This is an adventure I ran for my Space: 1889 campaign back in the 1990s. Because this was written for my own use rather than for publication, it's a bit more sparse and telegraphic than usual.
Transbalkania is a fictional country in the Space: 1889 universe, a tiny Balkan principality wedged in between Bulgaria and Macedonia, bordering Graustark and Ruritania (but not, sadly, Latveria). I don't recall why the player-characters went there; they may have just been traveling around at random, or possibly the aristocratic twit non-player character Lord Nigel Brunswick was asked to represent the British government at the upcoming Royal wedding.
The Situation: Prince Sergei II recently acceded to the throne, and is about to be married to the Princess Von Znk, a minor German princess who has been blind all her life.
The PCs can encounter spies from all over -- Germany, Austria, Russia, Ruritania, Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia, Graustark, and Uruguay. All have names which are variations of "Smith" because they are trying to be inconspicuous.
The Prince's Reception: The castle has a fantastic collection of clockwork toys; the late Prince Sergei I was obsessed by them. He hired some of the finest craftsmen in Europe to come work for him.
The reception is a splendid affair. The Prince himself is stiff and polite. He is quite good-looking, but very taciturn. He is always surrounded by a small knot of officials, led by the Prime Minister, Pavel Pretorious.
A Mysterious Warning: As the PCs return from the reception, the Uruguayan agent, "Senor Smito," staggers up to Miss Peabody and collapses, a knife in his back. His dying message: "At Borgo Pass . . . the Princess's train . . . danger . . . wolf's head . . . quickly . . . "
Ambush At Borgo Pass: The Princess Von Znk's train is passing through Borgo Pass when a group of brigands on horseback attack! There are 12 brigands in all, with Close Combat and Marksmanship-4. Mysteriously, the bandits all speak English, and most are wearing broad-brimmed hats. If the PCs and some Transbalkanian forces take quick action, they can (of course) head them off at the pass and allow the train to reach the capital safely.
What's Really Going On: The real Prince Sergei died six weeks ago -- he choked on an olive pit late one night. Prime Minister Pretorious and the other ministers were desperate to prevent either of Sergei's brothers from succeeding to the throne. Sergei's brother Ivan is a warmonger, who plans to attack Bulgaria and Turkey. His brother Oskar was a selfish fool who planned to sell the country to Bulgaria for a lifetime stipend.
So Pretorious had old Peteggio, the Royal Toymaker, create a clockwork King with the aid of Mangialente. They arranged the marriage to Princess Gertrud, who is blind. Her parents were pleased to find a catch like Sergei for her. Pretorious hopes that a royal heir can be arranged (with the help of an impostor), and then the King can "die" conveniently.
BUT: Princess Gertrud Von Znk is not keen on marrying Prince Sergei. She loves Otto Schmidt, a stableboy on her father's estates. Otto went to America to get rich, and she promised to wait for him but he never returned. Actually, Otto has made out rather well raising cattle in Texas. When he learned of the wedding, he and some of his partners from the Lazy 8 ranch came to Transbalkania to take Gertrud away.
Clues: If the PCs don't notice something wrong with the Prince, Princess Gertrud will (being blind she relies on smell and hearing -- Sergei smells like machine oil, and ticks and squeaks as he moves).
• The Italian superspy Count Fogliani is present, in disguise as a street puppeteer. He is on the trail of a missing Italian dollmaker, Luigi Mangialente.
• The Prince's wolfhound has been driven from the castle, and wanders the streets whining. It will lead the PCs to Sergei's tomb beneath the castle.
• Notice the "Wolf's Head" brandy label, illustrated with a picture of a rock formation of that name northeast of Bunjskoe. (The cowboys have their camp at the Wolf's Head. Senor Smito spotted one of them in town, followed him, and found the camp. He overheard their plans but was discovered. Nevada Bob put a knife into him before he could escape.)
Climaxes: Otto will appear at the wedding itself, stepping forward to claim Gertrud. Pretorious will have his deadly bodyguard Bayezid deal with meddlers.
Transbalkanian Names:
Anton Dvremic, Engli Janoschko, Petro Vladimiroff, Katerina Homuk, Jan Lebbov, Mikel Stambulov, Ugo Wallachnik, Yirina Bulgrava, Georgi Ivanec, Nikol Stravno, Wictro Antonoff, Helena Karloff.
Transbalkania is ALLIED with Serbia, Greece, Russia, and Italy.
Transbalkania is OPPOSED to Bulgaria, Turkey, Ruritania, Romania, Austria, and Graustark.
Local Color: The Prince's Lifeguards in their blue uniforms and black fur hats; the Bujsko Battalion in their red fezzes; the Nevrekop and Dschumaja Battalions in their blue shakos; the cavalry in fur hats and tight white breeches; and the militia armed with muskets and pikes. Peasant men in their embroidered vests and knee-britches, old women wearing dozens of petticoats, shepherds in wolfskin cloaks.
Otto Schmidt, Poor Boy Made Good Out West
Str: 5 Fisticuffs 4, Throwing 3, Close Combat 4 (edged)
Agl: 6 Stealth 5, Marksmanship 4 (pistol)
End: 4 Wild. Travel 6 (mountaineer), Tracking 3, Fieldcraft 3
Int: 4 Observation 3
Chr: 4 Eloquence 3, Linguistics 2 (English, Spanish)
Soc: 3 Riding 4
Hit Points: 9/7
Motives: Love for Gertrud, Cowboy Code
Bayezid, Pretorious's Henchman
Str: 6 Fisticuffs 8, Throwing 5, Close Combat 6 (edged)
Agl: 4 Stealth 4, Marksmanship 4
End: 4 Wild. Travel 4 (mountaineer), Fieldcraft 1, Tracking 1
Int: 2 Observation 1
Chr: 1 Theatrics 1
Soc: 2 Riding 1, Medicine 1
Hit Points: 10/7
Motives: Cruelty for its own sake, Loyalty to Pretorious
Wears an armored leather vest (save roll of 1)
Reporters: Bailey, Chicago Daily News; Morris, Manchester Guardian.
The Wedding: The Princess Von Znk will be given away at the wedding by her teenage brother the Prince Etzel Von Znk. The ceremony begins with an Orthodox Mass, followed by the marriage vows.
Just after the Mass, but before the vows are exchanged. Otto Schmidt and his Lazy 8 cowboy pals will come riding into town, ride right into the Cathedral of St. Kyril, and abduct the bride.
If the cowboys can get away for even five minutes, they can conduct a wedding marrying Otto to Gertrud. One of Otto's pardners is Daniel Webster "Preacher" Jones, an ordained Seventh-Day Adventist minister. They even have a marriage license issued by Deaf Smith County in the State of Texas.
Forces inside the Castle:
One company of the Lifeguard Foot battalion (20 men) and one troop of the Prince's Escort cavalry squadron (9 men) are quartered in the castle. The rest of the Lifeguards (73 men) and the other cavalry troop (11 men) are based at Bunjskoe Barracks, east of the city.
For the wedding, one company of each of the three line infantry battalions (30 men each) has been sent to Bunjskoe. They are encamped in a field on the west bank of the Strava.
Transbalkania being, of course, a reference to Avram Davidson's fantastic Dr Eszterhazy stories. I didn't realize that as a 17-year-old poring over Conklin's.
-D*
Posted by: Dwtwiddy | 02/13/2012 at 08:45 PM