The Changeling Queen

THE GRAND DESIGN: EPISODE 3

AUTHOR
John Wick

AGE
All Ages

TAGS
Novus Ordo Mundi

SUGGESTED HEROES
Any Heroes can participate, but we suggest those with
connections to Avalon and the War of the Cross
Introduction
The War of the Cross nearly destroyed Théah. In
the end, nearly eight million died. Two generations
were wiped out. But what many do not know is the
secret reason behind the War. It was Novus Ordo
Mundi’s first attempt to control all of Théah. And it
failed. Just barely.
The Changeling Queen is the third part in a series
of adventures revealing this secret truth to your
Heroes. However, you can also use it as a stand-alone
adventure. The Heroes uncover a plague of plots to
overthrow the Queen of Avalon and must stop them
before the Glamour Isles are thrown into chaos and
civil war.
The Good Parts Version
If you’ve read The Princess Bride, you know the
book is the “Good Parts Version.” This adventure is
like that. It cuts out the boring parts of the story and
gets right to the good parts. That is, they cut right to
the climax and skip the middle.
If You’ve Played Parts 1 and 2…
The first two parts of this series had the heroes
slowly uncovering the horrible connection between
Novus Ordo Mundi and the War of the Cross. While
this part of the series continues in that tradition, you
don’t need to have played either Part 1 or Part 2 to
enjoy this adventure. It stands alone.
Goal and Basic Story
Knowing that Avalon stands in its way of complete
control of Théah, the Order has put multiple plots
into play. This way, even if most of their plots fail,
not all of them will. Removing Elaine from power is
in line with the Order’s goals, but how to do so has
flummoxed them. A rapid fire approach—multiple
plots at once—seems to be the best way to deal with
the situation. Therefore, the Order has different
methods in place, all launching at the same time.
The Changeling Queen
Working with Villainous Sidhe, the Order arranged
for a changeling—a duplicate of the Queen—to
take her place. The Order doesn’t care what kind of
mischief the changeling gets up to. Their only goal is
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7TH SEA ADVENTURES
Running Adventures
Like the Stories you make for your own games, a 7th Sea
Adventure proceeds through a series of Steps on its way to
a Goal. But here, we’ve provided a number of Scenes that you can
use, to cut down on your prep work. While these Scenes proceed in
a fairly traditional order, feel free to add other Scenes to the Story,
just as you would running any other adventure. Good luck!
undermining Elaine’s rule. The more the changeling
can make the people doubt their Queen, the better.
Bring Her to the Light
Queen Elaine has many secrets. The Order knows
more than a few. They’ve been holding these secrets
for quite some time, but now is the time to pull the
trigger. If the Order can force the Queen to abdicate
the Throne of Avalon, they can replace her with a
monarch more sympathetic to their cause.
Abduction and Abdication
The Order has plans on kidnapping Daníele, the
Sidhe who bears a striking resemblance to the Queen.
They don’t know what Daníele’s relationship to Elaine
is and they don’t care. They do know Daníele has
some sort of connection to Elaine, and they want to
capture the Sidhe and dangle Daníele’s life in front of
the Queen to see what happens.
…except this isn’t the plan. This is the plan the
Order allowed to leak so they could discover who the
traitor in their midst might be. Daníele is safe…but
Lawrence Lugh is not.
Adventure Setup
This is not a standard adventure. The reason I’m
giving you three different options is because I don’t
know your group. Some players like political intrigue
(Replacing the Queen). Others are more interested
in action (Killing the Queen). Each plot focuses on
different skills and abilities from both your players
and their Heroes. You can engage in one, two, or all
the plots, although this may be difficult since each
is happening at the same time. A coordinated effort
from the Order ensures at least one of the plots
succeeds. At least, that’s their plan.
THE CHANGELING QUEEN
How Do I Do This?
So, rather than give you a standard setup for an
adventure, we propose something rather different.
Imagine an episode of a high-action, high-drama
television show where multiple things are going on
at the same time. The camera cuts from one scene to
the other as individuals try to coordinate their efforts.
That’s how this adventure works. It begins in medias
res and never stops going. It’s one, continuous Action
Scene, cutting from one Hero to the next as each of
them tries to stop their assigned plot.
As the GM, you select which Heroes are engaged
with which Scene. Then, start them off with each
Scenes’ “Start Here!” header. You choose which Scene
to start with.
