TEXT: C2
  68
  NEW DIMENSION
  GAMES
  Official Game Adventures
  BY: MATT DEMILLE
  OF THE
  FABLED TREASURES
  TM
  
  For  Howard  Pyle,
       for  his  taletelling . . .
  Credits
  Designer:  Matthew  deMille
  Cover:  Howard  Pyle  (historical  picture)
  Editing,  Graphic  Design,  Typography:  Matthew  deMille
  Producer:  James  deMille
  This  work  is  protected  under  the  copyright  laws  of  the  United  States  of  America  COPYRIGHT  2002
  
  PLANNING   THE   ADVENTURE
  2
  Pssst!  Over  here,  matey.  Listen  to  what  I  be  tellin’
  ya.  There  be  a  whole  new  world  full  of  treasure!
  Ya  just  need  to  believe  in  it,  I  says.  The  Spanish
  Main!  Ships  full  of  silver!  Mountains  of  gold!
  Ahh,  a  pirate’s  life  for  me!  Let’s  get  aboard  our
  ship,  matey,  and  we’ll  be  off  a  plunderin’  and
  become  legends!
  PRONOUN  NOTE:  The  male  pronouns  (‘he’,
  ‘him’,  ‘his’)  are  used  throughout  this  ‘ere  book.
  Though  women  may  be  bad  luck  at  sea,  they’re
  right  fine  for  this  ‘ere  game,  and  we’re  not  be
  tryin’  to  exclude  ‘em,  nor  even  imply  their
  exclusion.  Centuries  of  use  have  made  these  ‘ere
  pronouns  neutral,  and  they’re  use  provides  for  clear
  and  concise  written  next—nothing  else  does.
  ABOUT  THIS  BOOK:  About  this  book  in
  particular,  indeed  this  gamebook—what  is  a
  gamebook  for  a  role-playing  game?
  What  is  in  this  book:  Contained  within  these  pages
  are  three  individual,  open-ended  Adventures  that
  will  take  the  Characters  on  thrilling  journeys  across
  the  Caribbean!  These  can  be  played  individually,  or
  used  in  chronological  order,  building  the  basis  for
  the  careers  of  the  Player  Characters.  Or,  they  may
  even  be  played  in  non-chronological  order,
  assuming  that  the  Encounters  keyed  to  specific
  years  are  omitted.
  Using  this  book:  These  Adventures  are  relatively
  short,  requiring  on  an  average  one  full  game
  session  (roughly  10  hours)  to  play  through  to  their
  end.  However,  you  may  increase  the  length  of  any
  Adventure  by  adding  Encounters  from  other  game
  gazetteers.  One  must  select  such  additions  carefully
  however,  for  each  of  the  Adventures  in  this  book
  are  carefully  constructed  and  their  own  Encounters
  are  carefully  chosen  to  lead  the  Characters  to  a
  certain  conclusion,  and  even  one  sidetrack  can
  throw  the  Players’  thinking  off  enough  to  change
  the  course  of  the  entire  Adventure.  Additional
  Encounters  are  welcome  and  even  encouraged,  but
  you  should  read  through  the  new  material  and  the
  entire  Adventure  itself  before  choosing  what  to  add
  and  where  to  add  it.
  It  is  important  to  note  that,  as  these
  Adventures  are  not  ‘full-length’,  that  they  should
  not  be  played  back-to-back,  as  Players  may  tend  to
  believe  them  to  be  one  entire  Adventure.  This
  would  lead  to  problems,  in  that  Players  would
  associate  Encounters  in  one  Adventure  with
  situations  they  face  in  another,  and  this  can  throw
  them  way  off  track  in  their  decision  making.  These
  Adventures  should  only  be  played  one-after-another
  if  the  Players  are  fully  aware  when  one  Adventure
  ends  and  that  a  new  Adventure  is  beginning.
  Indeed,  if  you  play  these  Adventures  one  after
  another,  have  a  little  ‘shore  leave’  time  in-between
  them,  perhaps  breaking  the  game  session  at  that
  point,  or  in  some  other  way  clearly  establishing  the
  time  elapsed  between  adventures.
  PREPARING  TO  PLAY:  Before  you  and  your
  friends  sit  down  to  play  this  game,  you  should
  consider  the  basic  elements  of  the  Adventure,  as
  explained  throughout  the  following  pages.
  Tales  to  be  told:  The  Adventures  in  this  book  are
  presented  in  their  chronological  order.  The  first
  Adventure,  “The  Golden  Helmet”  takes  place  in
  1562.  The  second  Adventure,  “The  Silver  Empire”,
  takes  place  in  1565.  Finally,  the  third  Adventure,
  “The  Golden  Heavens”,  takes  place  in  1568.
  Telling  these  tales:  Each  of  these  Adventures  is
  about  treasure,  and  everything  revolves  around  that
  goal,  for  both  the  Player  Characters  and  all  the
  NPCs  as  well.  Thus,  when  telling  these  stories,
  maintain  greed,  avarice  and  ‘gold  fever’  as  the
  driving  force  behind  most  (if  not  all)  themes  and
  actions.  Certainly  other  motives  and  ideals  such  as
  love,  patriotism  and  revenge  can  come  into  play,
  but  they  should  never  take  precedence  over  wealth.
  SIDE  ADVENTURES:  In  order  to  add  greater
  interest  and  fun  for  the  Player  Characters,  there  are
  provided  below  several  ‘side  adventures’.  These  are
  simple,  open-ended  Encounters  that  may  be  used  in
  any  of  the  three  Adventures  found  in  this  booklet.
  Use  them  sparingly,  for  they  do  not  last  long,  and
  moreover,  use  them  wisely,  placing  them  in  the
  story  when  they  will  be  most  effective.
  
  PLANNING   THE   ADVENTURE
  3
  1)  De Jean
  Taking  your  ease  in  a  quiet  taverne,  you  happen
  to  look  up  just  as  a  scruffy  little  man  picks  the
  innkeeper’s  pocket!
  If  the  party  gives  chase,  the  thief  will  run  like
  mad!  He  has  DS  6,  G  7,  MOVE  180’.  If  caught,
  he  will  either  (if  there  is  only  one  enemy)  fight
  with  his  dagger  (with  +1  to  his  rolls),  or  (if  he  is
  outnumbered),  introduce  himself  as  “De Jean”  and
  pretend  to  surrender  and  try  to  buy  off  the  party
  with  40  doubloons  while  at  the  same  time  making
  a  Pilfering  Check  to  lift  their  leader’s  own  purse!
  2)  Scraps  of  hope
  If  the  party  has  been  set  adrift,  perhaps  by  having
  lost  their  ship  to  a  storm,  or  having  it  stolen  or
  even  blown  out  from  under  them,  they  may  now
  find  some  hope.
  Drifting  endlessly  for  what  seems  like  a  lifetime,
  you  have  now  come  across  a  foundered  ship,
  floating  half  sunken  in  the  rolling  waves.  Scraps
  of  sails  still  catch  the  dying  breath  of  the  wind.
  The  only  thing  of  value  to  the  party  here  are
  the  sails,  which  can  be  rigged  to  allow  the  party’s
  own  longboat,  raft,  or  whatever  else  they  have
  been  castaway  in  to  achieve  a  much  better  speed,
  indeed  speed  enough  to  reach  a  harbor  (friendly  or
  otherwise)  before  they  perish.
  3)  Storm
  Run  this  Encounter  when  the  party  is  close  to
  victory  and  they  know  it.
  The  wind  picks  up,  and  sleet  begins  to  whip
  across  the  deck.  “We’re  in  for  a  blow!”  says  one
  of  the  crew.  Indeed,  it  is  not  long  before  the  sea
  unleashes  huge  waves  and  the  wind  strains  at
  your  sails!
  This  storm  is  of  Magnitude  8,  thus  challenging
  the  party’s  resolve  for  finding  their  treasure.  If
  they  are  not  in  command  of  the  ship,  the  captain
  will  ask  their  opinion  none-the-less,  himself  already
  spooked  by  the  fury  of  the  storm.
  4)  The  Queen’s  pirate
  This  opportunity  is  reserved  for  a  Sea  Hawk  or
  someone  of  English  blood  who  pays  amnesty.
  In  the  office  of  the  Governor,  the  air  is  thick
  with  gloom.  News  has  reached  the  Colonies  of
  the  many  attempts  on  the  Queen’s  life,  escalating
  the  already  high  tensions  with  Spain,  and  war  is
  inevitable.  The  Governor  informs  you  that  the
  Queen  herself  has  personally  selected  you  for  an
  important  mission.  Looking  at  the  sealed
  envelope  in  his  hand,  your  know  this  test  of
  faith  and  duty,  but  not  the  dangers  involved
  should  you  open  it.
  If  the  Character  does  indeed  accept,  the
  mission  will  turn  out  to  be  one  of  blood—to  find
  the  Spanish  prince  who  is  working  incognito  in  the
  Caribbean,  and  to  kill  him.  Who  the  Spanish
  prince  actually  turns  out  to  be  is  up  to  you  to
  decide,  for  it  can  be  any  of  the  Spanish  NPCs
  encountered  in  the  three  Adventures  provided  in
  this  booklet.  If  this  deed  is  done,  the  Character
  will  gain  60  Notoriety  Points,  and  the  unofficial
  title  of  ‘The  Queen’s  Pirate’.
  5)  The  Seven  Deaths
  The  lookout’s call  is  somewhat  soft,  and  is
  repeated  twice  before  the  crew  takes  alarm,  the
  voice  from  the  crow’s  nest  gathering  strength  like
  the  ill  winds  that  have  blown  another  ship  your
  way—a  ship  whose  black  flag  depicts  a  blood-
  red  Christian  Cross . . .
  The  other  ship  is  ‘The  Seven  Deaths’,  a
  frigate  running  23  guns  whose  captain  intends  pain
  enough  to  equal  dying  seven  times  to  all  heretics
  he  encounters—all  those  who  do  not  share  his
  particular  religious  ideals.  And,  he  has  165  2nd
  Level  pirates  to  back  him  up,  fully  armed  with
  both  weapons  and  with  scripture.  The  captain
  himself  will  not  engage  in  battle,  but  hide  in  his
  cabin,  praying  for  the  souls  of  his  victims.
  
  THE   GOLDEN   HELMET
  4
  Avast  there!  The  New  World  be  awaitin’  ye,  ya
  poor  ol’  swabbie!  ‘Tis  true,  says  I!  The  Spanish
  Main  be  but  the  gateway  ter  a  paradise  that  has
  no  law,  and  no  king.  Many  a  man’s  blood  has
  been  spilled  seekin’ a  way  to  conquer  it  all,  but  he
  who’ll  be  a  layin’ claim  ta  this  world  is  the  one
  who  follers  the  blood  on  the  waves . . .
  BEGINNING  THE  ADVENTURE:  Before  running
  this  Adventure,  it  is  a  good  idea  to  read  through  it
  just  to  be  familiar  with  the  storyline  and  key
  elements.  However,  reading  the  entire  Adventure
  beforehand  is  not  necessary  for  play.
  Timeline:  This  adventure  is  set  in  the  Caribbean  in
  the  year  1562.  Those  Encounters  that  are  marked
  with  an  ‘*’  require  the  game  to  be  played  in  this
  era.  If  your  game  does  not  adhere  to  timelines,  do
  not  use  these  Encounters.
  Background:  When  everyone  is  ready  to  play,
  begin  the  adventure  by  reading  the  narrative  below.
  The  New  World  beckons!  Too  long  have  you
  remained  behind  while  others  have  ventured  forth
  to  seek  fame  and  fortune.  All  the  tales  of  the
  sea,  of  nameless  terrors  and  countless  riches,  of
  hell  and  paradise—they  are  more  enticing  than
  the  old  life  you  have  dwelled  in  for  so  long.
  You  need  only  an  opportunity.
  At  last,  that  prayer  has  been  answered.  You
  have  been  signed  upon  a  fine,  modern  ship
  bound  for  the  Colonies.  The  crew  have  come
  from  all  walks  of  life;  seasoned  sailors  share  the
  same  deck  with  criminals  earning  an  honest  day’s
  pay,  while  pious  men  stand  watch  alongside
  horse  thieves.  A  man  who  stole  bread  to  feed
  his  starving  mother  lost  his  hand  but  still  scrubs
  the  deck  under  the  shadow  of  three  brothers  who
  have  recently  left  the  Tower  of  London—they
  only  intended  to  stay  one  night,  to  leave  with
  the  Crown  Jewels  rather  than  their  royal  pardons
  and  secretive  missions  years  later.
  One  night,  the  glimmering  lights  of  the  tiny
  hamlet  of  Isabella  beckon  your  vessel  into  the
  harbor.  As  the  anchor  sinks  to  the  shallow
  bottom,  you  overhear  that  same  trio  whispering
  about  all  the  treasure  of  the  New  World . . .
  PART  1:  THE  NEW  WORLD:  Isabella  marks
  the  gateway  to  the  New  World.  Here  is  where  the
  Great  Navigator—Christopher  Columbus—ended  his
  journey,  and  where  shall  begin  the  journey  of  the
  Player  Characters—perhaps  greater  men  yet . . .
  1)  Introduction
  This  Introduction  is  critical  to  the  Adventure’s  plot.
  Select  the  Character  who,  in  order  of  priority,  is  a
  Coasta  Guarda,  a  Spaniard,  or  the  one  who  had
  the  highest  starting  total  of  gold,  and  then  run  this
  Encounter.
  It  has  been  a  long  voyage,  but  at  last  you  put
  ashore  in  Isabella,  a  tiny  hamlet  established  by
  Columbus  himself.  The  ‘Great  Navigator’  the
  crew  names  him,  fearing  to  utter  his  name  aloud,
  fearful  indeed  of  the  legendary  curse  that
  shadows  his  memory.  But  you  need  not  fear
  such  things.  Indeed,  while  the  rest  of  the  crew
  busies  themselves  in  brothels  and  tavernes,  you
  visit  the  tomb  of  your  great  grandfather,  deep
  under  the  town’s  only  church.  There,  alone  in
  the  darkness,  you  pray  before  the  stone  coffin  of
  your  great  ancestor.  Time  passes  without  a  care,
  without  notice.  Suddenly  you  look  up—are  you
  dreaming?  Are  you . . . dead?  The  great  man
  stands  before  you,  aglow  with  angelic  light!
  “Cursed  am  I,”  says  the  spirit,  “cursed  with
  knowledge,  the  burden  of  secrets.  The  new  world
  is  but  an  illusion,  even  as  I.  The  true  world
  awaits  you,  if  you  dare  to  seek  it.  Immortality
  awaits  you!  Faith,  the  world  is  yours . . .”
  The  Character  will  be  found  some  hours  later,
  apparently  having  fallen  unconscious.  What  caused
  this  is  uncertain—fear,  shock,  weariness—it  could
  be  anything.  Moreover,  it  is  impossible  to  tell
  exactly  what  did  happen.  However,  the  Character
  will  remember  something,  words  coming  to  him,  as
  if  from  a  dream.  Using  the  following  chart,  the
  Character  will  remember  everything  equal  to  and
  below  the  number  he  rolls  on  a  single  dice.  This
  roll  will  gain  a  bonus  of  +1  if  the  Character  is
  Spanish,  if  he  has  the  Skill  of  Navigation,  and  if
  he  is  Royalty  (to  a  maximum  bonus  of  +2).
  
  THE   GOLDEN   HELMET
  5
  Cumulative   Memories
  Roll
  What  the  Character  remembers
  11-12
  “Only  when  brave  men  challenge  a  god
    will  they  find  faith”
   8-10
  “The  crown  of  those  who  live  forever
    drowns  in  the  blood  of  the  grave”
   3-7
  “The  path  to  eternal  life  is  known  only
    to  a  blind  wraith”
   1-3
  “The  new  world  begins  beyond  the  Cliffs
    of  Blood”
  If  the  tomb  is  successfully  searched,  one  will
  find  that  the  body  of  Columbus  is  missing!  No
  trace  of  it  can  be  found,  and  nobody  in  town
  knows  anything,  not  even  in  rumor.  Indeed,
  inquiries  will  only  meet  with  fear  and  superstition
  about  the  ‘curse  of  the  great  Navigator’.
  2)  The  Golden  Gull
  You  drown  away  your  worries  with  the  fine
  brews  at  the  ‘Golden  Gull’.  The  taverne  is
  spacious  and  comfortable,  unlike  the  cramped,
  seedy  pubs  of  the  Old  World.  As  you  raise
  another  mug,  you  overhear  some  sailors  telling
  an  interesting  tale,  something  about  being
  shipwrecked  on  the  ‘Cliffs  of  Blood’.  The
  barkeep  listens  with  interest  as  well,  as  the  men
  go  on  about  the  rocky  headlands  of  Colombia,
  stained  with  the  blood  of  countless  men.  “My
  best  brew  doesn’t  wash  tales  like  that  up  to  my
  counter.”  says  the  barkeep.  “I’d  wager  it’s  true,
  the  claw  of  a  curse  trying  to  draw  more  men  to
  their  doom.  I  wouldn’t  listen  if  I  were  you.”
  If  the  Character  does  indeed  approach  the
  loose-lipped  men,  they  will  not  say  anything  more
  of  substance,  except  that  they  were  seeking  ill-
  gotten  gold  when  they  were  wrecked,  and  now
  they  are  converted,  honest  Christian  men  who
  intend  to  stay  in  Isabella  and  earn  honest  trade.
  However,  if  a  Character  offers  to  attend  Sunday
  services  with  them  and  there  make  a  donation,
  every  10  gold  he  offers  (rounded  down)  is  the
  chance  in  12  that  they  will  tell  him  something
  else,  misquoting  an  old  Bible  by  saying  that  the
  “Cliffs  of  Blood  are  the  entrance  to  a  new  world,
  where  devils  are  the  guides  to  Heaven’s  secrets.”
  3)  Introduction
  At  this  point,  any  non-Spanish  Characters  may  be
  introduced  to  the  game,  though  not  in  a  way  they
  may  expect  or  accept.  Before  running  this
  Encounter,  ask  the  Players  of  such  Characters  if
  they  are  ‘daring’.  This  is  the  same  sort  of  question
  the  Characters  themselves  were  asked  when
  revolution  was  uprising  in  their  country,  and  all
  who  said  “Yes”  ended  up  here . . .
  Framed  for  crimes  in  your  homeland,  you  have
  zigzagged  across  the  seas  as  slave  property,  from
  Europe  to  Africa,  and  now  to  the  Indies.  Last
  night,  after  what  has  seemed  a  lifetime  of
  suffering,  the  winds  of  fortune  began  to  blow
  your  way.  Your  slave  ship  was  taken  by  pirates,
  and  now  you  have  put  ashore  in  the  outpost  of
  Isabella,  a  small  haven  for  outlaws  and  outcasts
  of  all  sorts.  You  are  free!
  These  new  Characters  have  all  their  equipment
  and  money,  given  to  them  by  the  pirates  for
  reasons  only  the  Players  can  tell  us.
  4)  Celebration
  This  night  is  a  magical  night!  The  citizens  of  the
  town  and  the  sailors  who  are  anchored  here
  seemed  to  have  forgotten  their  national  and  even
  their  religious  differences  all  day,  buzzing  with
  anticipation  for  the  night’s  celebration.  As  the
  sun  sets,  in  the  town  square  is  raised  a  statue  of
  the  ‘Great  Navigator’,  crowned  with  a  winged
  helmet  pained  with  goldleaf!  In  several  different
  languages  at  once  the  people  sing  a  disjointed
  song  in  honor  of  Columbus  freeing  them  from
  the  tyranny  of  Europe.  As  you  watch  their
  passion  for  the  legendary  man,  you  cannot  help
  but  feel  their  devotion  to  carve  out  a  new  world
  for  themselves  here.
  If  the  party  makes  inquiries,  they  may  learn  3
  of  the  following  rumors.  If  a  roll  duplicates  a
  rumor  they  have  already  heard,  they  will  instead
  hear  either  (if  there  are  Spaniard  PCs)  the  next
  highest  rumor  not  yet  rolled,  or  (if  there  are  no
  Spanish  PCs)  the  next  lowest  rumor  not  yet  rolled.
  
