VAE SOM
Content warning — Violence, Death, Child Death
Wherein the characters suffer an accident, get stuck in the dark cold, and are challenged by a mysterious adversary under the glittering winter stars.
Still are the forests large and small, wrapped in the frosty white, only the distant waterfall murmurs and hums in the night. The nisse listens and, half in dream, thinks it is time’s ceaseless stream, wonders which way it is going, And from what source it is flowing.
–Viktor Rydberg
Prelude
p.68This first section describes the background of the mystery and the conflicts on which it is based. There is an invitation to kick off the session, followed by a description of the characters’ journey from Saint Petersburg into the deep forests at the heart of Ingria, where the mystery is set. This section concludes with a countdown of events which you as the Gamemaster will initiate at some appropriate point during the mystery – and a catastrophe that describes what happens if the player characters do not take action or fail in their efforts.
This mystery is different than most in that the player characters never reach the goal of the invitation – a secret gathering of people with knowledge about supernatural phenomena at the manor of Count Constantine Constantinovich in Ingria. Traveling through the winter storm in the deep forests of Ingria, the characters suffer an accident and find themselves at the Tammsalu Inn, far from the nearest village. It is there that this mystery takes place.
Background
The Tammsalu Inn has been in the Trygg family since the Swedish period (see the boxed text on page 70). The family left their little cottage outside Falun two hundred years ago and headed for Ingria to seek their fortune in the “Wild East.” In a birchbark shoe they brought with them an acorn from the cottage, which they planted by the small pond behind the inn. Now the mighty branches of the oak tree provide welcome shade during the summer months. Unlike other Swedes who fled Ingria to escape the wars between Sweden and Russia, the Tryggs have chosen to stay. During the war their inn served as a field hospital.
The people at the Tammsalu Inn are known in the forest for their hospitality towards humans and animals alike. Despite the bitter winters, their establishment has always been able to provide warm beds, food, and drink, and many a traveler has come to seek shelter from the blizzards. The inn is well positioned on a desolate stretch of the road between Saint Petersburg and Narva, and the family has housed many travelers. Their business thrived. When Mr. and Mrs. Trygg passed away, Axel and his sister Ester took over management of the inn. Axel dreamed of developing their business and allowing gambling in the evenings to entertain the guests. Ester, on the other hand, was determined to preserve the inn and its traditions.
At the heart of this mystery is a conflict between the relentless forces of nature and the safety of hearth and home. During the winter months life here is marked by cold, snow, and darkness. Heavy blizzards plague the region, and the bitter cold is a swift and ruthless killer. Children are warned not to go out into the forest alone. The villagers tell stories about an incarnation of winter itself, called Morozko – or Father Frost. Morozko is a winter demon in the guise of a man who will sometimes be generous and show people the way home, but who can also twist their minds and lead them deep into the cold to freeze and die.
Legends also tell of guardian spirits protecting people and farms from the ruthless wilds. These powerful vaesen, who guard their hearth and sometimes bring good fortune, are called domovoi in the local tradition. Domovoi are little old men and women dressed in light or dark clothes and hats who watch over the household and its livestock. But they are capricious creatures and may cause problems if angered or neglected, which is why people often leave them food by the fireplace. Domovoi are shapeshifters capable of turning into cats or stoats. They stick to their family and can come with them to a new home in a small birchbark shoe.
The player characters from the Society in Upsala know this vaesen by another name – nisse (page 148 of the core rulebook). The inn and the family’s farm are under the protection of a nisse named Grayfoot, who has followed the Trygg family for many generations and came with them to Ingria in the birchbark shoe. It is his protection that has allowed the inn to prosper even during the harsh winter months.
In the spring one year before the start of this mystery, Ester was found dead at the edge of the pond behind the inn. She suffered a stroke, fell unconscious into the water, and drowned. Strangely, she was found up on the bank, as if someone had pulled her out of the water. There were rumors that she had been murdered. Shortly thereafter strange things started happening on the farm. Objects disappeared and turned up in weird places, people were injured in strange accidents. At night one could hear strange sounds inside the house – sighs and clicks in the floorboards, as if someone or something was moving in there. The residents have different theories about what is going on, but it is really the nisse who is behind the strange events and accidents at the farm.
The nisse Grayfoot is ancient. Human generations are like the seasons to him – children are born, grow up, have children of their own, grow old, and die. To him the stream of people who come and go is like a river. He rarely concerns himself with anyone else. But Ester was different. She noticed and spoke with Grayfoot when she was a girl, and growing up she never forgot her friend. Every morning she would leave small chunks of bread, milk, or porridge by the stove. For the first time in centuries, Grayfoot grew fond of a human being, and his love for Ester ran deep. He feared that she would one day be married off and leave the farm.
One morning Grayfoot saw Ester collapse and fall into the pond, struck down by a stroke as many in her family before her. He managed to pull her up on the bank, but could not bring her back to life. Ester’s death hit him hard. For the first time in his life, it felt like a curse that a human life was a mere blink compared to his own, and Grayfoot was overcome with grief.
The nisse is also concerned that so few humans still follow the old ways. Domovoi are being forgotten as the younger generations grow up and the old traditions are replaced by new ones. Now there is no one at the farm who believes in the nisse, and no one is leaving him gifts or showing him appreciation. Grayfoot’s grief turned into anger, which he acts upon by causing trouble and accidents and withdrawing his protecting hand from the farm. Guests are complaining about objects falling down on them, and there is talk of the farm being haunted. Axel is miserable, but has kept the inn open.
