For a Galleon of Gold
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Author: Jean-Philipe Chapleau
Homepage: http://
System: 7th Sea
Type: Scenario
Category: Fantasy
Requirements:

Graphic: Pirate Map
Graphic: Belle Marie
Graphic: Capt Smith
Graphic: Escodedo
Graphic: Jacques
Graphic: Magnus
Graphic: Maria
Graphic: Pip
Graphic: Pistols Miller
Graphic: Samus
Graphic: Vicksburg

Scene One: The plan (15mins)

This scene puts the players and Captain Smith together in a small house just outside the city of Nassau. The Captain has a map on the table showing the small city. Pip his wearing his typical dress when he is sent out as a spy. The plan is simple. While him and most of the crew (total 30 men) will move into the city and draw out the garrison (read: plunder the city), the characters are to invest the governor's mansion. The governor is known to have a beautiful granddaughter and using her as a hostage is very likely to force the hand of the governor. The players are then to wait until the Captain comes before making any actual negotiations.

Note: This scene effectively tells the player what they are to do and allows them to ask questions to the Captain. There is little actual interaction or action in this scene. So try to make it short and informative. The next scene is really the start of the scenario. Don't let the player bog down into details. Short & simple.

Scene Two: The Attack on Nassau (45mins)

Now the players execute the plan. You can skip through the approach. Inside the mansion are a number of guards (all brutes), Maria and the Governor himself. Escobedo will be in town fighting the Captain when the characters arrive so they will not see him.

Stage a few fights with the brutes within the manor: in the dinning room, the hallway & the staircase. They should be more hindrance than threatening. This scene MUST be filled with action and witty remarks and very Errol Flynn-esque. Eventually, the players should reach the room of Maria. She will be quietly sitting at her desk, writing. She will be surprised to see the characters as they enter the room and will offer no resistance.

Next up will be the Governor' room. The old man is standing inside, with his old rapier ready to fight to the death, however he will give it up after being lightly wounded -or- if they threaten Maria. He will offer the surrender of the town -and- the map if they let the girl go free. See the annex for the details.

This scene should end with the garrison returning after vanquishing all the attacking pirates. The Admiral and his men will return. They are obviously too many of them to stand and fight. The players must flee. Jacques must see the Admiral at this point.

Scene Three: The Island (1h30)

The players just flee of to find the Belle Marie gone, they will see a small fishing boat, the single-sail category. A few local fishermen will abandon their boat as soon as they see the pirates. Unarmed but seaworthy and ready to go. From there they will be able to sail to the island where the galleon is located.

The pace should now slow down a bit. You should let the characters rest and make some healing rolls to heal themselves, as well as resting. The characters will have smooth sailing until they reach the island, a three-day trip. At that point, a big storm will break out.

A Tropical storm is hitting them. Let them improvise ways to hide from the storm (their small ship will NOT hide them. So they must hide on the island.

Scene Four: The storm breaks (30mins)

Now we are getting towards the final showdown. The players can secure the gold and begin to take it to their boat. However this is a long task likely to take many days. Once they have each taken about their own weight (the boat can't take much more) they will notice a sail apparently heading towards them. Their own ship is sailing towards them! Saved! However it is not their friends and fellow crewmen (who are held in jail in Nassau). This is Don Escobedo with Von Brunswick and the Governor. However, they must not know it yet. When the ship will be very close, the players will be able to see the Yellow and Red flag of Spain. Now let them recognise the villains on the ship.

They can try to escape but they boat is too loaded to sail fast. They can get rid of the gold and get away. But that wouldn't be good. The players are trapped and they should know their only way out is to surrender.

They will be hauled in, put in shackles. Don Escobedo will gloat at their capture. He will tell Jacques that once he hangs on the docks in Nassau his sister and family honour will be avenged.

Scene Five: Lets get back our ship! (1h)

Von Brunswick will free the players to recruit them into fighting the Spanish and there will be a huge battle on the ship. Make sure everyone has a chance to make flashy moves. This is the big finale. Jacques must duel with Don Escobedo, Pip must fight Vicksburg, Pistols and the Captain should both have a go at each other. Samus and Magnus can help wherever they want or they can just go about doing whatever they want.