When you want to break to another Scene,
announce an ominous “Meanwhile…” and focus
your attention on the player in question. Read the
“Start Here!” text for that Scene and play it out until
a dramatic moment, then focus on your next player
with an ominous “Meanwhile…”
None of the Scenes below should take place first,
second, or last. You can run them any way you see fit.
Now, this does mean you’ll have to do a little more
preparation. You should always know an adventure
before you run it, but in this case, you should think
about your players, which ones you want to assign to
each Scene, and how you want those Scenes to play
out.
Also remember: no plan survives contact with the
players. Be ready to improvise.
What If I Don’t Have Enough
Heroes?
No problem. You can grab a couple of Heroes from
the Heroes & Villains book, or you can use one of the
Heroes we’ve provided at the end of this adventure.
You can also use these Heroes instead of your players’
Heroes—one, two, or even all of them—if your
Heroes don’t fit this adventure.
Read Me First!
Before you start the adventure, read or paraphrase
this text to your players.
This is not a standard adventure.
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7TH SEA ADVENTURES
[H] References
Throughout the adventure, you’ll notice a lot of [H] references.
Use this to dynamically modify the size of Villains and Brute
Squads for various group sizes. Wherever you see [H], replace it
with the number of Hero characters in the Scene. In some places
[H] will have a multiplier or divider.
If you have a Heroic Duelist in the Scene, consider doubling the
Strength of one or more Brute Squads, Monsters or Villains.
During this scenario, you’ll be split up. Each of
you—and maybe small groups—are all trying to stop
a diabolical plan. Someone has launched a number of
plots against Elaine, the Queen of Avalon. What’s more,
they’ve launched them at the exact same time.
You will all be trying to stop those plots separately
rather than together.
This scenario starts in the middle of the story, after
you’ve discovered the plan. The GM will give each of
you a brief summary of each plan and you decide how to
divide yourselves up.
For the best effect, after you’re done reading,
prepare an envelope for the players. (Wax seals are
relatively inexpensive and can be bought at your local
crafts shop or online and they add a whole lot of class
to your table.) Let them open the envelope and read
the letter inside. Written in Numanari a shaky, hasty
hand, it reads:
The Letter (The Changeling
Queen Prop #1)
My friends,
There is little time. I also expect to be dead by the
time you receive this letter, but it must be written. Your
previous exploits have shown me you are the only ones
who can stop The Plot. May Theus help us if you cannot.
The Plot seeks to overthrow Queen Elaine of Avalon.
But it is not a single action that shall do so, but a
coordinated set of attacks on her character and her life.
Those who act against her rest assured one of these shall
be successful, for if even one comes to fruition, all is lost.
First, a man named Dancell Saltonstall, a fanatical
Realist, carries a letter that must never be revealed to
THE CHANGELING QUEEN
the public. He intends to sell it to Separationist agents in
Carleon. Once it is in their hands, it will be printed. This
cannot happen. Someone must stop him. He arrives on
Avalon’s shores from the Highlands in a few days. Stop
him in Carleon. The ship carrying him to Avalon is La
Magdalena. This is the only clue I have to when the Plot
shall commence.
Second, a group of treacherous Sidhe hope to replace
the Queen with a twisted facsimile. A changeling. The
attempt is supposed to happen at the same time Dancell
arrives in Carleon. I also know they have a Porté sorcier
by the name of Déodat Brodeur. That is all I know.
Third, they plan on abducting the Sidhe, Daníele.
They know there is a connection between the Queen and
this woman, but they do not know what it is. They plan
on using the Sidhe to ransom what they want from the
Queen: abdication of the Throne.
Accompanied with this letter are three small Syrneth
devices. May they aid you well.
You must be swift my friends. And I pray to Theus
someday we may meet.
A friend
Your players can decide who is going to take on
which mission, but don’t give them much time. The
date on the letter is tomorrow. They have to move
fast.
Give them some time to discuss things, but then
remind them the adventure picks up in medias res.
Remember that “No plan survives contact with the
players?” Yeah, well, it goes the other way, too.
The Syrneth Devices
They look like tiny conch shells, wrapped in brass
and silver. Any Scholar worth her salt can tell the
other Heroes what these devices are capable of
doing: sending a single message to the other devices.
The message can be heard anywhere in Théah (and
possibly beyond). To use the device, speak into the
round end of the shell then crush it. That sends the
message. Any message sent cannot be longer than
ten words; around a single sentence, give or take. Try
sending anything longer, and you’re likely to get cut
off.
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7TH SEA ADVENTURES
When the other shells receive the message, whoever
holds the shell hears it, but no one else. Receiving a
message does not destroy the shell, only sending a
message. That means whoever sends the first message
loses the ability to receive from the other two.
