LamentationS

of the
Flame PrincesS
Adventures

KELVIN GREEN
 LamentationS
of the
Flame PrincesS
Adventures

by Kelvin Green

Printed for the first time in English for James Edward Raggi IV and to be sold at his shop
in Helsinki, Finland, at the signe of the Duvan’Ku.

Text and Art © 2021 Kelvin Green

Issued Under Exclusive License

First Edition, First Printing 2021

Published by Lamentations of the Flame Princess
www.lotfp.com

Printed in Finland by Otava Book Printing Ltd., Keuruu

First Printing: 2000 Copies
ISBN 978-952-7238-49-3 (Print) / 978-952-7238-50-9 (PDF)

1
 Table of Contents
Author’s Introduction................................................................................ 4
How to Run This Adventure..................................................................................... 4
CSI: Paris 1630..............................................................................................................6
THE DEMON TAILOR and the Grand Plan................................................8
Cardinal Armand Jean du Plessis, Duke of Richelieu.......10
The Day of the Dupes.............................................................................................13
The Huguenots..................................................................................................... 14
Welcome to the City of Lights................................................................... 16
Paris 1630 (Referee Map)......................................................................................20-21
Paris Map Key.......................................................................................................... 22
THe Unrest Die..................................................................................................... 24
City Encounters................................................................................................ 26
Taxi!............................................................................................................................... 28
Taxi Insignia............................................................................................................. 29
TIMELINE of TERROR..............................................................................................31
How the Characters Get Involved....................................................32
The First Letter.................................................................................................. 34
Crazy Taxi!..............................................................................................................36
The Victims...............................................................................................................38
Victim #1: Claire Mollet..........................................................................................39
Victim #2: Rene Belleau..........................................................................................40
Victim #3: Henri Penand......................................................................................... 41
Victim #4: Julien Pascal.......................................................................................... 42
Victim #5: Bernard Rousseau................................................................................. 43
Victim #6: Blaise Bourgarit.....................................................................................57
Victim #7a: Baptiste Galonnier.............................................................................. 60
Victim #7b: Henriette............................................................................................... 61
Victim #8: Jean Dupont........................................................................................... 61

2
 Table of Contents (cont.)

The Wizard.............................................................................................................44
The Wizard’s Tower(ing townhouse).............................................. 46
New Spell:Unveil the Presence of the
Dread Vampyre (Detect Vampire)......................................................... 49
The Survivor...........................................................................................................52
The Werewolf of Paris..............................................................................................53
The Barrel...............................................................................................................56
The Second Letter.............................................................................................58
The Final LEtter................................................................................................. 62
Barricades and Checkpoints.................................................................... 64
BLUE CLOAKS.............................................................................................................65
THE COURT OF MIRACLES................................................................................... 66
The Crimson Carriage of the Sun........................................................... 68
The (Demon) Tailor’s (Demon) Hideout........................................... 72
The (Demon) Tailor’s (Demon) SHOP.....................................................73
MY BROTHER’s KEEPER....................................................................................... 76
Rumbled! (or, The Jig is Up!)....................................................................... 77
AFTERMATH............................................................................................................... 78

Appendices
Appendix 1: La Perfide Angleterre......................................................................... 80
Appendix 2: The Grand Châtelet........................................................................... 82
Appendix 3: Musketeers.......................................................................................... 87
Appendix 4: Comment t’appelles-tu?................................................................... 89

Wrting, Art, and Cartography: Kelvin Green

Layout and Design: Alex Mayo
Editing: Tom Cadorette

3
A sliver of pretentious How to run this garbled
game fiction like what we mess adventure
had in the Nineties Terror in the Streets is a hunt for a serial
One day, many years ago, James Raggi killer in Paris, during the year 1630. There
emerged from a brimstone portal and, is no direct path from A to B to C, but
as a thousand tortured angels wailed in there is a timeline of expected events,
unison, the Great Beast of Role-Playing some locations, and a few clues. Perhaps
opened the maw that had devoured a your players will find lots of clues, make
million worlds. “Write me a book with lots of clever connections, and find the
a title that makes the acronym TITS,” he killer on the second day. Maybe they
intoned, every syllable like the pounding will get distracted by some minor detail,
of a risen corpse against the inside of a and the killer will escape. They might
basalt coffin, “It will make me laugh when even cock up massively and get burned
I look at my accounts.” at the stake as Cardinal Richelieu looks
on, smiling over steepled fingers, one
“Uh, okay,” I said, as infernal flames eyebrow raised as he…
lashed out, burning my eyebrows to ash.
Satisfied with my answer, the Dread Lord Anyway. The point is, the idea is that I’ve
returned to the eighty-seventh layer of presented you with a sequence of events
Heck and continued the eternal task of and a bunch of clues to throw at your
castigating the souls of the unworthy. players, and it is up to them to sort it out
and solve the mystery. As such, it is well
I went away and wrote a dreadful worth reading through the book in some
high-concept yet embarrassing- detail before running it; I know every
ly-on-the-nose thing about what happens adventure ever written says that, but you
when the lights go out ((c) Five, 1998), will have to run a lot of things on the fly
which was rejected, probably for the best. as you play this one, so it’s worth doing.
Then the Dark Overlord returned and I have tried to present things in a practi-
asked for “Jack the Ripper, but 250 years cal and sensible order to make running
early” and so here we are. the adventure as easy as possible, and,
although the mystery itself is relatively
simple, there are a lot of moving parts to
bear in mind.
A Note on Rewards
As written, this adventure does not offer much Some players of old-school role-playing
in the way of experience or loot, but there games expect monsters and treasure in
are plenty of opportunities to make powerful their adventures, and the relative absence
friends and gain influence; see Aftermath of both in this one may be a problem, so I
(page 78 for more on that). It’s a quite deliber-
thought it best to acknowledge it upfront.
ate part of the design process, and indeed was
part of the original brief, so that’s why we have
done it this way. To handle the investigation, I suggest
splitting the game day into four-hour
chunks and allow the players to follow

4
one lead per chunk. I’m not saying it will take four hours
to go and ask the parents of Julien Pascal (page 42) what
happened to their son—although I suppose it depends
on how dense your players are—and I admit the four-
hour thing is a contrivance of convenience rather than
accuracy. It takes into account preparation, delays along
the way (page 26), getting lost—Paris in 1630 had no
street signs and house numbers were disorganised and
rare—and so on.

The four-hour-chunking is arbitrary, but it helps

structure the investigation. I have run Call of
Cthulhu (TM) adventures using the format
since 1996 and it’s worked well.

There’s no requirement that all the char-

acters stick together in one blob as they
go about their business. This is one
case where it may be more sensible to
split the party so more clues can be
gathered more quickly. After
all, they are trying to solve the
mystery before more children
go missing.

5
 explain that their characters would not
CSI: Paris 1630
We have been conditioned by over a cen-
know about this sort of thing, so they
should try to avoid thinking in such
tury of detective fiction and true crime terms. But if you’re happy with them
documentaries to understand how the inventing modern forensic techniques
gathering of clues works. We know about centuries early, that’s fine. It’s your game.
a blood types, fingerprints, DNA, and all
of that good stuff, and we are familiar All that said, one special resource charac-
enough with the concepts that it could be ters in LotFP’s 1630 have that we do not,
difficult to put ourselves in the mindset of even today, is magic.
seventeenth-century investigators.
(Well, I don’t have access to magic. Alan
Of course, no one in 1630 had access to Moore says he’s a wizard, and I probably
DNA databases, but it’s not just about believe him, but I doubt he’s reading this.
technology—it’s also about knowhow. If he is, then crikey! Hullo, Alan!)
The unique nature of fingerprints, for
example, was known in the ancient world, Magic rituals and spells could ruin the
and was used for identification by the investigation if not handled well, so it is
Babylonians and Chinese, among others, a good idea to have a look at the spells
but no one, in Europe at least, thought to available to your players and think about
use them for criminal investigation until how they could interact with the adven-
the nineteenth-century. Even something ture. You don’t want to be unfair about
that seems obvious to us, like checking things, but you also don’t want a spell
an alibi, was not a common investigative to torpedo the entire adventure because
procedure until after the 1750s. Many that’s no fun for anyone. So Speak With
modern criminal investigation techniques Animals just unlocks a witness, one that
were technically possible in 1630, but the may be no more reliable than a human.
concepts just had not occurred to anyone. Commune will probably be more useful,
but it depends on the questions asked. Be
The primacy of evidence is also a modern tight, but don’t be a bastard.
invention. Trials in 1630 are often less
about evidence and more about testi- A note on historical
mony, and not necessarily eyewitness Accuracy
testimony. You could be convicted or Believe it or not, I have, in fact, done
acquitted on the basis of character, class, some research! Where possible, I have
nationality, religion, or whoever your dad presented seventeenth-century Paris as it
was. This seems ridiculous to our modern was, or at least a playable facsimile there-
eyes—or not; satire! —but it is the way of. The Demon Tailor and his crimes are
things tend to work in the seventeenth real, but occurred sometime in the late
century. 1500s, and he was caught and executed in
December 1598. He was not, as far as we
How you want to handle this role-playing are aware, related to Cardinal Richelieu.
challenge is up to you. My suggestion Jean Grenier was also real, but he was
would be to talk to your players and active about thirty years earlier than the

6
setting of the adventure. The Court of
Miracles was real—although I have made
up some details—as is the thing about the Ain’t Nothin’
checkpoints between districts. Dogs, and bloodhounds in particular, are
excellent tools for investigation. Bloodhounds
On that subject, before the French Revo- can acquire a scent from an object that has
lution, Paris was divided into a series of been touched by the quarry, even something
a
districts, but sources differ on how many like a footprint, and can track that scent for
areas there were and what their boundar- hours, even days after the contact was made,
ies were, so I’ve more or less made them and over great distances.
up. Paris had taxis from 1612, 1637, 1640,
As it happens, bloodhounds are probably
or 1645 depending on who you ask; I’ve French in origin, which is a nice coincidence,
included them because they were in the although they were never popular in France—
playtest version of the adventure, and I too English, probably—until after they had
liked them too much to take out. I hope died out in the nineteenth century, at which
that potential inconsistency won’t bother point English bloodhounds were imported to
too many people. The French franc was resurrect the breed. For game purposes, we
a silver coin in 1630, so I have equated it will assume they are the same and hope that
to the LotFP silver piece for convenience, no dog nerds start flaming LotFP HQ over a
minor historical point.
and I know that’s also not quite right and
je suis désolé. Given the bloodhound’s special skills and
relative rarity—several pairs were given as gifts
Oh, and all the handouts are in English to the French royal family each year—let’s say
because the book is in English. I under- that a trained animal costs ten times the price
stand that this less harms verisimilitude of a normal dog, so 10sp in the city, and 20sp
and more takes it into a dark alley and in the countryside, plus food. Bastard Referees
breaks its legs, but I only got a C in GCSE may also want to insist that the dog requires a
French twenty-plus years ago, and there’s trained handler; treat this as the animal han-
only so much I can do. dler on Rules & Magic, pages 47-48.

BLOODHOUND, snoopin’ ‘round your

door: Armour 14, Move 150’, 1 Hit Dice,
6hp, bite 1d4, Morale 8. Bloodhounds
acquire and follow a scent on a 1d6 roll of
4+. Roll again each time something happens
that might confuse or disrupt the trail, such
as crossing a body of water.

7
 The Demon Tailor and
the Grand Plan
The Demon Tailor is Claude Marchand, There Is No God
the illegitimate older half-brother of Car- As written, Claude is suffering a temporary
delusion, there was no message from God,
dinal Richelieu (page 10), a connection
a and there was no chance of an earthquake
that should cause complications later in devastating Paris, but there is nothing prevent-
the adventure, and complications mean ing you from deciding that he is operating ac-
prizes! Or something. cording to the instructions of a higher power
calling itself “God,” and that disruption of the
As a boy, Claude apprenticed with a Plan will indeed bring disaster to the city. See
butcher before training to become a tailor. Catastrophe! (page 78).
He is quite successful and talented in the
latter profession and has earned a number
of high-profile commissions—including
making the distinctive blue uniforms for At the start of the adventure, Claude has
the royal house (page 65)—without any killed four of the eight and will select and
intervention from his powerful brother. kill the remainder over the next few days
(page 38). Once all eight are dead, the
Claude and Richelieu have very little con- tailor will wait a couple of days and, con-
tact; the Cardinal will sometimes meet tent that the earthquake has been averted,
with his brother in secret when the tailor disappear into history.
has business at the royal palace, and he
has signed a document that allows Claude All that said, Julien Pascal (page 42) was
free passage through the city’s check- destined to be an Apocalypse Child, but
points (page 64). Their relationship is Marchand doesn’t know that, nor does
not well known. Despite having different “God.”
mothers, they look enough alike so as to
confuse some people (page 41). Claude tortures his victims by flaying
them alive. After they have died of blood
Claude believes he has had a message loss or shock, he then cooks and eats their
from God. He believes that eleven days flesh so that he can consume their “light,”
after the start of the adventure, an earth- then uses their skin to construct a suit
quake will destroy much of Paris, killing with which he can commune with God.
thousands. The only way to prevent this The tailor believes the suits make him
cataclysm is to kill the eight demons that invincible, and has made two of them as
hide in the forms of young people. the adventure begins.

The bones of Marchand’s victims are

sealed in barrels and stored in his court-
yard. Well, one barrel goes a bit missing,
as we see on page 56.

8
CLAUDE MARCHAND, the Demon
Tailor: Armour 12 (none) or 16 (boost-
ed skinsuit), Move 120’, 0 Level Tailor,
4hp, razor-sharp scissors 1d4, Morale
12.
Blue cloak; good quality but plain
clothing; satchel containing a letter of
a
passage signed and sealed by Richelieu,
a ring of keys, scissors, 6sp and 80cp;
skinsuit (worn under clothes).
Playing the Demon Tailor: You are
an intelligent and dedicated man, and
you have made a good living, but you’ll
never be as successful as your brother.
You have an opportunity to do a great
thing and save the world, but to do so
you have to commit terrible crimes.
You are trying to balance all this but
have ended up tearing yourself to piec-
es. You are distracted and distant except
when you are talking about the Great The Skinsuits
Work, when you become agitated but The adventure assumes that there are no
focused, but always there is the sense supernatural elements involved in the tailor’s
that you are not quite good enough. activities, but if you want to throw a nasty
magic item at the players, read on.
Speak quickly, ramble, ask vague ques-
tions that seem to have no relevance A skinsuit acts like leather armour because
to the subject at hand. Call yourself it sort of is. It exudes an aura of disgust and
“bad” or “stupid” and slap your head terror that forces normal human opponents
or the table, then switch to a calm and to make a Morale test at the beginning of
firm voice when you are focused on the combat; those that fail recoil for a Round and
Grand Plan. those that fail on a double flee. There is a 3%
chance per day at midnight of a vision sent
from an entity portraying itself as “God.” This
being encourages the wearer of the suit to kill
and skin humans; in return, it will increase the
Armour of the suit to 16 for a week following
the sacrifice. The number of humans needed
to be killed to gain the bonus increases by one
each time; the first time it will be one victim,
the next two, and so on.

9
 Cardinal Armand Jean du RICHELIEU’S MAN, keen and loyal:
Armour 13 (buff coat), Move 120’,
Plessis, Duke of Richelieu 1st Level Fighter, 8hp, rapier 1d8 and
The crimson-clad arch-manipulator! pistols 1d8 (x2), Morale 10
Richelieu is not—surprise!—the villain
of the adventure, but as the de facto head I suggest that this young, enthusiastic
a of state in France in 1630, his presence captain of the guard be named Clouseau
looms large nonetheless. or Picard, depending on how competent
you want to play him. He is not a spy—
And his brother is the villain. Richelieu wants the disappearances to be
solved—but he does report back to the
Aside from being a Cardinal, Richelieu Cardinal each day. He is loyal to Richelieu
is an academic, a patron of the arts and first and the characters second; he will
education, and a military general, with help them and follow them into danger
an eye for an advantageous situation and only if he believes it will help his master
a willingness to interfere. Lest we admire in some way. He knows Paris well.
him too much, he was also an authori-
tarian, known for strict suppression of Richelieu is a powerful man and would
criticism of “his” government, and he make a good ally, but would also be a
operated a network of spies and foreign dangerous enemy. He can open doors for
agents. He is a complicated man who the characters, but he can also bring the
persecutes Protestants at home (page 14), full force of the state against them should
but allies with them abroad as part of the they push him too far.
Thirty Years’ War.
It seems perverse that LotFP-Richelieu
As the chief minister of the French gov- isn’t a Cleric but by all accounts—some of
ernment, Richelieu is a busy man, and it which are, admittedly, fictional—he was
would be difficult for the average charac- more interested in religion as a path to
ter to secure a meeting. Leaning on the political power, so that’s why he’s his own
Cardinal’s connection to the Tailor would special thing.
do it. Richelieu will take an independent
personal interest in the disappearances
once the Unrest Die reaches 5 or higher
and will assign one of his own guards to If you must have Richelieu as a classed char-
assist and observe the characters. acter, then he is a 10th Level Cleric with 42hp
who spams Augury and Divination.

10
 a

I was going to draw Richelieu, but how could I possibly top this painting of him as a
seventeenth-century Doctor Doom?
(Henri Motte, 1881)

11
 CARDINAL RICHELIEU, did it accounted for it: you have the resources
thirty-five minutes ago: Armour 12, available to mitigate whatever they do,
Move 120’, 0 Level Political Genius, 6hp, or their actions are irrelevant to your
Fourth Dimensional Chess, Morale plans. You are in control of everything.
12, Intelligence 18, Wisdom 18. Do things the characters won’t expect
Fourth-Dimensional Chess: Riche- or even understand; you are running
a lieu plans for almost every eventuality, a hundred schemes at once, most of
which is represented by a 90% chance, which have nothing to do with the
or 3+ on 1d20, of avoiding or exploiting unwashed adventurers wasting your
any character action against him. If time. If ever there is a time to steeple
they try to steal from him, he has put your fingers while playing a non-player
extra guards in place, or the thing they character, now is it.
steal is a fake. If they try to assassinate
him, they kill a double. That sort of
thing. Your players will probably hate
him, which is sort of the point. If your
players end up hating you, feel free to
blame me, because I’m the one who was
paid to do this to them.
Extravagant clothing, signet ring, vari-
ous fancy bits of jewellery worth 64sp.

