Seven, See?

A 7th Sea Dievai Mystery Adventure

Seven tasks are asked of the Heroes to save the life of Losejas who lies in her deathbed.
With each task, however, a terrible truth begins to unfold which forces the Heroes to consider the
ramifications of their actions. When forced to choose between hope and security, how does one decide?

And what if this is just another lie, created by the Dievai themselves to lure more to their doom?

by TOBIE ABAD

keywords: Dievai, Deathbed, World-travelling, Betrayal

Explorers Society, 7th Sea and all related marks are © and ™ 2016 John Wick Presents. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be duplicated without express permission from the Author.
The Sanderis is no laughing matter. The repercussions that spill outward from its Deals have broken marriages, ended treaties,
and crumbled cities. They say the Dievai Marshes were once lush fields of flame lilies that painted the country red. But one
Losejas demanded the fields be razed to punish the woman he once loved, and that heart-broken Deal has never been
overturned. - Wiedźma the Witch, Mistrz of the Ratas.

The Dievai Do Not Lie The later Scenes, however, are set in specific locations.
In the Sarmatian Commonwealth, everyone has shared a Thankfully, the adventure will provide a means to visit
similar story to this one. Everyone has had an uncle, or them.
aunt, or cousin, or niece, or lover, or friend, or neighbor
who was approached by something called the dievai and The third Scene is set in a metaphysical location, similar
was asked if they desired something that sounded to the World Between the Worlds that Porté traverses.
impossible. Something that was desperately desired This is intentional design to try to make the adventure
that very moment. The choices have always varied. “Do flexible enough for other groups.
you want to live forever?” “Do you desire the secret
name of the storm?” “Do you wish you could forget she Inspiration
ever existed?” “Do you wish to know how to make him This Adventure draws inspiration from a number of
love you?” And always, at least as the stories go, there sources, such as:
would be a price. Sometimes simple. Sometimes huge.
But never impossible. Never. ❖ Russell T Davies and Steven Moffat era of
Doctor Who
Few are aware of the Ratas and the Purifiers. Few know ❖ Les Aventures extraordinaires d’Adèle Blanc-
of the significance of Voruta, and the importance of the Sec (Jacques Tardi)
Scholomance. Interestingly enough, this Adventure ❖ Warren Ellis and John Cassaday’s Planetary
explores what happens when a Sanderis nears its end. ❖ J.J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman, and Roberto Orci’s
And none of the Ratas are able to interfere. Fringe TV series
❖ John Rogers’ The Librarians
This adventure is about a Deal made with a Hero who ❖ Tarsem Singh’s The Fall
nears his 7 th Deal. And the decision Heroes will have to ❖ Televisions series such as The Twilight Zone,
make. A decision that will stay with them for the rest of Black Mirror, and Amazing Stories.
their lives. ❖ John Wick’s Houses of the Blooded.

Using this Supplement

Seven, See is a Dievai Mystery adventure composed of
3 Game Master Stories. These stories are intended to be
run in succession, unless you believe your players’ Player
Stories can be given some spotlight in between sessions.
Having player character Heroes who are knowledgeable
in Scholarship, or are a Losejas would prove useful in this
adventure. The adventure sets many of its Scenes in a
variety of locales beyond the geographical borders of the
Sarmatian Commonwealth.

The first Scene is designed to work in any location that

works best for your group.

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 Master understand the connection of the events to the
Introduction earlier scenes.
Latinka Pupin was a Hero once. She assisted the
Sophia’s Daughters in helping young Vodacce daughters
escape the plans of the villainous Villanova. She fought Playing Safely
against Mstitel the Night-Haunt and forced it to This Adventure may touch on some of the darker
withdraw during a brief stint in Ussura. She even stopped aspects of the 7th Sea world, and thus might not be for
a crazed ungetümjäger from competing a ritual that all groups. Imprisonment, violence, and gruesome
threatened to sink a city into darkness. She violence may be present in the story and that may not
accomplished these feats of courage and heroism with be deemed welcome in the game for some groups.
the help of her companion, Irina Kudryavtseva, an Before you start running this adventure for your group,
Ussuran who has received Dar Matushki and can be sure you discuss what kind of an Adventure Seven,
transform into magnificent beasts. See offers and decide if it is the kind of story the group
would enjoy. The adventure can still be run with the less
But in their last adventure, Latinka and Irina were forced desired elements being toned down, or perhaps even
to face a terrible fact: Latinka was on the verge of merely portrayed as events happening “off-camera” so
becoming a corrupted shadow of what she used to be. to speak.
And when Irina attempted to save her companion,
Latinka used her growing powers to hurl her companion In that note, consider using the X-Card at your table.
away – perhaps a final bid to save her friend. Designed by John Stavropolous, the X-Card is a tool that
helps groups manage difficult content without requiring
The heroes soon encounter Irina and learn of her plight. discussing the topics in advance. If you choose to use
Can they find a way to save Latinka before it is too late? the X-card, simply do the following:
Or is it already too late?
Read this aloud:

The X-Card is an optional tool that allows anyone in your game

(including you) to edit out any content anyone is uncomfortable
with as you play. Since most RPGs are improvisational and we will
not know what will happen til it happens, it is possible the game
will go in a direction people do not want. An X-Card is a simple
tool used to highlight and resolve problems as they arise.
Goal and Basic Story
This Adventure is composed of three Parts. Each part
Now, get an index card and draw an X on it.
corresponds to a specific Game Master Story.
Now read the next part aloud:
Part I – Bear With Me
If anything makes you uncomfortable during the game, just tap
Step 1: Meet with Irina and learn of the predicament
this card to alert everyone else. You do not have to explain why.
Part II – Seven Tasks We will simply edit out anything X-Carded. If there is an issue,
Step 2: Undoing the Seven Great Deals anyone can call for a break so things can be discussed privately. I
know it sounds funny but it will help us play amazing games
Part III – ‘L’appel du vide’ together and usually I’m the one who uses the X-Card to protect
Step 3: The True Corruption is Revealed myself from all of you! Thank you!

Each individual Part will have its own set of Scenes. Each The use of the X-Card will allow your group to explore
scene will showcase the general idea of that scene, as disturbing elements without having to worry about
well as the Dramatic or Action Sequences anticipated for pushing the story in bad places and undesired areas.
it. When necessary, lists of quick NPCs will be provided Read more about the X-Card at tinyurl.com/x-card-rpg.
to help the individual Game Master run the scenes with
little prep.

Finally, there may be boxed text to help the Game

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 plan to defeat her dievai. Will they be able to help her
stop the demon from winning the bargain?
The [H]
As popularized in other Community Created Adventures, the
use of the [H] reference is meant to give the Game Master a
means to dynamically modify the size of Villains and Brute
Part 2 – Seven Tasks
Squads for various group sizes. Wherever you see [H], replace The Heroes attempt to undo the Seven Great Deals that
it with the number of Hero characters in the Scene. In some Latinka Pupin had made with her now destroyed Dievai.
places [H] will have a multiplier or divider (2[H] or ½[H]) or a In each task, however, they find unexpected opposition
base value (4+[H]). attempting to stop them.
If your players have a more combat savvy group, such as one
with at least one Duelist, consider doubling the Strength of
one or more Brute Squads, Monsters, or Villains.
Scene 2-1
Darkness

Overall Summary Page 14

This is the overview of all the Parts of this Adventure. The first of the Deals. The group finds themselves in a
Each Part has its list of Scenes. place where a wedding unfolds.

Part 1 – Bear with Me

The Heroes first encounter the Ussuran, but not in the Scene 2-2
way they expect. Fire

Scene 1-1
A Cry For Help Page 17
In this Deal, the heroes find themselves upon the deck of
the ship known as the Arkangelos as they traverse the
Page 6 Mirror.
The story begins in medias res, with the Heroes coming
upon a group of travelers being attacked by a bear. This
leads to the introduction of Irina Kudryavtseva. Scene 2-3
Cold

Scene 1-2
Worse Than Wounds Page 19
In this Deal, the group travels the Eight Sea, a
magnificent desert so huge that it has been referred to
Page 8 as a sea as well.
The Heroes learn from the injured Kudryavtseva of the
predicament she is in, and accompany her to try and
save her friend, Latinka Pupin. They travel to where she Scene 2-4
last saw her companion, a doorway to another place in Storm
the wilderness that shows a desert landscape.

Page 21
Scene 1-3 In this Deal, the group finds themselves in the very
Behold, Latinka middle of a battle unfolding between the Clara and the
Aquiles. Also, possibly a familiar face emerges in this
scene.
Page 10
The heroes finally meet Latinka Pupin, and learn of her

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 Latinka hers the call of the void. Can the heroes help her
Scene 2-5 pull from the brink?
Sea
Scene 3-2
Page 22 The Bond Between
In this Deal, the heroes find themselves on the Clara, Hearts
which can be odd if they just completed the earlier
Scene. Just when they thought things couldn’t get any Page 32
worse, the dreaded crimson sails come into view. The dievai Ghaaila is defeated. But the fate of Latinka is
now determined.

Scene 2-6
Knowledge

Page 25
In this Deal, the events unfold deep within the depths of
Montaigne, as a man holds the two at gun point as he
demands the secrets of the Star Map.

Scene 2-7
Love

Page 26
With the truth of the Covered now unveiled, the true
danger is revealed and the heroes now must attempt the
impossible. Can they truly defeat a godlike thing as
powerful as the dievai?

Part 3 – ‘L’appel du vide’

The Heroes learn of the true Corruption that is upon
them, and the identity of the mysterious assailant that
has attempted to thwart each task.

Scene 3-1
The Call of the
Void
Page 29
The term L’appel du vide literally translates to “The Call
of the Void.” It refers to those instances when a person
finds themselves thinking of thoughts that seem alien to
their personality. Thoughts of leaping off bridges or
doing something terribly dangerous and unthinkable.

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 branch. Her other hand is easing a curved knife out of its
scabbard.
Part 1
Bear With Me On the ground, ducked behind the tree the woman is on,
a man in noble clothing is screaming for his life. He
clearly has soiled himself from the panic and has not
even realized he has a sword tucked in his belt that he
The story begins in medias res, with events already can use.
unfolding in the middle of things when the Heroes first
encounter the situation. Scene 1, Part 1 can occur The bear, however, is a horrific sight. At almost seven
anywhere on Théah but our recommendation is to have feet tall, the bear has both front paws rested against the
it happen at a time when the Heroes are either in Ussura tree trunk, as if it is undecided if it will climb after the
or the Sarmatian Commonwealth. woman or search for the screaming man.

Earlier, before the Heroes arrived, Irina Kudryavtseva had Action Sequence:
tracked her friend Latinka Pupin to a strange desert place The Vicious Attack
within the wilderness… a place accessed through a
Stop the Bear!
sorcerous doorway. Irina believes Latinka understood the
threat was too great and used her Sanderis to propel
Irina away to safety. Unfortunately, things are not as Opposition: The Bear is actually Irina Kudryavtseva.
simple as she had hoped. The Ussuran has been blessed by Matushka and has
assumed the form of a Bear. However, something has
The opening scene is will be set at any woodland or come upon her and turned her vicious.
marshland area which the Heroes were traveling upon.
The location should be some distance from the nearest
Objectives: Save the people and disable the bear
city or town, forcing the Heroes to make decisions on
without killing her.
the matter on their own.
Tactics: Irina is under a sorcerous influence right now,
overwhelmed by her anger and rage. She cannot break
out of the spell without the Heroes’ help.
Scene 1-1 Irina begins the fight with one Dramatic Wound.
A Cry For Help As she takes more Dramatic Wounds, there will be a shift
in her actions.


As the Heroes are traveling through the woods or Upon hitting her second Dramatic Wound, Irina should
marshland, they hear a cry coming from somewhere in suddenly grunt words out in between growls. Heroes
the vicinity. The scream is quickly followed in succession who are observing her at that moment see the bear head
by a few more screams, from different voices, and is shaking angrily and momentarily becoming a human
suddenly punctuated by the thunderous crack of a head, then back.
gunshot! 
Injuring her to her third Dramatic Wound has her focus
As they hurry to the location to assist, they come upon a enough through the pain to yell out, “Latinka! Must get
terrible sight: at least four other people lie dying (or back to Latinka!” Before the growls overwhelm her.
dead) on the ground, with vicious ragged slashes upon 
their body betraying the cause of their death. Just a bit At her fourth Dramatic Wound, she hits the ground,
further beyond the bodies, two more people are locked reverted back to human form. Anyone else would be
in a fight for their lives against a massive bear! The Helpless and dying at this point. Irina, however, is alive
woman has clambered up the nearest tree, and has lured and exhausted, but still able to get back to her feet. She
the bear after her. She hurls her emptied pistol at the yields and tells the Heroes what had happened.
bear’s head while her legs are locked around a sturdy 
Injuring her to the fifth Dramatic Wound knocks her out.