Scene 1: Bring Her to the Light
This plot centers around a purloined letter acquired
by the Order and saved until this very moment.
The circumstances of the letter put the Queen in
a delicate situation. While her popularity with the
people is strong, there are many in the court who are
looking for a reason—any reason—to undermine her
authority. This letter may give them that opportunity.
While many rumors orbit the Queen’s reputation,
she denies them all. Some of the rumors are true—
such as her true affair with Lawrence Lugh—while
others are false—such as her rumored affair with
Jeremiah Berek. This rumor concerns her affair with
Colleen McLeod. A married woman with significant
influence in the Highland Marches. The affair is
controversial for many reasons, not the least of which
is McLeod is a married woman. Exposing the affair
would give fuel to the Separationists as well as the
Realists. Both factions want to see Elaine’s authority
sabotaged. That’s why the Order has called upon
them, as proxies, to handle this matter.
The letter in question is a love letter written from
McLeod to the Queen. Despite previous cautions
and Elaine’s warnings, in a moment of weakness,
MacLeod’s letter implicates both of them in their
covert affair. If made available to the public, the letter
would scandalize both McLeod and the Queen.
Something that should not be allowed to happen.
This Scene begins with a chase across the city
of Carleon. But not its streets: its rooftops. The
scoundrel with the letter is Dancell Saltonstall. You
can find information about Dancell in the sidebar
below.
Start Here! (Blackmailing
the Queen)
(Read this to your players to start this Scene.)
(Slowly, Softly...)
A cold, winter’s night in Avalon. The sky is pitch black
with stars winking down at the city of Carleon. All is
THE CHANGELING QUEEN
quiet. Snow on the rooftops. Undisturbed.
(Fast!)
Until a rush of movement kicks the snow up into the
dark night air! A lone figure in a dark cloak runs along
the rooftops as if the Devil Himself was on his heels. He
leaps from one rooftop to the second, the flow of his cloak
revealing a sheathed blade on his hip. A wide-brimmed
slouch hat covers his face as he runs, revealing only a
finely-trimmed beard. His hands wear heavy dueling
gloves and the handles of two pistols can be seen stuffed
into his belt.
(Look at the player who is the focus of this Scene as
you read this text.)
Behind him, many steps behind, crawling up the side of
the building is (insert character name here). Crawling up,
clearly in pain, a bloody stain on (his/her) side. (He/she)
winces with pain, holding the wound with a gloved hand.
Sneering at the fleeing Villain.
You’ve chased this Villain halfway across Carleon.
You’re winded, wounded and cold. And the scoundrel
calling himself “Dancell Saltonstall” has a letter that
could damn Queen Elaine’s reputation. And he isn’t the
only one. All across Avalon, someone has unleashed a
dastardly plot. Not just one, but several! All designed to
poison the Queen’s reign. But this is the man you must
deal with. You and you alone. While your friends race
across other parts of Avalon, this is the plot you must
stop.
But as you climb on to the rooftop, you feel the soft
trickle of blood from your side. You feel the pain in your
limbs. The fire in your lungs. He’s so far away...could you
ever catch him?
But then you throw those thoughts to the wind! To Hell
with your pain! It’s time to run! You’ve got to save the
Queen!
The Hero of this Scene starts with 1 Dramatic
Wound. How did they get it? That’s up to you and
the player. Ask the player how they got the Dramatic
Wound, then give them a Hero Point for starting
the Scene with it. That’s good form and should be
rewarded.
If the player has other questions, tell them they’ll
discover those answers later. First, they have to catch
Dancell Saltonstall!
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7TH SEA ADVENTURES
Chase Scene
Catching Saltonstall is an Action Sequence. Follow
the procedures from the Core Rulebook (pg 178).
The Scene involves one Hero (maybe two) chasing
down the Villain before he escapes in the night.
Eventually, either Saltonstall runs out of options or
escapes. However, a showdown with the Hero chasing
him is a much more exciting prospect. His escape is
anticlimax. Only allow him to escape if the player
makes that choice. Otherwise, your clever players will
find a way to catch up to him. Use the chase scene to
whittle down the Hero’s resources (Hero Points and
Wounds) to make the confrontation that much more
dramatic.
CONSEQUENCES
If Saltonstall gets away, the letter will be released to
the public.
