A group of creative individuals got together and started a roleplaying game based on the Dungeons & Dragons/Pathfinder gaming system, set in the world of Terre d’Ange, complete with its own Longest Night Midwinter Masque. Join us in January to meet the players involved!
Dramatis Personae:
Odilia nό Dahlia – she is the figure who gives out missions to the party, also the Consort to the King and Sovereign Duchesse of Siovale. Born to a jeweller off Rue Courcel, Dahlia House raised her from nothing to an esteemed courtesan, and Gustav de la Courcel, then Crown Prince, elevated her to his Royal Consort and gifted her with the Duchy of Perigeux. There is no one that doesn’t know Odilia is the power behind the throne and the most powerful woman, if not person, in the country.
Eirini nό Gentian – a fully fledged courtesan of Gentian with aspirations to teach at the University of Occult Studies, has been having visions of danger lately. She has some healing ability and tries to take care of the rest of the party when she can.
Rosanna nό Valerian – the youngest in a huge Eisandine noble family but the first to make a career in Mont Nuit. With her marque recently completed she hopes to continue rising in the ranks of her house, being considered for Second. This is slightly complicated as it happens that she’s gone and fallen in love with a foreign prince. In assisting the party she uses her noble & Night Court statues to move in social circles others cannot to obtain vital information.
Joss Verreuil – the grandnephew of Josceline Verreuil. Follows in his uncle’s footsteps more than the rest of his family would hope. As the second son, he was sent away to the Cassillines at age 10 and grew up there. Through a series of misadventures was declared anathema. Currently working as a mercenary bodyguard for Lucas and the only responsible adult in the household. He aims to try to increase his family’s status more than it already has been and has a few…. Personal goals.
Lord Lucas Maignard – the last hope of a disgraced house. Through his shrewd and cunning plans, his family had been raised from being lowly chicken farmers back to noble status. Despite the stain on his house’s honor still present from Shahrizai machinations, Lucas carries himself with the pride befitting a man of a much higher station – a station he has his eyes set on. Makes a really good omelet.
Shelta of the Lautari – an exiled didikani with a penchant for endearing herself to those in power. Her many skills that have allowed her access to the highest and lowest levels of d’Angeline society. She has embraced her d’Angeline heritage and holds a respected position among the Tsingani within the City of Elua. But it is a all a means to an end, a quest for her mysterious d’Angeline mother.
Ansgar the Spear – a boisterous Skaldi warrior. He is currently employed by Lucas, and enjoys good food, strong drink, and interesting company.
Niklos Shahrizai – a scion of the noble Shahrizai family. Niklos is idle rich… he’s spent family money on attending the University in Tiberium and traveling to most of Terre d’Ange’s neighbors. He’s also a bit of a troublemaker, having been asked to leave the University due to his taking an interest in (and mastering a skill in) forgery. He enjoys playing the vapid lordling, but behind his icy blue eyes is a calculating mind and a person ready to move into the more serious political machinations that various members of his family have been known for.
Player Perspectives:
The Dungeon Master/Odilia nό Dahlia
I had never DMed a D&D campaign before I was asked to run this Kushiel game. I had played plenty of D&D and Pathfinder, I was familiar with the mechanics, and I’m an excellent storyteller so I agreed as a challenge, never expecting to get as wrapped up in this beautiful world as I did. I read the first trilogy and loved the vibrant, voracious, violent world that Jacqueline Carey created. The alternate history with the beautiful pantheons of gods that hadn’t been crushed by Christianity was to tantalizing, it was a breath of fresh air for what could have been, and a delightful fantasy to escape to. And suddenly my friends were asking me to take them through the next adventure in Terre d’Ange. I was scared. Would they like the story I told? Would what I created for them fit inside the Terre d’Ange that Jacqueline had created? Would I do Terre d’Ange justice?
Amid all of those questions, I remembered what D&D is all about – having fun. I had forgotten the most important thing about playing tabletop with friends – it didn’t need to be perfect so long as everyone had fun. And we have had so much fun over these months. Yes, real world gets in the way, and we can only get together for one session a month, but I look forward to that session every single time because I know we are crafting an adventure together that isn’t just what I want to do, but what we all collaborate on because it is our story as much as it is anyone else’s.
We have taken the beautiful, amazing foundation that Carey gave us in her books, found ourselves within the gorgeous tapestry she has woven, and carried it on ourselves, doing it justice in our own way, and never ever forgetting to have fun.
Even when some players decide to run off in the wrong direction, forget the stakes, and end up asking me why I burned the Temple of Naamah. I didn’t. You just weren’t there to stop the people who obviously did.
Eirini nό Gentian
The Terre d’Ange setting was a part of the game from the beginning. I heard from a friend that he was involved in a campaign based on the books, and when I told two of my friends, we were immediately in agreement that we should run a campaign in the realm ourselves. I think we all saw ourselves in the books in different ways, and getting the chance to explore that further was something we all jumped at.
For me, this game is a chance to explore some of what draws me in about this world. I love the idea of sex as something to be revered, something that can be a positive interaction that is profoundly meaningful even in casual encounters. I think connection with people is something that helps us learn more about ourselves and the world, and having a place where physical intimacy is valued as a human need, one that should be honored and expressed in whatever way seems fitting, is powerful.
I’m the Gentian Dowayne for the Masque, and a Gentian courtesan in our game. I love the mysticism of Gentian and the way it connects sexual energy with a sense of otherworldliness and self-knowledge. Sex is something both profoundly physical and profoundly spiritual, and roleplaying this character gives me the chance to imagine the way that understanding the importance of a sacred sexuality can change the world.
Rosanna nό Valerian
The Kushiel series were the first fantasy books in a long time that I just couldn’t put down, finishing one right after the other in a short period of time. I found myself drawn to not only the Night Court, but the various religious practices described therein. The holy precept in Terre d’Ange, love as thou wilt, was such a beautiful tenant that put words to many aspects of my own life. But getting to step into a character who lived by that creed, as well as taking it to a higher plane through deep seeded faith, that was a very tempting offer.
Like one of the other players, I am a Dowayne in the annual masque. My character, Rosanna nό Valerian, is devoted to her profession and her religion. Assignations to her are an act of devotion, her patrons being her own connection to the divine. In playing her, I have the chance to navigate a path which is new, challenging, and thought provoking. Valerian House provides a safe space to yield to desires many can’t or won’t understand, in progressing through the game I’ve been able to analyze and assess certain facets of my own inclinations. Such self-inspection so far has yielded positive results, and honestly I’ve felt more confident since starting the game.
Web links:
https://kushielscampaign.tumblr.com/
This is a tumblr page created for an English Lit project based on the game. It features several of our players discussing what their characters mean to them, and pictures of the game in progress.
https://adventuresinterredange.tumblr.com/
This page chronicles the adventures of the D&D characters. This page is updated with events from the game, background on the story, and updates from the Masque. It is a great way to follow along with the adventures as they unfold.