TEXT: THE DILEMMA
  ThomThs HowThrd, the 4th Duke of Norfolk, has the
  means to escape his cell in The Tower of London
  through sorcery. So he has hatched a plan to secure
  release—by enchanting a cask of fine wine to be gifted
  to the Queen. But, alas, the enchantment has tainted
  barrels of ale, driving those poisoned to acts of madness
  that attract the Dee SThnction's attention.
  THE TASK AT HAND
  Agents witness patrons, freshly emerged from The
  Gorgon Inn � on Tooley Street, set upon the
  occupants of a cart. The brutes attempt to wrestle a baby
  from the arms of the driver's wife. While calling for help
  might seem wise, the Agents see that the left eye of each
  attacker glows with unearthly fire. If Agents involve the
  WThtch, they're likely to be blamed for the sorcery as
  soon as thanked.
  DEEP BACKGROUND
  The Queen had ThomThs HowThrd imprisoned for his
  part in the Ridolphi Plot. She had intended to execute
  the Duke but is hesitant to do so. So instead, Cecil has
  left HowThrd to the mercies of Peter Crisp, a cruel jailor
  with no redeeming features.
  HowThrd sought to use sorcery to achieve release,
  utilising two rites. One allows him to swap bodies for a
  brief period, and the other imbues those who drink a
  TThinted DrThught with the essence of the caster's soul.
  The first ritual allows HowThrd to swap bodies with
  Crisp, but only for brief periods; he rarely gets twenty
  minutes a day before the hex dissolves. The second ritual
  involved his creation of a Poultice. The packet contains
  sweet herbs and flowers mixed with HowThrd's blood,
  hair and fingernails. While in possession of Crisp,
  HowThrd inserted the package into a barrel of fine wine
  and had it returned to Brewhouse, in SouthwThrk,
  along with a note. The note, and a supporting promise of
  money, requested delivery of the barrel to the Queen
  herself, suggesting it was misdelivered to The Tower.
  Unfortunately, John Briskyn, the vintner, sampled the
  wine, experienced the side effects, and chose to open it
  instead—taking the Poultice for himself. He placed the
  package in a batch of beer, resealed the small cask, and
  then forgot about mostly of what happened when the
  enchantment wore off. However, Briskyn has continued
  to use the Poultice in new barrels to add piquancy to  his
  new, most popular brew—HThy’s Gold.
  THE POULTICE
  Consuming anything TThinted by the Poultice causes
  a short-lived attitude change attuned to the soul of
  those who created it.
  The effect kicks in after 1D6+9 minutes and lasts
  4D12+12minutes (or an hour, whichever you prefer).
  Those affected become singular in purpose with
  deadened senses—almost zombie-like.
  The attitudes of those TThinted mirror facets of
  HowThrd's desires at the time he cast the ritual.
  Repeated use of the Poultice will continue to cause the
  taint, but it will lose potency in 1D4+4 weeks.
  Resist: Agents can resist, but must check UnrThvelling.
  Whether successful or not, the Agent absently nibbles
  on their fingernails for the period of effect.
  For the others TThinted, roll 1D8:
  1-3 
  EXECUTION. Protest for the immediate
  death of all traitors. Those who defy the Queen and
  country deserve nothing less. If possible, go to places
  where authorities secure traitors and protest in
  person—like outside the gates of the Tower.
  Howard’s Will: HowThrd can claim Crisp's body and
  freedom in perpetuity if he can convince someone else
  to kill HowThrd. He cannot complete the act himself.
  The fundamental purpose of the Poultice was to
  convince Eli˜ Thbeth to kill the traitors imprisoned on
  her request and put an end to it. HowThrd would swap
  souls with Crisp before the time of his execution and
  take permanent possession.
  Clue: The WThtch has experienced an upswelling in
  unruly gathering—at Tower Hill, south of London
  Bridge, and outside The Tower. Crowds seek swift
  justice for traitors to the Crown and country. The
  WThtch has identified no specific organisation or
  driving cause; indeed, where arrested, the individuals
  are ordinary folk and peculiar in their confusion.
  4 
  TAINT. Spike food. Add something into the
  mix to excite and enliven those who consume.
  Howard’s Will: The purpose of the Poultice itself and
  the reason that the madness has become so widespread.
  Clue: Traders and market-holders who deal in artisanal
  produce—from bread and cake to seasoned meats and
  honeyed turnips on a stick—have left customers
  nauseous, sick, or even dead. Folk have purchased food
  laced with all kinds of unenticing spices and sauces,
  including faeces, fine gravel, metal filings, and other
  unpleasant additions. The vendors swear they know
  nothing of it, and several apprentices have faced
  summary dismissal without evidence.