Hazards
The rooftops are treacherous and icy. Just running
along them, at night, would be bad enough, but the
ice makes things even worse. This is a 4 Hazard. The
Optional Hazard Elements are:
Deadly (Slipping means a steep fall, causing serious
damage)
Gloomy (The night is dark and without a moon)
Intense (Running along iced rooftops at night is no
easy trick)
Piercing (The ice cuts right through the skin)
Opportunities
Players can come up with their own Opportunities
of course, but there are a couple obvious ones that
come to mind.
The rooftops have many shortcuts, swinging out
in front of the Villain, cutting him off. This probably
requires a Raise from an Athletics Approach. Or even
leaping through the west-side window of a building to
come out the east-side window to do the same.
Smashing the Villain through a window is also a
good way to slow him down. That could come from a
Brawl Approach.
THE CHANGELING QUEEN
 Using the Aim Skill as an Approach could lead to
shooting a dangerously hanging outcropping of ice,
cutting off his escape.
Showdown with Saltonstall
When the Hero finally confronts him, when they
cross swords, Saltonstall has a lot to say. He’s a
Villain, after all. It’s his opportunity to monologue.
You’re here to protect your precious witch-queen
aren’t you? Don’t you see? The bargain she made with
the demons of the woods…it corrupted her soul! She
performs unnatural acts in dark rooms! She must be
exposed to the Light of Truth! And when stands in
the Light, she’ll be exposed for the witch she is!
He’ll also drop lines like:
She uses the Devil’s own sorcery! She’s a creature
of His will! How can you not see this? Your defense
of her is a noble and honorable statement of your
character, but your honor is misguided! Join with us
and we will make the Sidhe flee from our noble island
and be the masters of our destiny once again!
You know. The typical. Find Saltonstall’s stats for
the final duel below.
Dancell Saltonstall (Villain)
AVALON
Strength: 6+[H], Influence: 3, Rank: 9+[H]
Advantages
Duelist Academy (Boucher), Signature Item (Pistols)
Virtue: The War
Hubris: The Moonless Night
If your Hero defeats Dancell, he gains the infamous letter (see below). If
not, Dancell escapes and the letter goes public the following day. Failure has
consequences.
The Letter
The letter itself seems harmless when read. It is
only when you notice the single page is actually two
pages glued together that you see the threat to the
Queen and her lover, for on the inside is the following
message, written in the same hand as the letter on the
outside pages:
My Friend,
It seems an eternity since we were together last. The
6
7TH SEA ADVENTURES
wit and humor that made days and nights sweep away
is sorely needed in the North. The cold wind taunts me,
telling me your laughter is far, far from me now.
The court is as cold as the wind. It whispers through
the corridors, defaming you and me. Oh but did we not
learn as children how a secret can make even the most
bitter sweet? When I snuck honey from the cupboards, it
was like sneaking a kiss from your lips.
Write to me soon so I may be reminded in words of the
voice that turns time to mercury. Until then, I shall be
comforted only by the wind.
The Changeling Queen
This Dramatic Scene concerns a plot to replace
Queen Elaine with a faerie doppelganger: a
changeling. To perform this task, the conspirators
must attack when the Queen is out-of-sight so to
replace her with nobody noticing. If the Heroes hope
to prevent this sinister plot, they have to get close to
those whom the Queen trusts. And that isn’t going
to be easy…unless the Queen trusts one of them.
There are a few ways to do this and we’ve included
some suggestions, below. Between the time the Queen
rises from her bed and makes her first appearance,
she interacts with only a select few number of people:
her handmaids. One of those handmaids, Delyth,
has a mother. A mother being held with a gun to her
head (or the Sidhe equivalent of a gun). If the plan
succeeds and the changeling successfully replaces the
Queen, Deylth’s mother goes free. If not…
And so that’s the plan. Use Delyth’s closeness to
the Queen to replace her before she even arrives in
court. It will happen in the early morning, before the
Queen rises. Remember: the assassination attempt is
supposed to happen at the very same time.
Elaine has a number of guards standing outside her
door, but none inside her room. This allows Delyth
the opportunity to enter the Queen’s private chamber
(the guards know her) carrying “an ointment” to
relieve the Queen’s pains. Once she is inside, she plans
on drugging Elaine. Then, she sends a signal out the
window, placing her ring on the floor. The ring has
been blooded by Déodat Brodeur, a Porté sorcier, who
will bring the changeling along with him into Elaine’s
private chamber. That is when the switch happens.