Ingria and the Forgotten Peoples
The Tammsalu Inn is located the historical region of Ingria, part of the Saint Petersburg Governorate between Lake Ladoga and Lake Peipus in western Russia. Ingria, sometimes referred to as the “Wild East,” was a Swedish dominion until the 18th century when it was ceded to Russia and renamed. The wars and the construction of Saint Petersburg drove part of the population away from the area, while others moved there to avoid religious persecution, serfdom, or taxes. Immigration and deportation of criminals to the region led to a mix of different cultures, languages, and religions. Ingria’s indigenous inhabitants were Finno-Ugrians who spoke the Finno-Ugric languages of Ingrian and Votic, now all but extinct. These ethnic groups have been called “the forgotten peoples.”
Conflicts
The primary conflict of this mystery is between the nisse Grayfoot and Axel Trygg – who does not realize what is going on, as he does not believe in nissar and such “old superstitions.” Axel has neglected the nisse ever since Ester died, and in his grief and anger, Grayfoot has started to cause trouble. His anger is growing, and when guests arrive, he moves into the sauna. If Axel continues to neglect him, he will start to cause accidents and eventually leave the farm. Without him, the people there are defenseless against Father Frost and everyone at the Tammsalu Inn risks freezing to death in the bitter cold.
The secondary conflict is the one between different views on the unnatural events taking place at Tammsalu. Investigations of the accidents at the inn create a conflict between the travelers who have sought shelter there. The guests have different explanations of what happened, and these can either help the player characters or lead them astray. Unless the player characters solve the mystery and convince the others about what is going on, the situation will grow increasingly heated. Innkeeper Axel does not know what to do or whom to believe. The player characters’ snooping around at the farm can make the nisse even angrier. If their investigation leads to the desecration of Ester’s grave, his mischievous behavior will escalate to outright violence.
In Mythic Britain and Ireland
If you want to run this mystery in Mythic Britain and Ireland instead of the Mythic North, change the destination of the invitation to the village of Aviemore in the Cairngorms, nearly 100 miles north of Edinburgh. Travelling across the Cairngorm mountains and through the forests that surround Loch an Eilein leads them into wild and long detours, and here they find the Ben Macdui Inn. Remember to also change the names of the NPCs.
Invitation
This mystery begins with the Society receiving a letter inviting them to attend the secretive meeting Conclavum Sub Rosa, arranged by Count Constantine Constantinovich. It is a gathering where carefully selected participants from all over Europe come to exchange experiences and knowledge about the study of supernatural phenomena. The meeting is held at Count Constantinovich’s manor in the woods southwest of Saint Petersburg. The letter (Handout 4A) is included as a handout at the end of this book and available for download on the Free League website, reads as follows: To whom it may concern, My name is Constantine Constantinovich, Count of Jamburg in Ingria, west of Saint Petersburg in the Russian Empire. Your Society’s reputation is known far and wide among those who seek to observe the unseen and understand the inexplicable. I have the utmost respect for your work, and like you, I seek answers to the mysteries of the cosmos.
At the midwinter blot I am hosting a gathering which I believe would be of interest to you – Conclavum Sub Rosa. The meeting brings together individuals of different backgrounds with a shared interest in the supernatural, who seek a deeper understanding through the process of alchemy.
It would be a great honor and pleasure to have the Society grace our gathering with its presence. I shall wait for you at my residence outside Jamburg on the twentieth of December, to discuss the secrets and mysteries of life. Yours sincerely, Count Constantine Constantinovich PS. All things are connected! Note that the player characters will never make it to Count Constantinovich’s meeting, as they suffer an accident on the way there and instead end up at the Tammsalu Inn (more on that below).
Preparations
As usual, the player characters can prepare for the journey at their headquarters and thereby gain an Advantage (see chapter 9 in the core rulebook).
Player characters who go looking for information about Conclavum Sub Rosa and Count Constantine Constantinovich in Upsala will find that he is known for his imaginative fairy tales, poems, and his studies of the supernatural. No more information can be found.
The Journey
The boat trip to Saint Petersburg is uneventful (unless you want it otherwise). On board the ship the player characters can spend their time studying or preparing the speech they have been asked to give at Count Constantinovich’s gathering.
Arrival
As the player characters step ashore at the dock in Saint Petersburg, it begins to snow. The air is cool and they soon find the stagecoach that will take them to Narva and Constantinovich’s manor. Standing by the carriage is Coachman Ilya Ermakov (page 73). Quiet but courteous, he loads the group’s luggage onto the stagecoach roof while they take their seats inside. The first stop is in central Saint Petersburg. At the famous Talon restaurant down by the river Neva, a lone noblewoman enters the carriage. She is Swedish and introduces herself as Vilma af Zimt (page 74). The coachman loads her luggage before the journey continues away from the harbor and the palaces and churches of the city, and out into the countryside.
Vilma af Zimt is also on her way to see Count Constantinovich, which she will tell the player characters if asked. If they want to know more about her, she can tell them everything written in her character description. Time passes, darkness falls, and outside the temperature is dropping fast. Dim lights can be seen among the distant houses, fewer and fewer the farther they go. It is getting colder, and the player characters are grateful to be huddled together under the pelts in the carriage. The frost forms beautiful patterns on the small glass windows of the stagecoach. Hours go by. The carriage sways and rocks, and eventually there is nothing but endless fir trees outside the window. Some of the player characters doze off.
