TEXT: RakeHE l L
  thE HiGhwayman’s LameNt
  writing & Design
  Gareth Ryder-Hanrahan
  
  Acknowledgements  &   cRedits
  This Rakehell adventure was produced for Gaelcon 2010, by  
  Gareth Ryder-Hanrahan & Edel Ryder-Hanrahan. It is not intended for 
  sale or commercial use. Thanks are due to Allen Varney for proofread-
  ing & support.
  Rakehell is the creation and property of Gareth Ryder-Hanrahan.You 
  may reproduce this document for personal use only. Please include all 
  credits in your reproduction. We’d love to hear from you if you do use 
  this adventure - email us! milkyfishpress@gmail.com
  Quote (page 3) from The Highwayman by Alfred Noyes.
  The images contained herein (apart from the image by Glen Moran, which 
  was created for Rakehell) were sourced from open  or historical sources on 
  the Internet. On request we will remove any we are asked to. The sources are 
  as follows:
  • 
  Gates of Hell (cover) 
  http://www.layoutsparks.com/1/174401/gates-of-hell-open.html
  • 
  Bonds - Background page images 
  Bond by Henry Cobden, merchant of London, to Thomas Woolley of Stain-
  field, Lincolnshire for performance of covenants. 
  (http://library.mcmaster.ca/archives/findaids/findaids/b/Brit.Legal.1.ill.htm)
  • 
  Highwayman 1 (page 3)
  http://oak6j.blogspot.com/2008/09/poetry-highwayman.html
  • 
  Highwayman 2 (page 5)
  Glen Moran
  • 
  Highwayman 3 (page 7) 
  http://www.wilsonsalmanac.com/highwayman_hind.html
  • 
  Well-Dressed Gentleman (page 10) 
  http://oregonregency.blogspot.com/2010/04/outfitting-regency-man.html
  • 
  Regency London (page 13) 
  http://www.jasa.net.au/london/art.htm
  • 
  Howland Great Dock (page 15)  
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Howland_Great_Wet_Dock_1717.jpg
  • 
  Tall Ship (page 16)  
  http://pixdaus.com/single.php?id=119444
  • 
  Newgate Prison (page 17) 
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Newgate_Prison_Publ_1800.jpg
  • 
  Fallen Angel (page 19)  
  http://www.pixelvoodoo.co.uk/dark.html
  Copyright © 2010 Milkyfish Press. All rights reserved. 
  http://www.milkyfish.com
  
  The Highwayman’s Lament
  3
  IntroductioN
  I
  t is the closing years of the 18th 
  century. England has sold its 
  soul. The burgeoning indus-
  trial revolution is, in secret, an 
  infernal revolution. Aristocrats 
  bargain with devils, souls are traded in the 
  financial markets, and dark satanic mills belch 
  sulphurous smoke over the blighted country-
  side. Few dare speak of the corruption openly. 
  It would be impolite to hint that certain streets 
  in London now slope vertiginously downwards 
  into the maw of Hell, or that the clergy now 
  preach a very different gospel in many par-
  ishes. It would be treason to suggest that the 
  wrenching spiritual wound drove King George 
  III insane, or that his son stalks the night and 
  feasts on human blood.
  Souls are the new coin of the realm, more pre-
  cious than gold or rubies. Through infernal 
  arts, a soul can be subdivided, ground down, 
  distilled into inks and tinctures. These are not 
  the primitive nights of Faustus, where a man 
  would sell his soul entire for power. Instead, 
  soul-selling can be done in parts, a little at a 
  time. Only when one’s entire soul is gathered 
  by a single demon are you bound for damna-
  tion. With every transaction, hell takes a little 
  more of you, until the accumulation of interest 
  drags you into the burning pit – but why sell 
  all of your own soul, when you can buy and sell 
  parts of others?
  Wealth breeds thieves, and the highwaymen 
  who prowl by highways and byways of London 
  Town are driven by more than greed. They 
  are damned men, bereft of the greater parts 
  of their souls. Through black criminal deeds, 
  they seek to reclaim that which they lost – or 
  had taken from them. Folklore calls them rake-
  hells – they rake the coals of hell by their mis-
  deeds, making their eventual fate all the worse 
  through their defiance.
  If a rakehell could steal back his soul, if he 
  could reclaim that which he lost or squandered 
  before it is carried away into Hell, then per-
  haps he could redeem himself...
  "Yet if they press me sharply and harry me through the day 
  Then look for me by moonlight, Watch for me by moonlight
  I'll come to thee by moonlight - though hell should bar the way."
  
  Rakehell
  4
  Game System
  The game system is a variation of FATE; if 
  you’re familiar with any of the games using 
  that system (Spirit of the Century, Dresden 
  Files, Diaspora, Starblazer Adventures and so 
  on) then you’ll be able to muddle through.
  Skills
  Your character is defined by a number of skills. 
  These skills are rated from Mediocre to Legen-
  dary, as shown on the Ladder on your character 
  sheet. Any skills not listed are assumed to be 
  Poor (-1).
  • Agility
  • Alertness
  • Brawl
  • Charm
  • Courage
  • Deception
  • Endurance
  • Fencing
  • Intimidate
  • Legerdemain
  • Might
  • Oratory
  • Pistols
  • Riding
  • Science
  • Secrets
  • Stealth
  Aspects
  Aspects are things associated with your charac-
  ter – personality traits, contacts, possessions, 
  parts of your backstory, descriptive elements 
  and so on. 
  Firstly, there is your Concept. Who are you? 
  What sort of person are you? 
  Concept Aspect Examples
  • Former pirate
  • Murderous rogue
  • Wrongly accused
  • Uncouth footpad
  • Fallen clergyman
  Secondly, there is your Goal. What do you 
  want? Revenge against the bastard who took 
  your soul? Infernal power? Redemption?
  Goal Aspect Examples
  • Die a good death
  • Social justice for all! Down with the 
  aristocrats!
  • Find my missing sister
  • Kill the devil
  Thirdly, you have Aspects for your Garb, your 
  Weapons and your Horse.
  Finally, you have up to five Soul Aspects. 
  A Soul Aspect can be earthly or infernal. Earthly 
  bonds are connections between you and the 
  mortal world, usually positive associations. 
  They carry no special benefit, but if you have 
  no Earthly aspects, then you’re damned. They 
  are the tethers that hold your soul out of the 
  abyss.
  Examples of Earthly Aspects
  • My horse, Midnight
  • In love with Bess, the innkeeper’s 
  daughter
  • Falsely accused of the murder of Trevallion
  • Trustworthy face
  • Loves poker 
  Each infernal aspect brings you closer to hell, 
  but also gives you a supernatural power as the 
  hellfire floods the void left in your truncated 
  soul. A character who has four infernal aspects 
  possesses four matching infernal powers. 
  