THE CHANGELING QUEEN
Start Here! (The Changeling
Queen)
(Read slowly to your players.) The forest is still,
everything covered in snow. But an Avalon forest is
never silent, even in winter. Sit quietly enough and you
can hear whispers as old as the trees. Hidden from view,
you watch the scene. A group of armed men and women
standing in a clearing. One of them is more sinister than
the others. His oily black hair pulled back in a tail, his
clean shaven face so thin it looks like a skeleton with skin
and no muscle. His eyes are as dark as the night sky.
When he removes his glove, you see thick scars on his
hands. Some of you know those scars. Some of you may
even have those scars.
(Raise the intensity.) He draws a long knife from its
sheath and runs it over his palm, drawing blood. Then,
he reaches his bloody hand into the night air…and it
vanishes. Right up to his elbow. He turns to another
figure in a heavy cloak. As she steps forward, you see her
pale skin and red hair. Queen Elaine?
(SLAP! your hands.) He vanishes, leaving the armed
mercenaries on their own.
Now, you have a choice. You could wait for the
Montaigne sorcier to return or you could act now. Which
is it?
However your players choose, it’s going to be an
Action Scene!
Action Scene
The Scene takes place in a forest just outside of
Carleon. The mercenaries stand in a clearing. There
looks to be about a dozen of them.
CONSEQUENCES
The Heroes have very little time: only two Rounds.
If the Heroes don’t deal with the Brute Squad by the
time the Villain returns, they’ll have to deal with the
Villain as well. And he’ll have a kidnapped Queen
Elaine as leverage.
The site is incredibly dark. Everyone must spend
one Raise to overcome the darkness unless they have
an Advantage that cancels out this Consequence.
Two Brute Squads here, both Rank 8.
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7TH SEA ADVENTURES
The Arrival of Déodat Brodeur
Two rounds after he vanishes, Brodeur returns
with the real Queen Elaine. She has her hands and
ankles tied with iron manacles, her mouth gagged,
head covered with a sack. Brodeur has many escape
routes and as soon as he notices his guards are gone,
he’ll know the game is up. He’ll try to escape using
Porte and unless someone can stop him, he will.
Doesn’t matter where he goes (back to his home in
Montaigne, if he’s forced to flee at a moment’s notice),
he has the Queen of Avalon as a bargaining chip.
Heroes can threaten him with a pistol of he tries to
leave and he will listen. However, he will also tell the
Heroes:
All I have to do is make a single gesture and poof! I’m
gone! I may have a bullet hole in my chest, and I may die
bleeding out, but I will still have your Queen. And those
who paid me will restore me back to health. They have
such amazing capabilities! So you may fire if you like, but
I prefer not to have a bullet in me when I travel. And
who knows? Perhaps you will strike the Faerie Queen
with your pistol, eh? And what are the little pieces of lead
to someone with Faerie Blood? Who knows?
He leans into the kidnapped Queen and whispers.
Perhaps you know. Je suis certain que tu sais.
Back to the Heroes…
Go ahead. Pull your trigger. Draw your sword. The
Queen is eager to take the bullet for me.
Perhaps now is a good time to remind the players that
you have Danger Points. And firing a flintlock pistol at
someone using sorcery never has a good outcome.
So, how do the Heroes deal with this? You tell me.
Once again, my job is to find perilous situations to
throw your Heroes into. It’s your job to watch them
come up with solutions. And if they come up with
something spectacularly awesome that you never saw
coming…well, then neither did Brodeur. However,
if they act rashly and without consideration for the
consequences of their actions, then they should suffer
the consequences of their actions.
However, if the Heroes do manage to capture
Brodeur, there is one important thing he knows that
the players should know: who the third group is after.
None of these three groups is supposed to know
the other two groups exist. Brodeur knows. You can
read about why in the boxed text below. He knows
THE CHANGELING QUEEN
the Heroes are on the wrong trail. He knows who
the real target is. And he’ll use that information to
negotiate freedom.
Go on. Kill me. Make that promise. I know you
cannot keep it. You can hurt me. I know pain. I know
her very well. We are lovers. She will serve me, not you.
I know a secret. I know which of the Queen’s beloveds
is in danger and you do not. Touch me with a harsh
hand and I will say nothing. Treat me like a gentleman
and I will tell you everything. C’est ton choix. (It is your
choice.)
Depending on how your players respond, they
may let Brodeur go (Good! He makes for a great
re-occuring Villain!) or they may not. However, the
Queen is most upset. Someone she loves is in danger.
