CHRISTOPHE THE DISGRUNTLED VAMPIRE TRAITS
VAMPIRE, has seen things you people
would not believe but just wants to go Powers (1d8):
home: Armour 18, Move 120’, 8 Hit
Dice (36hp), Claw 1d10/Bite 1d4 plus Blood drain: Bite damage (1d4) is
blood drain, or Charm Person, Morale applied to both Hit Points and Constitu-
10. tion; a character reduced to 0 Constitu-
1 tion dies and rises from the grave in 1d4
Blood drain: Bite damage is applied days as a vampire with the same powers
to both Hit Points and Constitution; and vulnerabilities as their parent.
a character reduced to 0 Constitution Charm Person: As the spell, Rules &
dies and rises from the grave in 1d4 2 Magic, page 93. May be used once per
days as a vampire with the same powers
Round.
c and vulnerabilities as their parent. Flight: As the Fly spell, Rules & Magic,
Charm Person: As the spell, Rules & 3 page 105. The effect is always uncon-
Magic, page 93. May be used once per
Round. vincing and possibly comical.
Gaseous Form: As the spell, Rules
Gaseous Form: As the spell, Rules
& Magic, page 106. The vampire can & Magic, page 106. The vampire can
choose to change form at any time, but choose to change form at any time, but
automatically changes at 0 Hit Points, at 4 automatically changes at 0 Hit Points, at
which point it must return to its home
which point it must return to its home
soil to recover.
soil to recover. 5 Regeneration: the vampire heals 3 Hit
Regeneration: the vampire heals 3 Points per Round.
Hit Points per Round. Shapechange: As the Polymorph Self
Vulnerabilities: Christophe avoids 6 spell, Rules & Magic, page 121. The vam-
mirrors and casts no reflection in them, pire can use this ability twice per day.
and can be killed by immersion in run-
ning water for 1 Round, or by behead- 7 Speak With Animals: As the spell,
ing. Sunlight causes him no harm, but Rules & Magic, page 129.
does prevent the use of his blood drain,
Charm Person, Gaseous Form, and 8 Spider Climb: As the spell, Rules &
regeneration abilities. Magic, page 131.
50
Vulnerabilities (1d20): This vampire cannot approach within
1 This vampire looks like the rotting earshot of the reading of holy texts
corpse it is. or the singing of hymns. They cause
9 anxiety and pain, much like hearing
This vampire cannot enter holy
2 ground. the “music” of Coldplay does to your
author.
This vampire cannot enter a home, or
3 similar owned living space, without This vampire fears holy symbols and
will not approach a visible symbol.
invitation. I’m not sure how I feel about the old
10 Peter Cushing tactic of putting any
This vampire is obsessed with count- two sticks together to make a cross;
ing things and will stop what it’s doing roll 1d6 and on a 4+ it works on this
4 to count and order grains of rice, vampire.
discarded playing cards, and so on.
5 This vampire must rest in soil from its 11 This vampire casts no shadow. c
homeland.
This vampire casts no reflection in
6 This vampire does not like garlic at all mirrors and similar reflective surfaces.
and will not approach the plant. 12 Moreover, the vampire fears them
and will attempt to destroy them in a
7 Ditto, but wild roses. dramatic fashion.
This vampire cannot regenerate This vampire cannot cross running
damage from silver weapons. If it does 13 water, and is killed by immersion for
8 not have the regeneration power, roll
1 Round.
again.
This vampire is feral and attacks to kill
without any consideration for its own
14 safety, and makes no attempt to use
any of its special powers.
This vampire is killed by beheading,
15 which, to be fair, is fatal for most
things.
16 This vampire is killed by driving a
wooden stake into its heart.
17 This vampire is killed by force feeding
it holy wafers. Good luck with that.
18 Sunlight does not kill this vampire, but
does nullify all of its powers.
19 Sunlight does kill this vampire.
Fwoosh!
Ingesting the blood of a werewolf—a
proper one, not like the kid on page
20 53—will kill this vampire. Good luck
with that.
51
The Survivor
Name: Marguerite Poirier.
Age: 13.
Taken: The attempt is made on the 9th of
November, two days after the start of the
adventure, on the night of the full moon.
It is reported the next day.
Family: Mother Emelina, father Bernard.
Religion: Catholic.
Social Standing: Lower class, shepherds.
The Disappearance (except it’s not a dis-
c appearance because Marguerite doesn’t
get taken): Marguerite lives a couple of
miles to the east of the city. She heard
some of her sheep in distress during the
night, and when she went to check on the
animals, she was attacked by some sort of
beast. It clawed at her but she fought back
with her staff and caused the creature
to flee. One of her sheep was killed, its
throat torn out.
Bernard travelled into Paris the next
morning to report the attack as he has
heard about the disappearances and
thinks they are connected.
KEY CLUE
There is no clue! The attacker has nothing
to do with the Demon Tailor and his plans,
and the timing is just a coincidence.
52
THE WEREWOLF OF PARIS What about the other victims? If records c
Marguerite calls her attacker a “werewolf ” are checked, the other two deaths can be
and claims that the creature has killed two confirmed, but have been attributed to
other girls in the area in recent months, wild animals. The victims are Jacquiline
always on a full moon. Auzun and Jeanne Garboriaut, both girls
What does the werewolf look like? The in their teens. Both had their throats torn
monster stood on its hind legs and had and their hearts eaten.
hunched shoulders covered in thick, red- Did the werewolf leave any evidence?
dish fur. It had long, sharp claws that tore Marguerite’s arms are covered in scratches
at her clothes, and black, piercing eyes. made by the werewolf ’s claws; a Fight-
How does Marguerite know it was a er or Specialist will recognise that the
werewolf and not a wild animal? It marks are more like those made by knives
spoke to her in a growly, guttural voice, than any sort of animal attack. The girl
and knew her name. This is somewhat grabbed a scrap of fur during the struggle
unlikely for the average canis lupus. and a Bushcraft roll confirms that it is
indeed from a wolf. There are plenty of
tracks at the scene of the attack, some ani-
mal and at least two sets of human prints.
A successful Bushcraft roll confirms that
53
the animal tracks are those of sheep and dered girls. He can’t even remember
that there are no wolf prints. The smaller their names, he says. All of which is true,
human footprints are a match for Mar- because he is being set up by his son. His
guerite. wife, Odelina, hates him for being lazy
and smelly, and is quite content to back
Catching the werewolf. The werewolf up everything Jean has said; there is a
will attack Marguerite, or another young 50% chance that she believes the charges,
woman if Marguerite is not present, again otherwise, she is just leaping on any ex-
on the next full moon, so hanging around cuse to get rid of Pierre.
the area until then is probably the easiest
way to catch it, although by then the rest Jean Grenier. Jean is the so-called
of the adventure will have finished one werewolf. He is fourteen, although he is
way or another. stocky, tall, and looks older. He is known
c to be a friend of all three attacked girls,
The informant. If he notices the charac- and often spent time with them. Locals
ters wandering about, asking questions, consider the boy to be a bit strange, al-
another young shepherd, Jean Grenier, though no one can give any specifics, just
will inform them that his father, Pierre, that he gives off a funny feeling. He does
has been behaving strangely of late. He come across as intense and very serious.
says Pierre has been sneaking out at He stares at people when he speaks, and
night; he will confirm that these noctur- maintains eye contact longer than is
nal jaunts have indeed been happening comfortable or polite. Jean maintains a
during full moons. He claims to have pretense of ignorance about the “were-
followed his father one night and watched wolf ” attacks for as long as suspicion is on
him dig something up in a nearby copse. anyone other than him, at which point he
throws all caution aside and tells all.
The copse. An obvious area of disturbed
earth conceals a sealed clay pot within Jean’s story. Grenier claims that he met
which is a bloodstained wolfskin and a a “dark man” in the woods, and that the
pair of rudimentary bladed gauntlets. The man scratched him on the neck with one
wolfskin has a series of leather loops sewn long fingernail and told the boy that he
into the underside, which appear to be was to go abroad and hunt. He further
designed to make the skin able to be worn claims that the wolfskin and bladed gloves
as a sort of mantle; the wolfskin is thick were given to him by the dark man, in or-
enough to provide a +1 bonus to Armour der to help him become the wolf. There is
and counts as a single item for encum- no sign of the scratch the dark man made,
brance. The gauntlets are more or less although Jean claims it has never healed.
a pair of leather gloves with short knife
blades attached; they count as minor Jean confirms that he killed Jacquiline
weapons, as per Rules & Magic, page 28. Auzun and Jeanne Garboriaut, and that
he took their hearts to the woods, where
Pierre Grenier. He claims to have never he ate them. Girls are fine, he says, but
seen the wolfskin or the gauntlets before, he wants to eat a young boy, as they look
and to know nothing about the mur- most tasty.