  THE   GOLDEN   HELMET
  6
  Rumors
  Roll
  Rumor  about  the  Golden  Helmet
  10-12
  The  Golden  Helmet  is  the  personal  seal
   of  ‘Erik  the  Red’,  a  Viking  who  found
   the  Americas  centuries  before  Columbus
  8-9
  The  ‘Great  Navigator’  found  this  land  by
  following  the  heathen  ways  of  the
  Vikings,  who  came  here  centuries  ago
  5-7
  And  old  song  of  seaman  says  that  “He
  who  learns  the  secret  of  the  Golden
  Helmet  will  be  king  of  the  world”
  3-4
  He  who  learns  the  secret  of  the  ‘Great
  Navigator’  will  become  immortal
  1-2
  The  Golden  Helmet  is  from  the  legendary
  city  of  ‘El  Dorado’,  the  ‘city  of  gold’
  5)  The  Blind  Wraith
  When  at  last  the  party  is  ready  to  set  sail,  fate
  will  find  them  down  at  the  docks  whether  they
  already  have  a  ship  or  not,  and  in  the  dead  calm
  of  night  they  will  have  a  strange  meeting  indeed.
  The  night  is  calm,  the  sea  glistening  under  the
  moon,  glowing  like  the  skull  of  a  ghost  from  the
  depths  of  the  harbor—no,  it  is  shining  behind  a
  lonely  flag  flying  from  the  mainmast  of  a  ship
  newly  arrived.  The  Jolly  Roger’s  eyes  have  been
  burnt  out,  and  so  the  moon  shines  as  brightly  as
  ever,  the  grinning  skull  of  Fate  bearing  crossed
  swords  that  slash  the  ship  below  with  shadows
  of  silver  light,  revealing  its  counterpart  of  the
  ship’s  prow.  Sculpted  like  a  wooden  wraith
  wielding  twin  swords,  its  own,  grinning  skull
  wears  a  blindfold,  as  if  it  doesn’t  care  who  it
  kills  as  it  cuts  through  the  Caribbean  waters.
  If  anyone  goes  aboard,  they  will  quickly  meet
  the  captain,  a  salty  Scottish  sea-dog  with  an  eye-
  patch,  one  ‘Carl  ‘Jamason’  Barks’.  He  will  openly
  discuss  his  plans  with  the  party,  that  he  is  seeking
  the  legendary  city  of  gold,  ‘El  Dorado’,  and
  believes  he  knows  where  it  lies—he  knows  where
  to  find  the  fabled  ‘Cliffs  of  Blood’,  and  he  is
  bound  for  them  with  the  morning  tide.  If  the  party
  signs  on  to  his  ship,  ‘The  Blind  Wraith’,  its
  statistics  are  provided  on  Handout  1,  and  those  of
  Captain  Barks  on  Handout  2.
  PART  2:  IN  SEARCH  OF  A  LEGEND:  Sailing
  in  search  of  the  ‘Cliffs  of  Blood’,  the  Characters
  will  face  a  186  league  voyage  southwest  to  the
  Colombian  Highlands,  the  Cliffs  rising  somewhere
  between  the  Spanish  cities  of  Rio  de la Hacha  and
  Santa  Marta.  Along  the  way,  they  will  have  many
  adventures,  as  accounted  for  in  the  following
  Encounters,  which  you  may  use  at  your  leisure.
  6)  Introduction
  Any  stragglers  who  wish  to  join  the  game  may
  now  do  so,  as  part  of  the  crew  aboard  the  party’s
  main  vessel.  If  this  ship  is  anything  other  than  the
  ‘Blind  Wraith’,  when  reading  the  following
  narrative,  substitute  ‘BLIND  WRAITH’  with  their
  ship’s  right  name.
  It  is  a  fine  day,  the  crimson  sun  casting  a
  blood-red  glow  upon  the  Caribbean  waters  as  the
  captain  of  the  ‘BLIND  WRAITH’  gathers  all
  hands  on  deck  to  review  the  ship’s  Articles.
  All  new  Player  Characters  are  present  and
  accounted  for.  If  the  captain  is  a  PC  himself,  the
  Articles  are  his  to  specify,  if  needs  be.  If  the
  captain  is  an  NPC,  the  Articles  will  not  be
  specified,  and  this  moment  will  instead  turn
  towards  the  party’s  destination—the  legendary  Cliffs
  of  Blood.  The  captain  will  say  “We  are  bound  for
  the  gate  to  Heaven,  my  hearties!  Somewhere
  between  the  twin  ports  of  Rio  and  Marta  is  the
  entrance  to  a  glorious  world,  known  only  to  the
  history  books  of  scholars.  The  Cliffs  of  Blood  are
  the  beginning  of  our  journey,  so  be  at  ease  now.”
  7)  The  Undertaker*
  The  sighting  of  a  sail  is  usually  call  for  great
  excitement,  but  as  the  crew  gathers  amidships,  a
  wave  of  despair  seems  to  wash  over  one  and  all.
  For  there,  out  on  the  calm  waves,  is  a  merchant
  ship  the  lookout  identifies  as  ‘The  Undertaker’.
  “It’s  an  English  ship,”  someone  says,  “carrying
  coffins.  I  know.  I  used  to  be  a  choir-boy.  There
  isn’t  Royal  oak  in  the  Indies,  and  there  have
  been  plagues  aplenty  further  south.  I’d  wager  my
  very  soul  it’s  the  black  magyk  of  cannibals.”
  
  THE   GOLDEN   HELMET
  7
  The  Undertaker  is  indeed  carrying  a  cargo  of
  oak  coffins,  due  to  fetch  high  prices  at  Royal
  funerals.  If  attacked,  the  merchantman  will
  surrender  no  matter  what,  as  they  to  are  afraid  of
  the  evil  plagues  in  the  south  and  so  they  do  not
  really  wish  to  finish  their  voyage.
  8)  Pirate  hunters
  Use  this  Encounter  sometime  during  the  last  2
  days  of  the  party’s  voyage  to  Colombia.
  The  gloomy  light  of  pre-dawn  breathes  a  thin
  mist  over  the  deck.  As  the  sun  climbs  over  the
  crest  of  the  horizon  away  to  the  east,  it  rises
  like  the  bloody  flag  of  a  large  galleon,  the
  silhouette  of  the  giant  gunrunner  appearing  like  a
  demon  that  stalked  you  through  the  night,  not  at
  all  detered  by  the  dawn,  its  iron  teeth  of
  countless  cannon  ready  to  close  down  upon  you.
  The  galleon  is  a  Spanish  pirate  hunter,
  patrolling  the  waters  near  the  twin  ports  on  the
  Colombian  coast.  If  the  party’s  vessel  has  been
  flying  a  Spanish  flag  that  night,  the  galleon  will
  leave  them  be.  However,  it  will  be  too  late  to  fool
  their  crafty  captain  otherwise,  who  will  round  on
  the  party  and  demand  surrender.  If  the  party
  chooses  to  fight,  whether  by  their  command  or  by
  their  decision  inspiring  their  crew  beyond  the
  command  of  any  NPC  captain,  the  enemy  Spanish
  galleon  is  running  18  cannon,  and  is  manned  by
  240  well  armed  Spaniards,  a  good  200  1st  Level
  men  led  on  by  the  40  3rd  Level  Coasta  Guarda
  aboard.  However,  the  Spanish  captain  will  not
  fight,  but  remain  secure  in  his  cabin,  and  will
  surrender  at  once  if  found,  or,  if  the  party  is
  defeated  and  captured,  he  will  rise  from  his  desk
  and  instruct  them  that  they  will  be  sold  as  slaves
  in  the  port  of  Rio  de la Hacha,  a  fate  that  will
  bring  them  straight  to  Encounter  10.  Given  the
  warning  of  this  pirate  hunter’s  presence,  if  the
  party  willingly  goes  to  any  Colombian  city,
  continue  normally  and  play  Part  3  of  this
  Adventure,  but  if  they  decide  to  avoid  the  twin
  ports  and  sail  straight  for  the  Cliffs  of  Blood,
  move  ahead  to  Part  4.
  PART  3:  THE  BARON’S  GAME:  Assuming  that
  the  party  both  desires  and  manages  to  enter  one  of
  the  large  Colombian  cities  (Rio  de la Hacha  or
  Santa  Marta),  two  different  events  may  occur,  as
  detailed  in  the  following  Encounters.
  Guard  patrols:  If  the  party  ever  causes  trouble  in
  town,  guards  patrol  in  groups  of  4  and  6  (the
  latter  only  in  wealthy  areas  such  as  merchant
  streets,  storehouses  and  Royal  villas),  always  with
  DS  8,  G  8,  MOVE  100’,  they  each  have  a  cutlass
  and  a  pistol,  and  +2  to  use  them  both.  They  are
  all  Level  1  save  for  an  offer  who  is  Level  2.
  Acquiring  crew:  If  the  party  actually  snuck  into
  town  but  still  wish  to  acquire  crew  members,  a
  successful  Searching  Check  is  required  to  find  a
  seedy  enough  taverne  where  there  are  men  willing
  to  defy  the  Spanish  crown  by  signing  on  with  a
  pirate  crew.
  9)  Audience  with  the  Baron
  Each  Character  stands  a  chance  in  12  equal  to  his
  Notoriety  Level  (increased  by  2  if  he  is  Spanish)
  of  being  heard  of,  noticed  or  sought  by  the  guards,
  to  be  brought  before  the  governor.  This  chance  is
  reduced  by  3  for  every  Level  to  one’s  Skill  of
  Disguise  (if  any).
  The  Governor,  the  bulbous  Baron  Domingo,  sits
  upon  a  plush  throne  atop  a  raised  dais,
  overlooking  four  scribes  who  work  at  desks  for
  him.  He  leans  forward  on  his  plump  thighs,  and
  his  fat  fingers  melt  together  as  his  chin  sharpens
  with  a  grin  of  devilish  delight.  “Since  the  year
  of  our  Lord  Fifteen  Forty-Five,”  he  begins
  smoothly,  “when  silver  was  discovered  in  heathen
  Peru,  we  have  been  mining  in  earnest,  however,
  this  business  has  discouraged  many  a  good  man
  from  maintaining  a  captaincy,  and  good  reports
  to  send  to  the  king  of  Spain  are  harder  to  come
  by.”  He  leans  back,  content  with  his  short  speech
  and  the  apparent  notion  that  you  will  accept  it
  without  question.  “If  you  pledge  your  service  to
  me,  you  will  be  well  rewarded.  We  need  good
  captains.  God  needs  good  captains.”
  
  THE   GOLDEN   HELMET
  8
  If  the  Player  Characters  seem  at  all  reluctant
  to  accept  this  offer,  the  Baron  will  add  as  a  teaser
  “Even  the  sixty  ships  of  the  Treasure  Fleet  is  a
  small  number  compared  to  the  armada  that  used  to
  come  through  our  great  city.”  Anyone  who  declines
  the  Baron’s  offer  will  be  sent  on  his  way,  while
  anyone  who  accepts  it  will  receive  a  ‘letter  of
  marque’  authorizing  attacks  on  enemies  of  the
  Spanish  crown,  a  ship  of  a  Value  equal  to  his
  Notoriety  Level  (+2  if  he  is  Spanish),  1100-2200
  pieces  of  eight  to  provision  it  with,  and  10-60
  additional  men  to  man  the  vessel.  However,  the
  Baron  has  done  all  this  for  a  reason,  and  that  is
  that  he  is  setting  the  party  up . . .
  10)  Judgment  of  the  Baron
  If  anyone  is  ever  captured  by  the  guards  (or  by
  the  pirate  hunter  off  the  coast),  they  will  be
  brought  before  the  city’s  governor  for  trial.
  The  trial  is  presided  over  by  the  Governor
  himself,  the  bulbous  Baron  Domingo,  sitting  upon
  a  plush  throne  atop  a  raised  dais,  overlooking
  four  scribes  who  work  at  desks  for  him.  He
  leans  forward  on  his  plump  thighs,  and  his  fat
  fingers  melt  together  as  his  chin  sharpens  with  a
  grin  of  devilish  delight.  “Since  the  year  of  our
  Lord  Fifteen  Forty-Five,”  he  begins  smoothly,
  “when  silver  was  discovered  in  heathen  Peru,  we
  have  been  mining  in  earnest,  however,  this
  business  has  discouraged  many  a  good  man  from
  maintaining  a  captaincy,  allowing  cutthroats  like
  you  to  roam  freely,  but  not  in  my  city.”  He
  leans  back,  content  with  his  short  speech  and  the
  apparent  notion  that  you  will  accept  his  judgment
  without  question.  “Are  you  guilty  or  not  guilty?”
  Each  individual  will  take  the  stand  for  himself,
  though  the  verdict  will  quickly  degenerate  into
  ‘guilty’  unless  his  defense  includes  his  search  for
  the  ‘Cliffs  of  Blood’,  the  ‘Golden  Helmet’,  or  ‘El
  Dorado’.  Any  such  story  will  encourage  the  Baron
  to  say  “You  go  willingly  to  a  greater  judge  and  a
  more  terrible  sentence  than  my  noble  heart  could
  ever  invent”,  and  he  will  indeed  let  that  person  go
  free.  However,  he  does  this  for  a  reason,  and  that
  secretly  he  will  be  sending  men  to  follow  them . . .
  PART  4:  SEA  OF  BLOOD:  Following  the
  northern  coast  of  Colombia,  stretching  from  the
  twin  ports  of  Rio  de la Hacha  and  Santa  Marta,  the
  party  will,  by  sea  or  by  land,  at  last  come  to  the
  Cliffs  of  Blood  after  1-12  days  of  searching.
  11)  The  Gate  of  Blood
  The  waves  crash  against  the  headlands  for
  hundreds  of  miles,  and  when  defeated  by  the
  coral  and  crags,  the  waters  gently  slide  in
  amongst  the  rocks,  filling  countless  small  coves
  and  lagoons.  After  many  days,  you  come  upon
  perhaps  the  most  beautiful  harbor  you  have  ever
  seen,  a  tranquil  lagoon  surrounded  by  sheer  clefts
  of  sun-baked,  reddish  stone,  broken  only  by  a
  narrow  ravine  that  is  filled  with  the  jungle
  spilling  down  from  above.  You  have  no  doubt
  that  you  have  found  the  Cliffs  of  Blood  at  last.
  A  successful  Searching  Check  will  discover  an
  inscription  upon  one  low  cliff,  just  below  the  tide-
  line,  requiring  the  party  to  wait  1-6  hours  for  the
  tide  to  go  out  so  they  can  read  it.  The  writing  is
  old  and  worn,  requiring  a  Wits  Check  to  make  out
  in  full.  If  this  Check  fails,  they  may  still  read  the
  inscription,  minus  those  letters  that  are  in  bold;
  ‘The  Golden  Helmet  is  not  of  this  world.  He  who
  wears  the  gilded  wings  is  king  of  the  New  World.
  One  man’s  fortune  is  the  doom  of  all’.  If  the
  Players  wish  to  try  and  make  out  the  vague
  writing  themselves,  it  is  duplicated  on  Handout  3.
  12)  The  Cove  of  Blood
  If  the  party  decides  to  camp  in  the  cove
  surrounded  by  the  Cliffs  of  Blood,  that  night . . .
  Tonight,  the  moon  is  blood-red,  or  perhaps  that’s
  just  the  light  reflecting  off  the  surrounding  cliffs,
  an  illusion,  nothing  more.  Still,  the  smell  of
  fresh  blood  is  thick  in  the  warm,  muggy  air.
  An  Intuition  Check  is  required  to  follow  this
  smell,  which  will  lead  one  back  to  a  random  party
  member  (PC  or  NPC)—he  is  bleeding  from  his
  ears,  a  wound  of  -2  effect,  the  victim  of  a  curse!
  
