The Inside Scoop on Gaming

Arrow of Heaven: The Erebus Cross: Part Three

for 7th Sea

"The Arrow of Heaven" by Rob Vaux

Explorer's Society by John Wick, Jennifer Wick, and Kevin Wilson

64 pages, perfect bound

$11.95

reviewed by Lisa Padol

Playtesters: Avram Grumer, Fred Herman, Joshua Kronengold, Matt Stevens

Historical Consultant: Naomi Rivkis

Grade: C

The Erebus Cross is a three-part adventure, sold in three separate parts. This is annoying, but would not be so bad if part one were not packaged with the GM Screen, ensuring that it would be the adventure most likely to be run by 7th Sea GMs, and if it did not end on a cliffhanger, which is unfair to players and GM alike. All three parts of the adventure are supplemented with material about the Explorer's Society, much of which is reprinted in the 7th Sea Compendium, which is FREE to anyone owning either of the core rulebooks.

The Arrow of Heaven is the third part of the Erebus Cross. It is better than part one, if not quite as good as part two. The basic problem with all three parts is railroading. Players may be drawn to a game because they like the drama, but this does not mean that they want their PCs to be restricted by genre conventions, nor does it mean that their interpretation of genre conventions will be the same as a scenario author's. Nor does it mean that the PCs will have managed to win battles the author thought were impossible to lose or that the party will be composed of the mixture of characters the author presumes. All of these problems come up at one point or another of the Erebus Cross adventure, marring it. This is a pity, because the basic premise is sound: The PCs answer the plea of a damosel in distress in part one, and by part three, they have been to six of the Seven Nations, made friends and enemies, and earned a reputation for better or for worse. I had no idea where to take the campaign when I started; now, I am full of ideas, thanks, in large part, to Rob Vaux.

Like its predecessors, Arrow of Heaven is divided into four parts, with several optional encounters so that the adventure can be completed by beginning PCs, but is still a challenge for experienced PCs. There is a brief explanation of how to run Arrow of Heaven as a standalone. It seems workable, though I ran it as part three of The Erebus Cross. The author assumes that if part two has been run, the PCs will have two magically linked Syrneth compasses. However, my group did not have them, not having managed to defeat the villain from the previous part. I know how I plan to handle it, but the author ought to have taken this possibility into account.

In the first part of the adventure, the PCs learn that the compasses are the key to a powerful and dangerous machine in a hidden Vodacce ruin. The Explorer's Society, hoping to prevent the machine from being used, destroyed all information about its location. While I wouldn't buy that in a modern setting, it fits the genre and time period of 7th Sea, and does not make presumptions about what PCs will do, but about what NPCs have done. Naturally, accidents will happen, and an Explorer who did not know about the machine or the reason for secrecy went to search for the forbidden ruins. He has vanished. Enter the PCs.

So far, so good. The PCs may be friends of the explorer, Reginald Coleson. This was the case with my group. And, while they did not have the compasses, they understood that such items should not fall into the wrong hands.

The Explorer's Society trusts the PCs because "Heroes don't tend towards mad grabs for power." (9) This statement was greeted with general laughter by my players, and this sarcastic comment from Josh: "Oh, no, none of my characters have ever made a mad dash for power." I should point out that Josh usually plays characters who, while they may be rogues, are, nevertheless, heroes at the core.

One of my ongoing problems with the official attitude about 7th Sea is the idea that all of the PCs are Heroes, and that Heroes never act immorally, no matter the provocation. I have two problems with this attitude. First, and most importantly, I do not like being told how my PC can act. But it's in keeping with the genre? As I've said, players like to go beyond genre. Moreover, to claim Heroes never act immorally is to ignore the source material. The swashbuckling genre is far richer and far more complex than the folks at AEG give it credit for being.

In any case, the PCs need a precise location of the Vodacce ruins, and the only man who can help lives in war-torn Castille. The author explains the difference between modern warfare and warfare during the time in our world that corresponds to the time period in which 7th Sea is set to show why it is not insane for the PCs to walk through a war zone. I asked my Historical Consultant about this, and she confirmed that the author's claims are accurate, if perhaps slightly exaggerated. PCs exercising a bare minimum of caution will not be in too much danger from the war.

When the PCs arrive at the university where Professor Olivares, the scholar they need, teaches, they are supposed to find it deserted, look high and low for someome to answer their questions only to see the few individuals they find flee in terror, and, just when they are about to give up in despair, someone tells them that Olivares is elsewhere is Castille. This is one of those things that works well on paper, but is best abstracted, as the PCs' frustration should not become the players'. I suspect the author would agree, but an explicit statement to that effect would be helpful, particularly for less experienced GMs.

