The Royal Captaincy of Rio de Janeiro (Elephant & Macaw Banner)

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THE ROYAL CAPTAINCY OF RIO DE JANEIRO: A REPORT

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THE ROYAL CAPTAINCY oF RIO DE JANEIRO Luciano Campos TardocK

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Author: Luciano Campos Tardock Project Coordinator: Christopher Kastensmidt Editorial Manager: Paulo Roberto Silva Jr. Art Director: Guilherme Da Cas Interior Illustrations: Ernanda Souza, Gabriel Rubio, Pedro Krüger, Renan Ribeiro, Robson Michel, Ursula “SulaMoon” Dourada, Victor Ferraz Layout: Erik Plácido Publisher (Portuguese edition): Devir Livraria Publisher (English edition): Porcupine Publishing Services Cartography: Filipe Borin Cover: Guilherme Da Cas Preliminary review and editing: Christopher Kastensmidt, Marcelo Cortez e Marquito Maia Graphic Design: Filipe Borin Logo: André Vazzios

THE ELEPHNT & MACAW BANNER ROLEPLAYING GAME - SUPPLEMENT: THE ROYAL CAPTAINCY OF RIO DE JANEIRO © 2018 Christopher Kastensmidt. All rights reserved. Based on the fictional world of The Elephant & Macaw Banner™, created by Christopher Kastensmidt.

Note

This game supplement is intended to present the Royal Captaincy of Rio de Janeiro as a setting within the fictional world of The Elephant & Macaw Banner. While it is based on historical sources, it should not be taken as an academic work of history. It mixes facts with fiction, historical personalities with invented ones, and should be read as a source of inspiration for the reader's own adventures in this alternative, magical Brazil of the 16th century. Feel free to change facts and dates as needed to make your game more fun.

Contents

1 | THE ROYAL CAPTAINCY OF RIO DE JANEIRO: A REPORT A brief history of the captaincy.............. 1 The city of São Sebastião .........................3 Guanabara Bay............................................ 10 Beyond the Bay........................................... 13 2 | FURTHER INFORMATION ON COLONIAL BRAZIL Settlements.................................................. 19 The peoples.................................................. 21 Expeditions into the interior................24 3 | MONSTERS & MAGIC OF THE CAPTAINCY Bestiary.......................................................... 27 Trinkets, baubles and magic items..... 36 4 | ADVENTURE IN THE CAPTAINCY The Restoration of France Antarctique!..................45 Ideas for other adventures in the Royal Captaincy of Rio de Janeiro................... 73 TIMELINE ......................................75 BIBLIOGRAPHY............................ 79 CHARACTER SHEETS...................82



Uma cidade dura. Cercada de dificuldades por todos os lados. A Capitania Real do Rio de Janeiro fora erigida em local exuberante. Tão exuberante quanto o canto de mil sereias.

— Frei Gastão

THE ROYAL CAPTAINCY OF RIO DE JANEIRO: A REPORT

8th of February,Year of Our Lord 1570 Our ship passed the bar and slipped into the bay early in the evening. We travelled from the Captaincy of Porto Seguro, taking great care to avoid the French who infested the south coast. Planning the voyage so as to arrive around dusk was a strategy that had worked well for the Portuguese. This little captaincy, a Royal Captaincy now, brimmed with possibility. Infinite possibility! Who knew just what? Gold and silver, certainly. From the lips of the natives came tantalizing tales of emeralds! As we entered the bay, high up we saw the fire-lights of the buildings that nestled on the great hill. The fortified walls of the most elevated, the Castle, were tinted orange-red by the torchlight that illuminated them. The other hills also began to seem painted with lights that looked like fireflies at rest. Behind this scene stood the great mountains that border the kingdom of the natives, Ibirapitanga, the kingdom of the Red Tree, coveted by all: French and Portuguese, in particular. Beyond Ibirapitanga, the mountains, which press all before them against the sea. As dusk advanced and the stars came out above us, we could see the beauty of this bay. Protected by its stone giant, we were greeted by grey dolphins that leapt high at our bows and the other ships coming in. The older sailors told stories about the bay being the kingdom of Yara and her host of mermaids. Their song, by night, made incautious mariners throw themselves into the sea, seduced by the music, kidnapped, made to fight for Yara. Such beauty could not come without its share of danger. I hope that our first days in the city shall prove fruitful. After a few days in port in the city of S. Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro and then raise our banner for our journey into the interior. If the next few months prove happy in their outcome, I believe that I shall be backhome in London within two or three years at most. For that to happen, I must find what everyone has been looking for before me, yet never found. May the good winds bring the fortune I await.

- James Cranmer, English explorer and navigator

THE ROYAL CAPTAINCY OF RIO DE JANEIRO: A REPORT June 1576

T

he Royal Captaincy of Rio de Janeiro is a vast territory, extending from the River Macahé in the north to the settlement of Santo Antônio de Caraguatatuba in

the south. Despite its imposing name, the Royal Captaincy of Rio de Janeiro is perhaps the least tamed

Conflicts between different tribes, pirate attacks from different nations, and strange enchanted creatures make life difficult for settlers in the region. The Royal Captaincy of Rio de Janeiro is still a territory full of legends and rife with rumours that feed the dreams of those who yearn for wealth and opportunity

among all the captaincies of Brazil. It was the last captaincy created, which gave the French time to invade part of the territory and stir up resistance among the local inhabitants. This region is full of indigenous villages that fiercely defend their forests, their riches, and their mysteries. There are countless pirate ships along the coast, eager to take such rich territory for themselves, disrupting the plans of the Portuguese. There are also wondrous and terrible creatures hidden in the jungle. In the midst of all this, there are small points of Portuguese colonization, resisted by those on all sides.

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A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE CAPTAINCY Colonizing the lands of Brazil is no easy task in any of its regions, much less in the lands claimed by the Royal Captaincy of Rio de Janeiro. The honour of receiving one of the captaincies granted by the Portuguese Crown brings with it a sea of troubles. The costs are high, with no immediate return. The difference in climate places a strain on European

The Royal Captaincy of Rio de Janeiro's terri-

bodies, pushing them to the limits of their endurance

tory has been little explored due to the neglect of its

along with the strain of a very different lifestyle. The

former administrator, who only had eyes for another

constant attacks from pirates and smugglers - Eng-

captaincy, and because of the French invasion that

lish, Dutch and, especially, French, who desire the

temporarily took the region from Portuguese hands.

riches of these lands - force the inhabitants to de-

But the Portuguese managed to establish themselves

fend their territory. Meanwhile, all the land's secrets

in the region and founded the city of São Sebastião

and mysteries remain hidden within the vastness of

do Rio de Janeiro, which occupies one shore of Gua-

the jungle.

nabara Bay. On the other side of the bay, a number of villages are starting to form, but as yet they are unable to occupy their entire territory.

The Captaincy of Rio de Janeiro was originally the northernmost part of the Captaincy of São Vicente, created by King João III, the Colonizer, in

Despite this solid foundation for colonization, not everything is going according to plan.

1534. But Martim Afonso de Souza, his grantee, had no immediate plans for the region. He focused his ef-

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forts on the southern region of his captaincy, where

good people, well armed, be established in the region

sugar-cane cultivation was developing, but the his-

of Rio de Janeiro, given the growing presence of the

tory of this northern region goes back much further

French and others there. During this period, Portu-

than even the earliest attempts at colonization by the

guese inertia left enough time for the French to race

Portuguese and French. When the Portuguese arrived,

into this newly discovered place of beauty. This was

the region was populated by Tupi peoples who had mi-

how France Antarctique came to be..

grated from the Amazon region centuries before. They expelled the former inhabitants, the Tapuia, who were pushed inland as the various invading nations spread throughout the coastal territory. The Tupinambá and Tamoio occupied most of the coast on both sides of the bay, while their rivals, the Temiminó, occupied the island of Paranapuã.

France Antarctique was the culmination of a project to found a powerful naval base from which the French could set forth and advance their position in the field of trade with the New World. They used their geographical advantage to take the region from the careless hands of the Portuguese. Allied with the Tamoio, the French initiated their plan to dominate the

The Portuguese fist discovered Guanabara

hinterland of Guanabara Bay. Nicolas Durand de Vil-

Bay on the first day of January, in the Year of Our Lord

legagnon fortified the island of Serigipe and provided

1502. They named the place 'Rio de Janeiro', 'January

housing, weapons, and tools for the men there. Forte

River', having mistaken the shape of the bay for the

Coligny, with five batteries of cannon, was erected in

mouth of a large river. The Portuguese carried out ex-

a short time by French and Tamoio labourers. Guana-

peditions to identify places with profitable potential,

bara Bay was now a French stronghold.

but did little more than a few incursions along the Brazilian coast until 1534, when the Hereditary Captaincies came into being.

The French spread throughout the region of Rio de Janeiro during nativist revolts in other captaincies. With so many problems diverting the atten-

The Portuguese absence in the early 16th cen-

tion of the Portuguese forces, there was more space

tury left space for other peoples to establish contact,

each time for the French to establish themselves in

peaceful or otherwise, with the region’s indigenous

the region. But, if the region was problematic for the

inhabitants. Initially in search of brazilwood, every-

Portuguese, it was equally difficult for French col-

one sought the riches of the territory, especially pre-

onists, who, in addition to all the problems of ad-

cious metals. In the 1540s, even with the creation of

justing to the territory, also had to contain disputes

Portugal's captaincies, other foreigners continued to

between Catholics and Protestants. In 1560, the cam-

do business with indigenous people. The French oc-

paign of Estácio de Sá began. A devastating attack

cupied the village of Cabo Frio and the region of Ara-

on March 15 destroyed the French fortifications and

ruama. Portuguese ships were constantly attacked by

forced many to hide in the forests, evading pursuit

French, English, and Dutch pirates.

by Estácio's forces. Between 1565 and 1567, with the

Letters reached Portugal in 1548 asking for help against constant French attacks on Portuguese ships. Breton and Norman merchants also began to play their part in the unfolding drama, trading diverse products with the indigenous peoples. The

French menace duly removed, the first portion of the Captaincy of São Vicente was re-founded as the Captaincy of Rio de Janeiro, together with the city of São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro at the foot of the Morro Cara de Cão ('Dog-Face Hill').

French, growing in confidence, extended their visits

The settlement founded on March 1, 1565

to the region, to which the Portuguese gave little pro-

by Estácio de Sá lasted a relatively short time. This

tection. In the 1550s, Tomé de Souza suggested in a

initial core of the city remained only until the end of

letter to the King that a township of honourable and

the conflict with the French and their Tamoio allies,

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THE ROYAL CAPTAINCY OF RIO DE JANEIRO: A REPORT

in the battles of Praia da Glória and Paranapuã Island. As soon as the French were subdued, new buildings began to be erected on the Morro do Descanso. The

THE CITY OF SÃO SEBASTIÃO DO RIO DE JANEIRO

strategy was simple: seek out places that with a better defensive position and a strategic viewpoint over both the city and the entrance to Guanabara Bay. With a dual commercial and warlike nature, the city of Rio de Janeiro expanded across the Morro do Descanso and surrounding Várzea area. The new city of São Sebastião de Rio de Janeiro was born with fortified walls. It also had two defensive structures: São Tiago Battery and São Sebastião do Castelo Fort. It also got its first Municipal Hall and local jail, in addition to the Governor's House. Eventually, the Morro do Descanso would come to be known as the Morro do Castelo – Castle Hill.

Castle Hill The site of the Jesuits' College and church, as well as the Church of São Sebastião where the stone that marks the foundation of the city is located, dragged from the foot of the Morro Cara de Cão. Because of the limited space, only the richest families own land and homes here. The hill also contains a number of stores and warehouses that hold the provisions and other goods that are traded at the anchorage. At the foot of this famous hill is the first hospital in the city, the Santa Casa de Misericórdia ('Holy House of Mercy'). Due to the growing influx of people onto Castle Hill, it has been

CASTLE HILL

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necessary to construct more and more transport routes. Together with the Ladeira da Misericórdia ('Mercy Rise'), the first important public road in the city, the Caminho do Poço do Porteiro ('Porter's Well Way') and the Ladeira do Colégio ('College Rise') also cut into the hillside. Castle Hill area is full of people, both residents and workers. All kinds of services - such as hostels and boarding houses for food, drink, and rest - may be found here. Legends: People whisper stories by night, second-hand tales in the drinking dens about the hills of the city centre. One of the most oft-repeated is that the choice to establish the city on Castle Hill was no accident. A network of tunnels formed by natural caves and dating back to ages past is used by Jesuits and government officials alike to hide away their most precious treasures and communicate in secret with other areas of the city of São Sebastião. Those who believe this legend also believe, most often, that one of the entrances can be found hidden inside the Jesuit College.

SIMÃO SANTO (age: 35). Energetic, Methodical, Frank. Simão Santo Captain of the Guard of the Fortress of São Sebastião do Castelo. Mestiço (mixed race), son of a Portuguese father and indigenous mother, Simão makes use of background of coming from two peoples to facilitate dialogue with Portuguese and native people. Simão is of medium height and has skin that is not so dark as his Brazilian forebears. He keeps his hair short and his face clean-shaven. He wears an eye-patch, a memento of past battles

Fortress of São Sebastião do Castelo This powerful fortification, which is located at the top of Castle Hill, gained the nickname 'Le Fort de Hault' ('The Fort on High') for helping the colonizers in the conflicts against invaders in the Guanabara Bay region. This fortification is considered by many to be a place of absolute security because it is located on a high point and is surrounded by stout, white-

with creatures in the forests of Rio de Janeiro. It is common to see Simão wearing his green and yellow doublet, with a wide-brimmed hat to protect him from the heat of the region. Cartography 1, Field Medicine 2, Swimming 2, Traps Canoeing 2, Foraging 2, Folklore 1, Land Navigation Firearms 3, Impact Weapons 2, Archery 2, Oratory Artillery 2, Soldiery 2, Administration 2, Engineering Portuguese 1, Guarani 1, Tupi 1.

2, 1, 1, 1,

washed stone walls. It protects the area of the former Cotovelo beach (at the end of Rua da Misericórdia). It is armed with three artillery pieces and has a good number of soldiers to guard the top of the hill. There are about 60 of them, of whom 30 are specialists in the harquebus. All these soldiers obey the orders of the Captain-Major of the Guard, Simão Santo. He is always looking for more men to strengthen his forces

PEDRO GALO (age: 42). Inflexible, Solitary, Suspicious. Pedro Galo is the cook at the Fortress of São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro. Not because of any cooking ability but because he likes the job, which helped him when he had to retire as a soldier. Tall and fat, with just a few thin strands of black hair around his bald head, Pedro is the proud owner of a wooden leg, which he got after a battle against one of the

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THE ROYAL CAPTAINCY OF RIO DE JANEIRO: A REPORT

region's indigenous nations. He was shot in the knee

Governor's House

with an arrow, and treatment came too late to save

The Governor's House is the best house in

his lower leg.

the whole region. It has two floors, with large, airy

Canoeing 1, Foraging 3, Herbalism 1, Tracking 1,Firearms 2, Impact Weapons 1, Bargaining 2, Soldiery 1, Cooperage 2, Cooking 1, Agriculture 2, Carpentry 1, Accounting 1,

rooms unlike anything in the vast majority of pri-

Portuguese 1, Latin 1, Tupi 1.

vate houses nearby. Whitewashed, made of stone bricks and whale-oil cement, the Governor's House is close to Municipal Hall on the Largo do Castelo, the most important area of the hill. There, the Gov-

Municipal Hall The 'Casa da Câmara' is the first place where the city's most important men and women meet the Governor to propose ideas and ask questions pertinent to the city’s quality of life. It is not a very large building, and it is watched by a small group of soldiers with harquebuses, present only as guard of honour, since little of import occurs here. The Municipal Hall is at the end of the Ladeira da Misericórdia, on the Largo do Castelo at the top of the hill, facing the Governor's House. Inside, a large, rectangular wooden table serves as the focal point where the work of the Hall is done. Although it serves more for dinners abundantly accompanied by fine Portuguese wines, this table is one of the symbols of local politics. The expression "sit at the table" is used locally to mean getting together to solve a problem.

ernor receives special guests for more intimate conversations, away from the ever-listening ears of the Municipal Hall. The current Governor, Antônio Salema, is enthusiastic about sugar cane cultivation and a staunch enemy of the region's Tamoio people. This sumptuous building used to be used more for meetings, but Governor Salema likes to be present, perhaps for fear that the Chamber will conspire against him. This is a house that holds the secrets of the most powerful men in the entire region. ANTÔNIO SALEMA (age: 40). Authoritarian, Arrogant, Determined. Salema was born in the Alentejo region of Portugal and was directed towards the study of law from a young age. He graduated in Law from the Royal College of São Paulo, in Coimbra, where he was one of the best students. By order of King Sebastião of Portugal, he held a number of positions as a judge before coming to the city of Rio de Ja-

Jail The jail installed on Castle Hill is not a major construction by any means. It contains four large cells and was built from rammed earth and stone, like the city walls. Despite its apparent fragility, it does its job well. Local prisoners are treated differently depending on their crime. A case of public drunkenness a night on the cold stone jail floor, a quarrel gets a few days and a fine. More serious cases are treated with concomitant severity, depending on the mood of the Captain-Major.

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neiro. His authoritarianism and arrogance know no limits. Upon arrival, he declared himself an enemy of the natives and any French who yet remained in the region of the Captaincy, and vowed war on them all. Cartography 1, Riding 2, Swimming 1, Firearms 2, Fencing 3, Oratory 2, Persuasion 2, Artillery 1, Soldiery 2, Seamanship 2, Poesy 1, Administration 2, Law 3, Philosophy 2, Theology 1, Portuguese 3, Latin 2, Spanish 2.

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Jesuit College and Church The Jesuit College is the first religious educa-

Highly influential and able to adapt

tion establishment in the captaincy belonging to the

to the challenges of Brazil, the Jesuits are the

Society of Jesus. When the city centre was relocated

soldiers of Christ and, as soldiers, are will-

to the present Castle Hill, Manuel da Nóbrega, leader

ing to fight any and all battles necessary to

of the first Jesuit mission, started work on the college.

achieve their goals. The Jesuit College is the

It is largely devoted to the catechesis of the region's

principal base for the Society, which has be-

indigenous inhabitants. Next to the school is the

gun to expand its activities to places where

church, where all the rites of the liturgical calendar

few other outsiders have yet managed to

take place. Some important members of the Society

gain access. Even the bravest and hardiest

of Jesus have their names linked to the school, such as

explorers like to have one or two Jesuits join

the priests José de Anchieta and Gonçalo de Oliveira,

their expeditions to bless their men and

the latter being the current rector. In addition to the

speak for them to the indigenous people. In

catechesis of indigenous people, the school also has a

any case, the Jesuits quickly planted their

group of almost 40 young students under the tutelage

feet on the land of Rio de Janeiro and remain

of the rector and other religious responsible for their

an important part of the region's dynamics.

general education. FATHER GONÇALO DE OLIVEIRA (age: 41). Courageous, Generous, Diplomatic. Gonçalo de Oliveira was born in the Aveiro region of Portugal and

Warehouses

came to Brazil at 17 years of age. He was a companion

These large buildings store produce destined

of Father Manuel da Nóbrega and Father José de An-

for other captaincies, as well as products that arrive

chieta, and worked with the former until his death in

from them and from Portugal. Food, grains and meat,

Rio de Janeiro, in 1570. He was serving as a military

wine, sugar and brandy, as well as other items of val-

chaplain when he became Superior of the Jesuit Col-

ue are stored in the warehouses until their destina-

lege. With a deep knowledge of indigenous culture,

tions are decided. Cargoes seized from foreign ships

he defends and preaches assistance to these peoples,

are brought to these warehouses, which are protected

which causes great tension in his debates with Gover-

by harquebus-armed guards day and night. The ware-

nor Antônio Salema. Father Gonçalo de Oliveira was

houses are located on the lower part of the hill, in the

a personal friend of Estácio de Sá and was present at

direction of the rudimentary port that adjoins Castle

the time of his death in 1567, becoming the guardian

Hill. These constructions are vital for the survival of

of his remains and belonging. He is of medium height,

the wider population that is beginning to emerge in

has fair skin and tonsured hair. He wears the distinc-

the region.

tive black cassock of the Jesuits. Field Medicine 2, Folklore 2, Oratory 2, Soldiery 2, Philosophy 2, Humanities 2, Theology 2, Portuguese 2, Latin 3, Tupi 1, Jê 1, Faith 3, Protection from Evil 1, Miraculous Events 3, Daily Bread 2, Blessing 2.

Church of São Sebastião This was the first religious building constructed in the city of São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro, and it has more than a passing resemblance to a fortress. The Church of São Sebastião is the religious focal point of the settlement. Mass is held there every day, though of course those on Sundays are the best attended. It is a true meeting place for the leaders

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THE ROYAL CAPTAINCY OF RIO DE JANEIRO: A REPORT

and common folk: all types of people meet at the

particularly confession and extreme unction. Those

first church on Castle Hill. With its two bell towers,

who seek the health of the body are given over to the

it keeps a lofty vigil over the coast for miles around.

care of Sister Maria, the oldest nurse at Santa Casa

The most fervent believers say that the small image of São Sebastião kept in the church is miraculous. The legends began to spread when, during the voyage on which it was brought from Portugal, a storm that would have engulfed the convoy broke up after one of the crew on the Nossa Senhora da Penha began to pray for the intercession of the future patron of the city. Since then, the small image has attracted a legion of believers, including from other captaincies, who have come in search of its holiness. The building work at the church has not yet been completed; the current governor, Antônio Salema, continues to invest time and resources to this undertaking. The work at the Church of São Sebastião is led by Dom José Joaquim da Cunha Azeredo Coutinho, a Capuchin friar. The Church of São Sebastião is also the subject of legends and rumours, of underground galleries and life-sized statues of the Apostles made of gold; all this is duly denied by Dom José Joaquim, obviously. This is the church that rings the bells that define the working day for the city. The bells of the other churches and chapels in the region follow its lead.

and certainly the longest-serving nurse still actively working in Rio de Janeiro.

Ladeira da Misericórdia Constructed in 1567, paved with cobblestones, the Ladeira da Misericórdia was the first public road in the city of São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro. At the top of it is the Largo do Castelo, where one finds the Jesuit College of the Society of Jesus along with other important buildings. The slope is named for the Santa Casa de Misericórdia, although many residents jest with the idea that the 'Misericórdia' – 'Mercy' – of the name is related to the very steep climb.

Ladeira do Colégio The second path built to climb Castle Hill, the College Slope is one of the main roads. It connects the Várzea district with the Jesuit College and the Fortress of São Sebastião do Castelo, which protects the city from would-be invaders. This path is much less steep than the Ladeira da Misericórdia. It is home to some inns where one may observe the commerce of the city and the other people sipping a cup of wine while exchanging the latest news and gossip. Soldiers are constantly going up and down this slope.

Santa Casa de Misericórdia When the core of Rio de Janeiro was transferred to Castle Hill, Estácio de Sá ordered the construction of the Santa Casa de Misericórdia, a necessity for the nascent city. It is a simple thatched shed covered with coconut palm, built on the seafront of Castle Hill. It is the only hospital in the area, helping the residents, whatever kind of people they are. Father José de Anchieta himself can be seen here from time to time, when he passes through the region of Rio de Janeiro.

Caminho do Poço do Porteiro ‘Porter’s Pool Way’ is the path used by the water-carriers: porters and wagon drivers who bring water in barrels directly from the Carioca River to the top of Castle Hill. The path, which is widely used, gained this nickname when the city's gatekeeper, Mestre Vasco, found drinkable water on his land, around 1568, and gave free use of his cistern to the residents of the hill. As an expression of gratitude, people soon named this path after him.