If the Heroes do not make a deal with him… she
will. She will make him any promise to save someone
else. Well, almost any promise. Fortunately, Brodeur
is only interested in himself, so he won’t force the
Queen to abdicate the Throne. He just wants her
assurance that nobody will harm him…and the gold
ring on her finger. She’s glad to give it, but after he’s
gone, she’ll offer the Heroes “a Queen’s ransom” to
get it back.
That’s plot, baby!
Déodat Brodeur (Villain)
MONTAIGNE
Strength: 3+[H], Influence: 5, Rank: 8+[H]
Advantages
Sorcery (Porte), Wealthy, Fascinate
Virtue: The Devil
Hubris: The Beggar
Déodat was once a noble. He lost that distinction after a game of cards went
against him. He lost everything. His lands, his wealth, his title…everything.
Now, he uses his talents as a magical mercenary, popping in and out
wherever he’s needed. He demands respect, even if he doesn’t deserve it,
and will actually treat others better if they give it to him. He’s a realist (not
capital-R) and a pragmatic. He knows when the situation turns against
him. He isn’t a coward, but he also knows when he’s got a winning hand.
(That other card game was just bad luck.) He also knows when he’s got a
losing hand and should just bow out. Or, in his case, teleport out. The Order
uses him often and he knows it. He knows more about the Order than they
suspect. That’s because he’s a Porte sorcier…but we can’t say more about
that…yet. Suffice to say he knows the entire plan and he’s willing to spill all
the details…for the right price.
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7TH SEA ADVENTURES
Scene 3: Abduction and
Abdication
And now the third plot. The Heroes believe there’s
a plan to abduct Daníele and use her as leverage
against the Queen. That isn’t the case. It’s actually
Lawrence Lugh they’re after. They let slip certain
information to test one of their high agents. The
agent failed the test. They informed the Heroes about
Daníele’s abduction. And when the Order finds out,
the traitor in Novus Ordo Mundi is doomed.
(More on that in the next episode!)
For the Order’s plans, Daníele is too much of a wild
card. The Order don’t know how to deal with her.
They do know how to deal with an idealistic knight
with a magic arm who blindly loves the Queen. That’s
something they can put their heads around.
So while the Heroes guard Daníele (and good luck
with that), the Order is actually targeting Lugh.
Start Here!
Daníele’s gender
Sometimes, Daníele seems to be male. He dresses
in male clothes, lets her hair down, speaks with a
(semi-)masculine voice and acts…well, male. But
sometimes, she doesn’t. Sometimes she dresses up
in gowns, puts up her hair, and acts…well, like a
woman. Daníele is both. If someone asks Daníele
about gender, the answer is, “I am Sidhe. Not him.
Not her. Sidhe.” So, instead of saying, “He wants to be
left alone,” you could say “The Sidhe wants to be left
alone.” You could also use “they.” Daníele accepts that
pronoun as well.
Daníele sits in a quiet room surrounded by people
with the intention of protecting the Sidhe from harm.
Daníele is not happy. The Sidhe fidgets in their chair,
arms crossed, looking like a scorned lover. “How
much longer?” Daníele asks. But in this silent room—
far away from Carleon—Daníele is safe from danger.
And that’s all that matters.
The False Attack
Novus Ordo Mundi has arranged for a Brute
Squad to attack the Heroes protecting Daníele. They
THE CHANGELING QUEEN
will fail. They’re supposed to fail. The entire point
is to keep the Heroes from the Order’s actual goal.
When they show up, they have swords and knives and
clubs, but they are no match for the Heroes guarding
Daníele.
Daniéle has a Brute Squad Strength 5.
During and after the fight, anyone paying attention
will see the members of this Brute Squad are clearly
not professional soldiers or mercenaries. They are
barely trained.
When defeated, the Brutes surrender quickly and
without any fuss. No problem at all.
At this point, the Heroes should suspect something
is wrong. After (out of character) watching the
troubles the other groups are going through, and
seeing the ease with which they dispatched their foes,
something is clearly wrong. If they don’t come to that
conclusion, Daníele will.
If they need to know what’s really going on, Daníele
can provide some help. Put her in front of water (a
lake, a pool, a dish) and she enters into a trance. She
speaks with an unearthly voice…
Those you seek are not here
The ones who wish to do harm
Those who feast on fear
Hunt the man with the silver arm
And with that knowledge, the race is on.
Saving Lawrence
The question now becomes, “How do we save
Lawrence?” The Heroes don’t even know where he is.
But Daníele does. In order to take advantage of that
knowledge, the Heroes have to obey Avalon’s rules.
Daníele talls them:
The Sidhe know where everyone is in Avalon. All
you need do is ask. But you must also pay the price.