Important thing: this scene must be action packed and fast-paced. Vicksburg will escape at the end.

Jacques de la Rapiere / Rapier Jack
Quartermaster, French, 27

Your real name is Jacques-Andre de la Fourretiere, Baron de St-Jean. You are a charming fellow, and the hunk of the ship. Why you ended up in the West Indies as a pirate is very interesting. You were a well-known figure at the court of King Louis the XIV when you seduced young Gabriella de Munoz-Falcon. As a gentleman, you loved her as only you could. Only thing, she bore you a kid...

To avenge the shame of her family, her father (the duke of Escobedo de la Compostella), challenged you to a duel. You killed him in the duel, though you never intended to. Now her brothers (Miguel, Antonio, Andres, Enrique & Manolo) are out for your life. Europe became too hot, so you left on a ship to Martinique.

However, a storm had you land on an island used by a group of pirates, among them Pistols Miller. You offered to joined then under the name "Jacques de la Rapiere" (Rapier Jack). Your skills in combat, and your charming words have earned you a position of prominence amongst the crew who elected you Quartermaster. You hate being called Rapier Jack as this ruins your style, but you know most of the English-speaking crewmen can't speak "civilised".

You are now the Quartermaster of the ship. Jacques has been a pirate for 8 years now.

You are teaching Pip fencing and the kid is getting very good. However, you think Pip and the doctor might be up to something. As often the kid sleeps in the doctor's quarters...

Personality:

You are dashing, arrogant and proud. Yet these flaws also make you a gentleman amongst pirate. You are bound by your word as a gentleman and never reveal any secret you know or break your word. For those reasons you have not spoken of Pip & the Doctor to anyone. He has few remorse for whatever he did in the past.

Jacques is not very religious and cares little for it. However, he never fails to sign himself of the cross whenever he passes a church.

Goals & Ambitions

You long to return to Europe, and find your son. A big load of gold could have you return home, with a new reputation as a very rich man, then you could settle down, marry, have a few mistresses and enjoy life.

Backgrounds

Hunted: The sons of the Duke of Escobedo are looking for you for the death of the their father and the shame of their sister.

Lost Love: Jacques wants to find his long lost son.

True Identity: Jacques' titles he keeps secret.

Relations:

Samus: The Irishman bores you. All he wants is to settle down. He is always depressed and blue, which makes you look bad. And the fact that he and Pip...

Friar Magnus: The chaplain is your type of priest, only thing: you are catholic. But you know that when you'll return to France you'll confess to a catholic priest and everything will be fine.

Pip: You like the little guy, he is very anxious to learn swordplay. Now, if only you can teach him how to speak properly, for he keeps swearing.

Pistols Miller: Pistol Miller is fine, you and him share a love for adventure.

Captain Smith: You have no love for the Englishman, but he keeps you all well fed (and drunk) and has plenty of contacts and knows many good spots to hide.

Samus O'Shea
Doctor, Irish, 45

You are an Irish doctor, sent to indentured service in Virginia because you helped to heal an Irish rebel. Your wife and son died on the trip and you were unable to save them. Of the 10 years of your service, you served only 2 when the plantation was attacked by a band of pirates. You offered your skills to them, because working the fields of tobacco was far from your idea of good use of your skill. The captain recognised your use and had you along. Since then you have served with the crew as their doctor, not surprisingly their health has improved a lot. You have been a pirate for close to 7 years with Captain Smith.

Personality:

Though the doctor is generally taciturn and blue while out on the ocean, his good old Irish spirits revives when there is a battle to be fought. He joins the fray howling, punching and kicking. Like most of the crew, the doctor has a strong love of liquor and especially rum or good old whiskey.

Though he has a mistress in Tortuga, a beautiful Creole woman who has more than once taken him inside her home. The doctor does not approve of the wild orgies that Jacques, Magnus and Pistols get into at times.

The doctor tends to be a little paternalistic with the crew, taking their health to heart.