It is headed by the 'Chaplain of Agony', Father João Manuel, responsible for celebrating Mass here as well as other sacraments needed by the patients,

7

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OTHER POINTS OF INTEREST As the population grew in the city of São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro, they began to take up residence on the other hills in the area. They also spread to the Várzea district and the low-lying flooded areas,

Cartography 2, Riding 2, Physical Strength 1, Field Medicine 2, Swimming 2, Land Navigation 2, Bargaining 2, Persuasion 2`, Artillery 2, Soldiery 3, Seamanship 3, Blade Weapons 3, Firearms 2, Impact Weapons 2, Administration 2, Commerce 1, Accounting 1, Portuguese 2.

primarily used for the cultivation of sugar cane.

Hills The City of São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro

São Tiago Battery The first defensive structure built here by the Portuguese, the São Tiago Battery stands at Praia de Santa Luiza, a position capable of crossing fire with the island of Serigipe, where the French had established their Fort Coligny. This simple building was erected in 1567, and the governor is already consid-

does not live only on Castle Hill. Three other hills also form the nucleus of the city, where the residents are not so affluent but still have considerable local influence. Their houses are spread over the upper slopes of the hills, forming residential areas quite different from Castle Hill, with all its official buildings.

ering replacing it with a larger and more permanent

City Walls

structure instead. It serves to defend the old anchorage of the city. The battery has a garrison of approximately twenty soldiers, half of whom are trained in the use of the harquebus; the others carrying only swords or halberds. These soldiers are under the command of Captain-Major Cristóvão de Barros.

These walls do not come close to the great walls of mediaeval castles. They are made of various materials: from rammed earth and rubble to whitewashed stone. The governor aims to reinforce the structure over time, especially with the imminent possibilities of invasions. The walls are guarded at all times by at least

CRISTÓVÃO

DE

BARROS,

CAPTAIN

(age: 55). Aggressive, Lewd, Determined. Known to many only by his title, 'The Captain' was a companion of Estácio e Mem de Sá in the early days of the captaincy, but Cristóvão has an energy closer to that of Antônio Salema than that of his former boss. Cristóvão is belli-

ten fully armed soldiers. They watch from the walls and repair the parts that give way, whether because of the terrible way they were built or due to occasional attacks. Two of the soldiers most loved by the city guard perform these duties: the sarcastic and inseparable Duarte and Luís.

cose and cruel. While Salema is ever preoccupied with the expansion of his territory, Cristóvão thoughts turn to the possibility of conflict and the battles that might arise. He fought in various different conflicts in Brazil, always achieving victory in his battles, before he became the third Captain-Major of Rio de Janeiro, in 1572. He was the strategist responsible for the first expedition against the Tamoio, allies of the French. He also drove out English pirates from the Captaincy of Baía de Todos os Santos. When he received lands in the region of Rio Magepê, at the foot of the Morro da Piedade, expelled and enslaved the local indigenous population before setting up his plantation. If Salema is the devious mind of the Royal Captaincy, Cristóvão is its iron fist.

PRIVATE DUARTE (age: 24). Sociable, Loyal, Pessimistic. Duarte was born in Lisbon and came to the colony as soon as he enlisted. He has since regretted this bitterly, and one of his greatest pleasures is to complain about the captaincy, mostly regarding either the heat or the many dangers that exist here. Duarte has short trimmed hair and a full beard. Whenever he is on duty, he wears his simple waistcoat, cotton trousers and iron helmet. Running 2, Riding 2, Physical Strength 1, Swimming 3, Folklore 1, Land Navigation 1, Blade Weapons 2, Firearms 2, Impact Weapons 1, Polearms 1, Boxing 1, Soldiery 1, Carpentry 2, Portuguese 1, Tupi 1.

8

THE ROYAL CAPTAINCY OF RIO DE JANEIRO: A REPORT

PRIVATE LUÍS (age: 25). Sociable, Chatty, Cheerful.

Várzea

Luís was also born in Portugal and came to try

Várzea is the lower part of the city, between

out life in the colony, but it was not quite what he

Morro do Castelo and the other important hills. The

expected. According to him, the Royal Captaincy

Várzea area hosts the poorest settlers, and is the place

of Rio de Janeiro is the absolute worst place in the

where one can most see the presence of European colo-

world to try to earn a living. He is so similar to Duarte that many believe they are brothers, but Luís has longer hair and a thick moustache turned up at

ty. But it is also this area that ends up suffering the first attacks when natives opposed to the Portuguese pres-

the ends.

ence attack the city.

Riding 1, Field Medicine 2, Swimming 1, Foraging 2, Tracking 2, Artillery 1, Soldiery 1, Throwing Weapons 2, Blade Weapons 2, Firearms 3, Cobbling 2, Portuguese 1, Latin 1, Tupi 1.

The Várzea region is swampy, full of small lakes and rivers that flow into Guanabara Bay. This facilitates a fresh water supply and helps the cultivation of sugar cane. But it also has more contact with the supernatu-

Duarte and Luís can be used as a model for soldiers in the Captaincy. The mediator may give them different skills to suit the role they serve in the game. Even an ordinary soldier can have an interesting story to generate a new hook for your adventures.

nists and indigenous people living in relative tranquilli-

Regarding the garrison in and around the city,

Castle Hill is particularly well protected, with numerous guards on the upper slopes. Soldiers are also a common sight on the other hills and in occasional

ral. The Jesuits - and other religious orders - often come to try and purify this territory of its negative forces. There are inns, guest houses and entertainment venues in this region, offering drinks, a game of cards and other entertainments. There is a square here, from which traders climb the hills to sell their products.

patrols in Várzea. The farther from the city centre, the

COMMERCE

fewer soldiers are around.

The waters of Guanabara Bay, the countless rivers, lakes and coastline, provide good fishing. The forests give good hunting too, but to keep the people fed and satisfied, more and more food is needed. When the first proper roads in the city were built, people started to move around more easily, be it on foot, on horseback or in an ox cart, to visit the churches on Sunday or walk to the Court, at the top of Castle Hill, or to the Fish Market next to the pier, to buy or sell produce. In Várzea, there are areas that house temporary commerce, such as fairs, where all kinds of foodstuffs are freely traded. This custom has sped up the development of formal commerce in other parts of the city. Sales of ‘dry and wet' goods spring up in any and all small settlements that come into being, as do inns. Fruit, vegetables, cereals, derivatives of sugar cane, and small workshops selling tools, utensils or services appear everywhere.

9

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In a city as special as Rio de Janeiro, much more

GUANABARA BAY

can be expected when it comes to the mysteries of the world. Hidden from the eyes of the Church, one may find services such as the making of potions and elixirs, the arts of divination, and the sale of amulets and magic items, enriching a few adventurers in exchange for the misery of many.

Guanabara Bay, described by Fernão Cardim as a 'canvas painted by the supreme architect', and originally mistaken for the mouth of a large river, is actually a bay, providing life and prosperity to all its surroundings.

Most of the common items mentioned in The Elephant & Macaw Banner Roleplaying Game core book can be found for sale in the City of São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro, for similar sums as found in the price list in that book.

It is an area full of magnificent creatures such as porpoises and whales, which frequent the region during their mating period, as well as seahorses and the fearful mermaids whose songs have in years gone by enchanted many men, who have followed those alluring melodies and never been seen again.

GUANABARA BAY

10

THE ROYAL CAPTAINCY OF RIO DE JANEIRO: A REPORT

felled the native brazilwood there and passed it on

Sesmarias

to the French.

After the expulsion of the French in the

The island began to be called by its current

1560s, the land began to be divided into

name, Governor's Island, when Salvador Correia de

demesnes called sesmarias. The first set-

Sá, owner of half of the land on the island, became

tlements were founded in areas that until

governor of the captaincy. The Sá family mainly

then belonged to the indigenous nations.

uses the island for the production of sugar cane.

There are still indigenous villages close to some of these areas.

Abandoned Places

During your game, the mediator

is completely free to create new sesmarias

The Rio de Janeiro trading post was the first

and locations where your adventures can

in the Guanabara Bay region. It was built on the oc-

unfold. But, if the mediator chooses to

casion of the 1503 expedition and later used to ex-

make use of historical places, more accu-

plore the brazilwood trade in the region. In the be-

rate historical information, such as the

ginning, it was a simple wooden stockade with some

names of the first sesmeiros (landholders),

thatched straw huts. It contained a few fields for the

points of interest, indigenous villages and

workers' subsistence needs. After 1517, this trading

so on, may give greater immersion in the

post began to dwindle in importance; in 1519, the

story, as well as being educational.

Portuguese navigator Fernão de Magalhães and his scrivener, the Italian geographer Antonio Pigafetta, found this outpost deserted.

AROUND THE CITY

Not far from the Rio de Janeiro trading post, one finds the Blockhouse of Martim Afonso de Sou-

The territory around the city is full of farms,

za, built by his order in 1531. This stone-built edifice

plantations, villages and nature in abundance.

was referred to as a fort at first and, later, as a block-

There are several places of particular note.

house, because it was not as big as a proper fort. The blockhouse was built to protect a resumption

Governor's Island

of activity at the Rio de Janeiro trading post, which

This island has also been called Paranapuã

never happened. Even when the work was complet-

Island, which means 'Hill of the Sea', and also Ma-

ed, problems with the indigenous residents who did

racajás Island, which comes from the Portuguese

not welcome the trading post's return, as well as

word for the margay, a feline predator with a long

the predations of enchanted creatures, forced the

tail and spotted yellow fur that inhabits the region

post's abandonment. This blockhouse would be an

in great numbers. The Tamoio also used to refer to

adequate lodging for approximately 20 soldiers and

the Temiminó people who lived here as ‘maracajás’.

could have protected the region as a base for the exploitation of native timber.

The Temiminó abandoned the island because of the constant attacks by the French and

Nowadays, travellers avoid the area at all

their Tamoio allies in search of brazilwood and,

costs. Some cite weird sounds, others claim to see

at the end of the 16th century, new attacks by the

strange shadows lurking in abandoned buildings.

Portuguese. In 1555, it was the setting for the En-

Avoiding the are of the Rio de Janeiro trading post

trapment of Paranapuã, when the Portuguese led by

and Blockhouse is a regarded as a necessary precau-

Mem de Sá attacked the island and destroyed the

tion.

five great villages there, expelling the Tamoio that

11

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THE ROYAL CAPTAINCY OF RIO DE JANEIRO

THE BANDS BEYOND The lands in front of the city of São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro, on the other side of Guanabara Bay, are known as the Bandas d’Além: the Bands Beyond. Along the coast, these lands extend from the mouth of the Guaxindiba River to Ponta Negra (Black Point), in Maricá, the limit of the Rio de Janeiro city boundaries in the direction of Cabo Frio. Heading inland, one goes through the Guaxindiba Valley to the place known as Ipiíba. Some consider this region as extending further, into the hinterlands towards the Macacu Valley and the inland shore of the bay, near the Magepe River. This area is constantly visited by

the Portuguese rewarded the chief Arariboia, Cobra Feroz, with a land holding in the Bands Beyond, for him to transfer his Temiminó tribe to the other side of the bay. The region he and his people occupied became the Village of São Lourenço dos Índios. This village is already attracting the arrival of more indigenous people to the Bands Beyond, as well as encouraging Portuguese colonists to conquer land and claim sesmarias in the region. The latter have already set up farms from Icaraí to Itaipu. Another group that soon arrived were priests form the Society of Jesus, who have already founded a chapel with a bronze bell in the region of the village, which they call the 'São Lourenço Settlement'.

French explorers and other groups. Village of São Lourenço dos Índios The territory of the Bands Beyond was until recently inhabited only by indigenous people and by the fantastic creatures that dwelt in the virgin forest. To protect Guanabara Bay, the Portuguese needed to spread their dominion across the bay. In 1573,

ARARIBOIA (age: 65). Daring, Brave, Patient. Arariboia is the leader of the Village of São Lourenço dos Índios. When he is at court he dresses like white people do, pins up his long hair, now grey, and answers to his Christian name, Martim Afonso de Souza. But when he returns to the Bands Beyond, he is Fierce Snake, son of Maracajá-Gwassu, and resumes

12

THE ROYAL CAPTAINCY OF RIO DE JANEIRO: A REPORT

his normal ways. For him, conversion was a matter

The Waters

of politics, not belief, and Arariboia always uses it to

It is impossible to talk about this Captain-

his advantage.

cy without talking about its waters. With an extensive

Physical Strength 1, Swimming 2, Traps 2, Canoeing 2, Foraging 2, Climbing 2, Folklore 3, Bargaining 2, Oratory 3, Persuasion 3, Throwing Weapons 2, Blade Weapons 1, Firearms 1, Archery 3, Wind Instruments 1, Agriculture 1, Portuguese 1, Latin 1, Tupi 1, Guarani 1, Goitacá 1.

coastline, the Royal Captaincy of Rio de Janeiro has a rich maritime potential to be explored. These are the real trade and transport routes. The Atlantic Ocean is its main reference point; everything is turned towards it, be it news, transport or commerce, as well as the invaders who come from France



and England.

Settlements (aldeamentos): this political

initiative of the Captaincy was established in the

We must also highlight the importance of the

second half of the 16th century under the influence

different rivers in the region. Some are fast-flowing, much

of the Jesuits, led by Father Manuel da Nóbrega.

disputed over for the construction of sugar mills, which

They were based on two key elements: the

take advantage of the strength of these waters, while

missionary ideal of carrying to the world the Good

others more tame serve only to supply fresh water to the

News of the Bible; and catechesis, bringing souls

inhabitants of a certain area. We must also mention the

to Christianity. In the beginning, Jesuit catechists were itinerant. They gradually realized that it would be better if the indigenous people were settled in

large number of lakes, lagoons and mangroves. Where there is water, there is usually a population and people willing to defend that water. The Royal Captaincy of Rio

villages for the purposes of catechesis. It would be

de Janeiro is a land of rivers, and this has become a sym-

safer for the Jesuit priests, who would go from the

bol of the region's progress.

forest full of natural and magical dangers to a safe place, protected by faith, and by the presence of

The Mountains

soldiers with swords and harquebuses, or native

As imposing as the view of Guanabara Bay and

soldiers who formed troops of archers.

all its pulsating life may be, walking towards the interior allows explorers to see the mountains of the Royal Captaincy of Rio de Janeiro ascending to the skies, and

BEYOND THE BAY

this sight is often quite amazing. Huge natural barriers to the interior of the territory, the mountains are a mix

The Royal Captaincy of Rio de Janeiro is not one of the largest that have been delimited by the Portuguese Crown, but it has great potential. It was sparsely explored until its refoundation, an event that has since

of miracle and misfortune, so far defeating hundreds of adventurers who seek their fortune beyond these. Fantastic and supernatural creatures are seen flying over the hills and amongst the mountain peaks.

attracted countless adventurers and explorers. Regions

In the region close to the city of São Sebastião

demarcated on maps with the description “There is bra-

do Rio de Janeiro there is the Serra da Carioca range,

zilwood here” indicate the existence of large areas where

headed by Bico do Papagaio, home of indigenous people

this coveted wood may be harvested. Wide rivers like the

fleeing the European advance. Towards the bottom of

Guaxindiba and Inhomirim are where explorers try to

Guanabara Bay, we find the Serra dos Órgãos. In this re-

clamber inland to find new riches to be exploited, espe-

gion there was an attempt to create a village in honour of

cially alluvial gold.

São Pedro, but the Jesuit College stopped receiving news some time ago, and adventurers are being sent to investi-

13

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gate the place. To the south, there is the Serra das Araras,

there are some ports there. Two leagues to the

a region full of colourful macaws, as well as indigenous

north is Baía Formosa, which the French call Belle

people long accustomed to living there. The Serras dos

Baie. Immediately after that bay one finds the Mai-

Órgãos and Araras are part of the mountain range called

son de Pierre trading post, once Portuguese but now

the Serra do Mar, which extends over much of the region

a French stronghold. From its elevated location,

closest to the coast of several captaincies - Rio de Janeiro,

this outpost is able to protect shipping entering

Santo Amaro, São Vicente and Santana. In the centre of

the bay as well as the town of Saint Charles itself,

the Rio de Janeiro captaincy, the Serra de Patis also de-

which has a large French population. The town is

serves mention, beyond the Sertão do Macacu.

growing considerably thanks to brisk trade with

One of the most common legends among the explorers known as 'sertanistas' is the existence of a huge peak that, at sunset, shines in a thousand different colours and hues. This mysterious mountain would supposedly be the largest emerald deposit ever seen. Indigenous people speak of this mountain range in other captaincies: Espírito Santo or São Tomé. The great truth is that ser-

people who come seeking brazilwood and products of the colony without having to venture into the jungle. At the mouth of the bay is a small island where foreign-flagged ships anchor. Only French ships dock within Formosa, on a small river 15 fathoms deep, between the town and the trading post.

tanistas from all corners have sought out the Royal Cap-

Maison de Pierre

taincy of Rio de Janeiro to begin their search for this magnificent mountain, many of whom have never returned.

What started out as a simple Portuguese trading post has become a staunch holdout of French resistance in the Cabo Frio area. The Portuguese lost

CABO FRIO AND THE EAST COAST OF THE CAPTAINCY These lands that stretch from the border with the Captaincy of São Tomé, the neighbour to the north, to the southernmost parts of the territory, are full of important and notable particulars. The whole area around Cabo Frio is extremely fertile, which was the key reason for the presence of

control of the region for a time and, even after the end of France Antarctique, the French retain a presence in the area, led by Guy de Coullons, who at the time declared himself the governor of Antarctic France. Expelled from there, he fled and re-established himself near Cabo Frio, created a strong maritime base at Belle Baie, in the region of Araruama, from which the French were able carry out attacks throughout the Royal Captaincy of Rio de Janeiro as well as near-

the French in the region and their resistance to

by territories, such as São Tomé and Espírito Santo.

giving it up, in addition to the great trade in bra-

The Maison de Pierre has a large number of soldiers

zilwood, an ever-growing source of wealth for the

armed with swords and pistols or harquebuses. The

coffers of the French crown. This land is the home

initial plan was to take advantage of the local brazil-

of the indigenous Goitacá and Papanazes, who, de-

wood, the most important resource in the area. With

spite being historical rivals, now ally with one an-

the strengthening of the region, raiding and looting

other against the French colonizers. There are other peoples in the area with whom they do business, plus the Tamoio, allies of the French and invaders

has also become important to French coffers, funding new incursions into the interior and aiding in the ongoing struggle against the Portuguese.

of these peoples' lands, since the creation of the town of Saint Charles. The region has a number of islands off the coast, neither very big nor very distant, though

GUY DE COULLONS (age: 40). Arrogant, Disloyal, Voluble. Guy is tall and robust, he has a thin moustache and a long goatee that highlight his elongated features. He speaks good Portuguese,

14

THE ROYAL CAPTAINCY OF RIO DE JANEIRO: A REPORT

although Guy does not put much faith in him, is his opposite. Nicolas does not have any taste for conflict, but as the scion of noble French family, he saw a stint in the military as a chance to improve his family's political fortunes. Nicolas sensible and cautious, characteristics that Guy sees as cowardice. Thanks to his family name, Nicolas has been entrusted with responsibility for the town of Saint Charles, near the Maison de Pierre. Running 1, Riding 2, Field Medicine 1, Firearms 3, Mechanical Weapons 1, Fencing 2, Boxing 1, Artillery 1, Soldiery 2, Seamanship 2, Barber-Surgery 1, Astronomy 1, Portuguese 1, Latin 2, French 2.

BETWEEN CABO FRIO AND GUANABARA BAY The territory between Guanabara Bay and Cabo Frio is already inhabited by a number of indigenous peoples, but Governor Salema has been granting land claims to expand Portuguese settler presence throughout the region. Sacoarema

with a strong accent and peppers with French idioms. He accustomed to having the best: his clothes and hats are always of excellent quality, swords and pistols from the best smiths. Guy is of noble birth and he is a Knight of Malta. He believes strongly in the superiority of the French over all other peoples, particularly the Portuguese, whom he calls scum, and the natives of America, whom he calls savages. He always tries to demonstrate his refinement, even though his irascible temper easily erupts when he is challenged or contradicted. Recently, Guy de Coullons got involved in a contretemps in the city of São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro. He was arrested but later rescued. The episode tarnished his reputation a little (more) amongst his subordinates.

This region, which functions as a beautiful natural harbour, is populated by a large Tamoio tribe. It is led by descendants of the great Sapuguaçu, who was chief at the time when the Portuguese first arrived in 1531. The village here is full of thatched houses, rather than the oca longhouses that are typical in other regions. The Tamoio inhabitants trade with the French at Saint Charles and the Maison de Pierre, and also trade with the Portuguese. Because they are historically allied with the French, they have attracted the particular attention of Governor-General Antônio Salema. They can usually be identified by their custom of adorning their heads with black and white feathers, plucked from a bird called the socó, which also gives

Cartography 2, Prestidigitation 1, Riding 3, Firearms 2, Polearms 2, Bargaining 1, Oratory 2, Fencing 3, Artillery 2, Soldiery 2, Painting 2, Administration 2, Law 2, Philosophy 1, Portuguese 1, Latin 2, French 3. TENENTE NICOLAS (age: 29). Prudent, Disciplined, Compassionate. Guy's right-hand man,

15

its name to the region: 'Socó-rema', the 'Lagoon of Socós'.

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Maricá Islands

land grants in the region; the villages have spread

The Maricá Islands are a group of five

along the coast but never much further than two

islands, the chief of them being Maricá Island, off the coast of the region of the same name. Boats come and go from certain beaches on the largest island. It is a beautiful place, and along its length of almost a league (5.5 kilometres), it is covered with low vegetation and a scattering of fruit trees. The island is surrounded by rocks, difficult to navigate for those unfamiliar with the area. This island was used in the past as a refuge by shipwrecked sailors from different nations, who ended up being

leagues from the sea. The inhabitants fear the native peoples and the wild creatures of the area. The south coast has islands and ports extending until São Vicente, at the border of the Captaincy of Santo Amaro. This southern region of the Royal Captaincy of Rio de Janeiro is populated throughout by Tamoio tribes as far as the region of Angra dos Reis. Due to the wars and conflicts with the Portuguese government, many villages started to migrate to the backlands known as the sertão.

expelled by the first sesmeiros who colonized the Maricá region: Antônio de Mariz, Manuel Teixeira

Angra dos Reis

and Duarte Martins Mourão. These men hold land

This village, founded in 1556 by the sons of

from Itaipuaçu Beach to Maricá Lagoon.

Captain-General Antônio de Oliveira, has thrived in recent years. It is protected by nature, with

Distances on foot (leagues): Cabo Frio – Sacoareama: 12 Sacoarema – Maricá Lagoon: 8 Maricá Lagoon – Rio de Janeiro

(around the bay): 23

hills on all sides and a beautiful coastline fringed by islands, making it difficult for foreign ships to approach. Several expeditions passed through this area in the early years, which dissuaded the French from coming here. Also helping keep Angra dos Reis safe is the proximity of the Captaincy of Santo Amaro, which, though one of the least prosperous captaincies, is kept under constant watch

Distances by sea (nautical leagues):

by the authorities of the Captaincy of São Vicente.

Cabo Frio – Sacoarema: 12

Prumirim Island

Sacoarema – Maricá Lagoon: 6 Maricá Lagoon – Rio de Janeiro: 6.5

Arriving at Prumirim Island, one is already in the territory of the Captaincy of Santo Amaro. Due to the negligence of its noble owner, however,

FROM THE CITY TO THE ISLAND OF SÃO SEBASTIÃO

this captaincy is almost abandoned and under the dominion of the neighbouring captaincies: Rio de Janeiro and São Vicente.

