The Fire That Moves the Stars:
“In the middle of the journey of our life I found myself within a dark woods where the straight way was lost.”
― Dante Alighieri, Inferno
The Divine Comedy is, under one of its many possible interpretation,s the tale of a lost man that, helped by the love and will of Heavens, starts a pilgrimage to save himself and find his souls. The Decameron, on the other hand, is a collection of popular tales that show the hopes, vices, dreams and stories of all sorts of people, even in the wake of the Black Plague.
This Promethean Chronicle, heavily inspired by both, is set in “The Soulless and the Dead” Dark Era” and involves situations and characters that owe a lot to both of those books and other Italian literature and folklore of the age.
The stories will be set all around medieval Italy, with the Republic of Florence being the most recurring location, and the Black Plague itself will have a central role (though not all the stories will happen during the Plague)
It’s a Play by Post game ran by me, Cinder, a literature geek who never ran one (I’m a little nervous) and with those patient souls of Nicolas Milioni , Second Chances, Caladriu and Arcanist being the players.
It took a while but here we are
Special Rules:
Not many houserules, the obvious “Amirani instead of the Frankenstein” aside. The only one worth mentioning is the following
The framework: the eleven narrators
As a Decameron inspired gimmick, the stories of the player characters are told by these eleven narrators, a group of young people hiding from the Plague in a villa in the Florentine countryside. The framework allows to jump both in time and space between each story, but there’s also another side to it:
Here’s the eleven narrators:
Agnese - The most friendly and sociable of the group. Comes from a rich family of merchants. Loves stories where the characters interact with people, learn about others and make new friends and acquaintances.
Caterina - Does not judge others and encourages them to follow their desires, no matter the potential risks and regrets. She’s in contact with people of dubious reputation. Loves stories of people that try and fail, only to get up and try again, always pushing to the limit.
Demetrio - The oldest of the bunch. Documents all the actions of the group and tries to live according to the doctrines of ancient philosophers like Socrates and Thales. Loves introspective characters that strive to learn about their places in the world and stories where they have a chance to express their self-awareness.
Ermete - Inquisitive and filled with questions. They work as apprentice in the workshop of a famous artist and scholar. Loves stories that involve natural philosophy and admires those who try to unveil the mysteries of the world, both within and without, with a bright mind.
Ferruccio - Strong, reliable and heavily built. He wants to become part of the Florentine militia. Loves stories of endured hardship and admires characters who triumph through their own strengths and hard work.
Fiammetta/Ignazio - The youngest of the bunch. Full of life, hyperactive and a little reckless. Keeps zir hair short; sometimes goes by the feminine name of Fiammetta and others by the masculine of Ignazio. Loves stories where some of the characters confront with death or take major risks and admires those who burn bright and die young.
Lucia - Devout and gentle, tries to be a sister to all those of group. Is thinking of taking the vows and become a nun. Loves stories that involve faith and the tribulations of the pious souls.
Medea - Very protective of her friends, passionate but ill-tempered and unforgiving. Some say her family hides a terrible secret. Loves stories of terrible vengeance, punishment and unchecked wrath.
Rodino - Kind and caring, always tries his best to make sure the others are safe and happy. The owner of the villa. Loves stories of problems solved through group efforts, thinks people are as strong as their social circle is and admires those characters who keep everyone united.
Selene - A bit unpredictable and distant, loves fables and myths. Her family dates back to the Roman Republic. Loves stories with a supernatural bent and is always happy when the characters delve into the dark mysteries of the world
Uberto - Silent and reserved, speaks only when asked but is surprisingly wise. Spends a lot of time go hunting and roaming the countryside and enjoys the company of animals. Loves stories of meditative isolation, survival in the wilderness and appreciates when the characters interact with beasts and other animals.
There’s another one who does not belong to the group but lives in the country as well:
Il Lupo - A menacing figure that stalks the countryside. Some say he’s a criminal, other an actual monster. He hates the group for reasons unknown.
What Il Lupo wants and if he even cares for stories, nobody knows
“In the middle of the journey of our life I found myself within a dark woods where the straight way was lost.”
