Danse Macabre Part 4

Intro

• Initial situation :

Metaplot :

Possible villains : https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gasbert_de_Valle https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_de_Tarente https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_X_de_Laval

An alchemist found "the book" This book explain how to summon demons and gain riches beyond imagination. It also explains where to find the other artifacts. "the book" gave the artifacts to lots fo people, including a noble to whom he gave "the sword" All artifacts bearers should make ritual deathsand ship them to Marseille. If they do that, they receive titles and money, and their artifacts gain power. The point being to make the tower of Bones and summon the black plague. They succeed in 1347 The rest of the campaign is to try to kill "the book" and end the plague. The book or the sword is nicknamed "L." and he signs all contracts under this name.

Theplot happens just before the black plague 1347 in Marseille (change the dates and places of all previous scenarios) brough by "marin genois" Explain about Templars disappearing.

https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gasbert_de_Valle (mort en 1347 too early :-(, find someone else ) wants to become the archdeacon of a united Marseille. "L." Promised him he could get that if he agreed to let his workers burn his cathedral with a tower of skeletons inside. "L." also gave him an artifact, (the artifact related to the archdeacon (archeveque)

"L." wished to do that so he can summon the Plague.

Plotical tension in Marseille, some rebellions.

Two artifacts : The Sword and the Book (scholar) the mask ??? The Chastellain is a cousin of a noble in Marseille. That's why he makes a shipment of corpses. He is paid hansomely for it.

"the Book" is an alchemist. He has a book made whose cover is made of bones He manipulates "the sword" and promise him reaches beyond imagination if he accomplishes a ritual. This ritual requires lots of sacrifices and teh construction of a chapel. The aim is to summon the black plague.

Every year, a Masquerade (Bal Masqué) is organised in Marseille by the church. It happens in the cathedral : https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbaye_Saint-Victor_de_Marseille

Bal des Ardents : https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bal_des_ardents tragic even where a charivari ended in a fire

The point of this masquerade is to gather all the representatives of the different objects.

During the ball, he will give them instructions on how to meet them for the final ritual. The burning of the tower.

Previously, the players have found an invitation for a Masquerade (Bal Masqué). There was a date, but no address on it. On the invitation, there is a drawing of the Saint Victor Abbaye in the background. https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbaye_Saint-Victor_de_Marseille This is a hint that the ball will happen in Marseille. And indeed, a ball is organised there, near the docks.

• Explanations :

• Unsolved mysteries :

Why triggering the Black Plague ? Who organises and controls all of this ? ("book" ? someone else ?)

• Historical themes :

Cour des miracles Orphans Beggars Whores Aumone Hospital

Part 1

The players find where the maskerade was supposed to happen. It was supposed to happen in Marseille. In the cathedral. They arrive few weeks before to try to investigate.

Cathedral is a living place, lots of beggars and orphans. People sick and poor. But balls are organised there too.

The players go to the cathedral early. To prepare.

The maskerade is organised every year it's not connected to the lord. The lord uses this venue as a way to secretly give instructions on the actual meeting place and time. The meeting will happen in the cathedral where he will do the final ritual of the bones. The deacon of the cathedral is corrupted as well.

The danse macabre masquerade The cathedral is mostly closed. Because it's in construction. All services are held in one wing which is still open They build a spire of bones, to be sure the workers aren't aware that those are bones, they are hidden in word and straws Part 1 Cour des miracles Part 2 Maskerade - Bal des ardents

The evil cathedral Part 1 The dark ritual Part 2 The burning spire

And that's where they learn about the organs disappearing !!!

Part 1 Cour des Miracles

• Normal : XXX

Ambiance track

• 0min Meeting with the deacon, description of the hospice
• 15min
• 30min
• 45min
• 60min
• 75min
• 100min

Scenario Track

The players arrive at the cathedral of Marseille. They are Greeted by the deacon (évèque) of Marseille. He has a crosier (crosse épiscopale) made of bones.

He greets the players and they talk about the Masquerade that will happen.

He is very cooperative (he's a Trickster).

The Cathedral is being expanded, they want to build some new towers https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbaye_Saint-Victor_de_Marseille#Les_remaniements_d%E2%80%99Urbain_V

He will let them visit if they want except the tower because it's unstable yet.

Worse case scenario if they really want to visit the tower, they see nothing. Bones are hidden inside bricks made of material that can burn but looks like stone.

He want to throw them on the wrong trail. So he tells them about the numerous Oprhans disappearing. In the mean time he will order thugs to kill the players.

The point is to lure players into a trap.

They visit the hospice with the deacon. They see Leppers, old people, beggars, orphans, diseased, wounded soldiers, madman, crippled, prostitutes.

Every time it rains, orphans disappear.

(if the ask the orphans to stop begging, they need to pay, but it doesn't solve anything, just stop the killings)

Action : Ask the orphans where they go beg. See that there is just one street with zero orphan beggars (because that's where they disappear)

Action: search for a place to hide from the rain. In this street there is a place to hide from the rain. That's where they get caught.

