The Caliberi Letters

THE GRAND DESIGN: EPISODE 1

AUTHOR
John Wick

AGE
All Ages

TAGS
Novus Ordo Mundi

SUGGESTED HEROES
Any Heroes can participate, but those with connections
to Eisen and the War of the Cross are highly suggested.
Also, if the Heroes do not have a hexe easly accessible,
they may miss an opportunity to speak to the deceased.
Introduction
The War of the Cross nearly destroyed Théah. In the
end, nearly eight million people died. Two genera-
tions were wiped out. But what many do not know
is the secret reason behind the War. It was Novus
Ordo Mundi’s first attempt to control all Théah.
And it failed. Just barely.
The Caliberi Letters is the first part in a series of ad-
ventures called The Grand Design, which reveals this
secret truth to your Heroes. What begins at a wake
for a friend—Magda Müller—turns into a desperate
chase to expose the Villains who burned Théah to the
ground for their own personal gain.
You can play this adventure with Heroes from any
Nation, although a Hero with Hexenwerk can pro-
vide an advantage when it comes to dealing the dead.
Goal and Basic Story
This is a short adventure broken down into two Steps
and four Scenes. There are no Paths for this adven-
ture—simply run these Scenes in order along with
any other roleplaying you wish to do in between.
Each Scene has hooks leading into the next. Al-
though the players may explore each Scene at their
own pace, the clues they discover should lead them
to subsequent Scenes, and inevitably, a confrontation
with the Villain.
I designed the adventure to take no more than
three-to-four hours, depending on your own pace and
your players’ choices.
11 Learn more about Magda Müller and her
connection with the other Heroes.
22
Discover the plot around Müller’s unusual
cane and the letters hidden inside it.
GG
Confront Antonio Esposito, save Magda’s
daughter and retrieve Magda’s cane.
2
7TH SEA ADVENTURES
Running Adventures
Like the Stories you make for your own games, a 7th Sea
Adventure proceeds through a series of Steps on its way to
a Goal. But here, we’ve provided a number of Scenes that you can
use, to cut down on your prep work. While these Scenes proceed in
a fairly traditional order, feel free to add other Scenes to the Story,
just as you would running any other adventure. Good luck!
Adventure Setup
Before you run the adventure, you have a choice to
make: why did Müller hold on to the Caliberi Letters
for so long after the War of the Cross? Future install-
ments of The Grand Design are impacted by this
choice.
Option 1: Blackmail
Müller kept the letters as blackmail. She was once a
member of Novus Ordo Mundi (NOM) and had evidence
of another member’s carelessness. If the NOM Inner
Council ever found out about the letters, heads would
roll. This choice makes Müller a Villain who fooled the
Heroes into trusting her.
Option 2: Safety
Müller came across the letters in the aftermath of the
War. When the author of the letters threatened Müller
and her daughter, Müller used the letters to buy her
daughter’s safety. In this option, Müller is a Hero.
Option 3: Shame
Müller was a Villain, but she got turned into a Hero at
some point—possibly by the birth of her daughter—and
regrets her decisions. She kept the letters as a reminder
of the mistakes she had made in the past, and as a safe-
guard against whatever NOM might have planned for her
after she turned away from her dark path.
No matter why Müller kept the letters, the Heroes
will soon be caught up in their wake. Müller’s death is
merely the beginning of the adventure!
THE CALIBERI LETTERS
Scene Summary
This is an overview of the Scenes that make up each
Step of this adventure’s Story. You do not have to use
every Scene when you run the adventure, and may
pick and choose from among your favorites or from
whichever ones seem like logical next steps.
11
Learn more about Magda Müller and her
connection with the other Heroes.
Wake for a Friend (page 4)
The adventure begins in Eisen at the wake of Magda
Müller, a mercenary and veteran of the War of the
Cross. The Heroes should have some acquaintance
with Müller and her old lover, Ulli Janz, who offers
to buy the Heroes drinks at the local bierpalast. After
getting drunk, Janz reveals he made a promise to
Müller: to pour a beer on her grave at midnight. He
and the Heroes head off to the graveyard.
22
Discover the plot around Müller’s unusual
cane and the letters hidden inside it.
Drinking with the Dead (page 7)
When the Heroes and Janz arrive at the graveyard,
they discover Müller’s coffin has been dug up and
people are clustered around the open grave. Two
Villains await the Heroes, ready to draw them into an
ambush!. After defeating them, the Heroes can ques-
tion the Villains, Valentin Bohn and Ursul Dittmar.
Valentin is a hexe and he was using his sorcery to
speak to Müller. He’s also a coward and gives up why:
his employer wanted her cane and Valentin doesn’t
know why. The Heroes discover Müller’s daughter—
Sieghild—did not follow her mother’s instructions
to bury Müller with the cane, but instead took it as a
memento.
