Life on the Waves (7th Sea)

[Stephen]

Greetings,

I enjoy reading through game logs and stories from other groups, so I thought it only proper to share some of my own group's adventures. We are going to play a swashbuckling game of piracy based in the Seventh Sea / Swashbuckling Adventures setting. Since we are only likely to play once a month or so, I don't envision a hugely complicated plot. The antics of the heroes will probably be the only common thread through each session. With each adventure summary, I'll also try to give an indication of how we used or modified the True20 mechanics to suit the campaign.

Hope you enjoy,
Stephen

[Stephen]

The Heroes (http://www.btinternet.com/~s.mci/7thsea/charwaves.html)

Henry Martin
Male. Avalon. Courageous, but Impulsive. Tall and dark-haired with a goatee beard. Carries himself with noble bearing.
The nobles of the Martin household were among the first to pledge loyalty to Elaine when she returned with the Graal and ascended to Avalon’s throne. Henry’s father served Bors MacAllister and Henry himself sailed as a cabin boy on Berek’s ships during their confrontation with the Castillian Armada. Henry continued to sail with the Sea Dogs for many years, only returning home when news was received of great disaster. Henry’s father had been killed, the family fortune had been lost and his mother had been forced to yield their lands to a rival noble, Nyle Piram. Although the deed was done legally, according to the laws of Parliament, it was obvious to all that extortionate pressure had been applied by Piram. It has fallen to Henry to raise a large enough fortune to face Piram and reclaim his birthright.

Mick Finnigan
Male. Inish. Loyal, but Paranoid. Tall and broad with long ginger hair and beard. Disguises himself behind a fake limp and unnecessary eye-patch.
As far as anyone knows, Michael Finnigan is simply a pirate out to earn riches after a poverty stricken childhood. However Mick is actually on a mission to save his family and, possibly, his own life. The Finnigan’s once owned a prized possession; a cold-iron cutlass wielded by Mick’s great-grandfather. Alas, after one drink too many, great-grandfather lost the blade to an opportunistic thief. The Sidhe were furious to learn that such a weapon had been let loose in the world through carelessness and stupidity. They cursed the family, plaguing them with madness until the blade is recovered. Mick’s great-grandfather, grandfather and father all lost their minds and died in pursuit of the quest. Mick may not have long before his own tenuous grip on sanity slips away.

Rafael Montoya Delgado
Male. Castillian. Honourable, but Impulsive. Lithe athletic build, sparkling emerald green eyes, short raven-black hair and a neatly trimmed moustache and royale.
Rafael is the youngest son of Don Bernardo Montoya Ortega and Angelica Delgado Salazar de Montoya. Youthful passions led Rafael to fall in love with Elisa, a beautiful woman trapped in a cold marriage to the unpleasant Jose Christobal Ramos. The affair ended tragically when Jose found and confronted the lovers. Elisa killed Jose to save Rafael’s life; Rafael took blame for the death and was forced to flee, disowned by his family and hunted by Inquisitiors. During his flight, Rafael came face-to-face with Arturo Rios Vargas, Elisa’s brother. Arturo had been a friend to Rafael’s late brother and, in memory of that friendship, allowed Rafael to escape. Such favours will not be repeated. No matter how far Rafael runs, one day he may find himself facing Arturo’s blade.

Each one of these adventurous young men found a place among the crew of the ’Curved Belle’, a piratical ship sailing under the command of Vendel captain Frank Halden. Initial trips took the Belle up and down the western coast of Theah before finally setting out on a longer voyage to the rich waters of the Midnight Archipelago. Time at sea allowed the three adventurers to develop a friendship and to recognise the skills that each possesses. However each swashbuckler still carries his own private secrets; dark reasons for abandoning their former lives and guarded aspirations for the future.

[Stephen]

1. Haul Anchor (http://www.btinternet.com/~s.mci/7thsea/adv701.html)

Three pirates walk into a bar; stop me if you've heard this before. Henry begins as Expert 1, Mick as Warrior 1 and Rafael as Warrior 1.

This was our first use of True20 and my players' first time in this setting. Things kicked off on the rough and tumble island of Freebooter's Hold. A visit to a rowdy tavern allowed the heroes to chat to the locals and listen to current rumours. I had intended for the scene to deteriorate into a mass brawl and Rafael obligingly provided the trigger when he responded to an insult by challenging for a duel. Rafael's player is a veteran of many incarnations of D&D. He was nervous about how the True20 combat system would play out, but was impressed with the effects of the wound track, Conviction to boost Toughness and subsequent Recovery.

