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Thursday, September 12, 2024
Vaesen: A Wicked Secret and Other Mysteries - Review
This 112 page book (including endpapers and such) consists of 4 unrelated scenarios. No pre-gens are provided.
On the maps for each scenario, I've circled Upsala in green as a reference point. Red is the destination.
I really enjoyed all 4 scenarios. If run correctly, with some GM inspiration, all 4 scenarios can be really, really good.
Ranked in order of preference:
1. The Night Sow
2. The Silver of the Sea
3. A Wicked Secret
4. The Song of the Falling Star
Most of my sessions are 3 hours long. Different groups take different times, but my run times are here for comparison purposes. At conventions, I generally book a 6 hour time slot which includes time for explaining the system and a break for food.
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The Silver of the Sea
Location: Fjällbacka Archipelago
Pages: 22
Run Time: 3 sessions
Hook: A dead priest washes up ashore with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Another priest suspects foul play at Wrecker Isle.
=== SPOILER SECTION START ===
The Plot: Every new moon, Zacharias Amundsson sacrifices a human to his true mother, a mermaid. This brings herring to the island and makes the Amundssons wealthy. When he tried to sacrifice the priest, the priest in desperation committed suicide. The PCs with an NPC priest are the meddling kids who the Amundssons will try to sacrifice this new moon. Vaesen: Mermaid (p.140, core book) and Kraken (new creature, only stat: Might 14) Location of Note: Götta Canal
Of note, the map for Wrecker Isle on p.11, the labels for the Residence and Inn are swapped. The house should be far away from regular foot traffic going to the Inn. Also, the Inn should be bigger than the house. Of interest, there are two outhouses, one for the Residence, one for the Inn.
The Warehouse on p.19. Since the priest, Vicar Carl Eric Hedquist, was killed out at sea, it doesn't make sense that there's large blood stain here. I'd change this to having some blood on the pendant. Maybe he was hit over the head here and the blood is from a head wound. If that's the case, I'd tell the PCs there's some blood here, maybe from a minor cut, not the blood from a gunshot wound to the head.
Route through Götta Canal (in blue)
1832 Grand Opening of the Götta Canal
Modern view of the Götta Canal
In my run, the PCs went back and forth from Wrecker Isle to Fjällbacka multiple times. They checked with the Constable and Coroner. They even left Oscar Uddgren alone on Wrecker Isle, so I decided to kidnap him and put him in a herring barrel for the new moon sacrifice. The PCs rescued him. The PCs then leveled charges of kidnapping on Pete and Pace. The Constable arrested them. The Herring Baron hired a lawyer and paid their bail. The PCs understood what was happening with the sacrifices, but decided that prosperity and less ship wrecks in exchange for a monthly sacrifice was a good trade and decided to leave well enough alone. Weeks later, Oscar mysteriously drowns in his own bed and the charges against Pete and Pace were dropped.
=== SPOILER SECTION END ===
A Wicked Secret
Location: Färnsta
Pages: 32
Run Time: 2 sessions
Hook: An industrialist sent two trusted men to Färnsta to buy forestry land. One came back raving mad, the other is missing. The ravings sounded like Society business. Can the Society look into this for a handsome fee?
=== SPOILER SECTION START ===
The Plot: Secret cult members, elders of the village, sacrifice one of their own every generation to renew a pact with their pagan gods who enriches the forest. The cult leader, Märta Karlström, doesn't want her people to sell their land to the industrialist and sent the Grim to kill the industrialist's agents. One was murdered, the other escaped, but lost his sanity. Märta has decided to kill everyone against her, including the local priest and villagers. And also sacrifice Vilhemina Skytt in a ritual to renew the pact.
Vaesen: Church Grim (p.129 core book).
In my run, the PCs arrived in August von Meijer's coach, so the coach and coachman would be at their service while in Färnsta.
The PCs found Hammarström's body and the brushed over giant-sized cat prints. The body was at the edge of the graveyard, so that still matches with the Grim protecting the church grounds. They confront Ingvar Nyström who eventually tells the PCs about the Church Grim. The PCs ask the priest to take them to the local coffin maker and get a coffin made for Hammarström's body. While there, they find out more about Märta and Dorotea.
The PCs had also met Vilhelmina Skytt and were invited to her mother's house. They spoke to Dorotea and found that she was in the midst of bargaining with the two previous agents of von Meijer before they disappeared. She tells the PCs what her price was. PCs agree to inform von Meijer.
The PCs send Hammarström's body back with the coach and a letter to von Meijer with Skytt's offer to sell.
While at the Village Hall, the PCs learn about the old families of Färnsta, that Märta and Dorotea didn't get along. That the oldest structure was the church. It was there before the village. They also learn more about the Church Grim. The PCs got the stink-eye from one of the land owners, especially when one of the loggers talked about the Grim. They also learn that the locals think both of von Meijer's agents vanished two weeks ago when the church bells rang.