  The Highwayman’s Lament
  5
  Examples of Infernal Aspects 
  • My nightmare, Midnight
  • Hell-forged blades
  • Haunted by the ghost of Trevallion
  • Gazed into the abyss
  • Devil’s Own Luck
  Changing Soul 
  Aspects
  Giving up or selling part of your soul for power 
  turns one or more Earthly Aspects to Infernal 
  ones. This means that, at any time, you can gain 
  a new Infernal power. (However, there’s no way 
  to turn these back into Earthly Aspects.) The 
  new Aspect should ideally be a hellish twist on 
  the original one.
  If you have one or more Infernal aspects, you 
  no longer own your soul - when you perish, you 
  are bound for  Damnation.
  If you have no Earthly Aspects left, then you 
  are instantly Damned; you’ll be dragged to 
  Hell at the Devil’s earliest convenience. A mer-
  ciful GM will give you a crowning moment of 
  awesome before consigning you to the flames 
  below..
  Shadow Roads
  There are hidden paths behind the world, lead-
  ing to a shadowy version of London. Highway-
  men and smugglers know these roads, and use 
  them to avoid the authorities. One of these 
  roads leads to Hell.
  The Borderlands: The Borderlands are the 
  territory between Earth and Hell. The half-way 
  point is marked by a crossroads. If a Rakehell 
  crosses this border, he may be unable to return 
  to the Mortal World. To escape the clutches of 
  Hell for a time, he must make a Courage roll 
  to ride back.
  No Infernal Aspects: No Roll needed
  1 Infernal Aspect: Minimum Fair needed
  2 Infernal Aspects: Minimum Great needed
  3 Infernal Aspects: Minimum Fantastic
  4 Infernal Aspects: Minimum Legendary
  5 Infernal Aspects: No Escape
  
  Rakehell
  6
  Infernal Powers
  Any Infernal Powers you possess at the start 
  of the game are listed on your character sheet. 
  There’s also a sheet with suggested for more 
  powers. These are just suggestions, though – 
  if, on the spur of the moment, you need your 
  character to grow bat wings and fly, then burn 
  an Earthly Aspect and go for it.  
  All Powers consist of a passive, always-on por-
  tion and a more powerful form of the ability 
  that costs one Fate point to activate.
  Examples of Infernal Powers
  Spectral Rider
  • Armour 3 against 
  missile attacks 
  when riding
  • 1FP: Ride 
  through a solid 
  wall or barrier
  Hellish Steed
  • A demonic steed 
  that gives you 
  +2 to Riding.
  • 1FP: Summon 
  your steed.
  Inhuman Might
  • +2 to all Might rolls. 
  • 1FP: Use Might 
  instead of Fists 
  for a scene.
  Devil’s Charm
  • +2 Charm. 
  • 1FP: Make 
  someone trust you.
  Moonlight Blade
  • You can wield 
  moonlight as a 
  rapier; you always 
  have a weapon to 
  hand at night
  • 1FP: +2 Fencing 
  for the scene.
  Inhuman Senses
  • +2 to all 
  Alertness rolls. 
  • 1FP: See in the 
  dark for a scene.
  Inhuman Agility
  •  +2 to all 
  Agility rolls. 
  • 1FP: Leap or 
  dodge in an 
  impossible fashion, 
  automatically 
  avoiding an attack
  Devil’s Luck
  • You have the 
  strangest good 
  fortune
  •  1FP: For the rest 
  of the scene, roll 
  5DF and pick 
  the best four.
  Devour Soul
  • Gain a Fate Point 
  when you kill an 
  important NPC
  •  1FP: When you kill 
  someone, you gain 
  one of their Earthly 
  Aspects. You don’t 
  get the Fate Point 
  back until you give 
  up the Aspect.
  Devil’s Ride
  •  Your steed can ride 
  over water, mud, ice 
  or other normally 
  impassable surfaces.
  • Your steed can 
  fly for a scene.
  Regeneration
  • Automatically heal 
  -4  Consequences 
  between scenes.
  • 1FP: Gain 
  two more -2 
  Consequences
  Hellfire Sermon
  • You can speak 
  the secret tongue 
  of flames. 
  • 1FP: You can speak 
  words that conjure 
  flames, attacking 
  with Secrets +4.
  Shapeshift
  • Your animalistic 
  features give you a 
  +1 to Intimidate
  • 1FP: Take on 
  the shape of an 
  animal such as a 
  rat, fox, or crow. 
  Spook Horses
  • Your presence 
  unsettles horses, 
  giving you a +1 
  bonus in Riding 
  contests 
  • 1FP: Scare another 
  person’s horse.
  
  The Highwayman’s Lament
  7
  Other Stuff
  Stress & Consequences
  Rakehell uses the faster conflict system; damage is applied to the Stress track on a 1-for-1 basis (a 
  three point hit=3 Stress) and Consequences reduce damage. 
  -2 Consequences heal after a scene
  -4 Consequenes heal after a night or two of rest and recuperation.
  -6 Consequences need medical attention and take weeks to heal.
  -8 Consequences never heal naturally.
  Pistols
  If you’ve one pistol, it takes a round to reload. If you’ve got ‘a brace of pistols’, you can keep shoot-
  ing until the aspect’s compelled to run out of ammo.
  
  Rakehell
  8
  The Highwayman’s 
  Lament
  T
  his is a test drive for Rake-
  hell, which may or may not get 
  developed into a full  game at 
  some point in the future. It’s 
  a lurid, penny-dreadful horror 
  game of damned souls, lost loves and flintlock 
  violence. If your players aren’t leaping onto 
  speeding carriages from horseback, shooting 
  pistols and shouting blasphemous oaths, then 
  take another swig of cheap wine and crack the 
  whip harder.
  Damn’d London 
  The setting of the game is London, in the 
  1780s. Don’t sweat the historical details – it’s 
  the era of Dick Turpin (fifty years too late, 
  but still...), of revolution, of the Scarlet Pim-
  pernel and the Regency (and, if all else fails, 
  Blackadder III). History has taken a turn for 
  the strange, though, so anachronisms are to be 
  expected. 
  The primary haunt for highwaymen in London 
  is along the roads to Exeter and York, in Houns-
  low Heath and Shooter’s Hill. There, highway-
  men operate alone or in small bands, preying 
  on travellers, especially wealthy aristocrats and 
  merchants, and on carriages and couriers. If 
  caught, they can expect a show-trial in the Old 
  Bailey followed by a swift hanging. 
  Beneath the city, there is another London, a 
  hellish shadow where the streets are warped 
  and lit by hellfire. There, demons walk openly. 
  A road leads from this shadow London all the 
  way down to Hell. Highwaymen prey on traffic 
  on this road, too.  
  Running the Game
  This is a pre-first draft test run of the game. 
  It’s by no means complete, balanced or fin-
  ished. It was originally written as a one-shot 
  for a convention (Gaelcon XXI), and it’s still 
  in development. 
  Keep the pressure on. The feel should be a mix 
  of real-world occultism and Matrix-style flint-
  lock wushu and stunting.
  The Characters 
  All five player characters have, in some fash-
  ion, been wronged by a common foe. This das-
  tardly nemesis is Lord Eden. Publicly, this 
  paragon of society is a wealthy landowner and  
  industrialist, but in secret he is a diabolist who 
  has built his fortune on stolen souls. Eden is one 
  of the cabal who first let devils into England.
  Black Jack
  An aging Highwayman who sold his soul to 
  escape the noose.
  