  THE   GOLDEN   HELMET
  9
  PART  5:  THE  FORBIDDEN  PATH:  From  the
  Cliffs  of  Blood,  the  party  will  face  a  grueling
  journey  on  foot,  making  their  way  30  leagues  into
  the  Colombian  highlands.  There  are  only  vague
  footpaths  to  follow,  so  no  matter  which  way  they
  go  at  any  given  time,  the  party’s  speed  will
  remain  constant  and  the  following  Encounters  will
  inevitably  occur  in  their  present  order.
  13)  Lord  of  the  flies
  The  sweltering  jungle  is  Heaven  and  Hell
  combined,  as  if  the  refuse  of  both  had  been
  dumped  into  the  world;  golden  sunlight  streams
  through  the  lush  treetops,  only  to  reveal  clouds
  of  buzzing  mosquitoes.  The  narrow  path  runs
  alongside  an  old  wall,  the  last  remnant  of  long
  abandoned  farms,  the  jungle  having  pushed  the
  Spanish  settlers  back  towards  the  sea  and
  consumed  their  houses.  At  the  end  of  the  wall  is
  a  boar’s  head  stuck  atop  a  crude  pike,  flies
  buzzing  in  and  out  of  its  eyes  and  mouth,  a
  warning  symbol  of  the  native  people.
  If  anyone  touches  or  disturbs  this  symbol  in
  any  way,  he  will  be  cursed  (Magnitude  of  3),
  penalizing  all  his  Ability  Checks  by  -1  until  he
  leaves  these  hills  (enters  a  town  or  the  sea  itself).
  14)  Hermit*
  By  the  shore  of  a  small  lake  you  see  a  tiny  hut.
  The  lower  half  of  the  wall  is  built  with
  cobblestone  and  the  roof  is  of  a  steep  slope,
  indicating  a  European  design.  As  you  approach,  a
  rickety  old  man,  more  fragile  than  his  own  hut,
  staggers  into  the  light,  though  the  eve  of  the
  roof  yet  hides  his  face  in  shadow.  He  trembles
  to  even  stand  still,  so  old  and  frail,  as  if  you
  were  Death  in  person  come  to  take  him  away.
  If  the  party  is  friendly,  a  successful  Charisma
  Check  will  earn  the  old  man’s  trust,  and  he  will
  invite  the  party  inside  his  dingy,  filthy  hut,  where
  by  an  empty  hearth  and  the  carefully  constructed
  skeleton  of  a  sleeping  dog  he  will  tell  them  quite
  a  tale.  The  old  man  will  name  himself  ‘William’,
  once  upon  a  time  the  cabin  boy  for  the  Great
  Navigator,  Columbus  himself!  However,  the  title  of
  ‘Great  Navigator’  he  will  scoff  at,  claiming
  Columbus  instead  to  be  the  ‘Great  Legend’,  for
  when  they  sailed  to  the  New  World,  they  followed
  the  clues  left  by  the  Vikings  of  centuries  earlier,
  nor  was  Columbus  honest  about  his  true  goal—he
  ever  sought  the  legendary  Golden  Helmet,  knowing
  that  by  the  Council  of  Rome  in  792,  the  symbol
  of  Erik  the  Red,  who  truly  discovered  the
  Americas,  would  make  whoever  owned  it  the  king
  of  the  New  World,  regardless  of  what  laws  have
  been  passed  in  Europe  since!
  15)  Blood  and  greed
  The  endless  days  and  relentless  heat  of  the
  highlands  are  broken  by  the  sweet  song  of  a
  nearby  waterfall—your  sweaty,  sticky  flesh  can
  feel  the  cool,  refreshing  air  already.
  Have  each  Character  make  an  Intuition  Check.
  Those  who  are  successful  will  hear  a  drumbeat
  beneath  the  roar  of  the  nearby  waterfall.  This  is
  the  beat  of  native  wardrums—they  will  be  on  the
  party  in  2  Rounds!  When  they  arrive,  these  savage
  men  will  be  wearing  masks  of  white  clay  with  red
  stripes—blood  from  their  own  fingertips.  These
  wild  men  will  outnumber  the  party  by  4,  and  each
  has  DS  7,  G  7,  MOVE  160’,  they  are  effectively
  Level  4,  and  they  wield  spears  with  +3  to  their
  Attack  Rolls  for  2  Base  Damage.  These  natives
  will  fight  to  the  death.  If  the  party  flees  to  the
  waterfall  (300’  away),  the  natives  will  not  follow,
  as  that  area  is  sacred  to  them,  however,  the  party’s
  defiling  it  will  cause  them  to  beat  their  drums  to
  draw  an  additional  20  spearmen  who  will  arrive
  after  5  Rounds  and  surround  the  area,  intent  on
  never  letting  the  party  leave  that  area  alive.
  The  Spaniards  that  are  following  the  party  by
  Baron  Domingo’s  orders  will  wait  until  the  party’s
  fight  with  the  natives  has  finished  and  then  attack,
  seeking  to  capture  rather  than  kill.  These  men
  outnumber  the  party  by  2,  and  each  has  a  DS  9,
  G  8,  MOVE  100’,  they  each  wear  Spanish  armor
  and  a  helmet,  and  have  a  cutlass  and  a  pistol  with
  +2  to  use  them  both.  They  are  all  Level  1.  If  the
  party  defeats  these  Spaniards,  any  left  alive  will
  offer  to  serve  the  party  in  any  manner.
  
  THE   GOLDEN   HELMET
  10
  PART  6:  THE  TEMPLE  OF  DOOM:  Only  the
  natives  know  where  to  find  any  treasure,  much  less
  the  Golden  Helmet  itself.  The  party  may  gain  such
  information  from  the  natives  in  Encounter  15,  or,
  they  may  simply  look  behind  the  waterfall . . . and
  find  the  following  Encounters,  to  be  played  one
  and  all  and  in  their  presented  order.
  16)  Foyer
  The  moist  cave  leads  deep  back  into  the  hills,
  opening  at  last  in  a  large  cavern,  filled  with
  mystery.  The  rough,  natural  walls  have  for
  hundreds  of  years  been  carved  into  a  surrounding
  army  of  grotesque  idols,  demons  and  gods.  The
  tall,  sharp  stalagmites  are  each  stacked  with
  several  human  skulls.  At  the  far  end,  a  large
  cave  opens  in  the  center  of  the  cavern’s  only
  smooth  wall,  which  is  covered  with  a  bizarre
  mural  depicting  men  falling  off  cliffs  into  a  sea
  of  blood,  while  one  alone  walks  through  the  air
  above  the  cave  itself,  aloft  with  golden  wings.
  A  successful  search  of  the  cave  will  discover
  an  old  Bible  under  some  rocks,  which  contains  a
  folded  piece  of  parchment  just  inside  the  cover.
  The  paper  has  several  lines  written  in  Spanish.  If
  translated,  the  writing  reads  as  thus:
  Three  cats!  Three  cats!  Three  cats!
  As  you  make  your  bed,  so  you  must  lie  in  it
  A  rolling  stone  gathers  no  moss
  The  bigger  they  are,  the  harder  they  fall
  If  nobody  can  read  Spanish,  the  Players  may
  attempt  to  translate  this  writing  for  themselves  by
  studying  Handout  4.  In  either  event,  the  translation
  of  these  verses  is  provided  as  Handout  5.
  17)  The  first  challenge
  The  tunnel  comes  to  a  dead  end.  In  the  center
  of  this  cave  rests  a  large,  oaken  coffin,  clearly
  of  European  design,  though  it  appears  it  has
  been  here  for  centuries.  The  wood  is  carved  with
  countless  demonic  cats.  The  ceiling  arches  thirty
  feet  overhead,  reaching  its  height  above  the
  coffin,  where  a  narrow  shaft  leads  straight  up.
  It  is  all  but  impossible  to  reach  the  shaft,  as
  the  inclined  cave  walls  are  very  slippery,  and  it  is
  too  narrow  to  throw  a  grappling  hook  up  into.  The
  coffin  is  fixed  to  the  floor  and  cannot  be  moved.
  If  opened,  one  will  find  that  the  coffin  is  empty.
  If  someone  lays  down  inside  of  it  and  closes  the
  lid,  his  body  upon  its  counter-weighted  bottom  and
  the  closing  lid  will  complete  the  trigger  of  a
  trap—the  cave  will  sealed  with  a  heavy  stone  door
  and  quickly  begin  to  flood!  The  coffin  is  air-tight,
  and  soon  the  person  inside  may  open  the  lid  into
  the  submerged  cave  and  swim  up  the  otherwise
  unclimbable  shaft,  coming  at  last  to  Encounter  18.
  18)  The  second  challenge
  At  the  top  of  the  shaft,  you  find  yourself  at  one
  end  of  a  wide,  rounded  tunnel,  running  back  into
  utter  darkness.  To  either  side  of  the  tunnel  is  the
  statue  of  a  cat  poised  atop  a  large  sphere.
  About  40’  down  the  tunnel,  there  are  several
  pressure  plates,  and  a  passing  Character  stands  a
  10  in  12  chance  of  tripping  one,  which  will
  release  a  10’  diameter  spherical  boulder  from  the
  ceiling  above  and  behind  him!  This  boulder  will
  fill  the  tunnel  and  cannot  be  avoided,  save  for
  outrunning  it,  the  mere  attempt  of  anything  else
  resulting  in  the  Character  being  crushed  to  death!
  If  the  Character  can  move  a  total  of  300’  in  3
  Rounds’  time,  where  at  last  the  tunnel  will  narrow
  and  pass  through  an  arch  which  will  block  the
  boulder,  he  will  come  to  Encounter  19.
  19)  The  third  challenge
  Passing  through  an  archway,  you  enter  what
  appears  to  be  some  sort  of  ancient  temple.  The
  rough  hewn  walls  are  cloven  with  deep  alcoves
  filled  with  candles  and  granite  statues  of  cats
  poised  behind  deep  basins.  Smooth,  rounded
  pillars  support  the  weary,  stone  ceiling,  and  in
  the  center  of  all  the  floor  rises  up  circular,  tiered
  steps  to  a  limestone  altar.  Set  upon  the  altar  is  a
  ceremonial  bowl  of  simple  clay,  fixed  to  what
  looks  like  a  primitive  scale  or  counter-weight.
  The  ceiling  is  pierced  by  a  narrow  shaft  of  light
  that  lands  directly  on  the  bowl  itself.
  
  THE   GOLDEN   HELMET
  11
  A  successful  search  will  discover  some  strange
  writing  around  the  rim  of  the  bowl.  If  one  can
  translate  any  native  writing  (as  the  people  who
  made  this  temple  gave  rise  to  the  other  native
  civilizations  that  are  more  well  known,  and  thus
  their  language  is  similar  to  all  others),  it  reads
  ‘Give  to  the  gods  that  which  gives  life  and  they
  shall  offer  eternal  life  in  return’.  If  one  fills  the
  bowl  with  water  or  any  other  liquid,  it  will  cause
  the  entire  floor  of  the  chamber  to  open,  revealing
  a  gaping  pit—everyone  in  the  room  must  make  an
  Agility  Check  or  fall  40’ onto  sharp  spikes!
  However,  during  the  2  Rounds  it  takes  for  the
  floor  to  re-set  itself,  a  successful  Searching  Check
  will  discover  a  cave  below  the  level  of  the  pit-trap
  floor,  the  beginning  of  a  tunnel  which  leads  to  the
  otherwise  unfindable  Encounter  20.
  20)  Altar  of  Eternity
  You  enter  into  a  grand,  ceremonial  chamber
  where  no  man  has  been  for  centuries.  Thick
  moss  covers  most  everything  in  the  room,  though
  it  cannot  age  the  stone  skin  of  a  huge  idol  rising
  against  the  far  wall.  This  granite  giant  has  four
  arms  and  four  eyes,  and  resting  in  its  lap  is  a
  huge  cauldron,  once  the  basin  of  a  fountain  fed
  by  his  gaping  mouth.  Now,  however,  he  merely
  drools  vines  and  filth,  and  the  cauldron  is  filled
  with  mud,  spilling  over  onto  the  floor,  which  is
  swimming  with  snakes  of  all  kinds!
  Inside  the  cauldron,  submerged  in  the  mud,  is
  the  Golden  Helmet!  However,  in  order  to  reach  it,
  one  must  fend  off  1-12  vipers  each  Round!  The
  Golden  Helmet  is  worth  35000  for  its  gold  alone,
  but  its  Viking  design  and  winged  fins  represent  the
  old  gods,  the  seal  of  Erik  the  Red,  and  the  rightful
  ownership  of  the  Americas!
  CONCLUDING  THE  ADVENTURE:  Once  the
  party  has  found  the  Golden  Helmet  or  given  up  in
  the  search,  there  are  some  things  to  consider.
  King  of  the  New  World?:  If  the  party  decides  to
  employ  the  law  of  792,  and  so  become  the  hopeful
  New  World  King,  things  will  not  be  as  easy  as
  legend  makes  them.  As  no  current  government  is
  going  to  want  to  relinquish  any  power,  all  claims
  for  the  law  established  by  the  Council  of  Rome
  will  meet  only  with  politics  and  paper,  resulting  in
  total  denial  of  the  Golden  Helmet’s  legitimacy,  the
  Helmet’s  curse  causing  nothing  but  turmoil  within
  the  establishment.  However,  if  someone  claims  the
  Helmet  for  himself,  he  will  endure  both  great
  success  and  great  misfortune . . .
  Curse  of  the  Golden  Helmet:  Even  though  all
  governments  will  deny  the  legitimacy  of  the
  Golden  Helmet,  its  curse  will  be  as  strong  as
  ever—many  will  seek  to  claim  it  for  themselves,
  and  authority  will  always  fear  it,  the  Helmet
  becoming  the  eye  of  a  storm  of  blood  and  war
  that  will  forever  surround  the  party  unless  they  get
  rid  of  it.  The  Helmet’s  legend  will  increase  the
  Notoriety  of  the  captain  whose  ship  carries  it  by
  +20,  but  those  who  attack  the  party  will  gain  +1
  to  their  crew’s  rolls,  and  storms  shall  increase  in
  magnitude  by  +1  by  day  and  +4  by  night.
  Native  languages:  If  someone  has  the  potential  for
  an  additional  language  more  than  they  already
  speak  (as  per  their  Wits  Score),  and  drank  of  the
  ceremonial  bowl  in  Encounter  19,  he  will  forever
  after  posses  the  magical  ability  to  read  (but  not
  necessarily  speak)  all  languages  of  the  native
  peoples  of  the  Caribbean.
  Governor  Domingo:  If  the  party  met  with  Baron
  Domingo,  he  may  have  sent  the  Blood  Fleet  after
  them,  no  matter  how  friendly  or  unfriendly  he
  seemed  to  them,  as  he  wanted  to  use  them  to
  further  his  status  in  the  eyes  of  the  king  of  Spain,
  and  promote  his  favorite  captains  along  the  way.
  Thus,  if  the  party  survived  this  Adventure,  they
  will  always  find  Baron  Domingo’s  city  hostile
  towards  them,  unless  they  pay  him  off  with  either
  12000  gold  or  the  Golden  Helmet  itself.
  Carrying  on:  This  story  can  immediately  continue
  on  into  Adventure  #2  in  this  booklet,  in  1565,
  whether  the  party  continues  fighting  the  Spanish
  crown  or  not.  If  this  is  done,  have  there  be  a
  ‘lull’  in  the  action,  as  Spain  feigns  peace  with
  other  nations  long  enough  for  that  Adventure  to
  take  place.
  
  THE   SILVER   EMPIRE
  12
  Ssssst!  Don’t  be  tellin’  anyone  I  told  ya  this,  but
  truth  be  told,  the  Spanish  Empire  in  the  New
  World  has  a  heart,  a  heart  and  a  weakness,  and
  after  a  few  ter  many  years,  lifetimes  says  I,  that
  heart  is  about  to  stop  beatin’.  Faith,  that  you  and
  yer  mates  can  make  it  happen,  and  all  fer  yer  own
  reward,  of  fame,  fortune,  and  the  blessin’  o’  the
  Lord  Himself!  Can  ya  bring  down  an  empire?
  They  be  flyin’  in  the  face  a  God,  and  so  yer
  must!  Now,  let  me  tell  ya  how . . .
  BEGINNING  THE  ADVENTURE:  Before  running
  this  Adventure,  it  is  a  good  idea  to  read  through  it
  just  to  be  familiar  with  the  storyline  and  key
  elements.  However,  reading  the  entire  Adventure
  beforehand  is  not  necessary  for  play.
  Timeline:  This  adventure  is  set  in  the  Caribbean  in
  the  year  1565.  Those  Encounters  that  are  marked
  with  an  ‘*’  require  the  game  to  be  played  in  this
  era.  If  your  game  does  not  adhere  to  timelines,  do
  not  use  these  Encounters.
  Background:  When  everyone  is  ready  to  play,
  begin  the  adventure  by  reading  the  narrative  below.
  Since  King  Philip  II  took  the  Spanish  throne
  almost  ten  years  ago,  Spain  has  become  the
  strongest  power  in  Europe,  girt  with  the  gold  and
  silver  mined  from  the  New  World.  Their  greatest
  strength  is  in  Peruvian  silver,  and  so  has  the
  New  World  earned  a  new  name,  the  ‘Silver
  Empire’.  Flying  in  the  face  of  God,  another  ten
  years  and  they’ll  be  as  strong  as  they  claim.
  While  other  nations  squabble  amongst
  themselves  and  fight  foolish  religious  factions,
  the  Spaniards  have  quietly  built  an  empire  by
  conquering  savages,  bleeding  with  sweat  and  hard
  work,  and  fighting  for  a  new  world  rather  than
  the  old—a  world  ruled  by  the  Silver  Empire.
  Finally  has  the  rest  of  the  world  begun  to
  realize  and  accept  just  how  powerful  and
  blasphemous  the  Spanish  have  become,  and  many
  are  scrambling  to  plunder  this  new  wealth.  And
  why  not?  Endless  tales  tell  of  treasure-laden
  ships  bound  for  Europe,  which  are  ripe  for  the
  taking,  the  blood-stained  silver  belonging  to  you
  just  as  much  as  the  Spanish  who  killed  for  it…
  PART  1:  THE  HEART  OF  AN  EMPIRE:  This
  voyage  will  begin  with  political  intrigue,  deception
  and  reception  by  both  deceivers  and  retrievers  of
  fame  and  fortune  alike.  Play  the  following
  Encounters  in  the  order  that  they  are  presented.
  1)  Introduction
  This  Introduction  is  critical  to  the  Adventure’s  plot.
  Select  the  Character  of  the  most  devoted  and
  determined  Player,  and  run  this  Encounter.
  Damn  them  treacherous  crews  and  cowardly
  captains—you  have  been  captured  by  the  Coasta
  Guarda!  Left  for  dead  in  the  hold,  everyone  else
  has  indeed  died,  but  you  remain  awake  amongst
  the  damned,  your  heart  refusing  to  quit.  Yet  you
  wish  you  were  dead.  The  days  and  nights  drift
  by  with  little  light  of  sun  or  moon  reaching  you
  in  your  wet,  wooden  prison.
  At  last  you  hear  words  of  hope—a  way  to
  strike  back  at  the  empire,  if  you  ever  get  the
  chance.  Overhead  on  the  deck,  you  can  hear
  several  officers  engaged  in  a  heated  debate.  You
  can’t  hear  all,  but  you  can  pick  out  enough
  words  to  surmise  that  they  represent  the  ‘Council
  of  the  Indies’,  and  cannot  decide  how  to  best
  use  the  unmatched  power  of  their  unassailable
  armada—the  legendary  Treasure  Fleet!  It  seems
  that  they  are  deeply  concerned  about  how  to
  protect  the  ‘Panama  Trail’  northwest  of  Nombre
  de Dios.  From  the  way  they  talk,  there  is  little  if
  any  protection  that  can  be  offered  to  their  silver
  trains  in  those  dense  jungles.  They  never  reach  a
  decision,  and  soon  they  leave,  perhaps  to  feast
  while  you  starve  in  the  darkness.
  Later,  much  later,  days,  perhaps  a  month,  you
  and  the  rest  of  the  bodies  are  hoisted  into  the
  sunlight  and  dumped  into  a  shallow  lagoon,  your
  own  flesh  to  be  the  feast  of  the  fish . . . but  your
  heart  will  not  quit . . .
  The  Character  can  easily  find  his  wandering
  way  to  the  nearby  Spanish  city  of  Santa  Marta.  If
  he  successfully  searches  the  other  bodies,  he  will
  find  a  total  of  3-36  pieces  of  eight  on  them.  He
  will  begin  the  game  with  no  other  money  or
  equipment  of  any  kind.
  