54
Jean-as-the-werewolf is friendly towards There are similarities between Jean’s story
Fighters and will ask them all sorts of and that of the Demon Tailor. Perhaps
probing questions about what it is like the dark man and Marchand’s “God” are
to hurt people. He is not at all fond of one and the same, or represent the same
Clerics. entity or force. You may decide that there
JEAN GRENIER, the Werewolf of Paris: is a connection, although none is intend-
Armour 12 (13 with wolfskin), Move ed as the author has only just noticed the
120’, 2nd Level Specialist, 12hp, shep- similarities himself! No, really, I noticed
herd’s staff 1d4 or “wolf claws” 1d4 (x2), it just now as I was typing this. How’s that
Morale 12, Constitution 16, Bushcraft for emergent storytelling?
3, Sneak Attack 3, Stealth 3.
c
55
The Barrel KEY CLUE
On the 10th of November, or three days Aside from anything gained from Speak
after the start of the adventure, dock With Dead, the location of the barrel’s
workers pull an unmarked barrel out of discovery suggests that the killer’s lair must
the Seine. Opening it in the hopes of find- be upriver, or southeast, of where the barrel
ing something they can sell, they instead is discovered. Indeed, Claude Marchand’s
find bones and a child’s skull, at which shop (page 73) is in that part of the city.
point they inform the authorities.
c The barrel is kept in a small shack near KEY CLUE
the river and is guarded by Boutart, one
of the dock workers. No one else wants to Two of Paris’ carriage companies (page 28)
go anywhere near the barrel, and Boutart have a sun as a logo. Only one (page 68) is
isn’t super keen on it either, but has been connected to the disappearances.
promised a silver piece for doing so. He
will expect the characters to pay this fee.
The barrel contains only one skull but
lots of other bones, more than those of a
single person. The skull is that of Claire
Mollet, the first victim (page 39), and the
bones are a mixture of Claire’s and those
of Rene Belleau (page 40) and Henri
Penand (page 41).
Right at the bottom of the barrel, under
all the bones, is a basket containing some
crushed flowers. Claire’s family can con-
firm that the basket is hers, or at least is
very much like it.
If Speak With Dead is cast, Claire is
confused and scared, but remembers a
nice man in a blue cloak (page 65) who
said he would buy all of her flowers that
day if she brought them to his carriage.
The carriage was a public one, and Claire
remembers that it was marked with a sun
(page 28). Claire got in the carriage and
things went dark. She remembers nothing
else.
56
Victim #6 - Blaise c
Bourgarit
Name: Blaise Bourgarit.
Age: 7.
Taken: 10th of November, or three days
after the adventure begins.
Family: Probably irrelevant, but mother
Constantia, father Bertrand, and brother
Giles.
Religion: Catholic, but also probably
irrelevant.
Social Standing: Lower class.
The Disappearance: The entire family
were tied up, had their throats cut, and
have been disemboweled. All except
Blaise, who is missing. It happened
during the night; neighbours report
seeing the family during the day. No one
reports seeing or hearing anything suspi-
cious during the night.
One window has been forced open, and
there is a spot of blood on the outside of
the window frame.
KEY CLUE
The cuts are somewhat precise, indicating
some sort of training, but not to the level of
an assassin or surgeon, more like the work
of an out-of-practice butcher.
KEY CLUE
The blood on the window frame is that of
Claude Marchand. He slipped and grazed
his arm when forcing the window.
57
The Second Letter
On the 11th of November, or four days
after the start of the adventure, the players
are summoned by Deputy Provost Rene
Sauval, or whoever is in charge of the
investigation by this point. They will be
shown a letter that was handed to a guard
in the early hours of the morning by your
bog-standard street urchin.
It reads:
c “My friend Sauval,
I did not take those lights.
I am not an animal.
What I do is Great Work, you will see, but
the Wolf is no more than a Beast.
The Devil take him!
Your Friend.”
KEY CLUE
Again, the killer is literate, which narrows
down the suspects. The writing matches
that of the killer’s other letters (page 34,
62).
KEY CLUE
The guard did not recognise the child that
delivered the note—“One filthy child looks
much like another, no?” If the players do
manage to track the guttersnipe down, she
can tell them she was given the letter by a
tall, well-spoken man.
58
c
59
Victim #7a - Baptiste KEY CLUE
Galonnier
The cloaks are perhaps the main clue, and
Name: Baptiste Galonnier. are discussed on page 65. The instructions
Age: 7. are written in the same hand as the other
Taken: 12th of November, or five days letters from the killer (pp 34, 58, and 62).
after the adventure begins; let’s call it Day
F for no reason at all.
Family: Father, Vincent.
Religion: Huguenot.
Social Standing: Lower class, tavern
workers.
c The Disappearance: Baptiste goes miss-
ing during an event at the tavern at which
he works, Le Chien et le Bâtard. A day or
two before Day F, an unknown individual
leaves a box of blue cloaks (page 65), and
a bag of coins at the tavern, with written
instructions to give them away to all
customers and staff on the evening of Day
F, along with 5cp if the customer wears
the cloak for the whole evening. The
tavern keeper, Lambert Plessis, is a jovial
and easy-going man and so saw no harm
in having a bit of fun by handing out the
cloaks. He kept the money rather than
risk his punters taking it and spending it
elsewhere.
Claude Marchand attends the event, also
dressed in a blue cloak, and during the
evening coaxes Baptiste away, drugs him,
and takes the boy away to be killed.
If the characters are present and the Tai-
lor believes the situation to be too risky,
he will instead leave the tavern and pick a
random beggar, “Henriette” (page 61), as
an alternative victim.
60
Victim #7b - Henriette Victim #8 - Jean Dupont c
Name: She is known as “Henriette” but Name: Jean Dupont
no one knows if it is her real name. Age: 11
Age: About 12, probably, although no one Taken: 13th of November, or six days
is sure. after the adventure begins.
Taken: 12th of November, or five days Family: Aunt, Bertha, and uncle, Marc.
after the adventure begins. Religion: Catholic
Family: None. Social Standing: Lower class, manual
Religion: Catholic, probably. workers.
Social Standing: Poor, beggar.
The Disappearance: Jean works as a mes-
The Disappearance: If Marchand is un- senger, running about the city delivering
able to capture his eighth intended victim, letters and packages; he was last seen in
Baptiste (page 60), he panics and grabs a the early morning, heading off to pick up
beggar from an alley around the corner a package from a tailor in the south of
from Le Chien et le Bâtard. He attacks her the city. He had been paid in advance a
in the street, knocks her out, and drags couple of days before, and paid well; Jean
her away. gave Marc a pouch containing 20sp. Such
a payment is unusual, and Jean has never
KEY CLUE been away for so long without being
During the struggle, “Henriette” tears a seen by someone as he flits between jobs.
strip from the Tailor’s blue cloak (page 65) Those two anomalies, combined with the
and also scratches his face. If Marchand general level of panic over the disappear-
is interviewed for whatever reason, the ances, are what led Bertha and Marc to
scratches will be obvious, and his neigh- contact the authorities.
bours notice the wounds and consider
them unusual. KEY CLUE
Marc has the name of the tailor – Claude
The Court of Miracles Marchand (do you need a page reference?
“Henriette” is associated with the Court Fine, page 73), but does not have his
(page 61). It will be concerned about her address. Getting the location of the shop
disappearance and will encourage and should be easy enough; most tailors in the
perhaps reward efforts to find her. city know of Claude, as would fabric mer-
chants and the like. There will be records
of Marchand and his business in the city’s
files.
KEY CLUE
The money pouch is made from fine blue
fabric, an offcut from the manufacture of
the blue cloaks (page 65).
61
The Final Letter
The third and final letter arrives on the
14th of November, or seven days after the
adventure begins, assuming that the De-
mon Tailor has been able to complete his
grisly work. This letter is again delivered
to Sauval’s office, although this time it is
addressed to whichever of the characters
has been most prominent and visible in
their investigations.
It reads:
c
“My Friends!
Rejoice! My work is done and I bathe in
the light of innocents.
Hate me not for what I have had to do.
All will benefit, you have my word.
We danced well, did we not?
But now the work is done and I must go to
my reward.
Stay safe.
Your Friend,
Claude.”
KEY CLUE
Again, the killer is literate, and this time
has given his name, which can be cross-ref-
erenced with other clues to perhaps pin-
point his identity, but alas, it is too late as
Marchand has left the city and will never
return.
62
c
63
Barricades and * The average grunt on the street
Checkpoints may be more talkative. Make a
Reaction roll (Rules & Magic, page
56), adding (or subtracting!) the
A bright player may work out that if the character’s Charisma modifier and
districts of Paris are separated at night +1 for a suitable bribe or display of
with barricades and travellers are checked authority. A result of 9-to-11 will get
and noted, then it follows that the killer the watchman to admit that some-
must have been tagged passing through times the records aren’t as stringent
them at some point. as they could be, and sometimes
Good thinking, that is. things get forgotten. A 12 or more
will convey the same information,
plus the concession that certain im-
c A clever player may combine this knowl- portant people get waved through
edge with what they know about the without documenting their passage.
carriages used by the killer (page 28) to A 2 gets the same response as the
further narrow down their investigations. officials give, except with more
Also good thinking. meaningful glances at weaponry.