  The Highwayman’s Lament
  9
  ‘The Scholar’
  Formerly known as Charles Westmore. He 
  was a compatriot of Eden, a noted lawyer and 
  occultist. He helped Eden’s cabal summon the 
  forces of Hell; Eden later turned on him and 
  Westmore’s name was blackened and he was 
  forced to flee.
  Laughing Jane
  A gypsy thief and old ally of Black Jack. She 
  has her own demonic bargains with a rival of 
  Eden’s diabolic patron. 
  Timothy Kestrel 
  A young officer who was devoted to Eden’s 
  daughter, Elizabeth. Kestrel has a pure soul, 
  which Eden needs for his nefarious plot. At the 
  start of the game, Kestrel is imprisoned in a 
  carriage bound for London and then Hell.
  Elizabeth Eden
  Daughter of Lord Eden. She learned that her 
  lover Kestrel was captured by her father’s men, 
  and set out in search of her godfather, West-
  more, for help.
  Lord Eden
  The main antagonist of the game. He’s a 
  respected nobleman and a leader in the House 
  of Lords. He has a huge fortune, drawn from 
  his extensive land-holdings around York and 
  from his investment in industry. Secretly, he is 
  also a student of the occult. He was part of the 
  old Hellfire Club. One of his early experiments 
  involved capturing the souls of his wife and 
  daughter Sarah when they died of the plague. 
  He tried to bring them back to life with the 
  aid of the Well-Dressed Gentleman, but failed. 
  His intention now is to become a devil.
  Lord Eden
  Skills
  •	 Fantastic Courage (+6)
  •	 Superb Secrets, Riding (+5)
  •	 Great Pistols, Oratory, 
  Alertness (+4)
  •	 Good Charm, Agility, 
  Fencing, Stealth (+3)
  Aspects
  • Still Loves His Daughter
  • Ambitious (I)
  • Influential Noble (I)
  • Cult Leader (I)
  • Necromancer (I)
  Powers
  • Summon Demon
  • Can conjure demons 
  with a ritual. 
  • 1FP: Call a minion demon.
  • Capture Soul 
  • If he kills a PC, he 
  loses all Stress.
  • Devil’s Luck 
  • +1 to all Rolls
  • Word of Command 
  • Can command others 
  with an Oratory roll
  Body
  ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏
  Will
  ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏
  3 Consequences (-2, -4. -6)
  Sir Quincy Barrow
  Lord Eden’s right-hand man. He’s a war hero 
  and a master swordsman. He’s also extremely 
  devout, and it is only his oath to Lord Eden 
  that keeps him from denouncing his employer. 
  He’s got a hellforged sword and is extremely 
  fast and tough.
  
  Rakehell
  10
  Sir Quincy Barrow
  Skills
  •	 Superb Fencing (+5)
  •	 Great Agility, Alertness (+4)
  Aspects
  • Devout
  • Hellforged Sword (I)
  • Master Swordsman
  Powers
  • Hellforged Sword
  • +2 Fencing damage
  • Holy Armour
  • Reduce all damage by 
  1/2 number of Infernal 
  aspects held by foe.
  Body
  ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏
  Will
  ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ 
  2 Consequences (-2, -4)
  The Well-Dressed 
  Gentleman
  The devilish patron of both Eden and several 
  of the PCs. Your classic tempter; a man of 
  wealth and taste. 
  The Gentleman’s role in the scenario is left 
  undefined - have him show up to move the plot 
  along or give the players a clue. In playtesting, 
  he’s shown up to have dinner with the bishop, 
  and bought souls at the climax of the scenario. 
  Use him as needs dictate.
  Events in the scenario
  • At the start of the game, Tim Kestrel is 
  imprisoned in a carriage. Eden’s daughter 
  makes contact with the other characters 
  in the hopes of rescuing him.
  • The characters intercept and attack the 
  carriage.
  • From Kestrel, they learn that Eden is 
  plotting some diabolical scheme. Their 
  investigations lead them into the shad-
  owed back streets of Damn’d London.
  • The Bishop of London is involved some-
  how; the characters question him, and 
  learn that he was to keep Kestrel’s pres-
  ence in London secret before delivering 
  him to the docks.
  • At the docks, the characters confront 
  Eden. Kestrel was intended as payment 
  for an Angel’s Heart, a vital component 
  in Eden’s scheme; if the young man’s 
  pure soul is unavailable, then Eden must 
  arrange alternate payment.
  
  The Highwayman’s Lament
  11
  • (Optionally) the characters are impris-
  oned in Newgate Prison and must escape.
  • The characters pursue Eden to the brink 
  of the abyss to exact revenge upon him. 
  Four Riders & 
  Five Horses
  The coach that brings Tim Kestrel to London 
  is coming down the Great North Road from 
  York. The characters catch up with it as it 
  passes through Epping Forest.
  The game starts with four of the five PCs riding 
  to rescue Kestrel, and Kestrel himself waking 
  up in the back of the bouncing carriage. His 
  hands are bound by manacles and there are 
  two guards in the coach with him, but they’re 
  likely to be distracted by the highwaymen out-
  side. There are two guards in the coach, two 
  more on the outside, and four more riding as 
  escorts. All are human. The coachdriver him-
  self isn’t entirely human – he’s more like an 
  ogre in a footman’s uniform, all bulging mus-
  cles and tusk-like teeth.
  The Characters Need To
  • Catch up with the rattling coach
  • Evade, shoot or otherwise eliminate the 
  guards
  • Rescue Kestrel, preferably by him making 
  a daring leap onto a horse.
  The Guards
  Skills
  •	 Good Brawl (+3)
  •	 Fair Pistols, Fencing (+2)
  •	 Averarge Riding, Courage, 
  Endurance (+1)
  Aspects
  • Mounted 
  • Mercenary
  Body
  ❏ ❏ ❏ 
  Will
  ❏ ❏ ❏ 
  No Consequences
  The Coachman
  Skills
  •	 Superb Might (+5)
  •	 Great Endurance, Brawl (+4)
  •	 Good Riding, Courage, 
  Intimidate (+3)
  •	 Fair Pistols, Secrets, 
  Alertness, Agility (+2)
  Aspects
  • Hairy Brute
  • Arms Like Pythons
  • Vicious Whip
  • Ogre’s Blood
  Powers
  Inhuman Might
  Body
  ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏
  Will
  ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏
  1 Consequence (-2)
  
  Rakehell
  12
  Looting the coach
  Kestrel isn’t the only treasure on the coach – 
  in an iron lockbox under the driver’s seat is a 
  letter to a contact of Lord Eden’s (see handout 
  #1), two hundred pounds in cash, and a jew-
  eled locket containing a huge ruby. 
  If a character looks into the ruby, he sees a ter-
  rified young girl. Her soul has been imprisoned 
  in the gemstone. Elizabeth recognises it as her 
  sister Sarah, who died of ‘sickness’ many years 
  ago. In fact, Eden caught her soul as she died.  
  The ruby and the money are intended as pay-
  ment to the Bishop of London, Robert Lowth.
  The Letter
  The letter makes reference to the fact that both 
  men are part of the same circle of initiates, and 
  thanks ‘Brother AI’ (the bishop) for his aid in 
  advancing the aims of ‘Brother DEDI’ (Lord 
  Eden). It asks for the bishop’s help in conceal-
  ing Eden’s men and Kestrel from ‘our mutual 
  friend’ – the Well-Dressed Gentleman. 
  The bishop’s palace in Fulham is magically 
  shielded from detection, and Eden fears that 
  if the Gentleman knew about his ambitions 
  to transcend humanity, the devil would try to 
  thwart him. The possibility that the PCs are 
  being used as the Gentlemen’s pawns in such 
  a counter-attack is left as an exercise to the 
  reader.
  Elizabeth Eden, Charles Westmore and Timo-
  thy Kestrel will all recognise Barrow’s name as 
  being that of Eden’s right-hand man.
  Questioning The Guards
  If the characters capture a guard, they can 
  interrogate him; he admits that he was hired by 
  Sir Quincy Barrow, one of Lord Eden’s retain-
  ers, to bring Kestrel to Fulham Palace.
  At the Fidler’s Hall
  Having rescued Kestrel, the players will prob-
  ably want to retire to somewhere more salu-
  brious, where they can discuss their plans 
  and divide the loot. The obvious choice is the 
  Fidler’s Hall Inn, south of Nenhault Forest. 
  This inn is a haunt of thieves and brigands; the 
  PCs fit in here very well. 
  Let the characters roleplay for a while and dis-
  cuss their next course of action. They’ll soon 
  discover that they all have a grudge against 
  Lord Eden. Elizabeth knows her father is in 
  London; the other characters also have con-
  tacts and divination powers that can guide 
  them there, such as:
  • Charles Westmore can tell that Kestrel is 
  marked for a sacrifice, and knows that the 
  Bishop of London is a skilled sorcerer
  • Laughing Jane can use tarot cards to tell 
  the future, or talk to corpses hanging in 
  gibbets
  • Black Jack has underworld contacts.
  Timothy’s Scar
  Kestrel has been branded with an occult 
  symbol; a character with Secrets can identify it 
  as a mark of ownership or sacrifice.
  Attack on the Inn
  If the characters didn’t capture the lockbox 
  from the coach, then they’re betrayed by one 
  of the inn patrons – Lord Eden’s men show up 
  at the Fidler’s Hall and surround it, forcing the 
  characters to fight their way out. The coach is 
  outside, and the monstrous coachman leads 
  the assault.
  