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However, this implies the Heroes continues to attack her • Athletics/Warfare: The hero is able to move
despite her recovered state, or used terrible violence either of the NPCs (the woman on the tree, or
upon her. If so, some of them may be candidates for a the noble man) out of the combat area,
Corruption point. Or at least a warning about effectively making them safe for the remainder
Corruption. This works better as the adventure does of the scene.
touch on Corruption as a theme. • Mysticism: The hero senses the bear is not
acting naturally and there is a magical
imposition upon it.
Lesser Combative Heroes?
If a majority of the Heroes are none fighters, you can adjust
the battle with Irina to be less vicious in the following manner.
Irina is knocked out
The Ussuran reverts to her human form, as the sorcery
Assume that at the start of the battle, Irina has taken enough that keeps her in the form of a bear is dispelled. She is
damage to be one single Wound away from her Second clearly in need of medical assistance and is unable to
Dramatic Wound. explain anything to the heroes until she recovers. If the
 Heroes opt to leave her, or simply drop her off
 somewhere to heal and leave, then the adventure likely
This can make the fight still feel intense but require less is at an end.
Raises in total to resolve.
To discourage this, you can have an NPC ask them to
stay – to be a familiar face when she recovers.
Consequences: As Irina is, by rights, a Hero, she will use Alternately, she can also still be in danger from those she
the “Villain” rules for this Action Sequence. Additional attacked. And in her state, the Heroes can be nudged to
consequences the players can pay for can include: watch over her at least until she recovers.
• Divert the Bear’s focus from the nobleman
• Divert the Bear’s focus from the woman Upon her recover, you can use the text below, but
• Losing balance and slipping from the blood or remember to heighten her despair on having caused
the corpses on the ground deaths, and her desperation to have the Heroes help her
• Get struck by the Bear when the bear attacks friend, Latinka.
someone else, but the swiping arc endangers
the other Hero as well.
The others survive
Irina Kudryavtseva If the two others survive the scene, they thank the
Ussuran, Poluchatel Dar Matushki Heroes for their help and are eager to be on their way.
Strength 7 Influence 1 Rank 8 The man is Stefano Tancredi, a noble man from
Advantages Large, Survivalist, Eagle Eyes, Ussuran Vodacce. His companion is Eleonora Tore, also from
Sorcery (Transformation: Bear, Transformation: Owl, Vodacce, who serves as his bodyguard. Both were earlier
Illuminate, See: Owls. Restrictions: Honesty, accompanied by an entourage of eight others; a mix of
Kindness), Hard to Kill guards, staff servants, and the pair handling the carriage.
Virtue: The Tower (Humble) Activate to gain 2 They happened upon Irina while following the rough
Danger Points instead of 1 when you activate your road, seeing her as a bear that regarded them with a
Hubris or trigger a Quirk. crazed look in its eyes. Eleonora admits they fired first,
Hubris: The Thrones (Stubborn) Receive a Danger which enraged the beast even more. They had no inkling
Point when you refuse to change your mind in the face the bear was actually Ussuran. The two holds no ill-will
of evidence. towards the Ussuran (more because they’re just happy to
be alive) and if the Heroes helped them out in a notable
Raises: Listed here are the possible outcomes in this way, they can make a reappearance in later Scenes or
Action Sequence, as well as possible Opportunities in stories if desired.
relation to specific Skills, which are in blue.

• Scholarship/Notice: The Hero realizes the Bear

Irina is stopped
has tattoos visible under the fur. Suggesting the The Ussuran is in pain, but surprisingly thankful towards
Bear is not just an animal. the Heroes for helping her break out of the mental state

7|P a g e
she was in. She is horrified at the deaths she has caused
and expresses her added anger and frustration by Latinka began to lose herself and be corrupted form
smashing a nearby fallen trunk. within. She was suffering as if her very soul was being
devoured from within. She fled and it took Irina almost a
She thanks them for their help and understands they year to find her again… tracing her to this very location.
had to hurt her to break her from the spell she was
under. She begs them to help her friend, Latinka Pupin, Irina stepped into the “white island” and there, tried to
whom she explains is in dire straights and given her reach Latinka – who was struggling against herself so
injured state, she will need the Heroes to help out. much that she fled to this island to have a place where
she can expel the demon. When an episode got so
terrible that Latinka broke her own shoulder from the
convulsions, Irina tried to help pin her down, but Latinka
Here you go, Magical Healing!
screamed at her to get out and -
Some groups might have characters will access to potent
healing Sorcery, Advantages such as Miracle Worker, and
perhaps even Syrneth Artifacts that mend the injuries. In That’s all she remembers. The next thing Irina does
such a case, Irina recovers enough to actively be with the remember is the eventual pain waking her from her rage.
heroes through the adventure and can provide information The pain dealt by the Heroes.
and exposition as necessary.
Irina believes Latinka desperately needs their help. And
she will struggle to get to her friend alone if need be. If
she is too injured, she will crawl even if that sounds like
Their Relationship an incredibly inefficient way to handle things. If the
Irina readily explains to the Heroes her relationship with Heroes opt to bring her, she will be more grateful. All in
Latinka Pupin. She openly shares that the two have been all, she directs the heroes to head deeper in to the
traveling Théah together, righting wrongs and dealing woods, navigating over wild overgrowth and barbed
with terrible things. Irina does not have reason to lie to vines, until they reach an unexpected sight.
the heroes, and in some ways, she fears she may not be
able to rescue her friend all alone. She understands
helping more grasp their relationship will be helpful in
the long run.
Scene 1-2
Irina Kudryavtseva explains she is one of those chosen Worse Than
by Matushka. Called a Poluchatel, Irina is blessed with Wounds
the ability to change into animal forms. She has traveled
across various nations with Latinka Pupin, whom she has
been friends with for the last seven years. They have Regardless of the terrain the setting originally presented
accomplished a number of things in their time together, (woodlands or marshlands), the scene they see is almost
including helping various Secret Societies to accomplish like a world superimposed over Terra. Framed by
goals which served a greater purpose. shimmering shadows that dance upon the borders, the
world within is an arid desert of coppery sand against a
But Irina realized too late that things were getting worse clear blue sky. The ground is white, almost like the bright
for her companion, and today, they stand upon the white sands of the beaches of Numa. Running one’s
brink. hand close to the border, or through the portal, feels like
placing your palm against a curtain of hot moving air.
Irina explains that Latinka was one of the Losejas. In the The heat is not intense enough to burn, but enough to
Sarmatian Commonwealth, the Losejas are those whom make one thing of the deserts of the Crescent Empire.
have made a bargain with darker forces in a bid to try to
defeat them in the long run. Latinka has bound herself to The doorway slices through the landscape at a right
a demonic thing called a dievai, and through this angle, making it look like a Porté doorway minus the
connection, has gained incredible powers. While these bloody fringes, screaming voices, and swirling blood red
powers allowed her to help Irina in many instances vortex which shows nothing of the other side.
during their acts of Heroism, Irina never realized it had a
price.

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If she is with the heroes, Irina even offers to be the first • At the seven O’clock area, the white parts to reveal the
one to step through, telling them Latinka is within. She winding staircase leading to the depths beneath the
had traced her friend to this location, and tells them that island.
there is a spiral staircase leading deeper into the ground • Descending leads to the hallow area where Latinka
at the center of the “white island.” She insists to be Pupin rests.
carried with them inside, not wanting them to go inside
alone. The Location
• Any one who has traveled a lot would think the
location somehow resembles the deserts of Sarmion or
The Desert Island the 8th Sea.
Crossing through to the other side, the Heroes • Anyone who has been to those locations, however, will
immediately feel the sun bearing down on them as they share readily that this feels different. It is too… cold.
step onto the white sands. The ground crunches under Despite feeling oppressively hot. It is not dry enough. It
their weight and the warm air makes their skin go flush. feels… wrong.
In the island area, the Heroes immediately realize they
are exiting from a shimmering floating portal. From the The White Sand
island’s side, the portal shows their earlier location. • Any heroes that study the white sand very quickly learn
the sand is not truly sand. Given it crunches and pops
Dramatic Sequence: when weight is upon it, the white sand are the remnants
of hundreds of thousands of human teeth that have
Searching for Latinka
The Heroes explore the Desert Island and find their way to been shattered and crushed against each other.
• More interestingly, if any Hero had recently lost a tooth
Latinka Pupin.
(got one knocked out in a fight, or from an accident), the
Exploration: Athletics, Notice, and Hide might be utilized first tooth that Hero picks up will be that tooth.
Impossibly, it is that tooth.
to go around and explore the place carefully. While there
does not seem to be any evident dangers, the White
The Sandy Hills
Island has its own secrets to share. Any rolls will use
• Any heroes who tries to investigate the sandy hills will
Resolve, rather than the Trait the player wants, however,
discover a strange oddity. Any attempt to move towards
as the place’s wrongness attempts to inflict mental
them, or reach them, fail. The sandy hills are constantly
anguish on the Heroes.
beyond reach. They are always just still further ahead, no
matter how much distance the Hero attempts to travel.
H Consequence: The place is wrong. Mind-bendingly
• The hills seem to breathe.
wrong. The Hero suffers Wounds to represent the
mental anguish of how the place assaults logic and
The Dead Tree and the Branches
sanity.
• There is only one central dead tree, and branches that
seem to grow out of the white sand.
1 Raise: Listed here are the possible things to discover.
• Careful inspection of these branches soon reveals that
Feel generous in sharing the listed information.
they are hands. Arms. Stretched out limbs of emaciated
leathery flesh. People.
The Recommended Narrative Path
• The tree is a tree, however. Not a person. Not a corpse.
• The heroes realize the white beach is completely
An actual tree.
surrounded by the sandy hills. There are dark dried
• Digging any of the hands or limbs out simply reveals
branches and a single dead tree on the island, despite
wooden branches. They were never limbs. Was it all in
the seemingly inhospitable nature of the place.
their mind?
• The white beach is a circular area. And the sole tree,
when seen from above, is the very center of the island.
Of Insects and Other things
• When seen from above, the island and the central tree
• Any use of Sorcery to try to detect other animals,
forms a clock-like face. The smaller dried branches and
insects, or the like reveal a clear absence of such.
brambles, or rock formations against the while surface
identify the sections of the clock face.

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• The desert itself is silent, with no telltale sounds of
nearby signs of life.
• There are no clouds whatsoever in the sky.
• Dracheneisen would glow nonstop in this place.

Beneath the Teeth

As the group takes the winding staircase to the depths
below, they find the way illuminated by small
otherworldly torches. If studied, the torches seem to be
the roots of the tree above, which have broken out of
the earth and have grown to clutch crystals that seem to
have captured the moonlight.

After descending what seems to be a hundred feet, the

chamber opens into a cathedral-like chamber of earth.
Bones act like foundations that line the dome-shaped
ceiling and line the walls. The spiral staircase is off the
center of the round chamber, and at its equidistant As she spoke, Latinka expressed sickening halitosis,
mirror, a massive bed can be seen. giving the stench of something akin to a septic tank.

Along the northern area of the chamber, three Latinka seems somewhat oblivious of the heroes, barely
glimmering archways can be seen. These arches are registering their arrival as they descend down the
similar to the one the Heroes originally stepped through staircase. If any of them make notably loud sounds (e.g.,
to visit this place. At the southern end, three more someone yelling, dropping something heavy, gunfire),
glimmering archways stand. Latinka turns to the source of the sound and asks aloud if
the source of the sound is Irina.
The ground is soft, almost like a velvet carpeted. The air
is thick and heavy, as if the whole chamber was the chest Irina strong enough to join the Heroes?
of a breathing monstrosity. If Irina is present, you can use her to hit key questions that the
players fail to touch on to further the narrative. She can also
help push the players to find ways to help out, whether it is by
Scene 1-3 coaxing them to help or begging them to show some
compassion. Irina fears that Latinka may die any moment but
Behold, Latinka
is willing to accompany the Heroes to each task. Play up,
however, the fact that her injuries are still there, and that
someone best stay with Latinka to protect her and be with
her if time is not on their side.

