Terpsichorean Sodality of the Bird People

Over at False Machine, a 'dungeon poem challenge' has been set. I've been toying with some ideas for this, and they at least demand an airing - though I doubt they entirely offer 'the condensation of utility, beauty, meaning and originality into a functional and interesting micro-adventure. '

Without further ado.....

The Sodality buildings are principally of dull brick, partially sunk in the earth. The shape of the complex has been masked by flowerbeds, mounds and dense thickets. Thin chimneys and skylights are set into the buildings. Glazed tiles cover many of the surfaces. 

Aviscaputs, the bird-headed are neither unknown nor common to the local area.

A1 An entrance hall, with hatstands, fire-place and a long sideboard covered in crockery (some of it quite valuable). Two screens isolate one corner of the room.

Monedulus Alleline, a man with the head of a jackdaw, paces nervously.. If surprised he will jump. He may be reciting prayers. He will give a cold welcome to newcomers.

He is deeply worried about the coming rites, and dreads Vansittart's proposed alterations.

The kestrel-headed Raptora Uexkull waits behind the screens. She is very calm and will remain very calm, because she is pointing two flintlock pistols at you. (These are weapons of her own making, and have curving talons on the butts). She refers to Monedulus as 'Little Clerk' with exaggerated contempt. 

Her aim is to get you to surrender your weapons, and go to meet Tietjens to decide what to do with you.

A2 The kitchen. A comfortable, warm room with a large gilt samovar providing tea.

The wren-headed Iolanthe Wrenfield is trying to play cribbage with Patrick Hooke. This is not going well; Hooke is intimidated by her beak and is distracted by thoughts of his lover, Brand.

Iolanthe is trying to distract Hooke, and make his stay all the happier. She will offer newcomers black tea laced with rum, and offer spritely conversation.

Patrick Hooke is a strung-out man who has suffered a wreck on the river. Tietjens has decided that he cannot leave the Sodality until the week is out, as part of the ritual. He cannot play cards.

A3 A wood panelled room, with several large desks; numerous books lie about the room in careful piles.

Hoopoe Tietjens stands at a lectern; piles of paper surround him. The several pillars are studded with long paper strands - invocation, notes, more. Lanner Coningsby is probably lounging somewhere nearby.

Hoopoe Tietjens had the head of a Hoopoe; everyone else is in awe of his crest and long beak. He is the master of the Sodality and will insist on you staying on for the rites (he is reluctant to use force, but may do so all the same). He will offer you tawny port and thin biscuits, and ask searching questions. 

Tietjens is worried by the conduct of Vansittart but has a number of issues that concern him to attend to before then. In his lectern are a number of rare scrolls  - these are magical and spiritual dialogues, of startling interest. He carries a long hunting dagger. 

Lanner Coningsby contrasts a practiced languidness with the sharp eyes of a falcon. He is tending to an incense-burner and will chime in with the odd bon mot in response to Tietjens or anyone else who comes in.

A4 A reception room with several ornate chairs; an iron balcony overlooking the river. The tiles in the room depict the life of a female saint, culminating in her death in a marketplace.

St John Goldfinch is here, apparently talking to Clemency Yaffle. She is watching him carefully, whilst pretending to read.

St John Goldfinch has the head of a goldfinch, and is perpetually trying to groom himself. He is remarking upon the folly of casting the lots to arrange the rites. 

Clemency Yaffle dislikes Goldfinch. She is headed like a green woodpecker and carries a fowling-piece in a duffel-bag.

B1 A sandy cove, with the remains of a boat.

Evelyn Brand is a young woman who was wrecked here with Hooke. Her ankle was badly twisted, and he went in search of help a day ago. She has lit a small fire and survived on river water and smoked eel fillets. She has hidden as best she can from the Sodality.

Brand is trying to distract herself with a book of metaphysical poets. She will quote them at the first opportunity. 

B2 The Egret-headed Dalziel sits on the riverbank, apparently sketching in charcoal. He has exaggerated the forms of the bridge between A4 and B3 to rococo hideousness. He does not wish to be interrupted, and can get quite sharp. If pressed overlong, he may attempt a show of force.

B3 Antechamber dotted with stools. The double doors into the grand hall are shut. 