The Heroes now have a mystery on their hands:
why did someone dig up Müller and why do they
want her cane?
3
7TH SEA ADVENTURES
[H] References
Throughout the adventure, you’ll notice a lot of [H] references.
Use this to dynamically modify the size of Villains and Brute
Squads for various group sizes. Wherever you see [H], replace it
with the number of Hero characters in the Scene. In some places
[H] will have a multiplier or divider.
If you have a Heroic Duelist in the Scene, consider doubling the
Strength of one or more Brute Squads, Monsters or Villains.
GG
Confront Antonio Esposito, save Magda’s
daughter and retrieve Magda’s cane.
The Mud, Blood and Beer (page 10)
Now, the Heroes must rescue Sieghild Müller. It’s a
chase through Eisen’s muddy fields in two carriages
as lightning flashes across the sky. Meanwhile, in the
dark woods just off the road, shadowy horrors lurk,
waiting to pounce on the wounded and the vulnerable.
Confronting Esposito (page 11)
Once the Heroes catch up to Antonio, they must re-
solve a tense standoff, with Sieghild’s life in the balance.
One way or another, they recover the cane Sieghild
kept as a memento of her mother. They discover that
it is hollow, containing letters written during the War
of the Cross. The letters tell the story of bribery and
blackmail, plus include a strange code that gives the
Heroes their first glimpse at the sinister organization
known as Novus Ordo Mundi.
THE CALIBERI LETTERS
Starting the Adventure
At the start of the adventure, read or paraphrase the
following text to the players.
You are on your way to Bielefeld, a small Eisen village.
An old friend, Magda Müller, recently passed away. A
veteran of the War and a trusted comrade, she was a
hero in every sense of the word, a beacon of conviction.
Unfortunately, you will not arrive in time for the
funeral: bodies are consecrated and put into the ground
quickly in Eisen. However, the village is holding a
week-long wake in her honor, so off you go to Bielefeld
to remember your lost friend. You plan on meeting a
man named Ulli Janz. He was close to Müller—per-
haps closer than anyone else.
As you travel toward the town, think of your memo-
ries of Magda. You’ll be sharing them with others soon.
Wake for a Friend
The Heroes arrive at the small village of Bielefeld
(population around 900) in southwest Eisen. The
town was destroyed twice during the War: burned
down by the Montaigne army and then wiped out
by the plague. It owes much of its current rebirth to
Magda Müller, who served as mayor before retiring to
a small cottage near the edge of the town.
It has everything you’d expect from an Eisen town:
a road running through the center of it, going from
north to south, plus a bierpalast for weary travelers.
And pig farms. Lots of pig farms. Barley and wheat
are the major crops here, and the beer from Bielefeld
is known all over the nation. Their yearly festival
doubles the population.
When the Heroes arrive, Eisen is in the depths of
dark autumn. It is cold. The ground freezes overnight,
thawed out by the dull noon sun. Wind bites at the
skin, requiring scarves and hats to cover the throat
and ears. Gloves keep the chill from the hands.
As they arrive (from either the north or the south),
they see people moving about in mourning clothes, their
heads down. The villagers greet the Heroes with no
sense of joy or happiness. If asked, the Heroes are told
they can stay at the bierpalast. “Hinnerk has rooms.”
4
7TH SEA ADVENTURES
Arriving Separately
If this is your first game, or if your players have made new Heroes,
you can use this adventure as a meeting point. You can even use it
as a flashback with the Heroes remembering the first time they met.
“Do you remember Müller’s wake?”
The Heroes are all mutual friends of Müller but have never met.
They meet at the wake, get drunk, head off to the cemetery and
wackiness ensues.
ENCOUNTER
Hinnerk’s Bierpalast
The largest building in the village belongs to Hinnerk
Kruse, and it is the local pub. He hangs a wooden
sign with a frothy mug above the door; that’s enough
to let people know what’s inside. The bottom floor is
a drinking house. The top floor has small and large
rooms for travelers and visitors.
Müller and Kruse were dear friends—in fact, Hin-
nerk loved Magda Müller. Beer helped him tell her so
many times. Beer also helped him offer her a wed-
ding ring once. She refused him, but their friendship
remained.
If you had known Hinnerk Kruse for one hundred
years, you wouldn’t know him today. He looks defeat-
ed—as if he had been told four minutes ago that the
world would end in five minutes. His eyes barely hold
back the tears. Even mention of her name makes him
put his washing rag to his face, pretending to wipe
away sweat when he’s really hiding his grief. He’s a
ruined man and right now, more than anything else,
he needs a friend.