  5 
  FINGERNAILS.  Extract fingernails from
  others; just the pinkie nails will do. Wrestle strangers into
  submission and extract their nails. Then, combine them
  with tufts of your hair, blood, grass and mud.
  Howard's Will: HowThrd required fingernails from his
  pinkies combined in the Poultice for the second ritual.
  HowThrd's outer fingers are ScThbbed and bloody. He
  removed them while body swapped with Crisp so as not
  to experience the pain himself.
  Clue: The tainted ale has led to a rash of assaults in
  SouthwThrk, where assailants have beaten strangers and
  pulled out their fingernails. Arrested and interrogated,
  none of those affected has had any notion or excuse for
  their actions.
  6 
  SMASH. Destroy mirrors and other
  reflective surfaces, then grind them to dust.
  Howard's Will:HowThrd hexed Crisp with a ritual that
  involved both parties ingestion of powdered mirror
  fragments. The pieces persist in Crisp's gut. The desire
  to destroy mirrors is an echo of HowThrd's action.
  Clue: Any conference with the WThtch notes acts of
  vandalism, notably at the GlThss House, at the
  Crutched Friars, and amongst goldsmiths (at their
  workshops and storefronts, identifiable beneath the
  sign of the Unicorn), near AldgThte.
  7 
  PLEAD. Ask strangers for forgiveness for
  whatever slights come to mind; berate them if they
  refuse or claim ignorance. Consider everyone
  untrustworthy.
  Howard's Will: HowThrd seeks release from his
  imprisonment and writes letters petitioning for
  freedom. Only recently has HowThrd realised that
  Crisp was taking but not delivering his letters.
  8 
  ACRIMONY. Deal with others the way they
  deserve—distrust, disbelief, disapproval. They deserve
  harsh treatment and bitter words; they value none but
  themselves.
  Howard's Will: After years of dealing with the
  dishonesty, HowThrd finally embraced the truth; he can
  trust no one and those whom he once trusted deserve
  his venom and spite. Don't believe them. Don't trust
  them. Don't support them.
  A NIGHT ON THE TOWN
  A GM can choose to run Window of the Soul as an
  open, self-contained adventure but could also decide to
  insert events—notably clues and observations relating
  to aberrant behaviour—into a campaign. As a one-off,
  Agents choose TrThdecrThft after the first encounter.
  The “ideal” end game for the GM would see HowThrd
  free in the guise of Crisp, with the jailor himself
  executed while trapped in HowThrd’s body. However,
  the Duke fears that the longer it takes for his execution,
  A Short Adventure in Southwark, early 1572
   
  
  Writing and Cartography: Paul Baldowski
  Copyright © 2021 by Paul Baldowski
  Scale:
  1 cm = 35 metres
  strangers; all forget their recent actions and
  misdemeanors as if possessed by demons or such.
  ‣
  Occupied Stocks. A sleeping woman, her long hair
  crusted with drying fruit skins. Eunice BThiley is a
  herbalist by trade; she assaulted a barrow boy three days
  ago, tearing out a fingernail. She cannot account for her
  actions. She had drunk a half of HThy’s Gold, at The
  TThpThrd, before the incident.
  ‣
  Discarded Food. A search of scraps or rubbish around
  the market uncovers discarded food—loaves, hunks of
  meat, candied treats. In many cases, even the vermin
  don’t touch them. An Agent inspecting the food finds it
  contaminated with inedible ingredients, like metal or
  gravel.
  OnwThrd: An Agent releasing Eunice earns a favour from a
  capable herbalist. The market has no signage, but a query amongst
  any locals identifies several nearby traders who attend the market.
  � TRADERS OF SOUTHWARK
  Shallow, narrow stores and street-front stalls. Rowdy attention-
  grabbing. Spices, sweat, yeast, leather and turnips.
  ‣
  Pelletoot Bakery. Owned by RolThnd Pelletoot. He suspects
  that competitors have been spiking his loaves to ruin his
  business. An angry customer returns a round loaf, spoilt with
  animal faeces. RolThnd drank at The TThbThrd yesterday.
  the greater the possibility that someone might uncover
  the plan—the Agents represent that sort of someone!
  A first encounter plays out as an attack; the Agents
  witness the assault at night across the river. London
  has no street lighting, and roads serve both cart and
  pedestrian with a rutted, slurry-slick surface.