  The Highwayman’s Lament
  13
  Damn’d London Town
  18th-century London. The city has grown vastly 
  in the last half-century, tumbling out beyond 
  its traditional limits in a maze of ramshackle 
  buildings. The streets are thronged; sailors 
  and beggars, thieves and whores, madmen and 
  prophets, priests and politicians. This is the 
  age of the printing press; playbills and notices 
  are pasted to every available surface. The Gin 
  Craze of previous years has abated, but there 
  are still drunkards aplenty driven mad by 
  demon drink.
  A pall of black smoke hangs over London, lit 
  from below by eerie green flames. Dark satanic 
  mills and factories loom over the city; the 
  workers toil without end for no visible purpose 
  other than suffering. Whatever the mills and 
  machines are doing, they make nothing of use 
  to any man. 
  The characters are wanted by the authorities – 
  there are no police in this era, apart from the 
  Bow Street Runners, but there are thief-takers, 
  lynch mobs, watchmen and so on. If the char-
  acters act too openly, then they’ll attract atten-
  tion and possibly a gratuitous fight scene.
  This is also a good time for the characters to 
  glimpse the Well-Dressed Gentleman. Other 
  optional street encounters:
  • Slipping back and forth between surface 
  London and the shadow London
  • A thief being hanged at Tyburn tree
  • Drunken dock-workers singing a ballad 
  about Black Jack
  • A huge, cathedral-like factory being built. 
  The machinery is mostly brass and iron, 
  all spinning wheels and boilers and clank-
  ing chains. 
  • If the characters search for rumours, then 
  a blind old madman tells them that he has 
  heard that the Devil himself is coming to 
  London by sea.
  The Fallen Bishop
  The Bishop of London is, as far as anyone 
  knows, a gentle pastor of his flock. He is an 
  acclaimed scholar, known for his translation of 
  the Bible and his works on grammar and peda-
  gogy. Secretly, he is a sorcerer and an ally of 
  Lord Eden, although he is a coward at heart 
  and dares not attempt the same horrific trans-
  formation. He is especially paranoid about 
  keeping his reputation intact; the common 
  folk must believe that he is devout and pure. 
  Fulham Palace dates back to the 15th century 
  and the reign of Henry IV, and has been the 
  seat of the bishops for hundreds of years. It’s 
  surrounded by ornamental gardens and high 
  walls; inside, the building consists of two great 
  courtyards surrounded by buildings. 
  Every bishop has added to the palace, building 
  new wings or archways or renovating some por-
  tion of the place; Lowth’s gift to posterity was 
  turning the whole place into a magical refuge. 
  The old courtyard has been enchanted to be 
  
  Rakehell
  14
  a magical null zone, where sorcery cannot be 
  detected. The runes and ley lines dampen the 
  effects of sorcery; you can cast spells inside or 
  outside the courtyard, but the magic cannot 
  cross the boundaries. 
  Characters investigating the courtyard may 
  discern this effect. Further investigation 
  reveals that Lowth has dug a ‘cellar’ that runs 
  under the courtyard. In fact, this is an under-
  ground chapel to dark powers, decorated with 
  the bones of previous bishops stolen from the 
  nearby graveyard.
  Breaking into Fulham Palace
  The palace is guarded by both men and gar-
  goyles – stone monsters created by the bishop. 
  The magical barrier means there are no shadow 
  roads available, so the characters have to either 
  sneak in or storm the gates. Alternatively, they 
  can try bluffing their way past the guards, 
  posing as beggars or parish officials.
  Ambushing the Bishop
  The bishop celebrates mass once a day. The 
  characters could lie in wait for the bishop’s car-
  riage, and then ambush it as it clatters through 
  the narrow lanes around the church.
  The Guards
  Skills
  •	 Good Brawl (+3)
  •	 Fair Pistols, Fencing (+2)
  •	 Ave. Alertness, Courage, (+1)
  Aspects
  • Lazy & Indolent 
  • Well Paid
  Body
  ❏ ❏ ❏ 
  Will
  ❏ ❏ ❏ 
  No Consequences
  The Bishop
  Play Lowth as pedantic and scholarly, but at 
  his core he’s shaken. The occult power that has 
  been unleashed in England is beyond his abil-
  ity to control or the church’s power to contain. 
  He foresees another civil war, where he will be 
  hated by both sides. Any time a situation spi-
  rals out of his hands, he panics. 
  The bishop’s occult powers are considerable, 
  but they’re best employed when he has time 
  to prepare. In a direct confrontation – ideally, 
  either in his chapel under Fulham Palace or 
  under the great dome of St. Paul’s - he’s easy to 
  defeat if taken by surprise.
  The Bishop
  Skills
  •	 Superb Secrets (+5)
  •	 Great Oratory, Charm (+4)
  •	 Good Alertness, Courage, 
  Brawl, Intimidate (+3)
  •	 Fair Endurance, Might, 
  Agility, Science (+2)
  Aspects
  • Bishop of London (I)
  • Royal Tutor & Scholar (I)
  • My Flock Love Me (I)
  • Hellfire Conspirator (I)
  • Fears Damnation
  Powers
  • Black Magic
  • Attack with Secrets.
  • 1FP: Attack everyone 
  with Secrets.
  • Shadow Conjuration
  • Move Shadows. 
  • 1FP: Create barriers
  Body
  ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏
  Will
  ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏
  2 Consequences (-2, -4)
  
  The Highwayman’s Lament
  15
  Questioning the Bishop
  Once suborned, the characters can stick pis-
  tols up the bishop’s nose and convince him to 
  talk. He can tell the characters:
  • Eden is the most ambitious of the origi-
  nal circle of occultists
  • He knows Westmore by reputation; Eden 
  had him ruined because he feared West-
  more would reveal their activities before 
  they were ready. Now, the circle controls 
  Parliament and has hundreds of mem-
  bers. The country is theirs – but he still 
  fears an uprising. 
  • The Well-Dressed Gentleman is one of 
  their devilish patrons
  • He does not know Eden’s precise plans, 
  but he suspects Eden is trying to become 
  a demon. The ritual is hinted-at in certain 
  blasphemous books, but Lowth never 
  dared attempt it. He bargains for his life 
  with a copy of one of those books, which 
  he keeps inside his bible. 
  • He doesn’t know where Eden is, but 
  Eden’s servant Quincy Barrow is certainly 
  in town.
  Waiting for Barrow
  It’s possible that the characters lie in wait until 
  Quincy Barrow arrives at Fulham Palace; if 
  they do so, then Barrow flees and rides desper-
  ately for Howland Great Dock once he realises 
  that the coach & Kestrel are missing.
  The Shores of Hell
  Howland Great Dock is one of the wonders of 
  the age, a sign of England’s burgeoning indus-
  try and its command of the seas. The crowded, 
  narrow docks of London are old and outdated, 
  so a great artificial harbour has been dug on 
  the Thames. In the sunlit world, it is magnifi-
  cent sight, with ships from the Indies and the 
  Americas all lined up at the dock.
  In the shadow world, though, the docks are 
  almost empty, and the ships are skeletal hulks. 
  Bats wheel in the mists overhead. Waiting at 
  the dock is Lord Eden, Quincy Barrow, and 
  several guards. The guards are obviously nerv-
  ous, watching the shadows and casting worried 
  glances down the river, as if expecting trouble. 
  Barrow stalks back and forth, keeping a watch-
  ful eye on his master. There’s a chest at his feet. 
  Lord Eden stands patiently, waiting for his 
  business partners to arrive.
  A ship emerges from the mists. It’s made of 
  bone and brass; the lower part of the hull 
  seems to be carved from the skull of some 
  tremendous beast. The tattered sails are like 
  an assembly of wailing ghosts. She has twenty 
  cannons on either side; green flame drips from 
  their slavering muzzles. The crew are lesser 
  devils and damned souls. It is a ship from Hell. 
  The captain of the ship is a horned beast, 
  standing twice the height of a man. His fea-
  tures resemble those of a bull, and his skin is 
  green and mottled. When it speaks, you sense 
  its words not as sound, but as pain, as though a 
  
