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=Intro=Teaser==Send to the players before the game :
There's a little water stream in the town
A vast shipment of poison was sent to this tiny town. Players rushed as fast as they could on scene.
When they arrive, they see a gallow with a peasant ready to be hanged.
The peasant has his feets on a small stool.
Music : '''(fast start) Light of the Seven (EP 10 Trial scene)'''
-Any nocturnal visits to the necropolis of Coy Any and all offender will be hanged by the Señorial guard." After '''00:39 (music time)''' the person who is about to hang start twitching. He manages to free his hands and he starts smiling. Then he start dancing on the stool. Everyone is shocked. And after a while he falls from the stool and hangs. As he is hanging, he continues dancing for a long long time. A time way too long, peasants start screming : "It's the curse !" "La Dama de blanco will take us all !" He should be dead already, until the soldiers stab him with a spear and he slowly dies. When the other peasants see that, they say. It's the skeletal minstrel"curse"When asked about it, they say the curse brings lots of misery. The crops are rotting, hethe harvest isn'll damn us allt good.They say there have been sights of a skeletal minstrel A '''"Dama de blanco"''' appears every weeks between friday and saturday near the cemeterynecropolis (below the ruins of teh islamic castle).A '''skeletal violinist''' is spotted sometimes in the ruins of the castle.(explain that in this period violins don't existe yet, so it's actually a ministrel and his instrument is a Kemenche, an islamic violin)The ladies are ugly.Some children disappear and lots of unborn childs.
* Explanations :
'''Oldaric LefolHernando Locura''' was in love with '''EvelyneBeatriz''', but his father '''Juan Madraso''' wanted to marry her to the Bourgmestre insetadinstead.
So he drowned him and the burried him with him instrument.
But he pretended to drown and survived. He then left his grave to get his revenge.
When Oldaric Hernando was at his worst, an individual approached him and explaiend explained him about dancing plagues.
Told him that if he did what he had to, he would get his revenge.
The plan was the following: he would teach Hernando how to trigger a dancing plague. Dancing plagues are a phenomenom of mass hysteria that actually happened several times in european history https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dancing_maniaIt is a phenomenom of mass hypnosis, where people believe a dancing plague is hapenning so they are hypnotised and become part of the dancing plague.During a dancing plague, people start dancing irresistibly and can't stop for days and days. It usually happen during terrible famines. The individual did the following : He would offer Oldaric Hernando the Skeletal Psaltery.
He would also give him a chest full of devil's bread. A very pure, very tasty white bread laced with "ergot de seigle" a poisons that makes people delirious.
He would also make sure a battle is triggered between the peasants and the soldiers so he Hernando has an opportunity to destroy the food reserves, steal food for himself and to bribe people. It's also a good opportunity to lace some food reserves with mandragora.
He also told him to bribe some persons to pretend their body is forced to dance.
The point is to first enfeeble people, by starvation (because there's a famine)and by poisoning(mandragora and "ergot de seigle"). Once they are very enfebled, pretend a dacing dancing plague is starting (with bribed actors) a hence trigger triggering a collective hysteria. He also explains him a way for him to see '''Beatriz''', she would have to pretend sleepwalking. Obviously Oldaric Hernando did not imagine this plan, but the individual asked him to do it anuyway anyway to get his revenge.When Oldaric Hernando sees that the inquisition is involved, he doesn't know what to do. And try to scare them away, and if possible make them dance for long enough so he can get his revenge without harming them. (harming the inquisition would mean running for the rest of his life)That's why he tries to drug them with mandragora and put them in a situation where it's almost impossible to resist the mass hysteria.Whether he succeeds or not, his goal is not to kill them.
* Unsolved mysteries :
* Historical themes :
Peasant life
Famine
Dancing Plagues
Ergot fungus poisoning
Peasant revolts
Language of Flowers
War between Castille and Aragon
Recnoquista
=Part 1 Midnight Dance=
The players will try to hunt down this skeletal ministrel and kill it.
1/3 of the crop is left fallow (jachère) 2/3 have been planted, but not reaped.
(a peasant have been poisoned with ergot de seigle.)
They visit the hut :
The hut is made of clay and straws, no windows.