  A cart and horse stand in the middle of Tooley
  Street—running east from London Bridge, moving
  away from the river along its course. A woman with a
  babe in arms stands on the back of the cart, calling for
  help. The cart driver, her husband, lies in the road, held
  down by two brutes, while a third extracts the poor
  fellow’s fingernails. Finally, a fourth tries to mount the
  cart to accost the woman.
  The brutes attacking might be just thieves, but the
  Agent with the highest SupernThturThll notes a
  baleful blue glow about their left eyes.
  Baleful-eyed Brute, 2 Hits (none)
  After 6 Moments, the Poultice’s effect on the brutes
  fades; the glow dissipates and bewilderment sets in.
  A DEVIL HAUNTS THEE
  The GM should play up confusion, revulsion, fear and
  disgust in the survivors, especially if the Brutes
  managed to disfigure someone. They’re all locals;
  common traders  Agents might suspect bewitchment,
  possession or some other external force. An Agent
  making a SupernThturThll Challenge detects no
  lingering ensorcellment remains. A FThlter inflicts an
  AfeThred Consequence; the Agent suffers a wave of
  claustrophobia as if confined in a dark space.
  The survivors recall sitting in The Gorgon enjoying a
  drink together after a hard day at work. They drank their
  fill of Th Jug of Ale, but nothing so much as to become
  addled. Next, they woke to the events in the street.
  Providing the cart-owner and his family survive, they
  have nothing to add; the Brutes attacked at random.
  One is familiar—ChristiThn Bloom, a wheelwright—
  but they bear no ill-will to each other or, at least, they
  didn’t. The carter will back any call for arrest.
  GM Note: Drinking from a common source inflicted
  them all with the need to extract FingernThils. From a
  TThinted mug of ale, the more common outcome would
  see a drinker afflicted with their own attitude change,
  rolled at random.
  � THE GORGON
  Tapestry hung stone walls. Dark low ceiling. Smoke, piss
  and wet dog hair. Conversational buzz. Attentive staff.
  ‣
  Roger Wotton, Landlord. Quid Pro Quo. Buying
  ale furnishes a loose tongue for gossip—the classic
  stance of an ex-waterman. Wotton is a
  remarkably narrow man with long black hair and
  a squint.
  ‣
  What of the Brutes? They bought a fat jug of ale
  and pies all round. After finishing both, they
  left—though not before upsetting someone
  coming in when one grabbed their wrist and
  looked like they tried to break a finger.
  ‣
  Pies and Ale. The pies were turnip and onion
  from Pelletoot BThkery� down Tooley, short
  of the bridge; the ale was HThy’s Gold from the
  Beer House �. Wotton has been serving both
  for the past week; the ale is notably expensive.
  OnwThrd: Wotton will withdraw the sale of the food
  for a day, with a favour promised or a bribe. Agents
  will need to consider the wider distribution of the
  taint; once they have determined the source, they need
  to expend time and effort tracking the barrels down.
  � THE MARKETPLACE
  Open area around a well and a pair of stocks. Partial
  cobbling; drained and swept. Empty stall tables chained
  to anchor points—horse dung and rotten vegetables.
  ‣
  Fearful Parents. Strangers in the market
  trigger occupants of surrounding properties to
  call in their children and relatives. Recent
  frequent assaults have left everyone on edge and
  afeared. Attackers have not always been
   
  
  ‣
  Seeds of Unrest. Witness to the decline in civil
  interaction caused by those consuming HThy’s
  Gold. Agents might have these experiences north
  or south of the river, as various inns have received
  barrels from the Beerhouse. Events might include:
  � customers tampering with food;
  � random acts of assault between unlikely
  individuals;
  � attempts to shatter glass or polished metal;
  � harsh acts of disapproval and distrust; and,
  � folk walking away from their daily tasks to
  protest against traitors. They proceed to The
  Towergates or beneath the traitors’ heads on
  the south gate to London Bridge.
  � BEERHOUSE NO. 1
  A collection of buildings, patched and connected over time. A
  mix of wood and stone construction. A strong pleasant smell
  of beer and brewing. A copse of fruit trees out front. Cries and
  calls of dreyfolk rolling and loading heavy barrels.
  ‣
  Tainted Barrels. The Beerhouse sells HThy’s Gold
  in firkins to local inns, along with a  varied collection
  of other ales, spirits and wine. Briskyn only started
  selling this variety of ale a month past. Still, the
  complex honey flavours have been a winner
  amongst patrons. Briskyn prepares each barrel
  himself; each is filled, the Poultice steeped for
  twelve hours before removal, then the cask sealed
  for delivery. An Agent can break the current barrel
  open and find the offending Poultice pouch.