In the Bed
The Heroes find Latinka Pupin sitting in a massive bed, Latinka speaks in an exhausted, halting manner. She
which boasts multiple embroidered pillows stuffed with struggles to breathe with each word as she explains the
reeds and straw. Layers of blankets cover her fail form. situation. This portion of the adventure will be a meaty
Latinka looks tremendously weak, with skin pressed exposition.
against her bones. Some parts looked abnormally dry
enough to look cracked and translucent. Her body The general gist is this: Latinka Pupin has made
looked extremely malnourished, with skin pulled back numerous Deals with her Losejas. She feels her battle
exposing her teeth and nails more to the point they against the dievai is near its send. The dievai has
looked sharper. Her face was thin and vacant, with attempted to ensnare her in a final gambit: to fulfill
sunken eyes that bulged from their sockets. Her ribs and seven final tasks to get the last part of its name. The
collarbone stood pronounced and when she stood still, dievai knows that Latinka is too weak now to accomplish
one could clearly see the heart beating. the tasks and will completely corrupt her. Latinka hopes

10 | P a g e
to prove it wrong. And the Heroes are tasked to help her Art of the Second Prophet’s Unburden, will register that
defeat it. Latinka is concealing some level of truth. She definitely is not
letting them know everything.
Latinka Pupin
Sarmatian Commonwealth, Losejas
More terrifyingly, if any Hero has Sanderis and asks their own
Advantages Linguist, Legendary Trait (Resolve), Dievai for information or advice regarding Latinka, the dievai
confesses that it would rather NOT take part in such a deal. It
Survivalist, Sorcery (Sanderis: Deals include Love,
admits this is one of those rare occasions where it will opt to
Knowledge, Sea, Storm, Cold, Fire, and Darkness) remain silent. That reaction, it itself, speaks volumes.
Virtue: The Magician (Willful) Activate to target someone
and until the end of the Scene, neither of you can spend
Hero/Danger Points.
About the Dievai
Hubris: The Sun (Proud) Receive a Danger Point when • Latinka explains the Dievai is a powerful spirit with
you refuse an offer of aid. almost god-like powers. The horrible thing is impossible
to destroy unless one knows its name.
Latinka asks the Heroes to help and promises to do what • She has uncovered most of the name, but dare not say
she can to help them from where is she. She fears, it until she is certain. She explains that part of the name
however, that the more she relies on these powers the is traded to the Losejas after each major dealing they
more she begins to change. The Deal requires her to agree upon. She has made enough dealings to have all
complete the seven tasks within the last remaining hour, the letters, but she needs time to decipher and work out
and she hopes the heroes are willing to assist her. what the name is.
• She needs the Heroes to chase after the Dievai
Give the players time to ask questions, but do express on through each portal, which represent the Six Deals she
them the importance of accomplishing all the goals made with it. The Dievai seeks to undo any of them to
before time runs out. If Irina is active in this Scene, allow stop her from uncovering its name.
her to freely give a few more details if necessary. • The portal will glow when the Dievai is present. The
Heroes must rush through and stop it from interfering
Dramatic Sequence: with the events unfolding within.
Question Latinka • Empathy: Latinka is clearly hiding something. She isn’t
Latinka tries to give the heroes the knowledge they need to being forward with everything she knows.
deal with each portal. Time is of the essence. • Scholarship: Latinka must have used the powers given
to her by the Dievai to create the portals to track it. She
Ask Away: At this point, some players might be probably needs to stay to maintain all six of them and
suspicious of Latinka (as players are wont to be). Wits is keep them open.
the key Trait here, although Panache can be used to see • Warfare: Splitting up might be useful to cover more
if she can be made to share more than she wanted to. than one location, if the dievai is capable of doing the
Empathy and Scholarship are the key Skills. Notice and same.
Warfare might pick up details that don’t seem to make • Mysticism: The Dievai might have gained more power
sense. Mysticism can unlock unspoken assumptions by being more present in the world. This means it has
worth considering. gained a physical form and can be hurt. Balance is always
present in the world of sorcery.
Roll two ten-sided dice and get their sum. These are the
number of Raises that can be spent for information About the Portals
before the first portal begins to glow. Once they hit this • Latinka explains each portal leads to the event when
Raise number, move to the next Scene. she made her Major Deal with the Dievai. If the Dievai
can disrupt even just one of them, the portion of its
name that she has uncovered may fade from her
memory.
Is She Lying? • She fears the Dievai has found a loophole of some sort,
Most likely, there will be playing who will ask if they can sense
allowing it to do this and still hold her accountable has
if Latinka is lying. Or under some kind of supernatural
influence. Using sorcerous attempts to sense this, such as having made a Seventh Deal. Simply put, she believes
through the Virtue: The Prophet (Illuminating), or through the the Dievai has cheated her somehow.

11 | P a g e
• She will give them information on each Portal as they return, she asks them if they would like her to have a
go through. She tells them they will understand this means to whisper to their ear. She explains if they
once she demonstrates it. And that will be when they’re accept, then the magic will allow her to whisper to them
ready to go. information they may need, based on what they can see.
• The portals do lead to the past. She does not believe • Heroes who agree gain a small taste of what Sanderis is
the past can be changed, but she suspects there is like. A magical agreement is made and for the rest of the
something the dievai knows that she does not. Adventure, Latinka now can whisper to that Hero’s ear
• Empathy: Latinka seems more excited than tense no matter how far apart they are. She, in return, can
when talking about having made Major Deals. hear them when they desire to speak to her.
• Scholarship: Many scholars have discussed the idea • Heroes who choose not to partake in the ritual will be
that time is like a river. And proposed the idea that it forced to rely on other characters to communicate for
may be possible for some to visit portions of the river, them. While this may not be a problem in other
while the rest of us swim in it. Most think this idea is moments, this will be a complication during Action
preposterous. Sequences. Anything that Hero might want to ask
• Warfare: The plan sounds terrible. Messy. But then Latinka, or anything that Hero hopes to hear from what
again, this is sorcery. Not war. Latinka shares to those with the “Deal” need to spend a
• Mysticism: The portals might not be actual moments in Raise to do so.
the past. But recreations of them. In the world of the • Mysticism: Latinka might be able to bend the rules of
supernatural, sometimes what something symbolically Sanderis somewhat right now because it is still going
represents can be as powerful and potent as the real through some form of transition. This ritual most likely
thing. cannot be done so freely again in the future once the
• Yes, this White Desert is the location of the Seventh transformation sets in.
Deal. And there’s no undoing it.

About the White Island A Portal Opens

• Latinka explains the place sprung up around her on its One of the seven portals suddenly flicker bright, and it
own. She did not “create” it. Nor does she know where yawns open like a hungry maw. Latinka’s eyes widen as
the place “is.” she gasps, “There! The adversary acts! Heroes! Now is
• She admits the place is inhuman. Strange. And... wrong. the time to act!”
• The place feels comfortable for her. And she despises
that feeling. The walls feel familiar. The bed reminds her
of her childhood. Of a mother’s embrace.
• If asked about the teeth as plentiful as sand, she
mutters, “Jest to cnota nad cnotami trzymać język za
zębami.” This translates to, “The best virtue among all
virtues is to keep one’s tongue behind one’s teeth.” She
tells them the bed is the tongue, perhaps.
• She believes if she does not solve the riddle of the
name before the hour is past, the room will take her
flesh and bone and leave her now unfettered spirit to
roam free.
• Empathy: She seems excited by the room and the
island, despite saying it seems wrong. Perhaps she is
starting to feel at home in it.
• Scholarship: The room does show hints of old Curonian
touches. Perhaps it does somehow mimic her home.
• Mysticism: The island might be a place between the
worlds, similar to how some sorcery gains access to a
realm outside the world. Like the mythical 7th Sea.

About the Ritual of Shared Knowledge

• Latinka asks each Hero to offer her something
personal. A strand of hair. A handshake. A kiss. And in

12 | P a g e
13 | P a g e
 be the one who spends the Hero Point instead, if
desired.
Part 2
Seven Tasks
Scene 2-1
Darkness
A portal has opened. Time is running out. The heroes
have seven tasks to fulfill for Latinka Pupin to buy her
enough time to decipher the secret name of the dievai
she is bound to.
The group steps through the doorway and emerge
somewhere else. Around them, they can hear the sound
Of the Seven Tasks that must be accomplished in Part 2,
of people laughing, cheering, and talking. Strains of
two of the tasks must happen in a specific sequence.
music can be heard nearby. As the scene comes into
focus around them, they realize they are standing in the
Scene 2-1: This Scene must be shadows of a massive chamber that has been decorated
Darkness the first one the with garlands and white ribbons. Bronze candelabras
Heroes encounter with tall lit white candles illuminate the place. The scene
Scene 2-2: These Scenes can before them is a social gathering of some sort.
Fire happen in any order
with respect to each I first met my dievai on the night of Eryk and Klaudia’s wedding.
Scene 2-3: other. The two were dear old friends whom I cared for deeply. But part of
Cold me had never truly let go of Eryk. He was the first man I ever cared
These Scenes are for the only man I truly loved. And while Klaudia was a dear friend
Scene 2-4:
interchangeable and it to me, I was young and selfish and desired time with him before it
Storm
is possible that not all was too late.
Scene 2-5: of them will be given a
Sea moment. However, I snuck into Eryk’s chambers, hoping to meet with him in private
their order is the and ask him one last time if he never had any feelings for me.
Scene 2-6: order Latinka had
Knowledge chronologically made The heroes see the people all watching with joy as
the Deals. Klaudia addressed them, thanking them for making time
Scene 2-7: This must be the final to visit them.
Love Scene for Part 2.
Events in this Scene
will lead to the next I DON’T KNOW HOW TO SPEAK THAT LANGUAGE
Part of the adventure. It is possible, given the multi-national nature of this
adventure, that some Heroes will not be able to speak the
language. This is a good dramatic angle that can lead to more
Each Scene will have a box of text like this: complications, so don’t see that as a problem.
Misunderstandings and the inability to explain things better
Example of box of text. can be great catalysts for dramatic moments in the game.

To keep the game moving forward, however, consider that all

This box of text is the information that Latinka is able to Heroes who took part in The Ritual of Shared Knowledge are
share to the Heroes who are in that Scene, through The able to UNDERSTAND Rzeplitan as well as Curonian.
Ritual of Shared Knowledge. During Action Sequences, The ritual has allowed Latinka’s comprehension of the two
if any Heroes who did not partake in the Ritual need languages of her motherland to translate words for the
information, they will need to spend a Raise to gain the others. While they cannot speak it, they at least understand
information from another Hero who did, assuming that what is being said around them,
Hero is willing to share the information. The speaker can

14 | P a g e
I loved Eryk so much. But I loved him too much. When he turned Making them fall can look like an accident.
me down, I lost all sense of self and did something unthinkable… I Slicing open the curtains, however,
hurt him and marked his face. In shame, I made my first deal with
immediately causes Latinka (past) to notice.
Darkness and asked to be taken away from all this.
• The dievai will attempt to stop Latinka (past)
H times. Once the Heroes have disrupted all
the attempts, you can move Closing the
While we are connected, you will not be noticed. So long as you do
Scene: The First Deal.
not touch them, or destroy anything, you will remain unseen. Now
hurry! Do not let the dievai succeed in changing the past!
LATINKA NOTICES rules
Dramatic Sequence: For all Scenes, a new system called Latinka Notices will
The First Deal be used to track the growing awareness of the Latinka in
The Heroes must stop the dievai from protecting Eryk and the past of the interference of the players. This is a
keeping him from getting harmed. Latinka(past) must hurt system used to add some level of excitement or drama
Eryk! to the game.

Stay Back: Weaponry or Athletics might be the best bet

to force the dievai back, buying Latinka (past) enough
time to hurt Eryk. However, the Heroes actions must
somehow avoid her notice.

Consequence: An extra Raise must always be paid to

keep Latinka (past) from noticing the Hero when he
secretly intercedes on her behalf, by avoiding any direct
contact, creating too loud noises, or destroying a large
amount of property enough to gain notice. Once any
Hero does an action that Latinka (past) notices, or fails to
pay for this consequence, see the portion Latinka
Notices below.

The Heroes are guided by Latinka’s voice to the rear

chamber where the groom is still changing to his formal
uniform for the wedding when they see the Latinka
(past) slipping into the room ahead of them. When they
reach the door, they can hear the two arguing. Latinka
(past) has begged Eryk to confess feelings of love for her.
Sadly, Eryk admits he has none. Each time a Hero fails to pay for the Consequence, or
acts in a way that Latinka (past) would perceive, fill in
As they argue, the dievai manifests, appearing as a one of the regions in this box. Once all six portions of the
figured wrapped in cloth that is decorated with arcane box are filled up, the events in the past have been
markings. The figure moves without a sound, fluttering disrupted enough to throw the Heroes back to the
from shadow to shadow as it approaches them. Desert Island and that portal closes shut. All Heroes
thrown out in this manner immediately suffer Wounds.
1 Raise: Each Raise can unlock any of the information
listed below. Use your discretion on what seems best. For groups that enjoy high tension, only a single box is
used for all six portals, and take 1d10+2 Wounds as a
• The Hero spots the shadow where the dievai price.
will appear. A single Wound forces the dievai
to pull back and vanish, hoping to find a new But if you prefer to be forgiving, or if the group prefers
shadow. less punishing stories, have a box for each Portal. And
• A Hero can realize the number of shadows in filling it only causes 2 Wounds in addition to being
the room can be greatly reduced if one of shunted out.
them causes the curtains to fall, or slice open.

15 | P a g e
The Dievai surprisingly is an entity that the Heroes are
able to perceive and physically attack! There are rumors Any attempt to talk to the Covered, to explain
that the dievai gain a fully manifested presence when something or to ask it to stand down will be ignored. The
they have made the 7th Deal with their Losejas. This Covered can even ignore magical manipulation or similar
allows them to be destroyed, but this also makes them Advantages if necessary, and this can be reflected with
much more dangerous. the payment of a Danger Point (which becomes a Hero
Point) to the affected Hero.
Tactics: The Covered will attempt to stop Latinka (past)
from hurting Eryk. The Covered will try the following Finally, any attempt to unmask the Covered is a costly
attempts (which can be countered with a well-described affair. At the start of Part 2, unmaking the Coveted costs
Raise) 3H Raises. This cost, however, decreases by 2 Raises
• Creates a shadow tendril to yank Latinka (past) with each Scene resolved in Part 2. So, if a group had
backwards from hitting Eryk. five players, then it costs 15 Raises to unmask the
• Creates a shadow hand to grab the carpet and Covered. But after playing through four Scenes, the cost
trip Latinka (past) from approaching Eryk. to unmask the Covered during the fifth Scene will only
• Creates a shadowy figure to move in the then cost (15 – 8) = 7 Raises. These Raises must be paid
distance, having Eryk notice it and tell Latinka during a single Scene.
(past) to stay as he goes to check.
• Finally, the Covered tries to deflect Latinka’s Unmasking the Covered reveals the terrible truth which
clawing at his face with her nails with its own is listed in the box below:
wrist. This is its final attempt to stop the Deal.