Off the PCs went to find Olivares, and find him they did. He was willing to solve their problem if they agreed to deliver a book to Vodacce. This sequence is an improvement over a similar one in Scoundrel's Folly, the previous part of The Erebus Cross. There, one encounter presumes that at least of the PCs are Explorers. Here, while Olivares is in luck if there is at least one member of the Invisible College in the group, it is not required. However, it is possible that one or more PCs have loyalties to those elements of the Church hostile to Olivares, and I wish the author had taken this into consideration.

This is a point of some importance as the hostile elements in question, to wit, the Inquisition, show up and demand the book. Despite this, there are two good things about this sequence. First, it makes sense. I am sick of cases where the opposition is presumed to know what the PCs are up to regardless of what precautions they take. Here, however, the Inquisition has been watching to see who visits Olivares, and the PCs are not likely to realize this. It does not require telepathy for the Inquisitors to figure out that Olivares might have given them a book. The second good thing is that the author takes multiple possibilities into account. One or more of the PCs captured? No problem--run a daring rescue. I like this kind of thinking, and I would have liked to have seen more of it.

There are two optional encounters set in Castille, involving NPCs from earlier parts of The Erebus Cross. I used the one with Chevalier, a musketeer who still bore the party a grudge. It is a well designed encounter, not intended to be lethal, and taking several possibilities into account.

The second encounter is less well designed. The PCs are approached by a Vesten skjaeren (shaman) whom they saw leading a ceremony in the second part of The Erebus Cross. At least, non-Vendels did; there is no indication of how the Vesten reacts to any Vendels in the party or to other party members who did not witness the ceremony. In the previous encounter, it was explicitly stated that the shaman was blind, but neither the text nor the illustration in Arrow of Heaven gives any indication of this fact.

The Vesten explains that the spirits and the runes foretold two meetings with the PCs. The first was the ceremony he allowed them to witness. Now that trust has been established--

Whoa. Just because I was allowed to witness a secret ritual, there is a bond of trust? No formal invitation was issued. An NPC totally unrelated to the Vesten said, basically, "Look. The Vesten are having a ceremony. Let's watch." No promises were exchanged. I know nothing about the Vesten. I may even have revealed what I saw to any of a number of groups. I have no reason to trust them, nor have they reason to trust me. And at this second, and final meeting, what does destiny hold in store? The Vesten want the PCs to retrieve some sacred items from an officer who considers them a good luck charm. There are numerous ways to go about this, but it seems an utter waste of a fated final meeting. I chose not to use it, and Josh, reading it afterwards, was annoyed to see that the rules for laerdom are ignored in the encounter, and that the PCs will be plagued with ill-luck if they don't help the Vesten. "Ah," he translated, "If you don't play the game our way, we won't let you have any fun." This had not occurred to me as a factor, but then, I was thinking like a GM, and Josh was thinking like a player.

From Castille, the PCs head for Vodacce, where they are entangled in the politics of two of the seven princes. So far, so good. I like this kind of intrigue, though GMs should be aware that the PCs might do something unexpected like anger both princes far too early in the adventure. This is not a flaw in the scenario; just a caveat about the perversity of players.

By this point, the PCs may be tempted to ditch the compasses. The author explains that if they do, their Vodacce rivals will get them. If the PCs leave the compasses with an NPC, the NPC will wind up dead. That is, unless it is the author's favorite NPC, who will get off with a severe beating. What if the PCs try to destroy the compasses or drop them into the sea? What if they contrive to give them to Princess Dominique of Montaigne, who owes them a favor and who is unlikely to fall victim to the Vodacce?

Fortunately, my players tried none of these tactics. They headed off to the wilderness, and I threw in two more optional encounters. One involved the rescue of a Fate Witch and the uniquely Vodacce reaction of her husband. The other involves Sophia's Daughters, and I am glad I ran it before knowledge of this conspiracy became official. It is nice having the players ignorant of the larger plot threads for now.

In the final part of the adventure, the PCs are expected to defeat their Vodacce rival (after he's killed several NPCs). If they fail, he still can't use the hidden machine--there will be an explosion which destroys both compasses. No one can use it, really, except maybe a rich, patient, Vodacce villain like the one the PCs met earlier. While I'm tired of this kind of ending, it works well enough and is a staple of the genre. But I would have appreciated game mechanics information about how the machine works to give me options for Vodacce villainy or player perversity.

Although it could have been better, Arrow of Heaven is a reasonable conclusion, to the Erebus Cross adventure. I still don't like the division of the adventure into three parts. The Explorers' Guild material is good, and most of it has been reprinted in the FREE Compendium. It takes up ten pages, or less than 1/6 of the book, so if you like the adventure, you will still get your money's worth.