  Rakehell
  16
  thousand pins pricked out the message on your 
  flesh. When it roars, it’s like being lashed.
  If the characters don’t intervene, then they 
  see Eden greet the captain most courteously. 
  The devil produces a greasy sack and removes 
  a treasure from it – an angel’s heart. The heart 
  beats despite being torn from the heavenly 
  breast, and with every beat it sheds light across 
  the waters. 
  Eden had promised Kestrel’s succulent and 
  pure soul to the devil as payment, but without 
  Kestrel, he must make other arrangements. 
  The chest guarded by Barrow contains a for-
  tune in gold and silver. The devil scorns material 
  wealth, so Eden reluctantly reaches inside his 
  robes and offers a talisman to the devil. From 
  a distance, this talisman looks identical to the 
  locket that the characters may recovered from 
  the coach that contained Sarah’s soul. Instead, 
  this one contains Elizabeth’s soul.
  If the bargain goes ahead, then the devil takes 
  the locket and gives Eden the heart in return. 
  The ship departs; Eden and Barrow ride off 
  into shadow, heading for Hell.
  Interrupting the Bargain
  The characters are unlikely to stand idly by and 
  let Eden get the heart. If they attack, it’ll be a 
  very chaotic fight scene. Eden’s first priority is 
  to grab the heart and flee, with Barrow and the 
  guards covering his retreat. The devils attack 
  everyone on the docks; the shipmaster will try 
  to grab the treasure and the heart, if possible. 
  The ship’s cannons will be employed in the 
  fight, so things will start exploding after a 
  round or two. This is the swashbuckling scene; 
  if the characters want to go for a fight here, 
  then it’s all rigging to swing from and barrels 
  to kick over. There’s plenty of gunpowder to 
  go around.
  The important thing here is that Eden gets 
  away with the heart. Ideally, the characters are 
  forced to retreat, bloodied and wounded, from 
  the docklands while Eden escapes. More likely, 
  being player characters, they’ll keep fighting 
  against all odds and come up with a clever plan 
  to get the heart... 
  ...so shoot them with a cannon. The devilish 
  ship lands a hit near the characters, knocking 
  them all out. (If the characters have split up, 
  then either keep blasting away until everyone’s 
  unconscious, or else have some of the charac-
  ters escape so they can mount a daring rescue 
  in the next scene.)
  The Guards
  Skills
  •	 Good Brawl (+3)
  •	 Fair Pistols, Fencing (+2)
  •	 Averarge Riding, Courage, 
  Endurance (+1)
  Aspects
  • Nervous  
  • Lord Eden’s Own Men
  Body
  ❏ ❏ ❏ 
  Will
  ❏ ❏ ❏ 
  No Consequences
  
  The Highwayman’s Lament
  17
  The Devils
  Skills
  •	 Good Brawl (+3)
  •	 Fair Alertness, Agility (+2)
  •	 Averarge Sailing, Courage, 
  Endurance (+1)
  Aspects
  • Arr, Pirate Demons!
  • Uncouth Savages
  Body
  ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏
  Will
  ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏
  1 Consequence (-2)
  Demonic Captain
  Skills
  •	 Superb Sailing (+5)
  •	 Great Cannons, Secrets (+4)
  •	 Good Fencing, Might, 
  Endurance (+3)
  Aspects
  • Horned Devil
  • Pirate Captain
  • Fire a Broadside, Lads!
  • Give the Devil His Due
  Body
  ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏
  Will
  ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏
  2 Consequences (-2, -4)
  Newgate
  The characters awaken in 
  Newgate 
  Prison. 
  London’s 
  main prison was recently 
  rebuilt; despite that, it’s filthy 
  and overcrowded. Prisoners 
  can pay for better treatment, 
  ranging from lighter mana-
  cles to private rooms. Brib-
  ery is rampant, and the gaol-
  ers make even more money 
  by selling alcohol to visitors. 
  Thanks to the intercession of 
  Lord Eden, the characters are 
  all imprisoned in a pair of cells 
  on an upper level, overlooking 
  the Main Quadrangle. 
  Soon after awakening, the 
  characters are dragged before Magistrate 
  Cauley, who accuses Black Jack, Laughing Jane 
  and Westmore of highway robbery. Kestrel is 
  accused of kidnapping Elizabeth Eden. Cauley 
  is a vengeful, puritan judge prone to haranguing 
  prisoners. In the 18th century, capital punish-
  ment was used for a variety of crimes – Cauley 
  orders that the characters be hanged as soon 
  as is humanly possible. As witness to their 
  crimes, Eden sends Barrow (if he’s still alive) 
  or else another lawyer, Mr. Stackwell, to tes-
  tify to the character’s guilt. The Well-Dressed 
  Gentleman is in the audience.
  
  Rakehell
  18
  A Visitor
  Eden visits Elizabeth in her cell, and apolo-
  gises for the events of the last few days. If 
  the devil captain took the locket, then Eden 
  explains that it’s not too late to swap Timothy 
  Kestrel for Elizabeth’s soul. If the girl agrees, 
  then Eden will arrange for Kestrel to be spared 
  the noose, and instead he will be condemned 
  to Hell. He is here to say goodbye – he will 
  shortly depart for the infernal realms, and will 
  never see her again. He has made arrangements 
  that she will be cared for and have a consider-
  able inheritance.
  He may also visit the other characters, if they 
  are in manacles, and speak to them – threat-
  ening Kestrel that he will ‘see him again’ and 
  ‘devour his soul’, mocking the other highway-
  men, bidding a last farewell to Westmore and 
  so on. Stoke the fires of hate. You want the 
  players to be gnashing their teeth to tear  Eden 
  apart.
  Eden’s coach is outside the prison; the charac-
  ters can see it depart from their window.
  Escaping the prison
  The characters need to escape Newgate Prison. 
  Options include:
  • Taking on new supernatural powers 
  • Doing the same trick that Black Jack 
  used to break free; getting hanged and 
  then waking up in the graveyard
  • If some of the characters are still free, 
  they can help those imprisoned to escape 
  from Newgate.
  Hazards of Newgate
  • Yet more guards
  • The hangman, a former highwayman 
  named John Piggott with a black sense of 
  humour
  • Knaves and pickpockets
  • The prison chaplain, Tom Abeyson, eager 
  to save souls
  The Ride to Hell
  Lord Eden has the angel’s heart, and he’s en 
  route to Hell. If he gets there with the heart, 
  he’ll become a demon and wreak vengeance on 
  the player characters. He must be stopped.
  The shadow road to Hell crosses a vast lonely 
  heath, marked only by ruined villages and 
  haunted churches. Beyond, it winds its way 
  through dark and twisted woods. The road 
  slopes down and down, under grim grey skies. 
  The characters occasionally glimpse other fig-
  ures in the wilderness, and all the while, they 
  can hear the distant hoofbeats of Eden’s coach 
  as it draws closer to Hell.
  The characters smell smoke on the wind. 
  Woodsmoke, first, then the smell of meat and 
  sulphur, burning. Up ahead, they see the clouds 
  lit red from below. They come to a crossroads, 
  the halfway point between Earth and Hell.
  There is a crack in the world. A gulf wider than 
  the eye can see, an opening into the fiery pit. A 
  path zig-zags down the chasm wall. From this 
  vantage point, the characters can see the burn-
  ing pit of hell. It’s a nightmare out of Bosch, 
  out of Dante. Giants – fallen angels -  wade 
  through a lake of blazing lava, souls scream in 
  torment, and winged devils swarm like flies.
  
