A blog about our All For One campaign.
Les Halles is the largest meat, vegetable, and fruit market in Paris. It is government-supported and includes shelter for the many vendors who hawk their wares. Unsurprisingly, it is also one of the most congested areas of the city and almost impossible to walk through with any speed.
Nearby are also a lot of upmarket shops, including armourers, weapon and gunsmiths.
After their help in stopping the plot to assassinate the Cardinal, Jean and Gerard returned to Paris, waiting for the Gascon regiment to arrive, so they can join them and travel to La Rochelle.
Jean takes the time to help Gerard develop his fighting skills and learn how to operate within a unit. During one of their practise sessions, they notice Maitre St. Pierre observing them with two Musketeer recruits. During a short break, St Pierre approaches them and wants to test his students skills versus troops.
The boys give it their all, but are unable to last very long against seasoned soldiers. During the fight St Pierre breaks the sword of Jean. He apologizes profusely and offers to make up for it with some free lessons, once Jean is able to replace his weapon.
At the markets of Les Halles, Jean notices a beautifully decorated rapier hanging in an armorer's stall. Upon closer inspection, the weapon is found to be of extremely high quality. The Armorer asks 100 L for it (a fair price), but Gerard is able to reduce the price a bit, while purchasing a main-gauche
Jean spends some time cleaning the weapon and notices a few details. It is an old but sturdy weapon, and a small engraving on the hilt reads 'Anno Domini 1594: The blade is long and well crafted. In the centre of the blade, and near the guard, an engraved name, 'De Gabriel', has all but worn away.
It is in many ways a superb weapon. It is, however, tarnished in some places on the hilt. While polishing this portion of the sword, Jean discovers, by accident, that the pommel unscrews, revealing a hollow chamber in the grip. Within this secret chamber is a rolled-up piece of parchment which reads:
Notes addressed to my successors regarding the recovery of my wealth from my villa near Ile du Cartelies Whosoever shall find my trove shall be clever and cautious.
The Gods hold many secrets
Follow the advice of angels
Search high and low
Avoid the fate which befall me
Beware the Devil's Organ
By my own hand, in the year of our Lord 1597,
Viscount Bernard de Gabriel
Their interests piqued, the heroes decide to look into this a bit further and hire a herald to do some research. The Viscount was a powerful nobleman who served King Henry IV until he was discovered to be a spy working for England in 1596. He was imprisoned for two years, and finally executed (by decapitation). All of his lands were seized by the Crown, except for his villa at Ile du Cartelier, which was left for his widow. He was rumoured to have been quite rich, but very little of his wealth was recovered by the King.
Soon, the heroes loan a few horses and make their way to the Villa. In a nearby village they approach a few farmers who advise against going to the Villa. It is supposedly haunted, people who go there disappear.
Unperturbed, they continue their way and find the villa along a minor tributary of the Seine, about two hour's carriage or horse ride outside of Paris. The villa grounds wander away from the main building into a tree-lined boulevard, ending in a topiary (hedge) maze. A quay and boathouse jut out into the Seine from the central complex, and another quay is visible on the other bank (the Ile de Cartelier).
The Villa itself is a fanciful two-story building with a western tower that rises another story above the rest. It s design is something between a castle and an early chateau. Due to abandonment and disuse, the grounds are uniformly unkempt, crumbling and overgrown with weeds. The whole has an unpleasant lonely atmosphere about it.
The old Boathouse protects tow old river barges from the elements. One of the barges inside is obviously rotted on the bottom, but the other appears safe. Both barges are black, and they bear an unpleasant resemblance to funeral boats.
Near the road, and at the start of the tree-lined Boulevard, stands a beautiful marble Fountain. The central piece is designed in the form of many cherubs and winged fish. Just past the Fountain is a long and pretty tree-lined boulevard. The trees are large oaks and maples, and between them stand a total of six marble statues, depicting ancient Roman gods.
At the end of the Boulevard, the entrance to a large Topiary Maze is visible.
1.The first marble statue on the right (a depiction of the goddess Minerva) has been toppled from its conical base, revealing a hollow area inside. There is nothing inside the base, but it made Jean and Gerard want to check the other bases. Inside the base of another stature, they find a small gold ring with the insignia of the Viscount de Gabriel on the stud.
They enter the Topiary Maze. It has not been tended for a while but it is in good condition. A sword is necessary to cut through the brambles grown up in some of the narrower passages and Gerard spots, just in time, two pits hidden with leaves and branches.
At the heart of the Topiary Maze is a large statue of the god Pan - an oddly fitting relic in the centre of such an overgrown garden. The statue has no base but around its waist is tied a ring of keys. A side Passage of the Topiary Maze leads to a small clearing. On the ground is a rusted grate, leading down to a flight of steps. They are tempted to explore it, but decide to head back to the Villa first.