Suddenly, the characters hear the horses neighing and the coachman cursing loudly in Russian. The stagecoach rocks heavily and, without warning, the characters are violently thrown around as the carriage flips over and tumbles down a slope. Each player character must make an AGILITY test – anyone who fails is hurled out of the carriage. All player characters take damage from the fall – the attack is rolled with three dice for those who remain inside the carriage, and with six dice for those ejected from it. Vilma af Zimt is lucky and gets away with only a bump on her head (a physical condition). Ilya is completely unharmed.
After the accident, caused by the carriage hitting a root, it will not budge. It is lying in a large snow drift on the side of the road with all the luggage scattered on the ground. As they regain their senses, the characters can see nothing but the mist of their breath and the starlight shining down from the dark winter sky. It is so cold it hurts to breathe. A wolf howls deep in the woods. Every breath freezes into clouds of ice crystals. The snow is falling heavier and heavier, and the wind is rising.
Ilya says he knows a place where the characters can find shelter for the night. “We need to get to the Tammsalu Inn not far from here, or we won’t survive the night.” Each player character can only bring one item of their choice – the rest is scattered in the snow. For each additional item they want to search for, they must pass a FORCE test to endure the severe cold (see the boxed text on page 72). Vilma af Zimt leaves several items behind in the stagecoach. One of the horses has an injured hind leg and is limping badly. If the characters linger too long by the carriage, the injured horse will freeze to death.
Ilya takes the lead, holding up his lantern to light the way along the snow-clad road. After a grueling walk (each player character makes another FORCE test to withstand the cold) they reach the inn, surrounded by a deep pine forest, many hours from the nearest village. The storm is hard and it is hard for the characters to even see the person in front of them. Tired and battered the group steps inside the Tammsalu Inn. The coachman heads to the stable to tend the horses. In the dining
Languages
In this mystery, the player characters will meet NPCs who speak a different native language than themselves. To keep things simple, we recommend that you assume the player characters to be well versed in multiple languages and thus able to speak freely with everyone they meet.
Withstanding Cold
A player character exposed to severe cold must make FORCE tests at regular intervals. It works as a fear test with Fear value 1 (page 68 in the core rulebook) except that the test is rolled with FORCE and that failure results in a physical condition in addition to the normal effect (one mental condition and temporary loss of control). Anyone Broken by the cold must continue to make FORCE tests, and freezes to death upon the next failure. The effects of the cold last until the victim gets back into the warmth. Player characters who fail to withstand the cold may also have a vision of Father Frost when appropriate – see example in the text box titled A Midwinter Night’s Dream on page 74.
Countdown and Catastrophe
In this mystery the player characters must work together to find out who is causing the accidents. There are false leads, like the Campbell brothers (page 78) who think a revenant is behind it all. Suspicion may also fall on Coachman Ilya, whose courtship of Ester was rejected. If the player characters go down the wrong path in their investigation, they risk aggravating the nisse even further – eventually causing him to leave the farm and its people to their fate in the freezing winter. Then they will all be unprotected against the bitter cold, and stand helpless before Father Frost.
The following events can be used to increase the pace of the game when necessary, and to push the players toward the final confrontation.
A Midwinter Night’s Dream
The snow falls ever faster. The cold is relentless, and your fingers and toes are already going numb. Where is everybody? Suddenly you see something moving a bit further ahead. You go after it. The only sound is that of your breath and your footsteps as you trudge through the snow. There is a clearing up ahead, and in the light you see a tall figure in an icy blue coat walking towards you. A voice speaks to you. You cannot make out the words, except “… crossed into my realm.” You suddenly feel warmer and a lovely sensation spreads through your body. Unable to take another step, you sit down on a rock. You take off your hat and gloves. In your mind’s eye you can see Christmases of your childhood, how you used to lie tucked up in warm pelts on the way to church. The sound of your parents’ voices and the horses pulling the sleigh through the snow. The light of the lantern swaying back and forth on the sleigh. In your hand there is a piece of warm bread that your mother gave you before you left… Perhaps you should just stay here?
Countdown
- On the first morning the player characters wake up to a freezing house. They must all make a FORCE test, and those who fail suffer a physical or mental condition of their choosing. The fire downstairs has gone out and Axel Trygg struggles to get it started again.
- Strange accidents keep happening at the inn. For example: – A player character trips and tumbles down the stairs. The character must make an AGILITY test – failure results in a physical condition. – The horses escape from the stable and run off into the snow. A player character can help catch one of them with a successful AGILITY test. After each attempt the player character must make a FORCE test to withstand the cold (page 72). – An oil lamp crashes to the floor and sets it on fire. A player character nearby can put it out with a successful AGILITY test. Three attempts can be made before the building is engulfed in flames.
- Axel Trygg or some other NPC points out that Ilya has been gone a long time, at least an hour. He went out to check on the horses. Axel asks the guests to help find the coachman. A player character or suitable NPC soon finds him in a snowdrift near the pond, his lips blue from hypothermia. Ilya has taken off all his clothes. He seems to have fallen or tripped on something and gashed his head. It makes no sense that he would get lost so close to the inn in this cold. “Something must have lured him” mutters Axel. Ilya’s life is beyond saving, but a character who passes a MEDICINE test can keep him alive long enough for him to mumble something about the cold speaking to him.