For the purposes of player agency

and general fun, we are assuming that
Richelieu has failed his Fourth Dimen-
sional Chess roll regarding the events of
the adventure. He has no idea about his
brother’s involvement in the killings,
and, as the adventure begins, he is bare-
ly aware of them; they are a local matter
and he has a nation to run. What this
means is that if the characters get into
a position in which they can exploit
Richelieu’s connection to the killings,
and they think it’s worth the risk, he’s
not prepared for it. Bear in mind that
“not prepared” does not mean that he
won’t hunt them down and eviscerate
them afterwards.

Playing Richelieu: Listen to every-

thing, watch everything. Remain
calm whatever the characters do and
say because you have predicted and

12
The Day of the Dupes about some missing peasant children. In
Richelieu doesn’t always get things his this case, Richelieu doesn’t take an active
own way. On the 10th of November 1630, role in trying to solve the disappearances
the king’s mother Marie de’ Medici, for- until the Unrest Die reaches 6.
mer queen and regent during Louis XIII’s
Between the 10th and 12th, the Unrest
youth, issues an ultimatum: the king must
Die increases by one step as the chaos at
a
choose between her and the Cardinal.
the top rung trickles down to an already
Marie and Richelieu were allies during shifty society. With Richelieu confirmed
her regency, and the Cardinal even as the king’s most trusted adviser, things
advocated for her after she and her allies settle down, and the Unrest Die decreases
attempted a revolt in 1619, but their by one step.
relationship soured as Richelieu grew in
power and influence, culminating in the The fact that the killer is the Cardinal’s
ultimatum. brother is something of great interest and
value to Marie and her allies, and will al-
In response, the king withdraws to most certainly send the adventure lurch-
Versailles. Richelieu believes he is for the ing into Turtledove Mode as Richelieu
chop—perhaps literally!—while Marie de’ is deposed, disgraced, and perhaps even
Medici thinks she has ascended to power killed. Anyone bringing that information
once more. While Marie and her entou- to Marie de’ Medici will be rewarded with
rage celebrate, Richelieu travels to Ver- big bags of coin, property, or minor titles,
sailles, and on the 12th, the king declares whatever will make them go away.
his support for the Cardinal.

Marie goes into exile in Compiègne,

44 miles north-east of Paris, then flees Turtledove Mode
to Brussels in 1631 and to Amsterdam Marie lacks Richelieu’s skill in politics and
in 1638. From there she travels to the warfare, and without the Cardinal, Louis prob-
Counter-Earth and becomes queen of the ably makes a right dog’s dinner of the Thirty
Gamma Wildlings. No, I’m just checking Years’ War. France likely allies with the Holy
Roman Empire and Habsburg supremacy in
that you’re still paying attention.
Europe continues longer and stronger than it
did in our reality. Spain maybe doesn’t fall, the
How to use all these Dutch and Portuguese have to wait longer to
stupid Rich People Having become independent, and France doesn’t fill
Stupid Arguments in a the power vacuum left by the Habsburgs.
Game
The adventure is written with the assump- Maybe. You could go anywhere with this, and
tion that the Day of the Dupes is going on an alternate Thirty Years’ War is well beyond
in the background. Richelieu is going to the scope of this book. I imagine someone has
written it, though.
be distracted and difficult to access as he
tries to outmanoeuvre the former queen;
for her part, Marie doesn’t give a toss

13
 take the throne, so his mother Marie de’
The Huguenots
It will come as no surprise that religion is
Medici (page 13) rules as regent. Hugue-
not nobles launch numerous rebellions
a matter of great importance in the sev- over the course of the 1620s, and the
enteenth century. After all, it provides an Catholics push back, despite the Edict of
excellent rationale for people to kill each Nantes. Although their political power is
a other over which god is the best. Plus ça smashed, religious freedom for Hugue-
change, and all that. nots is protected up until 1685, but that’s
beyond the scope of the adventure.
Ongoing religious strife is an important
background element in TitS, in particular The Huguenots in TitS
the tension between the Catholic majority The group finds itself in an interesting,
and the small but influential Huguenot in the Chinese sense, position. They are
population, so it’s probably a good idea to tolerated but distrusted and barred from
explain who(guenot) they are. positions of power. The Demon Tailor
takes advantage of this by implying a link
The Huguenots are a group of Calvin- between his crimes and the Huguenot
ist Protestants that, in 1630, comprise community. It is easy for the Catholic
around 8% of the population, centred majority to believe the Huguenots are
in the south and west of the country. In to blame for the disappearance of their
Paris, the population is much smaller, at children, even if two of the kids (page 39,
around 2%. 60) are themselves of that sect, and it is
convenient for the Tailor to have attention
As well as the usual, um, disagreement focussed elsewhere.
between Catholic and Protestant groups,
the added wrinkle with the Huguenots
is that they become quite powerful and
influential, which rubs the traditional
Catholic power structures the wrong way.
Violence between the groups is common,
culminating in thousands of Huguenots
being killed in the St. Bartholomew’s Day
Massacre in 1572. Tensions continue,
and in 1589, the Edict of Nantes is issued
by Henry IV, which gives the Hugue-
nots considerable religious and political
freedom, which was intended to settle the
matter.

Can you guess what happens next, girls

and boys?

With the death of Henry, everything goes

to crap. Louis XIII is not old enough to

14
Other Religions Are attempts to drive them from France, and
Available most live in the countryside, where they
It is unlikely to make much impact on the are less visible.
adventure, but for the sake of complete-
ness: France has a history of good relations
with the Ottoman Empire, and there is a
Jews have been persecuted for centuries, considerable Ottoman influence on arts,
a
resulting in a small population in France culture, and fashion. Even so, practising
in 1630 and about a dozen Jewish families Muslims are rare and, for the most part,
in Paris. Christians are forbidden to in the south of the country, far from Paris.
converse with or shelter Jews. Anabaptist
groups are also persecuted, with multiple

Margot the Chicken

15
 Welcome to the City of Lights (Except
it’s not called that yet)
a * The Provost of the Merchants is
Here is a brief but I hope comprehensive the one who runs the day-to-day
guide to Paris in 1630, good enough, business of the city, from the Hôtel
again I hope, to allow you to make the de Ville, which is also where public
city feel real at the table. Extensive, la- executions (page 23) take place.
boured prose is a waste of your time and The Provost of the Merchants and
mine, so bullet points it is! his four deputies are elected by the
bourgeois every even-numbered
Who is in charge? year, on the 16th of August.
* The king, Louis XIII, rules from the * The bourgeois are those Parisians
Louvre or from his hunting lodge at who own property, pay taxes, are
Versailles, about 12 miles southwest long-term residents of the city,
of the city. If you are setting the and are engaged in an honourable
adventure around the Day of the profession. Such professions include
Dupes (page 13), then Thirteen, city officials—that seems fair and
as he is not known to his mates, is not at all open to abuse—lawyers,
based at Versailles. and merchants, except those who
* The king’s adviser, Cardinal Riche- supplied food.
lieu (page 10), is charismatic, clever, * The Provost and his deputies elect a
and wields considerable influence council of 24 members.
over the young king, which effec- * Numerous other official roles exist,
tively puts him in charge of every- including a governor of the clock
thing. tower, guardians of the city gates,
* The king’s representative and a Master of Bridges, and gover-
ostensible governor is the Provost nors—each with deputies!—for each
of Paris, who runs things from the of Paris’ 16 districts. All of these
Grand Châtelet (page 82), which positions are bought with big bags
also serves as a municipal court and of coin and most are held for life.
prison. I say “ostensible” because… All of which seems very fair.
* Basically, if you want there to be
a Master of the Docks, then there
probably is one, and he is almost
certainly corrupt.

16
 * The main streets are blocked off at
night, and during times of unrest,
by chains anchored by barrels filled
with broken masonry and loose
cobblestones (page 64). This is
where we get the word “barricade.” a
* Minor crimes include theft, forgery,
and “harlotry.” These are punished
by a public flogging or a few days
in the stocks, with more severe
instances—or if the magistrate hates
you—resulting in imprisonment for
between a month and a decade!
* Major crimes include arson, assault,
murder, and heresy. Arson, assault,
or rape carry a penalty of public
maiming, and execution or life
imprisonment for repeat offenders.
Heresy gets you burned at the stake
Je Suis La Loi! while murder gets you hanged if
* There is a city watch consisting of you’re poor, or beheaded if you’re
300 men on foot and 200 horsemen. well-to-do.
The watch is run by the Chevalier * Treason is the best one because you
du Guet, who, in turn, reports to get broken on the wheel! Wheeeeee!
the Provost of Paris. The watch is * Very rich and important people get
known as the “Royal Watch” or “the
a chance to “self-exile,” which usu-
Archers,” as seventeenth-century
ally means running off to another
Parisians love long-running radio
country to plot your eventual return
dramas.
and revenge.
* 4,000 Swiss guards and 6,000 French
* Trials tend to be swift. Waiting for a
soldiers are stationed in or near the
trial can take months or even years.
city, including the King’s Muske-
Most “trials” consist of a single mag-
teers. You may have heard of the
istrate passing quick and severe sen-
latter. Aside from a cadre of guards
tences; more important defendants
around the king and his family
may merit a number of magistrates
and closest advisers, most of these
who at least pretend to hear the
troops are kept outside the city.
case. Fancy-pants upper-class types
* Records are kept not only of who will stand before the Minister of Jus-
lives in each district but also of who tice or even the king.
travels between them and when.
These records are the responsibility
of the district governors.

17
 Getting Around Things to Do
* The city comprises an area of about * Parisians love fashion. Those who
two square miles. You can walk end can afford it wear bright and co-
to end in about an hour if condi- lourful clothing with lots of ribbons
tions are good, which is almost and lace. Women wear long, bustly
a never, because the streets are busy dresses, and nearly everyone sports
and cramped and full of filth. Any- an ostentatious hat. Those with less
one who can afford it travels by any money and status tend to wear lots
method other than walking, such as of functional things made of brown
horseback, sedan chairs, or carriages stuff.
(page 28). * Masks are popular when out and
* Around 400,000 people are about, to protect the face from the
crammed into this relatively tiny depredations of the sun and wind.
space. Many houses have around Most cover the upper face, but some
20 people squeezed into four or five perambulators prefer a full mask.
floors. The fancier the better, of course.
* There are no street signs and house * Gambling is popular. The upper
numbers are uncommon and incon- classes prefer cards, while the lower
sistent even when used. Maps are classes enjoy cockfighting or dice.
mere suggestions and map-sellers * The nobility adore the sport of real
do not offer refunds. tennis, to the extent that tennis
* There are no street lights until 1667, player is one of the aforementioned
the source of the “City of Lights” “honourable professions” and is
moniker. supported by a royal charter. Fenc-
* There are tolls everywhere. Char- ing is also popular.
acters should expect to pay every * What we recognise as popular en-
time they pass a gate, cross a bridge, tertainment becomes, um, popular
enter a park, and so on. Depending around this time, and the middle
on where they are going, the toll can and upper classes enjoy going out
vary from 1cp to 1sp per person. to watch comedy and concerts. This
Bridges are closed to all but essen- sort of thing gets closed down when
tial travellers once the Unrest Die the Unrest Die (page 24) gets to 4+.
(page 24) reaches 5. The lower classes do not often have
the money or time for entertain-
ment beyond the old, reliable stand-
bys of drinking and shagging.

18
 * Parisians of all social levels like * The nobles. Those without profes-
their wine, meat—beef is the new sion and important only because of
fad—and bread. A famine struck who their parents are or who they
the city in 1629, so Bastard Referees married. The highest-ranked are
may want to reflect the recovering those with titles, like the barons
food markets by adding 10% to the and dukes. Next are the landowning a
food prices listed in Rules & Magic, knights, and those with functional
page 29. titles such as judges. Then we get the
lesser functional nobles, and last of
* The city prides itself as a centre all the foreign nobility, and holders
of arts and learning and hosts the of ancient, defunct, or brand new
Sorbonne, one of the oldest univer- titles.
sities in the world. Despite this, the * The notables. Lesser officials that
literacy rate is around 29% for men work in finance, law, or medicine.
and 14% for women, where “litera- Successful artists or important arti-
cy” is defined at this time as being sans may also reach this class.
able to write one’s name. Short of * The bourgeoisie. A new class
acquiring a patron or lucking into increasing in power and influence,
money, such education is difficult hence the importance of the Provost
to access for the working class and of Merchants, for example. These
poor of the city. are those in the so-called honour-
able professions, such as lawyers
* There are many variants of French and notaries, or successful artisans
spoken at the time in Paris but for and merchants who often have tens
ease we will assume One French to of employees and own their shops.
Rule Them All. Latin is spoken by Below these come those who have
the pretentious students of the Latin completed apprenticeships but have
Quarter (page 23), and the crimi- not yet entered business for them-
nal classes have their own complex selves, often living in and working
slang. from single rooms. The lowest tier
of the bourgeoisie includes those
near poverty, like domestic servants,
People of Paristoonshire labourers, prostitutes, and street
Is that reference too inside baseball? vendors.
Probably. Seventeenth-century France has * Everyone else. Casual workers, beg-
a... um… detailed class system. There are gars, and the unemployed poor. At
four basic social classes, each divided into least 40,000 citizens of Paris fall into
ranks: this category.

19
a

PARIS MAP

20
 a

PARIS MAP

21
 X - Court of Miracles
Paris map key Where the lame can walk and the blind
Now we’re going to run through the loca- can see, but the dead don’t talk so you
tions marked on the map of Paris. These won’t be around to reveal what you’ve
are all places that feature in the adventure, found. Described on page 66.
a or are important landmarks if the charac-
ters want to do that tourist thing. Y - Wizard
The home of Alain de la Mare, as de-
All notes refer to the Referee’s map as scribed on page 44.
some locations will not appear on the
map you give to your players. D - Place Royale
Planned as what we would now recognise
Numbers 1 to 8 on the map refer to the as a working-class housing estate by Louis
Tailor’s victims (page 38), and more XIII’s father, it was instead completed as
details of those locations appear on those an exclusive residential square for the fan-
pages. cy-pants set. Richelieu (page 10) has his
private residence here which is described
A- Red Wing on (page 90). Not to be confused with the
The headquarters of the Red Wing Car- Palais-Royal, where Richelieu also lived
riage Company. See page 28 for details. for a time.

W - Tailor’s Hideout E - Yellow Sun

Described on page 72, the Tailor flees The headquarters of the Sunshine Car-
here if he is discovered. riage Company. See page 28 for details.

7 - Le Chien et le Bâtard F - The Bastille

A rustic tavern with a selection of decent A fortress and prison, the Bastille be-
beers and wines, its own tavern brawl comes much more important later on be-
team, and the location of one of the dis- cause of some minor political disturbance
appearances (page 60). or something.

B - White Arrow G - The Louvre

The headquarters of the Speedy Carriage The primary city residence of the king,
Company. See page 28 for details. started as a fortress and then expanded
and rebuilt bit by bit by each successive
C - Les Halles monarch into a grand patchwork thing.
The main produce market of the city.
Thousands of people are packed into a H - Pont Neuf
place not designed for thousands of peo- A fairly new bridge boasting some clever
ple, so the market is always busy, noisy, design innovations such as pavements for
and cramped. Claire Mollet, the Tailor’s pedestrians—gosh!—and, unlike most of
first victim (page 39), is snatched from the bridges in Pairs, no buildings upon its
here. span—gasp!—so travellers could have an
uninterrupted view of the Louvre.

22
I - Palais P - The Sorbonne
Also known as the Palace of Justice and Perhaps the most famous of Paris’ many
the headquarters of the Justice League educational establishments, and the heart
French parliament. of the Latin Quarter. Richelieu is a nota-
ble patron.
J - Grand Châtelet
The headquarters of the Provost of Paris, Z - Tailor’s Shop
a
a courthouse, and a prison, this old The shop and home of Claude Marchand,
fortress is where the Demon Tailor will the Demon Tailor. See page 73 for more.
be jailed, if he is caught. The fortress is in
the middle of the slaughterhouse district, Q - Red Sun
so everything stinks of blood and death. The headquarters of the Red Sun Carriage
Which is nice. The Châtelet is detailed on Company. See page 28 and page 68 for
page 82, should it become relevant. details.

K - White Diamond R - The Salpetriere

The headquarters of the Diamond Car- A factory for the production of gunpow-
riage Company. See page 28 for details. der. I cannot imagine what players could
possibly want there.
L - Hôtel de Ville
The headquarters of the Provost of Mer- S - Palais du Luxembourg
chants and the plutocracy that more or The residence of the king’s mother, Marie
less runs the city. Public executions occur de’ Medici (page 13). Begun in 1615 and
in the picturesque square out front. occupied from 1625, but unfinished at the
time Marie legs it in 1631.
M - Hôtel-Dieu
Seventeenth-century Paris has a free pub- Versailles
lic healthcare system, so the US. is only The king’s country palace. About 12 miles
400 years behind. This is the main public southwest of the city, so not, in fact, on
hospital, in theory run by the Church but the map. Sorry about that.
organised by a council of governors that
includes the Provost of Merchants. Werewolf
The location of the attacks by the “Were-
N - Notre-Dame wolf of Paris” (page 53), who is not, in
Paris’ main cathedral and centre of Cath- fact, an actual werewolf and does not, in
olic power in the city. The parvis out front fact, live in Paris. Also not on the map.
has a fountain intended for use by the I’m so, so sorry.
locals as a source of clean(ish) drinking
water. There’s probably a metaphor of
some sort there somewhere.

O - Green Diamond
The headquarters of the Emerald Carriage
Company. See page 28 for details.