  THE   SILVER   EMPIRE
  13
  2)  Introduction
  Anyone  who  does  not  have  their  own  ship  may
  begin  the  game  here,  in  Santa  Marta.
  The  lovely  seaside  town  of  Santa  Marta  is
  bustling  with  activity.  In  the  taverne  of  the  ‘Plata
  Espada’,  the  Spanish  gleefully  talk  about  the  vast
  wealth  of  the  Treasure  Fleet  that  recently
  departed,  leaving  much  business  in  its  wake.
  They  banter  on  about  how  Spain’s  empire  will
  last  forever,  that  their  fleets  are  too  strong  to
  defeat,  their  ports  too  heavily  fortified,  all  for
  God’s  favor  for  the  silver  they  bring  Him.  They
  drink  a  toast  to  the  ‘Council  of  the  Indies’  for
  their  wisdom  in  war  and  trade.  The  non-Spanish
  patrons  argue  that  “All  it  takes  is  one  little  leak
  to  sink  any  ship”  but  most  of  the  locals  pretend
  not  to  understand  their  foreign  language,  and  so
  easily  ignore  such  comments.  But  suddenly,  there
  is  something  they  cannot  ignore,  as  a  famished
  stranger  bursts  into  the  taverne  and  collapses  on
  the  floor,  nearly  dead  with  the  Fever,  babbling
  incoherent  words.  The  patrons  look  to  you,  as  if
  you  alone  can  understand  these  mad  ramblings.
  The  stranger  is  the  Player  Character  introduced
  in  Encounter  1.  If  any  PC  present  is  Skilled  in
  ‘medicine’  or  ‘poisons’,  he  may  make  an  Intuition
  Check  to  discover  that  the  ailing  stranger  has
  actually  had  his  life  prolonged  by  a  subtle
  antidote—he  should  be  dead,  but  he  is  not.  His
  tale  should  begin  their  journey.
  3)  Introduction*
  Any  Player  Character  with  his  own  ship  now  has
  his  chance  to  join  the  game.
  You  and  several  other  men—captains  all—share  a
  late-night  drink  down  at  the  wharfs.  The  Spanish
  liquor  is  foul,  and  the  candlelight  barely  enough
  to  read  by,  yet  you  would  rather  talk  business
  here  than  in  the  inhuman  courts  back  in  Europe.
  And  from  there  comes  this  mission  by  the
  Queen’s  spies.  The  cloaked  figure  slides  an
  envelope  across  the  table  to  you,  sealed  with  the
  Queen’s  personal  crest!
  If  the  envelope  is  opened,  it  is  a  gesture  of
  accepting  the  mission,  detailed  on  Handout  6.  From
  this  point,  the  Players  are  free  to  discuss  terms
  amongst  themselves.  However,  this  may  be  the  last
  chance  for  a  long  time  for  anyone  to  join  the
  game,  so  they  might  wish  to  accept  whatever  terms
  that  the  decided  captain  offers . . .
  4)  The  Star  Sapphire
  If  the  party  has  no  ship  of  their  own,  there  is  one
  that  is  bound  for  the  Spanish  waters  near
  Honduras;  the  ‘Star  Sapphire’,  an  English  barque
  under  the  command  of  ‘Major  Randolph  Longston’.
  Captain  Longston  is  willing  to  take  on  the  PCs
  according  to  any  Skills  they  have,  to  receive  as
  many  shares  of  treasure  as  their  highest  applicable
  Skill  Level.  The  Star  Sapphire  is  bound  for
  Nombre  de Dios,  though  only  to  take  advantage  of
  the  small  ships  roaming  those  tradewaters—nothing
  could  be  farther  from  Major  Longston’s  mind  than
  trying  to  capture  a  silver  train,  so  the  party  will
  have  to  acquire  the  men  to  attempt  any  such  plan
  on  their  own  (and  without  Longston’s  knowledge).
  The  statistics  for  Major  Longston’s  ship  and  crew
  are  provided  on  Handout  7,  and  his  own  on
  Handout  8.  As  the  Players  will  now  roll  for  the
  Star  Sapphire  when  battle  occurs,  give  them
  Handouts  7  and  8  to  study.
  5)  Words  of  wisdom
  If  the  party  seems  uncertain  of  just  where  or  how
  to  ambush  the  silver  train,  they  will  be  approached
  by  an  English  priest,  who  will  invite  them  to  his
  sermon,  where  he’ll  work  in  one  of  the  following
  stories  about  the  Godless  jungles  of  Panama.
  Rumors
  Roll
  Rumor  about  the  jungles  near  Panama
  10-12
  The  silver  trail  runs  beside  a  lake  where
  the  dead  sing  at  night  and  sometimes
  set  free  the  slaves  of  the  train
  4-9
  A  stone  that  shines  like  the  sun  marks
  the  center  of  a  sacred  ground  where  the
  Spanish  guards  do  not  venture
  1-3
  From  the  stone  of  the  sun  to  the  depths
  of  the  dead  world  does  God  not  watch
  
  THE   SILVER   EMPIRE
  14
  PART  2:  SPANISH  WATERS:  When  the  party
  sets  sail  for  the  jungles  of  Panama,  they  will  face
  a  journey  of  93  leagues  west  by  southwest  through
  heavily  traveled  Spanish  waters,  until  at  last  they
  come  to  the  struggling  port  town  of  Nombre  de
  Dios,  the  only  gateway  to  the  jungles  where  the
  silver  train  follows  secret  trails.  During  their
  voyage,  they  may  have  a  few  adventures.  Use  the
  following  two  Encounters  at  your  option.
  6)  The  El  Buscador
  Light  winds  have  lifted  the  Spanish  sail  of  a
  large  galleon  above  the  horizon.  More  than  likely
  a  warship  the  crew  decides  quickly,  and  they
  await  orders,  fearing  what  new  laws  the  Spanish
  empire  may  have  made  since  any  of  them  were
  last  in  these  waters.
  The  ship  is  the  ‘El  Buscador’,  whose  name
  will  strike  instant  fear  into  the  party’s  crew,  for,  as
  its  name  implies,  this  Spanish  square-rigger  is
  hunting  pirates!  Running  a  full  20  cannons  to  a
  broadside,  the  110  well  armed  Spaniards  aboard  are
  all  trained,  3rd Level  men,  and  their  captain,  ‘Count
  Rugan’,  is  a  notorious,  bloodthirsty  friend  of  King
  Phillip  II,  and  he  will  attack  the  party  if  they  do
  not  flee  at  once!  If  it  comes  to  broadside  battle,
  Count  Rugan  will  proudly  lead  his  men,  himself  of
  Level  7  with  DS  13,  G  8,  MOVE  110’,  he  wears
  Spanish  armor  and  uses  a  cutlass  at  +4,  but  also
  has  a  pistol  that  he  keeps  as  a  backup  weapon  in
  case  he  is  dealing  with  Godless  foreigners  that  do
  not  fight  with  honor  (one-on-one).  If  captured,
  Count  Rugan  is  worth  a  ransom  of  16000  gold!
  7)  Silver  dreams
  Tonight,  the  crew  gathers  amidships  to  sing  and
  drink,  and  to  offer  a  toast  to  the  moon.  Many  of
  them  believe  more  than  ever  that  the  Spanish
  silver  empire  can  fall—right  into  their  pockets!
  If  the  party  is  not  in  command,  this  is  their
  chance  to  persuade  the  entire  crew  to  help  them
  take  the  silver  train—if  only  they  can  make  a
  successful  Charisma  Check!  And,  the  crew  will
  manage  keep  this  secret  well  enough.
  PART  3:  THE  JUNGLES  OF  PANAMA:  The
  jungles  of  Panama  are  a  vast,  uncharted  region,  but
  somewhere  out  there  the  Spanish  have  secret  paths
  that  flow  with  silver.  Landing  far  from  the  Spanish
  forts,  the  party  may  venture  into  the  unknown,  but
  will  they  find   treasure,  or  death?  Every  1-12  days
  the  party  will  experience  one  of  the  following
  Encounters,  to  be  played  in  their  presented  order
  until  they  have  played  them  one  and  all.
  8)  Ghost  town
  Run  this  Encounter  immediately  if  the  party  goes
  to  the  town  of  Nombre  de Dios.
  You  have  come  at  last  to  the  lonely  town  of
  Nombre  de Dios.  The  empty  harbor  leads  into
  wide  streets  that  are  abandoned  most  of  the  year,
  the  mud  pueblos  but  echoing  the  clamor  of  the
  Treasure  Fleet’s  yearly  arrival  and  quick
  departure,  seemingly  taking  all  life  with  them.
  No  more  than  a  hundred  people  live  year-round
  here,  somehow  able  to  endure  the  terrible  heat
  and  savage  winds.  You  are  among  the  few  who
  are  not  unsettled  by  this,  that  such  a  major  port
  is  all  but  abandoned,  a  ghost  town  when  but  six
  months  ago  the  largest  fleet  in  the  world  was
  moored  here.  One  of  the  crew  comments  how
  uncanny  it  is  that  your  course  blew  you  here  of
  all  places,  a  notion  that  gets  an  instant  and
  almost  unanimous  support  from  the  rest  of  the
  crew.  You  lean  on  the  railing  and  look  into  the
  empty  streets,  wondering  what  darkness  you’ll
  have  to  walk  through  to  find  the  secret  to
  seizing  the  legendary  silver  train.
  Most  of  the  crew  will  be  unwilling  to  go
  ashore  because  of  superstitions,  that  Nombe  de Dios
  is  a  ‘ghost  town’  most  of  the  year  is  because  of
  unlivable  conditions  brought  on  by  the  black  magic
  of  the  natives  in  the  jungle.  As  a  result,  the  Player
  Characters  can  only  encourage  a  maximum  number
  of  NPCs  to  go  ashore  with  them  equal  to  the
  highest  PC’s  Charisma  Score.  In  town,  the  party
  will  find  little  of  value.  However,  the  locals  will
  be  able  to  direct  them  towards  the  Spanish  silver
  trails,  reducing  the  number  of  days  elapsed
  between  the  Encounters  ahead  from  1-12  to  1-6.
  
  THE   SILVER   EMPIRE
  15
  9)  Lagoon
  Use  this  Encounter  only  if  the  party  is  relying
  heavily  on  the  clues  of  a  haunted  lagoon  to  narrow
  their  search  for  the  silver  trail.
  It  is  nearing  twilight,  and  an  eerie  calm  fills  the
  jungles,  and  early  shadows  slither  through  the
  dense  palms.  The  first  stars  pierce  vibrant  red
  and  orange  sky  as  you  stumble  upon  a  lagoon,
  its  tranquil  waters  shining  like  a  sable  mirror.
  All  is  quiet.  Too  quiet.
  A  successful  search  of  this  area  will  find
  signs  of  an  old  campsite,  about  a  year  old,
  including  a  Spanish  Conquistador’s  helmet.
  10)  Escaped  slave
  As  you  continue  to  hack  your  way  through  the
  endless  jungle,  you  hear—or  think  you  hear—the
  moan  of  a  dying  man,  not  far  away . . .
  A  successful  Searching  Check  will  discover  a
  native,  bruised  and  famished,  laying  in  the  bushes
  nearby.  He  has  escaped  from  the  silver  mines  of
  Peru,  and  is  afraid  of  all  white  men.  If  the  party
  aids  him,  he  will  be  able  to  tell  them  his  tale
  either  in  his  native  tongue  or  in  Spanish.  He  will
  describe  the  place  he  was  enslaved  as  “A  mouth
  of  Hell,  into  which  a  great  mass  of  people  enter
  every  year  and  are  sacrificed  by  the  greed  of  the
  White  Men  to  their  ‘god’.”
  If  anyone  can  speak  this  native’s  own  tongue
  and  is  friendly  towards  him,  he  will  promise  them
  the  aid  of  his  people.  If  the  party  helps  him  back
  to  his  village  (4  leagues  away),  move  on  to  Part  4
  of  this  Adventure.  However,  if  this  does  not  occur,
  move  on  to  Part  5  instead.
  If  this  native  is  attacked,  he  will  die,  even  if
  that  is  not  the  party’s  intention,  as  he  is  so  weak.
  However,  his  dying  breath  will  release  a  blood-
  curdling  cry,  and  that  same  night,  the  jungle  will
  be  filled  with  the  unearthly  sounds  of  unknown
  beasts  and  ghosts,  terrifying  the  party’s  crew—each
  group  of  NPCs  (by  Level)  will  only  stand  a
  chance  in  6  equal  to  their  Level  of  staying,
  otherwise  they  will  flee  back  to  the  ship.
  PART  4:  GREATER  THAN  GOLD?:  The  native
  camp  will  be  able  to  supply  the  party  with  all  the
  food  and  water  they  need.  However,  in  addition  to
  these  offerings,  the  natives  will  invite  the  party  to
  stay  the  night,  engaging  the  following  Encounters.
  If  the  party  passes  these  ‘tests’  well  enough,  they
  may  gain  more  than  they  could  have  hoped  for . . .
  11)  The  wild  hunt
  The  natives  will  invite  the  party  to  join  a  boar
  hunt,  which  all  NPCs  will  refuse,  leaving  only  the
  Player  Characters  to  accept,  if  they  will.  Anyone
  who  does  will  be  given  a  spear  and  not  allowed
  anything  else,  as  this  is  a  magical  ritual.  During
  the  hunt,  the  boar  will  be  ‘found’  by  and  so  attack
  a  random  PC.  If  he  kills  it,  he  will  be  rewarded
  later  that  night.  However,  if  he  is  ‘killed’  by  the
  boar,  he  will  not  die  but  instead  have  been  saved
  at  the  last  moment  by  the  other  natives.  All
  wounds  gained  in  this  hunt  will  be  cured  by
  nightfall  due  to  the  village  shaman’s  magic.
  12)  Ritual  dance
  If  no  white  man  succeeded  in  killing  the  boar
  during  the  hunt  earlier,  do  not  read  the  second
  paragraph  of  the  following  narrative.  However,  if  a
  Player  Character  did  indeed  dispatch  the  boar,  read
  the  following  narrative  in  its  entirety,  replacing
  ‘CHARACTER’  with  the  name  of  the  hunt’s  victor.
  The  jungle  comes  to  life  at  night.  The  natives
  have  created  a  bonfire  and  are  dancing  around  it
  with  the  fervor  of  madmen,  yet  the  smiles  on
  their  faces  and  the  life  in  their  limber
  movements  is  all  too  real.  They  are  beginning  a
  high  ceremony,  one  where  they  offer  the  ‘most
  valuable  treasure’  in  the  world  to  one  person.
  You  wonder  what  it  could  be.
  Once  the  dance  is  complete,  you  are  brought
  before  the  village  elder,  an  ageless  man  with
  deeply-set  eyes.  He  has  ‘CHARACTER’  stripped
  down  to  his  loins,  and  the  natives  proceed  to
  smear  him  with  ritual  paint—blood  and  chalk
  mixed  with  the  elder’s  own  sweat  of  the  last
  three  days,  signifying  that  he  alone  may  vie  for
  the  treasure  they  have  so  long  spoken  of.
  
  THE   SILVER   EMPIRE
  16
  If  there  is  no  designated  champion  amongst
  the  party,  the  first  to  volunteer  will  be  allowed
  this  honor.  In  any  event,  the  chosen  Character
  must  wrestle  the  largest  native  in  the  village  for
  the  unknown  prize,  a  ‘kill’  effectively  becoming  a
  knockout.  This  large  native’s  statistics  are:  DS  8,
  B  9,  G  10,  and  gaining  +1  to  his  melee  attacks.  If
  the  Player  Character  wins,  he  will  be  promised  his
  prize  in  three  moons,  when  the  only  true  silver,
  that  of  the  moon,  is  full.
  13)  Full  union
  If  a  Player  Character  defeated  the  village  champion
  and  so  was  promised  their  greatest  treasure,  in
  three  nights’ time  he  will  receive  his  reward . . .
  You  lay  awake  tonight,  thinking  about  galleons
  full  of  silver.  The  rest  of  the  village  is  quiet,
  held  under  the  spell  of  the  full  moon,  which  is
  brimming  with  silver  light,  and  it’s  hard  to  think
  about  anything  else.  But  soon  you  are  brought
  before  the  elder  once  more.  Standing  beside  him
  is  his  daughter,  her  own  eyes  seductive,  her
  smile  joyous  only  now  that  you  have  come.  She
  takes  your  hand  and  bows  before  you.
  The  Player  Character  has  been  offered  the
  elder’s  beautiful  daughter  in  marriage.  If  he
  declines,  he  must  make  a  Charisma  Check,  with
  success  indicating  that  the  village  elder  understands
  the  division  of  their  worlds  and  wishes  the  party
  long  life,  but  with  failure  indicating  that  the  elder
  is  insulted  and  orders  the  entire  village,  all  35
  men,  to  kill  the  party!  Each  has  DS  6,  B  5,  G  10,
  MOVE  150’,  and  they  each  wear  wooden  armor
  (masks)  and  use  their  spears  (pikes)  at  +2.  They
  are  all  Level  1.  However,  if  the  Character  accepts
  the  elder’s  daughter,  the  35  natives  will  offer  to
  help  the  party  in  their  ambush  on  the  silver  train!
  What’s  more,  they  will  know  exactly  where  the
  ‘Sunstone’  and  haunted  lagoon  are,  and  thus  where
  the  best  place  is  to  ambush  the  Spanish.  They
  have  not  done  this  in  the  past  only  because  they
  were  afraid  of  the  white  men  returning  with
  magical  weapons,  but  since  the  party  are  Europeans
  themselves,  they  realize  that  this  is  war  between
  the  tribes  of  white  men,  and  will  remain  that  way.
  PART  5:  THE  SILVER  TRAIN:  The  party  may
  make  a  Searching  Check  twice  a  day  to  find  the
  Spanish  road  that  the  silver  train  uses.  The  long-
  awaited  battle  can  occur  anywhere  along  a  good
  hundred  miles  of  winding,  jungle  paths.  If  they
  specifically  sought  any  landmarks  that  could  be  a
  ‘sunstone’  or  a  lagoon  that  echoes  with  the  songs
  of  the  dead  during  the  night,  they  will  gain  a
  bonus  of  +2  to  their  Searching  Checks.  Once  they
  have  found  the  road,  the  following  two  Encounters
  provide  opportunities  for  either  an  ambush  or  a
  direct  attack—whichever  the  party  prefers.  In  either
  event  however,  once  attacked,  the  Spaniards  will
  surrender  immediately.  This  is  because  they  have
  known  of  the  party’s  plan  for  some  time,  this
  unguarded  road  thought  to  be  the  ‘weak-link  in  the
  silver  chain’  purposefully  leaked  in  Encounter  1!
  There  are  100  Spanish  guards  waiting  in  an
  ambush  just  up  the  road!  They  all  have  scores  of
  DS  9,  G  8,  MOVE  100’,  they  each  have  a  cutlass
  and  a  pistol,  and  +2  to  use  them  both.  They  are
  all  Level  1.  In  this  hopeless  battle,  any  Player
  Characters  put  down   will  not  be  killed  but  merely
  knocked  out,  to  be  taken  to  the  silver  mines,  as
  detailed  in  Part  6.  However,  if  the  party  actually
  wins,  they  may  take  as  many  of  the  9000  silver
  ingots  (each  worth  1000  gold  and  weighing  10)
  they  can  carry  and  immediately  go  on  to  Part  7!
  14)  Ambush!
  The  steaming,  sweltering  jungle  hides  many
  secrets,  but  a  keen  eye  has  led  you  past  sunlit
  standing  stones  and  haunted  lagoons  until  at  last
  the  dense  foliage  is  cut  by  a  ray  of  sunlight,
  which  guides  you  to  a  narrow  road  winding
  through  the  endless  palm  trees.  All  is  quiet.  But
  soon  this  well-trodden  path  will  be  turned  to
  mud  with  the  blood  of  the  Silver  Empire!
  15)  Attack!
  A  sharp  ear  guides  you  through  the  steaming,
  sweltering  jungle,  past  sunlit  standing  stones  and
  haunted  lagoons  that  hasten  your  steps  until  at
  last  the  dense  foliage  is  cut  by  a  ray  of  sunlight,
  landing  upon  the  laden  chests  and  polished  armor
  of  the  Spanish  silver  train!
  