Style: 3 (Average)
Substance: 3 (Average)

Arrow of Heaven
Author: "The Arrow of Heaven" by Rob Vaux, Explorer's Society by John Wick, Jennifer Wick, and Kevin Wilson Category: game Company/Publisher: Alderac Entertainment Group Line: 7th Sea Cost: $11.95 Page count: 64 pages, perfect bound Playtest Review by Lisa Padol on 05/23/00. Genre tags: Fantasy Historical Conspiracy	Arrow of Heaven: The Erebus Cross: Part Three for 7th Sea "The Arrow of Heaven" by Rob Vaux Explorer's Society by John Wick, Jennifer Wick, and Kevin Wilson 64 pages, perfect bound $11.95 reviewed by Lisa Padol Playtesters: Avram Grumer, Fred Herman, Joshua Kronengold, Matt Stevens Historical Consultant: Naomi Rivkis Grade: C The Erebus Cross is a three-part adventure, sold in three separate parts. This is annoying, but would not be so bad if part one were not packaged with the GM Screen, ensuring that it would be the adventure most likely to be run by 7th Sea GMs, and if it did not end on a cliffhanger, which is unfair to players and GM alike. All three parts of the adventure are supplemented with material about the Explorer's Society, much of which is reprinted in the 7th Sea Compendium, which is FREE to anyone owning either of the core rulebooks. The Arrow of Heaven is the third part of the Erebus Cross. It is better than part one, if not quite as good as part two. The basic problem with all three parts is railroading. Players may be drawn to a game because they like the drama, but this does not mean that they want their PCs to be restricted by genre conventions, nor does it mean that their interpretation of genre conventions will be the same as a scenario author's. Nor does it mean that the PCs will have managed to win battles the author thought were impossible to lose or that the party will be composed of the mixture of characters the author presumes. All of these problems come up at one point or another of the Erebus Cross adventure, marring it. This is a pity, because the basic premise is sound: The PCs answer the plea of a damosel in distress in part one, and by part three, they have been to six of the Seven Nations, made friends and enemies, and earned a reputation for better or for worse. I had no idea where to take the campaign when I started; now, I am full of ideas, thanks, in large part, to Rob Vaux. Like its predecessors, Arrow of Heaven is divided into four parts, with several optional encounters so that the adventure can be completed by beginning PCs, but is still a challenge for experienced PCs. There is a brief explanation of how to run Arrow of Heaven as a standalone. It seems workable, though I ran it as part three of The Erebus Cross. The author assumes that if part two has been run, the PCs will have two magically linked Syrneth compasses. However, my group did not have them, not having managed to defeat the villain from the previous part. I know how I plan to handle it, but the author ought to have taken this possibility into account. In the first part of the adventure, the PCs learn that the compasses are the key to a powerful and dangerous machine in a hidden Vodacce ruin. The Explorer's Society, hoping to prevent the machine from being used, destroyed all information about its location. While I wouldn't buy that in a modern setting, it fits the genre and time period of 7th Sea, and does not make presumptions about what PCs will do, but about what NPCs have done. Naturally, accidents will happen, and an Explorer who did not know about the machine or the reason for secrecy went to search for the forbidden ruins. He has vanished. Enter the PCs. So far, so good. The PCs may be friends of the explorer, Reginald Coleson. This was the case with my group. And, while they did not have the compasses, they understood that such items should not fall into the wrong hands. The Explorer's Society trusts the PCs because "Heroes don't tend towards mad grabs for power." (9) This statement was greeted with general laughter by my players, and this sarcastic comment from Josh: "Oh, no, none of my characters have ever made a mad dash for power." I should point out that Josh usually plays characters who, while they may be rogues, are, nevertheless, heroes at the core. One of my ongoing problems with the official attitude about 7th Sea is the idea that all of the PCs are Heroes, and that Heroes never act immorally, no matter the provocation. I have two problems with this attitude. First, and most importantly, I do not like being told how my PC can act. But it's in keeping with the genre? As I've said, players like to go beyond genre. Moreover, to claim Heroes never act immorally is to ignore the source material. The swashbuckling genre is far richer and far more complex than the folks at AEG give it credit for being. In any case, the PCs need a precise location of the Vodacce ruins, and the only man who can help lives in war-torn Castille. The author explains the difference between modern warfare and warfare during the time in our world that corresponds to the time period in which 7th Sea is set to show why it is not insane for the PCs to walk through a war zone. I asked my Historical Consultant about this, and she confirmed that the author's claims are accurate, if perhaps slightly exaggerated. PCs exercising a bare minimum of caution will not be in too much danger from the war. When the PCs arrive at the university where Professor Olivares, the scholar they need, teaches, they are supposed to find it deserted, look high and low for someome to answer their questions only to see the few individuals they find flee in terror, and, just when they are about to give up in despair, someone tells them that Olivares is elsewhere is Castille. This is one of those things that works well on paper, but is best abstracted, as the PCs' frustration should not become the players'. I suspect the author would agree, but an