[WIP] The Treasure of Seord Mac Firnan

[Zoetrope]

Hi,

This is my first attempt at a Canvas for Shadows of Esteren, so comments and constructive criticism most welcome!

The full Canvas can be downloaded in PDF format from here: The Treasure of Seord Mac Firnan [Updated 9/10/12]

The summary is as follows:

Seord Mac Firnan was the blacksmith to Lord Geralt, who has an extensive manor and village called Padinac in Taol-Kaer (the exact location of which is left to the GL’s discretion). Seord had been working for over two decades researching the properties necessary to correctly extract and forge Tugarch’, the rare metal so prized due to its qualities for slaying Feondas. Pieced together from old texts, discussions with his peers and many long hours of experimentation and research, Seord thinks he has finally arrived at the technique for flawlessly forging Tugarch’. With the consent and backing of his Lord, he has also acquired a reasonable quantity of Tugarch’, sliver by sliver, nugget by nugget.

Seord’s research was likewise funded by his Lord, who was looking to have crafted a unique sword made of Tugarch’ to take onto the battlefield. Seord disliked his master’s ethics and secretly vowed never to reveal the research he had painstakingly pieced together. As it neared completion, after months of delaying his impatient master, Seord implemented the means of spiriting away his life’s work. Not wanting to lose it forever, he created a map and instructions on how it could be found. So that it could not easily be located, the map is in four parts etched onto the back of Daols, which he has sent separately to his daughter, brother, aunt and old Master for safe keeping. Only the Daol sent to his daughter is accompanied by a letter which explains the true purpose of his actions and the significance of the map pieces.

Once Lord Geralt found out what Seord had done, he had him tortured for information and executed before setting about trying to find the treasure he had been promised all these years. Seord went to the grave not revealing the hiding place or details of the letters he had sent.

[Daïn]

Got it!
It's a pretty big canvas if I may say.
Give you a feedback asap (which means by tomorrow to be clear)

[Elenyl Forgelune]

Really interesting Zoetrope, Congratulations !!!
It gives me many ideas to deal with, and can easily fit with any place...

Very good job, and it's just the first one !

Elenyl, enjoying international community power...

[iznurda]

Well I read it fast but it's seems very good !

The universe point : Tugarch’ was used during Aegerwin and before but since the veins of the mines are dried up. The metal is extremely rare and no one knows the forge. This don't invalidate the research and the acquisition of two bars of Tugarch'. This is why I prefer the option of ancient history.

Secondary, if I'll lead this canvas I'll change roots of the kind : lord Geralt hire a famous blacksmith with the same goal : crafted a unique sword made of Tugarch’. First Seord agrees, seeing it as an opportunity to pursue and finance his own research. He quickly falls in disagreement with the Lord : it's the rest of your canvas.
Another option is to research the sword (or weapon, tri-kazelian uses more axes than swords.)

In all cases it is a very nice and original canvas you propose us here. Thanks !

iz

[Zoetrope]

Thanks for the comments!

The original Canvas was written in such a way that the 'treasure' was not specified, so that the GL could place there whatever they chose. It is still written in a way that it can easily be modified, I believe, but I wanted to put an idea forward for what it could contain.

I did think that Tugarch' could be very rare and difficult to find, and therefore very valuable, so this can easily be omitted from the Canvas. The research notes are in themselves very important. I also thought that the map, and Seord's findings, could also be the location of a new mineral vein where Tugarch' had been uncovered and was about to be mined, but this would require more work to make it fit in.

As for the size of the Canvas, I'm not sure what the limitations are but the level of detail here was necessary to get the whole adventure across. To bump it up a notch to a Scenario would require some playtesting, NPC stat generation and mechanics inserting along the way. To do so, though, removes the flexible nature of how it is currently written.

Happy to consider any modifications or suggestions!

Cheers,
Z

[iznurda]

Canvas are short story because they concern one situation. Their size is usually 3-4 pages but can be more, especially as it provides for you more material : letters, etc. no problem about the size :p

The other positive point of canvas : they have a flexible nature, as you say. No obligation to transform it into a scen.

If you have a scen idea and only one acte, maybe you should write a canvas ^^

Lack the playtest now =)

iz

[Deorman]

That's a very good canvas, I have nothing to add to my predecessor comment.