  The Highwayman’s Lament
  19
  Battling Eden
  ‘Did you think that I was unprepared for this?’ 
  roars Eden when the characters arrive. One of 
  the giants heaves itself out of the flames; it’s as 
  tall as the chasm. Eden starts riding down the 
  slope. If the characters pursue, they’ve got to 
  dodge the giant’s hammerblows.
  Eden’s coach has four guards, and Eden himself 
  leans out of the coach’s windows to fire shots 
  with his pistols or use his sorcery.
  Fallen Angel
  Skills
  •	 Epic Might (+7)
  •	 Fantastic Brawl, Endurance (+6)
  •	 Superb Alertness, Secrets (+5)
  •	 Great Intimidate, Oratory (+4)
  Aspects
  • The Bigger They Are...
  • Fallen Angel
  • Currently On Fire
  Body
  ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏
  Will
  ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏
  2 Consequences (-2, -4)
  Stealing the Heart
  It’s likely that the characters will either destroy 
  or capture the heart in this scene, which brings 
  up an interesting moral quandary for the PCs. 
  If one of them rides into Hell with the heart, 
  he or she will become a powerful demon. Who 
  gets the heart?
  Ending the Game
  Any characters who still have an Earthly Aspect 
  left can just ride back out of Hell. Anyone with 
  only Infernal aspects gets dragged into the 
  abyss along with Eden.
  
  Rakehell
  20
  Handouts 
  Handout 1
  My dear Brother A.I.,
   
  The hour is nearly upon us, & I am obliged to once more ask for your aid. 
  I appreciate the predicament that you find yourself in, balancing the demands of 
  our brotherhood with your position in society, but necessity drives me. I ask that you 
  shelter my men and their charge within your palace & keep them hidden from prying 
  eyes, especially those of our mutual friend. Should HE learn of my work, it would 
  be exceedingly awkward, though I believe the bargain precludes direct action on his 
  part. 
   
  My men shall only need your hospitality for a brief time. My man 
  Barrow will make further arrangements closer to the appointed time.
   
  I enclose a gift as a gesture not of recompense, but of friendship. Know that 
  you shall not be forgotten afterwards.
   
  Believe me at all times with sincerity & respect,
  Your obedient servant,
  Brother D.E.D.I.
  
  The Highwayman’s Lament
  21
  
  Rakehell
  22
  O
  nce a humble Butcher’s Appren-
  tice, you embarked on a life of 
  crime and robbery as a young 
  man, and as a young man you 
  stood on the gallows with the 
  noose around your neck. As the magistrate 
  read out your many misdeeds, a Well-Dressed 
  Gentleman emerged from the baying crowd 
  and climbed the gallows steps. No-one seemed 
  to pay him any heed as he strolled past the 
  hooded hangman and whispered in your ear.
  ‘Tell me, Jack’ said he, ‘would you choose to 
  live if you could?’
  You were young and full of life; what other 
  answer could you give?
  ‘So be it,’ declared he, ‘I’ll come for thee at a 
  time of my choosing, and not before.’
  The hangman pulled, and the trapdoor opened, 
  and you fell. As the drop broke your neck, you 
  heard the Gentleman laughing.
  You were awoken by the sound of the sexton’s 
  shovel as he dug your grave. You fled that place 
  and returned to your merry ways; the Gentle-
  man’s strange gift lending you inhuman speed 
  and vitality. Since that day, you’ve been a high-
  wayman... but always, you have felt the pres-
  ence of the Gentleman at your shoulder. 
  One day he will come for you.
  Your Fellows
  Of late you have travelled with two other 
  Highwaymen who, like you, have something 
  of devilry about them. First, there is Laugh-
  ing Jane, a gypsy witch who can call up the 
  dead. With her, you sought buried treasure and 
  learned secrets from the mouths of corpses. 
  You have travelled together for years. In some 
  obscure way, she serves the Gentleman, and 
  you would do well to keep in her favour. 
  Your second companion is a learned fellow 
  nicknamed The Scholar. You can tell from 
  his dress and mode of speech that he was once 
  a wealthy man, but now he is a robber like 
  yourself.
  Our Tale Begins
   The Scholar came to you with a young woman 
  named Elizabeth, and said that her lover was 
  a prisoner being transported to London, and 
  that he must be rescued immediately or he 
  would surely die. You rode out along the Great 
  North Road...
  Black JjAck
  
  The Highwayman’s Lament
  23
  Black Jack
  Concept
  Burnt-out Highwayman
  Goal
  Stay One Step Ahead Of The Devil
  Skills
  •	 Superb Riding (+5)
  •	 Great Pistols, Intimidate (+4)
  •	 Good Courage,Fencing, 
  Brawl (+3)
  •	 Fair Endurance, Might, 
  Alertness, Stealth (+2)
  •	 Average Charm, Legerdemain, 
  Secrets, Agility, Deception (+1)
  Body
  Will
  ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏
  ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏
  Consequences
  -2  ________________________
  -4  ________________________
  -6  ________________________
  -8  ________________________
  Fate 
  Points
  o o o o o
  Clothing
  • Highwayman’s Mask
  • Riding gear
  Weapons
  • A Brace of Pistols
  • A Rapier
  Horse
  • Black Maria
  Earthly 
  Aspects
  • Good friends at the 
  Fiddler’s Inn
  • Secretly Hopes For 
  Redemption
  Infer nal 
  Aspects
  • Marked by the Gentleman
  • Life of Crime and Devilry
  • Already Died Once
  Powers
  • Walk Shadow Roads
  • You can find your way into the Borderlands between Earth and Hell.
  • Hellfire Pistols
  • Your pistols spit bolts of green flame; +2 Pistol Damage. 
  • 1FP: Pistol shots now explode and never run out of ammo for a whole scene. 
  • Devil’s Ride
  • Use Riding instead of Secrets to find Shadow Roads. 
  • 1FP: Bring more people with you
  • Spend a Fate Point & invoke an Aspect to get a +2 or a reroll
  • Spend a Fate Point to compel someone else’s aspect
  • Spend a Fate Point to resist a compel
  • Put an Aspect on someone else and tag it for free!
  • Make an Aspect Infernal and gain a new power. Choose either one of the 
  suggested new powers or make up your own – but if you have five Infernal 
  Aspects, you’re inescapably damned!
  • Legendary +8
  • Epic +7
  • Fantastic +6
  • Superb +5
  • Great +4
  • Good +3
  • Fair +2
  • Average +1
  • Mediocre +0
  • Poor -1
  • Terrible -2
  