When the Heroes mention they are here for the
funeral, he offers them all beers—on the house—and
asks how they all know…he means knew…Magda.
He listens to their stories, smiling proudly even while
crying. Then, he offers more beers and food. He tells
a story about bandits raiding the village and how
Magda pulled out her old panzerhand and sword,
beating them all back. “She looked like an angel,” he
says. “Fought them all by herself. One of them tried
to hold a girl hostage and she stared him down. Just
stared him down. He dropped his sword and ran. And
when she was done, she came right into my place and
ordered a beer, as if she had done nothing more than
carry something heavy up the stairs.”
THE CALIBERI LETTERS
Wake for a Friend (cont...)
DRAMATIC SEQUENCE
Reminiscing about Magda
While drinking in memory of the dead, the Heroes
have the chance to describe their past heroics with
Magda.
Have each player, in turn, set the scene of a past
adventure or encounter with Magda, and make an
appropriate Risk, spending Raises to describe these
events. Don’t worry too much about things like the
Improvisation rules or changing Approaches for these
Risks, just let the players describe a past adventure
that they’ve had. Since this is a flashback, there’s no
danger of Wounds or death here—this is just for
fun. The goal is to play up the Heroes’ connections to
Magda Müller. Build sentiment. The more the players
fall in love with Müller—yes, the players—the more
emotionally powerful the story will be for them when
they reach the end.
Don’t let this become bogged down in details—if a
player paints themselves and Magda into a corner and
runs out of Raises before getting out of danger, you
get to narrate the ending. Keep it short, and remem-
ber to focus on the bond between the two and the
friendship they formed. Having Magda save the He-
roes at the end of every scene (or vice versa) might be
counterproductive to your goal for this scene, so con-
centrate more on achieving an “us against the world”
atmosphere. The Hero and Magda, back to back, once
faced off against whatever Théah threw at them.
5
7TH SEA ADVENTURES
ENCOUNTER
Ulli Janz
As people slowly fill into Hinnerk’s place, a big man
with a bigger beard enters. He needs to duck to get
into the door. He wears a wide-brimmed hat, but his
thick beard is still wet. He looks as big as a house and
like he could eat one. With a fork. This is Ulli Janz,
another of Müller’s old acquaintances. Specifically, he’s
one of the few lovers she had ever known.
Janz is looking for the Heroes. He knows one or
more of them and recognizes them, calling them out
by name. He joins their table with a sad smile on his
face. He shakes hands, gives embraces and buys beers.
Then he tells stories.
• Like the time he and Müller hunted a werewolf
across the Eisen mountains for nearly two weeks.
“By day, we were after him. By night, he was after
us. We finally caught up to him at dusk, fighting
him as he transformed. The pain and terror in his
eyes. The hunger. I thought he would kill us and
eat us. Or even eat us alive. But Magda pierced
her sword through his chest and into a tree. And
she smashed him with her panzerhand until his
face looked like pudding.”
• Like the time in the War, when the Montaigne
army decided to burn this town to the ground.
“We were in this very building, right here, when
they decided it. And Magda said, ‘Hold my beer.’
Honest, she did! And she gave it to Hubert and
stood up, marching out into the street. There
were over a hundred of them and just her. And
when they told her to stand aside, she said, ‘Make
me.’ Oh, they burned down the town all right, but
not before they had Magda in chains. And half of
them had broken jaws. I swear on the Prophet’s
tears, it’s true!”
As the stories go on, both Hinnerk and Janz get more
emotional. Finally, Hinnerk asks Janz, “Why didn’t
she love me?”
Janz answers, “She did, Hinnerk. She did. She loved
all of us.”
THE CALIBERI LETTERS
Wake for a Friend (cont...)

FORESHADOWING
Müller’s Cane
One important story to relate to the Heroes is the
one about how she got her cane. This cane becomes
important later because it contains secret letters the
Villains want to acquire.
Hinnerk tells a story about the time Müller fought
a wight trying to haunt the church. After three parish-
ioners were murdered—found as mutilated corpses—
Müller suspected something might be hiding in the
church. She began her search with the priest and the
blacksmith. They found the wight hiding in the cellar.
It had dug out intricate caves leading to isolated parts
of the village (the graveyard, for example) and used
those caves to move around the village. They fought
the thing in the caves. With little room to move or
fight, the priest and the blacksmith used fire to drive
the beast toward Müller. The final confrontation left
Müller nearly crippled and she had to use a cane to
walk for the rest of her days.
She had it made in a nearby city: silver tipped and
carved from hardwood.

The Promise
Janz then says the two of them made a promise: to
pour a beer over the other one’s grave to say goodbye.