* If the players have developed a
What these astute players will discover is good relationship with the Deputy
that there are gaps in the records at these Provost, he will confide the same
points. Depending on whom they ask information as the loquacious
about these gaps, they will get different guardsman.
answers:
* The characters may also notice that
their passage doesn’t get recorded if
* Any official or ranked officer of they use the letter they were given
the guard will insist that there by the Deputy Provost (page 33).
are no gaps in their immaculate
record-keeping, and any suggestion Did they wave through someone import-
otherwise is an insult to their pro- ant at the relevant times? That probably
fessional honour. requires another bribe or threat, but yes,
there was a man carrying a letter from
Cardinal Richelieu (page 10) himself,
granting free and, if requested confiden-
tial, passage.
Finding the specific watchmen on duty
at the relevant times is impossible if
the die is at 5+ as they are all too busy
putting out fires. Literally.
64
Blue Cloaks The characters should be careful. Any c
suggestion that the palace is involved in
Marchand wears a blue cloak when com- the disappearances is not going to be tak-
mitting his crimes, in an attempt to divert en well and will lead to a strongly-worded
suspicion towards the royal household. complaint at best, via the Deputy Pro-
The players may become aware of the vost’s office. More likely is exile from the
significance of the garment when investi- city or a couple of days in the pillory.
gating the disappearances of Claire Mollet If the Unrest Die is set to 4+ then the
(page 39, and the barrel, page 56), Henri royal palace is locked down, and the
Penand (page 41), Baptiste Galonnier characters will not be able to gain direct
(page 60), or Henriette (page 61). access until the situation improves.
It’s not that no one else in Paris during
1630 wears a blue cloak. There will be
plenty of people wandering around with
them, but they are most often worn by
members of the royal household when
out and about, and this is somewhat
common knowledge. Anyone adjacent to
nobility or involved with the business of
government can inform the characters of
this point.
The majordomo of the royal household—
or more likely, a flustered subordinate—
can confirm that the household does
indeed use blue cloaks. Observation of
the palace confirms the same. Assuming
they are given a good reason to do so, the
majordomo can count the household’s
stock of cloaks and determine that none
are missing or damaged, although this
process will take a number of days equal
to the current face of the Unrest Die.
The royal cloaks are manufactured
by Claude Marchand, although no
high-ranking member of the household
is going to volunteer that information
because it’s none of the business of lowly
sorts like the characters. Someone in the
lower echelons—the piss boy or whatev-
er—may be more accommodating.
65
The Court of Miracles, an actual
proper Thieves’ Guild like you always
wanted
You know how every fantasy city has a Public perception of the Court is one of
thieves’ district called “the Lurks” or “the depravity and licentiousness, but in fact
Warren” or something, and you always the residents are quite organised and have
think how unrealistic that is because why their own ceremonies, laws, and officials.
would any organised settlement allow They just happen to be very different to
such a place to exist? It turns out that those of the pencil-pushers at City Hall.
Paris had one.
c The Court has its own language, a slang
(I think this is bonkers. Maybe I’m naïve.) full of technical terms relating to the busi-
ness of thievery and deception, consid-
It’s called the Court of Miracles because ered exotic as per Rules & Magic, page 37.
(a) it’s centred on a courtyard and (b)
there is a “King,” and (c) because the beg-
gars who were blind or paralysed during
the day could see and walk the moment
they returned home to the Court at the The Nine Laws of the Court
end of a hard day’s begging. Funny that. of Miracles (i made these
up, based on historical
examples):
The courtyard is a cul-de-sac entered
via a single sloping and uneven path. It I. Let every Man and Woman over
is considered unsafe and unwise for any Eleven have an equal vote in Mat-
civilised person to enter the area; the city ters of the Court.
watch will not go in, and a recent attempt
to build a street through the courtyard II. Let every Man and Woman over
resulted in the workmen being beaten Eleven have an equal share of the
and showered with various missiles. Prizes of the Court.
III. Able-bodied people of the Court are
expected to Work.
The houses around the courtyard are IV. Do not abscond, conceal, or usurp
crumbling, leaning, and some are sinking your Prizes.
into the mud. Hundreds of families live
squeezed into the buildings. V. Do not steal from Another of the
Children are taught the best ways to steal Court.
and swindle and soon become adept
thieves and charlatans, tested at the end VI. Do not strike Another of the Court.
of their tutelage by committing a theft in VII. Respect the Bond of Family.
a public place. VIII. Never Betray the Court.
IX. Obey the King and the Majority of
the Court.
66
The Court is ruled—although “guided” is cialists can expect at least an indifferent c
perhaps a more apt term—by a King and attitude. If the characters can get in and
a number of officers, the latter of which gain an audience, then they may be able
tend to have specialised roles such as to call upon certain resources:
surgeon or treasurer. The King is elected
by the people of the Court and suggests * The Court has eyes and ears every-
officers who are approved by public vote. where, even within the palaces of
The contrast with the way the “civilised” the city, and as such is an excellent
part of the city is run is quite deliberate. source of information. You can
The current King is Marius Lupin: use the Court to give clues to the
MARIUS LUPIN, the King of Miracles: characters; any of the information
Armour 13 (buff coat) , Move 120’, the characters could gain from
4th Level Specialist, 18hp, dagger (x2) investigating locations and visiting
1d4 and pistol (x2) 1d8, Morale 10, witnesses can be provided by the
Charisma 16, Dexterity 16, Climb 3, people of the Court, for a price.
Languages 3, Sleight of Hand 3, Stealth
3, Tinker 3. * It is also a good source of henchmen
or replacement player-characters,
Buff coat, daggers (x2), normal cloth- assuming you want Specialists.
ing, pistols (x2), specialist’s tools. Again, for a price.
Lupin is a tall, skinny fellow that * If the characters need any expertise
looks like he would be clumsy and or muscle for a larcenous emprise
gangly but is, in fact, quite agile and then the Court can arrange for that,
graceful in motion. He has a theatrical for the appropriate remuneration.
air and a cheeky glint in his eye. He
gives off an attitude of supreme con- * If the characters require illegal
fidence at all times, even when things products, then the Court can either
seem desperate. He has an eye for the get hold of them, or knows someone
ladies and a fondness for food. who can. The alchemist (page 44) is
Rogues’ Gallery one such contact. Such commodities
About 2,000 people live in the Court of are always free. Only joking.
Miracles, and around half of those are
children. The majority are beggars and Assume a base cost of 10sp per day for
petty pickpockets, and among the adults hired help—aside from henchmen, who
there will be around 30 1st Level Special- command a half share as per Rules &
ists and another 10 or so at 2nd Level. Magic, page 47—and a similar amount for
Using the Court of each clue or lead followed up. Merchan-
Miracles dise can be acquired for about 90% of
The Court of Miracles defaults to an the normal price as the Court has fewer
unfriendly disposition (Rules & Magic, overheads than legitimate merchants; you
page 56) towards outsiders, although Spe- don’t have to pay taxes if the taxman is
afraid to go anywhere near your place of
business.
67
The Crimson know who was driving his carriages on
Carriage of the the days of Claire and Bernard’s disap-
Sun pearances. He operates five carriages, and
the drivers work in six-hour shifts but
Alas, not a marvel of Aztec techno-mag- sometimes double up; this results in a list
ical engineering. What an adventure that of seven names.
would be! David does not volunteer this informa-
c Claire Mollet (page 39)—or rather her tion. He will assess the players and decide
skull (page 56)—mentions a carriage with how helpful he will be based on their
a symbol of the sun, while a carriage with actions. In most cases, he will hand over
a red sign is spotted at Bernard Rous- the names for no less than 30sp, barring
seau’s disappearance (page 43). These compulsion or threats. If the players
clues point to the Red Sun, Red Wing, or present themselves as working for the
Sunshine carriage companies, but only authorities, the price goes up to 40sp. If
Red Sun matches both. David is convinced that the names will
help solve the disappearances, he will
The Red Sun company operates from the offer the list for 10sp.
Hôtel de l’Aube inn, which is run by the
inn owner’s brother, David Bonnot. The David is used to trouble from other
Bonnot siblings are huge, thuggish-look- carriage companies and rogue city guards,
ing men, but both seem pleasant and so not only does he know how to han-
generous; Felix is genuine, but David is dle himself, there are often 1d4 toughs
cynical and shrewd at heart. hanging around the office, just in case.
His brother Felix will arrive with anoth-
er two heavies in the second Round of
The company keeps no records of who combat, while one of the bar staff fetches
travelled when and where, but David does the guards.
68
c
69
DAVID OR FELIX BONNOT, big In fact, Poullain dropped the pair off a
burly fellas: Armour 12, Move 120’, 0 couple of streets away from the Tailor’s
Level Businessmen, 8hp, hand axe 1d6 shop (page 73). Marchand then took
and pistol 1d8 (David) or club 1d4 Claire through some backstreets and
(Felix), Morale 8*, Constitution 16, entered his shop via the back door.
Strength 16. If the Die reaches 5+, Poullain is killed
in a random act of mob violence.