This is not me asking. It is Avalon. Wisdom and
power always have a price here. Asking Avalon for
help means Avalon will ask you for help one day. And
you will not be able to refuse. And so, now, swear to
me that you are in Avalon’s debt, and I will take you to
Lawrence Lugh.
And that’s really it. The Heroes need to agree. They
need to take a debt to Avalon that they will someday
repay. Otherwise, Avalon will not move them.
9
7TH SEA ADVENTURES
The Heroes can argue that saving people is what
Avalon wants them to do and Daníele should just tell
them. Daníele’s head shakes: “That isn’t how Avalon
works.”
Daníele leads the Heroes who agree to pay Avalon’s
price to the door of the small room. The Sidhe opens
it. On the other side is only darkness. “Go on,” she
says. “He’s waiting for you on the other side. Those
crossing over feel a rush of cold winter wind and
then…
The Man with the Silver Hand
Lawrence Lugh happened to be in the northern part
of Avalon, near the official border of the Highland
Marches. Camping beside a lake, fishing and hunting.
He was raised here. There’s a small cottage that he’s
maintained. His mother’s grave is nearby.
You have a choice here. You can have the Heroes
arrive a little early or a little late. Either the attack
hasn’t happened yet or it’s just about to happen. If
you chose the former, Lugh can help dispatch the
kidnappers on the way. This is both a plus and a
minus. It means the Heroes don’t get a chance to
actually save him and if you aren’t careful, he can
overshadow them. Play it the right way, however, and
they can still have opportunities to watch his back and
prevent him from being kidnapped.
If the Heroes arrive a little late, Lugh isn’t going to
be in any position to help them. This is both a plus
and a minus. It means you can’t use him as a friendly
NPC to help wade through the opposition, but it also
means the Heroes are solely responsible for saving
him. The choice is up to you.
Novus Ordo Mundi knows Lugh isn’t going to
be easy to catch. That’s why they’ve taken particular
precautions to deal with him.
All the weapons they wield are made of iron. They
know Lugh’s Sidhe blessings protect him from most
normal weapons, but weapons made of iron and only
iron can harm him.
They’ve brought a net with iron shards woven into
the rope.
They have an item made by a Sidhe of the Faerie
Court. A woman who once loved Lawrence but he
abandoned her when she became jealous of Elaine.
It looks like a bundle of sticks wrapped up with a
THE CHANGELING QUEEN
leather strap. Inside is Lawrence Lugh’s true name.
Lifting it in the left hand (it must be in the left hand)
in his presence removes all his Hero Points.
If the Heroes arrive before the attack…
They have only a few seconds to warn the Knight
with the Silver Arm. He just went for a swim in the
lake, so he is not wearing his armor or shield. His hair
and skin are wet and his beauty is breathtaking. He
is nearly naked, save for his wet trousers. His armor
and weapons are in a pile by the fire he built. A fish
roasts on a spit just above the fire. The Heroes get out
maybe two sentences. Then, the attack.
If the Heroes arrive after the attack…
They see Lawrence tied in a net, his armor and
shield are by a fire he built where a fish roasts on a
spit. He is nearly naked, save for his wet trousers.
There are two Villains here along with a Brute Squad
for each. They are not happy to see the Heroes
suddenly arrive from nowhere. One of them even
mutters, “Damn Avalon…”
Keavy McCormick (Villain)
F, HIGHLAND MARCHES
Strength: 6, Influence: 2, Rank: 8
Advantages
Indomitable Will, Boxer, Fencer
Virtue: The Fool
Hubris: The Lovers
She doesn’t take lip from nobody. No man, no woman and absolutely no
Sidhe. Keavy has a long history with the “Goodly Folk” (she uses the term
with a sarcastic tone) and takes great glee in wrecking them. When she was a
younger girl, she fell in love with a Sidhe Knight who broke her heart and cost
her family everything. She swore she would never fall in love with another
Faerie. But she did. And again. And again. And it’s always gone wrong, ending
in tragedy. Well, no more. And now she’s been given the knowledge and
the tools to take down Lawrence Lugh? And get paid for it? Absolutely yes. A
thousand times yes.