The guilliemot-headed Urgulanilla Guillemot is consuming a platter of marinated herring. She will attempt to draw in newcomers under her (metaphorical wing) asserting her generosity and the folly of Tietjens. She will offer you a glass of thin white wine laced with rowanberry schnapps, and is unwilling to take no for an answer.

Picador Vansittart is a magpie-headed man, apparently attached to a large pink gin. He is engaged in contemplation of an engraving, showing a nobleman of antiquity drinking from a cup shaped like a dragon. 

Vansittart wishes to alter the rites of the Sodality in his own image. He will happily debate the age and antiquity of the Sodality, and the folly of his colleagues. 

B4 Dormitory, divided by screens into two sections. It overlooks the river; two bathing-places have been sculpted from the riverside.

Gymkhana Dabchick sits at a dressing table, apparently contemplating an ivory statue of a hermaphroditic faun. She will happily tell your where she found it, and some of the cultural connotations of the coitusgeist. 

Hilarion Ptarmigan is dozing in the sunlight by the bathing place. The ptarmigan-headed man will wake if you approach, and ask what time supper is. By him is an empty plate and half a bottle of Madeira, which he will not offer to share.

C1 The great hall has been cleared of furniture: several paintings of mythic  or allegoric scenes remain on the walls. 

C2 Three trapdoors lead out of the great hall into a vestry. Long racks for clothes and storage chests abound. An altar in one corner contains ritual cleansing paraphernalia

C3 A concealed storage room where the furniture of the great hall has been placed. One coffer contains a quantity of silver plate, including a salt-cellar in the shape of a peacock.

The Rite of the Sodality

Over several evenings, the Sodality will conduct their rites. This involves a hymn to the Unknown God, followed by a series of dances and dialogues featuring a cast of distantly allegorical figures.
This begins and concludes in the great hall, but ranges through-out the sodality.

Lamp-lit King    Effects: Ornate lamp, crown, sword.

Movements: wide, deliberate, ornate.       Language and tone: hospitable, semi-liturgical.

Brimstone Cavalier Effects: plumed cap, sabre, pomander.

Movements: Swift, aggressive.     Language and tone: Impassioned, prideful, 

Maid in Red         Effects: Red Kirtle, sistrum.

Movements: poised, fluid.          Language and tone: Courageous, curt, steel-tongued. 

Grandmother of Dragons Effects: Mantle, torch, coin pouch

Movements: Slow, even-paced.    Language and tone: thoughtful, condescending, wheedling.

Brass Councillor Effects: brass-bound staff, fur-trimmed robes

Movements: long strides or absolute stillness.  Language and tone: long-winded, temperate.

Ash Wife      Effects: Pale grey-green cloak, gilt chains.

Movements: choppy, whip-like.       Language and tone: Insinuating, somewhat sing-song.

Reluctant Knave     Effects: Ornate jerkin, axe, dagger, wineskin

Movements: furtive, pained.        Language and tone: Low-pitched, embarrassed

Armed Ploughman         Effects: Pistol, scrip, staff.

Movements: straight lines, head erect.        Language and tone: Platitudinous, sincere.

Velvet Burgher Effects: ruff, sash, tall hat

Movements: distracted, unfocused.        Language and tone: mealy-mouthed soft.

Kindly Death         Effects: White metal circlet, chalice, long cloak.

Movements: twining, unobtrusive.       Language and tone: Deep-voiced, formal, polite.

Wasted Prelate Effects: Amulet, dusty robes, book. 

Movements: small steps, halting.    Language and tone: Thin-voiced, speculative, devotional, sorrowing. 

Messenger Effects: message pouch, whip, horn.

Movements: Swift, direct.           Language and tone: oddly modern, polemic.

Actions during the Rite

Outsiders may witness the Rite, but must remain silent. 

Picador Vansittart and Urgulanilla Guillemot will try to disrupt proceedings by forcing Sodality members out of character. Both may make deliberate mistakes, impertinent remarks or veiled seduction attempts. Minor magics are available to them.

Vansittart has obtained a exotic sabre as part of his costume. He may threaten others with this; he has not yet decided if murder will accomplish his aims. 

Hooke on his own is a target for the disruptors. If Hooke and Brand are united, they will put up a better defence (both afterwards will share a horror of birds). 