Inside the hut, a third of the area is penned off for the animals, which live in the hut with the family. A fire burn in a hearth in the centre of the hut, so the air is permanently eye-wateringly smoky. Furniture is a couple of stools(tabourets), a bed of straw, and a few cooking pots made of clay.
They are cooking leaves and mushrooms as well as rotten grain.
The penn is almost empty, only one very thin sheep remains.
There's a small carper for muslim prayers folded in a corner.The sick peasant see the players then scream "You will dance No ! No Dancing ! You will dance No Dancing ! We will all dance No Dancing !" '''Music : Chant_Entrapment-8'''*When asked what happended, the family doesn't know, he was sick since few days, a fine tissue handkerchief was found on him when he went mad. He had skipped a dinner on that day.| 45min = Some peasants are eating a rotten carcass of a boardboar. It is not legal for peasants to hunt for peasants, in this time only lords have the right to hunt. But they swear it was a dead carcass they found and they didn’t hunt it.
Another peasant comes towards them with a knife he looks at very angry « The trees « No ! No Dancing ! They are attacking me No Dancing ! No Dancing ! Ask them to stop. » » '''Music Music : Chant_Entrapment-8''' He is caught very quickly.
*If the players search him, he have a tissue handkerchief with bread crumbs on it.| 60min = There's a child lost in the woods. His parents tried to get rid of him. But he came back. They see he has a toy of "Pedro El Cruel" ridiculised. *| 75min = A Priest gathered lots of people in a large hut. They all start laughing incontrolably and say "You will dance ! You will dance No Dancing ! We will all dance No Dancing ! All of us No Dancing !" '''Music : Chant_Entrapment-8'''*100min They all come from one home. If the players search their home, there are several tissue handkerchiefs with white bread in it.| 90min = At the end of the atmosphere track, they are attacked by a bunch of peasants who want to eat their meat. Either they have the Combat (skirmish) ability, or one of them is Wounded.}} They go to the spot where the skeletal ministrel is supposed to have appeared, in the night between friday and saturday.
While she dances '''Prince of Darkness - Fire Emblem'''
She dances every week in the woods. With withered red tulips in her hairs she wears a wonderfull white dress. She had a bucket of withered red tulips in her chamber.
Then she goes back home.
She is pretending to be sleepwalking, so if the players wake her up, she wakes up, no problem.Actually, she She pretends to be sleep walking. The because the truth is, every weeks, she goes to see her lover. But of course she can’t say that because he’s supposed to be dead. Action : Where does this white dress come from ? It is the same quality as the handkerchiefs, it was offered by Hernando as a gift after he died. But she'll always refuse to admit it and say it was a gift from him from before he died
Action : Where the flowers come from ? Nobody wants to respond. But eventually they know that it comes from an old lover who died.
Action : Ask if she dances always on the same spot. Yes.
Actually she dances where '''Oldaric LefolHernando Locura''' was burried just after his murder. The rationale is. They have to meet on this spot. If she’s not followed, then she meets him and they go to a more beautiful place. If she’s followed, she starts dancing and pretend she's possesed or something. To make it look like a ghost story so nobody wants to get involved and stop her.
She have a strange reaction if the players mention him.
If the players dig enough, they learn that '''Oldaric LefolHernando Locura''' was a ministrel in love with EvelyneBeatriz.
But he was drowned in the woods near the cemetry necropolis (close to the ruins of the muslim castle) then burried in the woods. (EvelyneBeatriz's father killed him, because the local Bourgmestre was also in love with Evelyne Beatriz and he wanted her to marry the Bourgmestre) And they broke his Psaltery (Psaltérion en français)
Actually EvelyneBeatriz's father '''Juan Madraso''' did this. And then burried him right here and then, with his instrument.
-> He was burried with his instrument.
Action : If the players search OldaricHernando's old broken home. They see is a stock of devil's bread (it's pure white bread). That's the end of ergot de seigle poisonning.Alternatively(if they search his home too early), there's there’s nothing of interest in his home, but if they open his grave, there's the peasants start a search for a place where he might live and they find his hideout and a chest full of devil's devil’s bread.
*'''Normal (before the start of step 1 of the battle) : Commanderie Templière '''
The soldiers come and say that it's illegal, they have to go to the watermill of the local Priory.