23
 Unrest Die Modifiers:
The Unrest Die
I have borrowed this idea from 13th Age (TM). +1
per child snatched after the adventure
begins.
Well, to tell the truth, I saw the idea on an
if the Huguenot symbol on the first
old-school blog a couple of years before +1
letter (page 34) is made public.
13th Age came out, but I can’t find it now,
and everyone is going to say I took it if the connection between Richelieu
+1
and Claude Marchand is made public.
from 13th Age anyway so whatever.
if Claude Marchand, the Demon
-2
Find the biggest d6 you can and plonk it Tailor, is caught and executed.
in the middle of your table where every- if Jean Grenier’s crimes and capture
-1
one can see it, with 3 as the uppermost (page 53) are made public.
side. This is the Unrest Die. if Jean Grenier is revealed to be uncon-
+1
nected to the disappearances.
c
Depending on what happens during the if the Day of the Dupes (page 13)
+1
characters’ investigation into the disap- occurs.
pearances, turn the Unrest Die so the if the Day of the Dupes results in
value showing on the top face changes. -1
Richelieu’s reinstatement.
Guidelines for possible amendments can if the characters give 100sp or more to
be seen in the table elsewhere on this -1
the poor as they explore the city.
page; this should give you a rough frame-
work for determining the results of events
in your own version of the adventure.

The Unrest Die affects various elements

of the adventure; these will be highlighted
and explained as they come up.

Bastard Referees may wish to subtract

the Unrest Die from any Reaction rolls
involving the city watch.

24
Unrest Die Effects:
4: The royal palace at the Louvre
is locked down. The home of wizard
Alain de la Mare (page 44) is burned
to the ground by a mob. Chains and
checkpoints (page 64) are used during
daylight hours. Popular entertainments
are closed down. The characters may be
contacted by “W” (page 80).

5: Carriages (page 28) stop oper-

ating. City offices are shut down. The
city’s many bridges are closed to all but
essential travellers. The Provost takes c
charge of the investigation. Richelieu
takes a personal interest in the disap-
pearances, if he is not otherwise
occupied with the Day of the
Dupes (page 13). The carriage
driver Remy Poullain (page
70) is killed by a mob. Finding
specific members of the watch
is impossible as they are too
busy. If he is caught, the
Tailor’s money is divided
up amongst the families of
his victims.

6: French soldiers are brought

into the city to quell strife. No
one may pass checkpoints (page
64) without permission. If
Richelieu is distracted by the
Day of the Dupes (page 13), he
nonetheless gets involved in
the investigation into the dis-
appearances at this point. If he King’s Musketeer
is not involved in that event,
Richelieu takes charge
of the investigation.
Dogs and cats start
living together.

25
 City Encounters
Each time the characters go out and about in Paris, roll 1d20 and add the value of the
Unrest Die to the result to see what the group encounters; if the party splits up, roll for
each group. Some results will DELAY the characters, and if you are splitting the days
up into four-hour chunks as suggested (page 4), then a delay means that chunk is wast-
ed. I have noted the ones I think are most likely to slow the characters down, but any
of the results could detain your players depending on how they handle the encounter. I
will have to leave that up to you.

Some results can be repeated, some you should probably delete and replace with some-
thing new, unless you’re going for some sort of post-modern statement on how we are
all living in fictional worlds or something, you pretentious sod.
c
City Encounters Table (1d20+Unrest Die):
Can you spare a coin? Keep track of how The characters almost trip over a corpse,
much money, if any, the characters give to face down and half-buried in the mud.
beggars. If the total reaches 100sp then -1 Either no one else has spotted the body,
2-3 to the Unrest Die. If it gets to 200sp then or it has simply been ignored. This is an
add +2 to all Reaction rolls involving the
9 excellent opportunity to seed a future
Court of Miracles (page 66). adventure, or you can just use your favour-
ite “What’s on the body?” table to plant
Look out below! Characters must save ver-
something interesting in their pocket.
sus Breath Weapon to avoid being doused
in the contents of a bedpan. Getting clean Stop, thief! A small boy steals from a
4-5 will DELAY the characters, or they can go nearby shop or stall and almost bundles
about their business with a -2 penalty to 10 into the characters. If they apprehend him,
Reaction rolls until they have a wash. the merchant will reward them with 3cp.
The boy looks like he is starving.
The street is blocked by a religious proces-
sion, holding aloft some sort of relic. The A short, tubby fellow named Antoine
hip bone of a saint or something. Use your Joubert approaches the characters and
favourite hit location or critical hit chart pleads for their help in finding his prize
6 to determine the body part that everyone chicken, Margot. He promises a reward of
is genuflecting towards. The procession 10sp if they find her, asking the characters
is slow and vast enough to DELAY the to come to his nearby home. There it is
characters whether they wait for it to pass discovered that Margot’s coop—inside the
or try to go around the long way. house, much to his wife Sibilla’s disgust—
is unlatched. Antoine is certain he locked
A runaway carriage rumbles down the
it but remembers that his arch-rival in
street. Characters must save versus Breath 11 chicken fancying, Conrad Arceneaux, vis-
Weapon or be run over for 2d4 damage.
7 Should the characters wish to apply for
ited the house the day before. Arceneaux
pleads his innocence but cannot hide his
compensation, you can determine the
amusement over Joubert’s plight. Joubert
relevant carriage company on page 28.
probably tries to kill the much larger and
Torrential rain clears the streets and every- stronger Arceneaux. It turns out that
one runs for cover as the already muddy Sibilla, sick of the petty rivalry between
8 ground turns into a quagmire. Slogging the two men, cooked Margot and fed her
through the sludge forces a DELAY. to some beggars. This whole farce results
in a DELAY.

26
 Duelling was made illegal in 1626, but A spotty youth—imagine Rik from The
here comes some irritating aristo who Young Ones—stands on a box and agitates
thinks he’s above the law. Jamet Aveline for (1d4): 1- Crushing the Huguenots! 2
12
has mistaken one of the characters for a 20 - Joining the war against the Holy Roman
rival and challenges them to a duel. His Empire! 3 - Joining the war against the
honour must be satisfied! This won’t cause Protestant Union! 4 - Ousting Richelieu
an immediate DELAY as the duel will be from office!
set for the next dawn.
A large brawl breaks out between groups
A citizen in great distress asks for help of Catholics and Huguenots, with no
finding their missing dog. There is a dog 21 watch present. If the players intervene,
13 sitting at their side. If this is pointed out, they will face a DELAY but may win some
they smile, say “Oh yes, there he is!” then friends.
the pair walk off.
A small mob is smashing up a carpet-
Do I have a business opportunity for you? maker’s workshop. They shout something
Marc Medloc, a greasy-looking individual
22 along the lines of “Huguenots out!” now
in loud and ill-fitting clothing, offers the
characters a once-in-a-lifetime investment
and then. c
A mob is beating a man to death. City
14 opportunity in New France. The venture is 23 guards stand by, doing nothing.
(1d12) stable on a 1, risky on 2-3, wild on
4-6, and non-existent charlatanry on 7-12. A group of masked vigilantes—think
See Rules & Magic, page 54, for rules on bandits rather than Spider-Man—target
investments. the characters as being “unknown” and
“suspicious.” There is one vigilante for each
One player should roll 1d6. On a 3+. their
character, plus one more for luck. Have
character notices they have been robbed
and that a small girl more or less like Newt
24 some statistics!
in Aliens is disappearing into the crowd.
VIGILANTE, for great justice:
15 The character has lost the equivalent of
Armour 12, Move 120’, 0 Level Thug,
2d6sp or, if you are a Bastard Referee,
4hp, clubs and sticks and that 1d4,
whatever item would be most annoying
Morale 7.
to lose. The thief runs off to the Court of
Miracles (page 66). An angry mob is burning down a house
Two neighbours are having a punch up
25 for the usual illogical reasons mobs do
things.
16 over Brexit the authorities’ handling of the
disappearances. Riot! All travel is blocked for the rest of
the day as the authorities go around arrest-
A scraggly looking doomsday preacher,
ing/beating/killing people until the whole
er, preaches about, um, doomsday. If you
thing calms down. A character who insists
are going with the earthquake climax to
on going out on foot into the anarchy
the adventure (page 78), then feel free 26
17 to have him hint towards it. Advanced
without some sort of super clever plan
must save versus Poison or be bashed and
Refereeing techniques like this will make
thumped to 0 Hit Points. Bastard Referees
you look very clever and your players will
may decide to also increase the Unrest
thank you.
Die by 1.
A pair of city guards are attempting to
18 break up a brawl. They are failing.
Over-zealous watchmen conduct a ran-
dom on-the-spot search, which could lead
19 to a DELAY, if the characters are lugging
around a lot of stuff.

27
 Taxi!
Well, no one would say “Taxi!” in 1630 If the Unrest Die is at 5+ then no car-
because it’s a modern word, but anyway. riages are operating, although the own-
ers may be convinced to allow a one-off
The streets of Paris are full of all sorts of special charter for a seriously inflated
filth, so no one sensible—and solvent—is price. Treat this like hiring a coachman
going to walk. The good news is that the as per Rules & Magic, pages 47-51, and
industrious capitalists of the city have seriously inflate the price.
come up with a solution: the fiacre!
When encountering a carriage in the
(Named after Saint Fiacre, because the street use the following table to determine
first major carriage company in Paris its company and logo (1d12):
c operated from an inn, the Hôtel de Saint
Fiacre, but no one seems to agree on
Sunshine - A bright yellow disc with
when that happened so you may want to 1-4
multiple sunbeams.
just refer to them as “carriages.” Hackney
5-6 Red Sun - A crimson disc.
carriages operated in London from about
1621 so you could call them that if it’s any Red Wing - A stylised single crim-
7-8
better, which it probably isn’t.) son wing.
Diamond - A simple white diamond
9-10
These are four-wheeled carriages seating shape.
between two and four people, pulled by Emerald - A simple green diamond
11
two horses. The carriages can be open, shape.
but most have a soft canopy or roof. They 12 Speedy - A white arrow.
cost 5+1d4cp per hour, or 5+1d8cp per
hour after dark. If you like, you can use the standard
reaction chart in Rules & Magic, page
Each of Paris’s carriage companies (which 56 to generate the driver’s disposition at
I made up) has a base or depot (also the time of hailing. Hostile cabbies won’t
made up), and these are marked on the be murderous psychopaths—we have
map. Each company has an evocative logo enough of those in the adventure already
and name, and of course, I made those up with the Tailor and, most probably, the
too. Carriages can be rented from their players—but more along the lines of ob-
base, or passing carriages can be hailed in noxious racists or something like that.
the street.
Carriage drivers are an excellent source of
Roll 1d8; a carriage is passing on a 6+ rumours, if you like to use rumour tables.
during the day or on an 8 at night. Other-
wise, there are either no carriages passing,
or those that are around are full.

28
Sunshine Taxi Insignia Red Sun Taxi Insignia

Red Wing Taxi Insignia Diamond Taxi Insignia

Emerald Taxi Insignia Speedy Taxi Insignia

29
c

30
Timeline of terror! * 10th of November (+3 days): The
barrel (page 56) containing the
The default setting for TitS is in Novem- remains of Claire Mollet, Rene Bel-
ber 1630 and assumes that the Day of the leau, and Henri Penand is discov-
Dupes (page 13) will occur during the ered. The disappearance of Blaise
adventure. Assuming the characters don’t Bourgarit (page 57). The Day of
do something stupid like cast Summon in the Dupes begins: Marie de’ Medici
the middle of Paris, this is how the events confronts Louis XIII, who then
of TitS should unfold: retires to Versailles (page 13).
* 11th November (+4 days): The
* 10th October (-28 days): The disap- second letter (page 58).
pearance of Claire Mollet (page 39).
* 12th November (+5 days): The
* 13th October (-25 days): The disap- disappearance of Baptiste Galonnier c
pearance of Rene Belleau (page 40). or “Henriette” (page 60). Richelieu
The killing of Jeanne Garboriaut travels to Versailles. Louis XIII gives
(page 53). Full moon. the Cardinal his assent.
* 29th October (-9 days): The dis- * 13th November (+6 days): The
appearance of Henri Penand (page disappearance of Jean Dupont (page
41). Cardinal Richelieu leaves Paris 61).
to meet Pascal Pinon.
* 14th November (+7 days): The final
* 30th October (-8 days): Richelieu letter (page 62).
returns to Paris.
* 18th November (+11 days): The
* 2nd November (-5 days): The earthquake (page 78), which proba-
disappearance of Julien Pascal (page bly won’t happen.
42).
* 3rd November (-4 days): The first The next few pages are arranged in this
letter (page 34). order, because it seems sensible and I am
* 7th November (+0 days): The always sensible. Ha.
disappearance of Bernard Rousseau
(page 43). The adventure begins!
* 8th November (+1 day): The wizard
(page 44) contacts the Provost’s
office.
* 9th November (+2 days): The
attack on Marguerite Poirier (page
52). Full moon.

31
 How the Characters Get Involved
The most natural way to get the charac- * Four children have gone missing
ters involved is if they already know the so far. Sauval can provide the
family of one of the missing children. names and addresses of the missing
Henri Penand (page 41) or Julien Pascal youngsters.
(page 42) work best, in terms of timing.
* People go missing all the time in
It may be that the characters have made Paris, and the missing children
a name for themselves as reliable and were not connected at first. Sauval
successful investigators in previous ad- expresses regret the association was
ventures—I know, I can’t keep a straight not discovered sooner.
face either—and so are summoned by the * A letter arrived at the Grand
c authorities based on their reputation. Châtelet four days beforehand;
this is what made the authorities
Perhaps the characters have an employer connect the disappearances.
or patron who moves in similar circles to * The city is becoming restless over
the Provost and his deputies, and directs the disappearances, and the watch
the party towards the adventure that is busy keeping the peace, hence the
way. If you decide there is a supernatu- request for outside help.
ral element to the adventure (page 78), * He can authorise daily expenses of
perhaps that advocate is concerned with
15sp per person per day, which can
dealing with uncanny threats and gets the
be negotiated up to 20sp. Sauval
characters involved that way. “I sense a
expects a report to be made each
disturbance in the France” or somesuch.
day at noon, and he will hand over
the next day’s payment then.
If all else fails, Paris is a major city, so
there are plenty of incidental reasons to
If the characters agree, Sauval gives each
be there. Then you can do something
of them their first payment, a letter allow-
subtle like have one of them get in a bar
ing them to pass the city’s checkpoints,
brawl and have their head smashed into a
and will show them the first letter (page
wall upon which is a government poster
34). He can spare some time to answer
asking for aid. Or something.
questions about Paris, but he knows noth-
ing more about the disappearances, and
However you arrange it, the characters
he is keen for them to get going.
will be directed to the Hôtel de Ville to
speak to Deputy Provost Rene Sauval.
Sauval can furnish the characters with ba-
There they will be met by his assistant
sic equipment; anything more exotic will
Armand who will keep them waiting for
take 1d4 days, or he can suggest places in
2d12 minutes before ushering them into
the city where those things can be found.
Sauval’s office. There they are told the
Sauval expects the characters to pay for
following:
any gear they request.

32
RENE SAUVAL,
DEPUTY PROVOST, compassionate
and dedicated: Armour 13 (buff coat),
Move 120’, 1st Level Fighter, 6hp, rapier
1d8 and pistol 1d8, Morale 8,
Charisma 16.
Buff coat, bundles of papers, nor-
mal clothing, pistol, rapier, ring with c
personal seal.
Sauval is in his early forties but is in
good shape. He has short grey hair and
a neat beard and is a bit of a silver fox.
He is very tired.

33
 The First Letter
Show the letter on the facing page to your
players. If they have trouble reading the
scraggly handwriting of a psychopath,
this is what it says:

“My Dear Provost,

Four I have taken and four more I will

take.
Their light fills me and makes me strong for
the work I must do.
c I wish to God that I did not have to hurt
them but my work is ugly.
You will understand soon enough.

Your Friend.”

Then there is a symbol and the forenames

of the four missing children.

KEY CLUE
The killer is literate, which narrows down
the suspects. A Cleric or any character who
rolls below their Intelligence on a d20 will
recognise the symbol as a rough approxi-
mation of the Huguenot cross (page 14).

34
 c

35
 the two drivers get into a fight and beat
Crazy Taxi! each other senseless until the watch turns
up (in about half an hour) to break up the
Wherever the characters go next, they fight and rescue the trapped passenger.
stumble upon the following scene, or
rather the following scene crashes into If the characters stop the brawl, then the
them. It’s a bit Quantum Ogre, I know, drivers won’t thank them for it, but the
but I hope you’ll let me off. company owners will, offering them a
small cash reward (1sp each) for their
As the characters approach a junction efforts. If the characters somehow manage
or turning, there is a cacophonous crash to pin the blame on one company over
followed by screaming as two of the city’s the other, then the owners of the “inno-
carriages collide. Bastard Referees may cent” party will give them free travel for
c want to call for saves versus Breath Weap- the next couple of days. In truth, both
on to avoid being crushed between the drivers were to blame.
vehicles for 4d4 damage, but even I think
that’s a bit much for the first session of an The trapped passenger is (1d6):
adventure.
A member of Richelieu’s personal staff
1
(page 10).
The two carriages are from the Red Wing
A merchant working for the Court of
and Diamond companies, as shown by 2
Miracles (page 66).
their distinctive symbols (page 29), but
now they are more or less smooshed to- One of the officers in charge of the city’s
3
tolls.
gether into one big heap of broken metal
and wood. Two horses are dead, and one 4 The sister of a city magistrate.
is just about alive but with broken legs A sergeant from the Grand Châtelet
5
and its guts spilling out into the street. (page 82).
The fourth horse has managed to free it- Boderique, the wizard’s manservant
self and is chewing on some weeds nearby 6
(page 45).
as if nothing has happened. A couple of
battered and dazed passengers stumble They are more dazed than hurt and
about, and there are anguished moans just need some help getting out of the
from within the devastated Diamond wreckage. It takes about half an hour to
carriage. The two drivers tussle in front of untangle the debris. The passenger will be
the wreckage, each blaming the other for genuinely grateful and will give the char-
the crash. acters a reward of 24sp or grant them a
reasonable favour, whichever they prefer.
A third carriage, this one from the Em-
erald company, slows down enough for The third horse can’t offer any sort of re-
the driver to chuckle at the scene before it ward, but if the characters put it out of its
rushes off. misery or heal it using magic—it is well
beyond the help of surgery—they will
If the characters do nothing, then the have the warm glow of knowing they did
third horse dies a long and painful death, the right thing.

