TEXT: Rose+Cross Roleplaying
  1
  The Mystery of Black Ash Island
  Location and Adventure
  Discovery
  Thud.
  The sun beat down strongly on the white sands of the beach,
  while clear azure waters lapped gently against the nearby
  rocks.
  Thud.
  The captain shielded his eyes and looked up. In one of the
  trees on the edge of the beach the foliage rustled.
  Thud.
  Another heavy green fruit dropped into the sand below the
  tree and a gangly rigger grinned and waved down to his
  captain. While they had enough food supplies on board the
  ship to last well beyond Kirk, there was never any harm in
  securing some fresh fruit for the crew. Turning his attention
  further down, he saw the grouping of rowboats that the
  party had come ashore with. While most of the crew
  remained on the ship, the captain always liked to get some
  land beneath his feet before another long journey.
  “God morgen”, called the captain to his quartermaster. “I
  want all the supplies on the Rig Hval before noon.”
  The quartermaster stood near the rowboats and simply
  nodded. “Most of the timber has been collected, but Magnus
  found some vines further inland that will replace some of
  our ropes.”
  The captain raised an eyebrow, he had not thought of the
  need for rope but then that was the job of his quartermaster
  and if he did one thing well it was choosing the best crew
  for a job. “What about fresh water?”
  The quartermaster grimaced. “Not found any yet, captain.
  Hal and Edvard are looking over on the north side for a
  stream or something.”
  “And Master Einersson?” the captain spoke almost under
  his breath while staring off at some undefined object. The
  emphasis on the title was very deliberately given, although
  most of the crew knew the situation all too well.
  “He went off with two of his… two of the merchant marines.
  Don’t know where though…”
  The captain was about to make a comment when one of the
  marines came bursting through the tree-line. He spotted the
  captain and walked briskly over.
  “Master Einersson asked me to fetch you.”
  As the captain just stood there impassive, the quartermaster
  stopped his work and looked about to rebuke the attitude of
  the marine. “Did he indeed,” said captain Sigvald Aldisson
  finally, holding up his hand to calm his infuriated officer.
  “Well then you had better take me to ‘Master’ Einersson.”
  History of the Island
  On a solitary island far west of mainland Theah lies a
  unique puzzle. An uninhabited wooded island located to the
  northern edge of the Midnight Archipelago. It was found in
  1645 by a group of Vendel merchants seeking new trade
  routes in the western oceans. Stopping to gather supplies of
  timber and fresh water, the crew found evidence of previous
  visitation. From the imposing feature of a lone ash tree
  rising above all the other foliage, a path led across the island
  through a large clearing. In the clearing, the ground showed
  a circular depression and an overhanging branch had a very
  old piece of rope securely tied to it. Believing that they had
  stumbled on some form of buried treasure, the captain sent
  to the ship for equipment to dig out the clearing. After
  digging for just over an hour they hit wood, unfortunately
  not a treasure chest but rather a wooden platform the shape
  and size of the former depression. Clearing this away they
  descended deeper only to find more wooden platforms at
  fairly regular intervals. After the fourth such platform, and
  now quite exasperated, the head digger noticed the walls
  were becoming damp. They had failed to notice that they
  had passed through a hard clay layer, when suddenly the
  bottom of the shaft started to fill with water. The water was
  no real danger but it made downwards progress now
  impossible without better equipment.
  The captain recalled the crew to the ship and completed the
  otherwise uneventful voyage to Kirk somewhat
  
  Rose+Cross Roleplaying
  2
  disappointed. On arrival, the head merchant went
  immediately into conference with the Chair of the Sailor’s
  Guild and less than an hour later two Guild swordsmen
  boarded the docked ship. The agents confiscated the ships
  maps and rutter, over the strenuous objections of the ship
  captain and his navigator. The Guild did not currently have
  any available resources to perform another expedition with
  the War of the Cross continuing apace in neighbouring
  Eisen. Some members of the Guild were also doubtful of the
  financing of such a venture with no certainty of a return.
  They story may have ended there, had not the Vendel ship
  captain had the foresight to instruct his navigator to produce
  a duplicate rutter for just such a situation. Unable to act in
  Kirk under the ever-present gaze of the Guilds, he took the
  prize to Avalon where it passed into the ownership of an
  anonymous contact with connections in the Explorers’
  Society.
  After some small amount of debate between the senior
  members at the Carleon house over the veracity of the find,
  the Society sent a porté messenger to divert one of their
  ships bound for the Syrne islands down to explore the site.
