An English adventure for Vaesen

The Thief

Bill Higgins

Age 34

Social class: Poor

Upbringing

HARD WORK. Even as a youth you had to earn a living for yourself

or your family. Long days of hard and thankless toil left their mark on your body and soul. You were hardened by labour, for better or worse.

Life event 1

PRISON. You were arrested and sent to prison. Perhaps you deserved

it, or maybe you were framed. You spent years in a cold

and damp stone cell, and learned that you can survive anything.

Life event 2

FOUR-LEGGED FRIEND. You saved a puppy from certain death

and have had a loyal companion by your side ever since. You have been through a lot together and one thing is certain you would both die for each other.

Talent

SUSPICIOUS

Ignore mental Conditions when making VIGILANCE

tests.

The Private detective

Shylock Jones

Age 53

Social class: Burgher

Upbringing

IN THE CORRIDORS OF POWER. Your mother or father was a government official, and even as a child you had access to influential

people and important places. Perhaps you spent the summers among politicians and diplomats on a beautiful country estate, or helped your father/mother with their work.

life event 1

HIGH-PROFILE CASE. You took on a high-profile case and suddenly found yourself in the limelight. It may have been a missing heir or a gruesome murder. You were under great pressure and learned a lot about the darker side of human nature.

life event 2

YOUR OWN AGENCY. You took the opportunity to start your own firm. It was not long before you got your first client, and over the years you took on the most extraordinary cases. Perhaps you are still running the agency Talent

ELEMENTARY

Once per session you can ask the Gamemaster to explain how clues are connected.

The Academic

Agatha Nunnery

age 30

Social class : Aristocrat

Upbringing

TRAVELED EUROPE. You always wanted to see the world, and your

parents indulged you. You set out on a grand tour of Europe.

Perhaps you went to the opera in Vienna, frolicked in London,

and danced the waltz in St. Petersburg. You learned a great

deal about life and often long for your next trip.

life event 1

SOCIALITE. You mingled with high society, made powerful friends,

and lived a life of luxury. Perhaps you made yourself insufferable

at dinner parties; perhaps you just grew tired of the shallow life.

life event 2

SCANDAL. You found yourself in the eye of the storm. A great

scandal came to light and you were caught up in it. You learned

who your real friends were and what matters most in life.

Talent

KNOWLEDGE IS REASSURING

Ignore Conditions when making LEARNING tests.

Robert Edge

Age 31

Social class: Burgher

upbringing

PARTY ANIMAL. Your life was one big party. There was always a dance or dinner around the corner, always a bottle of wine or a drunken pub crawl to help pass the time. You made lots of friends during your partying days, and possibly an enemy or two.

life event 1

VALOR. You performed a heroic feat that attracted much attention. Perhaps you led a charge on the battlefield, or saved the crew of a sinking ship. People looked up to you for what you did. For a time you were a hero. 

life event 2

EXPEDITION. You were part of a major expedition – a military campaign, a journey around the world, or a scientific expedition. You were tested to your limits and lost many friends along the way. But you made it home safely, with memories that will last forever

Talent

GENTLEMAN

You were raised to control your emotions and behaviour in social situations, even under pressure. Ignore penalties from mental Conditions when making MANIPULATION tests.

Day Laborer

George Thomas

Age 58

Social class: Worker

Upbringing

SICKLY. Drafty windows, vermin, and poor diet did a number

on you. From childhood you were often sick and weak. You did

what you could to help out anyway, but it took its toll. That you

survived into adulthood is something of a miracle

life event 1

RIVAL. Perhaps it was a close friendship that soured, or a

stranger who crossed your path one too many times. You gained

a rival who hates you just as much as you hate him/her.

Life event 2

ACCIDENT. You were scarred for life in a serious accident. Perhaps

you were run over by a burgher’s carriage, or fell from

a scaffold. You fought your way back to life and will never let

anyone take advantage of you ever again.

Talent

WELL-TRAVELED

Once per mystery you can make a MANIPULATION test to create an NPC who is situated in the area, and who you have met before. The Gamemaster decides how she has changed since you last met, and what she thinks of you now. If the test fails, she is either hostile or in great need of your help.

The psychic

Dirk Acord

Age 23

Social class: Worker

Upbringing

UNDERGROUND. Everyone in the village you grew up in did it, and so did you. The mine was your destiny. In its hot tunnels, deep

beneath the earth, you toiled in the dark. You watched comrades

get hurt and even killed. But you persevered and came

to know the tunnels like the back of your hand.

Life event 1

RENOWNED. You suddenly became famous. Perhaps the newspapers wrote stories about your knowledge, or maybe you saved someone’s life. With fame came both happiness and problems.

Talent

MEDIUM

You can use OBSERVATION to perform seances where you predict people’s futures and contact the dead. Extra successes provide more information, prolong the contact, or cause spirits to materialize. On failure you are given inaccurate information, attacked, or suffer a Condition.