36
 c

37
 The Victims
Each of the Tailor’s victims is presented
with some basic family details because
during playtesting it was found that play-
ers love to draw false conclusions from all
sorts of irrelevant facts.

After that, there is some information on

the victim’s disappearance, and then the
Key Clue (there may be more than one)
is highlighted. This is the bit of evidence
that is not only relevant but links to
c another part of the mystery. The idea is
that by focussing on the Key Clues, the
characters will be able cross-reference the
data collected and track down the killer,
just like on TV.

The Key Clues should be easy to find and

shouldn’t be hidden behind dice rolls.
If the characters are in the appropriate
location and are at least halfway alert
they should get the information. If they
forget to write it down or fail to realise its
significance then that’s a different issue; I
am inclined to give them gentle remind-
ers of anything they have overlooked,
but Bastard Referees may have a different
opinion.

After the Key Clues, other information

is presented that is perhaps not relevant
to the investigation but is relevant to the
adventure, because everything written
here is relevant to the adventure.

Even the thing with the missing chicken.

No, you shut up!

38
Victim #1 - Claire Mollet
Name: Claire Mollet.
Age: 8.
Taken: 10th of October, or 28 days before
the adventure begins.
Family: Father Charles, sisters Celine
(10) and Lise (6), father’s cousin Antoine.
Religion: Huguenot.
Social Standing: Middle class, mercan-
tile.

The Disappearance: Claire was working

at the market, selling flowers for Antoine.
She did not return home at the end of c
the day. She was seen talking to lots of
people—it is a market after all! At one
point during the day, she was seen walk-
ing away from the market with a tall man
wearing a fine blue cloak, and no one
remembers seeing her after that. She was
not struggling.

KEY CLUE
The blue cloak (page 65). Asking about
such cloaks will reveal that they tend to be
worn by members of the royal household
staff. It is possible that the cloaks can be
traced back to the Tailor, but that con-
nection will probably only be revealed by
following the royal household connection
first.

Roll Out the Barrel: Although dead,

Claire does perhaps have more to contrib-
ute, as bits of her turn up in a barrel later
on (page 56).

39
 Victim #2 - Rene Belleau
Name: Rene Belleau.
Age: 10. Jeanne Garboriaut
Taken: 13th of October, or 25 days before Jeanne was attacked and killed by the Were-
the adventure begins, on the night of a wolf of Paris (page 53) on this day, but the
full moon. killing is misattributed to a wild animal and is
Family: Mother Caterina, father Gerart, not reported until later.
brother Pierre (9).
Religion: Catholic.
Social Standing: Lower class.

The Disappearance: Rene sneaked out

at night, through the bedroom window.
c His brother woke, but Rene told him that
he was going out for a short time and to
go back to sleep. He had not returned by
morning and did not go to his job at the
river, where he and his friends did odd
jobs on the barges.

Earlier that day, at work, Rene was seen

talking to a tall man with dark hair and
a large nose. He wasn’t one of the barge-
men, and none of the boys recognised
him.
KEY CLUE
The tall man matches to a certain extent
with the man in blue that snatched Claire
Mollet (page 39), suggesting that they are
the same man. Which they are.

KEY CLUE
Footprints in the mud outside Rene’s bed-
room window suggest good quality boots,
better quality than any owned by anyone
in the household, and a different size too.
They will, of course, match Claude March-
and (page 8). The footprints get lost in the
general traffic of the main street.

40
Victim #3 - Henri Penand KEY CLUE
Name: Henri Penand. The mother is terrified of something. So
Age: 7. terrified that even threatening her won’t get
Taken: 29th of October, or nine days her to talk, but magic probably will.
before the adventure begins.
Family: Mother Anabelle, brother Luc She did in fact witness her son’s abduction.
(6), sisters Amanda (3) and Yda (4); the A man took Henri away, but promised
girls have a different father to the boys, Anabelle that her boy would be safe in his
and neither father is present; the girls’ hands. She trusted the man at his word
father died of the plague. because she recognised him as Cardinal
Religion: Catholic. Richelieu! He was wearing a blue cloak
Social Standing: Lower class. (page 65) rather than his Cardinal’s robes,
but she saw him in a parade once and it
The Disappearance: One moment Henri looked like the same man. It was, of course, c
was playing in the street outside his the Cardinal’s brother, but Anabelle doesn’t
mother’s hovel; the next, he was gone. know that.
Anabelle claims she saw nothing, but it is
clear she is holding something back. She is confused and scared because she
is worried about her son, but as a good
Catholic doesn’t want to cause any trouble
for the Cardinal.
Word has got out that Anabelle perhaps
knows what happened to her son, and If checked, Richelieu was out of town the
perhaps by extension, the other missing day of Henri’s disappearance meeting a
children, and a mob has formed outside nobleman called Pascal Pinon. Pinon lives
her home, demanding that she talks. about four hours outside Paris, and can
The size of the mob depends on the val- confirm that he was with Richelieu all day.
ue of the die, +1 if the connection with
Richelieu is public knowledge:

1-2: five aggrieved peasants

3-4: ten aggrieved peasants
5: fifteen aggrieved peasants
6+: twenty-five aggrieved peasants

AGGRIEVED PEASANT, wants to

know where the children are: Armour
12, Move 120’, 0 Level Thug, 4hp,
improvised club or broken bottle or
something like that 1d4, Morale 7.

41
 Victim #4 - Julien Pascal You’re Not My Father! Julien is not the
Name: Julien Pascal. natural child of Manon and Gustave. He
Age: 10. was found in the river as a baby, half-
Taken: 2nd of November, or five days drowned, and the couple adopted him as
before the adventure begins. their own. This is known to their close
Family: Mother Manon, father Gustave. friends and neighbours, but no one vol-
Religion: Catholic. unteers the information as no one thinks
Social Standing: Middle class, textile it relevant; Julien has been a Pascal all his
merchants. life, and everyone accepts that.

The Disappearance: Julien went off to As it happens, Julien was an Apocalypse

his first day of his new job as a tailor’s Child and would have brought devasta-
apprentice but never came back. Neither tion and ruin to France in a year or two,
c parent had met the new employer, be- so the Demon Tailor has done everyone
cause Gustave refused to meet him, angry a favour, although he doesn’t know it.
over his son’s rejection of the family’s Someone call Alanis on the Irony Phone!
textile business in favour of a different
trade. Gustave is uncommunicative, torn
between anguish and fury as the last
conversation he had with his son was an
argument. Manon is more composed and
recalls that Julien was excited to start as
his new employer was apparently quite
successful.

KEY CLUE
There are a few successful tailors in Paris,
but they are counted in tens rather than
hundreds, but combined with other clues,
this can point towards Claude Marchand.

42
Victim #5 - Bernard
Rousseau
Name: Bernard Rousseau.
Age: 4.
Taken: 7th of November, or the day the
adventure begins.
Family: Mother Clara.
Religion: Catholic.
Social Standing: Lower class.

The Disappearance: Bernard was last

seen heading to the river to play, but his
friends lost track of him. It was assumed
that he had fallen into the river, until a
c
message was found painted on the wall
near where the boy was playing: THREE
MORE.

One bright boy called “Beanpole” by the

others remembers seeing a carriage with
a red badge (page 68) waiting nearby in
the morning, but it was gone sometime
around when Bernard wandered off.

KEY CLUE
The fact that the message makes sense in
a city in which no more than 30% of the
population can read suggests that the killer
is literate, which narrows down the pool of
suspects. Not by much, but it helps.

KEY CLUE
Only two carriage companies in Paris have
red logos. See page 28 and page 68 for more
on that.

43
 The Wizard
On the 8th of November, if you are De la Mare is considered creepy and
using the suggested dates, or a day after weird at the best of times, and the anx-
the adventure begins if you are not, the iety caused by the disappearances only
characters will receive a message from exacerbates that. If the Unrest Die is
Provost Sauval’s office. This may be via a at 4+ then the characters will arrive to
direct summons from Sauval, a meeting find Alain’s house burning. Alain and
to update him on their progress—if they Boderique have fled to the countryside
are doing that, which they probably aren’t, and, oddly enough, have not left a for-
because players are dicks—or it may be warding address with the pyromaniacal
delivered by a subordinate. peasants.

c However it is delivered, the message Alain doesn’t know anything about

states that a local has come forward with the disappearances but is certain that
information about the disappearances, vampires are involved. He can offer no
and Sauval would like the characters to specific evidence for his theory but can
investigate. feel it in his waters.

The local is Alain de la Mare, a schol- Although he is useless as a witness, Alain

ar and alleged alchemist. He lives in a may become a handy ally if the characters
four-storey townhouse in one of the nicer keep him on side by indulging his obses-
bits of Paris, paid for by substantial inher- sions. He often works with the Court of
ited funds that he has largely squandered. Miracles (page 66), buying corpses from
Neighbours consider him to be a bit of a them – for scientific study, you pervert
weirdo but mostly harmless. – and selling poisons and potions back.
These meetings take place at the back
door. No, that’s not a euphemism. Pervert.

44
 c

ALAIN DE LA MARE, classic mad BODERIQUE, dejected manservant:

wizard: Armour 12, Move 120’, 5th Armour 13, Move 120’, 2nd Level Fight-
Level Magic-User, 23hp, sharpened bit er, 9hp, club 1d4, Morale 12 as long as
of hawthorn 1d4, Morale 9, Constitu- Alain is alive, 7 otherwise, Strength 14.
tion 14, Intelligence 16, Wisdom 6. Buff coat, club, hexagonal wooden
Hawthorn stake, hexagonal wooden token, purse with 4sp.
token, necklace of garlic bulbs, note- Boderique is a tall, stocky man,
book filled with messy notes, pencil almost like a cube of muscle, with a
(behind left ear), ragged robes. countenance best described as exis-
Spells Prepared (if expecting trou- tentially glum. He thinks Alain has
ble): Charm Person, Light, Invisibility, gone insane, is worried about him,
Web but doesn’t know what to do about it
Spellbook: Charm Person, Identify, all. Plus being a manservant to a mad
Invisibility, Knock, Light, Read Magic, wizard pays relatively well, so…
Speak With Dead, Unveil the Presence of
the Dread Vampyre, Web, Wizard Lock
Alain is bitter and cantankerous,
because he believes vampires are taking
over the world, but no one is taking
him seriously. He is obsessed with
hunting vampires and is dismissive of
most of seventeenth-century society,
considering it backwards and foolish.
Despite all this, he cares about humani-
ty and wants to save it.

45
 The Wizard’s Tower(ing townhouse)
Alain and Boderique live in a somewhat Ground Floor
decent house in a somewhat decent bit of A. Reception room. Alain is not in
the city. The king wouldn’t stay the night general an ostentatious man but one
there, probably, but the characters would of his few luxuries is his fancy pad-
have to kick in a lot of doors and steal a ded “sitting and thinking” chair, an
lot of stuff to afford such a place. Oversized item worth about 75sp. On
a small stool next to the chair is a thin
Doors and windows. book with a bright green spine and en-
The external doors are locked at most titled The Sorcerer of Lava Peak; all the
times, and always at night—a set of keys pages seem to be in the wrong order.
is held by each of Alain and Boderique— B. Kitchen. A spare set of house keys
c and all windows have wooden shutters. hangs on a nail by the back door. 1d6-1
Each of the shutters and external doors cats lurk near the back door, waiting for
is also held shut with a unique version scraps.
of the Wizard Lock spell; this can be
bypassed in the normal ways, but can be First Floor
ignored by anyone holding a special en- A. Alain’s bedroom. There are strings
chanted token. Alain and Boderique each of garlic all around the bed and a total
have a token, and there are spares within of seventeen wooden holy symbols
the house. scattered around the room. Hidden
under the bed is a small wooden coffer
There are strings of garlic above every containing 1,500sp in French coins
entrance into the house, including the and another 60sp in various European
fireplaces. currencies.
B. Alain’s study. The chests are
packed full of books and scrolls. Most
are works of demonology and the
occult, with a particular focus on vam-
pires and other blood-drinking spirits.
The collection is worth around 900sp to
a collector. There is also a map of Paris
with thirty-five locations marked; three
of them match the first three of the De-
mon Tailor’s abductions. This is Alain’s
map of possible (in his mind, certain)
vampire attacks.

Second Floor
A. Alain’s laboratory and workshop.
The door is locked at all times. Bundles
of flowers, garlic, and herbs all around

46
 B
Ground
Floor
A

c
A B
First
Floor

A C B
Second
Floor

Third A B
Floor

47
 the room just about mask the smell C. Hidden shrine. On a small wood-
wafting from the corpse on the table. en table stands what appears to be a
The corpse has a wooden stake rammed serpent, but made of dried pasta. If
into its heart, but don’t worry, it’s not a asked, Alain explains “The very idea of
vampire, it’s an experiment! a deity creating this unthinking universe
B. These bedrooms are intended for is absurd. This effigy serves to remind
visitors, but as Alain is an irascible sort, me to never fall prey to the absurdity
they haven’t been used in ages. of religion.” This kind of thinking is, in
general, not considered acceptable in
A smaller table is covered in B-Movie seventeenth-century France.
bottles and glasses containing a variety of
noxious liquids. In some games there may Alain also keeps his spellbook in this
be some useful potions here, but as this is room. The book contains the spells
c LotFP, they are almost all poisons. Charm Person, Identify, Invisibility, Knock,
Light, Read Magic, Speak With Dead,
Roll 1d4: Unveil the Presence of the Dread Vampyre,
1. This poison looks like honey and is in- Web, Wizard Lock
tended for use on weapons. If a character
is wounded by a poisoned weapon, they Third Floor
must save versus Poison or die in 1d6 A. Boderique’s room. In one chest
hours. is a set of good quality leather armour
2. This liquid has the look and consis- and a rapier of fine craftsmanship, both
tency of milk and, if consumed, will put relics of Boderique’s former life as a
a character to sleep for 1d8 hours if they soldier. The rapier is worth 30sp. In an-
fail a saving throw versus Poison. other chest is a pouch containing 60sp
3. This bitter orange liquid can be con- and a Wizard Lock token.
sumed or applied to a weapon. The victim B. Another spare bedroom. A
must save versus Poison or suffer an effect telescope is set up next to the window,
akin to the Confusion spell (Rules & Mag- pointed towards the Hyades star cluster,
ic, page 96) for 1d4 Rounds. where dread Carcosa lies.
4. A purple powder that if consumed—a
taste is enough—causes immediate death
if a save versus Poison is failed.

There are six useful bottles on the table.

Also on the table is one of Alain’s Wizard
Lock tokens.

The laboratory and its contents are worth

about 2,000sp; see Rules & Magic, page
83.

A panel in the wall slides to the left to

reveal Alain’s secret shrine. Wizard Lock
Token
48
 New Spell The spell fails and the caster is
Unveil the Presence of the Dread 4 followed everywhere by a cloud of
Vampyre (Detect Vampire) mosquitoes for the next 2d6 days.
Magic-User Level 1 The spell succeeds but the caster no
Duration: 5 Rounds/Level longer casts a reflection. Remove Curse
Range: 10’/Level 5 may fix this, but it may not, depending
on how much you want to annoy that
The caster knows the general location player.
and number of any vampires within The spell fails, the caster is turned into
range. If the vampire(s) are within line a vampire, and no longer drinks…
of sight, they are outlined in a blood red 6 wine. Choose or roll two powers and
three vulnerabilities from the nearby
light that only the caster can see. At the
lists.
Referee’s discretion, the spell can also
detect vampire variants like the jiangshi, 7+
Refer to Miscast Table, Vaginas Are c
Magic!
strigoi, vircolac, and so on. The author
wholeheartedly encourages the Referee to
The spell was created by wizards of the
introduce Chinese hopping vampires to
Old Assyrian Empire in 1787 BCE,
their campaign, because they are brilliant.
during a minor vampire infestation (see
The Sanguisuges of Shubat-Enlil). A Gaul-
The spell also highlights those being
ish druid miscast it in 657 BCE, summon-
charmed by a vampire, and those who
ing Christophe, who was in the middle of
have been fed upon by a vampire, includ-
important vampire business and was a bit
ing those who have died as a result of the
annoyed to be torn away, so he butchered
feeding. These individuals are outlined in
his summoner then began the very long
a dimmer, pinkish light.
walk home.
If you are using the alternate magic sys-
In the many centuries since, every time
tem detailed in Vaginas Are Magic!, then
that particular miscast event has oc-
you can use the following table for when
curred, Christophe appears. The first few
the spell goes wrong:
times he would go on murderous rampag-
es against the spellcasters, and when that
Unveil the Presence of the Dread
stopped being fun and interesting, he
Vampyre Miscast Table (1d12):
spent decades trying to eliminate every
The spell fails and any vampires within copy of the spell, but somehow it would
1 a hundred miles become aware of the
always survive. He has spent most of his
caster’s location.
existence not knowing if and when he is
In a puff of theatric smoke, a disgrun- going to be whisked away from whatever
2
tled vampire appears next to the caster.
he’s doing and end up in Qelong, Carcosa,
The spell succeeds… sort of. Every- or worse, Wales, stuck in someone else’s
thing detects as a vampire. Vampires, adventure until he can get home. By 1630,
3 normal humans, other members of the
he has become quite jaded by the whole
party, dogs, trees, buckets, road signs.
Everything. thing.