explicit statement to that effect would be helpful, particularly for less experienced GMs. Off the PCs went to find Olivares, and find him they did. He was willing to solve their problem if they agreed to deliver a book to Vodacce. This sequence is an improvement over a similar one in Scoundrel's Folly, the previous part of The Erebus Cross. There, one encounter presumes that at least of the PCs are Explorers. Here, while Olivares is in luck if there is at least one member of the Invisible College in the group, it is not required. However, it is possible that one or more PCs have loyalties to those elements of the Church hostile to Olivares, and I wish the author had taken this into consideration. This is a point of some importance as the hostile elements in question, to wit, the Inquisition, show up and demand the book. Despite this, there are two good things about this sequence. First, it makes sense. I am sick of cases where the opposition is presumed to know what the PCs are up to regardless of what precautions they take. Here, however, the Inquisition has been watching to see who visits Olivares, and the PCs are not likely to realize this. It does not require telepathy for the Inquisitors to figure out that Olivares might have given them a book. The second good thing is that the author takes multiple possibilities into account. One or more of the PCs captured? No problem--run a daring rescue. I like this kind of thinking, and I would have liked to have seen more of it. There are two optional encounters set in Castille, involving NPCs from earlier parts of The Erebus Cross. I used the one with Chevalier, a musketeer who still bore the party a grudge. It is a well designed encounter, not intended to be lethal, and taking several possibilities into account. The second encounter is less well designed. The PCs are approached by a Vesten skjaeren (shaman) whom they saw leading a ceremony in the second part of The Erebus Cross. At least, non-Vendels did; there is no indication of how the Vesten reacts to any Vendels in the party or to other party members who did not witness the ceremony. In the previous encounter, it was explicitly stated that the shaman was blind, but neither the text nor the illustration in Arrow of Heaven gives any indication of this fact. The Vesten explains that the spirits and the runes foretold two meetings with the PCs. The first was the ceremony he allowed them to witness. Now that trust has been established-- Whoa. Just because I was allowed to witness a secret ritual, there is a bond of trust? No formal invitation was issued. An NPC totally unrelated to the Vesten said, basically, "Look. The Vesten are having a ceremony. Let's watch." No promises were exchanged. I know nothing about the Vesten. I may even have revealed what I saw to any of a number of groups. I have no reason to trust them, nor have they reason to trust me. And at this second, and final meeting, what does destiny hold in store? The Vesten want the PCs to retrieve some sacred items from an officer who considers them a good luck charm. There are numerous ways to go about this, but it seems an utter waste of a fated final meeting. I chose not to use it, and Josh, reading it afterwards, was annoyed to see that the rules for laerdom are ignored in the encounter, and that the PCs will be plagued with ill-luck if they don't help the Vesten. "Ah," he translated, "If you don't play the game our way, we won't let you have any fun." This had not occurred to me as a factor, but then, I was thinking like a GM, and Josh was thinking like a player. From Castille, the PCs head for Vodacce, where they are entangled in the politics of two of the seven princes. So far, so good. I like this kind of intrigue, though GMs should be aware that the PCs might do something unexpected like anger both princes far too early in the adventure. This is not a flaw in the scenario; just a caveat about the perversity of players. By this point, the PCs may be tempted to ditch the compasses. The author explains that if they do, their Vodacce rivals will get them. If the PCs leave the compasses with an NPC, the NPC will wind up dead. That is, unless it is the author's favorite NPC, who will get off with a severe beating. What if the PCs try to destroy the compasses or drop them into the sea? What if they contrive to give them to Princess Dominique of Montaigne, who owes them a favor and who is unlikely to fall victim to the Vodacce? Fortunately, my players tried none of these tactics. They headed off to the wilderness, and I threw in two more optional encounters. One involved the rescue of a Fate Witch and the uniquely Vodacce reaction of her husband. The other involves Sophia's Daughters, and I am glad I ran it before knowledge of this conspiracy became official. It is nice having the players ignorant of the larger plot threads for now. In the final part of the adventure, the PCs are expected to defeat their Vodacce rival (after he's killed several NPCs). If they fail, he still can't use the hidden machine--there will be an explosion which destroys both compasses. No one can use it, really, except maybe a rich, patient, Vodacce villain like the one the PCs met earlier. While I'm tired of this kind of ending, it works well enough and is a staple of the genre. But I would have appreciated game mechanics information about how the machine works to give me options for Vodacce villainy or player perversity. Although it could have been better, Arrow of Heaven is a reasonable conclusion, to the Erebus Cross adventure. I still don't like the division of the adventure into three parts. The Explorers' Guild material is good, and most of it has been reprinted in the FREE Compendium. It takes up ten pages, or less than 1/6 of the book, so if you like the adventure, you will still get your money's worth. Style: 3 (Average) Substance: 3 (Average)