  THE   SILVER   EMPIRE
  17
  PART  6:  HELL  OF  SILVER:  More  than  likely
  the  party  will  be  captured  by  the  guards  of  the
  silver  train,  which  will  land  them  in  the  silver
  mines  themselves!  At  this  point,  the  following
  Encounters  will  tell  the  tale  of  their  fate.  Play
  them  in  the  order  they  are  presented.
  Guards:  Each  of  the  Encounters  may  involve  a
  fight  with  mine  guards.  In  all  such  instances,  the
  guards  have  the  following  statistics:  DS  8,  G  5,
  MOVE  90’,  they  each  wear  Spanish  armor  and  a
  helmet,  and  carry  a  cutlass  and  two  pistols,  with
  +2  to  use  them  both.  They  are  all  Level  1.
  Time:  There  is  an  inapplicable  passage  of  time
  between  each  of  the  following  Encounters,  so  do
  not  attempt  to  count  it  and  do  not  appoint
  consequences  for  it.
  Escape!:  If  at  any  time  the  party  escapes  the  silver
  mines,  the  Spaniards  will  learn  about  it  soon
  enough,  and  30  guards  will  give  chase.  Even  if  the
  party  can  outrun  them  or  somehow  overpower
  them,  they  will  still  face  a  36  league  journey  back
  to  their  ship  (or  20  leagues  back  to  the  native
  camp  found  in  Part  4).
  16)  Francisco’s  judgment*
  You  are  at  last  brought  before  the  seat  of  the
  famous  Spaniard  ‘Francisco  de Toledo’,  a  former
  Conquistador,  his  throne  set  atop  the  rubble  that
  was  once  the  altar  in  the  center  of  this  native
  temple.  “One  day  I  will  leave  this  place,”  he
  sneers,  “yet  that  day  is  often  delayed  by  setbacks
  and  raids  such  as  yours.  I  have  an  generous
  offer  to  be  viceroy  of  all  Peru,  the  richest  land
  in  New  Spain,  cornerstone  of  the  Empire!  It
  pains  me  to  sit  on  this  throne,  here  at  the  mines,
  when  I  could  be  in  a  palace  miles  away.  You
  heathens  shall  learn  an  honest  lesson  in  God’s
  plan  for  Spain  in  the  Hell  of  your  prison.  Is
  there  anything  you  have  to  say  in  your  shame?”
  If  there  are  any  Spanish  Characters  present,
  they  may  be  pardoned  for  a  fee  equal  to  their
  Notoriety  Level  multiplied  by  100-1200  (100-600
  for  Coasta  Guarda).  If  the  party  tries  to  fight  or
  flee,  there  are  only  10  guards  present,  but  that  will
  be  enough  to  stand  between  them  and  de Toledo
  long  enough  to  ensure  his  quick  escape.
  17)  Into  the  mouth  of  Hell
  The  party  will  be  led  in  leg-chains  down  into  the
  dark  mines,  with  the  guards’  first  and  final  words
  “You  can  forget  about  the  sun.  God  has  forsaken
  you.  Heaven  shines  with  the  Silver  Empire.”  Thus
  begins  an  indefinite  period  of  slavery.  The  other
  enemies  of  Spain  imprisoned  here  will  tell  the
  party  quickly  that  there  is  no  hope,  for  since  the
  natives  began  pouring  molten  silver  into  the
  mouths  of  captive  Spaniards,  slavery  has  become
  damnation  by  the  words  of  their  priests,  and  they
  enforce  it.  How  long  the  party  remains  here  is  up
  to  them.  At  any  given  time  there  are  1-6  guards
  present  (seen  or  unseen),  and  the  party’s  leg-chains
  reduce  Movement  to  10’  and  penalize  Stealth
  Checks  by  -3.  Every  time  anything  they  attempt
  fails,  the  beating  a  Character  receives  from  the
  guards  will  result  in  the  permanent  loss  of  one  of
  his  first  four  Ability  Scores,  rolled  at  random.
  18)  Old  Roy
  Once  the  party  has  exhausted  all  sensible  attempts
  at  an  escape,  the  winds  of  their  fortune  shall  shift,
  and  if  they  are  not  yet  drowned  in  defeat,  they
  might  indeed  breathe  the  free  air  again.
  You  are  moved  you  down  to  a  new  tunnel.  You
  are  alone  here,  save  for  a  seemingly  dead  man
  slumped  in  the  corner.  He  stirs  at  your  approach.
  The  strange  man  is  an  old  pirate  who  simply
  calls  himself  ‘Roy’.  Long  ago  he  found  a  natural
  tunnel,  but  he  was  caught  trying  to  undo  the
  shackles  of  his  shipmates,  now  long  dead,  and  had
  his  eyes  put  out  for  it.  He  may  be  blind,  but
  knows  where  the  tunnel  is,  and  will  offer  it  to  the
  party,  with  a  warning:  “When  they  took  my  eyes,
  they  filled  my  ears  with  poison,  that  anyone  I  lead
  there  will  have  his  heart  taken  out.”  Getting  to  the
  tunnel  requires  a  Stealth  Check  on  the  part  of  each
  Character,  and  anyone  who  is  caught  will  indeed
  be  put  to  death!  The  tunnel  opens  miles  away . . .
  
  THE   SILVER   EMPIRE
  18
  PART  7:  WAR  ON  SPAIN!:  By  now,  the  party
  will  either  have  good  reason  to  want  to  spill  the
  blood  of  all  the  Empire,  or  the  Spanish  will  have
  good  reason  to  spill  theirs!  One  way  or  another,
  once  the  party  gets  back  to  sea,  they  had  better  be
  ready  for  war!  Play  the  following  Encounters  in
  the  order  that  they  are  presented.
  19)  Returning  to  the  ship
  Run  this  Encounter  if  the  party  returns  to  the  their
  ship  in  the  harbor  of  Nombre  de Dios.
  All  is  quiet  aboard.  The  ship  sways  gently  in  the
  harbor  current,  the  normal  groan  of  the  rigging
  reduced  to  a  whisper,  as  if  the  very  ship  is
  afraid  to  be  heard.  You  look  back  at  the  lonely
  harbor  of  Nombre  de Dios,  and  not  a  soul  can
  be  seen  in  its  windswept  streets.  What  curse  has
  this  place  cast  upon  you?  Your  sturdy  vessel  is
  more  like  a  ghost  ship . . .
  The  party  may  find  many  things  amiss  back  at
  their  ship.  Firstly,  supplies  will  be  low,  as  most  of
  the  food  will  either  have  been  eaten  or  simply
  become  rotten,  reducing  the  crew’s  days  of  food  to
  a  mere  2-7.  But  much  more  ominous,  if  the  crew
  fled  in  fear  back  in  Encounter  10,  they  will  be
  hiding  below  decks,  and  will  not  let  the  party
  come  down  until  they  prove  they  are  not  possessed
  with  evil  spirits—there  is  a  dagger  pinning  a
  parchment  to  the  mainmast,  with  a  message:
  A  lock  of  hair  for  the  Devil’s  due
  Or  he  will  be  coming  for  you
  Unless  in  faith  you’re  pious  and  pure
  But  honest  men  cannot  be  sure
  Until  one  drinks  the  Devil’s  ale
  Keeps  his  hair  and  doesn’t  go  pale
  This  note  is  reproduced  on  Handout  9.  If  one
  willingly  drinks  poison  and  survives,  these  seamen
  will  see  it  as  a  sign  that  the  Character  stands  in
  favor  with  God,  the  sea,  or  whatever  other  faith
  they  may  have,  and  they  will  accept  him  again.  If
  the  party  needs  poison,  the  dagger  that  pinned  the
  note  to  the  mainmast  is  envenomed  with  poison
  made  at  Skill  Level  1.  However,  if  one  indeed
  cuts  off  some  hair  and  offers  it  to  the  sea,  the
  crew  will  see  this  as  daring  the  Devil  himself,  and
  so  calls  for  a  Charisma  Check,  with  failure
  indicating  that  the  entire  crew  seeks  to  kill  that
  individual,  but  with  success  gaining  greater  respect
  from  them  than  ever  before,  winning  them  over
  one  and  all  and  with  +10  to  their  Morale!
  20)  The  Silver  Scow*
  If  you  believe  that  the  party’s  ship  does  not  have
  the  firepower  to  be  victorious  in  the  upcoming
  battle  (Encounter  21),  then  they  will  find  some
  unlikely  allies,  though  they  will  drive  a  hard
  bargain . . .
  As  you  are  preparing  to  get  underway,  half  of
  the  crew  stop  their  duties  and  look  towards  the
  harbor  entrance,  and  one-by-one  the  others  are
  ensnared  by  their  curiosity  as  well—even
  yourself.  For  there  is  arriving  into  this  ghost
  harbor  a  sizable  ship,  flying  no  flag  at  all . . .
  The  ship  is  the  ‘Silver  Scow’,  captained  by
  the  well  known  Welsh  pirate  ‘Steven  Williams’.
  His  mariner  is  fit  and  well  provisioned,  runs  12
  cannon,  and  is  manned  by  120  well  armed  men
  (90  1st  Level  and  30  3rd  Level).  If  the  party  treats
  with  him,  he  will  suggest  an  alliance.  He  is  well
  aware  that  several  Spanish  warships  have  broken
  from  the  Treasure  Fleet  and  are  coming  their  way.
  If  the  party  agrees  to  an  alliance,  Williams  will  be
  agreeable  to  the  party’s  own  articles  and  division
  of  treasure.  If  the  party  is  not  in  command,  their
  captain  will  refuse  these  terms,  and,  once  rejected,
  Williams  will  sail  away  with  hardly  a  word.
  However,  if  the  party  is  in  command  but  refuses
  Williams  anyway,  the  surrounding  crews  of  both
  ships  with  began  to  get  restless,  and  then  someone
  will  shout  “Fight  it  out!”,  giving  rise  a  chant  of
  “Fight!  Fight!”,  demanding  that  the  two  captains
  brawl  to  see  who  gets  to  make  this  decision  that
  could  mean  a  great  deal  of  wealth  for  them!  For
  current  and  future  reference,  the  statistics  for
  Captain  Williams  are  provided  here.  He  is  a
  Buccaneer  of  Level  5,  with  DS  11,  B  5,  G  9,
  MOVE  140’,  uses  a  longsword  at  +4,  pistols  at
  +2,  and  is  Skilled  in  Leadership  at  Level  2.
  
  THE   SILVER   EMPIRE
  19
  21)  The  empire  strikes  back
  Once  at  sea,  the  party  will  find  themselves  flanked
  by  the  Spanish—who  is  hunting  who?
  Passing  carefully  through  the  reefs,  you  find  your
  ship  suddenly  flanked  by  several  large  galleons!
  The  Spanish  flag  flies  all  around  you,  staining
  the  silver  clouds  red  with  the  blood  of  King
  Phillip’s  crest!  There  are  five  ships  in  all—three
  large  warships  rounding  on  you,  and  the  other
  two—you  can  almost  count  the  massive  treasure
  chests  piled  on  their  decks  from  here . . .
  This  a  portion  of  the  ‘New  Spain’  Treasure
  Fleet,  commanded  by  ‘Pedro  Menendez  de Aviles’,
  a  naval  hero  and  officer  in  the  Council  of  the
  Indies,  captain  of  the  Treasure  Fleet  for  many
  years,  and  now  the  judge  and  jury  for  the  party,
  unless  they  choose  to  fight!  If  they  do  not  fight,
  they  will  be  allowed  to  go  if  they  pay  a  50%
  tribute  of  their  entire  cargo  hold  (and  treasure)  to
  Spain.  de Aviles  will  tell  them  that  the  empire
  shall  never  fall,  and  make  a  momentous  speech
  about  how  the  Spanish  first  claimed  this  world,
  and  by  God’s  law  all  the  New  World  belongs  to
  King  Phillip  II.  However,  his  words  may  be  turned
  against  him  if  someone  produces  the  Golden
  Helmet  from  Adventure  #1  in  this  booklet—this
  treasure  will  cause  one  of  Captain  de Aviles’  ships
  to  see  the  party  as  the  rightful  owners  of  the  New
  World  and  turn  against  Spain!  In  any  event,  when
  the  inevitable  first  shot  is  fired,  the  three  Spanish
  galleons  armed  for  war  each  run  15  cannon  and
  are  manned  by  250  armed  and  armored  1st  Level
  Spaniards!  de Aviles  himself  will  command  the
  battle  from  the  aft-deck  of  his  flagship,  which
  cannot  be  reached  by  the  party  without  going
  through  the  other  two  warships  first,  and  even  then
  the  Player  Characters  must  kill  2-24  Spaniards
  aboard  his  ship  before  they  can  reach  the  captain.
  If  cornered  at  last,  de Aviles  will  surrender.
  The  remaining  two  Spanish  galleons  will  not
  fight  if  their  warships  are  defeated.  While  most  of
  the  silver  train  was  loaded  onto  dozens  of  other
  ships  of  the  Treasure  Fleet,  now  far,  far  away,
  each  of  these  five  Spanish  vessels  carry  100-1200
  silver  ingots  (each  valuing  1000).
  Once  this  battle  is  over,  if  the  surviving  crew
  of  Steven  Williams  outnumbers  that  of  the  party,
  he  will  turn  on  them!  If  the  party  refused  an
  alliance  with  Steven  Williams  in  Encounter  20,  he
  will  return,  having  waited  for  the  victor  to  emerge
  and  attack  while  the  ships  are  disoriented!  In  either
  event,  Williams  is  only  following  orders—the
  Queen  of  England  sent  him  to  capture  the  party
  whom  she  can  blame  for  ‘trying  to  start  a  war’,
  making  them  into  political  pawns.  However,  unlike
  the  Spanish  Court,  the  English  won’t  pay  a  single
  shilling  for  Williams  should  he  be  captured—his
  failure  will  earn  him  his  own  fate.
  CONCLUDING  THE  ADVENTURE:  Once  the
  battle  is  over,  there  are  some  things  to  consider.
  Pedro  Menendez  de Aviles:  If  this  Spanish  hero  is
  not  killed,  he  will  be  worth  a  ransom  of  11000
  pieces  of  eight.  However,  this  will  only  prove  to
  be  a  respite,  as  de Aviles  will  eventually  return  to
  capture  the  French  settlements  in  Florida,  thus
  founding  St. Augustine  and  becoming  governor  of
  Florida,  so  he  can  protect  the  Treasure  Fleets  as
  they  exit  the  Caribbean.  If  de Aviles  is  indeed
  killed,  St. Augustine  will  never  come  to  be.
  Political  puppets:  If  the  party  was  sent  on  this
  journey  by  the  Queen  of  England  and  was  later
  ambushed  by  Steven  Williams,  they  will,  if  they
  return  to  England,  be  imprisoned  on  fabricated
  charges  of  heresy  and  be  sold  into  slavery.
  The  white  chief:  If  a  Player  Character  married  the
  native  princess,  he  will  never  be  allowed  to  live  in
  any  town  of  Level  5  or  higher,  as  the  hierarchy
  will  label  him  a  heretic.  If  the  Player  retires  that
  Character,  he  will  gain  4  additional  Creation  Points
  to  make  his  next  one.
  Carrying  on:  This  story  can  immediately  continue
  on  into  Adventure  #3  in  this  booklet,  in  1568,
  whether  the  party  continues  waging  war  on  the
  Spanish  crown  or  not.  If  this  is  done,  have  there
  be  a  ‘lull’  in  the  action,  as  Spain  feigns  peace
  with  other  nations  long  enough  for  that  Adventure
  to  take  place  (they  may  even  go  back  to  war
  because  of  the  Player  Characters’  actions).
  