  Unfortunately the integrity of the site had been severely
  disturbed by the Vendel crew, so few clues to the origin of
  the earthworks were found. However, investigation of the
  wider island did uncover the “well site”, a narrow shaft
  forming a perfect circle and lined at the top with crude clay
  bricks. Depth readings of this well proved to be
  inconclusive, possibly due to a narrowing of the shaft or
  blockages further down. One surprising discovery was that
  the water in the well was found to be salt water, suggesting
  an underground link to the sea. Whether it was once fresh
  water is unknown and if not then its purpose remained
  equally unclear.
  Seeing that the Vendel shaft was unusable due to the water,
  the lead archaeologist put his team to digging a second shaft
  close by. When the Explorers’ reached the clay layer they
  started to line the shaft with wooden planks, waterproofed
  with tar from the ships supplies. This tactic worked well for
  a time until they reached the level of what they calculated to
  be a sixth wooden platform, when the team were shocked as
  the shaft collapsed into a larger underground cavern and
  quickly filled with sea water. Two diggers were drowned in
  the incident and the lead archaeologist was just about to call
  off the entire expedition when a second team made another
  discovery. On the north-west shore of the island, they had
  found what looked like man-made channels just below the
  water line. When the group cartographer plotted their likely
  route, they lined up almost perfectly with not only the “well
  site” but also the first shaft. This suggested that the sea
  water flooding the well and shafts was very deliberate and
  added to the mystery of what this cunning trap protected.
  Unfortunately, with no way of pumping the water out of the
  shafts at a sufficient rate, this information was useless.
  Since the Explorers there have been a number of other
  attempts on the island, resulting in a few more shafts and the
  collapse of the underwater channels by a Montaigne noble
  using a modified explosive grenade. The only other useful
  information comes from the Montaigne team, who used a
  novel porté trick to retrieve a clay-covered canister they
  dropped into the Explorer shaft. Imprints on the returned
  object resembled coins and one of the scholars has claimed
  that blurred design is that of an Imperial senator from
  around the ninth century. What such a coin is doing in that
  watery cavern is more problematic. A number of theories
  and speculation have grown up as to the origin of the
  “money pit” of Black Ash island.
  ∞ 
  A Vodacce scholar wrote in 1662 that only a member of
  the Syrneth culture could have created the system, since
  it demonstrates too high a level of engineering. This is
  not a particularly popular theory and has been
  particularly ridiculed by church scholars.
  ∞ 
  The building has been credited to the Poor Knights of the
  Prophet, whose fleet allegedly set sail from Muguet just
  before the arrest of the order in 1308. The theory goes
  that the fleet sailed far into the western ocean and the
  coins of the well are the legendary lost riches of the
  Knights.
  ∞ 
  Another treasure story relates to the Crescents who were
  forced to flee Castille following the Second Crusade.
  Among the missing wealth is the original crown of the
  
  Rose+Cross Roleplaying
  3
  Castillus dynasty and valuable Acragan jewels.
  ∞ 
  A less grandiose idea credits the site to Avalon or Vesten
  privateers who raided the coastal towns of Montaigne
  and Castille in the ninth and tenth centuries. However,
  whether a typical pirate crew would be able to build such
  elaborate traps is open to much debate.
  Geography
  The island itself forms an elongated crescent shape, with a
  sandy beach on the south-western side where may of the
  parties anchored to explore the sites. The name of the island
  comes from the original Vendel crew and refers to the tall
  dark ash tree that dominates the tree line of the island. This
  tree is not native to the area but rather to parts of northern
  Theah, which has only added to some of the wide
  speculation about the island. The Explorer team spent a
  considerable time on the island and did an extensive survey;
  most of the maps that can sometimes be bought in coastal
  taverns are copies of this original survey.
  Using the Island
  While the island is suitable for a puzzle to see if players can
  come up with good ideas to explore the sites, it also
  represents a focus for intrigue and politics throughout
  Theah. Many factions have tried to uncover the secret of the
  Black Ash treasure, even more have set themselves to
  making sure certain other factions do not discover such a
  secret. A group of players may be employed by a nation or
  even a rich noble to accompany a team, either to help the
  recovery effort or deter others from attempts. On the
  mainland of Theah, rumours of secret documents and
  evidence prompt covert action on many fronts with many of
  the original maps and diaries having changed hands many
  times, not always with the permission of the owners.