Brannick “The Bloody” O’Connor
M, INISMORE
Strength: 6, Influence: 3, Rank: 9
Advantages
Strength of Ten, The Devil’s Own Luck
Virtue: The Prophet
Hubris: The Emperor
10
7TH SEA ADVENTURES
Brannick grew up believing the Sidhe were the most beautiful things he ever
saw. Then, one of them fell in love with him, and that was the end of his life,
his family’s lives, the end of everything. He spent the rest of his life studying
how to hunt, trick, and kill them. He travels all over the Glamour Isles, known
to the Sidhe as the Bloody O’Connor. And he makes his hatred known far and
wide, telling his stories without fear. He wants all the world to know what the
Sidhe really are: heartless devils pretending to be human, but with no real
understanding of what that means.
Aftermath
If even one of these schemes succeeds, Queen
Elaine’s authority in Avalon will be seriously
damaged. Of course, if the Heroes fail, each of them
also sets up a new story!
The Changeling Queen
If the Heroes fail here, you’ll have a false Queen
Elaine on your hands. The Heroes must rescue the
real Queen, of course, but in the meantime, the False
Queen will do everything in her power to undermine
the real Queen’s reputation and power. She’ll question
Elaine’s most trusted advisors and do it in public.
She’ll flaunt affairs with unsuitable suitors and she’ll
do it in public. She’ll insult foreign ambassadors, she’ll
disband her knights and she may even be so bold as to
declare war on a foreign Nation.
That means the Heroes have to find the real Queen
and put her back on the Throne as soon as possible.
Abduction and Abdication
If Lawrence Lugh is held ransom, the Queen will
go into a deep depression. Unable to act knowing that
her position has put someone she loves in harm’s way.
The darkness in her head will haunt her. Make her
irritable. Make her hesitate when she should act. She
will be, in effect, helpless. And that’s exactly what the
Order wants. Our Heroes have to rescue Lugh and
bring him back to the Queen’s court, ensuring his
safety. Only then will her melancholy break and she
will return to her wise, witty, clever self.
THE CHANGELING QUEEN
Bring Her to the Light
This is the most damaging option. If the letter gets
out, it has permanent and damaging repercussions on
the court. The Queen is scandalized. Her reputation
permanently damaged. This is not a problem the
Heroes can punch or fence. The only way to solve this
problem is through politics and delicate diplomacy.
All of Avalon must be made to understand the true
nature of the relationship: a relationship of love. True
love. And that takes more than smashing through
windows, exploding villainous machines, or fencing
on rooftops. It means the Heroes have to take to
Avalon and tell stories of love. They must take up
the duty of bards and spread the story so it infects
the hearts of the people and Elaine’s court. Convince
Avalon that love should never be hidden. And that
may be the most heroic task of all.

11
7TH SEA ADVENTURES THE CHANGELING QUEEN
 My friends,

There is little time. I also expect to be dead by the time you receive this letter, but it must be written.
Your previous exploits have shown me you are the only ones who can stop The Plot. May Theus help us
if you cannot.
The Plot seeks to overthrow Queen Elaine of Avalon. But it is not a single action that shall do so, but a
coordinated set of attacks on her character and her life. Those who act against her rest assured one of these
shall be successful, for if even one comes to fruition, all is lost.
First, a man named Dancell Saltonstall, a fanatical Realist, carries a letter that must never be revealed
to the public. He intends to sell it to Separationist agents in Carleon. Once it is in their hands, it will be
printed. This cannot happen. Someone must stop him. He arrives on Avalon’s shores from the Highlands
in a few days. Stop him in Carleon. The ship carrying him to Avalon is La Magdalena. This is the only
clue I have to when the Plot shall commence.
Second, a group of treacherous Sidhe hope to replace the Queen with a twisted facsimile. A changeling.
The attempt is supposed to happen at the same time Dancell arrives in Carleon. I also know they have a
Porté sorcier by the name of Déodat Brodeur. That is all I know.
Third, they plan on abducting the Sidhe, Daníele. They know there is a connection between the Queen
and this woman, but they do not know what it is. They plan on using the Sidhe to ransom what they
want from the Queen: abdication of the Throne.
Accompanied with this letter are three small Syrneth devices. May they aid you well.
You must be swift my friends. And I pray to Theus someday we may meet.

A friend
 My Friend,
It seems an eternity since we were together last. The wit and humor that made days and nights sweep away is sorely needed in the
North. The cold wind taunts me, telling me your laughter is far, far from me now.
The court is as cold as the wind. It whispers through the corridors, defaming you and me. Oh but did we not learn as children how
a secret can make even the most bitter sweet? When I snuck honey from the cupboards, it was like sneaking a kiss from your lips.
Write to me soon so I may be reminded in words of the voice that turns time to mercury. Until then, I shall be comforted only
by the wind.