If David is killed, Felix’s Morale rises
to 12. If Felix is killed, David inherits
the inn.
c RED SUN TOUGHS, want to know Silvestre is happy to talk on the proviso
what you are looking at: Armour 12, that no one finds out. He remembers
Move 120’, 0 Level Thug, 4hp, hand axe little except that he was paid well to wait
1d6, Morale 8. around for the morning, more than he
There is a total of 380sp of takings and would have earned during that time. The
wages in a locked box in the Red Sun man looked familiar, although Silvestre
office; David has the key on a cord around cannot say why. He was wearing a blue
his big, thick neck. I’m not going into the cloak (page 65), but Silvestre will not
loot found in the Hôtel de l’Aube because remember that particular factoid unless
the authorities will arrive long before the prompted. For most of the morning, the
characters get a chance to clear that out. man sat in the carriage and asked to be
left alone.
The Names: Seven drivers worked on the The day after the players speak to him,
days the children disappeared: Silvestre remembers something else
Girard Barnier, Remy Poullain, and and will attempt to contact them via the
Albert Thibault worked on the day Claire Provost’s office if they haven’t left alterna-
went missing. Vincent Brosseau, Conrad tive instructions. He remembers that the
Durand, Innocent Ménard, and Florente man left the carriage just once, for about
Silvestre worked on the day Bernard was half an hour, seemed flustered when he
lost. returned, and asked the driver to hurry
Poullain is reluctant to talk unless the away. Silvestre dropped the man off in the
players mention that they are on govern- southern part of the city (page 73), but he
ment business or that they are investi- doesn’t remember the exact place.
gating the disappearances, in which case
he becomes quite helpful. He remembers
a man in a blue cloak (page 65) renting
his carriage and then going to the market
to buy flowers and meet his daughter.
He also remembers the daughter being
unwell when the man returned. Poullain
does not recall where he dropped the man
and his daughter off.
70
c
71
The (Demon) Tailor’s (Demon)
Hideout
Marchand has set up a secondary location
from which he can continue his work
should his shop be compromised. He will
try to bring whatever of his belongings he The Skinsuits
can manage. The adventure assumes that there are no
supernatural elements involved in the tailor’s
activities, but if you want to throw a nasty
He has rented the top floor of a town- magic item at the players, read on. Again.
house in one of the rougher parts of the
c city and pops in once a week to make sure A skinsuit acts like leather armour because
no one has broken in. it sort of is. It exudes an aura of disgust and
terror that forces normal human opponents
to make a Morale test at the beginning of
The other residents have seen the “man combat; those that fail recoil for a round and
from the top floor” now and then but those that fail on a double flee. There is a 3%
know almost nothing about him. chance per day at midnight of a vision sent
from an entity portraying itself as “God.” This
The ground floor has a communal kitchen being encourages the wearer of the suit to kill
area, and the next three floors are all and skin humans; in return it will increase the
more or less identical, with a family or Armour of the suit to 16 for a week following
two occupying each. the sacrifice. The number of humans needed
to be killed to gain the bonus increases by one
each time; the first time it will be one victim,
The top floor, Marchand’s room, is an the next two, and so on.
attic space. The door is locked. Inside the
room is a rough cot, a sturdy workbench
upon which is a second set of Marchand’s
skin-crafting tools (page 75)—worth 75sp
to a weirdo—and a wicker mannequin. If
Marchand has been able to keep his skin-
suits, or has been able to make another,
the mannequin will be wearing one.
72
The (Demon) Tailor’s (Demon) Shop
The shop is in a somewhat fancy area Ground Floor c
in the south-east of Paris, not far from A. Courtyard. The cobbles are clean,
Notre-Dame and the Quai Saint Bernard,
a popular swimming spot. Marchand is as Marchand has rinsed them down.
known in the area as a fine tailor and his Even so, there are hints of a reddish
neighbours consider him friendly if a bit stain in places. The barrels are similar
distant and strange; he has never taken an to the one that floated down the river
apprentice, for example. (page 56) and contain the bones of
A wooden sign showing a stylised needle the Tailor’s other victims. The rest are
and thread hangs above the door, and empty.
there is a sign saying “By Appointment
Only” in the front window, alongside a B. The shop. A pair of wicker man-
display mannequin. nequins stand in the centre of the space
Doors and windows. while the walls are lined with shelves
External doors and windows are locked and hooks displaying completed items
at most times. There is a cord beside the of clothing and swatches of fabric.
front door that operates a bell inside the
shop and during business hours—assum- C. Kitchen. On the counter is a
ing the Tailor is not conducting his other variety of big knives and saws, the sort
“business”!—Marchand will respond of thing a butcher would have. A barrel
within a couple of minutes, and ask if his contains salted meat. It’s tasty! Is it
visitors have an appointment. pork? It tastes like pork. It’s human, Mi-
The courtyard at the back of the building chael, you’re eating human.
leads to a network of alleys that run be-
hind and between the nearby buildings. A
B
C
73
First Floor A C
A. Master bedroom. In the wardrobe B C
are three blue cloaks (page 65). One A
has some reddish-brown stains, and if B
“Henriette” (page 61) has been taken
and the shop is still in use, another has
been torn. Under the bed is a small
wooden chest, locked, which contains
24sp and 12cp, and a bundle of letters
from Cardinal Richelieu (page 10),
which confirm that he is the Tailor’s
brother.
c B. Workshop. Another wicker man-
nequin wears a half-completed bright
green dress. A similar dress is torn
into shreds and scattered around the
room, a casualty of one of Marchand’s
conferences with “God.” A locked chest
under the worktop contains a pouch
with 187sp inside, and the business
ledger, which confirms that Marchand
has been making blue cloaks (page 65)
for the royal household.
There is a brownish stain on the
ceiling.
Second Floor
A. Storeroom.
B. The Second Workshop. The door
is locked and trapped; a small inden-
tation on the rear of the handle hides
a button that must be held while the
door is opened or a needle stabs into
the palm. Characters must save versus
Poison or become subject to the Con-
fusion spell, Rules & Magic, page 96, for
1d4 Rounds.
Marchand bought this mechanism
from the Court of Miracles (page 66),
and they got the poison from the Wizard
(page 44). Small world!
Go full horrorshow with this room!
74
The table holds all sorts of nasty and distant except when you are talking c
twisted blades, none of which are stan- about the Great Work, when you become
dard tailoring gear; these count as minor agitated but focused, but always there
weapons and are unusual enough that is the sense that you are not quite good
a suitable depraved collector would pay enough. Speak quickly, ramble, ask vague
75sp for the set. There are also a handful questions that seem to have no relevance
of letters, first drafts of those (page 34, to the subject at hand. Call yourself “bad”
58, 62) Marchand has sent to the Deputy or “stupid” and slap your head or the ta-
Provost. ble, then switch to a calm and firm voice
Sheets of human skin hang from racks when you are focused on the Grand Plan.
around the walls, and a mannequin wears
one of Marchand’s skinsuits. Feel free to The Skinsuits
try and pass this off as some sort of zom- The adventure assumes that there are no
bie until the characters look closer. supernatural elements involved in the tailor’s
A bloodstained sheet covers the floor, activities, but if you want to throw a nasty
and there is a barrel of sawdust in one magic item at the players, read on. Yes, I know
corner. this is the third time this information has ap-
peared. I’m trying to stop you flipping around
C. Second bedroom. This room the book trying to find it.
hasn’t been used for its intended A skinsuit acts like leather armour because
purpose in years. Now it holds racks of it sort of is. It exudes an aura of disgust and
drying human skin. terror that forces normal human opponents
CLAUDE MARCHAND, the Demon to make a Morale test at the beginning of
Tailor: Armour 12 (none) or 16 (boost- combat; those that fail recoil for a Round and
ed skinsuit), Move 120’, 0 Level Tailor, those that fail on a double flee. There is a 3%
4hp, razor-sharp scissors 1d4, Morale chance per day at midnight of a vision sent
12. from an entity portraying itself as “God.” This
being encourages the wearer of the suit to kill
Blue cloak; good quality but plain and skin humans; in return, it will increase the
clothing; satchel containing a letter of Armour of the suit to 16 for a week following
passage signed and sealed by Richelieu, the sacrifice. The number of humans needed
a ring of keys, scissors, 6sp and 80cp; to be killed to gain the bonus increases by one
skinsuit (worn under clothes). each time; the first time it will be one victim,
Playing the Demon Tailor: You are an the next two, and so on.
intelligent and dedicated man, and you
have made a good living, but you’ll never
be as successful as your brother. You have
an opportunity to do a great thing and
save the world, but to do so you have to
commit terrible crimes. You are trying to
balance all this but have ended up tearing
yourself to pieces. You are distracted
75
My Brother’s Or he might just have them killed.