Janz says, “I’m going up there now.” If someone tries to
warn him about going up to the graveyard at night, he
says: “If all the Hells stand in my way of keeping my
promise to Magda, they’ll know my name by sunrise.”
He invites the Heroes and Hinnerk to come with
him.
This transitions to Scene 2…

6
7TH SEA ADVENTURES THE CALIBERI LETTERS
 Drinking with the Dead
The graveyard is located on the other side of a small
hill on the south side of the village. It is surrounded
by a ten-foot-high iron fence with a gate on the north
side. Prophet’s Crosses are on each wall of the fence.
Rather than individual graves, these are family plots:
all members of a family are buried in the same place.
This village pays special attention to the burial rites:
in Eisen you can never be too careful. A regular watch
rotates among five people. Overlooking the graveyard is
the church, casting its shadow over the tombstones.
Tonight, Gerhard Strauss looks over the graveyard.
He is armed with a silver sword, a Prophet’s Cross and
a large bell. He rings the bell if things get out of hand.
However, tonight, Gerhard is unconscious: someone
has poisoned his beer. If he isn’t given medical aid im-
mediately, he will die. The Heroes can give medical aid
or get it from the village or the church quickly.
Meanwhile, two Villains have dug up Müller’s grave
looking for her letters. They’re using Hexenwerk to
speak to the corpse, but quickly discover an important
secret: the corpse in the grave is not Magda Müller.
ENCOUNTER
Something’s Up
When the Heroes approach the graveyard, Janz no-
tices that Gerhard is missing and the gate is unlocked.
Searching the small shed shows his pipe is still there
as well as a half-eaten sandwich and some cold tea.
Obviously, he’s out on his rounds, but why is the gate
open?
Any NPCs along with the Heroes comment on
noises coming from a different direction. They tell
the Heroes that they want to investigate these noises,
then encourage the Heroes to continue to Magda’s
grave and to try to find Gerhard to make sure he is
fine.
7
7TH SEA ADVENTURES
ACTION SEQUENCE
Fight at Müller’s Grave
When the Heroes arrive at Müller’s grave, they see it
has been dug up and the coffin is open. This should
seriously anger any Eisen in the party as well as put
them on edge. Violating corpses is a great way to get
zombies and vampires.
Consequences: This Scene has two Consequences.
• Ambush—The Villains Valentin Bohn and Ur-
sul Dittmar heard the Heroes coming and have
hidden behind the gravestones. To avoid the am-
bush, the group must collectively spend 2 Raises.
A Hero may not take an Action during the first
Round of combat until these Raises are spent.
• Gerhard Is Dying—Gerhard’s body is at the
grave site. He has a head and chest wound, and is
bleeding to death. To save Gerhard, one or more
Heroes must give him medical treatment and
stabilize his wounds. This requires 5 Raises: 1 to
stop the bleeding and 4 to keep him alive. A Hero
with the Miracle Worker Advantage can spend
1 Hero Point and 1 Raise to save Gerhard. Any
Hero assisting Gerhard can do nothing else. If the
entire group decides to throw Raises at him, the
Villains get free swings at them. Best to have one
Hero help him while the others try to keep the
Villains at bay.
Opposition: Valentin Bohn and Ursul Dittmar wait
to ambush the Heroes. Both Bohn and Dittmar are
hiding out behind large tombstones.
Tactics: If spotted, Dittmar attacks while Bohn
falls back—and if things go rotten, he tries to escape
while Dittmar’s back is turned.
To provide a distraction, send the corpse in the
grave at the Heroes. (Bohn already has animated it
to ask questions.) Since the Heroes just spent most
of the night sharing stories about their friend Müller,
this should be rather disturbing—until they figure
out it isn’t Müller’s corpse, that is. The Corpse is a
Monster with a Strength of 3 and the Fearsome Mon-
strous Quality.
THE CALIBERI LETTERS
Drinking with the Dead (cont...)
Bohn wants to get away and Dittmar wants to crush
some skulls—and maybe punch through someone
again. A fun way to give folks Dramatic Wounds with
Dittmar is to have her slam her fist into their chests
and feel their bones crunch. She laughs each time.
“Lucky I did not reach right through to your spine,
little one.”
Dittmar fights until she’s knocked out. She won’t
relent. Her own Hubris refuses to allow her to believe
she can be beaten.
Bohn tries to escape as soon as possible. He’s no
fighter and has no chance against the Heroes. When
he uses a Danger Point to escape the Scene, allow the
players to spend Hero Points to prevent it, but insist
they describe how their Heroes are preventing him.
Once someone uses a Hero Point to prevent him
from escaping, Bohn immediately surrenders. He’s a
coward and has no interest in physical confrontation.
