Mist of the Moors - Gothic Horror Romance adventure

[Gamer Printshop]

So for something really off the wall, in some ways Ravenloftian in others Elizabethan England, I'm designing an adventure module for a homebrew game. We have a new girl in our gaming group, that has some history with a more heavy 'roleplaying' environment than what the majority of our players are used to, since they have always been more or less 'hack/slash' in their preferred gaming style - something I've learned to live with, but never my own preference. Her girlfriend, one of our regulars suggested I create a role-playing heavy module as an experiment to play with a limited membership of our group - the three newest players and for the time being not including our older gaming members (except me as GM.)

While I've never read a romance novel (not my thing), I've watched enough classic romance novel based movies like Wuthering Heights to get a feel of what an adventure module based on that style should look like. The Mist of the Moors involves a party of aristocrats going on holiday to the provincial west country, largely consisting of forest and moors and largely uninhabited, compared to the Earldom of Fenster (whose lord and daughter are among the adventure party), a part of the Kingdom of Dernallion (an England analog).

The Earl is a reluctant lord, having been an officer in the King's army and a member of the Provost Marshalls office (military attorneys) now retired, as well as a provincial magistrate, until his brother the former Lord of Fenster's recent passing, which has forced the title and duties to the present Earl who had to retire from his judgeship position and take on the reigns as a peer of the realm. To keep his mind off his duties and the from an impending depression from leaving his preferred life as a magistrate, he has taken an interest in his family genealogy - especially the lesser known line preceeding his grandmother, who is from the west country of Dernallion.

His daughter, Margery, is the wife of an illustrious naval sea captain who is currently escorting an ambassador to a foreign land and will be gone for most of the year. Lord Flannery her father, who has discovered an extensive private library with genealogy records at a manor in the Moors and has received an invitation to visit and peruse the collection. So he invites his lonely daughter to accompany him and she can bring two of her closest friends to join them for some provincial leisure time in the west country.

There will be opportunities for romance with the local gentry, as well as a handsome common born hunter-ranger as a guide for their planned Fox Hunt. However, behind the romance and roughing it the aristocrats face in this wilder regioin of the kingdom, a gang of smugglers is bringing intrigue to the area. The local 'fire and brimstone' preacher is having a religious inquisition with the local worshippers of the Old Cult (druidism) and a coven of Witches. Of course there is also a legendary ghost story and haunts that will be featured in the adventure. Finally, a local outlaw, has taken the reputation of a local werewolf legend and is harassing the countryside with his murders. (He is not a werewolf in actuality, as D&D/Pathfinder werewolves are weak monsters. This guy is a barbarian with beastial rage powers, a cloak that allows him to turn into a dire wolf, and a cursed ring that emphasizes the beast that he has become.)

This will be a limited setting consisting of humans as the only known sentient race, muskets and single shot guns are common place, the church has an overwhelming influence, set in an analog, circa 1600, English countryside atmosphere. Most arcane spellcasters are considered practitioners of witchcraft, who are sought for trial and executions.

So far, I've created the entire cast of four pregenerated player characters, a dozen statted NPCs with complete backstories, a nefarious smuggling organization of rogues, buccaneers and illicit merchants, factions for a conflict between various ecclesiastic sects - a circle of druids and a witch's coven. And a host of local monsters, ghosts, and haunts - though I am still work on this latter part at this time.

It's got a 'Harlequin Romance' feel that I am a bit uncomfortable with, but as an experiment toward a more modern game, I am intrigued by the prospect of this adventure. Since I've been doing professional publications in recent years, I'll do a complete page layout of the module along with 8 or so maps - as if this were going to publication (which it may, eventually.)

Thoughts?

GP

[Hibou]

Sounds like it could be lots of fun. If you haven't seen Brotherhood of the Wolf, I recommend looking it up (even though you'll have to listen to relatively weak English dubs or read subtitles if you don't understand French). Even though it is set later in history and is in France, I'm getting a very similar feel for this and am excited to see what you come up with in the end. Keep in mind that (especially with the kind of setting you've created for this) it'll be easy to add that atmospheric horror without using a lot of the dreadful monsters and magic; you can use the relative isolation and eerie landscape to great advantage.

[LordVreeg]

i love the period-setting stuff. 

How are you doing clerics and the church?

[Gamer Printshop]

i love the period-setting stuff.  

How are you doing clerics and the church?