The Covered UNMASKING THE COVERED: What is really happening?

Latinka Pupin is on a battle against her dievai in multiple
Villain, The Dievai of Latinka Pupin
fronts. She hopes to have the Heroes assist her in stopping
Strength 7 Influence 7 Rank 14 the dievai from disrupting these Seven Deals that she had
made with it in the past. The Heroes have been tasked to
Advantages Linguist, Legendary Trait (Resolve), stop it from doing so and buy her enough time to uncover the
Survivalist, Sorcery (Sanderis: Deals include Love, demon’s name.
Knowledge, Sea, Storm, Cold, Fire, and Darkness)
This, however, is a lie.
Virtue: The Magician (Willful) Activate to target someone
and until the end of the Scene, neither of you can spend Latinka Pupin’s dievai is Ghaaila, the Torturer of Life. Unlike
most dievai who are recognized by the Scholomance by their
Hero/Danger Points.
distinct appearance or their signature Deals, Ghaaila finds
Hubris: The Sun (Proud) Receive a Danger Point when delight in torturing his Losejas and throwing them seemingly
you refuse an offer of aid. impossible challenges.

Prior to the Heroes involvement in the adventure, Ghaaila

The Covered never speaks. The Covered is vicious. In
and Latinka were near the end of their journey together.
direct. If possible, acting to gain the least resistance. For Latinka was one letter away from Ghaaila’s name. Ghaaila
example, if someone tries to stand in its way, the had one final Deal to offer Latinka. But Ghaaila delighted in
Covered creates tendrils of shadows that snatch the the challenge Latinka has posed him all this time and offered
opponent away and drag them to the ceiling. If the Hero her his favorite impossible challenge yet: Ghaaila was to
hides something the Covered needs, the Covered then allow Latinka to jump back in time to revisit her six Major
abducts that person to someplace away from their allies, Deals.
and only then search their person for the item. It is not
here to act as a tank and fight. But follows certain rules. However, the challenge required her to attempt each one
without speaking a word or attempting to explain anything to
those present. Ghaaila knew Latinka would then be forced to
The Covered can ONLY use the Sanderis Deals of rely on the very Deals they have made, and eventually, it
Portals which have already been visited, and the would force her to make decisions that would further lead her
currently active one. Meaning, here in Scene 2-1, the into Corruption.
Covered only has access to Darkness. If you choose to
then run through Scene 2-4 as the second Scene for Part Latinka Pupin therefore has covered herself with cloth
2, then the Covered has Darkness and Storm as powers. marked with the symbols and sigils of protection that she has
Each use of a power will cost a Danger Point. heard of from various cultures and practices.

16 | P a g e
 She has no idea if it will work, but it was the least she can do away.
to try to slow the growing darkness within her that seems to
be gnawing upon her soul. They return to the Desert Island chamber and now have
the other Deals to handle. Choose any of the following
When Irina leads the Heroes to the White Desert, Ghaaila
Scenes to play for the group. Each Scene mentions the
finds joy in adding a new layer of complication upon Latinka’s
challenge. He assumes Latinka’s likeness so well to the point tactics the Covered will use to try to succeed in her
that even Irina is misled, and directs the Heroes to fight the attempt to thwart the Deal. Do not forget you can utilize
very woman fighting for her own soul. other methods depending on the other Deals that are
active at that point in time.
While the act of unmasking the Covered reveals she is
Latinka, the players may have to figure out the misdirection The Covered only seeks to disrupt one of the Deals,
and details behind this secret on their own. The GM, and once a Deal has been interrupted, the story can
however, can nudge the players to make this realization with
move immediately to Scene 2-7.
the help of comments from Irina or any non-verbal actions of
the Covered that speak volumes (such as sparing the life of
bystanders in the way, and the like.

Scene 2-2
Closing the Scene: The First Deal Fire
With the Covered repelled, Latinka (past) claws at Eryk’s
face and he howls in pain. She realizes what she has
done and pulls into the darkness where the shadows
seem to caress her. The group steps through the doorway and emerge
somewhere else. The cold winds blow around them,
The image of a dievai appears. He is thin and dark, as if cutting through their clothes and striking their exposed
dressed in shadows. His face is chalk white, with small skin like invisible blades. The whiteness of everything
spiral markings on the skin which look like scars. His eyes around them is almost blinding. The group realizes the
gleam with excitement. Latinka (past) whispers to it to ground beneath them shifts and it becomes quickly
take her away from this... mistake. The dievai tells her he apparent that they are standing upon the deck of a ship.
can if she hurts someone she loves. Latinka (past)
admits she already has. And the Deal for Darkness is We were upon the deck of the Arkangelos, a Castillian ship, whose
sealed. The two depart using the shadows. Captain insisted was capable of crossing the Mirror. None of us
expected the cold to be that terrible. Worse, none of us realized it
was not just the Mirror we had to go up against to survive. The
crew did their job well, breaking the ice and catching the win to
NOTE: Unmasked this early?
keep the ship moving, but as we moved deeper through the
If the Heroes unmask the Covered this early, then they will
quickly realize the rest of the Scenes are meant to be them Allfather’s Ice Floes, the waters seized our ship like a selfish child
helping the Covered. And that’s fine. You can have them help and the sails proved useless.
Latinka break each Deal she has made in the past. This simply
means you will move to Scene 2-7 must sooner than
The heroes see the people on the ship, wrapped in furs
expected.
and huddled against the cold. The crew was less lucky,
However, if you prefer to have them take a bit longer to as they needed to remain active in trying to free the ship
discover this truth, you can play up the fact Latinka is Proud from the frozen water. Many of them were starting to
deep down. And rather than embrace the assistance the show signs of frostbite, with their skin turning a terrible
Heroes offer, she may use her powers to trap them as well shade of purplish black and their bodies moving more
and force them out of the picture. After all, in her mind, and more sluggish as the minutes passed. The heroes
“Better I alone suffer through this than involve you all in it.” are free to wander around the ship. Unlike in the earlier
Deal(s), they seem to have arrived somewhat sooner
than anticipated.
The Heroes see a portal open once more, leading them
back to the White Desert. The scene before them fades
away, vanishing quickly as the memory-moment fades

17 | P a g e
The ship had just rescued an earlier sinking schooner whose crew speaks. Smiles when Aharas is in a yelling spell. Admits
had gone down with the ship, and so there were all these new imagines someday kill the Boatswain to finally get some
faces on board. I was in my quarters down below, mapping out
peace and silence.
charts, when the Captain realized the Arkangelos was stuck in the
Of the people from the other ship that sunk
ice this time. And suspected it was more than just the weather.
Yvonne, Montaigne Courtesan. Still scared about the
ship sinking like the earlier one did.
Unfortunately, they too feel the wrath of the weather Pavtlow, Ussuran Able Seaman. Only survivor of the
upon them. But interestingly, they don’t need to hide as crew of the Mesager. Shares the ship sank after a massive
much as in the earlier Deal(s). Save for catching Latinka boulder of ice crashed into it and broke through the hull.
(past)’s attention. In fact, during the scene, choose any
Hero whose actions are most notable and have one of
the crew say hello, checking if they’re handling the cold Action Sequence:
just as well.
Survive the Blistering Cold
The Arkangelos With the Arkangelos not moving, will the cold kill you off?
What about the source of the cold?
The ship is an Castillian carrack with four masts, a huge
hull, and ample space for cargo. Built for long voyages,
the ship only has four cannons (two on each side), as it Opposition: The source of the intense cold turns out
relies on smaller ships for protection. (Can take an to be the two Jotun that have chosen the ship as their
additional Hit before it takes each Critical Hit). While new target. These two Giants are deadly and must be
most Castillian ships are galleons or men-of-war, this dealt with to survive.
carrack was built by the Captain’s father, who fell in love
with the Vodacce design. Each Giant is a Strength 7 Villainous Monster with the
following Qualities:
The Captain, Veronika Cheska, was clearly far too Elemental (Ice) – When using Ice or Cold to attack, the
ambitious in stating the ship can handle the Mirror. Her enemy has extra dice in the Risk. Any Wounds from
loyal crew of 20 are exhausted and near wits end. But this element are ignored.
she has reminded them that they need the coin for the
expedition, and her charisma was enough to stir them Powerful – Spend a Danger Point to double the
forward. number of Wounds dealt by this Monster after a
successful attack against a Hero.
Veronika Cheska
Castille, Ambitious Pirate Captain
Strength 5 Influence 2 Rank 6 Tactics: The two Giants remain away from the ship,
knowing all they must do is wait for the humans to die
Advantages Married to the Sea, Leadership, Sea Legs,
from the cold. They are using their Elemental powers
Rich, Disarming Smile
to freeze the ice surrounding the ship and keep it
Virtue: The Reunion (Exemplary) Activate and trapped in the Mirror.
choose a Hero. Pool your Raises with the Hero, and Consequences: Any actions done on deck will always
you both can now spend from that single pool. have a 2 Raise Consequence of suffering Wounds from
the extreme cold, unless the Hero takes actions to
Hubris: The Magician (Ambitious) Receive a Danger protect themselves from it first.
Point when you chase power and the deal you’re There is also a 2 Raise Consequence of breaking the ice
after is dangerous or causes trouble. and falling into the freezing depths if any Hero attempts
to disembark from the ship and locate the Giants.
The Crew of the Arkangelos
Raquel, Castillian Ship’s Master. Confident and caring. 1 Raise: Listed here are the possible outcomes in this
Limp from shooting herself in the foot in the past. Can Action Sequence. The first three are vital and unlock
be know-it-all in attitude. more opportunities or possible options for the players.
Aharas Jaraguan Boatswain. Loud and violent. Spits • The hero notices the Giants in the distance,
when he talks. Does not know how to swim. huddled close to the ice, breathing cold air upon
Monde Montaigne Surgeon and Master Gunner. Barely

18 | P a g e
 the mirror. The Giants are beyond pistol range,
but can be shot at with a musket. Cannons,
sadly, are facing the wrong way.
• The hero notices Latinka (past) emerge from Scene 2-3
below the decks and hurry to the area close to Cold
the ship’s wheel.
• The hero notices one of the other guests, the
courtesan Yvonne, drop to the ground from the
intense cold. She is dying from exposure. The group steps through the doorway and emerge
o While it is warmer to stay below the somewhere else. Unforgiving heat bears down upon
deck, until the ship starts moving again, them as they see their surroundings become the color of
they will all eventually die of exposure. rust and red. Not too far away, a single caravan moves in
o The Giants are the main cause of the single file across the sand dunes. The Heroes are far
problem. from Théah.
o The Covered has manifested near the
Giants!
They called the place The Eight Sea and in many ways they were
speaking the truth. The desert was vast. A true sea of sand and
The Giants. They are the reason the ship cannot move. I remember
death. They called this place the Crescent Empire. And we had
asking my dievai if it could create fire, great fire, warm fire. Enough
traveled here seeking a place called Raqmu. It was a city carved
to free the ship. Enough to sail away. It said yes.
out of stone, in the heart of the desert. It was a place of reverence.
A place of peace.
The Heroes have to allow the Giants to harass the ship
longer. And this means they have to stop the Covered
The Heroes will catch sight of Latinka (Past) in the
from forcing the Giants to stop! Even if the Giants attack
caravan. She is dressed in clothing similar to those who
them during the process.
lived in the 8th Sea and spared herself from the heat with
the help of well-placed shadows that blocked the direct
As before, the Covered will use whatever Deals it has
heat of the sun. Her other companions were clearly
gained as well as its formidable fighting skills to attack
locals, speaking the unfamiliar language of the land.
the Giants.

If the Covered successfully deals enough Wounds on I can speak Katabic

either Giant to deal it a Dramatic Wound, the Giants If you have any Heroes who can speak the language, or have
stop freezing the waters and focus on fighting. This, sorcerous means to understand them, you can share this: the
however, means the Arkangelos breaks free from the ice guides clearly are amused that Latinka (Past) has traveled so
far just to visit a trading city. Some even mockingly wonder
and begins to sail away, removing Latinka (past)’s
aloud (believing she cannot understand them) if they should
impetus to make the second Deal.
just get her lost in the desert and steal her belongings. The
elder leader among them, however, scolds the others for such
Latinka (Past) turns to her dievai, but as she hears the ice thoughts and reminds them that the desert spirits will take
cracking, she turns it and tells it to begone. The dievai, what they will. And that can include them if the spirits decide
stares at the Heroes, angrily. they are the source of their displeasure. This silences the rest.