Keeper
The juiciest titbit of evidence in all of Catch Me If You Can
this has to be the fraternal relationship If the players leave a window of opportunity
of anything like six hours or more between
between Marchand and Richelieu. Here’s confronting Richelieu and trying to exploit
what to do with it. him, then he will have a chance to use his
Confronting Richelieu Fourth-Dimensional Chess ability to outma-
Richelieu can make this all go away. His noeuvre them. If they are going to try to stitch
connection to the tailor is not well- him up, they need to do it fast!
known, and the existence of the letter of
c passage is known to almost no one. The
Cardinal knows that the sentence is likely
to be death and damnatio memoriae, so Going Around Richelieu
the loose ends will tie themselves. If the characters take evidence of Riche-
lieu’s connection to the Tailor to most
people in the standard power structure,
Except for the characters. then that information gets passed to the
Richelieu will be cagey and let them make Cardinal anyway. Through his spies, he
the first move. His brother’s crimes are in- will keep an eye on the characters to make
convenient but not fatal. Well, fatal to the sure they keep quiet. If they somehow get
victims but not the Cardinal’s reputation. access to Louis XIII he will promise to
The characters can make things worse for look into the matter and then go straight
him, and Richelieu will do what he can to Richelieu, with the same result.
to prevent that, but he’s also not going If Marie de’ Medici is still around, then
to be too keen about it. Richelieu wants she will relish the opportunity to use the
his brother’s letter of passage back, at information against the Cardinal. See The
least. The characters’ ongoing and eternal Day of the Dupes (page 13) for a likely
silence on his connection to the tailor is sequence of events. In short, Richelieu is
also desirable. sacked, France goes to heck.
He can offer them a fair bit of money, a Handing over the information to the
minor title, perhaps even a bit of land Court of Miracles (page 66) or a foreign
somewhere. New France is lovely! He may power, such as the English (page 80), will
even allow them to call in one favour at garner a decent cash reward and probably
some point in the future. He also makes it a favour or two, as it will be seen as good
very clear—but in standard arch-manip- leverage against the most powerful man
ulator fashion, without saying it—that if in France. Neither group is as reckless as
they renege on the agreement, or attempt Marie de’ Medici and will wait to use the
to alter it, then Richelieu can and will intelligence to their best advantage.
destroy them.
76
Rumbled! (or, The Jig is The Trial c
Up!) Marchand is tried at the Châtelet in
private, although the characters will be
The characters are supposed to be solving able to attend if they desire. Richelieu is
this mystery and bringing the criminal to present and looks furious. Three magis-
justice, but if they go to the authorities, trates hear the case, casting wary glances
then a disappointed and surprised Deputy towards the Cardinal throughout.
Provost will send a squad of watchmen to (If the characters have not made the con-
arrest Marchand. nection between Marchand and Riche-
Catching a Killer lieu, the latter’s presence will probably be
If Marchand is confronted before he has quite baffling. It would be great fun if they
managed to kill and consume all of his make the realisation during the trial!)
victims, he tries to escape to his backup The Tailor is charged with the murders of
hideout (page 72), so he can continue his all of the missing children, cannibalism,
Great Work. The kidnappings continue and heresy. The trial is swift; the mag-
much as written, except for that of the istrates do not ask Marchand to defend
eighth, Jean Dupont (page 61). In that himself, nor does he offer any. If his work
case, Marchand does not give his name, is complete, the Tailor looks tired but
and asks for the boy to come to his hide- content; if not, he is agitated and restless
out instead of his shop. but silent.
If the Tailor has completed all eight of his He is sentenced to death by burning at the
killings, then he is a lot more easy-going, stake. Moreover, a sentence of damnatio
as inveterate serial killers go. He will try memoriae is passed; all record of March-
to escape because he wants to enjoy the and is to be destroyed, and his name is
world he thinks he has saved, but if it not to be spoken forevermore. His assets
looks like flight is impossible, he’ll give and belongings are to be seized, and his
himself up. He is happy to talk about wealth to be redistributed. If the Unrest
his Great Work and what it means, why Die is at 5 or more, then this money
he did it, and how he did it. In excruci- is given to the families of the missing
ating and exacting detail. At length. Ad children.
nauseum.
Marchand will be imprisoned in the The Execution
Grand Châtelet (page 82) until his trial, Marchand is marched, chained, hooded,
which the authorities are keen to conduct and under guard, to the Hôtel de Ville
as soon as possible, in order to help pacify where a stake has been set up, and a large
an anxious and fractious citizenry. crowd has gathered. Marchand is tied to
the stake and burned; there is some con-
fusion that last rites are not administered,
but the magistrates are insistent. Riche-
lieu stays and watches the whole thing in
silence.
77
Aftermath Richelieu will be keeping an eye on the
characters in the future, and if they are
The Unrest Die is reduced by 2, which competent—again, astronomically im-
may set things back to what passes for plausible, I know—he may call on them
normal in seventeenth-century Paris. again.
Assuming they are working for the If the people of Paris know of the char-
Deputy Provost, the characters will acters’ involvement in the case, then they
receive whatever reward they negotiated, can expect to get preferential treatment
probably something around 500sp each. If wherever they go, at least for the next few
they acquitted themselves well and stayed weeks.
out of trouble, he may also promise them
a favour.
c
If they chickened out and sent the police Catastrophe!
Remember when we were saying the Demon
in to get Marchand, the reward is smaller, Tailor was mad and his idea that he was saving
and there will be no favour. Only disap- the city from some sort of cataclysm was a
pointment. delusion? No? It was on page 8. Come on,
If Richelieu becomes involved in the case now! Well, if you decide that Marchand is not,
(page 10) and the characters do nothing in fact, insane and that he is, in fact, trying to
to upset his many machinations, then he stave off a disaster, then if he is caught before
will send for them them two days after he completes his work, a massive earthquake
hits the city on the 18th of November, or 11
the execution. He will praise their work, days after the start of the adventure. Work out
thank them for bringing a measure of which of your players was the most pivotal
stability back to Paris at a difficult time, in halting the Tailor’s crimes—or whoever
and will reward them with an additional struck the killing blow, put the handcuffs on,
200sp each. In the staggeringly unlikely whatever—and get them to roll 2d20; this is
event that the characters are not capri- the percentage of Paris’ population killed in
cious sociopaths, then Richelieu will offer the destruction. Oops.
the group one favour.Whatever happens,
78
Appendices F
79
Appendix 1: La Perfide Angleterre
This optional event occurs if the Unrest see his friend Geoff again, but the ring is
Die reaches 4+ and the characters are most important.
conspicuous in their investigations.
What does “W” stand for?
They will be approached by a messenger “Let’s just say ‘Walsingham’ for now, shall
who hands them a note from “W” asking we?”
them to meet the next day at noon at an
inn just inside the city walls, Le Poisson How are we supposed to get to Geoff?
Tranquille. The inn is one of the better “Well, that’s rather up to you. I trust in
quality establishments in the city, known your abilities and your judgement.”
for good food and drink, but not yet
frequented by the trendsetters.
Is there a time limit?
“As soon as you can, but Geoff isn’t going
If they ask at the inn at the appropriate anywhere.”
time, they will be escorted to a private
room by one of the serving boys. There
they will be met by a fine-dressed but Can you give us any useful gear or
corpulent man with dark hair, thick equipment?
W can arrange for items worth up to 75sp
F eyebrows, and an air of nobility, or at least each for each character to be delivered to
the contempt that tends to characterise their lodgings by noon the next day.
the noble classes. He introduces himself
as “W” and will order whatever refresh- What’s so special about the ring?
ments the characters desire. “It’s all paid “Nothing as such. It’s a family heirloom,
for,” he says. and I am keen to get it back.”
W speaks good French and decent Span- Why is Geoff in prison?
ish but prefers English, and will ask if the “They claim he is an agitator, but it is a
characters mind conducting the conversa- case of mistaken identity.”
tion in the latter tongue.
W has a job for them. In return for com- Aren’t you being a bit callous about
pleting the task, W can help the char- Geoff?
acters with their current investigations, “I am sure he can handle himself if you
because he deals in information. are not able to get him out.”
If they agree, W explains that he has a
friend named Geoff who is at present You’re an English spy, aren’t you?
a guest of the Provost of Paris at the “I couldn’t possibly comment.”
Grand Châtelet, and Geoff has something
W would like returned to him, a plain
copper ring. Of course, W would love to
80
Prison Break: 1630 cide to give the characters one Key Clue F
It really is up to the characters how they that they may have missed, and perhaps
proceed. A description of the Grand even some money, but let’s not get silly!
Châtelet follows on page 82 if they want Either way, W is gone from Paris within
to fight or break their way in, but depend- minutes of receiving the ring.
ing on how they are getting on with the If Geoff is returned to W, then he too is
authorities, they may be able to arrange spirited from Paris within minutes, but if
for a simple release. They suspect Geoff the ring was not returned, the characters
is a spy but are not certain he has in fact receive no reward.
done anything wrong, so they won’t be W, definitely not a spy: Armour 12
too resistant to letting him go if someone (none), Move 120’, 4th Level Specialist,
important orders his release. 17hp, dagger 1d4+poison* or pistol
The Ring 1d8, Morale 10, Charisma 16.
It does appear to be a plain copper
ring worth not more than 5cp. It is Dagger, false papers, fine clothing,
not magical, but it does have a hidden key to a lockbox hidden somewhere in
compartment, discovered with a Search Paris containing loads of coin, pistol,
roll, containing a tiny scrap of paper signet ring 17sp.
upon which is written Louis XIII’s secret
recipe for pot-au-feu. The compartment is *Save versus poison or die in 1d8
watertight, so if the characters are clever Rounds.
and immerse the ring in water to look for
bubbles, they will see none. If they chuck W is charismatic, except you hate
it in a fire to look for secret writing from yourself for liking him, and he is very
the Dark Lord then the paper burns up posh.
inside. Oops.
