The Eurydice Contract

“O may I join the choir invisible

Of those immortal dead who live again

In minds made better by their presence; live

In pulses stirred to generosity,

In deeds of daring rectitude...”

― George Eliot

A Malicious Mutiny

In the curses traded beneath the decks of the Spanish treasure galleons, there was no figure more disdained than the “cacal con tres dedos,” the jackal with three fingers. Commanding the mighty HMS Eurydice, Three-Fingered Jack pilfered their fleet while England was at war with Spain. After that, there is more than one story. Some say Jack lowered his privateer flag and set course for the spice islands of the West Indies. Others say he continued plundering long after his Letter of Marque expired. No one disputes that command of the Eurydice was hoisted from him by the rogue Samuel “Black Sam” Plank who took his dear ship and began (or continued) a brutal campaign against the Spanish without England at his back.

The HMS Eurydice has the following features:

• Well-Armed (26-gun)
• Fast
• Shallow Draught (Can visit islands with shallow waters)
• Crewed by Sam’s Jolly Raiders (5D Title)

Rumor suggests Plank has taken his plunder someplace out west.

A Sinly Seaport

News of the mutiny soon reached the provisional governor Henry Morgan, at the frontier British outpost of Port Royal. Morgan, grown bitter in his years, showed no sympathy. Though an old privateer himself, Governor Morgan declared the lives of Plank and his crew to be forfeit (Jack included), and ordered they be hanged as traitors to the crown.

In the recent past, Port Royal was nothing but a pirate haven with a tavern for every man, and half a brothel. In the past few months, Morgan has sought to restore order, passing sin taxes and forbidding the practice of local religions, imprisoning the local spiritual leader Anya Morrel, ending rituals at the nearby Solomon Shallows.

Port Royal is home to the following.

• Protected by Fort Charles and its soldiers (5D Title). Anya Morrel is being held prisoner there. It has recently suffered an attack (penalty of 5 to using its cannons).
• The Governor’s Mansion he has access to the British Intelligence Spy Network (See the Special Ability Uncover).
• Near the Solomon Shallows, source of Lignum Vitae (Resource for Raise Dead).
• Taverns full of ne’er-do-wells (Resource for Rally).
• Shipping Port (Resource for Charter).
• Parade Church

Henry Morgan has the following authorities:

• Can issue Warrants to pursue criminals on the seas.
• Can issue criminal pardons.

Although

A Lamenting Lass

Of all the treasures seized by Three-Fingered Jack, the most precious may be the heart of Laura Leblanc, the minister’s daughter of Parade Church.

Character Creation

Create Characters Sequentially. It should take from ten to twenty minutes per character. The other players should help.

Persona

Choose a persona. How is your character perceived? What is their name, sex, age, profession, religion, and country of origin?

Affliction

Choose an affliction.

• Traumatized (4D)

• You’ve witnessed something that haunts you. When you’re reminded of it, you break into a cold sweat, your hands tremble. Perhaps it’s a childhood memory, or some bloody scrap in war. You may have left it behind, but always it haunts you.
• When you’re reminded of the event, you must overcome (standard target: 6).
• To treat your affliction, you must isolate in a safe enclosure and it cannot be interrupted by other concerns no matter how pressing.

• Disgraced (5D)

• You made a choice that cannot be undone. The act of a coward, a fool, or a monster. It is unforgivable. Now it hands about your neck, reminding you of your folly.
• When you act selfishly or you assert your own worth or virtue, you must overcome (standard target: 6).
• To treat your affliction, perform an act of penance by revealing the act that disgraced you in all its detail to a new person.

• Outcasted (4D)

• You’ve been rejected. Your peers don’t want you— perhaps they never have. They marked you, perhaps with a tattoo or a branding iron signifying you are not one of them.
• When your brand is spotted or your status as an outsider proves an obstacle, you must overcome (standard target: 6).
• To treat your affliction, perform a service that grants you acceptance from your peers.

• Vengeful (4D)

• Someone wronged you in the most egregious way. They left you battered and injured.
• Choose something from the scenario to inflict vengeance upon.
• Choose a permanent injury. When this injury is relevant, you must overcome (standard target: 6).
• To treat your affliction, take out your full aggression on someone.

• Addicted (3D)

• When you try to resist, your hands shake, your stomach churns. You tell yourself you don't need it, but you know it's a lie. The object of your addiction is illicit in some contexts, and certainly revolting in polite company (at least in the quantities you use). It may be a substance like alcohol or opium or some forbidden pleasure like prostitutes, gambling, or inflicting violence.
• When faced with temptation, you must overcome (standard target: 6).
• To treat your affliction, you must isolate yourself from access and triggers. Even if just for a day, you must go without, no matter how your body screams.