Crossing the region of the City of Rio de Janeiro, towards the south of the Captaincy of São Vicente and Barra de Guaratiba, is a long path of ten leagues, which opens at its far end in a beautiful cove facing Marambaia, an island eight leagues in length. The island has very good land, full of tree groves and water suitable for sugar mills. On this coast are countless small villages that

This small island is blessed with the abundance of the natural world and is considered a hidden paradise within this region. The island is practically unexplored, with only a small port, uninhabited due to the lack of drinking water on the island. This port is used only in emergencies by the ships that pass through the region.

sprang up due to the creation of several sesmaria

16

THE ROYAL CAPTAINCY OF RIO DE JANEIRO: A REPORT

Curuçu Hill

Distances on foot (leagues)

This hill is inhabited by Tupinambás of the

Rio de Janeiro - Angra dos Reis: 31

region. One of its most important characteristics is that, from time to time, there are reports of the appearance of the Gold-Mother, a large ball of fire that crosses the sky over the hill. The indigenous

Angra dos Reis – Curuçu Hill: 28 Curuçu Hill – São Sebastião: 14

people say that the Gold-Mother indicates the existence of some great treasure in the region.

Distances by sea (nautical leagues) Rio de Janeiro - Angra dos Reis: 23

São Sebastião Island Going further south, we finally reach the large island that marks the beginning of the Captaincy of São Vicente, one of the oldest and most populated in the colony.

Angra dos Reis – Prumirim Island: 15 Prumirim Island - Curuçu Hill: 2.5 Curuçu Hill – São Sebastião Island: 10.5

Known as Maembipe (Place of Exchange - including prisoners, in wars between different tribes) by the local Tupi peoples, this isle was named São Sebastião Island when it was discovered by an expedition under the command of the navigator Gonçalo Coelho, in 1502. The region is full of indigenous Tupi villages, whose inhabitants today prefer to call the island Ciribaí (Tranquil Place). The Portuguese presence comprises several groups of settlers, who arrived with the Portuguese leader Francisco de Escobar Ortiz. It is not uncommon for English ships to pass through the region, and they usually anchor in the waters of this island.

These landmarks, while historical, should not limit you. They are just references to enrich your game sessions; an offhand mention goes a long way to making the game feel true to life. Other, fictional ports may exist, as well as other settlements. Base such details on historical facts, legends, local folklore and you will see the setting grow and come to life. The main ingredient of any roleplaying game session is the power of creation that arises between the mediator and the players. Always use this to your advantage and you will have great games.

Thus I conclude my primary notes on the nascent Captaincy of Rio de Janeiro. I hope that good fortune will serve those who make use of my brief treatise: a little of the history, customs and politics beginning to emerge among the peoples of this land. An educated person is someone who knows the obstacles ahead. This is the reason for the creation of this book, with concluding wishes for peace and serenity for all. Year of our Lord 1576. - Padre Lucídio Vaz 17

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From the memoirs of Inaye, around the year 1575 Iberey and I entered the cave following Fernão's cries, who shouted repeatedly in a joyful way, so that we did not worry about the path ahead. A deep, damp and stuffy cave. When we found them, James was sitting on a rock, leaning on his rifle, apparently wounded in the shoulder, and Fernão with his hands full of small coloured stones and yellow stones. His joy was such that he did not notice his injured friend. I felt a shiver in my body, as if there was something not logical or possible. In that corner of this forgotten cave, an old witch had lived for many decades. Perhaps she had collected such wealth for herself during that time. I helped James clean and bind his shoulder injury, one of the few moments I didn't see him smile or joke. He thanked me and, looking at Fernão said calmly: "Go and wake him from his dream." I walked over and felt that in Fernão's hands there was magic. He was so happy that he couldn't contain himself. When I placed my hands on Fernão's, filled with gems and gold nuggets, I asked the ancient spirits to open Fernão's eyes to reality. It was all magic there. In his hands, gems became stones, the nuggets of a light as golden as the sun became the gold of fools, Fernão was bewitched by the power of the old witch who lived there. When he realized the power of magic, all the gems and nuggets fell from his hands and an immense silence enveloped us, perhaps from Fernão's shame at having been deceived. A laugh tore through the silence. It was Iberey breaking the smoothness of that moment and soon afterwards Fernão also started to laugh until he cried with laughter. He had been duped in his dreams of wealth and power. Fernão was good enough to recognize his mistakes and, alongside Iberey, helped James out of the cave, while complaining about the deep wound. I looked backone last moment: those stones and fool's gold on the floor, which for a moment deceived Fernão. - Doesn't it lookbetter? Fernão. How many others have been deceived? How many more will be cheated? These lands contain an infinite variety of riches for everyone who lives here ... We just don't know where to lookyet.

18

FURTHER INFORMATION ON COLONIAL BRAZIL

T

his chapter contains new rules and information, building on those presented in the rulebook for The Elephant & Macaw Banner Roleplaying Game , which mediators may find useful for their games.

ty meetings, celebrations, religious rituals, births and other daily situations tool place. Pero de Magalhães Gândavo descibred life inside these spaces like this: “In each of these houses, they all live very well, without any differences between them: they are all friends of each other, that what belongs to one is for all, and always anything that one eats, however small, all of those will share in it.” The

SETTLEMENTS

tribes lived off fishing, hunting, gathering and some agricultural activity. They sought common ground with

ALDEIAS – VILLAGES 'Aldeia' (village) was what the Portuguese called the settlements of indigenous peoples. These consisted, in general, of 300 to 1000 members, who lived in communal houses known as ocas or malocas, where communi-

19

fantastic creatures, as long as they were protective of the forest, while maintaining a state of war with other creatures of an oppressive or destructive nature.

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FEITORIAS The first foreign building on the continent was a feitoria, which is to say an outpost or trading post. These were constructions erected in certain place in the captaincy to protect the region and facilitate the extraction and loading of the redwood. Although the majority of these constructions were of Portuguese origin, the French also built outpost in other parts of the coast, while the region was abandoned. They were typically home to between 15 and 25 men, armed with harquebuses and swords, in addition to some cannons, and led by a overseer; the heavy work was done by enslaved indigenous people. These outposts were often attacked by people tring to defend their territory, and creatures from nearby forests, which made this work even more dangerous.

SESMARIAS The sesmaria process of land grants started in 1534 in Brazil, but the system only took off from 1548, with the Tomé de Souza statue, when the distribution of the lands was placed in the hands of the captaincy governor. Sesmarias began to be granted in the Guanabara Bay region in 1565, and expanded on both sides of the bay. In the backlands around the Macacu River, by 1567 important land grants were made that led to their settlement (and to conflicts) in this region. Whether towards São Vicente in the south or Cabo Frio to the north, the lands granted by the sesmarial system spread wherever there was a chance to enrich the Crown.

Player characters might become sesmeiros: recipients of a sesmaria land grant. Since their adventures are likely to draw the attention of the great and good and the constant need for people strong enough to discover and fight against the mysteries of this land, such a 'goft' is eminently achievable. But even if receiving a sesmaria is good for the character, keeping it (as well as the good graces of those important people in the region) is something completely different. Points to consider include: 1. Sesmarias were not necessarily land ready for use. Fantastic creatures, indigenous villages, geographical issues, among others, may pose problems for those who receive such lands; 2. The new owner of the land, now called the sesmeiro, must reside in the city of São Sebastião or within the boundaries of its jurisdiction for at least three years;; 3. For three years the sesmeiro may not sell or pass on the land without permission from the Captain-General or the Governor himself; 4. The sesmeiro must ‘cultivate and take advantage' of the lands in due time, having already made some profit by the end of the first year. Simply: make some money for the Crown's coffers; 5. If the land is not used within three years, it is considered unoccupied, and passed on to another owner; 6. After three years of work and improvements, the owner is free to give, sell, exchange or 'do as he sees fit with the land'; 7. All improvements should be registered in the books of the Royal Estate, in the city of São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro, on Castle Hill;; 8. Every grant is valid, as long as it has not previously been offered and registered in the name of another person. (Yes, that was common!).

20

FURTHER INFORMATION ON COLONIAL BRAZIL

peoples from Scandinaiva and had cultural traits

THE PEOPLES

that distinguished them from their neighbours,

As well as those peoples discussed in The Elephant & Macaw Banner Roleplaying Game, we cover here a number of others that are relevant when discussing this captaincy, who came in search of adventure and riches. Ainda que muitos tenham vindo e vivido tais aventuras, nem todos foram agraciados com seus sonhos de reconhecimento e poder.

including their language. They came to the lands of Brazil in search of riches.Considered good navigators and skilled builders, they participated wherever they couldin the exploration of the colony's territories.

Pirates everywhere! It is never very simple when you see a black flag with swords or crossbones on the

EUROPEANS

horizon. Pirate ships usually carry flags in the

Italians - They were not the most common in these parts, but there among thsese people there was nevertheless a great interest in making wealth from Colonial Brazil. Emigrants from the republics of Genoa and Venice in particular often acted as explorers, soldiers, adventurers, religious missionaries, or simply exiles from their homeland. Normans - Coming from a northern region of France, the Normans were descendants of ancient

colors of their nations. All nations covet the wealth that Brazil provides to the Portuguese Crown and send unscrupulous crews to harass the coast and Portuguese ships. Spaniards tried, English were successful, Dutch and Normans appeared in these parts, but in the 16th century, the chief synonym for piracy on the coast of the Royal Captaincy of Rio de Janeiro is the French.

TERRITORIES OF INDIGENOUS NATIONS

21

THE ELEPHANT & MACAW BANNER | ROLEPLAYING GAME

INDIGENOUS PEOPLE Navigating the oceans with vessels full of riches is no simple task, given the uncertainties and risks on all sides. If piracy alone were not bad enough, French pirates are the ultimate symbol of fear and insecurity. After the loss of France Antarctique, the French took revenge and expelled the Portuguese from the Cabo Frio region, securing their footholdin the region with the Maison de Pierre. They established a new town, called Saint Charles in honor of King Charles IX of France, who died in 1574. From the Cabo Frio region, numerous ships set out to attack Portuguese vessels. Conflicts are more and more frequent in the region, and the King of Portugal, Dom Sebastião, wants to promote a countercoup against the French in the Captaincy of Rio de Janeiro.

When the Porguguese arrived in Brazil at the start of the 16th century, they were presented with a whole new world of peoples who, although they were considered a single culture at first, proved with experience to be quite distinct from one another. Full of varied cultural traits, habits, languages and cuisines, the Royal Captaincy of Rio de Janeiro was not the territory only of the Tamoio, Tupinambás or Temiminó (described in The Elephant & Macaw Banner Roleplaying Game rulebook); other native peoples resided in the region of this captaincy. Coropó - Also known as the coroado ('crowned') because of the adornments they wore on their heads like a crown. They spoke a version of the Jê language. Although they were related to the Puri, they were their natural enemies in the regions where both lived.

ORIGIN OF THE GUINEANS

22

FURTHER INFORMATION ON COLONIAL BRAZIL

Goitacá - Also called the Waitaká or Goitacazes, they came from the Puri family and were found in the northernmost region of the Royal Captaincy of Rio de Janeiro, and some parts of the Captaincy of Espírito Santo. Their skin was lighter than that of other indigenous peoples and they were great hunters. They had few enemies, among them the Tupiniquim and Papaná, but they could declare war if another people invaded their territory. For more information, see The Elephant & Macaw Banner Roleplaying Game. Guarani - This group lived in the southern region of the captaincy, in the region of the settlement of Angra dos Reis and of Parati, an important local port. The word guarani literally means 'warrior'. Good hunters, the Guarani considered themselves part of the land where they lived, which was for them literally a sacred thing. Due to the arrival of the Portuguese, the Guarani fought and migrated in order to not be enslaved. Papaná - These people lived mainly on the coast of the Captaincy of Porto Seguro, but they also had some large villages in the Royal Captaincy of Rio de Janeiro. They were considered the least aggressive of the indigenous people, since they did not usually kill their imprisoned opponents but made them into slaves. They ritualistically ate their own dead as a mark of respect. Papaná were considered a people of beautiful form and spectacular physical strength. They belonged to a branch of the Tupi peoples. For more information, see The Elephant & Macaw Banner Roleplaying Game. Puri - Also known as Telikong or Paqui, the Puri were related to the Coropó. The word puri means "small people". Inhabitants of higher regions, such as mountains and hills, the Puri were skilled fishermen and spoke a variant of the Jê language. Timbira - The Timbira people lived in many different parts of the Brazilian territories, including the Royal Captaincy of Rio de Janeiro. They inhabited the slopes and lower parts of the Serra dos Órgãos. A warrior culture, they fought bravely to maintain

23

their freedom against the violence of many Portuguese. They wore their hair long, cutting only their fringes. Men wore stone discs in their ears and, in some cases, in the lower lip. These people quickly became accustomed to wearing Portuguese clothes. They also used to wear necklaces filled with beads, some with dozens of twists, which they cherished greatly.

AFRICANS The slavery system that brought millions of Sudanese and Bantus to the other side of the Atlantic also brought other peoples here. Guineans - The Guineans came from the West African region, which today includes countries like Senegal, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone, Mali and Burkina Faso, all parts of Africa that had largely converted to Islam. The Guineans were of various ethnicities, such as Fula, Mandinka and Hausa, among others. The great majority of Guinean slaves were brought to the Capitancies of Ilhéus, Porto Seguro and Bahia, but some came to the ports of the Royal Captaincy of Rio de Janeiro, where they continues their religious practices. In addition to their mother tongues, some could speak or even read and write in Arabic. One of the main characteristics of these people was their relationship with Islam. The Guineans came from the powerful Songhai Empire, which conquered much of West Africa from the last years of the 15th century until its dissolution, more than a century later. Because of this Islamic influence in the formation of political leaders of the Songhai Empire, they became religiously distinct from other, polytheistic peoples; Guineans absorbed Islamic traditions. Guinean characters, with their distinct religious culture, offer new possibilities for characters.

THE ELEPHANT & MACAW BANNER | ROLEPLAYING GAME

NEW SKILLS (LANGUAGES) With the introduction of these peoples to the setting of The Elephant & Macaw Banner, the mediator can also add their languages as skills. European languages with a written component: Italian Norman French

Indigenous languages without written component: Jê

African languages without written component: Fula Hausa Mandinka

Even though the first slave ship reached the coast of Brazil around 1530, in the Royal Captaincy of Rio de Janeiro it is still rare to see Africans by the time around 1576. Usually, the natives of Africa found here came from other captaincies, via internal trafficking. The powerful men and women in Rio de Janeiro still used indigenous slaves. All enslaved peoples have always fought for their freedom.

EXPEDITIONS INTO THE INTERIOR Bandeira (banner), entrada (entrance) and monção (monsoon) are all terms used for the expeditions that explored the unknown territories of Colonial Brazil. These expeditions had various objectives: exploration of the territory, the search for gold and other wealth, the resolution of various conflicts against indigenous people or the capture of slaves. Regarding slavery, it is a very important issue when talking about these expeditions, but too serious to be treated in a simplistic way. Take advantage of the flags, entrances and monsoons to venture into the territory of a fantastic Brazil full of mysteries, secrets and creatures, a place of death for many and where few achieve the glory and endless adventures they hope for. These three types of expedition were the main ways of opening up the Brazilian interior in search of wealth: gold, precious stones, animal skins and the treasures of the backlands.

Banners, Entrances and Monsoons began in the middle of the 16th century and reached their peak in the 17th. The first expeditions, known as ‘entrances’, received funding from the public coffers of the colonial government. Some of these entrances included expeditions led by Antonio de Oliveira in 1553 and Brás Cubas in 1560. The Ordinance Law of 1570 established the criteria for the formation of private banners. People joined these banner companies as a career, and referred to as bandeirantes or sertanistas. Famous bandeirantes include Manuel Preto, Fernão Dias and Raposo Tavares. The interests of the bandeirantes (and their patrons) often put them in conflict with indigenous people and the Jesuits. Finally ‘monsoons’ were fluvial expeditions, taking advantage of Brazil’s extensive waterways to penetrate deep into the interior.

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FURTHER INFORMATION ON COLONIAL BRAZIL

MOUNTING AN EXPEDITION Some banners comprised dozeos of people, but large-scal expeditions could number in the thousands. They included three basic groups: the troops, the scouts, and the guards, each with their own role. The Elephant & Macaw Banner itself, formed by the characters Gerard van Oost and Oludara, is a great simplification of the banner system, which we also encourage in The Elephant & Macaw Banner Roleplaying Game with its small groups of adventurers. Every banner had its patron, usually the person who had the Crown concession or who footed the bill for the initial investment in equipment, troops and food. Personnel in a typical banner company included: Captain: a trusted employee of the expedition’s patron; depending on the size of the expedition, there could be more than one captain. The captain was responsible for contracting the troops, making and executing plans and maintaining discipline among the men. He had complete authority over the members of the banner, with the power to punish infractions even with the death penalty. Being the captain was not easy, because of the difficulty of life in the jungle. In many cases, the captain was related to the expedition’s patron, often a son or son-in-law. The captain kept a small troop of guards to serve as a personal retinue, in addition to his trusted men.

Scouts: responsible for guiding the banner through the jungle. In many cases, scouts were mestiços or natives who were paid for their service. The scouts also helped the other members of the banner by helping them cope with the rigours of the jungle and teaching them to guard against diseases that they might contract. Scouts generally carried bows and arrows, with a pistol for emergencies. Guards:

armed

with

harquebuses

and pistols, they were the ones who guarded the treasure and the leaders of the expedition. The guards were elite compared to the standard troops and were paid more, which often made other members of the banner envious. Religious: the presence of a religious member of the banner was almost mandatory, due to the high risk of death faced by the troops. Receiving extreme unction before they passed on to the afterlife was a very important thing for believers. Generally, the religious offered a kind of moral support for the banner with his blessings and spiritual assistance. The religious sometimes served as a type of diplomat when it was necessary to hold a dialogue with people that the banner encounteredon its journey.

Historically, it would be normal for a Christian priest or religious to serve as chaplain, but in the case of The Elephant & Macaw Banner, your group may prefer an indigenous shaman or follower of Ifá.

Troops: those starting out in the world of banners, entrances and monsoons primarily did so as troops. They did all the heavy lifting and stayed on the front lines when things got out of hand. Usually armed with harquebuses and cutlasses.

25

From the memoirs of Adetokumbo, recorded by his friend James Cranmer. I believe it is the 11th of March 1576. I was born in the colony, in an old slave-house far away. From my earliest memories, from childhood to the time I won my freedom, I never doubted what white soldiers said: “This is hell. The Captaincy is a dangerous place!” Many people say that these lands were cursed. That creatures escaped from the jungle tormented people. Many people also said that the Portuguese did not dominate the land because of the French. The truth is this: no one has been able to dominate these lands. The more tat people, all of them, all of us, try to invade the jungles and climb the mountains, the more creatures appear. Whether at sea, on land or above our heads, high in the mountains, there are always creatures watching us, lurking. .If I ever run into that BlackBull that Iberey was talking about so much, Ipray that Oxalá will give me the strength to fight it, because with my arms alone I don’t know if I can handle it. The Captaincy is a place of war every day. War of all kinds and sizes. And I pray to my gods to protect me and my friends. Oxalá protect us from the menaces of that land! Oxalá protect us!

26

MONSTERS & MAGIC OF THE CAPTAINCY

E

very fantasy game needs terrible creatures (or not so terrible) and enchanted objects to provide thematic support or moments of tension in adventures. Fantastic creatures and magical items are often the fulcrum of an entire adventure, being both the centre of a mystery and the element that truly tests the endurance and ability of the player characters.

are a number of books of fantastic zoology and many books on folklore that can serve as inspiration in the further construction of a fantastic bestiary for this captaincy. And, if we take into account the regional mythology, many other monsters may appear, such as the Stone Giant of Guanabara. Imagination, with a little historical research, is excellent fuel for making your game rich with the culture, history and folklore of Rio de Janeiro.

BESTIARY

The creatures that follow here are drawn from a range of articles, books and writings on Brazil-

This is a small bestiary concerning creatures

ian folklore, reflecting only a very small fragment of

that appear in the Royal Captaincy of Rio de Janeiro,

Brazilian culture. Feel free to change the creatures as

either in local folklore, recorded by past folklorists,

you see fit within the dynamics of your game, as well

encountered in oral legends, or created specifically

as to use them as a basis for generating your own.

for the world of The Elephant & Macaw Banner. There

27

BLACK BULL Size: K Movement: 4 Habitat: forest Number: 1 Skills: Paralyse 2 Physical attacks: Gore 2 (damage 3) or Trample 2 (damage 4) Endurance: 30 Passive Defence: 2 Active Defence: 3 To the inattentive observer, the Black Bull may look like an ordinary bull, but a close look is enough to see the differences. It is unusually large, with a rough coat and an intense red glow emanating from its always furious eyes The Black Bull attacks with extreme violence and cruelty, chasing his targets and knocking them down with his horns. The Black Bull can also look anyone in the eye In Combat with him to use his Paralyse ability. If successful, the target is immobilized during the current and following two rounds. The creature takes advantage of neutralized targets to Trample with all its fury.

BLACK PIG Size: J Movement: 3 Habitat: forest Number: 1 to 10 Skills: none Physical attacks: Gore 2 (damage 2) or Bite 1 (damage 4) Endurance: 25 Passive Defence: 2 Active Defence: 4 The indigenous peoples say that the Black Pig did not exist in the lands of Brazil, until it was brought by the Portuguese at the beginning of the century when the first caravels arrived. But this Black Pig is very different from the pig that grows in the lands of Alentejo. It is large, strong and extremely aggressive, with thick, sharp bristles.. Many consider that the Black Pig was cursed by the Anhangá, for not being a native of the region. The Black Pig is sought after for its extremely tasty meat, although hunting is not usually worth the risk. Its meat, therefore, is a delicacy to which only a few powerful people have access. When attacking, the Black Pig always prefers to strike by launching itself

28

THE MONSTERS & MAGIC OF THE CAPTAINCY

at its opponent. It only bites if it is stuck or very close to the target. Black Pigs usually attacks in packs, which is safer and helps to scare away predators. FIRE LIZARD Size: G Movement: 1 Habitat: mangrove Number: 3 to 6 Skills: none Physical attacks: Bite 2 (damage 2) or Spit Fire 2 (damage 2, area effect see below) Endurance: 7 Passive Defence: 0 Active Defence: 2 Special: immune to fire attacks This lizard, whose colour varies from copper to blood red to dark brown, is roughly the size of an alligator. It lives in the midst of the flooded mangroves precisely because of its incendiary nature. It stays as much as possible within the flooded areas, feeding on crabs and fish that it can catch. Its meat is appreciated by both settlers and indigenous people, but hunting a fire salamander is not easy. Living in family groups of up to six individ-

Endurance: 10 Passive Defence: 2 Active Defence: 3 Special: immune to normal weapons The Fire

uals, they often attack in packs until the danger has

Mother is an elemen-

passed. A final form of defence they possess is a burst

tal being formed by fire

of fire, a cone of flame that reaches approximately

itself. She is encountered

two varas from the creature’s mouth. This fire burst

in different places throughout

affects all characters In Combat with the creature

the territory of the colony.

and can be used only once per day. The blood of the Fire Lizard is used by shamans, sorcerers and alchemists to make certain potions.

Nobody knows the being’s origin very well, but the indigenous people know enough to show her respect, Europeans show fear, while Africans often identify her as an entity from their homeland that

FIRE MOTHER Size: H, incorporeal Movement: 3 Habitat: forest, cerrado Number: 1 to 3 Skills: none Physical attacks: Burn 2 (damage 3) + Paralyse 2

came with them, called Egunitá. In any case, few adventurers like to cross paths with the Fire Mother during the night, as she burns everything around her. The Paralyse test must be applied with each hit, and if successful the target is immobilized until the end of the next round.

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THE ELEPHANT & MACAW BANNER | ROLEPLAYING GAME

GIANT RATTLESNAKE Size: K Movement: 3 Habitat: forest Number: 1 Skills: none Physical attacks: Bite 2 (damage 5) + Poison 2 (uncommon poison) Endurance: 36 Passive Defence: 2 Active Defence: 5

A formidable and dangerous enemy, the Giant Serpent is lethal in combat, even against trained fighters. It always attacks first with its large fangs, but when only one enemy is left standing, the snake may use Grab to end the battle. If the feat is successful, its prey is immobilized, taking two points of damage per round until dead. In this case, only an intermediate feat of Physical Strength can free the prey, which can be tried once per round (those who do not have the skill may attempt a level-zero test).

