From lev at rpgreview.net Sat Sep 5 14:36:29 2015 From: lev at rpgreview.net (Lev Lafayette) Date: Sun, 6 Sep 2015 01:36:29 +1100 Subject: [7thseafreiburg] Session #16: Three Owls and Nibelungen Message-ID: <5403f7665d7da4080f4c09591d2d4d66.squirrel@webmail.rpgreview.net> Real date: August, Sunday 23rd, 2015 Game date: Sextus, Amordi, 10, 1688 Attending a performance of The Three Owls at Atelmos, the first since Hainzl's recovery ("Why don't you play the role of a King?"), the place is surrounded by protestors claiming that the performance will lead to bad luck. Once forcible pushes a propaganda leaflet into the hands of Lord Bryon, speaking in Avalon. Inside it is discovered it is a message - presumably from the Nibelungen given its symbol - to meet at the River of Night the following night. At the aftershow party, one Lord Gruber is present, a military leader who has recently returned from a successful Montaigne campaign in Ussra, and presented himself as a thoroughly unlikeable character by his complete disregard for the difference between civilian and military targets. He also announced that he intends to parade through Freiburg in a few week's time. The following day it takes a while to work out where the river is; located in the Caves of Opa Nacht. A tour is arranged of this spectacular environment, but of course it is closed to the public in the evenings. Nevertheless the guards are not too observent, especially when liquour and coin is provided with a suggestion to look the other way. Inside, following a brief river journey, the party is taken to the work stations of the Nibelungen where they meet their leader, Stefan, who makes askanace of their dracheniesen horde. When this is releaved his makes the point that whilst he didn't know, he suspected - and if he suspected, others will as well. The party returns to Freiburg to discover that Teresa goes to Armin after a failed attempt to poison her husband. A meeting is arranged by Dr. Serijo with Wilma Probst where the party reveals their need to arrange safe passage for Teresa out of the city and back towards the Voddacce lands. Lady Drachenheim asks how she could establish a more formal liaison with the Eisenfurst Nicklaus Trage - a person who is only interested in his rather moody and pessimistic philosophy. Wilma agrees to organise a Freiburg philosophical salon in one week's hence, with many of the city's leading figures present; including Redmund. A week after that, Lord Gruber's troops will arrive (having offered a good sum to the city's coffers for the right to parade). (Today's session will be a philosophy forum! Which is appropriate given that I may be 10 minutes late, attending a philosophy forum) -- Lev Lafayette, BA (Hons), GradCertTerAdEd (Murdoch), GradCertPM, MBA (Tech Mngmnt) (Chifley) mobile: 0432 255 208 RFC 1855 Netiquette Guidelines http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc1855.txt http://www.quicksales.com.au/shop/RPG-Review.aspx From lev at rpgreview.net Sat Sep 19 12:40:29 2015 From: lev at rpgreview.net (Lev Lafayette) Date: Sat, 19 Sep 2015 23:40:29 +1100 Subject: [7thseafreiburg] Session #17: The Philosophy Forum Message-ID: <0d167ff23ae533c48ee4bcd18a1670f6.squirrel@webmail.rpgreview.net> See you tomorrow! A review of last session.... Session #17: The Philosophy Forum --------------------------------- Real date: Sunday, September 6th, 2015 Game date: Sextus 30 Feast Day, 1688 Wilma Probst organisers a philosophy 'salon' to provide a means to introduce Lady Drachenheim to Niklaus Trague, who agrees to the opportunity to promite his philosophy. "The world is too ugly to be accident", he opines. "Human beings are in a constant state of suffering, anxiety, and discontentment. This state means that they are governed by dark forces to overcome this situation. Optimists are always proven eventually incorrect, they are foolish idealists. Look at my city, when people are left to their own devices." "People are petty, weak, and prone to infighting. The world is absurd. Take refuge in intoxication, it is a gift of the divine." Redmund largely agrees, "But I will elaborate. In my opinion, there are a few who have the inner ability to take control of such a situation. In the natural world, it is the strongest. But in the human world, it is the cunning who rule the strong, and the strong who rule the weak. The natural order demands that the most cunning who is backed by the greatest strength, will eventually rule." Against this aggressive combination of pessimism and supremacism there was little response. Wilma meekly argued that one should manage affairs the best they can, and suffrance can be endured for it is only temporary. The scribe, Logan Sieger, adopted an entirely neutral stance: "Record events for future knowledge." Meanwhile oustide Tobar Rye, the colourful Ussarian merchant from the Marketplatz, attracts Offizier Axel Maxmillian's attention. He pleads with the Offizier to take 'active