  THE   GOLDEN   HEAVENS
  20
  Aye  matey,  ‘tis  true!  What  they  be  sayin’  o’  the
  silver  trains  and  Treasure  Fleets,  ‘bout  buildin’  an
  empire  only  second  ta  the  one  already  ‘ere,  well,
  there  be  many  a  man  gone  searchin’  fer  the  fabled
  city  o’  gold  at  the  heart  o’  it  all!  Ye  think  ye  can
  find  what  others  turned  away  from?  We’ll  see . . .
  BEGINNING  THE  ADVENTURE:  Before  running
  this  Adventure,  it  is  a  good  idea  to  read  through  it
  just  to  be  familiar  with  the  storyline  and  key
  elements.  However,  reading  the  entire  Adventure
  beforehand  is  not  necessary  for  play.
  Timeline:  This  adventure  is  set  in  the  Caribbean  in
  the  year  1568.  Those  Encounters  that  are  marked
  with  an  ‘*’  require  the  game  to  be  played  in  this
  era.  If  your  game  does  not  adhere  to  timelines,  do
  not  use  these  Encounters.
  Background:  When  everyone  is  ready  to  play,
  begin  the  adventure  by  reading  the  narrative  below.
  The  Spanish  Empire  has  ruled  the  New  World
  for  almost  a  hundred  years,  but  now  at  last  it  is
  beginning  to  crumble,  its  faith  in  gold  and  silver
  turning  paradise  into  Hell,  the  molten  metals
  mixing  with  blood  in  the  seas  of  sin.
  Strange  are  the  turns  of  fortune.  But  God
  moves  in  mysterious  ways,  it  is  said,  and  so  you
  do  your  best  to  accept  where  your  voyage  has
  ended;  avoiding  privateers,  storms  and  corals,
  your  ship  has  at  last  dropped  its  anchor  in  a
  new  harbor,  the  struggling  port  of  Santiago  Vega.
  The  Spanish  flag  flies  over  the  meager
  settlement,  staining  the  sky  with  the  fading
  symbols  of  the  Empire.
  The  people  of  this  strange  place  are
  desperate,  not  to  serve  their  king  or  even  their
  homeland,  but  simply  to  survive.  The  town  is
  built  on  a  narrow  spit  that  reaches  around  the
  side  of  the  harbor,  the  bulk  of  the  island
  unexplored  by  all  Christian  men.  This  is  a  cursed
  place—you  can  almost  feel  Heaven’s  scorn  in  the
  biting  wind.  Yet  in  this  city  of  sin  you  hear
  countless  stories  of  treasure  to  be  had  in  all
  directions,  as  if  this  fledging  town  were  the  heart
  of  a  newly  growing  empire,  one  day  perhaps
  ruled  by  a  city  of  gold . . .
  PART  1:  THE  BLOOD  OF  AN  EMPIRE:  The
  party  shall  begin  their  adventure  in  the  newly
  established  port  of  Santiago  Vega.  It  will  not
  matter  how  wealthy  or  how  poor  they  were  before,
  for  the  fortunes  of  the  sea  have  brought  them  here
  for  a  higher  purpose.  But  what  is  that  purpose?
  The  following  Encounters  will  begin  the  tale . . .
  Lawlessness:  Santiago  Vega  has  few  laws  and
  fewer  means  to  enforce  them.  Indeed,  in  the  eyes
  of  the  Spanish,  it  is  a  heathen  city,  left  to  fend
  for  itself  under  the  judgment  of  God.  There  is  not
  even  a  governor.  As  a  result,  the  people  fend  for
  themselves  and  survive  only  through  mutual
  cooperation  and  trade  with  any  vessels  that  come
  to  their  island—especially  pirates.
  Hostility:  If  in  the  rare  event  that  the  party  makes
  the  town  of  Santiago  Vega  hostile  to  their  flag,  the
  outraged  citizens  will  fight  to  the  last  man.
  Rumors:  Not  knowing  quite  where  to  go  or  what
  to  do,  the  party  will  find  tales  of  treasure  in
  unlikely  places.  Throughout  the  following  four
  Encounters,  they  will  hear  different  rumors  of  lost
  riches.  Use  the  following  chart  whenever  such  a
  story  is  related  to  the  party.
  Rumors
  Roll
  Rumor  about  treasure  to  be  had
  10-12
  God  moves  in  mysterious  ways.  He  gave
  the  Spanish  their  empire,  and  now  He  is
  taking  it  away.  But  He  will  tempt  all
  others  as  well.  The  city  of  gold  can  be
  found  only  in  your  heart
  8-9
  Countless  men  have  lost  their  lives  on
  this  very  island—the  jungles  to  the  north
  grow  with  the  blood  of  those  seeking  an
  idol  carved  from  a  single,  giant  emerald
  5-7
  God  has  passed  judgment  on  the  Empire.
  Last  year,  six  gold  ships  were  lost  off
  Hispaniola—three  million  ducats  worth!
  3-4
  God  is  bringing  down  the  Empire.  Five
  years  ago,  countless  ships  were  lost  to
  storms,  seven  off  Nombre  de Dios  alone
  1-2
  Countless  ships  are  being  lost  to  storms,
  God’s  judgment  on  their  greed,  and  the
  devils  of  the  jungles  take  what  survives
  
  THE   GOLDEN   HEAVENS
  21
  1)  Introduction
  Select  the  most  Notorious  Character  and  run  this
  Encounter.  If  no  Character  speaks  Spanish,  do  not
  read  the  second  paragraph  of  the  following
  narrative.
  You  are  suddenly  accosted  by  the  guards  and
  taken  to  the  block  to  be  sold  into  slavery!  A
  crowd  of  all  kinds  of  people  are  gathered.
  “You  vagabonds  can  help  redeem  the  empire
  with  sweat!”  the  guard  snarls  as  he  ties  your
  hands.  “African  beasts  curse  our  crops.”
  The  other  Player  Characters  will  be  amongst
  the  crowd.  If  any  of  them  bid  on  the  poor  PC,
  they  will  win,  and  the  auctioneer  will  proclaim  this
  a  test  of  faith  by  the  church,  and  they  will  have
  their  gold  returned  to  them,  and  the  captured  PC
  may  go  free.  If  a  woman  bids  on  him,  they  will
  keep  the  money.  If  nobody  bids  on  him,  they  will
  offer  the  lonely  man  their  blessings,  and  1-12  gold.
  2)  Heaven  is  Hell
  If  the  party  seeks  information  from  the  church,  run
  this  Encounter.
  The  only  church  in  town  is  an  ominous  building
  to  be  sure.  With  little  room  or  gold  for  graves,
  the  locals  simply  etch  a  simple  epitaph  on  the
  forehead  of  a  skull,  hundreds  of  which  are  sunk
  into  the  dried  mud  that  make  up  the  outer  walls
  of  this  house  of  God.  As  you  pass  the  threshold
  and  step  into  the  dank  darkness  of  the  chapel,
  you  wonder  if  there  are  any  treasures  left  in  life
  at  all.  The  Priest  does  little  to  ease  your
  concerns,  as  he  says  that  God  has  forsaken  the
  empire  because  it  was  built  with  silver  rather
  than  with  faith.  He  looks  at  you  darkly,  as  if  he
  is  already  judging  the  greed  in  your  heart.
  Despite  the  Priest’s  obvious  misgivings,  he
  will  indeed  tell  the  party  a  tale  of  treasure,  if  only
  to  test  them.  If  there  are  clearly  religious  people
  present  in  the  party  they  will  gain  +2  to  this  roll.
  If  they  offer  anything  to  the  poor  box,  they  will
  gain  an  additional  rumor  (re-roll  duplicate  results).
  3)  Madwoman
  If  the  party  seeks  rumors  directly  from  citizens  or
  without  discretion,  run  this  Encounter.
  The  locals  shun  your  inquiries,  and  those  few
  who  will  speak  to  you  simply  direct  you  to  a
  small  house  on  the  outskirts  of  town.  The  rotting
  carcass  of  a  dead  slave  lays  in  the  tall  grass,
  and  wild  geese  have  overtaken  the  ill-tended
  yard.  All  in  silent.
  If  the  party  knocks  or  simply  enters,  they  will
  be  greeted  by  an  old  midwife.  She’s  obviously
  mad,  as  instanced  by  the  three  cribs  beside  her
  fireplace  filled  with  the  bones  of  infants.  She  says
  she  speaks  to  them  from  ‘the  other  side’,  which
  will  provide  the  party  with  one  rumor.  If  someone
  is  African,  they  will  gain  +3  to  this  roll.
  4)  Long  live  the  queen*
  If  the  party  seeks  anything  from  the  captain  of  a
  ship,  run  this  Encounter.
  Your  inquiries  have  led  you  to  The  Queen’s
  Pirates,  the  only  non-Spanish  taverne  in  town,
  where  motley,  weary  sailors  gather  to  drown
  their  woes  in  ale.  It  is  impossible  to  tell  the
  difference  between  crews  and  their  captains.
  However,  there  is  one  man  that  stands  out  from
  the  rest,  a  clean,  sober  man  with  the  look  of
  youth  and  intelligence.
  If  the  party  approaches  the  man,  he  will
  introduce  himself  as  ‘Francis  Drake’,  a  proud
  Englishman.  He  has  two  ships,  and  is  currently
  dividing  his  forces,  as  his  crew  is  too  many  to
  manage.  If  the  party  is  all  British  or  speaks  at  all
  with  disdain  for  the  Spanish,  Captain  Drake  will
  make  them  an  offer,  that  if  they  can  pry  out  of
  the  cowardly  Spanish  villagers  (who  refuse  to  talk
  to  him)  the  separate  tales  of  two  treasures,  he  will
  give  them  his  extra  ship  and  crew  to  seek  one
  fortune  while  he  seeks  the  other.  If  the  party  can
  indeed  acquire  two  different  rumors,  Captain  Drake
  will  make  good  on  his  offer,  giving  them  ‘The
  Crucifix’,  her  statistics  provided  on  Handout  10.
  
  THE   GOLDEN   HEAVENS
  22
  PART  2:  THE  WILD  CHASE:  Once  the  party
  sets  out  in  search  of  treasure,  they  will  find  only
  blood  and  maybe  a  little  reward,  but  no  great
  fortune,  no  matter  in  what  direction  they  travel.
  However,  strange  turns  of  fortune  will  offer  them
  opportunities  to  chase  a  legend,  as  each  dead-end
  turns  them  towards  the  ‘golden  Heavens’.  Play  the
  following  Encounters  when  applicable.
  5)  Pirate  hunter
  If  the  party  seeks  treasure  on  the  open  sea,  the
  first  ship  they  meet . . .
  The  crimson  sunset  glows  like  hellfire  behind  the
  silhouetted  sails  of  a  large  ship,  headed  straight
  for  you!  She  flies  the  Spanish  flag.
  This  Spanish  galleon  is  running  20  cannon
  against  the  party,  with  350  fully  equipped  Spanish
  sailors  aboard  (200  1st  Level  and  150  3rd  Level),
  and  they  fully  intend  to  take  everything  the  party
  has—except  their  lives.  Males  will  be  taken  back
  to  Santiago  Vega  to  be  sold  as  slaves,  one  and  all.
  Females  will  be  given  a  choice,  that  of  being  sold
  or  becoming  the  Spanish  captain’s  concubine.  If
  the  latter  is  chosen,  there  is  a  1  in  12  chance  each
  night  of  becoming  pregnant.  In  any  event,  any
  Characters  can  attempt  to  escape  their  predicament
  with  a  Stealth  Check  at  any  time,  with  failure
  indicating  certain  and  unavoidable  capture  and  such
  brutal  punishment  as  rolled  on  the  following  chart.
  Note  that  if  the  same  person  rolls  a  ‘1’  or  ‘4’  a
  third  time,  it  should  be  re-rolled  (a  person  has
  only  two  eyes  and  two  hands  to  lose,  after  all).
  Similarly,  a  ‘2’  or  ‘3’  can  only  occur  once,  and
  should  thereafter  be  re-rolled.
  Punishment
  Roll
  Punishment  for  attempting  to  escape
  10-12
  Tied  to  a  post  and  whipped;  wound  of  -2
  5-9
  1-12  days  on  the  ‘Wheel’;  wound  of  -3,
  not  to  begin  healing  until  off  the  Wheel
  4
  One  hand  cut  off;  loss  of  -2  to  Brawn
  2-3
  Hobbled;  loss  of  -4  to  Agility
  1
  One  eye  put  out  with  hot  irons;  loss  of
  -4  to  Defense  Score  and  all  Attack  Rolls
  6)  Ol’ Creole
  If  the  party  seeks  treasure  inland  from  Santiago
  Vega,  they  will  encounter . . .
  Endless  sugar  cane  fields  rise  up  into  the  jungles
  of  the  island.  Forcing  your  way  through  the
  dense  palms,  you  soon  see  something  shining  in
  the  distance.  A  little  farther  on,  you  see  a  low
  cleft,  atop  of  which  is  the  life-sized  statue  of  an
  emerald-green  man,  sitting  cross-legged  as  if  in
  contemplation,  overlooking  a  small  village  below.
  The  village  is  of  escaped  slaves,  mostly
  African,  but  they  are  led  by  a  scornful  Frenchman,
  named  in  prison  ‘Ol’ Creole’.  However,  Ol’ Creole
  is  not  in  the  village  at  present—he  is  the  statue
  atop  the  cleft,  his  body  smeared  with  green
  ceremonial  paint.  If  either  he  or  ‘his  people’  are
  disturbed,  they  will  feign  friendliness  long  enough
  to  escort  the  party  to  the  center  of  the  village,
  where  20  men  will  surround  them  with  spears,  and
  then  Ol’ Creole  will  proceed  to  judge  them  for
  their  bloodthirsty,  European  ways!  Each  European
  Character  must  make  a  Charisma  Check,  this  roll
  modified  by  +2  if  one  says  they  are  seeking
  freedom,  enlightenment  or  anything  virtuous,  but
  suffers  a  penalty  of  -2  if  they  say  they  are  seeking
  treasure  of  any  kind.  If  successful,  one  will  be
  allowed  to  go  free.  If  this  Check  fails,  one  will  be
  impaled  on  the  spot  (automatic  spear  strike)!  If  all
  the  party’s  checks  succeed,  Ol’ Creole  will  see
  them  as  different  than  other  white-skins,  and  will
  join  them,  his  statistics  provided  on  Handout  11.
  7)  Hell  is  Heaven
  If  the  party  seeks  treasure  within  Santiago  Vega
  itself,  a  Searching  Check  may  find . . .
  Not  far  from  the  church  you  find  a  dark,  dank
  tunnel  descending  into  forgotten  tunnels.  You
  haven’t  gone  far  when  you  come  to  a  dead-end,
  a  chamber  whose  walls  are  built  with  clustered
  skulls,  grinning  at  you  with  devilish  delight.  As
  your  light  flickers  in  their  deep,  empty  eyes,  it  is
  difficult  to  think  about  treasure  at  all.
  
  THE   GOLDEN   HEAVENS
  23
  If  the  party  takes  the  time  to  study  the  skulls
  (no  roll  necessary)  they  will  see  old,  worn  epitaphs
  scratched  on  their  brows.  Mostly  consisting  of
  simple  names  and  dates,  one  skull  has  a  message,
  written  in  Spanish.  If  one  can  read  the  writing,  it
  says  ‘Man  proposes,  God  disposes’,  If  nobody  can
  read  Spanish,  the  Players  may  attempt  to  decipher
  the  words  themselves  by  studying  Handout  12.  If
  this  particular  skull  is  touched,  an  Intuition  Check
  will  notice  that  it  is  actually  made  of  gold  and
  merely  coated  with  the  same  grime  as  the
  countless  other  skulls  here  (this  roll  made  with  a
  +2  bonus  if  one  is  Skilled  in  Appraising).  This
  skull  is  worth  9000  gold  coins,  whether  melted
  down  or  sold  outright,  though  a  Brawn  Check  is
  required  to  pry  it  free  (this  roll  made  with  a  bonus
  of  +3  if  a  dagger  is  used).
  8)  Words  of  warning
  If  the  party  does  not  seek  treasure  at  all,  or  have
  fled  or  ‘failed’,  the  next  character  they  talk  to,
  whether  it  be  the  town  priest,  Ol’ Creole  or  anyone
  else,  will  tell  a  strange  tale . . .
  In  the  dim,  flickering  light,  the  words  that  others
  may  have  once  brushed  aside  sound  like  the
  conviction  of  the  Great  Judge  Himself.  “You  are
  wise  to  turn  aside  from  all  that  petty  gold . . .”
  the  tale  begins.  “Only  eight  years  ago,  a  large
  party  sought  the  legendary  ‘city  of  gold’,  which
  they  named  ‘El  Dorado’.  Yet  seeking  this  gold
  curses  one  to  match  their  greed;  the  expedition
  turned  into  a  rebellion.  The  jungle,  their  fear,
  and  the  devil  defeated  them.  Their  porter,  ‘Lope
  de Aguirre’  seized  command,  but  after  months  of
  roaming  the  jungle,  madness  claimed  him  at  last.
  He  forced  his  men  to  renounce  their  king,  and
  declared  that  all  of  Peru  belonged  to  him,  and
  their  cabin  boy  became  ‘prince’.  They  eventually
  killed  each  other,  the  jungle  turning  them  into
  animals,  hunting  one  another.  Such  is  the  fate  of
  false  kings  and  false  faiths.  Turn  back  now.”
  Then  he  adds  “The  greatest  treasure  in  the  world
  can  be  found  only  with  the  compass  of  the
  heart.  The  golden  gates  of  the  heavenly  city!  The
  son  of  the  sun  will  tell  you . . .”
  PART  3:  FAITH  IN  GOLD:  Before  setting  out,
  the  party  may  need  to  find  financial  means  to
  search  for  the  fabled  ‘city  of  gold’.  The  following
  Encounters  will  provide  plenty  of  opportunities  for
  just  such  backing.  Use  them  where  applicable.
  9)  Winds  of  fortune
  If  the  party  still  has  a  ship  in  some  capacity,
  while  at  sea,  they  may  find  some  financing.
  “It’s  a  sloop,”  says  the  lookout,  “nothing  to  be
  afraid  of.”  As  the  small  vessel  draws  near,  its
  captain  heaves-to  and  hails  you,  anxious  for  a
  parley,  it  seems.
  The  sloop  is  captained  by  a  proud  Englishman,
  middle-aged  and  somewhat  cracked,  but  one  who
  believes  in  legends  and  lost  treasures!  If  during
  their  talk  the  party  makes  any  mention  of  their
  search  for  a  ‘city  of  gold’,  he  will  immediately
  agree  to  join  them,  saying  “It  is  God’s  will  that
  we  met.  Nothing  to  chance  about  it—the  winds  of
  fortune  are  shifting  throughout  the  New  World.
  The  Spanish  Empire  will  fall,  and  God’s  chosen
  will  come  here.  But  to  do  God’s  will  we  need
  gold,  so  let  us  seek  it  together!”  If  the  party  is
  not  in  command,  their  captain,  not  believing  in  this
  legend,  will  give  them  the  choice  to  leave  and  join
  this  Englishman,  ‘Ensign  Smith’.  In  any  event,  he
  will  give  the  party  full  reign  of  his  sloop,  the
  ‘Holy  Grail’,  even  captaincy,  so  long  as  they  fly
  the  English  flag.  He  has  but  7  cannon,  an  anchor,
  and  30  unruly  Englishmen  (all  1st Level)  aboard,
  with  but  20  days  of  food  each.
  10)  Visiting  the  governor
  If  the  party  seeks  a  governor  for  financing,  they
  will  stand  a  3  in  12  chance  of  gaining  an
  audience,  +2  for  every  rank  one  has  in  that
  nation’s  navy.  Once  they  have  stated  their  case,
  one  amongst  the  party  must  make  a  Charisma
  Check,  modified  by  the  factors  provided  on  the
  following  page.  If  this  Check  fails,  they  will  be
  ordered  out.  If  successful,  the  governor  will  give
  the  party  4000-15000  gold  to  finance  their
  expedition,  with  the  understanding  that  50%  of
  