  The secret societies have their own particular thoughts on
  the site which go beyond the financial gains and prestige
  sought by the nations. The Rose+Cross understandably do
  not talk about the Poor Knights, but if they do know
  anything about the origins of the site they are very closed
  about it. However a few notable patrons over the years have
  been linked with expeditions and it is quite possible that
  Knights have accompanied these teams, perhaps without
  anyone actually realising the fact. The interest of the
  Explorers’ Society is obvious, but they have not directly
  funded any attempts since the failed expedition of 1649.
  Recently some members of the Society have commented
  that they may soon have the equipment needed to mount a
  proper attempt, perhaps with a little assistance from the
  Invisible College who have shown interest in the puzzle but
  from a far more academic position. Of the other groups,
  only the Sophia’s Daughters are worth mention in regards to
  the island. While most of Theah is completely unaware of
  their conspiracy, they are even less aware of their affinity
  with water, which could prove the breakthrough necessary
  to explore the underground cavern. A member of the
  Daughters that has worked on a number of Explorer sites,
  over the last forty years and under many different names,
  has recently acquired a number of Syrneth gemstones that
  are capable of storing light and could be used to see in the
  dark watery underworld.
  Sample NPCs
  Professor Adrian Harwell ( Hero )
  Brawn : 3
  Finesse : 2
  Wits : 5
  Resolve : 4
  Panache : 2
  Reputation : 32
  Background : None
  
  Rose+Cross Roleplaying
  4
  Arcana : Focused
  Advantages : Avalon (R/W), Thean (R/W), Montaigne (R/
  W), Castillian (acq), Vendel (acq) Membership (Explorers’
  Society), Published, University, Research Library,
  Connections (Invisible College)
  Sailor : Balance 2, Climbing 2, Rigging 1,Navigation 2,
  Cartography 3
  Scholar : History 4, Maths 3, Philosophy 3, Research 5,
  Natural Philosophy 3, Theology 2
  Courtier : Etiquette 2,Diplomacy 1,Fashion 2,Oratory 4,
  Mooch 2, Sincerity 2
  Merchant : Scribe 2, Accounting 2, Appraising 4
  Athlete : Climbing 3, Footwork 2, Sprinting 1, Break Fall 2,
  Leaping 3, Swimming 3
  Firearms : Attack 2, Reload 2
  Professor Harwell took up the chair of archaeology at
  Bedegrane University after a disagreement with members of
  the faculty in Kirkwall. While many see this as a step down
  given the poor reputation of the establishment, it has meant
  far more freedom in research and new funding
  opportunities. One of the few members of the Society
  calling for a new expedition to Black Ash, he has his own
  theories about the treasure that he shares with few people
  but hopes that his connections with inventors in Carleon
  will soon deliver the equipment that will allow a man to
  stay underwater for the length of time needed.
  “Rachelle Dubois du Arrent” ( Villain )
  Brawn : 3
  Finesse : 4
  Wits : 4
  Resolve : 4
  Panache : 2
  Reputation : -15
  Background : True Identity
  Arcana : Deceitful
  Advantages : Avalon (R/W), Castille (R/W), Eisen (R/W),
  Montaigne (R/W), Thean (R/W), Crescent (acq), Vendel
  (acq), Linguist, Membership (Sophia’s Daughters)
  (Explorers’ Society), Connections (many), The Balm,
  Poison Immunity
  Courtier : Dancing 3, Etiquette 5, Oratory 2, Fashion 3,
  Diplomacy 4, Scheming 4, Seduction 3, Sincerity 5
  Scholar : History 3, Law 2, Mathematics 2, Occult 3,
  Research 2, Philosophy 1
  Hunter : Survival 3, Tracking 4
  Sailor : Balance 3, Navigation 2, Cartography 2, Rigging 3
  Spy : Stealth 4, Bribery, 3, Conceal 5, Disguise 5, Read Lips
  3, Shadowing 4, Lockpick 3
  Athlete : Climbing 3,Footwork 4,Leaping 4, Sprinting 4,
  Break Fall 3
  Knife : Attack (Knife) 5, Parry (Knife) 4
  Firearms : Attack (Firearms) 4, Reload (Firearms) 4
  The woman currently known as a demure Montaigne
  scholar and a finds specialist for the Syrne Island team is
  certainly not what she appears to be. Like many personas
  before, this one is a fraud although what her real name an
  identity was is not recorded and she is loath to mention.