- The Campbell brothers suggest that a revenant may be causing the accidents. They claim to have seen a gray figure moving through the house, and they have felt sudden chills. The brothers take this as further evidence that they are dealing with a restless spirit. If they find out that the coachman proposed to Ester (from the letter in Ester’s room), the Campbell brothers will become convinced that the revenant in question is in fact the innkeeper’s late sister, Ester, and that she is behind the coachman’s accident. The brothers want to know where Ester is buried.
- The fires at the inn and the sauna keep going out for no apparent reason, and the building is getting colder. Anyone who ventures outside risks freezing to death – the player characters must pass frequent FORCE test to withstand the cold, as described on page 72.
- Axel Trygg or some other suitable NPC proposes that the Campbells’ carriage be used as firewood. The brothers protest vehemently, and a scuffle might break out. The player characters can mediate between them or side with either party.
- It is getting so cold inside the inn that regular FORCE tests (page 72) must be made to survive indoors as well. The roads are still snowbound.
Catastrophe
The Campbell brothers finally convince Axel that his late sister’s revenant is behind it all, and that her remains must be salted and burned for her to find peace. As they go ahead with the plan, Grayfoot is outraged that Ester is being desecrated in this way, and a fight breaks out between the nisse and the brothers. Unless they are stopped, the Campbells kill Grayfoot. The desperation rises. The winter becomes the coldest in living memory. When spring arrives, Axel Trygg, the servants, and the guests at the inn are found frozen to death. There is talk among the locals that Father Frost exacted his tribute.
If the player characters are still at the inn when this happens, they get a chance to survive by a dramatic escape into the forest. After a few FORCE rolls to withstand the cold, a sleigh from Count Constantinovich’s manor arrives. The count has sent for the missing guests and the courier arrives just in time.
Locations (7)
The following paragraphs summarizes the most important locations in and around the inn that the player characters may investigate. The Tammsalu Inn is a large stilt house with a thatched roof. Next to the main building is a stable for horses and livestock, and under a great oak tree by a small pond – now frozen – is a separate sauna. On one side of the inn is a small garden where berries and vegetables are grown in the summer, and in a corner of the garden are the family gravesite and a small chapel.
Until the blizzard subsides it is extremely dangerous to leave the inn. Characters who go outside must pass regular FORCE tests (see text box on page 72) to withstand the cold.
Npcs at the Inn
- AXEL TRYGG: Innkeeper (this page).
- THE WIDOW RIINA SOOVERE: Cook at the inn. Brown hair with gray streaks under a bonnet. Warm and welcoming. Her nimble hands cook delicious food.
- ILYA ERMAKOV: Coachman (page 73).
- IMRE SOOVERE: Son of Riina, farmhand and waiter. Short, with short, curly brown hair and charming brown eyes. Imre is chatty and likes to play cards with the guests after supper.
- KRÖÖT SOOVERE: Daughter of Riina and waitress. Curly brown hair tied back in a messy bun, thin, scares easily, scrutinizing eyes. Loves fairy tales.
- VILMA AF ZIMT: Guest, artist, medium (page 74).
- SAMUEL AND DANIEL CAMPBELL: Guests, brothers, ghost hunters (page 78).
- KARIN KARASKEVA: Guest, runo singer (page 79).
Maps (2)
The Dining Hall
The dining hall on the ground floor of the inn is spacious and open and has a brick stove with a fireplace. There is a huge bear skin in front of the fireplace, and a number of chairs and tables have been set up nearby. The room is warm and smells deliciously of food and ale. There are often guests sitting at the tables, eating food served by Krööt and Imre. An open wooden staircase leads to the second floor where the family’s rooms and the guest rooms are located.
Challenges
Below are a number of events and challenges that may arise at the dining hall on the player characters’ first evening at the inn:
- A long-haired gray cat steps right in front of one of the player characters. The character trips and must pass an AGILITY test not to fall and get hurt (physical condition).
- Late at night the guests gather by the fireplace to share stories. Axel Trygg says that it is tradition at the inn, and invites the player characters to join in – they can tell stories about past mysteries or something else entirely, true or fictitious. Each participating player character makes an INSPIRATION test – on success another player character heals one mental condition. The other guests’ stories are presented in text boxes on page 82. See the boxed text on page 81 for advice on how to manage the storytelling in your game.
Clues
There is a great deal of information to collect in the dining room, mostly by talking to Axel Trygg and the other guests at the inn. As a rule, it takes a successful MANIPULATION test to get an NPC to open up, except during storytelling evenings (see above).
- Axel can tell them more about the history of his family and the inn (see Background on page 69).
- On the mantlepiece is a painted portrait of a fair-haired, middle-aged woman with green eyes and her hair worn in elaborate braids. If asked, Axel explains that the woman is his sister, Ester, who passed away a few months earlier. “She was a dreamer, a sensitive soul, and ever since she was a child she would often speak to invisible friends. Now nothing can bring me my sister back.” Axel can also tell them that Ester was found dead in the pond last spring (see Background on page 69).
- If the player characters ask about her hairstyle, Axel replies: “Ester often woke up with her hair arranged in the most beautiful braids. I still don’t understand how it happened.” The memory brings a tear to his eye.
- The NPCs’ tales contain clues that may be helpful in solving the mystery – Axel recounts the history of the farm, Mrs. Karaskeva sings of domovoi, and Ilya tells the story of Father Frost. Other stories may contain false leads – Ms. af Zimt speaks of restless spirits and departed relatives revealing the truth about their deaths. The Campbell brothers tell the story of the White Lady, a revenant who avenges her own death by arranging accidents.