  THE   GOLDEN   HEAVENS
  24
  whatever  treasure  is  found  is  given  to  his  king,
  and  that  the  one  who  impressed  him  (the  one  who
  made  the  Charisma  Check)  is  officially  in
  command  for  the  entire  voyage.
  Audience   With   The   Governor
  Modifier
  Party’s  proposal  includes . . .
  +3
  Speaking  to  a  non-Spanish  governor,
  and  they  completed  Adventure  #2
  +2
  Speaking  to  a  non-Spanish  governor,
  and  they  are  not  Spanish  either
  +1
  Offering  30%  or  more  of  the  treasure
  to  the  governor,  his  nation  or  king
  +1
  Offering  to  attack  any  Spanish  they
  may  meet  along  the  way
   -2
  Speaking  to  a  Spanish  governor,  with
  a  majority  of  the  party  non-Spanish
  11)  Modern  Major-general
  If  the  party  outright  seeks  a  financier,  there  will
  only  be  one  in  town  who  will  agree  to  see  them,
  given  what  they  are  asking  for.
  His  offices  closed,  the  financier’s  clerk  agrees  to
  see  you  at  his  plantation  for  tea.  Once  there,  you
  find  him  standing  on  a  sparkling  beach,  taking
  his  ease  under  a  large  palm-umbrella  and  gently
  fanned  by  several  smiling  slaves.  He  is  dressed
  in  the  finest  white  to  match  his  mustache.  He
  turns  to  greet  you,  speaking  as  if  singing  in  such
  an  onslaught  of  articulate  words  that  it  leaves
  you  breathless.  From  his  barrage  of  boastful  titles
  and  tales  of  his  own  adventures,  you  gather  that
  he  is  as  wealthy  in  experience  as  he  is  in  gold.
  He  is  the  very  model  of  a  modern  Major-general.
  Major  ‘Stanley’  will  listen  to  the  party’s  own
  tale,  and  then  will  make  his  offer:  For  every  Level
  and/or  English  rank  of  their  leader,  Major  Stanley
  will  give  them  1000  gold.  He  will  expect  no
  return  at  all.  Instead,  the  party  must  agree  to  three
  requests:  They  must  voyage  under  the  English  flag,
  they  must  agree  to  destroy  any  Spanish  they
  encounter,  and  most  importantly,  all  (male)  Player
  Characters  must  pledge  their  troth  to  one  of  his
  many  beautiful  daughters,  to  wed  upon  their  return
  exactly  one  year  to  the  day.
  PART  4:  TO  FIND  HEAVEN:  If  the  party  sets
  out  to  sea  in  search  of  treasure,  they  will  ever  be
  entering  into  more  battles  as  tensions  increase
  between  Spain  and  the  other  nations  of  Europe.
  Use  the  following  Encounters  at  your  discretion.
  12)  The  blood  of  greed
  The  sparkling  blue  waters  are  stained  with  the
  fresh  blood  of  a  body  floating  in  the  waves.
  As  the  body  has  not  yet  been  touched  by
  sharks  or  other  sea  predators,  it  is  very  fresh
  indeed—there  is  trouble  nearby.  A  simple  search  of
  the  body  (no  roll  necessary)  will  discover  a  note
  instead  his  hat.  When  a  Character  reads  it,  replace
  ‘SHIP’  with  the  name  of  the  party’s  ship  (or
  flagship);  ‘We’ve  got  you,  SHIP’.  Indeed,  there  is  a
  small  band  of  Spaniards  nearby,  their  own  ship  a
  rickety  old  sloop,  and  they  will  demand  that  the
  party  surrender.  However,  if  the  party  chooses  to
  fight,  these  cowardly  cutthroats  will  be  so  surprised
  and  fearful  that  they  will  surrender  in  turn,  and
  beg  for  their  lives.
  13)  The  Royal  Warrior
  “Sail  ho!”  The  call  is  all  too  familiar  in  these
  waters,  where  the  setting  sun  ignites  the  sky  like
  the  mouth  of  an  enemy  cannon,  and  the  water  is
  stained  with  the  crimson  red  of  Spanish  blood.
  Indeed,  the  sail  sighted  is  of  a  Spanish  warship,
  and  they  are  closing  on  you.
  The  Spanish  ship  is  the  ‘Regio  Guerrero’,  a
  new  design  being  put  to  the  test  for  the  Spanish
  king’s  fleet,  a  man-o-war  running  24  guns  with  a
  crew  of  145  Spaniards  (of  a  total  260  Levels).  If
  the  party  does  not  flee,  the  Spaniards  will  act  in
  the  following  order  of  priority:
  If  the  party  is  flying  the  flag  of  any  nation
  (even  Spain  itself),  they  will  demand  tribute  for
  sailing  through  these  Spanish  waters,  a  levy  of
  30%  of  all  treasure  and  cargo  aboard  the  party’s
  vessel  (as  Spain  claims  that  all  treasures  of  the
  New  World  are  rightfully  theirs,  by  God’s  favor).
  If  the  party’s  vessel  is  smaller  than  the
  Spanish  man-o-war,  they  will  attack.
  
  THE   GOLDEN   HEAVENS
  25
  If  the  party’s  vessel  is  larger  than  the  Spanish
  man-o-war,  they  will  themselves  turn  and  flee.
  If  it  comes  to  battle,  this  incident  will  happen
  to  be  the  final  straw  in  far-reaching  politics,
  causing  Spain  to  go  to  war  with  whatever  nation’s
  flag  that  the  party  was  flying  during  the  battle  (if
  any).  Such  an  incident  will  increase  the  captain’s
  Notoriety  by  50.
  If  it  does  not  come  to  come  to  battle,  or  if
  the  party  is  victorious,  they  may  try  to  gain
  information  concerning  the  ‘city  of  gold’  from  the
  Spaniards.  If  there  was  no  battle,  a  simple
  Charisma  Check  will  glean  all  that  they  know.
  Otherwise,  the  Spanish  will  not  reveal  anything
  without  being  tortured  first.  In  either  event,  all
  they  know  is  that  the  fabled  ‘city  of  gold’  is
  called  ‘El  Dorado’,  and  that  it  lies  in  one  of  three
  places—Honduras,  Cuba,  or  Louisiana.
  14)  An  Angel’s  guidance
  When  the  search  for  a  golden  city  is  desperate . . .
  This  night,  as  the  stars  shine  upon  the  dark
  waves,  suddenly  there  appears  upon  the  sails
  above  the  silvery  silhouette  of  a  woman.  You
  glance  down  at  your  bottle.  Almost  hoping  you
  are  drunk,  you  hear  a  voice;  “You  will  never
  find  the  city  of  gold  at  sea . . .”  These  words
  still  echo  in  your  mind  come  the  morning’s
  light—it  is  morning!  Perhaps  you  did  drink  too
  much.
  Let  the  party  make  of  this  what  they  will.  If
  they  continue  to  search  for  treasure,  they  will  only
  find  it  on  the  other  side  of  the  storm  of  war.
  PART  5:  TO  ENTER  HEAVEN:  If  the  party
  sets  out  in  search  of  treasure  anywhere  on  land,
  they  will  ever  enter  into  one  peril  after  another.
  Use  the  following  Encounters  at  your  discretion.
  15)  The  blood  of  madness
  Your  trek  through  the  sweltering  jungle  is  halted
  before  a  body  laying  face  down  in  a  small  pool
  of  shallow  mud.
  As  the  body  has  not  yet  been  touched  by
  boars  or  other  jungle  predators,  it  is  very  fresh
  indeed—there  is  trouble  nearby.  If  the  party  does
  anything  but  look  up,  they  will  give  the  first
  Round  of  combat  to  the  5  ragged  men  who  are
  waiting  above  in  ambush!  These  men  all  went  mad
  looking  for  ‘El  Dorado’,  and  will  fight  to  the
  death,  so  the  party  will  not  learn  their  fate  unless
  they  make  an  effort  to  capture  them  alive.  Their
  statistics  are  DS  5,  B  2,  G  6,  MOVE  110’,  and
  they  each  use  makeshift,  rusted  blades  (an  average
  Base  Damage  of  4).  They  are  all  Level  1.
  16)  Savages
  The  jungle  is  mysteriously  quiet—the  chirping  of
  unknown  birds,  the  occasional  rustle  in  the
  undergrowth,  the  echo  of  distant  drumbeats . . .
  In  3  Rounds  the  party  will  be  attacked  by  16
  cannibals!  When  battle  begins,  have  everyone  make
  an  Intuition  Check  in  order  to  notice  that  the
  natives  point  at  any  gold  trinkets  or  jewelry  each
  Character  may  be  wearing.  If  the  party  offers  them
  any  gold,  the  natives  will  take  it  and  leave.  These
  savage  men  have  DS  7,  G  7,  MOVE  140’,  they
  are  effectively  3rd  Level,  and  they  wield  spears
  with  +2  to  their  Attack  Rolls  for  2  Base  Damage.
  17)  An  Angel’s  warning
  When  the  search  for  a  golden  city  is  desperate . . .
  This  night,  as  the  stars  shine  above  the  tops  of
  the  tall  palms,  suddenly  the  clouds  drift  apart,  as
  if  the  moon  were  removing  its  hood,  and  in  its
  silvery  light  you  see  the  fair  face  of  a  woman.
  You  wipe  your  brow,  distrusting  of  the  heat  and
  diseases  in  these  jungles.  Almost  hoping  you  are
  mad,  you  hear  a  voice;  “You  will  never  find  the
  city  of  gold  on  land . . .”  These  words  still  echo
  in  your  mind  as  the  clouds  obscure  the  moon
  and  cast  the  jungle  deep  into  the  blind  darkness
  wherein  all  men  go  mad.
  Let  the  party  make  of  this  what  they  will.  If
  they  continue  to  search  for  treasure,  they  will  only
  find  it  in  their  dreams,  delirium,  and  nightmares.
  
  THE   GOLDEN   HEAVENS
  26
  PART  6:  EVIL  BEGETS  EVIL:  Long  and
  fruitless  the  party’s  search  for  a  city  of  gold  may
  have  proven,  if  they  see  only  gold  indeed.  There
  are  many  in  the  world  that  see  just  that,  and  only
  that,  and  having  been  robbed  of  it  by  the  party,
  they  now  wish  to  see  only  blood.  Use  the
  following  Encounters  wherever  they  are  applicable.
  18)  The  curse  of  gold
  If  any  of  the  current  party  members  were  involved
  in  Adventure  #1  of  this  booklet,  even  by  ties  of
  blood  or  bond,  their  old  enemies  want  revenge . . .
  “Sail  ho!”  The  call  is  all  too  familiar  now,  with
  the  setting  sun  setting  fire  to  the  sky  as  if  all
  the  world  were  the  furnace  of  fate,  and  you  have
  at  last  been  trapped  inside  of  it.  Indeed,  the  sail
  sighted  is  of  a  Spanish  ship,  its  bowsprit  carved
  like  a  king  wearing  a  winged,  golden  helmet,
  matching  that  worn  by  the  captain  himself.
  Whether  or  not  the  party  found  the  Golden
  Helmet  years  ago,  the  Spanish,  unable  to  find  it
  themselves  have  made  a  forgery,  and  now  seek  to
  silence  the  only  witnesses  to  the  contrary.  If  the
  party  did  indeed  find  the  true  Golden  Helmet,  this
  will  give  their  attackers  all  the  more  reason  to  kill
  them—to  capture  the  genuine  article!  In  any  event,
  the  Spanish  galleon  that  is  closing  on  them  is  the
  ‘Domingo’s  Vengar’,  manned  by  220  1st  Level
  Spaniards,  60  3rd  Level  Spaniards,  and  30  4th  Level
  Spaniards,  armed  to  the  teeth  and  running  a  full
  20  cannon.  The  captain  is  the  famous  ‘Colonel
  Juan  Rivera’,  a  Spanish  Buccaneer  of  5th  Level,  80
  Notoriety,  DS  11,  G  8,  MOVE  130’,  who  fights
  like  a  devil  with  his  gilded  cutlass  at  +4.
  If  the  party  still  possesses  the  Golden  Helmet
  of  legend,  openly  displaying  it  will  cause  a  large
  number  of  Spaniards  to  turn  against  Colonel
  Rivera,  a  total  of  10-120  plus  an  additional  10  for
  every  Notoriety  Level  the  wearer  has.
  If  the  party  is  defeated,  nobody  will  ever  find
  their  bodies,  making  inheritance  all  the  more
  difficult,  thus  if  one  extends  his  lost  Character’s
  family  with  his  new  one,  the  cost  of  his  first  roll
  on  Table  62  will  be  increased  from  1  to  3
  Creation  Points  (regardless  of  age).
  19)  Deals  with  devils
  If  any  of  the  current  party  members  were  involved
  in  Adventure  #2  of  this  booklet,  whatever  their
  successes,  their  old  enemies  have  not  forgotten . . .
  “Ahoy  the  deck!  Spanish  ship  off  the  port  bow!”
  A  Spanish  ship  indeed,  an  obvious  pirate  hunter.
  Regardless  of  what  may  have  happened  before,
  the  Spanish  are  using  the  party  as  scapegoats  for
  the  wars  beginning  between  Spain  and  England.
  The  lone  pirate  hunter  they  have  dispatched  to
  follow  the  party  will  be  of  the  same  type  of  ship
  the  party  now  has,  and  with  the  same  number  of
  cannon,  but  with  only  half  the  total  Levels  of  men
  (all  the  Spaniards  will  be  1st  Level).  Indeed,  the
  Spanish  nobility  wants  the  party  to  be  victorious
  here,  so  that  the  wars  escalate.  The  Spanish  captain
  knows  this,  and  will  not  reveal  himself  in  battle,
  but  he  cannot  dissuade  his  crew.  If  the  party
  captures  rather  than  kills  him,  he  will  reveal  this
  plot,  which  will  earn  the  party’s  captain  150  points
  for  Table  77  from  any  governor  at  war  with  Spain.
  20)  The  Blood  Fleet
  If  the  party  has  attacked  (not  defended  against)  any
  Spanish  ships  or  towns  during  this  Adventure,  their
  targets  happened  to  be  important  enough  for  the
  main  Treasure  Fleet  to  have  dispatched  their
  ‘Blood  Fleet’  to  hunt  the  party  down . . .
  Ill  winds  have  blown  three  war  galleons  your
  way.  The  lookout  can  barely  make  out  their
  names,  but  they  all  appear  to  be  from  the  Tierra
  Firme  Treasure  Fleet.  “The  Blood  Fleet!”  one  of
  the  crew  exclaims.  “We  are  all  dead  men!”
  Collectively,  these  three  Spanish  galleons  are
  known  as  ‘The  Blood  Fleet’.  If  the  party’s  vessel
  is  currently  in  the  service  of  the  Spanish  crown,
  they  will  be  content  to  only  take  40%  of  the
  treasure  aboard  as  tribute  to  the  king.  If  they  have
  the  Golden  Helmet  aboard,  the  Blood  Fleet  will
  take  that  prize  alone  and  let  the  party  live  to
  spread  the  message  that  King  Phillip  II  is  now  the
  rightful  king  of  all  the  New  World.  In  any  other
  
  THE   GOLDEN   HEAVENS
  27
  event,  the  Spanish  will  take  all  of  the  party’s
  treasure.  Each  of  these  warships  is  manned  by  310
  Spaniards  totaling  750  Levels,  running  a  full  20
  cannon.  If  the  party  manages  to  defeat  them,  they
  will  find  much  treasure  aboard,  and  as  a  good
  95%  of  the  bulk  treasure  on  the  fleets  is  Peruvian
  silver,  any  rolls  of  ‘2-6’  on  Table  81  will  be
  considered  coins  (‘gold’)  instead  of  other  valuables.
  Moreover,  they  can  learn  from  the  Spanish  that
  “The  city  of  gold  does  not  exist.  Natives  guided
  our  men  only  to  mud  pueblos.  The  gold  of  Heaven
  is  mined  in  the  earth  and  claimed  at  sea.  The
  Treasure  Fleet  that  sails  towards  the  rising  sun  is
  where  you  should  seek  the  golden  heavens—home.”
  PART  7:  THE  GOLD  OF  HEAVEN:  The  voyage
  is  almost  over . . . almost.  Will  the  party  truly  see
  the  gold  of  Heaven?  Play  the  following  Encounters
  one  and  all  and  in  the  order  they  are  presented.
  21)  An  Angel’s  message
  This  night,  as  the  stars  shine  upon  the  dark
  waves,  you  banter  back  and  forth  with  your
  friends  in  a  friendly  manner,  your  words
  seemingly  not  your  own,  the  truth  about  the
  Heavens  coming  out  of  each  of  you.  But
  suddenly,  the  night  is  lost  and  replaced  by  day!
  There,  rising  above  the  stern  of  the  ship  is  a
  blinding  light—an  Angel!  Beckoning  to  you  with
  her  slender  arms,  the  spirit  speaks  to  you  in
  your  own  voice.  You  cannot  remember  the  exact
  words,  only  the  message—not  to  be  deceived  by
  the  words  of  men,  for  you  are  closer  to  the  city
  of  gold  than  ever,  but  also  do  not  be  deceived
  by  gold  itself . . . these  words  still  echo  in  your
  mind  after  the  Angel  vanishes.
  Whether  or  not  the  Characters  heed  this
  warning,  the  party’s  course  is  set—to  the  true
  Golden  Heavens,  or  to  their  doom.  If  there  are  any
  Characters  who  are  clearly  religious  or  faithful,  as
  determined  by  one’s  Character  Sheet  or  his  role-
  playing,  those  individuals  have  been  rewarded  by
  the  Angel’s  blessing,  so  that  if  they  fall  overboard
  in  the  approaching  storm  (Encounter  22)  they  will
  be  spared,  awakening  on  a  nearby  beach  just
  outside  of  a  friendly  town.
  22)  Judgment
  “We’re  in  for  a  blow!”  one  of  the  crewmen
  says.  As  the  others  begin  tying  things  down  in
  the  rising  wind,  one  of  them  comes  up  to  you,
  toting  his  Bible.  He  shouts  above  the  gusts  of
  harrowing  wind,  which  howl  like  the  hounds  of
  Hell.  He  says  he’s  been  listening  to  all  you  have
  heard,  and  it  all  makes  sense—in  his  Bible,  he
  found  the  directions  to  the  city  of  gold!  He  turns
  and  points  due  north,  into  the  mouth  of  the
  storm.  “There!”  he  cries.  “The  choice  lies  before
  us!  We  are  less  than  a  day  from—”  but  a
  sudden  wave  blasts  over  the  deck,  and  you  see
  the  young  sailor  no  more.  Indeed,  you  wonder  if
  the  city  of  gold  is  worth  it.
  The  choice  is  now  before  the  party,  to  find
  the  unfindable,  or  to  turn  away  from  the  hellish
  fury  of  the  storm  before  them.  If  the  party  sails
  into  the  storm,  they  will  be  caught  in  a  ferocious
  storm  the  likes  of  which  none  of  the  crew  have
  seen  before,  one  from  which  they  cannot  escape,
  and  their  ship  will  be  lost,  as  will  every  one
  aboard!  However,  any  Player  Character  who  shows
  his  virtue  in  this  crisis  may  be  spared—those  who
  leave  all  monetary  wealth  behind  when  they  swim,
  those  who  try  and  help  others,  or  those  who
  pray—they  will  awaken  later,  either  on  a  beach
  near  a  friendly  port  or  on  the  deck  of  a  friendly
  vessel  that  fished  them  out  of  the  sea.  However,  if
  the  party  chose  to  turn  away  from  the  storm,
  indeed  to  place  greater  value  on  lives  rather  than
  gold,  if  only  for  a  little  while,  their  voyage  will
  not  be  over  quite  yet . . .
  23)  Dawn’s  light
  Avoiding  the  storm,  you  soon  meet  a  fleet  of
  merchant  vessels  from  Europe,  bound  for  the
  New  World.  The  ships  are  filled  with  goods
  made  with  the  honest  gold  of  good  Christian
  men.  As  the  light  of  dawn  breaks  over  the
  eastern  horizon,  the  faith  of  the  Old  World
  washes  the  western  sky  in  vibrant,  golden  light.
  These  ships  are  bound  for  so  many  ports  that
  they  offer  safe  passage  to  any  Caribbean  harbor.
  