If the Heroes, however, successfully stop the Covered

from hurting the Giant H times, or deal H damage to the Latinka seems to have trouble remembering what lead
Covered, the Covered withdraws and the Heroes have to her making a Deal here. She asks the Heroes for time
succeeded. to think. During this, the Heroes can opt to approach the
caravan, or follow from the distance. Like in other
If at any time, the Heroes attempt to unmask the Scenes, the Heroes soon learn they can be perceived by
Covered, refer to the rules Unmasking the Covered: those present. Latinka (Past) noticing them is less likely
What is really happening here? found in page 16. in this Scene, however, as the Heroes discover she was
blindfolded in this journey. The guides become agitated
upon seeing the Heroes. They raise their voices, asking
who they are, accusing them to be Jinn or some similar

19 | P a g e
threat. Latinka (past) calls out, asking for the Heroes to of rooms and serviceable buildings, and an existing water
explain who they are. She explains unlike them, she is supply system, somehow the source has gone dry and
here on invitation. no one knows why. Even if the players attempt to
investigate, barring sorcerous means, they cannot
The heroes have one chance to avoid this turning understand why the water has stopped. Latinka (Past)
bloody. A total of H Raises can be spent to fully gain the realizes she can help, and this will simply require a Deal.
caravan’s trust that they are not evil spirits who have
come to lure them into the desert or something like that.
However, what can they say to gain the trust of the SO WHERE IS THE WATER?
guides? Some examples that would work can include: The dievai fulfill miracles, grant boons, and share
information with each other. But doing so requires
• We are lost travelers. Our guide has vanished. them to do it through a complicated web of trades and
• We were traveling through sorcerous means. promises. So, knowing one of their number would
But the magic has failed and we need help. need someone to make a Deal for water to exist in the
desert, another has asked for their Losejas to make a
At worst, the Caravan opts to defend itself by sending its decision that eventually lead to the water in this very
guards to fight the Heroes. city stopping. The dievai play a complex Rube
Goldberg system of deals that allows them to always
Action Sequence: have something another dievai will benefit from. It
The Caravan Guards pays, after all, to prep it forward for your fellow
The guards believe they are doing their job. demons to have something they can utilize to invoke
those Major Deals.

Opposition: The Brute Squad is a Strength 5 threat.

The Heroes should easily defeat them.
As Latinka (Past) ponders on the Deal, the Heroes
notice the Covered in the distance, watching the scene
Tactics: The brutes attack the strongest looking unfold. To their surprise, the Covered does not interfere
opponent first, believing if they defeat hi the rest will this time. The Covered simply watches, and if attacked,
surrender. withdraws to a new position to watch the Deal unfold.
Consequence: The heroes can dispatch of the guards Unlike the earlier Deals, the Covered allows this one to
bloodlessly. This costs an extra Raise for each Wound. come to pass.

If they succeed, the caravan leader calls for the violence Perhaps because in the end, this is one Deal that does
to end and thanks the Heroes for showing restraint. He save lives. This should once more be warning bells for
identifies himself as Ghiyath and admits they too have the Heroes.
been in a situation where trusting an outsider is
necessary.
I asked the dievai for the city to never run out of water. For it to
have a heart of ice that eternally melts and provides them pure
If the Heroes defeat the guards violently, Ghiyath calls
water. It agreed, on one condition, that this heart of ice would
for the Heroes to surrender and tells them they may
only live as long as I did. I told Ghiyath that I had only bought
have defeated guards, but they have an entire city left to
them time. That in the end, it was the most I can do. They told
face. The threat, while unlikely, is delivered seriously.
me, time was life. And that it was enough.

Ah yes! That is it! This was that day I was paying back a debt. The
Camel Tribe had asked for my assistance after they had saved my
life in the past. They needed my help to bring back water onto
their home.

Arriving at Raqmu
As the group arrives at the Stone City, they discover it to
be in dire straits. Despite the place boasting thousands

20 | P a g e
 • H Wounds from debris from a way-ward
Scene 2-4 explosion
Storm • An enemy or two that boarded comes upon the
Hero. This would be a Brute Squad of the
appropriate Strength.
• A passenger is a panic tries to pull the Hero back
The group steps through the doorway and emerge to their chamber, fearful of their safety.
somewhere else. As they open their eyes, screams and • A passenger, fearing the sinking of the ship,
the sound of cannon fire fill the air. The ground beneath begs the Hero to bring them to safety despite
them shifts as they realize they are on a ship and the not logically having any where to go.
waters are extremely rough. A battle rages and they are
in the heart of it! The woman Latinka (Past) was to meet is a woman
named Ava Marion Tremaine. She claims to be the
Marquise of Merteuil and identifies as a noblewoman
The Aquiles! It was a battle between the Aquiles and the Clara. I
from Montaigne. She is seen with her signature item, a
was merely a passenger during the trip when the Aquiles came
red umbrella she calls her Red Parasoliel.
upon us and demanded we surrender.

Allow the Heroes to chance upon her before Latinka

The Heroes will catch sight of Latinka (Past) struggling to (Past) does so. They can talk to her if they want to and
get back on her feet after another blast causes the entire they find her uncharacteristically calm, despite the chaos
ship to shudder from impact. People can be heard and destruction all around them.
screaming.

YOU AGAIN, AVA?

The Clara was an Avalonian brig, which meant it should have
For groups that have played any of my other
speed on its side if it sought to escape. But the Aquiles had
adventures, (i.e. The Twisted Mirror, The Widow’s
maneuvered close enough to damage one of the Clara’s masts,
Secret) Ava will be a familiar face. The Heroes can talk
slowing it down. They would need a miracle to escape… A
to her and she will respond as appropriate, talking to
miracle… or…
them as if she has met them before. She recognizes
them, and depending on how those adventures have
The Heroes see Latinka (Past) speaking to her dievai. The gone, she will react appropriately (trusting them if they
thin and dark man with white luminous skin smiles and earned her trust, or challenging them if they had
as his eyes gleam with excitement, he whispers to her threatened her).
the bargain.
She will admit the attack on the ship was terrible ill-
It was simple. Approach another passenger on the ship. Tell her
timed and she was hoping for a quite journey from the
the name, and walk away. It was that simple.
Crescent Empire back to Montaigne. She does not seem
concerned about her safety, until the Covered appears.
Dramatic Sequence:
The Woman With the Red Parasol The Covered appears from the shadows, as before, and
A simple Deal. A familiar face. very quickly the Heroes learn the Covered once more is
Meeting Tremaine (Again): Spotting the Covered will here to interfere.
require Notice. Warfare or Sail can be used to figure out
possible ambush locations or hiding places that the 1 Raise: Listed here are the possible outcomes in this
Covered may use to get to them. Dramatic Sequence, which includes the possible
opportunities which are in blue for specific Approaches.
Consequence: An extra Raise must always be paid to
keep Latinka (Past) from noticing the Hero during the • The Hero notices the Covered attempt to
Scene. abduct Ava Tremaine and counters the move,
When appropriate, the Game Master can also introduce thwarting the Covered.
the following possible added Consequences to deal with. • Weaponry/Brawl/Aim: The Hero causes the
These can cost as low as a single Raise to as high as H Covered a Wound, forcing it to withdraw.
Raises depending on the group.

21 | P a g e
 • Aim/Notice/Warfare: The hero spots a possible If the Heroes fail to stop the Covered even after Ava
Ambush spot and misdirects Latinka (Past) or successfully protects herself the first time an attack gets
Ava to go a different direction. through, Latinka (Past) rushes to Ava’s side and tells her
• The Hero notices that if completing the Deal she has information for her. But Ava shakes her head and
requires Ava to hear something from Latinka tells her this is a sinking ship. There’s no reason to stay
(Past), the Covered seems determined to stop anymore. Ava pulls Latinka (Past) close and whispers an
her without doing the most obvious choice: apology. “I’d take you with me, but I am afraid it doesn’t
Killing Ava so she never hears the message. This work that way.”
should raise some warning bells. Why would the
dievai actually opt to keep her alive instead of Latinka (Past) whispers the name. But by the time she
just killing her to disrupt the Deal? looks up, Ava is gone. The Covered actually unmasks
herself as this happens. Water begins to pour into the
At one point, when the Covered finds an ship from above. The Covered reveals the truth. See
opening or opportunity to strike at Ava, have Unmasking the Covered: What is really happening
her actually strike back with her Red Parasoliel. here? found in page 16.
She flicks the umbrella open at the last second,
and it deflects the strike. The umbrella clearly is
more than just a paper parasol.

If the Heroes successfully stop the Covered from Scene 2-5

disrupting the Deal, Latinka (Past) shows up and sees Ava Sea
Tremaine. She tells Ava there is a question that she has
been pondering over. A question whose answer she
needs above all.
The group steps through the doorway and emerge
It was a question that has been gnawing at you for the last few somewhere else. If the Heroes just played through
months. And I have the answer for you. She had no reason to Scene 2-4, then this should come as a shock to them, as
believe me and I admitted to her she had no reason to choose to. they realize they appear back in this memory. The same
But I was to give her the answer anyway and it was up to her what journey was one where Latinka (Past) actually made
would happen next. TWO Major Deals. This Scene is best played in that way,
but that is not necessary. It can also be interesting if this
Miss Tremaine listened intently as I gave the name. Scene is run first, and despite that, Latinka (Past) does
“Andre Paul Chanley.” not seem to recognize them. Perhaps the scenes aren’t
the past, after all. Just recreations of events in the past.
Latinka (Past) gives the name and immediately, the
dievai appears behind her, wrapping his arms around her The Clara was safe now. The Aquiles was gone and we were finally
shoulders. Lightning flashes as Latinka (Past) slowly walks free to continue the journey to Montaigne. Little did we know our
onto the deck of the ship. All of the sudden, the sounds luck was not as great as we had hoped.
of cannons and battle are replaced with the roar of a
storm. And yet, despite the terrible cry of winds and the “Sails!” the able seaman up the masts called out. Latinka
surging sea, the Clara remains steady. Any Heroes who (Past) turns to the Captain who was still clearly struggling
rush to the deck see the Aquiles spinning as a whirlpool to make sense of what just happened. Many of the
begins to form beneath it. A storm rages. And yet, others on the deck were still reeling from the earlier
despite the terrifying strength of nature, not a single battle. Blood still soaked the deck. Smoking holes still
wayward breeze strikes the sails of the Clara. marked where cannon fire had struck the ship. The crew
mostly was thankful they were alive. But no one wanted
Latinka (Past) has harnessed the storm. to say the obvious: that they just witnessed a storm
emerge out of nowhere, and suck the Castillian ship into
The world fades. The portal beckons. And as the Heroes the depths – leaving them unharmed.
hurry away, Ava Tremaine slowly looks up and mutters
the name once more… then smiles.

22 | P a g e
The Clara Sail may offer opportunities to try to outrun the ship.
Warfare can clearly determine how running is impossible
The ship is an Avalonian brig carrack with two masts, and without supernatural aid.
square rigging. But the cannon fire has destroyed one of
the masts and has critically damaged the ship. While still Consequence: As the Heroes offer suggestions on how
able to sail, the damage has impaired its ability to gain to escape the Crimson Roger, keep track of the Raises as
speed, despite its Avalonian design. Captain Malcolm you count them down. On the second Round, on Count
Tilshead is the injured leader of the ship’s crew of 10. Raise 2, the Covered reveals herself, standing upon a
The earlier attack, however, has reduced the Clara’s crew higher vantage point where the mast’s shadow was cast
to a third of their number. down on.
The Crew of the Clara
Objectives: Escape the Crimson Roger.
Hywel, Avalonian Ship’s Master. Lost a leg in the assault.
Believes the best thing to do now is to find the closest Consequence: As the crew attempt to outrun the
port. Afraid to die and make orphans of his children. incoming ship, note that there may be instances when
Jarrne, Avalonian Master-at-Arms. Currently the next some Heroes might have to pay to avoid certain
highest-ranking officer save for Hywel. Angry at Malcolm consequences. Listed here are possible examples:
for not bringing the fight to the Castillians. Itchy for
another battle. • With the ship changing direction, a character
Indeg, Avalonian Gunner’s Mate. Was standing beside may get struck by the rigging and thrown
the Master Gunner, Gwion, when a blast flung him into overboard.
the deep. Indeg does not believe the ship is at any state • The rush of the crew to move around on deck
for another fight. can accidentally knock one of the Heroes
overboard.
Sails. One single word which brings so much excitement if one is a • The damage of the ship can have left parts of
pirate. And so much dread if one is not. In our case, we had the deck fragile, which break away from the
thought we had faced the worst when the Aquiles had attacked us. character’s weight and throw them to the lower
But no. We were wrong. A new sail had peeked over the horizon. decks, or overboard.
And its bearing was heading for us.
During the first Round, the Crimson Roger makes its
The sail. It was red. approach. Listed here are possible things to declare as
the Raises are spent.
“Crimson sails,” Hywel gasped in fear, “The Queen of
Avalon has offered 8,000 Guilder to anyone who could Raise 5+ The Crimson Roger has full sails. It is
bring down the Captain of that ship. The Crimson gaining speed.
Roger.”
Raise 4 Jarrne argues for a chance to fight. Or at
The fear is palpable in the air. The still living crew knew least die fighting, rather than die like a
who had found them. They spat on the deck and cursed pathetic guppy. The Captain overrules
themselves for their damned luck. Jarrne’s proposal.

Latinka (Past) understood the fear well. She knew his Latinka (Past) attempts to call on
name. Storm. Lightning strikes the Crimson
Roger. It does not seem to catch fire.
“Reis.” The winds blow against the sails. The
Crimson Roger remains unaffected.
Dramatic Sequence: Raise 3 Hywel admits the Crimson Roger is
Escape the Dread Pirate Reis gaining. Indeg proposes to throw the
The Crimson Roger is closing in. And terrifyingly, the existing guns (cannons) overboard. Same with
Deals are not helping. the powder. In hopes of lightening the
The Deal: Convince might be useful to steer the crew or
Latinka (Past) in a direction the Heroes think may help.