49
 CHRISTOPHE THE DISGRUNTLED VAMPIRE TRAITS
VAMPIRE, has seen things you people
would not believe but just wants to go Powers (1d8):
home: Armour 18, Move 120’, 8 Hit Blood drain: Bite damage (1d4) is
Dice (36hp), Claw 1d10/Bite 1d4 plus applied to both Hit Points and Constitu-
blood drain, or Charm Person, Morale tion; a character reduced to 0 Constitu-
1
10. tion dies and rises from the grave in 1d4
Blood drain: Bite damage is applied days as a vampire with the same powers
to both Hit Points and Constitution; and vulnerabilities as their parent.
a character reduced to 0 Constitution Charm Person: As the spell, Rules &
dies and rises from the grave in 1d4 2 Magic, page 93. May be used once per
days as a vampire with the same powers Round.
and vulnerabilities as their parent. Flight: As the Fly spell, Rules & Magic,
c Charm Person: As the spell, Rules & 3 page 105. The effect is always uncon-
Magic, page 93. May be used once per vincing and possibly comical.
Round. Gaseous Form: As the spell, Rules
Gaseous Form: As the spell, Rules & Magic, page 106. The vampire can
& Magic, page 106. The vampire can choose to change form at any time, but
4
choose to change form at any time, but automatically changes at 0 Hit Points, at
automatically changes at 0 Hit Points, at which point it must return to its home
which point it must return to its home soil to recover.
soil to recover. Regeneration: the vampire heals 3 Hit
5
Regeneration: the vampire heals 3 Points per Round.
Hit Points per Round. Shapechange: As the Polymorph Self
Vulnerabilities: Christophe avoids 6 spell, Rules & Magic, page 121. The vam-
mirrors and casts no reflection in them, pire can use this ability twice per day.
and can be killed by immersion in run- Speak With Animals: As the spell,
ning water for 1 Round, or by behead- 7
Rules & Magic, page 129.
ing. Sunlight causes him no harm, but Spider Climb: As the spell, Rules &
does prevent the use of his blood drain, 8
Magic, page 131.
Charm Person, Gaseous Form, and
regeneration abilities.

50
Vulnerabilities (1d20): This vampire cannot approach within
This vampire looks like the rotting earshot of the reading of holy texts
1 or the singing of hymns. They cause
corpse it is.
9
This vampire cannot enter holy anxiety and pain, much like hearing
2 the “music” of Coldplay does to your
ground.
author.
This vampire cannot enter a home, or
This vampire fears holy symbols and
3 similar owned living space, without
invitation. will not approach a visible symbol.
I’m not sure how I feel about the old
This vampire is obsessed with count- 10 Peter Cushing tactic of putting any
ing things and will stop what it’s doing two sticks together to make a cross;
4
to count and order grains of rice, roll 1d6 and on a 4+ it works on this
discarded playing cards, and so on. vampire.
This vampire must rest in soil from its 11 This vampire casts no shadow.
5 c
homeland.
This vampire casts no reflection in
This vampire does not like garlic at all mirrors and similar reflective surfaces.
6
and will not approach the plant. 12 Moreover, the vampire fears them
7 Ditto, but wild roses. and will attempt to destroy them in a
dramatic fashion.
This vampire cannot regenerate
damage from silver weapons. If it does This vampire cannot cross running
8 13 water, and is killed by immersion for
not have the regeneration power, roll
again. 1 Round.
This vampire is feral and attacks to kill
without any consideration for its own
14
safety, and makes no attempt to use
any of its special powers.
This vampire is killed by beheading,
15 which, to be fair, is fatal for most
things.
This vampire is killed by driving a
16
wooden stake into its heart.
This vampire is killed by force feeding
17
it holy wafers. Good luck with that.
Sunlight does not kill this vampire, but
18
does nullify all of its powers.
Sunlight does kill this vampire.
19
Fwoosh!
Ingesting the blood of a werewolf—a
proper one, not like the kid on page
20
53—will kill this vampire. Good luck
with that.

51
 The Survivor
Name: Marguerite Poirier.
Age: 13.
Taken: The attempt is made on the 9th of
November, two days after the start of the
adventure, on the night of the full moon.
It is reported the next day.
Family: Mother Emelina, father Bernard.
Religion: Catholic.
Social Standing: Lower class, shepherds.

The Disappearance (except it’s not a dis-

c appearance because Marguerite doesn’t
get taken): Marguerite lives a couple of
miles to the east of the city. She heard
some of her sheep in distress during the
night, and when she went to check on the
animals, she was attacked by some sort of
beast. It clawed at her but she fought back
with her staff and caused the creature
to flee. One of her sheep was killed, its
throat torn out.

Bernard travelled into Paris the next

morning to report the attack as he has
heard about the disappearances and
thinks they are connected.

KEY CLUE
There is no clue! The attacker has nothing
to do with the Demon Tailor and his plans,
and the timing is just a coincidence.

52
THE WEREWOLF OF PARIS What about the other victims? If records
Marguerite calls her attacker a “werewolf ” are checked, the other two deaths can be
and claims that the creature has killed two confirmed, but have been attributed to
other girls in the area in recent months, wild animals. The victims are Jacquiline
always on a full moon. Auzun and Jeanne Garboriaut, both girls
in their teens. Both had their throats torn
What does the werewolf look like? The and their hearts eaten.
monster stood on its hind legs and had
hunched shoulders covered in thick, red- Did the werewolf leave any evidence?
dish fur. It had long, sharp claws that tore Marguerite’s arms are covered in scratches
at her clothes, and black, piercing eyes. made by the werewolf ’s claws; a Fight-
er or Specialist will recognise that the
How does Marguerite know it was a marks are more like those made by knives
werewolf and not a wild animal? It than any sort of animal attack. The girl c
spoke to her in a growly, guttural voice, grabbed a scrap of fur during the struggle
and knew her name. This is somewhat and a Bushcraft roll confirms that it is
unlikely for the average canis lupus. indeed from a wolf. There are plenty of
tracks at the scene of the attack, some ani-
mal and at least two sets of human prints.
A successful Bushcraft roll confirms that

53
 the animal tracks are those of sheep and dered girls. He can’t even remember
that there are no wolf prints. The smaller their names, he says. All of which is true,
human footprints are a match for Mar- because he is being set up by his son. His
guerite. wife, Odelina, hates him for being lazy
and smelly, and is quite content to back
Catching the werewolf. The werewolf up everything Jean has said; there is a
will attack Marguerite, or another young 50% chance that she believes the charges,
woman if Marguerite is not present, again otherwise, she is just leaping on any ex-
on the next full moon, so hanging around cuse to get rid of Pierre.
the area until then is probably the easiest
way to catch it, although by then the rest Jean Grenier. Jean is the so-called
of the adventure will have finished one werewolf. He is fourteen, although he is
way or another. stocky, tall, and looks older. He is known
c to be a friend of all three attacked girls,
The informant. If he notices the charac- and often spent time with them. Locals
ters wandering about, asking questions, consider the boy to be a bit strange, al-
another young shepherd, Jean Grenier, though no one can give any specifics, just
will inform them that his father, Pierre, that he gives off a funny feeling. He does
has been behaving strangely of late. He come across as intense and very serious.
says Pierre has been sneaking out at He stares at people when he speaks, and
night; he will confirm that these noctur- maintains eye contact longer than is
nal jaunts have indeed been happening comfortable or polite. Jean maintains a
during full moons. He claims to have pretense of ignorance about the “were-
followed his father one night and watched wolf ” attacks for as long as suspicion is on
him dig something up in a nearby copse. anyone other than him, at which point he
throws all caution aside and tells all.
The copse. An obvious area of disturbed
earth conceals a sealed clay pot within Jean’s story. Grenier claims that he met
which is a bloodstained wolfskin and a a “dark man” in the woods, and that the
pair of rudimentary bladed gauntlets. The man scratched him on the neck with one
wolfskin has a series of leather loops sewn long fingernail and told the boy that he
into the underside, which appear to be was to go abroad and hunt. He further
designed to make the skin able to be worn claims that the wolfskin and bladed gloves
as a sort of mantle; the wolfskin is thick were given to him by the dark man, in or-
enough to provide a +1 bonus to Armour der to help him become the wolf. There is
and counts as a single item for encum- no sign of the scratch the dark man made,
brance. The gauntlets are more or less although Jean claims it has never healed.
a pair of leather gloves with short knife
blades attached; they count as minor Jean confirms that he killed Jacquiline
weapons, as per Rules & Magic, page 28. Auzun and Jeanne Garboriaut, and that
he took their hearts to the woods, where
Pierre Grenier. He claims to have never he ate them. Girls are fine, he says, but
seen the wolfskin or the gauntlets before, he wants to eat a young boy, as they look
and to know nothing about the mur- most tasty.

54
Jean-as-the-werewolf is friendly towards
Fighters and will ask them all sorts of
probing questions about what it is like There are similarities between Jean’s story
to hurt people. He is not at all fond of and that of the Demon Tailor. Perhaps
Clerics. the dark man and Marchand’s “God” are
one and the same, or represent the same
JEAN GRENIER, the Werewolf of Paris: entity or force. You may decide that there
Armour 12 (13 with wolfskin), Move is a connection, although none is intend-
120’, 2nd Level Specialist, 12hp, shep- ed as the author has only just noticed the
herd’s staff 1d4 or “wolf claws” 1d4 (x2), similarities himself! No, really, I noticed
Morale 12, Constitution 16, Bushcraft it just now as I was typing this. How’s that
3, Sneak Attack 3, Stealth 3. for emergent storytelling?
c

55
 The Barrel KEY CLUE
On the 10th of November, or three days Aside from anything gained from Speak
after the start of the adventure, dock With Dead, the location of the barrel’s
workers pull an unmarked barrel out of discovery suggests that the killer’s lair must
the Seine. Opening it in the hopes of find- be upriver, or southeast, of where the barrel
ing something they can sell, they instead is discovered. Indeed, Claude Marchand’s
find bones and a child’s skull, at which shop (page 73) is in that part of the city.
point they inform the authorities.
KEY CLUE
The barrel is kept in a small shack near Two of Paris’ carriage companies (page 28)
the river and is guarded by Boutart, one have a sun as a logo. Only one (page 68) is
of the dock workers. No one else wants to connected to the disappearances.
go anywhere near the barrel, and Boutart
c isn’t super keen on it either, but has been
promised a silver piece for doing so. He
will expect the characters to pay this fee.

The barrel contains only one skull but

lots of other bones, more than those of a
single person. The skull is that of Claire
Mollet, the first victim (page 39), and the
bones are a mixture of Claire’s and those
of Rene Belleau (page 40) and Henri
Penand (page 41).

Right at the bottom of the barrel, under

all the bones, is a basket containing some
crushed flowers. Claire’s family can con-
firm that the basket is hers, or at least is
very much like it.

If Speak With Dead is cast, Claire is

confused and scared, but remembers a
nice man in a blue cloak (page 65) who
said he would buy all of her flowers that
day if she brought them to his carriage.
The carriage was a public one, and Claire
remembers that it was marked with a sun
(page 28). Claire got in the carriage and
things went dark. She remembers nothing
else.

56
 Victim #6 - Blaise
Bourgarit
Name: Blaise Bourgarit.
Age: 7.
Taken: 10th of November, or three days
after the adventure begins.
Family: Probably irrelevant, but mother
Constantia, father Bertrand, and brother
Giles.
Religion: Catholic, but also probably
irrelevant.
Social Standing: Lower class.

The Disappearance: The entire family

c
were tied up, had their throats cut, and
have been disemboweled. All except
Blaise, who is missing. It happened
during the night; neighbours report
seeing the family during the day. No one
reports seeing or hearing anything suspi-
cious during the night.

One window has been forced open, and

there is a spot of blood on the outside of
the window frame.

KEY CLUE
The cuts are somewhat precise, indicating
some sort of training, but not to the level of
an assassin or surgeon, more like the work
of an out-of-practice butcher.

KEY CLUE
The blood on the window frame is that of
Claude Marchand. He slipped and grazed
his arm when forcing the window.

57
 The Second Letter
On the 11th of November, or four days
after the start of the adventure, the players
are summoned by Deputy Provost Rene
Sauval, or whoever is in charge of the
investigation by this point. They will be
shown a letter that was handed to a guard
in the early hours of the morning by your
bog-standard street urchin.

It reads:

c “My friend Sauval,

I did not take those lights.
I am not an animal.
What I do is Great Work, you will see, but
the Wolf is no more than a Beast.
The Devil take him!
Your Friend.”

KEY CLUE
Again, the killer is literate, which narrows
down the suspects. The writing matches
that of the killer’s other letters (page 34,
62).

KEY CLUE
The guard did not recognise the child that
delivered the note—“One filthy child looks
much like another, no?” If the players do
manage to track the guttersnipe down, she
can tell them she was given the letter by a
tall, well-spoken man.

58
 c

59
 Victim #7a - Baptiste KEY CLUE
Galonnier The cloaks are perhaps the main clue, and
Name: Baptiste Galonnier. are discussed on page 65. The instructions
Age: 7. are written in the same hand as the other
Taken: 12th of November, or five days letters from the killer (pp 34, 58, and 62).
after the adventure begins; let’s call it Day
F for no reason at all.
Family: Father, Vincent.
Religion: Huguenot.
Social Standing: Lower class, tavern
workers.

The Disappearance: Baptiste goes miss-

c ing during an event at the tavern at which
he works, Le Chien et le Bâtard. A day or
two before Day F, an unknown individual
leaves a box of blue cloaks (page 65), and
a bag of coins at the tavern, with written
instructions to give them away to all
customers and staff on the evening of Day
F, along with 5cp if the customer wears
the cloak for the whole evening. The
tavern keeper, Lambert Plessis, is a jovial
and easy-going man and so saw no harm
in having a bit of fun by handing out the
cloaks. He kept the money rather than
risk his punters taking it and spending it
elsewhere.

Claude Marchand attends the event, also

dressed in a blue cloak, and during the
evening coaxes Baptiste away, drugs him,
and takes the boy away to be killed.

If the characters are present and the Tai-

lor believes the situation to be too risky,
he will instead leave the tavern and pick a
random beggar, “Henriette” (page 61), as
an alternative victim.

60
Victim #7b - Henriette Victim #8 - Jean Dupont
Name: She is known as “Henriette” but Name: Jean Dupont
no one knows if it is her real name. Age: 11
Age: About 12, probably, although no one Taken: 13th of November, or six days
is sure. after the adventure begins.
Taken: 12th of November, or five days Family: Aunt, Bertha, and uncle, Marc.
after the adventure begins. Religion: Catholic
Family: None. Social Standing: Lower class, manual
Religion: Catholic, probably. workers.
Social Standing: Poor, beggar.
The Disappearance: Jean works as a mes-
The Disappearance: If Marchand is un- senger, running about the city delivering
able to capture his eighth intended victim, letters and packages; he was last seen in
Baptiste (page 60), he panics and grabs a the early morning, heading off to pick up c
beggar from an alley around the corner a package from a tailor in the south of
from Le Chien et le Bâtard. He attacks her the city. He had been paid in advance a
in the street, knocks her out, and drags couple of days before, and paid well; Jean
her away. gave Marc a pouch containing 20sp. Such
a payment is unusual, and Jean has never
KEY CLUE been away for so long without being
During the struggle, “Henriette” tears a seen by someone as he flits between jobs.
strip from the Tailor’s blue cloak (page 65) Those two anomalies, combined with the
and also scratches his face. If Marchand general level of panic over the disappear-
is interviewed for whatever reason, the ances, are what led Bertha and Marc to
scratches will be obvious, and his neigh- contact the authorities.
bours notice the wounds and consider
them unusual. KEY CLUE
Marc has the name of the tailor – Claude
The Court of Miracles Marchand (do you need a page reference?
“Henriette” is associated with the Court Fine, page 73), but does not have his
(page 61). It will be concerned about her address. Getting the location of the shop
disappearance and will encourage and should be easy enough; most tailors in the
perhaps reward efforts to find her. city know of Claude, as would fabric mer-
chants and the like. There will be records
of Marchand and his business in the city’s
files.

KEY CLUE
The money pouch is made from fine blue
fabric, an offcut from the manufacture of
the blue cloaks (page 65).

61
 The Final Letter
The third and final letter arrives on the
14th of November, or seven days after the
adventure begins, assuming that the De-
mon Tailor has been able to complete his
grisly work. This letter is again delivered
to Sauval’s office, although this time it is
addressed to whichever of the characters
has been most prominent and visible in
their investigations.

It reads:
c
“My Friends!

Rejoice! My work is done and I bathe in

the light of innocents.
Hate me not for what I have had to do.
All will benefit, you have my word.

We danced well, did we not?

But now the work is done and I must go to
my reward.

Stay safe.

Your Friend,

Claude.”

KEY CLUE
Again, the killer is literate, and this time
has given his name, which can be cross-ref-
erenced with other clues to perhaps pin-
point his identity, but alas, it is too late as
Marchand has left the city and will never
return.

62
 c

63
 Barricades and * The average grunt on the street
may be more talkative. Make a
Checkpoints Reaction roll (Rules & Magic, page
A bright player may work out that if the 56), adding (or subtracting!) the
districts of Paris are separated at night character’s Charisma modifier and
with barricades and travellers are checked +1 for a suitable bribe or display of
and noted, then it follows that the killer authority. A result of 9-to-11 will get
must have been tagged passing through the watchman to admit that some-
them at some point. times the records aren’t as stringent
as they could be, and sometimes
Good thinking, that is. things get forgotten. A 12 or more
will convey the same information,
A clever player may combine this knowl- plus the concession that certain im-
c edge with what they know about the portant people get waved through
carriages used by the killer (page 28) to without documenting their passage.
further narrow down their investigations. A 2 gets the same response as the
officials give, except with more
Also good thinking. meaningful glances at weaponry.
* If the players have developed a
What these astute players will discover is good relationship with the Deputy
that there are gaps in the records at these Provost, he will confide the same
points. Depending on whom they ask information as the loquacious
about these gaps, they will get different guardsman.
answers: * The characters may also notice that
their passage doesn’t get recorded if
* Any official or ranked officer of they use the letter they were given
the guard will insist that there by the Deputy Provost (page 33).
are no gaps in their immaculate
record-keeping, and any suggestion Did they wave through someone import-
otherwise is an insult to their pro- ant at the relevant times? That probably
fessional honour. requires another bribe or threat, but yes,
there was a man carrying a letter from
Cardinal Richelieu (page 10) himself,
granting free and, if requested confiden-
tial, passage.