The typical rattlesnake can reach a length of almost two varas, but the giant rattlesnake can exceed that by some margin: it is almost twelve varas in length. The giant rattlesnake is exactly the same as its smaller version, but much stronger and more dangerous, being able to swallow or entangle an fullgrown human being. Its powerful poison is of great interest to hunters and alchemists. Its rattle is considered an item of great magical potential, much coveted by shamans, iyalawos and babalawos.

GUIANA DOLPHIN (COSTERO) Size: H Movement: 5 Habitat: sea Number: 1 to 60 Skills: none Physical attacks: Bite 2 (damage 2) Endurance: 10 Passive Defence: 1 Active Defence: 3 The Guiana dolphin is one of the symbols of the Captaincy of Rio de Janeiro. Intelligent and socia-

GIANT SERPENT Size: J Movement: 2 Habitat: forest Number: 1 Skills: none Physical attacks: Bite 3 (damage 4) + Poison 2 (common poison), Constrict 2 (damage 2 + 2 per round) Endurance: 20 Passive Defence: 2 Active Defence: 5 A gargantuan relative of the snakes found in Brazilian jungles, the Giant Serpent has the same feeding and reproduction requirements as normal snakes, except that it can weigh up to 20 arrátels (300 kg) and reach more than two varas in length. Their fangs are highly coveted by hunters and shamans.

ble, this grey dolphin is highly revered by indigenous peoples, who avoid hunting it. The Portuguese, on the other hand, like the taste of its meat and, even if they deny it, they use parts of its body as lucky charms (especially the eyes). Highly intelligent, these creatures get on well with other denizens of the seas, such as seahorses, mermaids and even Yara herself. They can swim at nearly 60 kilometres per hour and jump up to 5 varas above the water. Unlike its cousin the Boto, this dolphin cannot assume other forms.

30

THE MONSTERS & MAGIC OF THE CAPTAINCY

HIPPOCAMPUS Size: H Movement: 4 Habitat: sea, river Number: 1 to 6 Skills: none Physical attacks: Kick 2 (damage 2) Endurance: 12 Passive Defence: 0 Active Defence: 2

HAÜT Size: I Movement: 3 Habitat: forest Number: 1 Skills: none Physical attacks: Claw 3 (damage 2) or Grab & Bite 2 (damage 3) Endurance: 18 Passive Defence: 3 Active Defence: 5

This creature is a horse with a lower half like

The height of an adult man, the Haüt is some-

a fish’s tail. It is brilliant white in colour and golden

thing like a bizarre version of a gorilla. Its belly is so big that

mane. There are records of them in every corner of the

it almost touches the ground, and its face resembles that

Brazilian captaincies, including the admiration of the

of a human, a characteristic it uses to deceive potential

indigenous people, who say that those who encoun-

victims. Its coat varies between light grey and dark brown.

ter one will become rich, thanks to their mane made

Its paws are long and have four fingers, with long claws on

of gold threads. The hippocampus is extremely strong

only three of them. Its tail is nearly three varas long, but has

and, though it rarely allows itself to be ridden, there

almost no fur, allowing the Haüt to carry things with it or

are reports of indigenous people accomplishing this

use it to lift objects to its hands. This creature is noted for

feat. It has a noble character, and does not allow itself

its extreme savagery.

to be ridden by people of dubious morals.

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THE ELEPHANT & MACAW BANNER | ROLEPLAYING GAME

KING VULTURE Size: F Movement: 7 Habitat: whole territory Number: 1 Skills: none Physical attacks: Bite 3 (damage 2) + Cause Disease 2 (common disease) Endurance: 5 Passive Defence: 1 Active Defence: 2

Physical attacks: Throwing Weapons 2, Impact Weapons 2, Blowguns 2, Archery 3 Endurance: 30 Passive Defence: 6 Active Defence: 9 Special: prophecy, transformation, instantaneous displacement, defence against magic, special healing (see below) Little is known about Macunaíma. Some people believe that he is an ancient divine entity and, therefore, they venerate him; still others consider

The King Vulture is a huge animal that lives

him the creator of animals; others believe that Ma-

by feeding on the bodies of animals, humans or oth-

cunaíma is an ancient hero who defeated, or cheated,

er dead creatures. As such, many consider it a symbol

time. The truth is not known, except that Macunaíma

of bad omen. Due to its large size, twice that of nor-

is very powerful. His skills and his deeply inventive

mal vultures, it is a solitary bird and rather selfish. It

spirit mean he is considered wise, genius or mad. His

is also known for being alert and cunning, rarely be-

magical powers are legendary. Macunaíma represents

ing tricked by hunters and their traps. Many hunters

the cunning of words over strength, human instinct,

avoid the areas where vultures are found, especially

survival, mocking joy and the happiness of simple

if this includes the huge King Vulture, for the simple

things.

fact that, if the vultures are dominating an area, the region’s hunting must already be dead. It is said that on new moon nights, the King Vulture can communicate with humans. In the darkest night, the Vulture talks to people and tells its secrets, but only in exchange for a fair price, like a huge game carcass or a rare jewel that catches its eye. The King Vulture is pursued for its supposedly magical plumage, with which evil shamans and priests make magical capes. The King Vulture is not a fighting bird. It prefers to maintain its distance, observing and keeping secrets and mysteries.

MACUNAÍMA Size: H Movement: 3 (variable) Habitat: whole territory Number: unique Skills: Swimming 3, Running 3, all wilderness skills level 3, languages (all level 1): Tupi, Guarani, Aimoré, Goitacá, Maracá, Tremembé, Jê, Portuguese and French

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THE MONSTERS & MAGIC OF THE CAPTAINCY

Macunaíma has powers beyond comprehension and can travel wherever he wants, at will. He also has the gift of prophecy and can speak several languages. Although powerful, he avoids physical combat, preferring to keep his distance while helping the causes that he believes are right. He also has the gift of healing - of both the body and the soul - and can heal up to five people of five points of damage per day. Macunaíma has a unique kind of magical protection: no harmful magic that affects him and, at the same time, he has extraordinary defences, being very difficult to hit it with physical attacks. Macunaíma can take the form he wants for as long as he wants. However, he always has something with him that identifies him to his allies, be it a crow on the shoulder or a certain garment.

MAN WITH PORCELAIN FEET Size: H Movement: 3 Habitat: whole territory Number: 1 Skills: Terrify 2 Physical attacks: Strike 1 (damage 2) Endurance: 10 Passive Defence: 1 Active Defence: 2 This type of apparition appears throughout the coastal areas of the Captaincy of Rio de Janeiro, Specially in the southern region, due to the high number of shipwrecks. The Men with Porcelain Feet are the phantasms of castaways who died imprisoned while their ships sank. Today, their spirits roam the coast near where they died. A Man with Porcelain Feet always appears alone, walking on the sand. It has a terrible scream, which causes the effect of Terrify 2, affecting everyone within a radius of 9 varas. It usually starts a battle by scaring its victims and then striking them. The Men with Porcelain Feet have a certain aversion to followers of Faith and Ifá, and the Banish Evil and Protection Against Enemies powers receive a +5 bonus to the roll to expel the creature..

MARAJIGOANA Size: H Movement: 3 Habitat: whole territory Number: 1 Skills: none Physical attacks: Blade Weapons 1 Endurance: 8 Passive Defence: 1 Active Defence: 2 Special: shapeshifting (see below) Little is known about the Marajigoana, only that it is a doppelgänger, so famous in the European imagination, also present in colonial Brazil. Indigenous peoples believe that the soul, or another mystical part of a person, separates from the body to make one. The Marajigoana is an apparition that can pretend to be someone else, deceiving everyone. The Marajigoana usually kills its targets stealthily, not in direct combat, which it avoids at all costs. It only stays just long enough to survive in a given area, pretending to be the person it has copied, soon starting over with another face, which makes it very difficult to defeat one of these beings. They are solitary but adaptable. Because they transform into other people, they often have relationships with those around them, even reproducing and giving rise to a new Marajigoana, when the child reaches adolescence.

NIGHT COCKEREL Size: C to I (see below) Movement: 1 Habitat: whole territory Number: 1 Skills: none Physical attacks: Peck 2 (variable damage - see below) Endurance: 16 Passive Defence: 0 Active Defence: 2 Special: see description The Night Cockerel is a type of apparition that takes the form of a cockerel, appearing on top of a fence or other structure. Large and beautiful, the Night cockerel has jet-black plumage and crows at the top of its lungs, at-

33

THE ELEPHANT & MACAW BANNER | ROLEPLAYING GAME

tracting everyone’s curiosity during the full moon. It only attacks whoever attacks it. Each time someone strikes it with a physical attack or magic, it grows, as follows:

HITS

SIZE

DAMAGE

At maximum size, it is the height of a human adult, but with twice the bulk. At dawn, the rooster disappears mysteriously, sometimes never to return to that place ever again. They are said to be the spirits of hunters

PANÃPANÁ Size: E Movement: 4 Habitat: river Number: 1 to 20 Skills: none Physical attacks: Bite 1 (see below) Endurance: 4 Passive Defence: 2 Active Defence: 3 Special: suck blood(see below) The Panãpaná is a monstrous fish, much like a lamprey, with a cup-shaped mouth. When it successfully lands an attack, the Panãpaná deals two points of damage with the bite and fixes its mouth on the prey and starts sucking blood, causing 1 point of damage on every subsequent round, until the victim or the creature dies. Panãpanás usually attack in groups, quickly killing their victims.

from long ago, who were killed by their prey.

34

THE MONSTERS & MAGIC OF THE CAPTAINCY

Solid weapons do normal damage to skel-

SABRE-TOOTHED CAPYBARA Size: I Movement: 4 (land), 3 (water) Habitat: river, lake, beach Number: 1 to 20 Skills: none Physical attacks: Bite 2 (damage 3) Endurance: 16 Passive Defence: 1 Active Defence: 3

etons, but cutting or piercing weapons do only half damage (minimum one point of damage). Skeletons are not affected by the effects of fear, disease and poison. Faith, Ifá and Breath effects work normally against these beings from the realm beyond.

As the name says, the Sabre-Toothed Capybara is a kind of capybara that has teeth like a Sabre-Toothed Tiger’s, a prehistoric animal with which it shares a common ancestor. The Sabre-Toothed Capybara usually lives in small flocks, often with young, and always close to fresh water. It is generally docile, unless someone poses a threat to the pack: then it will attack wildly. Its strong bite is a danger to humans and animals alike. When it feels that an enemy is beyond its strength, it flees into the water.

TAMUATÁ Size: B Movement: 3 Habitat: rivers, lakes Number: 12 to 18 Skills: none Physical attacks: Bite 1 (damage 1) Endurance: 3 Passive Defence: 2 Active Defence: 3 The Tamuatá is a fish that can reach a maximum length of half a vara (50 centimetres) and a weight of about 25 ounces (700g). However, this fish is extremely difficult to catch. It is coated with thick plates from head to tail, like the armour-plating of an

SKELETON Size: H Movement: 3 Habitat: whole territory Number: 1 to 30 Skills: none Physical attacks: Strike 2 (damage 1) + Cause disease 1 (common) Endurance: 6 Passive Defence: 1 Active Defence: 2 Special: piercing or cutting weapons do half damage; unaffected by fear, disease or poison; Skeletons are part of countless folk takes around the world. Reanimated by evil wizards or cursed places, skeletons are the first line of defence for creatures from beyond the grave. They attack with old, rusty weapons that cause little damage, but that carry the possibility of infection with each hit, via a Cause disease test.

35

armadillo. Although not as aggressive as other legendary fish in Brazil, the Tamuatá will usually attack if the area it inhabits is invaded. The Tamuatá’s skin, when kept intact and in good condition, can be used to create excellent pieces of armour (Tamuatá cuirass, +2 to Passive Defence), but finding someone who has sufficient skill to create such items is very difficult.

THE ELEPHANT & MACAW BANNER | ROLEPLAYING GAME

VENOMOUS CAIMAN Size: K Movement: 0 (land), 4 (water) Habitat: mangrove Number: 1 to 2 Skills: none Physical attacks: Bite 2 (damage 7) + Poison 2 (uncommon poison) Endurance: 35 Passive Defence: 3 Active Defence: 5 The large Venomous Caiman lives in the deepest parts of the mangroves so common on the coast of the captaincy. It does not differ much from the common caiman, apart from the fact that it has glands that secrete a powerful poison. Because of this characteristic, it is the alpha predator of the coastal mangroves. The Venomous Caiman is of interest to hunters, who often use the venom from its glands on their arrows when they need to hunt for something dangerous enough to justify facing the Venomous Caiman first. One of the enormous reptile’s battle tactics is, when one of its victims has been affected by its poison, to drag them below the water, where they will be an even easier target. The Venomous Caiman is solitary, except in mating season.

bigger, stronger and more agile than an ordinary jaguar. Normal jaguars are protected by native peoples, but in the case of the white jaguar, as it is an animal touched by an malevolent divinity, its skin is valued by the indigenous people, who make protective items with it. The most recent news of white jaguars comes from the upper region of the Serra de Macabu. ZOMBIE Size: H Movement: 3 Habitat: whole territory Number: 1 to20 Physical attacks: Strike 1 (damage 2) + Cause Disease 1 (common disease) Endurance: 7 Passive Defence: 0 Active Defence: 0 Unlike the version commonly known elsewhere, in Brazilian folklore Zombies are more than just revived bodies that shamble after their victims. Extremely territorial and aggressive, they are corpses revived by a sorcerer or even by someone who died in a cursed area, making it impossible for them to rest forever. They are swift and chase their victims with great agility, causing terror in the people who encounter them. Their bodies are usually

WHITE JAGUAR Size: I Movement: 6 Habitat: forest Number: 1 Skills: Terrify 2 Physical attacks: Bite 2 (damage 3) or Claw 3 (damage 2) Endurance: 20 Passive Defence: 2 Active Defence: 4

less resilient than the body of a living being, depending on the condition in which they left their graves. Though uncommon, Zombies can be found in any part of the Brazilian territory.

The white jaguar was a normal feline that was touched by the Anhangá (see core rulebook), losing all its spots and the colour of its coat. This animal is extremely aggressive and is usually created by Anhangá to guard certain places and items. Hardly anyone can approach it without going into battle. It is

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THE MONSTERS & MAGIC OF THE CAPTAINCY

Ará Stone: Ará comes from the altar: it is the mar-

TRINKETS, BAUBLES AND MAGIC ITEMS

ble used to make the sacrificial table used in the Holy Eucharist. It was not uncommon for the faith-

The indigenous, Portuguese and African cultures all have their own history full of special, magical and enchanted items, which can help people or see them condemned to perdition. From muiraquitãs to

ful to break pieces of marble from altars to use as enchanted items. And they really are: the older the altar, the more important the church, the greater people’s belief in the power of these stones.

religious images full of divine power, from enchanted

In general, an Ará Stone grants +1 to its

weapons made from animal bones to potions full of

bearer’s Passive Defence. Furthermore, this stone,

secrets created by the most powerful shamans, magi-

if dashed to the ground (thus rendering it unusa-

cal items are always valuable in a campaign.

ble), grants that person the divine grace Defence

Magic items can be created by specially skilled people, found in the treasures of fantastic

Against Evil during the next battle. Followers of the path of Breath cannot use an Ará Stone.

creatures, or discovered in long-forgotten places

Aritana Feather: this feather is used only by the

that belonged to ancient peoples who lived in the

leaders of indigenous villages. It is not created,

Brazilian territory. Some of these items grant char-

rather it is obtained from some rare animal or some

acters unique powers, unreachable by any other

fantastic creature that has been overcome by the

means. Magic items are amazing tools within the

people of the village.

game and are often highly prized by rivals.

The Aritana Feather grants its bearer +2

Acangatara of the Tamoio: an acangatara is a head-

any Persuasion feat, be it in relation to indigenous

dress made of feathers, used in ceremonies and spe-

people or others. It makes the user emanate an aura

cial times - such as war. The acangatara is made with

of leadership, capturing the attention of others as

white and black socó feathers, and these are treated

they speak. This advantage, however, can generate

during the full moon to protect its wearer from the

conflict. For example, making themselves the focus

ravages of the wars that the Tamoio constantly fight.

of attention sometimes also turns the bearer into

An acangatara is a rare item and generally used only

a target.

by Tamoio, who rarely allow others to use them, fighting until the end to recover the item for their people. The Tamoio Acangatara grants +1 Passive Defence to the character wearing it.

Fire Lizard Potion: the way to create this potion is well-guarded secret amongst sorcerers, given its danger. When the potion is finished, it is necessary to seal the mouth of the earthen jar that contains

Açayaba of Feathers: a kind of mantle made for battle, açayabas usually bear the characteristic designs of a certain tribe. In addition to their ritualistic function in conflicts, they are also useful for identifying enemies. An Açayaba of Feathers grants its wearer +1 Passive Defence, in addition to reducing the impact of falls. The açayaba does not allow the participant to fly, only to fall smoothly, as if gliding to the ground.

37

it with beeswax or some type of raw sap so that the liquid does not drain out, since it is highly flammable. When thrown, the potion can ignite materials quickly, as it bursts into fame upon contact with the air. The Fire Lizard Potion can be hurled at enemies. No feat test is necessary to make it work, as the potion explodes when it makes contact with the ground and ignites everything around it. It deals 3 damage to the target and anyone In Com-

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bat with them. All affected can reduce the damage

quality. In addition to firing twice between each re-

suffered to 1 with an intermediate Acrobatics feat.

load, it offers the user a +2 bonus on Firearms feat

Targets that take 3 damage must spend their next

tests. It is not an enchanted weapon.

action to fall and extinguish the fire from their body. Otherwise, they take 2 more damage every round until they put out the fire.

Hippocampus Mane Bracelet: this little bracelet is braided from golden threads taken from the mane of a Hippocampus (q.v.). Such bracelets are very rare,

Guy’s Pistol: a double-barrelled pistol is a rarity

but whoever can find one (or get the strands of a Hip-

in the 16th century, especially one decorated with

pocampus mane and braid them), is guaranteed envia-

gold and crafter by the master Benvenuto Cellini.

ble good health.

Each barrel has its own trigger. Guy de Coullons received this pistol from Jean de la Cassiere, Grand Master of the Order of Malta, and the weapon is priceless object in itself. Guy’s Pistol is a unique item of unmatched

The user of Hippocampus Mane Bracelet gains +2 Endurance points (to a maximum of 15) and all tests involving physical activities gain a +1 bonus. The fact that this bracelet is made of gold and is exposed on the wearer’s wrist can attract the attention of the greedy.

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THE MONSTERS & MAGIC OF THE CAPTAINCY

Ironwood Tacape: made from the tree of the same

strikes their target, the stone explodes and deals 3

name, this club is made from light wood, and measures

damage (if it misses, the stone remains intact). The

almost one vara in length. Narrow at the base and wide

user can also destroy the stone with the a weapon

and heavy at the tip, it fits comfortable in the wield-

or a heavy stone, causing it to emir a loud bang that

er’s hands. The ironwood tree got its name because of

can chase away animals or help someone locate the

its toughness, a characteristic shared by this weapon.

stone’s owner. The stones are not enchanted, and

Destroying this item takes time and willpower, first be-

are useless against creatures immune to normal

cause it is made of incredibly sturdy wood and second,

weapons. They are found in sets of 2 to 12 stones,

because it is enchanted.

determined by the roll of two dice.

The Ironwood Tacape can only be used by a

Lucky Horseshoe: a European tradition that mi-

character with at least Physical Strength 2 and Impact

grated to Brazil along with the ships, Lucky Horse-

Weapons 2. It looks ordinary, but it is an enchanted

shoes only have beneficial power when found,

weapon and grants a modifier of +1 to feats with Im-

under special circumstances. At the beginning of

pact Weapons. Despite needing only one hand to wield

colonization, the lack of horses made these items

it, the tacape deals 3 damage.

even more rare.

Jamachy of Curooper: a Jamachy is a long woven

A Lucky Horseshoe provides Luck +1, like

basket made of natural fibres, 1 vara (1.1 metres) or

the power of the same name, being able to reroll one

more in length, which is attached to the bearer’s

die in all their feats. If the Horseshoe is purchased,

shoulders. There are reports from one indigenous

it will not bring any benefit to the bearer. If the

tribe that say Curooper carried a tapir, a deer, a

Horseshoe is stolen, the thief suffers constant bad

paca, an agouti and a pig all in the same jamachy,

luck until they get rid of it, taking a -1 penalty on all

bringing all these animals to feed an entire village.

tests, as with the Grant Misfortune power.

This jamachy was braided by Curooper himself, and only he knows exactly how this item acquires its magical Skills. In certain situations, Curooper may lend a jamachy, or even present someone with one. It is a rare item, highly prized by drovers and explorers.

Macunaíma’s Flute: this flute appears to be a common musical item, a set of pan pipes with four bamboo tubes, but it is actually a powerful artefact. When the user hits the right notes, it summons one of the region’s wild and fantastic creatures. The user will be able to send the creature away, as long

Although it does not have infinite space,

as they play the notes they used to summon the

the Jamachy of Curooper is large and everything

creature in reverse. As it belongs to a chaotic and

that is placed inside it exert no weight on the wear-

mocking entity, the flute also has the power to sum-

er, who can store up to one cask (420 litres) of vol-

mon all creatures at once, forming a great host of

ume inside it.

them. If this happens, it is impossible to dismiss the

Lightning Stone: these dark stones are formed by

creatures with the power of the flute.

lightning striking the ground. Interestingly, both

Each use of Macunaíma’s Flute will sum-

natives and Portuguese have similar customs in re-

mon a random creature from the Bestiary of this

lation to these stones, which can be used to cause

book (except Macunaíma himself), which will ar-

injuries like those of lightning.

rive 1 to 6 rounds later, according to the roll of a die.

Lightning Stones can be used by anyone with skill in Throwing Weapons. If the character

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Care must be taken when using the flute, because the summoned creature will attack the first target to cross its path, which may well be the user them-

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selves. The summoned creature leaves after win-

Quiver of Serpent Arrows: numerous indigenous

ning a battle, losing half of its Endurance, or being

tales and legends speak of arrows that never miss

sent away by the flute.

their mark. These arrows, decorated with indige-

Mandinga Bag: these little bags carry a little bit of everything - prayers in Latin, nail shavings, wads of hair, some vintem coins, splinters of bone from one dead, etc. - all wrapped in white fabric.

nous designs, are as accurate as the lunging strike of a snake. They can only be used in three situations: fighting against living beings, hunting, and fishing.