Goals & Ambitions:

You would like to buy yourself a plantation and marry you mistress, start a new life and a new family and try to forget Siobhan and Sean... You just don't have enough money yet, but you've saved up a lot. Just one more operation and you'll be able to retire, just one more.

Backgrounds

Lost Love: Samus misses his dead family a lot and does pray often

Hunted: Samus is wanted by the British Government

Relations:

Jacques de la Rapiere: The Frenchman doesn't like you and you dislike his arrogant attitude towards you and towards the whole world. Yet, he is not a bad fellow, if only a superficial one. You tend to call him Rapier Jack just to piss him off.

Friar Magnus: You are a catholic, he's a protestant. You ignore him mostly, except for his food, which is great, even for ship meals. Lucky he doesn't bother any of you with too much religion, except for his mandatory prayer before the meals. You know that he might

Pip: You know that Pip is a girl. She hides it well. You have sworn to keep the secret and you will hold it. She is very much in love with Jacques, she reminds you of your own son and you treat her as such. You often let

Pistols Miller: Though a boor, Miller is a good man, deep, deep down. He cares for the men and supports most of your ideas, though you are not sure why.

Captain Smith: The Englishman is fine. He is a good man but he is getting a little old for this. This too, will be his last operation. He received a severe wound during the last battle and he may not have long to live.

'Friar' Magnus
Cook, Swede, 38

Born in Sweden, you have been educated in the ways of Protestantism. A good Lutheran Minister until you discovered the true love of your life: rum! You went from orgies to orgies, and fell into other sinful activities, women became your constant companions. You began coveting other men's wives, daughters, sisters or cousins. You gambled heavily and lost fortunes. You stole rich women' jewellery to live your life of sin. Everything was well and good.

When your activities were finally discovered and exposed, you fled, taking the first ship leaving Stockholm. After a short stop in Holland where you took up your activities again, you were captured one night and condemned to death by hanging. Only through luck did you escape your fate and jumped on the first ship. Lucky for you it was heading to the England, changing your name to Magnus.

In England you fell to the same scheme and the man who had you captured, showed up in London and just before the guard came to your luxurious apartment, you engaged on a warship as chaplain and left Europe forever. Sailing to Port Royal, you got so drunk that you forgot to return to the ship. So you wandered about and finally met Pistols Miller who recruited you to join the crew. You have taken to the sea three years ago and have left your beautiful Sweden 10 years ago.

Since then you have never forgotten the man who has you condemned for hanging in Sweden, Holland and England: the Count Von Vicksburg.

You are now the cook on-board the ship.

Personality:

You are a man of God, but know and care little for his affairs on this Earth, there are others to do that. You have been sent here to taste and enjoy the pleasures of this world. So far, only two have held you attention: rum and women. You are one of the worse drunken bar-sponge there is. You don't know why women find you so attractive, but you know you are... Money holds no real value to you and lavishly shower any wench with it.

The only time you serve god is when before every meal, you force every crewmember to make a short prayer. That way you may save their souls...

Goals & Ambitions:

You want to keep on doing this. It is such a great life. You want to get your hands on a lot of money to throw the biggest party in Port Royal no one ever seen, ever. Live fast, die young.

Backgrounds

Defeated: You must prove to yourself that the lifestyle you want to live is acceptable. Of course making the Count Von Vicksburg look foolish would be a good way.

Relations:

Jacques de la Rapiere: You and him enjoy drinks and women about as much. He is a little too attached to his style and tends to be pompous but once drunk, he is a great fellow to have around. For more fun, call him Rapier Jack and see him get pissed off and curse with his funny French accent.

Samus: The doctor frowns upon you but he is a very sad man. He has some dark secret he keeps to himself. You'd like to know what it is to give the man some peace of mind.

Pip: Pip is the crow with a good eye. He's about to grow up and eats like three men. He often helps the doctor as an assistant. However, he still a virgin and has not tasted women or rum. You must change that.

Pistols Miller: Pistols recruited you to the crew as a fellow lover of rum. The Scotsman is prone to violence though and you rarely try to calm him down.

Captain Smith: The captain has asked you many times what he should do to atone for his sins. He thinks of retiring very soon.