- If the player characters ask Mrs. Karaskeva, she explains that her runo song was about the farm’s domovoi – a vaesen that protects people’s home and hearth, but that the characters recognize as a nisse. Domovoi are powerful creatures who protect their hearth and can sometimes bring good fortune, but they may also cause trouble if treated badly – which is why it is customary to leave them food. In Russia, domovoi are believed to live in the hearth of the house or the sauna, and to protect the household if they are well cared for. If the family moves to a different house, the domovoi come with them in a small birchbark shoe. If the players make a MANIPULATION roll, Mrs. Karaskeva can give more information about the domovoi/nisse. Give one piece of information for each success rolled: – The best way to appease a scorned nisse is to give him porridge, bread, or milk, and a bit of attention. – Nissar can be bound with spider silk. This robs them of their power and prevents them from breaking free. – A nisse can be killed with a nail from a dilapidated farmhouse. The nail must be driven through the nisse’s heart.
Roleplaying the Storytelling
The telling of tales in the Dining Hall can be played out in different ways, depending on the preferences of your gaming group. If the players want to tell stories this is a good opportunity to let them develop and describe their characters, perhaps by describing the Trauma of their first meeting with a vaesen (page 18 of the core rulebook). These stories can be told by the players or managed summarily with an INSPIRE roll. The player characters can also decline to tell stories, and just listen to the NPCs. The NPCs’ stories can be read by you as a GM, or you can ask players read them for variety.
Vilma Af Zimt’s Story
“I have been able to communicate with spirits since I was eleven years old. One and a half years ago I was at my family home in Sigtuna to attend the funeral of my niece Alva. She went missing on her way home from school. The police and volunteers organized a search party in the woods between the school and our family home, but Alva could not be found. My sister was inconsolable and told me that, since Alva’s disappearance, she had been hearing a strange knocking inside the house and that items had suddenly fallen over or switched places. On the advice of our priest, the family finally arranged a funeral with an empty casket to honor the girl’s memory. The night after the funeral I woke up freezing in my room, and when I looked up, I thought I saw Alva’s face in a mirror. As I went to put the light on, a book suddenly fell from its shelf. The open page displayed a picture of an abandoned old cottage in the woods. In the morning I went over there. The house was empty and there was nothing but old junk in its dilapidated rooms. I was about to head back when I suddenly saw Alva standing by the old well. I walked over there. The rotten well cover was broken. “Help me, auntie” said a voice from the darkness. I ran for help and returned with my relatives. The remains of a girl were lifted out of the blackness of the well. It was our Alva who had showed me the way to her lifeless body. I could not save her, but I could give her peace.”
ILYA’S STORY “Here in the woods, we are all exposed to the cruelty of nature that you people experienced. The cold has a name here – Morozko, or Father Frost. In one of the neighboring villages there was once a woman who had a daughter she adored and a stepdaughter she hated. One day the woman told her husband to take the stepdaughter out into the winter fields and leave her there to die. Blinded by love, he obeyed. Morozko found her there. She was polite and kind to him, so he gave her a chest full of beautiful things and fine garments. A few days later the stepmother sent the girl’s father to bring back her body to be buried. He found her alive by a tree, surrounded with precious gifts. When the stepmother saw what the girl had brought back, she told her husband to leave her own daughter out in the wintry cold. Unlike her stepsister, this child was rude to Morozko, and so he froze her to death. When her body was found, the mother bitterly regretted what she had done and that she had not taught her daughter kindness. Ester always used to say that human kindness is the one thing that can ward off the cold.”
THE CAMPBELL BROTHERS’ STORY “We recently investigated several mysterious deaths between Jamburg and Narva. Multiple people had been killed in strange accidents where their carriages had run off the road. One poor soul survived long enough to tell us that he had seen a woman in white on the road just before he lost control of the horses. White ladies come in many forms. They are usually the revenant of a woman who was betrayed and murdered, or who died a violent death by her own hand because of unrequited love. Speaking with the locals, we realized that it could be the revenant of a woman who was murdered by her own groom on the way home from their wedding. She has haunted the roads around the village ever since, mad with grief and revenge. We searched the woods and found her body in a clearing. She was still wearing her wedding dress, with her head tilted at an unnatural angle. Suddenly we could see her in front of us. Restless spirits are violent, and she slammed Daniel into a tree with such force that it knocked him senseless. That was the last time she exacted her revenge, and her ghost turned to dust before our eyes.”
Karin Karaskeva’s Song
Axel walks up to the old woman sitting closest to the fire. “It’s an honor to have you here, Mrs. Karaskeva.” He turns to the other guests. “Karin Karaskeva is a runo singer with deep knowledge of local folklore and vaesen. She has a remarkable memory and knows thousands of runos – or songs – from the area, as well as hundreds of old proverbs. Would you please contribute to our evening with something from your vast repertoire?” Mrs. Karaskeva looks up, and for a moment the room feels a little warmer and the dying fire springs back to life. After finishing her song, she explains, in broken Swedish, that the song was about a domovoi who did not like the household’s new horse. One morning the farmer found the horse all sweaty in its stall. The nisse had taken the form of a weasel and ridden and tickled the horse until it was utterly exhausted. Finally, the farmer bought some bells and tied them around the horses’ neck, which made the nisse leave him alone. When the runo singer is done talking, she leaves a piece of bread and splash of ale on the mantlepiece. Axel laughs and gently says that his mother and grandmother would do that as well. “They were really superstitious.”