  THE   GOLDEN   HEAVENS
  28
  CONCLUDING  THE  ADVENTURE:  Once  the
  party  has  left  the  bloody  waters  of  the  Spanish
  Main  behind,  there  are  some  things  to  consider.
  Marriage:  If  the  party  acquired  finances  from
  Major  Stanley,  he  will  look  forward  to  their  return
  for  marriage  to  his  daughters.  The  party  may  look
  forward  to  this  as  well,  and  then  they  may  not.  If
  they  do  indeed  return  and  take  Holy  Matrimony,
  the  Major  will  give  each  of  his  new  sons-in-law  a
  title  deed  to  land  in  England.  Roll  on  Table  92  to
  determine  the  type  of  property  given,  and  then
  when  rolling  its  value  one  may  have  several
  bonus’ according  to  the  following  chart.  If  ever  his
  roll  exceeds  ‘12’,  he  should  roll  again,  adding  the
  new  value  to  his  previous  total,  but  with  one  less
  bonus  from  the  chart.  Note  that  these  circumstances
  that  carry  favor  with  Major  Stanley  should  not  be
  suggested  to  the  Players—they  are  rewards  for  any
  who  go  ‘above  and  beyond  the  call  of  duty’  by
  their  own  initiative  and  imagination.
  Major   Stanley’s   Generosity
  Bonus
  Circumstances
  +3
  Renounces  piracy  (but  not  privateering)
  +2
  Role-plays  the  wedding  at  least  a  little
  +2
  Remained  chaste  his  entire  time  away
  +1
  Has  a  child  in  his  first  year
  +1
  Names  his  ship  after  his  new  wife
  However,  if  any  Character  breaks  his  pledge
  to  marry  one  of  Major  Stanley’s  daughters,  the
  Major-general  will  use  his  wealth  to  hire  no  end
  of  pirates  and  privateers  to  hunt  down  the
  heartbreaker—if  ever  the  Character  is  defeated  by
  an  English  vessel,  he  will  be  sold  to  Major
  Stanley  for  a  fair  price,  and  the  Major-general  will
  use  him  as  slave  labor  on  the  lands  in  England
  that  could  have  been  his,  under  the  watchful  eye
  of  his  once-upon-a-time-wife-to-be.
  War  or  peace?:  Throughout  the  Adventures  in  this
  booklet,  if  any  one  Player  Character  gained  700  or
  more  promotional  points  for  any  single  nation  at
  war  with  Spain,  his  rise  through  the  ranks  on
  Table  77  will  carry  an  additional  reward,  that  of
  his  testimony  being  crucial  to  peace  talks  between
  the  great  nations,  where  he  may  or  may  not  even
  reveal  deliberate  deceptions  he  was  a  part  of  that
  brought  nations  to  war.  In  any  event,  ask  the
  Player  if  his  Character  testifies  in  the  interests  of
  peace,  or  of  war.  Urging  peace  will  be  one  reason
  that  the  wars  cease  while  England,  France  and
  Holland  more  prominently  colonize  the  Caribbean,
  earning  the  Character  3  bonus  rolls  on  Table  78.
  However,  promoting  war  will  earn  the  Character
  100  points  for  Table  77  from  the  chief  opposing
  nation  (Spain  or  England)  and  the  secret  offer  of  a
  ‘letter  of  marque’  and  amnesty  for  his  crew.
  Enslaved:  If  the  party  was  defeated  by  someone
  who  wouldn’t  have  good  reason  to  kill  them
  outright,  they  will  be  sold  into  slavery.  This  will
  end  the  Adventure  for  the  Character,  but  not
  necessarily  his  career,  as  he  may  escape  or  be
  purchased  by  pirates  sometime  later  (perhaps  the
  party  themselves).  Depending  on  one’s  national
  affiliation,  the  following  chart  will  determine  where
  they  finally  end  up,  stripped  of  all  their  wealth
  and  possessions,  putting  them  in  a  relatively  bad
  position  to  begin  their  next  adventure.
  Sold   Into   Slavery
  Roll
  Pirates
  Spanish
  Others
  10-12
  Eleuthera
  Margarita
  Eleuthera
  7-9
  Grand Bahama
  Santiago
  Nassau
  4-6
  Santiago Vega
  Gibraltar
  Santiago Vega
  2-3
  Trinidad
  Borburata
  Coro
  1
  Isabella
  Panama
  Madagascar
  Faith:  If  someone  took  the  moral  of  this  tale  to
  heart,  that  of  faith  above  greed,  expressed  either
  through  role-playing,  acquisition  of  statistics  or
  modified  character  design  of  any  kind,  they  will  be
  well  rewarded,  according  to  their  faith.
  Role-playing  one’s  renewed  faith  will  have
  earned  the  Character  a  reputation  for  being  a  very
  holy  man,  and  as  a  result  will  give  him  the
  chance  to  make  a  Charisma  Check  to  talk  himself
  out  of  any  and  all  future  fights  with  Europeans
  (penalized  by  -2  against  national  enemies),  until  the
  day  when  he  wantonly  commits  an  unholy  act.
  Statistical  religion  reflecting  one’s  renewed
  faith  will  increase  his  ‘Luck’  Score  by  +1.
  Other  devotion  of  renewed  faith  will  have
  earned  one  a  governor’s  gift;  1000-12000  gold!
  
  The Blind Wraith
  Captain:
  Design:
  Mounted cannon:
  Reserve cannon:
  Men per cannon:
  Hull Points:
  Crew:
  Morale:
  Hold:
  Cargo:
  Levels:
  Speed:
  Notes and Changes:
  260
  4
  18
  10
  12
  26
  9000
  3850
  80
  240
  Pirate
  Mariner
  Carl
  ‘Jamason’
  Barks
  The Blind Wraith began as a simple exploration ship,
  flying the English flag in the Americas when Spain was
  at the height of its power, thus never needing to fear a
  foreign vessel. However, when fortune favored this ship, a
  Spanish galleon attacked her and took her to Cartagena,
  where the crew was imprisoned. Only her captain, Ensign
  Barks, was left free. Yet his pleas to the court all fell on
  deaf ears. So, he freed his men, and they stole back the
  ship that they renamed for their blind loyalty to lordship
  and became wraiths of the seas!
  The Blind Wraith is a home for 80 men without any
  safe harbor (60 1st Level and 20 3rd Level). They fire a
  deadly barrage of cannon at +1, and would rather fight
  to the death than be fodder for any nation’s laws.
  The Blind Wraith is provisioned to remain independent
  as long as possible, with 30 cannon, 40 salvos for them,
  100 days of food for it’s 80 men, 2 anchors, 3 longboats,
  and several hidden compartments that penalize all rolls on
  Table 81 by -2. All weapons aboard are kept by the crew.
  Flag:
  HANDOUT 1
  
  Agility:
  Brawn:
  Nationality:
  Experience Level:
  Notoriety Level:
  Defense Score:
  Carried Weight:
  Notes and Changes: Move:
  Class:
  Age:
  Height:
  Weight:
  Handed:
  Born:
  Endurance:
  Girth:
  Wits:
  Intuition:
  Charisma:
  Luck:
  05
  06
  09
  07
  10
  10
  07
  07
  130
  047
  120’
  38
  11
  8
  3
  5’8”
  1524
  Born to poor laborers in the highlands of Scotland, a
  young Carl only dreamed of having a real bed, and real
  food after a hard day’s work. However, his self-developed
  skills only earned him a place in a local rebellion and in
  time a captaincy in the New World, daring waters that
  few sane men would. Yet, blessed with a lucky charm, a
  simple coin, the first he ever earned, he led his crew into
  many dark places where they earned great wealth, if only
  until the Spanish seized it from them. Unaided by all of
  the British courts, he now detests government, trusts only
  legends, superstitions and faith, and seeks to amass only
  the greatest fortune of any one man in the world.
  Barks is a rugged adventurer, able to read and write
  English, French, Dutch and Spanish, and is skilled in all
  swords (level 2), guns (level 2), and forecasting (level 1).
  Barks is well armed with a cutlass, 4 flint-locks, and
  a dagger hidden in his boot. He always carries with him
  a spyglass to seek for treasure. His eye-patch he does not
  need, but it fools his enemies (+1 to his Defense Score).
  R
  Scottish
  Buccaneer
  Carl
  Jamason
  Barks
  ‘
  ’
  HANDOUT 2
  
  HANDOUT 3
  
  Tres gato! Tres gato! Tres gato!
  Cada quien se pone la corona que se labra
  Piedra que rueda no cria moho
  De la subida mas alta es la caida mas lastimosa
  !
  !
  !
  It is a strange fate that common men build the world
  of the royals, and yet only royalty lives forever, their
  blood their legacy, and yet not without penance, for
  immortality is a curse, so says Father Scandan.
  John Steele,
  1536
  The Spaniard had the Fever. There was nothing even
  Mr. Crisp could do for him. Faith! it is an uncertain
  world at best. Through blood and cough he left us only
  with words as unknown to us as his cure. I have made
  note of them should we meet another who speaks the
  Spanish way and not the crude Latinish we rely on.
  HANDOUT 4
  
  Three cats! Three cats! Three cats!
  As you make your bed, so you must lie in it
  A rolling stone gathers no moss
  The bigger they are, the harder they fall
  HANDOUT 5
  
  T
  o my trusted subjects in theColonies, I write
  on behalf of the Queen herself. These are times
  of war, and we must trust in God and those of
  faith who serve Him under the Queen.
  To those who serve, know that war comes from the
  foul and most foreign people of Spain. We maintain
  the illusion of peace while we must, but several attempts
  on the Queen’s life have left the Royal Court with
  no other choice than to strike first, but with cunning.
  The Queen will do anything to keep control of our
  beloved and right realm of England, for the better of
  all the world. If you would serve her and God’s will
  then you will with speed to Panama. Our advisors
  are certain that the Spanish silver train that unloads
  into the Treasure Fleet may be intercepted on a small
  and particularly vulnerable jungle road, known by the
  locals to run for five miles between the Sunstone and a
  lagoon where the dead sing at night.
  Lord William Norton
  1565
  HANDOUT 6
  
  The Star Sapphire
  Captain:
  Design:
  Mounted cannon:
  Reserve cannon:
  Men per cannon:
  Hull Points:
  Crew:
  Morale:
  Hold:
  Cargo:
  Levels:
  Speed:
  Notes and Changes:
  300
  5
  20
  10
  10
  23
  15000
  7200
  130
  390
  English
  Square-rigger
  Major
  Randolph
  Longston
  The Star Sapphire was one of the first English vessels
  to come to the Americas. In 1498, it was the pride of a
  merchant fleet, bringing rare and exotic spices back to an
  all-too-eager-to-buy England. However, when peaceful trade
  failed to establish a foothold in the colonies, and Spanish
  power tipped all scales, many English ships were refitted
  for war. The Star Sapphire earned it’s name by its first
  Spanish prize, for among the treasure of a large galleon
  was a Mayan crown inset with the largest star sapphire
  ever found. The jewel still adorns the ship’s compass.
  The Star Sapphire is manned mostly by English men,
  with a few refugees from other nations. There are (as a
  rule) 100 trained English sailors aboard (all level 3), with
  an additional 30 of other persuasions (average level of 3)
  who are all well armed and fire cannon at +2.
  The Star Sapphire is commissioned as a warship, set
  to sea with 30 cannon, 100 salvos for them, 4 longboats
  for prize crews, 3 anchors, flags for fooling all nations,
  and provisions to last it’s crew of 130 up to 200 days.
  Flag:
  HANDOUT 7
  
  Agility:
  Brawn:
  Nationality:
  Experience Level:
  Notoriety Level:
  Defense Score:
  Carried Weight:
  Notes and Changes: Move:
  Class:
  Age:
  Height:
  Weight:
  Handed:
  Born:
  Endurance:
  Girth:
  Wits:
  Intuition:
  Charisma:
  Luck:
  04
  03
  07
  05
  08
  08
  07
  06
  130
  040
  110’
  26
  07
  4
  1
  5’6”
  1539
  Trained for merchantine captains in his younger years,
  the winds of war began to blow in the Caribbean, thus
  causing this proud rebel to seek fame in the New World,
  where he quickly earned and learned respect and duty.
  Major Longston was trained for war. He is a skilled
  gunner (level 3), talented in navigation (level 2 ), and he
  is also an accomplished shipwright (level 2). He will not
  admit it (for fear of interrogation), but he can read and
  write English and Spanish (level 3) and understand some
  French (level 1) and Dutch (level 1).
  Major Longston makes his way carefully through life,
  his rank and wealth not gained by being a fool; he has
  on him at all times 2 double-barreled pistols, and girt at
  his side is a ceremonial rapier which enemies have a bad
  habit of underestimating. He also keeps a pocketwatch, a
  compass, and a spyglass. His purse is hidden in a false
  whiskey flask, but with real liquor in it to disguise the
  sound and weight, and also to help drink down his 120
  tiny gems if he is close to being captured.
  R
  English
  Rogue
  Major Randolph Longston
  HANDOUT 8
  
  A lock of hair for the Devil s due
  or he will be coming for you
  unless in faith you re pious and pure
  But honest men cannot be sure
  until one drinks the Devil s ale
  keeps his hair and doesn t go pale
  ’
  ,
  ,
  ’
  ’
  ,
  ’
  HANDOUT 9
  
  The Crucifix
  Captain:
  Design:
  Mounted cannon:
  Reserve cannon:
  Men per cannon:
  Hull Points:
  Crew:
  Morale:
  Hold:
  Cargo:
  Levels:
  Speed:
  Notes and Changes:
  120
  5
  07
  14
  00
  34
  2000
  1760
  70
  150
  Navy snow
  The Crucifix was commissioned by the wealthy Count
  Mason in 1500 as a symbol of both his faith in Christ,
  and in the New World and all its promise for mankind.
  The mainmast and yardarm are built to resemble a huge
  crucifix, with a life-sized wooden carving of Jesus Christ
  set upon it. No European would dare scuttle such a ship,
  and will always show mercy on its crew and captain by
  offering them the chance to join their own ranks, or risk
  God’s judgment by being set adrift in a longboat.
  The Crucifix is manned by 70 strong, God-fearing men
  of various nations; there are 30 Englishmen (80 levels), 10
  Dutchmen (20 levels), and 30 Frenchmen (50 levels). They
  insist on regular Sunday services, held amidships.
  The Crucifix is well provisioned, with a sturdy anchor,
  spare sails, a longboat, and weapons and food (50 days
  worth) for it’s 70-man crew. The cannons are fed with a
  good 30 salvos of balls, grapeshot and coals. There is an
  old Spanish flag used as a dartboard in the hold, yet if
  raised on the mast it could fool most any naval officer.
  Flag:
  HANDOUT 10
  
  Ol
  Creole
  ’
  Agility:
  Brawn:
  Nationality:
  Experience Level:
  Notoriety Level:
  Defense Score:
  Carried Weight:
  Notes and Changes: Move:
  Class:
  Age:
  Height:
  Weight:
  Handed:
  Born:
  Endurance:
  Girth:
  Wits:
  Intuition:
  Charisma:
  Luck:
  09
  08
  10
  10
  04
  06
  04
  04
  180
  019
  110’
  28
  11
  2
  0
  6’2”
  1537
  L
  Creole
  Buccaneer
  Born the child of a union between an escaped African
  slave and a Frenchman, this man grew into an exotic, if
  not altogether mystical leader of refugees from all tyranny
  of Europe. He lives recluse with other escaped slaves, free
  and without a ruler. He distrusts all laws and doctrine.
  Ol’ Creole has led a rugged life, and learned the hard
  trade of survival. He can speak fluent French but only a
  little Spanish, and combines the knowledge of both white-
  man’s medicine and tribal magic, giving him the abilities
  to concoct liquors both for healing (level 2) and poisons
  (level 2). He is also very skilled with a dagger (level 2).
  However, it is his combination of all these skills that he
  is feared for, able to work ritual magic (from Table 108),
  though he only uses this against tyrants.
  Ol’ Creole keeps a strange assortment of gear. His only
  visible weapons are a cutlass and a dagger. However, on
  his crocodile-skin belt he keeps two small pouches of ‘true
  medicine’ (Table 97). Around his neck he wears a ‘charm’
  against other magics, the small skull of an ape.
  HANDOUT 11
  
  HANDOUT 12
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Pirates/Pirates C2 Pirates of the Fabled Treasures {NDG2202}.pdf