  Having imbibed the Balm of Westmoreland now twice,
  Rachelle is actually over a hundred years old and in that
  time has journeyed much of the western ocean. The
  Daughters are very concerned about what the Explorers’
  may find and so many agents have infiltrated sites over the
  decades, either to observe or in some cases take more drastic
  action. For example, the leader of the last dig Rachelle was
  on died when a ten-second beetle somehow found its way
  past the netting and into his sleeping tent. While the
  Daughters have watched a number of attempts on Black Ash
  fail, they may mount their own attempt simply to find out
  what is there and make it safe before someone else actually
  manages to figure it out.
  Sample Adventure
  This small adventure is set in a coastal Montaigne town and
  uses the legend of the Island to prompt intrigue and a classic
  chase sequence. The setting can be either before or after the
  Revolution, since the Musketeers serve a similar role in
  both periods although the GM may want to change the feel
  depending on how much they want to emulate the chaos of
  the new order in the country. The style outlines the basic
  plotline, but leaves the descriptions and dialogue to the GM
  to use their particular style and to suit the type of group
  
  Rose+Cross Roleplaying
  5
  carrying out the adventure. As written it is well suited to a
  low-level group, but can be made more difficult throughout
  with the inclusion of more brutes.
  In The Beginning
  The heroes are resting in a small coastal tavern after
  whatever adventures they have recently found. Slightly
  further away from the docks than most taverns, the clientele
  is just that bit more refined. After a few drinks a man
  detaches himself from one of the shadowy corners of the
  tavern and approaches the group. He believes them to be
  people of means and therefore a potential market for an item
  he has for sale, that being a battered old book which he
  keeps within the folds of his cloak. Constantly looking
  around he will explain that he has come into possession of
  the route to a genuine treasure hoard, but currently does not
  have the resources to exploit the find and so is looking to
  sell the book to a group that does. The book is a Rutter, that
  is the set of instructions by a ship’s navigator that serve in
  place of accurate maps and allow any other ship to follow
  the same route to the places they have found.
  The Rutter in question is a genuine copy of that made by the
  navigator of the Rig Hval. The amount of money he asks for
  it depends on how much the players can afford, but will be a
  substantial amount of their combined wealth. He will show
  the book to the heroes but snatch it back if they seem to be
  reading it too closely, not because it is a fake but in case
  they remember too much. If the heroes are undecided, the
  tavern owner will come over and chastise the man for
  bothering good customers with silly ideas about treasure.
  Regardless of whether the heroes purchase the Rutter or not,
  the man will leave after about an hour and nothing else will
  happen that night unless the GM wishes to throw in a
  traditional bar brawl. Assuming the heroes need lodgings,
  the tavern has a number of clean and inexpensive rooms
  upstairs.
  At noon the next day, once the heroes have left the tavern,
  they are confronted by a row of Musketeers (one for each
  hero and then two more). The most senior Musketeer steps
  forward and addresses the heroes. They are to be arrested on
  suspicion of the murder of Michel du Crieux, if they resist it
  will be taken as a sign of guilt. If they deny knowing the
  person, the Musketeer will point out that numerous
  witnesses state that they were seen with the deceased last
  night. The Musketeer does not know much more than that
  and if any of the heroes argue about the accusation, they
  will be told to speak to the Captain back at the compound. If
  they draw weapons, the Musketeers will follow suit and the
  extra two will level pistols at the heroes. So long as the
  heroes do not draw firearms or kill anyone, the Musketeers
  will try to overpower the heroes and reinforcements will
  arrive if the heroes start to get the upper hand. Any hero
  stupid enough to draw a firearm will get shot in the shoulder
  by one of the marksmen, if any Musketeer dies then the
  fight goes to the death.
  Unless the heroes manage to get themselves killed in this
  encounter, they will be taken to the Musketeer compound in
  the centre of town. This is a sturdy two-storey building with
  a single entrance at the front. The group will be taken down
  New Rules
  Anyone with the Cartography skill can attempt to use a
  Rutter or make a new one for a ship’s voyage. Making a
  new Rutter is a straight-forward process of recording the
  heading and speed of a ship, requiring only a check at a
  difficulty TN 10 (15 in rough weather) each time the ship
  changes course. Reading an existing Rutter is more diffi-
  cult and assuming it is not encoded or in another language
  requires a check at difficulty 20 on each course change.