Outcome: After defeating the Villains, the Heroes
have the option to interrogate their prisoners.
What If Bohn Escapes?
If Bohn escapes, he flees to an old shack on the outskirts of town.
He is there for less than an hour—just long enough to gather up
his belongings before leaving the area. Not much of note is here:
a pair of bedrolls, some food and drink, and a fire in the fireplace
that has burned down to embers. Unfortunately for Bohn, it has
only one way in and out—he knows this, and if confronted again
he immediately surrenders if the Heroes agree to let him live.
8
7TH SEA ADVENTURES
Valentin Bohn
EISEN
Strength 2, Influence 5; Rank 7
Advantages
Cast Iron Stomach, Connection (Fischler Underworld),
Sorcery (Hexenwerk), Sorcery (Hexenwerk)
Virtue: Coins (for the Ferryman)
Adaptable. Activate your Virtue to take your first Action
before anyone else in a Round.
Hubris: The Road
Underconfident. You receive a Danger Point when your
Villain decides he cannot take an action without help
from another Villain—asking her to use one of her Ad-
vantages to aid you, for example.
Sorcery
Black Broth, Corpse Tongue, Funeral Porridge, Scourge-
bane, Spring’s Laugh, Widow’s Veil
Bohn is a low-ranking agent in Novus Ordo Mundi. So low, in fact, he doesn’t
know he’s working for them. All he knows is that he’s getting paid to get the
letters. Some man in a Vodacce mask and cloak paid him Guilders for the job.
(He has half the money on him, by the way: 5 Wealth.) He’s supposed to wait
to be contacted about returning the letters.
Ursul Dittmar
EISEN
Strength 4+[H], Influence 1; Rank 5+[H]
Advantages
Duelist Academy (Eisenfaust), I Won’t Die Here, Reputa-
tion (Dangerous), Signature Item (Panzerhand)
Virtue: The War
Victorious. Activate your Virtue the first time you Wound
a Hero during a fight to make her take a Dramatic
Wound in addition to the Wounds you normally deal.
Hubris: The Tower
Arrogant. You receive a Danger Point when your Villain
shows disdain, contempt, or otherwise looks down on a
Hero or someone who could cause you harm.
Ursul Dittmar is a powerful woman. Not very tall, but damn strong. Rumor
is she once punched through a guy. That’s the rumor, anyway. (Totally true.)
She has a panzerhand that she has no business owning—she killed a man for
it—and likes using it a little too much.
Bohn and Dittmar only recently started working together. Bohn needed
muscle and Dittmar needed Guilders, so the deal seemed mutually beneficial.
They’ve run two jobs so far, both successful. This is their third.
THE CALIBERI LETTERS
Drinking with the Dead (cont...)
DRAMATIC SEQUENCE
Interrogation
Players can spend Raises to coerce Bohn or Dittmar
(once she comes to) to answer their questions. Each
Raise spent gets the Heroes an honest answer.
If the players do not have a hexe with the Corpse
Tongue power and wish to convince Bohn to ask the
corpse questions on their behalf, a player must spend
2 Raises or provide a different form of incentive (for
example, letting him go free or some form of payment).
Bohn and Dittmar are willing to tell the Heroes all
the information they know. Bohn especially knows
when he is outclassed and is much more obliging
when asked questions. He’s a coward. Dittmar is only
in this for the money (and punching people).
What Bohn Knows: Bohn confesses that he was
hired to retrieve a bundle of letters from Magda’s grave,
but they weren’t there (and remember, he has half the
payment on him). The letters were supposed to be in a
cane buried with Müller, but the cane isn’t in the grave.
He doesn’t know the identity of the man who hired
him. He knows the man’s accent was Vodacce and
wore a mask. He doesn’t know how to contact his
employer—he was told to wait for more instructions
once he’d retrieved the letters. He has worked for
this same contact before, and they’ve always followed
through on this, so he had no reason to be suspicious.
Besides, they paid him half up front!
Bohn gives up a more important secret: the corpse
isn’t Müller’s. Bohn doesn’t know whose body is in
the grave and he initially won’t use Hexenwerk to ask
questions. “I risk my soul on my own time. Not yours.”
If pressured—by an Advantage such as We’re Not So
Different…or even a Convince Risk—Bohn uses Hex-
enwerk to talk to the corpse. Remember, he’s a coward.
Once he’s outclassed, he concedes to the Heroes.
What Dittmar Knows: Dittmar, by contrast,
knows little. She knows Bohn pays her well to bash
skulls and act as muscle for his heists. She knows the
man who hired them is Vodacce (she was with Bohn
when he accepted the job) but not much else.