Coningsby, Yaffle and Alleline are the most dedicated to the orthodox Rite. 

Yaffle, Uexkull and Dalziel are the most likely to attempt violence as part of the Rite.

A List of Sodality Members

Together with their roles in the Rite, loose personality sketches and bird heads.

1. Hoopoe Tietjens.  [Hoopoe], Lamp-lit King, Generous, Intelligent but Inflexible
2. Picador Vansittart. [Magpie], Brimstone Cavalier, Innovative and Vicious
3. Raptora Uexkull.  [Kestrel], Maid in Red, Vivacious and Bloodthirsty
4. Iolanthe Wrenfield. [Wren], Grandmother of Dragons,  Kind but oblivious
5. Lanner Coningsby. [Lanner falcon], Brass Councillor, Irreverent and sardonic
6. Urgulanilla Guillemot. [Guillemot], Ash-Wife, Hedonistic and commanding
7. St. John Goldfinch. [Goldfinch], Reluctant Knave, Unfocused and arrogant
8. Clemency Yaffle. [Green woodpecker], Armed Ploughman, Dogged and unsubtle
9. Gymkhana Dabchick. [Dabchick], Velvet Burgher, Overfamiliar and earthy
10. Monedulus Alleline. [Jackdaw], Kindly Death, Worrisome perfectionist, loyal
11. Egret Dalziel. [Great white egret],Wasted Prelate, Envious, scrupulous
12. Hilarion Ptarmigan. [Ptarmigan], Messanger, Apathetic, gluttonous

Why are you at the Sodality?

1. A vintner has sent you to them with the matter of an unpaid bill.
2. The carpenter's wife hints darkly to you of their strange goings-on.
3. You know a wizard who will pay for the corpse of an Aviscaput.
4. Pavo Esterhazy has sent you to them with a letter of recommendation.
5. The local priest has asked you to take a message of goodwill.
6. A fisherman has lent out a boat, and it has not yet been returned.

Six Concepts in the Literature of the Rite

1. Repentant silence
2. The imminent and eternal desert
3. The sword in one hand, the trowel in the other
4. A timeless rose
5. Transcendental sight through constant purification
6. The constant note of horror and squalor

Costumes from the 1883 Cambridge Greek Play,
Aristophanes' The Birds.

All images found here.

I will post information on the inspiration for the above if requested in the comments. There is no intended Appendix N for the Sodality. Shouldn't even have posted the bird costumes, but they are good.

Motorcycle Leathers of the United Provinces

Some recent reading included Mythago Wood (mentioned on here before). One detail caught my eye: Harry Keaton, on entering Ryhope Wood brings with him motorcycle leathers - noted to be quite resilient to the cold, and generally tough. Better, certainly, than a cloak. I wouldn't like to say if this meant that 1940s motorcycle gear was of a similar resilience to leather armour, but it certainly set my mind in a certain direction.

Of equal use to the adventurer as armour are clothes that protect against the weather. Indeed, the notion of travelling in full armour at all times is a fairly dismal one. It works in the confines of the dungeon (a limited space, designed to be traversed), but perhaps not in the wilderness. It is familiar to sacrifice freedom of movement for protection: it should be no less strange to willingly encumber yourself with bulky clothes or a tent. Indeed, a modern-day six-person canvas tent with poles and pegs weighs 33 kilograms - and it does not pack down very compactly.  

Hence, I should like to put together equipment lists that include gear meant to keep out the cold, or the damp, or heat. Some of Joseph Manola's class equipment lists for Against the Wicked City do this very well. My recent trip to the Scum Quarter has helped inspire this; my references there to Electric Bastionland and Gus L's Fallen Empire are once again relevant. 

Another point before I start; I have come to the decision that equipment lists do not list everything. This is perhaps no surprise to you - equipment lists have rarely explicitly listed clothing - and never in such detail as to include everything. I take it that an adventurer has a full set of largely intact clothing, or a pocket knife to cut their meat, or a comb about them. 5E sidesteps this by providing a ready-packed Explorer's Kit on the items list with mess kit and tinderbox and the like - I would rather leave such a step up to the GM. Rules of thumb are useful here: we imagine that the player can readily carry a pocketknife and cut their meat or sharpen a pen, but they can't butcher a hog without having a cleaver. It might be that the player can trim or tie back their hair and brush most of the mud from the hem of their cloak - but washing the cloak and getting a haircut requires a laundry and a barber. 