23 | P a g e
 ship and gaining speed. The Captain
hesitates. Raise 5+ The Crimson Roger continues to close
in. In three more Raises, the Clara is
Raise 2 Latinka (Past) attempts a different within firing range.
existing Deal (see examples below).
The Crimson Roger seems unaffected. Raise 4 Jarrne screams about fighting the good
fight. Indeg suddenly proposes that if
Raise 1 The Captain calls for the cannons and Jarrne is so willing to die… maybe he
powder to be thrown overboard. should be the one to be thrown into
the water. The others remain silent.
Depending on what Deal Scenes you’ve already run, Raise 3 The Crimson Roger fires a warning
Latinka (Past) choose from the following attempts. shot. The shot strikes the water, not too
far from the Clara.
Darkness Calls forth shadow tentacles that
rise as if a Kraken as arrived. The Latinka (Past) asks again for volunteers.
Tentacles are ripped apart as the If the Heroes volunteer, she reluctantly
ship sails on. agrees. The Deal is sealed. Continue to
Closing the Scene: the Sea Deal,
Fire A sudden ball of fire erupts from below.
Latinka (Past)’s position and flies to
the Crimson Roger. The ship is Raise 2 The Covered comes into view. The
struck, and fire trails as it continues Covered watches and slowly shakes its
moving forward. The fire dies in head. To the Heroes’ surprise, the
seconds. Covered does not act. However, if the
Heroes have not volunteered yet,
Cold A barrier of ice emerges, but the
Latinka (Past) attempts to Jarrne.
Crimson Roger slams into it without
slowing down. Shattered ice fly in all
As Jarrne is thrown overboard, the
directions as the ship continues
Covered attempts to save him. The
pursuit.
Heroes need only one Raise to counter
Knowledge Latinka (Past) turns to the crew and the attempt and force the Covered
tells them, “This ship cannot outrun back.
them on its own. I know what I must
Raise 1 Cannon fire. The Crimson Roger is too
do.“
close now. But if Jarrne was not
rescued, then Latinka (Past) is ready to
Come the second round, Latinka (Past) begins to get save the ship.
more frantic. She is now considering calling upon the
dievai again. She understands this is wrong, but she has
Interestingly, in this Scene, the Covered once more does
no other option. The dievai appears, smiling, and tells
not act and attempt to stop the Deal as much as
her the price.
expected. Could it be because there are far too many
lives at stake?
The price, frighteningly, is far too simple.

I was to choose. One to save everyone else. I had to choose whom Closing the Scene: The Sea Deal
to throw overboard, other than myself. I could not bear this burden The cannons fire. The cannon balls close in. The crew
alone. I told the crew. They listened. They remained silent. screams as they rush for cover. Latinka (Past) does not.
She instead holds her hand up in front of her, cupped as
if holding water, and makes a flinging motion away from
The Heroes are free to join the debate. Free to argue
her body.
whom to suggest. Free even to offer themselves, but
this of course triggers Latinka (Past) notices as per page
Suddenly, the ship is lifted hundreds of yards upwards as
15.

24 | P a g e
a massive wave rises from the depths. The water moves shattered lantern on the floor are the gemstones against
in the shape of a humanoid hand, and carries the Clara the walls, that shimmer and intermittently glow.
away from the Crimson Roger. The cannonballs strike
the wave, but fail to affect it. The Clara is carried away, The well-dressed man holds a pistol towards Irina (Past)
moving miles in a single motion, and settles down much and with a calm monotonous voice, asks Latinka (Past) to
further away than the Crimson Roger can ever sail. think carefully what her next answer will be.

The crew stare at Latinka (Past). But the scene fades This was at Montaigne. Deep in the catacombs that lie beneath
away. l’Empereur’s palace. We even had to negotiate with La Reine des
Catacombes to gain passage. The Star Map.
Ramifications
If the Heroes did allow Jarrne to be thrown overboard Latinka (Past) takes a step towards Irina (Past), intent to
without any debate, or did not care to have him be felt see if she can help her companion. But the man with the
to die, ask the players how do their Heroes feel about powdered wig trains the pistol clearly at Irina (Past)’s
those choices. head. “Tut tuh..” the man raised an eyebrow. His other
hand motioned towards the device behind Latinka (Past),
Those who seem indifferent in making such a choice are “Show me how to use the device and I shall let you save
candidates for earning a Corruption point. If you feel this her life.”
is too harsh, you can make this a moment to warn them
that they were on the verge of gaining Corruption if they The bastard held Irina’s life hostage. He looked like l’Empereur’s
don’t start carefully considering their actions. Yes, favorite companion, that le Blanc fellow. But he wasn’t. I sensed
sacrificing Jarrne may have saved more lives, but they he wasn’t him. I had met the L’Ami du Roi in the past and this
were in no rightful position to decide who lives and who man, as convincingly as he was to act and look like him… was not
dies. him.

Those who offered themselves as the sacrifice can be

rewarded with a “single step” of a Corruption story they Latinka (Past) dropped to her knees. She could not look
may have being considered completed this session. The way from Irina. “I do not know how to make it work!”
act of selflessness may be rewarded in this manner if she yells at the Montaigne, “I don’t!”
you desire to do so.
But I could. All I had to do was agree to a Deal and that lost
Knowledge was in my grasp. The Deal was a simple one. It wasn’t
even something I felt conflicted in doing.
Scene 2-6
Knowledge The dievai appears, standing beside Latinka (Past), with
only the Heroes being the other people in the room who
could see him. The dievai whispers to her hear, but while
doing so, he gives the Hero among the group who has
The group steps through the doorway and emerge been the biggest foil against the Covered a wink. Almost
somewhere else. They find themselves in a catacomb. as if the dievai can see them in the unfolding scene.
The chamber around them is a round globe of black, with
gemstones encrusted onto the walls in various points. All I had to do was tell Irina I loved her.
The group stands on a stone Bridgeway that extended in
two directions. At the center of the Bridgeway, which is The Heroes see Latinka (Past) close her eyes, as if having
also the center of the sphere, sits a strange contraption heard that exact same thing that moment from the
of some sort. The object looks Syrneth in origin. There, dievai. The man with the powdered wig gives a final
Latinka (Past) can be seen with two other companions. warning. Latinka (Past) opens her eyes. A single tear trails
The first is Irina Kudryavtseva (Past) who lies on the floor, down her cheek. She glances down at Irina (Past), seeing
bleeding from a gun shot wound to the stomach. The the blood, and her shallow breathing… and knows she
other is a well-dressed man with a powdered wig. The must act.
only source of light in the chamber other than the
Ask the players what they plan to do.

25 | P a g e
 likely could have ousted a hero or two from the Scene as
per the Latinka notices rules), the Covered actually
shows up, motioning at the Hero to let it happen.
WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?
If the Heroes interfere, by knocking the powdered-wig
Clearly this scene has unfolded much earlier and the
man unconscious, or by saving Irina (Past)’s life with their
arrival of the Heroes is during a high point in the scene.
own skills, Irina (Past) stares at them in shock, wondering
Simply put, Latinka (Past) is being forced to reveal to
who they are. Before any of them can explain, however,
the Montaigne who looks like Maurice le Blanc, l’Ami
the Covered is suddenly present, appearing by stepping
du Roi, the secrets of the device found in the Star Map
out of Irina’s very own shadow, and holds Irina (Past) in
beneath l’Empereur’s palace.
her arms. The Covered whispers, “I love you.” And ends
the Deal!
Who the man is and why this is happening is a story
for another adventure. In fact, it will be an mutli-part
If the Heroes allow the deal to pass, then Latinka (Past)
adventure that will be released sometime in the
whisper, “I love you,” and her eyes widen in realization.
future.
She turns to the powder-wig man and tells him, “The
device is useless. You cannot use it without the keys. But
with the keys, you can steer the light of the stars and use
Dramatic Sequence: it to reshape the world.”
Love Hurts
Irina (Past) lies dying, and the man plans to kill her if The powder-wig man laughs and holsters his pistol.
Latinka (Past) does not give him the information he needs. “Save your woman,” he mutters as he gleefully hurries
But what will the Heroes choose? away, vanishing into the darkness. If the Heroes attempt
Three Words: All Latinka (Past) needs to do is say three to interfere, it costs H raises to do so. If he escapes, the
words. The Heroes, however, realize unlike the earlier Heroes find a discarded wig, white powder, and a ripped
Deals, in this one they have to interfere directly, risking off doublet with a false belt. The man was wearing a
Latinka (Past)’s attentions. The Covered is not even disguise, it seems. There is no trace of him anymore.
present in this Scene. It is like she never bothered to try
to stop this from happening. Any sorcerous means to discern his identity can reveal
the name Andre Paul Chanley. The same name they were
Consequence: As mentioned before, extra Raises can be asked to give Ava Tremaine in an earlier scene.
spent to avoid the consequence of having Latinka (Past)
notice the character’s interference. Given the intimate If this is the final Deal Scene before 2-7:Love, you may
nature of this scene, however, this now can only be done have the Covered now unmask herself and allow the
if the character found some means to conceal their Heroes to see who she is.
identity. For example, one touched by Dar Matushki
might interfere while in an animal form. A Porté sorcier
might be able to interfere by snatching Irina (Past) away
with a strategically created portal. In those cases, the
extra Raise can work to conceal their identity. Scene 2-7
Love
However, the powered-wig man isn’t quite willing to
have interference either. Unless the Hero also pays an
extra Consequence for that man, he interferes with the
hero’s attempt as well, firing his pistol at the offender. The group returns to the Desert Island and all the six
Then after firing, reveals a new pistol from underneath portals fading away as if they were never there. The walls
his coat. of the chamber expand and contract like the tensed
breathing of a nervous soul.
Tactics: Latinka (Past) will attempt to declare her feelings
towards Irina (Past) four times before giving up. Allow Irina Kudryavtseva calls out to them, telling them that
Heroes to interrupt her with a Raise so long as they had Latinka has gone silent. She has stopped moving. She
more Raises than Latinka (Past) at the start of the Scene. has called out to Dar Matushki, asking for her to
Once she has been interrupted enough times (which

26 | P a g e
intercede, but the grandmother has been silent. By now, all a misunderstanding and she can easily help the others
however, the Heroes have seen the Covered unmasked grasp why this was happening. Latinka remains silent,
and have seen she too bears Latinka’s face. If any of however. She knows too well Ghaaila is goading her to
them bring this up, the Covered then appears as well, fail in the final Deal.
emerging from the darkness near the stairwell. If not,
the Covered can enter the scene with this statement: She grabs hold of the other cloth wrapping her body.
Ghaaila smiles as he explains those are Ward Wrappings.
That is not me, dear Irina. That is not the woman who loves you. An ancient practice used by long dead civilizations such
as Magwayin to trap evil spirits and keep them from
gaining power. Irina screams, beginning for Latinka to
The real Latinka walks into view, stripping away the
stop undoing them. To explain why she is doing this.
marked cloth that has served as her hood all this time.
Her skin is burning with golden sigils matching the
Latinka does not answer.
ribbons that covered her body. Her eyes are bleeding
dark ink.
Dramatic Sequence:
As Irina turns to the Heroes to help her understand what Who is Really On Whose Side
is going on, the woman who claimed to be Latinka on Latinka seems focused on unleashing the evil within her.
the bed begins to laugh. Her voice emerges as a hoarse Or is she?
throaty laugh that deepens and turns rough with each Reading Love: Empathy is the key Skill here. The first
breath. Irina stumbles backwards, terrified, and watches player who opts to use Empathy as their Approach gets
in horror as the Latinka on the bed stands up, and with three extra dice as “someone is helping” them.
its own fingers, tears away the leathery skin as if it were a Consequence: The Heroes need to break free from the
costume. A second skin made of paper. shadow bonds if they seek to do any physical actions.
This costs H Raises per character to break out.
Objectives: Realize Latinka is on their side.
The Truth Revealed
Irina begins to realize she has been manipulated all this
As Ghaaila continues to taunt Latinka, the Heroes try to
time. The dievai, Ghaaila, runs his hands over his face,
break free from the bonds. Eventually, once a Hero has
then his hair, constantly smiling as he eyes each of the
broken free, or one of them opts to try to “read Latinka’s
Heroes. Latinka, on the verge of transforming into a
actions” or something similar, the Opportunity to grasp
dievai herself, raises her hands up as if to surrender. But
that this final scene itself is a Deal to be disrupted can be
then she slowly moves her right hand, untangling herself
realized.
and removing more of the marked cloth that is wrapped
around her body.
Those who are still bound will spend the next scene still
working on breaking free. Those who aren’t will have
With the first strip of cloth dropped, she reveals her
more freedom to act.
burning skin, blackened by the shadows cast by her own
body as the burning golden light shines from within.
But once a player realizes Latinka is still fighting the
dievai, and that they have to help her, then it is time for
Irina tries to run to Latinka’s side, but Latinka instead
the next Scene.
causes a wave of darkness to roll at Irina and force her at
bay. Ghaaila laughs, asking if Latinka would love to
explain what is going on. Why this was happening.
Wouldn’t she want to let Irina know how long she has
been one of the dievai.