measures' and 'special measures' against the visiting mercenary leader, Gruber, and his company, The Eagles, who recently returned from Ussara. Tobar provides a great list activities carried out Gruber's forces with their genocidal scorched earth policy, and the excesses of masochistic cruelty that they engaged in. Despite these appeals, and offers of money, Tobar cannot convince Axel to engage in the required activities. He does get him to agree however to at least mention it to Lady Drachenheim and provides a route of The Eagles through Freiburg as part of their victory parade. It is not without some irony that the Lady was in the midst of agreement with Redmund to provide a score of Civil Improvement Agency constabulary under Redmund's command to 'clean up the streets' for the parade. As the evening in the philosophy forum continues, and more wine is consumed, the party is increasingly despondant against the watertight arguments by Niklaus and Redmund. Until Lady Drachenheim has the idea of engaging in a rhetorical reductio ad absurdum, providing a graphical description of his point by reference to the War of the Cross, the very events which turned Niklaus to his pessmistic philosophy in the first place. A shaken Niklaus arranges for Logan to deliver a message to Lady Drachenheim, inviting her to dine and discuss further matters of his book. Gruber's forces arrive in Freiburg in six days. cf., https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Active_measures -- Lev Lafayette, BA (Hons), GradCertTerAdEd (Murdoch), GradCertPM, MBA (Tech Mngmnt) (Chifley) mobile: 0432 255 208 RFC 1855 Netiquette Guidelines http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc1855.txt http://www.quicksales.com.au/shop/RPG-Review.aspx From lev at rpgreview.net Sat Sep 19 12:47:20 2015 From: lev at rpgreview.net (Lev Lafayette) Date: Sat, 19 Sep 2015 23:47:20 +1100 Subject: [7thseafreiburg] Maps, Prices, Calendar, and Reviews Message-ID: <42c2180fca01c45c03b39f17f1a81860.squirrel@webmail.rpgreview.net> Whilst we are based in one city, the following is the map being used in this campaign in preference to the rather appalling official one. At least this map understands that water flows downhill and is remotely sensible about mountain placement. http://guardnacho.deviantart.com/art/7th-Sea-Theah-105626941 The following are prices and maps being used: 7th Sea Prices http://www.tlucretius.net/7thSea/Prices1.htm 7th Sea Calendar http://www.alderac.com/7thsea/resources/calendar.html Finally, I have had a few reviews published on rpg.net from RPG Review on 7th Sea. I am currently working on another one, for the Eisen book. Freiburg http://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/16/16512.phtml Players Guide http://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/16/16510.phtml Gamemasters Guide http://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/16/16511.phtml -- Lev Lafayette, BA (Hons), GradCertTerAdEd (Murdoch), GradCertPM, MBA (Tech Mngmnt) (Chifley) mobile: 0432 255 208 RFC 1855 Netiquette Guidelines http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc1855.txt http://www.quicksales.com.au/shop/RPG-Review.aspx From lev at rpgreview.net Sun Sep 20 11:37:21 2015 From: lev at rpgreview.net (Lev Lafayette) Date: Sun, 20 Sep 2015 22:37:21 +1100 Subject: [7thseafreiburg] Session #17: The Philosophy Forum In-Reply-To: <0d167ff23ae533c48ee4bcd18a1670f6.squirrel@webmail.rpgreview.net> References: <0d167ff23ae533c48ee4bcd18a1670f6.squirrel@webmail.rpgreview.net> Message-ID: I have been reminded of a side plot which I completely neglected to mention! On Sat, September 19, 2015 11:40 pm, Lev Lafayette wrote: > Session #17: The Philosophy Forum > --------------------------------- > > Real date: Sunday, September 6th, 2015 > Game date: Sextus 30 Feast Day, 1688 > > > Wilma Probst organisers a philosophy 'salon' to provide a means to > introduce Lady Drachenheim to Niklaus Trague, who agrees to the opportunity > to promite his philosophy. Also at the salon was Dame Lynne Gretchen, a minor noblewoman from southern Posen. It became well known she engages in excessive philanthropy, having given up her family home for those who have lost theirs from the War of the Cross. Her only visible wealth is her wardrobe and a beautiful necklace. However, it becames clear from Lord Bryon that the necklace was a fake. The information is passed on to Lady Alice, who then informs Lady Lynne. Horrified she pleads for assistance. The party, this time led by Axel, makes their way to her lodgings, where the only potential suspicious visitor is a member of the kitchen staff. >From there it is tracked down to known petty thief Fritz Vroman at the Wounded Boar. Inside there is a argument between Vroman and a Avalonian pawnbroker, Guy Reagan. The door was broken down and Axel's intimidating presence lead to a surrender. It is discovered that Guy has in his possession a portrait from Gretchen's estate... which