came to him in 523 to unite Ussura, he was violently opposed to it. He wanted Molhyna to be a great power. He opposed her even after Matushka wiped out Johann van der Velde's army - until she took him aside and spoke to him in private. He returned, pale as chalk and amenable to her will. Shortly thereafter he abdicated the throne of Molhyna in favor of his son, Franczek - but there were conditions. He would still hold the seat on the Knias Douma and would speak there for Molhyna. His son would control the internal workings of the province and see to it that things continued to progress. Fanczek accepted, and decreed that his heirs would have power only over Molhyna, not the Knias Douma, until Koshchei personally chose a replacement.

Eleven centuries later, the arrangement is the same. He has seen countless men grow old and die, making no fuss and not trying to hide his immortality. He never cares to explain, though, saying he has no time for it. He's an enigma, but not a distant one. He shows up everywhere from tiem to time, busying himself with odd tasks. He might comfort a barmaid whose lover has left her, or speak to a young child beaten by others. Sometimes, this has impact - the boy might grow up to be a general, or the girl is actually a lost daughter of the Rurik line. Other times, nothing comes of it - a merchant whom he stays the night with just has a story to tell his grandchildern. Koshschei is one of the first Pyeryem sorcerers, instructed in the art by Matushka herself. He sometimes teaches children who show the gift, and is known to have powers beyond Pyeryem. He can perform strange rituals, summon creatures of fire, ice and stone, and other strange powers. Some say he stole the powers from Cathay, but all he will say is that the world "had sorcery long before it had Senators."

Koshschei is legendary for his loyalty to the Pietrovs, but he has made no moves against the Gaius for his muttered threats towards the late Drako v'Pietrov. Maybe he thinks that Ilya never had the chance to go for revenge, since Drako died before he was freed, or perhaps he just sees Ilya's complete lack of interest in Drako's son, Vladimir. Either way, he seems to be either a mild support or at least not an active dissenter to Ilya's rule. He leave Vladimir to run Molhyna in peace and seems unconcerned with the province's chaos. To some, he is a demonic figure. He's survived fourteen assassination attempts so far, including one from the father of l'Empereur. He's been shot, stabbed, poisoned, drowned - and all to no effect. He just shows up the next morning with is faithful raven, unharmed. He seems amused by the attempts, in fact. Several times a year, he vanishes into the Azov forest for days or weeks. He claims to visit Matushka's city in the Thrice-Tenth Kingdom, though he never provides any evidence. He's had countless wives and lovers, and seems to not lack any appetite for pleasures despite his years. He's not currently married, though. He's got a pet raven that follows him and does his bidding. Some say it's Matushka herself, or a Leshii spirit that is descended from him. It apparently can speak, but rarely does, and only Koshchei knows its name if it has one.

His descendant, the Knias, is Vladimir Goroduk Drakov v'Pietrov, son of the worst butcher ever to hold an Ussuran throne. His father died when he was 30, five years ago, and Vladimir seemed calmer and more kindly. For four years, anyway. A year ago, something went wrong. A gunpowder explosion killed his infant daughter and nearly the whole family. No one knows what happened, but Vladimir is certain it was an assassination attempt, and he went mad. He recruited the old Oprechnina butchers, executed dozens and settled back into the old butchery. He has sequested himself in the Pietrov castle and never leaves. His contact with the Knias Douma is only through intermediaries, and he lets "Great Uncle Koshchei" handle outside dealings. He has no control over his subjects whatsoever, and has not even moved to respond to Jyrgal Timurbek's founding of Kosara. The muzhik tell stories of sin and depravity in his castle, and certainly his wife has not been seen since the explosion. Nor has his family's chaplain, and he will not allow a replacement to enter the castle. Only his chamberlain and commander of the Oprechnina can approach him now: Pariggorii Nizhne Kalenikov.

This man, Kalenikov, is the effective ruler of Molhyna right now. He's a minor boyar, though he never goes to his home province in Molhyna. Instead, he directs the entire kingdom as best he can from Castle Pietrov. He was a cunning warrior drafted under Drako, and rose through the ranks with little guile. He just killed those in his way and served well. However, with each promotion he was introduced to mroe and more of Drako's violent hedonism, and was twisted a little each time. After 15 years, he became the commander of the armies, in charge of satisfying Drako's sick desires. He sent out raids for torture victims, recruited evil men and retained his job even after Vladimir took the throne, even though most of the Oprechnina were dismissed. He has continued to serve with quiet loyalty. After the explosion, he found himself in exactly the position he had under Drako, and has continued to serve. His Oprechnina is mostly bullies, thugs and a few psychotics, many compatriots from the "good old days" with Drako. It is not an efficient organization and could easily be destroyed by a well-trianed army, but Kalenikov commands the rabble as best he can. He's barely managed to keep tribute flowing in, and has kept the other boyars from deposing Vladimir despite his shaky political skills.

Pyotyr Siev Andropovich is the captain of the stelets, born as a simple woodcarver and working as such until he saved the Gaius' life shortly after he was crowned. He was watching a parade when the Gaius' ceremonial carriage burst into flames. While everyone watched in horror, he dove into the flames and pulled the Gaius to safety, suffering only minor burns. Ilya had his guards executed and gave Pyotyr a place in the selets as a reward. Pyotyr rose to command them in just a few short years, thanks to his honesty, valor and strength. He was originally the bodyguard of the Gaius, but has had to shift duties since the Montaigne invasion. He wanted to fight at the front, but Ilya forbade it, saying the Eisen mercenaries would be enough. Pyotyr obeyed, though he clearly wanted to do more. With Montaigne advancing on Pavtlow, he's gotten his wish. He's developed a strong mind for tactics, and realizes what Montegue's plans are: seize the city and the Gaius. Pyotyr's not about to give up without a fight, and has been working with Dutsky Kethna Pastovich to ensure the foreigners pay. He doesn't care about politics and only wants to get Montaigne out of Ussura. He plans to kill Montegue and ride through the streets with his head. However, he knows it won't be easy - and even Matushka's having trouble stopping him. What chance does a woodcarver have?

Nona Basulde, daughter of Mirona, is the Sanat of Vitzi Basulde. She's young for a sanat, only fifty-eight, and looks to be in her thirties. She's been sanat for eleven years, since her mother stepped down. It was her decision, ten years ago, to head into northerhn Eisen, feeling that helping people was worth the risk. It led to her daughter Renate's marriage to Pirogi Curara (who we'll talk about in a bit) and the growth and prosperity of Basulde. As a youth, she had volunteered to go out as a servant, and persuaded her mother to let her try. She served under the Caligari family in Vodacce for three years, and it's unlikely anyone remembers her as she strove to be inconspicuous. When she left, she wasn't sorry to leave - she doesn't much like Vodacce, apparently. After that, she was fostered with the Narpana vitzi, during the War of hte Cross. She met her husband Jules with them and had three children. The eldest, Cesar, was disowned because he refused to recognize the dangerous path he was taking. It's been thirteen years since she saw him, and the last word was that he was a criminal in Charouse. Her youngest son Rene is fostered with the Talajit and has been dodging marriage attempts. Her second child, Renate, is her pride - a wise woman who will likely succeed her as sanat, and the mother of two grandchildren for Nona to spoil. The Basulda caravan's adopted healer, Chavi, has recently tried to push for a trip to Vodacce, which Nona has forbidden. Chavi is a Naditi found ten years ago, hunting for her lost daughter, whom she believes in is Vodacce. Nona knows finding Chavi's daughter won't be easy, especially if she's in Vodacce, but Chavi is determined and may leave to go hunt for her if Nona won't bring the Basulde to Vodacce. Nona doesn't want her to go without aid, and has been teaching her Vodacce language, both to help her and delay her departure. Rumor has it that Matushka has visited Nona twice in the last three years, and the Gaius is very jealous of that.

Piorgi Curara was a young blacksmith with Vitzi Curara in the middle of the War of the Cross. The Eisen were becoming more and more hostile, and the Curara were stuck in Eisen when an Objectionist army mistook them for an enemy and fired a cannon at them. Dozens were injured, including Piorgi's uncle, who was vadin. The old man told Piorgi to get everyone to safety. In the next few weeks, as his uncle fought fever, Piorgi took charge and led the Curara out of Eisen, impressing many people - including Renate, the daughter of the sanat of Vitzi Basulde, whom they'd met on the road. Renate and Piorgi soon felt a bond of affection, despite the fact that a young man named Stasch had been wooing Renate. Stasch wanted to marry the sanat's daughter and thus become candidate for vadin, and had no true affection for Renate. Piorgi and Stasch clashed on several occasions over minor matters, and eventually Renate chose Piorgi. Piorgi's uncle, Lech, was ready to retake his position as vadin, and was very proud when the marriage happened and Piorgi was made vadin of Basulde. Within a few months, Piorgi had gone from apprentice blacksmith to vadin of the largest Fhideli caravan in the world. As they left Eisen, the Basulde would three times find the same disturbing happening. They rolled into a village, laid out their wares...and no one would come out. At first, the people felt it was just prejudice, but soon found that the villages were just...empty of human life. Animals were there, but half-eaten food was left out, coins were scattered - as if people just vanished. That was ten years ago, and the Basulde have quietly been looking for answers. Piorgi is sure they found the villages for a reason, and that one day, fate will give them an answer. He and Renate have two children - a daughter named Natalia and a son named Rue. Though he'd never admit it, Rue is his favorite, and every seer who meets the boy notes a strange, eye-like birthmark on his collar bone - the mark of destiny. Nona, however, says that the boy is a beautiful child and that's all the destiny he needs.

Jyrgal Timurbek is a fearsome raider of the Kosar and a great fighter. His great-grandfather was an outcast Crescent horseman who made his way to Molhyna and joined a Kosar band. His great grandfather soon became a leader and made himself very rich, hiding his face with a cloth in combat. His flair stayed with the band, and the Masked Kosars are now even more feared then normal Kosars. Jyrgal was born to lead his clan, and loves it. His rule is absolute and final, and people whisper of Timurbek the Masked Kosar with fear. His people support him fanatically, and the government of Molhyna is so fragmented that any real resistance is impossible. He's overthrown a minor boyar and established the province of Kosara on the shores of Lake Vigil. He claims that it belongs to his people ancestrally, though noo ne can see how. The v'Pietrov can't raise an effective counterforce with his other boyars in such chaos, and so Jyrgal goes unchallenged. The boyars of Veche and Gallenia are negotiating a coalition to try and wipe him out, and have the quiet support of the Gaius in this, providing funds. Jyrgal welcomes the challenge, to show his military prowess and bring legitimacy when he wins, forcing Ilya to recognize his independence. He is a ruthless butcher, and has slaughtered entire villages in the name of ethnic purity - though his recent legitimacy seems to have stopped such atrocities at least a little. Among Kosar, he is extremely charismatic despite being a rather plain and unassuming man.

Now, we get into mechanics! New stats are provided for various Pyeryem animals, as well as rules for creating new animal knacks from scratch, using various boons as the pieces to do so and the costs of using them. It's a handy system! We then get fencing schools. First is Bogatyr, which uses fierce heavy axes. It's the traditional fighting style of Ussuran wandering knights, and it's the source of tension with the Swordsman's Guild. The Gaius wants them to count as Swordsmen, but the Guild doesn't like to give that to anyone who doesn't...use swords. They feel it's old-fashioned. However, they want to operate in Ussura. Therefore, Bogatyr "fencers" count as SWordsmen when on Ussuran land or ships flying the Ussuran flag, but not anywhere else. The strength of Bogatyr is its ferocity and terrifying techniques - people rarely want to fight a howling axeman. The weakness is that it relies on offense over defense, and a cautious and patient foe can catch a Bogatyr while he's recovering from a swing.

Bogatyr fencers, by the way? Learn to throw axes. Not handaxes - giant two-handed axes. They throw heavy weapons . Apprentices also get a free raise when attacking with an axe. Journeymen learn to deal great damage, getting an extra kept die of damage when attacking with axes. Masters get a reputation for ferocity, and often wear skulls, fangs and claws of animals they've killed. They increase their Fear Rating by 2, getting a Fear Rating of 2 if they didn't have one before. They also get 2 free Raises to reist Fear effects.

Ussura's also got the Buslayevich archery school. Ussuran archers are respected throughout the world for their patience and because USsurans hunt with bows as a way of life. However, the students of Volkh Buslayevich do not use the patient hunting techniques of their nation. Buslayevich was a bandit who learned to shoot quickly and accurately from horseback, grabbing what he wanted without ever slowing down. He taught his children his methods, and they taught others, until the Buslayevich school spread throughout Ussura. In times of war, horse archers are used as an elite raiding force, firing quickly without sacrificing much accuracy - despite the school's philosophy that you should just point your bow at the target and not aim. The weakness of the school is its reliance on instinct and maneuverability. In tight quarters or against someone who knows the terrain, their options can be severely limited. Naturally, they are not members of the Swordsman's Guild.

Apprentices of Buslayevich archery get a free raise on all Horse Archery rolls and all rolls to control their mounts without reins. Journeymen expand theire expertise with horses, getting free raises equal to their mastery level on all Trick Riding and Animal Training rolls, as well as a free raise on all Chase rolls when on horseback. Masters are inhumanly skilled horseman, and get a free rank of Horse Archery, which raises their maximum to 6. At the start of each battle, they also get 3 Drama dice which can only be used when they are holding a bow or are on horseback, and can never be turned into XP. Any unused dice of this pool vanish at the end of combat. They also get a second free Raise to Chase rolls when on horseback.

Ussurans are also famous for being hardy and tough, exemplified in the Dobrynya school of unarmed combat. It is a wrestler's school of fighting, relying on toughness and endurance over fancy tricks, crushing the foe with greater strength and tenacity. Dobyrnya wrestlers often practice naked in the snow, to adapt to hardship. They run a mile in the woods each morning, and often practice by bear hugging trees without shirts on. (This is specified.) They apply as much force as they can for an hour, straining against the tree, then run home. They do all this no matter what the weather is. The style is simple, but effective, focusing on grapples and bear hugs to kill the foe. It can take a while, but they're patient. The weakness is that they have to get in close and keep hold on their foe - anyone who can escape their grabs has a definite advantage. They are not, as you might expect, Swordsmen.

Apprentices of Dobyrnya understand wrestling principles and how to apply their strength best. They get a free raise to all Grappling and Escape rolls, and reduce the damage they take from weather by one kept die. Journeymen gain a vicelike grip that tightens with pain. Whenever the character takes wounds that do less than 2 Dramatic Wounds, anyone they're holding takes damage as from the Bear Hug knack. They also get a free Raise on all Disarm (Wrestling) rolls. Masters of the Dobrynya school learn to withstand massive punishment. Whenever they fail a wound check, they halve the amount they failed by, rounding down, before suffering additional Dramatic wounds. They also gain an extra rank of Bear Hug, raising their max to 6.

Next time: Ussuran secrets!

And may he walk with you, Dochka. We will both need his wisdom before there can be spring.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: And may he walk with you, Dochka. We will both need his wisdom before there can be spring.


Ussuran fencing.

We get stats for handaxes and large shields, as well as rules for busking for cash. And then an essay on how Pyeryem feels really fucking awesome, but carries the risk of never turning human again. Also an essay on how Ussurans are simple, not stupid. They know what technology is, and if it's useful for their work, sure, it's great. They just don't care about your compass or telescope because what the hell are they going to do with it? They'll ooo and aah over it because you seem to like that and they want to be polite, and then put it in the closet and never look at it again. But that's not what you're here for. You're here for the batshit.

Well, guess what! The first secret you're going to learn is that of Matushka! She's old. She's really old. In fact, she's older than the entire human species. She's older than the Syrneth, too. Well, all but one race of them. You see, the first race of Syrneth were the Razhdost, who lived on the world while it was still forming. The world was barren, then, without plant or animal, and it was just one great continent. The Razhdost began to create life, calling forth strange beings from the ground and sky to fill the seas. They left behind the bonds of society and poured themselves into creation. They had no children, but they were immortal, shaping their art and creating nature. They flled the world with all kinds of creatures...but one by one, they began to vanish.

Realizing their existence was threatened, they tried a thousand means to repopulate - but to no avail. They turned to trying to create more of themselves, setting off a reaction that created sentient life. The Syrneth were born - Thalusai, Domae and more. Some failed, some lived. But still the Razhdost were dying. With pure, alien logic they began to prepare for the inevitable, planning to live the world and allow their creations to continue a natural evolution. One race would not let them leave peacefully, though: the Thalusai. They felt the Razhdost were leaving without giving them the final secrets of creation, so they sabotaged the final spell of the Razhdost, to keep them from leaving. After all, that'd mean they would have no choice but to tell the Thalusai how to make sentient races, and thus let them rule the world with a race of slaves at their command.

The Thalusai didn't realize the magnitude of what they'd done. When the Razhdost opened a portal to step into the Beyond, earthquakes and storms ripped across the world. The continent tore itself to bits, parting the oceans and sending raw magic into the world. New beings from bizarre realities tried to get through the universal breach as it desperately tried to fix itself. Thousands of Razhdost died as their cities crumbled under the power. Unable to enter the Beyond, the Razhdost prepared a final spell to seal the portal and protect the world from death. They didn't expect the Syrneth races' reaction.

After all, the Syrneth had seen the Razhdost open a portal that caused a huge cataclysm, and now the Razhdost were doing a second spell. The Thalusai struck out against the Razhdost, not understanding that their creators were trying to save the world. Other races joined in as well, trying to destroy the Razhdost before the spell could be finished. It almost worked. All but one of the Razhdost were killed, their blood staining the portal and drowning thousands of their enemies. But the last few Razhdost lived long enough to finish the spell, closing the rift and restoring reality. Only one Razhdost survived the battle, though. As the Syrneth celebrated their victory, she traveled the world and mourned the loss of her people. Finally, she settled into the land that would become Ussura, turning away from the Syrneth squabbles, from the rise of the Sidhe, from the banishment of the Thalusai to the Beyond. She was consumed by her own grief and sorrow. Her name was Matushka.

As a result of being the last of the Razhdost, Matushka knows pretty much everything about the Syrneth, including the desire of the Thalusai to break free and conquer the world. She intends to be ready for the Syrneth when they return. She also understands evolution better than any other being in the universe - from the creation of worlds and races to the connections of the ecosphere. She wants to help humanity evolve naturally and guide them toward wisdom. That's a long-term goal, though, and not easily done while maintaining natural evolution. Oh, and she knows that Porté is destroying the Barrier that holds the Thalusai back. She knows all the Bargainers' sorcery does that, but Porté is the worst. And so her short term goal (well, longer than 'get Montaigne out', but still short term for her) is the eradication of Porté from the face of the planet. She's careful about how she does it, and is working patiently.

Okay, now other NPCs. Ilya Grozny is an apprentice of Bogatyr and a master of Pyeryem, to the point that he basically can become any animal that isn't limited to some other bloodline, like the Firebird or the Great Bear. He can also become the Arkanun Tiger, and is the only person in the world who can do that. It's a really badass animal. He is plagued by nightmares ever since the death of his parents. You see, Ilya did meet Matushka the moment his hair turned white. She appeared in his golden mirror, showing him the tortures that would befall him, the slaughter of the peasants under a foreign army and then his own body, pierced by knives in his own throne room. Then she told him one thing: "You are nothing to me." She was gone by the time the Novgorov guards had stolen him away. Ilya does, however, genuinely love Ketheryna - he just also feels she's foolishly merciful and will be ruined by the horrors of the world, which he tries to shelter her from. Matushka has never backed ilya, though the animals still bring him news as they have every other Gaius, and he's never been able to call on her wisdom (though he retains the power to turn off Pyeryem). He suspects that Matushka's final vision will come true, and fears that Montegue's army will be the ones to do it. He trusts only three people: Ketheryna, Tamara and his personal confessor, Pontiff Grigori Malenkov. He distrusts all others to the point of insane paranoia. He's going to go mad, and when he does, the country will crumble. He currently plans to kill the Patriarch in three months and put Grigori in his place with a series of "accidents." He is also afraid of Matushka, though he'd never admit it. He knows she hates him for his father's treachery, and he'll never live up to her expectations. He covers that fear with cruelty and callousness. The peasants love him, but he can't figure out why and is sure they'll ultimately turn on him just like everyone else.

Ketheryna Fischler Dimitritova does not love her husband, but fears and pities him. When she first married Ilya, the Imperator of Eisen tried to make her his pawn, and she refused. Ever since, she's been afraid that someone will kill Faulk Fischler - any one of the Eisenfürsten could have been behind the Imperator's demand, and might remember her disloyalty. She is Ussuran now, though, for all she was born in Eisen, and loves her country. The Avalon ambassador keeps her apprised of foreign events, and the muzhiks tell her all she needs to know about internal things. She has learned the basics of fighting, and also how to lead a nation - not deliberately, but she needed it to survive if Ilya never returned. She uses her skills to sneak plans to the army in the forests, and to feed the muzhiks who starve in Rurik and Somojez. She prays three times a week, and it seems like sometimes Matushka helps her. Animals come to her with scrolls, and her pet cat has a way of helping her be in just the right place to overhear important things. And there's one other secret, known only to herself and her maid, Leonore. When she arrived in Ussura, her eyes were blue - and remains so until four months ago, when she rescued her cat from a stray dog. On the next morning, her eyes had turned shockingly green, greener than even the finest sorcerer in Ussura. Leonore contacted the Sophia's Daughters, who have sent Ketheryna a potion that returns her Pyeryem-laden eyes to blue; Matushka seems to support this decision, and has not struck down the Daughters' ships as they deliver the potion. She has never used her powers and doesn't know how to - but it seems that Matushka likes her and wants her to save Ussura.

Aleksi Pavtlow Markov v'Novgorov is the traitor in the boyars, secretly aiding the Montaigne. He's a Pyeryem Master, incidentally! But you guessed that. But yeah, Aleksi uses mislaid orders and subtle movements to allow the Montaigne to get closer to Pavtlow, hoping that once the Gaius is killed, Matushka will stop supporting his claim, and the five Douma will be ready for a ruler of noble blood: himself. But that's not his biggest scheme. No, he has a secret, one that the entire Novgorov line has held since they were given the Wolf's skin. You see, long before Matushka even entered her cave, when the Razhdost were making the world, they created and mutated new creatures, ignoring their cries for mercy. One escaped them, a single sentient being: the first Wolf. Wolf hid from the Razhdost when the Barrier shattered and the Syrneth warred. It emerged only when it thought the Razhdost all dead. When it learned one had survived, it swore to destroy the last of them. It hunted for centuries until discovering the cave, but lacked the power to kill Matushka, so instead, it joined her guardians that it might one day destroy her. It purposely lost to the First Prophet in the hopes that he'dkill Matushka - and offered its spirit skin for the same reason. The hatred of the Wolf King lies in its skin, and has tempted each Knias of Rurik. Some have ignored the call, some were frightened. Aleksi and his father embraced the hatred as a source of power. Markov, his father, tried to hurt Matushka by enslaving her Gaius. Aleksi plans to kill her. The spirit skin lets him move beyond the notice of Grandmother Winter and her spies, hiding his true thoughts. It is thus that the Wolf has lived in the breast of its prey for millenia. Matushka, Aleksi knows, is not infallible. She will be beaten, and when she is, he will eat her bones and claim her power.

Staver Siev Aryaov v'Vladimirovich is an adept of Pyeryem and is, in fact, completely mad. He has been since he was 29, when he became trapped in a Setine puzzle-maze for three months in the Crescent desert. The maze was guarded by a group of blue-turbaned Crescents called the Coruscites, who worshiped its secrets. Staver convinced them to allow him to enter the maze as a sacrifice, and only he of all his companions made it out alive. It broke him, watching his companions fall, being forced to eat them to survive, avoiding the clockwork monsters. When he finally got out, his mind was twisted. It drives him to try and recreate the clockwork things he saw in the maze, and the Coruscites consider him a prophet of their god thanks to his survival. They returned him home with a caravan full of tribute, as well as samples of the puzzle-maze, including machines able to move by themselves. When lucid, Staver comes out and rules as best he can, hoping to stave off madness long enough to give his people hope. It rarely lasts, but it's worked for thirty years. Every five years, the Coruscites send a messanger to revere him and make sure he's alive. The messenger tells him of any changes to the maze and then commits ritual suicide due to his status.

If one of the messengers should find STaver dead, they'd take one of his children and put them into the maze to undergo the same test - and that child would likely not have the same luck Staver did. Or the twelve other people to eat. Staver knows that. It's the real reason he disowned his daughter - his will says that Fveryot will be his heir for five years after his death, after which the crown will be taken from him and given to Apraksia, with a letter explaining everything. Staver hopes that'll be enough time for the Coruscites to take Fveryot, whom he doesn't love and believes is illegitimate. His wife committed suicide, after all, when Staver showed her proof of her affair - and her lover's severed head. He's ignored the boy since birth and is probably right about his parentage. If Staver's plans work, Apraksia will be saved from the Coruscites due to being disowned, and so Veche will be eventually ruled by a woman who can do what Staver has always wanted: bring the land out of the dark ages. Staver could not, he knows. Not after the Maze. In a way, he really is the Setine prophet - his madness makes him reacto to patterns in the stars that only he can see, and he's currently trying to recreate the Maze under his palace. Even he doesn't know what'll happen when he's done, but he must create it. His madness compels him.

Tamara v'Riasanova is a member of Sophia's Daughters and a master of Pyeryem. She...well, she's a hero, but barely. Her passions and overly high ideals often get in the way of doing what's right and leaving her just to do what's left. She's a master fencer, if not in any school, and a great commander as well as a loyal follower of Sud'ya. She'd love to revitalize the Sud'ya faith, but has to be careful about the Orthodox Church. Darkness terrifies her, but she refuses to show it. She hates her ability to hear the truth - it makes her a great ruler, but has alienated her from everyone but her sister Dauntaina, who is too straightforward and nice to lie to her. Two years ago, her borther escaped the monastery; she's preferred to let everyone believe he's still there. She fears Dreng still, and if the Orthodoxy protects him, he might actually be able to challenge her for the throne. This is why she stays so close to the Gaius. She's afraid she's falling in love with him, though, and knows he's going mad. She also understands that the two of them aren't meant for each other...but that doesn't stop her from resenting Ketheryna, and hating that the Daughters have told her to aid the woman in any way possible. She can't fail her sisters in this - but their loyalty to someone who isn't even a Daughter galls her. The Daughters have been hinting lately that Ketheryna should be inducted into the Daughters, making her a sister in ritual and blood. Tamara wishes they'd asked her to kill the woman instead - it'd be easier.

Borin v'Pscov has one thought each morning and each night: Matushka, help me, this isn't my fault. This is because his name is Valerii, and he is not Borin. He's an apprentice Pyeryem sorcerer, able only to turn into a mouse. You see, just over fifteen years ago, he was just a merchant who happened to look practically identical to Borin v'Pscov. Borin, who went out to get drunk with three young guards. Borin who was killed in a barfight on the evening the Tyomny stumbled into Valerii's shop. They kidnapped Valerii, beat him and threatened him if he didn't do what they wanted: rule Somojez until they could figure out "another plan." Valerii faked the incident with the axe to explain his sudden lack of fighting skills, and he stopped going to church to cover the fact that he was brought up in the old ways and knows very, very little about the Canon. He knows just two things: how to be a merchant and how to lie. He's done both for so long that he's the richest man in Ussura and could deceive his own mother easily. The only person he can't fool is himself. He's no general, and has hired Eisen mercenaries to cover for his lack of knowledge, but has no idea how to govern his troops. All that the real Borin had learned from childhood is gone, replaced by a fat merchant. At first it was easy - he just had to manage trade and occasionally make judgments. He worked for ten years, always hoping he'd be allowed to fake his own death and go home. However, he did so well that the Tyomny have not wanted him to leave.

If it weren't for the Montaigne, the ruse would never fall apart. Valerii tried to buy them off - but it didn't work. He tried to pay Eisen to invade and drive them out. That didn't work. He arranged to continue trade through Govny and trusted Matushka to fight for him, which was humiliating...but at least Montegue didn't come farther south. He's hired scouts to look for dracheneisen in the hopes that it'll force Eisen to help him. So far, two of the htree Tyomny who put him on the throne have died fighting Montaigne. The last, Captain Usor Dalovich v'Kaplov, has eluded even the best patrols and is leading a guerrilla war south of Odyesse. Valerii isn't sure if he should be glad that the Somojez troops are winning, or depressed that Usor didn't die. Usor has told him that if he doesn't work as Knias for the rest of his life, then Usor will have hanged. Valerii has very little PYeryem power - he can't become the Drachen, just a mouse. Everyone's used to it by now and just doesn't ask. He's terrified of the Drachen, though, which lies beneath his Sousdal palace in enchanted slimber. When he sleeps, it whispers and mocks him in his dreams. He awakens in sweats and must go count money to get to sleep again. The Drachen knows who he is, and loves torturing him - after all, he's as much a prisoner as it is.

Next time: Koshschei!

Our little dochka did well, did she not?

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

Books until the Montaigne Revolution: 8.

7th Sea: Our little dochka did well, did she not?

Koshschei...well, his stats are not overwhelming. They're excellent, but not godlike. On the other hand: He has every skill in the game, and all knacks at rank 5. He is a Master of Pyeryem, with every possible form that isn't locked to some other line. He can perform the equivalent of Sorte and El Fuego Adentro at Master level. And he's immortal. He knows the secrets of immortality from Matushka's own blood, and has embraced the horrible things he must do to stay alive - eating babies, bathing in the blood of maidens, who knows what else. When Matushka took him aside so long ago at the first Knias Douma, she showed him what was at the bottom of Lake Vigil: the last of the Syrneth. Those, the Vodyanoi, live in the rebuilt ruins of the last Razhdost city, and the mobile islands that fishermen speak of are their great clockwork ships, which surface to collect plankton for food. Matushka has protected Molhyna, and never allowed them to escape Lake Vigil. This is what Koshschei was shown - and he was told that if he did not agree to what she wanted, she would stop protecting Molhyna from the Vodyanoi.

Koshschei agreed to back the Ussuran union on one condition: Matushka would continue to stop the Vodyanoi until he died. She agreed, sure that he'd not live beyond the next century - but he insisted on sealing the deal with blood. Her blood. By drinking it, he gained the power to live forever. He can die, but he will always be reborn. Thus, Lake Vigil's inhuman inhabitants are kept forever locked away. Koshschei was originally very pleased with his cunning when he revealed the trick to Matushka, but she just laughed - she told him that immortality is not a blessing, but a curse. A thousand years later, he's starting to understand. He knows exactly what is happening to the v'Pietrov, but for now, he chooses not to intervene. He knows that human evil is fleeting, and any damage will be fixed in the fullness of time. If things get out of hand, he can step in - but for now, he'll wait. He's good at that.

And what is happening to Vladimir Goroduk Drakov v'Pietrov? Well, he's not a bloodthirsty madman - he's a frightened paranoid whose delusions of assassination are being fed by Kalenikov. Vladimir gets all his information from the Oprechnina, and he has no idea how bad things have gotten in the province. He is too terrified to leave his castle, and will have no visitors. He fills his journals with letters to his dead wife, and he is cut off from reality. He is fed at random times, as Kalenikov keeps him unsure what time or day it is, ringing gongs at odd hours to keep him from getting a full night's sleep, and faking assassination attempts. If someone doesn't help him, Vladimir will go mad forever.

Kalenikov, of course, is an irredeemably evil old man who's finally reached his ambition: control of Molhyna. Everything he's ever done has been towards gaining that. Drako was too insane to control, but Vladimir is a puppet for him. He keeps the v'Pietrov paranoid, and ensures he's the only one that Vladimir trusts. He even got Vladimir to execute his own wife - though instead of killing her he had her bundled off to a seperate wing, where he's kept her alive "for his own pleasure." Dammit, 7th Sea! Kalenikov has complete control of the Oprechnina, in fact - the obey him unquestioningly, for he's far smarter than him, a virtuoso with a knife and a master torturer. No one dares cross him. He doesn't care about the collapse of Molhyna, of course - he just wants to have as much fun and riches as he desires. He used to worry about Koshchei, but the old man's never done anything to him. So now, he just wants to live out the rest of his life in decadence.

Pyotyr Siev Andropovich is a Bogatyr Master and genuinly loves his country. He wants to believe Ilya is a good man, and while it's not easy, he's stubborn. He is expressly forbidden to remove any stelets from Pavtlow, but he has been finding ways to send aid to the armies in the forests. He thinks Ilya is insane to rely on Eisen mercenaries. The general of the Ussuran armies is actually his son, Drutsky Kethna Pyotrov , who changed his name to avoid the Gaius's anger. Pyotyr is trapped between loyally obeying orders and helping his beloved son, and mostly works by giving information to Ketheryna's secret spies. He is loyal to Ketheryna as well as Ilya, and tries to be everything he's meant to be as captain of the stelets. He has one last trick up his sleeves, if it comes to siege. He plans to evacuate as many civilians as possible and send them to Tremult. He's filled a number of houses with gunpowder, lumber, alcohol and cloth. He will then lead the Gaius and the stelets to a secret dock and take them away as he blows up the city. He really doesn't want to have to do that, but Pyotyr wants to see Pavtlow be captured even less.

The reason Nona Basulde left her service to the Caligari family was because she "accidentally" spilled the Prince's soup, and Vincenzo Caligari doesn't forgive carelessness. It was also the second time she'd stopped him from being poisoned - but she never told anyone that, as it'd draw attention to herself. She believes she knows what the Naditi are - the trapped remnants of the original Tibesti. She thinks that knowledge is dangerous, and doesn't tell it to anyone, not even the Naditi. She knows that Chavi plans to leave the vitzi soon to find her daughter, and is trying to convince her that it'd be easier to find the girl while with the Basulde, as that seems to be where most Naditi end up. Chavi is gaining support, though, and Nona may have to let a small band go out on a quest so that Chavi doesn't end up dead - she is their best healer, after all. Nona is also terrified that Matushka will give her another task. Three years ago, Matushka brought a baby boy to her and told her to ensure he was raised right. That night, Nona's daughter Renate gave birth to her second child...a stillborn. Nona switched the dead baby with the boy Matushka gave her, to prevent any pain for her daughter. This is her grandson, Rue. She buried her real grandson in an unmarked grave and has never told anyone but Matushka what happened. She knows the Gaius resents her, but doesn't care - better a mortal man's wrath than an immortal's. Her son-in-law Piorgi Curara has no secrets of his own.

Jyrgal Timurbek is a master of Buslayevich archery. He has few secrets and in fact really believes he's doing the right thing. He loves the Kosars and thinks that having their own nation will be a good thing, even if it means the deaths of the Ussurans currently living there. He feels that's a fairly just punishment for the centuries of oppression the Kosars have suffered. He isn't sure what he'll do regarding the Gaius. If Ilya can demonstrate that Ussura is strong and fair, he might decide to swear an oath of loyalty. If not, he'll try to go it alone and declare complete independence, defending Kosara as best he can.

We get some new monsters now. The Leshii are a common sort of spirit in Ussura, found in abandoned houses, caves or small groves. They are fastidiously neat and bathe whenever the sun touches the horizon. They get very angry if prevented from doing so, whether on purpose or not. They are also wicked pranksters, who like to show that humans arei mperfect beings. They appear as green-skinned people or talking animals. Each has a magic whip carved of an ancient rowan tree, which they use to beat travelers who can't answer their riddles. If beaten in a riddle contest, they may grant a magic apple to the winner, which is said to have various abilities - it might give youth, beauty or wealth...or it might turn you into a donkey or curse you to be unable to lie. Only a Leshii can remove such a curse, and it usually involves a quest or another riddle. Leshii rarely fight, at least, though they can do great damage with their horribly painful whips, which can only be used by a Leshii.

Ussura is also home to perfectly normal talking animals - they're the flipside to Pyeryem. Where Matushka grants humans the power to become animals, she grants worthy beasts the power to think and speak like a man. The Talking Beasts form the Beast Court, ruled over by Wolf, Bear, Cat and Wolverine. (Also Firebird, but she rarely exercises her right to rule the birds.) The Beast Kings serve as judges for their people. The talking animals often take on titles that mimic human ones, and consider themselves nobles. They expect to be treated with respect, but they are still animals, hunting and eating their meat raw or sleeping in the sun on warm afternoons.

Then there's the Snow Maidens. They are generally short-lived, though it's said that in the north, where the snow never melts, there's a few ancient immortal ones. They are born with first snowfall and die when the last snow is melted. They dance in the trees, creating snow in their wake, and blizzards when they hold parties and gather together. Legend says that the Snow Maidens seduce men (and women are seduced by their male counterparts, the Ice Youths), as their beauty is unmatched. However, they are cruel and cunning, deliberately seducing people out to die of exposure in the night. Ice Youths and Snow MAidens are not human, and are not subject to Matushka's power. Some believe they're related to the Sidhe, but no one's ever proven anything. They eat the frozen flesh of their victims, and mimic human behavior only to get more. A sure way to spot one is the sharp rows of teeth in their mouths, like a shark's. They try to hide that. They immediately die if attacked with fire, and will not approach a bonfire. Legend speaks of a palace of ice and bone in the far north, where the ancient Snow Queen lives, said to steal away children and turn them into Snow Maidens and Ice Youths for her court.

Ussura is also home to a special kind of undead: the Zalozhniy. They are the warriors who die defending Ussura, as well as all the stelets who die in the line of duty. They are reborn in the city of Murom in the Thrice-Tenth Kingdom, where they serve Matushka by protecting the sacred places of Ussura. They are the spiritual servants of Matushka, similar to the Vestenmannavnjar valkyrie legends. They are also joined by the ghosts of those who are too old to make it through winter, or those who were laid to rest in the Azov, though those are said to be lower rank. The ghosts are called the Knights of the Forests, and they are clad in golden scale armor with etchings of ivy. They'll fight to the death to defend the sacred places, and might even attack heroes if there's no Ussuran with them. They often have animal companions and they speak all languages. They do not remember their past lives, though they appear as their past selves in their prime. Trying to make a Zalozhniy remember anything that happened before their death or accept any previous obligations from their life will make them go mad and berserk, attacking whoever forced that knowledge on them. When lost to insanity, their armor turns to salt, and their body turns to ash if they are killed again.

Next time: Secret Societies, Volume 5: Los Vagos!

Ay mio. What a dilemma - my daughter or my country!

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

It's time for a break from space aliens - Zorro is here!

7th Sea: Ay mio. What a dilemma - my daughter or my country!



We begin with some fiction about Andrés del Aldana. He feels like he's being spied on, and wonders if his recent actions have been discovered. He thinks about how he always has to be subtle, making sure his advice never directly opposes Verdugo and hiding the fact the he is, in fact, El Vago. Even his daughter doesn't know. Meanwhile, Verdugo is meeting with a beautiful courtier who claims to know who El Vago is. Verdugo originally believed he was just a disgruntled soldier, but the woman, Doña Urruca de Rioja, claims it's Don Andrés. Verdugo begins to make plans...

Now we switch back to Aldana. He is meeting with Verdugo after receiving the King, and Verdugo subtly accuses of him being El Vago. Then he subtly threatens Aldana's daughter. The King arrives, breaking up the confrontation. The King tries to hide that he's in love with Aldana's daughter, but he's not very good at it. Beneath his smile, Andrés is worried about what will happen - can he bear to part with his daughter to a marriage, even this one? What if Verdugo reveals the truth? He hides it all. Suddenly, assassins attack! Don Andrés leaps to defend King Sandoval, but can one man hold his own against six?

Now then. The public face of Las Vagos is, of course, El Vago. He first appeared in 1665, just after the death of the old King. He saved a peasant girl from the Inquisition in a small town in Rancho Aldana, appearing on horseback and saving the girl from the pyre by cutting her bonds in a single strike and then sweeping her onto his horse. He was so fast that no one could stop him. That was the only the first. He soon appeared all over the nation - at first just in Rancho Aldana, but soon everywhere. In 1666, the Hierophant died, and the Inquisition was given free reign. Less than a year later, Montaigne invaded. El Vago became even more famous, saving people from the Inquisitors and the Montaigne soldiery. By 1668, everyone in Castille was talking about the strange masked man who would show up to save the good and just, no matter how lowly. Clad all in purple, with a black sombrero and a white mask, he cuts a dashing figure as he wields a pistol in one hand and a sword in the other. He is El Vago, the Vagabond, and the Inquisition would love to capture him, while the Montaigne have offered a thousand sols for his head. Several imitators have been caught, only to be revealed as what they are - just imitations. The real El Vago has evaded every trap set for him so far.

Where did he come from? To that we must turn to private history. In 663, when Old King Sandoval became ill, his son Javier had to return from naval command to run the nation. He was an excellent ruler, but the Inquisition feared his strength, feeling it would weaken the Church. Javier was not unaware of their fears, and though he feigned trust in Verdugo he knew the man for what he was. He was always alert, ready for any attack. Late one night, he summoned his beast friend, Don Andrés del Aldana, and they praed together. As they did, Javier told his friend about his fears for his life, his younger brother and his nation. He reminded Andrés of a pledge they had taken, a pledge of brotherhood they took until death. Javier asked Andrés to protect Prince Salvador and the people of Castille. Andrés offered to be a bodyguard, but Javier refused, not wanting to risk both their lives. Andrés vowed to do as Javier asked. A few nights later, when Andrés came to visit the prince again, Javier had vanished. Andrés knew that Javier's worst fears were realized. It was time to take up the burden.

In 1665, Prince Salvador de Sandoval found himself suddenly on the throne, his father dead and his elder brother vanished. The Church refused his formal title, limiting his power. He was sure Javier would eventually return, and vowed to hold the throne as best he could until that happened. Three years later, he has managed to survive the invasion by Montaigne, the death of the Hierophant and the rise of the Inquisition. However, he is pressured on all sides and has had three assassination attempts - that he knows of. He has looked to his closest advisors, Cardinal Verdugo and Don Aldana, to guide him. However, Andrés felt that being an advisor was not enough for the promise. He had to do more - but he could not simply challenge the Inquisition to a duel, and if he did, he'd be burned. One afternoon, during La Fiesta de las Llamas, the Festival of Flames, he was reminded of the puppet shows he had seen aboard by the huge figures that would be burned in the celebration. These shows always included Alecchino, a white-faced clown who was always the mastermind behind the plot. The image struck a chord with Andrés. How could the Inquisition catch him if they did not know who he was?

Aldana first appeared as El Vago in the event we discussed above. It went off better than he could ever have planned, and the day after, everyone was talking about it. Thanks to his frequent travel and his interest in the people, he generally knew where he was needed. He saved people from bandits, helped alcalde defend themselves against thugs, and each time spread his legend and got home undetected. He found that riding out as El Vago made him feel like a young man again - but after one incredibly close call, he realized he could not do it alone. The Inquisition had hundreds of agents, and one man could not hope to stop them. Besides, if he was discovered, it would destroy his family. He set out to find a solution.

Thus, Andrés gathered a cadre of like-minded people, a clandestine group similar to the Rose and Cross. He formed the plans to have El Vago continue as la cara publica, the public face of the organization...but there would also be an inner circle of trusted friends who would pursue the same goals. As secret head of the group, he'd be responsible for coordinating, and all members would go masked to preserve anonymity. Any of these people could, and would, be El Vago if needed. Beyond that circle, he would need a larger group of nobles, to lead missions or provide supples. These would be Los Campañeros del Vago, the provisioners and informers. With that organization, El Vago could be the hero that was needed. The first person Andrés approached was his good friend Don Hector Ontiveros, who was fascinated by the fact that El Vago was his old friend. Together, they formed El Corazón del Vago, the heart of the movement, and drafted El Manifesto de Los Campañeros, the document that would guide their future actions and convey their philosophy.

Unfortunately, during all this Cardinal Verdugo was not idle. His most trusted spy, Doña Urraca de Rioja, reported that all of El Vago's work had been within a day of Rancho Aldana, and that no one had ever seen El Vago and Don Andrés together. At the same time, Andrés realized he was putting his family in danger, especially after the King seemed to be in love with his daughter. It would not do if he was called a traitor, and that would probably kill his uncle, Don Francisco, the patriarch of the family. Andrés vowed to keep his family safe, but his concern continued to gnaw at him even as Hector began organizing a support network.

We get a sidebar now on the legend of El Vago, being told by a father to his children. He tells of how El Vago rode in just as Lucina Garcia was being burned at the stake for witchcraft - a crime she never committed. As the fire was lit, a masked horseman rode in on a great black horse, into the fire! He cut Lucina free and lifted her onto the horse before any could act, and then turned, looked at the father, and touched his sombrero in greeting, just as though he was a don. The youngest child says he wants to be El Vago when he grows up, and his elder sister tells him he's too small. Their father tells them that no one is ever too small to love the people like El Vago does.

Back to history. Things come to a head when Sandoval is attacked by a band of assassins. Aldana get the boy to safety, he'd have died...if it weren't for the intervention of El Vago, who came from nowhere to help him. Andrés had no idea who was wearing the mask, and he was sure no member of Los Vagos would do such a thing without telling him. Still, the two fought off the assassins, though El Vago took a severe wound in the battle. Verdugo was enraged by the failure - and the proof that Aldana and El Vago could not possibly be the same man! Andrés went to tell his daughter what had happened...when he found a servant bandaging a wound on her side - an identical one to the one El Vago had taken! He knew that Marie-Soledad was a great fencer, but never that she would have endangered herself that way. He was shocked and angered, but Maria-Soledad returned with equal anger - had he not taught her the skills because he really wanted a son? Did she not feel love for her country as great as any man's? Andrés was forced to accept her logic, and allowed her access to his secret plans. After she beat him two of three practice duels, she was even allowed to wear the mask of El Vago again.

We get a sidebar now on the oath that all members of Los Vagos must take:

Anyway. At this point, with their mission clear, Don Andrés, Don Hector and Maria-Soledad needed more support. They found trusted allies in the nobles who were ready to risk all for the king and people of Castille. The assassination attempt and the swelling power of the Inquisition had caused a lot of concern, and the nobles welcomed Andrés' appeal to loyalty and courage - especially with so many young dons displaced by the war, looking for the chance to do something useful. With their help, the legend of El Vago has grown as members across Castille took action. They have put on the mask and done great deeds, all over the nation. OFten, the man in the mask was not Andrés, but Hector or Maria-Soledad - or other people in the organization. If it had stopped there, Los Vagos might have been little different than any other secret society. But it did not. El Vago became a folk hero from peasants to the royal court. People all over the nation loved him, and Andrés began to hear sotries of what El Vago had done. Some were clealry made up, while others were so plausible that he wondered if people were taking it on themselves to join the crusade without being part of Los Vagos. Were they so motivated by the stories that they felt the need to wear the mask themselves?

Fueled by Maria-Soledad's passion and her father's new confidence, Los Vagos focused more on helping the peasantry, where El Vago had a huge following. Maria-Soledad encouraged the recruitment of peasants into Los Campañeros, to make travel across the nation more free and easy, while Andrés knew that should he fall, she could handle herself. Soon, El Vago was seen all over the nation every day. Some El Vagos were clearly untrained and acting alone, and those were generally caught and killed before they could have much effect, but some escaped capture and gained followings. Many believed they were supporting the real El Vago...and in a real sense, they were. There's been problems from time to time, especially when two groups of Los Vagos were in the same area - and there's been at least one duel over who was the true El Vago...and even a few Vagos who wear the mask to do criminal things, but those have been surprisingly short-lived. El Vago's spirit has made itself felt across Castille, and nearly half a dozen groups imitating El Vago are active now - only a few of which ahve any direct contact with Don Andrés or his organization.

When the war with Montaigne began, Andrés initially resolved to have El Vago have nothing to do with it - the Vagabond was protector of the King and enemy of the Inquisition, which was a lot already. Even after the formation of Los Vagos, the group had its hands full. However, the proliferation of Los Vagos groups changed his mind. Maria-Soledad realized that El Vago had a natural guerrilla army, and was the perfect symbol to strike fear in the invaders. She convinced her father, this time with the help of other members of El Corazón - most notably, Don Lorenza Zepeda del Acedo. He was an initial recruit, the son of a deceased comread of Andrés. Andrés had taken the boy under his wing before he joined the military, and Lorenzo was one of the first recruits. When the invasion began, Lorenzo offered to become El Vago on the front, able to appear anywhere, cheering the soldiers on as they fell back towards San Juan and leading raids on Montaigne soldiery. He renewed the hope of the soldiers on the front.

Next time: Tragedy strikes!

It would be quite unfortunate if I had to question your lovely young daughter regarding her father's apparent need to interfere in the affairs of the Inquisition.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: It would be quite unfortunate if I had to question your lovely young daughter regarding her father's apparent need to interfere in the affairs of the Inquisition.

Don Lorenzo, of course, was famous in San Juan as El Amante Rojo, the Red Lover. He seduced and abandoned countless ladies, always leaving a scarlet kerchief with the insignia of his family and a poetic declaration of love sewn on. His family hoped that when the war began he'd stop, but he definitely didn't. Thus he became known by the angry male relatives and dishonored ladies as El Malvado, the Wicked. When General Francois Étalon du Toille slaughtered San Juan, Lorenzo was there, as we know. Most thought he died, including Los Vagos. They replaced him on the front with Don Cristian Acedo de Lopez del Torres, who has since proved himself a loyal and fierce member of Los Vagos. Meanwhile, a little while ago, Du Toille received a red kerchief similar to those El Malvado sent his lovers - only this time, the quote on it was from the Book of the Prophets, warning of retribution. Soon, Montaigne soldiers began to go missing, only to be found later burned to a crisp. The Montaigne have put out a reward for capture of El Malvado, and Los Vagos are trying to find and stop him too...even if some of them think it's just what the Montaignes deserve.

Today, just a few short years after their creation, Los Vagos have become a symbol of hope for the people. Maria-Soledad and the rest of El Corazón travel the country trying to get in touch with all the disparate groups and trying to weed out the misguided ones. They continue to harry the Inquisition and esnure that soldiers of l'Empereur fear their name. Andrés himself still dons the white mask when he can, but El Vago has gone beyond any one man. Whenever the Inquisitors catch one Vagabond (as they sometiems do), another appears. El Vago is no longer a person. He is the expression of Castille's loyalty to the King, revulsion for the Inquisition and love for the country. Andrés doesn't know if he'll ever see Javier again...ubt looking at Los Vagos, he knows he's kept his promise.

Los Vagos is a highly fluid and loose organization, with no universal set of procedures and even some groups that don't realize the entire thing exists. However, it can be defined as a series of concentric circles. Innermost is the inner circle - Don Andrés Aldana, Doña Maria-Soledad, Don Hector Ontiveros and Don Cristian Acedo. Andrés is the overall leader, while Hector is in charge of information gathering and coordinating spies. Maria-Soledad is the public face of El Vago when her father can't be and serves as a fencer on the most important missions. Cristian runs the anti-Montaigne part of the movement and is on the front. They are the only people who know the true identity of all members of Los Vagos - and all woudl die before revealing even one.

Next circle is El Corazón del Vago are twenty-two nobles of both sexes, who ride with El Vago when missions need more than just one person. Two have died in the line of duty, and the rest have learned extreme caution. Each one has been El Vago at least once, and some many more than that. El Corazón never meets all together and no member outside the Inner Circle knows the identities of all the rest. When they meey, they wear masks and refer to each other only as campañero or campañera. They are primarily concerned with safeguarding the king and organizing the resistance against the Inquisition. To insure the kings safety, they make sure at least two members are near him at all times. The fact that any noble can attend the court at any time makes that a lot easier. The fact that they don't all know each other can be a problem sometimes, but generally it's worth it. They travel throughout Castille, gathering and spreading information on the Inquisitors. They plan and lead missions and report developments to Don Hector, though only a few know his true identity.

Next are the affiliated bands of Los Vagos, who are coordinated by El Corazón. Tjey are usually small cells, about 3 to 10 people, led by a single person, who is in contact with a member of El Corazón. Many of these groups are unaware that there's more than one El Vago, or assume that if there is, the rest are all frauds. The extent to which each El Vago encourages this belief varies from band to band. Next are Los Patróns, the rich noblemen who do not ride out to help but support the group with money, protection or information, either given to a Corazón or to one of the independent groups. Information is very important, and can come from something as simple as conversation or as complex as a full spy network. Patróns are usually called on to do this part, and have the resources to properly organize and run them without risking the whole organization. Sometimes, Patróns are asked to do more, such as manipulate other people into revealing things or insuring that a bishop's sins are revealed to the public.

Beyond the Patróns are Los Campañeros, middle-class Castillians who have pledged their lives and fortunes to support El Vago. They are people like hatmakers, smiths, maskmakers and so on who serve as supporters. They hide exhausted horses when the Inquisition searches an inn, bandage the wounded and take care of all the little details which let Los Vagos work. They provide equipment and shelter, and sadly are often the ones who face the wrath of Inquisitors when El Vago slips away yet again. Last of all are the independent bands of Los Vagos - they have no contact at all with the original Los Vagos and are just doing the best they can to fight the Inquisitors. They often imitate and emulate Los Vagos as best they can, but have no contact with El Corazón or the Inner Circle. Many of these groups fold after a short time, but a few continue to survive and work as best they can. It should be noted that these guys tend to be exclusively focused on either fighting the Inquisition or Montaigne - they are loyal to King Sandoval, but aren't exactly in a position to protect him.

It takes a lot of cash to fund Los Vagos - all sorts of things need paying. Fortunately, El Corazón tend to be rich, and each member is expected to contribute as much as he or she can to a general fund that Don Hector handles. He gives it out to those who need it to fund their operations and affiliated groups. Many members also have their own incomes - like the Patróns. Some are poor, and...well, a few do resort to becoming Robin Hood-style highwaymen. Most, though, are smugglers, making their money by getting goods past the border. Sometimes it turns the whole thing into a way to make money, but generally it lets them have an income without tainting their morals too much.

Joining Los Vagos can be a bit difficult. It's definitely different than pretty much any other secret society. For one, Los Vagos have existed for less than a decade. They also lack a clear structure and methodology, held together only by their common determination to defend Castille. Because of this, joining the various parts also tends to vary a lot. The first job you're going to need to do, in any case, is find a Los Vagos cell - this can be hard, as they tend to be secretive. Sometimes, it helps to drop hints, but that's been known to backfire. Assuming you get their attention, they generally watch you for a while to decide if you can be trusted. If so, they'll contact you via an intermediary and set up a rendezvous. This is very dangerous, since Inquisition spies have been known to pose as recruits to capture Los Vagos. Thus, they tend to rendezvous somewhere where they can watch the recruit and tell if he or she's being followed. The recruit will then be blindfoldd and brought to someone dressed as El Vago - usually a proxy rather than the actual leader of the group.

They then have to answer a number of questions: Who they are and where they're from, what their family is, how they found Los Vagos and why they're here, for one. If they're loyal to the king and church, if they've lost loved ones to the Inquisition or Montaigne. If they know what it means to be Los Vagos, and if they're willing to swear loyalty to the king, death to Montaigne and the cleansing of the church. And last, if they're prepared to sacrifice potentially everything to maintain the secrets of El Vago. IF the new recruit satisfies the recruiters, then the true El Vago of the group will appear and welcome them. If they're in contact with El Corazón, they get a copy of El Manifesto de los Campañeros and are asked to swear to it. From then on, they are part of Los Vagos.

Sidebar now on an old cobbler named Rafael Alfonso, the best shoemaker in the world. He works in a little shop in a side street, charges huge prices and prefers to have a small and exclusive clientele. His true name is Rafael Alfonso Nuñez de Valesquez, a refugee of the lesser nobility who was forced to flee the Inquisition. He is a quiet man who made the first El Vago mask for Don Aldana, and he continues to serve as a member of Los Campañeros free of charge.

Joining El Corazón del Vago is much harder. It's actually easier to become El Vago himself than one of El Corazón. You can't just apply to join - for one, all the members are kept secret, so there's no one to approach. Instead, you are observed for months before being contacted via one of the Campañeros, when they are told that El Vago is "considering" them for membership and may have a task for them in the future. When that time comes, a messenger shows up and asks them to do a simple job - hand a specific book to a specific man, leave a sealed bag in a specific place or somethbing. Assuming the target does well and doesn't turn traitor, the messenger will show up from time to time with new tasks, each more demanding than the last. It's hard to tell when someone is a member of El Corazón at this point, since even senior members are kept in the dark about long-term plans. At some point, though, the recruit realizes that he's more than an errand boy, and that El Vago has placed him in confidence - that he is now a true member of El Corazón.

Once you join Los Vagos, you live in constant fear of the Inquisition, and must be ready at any time to leave your family and friends to fight against Castille's enemies. Secrecy and preparedness are your watchwords. It's a very dangerous life - you have to deal with the threat of the Inquisition and Montaigne, and the threat that you might be found out and declared a heretic. Anyone supporting El Vago can be held and tortured without cause, as can their family. This threat, to the family, is the strongest motivator for secrecy - especially among El Corazón, who care more for secrecy than their own safety. They know that the Inquisitors can break anyone, so they ensure they don't know enough to reveal too much.

At some point, every member of Los Vagos will be offered a chance: the chance to wear the mask and ride as El Vago. Almost everyone who puts on the mask for the first time, no matter whether it's a crude papier-mache copy or the original leather one, considers it a spiritual experience. They feel the weight of Castille on their shoulders, but a sense of power and determination. They seem taller, more agile and more sure of themselves. Something about the Mask also seems to inspire loyalty - few Campañeros have ever refused an order by anyone wearing the Mask of El Vaog, a fact which Los Vagos use to their advantage. Of course, the Mask is not given out lightly. In many bands, only the leader or a truly trusted lieutenant is allowed to wear it. In others, it's given out sequentially to senior members. It's not used on every mission, to maintain the mystique. One independent cabal has all members wear the Mask, but that's seen as excessive by most - it ruins the important conceit that there's only one true El Vago, which many people in Castille believe.

I'm going to skim this explanation of the Inquisition since we know their history well. by this point. They hate El Vago and want him captured and killed as a heretic. The Church has also given Verdugo the chance to advise them on excommunication until a new Hierophant is chosen. They will use any means at their disposal to apprehend Los Vagos, from their vast network of spies to torture. Theoretically, they have the loyalty of every clergyman in the Church...but in practice, the Inquisition tends to act secretly...except in Castille. They actually control government in some areas. When El Vago first appeared, Verdugo considered him a mere annoyance - but the Cardinal is now obsessed with discovering his true identity. He knows the lower classes rever the Vagabond and hopes that if he can find and kill the man, it will prove to all that none can flout the will of the Church. The Inquisition and Verdugo all still believe that there is just one El Vago - maybe there's a few fakes, but there really is one true Vagabond. This is perhaps their greatest error, especially after Urraca Rioja discovered El Vago's identity and forced Maria-Soledad to take on the mask and save her father. The Cardinal has declared El Vago excommunicated, though he's said that he only did it on request of the Church and is not trying to usurp the Hierophant's power. He has also offered a huge reward for the man's capture, and assigned a whole chapter of Knight Inquisitiors to hunt the guy down. They are headed by Bishop José del Avila, a fat, stupid coward who got his job thanks to his family...though rumors say that the Cardinal has brought in a Vodacce assassin known as El Camaléon, whom he has great hopes for.

Despite the Church's precautions, they have been infiltrated by Los Vagos. There are even Los Vagos in the Inquisition itself, keeping track on what they're planning and helping the organization escape their wrath. These moles have no single leader. Instead, each passes information via an elaborate system of communication and notes in prayer books and confessionals. They never know the identities of their fellow agents and never wear the Mask - rather, they appear as intensely devout Inquisitiors whenever possible, and they are watched closely by the Inner Circle to ensure they remain true to the cause. If they ever appear to weaken, they are quickly pulled out.

Next time: El Vago and Other Groups.

A difficult choice, mis amigos, eh?

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: A difficult choice, mis amigos, eh?

Because of its nature, Los Vagos is concerned pretty much solely with Castille and the Church. Thus it might surprise people that it maintains a presence, if a small one, outside Castille. The reason? Well, Castille's a major trading nation and has interests everywhere. That meipans there's enclaves of Castillians everywhere there's major trade centers - and Los Vagos are there wherever there's Castillians, watching out for their countrymen. This is particularly evident in their work in Montaigne. Los Vagos work to free nobles captured by the Montaigne, rescuing them from the lion's jaws, or spying on the enemy in their own homes, perhaps doing some sabotage while there. They also hunt the Inquisition outside Castille - after all, their enemy is not limited to one nation, so they can't be, either.

To aid them, they've established a set of outposts throughout Theah - the Fox Den Club in Freiburg, Stutzung in Eisen, Buche, Echine and Arisent in Montaigne, Surluse and Carleon in Avalon, Kirk and Vasteras in Vendel and Lucani, Villanova and Numa in Vodacce are all home to cells of Los Vagos. Most are safehouses where members can hide and make plans, and also keep fugitives safe from Inquisitors. As for secret societis - well, the Rose and Cross have crossed paths with Los Cagos numerous times, and tend to respect and appreciate each other, though Los Vagos feel that the Rose and Cross are too hemmed in by their relationship with the Church, which limits their effectiveness against enemies like the Inquisition.

Los Vagos tend to agree with the Rilasciare about sorcery, being good Vaticines, but they feel the Rilasciare are entirely too theoretical about politics, and are pursuing a futile dream when there are real problems that must be addressed. They've accepted aid from the Free Thinkers, who seem to think El Vago is a great role model, but Don Aldana won't let them get too close. Los Vagos is completely unaware of Die Kreuzritter, believing the Black Crosses to have been destroyed in 1411. The Knights of the Black Cross tend to like Los Vagos and are considering an alliance, but are currently preferring to remain secret and supporting Los Vagos from a distance.

Los Vagos tend to feel the Explorers are much like the Rilasciare - busy with abstract pursuits when real problems need solving. Unless a Syrneth artifact might make a major difference in the immediate future, Los Vagos just don't really care. Still, Doña Aranxta Grijalva has found the Explorers a good way to transmit information and uses them as couriers sometimes. Los Vagos has no idea that Sophia's Daughters exist, though the Daughters keep track of some of their members in hopes of using them to further the cause of women's rights. Los Vagos does work rather closely with the Invisible College in Castille, as both organizations fight the Inquisition and each has useful resources. They're very similar in structure, in fact. Alvara Arciniega is a quiet supporter of Los Vagos, though he never reveals himself to them for his own reasons.

We'll skip the list of cells in Castille since they're frankly not that interesting. We meet Aldana again, facing the assassins. Their leader is an accomplished fencer in multiple schools, and with the henchmen, he's giving Aldana a lot of trouble. Fortunately, El Vago arrives to save the day! Andrés is shocked, since...well, he's El Vago. The two of them fight off the assassins together, but El Vago is wounded. The leader of the assassins manages to escape, but he is slain by Knight Inquisitors to ensure he never talks about his employer.

Now then. Don Andrés Bejarana del Aldana is the premier courtier of Castille and the closest advisor to the King. He was born in 1633 and raised in privelege all his life. He was the childhood playmate of Prince Javier, and the two became great rivals (but friendly ones) in all things. He was a swordsman of great skill as a youth, and began to develop his own fencing style when his teachers could teach him no more. He's one of the best fencers in Castille, and he learned even more from Javier. His father, a judge, taught him about justice and law, hoping to instill in his son the idea that the spirit of the law is more important than the letter. He also taught his son the uses of power, and that compassion makes people fiercely loyal. Andrés was soon made ambassador to Montaigne, where he made friends and earned respect even against the wary people of that court. Meanwhile, old King Sandoval fell ill, and Javier was forced to be regent. He recalled Andrés to be his chief counselor, and JAvier did far better as a ruler than anyone expected, thanks in part to Aldana's advice. However, he could tell he was in danger, and so Javier secretly met with Andrés, making him promise he'd do everything he could to protect Prince Salvador and Castille. Cardinal Verdugo was just starting to influence the younger son, and Javier was worried. Andrés agreed.

He takes his promises seriously, which is why he created El Vago, as we know. Today, he is the head of Los CVagos, working to fulfill his oath however he can. He serves as King Sandoval's advisor, and privately ensures that El Vago will always be ready to aid the people. He worries about the King's lack of confidence, but knows the current situation would try even a seasoned ruler. He likes his king, though he believes Javier was the better ruler of the two. He tries to bolster his king's spirit whenever he can. He grudgingly respect VErdugo's intelligence and faith, but knows the man's goals are not in the best interest of crown or nation. He has some fanatic vision, and Andrés would die to see it averted. Andrés is a devoted family man who greatly respects his uncle, the leader of the Aldana family. Many underestimate him thanks to his gentle voice, but his joviality hides a sharp mind and a passionate love for Castille. His wife is dead, but he dearly loves his child, Maria-Soledad, whom he has taught to ride, shoot and fight as well as any man...even if it makes her relatives horrified.

Don Hector Antiveros is grew up in his family's rancho in Rancho Soldano, where he wanted for little. He was not closely related to the ruling Ontiveros, but still got lots of privelege and luxury. He broke the family winemaking tradition and studied law at La Universidad de San Cristóbal, where he became close friends with Andrés Aldana and Javier Sandoval. The three became known for their midnight escapades in the city, usually involving daring escapes from balconies and angry dueñas trying to protect their lovely charges. Together, they served to temper the radical influences of Javier's other university friends. Hector's great talent for finding loopholes and contradictions made him a great debating partner for Aldana and a prime candidate as a judge. However, he did not want to be one - he wanted the excitement of diplomacy, and quietly resented his friend's diplomatic abilities, wanting to prove himself Aldana's equal. He ended up an ambassador to an Eisen barony in the War of the Cross, serving as advisor to Baron Hainzl - a madman. He was not turned aside by the peculiarities, though, and learned the difficult language and customs of Eisen, a method most Castillian diplomats would never have thought to do. He ended up befriending the insane baron and proved a great ambassador without ever really having to damage his dignity. He oversaw the construction of a permanent embassy, but was forced to return home when Javier disappeared.

He was certain Verdugo was at the heart of it, and learned that the new Chief Diplomat was his old friend Andrés, who had not forgotten Hector's legal talents or friendship. The two men quickly began working to save Castille from those who would tear her apart. That was not all he helped with, though - Andrés revaled himself as El Vago to Hector, and the two began working together to establish alibis and safehouses, forging papers and working around the Inquisition. Hector began setting up a support network and became a brilliant spymaster, getting information from practically everywhere. He mastered the art of disguise and mimicry thanks to his having to sometimes play various roles for Hainzl's madness, and with his help he allowed El Vago to thwart the Inquisitors time and again. For a while, everything went as planned - Andrés and his daughter were El Vago, and Hector provided the resources. However, one day assassins of Verdugo made an attempt on the life of a man who had spoke out against them. Hector learned of the plot only hours before it would take place, and there was no time - so he seized the chance to put on the mask and become El Vago, saving the man's life. It was this that truly reassured Andrés that El Vago need not be a single man. Hector has now frequently been the vigilante, providing unshakeable alibis for his friend when needed and allowing El Vago to be in two places at once. He has to share the spotlight with Andrés and Maria-Soledad, but he doesn't care. He continues his wpy work, but lives for the chance to ride as the Vagabond.

Maria-Soledad Rivera y Aldana is the heiress to many important Aldana holdings and the only child of Andrés Aldana. Life could easily be a scripted play for her, but Andrés did not want to consign her to the rigid life of a courtier without some respite. He made sure she was taught needlework and decorum...but also fencing, horsemanship and many other skills normally meant for men. She is an amazing swordswoman and her father is very proud of her. She has been instrumental in helping him develop the El Puñal Occulto fencing style. She long suspected her father was El Vago, and found his secret mask and uniform in a closet one day. She kept silent about things until she witnessed assassins breaking into her home for the King - and that was when she bound her breasts, donned the El Vago costume and fought beside her father. Since then she's been a loyal member of the inner circle, and quite often plays El Vago. It breaks her father's heart to put her in danger, but he knows he can't oppose her. He has promised her that she will never have to make a political marriage unless she loves the intended husband, which has been a difficult promise to keep since Uncle Francisco wants her to be married. Andrés has been using a series of increasingly feeble excuses to insure her freedom of choice, but it's only a matter of time before she has to marry someone...and with King Sandoval expressing interest in the girl, things are getting even more problematic. Sure, she'd be a great queen, but being part of Los Vagos could compromise the young man...and also she isn't entirely aware of his affection, though she would find it flattering if she was. She has a special pet horse for her rides, a mare named La Luz de la Luna, or Moonlight.

Don Cristian Acedo de Lopez del Torres is the model of a perfect Castillian, as comfortable in court as on the battlefield. As a youth, he was known as El Barabaroso for his blonde hair, but nothing could be further from the truth. He was a master of swordplay and horsemanship as well as a musician, dancer and courtier. He wuickly grasped tactics and strategy under his grandfather's training and became a master of the Crescent board game Ajedrez, a game which many feel is a sign of military skill. He joined the army as an officer, and has distinguished himself time and again against the Montaigne. He is deeply in love with his wife, Doña Rosalinda Arciniega Lopez de Loepz, to whom he has been married for many years. The two have twin sons, named Andrés and Hector after...Andrés and Hector.

Cristian became involved with the two when they studied together at La Universidad de San Cristóbal. He was not as close to them as Javier, but he was the first they thought of when they believed Don Lorenzo was dead. They had no doubts to his devotion or loyalty, and his military skill would make him a great replacement against Montaigne for Lorenzo. They invited him back to Aldana under the pretext of needing his advice, and he was happy to join Los Vagos' inner circle. The three spent hours planning how best to use their resources, and soon after, operations on the front greatly increased. Cristian has been making life very hard for Montaigne, and he's been recruiting people while there on the front, rallying Castillian forces as El Vago.

Then there's Gervaso Ortega, who has long been a servant of the Aldanas. He claims to have been raised near San Gustavo, but refuses to speak of his family. He was a soldier before serving the Aldana, and that is where he attracted the attention of Don Francisco Guzman del Aldana, eventually becoming the man's aide-de-camp. Ortega soon became an integral part of the Don's family, and when Andrés went to Montaigne, Ortega was sent as his manservant. Andrés learned to appreciate the man's many skills as his father had, and he soon became friends with the man. Ortega ensured that his master was never poisoned or killed, as well as ensuring that no Montaigne noblewomen showed up in his bedroom uninvited - Andrés was deeply in love with his wife, but some courtiers seemed unable to take 'no' for an answer. When Aldana first became El Vago, Ortega knew. He was Aldana's confidante even before Hector. The old man no longer has the physical means for action, but he has been providing equipment and helping Andrés keep his secret safe. OVer time, he has become a central member of El Corazón. He keeps track of the funding, coordinates missions and protects his master, all while being the faithful manservant still. With Maria-Soledad helping now, his role has become a bit lesser, but he remains devoted. He has a nobleman's fencing skills, thanks to natural talent, military training and the Aldanas teaching him. He also loves horses and oversees his master's mounts, as well as having taught Maria-Soledad to ride.

The woman known as "Lilia" is in truth Madelena Perea, a Tarago woman who was the daughter of a prosperous merchant with her twin sister Mircea. She was naturally inquisitive, and her father allowed her to attend a Vaticine university. Her studies made finding a husband slow for her, and her twin sister was married much more quickly, to Rafael Rios de Cordoba. The sisters bid each other farewell, and corresponded with each other. However, Madelena began to note a disturbing trend in her sister's letters. Mircea, never very devout, was talking more and more of heresy and the need to cleanse the Church of sin. Her husband had gotten a "position" in the Vaticine, to scour Castille of "heresy". Madelena feared her sister and brother-in-law had joined the Inquisition. One night, a man arrived with an urgent message - Rafael had been lost at sea, and Mircea needed her sister right away. It was only when she arrived that she learned the truth. Rafael and Mircea were not Inquisitors - or, rather, they were...but were secretly members of Los Vagos. Her husband had been almost captured by the Montaigne while aiding Joaquin Orduño (more on him later), and Mircea wanted to go into the caves to find him, but she neeeded a favor. A big one. Madelena was shocked - how could this have happened without her knowing? Mircea told her about the atrocities of the Inquisition, and Madelena agreed to help her, impersonating her sister in the Inquisition as long as needed. She spent several weeks learning to be her sister, and thus she became the role her sister held - "Sister Lilia", an Inquisitor known for piety and intolerance of heresy, accepted as one of the Inquisition. She has not heard from her sister again - according to Orduño, the two met and left for home, but never got there, disappearing on the road from the coast. Madelena has no idea what happened, and has no time to find out. She's busy serving as a very, very important spy for Los Vagos. She has recently begun a flirtation with an Inquisitor named Largo Gallegos de Aldana, a fiercely loyal accountant who'd kill her if he knew her true loyalties. She's fond of him, but because of that, she can't pursue it further.

Mlle. Alexis Dubois du Arrent is an artist, a pretty Montaigne girl who has always been a prodigy with drawing. She found herself in demand across the world, traveling and seeing the best and worst the continent had to offer. Two years ago, Theodore Lipton, an Explorer, commissioned her to provide documentation for a number of items, sketching them all perfectly. However, she found that the old man couldn't pay her in full, so he gave her a piece of his personal collection. She was hesitant at first, but agreed, taking the heavy black rock containing a shadowy face. She returned homne, the relic forgotten, until her elder brother Tristan knocked it to the floor, shattering it into hundreds of fragments. Shockingly, one of the largest shards was a large black piece that appeared to be a leering mask. Alexis came running to find Tristan pressing the mask to his face. A sound like a howling wind came, as every shadow in the room flew off the walls and covered Tristan's body. The young ,an had transformed into something - a creature of living darkness with flaming red eeyes. Alexis was shocked when the shadows melted away, revealing her brother again, perfectly unharmed. He put the mask aside and told her that for the past year he'd been aiding the legendary El Vago, thwarting the Inquisition. He was excited by the possibilities of the artifact, but Alexis was worried about the shadow creature, thinking it evil. Her brother argued that the Inquisition would be thrown off by such a demonic appearance and never consider that a man was behind it. Reluctantly, she let her brother take the OBsidian Mask. Soon, stories of a shadowy demonic being appeared, aiding El Vago. But Tristan never took a life, so no one knew if he was a demon or an avenging angel. However, the Inquisition caught him in ambush, mortally wounding him. He made his way back to his home, making Alexis promise to continue using the Mask to aid El Vago. It has concealed her identity much as it did her brother, and she has found herself a revolutionary, learning why Tristan was so reluctant to give up the Mask. It makes her feel unbelievably powerful, granting her strength beyond any man. The downside is that after use, it required half a day of sleep. She stays now on the border, helping fugitives flee to safe havens. Don Aldana is nervous about the source of her power, but she acts with such devotion that he cannot bring himself to question the beautiful young artist. However, the mask's power wrests with her soul constantly, and only time will tell if she masters it...or it masters her.

Next time: More faces of Los Vagos!

Next time, El Vago. Next time, it will be you...

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: Next time, El Vago. Next time, it will be you...

Doña Arantxa Grijalva was born to the Grijalva family, exiled to La Salva de Fendes after the Inquisitors found a "heretic" among them years ago. They remained strong supporters of the Vaticine, though. Arantxa's mother, Doña Esmerelda, was much younger than her father, Don Placido, a widower who was not overly affectionate and didn't much like kids. Her mother, on the other hand, loved her dearly, and got her father to teach her the art of science, at which she excelled. However, there was another thing she learned, which her mother kept secret: Arantxa showed power over fire, the ancient art of El Fuego Adentro. Her mother taught her that no one must ever be allowed to know she could do it, not even her father. The lesson became clear when Arantxa witnessed a suspected heretic burning at the stake. As she grew, many local men vied for her hand, but she tired of them, for they could not match her in philosophical debate. Her parents died, and she inherited the family estates. Her skills as a physician brought her into contact with Doña Sienna de Guzman del Torres of the Explorers, who needed her to heal a member of research group. Doña Sienna healed the man, and found that she loved talking to the explorers, who could stimulate her mind. This affiliation helped her pusue her allegiance to El Vago - for she never forgot the burning she witnessed, and vowed to not let it happen again, joining Los Vagos. She has since helped set up a network of guides within the Explorers to help Los Vagos, as well as establishing some hideouts. Hector and some of El Corazón know of her sorcery, but keep silent since she is so devoted and clearly not evil.

Joaquin Orduño is a sailor - not surprising, given he's an Orduño. He's a captain aboard a merchant trader, La Venganza (The Vengeance), though his family suspects him of smuggling, and refer to him as El Carnero Negro, or the Black Sheep. However, Joaquin is a patriot. He serves as a sort of El Vago of the sea, transporting Los Vagos where they must go and saving those targetted by the Inquisition. Because he can move around so easily, he serves as a contact for many important members of Los Vagos, including Conte Angelo Orsini (more on him later). He has a ccess to a huge amount of information on Los Vagos, bt has proven his loyalty again and again. His contact in the Inner Circle is Maria-Soledad, though he's yet to realize that she has been El Vago. He has no romantic interest in her, though he does like to practice dueling with her. He hates the Inquisition and secretly feels that Castille should return to its old, simple pagan roots...a fact which, if discovered, would be grounds for burning at the stake.

Don Baldovino Montoya de Cardenas is a jovial man with an optimistic attitude and a keen military mind. He'd love to serve on the front, but the Montoya patriarch has set him to guard the fmaily's land...and while he complains, he'd never disobey. His nickname is El Herrero Magnifico, the Great Armorer, because he loves the forge and creates beautiful, functional armor that is prized a cross Castille. He'd love to work with dracheneisen but has never had the chance to. His work in the smithy disguises his job: Los Vagos' primary weaponsmith, who makes hidden breastplates, strong swords and more, ensuring that Los Vagos always have what they need. He disguises his weapons as gifts to various nobles, taking care to leave them without any indentifying marks; though his public work is ornate, the weapons for Los Vagos are nondescript. Don Baldovino also likes to make useful household items as a hobby; one of his favorites was a huge portable cooking stove on a two-horse cart, which he uses to hose large outdoor feasts.

Ximena de Gallegos, wife of Don Miguel de Gallegos, helps run the famous stables Las Joyas del Castille, the Jewels of Castille. She and her husband have devoted their lives to horses, and it shows. Ximena is a fearless horsewoman who is involved in all of her husband's business and is a also a skilled veterinarian. Everyone who's everyone uses one of the horses of Las Joyas - even Verdugo owns one, a chestnut gelding named El Espiritu Brilliante. Ximena keeps records of all the sales, though she claims that with so many, she can't always remember faces for the names. She would do anything to save her friends from the Inquisition, which has led to her being a patron of Los Vagos, ensuring the movement always has swift horses and shelter. Ximena loves when Los Vagos put the Las Joyas horses to use, though she sometimes asks favors in return - such as making members of El Corazón muck out the stables. She is devoted to her husband, and legend has it that he won her hand in marriage by beating her in a horse race, though both husband and wife deny it. She has not told him about her work for Los Vagos, and wants to keep it that way.

Profesora Jacinta Navarro del Garcia is niece to the renowned Salvador Garcia and a teacher of history at La Ciencia. Meeting her, you'd never guess she was one of Los Vagos. She is a disorganized professor, but able to speak enthrallingly of history, and very capable of finding connections between disparate events. Her crueler students call her Profesora Solterona, or Professor Spinster, behind her back - but no one misses her fascinating lectures. She would never do anything to lose her job or embarrass her uncle. She ended up joining Los Vagos practically by accident, when asked to deliver papers to a friend of her uncle. They described a method of creating chemical smoke, and she was intrigued when delivering them, waiting to see who would pick them up. She accosted the man who came, a strange fellow in priest's robes, who said that her uncle had agreed to help "a vagabond in need." She offered to help however she could, and thus became a Campañero. Mostly, she keeps an eye on the university students, singling out those who might be good members of Los Vagos and passing their names on. She also provides access to some of the inventions of the Invisible College, getting the devices from her uncle and passing them on to Los Vagos via trips to the local church confessional. Jacinta tries to maintain a serious appearance, and feels her name is too romantic.

Conte Angelo Orsini is a young nephew of the Caligari clan of Vodacce, a natural with money and business who was fostered with Vincenzo Caligari to be raised as a noble. He was sent out to trade with his cousin Vito, captain of the Amo Stallis, when he ran into Joaquin Orduño of La Vengenza. The two became fast friends, and Angelo showed his skill as a spy, learned in the Vodacce courts. He learned all sorts of things about Castille as a merchant, along with what he learned with Vito and Joaquin, helping him make many wise investments. In exchange, he's helped Joaquin with his work for Los Vagos. Angelo isn't too worried about the Inquisition, but he is concerned with their repression of trade and its possible effects on the CAligari fortune. Despite being a staunch Vodacce, that could not stand - after all, what if they placed a sanction on something valuable tomorrow? For that reason, he shares what he learns with Joaquin and Los Vagos in exchange for Joaquin's support of his merchant operations. The pair have an extensive list of inns where they meet and pass along intelligence, making Angelo a vital source of information. He is still loyal to his family, of course, and ensures that "Uncle Vincenzo" profits from his work along with El Vago.

Reynaldo Nuñez del Torres is the proprietor of the Fox Den Club in Freiburg. He's a Castillian immigrant who ensures that his countrymen in the Free City ave what they need. As Los Vagos grew, they knew they needed somewhere far from Castille to hide, if required, and somewhere they could meet with people who could not come to Castille itself. Sienna Guzman del Torres mentioned that the owner of the Fox Den Club might be willing to help, and that Freiburg's ruler hated the Inquisitors. Reynaldo, when approached, did agree to help, and has established many hiding places across the city for Los Vagos. He is careful to keep them secret from the Inquisition, and also uses them to hide people from the slaver Tibold Dedrick, who loves to sell Castillian women - they bring a high price. He also serves as a messenger, using a flock of carrier pigeons he keeps on the Fox Den's roof.

Doña Urraca Rioja is a beautiful woman who serves as Verdugo's best and deadliest spy. Her parents sent her at a young age to study at El Convento de La Reina del Mar, the Convent of the Queen of the Sea. There she learned languages and deportment, and thanks to her training she can also pass as a Montaigne if needed. At fifteen, she returned home - but thanks to the torrential rain, she was forced to take refuge in Vaticine City and ended up falling in love with the place. There, a wealthy son of the Cordoba family fell in love with her and courted her despite his family's wishes. He wanted to marry her, but died several weeks after confessing his love, due to a mysterious illness. Her heart broken, Urraca fled for home, where it took many weeks before she could become normal again. She refused all invitations...until she was asked back to Vaticine City. Her parents worried she'd stay for good, but she though that she must return and renew her love for the place. There, she came to the attention of Cardinal Verdugo, who realized that she was more than a pretty face - her memory, ruthlessness and manipulative nature made her a perfect potential spy. He offered her patronage, and she agreed. Under his tutelage, she learned how to become an intelligence agent, as well as arranging for enemies of the faith to disappear when the Inquisition itself cannot act. She is a great foe of Los Vagos, tracking them across Castille. She's uncovered several members, though never anyone vital to the organization. Her one misstep was assuming that Andrés Aldana was El Vago - and that was apparently proved wrong when the two fought side by side. She never realized that there was more than one, and never figured out how to correct the mistake, which has kept her from ever getting close to the inner circle again. She remains a canny foe, though, and Los Vagos is as ignorant of her identity as she is of El Vago's. She is known at cour as Le Princésa de Hielo, the Ice Princess, for being reserved and cold.

No one knows the true name of the Vodacce assassin called El Camaléon, but there's no question about his ability. He is a killer for hire with immense skill, working for the highest bidder without care for the cause. He has killed mass murderers and innocent children, and five of the seven Vodacce princes have hired him at some point or other. Many of his murders have gone entirely undetected thanks to his skill with weapon and poison. He can appear in any guise he likes and most of his victims never realize the danger they're in. He has recently appeared in Castille, and several deaths in San Cristobal and Vaticine City have been attributed to him, though there's no clear connection between the victims. Some think he hunts the Church's enemies. Some think he works for the Montaigne. Some even say he's a servant of Legion, striking at the heart of the world's most pious nation. The most chilling theory is that he was hired by Cardinal Verdugo himself, to hunt out El Vago. If El Camaléon can bring Verdugo the head of El Vago, then he'll have killed hte ultimate target - and perhaps signed the death warrant for the nation's spirit. For a killer of his abilities, it's an exciting prospect. Of course, that's just a theory. Only he knows his true intentions.

We get some fiction now as several thugs try to hold up a carriage. However, Urraca appears behind them and threatens them with guns until they leave, then gets into the carriage, where Verdugo is waiting. He reprimands her sharply for guessing wrong about Don Aldana, a mistake she is very annoyed with herself over - after all, any mistake could cost her her life. Verdugo is also annoyed by the loss of some of his best assassins in the attack. The two discuss their plans now - to interfere with any potential marriage between the king and Maria-Soledad, as that would strengthen the king too much. Verdugo orders Urraca to ensure the men of the court love Maria-Soledad and then Urraca returns to plotting El Vago's doom.

Now, mechanics! There's varying levels of belonging to Los Vagos. If you're a member of El Corazón, you must be a noble and are expected to give money each month to help run the organization. However, you can count on the support of Los Vagos when in trouble, and get a free 3-point Connection to one of the Inner Circle. If you buy the Athlete skill, you get a free rank in one of the Break Fall or Leaping Knacks, and when acting for Los Vagos you get an extra die of Reputation that story. You help shape policy and plan missions, and you may request to wear the Mask of El Vago on any given mission, with all the benefits that entails - though not too often. If you're not Castillian, you better have a damn good reason to be a member of el Corazón.

If you're just a member of an affiliated band of Los Vagos, you get a stipend of 200G per year, a free 2-point Connection to one of El Corazón and the same benefit to the Athlete skill as above. You also have access to any weapon you need that isn't magical, dracheneisen or whatever and isn't artillery. You can have up to two free weapons at any time, and you can replace one of them with lockpicks or a grappling gun. You also get your room and board and other incidentals paid for while in Castille, to represent aid from Los Campañeros. Being an unaffiliated member, you get all that except the Connection - but hey, even the guys not connected to the main organization have patrons, so you get the rest.

Patróns must be nobles, and don't get those advantages. They are spies and often channel funds to Los Vagos. The benefit they get is a free 2-point Connection to an affiliated member of Los Vagos or a member of El Corazón, as well as aid from Los Vagos when they need it. Being a Campañero gets you help from Los Vagos when needed, and you'll be paid well when you help them out.

Don Aldana is one of the best swordsmen in Castille, but as more people learned the Aldana School, mastering it became less of an advantage. Even foreigners were learning it! That was when Aldana's armorers came to him with a new invention - a spring-loaded dagger so compact it could fit in the hilt of a sword! Based on this and some knife-fighting tricks he learned as a boy, he developed a new style: El Puñal Occulto, the Hidden Dagger. He tested it with his daughter, which helped him refine it, and now he teaches the sword style to Los Vagos - and only Los Vagos. It is based on the Aldana school, but adds the dagger to the motions, either held in the off-hand or loaded in the hilt of the sword. The style tends to keep the dagger hidden from view by holding it so that it runs back up the length of the arm, tricking foes into not seeing it. The style focuses on getting close and pinning the enemy's blade, then using the dagger to finish them. Because it's based on Aldana, most foes are not ready for that surprise. The weakness is that it's a one trick pony - once the enemy knows aobut the dagger, most of the advantage is lost. Naturally, members are not automatic members of the Swordsmen, because it's a secret style.

Apprentices of El Puñal Occulto learn to use both hands, negating the off-hand penalty with a dagger and giving a free Raise when attacking with a dagger in the off-hand. Journeymen learn how to attack with the off-hand while close. If they succeed with a Corps-a-corps attack, they may automatically make a 1k2 knife attack without penalty. Regardless of the outcome of that attack, the enemy becomes prone as normal. Masters learn to time the extension of the hidden blade for maximum damage. Once per combat, they may make a free pommel strike attack after a successful fencing attack. The damage done is rolled as a normal dagger attack instead - and after it's done, they can make an additional pommel strike instead of a regular attack, which resolve damage the same way.

Next time: Horseman "fencing" and secrets!

Do not speak to me of foolishness, nor of duty. Believe me, I know the difference: I was taught by the best!

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

Posting this now because I'm not sure how busy I'll be later.

Books left until the Montaigne Revolution: 7 6.