9
7TH SEA ADVENTURES
Yet...if Bohn escapes the graveyard, Dittmar can
be convinced to give up his hiding place. Getting this
information from her requires 2 Raises, or a single
Raise along with a properly convincing promise or
payment (such as letting her go free afterward).
Questioning the Corpse: If one of the Heroes is
a hexe with the Corpse Tongue power or the Heroes
convince Bohn to use his magic, the Heroes can
interrogate the corpse. The corpse says her name is
Therese Lehrer, and she was a washerwoman from
a nearby village. The last thing she remembers was
being at the well, where she was looking into the
water. Reflected in the water, she saw a masked figure
standing behind her, then she has a muddled memory
of drowning. That’s all she remembers.
Yes, she was murdered. The question is, who did it?
Unfortunately for the Heroes, the lead here goes cold.
There’s no way to “see” the murderer. Be fair with your
players and tell them, “You don’t know who it was.” If
you need to, let them know, “This is a setup for anoth-
er adventure.” Don’t let them spend too much time on
a lead they can’t follow up on.
If Müller Is a Hero…
…she’s not responsible for the girl’s death. But someone
switched out Müller’s corpse for Therese. Why? Maybe to
avoid something like this.
If Müller Is a Villain…
…she killed the girl and put her into the grave. Why?
You’ll find out later.
Searching the Strands: A Fate Witch may look for
strands linking the Heroes to Müller. If she does, she
might spot very dim strands linking the Heroes to
someone else, but they are far too dim to trace. Is this
Müller? It’s possible.
What Next?
The Heroes know Müller was supposed to be buried
with her cane. Not only is this not the right body, but
the cane is gone. Where is it?
Janz remembers that Müller’s daughter, Sieghild,
has the cane. She kept it as a memento of her mother.
That means they must get to Sieghild before anyone
else does. And that leads us to…
THE CALIBERI LETTERS
 The Mud, the Blood and the Beer
In this scene, the Heroes seek out Müller’s daughter.
In fact, the Scene also begins in medias res.
However, every group is different. Perhaps your
group won’t be comfortable starting a scene in the
middle of a chase. Maybe you want to back things up
a bit. It’s all up to you. I usually tell the players, “This
next Scene starts in the middle of the action.” Then
I read the text below and have them roll dice for the
Action Sequence:
A stormy night. Lightning flashes across the sky, send-
ing long shadows across the woodlands. A muddy road.
A distant thunder…no, not thunder…gunfire!
Two carriages race through the night. You’ve traveled
two hundred miles to find Müller’s daughter and it has
come to this: a carriage race through a storm. The road
is muddy and treacherous. And in the carriage up ahead
is your target: Sieghild Müller, clutching the silver-tipped
cane. In the same carriage is a tall Vodacce man with
a pistol. He’s pointing the pistol right at her head and
screaming at the carriage driver. “Go faster, fool!”
Just five minutes ago, you found Sieghild Müller, but
not before this Vodacce man did. He put a gun to her
head, used her as a hostage and climbed into his carriage.
You found a carriage of your own and you gave chase.
Waldgeists
Waldgeists are evil spirits lurking in Eisen forests. When they spot
the chase, they see an opportunity to do some evil and attack the
Heroes.
The waldgeists are also particularly vulnerable to fire. Any
attack with a torch or other flaming weapon causes an automatic
Dramatic Wound (in the same way firearms do). They’re also
vulnerable to light. Shining a torch in a mirror and flashing the
light at a waldgeist stuns it, removing one Raise from its pool.
There are two waldgeists in the forest here, each with identical
Strength and Qualities.
Strength: [H]
Monstrous Qualities: Fearsome, Nocturnal, Swift, Winged
10
7TH SEA ADVENTURES
ACTION SEQUENCE
The Chase
Esposito, the tall Vodacce Villain in the other car-
riage, has some friends with him: one [H] Strength
Brute Squad. This Brute Squad has the Guard and
Tenacious Types. Tenacious causes the Strength of
the Brute Squad to be reduced after being dealt 2
Wounds rather than 1 (for example, a group of five
Heroes must deal 10 Wounds to the Brute Squad to
completely defeat them). This does not increase the
number of Wounds dealt by the Brute Squad at the
end of the Round.
But the Brute Squad isn’t the only danger. The driv-
er turns the carriage into the woods—nasty things
always skulk in the woods of Eisen.
Opportunities: The waldgeists generally assist the
Brute Squad and the Villain—birds of a feather and
all—but if a Brute accidentally hits a waldgeist, every-
one is fair game. Making a Brute strike a waldgeist is a
Rank [H] Opportunity. Once a Hero activates it, the
waldgeists attack Villains, Heroes, Brutes…everyone.