included a very clear picture of the necklace. A cheap but clever forgery was made and Fritz had made the swap. -- Lev Lafayette, BA (Hons), GradCertTerAdEd (Murdoch), GradCertPM, MBA (Tech Mngmnt) (Chifley) mobile: 0432 255 208 RFC 1855 Netiquette Guidelines http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc1855.txt http://www.quicksales.com.au/shop/RPG-Review.aspx From lev at rpgreview.net Mon Sep 21 11:34:37 2015 From: lev at rpgreview.net (Lev Lafayette) Date: Mon, 21 Sep 2015 22:34:37 +1100 Subject: [7thseafreiburg] Dr. Serijo's Investigations Message-ID: <0d6a36d5d438dc5c533d88d5871f4bf6.squirrel@webmail.rpgreview.net> Over a few days using the extensive library that the Drachenheim estate has (annoying stashed in crates whilst the house is being rebuilt) and by visiting the various education institutions, Dr. Serijo can reveal the following with some confidence. The Drachen Before the Imperators, before the Iron Princes, before even the rise of humanity, Eisen was the home of the Drachen. These huge reptilian beasts founded an immense civilization. They carved communities out of huge caves in the Drachenbergs, and spread across the western plains to dominate all of Eisen. For all of their towering size and monstrous strength, they were quite intelligent; they communicated through an elaborate language of pictographs, and mastered sorcerous powers of staggering complexity. For thousands of years, they ruled the land unopposed. No one knows what happened to the Drachen, or what befell their civilization. Some believe that they were wiped out by another Syrneth race. Others maintain that their species degenerated over time, losing their intelligence and size until they were little more than savage beasts. They point to the contemporary drachen as evidence of this ? creatures who lack any apparent sentience, and though still immense, are nowhere near the size of their predecessors. Whatever the reason, the Drachen slowly faded, leaving a handful of ruins and strange artifacts buried in their mountain homes. p11, Eisen sourcebook The Southern Drachenbergen Miners have worked the Drachenbergen for many centuries. As a result, the mountains are dotted with empty mines and abandoned buildings and towns. These places are considered haunted by the locals, who believe that terrible creatures move into them once the humans move out. Indeed, bears, wolves, and other large animals certainly take advantage of the shelter, and if there is anything more sinister up in the mountains, it would almost certainly do the same. If any drachen have survived through the centuries, they would be found in the Drachenbergen. p27-28, Eisen sourcebook Gregorskorn High in the Drachenberg mountains lies a narrow series of canyons and switchbacks that wind around each other so erratically that they seem to be a natural maze. The area is filled with cave entrances, canyons blocked by landslides, and a constant heavy fog. The clouds seldom part enough to allow a traveler to take stock of his location. Worst of all, Gregorskorn is believed to be the final stronghold of the drachen, which (if they still exist) are are among the deadliest creatures in Th?ah. Confronting one in Gregorskorn, with its twisting canyons, poor visibility, and unpredictable terrain, would be madness. Yet there was one man, many years ago, who accomplished this very feat. His name was Gregor, and he had received a dracheneisen shield by the Imperator himself to go out and slay a rampaging drachen. He tracked the beast into Gregorskorn, and eventually located its lair, where they fought an epic battle. During the fight, the Imperator?s shield was lost deep within the cave, but Gregor slew the creature, and was later made a saint by the Eisen people for his valor. To this day, the shield has never been recovered, and presumably lies within Gregorskorn still. p33-34 Eisen sourcebook The Legend of Gregorskorn Deep in the Drachenberg mountains lies a maze of canyons shrouded in a perpetual fog. It is said that long ago, St. Gregor, the greatest of the Eisen saints, heard tales of a drachen living there that menaced the countryside. Donning his suit of armor and taking up his dracheneisen shield, he rode into the maze to find and kill it. The fog was thick that day, and his horse, scenting the drachen, reared and bolted, leaving St. Gregor to face the beast on foot. It was nearly dark when he came across a cave. From within, he heard the breathing of an enormous creature, so he drew his sword and shouted, ?In the name of Theus, come forth and fight me, beast!? There was silence for a moment, and then the drachen burst out of the cave, as large as a building, with jaws so wide it could swallow a man in a single bite. Most of the bands predate the War of the Cross. Many of them fought on both sides of the war at some time or another. Each can be recognized by its distinctive banner and war cry on the battlefield. Most companies also have