7th Sea: Do not speak to me of foolishness, nor of duty. Believe me, I know the difference: I was taught by the best!

We left off on the Gustavo Horseman School, designed for mounted combat. It trains students to fight with a sword while riding, and while some see it as lacking honor, more pragmatic folks like the versatility - especially Los Vagos. The biggest strength is the ability to get out of harm's way with devastating speed, striking hard and fast. The weakness - well, if you have no way to escape, you're in trouble. The techniques leave you vulnerable for a while, and rely on being able to get your horse out of the way quickly. Shockingly, it does get you into the Swordsman's Guild.

Apprentices learn to keep their foes at bay while mounted, getting +10 to initiative on the first round, and dealing an extra kept die of damage when attacking from horseback on the first round. Also, they get a Free RAise to control their horse without reins. Naturally, none of this has any use when not mounted. Journeymen learn to use their mounts to their advantage, performing amazing feats. They get free raises equal to their mastery levels on all Trick Riding and Animal Training rolls, and one free Raise on Chase rolls while on horseback. Also, while on horseback they have no offhand penalty with swords. Masters, meanwhile, learn to attack early and often, becoming bladed hurricanes. At the start of each round, they may borrow actions from the next round, potentially doubling their actions at the price of losing those actions next round. Unlike the rest of the style, this doesn't require you to be mounted.

We also get states for things like El Esoque Occulto, the special weapon of the new Los Vagos fencing style - it has a spring-loaded dagger, which releases from the hilt when you press a special button. Also stats for the Mask of El Vago: When wearing it, whether it's the original or simple cloth - you are revered as a hero, which increases your natural leadership skills greatly. While wearing the mask, you get +3k2 to all Leadership and Awe rolls. Then there's rules for rooftop chases on jumping onto hanging awnings.

Now we return to Don Andrés and the King. They are meeting with Verdugo to plan the protections for the King after the assassination attempt. The King knew that Andrés could handle it and is very proud, but Andrés admits that El Vago arrived to help him. He realizes that Verdugo desperately wants El Vago dead, and resolves to discover who was wearing the mask. The Cardinal argues that El Vago is no friend of the crown, but Sandoval is not convinced. Andrés takes his leave, trying to figure out who was wearing the mask. It is then that he runs into his daughter, and realizes she's taken the same wound El Vago did. They have an argument about whether Maria should do this - but Maria wins, pointing out that women should also be allowed to fight for what they believe in. She convinces her father to include her in the inner circle of Los Vagos.

We get some essays on how to play a member of Los Vagos, which I'll skip. So, onto NPC secrets. Don Andrés does not actually have any secrets beyond the fact that he is the founder of Los Vagos. He's a Master of both Aldana and El Puñal Occulto. Fortunately, his death would not actually end the group - it's grown beyond him at this point. Don Hector Ontiveros is an Aldana journeyman and probably the most valuable and important member of Los Vagos, given he runs the intelligence. Fortunately, the Inquisition does not suspect him at all, though that could change at any time. If captured, he would kill himself rather than endanger Los Vagos. Maria-Soledad Rivera y Aldana has a secret: she belongs to Sophia's Daughters. She's also a Journeyman of Aldana and an Apprentice of El Puñal Occulto. She was recruited into the Daughters at the age of 12 by her dueña. She doesn't do much for them besides forward her diaries, though, since she's too busy being El Vago. Don Cristian Acedo de Lopez del Torres has no secrets besides being one of the inner circle, and is a Journeyman Aldana fencer.

Gustavo Ortega is an apprentice of both Aldana and El Puñal Occulto, though age has made him somewhat weak. He knows he's going to die soon, and is planning to die in a specific way: something that will strike a blow for Los Vagos and keep his family safe. He's kept this secret from his master, though - the man's got enough on his mind. When the time is right, however, he will make one last sacrifice for the Don - and all oF Castille will remember it.

Lilia's only secret that hasn't been talked about in her public entry is that...well, she doesn't know it, but the man she likes, Largo, is a spy. He is a member of Die Kreuzritter, and were either of them to discover the true nature of the other, they could join forces and make a powerful team as well as realizing their love. However, it seems as if they'll kill each other before that happens.

Alexis Dubois du Arrent's obsidian mask gives her 2 dice on all Wound checks, and 2 dice on all Shadowing and Stealth checks. It also raises her Brawn, Finesse and Panache by 1, and gives her Fear Rating 2 when her glowing eyes are revealed. When she removes the mask, her stats return to normal, but her Brawn, Resolve and Panache are all at -1 until she gets twelve hours of sleep. She is a formidable fighter, and her mask is fueled by her emotions, which she does not fully understand. When her brother wore it, it gained power from his sense of duty and fed that back to him. Now, it gains power from her anger and returns that to her three times stronger. It is thus becoming more difficult for her to control her actions, presenting a danger to herself and Los Vagos. Only time will tell if she masters her power or it consumes her.

Doña Arantxa Grijalca is a half-blood El Fuego Adentro sorcerer...and her bloodline comes directly from the Castillo family, the old royals. Her mother was a distant relative of them, and was actually the secret mistress of Good King Sandoval's grandfather. They were in love but could not marry - and when her mother became pregnant, she fled the court and married an elderly nobleman. Arantxa's father had doubts about her parentage, but never said anything. If she were revealed, she'd be labeled a sorceress and killed...but if it were revealed that she was a double claimant to the throne, via the Castillo and Sandoval lines, she'd be doubly killed. She keeps her talents well hidden and has never learned any of the more spectacular techniques.

Joaquin Orduño is an apprentice Aldana fencer and is, in fact, a smuggler. He runs contraband all over Castille. Most of the profits go to Los Vagos, but the rest go to making him and his crew very rich. After all, you can't be a sailor forever. Joaquin is deeply loyal to his crew, and seems to be receiving anonymous donations from someone with an interest in keeping either the government or the Inquisition from discovering the smuggling. No, we never get told who that is.

Rumors say that Don Baldovino Montoya de Cardenas (who is a journeyman Aldana fencer) was once in love with a beautiful artist named Serenia Ochoca del Nuñez, whose family was killed by the Montaigne. It's said that Serenia was dazed and distraught by the horrors until she found her way to a convent, where she returned to full health but never emotionally recovered, choosing to become a nun. Baldovino was said to be broken-hearted and vowed to remove the Montaigne from Castille. He denies the rumors hotly, but there certainly is a female priest named Serenia Ochoa de Nuñez living in occupied territory.

The reason that Doña Ximena Yañez de Gallegos has kept her membership in Los Vagos secret from her husband is not fear that he'll betray them but the opposite. He's a fiery man who hates the Inquisition, and the only thing keeping him from rushing out to join El Vago is concern for her. He doesn't want to leave her alone or put her in danger. If he were to learn she was an active assistant of Los Vagos, he would join El Corazón without a second thought, and since she doesn't want to see him hurt, she hides her secret in the hopes that it will keep him safe.

The real reason that Jacinta del Garcia joined Los Vagos is that she's in love with Joaquin Orduño. They've never met, but he's visited her uncle several times, and she finds him very attractive. She also really does love Castille, of course. Beyond her work carrying messages, she is an accomplished poet, though her love poems remain securely locked away. She does, however, also write poems about Castille and patriotism, which are published in broadsides as written by a man called El Patriota. They are blatantly partisan and anti-Inquisition, and Verdugo has vowed to burn the man responsible for them.

Conte Angelo Orsini is an apprentice Ambrogia fighter. He is actually loyal to Los Vagos...but family comes first. Everything he learns also goes to Vincenzo Caligari, to use as he sees fit. Until now, he's not revealed his affiliation to Los Vagos to his uncle, but if he were directly asked, he'd tell the old man everything. IF that happens, Los Vagos might find themselves manipulated by a very cunning and ruthless man. Meanwhile, Reynaldo Nuñez del Torres is more than a distant relative of Sienna Guzman del Torres - he's her brother-in-law, and very loyal to Los Vagos. He knows where tons of Castillian refugees in Eisen are and keeps a close watch on the local Inquisition activities, often hiring mercenaries if they get too close to someone.

Doña Urruca Rioja's history? All of it's made up. She fabricated it entirely, none of it is true. She's from an impoverished branch of the Rioja family that has long made its living as thieves and pirates. She clawsd her way out of the docks and to the Vaticine on beauty and wits, and made up the entire history herself. Even Verdugo doesn't know the truth. If anyone were to intimate anything about her true origins, they'd find her an implacable foe. El Camaléon, meanwhile, is a journeyman of Ambrogia and an Apprentice of Valroux. What are his secrets? Well, he's got them, but he's such a mystery that 7th Sea does something it almost never does. It tells the GM to just make everything up, and just make sure it's convoluted and connected to stuff. From here, we're basically done with the book!

Technically, the next book is Mighter Than The Sword, a pair of adventures, but I don't really feel like covering them because I don't find them super interesting, so I'm skipping it. Instead...

Next time: Nations of Théah, Volume 8: Vendel/Vesten!

May Grumfather's eye always watch and cherish you.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

If I recall right - I haven't opened these particular ones in a while - you want the Church of the Prophets, the Explorer's Society and the Sidhe books. We're going to get some ancient legends in this book, too.

7th Sea: May Grumfather's eye always watch and cherish you.



We open the Vendel/Vesten book with a hooded man coming to a longhouse, where he is welcomed to share in their food. A pair of brothers get into a fistfight before their sister knocks them both out, and an old man begins telling a story. It is a long poem of the Vestenmannavnjar history, telling of the time of the Living Runes. It speaks of the Great Wyrm, who would destroy everything, and the twenty-five who stood against it. They went to the Wyrm and fought it. Several fighters die facing it, but they defeath the Wyrm and take its scales, hurling it unto death. Grumfather, the great god, turns them into the Living Runes, whose names are magic. The story ends, and the hooded man hopes it will keep the spirits quiet and make them stop telling him to embrace his destiny.

Now then. History. The Vestenmannavnjar do not have written history. They have legends. Legends are history, they say. In the beginning, according the Grumfather Cycle, the world was born in the war beteen ice and fire. The realm of fire was Muspell, and the realm of ice was Niflheim. Between them was the great empty space of Ginungagap. The Ginungagap filled with ice of Niflheim, which melted as it reached near Muspell. Many things formed from the thawing ice, but the most important was Grumfather, the Gray Wanderer, a being of power and knowledge. He searched Ginungagap for one to share his wisdom with, but found none who were worthy. At last, he rested beneath a great tree, when he was attacked by a fierce giant named Värld.

Grumfather slew the giant, and watched the lifeless body float in the waters of Ginungagap. This gave him an idea, and he made a world from Värld's remains, using his flesh for soul and his teeth and bones for rocks and mountains. The skull he made into the dome of the sky, a barrier from the other realms. He plucked out his own left eye and cast it into the waters, where it traveled into the sky and became the sun by day and the moon by night, that he might forever watch his creation. This world was Théah, and for centuries it existed alone and empty, with only the Gray Wanderer to watch it. At last, he decided to populate the world, making the first humans from the roots of the blooming tree. He knew they needed a special place to live, so he took the heart of Värld and fashioned it into nine pieces, which became the nine islands the Vendel and Vestenmannavnjar call home.

After leaving them alone for a short time, the Grumfather went to visit the people he had made, disguising himself as a young man named Sven. The first house he found was small, built of dirt and grass. He asked the couple who lived there for food and shelter, which they gave him gladly. They ate hard bread and meatless stew for three nights. When it was time to leave, he repaid their kindness by giving them a son. The boy's name was Thrall, and in time he married a woman named Bondmaid. They became the ancestors o all future thralls, or serfs. Sven went next to a thriving farm, where he met another couple. They invited him in and he stayed for three nights, eating calf-stew and other things. When he left, he rewarded them with a son named Carl, who would be the ancestor of all future carls, or farmers.

Last, Sven found a great hall, owned by a wealthy couple. They gave him food and shelter, the best of everything for three nights. He was very pleased, and rewarded them with a son named Jarl. Jarl grew to be a skilled warrior, even more wealthy than his parents, and was the ancestor of all future jarls, or warriors. At last, his journey over, Sven became Grumfather again, and gave his people the four virtues to cherish above all: courage, loyalty, honesty and luck. He said these were the secret to life, calling them the Good Ways. As long as his people followed them, he would watch over them.

Though the people of the islands kept the Good Ways, their life was not easy. They struggled against weather, land and sea, and thought that Grumfather wanted them to learn to appreciate the value of life and everything in it. But that was not enough conflict for them - they split into twenty-five tribes and warred on each other, over everything from croplands to personal offenses. This would have continued forever if another threat had not appeared. A great serpent called the Great Wyrm came from the lands beyond the sky, bringing death and terror with it. The people were not prepared for its attack, but realized quickly that they must band together to survive. Each tribe sent an envoy to Sanning Dall, a valley at the feet of the Hjalmarr Mountains. They swore an oath of allegiance, and tracked the Wyrm to its lair and destroyed it.

In doing so, they found that the Wyrm's scales had magical powers, sealed with the Gray Wanderer's words of creation. EAch of the warriors took a scale, becoming the living embodiment of one of these lærds. If you like, I can go back to the Grumfather Cycle story and give you the long version where you find out who died and all that. It's kind of long. When they returned to their people, they were worshipped as gods, the Living Runes. But though they were now divine, they were still human. Their powers showed themselves in all too human ways. Stories abound of the Living Runes use and abuse of their abilities, often with some form of moral. Some of the more well-known stories speak of Kjøt, who rejected civilization for his hermetic pursuits, or Varsel, a prankster who tricked his followers all the time - sometimes with humor, and sometimes with death. Some speak of Kyndighet, who roamed the islands spreading knowledge. But the most famous story is the tragedy of the warrior Krieg.

In the struggle against the Great Wyrm, Krieg was the personification of victory, everything that a jarl should be. But after the battle, the land knew peace. There were no battles, and Krieg went mad from suppressing his bloodlust. He attracted a horde of followers and branded his lærd into their flesh. Krieg and the horde ransacked the coastlines, killing all in their path. They raided not for glory or fortune, but for the love of destruction and conquest. Krieg the Warrior fell from grace, becoming Krieg the Inhuman. Some of the other Living Runes, like Ensomhet, Tungsinn and Herje, refused to get involved. Some supported Krieg with their words, like Kjølig, Nød and Lidenskap, who claimed he just did the Grumfather's will. But the anguish Krieg caused did not go unnoticed. Styrke, Storsæd, Sinne and Villskap took up arms to stop him at any cost.

Krieg at last had another war, and he reveled in it. It raged across the islands, with neither side able to gain lasting victory. However, Krieg's rage and fury kept him from organizing his forces well, and it took its tool on his army. Eventually, he was driven back to the Hjalmarr Mountains, where he and his followers made their final stand. Krieg killed Styrke, strangling him to death. Sinne slew Kjølig, and Storsæd and Villskap threw lightning bolts at Krieg such that the mountains themselves threatened to crumble. As Villskap hurled his last, killing blast, Lidenskap's blade struck true. Villskap died, but he was immediately avenged. When the battle ended, the snow was stained red.

The souls of the fallen Living Runes passed into the spirit world, where they underwent great trials. Now, they could interact with the world only in the same way as other ancestors, but they could still give their powers to the faithful. When word of the conflict's aftermath spread, the remaining Living Runes went into seclusion. None can say how many still survive in physical form, but as any Skjæren will tell you, their powers remain potent. After they departed, the islands fell into chaos. Not content with simple war, a few tribes sent explorers and raiders to other lands - but this proved a liability, for no single tribe had the strength to do such things for any length of time. When the warm weather ended, so do the wars, only to begin again with spring. Many tribes were destroyed, while others fled to distant lands. Inevitably, a new tribe would replace the lost ones.

Many dark years followed until, at last, a charismatic jarl came up with a new strategy. She was Gunnef the Ravenhaired, and she dreamed of a mighty kingdom. Rather than raiding, she conquered and settled. Instead of turning her prisoners to thralls, she let them keep their standings - but only if they swore allegiance to her. Every tribe she conquered added to her power, and she was respected for her compassion and honor. Her enemies could see their destinies lay in her hands, and so they swore a formal treaty in the valley of Sanning Dal, on the grounds that would soon become known as Thingvallavatn. After three days of debate, the tribes came together under Gunnef, who sealed the pact by giving them all a name: Vestenmannavnjar, "one people, west edge." The year then was 818 AV, the first confirmed historical date in Vesten history.

Gunnef knew that governing would be hard work, so she appointed nine of her most loyal jarls to help her, giving each rule of a single island, which would be renamed for their rulers. The capitals would also take the names of the jarls, losing their old names. Thus, the first jarl of Eskjö was Kiving Hallvard Eskjö, while the first jarl of Oddiswuulf was Kirkjubæjarklauster Bragi Oddiswulf, and so on. This set the framework for the Vesten naming ritual, where history is remembered by naming ancestors in locations. During the construction of Thingvallavatn, a great blizzard sprang up, driving everyone indoors. Gunnef herself was trapped out in the snow, and when the blizzard ended, she was changed. Her dark hair was streaked with gray, and her left eye was missing. She assembled the jarls and told them that Grumfather was pleased with waht they'd done, and that to show his gratitude, he had turned her into his living avatar. So long as the Vestenmannavnjar kept his favor, he would always guide them. Thus she declared herself High King, the Grumfather's proxy in this mortal world.

Gunnef gathered the tribal leaders and told them that Grumfather liked their unity and would bless them. She hurled her sword into the air, and when it landed, it pointed west. She declared that all of the people to the west were their enemies, and in a few short days, the longboats would land on the Glamour Isles of Avalon. In 820, the Vesten found Avalon divided among petty kings, much as they had been before Gunnef. They stood no chance against the unified Vesten, but one king, Elilodd of the East, was able to launch a counterattack, driving them from the shores at great cost to both armies. The truth of what happened next is lost to time. The people of Avalon claim that Elilodd built the first navy of AValon and fought the Vestenmannavnjar on their own turf, defeating the High King and calling for alliance.

The Vesten disagree, saying that the raiders forced Elilodd to stalemate and that Gunnef offered him alliance because he impressed her. She offere to aid him in becoming "high king" of Avalon, and in return she would recognize him as a jarl and allow trade wit hthe Avalon people, to which Elilodd agreed. The precise facts are unknown except to the Sidhe and Living Runes, who do not clarify. Relations soon stabilized either way, though, and settled into a long tradition of trade. The Highlanders were the most accomodating, allowing trading communities to be made, and there was intermarriage between the people. Longboats often carried as many Highland traders as Vesten carls. Some Vesten even brought Highland brides and grooms back home; one most interesting one to historians is Leila MacDonald, who wrote a journal containing what may be the oldest recorded copy of the Grumfather Cycle, which might yiel insight into ancient Vestenmannavnjar beliefs.

Next time: Successors to High King Gunnef.

It was annihilation, a white death over the land and water and sky.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

Yeah, that's definitely worst with Avalon and the Sidhe. At least with Matushka, it's pretty clear that while you can't kill her, you can easily fuck everything up and all she's going to be able to do is throw weather and animals at you. ("All.")

7th Sea: It was annihilation, a white death over the land and water and sky.

In AV 900, even the mighty Gunnef the Ravenahired had grown old, and her spirit joined the ancestors. The skalds say there was no light for three days after her death, and that it rained salty tears. After she died, it seemed as if the Vestenmannavnjar would go back to war with themselves, but before they could, a man with gray hair and a long beard came from the north. He was Ash Dagfinnrson, and he was missing his left eye. He spoke of a blizzard which forced him into a cave, where the Grumfather renewed the promise and made him a new living avatar: the new High King. The people were skeptical, so Ash summoned the greatest of the skjæren to test him. They did, and at the end, they endorsed his claim. Ash was no military genius, but fortunately he knew that and let his jarls handle raiding and war. Instead, he was far more interested in the continent to the west and the idea of new, unexploredl ands. He sent out explorers to the west, and one legend says that they even found a new land, but that the journey was too far and hard to set up regular trips.

Because of Ash, the Vestenmannavnjar learned much of the rest of the world, and they prospered. However, they kept to their own ways and beliefs - what was good enough for their ancestors was good enough for them. The Grumfather continued to send worthy High Kings, each fit for the times of their rule. Under them, the Vesten continued to live in harmony with each other. They raidered the coasts of Montaigne, Eisen and Ussura, always hunting for new foes. Their Lærdom and swift raids gave them potent powers to carry off a lot of treasure. Sometimes, the continental kingdoms would fight them, and entire raiding parties sometimes died - but just as often, the jarls won the battles and continued their plundering. This cycle continued throughout the middle ages.

The Vesten had little interest in conquest, however. A few High Kings tried, but Vesten tactics were not good at it, and there was no glory to be found in garrison duty, so they rarely held much enemy territory. They learned the limit their attacks to raids, grabbing what they could. Woe to anyone who tried to attack their islands, however. Save for, perhaps, King Elilodd, no attack on the Vesten isles every worked. The Montaigne tried, but again and again they were destroyed by the wrath of the Lærdom mages, whose weather control destroyed their fleets. Between that and the inhospitable locale of the islands, the High Kings didn't have much trouble with invaders.

In addition to the jarl raids, the carls also traveled abroad. Beginning with High King Ash, they were encouraged to develop trade with the rest of the world. They sold furs and jewelery for other goods, and while their efforts never went beyond a few cities, they learned a number of economic truths. For six centuries, this went on. The jarls raided, the carls traded and farmed, and the thralls served. The Vesten lived as they always had. But it could not last. In 1501 AV, as the rest of the world was undergoing the Rennaissance, the Vesten were still living in the past. More and more, the jarls would ignore the carls and thralls, spending more and more time on raids...a terrible mistake.

Life on the Vesten isles was harsh, and people died of disease, starvation and exposure. Too often, the jarls would not even share their captive goods, but instead use them to decorate their longhouses. The carls knew of the outside world thanks to their limited trade agreements, and they saw the changes being wrought, watching their counterparts in either lands with envy. They saw how people in other cultures were respected not for the strength of their arms, but their ideas. They knew that, to survive, they must change as well. The High King, Eindridi Utterstrom, tried to address their unrest, but the jarls would not listen to him. In 1501, an entire village on the island of Grimstadd starved to death because a jarl took their grain for his warriors. A carl named Inger Holmstrom, a major trading carl, asked the High King to call a new althing, normally a yearly meeting reserved for the jarls alone. The previous althing had been scant weeks before, and most of the jarls were away on raids. It was unprecedented, but Eindridi agreed to the request.

Carls from across the islands came to the King's longhouse at Thingvallavatn. Holmstrom led them, speaking of the need to take control of the nation's foreign position. If they did not act, more would starve and suffer. They needed to expand trade, learn as much from the outside as they could and apply that knowledge to their nation. They had few goods, but Holmstromm said they didn't need them - they needed skill and a willingness to learn. Moved by his arguments, the carls agreed. They traveled to Montaigne, Eisen and Avalon, contact merchants and offering their services as craftsmen. They used their knowledge of smithing, jewelery and agriculture to establish themselves, and studied the intricacies of commerce and trade. They learned that their fast ships could move cargo more quickly and easily than mainland ones, and opened banks to allow them to invest money. They learned to make advantageous deals and political connections. They also learned that men would pay to come visit the hot springs they'd always taken for granted, and began to sell access to the springs.

The process was slow and subtle. Most of the jarls never noticed that so many of theor underlings had disappeared, and the High King kept silent, reasoning that they'd already had their chance to address things. As the years went by, the jarls continued to raid while the carls grew more and more successful, becoming de factor leaders of the communicities they lived in and ensuring their neighbors no longer suffered. So successful were they that they needed to further organize to keep track of it all. In 1516, Holmstrom formed a council in the city of Kirkjubæjarklauster, a nameless thing that represented both carls and thralls. It existed, theoretically, ot organize the merchants, but it also served as a day-to-day government, providing for the needy villages and resolving disputes without need for jarls. Holmstrom knew the jarls would seek to destroy the council if they learned of it, and they could not match such might on their own...so they contacted Eisen's Imperator, Franz II, and offered him a bargain. They would giveh im a seat on the council if he would protect them. The Eisen were tired of Vesten raids and sensed change coming - so the Imperator agreed, sending bodyguards and an official advisor to represent him.

As Holmstrom had known they would, the jarls took action. The High King was appalled by the council and ordered it disbanded by force. The jarls were still scattered, however, and few were able to take action. They were no match for the Imperator's men. After a brief and fierce fight, the jarls were repulsed, and the High King was forced to concede the council's legitimacy, so long as they recognized his authority. Despite that condition, power had shifted fundamentally. The unnamed council gained political power steadily. As it did, a new trend emerged. The carls found that foreigners had trouble pronouncing their words, which made business hard and kept them from getting closer ties. They began to shorten their names. Karlsefni became Karl, Hildegunn became Hild. They shortened place names as well, until the entire language was affected. This happened slowly, and the more traditional Vesten were very slow to notice...but when they did, they were furious. Names were a vital link to the past and the power of the Living Runes...but the change was already made.

The carls continued their changes. They abandoned the name 'carl', calling themselves merchants as the foreigners did. Many began to flock to them, eager for a fresh start and tired of the old ways. They began to refurbish the cities with modern architecture, and in 1528, they voted to officially change their nation's name from Vestenmannavnjar to Vendel. Traditional Vesten, already frustrated, were enraged...but they could do little to stop them. The Vendel had learned the power of money, and used it to protect themselves. Still, there was one potent weapon left: the High King. He still had influence among the Vendel, and they honored his edicts. However, in 1547, he died and was replaced by an intolerant warrior named Ulf Hövsgaard. He hated the Vendel and challenged them at every turn. For eighteen years, this conflict raged between the council, now called the Vendel League, and the High King. In 1565, it came to an abrupt end.

The King of Montaigne had barred the Vesten from a vital port and seized several longships. The High King wanted to send the best of his jarls to burn the city down. The LEague wanted to send Eisen mercenaries, to do the job more cleanly. The High King sent his attack without their permission...and failed utterly, the force being slaughtered to a man. The Council then contacted the Eisen, who used diplomacy to get the ships returned without a single shot. Humiliated, the High King vanished. Some say he retreated into the caves at the center of the world, where he died. Others say he was assassinated by the Vendel League, thiugh such an act would requipre power the League did not have. No one knows what truly happened...but when a new king failed to emerge for several years, the Vesten took it as a sign of the end.

Many retreated from the cities to the northern wastes, to keep their old ways alive. The raids continued as they always had...but slowly, the Vendel became targets as well. Not every Vesten fought the Vendel, but those who did widened the gap between the two groups. By the turn of the century, the League was more or less in its present form. The merchants controlled the government, and their success placed them among the world's leaders. Many Vendel embraced Objectionism and refused their old religion as outdated superstition. The Vodacce still held great economic power, but their squabbling gave the Vendel a chance to gain ground. By the time of the War of the Cross, they were a great presence in northern Théah.

By the 17th century, the Vendel had earned the Vodacce princes' attentions. Like the jarls, they had failed to recognize the threat the League represented...but they had the resources to respond. The Vendel began to be harrassed in so many ways. Shops burned, ships were seized b y pirates, and the Vodacce gained ground. They found eager allies in the remaining Vesten, who were desperate to stop the Vendel. The Vendel, for their part, were fully aware of who was behind everything, and the trade war began. The Vodacce could not organize themselves to bring all their power to bear, letting the Vendel consolidate. The war has gone on for four decades, and continues to this day. Were it not for the turmoil in Eisen, the Vendel might have already lost. However, when the War of the Cross broke out in 1636, the Vendel had a golden opportunity.

As Objectionists, they favored the Objectionist forces, especially as the Vodacce were Vaticine. However, League policy was strict neutrality, and many Vendel traded with the Vaticine armies as well, expanding their marks massively. In 1637, a "volunteer army" left from Kirk for Eisen, led by a man named Stefano Wulf. Though not officially sanctioned by the League, Wulf was an ardent Objectionist and had plent of military experience. We know how that went from the Eisen book. By 1664, the War began to wind down, thanks to horrific casualty rates and exhaustion. The League began to debate a new idea. National currency was theoretically based on precious metals, but the Vendel theorized that coins did not have to be made of gold or silver. They could easily be made of dung - because a coin was just a symbol, backed by a crown or other powerful entity. If people had faith in the government minting the coins, the coins would be valuable no matter what they were made of.

The League came up with a new plan. Their banks would back a paper currency: Guilders. These would be exchanged, for a small fee, for any coin in the world. It would let them make as much money as needed and open every market to their influence. There were risks - it was a new, untried idea - but they thought it was worth it. The banks began to issue the guilder, backed by the resources of the League and exchangable for any currency in the world. It was an astonishing success. Though governments failed to grasp its implications, merchants adored it, and international trade exploded, since now prices could be tracked across far wider territories. New treaties and prosperity followed, and in the space of less than a decade, the guilder dominated the continent's economy. The League had turned the trade war, long a stalemate, in their direction.

Today, the Vendel stand at the head of a golden age, one of the most powerful nations in the world. They are vibrant, leading the world to the future...but the Vestenmannavnjar remain in the wastesz, hearing the cries of their ancestors. They see this "progress" as an apocalypse, a weakening of the old ways that will destroy the Living Runes. They are angry at the attempts to "civilize" them, and continue to raid Vendel shipping. A new incident starts each day, and outsiders believe it's just a matter of time before all-out civil war begins.

Next time: The People of the Islands.

But it was Sterk, who never fell, that spoke for the twenty-five.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: But it was Sterk, who never fell, that spoke for the twenty-five.

The Vendel and Vesten have become very different in the 150 years since the two split from each other. The Vestenmannavnjar, also known as the Norvik Tribes or Norvik Nation, still divide themselves into twenty-five tribes, each claiming descent from a Living Rune. Over time, it's kind of warped as tribes have split, declined and reformed, but each tribe still sees itself that way, and the Norvik Nation still calles itself twenty-five tribes. Tribe names are pretty simple - the name of the founder, and the Vesten word for people: Folk. When a Vesten wants to incorporate tribe into her name, she uses the word 'af', meaning 'of' or 'from', so she is then, say, Darda Bergensdotter af Larsfolk. Because of the depopulation over the last century, there's only eight major tribes left, and the rest are all minor and have little semblance of their former glory.

The first of these eight are the Aarensfolk, who have always been known as mystics, even befor the Worst Days. They have always been connected to the spirit world and seen things beyond the eyes of normal people. Their Living Rune was Fornuft, the artist. They are the birthplace of the most gifted skjæren, and their deep connection to the magic of Lærdom has given the entire tribe changed eyes. Their eyes are more purple than blue, and those become darker as they grow in power, such that a Master skjæren of Aarensfolk often has eyes that resemble amethysts. Second are Bodilsfolk, who have had more High Kings from their ranks than any other tribe. They have a reputation for wisdom and empathy, and from their ranks came the Living Rune Bevegelse. Without a High King, they are the ones who ensure that the annual althing happens at Thingvallavatn. They know they must equal Vendel in power soon or they will die, and search for ways to counter the League without breaking from tradition.

The Enhedsfolk are third, and the only tribe which has never lost a member to the Vendel League's ways. They are a united people, confident and faithful. Their Living Rune is Sterk, and like him they know that strength lies in wholeness. Their members follow the caste system without question, and seem to act as an extended family, supporting each other at all times. They see the other Vesten and even the Vendel as part of that family, and their hospitality is legendary. Fourth are the Handelsfolk, one of the smallest tribes. More Vendel have come from them than any other. They are natural craftsmen, after all, and find it hard to resist the temptations of wealth. Those who remain have grate influence, however, and contribute much to the Vesten. Their Rune is Kyndighet. The Handelsfolk are trained from youth as craftsmen and traders, and so it's no surprise how few of them remain.

The Jordsfolk, fifth, claim a sacred duty: the responsibility of keeping and nurturing the world for the Grumfather. In return, they have learned the secrets of agriculture, fishing and meadmaking. Even their mightiest jarls are hunters and fishermen, and their tactics come from watching beasts. Their Rune is that of Høst, the Rune of Harvest. Like the land, they can be both pleasant and terrifying. They despise the Vendel and hate cities, so they are often found on raiding ships. Sixth are the Larsfolk, legendary warriors. They are eager to fight and always ready, and it is no surprise that from their ranks came Krieg. Even the carls and thralls of the Larsfolk learn to handle themselves in a fight, and children learn to hold a weapon as soon as they can walk. Their lives are lives of conflict, and they have no use for the Vendel, seeing them only as targets.

Seventh are the Stjernasfolk, a clan of explorers. They claim to be the first that Grumfather taught to build a longboat, and the first to contact the other tribes. Their Rune is Reise. The Stjernasfolk are excellent mapmakers and astronomers, and they have used their maps for generations, often with amazing accuracy. Other Vesten say they see the world like an eagle does, from the clouds. The Tillitsfolk are eight, and they are the least willing to change, the greatest believers in the old ways. From their ranks came the hermit Kjøt, and his people are likewise hermetic. They are isolationists who only barely tolerate their fellow Vesten, and are hostile to all others. They refuse foreign goods of all kinds, and even resort to stone over steel to survive. They are living, truly, in the past.

The Vestenmannavnjar divide themselves into three castes. At the top are the jarls, the warriors and warlords. Below them, the carls, the freemen farmers and traders. At the bottom are the thralls, slaves and serfs. They are bound together by fealty to the High King. Most of the cars seperated themselves, "liberated" the thralls and became the Vendel. Without the carls and thralls, it all fell apart. Survival became more important than social rank, and the jarls soon found themselves working side by side with the remaining carls and thralls, hunting and farming alongside their vassals. The Vestenmannavnjar have been united by adversity. The three castes still exist in title, but they are more job than rank now. Anyone can be jarl (warrior), carl (craftsman or farmer) or thrall (laborer), and it's not rare for someone to be all three in the same lifetime. Despite this, the leaders are all still jarls and the prsioners of war are all still thralls. This can confuse outsiders, but the Vesten have no trouble with it.

Before the rise of the Vendel League, the High King was unquestioned ruler of all the islands. Everyone was beholden to his authority, and he was never a person who chose the rank. The High Kings were chosen, instead, by the Grumfather. They would find themselves lost in a storm, and take refuge in a cave, where they would find a huge tree in full bloom. At the roots would be a well, and a thirst would grip them. The Kings drank deep, and would then hear the voices of the ancestors, telling them that the time had come to see the true nature of the world. Some unseen force would guide them to pluck out their left eyes and cast them into the well, promising to honor the people. Then would come Grumfather's voice, telling him that he was now the avatar of the Grey Wanderer, the High King. By the time he reached his people, a new High King would have the long, gray hair of the Grumfather, as well as the gray eye. His voice would be deep and commanding, and he would have skills in magic that he never had before, seeing the future in dreams and trances. Despite always following this path, each High King was different and unique, able to see his or her people through whatever perils lay head. (The first High King was a woman, as have been several since, but they're always King because Grumfather is male.)

The last High King died a hundred years ago, and has yet to be replaced. Dozens have gone to the wastes to try and become High King, but few have returned. None have become the King. Most Vesten have given up hope, unaware that the High King has been chosen. When Gjæving Asbjornsson accepts his destiny, the Grumfather's avatar will once more lead his people. Until then, they just follow the old law. Their laws are similar to those of other nations, but the enforcement differs. When a law is broken, the victims call a thing, a council where they explain their grievances. If the thing agrees the complaint is legitimate, they give permission for revenge. This can be in the form of replacement of lost goods, a fight or whatever. However, the victims must do it themselves - the thing just gives permission. If a problem becomes a fight, it usually ends quickly and decisively. Assuming the two parties don't just kill each other immediately, the thing lays out a large blanket and has them square off in opposite corners with whatever weapons they agree on. These duels are usually to the death, and the loser is wrapped in the blanket afterwards. (The Swordsman's Guild has no presence among the Vesten and isn't wanted.)

Matters regarding Lærdom are watched over by the skjæren, and if one commits a crime, the punishment is severe: bestraffning. This ritual has the skjæren stripped and hung upside down from a tree. Blood is drained from his ankles and wrists, captured in four wooden bowls and then burned in a great fire to the ancestors. The skjæren gets three chances to repent. Should he confess a serious regret, he is put to death with mercy. After the first refusal, he is ritually scalped. After the second, he loses his right hand. After the third, he loses his full right arm. If he lives, he is a pariah and also loses all power of Lærdom. For more mundane concerns, there are the Fagerords, the Fair Words. These are an assortment of wise sayings, collected in a poem supposedly composed by the Grumfather himself.

Some of the more interesting verses, according to the book:

Once a year, the Vestenmannavnjar gather for the althing, at the court of Thingvallvatm. Jarls from every isle travel to Viddenheim to voice their concerns and reunify their people. Without a High King, althings have more in common with family reunions than governing. Each year, the jarls send messages to the Vendel cities, hoping their leaders will come to the althing. So far, none ever have. The Vestenmannavnjar, meanwhile, try to keep their lives pure and simple, following the four virtues known as the Good Ways.

But first, a sidebar on skalds! Skalds are the only people free of the caste system, at least traditionally. They are poets and storytellers who advanced the world with their memorization skills, their creativity and their voices. Today, they are even more valuable, acting as moral support for the Vesten and ensuring stories are not forgotten. A festival is held during the althing each summer, where those who wish to be skalds recite their stories. Many master skalds attend, and often use it as a chance to take students. It takes five years, on average, for a skald to learn enough to strike out on his own. Until then, he travels with a teacher and provides small tales between his master's epics. Skalds never ask for payment, but it is understood that if you invite a skald in, you will compensate him. Also, they get a lot of free drinks, because it's believed that mead brings out the best in stories.

Now then. The first virtue is courage. Only true courage can face the hardships of survival. It is important in battle - the ability to face any foe and not back down. More recently, courage also represents the ability to avoid the temptation of the easy life among the Vendel. Courage keeps you on the path of the ancestors. Second is loyalty. Traditionally, that is to family members first. If your family is in trouble, you back them up and bail them out - and they you. However, today families are often divided, with some among the Vendel. Vestenmannavnjar now treat their community as their family, as loyal as they once were to their blood. True loyalty is the only hope for their survival.

Third is honesty. A man with courage and loyalty must also be honest, not just to others but to himself. Self-delusion kills in the harsh lands of the Vesten. A man must know his limits and the limits of those around him. This doesn't mean the Vesten never brag - just that they know they must be able to back up their claims with their lives. And last of all the virtues is luck. Luck is used to describe anything beyond anyone's control, both good and bad. Everyone is born with a certain amount of luck, both good and bad. But they don't have to blindly accept their fates. You can earn good luck, by hard work and faith to the Good Ways. The harder you work, the more luck you get. Every good deed is rewarded eventually, they say, and every evil deed is punished.

The Vesten believe names are sacred, and typically name children after a favorite relative or ancestor, especially one who's recently died. This means some names are more frequent than others. To tell everyone apart, you also use a patronymic name - your father's name with son or daughter added. (Or your mother's, if your father is unknown.) Unlike other cultures, women tend not to change their names on marriage. Most Vesten also earn a nickname, either heroic or derogatory. Vesten will spend years trying to earn a new one if they have a bad nickname.

Next time: That Old-Time Religion!

It was the venom of a thousand snakes, the strength of a thousand jarls, the evil of a thousand sunless days, restless in the womb of the world.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

Yeah...when we get to the D20 stuff, that's going to... fun to talk about, mechanically.

7th Sea: It was the venom of a thousand snakes, the strength of a thousand jarls, the evil of a thousand sunless days, restless in the womb of the world.

The Vestenmannavnjar religion is known as the Living Mythology by outsiders, and it is an essential part of their life. At the top is the supreme god, the Grumfather and Gray Wanderer. Beneath him are the Living Runes, the incarnations of his words of creation. Beneath them are nature spirits - creatures from the outer realms that live now in the world of nature. And last are ancestral spirits, the souls of the forebears. These spirits all exist in the invisible spirit world of Valhallar, a place that surrounds and interacts with the normal world. Only a few can perceive it, but no Vesten doubts it. When they die, their souls go to Valhalla over strange waters, where the stars drift backwards and the forgotten moan from beneath the waves. When the soul arrives, it joins its people - and if it is a warrior's soul who died in battle, it goes to the Great Hall to feast and drink until the end of time, when the great battle of Ragnarok is joined and the Great Wyrm returns to devour the world. The souls of Valhalla will fight it and perhaps let a new, better world be made from the ashes of the old. This is why the Vesten are so upset over the names changed by the Vendel. The souls of Valhalla only stay there if remembered. If their names are forgotten, they lose their identities - or worse, they fall into the Sea of Death and drown for eternity. Every soul the Vendel destroy is one less soul to figh the Great Wyrm.

The Vesten, unlike every Theus-worshipping culture, do not concern themselves much with priests. The Ypperste Priests of the Vestenmannavnjar are not spiritual leaders - they are sages and scholars. They have no churches or temples, but rather each family maintains its own private shrines. When a Vesten really wants the attention of a spirit, he will sacrifice an animal. Usually, that's a horse, but the Vesten are very practical. They only sacrifice old horses, when they then cook and eat after. If only healthy horses are round, they'll just promise the horse to the intended god or spirit on its death - no sense wasting a good horse.

The Vesten see no real difference between men and women - and why would they, given their first hero since the Living Runes was a woman, and some of the Runes are women? Women can perform any task that men can. The Vesten have a special relationship, the gjæving. The word means 'brother', but in practice your gjæving is much like an Eisen rucken: it is someone you trust with your life and would never think to question. The title is not given lightly, and is the closest non-romantic relationship any two Vesten can have. The Vesten are famous for their contests of physical strength - lifting heavy things, beating each other up, wrestling and so on. They also like to play a strategic board game called hnefitafl.

Despite being estranged from the Vendel, the Vesten and Vendel share one trait: they love to show off their wealth. Material possessions are the best way besides brute strength to show off your power, after all. They love jewelery, especially elaborate necklaces and armrings, though they dislike rings and bracelets - those get in the way when fighting. Necklaces are preferred more by women, while armrings are very important to men. They are generally worn on the bicep and are sometimes used as trade goods. Vestens also like elaborate brooches, for both men and women. They rarely wear treasures gained from raids, but rather melt them down and re-cast them as Vesten jewelery.

We get a sidebar now on the great weakness of the Vendel: they have no master skjærens. While some Vendel still practice Lærdom, they can't master it. Their sorcerers are highly prized for making rune-carved objects, but none so far have Become a rune. (Though the sidebar admits that PCs can break this rule with GM allowance.) The reason for this is that Lærdom required faith in the Living Runes and Old Ways, and most Vendel don't have that. They embraced Objectionism instead. If the Vendel were to gain a Master, it might inflame the conflict...or it might allow the two sides to find some common ground.

Speaking of the Vendel, let's talk about them. The Vendel have thrown away the ideas of social caste and royalty. They believe that everyone is basically equal and should be judged on their success in life - especially financially. If a person is wealthy, they must be working hard for it, and others should be respectful. This is why the Vendel love the League and the Guilds so much - the people who lead are peerless craftsmen, the pinnacle of success. The problem, well, is that the system breeds corruption. Lots of it. Respected people are not always noble, and competition can be merciless. All social authority in Vendel is drawn from the League, with matters put to a vote each morning, with each day of the week usually having some different concern. The order changes from week to week to allow pressing issues to take precedence. The League has nine Chairs and 91 Seats. The Chairs are permanently held by the heads of the eight most successful Guilds and a representative of the Imperator of Eisen. The Seats are sold at auction every three years. The Imperator's seat, per the contents of Imperator Riefenstahl's will, is held by his butler, Joseph Volker, at present.

The plutocracy of Vendel tends to be most corrupt at the top. The more local you get, the less corrupt it is. Each city has a popular vote for Lord Mayor every five years. There's no term limits, but you can't be Mayor more than twice in a row - after that, you have to sit out a term before running again. The Lord Mayor then appoints advisors and a Lord Sherriff for the city, and this has become so important that candidates for Lord Mayor will generally announce who's on their "cabinet" before any votes are cast, and several unpopular mayors have been voted in on the strength of their cabinets.

Where the Vesten divid themselves by herding (that's province), tribe and caste, the Vendel divide themselves by profession. Most Vendel can be identified by which Guild (or in their tongue, Skrå) they belong to, and Guild devotion can be as strong as family loyalty. The Guilds are a natural progression of traditional Vesten trade ethics. When someone enters a trade, they start as tärling, or apprentice, under a mästare, or master craftsman. This is usually in late childhood and lasts to mid-to-late teens. Sometimes, someone is sold into indenture as an apprentice, rather than going willingly. When the master feels the apprentice is ready, he assigns a task called a gesällprov. This can be anything from the creation of a unique piece to performance of a specific duty, though most guilds have guidelines on what must be done. If the task is done to the satisfaction of a panel of masters, the apprentice becomes gesäll, or journeyman, and receives a diploma called a gesällbrevet.

A journeyman is expected to travel within the Vendel islands and abroad to gather skill and get a unique viewpoint and chance to work with many masters. Journeymen tend not to marry as a result and usually live in the household of whoever they're working under at the moment. In order to become an independent craftsman and be able to take apprentices, they must go back before the guild masters, which can take years since there's so many journeymen. Eventually, they'll study the journeyman's record, then call him forward and ask him questions. If he answers them satisfactorily, he must pass the final exam: the creation of a superb piece of work, the mästarprovet or masterpiece. To keep members from misrepresenting their status, the Guilds use secret handshakes and passwords, given only to the appropriate rank. If you reveal them to outsiders, you get banished - and more than likely murdered, too.

There are nine leading Guilds, the ones that hold the League's Chairs. The first is the Blacksmith's Guild, which has a long tradition of quality. It's a political mess behind the scenes, though. Mistress Sela Cole only got her title four months ago - her predecessor, Master Ivor Johansson, was killed by pirates aboard his private yacht. Everyone knew she stood to inherit the job, but no one was ready for it - least of all her. She is the first woman to head the Blacksmiths, and she is constantly being tested - but fortunately, she doesn't wilt before problems. Second is the Carpenter's Guild, with a century's worth of quality behidn them. Under Master Joris Brak, they treat their work less as a craft and more as an art. Woodworking is done not just to meet the strongest demands of construction, but also aesthetics.

The Jenny's Guild is one of the youngest but most widespread guilds, and also one of the most profitable. It is rune by Madame Lorraine Weller, a master of public relations who has done more to change perceptions about prostitution than any woman since Jenny Malone. Her greatest triumph was turning brothels into "social clubs with kick," as she calls them. She is deeply concerned about the welfare of "her girls" and uses her connections to provide for them. She knows that many didn't choose to be Jennys and she wants to help them move on to whatever they desire to actually do. The Merchant's Guild has caused the middle class to prosper, and new markets appear every day thanks to their work. Led by Master Val Mokk, the Guild is easily the largest and most prosperous in Vendel. Should anyone have problems or trouble with a member or service of the Guild, they are encouraged to file complaints at the nearest Guildhouse. If sufficiently problematic, the trouble will be looked into by a special team of investigators, who might even expel the target of the complaints from the guild.

The Miner's Guild is powerful, but has troubles no one else ever faces. They own deeds to mines in Eisen, Castille and elsewhere, but they have trouble maintaining good relations with foreign governments. Most rulers don't like to see Vendel "plundering" their natural resources, and while crafts are welcome, raw materials are another matter. To make up for it, the Guild has admitted many foreigners, and allowed other nations to influence their decisions. The current Guild Master, Eladio Ballesteros, is a Castillian, the first ever to serve on the Vendel League. He is also the League's unofficial foreign minister, negotiating treaties with other governments on their behalf.

The Printer's Guild produces dozens of books and newspapers each day, and the sheer number of members makes competition very stiff. Their leader is Master Amwolf Gebauer, an Eisen man who's made most of the other Guilds dependent on the Printers' services. He's very well informed. The Sailor's Guild, meanwhile, is run by Master Allen Trel. It has members in every port, and it can be a traveler's best friend or worst foe. Its members handle inspection of ships and documents, and can search any non-conscripted Vendel vessel at any time, seizing any cargo or passengers not on the manifests. Members get a lot of advantages, including the Sailor's Trust Fund. Sailors can put away any part of the wages in it, and the Guild will match half of that. If they die, then the money goes to a designated beneficiary, and if they don't and retire, it can be used for financial aid. It's wildly popular.

The Swordsman's Guild is barely 20 years old, but is very powerful, with a presence in every nation - especially Vendel. Nowhere else obeys their rulings on proper duels so closely, and Vendel's city guards are always Guild members. They've even commissioned an official school, Larsen, specifically for the night watchmen. Master Linnae Knute has just opened a new academy in Kirk, and the waiting list is already three years long. Linnae claims to have studied every known fighting style, and says he can beat any of them. The Tailor's Guild has risen meteorically thanks to Montaigne. Montaigne trends keep their coffers full, and they make three times as much on Montaigne as any other nation. Mistress Amity Neveu has a lot of influence with Montaigne's fashion society, Mode du Lac, and has instructed the tailors to actively compete with each other. If any style grows too popular, they have strict orders to come up with new attention-grabbers. Neveu's grandmother also gave her a brilliant idea: manipulate l'Empereur to set fashion trends. It's worked amazingly.

Vendel's laws are based strongly on Montaigne's, though with greater emphasis on goods and property. Town guardsmen and Swordsmen handle most law enforcement, overseen by the Lord Sheriffs. The Swordsmen keep a close eye on those breaking the dueling laws, because they're eager to collect the fines. The guards, on the other hand, tend to be rather mercenary - anyone in trouble can get out of it with enough bribes. Like I said, corruption is everywhere. Vendel tends towards fines or community service over jail time for punishments - though service can mean things like mining, rowing ships or garbage collection. Anyone trying to escape punishment is executed. Murderers and pirates are also put to death. Murderers get a firing squad, but pirates are publically hanged - the Vendel hate them. A lot. The bodies of most are displayed outside of town as a warning, though Vesten bodies tend not to be displayed longer than a single night before vanishing.

Next time: A new twist on the Old Ways.

Even Kjølig, ever-brooding, smiled at this revelation.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: Even Kjølig, ever-brooding, smiled at this revelation.

The Vendel have not, despite what the Vesten say, forgotten the Good Ways. Not quite. They've adapted them. Luck and loyalty matter to them in much the same ways that they matter to the Vesten. Courage and honesty have been supplanted, however, by cunning and resourcefulness. Courage is noble, but it doesn't get you far in business - and it can make you fail. Instead, the Vendel prefer cunning, which requires boldness but does not reveal your intentions to your foes. Cunning has kept Vendel neutral and made allies of the greatest armies. Resourcefulness, meanwhile, lets you make a lot out of a little. It's honest because it reocgnizes the world's realities and makes the most of them. This is the way of Vendel, adapting the old ways to business, which is paramount for all Vendel.

Well, most Vendel. Some youth are growing disenchanted with their parents' ideals. They feel a longing in their hearts and look to the Vesten for answers. They want to return to the old ways, of honesty and courage. Just as many young Vesten come to the cities to find their fortunes, so do many young Vendel return to the wilderness to find their heritage. I am imagining it's like teenage rebellion except with more snow and axes.

Vendel tend to be less...combative in how they have fun. They still love physical challenges, but it's more things like hide and seek, bobbing for apples and arm-wrestling than brawling and races. They also really like card games, since that lets you have more than two players. They're big fans of music and theatre as well. As for names - well, the Vendel don't believe shortening a name is really renaming it. It's just condensing it into a concise form for outsiders, so they don't really grasp what's made the Vesten so upset there. It's not all carefree games and music or cheerful renaming, though. The Vendel League has tons of "special agents" - essentially, masters of efficiency and espionage who serve as Vendel's hand along trade routes, stopping pirates and smugglers by any means necessary.

Religiously, the Vendel originally embraced Objectionism to step away from the past. They had felt the old ways were leading them to extinction, and the idea of a supreme deity who left hints in the world rather than so many gods and monsters was appealing and relevant to them. During the War of the Cross, they opened their borders to Objectionist refugees, and today most of the Vendel are Objectionist. Almost all of them feel the Vaticine is antiquated and doomed to extinction. Sometimes, the Vendel churches will send out missionaries to the Vesten, and while the Vesten don't much like them, they do admit that the churches they build look pretty. A few Vendel still follow the old ways, but they don't talk about it much - it's not fashionable or progressive.

Surprisingly, the Vendel and Vesten have rather similar rletions with the outside world. Neither side much likes Castille, and both respect Ussura. They both have strong ties to Avalon and trade with them, and both view Eisen as a nation in need of aid, albeit for somewhat different reasons. (Vendel wants to profit off it, and the Vesten just pity it.) The big differences are Montaigne and Vodacce. In Montaigne, the Vendel have a huge trading alliance, which enrages the Vesten. They also hate how l'Empereur treats his people, and so the Vesten raiders tend to raid Montaigne ships along with Vendel ones. In Vodacce, it's the opposite. The Vendel are embroiled in a cold war and would love to destroy the Vodacce power base, while the Vesten see the Vodacce as potential allies and have been seeking their support. The Vesten do not much trust Vodacce or the fate witches, but they know better than to turn down help.

The island chain of the Vendel and Vesten is extremely harsh - it's cold, frozen and very hard to farm on, with permafrost in some of the coldest areas. Ice blocks a lot of the northernmost islands for several months, and icebergs can create sailing problems. The more southern islands are nicer, with more farmland and better shelter from the weather. The northern islands are mostly Vesten, and the southern are mostly Vendel.

The first island is Eskjö, the Great Sea Mount. Only half of it is flat enough to farm on, and on that half, small villages still live as their ancestors have always done. It's an island with no real industry, and it's mostly self-sufficient except for a few Vendel vacation spots on the coast. The Vendel go to these to "get back to basics" and rest in small cottages maintained by Eisen servants. Vacationing on Eskjö is very expensive and a mark of elite status. The other half of Eskjö is a huge mountain. Some ancient Vesten chief's face is carved into the stone, though no one remembers when that happened. The Vesten say it was always there. The place is called Kivik, and some think Kivik was the name of the man carved into the mountain, though no one's sure if that's true. The man in the mountain holds a spear in ceremonial position, not for combat. No one has ever climbed Mount Kivik's peak, and in fact no one is sure how tall it is, since clouds cover the top. The Vesten say it serves as a lesson in humility - it is so big that it automatically reminds you of your place in the world. It is a holy place for the old faith. Among Vendel, it tends to be a sign of patriotism - its existence, they say, proves that Vendel has the best in everything, including the tallest mountain in the world. (Especially, they argue, when you consider that it starts at the ocean floor.) The Vesten of Eskjö tend to be surly and resent the Vendel communities on the island. They're unwilling to sell to the Vendel, who must thus ship in supplies from elsewhere, and Vesten youths love to sneak into Vendel villages and make mischief.

Next is Grimstadd, the Haven. It is by far the coldest of the islands, and in winter three-quarters of the island is covered in ice. Icebergs can be found in its waters at all times, and the Vendel rarely venture there. Grimstadd is also home to the most dangerous Vesten raiders. The commoners of Grimstadd know how inhospitable their land is, and they made alliance with the Vesten pirates early on, sheltering them in exchange for guarding their land. The skjæren have carved ice mazes with their magic, and the farmers willingly tow raiders through the floes, seeing it as a duty to their ancestors and warrior kin. Grimstadd is, thus, a hotbed of Vesten freedom fighters, and they never fight there even if they disagree with each other. It is also home to a very important man: Rannulf, a shipbuilder who was once a highly ranked man in the Sailor's Guild. He defected to the Vesten and operates a shipyard out of a volcanic crater on the coast of Grimstadd. Any raider worth anything knows Rannulf, and many owe him.

Then there is Klørbulg, the Raging Storm. It is said that the island was once as large as Oddiswulf, but that during the Worst Days, the battles with Krieg shattered the island. It is considered a monument to war's fury, but its inhabitants have mostly forgotten the old lessons and seek only power. Most Vesten there live as farmers and fishermen, but several have begun seeking the power of pure hatred in their war against Vendel. They call this the "roar of the Great Bear" in reference to the berserks of ancient times. These Vesten are plotting their vengeance, and will deal with anyone to get it - even Vodacce or the Inquisition. There's high bounties on the new berserkers, but they don't care. The island's largest village is Svalden, which recently became a holy site, meeting place and large town all at once. You see, one night the peak next to the town was struck by lightning. The next day, when the Vesten went to look, the rune of Fury had been carved on the top of the mountain. They proclaimed it a sign from the gods approving of the berserkers. So far, only the berserker's own skjæren have been allowed to see it, and others wonder how holy it can be if they're not allowed near it. Meanwhile, Svalden itself has swelled with angry Vesten looking for fights. Some of the original farmers and fisherman don't like it, but they're not willing to fight the warriors - and since the warriors never start fights with other Vesten, they put up with it for now...but the muttering is getting louder. Ironically, this has all been very good for trade, and the village is now a thriving Vesten port.

Oddis, the island formerly known as Oddiswulf, is the largest of the islands. It is also possibly the most influential and important piece of land in the world. It is home to the Hjalmarr Mountains, said to be the site of the battle with the Great Wyrm, but the Vendel have cast such things aside. True power is in Kirk. There's just one road on Oddis, connecting the cities of Kirk and Västeras to the port of Eskilstuna. The League maintains the road, funding it with tolls. Those who can't pay are sent back to their point of origin and told to find another course. Kirk, once Kirkjubæharklauster, is the de factor capital of Vendel, once home to an old village that has since been built over pretty much completely. Everything is new and clean, and the streets are brick and cobblestone. The city is home to the Guild Halls, the Vendel League's Great Hall and embassies of every nation in the world. It is also home to the University of Kirk, which is quickly gaining even on the Castillian universities. There is also the construction site of Lieber's Cathedral, intended as the biggest church in the world. When finished, it will be a massive Objectionist Church, bigger than any building yet built. The city has twenty-three hot springs, which serve as a major tourist attraction, and the Lord Sheriff, Ivar Dags, says his men are the most efficient in the world. He's troubled by rumors of corruption, but he's made Kirk a very safe city...until recently. Civil unrest is spreading, and just a year ago, Master Gunther Soloman of the Usury Guild was killed at a costume ball! Dags has yet to find the killer, whom he suspects is more than a simple savage. (He's right. It's the Rilasciare.)

Oddis is also home to the port of Eskilstuna, a quaint and old-fashioned place by design. The Vendel turned what was once a fishing village into the image of what the rest of the world thinks life on the islands must be like. The buildings are compact and resemble longhouses, and the people dress similarly to the Vesten. Montaigne chefs prepare "traditional" Vesten dishes for guests and actors recite updated versions of the Grumfather Cycle for cash on street corners. The Vesten hate Eskilstuna and would have burned it to the ground several times if not for the elite mercenaries that guard the place. The Vendel have kept the fights quiet. It is also home to a major fishing industry, the only part of the city that refuses to play along in the old ways - they've refused to use longships to fish, on the grounds that progress is progress.

The island is also the site of Västeras, a playground for the wealthy. It's full of concerts, casinos and courtesans - and more! It's a decadent city that also serves as the hub of the shipping industry, commissioning new ships and sending them out across the world. The shipwrights tend to avoid the tourist areas, preferring their quieter taverns to the noisy entertainments of the rich. There's the city of Thrandarness, home of the gold and silver mines of the Hjalmarr. Thralls who leave the Vesten often find work here, making more in a month than they would in a year. Sure, conditions are bleak and cave-ins common, but the work is very rewarding, and those who die on the job have their families compensated, which is better than most thralls ever get. Lastly, there is the ghost town of Sodermanvarman. It was once a tiny Vesten farming community, but Vendel wanted the land as a second port. The Vesten refused to leave, so the Vendel sent in Eisen mercenaries...who put every man, woman and child to the sword, and burned the town. Most of Vendel was horrified, but the Vesten were enraged, and raids doubled after the massacre. To make amends, the Vendel have officially given the land to the Vesten, though none have come to claim it - they say the spirits are too angry, and that something unnatural nests in the ruins. Regardless of whether it's true or not, Sodermanvarman is an empty, silent testament to the unrest of the islands.

The next island is Örnsköldsvik, the Rock. It is just south of Oddis, and it's...well, practically a single piece of rock, with little soil. It has no arable land and is home to the Vendel fortress of Hofsjokull, a massive work that is bigger than almost any other fortress. Its walls are 20 feet thick and it's large enough for a thousand men. It's got a town of supply personnel, and massive Eisen cannons atop its walls. It was built to impress those sailing to Oddis - everyone has to pass by it, and it's an awe-inspiring site. The stories of its impregnability are a bit overblown, though - its size, while impressive, makes communicating across its length hard. There's a system of semaphore flags, but the cannonsmoke would likely obscure it if the place were attacked. There's also the problem of length - with so much to defend, few cannons can be pointed at any one target. While the big cannons outrange ship's cannons, their accuracy at that range would be rather low. While impressive, Hofsjokull would have problems with direct assault. It's not helped by the fact that the place's captain, Niklas Lassia, is a fool with absolute faith in the place, feeling it represents ultimate power, and that the Vendel need only show it to the other nations to make them listen to any demand they care to make. Lassia is also violently anti-Vesten.

The next island is Soroya, the Navigator's Dream. It's almost entirely Vesten, scattered among a number of whaling and farming communities. It is home to the great mound of Ultost, where the Vesten say that Grumfather first created men. Or gave them fire. Or...well, there's a lot of legends. It's a holy site, anyway, and tourists are not permitted. The only real city on the island is Isafjordhur, a Vendel outpost that is frequently attacked by Vesten. None have tried to hold it, though, just sacking it and sailing away. Only its lighthouse and academy have avoided destruction at some point. The Lighthouse, which has no other name, is built of rune-enhanced steel and stone, with a huge beacon atop it that is visible for miles. It's tended to by the Isafjordhur Academy of Navigation, who ensure it survives the Vesten assaults. The Academy is run by the Sailor's Guild, and Guildmaster Trel can frequently be found there. It's got more than a hundred students, and has a reputation for quality. In Vendel and Avalon, attending is an easy way to get a navigator's position on graduation. The Stjernasfolk Vesten hate the Academy, but for some reason can't bring themselves to attack it - in fact, many secretly wish to visit and compare their skills to the instructors...though this is more out of competetive spirit than altruism. The port is also the major trading port with Avalon, thanks to the warm current that leads to it from Inismore.

Then there's Thorshofn, the Farmlands. It's an insular island that does not welcome outsiders - defined as 'anyone not from Thorshofn', even other Vesten. There are no ports or real cities, amd the Tillitsfolk of the island fish and farm as they please. They hate the Vendel, and have sworn to uphold their traditions at all costs. They constantly chase off merchants, and while Kirk has thought about military action, most believe it'd start a fll civil war so they haven't done it. At the center of the island stands Asegenir, called the Tree of Life. No one knows what kind of tree it is, or how old it is, but it's ten feet wide at the base and many times that at the canopy. Some believe it is the true which lies over the Well of Kings, but it's never been proven, and proof-seekers tend to vanish. In fact, it's the site of several annual sacrifices that would horrify even other Vesten. The elders of Thorshofn are convinced that only sacrifice can save the islands, and select one person a year by lottery, who is then stoned to death by the rest of the villagers at the base of the tree. The idea is that Grumfather takes who he wants, and they do his will at all costs. They keep the sacrifice a secret, and quickly silence anyone who might divulge it.

Next time: More islands! Also important people.

The speed of their flight extinguished their fire, the burning torch keeping the darkness at bay.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: The speed of their flight extinguished their fire, the burning torch keeping the darkness at bay.

Our next island is Viddenheim, the second-largest island. It's a lot like Oddiswulf, and has a fertile plain along its coast. It is claimed by the Vesten, with the middle section full of mountains (also called Hjalmarr). The people of Viddenheim claim the Great Wyrm was defeated in their mountains, and go as far as calling the highest mountain, an inactive volcano, Tårn. It used to be a big point of contention with Oddiswulf before the Vendel took over and stopped caring. Viddenheim is home to Mjoelsa, the closest thing the Vesten have to a city. It's a very well-connected trade community surrounded by fertile land. There are also the springs of Malaram, the eternally cool and bubbling waters that are said to cure any illness - even the White Plague. However, if taken from the springs, the water loses all medicinal effects after two full nights. The Vendel have twice seized Malaram, only to find that the healing power didn't work for them. Should they try again, they'll be disappointed again - the power works only for those who truly believe in it.

The Viddenheim Hjalmarrs are also home to the valley of Sanning Dal, site of Thingvallavatn. It's not a particularly pretty fortress, having started as a dirt and stone longhouse and having had each High King add to it rather eclectically. The longhouse is still the center, but it has been modified over the generations into a huge great hall, with a table that can hold over a hundred guests. It's full of Vesten historic art, though usually stained by smoke and time. The place has fallen into disrepair thanks to the century without a High King. There are caretakers, but they're guards, not a maintenance crew. During the althing, those who attend leave things exactly as they found them, and no one would ever dare sit in the High King's throne.

The last island is the Ninth Island, the Wanderer's Throne. Despite their best efforts, the Vendel League have never claimed this stone - and it appears on no maps. It can be found only when the island's inhabitants allow it. The skjæren have the easiest time of it, but any Vesten an find it if needed. In fact, someone in need might find the winds leading them there. It stands somewhere between Oddiswulf, Eskjö, Viddenheim, Klørbulg and Thorshofn, at the heart of Vendel...and yet no Vendel has ever been able to claim it. The Gray Wanderer's Throne is a round island about a mile in diameter, and the Vesten say the gods travel there to hold their things. Anyone who reaches the island can hear the whispers of the spirits, and it's said that the Valkyries an be found here - the valiant warrior women who guard the afterlife. It's said that the gods themselves touch the world here, and even the High Kings can't go without good reason. Of all Vesten and Vendel, only Gunrud Stigandsdottir can come and go at will - and she never leaves her cave on Oddiswulf. But if the gods will it, anyone can find the Throne. The Vesten see the Ninth Island as a symbol of hope, power and unity. The Vendel, meanwhile, see it as a taunt. Even as they've won control over the islands and the world economy, this one rock eludes them, and powers they refuse to acknowledge deny them access to it. It's intolerable. It's said that the Vendel are preparing an expedition that will use the Vesten idea of the power of names against the island.

You see, they're building a special ship, protected by the words and symbols of the Church of the Prophets. One ready, it will be a floating cathedral. The Vendel logic goes something like this: The Vesten say names are important and holy to the gods, yes? So therefore the truly holy words, symbols and names of the Church will undo their sorcery. The skjæren who've heard the plan have tended to collapse in laughter. Another rumor says that the Vendel started the floating cathedral rumor to get someone else to fund it and don't have any ship under construction at all. Vesten who hear about the Vendel rumors are overjoyed - the Ninth Island is making new legends and drawing strength from the Vendel. They say that some things can't be beaten by cunning and gold, but just are , and the Ninth Island is one of 'em.

Now, important people. Our first is Gjæving Asbjornsson. He was a jarl, the last of eight hildren. His parents had run out of name ideas, so his father called him Gjæving, or 'brother', in the hopes that the grand title would give the boy a purpose. For most of his life, it just seemed ironic. See, Gjæving was never a particularly skilled warrior or leader. He was a fast-talker, who learned to pik locks rather than fight. He was a family disgrace who was banished after a scandal with a neighbor's daughter. He wandered the islands, using his skill with words to get others to take him in, only to steal from them and flee into the night. When he came to Västeras, he heard about the riches of the Vendel there and schemed to steal them. Soon, he beame very, very rich among the Vendel. His time among them taught him that they were no different than the Vestenmannavnjar: they worked just as hard, but had more to show for it. The more they had, the more they wanted - and he'd seen just that among the Vesten raiders and himself. Wealth, he saw, was a weakness of his people no matter what side they were on.

After three years among the Vendel, Gjæving thought it was time to make amends, trying to return home. He was cut short, though, when a village he visited recognized him and set on him with axes. He fled, and just when it seemed he'd be overtaken, a freak storm rose up. He plunged into a cave before he realized what was happening. When he could see again, he found a well of pure water at the roots of a huge tree. He drank the water deeply, and as he rested under the tree, he began to hear voices. They told him that they were his ancestors and that it was time to meet his destiny. He fell ill, as he realized what was going on. He tried to resist, but he found he could not, as he took a dagger and plucked out his left eye. It didn't hurt, though - it felt right. He threw the eye into the water, and he found himself promising to honor his people and their ways. The voices of the ancestors were full of pride - and then Grumfather's voice boomed in his mind, telling him: the time had come to renew the promise. Gjæving was High King.

When he came to his senses, the pain hit him - his missing eye, a raging nosebleed and a huge headache. He knew it had to be a mistake...but the spirits came to him, got him to his feet and led him from the ave. They urged him onward, towards his destiny. He's been wandering for six months now, trying to fight the visions and the voices. He knows no peace, seeing the world around him with new eyes. He knows his people need a leader - he just wishes it wasn't him. Every day, his hair and beard turn more gray, as does his one eye. He hides his fae under a hood and tries to ensure no one recognizes him as High King. A few Vesten know who he is, but they're loyal enough to stay silent. He knows he'll soon have to reveal himself, but he's in no hurry to do so.

Then there's Magnus Brynjulffrsson af Larsfolk. He's been a prodigy of physial power since birth, and when he was born, an old soothsayer came to his parents. In exchange for stew, she told his future: "I see a crown, a crown and glory. I see the High King." She forbade Magnus' parents to tell anyone, but he was raised to an exacting standard. The father, Brynjulffr, knew the sagas and that his son would face trials to become king - and so he ran the boy hard, but Magnus thrived in every discipline. At nineteen, he was an unbeatable warrior, and the local jarl was worried. He was a cruel man who was afraid the boy was a threat. He and his men went to Magnus, challenging him to a fight to ensure his loyalty. Magnus took it further: if he lost, he'd serve the jarl. But if he won, he'd be the jarl. The jarl could not refuse in front of his men, and the two fought. After an hour, Magnus killed the jarl and took his land.

Since then, Magnus has become known and feared throughout Vendel. He lives on the isle of Klørbulg, where he's declared vicious war on the Vendel. His raids are terrible, and he's destroyed five expeditions meant to capture or kill him. He's become a hero of the Vestenmannavnjar, and many think he'll be able to lead a jarl army to defeat the Vendel for good. He's not put out a call, but they're flocking to him. He's told no one of his birth prophecy, but few would be surprised to hear it.

Some say that Gunrud Stigandsdottir has been alive for a hundred and fifty years. They're wrong - she's much older than that. Centuries ago, she was a beautiful woman who enchanted all who saw her. She never took it seriously until she met a young man named Fornuft. He was an artist, and the two fell in love quickly and passionately. His art soon focused on her, and all the time together they had only one argument: Gunrud believed she did not deserve such regard and that Fornuft should paint other things. He told her she was the only thing in the world worth his skill. She responded in haste, and it would have dire repurcussions. She told him that if he could paint nothing else, he was no true artist. If she was the only thing in the world he could paint, he should look the heavens. She pointed at the sun and told him she'd only sit for him again if he could capture its beauty. Angry and hurt, Fornuft tried to. He succeeded...but it blinded him. Saddened, Gunrud made a vow that she would always aid her lover until his death. Little did she know what that would mean. The two were married, and Fornuft continued his work, though he no longer focused on Gunrud. He'd had an inspiration, he said, and painted scenes of great heroes and a horrible creature of the outer realms.

Years later, when the Great Wyrm appeared, his portrayals were recognized as true prophecy. He went as one of the emissaries of the tribes to stop the monster and became a Living Rune. He would not age and never again would he be sick...but the same was not true for Gunrud. She grew old and feeble, but her vow kept her alive. She would always serve as Fornuft's helper and aid him until he died. Because of the bond, she gained some of his powers. She developed the ability to see a man's past and part of his future. Others recognized it, and she became a seer for her people. When Krieg the Inhuman and other Living Runes were killed, Fornuft went into hiding, and Gunrud assumed a new role. He would communicate with her by their shared gift, and she became the mouthpiece of the gods. This brought her even more attention, and so at last she retreated into a cave overlooking the village of her birth, which would eventually grow into the town of Kirkjubæjarklauster, and later the city of Kirk. Her story became legend, and people who needed answers would climb to her cave, many never to return. She saw everything. Those who found her were usually too stunned by her decrepit appearance to speak, and she would just give them some stew and wait for them to leave. She was never surprised when they didn't listen to her, if they even asked her advice. She still watches the city below, knowing that the Vendel would send a team to find if she existed. She also knew that the truth she would tell them would make them deaf, blind and mute. When they appeared, she revealed it to them, and they fled in horror back to Kirk, followed by her cackling laughter. She saw it centuries ago and patiently waited for it. Now, she waits for her next guest. Driven by the spirits, Gjæving Asbjornsson will come to her cave. She will give him a speech she has long rehearsed. He will stay and have stew with her, and she believes he will not follow the last bit of her advice until it's too late.

The woman known only as Uvitenhet, the Mystery, is...well, mysterious. They say she's a skjæren dedicated to destroying the Guilds. Her first act was two years ago, when she sent nailed a letter from a Vendel merchant to the door of Kirk's cathedral. The letter was a set of instructions for the merchant's men to murder a young couple who refused to sell their land, and it was marked by the rune of Mystery in red ink. No one had seen who posted it, despite being on a busy street. The merchant escaped prosecution thanks to a number of bribes. Weeks later, someone came into his house, killed him and left the Uvitenhet rune on the wall next to his body, drawn in blood. A maid described a huge blonde woman with powerful magic as the perpetrator...but 'huge blonde woman' described half the women in Kirk.

Since then, many other letters from the mysterious Uvitenhet have appeared across Kirk in public places. They detail the crimes of the Vendel merchants. Some are charged...but most are not, and they tend to die in strange "accidents". It's not common knowledge, but the pirate Yngvild Olafssdottir has gotten a number of letters from Uvitenhet telling her schedules and cargo manifests. In fact, after Uvitenhet sent her an entire shipping schedule, one prominent merchant had his entire holdings destroyed in two weeks by the raiders. The Vendel Council doesn't speak of it, but the Uvitenhet rune has appeared elsewhere, too. The Carpenter's guild found it carved on a shipment of maple, all of which was warped beyond use. When a cargo of vegetables was delaed and rotted, the rune was found painted on the crates. Several merchants have been found dead in the homes of disreputable women, marked with the rune. Uvitenhet, to the Vesten, is a leade to rally behind. They don't know who she is, but they're willing to help her in any way they can. Several Guild agents believe there isn't actually one Uvitenhet, but rather an entire organization dedicated to destroying the Guilds. They think the runes are just used to confuse people and have no magic. Still, there's a big reward for Uvitenhet's capture, though no one's tried to claim it.

Among the Vendel, there is the businessman Boli Kollsson. He's the worst of the traitors, according to the Vestenmannavnjar. He was born Vendel, and when he hit puberty, he started to see strange visions. His parents felt it might show a talent for Lærdom, and they sent him to study under his Vesten grandfather, a Ypperste Priest named Thrand Ulfson. The old man taught Boli the old ways...but Boli hated living there. He wanted the culture and fashion of the city. He tried to run away several times, but Thrand always seemed to know where he was going. Eventually, after being sent into the forest to contemplate the ancient ways, he meditated for two nights...and came home to find his grandfather murdered by brigands. Boli grieved, but knew he couldn't do anything. He returned home with his Lærdom skills. They were very useful, but he didn't care about the spirituality that came with it. To the suprise and quiet outrage of his parents, he became an Objectionist, saying that Lærdom depended not on gods but on the wielder. As for the visions he'd had, he said they were just overactive imagination.

Since then, Boli's become rich among hte Vendel. He has so embraced their ideals that when he inherited his grandfather's land, he had the holy grove there cut down to build ships and a hunting lodge. He is a full member of the Merchant's Guild, and he sells magic. He's opened a school in Kirk, where for a nominal fee he will teach promising students the art of Lærdom. Graduating students must inscribe ships with magic runes to fight pirates, and Boli also specializes in teaching how to inscribe weapons and armor. A few other schools have sprung up, but none have Boli's reputation. A lot of his wealth goes to funding Lieber's Cathedral, part of his lobbying effort to have the Objectionist Church declare that sorcerers are not inherently damned. He's got several Porté mages backing him on that, and the council of Apostles is staring to listen, perhaps realizing how many converts such a declaration might bring. Boli wears conservative clothing with long sleeves to cover the hideous scars on his arms, lasting marks from his many failed attempts to Become a rune. He keeps trying, and keeps seeing the face of the Lærdom master he met last year, who told him he'd never achieve true power because he lacked faith in the gods he served. He refuses to renounce his faith in the Objectionist church and is desperately trying to find a way to prove the skjæren wrong.

Next time: The Guild Chairs!

He absorbed his friend's suffering, taking it as his own.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: He absorbed his friend's suffering, taking it as his own.

Before we get to the Guild leaders, we should talk about Bens Postma. He was born on Viddenheim and raised as a Vestenmannavnjar by his mother. His father was a sailor who spent a lot of time away from home. By the age of 12, Bens had learned most of the stories of the Living Runes from memory. Soon after, his father came home and told the family they were moving to Kirk, to share in the Vendel prosperity. Bors didn't mind, but his mother grew somber and withdrawn. His father still spent a lot of time at sea, and he had to care for her. Eventually, she went mad, ranting about forgotten names and damnation, and starved herself to death. Bens left home, entering an Objectionist monastery to find peace. There, he studies both Vesten and Vendel theology and came to an interesting conclusion. The Vesten did not have to be right about the Vendel to fear them, and if the Vesten really believed that the Vendel were inadvertantly killing people by destroying traditional culture, they'd continue to resist regardless of the truth. Something had to bring the two sides to an understanding. Once that happened, he was sure, Vesten resistance would end and the two peoples could be comfortable.

Bens began to travel the archipelago, gathering lists of names among hte Vesten. He understood both the Vesten horror and the Vendel desire for advancement, and he hoped to bridge the gap by cataloguing the whole nation. Some villages welcomed him, while others thought him a spy. He still travels extensively for his cataloguing, and is compiling the most exhaustive Vesten geneaology ever made. He hopes it'll help facilitate communication and stop the Vesten fears, sparing other children the pain of watching a parent torture themself to death. He also collects local legends and folklore, which he intends to catalogue as well. He's a dues-paying Explorer, and the Explorers keep him in food and clothes. He recently found a copy of Leila MacDonald's recorded Grumfather Cycle. If Vesten lived as long as their names were remembered, he thinks, this could be the greatest boon to them ever. He's still reading the book, and hopes to publish it.

Now then. Master Joris Braakenjor changed his name to Brak, like many other Vendel, to make it easier on foreign tongues. Even if the rest hadn't changed their names, though, he probably would've. Joris hates cnflict and making people uncomfortable - he saw enough as a child. His father, Rig, was the last head of the Carpenters. However, Rig was always busy, so raising Joris was left to his uncle, Ai, a traveler. Rig felt it'd be good for his son to see the world. Ai, however, was not a merchant traveler, but a brigand and cutthroat. He lived a double life, hiring men to cause trouble and then 'heroically' stopping them. Only Joris knew the truth. To ensure the boy's silence, Ai beat him regularly, and he lived in constant fear, with woodcarving as his only comfort.

When Joris was 14, Ai decided to head into Eisen with him, into the War of the Cross. Ai loved to hire warriors to ravage a town, and then hire himself out to rid the area of brigands. If the locals couldn't afford it, the brigands would return and he'd help them wipe the people out...and sometimes, Ai would betray the villagers even if paid. After one such massacre, Joris reached his breaking point. Ai had somehow missed a young woman, who still wore her wedding dress and cradled her dead husband in her arms. Ai planned to... Ai planned to rape the girl. But Joris took his knife and cut his uncle's throat to stop him. He has since blotted the night and many of the years that followed out of his memory. He made his way to Ussura, where he learned better woodcarving skills and tried to forget. He won a tiny golden egg at a contest in Siev, and that gave him the courage to return home. Rig barely recognized his son, and Joris could not bring himself to tell his father the truth. Instead, he claimed that Ai died as a hero, defending some farmers from war crminals. Everyone believed him, and Joris was quietly groomed to be head of the guild. Today, he's seen as the voice of reason among the nine Chairs - a silent and patient man, save on matters that might cause a war. Then he becomes passionate, speaking out against such things. When not at the League meetings, he prefers to be alone, whittling and trying not to remember the past.

Mistress Sela Cole, meanwhile, was born to be a blacksmith. Her father, Colbjor Ulfson, wanted a son to take over his family forge. He arranged a marriage and worked hard to get an heir, even insisting that his wife Selma stay near the forge when the birthing came. His wife died giving birth, but he didn't care until he saw that his son was not a son, but a daughter. In his rage, he named her Selma after her mother but insisted that she be named Colbjorsson instead of Colbjorsdottir. Colbjor knew nothing of child-rearing, especially a girl, so he treated her like he'd treat metal - high pressure, repeated beatings and sudden immersion in cold scorn. She worked in the forge from the time she could walk and handled the hammer as soon as she was strong enough to hold it. The woman that emerged from the forge was hard as steel and twice as strong. Her father had taught her to calculate price and powder charge, read contracts in many languages and deal with customers who wouldn't pay. However, she had absolutely no social grace, was gruff, had never worn a dress or even left Kirk until her 21st birthday. Then, she confronted her father and told him that her apprenticeship was over. She changed her name and vowed not to return until she;d surpassed him.

For five years, she traveled the world and spent time with miners, metallurgists, scholars and merchants. She learned their trades and techniques, finding poise and confidence. She spent her nights with local blacksmiths, buying room and board with her work and advice. She forged the smiths into a network of connections and developed a clean and functional style of her own. Her father summoned her back to Vendel for a special commission - a mile-long chain, asked for by the Gaius of Ussura, to close off a port. It was meant to keep out pirates. Colbjor had taken the commission, but due to his health he could not begin. Sela had grown beyond bitterness, and returned to help him. Within a month, the chain was completed, installed and worked perfectly, shattering a pirate ship's hull and sending the rest fleeing. Sela returned to her dying father in triumph, and his dying words were to tell her that she was his finest creation. Her response was that she was her own creation, not his. With her contacts, she soon grew important, discovering secrets of hardening and tempering, and four months ago she was stunned to inherit the League Chair when her superior died at sea. Since then, she's discovered the political mess of the Blacksmith's Guild - she'd never before gotten involved in politics, preferring to work on her craft. She found that her fellow masters were not so focused, and that infighting was running rampant. She has been trying to apply her methodical work to the political structure of the guild - and only time will tell if it works.

Then there's Master Val Mokk. He's not an evil man, really. He's a patriot, a champion of the average Vendel and even doesn't hate the Vesten and tries to think of them. He sees that the world's got more for them than poverty and raiding. He wants only the best for his country, and if he gets rich doing it, well, that's his reward. He's gotten a chance at greatness - and he'll take it. But it's not simple. Born Sigvald Mjøkke, he was the only child of two poor thralls. His parents refused to leave the old ways, and worked for a fat jarl who took liberties with any woman that struck his fancy. Sivald watched his mother work herself to death when he was ten, seeing her have a heart attack as she chopped wood for the family. When his father told the jarl, the man sent his servants to take the wood. The ground was too hard, he said, for a burial, and he'd deal with it in the spring. He never had a chance to - wolves came and stole the body long before then. Sigvald was devastated by the events, and moreso by his father's continuing loyalty to the jarl. The boy begged with his father to help break free, but the old man said they had a duty to stay and work. Sigvald grew in the coming weeks to despise his father's weakness, and when the first warm night came, he ran away.

He made his way to Kirk, where he saw amazing wealth and comfort. Even the jarl was a pauper compared to the people of Kirk. He wondered why every Vesten did not live this way, why his parents chose to live in such horrible conditions. He became angrier than he'd ever been, and promised that he would never again find himself in such circumstances and that he'd save his people from themselves. To survive, he changed his name to Val Mokk and apprenticed himself to Daegal Haakon of the Merchant's Guild. It was tedious work, but he threw himself into it and soon surpassed his mentor - but it would still take a miracle to reach the heights he desired. When it came, it came in tragedy. A fire, allegedly set by Vesten fanatics, gutted the Merchant's Guild. At great risk to himself, Val rushed in and helped several prominent members get out, including Master Kaarlo Ottosson, the current Chair. The Master was so touched that he relieved Val's indenture and took him under personal supervision, grooming him as an heir. Kaarlo turned Val into what he is today, teaching him diction and grace, showing him how to hide his true emotions. He taught Val his favorite saying: "You don't have to be liked to be successful, but you do have to be respected." When the time came for Val to take the Chair, he was more than ready. He was a genius of business and a master negotiator, resolving internal conflict with an iron fist and swaying votes with powerful personal presence. He had a natural talent for politics, and his goal was clear: lead Vendel to dominate the world economy and bring prosperity to all its people, whether the want it or not. He still works towards that goal, and to compensate for his lack of a personal life, he surrounds himself with the best of everything money can buy. He is stern with the Vesten, seeing their devotion to "backward" ways as the greatest threat to his goal. He's got no problem with the ones who want to be isolated - they'll die out eventually. It's the raiding zealots who concern him. After two assassination attempts, Val's realized they need to be dealt with as harshly as possible. The Vesten hate him, and he knows they blame him. He doesn't care - he's trying to help them, whether they want it or not.

Master Red, born Reider Engnestangen, was the only son of a clerk in Eskilstuna. His father had kept the old Vesten name, and the other children mocked Reider mercilessly. It didn't help that he was short and pudgy, and he grew up as a sullen and withdrawn child. His father worked hard, and never had time for his child. Reidar never really knew him, but loved him and wanted to make him proud. In time, Reidar's father became a partner at the local counting-house, and established franchise houses in Kirk and Västeras. Reidar moved to Kirk, to work at the new office, and he worked hard, showing a talent for manipulating numbers. He could complex math in his head and easily track fluctuating price indexes. He advanced steadily, while remaining socially stunted and quiet, becoming animated only when discussing accounting. He became painfully nearsighted, and remained short and fat, and now bald. At the age of 22, he discovered that one of the senior partners, Per Fhrome, was embezzling. Only Reidar's genius could find the theft, and he took the knowledge to his father, who brought Fhrome up on charges with the Usury Guildmasters. Fhrome was banned from the guild and barred from accounting, while Reidar's father was given a chain of counting-houses as a reward. Reidar took over the Kirk house, and brought it be the most successful in all Vendel, greatly enriching his father. Eventually, his father became Guild Master...and died days later, leaving the post to his son, the 27-year-old Reidar.

Reidar saw the Vendel League as a great way to overcome his personal shortcomings, and went to great lengths to try and impress his fellows. He held parties, hosted dinners, changed his name to Red in the hopes of sounding adventurous and even learned to dance. He never really fit in, though. Everyone was nice, but no one befriended him. He settled down to impress the world another way, the only way he had: by being the best at what he did. He is essentially the manager of the wealth of the entire nation of Vendel, thanks to his chain of counting-houses, and he's a fantastic administrator and arguably the cause of the rapid rise of the Guilder. However, after the Guilder, he was forced to retire after sixty years as Chair, and he reluctantly named Gunther Soloman his successor. He stepped down...and became miserable, without prupose. He probably would have died, were it not for the death of Master Soloman to an assassin a year ago. His successors proved incapable, and Val Mokk requested that Red be reinstated. He took the job gladly, and plans to hold it until his death. He's easily the oldest member of the Council, is blind beyond ten feet and is huge and flabby. He's as sharp as ever, though, and can still do complex math without any need of a pencil.

Master George Skard is a brewer. Brewers have a long history among the Vesten, and George Skard's from a long line of brewers. His ancestors have always dominated brewing, and when the Vendel came to be, the Skaardals were quick to take over the Brewer's Guild. Through continued skill and business sense (and nepotism), they remain in control. Jorgan Skaardal never actually calls himself George Skard, though he lets foreigners address him that way. He considers his family name too important to drop. He loves money and liqour, and views them as inextricably interwtwined. The more money you have, the more liqour you make, the more liqour you sell, the more money you have. He owns breweries across the islands and has currently begun branching out into Eisen beer and Highly whiskey, as well as Ussuran vodka of excellent quality. He knows more about alcohol than practically anyone alive, and continues to privately brew his own mead, all while being one of the richest men in Vendel. He's a good friend to Allen Trel, and the two share opinions on reaching out to the Vesten. Skaardal plans to pursue peace through liqour. The Vesten are proud brewers, and he uses a hand picked cadre of master brewers to make contact with his Vesten counterparts, trying to make friends and hold feasts. He's had more success than Trel, who tends to engender too much suspicion with his sailing politics.

