Weblog Licentiae Moeticae

How Álvara Got His Groove Back

Doctór Álvara Arcinega, like Giovanni Villanova, suffers from not being nearly as cool as he ought to be. One of Theah's greatest masterminds, we're told, a giant in a field that nobody knows exists (social engineering), a puppetmaster of the first order. And what's he doing? Sleeping in puddles while the Inquisition chases him around Theah. His plan to increase his personal power by using the Inquisition was intriguing, but he clearly didn't think it all the way through...

So stop, rewind, do over.

The Abbey of Arcadia

From a forthcoming unofficial e-supplement, tentatively entitled Occultism in Theah, comes  - the Abbey of Arcadia!

While at first glance, the abbey appears to be nothing more than another real-world conspiracy theory dressed up in Thean clothing, it actually contains a workable campaign seed of the "Chosen One" type.

Archangels

"Wait, wait, wait... TeleriB doesn't write the In Nomine content. What's up with this?"

7th Sea mentions that angels are part of Vaticine (and one assumes Objectionist) tradition.  There's not a whole lot of detail, but there is an idea that Theus has helper spirits which can be tasked to move about the mortal plane.

Who fills the symbolic and artistic void where we find Michael and Gabriel in our world?

A Rock and a Hard Place

A campaign seed

In Theah in late 1668... well, in late 1668 we're into canonical spoiler territory, so let's put this below the cut.  It's an idea for a major event that could frame an Eisen-Castillian campaign.

More dancing!

So people wanted to see some Inish and Highland dances, too...

Going to the ball

Gamemasters, have you ever wanted to say something more than "Roll Finesse plus Dancing" when your players are at a ball?  Players, have you ever wondered what the devil you're doing well and how you fail (apart from the infamous "misstep")?  If so, read on for a brief description of some late Renaissance and early Baroque courtly dances. 

The Inquisition in Vodacce

Not to be confused with the alternate, non-canonical Vodacce Inquisition! 

Of course the canonical Castillian-based Inquisition has agents in Vodacce.  They have agents everywhere, and Vodacce is even another Vaticine nation.  Its priests and bishops cannot simply expect to defy the authority of Cardinal Verdugo.

On the other hand, the Princes don't care for their meddling, and the Princes are much more subtle than Verdugo's new crop of Knight Inquisitors and Defenders of the Faith.  If the Inquisition doesn't take measures beyond what it needs at home, it will find its agents hamstrung or dead, with no one obvious to blame for it.

The Vodacce Inquisition

In many ways, an Inquisition headquartered in Vodacce makes more sense than one headquartered in Castille. Consider: until the current Grand High Inquisitor took over, the Inquisition's primary concern was rooting out heretics and sorcerers. Can you think of any nation with fewer of either than Castille?

Besides, the Vodacce are known for executing runaway noblewomen, sometimes by fire. Many noblewomen are also strega. It doesn't take much for death by fire to go from a woman's punishment, to a witch's punishment, to a punishment for all kinds of sorcery and heresy.

Whereas the sorcerers of Castille were unaffected by fire.

This is presented as an alternate version of the Inquisition, to be used instead of the canonical standard. With some work, little else in canon is affected, except life for the strega in Vodacce.

 

Porte Etiquette

The etiquette of coming and going is rendered more complex in Theah by the ability of Montaigne's high nobility to travel through sorcerous rips in reality.

 

Lord's Hands

The Princes of Vodacce have for centuries employed a cadre of loyal, trusted men to enforce their wills. These personal enforcers are known as as Lord's Hands. Each and every one is a strong, skilled player of the Great Game, and all are devoted to their lords. Their lords know this because their strega wives check the strands to be sure that it is so.

The Hands of each of the current princes each have their own distinctive style, reflecting their prince's preferred method of operations.