Pip
Crow, Dutch, 14

Your real name is Kristina Van Kruyber, Countess of Vicksburg. You were born of a noble Dutch family. One night, a group of soldiers came and ransacked the house. But you managed to flee. You lived in the country for a while, passing yourself off as a boy.

When you reach Amsterdam, you hired as a crow on an East Indian Company warship off to India. That way you managed to escape your evil uncle, the Baron Von Brunswick, who had taken over your family household and title.

The disguise has worked well up to now, you used to change ship every 3 or four months, but recently it has been more and more difficult to hide the burgeoning feminine attributes. To hide it, you tend to swear more than the average pirate, and act tough. You confided in the doctor who often allows you to sleep in his quarters to hide your secret. However you think the Captain knows.

You've been a pirate for 6 years but have been with the Belle Maria for just over a year. You have travelled far and wide, from China to New France. You have not seen Holland since you left it.

You are taking fencing lessons with Jacques de la Rapiere and he has taught you how to fight like a Frenchman. All the way down to the taunting.

You are the spotter of the ship and spent most of your time up in the crow's nest or with the Doctor, as an assistant.

Personality:

Pip is helpful and generally a nice person. However he is very reserved and somewhat shy. His good upbringing and natural shyness make Pip afraid of alcohol. Pip has seen its effect and the way men behave. He is afraid that drinking would make him reveal his secret. He loves the crew too much to have his secret come out and get expelled from the crew. Pip swears every other word. A language that obviously no girl would use.

Though naturally a little shy, Pip is courageous, funny and intelligent.

Goals & Ambitions:

A lot of gold might make a nice dotation and you might reclaim your family name and title. You would also love to get married with Jacques. Pip would very much like to return to wearing dresses and act like a lady.

Pip wants to retire young, his secret intact.

Backgrounds

Vendetta: You seek revenge on the Baron Von Brunswick

Lost Love: You love Jacques but cannot reveal yourself to him.

True Identity: You are the Countess Von Vicksburg

Hunted: The Baron is looking for you in Europe.

Relations:

Jacques de la Rapiere: You love Jacques, he is dashing and charming. You really love to be with him especially when he holds you tight to teach you about fencing. But you cannot let him know your secret. Not yet. You are the only one not calling him Rapier Jack on the ship.

Samus: The doctor knows about you. He explained to you the changes you were going through and has been like a father to you. He cares for you like a father and love him like one.

Friar Magnus: The drunken priest you care not for. He keeps pushing you to "find a first girl to make a man out you."

Pistols Miller: Miller is your role model. He is as bad a pirate as there is and he was that recruited you to the crew.

Captain Smith: The Captain has always been fair to you. He is a bit old though.

Henry "Pistols" Miller
Bosun, Scottish, 30

Pistols Miller is the bad boy of the ship. Born in Scotland, he emigrated to Massachusetts with a group of pilgrims. However the harsh life of the pioneers of the New World was not for him. One nice September day, Henry Miller took to the sea.

His love of muskets and pistols has earned him the name of Pistols Miller, because he always carries a full arsenal on him when jumping the railings to attack enemy ships. It wasn't long since he joined a group of pirates.

You have been a pirate for about 10 years.

You are currently the bosun and ensure discipline and you run the fire drills.

Personality:

Pistols Miller is a bad boy. Think of him as a gang boy with the crew being his gang brothers. A motivated leader, Pistols knows each man has his own

Goals & Ambitions:

Your goal is to buy your own ship and plunder all the Spanish gold in the New World. You recruited most of the crew and most are loyal to you. Pistols Miller likes his position and would like to bring with him all the others.

Backgrounds

Pistols Miller is hunted by every nation in the Caribeans. His head worth just a little less than Rapier Jack.

Relations:

Jacques de la Rapiere: Jacques is a hothead, but the best fencer on-board the ship. He is daring and loves adventure as much as you do. He hates to be called Rapier Jack but his French name cannot be pronounced...

Samus: The doctor is a competent man who cares for the crew. Because of that, you support him and welcome his ideas.

Friar Magnus: When you recruited the priest, he was a drunken fellow. Now, he still is. He keeps trying to moralise you and you don't like that much.