  Failures mean that the ship is not quite on the correct
  heading and add together so that the ship is a certain dis-
  tance from the eventual destination. For every five points
  that the navigator fails by, the ship will be 10 miles out on
  a distance of 100 miles. So for example, a navigator than
  makes two failures ( rolling 12 and 18 ) will find the ship
  30 miles out for every 100 miles that it  travels.
  A Rutter follow the exact route of a ship, so anyone re-
  tracing a route must start from exactly the same place. If
  the route goes wrong, the only real solution is to sail back
  to the start and try again.
  
  Rose+Cross Roleplaying
  6
  to the cells in the basement and joined there by the Captain
  of the local force. Jacques du Mugeut is a honourable man
  who has the absolute loyalty of his men and rose up through
  the ranks to Captain by his skill and hard work. If the heroes
  came willingly they will be treated well and given some
  food and water as they are questioned, otherwise they will
  awake with Jacques standing on the other side of the cell
  bars. The heroes will still have any belongings on them
  apart from their weapons and their satchels or other bags.
  The Captain will question the heroes about the murder of
  Michel and their relationship to him. If they continue to
  deny knowledge, he will beckon to one of the guards who
  will bring over one of the heroes packs and reaching in draw
  out the Rutter. If the heroes did not in the end purchase the
  book from Michel, they should be somewhat surprised and
  may even accuse the Captain of planting evidence. In truth,
  the book was put into their belongings by Michel himself
  who feared something might happen to him and hoped to
  refer any attackers to the new owners of the Rutter. The
  Captain dismisses any talk of a frame-up and depending on
  how the heroes reply to his questions will either calmly
  discuss the situation or get angry and warn them not to try
  the patience of the Musketeers. At the end of the discussion,
  he will tell the group that the Magistrate has been sent for
  and will arrive tomorrow morning to rule in the case, if they
  can afford it a lawyer could be summoned or they are free to
  defend themselves. He then leaves them and goes back
  upstairs with all but one of the guards.
  Act One - Prison Break
  The heroes are left in the small cell for the arrival of the
  Magistrate. By now it is early evening and the only other
  occupants of the cells are four scruffy-looking vagrants. In
  an adjacent cell a young woman sits on her own and
  occasionally glances over at the heroes. If the heroes try to
  strike up a conversation with her, she will smile demurely
  but not reply. As the sun starts to set the guard will change
  and some food will be brought for the inmates, which the
  four vagrants will quickly devour and then hawkishly watch
  the heroes. If the heroes decide to wait until the next
  morning for action there are adequate bunks for them to
  sleep, although if at least one of them does not remain
  awake they will find that they are slightly poorer when they
  wake up in the morning and the guard will just laugh and
  shrug his shoulders if asked about it.
  Sometime during the night, one of the heroes (the one left
  awake or one at random) will be called by the woman from
  the other cell. She speaks in a whisper and sits close to the
  bars so not as to appear to be talking, suggesting that the
  hero does the same. She introduces herself as Helene and
  tells the hero that their group will be found guilty tomorrow
  and likely hang for the murder. If questioned, she will admit
  to knowing of the murder although she states she does not
  know who really committed the crime. She says that she has
  a way out of the cell, if the heroes are willing to help her to
  recover an item of property taken from her when arrested. If
  asked what crime she committed, she will say that she is a
  merchant and a rival with political connections has accused
  her of theft. Only if pressed will she say that the items are
  private letters from the Comte du Riche Paroisse that cannot
  be allowed to get into the hands of the magistrate, who is
  obviously in league with her enemy.
  Assuming that the hero agrees to her terms, she will gently
  lift her hand to show an iron key that will open the cell
  doors and secure their escape.  She states that she does not
  know how to fight and so needs the heroes to overpower the
  guards. Allow the heroes to discuss the plan between
  themselves, but remind them that there is a guard sitting
  nearby although he does not appear to be concentrating
  much on the occupants of the cells. A canny hero will work
  out that the best time to break out would be mid-watch,
  anyone with at least 4 in Wits and Criminal or Spy skills
  should figure this out or it can be suggested by Helene. The
  current guard on duty is near retirement and so should not
  Musketeers
  Threat Rating : 3
  Usual Weapons : Muskets, Fencing ( Medium )
  TN to be hit : 20
  Skills : Attack ( Firearms ) 4
                Attack ( Fencing ) 4
  Special Abilities : Considered to have a Panache of 4 in-
  stead of 3.