They are usually created to protect the bearer from

The Quiver of Serpent Arrows consists of

harm and injury, by bladed weapon or fire, as well

five arrows that never miss their target, causing two

as to grant luck or success in some area of interest.

points of damage per shot. These arrows are capa-

A Mandinga Bag functions like an amulet of Protection, causing a penalty of -2 on all tests made against its wearer. It usually attracts disdain from those with the blessings of Faith, not at all happy with the mix between elements of European faith and indigenous religious practices. Muiraquitãs: The Elephant & Macaw Banner Roleplaying Game corebook describes a frog-shaped muiraquitã amulet, known as Muiraquitã Guaru; however, there are other amulets in other forms. The indigenous people also often create Iurukuá amulets, in honour of the turtles, and Mboi amulets, for the snakes. These two kinds of amulet have different functions. Muiraquitã Iurukuá: a small stone carved from jade in the shape of a turtle. Grants +2 Passive

ble of harming creatures that are immune to normal weapons. The archer using them must have a bow and at least level 1 in Archery to use the arrows correctly. Despite always hitting the target, each attack acts as a normal ranged attack, without the archer being able to choose the exact point of impact. At the end of the battle, the arrows magically return to the quiver carried by the character; even those that happen to be lost will return. They can be destroyed by fire or iron, but if this happens, the one who destroys them suffers a Poison 3 test (uncommon poison). Spear of the Ykamiabas: the Ykamiabas are tribes made up exclusively of women. Their legend has spread throughout the interior of the colony, mainly in the northern captaincies, but these legends also exist in other parts of Brazil. They live practically unseen in the forest, which makes them

Defence and +2 Endurance.

very difficult to locate. The spear they use is a lit-

Muiraquitã Mboi: also carved in jade, this amulet

characteristics change depending on the gender of

is shaped like a small snake. The amulet gives the wearer greater resistance to snake venom or poisons made by people, be it magically or through normal means, causing a penalty of -2 on any Poison test against the wearer. This amulet can also be used to consume poison that is already with someone’s body. To do this, destroy the amulet

tle longer and lighter than a standard spear, and its whoever uses it. In the hands of a man, the Spear of the Ykamiabas deals only 1 damage. In the hands of a woman, it deals 2 damage and, when thrown at a man, never misses the target (as long as it is within range), dealing 3 damage.

and place its broken parts in contact with the infected person. The snake spirit used to create the enchanted item will eliminate the poison in the victim’s system. However, it can no longer be worn as normal.

40

THE MONSTERS & MAGIC OF THE CAPTAINCY

Unguent of Mandrake: mandrake is a plant that is

Paint’s benefits last for 24 hours. It loses its magical

not native to the lands of the colony. It was brought

characteristics thereafter, though the paint itself

by the some of the first alchemy enthusiasts who

may remain on the skin for longer. Each War Paint

came to Brazil. This unguent is made by working

preparation is kept in small clay pots or gourds, and

mandrake sap with some kind of fat to create an

can be used five times before it is used up.

ointment with a creamy texture.

Whip of Souls: (Enchanted weapon; Skill: Impact

When spread on the body, Mandrake Un-

Weapons, Hands to wield it: 1, Range: Hand to Hand,

guent gives the user the same power as Spiritual

Damage: 1). It looks like a common whip, made of

Voyage. Its advantage is that, unlike the power,

treated leather strips. In reality, it is an enchanted

it does not require preparation time; however,

weapon, created to be the bane of the undead.

spiritual creatures the traveller meets may be more aggressive, if the user of the ointment is not familiar with the world of spirits, such as a practitioner of Breath or Ifá.

The Whip of Souls deals only one point of damage against normal creatures, but when the target is one of the undead (such as Skeletons, Zombies or Dry-Bodies) or a ghost (such as Appa-

Viper Arrow: an arrow fletched with black feath-

ritions), its damage is doubled. The whip can also

ers and a small viper tooth at the striking end, this

be used to create a frightening cracking sound once

enchanted weapon does not need a bow to launch

per battle, which has the effect of Terrify 1 on all

it. The Viper Arrow is unique and is a formidable

enemies present.

hunting item. The Viper Arrow, when released from its owner’s hands, automatically hits its target, causing one point of damage plus the effect of Poison 3 (common poison), like the ability of the same name. In order to keep this magical item in working order, some rules must be observed: do not allow anyone else to touch it; never explain its use to anyone else; never say the name of the arrow. If any of these rules are disobeyed, the arrow loses its powers, becoming nothing more than an ordinary arrow. War Paint: this paint, prepared by pajés is an honour for those who fight alongside them. Made of annatto, a red-orange dye from the seeds of the achiote tree, it has been used since time immemorial by native peoples to mark their skin. The War Paint described here is a magical version, focused on moments of battle. Body painting takes about 30 minutes and must be applied by a follower of Breath. Once decorated with War Paint, the characters acquire the following advantages: +1 Passive Defence, +1 on all feat tests to attack, and +1 Endurance. The War

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42

THE ROYAL CAPTAINCY OF RIO DE JANEIRO: A REPORT

43

From the memoirs of Iberey and Inaye, transcribed by the companion in their adventures, James

Inaye knelt and ran her fingers over the grass, checking the ground. ‘How many adventures do we have until we get here, Iberey?’ she said, bringing her hand to her face and peering at the dew drops. ‘Will we live through one more, by any chance?’ asked Iberey, admiring his sister’s methods. ‘Perhaps,’ said Inaye, rising in a slow movement. She tooka deep breath, still focused on her hand. ‘We need to find the trail of the others. They must not be far.’ ‘Far is a relative concept in the jungle,’ replied Iberey, while examining the trail that opened ahead. ‘The signs disappear quickly.’ ‘Who knows, maybe one or two moons...’ ‘I bet on one.’ Trindade’s hoarse voice rose behind them. The caboclo bushman appeared suddenly, surprising both of them. Inaye winced, but Trindade paid no attention. ‘Come on, Iberey, help me with this,’ he said. ‘We have to find the trail of Fernão and the others before it disappears once and for all.’

44

ADVENTURE IN THE CAPTAINCY The Restoration of France Antarctique!

T

HE STORY SO FAR: the year 1576 has not been easy for Governor Salema. While preparing an expedition to retake the Cabo Frio

character, they may be an assistant to Father Amaro,

region, conquered by the French decades ago, he

Adetokumbo: born under the auspices of the gods

was tormented by raids by indigenous tribes - who had not caused such problems since 1555. These conflicts have interefered with commerce and the exploration of the captaincy’s territory. Dutch and English ships are often seen offshore, sounding the coast. The French, who already hold sway over the northern part of the captincy, are hindering coastal development too. Salema calls to the Crown for constant reinforcements to and maintains peace

who appears during the first part of this adventure.

who have accompanied his people from Africa, Adetokumbo is the youngest initiate in the spiritual secrets of his people. He is a master of folklore and his native Yoruba language. Ade is persevering and diplomatic, always trying to use dialogue to solve problems that may arise. He always travels with Makini, his guardian and close friend. Adetokumbo and Makini live on a farm near the village.

with some indigenous tribes, but the French have a plan to end the presence of the Portuguese in the region once and for all.

Fernão de Almeida: youngest son of the landlord Manuel de Almeida, this young man is angry, daring and fearless. His temper causes many problems for

READY-MADE

CHARACTERS:

to

play

the

adventure “The Restoration of France Antarctique”, players may create their own characters or use the ready-made characters provided. The characters presented here come from the region where the adventure takes place: some from the town of São

his father, even though he has a good heart. Fernão has a deep, if frustrated, sense of justice, having grown up close to those who live in the slave quarters and indigenous villages in the region, respecting everyone. He is not very tall, and has black hair and eyes. Fernão lives at his father’s plantation.

Francisco, others from the Manuel de Almeida farm, some from the neighboring Tupinambá village and some from the hinterland region. Everyone has a greater or lesser connection, which helps to make life easier for the first-time mediator. They are all

Iberey: perhaps the greatest hunter in his Tupinambá village, Iberey is Inaye’s older brother. He keeps his body painted with the war marks of his people,

beginning characters, with skills that complement

wearing only a long loincloth. Iberey uses his bow

those of the other characters, and will be useful

and arrow with the skill of a master and knows how

throughout the adventure. There are characters for

to fight very well with his club. Being more than a

all tastes, from combatants to healers and magic

foot taller than his sister, Iberey cuts an impressive

users. If any of the players choose to create a religious

figure with his slim body and his distant, almost cold

45

THE ELEPHANT & MACAW BANNER | ROLEPLAYING GAME

gaze. He is a lover of nature, vowing to defend it to the end. Iberey and Inaye live in a small village next to the town. Inaye: trained by the shamans of her village to become their newest initiate in the powers of Breath. She knows well the legends of her people. Inaye is a loyal and very imaginative young woman. She blindly trusts her brother, Iberey. However, this familial loyalty rarely holds her back when she has decided on a course of action.

José Trindade: mestiço son of a Portuguese father and indigenous mother, José is the younger brother of João Trindade, who ended up becoming his tutor. He is already as good a tracker as his brother and, like him, he does not use firearms either, preferring spears and bows. He is fidgety and often agitated, not stopping still for a moment. He is frank and honest, often speaking without thinking, mainly due to his lack of contact with other people. José just wants to prove to his brother that he can be as good as he is. José lives with his family in a house near the town.

Makini: since the beginning of Adetokumbo’s spiritual development, as a child, Makini has been appointed as his guardian. Considered the most skilled warrior of her people, she is tall and strong like few men are. Silent and serene, when she does speak, Makini speaks clearly and with a wisdom that comes from generations.

James Cranmer: an Englishman who came to Brazil in search of wealth to report back to the English royal court, James Cranmer fell in love with the place and no longer thinks about returning to his homeland. Though at first he was surprised by the habits of the natives and Portuguese, seven years later James already speaks Portuguese and even a little Tupi. He is very tall, with long blond hair and blue eyes. He no longer has the soldierly seriousness he once possessed. He loves aguardente, the Brazilian cane-sugar spirit, and can often be seen at the local drinking dens recounting stories and adventures.

If the players decide to play with the ready-made characters provided in this book, James’ house (described at site 10 in São Francisco town) can be a good starting point for the adventure. The other characters, all younger, consider James an “uncle” and go to his house whenever they visit the village, to hear his stories from other lands and adventures. The character sheets for these characters can be found starting on page 81.

Note to players: from this point on, it is best if only the mediator reads the adventure, so as not to spoil the surprises that await!

ADVENTURE SUMMARY: the adventure begins in a small village on the road to the south of the captaincy. The player characters are thrown into the middle of an invasion of Frenchmen, who seek the Heart of the Woodsfather, an indigenous artifact capable of bringing the sleeping giant to life. The French intend to revive the giant to destroy the Portuguese and thus fulfill their dream of dominating the entire South Atlantic, striking from the Royal Captaincy of Rio de Janeiro. The player characters must prevent the French from finding the artefact, otherwise the fragile Lusitanian dominion over the region will be lost for good..

BACKGROUND: hundreds of years ago, the native peoples of the region were forced to come to a truce in their conflicts over possession of the territory, in favour of a common cause: to stop the Woodsfather. The powerful Ibimonguira had awakened and threatened everyone’s existence. The shamans did not have the strength to destroy this powerful being, but they did find a way to make him fall asleep. The times of peace that followed were good for the people, who lived peacefully for a long time. Today, centuries later, French invaders have learnt of the power of Woodsfather and intend to use it to secure their interests in the region, expelling their Portuguese enemies once and for all..

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ADVENTURE IN THE CAPTAINCY: THE RESTORATION OF FRANCE ANTARCTIQUE!

PROLOGUE: the mediator can start the adventure prologue with characters created by the participants, or with the ready-made characters described previously. You should introduce the town of São Francisco and have the players interact with the characters of the region and use appropriate hooks to introduce the player characters. If they have chosen to use the ready-made ones, the characters all already know each other from around the region. This first moment will be the day of the French attack on the town of São Francisco, but they still do not know what the future holds (unless they have a Divine Vision.)

PART 1: THE TOWN OF SÃO FRANCISCO The adventure begins with the characters in São Francisco, a small settlement near the coast that has flourished in the last decade thanks to the efforts of Manuel de Almeida, the first sesmeiro of the region. Manuel has had few problems so far; indigenous peoples have not contested his claims, and intertribal wars have not affected the people of the region. Allow the players to interact with the town and local characters and, if possible, with each other. As an introduction, read or precis the text below: São Francisco is one of several areas of settlement that spread along the coast of the Royal Captaincy of Rio de Janeiro, although it has never been of much political interest to the capital. Nearly 30 leagues (more than 150 kilometers) from the São Sebastião de Rio de Janeiro, on many occasions it has relied more on luck than on the help of the ‘good men of the captaincy’. Although this lack of attention from the Governor-General seems to be a negative thing, on the other hand, it allows the residents the to live their lives peacefully without outside interference.

agriculture – farming leased land or working in the small plantation and sugar mill belonging to Manuel de Almeida, sesmeiro of the region since 1565 –or by fishing, due to the proximity to the coast and the great potential of the region. The community also has two large farms (São Matheus and São Carlos) that produce foodstuffs for the region; the local warehouse that sells these products; a blacksmith’s shop that produces small metal items for everyday use, and a tailor. Religious life revolves around the Church of São Francisco, led by Father Amaro Leme, who also works to convert indigenous people in the region. Even surrounded by natives who live hidden in the hinterlands, there have never been many problems in São Francisco. There are not even foreign invaders, except for the Englishman who appeared three years ago and provides occasional minor services to Manuel de Almeida and others in the region. Over the years, ships with strange flags began to be seen on the horizon, but they never troubled the local residents, who continue to live by planting sugar cane and fishing, which guarantee the livelihoods of a good many of the population.

At this point, get your players involved: Have them introduce their characters, if they haven’t already. Ask what the connections are between them. Let them decide where they will be in the village when the narrative begins.

After the creation of the São Francisco Plantation, a small community with around twenty houses settled around it. The people here basically live in one of two ways: either in

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THE ELEPHANT & MACAW BANNER | ROLEPLAYING GAME

48

ADVENTURE IN THE CAPTAINCY: THE RESTORATION OF FRANCE ANTARCTIQUE!

small plantations in the region. In the centre, a pole is

IMPORTANT LOCATIONS

intended as a whipping post for criminal punishments,

All the places described below have story hooks waiting to be used by the mediator. As we will see later, each

but is more commonly used as a place for people to put up notices and advertisements.

location has one or more people that can interact with the player characters, in addition to being able to serve the characters with their skills. The mediator should feel free to fill in the blanks, expanding the use of this village for this or other adventures in the region.

1. Church of São Francisco: the little chapel of São Francisco das Águas Claras (Saint Francis of the Clear Waters) was built within lands of Manuel de Almeida. Subsequently, the sesmeiro requested that the construction of a larger church be undertaken in the village whose founding he announced. The land around the church contains the region’s public cemetery, and also has a small building that serves as a classroom for the conversion of indigenous people and catechism classes. The church is led by Father Amaro Leme. Father Amaro has no healing powers, but he uses the powers of Faith that are within his ability to help those in need..

FATHER AMARO LEME (age 50): Warm, Generous, Prudent. Father Amaro arrived in the region eight years ago, coming from Portugal, and quickly won the friendship of the residents of the small village. He also

3. Silveira Warehouse: this place stores the produce of the major local farms - São Matheus and São Carlos and belongs to the brothers José and João Silveira. Every month, they lead a caravan to the city of São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro to sell their food and tobacco. This group takes the opportunity to bring new commodities back to the town. In the storehouse, characters have a 1 in 3 chance (1 or 2 on a die roll) to find common items. Due to the difficulty of acquiring these goods (see below), the brothers usually sell at a price 100% higher than the reference prices listed in the rulebook of The Elephant & Macaw Banner Roleplaying Game. A difficult feat of Bargaining can reduce this selling price to only 50% more than standard. For example, a shovel (reference price: 120 réis) would normally be sold for 240 réis, or for 180 réis with a successful difficult feat of Bargaining. This test must be done for each item that the participants wish to negotiate over. Items that the brothers do not have in the warehouse can be ordered for purchase on their next visit to the city. The food produced on the farms - including beans, manioc flour, sweet potatoes and oranges - can be purchased for half the price on the reference list. From these products, it is possible to buy enough food to feed a person for a week for 80 réis. Young Altair is the employee who serves local customers.

oversees the conversion and catechesis of a number of indigenous catechumens of the region. Canoeing 1, Folklore 2, Cooking 1, Poesy 1, Singing 2, Scrivening 2, Humanities 2, Medicine 1, Theology 2, Portuguese 2, Latin 2, French 2, Tupi 2, Guarani 2, Faith 2, Protection from Evil 2, Prophecy 2, Miraculous Events 2, Blessing 2.

2. Camp: the ‘camp’ is the area that functions as the public square for the inhabitants of the town. Some market stalls are to be found here, selling products from

49

Hook: Once a month, José and João Silveira hire men from the region to accompany them in the caravan to the city of Rio de Janeiro. But it is not a simple horse ride to the capital. There are 30 leagues (165 kilometres) full of possible indigenous attacks and creatures that usually ambush near the city. The pay is not bad. Those who prove they have military skills can earn 160 réis a day, plus food. Those who know how to use a weapon, but cannot prove their training,

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. can earn up to 100 réis per day, plus food. This

Hook: Diogo is a merchant and a first-rate gos-

round trip usually takes a week, totalling 1,120

sip. But he is not just any old gossip: he tends to

réis for a soldier and 700 réis for others.

charge dearly to distil his various sources of information into useful form. He may know why Isabel is so quiet, as well as something about Fa-

4. Diogo’s Store: the Portuguese trader Diogo Duarte

ther Amaro Leme’s past. He is not well regarded

serves everyone in the area from this store. A respectable

by Dom Manuel, the sesmeiro of the region, but

establishment, it is one place where the player characters

Diogo remains steadfast, always observant. The

can get all kinds of information, thanks to the attentive

mediator can use Diogo as a source for any num-

ears of the owner. It is one of the most frequented places

ber of adventures in the region.

in the village, serving cooked food and drinks, especially wine, the sale of which is facilitated by a royal tax exemption. The store also serves local beer and brandy produced at Manuel de Almeida’s plantation, which, unlike wine, carries a surcharge, to the displeasure of local producers. A full meal with drink goes for 15 réis, and always comes with excellent service. Diogo has few generic items in stock (only a 1 in of 6 chance for character to find what they are looking for), but he sells his products more cheaply than the Silveiras (only 50% above reference prices), which some-

5. Blacksmith: belonging to Antônio Cerqueira, this smithy produces small-scale metal items, such as shoes for the horses and donkeys that carry heavy loads to and from the region. Antônio is a renowned blacksmith who chose to live a modest life here than rather than the political confusion of the city of Rio de Janeiro, which grows by the day. His knowledge of metals can be useful to the player characters.

times causes disputes between them. As the community is not very large, it is important to maintain local commerce.

The blacksmith sells various items. Antônio especially promotes his helmets, warning that a good helmet can be the difference between life and death in the perilous jungle. They are normal helmets, offering

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ADVENTURE IN THE CAPTAINCY: THE RESTORATION OF FRANCE ANTARCTIQUE!

+1 to Passive Defence; he has five in stock. Antônio doesn’t like to lose customers, so with an easy Bargain feat, a character can get a 10% discount on any of the items in the store.

pare and sell meat. He has a corral where he raises some pigs to sell the meat. Player characters can purchase enough pork and bacon to feed a person for a week for 160 réis. His beautiful wife, Lady Isabel, was a resident of the village of Santo Antônio, though little is known about her.

Dagger

250

Broadsword

900

Iron helmet

1,000

Horsehoe & fitting

200

Iron

50/arratel (130/kg)

Nail

80/ hundred

Chisel

100

Smith’s hammer

400

Machete

120

Hook: Lady Isabel has some secrets. Her skills and her faith give her the ability to Foresee Evil and Banish Evil. Lady Isabel always tried as much as possible to avoid her secret being shared with people outside her family. When her father arranged for her to marry, it was the perfect opportunity to escape from the community, which suspected something strange about the beautiful young woman. Diogo Silva knows this secret and will protect it even unto death if need be, including from the player characters. However, if they gain his trust, Diogo might ask for help to resolve the issue, as long as they keep the secret.

Antônio Cerqueira has already gone on some ‘entrances’ in search of precious metals. The number of deaths he saw in the Brazilian hinterlands kept him from going on more adventures since, but if the characters discover something really important, he can be convinced to go along to identify a particular metal vein.

8. Fishermen’s Warehouse: this large warehouse stores the equipment of the village fishermen. Nets, canoes, repair material and boxes are spread more outside than inside the warehouse. You can also find the fishermen themselves nearby.

6. General Services: Guiomar and José Silva are married and have lived in the town since its foundation. Initially, they worked on Manuel de Almeida’s farm, but because of their age they chose to work less and live out the last years of their lives in relative quiet. Elderly, but very skilled, Guiomar is the principal seamstress in the district, and José works with wood like few others, able, with a little patience, to create real works of art.

The fishermen’s warehouse is a well-protected place. The fishermen of the region guard their work gear jealously: after all, this is what guarantees the survival of everyone who works outside the arable land of the district.

9. Guard Post: there is a tiny detachment of soldiers sent by the Governor-General to take care of local

7. Butcher: another Diogo, but this time one Diogo Silva. Son of Guiomar and José Silva, he is married to Lady Isabel. Diogo is the local butcher. He always wears a leather apron covered in bloodstains and carries a sharp cleaver, which makes him a little scary. His job is to pre-

51

security. There are only three guards for the whole village. João, Joaquim and Luís are three Portuguese men who came to Brazil a few years ago, in search of adventure. However, they are usually too drunk to venture out. They wound up in a village so peaceful that they express their courage by drinking every

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last drop of wine and brandy at Diogo Duarte’s place.

distance they see Father Amaro talking to a man with

In addition to drinking, their greatest accomplish-

a pointy red beard and dressed in bright blue clothes.

ments include chatting to anyone who comes along

The two exchange harsh words, and the man in blue

and playing a lot of cards.

turns and leaves, heading along the trail that leads to

In spite of everything, they are willing to help

the jungle.

people, even though running into indigenous warri-

If the player characters ask Father Amaro

ors or creatures of the forest sends a chill down their

about the man, he brushes the incident off, saying

spines. The three have daggers, cutlasses and pistols

that it is nothing important, and asking if he can help

to settle conflicts in the town. The Guard Post has

the characters in any way. If the characters try to fol-

only one detainee, who speaks little when questioned

low the man, they lose his tracks when they leave the

by officers. They say that this prisoner has a strange

village, even with a Tracking feat. No one else in the

accent, probably French.

village witnessed the conversation and they know

GUARDS - Physical attacks: Firearms 2 (harquebus

nothing about it.

- damage 3), Blade Weapons 1 (dagger - damage 1),

After that, the characters may continue their

Endurance: 10, Passive Defence: 0, Active Defence: 1.

ambling around the town. They may play cards in the tavern, hear stories from the locals and act freely until nightfall, when they must find a place to sleep.

10. James’ House: a small, poorly maintained hut

James Cranmer may offer a place in his home for this.

is the home of James Cranmer, known in the region simply as ‘The Englishman’. He is very tall by local

PART 2: THE ATTACK

standards and is relatively well liked in the district. James has even made the effort to get to know

Provided the player characters find somewhere

indigenous people, having learned a little of their

in town reasonably comfortable to lie down, at

language. He has been working as a hired gun on

Cranmer’s house or not, they are able to get a good

minor jobs, and is now waiting for the opportunity

night’s sleep. But in the early hours, just as the

to join a banner or entrada to earn more money, so

dawn is beginning to peek above the horizon, the

that he can stay in Brazil and not have to go back to

characters are woken by a sudden hue and cry, and a

his rainy home in England.

terrible commotion:

In the beginning, let the players take a little time to get to know the town. If you have created new characters, introduce them as coming in search of work at the local farms or the sugar mill. Indigenous characters may taking catechism classes with Padre Amaro, or simply selling fur or meat in town. Black and mestiço characters can be local residents and local workers like any other. This first contact with the background of the village and the map will help the players to feel that their characters belong to this place and that they are part of the ongoing story. Towards the end of the afternoon, when the characters are wandering around the village, from a

Explosions! Gunshots and screams echo all around! The characters wake up amid shouting coming from the surrounding houses, as if a plague is falling on the town of São Francisco das Águas Claras! On the other side of the village, they notice a tumult. There is also smoke, as if nearby houses are burning. Another explosion goes off, this time closer. Someone in the village rings the church bell to sound the alarm, and people are calling for help from Manuel de Almeida and his men.

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ADVENTURE IN THE CAPTAINCY: THE RESTORATION OF FRANCE ANTARCTIQUE!