As they approach the fountain again, it starts to spurt and all of the sudden the cherubs and fish vomit blood. Observing this phenomenon for a few minutes, they notice that the red colour fades after a few minutes and returns to normal water. Apparently, there must have been some kind of blockage with red dirt or clay.
Inside the villa, they notice that everything must have been of the finest quality once, but has lost a lot of lustre.
The walls of the entrance hall are trimmed in peeling gold leaf. On the west wall, across from a wide staircase leading up, the names of the battles which the Viscounts de Gabriel fought in are listed. On the small east wall is a dramatic portrait of the Viscount Bernard de Gabriel in full armor.
The Grand Salon is a large room worthy of the old Viscounts in its ostentatious decoration. The floor is tiled with white, pink and green marbles from Florence. The chandelier which hangs from the ceiling is made of the finest Venetian glass and the north and east walls are decorated by medieval tapestries depicting the ancient Viscounts de Gabriel riding into battle and jousts in full armour.
The Mosaic Salon is an antechamber to the Evening Salon. It is undecorated except for a large round mosaic of glass tiles depicting a red figure cloaked as Death. The swirls of red around the edges are almost hypnotic. Around the perimeter a legend reads: 'fire is my medium'.
The Hall of Arms is a long gallery, in which the old arms of the Viscounts de Gabriel are displayed. Characters wishing to restock their own armouries will find six longswords, two cuirasses, four matchlock arquebuses, and two pikes. All of these weapons are from the 16th Century, however, and are thus a little unwieldy by 17th Century standards. Behind one cuirass are the peep holes allowing the viewer a look in the Entrance Hall. As Jean looks through it, he notices a shadow moving at the top of the stairs. They also notice an empty space on one wall where two pistols hung at one time.
The Evening Salon is a fancy chamber with an immense fireplace, originally used to spend cozy evenings on Winter nights, A number of old armchairs are arranged in a rough semicircle around the hearth. Behind them are some small tables and cabinets, housing a collection of crystal goblets. Inspecting the fireplace closely, Jean discovers a number of iron handholds imbedded in the brick and ascending the chimney. Gerard is slim enough to make his way up, where he finds a tiny crawl way where several bricks have been pulled out, leading up and to the southwest. At the end he finds a bricked wall, which gives way once he pushes it hard, opening into a small chamber. In the of the room is a small table with a wooden box atop it, showing two holes on every side. On the very top of the box is an small round depression, in which Gerard inserts the ring he found. With a click the box opens up, revealing 8 barrels of pistols inside the box. Underneath them, he finds a number of bags containing Louis d'Or, thirteen Jewelled Crucifixes and a large stack of English Pounds in Elizabethan Banknotes. He makes his way down again and shares his find with Jean.
In the large Dining Chamber of the Villa they find several ale steins lie haphazardly on the table-top, but the kitchen seems unused. There is a pantry, leading to the steps to the cellars.
It is musty and dark in the cellars, and there is a thick scent of wine. By the bottom of the steps they find some torches, which Jean lights. It illuminates the area, revealing an old Well used by the Villa household.
At this stage, Jean notices a fizzing sound, which he recognizes as the sound of a lit fuse. They both run as fast as they can to get out of the cellar, but Jean realizes too late that the sound comes from the torch, which explodes in his hands, causing serious burns to his face and hand.
After recovering, they head further down the cellar, in a seriously annoyed mood. Gerard takes the lead and finds footsteps near the stack of wine barrels. While Jean tried some of the wine to improve his mood (and finds it has turned to vinegar over the years), Gerard trips a wire and gets shot by a crossbow bolt.
At the third and final cask in the cellars are a number of large footprints tracked in mud, leading to the side of the cask. Following them, they discover a secret door leading to an tunnel, inside the cask. On hands and knees they crawl through the tunnel, as Jean notices a tiny read glow in the distance. One bullet in the stomach and a resounding bang later, he realizes it was the glowing ember of a matchlock pistol. They hunker down, waiting if they can hear anyone approaching. Cautiously they continue their way, seeing the glow of daylight in the distance. When they exit the tunnel, they find themselves in the maze, at the grate they discovered hours ago.
Rather than continue this cat and mouse game, they call it a day, mount their horses, and head as quickly as their wounds allow them back towards Paris.
Along the way, they stop to toss a gold Louis at the farmers, and spend some time at a roadside inn to recover and get their wounds treated. Before re-entering Paris, they decide to bury their treasure under a tree, swearing they won't cheat each other out of their share.
Born September 9, 1585
Richelieu, was the master statesman and Machiavellian politician who held France together while Louis XI II was young, and brought it to great power, through personal endeavour, during his rule. Richelieu was born to the aristocracy, and was ordained and made a Bishop in 1607.