RUNO SINGERS A runo singer is a kind of living storybook through whom traditional songs, proverbs, and tales are preserved. The songs are written in a particular meter, known as runometer, which gives them a certain rhythm and through repetitions and alliterations help the runo singers remember the long poems and songs. Runo singers are found in several countries at the time of this adventure and were particularly important for unwritten languages like Votic and Ingrian. Runo singers would often travel to different villages and perform at family celebrations and festivities.
Ester Trygg’s Room
Even though it has been months since she died, Ester’s room is still empty. It has been cleaned and smells pleasantly of fresh spruce. In the room is a wardrobe, a large bed with a beautifully crafted headboard of pine, and by the little window is a chair and a small table covered with books.
Challenges
- Ester’s bedroom door is locked, but the player characters can ask Axel to have a look at it or steal the key which is hanging on a hook in the inn’s key cabinet. They can also pick the lock with STEALTH or kick the door in with FORCE (although Axel will quickly arrive on the scene and be far from happy if anyone tries the latter).
Clues
- The player characters can find a leatherbound book on the table. This is Ester’s diary, and it contains many thoughts on topics great and small and on daily life at the farm. But one particular entry, from last summer, catches the player characters’ interest – see Handout 4B.
Ester’s Diary
June 17th. Two weeks ago, Ilya proposed to me. I had no choice but to turn him down. He wanted to take me away from the inn to a life in Saint Petersburg. He doesn’t understand. I responded coldly, even though it broke my heart. Ilya had bought me a beautiful silver comb. It must have cost a fortune. I said that I already had another friend. In a way I do, always did. And Axel needs me here. The inn means everything to me, and I want to do everything in my power to manage our heritage. Ilya’s expression darkened, like a thunderstorm over the forest in the summer, and he left the farm. He has not returned. At night, when the house goes quiet, I wonder if I made the right choice.
Axel Trygg’s Room
Opposite the door is a deep window niche overlooking the pond and the great oak tree. The room is simply furnished – there is a bed with a carved headboard, a nightstand with a bible, a wardrobe, and a rug woven in the style of the region with colorful runes in the pattern. In a corner stands a desk with books and paper on it. An old birchbark shoe hangs framed and glazed on the wall.
Clues
- On the desk are financial documents, books on card games, and plans for the new stable with more room for carriages.
- The birchbark shoe is the one his family brought with them from Sweden, along with Grayfoot. It is a clue that there is a nisse at the inn.
Guest Rooms
There are seven guest rooms at the inn, all decorated with simple but well-crafted furniture. Each room has two beds and a nightstand. The Campbell brothers are staying in room 1, Ilya in room 2, Vilma af Zimt in room 4, and Karin Karaskeva in room 7. The other rooms are available for the player characters to use.
Stable
The stable is old but well-kept. Inside the building it is warm and smells of hay and manure. The walls are lined with stalls where the Trygg family’s horses are standing along with those from the stagecoach. There are beams and a hayloft overhead. Ilya spends much of his time tending the horses at the stables.
Challenges
- As the player characters enter the stable, a heavy bucket suddenly drops from one of the beams in the ceiling. A random player character must pass an AGILITY test to leap out of the way and not get hit by the bucket (physical condition). If asked about the bucket, Ilya is surprised – he is sure that he put it on the floor just moments ago.
Clues
- If the player characters wish to speak with Ilya, they will most likely find him here. After being successfully MANIPULATED he can tell them about his unrequited love for Ester (see character description on page 73).
- One of the stagecoach horses was injured in the accident. A player character who examines the horse will see that its leg has been neatly wrapped and bandaged. The horse’s mane is plaited into elaborate braids, which as far as the player character remember were not there before.
- A player character can see a small gray figure disappear around the corner of the sauna. Characters who try to follow it will find no trace of the figure.
The Stagecoach
About an hour’s walk from the inn is the stagecoach in which the player characters arrived. They can return here to fetch Vilma af Zimt’s tarot deck (see the boxed text to the right) or retrieve their own lost possessions.
As they return to the stagecoach, the characters find it covered by a thick layer of snow and surrounded by huge snow-laden spruce trees. The place looks peaceful now. The stagecoach is lying on its side with the group’s possessions scattered in the snow around it.
Challenges
The characters can encounter several challenges at the stagecoach.
- On their walk to and from the stagecoach, each player character must pass a FORCE test to withstand the cold (page 72). An additional test must be made after each attempt to find items in the snow, except after the first. This is a good time for one of the characters to have a vision of Father Frost (page 74).
- The player characters must pass an INVESTIGATION test to find Vilma af Zimt’s tarot deck or any other item lost in the snow. Multiple attempts are allowed, but after each attempt (except the first) the character must make another FORCE test to endure the cold.
Clues
The player characters can gain several clues from their visit to the stagecoach:
- On the driver’s seat lies a portrait of Ester Trygg. It belonged to Ilya, which he admits if asked.
- A player character who stops and looks into the forest can see a figure in white moving silently across the snow. If the character tries to follow it, the figure vanishes without a trace.
The Tarot Reading
At some appropriate point during the player characters’ investigations, the esoterist Vilma af Zimt (page 74) will use divination cards, known as tarot, to determine whether the inn is haunted by a revenant. But she needs someone to fetch her tarot deck which she left in the stagecoach after the accident. She asks the player characters to go and get it (possibly along with the coachman Ilya if he is still alive). For more information, see The Stagecoach to the left.