Finding the specific watchmen on duty

at the relevant times is impossible if
the die is at 5+ as they are all too busy
putting out fires. Literally.

64
 The characters should be careful. Any
Blue Cloaks suggestion that the palace is involved in
Marchand wears a blue cloak when com- the disappearances is not going to be tak-
mitting his crimes, in an attempt to divert en well and will lead to a strongly-worded
suspicion towards the royal household. complaint at best, via the Deputy Pro-
The players may become aware of the vost’s office. More likely is exile from the
significance of the garment when investi- city or a couple of days in the pillory.
gating the disappearances of Claire Mollet
(page 39, and the barrel, page 56), Henri
Penand (page 41), Baptiste Galonnier If the Unrest Die is set to 4+ then the
(page 60), or Henriette (page 61). royal palace is locked down, and the
characters will not be able to gain direct
It’s not that no one else in Paris during access until the situation improves.
1630 wears a blue cloak. There will be c
plenty of people wandering around with
them, but they are most often worn by
members of the royal household when
out and about, and this is somewhat
common knowledge. Anyone adjacent to
nobility or involved with the business of
government can inform the characters of
this point.

The majordomo of the royal household—

or more likely, a flustered subordinate—
can confirm that the household does
indeed use blue cloaks. Observation of
the palace confirms the same. Assuming
they are given a good reason to do so, the
majordomo can count the household’s
stock of cloaks and determine that none
are missing or damaged, although this
process will take a number of days equal
to the current face of the Unrest Die.

The royal cloaks are manufactured

by Claude Marchand, although no
high-ranking member of the household
is going to volunteer that information
because it’s none of the business of lowly
sorts like the characters. Someone in the
lower echelons—the piss boy or whatev-
er—may be more accommodating.

65
 The Court of Miracles, an actual
proper Thieves’ Guild like you always
wanted
You know how every fantasy city has a Public perception of the Court is one of
thieves’ district called “the Lurks” or “the depravity and licentiousness, but in fact
Warren” or something, and you always the residents are quite organised and have
think how unrealistic that is because why their own ceremonies, laws, and officials.
would any organised settlement allow They just happen to be very different to
such a place to exist? It turns out that those of the pencil-pushers at City Hall.
Paris had one.
The Court has its own language, a slang
c (I think this is bonkers. Maybe I’m naïve.) full of technical terms relating to the busi-
ness of thievery and deception, consid-
It’s called the Court of Miracles because ered exotic as per Rules & Magic, page 37.
(a) it’s centred on a courtyard and (b)
there is a “King,” and (c) because the beg-
gars who were blind or paralysed during
the day could see and walk the moment The Nine Laws of the Court
they returned home to the Court at the of Miracles (i made these
end of a hard day’s begging. Funny that. up, based on historical
examples):
The courtyard is a cul-de-sac entered
I. Let every Man and Woman over
via a single sloping and uneven path. It
Eleven have an equal vote in Mat-
is considered unsafe and unwise for any ters of the Court.
civilised person to enter the area; the city
II. Let every Man and Woman over
watch will not go in, and a recent attempt
Eleven have an equal share of the
to build a street through the courtyard Prizes of the Court.
resulted in the workmen being beaten
III. Able-bodied people of the Court are
and showered with various missiles.
expected to Work.
The houses around the courtyard are IV. Do not abscond, conceal, or usurp
crumbling, leaning, and some are sinking your Prizes.
into the mud. Hundreds of families live V. Do not steal from Another of the
squeezed into the buildings. Court.
VI. Do not strike Another of the Court.
Children are taught the best ways to steal VII. Respect the Bond of Family.
and swindle and soon become adept VIII. Never Betray the Court.
thieves and charlatans, tested at the end
IX. Obey the King and the Majority of
of their tutelage by committing a theft in
the Court.
a public place.

66
The Court is ruled—although “guided” is cialists can expect at least an indifferent
perhaps a more apt term—by a King and attitude. If the characters can get in and
a number of officers, the latter of which gain an audience, then they may be able
tend to have specialised roles such as to call upon certain resources:
surgeon or treasurer. The King is elected
by the people of the Court and suggests * The Court has eyes and ears every-
officers who are approved by public vote. where, even within the palaces of
The contrast with the way the “civilised” the city, and as such is an excellent
part of the city is run is quite deliberate. source of information. You can
use the Court to give clues to the
The current King is Marius Lupin: characters; any of the information
the characters could gain from
MARIUS LUPIN, the King of Miracles: investigating locations and visiting
Armour 13 (buff coat) , Move 120’, witnesses can be provided by the c
4th Level Specialist, 18hp, dagger (x2) people of the Court, for a price.
1d4 and pistol (x2) 1d8, Morale 10, * It is also a good source of henchmen
Charisma 16, Dexterity 16, Climb 3, or replacement player-characters,
Languages 3, Sleight of Hand 3, Stealth assuming you want Specialists.
3, Tinker 3. Again, for a price.
Buff coat, daggers (x2), normal cloth-
* If the characters need any expertise
ing, pistols (x2), specialist’s tools.
or muscle for a larcenous emprise
Lupin is a tall, skinny fellow that
then the Court can arrange for that,
looks like he would be clumsy and
for the appropriate remuneration.
gangly but is, in fact, quite agile and
graceful in motion. He has a theatrical * If the characters require illegal
air and a cheeky glint in his eye. He products, then the Court can either
gives off an attitude of supreme con- get hold of them, or knows someone
fidence at all times, even when things who can. The alchemist (page 44) is
seem desperate. He has an eye for the one such contact. Such commodities
ladies and a fondness for food. are always free. Only joking.

Rogues’ Gallery Assume a base cost of 10sp per day for

About 2,000 people live in the Court of hired help—aside from henchmen, who
Miracles, and around half of those are command a half share as per Rules &
children. The majority are beggars and Magic, page 47—and a similar amount for
petty pickpockets, and among the adults each clue or lead followed up. Merchan-
there will be around 30 1st Level Special- dise can be acquired for about 90% of
ists and another 10 or so at 2nd Level. the normal price as the Court has fewer
overheads than legitimate merchants; you
Using the Court of don’t have to pay taxes if the taxman is
Miracles afraid to go anywhere near your place of
The Court of Miracles defaults to an business.
unfriendly disposition (Rules & Magic,
page 56) towards outsiders, although Spe-

67
 know who was driving his carriages on
The Crimson the days of Claire and Bernard’s disap-
Carriage of the pearances. He operates five carriages, and
the drivers work in six-hour shifts but
Sun
Alas, not a marvel of Aztec techno-mag-
sometimes double up; this results in a list
of seven names.
ical engineering. What an adventure that
would be! David does not volunteer this informa-
tion. He will assess the players and decide
Claire Mollet (page 39)—or rather her how helpful he will be based on their
skull (page 56)—mentions a carriage with actions. In most cases, he will hand over
a symbol of the sun, while a carriage with the names for no less than 30sp, barring
a red sign is spotted at Bernard Rous- compulsion or threats. If the players
c seau’s disappearance (page 43). These present themselves as working for the
clues point to the Red Sun, Red Wing, or authorities, the price goes up to 40sp. If
Sunshine carriage companies, but only David is convinced that the names will
Red Sun matches both. help solve the disappearances, he will
offer the list for 10sp.
The Red Sun company operates from the
Hôtel de l’Aube inn, which is run by the David is used to trouble from other
inn owner’s brother, David Bonnot. The carriage companies and rogue city guards,
Bonnot siblings are huge, thuggish-look- so not only does he know how to han-
ing men, but both seem pleasant and dle himself, there are often 1d4 toughs
generous; Felix is genuine, but David is hanging around the office, just in case.
cynical and shrewd at heart. His brother Felix will arrive with anoth-
er two heavies in the second Round of
The company keeps no records of who combat, while one of the bar staff fetches
travelled when and where, but David does the guards.

68
 c

69
 DAVID OR FELIX BONNOT, big In fact, Poullain dropped the pair off a
burly fellas: Armour 12, Move 120’, 0 couple of streets away from the Tailor’s
Level Businessmen, 8hp, hand axe 1d6 shop (page 73). Marchand then took
and pistol 1d8 (David) or club 1d4 Claire through some backstreets and
(Felix), Morale 8*, Constitution 16, entered his shop via the back door.
Strength 16.
If David is killed, Felix’s Morale rises
to 12. If Felix is killed, David inherits If the Die reaches 5+, Poullain is killed
the inn. in a random act of mob violence.

RED SUN TOUGHS, want to know Silvestre is happy to talk on the proviso
what you are looking at: Armour 12, that no one finds out. He remembers
Move 120’, 0 Level Thug, 4hp, hand axe little except that he was paid well to wait
c 1d6, Morale 8. around for the morning, more than he
would have earned during that time. The
There is a total of 380sp of takings and man looked familiar, although Silvestre
wages in a locked box in the Red Sun cannot say why. He was wearing a blue
office; David has the key on a cord around cloak (page 65), but Silvestre will not
his big, thick neck. I’m not going into the remember that particular factoid unless
loot found in the Hôtel de l’Aube because prompted. For most of the morning, the
the authorities will arrive long before the man sat in the carriage and asked to be
characters get a chance to clear that out. left alone.

The Names: Seven drivers worked on the The day after the players speak to him,
days the children disappeared: Silvestre remembers something else
Girard Barnier, Remy Poullain, and and will attempt to contact them via the
Albert Thibault worked on the day Claire Provost’s office if they haven’t left alterna-
went missing. Vincent Brosseau, Conrad tive instructions. He remembers that the
Durand, Innocent Ménard, and Florente man left the carriage just once, for about
Silvestre worked on the day Bernard was half an hour, seemed flustered when he
lost. returned, and asked the driver to hurry
away. Silvestre dropped the man off in the
Poullain is reluctant to talk unless the southern part of the city (page 73), but he
players mention that they are on govern- doesn’t remember the exact place.
ment business or that they are investi-
gating the disappearances, in which case
he becomes quite helpful. He remembers
a man in a blue cloak (page 65) renting
his carriage and then going to the market
to buy flowers and meet his daughter.
He also remembers the daughter being
unwell when the man returned. Poullain
does not recall where he dropped the man
and his daughter off.

70
 c

71
 The (Demon) Tailor’s (Demon)
Hideout
Marchand has set up a secondary location
from which he can continue his work
should his shop be compromised. He will The Skinsuits
try to bring whatever of his belongings he The adventure assumes that there are no
can manage. supernatural elements involved in the tailor’s
activities, but if you want to throw a nasty
He has rented the top floor of a town- magic item at the players, read on. Again.
house in one of the rougher parts of the
city and pops in once a week to make sure A skinsuit acts like leather armour because
c no one has broken in. it sort of is. It exudes an aura of disgust and
terror that forces normal human opponents
to make a Morale test at the beginning of
The other residents have seen the “man combat; those that fail recoil for a round and
from the top floor” now and then but those that fail on a double flee. There is a 3%
know almost nothing about him. chance per day at midnight of a vision sent
from an entity portraying itself as “God.” This
The ground floor has a communal kitchen being encourages the wearer of the suit to kill
area, and the next three floors are all and skin humans; in return it will increase the
more or less identical, with a family or Armour of the suit to 16 for a week following
two occupying each. the sacrifice. The number of humans needed
to be killed to gain the bonus increases by one
each time; the first time it will be one victim,
The top floor, Marchand’s room, is an the next two, and so on.
attic space. The door is locked. Inside the
room is a rough cot, a sturdy workbench
upon which is a second set of Marchand’s
skin-crafting tools (page 75)—worth 75sp
to a weirdo—and a wicker mannequin. If
Marchand has been able to keep his skin-
suits, or has been able to make another,
the mannequin will be wearing one.

72
The (Demon) Tailor’s (Demon) Shop
The shop is in a somewhat fancy area Ground Floor
in the south-east of Paris, not far from A. Courtyard. The cobbles are clean,
Notre-Dame and the Quai Saint Bernard, as Marchand has rinsed them down.
a popular swimming spot. Marchand is Even so, there are hints of a reddish
known in the area as a fine tailor and his stain in places. The barrels are similar
neighbours consider him friendly if a bit to the one that floated down the river
distant and strange; he has never taken an (page 56) and contain the bones of
apprentice, for example. the Tailor’s other victims. The rest are
empty.
A wooden sign showing a stylised needle B. The shop. A pair of wicker man-
and thread hangs above the door, and nequins stand in the centre of the space
there is a sign saying “By Appointment while the walls are lined with shelves
c
Only” in the front window, alongside a and hooks displaying completed items
display mannequin. of clothing and swatches of fabric.
C. Kitchen. On the counter is a
Doors and windows. variety of big knives and saws, the sort
External doors and windows are locked of thing a butcher would have. A barrel
at most times. There is a cord beside the contains salted meat. It’s tasty! Is it
front door that operates a bell inside the pork? It tastes like pork. It’s human, Mi-
shop and during business hours—assum- chael, you’re eating human.
ing the Tailor is not conducting his other
“business”!—Marchand will respond
within a couple of minutes, and ask if his
visitors have an appointment.

The courtyard at the back of the building

A
leads to a network of alleys that run be-
hind and between the nearby buildings.

B
C

73
 First Floor
A. Master bedroom. In the wardrobe
are three blue cloaks (page 65). One
has some reddish-brown stains, and if A
“Henriette” (page 61) has been taken
and the shop is still in use, another has C
been torn. Under the bed is a small
wooden chest, locked, which contains B
24sp and 12cp, and a bundle of letters
from Cardinal Richelieu (page 10),
which confirm that he is the Tailor’s
brother.
B. Workshop. Another wicker man-
c nequin wears a half-completed bright
green dress. A similar dress is torn
into shreds and scattered around the
room, a casualty of one of Marchand’s
conferences with “God.” A locked chest
under the worktop contains a pouch
with 187sp inside, and the business
ledger, which confirms that Marchand
has been making blue cloaks (page 65)
for the royal household.
There is a brownish stain on the
ceiling.

Second Floor
A. Storeroom.
B. The Second Workshop. The door
is locked and trapped; a small inden-
tation on the rear of the handle hides

A
a button that must be held while the
door is opened or a needle stabs into
the palm. Characters must save versus
Poison or become subject to the Con-
fusion spell, Rules & Magic, page 96, for
1d4 Rounds.
C
Marchand bought this mechanism B
from the Court of Miracles (page 66),
and they got the poison from the Wizard
(page 44). Small world!

Go full horrorshow with this room!

74
 The table holds all sorts of nasty and distant except when you are talking
twisted blades, none of which are stan- about the Great Work, when you become
dard tailoring gear; these count as minor agitated but focused, but always there
weapons and are unusual enough that is the sense that you are not quite good
a suitable depraved collector would pay enough. Speak quickly, ramble, ask vague
75sp for the set. There are also a handful questions that seem to have no relevance
of letters, first drafts of those (page 34, to the subject at hand. Call yourself “bad”
58, 62) Marchand has sent to the Deputy or “stupid” and slap your head or the ta-
Provost. ble, then switch to a calm and firm voice
when you are focused on the Grand Plan.
Sheets of human skin hang from racks
around the walls, and a mannequin wears
one of Marchand’s skinsuits. Feel free to
try and pass this off as some sort of zom- The Skinsuits c
bie until the characters look closer. The adventure assumes that there are no
supernatural elements involved in the tailor’s
A bloodstained sheet covers the floor, activities, but if you want to throw a nasty
and there is a barrel of sawdust in one magic item at the players, read on. Yes, I know
corner. this is the third time this information has ap-
C. Second bedroom. This room peared. I’m trying to stop you flipping around
the book trying to find it.
hasn’t been used for its intended
purpose in years. Now it holds racks of
A skinsuit acts like leather armour because
drying human skin. it sort of is. It exudes an aura of disgust and
terror that forces normal human opponents
CLAUDE MARCHAND, the Demon to make a Morale test at the beginning of
Tailor: Armour 12 (none) or 16 (boost- combat; those that fail recoil for a Round and
ed skinsuit), Move 120’, 0 Level Tailor, those that fail on a double flee. There is a 3%
4hp, razor-sharp scissors 1d4, Morale chance per day at midnight of a vision sent
12. from an entity portraying itself as “God.” This
being encourages the wearer of the suit to kill
Blue cloak; good quality but plain
and skin humans; in return, it will increase the
clothing; satchel containing a letter of
Armour of the suit to 16 for a week following
passage signed and sealed by Richelieu, the sacrifice. The number of humans needed
a ring of keys, scissors, 6sp and 80cp; to be killed to gain the bonus increases by one
skinsuit (worn under clothes). each time; the first time it will be one victim,
the next two, and so on.
Playing the Demon Tailor: You are an
intelligent and dedicated man, and you
have made a good living, but you’ll never
be as successful as your brother. You have
an opportunity to do a great thing and
save the world, but to do so you have to
commit terrible crimes. You are trying to
balance all this but have ended up tearing
yourself to pieces. You are distracted

75
 Or he might just have them killed.
My Brother’s
Keeper
The juiciest titbit of evidence in all of Catch Me If You Can
this has to be the fraternal relationship If the players leave a window of opportunity
between Marchand and Richelieu. Here’s of anything like six hours or more between
what to do with it. confronting Richelieu and trying to exploit
him, then he will have a chance to use his
Fourth-Dimensional Chess ability to outma-
Confronting Richelieu noeuvre them. If they are going to try to stitch
Richelieu can make this all go away. His him up, they need to do it fast!
connection to the tailor is not well-
known, and the existence of the letter of
c passage is known to almost no one. The
Cardinal knows that the sentence is likely Going Around Richelieu
to be death and damnatio memoriae, so If the characters take evidence of Riche-
the loose ends will tie themselves. lieu’s connection to the Tailor to most
people in the standard power structure,
Except for the characters. then that information gets passed to the
Cardinal anyway. Through his spies, he
Richelieu will be cagey and let them make will keep an eye on the characters to make
the first move. His brother’s crimes are in- sure they keep quiet. If they somehow get
convenient but not fatal. Well, fatal to the access to Louis XIII he will promise to
victims but not the Cardinal’s reputation. look into the matter and then go straight
The characters can make things worse for to Richelieu, with the same result.
him, and Richelieu will do what he can
to prevent that, but he’s also not going If Marie de’ Medici is still around, then
to be too keen about it. Richelieu wants she will relish the opportunity to use the
his brother’s letter of passage back, at information against the Cardinal. See The
least. The characters’ ongoing and eternal Day of the Dupes (page 13) for a likely
silence on his connection to the tailor is sequence of events. In short, Richelieu is
also desirable. sacked, France goes to heck.