He became a statesman, and was noticed by Marie de Medici's in 1614, and appointed as First Minister in 1616. He suffered by the whims of the young King in 1617, when he was exiled to Blois with Marie de Medici's, but he returned to court in 1619, and patched things up between the quarrelling King and Queen Mother, Richelieu's plans for France were to make it stable within, and invincible without.
To accomplish this, he crushed the French Protestants, who offered an internal conflict, but, at nearly the same time, allied with the Protestant side in the Thirty Years' War, to France's great advantage.
He was a competent General, an eloquent courtier, and a master of espionage and Realpolitik. He was so powerful under the often timid King Louis XIII, that it was sometimes said that there were two Kings in France.
...Gerard de Louraine left the building where he had met one of his contact, in the hope of getting his paws on some juicy information he could turn to his advantage. Unfortunately, it had been another wasted evening. As he walks the streets of the Rive Gauche, he catches sight of a fancy carriage with four horses standing quietly in the street. It bears a coat of arms on the side which is not immediately recognizable in the dark. As someone opens a door, the light momentarily illuminates the side of the carriage and it's sole occupant, a thin, saturnine aristocrat.
A moment later, cries sound behind the Palais de Luxembourg...
'Treachery! Treachery! Soldiers of the Cardinal, help! Come quickly!'
It is a man's voice, and mingled with the shouts are other, less distinct calls and the clash of steel against steel. The sound comes from behind the Palais du Luxembourg, a favoured place for private duels. But the call of treachery suggests that this is no mere dispute between gentlemen, but rather an ambush of some kind.
Responding quickly to the cries, they round the corner of the palace in time to see a single man in the uniform of the Cardinal's Guard struggling valiantly against six armed assailants - common ruffians by the look of them, armed with a mixed assortment of swords, knives, and clubs - while another man, swathed in a heavy black cloak, looks on. Even as the adventurers approach, the lone guardsman slips and falls, and two of his attackers are on him before he can recover.
The cloaked man notices the adventurers as they arrive, and with a shout, orders the rest of his henchmen to hold them off.
A fight ensues and the cloaked man is heard calling 'The ring! Get the ring, or it is all for nothing!'
A few moments later he and the two men who finished off the Guardsman break and run, leaving the others to deal with Jean and Gerard. A few quick slashes and stabs leaves Gerard and two of the ruffians wounded, the rest flee.
Within seconds, the Old City Guard patrol shows up and detains everyone they find. The original cause of the crisis is the Cardinalist Guardsman, who now lies, only barely alive, where his attackers left him. Before he dies, he recovers consciousness long enough to say to Gerard: 'It was . . . I . . .' Then he dies.
The man on the ground is a Lieutenant of the Cardinal's Guard. He is tall and thin, with long, dark blonde hair and a curling moustache over an elegant, tapered goatee. His uniform is of the best quality, and there is something about him, even in death, that suggests good birth and great wealth.
The next day the two heroes meet again at the Palais de Luxembourg. Most traces of the fight have disappeared and there is something about the whole case that doesn't sit well with them.
They decide to pay a visit to the Cardinal's Guard Barracks and see what they can find out about the victim. Using a new recruit to gain entry, they are able to talk to Sergeant Fernand de Clemenceau. Their story raises a few eyebrows. There has been no report of a murdered guardsman, much less an officer. Fernand tells them he will look into it, and sends Jean and Gerard on their way.
Over the next day, pieces of the puzzle start to fall in place. The Viscomte de Remouilles is nowhere to be found, and Gerard finds a link to the carriage he saw the night before: it belongs to the Duke de Montauban, the uncle of de Remouilles. The Duke is said to be visiting Paris this month, a rare enough thing since the Cardinal's rise to power. The two men detest one another both personally and politically, and the Duke was once heard to denounce the Cardinal as a 'bloody-minded tyrant determined to play the puppet-master to our Sovereign.'
Montauban was stripped of all government posts, and rumour has it that the Cardinal is set on seizing his estates, titles, and other possessions as well, given half a chance. It seems that his nephew also fell out of favour at the same time.
Talking to the Old City Guard gives some contradicting information: Viscomte de Remoilles was not on duty the night before. Naturally, he filed no reports, for he had no reason to; he was probably keeping company with his beautiful young mistress.
Later during the day, they meet up with some friends of Jean, including Maitre de St. Pierre, a famous fencing teacher. The atmosphere is vibrant, as there is exciting news, War has been set in motion against the Huguenot rebels of La Rochelle, and their English allies, if the Buckingham's minions dare to support the Huguenots in their resistance. The army is in motion already, or parts of it, at least; and though the King has fallen ill, he plans to send his First Minister, the Cardinal himself, to command the siege until his own arrival.