For the time being the local 'fire and brimstone' preacher is an NPC adept rather than a full cleric, he will be more a political force trying to get the local magistrate on his side against the widespread heathen practices of many of the meaner locals, as well as leading the mob to chase down suspected witches for trial and burning.

Throughout the adventure, so far, I use references to the almighty church, and the deity is simply called God. To keep the period atmosphere authentic in feel, however, it isn't necessarily the Christian church - it just is intended to feel like a Prodestant, ecclesiastic state religion. One of the PCs, a girl with an extra pious tendencies does not want to become a nun - the usual prospect for a woman of faith. She has been secretly pursuing a paladin's path, though has not admited such to her friends and father, only to Margery, the other female of the adventure party. Margery has her own secret, being a fey-blooded natural born sorcerer, which has put great fear in her - as possibly being a witch...

All the PCs are expected to be worshippers of 'God', but without any needs for going to church beyond reading from the 'good book' by the father with his daughter and friends. Perhaps the local preacher will invite them for some actual church participation - we'll see.

Edit: Lord Flannery is very religious, his wife who died in childbirth with Margery, was from the north country - where he had been a magistrate, with a more 'celtic' heritage, and apparently his wife was of fey-blood, and may have had a sorcerous power (Lord Flannery has never spoken of such to Margery, however). Margery was raised in a strong religious upbringing, as are all her aristocratic comrades. It is the secret gifts each have been born with that is now affecting their psyche, and challenging their tradition status and place in society. Think, up-tight English upper society bent on tradition, obeying the law, going to church on Sunday and being good citizens and peers of the realm. Now introduce fey-blooded sorcery inborn talents, another with a need to serve the church in a non-traditional way, a 'Solomon Caine' sort of female paladin who doesn't wear armor, but carries a holy sword and buckler. I'm keeping the basic premise of Pathfinder/3x, but reigning back the magic items, setting in a structure of society, imposing traditional sense of honor and place, then challenging it with PF/3x super powers as varying class abilities apply.

It's not a low magic setting to better fit a period feel, and not an over-the-top 3x style game either.

Since we're using Pathfinder, it's D&D really with clerics and divine spells, but if I talk in only God who answers your prayers than it feels Elizabethan, but plays as D&D in play.

This concept may change, but for the time being it seems like it should work.

[Gamer Printshop]

What might be better, though, is to include a Pathfinder Inquisitor with the Witch-Hunter archetype. As well as playing a later in history than normal setting, I want to introduce the players to some of the other classes of Pathfinder which no one has taken as a PC yet. The Inquisitor Witch Hunter gains a bonus to Saves, when successfully making a spellcraft check as a caster is casting his spell. He replaces tracking with Spell Scent, an ability to 'smell' out the source of a given spell effect, and other abilities to gain advantage over spellcasters in combat. He hunts wizards, sorcerers and witches in particular. This might be a better class for the 'fire and brimstone' deacon of the local chapel in the village of Demure, 5 miles from the Manor on the Moors, where the party is staying. So he could potentially become the enemy to Margery herself, as she realizes her sorcerous potential.

I made pre-gens that are heavily integrated into a social network with heavy back stories, dark secrets, predestined paths (classes) based on in-born talents and pious directions. It's intended to work as a one-shot, but could take off into a full campaign if it works out.

Pathfinder Ultimate Combat has the Gunslinger class and new rules for guns, so that's part of the experiment too.

[Gamer Printshop]

So I talked to Steve Russell of Rite Publishing with the idea of making this a standalone patronage project. He suggested if we did, it might be better to have a female author writing it. So I contacted Christina Stiles who is currently working on Journeys to the West for Open Design Project. Her first piece was a Mask of the Red Death based adventure, so I think her style would be very appropriate for this kind of work. I pointed her to another thread where I am discussing this concept and her interest is piqued. Talking back to Steve, we are now looking at a lead artist with a couple of options.

So this looks like it will be go for a project soon. We will probably be doing this as a Kickstarter project. So at least things seem to be moving forward.

I look forward for a publication genre that would cater well to female gamers in a unique way! I think this project fits that idea well.

[Gamer Printshop]

Here are the two possible artists I am looking at for cover and interiors:

Eric Quigley has done covers for the Yakuza supplement, as well as the upcoming Samurai supplement coming soon.

Emma Lazauski is a new one, though I really like her style. If she were to study some 17th century portraiture and woodblocks, she might be well suited to this.

Thoughts?

GP