When she gets her cards back, Vilma can use them to find out what is going on in the house. She places her strange hand-painted cards on the dining room table. Anyone is welcome to join her. Her fingers move over the strange cards which she spreads like a fan. She slowly flips three cards, one at a time. She gives the group a long, curious look and explains that the cards reflect different aspects of the situation, but they don’t provide an unequivocal truth.
“The cards are only a tool in our search and require interpretation. They can mean different things for different people. Today they seem to be raising more questions than they answer.”
There are three cards on the table – see Handout 4C. The player characters can make a LEARNING test to access the following information about how these cards can be interpreted:
- THE STAR: Hope, openness, the unconscious, a flood of emotions, Venus.
- THREE OF SWORDS: Sorrow, heartbreak, pain.
- THE HERMIT: A quest for truth, withdrawal from others, solitude.
The Sauna
The sauna is located by the frozen pond behind the inn, under the sprawling branches of the oak tree. People come here to heat water and have a wash. There is a fire burning in an open hearth in the middle of the anteroom. Wooden benches have been placed around the fire, and on the walls there are iron hooks for hanging up clothes. Wooden buckets can be filled with water and placed in the sauna for heating. There are also bundles of birch twigs which can be used to gently whip one’s body. A large long-haired cat is stretched out on a pelt by the hearth and its crackling fire.
This is a smoke sauna. When it is time to heat it up, a window is opened and a fire is lit under the sauna stones. The smoke then pours out of the window which is blackened around the edges. Once the firewood has burned down and the stones are hot, the window is closed and the sauna bath can begin. Inside the sauna there are stepped benches to sit on and a wooden bucket and a ladle for pouring water on the stones. It smells strongly of smoke, but the air is smooth and pleasant to breathe.
Clues
- In a corner of the sauna is a silver comb, partially concealed under the firewood. The player characters can find it by searching around the firewood or passing an INVESTIGATION test.
- In the sauna there are several carved wooden figurines of animals, adorned with intricate patterns. They must have been carved and decorated by a master craftsman.
Cast
Coachman Ilya Ermakov p.73
“Stay on the road, no one survives the cold in the forest.”
Ilya is a skinny man with steel in his eyes. He is of average height, with dark brown hair, a thick mustache, and a haggard face. He is bundled in thick animal pelts that he wears over his winter coat, and beads of ice have formed in his mustache. Ilya drives his stagecoach between Saint Petersburg and Narva and other towns in the region.
About a year ago Ilya asked Ester to marry him at the Tammsalu Inn, but was rejected. He does not like to talk about it, but will admit it if pressed. He is a man of few words, but explains that he was in love with the innkeeper’s sister and has mourned her since the spring. He wanted to marry Ester and settle down with her in Saint Petersburg, but Axel objected on the grounds that the coachman was too poor for his sister. Ester was kind to Ilya, but his feelings were not reciprocated.
“One spring night I gave Ester a silver comb I’d bought with my hard-earned money from a goldsmith in Saint Petersburg. Ester smiled and said she didn’t need such frills, that her friend helped braid and comb her hair. I let her keep the comb. I could not win her heart.”
Ms. Vilma Af Zimt p.74
“Our souls are connected through divine energy.”
Vilma af Zimt is an artist and spiritist from Stockholm. She has light brown hair pulled back in a beautiful bun in the fashion of the time, inquisitive bright green eyes, and wears the fine dresses of a noblewoman. Vilma is the daughter of the broad-minded General Peter af Zimt. Her father paid for her to study painting in Paris, where she has become known for her abstract Symbolist paintings. Beside her art, Vilma has developed a keen interest in the occult and esoteric. Traveling through Europe she came into contact with the Rosicrucians as well as the founders of Theosophy, with whom she maintains active correspondence. With a personality as colorful as her artwork, Vilma has made a name for herself in the bohemian circles of Stockholm by organizing book clubs devoted to mystical texts, seances, and tarot readings. The af Zimt family are good friends of Count Constantinovich and, like the player characters, Vilma is on her way to his manor when the storm forces her to stop at the Tammsalu Inn.
Innkeeper Axel Trygg p.77
“The inn needs to change with the times.”
Axel Trygg is a tall man with broad shoulders. He talks and smiles a lot, but there is sadness in his eyes. He dreams of building the inn into an even greater success and expanding its services to include gambling. The local religious community does not approve, but Axel is convinced that Tammsalu could reach new heights by offering card games. He wants to tear down the old stables and build a larger one with room for more wagons. But Ester’s death hit him hard, and these plans are currently on hold. Axel is proud of his family history but does not believe the old stories about a nisse, and no one is leaving it gifts or food anymore.
Daniel Campbell p.78
“My carriage is my pride and joy.”
Daniel is the older of the brothers. He was trained from childhood to hunt monsters and ghosts. He feels responsible for his brother Samuel, whom he has looked after since they were children, as their mother died young and their father was always traveling. Daniel is of average height, has light brown hair and almond shaped brown eyes, and is not an easy man to get to know. He has a soldier’s body with scars from numerous battles. He wears a knee-length coat and an old revolver in a holster, and carries a leatherbound book where he collects stories from the brothers’ adventures. He often sits around drinking by himself to silence the memories of all the horrors he has witnessed.
Samuel Campbell p.78
“There’s always a way forward.”
The Campbell brothers are investigators of paranormal activities from Winchester, England. Daniel and Samuel travel around in a black carriage pulled by two black horses, seeking out places where unsolved homicides have occurred. They too were on their way to Constantinovich’s manor to attend the conclave, but got caught in the storm and checked into the inn a few hours before the player characters. They are found in the dining room when the characters arrive.