The PCs remembered that Lindesköld had said that the beast tried to get into the house where he was staying which was Karlström's house, no where near the church. They inspected the outside and on a success, I told them they also found brushed over giant-sized cat prints around the house. Suspicious of Karlström, they arrange to stay overnight at the Skytt house.
That night, the church bells ring and Nyström dies. The PCs stay indoors until morning. I put Handout 2C in Nyström's pocket as the PCs had already searched the standing stones and found nothing. They return to the standing stones and go east and find a boulder standing against a hill. Using a pry bar, the boulder easily slides away, revealing a tunnel. Following the tunnel, they find the ritual space underneath the church. They dig under the pentagram looking for the Grim's body, but don't find it. After a Challenging Investigation test, they find hidden in the foundation stones the Grim's body wrapped in cloth with ancient runes written on it. They set it on fire with their lantern oil. Smoke starts entering the tunnels and they feel an earthquake. The PCs flee. Outside, they see the church on fire and the stones collapsing.
The PCs decide to leave town before the villagers come after them. They go to the Skytt house to gather their belongings and leave town with the Skytts in their horse drawn cart. This also solves the issue of Karlström trying to sacrifice Vilhelmina which the PCs didn't know about.
The Skytts sell their land and accept the invitation of the PCs to relocate to Upsala.
=== SPOILER SECTION END ===
The Night Sow
Location: Mölle
Pages: 18
Run Time: 2 sessions (ran this twice, both times took 2 sessions).
Hook: A friend asks for help at the Mölle Seaside Hotel. The problem is a secret that can't be revealed until you show up.
=== SPOILER SECTION START ===
The Plot: Lighthouse keeper Magnus Lundin is the protector of Mölle. For generations his family has protected the strong magic available at the Hill. The Sisters of Satan (amateur witches) started tapping the Hill's power and accidentally turned Katarina Jönsson into the Gloson. Lundin decided to do something about it. He got control of the Gloson and has been eliminating the witches with it.
Vaesen: Gloson (new creature, full stat, p.74). Location of Note: The Lighthouse
Of note is Molle Seaside Hotel on p.67, "moved all their beds into a single room." I'm looking at the map of the hotel and the only thing that makes sense is that they moved Olga's beds into the Satan's Sisters Room, not moved their beds into Olga's Suite. Then they converted Olga's Suite into a workspace. If that's the case, the two beds in Olga's room should be in the Satan's Sisters Room. I think that makes more sense and when the PCs enter the Satan's Sisters Room, it'll be wall-to-wall beds. I'd actually add a giant pentagram drawn in the middle of Olga's Suite's floor, possibly covered with an area rug.
In my run, my PCs decided attack Lundin at the Lighthouse. Lundin fired his pistol from inside the lighthouse while the Gloson TPKed the party, easily breaking every PC. A new set of PCs decided to investigate why the previous group disappeared in Mölle. This time, they discovered not only was there a Gloson, but there were 4 new piglet Glosons (the TPKed PCs). In some legends the Gloson is accompanied by piglets. The new PCs negotiated the transfer of ownership of the 4 piglets for a promise to find for Lundin a child-bearing wife (with the Sight), so he can continue his lineage. Undoing the Gloson curse was up the the PCs. Once that was figured out, Lundin promised he would undo the curse on Katarina.
I did change how the magic worked. I decided there were strong ley lines at the Hill. Lundin knows the spell for making a Gloson, the spell is written on the Rooting Cave wall, but not how to undo it. The Linden staff only controls the Gloson. I had Lundin claim that once the witches changed Katarina into the Gloson, it would ravage the area, indiscriminately killing everyone, so he took control of it and used it to eliminate the threat of the witches. He changed the TPKed PCs into piglets to teach them a lesson (for trying to murder him for no reason, at least from his viewpoint). He's been lecturing them and Katarina daily on morality.
Location: Arensburg on the island of Oesel
Pages: 16
Run Time: 1 session
Hook: A cousin's wife has gone insane and a priest says his newborn son is under an evil influence.
=== SPOILER SECTION START ===
The Plot: The von Kaiserling's child is actually a changeling. Hugo von Kaiserling didn't return a kantele as promised to a Troll village, Kaali Village. Until it is returned (with a tight deadline), his child will not be returned / exchanged.
Vaesen: A whole Troll village Location of Note: Kaali Lake, a crater lake
Kaali Lake
kantele
In my run, the PCs got the children exchanged, but that enraged Father Cornelius and made an enemy of him. Soon after, Father Cornelius (Russian Orthodox Church) started picketing Castle Gyllencreutz with the other priest (who was Lutheran) that was already protesting the evils at the castle. Both were now joined in a common cause. Then one day, both priests suddenly disappeared....
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