  
  Rose+Cross Roleplaying
  7
  prove to difficult to surprise and subdue, so long as he is
  prevented from calling out he can be safely locked in the
  cell and no other guards will arrive. The guard had one
  sword and a pistol on him, no other weapons are on this
  floor although a small storeroom contains bags of grain and
  some rope if the heroes care to look. The other prisoners can
  woken up and released as a distraction, but this will lead to
  the alarm being raised and the Captain will be ready for the
  heroes later with two brutes to accompany him.
  As mentioned earlier, the building has two floors above
  ground, the first contains the kitchen, mess hall and quarters
  for the Musketeers. Two men are in the mess hall, although if
  the heroes are quiet
  they can be avoided as
  they proceed further up.
  The top floor has the
  Captain’s office and a
  secure storeroom with a
  single guard standing
  outside. The other
  Musketeers are all out
  patrolling the town.
  The Rutter is stored in
  the storeroom and the
  heroes will have to
  subdue the guard to get
  it, this will attract the
  attention of the Captain who will grab his sword and run
  down the hall to the storeroom to find out what is happening.
  In the narrow confines, only one person can fight at a time so
  the heroes should note who is walking where. Again, if any
  Musketeer is killed the fight will pull no punches and the
  Captain will use any method he can to get the upper hand.
  While the heroes are busy, Helene will open the storeroom
  and enter. She quickly finds and grabs the Rutter before
  climbing up and out of the single window of the room. By
  this time more Musketeers will have arrived downstairs, so
  the best course of action will be to follow the escaping thief
  out of the window and over the rooftops. The heroes
  belongings are also found here, but anyone spending too
  much time collecting them risks the arrival of more guards.
  They should however have time to grab at least their
  weapons.
  Act Two - The Chase
  The chase will proceed through the early dawn of the town,
  the map in the Rose+Cross sourcebook can be used if
  available. Helene has a good start on the heroes and seems
  to be quite adept at leaping across the rooftops and then
  down onto the streets. Behind the heroes will be a number
  of Musketeers and Captain du Muguet if he is still
  conscious. Try to make the chase exciting, throwing in
  various challenges such as upturned market stalls,
  pedestrians and surprise encounters with other Musketeers
  around town.
   If any hero gets too close to Helene, she will utter a stream
  of Montaigne curses and then grab a vial from deep in her
  clothes. Drinking the vial she will start to blur and
  eventually completely disappear from sight, leaving the
  heroes standing with nothing to follow. The concentration
  should now be on escaping any pursuit, which they should
  be able to do so long as none of the heroes really messes
  anything up. Once they do make it to relative safety a voice
  will call out to them. A single figure in a black cloak will
  step from a doorway and address the heroes. His hands out
  he will not threaten them and try to assure them he is not a
  threat. Clearly stating his intentions, he draws back the
  cloak to partially show the symbol of the Rose+Cross on a
  blue tabard underneath. He introduces himself as Wandering
  The Truth
  The woman calling herself Helene is in fact the Daughter
  agent listed earlier as Rachelle Dubois du Arrent. The
  story of the love letters and the rival merchant were com-
  plete fallacies. Although it is true that she was arrested for
  theft, it was all set up to get her into the cell with the
  heroes. The item she was actually after was the Rutter,
  which she was unable to find in Michel’s lodging after she
  killed him and framed the group. She has followed a num-
  ber of leads for the past few months to get the book as un-
  like many of the copies known to the scholar community,
  this one appears to be authentic.
  
  Rose+Cross Roleplaying
  8
  Andre and says he can help the heroes. He knows of their
  escape from the Musketeers and his Order can help clear
  their name of the crime they have been framed for.
  The woman they have been chasing is known to him as
  Rachelle Dubois du Arrent and was the real killer of the
  unfortunate former owner of the Rutter. He knows where
  she is now, but they are unable to act against her themselves
  due to connections she has in the local government. If the
  heroes agree he will lead them to a small inn outside of
  town where he will produce the rest of the heroes
  belongings which they have secured for them as an act of
  good faith. He can also arrange for horses to take them to
  the manor where Rachelle is known to be based, if they do
  not want to follow this lead he will say that he understands
  and depart giving no further assistance to the group.