The Heroes can stop the carriage through various
means: unlocking the horses, taking out a wheel, etc.
Players can come up with all kinds of clever ways of
doing it. Stopping the carriage is a Rank [H] Oppor-
tunity.
Antonio Esposito
VODACCE
Strength 3+[H], Influence 3+[H]; Rank 6+[2H]
Advantages
Duelist Academy (Ambrogia), Fencer, Perfect Balance
Virtue: The Sun
Glorious. Activate your Virtue when you are the center
of attention. For the next Risk, when you determine
Raises, every die counts as a Raise.
Hubris: The Magician
Ambitious. You receive a Danger Point when you chase
after power and the deal you’re after is dangerous or
causes trouble.
Antonio is a little higher on the Novus Ordo Mundi food chain, even ranking
himself a lowercase letter: “n.” He is a proud, vain man who wears expensive
clothes and keeps his moustache and beard trimmed. He possesses a devilish
charm, although he derives pleasure from watching others suffer. He uses a
sword specifically made for his hand, a masterwork item that can catch the eye
of anyone with an understanding of smithing, dueling or weapon making.
THE CALIBERI LETTERS
 Confronting Esposito
After the Heroes stop the carriage, they still have to
deal with the Villain. The resolution of this Scene de-
pends entirely on your group: their Skills, Advantages
and attitudes.
Esposito has his pistol trained on Sieghild Müller.
Sieghild is not a Hero. That means Esposito can kill
her with a single Danger Point. You could allow the
Heroes to stop that action by spending a Hero Point
and explaining how they rescue Sieghild, but that
feels anti-climactic. Or, you could throw every Danger
Point you have on the table and say, “This is his bluff.
He’ll kill Sieghild if you try anything. You have to
throw as many Hero Points as I’ve thrown Danger
Points to stop it.”
DRAMATIC SEQUENCE
Encounter with Esposito
The Heroes can attempt to convince Esposito to let
Sieghild go. During this Sequence, the group may
spend Raises to ask Esposito questions, but it requires
two Raises to have him answer. To convince Esposito
to let Sieghild go costs [H] Raises; if the group does
not wish to spend Raises to free Sieghild, the Heroes
may pursue other options (see Option 1 or 2 below).
Additionally, the Heroes may attempt to free
Sieghild by force. If the Heroes choose to follow this
path, the Dramatic Sequence becomes an Action
Sequence. To do this, have the Heroes declare a new
Approach and then roll and make raises (see Option
3 below).
Sieghild Müller
Sieghild is just 17 years old, and she’s a scholar studying to be a
priest in the Church. A devoted Objectionist, she has a good heart.
She is not a Hero, but she might be someday. Hanging out with a
bunch of Heroes is a good way to make sure that happens.
11
7TH SEA ADVENTURES
Option 1: A Fair Exchange
The Heroes have to make a deal with Esposito. He says,
“I’ll settle for letting the girl go in exchange for the
cane.” If the Heroes agree, he grabs the cane, lets the
girl go and rushes off into the Eisen woodlands.
If the players take this option, Sieghild reveals she
removed the letters from the cane before Esposito kid-
napped her. She gives the letters to the Heroes.
Option 2: Physical Confrontation
If the Heroes try a physical rescue, they must spend a
number of Hero Points equal to the number of Danger
Points you threw on the table. This stops Esposito from
killing his captive, but the Heroes must still physically
confront him. He’s no slouch. He no longer has Dan-
ger Points, so he can’t kill the Heroes (unless you earn
Danger Points during the fight), so he’ll do his best to
incapacitate the Heroes and escape.
But he’s also not stupid. If the Heroes get the letters,
he can still track them down and get the letters back.
That makes surrender a viable option. Time is on his side.
He just needs to be patient (he is) and careful (he is),
and then wait for the right opportunity to strike.
Esposito says nothing about Novus Ordo Mundi. He
says he was hired by another masked figure to gain the
letters, and he was offered a great deal of money for
them. That’s all he will willingly say. Depending on the
circumstances, he may try to escape, even if that means
he doesn’t escape with the letters. Being alive and out of
prison is better for his long-term goals.
Option 3: Surrender
If the Heroes have had a difficult time dealing with the
last Scene and don’t have many Hero Points to spend, or
you want to create some tension for a future scenario,
you could choose to have him surrender without a fight.
But he does so only if they offer him a deal—they must
take personal custody of him, rather than sending him
to the local authorities, and in return he will help them
track down the person who hired him.
Of course, he is lying about that last bit. At the first
opportunity, he will try to grab the letters and escape,
forcing a confrontation. As in Option 2, if he can’t secure
the letters, he’ll settle for escaping with his life.
