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Chaosium Digest Volume 31 Number 03
Chaosium Digest Volume 31, Number 3
Date: Tuesday, May 2, 2000
Number: 2 of 3
The Adventure of the Lady of Darkwater (part 2)
Jasmine, Ghul Sorceress.
Yasmina, or Jasmine, has poorly developed magical powers, so she was low in the
hierarchy of the ghuls of the Levant. When Basil arrived on Crusade she charmed
him, and traveled with him to Byzantium. When Sangremor le Desirous sailed
from Constantinople to Britain in 514, Basil and Jasmine were part of his
retinue. Basil won glory and land through feats of arms in Arthur's early wars,
then died of a fall while riding. Jasmine ate him, but cannot understand why
he's haunting her.
Jasmine wants children, and needs a human husband to have them. She is
virtually sterile, but her children cannot die of juvenile illness. She has
selected a player character to act as her new spouse, and laid elaborate plans
to snare him.
SIZ: 9 Move 3 Major Wound 25
DEX: 14 Damage 4d6 Unconscious 9
STR: 15 Heal Rate 6 Knock Down 9
CON: 25 Hit Points 34 Armor: Clothing (1)
APP: 23 Age: 60 (appears younger)
Attack: Dagger 22, Bow 12, Horsemanship 25 (Cultural skill)
Traits: All Evil 16+.* Deceitful 25. May oppose Deceitful to other evil
traits to hide them.
Passions: Loyalty (Ghoul Pack) 21
Significant Skills: Many excellent skills, due to advanced age. Intrigue,
Chirurgy and First Aid all 20 or above.
Horse: best available in Phase (rides horses larger than palfreys)
* Evil bonus: Aside from her usual ghoulish powers, Jasmine can create potions.
Her Magic Pool is 198 and rises slightly as her Evil traits increase. Her
natural talents are Glamour and Emotion, her patron is Ahura Mazda, God of
Darkness. Jasmine cannot cast spells, although she may make Talismans. As one
of the living dead, she needs not pay sleep for the magical energy she borrows
from the Other Side. Each potion requires disgusting ingredients which she
secretly procures from the hospice, with the aid of Zekiel.
Ghoulish abilities: Ghuls do not bleed (maximum 6 points damage per cutting
blow), do not age, heal quickly and are supernaturally charming.
Sir Basil, the Phantom Knight of Darkwater
Initially a Zoroastrian, Basil converted to Christianity, so his ghost cannot
rest until it is buried in hallowed ground or consumed by fire. Since Jasmine
and her companions ate him, this means that he must walk the Earth until she,
and the other ghuls who feasted on his flesh, are all buried or burned.
SIZ: 14 Move 3 Major Wound: 100**
DEX: 13 Damage Special# Unconscious: 0**
STR: 17 Heal Rate 100** Knock Down: 100**
CON: 100** Hit Points 100** Armor: Byzantine plate (14) + Chivalry
+ shield
APP: 10*
* Continually armored in Byzantine plate.
# Basil's weapons only harm ghuls, or those becoming ghuls. Those attacking
him need to make Valor rolls, but he can't harm normal humans. Those who have
sampled the Black Wine of the Ghuls, described later, are vulnerable. They take
between 1 and 3d6 damage per injury, depending on how close they are to becoming
ghuls themselves. True ghuls take 3d6 damage from his blows.
Basil's almost-intangible weapons ignore armor, and cannot be resisted with
ghoulish healing powers.
*** Basil is a ghost. He doesn't get tired or injured, ever. He's all-but
insubstantial, so he can't be knocked down. He may be banished by any critical
hit that passes through his armor.
Lady Jasmine is swaddled in warm clothing, but during her effusive praise and
thanks, the characters may notice that her claimed pregnancy has not distorted a
lovely figure. If they search for her horse they find it slashed open nearby.
As her gallant saviors escort her home, Jasmine tells them about herself and
her home, giving them an edited version of the history presented in her
biography. She states that the Phantom of Darkwater is Sir Peter, the last lord
of the manor's previous line of holders. "He killed my dear husband, by making
his horse shy. He won't rest until one of his rebellious family is lord of the
manor again."