He can offer them a fair bit of money, a Handing over the information to the
minor title, perhaps even a bit of land Court of Miracles (page 66) or a foreign
somewhere. New France is lovely! He may power, such as the English (page 80), will
even allow them to call in one favour at garner a decent cash reward and probably
some point in the future. He also makes it a favour or two, as it will be seen as good
very clear—but in standard arch-manip- leverage against the most powerful man
ulator fashion, without saying it—that if in France. Neither group is as reckless as
they renege on the agreement, or attempt Marie de’ Medici and will wait to use the
to alter it, then Richelieu can and will intelligence to their best advantage.
destroy them.

76
Rumbled! (or, The Jig is The Trial
Marchand is tried at the Châtelet in
Up!) private, although the characters will be
The characters are supposed to be solving able to attend if they desire. Richelieu is
this mystery and bringing the criminal to present and looks furious. Three magis-
justice, but if they go to the authorities, trates hear the case, casting wary glances
then a disappointed and surprised Deputy towards the Cardinal throughout.
Provost will send a squad of watchmen to
arrest Marchand. (If the characters have not made the con-
nection between Marchand and Riche-
Catching a Killer lieu, the latter’s presence will probably be
If Marchand is confronted before he has quite baffling. It would be great fun if they
managed to kill and consume all of his make the realisation during the trial!)
victims, he tries to escape to his backup
hideout (page 72), so he can continue his
c
The Tailor is charged with the murders of
Great Work. The kidnappings continue all of the missing children, cannibalism,
much as written, except for that of the and heresy. The trial is swift; the mag-
eighth, Jean Dupont (page 61). In that istrates do not ask Marchand to defend
case, Marchand does not give his name, himself, nor does he offer any. If his work
and asks for the boy to come to his hide- is complete, the Tailor looks tired but
out instead of his shop. content; if not, he is agitated and restless
but silent.
If the Tailor has completed all eight of his
killings, then he is a lot more easy-going, He is sentenced to death by burning at the
as inveterate serial killers go. He will try stake. Moreover, a sentence of damnatio
to escape because he wants to enjoy the memoriae is passed; all record of March-
world he thinks he has saved, but if it and is to be destroyed, and his name is
looks like flight is impossible, he’ll give not to be spoken forevermore. His assets
himself up. He is happy to talk about and belongings are to be seized, and his
his Great Work and what it means, why wealth to be redistributed. If the Unrest
he did it, and how he did it. In excruci- Die is at 5 or more, then this money
ating and exacting detail. At length. Ad is given to the families of the missing
nauseum. children.
Marchand will be imprisoned in the The Execution
Grand Châtelet (page 82) until his trial, Marchand is marched, chained, hooded,
which the authorities are keen to conduct and under guard, to the Hôtel de Ville
as soon as possible, in order to help pacify where a stake has been set up, and a large
an anxious and fractious citizenry. crowd has gathered. Marchand is tied to
the stake and burned; there is some con-
fusion that last rites are not administered,
but the magistrates are insistent. Riche-
lieu stays and watches the whole thing in
silence.

77
 Richelieu will be keeping an eye on the
Aftermath
The Unrest Die is reduced by 2, which
characters in the future, and if they are
competent—again, astronomically im-
may set things back to what passes for plausible, I know—he may call on them
normal in seventeenth-century Paris. again.

Assuming they are working for the If the people of Paris know of the char-
Deputy Provost, the characters will acters’ involvement in the case, then they
receive whatever reward they negotiated, can expect to get preferential treatment
probably something around 500sp each. If wherever they go, at least for the next few
they acquitted themselves well and stayed weeks.
out of trouble, he may also promise them
a favour.
c
If they chickened out and sent the police Catastrophe!
in to get Marchand, the reward is smaller, Remember when we were saying the Demon
and there will be no favour. Only disap- Tailor was mad and his idea that he was saving
pointment. the city from some sort of cataclysm was a
delusion? No? It was on page 8. Come on,
now! Well, if you decide that Marchand is not,
If Richelieu becomes involved in the case in fact, insane and that he is, in fact, trying to
(page 10) and the characters do nothing stave off a disaster, then if he is caught before
to upset his many machinations, then he he completes his work, a massive earthquake
will send for them them two days after hits the city on the 18th of November, or 11
the execution. He will praise their work, days after the start of the adventure. Work out
thank them for bringing a measure of which of your players was the most pivotal
stability back to Paris at a difficult time, in halting the Tailor’s crimes—or whoever
and will reward them with an additional struck the killing blow, put the handcuffs on,
whatever—and get them to roll 2d20; this is
200sp each. In the staggeringly unlikely
the percentage of Paris’ population killed in
event that the characters are not capri- the destruction. Oops.
cious sociopaths, then Richelieu will offer
the group one favour.Whatever happens,

78
 F
Appendices

79
 Appendix 1: La Perfide Angleterre
This optional event occurs if the Unrest see his friend Geoff again, but the ring is
Die reaches 4+ and the characters are most important.
conspicuous in their investigations.
What does “W” stand for?
They will be approached by a messenger “Let’s just say ‘Walsingham’ for now, shall
who hands them a note from “W” asking we?”
them to meet the next day at noon at an
inn just inside the city walls, Le Poisson How are we supposed to get to Geoff?
Tranquille. The inn is one of the better “Well, that’s rather up to you. I trust in
quality establishments in the city, known your abilities and your judgement.”
for good food and drink, but not yet
frequented by the trendsetters. Is there a time limit?
“As soon as you can, but Geoff isn’t going
If they ask at the inn at the appropriate anywhere.”
time, they will be escorted to a private
room by one of the serving boys. There Can you give us any useful gear or
they will be met by a fine-dressed but equipment?
corpulent man with dark hair, thick W can arrange for items worth up to 75sp
F eyebrows, and an air of nobility, or at least each for each character to be delivered to
the contempt that tends to characterise their lodgings by noon the next day.
the noble classes. He introduces himself
as “W” and will order whatever refresh- What’s so special about the ring?
ments the characters desire. “It’s all paid “Nothing as such. It’s a family heirloom,
for,” he says. and I am keen to get it back.”

W speaks good French and decent Span- Why is Geoff in prison?

ish but prefers English, and will ask if the “They claim he is an agitator, but it is a
characters mind conducting the conversa- case of mistaken identity.”
tion in the latter tongue.
Aren’t you being a bit callous about
W has a job for them. In return for com- Geoff?
pleting the task, W can help the char- “I am sure he can handle himself if you
acters with their current investigations, are not able to get him out.”
because he deals in information.
You’re an English spy, aren’t you?
If they agree, W explains that he has a “I couldn’t possibly comment.”
friend named Geoff who is at present
a guest of the Provost of Paris at the
Grand Châtelet, and Geoff has something
W would like returned to him, a plain
copper ring. Of course, W would love to

80
Prison Break: 1630 cide to give the characters one Key Clue
It really is up to the characters how they that they may have missed, and perhaps
proceed. A description of the Grand even some money, but let’s not get silly!
Châtelet follows on page 82 if they want
to fight or break their way in, but depend- Either way, W is gone from Paris within
ing on how they are getting on with the minutes of receiving the ring.
authorities, they may be able to arrange
for a simple release. They suspect Geoff If Geoff is returned to W, then he too is
is a spy but are not certain he has in fact spirited from Paris within minutes, but if
done anything wrong, so they won’t be the ring was not returned, the characters
too resistant to letting him go if someone receive no reward.
important orders his release.
W, definitely not a spy: Armour 12
The Ring (none), Move 120’, 4th Level Specialist,
It does appear to be a plain copper 17hp, dagger 1d4+poison* or pistol
ring worth not more than 5cp. It is 1d8, Morale 10, Charisma 16.
not magical, but it does have a hidden Dagger, false papers, fine clothing,
compartment, discovered with a Search key to a lockbox hidden somewhere in
roll, containing a tiny scrap of paper Paris containing loads of coin, pistol,
upon which is written Louis XIII’s secret signet ring 17sp.
recipe for pot-au-feu. The compartment is *Save versus poison or die in 1d8
watertight, so if the characters are clever Rounds. F
and immerse the ring in water to look for W is charismatic, except you hate
bubbles, they will see none. If they chuck yourself for liking him, and he is very
it in a fire to look for secret writing from posh.
the Dark Lord then the paper burns up
inside. Oops.

Geoff has no idea what is inside the ring.

He was paid a lot of money to transport
the ring out of the city and thought it was
a simple enough task.

The Reward
If the ring is returned to W, he appears to
be grateful and tells the characters to look
out for a messenger at dawn, who will
bring them the information they seek.
He doesn’t have it right now and doesn’t
know anything himself.

Bastard Referees will, of course, have W

double-cross the characters and give them
nothing. More generous Referees may de-

81
 Appendix 2: The Grand Châtelet
This old fortress is the headquarters of the JOHANNES DELAUNAY, Provost of
Provost of Paris, a prison, and a court- Paris: Armour 12 (none), Move 120,
house. It also houses a morgue, which in 0 Level Bureaucrat, 4hp, pistol 1d8,
this case, is a place for unidentified corps- Morale 8.
es to be prepared for burial in unmarked Bundle of papers, jewellery worth
graves. The Châtelet is bang in the middle 27sp, normal clothing, pistol, signet
of the slaughterhouse district, and near ring.
one of the outlets from Paris’s sewers, so
the whole area reeks of blood and shit. All cells have heavy wooden doors and
barred windows. Keys to the cells and the
In a move that should please capitalists rest of the building are held by the guard
everywhere, Châtelet policy is to charge sergeants and the Provost. The guards
inmates for their stay, although prices are work in eight-hour shifts.
based on social rank, so it could be worse.
Ground Floor
All in all, the Châtelet is unlikely to get a A. Foyer. By day, two pairs of guards
good TripAdvisor rating. watch over this area, one couple outside
the doors and one inside. By night, the
F As well as the Provost, his horde of 0-Lev- main doors are locked and one pair of
el bureaucrats, and people like the cook guards is posted inside.
and the diener, the Châtelet is staffed by B. Guard room. At least one pair of
20 guards, plus another 10 to 60, depend- guards will be in each of these rooms,
ing on the current value of the Unrest in charge of the portcullis mechanism.
Die. There will be a sergeant for every 20 It takes one person four Rounds to raise
guards. the metal portcullis, two people two
Rounds, and three people one Round.
CHÂTELET GUARD, probably The portcullis drops in about a second.
grumpy: Armour 15 (buff coat and C. Storeroom. Bits and bobs for
breastplate), Move 120’, 0 Level Private, general repairs, feeding horses, and that
4hp, arquebus 1d8 or polearm 1d8, sort of thing.
Morale 8. D. Court room. There is a long,
Arquebus, breastplate, buff coat, sturdy table at which magistrates can
polearm, uniform. sit and do judgy things, metal rings
pounded into the stone floor for chains
CHÂTELET GUARD SERGEANT, to be attached, if required, and plenty
definitely grumpy: Armour 15 (buff of seating for those interested in watch-
coat and breastplate), Move 120’, 1st ing justice at work.
Level Fighter, 8hp, pistol (x2) 1d8 or E. Storeroom. This room holds
rapier 1d8, Morale 10. bundles of poor quality clothing for
Breastplate, buff coat, pistols (x2), prisoner use, 2d20 rats, and 4d100 lice.
rapier, uniform. F. Pantry.

82
 B D
A
E H
C
I
F
B J
G. Kitchen. Three tiers of food are prepared here: the
Provost’s lunch, staff meals, and whatever slop passes
K
for prison food. A desperate person could at a push find G F
L
some improvised weapons here.

Cell Block
A single guard watches this area from near the kitchen.
Each cell has a wooden “bed” and a bucket.
H. The Crib. Oh yes, the cells are named. I forgot to
tell you that. How nice.
N M
I. The Gourdaine.
J. Entre-deux-huis.
K. The Forgetting. Was that the one with Julianne
Moore and the aliens?
L. The Well.
M. The Pit. This one is fun. A hole leads down into a chamber shaped like an
inverted cone with a couple of feet of dirty “water” at its base. Prisoners are lowered
in by rope and are left to die.
N. Morgue. There are 1d6-1 corpses here in various states of decay and prepara-
tion.

83
 A B
A A
First Floor
A C H
A pair of guards patrols this
floor day and night. It takes
them about an hour to do a
A D
full circuit.
A. Offices. The Provost’s I
many assistants, deputies,
and officers work from here
E J
during the day. A single
guard watches over them.
F B. Barracks. Any guards not on active duty rest here.
F K
The door to the cells can be barred.

Cell Block G
These chambers are much nicer, although the term is
relative, than those on the ground floor, and tend to be
reserved for more important “guests.” The beds have mat-
tresses! Filled with straw and lice, but hey, mattresses! At
least one guard is posted here at all times.
C. The Channels.
D. Beauvoir.
E. La Motte.
F. La Salle.
G. Butchers. If you are using the optional event in Appendix 2 (page 82) then
Geoff is here.

GEOFF, stuck inside with nothing to do: Armour 12, Move 120’ 1st Level Fighter,
4hp, no weapons, Morale 9
Geoff is an average bloke with a strong sense of right and wrong.

H. Beaumont.
I. Grièche.
J. Beauvais. Marchand will be imprisoned here if caught (page 77).
K. Barbarie and Gloriette.
84
 A
A D
Second Floor
A pair of guards patrols this
B
floor every half an hour at
night. E E
A. Provost’s Office. The
Provost’s assistants work C
from the anteroom, and
there is always at least one
guard present. The office
itself can be locked and barred, and only the Provost
himself has the key. He keeps a loaded pistol on his desk,
and he would much prefer to work closer to the ground. F
B. Vault. This door is always locked, and only the E E
Provost has the key. A wooden coffer contains 209sp,
and a larger chest contains records of the Châtelet’s many
guests. This information is sure to be worth something to
someone.
C. Impound, because apparently “confiscatory” isn’t a noun even though it should
be. This room is always locked, with the Provost and the guard sergeants in pos-
session of the key. This is where the belongings of the Châtelet’s inmates are kept.
It’s also an excellent place to stick a weird magic item or something that ties into a
future adventure, like a glass bottle of thin, silver liquid that causes the drinker to fly
straight up 120’ per round for 11 rounds.
If you are using the optional event in Appendix 2 (page 82), then Geoff ’s ring is
here.
D. Guard room. At least four guards are posted here at all times. The door to the
cell block (D) can be barred and locked.
E. Communal cells. These large, featureless rooms are where the lowest-class pris-
oners, including foreigners and heretics, are kept. Each room holds 2d12 prisoners at
any time. A pair of guards checks the cells at the beginning of every eight-hour shift.

85
 If you need an occupant for any of the
cells you can generate one using the
following table. Cross them off as they
are used, unless you decided that doubled
results indicate accomplices!

The Dirty Dozen (1d12):

Arrested for charlatanry, including
1 trying to sell the Louvre to a visiting
bishop. He claims he didn’t do it.
A tennis player accused of taking size-
2
able bribes for throwing matches.
A “witch” accused of putting curses
3 on a local merchant and ruining his
business.
4 Killed a man in a drunken brawl.
Stole a merchant’s barge. During the
5 getaway, the barge was crashed and
sank.
Serial escapee. No one quite re-
F 6
members why they were originally
imprisoned and the records have long
been lost.
A tavern cook accused of poisoning
7
their customers. Definitely guilty.
Caught burgling the house of a minor
8
noble.
Killed and ate the horse of one of the
9
Deputy Provosts.
A musician accused of performing
10
seditious songs.
Huguenot saboteur accused of plotting
11
to blow up Notre-Dame.
Stole and sold paintings and sculptures
12
from various locations around Paris.

86
Appendix 3: Musketeers
It seems somewhat perverse to set an ATHOS, melancholy, mysterious, and
adventure in 1630s Paris and not feature paternal: Armour 13 (buff coat), Move
Dumas’s three-and-a-bit musketeers in 120’, 4th Level Fighter, 22hp, rapier 1d8
some form, so here they are, written up and pistol 1d8, Morale 10, Charisma
as LotFP characters. They may come in 14, Wisdom 14.
useful as allies against Richelieu, should Buff coat, fancy hat, silver locket with
that become necessary, or they could be some of Milady’s hair inside, pistol,
used as replacement characters. rapier, uniform.
Athos is the oldest of the Musketeers
Or you could go classic and have Riche- and has a murky past. He is melancholy
lieu be on board with his brother’s and untalkative and is often in his
activities, give each of your players one of cups. He is protective towards young
the Musketeers to play, and then go at it. d’Artagnan and comes to think of him
En garde! as a son. Among his many secrets are
his true identity as the Comte de la Fère
ARAMIS, handsome, religious, and and his previous disastrous marriage to
restless: Armour 14 (pikeman’s ar- the villain Milady de Winter.
mour), Move 120’, 1st Level Cleric/2nd
Level Fighter, 18hp, rapier 1d8 and D’ARTAGNAN, brave, clever, and F
arquebus 1d8, Morale 10, Charisma foolhardy: Armour 13 (buff coat), Move
16, Intelligence 14, Wisdom 14. 120’, 1st Level Fighter, 8hp, rapier 1d8
Cleric spells prepared: Bless and pistols 1d8 (x2), Morale 10, Dex-
Arquebus, Bible, fancy hat, silver terity 16, Intelligence 16.
holy symbol, pikeman’s armour, rapier, Buff coat, pistols (x2), rapier, uni-
uniform. form.
Aramis, or René d’Herblay, is in Charles de Batz de Castelmore d’Art-
some ways a mirror to Richelieu. He is agnan is a young nobleman who wants
a man at home in a barracks as much to make his name as a musketeer, going
as a church, and is ambitious, clever, as far as challenging each of the other
and ruthless. His pursuit of power is three to single combat before being
tempered only by his loyalty to his accepted into their ranks. Although
friends, perhaps the main trait that hot-headed and inexperienced, he is
separates him from the Cardinal. That also clever—you could say he has a
and the womanising. He is forever torn rapier wit, ho ho!—and soon becomes
between his calling as a Jesuit and his the trusted leader of the group.
duties as a soldier, always longing for
the other life. Oh my gosh, he’s Hot Rod, isn’t he?
How have I never seen that before?