  Rakehell
  24
  I
  t was at a crossroads that you 
  swore service to one who 
  appeared in the shape of a Well-
  Dressed Gentleman, but who 
  wears quite another form below. 
  Your kin knew devils of old – your grand-
  mother was burned for witchcraft, and you 
  studied occult secrets at your mother’s knee. 
  Now, the devil does not lurk in the woods; he 
  walks the streets of London town, and souls 
  are sold in coffee shops and markets, not at the 
  crossroads by midnight. By the standards of 
  the age, you are an anachronism, like a woman 
  who weaves cloth by hand in the shadow of a 
  great steam-powered factory... but you vowed 
  long ago to remain master of your own destiny. 
  You may be beholden to a devil, but he has not 
  claimed your soul yet, and until that day you 
  will live as you choose.
  Your patron – the Well-Dressed Gentleman 
  – has influenced your path through life. He 
  brought you into the company of the highway-
  man Black Jack, a rogue who sold his soul to 
  the same Power to save himself from the hang-
  man’s noose. With Jack as your protector, you 
  have adventured across England, stealing and 
  exploring. 
  You have seen the hidden places under the world 
  and  learned secrets from the tongues of dead  
  men. And one of those secrets is this – devils 
  can be tricked, and devils can be beaten. If you 
  can find a way to slip the hold that the Well-
  Dressed Gentleman has over you, then you can 
  win back your soul. You’re a gambler at heart, 
  and there’s a chance to take it all.
  Your Fellows
  Black Jack has been your companion for 
  many years. He knows you serve the Gentle-
  man in your wayward fashion, and he fears the 
  claim that the devil has on his soul. Of late, you 
  have also travelled with another highwayman, 
  who calls himself The Scholar. He is a learned 
  gent, much accomplished in the sciences, and 
  you have had many profitable discussions on 
  diverse topics. He was a nobleman, that much 
  is clear, but he hides a secret you have not yet 
  fathomed. 
  Our Tale Begins
   The Scholar came to you with a young woman 
  named Elizabeth, and said that her lover was 
  a prisoner being transported to London, and 
  that he must be rescued immediately or he 
  would surely die. You rode out along the Great 
  North Road...
  Laughing  jAne
  
  The Highwayman’s Lament
  25
  Laughing Jane
  Concept
  Devil May Care Hedonist
  Goal
  Live Free
  Skills
  •	 Superb Agility (+5)
  •	 Great Charm, Secrets (+4)
  •	 Good Stealth, Legerdemain, 
  Deception(+3)
  •	 Fair Brawl, Alertness, 
  Courage, Endurance (+2)
  •	 Average Pistols, Fencing, 
  Riding, Science, Brawl (+1)
  Body
  Will
  ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ 
  ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ 
  Consequences
  -2  ________________________
  -4  ________________________
  -6  ________________________
  -8  ________________________
  Fate 
  Points
  o o o o o
  Clothing
  • Gypsy Garb
  Weapons
  • Concealed Daggers
  • A Single Pistol
  Horse
  • Boreas
  Earthly 
  Aspects
  • No-One’s My Master
  • Gypsy Folk are Everywhere
  Infer nal 
  Aspects
  • Agent of the Gentleman
  • From a Line of Witches
  • Inhuman Grace
  Powers
  • Walk Shadow Roads
  • You can find your way into the Borderlands between Earth and Hell.
  • Call up the Dead
  • You can speak to corpses, and make them answer back
  • 1FP: Animate a corpse to fight for a scene. 
  • Command the Weather
  • Conjure Fog, Wind and Rain
  • 1FP: Conjure Snow, Thunder or High Winds
  • Witch Magic
  • Perform a divination using tarot cards to give one character a temporary Aspect.
  • 1FP: Get a clue from the GM
  • Spend a Fate Point & invoke an Aspect to get a +2 or a reroll
  • Spend a Fate Point to compel someone else’s aspect
  • Spend a Fate Point to resist a compel
  • Put an Aspect on someone else and tag it for free!
  • Make an Aspect Infernal and gain a new power. Choose either one of the 
  suggested new powers or make up your own – but if you have five Infernal 
  Aspects, you’re inescapably damned!
  • Legendary +8
  • Epic +7
  • Fantastic +6
  • Superb +5
  • Great +4
  • Good +3
  • Fair +2
  • Average +1
  • Mediocre +0
  • Poor -1
  • Terrible -2
  
  Rakehell
  26
  T
  hough 
  an 
  observer 
  would 
  doubtless have grave difficulty 
  in crediting it, given your tat-
  tered clothes and low company, 
  you were once a lawyer of good 
  standing. You were a rich man, and a learned 
  one, the very pinnacle of enlightened society. 
  Ah! Hubris was ever the doom of men. You 
  drifted into bad company, and took to disso-
  lute and depraved behavior. You joined the so-
  called Hellfire Club. Then, it was nothing but a 
  band of bravos, free-thinkers and rich trouble-
  makers. A small number of the members began 
  to study the occult in earnest, and you were part 
  of this cabal. You discovered rites in certain 
  old books, and called up devils from the Pit! 
   
  Your chief companion and ally in this was Lord 
  Eden, who you counted as your greatest friend – 
  until the day he accused you of defrauding him. 
  Within a year, you were ruined. Your clients 
  deserted you, your creditors took everything 
  you owned, and you were reduced to penury. 
  The shock of your fall from grace broke your 
  reason; you spent five years in the Bethlem mad-
  house until, in a moment of desperation, you 
  called upon a devil and sold your soul for power. 
   
  You escaped the madhouse and took to the 
  back roads. For years now, you’ve been a high-
  wayman and a footpad in order to survive. 
  You adopted the soubriquet of ‘the Scholar’ to 
  spare your family shame. You’ve tried to drown 
  your past in gin, but you cannot wholly deny 
  your good breeding and background. You will 
  never be one of these rogues at heart; you are 
  caught between heaven and hell, between the 
  gutter and the palace.
  Your Fellows
  You have fallen in with a pair of devilish rogues 
  – Black Jack, an older highwayman, and a 
  gypsy witch named Laughing Jane. She has a 
  primitive, folkloric understanding of the occult 
  principles you explored in the Hellfire Club. 
  They call you the Scholar, a nom de guerre you 
  have adopted to go with your new life as an 
  outlaw.
  Our Tale Begins
  A figure from your past has sought you out and 
  begged for your help. Elizabeth Eden is your 
  god-daughter, although you haven’t seen her 
  since her father ruined you. She told you that 
  her lover Timothy Kestrel had been kid-
  napped and must be rescued. There are doubt-
  less things she is not telling you, but time is of 
  the essence! The Great North Road awaits! 
  Charles  wEstmore
  
  The Highwayman’s Lament
  27
  Charles Westmore, the Scholar
  Concept
  Fallen Noble
  Goal
  Revenge yourself upon Lord Eden
  Skills
  •	 Superb Oratory (+5)
  •	 Great Fencing, Secrets (+4)
  •	 Good Pistols, Riding, 
  Science(+3)
  •	 Fair Charm, Stealth, 
  Alertness, Endurance (+2)
  •	 Average Courage, Might, 
  Deception, Intimidation, 
  Agility (+1)
  Body
  Will
  ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ 
  ❏ ❏ ❏  
  Consequences
  -2  ________________________
  -4  ________________________
  -6  ________________________
  -8  ________________________
  Fate 
  Points
  o o o o o
  Clothing
  • Tattered Finery
  Weapons
  • A well-made Sword
  • A Brace of Pistols
  Horse
  • Your elderly nag, Truth
  Earthly 
  Aspects
  • Still Hungers for Justice
  • A Man of Culture & Breeding
  Infer nal 
  Aspects
  • Student of the Occult
  • Only the Mad are Certain
  • Ruined by Lord Eden
  Powers
  • Walk Shadow Roads
  • You can find your way into the Borderlands between Earth and Hell.
  • Master of the Hidden Roads
  • Find a Shadow Road more swiftly or indoors
  • 1FP: Bring other people with you
  • Hungry Sword
  • +2 Fencing Damage
  • 1FP: Prevent a Consequence inflicted by the Sword from healing naturally
  • Diabolist
  • +2 Secrets when investigating diabolic magic
  • 1FP: Use a lengthy ritual to summon a demon
  • Spend a Fate Point & invoke an Aspect to get a +2 or a reroll
  • Spend a Fate Point to compel someone else’s aspect
  • Spend a Fate Point to resist a compel
  • Put an Aspect on someone else and tag it for free!
  • Make an Aspect Infernal and gain a new power. Choose either one of the 
  suggested new powers or make up your own – but if you have five Infernal 
  Aspects, you’re inescapably damned!
  • Legendary +8
  • Epic +7
  • Fantastic +6
  • Superb +5
  • Great +4
  • Good +3
  • Fair +2
  • Average +1
  • Mediocre +0
  • Poor -1
  • Terrible -2
  