Allen Trel was born Arvor Troelsen, the son of a sailor who fell in love with the sea. He became a cabin boy as young as he could, and was apprenticed to a renegade Vesten navigator named Thorhallur af Stjernasfolk. Thorhallur was a genius of navigation, but was met with hostility by the Vendel crew. When Arvor asked why, he was told that it was because "they can't stomach that I'm better." Arvor became a great navigator under Thorhallur, and also learned the ways of the Vesten, dreaming of longships and brave sailors. As he grew older, he rose in rank among the Sailing Guild and took the name Allen Trel. By the time he was 35, he was one of the best five navigators in Vendel. His work took up a lot of his time, but he never forgot his father's sailing tales or the adventure stories of Thorhallur. He knew the Vesten had many sailing secrets that could revolutionize Vendel sailing, and decided the best way to bring them into the future was to respect them. He resolved to treat the Vesten as one would a revered grandfather, using their knowledge as a guide, not an obstacle. Trel has become a leading voice in reaching out to the Vesten sailors, and has taught classes on Vesten sailing techniques. He has friends and enemies among both Vendel and Vesten, and has never been afraid to fight either side if needed - but he's always remained sure that sailing can bring his people together. Because of his skills and his unofficial position as ambassador to the Vendel, he was named heir to the Guild Chair by Master Haakon Vils, and took it ten years ago. Since then, he's continued his work with guild money, and constantly tries to recruit Vesten navigators to teach at Isafjordhur Academy. He dislikes his Council duties, and tends to perform them by messenger.

Joseph Volkner, until a year ago, was simply the personal butler of Imperator Riefenstahl of Eisen. It demanded a lot, and he was good at it...but after a mysterious stranger visited the Imperator, he killed himself and left Joseph an amazing inheritance. He got the Imperator's Chair in the Vendel League and became one of the wealthiest men in the world. He's not used to being a leader, though - his entire life has been following orders, not giving them, and the League is losing patience. He may have been a butler, but he had little knowledge of the Imperator's dealings with the League and never thought it was his business. He's been searching Riefenstahl's records for clues as to what he's in for, and has learned the history of the League. He decided not to send a proxy but to go work with the Vendel himself, leaving for the Norvik Isles just four weeks after his master's death. On the second morning of his voyage, the ship was attacked by Vesten pirates, led by Slagfid Barelegs, who wanted to take him prisoner, To save the crew from being tortured, Joseph made himself known and was taken captive. OVer the next few days, Slavfid revealed his plans: he wanted to trade Joseph for his brother, Njal the Snake-tongued - but things did not go well. League agents attacked, killing Slagfid and showing Joseph their stance on negotiating with pirates. When he made it to Kirk, he was bruised, dirty and hurt, but he presented himself to the other members with all the poise that butlering taught him, and he impressed the Chairs. He's since immersed himself in their affairs, learning all he can so he can make the right decisions. The other Chairs are aware of his enthusiasm and each tries to influence him. He's proven resilient so far, earning respect from Val Mokk, but his caution can cause more harm than good. He's abstained from several key votes, leading to deadlock among the Chairs, which has made several people rather upset...which has only made him more nervous. He has yet to enjoy his wealth, though he looks forward to the day he can act on all the admiring looks he gets from the ladies of Kirk - but that might be a long time coming. He has a lot to learn.

Madame Lorraine Weller was born the third daughter of Avalon gentry. Her father was mayor, and she and her sisters were well known and well liked. On her fifteenth birthday, while going home, she and a group of youths stopped to help some peddlers whose cart had lost a wheel. The men set to helping while the ladies looked on...but the old merchant revealed the truth - he was in fact leader of a group of outlaws, who ambushed the young men and women, beating them savagely and stealing their money and jewels. One of the boys fought back and stabbed a brigand - which enraged the rest, who killed the boys and..."left the young ladies wishing they had been killed as well." The girls made their way home, and a posse was organized...but the girls were disgraced and scorned. One of Lorraine's friends killed herself a year later - and no one seemed to care. Lorraine gathered the two other surviving girls and they swore a pact of loyalty, since no one else cared about them, and ran away to Carleon. (No one pursued them.)

In Carleon, their complete lack of trade skills forced them to turn to being Jennys. Lorraine was disgusted, hating being seen as an object, and vowed to one day be rich and powerful, so she could control others without needing sex. She applied herself and mastered the trade, becoming the head of Avalon's Jenny's Guild at the age of 25. While there, she received a private visit from Kaatje Fanse, Chair of the Vendel guild. Fanse was looking for an assistant, and Lorraine's skill at organization had come to her ears. Lorraine jumped at the chance to expand her power. She never expected to be Chair herself, and was as surprised as anyone when Fanse named her successor. She's held the chair for five years, but in that time she's forged the Jennys into a cohesive voice of gender euality and workplace safety. She's 34 now, and has few close friends, though her two childhood friends and allies remain on her staff. Her political skills are a match for anyone on the Council, and she's gotten the status she so dearly wanted...but at what cost, given what she's had to do over the years?

Next time: Harpoon "fencing."

These binding runes were the Truth of the world and kept the Great Wyrm here.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: These binding runes were the Truth of the world and kept the Great Wyrm here.

Okay. We're skipping Destiny Spread, but note that unlike other nations, Vendel and Vesten don't use Tarot. Vesten uses runes, and Vendel uses astrology. Kind of neat, but the same effect. But that's not what you're here for. You're here for the Halfdansson Harpoon School . It's a Vestenmannavnjar "fencing" school that teaches you to impale people on harpoons and kill them at leisure. It's very powerful, but its weakness is that it focuses too much on making the perfect first move, letting a clever foe take advantage of that preoccupation. It was developed from whaling! Naturally, it's not a Swordsman's Guild school.

Apprentices of Halfdansson learn their art by whaling. As a result, they get a free Raise when using a harpoon against any aquatic creature. In addition, they learn that the best way to beat a foe is to let them tire themself out on a harpoon. They can make a Raise on a harpoon attack to try and impale the target. If the attack deals a Dramatic Wound, the target is impaled. Impaled targets have +5 TN to all actions and are at -5 TN to be hit. Further, any substantial disturbance of the harpoon deals 2k1 wounds. If this deals a Dramatic Wound, the harpoon comes loose and they are no longer impaled. Journeymen learn to strike painfully and accurately, dealing an extra die of rolled damage with harpoons. This does not increase the damage done by an impaled harpoon, but Journeymen no longer need to make a Raise to try and impale. Masters, meanwhile, instinctively aim for the best spots, increasing their bonus damage from an unkept die to a kept die. They also get a free rank of Throw (Harpoon), which raises their max to 6. When they impale targets, the harpoon must deal 2 Dramatic Wounds before it comes loose.

Vendel, on the other hand, has the Larsen Swordsman School. Larsen was developed by the Swordsman's Guild for use by Kirk's night watchmen. It uses a "fighting lantern" which is opened and closed in combat to confuse and disorient foes alongside a fencing sword. The light causes foes to be distracted and lower their defenses, but the weakness is that Larsen fencers tend to strike at the spots they shine their lanterns at, making them somewhat predictable. It's kind of a neat style. You don't see many guys fighting with a lantern as their offhand "weapon".

Apprentices of Larsen practice fighting at night. They become accustomed to the lantern, and suffer no offhand penalty to parrying with it. They also get the Night Trained advantage free - to summarize what that does, it reduces penalties from low light. Journeymen get even more familiar with darkness, lowering the penalties even more. They also master the trick of dazzling foes with the lantern light. This lets them make a Wits+Feint action against the target's Wits. If they succeed, they slow down the target's actions, potentially massively...and potentially to the point of making the target lose them. Masters of the Larsen school are at home in darkness, and eliminate most penalties for it. They also learn to use shadows as 'armor', getting bonus TN to be hit when in darkness.

Vendel's not all swordsmen, though. They're home to the Rasmussen Pistol School. See, some Vendel feel that they should be trendsetters, and that fencing duels are so last year. They follow the tradition of the late Eri Rasmussen and practice pistols and pistol duelling. The Swordsmen hate this, by the way - the two groups have a quiet fight going on because the Rasmussen don't like fencers much and the Swordsmen hate unofficial duelists and guns. Recently, people found out that Val Mokk knows Rasmussen. It's a quick and accurate school, but its big weakness is that if you get inside the reach of the pistols, you're probably going to be able to stab them - it's got no defense at all. Naturally, Rasmussen gunners are not part of the Swordsmen.

Apprentices learn that reloading is slow. Instead, they should carry many pistols. They take no offhand penalty when using a pistol in the off-hand, and may draw and fire a pistol as a single action. They also reduce their Short Range penalty by 5 per Mastery level. Journeymen, meanwhile, learn to reflexively fire at threats. They may use an Interrupt action to attack with a readied pistol, or spend 3 instead of the usual 2 actions for an Interrupt to draw and fire a pistol. They add ten yards to their effective range, as well. Masters have learned that speed is fine, but accuracy is final, as the book puts it. Each action spent aiming a pistol gives them a free Raise to damage, to a max of 3. They also get a free ranks of Attack (Firearms), which raises their max to 6. They get another 10 yards added to their effective range.

The Vesten also practice the Siggursdottir Axeman School, a favorite with the bearsarks. It dual-wields axes in a lightning-fast style, throwing them at far foes and launching a vicious storm of attacks at close range. The big weakness of the style is its devotion to emotional responses and speed, without reason or caution. It's not a Swordsman's Guild style, of course. The Vesten styles tend not to be. On the other hand, it's a whirlwind of deadly axes.

Apprentices learn to carry at least three axes at all times. The first is for throwing, and the third is for drawing and fighting in melee. They have no off-hand penalty with handaxes and get a free Raise when throwing axes. Journeymen learn to make a deadly double strike, using both weapons to attack simultaneously. This uses the Double Attack knack, but only rolls damage once, doing 3k3 instead of 2k2 base damage. The TN to defend against this with an active defense goes up by 10. Journeymen also get a free rank of Throw (Hand Axe), which raises their cap to 6. Masters of the Siggursdottir school learn to turn one attack into a deadly flurry. Whenever they successfully hit their target with a normal Attack (Hand Axe) roll, their next action die is considered to be equal to the current phase, letting them immediately act again.

We get some new Lærdom rules. If you've Become a rune, you can inscribe an item with that rune permanently, and I have no idea why you'd ever not do that because it doesn't count against the runes you can maintain. And we get it reiterated that only Vesten can become Lærdom Masters, never Vendel, no matter what rank they get in their knacks. Unless, the book says, the GM says otherwise because they have extraordinary reason to do so. Still - would've been nice to know this in the core book, I think. On the other hand, Vendel can become Astrologers, allowing them to influence people positively or negatively in mass combat (and only mass combat). Vesten can become Bearsarks, who have learned to call upon the bloody rage of the North Wind. Bearsarks are permanently immune to Fear at all times. Before battle, they can spend a Drama die to go berserk. While berserk, they are immune to being crippled, though they can still be knocked out. Their Wits temporarily drops to 0, but they get a +5 to all Brawn rolls, wound checks and damage rolls. They also get an increase to their Fear Rating equal to 1/3 of their Panache, rounding up. When in mass combat, they are always Heavily Engaged. Bearsarks have to make a Wits roll to tell friend from foe, though - which is made with 1 nonexploding die. On a 5 or higher, they recognize someone's a friend. They will attack everyone they don't recognize. They also age one week per round of combat until the battle stops. After the battle, their Wits returns to normal, they lose the Brawn and Fear bonuses and if they were damaged enough to cripple them become crippled.

Instead of the Noble advantage, Vesten buy the Jarl advantage, which is essentially the same thing except with slightly less money. Vesten can also by the power to be a Sympathetic Healer, which lets them touch people and take on their wounds. They spend a Drama die and then make a Resolve roll. They absorb all of the target's Flesh Wounds, and 1 Dramatic Wound per raise made. They immediately have to roll to see if the Flesh Wounds give Dramatic Wounds. They can also spend 1 Drama die without a roll to absorb a sickness or a dose of poison from the target. They can also try to transfer their own injuries or sicknesses to other people, touching them and spending a Drama die. For a sickness or poison, they have roll Resolve against TN 20 to transfer one sickness or one dose of poison. To inflict injuries, they roll Resolve at TN 15 and, if they succeed, lose one Dramatic Wound and inflict a 2k2 damage attack that deals Dramatic Wounds as a firearm would. Vendel, meanwhile - or really, anyone who has the points to do so - can buy a Seat on the Vendel League. It's cheaper for a Vendel, though. This gives bonus Reputation and income, but every three years the seat goes up at auction and you lose the advantage unless you win it at auction again.

We get rules for harpoons, full size shields, swordcanes, throwing axes and fighting lanterns. (Fighting lanterns don't really have rules except in conjunction with the Larsen school, though.) Also more complex weather rules and rules on investing money if, for some reason, you feel like investing money. Vendel are naturally better at it. After that, we get some essays on playing Vesten and Vendel, and how a PC is likely to not be as hateful of the other side as many would be, because don't be a dick if you have one of the other side in the party.

But now, secrets. The biggest one, the first one? The story of how the early Vesten defeated the Great Wyrm's not quite accurate. The Great Wyrm was a manifestation of the Bargainers - a group of Thalusai, apparently, learned the trick of turning themselves into a giant fucking lizard. I don't know. Roll with it. They were so happy to have a foothold in the world that they spread out, looking for others to infest, and soon found the Norviks. The Great Wyrm did indeed kill a lot of people, but also made demands: if they accepted power from it and fought its enemies, it'd stop. If they refused, it would destroy them. Then it went into the mountains to wait for their decision. Dozens of warriors were sent to kill it, but they all died save for twenty-five. These twenty-five made a deal with the Wyrm. Rather than the people taking its power, they, personally, would be given all of it, so that their people couldn't be corrupted by it. The Great Wyrm was amused and accepted, turning them into the Living Runes. They used thie power to assault the Wyrm, forcing it to retreat beyond space and time to hide...but even so, it was pleased. It knew they couldn't handle its power, and that sooner or later that would destroy them.

It took a while for the curse to materialize, but it was the power that drove Krieg insane, overwhelmed by his own rune. He killed as many as the Wyrm did, and Kjølig, Nød and Lidenskap joined him. Only the might of Styrke, Storsæd, Sinne and Villskap stopped them. But Krieg had proved something: his followers believed in him and invoked his name, and they got some of his power. Word soon spread, and the skjæren began to worship the Runes, taking power from them. This turned out to let the Living Runes better control the forces that threatened to overwhelm them. The Great Wyrm watched all this from outside the world, and found it interesting. Other sorcery had to be inherited, but Lærdom could be taught to any who truly believed and had the knack for it. Sure, it let the Runes control their power...but if there ever came a time when there wasn't enough belief, the Runes would have to carry the burden themselves. And every time a Rune dies, its power returns to the Wyrm, strengthening it. If enough Runes falter and become consumed, then the Great Wyrm could return.

So, where are the Runes today? They're immortal, and they're still paying the price for their power. They can't turn their powers off and can barely contain them - their lives are a nightmare of magic power. Those who have been killed face the consequences in the afterlife, though their power can still be called on. I have no idea how that works. The rest struggle to contain their power and know the Wyrm waits to reclaim them. Kjøt lives on the island of Örnsköldsvik, existing as a hermit. He is cursed to see the truth of everything and spends most of his time in self-inflicted darkness. Bevegelse wanders the world as a spiritual advisor. She feels the emotions of everyone around her, magnified, and can often be found crying or laughing hysterically. She does her best to control herself so she can help others. Varsel wanders the archipelago, avoiding contact with outsiders. He sees the future of everyone he meets, all the way to their death. Ensomhet still walks among his people, but his presence cannot be sensed or detected by any means whatsoever. The loneliness is often too much for him to bear. Styrke was killed by Krieg and is being tortured in Valhalla. His muscles strain in agony as he carries the weight of Vendel's disbelief.

Uvitenhet vists his people regularly. He is welcomed to their homes and tells them the truth of the world. However, as soon as he leaves, everyone promptly forgets what he said or that he was ever there in the first place. Stans lives on an island in the Mirror Sea, where he is trapped and deprived of all his senses. Storsæd is searching for the original Bargainers, and has uncovered many horrible secrets about the world, but he has always failed when he seems to be getting close. Kyndighet knows how to do everything and has mastered all skills, but he wants to teach others. However, no matter how much time he spends explaining things, no one ever understands his lessons. Sterk feels the emotional barriers of those around him, experiencing pain with every argument. The rift between Vesten and Vendel is tearing him apart. Velstand is obsessed with money and has taken the name Peter Vel. He holds a Seat on the Vendel League and spreads greed like a disease. Fjell is too terrible to look at. He has tried to kill himself many times, but he can't die. However, each wound remains bleeding on his body. Høst is a walking force of grwoth, making plants grow around him without trying and spreading fertility among animals and people he passes. Grenseløs is unbound from the world, and if he's careless he steps through bloody rips in space into other realms. The problem is that sometimes he's followed back. Krieg is dead and is being tortured in Valhalla, being forced to fight all comers to train them for Ragnarok.

Nød has lost the power to laugh and enjoy things. She is easily obsessed over trivial things, but takes no comfort in fulfilling her obsessions. Sinne brings out the worst in those around her, leading them to lash out in blind anger. Tungsinn is the opposite of Høst. Plants die around him, and people and animals become sterile. Herje has, as we know, retreated to the Undying Swamp in Eisen. His very presence causes ruin, and he caused the Imperator's suicide. Reise is doomed to never sleep in the same place twice. He's traveled across the world too many times to count, and plans to sail west soon, to see, perhaps, what lies beyond the horizon. Fornuft the artist can see all things, past, present and future. There's just one problem: he sees them all at once. He still speaks to his wife, Gunrud, who delivers his words as prophecy. He knows her plans and knows what will be done about them. Lidenskap is dead and being tortured, forced to bathe eternally in fire in Valhalla. Kjølig is dead and being tortured eternally in Valhalla. Her spirit has been cast to the winds, and its shadow falls on moonlit clouds each night. Villskap was killed and and is being tortured in Valhalla, forced to watch as the Vendel destroy and ignore the old ways. And there's one more: Gåte, the lost rune. None remember what his power was or what his rune looked like. He is gone without a trace, forgotten by all. However, GMs are free to have him show up and even give his power to people who've done something incredible, they just have to make up what his power is.

Next time: Secrets of the people.

The twenty-five have a place between our ancestors and Grumfather.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

Grumfather is Grumfather. I think he's some kind of superspirit or something. It's never really explained where he came from or what he is or why the Vestenmannavnjar are inexplicably correct about their afterlife, though it appears to be only the true afterlife for them and no one else. As for why the Great Wyrm is Thalusai - it doesn't actually say he's Thalusai. It says he's the Bargainers, who other books say are Thalusai. I'm not sure anyone told the writer of Vendel/Vesten what the Bargainers were.

Books until the Montaigne Revolution: 5.

7th Sea: The twenty-five have a place between our ancestors and Grumfather.

Okay. Secrets! Gjæving Asbjornsson has the effective power of Adept-rank Sorte thanks to the voices in his head. He really wishes he'd just been caught and killed rather than becoming High King. He does not like his visions, which come to home each night. He sees himself on a throne, giving orders to warriors. He sees villages on fire and children crying, and a great fleet of Vesten ships headed to some unknown place. He is haunted by the grinning face of an enemy, but that man is not Vendel. Gjæving thinks he's Vodacce, but he's not sure.

Magnus Brynjulffrsson af Larsfolk is a Journeyman Leegstra fencer and a bearsark. He hates the Vendel and genuinely desires to unite the Vesten behind him, but knows he'd need to be High King to make it stick. He's not sure it's actually his title to claim, though. He's 30 now and has no idea how to fulfill his birth prophecy - and worse, he's not sure it's him. His parents told him the soothsayer wasn't looking at him at the time, and that could mean anything. He'd love to have someone he could trust around to talk to, but Vesten manliness keeps him silent about his doubts. He covers for his insecurity with public displays of ferocity, and inwardly has the idea that he's fighting a losing battle. He needs, he believes, to find the Cave of the Gods and become High King soon, or everything will be for nothing.

Gunrud Stigandsdottir has every civil skill knack at rank 5, but no martial skills whatsoever. She is a Lærdom master with every Rune at 5, thanks to being personal friends with the Living Runes. She also has fortune-telling powers which give her effective Sorte Mastery, and she understands every language but only speaks ancient Vesten. She is waiting for another person besides Gjæving. This person will be seperated from friends and find her by accident. She will give answers and then impose a request. She'll make up a story about how she was put under an evil spell by a wizard, turning her from a pretty maiden into a crone. She will lie and say the only way to free her is to kill the wizard, and beg for release from the curse. She will offer any reward needed. She's both hopeful and afraid that her guest will accept. After all, she still loves Fornuft, and she knows he's seen that she's going to send someone to kill him. She hopes he understands that it's so they can escape this painful life and be together in paradise. For the first time in many long years, she has no idea how it will end.

The woman called Uvitenhet's true name is Frida Kolgraldottir. She is a Lærdom Master, though only knows five runes: Bevegelse, Fornuft, Kjøt, Uvitenhet and Velstand. She is the daughter of a pair of rune mages who learned the art as a child. One day, while gathering wood, she used her power to spy on her father, who was speaking to a Vendel merchant. She watched her father get stabbed in the back for not being willing to sell the land, and by the time she got back to stop it, the merchant was gone and her father was dead. She lost the home days later in a court dispute with the merchant over a loan she'd never heard of. She vowed to make him pay. Frida spent a year in isolation, feeding her hate and learning to mask her emotions, finally Becoming the rune Uvitenhet. She spent another year in Kirk, establishing herself as a Vendel merchant named Helga Keller. She use Lærdom to amass a fortune and make connections, ferreting out secrets with her magic and knowledge. She now uses her skills to discover more secrets and deceive others, avoiding physical confrontation whenever possible, acting as the mysterious Uvitenhet. She did not anticipate being discovered so early, though - a Vesten smuggler named Ulf Falgirson witnessed her placing her first letter on the cathedral, revealing the crimes of the man who killed her father. Falgirson demanded money to be quiet over the deed. Instead, Frida gave him a lot more than that to help her, and he agreed. He and some other criminals now work with her to destroy Vendel with guile. None of the men know her by any name but Uvitenhet. While being Helga Keller, Frida wears the latest fashions and is known as a violently anti-Vesten merchant, though one whose plans always seem to fail. She often brings a paper to LEague meetings, which she takes notes and doodles on. No one has yet realized her doodles often contain runes that she uses to learn the secrets of those around her. While being Uvitenhet, she wears a hooded cloak that conceals her features and sends messages to her men via letters or the smuggler Falgirson. Currently, they are planning to raid Kirk's largest mint and print a huge number of Guilders, which they hope to flood the continent with. Their plan is to make so many that the Vendel can't redeem them all, so that the Guilder will collapse.

Boli Kollsson is an Adept of Lærdom who knows every rune at at least 3. He does not actually believe in the Objectionist faith, and does not care about it, the Vesten gods or his ancestors. He cares only about himself and wealth. He has no morals whatsoever. His grandfather learned this early on, and limited his teachings. When Boli realized this was happening, he killed the old man in cold blood. The story about bandits is a lie. By then, he'd learned enough to develop his power on instinct. In his school, lessons focus on runes that use negative emotions, like Villskap or Sinne. His students, many of whom are Vesten who fled their families, are taught to embrace these emotions, often under threat of torture, until they lash out in a violent burst of power. The punishment for resisting is solitary confinement in a metal box for days, with neither food nor water. Boli knows that without belief, trauma is the best teacher. To test his students, he sells them as mercenaries to pirates or anyone else who can pay. He also sells rune-carved items - most notably to Jorund Guttormson, a man on the crew of Yngvild Olafsdottir who plans to betray her. He was given a dagger bearing the Uvitenhet rune, which hides his treachery from his captain. Most of Boli's wealth is funneled to getting amnesty for sorcerers in the Objectionist Church. He does this as a way to spread his influence with sorcerers outside Vendel, especially l'Empereur. Boli is a member of NOM, and has been since he killed his grandfather. He is one of the thirteen members of the inner council and is secretly guiding Joris Brak's mental breakdown. He is behind one of the two assassination attempts on Val Mokk. He's got no ambition to join the Vendel League, but wants to control it from behind the scenes. To do so, though, he'll have to eliminate or control the most powerful Chairs - especially Mokk. Boli has begun using his childhood gift for spirit sight, but now tries to control the spirits. He does this by using his Lærdom and threatening their links to the physical world.

With the aid of spirit spies, Boli blackmails his rivals and outwits his foes. Most of his students are fanatically loyal, though a few of his graduates resisted him and now seek to find other Vendel sorcerers to help match Boli's power and defeat him. He has kept his actions hidden through much use of the Uvitenhet rune. There's just one problem: Boli knows his grandfather's ghost is working against him. Killing the old man didn't stop him. Converting to Objectionism didn't stop him. Destroying the old man's cottage and holy grove didn't stop him. Boli believes his grandfather's spirit is what keeps him from becoming a Master, and he's desperate to destroy the ghost. He feels the last link the old man has to this world is a twisted, runic staff which Boli pulled from his dead hands. When he learned the staff had no powers, he sold it to a young Montaigne boy. Now, he's committed to getting it back and won't let anyone stand in his way.

The only secret that Bens Postma has is that he's haunted. He's pretty sure his work will take the rest of his life, but even if he weren't devoted, his ancestors wouldn't let him stop. The ghost of his mother pleads with him to keep working regularly, and sometimes brings friends. Nothing major, still, just a haunted guy.

Joris Brak is rather less happy. He has managed to fool everyone - even himself. He's just as cruel and calculating as his uncle Ai was, but instead of wasting his time abroad, he's focused it at home. He secretly fans the flames of the Vesten/Vendel conflict, arranging atrocities against each side and blaming the other. He sometimes even personally joins the fray, using his great skills with the knife to kill people. It's a sick thrill for him, and he always profits from it. The more damage he causes, the more respected his words of tolerance become. The twist? Joris doesn't remember any of it. He blocks all his work from his mind, just like he blocked out his uncle's death. You see, after killing his uncle, he didn't save the young Eisen bride. He killed her, too. He never went to Ussura - that golden egg was one of her wedding presents. Joris stayed in Eisen, continuing his uncle's work. What Ai didn't know and Joris has even less idea of is that their work was always planned and orchestrated by NOM. Somehow. Joris's work has served NOM well, and he'll soon be rewarded. If you want to know how they guide and control him, uh...I don't know. Boli uses evil magic or something.

Sela Cole has begun to wonder about her own feminine side. She's always known she was female, but never really thought of herself as a woman until now. She is afraid of making a fool of herself in formal gowns, for all her confidence in the forge. She envies other women, who are so graceful compared to her. She secretly longs to be swept off her feet by a dashing stranger, though she'd never admit it - just as she'd never admit to reading terrible Montaigne romance novels. However, she's at her most attractive when confident - when in the forge. In a dress, she's nervous, uncertain and stammers. No one's realized the problem, though...yet.

Val Mokk is an apprentice of Rasmussen gunning. He also keeps two secrets hidden from the world. First, he's a sentimental romantic. He's a great philanthropist publically, but he gives just as much secretly and in private, especially at charities aimed to help displaced Vesten families. He knows most of them stand in the way of progress because of simple ingorance, and he just wants to help them acclimate to their new lives. His second secret? He's lonely. He can't let anyone get too close to him, since he's never sure if they're interested in him or his money. It's made him very insecure and afraid of personal relationships. He's rich and surrounded by comforts, but he's not happy.

Master Red still hates his own social ineptitude. He still hosts parties, but people go more out of respect than any desire to be there. He's a very boring man and his parties never turn out as interesting as he'd like. He's been visiting the Jennys since his twenties, and still does so. Sometimes he... visits the Jennys , but these days he just likes to be around beautiful women. He spends money on them lavishly, and many of the elite Jennys compete for his attention. He knows it's just for the money, but inwardly he loves that for just a little while he can be the center of attention.

George Skard has no secrets. He really is just in this to make friends with the power of alcohol. He's always looking out for folks who can help him with his plan to calm the Vesten with the power of really good beer, and would happily recruit Heroes to help him get his alcohol to remote and important villages among the Vesten. He doesn't suspect his friend Allen Trel of anything, and Trel plans to keep it that way.

As for Trel...well, there's a dark side to his plan of outreach. He truly does feel his work will open the gates of goodwill for both sides, but he knows some Vesten will never change. They hate too much. As long as they exist, he believes, VEndel and Vesten cannot be united. So he's going to remove them. He's hired several cutthroats to infiltrate the worst of the Vesten pirate crews and, when he gives the word, to betray them. His most trusted agent is Jorun Guttormson on the crew of Yngvild Olafsdottir. Once the "troublemakers" are in his power, he will demonstrate mercy by not killing them while simultaneously removing them from the political picture. He doesn't care if they live or die, really, and his men have already killed several Vesten, but he believes that jailing them will serve him better than killing them. He does not realize that, ironically, his plan could do huge amounts of damage to his cause.

When Joseph Volkner was taken captive by the Vesten, one of his captors looked at him and told him that the Imperator did not commit suicide. He was killed by the Living Rune Herje. Joseph now believes that the Imperator's death was part of a Vesten conspiracy. He's sure the Vesten have some kind of information that they were using to blackmail his old master, and when they threatened to reveal it, the old man's only option was suicide. This is one of the reasons that Joseph is so cautious - he doesn't want to give his "hidden enemies" any chance to act. He's assigned a number of League Agents to Eisen to investigate the happenings of the Imperator's death. Whether or not he ever learns the truth, he's got the makings of a great leader and could use the League to aid Eisen hugely...but he just doesn't realize it.

Lorraine Weller is seen as a powermongering ice queen, and it's true that she's lost most of her compassion thanks to her years on the streets of Carleon. She is a premier member of Sophia's Daghters and has eye severywhere, thanks to the Jennys. She sees all of this as simply another way to gain power and prevent herself from ever being hurt again. She seems to not care about those she helps...but the truth is, she really cares very, very much about her girls. She feels that since she had to help herself out, though, she should hold others to the same standard and tries to get them to help themselves. This has given her the image of an unbending, uncaring matriarch. She's a massive political force in Vendel, and uses her power to improve conditions for the Jennys, making sure that none have to walk the streets in Oddis and that they're kept safe. Many mistake her hatred for physical intimacy as condescension, but those who know her past know that she just hates being touched, thanks to her years as a Jenny. She always wears full-length dresses and covers as much skin as possible with gloves and sleeves. Some say it's to maker her more attractive via mystery, but the truth is she just hates having people look at her with lust in their eyes. She hates Master Red with a passion and would completely abolish Jennys in Vendel if it wouldn't destroy her power.

And, lastly, the new monster of the book: the Tundra Beast. It was a monster that hunted the followers of Krieg the Inhuman, a horrible creature that lived to slaughter and torture. Krieg went to find it, and it killed all his men, one by one, torturing them to death. When it went for Krieg, though, he was immune to its powers and laughed at it before carving his rune into it and making it his slave. When Krieg was finally killed, the Beast fled to the wilds. It could not miss its master, but it felt a new incompleteness. Occasionally, it would sense Krieg - but it was always a skjæren using Krieg's rune. Without its master there to control it, the beast would kill the sorcerer and anyone nearby. It still hunts for Krieg, killing any skjæren it finds. These days, its attention is only drawn by repeated use of the Krieg rune. In combat, it appears as a blur of primal nightmares, giving -2 dice to all attacks on it on top of any lost from a failed Fear check. A Master Skjæren does not suffer this penalty, though, as he can see the thing's true form: a dire wolf with empty eye sockets. Any weapons not wielded by an Adept Skjæren or higher or not carved with a rune deal two fewer dice of damage. Any use of the Krieg rne will make the beast retreat, and it will also flee after suffering more than three Dramatic Wounds.

Next time: Secret Societies, Part VI: Sophia's Daughters.

You think that you know us.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: You think that you know us.



We're in for a weird one this time. We start out at Alvara Arciniega's lab. He tells his groundskeeper, Gruenhild, to make sure that something arrives safely, along with a boy, Stefan. Gruenhild, however, is planning something else. She knows that Gruenhild must die because her mission is three centuries in the making and he can't risk it. She is four centuries old. She uses a magic potion to turn invisible and thinks about how she was deceiving him into trusting her and ensuring that she controlled what he learned. She makes her way into Bryn Brasail via a lake. Meanwhile, in Ussura, the Knias Douma is meeting. They are arguing over how to deal with the Montaigne, and whether or not to negotiate with them. Ilya plans to send plague-bearing villagers to meet the Montaigne army, along with tainted food. Tamara and Ketheryna know that something has to be done. We skip over to Dionna, in Vodacce, now. A swordswoman and a Fate Witch are fighting for their lives on a rooftop. The swordswoman reveals that she is the Witch's sister, whom she believed was dead. The two leap off the rooftop, knowing they can escape.

There is no public face of Sophia's Daughters. They are completely hidden, and have always been hidden. They began long before the Senate and Numa - they began in Bryn Bresail, with the Sidhe. When Bryn Bresail opened to the mortal world and first found humanity, they were fascinated. The Queen of the Sky modeled her court after humans, and the Queen of the Sea stole the souls of drowned sailors, to build a kingdom out of them. But the last Queen, the Queen of the Earth, the Lady of the Lake, struggled to resist mortal passions. She lived in fear of mortality, and swore never to take on mortal form...and for centuries, she didn't. But her curiosity overwhelmed her at last, and one day, she crept to the shore of Westmoreland Lake, in Avalon, and took on the form of a naked woman. Unknown to her, a wandering night was there - some say Avalon, some say Highlander, some say foreigner. But whatever it was, he saw the Lady and fell in love, swearing his life to her. The Lady of the Lake watched him silently, then looked upon her own reflection. She understood then what no other Sidhe had ever grasped - that human emotions held a passion no Sidhe could duplicate. She understood the difference between mortal human and immortal Sidhe, and for the first time, she felt true emotions. She swore then never to rejoin the distant, emotionless Sidhe. She often visited the man, but only by night, when her sisters would not see. Their love was secret - but another miracle occurred: she bore two children for the knight, giving them to him to raise.

While the knight was with the Lady, he did not age. He maintained a cottage by the Westmoreland lake, and whenever the Lady could leave the Sidhe courts unnoticed, she would go to him, using her water magic and the secret paths of Bryn Bresail to hide herself. But all too soon, the Sidhe began to leave the mortal world. Many times before, the Queens had left humanity's sight for a century or two, returning at a whim. The Lady could not bring her husband to Bryn Bresail, or he might forget his own mortality, which she so loved. Worse, he'd be treated as a toy, to break at leisure. The Lady did not want him to die while she was gone, though, so she made him a potion of her tears and the waters of the sacred lake. This, she told him, would keep him alive. They decided to raise the twin children seperately. The man stayed behind with the girl, Sophia, while the Lady took the son, Lugh, to Bryn Bresail. Thus she left Loch Westmoreland and returned home. The Sidhe did not return for more than a century, and when at last she came back to the world, she found that time did not pass in the mortal realm in the same way. Her cottage was burnt to ash and dust, and her family had vanished. So she took on human form to go in search of them.

Sidebar now - Lugh is not the same as Laurence Lugh. He grew as a Sidhe, with the legs of an elk and a great rack of horns on his head. Half the year, he aged from youth to old age, and the other half he aged back. He went by many names, like the Horned King or the Holly Prince, but to his mother he was always Lugh. His human emotions were never tamed, and he "seduced or ravished numerous Sidhe maidens", having a ton of kids. Once, he even seduced the Queen of the Sky, and the story of her love for him is told in secret. Lugh didn't love her back, but instead ran away from her, and she hunts him to this day. The Lady has tracked her son's descendants, the Sidhe with a portion of his mortal blood, and organized them to help her children in the human world. They are the Sons of Lugh, the "male" (quotes are the book's) counterparts of Sophia's Daughters. More on them later.

Anyway. The Lady of the Lake went to Numa, where she learned of the Senate, who made a deal with the Bargainers - ancient enemies of the Sidhe. The Senators threatened to release them in exchange for power, and the Lady now knew fear. But still, she must find her family - and she heard from peasants of an ancient oracle named Sophia, the name of her own daughter. She climbed deep into the Olimpia mountains and found Sophia - who was indeed her daughte,r but even with the immortality elixir, she had grown old and weary. Sophia told the Lady that she had foreseen this in a pool of water - but she begged her mother never to leave again, for the world needed hope. The Lady took her daughter and told her that a hero would come. Sophia sighed and told her mother of the family she cared for, that they had learned the secrets of the Lady and knew the truth of Bryn Bresail: that it is more than Glamour, but also Hope. But it was not enough.

Sophia had seen the darkness of the world, and seen the Senators make the Bargain, and she knew: the world was worth more than any one life. And if this seems disjointed to you, it is to me too. Sophia told her mother that Bryn Bresail likewise had much to learn from the world - passion, change, action. She begged the Lady to help her bring the two worlds together, to give her death meaning. The Lady wept, and nodded. She drew on her powerful Sidhe magic, strengthened by Sophia's oath, and pulled part of Bryn Bresail into the world forever, giving her children a purpose and a destiny. With that, Sophia fell silent and died, and the Lady witnessed the coming of the First Prophet in that moment. The death of her daughter was more than a herald of his arrival - the magic of the oath had made her death be linked to his arrival. So long as the Oracle lived, the next Prophet would not come. The children of the Lady of the Lake would mark the borders not just between the human world and the Sidhe one, but also the past and future.

And I swear, I am only compressing this a bit, this really is this weird and disjointed. Anyway, after the death of Sophia, the first Oracle, the Lady thought long and hard. Her daughter had used a name, Theus, of which she knew nothing. Was he a god? A Syrne? She swore to find out. First, though, there were things to be done. She buried her daughter and sought out her bloodline. Though they were few and scattered, their blood called to her. One woman, an Eisen named Martyk, already felt the gifts of the Oracle descend on her. She knew what she must do, and was already coming ot the mountains. When her sisters asked why, she told them only that the world needed her to do so. She met the Lady at the foot of the mountains and agreed to take on Sophia's power.

Martyk guided the descendants for 300 years, from the time of the First Prophet to the time of the Second Prophet. Though she knew she would die with the coming of the Second Prophet, she did not just sit and wait for it. She worked to preserve knowledge and make the world more enlightened, drawing on the power of Bryn Bresail to keep the two lands close. She spread the children and families of the Lady's line throughout the nations of the world. They traveled through Bryn Bresail to all the nations - from far Cathay to Avalon. Their job was to watch over the two lands and keep an eye on those forces would tear the worlds apart. She taught them the water magic in their blood, Scrying, to help them with the task. The magic of Scry developed in many of the blood, generally women. Tehy learned to tell chuldren born with Sidhe blood by their birth caul and their power to breathe water. The Oracle encouraged use of magic to make powerful potions, allowing great feats - healing, invisibility and more. And last, the families learned that certain pools of water could be used to enter Bryn Bresail.

Martyk sent one of her sisters to each nation, her Handmaidens. These developed into today's Daughters of Sophia. With the new Oracle organizing the family, the Lady returned to studying the riddle of Theus. She returned to Bryn Bresail and called on the sons of Lugh, asking them to tell her all they could of Theus. She soon discovered he was a human god, worshipped as creator. She dismissed him as superstition at first, but she soon began to find eerie similarities between his teachings and the knowledge of her own people. The Prophet's teachings held wisdom, and she encouraged her children to embrace his words.

Sidebar again - In 960, at a nunnery in the Eisen town of Gandersheim in Stahlfort, a young girl name Hroswitha came as an orphan. She was taught many things, but initially refused all lessons. She was rebellious and angry, but eventually realized the Creator had a plan for her - a plan that involved being educated at the nunnery. She developed a great intellect and eventually became canoness. Thus, she could travel the world on the nunnery's business, and the more she saw, the more she wrote, especially about the courage of women. She learned that people learned best when entertained, so she began to write satirical plays, fully of wit and thought-provoking material. By the time she died in 1024, her plays were so popular that everyone in Eisen watched them. I have no idea why this is here.

Anyway. The Daughters in those early days had simple missions: prevent massive war, heal the rifts between nations and improve life for all. They worked primaril with women, since about 3/4 of the line was female, but men were welcomed as long as they accepted the organization's guiding philosophy. Initially, a lot of their work was focused on improving the lot of women - more education, more political power, equality and so on. The Prophet's words helped, speaking of equality for all humanity. Many Numan women were interested in the Prophet's words, and his teachings were taught mother to child. By 200, a number of noblewomen were members of the Daughters, including Imperatrice Alostria, wife to Imperator Danatius. Her pressure led the Imperator to adopt the Prophet's faith publically and declare it the religion of Numa.

In 240, a civil war broke out on the borders of the Eastern and Western Empires. The first skirmishes were fierce and unrelenting, and the Daughters set about an odd plan to bring peace. They got the women to boycott the armies - no camp followers for either side. No wives on either side allowing their husbands to return home to happy families. So long as they were in the army, they would have no private time with women. The ruse worked perfectly. Within two years, the armies had dissolved, with hundreds of man AWOL and those who remained bitter and furstrated, more interested in women than wealth. Most history books don't even mention the war, and fewer talk about why it ended. It's all but forgotten...except by the Daughters, who know it as their first true use of power.

In 297, the Numan Empire fell to the Eisen barbarians. The Second Oracle had foreseen the war ten years before, and acted to preserve the Empire's knowledge. Libraries were moved, and noble families forced to flee to colder areas by disease. The Daughters used Scrying to find the sites of major battles, and used their power to hide citizens, priests and valuable texts. Some women memorized entire chapters, that books which could not be taken might be remembered. Their journals also describe the horrors of the war that destroyed Numa - but the important information was protected by the Daughters. It was the first major use of Scrying's power to see the future, and the Daughters used its foreknowledge to their full advantage. Because of them, many ancient texts still survive in hidden monasteries, save from the fall. Their efforts dovetailed nicely with the work of the Sons of Lugh, who continued to gather information on Theus, using Sidhe magic to acquire a huge collection. They made their services available to the Daughters during htis time, the first formal cooperation between the two halves of the bloodline. They've worked together ever since.

Next time: The Second Oracle dies. Is this really what you expected from the Women's Rights secret society?

You consider us to be powerless. Weak. Naive.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

Are we going to need a new topic to handle the mass of entries? (Sorry about that, by the way, we've broken a hundred on 7th Sea alone.) Or is there some other post we can convert into another list?

7th Sea: You consider us to be powerless. Weak. Naive.

Anyway. At some point, centuries after her birth, Martyk the Second Oracle calls her Handmaidens to her side. She leaves to go through Bryn Bresail and comes upon the Lady of the Lake herself. When she returns, she brings the Handmaidens together and tells them to prepare for her death. She shows them visions of the Second Prophet, and said that when he arrived, she would be replaced by another. With each new coming, the Oracle would tell of the return of Theus's power by dying. Martyk's journal is still kept by the Daughters, and its final lines are: "The Immortal Prophet comes when the world is in need of his guidance. Until then, we must learn to defend ourselves. We must begin again, and with each new beginning, we must relearn the truths that we have already discovered. Bryn Bresail is neither the beginning nor th end; it is a place beyond dreams, but Théah is the land of the dreamer. Without one, there can be no other. Theus preserve all our souls."

As promised, a Third Oracle arose - an Ussuran woman named Tatyana Sousdal Vsevolodova v'Pscov. Many initially resisted the leadership of an "uncivilized" Ussuran, but when she made the journey to the Oracle's Cave and foresaw the schism of the Church between the Vaticine and the Orthodoxy, she began to adapt quickly. In 325, the Corantine Convention formed the Vaticine Credo into the Reformed Vaticine Church, and the Ussuran Orthodoxy broke away. The first battles between the two Churches were at the city of Sousdal, where Tatyan's father, the Grand Duke Vsevolod, ruled. Within a year, the Vaticine was driven from Ussura. For the Daughters, the Orthodoxy was one of their greatest challengers. While the Orthodox do not officially support the later Prophets, the Daughters have worked to ensure that peasant folklore often contains the teachings of the Second and Third Prophets.

In 398, the first outbreaks of the White Plague began in the Crescent Empire. By 408, it was an epidemic. The Daughters began to investigate, aware that the first outbreaks were near a portal to Bryn Bresail. They discovered, to their shock, that the Plague was not a normal sickness, but a strange one that attacked Syrneth traces in the human body. Sorcerers and those who lived too near the Syrneth ruins and power sources were the worst hit, but others were affected as well. The Daughters knew from the Sidhe that the Syrne races were a great danger...and the White Plague apparently was linked to the Barrier that held the Syrneth back. Its source was a tear in the Barrier, coupled with the essence of the portal to Bryn Bresail. It damaged Syrneth influence and kept them at bay...but had a devastating effect on the humans exposed to it. At first, the Daughters used Scrying to contain the plague, but the more they did, the worse it bacame. At last, they began to use a combination of Sidhe magic, Scry and science to control the disease and create a magical antidote. They took action, attempting to learn to control the plague that they might locate those trying to bargain with the Syrneth. It could also be used, they reasoned, to check on areas were the Syrne infection was escaping into one of the two worlds. They had an antidote and samples of the Plague at every stage, and by the year 450, the Daughters were in full control of the White Plague. Its outbreak among the peasants slowly diminished.

In the meantime, there have been traitors to the line of the Lady of the Lake. The most famous and perhaps the most successful was Queen Isabeau du Montaigne, founder of the nation that bears her name. She was raised strictly Vaticine, and her family had little use for her intelligence. She joined the Daughters early in life, augmenting her powerful Porté with visits to the Oracle, where she paid careful attention to Tatyana's predictions - most notably of the death of Imperator Carleman's son, Charles, who ruled the lands around her home. She convinced her father to get Charles to marry her - and while she despised the man, she convinced him she was in love with him. Isabeau believed he'd be dead within the year. However, the Daughters did not want Charles to do so oon. Now that he'd married a Daughter, they wanted him to have children, to cement their control. Through use of powerful Fate Witches, they prevented Charles' death, ensuring that Isabeau would be married indefinitely. She found herself trapped in her own plan, married to a man she hated. Unwilling to accept this, she took maters into her own hands and poisoned Charles, marrying her distant cousin Léon afterwards. When the Daughters learned what she'd done, they ordered her to retire to a nunnery and leave the country to another - and she refused. Through Léon, she ruled Montaigne and actively worked against the Daughters. Because she knew of the Sidhe and Syrneth, she decided that she would ally herself with the Syrne, since the Daughters had aligned themselves with the Sidhe. She expanded the use of Porté and other Bargainer sorcery, encouraged the search for Syrneth artifacts and banished the people of Avalon from her lands. The worst was when she expressed a desire to contact the Syrneth - and bear one of their children, to create a lineage to match and fight the Daughters. Somehow, she became pregnant by some unknown father - perhaps Syrne, or perhaps human. But she and her child were destroyed shortly after its birth. There are no records of the event, and the Daughters claim ignorance of the event, though they were happy to see her go. The original palace at Paix was destroyed and never rebuilt, and Isabeau's descendants continue to hold the throne in Montaigne...though none, not even l'Empereur, have shown the danger that she had. The Daughters believed that the threat she represented had passed.

Sidebar time! In 1423, Rcine de Foix of Montigne ws trpped in politicl marriage to a prince of Castille. She made the best of her situation and studied the teachings of a secret sect of the Church, which claimed to come from the Numan Empire. Inspired by its simplicty, she set about translating the scrolls of the sect, which she found hidden deep in the walls of a fortress city originally built by the Crescents. They spoke of an item called the Voice of the Creator, hidden in a cave in Vodacce and guarded by powerful magic. It was said to be such that the faithful could drink and become immortal - even if they were dead. Consumed by desire to find the Voice, Racine abandoned her husband and court and went to Vodacce disguised as a priest. No one knows what really happened, but stories persist that she and the Oracle remained in contact nd that she had taken the responsibility of guarding the Voice until a time when it was needed by the world. I'm pretty sure, by the way, that the guys who wrote Assassin's Creed have played 7th Sea before. I have no proof, but it's just a hunch.

Anyway. Near the end of the Third Oracle's tenure, the Daughters of Sophia and Sons of Lugh met their greatest foe: a secret society known as the Agiotage. The Agiotage were primarily sorcerers of small power and wealthy merchants, who were inspired by secret texts to try and recreate the Senators' Bargain in search of new power from the Syrneth. To achieve this, they would do anything. They acted quietly and by the time the Daughters realized their nture, they were on the verge of completing their goal. The Daughters began a secret war against the Agiotage, lasting from 870 to 914. It was an uphill battle, even with the Sons of Lugh helping. The Agiotage had already contacted the Syrne and were drawing strength from them, and they had power in every nation. There was only one choice to be made - the Third Oracle had to decide between allowing the Agiotage to destroy the world, or destroying civilization. In 914, the Daughters released the White Plague upon Théah again. A third of the population was destroyed, thanks to how completely the Agiotage had corrupted the continent. No matter how effectively the Plague was controlled, the Syrneth had spread too far. Vodacce in particular was hard hit, with some entire cities wiped out of all life. At least the Agiotage had no defense. The war continued to rage for nearly a century after the Plague's outbreak, but in the end, the Agiotage were defeated. When the war ended, the next few centuries were spent restoring the Barrier, tracking down the remnants of the Agiotage and repairing the damage the Daughters had done to society. It would tke centuries, and critically diverted them from the coming of the Third Prophet. Thanks to their war and the work to restore the Barrier, they were tricked by the most daring scam in history: the False Prophet.

The Daughters knew the Third Prophet was coming long before the Oracle died, thanks to their power to see the future. Everything they saw seemed strangely fixed - the harbinger of the Third PRophet would be a single point, unchangeable...and that was insane. The Daughters knew that time was not fixed - it was a flowing river. Later, they would learn that the Third Prophet's true coming had been concealed by this fixed point, but at the time, they were mystified. Before they could find some way to change the fixed point, the Oracle had died and a new Prophet was in the Vaticine City. At first, they though nothing was wrong. The fixed point, they believed, simply meant that the Prophet's time had come. But then they heard his message, a message of fire and brimstone, and they knew something was wrong. When they investigated, they found that the Prophet's coming did not quite match the ORacle's death. It was just a few weeks, but tht was enough to know that the man working in Castille as the Third Prophet had begun his work while the Oracle was still alive. It was only years later, reading the journals of one of the wives of a Rose and Cross Knight, that the Daughters understood what had happened. The Third Prophet was a False Prophet - one sent, they assumed, by agents of the Syrneth. The True Prophet had been forever lost.

It didn't take long for the Daughters to understand the implications of this. The Third Prophet was dead, his message was lost and the world was without true guidance. The False PRophet would never better the world - and if he caused too much damage, the Final Prophet, the Prophet of Vengeance, would come. The Daughters could not allow this apocalypse. No mtter what Theus truly was or why he sent his Prophets, the Fourth Prophet would free the Syrneth and destroy the world. Their only hope was to save both Théah and Bryn Bresail from another war with the Syrneth by preventing his arrival. In order to do that, they must ensure the world was kept in constant balance between good and evil, with neither side gaining too much strength. This was their new purpose: to prevent the apocalypse.

I feel I need to reiterate: the core book presents the Daughters as a society dedicated to the advancement of women's rights.

Anyway. The woman who is the Fourth Oracle appeared at Sophia's Cave in 1009. She was small, with yellow skin and black hair and slightly slanted dark eyes. She learned just enough Vodacce after a few years to give her name and discuss her purpose. She has never spoken much about her past or her mortal life, but her name was Liauxieng, daughter of Lianhuan, "Servant of the forty-four thousand ancestors that lead into the depths of the waters of the world." Yeah. Now she was the Fourth Oracle. She has always understood the magic of Scrying and the principles of the Daughters, and has more power than any Oracle before her. She is often visited by the Lady of the Lake, and has managed to gain the complete loyalty of both the Daughters and the Sons, and even earned the respect of the Queen of the Sky.

Liauxieng's first job for the daughters was to repair the Barrier at any cost. Without it, there would be no world to control or protect. After that, they must wipe out every last remnant of the Agiotage, to the last man. Once that was done, they would turn to their next goal: the death of the False Prophet. It's no secret that the Third Prophet died in 1030, just as he was planning another war. What few outside the Vaticine know is that he was found alone in his bed after meeting privately with an unknown woman. When the guards came to wake him for morning prayers, they found his body rigid and covered in boils, dripping with a black blood that was not his own. His mouth was open in total horror, and the woman was never found. The Vaticine recorded the death as "quiet", but the Daughters knew the truth.

New sidebar! This one is an Adelaide Adair of Avalon. She was born in the heart of Lothian and raised wild and free, with red hair and flashing green eyes. She fell in love with a man twice her age, and her father did all he could to stop it short of having the man murdered, but his daughter was stronger-willed than he, and at last he gave his consent. Her husband, a captain of Wandesborow, took her on a voyage to celebrate the marriage. T he ship was caught in a storm, and Adelaide was captured by pirates who intended to sell her as a slave. However, she escaped with a cclever ruse and stole a rowboat, making her way to shore. Her husband was already dead, so she ended up becoming a very rich widow. Rather than retire, she took to the sea where she gained a reputation as a fair captain with a strong hand and generous heart. No, I don't know why this sidebar is here.

Anyway. In 1320, the Daughters ended up running into the Order of the Black Cross. Initially, they wanted an alliance - after all, neither they nor the Sons of Lugh were all that good at fighting, and the Order already knew something of the Syrneth. They'd be great allies against the Agiotage. At first, they wanted to make the Order their pawns, but the Knights were far too competent - several Daughters were almost killed and the Oracle ordered the rest to back off before the Knights discovered them. Then they began to offer the Order information and warn them of harm, feeling that if they approached die Kreuzritter slowly, they might agree to help. In 1411, though, they were forced to cease all communication with die Kreuzritter. The Knights, despite their faithful service to the Church, were betrayed and nearly destroyed, as we know. Since that time, the Daughters have kept a distance from them. While die Kreuzritter battle the Syrneth, they are too paranoid and dangerous now to approach. A single Knight could expose the Daughters, and their ties to the Sidhe would not be appreciated by the Black Crosses. Die Kreuzritter would have to fight alone.

In the last two centuries, the Daughters have worked to ensure the Oracle remains safe and the apocalypse doesn't happen. At first, the Oracles lived only until the world could no longer bear the burdens placed on it, and died willingly to allow the Prophets into the world. The Fourth Oracle is not so willing. The first three Prophets were bringers of change, but also rebirth and new beginning. The Fourth is said to be a bringer of death and destruction, and the Oracle believes that she knows, from her studies in Bryn Bresail, how that will come. The Daughters see the coming of the Fourth Prophet in a different way than any others in the world, because they understand the Syrneth. The Book of the Prophets says: "The world shall be cast into a cosmic battle... his army will be the ranks of the fallen. The gate between the world shall be broken, and those who have left Théah will return..."

If that's true, the Fourth Prophet will release the Syrneth onto the world once more. The Sidhe will make war on them, shattering Bryn Bresail and killing humanity. Nothing will be left when it is over. When the world cannot be redeemed, Theus will send the Fourth Prophet. Whether he's divine retribution or an army doesn't matter - he's going to destroy the world. Thus, the Daughters do everything they can to stave his coming off as long as possible. To do so, they work to better all of humanity, easing suffering, closing rifts between nations and promoting equality. They believe these efforts will not just help humanity, but prevent the Fourth Prophet's arrival. When an Oracle dies, it leaves a hole that only the next Prophet can fill. The death of an Oracle has happened only three times. The fourth has lived more than six centuries. The Daughters believe that by making the world strong and following the doctrines of the first Three Prophets, the Fourth Coming can be averted for centuries yet. They cannot absolutely stop it, but they can put it off indefinitely - and that's just as good.

Next time: No, really, is this what you thought it was going to be?

You believe that you control us.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: You believe that you control us.

Okay. So the Daughters exist to guard the world from evil and ensure that good balances it out, to prevent the apocalypse. They went to keep the true Third Prophet's teachings alive and have access to a more complete history of the world thanks to their predecessors' journals than practically anyone. Most of them are descended from the Lady of the Lake. Those who are strong in the blood are born with a caul, the mark of the Sidhe. There aren't many of them, though - not all of the line gets the Sidhe magic. They are from all cultures in the world, but most can trace their heritage back to the original Sophia. Oh yeah, and those born with the caul? They have an innate sense of good and evil, and so can always tell whether someone is a Villain or a Hero. They have no way to prove this, but they always know. They also get Scry sorcery, which we'll talk about later.

The order's structure was set up by the Second Oracle. It is something like an intricate web, with information being passed along and each Daughter operating alone. There are no cells or cabals - just the libraries and the Daughters. At the center of the wbe is the Oracle, who has taken a blood oath on a magical flaming crystal blade that she'll do anything to stop armageddon. She demands the same devotion from her followers. Under her are the Handmaidens, each of whom has been given a single nation and orders to oversee all operations in that nation. The Handmaidens have a lot of responsibility! There are currently eight, but they say that there is a ninth Handmaiden, who lives beyond the Firewall in Cathay. Most of the Handmaidens avoid public attention and work through agents, but not all of them. The Handmaidens are as follows: In Avalon, Rhyanna ferch Hywel. In Castille, Fidencia Suarez, servant and duena to Marie-Soledad Aldana. In Cathay, no one knows, but rumors say a woman named Perfect Jade. In the Crescent Empire, Jazhani binte Noura. In Eisen, Wilma Probst, administrator of Freiburg. In Montaigne, "Isabelle," or Ysabelle du Montaigne, smuggler and runaway daughter of l'Empereur. In Ussura, Tamara Breslau Fyodnava v'Riasanova, Knias of Gallenia. In Vendel, Lorraine Weller, Chair of the Jenny's Guild. In Vodacce, Valentina Villanova, wife of Giovanni Villanova.

Under the Handmaidens are...everyone else in the Daughters. Each Handmaiden surrounds herself with "her" Daughters, the women she trusts most. (And men, though there aren't that many.) Some Handmaidens organize their "families" in hierarchies, while others just leave the Daughters under them to operate independently. The Oracle communicates with various means - carrier pigeons, parcels, secret codes woven into fabric or even use of Scry magic. Through these means, the Daughters maintain constant communication and coordinate their efforts to prevent the coming of the Fourth Prophet by bettering mankind, correcting injustice, remocing corruption and aiding the oppressed. Not even the Oracle knows the Daughters' numbers for sure, but it's estimated to be between 300 and 500...not including uninitiated supporters or people manipulated into helping.

The Jenny's Guild, incidentally, is a hugely important part of the Daughters' power structure. They have infiltrated the Guild heavily and turned it into a very effective spy network. They realized, after all, that the only prostitutes who get any respect for their intellect are Vodacce courtesans - and that underestimation of the women could be used as a tool. Men would speak to a lover, even a paid one, things they'd never tell anyone else. Though only a few Jennys are actual Daughters, they hold most of the positions of power in the Guild. They also ensure that the Jennys offer sanctuary for women across the continent, moving them away from abusive families and ensuring they have safe passage to places they can pursue education. Under Lorraine Weller, the Guild has taken it on itself to help women and children get out of bad situations.

The Daughters follow a number of bizarre rituals, especially for initiation. These are recorded in the Book of Mysteries, a text detailing how to initiate new members. It starts when a Daughter finds herself pregnant. At the next full moon, she goes to the nearest body of pure water, and bathes at midnight under the moon. She will then pray to the Lady of the Lake, and when done will dress herself again and take a piece of pure white thread and wrap it around her ring finger, acknowledging her hope that her child will have the Blood and be woven into a greater fate. Those who make the pledge in Westmoreland are said to be doubly blessed, and those who see the Lady during the ritual are triply so.

Then, when the child is about to arrive, there's more ritual. You have to cleanse the birthing room with herbs and salt, remove any garments not made of pure fiber and have pure water ready, both warm and cold. You lie on a white cloth, and when the child is born, you remove that ring of thread from before. Then you wash the child in pure warm water and bind them in white cloth. Then you burn the ring of thread and pray to the Lady again. Holding the child, you then give it a secret name you will never tell anyone else, and you put a drop of sacred oil on your forehead and the baby's. Then you swear an oath to pass your knowledge on to the child.

Once the kid reaches maturity, it's time for a formal initiation. For a daughter, it's whenever they start menstruating. For a son, it's between 12 and 13. This ceremony is usually done under a full moon and by a body of pure water, where a flame can be lit. You also need a scrying bowl and a ceremonial crystal dagger. There's some more prayers to the Lady, and then the kid comes forward wearing pure white. His or her index finger is pricked with the dagger and the blood is dropped into the Scrying bowl. Then the kid recites an oath and watches the blood move in the bowl. Once the kid goes into a trance, the dagger is lowed into the bowl to see what color goes up the blade.

See, the color determines what they'll do in the Order. If it's blue, the kid will focus on Scrying and moving around through Bryn Bresail. With red, they're going to be in mortal danger for the Order. With green, they're going to be a scientist or doctor. With purple, they'll be a courtier. With orange, an entertainer. With yellow, an educator. With silver, rich and powerful. And with gold, a member of the Lady's inner circle. Anyway, once the color test is done, the Initiate drinks pure water and prays to the Lady. The crystal dagger is then pressed against their chest and they swear an oath of loyalty to the Daughters. Once the kid's in, they get a small tattoo, shaped like a band around their left ring finger. Typically, you then wear a ring to cover the marking, and the tattoo marks you as a loyal member of the Daughters.

The first duty of any Daughter is to watch for a child born with the caul that marks them as a Scry mage. These children are the legacy of the Daughters and only show up in the line of the Lady. Sometimes the blood skips several generations, and lack of records make keeping track of the family lines impossible. Sometimes kids are born with the caul and the Daughters don't know! It's the duty of some of the Daughters to find them and decide if they should be inducted...or left to live out their lives without ever knowing about their power. Every member of the order also has to keep a detailed journal of their activities. These are sent to the local Handmaiden or the Oracle herself, and used to track the history of the Order. These journals also detail the many longterm plans the Daughters maintain, and are often encoded. Communication between Daughters is often done by a strain of songbirds the Daughters have bred, the Sweetwrens. Sweetwrens are able to fly anywhere they have been before without any error, and serve as pretty carrier pigeons.

The Daughters have long known that there's a thin line between free will and predetermination. Thanks to Scrying, they are even able to see the future! However, they have learned that the future is far from fixed - what's seen can be changed by strength and bravery...though changes tend not to be predictable. Sometimes a changed future is worse. So the Daughters choose when they'll intervene in destiny carefully, only stepping in when they know that the changes they make can't be worse than the future they've seen. Most Daughters never see the whole of the picture - they know only that a certain person needs to be saved, or a certain book kept out of someone's hands. They learn to trust the Oracle and obey without questioning, since they can often see the benefits of their actions on those around them.

We get another sidebar, this time on a Vodacce courtesan in 1350 named Fiamma Trotula. She was brilliant, with an understanding of physiology and medicine that bordered on the supernatural. She dedicated herself to finding was to help manage the health problems of women, developing new birthing techniques, including the c-section. She advocated a number of herbal remedies and that placebos could help healing thanks to their mental effects. She lived to her 90s before the Church finally burned her as a heretic. All of her work was destroyed, save for the journals kept by the Daughters, which they released 50 years after her death under the name of a male scholar. No one has ever caught on to the ruse.

Anyway. The magic of the Daughters is the sorcery called Scry. Scry's abilities are somewhat disparate and various, but all involve water. Early tricks include water breathing - as natural to them as immunity to flame is to El Fuego Adentro - and the ability to see and hear distant places in a pool of clear water. Harder to master is the art of entering Bryn Bresail - it's dangerous, and can only be done in certain lakes. The Scry sorcerers also learn to brew water into potions, balms and elixirs - a power that surpasses any modern technology are even most alchemy. Some potions need just simple blessed water and herbs, while others need large labs and even sorcerous power. The most difficult potion of all is the Balm of the Westmoreland, the potion that gives women temporary immortality...and kills men in agonizing torture. The most powerful Scrying power is, of course, the ability to see the fture...but it is dangerous to do so, and even the Handmaidens only do it when they greaetly need to. It should be noted - Scry is never, ever double-blooded. You either have Scry, or you have another sorcery, or you have nothing. You can't have Scry and something else. There are other sorcerers in the Daughters, though, thanks to intermarriages with noble sorcerous lines. The Daughters are perfectly happy to using sorcery, even Barganer sorcery, if it serves their ends. They are especially happy to use Fate Witches - thanks to their efforts to smuggle the Witches out of Vodacce and teach them how to read and write, they have a number of loyal Fate Witches on hand who are happy to aid the cause. Their power to sense the future is less visual than that of Scriyng, but by combining the knowledge of both sorcerers, the Daughters are able to change critical lives.

The Daughters also love to manipulate people. Because most of them are women, they have to work to ensure their opinions are listened to by important people instead of dismissed as women's fancies. They do so by manipulating their husbands, brothers and other family members, as well as providing anonymous tipoffs to interested parties. They also are somewhat infamous for seducing people for the purpose of manipulating and controlling their lovers. Beyond that, the Daughters use a lot of magic potions. One of the most often-used is called Gilead's Whisper, a potion that hides the signs of sorcery. A Porté sorcerer who drank it would lose the red, blood-stained hands, while a Pyeryem sorcerer's eyes would return to their natural, non-emerald color. The ability to be a secret sorcerer is a very powerful one for the Daughters. And, of course, there's the Balm of the Westmoreland, made first by the Lady of the Lake for her lover. However, the balm only worked on women - the Lady's husband was killed by it, for in a man's body the potion is deadly poison, causing a painful and untraceable death. For wmen, though, the Balm gives them temporary immortality - they will live ten times longer than a normal woman and remain young throughout. Beyond that, those with the Lady's blood can often live up to 200 years anyway, and a man up to 150.

Sidebar time! Annika Gorinsdottir was a Vesten in the year 900. She was the daughter of Jarl Gorin Kristoffson, a mighty warrior who ended up swept overboard in a battle. He was saved somehow and nursed through a terrible fever by a strangely beautiful woman. She seemed to be kissing him, but when he fully awoke from his fever, she was gone. He found his way home, unsure if he had just dreamed it. However, several years later he found a baby girl crying on a beach, in a tiny carved boat. His heart nearly stopped, for she was the woman's spitting image - and she bore around her neck a runestone. His runestone, which he thought he'd lost at sea. He took the child and raised her as his daughter. His wife didn't quite believe the story, since she could see the physical similarities between her husband and the girl, but she held her tongue. Little Annika, it soon grew clear, loved to sing. Her voice was amazing, and she began training as a skald. Word spread of her songs' beauty, and she became a famous skald. Around 30 years after she was found on the beach, her father lay dying, and she sang a new song - a song about a handsome warrior and a beautiful woman of the sea. She sang it for her father as he died, and then quietly left her home, got in a boat and set sail to the west, never to be seen again.

Anyway. The Daughters have Sidhe blood in their veins, thanks to the Lady and some other Sidhe couplings. They tend to be women of unearthly beauty...or just unearthliness. They are all able to survive in Bryn Bresail, though only those who learn the magic of crossing into the other world can really benefit from that. If they spend enough time there, they can find pathways to far places in the human world...or to strange realities beyond this mortal realm. True mortals would soon be blinded and defeaned by the world of the Sidhe, but the Daughters, with their Sidhe blood, are safe. Howevering, being in Bryn Bresail strengthens the Sidhe blood, burning away the mortality of the Sidhe-blooded slowly yet surely. Only in the waters, guarded by the power of the Lady of the Lake, are the Daughters truly safe. There, they are protected by their ancestor's magic. Similarly, those of the Lady's blood raised by the Sidhe find the mortal world uncomfortable and disturbing, calling out to their passions and emotions, which they have tended to suppressed and hide. If they remain too long in the mortal world, they will find their meotions running forth freely, unable to be controlled. Only in running water are they freed of this, as the Lady shields and protects them, as well.

Next time: The Sons of Lugh and the White Plague!

You assume that because we are women, we are not worthy of strength, power, and knowledge.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: You assume that because we are women, we are not worthy of strength, power, and knowledge.

Okay. The Sons of Lugh are descended from the second line of the Lady, through her half-mortal son Lugh. Many of them are not born with the Lady's caul, and are treated as normal sidhe, utterly unaware of the mortal blood in their veins. Those who know are told at a young age that they must never let anyone else in Bryn Bresail know of their heritage, and learn to mask it. They are not ever dipped into the River of Forgetfulness - the Lady learned that lesson from the mother of the O'Bannon, and swore never to force that madness on her own children. While the Sons of Lugh are not technically members of the Daughters, they serve the same functions and work often with the Daughters as allies. The Sons are the source of the Daughters' knowledge about the Sidhe, Syrneth and the origin of life. However, even Glamour and the Sidhe can't answer all the questions they have. While the Daughters work to prevent the coming of the Fourth Prophet, the Sons work to find out as much as possible about the Syrneth, for they feel the Fourth Coming will open the gates of the Syrneth prison. The Sons are dedicated to preparing the Sidhe for that battle, training themselves and any who will listen, and slowly moving against the Queen of the Sky - after all, she might stop them and thus allow the Syrneth to return unchallenged. They don't think she's a Syrne ally, but rather that she'd deny the threat and ignore it rather than admit they might have power near hers.

Sidebar now on Queen Zariama of Kanuba. In 1560, according to what little is known of the island of Kanuba, she was born into a noble family and raised alongside her many brothers, learning the art of the warrior. She surpassed all her brothers and soon rose to lead her people. She's said to have had a brilliant mind and a clever wit, uniting the Kanu and turning their rudimentary cities into fortified ones, even starting the development of roads. When the foreigners arrived on Kanuba, she made a number of profitable trade agreements, including selling the first coffee beans to Montaigne. She never took a formal husband, but had many children, and made sure her daughters were taught as warriors as well as her sons. And...yeah, that's it for her.

Anyway. The Sidhe have no human emotions or even basic human impulses - they don't understand lust, happiness or pain. They'll do anything just to see what will happen. The Sons of Lugh, though, understand true emotion thanks to their human blood. For years, they have worked to protect humanity from their Sidhe brethren and keep the Sidhe from destroying humanity. It wasn't easy, since time has little meaning in Bryn Bresail - their work was both swift and agonizingly slow. They did this all while hiding their true natures as mortal-blooded. The Sidhe also do not understand the idea of Theus, either as god or as something that exists, though they know the name. Before the Sidhe abandoned Avalon to the Montaigne, they were even known to prank or mimic Vaticine services to mock them. The Sidhe have never grasped the Vaticine at all...which has made the work of the Sons of Lugh rather dangerous. It's dangerous to discuss religion in Bryn Bresail, after all - any flower might repeat what you said, as might any pool of water. The Lady and her descendants are sure the Fourth Prophet is coming, and they need to learn more. They thus seek to convince the Sidhe to learn more about mortals and to understand that Bryn Bresail cannot survive without Théah. Thanks to the way time works in Bryn Bresail, their work is more urgent than the Daughters' - the Prophet might come in a thousand centuries, or tomorrow. For the Sidhe, the two are not meaningfully distinct ideas. Anyway. The Sidhe are also the keepers of the Daughters' great library of journals, hiding the vast knowledge of the Daughters beneath Loch Westmoreland in Irnan Dun, in Avalon. There's a monastery down there, both in the mortal world and Bryn Bresail, and it's where all the books are kept.

Now then. The White Plague. We know the history...but what most of the world doesn't know is that the White Plague's devastation prevented the release of the Syrneth by the Agiotage. We've covered all that, blah blah blah. The Daughters originally discovered a Syrneth infection in the year 408 and tried to use Sidhe magic to stop it. The mixture of Scry sorcery, healing potions and the essence of Bryn Bresail turned the infection into the White Plague, transmitted amongst those tainted by the Syrne and killing them horribly. By the time the Daughters contained the plague in the 400s, they understood it and were able to direct it. It was used to kill the Agiotage, and so on, as we know. The Daughters have several times released the Plague, including once in San Cristobal to destroy a Syrneth artifact collector. The Plague at the time rapidly spread through the city and even killed the royal family. Since then, the Order has taken care to severely limit how much they use the disease, to avoid more innocent deaths. The only samples of the White Plague currently rest in the Cave of the Oracle, to be used only on her personal orders.

Now then! Nations. In Avalon, the Daughters work very closely with the Sons, specializing in gathering information and protecting the library. Avalon is the most open haven of the Daughters, thanks to the return of the Sidhe, and it's home for most of their training grounds. The Daughters support Elaine completely, believing her a critical link between Bryn Bresail and Théah. They feel her ability to control the Graal is a sign of hope and rebirth, and will thus push the Fourth Coming back. Besides, it's where the Lady of the Lake's Champion, Lawrence Lugh, lives. Lawrence Lugh is a Son of Lugh and while it's unusual that the Lady's champion would serve the champion of the Queen of the Sky, the Daughters trust their ancestor and ensure that Avalon does well. In Castille, meanwhile, things are more dangerous. In 1390, the Inquisitors broke into a convent controlled by the Daughters, having discovered that the nuns there were teaching "unsuitable" lessons about the Fourth Prophet. Since then, the Daughters have gone to great lengths to hide from the locals, marrying into prominent lines rather than trying to educate the peasants. The Vaticine is one of their greatest unwitting allies, and they have several spies in the Inquisition and the libraries, deliberately affecting what sort of thing is considered heresy as much as they can. Without the Church, they'd have much greater difficulty gathering information. Still, they remember that the Church is one of the few groups that suspects their existence, and move with extreme caution when dealing with them.

Sidebar now on Lady Li Ching Chao of Cathay. In the year 1000, she was a renowned poet and scholar, collecting works from across the world. Her work tended to address political issues and told women to stand up for themselves and keep people away from senseless war. She married for love rather than power when she married the scholar Lord Chao Ming Cheng, and they treated each other as equals. When her husband died suddenly, she was approached by many nobles to remarry, but she rejected them all and kept writing about life in Cathay. Her work occasionally gets past the Firewall to Breslau, though rarely with an attributed author. It is from Lady Li that most Théans know anything about Cathay. She was aware of the outside world, but never wanted to travel, preferring tranquility at home.

On to Eisen! Eisen is not really prepared for the message of the Daughters, and the only Sidhe there are terrible Unseelie Sidhe who ravage the already devastated land. However, the Daughters are sorely needed. They suspect the destruction of Eisen is a sign of the Fourth Prophet and work constantly to try and rebuild the nation. Wilma Probst has helped, but there's a lot left to do. One of the big goals is to clean and refill the Südlache, whose waters are overfished and teeming with pollution. There is a stagnant pool east of the Südlache that leads to a cursed moor in Bryn Bresail. The society believes the corruption of one land has led to the fall of the other, and work ceaselessly to find a solution before both are permanently tainted. In Montaigne, meanwhile, the Daughters felt they had control. The Queen was a member of them, social reform was all over and the King would be forced to seek alliances to marry off his daughters. However, then Queen Rosa Valesquez de Sandoval died and the daughters lost favor with their father one by one. Only a few years later, the Hierophant and the Montaigne Cardinal went missing, dead or vanished. Leon XIV announced that Montaigne would allow all sorcerers and was declared a heretic. The war with Castille began and Montaigne began to rot away from within. The Daughters have seen Montaigne's people dying, lost to war, in their visions. To prevent this, they have begun educating the people and subtly supporting the revolutionaries, bringing in arms to Paix and Charouse. There must be rebellion, they know, and they'll be at the center. Many, particularly nobles, are going to die - but it'll help save the world from Armageddon. They're working very closely with the Empereur's youngest daughter, Dominique, who may be her nation's last hope. However, they also fear her, for there is a prophecy that her son will be a tyrant that destroys Montaigne.

In Ussura, thanks to their connection with Bryn Bresail, they know exactly who and what Matushka is - an ancient master of the Syrneth, one of the most powerful. The Sidhe don't trust her, but the Daughters have decided they must keep their friends close and their enemies closer. They work closely with Matushka and her people, encouraging her to believe that they're on her side. Of course, they haven't thrown away the idea that Matushka might not be Syrne - after all, she claims that she works against them and destroys those who would weaken the Barrier. If that is so, she'd a great ally...but if she's lying, Matushka must be destroyed. The Sons of Lugh and the Daughters' sorcerers have been hunting for a way to kill her if needed. It's taken a thousand years so far and will likely be a long time yet before they find an answer. In Vendel, meanwhile, the Daughters have made great strides. Lorraine Weller leads the Jennys and the University of Kirk has several Daughters in ranking positions. They believe the Vendel League has great potential, and want to guide it away from the corruption it suffers from. They have very few dealings with the Vesten, who are too insular to be good allies. Mostly, they've rescued some battered thralls and kept a lookout for the caul.

In Vodacce, the Daughters have been fighting bigotry and sexism for centuries. Women are seen as little more than slaves there, and greed and ruthlessness are virtues. It's not easy to reverse that sort of thing, especially because many of the women of the nation believe their oppression is right . It's a dangerous place for the Daughters, but they have to work there. Nearly all their agents there are natives, seeking to liberate the noble women and get abused Fate Witches out of the country. It's very dangerous, but Valentina Villanova is up to the job. Under her direction, several dozen noblewomen have escaped to safety, and the Daughters have considered the idea of open revolt...but it can't be done with the Fate Witches preventing it, or even organized without them noticing. They must be careful.

Now, other groups. The Daughters have infiltrated the Explorers deeply, but feel that they have stagnated, more interested in adventure than actual recovery of Syrneth artifacts. The Daughters can often guess, thanks to their Sidhe knowledge, what many devices are actually for. They occasionally sabotage artifacts to ensure they never work as designed, and use the Society to help watch for creatures from beyond the Barrier trying to communicate. Some of them fear that the Explorers may be going too close to the path of the Agiotage, believing that constant hunting for Syrneth artifacts can only weaken the Barrier. Because of this, many actively try to end the adventuers of the Exploers...and their lives. Covertly, of course. The Invisible College, meanwhile, they see as an ally in the making. The College is clever, cunning and a great enemy of the False Prophet's Inquisition. The Daughters covertly aid the College as much as they can, providing safe havens for prominent scientists. They are the ones who got Ravenild Hibbot into the Royal Fraternity. Ravenild actually is a member of the Lady's line, but the Daughters didn't find her until well past puberty. Her Scry abilities were limited, manifesting only as a passion for studying blood. The Daughters decided not to recruit her, and rather just to help her quietly in the background. However, the College is also a great danger to the Daughters - their studies of Blood Science too accurately resemble Sophian alchemy, and many Daughters fear that the Blood Scientists will discover some of their carefully kept alchemical secrets. Further, their research into the White Plague comes dangerously close to realizing its true nature...and who controls it. The Daughters are not at all ready to justify their actions and do not want to fight such a useful group, so instead they just try to have their agents sabotage both Blood Science and the study of the White Plague.

The Daughters have kept their distance from the Rose and Cross. Some time ago, the Daughters made a major error, and the Knights became aware of a half-Sidhe lineage in Avalon, trying to track them down. Eventually, the Sons of Lugh had to act foricbly to keep the Knights away...and it started a cold war between the two groups, even though the Knights never know who they were fighting - they just knew that somehow, contact with Bryn Bresail had continued when the Sidhe withdrew from Avalon. It was enough to interest them, since several Knights disliked the idea of Sidhe interference with humanity. During that cold war, the Daughters mostly handled themselves cooly and calmly, with one major exception. They'd used the Balm of the Westmoreland to poison several Knights, trusting it to kill them as it did all men. It did, save one: the man today known as Louis-Claude du Sinjin, their biggest embarassment. They discovered far too late that not only did Sinjin have the Lady's bloodline...but he also had a strange genetic anomaly that caused the Balm to affect him as it did women. They've been hunting for years to kill Sinjin, but he's eluded them so far.

Die Kreuzritter are closest to the Daughters' goals, of all the secret societies. Both want to destroy the Syrneth and preserve the Barier. Both work to resture true faith to the world and will sacrifice their lives to prevent an apocalypse. If they could, the Daughters would reveal themselves to the Black Crosses and make an alliance...but die Kreuzritter are too paranoid. If the Knights knew that the Daughters both existed and knew they existed, theyd seek to destroy the Daughters as a threat to their own existence. The Daughters have had enough of secret wars with the Agiotage - they don't want to start another one, especially against people doing the same job as them. As sch, they can't risk revealing themselves and instead try to aid the Knights secretly. More than one Daughter has died to keep the Daughters secret from die Kreuzritter. In Inismore, die Keruzritter have heard about a permanent entrance to Bryn Bresail - but what they've actually discovered is a pocket of Daughters trying to bring Bryn Bresail closer to Théah. The three Daughters involved have gone underground to avoid discovery.

There is a strong bond between the Daughters and the Rilasciare. 75 years ago, the Freethinkers discovered the existence of the Daughters via secret communication, and put aside their differences to collaborate. Sorcery, especially Sorte, makes the Rilasciare nervous...but the two groups are both committed to freeing the oppressed, and have common foes in Vodacce. Rilasciare safehouses have been used to help ship out abused women from the nation, and though some of the more radical Rilasciare hate and fear the Daughters, the alliance seems like it'll continue for the foreseeable future. Meanwhile, there is no direct connection between the Daughters and Los Vagos, but the Castillian Handmaiden, Fidencia Suarez, works in Don Aldana's household and is greatly involved with his daughter, Maria-Soledad, as her duena. The two organizations covertly work together thanks to Las Muñecas, a group of women on the front of the war who are trying to defeat the Montaigne. Several are secretly Daughters, and they work closely with Los Vagos. Los Vagos are not, as a whole, aware of the Daughters, of course.

Now, let's talk important people. The first is Rhyanna ferch Hywel. Her mother, Angharrett ferch Myddun, was a wonderful dancer who caught the eye of a mysterious traveling bard. They spent a night together...and nine months later, Angharrett gave birth. The child, Rhyanna, was collected by her father on the day of her birth. She has always known about her Sidhe blood. The bard was a Sidhe nobleman, Duke Ioan, a renegade pledged to the Lady of the Lake. He often fathers children on women with special talents, and actually is concerned about the mortal world. Sadly, most mortal women die in childbirth to his children, which is why he collected Rhyanna, sensing she would be a crucial player in battles to come. Rhyanna was raised in a castle deep in the Forest Grumweald. The Lady herself initiated the girl in to the Daughters, and the color of her flame was gold, showing her father was right. Since then, she has coordinated Daughter activities throughout the Glamour Isles, fighting the Unseelie and covertly aiding Elaine. The Daughters never know when she'll show up, but she always brings wine with her when she does.

Ysabette du Montaigne, better known at the moment as Isabelle, is the eight of l'Empereur's daughters. She didn't want to be initiated and certainly didn't want to be Handmaiden. Her sorcery was shameful to her, and if she had any way to change it, she would have. She had no skill with magic, and was very relieved by that fact. She hated the idea of using it. Her nursemaid wanted her to pretend, of course, and even dyed her hands red to seem like a mage, but Ysabette was happy not to have the power. One morning, while washing her face, she found herself staring at the basin of water, feeling a strange sensation of sinking into it. When she came to her senses later, her nursemaid was watching her in horror. The princess assumed she'd fainted, but the nursemaid told her that no, it was far worse - she was not l'Empereur's daughter. Instead, she was fathered by a Vodacce man named Viscount Tigran Lorenzo, a man of ill repute, who seduced l'Empereur's wife with charm and wit...and used it to... He used it to drug and then rape the Queen of Montaigne, who was too ashamed to admit what happened save to the maid who would become Ysabette's handmaiden. The Queen died shortly after Ysabette's birth, and the maid prayed that it would be l'Empereur's blood - but it turned out not to be. Now that Ysabette was showing some new, unknown magic, it was certain. Scrying had to come from her father, and the nursemaid begged Ysabette to hide her true heritage. The horrified princess fled the palace instead, fueled by a huge rage against her mother, l'Empereur and the man named Tigran. She find herself in surlig later, being watched by some ruffians. She was saved from these would-be rapists by Sebastiano Scogna of Vodacce. She told him her name was Isabelle, and became a member of his crew. She was scouted for the Daughters by Morgause Mercuri on Scogna's ship, who recognized her Scrying skill. Eventually, Isabelle began her own crew - and the Daughters approached her then and recruited her. She agreed to aid them by sailing the water and serving as Handmaiden of Montaigne. She is an adept pirate now and a skilled swordswomand and Scryer.

Next time: More Handmaidens!

You are wrong.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

Spirit of the Century is...late 19th, early 20th century, right? Isn't there a FATE variant that does about a 100 years before that? That seems to be the one to use.

7th Sea: You are wrong.

We left off with the Handmaidens...specifically, the Handmaiden of the Crescent Empire, and one of...huh. I believe three Crescents statted up so far. (The others are Kheired-Din and that one guy from die Kreuzritter.) Her name is Jazhani binte Noura, and she is a woman in the "hareem" of Tamir ben Ha'atim, a rather enlightened fellow in middle age who appreciated the company of beautiful young women named Jazhani and allowed his hareem a lot of freedom. Jazhani was working on an alchemical formula to try and relieve the pain from her..."owner's" unnamed painful disease, and worked out one of the ingredients but was unable to decipher the rest of the ancient text she was using. At last, she turned away and lay down beside a reflecting pool, watching the water. Her inkstained fingers got ink into the water, and as she watched it mix, she found herself listening to a voice in her head, a woman's voice telling her about all sorts of things beyond the world she knew. When she awoke from the daydream, she could not forget the voice. The Oracle had made contact with her. She was chosen for her great gift in medicine and healing alchemy, and she spends most of her time in a lab that Tamir has set up for her. She's working on complex formulas in the hopes of making medicines to help the people. She has never met any other Daughters directly, though the Oracle has shared much with her, and gained use of her formulas for the Daughters.

Now, back to people we already know! Wilma Probst went to school under Mlle. Jeanette Francoise, who used her school to shape the minds of young girls to serve the Daughters. She'd been waiting for years for someone like Wilma - someone she could groom to lead. Wilma was trained in the secrets of the Daughters, and was ver receptive. Her fearlessness and lack of remorse were tempered by a strong sense of duty and ethics, and she learned to be a shrewd politician. She never showed any fear, not even when told about the Fourth Prophet's true coming, and she became a valued Daughter. She served the Daughters in the Imperator's cort, and even made an aly of the Imperator...until his suicide. She returned to her mentor for guidance, and Mlle. Francoise told her to use it as an opportunity to find a suitable lord in the Iron Princes. She signed on with Nicklaus Trägue, becoming fascinated by his theories, but was not cowed by his presence, and after a short but lively argument with the man, she was appointed to lead Freiburg while he performed his experiment there. Wilma has no Sidhe blood whatsoever, but her unwavering devotion and fearlessness make her quite formidable - only Fauner Pösen gets more respect from most Eisen.

We already know most of Tamara Breslau Fyodnava v'Riasanova's history. Blessed with the ability to make people unable to lie to her, cursed to die in darkness, and so on. That particular gift, incidentally, destroyed her first love - he ended up telling her all about the other women he'd slept with before, shattering her innocence. She has been a member of the Daughters since childhood and is the handmaiden of Ussura, yadda yadda, moving on.

Fidencia Suarez is a fairly unremarkable woman - except for her Sidhe blood. She was born on the island of Puerto de Cielo, the son of a fisherman named Danielo Suarez and an Avalon privateer named Siobhan Martyn. Her mother fell in love with Castille on her first voyage there - and also in love with the fisherman who would be Fidencia's father. They lived simply, and in Castille, no one knew that Siobhan descended from the Sidhe. It soon became clear, though, that Fidencia was no normal girl. She thirsted for knowledge, befriending the local bookseller, Amador Sintera, who taught her the Crescent strategy game of Ajedrez - which she showed remarkable talent with. As she grew, Fidencia took lessons from a little chool run by the local nuns, the Sisters of Santa Micaela, who were devoted to the welfare and education of children. Their Mother Superior was a Daughter, and Fidencia was a perfect candidate for initiation. When it came time to find a dueña for Marie-Soledad Rivera y Aldana, the Mother Superior ensured her protege would get the position. Fidencia worked so well there that she was made Handmaiden. She is probably the most secretive of the Daughters, thanks to living in the heart of the Inquisition. Only two Daughters know her true identity besides the Oracle - Angelita Mendoza, the elderly nursemaid of Prince Javier, and Rosario Guzman, a widow who runs the El Caballo Blanco Inn. The three women often get together to swap gossip and plan the future of the nation. None of the other Daughters who serve Fidencia have ever learned her true identity, and she communicates entirely in code and behind masks. She knows about her Sidhe blood, but sees it more as the mark of fate than any kind of magic.