Pip: The young boy who slowly grows into a man. You taught him how to talk and fight, but he seems more interested in the fighting style of the Frenchman.

Captain Smith: The Captain has thought you all about navigation and life on the sea. You've been with him for many years, and he has told you this was to be his last great hit.

Captain Ebenezer Smith
English, 58

The Captain of the ship and a villain in the scenario, his real name is Sir Ebenezer Curtsingham, baronet. Trained in English swordplay before becoming a man of the sea. A veteran of many wars in Germany, he has gone from mercenary to bandit before being forced to the sea. He amassed a rowdy bunch of pirates around him.

During the raid, his old friend the Count of Vicksburg will propose to him a deal that could make him rich enough to retire to England with a nice pension and a large manor. A Spanish galleon sunk in shallow waters on a small island in the Bahamas. The Captain' men would go and retrieve the gold while him and the Baron would denounce them, collect the reward on their heads and lead the Spanish to the spot. After the Spanish took the gold, them would poison them and sail to Bermuda where they would split the gold.

Captain Smith has been a pirate for close to 30 years.

Baron Erick Von Brunswick

Count of Vicksburg, German, 53

The big villain, Brunswick is a bloodthirsty, scheming and plain evil man. Years ago, he killed the Count of Vicksburg and all his family to seize the title and lands of the count. Rich enough to buy himself a kingdom, he wants more gold.

He was in Nassau when he heard from a drunken sailor that the Admiral and the governor both knew of a gallion who had been sunk in shallow waters during a storm. He faught against the pirates during the raid, until he saw his old friend Captain Smith. Then he decided to recruit the old captain into his scheme. Captain Smith agreed and both joined forces with the garrison against the crew.

A Spanish galleon sunk in shallow waters on a small island in the Bahamas. The Captain' men would go and retrieve the gold while him and the Baron would denounce them, collect the reward on their heads and lead the Spanish to the spot. After the Spanish took the gold, them would poison them and sail to Bermuda where they would split the gold. You really have no intention to split the gold and will kill Captain Smith as soon as you will not need him anymore.

Baron Von Brunswick was the one who killed all of Pip' family. He remembers Kristina but will not recognise her as Pip. He will fully remember her though when SHE recognises HIM. He is also the one who schemed to get Friar Magnus thrown out of Sweden, both will recognize each other should they come face to face.

Rodrigo de Villaconderosa-Calvez
Gouvernor of Nassau, Spanish, 65

The Governor is an old man who would like nothing better than to live the rest of his days in peace. He lives in his manor with his granddaughter, Conzuela. He has the map to the sunk galleon "El Pomodoro". He intends to give the map as his granddaughter' wedding gift. However he values his and her life much more than the map. He is pretty happy to see Admiral Escobedo courting his granddaughter.

In game terms he is to be considered an "improved henchman" for he will surrender at the first dramatic wound.

Maria-Concepcion de Villaconderosa-Calvez

Heiress-to-be, Spanish, 18

Maria-Concepcion is the typical "damsel-waiting-to-be-captured-before-being-rescued". She is very beautiful, attracted to gentle and kind men (but who will fall in love with one of the rogues). Basically a Spanish Princess Leia... She can make a nice hostage for the whole scenario or just be the love-from-faraway.

In game term, she is to be considered a brute (she will faint at the slightest hit).

Miguel Munoz Duc de Escobedo de la Compostella

Spanish Admiral, 29

The Admiral is the typical soldier born into a noble family from Vera Cruz, he courts Maria-Concepcion because he really loves her. However he is much too square and single-minded to ignite the flame within the young woman. Escobedo is a loyal Spaniard who hates the pirates and will not negotiate with them even if his life depends on it. Escobedo is to be considered a villain. However he really loves Maria. Should any harm come to her, he will become frantic and attack to kill whoever hurt her. Yes, this means that could join forces with the characters to save or protect her. Miguel is one the brothers of Gabrielle de Vivancourt who got pregnant by Jacques de la Rapiere, and you are out for blood.

In game term, the Admiral is to be considered a villain.