As they ride into Darkwater, they pass first a leprosarium, then a hospice,
before arriving at the manor. Her saintly husband, who had served as a sergeant
in the Hospitalliers, Jasmine reports, endowed these places of healing. Jasmine
shuns the leper colony, and advises the characters to do likewise. Although she
cannot catch leprosy, Jasmine doesn't want her victim diseased. The ghuls
maintain the separate hospices to keep the flavorsome and rancid separate.
The hospice is a hive of activity. The knights take a few moments to warm
themselves and report Jasmine's safety to Zekiel, the Hospice's steward, who has
roused the tramps and beggars who shelter there to join the search for her
ladyship. Jasmine first shows affection toward her victim among these simple
souls who, because she fattens them up and gives them somewhere comfortable to
die, consider her a saintly woman. They are pleased when, absentmindedly, her
eyes follow her handsome rescuer about the room.
Victim selection
Jasmine's ghoulish informants have given her detailed information about the
knights. She selects a victim using the following criteria
*Renowned for Trustingness (16+)
Jasmine's lifestyle is easier to maintain if her husband is not Suspicious.
*Is chivalrous
Chivalrous knights treat all women extremely well, and are bound to support the
lady in any argument, regardless of the rights of the case. Chivalrous men are
easy for evil women to manipulate.
*Is landed in a distant locale and adventurous.
A landed knight spends time touring his demesne. Adventurous knights spend
months each year in the wilds of Britain. Each of these factors reduces the
amount of time Jasmine needs to spend with her husband.
*Is a romantic knight
Jasmine hides behind the acceptable forms of romance. She is Chaste before
marriage, and gladly accepts platonic expressions of Amour from characters other
than her husband. Chaste amour is considered by many to be the highest, and
most glorious, form of love, which is why Arthur allows hundreds of men to
passionately admire his wife. Jasmine uses her Amours as a personal army.
*Does not have, and is not attempting to achieve, Christian bonus
Jasmine fears a committed Christian may find some way to communicate with her
husband's ghost.
Tramps carry stories of his courage along the main pilgrimage routes throughout
Britain. If the knights describe the battle, Jasmine insists that the Phantom
has been "vanquished". Privately she tells the knights that Sir Peter
sometimes attacks peasants, and she doesn't want to scare the fragile souls in
the Hospice. Truthfully, she doesn't want priests and errants turning up in her
demesne chasing the
ghost, until her plan ripens.
Darkwater Manor is built of greenish-gray stone and is of the functional style
popular in the time of Uther. Inside it is far homier, and is decorated with
riches, many from Byzantium. Jasmine's grave-robbing procures little wealth,
but that which she steals in Britain is traded with other ghuls on the Continent
for decorative luxuries, so that embarrassing exposures are prevented. Many of
these treasures are tomb-goods, although enough were Sir Basil's that she simply
adds pieces to his
collection and makes up a story about how her "dashing husband" acquired her new
treasure.
The Hostess
Lady Jasmine, when out riding, dresses in thick clothes that cover her entire
body except her eyes, which are an alluring green. When the characters have
washed up, she insists they eat with her. In a distracted manner, calculated to
be enticing and yet appear entirely innocent, as the knights break their first
loaves, Jasmine removes first her gloves, then her riding hood, then her riding
shawl and jacket, folding them and placing them on a side table. She summons a
maid, who has green eyes, to fetch away her garments.
Under her travel gear Jasmine wears a serviceable black dress and, after giving
the knights a chance to see what lovely hair she has, she dons a dark hood that
the maid brings when first summoned. Jasmine wears a diaphanous veil, also
black, that covers her lower face allowing her dainty cheekbones and elegant
neck to be seen. The only hint of color about her is her shawl-pin, which she
transfers to
her chest as a brooch. It depicts the Darkwater coat of arms. Characters who
make (Courtesy+5)
rolls realize that Jasmine is wearing mourning clothes.
