I saved and printed the free RPG adventures posted to the 7th Sea RPG resources site. There’s some interesting material there, from the Novus Ordum Mundi adventures reprinted from the Crow’s Nest newsletter, to material that didn’t make the Rapier’s Edge adventure anthology.
Men & Gods – The heroes travel across the Crescent Empire and Cathay in search of pieces of a Syrneth artifact. Each piece unerringly leads the way to the next, but the heroes have to deal with the politics, ambitions and threats of these new nations during their search.
When assembled, the pieces of the artifact create the Hand of the Creator – a Syrneth bio-engineering device that transforms the user into a perfect human specimen at the cost of weakening the Barrier that holds back the Bargainers who granted sorcery to Theah.
This is a fine adventure, but it desperately needs to be reformatted to fit the rest of the material.
The Fall of Derwyddon – Derwyddon is the Merlin of the Thean world, and this adventure reveals the final fate of this most mysterious of druids. When the heroes foil an attempt by one of the Queen of the Sea’s minions to kidnap a sidhe, Derwyddon hires the heroes to return the wounded sidhe and convey a message to the Sidhe Queen. Upon their return from the Sidhe Court, the heroes encounter the Lady of the Lake, and finally find Derwyddon in combat with the Queen of the Sea.
Nothing the heroes do can help save Derwyddon, but they can spend a good deal of time fighting the Queen of the Sea’s lead minion. The goal of the adventure is role-playing, and if the campaign involves the Sidhe or Avalon, there are many opportunities to advance plotlines or start long-term arcs.
The Mystery of Black Ash Island – Otherwise known as Oak Island, this document is both a location sourcebook and a murder mystery.
The mystery is okay, but isn’t overwhelming. I’m amused to see the mystery of Nova Scotia incorporated into Theah.
A Murder of Supplication – This adventure is so long that it could almost be a campaign. There are 16 Hard Points (story elements that must be achieved over the course of the adventure) and 50 Soft Points (optional story elements that can send the heroes off on all manner of interesting tangents).
The adventure takes place in Ussura, and concludes the official storyline for the Knias of Molhyna. The Thean version of Ivan the Terrible is actually the victim of horrible torture and brainwashing. The immortal sorcerer Koshchei is finally driven to intervene. Molhyna is his home, and though often leaves mortal affairs to sort themselves out, Koshchei hires the heroes to deliver a series of four letters to important figures.
As the heroes go about their appointed rounds, they run afoul of the current ruler of Molhyna – Kalenikov, the Chamberlain. Kalenikov has his own secret police, and his control over the Knias means that he can order the most heinous of crimes with complete immunity. All blame falls on the Knias.
The heroes meet with notables and dignitaries loyal to Molhyna, but not the Chamberlain. Koshchei can trust these people to organize a result, and plans are well underway. The heroes travel great distances to deliver the messages and are fighting the secret police at every turn.
The adventure ends with the liberation of the Knias, the defeat of Kalenikov and a rebirth for Molhyna. This is the end according to the official storyline, but the writers offer suggestions for heroes who choose a different – and perhaps less heroic – path.
This is the best adventure of the bunch.
NOM Adventure 1: Unstable Ground – An earthquake in Vodacce reveals a hidden keep. The owner was known to have dabbled in Syrneth artifacts, and caused the landslide that buried the keep for years. Vincenzo Caligari wants those artifacts, and so do any number of other secret societies.
The twist with this adventure is that the players have a real-time limit of two hours to get in, grab whatever they can for whatever reason, and then get out.
NOM Adventure 2: For the Sake of Change – An Explorer has found half of an interesting Syrneth artifact, and needs to help of the heroes to reclaim the other piece. The current owner is an Avalon noble who financed the expedition, and who is holding a ball to celebrate the unhappy betrothal of his daughter to a Montaigne fop.
Eventually, the heroes get the artifact. And then the Montaigne fop gets both artifacts…and uses them. Hilarity ensues.
NOM Adventure 3: Villanova’s Rose – Welcome to the CCG! The heroes are hired to escort a Vodacce emissary as she pursues a pirate. Of course, it’s a trick. The heroes and the emissary board the Revenj, the Vestenmanavnjar pirate ship from the CCG, and interact with Yngvild, Red Thorfield, Jorund and Fid Blue-Eye.
The victim is a nephew of Val Mokk, one of the magnates of the Vesten guilds, and a business rival of Caligari. The heroes must choose to play along with the assassination, or defend the nephew.
NOM Adventure 4: Flames in the Night – In Castille, the heroes cross paths with the Inquisition, who are looking to burn the residents of a women’s school as witches. The heroes have to warn one chapter of the school, and then save the residents of another chapter.
Of course, the women know sorcery. They are members of the Sophia’s Daughters secret society.
NOM Adventure 5: Wheels Within Wheels – An adventures that places the heroes between two factions of Novus Ordum Mundi. Through an agent, the heroes are hired to waylay a caravan carrying contraband. The contraband is destined for the laboratory of the current head of NOM, and includes potions, scrolls and human cargo, but the heroes don’t know the true use, destination or ownership for these items.
There’s surprisingly little subterfuge or reversal in this adventure. The heroes either succeed at the task, or they fail. Their ultimate patron may find a use for them in the future, which could set the stage for further adventures with NOM, or the heroes could simply go on their merry way.