  Act Three - Beast in its Den
  The current home of  Rachelle Dubois du Arrent is a large
  rural estate set near woodland. While not as glamorous as
  such houses in the centre of Montaigne, it suits its current
  needs and does not attract unwanted attention. The two-
  storey main building has a number of outbuilding, including
  stables, and is enclosed by a high wall with a set of gates
  facing the main road to the town. Rachelle has hired a
  number of mercenaries to guard the estate during her stay
  and at least two patrol the grounds at all times. One further
  soldier oversees the horses in the stable block. The rest,
  including their Eisen commander, are housed in the main
  building. Unless the heroes can think of some way to get
  across the main house unnoticed, such as using porte or
  other sorcerous trick, they will have to deal with the guards
  and more importantly their guard dogs.
  Once into the house, the heroes will finally catch up with
  the rather annoyed Rachelle. After a tirade about the futility
  of heroes and various slurs on men, she will allow her
  mercenaries to deal with them as she runs upstairs to gather
  her things. There is at most one mercenary for each hero
  plus their commander Heinrich Leichtmann, a no-nonsense
  Eisen with a full beard and massive iron panzerhand at the
  end of an impressively muscled arm. He will speak little
  during the skirmish, but if the fight turns he will curse his
  men in strong Eisen terms and if all his men are defeated
  and he is reduced down to a near unconscious state he will
  submit to the superior skill of the heroes.
  Upstairs Rachelle is in one of the further bedrooms
  gathering together papers and various other items to be
  burnt, the first hero to enter the room will get a pistol shot
  directly at them. She has a number of loaded pistols on the
  desk and will use them to try and keep the heroes at bay
  long enough to finish her task. All the while shouting about
  how she has not lived this long to be upstaged by lucky
  amateurs. If the heroes figure out some way to get in the
  room or she runs out of shots, she will throw a small bronze
  globe towards them and run into the next room. A high-
  pitched whine will fill the room and the globe starts to glow.
  A hero can throw the globe out of the window if they act
  quickly enough, taking 2k1 of damage unless they cover
  their hands with something. If the item explodes everyone in
  the room takes 4k4 of damage and the rutter and everything
  else are completely destroyed. Either way, Rachelle has
  escaped once again, there being no-one in the next room and
  the open window looks out on an ornamental lake and lots
  of empty fields.
  Aftermath
  Guard Dogs
  Brawn 3, Finesse 1, Resolve 1, Wits 1, Panache 1
  TN to be Hit : 15
  Attack Roll : 4k1 Bite
  Damage : 3k2 Bite
  Skills : Footwork 2, Tracking 2
  Mercenaries
  Henchmen
  Brawn 3, Finesse 2, Wits 2, Resolve 3, Panache 2
  TN to be hit : 25
  Attack Roll : 5k3
  Damage : 5k2 ( Heavy Weapon )
  Skills : Footwork 3
  
  Rose+Cross Roleplaying
  9
  Unless it was destroyed, the Rutter should now be back in
  the possession of the heroes. The Eisen commander will not
  have attempted to escape, if questioned he will state to being
  a mercenary in the pay of the Lady du Arrent and know
  nothing of her activities or any murder. When the heroes
  leave the estate, a horseman will approach from the road, it
  being the Rose+Cross Knight introduced as Wandering
  Andre accompanied by two other mounted Poor Knights. He
  will congratulate the heroes and offer to purchase the Rutter
  from them, pointing out that it is mostly of scholarly value
  and only makes them a target for people such as Rachelle.
  He will also other the regards of the Order and can become a
  useful contact for players in the future.
  Please now take the time to fill out the feedback form on the
  Rose+Cross site, which gives your thoughts on this module
  and also relates the outcome of your group. The combined
  responses will appear in a fiction on the site in the future.
  Non-Player Characters
  Captain Jacques du Mugeut
  Brawn 3, Finesse 3, Resolve 3, Wits 4, Panache 3
  Reputation : 31
  Advantages : Montaigne (R/W), Thean, Castille,
  Commission ( Captain ), Membership ( Musketeers )
  ( Swordsman’s Guild ), Combat Reflexes
  Arcana : Inspirational
  Commander : Strategy 1, Tactic 2, Leadership 4, Ambush 2
  Courtier : Etiquette 2, Oratory 3, Politics 2
  Spy : Stealth 2, Shadowing 3, Lockpick 2
  Athlete : Climbing 2,Footwork 4, Leaping 3, Sprinting 3
  Valroux ( Journeyman ) : Double Parry 4, Feint 4, Tagging
  4, Exploit Weakness ( Valroux ) 4
  Fencing : Attack ( Fencing ) 4, Parry ( Fencing ) 3
  Knife : Attack ( Knife ) 1, Parry ( Knife ) 3
  Firearms : Attack ( Firearms ) 3, Reload 2
  Jacques du Mugeut is an exemplary Musketeer, fully
  embracing the code of the corps. Without the noble family
  and political support, that he has attained the commission of
  Captain is a mark of his natural ability to command and
  inspire. It is the action of him and his guard that have spared
  the town much of the crime and trouble usually associated
  with a rural coastal location. He is not party to the
  conspiracy that has lead to the arrest of the players although
  he realises that the tip that led him to finding the Rutter in
  their possession was somewhat convenient.