This is the moment to ask: what do the player characters do? Twenty-five men armed with swords and torches attack the village amid shouting and laughter. The invaders arrive from the point marked “A” on the map, setting houses ablaze and firing their pistols. The guards run towards the camp to try to

and respond in kind to any attack from the player characters, who will see that the leader, Lieutenant Montesquieu, organizes his men efficiently. It should also be clear that this officer notices and marks the player characters’ presence. If he suffers significant injury during the battle, he takes one of his potions and disappears into the woods with his men.

chase off the attackers. The three soldiers (Blade Weapons 1, Firearms 1), take up a defensive position

If the characters approach the guards, they say that help will arrive soon.

next to the warehouse (location 3).

Combat tips: Some groups love confrontations

INVADERS - Physical attacks: Firearms 2 (harquebus

against many opponents. Other groups pre-

- damage 2), Blade Weapons 1 (cutlass - damage 2),

fer games that are more about portraying their

Endurance: 10, Passive Defence: 1 (armour doublet),

characters and interacting with others. The

Active Defence: 2.

most important tip to best use this battle scene, is to identify which kind of group yours is.

One of the men is clearly the leader. He is Lieutenant Montesquieu, the man with the blue clothes and pointy red beard that the players characters saw conversing volubly with Father Amaro. He is a formidable opponent, who should cause a lot of headaches for the characters. He will be the ‘face’ of the French in this adventure, and the mediator must highlight his role. At the moment of the attack, he stands behind the soldiers, shouting orders.. LIEUTENANT MONTESQUIEU (age 37). - Possesses a brace of exceptional pistols (+1 on tests of Firearms, damage 2), a fine sword (+1 on tests of Blade Weapons, damage 2), a normal helmet and an enchanted armour

After four rounds of combat, Manuel de Almeida’s small troop of soldiers, led by Manuel himself, arrives from his sugar mill. Twelve men armed with pistols and swords fire an initial volley. Lieutenant Montesquieu immediately orders a retreat, and the invaders go into the forest. They leave behind four fallen comrades (in addition to any that the player characters managed to subdue). Dom Manuel decides not to pursue the invaders, preferring to take care of the village. Many of

doublet (+3 to Passive Defence), giving a Passive

the houses are burning and many people are injured.

Defence of 4 and Active Defence 5. He also has two

He asks the player characters to help as much as they

Potions of Cure Wounds.

can, either taking care of the injured or putting out the

Buy the time the player characters can take the initiative, the invaders have already broken into the church. Father Amaro is lying in the middle of the camp,

fire. The guards take unconscious invaders into their custody. Father Amaro Leme lies dead and bloodied in the middle of the camp.

near the pole, covered in blood. The soldiers from the guard post have taken down two of the invaders, but all three are injured. At this moment, the church begins to catch fire.

If the group starts asking about the attack, people will say that they heard the invaders speaking French. Nobody in the village knows why the French would want to kill the priest, who is so dear to every-

Characters can use houses or trees that are

one. The fallen Frenchmen are taken by the guard to

not yet on fire to protect themselves. They must

the pole. They are unconscious, but if the characters

quickly decide to whether to help the guards defend

already know about the French detainee at the guard

the town or to flee. Twenty-three invaders remain,

post, they can interrogate him. In this case, he will say

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with a laugh, “Are they finally here? That means it’s

1. The shaman was at Trindade’s house

the end for you!“ He doesn’t know much more than

when he saw a vision of a powerful relic

that, only that his commander has a plan to end the

that could mean the end of everyone. He

Portuguese forever.

sent Trindade to seek help immediately at the town of São Francisco, while he re-

After an hour, the situation is once again un-

turned to his village, also in search of help.;

der control. At this point João Trindade appears on the scene (see description below), the brother of José. The player characters see him approach Manuel de

2. The shaman told Trindade to tell Father

Almeida and exchange a few words. As the conver-

Amaro about the location of this relic, but

sation concludes, Dom Manuel exclaims, ‘Don’t you

the priest had already died when he arrived;

see that I have a town to save here? I don’t have time to chase after legends!’ and departs. Trindade looks

3. In the conversation that the characters

around and sees the group. He immediately makes his

witnessed, Trindade asked Dom Manuel

way over towards them.

for help, but he refused, as he did not consider the shaman’s vision a priority. He promised to investigate the case later, af-

JOÃO TRINDADE “ÇAETÉ” (age 25). Solitary, Frank,

ter the repair and rebuilding of the town;

Melancholy. Trindade is otherwise known as Çaeté (‘honest eyes’). He is a caboclo who lives on the edge of the town of São Francisco, son of a Portuguese woman and the former

4. The shaman returned to his village to ask

indigenous leader of the village of Guaraçu, João has never

the warriors for help, but it will take at least a

adapted to either life. For this reason, he lives between these

day to reach the village, and Trindade thinks

peoples, seeking a balance in his divided nature. João is

they have no time to wait, since the French

short, measuring no more than a vara and a half (160cm) in

must have been able to get the information

height. His skin is dark and he has dark brown eyes and long

they wanted from the priest . Trindade wants

black hair, covered by a wide-brimmed hat. Despite dressing

to act immediately, and is willing to do any-

like one of the Portuguese, Trindade uses only indigenous

thing to ensure that the relic does not fall into

weapons. He is an excellent hunter and tracker.

the wrong hands.

Running 2, Traps 2, Foraging 2, Climbing 1, Folklore 2, Herbalism 2, Tracking 3, Throwing Weapons 2, Blade

If the group asks around the village about the

Weapons 1, Archery 2, Portuguese 1, Tupi 1. If the group has José among its members, Trindade first greets his brother with a hug, then greets the others. At this point, talk a little about what the characters know about Trindade, using the description above. If the players are not using the pre-generated characters, let them know that they have known Trindade for a long time, and he is a man that they know they can trust. With his silent and aloof way, Trindade tells that he was sent to the town at the request of the shaman of Guaraçu:

relic, nobody knows anything about it, but whoever knew Father Amaro well says that he often talked to Father Cláudio Moraes, in the village of Santo Antônio, a few hours north. If the group looks for clues in the church, they will find a recent letter from Father Cláudio who, among more banal matters, mentions, ‘I discovered some news about the relic. I can tell you more details on your next visit.’ Any and all investigations they do point to the village of Santo Antônio. Trindade insists on leaving as soon as possible. He knows a short-cut to get to the village more quickly.

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ADVENTURE IN THE CAPTAINCY: THE RESTORATION OF FRANCE ANTARCTIQUE!

If the player characters talk to Manuel de Almeida before leaving and his son, Fernão, is in the group, Manuel will offer for two of his soldiers to accompany them as bodyguards. If not, the group may convince him to lend the same number of soldiers for their endeavour with an intermediate feat of Persuasion. SOLDIERS - Physical attacks: Firearms 1 (harquebus - damage 3), Blade Weapons 1 (short sword - damage 2), Endurance: 8 (current) 10 (maximum), Passive Defence: 1 (doublet), Active Defence: 2 During the walk, Trindade can offer some information about the village of Santo Antônio and its residents (as detailed in part 3, below).

PECCARY (NORMAL) Size: F Speed: 3 Habitat: whole territory Physical attacks: Strike 2 with tusks (damage 1) or Bite 1 (damage 2) Endurance: 6 Passive Defence: 1 Active Defence: 3 If a peccary is reduce to 5 Endurance points or less, it will flee. Trindade will encourage the characters to let the animals run away, since no one needs to eat now, and the nature of a peccary is to attack in order to defend its herd. Soon after this battle, one of the characters sees a figure watching the group from a tree. If they decide to approach, they realize that it is a boy, who

PART 3: THE RACE TO

mysteriously disappears leaving only the smell of tobacco in the air. Seeing this, Trindade says, ‘Damn Sa-

SANTO ANTÔNIO The route to Vila de Santo Antônio by Trin-

cis!’ and spits on the floor.

dade’s short-cut is not a smooth one. After all, if it

The remaining travel along the trail to the

were easy, it wouldn’t be a short-cut. Because it is a

village of Santo Antônio occurs without major prob-

less frequented path, wild animals and even super-

lems. In the distance, the characters see groups of

natural creatures can appear there. After some time

peccaries and other, more threatening things moving

on the way to the north, the characters encounter a small and aggressive flock of wild pigs, known as peccaries. There is a large number of young, but few adults: only three. In this situation, the strategy of these animals is simple: one adult stays with the

around, but Trindade will know how to avoid these creatures, so the group doesn’t waste any more time to reach their goal. In total, the walk takes approximately three hours.

young to protect them, while the other two peccaries attack the player characters with extreme ferocity.

PART 4: THE VILLAGE OF SANTO ANTÔNIO Santo Antônio is a small village that grew up in the vicinity of a church of the same name. Though modest and disorganized, its haphazard nature never prevented the community from developing, although less than its neighbour São Francisco. This settlement originally appeared as an initiative to convert the indigenous people, because it is close to several villages. But this plan did not succeed and an epidemic killed the priests who founded the settlement, leaving only Father Cláudio de

55

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56

ADVENTURE IN THE CAPTAINCY: THE RESTORATION OF FRANCE ANTARCTIQUE!

Moraes. Over time, the plan changed. The lands that the religious received for the purposes of missionary work were shared instead with the people who were interested in living there. A small community formed on the banks of the Frio River, and began to prosper. Today, the village has a considerable number of houses and almost everyone produces something. This settlement also has several services available, in addition to a small guard post.

IMPORTANT LOCATIONS 1. Church of Santo Antônio do Rio Frio: this modest house of worship contains only a small altar with an image of Santo Antônio and some pews for the congregation. On one corner, a tiny room serves as both the sacristy and room for the priest. Father Cláudio can help the group with information, food, and even his healing powers, if the characters are injured. Father Cláudio’s main motivation at the moment is that the characters do not allow the French to take possession of what they are looking for, the Heart of Ibimonguira (more information at the end of this section).

FATHER CLÁUDIO DE MORAES (age: 52). Frank, Persevering, Friendly. Father Cláudio is Portuguese and a survivor of the epidemic that wiped out the original mission. Canoeing 1, Folklore 2, Oratory 1, Cobbling 1, Poesy 1, Singing 2, Scrivening 2, Medicine 2, Theology 2, Portuguese 2, Latin 2, Spanish 2, Tupi 1, Guarani 1, Faith 3, Protection from Evil 2, Healing 1, Miraculous Events 1, Blessing 2.

2. Mateiro’s Hut: this small hut is practically hidden among the trees on the far side of the village. The Mateiro, as the mazombo (descendant of Portuguese settlers) Tomé de Andrade is known, has lived here since the village was founded. He helped Father Cláudio to survive his illness, although he arrived too late to save the others. The priest owes a life debt to the man, which is why he does not meddle in his affairs. Tomé is talkative and excitable, except in times of stress or danger.

57

TOMÉ DE ANDRADE (age: 45). Sociable, Funny, Prudent. Despite his troubled past, Tomé is cheerful and sociable. The son of a Portuguese man and an indigenous woman, his father died when he was still young, and he ended up living in his mother’s village. Once he reached adulthood, he left the village to make a living. A great tracker and hunter, Tomé is one of the best jungle scouts in the Royal Captaincy of Rio de Janeiro. Running 2, Physical Strength 1, Field Medicine 1, Traps 2, Canoeing 1, Foraging 2, Climbing 2, Folklore 2, Herbalism 3, Tracking 3, Throwing Weapons 3, Firearms 1, Impact Weapons 2, Archery 2, Portuguese 1, Tupi 1.

When the player characters arrive at the hut, Tomé is sitting on his porch, playing with dice while his old dog watches him. When Tomé sees Trindade, who has learnt almost everything from him, approaching he will rise, suspecting that something very bad is about to happen. Tomé will embrace Trindade and his brother José, if any of the players has chosen this character to play. If the group decides to invite Thomas to help with their adventure, an intermediate Persuasion feat would be enough to convince him.

3. The Casa da Curva: this inn and liquor store belongs to Mrs. Esméria Silveira, a resident of the region for the past few years. Dona Esméria is not well regarded by some members of the community due to her eternally bitter mood, but everyone agrees that her food is delicious. In addition, several drinks are available, made by Esméria herself and her assistant, Dona Anita, an African woman with an easy smile and very skilled hands. There are also two rooms available for travellers who earn the trust of Dona Esméria. Wagging tongues of the ton say that Dona Esméria was very wealthy and lived in the city of São Sebastião de Rio de Janeiro. At the time of her husband’s death, a lawyer forged certain documents and stole everything. With what little was left, Esméria escaped to where the lawyer couldn’t’ find her, because she feared for her life.

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4. Santo Antônio Store: the store belongs to Antônio Gomes, an elderly man with shrewd eyes. Antônio sells a little of everything and the player characters may be lucky enough to find basic items they seek (1 in 6 chance), if they have time to look. The items cost twice the reference prices listed in the core rules of The Elephant & Macaw Banner Roleplaying Game. When he was young, Antônio Gomes made a fortune by transporting goods to the interior of the captaincy, but, with age, he settled in the region of Santo Antônio, believing that it is a good omen to have the same name as the saint for whom the village was named. He is one of the most respected men in the locality, be it for his age, or for the way he keeps himself informed about everything that goes on, without meddling in anyone’s life, and helping whenever possible. If asked about the attack, Antônio Gomes says that he always suspected that there was something up with Father Cláudio, who usually goes to São Francisco only to have ‘conversations’ with Father Amaro, although he never specifically explains the subjects discussed.

5. House of Antônio Gomes: Antônio Gomes’ house faces the centre of the village, next to his store. It is the best-kept house in the area, and can even be described as ‘comfortable’. Antônio lives with his wife Maria and his oldest daughter, Antônia, who once almost became a nun. The people of the village, from time to time, wonder why Antônia abandoned the idea of becoming a nun. Since then, she has lived with her parents in Santo Antônio, helping her mother in the house and occasionally working in the store alongside her father.

6. Tailor: the local tailor’s shop is also the home of Brites de Paredes, a young woman who first learned the trade from her grandmother and then

from her mother, both of whom have since died. Life has not been easy for Brites, who besides being an only child has no close relations. Because of this, she dedicates herself tirelessly to her work. Brites is a reserved person, filling her life with effort and work. She is able to provide any kind tailoring service, including leather work. If the player characters talk to Miss Brites, she will say that Father Cláudio has always been a good person. She has no idea why the attack on the town occurred, and will avoid saying any more than that

7. Guard Post: the local guard post has a slightly larger garrison than that of São Francisco. Because it is located further inland and is considered more vulnerable to attacks by wild creatures, the village has five soldiers. They live a life very similar to that of the soldiers at São Francisco. Some of them can usually be found at the Casa da Curva, or the Santo Antônio store, to sip on a drink and ‘observe the comings and goings’ in the vicinity, while others patrol the village. The men of the local guard are inexperienced, considering the approaching invasion, but they are courageous.

GUARDS - Physical attacks: Firearms 1 (harquebus - damage 3), Blade Weapons 2 (sword - damage 2), Endurance: 10, Passive Defence: 1 (doublet), Active Defence: 3.

The village has other basic services: people raise animals and butcher them for local consumption; small farms produce sugar and alcoholic spirits. The mediator should feel free to elaborate further and use the blank spaces in Santo Antônio freely, adding new stories and characters to enrich the village and create more adventures for the players. The characters can chat with anyone they want in the village, but the most important meeting will be with Father Cláudio de Moraes. He is

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ADVENTURE IN THE CAPTAINCY: THE RESTORATION OF FRANCE ANTARCTIQUE!

very sad to learn of his friend’s death. When asked about the relic, he says the following,

Many years ago, the first Europeans arrived in Brazil and made contact with the indigenous people. One people learned from the other. Europeans learnt about the culture and legends of the natives, and learnt their mysteries ... and discovered their most hidden secrets. They found in the legends what the natives feared the most: powers that were too big, that should be kept hidden forever.

4. The village of Angoera was burnt to ashes many years ago. The legends say that this village was destined to keep the Heart, but the inhabitants tried to use its power and were cursed by Anhangá. Because of their greed, they can never leave the village, and they are kept in a state of undeath to this day; 5. With or without the map, he believes the French will end up finding the Heart. They have excellent trackers and shaman allies among the Tamoio who can communicate with the spirits. The map is simply the shortest path. So he recommends that you find the Heart first and find a way to destroy it.

One of these legends reached the ears of the French: Woodsfather, one of the Ibimonguira, or ‘those who make the land tremble’, as the natives say. It is a creature of unimaginable size, so powerful that it was feared by some peoples and adored by others. The natives call the relic ‘Woodsfather’s Heart’. Woodsfather has been asleep for many years, but if the French want to wake him up, it can only mean the destruction of our entire Captaincy and everyone we know here. If you want to save your loved ones, you need to find the Heart before they do.

Trindade knows where the village is and offers to take the group there. Father Cláudio refuses to accompany them because he is ‘too old for this kind of thing’, but he offers his services as a priest. First of all, Trindade asks Father Cláudio to bless his weapons, saying that ‘on the path we are going to take, we will need it’. Each player must choose one of their character’s weapons to be blessed, and the mediator must make a Bless +1 check in each case (the priest has Blessing level 2). After blessing the weapons, Father Cláudio can also heal those who need it.

The priest can provide other information: 1. He and Father Amaro heard the legend six months ago, from a French prisoner, and began to research it out of curiosity;

The village of Angoera is northeast of Santo Antônio and north of the village of Guaraçu. The journey to the village may be dangerous, as the hours are passing and the characters will arrive at the cursed place early in the evening. Once again, Trindade’s knowledge will help the characters to travel quickly, arriving before the forced march of the French.

2. They discovered the whereabouts of a map that can take them to the Heart, but the map is in the village of Angoera, a cursed and very dangerous place. So the priests never went after it; 3. Father Amaro knew the location of the map, and must have told the French: it’s the only explanation for why he was killed. They must be on their way to the village, and it is imperative to get there before them;

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PART 5: THE GHOST VILLAGE The characters arrive at the aldeia of Angoera just before midnight. When the characters arrive at the village, it is already night. Flittering fireflies illuminate wooden stakes embedded in the ground, perhaps the remains of buildings that once belonged to a thriving tribe. Suddenly, torches light around the village, shining with an intense blue flame, presaging the appearance of a strange figure: a very old man, who walks slowly towards the characters. When he approaches, you realise that you can see through his body. A shiver runs down everyone’s spine when the stranger yells at them in Tupi: ‘Get out of here! Out of here! The power of the Heart is ours!’

The mediator must make an intermediate Folklore test for the character with the highest skill level. If successful, the character recognizes the figure as an Old Sorcerer. The characters will have a round in which to act. If they ask about the map, the Old Sorcerer says it is “safe with me”. Regardless of the characters’ actions, in the next round the Old Sorcerer summons the Zombies, which are the bodies of the deceased members of his tribe, cursed for believing that they could master the powerful relic that they had sworn to protect. Zombies start to emerge from the ground, grabbing the characters’ feet and attacking them. For the Zombies’ statistics, see page 36. The blue torches around the village shine brighter and the Zombies appear under the feet of the characters - one Zombie for each character in the group (including Trindade and guards, if any). Grabbing ankles and scratching at legs, the Zombies get +1 on their first attack. When the first wave of Zombies is defeated, a new group appears. If the characters try to attack the Old Sorcerer, they find that their blows pass through his translucent body.

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When defeated, he babbles some words in Tupi while he resumes his normal form: an elderly

Note: No matter how much the characters fight, there will always be more zombies. They will spend ammo, energy points, and certainly time. The creatures will only stop when the characters run away or extinguish the blue torches. There are 12 torches that must be extinguished, and then the Zombies just drop dead. If the participants take a LONG time to notice the flickering flame that always changes when new Zombies appear, ask them to do an intermediate Folklore test to notice this detail.

shaman with long white hair, now at peace. The characters notice a small leather pouch around the wizard’s waist. Inside the pouch is the map that leads to the Cave of the Elements. After taking the map, the Zombies’ bodies return to their proper form, that of ancient Tamoio warriors. The players may think of burying them as a form of respect (if they do that, they deserve an extra learning points each). When they begin the process of burying the bodies of the warriors and the shaman,

If the characters take too long to resolve the torch issue, a group of 10 Frenchmen will arrive. They are also attacked by the undead, one for each soldier, and at the same time a new group of Zombies appears to attack the player characters. If this happens, the players have options: they can escape and wait to see what happens to the French, or keep trying to get the map before them. If they flee, the French manage to extinguish the torches, kill the remaining Zombies and defeat the Old Sorcerer (see below). They retrieve the map, leaving only two soldiers behind, with half Endurance. In this case, the characters should not have much difficulty in attacking them to recover the map. What they don’t know, however, is that a much larger French group is already on the trail of the grotto..

they hear gunfire and shouting. It is a second group from the French expedition, arriving very soon. Trindade must guide the characters to escape, otherwise they will have to face the 10 French soldiers. If the group takes the Frenchmen on, either during or after the Zombie battle, it is clear that this is a smaller group, without the presence of the leader they saw during the attack on São Francisco. If the player characters try to destroy the map, they discover that it was drawn on a Kalobo skin, and cannot be burned or destroyed.

PART 6: THE CAVE OF THE ELEMENTS

When the torches go out, the characters will notice that the Old Sorcerer’s body becomes opaque, assuming physical form. By defeating the remaining Zombies, no more new waves of them appear, and the Old Sorcerer attempts to defeat the characters with magic.

OLD SORCERER: Size: H, Movement: 3, Endurance: 10, Passive Defence: 0, Active Defence: 0, Skills: Breath 3, Harm: 3, Death: 2.

After a long walk through the jungle, the characters reach the Frio River again. This river takes the characters to the lake that forms at the foot of the Mãgará Falls. The cold waters of this waterfall give the Frio River its name (‘frio’ being ‘cold’), and also hide the entrance to Cave of the Elements, a place that houses Woodsfather’s Heart. On the way up the river, the player character will be on its right bank and, when they see the waterfall, an easy Climbing feat will reveal that the left side is better for climbing, because it is full of useful foot- and handholds.. The group must find a way to reach the entrance without taking too many risks, as a fall would

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be serious indeed. Initially, at least one of the char-

although it is easy to see because of the light that en-

acters must climb the waterfall with an intermediate

ters from beyond the waterfall. The area is wet and

Climbing feat. Any failure means a fall and 2 damage.

full of slime, which makes it very slippery. The first to

Upon reaching the top, this lead climber must help

arrive can help others with a rope, either by tying it to

others to climb up. Using a rope to help climb, secur-

a stone or simply standing up while the other charac-

ing each other, or tying your hammocks or using vines

ters cross the slippery floor. .

found in the forest, ensuring at least at little security, are some of the alternatives. If any player has a good idea that ensures gets through the climb to the cave mouth safely, reward their character with 1 additional learning point.

Although the place seems abandoned, if someone decides to examine the area, an easy Tracking feat will show that the place shows signs of recent movement, although it is not possible to specify who or what. A difficult feat will find enough clues to indi-

When the characters go up the side of the waterfall, they can see the entrance to the Cave of the Elements.

cate that many people have passed by, both coming and going.

2. The Staircase of the Wind A wide cave mouth opens behind the veil of water at Mãgará Falls. As if created by a powerful force that removed all the stones to create a perfect hiding place, this could not be seen from any other angle, unless the waterfall were ever to dry up.

The same marks painted on the wall in the previous area are also present here, a narrow corridor that has two staircases, one after the other, that lead to a dark room on the upper floor. An incessant echo of wind whistles through the cracks in the stone.

Upon entering the mouth of the cave, the characters arrive in the first area with the spray from the waterfall falling on their backs.

The wind affects the hearing of the characters as if spirits are calling them. If they don’t have a torch, the characters can barely see in the gloom.

1. The Cave Entrance

They must climb one step at a time, tripping over the rocks, groping in the dark and supporting themselves with their hands to reach the top of the stairs.

Behind the waterfall is a large cave, where you can see many symbols marked on the walls and in the corridor ahead, all of which are indecipherable. Somewhere in here is where the Heart of Woodsfather lies waiting.