But that's where they pay the taxes (for using the mill) so they refuse to do that?.
They beat the taxman "champarter" ("champarteur" in French) nearly to death and kick him out.They cry "Champarteur, chapardeur, champarteur, chapardeurDeath to Pedro el Cruel !"
Obviously, there'll be a fight the next day.
The soldiers come to the players first and ask them for help.
The head of the guards : Captain Beaudryde Villena, the step brother of the Castellan
The Captain tells them : Regardless of what they want to do, the local castelan doesn't want any troubles with the inquisition.
If they refuse. The peasants do the same.
The head of the peasants, the Bourgmestre : Guillaume ToffeaFernando de la Fuente
The peasants want to defend the illegal mill.
They explain that Murca recently taken by Castille crown, but it has been part or Aragon and it was part of the kalifate of Granada before that.
The soldiers will attack the next day.
At each step, they need to find a good idea to win. If they win more than 3 phases, their side wins.
If one of the players have the Combat (Battle) ability, give him the answers to each phasetwo phases of his choice.
70 soldiers, 30 Bows, 1 Cavaliers (the captain) plus 1 3 Knight in armor (the Castellan, the Captain and an a cousin of the Catellan) vs 350 peasants, 50 bows
==Step 1 : Preparations==
Ambiance : One soldier/peasant seems terrified, you can hear him pee on himself. There's dreadful silence but you can hear some people praying.
The Castellan has a dark armour with a salamander on the helmet.The other knights have a normal armour.
==Step 3 : Charge of the soldiers==
Ambiance : Some people are trying to hold their house together.
==Aftermath==
Soldiers win :
The Bourgmestre is taken captive and he yields. Alternatively, the storehouse mill is destroyed.
The peasants fight in a non-cohesive way and loose.
If the players where on this side, the Captain Beaudry owe de Villena wants to help them a favor. And grants If they know about '''Hernando''' he introduces them to his cousin who lives in the castle.If they don't know about Hernando, he owes them one soldier per persona [[Favour]].
Peasants win :
The Captain fall off his horse. He's quickly surronded and yields.
If the players where on this side, the Bourgmestre owe them a favor[[Favour]]. They can collect anytimebefore the end of the scenario.The feats associated with the Favour are at your discretion.
Ambiance : Some people from the losers are moaning on the ground and some peasants come to collect their weapons and clothes. Stabbing some of them. Very few dead in the end.
=Part 3 Dancing Plague=
*'''Normal : Z_Normal-Bruit-Noir'''
'''OldaricHernando''' will trigger a dancing mania in the city : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dancing_maniaYour goal is to find OldaricHernando
*'''The First dancer : Prince of Darkness - Fire Emblem'''
His family follows him and try to cover him for the rain. They seem desperate to help him.
They try to stop him, to wake him up.
Some people try to catch one of them to feed him. A lot of them start coughing, they are completely wet.
People stop caring. They lock themselves in to survive.
The next day, the village is empty, everyone dances. All playres roll, the one with the lowest result dances also (that's the punishment for not ending the track). In the meantime he can play the Bourgmestre, who helps the players.
}}
One by one, people will start to go on the village center and dance.
This is a revenge from OldaricHernando, he wants to starve them, trigger a dancing plague and eventually kill everyone in the village then raise all of them.
Everyone dances, except '''EvelyneBeatriz'''
They read through inquisition registry, it seems to have happened before. Long time ago in a not related setting. It's a disease for the soul, nothing magical.
He is not at his home, because that's where they found the devil bread.
'''Action : They ask people who knew oldaric Hernando if he had a special place to meet '''EvelyneBeatriz''''''Yes he had a secret hideout.They see a lot of withered flowers. LOTS of them, so many varieties.Barils even.Anything of value was stolen.Empty drawers, empty coffers. Action : Ask someone who knew Oldaric, why so many flowers ? Because he there was very found of an old broken house in the language of flowers. That was the way forest where they used to send him secret messages with evelynemeet.
He says : let's put a lot of flowers in the middle of the town, to push him to meet.