We know most stuff about Valentina Villanova already. She and Juliette are both Daughters, and were both offered the Handmaiden spot. They discussed it with each other before Valentina took the job. She rarely goes to parties, so she has more time to plan things, after all. Recently, Beatrice Caligari has contacted Valentina with the hope of getting out of the country to Montaigne. She is easily the most powerful Fate Witch the Daughters have ever considered liberating, and her request was to see her sister "once more, before the world ends." Valentina's rather worried about the sound of that and has told the Oracle. She has not yet agreed to smuggle Beatrice out, but has talked to Morgause Mercuri about the chances of it. Until she hears back from Morgause, she won't move any further...but time is running out.

Nothing new about Lorraine Weller here. So let's move on to Contessa Maria Catarina Nicolleta di Caligari. Her name at birth was Catarina Rustino, daughter of a cloth merchant. Her parents planned to sell her to a courtesan's school if she showed any talent for it...but she was a tomboy and ungraceful. She eventually joined a street gang led by one of her elder brothers, becoming a petty thief. On one occasion, she stole the bracelet of Dona Marsilia Priano, a Fate Witch and a Daughter. When the Witch found the gang's hideout, she was mostly amused and intrigued by Catarina. Rather than punish the kids, she offered to sponsor Catarina at a courtesan's school. Her parents were delighted to be rid of the troublesome girl. She wasn't too happy about it at first, though, and began a plan to escape...but even as she made her plans, she began to enjoy her studies. While she never became a classic beauty, she learned how to use her wit to enhance her unremarkable appearance. Meanwhile, the Daughters began making plans. They approached her and made it clear what they wanted: a spy. Under their training, she went from Catarina Rustino to Maria Catarina Nicolleta, a member of the Vestini family. She fooled everyone - and nearly fooled herself, too. The ultimate show of her success? Marriage to Count Cesare di Caligari, grandson of Vincenzo Caligari himself. She's waiting on instructions from the Daughters, now - she has no idea what their actual plan is for her.

Madeline du Chatelaine is a Montaigne who often helps smuggle Vodacce women through Montaigne's crowds. She uses hidden apartments above the home granted to her by her boorish, imbecilic husband, Merron du Chatelaine. Madeline was born with the caul of Scrying and trained from childhood to be a Daughter, while her husband cares only for tax rates and imports. He rarely visits home, and lets Madeline do whatever she pleases. Recently, Madeline has become interested in the whispers of revolution among the lower classes, but when she went to a meeting, she expected it to be just another male-dominated lecture. She was surprised at being wrong, and loved the chance to speak her mind. By the end of the night, she was dedicated to the freedom of Montaigne. She continues to go to these rebellious philosophy meetings, and even holds them at her home. She helps discuss new forms of government, new methods of education and the rights of all people...but Madeline is growing weary of inaction. When the time comes, she will ensure that the society's words are matched by their deeds, and she plans to use the Daughters to help her.

Reune Vengasdottir...well, she's involved with Alvara Arciniega. Someone's been leaving anonymous notes for Arciniega, helping him in his research on Blood Science. Without the help, he'd be years behind where he is now. What he doesn't know is that his anonymous penpal is a Daughter, working to try and steer him away from, say, independently discovering the Balm of the Westmoreland. Arciniega knows his benefactor is an amazing alchemist, and has sworn to discover the person's identity and gain their knowledge. His benefactor is, of course, Reune Vengasdottir, a Vesten who is over 400 years old, thanks to the Balm. She is the best alchemist in the Daughters, and has even invented a new kind of potion: Glasswater, which changes the appearance...and can even change it utterly, though that doesn't last as long as small changes. Reune is currently using the Glasswater to appear as Gruenhild, a gardener and groundskeeper under Arciniega. She seems to be an old Eisen woman with rheumatism, and she carefully watches everything Arciniega does. It's dangerous, but she's good at it, and has fooled her "master" completely. She does marvel at Arciniega's skill at finding and dispatching his enemies...but she has had four centuries to learn how to hide, and she won't be caught by a single mad scientist.

Now we move into men. The first such is Esteban Valentin de la Cruz. Once, he was Baron Valentius of the Sidhe, son of Ellaevia - a Son of Lugh who, like all Sons, had to bury and hide his emotions from the other Sidhe to keep his secret. Strong-willed and passionate, he fought constantly to keep himself under control. When at last he was overwhelmed, he went to the Lady of the Lake for help. She gave the boy a chance to visit the mortal realm, serving as her page. After a few years, she sent him to Castille to observe the war, and his life changed forever. Valentius saw the strength of the Castillians, learned about the dangers of Porté to the Barrier and saw how the Castillians refused to back down against an obviously superior force. When he saw King Sandoval, far too young for his job but shouldering the burden anyway, he knew he could never return to Bryn Bresail. He sent word to the Lady that he would be staying in Castille, changed his appearance and joined the king's entourage. It was not long before he joined the guards, using his great skill with a blade and his half-Sidhe power, he took on the name Esteban Valentin de la Cruz and rose through the ranks swiftly. He held the line against the Montaigne at Barcino, and when asked what post he would like in reward for his valor, he was told that he wanted the chance to give his life guarding Sandoval. He was immediately transferred to the King's personal guard. He's got no political leverage, but he's already foiled one assassination and is ready to do it again. Esteban is one of the few people Sandoval trusts, though he's no confidant. Esteban is still a Son of Lugh, but many see him as having abandoned them. He claims that he's not - he's returning hope to a nation. The Daughters have made occasional use of him, but through it all he remains loyal to his king. For once, he has purpose. For once, he has peace.

Then there's Bishop Ferenc Orlund von Durenstadt. Durenstadt is a minor Eisen duchy, and Ferenc was born there in 1627 to Duchess Vivia Karla Magdalene von Durenstadt and Duke Orlo von Durenstadt. He was their fourth son and seventh child. His mother was a practiced politician and duelist, while his father was essentially an ennobled bandit. Ferend, with three older brothers, had no succession to care about and dove into his studies, often journeying through the local caves to look at things. His mother, who'd won her 25th duel while six months pregnant, was not happy about his lack of physical skills - Ferenc had no interest in swordplay or being a warrior, and so she told him he must become a priest instead. He'd have been happy to be a simple geologist, but he was a dutiful son and agreed to go into the church. He was trained at the best university in Eisen, and did his best to follow their teachings, eventually rising to the rank of Bishop. He'd only been a Bishop for a few months before becoming involved with Cardinal Lindenauer, a great academic and Eisen's representative on the Vaticine Council. Ferenc served as Lindenauer's secretary, and quickly learned that the Vaticine did not know as much as they pretended to know. He was fascinated by the Sidhe, and resolved to discover what their place was in Theus' plan. Unfortunately, it was not long before Lindenauer died of old age, and his replacement, Erika Brigitte Durkheim, had no use for Ferenc, sending him off to a library in Insel. He kept his connections, though, and is today a minor but important member of the Church's social structure. He has continued his research on the inhuman races, and has learned some startling things which he's yet to share.

We've already mentioned Viscounti Tigran Lorenzo, but now let's go in depth. According to official records, the Lorenzo family died in 1175, thanks to the Vestini. There are currently less than a hundred descendants of the Lorenzo, Serrano and Bianco lines, and most are servants in other Vodacce noble houses. The Bianco were the worst of the lot, the Walkers in Darkness, who openly worshipped infernal powers. The Church believes they have destroyed all the Biancos. They have not. In 1622, storms tore across Vodacce, and at midnight on that stormy night, the last new moon of the year, a child was born to Milo Mondavi, first cousin of Prince Mondavi. The mother died in childbirth, the first woman to die at the hands of Tigran Lorenzo. Named for the famouse Prince Viscounti, Tigran (as he preferred to be called) took the Lorenzo name freely. His sadism in the Great Game horrified even his family - by three, he was torturing animals for fun, and by five, other children. As he grew to a man, he showed great skill and knowledge, mastering both the game of Squares and Ajedrez, as well as fencing. As he became older, it was clear that he had some kind of unnatural beauty and charisma, which made women throw themselves at him. Tigran was almost 20 when his father died, savaged by some unknown beast. Tigran was very close to his father, and locked himself up without food or water for three days in the family mausoleum. For three days there were terrible howls from within, and then Tigran emerged, gaunt but calm. The funeral went on as normal. Tigran has used his intelligence and charm to become a diplomat, letting him study torture in many places. Ostensibly, he serves the Mondavi family's interests, but he is a great player of the Great Game and has much personal power. Despite being nearly 50, he still looks as young as he ever did. Some say he bathes in virgin's blood to keep his youthly good looks.

We've got Sir Lawrence Lugh now, but not much is new here. Unbeknownst to him, he was a descendent of the Lugh, and so had human blood in him. He never questioned his occasional twinges of emotion. Not until he was seduced and given the iron hand that turned him mortal. As he went mad from the raw emotion, he was visited by the Lady of the Lake, who calmed him and told him of his heritage. She told him that if he would help protect Queen Elaine, she would give him the power to handle his emotions. He accepted. Since then, he has become the iconic image of an Avalon knight. He works closely with the Daughters of Sophia and the Sons of Lugh, and helps them often. The Sons find him reticent in their presence, reminded of all he's lost. Elaine assists him in the task of fighting the coming of the Fourth Prophet, in part because she agrees with the ideals of the Daughters and in part because she really needs the support and backing of the Lady of the Lake and the Sidhe.

Likewise, we already know most of Louis-Claude du Sinjin's history. Somehow, he is a man with the specific genes to not only survive the Balm of the Westmoreland but to gain its power. The Daughters were trying to kill him...for no reason I can quite understand. No one seems to know. At the time, his name was Liam St. Claire of Luthon, but he changes it every so often. He's a major risk now, though, since...well, he suspects the existence of other immortals thanks to the Balm, and he knows the Daughters are out there in some form. He has some natural Scry powers - nothing trained, no active sorcery, but he can't be seen via Scrying. The Oracle has been pressuring the Daughter who tried to kill him so long ago to finish the job. Her name is currently Seara, and she is trying to seduce Sinjin. The two are to be married soon, and Seara says she plans to kill him during the wedding by jumping off a cliff with him and killing both of them.

Now then! Mechanics. Here's what you get for just being a Daughter: First, you can contact the Oracle through a reflective pool, a mirror or any other reflective surface. Even if you can't Scry. You can ask her one question about the future per story, though the answers tend to be very vague. Second, you know the locations of three Daughter safehouses, where you and your companions can hide for up to a week undetected. You know where a single portal to Bryn Bresail is, though without Scrying you can't open it. You get a 1-point Connection to one other Daughter, who will give advice and assistance when needed. You can spend 2 points to make that connection a Handmaiden. You know the rituals in the Book of Mysteries. And lastly, you get a 2 point discount to buying one point of Panache, and may begin the game with Panache 4.

The Daughters do take men and do take people not descended from the Lady of the Lake, though usually not men who aren't part of the line. They have three Grandmasters - Lorraine Weller for Seduction. Reune Vengasdottir for Natural Philosophy and Fidencia Suarez for History. They also have their own Swordsman school, an assassin's school descended from Cappuntina. It's called Necare, and it teaches the use of concealed knives and poison. Its priorities are appearing nonthreatening and poisoned backstabs. The weakness? Well, like all assassin styles, it kind of sucks if you don't get that first hit kill in. It is, naturally, not a style recognized by the Swordsmen. Only Daughters ever learn it, after all.

Apprentices learn to get close to their targets before striking, gaining a free Raise per Mastery level to conceal a small weapon like a dagger. They also add their Mastery level to the damage roll when using bodice daggers, and gain the Poison Immunity advantage to a single poison. Journeymen learn to use more poisons and better ways to use the knife. They get a free Raise with the Poison knack, and a free Raise when attacking with a bodice dagger. They can add their rank in Corps-a-Corps to their damage rolls with bodice daggers. They also get a free rank of Conceal, which raises their max to 6. Masters of Necare have perfected a technique called the Light Touch. By making an attack roll with 3 raises, they can try to poison their target. If they succeed, they deal a single flesh wound and get the poison in...but the victim must make a Perception check with a TN of (5+5*your Conceal) to notice the injury at all. This also applies to anyone searching the body for injuries later. Also, your Poison Immunity now applies to all poisons.

Next time: Scrying!

I live. And I am free.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: I live. And I am free.

Before we get to sorcery, I should note that you can spend points to have taken the Balm of the Westmoreland. For every 5 points spent, you have lived 50 years longer than your appearance suggests. You are also immune to disease, including White Plague. You get the Scholar skill for free, and get one free point of Language. For every 4 points on top of that, you get 2 more points of Language and 2 free ranks of the History knack, or any other Civil Skill knack if your History is 5. The effects persist for 25-75 years after campaign start in case that somehow ever becomes relevan, and you should have a very good reason for having been kept alive this long, since the Balm is not given out like candy.

Oh yeah, and the Sidhe Blood advantage is reprinted. You only take it if your blood is particularly strong - you don't have to have Sidhe Blood to be sidhe-blooded, it just means you're close to the source. You can also buy a songbird, a trained Sweetwren that can be sent to any place it has physically been to in the past, though it can't go to Bryn Bresail or any other world beyond this one, and can't carry anything heavier than a parchment. There are also rules for being hideously ugly if you want to, which gives penalties on most social rolls but makes you really damn intimidating, and at the highest level gives you the ability to raise your Fear Rating. We then get stats for the bodice dagger (a very low-damage but extremely easy-to-conceal weapon), the scrying bowl (it's got no stats, and it's a six-inch-deep bowl of water) and the ceremonial crystal dagger. The crystal dagger is possessed only by the Handmaidens and the Oracle - they're very rare artifacts. When the Oracle appoints a new Handmaiden, a dagger will just appear one day without explanation, often in a locked room. The daggers are used only for initiatian ceremonies and have no powers or abilities beyond those ceremonies, which we covered. There is one last artifact: Karolan's Drum. Karolan was the Stone Knight of Avalon, who held a narrow pass for days before dropping dead of exhaustion when help arrived. He carried a drum, it supposedly captured his voice when he died. Several drums purported to be Karolan's have shown up since. The "voice" of the drum is said to be Karolan's, calling to Avalon's defenders, or perhaps is just Glamour...but anyone using a Karolan's Drum gets a free Raise on Incitation rolls.

Now, Scrying. Scrying is possessed only by Sophia's Daughters, as only they know how to train it. There are two types - one most commonly found in women, and one most commonly found in men. Of course, about one in a hundred thousand Scrying sorcerers display the opposite gender's sorcery, and they count as the same sorcery for purposes of genetics. You can't be Double-Blooded with Scrying - any other sorcery overpowers it entirely. It is found only in the bloodline of the Lady of the Lake and certain other water-bound Sidhe, and it draws on the waters of Bryn Bresail for its power. Women generally have the gift of clairvoyance and potions, while men have extreme physical capabilities. All can breathe water, and all have the power to sense if people are good or evil - in game terms, telling if someone is a Hero, Villain or Scoundrel. There's no roll associated with it, it just works. You do not need the Sidhe Blood advantage to have Scrying sorcery. The water breathing prevents them from drowning in any liquid that is at least 3/4 water.

Women's Scrying starts off, at Apprentice level, with Clairvoyance. They can brew potions as well, producing a number of doses equal to their Mastery level. But the clairvoyance, now. It's limited to the present, and you can only use it to see the events going on around a person, place or thing with which you are familiar. You can make two Raises to try and scry on something you've only heard about, and one raise to scry on something you've only seen when scrying. However, there is no range limit - you can see across the entire world. At Adept level, the strength of the Scryer's potions increases, as does their ability to see things. They can look into the past or future now. They can't see the past beyond their birth, or the future beyond one year. Each week or fraction of a week that they're looking into the future increases the TN by 1. Every 2 years or fraction thereof they look into the past increases the TN by 1. At Adept level, you may also use the special pool-gates to enter or leave Bryn Bresail. You immerse yourself in the magic pool and call on your power. You suffer Portal Sickness similar to users of Porté, and you have to make a Wits+Scrying roll to get through. You must make two Raises for every person you bring with you, and they also suffer Portal Sickness. At Master level, your scrying is no longer limited to your own lifetime, and you may look as far into the past or future as you desire. Your TNs change now, so that every five years distance from the present or fraction thereof adds 1 to the TN.

The knacks that go with Scrying are as follows. First, naturally, is Scry, which lets you use your clairvoyance and time vision. You need a pool of fresh water, and you can see and hear what's going on in it. You have to spend a Drama die each time you use the knack, and you roll dice equal to your Scry+Mastery Level+1, keeping (Mastery Level+1). The base TN is 20, going up by 10 if anything distracting is going on in the several minutes it takes to use the power. Images of the past are distorted by a yellow haze, as if happening on old parchment, which can obscure things, but usually not too badly. The future, however, is very hazy and indistinct, and all sound is whispered. This gets worse the further ahead you look. The GM may spend a Drama die to replace a vision with something else of their choosing - perhaps to drop a clue or start a plot. Visions of this type are not limited by the normal Scrying rules and can be literally anything the GM wants. The Daughters call these "Currents of Destiny" and see them as a blessing. This can, the book notes, also be used to hide important information from a PC, but such a use should absolutely not be abused.

All other knacks are potion-related. The False Potion knack allows you to try and make something that looks, smells and feels like a potion but which does nothing. You average your rank in False Potion and the appropriate Potion knack, rounding down, and use the result as your rank for making that potion. A False Potion is indistinguishable from a normal one in all ways, save that it has no effects. It does not count on the limit of potions that may be active on someone at once, and has all the same ingredient requirements and modifiers of the actual potion you would be making.

Now, the potion knacks themselves. Each kind has its own knack, but all follow the same rules. You roll Wits+(appropriate knack) against the TN for the potion, and if you are trying to make a potion that requires more than water, you can make 2 Raises per ingredient you don't want to use to make them anyway. Ingredients are, naturally, destroyed during potionmaking. You can be affected by a number of potions at any given time equal to your Brawn, but you don't need to have Scrying to use a potion. If you use one while at your limit, the oldest potion effect drops off you and is replaced by the new one. Unless otherwise noted, a potion's effects last for one Act. Potions take half an hour to brew. A potion that modifies traits or knacks can never raise them above 7 or drop them below 0, and you can't raise or lower a rank by more than your Mastery level. For every raising or lowering of the rank beyond the first, you have to make a Raise when making the potion. Potions come in eight types: elixirs and philters (which must be ingested), fumes and vapors (which must be inhaled), and balms, dusts, oils and powders (which you just have to touch). You may make a Raise to make a potion use a type other than its normal one.

Now, the potions! Antidote Philter is a TN 20 potion requiring one spider, which nullifies the effects of one poison the drinker has in their system. Cooling Balm is TN 15 and takes a fresh oak leaf, and when rubbed on the body it makes the target nearly immune to hot weather damage. (There is a chart for weather damage; this changes where on the chart you look for hot weather.) Dust of Irritation uses a pinch of pepper and is TN 15. When blown or sprinkled on someone, it causes massive sneezing fits, requiring one Raise on all rolls. Dust of Petrification is TN 40 and requires a stone from a riverbed. When it's sprinkled on someone, they take on a stony, rocklike appearance and get +3 dice to all wound checks. However, all of their actions are considered 2 phases slower than rolled, to a max of 10. Fumes of Slumber are TN 20 and require a pinch of sand. Anyone breathing them in must roll Resolve against the maker's Wits+Fumes of Slumber. If the maker wins, the target falls into a deep sleep from which they cannot be roused until the potion's duration ends.

The Elixir of Eagle's Flight is TN 30 and takes two eagle feathers. Anyone drinking it can fly at their normal movement speed. The Elixir of Good Fortune is TN 30 and requires a rabbit's foot, making the drinker very lucky. They gain Luck dice equal to the brewer's mastery level. Luck dice are spent exactly like Drama dice, but can only be used to boost rolls, and for no other purpose. They disappear when the potion's duration ends. The Elixir of Tongues is TN 25 and has no ingredients. It allows the drinker to speak and understand (but not read or write) all human languages until its duration runs out. The Elixir of Velme is TN 15 and takes a songbird's feather. It makes the drinker horny, giving a free Raise to all Seduction and Charm rolls by people of the appropriate sex for the drinker, whatever that is. The Elixir of Warmth is TN 20 and requires a pinch of ashes from a fire no more than a day old. It does what the Cooling Balm does, but for cold weather.

Gilead's Whisper is a TN 25 elixir requiring a white silk glove. It disguises all of the drinker's signs of sorcery - bloodstained hands for Porté, green eyes for Pyeryem, even the runic tattoos of Lærdom. If you use your sorcery before the duration is up, you end the effects early. It does not hide shamanic powers. Glasswater is a TN 30 balm requiring a snake's shed skin, and it causes the drinker to take on any appearance desired. It can lessen the effects of either beauty of ugliness Appearance advantages, but cannot create them or strengthen them, and cannot give the Large or Small advantages. It also doesn't change your clothes or equipment, but can change your apparent sex. Healing Balm is TN 25 and requires a scab from the brewer's body. When applied to a person, it instantly heals all Flesh Wounds and 1 Dramatic Wound. Love's Scented Oil is TN 20 and requires a dozen roses, and it makes anyone soaked in it extremely attractive, giving a free Raise to all Seduce or Charm rolls against the opposite gender, provided they can smell the person. Oil of Clumsiness is TN 25 and requires the foot of an albatross and the down of a fledgling hawk. It reduces the Finesse of anyone soaked in it.

Oil of Dullness is TN 25 and requires a powdered mule's hoof and three worker ants. It reduces Wits. Oil of Feebleness is TN 25, takes an earthworm and a cobweb, and reduces Brawn. Oil of Sloth is TN 25, requires a handful of moss and a powdered clamshell, and reduces Panache. Anyone reduced to Panache 0 gets only one action per round, which is always in Phase 10, and has Initiative 0. Oil of Weakness is TN 25, takes a mouse's tail and three eggshells, and reduces Resolve. The Philter of Champions is TN 25, requires a used fencing glove and increases both Attack (Fencing) and Parry (Fencing).

The Philter of Grace is TN 25, takes a sparrow's feather and a serpent's tooth, and increases Finesse. The Philter of Intelligence is TN 25, takes an owl's feather and a handful of fox fur, and increases Wits. The Philter of Invisibility is TN 30 and requires a diamond. The drinker becomes invisible to everyone watching him, including people watching via Scry. This also renders equipment invisible, but only if on the drinker's person. The drinker gets four free Raises to all Stealth and Shadowing rolls. Attacking does not seem to get rid of it, but the game also seems to assume that anyone fighting an invisible person will have no real problems. The Philter of Quickness is TN 25, requires fish scales and the forelegs of a praying mantis, and increases Panache. The Philter of Stamina is TN 25, requires a root from an old tree and a ground turtle's shell, and increases Resolve.

The Philter of Strength is TN 25, requires a powdered bull's horn and a bear's claw, and increases Brawn. Powder of the Buffoon is TN 25, takes a handful of dirt and causes anyone sprinkled in it to have reduced Attack (Fencing) and Parry (Fencing) knacks. The Vapor of Forgetfulness is TN 20 and requires the dust from one cobweb. When inhaled, the victim rolls Resolve against the maker's Wits+Vapor of Forgetfulness. If the maker wins, the victim forgets the events of the current scene. If the maker makes 4 Raises, the gap in memory is permanent and cannot be restored by any means. The book also notes that there are no rules for making Balm of the Westmoreland. You can't do it. Only the Oracle can make it, and it requires the tears of the Lady of the Lake. For women descended from the Lady of the Lake, it prevents all aging for 75-150 years. All males (except Sinjin) suffer instant death when drinking it. I have no idea what it does to women not of the Lady's line. (NOTE: not all women of the Lady's line have Scrying. Or sorcery.)

Now, male Scrying. Apprentices get the magic of Endurance. They are in perfect shape, have never been sick at all, and get the Stunning Appearance advantage free. They get a 5 point discount to either Intimidating Appearance or Blessed Beauty. They are considered half their age for all purposes of aging and stat reduction, are immune to disease and make a Brawn roll at TN 30 at the end of every scene in which they have a Dramatic Wound. If they succeed, they heal 1 Dramatic Wound. Adepts of Scrying can take even more punishment, learning the magic of Recovery. They get +5 TN to be hit due to toughened skin. They may spend a Drama die to instantly heal a Dramatic Wound. Masters learn Inner Strength, and may spend a Drama die to automatically succeed on any Wound Check. They get another +5 to their base TN to be hit.

The knacks of male Scryers are as follows. Agility , which gives +1 to the result of all Finesse rolls per rank of the knack. Perception , which gives +2 to the result of all Perception Checks per rank. Speed , which gives +1 to the result of all Panache rolls per rank (when applied to Initiative, this bonus goes to your Initiative Total rather than your Action Dice). Stamina , which gives +1 to the result of all Resolve rolls per rank. Strength , which gives +1 to the result of all Brawn rolls per rank, including Wound Checks. When using a weapon that adds Brawn to the damage rating (so pretty much any melee weapon), you also get that bonus.

Next time: Secrets of the Daughters.

Give me a sword and a hand to wield it, and I will move the world.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

Books until the Montaigne Revolution: 4.

7th Sea: Give me a sword and a hand to wield it, and I will move the world.

We get a short bit of fiction now as the Oracle discusses the danger of the Barrier with the Lady of the Lake. The Lady has a fatalist view - the world's going to end, and they'll prepare, but they're not going to win. The Oracle tells her that doesn't have to be any time soon, and that she's not about to lay down and die. All she needs is a sword and a hand to wield it. The Lady listens - and then shows her Lawrence Lugh and gives her Firinbrand, telling her to use these weapons well before vanishing into the water.

We get some essays then on the problem of predestination for PCs and why they aren't a big deal for the Daughters, on the issues of travel in Bryn Bresail, and on how to play a person with eternal youth. Also on how to play a man in Sophia's Daughters if you want. But it's the secrets we care about! First, the book notes that the Daughters are not very good at seeing the future. They're better than most people, sure, but only the best can do it with any clarity - PCs are not to go lording secret knowledge over everyone and being an asshole. Then we get to talk about the Lady of the Lake. She is an enigma, an immortal Sidhe who has never truly been human. She is interested in the Book of the Prophets, at first to laugh at it, and now because it seems so strangely accurate. She has complete knowledge of the Syrneth and the Barrier, but won't speak of it. She's shy and has trouble grasping mortal society, and must be quiet among her own kind as well. You see, her son Lugh seduced the Queen of the Sky...and then left her, leading the Queen to hate Lugh and his family.

The Lady is the only Sidhe who really grasps human emotion in any way. However, she's forced to hide it and remain distant from all but the Sons of Lugh. To them, she is a friend as well as a queen. The Sidhe tend to think of them as the Lady's knights and a deliberate mockery of the bodyguards and knightly orders of the human world. She's very cautious, and allows them to believe this. She also has to stay quiet about her plans because the Queen of the Sky has forbidden talking about the Syrneth on pain of being sealed within cold iron. Because of this, the Lady must rely on her Daughters to work without her - open help would risk Sidhe discovery, and that would end up destroying everything.

The sword Firinbrand gets talked about now, a weapon forged by the Lady of the Lake as a gift to humanity. Legend says it was drawn from the pure water at the heart of Bryn Bresail, and that the Lady forced it into its form as a sword by freezing it in a cauldron of Syrneth blood, to teach it its true enemy. It has been the Oracles' sword for years, given out only in times of pressing need, and only to fight Syrneth or their allies. It is currently, however, wielded by Lawrench Lugh. It appears to be made of ice and water, with Glamour's fire cascading down it. Each Oracle has the power to summon it from wherever it lies, ensuring it will never be lost even if the bearer dies. Its stats we know, but to reiterate: It's a 4k4 weapon, has no unskilled penalty if used by someone with the Lady's blessing and, while in the Glamour Isles, protects anyone bearing the scabbard from all bladed attacks, making them take no wounds at all from them. Also, it can cut through literally anything, so nothing provides armor against it - not even dracheneisen. It is said to have a number of other abilities that are currently unknown - perhaps the power to heal or destroy the Barrier, and to operate independently.

The Agiotage are really, actually gone . They are wiped out and their magic is forgotten. However, not even the White Plague could entirely erase them. There is no living member of the Agiotage left, not after the Plague...but their research material and libraries were never found. Some sympathizers who were not actual members may have survived, too, and hidden the libraries. The Daughters still seek those hidden caches of knowledge out, and they believe the biggest hiding place is in the mountains of Vodacce, near the city of Casigula Rosa. They believe there is a chamber beneath the city containing an Agiotage library, but they have never been able to find it. To keep everyone else from finding it, they maintain a small group in Casigula Rosa that pretends to be Explorers and turn aside treasure hunters by guiding them in the wrong direction.

Now, NPCs! Rhyanna ferch Hywel is an Adept Glamour sorcerer and was entrusted with Karolan's Drum by the Lady of the Lake. Rhys Karolan was a general and hero from the time of Elilodd and the Stone Knight, as we know. Only when the Drum is played by a true child of Avalon will General Karalon return, descending from Bryn Bresail to save his people, both Sidhe and mortal. Other drums exist, and the Glamour of Karolan has given them certain powers, but Rhyanna believes she has the true Drum, the one that can actually call down Karolan. She has agreed to protect it with her life and will only give it to the next Avalon Handmaiden. Ysabette du Montaigne is a journeyman Rogers fencer, and recently met with Joaquin Orduño when she was going to meet her friends from the Santa Cecilia. The two got into an argument pretty quickly, and after Ysabette beat Orduño three times at Ajedrez, he insulted her. She challenged him to a duel, and he laughed, saying her dresses would get in the way. She beat him in a fierce battle and sent him running. If Captain Scogna - or anyone - were to suggest that perhaps Ysabette is at all attracted to Joaquin, she'd likely respond violently.

Jazhani binte Noura has more problems than just distance from the other Daughters. The Oracle has given her a new mission: contact the Handmaiden in Cathay. Even if Jazhani could leave the hareem at will, the trip to Cathay requires passing through the mountain stronghold of the Safadim. The Safadim are a group of religious purists who believe in subjugating and enslaving women and children. They claim to be divinely inspired, and have very strict codes for women as servants of men. The Oracle has recently learned that the Safadim do have nonhuman inspiration. Specifically, they have found and use a number of Syrneth artifacts. If that's the case, the problem of stopping the Fourth Prophet may be bigger than suspected.

Wilma Probst and Tamara v'Riasanova have no new secrets. Fidencia Suarez is dedicated to Maria-Soledad Aldana y Rivera. While Fidencia is willing to make use of her charge as a member of Los Vagos and encourages her to aid the country, and while Fidencia has also noticed that the King is enamored with Maria-Soledad, she dotes on the young woman and has almost tipped her hand about her true nature several times. Her devotion, in fact, sometimes gets in the way of her duty to the Daughters - if it were to keep Maria-Soledad safe, she'd reveal herself to the inquisition if needed. Hopefully it won't come to that. nothing especially knew about Valentina Villanova - though we are informed that she plans to kill her husband Giovanni, and to do it before he can corrupt her beloved children. Oh, and only one of her kids is Giovanni's. While the man was out of the country, Juliette helped Valentina escape confinement and pose as a courtesan to sleep with a Montaigne general, something she still remembers fondly. Giovanni has never suspected, because he trusts in his security and her fear of him.

Nothing new on Lorraine Weller. Maria Catarina Nicolleta di Caligari, meanwhile, has no secrets beyond her origins and true identity. Madeline du Chatelaine is an apprentice Scryer and has contacted certain radical elements of the Rilasciare. She's making plans for a real revolution, and has used her husband's money to buy arms for the peasants of Charouse and print anonymous flyers to rile up the public. Soon, the situation will become critical...or she'll be caught and executed for treason.

Reune Vengasdottir requires her own paragraph. She's a Master Scryer, a Master of Valroux and has secrets even the Oracle herself doesn't know. Most notably: she's a member of Novus Ordum Mundi. She learned of them a hundred and fifty years ago, and developed a new identity to join them. No one knows why she did it, but she has never even told the other Daughters about it. In fact, the Daughters don't even know NOM exists, though they have some suspicions. She has been inducted into NOM three times in the last century, each time under a new name. Currently, they know her as a man, an Avalon scholar named Aden Wigsfield of the University of Kirk. Reune keeps her attention divided between her NOM work and guiding Arciniega. She keeps her NOM membership by occasionally producing a few less dangerous Syrneth artifacts for them or by hatching some plan that also furthers her own goals. She's a patient woman, and will stop at nothing to get her way. She has become jaded and cynical over her four centuries of life, and no longer cares about any individual human life. She no longer cares about the prevention of the Fourth Coming except as a chess game, and while she's determined not to lose, it's not because of the world. It's because she's too proud to ever admit defeat.

Esteban Valentin de la Cruz genuinely believes in Castille and King Sandoval. He really is loyal. Los Vagos approached him early on, but he turned them down, saying he couldn't abandon the king for the sake of the nation. He told them to go fight for the cause, which he believed in, and he would ensure the king survived. He would give his life for Sandoval, whom he loves dearly. He's tried to contact Lawrence Lugh several times, but Lugh has never responded. Esteban believes they have much in common and could learn a lot from each other, but the pain of Lawrence's exile and the fact that Castille and Avalon are at odds may keep them from ever becoming friends.

Bishop Ferenc Orlund von Durenstadt has never been formally contacted by the Daughters, but might make a great ally. He's very openminded and agrees with much of their philosophy. Recently, he's found himself quietly but very much at odds with the Inquisition over many things. These differences are becoming more and more pronounced, and while it's not a crime yet, many think he has Objectionist leanings and is thus a heretic. He's not expressed a public affiliation or even any sympathies with any secret orders, but has been recently seen in the company of Contessa Maria Catarina Nicoletta di Caligari.

Viscounti Tigran Lorenzo is Sidhe-blooded. Specifically, he is descended from an unseelia, giving him near gelessness and physical perfection. He is a Journeyman of Villanova fencing and is a firm believer in the Vodacce traditions and way of life, despising anyone who opposes such things. He is very proud of his lineage and quick to punish anyone who scoffs or criticizes it. He is very much a Lorenzo. Nothing new on Lawrence Lugh here...let's see. Nothing new on Louis-Claude du Sinjin, though it mentions that he's suspected that the Daughters are closing in on him, and has been getting the Rose and Cross to help bodyguard him.

We now get a list of known gateways to Bryn Bresail, though they aren't the only ones and the GM can happily make up new ones. There's one beneath Loch Westmoreland, andother along the coast of Surluse which requires you to jump off the white cliffs to access it, and a third in a set of tide pools near Carleon, which can only be used at low tide. There's an eddy of the Bran river in Avalon which is often frequented by nereids and can be used, a natural spring in the middle of the Forest Grumweald which Derwyddon can often be found talking to - though never when a Daughter plans to use it - and a carved baeer barrel in the basement of the Queen of Tarts brothel in Tara. The madam keeps it full of fresh water every new moon to make it usable. There's a cavern near Darwah in Inismore, where a mineral pool creates a gateway, and a misty Highly waterfall on MacLeod land, which forms a perfect sheet and apparently sounds like rustling curtains when passed through. There's a bog in the southern Highlands which is used only as a last resort due to smelling, being covered in green film and leading to a hunted glen. They try to keep a Son of Lugh in the glen at all times. There's also a public fountain in Bastonne, Montaigne. The Captain of the city watch, Rachel Sices du Bastonne, is a Daughter and ensures it remains undisturbed.

A reflecting pool on the estate of Lady Monique Rachetisse du Four also leads in, and the mansion overlooking it is a safehouse. There's a barn near the Sineuse River where rainwater collects and forms a gateway. There's a patch of ocean near La Boca that both Morgause Mercuri and Ysabette du Montaigne use to help wanted Daughters vanish before reaching port, and a river under an estate that used to belong to Alvara Arciniega. The Inquisition burned the estate down and now uses it to train soldiers. Only Reune Vengasdottir knows the gate's location and has not used it since Arciniega fled to exile. There's a duck pond in Freiburg beloning to Wilma Probst, though she's never used it herself, and a mountain spring in the Eisen Drachenbergs, which sometimes gets bathed in by local monks to help cleanse themselves. There's a women-only bathhouse in Pavtlow, with a gate in the steamroom, and a Cathayan bowl in the city of Kirk which is six feet wide, carved of gold and can be filled with fresh water to be used as a portal. There's a geyser in the Vesten lands where meltwater forms a portal, and a back alley in Dionna that is dark due at all times due to the buildings around it and can be used to enter Bryn Bresail almost invisibly.

Next time: The Supplement On The Card Game! Waves of Blood!

No doubt you have heard the Kire's name before. It is well that you should.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: No doubt you have heard the Kire's name before. It is well that you should.



This book is the...let me see, the third book that is not part of the original planned cycles. The second if we don't count the adventure book. The first was Freiburg, but this marks the start of the second wave of 7th Sea books, now that the Nations and Secret Societies series were finished. This particular book took another look at the pirates. You see, the pirate metaplot was decided in a way that was very popular at the time, especially with AEG: they used a card game. The 7th Sea card game focused on ship-to-ship battles between various pirate factions, and ended with a climactic hunt for, essentially, Atlantis. This sourcebook gave rules for all the major card game characters, explained the plot to people who weren't paying attention, and gave rules for if you wanted to convert a party into a homebrew crew for the card game - which was absolutely not tourney legal or anything, it was just for fun. Now, there's just one issue: the card game had not finished when this was written. They'd gotten all the way to the final bit of plot...but the book came out before it was decided. So the very last bit of plot was saved for the later 7th Sea Almanac, better known as The Montaigne Revolution.

The first part of the book is an IC overview of the plotline, as written by the pirate nobleman known only as the Kire, who loves to speak in the third person. The plot revolves around the lost Syrneth island known as Cabora, the Island of the Sunken Eye. It also drastically, hugely affects the entire world. Let's get started. We start with Guy McCormick, an Explorer whose wife, Amanda, served alongside him. Amanda disappeared on a mission, taking an entire vessel with her. McCormick was shattered, but he knew the risks involved. He was able to grieve peacefully...until he learned what Amanda had been searching for: the Seventh Sea. She thought she'd found a passage that semi-mythical land of silver water and inside-out time. She wrote about it in her diary, which Guy discovered long after he thought she was dead. Her passion was infectious, and he soon became convinced that she had not died - rather, she had found the Seventh Sea. He began hunting through the archives, looking for any clues to its location, and set out to find ancient manuscripts and artifacts to learn more. Thanks to his drive, he was able to find a text describing a series of "Switches" across the world, along with how to activate them. He believed that they would lead him to a gateway to the Seventh Sea, though there was no mention of their exact location. He managed to find and activate the first with little difficulty. He didn't know what they'd do, just that it might tell him what happened to his wife.

Meanwhile, there were others hunting the path of Cabora. The Corsairs of the Crescent Empire, led by Kheired-Din, also sought the Switches. Din believed he was guided by a higher power, to bring about an apocalyptic revelation. He saw many visions, of both angels and demons telling him forgotten secrets. By following them, he could remake the world into a better place after destroying its flawed form. He set out to build a great fleet to better bring about this end of the world, powering his ships with slaves captured from many coastal villages. He used Syrneth devices and other terrors to defeat his foes, and legend said he could not be killed by mortal man. Every time he appeared to die, he would rise again. His crew was ure he was immortal, and obeyed him completely. Guided by his visions, he found and activated one of the Switches even as McCormick began his own search. Among the crew was a Castillian man named Espera, chained to the great wheel of Kheired-Din's ship. He endured many torments and remained a slave...but even if he were free, one of Din's followers had captured his heart: Dalia, the powerful swordswoman. She despised him, but he would not leave her...and that love would have powerful effects.

Meanwhile, the royal navy of Montaigne was blockading the Castillian ports...but that was not enough for l'Empereur. He set his ships, led by the Eisen mercenary known as the General, to hunting down any pirates who would try to profit off the war. The General didn't like the plan, but so long as he was paid, he'd do as commanded, and the Montaigne forces were split between blocking the ports and hunting pirates. This gave Castille the chance to counterattack, with their armada led by Admiral Enrique Orduño. He'd been busy rebuilding the navy, and was ready to take back the seas from the invaders.

As for the pirates...well, Allende, the Pirate King of the Brotherhood of the Coast was happily raiding Montaigne shipping at this point, and avoiding Castillian ships. Because of this, the General focused on capturing Allende...but his first mate, a Fate Witch named Alesio, was guarding him. Her power helped Allende avoid the General's traps. Meanwhile, the Vestenmannavnjar Raiders, led by Yngvild Olafsdottir, were busy raiding the Vendel merchants, as well as nations that traded with them - like Montaigne. Unknown to Yngvild, though, a traitor was in their midst: Jorund Guttormson, a mole of the Vendel aboard her flagship, Revensj. And, of course, the Crimson Rogers sailed the seas - the most vicious crew of pirates. Their Captain, Reis, wielded a terrible scythe and seemed to be hunting Syrneth artifacts. Only one person ever crossed swords with him and lived: Bloddy Bonnie McGee, a Highlander whose ship Reis destroyed. She serves now with the Sea Dogs of Avalon, under the cunning and lucky Jeremiah Berek. It was he who sunk the Castillian Armada in 1659, and some say he has the power of Glamour. The last of the pirate bands to have a major influence in this plot was that of Philip Gosse, captain of the Uncharted Course. An old, old pirate, he returned from 30 years of retirement for one last adventure. He was a daring and honorable man, trying to find a good death.

Three great acts of thievery would set these events in motion in early 1668. The Crimson Rogers left their usual haunts and attacked a Castillian ship, stealing a number of Vaticine treasures...including the Cross of the Vaticine Church, a priceless artifact which Reis desired for reasons of his own. The Crimson Rogers killed the entire crew and burned the ship. The Church charged Orduño with retrieving their treasure - his focus on the Montaigne had left them vulnerable. He argued that victory meant more than simple trinkets, but he lost much esteem with the Church. The Crimson Rogers theought they wer safe...but a con man of the Sea Dogs, Lyin' John Fox, heard about their theft, and Berek decided to steal their treasure. He tracked them to their lair, and when they left their buried treasure, Berek arrived and stole it away. Reis swore to hunt the man down and kill him as an example, for a pirate lives and dies by his reputation. The Dogs and the Rogers fought each other...but in the meantime, Allende and the Brotherhood of the Coast had gotten a commission from the Gaius of Ussura and his wife. The Ussurans wanted a number of heirlooms seized by the Montaigne stolen and returned to them. The Brotherhood found them in a coastal estate and stole them away...but they were left far from home, and the General saw his chance.

He sprang a trap on them before they could get back to la Bucca, battering their ship and setting the Hanged Man on fire. The General prepared to board and capture Allende...who put all his hopes in the witch Alesio. She used her Sorte to try and escape...only to see a terrible vision, a future in which she betrayed her captain and turned him over to his enemies. Even if she saved Allende from the General, she could do nothing to prevent that. She was paralyzed and the boarders were able to attack. Allende's men were only able to stave them off thanks to massive determination, and it gave Alesio time to recover. She was determined to beat fate now, calling on all her magic to save the Brotherhood crew. As the General waited for the battle to end, he received a Porté messenger who brought orders to disengage and return home immediately, saving the Hanged Man and its crew - stranded, burning but intact. Alesio had saved them.

The news that she had pulled on to arrive at the most opportune moment? The Castillian armada had broken through the blockade and scattered it. The General was needed before he was cut off by the Castillian ships. When he reached port, he found himself under the command of Admiral Valoix Praisse du Rachetisse III, and it seemed that l'Empereur now believed the Castillian war was more important than pirates. He needed a scapegoat - and the General fit the bill. He was stripped of command and left with only a skeleton crew, then told to hunt pirates alone, with just the one ship. In the meantime, the Crimson Rogers were tracking Berek ruthlessly, engaging him before he could get back to Avalon. They cared less about the Cross and more about showing Berek that they could not be fucked with. Berek had no desire to put his men in danger, so he ordered Bonnie McGee to take the Black Dawn and flee while he jumped to Reis's ship, counting on his luck to keep him alive. However, his sword was no match for Reis's scythe, and after a short fight, he was defeated and hurled overboard. His sacrifice wasn't in vain, though - Bonnie was able to drive the Crimson Rogers back, freeing the Black Dawn by the time that Berek was defeated. However, Reis spotted her - and recognized her. The only person even to face him and live. He had a new target now.

Bonnie, meanwhile, had no plans to leave her captain unavenged. She began to feel she was meant to fight Reis - after all, she'd survived meeting him twice. She came up with a new plan, heading to the Isle of the Grey Queen, said to link Terra to Bryn Bresail. She planned to enter the Sidhe realm and bargain for the means to beat Captain Reis. The Grey Queen allowed her to pass through a magic mirror into Bryn Bresail, and Bonnie returned minutes later with a new resolve and a gleam in her eye. None could say what powers she'd gained from the Sidhe, but she was three years older when she emerged than she had been moments before. Reis, meanwhile, slaughtered dozens trying to learn her whereabouts, but was unable to find her. Bonnie was more cautious and practical than Berek had been, and no plans to face him before she was ready.

In the meantime, Guy McCormick and the Explorers are still trying to find the next Switch, working with only cryptic clues. They have found a huge æther compass which they are using as a guide. The Third Switch is on a stretch of Montaigne coastline full of rocky cliffs. The Explorers believed the were the first ever to be there - until they found the Corsairs, who had arrived via some kind of Syrneth technology. They two arrived at the same time, each sure they were the only ones to know of the place. A battle would have started, had Kheired-Din not noticed an Explorer crewman named Maggie Malone. She'd been found on a Syrneth isle, amnesiac, and Din noticed some tattoos on her feet, whose markings matched his visions. He called them the sign of the Lightbringer, and arranged for a truce, pulling back before the Corsairs started trouble. The two captains negotiated, and while McCormick hated the idea of working with slavers, he knew he couldn't find his wife if he fought the Corsairs at every turn. Kheired-Din, meanwhile, was awed by Maggie's marks and had no desire to kill her. After much debate, the two reached an agreement: they would work together to activate the rest of the Switches. The Explorers would go to the Fourth Switch, in the Midnight Archipelago, and the Corsairs would head to the Corridors of Flame to find the Fifth. The two would meet again at the Sixth Switch, and share in whatever rewards they found. They activated the Third Switch and departed.

Guy McCormick bargained in good faith, but did not trust the Corsairs and had no intention of being taken a slave - which he feared might happen after the Switches were activated. He sent his most trusted crewman, Jacob Faust, to follow Kheired-Din and keep an eye on him. In the meantime, a very real betrayal was going on among the Raiders. Jorund Guttormson had laid in a deadly trap, sending the Raiders after an under-manned merchant ship...which in truth was a mercenary-filled war vessel. The Revensj attacked it...and Guttormson drew a gun and killed Yngvild's second mate, Hoskuld Hardrada. The "merchantS" drew their weapons and attacked. The Vendel struck without mercy, and the only reason the Revensj survived was the fury and ferocity of the Raiders. They got away, but lost a third of their crew. Of course, the Vendel had lost half their men. Jorund remained with the Vendel, and he knew that until he could destroy Yngvild, she would remain a threat - and he'd not be able to trap her so easily ever again.


Oh shit! Zombie pirates!

And what about Gosse's Gentlemen, the pirates seemingly least affected by all the chaos? Well, they had the reputation of being cheery, charming thieves, and even rescued the Brotherhood of the Coast, letting them repair their ship after the General's attack. However, as their voyage continued, Gosse found himself troubled by nightmares - visions of his dead wife, who was slaughtered by a sadistic Montaigne 20 years before. He tried to ignore them, but they slowly turned him from a cheery gentleman pirate to a grim, brooding old man. In the midst of it all, Gosse's nephew Thomas, the ship's topman, drowned saving another of the crew. Gosse was filled with dread - a storm had blown up out of nowhere, catching Thomas and a small band of men in a rowboat, far from land. The weather vanished as soon as the boy had gone under - as if it had tried to drown him. Though Gosse didn't know it at the time, similar fates had claimed others - Dalia, the Corsair swordswoman so loved by their captive pilot, vanished on a mission. William Toss of the Sea Dogs, who fell overboard during the battle with Reis. Other crewmen died unexpectedly, all apparently unconnected. Gosse resolved to find out why.

He didn't have long to wait. In the Mirror Sea, the Uncharted Course ran into a living nightmare: the Black Freighter, a terrible ghost ship crewed by the undead! Drowned men from across the crews were aboard the ship - Dalia, Toss and others - all bound to serve the undead captain. That captain was Comte Robert Méchant, the very man who had killed Gosse's wife. Now calling himself Captain Necros, he had returned from beyond the grave...and that was not the worst. No, Philip Gosse saw his own nephew among the crew of his greatest enemy. Before he could understand the true import or engage the Black Freighter, it vanished into the storm that always followed it. Necros just wanted to give Gosse a taste of fear now. And now, the old man had a purpose for his final adventure: to rid the seas of the unholy ship.

Next time: MORE CARD GAMES!

You have heard the tales, yes? The Kire can assure you, they are all true.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: You have heard the tales, yes? The Kire can assure you, they are all true.

While the undead menace sailed away, the General was going through his own problems in the port town of San Augustin. He'd given up his honor and virtue already, and now, with the loss of command, money and comfort were meaningless. It was in this dark state that the Inquisition found the General. They wanted to offer the General a deal: at a prearranged time, the General would allow his vessel to be boarded and his men arrested - and they'd pay him dearly. Orduño agreed to the dishonorable ruse because of the loss of the Vaticine Cross, but he didn't like it. The General felt doubt as well - he didn't like his crew, and he didn't like Montaigne...but something felt wrong to him. At last, he decided he would not abandon his men to the Inquisitors - not for any money. When the time came for the signal, he fired a single shot in return - not the blank expectred, but rather the entire load of coins he'd been given. Orduño, touched by the man's honor, refused to board the ship and had his men stand down until the General departed. The Inquisitors immediately arrested him for heresy. Without his leadership, the Castillian fleet lost its strength and drive. And it was then that Valoix struck, launching a devastating naval attack. The Castillians couldn't handle it without their leader, and the naval war was suddenly thrown back in doubt.

The Brotherhood of the Coast had, after all, not been harrying Valoix after the General nearly killed Allende. They were having their own problems. The Hanged Man had been repaired, and they'd set out for the Forbidden Sea, on the advice of Alesio. She'd begged Allende to go there for fear that the Brotherhood would be destroyed, and he agreed. When they got there, they found an unexpected sight - a single man, gravely wounded and delirious, clinging to a figurehead. Jeremiah Berek was alive! They brought him aboard to recover. Alesio, after all, know she was destined to betray Allende...but she didn't know what would happen after. She planned to set the seeds of failure in her own inevitable treachery, and Berek was key to her plan. He recovered rapidly, and accompanied the Brotherhood to San Felipe. There, Alesio was accosted by three fate witches of Vincenzo Caligari's employ. They'd been hunting her since she left Vodacce, and they told her that if she gave up her captain and his crew...or she would die. She knew better than to fight fate.

Alesio led Allende to the spot where the witches were waiting, and they used their magic to render him helpless...and as Alesio's reward, they revealed their own treachery and left her broken and dying. Allende was taken off to the isle of Caligari, for some unknown fate...but just as anticipated, Berek found her minutes after Allende vanished. With her dying breath, Alesio ordered him to undo what fate had forced her into. He returned to the Hanged Man, just in time to rescue the crew from a mysterious fire. He helped them escape the blaze, and while the Hanged Man was destroyed, no one died. Under Berek's leadership, they seized a new ship, the Falcon's Roost, and snuck it out of San Felipe before anyone could raise the alarm. Some of the crew left, but most stayed under Berek, to find Allende.

The Sea Dogs, meanwhile, still thought Berek was dead. Bonnie McGee led them to Eisen, where she sought out the Nibelungen order of blacksmiths, who for generations have forged dracheneisen...but only for the Eisen. Bonnie wanted new blades, which no Avalon had ever gotten. She told her story to them, and they agreed to help her for a price. They gave her a nearly impossible quest: to bring back the lost chapter of Queen Eleanor's book from the land of Bryn Bresail. McGee listend...and then reached into her pocket and pulled it out, handing it over. The Sidhe had given her just the thing. They agreed to forge a pair of knives for her immediately. Reis, in the meantime, was growing very angry. He couldn't find McGee or her crew, and instead slaughtered many villages to appease his anger...mostly Avalon ones. He fought other Sea Dogs, but never found his quarry. Though he said nothing, he was getting worried - the price on his head was immense. And if McGee escaped him, others would grow bolder...and he might get a lot of trouble coming down on him.

Philip Gosse was also hunting now - for Captain Necros! He heard stories of the atrocities of the Black Freighter - slaughtering towns, destroying ships. As long as Necros sailed, Gosse felt responsible, for it was his archnemesis and his nephew on the crew. The circumstances of his nephew's death, though, were odd. The gale came up and left all too fast. Gosse was sure Necros had arranged it. But while the Freighter was surrounded by storms, no legend said it could command them so easily. Something elsem ust have done it. He follows his trail to the Spear of the West Wind, an ancient island full of Lærdom power. The Vesten had built it and abandoned it long ago, and it was believed that whoever controlled it could command wind and water. Gosse was sure that it had been corrupted by the Black Freighter, and set out to find the Spear, though none knew where the island lay. He tried to follow a map, but it had been divided into many sections, and Necros destroyed a vital section before Gosse could get it. Without that, he turned to the Syrneth artifact called the Eye of Reason. Necros again tried to stop him, ambushing Gosse at the site of the artifact, but this time Gosse was able to beat the undead crew and claim the Eye.

He wasn't the only one looking for the Spear, though. Yngvild Olafssdottir was hunting for it, to use as a weapon after Jorund's betrayal. The Vendel guilds had also posted a reward for finding it, and a great hunt began. By the time the Uncharted Course reached the Trade Sea, a dozen other ships had converged to find the island. Some were fortune hunters, brigands, royal agents - but finally, Gosse was able to slip past them all and claim the island while Necros was away. Once they got the spear, Gosse made a shocking decision: he ordered his crew to fire on the island, to prevent Necros from returning and using it. He couldn't divide his forces to guard the isle, and the local seas were full of sirens, so he wanted to deny its power to his foe. The Spear was reduced to smoking rubble and Necros's power over it was shattered. Even without it, though, Necros had power to fight. He sent Thomas Gosse after his uncle, knowing that while the undead boy would not kill Captain Gosse, he would cause great pain for the old man. Thomas and a small band of undead attacked the Uncharted Course as it was resupplying. Gosse fought them back, and with tears in his eyes, he destroyed his own nephew, carving his head from his shoulders. Necros's plan had worked, though - while he'd lost a few undead, his foe had lost some of his drive, his soul.

In the meantime, Necros sent his men out to find more places of power like the Spear. The swordswoman Dalia told him about Kheired-Din and the island of Cabora, and Necros believed he could use its power to unleash an army of undead. He set sail, leaving a swath of destruction behind him for Gosse to follow. The old man, still enraged, could do little but hunt his foe. The Corsairs, meanwhile, were in difficult straits. With the loss of Dalia, their pilot was far less loyal. He wanted to find the woman he loved, and made a desperate bid to escape, revealing his stunning secret: he was a skilled mage in the art of El Fuego Adrentro! He used his power and his relative freedom as pilot to start a slave revolt aboard the Corsairs' flagship, fleeing in a longboat. He killed many of the crew and greatly damaged the ship in the process. Other Corsairs tried to stop him, but his fire magic was too much for them, and he seized their ship. He then set out to find Dalia, leaving Kheired-Din in a crippled ship with a weakened crew. As they struggled to recover, the Explorers were making good time. Guy McCormick had run into a strange, knowing man with a clockwork Syrneth-made hand, who called himself Mumblety-Peg. He knew all about their quest, he told them, and offered to help them find the switches and make full use of their compass. McCormick would have called him mad...but the man was wearing his wife's vest.

With that clue before him, McCormick allowed the stranger onto his crew without a second thought, abandoning caution in his desire to find Amanda. Though his crew continued to obey, they began to stop trusting his judgment. However, Mumblety-Peg turned out to be a good guide, leading them to the fourth switch in the Midnight Archipelago. The natives were fierce, but the crew was able to make it to the Switch, activate it and get back to the ship Discovery unharmed. With four Switches active, Cabora begins to resonate with the world. Seers, mystics and other sensitives - those exist, by the way - begin to feel terrible dreams of the island beneath the water. On Corantine 1, 1668, a hunddred people across the continent wake screaming with the same vision of Cabora in their heads: a vision of doom and apocalypse, of alien powers ruling mankind. Among those who saw was Gjæving Asbjornsson, who saw not just the signs of apocalypse but also images of Yngvild Olafssdottir. She'd sunk almost half a dozen Vendel ships since the betrayal, giving no quarter and allowing no survivors. By the time the vision came, though, she'd realized she could not destroy Vendel by merely sinking ships. She'd need something more. Yngvild soon learned of the High King's vision. Though few knew his name or identity, and fewer his dreams, she somehow got the news. Taking it as a sign from the gods, she tracked him to his cave and asked for his help. He described Cabora to her, told her of the power it would unleash, and told her how should channel it against her foes. Believing the Isle to be the gate to Valhalla, Yngvild set out for the Mirror to seize the power of the ancestors.

Jorund Guttormson had not forgotten her, however. While she prepared her plan, he had commissioned a warship full Eisen mercenaries, solely to destroy Revensj. As the Raiders set out to cause the apocalypse for Vendel, he was tracking them and following them. It would just be a race to see if he could catch up before they reached Cabora. Yngvild was not the only one seeking the isle, though. The Crimson Rogers had heard of it as well, in their hunt for Bonnie McGee. A scholar named Javier de Bejarano had joined them to study their Syrneth artifacts, and he believed he'd found a secret that would make him immortal - a Syrneth machine on Cabora said to be able to grant ageless invulnerability. He was sure the island would rise soon and even knew where. He approached Reis and told him of the plan, offering to lead the Rogers there if they'd let him use the machine. When he was done, Reis could use it and render himself inulvnerable to McGee's blades. He told Reis where the machine was, and produced the key needed to activate it. Reis killed him and took the key - for he wanted none to know he was afraid of Bonnie, and Javier knew too much. He knew he'd just have to send Bonnie the right messages now, and then reach Cabora before her.

He got his chance when Lyin' John Fox betrayed the Sea Dogs, starting a fight with another crewmen for no reason anyone can fathom - but Fox had many secrets, so it might be one that caught up to him. It ended with Fox fleeing in a rowboat, trying to hide when he reached shore. Reis found him first, in a Montaigne tavern. Fox was tortured and killed, and the Rogers left a message on his body: "On the Island of the Sunken Eye." The Sea Dogs found the body a while later, and after hurried conference with Derywyddon, who had seen the Isle in visions, set sail for the Mirror. Now, seven crews sought Cabora for their own purposes.

Meanwhile, Enrique Orduño was on trial for heresy. He was sentenced to burning at the stake...and at first, his wife was prepared to burn with him, readying herself to denounce the Inquisition publically. Enrique convinced her that they must not both die, and got her to sign a letter denouncing him as a heretic. She did, sobbing all the while, but she did not abandon him. She learned the site of the execution - El Morro. Originally she planned to rescure him herself, but she could not. The Inquisition, still suspicious, set an "advisor" on her to watch her. However, she was able to reach the General, who had rediscovered his honor, and sent it to him via her fencing instructor, Felipe Jose de Granjero. The General, who had returned to Eisen and reclaimed his buried armor, was joined by some of his former followers/ He also learned that his Montaigne crew, horrified at Valoix's persecution of civilians, had deserted. He promised to save Enrique from the fire, and reformed his crew. With Granjero's help, he formed a bold plan to steal the admiral from the greatest fortress in the world. His first mate, Timoethy le Beau, was a Porté mage and knew several others. They would be the crux of the plan.


Can you guess the plan? Hint: it involves blood.

Moving aong the river that formed the front of the war would be perilous, but the General was bold and his ship was fast. His crew was equally brave, and they managed to make it through the gauntlet despite bombardment from Castillian artillery, reaching El Morro in the nick of time. The General got close enough for his sniper to fire a single coin over the wall - a Blooded coin. He retreated then, and le Beau led a small band into the fortress with his magic. They arrived in the middle of the courtyard, surrounded by soldiers as the fire was lit. The General and his men fought to save Enrique, arriving just as the flames began to catch and teleporting him away before they were overwhelmed. Once back aboard their ship, they retreated with their prize. However, every fortress on the river was aware of them now, and they were ready to shell the ship to oblivion. Two galleons were chasing them, too! It looked like everything was lost...but the General was prepared.

While he had been rescuing Enrique, other Porté mages had been preparing an escape route. In a calm tributary of El Rio de Delia, they prepared a gigantic hole, one large enough for the entire ship. An exit was ready at the mouth of the river, and the General was able to bypass the entire route. B ecause Porté can do that now. No, there's no rules for it, but fuck you , it's awesome. The galleons gave chase, but watched in disbelief as the ship sailed through a portal to parts unknown. Two of the mages who made the hole were killed by the strain of it, and the others ended racked in terrible pain. One even went mad. But it worked. There was just one problem - they never got out on the other end. Whatever they passed through, the entire vessel semeed to just disappear.

Valoix, meanwhile, had heard about the rescue of Admiral Enrique, just as he was plotting his next attack. Castille had been demoralized, and he wanted to end it once and for all, striking at San Cristobal itself. If he could bring that city down, the war would be over. He launched a daring assault on the port, using an elite arm of his fleet and the best cannons money could buy. It took place just days after the General's disappearance. The Castillians were not helpless, but without Enrique they were uncoordinated and easily distracted by the rest of the Montaigne fleet. One vessel stood against the attack - the ship captained by Margaretta Orduño...but she would not come to the capital's defense. She was too angry about the treatment of her husband, and would not defend those who had taken him...but she could not simply abandon Castille. As she dithered, Valoix continued his assault.

Next time: But you wanted to know what Kheired-Din was up to, right? Good, because we've just reached the cliffhanger for Castille.

Would that the Kire could embrace such an end to his own life.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: Would that the Kire could embrace such an end to his own life.

When we left off, we were headed back to Kheired-Din. He was following his visions, making his way to Guy McCormick, who was heading for the next Switch. He demanded to be given the "lightbringer," Maggie Malone. He said he would need her for their bargain, for only she could get him to the fifth switch. Without their pilot, Espera, they'd need magic to guide them. McCormick, to the horror of his crew, agreed, due to his desire to find his wife. The first mate, Cosette, led a mutiny against McCormick and opened fire on the Corsairs' ship, the Strange Skies. Kheired-Din fought his way back to his ship, aided by McCormick and Mumblety-Peg. They managed to get Maggie onto the Strange Skies and flee the Discovery. With her to guide them, the Corsairs found the Fifth Switch in the Corridors of Flame. Kheired-Din forced Maggie to activate it, despite the terrible pain involved in doing so. Only the final switch remained.

The Strange Skies never got to it, though. Cosette and the Explorers had not forgotten them...but instead of chasing the Strange Skies, they went to the Sixth Switch, to wait for them. As the Corsairs entered the Forbidden Sea, the Discovery opened fire on them. The Corsairs were no match for the ambush and were forced to flee, leaving Maggie Malone with the Discovery. They would have died were it not for Kheired-Din's use of a Syrneth device that opened a funnel to the 7th Sea. Kheired-Din activated it and sent the Strange Skies across the oceans in an instant, and the Corsairs headed for Cabora.

Neither Kheired-Din nor Guy McCormick were happy to leave the Sixth Switch, but both had agents who might succeed where they had not. The Corsairs ahd dispatched a warrior named Shala, and McCormick had long since sent Jacob Faust to watch the Corsairs. Faust lost track of them in Espera's revolt and headed for the Sixth Switch to catch up, arriving some time before his fellow Explorers did. Unlike the last five Switches, however, the Sixth was inhabited. In fact, it was at heart of Reinascineza, the island city of the Caligari family. The Sixth Switch was being used, in fact, to keep the island afloat. It had never been activated - rather, its power was diverted upwards, keeping the entire mass from sinking, with the help of a Syrneth watercraft.

Shala was the first to discover the Switch...but rather than risk capture or death in activating it, she quietly guided Jacob Faust to it. He found the vessel by following her clues, and even had some idea how to remove it - which would activate the Switch. However, he'd alerted the Caligari guards, who attacked him and placed him in a prison tower. He wasn't alone, though - in the tower cell was Allende, who had endured weeks of torture without breaking. The two plotted between their interrogation sessions, looking for a way to escape. Help was on the way, at least. The Brotherhood, led by Jeremiah Berek, were hunting for Allende...and finally, they got some help from some odd sources. The first was a Fate Witch named Lucrezia, who joined the Brotherhood for reasons no one could guess. The second was the vigilante El Vago. With their clues, Berek was able to find Allende, breaking into the cell and freeing both the Pirate King and Faust.

Faust, still mindful of his job, convinced his rescuers to let him lead them out. He took them to the hidden cave of the Syrneth watercraft, got them onto it and began to turn it on. It came to life, and the island above groaned, as the power keeping it up was diverted away, towards Cabora. Allende flipped a siwtch and pulled the watercraft out to open sea. Behind it, the Caligari island sank helplessly into the depths. With the Sixth Switch triggered, the barriers were freed and Cabora stirred, rising once more. The Island of the Sunken Eye had returned. Unfortunately, the book doesn't know what happened next. The final part of the storyline, to be determined by a card game tournament, had not yet occurred. So we'll find out more later.

Now we get several bits covering the various pirate factions. We already know the history of the Brotherhood of the Coast and what they're like, so I'll skip that. We know the history of the Castillian Armada, too. Their structure is, well, military, though most of the captains are happy to let their ships run themselves as long as everything goes well, and the Armada is more relaxed than most navies. The Corsairs, now. Twenty years ago, in the middle of night, Kheired-Din landed a trireme on a small Vodacce isle and kidnapped all of its inhabitants, enslaving them to build another ship. This was the birth of the Corsairs. For the next twenty years, they continued this pattern, capturing slaves, building ships and selling goods back to the Crescents. They have also explored many ruins and found powerful artifacts to help them. As for why? Because of Kheired-Din's visions. He sees a gateway opening to release the angels of the Second PRophet, who will destroy the evil of the world. Then peace will rule mankind. For the sake of this vision, he has murdered, enslaved and tortured. His visions have shown him that the gateway can't be opened until a Lightbringer was found. Most of his raids have been part of the search for that person. He doesn't what they'll look like, except that there will be a mark on the body. He has also been looking for books about the gateway, and exploring the ruins to find evidence. He believes the Syrneth are angels of Theus and that they'll help him find his destiny. He's certain that Cabora has the gateway, and the reason he formed a fleet was because he knew one man could never search the whole world himself.

The Corsairs actually don't like fighting naval battles. They're not interested in it. They're coastal raiders and slavers, after all. They prefer to utilize their massive slave crews to move large amounts of cannon to bear at once. The captains are all chosen by Kheired-Din himself, and always loyal and devoted followers of the Second Prophet. However, they have many reasons for wanting to be captain of a Corsair vessel. Some want treasure, others vengeance for the Crusades, and others would really just like to trade, but can't due to Vaticine restrictions, so they steal instead. Each is loyal to Kheired-Din and his mission. The crew are either slaves or officers of the fleet, and almost all officers are Crescent. They all have to swear allegiance to Din, but some are just sadists who ike hurting others. Even the captains hate them as brutish and vile, but they know that brutality is all that keeps the slaves in check. A few officers are actually devoted to the cause of bringing a better world and seek to spread the Second Prophet's teachings, even to the slaves. They understand the irony in being slavers, and hope to teach that service to others and obedience to the Second Prophet is what will save the world. Din ensures each ship has at least a few of these guys to keep an eye on the sadists. The slaves are primarily from the Vodacce islands, but not exclusively - some are from various merchant vessels.

We know about the Explorers already...there's now a bit on how to make a heroic pirate, which involves having some kind of noble code of conduct and not being an asshole. We then get to learn more about Gosse's Gentlemen. See, Philip Gosse was famous thirty years back for leading the Gentleman Pirates, a chivalrious and honorable group who hurt as few people as possible, never stole personal belongings and always left their targets with enough to make it back to port. In fact, they'd often throw drunken parties for their victims before leaving with a final toast. Their ship, the Uncharted Course, was known in every port and naval vessels often refused to engage them, preferring to focus on less honorable foes. They had rivals and enemies, but never in great number. EVen those they robbed would brag about meeting them. Thirty years ago, they vanished without trace. Gosse had retired after falling in love with the beautiful Clarissa Nevermoore, and many of his men had wives to go back to. They settled on an uninhabited island that they named Utopia. Unfortunately, the world wasn't finished with them.

Comte Robert Méchant, an enemy of Gosse, had no intention of letting him just retire. Ten years after Utopia's founding, he found the island and kidnapped Clarissa. The Uncharted Course went after him, and they forced him to surrender...but what happened next is not spoken of by any who were present. All that is known is that the Course left with Clarissa's dead body aboard and Méchant's ship burning in siren-infested water. Neither he nor his crew were seen again. Gosse and his men went back to Utopia, where they lived relatively happily. Gosse was troubled by his wife's deaht, but took solace in his daughter Melinda, and after a while even got some of his old cheer back. Sure, they had no modern comforts, but there were few arguments and no one to tell the pirates what to do. For twenty years, their lives were as close to perfect as they could hope.

Their children, however, forced them out of retirement. They were bored, they'd heard all the wild tales of the old generation, and they devided to refurbish the old ship and go out pirating. Some of the original crew went along to keep them out of trouble and give them advice. Gosse, now an old man, agreed to captain for "one last adventure." In the two years since, Gosse's Gentlemen have begun their old raids again. The crew is pretty much old friends, with Melinds serving as first mate, and the worst they ever really do for punishments is a tongue-lashing. If someone really fucks up, they'll be set ashore in a foreign port and not allowed back on the ship. They tend not to fight much - a warning shot across the bow, a call for surrender and a namedrop of Gosse. Most crews are happy to negotiate with a living legend, and generally the pirates get some of the target's cargo in exchange for cooked meals and pleasant company for a few days. If forced to fight, they're able swordsmen and will try to disable foes without killing...unless one of their own is killed.

The Montaigne Navy has been largely covered by the Montaigne books. They're a strict military organization, and they use tax exemption to get crew officers. Anyone on a naval vessel for three years is exempt from taxes for ten. Any sorcerer who serves three years is exempt for life. However, many of the crew are press-ganged and thus not eligible for tax-free status - they're not volunteers, after all! The Vendel Sailor's Guild has objected to this practice, but the Montaigne ignore them completely. There are a ton of rules to which everyone has to adhere - some of which are a bit odd. For example, you can't hit a woman onboard a ship. Even if she's crew. Also, you have to maintain a certain level of cleanliess. You're a Montaigne navy man, after all! There is a vigorous chain of command and strong disciplinary measures, with flogging being a serious but relatively common punishment. Officers are rarely whipped, though, since they'll tend to hire Swordsmen to fight duels over it. There's also a lot of nepotism.

Let's see...skipping over the Sea Dogs...and the Vendel and Vesten, who we covered recently...Vodacce mercenaries are pretty common as anti-pirate forces. Each prince maintains a small fleet, which operates both as merchants and as privateers or pirates. Meeting a ship in Vodacce waters is an exercise in uncertainty - it's never cleari f they'll think you're a good target or not, and if they do, they'll attack for the cause of their Prince. When faced with superior force, most Vodacce captains will flee or surrender rather than fight, and in return the pirates tend not to harm surrednered crews or ships - after all, they're merchants too, and it's bad for business. We covered the Crimson Rogers way back in Pirate Nations.

So let's talk about the Black Freighter. No one ever mentions it b y name. Stories are told in taverns in the dark of night. They call it the Black Freighter, the ghost ship that bears the souls of a thousand dead sailors in its hold. Few have seen, and fewer lived to tell the tale. It appears in the midst of a storm, a rotting ship crewed by the damned. Its sails need no wind, and skeletal hands guide its course. Its bow is rotting, leaving a ship that looks like white bone. Those who see it say it's almost organic, like a rotting beast. There are countless stories of its origin, but the most reliable tells of a man named Upham, 200 years ago. He was a captain who hated the merchants that owned his ship, and hated his crew even more. He conspired with wreckers to destroy the ship, and piloted the thing into a stormy sea as it was loaded with valuable cargo. He deliberately hit a reef, destroying the ship's front end. Every man aboard died save Upham, who was in a dinghy. He met with the wreckers at a nearby sandbar and plundered the ship.

Years later, one of the wreckers was found dead in his room, drowned despite no water around. His body was swollen and bloated, like one that had laid on the bottom of the ocean, and seaweed filled the room. One by one, each wrecker met the same fate. CAptain Upham was the last, disappearing one night as he hid in an inn, ranting about ghosts chasing him. The innkeeper was awakened by a terrible scream, and ran up only to find Upham gone and the wind whipping through an open window. He could see a ghost ship, the same one Upham had sunk, sailing out on the waters outside, manned by walking corpses. He swore, though he could not have been close enough, that he saw Upham's broken body tied to the prow as a figurehead. That's the story, anyway. Whatever the case, the Freighter is a bogey of the seas. Every sailor's heard a story, and few ever speak directly of it for fear of drawing it near. Bosuns never strike the sixth bell, since that was the moment the ship hit the reef. Those who die aboard are given funerals quick, before the Freighter can claim their souls, and some crews blindfold the figurehead before entering a storm, lest it spot the Freighter and sink from fright.

As for the purpose of the ship - some say it avenges wrongs, while others say it harvests wicked souls for its crew. Some believe it just exists to spread misery and death. ITs crew is all murderers, mutineers and criminals killed at sea, all doomed to serve aboard as punishment. They seek out evildoers, it's said, to join them - but sometimes innocent souls appear aboard as well. Sailors say those who die without proper rites become targets, as do those whose bodies can't be recovered. The darkest legends say there is no defense - it takes who it wishes, guilty or innocent. Sights of the Freighter have increased recently, and coastal villages have been wiped out. Witnesses say it was done byb ands of skeletons led by a howling corpse with a Montaigne accent, answering to the name Necros. The Knights of the Rose and Cross and the Musketeers are both investigating, but have found nothing yet.

Next time: Important places!

Yes, you read the Kire's words correctly.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: Yes, you read the Kire's words correctly.

The first place the book tells us about is the Broken Compass Inn of Canguine, headquarters of the Sea Dogs. It's a tavern full of sailors that's owned and managed by Piety Morhead, widow of Terry Morhead, who brought home the broken compass on the wall. He was a midshipman on the ship Glory when it captured the Montaigne ship Swampscot. Terry was put in charge of the Swampscot, with orders to take her home and sell her. He ran into a storm, and when it blew over he was lost, but could see harbor lights. He sent a longboat and found an empty dock, meeting only one man - an Avalon with a large sack being chased by a mob. They took the man aboard, asking him where they were and how to get to Avalon. The man offered to sell Terry a Syrneth artifact that'd point him home.

The man pulled out a rusted green disk, wrote compass letters on it, and showed it to Terry, tolding him to hold it with the N aimed straight up. The needle swung around to point at the floor. Terry began to get mad, and the man swore on his name, John Fox, that the needle was pointing straight at Avalon. Terry called him a liar, but Fox replied that he was in Avalon. Terry laughed, and returned home to Canguine, where he sold the Swampscot, retired and married Piety. He bought a tavern and hung the compass on the wall, naming the place after it. It soon became the Sea Dogs' favorite watering hile. Terry died a few days later in a brawl, but Piety managed to keep it in business.

His death actually started a new tradition. One night during the first month of business, John Fox proposed a contest of storytelling, with the best tale getting free drinks. Halfway through the night, Piety stepped up and told the story of the Broken Compass. When someone asked where Terry was now, she answered that he died. Everyone fell silent until John Fox stood up and told about how he got the compass by trading a cask of oil for it with a group of soldiers by telling them it was whiskey. They chased him for days before catching him...and then John said, simply, that when they caught him, he died. Thus it became tradition, at the end of every tale, to ask if the teller died. If they say they didn't, they get pelted with drinks. (Piety won the contest, incidentally, and everyone insisted on paying.)

Next is the island of Cabora. Most never hard about it until it rose from the sea. A few ancient texts mention it, and the Fhideli have their legends, but to most people it never existed. It's a Syrneth island in the center of the Mirror, constructed thousands of years before humanity arose. It resembles a clockwork engine, and the buildings and passageways form a complex mechanical structure, with giant brass-like gears linking strange crystal spans and levels of impossible machines. Some chambers are control rooms or labs, and some speculate that the entire place once housed some great experiment. The power coursing through it was definitely enoigh to flatten a continent, though. Its original inhabitants are dead and gone, though before abandoning the place, they took steps to hide it. They bult the six Switches, huge engines tapping into the planet's magnetic power, which forced the island below the waves far before humanity. Despite that, knowledge has leaked out. The energies of the island had a subtle effect on human sensitives, sending out dreams to seers and mystics. They saw images of the past, hazy impressions of the work done on CAbora, and a strong sense of its status on the sea floor. They complained of tasting saltwater and hearing machinery. These episodes became more and more frequent and strong as the Switches were released. On Corantine 1, 1668, every seer in the world saw a mass vision exactly one month before the island rose. More on the place in the GM's section, and in the upcoming 7th Sea Almanac.

You know, I'm going to skip over some of these. They bore me. Except for the usland of Shambu, that's a...well, it's a place. It's in the Forthing Sea in the Midnight Archipelago, and covered in jungle with a rising volcano. There is a single native village of dark-skinned cannibals. They eat the internal organs and throw the rest of the body into the volcano as a sacrifice, believing it will keep the volcano from destroying them. Dammit, 7th Sea, you were doing so well! There is also a Syrneth ruin on the edge of the volcano's peak, covered in a viny moss. The ruin is a ring of mounds with a chamber in each containing amber-lined walls and insectoid armor. In the center of the mounds is a bigger pile, with a shaft leading down into it. It collapsed long agoa, and is full of rubble. An Inquisitor named Brother Ferdinand de Montecino found the ruins twenty five years ago after his expedition angered the locals and he literally fell into them. The locals refsed to enter the ruins. Several of the smaller openings had intact lens-like coverings, and Ferdinand grabbed one to use as a signal. He felt a strange tingle, then raised the thing to his eye, to look for its source. He saw the tribe's chief in the clearing and somehow understood the man, seeing how he'd insulted the leader's religious beliefs, knowing the language, understanding the man's every thought. This knowledge let him avoid the native patrols and make his way back to the ship. After several days of travel, he took out the Lens again and began experimenting with it. He found he could use it to learn exactly where his monastery was in relation to himself, and named the thing the Eye of Reason. He ran into a storm, though, and it broke in the middle of it. Acid leaked onto his arm and began to eat at his skin, and he leapt into the sea in agony. Days later, he was found by a poor Castillian fisherman, who took him home to recover. The liquid had destroyed part of his torso, but he survived and was able to send word back to his order. He vanished a few days later, and the Inquisition claims he never returned from Shambu.

Recently, Philip Gosse travelled to Shambu in his hunt for the Spear of the West Wind, and found that the natives were fleeing the isle thanks to an undead attack. The old pirate found that one of his friends, a Midnight Archipelago native named Mabela, was able to use some of the local herbs to destroy the undead, though he was unable to teach Gosse how. The power only worked with fresh herbs and only on land. Gosse found the ruins, but decided not to take them - the spirits of the place aided him in the fight, Mabela had said, but Gosse decided it best not to impose on their goodwill. The natives returned, convinced by the attack that they were right to kill any foreigner who arrived on the island. There are two Eyes of Reason that yet remain there.

What about the Spear of the West Wind itself? In Vestenmannavnjar legend, after the death of Krieg, the gods gathered together to make an artifact that would prevent such a thing ever happening again. They toiled for years to make the Spear of the West Wind, which made its wielder able to control all weather on the Trade Sea. With that power, anyone could be stopped and even maybe destroyed. They realized how dangerous it was, so they destroyed all records of it to keep it secret. Those who wished to use it would have to ask the gods - anything else that would hint at its location was destroyed. The artifact lay dormant until the arrival of the Black Freighter. One of the crew was Uriah the Dribbler, a pirate who'd found the Spear when he was alive. He led Necros there, and NEcros used its power to generate a huge storm around a longboat full of Gosse's men - including Thomas Gosse, who leapt into the water to save a crewman. Lightning came out of the sky and struck him, and he drowned before anyone could reach him. Gosse used the Eye of Reason from Shambu (presumably putting it back when he was done) to find the location of the Spear, and the nsailed there. A blizzard surrounded the island at all times, but the island itself was warm. Sirens filled the water around it, and when Gosse and his men finally got there, they found runes carved deep in the mountain of the island, twenty feet across and ten deep. The runes got closer the higher they got, and at the peak, they found a single spire: the Spear of the West Wind.

It was eight feet in diameter and covered in runes, often too closely packed to make out. Gosse touched it, and suddenly found himself staring at the entire Trade Sea, aware of every wind and wave. He sent lightning to strike a leviathan attacking a small fishing essel, then pulled away, warning the men not to touch the thing. It had been made for gods, not men, and had too much power. Even the brief touch almost killed him. It had to be denied to Necros. He ordered his men down and then ordered the gunners to destroy the Spear, shattering it with cannonfire. Today, it remains only as shattered pieces. The continual blizzard has driven the sirens away, and the island is covered in ten feet of snow. The mountain still has the Spear's stump atop it. A number of visitors have stopped by since the destruction. First Necros, hwo ordered some of his crew ashore to kill anyone who arrived later. After that, treasure hunters stopped by, finding it by following sightings of the Uncharted Course. They were killed by the undead. One last group of treasure hunters managed to escape and are spreading the warning of the dangers, but others are tempted by their tales to try and get the power of the Spear's remnants. The last group to arrive is a group of Vesten mages, searching for whatever disrupted local weather patterns. They retreated after seeing the danger, but vowed to return to destroy the undead and reclaim some of the island's holy power.

Now, we move into the GM's section. The first part is just a bunch of essays on how to run adventures for the various seafaring factions. Nothing interesting. But then we get the artifacts, which provide stats for all the weird items that showed up in the card game. And there's a lot of those. They're pretty cool, too! The first one is Bjørnsson's Horn , once owned by Captain Hrafn Bjørnsson. He was a great hero of Vesten legend, said to have sailed all Seven Seas long before anyone else and to have fought every monster in the world. While the stories change and many dismiss the weirder bits, one thing remains constant: with a single blow of his horn, he could make his crew brave enough for anything. The gods themselves, or so its said, blessed the horn so that Bjørnsson's name would live forever. The Horn has a single power: once per scene, at the start of a round, the leader of a group who has the horn can blow it, spending an Action Die immediately. For that round, everyon on the blower's side doubles their Panache, to a max of 7. If the wielder of the horn is a ship's captain, their Panache doubles, too, though they're still down a die. The captain's extra dice are rolled after the Horn is used. The thing can't be used by a Vendel, but anyone else can, good or evil. This thing is, rightly, one of the most coveted magic items in the world, and it is located somewhere in the Vesten isles. No one is sure where, but most think it's in the ninth island. Others believe it's on Viddenheim, while others thing Yngvild Olafssdottir has it. She certainly wants it and would come after anyone who retrieved it and wasn't Vesten, anyway.


Lady, you probably don't want to be fighting in that, you're about to fall out.

The Claw of the Thalusai is a Syrneth artifact believed to be either a biological creation of maybe a body part, and it's shown in several Thalusai sites. It's a giant gauntlet with four claws, each as long as a forearm. It functions like a panzerhand when worn,, and it serves as a base 1k2 weapon that can be used for grappling. It's unable to do fine manipulation, but it does shift with your fingers, which lie in this amber liquid. You take no penalty to using it if you have the Knife, Panzerhand or Dirty Fighting skills. Anyone else suffers the usual penalties. The real benefit, though, is that it is effectively a dracheneisen panzerhand and provides all the benefits of using one. If the claw is ever damaged, say by Firinbrand or Reis's scythe, it heals at the same rate of the wielder. There appears to be some kind of curse attached to the Claws, though. They seem to vanish with annoying regularity when taken off, and those who put them on will often refuse to remove them for any reason. They also tend to die mysteriously. A few rumors suggest that the shadows themselves hate people wearing the Claws, and one story claims that a taloned hand of shadows, shaped a lot like the Claw, rached out of an alley and pulled in an artifact hunter carrying one of the things. She was never seen again! (So yes, the Thalusai are a bit pissed that you're wearing their severed hands.)

The Cutlass of Command appears to be an ordinary if very well-balanced cutlass, and has no bonuses in combat. However, it is completely unbreakable - not even Firinbrand or Reis's scythe will leave a mark on it, and it will remain cool even in lava. It is always just a little cool to the touch...or so the stories say. The weapon is said to predate even Captain Rogers, though legend says he gave it to a friend when he had it, because it'd be unfair on his victims if he owned it. See, when worn by a ship's captain, it buffs all of the ship's stats by 1. It also gives the captain a bonus die to all social rolls against sailors. It is rumored to be somewhere in the forbidden sea, and the last captain who had it sank under full sail after leaving the Crescent Empire for some purpose. The Eyes of Reason , of course, are Thalusai lenses from the isle of Shambu. When held and concentrated on, they reveal the location of any person or place in the world. You just hold the eye, spend a Drama or Glamour die and get a vision of flying across the landscape from your spot to the location of the thing. You must have either seen it or know roughly in what general area it's located in, though.

The Eye of the Storm is a particularly odd artifact, especially since it was made by Vestenmannavnjar. It's a lens on one side, which shows images from across the seas at random, though always violent weather. On the back of it, there's a pair of runes: Stans, or Calm, and Nød, or Intensity. The Eye of the Storm controls the wind. By spending a Drama die, the wielder can control the weather as though they were a Master of Lærdom with the runes of Stans and Nød. This requires no roll and lasts for a scene. Sinking ships is unlikely with just the Eye, but it can easily cause doldrums around one while propelling another at full speed, reducing travel time by half in unfavorable weather or always allowing for speedy trips compared to pursuers. Only one power of the Eye can be used at any given time, though, and it can only be used once per scene. The eye was found a year ago by explorer Hal Magnus (or Harald Magnusson) and his wife Freyalinda, a skjæren. One of their goals was to heal the rift between the Vendel and Vesten, and they hoped to use the Eye to do it. However, the Eye was stolen last time they were in Kirk, and Hal suspects it was by someone who doesn't want them to succeed.

Franzini's Lost Notebooks aren't magical. See, at the start of the Renaissance, there were a ton of great scholars...and the best of them was actually a woman: Elena Franzini. She was gifted in many fields and became famous for her skill in natural philosophy, alchemy, artistry, medicine, craftsmanship, archaeology, math and history. She was pursued by many powerful men, but she rejected them all. Instead, she fell in love with a common man from Dionna. Five months later, he was found dead in the canals. Elena was crushed...and with the same zeal as all other pursuits, she mastered swordfighting and began hunting for revenge. It took her years, and in the meantime she continued her studies. She finally killed the Villanova who slew her lover, and her own fate remains unknown. Her notebooks are greatly coveted, and each provides enough knowledge to give the reader between 1 and 3 free Raises on a specific Civil Knack or Skill as long as they consult the book. For example, a copy of A Study of Man and Nature gives 2 Free Raises to Natural Philosophy and 1 free Raise to all basic Scholar knacks. The more focused the topic, the greater the bonus is likely to be, though some books can provide both depth and breadth. One book also contains sketches of devices, which may be used in place of blueprints for any invention in the Invisible College book with TN of 35 or less. Alternately, studying a notebook for one week gives 1 bonus XP at the end of the story which can only be spent on the relevant knack. Up to 3 XP per reader can be earned in this way for each book, and the GM has final say on what counts as studying.