Next time it rains, they can see a valet there. When they catch him, he instantly begs for mercy and gives them the key.

The key have blood on it and a skull carved. (like barbe bleue)

He propose to guide them.

He brings them to a trap.

XXXXXXXXXXXBOSS FIGHT XXXXXXXX

Part 2 Danse Macabre

Too many Orphans are missing, their goal is to prove that "sword" is responsible. That way they can take him down.

Ambience Track

• 15min
• 30min
• 45min
• 60min
• 75min
• 100min Music :

At the end of the ambiance track, the templare leaves (or dies or soemthing)

Scenario Track

The players attend the Masquerade. The lord greets them then wears a mask. Something is off. Everyone have similar masks. They stink and they don't speak like nobles. They eat very little and dance like puppets. They are actors.

If they talk to the lord, his voice is a bit off.

Action : If they tear the fake lord's mask, they see it's not the same person.

He then confess that the lord went to another tower.

They go there and discover a very corrupted masquerade. (raw meat, sex, bath of alcohol, absynthe) In the crowd, they see some artifacts and they clearly feel them. The lords shows to all of his guests taht those are inquisitors. People are defensive.

People go see the lord one by one. Also, a weird valet dressed like the gream reaper comes to every guests one by one.

Action : They should dress like one of the guests. Then the Grim reaper eventually come to them and ask for their letters.

They have half an hour to come to him.

Action : Either they steal the reaper's bag discretely or they should give him a stolen letter from someone drunk.

The letter is a vague allusion to them havign killed X people in Y way. But it's too vague to be a proff

The reaper then gives them a card with a name ??and a date?? on it. If they search, they understand that it's the name of a dead person burried in marseille.

Action : They should unearth the grave of this person.

They unearth a reward as well as some text making it more obvious what actualy happenned. But it's still too little to be a proof, sword is far too careful.

Part 3 Altar of madness

• Normal :

Oldaric will trigger a dancing mania in the city : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dancing_mania Your goal is to find Oldaric

• The First dancer : Prince of Darkness - Fire Emblem

The players discover the altar where "the sword" made his sacrifices. They found the plan of the tower, it requires a lot of corpses. Now they have to escape.

Ambience Track

• 15min
• 30min
• 45min
• 60min
• 75min
• 100min Music :

Scenario Track

They arrive in an annex of the castle. The will fight room by room. See a jail, where they are kept. See the place where they are killed. See the altar of madness, where their corpse is kept. On the altar, there are sketches of the tower of bones.

On each rooms, they can use the help of the ex templar. (if they kept it since last time.)

At each step, if they fail, they get battles from that point on, the alarm leevl goes up each time they fail.

Entrance

At the entrance of the castle, there are two guard, the players need to take them down silently. Disguise can work. Stealth can work. Poison etc... up to the players

They hear people crying from inside the door.

Jail

Orphans are kept in Jails. They need to find a way to free them without making noise. Lock picking works, great strength work (they are shitty jails) Shims work as well.

Hitting on the locks work, but sounds the alarm.

They hear some scratches coming from next door, like claws on the gournd (they are cleaning) The orphans ask the players to be silent because the "Charognard" are nearby

The orphans say there are more orphans inside.

Slaughterhouse

XXXX something more interesting in this room ?? Lots of valets cleaning some blood. The room is a circle of sacrifice. drenched in blood.

The room is clearly soundproof but there a kind of ritual bell. They want to ring it.

How to prevent them from ringing it ? Truestrike to kill the guy before he has time ? Bluff to make them believe it's normal that they are here ? Any other smart ideas ?

Strong blood stench.

Altar of Madness

Lots of child heads looking at the book with bones. They are on pikes moving, liek they are chatning or something. The room is red. They have the feeling than more and more heads are looking at them.

Unbreathable blood stench, horrible sight, players can go crazy.

The book is held by chains, no way to take it and it is impossible to destroy it, no matter what. The more they attack it, the more it reaches their brain. But there's a small iron chest in front of the altar with a skull on it.

"sword" then see them and shuts an iron gate to lock them in. The he tries to smoke them out.

How to open the chest ? Action : the iron key opens it. Violence otherwise can work. Or lockpicking.

In the chest they will countless horrible poems. With alchemical potions and ingredients. It explains almost everything, except what he wants to build as a gift to "art"

In this plan, they see a way out (XXXXhow ???)

Part 4 The tower of bones

They find the tower of bones. Then a fire starts. At the end, a dark ship lands with the black plague onboard Italian sailors. (genois) And they manage to kill "sword"

Scenario Track

Rodin gate of hell.

Epilogue

Epilogue musics :

• Epique entre-scenart gagant 12-Pista de audio 12.mp3
• Epique entre-scenart gagant 12-Pista de audio 12.mp3 (put it twice)
• Fin epique glorieuse 06-Final
• Then loop this Playlist Normal-Prima

Next scenario : Black Plague in marseille, and killing "doctor" ?