  Rakehell
  28
  Y
  ou are the daughter and only 
  child of Lord Eden. It has 
  always struck you as peculiar 
  that a man so kind and charita-
  ble in public, with his donations 
  to good causes and his tireless work to better 
  the nation, should be so tyrannical and cruel at 
  home. You and your father clashed often, espe-
  cially since the death of your mother Constance 
  and your young sister Sarah of plague, and you 
  spent many years away from home in boarding 
  schools and on a tour of the continent. This 
  degree of freedom would be scandalous (as 
  would a great deal else of your behavior!) if it 
  were not for your father’s money hushing idle 
  tongues.
  Six months ago, you met a young army officer 
  named Timothy Kestrel at a ball. He 
  expressed a desire to court you, and you to be 
  courted. Strangely, the most ardent participant 
  in the whole affair was not you nor Timothy, 
  but your father. Lord Eden took a great liking 
  in Timothy, and even purchased a commission 
  for him that kept him near the family estates in 
  York. For a time, it seemed as though you had 
  both reconciled with your father and found 
  your future husband.
  A week ago, Timothy was kidnapped, and 
  the men who took him were known to you – 
  they are retainers and servants of your father. 
  You set off alone in hot pursuit. Your father 
  is away on business in London – and you fear 
  that he is involved somehow. Unable to trust 
  anyone, you chased the kidnappers down the 
  York road, always a few hours behind them.  
  Racking your brains, you conceived a des-
  perate plan. Your godfather, Charles West-
  more, was disgraced when you were a young 
  girl. He was found to be cheating your father 
  and it is said he became a highwayman to sur-
  vive. You left the safety of the road, and sought 
  out Westmore’s haunts. Perhaps the Almighty 
  guided your horse, because you managed to 
  track down Westmore and begged him for 
  his help. He has gathered two other highway-
  men – a rogue named Black Jack, and a gypsy 
  woman called Jane. 
  Elizabeth   Eden
  
  The Highwayman’s Lament
  29
  Elizabeth Eden
  Concept
  Rebellious Daughter
  Goal
  Rescue Timothy Kestrel
  Skills
  •	 Superb Courage (+5)
  •	 Great Charm, Agility (+4)
  •	 Good Riding,Stealth, 
  Alertness (+3)
  •	 Fair Deception, Science, 
  Oratory, Fencing (+2)
  •	 Average Pistols, Legerdemain, 
  Brawl, Might, Endurance (+1)
  Body
  Will
  ❏ ❏ ❏ 
  ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏
  Consequences
  -2  ________________________
  -4  ________________________
  -6  ________________________
  -8  ________________________
  Fate 
  Points
  o o o o o o o
  Clothing
  • Muddy Gown
  Weapons
  • Stolen Rapier
  Horse
  • Polly, an Excellent Mare
  Earthly 
  Aspects
  • Rich Heiress
  • Society is my Playground
  • Well Educated & Well Bred
  • True Love for Timothy
  Infer nal 
  Aspects
  • Lord Eden’s Daughter
  Powers
  • Walk Shadow Roads
  • You can find your way into the Borderlands between Earth and Hell.
  • Unseen Presence
  • +2 Stealth at Night
  • 1FP: Become invisible
  • Spend a Fate Point & invoke an Aspect to get a +2 or a reroll
  • Spend a Fate Point to compel someone else’s aspect
  • Spend a Fate Point to resist a compel
  • Put an Aspect on someone else and tag it for free!
  • Make an Aspect Infernal and gain a new power. Choose either one of the 
  suggested new powers or make up your own – but if you have five Infernal 
  Aspects, you’re inescapably damned!
  • Legendary +8
  • Epic +7
  • Fantastic +6
  • Superb +5
  • Great +4
  • Good +3
  • Fair +2
  • Average +1
  • Mediocre +0
  • Poor -1
  • Terrible -2
  
  Rakehell
  30
  Y
  our family had just enough 
  money to buy you a commis-
  sion in the army; by the time 
  you were twenty, you’d seen the 
  hot plains of India and the jun-
  gles of Africa, and you’d shed blood in both. 
  Strangely, in all that time, you never once fired 
  your gun in anger, and never killed a man. You 
  were wounded in India when you helped carry 
  one of the sepoys out of the line of fire, and 
  in Africa when hunting a man-eating lion that 
  attacked a village.
  You returned to England with money in your 
  pocket, and mixed in high society for the first 
  time. Your natural reticence and moral forti-
  tude served you well; London struck you as 
  having all the propriety of Gomorrah. Despite 
  your carefully concealed distaste for the fash-
  ionable set, you fell for a girl named Elizabeth 
  Eden. Her father, Lord Eden, is one of the 
  great leaders of the nation, but his daughter 
  first seemed to you to be scandalously forth-
  right. She broke down your defenses and you 
  began to court her.
  You were much heartened when her father 
  approved of the match – to win the blessing of 
  Lord Eden is a prize beyond measure. He even 
  bought you a commission in the East Yorkshire 
  Rifles so you were stationed close to Elizabeth. 
  You resolved to ask for her hand.
  How, then, did you come to your current plight 
  – kidnapped, beaten and chained in the back 
  of a coach bound for London?
  You were walking in the woods when six brig-
  ands attacked you. Their features were known 
  to you, for these curs were men in the employ 
  of Lord Eden. They overcame you and gave you 
  a vicious blow to the head. You remember little 
  of the last few days, other than the rattling of 
  the coach, the brutality of your captors, and 
  the occasional lurid dream of fire and shadow. 
  What has happened? Why has this fate befallen 
  you? And how can you escape?
  Timothy  Kestrel
  
  The Highwayman’s Lament
  31
  Timothy Kestrel
  Concept
  Heroic Young Officer
  Goal
  Protect Elizabeth
  Skills
  •	 Superb Pistols (+5)
  •	 Great Courage, Endurance (+4)
  •	 Good Riding, Alertness, 
  Fencing (+3)
  •	 Fair Agility, Might, 
  Brawl, Intimidate (+2)
  •	 Average Oratory, 
  Science, Deception, 
  Legerdemain, Charm(+1)
  Body
  Will
  ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏
  ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ 
  Consequences
  -2  ________________________
  -4  ________________________
  -6  ________________________
  -8  ________________________
  Fate 
  Points
  o o o o o o o o
  Clothing
  • Soldier’s Uniform
  Weapons
  Horse
  Earthly 
  Aspects
  • Dashing Officer
  • Crack Shot
  • Seen the World
  • Great Moral Fortitude
  • True Love for Elizabeth
  Infer nal 
  Aspects
  Powers
  • Spend a Fate Point & invoke an Aspect to get a +2 or a reroll
  • Spend a Fate Point to compel someone else’s aspect
  • Spend a Fate Point to resist a compel
  • Put an Aspect on someone else and tag it for free!
  • Make an Aspect Infernal and gain a new power. Choose either one of the 
  suggested new powers or make up your own – but if you have five Infernal 
  Aspects, you’re inescapably damned!
  • Legendary +8
  • Epic +7
  • Fantastic +6
  • Superb +5
  • Great +4
  • Good +3
  • Fair +2
  • Average +1
  • Mediocre +0
  • Poor -1
  • Terrible -2
  
  Rakehell
  32
  Appendix I: Open Game License Version 1.0a
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