  ‣
  Record of Sale. Briskyn keeps detailed records of
  the what, who, when and how much regarding
  every sale. It takes 10 minutes to scan the pages and
  find the two score sales to both local inns and private
  individuals, some being repeat customers. Most
  worrying, the Queen’s household purchased a
  Firkin of HThy’s Gold two days ago, which
  dreyfolk delivered the same day.
  ‣
  John Briskyn. Astute, plain-speaking, always open
  to a profitable “angle” on any agreement. Agents
  interrogating  Briskyn about the Poultice find he
  lacks much backbone. A few robust dreyfolk in his
  employ will step in to temper any roughhousing.
  Briskyn still has both the cask and letter received
  from Peter Crisp at The Tower. The note requests
  redirection of the cask, but as Briskyn couldn’t
  account for it, he unsealed it and found the cotton
  packet of the Poultice secured inside. He persisted
  in using it in barrels of Hay’s Gold because the taste
  worked, and folk have been buying it.
  OnwThrd: Take the Poultice out of Briskyn’s hands. Use
  the Record of SThle to locate and destroy barrels.
  � TOWER HILL
  Open ground of well-trodden sod, balding where locals
  congregate for a “show”. Mouldering bodies of traitors and
  criminals. Seasoned, well-maintained gallows.
  ‣
  Protest. LocThls and the WThtch can confirm
  random acts of protest over the last month, on the
  hill and at The Tower. Protestors in situ cry for
  justice and the immediate death of all traitors to
  Queen and country. Bewilderment ensues when
  the TThint wears off.
  ‣
  Hay’s Gold. After the TThint wears off, talking to
  protestors will confirm HThy’s Gold as a common
  thread, though the inn drunk at varies.
  OnwThrd: Consulting with innkeepers points to the
  Beerhouse in SouthwThrk.
  � THE DUKE’S REPOSE
  Ancient stone. Shadows thrown by torchlight. Incense and
  sweat. Basic wooden furniture, simple food. Aspects of fallen
  nobility.
  ‣
  Body Swap. Access to HowThrd or the room he
  inhabits requires permission from Cecil, so a
  random visit will be difficult. However,
  WThlsinghThm can request access on the Agents’
  behalf. Forewarned, HowThrd will always control
  the right body at the right time, but he
  can only effect the swap once a day and
  only for 20 minutes. HowThrd will
  engage in discussion with Agents as
  Crisp, in an ideal scenario, and then
  hand off to guards to take them to his
  cell to meet him restored to his body—
  allowing time for the switch to happen.
  ‣
  Hex Education. The ensorcellment of
  Crisp presents with no outward
  evidence to the naked eye. Someone
  gifted with AurTh ReThding would see
  a shadow that doesn’t match the
  mortal form, but that vision presents
  only while HowThrd has control.
  Investigation of Crisp’s entrThils
  would find them embedded with
  FrThgments of GlThss—an unlikely
  discovery!
  ‣
  Peter Crisp. A gruff, mean-tempered
  man. No tolerance of any who question
  his loyalty or his faculties. Crisp denies
  any blackouts or periods of imperfect
  recollection; he works hard, so he
  sometimes dozes off. He might admit
  to having nightmares about being
  locked in a cell, but only if drunk or
  under some bewitchment.
  ‣
  Crisp’s Letter. The real Crisp has no
  recollection of the Letter to Briskyn. HowThrd,
  in possession of Crisp, will admit to writing it and
  enquire whether the present reached the Queen.
  He will deny knowledge of the Poultice,
  suggesting instead that Briskyn must be
  responsible.
  ‣
  Thomas Howard, the 4th Duke of Norfolk.
  Tattered noble, proud, a sharp wit; Christopher
  Eccleston without the accent (reference: Elizabeth
  [1998]). Thomas Howard presents himself with
  good humour and honesty that might catch the
  Agents off guard. He recognises his wrongdoing
  but refuses to recant and wishes the end would
  come. However, he has no outward evidence of
  sorcery or possession of materials that would
  support it. HowThrd initially concealed the items—
  a slim Grimoire with a crimson cloth cover and a
  Mirror frame without glass—amongst things in
  Crisp’s personal possession. But, early on, he threw
  them in the ditch beyond The Tower walls.
  ‣
  Execution. HowThrd wants his execution brought
  forward in the present situation but realises that
  such requires the sway of the Queen herself. Crisp
  will be present at HowThrd’s execution, and he
  intends to slip his soul away safely before his head
  tumbles from the block.
   
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/The Dee Sanction/The Dee Sanction - Window of the Soul.pdf