The heroes joined the rest of the crew onboard the 'Curved Belle' and set sail. Our adventures will be more Pirates of the Caribbean than Master and Commander, but I wanted to give some flavour of crewing a ship. Notice and Survival checks scanned the horizon and judged the weather. Seamanship (house skill along the lines of Drive/Pilot) kept the ship on course. Climb and Acrobatics moved through the rigging to tend sails. Craft conducted minor repairs. This phase of the adventure helped the players find their niche among the crew and served to identify their chosen Professional skills.

Their captain, Frank Halden, was on a mission to hunt down another ship, 'The Golden Moon'. On the face of it this was to be a simple pirating raid to board and steal cargo, but he trusted the heroes with a secondary goal. They were to rush to the enemy captain's cabin and steal his logs and charts. (there's a background plot involving the setting's secret societies, but I'm not sure how it will play out). A hybrid of Swashbuckling Adventures' ship-to-ship combat and True20's vehicle rules worked nicely to catch their prey, bring down the masts and close for boarding. The heroes swung across, rushed to the cabin and Mick very efficiently dispatched the rival captain. The charts were retrieved and Captain Halden was well-pleased with his mighty heroes.

Over the last year we have been playing through D&D's epic City of the Spider Queen adventure using the D&D3.0 rules. At times this has been a horrendous slog, with encounter after encounter feeling like deep chess games. I wanted this game to be much more light-hearted and free-spirited. I am delighted to say that the players fully embraced the swashbuckling attitude. Their heroes leapt from tables during the bar brawl, swung on ropes to board the enemy ship, employed all manner of feints and tricks during combat. Much of this is a credit to my players' actions, but the True20 system (particularly Conviction and removal of a combat grid with attacks of opportunity) definitely helped to support the desired style of play.

Henry advanced to Expert 1 / Adept 1, Mick to Warrior 1 / Expert 1 and Rafael to Warrior 2. More to come soon.

[Stephen]

2. Lost at Sea (http://www.btinternet.com/~s.mci/7thsea/adv702.html)

During a short layover on Freebooter's Hold, Henry learned that he has been targeted for assassination by the greedy noble who has usurped the family lands back home. This encouraged the sharing of some of his background secrets with the other heroes.

The short stop was rudely interrupted when the Captain summoned all hands back to the ship. It turns out that the stolen log books are encoded. A lengthy chat revealed that Captain Halden is part of a group who suspect a dark conspiracy within the Explorer's Society. It is believed that the Explorers are unearthing dangerous artefacts with which they intend to dominate the freedom of the Midnight Archipelago. It was generally agreed that this would be a bad thing. Captain Halden has traced The Golden Moon's previous course to a small, unnamed island. He wants the heroes to go ashore, search for Explorer activity, locate the Explorers' cipher text and steal it.

A unnatural tidal wave hinted that something strange was occurring on the island. Henry, Mick and Rafael accepted the mission, trekked through dense forests and came across an unusual metal hatch in the ground. They descended to an underground chamber of unknown origin. Confrontation with a lone Explorer was halted when they all were forced to push buttons to halt a strange doomsday countdown. The Explorer denied a sinister conspiracy but refused to share his secrets. A sword-fight settled the matter. The heroes took the cipher text back to their Captain and intend to investigate further.

My main goal in running this adventure was to introduce the societies of the game world and to gauge the players' interest in such matters. Elements borrowed from a certain TV series worked well to build up the mystery associated with Syrneth excavations. From a game-mechanics point of view, I was happy with the use of fatigue during the trek across the island (although the group did take the longest, most tiring path). I was also pleased that a decent supply of Conviction and the use of Defensive Attacks allowed the lone Explorer to offer reasonable resistance without posing an over-powering threat.

[Stephen]

3. Places to be, People to see (http://www.btinternet.com/~s.mci/7thsea/adv703.html)

After a lengthy break we managed to run another short session. One of the players couldn't make it, so I'll catch up on Rafael's exploits at a later date. The evening began by levelling-up after the last adventure: Mick to Warrior 2 / Expert 1, Henry to Expert 1 / Adept 2.

The 'Curved Belle' docked at Marcina, the largest western colony in the Midnight Archipelago. This is likely to be a recurring location so I wanted to give the players plenty of time to explore the environs and to pursue their individual goals. Much of the night's play was taken up by Mick's observations of Sean O'Brien, a former pirate who may have information about the lost Finnigan cutlass. Unfortunately Mick has put too much faith in rumours and his Paranoid vice can make it difficult to point him in the right direction. His actions (breaking into O'Brien's home) may have later repercussions. The heroes also had a lengthy chat with an ally of their captain. I'm gradually trying to introduce one of the setting's secret societies, giving the heroes reason to work for the organisation but letting them decide how deeply they wish to get involved.