• Infatuated (3D)

• You see their face when you close your eyes. Your heart races at the thought of them. When they are near, you can hardly speak or think straight.
• When your affection is unrequited, you must overcome (standard target: 6).
• To treat your affliction, you are granted affection or approval by the object of your infatuation.

Class/Resources

Choose your class and an associated resource.

• Gentleman

• You own lands in the new world, either in the Caribbean or elsewhere. This grants you Title of 4D associated with your estate. Your estate makes you credit worthy. You can borrow against it to procure items and coin, or to provide supplies for special abilities.

• Naturalist

• You own an establishment in Port Royal that allows you to use a particular special ability. You may choose one of the scenario’s characters or another protagonist as your patron.

• Crewman

• You are employed by one of the scenario’s characters. They offer you different jobs or tasks to perform in exchange for services or resources. This may allow you to perform a special ability or to treat your affliction.

Choose a relationship with a module character or another protagonist of one of the following types. This relationship is additional to any relationships established through affliction or class.

Relationship

This relationship may not be comfortable. It is likely to change— to grow, reverse, collapse, reform, or end abruptly.

• You have a familial relationship— they are your father, cousin, daughter, etc. This can be by blood, adoption, or any ritual where you take on a family role.
• You have a romantic relationship. You may be engaged, betrothed, eloped, or divorced.
• They are your instructor and you are their apprentice.
• They are your master and you are their servant.
• They are your adversary. You may have a friendly rivalry, someone you envy, or a friendship that’s had a falling out. Someone with a history.

Trades

Choose four trades— two at 4D and two at 3D.

Any trade in your class gets a +2D bonus.

• Gentleman

• Socialite
• Reputed

• Naturalist

• Surgeon
• Clerk
• Trader
• Alchemist

• Crewman

• Soldier
• Thug
• Hunter
• Thief
• Trader
• Craftsman
• Performer
• Beggar
• Artist
• Navigator

Outfit your character. Describe their dress and equipment.

Characters

• Plank’s ambassador Nessa

• 4D Diplomat

• Local spiritual leader Anya Morrel

• 5D Alchemist

• Governor Henry Morgan

• 5D Mariner (Privateer)
• 5D Fort Charles (penalty of 6 to cannons)

• Mutinous Samuel “Black Sam” Plank

• 6D Pirate
• 5D Crew— Plank’s Jolly Men

• Captured Three-Fingered Jack

• 6D Reputed
• 5D Pirate

• Laura Leblanc, Jack’s Lover

• 3D Infatuated
• 6D Surgeon
• 6D Diplomat
• 3D Socialite
• 3D Thief

• Emmanual Leblanc, minister (Contact))

• 4D Minister
• 4D Reputed

• Mr. Hoverly (Contact— Underground Intelligence)

• Opium Den

• Clara Starling (Contact)

• The Blushing Mermaid

• Captain O'Malley

• Wounded Ship (6)
• 4D Slave Crew

Threats

• French Fleet (5D)
• Pirates
• Sea monsters
• Storms

Player Characters:

• Bale Langley
• Colton Hood

CHANGES (9/24/2023)

• Laura Leblanc is going to be more active, and staying in a local Inn

Questions -

        Is “Port Royal” sufficiently built up?

        What are the ‘tense dynamics’ in the Port?

• Can there be more conflicts on the island? - Ryan
• Henry Morgan is literally dying of old age/disease - Eric
• Henry Morgan has to defend Port Royal from Pirates - Eric
• Henry Morgan has to defend Port Royal from Black Sam - Eric
• Henry Morgan has to uphold the laws of England - Eric

• Henry Morgan has to suppress Anya Morrell and his local religion - Eric
• Henry Morgan has to stop Laura Leblanc - Eric

• Henry Morgan has to defend Port Royal from the French - Eric
• Henry Morgan has to defend Port Royal from the Spanish - Eric

        What are the Dangers associated with leaving Port Royal?

• Sea Monsters - Eric
• Horrible Storms - Eric
• Filthy Pirates - Eric
• Solomon Shallows? - Walt
• Searching for Hidden Treasure and/or Hidden Coves - Ryan

        Would having more resources at the start, Help?

• Should we start with new resources?
• Is it important that we have multiple ‘Cities’/’Locations’?
• How should we feel about ‘Unique’ Resources?

• ATM there is only one ‘intelligence office’
• ATM there is only one ‘Grove of Alchemical Resurrection’
• “I can add more locations. Like Pirate-Port-Nassou