When Irina begs for answers, Latinka does not reply.

Instead, she pulls every shadowing the room towards
her, like a mesh or net, and uses it to force all the Heroes
and Irina back.

Ghaaila laughs. He taunts Latinka about not wanting to

explain what is going on. He teases her about how this is

27 | P a g e
28 | P a g e
 Opposition: The dievai Ghaaila is the main opposition
Part 3 at this point. The dievai, however, has incredible

‘L’appel du powers and will prove to be a true challenge the

Heroes will face against.

vide’ The bottom line is 7th Sea is a game about heroes. And
heroes will face the greatest threats to do what is right.
Latinka fights for her lost soul. Ghaaila celebrates is As the Game Master, be sure you tailor this encounter
eventual victory. Irina struggles to survive the emotional to build the drama and challenge the player characters
betrayal. And the Heroes stand at the center of it all. have to face.

A dievai is a godlike creature. But in the end, it too has

Scene 3-1 flaws that the Heroes should be able to exploit to
The Call of the defeat it.

Void
Ghaaila
Latinka hears the call of the void. She hears the self- Dievai, Completed the 7th Deal
destructive voice inside of her that says the best way to Strength 12 Influence 3 Rank 15
save the one she loves is to be destroyed. But she knows
that would only condemn Irina to a life of regret and Advantages Linguist, Legendary Trait (Resolve),
pain. Latinka feels the temptation to use the Deals she Survivalist, Sorcery (Sanderis: Deals include Love,
has gained to get the answer she needs. To solve the Knowledge, Sea, Storm, Cold, Fire, and Darkness)
situation. But one wrong use and corruption will set in,
giving Ghaaila the triumph he wants.
Ghaaila has accomplished his goal of corrupting his
The new faces, however… these Heroes who have been Losejas, Latinka Pupin, enough for her to spiral down
appearing in her past… could they hold the key to towards becoming a Villain. He created this Desert Island
defeating the dievai? Could they be the wild element in and told Latinka that she will be given a chance to
the unfolding events that neither she nor the dievai have disrupt the deals they have previously made, and if she
anticipated? succeeds then she has proven she is not quite the Villain
he knows her to be fated to be. Latinka agreed to the
Action Sequence: challenge, sensing her fall was imminent. Latinka hoped
her final act before her complete fall would be to use the
Seven Letters, Six Sins power of the Deal of Love to remove from Irina any
The final battle for Latinka’s soul has begun. And the dievai feelings she had for her. She could not bear to imagine
Ghaaila is confident that he has won. But has he? what Irina would go through if she were to learn that the
Everything is Possible during Transition: The Heroes woman she loved has now become a demon-like
stand at a dangerous point. Ghaaila has successfully temptress. What neither anticipated, however, was how
accomplished the 7th Deal with his Losejas, and she is on a group of Heroes would inadvertently come across this
the verge of transforming into a Villainous thing… a new final challenge and complicate matters. When Latinka
Dievai. But they can stop it. They can save Latinka and used one of the Deals to force Irina to leave her… Ghaaila
defeat Ghaaila. They are the only ones who can. knew the compulsion would only last for so long since
Latinka continued to resist calling for a major Deal. Ever
Scholarship and Mysticism will open opportunities here. the gambler, Ghaaila decided to spin things around.
Empathy can allow the Hero to pick up on certain
nuances Latinka might be trying to communicate. Aim, Latinka wrapped herself in cloth marked with the various
Weaponry, and Brawl might be used to try to threaten prayers and protective sigils the various cultures used to
Ghaaila. ward of evil. She even tapped into the lost knowledge of
civilizations have have gone extinct to slow her eventual
corruption. Ghaaila informed her the challenge was set,
but did not tell her that he had assumed her form and

29 | P a g e
spoken with the Heroes – tricking them to thinking it was Knowledge Ghaaila taps into the knowledge of
the “dievai” that would try to interfere with each Pact. each character’s greatest failure or
fear. He brings these up in
Now, at the end, Ghaaila feels triumphant. Regardless of conversation nonchalantly, as if he
whether or not any of the “pacts” were disrupted in the had no idea it would affect them.
past, Ghaaila has shattered Irina’s heart with the final Secrets revealed can cause
revelation and he knows Latinka will have to use the complications in later game sessions
Major Deal to wipe Irina’s memory away if she hopes to or be opportunities worth exploring
spare Irina of a life of anguish and regret. Either way, in later Stories.
Latinka will sink fully into Corruption as she embraces
Love Ghaaila can simply cause the Heroes
the immense power she now wields from the bargains.
to feel an attachment to him. This is
Her complete shift into Villainy is only a matter of time.
represented as a Pressure not to
allow any harm to go to him.
Or so he believes.

Listed here are possible ways that Ghaaila attempts Tactics: Ghaaila will focus on torturing Irina indirectly.
defeat the Heroes, choose from the list whatever seems He will do this best by reminding Latinka of how she has
best. And remember, choose only Deals that have not lied and hid from her loved ones the truth on how far
yet been disrupted. For groups that are pretty beat up, she has fallen. He will stress how Latinka is now pretty
Ghaaila can be overconfident and use minimal Deals. For much a godlike being. How her choosing to resist using
groups that love a good fight, you can even stack her divinity is what will lead to more strife. Irina will have
multiple Deals. trouble accepting Latinka has become one of the dievai
and will try to tell Latinka to come back to her. But
Deal Tactics Latinka herself cannot trust what she has become. She
will fend off any heroes that come to close. And even
Darkness Ghaaila creates shadowy doubles of
force back Irina when necessary. She feels she is like a
each Hero to occupy them. Each
bomb that is about to explode at any point.
one is a Strength 3 Brute with
following Monstrous Qualities:
Note, however, that she is also still struggling to retain
Shadowy
her heroism. So, when the Heroes are struggling hard
against any threats that Ghaaila has conjured up with the
Shadowy: Any attempts to locate or
Deals, feel free to have her counter with her own use of
track costs 2 Raises instead of 1.
Sanderis.
Fire Ghaaila creates fire to snake around
the room, forcing the Heroes to stay Consequences: When Latinka has her moments of
back. This would be a H anguish, feel free to throw a 1 Consequence of possible
Consequence to avoid each round. Wounds when Latinka lashes out and inadvertently hits
any of the heroes with her anger.
Cold Ghaaila imprisons the strongest
Hero in ice. That Hero suffers H
If the Heroes were able to disrupt at least one of the
Wounds each round and 2H is
Deals, Latinka has more strength than Ghaaila realizes.
needed to break them out.
She begins undoing more and more of the cloth
Storm The winds howl in the chamber, and wrapping her body and tries to expose more of her
this acts as an H Consequence that burning markings upon her. There is a reason behind
forces the heroes away. this, and Heroes whose approaches are using Notice,
Scholarship, Mysticism, Empathy, or Warfare can catch
Sea Ghaaila causes water to rush into the
this as an Opportunity. Each burning brand on her body
chamber as sea water suddenly
is one of the letters of the Dievai’s name.
surges out from the Desert Island.
This would be a 2 Consequence to
For groups that love solving the riddle on their own, you
keep from drowning from the
can give them the following letters, based on what Deals
sudden surge of salt water.
were not disrupted.

30 | P a g e
 Deal Letter Scene Sea Cursive markings surround the letter,
with triangular shapes that suggest
Darkness G Opening Scene
fish.
Fire H
Knowledge Clear and plan circle borders the
Cold A letter. Asterisk like patterns mark the
circle’s perimeter.
Storm A
Love Numa writing marks the surroundings
Sea I of the letter. These writings translate
Knowledge L to the word peace. Scholarship or
knowledge of Numa culture will bring
Love A Final Scene up the Numa goddess of peaceful life,
Eirene.
The Heroes can be given the letters out of sequence,
with the following points of understanding: For the missing letters, the Heroes can possible coax it
a) There should be seven letters in total. out of Latinka with Convince, Tempt, Intimidate or
b) The disrupted Deals are the lacking letters. Empathy. Given she cannot directly communicate,
c) The sequence may matter. however, with them, she might try to do so indirectly.
For example, she might blast at the wall near the hero,
These are the possible clues you can give, whether it is leaving a scorchmark that resembles the letter. Or she
thanks to certain Advantages, Skills, or through the might use a Deal to pull the Hero into a vision, and the
NPCs. letter she needs to communicate is reflected by the
a) The Darkness Deal was the first. dominance of objects of that letter in the vision (for
b) The Love Deal is the last. example: a Hero might be knocked out to have him find
c) Storm and Sea Deals were chronological. himself in a room filled with acorns, apples, axes, and
d) Fire Deal would have come before the Cold Deal or ants.)
else Cold could have been used against the Giants.
e) Knowledge Deal would have been near the end, or she How Much Time Does Latinka Have? Strictly speaking,
would have known how to deal with the earlier situations Latinka is on the edge of losing herself. If she were a
better. player character, it would be like she had 9 Corruption
already and is on the verge of slipping to 10. The call of
Each letter marking her body can be surrounded by the void is upon her.
brands that hint at the events or the Deal it was earned.

Deal Hints Defeating Ghaaila

At the end of each Round, roll a ten-sided die. If the die
Darkness Predominantly blackened out. The comes out a 10, Latinka decides to put matters in her
letter is the absence of burning fire, own hands, and using a Major Deal effect, she asks Irina
compared to everything else. to do something for her. Irina says, “Anything.” Latinka
Fire Jagged lines and curves surround the asks Irina to forgive her, and when Irina nods, Latinka
letter. The Vesten word for fire (vlam) feels Irina is being truthful. She truly has forgiven the
can be read surrounding the letter. former Losejas. Empowered by that Deal, Latinka allows
the heroes to see the answer: once they declare the
Cold Square shapes mark the surrounding name of the dievai, they can then hurt the dievai. They
of the letter. Small snowflake designs can kill him.
mark it as well.
Every time they Wound the Dievai, the Dievai suffers an
Storm The pattern around the letter swirls
additional seven Wounds that Round. The Dievai’s
like a spiral. Angled lines suggesting
name is exposed and the group has the power to truly
rain can be seen as an added detail.
hurt it! Irina joins the fight, eager to bring the dievai
down. She believes the dievai can undo the damage it
has done to Latinka. She, sadly, is wrong.

31 | P a g e
This act, however, tips Latinka over. And the price of that
will soon be apparent. Scene 3-2
The Bonds
Defeating Ghaaila, Alternative Option Between Hearts
Once the Heroes uncover Ghaaila’s name, whether by
figuring it out, or with the help of Irina and Latinka, they With Ghaaila gone, the Heroes now can focus on Latinka
can get the information above as well before Latinka Pupin and her transformation.
uses Knowledge to uncover the truth. In this case,
Latinka might still remain human as Ghaaila is fought and Latinka, the Dievai
defeated.
If Latinka had used a Major Deal to help the Heroes,
whether it was to give them a means to learn the name,
Given Ghaaila’s immense power, it is likely that the
healed them of their wounds, or empowered them in
Heroes won’t be in the position to defeat the Dievai. If
some way that required a Major Deal level of power,
you prefer to play this like a Dungeons and Dragons
then she lies on the ground feeling the transformation
game where you Total Party Kill the players, that’s your
upon her. She screams as all the remaining parts of her
call. Personally, I dislike those kind of sessions. Instead,
that was human burns away as she becomes a newly
once Ghaaila realizes the Heroes know he is vulnerable
born dievai. And Irina, of all people, is her new Losejas.
since they know his name, so Ghaaila flees.
With that, the Heroes see Latinka burn away and nothing
He escapes and can return someday as a new Villain to
remains save for the dissipating golden embers that
terrorize the players in the future.
once was her human form. Irina weeps openly as she
realizes the woman she has cared for and loved can no
longer be part of her life in the way she had hoped. She
alone can see and hear the dievai now. The Heroes may
If the Heroes are dying but clearly seek to keep fighting, you offer to help her, or ask if there was any way to help
can have Latinka help them out. She can ask of them small Latinka return to normal. Irina admits she does not
things, like, “the name of the person you love” or “to promise know. She wasn’t even aware it was possible for
that Irina survives this night” and in return, she can empower someone who was not from the Sarmatian
the Hero in many ways:
Commonwealth to ever have Sanderis with a dievai. She
does, however, feel it has come with a secondary price:
Latinka can heal the Hero of one whole Wound tier segment.
That can allow them to keep fighting a bit longer. she can no longer feel her connection to Matushka. She
has lost her ability to change into animal forms and any
Latinka can allow the entire group to heal back to full. This, of the other gifts she used to have.
however, should be the equivalent of having her gain her last
Corruption point as well. The entire chamber they are in begins to shake as if an
earthquake was destroying it. But there is no need to
Latinka can grant the Hero the equivalent of Mythic Luck. The rush up the stairs to leave. As the whole place collapses
Hero may, after a roll, re-roll up to a total of seven dice this
upon them, each Hero wakes up with a startled gasp and
combat. The Hero must keep the re-roll results.
finds themselves on the same forest/marsh area they
Latinka can grant the Hero the equivalent of Greater Luck. were at when they first encountered Irina. The Desert
The Hero can add up to 7 to the value of any die. If the value Island is no more. And their presence in it, it seems, may
of the die reaches 10, that die Explodes. Once all 7 points are have been wholly mystical in nature.
spent, this magic is done.
Irina bids the Heroes farewell. She admits she had
hoped for a better ending. But she feels they have at
least stopped the dievai from having the final laugh. If
Once Ghaaila has been defeated, or forced to flee, the
asked what she plans to do with Latinka, Irina admits that
Scene ends.
is no longer her name. And that she believes Latinka is
still… good. Somehow. And that she will find a way to
help her in time. Whether that is right or wrong will be a
story for another day.