The Gem of Warning is a strange item believed to mix Sorte and Porté magic...or perhaps powered by Legion. The Gem is actually a skull, but its power lies somewhere in its right eye socket. An eyepatch covers the left socket, and it is apparently a very scary eyepatch, scaring even fate witches. The skull, legend has it, belonged to the pirate Bloodeye, who terrorized the Frothing Sea in the 1400s. He didn't kill everyone like Reis does, but only because he was more sadistic and preferred to personally torture people to death. After spending a week personally torturing an entire Vaticine ship to death for putting out his left eye, hsi right began to cry crimson tears. Three times those tears saved his life, glowing when danger neared. However, six years, six months and six days after losing his eye, the combined navies of Avalon, Castille and Montaigne trapped him...and the tears never glowed. His ship burned for a full day and night, long after it should have sunk, and his screams could be heard for miles. When the fire finally died, the approaching ships found a single skull, wearing Bloodeye's eyepatch and with a blood-red crystal in the right eye socket. It floated, too. The Montaigne commander claimed it, and the other ships let him have it, wanting no part of the creepy thing. A priest on the Castillian command ship told him it was cursed and no good would come of it, but he didn't listen. Later, he would discover that when danger neared, the red crystal would shine. He also found that by opening the left eyepath, he could "mark" an area so that the gem would glow if that place was threatened, too. He decided to use its effect on himself. He had just enough time to scream before vanishing. So...mark places, not people. Since then, the Gem has been handed down to Montaigne nobles. Those who use it carefully and heroically, never trusting it completely, have been able to use it safely. Those who become arrogant or evil find themselves betrayed by its curse when the greatest danger comes. Last year, l'Empereur gave it to Admiral Valoix as a gift. However, despite Valoix's extreme care in its use, it vanished from his cabin. No one knows where it is now, but Bloodeye sank just south of Entour, and it's turned up there before.

Next time: More artifacts!

I pray your pardon, gentle reader, for the Kire does not know.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: I pray your pardon, gentle reader, for the Kire does not know.

Mordekei's Casket once belonged to the ruthless, cunning priate Mordekai. Everyone feared him, and his darkest weapon was the chest, enchanted with evil sorcery, which made the blades of his crew tear through human flesh like paper. Unlike most pirtaes, however, he didn't end his career in battle. Instead, he fell in love with a woman whom he captured on a Castillian galleon. She saw something good in him, and threw herself into redeeming him with true Castillian passion. It worked. He was struck by grief at all the harm he'd caused, and swore to defend the weak for the rest of his life. Most of his crew, the only people he'd been loyal to before, joined him. However, the Casket, they say, had other plans. It's said that Legion itself came out of it, struggling with Mordekai to claim his soul and his lover. Mordekia won, however, and used the casket's power to fight pirates until the day he died. Everyone would love to have it now, since the evil that birthed and the good it did allow it to work for anyone. By putting a blade in the casket, sheathed to the hilt, the weapon glows red and becomes empowered. Anyone wielding that weapon gets a bonus kept die to all uses of the weapon for the rest of the act, and also damage rolls. The TN to hit someone using the blade goes up by 5. As for where the Casket is now...well, it was buried with Mordekai and his lover, with a sign over it saying that those who used it for evil would be consumed by evil. However, all anyone knows is that Mordekai was buried on a very small island in the mirror somewhere. Rumor has it that Reis is after the Casket...but so is Mordekai's beautiful great-granddaughter, Angela Gallegos...who might just be a sorcerer.

The Scarlet Hook of Madness is not a good tool to have. It began eight years ago, when the pirate Gutter Kent caught his wife cheating on him with his first mate. He killed them both with the hook that had long since been his left hand. That night, the ghosts of his victims visited him, and the hook began to drip blood. He began asking every priest he captured to pardon his sins, killing each as they refused him. The blood never stopped oozing, and the ghosts whispered in his ear constantly, urging him to suicide. He tried to cut the hook off, but it reappeared on his arm the next day. He eventually went completely insane and did, in fact, kill himself with the hook. His crew threw it overboard, and less than a week later it washed up on the shore next to another pirate crew. It's a very powerful items, of course. It looks like a normal pirate's hook, and it's activated as soon as it's put on the stump of a living man's arm. It is a base 2k2 fencing weapon that can never be disarmed. While attacking with it, the user's Finesse is considered 2 higher than normal, and he immediately gains 3 XP whenever he kills someone with it. However, after its first kill, the curse is activated. It begins to drip blood, and the voices of everyone killed by the hook whisper in the wielder's ear constantly. Once the curse is active, the hook can never be removed, reappearing the next morning if cut off. It also gives the wearer the Envious Hubris, in addition to any Arcana he might already have. The wearer can no longer spend a Drama die to counter activations of his Hubris (or Hubrises). Whenever his Hubris gets activated, he loses 1 Reputation point. When he hits -30, he becomes an NPC villain, and at -50 he commits suicide with the hook, joining the ghostly chorus. If a fate witch looks at his arcana, it appears as a bloody blur. The hook, after its wearer dies, will move on to somewhere else that someone is willing to wear it. It is currently on the arm of Willie Wilcox of the Brotherhood of the Coast. It was given to him by the witch Lucrezia after he lost his hand. No one knows why, but Jeremiah Berek thinks that the Hook helps mask her movements from other fate witches somehow. It's only a matter of time before Willie goes mad. It's possible, at the GM's option, that a priest's blessing could lift the curse, free the spirits and destroy the Hook.

Sidhe Sails are special, Glamour-enchanted sails. Every sailor would love to have them, though more rational folks are wary about them - after all, they're powerful, but are they real? They give a +2 to the Panache of any ship flying them, and are enchanted to catch the wind. A ship with Sidhe Sails is never trapped by doldrums, and no matter which way the wind is blowing, it pushes the ship in the direction that the ship is pointed. Unfurling all the Sidhe Sails on a ship moves it at maximum speed, no matter what direction the wind's blowing, even if it's just a wisp of breeze. However, a ship whose Master of the Tops has the Riggin knack at less than 3 loses 2 Wits due to its speed. The Sidhe Sails are also nearly indestructible. When Panache is lost on a ship with Sidhe Sails, it's damage to the spars, not the sails. Any attacks against the sails do no damage, and chain shot is useless on a ship with them. However, they are vulnerable to cold iron. A single touch with even the smallest amount will burn away the entire sail. Syrneth weapons work normally against them, as do powerful magical artifacts like Firinbrand. The Sidhe have given these sails out to only three captains, ever. The first was Captain Rogers. The other two are guarded carefully...and there is said to be a fourth set that none dares retrieve, for it lies on the Isle of the Grey Queen, from which none return. Recently, it's been said that the Grey Queen will give the sails to a captain with the right mix of daring and need...but for a very high price: freedom from whatevr curse lies upon her.

The Six Switches are, you know, the stuff that keeps Cabora beneath the waves. They are beyond human capability to destroy, but can be damaged beyond functional use. Activating them requires an understanding of both complex code and Syrneth languages. They use a blend of Setine clockwork, Tessera magnetism and even Domae gemstones, and interpreting them requires a Wits+Occult check at TN 45. The Explorer's Society has a set of texts which give 3 Free Raises to anyone who's read them, but only Guy McCormick and a few major ranking explorers have seen them. Kheired-Din has holy visions which give him even more detail, but those can't get accessed by anyone but him; a Hero might be able to get the texts. Only one Switch is needed to sink Cabora, but the machines on the island have to be used in conjunction to do it. The First Switch is in an oasis in Cathay, which is inhabited by a band of fierce and completely clueless tribesmen. The water has been tainted by the Switch, and causes hallucinogenic visions of distant places, which the elders use as part of their rituals. Access is via a strange plug at the bottom of a toxic salt spring, which causes damage if ingested equivalent to arsenic. The plug allows solid matter but not water through due to a Syrneth filter. Inside are control rooms overrun by vines. The Second Switch is on an island in the Trade Sea, east of the Vestenmannavnjar archipelago. It's a big black obelisk covered in runes and buried by sand. It's activated by touching a series of markings in the proper sequence. Failure to do so turns the ground into quicksand, with a TN 20 Brawn roll to escape. The waters around the island are full of sirens, and the area ranges from 'stormy' to 'hurricane.'

The Third Switch is on a shoreline in Montaigne, atop a cliff. It's in an abandoned area full of corks and sand, with few natural harbors, which has resulted in the Switch going undiscovered. Most of the machinery is embedded in the cliff itself, and only the control panel is above the plateau. It's been heavily damaged by wind and erosion, and thus has an extra 5 TN to activate. Digging at the cliff top reveals an acces shatch, which would let someone into the guts of the machine. The Fourth Switch is on an island in the Midnight Archipelago, and it's an elaborate system of globes and levers in the jungle. The natives are hostile and the island is plagued by monsters, but the Switch itself is easy to activate - pull the right lever. Of course, there's 200 levers across the island and without a precise map, finding the right one is nearly impossible.

The Fifth Switch is somewhere in the mirror, south of the Corridors of Flame. It takes precise navigation to reach, avoiding the Corridors and a series of reefs and sandbars. This is a TN 40 piloting check. It's in the middle of a big cove, shielded by a rock wall. It's a big, translucent, glowin orb which floats in a ring of Syrneth metal. To trigger it, you have to touch it and then recite a precise sequence of syllables. ACtivating it also inflicts a Dramatic wound on the user for every attempt made as it takes a bit of the user's essence to activate. The Sixth Switch resides (or resided, if you use the metaplot) beneath the island of the Caligaris, in a modified Syrneth ship. It directed the switch's power to the island, keeping it afloat. Without it, the entire landmass (and city of 10000 people) would sink to the bottom of the Forbidden Sea. The Caligaris have used it as the bastion of the power for centuries.

The Spear of the West Wind 's location has been covered, and while it was destroyed, it retains some power. Anyone who digs the stump out and stands on top of it will see an image of any point in the Trade Sea they desire for one minute. After that, the stump assaults the viewer's mind, and anyone standing on top for too long is driven insane. It is a TN 10 Resolve check to get off in time. Each subsequent use of the stump increases that TN by 5. Cunks of the shattered spire can be found around the peak under the snow, and each chunk will provide the owner with a similar power as the stump when touched by bare skin. They will also eat away at the user's mind until driven mad. Lærdom mages get a free Raise to sorcery when using the shards, but must still make the Resolve checks.

Syrneth Tillers are relatively ocmmon artifacts. They're very powerful, but they're somewhat problematic to use. Someone has to wrap the Tiller - which takes the form of a string of metal beads - around the ship's rudder, unless the ship uses a tiller instead of a ship's wheel. Then the first and last beads must be banged together. The sailor than has one minute to get back on board or get the hell away from the hsip. If the ship has a tiller, it can be put on that, but that's got its own dangers. After a minute, the ship will begin to move forward, at first slowly, but by the end of an hour, it will have covered more than 300 miles. There's some more dangers, though. Once started, you can't turn it off. It moves constantly until just over an hour has passed. The beads become incredibly hot, and deal 5k5 damage to the ship by the end of the trip. All critical hits done ot the ship reduce the Wits trait of the ship as the rudder or tiller is damaged. Anyone within a foot of the Tiller while it works takes 5k5 damage per round, reducing the damage by 1k1 for every foot farther away. Oh, and turning the ship is very difficult and must be done carefully. All sailing difficulties double while using the Tiller, and if it's attached to any other part of the ship instead, the ship takes a Critical Hit to the hull every round that it isn't moving in a straight line. Also, you have to take the sails down or they'll be destroyed, taking 2k2 damage every five minutes. Each Critical Hit, if any, lowers the ship's Panache. This does not change the ship's speed while the Tiller is active, at least. Also, once used, the beads become useless lumps. However, there is no faster method to travel the sea. You travel 300+3k3 miles in the seventy minutes of activity. Syrneth Tillers can be found throughout the Midnight Archipelago, and the Explorers sometimes sell a few if they have extras. However, the price is high and they are very picky about customers.

Now, it's time for the truth of the Black Freighter. Centuries ago, a battle was fought between the Sidhe Queen Maab and the siren referred to as the Queen of the Sea. Both claimed the oceans, and both wanted that title. They hated each other, and during the fight, Maab severed one of her foe's claws. The inky blood pooled out for miles as the talon sank to the bottom. The siren queen fled, but part of her essence remained in the claw, which drifted and attracted misfortune like sharks to blood. Thousands of years later, Captain Upham unknowingly tapped into that essence when he was plotting with the wreckers. The reef he drove his ship onto was the siren queen's severed claw, which had become encrusted with coral over time. As his crew died, their hatred and anger mixed with its essence, transforming the ship into the Black Freighter. It is a powerhouse of dark emotions, feeding on pain and cruelty. Those who fall within its grasp become undead crew, their souls sealed in its planks. Because of its link to the siren queen, it can sense evil anywhere in the seas, and can appear anywhere it likes. It often waits up to sixty years between appearances, because it requires someone wicked enough to guide its power. Each time it rises, there is a new captain, a soul so evil that the Freighter can't resist it. The captain gives it is purpose. Its original crew wanted revenge, but others have had even less savory motives. Some wanted to continue their piracy, while others wanted to destroy those who'd defied them in life, while others did evil for its own sake. They used the Freighter to spread pain and horror as long as they could. Once their purposes were served, the vessel vanished, only to rise again with a new captain. No one can tell what happened to the previous ones, though Upham has never left. He's fused to the keel of the ship by the siren queen's power, and he's served as the figurehead ever since. The Freighter's crew often forces victims toe endure the "Kiss of Death", an embrace by the figurehead which binds the victim to the freighter forever as part of the crew. The current captain is Comte Robert Méchant. the villain who battled Philip Gosse in his prime. He goes by Captain Necros now and is dedicated to avenging himself on Gosse, planning to torture him before killing him.

The book provides advice on using the Freighter - perhaps replacing Méchant with a dead foe of the party, who is sailing the Freighter to get revenge on them. It's extremely powerful, moreso than practically any other ship, but it's not invincible. Sure, it seems immune to damage and appears to have nigh-endless amounts of zombies and skeletons to crew it. However, it's not very fast and can easily be outmaneuvered. It has formidable cannons, but they're rusted and decayed. It prefers to board over cannonfire, giving foes a chance to escape. Also, it's extremely focused, and any ship not involved in its captain's obsession will be ignored if it stays out of the way. Defeating the Freighter instead of just avoiding it is hard, though. It's immune to most damage...except for the figurehead. Upham's body is the focal point of its power, and he's fused to the keel. If he could be seperated from the ship, it would be just as sinkable as anything else. However, this information is recorded only in a few Vaticine documents and Explorer texts. Seperated Upham is a TN 35 Lifting check, though he can also be cut away with a TN 35 attack on the ship with a hacking weapon. For every check made, you also have to make a TN 20 Balance check or fall into the sea. Only one person can try at any time. Anyone trying to cut Upham loose has to get on the Freighter, fight off the crew and hang precariously form the bow. Faith-based powers, at the GM's option, may also help. Those with the Faith advantage are immune to its fear effects, and undead crew facing them lose one die from their rolls. The GM can assign or ignore other benefits as desired. Permanently destroying the ship is nearly impossible - it'd take an acto f supreme magic, beyond any human ability, to put it down for good. As long as there are wicked men on the sea, it has power. Destroying it would be a quest for an entire campaign, and probably would involve killing the Queen of the Sea herself. Alternatively, they could find her severed hand and destroy it - an equally difficult task.

We get a brief sidebar adivisng us to keep the fantastic elements sprase - giant sea monsters, Syrneth cities and undead pirate ships are best sprinkled in around more normal things, it says, to keep the impact. I'm not sure anyone told the other writers this. Anyway, we move on now to the secrets of Cabora. Not all the secrets are revealed in this book, we're told, especially since the final fate of the metaplot is sstill unknown. However, the history is thus: it was built by the Setine, who found a way to harness the energy of the Seventh Sea in a way that didn't damage reality. Awesome! They linked their machinery to that realm via Cabora, producing insane amounts of power. The island was the site of several scientific experiments, which advanced their civilization massively. They knew how dangerous it was, through, and designed the island with a huge system of counterbalances, including a giant energy field to the west, which would sink it if needed. Using their technology and that of the other races, they built the six Switches, each able to drop CAbora and keep it dropped. If a time ever came when they had to abandon the place, they'd activate the Switches and send it to the bottom of the sea. For years, their experiments continued in peace, and pushed their society farther than anyone ever dreamed. However, one day some unknown cataclysm ended the Setine race. One of their last acts was the activate the Switches and hide Cabora.

The island is full of the remnants of Setine experiments, knowledge and terrors. Most of the machinery still works, but time and water have damaged the island such that any machine might do more harm than good. The rooms are full of traps set by the Setine before they died, and clockwork automatons wander the corridors, reactivated now that the island has resurfaced. In the center of the island is a huge, shimmering archway surrounded by gears and controls. It binds a permanent tear in reality, linking this world to the Seventh Sea. It's the engine that powered Cabora, and it remains as potent as ever. If someone were to control and understood the nature of the machines, they could use the Sea ot travel anywhere on the planet or release the souls trapped in its silvery waters. (So apparently the Seventh Sea is the afterlife now?) The final fate will be shown in the 7th Sea Almanac. We get a list of traps now, ranging from broken gears to damaged aether tanks to flying blades to lasers (yes, really) to robots in the walls.

The robots are dangerous. They lack a true soul, but can duplicate many of the functions of biological life. They have intelligence, can make intuitive decisions and are very fast and strong. The automatons were abandoned with CAbora, and most were destroyed by time and pressure, but a few endured and some even escaped. They've gone crazy from isolation, though. Your average automaton looks like a very thin humanoid made of metal. They can run at great speed but move with care when taking action. When disguised, they shift and expand to take on the appearance of their victim. Their purpose was once to protect the creations of the Setine, but time and age has driven some insane and they now just try to do horrible things to people. What's that disguise I mentioned? Well, that's part of hteir powers. First, the automatons are practically invulnerable. The only waty to stop them is to stick a blade or arrow in the right spot and jam their gears. It takes a TN 40 to hit, and such a wound deals 1 Dramatic Wound as long as the weapon's in place. However, once the automaton is knocked out, it can't be killed, just hidden. Removing a weapon takes ten actions. The Atuomaton's Lash is its second power - a lengthy piece of alien cable that can expand or retract from anywhere on its body. It uses this in the same way as the Journeyman Zepeda ability - it can use Attack (Lash) for Break Fall, Swinging and Grapple. Exploit Weakness (Zepeda) works against an automaton using its Lash at half value, rounded down. The automaton can, lastly, use the Lash to remove the skin of a victim and wear it, extracting memories via some sorcery. As long as it wears the skin, it takes damage normally, until the first Dramtic Wound, at which point it retracts the skin for repair and reveals itself as a robot. It basically becomes the target, with all of the target's advantages and skills; it keeps only its Traits. When it retracts the disguise, all original skills return. In the case of Heroes and Villains with Arcana, it gains a soul, too. With a Villainous Arcana, it gets the soul of a villain, becoming determined to torment its lessers and generally being a bad thing. With a Heroic Arcana, however, it achieves true and full-fledged humanity...and endless remorse for destroying the noble being it wears. It then dedicates its life to defending the innocent, though if it is has a Hubris its outlook might be oddly skewed.

Scout automatons look like winged human skeletons made of the same gold most Syrneth clockwork is made of. They're faster than standard automatons, but much more fragile. They wield thin, pointed rods that are used like rapiers. They reduce damage as if clad in full dracheneisen (two kept dice) but are not invulnerable, and are not harder to hit. This also effects their disguised form, but is not cumulative with normal dracheneisen, which just gives them a TN boost. Instead of a Syrneth Lash, they have wings that let them fly as fast as they can run. This is very obvious, though, and only useful in some circumstances. The wings can conduct memories much as the Lash does. Scouts can gain souls in the same way as normal automatons, but also replace their own Traits with those of their victim. They can't use their wings without revealing themselves as inhuman.

Spider automatons look like eight-limbed humanoid skeletons made of reddish metal. They're fast, but fragile, taking damage the same a scouts. Instead of the Lash, they have four extra limbs, which allow them to climb on nearly any surface, though this is very obvious. Their longest pair of arms conduct memories in the same way as the Lash. They gains souls in the same way Scouts do, and can't use their arms without revealing themselves as inhuman.

Next time: NPCs!

The Kire never promised an ending.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea absolutely does require some picking and choosing, because if you include everything, shit is completely nuts. I mean, we just saw the robots, the robots are not going to be the last insanity.

7th Sea: The Kire never promised an ending.

We get some rules for being undead! Sadly, heroes cannot take the Undead advantage. It is for villains and henchmen only. Undead double the results of their Wound Checks, get the Ugly advantage free and are immune to fatigue and poison. However, any attack by someone with the Faith advantage automatically deals a Dramatic Wound, without any damage roll. An Undead may also take up to three special abilities, although they can't contradict each other. Bloated causes the undead to be...bloated by internal gas from decomposing organs. Whenever he takes a Dramatic Wound, all living characters in melee range have to make a Resolve roll to not lose their next action die due to nausea. Claws and Fangs give the character pointy fingers and teeth, giving an extra kept die of damage when fighting unarmed. Demon Eyes give the character +1 Fear Rating due to glowing eyes. Emaciated gives the Small advantage due to shriveling. Headless means you can't smell or speak, though somehow you can still sea and hear. Anyone attacking you can't make a called shot to your head, and you get a free Raise on your wound checks becase it's harder to damage someone without a head. Missing Limbs raises the TNs of all actions requiring that limb by 10, but allow you to get Fear 2 if you can find a limb and attach it to yourself. Such a limb remains attached for one act before rotting and falling off. Revolting gives you the Hideous advantage, allowing you to temporarily raise your Fear Rating. Skeletal makes you a skeleton, getting +10 TN to be hit due to having no vital organs. However, all damage that does hit is doubled, including the Faith damage.

There's no new swordsman stuff in this book. Some new naval combat rules, but that's about it. So, on to stats! We start with Allende. Most of his history you already know. However, what you don't know is that the Inquisition wasn't done with him when he became Allende. When they realized he was Prince Javier, they contacted Vincenzo Caligari to try and capture him - see, they wanted backup in case Prince Sandoval was uncooperative. They wanted CAligari to torture and break Allende, so they could reveal the "true king" if needed and launch a succession crisis. Allende is currently enduring the torture, but he doesn't break easily. Alesio, meanwhile, was born Alesia Caligari, great-grandniece to Vincenzo. She is an Adept of Sorte and was assigned to follow one of Vodacce's archbishops in the Vaticine City. There, she met Javier, seeing his powerful Hanged Man arcana, which made it hard for her to concentrate on anything else. She became fascinated by the man, and they became connected by fate. When he vanished, she tracked him to la Bucca and infiltrated the island. She wasn't interested romantically - but she knew she was destined to help him. Her magic proved pivotal in the formation of the Brotherhood of the Coast...but unfortunately, her uncle has not forgotten about her or the way she abandoned her duties. He sent a trio of powerful witches to punish her for her disobedience. They forced her to betray Allende...and then cut her to bits with shears. She prepared for the deed by rescuing Jeremiah Berek, but her foresight could not save her from death. (So yeah, according to the metaplot, she's dead.)

Sean McCorley was an Inish fisherman and journeyman Donovan fencer who signed on as a Sea Dog. He was captured by Castillian ships and sent to la Bucca, where he became friends with Allende. The two helped keep each other alive, and after the coup, he served as Allende's bosun, keeping fighting amongst the crew at a minimum and helping the Brotherhood set aside national and religious differences for the common good. When Allende was betrayed, he helped Berek rally the Brotherhood and kept things from getting riled despite Berek being a Sea Dog, not a Brother. He currently works as Berek's first mate and has devoted himself to finding Allende. Bjorn Brand is a handsome polyglot and apprentice Rogers fencer who got sent to la Bucca for smuggling wine to the Vendel. He stayed alive for ten years on the island thanks to his smuggler buddies, who got him supplies...including some rare chemicals and other equipment, which let Allende start his revolt plan. Now, he uses his contacts to maintain the Brotherhood's supplies and find safe harbors. He's their direct line to the underworld, and finds fences, as well.

Delaina Darling was the orphaned daughter of an Avalon family destroyed by White Plague. She survived as a thief and pickpocket, preferring it to the Jennys. She was caught thieving in Castille at 13 and sent to la Bucca. She'd have died there without Allende, who gave her the nickname 'D.D.' and taught her to read, protecting her from the worst of the island. She learned quickly and applied herself, finding that her memory was nearly perfect, able to repeat overheard conversations perfectly, describe anyone she'd seen and more. She also proved an excellent mimic. When Allende started his crew, he made D.D. a topman as well as his personal spy. She's devoted to him, as he's shown her more kindness and respect than anyone, and she will move heaven and earth to ensure he's rescued. Velik Galecatcher, meanwhile, is truly named Barnard du Ganador. As we know, he's a Rilasciare and an apprentice of Rogers. He was a Montaigne merchant who just wanted to trade when he stopped his caravan and found a small silver treasure. He'd forgotten about it later that night, when a storm fell on the town. While he ran through the rain, he was struck by lightning and knocked unconscious. When he awoke, he discovered he could smell storms brewing dozens of miles away, and even guess at their intensity. Intrigued, he sent his goods home and stayed in the northlands, finding an old woman who called him 'Velik.' He noticed that all the Vesten called him Velik, so he decided to keep the name. Over the years, his sympathies with the Vesten grew, and he became a smuggler to help them. It was during this time that he fell in with the Rilasciare. It was Velik who discovered that Javier was trapped on la Bucca, and offered to contact him for the Rilasciare. He allowed himself to be captured and sent to the island, where he contacted the prince through written notes and struck a friendship with Bjorn Brand. He then directed the Rilasciare to Bjorn's contacts, ensuring that the pirates got what they needed. Since the revolt, he's been quartermaster for Allende, as well as a valued advisor. He keeps in touch with the Rilasciare via carrier pigeon, and the other pirates think the birds are just part of his supply network.

Reggie Wilcox has always been a thief. His mtoher died in childbirth, and his father was not very responsible, so he and his brother Willie turned to crime. When they became wanted in Avalon, they headed to Montaigne, where Reggie became known as "the cat who could climb glass." When they moved on to Castille, the brothers were captured and sent to la Bucca. When the prisoners overthrew the guards, Reggie was the one to climb the wall, slip down to the front door and let everyone in. These days, he works as an advance scout and saboteur. His skills let him kidnap San Felipe's harbormaster, which let the Brotherhood steal the Falcon's Roost when they needed a ship. He is very worried about Willie and his cursed artifact, which he intends to help destroy once Allende is safe. As for Willie, he's the bigger of the two brothers. , and the fighter. He hit people who threatened Reggie, and Reggie provided the goods. He's very good at hurting people, but he doesn't enjoy it - though he'll happily hurt anyone who threatens Reggie. His temper is otherwise not easily roused, and he's very calm. However, during the search for Allende, Willie and Jeremiah Berek ran into three fate witches, who captured Willie. During the combat, he lost his hand and would have suffered more if the strange witch Lucrezia had not appeared and destroyed the witches, as well as giving him the Scarlet Hook of Madness. She claimed it would hide them from other Sorte users, but Willie's soul is heavy with the coast. He fights with the ghosts and uses all his willpower to keep the murderous urges in check. He's not killed anyone since gaining the hook, but he's not sure how long he can hold out. He tells himself he'll endure for Allende.

We move on to the Castillian Armada now. We already know about Enrique Orduño. He managed to get the navy refurbished and set out, smashing the Montaigne blockade with precision and skill. However, he'd always hated the Inquisition, and when they hired the General to betray his own crew, he was forced to rendezvous with them. When the General refused the deal and fired the bribe he was given out of a cannon, he respected the man's honor and refused to attack...and he was arrested for his temerity and sentenced for heresy. He'd have died at the stake at El Morro were it not for the General, who launched a daring raid to rescue him. He vanished into a Porté hole and has not been seen since. We also know about his wife Margaretta, who was going to sacrifice herself for her husband, but was begged not to do so and ended up contacting the General via her fencing instructor, getting the man to save Enrique. She wants to find her missing husband, but has been left in command of the ship El Fuego Negro with an Inquisition "advisor", and can't go seeking Enrique yet - not with Admiral Valoix's ships attacking and the Inquisitors breathing down her neck.

Felipe Jose de Granjero is a master Aldana and Gallegos fencer, and a journeyman of Soldano. He is not a sailor and in fact hates water. His work aboard the Corazon de Castille and El Fuego Negro took lots of willpower. However, he was happy to do it, because he is Margaretta's fencing instructor. He met her sister Alicia at a party, falling in love with her and asking to marry her. When Margaretta became engaged to Admiral Orduño, her father Don Roberto told Felipe that he could marry Alcia if he would serve aboard the Corazon de Castille and continue teaching Margaretta. At his student (and would-be sister-in-law)'s behest, he found the General and helped rescue Enrique. He was aboard the Grenouille du Grace when it vanished. Pade Alphonso is a genius and an Inquisitor. He was taken in by the Church when he showed great intelligence as a youth, and pledged himself to them. He was always interested in converting the unfaithful and studying people, so he was happy to join the Inquisitors. Verdugo himself assigned Alphonso to the Armada's flagship. From there, he's tried to create a strong, loyal navy. He's got no combat skill, but he has been an excellent recruiter. He prefers to stay back and just distract foes in battle, and has been learning, if not very well, how to shoot. He helps banage the wounded, administers last rites...and quietly kills anyone who seems to have shown a lack of faith. He's argued with ship's doctor Luis de Rioja over it constantly. Luis has threatened to expose or kill him if he keeps it up. Luis needs Alphonso, though, for his medical skills, so he just stays quiet for now and does his work more secretly.

Inquisitor Bascalle is the chaplain aboard El Fuego Negro, assigned to keep track of the crew's faith and thoughts. There's just one problem: everyone hates him. He's made no secret of the power he wields over Captain Margaretta, and while he's immune to retaliation due to his position, the crew does not like him. He is a fanatic who truly believes he's doing the work of Theus and that the world exists to test his resolve. He is jealous of his superiors and contemptuous of those below him. His job is to ensure loyalty and avoid a repeat of the "incident" with the General. He has considerable influence. He also hates being on the ship, since he has no sailing skill and no one will talk to him. Most of the crew are waiting for a chance to cause an "accident". Luis de Rioja was a sailor under Bernoulli of Vodacce when his ship was attacked by pirates...who were themselves attacked by another ship that came to help. During the battle, he heard the cries of the wounded and aided them. When the pirates were repulsed and Luis found one of the gunners had been shot in the chest, he began to operate despite the captain's pleas that the man was unsaveable. The captain was wrong: the gunner lived, thanks to Luis. The captain was Enrique Orduño, and he asked Luis to remain aboard the armada ship that had come to help, teaching his medical skill to the Castillian navy. Luis considered the idea - as a private physician, he'd help one man and see little work. Here, he'd helped twelve in an hour, all of whom would have died. He agreed, and has been a navy man ever since. He's quiet and respectful...until someone tries to hurt his patients. Then, he does not compromise. He does not like Padre Alphonso, who has condemned some of his more radical treatments. The Inquisition believes he might be a member of the Invisible College (which he is), but they have no proof.

Fyddych O'Bannon is the son of Rosa Aleja de Soldano, a particularly dim and uninfluential noblewoman who visited Inismore with her father, who was on business. There, she met a charming man named Jack. Just Jack. He scared her, but also intrigued her. They spent the night togther, and when she woke up, she found a note next to the bed that said 'They tell me his name is Fyddych and that I'll need him back someday.' At the time, she didn't understand it...but a few months into the pregnancy, it became clear. She named her son Fyddych, and was very protective of him. She learned as much as she could about the mysterious Jack O'Bannon, in hopes of preventing Fyddych from leaving. For as long as he can remember, he's been tugged toward Avalon, but his mother forbade him ever getting on a ship. If he never crossed the water, he could never go back to Mad Jack. At 15, he ran away from home and signed on aboard the first ship to Avalon, El Matador. He discovered a natural gift for sailing...and it wasn't until the ship had left port that he learned the goal of the trip was to sink Bonnie McGee. He was topman when he heard the call that the Hurricane had been sighted...but at the Grey Queen's isle. He felt her call, but by then it was too late - the Queen had decided to punish the Matador's captain. Fyddych nearly died in the wreck and was found o nthe shore by Admiral Orduño's crew. Only Luis de Rioja's skill saved his life, and he signed on with Margaretta in gratitude. He still wants to get to Inismore some day. The Inquisitors don't like him, but he keeps his heritage hidden and never causes trouble. It's not been easy, though - ever since that day on the coast, he's been seeing and hearing things.

Rita de Zepeda is not a part of the crew, but she is a vital part of the war. Before the war, she was a minor noble with a passion for horses. When the wart came, she found hreself surrounded by Montaigne troops, observed them...and killed one of them when he attacked a woman. She then slaughtered the rest of the troops in the village with her pistols and devoted herself to defeating the Montaigne. She's organized a formidable resistance in occupied Castille, forcing Montaigne away from the front lines to deal with the rebels. Now, on to the Corsairs! Kheired-Din is a master of a Crescent school called Daphan, which allows him to attack earlier, break weapons that parry his and deal extra damage. He is a devoted follower of the Second Prophet...but what made him a fanatic was a trip to a ruin. There, he and his freinds stumbled into a trap, which killed everyone else and seared a tattoo onto him. Why it spared him, none can say, but he emerged claiming the Prophet had spoken to him. He abandoned his life and set forth to bring about a new world. That was 20 years ago. Since then, he's built the Corsairs. He hates sorcery, but sees Syrneth artifacts as holy, and has spent his time trying to understand them. He intends to raise Cabora and use it to flood the 7th Sea into the world. The revolt led by Espera has given him a major setback, though - he lost a lot of his men to the attack and a lot of resources. Several have claimed to kill Kheired-Din, but he keeps coming back...even after falling into lava. This is because his tatto heals him of one Dramatic Wound per hour, even if he's dead and his body destroyed, in which case he reappears aboard his ship, the Strange Skies. This is linked to a magical cross somewhere in the Crescent Empire, which he'd been wearing at the ruin. It is now linked to his lifeforce, and he can't die until it's destroyed.

Ernesto Castillius is an apprentice Aldana fencer and a master of El Fuego Adentro. He was birb among the Gallegos tribesmen, but his mother informed him of the truth: he is the last son of the Castillius line, the original rulers of Castille. He knew he could never retake the throne, but he was proud of his heritage and carried himself as a noble, mastering the power of his blood in secret. He became a sailor to see more of the world, and eventually became ship's pilot. Two years ago, his ship was captured by the Corsairs. Most of the officers were killed, but he surrendered before he could be butchered. He was entranced by the beauty of the Corsair named Dalia, and allowed himself to be captured just to be near her. He gave his name as 'Espera', Castillian for 'Waiting', and refused to speak of his past. He was chained to the ship's wheel when Kheired-Din learned he was a good pilot and given full rations. He knew better than to complain. He tried to flirt with Dalia, and while she scarred his throat to teach him his place, he didn't mind. When she vanished, he was inconsolable. His desire ti find her led him to launch a slave revolt, crippling the ship and capturing another. They named it Freedom's Key, and set off to find Dalia. With his power, he could have escaped at any time - it was only his love for Dalia that kept him in check. He has no doubt that he'll find her. He also, secretly, has another heirloom given to him by his mother before his capture. He's kept it hidden, and when the time is right, he will unleash it to prove his love for Dalia. His mother called it the Guiding Gem of Hierro. He calls it the Firebird's Egg.

The man called Edahgo is an apprentice of Rogers and galley master of the Strange Skies. He's a hunchabck with a powerful hatred for all life. His father was a slavedriver who treated his children like animals. He killed the old man in his sleep one day and took over the family business. He drives the rowers with a wicked cat o' nine tails with barbed tips, and the only time a rower ever dared attack him, he grabbed the man's fist and squeezed it until every bone popped. Then he he took the man to his chambers. No one knows what happened there, but the screams stopped only when the man's voice gave out, and eight days later he carried out a bloody sack far too small for an entire person, throwing it overboard. He fears Kheired-Din more than any other man, and believes the man is a demon in human form. He is also afraid of Espera now, thanks to a terrible flame snake that held him at bay during the revolt, and while he pretends toh ate the man, he truly prays that they will never meet again. Dunti, meanwhile, is a former monk from the Crescent Empire. He devoted his life to peace and charity until one day, he woke up and left, stealing enough food and water to get to sea. He joined the Corsairs, who'd stopped to resupply at the exact moment he arrived. He never explained his behavior, and served loyally until Espera's revolt. Many believed he'd seen a vision of Kheiered-Din...but in truth, the vision was of Ernesto Castillius. The Prophet whispered in his ear to help the man, and he would see a land undreamed of. He remained with the Corsairs until the revolt, when he joined Ernesto and the slaves. He's not a great swordsman, but he is terrifying with a pistol, using his sword only when he must. He blew a hole in Kheired-Din during the revolt that would have killed anyone else, and Din hates him very much as a result. He now serves as Espera's bodyguard.

Imshi was the first man Kheired-Din found when he left the ruins that gave him has tattoo - a guide and "expert" on the Syrneth. He ordered Imshi to help him, and the man was far too terrified to refuse. He helped Kheired-Din find many artifacts which aided the rise of the Corsairs, and in time he learned that Kheired-Din rewarded loyal servants. His fear changed to devotion. He currently operates the immense artifact cannon on the prow of the Strange Skies. He scoops sand from the sea bottom (or a nearby bin if it's too deep), dumps it in and controls the thing to make it fire. He loves the energy discharges and shooting stuff with the cannon. He's the only one trusted to use it, and aside from that spends most of his time trying not to be noticed by the envious crew, who torment him when they get the chance. Inil is the only one of the Corsairs on Din's crew yet to believe in the religious fervor. He respects Din as a captain and likes serving on Strange Skies, but he's more interested in money than the quest. He's a skilled crossbowman and sniper, leearning the weapon from his grandfather, a tribesman of the Crescents who was considered a sorcerer thanks to his immense cunning and knowledge. He is also a great navigator, able to determine latitude with a crossbow, and a wonderful map-reader. He claims to have inherited his uncanny direction sense from growing up in the desert, and he joined the Corsairs for the pay and the chance to practice his craft. He's not as loyal as the others, but has a twisted sense of honor and would never betray his captain under normal circumstances. He wears an alchemical compass around his neck at all times, given to him by his grandfather.

Shala is the most fervent believer in the crew. She is a journeyman of Rogers and keeps discipline among the non-slaves. She fell in love with Kheired-Din the first time she saw him, while she was working as a bodyguard in Ussura. She joined the crew and now commands fearful respect among the man. She is never seen without her lash, a small whip with a wooden cross on the handle. Kheired-Din is aware of her love and returns it privately, but the mission must come first. She understands this and loves him all the more for it. She was never very religious before joining the Corsairs, but now she has embraced the faith with devotion and can quote the Book of the Second Prophet by memory. She always refers to Kheired-Din as 'captain', even when alone with him.

And now, on to the Crimson Rogers! Reis has a unique power to spend an uncounterable Drama die to force a reroll of any attack that hits him. Not even he remembers his full past, though. He was once an Avalon pirate with great powers of Glamour, and he made a lot of money raiding Syrneth sites. Everything else about his early life is a blur. He remembers an Unseelie Sidhe who confronted him in a ruin, though. He remembers how that Sidhe stripped him of his Glamour and destroyed his crew. He remembers grabbing for anything to fight with and finding a strange scythe. The Unseelie stopped smiling then, when he cut its head off. He hunted for a way to get his Glamour back, but where was no way. To have it at all had been a miracle, before Elaine. To restore it, impossible. The rise of Elaine marked the return of Glamour, and while Reis couldn't use it to restore his, he could capitalize on it, becoming the most fearsome pirate ever. His reputation since has justified that vow. He sinks every ship he finds, stealing the cargo and killing the crew. Some think he's a demon that ees on souls. His shhop, the Crimson Roger, is said to have sails stained red with blood. Most of these tales were started by Reis himself - they call to the lost Glamour in his blood, letting him take power from the stories. As long as people believe he's invulnerable, the Sidhe will make him so. For ten years, it's worked. He's yet to be beaten, and no one dares cross him. However, Bloody Bonnie McGee is a threat to him. She's survived an attack by the Rogers - twice . Now, she hunts him to avenge herself for Jeremiah Berek, and Reis can see the writing on the wall: every villain needs a hero, and the Sidhe have provided him one. If he can't stop McGee, he'll die. Of course, the Sidhe aren't the only things with power. Reis will need to find a way to counter their strength, he knows - perhaps among the Syrne. He is a quiet, ruthless man who fears nothing and no one - not even McGee. The day he panics visibly, his crew knows, is the day they will all die. His scythe is Syrneth in origin and can cut through even dracheneisen, ignoring all cover and armor. It is impossible to parry. It inflicts 6k6 wounds, and rather than rerolling 10s, it counts any 10 as a Dramatic Wound automatically. Both his scythe and clothing are infused with Glamour, and anyone wearing them may take his visage and maybe even enjoy his reputation...though they'd have to take them off Reis first.

Next time: More NPCs!

Meanwhile, the Kire must set his pen down.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: Meanwhile, the Kire must set his pen down.

The man who calls himself Joern Keitelson is a Leegstra master and a former shepherd. That's not his real name, by the way - he won't tell anyone his real name. He was to be married to a woman named Oera, but a few weeks before the wedding she got plague and died. He spent all his free time tending her grave, and six weeks later, her spirit appeared to him. He spent time with the spirit, and it was doing so that caused him to be out of time when the Vendel raided his village and kill every living soul there. Joern's memory was not enough to keep the spirit around, and she vanished within a week. He changed his name and set out to kill the Vendel. He ended up heading to sea, hoping to join the Vesten raiders, but his ship was attacked by the Crimson Rogers. He went berserk, killing twelve before Reis took him down. When he regained consciousness, Reis offered him a spot as first mate - and Joern accepted so long as one ship in four that they took was Vendel. He lives only to die, fighting like a madman and hoping each time that it'll be his death. He wants to kill as many Vendel as possible and then join Oera in oblivion - and that's why he changed his name, so no one's memory can hold him back.

Riant Gaucher is the bosun of the Crimson Roger, a terrifying sadist who treats whipping people as an art. He was a Montaigne farmer's son and the youngest of twelve siblings, and he learned early on to defend himself. He found he got respect if he want from 'horsing around' to actual pain, and became the effective leader of the kids. He carried that lesson over as an adult, looking for any excuse to beat someone. He is a cold, calculating and ruthless fighter. No one likes him, and even Reis won't watch him really lay into someone, but he loves his job. Then there's the late Javier de Bejarano. He was a Church scholar who spent his days studying the Syrneth when he found a book full of incantations which hinted at immortality. At first he resisted its temptation, but when an outbreak of White Plague hit the city, he became more fearful and fled to find immortality. The book spoke of an island containing the secret, which he worked out was in the Mirror. He was digging through a ruin when the Rogers found him. Reis offered him first pick of the items there if he'd help them find more, and he agreed, since he thought he'd be killed if he refused. With the help of the Rogers, he was able to find the secret of gaining immortality...but when he tried to convince Reis to head to Cabora to get it, he revealed his plan and the fact that he knew Reis was worried about Bonnie McGee. In response, Reis killed him and threw his corpse to the sirens.

Julius Caligari is a journeyman of Ambrogia and cousin to Prince Caligari. He was sent aboard the Crimson Roger to keep an eye on Reis and make sure he kept to the deal. He's blind in one eye...and a traitor. He told Reis that for the right price, he'd ignore his orders. Reis paid him off, but no longer trusts the man - because anyone who'd sell out his cousin so easily is not trustworthy. He has been quietly stealing some of the best cargo for himself. Gerald Höhne is an Eisen weaponsmith who fled Eisen for a new life. He became an Explorer Shield Man, and his team stumbled onto a strange jeweled mask. He picked it up to show to his friends, and jokingly pressed it against his face. Everything went blurry then, and when he came to his senses, everyone was dead and he was covered in blood. He fled screaming and spent six years wandering, suffering a new bout of madness every six months or so. Eventually, he wound up in a bar, telling his story to a stranger. The stranger turned out to be Reis, and offered him a spot on the crew. When it was time for the next bout of madness, he went ashore, leaving Gerald on board with just a single rather unliked sailor. After a few days, they came back to find him sane, ashamed and alone. Since then, Reis signs on a few newcomers to ensure Gerald's always got a target. The rest of the crew hates him, and he thinks he deserves it.

Jemy is a strange mystery. He is a black man whom the Rogers found half-dead in the Frothing Sea. They took him aboard and healed his wounds, to find out what the hell he'd been doing there. The only word he said when he awoke was 'Jemy', which they assumed was his name. He was as strong as any three men aboard, but refused to fight - when the crew attacked, he'd just stand back and wait. After the first fight, Riant tried to beat him, but his whip left no mark. Jemy then broke the ropes holding him, took the whip and beat Riant across the deck until he begged for mercy. Riant begged Reis to kill Jemy, but Reis refused, and now Riant is too afraid to even think of harming Jemy without Reis's help. Andrei Levovich is a fearless Ussuran. Literally fearless - he left Ussura to find something that could frighten him. He once sank a Vendel ship by himself, charging at them and screaming so loudly that one of the gunners dropped a match he was holding into a gunbowder barrel. The crew exploded, but Andrei was fine, and then organized the transfer of the cargo. He has no respect for anyone else who feels fear, and he follows Reis because Reis once fearlessly reached out and killed a ten-second beetle with his bare hands. Ever since, he's been loyal - but he might stop if Reis ever showed fear, unlikely as that is.

Guy McCormick was a hero once. He isn't any longer. He and Amanda McCormick were once some of the greatest Explorers, and he was great nephew of the Society's founder. He lead many expeditions, and his wife was one of their chief field scholars. Amanda stumbled across something she claimed proved the existence of the 7th Sea, and became obsessed with finding more. She kept this hidden from her husband, and eventually set out to find the Sea, never to be seen again. Guy originally thought she had been on normal business and died...but when he learned what she'd been seeking, he became convinced that she'd found it. We know his quest already. He has been twisted by it, becoming a brooding monomaniac with no morality, willing to sacrifice anything to find Amanda. By the time his crew mutinied, the Society was considering forced retirement for him. They've sent bounty hunters to bring him home alive. He doesn't care.

Cosette St. Clair was his first mate, the daughter of a Vendel merchant. She's an apprentice of the Shield Man school, and was an old friend of Guy McCormick, having been his Shield Man before. She was at first fanatically loyal, but was never blind to the Society's goals, either. She had a strong sense of ethics, and when he began to change, she was the first to notice. At first, she dismissed it, but eventually she couldn't any more. She considering doctoring "proof" of Amanda's death, but never had a chance to. Finally, when Guy allowed the Corsairs to take Maggie Malone, she led a mutiny against Guy and forced him to flee. Since then, she's pursued him, determined to bring him back to face Explorer justice. While she knows she did the right thing, she still feels like a traitor. Mumblety-Peg, meanwhile, is a strange man with a clockwork arm. No one knows much about him and he won't speak of his past. He has no real ethics and is very cunning, but he claims to have seen Amanda, and that's enough for Guy. The Explorers found him in a tavern, wearing Amanda's vest. He said he was willing to lead them to Cabora, and for a while he was second mate. The crew distrusted him, but Guy ordered them to obey him...which only helped Cosette's mutiny. However, he's been true to his word, helping the Explorers reach the Fourth Switch, and even helped Guy escape the mutiny. His motives remain murky and unclear, but he's helped Guy towards his goal as much as anyone.

Kirsten Blumfeld is the daughter of an Eisen merchant family who got rich with the Explorers, but grew bored. She began to study the things they found, and used that rather extensive knowledge to get on Guy's crew as an analyst of artifacts. She loves studying artifacts, losing interest in the world whenever a new toy comes along. She is a very passionat person, who thinks things should be done with style or not at all. She is easily bored and the only thing to really grab her interest is a new artifact. Rose and Vincent Calloway are both apprentice Shield Man fencers, and both were born on different Explorer ships. Eventually, they met, fell in love and were married. They then met Guy and Amanda, becoming quick friends. They are devoted to helping Guy find his lost wife. Rose is quiet, collected and great at problem-solving. She rarely shows emotion, and Guy relies on her objective judgments. She is a great scientist and mathematician, and often serves as navigator. She really does love the important things in her life, though, and if anything could break her calm, it'd be a threat to her husband. Vincent, meanwhile, is a lively and humorous man who rarely looks before he leaps. He experiences everything to the fullest, and took Amanda's disappearance hard. He still hopes to find her, even after Guy's betrayal.

Jacob Faust already had a reputation in the Explorers when they found the Thalusai isles. He was a linguist and cultural expert who found it easy to befriend natives...so naturally, he was one of the first sent out to the islands. He took five men with him, and found that the place had no animals. At all. They couldn't find any ruins either. Suddenly, a swarm of bees attacked, followed by scorpions, and then other insects. Faust ordered the men back, but it was too late. A black cloud of flesh-eating bugs killed everyone but him. He stumbled into an amber-filled cave, and no one knows what he found there, but when he emerged he looked ten years older. Also bald. He wandered out past the insects, who ignored him, and boarded the Discovery as it passed by, warning Guy and his crew not to go to the island. When pressed for more information, he refused to speak. He is currently ordered to shadow the Corsairs, but last track of them when Espera revolted, and instead headed for the Sixth Switch...where he was captured and thrown into jail with Allende. Meanwhile, James Easton is an apprentice of Rogers who is known as Foul Weather Jack. Bad luck follows him like a shadow. When he made a killing at cards, the tavern burned down an hour later. When he proposed, his dog died. His wife ran off with his best friend, and the ship carrying them on their honeymoon sunk. Several years ago, his parrot caught a disease and died on a tropical island. When he tried to dig a grave, he found a treasure chest. He found the Spearo f hte West Wind, drawing a map and dividing it among his three companions...who all died horribly. Jack's been crew on the Discovery ever since Guy approached him while he was drinking his troubles away, and the odd thing is that since then, his luck hasn't caused any problems. The crew love his stories, and he's shown them his quarter of the map, but refuses to go looking for the others - he doesn't want to push his luck.

Maggie Malone is a topman aboard the Discovery who sees Guy as her foster father. She was found on the Syrneth isles five years ago, inside a ruin. When Guy tapped her, she fell over and started shaking. As he spoke to her, someone else pointed out strange sigils she'd been standing on, but when he touched them, the room burst into flame. Guy and the others got the girl out, and only later noticed that her feet had tattoos of those sigils on them. Guy named her Maggie Malone after his mother, and raised her as his daughter, finding her very bright...though unable to remember her past. The only language she could speak at first was ancient Théan. Guy is hiding his true feelings: Maggie scares him. He's seen metal fly to her when no one else is around, seen artifacts activate at her merest touch, seen St. Elmo's Fire cover the rigging when she's aloft in a storm, and seen her float after falling off a mast. He believes she's not human, and has no idea what her purpose is. Neither does she - but Guy is afraid to find out.

As we know, Philip Gosse was a famous gentleman pirate once. He's a journeyman Rogers fencer and AValon native who once served in the Montaigne navy before buying his own ship. His chaplain, Hernando Ochoa, left the service with him to seek out a new way of life, one of equality. Their adventuring days were cut short by the death of Gosse's wife, and the recent return of the Black Freighter has shaken Gosse to his core. His reputation has endured far better than he actually has. He only uses a gun when someone else pulls one first, preferring honest swordplay, and would never hit a man in the back. He does fully intend to destroy Necros and the Freighter, though - and probably to die doing it. His daughter Melinda Gosse is also a journeyman of Rogers, and extremely well educated. She was the one who spurred on this adventure, driven by a sense of wanderlust, and would often beg the younger pirates to take her with them when they left Utopia, though they never did. She tends to be reckless and not very sensible, barging into danger without realizing it, though she's at least a great fencer. While her father is nominal captain, she's the one who runs the ship and hands out the orders, and she captains a captured ship as part of the plan to stop the Freighter. All she really wanted was to see the sights, cause a little trouble and then settle down at home, and she often regrets the way things have gone.

Torvo Espada (not his real name) is a master of Aldana fencing. His father was also a master fencer, and trained him from birth, not allowing him nearly as much freedom as the other children of Utopia. It wasn't easy, living in his father's shadow, but when he went on a voyage with Gosse, the old man explained why it happened: the old man was one of the finest swordsmen in the world. He was, in fact, inventor of the Aldana fencing style. Don Aldana, the man who claims that title, stole it from him and framed him as a criminal. The old man drove Torvo so hard to prove he was still the best, if only through his son. When he found out, Torvo swore to kill Don Aldana, though he's willing to deal with the Freighter first, since he likes Gosse and as a staunch Vaticine, hates the Freighter. His name is an obvious psuedonym, especially to any Castillian - his actual name would be deadly to use in Castille. Andre Braudel is Melinda's fiance and an apprentice Rogers fencer. He's been in love with Melinda for years, and only came along to keep an eye on her. (In fact, the two were set to be married a few weeks before the voyage was proposed. It's on hold.) He's far more level-headed than she is, and worries a lot about her getting killed. He wants to get back home in one piece, and if he didn't know that the Freighter would come after them, he would probably tie up Gosse and force the crew home.

Hans and Dupre are twins in all but birth. Sure, one's tall and Eisen and the other is short and Montaigne, but they have the same tastes in all things and are never seen apart. They share a bond of friendship that transcends any of the few differences they have. They were only 16 when they joined the crew and only 19 when Gosse retired. They were the ones to spend most time away from Utopia, heading out to find new taverns to drink in and new women to woo. They're excellent topmen and morale officers, and look out for each other like brothers. If there's only one beer, they'll split it. If there's only one lady to dance with, they'll both kiss her and then dance with each other. If there's only one many to fight, one will hold him and the other will hit him. Life's always been a game for them, and they don't plan to change. Sergei Nyasvy, meanwhile, is not a fighter. At all. He is huge, however. He once made a living wrestling bears with an Ussuran circus, which convinced Melinda to recruit him. The only problem? The bears were Ussurans and they were playing along. Sergei is an actor by trade and has no idea how to fight. He wants to portray heroes, but his size makes it hard for him to do that on the stage - no one cheers for a hero who's a foot taller and much bigger than the villain. Being a pirate lets him play the hero - he's good at being scary, and few would want to fight such a big, powerful-looking man, and he can often get people to surrender just by shouting and threatening. This is good, because he still has no idea how to fight. He has what Ochoa calls a 'creative temperament', and often bugs the rest of the crew about changes he feels he should make to 'his character'.

Hernando Ochoa is a priest and a former member of the Rilasciare. He was the one who first convinced Gosse to go pirate, and he was the one who helped found Utopia. He's never regretted his decision to follow Gosse over the Rilasciare. He's one of the eldest of the crew, and he serves as advisor in both physical and spiritual matters thanks to his vast education. He intended to die on Utopia, but he began to wonder if he had truly seen all he desired. His health began to decline, so he resigned himself to seeing no more of the world, but when Gosse announced his last adventure, Ochoa jumped at the chance to go. He's come along to find a good way to die, and has the feeling he won't last another year.

The General's true name is Heinrich von Stutten, son of a minor noble under Erich Sieger. When he came of age, he got a plot of land, a meaningless title and a suit of dracheneisen. He fought with honor during the War of the Cross, and he and Sieger were determined to forge a united Eisen. However, when Heinrich began to negotiate with other nobles to form a united peace, he found them interested only in their own gain. None was willing to make any sacrifices. He worked desperately to find a solution, but could not - and then Castille and Montaigne came, Eisen fell apart, and the Imperator hanged himself. Heinrich found that Sieger had salted his lands by the time he got back, and this was too much for him. He buried his armor and left his land, traveling as a mercenary without a name. We know what happened after that. Meanwhile, Admiral Alazais Valoix Praisse du Rachetisse III was High Admiral of the Fleet a year ago, and one of the most desirable guests in Montaigne. His only concern was the time limit l'Empereur had given him: destroy piracy in Montaigne waters by 1670 or die. However, when the Castillian Armada smashed the blockade, everything changed. Thanks to Porté communications, he saved the fleet - but the Armada had broken out. He received a midnight visit from Remy du Montaigne, bodyguard of l'Empereur, who pulled him into a portal. Valoix never liked portals...but he'd never felt a sorcerer let go of his hand inside one before. He screamed in terror, promised everything to the voices he heard, promised his soul to Legion, though he never opened his eyes. After what seemed an eternity, Remy pulled him out, back to his room. He was covered head to toe in the blood of the Portal, and Remy told him that should he fail to destroy Castille, his death would not wait for 1670. He then left via portal, living Valoix screaming in terror. He has not returned to land since, throwing himself into the war. He has ordered the bombing of churches and noble homes, sent severed fingers to the families of his opposition, pressed every man he could find into service. He will win at any cost, and has even had noblemen beaten for disobeying orders - which they haven't sued over because they've seen his eyes. He is completely mad. Portals send him into whimpering shock, and each night he scrubs himself raw, convinced that he can still see blood on his body and feel it in his hair. He will destroy every living thing in Castille if it means never having to use another portal.

Timothy le Beau has no idea of his true heritage. He just knows he's a skilled master Porté mage and a street orphan. At 15, he joined the Navy, using his skills to rise through the ranks. When the General lost his commission, Timothy was transferred to Valoix, who found him a cunning, ruthless man and made him first mate. However, Valoix and le Beau did not get along, thanks to le Beau's magic, and he slipped off to return to the General as soon as he could, helping rescue Admiral Enrique. What he does not know is that he is the bastard son of Remy du Montaigne and beautiful noblewoman who died in childbirth. He is perhaps the strongest sorcerer in three generations, and thanks to his life of hardship he lacks his father's softness while possessing his speed and grace. He might be able to be as good a swordsman, but has never had formal training. He intends to stay alive as long as possible, and all else is secondary. Meanwhile, Isabeau Dubois du Arrent is the only daughter of a family of six, and a talented marksman. She enlisted to avoid being married off, and on her first day on the job, she saved a sailor trapped in some ropes by shooting him free. She soon became a skilled topman and is very popular. She has always respected the General, and when Valoix reassigned her to a crew that was surly and a captain that was greedy, she jumped ship and headed back to the General as fast as she could, vowing never to serve anyone she couldn't respect.

Next time: Even more NPCs!

He knows that he will find you there safely.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

Books until the Montaigne Revolution: 3.

7th Sea: He knows that he will find you there safely.

Mike Fitzpatrick is an Inishman captured by the Corsairs. Despite their torments, he never broke, and routinely earned beatings by insulting them. During Espera's revolt, he escaped with them...and tumbled into the sea. A sudden riptide swept him toward land, where he was found by a group of Eisen mercenaries. They nursed him back to health, and it turned out they were following the General. Mike found himself serving on the General's crew, where he bonded with the other crewmen and happily followed the General on the rescue of Admiral Enrique. Rosamonde du Montaigne, meanwhile, is l'Empereur's second daughter, who was always fascinated by the sea. She often dragged her twin Evelyne to watch the waves. However, while she had a sailor's passion, she lacked the temperament, and became too easily seasick. The best she ever managed was to become Inspector General of the Navy, a political and accounting position. At first, she took out her frustration on those around her, stationing herself on the General's ship and criticizing his decisions. Though he was infuriated, he could do nothing. Her attitude changed when she witnessed the General attacking the Hanged Man, and she saved his life that day. She realized sailing was no game, but a serious and risky business, and she gained a new respect for the General. Thanks to her, he was safe from l'Empereur's wrath, and she intends to institute broad reforms in the navy when the war is over. Her weak Porté abilities let her keep in touch with her twin, but nothing else. She is very jealous of her sister Ysabette, who ran away to become a pirate.

Fierbas Desaix du Paix is actually named Fierbas Desaix Praisse du Rachetisse, and he is not just a Porté adept but nephew to Admiral Valoix, enlisted under an assumed name. He was sent by his uncle to keep an eye on the General. He transferred to serve under his uncle when Valoix took more of a command, but he found Valoix's methods questionable and his ethics flexible. Being ordered to fire on civilians was the last straw, and Fierbas fled to rejoin the General's crew. He's plagued with guilt over abandoning family, but suspects Valoix is doomed and doesn't want to be part of it. He prefers pirate-hunting to warfare and is a very noble fellow. He escaped the Porté hole, because he helped to keep it open from shore. He has suffered from fits of madness ever since. Louis Sices du Sices, meanwhile, is an apprentice of Porté, and a hero to his men. He believes them capable of greatness despite being commoners, provided they received the right training. He tries to improve the lot of his crew, and tolerates no abuse of them. As a gunner, he has developed a way of lighting fuses that is faster and more accurate: he places a metal plate containing a hot coal over them, and when it comes time to fire, he pulls the plate away with his magic.

We know the basic history of Jeremiah Berek, and we know that things always came easily to him. He's a Master of Donovan fencing, and his luck was so great that the Sidhe enforced it, making him a living legend. It ran out, though, when he faced Reis, whose Glamour was equally potent. He successfully stole Reis's treasure...but he was greatly injured and hurled overboard. The man fished out of the sea by the Brotherhood of the Coast was forever changed, understanding that fate did not owe him a damned thing, and that all the luck in the world couldn't save him. This humility gave him the chance to rediscover his actual skills: infinite resourcefulness and leadership. Freed of his feelings of invincibility, he has been using them as never before to help rescue Allende. Meanwhile, Bloody Bonnie McGee is a journeyman Donovan fencer and the daughter of a Kirkwall politician. At first, she refused to join the Sea Dogs, but when her ship, the Highland Piper, ran into the Crimson Rogers, she saw her entire crew die around her while her ship was on fire. Rather than face Reis directly, she leaped into the sea, swam to her ship, cut down a lifeboat and rowed to safety. Her friend Celedoine got her a post on the Black Dawn, where she served as Berek's second in command. She remained fascinated by Reis, and even half hoped to run into him again to take him down. We know where things went from there.

Celedoine is an adept Glamour mage and known as the Seven-Blessed, bastard child of a noblewoman and a Sidhe lord. On her tenth birthday, her mother was found drowned in a lake on her grandfather's land, and she began to hate the Sidhe and her own power. Her grandfather died when she was 16 and left her all his land. She cut her ties to the Sidhe and focused on the land, being a much better ruler than mage. She met Jeremiah Berek at court and was briefly his lover, but the passion faded quickly and they settled for being friends. When the Queen called for ships, Berek came to her to be his patron, and she agree,d joining the crew. Once aboard, she found the sailors' songs called to her Glamour, and she embraced her power again. She is close friends with Bonnie McGee, and happily let Bonnie become second-in-command to Berek. She mourns Berek, but keeps a clear head because she knows that without a guide, the Glamour of Bonnie's voyage will destroy them all. "Brother" Mattias Brewer is a man whom many think is part Eisen or Ussuran - but he's not, he's all Avalon. He spent a decade as a minister in the Avalon Church, but when the Sea Dogs formed, he signed on quickly. He's a very well-educated man, and often won't shut up about what he knows, but that knowledge has been very handy to Berek before. He serves as ship's counselor and chaplain, and also brews beer. His goal in life is to brew the perfect beer.

Nicole Cowby, AKA Tom Toblin, is a journeyman of Donovan and the daughter of famous swordsman Nicholas Cowbey. Nicholas was a drunk and gambler who let the two vices mingle too often. When she was 17, Nicole told her father that her lover wanted to marry her, and he took a loan out to cover the dowry. A year after the marriage, the man who loaned her father money killed him. She went looking to avenge the murder, but returned him unsuccessfully a month later to find the man had killed her husband, too. That man was John Fox, and Nicole knew he'd come after her, too, so she put on a disguise and hid among the Sea Dogs to better learn to fight for when that happens. It worked. Fox has no idea who she is, and the crew accepted her as Tom Toblin. It took Berek years to find out she was a woman, and he revealed it to the rest of the crew by kissing her passionately just before the battle with Reis. By then, they trusted her, and Fox has never let his suspicions show. It took two more months for the situation to go critical - before then, the problems prevented her from challenging Fox, and he lacked the nerve. He tried, instead, to kill her by night...and found she was ready for him. She stabbed him in the shoulder and he fled the ship. She cursed herself for not finishing him off, but when she heard he was killed by the Rogers, she was happy. Vengeance was done, and her family's spirits could rest. After this...well, she has no idea what to do now.

As for Lyin' John Fox, well, he served for years as paymaster for Berek. He was a compulsive liar, but he never betrayed the Sea Dogs, and made them a lot of money thanks to his skilled tongue. However, he was a coward, and it was easier to run from things than tough them out - that was why he became a Sea Dog, to find protection. It worked for a while, but eventually a group of people he'd bilked came to him for money. In order to get it, he went to an old alcoholic named Nicholas Cowbey to collect a debt - and a fight ensued, in which he killed the old man. He took his purse, paid the criminals and fled, saying nothing to the Dogs about what happened. On a second shore leave, he was forced to kill the old man's son-in-law, who'd come looking for revenge. This time, he left a witness: the man's wife, Nicole. We know the rest. Roger Gaffrin, now, he's a small man with a huge voice. He's an excellent singer and can play most any instrument well. He's aboard to write songs about the crew, in order to fuel their reputation...and thus their Glamour.

Long Tall Harry is one of the Black Dawn's best crewmen. He's six and a half feet tall, thin and apparently boneless from the way he can move. He's fast, a great climber and has no real sense of self-preservation. He's the Master of the Tops, and quite proud of it. He's climbed the rigging and worked the sails onehanded in a storm, leapt from ship to ship via the rigging and more. But now, let's talk the Raiders. Yngvild Olafssdottir is a Master of Lærdom. She was the child of Olaf Arninbjornson, and her life was happy until a Vendel merchant killed her father for not selling the family farm. Her mother committed suicide by starvation, and the merchant bought the land from her grandfather. When she was 20, her grandfather died, and a merchant offered to buy Yngvild's land. She'd sell, but only at double the price. He told her he'd be back in a week. When he came back, her cousins beat the man nearly to death and threw him the lake. She took his money and bought Revensj, her ship. Since then, she's become an accomplished pirate. Her reputation, in fact, often exceeds her skill. Many believe her to be a living Valkyrie, but she's just a short young woman devoted to her cause and her crew. She is hardened to death and destruction, but does not suffer the fury many of her countrymen do. However, after Guttormson's betrayal, she knows she can't win alone. She needs the power of Ragnarok itself, and when the High King told her of Cabora, she decided to seize its power and open the gate to Valhalla. With the ancestors at her side, she can't lose. What comes next doesn't matter.

Jorund Guttormson was the child of an actor in Kirk. He had a sailor's temperament, but his father's skill. He served on several vessels with distinction before Master Allen Trel noticed his acting skill and offered him a job as infiltrator. He was told that he'd join the Vesten, and when the time was right, betray them to Vendel justice. He'd be richly rewarded. Jorund agreed instantly. He joined the Revensj, and the ruse worked perfectly. The betrayal, too, was near flawless. Jorund killed Yngvild's second in command, and the Vesten would have died had they not been such fierce fighters. Jorund considers himself personally responsible for the failure. He has his own ship now, as promised by Trel, but it was made clear: he must deal with Yngvild. He is currently hunting her, and would be even if the League didn't want him to. He knows he has to kill her before she comes for him. Red Thorfild, meanwhile, is Yngvild's new first mate. He's tall, handsome and cunning. All he wants is revenge on the Vendel. He's the ninth son of a farmer, whose entire family was killed when he was twelve and had slipped out to visit a girl. He doesn't know who did it, but he knows why: the Vendel came in a week later to claim the land and make it into a resort. The girl he had visted was Yngvild. He spurred her to buy Revensj, and he was the first of her crew. He wants to kill every last Vendel: man, woman and child. He lost his hand in Guttormson's betrayal and has replaced it with a harpoon.

And...and even I am getting bored now. I am skipping the more boring of these guys. We're skipping...everyone. To the Black Freighter! Comte Robert Méchant was an infamous pirate, not the worst but very bad. He was a madman, obsessed with Philip Gosse. When Gosse retired, his madness became full-fledged dementia. He couldn't let his foe escape unharmed. When he finally found Utopia, he kidnapped Gosse's wife, Clarissa. He tortured and raped her horribly, because he's evil. He thought Gosse would be honorbound not to kill him. He was wrong. Gosse tortured him for several hours, then tied him to the mast and set his ship on fire. His crew was given a choice: die in the fire, or jump into the siren-filled sea. Gosse's crew was shocked by the brutality, but none questioned it. Méchant offered his soul to Legion for the chance to destroy Gosse, and twenty years later, he finally got his answer: the Black Freighter. He has become Captain Necros now, and his madness is gone, replaced by a cold, terrible calm. He plans to draw this out as long as he can, torturing Gosse as much as possible before killing him. While his undead crew is statted, they are pretty boring. It should be noted, the only reason the Freighter could claim Philip Gosse's nephew, who was too pure for it to get normally, was because of Necros's obsession with Gosse giving him power.

Next time: Church of the Prophets!

The Holy Crozier of Saint Konstantinus will never be held by hands as wicked as yours!

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: The Holy Crozier of Saint Konstantinus will never be held by hands as wicked as yours!



Church of the Prophets is the religion book. It covers the Vaticine, of course, but also Objectionism, the Church of Avalon and the Orthodox Ussuran Church. It also contains the truth of Theus. Let's get down to business. We start with bandits attacking a church, hunting for a holy relic. The priest refuses to hand it over, so the bandits attack - only to be assaulted by a Castillian swordsman. A Crescent warrior shows up as well, to help the man. He reveals that the bandits' employer is dead, but they say they can sell the relic to someone else. The bandits attack, but the two men fight them off. The bandit leader attacks the priest, though, while his men keep the two warriors occupied. The bandit leader forces the priest to open the basement and remove a staff...which he uses to beat the bandit into unconsciousness. All the bandits are defeated, and the priest reveals that the staff's a fake. The real crozier was destroyed in the War of the Cross, and its ashes are...probably...kept in a jar. They don't know if the ashes are real, but the priest says that it doesn't matter, because of faith.

Okay. First Prophet. You know the deal here. No one knows where he actually came from, but he spoke many languages with no accent at all. His original Nine Witnesses cam from across the world: the twin fishermen Jaime and Joaquin of Acraga, Maria the prostitute of Acraga, Tomas and Kirstin of Eisen, Pierre of what would be Montaigne and Simon and Phillipa of Numa. Last of all was Sophia, who lived on the border of the Empire of the Crescent Moon and was a mystery. Many tales surround their travels. Tomas was called Doubting Tomas, and very slow to convert. Maria was supposedly in love with the Prophet, but could not bear to express it to such an unearthly man. After five years of wandering, the Prophet brough the Witnesses to Monte Joyas, the Mountain of Jewels in La Sierra del Hierro. He ordered them to go without him for a year, and not spread his word. He also tells Pierre that he will be the rock who will build on what is there. They agreed, and we know how the Prophet went before the Senate now. Tobias the Meek comes to him when he's arrested, apologizes and becomes the last Witness. Then the Prophet is burned at the stake. Tobias renounces his name and job and becomes the Tenth Witness, Mattheus. He heads out to find the other nine.

By the end of the thircd century, the Church is huge and very politically powerful. However, it became corrupt and turned away from charity and knowledge to instead seek power and wealth. In 305, Theus thus sent the Second Prophet to set them back on the path. The Second Prophet came from a city in the Crescent Empire. His name was Malak, and he spoke of how the Church had become corrupt and abandoned the way of the First Prophet. He was rather less popular, as a result. The most controversial aspect of his message was one of seperation, when he tried to lead his followers to return to the Empire. Imperator Alexius tried to stop him, sending soldiers...but when they returned, they said there was no battle, but also had no Prophet. They found Malak, surrounded him...and the Witnesses formed a human shield. They seemed invincible and impossible to move,, and sorcery could not touch them. After six hours of fighting ineffectually with unarmed people, the soldiers decided to come home. Alexius was not happy, and decided to send a full army. This time, Malak allowed himself to be arrested. He was interrogated for a year, but never spoke at all.

On Primus 1, 306m the guards of the Prophet's prison see something come down from the sky. Later, the describe it as a bright light. Whatever happened next, no one remembers, but the prison was smokung rubble and rhe Prophet walked away, later appearing at Monte Joyas, where he gathered his Witnesses and followers. They left for the Crescent Empire, and three armies were sent to stop them. At the border town of Rahajeel, the entire group was found dead, cut down by Crescent raiders during High Mass. They were carried off by a storm, and Imperator Alexius was outraged. He began a crusade to avenge them against the Crescents. The words of the Second Prophet found ready ears, and excerpts of his work have shown up, though the Church has never irrefutably accepted anything as his final words. A few of his followers had not gone to the desert, such as the Witness Marco, a sailor who'd lost his legs. Marco went to speak with the Prophet to get his injuries miraculously healed, and Malak spoke with him. Instead of restoring the man's legs, he taught that the Creator's gift was the mind, and that all he needed was that. Marco was filled with new joy and purpose, and set off for La Sierro del Hierro with a young priest who taught him to read and write. It took two years, but they got there in time for the Prophet. The Prophet told him he could not go on the journey, but must stay behind to teach the Church who they had strayed. He took the writings of the other Witnesses and the final message of the Prophet and created the Second Vigil.

The Imperator died in 312, and his son Corantine kept up his Crusade. He became a convert to the teachings of Malak and declared that the Vaticine faith was the official religion of the Empire. However, the Church had not yet incorporated the Second Prophet's message, and many leaders still questioned if he was the true Prophet. The faith was splitting. Corantine saw it as his duty to resolve these differences before they destroyed the Empire. He laid down an ultimatum: each faction had a year to get together with the others and make a universal creed. If they could not, he'd do it for them. A conference lasting five months was held in Numa, with attendees from nearly every Prophet cult. Every nuance was discussed, and with only three weeks of the year left, they gave Corantine their Creed. The Reformed Vaticine Church was established, and would remain unchanging for seven centuries. The Conference made a huge impact on the church. It defined the creed, the first Catechism and the truths to which they adhered. Many later councils would modify the results, but the concept was born. They also made it a lot easier to define heresy by having a baseline truth. A second Convention 20 years later reevaluated progress, and organized the faith, creating the system of priests and parishes that is currently in use.

In 376, when Corantine died, the Empire was divided up among his kids, yadda yadda, 609, Hierophant crowns Carleman Impetor. Vaticine fears its political power even as it uses it, because the Second PRophet had shown them the corruption of temporal power. Debates raged about if they were slipping and how they should bear their responsibilities. The Fifth Corantine Convention in 874 addressed all this, determining tha the Church could serve as a political arbiter, but must always be neutral. They laid down several rules, such as that nobles must give up title and power to become priests and that priests could not own land or businesses. By the end of the first millenium, the Church was wealthy and powerful, but also maintained its integrity thanks to the Fifth Convention. Scholarship flourished. In the meantime, a young man has appeared in northern Castille, performing miracles and proclaiming himself the Third Prophet. None know his name or family, but he's clearly Castillian and burning with a powerful faith and passion - an infectious one. His message was that the Church has trayed, as had the world. Sin and heresy were unchecked, the world was again ruled by sorcery and none woukd stand against it.

The Hierophant, Honorius, was skeptical. There had been many false holy men and doomsayers with the millenium, and this Prophet seemed no different. Further, his words did not match the first two Prophets. Further, he had n Witnesses. His message and existence were very threatening, adding to the apprenhension. When the Prophet heard of the doubts, he sent a message to Numa, asking for the Hierophant to meet him at Monte Joyas. When the Hierophant arrive, the Prophet asked him to go on a pilgrimage, heading deep into La Sierra del Hierro. There, they found a hidden cave, containing a wondrous jet of flame spiraling from a crack in the floor. The Prophet showed they must seek the guidance of Theus, and the two knelt and prayed by the flame for three days. On the dawn of the third day, the Prophet reached out and placed his hand within the fire. It became puire white, so hot that the rocks near it began to crack, yet the PRophet was untouached. The Flames of Theus, he said, would not burn those who obeyed his word. The Hierophant had studied the prophecies and knew the signs of the Third Prophet. He had been watching carefully, and knew the Third Prophet would bear "a sword of flame," that "he shall lead the faithful into the wilderness [...] but he shall neither leave them there nor leave even one lamb of the flock behind. He shall draw forth a sword from the earth and bring it back to lead the church." Clearly, the Hierophant was the faithful led into the wilderness, and this was the sword of flame pulled from the earth. All his doubts were dispelled.

When the word came, pilgrims flocked to the Prophet, and ten Witnesses were named. He spoke to each of the Cardinals and convinced them of his truth. The message would create conflicts, though - he declared that the faithful and fallen from grace and allowed sin (in the form of sorcery) and heresy (in the form of the Crescents) into its ranks. He asked his followers to reject such things and remove the influences from their neighbors. Castille, at the time, was heavily influenced by the Crescent Empire and had many Crescents iwthin it. It was also the home camp of the Prophet. We know how that business went. Outside Castille, the Vodacce and Vaticine had struck against the Crescent Empire, thanks to Honorius's influence. He sent Eisen troops to Castille, striking against the Crescents, and the Crusades would continue on and off for 300 years, until the death of the Poor Knights in 1308. The Prophet rejoiced, and set about extinguishing the sorcery of Castille, purging the power from the blood of loyal sorcerers and hunting down the disloyal. Some survived in hiding, of course. New High King, yadda yadda.

After the Second Crusades officially ended, though, the Prophet focused on purifying the Church. He founded the Inquisition to hunt out heresy...and they started with the Church. He replaced the priests that lost their positions with Castillians loyal to him, and rapidly began to take control. The Hierophant remained loyal to the Prophet, which rather limited the abilities of his supporters, too. In 1012, things got hot. Some obscure matter triggered an argument between Numa and the Castillian faction, and the Hierophant supported the Numan side. The Prophet took this as a challenge to his authority, and ordered the Hierophant removed and replaced by a Castillian one. The Vodacce Cardinals were, of course, incensed, especially when he moved the Vaticine City to Castille. A civil war began, as Imperator Friedrich II of Eisen sided with the Prophet. The war lasted four years, but surprisingly few battles were fought. By spring of 1019, it was clear that the fight could not be won. The new Hierophant, Innocent, was an excellent politician who granted many rights to the Vodacce to keep the Church together. He also ordered the Inquisition to stop hunting within the Church, but to focus on the hunt for sorcery. The Hieros War changed the face of the world, making Castille the center of learning for the continent, and wounding the heart of Vodacce, who still plot ways to take the Church's heart home to Numa.

After his win in Vodacce, the Prophet held a number of Conferences to debate the nature of faith and the Church's role. He brought a new zeal to the Church: the Inquistiors would seek Heresy, the Gnostics would seek knowledge and the Victorians would bring in converts. The Church was growing massively. One of his projects was the revolutionize science and philosophy, turning the hunt for the answer to Theus' Riddle not just inward, but outward, reminding scholars that all the world was part of Creation. Soon, the shift towards rational experimentation swept the world. The strongest legacy, though, is the Third and Fourth Vigils. The Third Vigil was written by the Witness Lucio, one of the Prophet's first followers. He never took a formal place in the Church - he just served the Prophet and documented all he saw in seventy-five volumes of diaries. Scholars frequently quote them, and they are the definitive history of the Hieros Wars.

The Third Prophet wrote the Fourth Vigil himself. The ifrst two Prophets had given their prophecies in speech, hours before their deaths, but the Third knew his prophecies were too important to risk losing them. He worked on the Vigil for seven years, finishing on the fourteenth day of Primus, 1030. The next morning, he was found dead. The world mourned for two years, with priests wearing solid black. The Vaticine Journey by Gerard Recauche tells the tale of ten pilgrims and the story they told on their trip to the Hierophant's Tomb. The next century was pretty peaceful, except for Henri du Montaigne's invasion of Avalon in 1066. However, politically, the Vodacce and Castillian cardinals continued their struggle. The Second Crusade continued, yadda yadda, destruction of the Knights of the Black Cross. On to 1517!

In 1517, in October, Mathias Lieber nails a list of 95 points to the door of a Church Bishop, declaring his issues with policy, the Church's habits and their dedication. His trial goes poorly for everyone involved, and he renounces the Church and is sentenced to die. The Eisen Imperator's men rescue him in the night, as well as stealing the trial records. They are copied and reappear three weeks letter...in every town and every language. Lieber began preaching in Eisen, spreading his message there. Many priests switch to his views, and the Chruch at first believes it's the founding of a new, heretical monastic order. However, the movement grows and Lieber's argument that priests are not needed to intercede with Theus finds fertile ground and is extremely popular. In 1523, the Hieros Council meets to decide what to do about the Lieberites, as they were called then. The movement is too popular and widespread to be dismissed as heresy, and the Council even tried to compromise with the Objectionists. Nothing worked. Eventually, they excommunicated all Objectionists...and the Objectionists, well, declared that it was meaningless and split from the Vaticine. More on their beliefs later, but the Church eventually (in 1587) recognized them as a rival church, in the year that Imperator Weiss III declared an end to religious persecution. The Inquisition was ordered to cease hunting Objectionists.

In 1614, meanwhile, King Richard IV ascended in Avalon. He was outspoken against Objectionism, which was popular in the Highlands. Many believed his loyalty to the Vaticine was unshakable. They were wrong. In 1622, Richard asked for a divorce from the Hierophant and was refused. He didn't accept the decision, outraged that after all he'd done, he would be denied. He passed the ACt of Surpemacy, declaring that the Church in AValon was no the Church of Avalon, and that it would look to the king as Hierophant. Its first act was to grant his divorce. The Church was shocked and still reeling from Objectionism. They saw it as a sign of collapse. Unfortunately, there was little real control over Avalon and the Church could do nothing but wait, hping the next ruler would repeal the Act. They voted not to excommunicate the nation, but rather to encourage it to stay Vaticine. So far, that hasn't happened. More on the Church of Avalon later.

Yadda yadda, War of the Cross. We know what happened here. We also know what happened with Montaigne and l'Empereur's rebellion against the Vaticine, so I'll skip that. The Hierophant went to visit l'Empereur to talk peace, and he died while there. Cardinal d'Argeneau disappears, and no new Hierophant can be chosen. The Inquisition and Verdugo rise in power, excommunicating Jeremy Cook in 1661. The Inquisitors begin to hunt scientists as well as sorcerers, Verdugo becomes massively feared and so on. Growing opposition within the Church against him, yadda yadda, tension runs rampant. The rift between the Vaticine, the Objectionists and the Avalons begs to be repaired, and the Montaigne must be prevented from capturing the Vaticine City. The Inquisition must be prevented from setting scholarhood back decades, and also because it contradicts fundamental Church tenets and might cause another schism.

Next time: Organization of the Vaticine!

Just who in Legion's name do you think you are?

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: Just who in Legion's name do you think you are?

At the bottom level, the Vaticine is churches. Obviously. A church will often be the center of the village it's in, serving as school as well as religious center. It is also often used for town meetings and other secular gatherings. Churches are generally run by fully ordained priests, who may have a deacon, or priest-in-training, on staff. Larger churches and cathedrals will have multiple priests, while some very small or poor churches don't have a priest at all, but will have either a traveling priest doing circuits between poor areas or a vicar, or semi-retired priest who performs fewer duties besides running the Mass. Priests and vicars are often very involved in local politics on behalf of their congregations. Theoretically, ten churches make up a parish. However, the past century has made this a bit impractical, and some parishes have no more than three churches, while others have up to twenty. Parishes are run by Monsignors, who are elected from the parish priests. It's possible for a well-connected priest to become Monsignor to a parish he doesn't belong to, but this is exceptionally rare. A parish will also have a small administrative staff, usually made of priests who have no ministry. They manage the churches, provide supplies and oversee the priests. They also manage any Church-owned land, such as might be left to the Church in a will or donated by a noble becoming a priest. These lands often make money, which the parish administrators use to fund the churches.

Monasteries and universities are considered to be equal in rank to parishes in the Church hierarchy. They contain about the same number of people and often serve roughly equivalent positions in the local community. Monasteries are usually seperate from Church politics, but also serve as major Church landowners, and so Abbots and Abbesses, who run the monasteries, often cannot help but be entangled in diocese affairs. Universities tend to be more involved in the first place, though they tend to have relatively little property and are often seen as "ivory tower" intellectuals. A diocese is generally composed of ten parishes (or equivalent), and also tend to match up to political borders, such as county lines, and never really cross national boundaries. A diocese runs the parishes, and is also responsible for ancillary personnel, like the Church Guard, lay servants and so on. They also oversee most financial management, and so require a large administrative staff. Most of that staff will be priests, often ambitious ones. It's not uncommon for a bishop of a diocese to be drawn from the ranks of the former bishop's aides, rather than the Monsignors. The head of each diocese is of course the Bishop, who is elected by the Monsignors. Socially, a bishop is generally considered equal in rank to a noble, regardless of birth. They can be quite influential politically, though they are meant to stay neutral.

Above them are the ten Archidiocese. Only ten. The Hieros Council tries to keep ten diocese to an archdiocese, but it's not easy. Each Archdiocese is run by a Cardinal, who serve as equivalent to kings. They have very broad responsibilities, and as well as managing the diocese they must often undertake taxing foreign missions. Their primary duty, though, is to determine and enforce the Vaticine Canon. The Cardinals meet twice a year as the Hieros Council to debate points of canon law and theology, and few are willing to defy their edicts. At the top of the Church is the Hieros, at which very little is actually done. This consists of the Hierophant and his direct staff. The Hierophant does have certain specific powers in canon law, but mostly serves as the head of the Hieros Council.

Within the Church, there are several Orders, subdivisions of likeminded priests seeking to worship Theus in specific ways. Some have become heresies due to their radical ways, but most can manage to exist within the Church. The first is the Gnostic Order, which stresses the gathering and teaching of knowledge. They believe that the purpose of life is to understand the Creator's puzzle, and they think humanity is close to solving it. They believe it's important to bring all people to enlightenment. They are mostly scholars and university professors, though there's also a large group of wandering monks in the Order. They have developed a sophisticated structure to allow themselves to share information and resources. The Headmasters of most universities run by the Church are Gnostic, and they meet annually at a Forum to discuss matters of concern to the scholarly community, if not the Church. The Headmasters act as de facto officers for the Order. There's very few obligations involved in being a Gnostic - the most important is not hoarding what you learn, but sharing it freely. A Gnostic can be recognized by the hood attached to their stole, and will also be carrying the symbol of the order somewhere: an open scroll with a Prophet's Cross attached. The Inquisition has yet to attack the Gnostics directly, but Verdugo and several Knight-Inquisitors attended last year's Forum, and it was very subdued. The Forum has not been held this year thanks to the Montaigne-Castille War. PCs who belong to the Gnostics get a two point discount to the University advantage, but must take a two point Obligation background reflecting their commitment to share knowledge with the rest of the Order.

The Benefactine Order is the oldest and most revered of the Orders, dedicated to spreading the mercy of Theus. It rarely includes parish priests, focusing more on monasteries and wandering monks, as well as Church-sponsored doctors. Their agenda is very simple: help anyone in need, anywhere, at any time. They are rigidly structured, centering around a number of monasteries dedicated to their beliefs. The abbots of these monasteries have a certain pecking order, and the highest is called the Custos Salutis, who represents the interests of the Order to the Hierophant. Typically, that's things like requests for aid in wartorn areas, intercession with troublesome lords or provision for a monastery. With no Hierophant, the Custos reports to the Hieros Council. Besides charity, the Benefactines first established the code for monks and nuns to live by. The founder of the order, St. Benefactus, devised this set of rules in order to bring monks who followed him to enlightenment, and it is still used today in one form or other by most monasteries. Their symbol is a dark window with a white candle in it. PCs belonging to the Benefactine Order get the Cloistered advantage free, but must take a 2-point Vow background representing their commitment to helping those in need.

The Order of St. Victor began in 1134 as a peaceful and longterm alternative to the Inquisition. It was started by a Monsignor named Victor in Eisen, who had been fighting a large sect of heretics. Rather than arresting them and executing them, he talked to them. Within five years, he'd broken the cult's power structure and converted most of them to the Vaticine faith. News of his work spread, and he left his position in order to travel and fight heresy with truth, encouraging others to do the same. He asked the Cardinals to make a new order dedicated to carrying the Word of the Prophets to those who had not heard it, and they soon agreed. He founded his first monastery in Gottkirchen, modeled on the Benefactine lines, but with one major differences: he encouraged speech and argument among the monks, emphasizing that a learned man had a huge advantage in debate. Logic, history and theology were his focuses, and he would only take monks for this first monastery who had been to university, though eventually they would accept and train others. The Order now includes the finest preachers of the Church, as well as most missionaries. The center of the order is still that Gottkirchen monastery, which works constantly to try and bring Eisen Objectionists back to the fold. Members of the Order of St. Victor get the Missionary skill free, but may never purchase the Fencing skill, ever.