87
 PORTHOS, extroverted, gluttonous, One for All!
honest, and naïve: Armour 13 (buff One should always refer to the original
coat), Move 120’, 3rd Level Fighter, text and Dumas’ The Three Musketeers is
25hp, rapier 1d8 and pistols 1d8 (x2) a justified classic. My favourite version of
and daggers 1d4 (x2), Morale 12, Con- the story (thanks for asking) is that told
stitution 16, Strength 16. in Richard Lester’s The Three Musketeers
Buff coat, daggers (x2), pistols (x2), (1973) and The Four Musketeers (1974).
rapier, some sort of snack like a roast These are big, silly adventure films that
turkey leg or something, uniform. are about as historically accurate as this
Porthos is your standard cheerful book, but worth watching because they
comedy relief. A big lad who eats, are great fun. The Return of the Muske-
drinks, and is merry. He’s the one that teers (1989) is the sequel, and is not as
eats an impossible amount of food and good because everyone’s old and tired and
drinks even more than Athos, some- Roy Kinnear died during filming and you
how without getting drunk like his can tell everyone’s lost enthusiasm, but
friend. His heart is as big as the rest of you may as well watch it if you’ve seen the
him, but is perhaps a bit too open as he others. Also, Christopher Lee is in it.
has a tendency towards gullibility.

88
Appendix 4: Comment t’appelles-tu?
All the important non-player characters in TitS have been named, but players have a
tendency to go off-piste, so if yours start roughing up random peasants and you need
a name in a hurry, you can use the following table of genuine French names of the era.
For added French flavour, you may want to combine and hyphenate names into a com-
pound like Jean-Luc. No, not that one.

Surname Forename 1 Forename 2

1 Andre Anne Albert
2 Belleau Antoinette Antoine
3 Bourgarit Audrey Baptiste
4 d’Aubrey Caroline Bernard
5 Dupont Catherine Blaise
6 Galonnier Céline Charles
7 Grand Charlotte Christophe
8 Lauret Elisabeth Claude
9 Le Roux Elodie Gabriel F
10 Marchand (no relation) Henriette Gaston
11 Médard Isabelle Henri
12 Mignot Jeanne Jean
13 Nicolas Julie Julien
14 Parillaud Lise Louis
15 Pascal Louise Luc
16 Penand Madeleine Maxime
17 Poirot Manon Philippe
18 Rousseau Marguerite Pierre
19 Souval Marie René
20 Tremouliere Thérèse Sebastien

89
 Appendix 5: Maison Richelieu
Cardinal Richelieu does most of his busi- CARDINAL’S MUSKETEER, literal
ness – ha ha – elsewhere, usually wher- redshirt: Armour 13 (buff coat), Move
ever the King is, but sometimes he works 120’, 1st Level Fighter, 8hp, rapier 1d8
from home, a townhouse on the north- and pistols 1d8 (x2), Morale 10.
west corner of a private square known as Buff coat, pistols (x2), rapier, uniform.
Place Royale.
There are four musketeers plus a number
The house and its staff are more modest equal to the current value of the Unrest
than one may expect from the most pow- Die. Two musketeers are posted at the
erful man in France, but that is in part front door, and the rest patrol the build-
because he spends most of his time away. ing. There is a shift change every eight
There is a 1 in 6 chance of Richelieu being hours or so, and any overt assault on the
home on any given night; otherwise, he Cardinal’s residence will bring a probably
is either sleeping wherever the pressing overwhelming response within minutes.
business of the day takes him, or he is
not sleeping at all because he’s managing SECRET DOORS: a number of secret
some sort of crisis. doors are marked on the maps, but with
F Richelieu’s Fourth-Dimensional Chess
Richelieu’s household is attended by a ability, any surface or object could con-
butler (Adrien Calvet), a cook (Perrine ceal a hidden door. It doesn’t matter how
Gardet), and three servants, all 0 Lev- absurd; that’s sort of the point.
el, apart from one servant (Timothée
Mallette) who is an English spy in the NOT-SO SECRET DOORS: External
employ of “W” (page 80). The Cardinal doors and windows are locked during the
is, of course, well aware of Timothée’s night. Richelieu, his butler, and one of the
true allegiance and enjoys feeding him indoor musketeers have the relevant keys.
all sorts of falsehoods to send back to the
English curs.

TIMOTHÉE MALLETTE, caught in

a trap: Armour 12 (none), Move 120’,
2nd Level Specialist, 8hp, small hammer
1d4, Morale 10, Search 2, Stealth 2,
Tinker 2, Intelligence 9.

The house is guarded by the Cardinal’s

Musketeers, who are much the same as
the King’s Musketeers, except they wear
red tabards and no one’s made any films
with them as the heroes.

90
GROUND FLOOR
A: The houses on this side of the
square back on to a communal courtyard
with 10’ high walls.
B: The kitchen window lock is in
poor condition, and the window can be
considered stuck as per Rules & Magic,
p 31, with a base 1 in 6 chance of being
forced open.

FIRST FLOOR B A
A: Richelieu’s chair is set a little bit
higher than the others, just enough to
make any sit-down meeting feel intimi-
dating. The desk is fancy and itself worth
50sp; a locked drawer – for which the
Cardinal has the only key – has a 1 in
6 chance of containing vital national
security documents. The chance is 2 in
6 if Richelieu is home. The documents
are false, and although worth 700sp to
the enemies of France, those buyers will F
also become enemies of the characters
once they realise what they’ve bought. A A
hidden compartment in the chair in the
corner contains the true papers.
B: A Search roll indicates that the
B
floorboards have been modified to squeak
when any pressure is placed upon them. C
The Cardinal is paranoid.
C: In theory, Richelieu could host
small dinner parties here, but he is often
away, and when he is home, he eats alone.

91
 SECOND FLOOR:
A: The door is locked, and only
Richelieu has the key. The Cardinal’s
library contains a fine selection of books
in various languages on theology, poli- A
tics, history, and even that new-fangled
science thing all the cool kids are talking
about. The collection is worth about
2003sp. There is a 1 in 20 chance that B
among the mundane texts is a spellbook
containing seven first level and three
second-level Magic-User spells. Richelieu
finds the tome blasphemous but fascinat-
ing. C
If Richelieu is a Cleric, as discussed on
p10, then hidden inside a copy of Crop
Rotation in the 14th Century is a scroll
containing a Cleric spell of fifth level. Counterfeit coins can be identified by
Probably Commune, but it’s up to you. a Specialist that rolls under their level
Yes, the secret door is in the bookcase. on 1d20, or any moneylender, fence, or
F I stayed in a house in Paris once that similar. Any character rolling under their
had an entire flat hidden behind a secret Intelligence on 1d20 will find the cypher
bookcase door, so is it still a cliché if it’s suspect; Magic-Users who succeed, or
real? Hm? anyone rolling a 1, will identify it as
B: As with the first floor, the corri- nonsense. I am tempted to rule that Com-
dor’s floorboards have been modified to prehend Languages doesn’t help, but you
squeak. The staff hates it. may be a kinder Referee than I.
C: Richelieu’s bedroom is locked
during the night; he and his butler have
the only keys. The wardrobe contains two
sets of the Cardinal’s robes, each worth
30sp. A locked box – Richelieu has the
key – under the bed contains 7000sp in
various coins. These are all fake. A hidden
compartment in the fireplace, inaccessi-
ble when the fire is lit, contains another
locked box that is opened with the same
key. This box contains 500sp in gold (!)
coins from across Europe, and a bundle of
documents written in some sort of code.
The coins are fake and the coded text is
gibberish.

92
THIRD FLOOR/ATTIC Seine, an underground supervillain base,
A: The butler’s room. or an entrance to the Veins of the Earth
B: The cook’s room. – available in all good games shops, etc.
C, D: The servants’ rooms. Whatever seems most Richelieu-ish at the
E: Timothée’s room. A loose brick time.
in the chimney conceals a bundle of
papers on which Timothée has written
his reports on the Cardinal’s meetings
and movements. Any character with an
Intelligence of 11 or higher can tell that A
there is nothing incriminating or even
interesting in the notes.
B
CELLAR
Richelieu keeps a good wine collection; at
any time there will be 1d12 bottles worth
35sp each. For less cultured visitors, the
C
Cardinal keeps a few barrels of beer,
worth about 20sp . The butler has also re-
cently bought a small keg of beer from the
D
Abbey of St. Christopher as he has heard
wonderful things about it. See Fermentum E F
Nigrum Dei Sepulti, available in all good
game shops, and most of the dodgy ones.

The secret door is opened using what is

effectively a keypad, and I know that’s
anachronistic and I don’t care. A Search
roll indicates five bricks in a column set in
the north-ish wall are slightly lighter than
those surrounding them, and that they
will depress – with a loud CLICK! – by
about half an inch before springing back.
If the top brick is 1 and the bottom is 5,
pressing the bricks in the order 31221
pops open the door. Richelieu and his
butler are the only ones aware of the door
and its code. The door opens into a rough
tunnel that leads about 50 yards to the
cellar of an empty house that – if anyone
decides to check – Richelieu owns.

Or it leads to a hidden boat dock on the

93
 Appendix n(pc)
I like to put all the NPCs of an adventure in one place to make things easier for the
Referee, and I will keep doing it until I am stopped. Bwahahaha, etc.

BLOODHOUND, snoopin’ ‘round your door: Armour 14, Move 150’, 1 Hit Dice, 6hp,
bite 1d4, Morale 8. Bloodhounds acquire and follow a scent on a 1d6 roll of 4+. Roll
again each time something happens that might confuse or disrupt the trail, such as
crossing a body of water.

BODERIQUE, dejected manservant: Armour 13, Move 120’, 2nd Level Fighter, 9hp,
club 1d4, Morale 12 as long as Alain is alive, 7 otherwise, Strength 14.

CHRISTOPHE THE DISGRUNTLED VAMPIRE, has seen things you people would
not believe but just wants to go home: Armour 18, Move 120’, 8 Hit Dice (36hp), Claw
1d10/Bite 1d4 plus blood drain, or Charm Person, Morale 10.
Blood drain: Bite damage is applied to both Hit Points and Constitution; a charac-
ter reduced to 0 Constitution dies and rises from the grave in 1d4 days as a vampire
with the same powers and vulnerabilities as their parent.
Charm Person: As the spell, Rules & Magic, page 93. May be used once per
F Round.
Gaseous Form: As the spell, Rules & Magic, page 106. The vampire can choose to
change form at any time but automatically changes at 0 Hit Points, at which point it
must return to its home soil to recover.
Regeneration: the vampire heals 3 Hit Points per Round.
Vulnerabilities: Christophe avoids mirrors and casts no reflection in them, and
can be killed by immersion in running water for 1 Round, or by beheading. Sunlight
causes him no harm but does prevent the use of his blood drain, Charm Person,
Gaseous Form, and regeneration abilities.

DAVID OR FELIX BONNOT, big burly fellas: Armour 12, Move 120’, 0 Level Busi-
nessmen, 8hp, hand axe 1d6 and pistol 1d8 (David) or club 1d4 (Felix), Morale 8*,
Constitution 16, Strength 16.
If David is killed, Felix’s Morale rises to 12. If Felix is killed, David inherits the inn.

ALAIN DE LA MARE, classic mad wizard: Armour 12, Move 120’, 5th Level Mag-
ic-User, 23hp, sharpened bit of hawthorn 1d4, Morale 9, Constitution 14, Intelligence
16, Wisdom 6.
Hawthorn stake, hexagonal wooden token, necklace of wooden holy symbols,
notebook filled with messy notes, pencil (behind left ear), ragged robes.
Spells Prepared (if expecting trouble): Charm Person, Light, Invisibility, Web
Spellbook: Charm Person, Identify, Invisibility, Knock, Light, Read Magic, Speak
With Dead, Unveil the Presence of the Dread Vampyre, Web, Wizard Lock

94
CHÂTELET GUARD, probably grumpy: Armour 15 (buff coat and breastplate), Move
120’, 0 Level Private, 4hp, arquebus 1d8 or polearm 1d8, Morale 8.
Arquebus, breastplate, buff coat, polearm, uniform.

CHÂTELET GUARD SERGEANT, definitely grumpy: Armour 15 (buff coat and

breastplate), Move 120’, 1st Level Fighter, 8hp, pistol (x2) 1d8 or rapier 1d8, Morale 10.
Breastplate, buff coat, pistols (x2), rapier, uniform.

JOHANNES DELAUNAY, Provost of Paris: Armour 12 (none), Move 120, o Level

Bureaucrat, 4hp, pistol 1d8, Morale 8.
Bundle of papers, jewellery worth 27sp, normal clothing, pistol, signet ring.

GEOFF, stuck inside with nothing to do: Armour 12, Move 120’ 1st Level Fighter, 4hp,
no weapons, Morale 9.

JEAN GRENIER, the Werewolf of Paris: Armour 12 (13 with wolfskin), Move 120’, 2nd F
Level Specialist, 12hp, shepherd’s staff 1d4 or “wolf claws” 1d4 (x2), Morale 12, Consti-
tution 16, Bushcraft 3, Sneak Attack 3, Stealth 3.

MARIUS LUPIN, the King of Miracles: Armour 13 (buff coat), Move 120’, 4th Level
Specialist, 18hp, dagger (x2) 1d4 and pistol (x2) 1d8, Morale 10, Charisma 16, Dexter-
ity 16, Climb 3, Languages 3, Sleight of Hand 3, Stealth 3, Tinker 3.
Buff coat, daggers (x2), normal clothing, pistols (x2), specialist’s tools.

CLAUDE MARCHAND, the Demon Tailor: Armour 12 (none) or 16 (boosted skin-

suit), Move 120’, 0 Level Tailor, 4hp, razor-sharp scissors 1d4, Morale 12.
Blue cloak; good quality but plain clothing; satchel containing a letter of passage
signed and sealed by Richelieu, a ring of keys, scissors, 6sp and 80cp; skinsuit (worn
under clothes).

AGGRIEVED PEASANT, wants to know where the children are: Armour 12, Move
120’, 0 Level Thug, 4hp, improvised club or broken bottle or something like that 1d4,
Morale 7.

RED SUN TOUGHS, want to know what you are looking at: Armour 12, Move 120’, 0
Level Thug, 4hp, hand axe 1d6, Morale 8.

95
 CARDINAL RICHELIEU, did it thirty-five minutes ago: Armour 12, Move 120’, 0
Level Political Genius, 6hp, Fourth-Dimensional Chess, Morale 12, Intelligence 18,
Wisdom 18.
Fourth-Dimensional Chess: Richelieu plans for almost every eventuality, which
is represented by a 90% chance, or 3+ on 1d20, of avoiding or exploiting any player
action against him. If they try to steal from him, he has put extra guards in place, or
the thing they steal is a fake. If they try to assassinate him, they kill a double. That
sort of thing. Your players will probably hate him, which is sort of the point. If your
players end up hating you, feel free to blame me, because I’m the one who was paid
to do this to them.
Extravagant clothing, signet ring, various fancy bits of jewellery worth 64sp.

RICHELIEU’S MAN, keen and loyal: Armour 13 (buff coat), Move 120’, 1st Level
Fighter, 8hp, rapier 1d8 and pistols 1d8 (x2), Morale 10.

RENE SAUVAL, DEPUTY PROVOST, compassionate and dedicated: Armour 13 (buff

coat), Move 120’, 1st Level Fighter, 6hp, rapier 1d8 and pistol 1d8, Morale 8, Charisma
16.
Buff coat, bundles of papers, normal clothing, pistol, rapier, ring with personal
seal.

F VIGILANTE, for great justice: Armour 12, Move 120’, 0 Level Thug, 4hp, clubs and
sticks and that 1d4, Morale 7.

W, definitely not a spy: Armour 12 (none), Move 120’, 4th Level Specialist, 17hp, dagger
1d4+poison* or pistol 1d8, Morale 10, Charisma 16.
Dagger, false papers, fine clothing, key to a lockbox hidden somewhere in Paris
containing loads of coin, pistol, signet ring 17sp.
*Save versus poison or die in 1d8 Rounds.

96
 Paris, 1630.

Europe burns and drowns in blood, but France remains,

for the most part, inviolate and strong.

Except now, horror has come to Paris.

The city’s children are going missing. Parents are fearful and paranoid, and the
people of Paris are becoming angry and restless.

A mysterious phantom figure is taking the youngsters and taunting the

authorities. Can the criminal be found before more children disappear? What is
the secret behind the kidnappings?

TERROR IN THE STREETS is written and drawn by Kelvin Green, who also
foisted FORGIVE US, FISH FUCKERS, MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE, and
MIDVINTER on the world.

TERROR IN THE STREETS is a historically-inspired investigative urban

horror adventure for characters of most levels, for use with LAMENTATIONS
OF THE FLAME PRINCESS WEIRD FANTASY ROLEPLAYING and other
traditional role-playing games.

Printed in Finland by
Otava Book Printing Ltd., Keuruu
Text © 2021 Kelvin Green First Printing: 2000 copies
Issued Under Exclusive License
LFP0071
Print 978-952-7238-49-3
PDF 978-952-7238-50-9
Published by
LamentationS
of the
Flame PrincesS
www.lotfp.com