[Daïn]

This is indeed a very good canvas.
You kept everything broad enough but because every single section of it may become an adventure on its own, I see it as a Canvas of a campaign, not a simple adventure.

Let me be clear. I really liked it. As a matter of fact, I just contacted a friend of mine to run a game, using your ideas.
Your canvas may also be seen as an introduction to the setting. I mean, by the way of the Daols given away to different people, you gathered several aspects of the game which are central to the game. Like a Damathair, a Lord, a Demorthen, a middle-class person, and rich citizen (to say the least).
I don't know if it was intended but this is very good to me.

I don't think I would change anything from what you've done. The feeling is just that I am eager to read more about it. There are so many aspect that may be fleshed out. But well, I guess it is the true purpose of a Canvas, isn't it?
Not sure you want to write down more about it but here are ideas that came along while reading. You can perhaps write something about the ideas/ decisions that suit you, the way you think the story may be developed. I don't know.
The canvas is solid enough as it is now anyway.

My intake:
- Lord Geralt must have heard something about the Daols given away. If he is that much nasty, brutal and rich, he then must be able to get what he wants, whatever the price can be. Seord is no spy, just a mere blacksmith, a good one though but not trained enough to resist pain and suffering.
To me, it would be logical that Lord Geralt is the commissioner for the recovery of the Daols. What is not, though, is his part in the official version.

- The map made out of the Daols:
I would have added a secret code, like the Vigenère Cipher (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vigen%C3%A8re_cipher), something not too complicated but still hard for people like Lord Geralt and his minions. The Key would be the name of his daughter for instance. Not her real name, but her nickname, only known to her, of course. So having all the Daols wouldn't help anyway. You would have to buy the trust of every single person to get a possible information to decipher the code/ getting the key.
I would say then this is the reason why Lord Geralt didn't send over his minions but chose to use the "Adventure for PC way". We can imagine he found out about the code after stealing and giving the Daol back to the Old Demorthen, for instance. She's absent-minded enough to make the idea possible. Note that showing an arm injury (Ninni, SIT,! No no no, SIT DOGGY! Holy crap...) on one of the Geralt's minions may give a hint to the PCs of what's going on.

- The idea of Ingots is too plain, imo. The Turgach' may have been molded into a sculpture, then painted with a common metal-looking paint. It then may be put on a shelf without letting anyone know the sculpture is special. How cunning would it be to have this sculpture put on a shelf within the manor of Lord Geralt, and then, during the questioning Seord would have said: "It has always been yours, I own nothing" or anything like that.


- The key for deciphering the Daols has never been so much important. It reveals "what" and "where" must be looking for.
We can also add a "when" by placing the sculpture on a shelf among many others. At dawn, a ray of light may pierce through a window a illuminate the sculpture.

- I would add Geralt's minions following the PCs, always staying in the shade, as to improve paranoia.

- I like the fact of Lord Geralt being the bad guy, recruiting the PCs for a job. Moral conflicts are good things. Does the end justify the means?
Love your idea of long term nemesis.

- I would probably also insist on the difficulty of travels. Roads are not safe, side ways worse. It would be good to add some ideas for GLs to handle better the meaning of danger on the roads (not necessary Féondas)

Just some thoughts

[JohnK]

Hullo, Zoetrope,

Just took a look at the Canvas, and love what you've done here.

I may have some comments on this later on, but from what I've read, there's a really good basis for a scenario here.

I am now intimidated about posting any scenario or canvas ideas up here!

Well done!

[Zoetrope]

This is indeed a very good canvas.
You kept everything broad enough but because every single section of it may become an adventure on its own, I see it as a Canvas of a campaign, not a simple adventure.

Glad you like it, I wanted to create something which could be kept fairly simple or expanded as the GL desires. I tend to run games with a skeleton framework and adapt as the Players play through the game.

I think your suggestions are excellent, but evolve the adventure down a different path to the one I put forward in the Canvas (which is a great way to go, of course!). Every person will have a different slant on how the adventure should be run, so it'll be great to hear how people go with it! Please let me know how it goes if you run it your way!!

I like the idea of expanding on the dangers of travel between the various locations, with some suggestions of encounters along the way. Because I've not tied the Canvas to specific locations (though some are mentioned), the GL can increase/decrease the distance from one part of the adventure to another as they desire. It could, at a push, all be set in the one (albeit large) town or city like Osta-Baille I guess.

Cheers,
Z