What is 7th Sea?
It is a world of swashbuckling and sorcery, piracy and adventure, diplomacy and intrigue, archæology and exploration. It’s a world of musketeers, buccaneers and privateers, ancient sorcery and lost civilizations, secrets that hide in the shadows and monsters that hide in plain sight.
That’s quite a mouthful, so let’s take it one step at a time.
7th Sea is a “swashbuckling and sorcery”-themed tabletop role-playing game (RPG) set in the fictional world of Théah. In 2000, 7th Sea won the Origins Award for Best Roleplaying Game of 1999.
Swashbuckling and Sorcery
It is a world where an order of musketeers guards the lives of the nobility, but also the virtues of honor, integrity, and fraternity. It is a world of sharp blades and sharp wits, where a cutting retort can be just as deadly as a sword’s point.
It is also a world where the nobility control the most powerful force of all — sorcery. Dark magic pulses in the hearts of the noble class, power that was given to them long ago. Some control the weather. Others assume the forms of animals. Some rip through the fabric of reality, while others play with the forces of Fate itself.
The hard edge of steel coupled with the shadowy substance of sorcery: that is your first step into the world of 7th Sea.
Piracy and Adventure
The waters of 7th Sea are populated with the robbers of the waves. The pirates of 7th Sea are united by a common cause: freedom. Freedom from the tyranny of sorcerers and kings. Freedom from the shackles of the Church of the Prophets. Freedom from greedy land-owners and money lenders. Pirates sail where they want, take what they please and live a life of freedom unknown by any other man in the world of 7th Sea.
With the decline of the Church, things have become even better for pirates as kings and queens hire daredevil adventurers to explore the unknown and bring back the booty they discover. Of course, if those adventurers lower their guards for even a moment, they’ll find themselves facing the black flag…
Diplomacy and Intrigue
In the world of 7th Sea, kingdoms are on the verge of becoming countries. A swelling tide of nationalism grows in the hearts of men and women, and a new kind of conflict — covert warfare — is finding its way into the world. But in the courts of kings and queens, diplomats dressed in powdered wigs, lace and silk try to resolve the disputes of nations. Of course, if diplomacy fails, there is the cold steel of the dueling sword waiting under all that finery.
A new kind of espionage is making its way into the world as well. Men and women trained in the arts of deception live perilous lives of illusion and artifice as they pillage enemy secrets with only their beauty, cunning and wits… and a willingness to do anything for crown and country.
Archæology and Exploration
Beyond the kingdoms of Théah lie the ruins of an ancient civilization, lost centuries ago. Hidden beneath thousands of years of dust and the waves are vast cities of Lost Syrneth. Who knows what ancient treasures remain, unseen by human eyes, untouched by human hands?
Men and women who call themselves “archæologists” are hired by the kings and queens of Théah to unearth these treasures and bring them back to noble hands. Daring the perilous ancient ruins, these men and women are all the rage in the noble courts and the subjects of romantic novels all across the land. Praised as heroes, they hope to discover the secrets of the Syrneth in hopes that they may uncover the key to man’s own origins, and possibly the secrets of the universe itself.
The Seventh Sea?
There are six seas surrounding Théah. The mythical “seventh sea” is considered little more than a sailor’s story, a tale to frighten cabin boys on their first voyage. It is said that when a ship enters the seventh sea, the stars move backwards, the sun and moon share the same horizon and strange cries can be heard from beneath the waves. While scholars dispute the veracity of the sailors’ stories, too many have surfaced to be ignored.
Setting
The 7th Sea RPG is set in a world that draws direct influence from the literature of 17th century Europe. Each country in the world can be compared to a European kingdom but is an exaggerated representation. Sorcery is a large part of the world with many types available to players. The dominant religion in the world, the belief in Theus and his prophets, is based on a form of Gnostic Christianity and features a parallel of the Spanish Inquisition. There are also references to the Knights Templars, Masons and the Invisible College of scientists.
All major European powers have their representations in Théah. Avalon (England), Castille (Spain), Montaigne (France), Eisen (Germany), Ussura (Russia), Vendel/Vestenmanavnjar (Netherlands / Scandinavia) and Vodacce (Italy) are the main cultures of the game. There is also Inismore (Ireland), Highland Marches (Scotland), the Crescent Empire (Ottoman / Arab), Midnight Archipelago (Caribbean and North Africa) and the secretive Cathay (China / Korea / Tibet).
Conclusion
And that, in a nutshell, is the world of 7th Sea.
It is a great deal like our own, but at the same time, not at all like our own. Théah is a whole new world to explore.
Are you ready?
What is Vnezakona?
On the surface Vnezakona is a simple Ussuran port. The tiny village ships timber from nearby logging camps out to the rest of Théah. If you look a little deeper however you find another truth. Vnezakona is a booming outlaw settlement. Thanks to a loophole in Ussuran law the island at the mouth of Proliv Inya isn’t part of the Molhya douma. Nor is it controlled by the Vestenmannavnjar islands to the west. It is, technically, sovereign territory.A bastion of freedom.
Recently, a few enterprising individuals took notice of this oddity. These pioneers have set out to turn this tiny port into a thriving den of commerce and lawlessness. They started by buying out the shipping contracts with St. Tremult, ensuring that the regular shipments of timber are sent down the coast and out into Ussura. They then build a lumberyard and started refining the timber into usable boards and planks. Then they expanded their shipping with deals between numerous Vestenmannavnjar ports. By ensuring the two nations prosper from the new management Vnezakona has secured vital allies and avoided scrutiny.
Now the village, which was once only a few docks and a handful of tents, has grown to include a boarding house, tavern, and doctor’s office. It may not be much, but these permanent buildings represent the change coming to Vnezakona.
How Do I Join?
Let me know! Drop me a private message here or shoot an e-mail with your Storium username to Vnezakona@RobJustice.net and I’ll add you to the invite list once I have enough potential players.
Hosted and narrated by:
Rob Justice (RobJustice)
Started 10/27/15.
Scenes played: 1
License: Community License