a charter that sets down rules of conduct and divvies out shares of the pay. Gregor fought the drachen through the night, struggling against the weariness that threatened to overtake him. Only his shield kept the beast?s claws from tearing him open. Finally, as his strength began to fail, Gregor prayed to Theus to give him strength to slay the monster. When the prayer left his lips, the fog parted, and a single ray of sunlight shone down on a spot on the drachen?s head. Gregor stabbed his sword into that spot with all his might, and the beast was slain. In its death throes, its thrashings knocked away his shield, which has never been recovered. Since then, the canyons have been known as Gregorskorn, or ?Gregor?s Maze.? p56 GMs Guide - - - Material below is 'not well known' - - - - In Eisen, we?ve had much less success than in Montaigne. Only one of the Eisenf?rsten has allowed us to examine any of the ruins there: Nicklaus Tr?gue of Freiburg. He allowed our team to not only tour the Wachtturm, an obvious remnant of a Syrneth society, he also took them to visit a series of caves carved into a remote hill. The caves contained paintings of what appeared to be drachen using tools and standing upright, as men do. This would seem to be a fanciful notion, given the reputed size of the drachen, and one of our team members mentioned that point to the Prince. In response, Tr?gue took them to an enormous room, one that was far too big to have ever been built by humans. The team reported to me that, ?Standing there in that room, with the roof arching high over our heads like the sky itself, we were prepared to believe that drachen had built it. In fact, if one of the beasts had emerged from a side passage and invited us to tea, not one of us would have been particularly surprised.? p36-37 7th Sea Compendium (notes from the Explorer's Guild) The Drachen The Drachen were great reptilian beasts that once roamed and ruled the lands that are currently known as Eisen. They stood approximately 500 feet tall and weighed many thousands of tons. They had wing spans of hundreds of feet, although no drachen is ever confirmed to have flown, and the supposition that their wings could have supported their incredible mass is unlikely in the extreme. The Drachen were sentient and extremely intelligent. They communicated verbally and had an extensive written language consisting primarily of pictographs. They carved vast caverns out of their native mountains, covering the walls with their etched writing. They also used and created tools, fashioned decorative items as well as practical ones, and lived in organized communities. Most of these things have remained unfound by the Explorers since the Drachen mountains are vast, and the Eisenfursten are fiercely protective of them since this is also the area from which they mine the ore for their dracheneisen. Those items that have been found have mostly been misinterpreted, since the Explorers have not yet realized the incredible size of the race they?re dealing with. For example, a tail ornament, having survived the ages, might be documented as an elaborate tapestry or carpet. p41 7th Sea Compendium - - - - Material below is 'hidden knowledge' - - - - - - - What happened to the drachen? The modern drachen have been driven to near-extinction by the incursions of mankind into their territory. Although incredibly powerful beasts, man?s persistent efforts to kill them through the years have paid off, for the drachen do not reproduce very often. Still, there are perhaps ten or fifteen drachen left (more or less if the GM desires), most of them in the Drachenberg mountains, whose inhospitable environment has prevented humanity from finding them. What is dracheneisen? Dracheneisen is not really a metal at all, although it resembles one in its hardened form. It is actually a result of magical energies associated with the old drachen ruins in Eisen. It has nothing to do with the living drachen, who are both less intelligent and less fearsome than their ancient predecessors (see the History section in Chapter 1 for more information). The magical energies react with certain minerals, creating a dense clay as hard as gold (dracheneisen in its soft form). The Nibelungs discovered that by heating this clay and adding certain rare plants and chemicals to it (the exact ingredients are left up to the GM), it hardens into a metal-like ceramic that is extremely strong yet light as cork. Once hardened, dracheneisen cannot be reforged, and once the dracheneisen is all used up, it is unlikely a new source will be forthcoming. [This bit I disagree with; I follow Dave Reeves suggestion from c2001 that dracheneisen is drachen coprolite] -- Lev Lafayette, BA (Hons), GradCertTerAdEd (Murdoch), GradCertPM, MBA (Tech Mngmnt) (Chifley) mobile: 0432 255 208 RFC 1855 Netiquette Guidelines http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc1855.txt http://www.quicksales.com.au/shop/RPG-Review.aspx