32 | P a g e
Latinka, the Broken is a hefty woman whose skin is pierced by writhing
alabaster scorpions. She seems oblivious to the pain
If Latinka was able to avoid embracing Corruption one
they must be dealing her as she constantly giggles to
final time, the Heroes see her and Irina wrapped in a
tight embrace. Latinka’s body is burning bright like the herself. There is a child, barely older than six, who is
sun and her skin is cracked and tearing as fire tries to painted with tears and carries meat hook. There is an old
woman dressed in green and violet feathers whose skin
burn out of her. But Irina holds her tighter and swears
is stretched to smoothness by tiny bird-claw clamps that
that my Matushka’s love she will not let go.
bite into her spine. Finally, there is a dark-skinned figure
The whole Desert Island begins to shake and crumble as whose gender cannot be discerned. Its seven golden
eyes peer from behind a sheer veil. It holds a wilted
if an earthquake had struck. The Heroes might opt to try
bouquet of roses in its hands and hums to itself a long-
to run out, and help the two to their feet. But just before
Latinka can be raised up… she whips backwards as forgotten wedding hymn.
burning light streaks out of her in all directions, exiting
The group listens as the fire whispers to them. It tells
from every crack on her skin.
them of the events that one of their number has
Everything goes white. suffered through and warns them to never forget these
faces. The faces of each Hero emerge in the flames.
The Heroes wake up with a startled cry as they find
Be warned. They know what makes us weak.
themselves back where they were when they first
encountered Irina. The fire has burnt out. Latinka is a They know.
dead weight against Irina. Irina holds Latinka closer and
The gathered slowly rise. They glance at each other
tells the Heroes that she is still breathing. Still alive.
understandingly. And just as quietly as they arrived, they
Still... human.
leave.
Is it over?
The fire dies out.
And the forest becomes silent once more.
From this point, the Heroes can accompany the two to
the closest place to recover. Where is irrelevant at this
point. What matters is that they learn Latinka does
recover. The cracks close and while they forever mark
Aftermath
her skin like strange birthmarks, Latinka seems to recover The players have completed a 3-point Game Master
completely. She admits the Deals are gone. The power Story, which means they have earned a 3-point
she had earlier has completely vanished. She knows the Advancement. They can spend it for the following
Ratas will have to hear about what had happened and possible rewards:
thanks the Heroes for the help they have provided.
• Improve a Skill that was used in the adventure
Irina thanks the Heroes as well. She senses something from Rank 2 to Rank 3.
has broken Latinka. She seems weaker now. Less
confident. More afraid. But she is certain it is her. The • Purchase one of the following 3-point
Heroes can now depart knowing they’ve done all they Advantages:
can to help these two. Their lives are finally once more o Nerves of Steel (Pirate Nations, p151)
theirs, but they have a long hard road ahead of them. At o Camaraderie (Main Rulebook p151)
least, they will have each other when they face whatever o Dynamic Approach (Main Rulebook
comes next. p151)
o Foul Weather Jack (Main Rulebook
p151)
o Quick Reflexes (Main Rulebook p152)
In Closing o Brains of the Outfit (Nations of Théah,
Somewhere deep in the Sanderas Forest, a group Vol 2 p206)
gathers by the fire light. The gathering is a strange one. o
There is a pale man who wears a mask of bone. In his • Change a Quirk to update one of the Quirks
hands, a glimmering red skull dangles on a chain. There they have received from their Backgrounds to a
more appropriate one to their personality.

33 | P a g e
34 | P a g e
 You, dear reader, of course by now realize the game
Regarding Ava was given to her by Latinka Pupin herself, as part of
This story is the third story chronicling the ambitious Ava the slow plans of corruption the dievai Ghaaila hoped
Tremaine. Ava is a rising Villain who started from to accomplish.
humble beginnings and dreams of someday becoming a
Mastermind Villain. This adventure shows part of her The name belonged to a mercenary who specialized in
slow rise to power and the schemes she has involved disguise and mimicry. The man learned she was
herself in her desire to gain more Influence and Strength. searching for him and he confronted her in private to
demand why he knew his name. She offered him the
Other portions of her story can be found in the following information on the secret passageways that
adventures: l’Empereur used to travel to and from Charouse if he,
in turn, worked for her. He agreed. She had him pose
• The Twisted Mirror as l’Empereur’s favorite associate, the one and only
• The Widow’s Secret Maurice le Blanc, l’Ami du Rio and directed him to go
to the Star Map chamber and attempt to discern its
secrets. Unforunately, this lead to an encounter with
Ava Marion Tremaine, Marquise of Merteuil Irina and Latinka, both of whom were investigating a
Montaigne, Young Villain possible spy in L’Empereur’s ranks.
Strength 4 Influence 6 Rank 10
Long story short, the two ended with a stand off in the
Advantages Streetwise, Signature Weapon: Red
Star Map, with Chanley learning that certain keys are
Parasoliel
needed to use the Star Map’s hidden secrets. He
withdrew and Ava realized these missing Keys were
Virtue: The Fool (Wily) Activate to escape danger from
necessary if she were ever to succeed in her plans of
the current Scene. You cannot rescue anyone but
someday becoming the greatest Mastermind the
yourself.
world has ever seen.
Hubris: The Magician (Ambitious) Receive a Danger
Chanley was more than happy to serve from this point
Point when you chase power and the deal you’re
on as her personal Spymaster.
after is dangerous or causes trouble.

Part of Her Story Her Scheme

Ava Marion Tremaine has been spending much of her With her 6 Influence, Ava had the following Schemes in
time attempting to raise her position in life through mind: Learn the Secrets of the Star Map. Gain a minor
the many connections she has been forging. She had Villain to serve her from this point on.
successfully gained the interest of the Imperatrice
and had once been a paramour of the amazing On the first point, she is on the path to success. She has
Warren Cassaday, Castillian Syrneth artifact hunter. learned a bit about the Star Map and that it needs Keys
to function. Chanley has noted the device requires three
In this story, she has recently learned of the Star Map, keys, based on the three slots that were visible on its
a strange chamber deep below the palace of surface. It is a beginning…
l’Empereur in Charouse, Montaigne. Rumors spoke of
the Star Map leading to a weapon of incredible power. The second was to find a righthand man to assist her in
Having realized access to the chamber is beyond her accomplishing her plans from this point on. She could
reach, she was wondering if there was any one she not have found a better man than Andre Paul Chanley,
could “hire” to help her gain access to the location. whose mastery of disguise and imitation rival even the
Out of nowhere, a complete stranger approached her legendary Reinhold Vogel whom he grew up hoping to
and gave her a name. someday become.

Andre Paul Chanley What is Ava really hoping to do? As a child, Ava grew up
being warned by her parents that if she did not behave,
The speaker left, and Ava had no idea who she was or the terrible people of the shadows would come and take
why she would give her that name that very moment. her away. She was quite a suggestible child and believed

35 | P a g e
every word of her parents to be fact. She trained herself Her Thoughts
at quite a young age to hold her tongue, to keep her eyes
open, and to remember her way around the streets. If Ava encountered the other heroes from previous
After all, if the people of the shadows ever took her from adventures, meeting them again solidifies in her mind
her home, she would have to find her way back on her that the Heroes are entangled in her unfolding destiny.
own. What she is uncertain of is whether they are intended to
someday serve her… or stand against her.
At the age of ten, Ava (though her name was not yet that
at that time) was helping backstage as her parents From this point on, she keeps an open ear in their
performed the titular roles of an opera called Avreda and direction, and takes note of any adventures they go on.
Ylvayne when tragedy struck. Part of the decorative
backdrop snapped free from its frame and fell on them
both, crushing them to death. Ava was too young and Diary Entry of Ava Tremaine, the Star Map
perhaps too stunned to grasp what had happened. The
I first learned of the existence of the Star Map through the
performance was shut down and l’Empereur
greatest Castillian Archæologist and Syrneth Collector,
pronounced the whole event to be merely an accident
Warren Cassaday. We were locked in an embrace when
and nothing more. Ava, however, suspected there was
she mentioned his desire to someday show me all the
foul play involved. She has witnessed her father making
strange sights and wonderful secret places he has seen in
untoward actions towards the younger women in the
all his journeys. I begged him to name one and he
troupe. She had also overheard her mother talking to
admitted if he could only choose one, he would have to
others about Secret Societies – how they exist and most
pick the Star Map.
know nothing of them. And how she was once invited to
join one, but she refused for reasons she chose to keep
Oh, the Star Map. A chamber beneath the world where
to herself.
every star in the sky could be found. And more. A room
which supposedly lay beyond reach as l’Empereur has
As Ava grew older, she learned of the names of
forbidden visitors and men of science from ever visiting it
supposed secret societies: The Glamour Knights, the
again.
Rose and Cross, the Sisterhood of the Curtain, the
Laughing Guild of Vagabonds, and more. She
A chamber that supposedly held an incredible secret: the
understood most of the names were probably wrong.
power to reshape the very world. Can you imagine that?
But she was fascinated at the idea these organizations
What kind of power would it have to be if it were capable
could possibly exist. Affect the world. And yet still have
of reshaping the world?
their very existence questioned.
I must learn more of this room. I must understand its use
It would not be until a few more years later when Ava
and its secrets. And I must gain control of it. Master it.
would find herself one day at a fête and meet the two
And with it, master the rest of the world.
most fascinating people in her entire life. The first, the
infamous Giovanni Villanova; a man whose entire
I must go for now, dear Diary. Warren has prepared a
reputation is spoken of in hushed whispers as a man to
present for me. He asked me some weeks ago if I liked the
be feared by an entire Nation. And the second, the
color red. I must admit, I didn’t truly much care for the
veiled Valentina Vestini Vilanova, the Vodacce prince’s
color until he asked. Now, I cannot see myself wearing
wife.
anything else but that color.
It would be a meeting that would set the course of her
I wonder what surprise he hopes to present to me tonight?
life for the years to come in this direction. A meeting that
would place upon her mind the absolute belief that she
is destined to rise in power and influence and become
the leader of an organization called the Novus Ordo
Mundi.

36 | P a g e
A note from the Author…

Seven, See is a stand-alone Adventure which offers a

quick story that a Game Master can run for their
gaming group. But at the same time, it attempts to
show the progression of an ambitious young Villain
named Ava Marion Tremaine as she rises in Influence
and Strength to eventually become a Mastermind
Villain with even greater ambitions.

I enjoyed a lot how White Wolf’s Orpheus introduced

an ongoing narrative separated into various books. It
gave the GM a similar experience and feeling of
discovery as each book was released. I felt it would
be interesting to create an Adventure that gave that
kind of experience. I suspect not everyone will share
this view. Some will not like this story at all. Others
might hate the format. I only hope those who do find
the time to share in reviews why they enjoyed it.

Special Thanks

For this book, I would like to thank my creative

hivemind of friends. Ben Woerner, Alan Bahr, Ryan
Schoon, and John Kennedy. You four are amazing in
keeping the creative ideas going.
The Dark Journal talks about Viscera Suckers.
I want to thank John Wick, Mark Diaz Truman, The Dark Journal – Part 2 talks about Breeders.
Miranda Horner, Hannah Shaffer, Brett Zeiler, James The Dark Journal – Part 3 talks about Predators.
Mendez Hodes, Lenny Balsera, Eloy Lasanta, and
Shoshana Kessock for allowing me opportunities to
write for 7th Sea. And I do hope more opportunities A night with the Imperatrice becomes one night not even the
continue to come. dead will ever forget. Standalone adventure.

I also would like to thank Jim Pinto, Dan An artificial island rises from the Widow’s Sea
Waszkiewicz, Aina Ledesma, James Lo, Brian and reveals its hidden Syrneth ruins. Standalone adventure.
Baquiran, Che de Leon, Flip Velez, and Josh
Castañeda, for always being empowering and You can find all these at https://www.drivethrurpg.com/
supportive of my constant attempts to write more
adventures and run more games. Thank you for being
such enabling friends.

Thank you to my TAG TEAM SUPPORTERS! Rocky,

Rob A., David H., Mina, Karlo, and Ryan. My love to
your constant support.

Finally, I want to thank Rocky Sunico, my partner and

my heart. You are my life and you give me all these
opportunities to celebrate gaming each and every day.
I love you. For more works by Tobie Abad, feel free to check out
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Tobie Abad

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 With each task, however, a terrible truth
begins to unfold which forces the Heroes
to consider the ramifications

Seven, see of their actions.

When forced to choose between hope and

security, how does one decide?
A 7th Sea Dievai Mystery Adventure
And what if this is just another lie, created
Seven tasks are asked of the Heroes
by the Dievai themselves to lure more to
to save the life of Losejas
their doom?
who lies in her deathbed.
by TOBIE ABAD

keywords: Dievai, Deathbed,

World-travelling, Betrayal

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