Several choices :
Corbeille d'Argent / evergreen candytuft : "calm down" "reconciliation"
Anagallis : "appointment"
Cyprès / cypress : "grieving" , "ethernal friendship"
Nemophile : "Forgiveness"
Red Tulip : "eternal love"
Achillée / yarrows : "War"
Rhododendron : "Danger"
(check that all those flowers grow in francespain)
'''Action : Use some flowers to setup an appointment. or if Beatriz is threatened or if they walk towers the castle'''(If evelyne Beatriz is killedor if they threaten her life, this starts right away)
Once they do that, the little water streams starts to be filled with withered
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lycoris_(plante)
'''Eros Necropsique - La voix'''
'''Actions : Some flowers got caught in the sides of the water stream, so they can go upstream and see where he dropped them.'''
Also he droppped some flowers on the ground by mistake at this spot.
'''Action : (This is a possible shortcut if they think about it.) Search the old forteress. They see one wall which has Anagalis growing.''' It comes from the fortress. They open, it is an islamic treasure. With lots of skeletons in all corners. It was a house. Bourgmestre's housefeast room apparently.
The table is set in fine silver cutlery.
On the table there's a withered flower Anagallis means "appointment"
=Part 4 The appointment=
*15min - '''Resist song : One roll''' There's a flash of light, and they see a skeleton with a dark hood hugging the player who has the squeletal coin.
*30min - '''Resist song : One roll''' Some withered flower petals fall. Flower that means death. They can hear clearly someone playing Psaltery. '''Overlay music (on top of other music) : Prince of Darkness'''
*45min - '''Resist song : Two rolls''' If they haven't found the central place yet. '''Overlay music (on top of other music) : Behelith''' They see the a skeletal women dancing with withered flowers in her hairs. It's '''EvelyneBeatriz'''. They can follow her to the central place. Evelyne Beatriz dies if she didn't die previously.
===Central Place===
Some are still walking.
They speak one by one telling a poem(Le Vampire by Charles baudelaire) (English Version) Our form in the sun follows us, walks, stops, Imitates our gestures and our steps, Looks without seeing, listens and does not hear, And must still crawl when we lift our heads. Man is here below But a bit of living night, a restless form Who sees without penetrating, without inventing repeats, And whispers to Fate: "I follow thee where thou goest. "
The music is very intense here, they have to do much more rolls. But they can't see him.
Action : One of the dancers mimics a violin. When they kill him, Oldaric Hernando appears.
A skeleton wiht a Psaltery, he walks out of the small river.
Now they can see Oldaric Hernando as a squeleton and fight him.
Action : Either the players have a quality Combat (Duel) or They need to find a smart way to kill him.
His shadow doesn't move though. They should strike where his shadow is.
'''If they got stuck for too long, their shadows start attacking them. Don't let them stuck on this ennigma'''
If they defeated him :
He says :
"He who sups with the devilVous qui vivez: il est certain," "should have had a longer spoonQuoique cela tarde, que vous danserez." "Réfléchissez à ce que vous ferez alors." "Ye that live: it is certain," "Though it tarry, you will dance." "Consider what you will do then."
'''Music : (fast start) Light of the Seven (EP 10 Trial scene)'''
'''Danse Macabre'''
When hey wake up, they have some vomit at the mouth and they're in the town center. Oldaric Hernando is dead. but he's an actual guy, not a skeleton. His skin is soaked though. And he He has a skeletal well decorated psalteryand a cloack clasp in the shape of a harp : the [[Bone Harp]]. It is very clear that it is extremely precious.
(part of the village may have burned, if they reached the black rain part, evelyne Beatriz may be alive or dead.)
A large portion of the villagers are dead. But not everyone.
*Then loop this Playlist '''Normal-Prima'''
They take more time to comb the woods and they find OldaricHernando's actual hideoout, they find real food, clothes etc...Villages start to talk. Some of them where actually paid to pretend a dancing mania. The point was to trigger an actual dancing mania, and it worked.
They find a contract signed in blood between Hernando and a certain "L" that details all he has to do to get his revenge. Some people also knew about Beatriz meeting with him and her way of pretending she was posessed.
As well as poems written by him.
A solid proof that he was alive this whole time.
Beatriz and Hernando's accomplices ran away just after the event.
Among his stuff, they find an invitation to a bal masqué called the "Danse macabre"