Marcina was hosting a Grand Fencing Contest which the heroes entered. Henry beat a hapless local, but Mick was unlucky to be defeated by an experienced duellist. The setting includes a large number of Swordsman Schools with distinct fighting styles. The lack of feat requirements in True20 has been a great asset in modelling these styles. Even a low-level minion can take a focused selection of feats which makes his stance extremely defensive, or which makes him proficient at disarms, or which allows a dangerous combo of feint and sneak attacks, etc. In other d20 settings all fighters tended to be somewhat generic until at least 6th level while limited feat progression meant flashy techniques were often a luxury not taken. I'm very much enjoying the flexibility of True20 to model a variety of character concepts at both low and high levels.

The heroic action for the evening featured a feisty damsel-in-distress. It began when Henry accepted an invitation to join the darkly, beautiful Consuela during her tavern dance. Henry realised that her flirts were designed to enrage an arrogant noble in the audience, but he was happy to oblige. (Henry's Expertise core ability was used to gain ranks in Perform: Dance. With a small number of player characters, this is an excellent tool for expanding their capabilities and allowing me to throw in a broader range of encounter types). They heroes later returned to the tavern and learned that Consuela had been abducted by the aforementioned villain's henchmen. Henry single-handedly dashed to his villa, defeated the brutes at the gate, scaled ivy to a bedroom and held his own in a duel against the (higher-level) villain. Hurrah for Conviction! Mick eventually arrived at a slower pace, not entirely convinced why this was their problem. The villain was forced to back down and the lady rescued. Henry has announced that he is thoroughly smitten with Consuela. Romance may ensue.

[Stephen]

4. Highway Robbery (http://www.btinternet.com/~s.mci/7thsea/adv704.html)

The heroes regrouped in the Zarabanda, a vibrant tavern in Marcina's main port of Puerto Grande, where they caught up on gossip following their individual activities. Mick received an ominous visit from a Sidhe Lord wielding powerful Glamour magic. He was ordered to apologise for his transgression against Sean O'Brien and wisely complied. Rafael's display in the Grand Fencing Contest had earned him a chance to learn from a master of the Torres School and registration within the Swordsman's Guild. Meanwhile Henry continued to flirt with Consuela and all was going well until their Captain referred to the girl as a common wench. True romance never runs smoothly.

The main focus for this adventure concerned a shipment of weapons from the corrupt Inquisition to the island's deposed former governor. Captain Halden and his allies called upon the heores to help prevent the weapons from reaching their destination. They agreed and a swift plan was formed. Fast horses were obtained to circle ahead of Inquisition wagons transporting the arms and an ambush was laid among the island's sugar plantations.

This was our biggest True20 skirmish to date. The three heroes (level 3) and one narrator ally (James Cranwich, Expert 5) were up against a villain (Eduardo de Avila, Expert 2 / Warrior 3) and a total of six henchmen (Warrior 2, Minions). The heroes began under Concealment and with the benefit of a Master Plan. The noble was on horseback beside two wagons carrying the Inquisitors and the weapon crates. The battle went something as follows:

Round 1: Henry fired a musket shot to Wound Avila. The Stunned noble could not control his panicked horse and was thrown prone. Rafael and Mick left cover to Move all-out towards the wagons. Cranwich fired a musket to disable the second Inquisition wagon driver.
Rounds 2-3: Henry drew his pistol, missed a shot at Avila then Surged to Charge and Grapple the fleeing noble. Rafael and Mick Jumped onboard the respective wagons. While Rafael saluted his foes in Total Defence, Mick tried to Demoralise his opponents. The panicked horses were rocking the wagons to deny Dodge bonuses; the heroes laid in and made short work of the Inquisitors. The Inquisitors missed attempts to Grapple or punch the heroes.
Round 4: Henry forced a surrender from Avila. The last two Inquisitors leapt from their wagon and tried to flee. Rafael and Mick pursued and finished them. Cranwich calmed the horses and controlled the wagons.

Lots of exciting action and all resolved pretty quickly! My players once again embraced the use of Conviction to pull-off swashbuckling stunts; leaping onto wagons, Surging to take on multiple foes, etc. Minion rules worked nicely to dispatch the minor brutes and the wound track did a good job of hampering the main villain.