Returning to Fernand de Clemenceau with a description of the victim, he seems confused. He recognizes Lietenant de Lamoye from their description, though he spoke to the very man himself this morning... Mention of the Duc de Montauban and the cover-up from De Remouilles make him very wary, combined with the fact there was something just not right when he spoke to de Lamoye.
He orders horses to be fetched and gather a handful of Cardinal's Guardsmen and allows Jean and Gerard to accompany him, on the trail of the Cardinal, who has headed towards La Rochelle with a unit of Guards let by de Lamoye...
The successful rescue of Richelieu from the traitors' schemes will have many important effects. First, the Cardinal returns immediately to Paris, postponing his journey to La Rochelle so that he can deal with the Montauban conspiracy in person.
The Cardinal informs Jean and Gerard through Fernand that he owes each of them a favor for their efforts in his behalf. Fernand makes a point to meet up with them back in Paris, and offers them a place in one of the Gascon Regiment, where his brother is a Captain.
Most members of the plot will be quickly rounded up and dealt with, but both the Duke and his nephew manage to escape.
The Regiment is due to arrive in Paris and will march to La Rochelle soon after.
Together with the heroes he saved the life of the Cardinal and exposed a conspiracy against the Red Duke (Chapitre I: Le Peril du Cardinal). As a gesture of gratitude, he offered Jean and Gerard a position in the Gascon Regiment (a very highly regarded unit of the King), led by his brother.
A rising star in the service of the Cardinal marked out for the highest favour and honour. Was murdered behind the Palais de Luxembourg, part of a conspiracy to ambush and murder Cardinal Richelieu.
This palace was built by the widow of Henry IV and was never the residence of either Louis XIII.
It, with its grounds, simply made up one more of the many royal palaces within the city.
It also is a a favoured place for private duels.
Jean crawled on, pulling himself forward with his elbows, while carefully pushing the hooded lantern forward, bit by bit. Looking behind him, he vaguely saw the dirt-streaked face of Gerard behind him.
He stopped, and the team behind him halted immediately as well. What was that sound. That scratching? Had They noticed their tunnelling over the last few days and were they waiting for them?
Was the air getting thinner?
Was there more dust falling down from between the supporting planks than normal?
Was there something moving ahead of them, in the shadows?
Why the hell did they volunteer for this?
How the hell did they get here?
Birthed to Antoinette and Jacques De Louraine, in a small town in the grand east region of France, Gerard helped his parents in their bakery for most of his childhood. It was during these times his mother would tell him stories of grandeur about her brother, who had left their town to become one of the kings guard, stories that had always held dearly in his mind and admired.
It was in the bakery that Gerard learnt to be quick of the tongue, and days hunting with his father taught him to be quiet of step. At a fairly young age however he decided the quiet life in town was not for him, and he wanted to live stories like those his mother had once told him of her brother. Once in France it took a while for Gerard to find stable footing, things were adding up and his small collection of savings were dwindling fast.
It was in these times that opportunity arose in the form of gathering and collecting information on rivalling factions and businesses within the city. Sneaking around, ears dropping, and using his quick tongue to deceive others he made coin. It got to the stage even low political figures would come and seek his services to dig up dirt on rivals in office.
Something was left longing however, Gerard still thought of the grand stories told while making bread and pastry with his mother, and hoped he could live up to that legacy one day
Jean was born in an army camp in south-western France, somewhere near Bayonne, in a time of turbulent religious hatred and violence. His mother was a Spanish born camp follower and prostitute, his father, one of countless French soldiers. When he was old enough to understand, his mother would tell him stories about his father, the dashing "Count de Boulon", who she explained, was due home any day from fighting wars in foreign lands.
His mother died of smallpox when he was five years old and to survive, Jean turned to stealing and looting with the other bastard children. Caught red handed by a veteran musketman, old Hubert, could have done much worse to the child, but instead put the boy to work as his servant. Besides, Hubert still recalled the memory of Jean's mother fondly and took it upon himself to raise the boy.
Jean found true family amongst the soldiery and as he grew older he evolved from servant, to drummer boy, to infantryman, eventually joining the ranks as a musketeer. As a professional soldier he gained the byname, le Basque, in honour of his mother's heritage, a title he wears with pride. Pity the poor man who questions his patriotism to France.
A survivor of many skirmishes and battles, Jean is a grizzled veteran himself these days. His face and body bears evidence to the fact in the form of jagged scars and a weather beaten hue. He is a fine soldier, not only because he is stalwart and rugged, but mostly because he holds loyalty and duty above all else. Jean likes nothing more than to recount his acts of heroism and those of his comrades in arms, married with copious amounts of alcohol. He never embellishes the tales although as he is nothing if not completely honest.