Canting
Canting is the method of selecting arms based on visual plays upon words. It is
considered tasteless in France and Logres, but was quite popular during Uther's
reign, when the rules of heraldry were still being formalized. It remains
popular in the north and west of Britain. Many of the manors with canted arms,
like Darkwater, retain these unfashionable symbols as a signs of venerability.
During dinner conversation Jasmine makes certain that her selected victim is
aware of the factors which make her an attractive wife. Having subtly displayed
her physical charms, she guides the conversation toward her husband. In a
moment of self-depreciation she mentions that she has been married twice. Her
first husband was, she claims, a Byzantine nobleman who died in a skirmish
within a fortnight of their marriage. She also asks the knights how their wives
put up with the loneliness of waiting for them to return. If the characters
mention that their wives have families, she explains that her husband has no
family in Britain. She spends, she says, a great deal of time with her
husband's servants, and the brothers of the hospice he endowed. If the
characters offer to entertain her they may check courtly skills.
Jasmine's conversation enforces three ideas, the first two of which are
accurate. The land she occupies is more than wealthy enough to support a knight
and two hospices, the equivalent of a small banneretcy. Her husband had no
male relatives, so the child she claims to carry is the manor's heir. Her next
husband would draw revenue from her land until the boy reached adulthood. If
this heir died, her new husband's sons would inherit the land. Her
widely-cultivated story that she has been married twice prevents her lord from
selecting her husband, although he must approve her choice.
It's not the done thing to woo pregnant widows, but characters may develop an
amour for Lady Jasmine if they wish, and may begin to court her, subtly.
Courtesy rolls indicate that the way around the prohibition on courting widows
is to praise some quality of their widowhood. Highlighting her excellent
qualities, such as her endurance, how well she bears her sorrow and the
excellence of her stewardship of her son-to-be's lands are all permitted.
During this phase, Jasmine collects all the admirers she can. She prompts as
many knights as possible to develop Amour for her, but does not enter formal
Romance with any of them. A character who brings a gift and declares his love
is told that it would be wrong for her to consider suitors while she is in
mourning, an answer calculated to keep their hopes,
and Passion, alive. Cunning characters can offer their gifts as donations to
the hospice.
It is indecorous to tarry here. Widows are supposed to be left in seclusion
during mourning. They might stay a day or so, in which case their green-eyed
guide shows them the finer points of the domain, apologizing profusely and
promising not to have them out after dark again. If they leave the next
morning, the guide describes those parts of the land which they cannot see, from
the homeward road, in glowing terms.
LAND RECORD SHEETS/HANDOUT
Darkwater lies on a river called the Douglas. There are dozens of Douglas
rivers in Britain, since the name literally means "black water". The Roman
settlers in this area kept the local name for the river, but translated it for
the name of the settlement from which the modern manor grew.
Darkwater was once a simple manor, but during the unification many small
communities were abandoned. Peasants clustered into larger, more defensible,
groups. Darkwater swelled, at the expense of tiny surrounding communities.
Darkwater's demesne has been heavily developed. It maintains, under the
original feudal contract, one knight and twenty soldiers, plus those required to
defend the town. When Jasmine remarries, the lord renegotiates this contract,
taking into
account its greater population and level of development.
Darkwater is on the verge of becoming a banneretcy. Only three steps are
required for the manor to become an Estate. If Jasmine transfers funds from
feeding the dying to supporting another knight, Darkwater then maintains the
required four. She is unwilling to do this. A landed husband may sidestep this
requirement. The fortifications need to be upgraded so that Darkwater can
serve as a seat of
power. At minimum a curtain wall is required about the town and the palisade
about the shell keep, wherein the manor lies, must to be strengthened or
replaced. Finally, her lord needs to agree to the change of status.
He agrees more readily if her new husband's lands are within his domain.
Although a character with an enfeoffed manor off in the wilds can, in theory,
call up three knights, the knight in another kingdom cannot be required for more
than 40 days service. This leaves the character one knight short if both of his
lords call their full contingents at the same time.