The heroes managed to drive the wagons back to Puerto Grande and discretely loaded the crates onto the 'Curved Belle'. They have set sail with a skeleton crew and plan to find a small island to bury their stolen goods until a buyer can be arranged. Mick was greatly concerned to discover that the Sidhe Lord has concealed himself among the ship's crew. The Sidhe, known as The Cluracan (thank-you, Mr Gaimen), is looking forward to much entertainment from the mighty heroes.

[Stephen]

5. Stories and Prophescies
(http://www.btinternet.com/~s.mci/7thsea/adv705.html)

(A very long break between adventures this time due to various scheduling conflicts. It looks like we should be playing more frequently now, but probably with only two regular player characters).

The heroes set sail from Puerto Grande with a hold full of arms and munitions stolen from the Inquisition. The main activity for this adventure was to reach an island hideaway known to Captain Halden and to safely stow their booty. Before they reached their destination, the heroes' ship came across the remains of a sea battle. Among the debris of sails, oars and bodies they noticed a lone survivor feebly clinging to a barrel. Heedless of the risks from circling Sirens, Henry plunged into the sea and swam out to rescue the poor man. The grateful sailor explained how he had been part of an Explorer's convoy which was attacked by Corsair slavers. He shockingly revealed that one of the Explorer ships, the 'Sabre' captained by Robert Smythe, turned on friend and foe alike sailing away to leave fellow Explorers drowning in the water. The heroes and their captain took note. Their fears of villains and corruption within the Explorer's Society may be well-placed.

On the island, the group formed a landing party to trek through the jungle. They defeated an assassin vine, negotiated traps at the hidden storehouse, and crossed paths with tribal hunters. Their Sidhe companion, The Cluracan, told a series of tales and prophescies which seem to link the various threads of the adventures so far.

“There are many creatures in the lands of Bryn Bresail; from the all-powerful Queens and their elegant nobles to the myriad of boggarts, brownies and pixies who form the common folk. All know their place and most are content with their allotted role within the Seelie courts, but, occasionally, an individual will get ideas above its station. There was once such a boggart. The hairy little creature dared to cross the divide and wander among the lands of men. It stumbled across a distinguished warrior from the isle of Inismore, a warrior armed with one of the feared blades of coldest iron. The little boggart should have be slain then and there, but he and the warrior fell to drinking and if there is one thing that a boggart can do well, it is to drink. Before the moon had run its course, the careless Inishman lay drunk upon the floor and the boggart had claimed the blade, a magnificent cutlass, as his own. Thrilled by this unexpected development, the boggart sought to carve himself a legend, determined to return home as a mighty hero or not at all. He took it upon himself to travel the world in pursuit of his race’s ancient enemy, vile monstrosities long exiled beyond the Barrier. Some say he still follows this quest, but the wise whisper that he found the enemy’s last sunken stronghold and that he perished, cutlass in hand, alone and forgotten, on an island far beneath the waves.” The Cluracan finishes his tale by leaning close and whispering a prophesy, “Tomorrow the sun shall rise in the east.”

“There was once a dull, impoverished land full of misery; a land of squabbling lords and unhappy subjects. The wise and noble rulers of the faerie courts were saddened when they looked upon this land, for it was a land they had once held dear. But great rejoicing was to come! A beautiful, young queen claimed the throne, uniting the divided land through her love and bringing about a time a glory, splendour and peace. The faerie queens were pleased and blessed the fair queen’s rule with wonders and enchantment. All seemed well. Unified through the pact of the Graal, the kingdoms of both man and fey grew and prospered as never before. But a petty king and his jealous son resented the young queen, coveting her throne for themselves. These villains bargained with scheming creatures from the darker corners of the faerie lands, using malevolent magics to usurp the lands and riches of their neighbours. The king and his son slowly grow in power, waiting for their time to strike. Yet through their actions the ancient rivalries of faerie now encroach upon the lands of men, sowing the seeds for a conflict which will surely destroy the land forever. It is, perhaps, ironic that the weapons which might help the queen thwart the king’s sinister allies are the very weapons most feared by her benevolent guardians, weapons whose very existence threatens the blessed covenant of the Graal. How this tale will end, none can say for sure.” Once again the Cluracan finishes with a prophesy, “Tomorrow Mr Krauser will kill a man.” (He did; one of the aggressive tribesmen on the island).