Geoff has no idea what is inside the ring.
He was paid a lot of money to transport
the ring out of the city and thought it was
a simple enough task.
The Reward
If the ring is returned to W, he appears to
be grateful and tells the characters to look
out for a messenger at dawn, who will
bring them the information they seek.
He doesn’t have it right now and doesn’t
know anything himself.
Bastard Referees will, of course, have W
double-cross the characters and give them
nothing. More generous Referees may de-
81
Appendix 2: The Grand Châtelet
This old fortress is the headquarters of the JOHANNES DELAUNAY, Provost of
Provost of Paris, a prison, and a court- Paris: Armour 12 (none), Move 120,
house. It also houses a morgue, which in 0 Level Bureaucrat, 4hp, pistol 1d8,
this case, is a place for unidentified corps- Morale 8.
es to be prepared for burial in unmarked Bundle of papers, jewellery worth
graves. The Châtelet is bang in the middle 27sp, normal clothing, pistol, signet
of the slaughterhouse district, and near ring.
one of the outlets from Paris’s sewers, so
the whole area reeks of blood and shit. All cells have heavy wooden doors and
barred windows. Keys to the cells and the
In a move that should please capitalists rest of the building are held by the guard
everywhere, Châtelet policy is to charge sergeants and the Provost. The guards
inmates for their stay, although prices are work in eight-hour shifts.
based on social rank, so it could be worse. Ground Floor
A. Foyer. By day, two pairs of guards
All in all, the Châtelet is unlikely to get a watch over this area, one couple outside
good TripAdvisor rating. the doors and one inside. By night, the
F As well as the Provost, his horde of 0-Lev- main doors are locked and one pair of
el bureaucrats, and people like the cook guards is posted inside.
and the diener, the Châtelet is staffed by
20 guards, plus another 10 to 60, depend- B. Guard room. At least one pair of
ing on the current value of the Unrest guards will be in each of these rooms,
Die. There will be a sergeant for every 20 in charge of the portcullis mechanism.
guards. It takes one person four Rounds to raise
the metal portcullis, two people two
Rounds, and three people one Round.
The portcullis drops in about a second.
CHÂTELET GUARD, probably C. Storeroom. Bits and bobs for
grumpy: Armour 15 (buff coat and
breastplate), Move 120’, 0 Level Private, general repairs, feeding horses, and that
4hp, arquebus 1d8 or polearm 1d8, sort of thing.
Morale 8.
D. Court room. There is a long,
Arquebus, breastplate, buff coat, sturdy table at which magistrates can
polearm, uniform. sit and do judgy things, metal rings
pounded into the stone floor for chains
to be attached, if required, and plenty
CHÂTELET GUARD SERGEANT, of seating for those interested in watch-
definitely grumpy: Armour 15 (buff ing justice at work.
coat and breastplate), Move 120’, 1st
Level Fighter, 8hp, pistol (x2) 1d8 or E. Storeroom. This room holds
rapier 1d8, Morale 10. bundles of poor quality clothing for
prisoner use, 2d20 rats, and 4d100 lice.
Breastplate, buff coat, pistols (x2),
rapier, uniform. F. Pantry.
82
B D
A
C EH
B I
F
J
G. Kitchen. Three tiers of food are prepared here: the G K F
Provost’s lunch, staff meals, and whatever slop passes L
for prison food. A desperate person could at a push find
some improvised weapons here.
Cell Block
A single guard watches this area from near the kitchen.
Each cell has a wooden “bed” and a bucket.
H. The Crib. Oh yes, the cells are named. I forgot to
N Mtell you that. How nice.
I. The Gourdaine.
J. Entre-deux-huis.
K. The Forgetting. Was that the one with Julianne
Moore and the aliens?
L. The Well.
M. The Pit. This one is fun. A hole leads down into a chamber shaped like an
inverted cone with a couple of feet of dirty “water” at its base. Prisoners are lowered
in by rope and are left to die.
N. Morgue. There are 1d6-1 corpses here in various states of decay and prepara-
tion.
83
A A B
A
First Floor A CH
A pair of guards patrols this
floor day and night. It takes
them about an hour to do a DI
full circuit. A
A. Offices. The Provost’s
many assistants, deputies,
and officers work from here EJ
during the day. A single
guard watches over them.
FK
F B. Barracks. Any guards not on active duty rest here.
The door to the cells can be barred.
Cell Block G
These chambers are much nicer, although the term is
relative, than those on the ground floor, and tend to be
reserved for more important “guests.” The beds have mat-
tresses! Filled with straw and lice, but hey, mattresses! At
least one guard is posted here at all times.
C. The Channels.
D. Beauvoir.
E. La Motte.
F. La Salle.
G. Butchers. If you are using the optional event in Appendix 2 (page 82) then
Geoff is here.
GEOFF, stuck inside with nothing to do: Armour 12, Move 120’ 1st Level Fighter,
4hp, no weapons, Morale 9
Geoff is an average bloke with a strong sense of right and wrong.
H. Beaumont.
I. Grièche.
J. Beauvais. Marchand will be imprisoned here if caught (page 77).
K. Barbarie and Gloriette.
84
A
AD
Second Floor B
A pair of guards patrols this
floor every half an hour at
night. EE
A. Provost’s Office. The C
Provost’s assistants work
from the anteroom, and
there is always at least one
guard present. The office
itself can be locked and barred, and only the Provost
himself has the key. He keeps a loaded pistol on his desk,
and he would much prefer to work closer to the ground. F
B. Vault. This door is always locked, and only the E E
Provost has the key. A wooden coffer contains 209sp,
and a larger chest contains records of the Châtelet’s many
guests. This information is sure to be worth something to
someone.
C. Impound, because apparently “confiscatory” isn’t a noun even though it should
be. This room is always locked, with the Provost and the guard sergeants in pos-
session of the key. This is where the belongings of the Châtelet’s inmates are kept.
It’s also an excellent place to stick a weird magic item or something that ties into a
future adventure, like a glass bottle of thin, silver liquid that causes the drinker to fly
straight up 120’ per round for 11 rounds.
If you are using the optional event in Appendix 2 (page 82), then Geoff ’s ring is
here.
D. Guard room. At least four guards are posted here at all times. The door to the
cell block (D) can be barred and locked.
E. Communal cells. These large, featureless rooms are where the lowest-class pris-
oners, including foreigners and heretics, are kept. Each room holds 2d12 prisoners at
any time. A pair of guards checks the cells at the beginning of every eight-hour shift.
85
If you need an occupant for any of the
cells you can generate one using the
following table. Cross them off as they
are used, unless you decided that doubled
results indicate accomplices!
The Dirty Dozen (1d12):
Arrested for charlatanry, including
1 trying to sell the Louvre to a visiting
bishop. He claims he didn’t do it.
2 A tennis player accused of taking size-
able bribes for throwing matches.
A “witch” accused of putting curses
3 on a local merchant and ruining his
business.
4 Killed a man in a drunken brawl.
Stole a merchant’s barge. During the
5 getaway, the barge was crashed and
sank.
F Serial escapee. No one quite re-
6 members why they were originally
imprisoned and the records have long
been lost.
7 A tavern cook accused of poisoning
their customers. Definitely guilty.
8 Caught burgling the house of a minor
noble.
9 Killed and ate the horse of one of the
Deputy Provosts.
10 A musician accused of performing
seditious songs.
11 Huguenot saboteur accused of plotting
to blow up Notre-Dame.
12 Stole and sold paintings and sculptures
from various locations around Paris.
86
Appendix 3: Musketeers
It seems somewhat perverse to set an ATHOS, melancholy, mysterious, and F
adventure in 1630s Paris and not feature paternal: Armour 13 (buff coat), Move
Dumas’s three-and-a-bit musketeers in 120’, 4th Level Fighter, 22hp, rapier 1d8
some form, so here they are, written up and pistol 1d8, Morale 10, Charisma
as LotFP characters. They may come in 14, Wisdom 14.
useful as allies against Richelieu, should
that become necessary, or they could be Buff coat, fancy hat, silver locket with
used as replacement characters. some of Milady’s hair inside, pistol,
rapier, uniform.
Or you could go classic and have Riche-
lieu be on board with his brother’s Athos is the oldest of the Musketeers
activities, give each of your players one of and has a murky past. He is melancholy
the Musketeers to play, and then go at it. and untalkative and is often in his
En garde! cups. He is protective towards young
d’Artagnan and comes to think of him
ARAMIS, handsome, religious, and as a son. Among his many secrets are
restless: Armour 14 (pikeman’s ar- his true identity as the Comte de la Fère
mour), Move 120’, 1st Level Cleric/2nd and his previous disastrous marriage to
Level Fighter, 18hp, rapier 1d8 and the villain Milady de Winter.
arquebus 1d8, Morale 10, Charisma D’ARTAGNAN, brave, clever, and
16, Intelligence 14, Wisdom 14. foolhardy: Armour 13 (buff coat), Move
Cleric spells prepared: Bless 120’, 1st Level Fighter, 8hp, rapier 1d8
and pistols 1d8 (x2), Morale 10, Dex-
Arquebus, Bible, fancy hat, silver terity 16, Intelligence 16.
holy symbol, pikeman’s armour, rapier,
uniform. Buff coat, pistols (x2), rapier, uni-
form.