Then there's the Order of St. Francesca of Gallilli. In 1287, an old nun died in a small Vodacce village. The entire Church mourned her passing. Fifty-four years later, she was canonized as St. Francesca. In 1373, the Hieros Council agreed to left a century-old ban on new religious orders, and the Francescan Order was born. Many stories circulate about St. Francesca's life and deeds, but very few facts are actually known. She was Vodacce, died at around 75 and had been Mother Superior of her monastery from 1253 to 1265, when she stepped down to travel. She inspired many in those traveling years. She was known throughout Vodacce for her charity and good works, helping the poor whenever she found them. She owned nothing but her clothes and walking stick, giving everything else to the needy. She used basic medical knowledge to help the sick, and some claim she started the tradition of professional nurses, but if so, it took three centuries after her death to catch on. Her followers loved her, and the nuns at her convent attempted to emulate her in all ways, often leaving the convent to go do good works. This tradition formed the core of the Order. While the Benefactines work on a large scale, the Francescans focus on individual people and families. They also take a vow of poverty. Members of the order own no more than they need, and in return, any church will give them food and shelter for as long as they need it. Anything they receive beyond basic needs is immediately given to the poor. Some noble families have disappeared entirely after the prime inheritor of an estate joined the Order, donating everything to the Church. Today, they are the second strongest order, just behind the Benefactines. They don't follow the Benefactine code, and instead of remote, self-sufficient monasteries, theirs tend to be in the middle of cities, working as combination hospital, shelter and soup kitchen. They can be identified by their light blue robes and stoles, and are known for their pacifism as well. PCs in the Francescan Order get the Doctor and Servant skills free, but start play with no money and must take the Vow of Poverty background.

The Church also maintains an elite fighting force, to defend it from those who would hurt it. While they often employed mercenaries as bodyguards, the first fighting order did not truly arise until 523, with the arrival of Solomon Antone. He was a warrior in service to the warlord Johann von der Velde, holding a position as military commander when von der Velde invaded Ussura. It was a disaster, and Antone was one of the survivors. While the carnage might have destroyed a lesser man's faith, Antone's was brighter than ever. Burning with righteous vengeance, he fled towards what he thought was Vodacce, searching for Vaticine allies to continue the fight. Instead, he found himself in Cathay. He resurfaced in Vodacce 30 years later, but not looking a day older than 25. He demanded an audience with the Hierophant, but was denied again and again. At last, a cardinal was sent to speak with him, and he spoke amazingly, proclaiming the rise of a warrior named Carleman and a second conflict with the Crescents. He stressed the need to guard Church officials in the coming troubles, and that the dead could not save the living. The Cardinal took this as blasphemy and threatened to have Antone burned at the stake, but he easily escaped and headed to Montaigne, where he amassed a group of followers, encountering the man whom he'd seen in visions: Carleman. Carleman was unable to hold onto conquered territories long, and Antone agreed to teach him specialized warfare. Antone taught guerrilla tactics, using small armies to besiege cities or take land. His fighting style involved three-man squads that could easily be incorporated into larger units, as well as use of specialized weapons, oval shields and a blade that, when forged properly, had a dark, snake-like image running down the center. Carleman's armies became immensely powerful, and Antone watched in 607 as the Church courted him. When Carleman picked an advisor to send to Numa, the choice was easy: Antone.

He appeared as he had so long before, but when he entered the city, his soldiers scattered to the shadows. He himself wore dark plaid and gray, with a silver ring on his finger. His modest attire paled in comparison to those around him, who dressed to impress and intimidate Carleman's envoys. Antone was not impressed. He waited as the priests spoke, then gestured - and his men appeared from the shadows, their blades at the Cardinals' throats. Another man might have killed, but Antone wasn't interested in that. Instead, he spoke fervently of wanting to save the Church, and how he'd made a new fighting style to serve Theus. As the Cardinals guarded souls, he wanted to guard their lives. He negotiated an agreement that saw Carleman crowned Imperator...and also provided for a new, highly trained order of guards to serve the Church, swearing to defend them as long as they remained true to the words of the Prophet. They called their fighting style the Swords of Solomon, after their leader, Solomon Antone. He faded from history when Carleman died and his kingdom was split, but members of the Swords of Solomon still use the snake sword and even the oval shield. Popular myth holds that the Church Guard take an oath to give their lives in service to the Church, but also to take the life of any charge that abuses their authority. As a result, many Cardinals fear their own guards. However, the guards have always been noble and if one has ever faltered and betrayed the order, history does not speak of it. Rules for being a Church Guard come later.

Now, the Inquisition. After the Second Crusades and in the midst of the Hieros Wars, the Third Prophet decided the Church needed an arm to seek out its foes wherever they hid. He knew, after all, that having faith wasn't enough: you had to act on it. The challenges to come would need something worse than excommunication and public derision. And so the Order of the Prophet's Inquisitors was made. For centuries, they were little more than a Vaticine police force, dispatched to try accused heretics and sorcerers and then punish them. They had the right to any punishment they deemed fit, up to and including execution. It was during the conflict with the Bianco family of Vodacce that torture became officially sanctioned as a method of extracting confessions, and while the Hierophant had intended it as a special dispensation in desperate times, it has remained in place to the current day. By the early 17th century, the Church had become highly conservative, and while it was on the forefront of science, its philosophies were rooted in the past. This was most pronounced in the Inquisition. Though often called reactionary fanatics, their power was too broad for anyone but the Hierophant to publically criticize them. The Scientific Revolution of the early 1600s shook up not just scientists, but the Inquisitors. Fundamental truths were being questioned and the Order was never good with excessive questioning. They saw this as a slippery slope to questioning the validity of the Prophets themselves, and that was unthinkable. Unfortunately, even the Grand High Inquisitor still answered to the Hierophant, and the previous four Hierophants had all strongly supported scholarly work and constrained the Inquisition.

In 1642, Esteban Verdugo was ordained in Castille. He had already earned notice for his zeal, and his first years as a priest were marked by constant clashes with superiors and his congregation. He soon came to the attention of the Grand High Inquisitor, who saw potential in him. A brief discussion was all it took to make Verdugo an Inquisitor. Three years later, he was High Inquisitor and Bishop, and he began the tactics that would make him known as the most thorough Inquisitor in history. He combined careful study of the canon with a philosophy of asking forgiveness, not permission. The Inquisitors under him accomplished much more than was technically allowed by the Hierophant, and more than he ever knew about. Seven years later, when the Grand High Inquisitor died, the Hierophant decided that Verdugo should take his place. His first act was to declare Empiricism heretical. His control of the Inquisition has given him tremendous power, which he uses to ruthlessly hunt for heretics and sorcerers. He pushed for greater involvement in the War of the Cross and used his influence to launch the attack on Montaigne. Now that the Hierophant is dead, there are no checks on his power. The Inquisition is more fervent and brutal than ever before...but he's not satisfied yet. The Fourth Prophet is coming, and he plans to make the world ready.

The Inquisition exists to find heresy, but it's not always clear what heresy is. For centuries, it was defined as falling under one or more of the following: First, it must promote, use or justify the use of sorcery. Second, it must promote the violation of any of the Nine Commandments. Third, it must undermine the ability of the Vaticine Church to properly minister its flock. While technically it's up to the Hieros Council to declare heresy, for almost 200 years the Grand High Inquisitor has acted to investigate claims of heresy and pronounce judgment. It's been over 70 years since his judgment was questioned by the Council, and over 100 since it was overruled. Under Verdugo, heresy is broader than it has ever been. Sorcery is heretical. Objectionism is heretical. Anything Crescent is heretical. Study of the Syrneth is heretical, since they have been linked in Verdugo's mind to Legion and the Bargainers. Empiricism and by extension all modern science is heretical. This last one is controversial, but Verdguo has argued his case effectively. The Third Prophet taught how science was to be advanced. To question that is to question the Prophet himself, a violation of Vaticine law. Empiricism suggests that the teachings of the Third Prophet might be in error, that scientific learning may be insufficient to reveal Theus' mystery. The Fourth Prophet is coming, and if the people are led astray, they will fall before Legion's forces. So it is written in the Fourth Vigil. Verdugo believes it's too late for the return of the scholarly community to the right path. The only solution is stop new discovery - by fire and the sword, if needed.

The organization is very simple. You have the Grand High Inquisitor in charge. Below him are the High Inquisitors, who enforce his edicts. Originally there were just ten, but it's since expanded, and now only Verdugo knows how many there are, but it's between 100 and 150. Each has a group of Inquisitors under them, usually between 10 and 30. During the War of the Cross, Verdugo also gained great respect for his military procedure. This was no accident. When he first ascended to his current rank, he took aside several High Inquisitors who were ex-military and made a new division: Knight-Inquisitors. Currently, they hold no official rank difference with normal High Inquisitors, and their servants, the Defenders of the Faith, are equivalent in rank to normal Inquisitors. The big difference is technique. High Inquisitors amass irrefutable evidence and then turn a crowd of locals against a target. They tend to patience and diligence, often waiting to destroy entire sects at once rather than member by member. Knight Inquisitors, meanwhile, tend to arrest and execute with less evidence, and don't care about the locals. They are terrifying fighters and have little to fear from a mob, and with the Defenders they are often a match for any town militia. They prefer to fight by ambush and single combat, using fear to control the masses.

Stories circulate about torture and murder, but most are exaggerated. Inquisitors aren't sadistic monsters, and many go out of their way to avoid excess suffering. They are priests, ordered to protect the Church from corruption. However, they have absolute faith and will not hesitate to do anything they think will save souls. Nothing can stand between an Inquisitor and a heretic - not blades, not honor and not even damage to their own souls. Thus, they are still nightmares in flesh. Their greatest weapon is secrecy. Inquisitors are very good at keeping low profiles, both in order to get close to suspected heretics and to protect themselves from revenge. They will often don completely concealing robes and hooded masks when passing judgment. Inquisitors and Defenders of the Faith wear red robes and mask with a gold Prophet's Cross on the face, while High Inquisitors wear black with a red cross, and Knight Inquisitors wear black armor with a red cross. Verdugo himself, when he chooses to appear as Grand High Inquisitor, wears white robes with a red cross. When Inquisitors are "post crucem" (or "behind the cross", ie, masked), they go by assumed names - generally prominent figures from the Book of the Prophets. Verdugo's alias is Tobias, a fact known by many secret societies. Inquisitors are assigned territory to watch, and when someone in that territory is executed, they must report it to the superior and provide evidence of guilt. If they weren't involved, they must find out who was, and make contact if it was a true agent. If it wasn't, they must apprehend the killer and execute them. Impersonating an Inquisitor is a grave sin. The Inquisitors have developed a code to maintain secrecy, consisting of a string of numbers referring to book, chapter and verse in the Book of the Prophets. These phrases have particular meanings to the Inquisitors, and can parse the message's meaning through them.

No, the code is not very secure. Anyone with a Book of the Prophets can eventually figure out the gist of a message, and anyone who knows Theology can make a TN 15 check to remember the verses without a Book. This is one check per verse. Their most significant means of secret communication, though, is the Lodestone of St. Vitus. When two needles are simultaneously touched to it, they become linked. No matter how far apart they are, when one of them turns, so does the other. Verdugo's predecessor set up a hidden room in the Vaticine City full of needles suspended over circular alphabet arrangements. Young Inquisitors spend hours watching the needles, writing down incoming messages. This allows for instant and private communication between agents across the continent. It's not perfect, though - a storm over Vaticine City or the agent's location can stop the needles from working, and severe storms have even occasionally permanently disrupted needle pairs, rendering an agent incapable of reporting home until they get back to Castille. The Inquisitors also do not rely on torture as their primary tool - they know it's morally questionable at best, but see it as a lesser evil compared to the sins they fight. It should only be used when they have no other choice, still, and they prefer other methods before using it, such as theft, bribery and intimidation. We already know about their power in various nations from the Invisible College book.

Next time: Vaticine Traditions!

Perhaps I'm feeling charitable today.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: Perhaps I'm feeling charitable today.

The traditional color of Vaticine vestments is red. They wear red robes when out of sanctuary, and when on the job wear white robes with a red stole. The further up you go, the simpler the robes become. Your hat and crosier get more complex, though. Cardinals wear red with black embroidery, and the Hierophant wears blue. Supposedly, some of these blue robes have been handed down since the Second Prophet. Once a Hierophant wears them, no other person is ever allowed to put them on again. The first sacrament of the Vaticines is baptism. It formally ties the soul to the body, they say, and promises the child to Theus when he or she dies. At baptism, the child also formally receives a name and possibly a set of godparents. It is widely believed that any child who dies before baptism never truly lived, and that their soul returns to Theus unused. Such a child is buried without a name, and while the church allows such graves on consecrated ground, it rarely marks them.

The second sacrament is confirmation. This is a basic adulthood ceremony, usually in the pre-teen or early teen years, where the child learns the Catechism and is tested on it. If they pass, they become full members of the Church. Failure provides a one year grace period to study and then try again at the end of that period. Theoretically, you could try any number of times, but in practice, few need more than three. Confirmations can only be done by priests of Monsignor level or higher, and it's considered very lucky to have a Bishop or Cardinal do it. Because of this, most Confirmations are not just tests of faith, but the first time a child leaves his or her village, and most people on the continent only travel for Confirmations. Several children who pass Confirmation are left to be picked up by their masters and start apprenticeships. Vaticines may not use their family name until they pass Confirmation. The third sacrament is Communion, or the Eucharist. It is the act of sharing bread and wine. When the Second Prophet led his people into the Crescent Empire, all they had was a hundred loaves of bread and a hundred jugs of wine. Somehow, it fed thousands of people for many days. Communion celebrates this miracle and the Second Prophet. It is different from the other sacraments in that it is done on an ongoing basis, week to week. It's part of Mass, but priests will also personally deliver it to the sick, needy and imprisoned outside church. There is a precise set of rituals for handing out the bread and wine, and while most people don't understand the ancient Théan language, they can parrot the Communion ritual. They might not know what it means or even where each word ends, but they can do the entire 15-minute ritual without pause.

The next sacrament is marriage. Generally, marriage is not for love but business in Théah, but it's still a cause for celebration. Hundreds of superstitions and rituals surround it, but the Vaticine rite is very straightforward. The congregation receives a blessing, the priest asks if anyone has just cause to prevent the marriage (historically to prevent accidental cousin marriage) and the couple exchange vows. The priest announces the marriage and introduces the pair to the congregation. Marriage is considered sacred, and divorce does not generally exist, even in AValon. Adultery is a serious crime against Theus, though Vodacce has redefined it to not include courtesans, and marriage is expected to last until death. Of course, that doesn't always happen. When a couple breaks up, one side will usually be excommunicated or society will just pretend that the two are still together. Then there's Ordination, the ritual by which you become a priest. It is said to create a special bond between Theus and the priest, and must be performed by a Bishop or higher. None have ever been able to detect the bond, but most priests claim to feel different after the ceremony. Priests may be male or female, married or unmarried and of any nationality. They must be members of the Church and must go through training in preparation, often at a university. They must be "of sound moral fiber" though that's nebulous at best, and they must pass a test. Many have failed, the first time through. Failure gets a three-year period to study and prepare before trying again, but if you fail the second test, you can never become a priest. The Church may revoke ordination, or defrock a priest. This is a very serious punishment and only used against those who flagrantly abuse their positions.

Confession is another sacrament! Most Vaticines go to Confession once a week. This lets them unburden themselves of their sins, speaking to a priest in total confidence, and the priest assigns penance. If you perform the penance, Theus forgives the sin. This is the only sacrament removed from most Objectionist churches, as they believe a worshippers does not need a priest to communicate with Theus and that priests lack any authority to grant forgiveness. Objectionist priests do still speak confidentially with their flocks, of course. Confession is not, mind you, an erasure of sin. You must truly repent for it to work, and that means regretting your actions and vowing not to do them again. Many people see it as a free ride, though, and they are wrong. The final sacrament anyone will receive is the funeral. When a member of the Church dies, the funeral is performed to help their soul go to Elaethorum. (Read: Heaven.) The body is then buried on consecrated ground so that Legion will not violate it. Not everyone has access to funeral rites - you have to be in good standing with the Church, and the excommunicated are forbidden both funerals and burial on consecrated ground. Those who died without grace, which includes suicides, are also forbidden Church burial, as are those with sorcery but no protection by a noble house. The service itself is solemn and sober, though Ussurans and Highlanders celebrate the dead's life with a wake, which may be part of why they aren't very Vaticine. Vaticine dogma states that grief is the proper emotion for funerals - the soul has departed for a better place, and does not need revelry, while the living need comfort and support.

Early priests asked only for generosity, but it soon became apparent to the Church that people needed a more structured way of giving. Soon after the Corantine Convention, the tithe was created as part of the Church's formal structure. Every Vaticine is expected to give one tenth of their wealth to the Church. A poor peasant might only be able to give a single loaf of bread, but that loaf is as important as a merchant's velvet robe or a noble's donation of money to build a cathedral. The Church does not see tithing as a tax, and not even the Inquisitors would come after someone who failed to tithe. Given the tax rates of most nations, most people see that ten percent as small and easy, and unlike taxes, many families view tithing as something that benefits them. Because of a few coins in the alms box each year, their children can read and write, they have somewhere to go if they become homeless and the priest provides counsel for them. Also, the spiritual benefits.

Saints are recognized by the Church as particularly pious and active people, though they have very strict rules about who gets to be one. First, a saint must be a member of the Church in good standing. Second, they must be dead for at least twenty-five years, to give the Cardinals appropriate distance from their lives and to give people a chance to come forward and present evidence. Third, they must be responsible for at least three verifiable miracles, which are closely scrutinized to be sure they're not sorcerous. Most saints never looked to be canonized after their deaths, so never sought out the chance to do miracles. Rather, their devotees often fabricate miracles or paint normal events as miraculous. They don't see this as deception, but rather ensuring that a holy person receives proper veneration. It makes the priests' investigations rather hard. Once a saint is canonized, they occupy a special place in the Church, as an intercessor between the faithful and Theus. Saints are said to be close enough to enlightenment that they may communicate prayers to Theus such that Theus will know how to answer them. Thus, many pray to patron saints. Objectionists reject saints for the same reason they reject confession and the Hierophant - Theus listens to everyone. However, they still recognize that saints were particularly good and pious people.

The Vaticine believes in relics, special tokens of significance such as the bones of saints. They are frequently mounted or in special containers, and hold tremendous value and importance. During the Age of Chivalry, relics also became a business. The status of a diocese or parish was determined by its relics, and nobles would collect them as they today collect Syrneth artifacts. Some people would collect and sell relics as some diggers do today. Unfortunately, this meant there were a lot of fake relics around. In 1423, the Vaticine tried to catalogue all the genuine ones, but it soon proved futile. They verified that the entire corpse of the Third Prophet was still in its tomb, and then found 107 of his fingers in Castille alone. To question their veracity would draw the ire of some powerful people. They decided to stop trying rather than risk it. Relic collection eventually faded, and while many false relics have been exposed, some can't be verified. Some families also refuse to allow their heirlooms be discredited still. Many relics are said to have miraculous powers, often healing or luck. A number of Church scientists have claimed inspiration from relics, but these are even harder to verify than normal. It all really comes down to faith. The Vaticine believe that if relics inspire piety and faith, then their truth doesn't really matter.

There's also a ton of holy sites out there, and the Vaticine considers pilgrimages to be a great show of piety. Records of pilgrimages are often works of philosophy as well as travelogues. Pilgrimages have dropped off quite a bit since Objectionism hit, but many still do them. The most famous sites revolve around the Prophets, like Numa's Senate ruins or the area where the Second Prophet died (though that's a dangerous pilgrimage). Due to Church restrictions, only pilgrims can go there. Castille also has numerous sites holy due to the Third Prophet. A number of saints are also venerated at holy sites, and many "healing springs" are associated with them. These are generally natural mineral water.

Sin in the Vaticine faith is seen as a betrayal of the trust Theus puts in humanity. The Prophets teach that humanity was made in His image, but that they have base urges that hold them back from perfection. The Church has tried to catalogue these failings to help eradicate them, and the core of the canon law is built around the Nine Commandments and the Seven Deadly Sins. The First Commandment is this: "There is only one true god, and His name is Theus. Thou shalt not bow thy head to another." It may seem obvious, but it's led to a lot of debate and philosophy as well as a lot of heresy. More than a few monastic orders have been excommunicated over it, though that was often due to violations before the Third Vigil. The Inquisition has also often accused heretics of violating the second half of the commandment, and the Invisible College has been accused of bowing their heads before "Empiricism" over Theus. The Second Commandment is "Thou shalt honor the Four Prophets of Theus." This one has very little controversy, though there was a famous case in the 14th century when a group called the Abscriptors tried to refute the sanctity of the Vigils, saying they were written and transcribed by men, and could not contain the true message of Theus. They were soon apprehended and brought to trial. They were found guilty, but only a few burned for it. The rest repented and gave their entire fortunes to the Church as penance.

The Third Commandment is: "Honor thy father and thy mother." It's never been considered a major heretic problem, though it's often touched on in confession. Many young people chafe under their parents and sometimes this sentence is all that stops outright rebellion. The Fourth Commandment is "Thou shalt not commit adultery." Most define that as sex in violation of marriage vows. If you're not married, you can't commit adultery. Vodacce of course uses the loopholes carefully, and generally has very, very carefully worded wedding vows, often involving promising never to love another woman. Courtesans, of course, are categorically unable to be loved, just used for entertainment. The rest of the world sees this as hollow justification of decadence, but the Vodacce do not care. The Fifth Commandment is "Thou shalt not speak falsely." To lie is to tarnish the Creator's truth. Lying is a grave sin, because it drags down not just you but the one you lie to. Still, not a major heresy, just penance. The Sixth Commandment is "Thou shalt not covet." It forms the basis of several Deadly Sins, and is often the hardest to follow. Coveting, after all, is not a conscious choice. The Church orders its followers to fight envy as best they can.

The Seventh Commandment is "Thou shalt not commit murder." It was very carefully worded by the Third Prophet, who devoted several vesres to explaining it. Waging war on heathens isn't murder, and neither is properly executing someone for heresy. Killing an unsuspecting person, that's murder. Thus, killing should only be considered when you know you have justice on your side. The Eight Commandment is "Thou shalt not steal." It's not very controversial. People know what stealing is, and it's bad. The Ninth Commandment is "Thou shalt not suffer a sorcerer to live." All the Prophets have argued that sorcery was evil and dangerous. However, the Church has rarely had the power to openly move against sorcery, as the nobles have too much power and like their magic. Still, only two of the Bargainers' Arts are still openly practiced, so that's something.

The Book of the Prophets is divided into the Four Vigils. The First Vigil is the words of the First Prophet as recorded by his Witnesses, and it's mostly sermons. His life was surprisingly uneventful outside of challenging the Senate, but his lessons were passed on in direct, clear language and to most people they are inarguable truths of the human condition. He was a skilled orator, and a good speaker can make his words extremely moving. Most proverbs come from the First Vigil. The Second Prophet was less of an orator but a great storyteller, and the Second Vigil consists mainly of parables and fables. These stories are told not just at church, but around campfires and as bedtime stories across the world. The bards of Avalon have adapted many to their songs, and even Ussurans who reject the Second Prophet tell his stories. The Third Vigil is largely an agenda for the Church. It tells stories of the Third Prophet's miracles and lays out the foundations of the Vaticine canon, lists the Nine Commandments and expands on the nature of sin. The Third Prophet called for scientific inquiry and philosophical debate, and also purging heretics, driving out the Crescents and destroying sorcery. It's a pretty dry read, but its language is precise and explicit. The Fourth Vigil is unique in that it is the only one written by a Prophet. Rather than being a guide to life, it is a prophecy of doom. However, it does deliver moral messages. It details the days before the end of the world, when the Creator calls for the faithful to fight Legion's forces. It details very specifically the sort of person who goes to Elaethorum, as well as a number of passages implying that if sin goes unchecked, Legion could win. The Fourth Vigil more than any other is what drives the Inquisition. Its language is very vague and symbolic, and six times in the past, the Church has believed the End Times to be at hand only to be wrong. The seventh time seems to be coming. Most Church scholars also believe the Fourth Vigil refers to Mathias Lieber and Objectionism as one of the signs of the Coming. One of the reasons the Crusades kept up so long is that the Vigil also claims an evil warlord will come from the Crescent Empire to destroy Numa with sorcery. Many were willing to kill every Crescent to prevent this.

Now, we move on to Objectionism. Mathias Lieber wasn't the first to question the Church, and to truly understand Objectionism, one must look a century back from his rise. The Church had become corrupt, and increasingly was under scrutiny from within. Many priests called for a moral revival, weary of the abuses they saw above them. Many leaders were too concerned with luxury and power over understanding the Creator. One early critic was Arleigh Hess, a nun and professor in Eisen. She believed that all members of the Vaticine formed a priesthood of believers, much as Lieber would later, and felt professional priests were unneeded. She also believed the State to be supreme to the Church and that the two should not meddle with each other. Unsurprisingly, she wasn't very popular and in 1391 she was brought to trial and burned at the stake. She was ahead of her time, but her death only hastened the rise of Objectionism. This and a series of impious Hierophants led many to question their faith and the role of the Church. There were many decadences and sins among the priesthood, but the most questioned was the selling of indulgences. Traditionally, an indulgence was granted once a sinner confessed and made penance, but in the early 1400s, the doctrine of indulgences was so corrupt that sinners could pay money to be absolved. Sorcery began to secretly flourish among the nobles, who kept paying the church for forgiveness for their use of magic. Hierophant Terricus VI took things even further, claiming he could free the souls of the dead from their punishments for the right price, ensuring they went to Heaven. By the beginning of the 16th century, tensions were at an all-time high.

Mathias Lieber was born of humble origins in Eisen in 1489, the son of a shipwright and a laundress. He was raised strictly Vaticine and proved to be a brilliant student of theology. At 19, he became an ordained priest, and his parents believed they were truly blessed. Within a decade, they would change their minds. Lieber's intelligence and charisma led him to southern Heilgrund, the Church's headquarters in Eisen. Where others sought proof of Theus in the natural world, he analyzed the Book of Common Prayer and the Book of the Prophets, gaining new insight from the texts. When he found discrepancies and inconsistencies, he could always find a way to resolve them, supporting his belief in their infallibility. When he was 24 he published a paper named On the Wholeness of Scripture, which argued that Theus could be found not just in the world, but in the words that people used to express His will, which the Church eagerly picked up on. Imperator Franz II was also intrigued, and invited Lieber to visit him. The two became close friends, and Franz asked Lieber to teach his children, Adette and Franz III, to be sure they'd pass Confirmation.

Adette proved a difficult student, always asking 'Why' at every lesson. Fortunately, Lieber's years of study helped him address her concerns, though some proved very troubling for him and he found himself combing through tracts and letters for answers. As was always the case, he could find reasonable explanations...but the questions made him form questions of his own, which seemed to have no answer at all. Franz III was easy, whatever. Lieber spent the next few years observing the actions of the Church, watching with the same dedication he used to study books. He was very concerned about their corruption, and he knew that they had many books on sorcery, but refused to use them to help understand and deal with it. Instead, they just delivered forgiveness to any sorcerer that could afford it. He was torn between devotion to the Church and faith, and in the end, faith won. He nailed his objections to the door of a church in 1517. He intended to cause debate...but not the huge public response he created. The Hierophant summoned him and demanded he confess and repent for doubting the Church. Bothered by this, he reached into his pocket and pulled out some coins, asking if they were enough to buy forgiveness. This stunned the Hierophant, and Lieber spent the next few months lecturing on the Book of the Prophets to anyone that would listen.

Next time: The Objections.

Eisen has too many half-wits roaming around for me to keep track of them all.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: Eisen has too many half-wits roaming around for me to keep track of them all.

At some point during Lieber's lectures, he received an official mesage from Hierophant Leto VIII, officially condemning him. He burned it and openly said that only Theus could judge his work. He was summoned to the Vaticine City and interrogated over three days before being excommunicated and ordered to die. Fortunately, the Imperator had not forgotten him. Franz had sent a team of knights to rescue Lieber, and they broke the man out of prison and smuggled him away to Eisen and relative safety. He used his time in isolaton and hiding in Eisen to good use, translating the Book of the Prophets into Eisen as well as recording his personal theology in a 600-page document later known as Lieber's Book. These were the two first widely published books in history. The Hierophant soon learned of Franz's role in the escape and demanded that Lieber be returned to the Church. The Imperator ignored him and so the Hierophant tried to convince the King of Castille to declare war on Eisen and retrieve Lieber by force. The King refused, on the basis that Eisen was the most powerful nation in the world. The Hierophant was forced to back down.

Lieber found that the vendetta worked to his advantage, substantiating many of his grievances. Eisen proved a fertile ground for his beliefs, and those who adhered to them became known as Objectionists. His work reached across class, finding believers in peasantry and nobility alike, as well as the growing middle class. His defiance did make his personal life difficult, though. His parents disowned him, and many of his old friends believed him to be a criminal or a servant of Legion. Even the Imperator slowly grew distant; he'd be;ieved the Church should be reformed, and rather than doing that, Lieber had caused the birth of a new faith. He never converted to Objectionism, but he never persecuted its adherents. Lieber spent the rest of his life working to make sure the split was not in vain, and he lived by the teachings he preached. He made a point to find time for a private life, and married a former nun. He encouraged others to translate his works into other languages, and he died a satisfied man,

We get a sidebar now on how a small but vocal group of Objectionists are beginning to argue that sorcery is not evil, on the basis that Theus created the universe and everything in it, and that includes sorcery and whatever fuels it, and therefore it can't be inherently evil and must be okay. It's a tool, they say, and its use is what makes it good or evil. These people are primarily Montaigne and Vendel, and they're fighting an uphill battle against the words of the Prophets, but they are funded by several interested nobles and are hoping to find evidence that those condemnations of sorcery were added to the First Prophet's words later. Anyway, even as Lieber's words traveled across Eisen, his followers travelled the world, finding many converts. One of these was the Montaigne named Toulouse le Blanc, who liked the idea of absolution by faith and the absolute truth of the Book of the Prophets over Vaticine dogma. He felt he had uncovered proof that mankind lacked free will and that Theus had already selected those who would be saved from the Abyss. Those born with sorcery were clearly already damned, but it was just as easy to spot the redeemed, who instinctively led good lives and followed the holy scriptures. Unsurprisingly, the nobility didn't much like le Blanc and drove him out of Montaigne and to exile among the Vestenmannavnjar. They had even less patience for his ministry and he died four months later. Despite his brief career, a small sect still adhere to his beliefs, calling themselves Blancests.

Dozens of other sects have appeared and vanished over the last century, including the austere Theites, who mercilessly condemn sorcery, a word they use to include colorful clothing and dancing. They believe that man was meant to lead a life of humble diligence. Glamour Magic rarely works n their presence, and their faith has been known to make the Sidhe uncomfortable. Most people in Avalon dislike them, and they are frequently persecuted. They are considering pooling their resources and setting out for the western seas. The Highlands are home to a sect called the Apocryphasts, who recovered several books that were burned by the Third Prophet in his attempt to solidify the Canon, and they have integrated them into their belief system. It has led them to believe that the Third Prophet was a fake, as their books say that the Third Prophet "shall reconcile the diversity of Theus' creation, unifying the distant faiths as a shepherd collects his flock." Which is not at all what the Third Prophet did. Most scholars doubt the authenticity of their books, but it hasn't blunted their belief that the next prophet will be the Third, not the Fourth. In Inismore, there's a group of scholars who regularly meet and study the Book of the Prophets together in complete silence. They are known as the Quiet Ones, and believe that silence helps them focus on the power of the Prophet's words. They have no known leader and no one knows who founded the movement. The O'Bannon has twice attended their services, and each time left with only a a headache to show for it. Because they're inobtrusive, though, no one stops them from gathering.

There is one more group of Objectionists the book mentions: a group that practices unique beliefs high in La Sierra del Hierro. They are led by Jorge Vasquez de Grijalva, and they are known as Sequidores Del Fuego, or Followers of the Fire. They have reconciled Lieber's teachings with the traditional Castillian sorcery of El Fuego Adentro. They lack sorcery of their own, but they believe that all fire is the ultimate representation of Theus, and most of their rites include fire in some form. This includes marriage and baptism, and sometimes is disastrous. They believe the Fourth Prophet will be able to turn into a being of pure flame and purify the world, and they pray for his coming. Modern Objectionism, though, is largely unified, much more than early critics predicted. Eisen and Vendel are the biggest areas to accept Objectionism (or Liberanism, as the Vendel call it). The Highlands have also embraced it, weary of the Vaticine Church. They often sing, a tradition developed by Lieber himself, who wrote many hymns and translated others into Eisen for his congregations.

The other nations have yet to develop much of a following. Castille and Vodacce have few Objectonists, and the nobles of Montaigne have few people with religious beliefs at all, while hte peasants are staunchly Vaticine. The Vesten continue to believe in Grumfather and the Runes, while Ussura and Avalon have their own religions. Inismore and Avalon are both tolerant of Objectionists and Vaticines alike, but neither group is entirely comfortable. One new nations has been extremely receptive, though: la Bucca and the Brotherhood of the Coast have proven receptive to Objectionist missionaries, and have also helped these missionaries settle out in the seas, wherever Theus guides them...such as an area near the equator known as the Dead Tropics, on the recently discovered isle of Kanuba. The local Kanu have been mostly amused by the Objectionist missionaries, but their amusement might end soon. After all, the Vaticine has recently learned of valuable natural resources on Kanuba, and they plan to send their own missionaries to "save the savages from Legion's clutches." The Objectionists may find themselves allies of the pagan Kanu to keep their rivals from establishing a foothold there.

Because it began as an offshoot, the Objectionists remain very similar to the Vaticine in their beliefs. They believe that Theus, the one true God, created the universe as a puzzle for humanity to understand and that discovery tempered by faith will lead to its solution. Like th Vaticine, they wear vestements, typically either black or white, though a new trend is leading to colors that shift throughout the year to reflect the seasons and festival days. There's two designs - one for Communion and one for all other times. During Communion, a chaplain will wear an alb (or long white linen robe with tapered sleeves), a cincture (or sash), a stole and a chasuble (or vest). The second design is less formal, and it's just a black cassock with white surplice (or ecclesiastcal gown).

The Objectionists have adopted the six Articles of Faith that make up the Vaticine credo, though interpretations vary. Article One: One True God has little argument. There's Theus, and no other gods exist. However, a small movement is beginning to question if sorcery constitutes action against Theus, and are arguing that the First Prophet's condemnation of it was about how it was used. The second Article is 'One True Faith'. They believe that, despite the growing divisions, there is in reality just one true Church comprised of all believers who adhere to the words of the Prophets. The Objectionists believe that only the Book of the Prophets can determine doctrine, and that they alone have returned to the Prophets' teachings as intended. Article Three: The First Prophet has no argument - they accept that the First Prophet is legitimate and follow his teachings. They are especially fond of his words on tolerance and acceptance of others, even sorcerers. They believe no soul is beyond Theus' love and salvation, which often leads to great acts of charity.

Article Four: The Second PRophet is also accepted. He's revered, and his actions to stop sorcery have given its opponents strong arguments. Its proponents, though, point out that he only had conflicts wth those who opposed his mission. Many Objectionists also believe in forging new bonds with the Crescent people. Article Five: The Third Prophet is somewhat less respected. They try to downplay his violence or overlook his aggressiveness, as Lieber found that to be counter to the first two PRophets and determined that his actions should be taken as literal interpretations of metaphorical truths. The Third Prophet lived in a time of trouble and tumult, and they believe his examples should be admired but not duplicated. Article Six: The Fourth Prophet is a matter of some division. All agree that the Fourth PRophet will be a harbinger of the end times and the final battle, but they argue over how much emphasis should be put on that future time. Lieber believed that worrying over the inevitable was a distraction from pressing issues of the current day, but many of his followers believe that preparing for the End Times is the most important spiritual task there is. As a result, the Fourth Prophet's significance varies by congregation.

The biggest difference is that the Objectionsits believe, as Lieber and Arleigh Hess did, that all believers are effectively priests and that priests are not needed to commune with the divine. The Book of the Prophets says that only Theus can grant absolution or guidance, and the Objectionists take this to mean that man does not need an arbitrator to deal with Him. Rather, every person is intelligent enough to develop a personal relationship with tehus and interpret His will without aid from the Church. They believe the Church exists to deliver the words of the Prophets to the masses, accomplished by sermons and translation of the Book of the Prophets that others might read it. They do perform ceremonies and sacraments, though, as the Objectionists believe the sacraments are acts ordained by Theus. However, they observe far fewer of these than the Vaticines, and have only two.

First is Baptism. This takes place on a child's seventh birthday and marks the official entry to the faith. Unlike Vaticines, there is no exam. All a child needs is a statement of belief in Theus and the words of the Prophets. The foundation for this comes from Second Prophet and his "spiritual cleansing" of his followers in a river before the final pilgrimage. The second sacrament s Communion, or the Prophet's Supper. It has its origins in the First PRophet and his final meal with the Witnesses before going to Numa. He told them they should continue to meet and dine together in the years to come to celebrate the good news he had given them. And so, once a month, the Objectionist churches hold communal meals for all members and extend the invitation to everyone else in the community as well, to help give thanks.

There are sitll ceremonies in the Objectionist Church, though. First is ordainment, which gives the title 'Chaplain' to a successful candidate. Because they so concern themselves with understanding scripture, a candidate must first pass an oral exam. Lieber was at first against this, saying it gave too much authority to the Church, but after finding congregations led by illiterates with no grasp of the Book of the Prophets, he changed his mind. Exams are now given at Church-sponsored schools and universities, and ordainment resembles graduation. Marriage is the second ceremony. Objectionists pride themselves on forward-thinking and have embraced the controversial idea of romantic love and marriage for love in addition to normal political and property marriages. The couple typically write their own vows and the Chaplain just officiates and leads prayer. Funerals, meanwhile, are somber events for the reflection of the deceased's life. A Chaplain oversees them and reads comforting passages of scripture. Objectionist funerals tend to focus on the bereaved rather than the dead, since the dead eside with Theus. The Highlands continue to hold wakes, rather than the more gloomy Objectionist service.

Objectionists do still recognize and venerate saints, who are seen as heroes and role models to be emulated. They do not believe the saints can intercede for people from the afterlife, and in the Church's history no new saints have been canonized. It's doubtful any will be, but nothing stops them from doing it. Because they're mentioned in scripture, the Objectionists believe in angels, beings of pure spiritual energy that act as intermediaries for Theus, delivering messages of hope and inspiration in troubled times. There is no scientific evidence at all, and most chaplains hold that faith must overrule proof. When humanity learns the nature of Theus, they will learn the nature of angels, they argue. Miracles are a tricky one for Objectionists - many sorcereis have fantastic results, and even the secretive Rose and Cross Knights can perform apparent miracles. The Book of the Prophets has examples of miracles, so the OBjectionists believe they exist. However, they do not believe they can bestow miracles, and instead argue that miracles are spontaneous and cannot be invoked. They are workings of Theus and as rare as they are wonderful. The Objectionists continue to support science as part of the quest to understand Creation, and point to Vaticine persecution of science as evidence that they have made no effort to reform and remain turned away from the Prophets' words.

The Objectionists have done away with the Book of Common Prayer and use only the Book of the Prophets. Lieber believed that these wer ethe true word of Theus and so cannot mislead or deceive those who study them. He said that only the words of the Prophet were infallible, and not the Church or priests. Objectionists also turn to Lieber's Book, his six hundred page manifesto on theology, to help understand religion. Most of the world acknowledges that it is amazingly written, though the Vaticine believe it is an evil book of Legion, and the Hierophant declared ownership of it heretical shortly after its first printing. It is still one of the most widley owned books in the world. Like the Vaticine, there is no gender restriction on the clergy.

When Lieber was writing his objections, he was attacking the upper echelons, not hte average priests, feeling that the higher one rose in the Church, the greater chance of corruption. He saw this as a huge problem, and when organizing his own faith, he took steps to resolve it. There is no center of the Church at all. Instead, the Objectionist Apostles conven every six months at a new, agreed location. In the early days this was a survival tactic to prevent Vaticine attack. Now, it's useful to ensure that no area dominagtes the faith. Lieber believed that the organization of the Church should differ from the Vaticine. There are no dioceses, no bishops or archbishops and no Hierophant. The highest position is "Apostle", and there are 25 of them. They serve the same function as the Vaticine's college of cardinals, interpreting difficult pieces of scripture and deciding Church policy. Their decrees are not mandatory, and many individual churches ignore them entirely. This isn't seen as heresy, but a divine right.

The Apostles are chosen by elections held by Church deacons. In theory each seat opens every four years, but in practice the job is for life. If no one opposes an Apostle, he automatically retains his seat. Once every four years, the Apostles also elect a member to preside over their meetings, commonly referred to as the High Apostle. This position changes hands frequently, and a High Apostle can be removed by a simple vote of no-confidence. This has happened only twice in Church history - the first time to stop a High Apostle who wanted to use donations to pay mercenaries to attack Vaticine City and the second when a High Apostle wanted to end the position of Apostle altogether. The High Apostle mostly does PR work. All Apostles are seen as equal, and his words have no extra weight. There are two Avalon Apostles, twelve Eisen ones, four Highlanders, one Montaigne and six Vendel. Outsiders are often confused b the fact that OBjectionist power stems from the local level, and that individual chaplains are the key to spreading the faith. This was always Lieber's intention. The chaplains are equivalent to normal priests, but are rather more subdued, serving not as mediators to the Divine but as examples to their flocks. They hold one service a week, and it's alwas done in the local dialect, and often includes anecdotes on how specific passages are relevant. Some chaplains are infamous for constant preaching about the End Times. Most chaplains have other jobs as well, usually as teachers or doctors. The Deacons are the rank between chaplain and apostle. They're senior chaplains who coordinate several churches - usually around 20, but it may be more or less depending on location. Most Apostles come from the ranks of the deacons, but some chaplains have been elected without ever being deacons. Despite their limited powers, the Objectionists are no less susceptible to corruption than their counterparts. Thanks to Lieber's policies, though, it rarely causes as much damage as it might elsewhere. We can skip the bit on Objectionist architectural design for churches. They like plainness.

Next time: The Church of Avalon!

Saint Konstantinus' Crozier is not for sale.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: Saint Konstantinus' Crozier is not for sale.

The Church of Avalon is the first of its kind: it was created for political, not theological reasons. Even before King Richard IV's Act of Supremacy, though, the Diocese of Avalon was willful and stubborn. The Church's history trily begins in 305, with the Second Prophet. One of his followers was Joseph of Aremacaday (though many scholars believe this was originally Giuseppe of Arene Candide), and he decided his calling lay not in the Crescent Empire but in the north, in Avalon. He and some followers went from Vodacce to Avalon, and though the Imperator discouraged those who preached the Second Prophet's words, Joseph found that on Avalon, he could preach openly. He had found a land that was apparently free of sorcerous taint...but the people were not Vaticine, and most didn't even know of the First Prophet, let alone the Second. Their gods seemed to be beings similar to the old Numan ones, or perhaps just powerful Sidhe. Joseph didn't set out to immediately convert them. He wanted a place to build a monastery and spend his days contemplating the divine.

The messages he preached to his followers, however, interested the Avalons. The druids were puzzled by the messages of the Prophets. On the one hand, Theus supported the learning of secrets and understood that the world was a riddle to solve. On the other, his priests would tell their secrets to anyone who asked, and were arrogant enough to believe they could solve the riddle of the world. The openness of Joseph and the monks was a new experience for many Avalons in comparison to the mysterious secrets of the druids. The commoners began to adopt the ways of Theus, though they did not abandon the Sidhe. By the time Arthwrys was fighting his brothers to control the isle, every town and many villages had chapels to Theus. The Sidhe didn't seem to mind, but did avoid the chapels. The priests were true Avalons, honoring the Sidhe, but also truly believers. The druids began to lose influence, becoming less religious, but more mysterious. The Church, though, wasn't Vaticine. When Corantine helpd his Convention, no one invited the Avalons. Their beliefs were of a different traditions and paid no homage to the Hierophant. This would change with coming of Henri du Montaigne.

When the Montaigne conquered Avalon in 1028, they brought the Vaticine with them. The priests that came weren't kind to the native priests, deposing them and taking their churches. However, not enough priests were interested to displace them all. The new regime outlawed many traditions, but Avalons are stubborn. The priests were the ones who chose those promising enough to attend seminary, and they ensured the old beliefs stayed alive in the areas they'd not been displaced. As the Montaigne integrated, the Archdiocese of Avalon regained much of its old ways and paid only lip service to the Hierophant. For centuries, Avalon was a powerful and populous diocese that never truly integrated. Local priests would not denounce the sidhe, and even the bishops and cardinal were treated as backwater politicos and rarely influenced the Hieros Council as a whole. They became known as stubborn reactionaries. They didn't mind.

During this period, Harold Guisard became Archbishop in the mid-12th century. He used his name and connections to buy his position, but it wasn't enough for him. He turned on Queen Eleanor, who'd helped him get the position, and helped have her declared traitor. He spent the reign of her successor, Charles, as little more than a puppet. When Charles was deposed, he was exposed as a tyrant and stripped of office by unanimous vote. He was arrested for treason and hanged. In 1457, Thomas Cranmer became Bishop of Camlann. He had been made abbot of his monastery only two years before, but everyone saw his piety. When the war between the Camlanns and Lovaines began, the Duke of Camlann asked him to preach against the Duke of Lovaine. Cranmer refused, and the Duke of Camlann was outraged. He promised a great reward for Cranmer's head, and his men-at-arms immediately went to the Cathedral of Bedegrane to collect it. TGhe soldiers waited for him to finish praying, killed him and took his head back to the Duke. The Duke was horrified, having come to regret his rantings and remembering that Cranmer was his friend. He had the soldiers arrested, though he couldn't bring himself to kill them for following his orders. He honored Cranmer throughout his land, built a new cathedral dedicated to him and buried the bishop under the altar. He also began a campaign to have the man canonized, which ultimately succeeded.

Anyway. When Richard IV took the throne in 1614, he wanted to bring the Archdiocese of Avalon closer to the Church. He greatly increased the communication between Cardinal Guilbert of Avalon and the Vaticine City...but the Cardinal wasn't very happy about it, and quite liked Avalon being run with little interference. It's believed he may have planted the seed of secession. Richard desperately needed an heir, as he'd seen what happened when a strong king died. He wanted a strong heir, not a weak one, as past kings had. Unfortunately, he'd yet to have a son. He blamed his wife, and sought dispenesation for divorce from the Hierophant...who refused him. Richard passed the Act of Supremacy, declaring himself the Hierophant of the Church of Avalon. He granted himself divorce, of course. The Act shocked many, and frightened most of Avalon, who were sure they'd be excommunicated. The priests, though, turned to their Cardinal...who liked the Act. He could now shape the Church of Avalon! So he supported the Act, sending out many laters explaining the theological justifications, and set aside the title Cardinal, taking the one of Archbishop instead. The Church quickly solidified into a strong institution.

Richard had expected that AValon would return to the Vaticine soon enough, but events and Guilbert worked against that. The Hierophant excommunicated Richard, who still had difficulty siring a son. He couldn't go back until he had an heir. And Guilbert, of course, was hard at work unifying the Church of Avalon and making changes he could never do when Vaticine. He adopted elements of Objectionism, translated the Book of the Prophets into Avalon and cleaned up the Canon. He began to simplify and streamline the Church...and in the meantime, Richard died without a son. His daughter, "Iron Queen" Margaret took the throne. It seemd she'd overturn the Act of Supremacy, but she never did. She did, however, reaffirm that Avalon was faithful to Vaticine ideals. She used her armies to hunt out Objectionists and heretics, and tried to use the Church of Avalon as a weapon against the Highlands and Inismore...but neither kingdom took religion as seriously as her, and it didn't work. They alternated between paying lip service to the church and outright defiance. The Church of Avalon, meanwhile, found many footholds in the chaos she created. Her reign was difficult for them, but they were able to gain a number of powers to strengthen their position. Priests could act as royal judges, and for a brief time, they answered only to the Queen. (Parliament stopped that quickly.) Church lands were considered royal property and thus immune to taxation...though the bishops had to work very hard to keep Margaret from making her own Inquisition, and many local priests fought against the idea of being royal agents. Fortunately, the Church never fragmented.

It was the return of Elaine and the Graal that truly solidified the Church, though. The new Archbishop of Kirkenwood, Peter des Roches, was appalled by the wars after Margaret's death and sided with Elaine in order toe nd them. He was one of the first to drink of the Graal and support her cause, and the other bishops fell in line behind him. The past two years have been a flowering of tolerance. The Church of Avalon has officially accepted Glamour as part of Theus' puzzle rather than sorcery, have made peaceful overtures to the Highland Objectionists in order to try and unify the two faiths and even publically condemned Verdugo and the Inquisition. They fall somewhere between the Vaticine and Objectionism, really. They use the Four Vigils and the Book of Common Prayer, but have relaxed several Church laws, translated the Book of the Prophets to Avalon and are working to translate it into Cymric, too. Their hierarchy has been simplified, similar to Objectionism. Each church has a priest, and there are no parishes. Each county is a diocese, with its own bishop. The whole of the Highlands are one diocese, and Inismore isn't even that. The eight bishops answer to the Archbishop of Kirkenwood, who is elected by the bishops. He answers to the Queen in matters of religion, and she's given him freedom in most things.

The priests have begun to directly support Elaine via her Knights. Archbishop des Roches wants to make sure the revival of the Knights live up to the piety they were known for in the Age of Chivalry, and offered to have a priest bless each of their missions. It's become more than tradition, and several Knights will refuse to go out if they can't speak to a priest first. Des Roches has several times spoken to Lawrence Lugh to help guide him, but Lugh ultimately decided that the laws of the Prophets were too confusing. The faithful see themselves as Vaticine without all the bother and unneeded laws. Avalon has stripped the Church back to essentials. Mass is referred to as Communion and takes place only on feast days. The saints are barely acknowledged. Church Law is mostly the Third Vigil and some rulers for internal bureaucracy. Confession has been abandoned in many areas.

The Highlanders continue to be mostly objectionist. There are a few Avalon priests on the island, though, and they tend to be closer to mainstream Vaticine than their counterparts in Avalon, as their congregations tend to be explicitly attempting to move away from Objectionism. Their most important message is national pride, and they support both MacDuff and Elaine. The Bishop of the Marches has met with prominent Objectionist leaders, including the MacDuff himself, to try and bring them to the Church. AFter seeing what divisiveness did to Avalon, they want to try fellowship. Inismore is more divided. The populace mostly couldn't care less about how they worship, and many continue the old ways, especially since the return of the O'Bannon. The cities tend towards Objectionism, rejecting the Church of Avalon as much for its name as anything else. The O'Tooles, though, are actual Vaticines - anyone who's an enemy of Glamour, the Sidhe and Elaine is a friend of the O'Tooles.

Now, Ussuran Orthodoxy. We know most of the history here. The Ussurans loved the teachings of the First Prophet, and even the land seemed to welcome his preachers. One story captured their imaginations - the one about the Prophet visiting Matushka and awakening her. Whe the leaders of the Church heard it, they took great measures to ensure it wasn't considered canonical - they wanted no acknowledgement of Matushka as a god or power, and could not believe the Prophet would have dealings with her. The Ussurans completely ignored the decree. However, it was the Second PRophet that formed the catalyst for the Ussuran Orthodoxy. They saw him as clearly a charlatan, and rejected the Vaticine Credo. They began to refer to themselves as Orthodox, elected a Patriarch to fill the void left by the Hierophant and set about being their own church. The first Patriarch was Illarion Belafustus Pscov, though he took the name Innocent the First to represent the rebirth taking place.

The Vaticine sent an army to either destroy the Ussuran dissidents or reunite them with Mother Church. Ussura's weather and terrain made short work of the army and the Ussurans developed their theology in peace. Their first decree was to compile the writings of the Nine Witnesses into a single volume, the Orthodox Canon of the Prophet. It has since never been changed in any fashion. The Patriarch set up the hierarchy of the Church, also since unaltered, and new traditions began to form - stories of the Prophet's travels in Ussura, Tobias the Meek's betrayal, the legend of Legion's Prophet and so on. The Vaticine condemned them as apostates, but took no physical action against them. Instead, they exchanged angry letters over the centuries, each church accusing the other of heresy. Unsurprisingly, both sides ignored the accusations. The Orthodox built lavish cathedrals, monasteries and churches, and their focus on education shifted from scientific research to recording history. Monks translated famous works of literature, expanding their worldview despite their isolation.

The Church has a certain timeless quaility, remaining true to its original tenets and never seeming to need reform or change. It has unified the diverse peoples of Ussura, bringing them together under one belief system. Their centuries of prosperity are seen as proof that Matushka sanctions them, and that endorsement has convereted as many skeptics as their actual teachings. Today, most Ussurans are devout Orthodox, and their current Patriarch, Iurii the Benevolent, has declared that to be Ussuran is to be Orthodox. Their faith comes both from the Orthodox Canon and unwritten accounts of the Prophet's words and deeds. The clergy are always eager to point out that the accounts of the Nine Witnesses were Hallowed Convention until their own followers documented them, and so accept this unwritten canon. Just because something's not written doesn't make it less true.

Matushka has been accepted as part of the Canon - respecting Matushka is seen as identical to respecting the natural world, which is what the Prophet commanded. Hallowed Convention holds that she converted during her discussion with the PRophet, and Pyeryem is the proof - a secret of creation that no other group has learned. Because of this, Pyeryem is not considered a form of sorcery at all, but as natural as the changing of the seasons. However, this does not extend to any other form of magic. They will never condone the magic of the Bargainers, but they do reserve judgment on Glamour and Lærdom. The other Old Ways have tended to become a part of the Hallowed Convention as well, with ancient gods and spirits becoming saints and angels. The Orthodox teach that mankind may communicate directly with Theus, but that it's not easy. Prayer is the first step. However, the Canon teaches that Theus is omnipotent and omniscient, and thus that it's impossible to tell him in prayer anything he does not already know. Prayer is instead meant to show humility and subservience to His wisdom, and open the heart and mind to His solutions. The Orthodox also fast in order to communicate with theus, seeing it as the physical extension of prayer - a representation of dedication and temperance. Together, these bring blessings, enlightenment and benediction.

Many special rites exist in the Orthodox Church, but only seven are considered sacraments. Their origin is both in the Canon and Hallowed Convention. First is baptism, the entry in to the faith. Every child must be baptized within forty days of birth, and must be completely submerged during the rite. Any converts must be baptized as well. Second is chrismation, the act of apply chrism, or consecrated oil. It is applied in the form of the Prophet's Cross and is a part of baptism and other holy events. Third is the anointing of the sick. When all medical options have been tried, a priest will anoint the sick with sacred oils, to give them the strength they need to depart the mortal realm or recover. The fourth sacrament is the eucharist, which recalls the Prophet's final hours spent with his followers and the words and duties he charged them with. The fifth is the taking of holy orders, which come only after a candidate for priesthood has been cleansed by prayer and fasting for months. They're never taken lightly, abnd breaking the vows is considered breaking a contract with Theus. Sixth is the marriage vow, which holds great weight among the Orthodox. Marriage is a symbol of unity, and cannot be revoked lightly. A divorcee can never become a member of the clergy. Lastly, there is confession, to absolve the faithful of sin. It differs from Vaticine Confession - the penitent must fast for three days, eating only bread and water. The priest does not require as many specifics, and once the bleiever is absolved, he or she makes a display of faith by kissing the Cross and the Canon.

The Vaticines and the Orthodox both believe that a man named Tobias visited the Prophet in his final hours. The Vaticine believe that the Prophet told him over three others to come, and they call him Tobias the Meek. To the Orthodox, he is Tobias the Betrayer, an agent of the Senators who distorted the Prophet's true message. It was he, they say, who ensured the Prophet would burn. They believe themselves the only bastion of the true faith, as they reject his words, and the only hope against Legion's Prophet. They believe there are no true Prophets but the First, and refer to the Fourth Prophet as Legion's Prophet, the harbinger of doom. When he comes, he will unleash Legion's forces against the world, and especially against the Orthodox. The Vaticine will become a tool of Legion and spread suffering and terror. After hearing about the Inquisition, many believe that day is not long in coming. The Orthodox continually hunt through ancient texts, searching for clues as to when and where Legion's Prophet will appear, that they might prevent it from coming to pass.


Apparently, noselessness is the greatest heresy.

Next time: People who aren't dead!

Someone hired these clowns to steal a stick?

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: Someone hired these clowns to steal a stick?

Before we head into NPCs, I should mention that the Orthodox Church has a strange and confusing structure to outsiders. They have two types of priest - the black clergy and the white clergy, named for the color of their frocks. The white clergy are priests, deacons and other lesser positions. They must be married, according to tradition, and if their spouse dies they enter a monastery. The highest position they can hold is 'protoerej', a position in charge of the priests of a certain area. The black clergy are the upper part of the church, and the lowest rank they can hold is monk or nun, who must live by the rigid standards of Saint Ascanius, the father of Orthodox monasticism. Above them are priors and abbots, and then bishops. Only a bishop can become an archbishop and after that a pontiff, equivalent to a cardinal. Above pontiffs is the Patriarch. They also were amazingly complex and ornate outfits when on the job.

Now, let's talk Cardinals. Cardinal Tomás Balcones is one of the Castillian ones, and he sees himself more as a teacher than a spiritual leader. He was born to minor nobles and loved exploring his family's land, sketching the things he saw. He especially loved birds. He went to the Universidad de San Cristobal at 14, one of the youngest students ever, and while some of his teachers deemed his questions more whimsical than scientific, others were inspired by his interpretations. He became a full priest at 17 and got his own parish a year later, where he helped build a library and often performed Mass in secluded areas to allow his congregation to admire nature. He was eventually promoted to serve at the cathedral of San Cristobal, where he kept on working tirelessly to educate people. In fact, his services often had greater attendance than the local Bishop's, though the old man wasn't envious. Rather, he came to Balcones for advice. He spent time with the sick and poor and began a tradition of visiting prisoners to try and help them find peace, earning many converts. The Hierophant personally nominated him for Cardinal, and no one opposed it. He also servers as a professor at La Ciencia, helping to shield it from the Inquisition...which has earned him Verdugo's wrath. He knows Verdugo is a powerful foe, but he won't be intimidated, and has instead turned to scripture, to see how the Prophets might have dealt with the problem. He has also hired a bodyguard, just in case.

Cardinal Sergio Bilardo is the eldest Vaticine Cardinal. He remembers the election of the last Hierophant, the start of the War of the Cross and many other things. The present is harder. He grew up in Saint Torchia's Home For Children, a Church orphanage in Numa. His surname was taken from Agusto Bilardo, a Vodacce crusader who died in the Crescent Empire defending a holy relic. Sergio was neither scholarly nor athletic, but he was an amazing singer, and Father Yannone, the head of the orphanage, ensured that talent didn't go to waste. He believed that idle hands were Legion's tools, and when Sergio wasn't practicing hymns, he was doing chores. However, as he grew, he began to learn the meanings of the songs he sang, and he was deeply moved. By adolescence, he was sure he wanted to be a priest. He was ordained the autumn before the War of the Cross, requesting a post in Eisen to "win back the lost". In less than a year, his post spiralled into horror, and he went from delivering reconciliation and unity to last rites. He found the resolve to hang onto his sanity, though, serving as comfort for those around him.

In time, he realized the war was pointless, a stalemate, and personally appealed to the Imperator and several Objectionist leaders to find some way for peace, but no one listened. Discouraged, he returned to Vodacce for the first time in 15 years. He was haunted by the war, and became an avid reader to keep himself busy. Learning history comforted him and let him forget his troubles, and his work as a historian got him promoted, eventually all the way to Cardinal. His distaste for war and knowledge of history have proven very useful, though recently he has begun to suffer from senility. He is lost in the past, confusing the people around him with people he once knew, and he is not aware that the Hierophant is dead or that the War of the Cross is over. He still has occasional great insights, but rumor has it that people are hunting for his replacement.

Cardinal Christina is a woman of immense administrative talent. She began as a priest in La Sierra del Hierro, and her congregation seemed unenthused and bound for obscurity. However, within two years, Christina's Monsignor sent a letter to the Bishop of the diocese - apparently, the little do-nothing church had turned into a powerhouse for charity, been completely repaired and was even expanding. All thanks to Madre Christina. Her energy and talent for organization began to be used on a larger scale, finding a replacement at home and becoming an aide to the Bishop. When he retired, she was his chosen successor, and the Monsignors agreed. She worked tirelessly for her diocese, gaining much fame for her dedication. Eleven years later, her Cardinal took ill. She took over his workload, maintaining the Archdiocese easily, and when he died a year later, it was only natural to keep her on as interim management before the new Cardinal was elected. Which turned out to be her. She's held the post for thirteen years, and is also one of Castille's most capable administrators.

Cardinal Michel Durand del Falisci was the second son of a Merchant Prince, and he had little desire for secular power. He was a poor soldier and tired of merchant business - and so he turned to the Church. He graduated Dionna University at 19 and joined the priesthood. His elder brother died shortly after, but he'd already lost interest in being Prince. He handed the family to his younger brother, Donello, and continued his work. With a brother as a Prince and Scarovese as an ancestor, he proved a capable politician within the Church, and he was of course personally charming. He was Bishop by 24 and Cardinal by 26. That was two years ago. The last Cardinal objected strongly to excommunicating the entire nation of Montaigne, and when it was done anyway, he resigned in protest. Donello used his influence to get Michel elected...and the last Cardinal left a letter for him, asking him to bring Montaigne back into the fold. Michel has sworn to do so. It's turned out to be a bit more than he can handle. L'Empereur has ignored his letters, and all attempts at compromise - including measures like absolving the royal family of the sin of sorcery in perpetuity - have been rejected. With excommunication already used, there's no way to threaten l'Empereur, either. He has little to offer the wealthy nation, and he's trying to do politics in a land he doesn't understand. He's going to need a miracle. Fortunately, he's now in the business of miracles. He has been working closely with Cardinal Erika Durkheim, who has recently given him some potentially very damaging information on l'Empereur. Only time will tell if it turns out to be useful. Outside of his work with Montaigne, he has few interests. He's stopped going to many of his brother's parties since becoming Cardinal, though the two remain close, and has ceased his once frequent hunting trips. He wants to marry, but no Church official would ever marry a sorcerer...which means he's not got many eligible noblewomen to choose from.

Cardinal Carousa della Spada Lucani is a passionate man, but not a very skilled politician, at least by Vodacce standards. Fortunately, he's also honest with himself about that. Rather than get involved in the Great Game and likely die, he chose to enter the Church. His two elder brothers rejoiced - one less person to share inheritance with. He rose steadily in the ranks, becoming Monsignor in five years and Bishop three years after that. Church politics were much more straightforward than noble ones, and his charisma and intellect were enough to win him the friends he needed to advance. However, they'd also bring him trouble. Carouso had always suffered from nightmares, seeing strange men in hoods and masks committing foul acts. He'd spoken to confessors, but it never helped. After becoming Bishop, the dreams changed. Now, the men spoke to him. He could never remember what they said - only that it made lots of sense at the time. He began writing philosophical papers and suggesting radical changes during Church meetings. He'd always held such ideas, but only recently became able to express them. The new behavior won him little favor with his superiors, but attracted a following of younger priests.

He advocated loosening restrictions on Crescent trade, revived discussion of some of Lieber's less radical ideas and pushed for the Church to be more politically active in Montaigne. He'd later be a big proponent of l'Empereur's excommunication. He remained a bishop for 34 years thanks to his ideas stalling advancement, under three different Cardinals. In 1662, though, there was no strong opposition to him, and he became Cardinal. In the six years since, his ideas have grown more radical, proposing changes to fundamental Church principles and even quesitoning the validity of the Vigils. He's just this side of heresy, but has had several arguments with Verdugo, and many believe he's on the Inquisition's hit list. Carouso honestly believes Verdugo is wrong, and he knows Verdugo wants to be Hierophant - a seat he also desires. He is still devoted to the Lucani family. His wife Donna died four years ago, and none of his two sons or three daughters has joined the Church. In recent years, his dreams are even more troubling - a single phrase is the focus: the figures turn to him, hands full of blood, and tell him 'This, son, this is your legacy.' He's told no one about this.

Cardinal Beppo Mueso is corrupt. He personifies most of the faults Lieber attacked, selling indulgences to sorcerers, meddling in politics and being completely unconcerned with providing a good example. None of this comes from evil or a desire to undermine the church - he's just lazy. He was the only child of struggling merchants on Bernoulli's isle, and entered the priesthood because it was easier than trying to follow his parents. He was smart, so he didn't have to study too hard, and spent his free time with jennys, gamblers and drunks. He didn't stop after being ordained, and quickly learned that people would be very generous if he promised spiritual rewards. When a Fate Witch offered him half a year's profits from her family's vineyard in exchange for absolution, he knew he'd chosen the right profession. He advanced in rank via blackmail and spies, and made Cardinal by 35. He's had no desire to expand his influence, though - he's content with the slice of Vodacce he's in charge of, which meets his needs and desires. To worry about the rest of the world would be a waste of energy...or so he thought, anyway. Five years ago, the Vendel League contacted him, seeking to improve relations with the Church. Mueso, unlike many Cardinals, was happy to take them up on their invitation, visiting the city of Vasteras. His every whim was catered to, and in a moment of weakness he revealed many secrets - both about the Church and the Merchant Princes. The League began regular correspondence with him, and provided many bribes for information he'd pass along. No one is fooled by his claim that the gifts are from converts, but they don't want to expose him thanks to his blackmail material and the risk of scandal. He is an ardent supporter of the Inquisition...so long as they ignore him, anyway.

Now, we're on to less ranking Vaticines. Knight Inquisitor Bishop Corantin d'Crus is the descendant of a Montaigne nobleman who was disinherited due to joining the Church when he was the sole inheritor. He's known since youth that he, too, wanted to be a priest. It was at university that he learned about the Inquisition and was fascinated by their message. He'd always despised his sorcerous heritage, and when he joined the Church, he got his parents to help him land an Inquisitor's position. He ruthlessly hunted down rogue mages, gathering more successes than any other agent in Montaigne. When Verdugo ordered the attack on King Léon, he was a natural choice as leader of Church forces. He managed to paralyze the nation's politics with a few key victories, then moved to capture Charouse. Montegue robbed him of victory, however. Now, he continues to operate in Montaigne as the leader of Inquisition activity there. He's one of the few Bishops still around, though it's a purely ceremonial title. He's still trying to bring down l'Empereur by any means necessary, and hates the man not just because of his sorcery, but because one of the missing Bishops is his younger sister, Martine d'Crus. If she died and he learned of it, he would be a worse foe than Legion itself. He will do anything to serve his goals, and his only deviation from Inquisition dogma is that he has no special hatred of scholars and has no real desire to harm them, believing the Third Prophet would want them to continue their work.

Yves Drossin was once a criminal, but he has seen the light. Now, he serves as bodyguard to Cardinal Tomás Balcones. His family line has always been trouble in Montaigne. His grandfather Acel was an anti-noble activist, who got hanged. His father Louvel was a smuggler killed by a mutiny. He lacked their intellect, and became a simple thug. His favorite work was as an enforcer for Vicq Rousselot, a shifty noble who dealt in illegal sales of Syrneth artifacts. He broke limbs, burned homes and more, and was well paid for it...but he lacked restraint in spending, so he was often destitute. Rousselot, while a good employer, was not careful enough. A team of mercenaries broke into his mansion and killed him. Drossin vowed to kill those responsible, and eventually, the chain of bodies seemed to lead to Martinus Caligari, a distant cousin of Prince Caligari. He was impressed by Drossin's determination, appealing to Drossin's twisted sense of loyalty to try and get him to stop. When that didn't work, he offered money, which did. He went from brutish to cruel and vicious under Caligari, and found it very easy to kill. He even spent a while aboard the Crimson Roger, and became an alcoholic, which did little to improve his temper. When Montaigne invaded Castille, he was beyond caring...but the Caligaris sent him there to help smuggle artifacts. Unfortunately, they weren't ready for Los Vagos, who captured Drossin and handed him to the Inquisition.

There, Drossin's will was broken. He told all he knew and was left to rot in the dungeons. He was forgotten for months, until the evening of La Noche Divinos, when he was visited by Cardinal Balcones. The Cardinal customarily visited prisoners on the holiday, after all. He listened to Drossin and spoke to him kindly, offering him forgiveness. This was foreign to the man, and he tearfully accepted the Vaticine faith. The Cardinal was moved, and continue to visit him. They became friends, and Balcones offered him a job, since he knew Drossin was socially untrained to deal with the normal world. Thus, Drossin became a Cardinal's bodyguard. He is enamored with polite society and loves fancy clothes, which can often be comical, since he's not very good at etiquette and is very large.

Richard Kailean is the Church's foremost authority on White Plague. He's obsessed with finding a cure, and has vowed to do anything required to find it, no matter the cost. He is a Highlander who grew up in one of Kirkwall's few Vaticine neighborhoods. He spent a lot of time in the library, enduring the taunts of the Objectionist children, and his parents saved up to send him to la Universidad de San Angelo, where they knew he would prosper. He didn't disappoint. By the end of his first semester, his teachers expected great things. He chose medicine as his specialty, and by his third year he was actually serving as an assistant instructor. He graduated early and got a full scholarship to le Grand Université in Montaigne to expand his studies. He began taking a certain leaf from the Crescent Empire as a stimulant to allow himself more time to study. He learned non-Vaticine traditions in Montaigne, and his love for science overruled his problems of faith. After five years, he discovered that some quality of citrus helped prevent scurvy, and began his first inquiries into White Plague. He was soon invited to Dionna University to help study it.

In no time, he was lead researcher. There, he was shocked by some of the experiments the Villanovas were willing to fund, such as injecting condemned prisoners with the white sweat of the early stages of White Plague. However, a colleague told him: "Dramatic results regularly require dramatic actions." It has become his motto. He eventually realized he could make no progress unless he could study the disease in the field, and contacted the Knights of the Rose and Cross to try and share knowledge. He learned little of use, but while he was with them, there was a brief outbreak of Plague. To his frustration, he couldn't study it easily before it moved on to some other random location. One dissection proved quite interesting, though - secretly using a new device, the microscope, he found that White Plague was not a cellular organism, and was not biological in origin. He has acquired a team of scientists with Church backing to help him - including Don Petrigai of the Invisible College. They have realized that the Plague spreads through the blood like sorcerous poison, and that something might be controlling the outbreaks. He wants to warn the Church, but Petrigai won't have it - it'd alert the controllers. He explained that and his allegiances to Kailean, and they are now hunting for the disease's controllers.

Father Giuseppe Marco once wanted to be an explorer and missionary, but unfortunately suffered from severe seasickness. He could only travel on land. There were few places for a missionary in "civilized" Théah, and he was turned down when he asked to visit the Crescent Empire...so he turned his eyes to Ussura. He spent his first years learning the language and culture, studying Orthodoxy in depth and looking for arguments that might sway the people to the Vaticine faith. While many foreigners in Pavtlow were happy to see him, he found few converts among Ussurans. He decided to head into the wilds to see if he'd have more luck. He didn't. He ran into a rainstorm mere days from the city and found himself stuck in mud and with waterlogged supplies. Four days later, he realized he'd have to go back to resupply...and as he turned around, the storm broke. When he told the story later, the people he told it to laughed and told him that Matuhska didn't want outsiders, especially those who'd stir up trouble. He went to Matushka's shrine in the city and prayed to her, asking for permission to speak to her people and spread the message of Theus.

In the shrine, he fell asleep and had a dream of two figures - one bathed in light and one covered in snow. The snow-covered one turned to him and told him she'd allow him to speak to her children...but only if he ate no meat. If he broke that oath, he would die. He agreed, and instantly awoke. In his hand was a knot of hair, perhaps from a horse. He went back to gather supplies, and while he had no money for a horse and cart, he didn't mind. Indeed, he found them right where he'd been stopped before. Thanking Matushka, he headed out to the wilds, and his journey has yet to end. His faith has been strengthened by the years in Ussura, and the debates he's gotten into have made him an excellent speaker. He's converted a number of Ussurans, and now has a regular route among the villages of his 'parish'. The first thing he does on entering a village and the last thing before leaving is to leave an offering at Matushka's shrine. For the last thirty years, she's returned his good faith.

Next time: Non-Vaticines!

Be happy, holy man. You're going to die defendin' yer beliefs.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: Be happy, holy man. You're going to die defendin' yer beliefs.

Apostle Reinn Bergen is next. He's young and idealistic, feeling a need to help guide the changing world. He grew up in Kirk, capital of Vendel. When he was young, a group of Objectionist refugees from Eisen immigrated, and he listened in awe to their stories of the horror of war and the joys of religion. He and his family were soon brought into the Objectionist faith, and the day of his baptism remains his fondest childhood memory. He soon found he could apply his thoughts on the Book of the Prophets to scholarly work, and used his new knowledge to excel in his studies. His teachers thought he was remarkable, especially in his talent for dealing with other children and mediating their feuds. Everyone knew he'd be a clergyman when he grew up, and he didn't disappoint. By his mid-20s, he was married and leading a small church between Kirk and Eskilstuna. He focused on messages of love and forgiveness, as a way to resolve tension between Vendel and Vesten...and while some detractors wanted nothing more than extirmination of the Vesten, many embraced the idea. Word spread, as did membership. At the urging of his wife, Reinn even wrote a small essay on improving relations with the Vesten. Objectionists circulated it amongst themselves, finding many parallels with their struggle with the Vaticine, the Church of Avalon or whatever troubles the locals might have had. Everywhere, it was praised for putting the Prophet's words in clear and concise terms. When the Deacons held an election for Apostle, Bergen got the job by unanimous vote. He moved to Kirk and found that his diplomatic skills got him further involved in city politics than he'd intended. Val Mokk admired his drive, and Boli Kollsson saw something useful in him.

Boli and some mages had been lobbying the Apostles for months to re-examine the First Prophet's condemnation of sorcery, and even donated huge funds to finance the construction of Lieber's Cathedral in Kirk. A few Apostles were impressed by the idea of how many converts they might get if they determined tha the First Prophet was not against all sorcery, but most were adamantly against it. Bergen agreed to study the matter closely and report his findings. The other Apostles appreciated the initiative and voted him Head Apostle six months ago. Since then, he's spent every waking moment studying the Book of the Prophets and various interpretations of it, from Mathias Lieber to Ussuran Orthodox interpretations. His findings remain inconclusive. He knows whateever he learns will affect Objectionist policy for decades, if not centuries, and a hasty decision cannot be made. He remains enthusiastic about the project, and believes that Theus will ultimately guide him to the right decision, no matter how long it takes.



Then there's Patriach Iurii the Benevolent. He is seen as a father figure for many of the Ussuran people, much as Matushka is a mother figure. He's been Patriarch for two generations, and he also looks like Santa. Before he was Patriarch, he was Iurii Zheltonos, a mere devout farmer content to live a simple existence. One day, as he toiled, he had a horrible vision. The earth began to bleed and the sun disappeared behind clouds of smoke. A voice boomed down from the heavens, telling him that Ussura would face a spiritual test and he was needed to see it through. He feel to the earth, his destiny clear in his mind. The images vanished, and all was as it had been. In two weeks, he sold all his land and joined the priesthood. Because he wasn't married, he decided to enter the monastic life, becoming a monk. He learned to read and write in many languages, and proved to be an excellent mathematician, but his true passion lay in studying prophecies. Eventually, prayer and fasting led him to believe that Legion's Prophet would attempt to come in his lifetime, and he had to make the people ready. His passion saw him to becoming abbott before thirty and bishop before thirty-five. He calculated world events, hunting for any sign that his vision would come to pass. After becoming a bishop, his perspective changed, and rather than look without, he looked within, and for the first time saw the cold maneuverings in his own nation's politics.

Iurii felt called to his people in a new way, and began to actively participate in their lives. He took time to talk with them, listen to children and help the poor. He never had a family of his own, and his bond to the young is the strongest of all. He could see that their elders often ignored their innocence, so he took special pains to listen to them, and even made toys for them in his spare time and oh my god he's Santa . When word spread, he became called the Benevolent, and he considers that his greatest title. When he rose ot the Patriarchy, he divided his energies between caring for his people and searching for signs of Legion's Prophet. His fear is echoed in the masses delivered by priests across the land, and at his word, groups of men and women were sent out to destroy any indication of the Coming. Every day of safety is proof that they have succeeded. It's been forty years now, and the more frightened and xenophobic the people become, the more they look to Iurii as their spiritual leader. He's one of the most beloved figures in Ussura's history, and if he didn't have his people's best interests at heart, he could be very dangerous.

Feyyed al-Mutarjim El Mumtaz is the son of a woman who died in childbirth. He was raised by his father Hazim, master of the Crescent style called Daphan. Hazim raised his son as an apprentice, always on the move, teaching others the way of the sword. It was hard and lonely or Feyyed, whose only friends were his blades and his books. He practiced ever day, developing great skill. At 14, his father died defending an employer from religious fanatics, stopping a coup at the cost of his own life. The sultan, Aban Akram Abdul-Bari, was so grateful he funded Feyyed's education. His instructor, Abbas, was very impressed, and the two became close, with Feyyed referred to him as "Amm", or Uncle. Feyyed proved a natural linguist, mastering every language in the world by seventeen. The sultan sent him out on trading caravans as a translator, which Feyyed agreed to if Abbas could come with him. The two saw many places and events, but Feyyed did not understand the secrecy with which trade was carried out. At last he understood that the Vaticine had put restrictions in, and to disobey the Church was to disobey the Creator. In his studies, he had learned much about the Church, of how it revered many prophets and that it believed killing Crescents was part of a holy crusade. Feyyed had grown to dislike it from his distance, and held religion in low regard in general thanks to his father's death.

His life as a translator ended at 25. He sailed for Sousdal, in Ussura, but was stopped by a pirate named Muthadi Sha'ban - a notorious member of the Corsairs. The brigands had little trouble boarding, but the crew put up a fierce fight. Muhtadi himself joined, telling every man he killed that they were sinners for bringing goods to the infidels who did not recognize the Second Prophet. He killed Abbas - and Feyyed shredded him, slaughtering almost the entire pirate crew before being shot in the back. A week later, he found himself awakened by a pretty young woman named Sasha and an Orthodox priest named Ulrich. They felt indebted to him for killing Muhtadi, and took care of him until he recovered and took a position as a trainer for the Sousdal guards. Feyyed was mystified by Sasha, and he quickly fell in love with her...but they could not marry, for he was not Orthodox. His love proved stronger than his mistrust, though, and he approached Ulrich to convert. He excelled in his studies of scripture, but Ulrich could see that he did not feel the spiritual truth behind it. No matter what he tried, he could not reach Feyyed. Only a tragedy could do that. Four Crescent pirate ships attacked Sousdal, flying Corsair colors. They wanted revenge for Muhtadi, and while the fighting was fierce, Feyyed's trained guards got them to retreat...but many died, including Sasha. Feyyed's griefn early destroyed him. His father and his lover were both lost to fanatics. He stormed the cathedral in the main square, demanding answers from Theus...and at the height of his anger, he began to think about scripture. He fell to his knees, praying for guidance. A voice seemed to speak to him, telling him to use his sword to end the evil of the world. Feyyed made a sacred oath, and for the first time since childhood, found peace. Now he roams wherever Theus calls him, always arriving in the midst of some crisis to help those in need. Unlike those he fights, though, he is no zealot - his faith is a private one, and that is how he plans to keep it.

Then there's Lord Peter des Roches, Archbishop of Kirkenwood. He was just a Monsignor when the ACt of Supremacy was passed, and was quite pleased with the seperation from the Hierophant. He'd always felt the mainland had too much control over Avalon, after all, and he was an ardent supporter of Cardinal Guilbert. When the Bishop above him resigned to move to Montaigne and rejoin the Vaticine, Peter was rewarded with the man's job. Under his leadership, the whole diocese ended up excited about the new Church of Avalon. He was in the middle of everything as the Church established its own identity. He remained at Guilbert's side after the man became Archbishop, but he was no flunky. He spoke his mind and was quickly recognized as a leader of the pro-reform faction. During hte reign of Iron Margaret, Guilbert died of old age, and Peter had a lot of support on the Bishops' Council. He carried the vote and became the new Archbishop...though under Margaret, that wasn't an enviable job. She was trying to increase her control over the Church, and Peter had different ideas, believing the Church must remain seperate from the government. To blur the lines invited corruption. He used the Second Vigil heavily, quoting the story of the Prophet throwing the moneylenders out of the temple, but it didn't stop Margaret. In 1654, though, she died...and the country was thrown into chaos.

Peter saw it as his job to maintain order, using the powers the Queen had given the priesthood to mediate disputes and aid who he could. However, the ideals of the Church were no match for the Dukes' ambitions. He wrote in a letter to a friend that he felt like the mother of too many active boys, trying to keep them all under control. When Elaine appeared, he saw her as the best way to end the civil war, and threw his support behind her, along with the Church. This calmed many of those wary of Sidhe gifts, and he was one of the first to drink of the Graal. He's never regretted it or been disloyal. He is now in his early seventies, and while his mind is strong, his body is failing him. He says he doesn't expect to see another spring and has begun to put his affairs in order, naming Bishop William of Breg as his choice for successor.

Onto mechanics! We get the Guardian Angel knack, which allows you to spend Drama dice to force your foes to reroll attacks against you or reroll defenses against traps or environmental hazards. It's quite handy! There are also the rules for being a member of the Church Guard. They serve as personal protection for Vaticine priests as well as protection for the Church's holdings. They must be well presented, silent and still when on duty. They learn to use the halberd (since the Church has not really adapted to the end of the Age of Chivalry) as well as grappling, for situations when the halberd would be less effective. They wore blue and black, much as the first Guards did when Antone formed them, but now wear a light robe that resembles a priest's vestments. They must have Wits and Resolve of at least 2, must know either Rossini Halberd fighting or Swords of Solomon fencing and must have the Wrestling skill. They need Rank 3 in either Attack (Fencing) and Parry (Fencing) or Attack (Polearm) and Parry (Polearm), and must take a Vow of at least two points to defend the Vaticine Church. Church Guard are expected to defend the Vaticine from its enemies and obey all orders from their superiors, as well as obey all Church edicts as though they were law. They get room and board paid for as well as all equipment, may claim sanctuaryi n any Church building and are effectively immune to secular prosecution in any nation that respects Church law. They may access any and all Vaticine resources, included restricted areas, and may request assistance from the other Guards in time of need.

You can also take the Patron Saint advantage! I'll just show you the chart of what a Saint gives, but you only keep the advantage as long as you honor the saint with pilgrimages and/or donations.



You could also take a Personal Relic, which gives you a bonus die to any roll once a scene, or twice if you have Faith. If you ever lose your relic, though, you are at -1 Resolve until it's recovered or replaced. Anyway. Swordsman schools! The Monastic Order of Avalon Fighting School is also known as the Friars school or the Rogues of the Cross school. The Friars are an order of monks originating in Montaigne. Originally, they were some monks who specialized in protecting the poor in ways that would often get people seeking vengeance...so they'd end up fighting, and often humiliated their foes and attracted crowds deliberately, even incorporating impromptu sermons into the fights. They were driven out of Montaigne when seven of them were locked into their monastery as it burned to the ground, thansk to the du Rosemonde family being insulted by them on several occasions. The Friars have no proof, but they believe the family was responsible. They fled to Inismore when they realized they lacked evidence and set up a new monastery. They travelled the land, doing good works and fighting criminals, all while being priests. Most of them were thought to be working with Robin Goodfellow, and many sooon came, seeking to join the Rogues of the Cross. They soon found their ties stronger with the locals than the Hierophant, and joined the Church of Avalon when it formed.

Friars usually fight with what's at hand, though they can use swords and clubs...if not quite as intended. They often wear a fighting girdle which lets them use a move called "The Strands of Theus", in which a Friar lets the foe get within his guard, and then goes on the offensive and disarms or knocks out the enemy. It works well for fistfights, but the armor is no real protection against swords. Friars rarely kill, and that along with their general inability to stand against sharp weapons for long is their big weakness. They are naturally not members of the Swordsmen, and to learn the school you must have the Ordained advantage. Apprentices get a free Raise on all Pugilism rolls, and any time during a fight in which the Friar's hit at least three times - either one person or many - he may spend a Drama die to add one point to his Reputation. There must be at least two witnesses beisdes the party and the enemy, though. Journeymen learn to fight with whatever is at hand without breaking it, allowing them to treat improvised weapons as normal instead of breaking when 10s are rolled. Masters get even better, getting a free Raise to all attacks with an improvised weapon. They also learn the Strands of Theus technique. The Friar may lure a foe into striking the spot armored by the fighting girdle, and if his Active Defense beats the foe's attack, then his TN to hit on the next attack is 10, no matter what the foe's TN to be hit is. If he doesn't attack by the end of the round or he changes opponents, the bonus is lost. You need the girdle to use the technique.

The Rossini Halberdier school was developed as an alternative to the Solomons chool for the Church Guard. It uses the halberd, which went out of style some time ago. The Church Guard still use them for formal ceremonies and learn how to use them effectively. The weakness of the school is simple: if you get inside the halberd's reach, it's very weak. Also, the Guard learn to fight while causing minimal injury, which can hamper them against serious foes. They are not members of the Swordsman's Guild, of course, on account of using Halberds and being Church-exclusive. Apprentices learn to guard others, and may use their Parry knack or any of their Swordsman knacks against anyone attacking a person within 10 feet without any penalties. Journeymen learn to ancticipate attacks. Once per round, they may use an Interrupt action to parry an attack with only one action die, rather than the normal two. Masters learn to move with incredible speed, and when using Parry (Polearm) as their passive defense, they increase their TN to be hit by 10.

Then there's the Swords of Solomon school It was created by Solomon Antone in 609, when Carleman was crowned High Imperator. The style was designed based on Antone's time in Cathay, and uses his unique Serpent Swords of Solomon. The Serpent Swords are 2k2 swords, but the TN to break them is 10 higher than normal because they are HANZO STEEL. No, really. They are claymores forged with folded Castillian steel in Cathayan fashion, forming a dark, serpentine shape in the center of the blade. The Guards also use a shield to protect their charges while using the serpent swords. Few Swordsmen learn how to fight against a full shield or how to fight together, but Swords of Solomon fight in groups of three. Their weakness is that they focus on defending others over themselves, and when alone are rather less capable. They are not Swordsmen, because they are Church-exclusive.

Apprentices learn to escort and protect - both priests and prisoners. When using a shield, they add 3 to their passive defense, as they keep an eye on more than one target at a time. They also have no off-hand penalty to shields. At Journeyman level, they learn to fight alongside their brethren. The Guards form up back to back and hunch low, covering each other with their shields and with the charge at their center. When a group of three or more Church Guards fight together, they focus on the targets in front of them, leaving their brothers to watch the sides. Each Guard gets an extra action in combat, on phase 5, which is usually used to move the person they're guarding. Masters of the Swords of Solomon learn the deepest secret of the serpent swords, and may add 5 to the total of any roll made with them - attack, damage, parry and any swordsman knacks.

Next time: What is Theus?

It better be down there, or ye can start giving yerself Last Rites.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

Got some bad news for you, man...

7th Sea: It better be down there, or ye can start giving yerself Last Rites.

We'll skip the Inquisition mechanics; there's nothing new there. We get some essays on why you might want to play a priest and how to play someone with faith in a religion. We also get a list of new ideas for what to do with the Faith advantage. For example, perhaps they can sense Arcana, if not precisely. Or maybe common people can sense Faith are are more willing to help people who have it. Or perhaps Faith can be used as a background, much like Vow or Moment of Awe. Or maybe PCs with Faith are more likely to have their prayers answered if doing so doesn't require a miracle, though if you do this the book says to be very sure you keep it secret. Or maybe Faith helps with the Repartee system.