― Dante Alighieri, Inferno
The Divine Comedy is, under one of its many possible interpretation,s the tale of a lost man that, helped by the love and will of Heavens, starts a pilgrimage to save himself and find his souls. The Decameron, on the other hand, is a collection of popular tales that show the hopes, vices, dreams and stories of all sorts of people, even in the wake of the Black Plague.
This Promethean Chronicle, heavily inspired by both, is set in “The Soulless and the Dead” Dark Era” and involves situations and characters that owe a lot to both of those books and other Italian literature and folklore of the age.
The stories will be set all around medieval Italy, with the Republic of Florence being the most recurring location, and the Black Plague itself will have a central role (though not all the stories will happen during the Plague)
It’s a Play by Post game ran by me, Cinder, a literature geek who never ran one (I’m a little nervous) and with those patient souls of Nicolas Milioni , Second Chances, Caladriu and Arcanist being the players.
It took a while but here we are
Special Rules:
Not many houserules, the obvious “Amirani instead of the Frankenstein” aside. The only one worth mentioning is the following
The framework: the eleven narrators
As a Decameron inspired gimmick, the stories of the player characters are told by these eleven narrators, a group of young people hiding from the Plague in a villa in the Florentine countryside. The framework allows to jump both in time and space between each story, but there’s also another side to it:
- At the beginning of each story, a player can pick a narrator and gain what’s basically an additional recurring Aspiration in the shape of “change the story according to the chosen narrator’s tastes”. Once per scene, If the character does something that fits the personal preferences and themes of that narrator, it gains a Beat. If the character consistently fulfills this Aspiration throughout the story, it gain a Vitriol Experience at the end of it. The Aspiration does not truly belong to the character and thus has no effect on Social Maneuvering.
Here’s the eleven narrators:
Agnese - The most friendly and sociable of the group. Comes from a rich family of merchants. Loves stories where the characters interact with people, learn about others and make new friends and acquaintances.
Caterina - Does not judge others and encourages them to follow their desires, no matter the potential risks and regrets. She’s in contact with people of dubious reputation. Loves stories of people that try and fail, only to get up and try again, always pushing to the limit.
Demetrio - The oldest of the bunch. Documents all the actions of the group and tries to live according to the doctrines of ancient philosophers like Socrates and Thales. Loves introspective characters that strive to learn about their places in the world and stories where they have a chance to express their self-awareness.
Ermete - Inquisitive and filled with questions. They work as apprentice in the workshop of a famous artist and scholar. Loves stories that involve natural philosophy and admires those who try to unveil the mysteries of the world, both within and without, with a bright mind.
Ferruccio - Strong, reliable and heavily built. He wants to become part of the Florentine militia. Loves stories of endured hardship and admires characters who triumph through their own strengths and hard work.
Fiammetta/Ignazio - The youngest of the bunch. Full of life, hyperactive and a little reckless. Keeps zir hair short; sometimes goes by the feminine name of Fiammetta and others by the masculine of Ignazio. Loves stories where some of the characters confront with death or take major risks and admires those who burn bright and die young.
Lucia - Devout and gentle, tries to be a sister to all those of group. Is thinking of taking the vows and become a nun. Loves stories that involve faith and the tribulations of the pious souls.
Medea - Very protective of her friends, passionate but ill-tempered and unforgiving. Some say her family hides a terrible secret. Loves stories of terrible vengeance, punishment and unchecked wrath.
Rodino - Kind and caring, always tries his best to make sure the others are safe and happy. The owner of the villa. Loves stories of problems solved through group efforts, thinks people are as strong as their social circle is and admires those characters who keep everyone united.
Selene - A bit unpredictable and distant, loves fables and myths. Her family dates back to the Roman Republic. Loves stories with a supernatural bent and is always happy when the characters delve into the dark mysteries of the world
Uberto - Silent and reserved, speaks only when asked but is surprisingly wise. Spends a lot of time go hunting and roaming the countryside and enjoys the company of animals. Loves stories of meditative isolation, survival in the wilderness and appreciates when the characters interact with beasts and other animals.
There’s another one who does not belong to the group but lives in the country as well:
Il Lupo - A menacing figure that stalks the countryside. Some say he’s a criminal, other an actual monster. He hates the group for reasons unknown.
What Il Lupo wants and if he even cares for stories, nobody knows
Comment