Aramis, or René d’Herblay, is in
some ways a mirror to Richelieu. He is Charles de Batz de Castelmore d’Art-
a man at home in a barracks as much agnan is a young nobleman who wants
as a church, and is ambitious, clever, to make his name as a musketeer, going
and ruthless. His pursuit of power is as far as challenging each of the other
tempered only by his loyalty to his three to single combat before being
friends, perhaps the main trait that accepted into their ranks. Although
separates him from the Cardinal. That hot-headed and inexperienced, he is
and the womanising. He is forever torn also clever—you could say he has a
between his calling as a Jesuit and his rapier wit, ho ho!—and soon becomes
duties as a soldier, always longing for the trusted leader of the group.
the other life.
Oh my gosh, he’s Hot Rod, isn’t he?
How have I never seen that before?
87
PORTHOS, extroverted, gluttonous, One for All!
honest, and naïve: Armour 13 (buff One should always refer to the original
coat), Move 120’, 3rd Level Fighter, text and Dumas’ The Three Musketeers is
25hp, rapier 1d8 and pistols 1d8 (x2) a justified classic. My favourite version of
and daggers 1d4 (x2), Morale 12, Con- the story (thanks for asking) is that told
stitution 16, Strength 16. in Richard Lester’s The Three Musketeers
(1973) and The Four Musketeers (1974).
Buff coat, daggers (x2), pistols (x2), These are big, silly adventure films that
rapier, some sort of snack like a roast are about as historically accurate as this
turkey leg or something, uniform. book, but worth watching because they
are great fun. The Return of the Muske-
Porthos is your standard cheerful teers (1989) is the sequel, and is not as
comedy relief. A big lad who eats, good because everyone’s old and tired and
drinks, and is merry. He’s the one that Roy Kinnear died during filming and you
eats an impossible amount of food and can tell everyone’s lost enthusiasm, but
drinks even more than Athos, some- you may as well watch it if you’ve seen the
how without getting drunk like his others. Also, Christopher Lee is in it.
friend. His heart is as big as the rest of
him, but is perhaps a bit too open as he
has a tendency towards gullibility.
F
88
Appendix 4: Comment t’appelles-tu?
All the important non-player characters in TitS have been named, but players have a
tendency to go off-piste, so if yours start roughing up random peasants and you need
a name in a hurry, you can use the following table of genuine French names of the era.
For added French flavour, you may want to combine and hyphenate names into a com-
pound like Jean-Luc. No, not that one.
Surname Forename 1 Forename 2
1 Andre Anne Albert
2 Belleau Antoinette Antoine
3 Bourgarit Audrey Baptiste
4 d’Aubrey Caroline Bernard
5 Dupont Catherine Blaise
6 Galonnier Céline Charles
7 Grand Charlotte Christophe
8 Lauret Elisabeth Claude
9 Le Roux Elodie Gabriel F
10 Marchand (no relation) Henriette Gaston
11 Médard Isabelle Henri
12 Mignot Jeanne Jean
13 Nicolas Julie Julien
14 Parillaud Lise Louis
15 Pascal Louise Luc
16 Penand Madeleine Maxime
17 Poirot Manon Philippe
18 Rousseau Marguerite Pierre
19 Souval Marie René
20 Tremouliere Thérèse Sebastien
89
Appendix 5: Maison Richelieu
Cardinal Richelieu does most of his busi- CARDINAL’S MUSKETEER, literal
ness – ha ha – elsewhere, usually wher- redshirt: Armour 13 (buff coat), Move
ever the King is, but sometimes he works 120’, 1st Level Fighter, 8hp, rapier 1d8
from home, a townhouse on the north- and pistols 1d8 (x2), Morale 10.
west corner of a private square known as Buff coat, pistols (x2), rapier, uniform.
Place Royale.
There are four musketeers plus a number
The house and its staff are more modest equal to the current value of the Unrest
than one may expect from the most pow- Die. Two musketeers are posted at the
erful man in France, but that is in part front door, and the rest patrol the build-
because he spends most of his time away. ing. There is a shift change every eight
There is a 1 in 6 chance of Richelieu being hours or so, and any overt assault on the
home on any given night; otherwise, he Cardinal’s residence will bring a probably
is either sleeping wherever the pressing overwhelming response within minutes.
business of the day takes him, or he is
not sleeping at all because he’s managing SECRET DOORS: a number of secret
some sort of crisis. doors are marked on the maps, but with
F Richelieu’s Fourth-Dimensional Chess
Richelieu’s household is attended by a ability, any surface or object could con-
butler (Adrien Calvet), a cook (Perrine ceal a hidden door. It doesn’t matter how
Gardet), and three servants, all 0 Lev- absurd; that’s sort of the point.
el, apart from one servant (Timothée
Mallette) who is an English spy in the NOT-SO SECRET DOORS: External
employ of “W” (page 80). The Cardinal doors and windows are locked during the
is, of course, well aware of Timothée’s night. Richelieu, his butler, and one of the
true allegiance and enjoys feeding him indoor musketeers have the relevant keys.
all sorts of falsehoods to send back to the
English curs.
TIMOTHÉE MALLETTE, caught in
a trap: Armour 12 (none), Move 120’,
2nd Level Specialist, 8hp, small hammer
1d4, Morale 10, Search 2, Stealth 2,
Tinker 2, Intelligence 9.
The house is guarded by the Cardinal’s
Musketeers, who are much the same as
the King’s Musketeers, except they wear
red tabards and no one’s made any films
with them as the heroes.
90
GROUND FLOOR B A
A: The houses on this side of the C
F
square back on to a communal courtyard
with 10’ high walls. A
B
B: The kitchen window lock is in
poor condition, and the window can be
considered stuck as per Rules & Magic,
p 31, with a base 1 in 6 chance of being
forced open.
FIRST FLOOR
A: Richelieu’s chair is set a little bit
higher than the others, just enough to
make any sit-down meeting feel intimi-
dating. The desk is fancy and itself worth
50sp; a locked drawer – for which the
Cardinal has the only key – has a 1 in
6 chance of containing vital national
security documents. The chance is 2 in
6 if Richelieu is home. The documents
are false, and although worth 700sp to
the enemies of France, those buyers will
also become enemies of the characters
once they realise what they’ve bought. A
hidden compartment in the chair in the
corner contains the true papers.
B: A Search roll indicates that the
floorboards have been modified to squeak
when any pressure is placed upon them.
The Cardinal is paranoid.
C: In theory, Richelieu could host
small dinner parties here, but he is often
away, and when he is home, he eats alone.
91
SECOND FLOOR: A
A: The door is locked, and only B
Richelieu has the key. The Cardinal’s C
library contains a fine selection of books
in various languages on theology, poli-
tics, history, and even that new-fangled
science thing all the cool kids are talking
about. The collection is worth about
2003sp. There is a 1 in 20 chance that
among the mundane texts is a spellbook
containing seven first level and three
second-level Magic-User spells. Richelieu
finds the tome blasphemous but fascinat-
ing.
If Richelieu is a Cleric, as discussed on
p10, then hidden inside a copy of Crop
Rotation in the 14th Century is a scroll
containing a Cleric spell of fifth level. Counterfeit coins can be identified by
Probably Commune, but it’s up to you. a Specialist that rolls under their level
on 1d20, or any moneylender, fence, or
F Yes, the secret door is in the bookcase. similar. Any character rolling under their
I stayed in a house in Paris once that Intelligence on 1d20 will find the cypher
had an entire flat hidden behind a secret suspect; Magic-Users who succeed, or
bookcase door, so is it still a cliché if it’s anyone rolling a 1, will identify it as
real? Hm? nonsense. I am tempted to rule that Com-
B: As with the first floor, the corri- prehend Languages doesn’t help, but you
dor’s floorboards have been modified to may be a kinder Referee than I.
squeak. The staff hates it.
C: Richelieu’s bedroom is locked
during the night; he and his butler have
the only keys. The wardrobe contains two
sets of the Cardinal’s robes, each worth
30sp. A locked box – Richelieu has the
key – under the bed contains 7000sp in
various coins. These are all fake. A hidden
compartment in the fireplace, inaccessi-
ble when the fire is lit, contains another
locked box that is opened with the same
key. This box contains 500sp in gold (!)
coins from across Europe, and a bundle of
documents written in some sort of code.
The coins are fake and the coded text is
gibberish.
92
THIRD FLOOR/ATTIC Seine, an underground supervillain base, F
A: The butler’s room. or an entrance to the Veins of the Earth
B: The cook’s room. – available in all good games shops, etc.
C, D: The servants’ rooms. Whatever seems most Richelieu-ish at the
E: Timothée’s room. A loose brick time.
in the chimney conceals a bundle of A
papers on which Timothée has written B
his reports on the Cardinal’s meetings C
and movements. Any character with an D
Intelligence of 11 or higher can tell that E
there is nothing incriminating or even
interesting in the notes.