“There was once a man whom many considered to be wise; a learned man dedicated to great studies of the unknown, to researching the mysteries of creation. But such pursuits are foolish when caution gives way to recklessness. This wise fool’s quest brought him to an island once thought a legend, a myth newly risen and powered by the machinery of terrible beings better left forgotten. Ah, if only the wise fool had left well alone. But no, onto the island he ventured and two things he found on Cabora’s unnatural shores. The first was a weapon never touched by fire, a powerful blade about which other tales have been told. The second was death, for Captain Smythe, the wise fool of whom we speak, was torn apart by the dastardly traps within the island’s core. His life has ended, but has his story truly reached its conclusion? For some say that Captain Smythe still sails the seas, that he wields a stolen sword and searches for the key to a lock which must never be opened. These are the best sort of tales; the unfinished ones where living heroes must still play a part!” A final prophesy complete this story, “The foe you must face, the man you must kill before this tale is done, wears this form!” Upon speaking the work ‘this’, the Cluracan transforms his appearance to that of a tall, distinguished gentleman with Explorer's trechcoat, neat beard and clubbed ponytail. This is Captain Smythe and a cold-iron cutlass hangs by his side. The Cluracan immediately transforms back and will answer no further questions on the matter.

If all is to be believed, it would seem that the noble who usurped Henry's lands is allied with dark Unseelie creatures. Such creatures can only be harmed with cold-iron weapons, such as that lost by Mick's family. The cutlass Mick seeks is now wielded by Captain Smythe, a villain at work within the Explorer's Society. At least part of the theory was confirmed when an Unseelie assassin attacked Henry upon their return to Freebooter's Hold. Investigating affairs within the Explorer's Society has once again become a priority. (Mick has now become a Warrior 2 / Expert 2. Henry is now Expert 1 / Adept 3).

[Stephen]

6. Inside the Society
(http://www.btinternet.com/~s.mci/7thsea/adv706.html)

(Rafael rejoined his companions, having remained onboard the ship during the last adventure, and is now Warrior 4).

The heroes returned to the bustling colony of Puerto Grande to mull over all that has been learned so far. The Cluracan's tales have focused their attentions on the activities of the mysterious Captain Smythe and his unknown goals. Many questions remain and answers will only be found within the Explorer's Society. The Society's main chapter house within these islands is located in Puerto Grande and is partially open to the public as a museum. The heroes visited during the day and slipped into private areas to get a sense of the building's layout. They identified a secure room on the top floor and devised a plan to return at night for a closer inspection.

The continuing Fencing Contest gave them plenty to do in the meantime. Henry Martin wasted no time in Wounding and gaining victory over his opponent (with a rather unsporting full-blooded attack). The charming dancer, Consuela, was greatly impressed by her man's martial prowess. I borrowed a mechanic from the d20 Swashbuckling Adventures rulebook which allowed Henry to increase his Reputation through his romantic deeds. Alas, Rafael (the group's best fighter) was defeated by a series of very fortunate rolls by his opponent. Only Henry remains in the contest.

That night, while Henry kept the senior Explorers chatting over dinner, Mick, Rafael and Captain Halden broke in through a side door and entered the secure research room. They were examining the storeroom lock when Smythe and two of his pirate crew minions arrived on the scene. The pirates forced the heroes back while Smythe entered the storeroom to retrieve an artefact known as a Syrneth Navigator.

Round 1: Mick Charged and Rushed a Pirate with Extra Effort, but failed to shove him off balance. Both Pirates fought Mick and Rafael. Smythe retrieved the Syrneth Navigator and moved out of the storeroom. Halden Quick Drew his pistol and Readied a shot. Rafael dropped one of the Pirates.
Round 2: Mick dropped the second Pirate. Halden shot when Smythe ignored orders to halt, the shot had no effect. Rafael pursued Smythe and Extra Effort 'disarmed' him of the Navigator's strongbox.
Round 3: Mick moved across the room and landed an Attack on Smythe, revealing the bizarre skeleton of a Clockwork Automaton. Smythe ignored the attacks, retrieved the strongbox and stepped onto the balcony. Rafael made an Attack which failed to cause injury.
Round 4: Mick's quick thinking tried to jam Smythe's clockwork mechanisms, but his Attack was not precise enough. Smythe dropped from the balcony onto the ground far below. Rafeal and Halden could hear sounds of alarm raised within the building.

Mick and Rafael were horrified when Smyth's injured skin retracted to reveal the clockwork construct beneath. The entire society had now been alerted by the sounds of fighting, forcing the heroes to quickly make their own retreat. Further research by their ally, James Cranwich, found passages in stolen Explorer log books which stated that the Navigator is used in conjunction with further machinery located on l'Il du Bete. Guessing that this must be Smythe's next destination, the Curved Belle has set off in pursuit.