No, I'm not sure what those drawings are.

Now, what is Theus? The book claims not to provide a definitive answer, but rather a list of potential answers. The GM should pick one they like! But...well, let's just look at the answers. The first, is Theus Created Man In His Own Image and suggests that Theus is exactly what the Prophets said: a god who cares for and aids humanity like a father. The second is Man Created Theus In His Own Image , and suggests that Theus was procued as the ultimate manifestation of human magic, the force of will. So God was made by belief and now exists as the best hope to stop the Syrneth threat. The third is Theus Created Everything...And Then Abandoned It , presenting Theus as a Deist's god - interested in setting up the mechanics of the universe and then leaving it completely alone. Or maybe you like Theus Created Everything...And Keeps Tinkering With It , which presents God as a guy who causes changes just to see how people will react, because he's a grand experimenter. Or maybe you like Theus Is A Syrneth . If you pick this one, he's a Syrneth race, not a person, and is probably the Thalusai. Or maybe the Syrneth made humanity as part of Theus' plan. Or maybe Theus Is Grumfather and the Vesten were right all along. Or perhaps There Is No Theus and it's all just luck.

But which one does the book support? Well, all of these so far have gotten a single paragraph. The next one gets a page and a half of text: Theus Is A Razhdost. Long ago, the Razhdost created all life. As their creations flourished, they started to disappear, and began to try and save themselves. They failed, time and again. They created the Syrneth races, but still they were dying. Their final conclusion was that they must leave and go to the Beyond, to let their children flourish...but the Thalusai tried to stop them, sure that it would convince the Razhdost to give up all their secrets. The failure was far more spectacular than anyone could expect, and the portal they opened sent unstable energies across the world, shattering the single continent and parting the oceans. Strange magic and alien beings came through the portal, and thousands of Razhdost died in the chaos. The remaining ones prepared a spell to seal the portal and save the world. In order to do it, a few had to go through, risking death in the energies. Fifty leap through - and five made it to the other side. They began to cast the spell that'd seal it from that side as the rest of the race cast it from the normal world. The Syrneth were afraid, though, and believed the Razhdost were trying to destroy them. The Thalusai attacked, killing all but one of the Razhdost on the side of this world: Matushka.

In the Beyond, however, only three of the five Razhdost died to steal the portal. The other two, Seraphia and Ayallah, survived. They wept and grieved, but after a time, Seraphia decided to move on. She found a new world, untouched, and created a home for herself there. Ayallah could not forget. He knew that he would never have the power to open the portal again alone, but he could open a small pool to gaze on the world. He was stunned when he saw the Sidhe, whom he'd never seen before, fighting the Syrneth...and winning. In what seemed the blink of an eye, they sealed the Syrneth behind a great Barrier, locking them away from the world. In their place, a fragile race arose: humanity. Ayallah instantly fell in love with these tiny, weak creatures, for they embodied all that the Razhdost had strived to create. He carefully exercised what power he had to try and show them the right path...but after many human years, he saw a terrible thing.

The humans had made contact with the Syrneth beyond the Barrier, accepting some scraps of power in exchange for helping to free the Bargainers from their prison. He knew he must act. He must find a way to fight sorcery. For forty days and forty nights (in the Beyond, that is) he worked - it was forty years in the human world. Finally, he found a difficult and dangerous solution. He could open the old portal just a fraction, allowing a tiny piece of himself through to be born as a human...but he could only do it three times. A fourth time would unbalance the universe and let the uncontrolled power of the Beyond into the world. He resolved to try, and so the First Prophet was born. Three centuries later, he needed to reinforce his teachings. The Second Prophet was born. Seven hundred years would pass before he was needed again, and the Third Prophet was sent into the world. Now, he bides his time. He must be content to use what little magic he can, favoring his priests and exemplary followers. He is happy to see the number of people working to stop the Barrier from being destroyed, and even happier to see that humans have begun to value goodness and nobility over wealth. Sure, many have been led astray, but at least they know they do wrong. However, sorcery is on the rise again. Philosophers are arguing about whether it's really bad at all. It's clearly time to send another Prophet, especially since the Third Prophet never got to deliver his message. But Ayallah knows that a fourth Prophet will destroy the world even more surely than the Syrneth will. So he waits, hoping that humanity will realize their folly. If it comes to a choice between seeing his children (as he thinks of humanity) destroyed or enslaved to the Syrneth...well, the choice is clear: everyone has to die.

So yeah, you pick the one they thought was canon. Now we get advice on how to run Church campaigns...and then information n the pagan religions! Starting with Legion worship. Most people fear and hate Legion. Some, though, see it as a source of power. These few come together to worship Legion, hoping for some scrap of power. The Hosts, as they are called, are not really a single gorup, and can't compare to the secret societies for resources. Instead, they're usually small cells or even single people or families. They communicate with each other occasionally, but usally hate each other, and have no consistent rituals or beliefs. There are very few sorcerers among them, and common belief is that they have no need to curry favor with Legion - they already have magic. It may also have to do with the fact that most Legion worshippers are middle class - they have enough leisure to pursue the occult, enough ambition to do anything for power and don't have enough power to feel that there's no need to risk their souls. The Hosts are very rare, and it's unlikely to ever meet one, but sometimes the Vaticine gets on a kick about finding them and tortures or kills innocent people on suspicion of being one. This happened a lot after the fall of the Bianco in the 15th century. Their depraved acts and influence terrified everyone, and many were merchants - who knows how far they'd spread their dark arts? A big witch hunt began, lasting until Hierophant Lucia I stopped it and ruled that only a proper trial in front of three priests could convict someone of Legion worship. Cardinal Leonardo Vincenza wrote The Encyclopedia of Demonology and Witchcraft in 1422 to help priests judge these cases, and it's still considered the primary reference on Legion worship.

Despite the lack of organization, there is one group of Legion woershippers who come close to being a secret society: La Caldera, the Cauldron. They are a well-organized and regimented group of Legion-worshippers in Castille, who began during the time of hte Third Prophet. A small group of Crescents escaped the purges and swore vengeance against their oppressors. It was decided the best way to destro the Church was from within, and the founders masqueraded as loyal Vaticines, becoming ordained. However, their numbers were too few to do much damage, so they executed petty plots and bided their time. Some years later, a man came to them with a strange story. He claimed to be the last member of a group called the Agiotage, and told them that they could get vast power from the Syrneth, creatures similar to the Bargainers. They were not familiar with the Syrneth, but knew the story of the Bargain. The man claimed an organization of women was trying to kill him, and he deperately needed to hide in exchange for his secrets. They took the deal. Unfortunately, he died mysteriously three years later, having given them only a few tiny pieces of information...just enough to turn them to Legion worship. They had no idea how to worship Legion, though. They knew how to serve the Bargainers, but not how to contact them. They would need knowledge from existing Legion cults to accomplish their goals. In order to discover and communicate with them, they infilitrated the Inquisition.

After a few centuries, La Caldera ended up developed two unwitted enemies. The first are Die Kreuzritter, who were seeking out and eliminating corrupt priests on the Hierophant's orders. Except for one cell seeking rumors of "The Cauldron", they have not yet realized there is a conspiracy among the priests...which has begun to break down as key members are removed. They also made an enemy of Mathias Lieber, who spoke out against their excesses without realizing what they were. The founders of La Caldera would have seized on Objectionism as a way to destroy the church, but now, its members saw their comfort being threatened. They fought the firestorm of Objectionism, and the Vaticine survived. Indeed, as a result of the accusations, many of La Caldera were defrocked and exiled. Great job, guys . They still exist today, but are very small and restricted almost completely to Castille. They have retained a small presence in the Inquisition, and are at least partially responsible for electing Verdugo, though he is absolutely not a member and would destroy them instantly if he suspected they existed. Most of the cruelest excesses of the Inquisitors are actually under the orders of La Caldera. They have utterly forgotten their original mission and now care only about amassing power and spreading suffering in Legion's name.

Then there's the Syrneth worshippers, who have begun to spring up around Montaigne as more and more archaeological finds are made. They have concluded that the Syrneth resemble the Imperial gods of Numa, and so the Numans worshipped the Syrneth, who started human civilization. Therefore, the First Prophet turned humanity away from the truth, and the Syrneth cult must recover it. They're very bizarre by Théan standards - they're all about individualism and the strength of the individual. Sorcery isn't evil, but a gift from the old gods to help humanity reach its true potential. The Vaticine faith is a conspiracy to keep the people under the control of the Hierophant. The SYrneth were many races, and each attained enlightenment and moved on to the next world. They can be contacted by those close to enlightenment. Their rituals are structured around ancient Numan mystery cults, with seven Circles of enlightenment that members move through. Only the five founders are in the Seventh Circle, while there are twenty Sixth Circle members. The rest hold between ten and a hundred members. (It's not clear what belonging to the First Circle means and no one has a good count of them.) A member moves from one Circle to the next by unanimous vote of the higher Circle. They have excessively theatrical initiation rites held in absolute secrecy, and are then considered members of the new Circle.

All of their rites are done in absolute secrecy, in fact. This is because their research shows that mystery cults did that to limit the number of the enlightened. Second, they knew their views would attract unwelcome attention from the Inquisition and l'Empereur. In truth, the Church and the Musketeers both know about the cult and think they're harmless. They're wrong, though. Two of the Seventh Circle are not Syrneth worshippers: they are Syrneth. They are Thalusai who slipped past the Barrier and are trying to build a powerbase sympathetic to their cause. They arep laying on the dissatisfaction of the Montaigne gentry and attempting to develop a cult of fanatics promoting their agenda, especially in encouraging the use of Sorcery. Many of their rituals involve using Porté in specific places to weaken the Barrier. They also wish to discredit Die Kreuzritter, and they tell anyone who makes it to the Fourth Circle about the Knights, explaining them as the evil secret police of the Hierophant who silence all opposition. The First Circle hear rumors about the high mortality rate of Kippe Academy as evidence of a conspiracy of evil. They don't have enough numbers to do much, and they really are more of a fad than anything, but the Thalusai have high hopes that their agenda will spread so long as l'Empereur remains in power.

There are also the worshippers of the Schattenmann. Most people are afraid of him...but long ago, the barbarian tribes worshipped terrifying deities. As the teachings of Theus spread, all were forgotten...except one. The god of the night, the terrifying god of the Schwarzen Walden. Today, villages on the edge of the forest still perform annual rituals to appease the Schattenmann and keep him away. It seems to work. Some people still remember where these rites come from, and the barbarian worship has been passed down from parent to child for generations. They know that the rites can not just prevent the ire of the gods, but call down their wrath. Even today, certain hunters and woodcutters still worship the Schattenmann. Their worship ceremonies are down at dusk and dawn, when the realms of gods and men touch. They are violent and bloody, involving animal sacrifice and the use of blood to pain mystic symbols. Particularly potent requests involve human sacrifice, tying a person to a Blackwood tree and covering them in sap. When such a person is found by the Schattenmann, they are inevitably killed. Theologically, this cult is very simple: worship calms the gods' wrath and calls it down on their foes. No one can say if the Schattenmann actually cares about them, but they are the only woodcutters who can regularly go into the forest after dark, and it's said they can command kobolds or lesser monsters. That might just be superstition and exaggeration, though.

Now, NPC secrets! Cardinal Balcones is terrified of the Inquisition. He has no idea what their goals and full power are, but he knows that Verdugo is trouble. He despises their attacks on science and secretly aids the Invisible College when he can. He has also developed a crush on Alicia Zaneta de Lazaro, the first female matador. He can't stop thinking about her and can't decide if she is being used by Legion to make him forget his problems or if she is a reminder from Theus that beauty exists everywhere. Cardinal Sergio Bilardo is going senile for a reason. Just before his mind began to slip, he was on the verge of making a very startling announcement. See, he had evidence that die Kreuzritter still existed. They contacted him, and he learned more of the world than he'd expected to. His contact gave him four bags of old letters and documents from the old cathedral in Numa. One of them had some etchings in it of a plaque reported deep below the church. When he pieced the etchings together, they showed a detailed anatomical sketch of a male and female human beside a block of Syrneth text. The tiny picture of a mechanical humanoid at the bottom struck him as either self-portrait or signature...and the shock that blueprints for humanity existed was such that it began to immediately wear on his mind. He decided the plague indicated one of two things. Either the Syrneth had created humanity or they had disappeared by becoming humanity. Either challenged his faith to the breaking point, but he was sure that if all creation was a riddle, this was another part of it. Unfortunately, the more he worked on solving it, the more it destroyed his mind, until one day he no longer had knowledge of his research or the current day. His journals, notes and the etchings are all stored in a trunk in his private chambers.

Cardinal Christina's rise to power was not solely by her own ability. While a priest in the mountains, she ran into los Nublados...and through them, one of Alvara Arciniega's lieutenants. He recognized her ambition as something NOM could make use of. After reporting his find, he began using the resources of Novus Ordum Mundi to help get Christina out of the rural area to a larger stage. They were responsible for the Monsignor's original letter bringing her up, and for her post as assistant to the Bishop. Every time her career took a step forward, she would receive a mysterious unsigned letter telling her how she'd been aided. She can't really be called a NOM agent, thiugh - more a friend who owes them favors. She's repaid many of them with seemingly innocent and unconnected events, and has also tried to keep the Inquisition out of her Archdiocese with limited success. Arciniega expected her to protect his castle, which is why the Inquisitors took him by surprise, but Verdugo had his men in place before she could stop him. This has caused the two to have a lot of arguments. Christina is unaware that Arciniega is a NOM master, but she knows he's part of the Invisible College. She believes her benefactors also sponsor them, and is happy to repay their favors in a way that helps the College. She fears that one day, though, she'll be asked to do something she finds morally questionable, and she's not sure what she'll do.

Cardinal Michel Durand del Falisci has some secrets. He's terrified, for one. He planned to be Cardinal, but not this early. He feels unready for it, and believes his success has been entirely luck and his family name. His true agenda in Montaigne is to either find Cardinal d'Argeneau or prove his death, then find and reconvene the Bishops. He believes that Montaigne can't be reintegrated until a new Cardinal is elected. His brother Donello is helping him, and has stepped up visits to Montaigne, which led to his unfortunate meeting with Lady Jamais Sices du Sices. There has recently been a breakthrough - a small maner of l'Empereur's, which he has supposedly never visited, was recently closed, with all staff dismissed...but supplies are still being sent there. He's sure at least one Bishop is imprisoned there. He has also learned that Imperatrice Morella du Montaigne has foreseen something terrible, and he is sending her secret messages, offering sanctuary in his Archdiocese if she can get there.

Cardinal Carouso della Spada Lucani has no secrets that would significantly damage his career...that he knwos about. The one he doesn't know about would doom him to burn. He has Lorenzo blood from both sides of his family - some twist of fate brought his parents together...and worse, his mother was a Binaco descendent. The nightmares that plague him are the result of his blood trying to break through, bound to the ceremonies worshipping Legion that his ancestors took part in. If he'd been identified early on, he could have been a great force for evil. Fortunately, he chose the Church and the world was mostly spared. However, something about his rise to Bishop and then Cardinal has strengthened the ghosts within him. They now try to corrupt him, pushing him to heresy. His ideas come from deep in his subconscious, where he remembers the whispers of his dreams. He's sure they're his own ideas, though, and his training has allowed him to build arguments to justify them. Whether or not he'll become an unwitting pawn of evil or thwart his own dark heritage is yet to be seen.

Next time: More secrets!

No, but that doesn't really matter, does it? That's the nature of faith.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: No, but that doesn't really matter, does it? That's the nature of faith.

Cardinal Beppo Mueso isn't as lazy as everyone thinks, or as dumb as he seems. His schemes are actually rather complex, and he's working for the Merchant Princes. They know he's passing along information, but it's the information they give him to pass him. He is also working with Verdugo. Verdugo disapproves of his worldly pursuits, but after threatening Mueso, the man just strengthened his ties with the Merchant Princes and offered Verdugo a chance to get some of what he was learning. He's quite selective about what he learns and passes on, keeping the best information for himself, but he shares anything he passes on with the Inquisition. He is beginning to play the Vendel and Vodacce against each other and will ultimately support whichever side benefits him most - and, if he's lucky, he'll find a way to destroy the Inquisition in the process. They threatened him, after all. He's not lazy - just patient.

Knight Inquisitor Corantin d'Cruz is a journeyman Valroux fencer and a half-blood Porté mage, though he has not developed any of his sorcerous powers at all. He can, however, sense blooded items and recently closed portals, which he uses to hunt other mages. He is also a member of the Rilasciare. Several of their spies probed him during his campaign of terror against the nobles, and they offered to work with him. After hearing their agenda, he happily agreed, and has ben working to help overthrow Montaigne for two years. He is neither nice or noble, of course - he inflames peasamnt resentment by allowing them to be punished for helping him, and he'd kill a hundred innocents painfully if it meant ensuring a sorcerer didn't escape. He is completely aware of the unrest in Montaigne, of course, having helped cause it. He provides secret weapons caches to peasants and sometimes rescues prisoners from the nobles. The peasants see him as a champion and overlook his brutality for now. He has no scruples and no restraint, despite his high ideals.

Yves Drossin is very trusting to those kind to him and quite childlike. The reason he stayed alive in the Inquisition's dungeons was because his grandfather, Acel, was one of the most beloved members of the Rilasciare of the past century. His reputation was enough that his son and grandson were considered de facto members whether they wanted it or not. They destroyed the records and documents of his incarceration, and now feel Yves's time has come. They are grooming him to try and assassinate Verdugo, and because he knows his friend Cardinal Balcones dislikes Verdugo, he's okay with the idea. Once he's got proof of Verdugo's evil, he's certain to try and kill the man.

Richard Kailean was crshed when Don Petrigai announces his revelations about the White Plague - the idea that someone else who had not studied it nearly as long as he had could possibly make such strides was devastating. He has hated the man since, and recently came up with a plan for revenge. Once he has the answers he wants, he will personally turn Petrigai to the Inquisition. He will be a hero to the people for developing a cure for White Plague and a hero to the Church for apprehending a known heretic. Until then, he tolerates Petrigai and allows him to continue doing the work of Theus. Father Giuseppe Marco, meanwhile, has no secrets at all. He just likes travelling.

Apostle Reinn Bergen has no personal secrets and has no idea about Boli Kollsson's darker motives. He's in no rush to make a hasty decision, and even if his findings favor Kollsson, he's not sure embracing sorcery will solve anything. Die Kreuzritter and the Rilasciare monitor him from the shadows. Iurii the Benevolent, meanwhile, is completely unaware of the biggest threat to the Orthodoxy: Ilya Grozny. The Gaius' growing insanity has manifested in the form of a plan to kill Iurii and replace him with his personal confessor, Pontiff Grigori Malenkov. If the plot were uncovered, Iurii would condemn him, as would thousands of others, as a servant of Legion, if not Legion's Prophet. However, he currently has not a single clue about the plot's existence. Feyyed is a Daphan Master, which lets act earlier, break weapons when succesfully defending and deal extra damage. He has no secrets, is exactly as honorable as he seems and refuses to break his vows. He is very hard to get close to and his only true friend is a Castillian swordsman named Lis Rafael Dominguez de San Angelo.

Lord Peter des Roches was once an accomplished swordsman and tennis player, though age and palsy have ruined his coordination. He's got few secrets he cares about, but his family has plenty. The de Roches are old Montaigne stock, but their family lands were given to Avalon and then reclaimed by Montaigne. They have become historic retainers of the royal family...and historic traitors. The kings of Montaigne have struck deals with several successive generations of the family, and it became family tradition to sell information to them. When they lost their land, a large branch of the family headed to AValon, professing loyalty, but kept up the family tradition. When Peter was growing up, he was indoctrinated in the tradition, but rejected it completely, choosing to join the Church rather than start a war with his family over it. Their secret remains largely intact, but Bors MacAllister found out about it and confronted Peter. Peter was able to ease MacAllister's suspicions about himself by helping him trap his nephew, head of the des Roches. He would not allow the man to be arrested for treason, but he helped Bors remove his family from any state of influence and keep them from speaking to the Queen. As far as Bors is concerned, the family is a threat still but Peter is fine. His relatives may be rather more upset with him.

And there we are! Next time, we would be doing Tangled Strands, if it weren't another boring adventure book. It is, however, a boring adventure book, so I am skipping it. Which means, at long last, that it is time.

Next time: 7th Sea Almanac: The Montaigne Revolution!

Léon will see the wisdom in our words.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: Léon will see the wisdom in our words.



We begin our book by following Hubert du Gloyure, a nationalist and radical. He is upset about the treatment of the people, and l'Empereur has refused to see him. He comes upon the execution of a soldier for killing a nobleman who beat his wife. He becomes angry and starts shouting before throwing a rock at the executioners. This starts a riot as the crowd attacks the soldiers, overwhelming them. Hubert leads the fight, shouting about justice. The Revolution has begun!

This book is meant to cover the changes to the metaplot over a year and a half. It's official canon, though the book is kind enough to tell us that we can ignore it if we feel like it. We start off with Montaigne. The fall of the Empereur is probably the most important event in recent history. It all began in 1668, with the Castille war dragging on. The army finally captured San Augustin, but El Vago dogged them and the resistance did not crumble as they'd hoped it would. They couldn't capitalize on their victory, and Castille reinforced itself. When Admiral Orduño broke their blockade, they weren't ready for it - and if that wasn't bad enough, General Montegue was abandoning the Ussuran campaign. He'd received a letter telling him that l'Empereur wanted him dead, which was enough to convince him to head home. L'Empereur ordered Montegue to stay out there, but it didn't work. More on that later.

In the middle of it, there was a crisis within the royal family itself. L'Empereur's daughter Dominique went into labor, attended by her servant Anna. It was long and difficult, and the child was stillborn. Dominique survived, but was unable to have any other children. She retired to a country estate to recover, and l'Empereur was enraged. After so many years, he was cheated of an heir again. With Montegue coming home and his bloodline not assured, all his plans were ruined. He almost had his daughter killed, but feared what Montegue would do if he returned to a dead wife. So instead, he turned his rage against his people. New taxes were levied, and harsh edicts laid against the Vaticine who remained. Montaigne was even more oppressed than ever before. In the midst of this, Beatrice Caligari arrived to comfort her sister, the Imperatrice Morella. Two days later, the palace announced that she'd died "suddenly". Rumor had it that it was suicide, and at least the Caligari weren't upset. Rather, they were relieved, because they were afraid of Beatrice's massive Sorte power.

Now, back to Montegue. He was having trouble of his own. He'd received word of his son's death and wanted to return home. He didn't trust any mage enough to bring him there...and the Ussurans weren't about to let him leave. Matushka was willing to let him go, but they had not forgotten the hardships theyd suffered. An army moved to attack, intent on cutting off their retreat. Montegue was ready, though. He made a feint for St. Tremult, diverting the army enough to slip past them, and the Battle of Derevyanniy went by without a single shot fired. The Ussurans continued guerrilla raids, though, striking at scouts and supply lines. They slowed Montegue's retreat considerably...and while his genius might have carried the day then, it was l'Empereur who doomed the army. The Montaigne arrived at Odyesse to find that their ruler had sent saboteurs to sink their fleet. The sea route had been cut off, and Montegue had to continue overland through Eisen. Manby of his officers were Eisen mercenaries, and they refused to march through their native land.

Desertions increased, morale was at a low and by the time Montegue crossed the Eisen border, less than 30000 of his 100000 men remained. Eisen couldn't support the army, of course. They had to forage off a barren land that couldn't feed its normal inhabitants. The first königreich they entered was that of Fauner Pösen, who had no intention of letting them ravage her already overtaxes resources. Her army had already had some problems which we'll get into later, and were ready for a fight to regain their honor. A force of 70000 Eisen met Montegue on the edge of the Salzsumpf swamp, with orders to turn them back at all costs. Caught between Ussura and an Eisen army, he had no choice but to ifght. The army was wiped out, and Montegue along with the 7000 survivors were taken prisoner. Montegue's aide, Karl Steiner, vanished into the swamp in the battle and never reappeared. Fauner placed Montegue in a comfortable but secure estate, attempting to ransom him back to Montaigne in order to get the money to end her economic woes. L'Empereur, to her surprise, refused every ransom demand. Her honor wouldn't let her kill Montegue, but she couldn't release him without restitution - so he remained stuck in a comfortable prison, existing at the whim of his captor.

Word of Montegue's defeat spread quickly in Montaigne. L'Empereur's spokesmen claimed he was dead, though many refused to believe it. The loss of such a beloved soldier was too much to bear, and early signs of a bad harvest meant that many could not even afford bread. Food shortages began, and taxation became worse. The war in Castille showed no sign of ending, and Montegue was not coming to save his people. One last effort was made - Jacob's Political Society, a progressive social club dedicated to equality and reform, drafted a manifesto known as the Commoner's Cause , calling for an end to taxation and improvement of relations with the Vaticine along with an elected parliament to advise l'Empereur. Agents of the Society spread word throughout Charouse that l'Empereur would surely agree. The document's writer, Arnaud Maximilian du Charouse, believed quite strongly that it as true. He was wrong.

L'Empereur refused to even look at the document by any means. Arnaud tried everything, even bribing guards to get into the palace...during which he was warned by the Lightning Guards that if he ever approached the palace again, he'd be arrested. As word spread, hope gave way again to despair. Beneath that despair, though, a deep anger had formed. A fearless, crazed anger, the anger of people with nothing more to lose. It took only a single spark to ignite it: Private Jerome. He was a simple peasant, conscripted and sent off to war. He did well, earning many commendations, and at last an honorable discharge after saving an officer's life. The only problem? The woman he was coming home to marry had already married the nobleman Yanick Bisset du Verre, who beat her often. She endured it for the sake of her family, and also because she had no recourse in the law. Jerome was devastated when he learned of the marriage, and traveled to du Verre's estate fo speak with her. There, he found that she was bruised by the beatings - and without another word, he went to Yanick and shot the man dead.

Jerome was soon subdued and arrested. The trial lasted only two hours, and the death sentence was a matter of course. The judge also declared that he'd be removed to the Charouse courthouse, "where a proper crowd could witness l'Empereur's justice." That was a bad idea. He was still in his uniform, and bore the marks of several beatings on his face and body thanks to his jailers. The crowds were amazed by his look of defiance and pride, nothing like the haggard faces of most peasants. Less than a quarter mile from the palace, someone in the crowd threw a rock at his guards. Then someone else. Then another. The crowd broke into a riot, overwhelming the guards and freeing Jerome. They marched on the courthouse and the Empereur's private holdings as riots broke out across Charouse. The Lightning Guard stopped a crowd trying to get into the Chateau du Soleil, but other places weren't so lucky. By evening, the city was in chaos. Mobs ran the streets, smashing windows and attacking anyone who seemed to be nobility. l'Empereur ordered the Musketeers to fire on the crowds.

Nearly to a man, they refused. Those who didn't were swiftly restrained by their colleagues. They would not massacre starving peasants no matter who gave the order. Léon ordered them disbanded, summoning the army to restore order. It was too late. As news spread, the outlying provinces began to revolt. Mobs of peasants demanded an end to l'Empereur's oppression, angry crowds stormed noble estates, soldiers deserted their posts. In many provinces, the peasants had access to firearms, though none could say how they got them. Rumors of shadowy societies and malcontents with stockpiles of guns circulated. L'Empereur tried to recall the armies from Castille, but they couldn't retreat without suffering terrible casualties. Anarchy descended throughout Montaigne. The bloodshed was terrible at first, with nobles and officials slaughtered by the hundreds. Many fled with their Porté magic, but many others were not so lucky.

Sidebar now on the disposition of the Empereur's family. Three of his daughters, Evelyne, Miriam, and Nicolette, were killed in the early days of Revolution. A fourth, Rosamonde, was captured while attempting to rescue her twin sister Evelyne, and would have died if it weren't for the intervention of her sister, the pirate-adventurer Isabelle. She snatched Rosamonde as she was being led to the executioner, and the two fled about Isabelle's ship, the Wayward Swan. They are the top of the Montaigne government's list of wanted criminals. The last three daughters escaped the country safely or were out of it when the Revolution began. Cherié du Montaigne lives in Castille and has remained in her estate with her husband, Don Aldana, since the Revolution started. She refuses to take any stance. Anne du Montaigne, wife of the Musketeer captain Jean-Marie Rois et Rines, was escorted out of Montaigne by the Musketeers. She lives in Eisen now, in the town of Siegsburg, and leads the Montaigne government-in-exile. The youngest daughter, Dominique, disappeared from her country estate in the early days of Revolution. She hasn't been seen since, and all kinds of rumors surround her. She is last vulnerable politically, thanks to being barren, but many would dearly love to know her whereabouts.

Anyway. The disbanded Musketeers were all that kept the bloodshed in check, often interposing themselves between the mobs and their targets. They held panicked units at bay, disarmed the most bloodthirsty revolutionaries and hunted bandit gangs. Though no longer official, their heroism, regardless of statue, saved countless lives, and probably held the nation together in those early days. It was worst in the capital, with mobs running unchecked in the streets. Not even the army could stop them. A second assault on Chateau du Soleil occcured, and the Lightning Guard couldn't stop it this time. The peasants battered down the gates, but the Lightning Guard were not defenseless. Led by Remy du Montaigne, they killed nearly two hundred revolutionaries before finally retreating.

Sidebar now - one of the legends of the Revolution is the duel between Remy and Jean-Marie Rois et Reines. It took place during the storming of the palace. Jean-Marie had been there when the battle began, seeing his wife to safety and protecting the fleeing servants. When the battle began, he tried to stop it, calling on the Musketeers to control the violence. It didn't work, and they made their way to the courtyard, where Remy and the Lightning Guard were holding the crowd at bay with volley after volley of bullets. Jean-Marie told him to stop - the peasants were retreating. At which point, Remy drew his sword, asking Jean-Marie if he was a traitor, too, and the two began to fight. Jean-Marie would not allow Remy to slaughter those he'd sworn to protect. It was a long and bloody duel, and both men were terribly wounded...until Jean-Marie stumbled on a loose stone. Remy attacked - but before he could slaughter Jean-Marie, the Musketeers blew him away. The Lightning Guard moved to fire on the Musketeers - and the peasants overwhelmed them.

Anyway. The battle gave l'Empereur time to gather himself. He sought out Morella, to get her to help him with her magic...but he found her hanging from a noose. Apparently she preferred to die than help her husband again. Without her, he had no choice but to flee, aided by a band of loyalists. They made it to an Eisen mercenary ship...but the shop never got to its destination. It was marked 'lost at sea' even before its passenger was known. It just vanished. Two weeks after it left Montaigne, l'Empereur's body was found hanging from a tree on the shoreline. No sign of his killers was ever found, though the body was fully clothed and still had all of his personal effects...except the ring belonging to the late Cardinal d'Argeneau.

With l'Empereur gone and the nobles fleeing, the question arose of how to run Montaigne. In many area, it fell into the hands of revolutionary councils, and the government's coffers were looted. The military was gutted, and the Musketeers no longer officially existed. The good news was that the army in Castille was mostly intact, and had repulsed several offensives during the crisis. It fell to Jacob's Political Society and other such social clubs, mostly dominated by the middle-class, to take the reins. The Commoner's Cause had made them national heroes, and they quickly moved to exploit it. Hubert du Gloyure, the unofficial leader of the Society, called for a new government on Octavus 10, 1668. Representatives from every town and province gathered in the PAlace to discuss specifics. Many were farmers or mob leaders, though a few politicians were involved, too. From the start, Jacob's Society dominated the place, using many essays - generally written by Arnaud du Charouse - to sway the people. They spoke idealistically of equality and of a reborn Montaigne. They drew on the Brotherhood of the Coast as the model for their new government - a democratic rule with no need for kings.

On Nonus 7, 1668, Charouse announced the formation of a new Montaigne, led by a Parlement of elected representatives from across the country which would pass laws and formulate policy. At its head was the Council of Eight, an executive committee elected from within the Parlement to set the agenda. The army was reorganized, and a new national seal was made. With Jean-Marie Rois et Reines in exile, the Parlement called on Aristide Baveaux, a Knight of the Rose and Cross, to reform and lead the new Musketeers, which he accepted. The first few months were good. Taxes were repealed, harsh laws overturned and all males over 21 got the right to vote. The Statement of Equality, one of the first edicts issued, declared a series of rights to all citizens. No one could be held in prison without being accused of a crime. The nobles could not just act as they pleased. The Musketeers continued to uphold honor and justice.

Next time: Things stop being so good.

They're taking a prisoner to the Gaol. He's to be executed.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: They're taking a prisoner to the Gaol. He's to be executed.

At first, things seemed great. Montaigne agreed to withdraw from Castille in exchange for annual reparations and the ability to maintain a garrison in Barcino, and the armies came home to a hero's welcome. Sure, the Montaigne archbishops were still missing, and sure, the Council of Eight wasn't all that interested in finding them. (In fact, they didn't want to - some feared that a new Hierophant would lead to more power in Verdugo's hands.) The people, though, were thrilled by the return of the priests and ends of the church taxes. The other issue remained secret to all but a few: negotiations were reopened with Fauner over the return of prisoners. Most of them were secured easily...but the government lacked the funds to buy back Montegue. Fauner wouldn't let him go without adequate compensation, and they just couldn't afford it. Arnaud du Charouse, the Council member in charge of negotiations, decided not to inform the people that Montegue was still alive.

But it was not until spring of 1669 that the real troubles were felt. The Revolution, you see, had cost a lot of money. Coffers were looted and never replenished, the bad harvest continued and taxes weren't coming in as steadily thanks to all the repeals. The Parlement had also begun a number of bold programs for improvements to infrastructure that they just couldn't pay for. Finances got worse and worse, and nothing helped. Borrowing money from Vodacce, selling l'Empereur's possessions, even issuing paper currency didn't help. In fact, the liberte, as the paper note was called, sparked massive inflation. In the meantime, Parlement was split by political squabbles between two groups. The first, La Couronne, or The Crown, were moderates who didn't want rapid change. The second were La Vallée, the Valley, and were idealists who wanted to make Montaigne something new. Many of La Vallée feared a return of monarchy and demanded harsh penalties against royalists. Their voice, over time, would grow louder, and their message change to one of fear.

They had good reason, of course. Though the exiled royals of Siegsburg were in favor of negotiation, many vocal noble emigrants were in favor of violence and assassination. The Council of Eight tried to guide things towards solutions, but were hampered by their own Vallée sympathies. While they tried not to just attack their foes, they fought hard for their goals, and that often meant vilifying their opposition. They lost sight of the practical realities of governance. This all took place over the course of months, and no one noticed it as it was happening. The first serious blow came in Quintus, 1669, when a royalist faction of la Couronne attempted a coup, calling for a new leadership and the instatement of Jean-Marie Rois et Reines and Anne du Montaigne as regents. They thought they had support, but Charouse's people got wind of it and staged a protest outside. The sight of the demonstrators caused many backers to lose confidence and back out of the coup, leaving the Vallée to defeat them and denounce them as traitors, having them arrested. Any tolerance of royalists began to vanish. The ideals of the republic now needed harsher measures. Open support of royalism became illegal, and any nobles remaining in Montaigne faces oppression and abuse. A branch of Musketeers was assigned to defend against insurgents, and the jails began to fill. However, the populace welcomed this, fearing the return of Léon from beyond the grave.

Two months later, a worse attack came. On Bloody Feast Day, Julius 15, royalists in the pay of an exiled noble assassinated Eugene Suchet du Crieux, an idealistic member of the Council of Eight. He was having tea with Aristide Baveaux when a group of armed men stormed the cafe and shot him. Baveaux tried to defend the man and was killed as well. A third target, Jean-Marc Navarre, was saved just in the nick of time from another vicious assault. The country erupted. The Musketeers and the Rose and Cross swore to uncover the conspiracy. The government even threatened war with Wische, believing the government-in-exile to be responsible. They only backed off when Fauner Pösen and Stefan Heilgrund swore to defend Wische - the last thing Montaigne wanted was to reunite Eisen. Councilman Hubert du Gloyure organized a funeral for the assassinated leaders, carefully orchestrating it to "raise public awareness," which translated into enraging the crowd against potential traitors. The funeral ended with the burning of Léon in effigy as a representative of tyranny. Homes of supposed royalists were attacked, and anyone suspected of noble ties was arrested.

In the meantime, the Knights and Musketeers hunted out the assassins, tracking them to an abandoned Dechaine estate. The ringleaders were captured and their followers killed, and the Rose and Cross soon found those who escaped. Less than three weeks after Bloody Feast Day, the entire conspiracy was jailed. The trial brought attention from the whole world, and while the evidence against them was great, the assassins never revealed who hired them. Documents spoke only of a "Kirk connection", and the chief suspects would not speak, even under torture. In the end, they were all sentenced to hang. As they were led to the gallows, they sang pro-Léon songs and swore hideous vengeance on the crowd, saying that they had not been all found. They were torn to pieces before they could be buried, but their words struck a deep chord in the leaders of the Council - especially Arnaud du Charouse, who found himself running things with the death of former unofficial leader Eugune du Crieux.

Arnaud ended up become de facto leader thanks to having been running the day-to-day aspects of government and knowing about what was going on. He was terrified of the idea of more conspirators, especially if they were after him personally, and began drafting new legislation to guard against them. His eloquent speeches passed them through Parlement, and the new laws were harsh. Amnesty for nobles was revoked completely. Sorcery was punishable by death, and thouse harboring sorcerers could be imprisoned indefinitely. A law called Statement 15 created the Committee of National Welfare - a secretive organization with wide powers to hunt enemies of state. This force answered only to the Council and could ignore the law. Moderation gave way to fear, as paranoia about "Léon's thugs" spread. By Corantine, la Couronne was purged from Parlement, either by votes of no-confidence or mobs of angry peasants literally dragging them away. Historians later dubbed this period "the Frenzy."

Paranoia continued to spread, with many arrests made over treason. Some were true royalists, but many were just tempted targets who'd done nothing wrong. The new laws were used as an excuse to settle old scores, and neighbors soon learned to accuse hated rivals as a way to get rid of them. The Committee had agents everywhere, and Arnaud du Charouse himself fanned the flames. Madeline du Chatelaine, a fellow Councilman, was suspected of secret royalist sympathies. During a heated session of Parlement, Arnaud accused her of treachery, and in the trial that followed, dark secrets came to light. Madeline was a sorcerer in pay of some secret conspiracy, took many trips to Carleon through unknown means, perhaps Porté, and was stockpiling weapons. She was found guilty and executed. In response to the threats, executions increased dramatically, and officials worked to expedite trials so that prisoners could not be rescused by Porté-using exiles. Most were killed within 24 hours of conviction, many even more quickly than that. Public executions became standard, and with the advent of la coiffeur, drew great crowds.

Sidebar time! Le coiffeur is the guillotine. On Théah, it had a different name and origin. The Council of Eight, see, had offered a 2000G prize to anyone who could find an effective and humane method of execution en masse. Renny von Gierhart of Eisen proposed a new form of execution, free of human error and offering less pain than hanging or the axe. The subject was put in a wooden stock, and a weighted blade was dropped from a high set of runners to lop off the head in one slice. It could then be quickly reset for more killings. Gierhart called it der Tötenklinge , but Arnaud du Charouse dubbed it 'le coiffeur', the barber, and the nickname caught on.

The Council learned that propaganda was a great tool for swaying the mob, and their theatricality made executions less justice and more carnivals of death. The rest of the world slowly pulled away from Montaigne as the Frenzy grew in power. Avalon withdrew its ambassadors, and Castille and Eisen both heavily criticized the new government. The government-in-exile in Siegsburg became openly hostile, and even Jean-Marie Rois et Reines, one of the greatest supporters of peaceful reconciliation, condemned the Council, saying they had replaced one tyranny with another. The border between Montaigne and Wische became an armed camp, and only the recently-revived Reinhard von Wische's resolve prevented all-out war. By late summer, 1669, Montaigne was controlled by the Committee of National Welfare's paranoia. Few saw the Council of Eight as hatefully as l'Empereur - indeed, they remained heroes to the people. Words like 'liberty' and 'freedom' are still heard, even as they lose them. In the end, it was Montaigne's size and complexity that doomed its utopian dreams. They'd hoped to apply the model of the Brotherhood of the Coast, but the Brotherhood lacked cultural ties and Montaigne's proud sense of identity. It was less than a thousand men, and Montaigne was nearly 30 million. The Brotherhood answered to none, but Montaigne was seen and judged by the whole world. It is not all that surprising that its democracy is collapsing.

We now get an overview of Montaigne politics for whatever period of this year and a half you feel like running the game in. We learn about the government structure - each area has its own prefect, elected every wo years, to oversee operations. A general council assists him and enforces laws, organized watches and so on. Each councilman serves a year before coming up for reelection, and in urban areas the prefect is still called a mayor. In addition, Charouse assigns a political officer to help each prefect. Originally, they were intended to help the people understand the new government; in practice, they are tools of the Committee of National Welfare. They have no official authority, but most have absolute control of their territories, like the nobles of old. The prefects take direction from provincial governors, elected every four years. The governors control the local army units, appoint judges and officials and implement large-scale policy. At the top is Parlement, 400 officials elected from all of the nation. They are divided into various committess and subcommittees, charged with handling specific duties. Each member serves a three-year term. The Council of Eight presides over them and dictates agenda. They declare the order of debate, determine when votes are called and mediate disputes. The Parlement elects them, and they are the effective rulers of Montaigne. Unfortunately, all of this is untried and untested, and while it was created by intellectuals, they had no experience. The resulting system is more ivory-tower than practical. Few Montaignes have the education to understand it, and the average peasant doesn't care. Because of this, the Parlement was rapidly filled by con men, demagogues and illtierates. Local provinces were dominated by hotheads and powermongers, though some towns do work as intended and are actually nice places...but most have fallen to paranoid despotism.

The only part of the government ot remain constant is the Musketeers, who continue to defend the helpless. More details soon. The Committee for National Welfare, meanwhile, is a 200-member organization with immense power. It can command guards, arrest people, overrule local officials and hold the same testimonial weight as a Musketeer. It also answers only to the Council, which in practice means Arnaud du Charouse. It spends most of its efforts on observation and surveillence, hunting for pro-royalists. It is still in its infancy, and it has yet to fully exploit its position...but none can tell how much further it'll go, and whether anyone will stop it. Meanwhile, the army and navy have largely ended up smaller. The officers tended to abandon their posts or resign when the Revolution began, and the Parlement saved it from collapse with reorganization. The Leveque War College was reopened, and the veteran soldiers were promoted to officers. It has little resemblence to the old army, focusing more on defense against guerrillas under Major Gilbertine du Muguet, a member of the Council of Eight. The navy, however, has remained largely the same, though with a new sense of equality. Commoners can now be officers and crewmen get the same tax-exempt status they do. Conscription of citizens (but not foreigners) is illegal, and nobles are subject to the same discipline as everyone else. Admiral Alazais Valoix has remained in command, along with Dominique Leveque d'Aur, who controlled the naval yards.

Life has changed massively under the new regime. The first days were quite pleasant, but paranoia stirred as counterrevolutions threatened. While everyone remains pleasant and smiling on the surface, neighbor suspects neighbor. People speak of freedom and liberty, but they glance over their shoulders, especially in the cities, and keep friends at arms' length. Anyone could be a traitor. Many of the larger cities are basically run by frenzied mobs, controlled by Charouse propaganda. The Council of Eight has instituted an elaborate identification system in Charouse, to help find potential insurgents. Checkpoints are set up at all exits to the city and all major intersections, examining paperwork and inspecting cargo. Failure to produce paperwork is grounds for immediate arrest. There's no room for debate in Montaigne, and those who do not proclaim patriotism are suspect. Royalism is punishable by death, and the definition of "crimes agains the state" varies by official. In some places, treachery is mere theft of bread or failure to utterly hate nobles. Everyone has to watch their words. At least more mundane crimes are still in check, thanks to the Musketeers...except smuggling. There's a lot of smugglers selling abandoned art the nobles left behind, along with Syrneth artifacts and jewels...or smuggling wanted nobles out of Montaigne.

The nobles who escpaed mostly fled to Vendel, Avalon or Vodacce. They initially thought themselves powerless, since they had no assets or holdings...but only the Vodacce are better at politics than the Montaigne, and they have their own problems. Montaigne nobles can spot intrigues none other would see, and have made for excellent courtiers...and then, of course, there's Porté. Porté is much in demand, thanks to its use in navigation, message-carrying, espionage and more. Everyone wants it. Vendel, Vodacce, AValon, everyone. Though not everyone is happy to see the emigrant nobles. Both die Kreuzritter and Sophia's Daughters want to end Porté forever. The Invisible College wants their blood, which too often ends up drying on the guillotines. The emigrants mostly want to return to Montaigne, but have mixed attitudes to the new government. Some advocate war, while others want more peaceful reconciliation. A few just want to go home without having to fear for their lives. Many sympathize with the peasants in theory and were relieved at l'Empereur's death. All, however, are revolted by the Frenzy and it's clear that they won't be going home for a long time.

Most live in Avalon or Vendel, where the governments offer safety and comfort. Some have settled in Vodacce, where their forward-thinking ideas, like female literacy, are making waves. A few are in Castille, taking shelter with Cherie Montaigne de Aldana. Cherie is the only Porté mage in Castille, and refuses to use her power under any circumstances, and they show no signs of causing trouble. There's almost none in Ussura. The largest group, though, is in the Eisen kingdom of Wische. Reinhard recently awakened from his coma, but the rest of the kingdom was a wasteland ruled by bandits, and the nobles soon found that money could buy everything. They bought ruined estates and paid off bandits, and they offered von Wische their support in rebuilding in exchange for his support of them. A day after Parlement formed, they announced a government-in-exile in Siegsburg, centering on Anne du Montaigne.

The nobles left in the nation have suffered a huge change in fortunes. The blood-red hands of a Porté mage are signs of second-class citizenship now. Nobles died freely in the early days, though some were just imprisoned. Whole bloodlines vanished overnight, and the survivors find their futures bleak. Things improved somewhat later, since the government didn't want to condemn all sorcerers out of hand...but they also didn't want sorcerers freely moving about. Early on, a new series of laws were issued to address "the Porté issue." They offered amnesty to those who would renounce sorcery. The wearing of gloves was outlawed, to prevent hiding the Porté gift, and offenders caught using sorcery would suffer loss of the left hand. Licenses were issued to use Porté in certain narrowly defined circumstances, and "reformed" nobles found work as couriers, naval officers and so on. Naturally, many nobles refused, thanks to their beliefs in their own superiority. Some joined the army or Musketeers, but most preferred to flee the country. As the Frenzy began, leniency vanished. New legislation suspended noble rights, allowing them to be jailed without warning if their heritage became known. A new wave of refugees filled the courts of the world, and those who couldn't flee adopted new identities. By the end of 1559, "acceptable" Porté mages were found only in established Musketeers and a few military couriers.

What happened to the Musketeers? Well, when dissolved, the kept their credo: All for one, and one for all. They organized into semi-autonomous units answering only their code of honor. Their heroism is legendary during the Revolution, and one particularly famous story involves a Musketeer and his friends saving a woman trapped in a lighthouse that her crazed neighbors were going to burn. They became Montaigne's hope. Though Jean-Marie Rois et Reines abdicated for political reasons, Aristide Baveaux proved an admirable successor. When the new government reformed them, they merely made a change in their tabard to hold the scales of justice instead of the sun, and changed the oath to swear loyalty to the people, not the king. Beyond that, little changed until the death of Aristide. They thought hte matter settled when the assassins were caught and killed...but during the Frenzy, their status changed. Those in power secretly feared them, believing they might harbor pro-royalist sentiment. They couldn't move openly, though, since the Musketeers were heroes. Instead, Arnaud du Charouse moved to limit their impact, making sure they had no authority over enemies of state cases, instead giving that power to the Committee of National Welfare. Arnaud ensured, thus, that the Musketeers could not interfere. Officially , anyway. Secretly, the Musketeers have been shielding victims, organizing clandestine escapes from prison and thwarting the Committee, with help from the Rose and Cross. Not all of them are against the Frenzy, though - some never got over Baveaux's assassination and hold royalists responsible. Anyway, they operate with near-autonomy and pursue heroism as best they can. Their current captain is Thierry du Lamolle, a quiet man who knows how to keep the order safe...though if the GM likes, the job could belong to an experienced PC.

Next time: Secret Societies and the Revolution.

Has justice itself now become a crime?

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: Has justice itself now become a crime?

The Explorers honestly didn't care much about the Revolution. Their chapterhouses were left alone, largely, and their main loss was in sponsors, but they had more than enough resources to handle it. The members of the society who were Montaigne nobles used it to escape to Avalon, and the rest treat the new government as they would any other. One issue remains for them - like l'Empereur, the new government continues the policy of sealing off the ruins under Montaigne. As such, the Explorers have continued their own policy of evading the guards and breaking into the ruins. Here comes the new boss, same as the old boss. The Invisible College, meanwhile, has been quite friendly with the new government, finding refuge in Montaigne universities and as a result turning a blind eye to the Council of Eight's worst excesses. The Council is quite happy to protect them from the Inquisition as long as they use their intellect for humanitarian pursuits. The price? Well, they had to abandon one of their two safehouses in Montaigne since it was run by a noble. Its sponsor, Camilla Prescaut, fled to Kirk, where she opened a new racetrack and is using it to study the math of probability.

The Knights of the Rose and Cross were not threatened by the Revolution, though they lost a lot of funding. Many patrons, including l'Empereur, were lost. The Knights also took great risks to help certain nobles flee the country and were left much poorer by it. However, they were quite lucky - Aristide Baveaux ended up on the new government's inner circle. As a result, they had a pretty strong voice, though they took care to maintain a certain distance. As problems increased, they distanced themselves further. They protested the "harloting" of Baveaux's funeral by Hubert du Gloyure, and they felt the matter was ended when the killers were hanged. On the surface, the Knights have backed down before the government, but they are secretly preparing to fight the Frenzy. They can't act openly, but are using their connections with the Musketeers to lend the valiant fighters safehouses, forged letters and information. Where they can, they take direct action, but their leadership doesn't want to be discovered doing so - they have no desire to make enemies of the Council. They are maintaining a low profile, to avoid their secrets being discovered.

Die Kreuzritter were quite happy with the Revolution. Their fears about l'Empereur and the spread of Porté ended with the mob. Sorcery has decreased dramatically, the Vaticine has regained lost ground and the new government actively discourages Porté use. They're quite happy. They had little direct involvement, though they did help finish off prominent sorcerers that the mobs missed. They were not discovered in the revolt, and the nobles belonging to them escaped easily, adopting new identities. Since then, they have been focusing on patrolling cities and keeping vigilant. Their other incomplete task is finding the missing officials. Despite Léon's overthrow, they haven't turned up yet, and the Black Crosses need to find either them or evidence of their deaths so that a new Hierophant can be elected. Secretly, their leaders hate the Frenzy, but know it was probably needed. They know the value of sacrifice, after all, and believe it will probably save lives in the long run by keeping Porté from being used.

The Rilasciare, of course, were the prime architects of the Revolution. The two most prominent Montaigne cells, the Historical Gentleman's Club of Paix and Jacob's Society of Charouse took an active hand in it. The Gentleman's Club was on the forefront of the revult and led an assault on le Labyrinthe as the nobles tried to escape. Their leader, a man calling himself "The Axe", claims to have personally killed l'Empereur's daughter Nicolette - a claim which is a horrendous breach of Rilasciare ethics. He serves as the mayor of Paix and has a zero-tolerance policy towards sorcerers. Jacob's Society, meanwhile, was instrumental in forming the new government, and one of its members, Arnaud du Charouse, is pretty much running the country. Their policies shaped Montaigne's new outlook. Other cabals are less cheerful - some disapprove and most believe that thingsh ave gone horribly wrong with the Frenzy. Unfortunately, there is no precedent for punishing an entire cell. Their position renders the Secret Court irrelevant and no one can revoke their membership. Further, no other branhc has ever achieved as much as they have, and even their greatest foes envy them. For better or worse, the Revolution is the Rilasciare's - both the good and the bad.

Sophia's Daughters were appalled by the bloodshed and the execution of Madeline de Chatelaine, but they felt the alternative was worse. The Revolution was a lesser evil. They are not blind to its darker side, though, and some of them took steps to contain the bloodshed...though others encouraged it. Several Daughters died to the mobs, and the vigilance against Porté meant they couldn't always rely on their magic to help it. The Handmaiden of Montaigne, Ysabette du Montaigne, is the nation's most wanted criminal and actively opposes it...and until recently, the government had a Daughter on the Council. Thus, they both support and defy the Revolution. This makes perfect sense to most Daughters - they know the long view always means playing both sides. Their three Scrying pools remain secure, though the estate of Lady Monique du Four has changed hands, and now belongs to a trio of Vaticine priestesses who are all Daughters.

Los Vagos have little direct involvement with Montaigne. The end of the war took a lot of weight off their shoulders, and now they can focus entirely on the Inquisition and other local issues. They only area that continues to affect them is Barcino, which remains in Montaigne hands. Los Vagos can't simply overwhelm the occupiers - it'd start another war - but they have no intention of letting the local garrison rest easy. Several bands under the command of Don Christian Acedo de Lopez del Torres have established safehouses in the area, and El Vago has appeared more than once there. Despite their focus, they are disturbed by the Frenzy, and while no one acts officially, a few of them have lent aid to victims of the Revolution. They have several safehouses in Montaigne and use them for launching points for the occasional daring recues, though they never take precedence over Castillian matters. One member has taken direct action, though: Alexis Dubois du Arrent has begun to act in her homeland, using the power of the Obsidian Mask to attack the orchestrators of the Frenzy and rescue those in need. Tales of Le Fantome Noir , the Black Phantom, float across the land, and many evil-doers are now afraid of the dark. She uses her connections to smuggle people to safety and is looking for allies in Montaigne. She has also used her skill as an artist to capture the horrors of the Frenzy, distributing her sketches to various newspapers and periodicals.

We'll get back to Montaigne in the secrets section. Now, we're going to talk about Vodacce and the New Age of Discovery. That age began in Vodacce, with the Great Game. In 1668, an earthquake destroyed part of Falisci Island, revealing a partially buried keep in the side of the mountain. It once belonged to Carlo Umberto Falisci, a 14th century nobleman who had reportedly had a huge stash of Syrneth artifacts. The Explorers dispatched a team to recover them, but were opposed by Vito "Angel Eyes" Caligari, third cousin of Vincenzo Caligari. The two groups fought a pitched battle in the keep as it feel down around them, and the Explorers ultimately triumphed, getting Falisci's diary and a glass globe containing a mechanical gyroscope. The keep and the rest of its contents, along with Angel Eyes, crashed into the sea in a matter of hours, destroying everything else. The Explorers may have found more than artifacts, though. Tales of a wretched creature, perhaps of Syrneth origin, circulate in the months since the collapse, though the Explorers do not speak of it. Prince Donello Falisci came under pressure from his peers for allowing the Explorers and Caligaris into his province without repurcussions. He doesn't want to appear weak, so he turns his attention to the Great Game, and would soon have more power than he trul wanted.

Giovanni Villanova took advantage of the situation to step up his naval might, sinking at least four Caligari vessels. Villanova learned that Caligari had interest in a section of his property - the Swamp, as it was called. His men were hunting an Explorer named Reginald Coleson there. He never found out why, but he did arrange for the Caligari expedition to be destroyed deep in the Swamp, and personally killed Vincenzo's grand-nephow Antonio. Villanova also began moving against Val Mokk and the Vendel League. They scuttled one of his ships, and he wanted revenge. Spies reported that Val Mokk's adopted nephew, Lome, had docked in Porto Spatia to negotiate with Crescent envoys. Villanova set a scheme into mission, having his emissary Angelina recruit a group of adventurers on the false pretense of capturing a Vendel pirate known as Il Macellaio, the Butcher. Angelina and her dupes then met up with Captain Yngvild Olafssdottir, chartering the Revensj to intercept Lome's ship. The plan went perfectly until the adventurers found out Angelina's true intentions of killing Lome Mokk, and they saved his life. Four nights later, she was fatally poisoned during a dinner at the Villanova estate.

Giovanni changed tactics then, leaking information to Prince Gespucci Bernoulli that the Vendels had interest in Crescent commerce. Bernoulli was furious, seeing it as open war, and he gave strict orders to destroy all League ships his men found, as well as having all ships carry fifteen marines to fight. Bernoulli's son Giuseppe took a fresh interest in his father's affairs and made a sport of raiding Vendel ships - and, secretly, others. Unfortunately, Bernoulli's push against the Vendel never had any effect past the Montaigne fleet, which fired warning shots when the Bernoulli vessels got too close. The Vendel provided much-needed goods to the war effort, and Admiral Valoix would not let them be stopped. To retaliate, Bernoilli supplied Vaticine forces in Castille at massive discounts. Prince Marco Edorardo Vestini was quick to ally himself with Bernoulli, to the surprise of no one - he'd advocated war with Vendel since he came to power. His own ships did much worse than Bernoulli's, but it only strengthened his resolve, despite spreading his resources dangerously thin.

Meanwhile, Prince Alberto Lucani spent the early months focusing on his family, especially his daughter Dahna. He'd begun to court suitors for her, but she hated each of them more than the last, and could not believe her father was considering marrying her off for politics. He could feel her pain, but was utterly unprepared when she told him she hated him, broke several heirlooms and set fire to a closet full of his best clothes. Before he knew what he was doing, he beat her badly, and raged through the net, venting all his furstrations in a single display of massive venom before drinking himself to sleep, shattering a once happy household. In the meantime, Prince Alcide Mondavi was spending his time selling grain to Castille and donating it to Eisen. Many others scoffed at his generosity, but he would have the last laugh.

And Vincenzo Caligari continued to scheme and plot. The deaths of so many relatives in so short a time didn't matter. He expected to outlive them anyway. He was better off without them. He watched Villanova with detached amusment, and when he dined with Cardina Beppo Mueso, the corrupt priest thought it was one of his sons rather than the old man himself. Caligari bribed him with two bags of gold for permission to trade with the Crescents. Shortly thereafter, he received a visit from a pair of Inquisitors, who said that there would be a price: they wanted Captain Allende imprisoned and broken. Caligari knew better than to ask why, and he was happy to do it. Tracking the man down proved difficult, though, and he sent message to Julius Caligari aboard the Crimson Roger, to tell his cousin to notify him immediately of any sightings of the Hanged Man, Allende's ship. He then summoned three of his nieces, all powerful Witches, to follow the pirate's strands. Their talents took them to the port of San FElipe, where they sensed Fate would deliver allende to them. They captured him on Sextus 5.

The Prince locked Allende away in a tower above Reinascineza. The only time he was released from chains was for torture, as Caligari tested many artifacts on his flesh, recording every detail. Allende proved surprisingly strong-willed, and the worse the treatment was, the greater his resolve. Caligari stayed up late into the night, trying to find new ways to break his spirit, but none of his devices were up to the job. Finally, after weeks of abuse, he found a weakness. On Corantine 4, a member of hte Explorers, Jacob Faust, was captured in the mechanical innards of the island. He was hunting for a mysterious "switch" in the bowels of the isle - in truth, a potent watercraft that kept the island from sinking. Caligari was angry that someone else knew of his island's power source, and locked Faust in the tower with Allende, torturing him, as well. To Caligari's surprise, Allende seemed more concerned for his cellmate than his own pain. Elated by this, Caligari used Faust to test the man's resolve, driving Allende to the limits of his will via sympathy. Still, Allende would not be broken. He became friends with Faust, and the two plotted an escape, memorizing the layout of the tower. They vowed they would die before succumbing...but Fate had other plans.

As we know, Allende's crew, led by Jeremiah Berek, had been searching for him. They made their move on Corantine 30, disguising themselves as Inquisitors to get into the tower. Halfway up, the ruse fell apart, as someone recognized a tattoo on one of the pirates' arms. Thinking quickly, the pirates released all of hte prisoners in the tower, but by the time they got to Allende and Faust, the place was barricaded. Faust led them down into the sewers, making his way to the Syrneth ship under the isle. They boarded and activated it, causing the island above to start sinking. Allende took the helm, getting them out as the island fell apart around them, but he was not sure it was worth the cost. At first, Reinascineza's people dismissed the shaking of the city as just another earthquake - but when it became clear the island was sinking, panic gripped them. It brought out the best in some, and the worst in others. Some made sure that their friends, loved ones and even strangers got to safety...but others fended only for themselves. The Caligaris were one such group. Vincenzo ordered his personal yacht filled with as many artifacts as could be carried, and hwile most of his underlings stayed loyal, many fled with valuable treasures. His own family proved the worst thieves, though, raiding secret caches they'd had their eyes on for years. Brother fought brother as their homes were swallowed by the wavews, and the old prince learned who he could truly depend on. In the end, more artifacts sank to the ocean floor than were saved, as well as hundreds of citizens and centuries of history. Thankfully, most escaped the disaster thanks to the heroic efforts of the populace...but the Caligari power base was broken forever.

In the days after the isle's destruction, most the of Caligari tried to regroup on the mainland. The other princes watched them for weakness, and Villanova's forces made the first assault, sending assassins to hunt them down. Bernoulli, Lucani and Vestini soon follwed suit. They formed a tentative alliance to eradicate the Caligari bloodline for good, but none trusted the others. Once the lands were conquered, each planned to claim the majority. Though weak, the Caligari were ready. Vincenzo distributed Syrneth weapons among his loyal relatives, and they proved able to fight back with a vengeance. It soon become clear, though, that they were heavily outnumbered. Vincenzo ordered the family and their technology into hiding, making them the most hunted and dangerous fugitives in centuries. They vowed to endure, choosing their fights with care and regaining the former glory. Vincenzo swore to get his arensall back, piece by piece, and get vengeance on those who struck his family down.

Now we get a brief piece of fiction as Giovanni Villanova stops an assassinm defeating him and complimenting him on not assuming the poisoned wine would do the job. He defeats the killer, tearing open the man's belly and torturing him until the man reveals that Alcide Mondavi sent him. Giovanni then kills him, smiling over his surprise. You see, on Septimus 19, assassins were sent after five of the six remaining princes. Bernoulli's guards stopped one, while Falisci killed another with a bottle of two-hundred-year-old wine. Vestini was warned by the Church, and his dogs killed the assassin sent for him. Villanova, as we see, dueled and killed his would-be killer. Only Lucani fell to the assassin, and then only after making sureh is wife and daughters made it to safety. All eyes turned on the one prince untargetted: Alcide Mondavi. He'd never shown such ambition before. On Septimus 20, his army stormed the Villanova, Lucani and Caligari territories, claiming them for Mondavi. They were aided by elite Eisen mercenaries under the command of Erich Sieger. Most were dumbfounded by the move.

The Vodacce proved fierce guerrillas, though, slowing the advance in the weeks following the first assault. Instead of uniting to defeat Mondavi, the four princes grew paranoid, fighting each other for supremacy. Freelance swordsmen sold their talents to the highest bidder, and osme became very rich...while most were destroyed by the complex schemes of the Princes. After losing so many, the Swordsman's Guild doubled its fee to permit member to operate in Vodacce, but that did little to stop the influx of eager men seeking fortune. By Octavus, Sieger's forces controlled most of what had been Caligari land. A few pockets of resistance along with some Vestini soldier refused to give up, though. On the 17th, Sieger found Caligari's secret fortress - a seemingly ruined castle full of Syrneth defenses. Caligari's traps killed a quarter of his men, but Sieger forced Caligari to flee in the end, and no one has seen him since. Most assume he was killed by bandits.

Next time: Villanova's Worst Day Ever.

My word. I never thought the little scarecrow had it in him. How marvelous.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: My word. I never thought the little scarecrow had it in him. How marvelous.

While Giovanni Villanova was distracted by the Mondavi affair, trouble was brewing at home. His wife had tried to protect her two sons from becoming corrupted by the Villanovas, but in late Decimus they came to her, telling her about how they poisoned an innocent Falisci merchant who had angered their father. They wanted her acclaim. She was shocked, and knew she had failed. Desperately, she tried to explain why what they had done was wrong, and they called her a traitor, the elder of the two slapping her across the face. This sealed their fate. Enraged, she tore them apart with her Sorte magic, leaving them dead on the floor. When she recovered from her fury, she fled the palace in horror, making her way to Juliette's door. The two had hidden their friendship well, and decided it was time to escape Vodacce for good. Meanwhile, Giovanni came home to his dead sons and tracked Valentina to Juliette's home. He confronted them as they prepared their carriage. The sight of them together, the realization that they had deceived him for years grew into a terrible hate.

But he didn't realize that Juliette felt the same hate for him. When Giovanni drew his sword to cut down his wife, Juliette pounced with a dagger, cutting out his eye and scarring his face. Blinded by the pain and the wound, Villanova could not stop them escaping. He hunted throughout Dionna, but Sophia's Daughters got them passage aboard the Santa Cecilia, captained by the valiant Captain Scogna, who took them to Vendel in return for some Sorte-based help. Villanova swore revenge against his women, and in a strange way, he loved them all the more for their deceiving him - they were, after all, the only enemies in the Great Game capable of truly challenging him. It'd make their deaths so much sweeter.

While Villanova struggled with his betrayal as the year began, Mondavi moved to take the entirety of the mainland. Bernoulli called on his Crescent allies to make up for his thinly-spread resources, and got over 200 skilled Crescent warriors. He also appealed to the Church for aid, but they told him they couldn't get involved in a political issue like this. Eventually, he approached Prince Falisci, asking him to petition his brother the Cardinal to help end the conflict. Falisci agreed in return for future favors, and the Church was brought to bear on Primus 30, when the Cardinals threatened Mondavi with excommunication. On Secundus 2, Prince Mondavi's assaults ended as suddenly as they'd begun, thanks both to the threat and the fact that Villanova had paid off Sieger's Eisen mercenaries and told them to go home.

Things in Vodacce are now more tense than they have been for generations. Mondavi and Falisci have ended up the clear winners, dividing up all the Caligari holdings between them. Mondavi also controls a sizable portion of Lucani land, though Villanova has some too. Bernoulli and Vestini managed to hold onto their territories, struggling to recover from their attacks against the Vendel and the Eisen mercenaries. A few minor Lucani nobles still have some land, but the Falisci have claimed the former Lucani island, which has become home to roving gangs and turf wars as a daily matter. Donello Falisci remains a mystery to the other princes - he doesn't seem to want power, but he emerged with his land intact and eve ngrown during the war, as well as a large political chip against the other Princes. Were it not for his brother's intervention, Mondavi might rule Vodacce now. He is content to wait for the next move. Alcide Mondavi, meanwhile, has suddenly become a major player. His coup showed his true cunning, and none dares take him lightly any more. He has massively increased in power and influence, and did not actually care about the threat of excommunication save for the fact that his people would revolt against him if he was.

The other three remaining princes managed to more or less hold their own. Bernoulli gained nothing and lost nothing, and is quite happy to see the Caligari threat to his trade monopoly removed. His politics remain the least dishonest in Vodacce, and he's quite willing to pay huge sums for his family's security, which might include hiring heroes to foil plots. Marco Vestini has focused his own power into the pursuit of justice, and he and Bernoulli represent the best of Vodacce. Vestini mostly wants to ensure the status quo continues, and took some Caligari land only to keep pace with his cousins. On the surface, nothing has changed for Villanova, who maintained his powerbase and continues his plots. However, he is seething for revenge against Valentina and Juliette, and has shifted his attentions towards destroying them above all else. Two princely families have fallen, one never to rise again. Alberto Lucani's family has taken refuge with the Vestinis, but their power is broken. His four daughters are now orphans, and pawns in the Great Game, as they are noble and Sorte-users. Every Prince wants to control them, and if no one can help her, Lucani's widow plans to sell their futures to ensure the family's survival.

The Caligaris are worst off of all, scattered across the continent. Some of them hunt for Vincenzo in the hopes of replacing him and returning to glory, while others turn to him for guidance. He is likely to be a nemesis of any heroes in the area, and he still has agents seeking out Syrneth artifacts. All of his power and secrets will be put to use indiscriminately to regain what was lost. Caligari has nothing to lose, and that makes him very dangerous. Now, let's talk about Cabora and the New Age of Exploration that it's caused. We get a short bit of fiction featuring Hal Magnus and his wife Freyalinda, a Vendel explorer and his Vesten wife. They are the leaders of the ship Iron Heart, which has sailed out to the West...where the barrier preventing travel to the far western seas is gone completely. They have traveled farther than anyone else has ever gone, setting out to find what lies beyond the sunset in this new world.

You see, the sinking of the Caligari island allowed the rise of Cabora. Jacob Faust, meanwhile, discovered a strange set of readings on the Syrneth watercraft that Allende had stolen. It showed a massive barrier in the middle of the ocean, going as far as the eye could see in all directions - up down, north and south. A huge curtain of energy. The waves crashed against it, and it didn't move. All things avoided it. And then he watched as it faded away, completely gone. Slowly, it descended from the sky, and a border of white light could be seen, which sank towards them. It hit the waves - and suddenly, all the local animals panicked. Eventually, the glowing light vanished beneath the sea. Faust realized he'd seen something earthshaking. This barrier must have been why so many ships vanished during the first Age of Exploration, why the people of the world could never go beyond their borders. That barrier was now gone. The western seas were clear, and the globe waited to be discovered. He returned to Carleon as soon as he could and reported to the Explorers.

They immediately went to work. Luckily for them, their three latest projects were nearly ready: ships that could sail for months without need for resupply. As soon as Faust's report was delivered, all three were luanched for the west, along with two other teams. Winter storms prevented progress, but they were safe from assassins and saboteurs. Several crews followed in early 1669, as soon as the rains passed. Once they knew that too many ships had sailed for anyone to destroy or sabotage, the Explorers announced their discoveries. Headmaster Vincent Bernvadore himself wrote a letter to all major governments and several prominent periodicals, revealing that the mystery of the Great Western OCean's impassability was solved. He wrote less about the Explorers' activities, except to note that several ships had been sent some time ago to confirm the report and discover what lies in the frontier.

Reactions were, at best, mixed. Some nations embraced the revelation and vowed to launch expeditions. Others condemned it as folly, sure that no ship traveling west would be seen again. Nevertheless, many nations soon followed the Explorers - the Sea Dogs, the Castillian navy and adventurers found themselves competing to see who could find what lay beyond the Horizon. Activity in the Midnight Archipelago has risen dramatically as vessels stop there for resupply and trade before heading off into the unknown. Pirates have come for the increased traffic, and the Archipelago is even more dangerous than normal. More than 25 ships have sailed out with intent of braving the Great Western Ocean, and everyone waits to see what will happen. Avalon has become very interested in what might be found. The Sidhe don't seem to care one way or the other, but Elaine has thrown her support behind the Explorers, and several Sea Dog crews have headed west. Castille has also expressed a desire to head westward. It's been some time since they sponsored exploration, and they feel the potential wealth is worth the risk. Thanks the reparations owed to Montaigne, any resources might help. Margaretta Orduño, hero of the Montaigne-Castille war, offered to sail west, asking ofr nothing beyond her ship and crew. She hinted at some secret edge over Explorer crews, but would say no more. Many Castillians feel that exploring the west is their duty and birthright, either as partners or rivals of the Explorers, and other ships sailed west with her.

Of course, the Inquisition disagrees. They were livid over the announcement and it support by "heathen" nations as well as the idea of Castille participating. Unfortunately, King Sandoval loves the idea, and while the Church tones down his pro-exploration rhetoric, they don't want to openly oppose him. Inquisitors fighting the navy now would bring down hell on the church and the nation. Castille cannot afford that weakness while recovering from war...but on the other hand, Verdugo never cared about things like that. He has privately declared that the western exploration must be stopped for the sake of all souls in Théah. The Inquisition has mobilized secretly, intending to ensure that no ship ever returns from the Great Western Ocean unless under Inquisition control. They are also going out to convert any heathen peoples discovered, to save their souls. Eisen, meanwhile, has more pressing things to worry about...except for Stefan Heilgrund. His private obsessions drives him to become as involved as he can be. If a new age is coming, after all, he intends to be a part of it. It might give him an edge back home.

The Montaigne are too busy to worry about the race westward. Their only interest is to prevent nobles from fleeing west, lest they find some source of power and return as conquerors. Other than that, they'll care when the new age actually starts. Ussura has traditionally stayed out of international politics, and in most cases the Knias Douma would not involve themselves in the Western seas...except that Matushka wants them to. Several have heard her on this: she need some of her children to risk everything for her, heading west to guide those who mean well and stop those who do not. Return to Ussura after that and tell the Grandmother Winter about what they saw. There's been plenty of volunteers. The Gaius isn't happy, but he can't do much about it. Knias Aleksi v'Novgorov, meanwhile, is quite pleased. The Vendel were ecstatic about the new discovery and greatly support the Explorers. Publicly, they support anything forward-looking, and many are genuinely fascinated by the possibilities. Privately, they are also in love with the chance to find some trade route to Cathay or other exotic locales, and their alliance with the Explorers means they'll be some of the first to learn. The Vesten don't really about explorers...but on the other hand, many Vesten crews have been seen sailing west for unclear reasons. The most popular theories are that they think Ragnarok is coming or they are looking for new weapons to fight the Vendel. Certainly if the Explorers are friends of Vendel, they are enemies of Vesten.

The Vodacce are also interested in thwarting hte Vendel. Sure, they might be busy at home, but they'll happily sabotage specific Explorer and Vendel efforts...and let others by, sitting back and waiting to take advantage. The first man to the prize isn't the winner, after all. The last man standing is. The Explorers are also keeping an eye out for Caligari's thugs. The Brotherhood of the Coast is cautiously pleased, though they were not officially informed of the Western Ocean. The possibilities of a new ocean to hide in and a new society to be built there is exciting, but cooler heads have dominated so far and most want to wait and see. Still, a few Brotherhood ships have headed out west to see what's there. And what do the secret societies think?

The Invisible College intends to embrace the New Age of Exploration. They have a great advantage in that they know something of what's out there, thanks to the secret journal they found. They have kept that knowledge secret for years and don't want to reveal its source right now, but it does intend to leak its information discreetly to the Explorers. No point in hiding knowledge or stopping expeditions, after all, and the better relations they have with the Explorers, the more they can benefit from the expeditions. The College continues to disdain non-human sources of knowledge, but they believe the discovered from beyond the ocean may be worth consideration. Besides, they can't control what Explorers do with the knowledge if they aren't a part of the exploration. Die Kreuzritter, on the other hand, are incensed. They've long considered the Explorers a danger to the world, and this has only compounded that belief. Cabora is a much more immediate threat, but whatever lies beyond the ocean might be even deadlier than that. They can prevent most travel to Cabora, but not the mad race west. They are unhappily working with the Inquisition, waiting for news that will force them into action.

While the Knights of the Rose and Cross share some of those beliefs, they're less dogmatic and murderous. They want to keep a close eye on those heading west, and many publically disapprove of the race, but the Order as a whole plans to stay out of it. If there were a secret branch of the order, of course, they might act similalry to die Kreuzritter, but due to smaller size would wait for expeditions to return before acting. If they existed. Of course, if the Explorers get in over their heads, which they probably will, the Knights are ready to come to the rescue. No one deserves to die in pursuit of knowledge, even a stupid, misguided one. They will then get a long and tedious lecture about responsibility, but still. They'll be alive. Sophia's Daughters are signiicantly more concerned about Cabora than the West. It's a terrible danger that could destroy the world. The New Age is just a possibility, and might turn out well. They intend to do little but monitor the Explorers at this time.

Los Vagos and the Rilasciare both have little time to care about this. The Rilasciare are busy with the Montaigne Revolution, and Los Vagos are busy with the Inquisition. Also, neither thinks anyone is coming back from the trips. Still, there is a slight need to monitor things. The Rilasciare fear that the Explorers might somehow foster new types of sorcery, while Los Vagos want to protect them, largely because the Inquisition hates them. Still, the societies as a whole aren't likely to get involved. What few realize, though, is that the Explorers are ready. They've prepared plenty of Shield Men, and each ship captain they send west gets some artifacts to help defend the crew. Despite their preparations, though, it's a huge challenge. They are working to counter all kinds of sabotage efforts, preparing defensive escort ships to help. The Explorers are perfectly willing to use Syrneth weapons against anyone they find sneaking around - so anyone found had better have a really good explanation.


What mysteries await on the Syrneth island of Cabora?

Next time: Find out!

It's water, husband. It isn't even particularly interesting water.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: It's water, husband. It isn't even particularly interesting water.

Cabora is a source of wonder and terror for everyone - even the explorers. Pretty much everyone agrees that the island is too dangerous for anyone to tamper with. The Explorers know that its rise is no accident, and have shared that with a few rulers - it was caused by Guy McCormick and Kheired-Din, as we know. Many mystics got visions of it and believed the world was ending. The Sea Dogs and Brotherhood of the Coast were seen near it, and the Vesten ship Revensj fought Vendel marines within sight of it. The Crimson Roger was even seen off shore, and some say Reis was killed in a duel on the island, but he has since been seen elsewhere, so most don't believe it. Several battles took place, and at least three landings were made. What happened onshore, no one knows for sure, but there have been almost no survivors. The Explorers have reported that McCormick perished in Cabora, while Kheired-Din was unable to tap into its power source. Others...well, they aren't talking. We'll learn more in the secrets section.

We get a sidebar now on the ship Iron Fist, a Vodacce mercenary ship turned to piracy. It preys on those going to Cabora, and it is piloted by Captain Arturo Caligari, who has turned pirate since the sinking of Caligari's island. He bas somehow gained monstrous powers from Cabora, wielding a bizarre Syrneth whip and apparently immune to harm. Four of the nine ships he's attacked have been Explorer ones, and he sank two of them. They're worried - especially after the acccount of one of the survivors. He was apparently calling himself the 'Iron Pirate,' and the woman he was duelling told him he was just an iron butcher. He thanked her for the name and defeated her, though she got away alive. He has a 10000G bounty on his head now.

Anyway, soon after all the arrivals on Cabora, huge storms rocked the seas around it, forcing everyone to withdraw. Koshchei, Derwyddon, various mystics and Cardinal Verdugo all urged the world not to go there, and the leaders of the nations agreed, uniformly forbidding anyone from approaching it. They even set up a treaty preventing any ship from going within 50 miles of Cabora. Every nation in the world - including the new Montaigne - has signed it. Unfortunately, there's still a lot of scheming about who'll control the isle. Stories tell of a gateway to the 7th Sea, of massive war engine and so on. However, most of those involved are smart enough not to go to the island proper, and the maneuvering is done at court. The Inquisition has been working very hard to keep people away from the isle, and for once, no one's arguing. The Black Crosses and Sophia's Daughters are secretly helping them. Anyone trying to go to Cabora is facing a massive spy network, sabotage, bounty hunters and many other threats. The biggest danger of all, though, is the weather. The Mirror Sea has often been seen as an Ussuran one, and Matushka has no plans to let anyone get to Cabora. Any ships trying to approach will be beset by storms, reefs and sea monsters.

Despite this, some have reached the isle and returned with stories of Syrneth artifacts beyond imagining and terrors to freeze the soul. Rumors have spread like wildfire, of clockwork men and a gateway to Paradise itself. It's possible that an expedition from Dionna might avoid most problems - it's got enough intrigue to mask a secret voyage, and Villanova is said to have been negotiating with the Explorers to let them use the isle for just that purpose. Of course, reactions have been dubious...it'd be all too easy for the world's most notorious villain to destroy a ship, steal its cargo and claim the Inquisition did it.

Meanwhile, Cabora's existence is challenging what scholars think they know about history and the 7th Sea. Religious questioning is at its peak, and tales of spirits and the undead taking part in the battles of Cabora have sparked new questions about the human soul and destiny. In places where these debates can be held safely, speculation about the 7th Sea and what it truly is has become popular. Most believe it's something like a Porté hole, except that it opens to another world. Whether you believe that's Paradise, the Abyss, Valhalla or "just" an alien world depends on your religion and optimism. Others say that the 7th Sea is merely a shadowy reflection of this world, but many believe the Syrneth could not control such a land, even with a machine the size of an island. The final theory is that it's not as important as others claim, and is nothing more than a powerful Syrneth energy field protecting Cabora. Anyone who's ever been there is extremely dubious of this theory, though. Meanwhile, sightings of the 7th Sea are at an all-time high. Unsurprisingly, the Inquisition is outraged and consider it a thing of sorcery. The Vaticine largely agrees with them, though they aren't generally as violent, but most Vaticine frown on discussion of the 7th Sea as if it has a place in theological discussion. The Objectionists tend to be extremely uncomfortable about the 7th Sea, especially if the afterlife is connected with it. Vendel are especially virulent if the idea of it being Valhalla is mentioned. The Ussuran Orthodox and the "pagan" religions are more relaxed. The Orthodox have no official stance and have, in fact, joined the debate in a lively and honest way. The Vesten do not all believe that it leads to Valhalla, though it appeals to some. Most don't worry too much about it so long as the 7th Sea doesn't wswallow them. It is almost certainly not part of the Sidhe world, so the Avalon Traditionalists don't care unless it's right on top of them.

But what's going on elsewhere in the world? Things haven't been silent over the past year and a half. Avalon, while removed from the troubles of the mainland, has problems of its own. King Piram of Breg, long a bitter opponent of Elaine, was forced to yield to her and has not yet given up hope of ruling Avalon. Of late, though, his tirades against her have become more and more infrequent. He certainly hasn't stopped being the bitter, ambitious man he's always been, so something must have changed...and the nature of that change troubles those who are close to the Queen. Piram is clearly planning something, but they don't know what. Meanwhile...well, Montgomery Peerson has been making enemies. Last year, his play The Tragedy of Tristam Channel drew some very shady attention and it took a cadre of heroes to save his life. He's decided it'd be safer to take his show on the road. For the last year, he's been touring the countryside and working on a new play, The Dreamer's Kingdom . On a cold winter's night, he finished it and arrived at an inn, promising to perform it. However, when preparations were finished, the place was empty - not even the barkeep remained. Only a single, obviously destitute man remained. Peerson insisted that the troupe perform anyway, and as the play began ,the audience began to grow. Peerson noticed an oddity of it - the audience was all ladies in finery, men in great fashion, coachmen, hunters, butlers. Some were bored, clearly, but a few watched with rapt attention, especially when the Sidhe characters were onm stage. By the end, the place was empty again, leaving just the destitute traveler. For most of the Sidhe who watched, it was pleasant and a lesson in how Peerson and other humans perceived them. One, though, a bad-tempered hobgoblin named Pudge, felt it was a travesty. It showed the Sidhe as vain and shallow, and the comic relief resembled him too much. The Queen told him to forgive, but he was not able to. He has plagued Peerson for the past six months with all manner of bad luck and pranks. Peerson is ready to retire because of it, unles ssomeone can save him from this terrible Sidhe foe.

Meanwhile, Connie MacDonald, the last MacEachern, is being visited by strange guests...guests unable to pass her faerie wards. It's only a matter of time, she knows, before the Sidhe recruit human agents to kill her, having somehow discovered her. She's lived a long life, but she's not ready to die yet. Not until she can pass on the MacEachern legacy. That's not all that the Highlands have going on, though. Sarah MacDonald has finally found the key to the Clan MacLeod's victory at the Battle of the Green Field. She knows why the Sidhe came to their aid, and knows it had a price. After examining accounts of the battle, she realized only one element was the same in each telling: the flag. The flag had to be destroyed. However, the green banner was Sidhe in origin - it couldn't just be torn up. She'd have to steal it and find a way to destroy it. And so, the MacLeod flag was stolen. Since then, the MacLeods have had terrible luck. The Sidhe gave them the flag not as a gift, but a sacred trust. If it was stolen, they clearly weren't holding it in high enough regard. Sidhe sightings in MacLeod land have dropped off, and the Unseelie are on the rise. Sarah, meanwhile, is trying to find out how to destroy the flag...though she could easily decide to use it. After all, ruin comes to the MacLeods if it's waved three times, yes? But she's not sure if it's to the MacLeods or the users of the flag. Either way, if she finds herself backed against a wall, she might be desperate enough to find out.

In Inismore, the O'Tooles believe that the the O'Bannon's inevitable disappearance will through the land into chaos. Every Inishman knows that his disappearance means civil war, and O'Toole wants to avoid that. A war will weaken the Inish when O'Toole needs to move against Elaine, as eventually he will. In order to stop it, he leads a secret movement to remove the O'Bannon from the throne forever. He's slowly gaining some support, as the O'Bannon appears in court less and less. His personal guard has also gained a name, since Roland O'Toole returned from the Highlands. Now, armed with MacEachern weapons, they are known privately as the Iron Guard. They don't carry their weapons in public - O'Toole knows that's folly. But he also knows the O'Bannon will be hard to unseat, and he's readying his guards for a decisive strike. They know exactly what they train for. Most are eager. Some are afraid. And one believes O'Toole has gone too far. He only hopes he's got the chance to tell someone in time.

Meanwhile, for centuries, Clan MacIntyre of the Highlands has been left to itself. It's maintained its nomadic lifestyle and cared little for the outside world. However, Fergus MacBride believes they're a powerful symbol, and the Seperatist movement needs such symbols. He knows better than to send an emissary to them, though. Instead, he has introduced legislature to preserve their lifestyle, guaranteeing that no one - not the Council, and not Elaine - will ever be able to interfere with them. He doesn't really care if it passes - his true hope is that by attempting to deny the Queen influence, the Unifists will really against the legislature, perhaps even introducing counterlegislature allowing the Queen or her agents to interfere with the MacIntyres. He believes they won't take that well, and is confident that it'll be the spark to send them on the warpath.

As we move to Castille, we get some fiction about Verdugo, Aldana and King Sandoval arguing over the reparations Montaigne demanded. Verdugo is enraged, but Don Aldana argues that gold is better than blood being paid to take their land back. Sandoval agrees with both - it is enraging, but the reparations cost less than a war to take the land back would. Castille has felt the impact of the Revolution as much as any nation but Montaigne. The armies occupying them vanished almost overnight, the war ended and their greatest foe ended up hanging from a tree. The roving Dons could go home. Castille is truly living again. The end of the war was marked by a number of great Castillian victories, as General Montoya repulsed a large attack despite no longer holding San Augustin and Admiral Orduño broke the blockade, as well as beating the Montaigne at the Battle of San Felipe. A crossing of El Rio de Delia was ended a month later, and Montaigne also failed to infilitrate La Selva de Fendes. The most important victory, though, was less than a month before l'Empereur's overthrow. The Inquisition did their business with Orduño, as we know, and Valoix launched what he hoped would be a fatal blow - an attack to destroy San Cristobal. However, he was thwarted at the last moment by Margaretta Orduño, who rallied the scattered defenders and struck back, boarding and sinking one of their frigates. Montaigne was forced to retreat, and she became a hero. A few weeks later, the war was over.

At the same time, though, old wounds lingered. Montaigne still held most of the western peninsula, and didn't intend to just hand it over. If Castille wanted to be reunified, they'd have to give something up. The inevitable treaty called for a full withdrawal and a return to prewar borders, with Castille paying reparations for the next decade. This angered Castille, as well as slowing reconstruction. Montaigne also stipulated the right to keep a force in Barcino, allowing greater control of the river mouth. Most Castillians considered the war a victory, but the peace terms were not happily received. The Inquisition has not halted its activities, either, and the sudden departure of the occupying armies has left a power vacuum which they rapidly filled. The Dons returning home found bands of Inquisitors waiting to "assist" their governing. The rise of Cabora has only increased their efforts to purify Castille before the End Times. In order to overcome this, they have turned to exploration. The King has financed new western expeditions in the hopes of finding wealth. Sandoval has shown the first signs of real maturity recently. The peace treaty galled him, and he secretly would have preferred a crushing military victory, but he set his pride aside to do what was best for his people. He also realized that the Church would never give him his title - he'd have to take it, and has privately set about doing so. Some part of him has finally accepted that his brother Javier will never return, and he must stand on his own.

Barcino is the only part of the nation still under Montaigne rule. Its garrison of 2000 Montaigne soldiers controls the city with supreme authority, and the citizens have few rights. Vodacce merchants have a large presence, and often serve as mediators between the Montaigne soldiers and the Castillian locals, but they can only do so much. Until Montaigne leaves, CAstille can never be truly free. But there is hope. El Vago has been seen on the rooftops, and while Montaigne has orders to shoot him on sight, his apppearance has brought a new light to Barcino.