At this point, the mediator makes an intermediate Traps check to the three characters furthest ahead, if they have this skill. A successful test means the characters to identify a strange panel on the floor and can warn others to avoid it. If no one passes the test, the trap is triggered when the first unsuspecting

The symbols are engraved on the wall and filled with a kind of paint. No one can interpret them, written thousands of years ago by some long-lost people of the region. This first area requires great care,

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person stumbles onto the panel, which serves as a trigger, and an avalanche of stones hits the first three characters in line, causing 3, 2 and 1 damage, respectively.

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3. Large Column

This area contains a great stone column, decorated with a pile of skulls set around its base, either as a tribute or as a warning to fools who have come this far.

There is a small shaft of light here that partially illuminates the interior of this chamber. The path on the right leads to room 4, while the path on the left leads to a new corridor that will take the characters to room 5. If someone examines the floor again, an easy Tracking feat will find marks coming and going on the left side, while on the right-hand side there is no sign of movement.

In the first round, the Skeletons attack before the characters, surprising them by emerging from the baskets with sudden violence. Impact weapons deal

4. Room of the Dead This narrow chamber contains a large collection of woven baskets in very poor condition, covered at the top with small lids made of the same material. There are seven baskets around the room and placed against the walls of the cave at irregular intervals.

normal damage against these creatures, while piercing or cutting weapons deal only half damage (with a minimum 1 damage on any successful hit). At the conclusion of the fight, the characters can investigate the place more carefully. All the skeletons’ weapons and items are in poor condition. But, if the characters investigate the baskets, they find a spear with a stone tip in perfect condition (enchanted weapon, +2 on Throwing Weapons and Polearms tests) and an enchanted necklace made with red



If the characters get closer, they perceive that

beads, increasing the wearer’s Passive Defence by +1.

the baskets are mouldy and ruined. At some point in the past they were beautiful, decorated to serve as funerary baskets, holding the remains of people now

5. The Fountain Room

long forgotten in the cave. Today, however, as they

Just before reaching this room, one can hear the soothing sound of running water filling the air. This area contains an opening through which water flows out, forming a natural fountain, carved out through centuries of erosion. Illuminated by beams of light that enter through the cracks in the ceiling, this is a natural source of the purest water.

get closer, the characters can see bones through the wide splits in the baskets. If a character opens one of the baskets, they all burst, causing no harm except for surprise. Then, seven Skeletons armed with spears emerge to fight the interlopers who woke them from their eternal sleep. For details on Skeleton statistics, see page 29.

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Anyone who drinks the water from this fountain will automatically be healed of 3 damage points. If any of the characters have died and are immersed in that source, they will receive the effects of the Ward Off Death power. It is the fountain that has the healing power, rather than the water itself. If the water is stored in a flask or other vessel, it loses its healing ability when taken away from

construction, although natural, is impressively built. On the other side of the huge space, what could be interpreted as a stone altar holds a large vat filled with water and slime. At the foot of the altar lies a vaguely human figure, but much taller and hairier than any normal person.

its source. The characters have no way of knowing (un-

6. The Sun and the Moon

less they used very specific magic in advance), but the French arrived earlier. Their Tamoio allies used the

This area has most of its ceiling open to the sky

powers of their shamans to find the cave’s location,

above the characters. A number of slender vines hang down the walls, and there are also several stone blocks protruding from the walls here.

and also warned that another group was coming. After killing the Guardian of the Heart (the Kaipor lying on the ground), some of the French took the powerful artefact and others stayed to stage an ambush.

The characters cannot climb these vines be-

If the characters go directly to the altar, they

cause they are too thin to take a person’s weight. At

will discover that the figure is a dead Kaipor, with a

the end of this area, a corridor leads northwest. This

large spear fallen beside it. At this moment, the French

area is large, but contains nothing of particular note.

emerge from behind the columns, surrounding the

The mediator may add some more danger in this area

characters with 20 soldiers armed with harquebuses

if the characters are in good enough condition, just to

and blocking off the entrance. If the characters first

make things a little more entertaining.

examine the perimeter of the area, the French will appear on both sides immediately. Their leader is Lieutenant Montesquieu (page 69).

7. Final Corridor

FRENCH SOLDIERS - Physical attacks: Firearms 2 (harquebus - damage 2), Blade Weapons 1 (sworddamage 2), Endurance: 10, Passive Defence: 1 (armour doublet), Active Defence: 2

This corridor has small stones carefully embedded in the wall, in addition to the same marks as seen at the entrance to the cave. A fresh breeze passes through here, very different from the heavy and hot air of the preceding areas of the cave.

Either way, the French seize the initiative by firing 20 harquebus shots at the group. After seeing

There are two sets of a few steps each, in a corridor of approximately 9 varas. At the far end is a large space of more than 12 by 12 varas in size.

the results of that volley, the group can respond by trying to escape, talking or fighting. If they are surrounded, escaping through the entrance will be more difficult, as it is blocked by five soldiers. In case of con-

8. Heart Sanctuary

versation, Lieutenant Montesquieu orders his men to hold off on their attack. The characters can question

Large stone columns support the colossal roof over the characters’ heads. The entire

the Lieutenant about the Heart. The Lieutenant will

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answer with pride about how the Tamoio shamans

French in the event of a battle), the characters dis-

brought them to this cave, and how Woodsfather’s

cover that the boy is a Sacy: in fact, he is none other

Heart is now safely with their captain. He will also

than Sacy-Perey. As the group enter the corridor, he

reveal how he knew that this strange group, that is,

places a bomb with its fuse lit on the door and says

the characters, would pose a problem, since he saw

with a maniacal laugh, ‘I suggest you run!’ Jumping

them in the town of São Francisco. Thanks to the sha-

on his single leg with extreme agility, he soon passes

mans, they also knew of that the group was coming to

the characters and the bomb explodes with a massive

the cave, so they left twenty soldiers behind to lie in

boom and plumes of smoke. Splinters of rock every-

wait. The Lieutenant will try to get the characters to

where scrape the characters’ skin and the last three

drop their weapons, in order to capture and eliminate

in line take 1 damage each. The corridor collapses

them without losing any more soldiers.

around them.

If the player characters opt for battle, after the first round, some of the French put down their

PART 7: THE KINGDOM OF CLEAR WATERS

firearms while the rest reload. The Lieutenant’s plan is to send half the troops into hand-to-hand combat, while the other half continue firing. He will stay with the shooters, taking advantage of his expertise with firearms and his two exceptional pistols. Before the next round starts, however, something strange happens.

The characters run without looking through the tunnel as rocks fall down around and on their heads due to the explosion. When they reach the end of the corridor, apparently safe, they reach a wide plateau that is the top of the Mãgará waterfall. Now the

If the group stayed in the chamber by choice

characters are able to see their saviour better: a skin-

or because the entrance was blocked, or if they

ny black boy apparently not even an adolescent yet,

dropped their weapons, a stone moves at the bottom

wearing a red cap and old ragged trousers. He has just

of the cave, and an African boy’s face peeks out. The

one leg. This is Saci-Perey, who throws himself on the

boy calls to the player characters, ‘This way, you fools!

floor, laughing out loud at the player characters and

Quick!’ The French ignore the boy, focusing their at-

their dishevelled state.

tention on the threat posed by the group. The characters will have to decide whether to fight or flee. If they continue to fight another round, the boy shouts: ‘The Heart is no longer here! Come with me if you want to live.’ Regardless, although it will be difficult for the characters to defeat all the French soldiers, fighting is still an option. (Note: if the characters have chosen to surrender, the boy appears immediately, calling: ‘Run away, it’s a trick!’).

‘You should have seen your faces! BOOOOOOOOOOOM! HAHAHAHAHA! I bet at least one of you peed themselves!’ All of a sudden stands up and the tone of his voice changes completely: ‘Let’s go now. We have a long way to go, and the fact that the French have already got the Heart of Woodsfather does not make things any easier.’

If the group has not been surrounded and has fled back through the entrance, the soldiers run after them and the boy opens a secret door in the wall of

Saci-Perey does not stop walking and doesn’t

room 6, calling the characters to escape in the same

give the characters much time to think. If someone

way.

stops, he insists, ‘We need to hurry, we don’t have Following the boy (or having defeated all the

time!’ and continues on his way. The Trindade broth-

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ADVENTURE IN THE CAPTAINCY: THE RESTORATION OF FRANCE ANTARCTIQUE!

ers will feel very uncomfortable and will be the main targets of the Saci’s pranks, although nothing lethal! The characters may separate from the Saci, but they will not know how to find the French without his help.

me! Does anyone have a little tobacco for my pipe? I don’t know if you will like this, but you have no ideas to help yourselves, so my idea is better than no idea, right? So, I’m going to get you to where the others are. I just can’t go with you ...

As they walk, the characters may well have many questions for Saci-Perey. Here is a good time

If the characters insist on questioning him,

for the mediator to get in some roleplaying and, after

Saci-Perey eventually explains that the Mermaids

a fashion, exposition. Saci-Perey knows the situation

and Yara were sent by Tupã to protect the waters and

very well, but the characters will have to decipher the

that, following his plan will make things much easi-

ambiguous answers he gives. He will often abruptly

er. Just convince Yara and the Mermaids to help. He

change the subject in the middle of an answer, point-

himself cannot go, because the Sacis cannot enter the

ing out an animal or a cloud in the sky, for example.

place where the Mermaids and Yara are. If the char-

With insistence and patience, the characters can

acters want to know why, eventually he will confess

glean some important information:

that he just doesn’t like water very much.

If the group has not spoken with the French, Saci-Perey can explain how they

After a few hours of walking - and while the French reach their ship - Saci-Perey guides the char-

arrived ahead of the player characters and knew about the group’s approach prior to the ambush. He overheard these details while eavesdropping on the French party;

acters to a place where there is a large lake: a wide

Woodsfather’s Heart is a large piece of solid hardwood that looks like a larger than lifesize carving of a human heart. It is covered with moss on some parts of its surface. It is an incredible work of art to behold, and it emits a greenish glow when held by human hands;

phere in this place. The wind may be colder, the sky

natural formation, something like a reflecting pool, but naturally occurring on top of a highland. Tell the players that their characters feel a different atmosmore blue or they simply feel something they have never felt before. Saci-Perey laughs and warns that he cannot accompany the characters, but asks them to enter the lake, which, in fact, is an entrance to the Kingdom of Clear Waters, of which Yara is one of the queens.

He helped the characters because he knows that the French want to awaken Woodsfather, something that would be bad for everyone, including him. He had already spied on the characters and the French, and knows that the two groups have opposing goals.

When the characters enter the lake, the feeling is incredible: the waters are so clear that it is possible to see very far down; the water passes through and around them as if it were air, allowing them to breathe and be submerged indefinitely; furthermore, however broad the lake appears to be, beneath the surface it is much larger.

If they ask where Saci-Perey is taking the group, he answers:

They begin to swim and soon see twenty Mermaids armed with spears coming their way. If the characters try to escape, they realize that they cannot get out of the lake, as if the surface had gained some strange re-

– Don’t you trust me? I saved you! You want to disrupt the plans of others from there who want to take the land of others who came here, right? So, I have a plan! Hehehe. Now you have to believe

sistance, making it impossible for them to escape. If the characters go in the direction of the Mermaids, they will communicate with them telepathically in Tupi. Only characters fluent in Tupi can communicate with the Mer-

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maids. (For more information on Mermaids, consult the relevant entry in The Elephant & Macaw Banner Roleplay-

her throne. The Mermaids that accompany her gather around the throne, sitting as close as they can to the

ing Game rulebook)

queen. Yara says,

When the characters explain the reason they have come here, the Mermaids accompany them to the Palace of the Clear Waters. Sharks swim nearby without attacking, and entire schools of fish - large and small - pass by on all sides as the characters are escorted to the palace entrance.

‘You invade my kingdom, led here by a one-legged child and come to tell me that French invaders want to wake up Woodsfather? You will tell me this story properly. If it is a lie or some trickdreamt up by that insolent kid, you will pay dearly for such insolence!’

The Palace of the Clear Waters recalls the castles from childhood tales of chivalry, made from large blocks of cut stone, but adorned with marine motifs such as conchs and starfish. Unlike the human constructions of the surface world, where innumerable candles are required to illuminate such a place, here the walls are covered in a kind of algae that emits

use her Enchant 3 power (an easy feat for her in her

constant light of a deep greenish hue.

nothing but the truth and leave out nothing. Let the

Yara says she needs to check this story. She own realm) to bewitch one of the characters (a male one, if possible) to confirm all that the group has told her. When a character is bewitched, they will tell player speak freely about what their character has experienced in the past few days. At the end, Yara says:

The character are taken to the main hall of the palace. The hall is huge and even brighter than the other chambers. Scattered around the hall are countless treasures. There are wooden and brass chests, from ships that were wrecked off the coast nearby. Gold coins are scattered on the floor. Perhaps everything is just there to attract the attention of greedy adventurers. It is impossible not to notice that the mermaids watch the characters all the time. At the end of this large room is the monumental throne of Yara. Yara is an ancient Mermaid and a powerful sorceress. White-skinned, with European features, she has long, wavy red hair. Her deep green eyes stare gravely at the characters. Yara demands to know the reason for this invasion of her territory. The characters may follow Saci-Perey’s plan and relate everything that is happening. The arrival of the French and the attack on the Portuguese settlements are not of much interest to Yara, who knows what’s going on; she herself has seen French ships many times and knows three of them are anchored off the coast, not far from one of the exits from the Kingdom of Clear Waters. When the characters talk about Woodsfather’s Heart, however Yara sits up on

‘If Woodsfather returns, we all have a great deal to lose. I cannot allow that to happen. Mermaids have never fought in humans’ wars. We prefer, as a rule, to keep our distance and watch as you destroy yourselves, but now I see that we have no choice but to act. We will put a stop to this attempt by the French to take what is ours! ’

The Mermaids around Yara start to bring in her belongings: a huge golden spear, covered in delicate ornaments, is placed in her hands. Another Mermaid brings a net much like a fishing net, but smaller and made of precious metals. Yara sends for all the Mermaids to fight the invader who wants to summon Woodsfather. More and more Mermaids armed with spears arrive at the throne room. Yara goes to the characters and speaks: ‘There are three French vessels, with hundreds of soldiers on board. The largest is a warship, where leaders must be. I don’t know how long we can fight. We have to recover the Heart and escape as quickly as possible! ’

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At that moment, Yara and the Mermaids start

(see The Elephant & Macaw Banner Roleplaying Game

to head out from the palace. The player characters are

rulebook for more details), scaring the French and the

brought with this host, as they organize themselves

Tupinambá alike. In this monstrous form, she attacks

to set out against the French ships.

the French, who tumble into the water. None of them

After a short swim, Yara issues a mental com-

returns to the fight.

mand, warning the characters and the Mermaids that

The most urgent matter for the characters,

they are almost at their destination and it is time to

however, are the foe on the ship’s deck. There are still

go on the attack. The speed at which Mermaids swim

a few soldiers left, along with their enemy, Lieuten-

is impressive, enabling them to literally jump out of

ant Montesquieu (if he was not killed in a previous

the water, like dolphins and porpoises, closing in rap-

encounter) and the leader of the French expedition,

idly on the French ships.

Captain Arfa. The total number of Frenchmen must be equal to the number of people in the player characters’ group.

PART 8: THE BATTLE FOR THE HEART Before the characters reach the ships, they can already possible to hear and see the explosions of cannon fire. As they get closer, Trindade (if he is still alive) exclaims, ‘They came!’ The group sees dozens

FRENCH PIRATES Physical attacks: Firearms 2 (pistol - damage 2), harquebus (damage 3), Blade Weapons 1 (cutlass - damage 2), Endurance: 10, Passive Defence: 1 (armour doublet), Active Defence: 2

of Tupinambá warriors on small boats bravely facing the French. They are the warriors from the village of Guaraçu. Yara smiles and calls to the group, ‘This changes everything. With the Tupinambá, it is now a battle that we can win. Let’s put an end to these stubborn invaders for good!’. When the participants’ characters, carried

LIEUTENANT MONTESQUIEU Physical attacks: Firearms 3 (exceptional pistols +1 on tests, damage 2), Blade Weapons 2 (fine sword +1 on tests, damage 2), Endurance: 10, Passive Defence: 4 (normal helmet & enchanted armour doublet +3), Active Defence: 5

by the mermaids, approach the French vessels, one of the smaller ships turns its guns towards them. The mermaids manoeuvre out of the ship’s field of fire and split into three groups, each going after a different ship. Yara, at the front, uses her control over nature to launch a huge wave against the flagship, which throws many soldiers into the sea. ‘Now it’s your turn!’ she says, and uses a second wave to put the group on board the French flagship, the Dame de l’Océan. In an instant, the characters see everything around them. On all three ships, battle is joined between Tupinambá, Mermaids and Frenchmen. Yara turns into an aquatic monster similar to an Ipoper

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CAPTAIN ANTOINE ARFA Physical attacks: Firearms 2 (exceptional pistols +1 on tests, damage 2), Blade Weapons 3 (normal cutlass - damage 2), Throwing Weapons 2 (two exceptional daggers +1 on tests, damage 1), Endurance: 10, Passive Defence: 3 (normal armour doublet & exceptional helmet +2), Active Defence: 5

THE ELEPHANT & MACAW BANNER | ROLEPLAYING GAME

The group can exchange a few words with

the end, clinging to Woodsfather’s Heart, incredulous

the captain and the lieutenant, but both know that

that he might be defeated so close to his goal. When

the battle is at a critical stage and they soon attack.

his Endurance reaches zero, he falls to the ground,

After the first round of combat, one of the smaller

dropping the Heart on the ship’s deck. Everyone looks

ships is captured by the Tupinambá and Mermaids.

apprehensive as the ball rolls towards a small open-

In a few rounds, cannon balls fly in all directions as

ing in the rail that faces the sea.

captured ship turns the French.

If the characters take too long to catch the

Players may use their characters’ magical

Heart (no one spends their action to catch the Heart

powers to gain some advantage in combat. Charac-

during one round), as the relic is falling from the ship

ters like Makini or Fernão can try to throw the pirates

a figure appears out of nowhere and takes it in a small

out of the boat. Smart choices can speed up combat

black hand with long thin fingers. Saci -Perey appears

and make the experience much more fun than just

seasick, looking like someone who has been ill the

rolling dice.

whole trip, but anxiously observes the object in his

The mediator should encourage the players to make use of the skills available to them, or this battle may prove very difficult, as their enemies are all skilled with weapons. The pre-generated characters possess various useful skills, particularly Adetokumbo and Inaye, who can use their magical abilities to tilt the field of battle. By using the powers of Ifá, Adetokumbo can try to weaken or even drive off enemies. Inaye, with her defensive powers, can protect other characters.

hands. While everyone is watching, amazed, Saci-Perey tosses Woodsfather’s Heart into his cap and vanishes in a whirlwind, with his characteristic laugh.

Allow the combat to be much more exciting than just a bunch of dice rolls. Encourage the players to be tactical and creative. If things get too serious for the characters, remind them they may ask the Mermaids for help to Enchant one of the enemy.

When the smaller ships begin to exchange fire, there is a possibility that some will hit the Dame de l’Ocean. Roll 1d6 each round: a ‘1’ indicates that a shot hit the ship near where the characters are fighting, which may send splinters of wood flying everywhere that could hurt someone, or the shot may directly hit one of the French soldiers, causing immediate death. This will add even more drama to the final fight. Captain Arfa fights with all his strength to

However, if someone is quick and spends an action to get the Heart, they will finally have achieved their goal, and everyone turns to them. Saci-Perey appears suddenly (looking seasick) in the place where the Heart would have fallen, as if about to catch it. Screams and supplications, requests and orders fol-

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ADVENTURE IN THE CAPTAINCY: THE RESTORATION OF FRANCE ANTARCTIQUE!

low, in which everyone tries to convince the char-

it to us, and we will not fail as before!’ If

acter to hand over the Heart (the French, Yara, Sa-

the characters hand over the Heart to

ci-Perey and Tupinambá), and the characters will be

them, neither Yara nor Saci-Perey is par-

forced to make a decision:

ticularly happy, arguing that these people have abused the power of the Heart be-

Montesquieu, if he yet lives, tries to

fore, but they accept the decision.

bribe the characters and convince them

The characters may decide that the

to give him the Heart: ‘Join me, friends, and we will use Woodsfather’s Heart

Heart should stay with them (either to

to rule this whole colony!’ If they do

protect it or to try and destroy it). Hap-

choose this route, the characters will

py or not, everyone understands that if

certainly draw the ire of Yara and the

anyone has won the right to make that

Tupinambá warriors, and must fight

decision, it is the player characters.

them alongside the remaining French-

At the end of the battle, all the French ships

men. In addition, it is just another trick

are sinking. If the characters have allied themselves

on the part of the Lieutenant, who will

with Saci-Perey, he leaves them on the beach, where

try to kill them the first chance he has.

the characters can see all the chaos and destruction

If, on the other hand, he has already

in progress. If they choose to ally themselves with

been defeated, then the French will be

Yara, her Mermaids help to destroy the French flo-

without a leader, at the mercy of the

tilla and leave the characters on the beach. If they

characters and their allies.

have allied themselves with the Tupinambá (or de-

Yara orders the characters to hand over

cided to keep the Heart for themselves), the char-

the Heart to here: ‘Only in the Kingdom

acters can get into one of the Tupinambá warriors’

of Clear Waters will the Heart be safe.

boats; if Inaye or Iberey are with the group, their

We will keep it where no man will ever

countrymen welcome them with joy.

lay hands on it!’ The characters can hand over the Heart to her, who will help them to round up the last French-

CONCLUSION

men and return to the mainland. They will have an ally in Yara, but this antagonizes Saci-Perey, who flees in a whirl-

When the characters return to the mainland, they

wind, not happy with the decision.

will be on the same beach where it all started: near the town of São Francisco. Regardless of their de-

Saci-Perey asks them to give him the

cision, the character that is with them (Yara, Sa-

Heart: ‘I saved your lives before. You

ci-Perey or the Tupinambá party) congratulate

can trust me!’ He seems quite anxious,

them on their achievements:

although it is not possible to know why (nor will he reveal the reason). If the

You were brave. You fought well and helped

characters give him the Heart, Saci-Pe-

protect this land from disaster. Few people

rey whisks them away in a whirlwind,

would have had such courage. You should be

but they still hear Yara’s curses; they

proud of what you have done and of the de-

have gained an ally, but also a powerful

cisions that you made. Perhaps the powerful

foe.

people of this land will never know the danger they were in, but they are indebted to you!

The Tupinambá ask for the Heart: ‘It is

’

ours by right. Our gift, and our duty. Leave

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THE ELEPHANT & MACAW BANNER | ROLEPLAYING GAME

Heart, is there any way to undo the curse? What will the new ways to protect it look like? And is it really safe?

Soon, more people begin to arrive, alerted by the sounds of battle. It is now up to the characters to relate the facts, if they want to share their adventures with the local people. Thanks to their victory over the French ships, Fernão’s father, Manuel de Almeida, organizes a celebration in honour of the defence

In addition to the consequences related to

of the town and the end of the French presence in the

Woodsfather’s Heart, there are also other develop-

region.

ments to be taken into account:

During the festivities, some of the characters can hear a long, continuous whistle and others a laugh like that of the little Saci who helped them. Nobody sees Saci-Perey, but, coincidence or not, Fernão loses his wide-brimmed hat ...

Perhaps some of the French survived the attack. Perhaps they abandoned the ship before the battle. These Frenchmen may try to return to the Cabo Frio region to report what really happened on the mission to awaken Woodsfather;

DEVELOPMENTS

Inaye and Iberey’s village can be a valuable place of information on possible new adventures, mainly regarding the reasons that led to the punishment of the ghost village, where the map was found. Does this village still keep more secrets?

