Howdy folks. I just joined up here as I'm currently in the preliminary stages of starting my own 7th Sea campaign (1st ed rules), if all works out our actual start date should be December 9th and it will be running every other Friday in conjunction with one of my friends Iron Kingdom's campaign.
But I thought I'd pop in here and share with you guys my initial ideas for what will be the over-arc of the campaign and see what you think. As I hate the idea of having characters start off in your typical bar, I figured I would have everyone on ship (either as passengers or crew) for the start of the game. The vessel is the Mitternacht a merchant fleut out of Eisen that is conducting a run around Theah with a final destination in Vodacce, with stops to port at every major nation (easy way of getting the PCs together).
I'm keeping the information of how and where we're starting off purposely vague, at least with my PCs. The reason is that the game is going to start with the group either in the brig of the Mitternacht or on board a Crescent Raider. Either way the PCs will find out that the events of the last few hours were this.
The Mitternacht was attacked by three Corsair's and while the crew and passengers fought back, the vessel was eventually captured. To reflect this all characters will start with one dramatic wound and five flesh. At this point they have a choice. They can either stay as captives and slaves and look for a way to escape from the slave pens of Zahara later, or they can take their chance then. Either way it will be hard fought and they will come into posession of the Mitternacht and most likely find some sense of comradrie.
What choices they make will greatly influence how they meet up with one of the first major NPCs, Cassandra. If they immediately take the ship over they will eventually find her as a stow away inside a smuggling compartment. Otherwise the girl will be located by the Crescents and thrown in the pens with them in Zahara.
It will be from her that they will start to get their first clues about why the Mitternacht was attacked and who by. It will turn out that the villians were searching for something they believe she has in her posession. This thing is an artifact that will aid in the activation of a currently unnamed Syrneth device that is fabled to grant whomever finds it unlimited power.
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Here's my list of the major NPCs so far:
Caliph Malik al-Kazir: The self proclaimed Caliph of the Red Corsairs that base themselves out of his island fortress of Zahra that lies just south of the Dakalan Islands. Wants the *** so he can gain immortality.
Numan: An immortal advisor to Caliph al-Kazir and one who is trying to find *** so he can remove his curse and finally die, and is willing to do so at all costs.
Cassandra: Stowaway on board the Mitternacht, will either be found by the PCs or by the Red Corsairs. She speaks all languages, has violet eyes, and while she appears like an Avalon child of fourteen but she is immortal due to the demon that inhabits her. She also is not only the key to enter the final tomb where the *** rests, but she knows how to initially go about finding it. The demon within her of course wants the artifact for its own ends.
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Well as far as PCs go we got a fairly ecclectic range of characters and nationalities. Though I think I may have to give everyone a common language or simply demand that. I still want to wait a few until I can find out who is playing what, and so I can hand out my questionarre. But so far this is what I got.
Gordon is playing a Highlander who is a ship's bosun, studies the MacGreggor school of swordsmanship, and has been exiled from his clan.
Bentley is playing a Vestenmannavnjar. He is a full blooded sorcerer but has apparently fallen out of favor with the rest of his family so he's not considered nobility. But he does have their rune casting magic, and apparently he also has the Dangerous Beauty advantage which basically makes him irresistable to the opposite sex (or same sex if those males are so inclined, at least so says I), which he uses to the best of his ability as either a man whore or merchant. He hasn't decided which, but I think he does know how to navigate at sea.
Goeff's character is a former Printer from Avalon that worked in Castille for a short stint, who is now a fugitive from the Church's Inquisition because he didn't quite agree with some of the changes that were made to the equivalent of the bible so he made some of his own changes and added sarcastic remarks all the way through. Making his Bugger all this for a lark version of the Bible. So now he's basically gone to sea to try to stay away from them.
Kristian is playing a Castillian street urchin who is a bastard son of one of the nobility and therefore has some sorcerous talent with "El Fuego Adentro". He's also a deckhand.
My other friend Fox is still trying to figure out what he'd want to play and is probably being the most difficult of the group. He initially wanted to play a Cathayan which I refused. Then he was considering an Eisen but was complaining that they weren't quite martial (as in martial arts) enough for his tastes. Then I guess he started doing some digging online and wanted to play a member of Novus Ordum Mundi... Which I've yet again refused. I think I may just end up having to arbitrarily giving him a nationality. But that is about what I have for the moment. I'm still waiting for a few books that I have on order to come in (they should arrive either today or tomorrow) which will help out immensely on the planning of this, most noteably the Crescent Empire book.
-J-