On to Eisen! It's seen no improvement over the last year. If anything, it's getting worse. In Fischler...well, next door, Geor Hainzl is quite insane - and it's finally starting to affect his neighbors. He's attacked Fischler, and Faulk was not prepared for that at all. His advisor, Franziska Kohl, tried to convince him that his armies are more than ready to stand against the invasion, the sudden attack shook his confidence. Over the past year, he's been talking to the bats that come to guide him home after a night ofdrinking. They didn't talk or even seem to understand, but he didn't care. At first, he just talked aobut his day to day concerns, but shortly after Hainzl's attacks, his worries got the attention of their master, who came to Faulk with a deal. He would take care of Hainzl...for a price. A small price. All he required was the lives of the invaders. Fischler thought long and hard, but eventually agreed. After all, they were invaders, right? People die in war. Five days later, the expeditionary force invaded. The very same day, they disappeared. Fischlery is convinced that a continuing arrangement is the best way to secure his province. Unfortunately, he'd need a new way to entice his ally. Without an invading army on the horizon, he's been turning over convicted criminals to his ally. Once every new moon, he arranges for a convicted murderer or other criminal to be set free after being covered in Blackwood sap. They don't last long. Fischler has realized the connection between the sap and the wood he's made his home out of. He tries to put those concerns at the back of his mind, along with the worry about what he'll do when he runs out of criminals.

Freiburg suffered a brief incursion in late Sextus, 1668, when a new vein of dracheneisen, larger than any recorded, was found under a Freiburg townhouse. Efforts were made to keep it secret, but Trägue's neighbors soon got word of it and decided to pay him a visit. Two armies, one from Fauner Pösen and one from Stefan Heilgrund, came to take control of the vein. They lay siege to the city, counting on its fractious nature to be an easy victory. However, Freiburg rallied around its leaders, along with the stalwart adventurers who found the mine, and defended the city from the invaders. The Siege ended in victory for Trague and gave the city new hope. It didn't last more than a few months. Soon, Freiburg was back to chaos and its ruler to alcohol. His death was inevitable, but didn't end in a bottle as he'd intended. On the last night of 1668, he leapt from the top of the Wachtturm, crashing to the streets below. Rumor has it that he was visited before his death by a small group of strangers. Within minutes of his death, the Wactturm's foundation collapsed, and the heart of Freiburg fell around its fallen ruler. A leadership vacuum soon formed - it seemed Freiburg needed a leader to tell them to do as they wished. Despite her position as Trägue's second, Wilma Probst knew that the city would not accept her as leader - she was a symbol of order and government. Within a few short days, she turned to Logan Sieger, his scribe, for help.

Sieger took the position of Eisenfürst, following the hands-off policy of Trägue. He tempered it with some idealism, though, channeling the wealth of the mines to basic services like road repair and the guards. He also made it clear that Freiburg welcomed the pursuit of science. He, like his predecessor, believes thatm an will not advance while obsessed with the past, and so he actively supports new discoveries. He gives money to Breuzmann's School for Young Nobles, and the Invisible College has flooded into Freiburg. It's only a matter of time before the Vaticine follows them. And what of Hainzl? In the past year, its ruler's stability has deteriorated rapidly. Philip Knef took this descent as his cue to act. He approached the Nibelungen under the guise of serving his liege, asking them to forge his secret horde of dracheneisen into weapons and armor enough for an army. Unfortunately, they balked. Knef was not a ruler, so he had to offer them a bargain in exchange for their work. He offered not to kill them. He should have known better.

The Nibelungen agreed, but provided him substandard weaponry made of raw dracheneisen - a fact he would not discover until it was too late. He knew they would alert Hainzl, so he quickly attempted an armed coup in Atemlos. Despite his flawed equipment, it went well enough at first...until a hero arose to rally the staff. A hero who called himself Carleman: Georg Hainzl. His madness responded to the coup by taking on the persona of a highly romanticized Carleman. He regained control of his household as his first step to "pushing back the savagery of the Dark AGes" and halted the coup. He confronted Knef and beat him in a duel, though Knef was able to escape, going underground in one of his own mines. That done, everyone expected Hainzl to change personas...but he didn't. For the next week, he marshalled his forces to "draw a line against the darkness, and stamp out the fractious tribes and Vesten raiders." He quickly planned to invade Fischler, assembling an expeditionary force. His will, if not his sanity, galvanized his forces. Within a week, they invaded...and vanished. Hainzl took the loos personally and plans to launch a full invasion as soon as he can organize an attack force. He saw Fischler as the leader of a barbarian tribe who murdered every last soldier of the force. This has enraged Hainzl and gotten rid of any doubts his soldiers had. Hainzl's family has despaired for his madness, and fear that he will send Eisen into yet another war. They have delayed another invasion for months, using any excuse they can think of, but time grows short before Carleman-Hainzl can launch another attack. He must be cured soon, or it will be too late.

Next time: What else has gone to shit in Eisen?

Can your pride allow you to accept a Montaigne garrison in Barcino?

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: Can your pride allow you to accept a Montaigne garrison in Barcino?

We left off with Heilgrund. For years, Stefan Gregor Heilgrund III has felt inadequate. He has felt responsible for the death of the Imperator and his parents. To atone, he swore to reunite the nation under himself. He has since searched for any power that might let him do so, and the only things that kept him for performing a dark bargain for sorcery were his relations with Niklaus Trägue and Fauner Pösen. Once, Trägue listened to Heilgrund. Now, he is dead. Once, Heilgrund was enamored with Pösen. Now, she has thinned out her army of suitors to one man - and that's not Stefan Heilgrund. She shows no sign of favoring Hendryk Brandt, but that doesn't matter to Heilgrund. He felt cut off, and with nothing to lose, he and Odel Herrickson went deep into the Schwartzen Walden. They endured terrifying nights, and each day, a man of the expedition was missing. Again and again, Herrickson tried to get his liege to turn back, saying no power was worth the cost. Heilgrund disagreed. Finally, when only Odel and Heilgrund were left, Odel prepared to abandon his lord, ready to find a new patron. That night, though, Heilgrund got what he wanted.

He contacted the Schattenmann. He was terrified, but also determined to gain power. The Schattenmann told him it would not come easily, that he would have to make a sacrifice. He only had one thing left to lose: his soul. It would be worth it. When Heilgrund emerged from the Scwartzen Walden, he was alone. When he got back to Heilgrundstadt, almost nothing had changed...except that a new regiment of guards were in the barracks. They never spoke, nor did they ever remove their elaborate black armor or helms...but they obeyed him. And Odel Herrickson was there, waiting for him. Herrickson is not the man he once was. His wounds are healed; his scalp is whole, his arm restored. He speaks to no one except Heilgrund now, and the servants whisper quiet prayers when he passes them in the halls. His voice is hollow, his eyes lifeless. He seems to command the new regiment, though no one has seen him give any orders. They just seem to know his will.

Privately, the Schattenmann, in the skin of Odel, teaches Heilgrund to use his new powers, and what he must do to maintain them. Heilgrund commands not just the people now, but the shadows. His powers are similar to Nacht sorcery, but are unique to him. No one else in the world can do what he does, and he revels in the power. But there's a price: to maintain the power, he must keep his people afraid. Of him, of the dark, of the unknown and most importantly, afraid of his new guards, which he has named the Schattensoldat. He hesitated only a moment to agree, drafting new laws to give the Schattensoldat free reign. They became objects of terror, enforcing laws only they seemed to know. People disappeared, and fear rules Heilgrund now. Heilgrund found that the more he empowered the Schattensoldat, the faster their numbers grew. They seemed to just appear. The province of Heilgrund is now a terrible place, rapidly sliding to the dark days before the rise of Carleman.

Meanwhile, Pösen is stronger than ever. After their defeat at the Siege of Freiburg, the armor retreated home to lick their wounds. The failure was horrible for morale, and Fauner considered briefly launching an attempt to unify the nation. She didn't want to rule - she's not good at it - but she needed something to do with her army. Without an enemy, they were starving the province. Fortunately, that was when an enemy showed up on her doorstep: General Montegue, retreating from Ussura. His soldiers tried to strip her land bare to stay fed, and their general was the best in the world. It was too much to resist. She defeated Montegue at the Battle of Salzumpf, and it was just what Pösen needed. Montegue proved a stalwart opponent, and the victory recharged morale (and also killed over 30000 soldiers, who now no longer needed to be fed). The people were heartened by the victory and there were 7000 prisoners to ransom, including Montegue himself...or so Fauner thought.

L'Empereur completely refused to pay for any soldiers' returns. Fauner refused to slaughter them, and instead put them to work on road rebuilding and other public works. The Revolutionary government agreed to pay for the soldiers, but not Montegue. She has no idea what to do with him, but won't let him go without recompense. Her people stayed fed this winter, but next one is up for grabs. She's begun to consider a reunification campaign - though not to rule herself. She wants to put someone competent on the throne and go back to being a full-time soldier. If she felt any of the Eisenfürst were up to the job, she'd offer to support one of them, but none have met her standards. She has hope for Reinhard von Wische, but she distrusts the Montaigne exiles that dominate his court. Luckily, she has some time before her hand is forced. Until then, she trains her men, basks in her victory and ignores Hendryk Brandt.

Erich Sieger, meanwhile, spent months negotiating with Alcide Mondavi for grain and soil. We know how the coup went, and he spent time hunting bandits and hiring his army out as mercenaries after the coup. They got quite a lot of money in the process, as well as wagons of grain and dirt to replenish the fields. And so, Sieger decided to stay in Vodacce until midsummer, to get enough food to see his people through the winter. This has caused some problems at home. See, when he was home, the Mörderbande were controlled. Now that he's gone, the guardsmen have run of the province. Kalus Metzger, captain of the Mörderbande, has seized as much power as possible. He set his own men on the Eisenfürst's advisory council, using "acts against the best interest of the province" as justification. No one has been foolish enough to question it. He has also been overseeing the kingdom, though he's brutal and murderous, going to any length to maintain control. When Sieger returns, he plans to welcome the man with a fist.

There are opponents, though. When Metzger seized control, he had Hans Jost hanged for his work as the vigilante Wachter. Until that moment, Jost's father, Mayor Manfred of Stutzung, didn't truly believe his son would die. Sieger was a pragmatist, and Manfred believes the man would have spared his son to maintain good relations. He might have been right, but with Sieger gone, Metzger was free to act. Now, Manfred is beginning to spread dissension in his city. They were already outraged by the death of his son, and it's been easy to get support with the way Metzger runs things. In fact, in a few months they might move to open rebellion. When Erich Sieger returns, he may have to fight his way back to Stahlfort through both rebels and his own Mörderbande.

Wische was in dire straits in 1668, and Klaus Inselhoffer's plan to unseat Reinhard was moving forward. It ended in diaster, though. His sister Gisela was hunting for proof of the money he stole, and the Roaring Drachen guardsmen found the tunnel he used to steal it. They reported it to Gisela, who resolved to awaken von Wische to save his kingdom. She dressed herself as his late wife, Cornelia, and dyed her hair blonde. She then went and spoke to REinhard, but Klaus arrived to kill the man as she did. He drew his sword and prepared to kill his sister...but seeing his apparent wife threatened with death again roused Reinhard, and he sprang from the throne, seized Klaus' sword and ran him through, telling Gisela that he knew the man was a liar.

Despite his villainous ways, Gisela was struck by grief over her brother's death, but also joy at Reinhard's revival. Now, she plays a desperate game, trying to hide her identity until Reinhard loves her for herself, rather than who she pretends to be. It's been almost a year, and Reinhard is beginning to wonder where his wife disappears to when Gisela needs to be herself. She tells him that Cornelia is just out for a walk or knitting, but it's only a matter of time before his curiosity overrides her assurances. Oh, and we get a sidebar on the Waisen and what they are. The Waisen are actually quite simple: they're what happens when someone's fate strands are destroyed. All of the strands. The waisen have no connections to anyone left in the world. Reinhard is the only man who truly realizes this, for he was one of them. Fortunately, he never saw another Waisen, or he'd have gone out to join one of their wandering, aimless mobs. The "return" of Cornelia has repaired a single strand, enough to cure him of the curse. Of course, if he discovers the deception, his strand might be destroyed again. It remains to be seen if Gisela can forge her own strand, before von Wische's wife is taken from him for the last time.

And what of the Montaigne nobles in Wische? Well, they were a big help stabilizing the area. Led by Anne du Montaigne and Jean-Marie Rois et Reines du Rogné, the Montaigne nobles who came to Siegsburg are primarily those who are at least somewhat sympathetic to the peasantry and wanted reconciliation. They spent a lot of time negotiating with Reinhard and Gisela (in her disguise as Cornelia), and reached an arrangement: the Montaigne would be given sanctuary in exchange for financial support and rebuilding the province's infrastructure. In addition, they would be allowed to govern their own people, as long as they obeyed the law. It's benefitted everyone involved. The Montaigne are safe, and the money lets von Wische repair his province. Several Montaigne have also taken it on themselves to help out, and Jean-Marie has formed a civilian watch to supplement the Roaring Drachen, while several Porté mages work as messengers and spies for Reinhard. A few complain, but most of Wische is happy with the Montaigne presence. Banditry has shrunk massively, and the money coming in revitalized their economy. Large areas remain devastated, but thep eople have hope now. Wische has also become a hotbed of anti-revolutionary sentiment and a haven for other displaced Montaigne nobles.

Now, on to Ussura! While Montegue was there, they had a united front against him. Since the Montaigne left, though, it's begun to fall apart. In the western provinces, the Ussurans are trying to rebuild. The land is no longer rebelling...but reconstruction is slower than anticipated. Matushka's attention is divided between the worst-hit areas and Cabora, leaving much of Ussura at the mercy of normal nature. No longer are they blessed with good weather and fertility. They have endured, but the abnormally harsh weather can be felt across the nation. Even Matushka has limits. Two eastern areas are also problems politically: the haunted province of Veche, and the militant Kosara. As Montegue's army drew closer to Pavtlow, many of its people fled as the Ussuran armies moved to defend. Most have yet to return home, and many have taken refuge in Veche, despite its reputation. Matushka has strained herself further to make the local wilderness almost friendly.

Unfortunately, it strains Veche's already shaky political situation. Staver Siev Aryaov v'Vladimirovich, the Knias of Veche, is old and weak, and his heir apparent, Fyervot, is a source of dread. Fyervot is fascinated by Veche's bloody old traditions, and many hope that his older sister Apraksia will return from wherever she's gone and claim the throne when her father dies. Few expect it, though, without any help. As yet, nothing has happened. Staver continues his rule, and Fyervot must wait...but Veche fears the day he takes power. As Veche simmers, the Kosars cause active problems. Jyrgal Timurbek has been trying to do the best for his people, and a little over a year ago, he claimed some land for them: Kosara. Unfortunately, it included territory of both Molhyna and Gallenia. Both they and Veche have long suffered under Kosar raids. Despite this, he was confident none could destroy him, and the war with Montegue kept the Gaius away. In 1669, he sent an emissary to ask the Gaius for recognition or at least dialogue.

The emissary was killed before he could even say hello. As soon as Timurbek heard, he declared Kosara an independent state and prepared for war. The Gaius will be coming to Kosara with an army. Jyrgal plans to defeat it. In the meantime, both the Kosars and Tibesti are seen as outsiders. Jyrgal plans to approach the Tibesti and offer them sanctuary when people inevitably assume they're in league with the Kosars...but only if, well, they become in league with the Kosars. The Tibesti are not oblivious, but don't know how to avoid the Gaius's wrath. Until he gets angry at them, they continues as they ever have, and pray that Matushka will give them warning. Unfortunately, her attention is elsewhere and she cannot focus on them all the time. If she's occupied at the critical moment, the Tibesti will have to fend for themselves. They may soon be in dire need of aid - they aren't prepared to defend themselves against Ussura, and while they hate to ask the Gadjo for help, they'll do it if it's the only way to survive.

Vendel and the Vesten remain divided...but there have been some major changes. In 1669, for the first time ever, a Guild chair attended the Althing. Master George Skard of the Brewer's Guild accepted their invitation and came with a small retinue. Most of the Vesten were overjoyed - a guild chair was acknowledging the significance of the althing! It was a great stride for peace, if not the only one needed. Of course, it wasn't the first time Master Skard had gone to the Vesten to talk, but that didn't matter. And, of course, some people didn't want him to attend. His journey was perilous, and it took a stalwart band to see him through. (More on this later.) The results were worth it, though. The High King didn't appear, but no one thought he would. Little was accomplished, but everyone there felt Skard had made an important first step in resolving things. He gave out beer and held talks with several jarls, but he spend most of his time with a strange one-eyed beggar who hovered around the edge of the althing. They talked late into the night for many days, and Skard would only say that the beggar was a "lonely man" who needed a friend.

However, there is also a bitter feud between two brothers going on: Erick Skaarsgaard and Brian Skar (once Bron Skaarsgaard). They are the children of a Vendel father and Vesten mother, who agreed to raise them partly in one world and partly in the other, to let them choose their own paths. Erick came of age first, and chose to live among the Vesten. Bron, though, was ten years younger...and at first, he wanted to be Vesten. That was until a stormy night, when he and his parents were aboard a ship that got attacked by Vesten. Only a single lifeboat got away, carrying some crew, the executive officer of the ship and Bron...but not his parents. Hans Odel, the officer, took Bron in and raised him. He didn't teach Bron to hate the Vesten, but he did answer honestly: the Vesten attacked the ship and killed Bron's parents. It didn't take long for Bron to decide on the course of his life. He would become a marine and hunt the raiders. He changed his name to Brian, and while Odel tried to mitigate the boy's hatred, nothing could be done. He joined up and proved himself as a sailor. He now nurses his hatred against the Vesten...but the only one he knows is his brother, Erick. And so the only Veste he can hate is Erick. The story of their feud is making its way around both Vendel and Vesten, and the conflict is being watched closely. If it could be resolved peacefully, it would be a big symbolic step toward peace.

We now get some fiction on Sela Cole, who is at one of Val Mokk's parties. She's hiding in his study, reading a cheap romance. Val Mokk finds here there, and discovers what she's reading. She's sure he'll ruin her...but instead, he reveals that he, too, loves romance novels and offers to share his with her - he likes to pretend for a while that the world is a simple, happy place where people live happily ever after. He ensure she isn't disturbed, and leaves. You see...well, the two have begun to fall in love with each other. Many gossip about it, and Joris Brak is trying to ensure they get support - he believes the Vendel League can't afford the tension if they break up. Of course, both would-be lovers are defensive, but when he can get a word in edgewise, they respect his counsel. He advises caution to both, mindful that the relationship might fail, and he wants to ensure it won't cause bad blood if it does. What he doesn't consciously realize is that a slow, careful approach is just reinforcing their insecurities and renewing tensions. Still, they want to be together - they just have to admit it.

Next time: Secrets! (And also Yngvild Olafssdottir.)

You read San Juste?!

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: You read San Juste?!

We have a little bit of Vendel to finish up. Avalon's ambassador, High Fitzcairn, is staying aboard the ship The Gray Lady, which is negotiating with both Vendel aboard the ship even as it maintains relations and negotiations with the Vesten elsewhere. Security is airtight, and even Joris Brak considers the idea of the Vesten learning about it unlikely. Meanwhile, in early 1668, the new city of Fornuft was founded on Viddenheim, an experiment of peace. It is split between Vendel and Vesten sections, and both peoples live there peacefully...though there's problems. There are two mayors, one of each group, and the town council is evenly split along cultural lines. There are also plenty who want to see Fornuft fail, since they don't like the peaceful future it represents, and every day, new problems crop up, many of them manufactured by villains on both sides. And what about Yngvild Olafssdottir? Well, she was surprised when she got to Cabora and found that her ritual did not, in fact, cause Ragnarok. Instead, she had a path opened into her mind, connectng it to thousands of dead Vesten, hearing their voices as no other skjæren ever had. It changed her completely. Since returning from Cabora, she has ceased her attacks on the Vendel and instead launched on an ambitious quest to find several mysterious Vesten individuals scattered across the world. A schoolteacher in Inismore, a painter in Kirk, a shipwrecked sailor in the Mirror. The Revensj has a lot of dangers in its path, and it's unclear what Yngvild wants, but she claims the ancestors are guiding her. It's never mentioned in the book, but I am pretty sure she's meant to be hunting for the Living Runes.

Now then. Secrets. First up is Beatrice Caligari. She went to Montaigne to die, and may have helped spark the Revolution in the process. She knew that her younger sister would help cause it, but what no one besides her knew was that the alternative was far, far worse. While there, she was overcome by the sheer number of black Fate strands spiraling around the countryside. She could see the coming deaht and destruction, but also a shining golden thread as well, leading towards a bright future beyond the death. By pulling on it, she knew the black strands would engulf the nation, but that Montaigne would ultimately emerge intact. Otherwise, the strands would expand until the world was buried in them. She spent all night working on her magic, but only half-completed it. Montaigne's fate needed one more component to be sealed. She found her sister and tried to get her to flee. Initially, Morella refused, saying that her husband would punish them. Beatrice offered to kill her husband, and Morella eagerly agreed. Unfortunately, Remy du Montaigne was passing by and overheard the plan. He came in and killed Beatrice instantly. This was the last part of her plan. He could not, later, remember why he'd been in that part of the palace or what allowed him to overhear the two witches. Beatrice's death was called a suicide and her body returned home. Her maid, Alegra, recovered her secret journal and fled for Eisen. L'Empereur threatened to torture Morella to death if she ever tried to escape again, and when the mob stormed the palace, she hanged herself before her husband could force her to use her magic to help him escape. Thus, she sealed the bloody sacrifice her sister had prepared, ensuring the Revolution would happen.

Now, what about l'Empereur's death? Well, no one was interested in investigating - something his killers were counting on. No one, even the pro-royalists, was all that fond of him. His killers plotted his death for two years, and were present when he killed the Hierophant. Die Kreuzritter, after all, are both patient and methodical. When he fled the mobs and found a ship, it was one piloted by an Eisen mercenary known as the Kire, a criminal and prison escapee. He had several connections to the Black Crosses, including the man who watched the Hierophant die, Jacques Renault. Though l'Empereur tried to keep his identity a secret of the Kire, it was fruitless, and the Kire informed Renault of the man's booking passage a few days before the deposed ruler could reach the coast. By the time he boarded, they had a plan. As soon as he fell asleep, the Kire's crew overpowered his guards and took l'Empereur captive. They rendezvoused with a Black Cross ship bearing the Hochmeister and a dozen Black Knights, held a trial against the man and gave him a chance to defend himself. He sneered at their authority...and they found him guilty and sentenced him to hang. The Empereur's mind shattered, and he claimed that once he died, he would "awaken from this dream" and they would "all fade away like morning dew." He was hanged from the ship's yardarm and died. The Hochmeister took Cardinal d'Argeneau's ring and returned it to Erika Durkheim. The body was left hanging from a tree. The book suggests that heroes of die Kreuzritter could have a fun adventure helping to abduct the Empereur and, if high ranking, being part of the trial.

Now, what about Dominique du Montaigne and her stillborn child? Well, even l'Empereur didn't know what happened that night. See, Dominique had learned her son would be the most powerful sorcerer ever. It enraged her - she'd been ignored for her lack of magic, and now he'd get all the power she didn't have? Injustice in the extreme! She and her maidservant, the Fate witch Anna, spent many weeks seeking a way to undo her child's destiny. They found an ancient ritual to transfer sorcerous power from one person to another. It was dangerous, but if it worked, she'd have all the child's magic and he would be born an ordinary boy. They decided to do it. Dominique went into labor, sent away everyone but Anna, and the two began the ritual. It lasted over a day, and they are still not entirely certain it succeeded. The child died in the process, unable to survive without the strength of the magic in his blood. Dominique was horrified when she recovered - her selfishness killed her son, something she'd never considered would happen. She retreated to the countryside to mourn, and it took several weeks to realize that at least part of the ritual worked: she had her son's power. Amazing power, stronger than any Porté ever seen. It lacks all of Porté's weaknesses - no bloody hands, no screaming holes, no blood-soaked portals. She can mark objects just by touching them, can teleport over any distance to reach them and has no need to close her eyes to do so. She just slips between reality and instantly arrives at her destinations. She still believes the price was too high. She's not yet returned to Charouse since the Revolution started, and is instead on the move, trying to find out what happened to her husband. She's considered going to the Rose and Cross, but doesn't know how they'll react - they don't like sorcerers. Her power translates to rank 5 in every Porté knack, and her magic is accompanied by golden light rather than blood and screams. She can't give her power to anyone else, and since she's barren, it's unlikely it will pass along to another generation.

Now then! Secrets of Cabora. Kheired=Din hoped to use the island to flood the 7th Sea into the world and cause an apocalypse. He never got the chance to. A fate witch named Lucrezia thwarted him as he began to prepare, starting a fierce fight that left Kheired-Din unconscious and the gateway to the 7th Sea broken beyond repair. He went back to the Crescent Empire to piece together the shards of his lost destiny. Those who can find him might get him to reveal what he knows of Cabora and the 7th Sea. Guy McCormic, meanwhile, made it to Cabora, where he abandoned Kheiered-Din to seek out his wife. He found what was left of her deep within the island. See, Cabora's bodysnatching robots had gotten two bodies so far: Mumblety-Peg the sailor and Amanda McCormick. Guy became the third. His death was messy but quick, and the Explorers decided to just accept that he'd died on the island. Since then, the robots have been trying to get more bodies. Once disguised, they will travel the world to see its wonders and perhaps come up with new schemes. Reis tried to become immortal on Cabora, but was confronted by Bonnie McGee, who died in their duel under a great Syrneth tower. However, his legend remained strong. His coat was taken by the bosun of the Crimson Rogers, Riant Gaucher, who put it on, along with the wig and scythe. He returned, finding he appeared to be Reis in every way. He's since been playing Reis, with few aware of the truth. Bonnie McGee has not been seen since the duel, and the Sea Dogs say the Sidhe took her to Bryn Bresail. Should any heroes find Reis's corpse, they will know that the current Reis is an impostor, which could be a huge advantage in dealing with him.

Margaretta Orduño does not actually care about exploration. She has volunteered to try and save her husband Enrique. You see, her old fencing instructor, Felipe Jose de Granjero, was on the Grenouille du Grace when it went through the massive portal. He reappeared shortly after the Montaigne withdrew from Castille, showing up in an Ussuran monastery known for its care of the insane. He clealry was insane, but he told her of a wide, silvery sea, a mad fate witch who'd pulled him from death and the souls of a thousand swordsmen, who pounded at his brain and threatened to tear him apart. Most importantly, though, he told her of a vast continent to the west, where her husband and the others waited for her. He needed her help. She freed Felipe and petitioned the king to go west, never mentioning her husband. Felipe is still quite mad but serves as an able guide, giving her a considerable edge in the race to the new lands. He is the only man aboard the Grenouille who has returned, but others might appear, too, with similar knowledge...and three of the five sorcerers who made the hole are also still alive, and may know secrets for enterprising heroes to track down.

We now get some fiction, as the Explorer ship Iron Heart is suddenly in the midst of the 7th Sea, which came out of nowhere and scopped it up with silvery wind and rain. Captain Magnus believes he sees his dead father smilingat him, and then the 7th Sea vanishes as it came, dropping the Iron Heart just outside Kirk's harbor. He and his wife sigh and realize that perhaps the Western Ocean is for other people. Anyway, what is the 7th Sea? Well, by canon, it is: not paradise, not linked to the Dark Paths, not a weapon and not Porté for skjæren. Its true nature is a mystery, but its game purpose is to be a deus ex machina for the GM. When you need to get the heroes somewhere and all else has failed, the 7th Sea can pick them up and give them an unforgettable ride, then drop them somewhere halfway across the world. When you need something to save the heroes because you overestimated them? The 7th Sea comes out of nowhere, picks them up and drops them a league away, in safe waters. It should be used sparingly, of course, since it is completely uncontrollable and should inspire awe and humility - and it can't do that if it becomes routine. But hey, it's your game, if you want to make it something else, feel free...but keep in mind that if anyone can control the 7th Sea, they're going to use it, and it is immensely powerful.

So, what's up with Piram of Avalon? Well, he's been slowly growing disenchanted with his lover, Maab, and her whispers of waiting for the right moment to strike. However, she has now given him a weapon: a young girl named Meryth. Meryth, Maab says, has a lineage as pure as Elaine's, and a claim to the throne that's just as strong...but she has no parents to raise her. Someday, she will be Queen, but before that, Piram could be regent...if he were the girl's rightful guardian. All he has to do is keep Meryth secret until the time is right. So that's simple enough!

Now, Karl Steiner and the Schattensoldat. Karl Steiner fled Montegue's army when they fought the Battle of Salzsumpf, and he hasn't been seen since. After abandoning Montegue, he fled as far and fast as he could, and before he realized it, he was in the midst of the Schwartzen Walden. He curled into a ball and hid, falling asleep under a tree. He dreamed of battle and glory, of a whole hand that could destroy his enemies. When he awoke, a creature of pure shadow stood over him, whispering to him: "You're welcome." Karl watched as his hand was restored - made of pure shadow. The shadow-flesh began to spread down his arm, and he began to scream, not stopping until it consumed his face. Now, he is a servant of the Schattenmann...and of Stefan Heilgrund. Karl serves as the leader of the Schattensoldat, and unlike the rest of them, he's not a creation of pure shadow. He is still, in some small way, a man. The Schattensoldat themselves are fear incarnate. They are hard to kill and rise to life again at sunset. They are created and sustainted by the fear created by Stefan Heilgrund through them...but Steiner's cowardice is central to their power. As long as he leads them, someone will always be afraid. Discovering his humanity might be key to defeating the Schattensoldat.

And now, we are presented with the creation of an entirely new secret society. Advice is provided for GMs on hwo to create secret societies, but the new one is formed in the midst of the Revolution. It begins with a sample adventure centering on the bakery called the Cercle du Chant. Its owner died early in the revolution, and it was bought by an Avalon bard named Adrian Flechyr. Or Fletchyr. Or Fletcher. The book can't seem to decide. Anyway, he made the place into a theater and restaurant. The staff are all skilled performers, and to get in you must have a reservation and pre-pay. Several seats are prepared for guardsmen or revolutionary leaders each night, since Flechyr knows their goodwill is important to his survival. The heroes might show up as the payment for some other adventure, or are sent by a benefactor who hops to spur them to act against the Revolution. Flechyr plans to sound them out on that subject after the performance. However, Lady Jamais Sices du Sices is present for the performance, working in secret at the Cercle. She is arrested by Jean Claude, a servant of the Council of Eight. Flechyr tries to keep everyone calm, as the guards move to arrest her and take her away. He then approaches the heroes, telling them that he knew the lady as Solange Manet, but that she was a good woman who backed him and aided the needy. He asks them to support him in rescuing her.

He believes she'll only be given a show trial, and plans to forge some paperwork and use disguises to infiltrate her execution, taking control of the prison wagon and riding off to smuggle her from the city. In order to do this, he'll need papers and uniforms. He can handle that. More importantly, he has to learn where the execution is going to be and when, which will surely be announced at trial. Thirdly, he has to inform the lady of the rescue and get her to wear a red shawl to identify herself. Lastly, he must find a way to smuggle her out. He has a smuggler friend, Guillarme, who says he can handle that. The PCs can help in any way they desire. Flechyr makes a pact with them to save the Lady Jamais and asks them to be the ones to break into the prison and talk to Jamais, suggesting they refer to their plan as the Rye Grin, because it was the name of her favorite bread.

The PCs break into the prison in disguise, perhaps via bribes or fights or whatever they like. LAdy Jamais believes she deserves to die for getting someone to commit suicide over a humiliation, and she must be convinced that she is wrong. She'll take the shawl and wear it if Flechyr's name is mentioned. The rescue attempt itself is the PCs and Flechyr. They have to move fast and can try any method they like, but Flechyr will have a plan if no one else does. There are snipers on the route of the prison cart, and unfortunately during whatever escape, Flechyr's Glamour magic is spotted by the prison captain, Edward Boucher. A chase ensues in which Lady Jamais will be snide out of habit and various other events that the GM desires. Exciting chase scene, yadda yadda. Jamais is gotten out and eventually turns up in Vodacce, under the protection of PRince Donello Falisci. Several weeks later, the heroes get a message from Flechyr's wife, Antoinette, who tells them that Flechyr was killed while trying to liberate another prisoner and left a letter for them. In the letter, he asks them to turn the Cercle du Chant into the headquarters for a new group to save Montaigne from therrors of the Frenzy: the Rye Grin.

The Rye Grin is a shadowy force who appeared in the midst of the Frenzy, rescuing its victims from their dire fat.e Many believe they are controlled by the nobles, but no one knows for sure. Their symbol is two sheaves of wheat arranged in a smile. Their philosophy is simple: No one should pay for the crimes of another. As a result, they seek to rescue those innocents condemned by the Council of Eight and end their tyranny. They do not openly oppose the Revolution, because it'd be suicide, and instead act with secrecy and misdirection. Originally, the Rye Grin was just Flechyr and people he knew personally, but now it's up to the heroes to define its structure. Its protocols, as suggested by his widow, are simple. No outright warfare, but instead using secrecy and discretion to gather information, then using open audacity and careful planning to outmaneuver foes. They know their techniques only work once each, so innovation is a major focus. Flechyr also knew the power of legend, since he was a Glamour mage, and so he always left the symbol of the Rye Grin at the site of his rescues to inspire those who fought the Committee. To remain popular, the Rye Grin never use more violence than needed and prefer to act with flair and panache in all things. Flechyr wanted to keep in touch with nobles via use of performers and entertainers, who could visit them without arousing suspicion, and would still be welcome at the parties of the Revolutionaries.

The Rye Grin's greatest foes are the Montaigne government and especially the Committee of General Welfare. They also are opposed by the Inquisition and die Kreuzritter due to the fact that they often rescue mages. The Knights of the Rose and Cross will neither actively oppose them or actively aid them. Los Vagos help them because of their stand against tyranny and persecution, while the Invisible College has offered to help smuggle sorcerers out of the country and help them find places to live. Avalon supports them to irritate Montaigne and help the nobles. Their most important ally, however, is Lady Jamais Sices du Sices, who pledged to aid her rescuers however she can, and Donello Falisci has given his resources to her to use for it. If they need help, a letter to Vodacce will do it. Their primary base is the Cercle du Chant, run by Flechyr's widow, Antoinette. Guillaume Marilaque, a smuggler, severs as their main way to get folks out of Charouse, and they get false papers from Beaumont, a clerk at the Committee of General Welfare. And, of course, any places the heroes decide to give the Grin.

Gullaume is a smuggler from the area between Montaigne and Eisen, a member of a tribe from Numan times that practices smuggling as a way of life. He will smuggle anything into or out of Montaigne for the right price. He's quite cheerful and relies on his clever tongue and fast footwork over sheer might. He secretly serves Donello Falisci, acting as the prince's eyes and ears in Montaigne. Since the Revolution, he's been looking for Jamais Sices du Sices, since Falisci is in love with her. Rescuing her was what led to his involvement in the Rye Grin, which he joined since it lets him serve his prince, make some money and do some good all at once. He rarely puts himself in harm's way, but is happy to provide equipment and services for the Grin. Beaumont, meanwhile, is a hero of the Revolution. He rallied a mob to attack the accounting office he was fired from just before the riots began, redistributing the money inside to the poor and needy. He quickly got a position with the government and was friendly and cheerful, rising easily through the ranks. In truth, he's appalled by what happens around him, and went back to the accounting house to try and get his job back. He met the looters coming out. He shared secrets in confidence with his superiors, only to find his name on warrants as a witness for prosecution. He discovered the only way to stay sane was to pretend he'd planned everything. He felt lost and scared, and the Ryhe Grin gave him a chance to strike back. He now serves as an informant and forger for them, preparing documents and leaking news. He buries this beneath monds of legitimate work and spends enough time at his desk that no one ever notices. He never risks his position, but he knows he's finally doing some good. He'd die before betraying the Grin.

Adrian Flechyr was an apprentice Glamour mage and Avalon bard who married a Montaigne actress. His chief patron was Jamais Sices du Sices, in disguise, who provided him the money to buy the Cercle du Chant. He'd do anything to repay her kindness. Unfortunately, his luck ran out, but in the final days he sought out those who opposed the Revolution to band them together as the Rye Grin.

Next time: Adventure hooks across the world!

I suppose the Western Ocean is for other adventurers.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: I suppose the Western Ocean is for other adventurers.

This is a part of the book I actually really like. It takes all the historical events of the past year and a half and presents ways to get your PCs involved with them and at the forefront. The book heavily suggests letting the PCs be the stars of the show and building the events to take advantage of their goals and actions instead of just throwing them at them, which is also excellent advice, because the PCs really should be the center of attention. Anywaym we start off with some Avalon adventure seeds.

Firtly, Montgomery Peerson is trying to deal with the Sidhe called Pudge. His pranks have been mostly harmless but irritating to the point that Peerson is on the brink of retiring. The book suggests using this as a way to introduce the Sidhe, since there's just one and he's more prankster than threat. Of course, Pudge could be an Unseelie if you like, murdering Peerson's company one by one. If he does this, he might focus the blame on a human, perhaps a PC, only to reveal his true intentions by trying to kill Peerson. Or maybe PCs who have dealings with the Sidhe get recruited to find Connie MacDonald, the Iron Witch. The Sidhe will probably not tell their true motives, but will spread any number of lies about her. She'll happily set them straight and try to convince them of the Sidhe threat. If she can manage that, she might even want one of the PCs as a successor. She could reveal the location of her secret journal or even forge them a MacEachern weapon to get them to go away. If not, she'll sacrifice herself rather than let the Sidhe wards drop. The Sidhe are near, and she knwos it. The PCs can, at worst, kill her. The Sidhe can do far worse than that.

Over in Inismore, of course, there's some stuff the heroes can do involving the O'Bannon and the O'Tooles. O'Toole is rapidly gaining support, and the heroes need to get the O'Bannon to stop back in at the Council. Of course, that's not going to be easy. He might even need protection if they manage to get him to do it - O'Toole certainly has a backup plan. The O'Bannon is powerful, but enough men with MacEachern blades can kill him. We move on to Eisen, where things are a bit more volatile. Franziska Kohl, advisor to Faulk Fischler, is suspicious that something's gone wrong under her nose. She knows about Hainzl's soldiers vanishing, and knows Faulk is setting criminals free for some reason. And she also knows he's changed lately, full of worry and dread. She's on the brink of launching an investigation, but knows that any staff member would be found, including herself. She needs some good and clever folks to find the problem. Of course, if Faulk believes his deal with his "friend" is in danger, he'll remove the obstacle, no matter who it is. He needs to get the pressure taken off him - he's got too much to handle and too little experience. The best way to do that would be to take care of the problems with Hainzl or ensure the local ones don't overwhelm him. That'd ease his mind...though if the heroes kill the wrong monster, they might upset Faulk's friend...

Or maybe the heroes are in Freiburg before the fall of the Wachtturm. Trägue is growing bleaker, and he regards his experiment as a failure, proof that humanity is barbarous. Then, one day, he spots the PCs doing something selfless. The circumstances are whatever you like as long as they are being genuinely noble. It shakes him from his stupor, and he invites them up to speak to them. He asks them about their deed, the motivations behind it and the desires that led to it. He challenges them to debate, making them defend their belief in the rightness of the universe as he tries to poke holes in what they hold dear. He's drunk but coherent and is very good at debate. The next evening, he sends them some papers and a letter telling them that their words revealed a ray of light to comfort him, and that he is going to destroy the Wachtturm in the first minute of the new year. They must save as many as they can. They have only a few hours to do whatever they like about it, but the Wachtturm is 600 feet tall and will cause a lot of damage when it falls. They'll have to clear a wide area around it. Wilma Probst can help, but it should be exciting. They can't prevent it from coming down - Trägue is barricaded inside, and not even a battering ram will get him out. At the dramatically appropriate time, they will see Trägue leaping from the tower and then the tower will collapse. The destruction is immense, but thanks to the Heroes, casualties should be minimal. The papers they have been sent are the final chapter of Trägue's book. Logan Sieger has the rest. A long selection is provided, in which Trägue talks about his despair and his hatred for the Syrneth tower of the Wachtturm. He talks about how Theus does not care about humanity. At the end, though, he writes about how there is something special in humans, though, that wants to become more. Something great, that inspires people to acts of amazing nobility. He writes that he hopes that spirit will grow stronger, and that mankind will force Theus to accept that they are the greatest of His children, greater even than the Syrne.

Or maybe they only get to Freiburg after Logan Sieger takes over. The Inquisition's arrived, targeting the Invisible College, who turn to Logan for help. After all, he promised to support their pursuits. However, Logan can't openly act. If he doesn't help them, he causes their doom. If he does, he breaks faith with Trägue's philosophies. He needs to find a way to help them without acting. To do so, he needs the heroes. He can't rely on the guards, because that'd be direct government intervention. The heroes, though, can operate without official sanction. The Invisible College might even be willing to provide some new inventions to help! Or maybe the heroes want to deal with the Schattenmann, the cause of so many of Eisen's problems today. A campaign in Heilgrund might even be able to shatter his power for some time. Of course, he's extremely powerful, and the price of success will be high. But that's what legends are made of. If the heroes do manage to break his power, though, it will come back to haunt them. The Schattenmann is truly immortal - it can be stopped, but not killed. And it is vengeful.

Heilgrund's not the only place with problems, though. The Mörderbande have brought Sieger to the brink of civil war against Manfred Jost. If the heroes can get a message to Erich Sieger, he might be able to help the situation...or they can help Manfred against the Mörderbande. Unfortunately, there's other forces at work here. Sieger has always used all resources available to defend his kingdom, even ones other would hesitate to use. He's been manipulating the monsters of the Schwartzen Walden to help defend his land. Of course, not all the monsters are foolish...and the Schattenmann himself has deduced Sieger's activities. It's only a matter of time before he stops by. If the heroes want to get Sieger back home, they'll have to be one step ahead of both the Schattenmann and the Mörderbande. What's worse, they might not know why the Schattenmann wants Sieger dead. But if they can keep him alive, they might be able to figure it out and save him from the darkness.

Or maybe your heroes want to go exploring. There's plenty out there to do. The Vesten, for example, know they're losing. As a result, they've begun heading west. No one can say what they're looking for, but they're not very friendly and they're a major threat. They're getting organized and see raiding as honorable. Running into Vesten pirates is prettty likely - and they're not out for cash, but instead food, tools and weapons. Most ships that surrender are left with just enough to get home...and Vendel, or those who fight back, are killed. Those who've been paying attention, though, see that the Vesten are less interested in glorious battle, but rather, survival. The Sea Dogs and Explorers want to make peace with them, but most Vesten want nothing to do with them. Maybe the heroes can help reach a bargain - even if they have to pound a few heads to do it. Of course, there are also plenty of things out ther that are unknown. Early mapmakers used to label those spaces: Here there be drachen. Sometimes they were right. Now, there's a whole new world to find...and the stories are coming back. Giant squids that attack out of nowhere, wrapping their tentacles around entire galleons. The scientists want to kill one and find its body - but some of the stories of these creatures, the kraken, are terrifying. Huge beaks, malevolent eyes and a terrible, expressive shriek. A strange satisfaction at killing. The kraken are out there - and they're dangerous. Krakens, incidentally, do get stats here. They are extremely cunning and intelligent, and while capable of mercy and even compassion among their own, they tend to be cruel to all others. They love schemes and domination, and with the fall of the Barrier, they're very curious bout the new Eastern frontier. They are capable of fighting an entire ship, and single people could only hope to harm their smaller tentacles. However, they will flee if a tentacle is crippled. Human-sized weapons are hard to hurt them with, though, deal two less kept dice of damage...except for fire. Fire hurts them normally, and so they will flee if they ever identify an El Fuego Adentro sorcerer in the crew of a ship they attack. So yeah, intelligent giant squids.

They're not all that's out there. The Inquisition is, too, and explorers will run into trouble as their spies encourage mutinies and murders. They spread dissatisfaction like a plague, and it's very dangerous. Stopping a mutiny is a great challenge, as is starting one. The heroes are going to have to work hard to root out Inquisition spies and keep them from ruining morale - or worse. More terrifying, perhaps, are some of the artifacts that have returned from Cabora. Most infamous is Legion's Fang. It is a spike the size of a forearm with a round, buttonlike protrusion on the base. When pressed, the spike vibrates and becomes uncomfortably warm. Within ten minutes, everyone in a hundred yard radius becomes very irritable, making taunts more effective. It gets even easier every five minutes, but after twenty minutes the effect starts to fade. Those with the Hot-Headed Hubris get it activated three times without any cost, once at twenty minutes after activation, once at thirty and once at forty. The use of Legion's Fang in a tense situation could be disastrous, and many would pay a fortune for it. The Iron Butcher has sold it to a merchant in Castille, who plans to auction it off to the highest bidder...unless some heroes can prevent it from falling into the wrong hands, anyway.

Ah, but what about the Revolution? Surely there's plenty of hooks here. And there are. If you want a long military campaign, perhaps the party is with Montegue. They could be part of the Montaigne rearguard, fending off Ussuran guerrilla raids as the army retreats. Or perhaps they have to defend Montegue from the bands of assassins sent by l'Empereur! Or maybe the heroes show up with Montegue at the city of Ekaternava, long under siege. They arrive just in time to keep the siege force from being wiped out, and now the heroes must help get the force off Ekaternava island, negotiate a ceasefire or engage in a daring rescue of POWs. Maybe the heroes can help contain the damage to the ships in Odyesse done by l'Empereur's saboteurs, too. They can't possibly save enough to get the whole army on board, but maybe they can save enough to get the wounded, support troops and any women and children back home safely. Montegue might even order them to see the fleet home. Or maybe they're at the Battle of Salzsumpf, where Montegue was defeated. They can't prevent the loss or Montegue's capture, but they might be able to ensure more of the army survives, or even escape capture themselves. If captured, they will be put to work (with plenty of chances to escape).

Or maybe they're back in Montaigne. The Bloody Feast Day killings are a great spot for adventure - the heroes might be Musketeers or Rose and Cross Knights sent to hunt down the killers. It's a long and dangerous path, but there's several clues - an odd color to the killers' cloaks, a witness who saw them flee to the sewers. The heroes will have to fight the sewer-dwellers to get them to talk, but they can track the killers all the way to Dechaine, where one of them has hung back to try and woo a barmaid. From there, they can capture him and learn where his friends are holed up and you can have a great confrontation! Or maybe they have a chance on Bloody Feast Day to help save Jean-Marc Navarre, the third target. He's a priest who was going to give a sermon, but a bomb is planted under the pilpt. When his speech reaches its climax, the assassins plan to set it off. The heroes will have to find the thing, and the assassins are waiting in the basement to light it. The crowds keep them hidden, but sharp-eyed heroes can work it out and get down there. This might also be a starting point to hunt the other assassins!

Or maybe the heroes are royalists. Maybe they feel l'Empereur could be reformed or swore an oath to defend him no matter what. Maybe they believe he doesn't deserve to die. They can help get him out of Charouse ahead of the mob. They'd be there on the fateful day at Chateau du Soleil when Remy du Montaigne dueled Jean-Marie Rois et Reines. The servants come and ask them to help save the king. He's got no easy escape. He's always used gateways to travel, and never expected to have to flee his own palace. Porté mages can help, though the plot suggests not allowing them to escape Montaigne by magic - their blooded objects are washed clean if they try. Getting him out of the city will be hard - he's got a recognizable face, so they'll need a good disguise. Then they have to get him to the Kire's ship, where he will be "spirited to safety." Meeting with the Kire is a perfect place to betray l'Empereur if they want to do so. Regardless, the party will have to fight a band of revolutionaries at the dock, who spot them as they are getting l'Empereur aboard the ship. Unless you want the heroes to be involved in die Kreuzritter's trial, the ship should leave without them, and the party should focus on getting out of Montaigne.

Or maybe the party's got a Musketeer in it during the early days of the Revolution. They must save Lucie Jodard, the bastard child of a barmaid and a noble, who has the mark of Porté. The peasants have killed her father, and now they want to kill his servants...and his daughter. Lucie flees into the night as the mob, led by her stepfather, chases her to a lighthouse, which she barricades herself inside. The heroes could get involved by trying to save the servants or various other methods, but they must disperse the mob to save Lucie, helping to cement the reputation of the Musketeers as true heroes.

There's stuff going in Ussura, too. Plenty of fun here. Matushka, after all, has been stretched to her limit, and parts of Ussura are utterly unshielded by her power. Aleksi v'Novgorov has noticed this. He realizes that Matushka can be pushed too far, and he plans to exploit it. He's found references to a race of ancients sealed beneath Lake Vigil, and he plans to mount an expedition to meet them and get their alliance against Matushka. Or just release them - if Matushka's busy fighting them, he'll be able to move freely and find a way to destroy her. Perhaps he can even replace her. Only Koshchei releaizes what he's up to, and he hasn't decided what to do yet. He might just hire the PCs to keep an eye on Aleksi - and to do something about his plans.

Or maybe the party is in Veche, where a plot is in the works to kill Fveryot, the future ruler of Veche. What most don't realize, though, is that Fveryot is more than fascinated with history - he is in love with it. He wants to free the evil sorceress Saska Tomiech and her child, entombed far beneath the Knias's castle in a block of ice. He visits her each night, her beauty calling out to him. He can hear her speaking to him, and he's going to find a way to free her. He's made contact with some Castillian sorcerers who Saska claims can free her. He's not yet gotten them to come to Ussura, but it's just a matter of time. The PCs will have dilemma here. Fveryot has technically not done anything wrong here. The people plan to kill him just because he's interested in history...but if he gets control, he will be recreating the brutal past. He just hasn't done anything yet. Of course, if they learn of his visits to Saska, they might be able to stop him awakening her and might even be able to keep things from getting worse in Veche.

Things are not happy for Borin v'Pscov, either. He's really not himself, as we knew. Two of the three Tyomny who put him on the job died in battle...but the third survived. Valerii, the secret imposter, sees no hope. He is trapped, tormented continually by the Drachen beneath the palace. Finally, he has decided enough is enough. He will seek out the PCs to aid him, swearing them to secrecy and telling them that they must find the last Tyomny and bring him to Valerii. Of course, that's not all. When Borin steps down, there will be a power vacuum - and he'll be wanted for impersonating a Knias. The penalty is death. And they might be seen as collaborators. That's death, too.

And, of course, Ketheryna Fischler Dimitritova is very worried about her brother, Faulk. A few months ago, he stopped writing. A month later, she got a letter from Franziska Kohl, telling her that Faulk had changed and she was worried for him. He'd become paranoid and introverted, and Ketheryna needed to come see him. However, she can't leave Ussura now - she fears that the Knias plot against her husband, and fears that if she leaves, they will either depose him or he will go into a murderous rage. Thus, she does all she can: writing. She hopes her letters will help Fransiska. She's not worried about her husband or the Knias finding out...but she does worry that Faulk will, and she needs couriers to deliver her letters in secret. The heroes might be just the right people for the job.

Next time: Even more hooks!

Theus takes no notice of us. He thinks we're nothing. Nothing at all. But He's wrong.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: Theus takes no notice of us. He thinks we're nothing. Nothing at all. But He's wrong.

We left off with Vendel/Vesten adventureh ooks - and here's a big one. George Skard wants to go to the Althing, where he will hand out beer and make friends, helping to bring peace. But there are villains who would love to stop him going - both Vendel and Vesten. Skard needs heroes to help him get to the Althing against all odds, heroes who understand a good brew and are willing to fight to ensure it remains intact. The PCs are ripe for the job. And if they help with that, they get to go to the Althing and have some of the beer! If they manage it, Skard even has another job for them after: he's agreed to find a man named Peter Vel in Kirk for the Vesten. Vel is a moneylender and a League seat who has a reputation for nastiness. Skard has no idea what the Vesten want with him, but they have sworn he won't be harmed. Unfortunately, Vel doesn't want to leave Kirk, and he has a lot of money to spend on ensuring he gets what he wants. Are the PCs up to the task?

In the meantime, love is blossoming between Sela Cole and Val Mokk, but it could use some help. Perhaps the heroes are hired by Val Mokk after he sends a gift to Sela Cole and later finds it inadequate. They must intercept the first courier and replace the gift with something more suitable - which, naturally, will be rare and expensive. Or maybe Joris Brak has hired them to play chaperone and ensure that the two don't rush things - and now they have to keep an eye on the two Chairs and hope they don't escape to some hideaway. Or maybe Sela Cole has hired the heroes to make sure that Val Mokk doesn't get his insecurities played on at a party, and they must now ensure that he doesn't hear the snide comments directed at him or Sela. That'll be a challenge.

In the meantime, you remember the Avalon embassy ship the Gray Lady? Yeah, it's going to be attacked. Joris Brak's second personality has plans that ensure it. He's leaked the ship's schedule to the Vesten, and a fake manifest claiming it's loaded with Vendel goods. Too good a target to pass up. Brak wants to foster enmity between Avalon and the Vesten, as well as friendship between Avalon and Vendel. After all, a new ally will surely increase the animosity between the two cultures. The Gray Lady is prepared for attack, but Ambassador Fitzzcairn is under orders to open dialogue with the Vesten for another diplomat to pursue. If the Vesten attack, peaceful relations will be impossible with both Vesten and Vendel. The heroes could be involved in many ways. Perhaps Joris Brak has hired them to protect the ship, unaware of his dark side's machinations. Or perhaps Elaine has sent them - especially likely if one of the party is one of Elaine's Knights. And, of course, any Avalon diplomats in the party will be asked to advise Fitzcairn.

Boli Kollson is hunting down his grandfather's staff, which he sold to a Montaigne youth years ago. He's sure that it is the last tie binding the ghost of his grandfather to the world - and he needs the old man to fade away. The boy, in the meantime, has moved to the Vesten isles. He is fascinated by Vesten culture, and his honest curiosity won over a local skald, who agreed to teach him the legends and ways of the Vesten. The boy has begun to have dreams of an old man who tells him he has potential for greatness. He just has to accept the truth of what he's been learning. The old skald has no idea what to think of his student's dreams. He hides his confusion with proverbs, but he knows that no Montaigne boy could become a Skjæren...right? Kollson, in the meantime, plans to send his own students to attack the village they live in. If he has his way, the boy will never be a skjæren...or anything but a corpse.

What's going on with the Vesten terrorist called Uvitenhet? WEll, she's been sending Kirk into a tizzy with her attacks...but one of her closest allies, Ulf Falgirson, has been taking advantage of her for months. She pays him well to support her, but it's not enough for him. He plans to help her...but not how she thinks. He plans to raise the price on her head as high as it'll go, and then turn her in for the reward. Unfortunately, when a band of heroes thwarted Uvitenhet's raid on the Kirk mint earlier in the year, his plans were put on hold. He's currently trying to talk Uvitenhet into another major attack, and has almost convinced her that planting a bomb in a guild meeting would be the masterstroke to take down Vendel. He doesn't care if it's true or not - he just knows that if Uvitenhet bombs the Guild Chairs, the price on her head will be high enough to let him live in luxury for the rest of his life. Heroes investigating Uvitenhet may be contacted by Ulf, who'll offer to turn her over for a cut of the reward...but Ulf isn't worried about heroes investigating him. If Uvitenhet hasn't figured him out by now, what can a band of misfit PCs do to clue her in?

Now we move on to Vodacce. Plenty going on here. For example, a note was recently find nailed to the old Lorenzo palace door in Agitazione - a note claiming that Legion will be freed. A note signed Bianco. Even today, the Biancos are remembered with terror. The Church investigation into the note was useless. Worse - strange things have been happening in Agitazione. Milk curdles, a calf was born with two heads, men and women run to the monasteries or Inquisition after a night of evil dreams. A few have broken and preach the coming of Legion. The Vaticine is working to calm the people, saying it's all coincidence and lack of faith. Alcide Mondavi is concerned that it's a rival's plot to sow discord. The Fate Witches avoid the area, and the Church refuses to acknowledge that publically. Quietly, both they and Mondavi look to find someone with the courage to look into things and find the truth.

The Explorer's Society, meanwhile, are worried about rumors of the "wretched creature" that survived the destruction of the 14th century Falisci stronghold. The rumors are true, after all. The creature survived for centuries from the nourishment of a mystical Golden Chalice. It has since taken refuge in the Caligari mausoleums, where Beatrice Caligari was recently laid to rest, and it has assumed control over the local crypt ghouls. It is, in fact, a captured Sidhe, twisted and warped by the old Falisci's vile experiments. It lost all its Glamour, gaining instead a hatred of all humans, a pleasure in terror and murder and a terrible, twisted strength. The last team the Explorers sent has vanished. The PCs might be hired to learn their fate...or perhaps contacted by Sidhe who want to put the monster out of its misery. However, to kill it, they may need Syrneth weapons...or perhaps a MacEachern blade. The Wretched Creature is a terrible, powerful critter who resembles a vaguely humanoid male, seven feet tall and very thin, with pale and wrinkled skin. It has an overlarge head and is covered in irregular lumps. Its arms are twisted and end in terrible clws. Nasty thing, really.

And what about Caligari Isle? Perhaps the heroes were on the island when it began to sink. Its progress in sinking is slow but cannot be stopped. The heroes have a scene to escape and save as many as they can. Most buildings are between five and ten stories, while the tallest are fourteen or fifteen. The Prince's tower is 18, and the church of Saint Agnesse is 19. Each story takes 15 minutes to flood, giving the heroes time to work in. Combat in a flodding building has ten rounds before the water requires swimming checks. The city is full of all sorts of watercraft, but the heroes will have to defend theirs from thieves and panicked citizens looking for a lifeboat. Once they've got an actual ship, though, they can do what they like to save others or get away. It's a race against time as the masonry crashes into the canals around them. And once free, well - there's plenty of treasure at the bottom of the sea to be salvaged, no?

And of course anyone involved with sea travel might get involved with Giuseppe Bernoulli, who has sworn to take Reis's place as the most feared pirate alive. Giuseppe is a sadist and a killer, who loves to terrorize those he captures. He always blinds one sailor and then sets him free to spread his tale. He especially loves to trawl the waters around Caligari Isle, hunting the Explorers and treasure hunters who come to dive into the ruins. Unknown to Giuseppe, the Crimson Rogers have caught wind of him and don't want to be upstaged. Prince Bernoulli knows about them, but he's not sure how to respond. Giuseppe is surely damned and evil, but he's still the Prince's son, and the Prince has no desire to see him killed too soon.

In the meantime, Beatrice Caligari left behind a journal full of the visions her magic gave her. Sophia's Daughters, the Invisible College and the Rilasciare would all love to get their hands on that book - but none have found it yet. Alegra, the handmaid who got it out of Montaigne, arranged to meet with the Daughters in Freiburg, but never made it to the appointment. Her body was found on the Eisen border, the journal missing. Whoever has it now has a huge insight into Sorte magic, Vincenzo Caligari's research and many other secrets - perhaps including those of the future of the world itself. In the wrong hands, the repercussions would be dire indeed.

And then there is the legacy of Alberto Lucani, who died to save his wife and children, calling on the Rose and Cross to rescue them. Heroes belonging to that order or other do-gooders might be able to help Lucani's family escape the assassins sent for them, getting them to the Knights' chapter-house or other accomodations. The Knights have vowed to protect the Lucanis even after the prince's death, and they plan to continue doing so...but their job is made harder by the fact that Francesca Lucani is determined to avenge her husband, scouring her family for traitors and plotting to destroy Alcide Mondavi. Her powers are strong and she has many cousins in the other families. She is so determined for vengeance that she may ignore the Lucani Curse to get it. GMs could develop a campaign around Francesca Lucani and her plans.

Or perhaps an adventurer focusing on Bartholomeus Coraddin, the opera composer. This, incidentally, is before the Revolution starts. Anyway, Corradin has just one patron now: Giovanni Villanova. He's paid all expenses for a tour of Montaigne to showcase the man's famous Rosetta. Villanova has also given the man six months to complete his current opera, to be immediately followed by one celebrating the Villanovas - especially Giovanni. Corradin must do all this...or else. His wife works feverishly to complete the latest opera, and it may kill her to do so. Rather than rely on her, Corradin has a new solution. He will kidnap the child prodigy Wolffrond von Hazel and force the boy to create the Giovanni opera. This may destroy him - as long as his wife remains hidden, Corradin can keep up the facade, but Wolffrond is world-famous. If he turns up missing, his parents would do anything to get him back, and Villanova's rivals would love to deflate his new pet artist. The boy's kidnapping could give a stalwart band of PCs the chance they need to uncover Corradin's true nature and perhaps even save his wife.

Now then! NPCs! Hugh Fitzcairn, Ambassador to the Vendel, has no real secrets. He's just an idealist devoted to peace in his time. He takes action against that goal very personally and dedicates him to discrediting those who do it in any way he can. Sarah MacDonald, the thief of the Fairy Flag, is an apprentice MacDonald fencer who grew up hating the MacLeods. She has sworn to destroy the enemy clan, by whatever means are necessary. Cardinal Erika Durkheim has returned to Eisen after the Revolution, content to leave the nation in the hands of Father Jean-Marc Navarre. She still makes appearances once in aa while, but has shifted her focus to her native land. She no longer speaks about the missing Cardinal d'Argeneau, for no clear reason.

Now, let's talk Stefan Heilgrund. His stats haven't changed, but now, he's a sorcerer. A sorcerer with the unique power of Schattengang sorcery. He may walk betwene shadows anywhere within Heilgrund province or the Schwartzen Walden. If obscured in shadow to the point of difficulty of vision, he may spend a Drama Die to teleport as per the Walk knack of Porté, which he is considered to have at 5. He also has the power of Schattenleben, which allows him to spend a Drama die and suffer 5 flesh wounds to bring a shadow to life as a servant. Shadows may take on any shape, and their strength is determined by how welllit an area is. They do not take damage from normal weapons, but rather based on how bright the area is. Likewise, that determines how much damage they can dela. The darker it is, the more dangerous a shadow is. They cause damage through numbing and could. Heilgrund's final new power is the Schattentod, the ability to cause shadows to consume others. If he can touch someone who is standing in shadow, he may force them to make a Resolve test against him. IF he wins, the victim takes the difference in flesh wounds. Anyone killed this way vanishes into the shaddows, only to rise later as a member of the Schattensoldat.

Mayor Manfred Jost of Stützung is determined to remove the Mörderbande from power, especially Klaus Metzger. He is slowly building support, turning fear into outrage. It's just a matter of time until he has the support to move. He is unsure of what he'll do when Sieger returns. It depends on whether Sieger knew what would happen when he left or not. Klaus Metzger, meanwhile, is a journeyman Drexel fencer and a complete sociopath. He's seized power, and he knows that anywhere but Eisen, what he's doing would be impossible. He'd be killed. But in Eisen, who can stop him? Jean-Marie Rois et Reines, meanwhile, is a Master of Valroux and has found his loyalties stretched to the breaking point during the Revolution. He could not longer support l'Empereur, and he told his men to ignore the orders to crush the rebellion. He continues to be loyal to l'Empereur's daughters, however, especially his wife, Anne. He led a band of Musketeers to get her into Eisen, and then helped as many people as he could for several days before retreating to Eisen himself. He resigned his commission, and now aids his wife in running the government-in-exile. He empathizes with the peasants, but doesn't think the current government can heal the wounds left behind. He works for the day when the cycle of vengeance can end and he can go home. He lives in a modest townhouse near the palace of REinhard von Wische and makes sure to spend at least one night a week with his wife no matter how busy eithero f them is.

Anne du Montaigne, his wife, is the Queen Regent of the government-in-exile. She is very wise and skilled at politics, and also full of genuine compassion. She escaped Montaigne with the aid of the Musketeers and promised to make the most of the sacrifice of those who died to protect her. After reaching Eisen, she made a deal with von Wische for protection and coordinates efforts now to relocate nobles and negotiate with the Council of Eight. After the Frezny, her job is much more difficult, but she perseveres. She has seen what it means to rule now, and she's up to it. Her sister Ysabette is a Rogers journeyman and Scrying sorcerer, who has saved Rosemonde du Montaigne for an ill-advised attempt to rescue her twin sister Evelyne. Rosamonde would have died had Ysabette not appeared to rescue her from the axe. The two now live as pirates and outlaws, dodging naval vessels and striking back against the new regime. They are the most wanted criminals in Montaigne. Ysabette uses her magic to stay in touch with the Daughters, which lets her keep ahead of politics. They have both spoken with Anne, but have no interest in joining the government-in-exile, preferring the freedom of the sea. Rosamonde still struggles with sailing skill, but is at least over her seasickness and is a great quartermaster. She keeps a blank chalkboard in her cabin, with the word 'Evelyne' all that is ever written on it. No one ever speaks about it to her, not even Ysabette.

Next time: More NPCs!

We have something within us that yearns to be more than the Syrneth ever became.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: We have something within us that yearns to be more than the Syrneth ever became.

We left off with more Montaigne NPCs. Thierry du Lamolle is the current captain of the Musketeers, a Valroux master and an Aldana journeyman. When Aristide Baveaux died, he became the new captain. He is both a member of the Musketeers and the Rose and Cross. He knows how to listen and not speak, and he's very good at it. Publically, he obeys the Council of Eight, but he secretly hides his underlings' treasonous activities. He never directly participates in anti-government action, but he does maintain contact with Jean-Marie Roi et Reines, who gives him advice. Admiral Alazais Valoix Praisse du Rachetisse III remains much as he once was. You see, during the attack on San Cristobal, l'Empereur sent a mage to fetch him - and Valoix is terrified of Porté, as we are well aware. He killed the messenger and was stripped of his post, becoming a fugitive. When the Revolution came, this made him a hero, and he exploited that by asking to be reinstated. He was, and he now serves as the high admiral and chief pirate-hunter of the navy. He spends as much time at sea as possible, and has a fierce hatred of Porté mages. His current targets are Ysabette and Rosamonde du Montaigne.

General Montegue remains a Valroux master...and remains captive of Fauner Pösen. He has access to all kinds of comforts as a captive, but is not allowed to leave. He desires nothing more than to find his wife and ensure she is safe. He's made two escape attempts so far, both of which failed. For now, he plans, enjoys his cage and waits for his next chance. Edmond Gatien, the Axe, is Mayor-Prefect of Paix and leader of the Rilasciare cell called the Paix Historical Gentleman's Club. He despises sorcery, and was involved in the Rilasciare bombing of Paix's public works before the Revolution. When it came, he took charge of the mob and stormed the embassies, slaughtering dozens. He easily became mayor-prefect, and quickly outlawed all Porté usage in Paix. The Frenzy has him hunting for pro-royalists with vicious fervor, and while foreign diplomats are shielded from the Axe, his policies have left them with an ugly taste in their mouths.

Aristide Baveaux was Grand Master of the Knights of the Cross, a Desaix Master and Captain of the Musketeers before his death. He never intended to take a government position, but his honor would not let him refuse it when it was offered. He served as a member of the Council of Eight, acting as a voice of reason until his death. He died defending his friend, Eugene du Crieux, against a band of assassins. He killed one before being cut down by a hail of bullets, and his sword holds a place of honor at Crieux House. The rank of Grand Master after his death fell to Hughes Sices du Sices, a noble who refused to flee Montaigne. Hughes' defiance has made many enemies in Charouse, but also enhanced the Order's reputation outside Montaigne.

Edward Boucher is an Avalon merchant who showed up just after the Revolution began. He sold weapons to the peasantry, and his short size and girth led most to underestimate him, letting him gather a lot of useful information...including the fact that Francois du Arrent, a mage, was sneaking into Charouse to smuggle his daughters out. Boucher informed the revolutionaries, who promptly invited him to join them. He worked as a spy and informant, and when the Committee of General Welfare was formed, he immediately offered to join. He is commander of the Chateau du Roulement Noble, the major prison of the Revolution. He doesn't actually care about the Revolution, and came only to make money. As the head warden, he has made sure that the conditions of his prison are brutal and vile for everyone who can't bribe him. Those who can get three meals a day and a private cell - but he won't allow anyone to escape for any sum, since he knows he'd be treated as a scapegoat if he did. He has the unique power to detect sorcerers, thanks to inheriting a ring that once belonged to his ancestor, the legendary Thomas. This also allows him use of the Thomas knack as though he were a master Glamour sorcerer, despite having no other Glamour ability whatsoever. He plans on offering his services to the Inquisition next if his job runs out here.

Arnaud du Charouse has gone from being the Rilasciare's quietest member to the head of Montaigne. He was quiet in the early days, a natural bureaucrat who got involved with everything, happy to do the work that no one else wanted to. He occasionally delivered impressive speeches, but mostly worked. When du Crieux was assassinated, he became the head of the Council largely because he was involved in everything.. He is a brilliant orator who has learned how to sway the crowd and appear as a selfless idealist. The events of Bloody Feast Day, however, combined with his ideals and his naturally high-strung temperament to make him launch the Frenzy. He genuinely does not see the damage he's causing, and still considers himself a servant of the people despite his tyranny. He still attends meetings of Jacob's Society and refuses to move out of his middle-class home. His ideals have blinded him to the excesses of the Frenzy, and he is truly terrified of a counterrevolution. In his mind, the death will be worth it if they can prevent a return of the royalty. Once he's purged the country, it will truly be a utopia.

Madeline du Chatelaine was an apprentice Scryer who helped stockpile weapons for the Revolution and anticipated it due to her contacts in Sophia's Daughters. She ensured that the peasants were armed, and at first people overlooked her noble ties. However, she remained as devoted to the Daughters as the Revolution, and this meant she maintained contact even with those Daughters who used Porté. Her new position subjected her to intense scrutiny, and people began to suspect her motives. The blow came when she was accused of treason by Arnaud du Charouse, who produced evidence that she was part of a "vast sorcerous conspiracy." He might have uncovered the Daughters had he dug further, so the Sophia allowed Madeline to die for the greater good, and the Council wrote her off as a pro-royalist. Though Madeline is reviled as a traitor in Montaigne, the Daughters think of her as an honored figure who died to protect them.

Eugene Suchet du Crieux was a philosophy professor before the Revolution. The ruler of his city, Allais du Crieux, fled, and Eugene volunteered to help run things until a replacement could be found. He did such a good job that he ended up elected to the Parlement, and from there the Council of Eight. His lecturing skills made him a charismatic politician, and he soon became leader of the Council of Eight. He was an idealist, but never lost sight of practicality. He condemned the coup of Quintus, but he opposed executing the ringleaders, and ultimately saved their lives...for a time, at least. He was close friends with Aristide Baveaux, and the two loved to argue philosophy. It was during such an argument that the Bloody Feast Day killers came on him, slaughtering both men and causing the Frenzy, which claimed the lives of many that Eugene had protected after the attempted coup.

Hubert du Gloyure is an artist, and he sees the Revolution as his canvas. He is a member of the Council of Eight largely due to his position in the Rilasciare's Jacob's Society. He led them for years, but day-to-day politics bored him. Instead, he became a brilliant propagandist, and a master of playing the crowd. He helped to begin the Frenzy with his speeches, plays and works, and he knows exactly how to sway the mob. He serves as unofficial Minister of Information, using his artistic skills to serve the Council. He also continues to paint. He is one of the few people who might be able to openly defy Arnaud du Charouse. Private Jerome, meanwhile, may have been the spark to light the revolution, but he doesn't want anything to do with it. He doesn't like Arnaud du Charouse's politics, and he lacks the presence to be a speechmaker. He occasionally attends public events, but mostly just wants to live quietly with his love on a small farm and avoid trouble.

Major Gilbertine du Muguet is a master of Valroux and Tout Prés and the military liaison on the Council of Eight. He refused any higher rank, at least publically, and is a veteran of the Castillian war who seized control of the home garrison when he was on leave and the Revolution broke out. He kept them from firing at the mob, and used this to get himself into Parlement and the Council. He is an opportunist; he loves his country but has no real belief system beyond that. He serves Arnaud du Charouse because it increases his clout; he doesn't really care who rules, as long as he remains in power. He views the Frenzy as he might view an order to storm an enemy position: people die, but it gets the job done. Father Jean-Marc Navarre, meanwhile, was an imprisoned priest when the Revolution happened. He became a hero when the prisons were liberated, and he and the Church decided that a Vaticine presence was needed in the new government. He soon found himself on the Council of Eight. He serves the Church before Montaigne, but claims devotion to both. He sees himself as the guardian of Montaigne's soul and the Council's conscience. However, his ambitions sometimes blind his better judgment. He supports the Frenzy so he isn't killed like Madeleine was, and he supports Arnaud because it's the path to power. He does what he can to ease the people's suffering, but not at cost to his own power. He's done a lot for the Vaticine, but is dragging his feet on finding the missing archbishops. He doesn't actually want to find them, since he is currently the most powerful priest in Montaigne. He's sure that if he plays his cards right, he might became the next Cardinal.

Marie Malvoire, aka Marie Paix, is a Tout Prés master who was once a petty thief. She was drafted into the army and caught selling food to civilians out of military supplies. She was arrested and sent to Charouse for execution, but she was freed when the Castillians closed on the city and became a hero was part of Montegue's Stand. She was offered promotion, but instead requested to become a musketeer, expecting to fail and be able to go home. She didn't fail at all. Later, she would be one of the first Musketeers to openly defy l'Empereur, rallying the men beneath her to the Revolutionary cause. After that, she served as an important figure in the Revolution, asking Arnaud du Charouse to help her ferret out traitors. She proved good at it, and was personally selected by Arnaud to lead the Committee of General Welfare. She has created a fearsome group of spies and investigators to find traitors, and turned an old monastery into the most oppressive prison in Montaigne: the Chateau du Roulement Noble. She is a well-known public figure whose pretty features have led to several marriage proposals, but she always refuses, claiming to be married to the Revolution. She seeks a position on the Council of Eight...and after that, to unseat Arnaud du Charouse. She'd love to be ruler of Montaigne.

Emilie Sausseur, aka Citizen Sausseur, is the face of the mob. She is cruel, bloodthirsty and vengeful, and her seat on the Council of Eight comes from support from the lower classes, who see her as their personal champion. She ostensibly fosters public programs to help the poor, but in reality she works to ruthlessly persecute the nobility, drafting anti-Porté laws, wealth redistributions and even calling for war against those who house Montaigne nobles. Her personal maid was once a noblewoman, whom she allowed to live in exchange for becoming her indentured servant. She is in awe of Arnaud du Charouse, who has learned to use her for his own purposes. She loves executions, and rumor has it that she keeps the severed heads of many nobles in her basement.

In Ussura, there is Sergey Ivanovich, the last of the three Tyomney to put Valerii on the Somojez throne. He is an apprentice Bogatyr fencer who once expected the ruse to be temporary and thought it was the right thing. It has rapidly become the convenient thing, and while Sergey's had many chances to set things right, it's easier and even sometimes fun not to and instead to keep Valerii afraid. And that's it. Off to Vendel, to Sigurd Jarlsgaard, one of the two Mayors of Fornuft. He is a journeyman Leegstra fencer and not a politician at all. He's good at representing Vesten interests, though, due to intense stubbornness. He has no idea how to manipulate a foe, but is completely unable to be manipulated thanks to that stubborn nature. He rarely sees eye-to-eye with his co-mayor, Joran Hawk, but the two respect each other greatly.

Joran Hawk is the Vendel mayor of Fornuft, who openly admits to being a politician. Fornuft was his idea, and he hopes it is the greatest chance for peace between the two cultures by allowing them to understand each other and learn to compromise. It is his grand experiment. He's never pulled rank on anyone in Fornuft, though - he feels it would defeat the purpose. Ulf Falgirson, meanwhile, is an opportunistic smuggler who doesn't actually care about Uvitenhet's cause - he just wants money, and he'll only help her for her money...until the price is high enough to turn her in. Brian Skar is a Rasmussen apprentice and a Vendel marine who hates the Vesten due to his parents' death. He did not get the chance to choose his own path - vengeance consumed him and it chose him.

Brian's brother, Erick Skaarsgaard, is a Leegstra apprentice and Vesten raider. However, he's not careless about lives - after he head about his parents' death, he made sure to only kill those who threatened him, allowing all others to escape in lifeboats or even offering them a chance for safe passage to port when he attacks them. He'd have returned to comfort his brother when their parents died, but he was far out at sea, and by the time he got back and heard about it, months had passed and he didn't want to open old wounds by returning. This was probably a mistake.

And that's it! So, Lemon Curdistan, how bad was it?

Next time: The Swordsman's Guild!

Your king is an abomination upon the throne.

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

7th Sea: Your king is an abomination upon the throne.



This book is the second-to-last of the pure, AEG mechanics-only line. It focuses on the Swordsman's Guild, its formation and its influence. This is actually a part of the history that has been kind of ignored so far! Let's take a look. We start with fiction in Carleon of 1623. A Castillian is picking a fight in a tavern, insulting the king and the Avalon Church. He is challenged to a duel, and now two swordsmen stand ready to fight. The Castillian is defeated, refuses to yield, and dies...and the Castillian's companion informs his killer that the man's family will seek vengeance. This is how things were, before the Swordsmen got involved. We jump now to 1644, in the Imperator's Palace. A swordsman has come to speak with him: Magnus Desaux du Montaigne. He wants to make a deal with the Imperator, telling him that all other nations have agreed to the arrangement he is offering. Specifically: he wants to set up dueling laws and the Swordsman's Guild to control the duels and prevent deaths. He wants to teach honor and chivalry along with the martial skill, and ensure that only Guildsmen can challenge others to duels. The Imperator agrees, and then meets with Linnae Knute, the swordsman representing Eisen. He orders Linnae to ensure that the traditions of Eisenfaust survive, making Linnae his official successor as the Master of the Eisenfaust School.

Now, let's talk history. The Guild was the brainchaild of Magnus Desaux du Montaigne. He was born in 1620, and he was fascinated by dueling...but it had been declared illegal in most nations. Magnus saw this as an encroachment on men's honor and ability to defend that honor. On the other hand, duels caused a lot of unneeded death. He needed a solution, and came up with the idea of a 'Dueling Guild' which would legalize duels but regulate them carefully. It would allow proxies, so that men would not have to die to defend their honor. It would also force them pay for the privilege, either by joining the Guild or hiring a Guild swordsman. This, Magnus thought, would reduce duels even as it legalized them. He would need to cover as much of the known world as possible to ensure his codes were obeyed, and so he would need the support of many rulers. He would need their legal authority. More importantly, he'd have to go through the establish Vendel guild systems.

In the meantime, one of Magnus' rivals was murdered by a Vendel named Linnae Knute. The rival had hired men to kill Knute's mother, a skilled duelist, rather than face her himself. The boy, only twelve, had hunted him down and killed the noble and his henchmen. Magnus was impressed and took young Linnae under his wing. Linnae proved a fearsome fighter who didn't need the help, but he learned Linnae's ideas and agreed, disgusted with the man who killed his mother without facing her honorably. The two perfected a plan to create the Guild. Linnae, as a native Vendel, would approach the League with an offer. He quickly mastered Eisenfaust and made a reputation for himself in Eise, creating his first fencing academy there. While managining his own Valroux school, Magnus discussed things with his relative, King Léon, and convinced him of the arrangement. The Vodacce didn't see a need for the proxy system and Ussura was just unapproachable, but Magnus didn't care. Castille was difficult, demanding control, so he ignored them for now. The inner circle would need a third man, so Magnus was forced to turn to Avalon, approaching the ranking Master of the Donovan School, Miles Donovan. Miles proved willing, and now the Guild had its three founders.

The three men finished the Pact, as they called it, and approached various rulers. Magnus went to Léon XIV and Kind Salvador Aldana de Sandoval, convincing them to sign. Miles approached Kings Richard and MacDuff in the Glamour Isles, and Linnae negotiated with the Vendel League and Imperator Riefenstahl. The League was happy for profits from another Guild and their support gave the trio a lot of leverage. Riefenstahl felt he had no choice but to sign, as dueling undermined his nobles almost as much as the War of the Cross. Finally, in 1644, all of the signatories agreed and the Guild became a reality. The early years were a struggle - the Guild acted with authority of the rulers, but even the rulers had trouble enforcing dueling laws. As part of the plan, Magnus and the others created the Razors, a group of master swordsmen who would be their enforcement arm. They would make examples of the worst violators of dueling law. Initially, they focused on pistol duels, which the Guild considered lethal and dishonroable, but they also hunted traditional fencers who refused to obey.

The Guild worked to increase its influence socially, as well. Léon and the Vendel League were useful, giving them an aura of prestige. It also helped that Veronica Ambrogia of Vodacce was involved with Magnus even before the Guild's creation. She used her courtesan-taught social skills to get the Guild into many courts, and the Guild sanctioned her own school and convinced the Lucani to sign on. This helped ease tensions in Vodacce, and eventually the Villanova and Bernoulli Schools were sanctioned as well. Not all was perfect, of course. Vodacce duelists continued to ignore dueling law, and a lot of incidents happened - most famously, Giovanni Villanova's execution of a fellow Swordsman in 1653. He was technically a Guild member due to his Ambrogia skill, and he fought another student in an illegal duel and killed him. The Guild sent ten Razzors to make an example of him. He defeated them all. Each year, on the anniversary of the incident, he sends them a piece of one of their bodies to remember.

Giovanni Villanova is a bit of an asshole.

The Guild's greatest tragedy was in 1665, when Magnus died. He'd kept the organization intact over the years and had established that his son Frantz would assume his seat. Frantz may love dueling, but he's proven a reluctant member of the inner council. Miles and Linnae continue to serve, but bother are growing older and have no children. It's not clear what'll happen when they die. Most likely, Veronica Ambrogia will become a council member and a new secondary seat would be created, but no one knows for sure. Those that find the Guild too restrictive are eager to find out.

So, how is the Swordsman's Guild organized? Well, it's pretty simple. There's the Inner Council, who hold their seats for life. For the first 21 years of existence, that was the founding members, with Frantz replacing Magnus after he died. The charater allows a council member to appoint a successor in any manner he likes, though none of the living council members have yet declared any successor. If no successors were declared, the two surviving council members choose someone suited to represent as much of a given nation's swordsmen as possible. Many think that Laurence Lugh, Hrodgeir of the Vesten and Fauner Pösen are all likely candidates, though as far as anyone knows none have been approached. The Council decides all matters by a simple vote, and meets one week each month to decide on any matters brought before them.

The council has only three members, but it's tried to represent all nations. To do so, they created the secondary seats. Secondaries only advise, not vote. Currently, only one such seat exists: Veronica Ambrogia's, and she's held it since the Guild formed. The Guild tried to make a Castillian seat, but the Castillians demanded they either have full Council status or none. The seat was offered to Don Andrés Aldana, the most amenable of the masters of Castille, but he declined due to lack of time. Eduardo Montevada, head of the Altamira Guild Chapterhouse is considered likely for a follow-up offer, but the Vouncil has not yet reached a final decision.

Below the Council are the Chapterhouses, which exist in almost every major city in Théah. The Council appoints a Master to oversee each Chapterhouse, who gets paid a small stipend. The Chapterhouse Master may ask other Masters to volunteer time, but their duties are light and involve testing Guild members to maintain standards. Most Masters enjoy the challenge and gladly volunteer, though rarely for long periods. The largest Chapterhouses might have as many as six Masters in attendance at any given time. We also get a sidebar on how dueling terms are decided. Both sides should agree, but the Guild feels they should also be flexible. Any two weapons, except those specifically excluded, are roughly equal in Guild eyes, and so those who haggle excessively over legal weapons and enhancements are seen as cowards.

The Razors make up the Guild's enforcers, answering to Renato Marchello, their leader, who answers to the Inner Council. Chapterhouse Masters are expected to assist Razors when needed, but the Razors pride themselves on their independence and rarely ask for any help. They have their own building at the Guild's Kirk headquarters and can request quarters at any Chapterhouse in the world. Individual Guild-sanctioned schools track and record their own members and send the records to the local Chapterhouse once a month. The Chapterhouses forward these to the Guild headquarters and keep a copy for themselves. Sanctioned schools have duties within the Guild, but these are relatively light. That's pretty much the total organization the Guild has - it's deliberately made to be no threat to any authority and it doesn't want to throw around its strength, so the lack of structure works well.

Due to the frequent updates, it can be hard to track membership figures at any given moment - the true figures are likely to be in transit. Also, not every Guild-sanctioned school reports its membership as much as it should, especially in Ussura or Vestenmannavnjar lands. That said, the Guild currently believes it has a total of 31,850 members. 2800 are in Avalon, 11400 in Montaigne, 4000 in Eisen, 4000 in Castille, 5500 in Vodacce, 2400 in Ussura, 1000 in Vendel and 750 Vesten.

We get to hear about dueling law now! The first thing is that we have to understand what the Guild considers a duel. A duel is defined by them as when two parties meet with premeditation to fight and settle some matter, usually an affair of honor. They may be alone or have seconds, and may be private or public. Dueling involves either weapons or the bare hands. Both parties draw up an arrangement stating the conditions which the duel will be fought under and any disallowed tactics, weapons, schools or magic. Anything else is not dueling an does not fall under Guild purview. If two Swordsmen meet on a battlefield, they aren't dueling. If one breaks into another's home, they aren't dueling. If one is hired as a bodyguard and another attacks the man's charge, they aren't dueling. The normal laws of whatever area apply to these situations.

For a legal duel, a Swordsman must make a challenge. He can act for himself or be commissioned by someone else to make the challenge. Normally, a Swordsman can take a commission to duel anyone but another Swordsman. Under certain circumstances, he can also challenge another Swordsman to a legal duel. We'll get to that. If he is commissioned to issue a challenge, the person commissioning it is the one examined to see if they are a Guild member and if the resulting duel is illegal. Anyone can accept a challenge to a duel and defend themselves. Alternately, a challenged party may commission a duelist of their own to act as a proxy. A challenge must be accepted or declined on the spot, but they may accept and then say that a commissioned Swordsman will fight for them. Depending on the country, nobles expecting a challenge may keep a Swordsman on hand to save time. This is usually expensive and is typically done only by Montaigne exiles and Vendel, who take pride in the fact that they can afford it. Other countries are usually pretty liberal about letting people find a Swordsman to fight for them. The Guild encourages this, since it means more money for more Swordsmen, and thus for the Guild. A challenged party must usually provide a proxy within 24 hours or be expected to fight themselves.

We get a sidebar now on legal duel examples. In our first, a Swordsman is commissioned by a non-Swordsman to challenge another SWordsman. Once the challenge is issued, he steps aside to let the two fight. The resulting duel is legal, because the noble is not a Guild member. In our second example, the Swordsman is approached by a non-Guild member to fight another Swordsman who has challenged the hiring party. The duel is legal - the first Swordsman is acting as a proxy for a non-Guild member. Our third example has the Swordsman approached by another Swordsman to challenge a third Swordsman and then stand aside for the duel. The duel is illegal because both challenger and challenged are Swordsmen.

Anyway. A duelist may fight with any hand-to-hand weapon or without weapons. Firearms or other ranged weapons, hidden weapons and poison are all illegal and considered highly dishonorable. EVen in Vendel, pistol dueling is illegal for now. Duelists may legally use any non-ranged weapon, though, unless they agree on further limitations at the start of the duel. Using a previously hidden weapon mid-duel is illegal and dishonorable, however - all weapons must be revealed when the duel starts. The Guild initially tried to limit which weapons could be used, but each nation had its own ideas about what was honorable. Boar spears couldn't be disallowed without angering the Eisen, or claymores without irritating Highlanders. However, they maintain bans on a few specific weapons as well as barehanded techniques. However, just because a School or weapon is not sanctioned by the Guild does not mean it's illegal to use. The Guild believes that if an Inishman wants to use his bare fists to fight a swordsman, that's his problem. The Guild also does not condemn armor or superior weapons such as Castillian blades or Puzzles Swords. If two parties agree to use such weapons, all right, that's fine. Likewise, sorcery is seen as a superior form of weapon and armor and thus allowed provided it is used only to enhance one's self. Magic that attacks or otherwise directly affects an opponent is banned, much as ranged weapons are.

Next time: Types of duels and other Guild laws.