Darkwater (POP 5)
Works (AREA 6, DV1)
Rock Wall (3), Gate (-2)
Manor House (AREA 1, DV1)
Motte (0), Rock wall (3), Gate (-2)
Food 8 32 (Lord's portion)
Goods 13
Rights 10 2 (Court Fees)
Total 40F + 25G = 65
Expenses: Food Goods
Life-style 5 5
Maintenance 5
80 soldiers 14
Entourage 6 6
Court Fees 1
Liege 2
Hospices* 12 6
Total: 39 23
Several nearby domains pay their church tithe through donations to the hospices,
which have the useful secular effect of drawing tramps and lepers out of their
territories and into Darkwater. This amount is larger during excellent
harvests.
[HANDOUT ENDS]
ON GM's COPY ONLY.
Jasmine is unwilling to allow the level of food distributed at the hospices to
fall, as this limits the food supply of her ghul pack. From her graverobbing
Jasmine gains 1d3L per year. This, disguised as donations, along with a
personal stockpile of treasure, may be used to fund the hospice in poor years.
She hopes that the domain's full treasury (60F/30G/15SE) will keep her husband
busy for long enough to advance his prospects.
[INSERT ENDS]
Glory thus far
Defeating the Phantom Knight of Darkwater: 100
Rescuing Lady Jasmine from mortal danger: 25
(Zekiel is perfectly willing to kill some of the player characters to play his
role convincingly)
Absence and the fondness of the heart
After the first encounter, Lady Jasmine fades into the campaign background for
two years, unless the characters seek her out. If Jasmine's target is married,
or has another lover, this obstacle is poisoned just before the roads are closed
by winter. Intrigue rolls the next spring allow knights to hear that Jasmine's
child was stillborn, which allows further courtship, disguised as commiseration.
She corresponds with the characters if they have an adventure so noteworthy that
she can hear of
it by conventional means.
After two years, the Gamemaster can announce, through Winter Intrigue
successes, that Lady Jasmine has returned to court, and that she is no longer in
mourning. As characters present gifts and declare their love, Jasmine is
friendly, but sensible. "I'm taken aback that so many good knights should seek
my favor, sir. How can I choose between you? As you claim to love me, promise
me this: you shall do no violence to any of my other suitors, and, should I
choose another, we shall remain always dear friends." Characters making this
promise must fail an Amour (Jasmine) roll to break it.
Jasmine sets each of her knights tasks, so that they may prove their valor, and
their love for her. Sample tasks are found on page 313 of the Pendragon rules.
As Jasmine feels no love for her suitors, and is unimpressed by their deeds in
her service, her Reluctance Factor is unwavering. Over time, the tasks she sets
become increasingly difficult. Her suitors may develop a Loyalty (group)
Passion,
as they fight her enemies and tourney together.
Finally Jasmine gathers all of her suitors together and get them to reaffirm
their promise to serve her and each other. Zekiel, who is one of the band of
chaste admirers, compares this meeting to that of the Greek kings, who swore the
same oath to Helen of Troy. She also extracts from her suitors a promise to
defend her right, even in marriage, to keep the customs of her people, and of
Darkwater Manor. Jasmine then selects her victim, who is loudly acclaimed by his
band of brothers as the luckiest man alive.
[HANDOUT]
Jasmine's Customs
Jasmine is a Saracen, of the Zoroastrian faith. Her people worship a single God
whom they represent with fire. They believe he is at war with the God of
Darkness and that the world is their chosen battlefield. Good acts bring the
Light closer to the final victory, after which the world will disappear.
Zoroastrians believe that the God of Light has a plan for each person, and
converting from your birth-religion is contrary to that plan, hence Jasmine's
condition that she be allowed to keep her own faith and customs.
Jasmine's people keep themselves ritually clean by eating only certain foods, by
isolating themselves during times of sickness or "women's troubles", by wearing
certain clothes, and by not polluting the world with dead things. They prefer
garbage be eaten by scavenging animals than burned, buried or thrown in rivers.