Samuel is tall and strong, with shoulder-length dark brown hair and kind blue eyes. He has a talent for connecting with people. In his youth, Samuel dreamed of getting away from the rough life on the road and getting himself an education at Cambridge University. He brings with him a large collection of books on paranormal entities and phenomena, and is often seen with his nose buried in these tomes.
Karin Karaskeva p.79
“The songs teach us about the forgotten peoples.”
The runo singer Karin Karaskeva has wavy white hair and wears a traditional Votic costume from the area and a beautifully embroidered headdress. On her lap she has some knitting that always keeps her hands busy while she sings. She is knitting warm clothes for her newborn great-grandchild. Karin knows hundreds of stories about vaesen, powerful people and wizards, as well as local creation myths. Karin got caught in the blizzard on the way to her family farm, and is sitting in the dining room when the player characters arrive. She is very familiar with the domovoi, and can relate information about them to the player characters.
Handouts (12)
Handouts print at the back of VAE SOM covering all of its mysteries — click to reveal one to the players.
Confrontation
p.86The climax of this mystery could play out in many different ways. If the player characters figure out that the accidents at the farm are likely caused by a nisse, they would do well to leave him some food and attract his attention. Grayfoot will then reveal himself to the characters. Exactly when this happens and how hard he is to please should depend on how quickly the players reach this conclusion. If the player characters cannot figure it out on their own, the runo singer Karin Karaskeva can nudge them in the right direction.
One place where Grayfoot is likely to show himself is by the inn’s fireplace. First the player characters see the cat jump down from its spot by the stove and disappear behind the fireplace. The hearth gives off a dim glow that provides neither light nor warmth. Then the characters see him, first as a shadow in the corner, but then a little old man appears before them wearing light gray clothes and a knitted hat. He fixes his gaze on Axel, if he is present. “So, you finally see me, boy.”
Attacking the Nisse
The player characters can try to bind the nisse with spider silk, drive him away by force, or even try to kill him with a rusty nail – but this will bring disaster to the farm and likely end with everyone at the inn freezing to death (see Catastrophe). You can have the runo singer Karin Karaskeva or even Axel intervene if the player characters decide to use violence against the nisse.
Appeasing the Nisse
The wisest solution is to speak with the nisse and make him see reason. That is the only way to gain protection from the dreadful cold outside. But the conversation with Grayfoot is a balancing act – the grief over Ester’s death has left him sullen and easily offended (see character description on page 84). He can now also tell the player characters how Ester died from a stroke.
The player characters and Axel must convince the nisse that he will no longer be ignored and that he is important to the farm. The nisse fears that he will be forgotten. He wants Axel to promise that he will keep presenting him with gifts and possibly abandon his plans about arranging card games at the inn. Roleplay the conversation with Grayfoot and add a few MANIPULATION tests if you like. However, no single failure should derail the characters’ attempts to reason with the nisse, but simply make things a bit harder.
The Ghost Hunters
At some appropriate time before Grayfoot lets himself be placated by the player characters, the situation is further complicated by the Campbell brothers’ involvement. This can happen in a variety of ways.
Initially the brothers are convinced that Ester’s spirit is causing the accidents in the form of a revenant (see page 150 of the core rulebook). They urge Axel to show them where she is buried, so that they can salt and burn her remains – a method they claim can banish revenants. At first Axel refuses, but as more accidents occur and the temperature keeps dropping, he finally gives in, and the brothers go through with their plan unless they are stopped by the player characters – see Catastrophe on page 75.
Even if the brothers are prevented (through force or persuasion) from burning Ester’s remains, they may still cause trouble during the confrontation with Grayfoot. They have done their homework and know that nissar can be killed with a rusty nail through the heart. They attack Grayfoot when he appears, thinking it will save the inn. They do not realize that the nisse’s protection is the only thing that can save the inn from the terrible cold of Father Frost.
The brothers might show up and cause trouble just as the player characters are on their way to talking some sense into Grayfoot. Samuel and Daniel try to convince the characters that they are right, but will not hesitate to use violence to get their way. This may lead to combat, but the player characters can also settle the situation by MANIPULATING the brothers – but it will not be easy, as they must be dealt with individually.
If Ester’s grave is desecrated or if the player characters or the Campbell brothers harm the nisse, Grayfoot will abandon the inn for good, leaving the characters and the others to their fate (see the countdown).
Reconciliation
If the threat from the Campbell brothers is averted and Axel and the player characters succeed in appeasing Grayfoot, the nisse lights up and places his hand on the hearthstone. “I think we finally understand each other, master Axel.” The nisse fades before the player characters’ eyes, and they can feel a pulse – almost like a heartbeat – emanating from Grayfoot and spreading through the guests, the room, the house, and the garden. The fire flares up and a lovely warmth fills the room.
Aftermath
p.87If Axel and the player characters convince Grayfoot to stay, the group will gain his protection, the fire at the inn will burn hot once again, and the people and animals will be safe from the ruthless cold. The blizzard subsides and outside the snow glitters in the winter sun. In the great hall of the inn one can hear the cozy sound of the fire spreading its pleasant warmth through the room. The cook Riina is making porridge, and before serving it to the guests she places a bowl of porridge and a jug of milk by the stove.
A man with a sleigh comes bearing a message from Count Constantinovich. The conclave has been postponed. The player characters can return to Saint Petersburg or continue their journey towards other destinations.