  Wandering Andre
  Brawn 3, Finesse 2, Wits 3, Resolve 2, Panache 3
  Reputation : 28
  Arcana : Insightful
  Advantages : Montaigne (R/W), Castille (R/W), Avalon,
  Thean, Membership ( Rose+Cross ) ( Swordsman’s Guild ),
  Rose+Cross Vow
  Courtier : Dancing 2, Etiquette 2, Fashion 1, Oratory 2
  Spy : Shadowing 2, Stealth 2, Disguise 1
  Streetwise : Socialising 2, Street Navigation 3
  Athlete : Climbing 3,Footwork 4,Sprinting 2,Throwing 2
  Valroux ( Journeyman ) : Double Parry 3, Feint 4, Tagging
  3, Exploit Weakness ( Valroux ) 3
  Desaix ( Journeyman ) : Double Parry 4, Feint 4, Lunge 4,
  Exploit Weakness ( Desaix ) 4
  Fencing : Attack ( Fencing ) 4, Parry 4
  Knife : Attack ( Knife ) 2, Parry ( Knife ) 3
  The young Andre Riche du Paix is the disenfranchised
  youngest child of a minor noble Montaigne family, having
  left before his arrogant elder brother could give him his
  chaffe-finch. Before joining the Order he acted as a sword
  for hire in the southern city of Paix, where his reluctance to
  accept certain commissions brought him to the attention of a
  local Sergeant Knight. His skills at subterfuge have been
  used in a number of missions over the last few years and
  have also attracted the interest of certain members of the
  Order who may call on his services soon. The last three
  months he has been tasked with watching the activity of
  Rachel Dubois du Arrent, while the Order are unaware of
  her affiliations they were alerted to her activities following
  the death of a Knight participating on an Explorer dig.
  Heinrich Lechtmann
  Brawn 4, Finesse 3, Wits 4, Resolve 5, Panache 3
  
  Rose+Cross Roleplaying
  10
  Reputation : -12
  Arcana : Arrogant
  Advantages : Eisen (R/W), Montaigne, Castille, Academy,
  Toughness, Membership ( Swordsman’s Guild )
  Commander : Ambush 4, Incitation 3, Leadership 3,
  Strategy 2, Tactics 3
  Streetwise : Socialising 2, Street Navigation 4, Scrounging
  3, Underworld Lore 5
  Hunter : Stealth 3, Survival 2, Tracking 3, Traps 2
  Eisenfaust ( Journeyman ) : Beat ( Heavy Weapon ) 4, Bind
  ( Panzerhand ) 4, Disarm ( Panzerhand ) 4, Exploit
  Weakness ( Eisenfaust ) 4
  Heavy Weapon : Attack ( Heavy Weapon ) 5, Parry 3
  Panzerhand : Attack 4, Parry 5, Uppercut 3
  Firearms : Attack ( Firearms ) 3, Reload 2
  The burly Eisen mercenary captain would on first sight
  certainly not appear to be a graduate of a prestigious
  military academy, the last of a line of noted Eisen generals
  or a former member of the Roaring Drachen. However, all
  these statements are true although Heinrich is loath to
  discuss what lead to his exile to the life of a mercenary in
  Montaigne. Although he does not know the true affiliation
  of Rachelle, he has served her on a number of different
  occasions and with different the different identities she has
  taken. He sometimes wonders why she does not appear any
  older as he notices fleck of grey appearing in his own hair
  and beard.
  Credits
  Writing and Layout
  Mark Stanton Woodward
  7th Sea System Creation
  John Wick, Jennifer Wick and Kevin Wilson
  Line Development
  Rob Vaux
  Special Thanks
  Dana DeVries
  7th Sea and all related marks are © and ™ Alderac Entertainment Group Inc. All Rights Reserved.
  Format and layout by Shakaar Design for the Official Rose & Cross Site © 2003
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/7th Sea [multi]/1st Edition/08 Other Campaigns And Adventures Of Théah/7sealoc1.pdf