THE CALIBERI LETTERS
The Cane
Müller’s silver-tipped cane has a hollow top. Screwing
the silver top off reveals the letters folded into the
chamber. You can show them to your players once
they discover them.
It’s up to you whether Sieghild has seen the letters.
If she has, she doesn’t understand what they mean.
By the way, if the Heroes mention the scene at the
grave, she becomes very upset about that.
The Letters
Müller’s cane contains four letters in various states.
Letters 2 and 3 are merely creased from being rolled
up, but Letter 1 appears to have been partially
burned, and letter 4 is somewhat faded from immer-
sion in water.
Letter 1
…(Rel)igious zeal makes the Throne of Avalon easy
to manipulate. Her devotion to the Throne of Castille is
unquestioning. Control Castille and we control Avalon.
Already sending armies to assist Perez at Barcino. 1, 7,
t, V, X
Rogue elements in the Marches and Inismore have
been dealt with. No one has seen the O Entity for years.
Marches nobles are easily bribed. Small rebel forces are
not a factor in the Grand Design, but could be funded
to present difficulties for local nobles, further removing
Marches from the issue. P, 2
Sighting of the Mask in Ca…
Letter 2
The Eisen Experiment continues successfully.
Increased incidents of abductions and “horrors.” The
Countess has proven approachable. N, 2, J, Q
Montaigne armies are now driven by a suitable can-
didate. His desire for bloodshed will open more doors,
making travel easier. 3, B
Letter 3
Vodacce still proving to be difficult. MP savvy to
most recruitment techniques, need to develop new
procedures. 6
GV has progressed too far with his private investiga-
tions. Request permission to close the window. 7
12
7TH SEA ADVENTURES
Letter 4
(Funn)eling Guilders through the League operating
smoothly. No questions asked. ATC easiest insert
point. Castille reals funding Montaigne resistance.
Can’t imagine the irony. Hard to keep my smile subtle
when I speak to the Castille Throne. 3, B, C
Time for IC to make a decision regarding the Count-
ess. Her strength is growing quickly. She needs to either
be controlled or approve closing the window.
Aftermath
The players have earned themselves a 3 point Ad-
vancement. This is a GM Advancement, so they can
spend it as they like or save it for later.
Some examples of rewards that the players could
spend this Advancement on include the following:
• Improve a Skill used in the adventure to Rank 3
or less (if less than Rank 3, the player may save
the remaining points for later).
• Change a Quirk.
• Purchase an Advantage such as Disarming Smile
if the Hero interacted socially with one of the
Villains, or purchase Boxer/Bruiser/Deadeye/
Fencer/Sniper if the Hero fought with the Vil-
lains.
• Purchase the Trusted Companion Advantage in
the form of Sieghild if the Hero has any stored
Advancement Points (or they may store these
points and recruit Sieghild at a later time when
they can afford that Advantage).
• Purchase the Signature Item Advantage—Es-
posito’s sword is quite a masterpiece, and it can
serve as a Signature Item for a Hero. Failing that,
it’s worth a pretty penny (3 Wealth).
With the letters in hand, the Heroes have some ques-
tions to ask: What do these letters mean? Who wrote
them? And why are they so important? Also, who
replaced Müller’s corpse in the graveyard?
These questions won’t be answered in this adven-
ture, but they will be answered in future installments
of The Grand Design. See you then!
THE CALIBERI LETTERS
…(Rel)igious zeal makes the Throne of Avalon easy to manipulate. Her devotion to the
Throne of Castille is unquestioning. Control Castille and we control Avalon. Already
sending armies to assist Perez at Barcino. 1, 7, t, V, X
Rogue elements in the Marches and Inismore have been dealt with. No one has seen
the O Entity for years. Marches nobles are easily bribed. Small rebel forces are not a
factor in the Grand Design, but could be funded to present difficulties for local nobles,
further removing Marches from the issue. P, 2
Sighting of the Mask in Ca…

The Eisen Experiment continues successfully. Increased incidents of abductions and “hor-
rors.” The Countess has proven approachable. N, 2, J, Q
Montaigne armies are now driven by a suitable candidate. His desire for bloodshed
will open more doors, making travel easier. 3, B

Vodacce still proving to be difficult. MP savvy to most recruitment techniques, need to

develop new procedures. 6
GV has progressed too far with his private investigations. Request permission to close
the window. 7

(Funn)eling Guilders through the League operating smoothly. No questions asked. ATC
easiest insert point. Castille reals funding Montaigne resistance. Can’t imagine the irony.
Hard to keep my smile subtle when I speak to the Castille Throne. 3, B, C
Time for IC to make a decision regarding the Countess. Her strength is growing quick-
ly. She needs to either be controlled or approve closing the window.