CELLAR
Richelieu keeps a good wine collection; at
any time there will be 1d12 bottles worth
35sp each. For less cultured visitors, the
Cardinal keeps a few barrels of beer,
worth about 20sp . The butler has also re-
cently bought a small keg of beer from the
Abbey of St. Christopher as he has heard
wonderful things about it. See Fermentum
Nigrum Dei Sepulti, available in all good
game shops, and most of the dodgy ones.
The secret door is opened using what is
effectively a keypad, and I know that’s
anachronistic and I don’t care. A Search
roll indicates five bricks in a column set in
the north-ish wall are slightly lighter than
those surrounding them, and that they
will depress – with a loud CLICK! – by
about half an inch before springing back.
If the top brick is 1 and the bottom is 5,
pressing the bricks in the order 31221
pops open the door. Richelieu and his
butler are the only ones aware of the door
and its code. The door opens into a rough
tunnel that leads about 50 yards to the
cellar of an empty house that – if anyone
decides to check – Richelieu owns.
Or it leads to a hidden boat dock on the
93
Appendix n(pc)
I like to put all the NPCs of an adventure in one place to make things easier for the
Referee, and I will keep doing it until I am stopped. Bwahahaha, etc.
BLOODHOUND, snoopin’ ‘round your door: Armour 14, Move 150’, 1 Hit Dice, 6hp,
bite 1d4, Morale 8. Bloodhounds acquire and follow a scent on a 1d6 roll of 4+. Roll
again each time something happens that might confuse or disrupt the trail, such as
crossing a body of water.
BODERIQUE, dejected manservant: Armour 13, Move 120’, 2nd Level Fighter, 9hp,
club 1d4, Morale 12 as long as Alain is alive, 7 otherwise, Strength 14.
CHRISTOPHE THE DISGRUNTLED VAMPIRE, has seen things you people would
not believe but just wants to go home: Armour 18, Move 120’, 8 Hit Dice (36hp), Claw
1d10/Bite 1d4 plus blood drain, or Charm Person, Morale 10.
Blood drain: Bite damage is applied to both Hit Points and Constitution; a charac-
ter reduced to 0 Constitution dies and rises from the grave in 1d4 days as a vampire
with the same powers and vulnerabilities as their parent.
F Charm Person: As the spell, Rules & Magic, page 93. May be used once per
Round.
Gaseous Form: As the spell, Rules & Magic, page 106. The vampire can choose to
change form at any time but automatically changes at 0 Hit Points, at which point it
must return to its home soil to recover.
Regeneration: the vampire heals 3 Hit Points per Round.
Vulnerabilities: Christophe avoids mirrors and casts no reflection in them, and
can be killed by immersion in running water for 1 Round, or by beheading. Sunlight
causes him no harm but does prevent the use of his blood drain, Charm Person,
Gaseous Form, and regeneration abilities.
DAVID OR FELIX BONNOT, big burly fellas: Armour 12, Move 120’, 0 Level Busi-
nessmen, 8hp, hand axe 1d6 and pistol 1d8 (David) or club 1d4 (Felix), Morale 8*,
Constitution 16, Strength 16.
If David is killed, Felix’s Morale rises to 12. If Felix is killed, David inherits the inn.
ALAIN DE LA MARE, classic mad wizard: Armour 12, Move 120’, 5th Level Mag-
ic-User, 23hp, sharpened bit of hawthorn 1d4, Morale 9, Constitution 14, Intelligence
16, Wisdom 6.
Hawthorn stake, hexagonal wooden token, necklace of wooden holy symbols,
notebook filled with messy notes, pencil (behind left ear), ragged robes.
Spells Prepared (if expecting trouble): Charm Person, Light, Invisibility, Web
Spellbook: Charm Person, Identify, Invisibility, Knock, Light, Read Magic, Speak
With Dead, Unveil the Presence of the Dread Vampyre, Web, Wizard Lock
94
CHÂTELET GUARD, probably grumpy: Armour 15 (buff coat and breastplate), Move
120’, 0 Level Private, 4hp, arquebus 1d8 or polearm 1d8, Morale 8.
Arquebus, breastplate, buff coat, polearm, uniform.
CHÂTELET GUARD SERGEANT, definitely grumpy: Armour 15 (buff coat and
breastplate), Move 120’, 1st Level Fighter, 8hp, pistol (x2) 1d8 or rapier 1d8, Morale 10.
Breastplate, buff coat, pistols (x2), rapier, uniform.
JOHANNES DELAUNAY, Provost of Paris: Armour 12 (none), Move 120, o Level
Bureaucrat, 4hp, pistol 1d8, Morale 8.
Bundle of papers, jewellery worth 27sp, normal clothing, pistol, signet ring.
GEOFF, stuck inside with nothing to do: Armour 12, Move 120’ 1st Level Fighter, 4hp, F
no weapons, Morale 9.
JEAN GRENIER, the Werewolf of Paris: Armour 12 (13 with wolfskin), Move 120’, 2nd
Level Specialist, 12hp, shepherd’s staff 1d4 or “wolf claws” 1d4 (x2), Morale 12, Consti-
tution 16, Bushcraft 3, Sneak Attack 3, Stealth 3.
MARIUS LUPIN, the King of Miracles: Armour 13 (buff coat), Move 120’, 4th Level
Specialist, 18hp, dagger (x2) 1d4 and pistol (x2) 1d8, Morale 10, Charisma 16, Dexter-
ity 16, Climb 3, Languages 3, Sleight of Hand 3, Stealth 3, Tinker 3.
Buff coat, daggers (x2), normal clothing, pistols (x2), specialist’s tools.
CLAUDE MARCHAND, the Demon Tailor: Armour 12 (none) or 16 (boosted skin-
suit), Move 120’, 0 Level Tailor, 4hp, razor-sharp scissors 1d4, Morale 12.
Blue cloak; good quality but plain clothing; satchel containing a letter of passage
signed and sealed by Richelieu, a ring of keys, scissors, 6sp and 80cp; skinsuit (worn
under clothes).
AGGRIEVED PEASANT, wants to know where the children are: Armour 12, Move
120’, 0 Level Thug, 4hp, improvised club or broken bottle or something like that 1d4,
Morale 7.
RED SUN TOUGHS, want to know what you are looking at: Armour 12, Move 120’, 0
Level Thug, 4hp, hand axe 1d6, Morale 8.
95
CARDINAL RICHELIEU, did it thirty-five minutes ago: Armour 12, Move 120’, 0
Level Political Genius, 6hp, Fourth-Dimensional Chess, Morale 12, Intelligence 18,
Wisdom 18.
Fourth-Dimensional Chess: Richelieu plans for almost every eventuality, which
is represented by a 90% chance, or 3+ on 1d20, of avoiding or exploiting any player
action against him. If they try to steal from him, he has put extra guards in place, or
the thing they steal is a fake. If they try to assassinate him, they kill a double. That
sort of thing. Your players will probably hate him, which is sort of the point. If your
players end up hating you, feel free to blame me, because I’m the one who was paid
to do this to them.
Extravagant clothing, signet ring, various fancy bits of jewellery worth 64sp.
RICHELIEU’S MAN, keen and loyal: Armour 13 (buff coat), Move 120’, 1st Level
Fighter, 8hp, rapier 1d8 and pistols 1d8 (x2), Morale 10.
RENE SAUVAL, DEPUTY PROVOST, compassionate and dedicated: Armour 13 (buff
coat), Move 120’, 1st Level Fighter, 6hp, rapier 1d8 and pistol 1d8, Morale 8, Charisma
16.
Buff coat, bundles of papers, normal clothing, pistol, rapier, ring with personal
seal.
F VIGILANTE, for great justice: Armour 12, Move 120’, 0 Level Thug, 4hp, clubs and
sticks and that 1d4, Morale 7.
W, definitely not a spy: Armour 12 (none), Move 120’, 4th Level Specialist, 17hp, dagger
1d4+poison* or pistol 1d8, Morale 10, Charisma 16.
Dagger, false papers, fine clothing, key to a lockbox hidden somewhere in Paris
containing loads of coin, pistol, signet ring 17sp.
*Save versus poison or die in 1d8 Rounds.
96
Paris, 1630.
Europe burns and drowns in blood, but France remains,
for the most part, inviolate and strong.
Except now, horror has come to Paris.
The city’s children are going missing. Parents are fearful and paranoid, and the
people of Paris are becoming angry and restless.
A mysterious phantom figure is taking the youngsters and taunting the
authorities. Can the criminal be found before more children disappear? What is
the secret behind the kidnappings?
TERROR IN THE STREETS is written and drawn by Kelvin Green, who also
foisted FORGIVE US, FISH FUCKERS, MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE, and
MIDVINTER on the world.
TERROR IN THE STREETS is a historically-inspired investigative urban
horror adventure for characters of most levels, for use with LAMENTATIONS
OF THE FLAME PRINCESS WEIRD FANTASY ROLEPLAYING and other
traditional role-playing games.
Lamenotf thae tionS borders Printed in Finland by
Flame PrincesS
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Text ©A2d0v2e1nKteulrveins Green First Printing: 2000 copies
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