At the end of the adventure, the characters had to make an important decision regarding Woodsfather’s Heart. Whatever their choice, it can certainly have consequences in the near future: If the characters decided to keep the Heart, what kind of adventures (or dangers) await them? They may become targets for future conquerors, eager for the power of the jewel. Or is there a way

Tomé, the tracker and explorer who taught everything to Trindade, knows some legend about treasures in the region.

to destroy this artefact forever? Yara will not forget what happened, for better or for worse: if the adventurers gave her Woodsfather’s Heart, she may help them or offer more opportunities for adventures where the Mermaids have no way to go . Or could she change her mind and decide to use Woodsfather’s Heart for her own ends. Why did Saci-Perey want Woodsfather’s Heart so badly? Will he come back to torment the adventurers at some point? Will he ask for their help or launch them into imminent danger?

What do the priests who taught Makini have to say about the future now? New adventures? The mediator should grant 2 learning points at the end of each session, thus gradually increasing the skills of the characters throughout the adventure. Characters who survived to the end should earn another 1 to 4 learning points, depending on their actions and consequences. If the participants, for some reason or thanks to their creativity, manage to grab Woodsfather’s Heart, grant them an additional learning point.

If the Tupinambá start guarding the

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ADVENTURE IN THE CAPTAINCY: THE RESTORATION OF FRANCE ANTARCTIQUE!

IDEAS FOR MORE ADVENTURES IN THE ROYAL CAPTAINCY OF

3. Africans: The first groups of enslaved Africans shipped to Brazil came in the 16th century. This was also the time of the formation of the first settlements that sought

RIO DE JANEIRO Adventures are the epicentre of roleplaying

a life outside the commands and misdeeds of the plantation owners. Adventures in-

games. We all want to escape momentarily from our

volving Africans fighting for freedom can

world and throw ourselves into new ones, full of dan-

form part of many exciting stories, as well

gers and mysteries that would make anyone look for

as characters helping to free other charac-

the safety of their home. But after a few adventures, we sometimes run out of ideas for new challenges. The following list contains some topics that can be explored by the game’s mediator to create everything

ters or fighting to protect the free settlements known as quilombos. 4. Portuguese: The arrival of new Portuguese people is bound to stir up feelings in the

from quick adventures to full campaigns, connecting

city of São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro, as

different topics in a chain of events that will surprise

well as in the villages that are beginning to

players.

emerge due to the growth and concession of

1. Exploration: The territory of Brazil in 1576 is still little known. Secrets and mysteries are still protected by the difficulty of travel through the jungle. Characters may be invited to assist in scouting out areas yet unknown to the Royal Captaincy of Rio de Janeiro. Exploratory adventures are always likely to be well received, especially with the huge amount of fantastic creatures protecting the secrets of the forests and their treasures.

sesmarias. An important member of society might not like the presence of a new nobleman in the region at all, drawing the entire region into conflict and a state of constant tension. 5. War: Inter-tribal wars were a reality, but wars of allied tribes against a common enemy could also take place. Tamoio and French, Temiminó and Portuguese, are some of the alliances that historically happened in Rio de Janeiro in the 16th century, but nothing prevents other associations and

2. Indigenous people: Those who believe that all indigenous peoples lived peacefully among themselves are mistaken. The indigenous wars are an effective backdrop for many adventures. Since a number of indigenous tribes are semi-nomadic, that is, they spend a good part of their time in one place until they move, which generates conflicts as they enter the territory of another nation or tribe. Put adventurers in the middle of a conflict between Tamoio and Tupinambá, or between Goitacazes and Papanazes, engaged in the defence of their

conflicts from occurring as well. Indigenous tribes and African quilombo groups could have other groups as common enemies, for example. 6. Pirates: Piracy occurs all along the coastline of the Royal Captaincy of Rio de Janeiro. Raiders came with a desire for easy riches, no matter who was in front of them. French, English or Dutch pirates attack the coast in order to alienate the Portuguese and conquer new territories. Stories told around the bonfires of adventurers in various corners of Brazil say that sea creatures

territories or seeking the Pena de Aritana,

love to discover the riches and brilliant

a powerful magic item that could end the

gold loaded onto passing ships, whether of

conflict once and for all.

pirates or adventurers who travel along the

73

THE ELEPHANT & MACAW BANNER | ROLEPLAYING GAME

coast. Adventures in the grand style of classic pirate tales are a fine fit for The Elephant and Macaw Banner.

also exposed to tropical diseases that did not exist in Europe. Africans also suffered from the drastic changes of being forced to labour in the territory. Seeking the cure for an illness (or a curse) can be the focal point of an adventure.

7. Magical Items: Indigenous culture is rich in magical items or those enchanted by powerful shamans. Africans also brought, or produced magic objects in the captaincy’s lands, as well as Portuguese who possessed powerful items, capable of true miracles. These items often attract the attention of the powerful, greedy to get their hands on such artefacts.

12. Religion: Religious differences can be the central aspect of more complex adventures. In general, Christianity, through the Society of Jesus, played a major role in the process of catechizing both indigenous people and Africans brought to Brazil by force. Villages such as São Lourenço can be a place of tension if the people who live there do not wish to be converted. Struggling to maintain your faith and culture can be a powerful adventure to experience.

8. Creatures: Fantastic, powerful beings of all shapes and sizes exist throughout the captaincy. They may simply be hindering the creation of a new village, driving away settlers from an entire region, demanding taxes or playing with the lives of the many people who have invaded their domains. The Várzea region in particular is a focus for apparitions and other creatures. Player characters may be called upon to control the action of creatures in the region.

13. Captaincy vs Captaincy: What was called ‘conflicts between the Captaincies’ existed at times because of natural wealth that was found. Imagine that something very important or valuable was discovered in the vicinity of an unexplored site on the border between two captaincies. How would local politics respond? How would the powerful deal with the situation? What if other groups - a banner, an indigenous nation or a quilombo - joined forces to take over the region? The situation could become a powder keg. Rumours circulating in the south of the Royal Captaincy of Rio de Janeiro say that a large number of Spanish ships were seen at anchor, in support of the expansion of the Captaincy of São Vicente.

9. Mapping: Cosmographers and cartographers rarely risked their heads by travelling to colonial lands. They generally received information from explorers and only then made maps, gathering the information collected. Mapping a region can be the starting point for a new adventure in the captaincy’s lands. The interior of the captaincy is a special area that still needs a lot of mapping, which can generate money for adventurers, accompanied by a lot of danger, of course. 10. Curses: A group of settlers starts building a new settlement in a place where the cemetery of an indigenous tribe has existed for years. This location can be in any area that the mediator prefers. The spirits that are there just want peace and, until they get it, will make life difficult for the inhabitants of the region. 11. Healing: Europeans brought diseases that did not previously exist in Brazil. They were

74

APPENDIX: TIMELINE OF THE CAPTAINCY

1557 – André Thévet publishes his book The

1502 – Discovery of Guanabara Bay on January

Singularities of France Antarctique, after spending

1, 1502, on an expedition led by Gaspar Lemos.

a few months living in the Captaincy of Rio de Janeiro.

A few days later, on January 6, Dia de Reis, the same expedition arrives in the region that would

1558 – In October, Villegagnon returns to

be called Angra dos Reis.

France, leaving Bois-le-Comte in the government of France Antarctique.

1503 – Gonçalo Coelho’s expedition builds a

The Portuguese defeat the French at the Battle

trading post in the Guanabara Bay region. The

of Rio de Janeiro and burn down the newly built city of Henriville. The French, with the help of

outpost operates until around 1517.

their Tamoio allies, flee into the jungle.

1519 – The Guanabara Bay region is practically

1560 – Under the command of Mem de Sá, Por-

abandoned during the voyages of the navigator

tuguese, Tupinambá and Temiminó troops de-

Fernão de Magalhães.

feat the forces of Bois-le-Comte on March 15, 1560.

1532 – Martim Afonso de Souza repels the threat of French privateers on the coast of Brazil

1563 – The Jesuits Manuel da Nóbrega and José

and receives two land grants in the form of cap-

de Anchieta negotiate the ‘Armistice of Iperoig’,

taincies. The Captaincy of São Vicente encom-

hoping to end hostilities between the Portu-

passes the region of the future Royal Captaincy

guese and the Tamoio Confederation. The peace

of Rio de Janeiro.

does not last long.

1555 – Frenchman Nicolas Durand de Villegag-

1565 – After two years of war, the French are expelled from Guanabara Bay. Estácio de Sá

non takes advantage of the lack of Portuguese

founds the city of São Sebastião do Rio de Janei-

colonization in the region to establish France

ro and becomes the first Governor-General of

Antarctique in Guanabara Bay.

Rio de Janeiro. Beginning of demarcation of sesmarias in the Bandas d’Além.

1556 – The Tamoio ally with the Aimoré and Goitacazes, in what would later be called the Tamoio Confederation, to fight against Portuguese

1566 – Foundation of the village of Magepe-

colonization in the region.

Mirim, in the interior of Guanabara Bay. Cris-

Foundation of the French colony of Henriville,

tóvão de Barros, future Governor-General of the

at the mouth of the Carioca River.

Captaincy, will establish a sugar plantation here.

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THE ELEPHANT & MACAW BANNER | ROLEPLAYING GAME

1567 – Start of the transfer of the city to Morro

infected with smallpox near the Piraguá La-

do Descanso, ‘Mount Repose’ (later Castle Hill),

goon (now Rodrigo de Freitas), to exterminate

where Estácio de Sá orders the construction of

the natives inhabitants of the area.

the Church of São Sebastião and the São Se-

1575 – In the Cabo Frio War, Governor Salema

bastião do Castelo fort.

brings together an army of Portuguese, sup-

Estácio de Sá dies in February after being poi-

ported by catechized indigenous soldiers, to

soned in a conflict with the French and Tamoio.

attack the French and Tamoio on the northern

Mem de Sá becomes the second Governor-Gen-

coast of the captaincy. Thousands of natives

eral of the Captaincy.

are massacred or imprisoned, and the French are permanently expelled.

The Portuguse definitively extinguish the Tamoio and French presence in Guanabara Bay, devastating the strongholds of Uruçumirim and

1577 – Salvador Correia de Sá returns to serve

Paranapuã Island. Many Tamoio are massacred

as Governor-General of Rio de Janeiro, this time

or enslaved, while others flee with the French

until 1598.

survivors. These battles mark the permanent end of the Tamoio Confederation.

1579 – The edict for the creation of the town of São Barnabé (now Itaboraí) is promulgated.

1569 – Mem de Sá returns to Salvador, leaving his nephew Salvador Correia de Sá to administer Rio de Janeiro.

1580 – Iberian Union and Spanish rule over Portugal begins.

1570 – Cristóvão Monteiro, a participant in the

To encourage settlement in the Captaincy, a

expulsion of the Tamoio from Guanabara Bay in

number of sesmarias are granted.

1567, receives owenrship of an immense tract of land that will later become the Jesuit estate of Santa Cruz.

1583 – Whaling within Guanabara Bay becomes an important contributor to the city’s economy.

1572 – Cristóvão de Barros becomes the fourth

The first performance of the play Jesus na Festa

Governor-General of Rio de Janeiro.

de São Lourenço (‘Jesus at the Feast of Saint

New Portuguese settlements begin in the areas

Lawrence’), by José de Anchieta, takes place at

of Tijuca, Gávea and Laranjeiras.

the Church of São Lourenço dos Índios.

1573 – Arariboia receives land in Bandas d’Além for

1584 – The ‘Miraculous Fishing’ of Father (now

the creaton of the town of São Lourenço dos Índios.

Saint) José de Anchieta takes place on Maricá Lagoon. Under Father José’s direction, the catch was so abundant and varied that a beach

1574 – Antônio Salema becomes Gover-

full of people was almost too few to bring it

nor-General do Brasil (southern part), head-

ashore.

quartered in Rio de Janeiro. One of his government’s practices is to distribute clothes

76

APÊNDICE: A LINHA DO TEMPO DA CAPITANIA

1585 – Father José de Anchieta estimates that

1608 – Afonso de Albuquerque is named the

there are 150 Portuguese families (about 750

ninth Governor-General of Rio de Janeiro.

people) and 3,000 indigenous Christians in the

The Brazilian territory is again divided into

region of the city of Rio de Janeiro.

two general governorships, one north ruled from Bahia and the other south, based in Rio de Janeiro. This division lasts until 1612, when

1590 – O Monastery of São Bento is founded

Brazil is reunified, with a single capital in

on the hill named after its patron saint.

Salvador.

Construction begins on the Saco Plantation, in Piratininga, which produces food for the entire

1610 – Rua Direita is constructed to connect

region.

Castle Hill and Morro de São Bento.

A chapel dedicated to Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception (Nossa Senhora da Conceição)

1615 – Constantino de Menelau becomes the

is built on Morro da Conceição, giving its name.

tenth Governor-General of Rio de Janeiro. Menelau introduces the practice of using sugar as a currency in the captaincy.

1596 – Olivier van Noort makes an attempt at a Dutch invasion on the coast of the Bandas

To reduce piracy along the northern coastline,

d’Além.

Governor Menelau founds the town of Santa Helena, later called Nossa Senhora da Assunção de Cabo Frio (‘Our Lady of the Assumption of Cabo

1598 – Salvador Correia de Sá, now Superin-

Frio’).

tendent of Gold Mining, encourages the search

The poluation of the area areound Castle Hill

for gold and precious stones in the region.

reaches 12,000 souls.

1599 – After nearly 22 years in office, Salva-

1617 – Rui Vaz Pintobecomes the eleventh Gov-

dor Correia de Sá is replaced by Francisco de

ernor-General of Rio de Janeiro.

Mendonça e Vasconcelos, the seventh Governor-General of Rio de Janeiro.

1619 – Carmelite friars begin the construicion of the Carmo Convent.

1600 – As a new century begins, Tupi is sup-

The Captaincy of São Tomé is reclaimed and at-

planted by Portuguese as the predominant lan-

tached to the Captaincy of Rio de Janeiro.

guage spoken in the city of Rio de Janeiro. 1620 – Francisco Fajardo becomes the twelfth 1602 – Martim Correia de Sá is the eighth Gov-

Governor-General of Rio de Janeiro.

ernor-General of Rio de Janeiro and the first to be born in the captaincy itself.

1623 – Martim Correia de Sá becomes the thriteenth Governor-General of Rio de Janeiro

1603 – Construction of the Chapel of Nossa

for a second time. He remains in office until his

Senhora da Cabeça.

death in 1632.

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THE ELEPHANT & MACAW BANNER | ROLEPLAYING GAME

1627 – Martim de Sá grants sesmarias between the Macaé River and the mountains of the Rio Paríba do Sul river valley to powerful men of the region known as the ‘Seven Captains’. This area had been abandoned since the end of exploration there for brazilwood.

1642 – Duarte Correia Vasqueanes is named interim governor of Rio de Janeiro. in three turbulent years that follow, he is replaced by Luís Barbalho Bezerra in 1643 and Francisco de Souto-Maior in 1644, then returns to office in 1645, when Souto-Maior departs Rio de Janeiro to fight the Ditch in Angola.

1632 - Martim de Sá dies on the 10th of August, and is buried in the church of the Carmelite fri-

1648 – Returning for a second term, Salvador Correia de Sá e Benevides becomes the nineteenth Govenor-General of Rio de Janeiro.

ars. his replacement is Rodrigo de Miranda Henriques, fourteenth Governor-General of Rio de Janeiro.

Salvador Correia de Sá e Benevides raises an armada in Rio de Janeiro to take part in the reconquest of Angola against the Dutch. He sends much of his own money on the venture, and the people of the city contribute funds of some 60,000 cruzados.

1633 – The governor grants a sesmaria in Maricá to the Benedectines, who found the São Bento estate there two years later.

1634 – The parish of Nossa Senhora da Candelária

1649 – Sebastião de Brito Pereira becomes the twentieth Governor-General of Rio de Janeiro, when Salvador Correia de Sá e Benevides is named Governor of Angola, after the reconquest of that territory. Due to frail health, he soon passes the office on to Sebastião de Brito Pereira. Sebastião de Brito Pereira’s son João, two years old in 1649, later becomes a prominent Christian missionary and martyr in India, where he is known as Arul Anandar.

gros up around a small chapel to Our Lady of Candelária. The original chapel was built around 1610, the fulfuilment of a promise after a Spanish couple survived a powerful storm as they came to Rio de Janeiro aboard the ship Nossa Senhora da Candelária.

1635 – A small church is built at the top of the rock in honour of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, by Captain Baltazar de Abreu Cardoso, using African slave labour. This church would later receive the image of Nossa Senhora da Penha de França, giving rise to the district’s name of Penha.

1637 – Salvador Correia de Sá e Benevides, native of Lisbon, beoems the fifteenth Governor-General of Rio de Janeiro.

1640 – With the coronation of King João IV, the Iberian Union ends and Bragança dnasty begins. This marks the end of Spanish dominion in Brazil.

78

APPENDIX: BIBLIOGRAPHY BRAZILIAN CHRONICLES WRITTEN IN THE 16TH AND 17TH CENTURIES Del Priore, Mary. Festas e Utopias no Brasil

Caminha, Pero Vaz de. Carta a El-Rei D. Manuel.

Colonial.

Santa Maria, Frei Agostinho de. Santuário

Souza, Laura de Mello e. O Diabo na Terra de

Mariano e História das Imagens Milagrosas de Nossa

Santa Cruz.

Senhora. Anchieta, Padre José de. De gestis Mendi de Saa.

Souza, Laura de Mello e. Inferno Atlântico.

Lopes, Pero. Diário de Navegação da Expedição

D’Escragnolle-Taunay, Afonso. Monstros e Monstrengos do Brasil.

de Martim Afonso de Sousa (1530 - 1532).

Doria, Pedro. 1565 – Enquanto o Brasil Nascia.

Souza, Gabriel Soares de. Tratado Descritivo do Brasil em 1587. Gandavo, Pero de Magalhães. Tratado da terra

BOOKS ON BRAZILIAN FOLKLORE

do Brasil - História da Província Santa Cruz, a que

Alves, Maria José de Castro e Pereira, Maria

vulgarmente chamamos Brasil.

Antonieta. Lendas e Mitos do Brasil.

e Lima, José Inácio de Abreu. Compêndio de

Franchini, A. S. As 100 melhores lendas do

História do Brasil, v. 1.

Folclore Brasileiro. Cascudo, Luís da Câmara. Antologia do

BOOKS ON BRAZILIAN HISTORY AND

Folclore Brasileiro. (2 Volumes).

CULTURE OF THE ERA

Silva, Alberto da Costa e. Lendas do Índio

Lisboa, Balthazar da Silva. Annaes do Rio de

Brasileiro.

Janeiro (Volume 1).

Felipe, Carlos. O grande livro do Folclore.

Vainfas, Ronaldo. A Heresia dos Índios.

Yamã, Yaguarê. Wirapurus e Muirakitãs.

Vainfas, Ronaldo. Dicionário do Brasil Colonial

Magalhães, Couto de. O Selvagem.

(1500-1808).

Lobato, Monteiro. O Saci-Pererê: Resultado de

Abreu, Maurício de Almeida. Geografia História

um inquérito.

do Rio de Janeiro - 1502-1700 Volumes 1 e 2. Coaracy, Vivaldo. Memórias da cidade do Rio de Janeiro.

HISTORICAL FICTION SET BETWEEN

Coaracy, Vivaldo. O Rio de Janeiro no século

BETWEEN 1525 AND 1650

dezessete.

Guimarães, Vicente Pereira de Carvalho. Jerônimo Barbalho Bezerra.

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THE ELEPHANT & MACAW BANNER | ROLEPLAYING GAME

FILMS & DOCUMENTARIES

of Paraná, this game is focused on indigenous culture.

Anchieta, José do Brasil (film, 1977), dir. Paulo César Saraceni O Caçador de Esmeraldas (film, 1979), dir. Oswaldo de Oliveira Caramuru, a Invenção do Brasil (film, 2001), dir. Guel Arraes O Descobrimento do Brasil (film, 1936), dir. Humberto Mauro

Causos RPG (2017), created by Diego Bernard and Jorge Valpaços, based on the comics of Eberton Ferreira. Causos is not focused on the colonial period, but works with themes related to Brazilian folklore. Curumatara - De Volta à Floresta (gamebook) (2006), written by José Roberto Zanchetta and Maria do Carmo Zanini, it is perhaps the only gamebook that addresses the theme of Brazilian culture.

Desmundo (film, 2002), dir. Alain Fresnot Hans Staden (film, 1999), dir. Luís Alberto Pereira A Muralha (TV, 2000), created by Maria Adelaide Amaral

DIGITAL GAMES WITH BRAZILIAN CULTURAL THEMES Aritana e a Pena da Harpia – Duaik Entretenimento/PC/2014. Ponami – Jogos Aurora/Android/2017.

The Mission (film, 1986), dir. Roland Joffé Pindorama (film, 1970), dir. Arnaldo Jabor Raoni (documentary, 1978), dir. Jean-Pierre

ANALOGUE GAMES

Dutilleux & Luiz Carlos Saldanha República Guarani (film, 1981), dir. Sylvio Back Vermelho Brasil (film, 2012), dir. Sylvain

Jaraguá – by Sérgio Garcia. Still under development, card game (2018). Quissamã, Império dos Capoeiras,by de

Archambault

Ricardo Spinelli, board game (2015).

RPGS WITH BRAZILIAN THEMES

HONOURABLE MENTIONS Revista de História da Biblioteca Nacional

In addition to the games mentioned in the core rulebook of The Elephant & Macaw Banner RPG, we can recommend a number of other roleplaying games with related cultural or historical themes.

Revista do Instituto Histórico e Geográfico Brasileiro

Sertão Bravio (2014), by João Pedro Torres. Currently available as a pre-release version, using a Powered by the Apocalypse system. Lamento de Tupã (2014), developed by Silva Pacheco. Based on the CENA system, it can be found on the internet in a free version. Jaguareté - O Encontro (2013), developed by Fabio Marcolino, cultural producer at the Museum of Archeology and Ethnology at the Federal University

80

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This is certainly the most difficult part of the book. How to thank everyone properly is no simple task. First of all, I need to thank Christopher for the opportunity. I also need to highlight all the members of the Elephant & Macaw Banner group on Facebook, who have always supported this project. I would like to talk a little about the work of some people: Da Cas, Ernanda, Gabriel, Pedro, Renan, Robson, Úrsula and Victor, without your helping hands, this work would not have such masterful art! I must also thank Marcelo Cortez for the tips in the text, as well as the people at Devir (for their history in the RPG world alone, they already deserve our recognition and gratitude). I also want to thank my group of players who were the guinea pigs and travelled through the legends of colonial Brazil: Ricardo ‘Fernão’ Wagner, Elton ‘Adê’ Azeredo, Vitor, Paulo ‘James’ RN and Tite. Last but not least, Thais, Leonardo, Simone and Sueli, for all the support and support ever. This work is for little Sofia. Thank you.

LIST OF IMAGES Illustrations: Ernanda Souza - 31 Gabriel Rubio - 30 Guilherme Da Cas - Capa Pedro Krüger - abertura capítulo 1, abertura capítulo 4 Renan Ribeiro - 50 Robson Michel - 60, 64 Ursula “SulaMoon” Dourada - 4, 8, 14, 19, 20, 27, 28, 35, 38, 55 Victor Ferraz - 32, 70 Infographics and maps: Filipe Borin - 3, 10, 12, 21, 22, 48, 56, 62

81

CHARACTER SHEETS On the following pages are pre-filled character sheets for the ready-made PCs from the adventure in this book, as well as mini and full-size blank sheets, which can be copied and filled in for your own characters in the world of The Elephant and Macaw Banner. You can download these character sheets and other support materials at porcupinegames.com/EAMB

CHARACTER SHEET Age

Name

Physical condition

Characteristics 1

Endurance

2 3

Critical damage

History

Notes:

Defence

Skills Points to spend

Level 1 Apprentice Cost 1 Bonus +3

Level 2 Level 3 Practitioner Master Cost 3 Bonus +6

Cost 7 Bonus +9

Passive

Energy

Active

Money & gear

Weapons

Damage