In Persia, where their faith originated, Jasmine's people even allow human
corpses to be eaten by vultures. They fear that burying corpses fills the world
with dead matter, and makes the Darkness stronger. Although she does not insist
on Zoroastrian burial in her domain, sometimes Jasmine feels the need to pray in
graveyards, to strengthen the presence of the Light there.
The customs of Darkwater Manor, to which you have agreed, are that Jasmine
should have private spaces within the house for her devotions and a room that
equates to a ladies' (only) garden, such as she would have had in warmer Persia.
She retains rights over her personal property. In less domestic matters, you
have agreed to fund the leprosarium and hospice. Fortunately Darkwater is a
large domain for a single knight.
Jasmine would like to marry on ...............
Congratulations!
[HANDOUT ENDS]
To Have, and to Hold.
The couple are married in the service that the husband prefers. The character
is finally permitted to lift Jasmine's veil. Gifts to the value of 20L are
presented to the couple, most come from her other suitors. Her lord gives her
away, and pays her wedding costs, giving a lavish feast and holding a tourney,
in which her suitors form the defending team.
Now that she is married, Jasmine moves from the center of the campaign back to
its edges. The Darkwater Suitors remain fond of each other, but aside from
anniversaries, they do not gather as they previously did, mustering only when
summoned to face some grave threat. Many of the suitors develop new Amours,
with Jasmine's blessing. It becomes a running gag in the region that green-eyed
women are more marriageable
Glory So Far:
Marrying Lady Jasmine: 1000
Being a Darkwater Suitor: 20
Becoming a Vassal Knight: 50
Becoming a Banneret (if you can arrange it): 100
Participation in Tournament (Neighborhood): 5
Melee Champion: 50 and a gilded oil lamp worth 3L
Champion of the Joust: 50 and a silk robe worth 2L
If a knight wins both events: 150 + both prizes
Champion of the Challenges: No glory, but an Arabic scimitar, gilded and set
with semiprecious stones, worth 2L
Each year Jasmine's husband should be asked to roll a dice. If they ask the
meaning of the roll, tell them that Jasmine's magical power is accumulating for
an event that'll bring good fortune. The roll should be compared to the
character's Discovery Factor, to see if they uncover evidence of Jasmine's
ghoulish nature. Sample discoveries are described on page 313 of the Pendragon
rules, since it is likely they misconstrue the evidence as indicating an affair.
Jasmine's reaction to accusation is given nearby.
Forward defense
Jasmine has prepared herself against suspicion and aspirations. She retreats
to the home of a friend, or the Hospice, and shames her husband into
apologizing, if necessary.
Gifts: Jasmine can prove her ghoulish acquisitions have come from France, or
have been given to her as tangible thanks by lucky, green-eyed, girls whom she
has paired off with Darkwater Suitors.
Longing glances: What of them? She chose her husband over half the men in the
county, and he has sworn to treat the most noble of them as brothers.
Being followed: It's the Phantom! Surely he's come to kill her unborn child!
Oh, you didn't know she was pregnant? Congratulations! You knights can be so
insensitive to a woman's little signals. She didn't want to tell you until she
was sure. The Ghost of Sir Peter is a good sign, in a way...
Slip up in public: Blame is turned on the other party. "No, husband, we were
discussing Estel's lover, not you."
Busybodies: Jasmine has permission to stay in her own room, especially when
suffering feminine indisposition. She also has the right, promised to her by
her husband, to hang around in graveyards.
Consistent malicious gossip: The gossips disappear or die. Jasmine's saintly
reputation defends her.
Spiteful maids: Jasmine's maids are ghuls. They don't dare betray her.
Laying traps: Almost all of the non-player characters with whose assistance
they need to lay a trap are ghuls, or have other reasons to be more loyal to
Jasmine than the knights. If they follow her on one of her feasting excursions,
the may be spotted by other ghuls, acting as sentries, who keen a warning. If
Jasmine discovers a trap has been set for her, she simply lights a fire, burns
some incense and prays in the graveyard for a few hours. Characters may notice
her sentries, but if they do, Jasmine asks if they expect her to go out
unprotected at night.
The storyguide can string out Jasmine's deception for as long as they consider
prudent.
(cont.)
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