There must be limits to this; needle and thread, yes, but not enough to make a tapestry. Enough vessels to cook a simple meal for the party, but no more. Anyway, that's probably enough of this for the time being. Time to put some of the ideas above into practice. 

***

The Leo Hollandicus of Claes Janszoon Visscher

The Thrice-Blessed, Benevolent and Victorious Republic of Datravia, known formerly and vulgarly as the Prizelands is a place of known, since the War of Liberation approximately a century and a half ago, for enviable modesty on the part of its inhabitants. Other than in some few particulars, their nature is peaceable, if not passive – if it is correct to draw that distinction. However, such matters as touch on their privileges, on the privileges of their Parliamentary Representatives and on the ancient laws of the Isle and City of Datresse, they are as humourless, passionate and inconsolable as any slighted courtier of the Imperial Household in gold-girdled Purlitz who has discovered a speck of dust on his pelisse.

The place is Datravia, vulgarly known as the Prizelands. The time is the time of my mooted Early Modern setting, clumsily referred to as White-Hot Sparks from the Crucible of the Enlightenment. The faith and cultural iconography refer to the Majestic Vision. The Temple and Church generator could fit here; the list of Religious Processions probably not. 

The obvious inspiration is Golden Age of the Netherlands, though a significant other influence would be  pre-Modern European city-state republics. There's probably a bit of A Tale of Two Cities and The Age of Innocence in here as well.  

1. Coach Guard /// Heavy lined greatcoat (as leather, resistant to cold and rain), Blunderbuss, Dark lantern, Flask of genever.
2. Parliamentary Lictor /// Green sash with ivy motif, Concealing robes, Ceremonial sickle-staff, Unceremonious pistol, Archaic privileges.
3. Dockyards Pugilist /// Hand wraps, hand wraps with concealed weights, Smelling salts, Jar of soothing unguent, Miraculously unbroken nose (+1 to CHA until you take a blow to the face).
4. Coffee vendor /// Portable brazier (can be carried on back, requires high-energy fuel), Heatproof jacket (as leather, resists flame), Coffee grinder & sufficient beans for two pots, Stale pastries, Wealth of gossip (start with 1d6 rumours).
5. Burgher of the Isle /// Wide-brimmed hat and lacy cuffs, Pocket watch, Box of calling cards, Officer's Gorget of a Shooter's Guild, Carbine of same (never fired outside the range). 

   

   The Shooting Company of Frans Banning Cocq and Willem van Ruytenburch 
   being the most famous of shooter's guilds.

   
   
6. Pamphleteer /// Bundle pamphlets (Roll 1d4; 1 - Comic, 2 - Poetic, 3 - Trenchant, 4 - Bawdy), Waistcoat with large flat hidden pocket, Bottle ink, Throat lozenges, Demagogue's Licence (Recently expired).
7. Lensgrinder /// One finished lens, Two glass blanks, Lapping powder, Caddy half full of restorative tea, Absence of fingerprints.
8. Supercargo /// Oilskin wrap (resists rain, seawater), Ledger in waterproof carrying case, Brace of pistols with exotic engravings, Tin of foreign sweetmeats.
9. Hot-house botanist /// Secateurs, Wide-brimmed hat and long loose coat (resists sun), Selection of Interesting Plant Cuttings*, Out-of-season bouquet.
10. Ley-line surveyor /// Witchsight theodolite, Tripod-staff, Rune-engraved measuring chain, Paper, Charcoal, Pen and Ink. 

*Said cuttings may purely be of academic interest, or ornamental value - but if you wish them to have a more interesting purpose, Appendices A-C of Yoon-Suin will be of use. (The plants won't necessarily be Tea or Opium, but they could have similar effects to those detailed.).

I was largely thinking of the Wicked City rules for firearms - though I have an appreciation for the awkward Lamentations of the Flame Princess matchlocks. 

Some of the above was composed with the aid of this website, largely focused on Delft. I'm not sure that it is utterly sound on every point, but it is very good at showing its sources.