Vaesen: Spirits and Monsters of Mythic Ukraine is a fantastic, pay what you want, supplement for Vaesen that brings a wide range of Vaesen from Ukraine to the game. Illustrated by a selection of artists, it’s a good old fashioned bestiary. Each Vaesen has several plot hooks and ideas, and there’s a real range here. 

After meeting Tasha and Oleg from Idea Roll over at The Kraken, at Unconventional GMs we recorded a mystery based on one of the Vaesen from the book, and here’s my (largely unedited) prep notes to run the mystery. The recording is over on the channel here – it comes in at just over 2 hours of play, although it could easily be a 3-4 hour game with a bit less pushing and pace. Over on the channel we’re trying to demonstrate how much you can pack into 2 hours – at your own table you may want to luxuriate a bit.

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For more details on Vaesen, check out this guide to running one-shots with it, and The Haunted Mill, another mystery – one that could be an introductory scenario.

Introduction

Turiyka Village has a bright future – a new lumber mill, a new mayor, and an influx of money – and visitors – to the village. But the locals are restless. As one by one the young men and women leave for the bright lights of the city, fires have begun to start – and the mill-workers are locked out of the inn and forced to socialise by themselves. Even the church is barred to them. In desperation, Pavlo – the village’s erstwhile new mayor – writes to The Society, to see if they can rid whatever curse the village has over it for him.

The Vaesen: A Zharook fire-spirit currently residing in Borys the Innkeeper’s fire

Conflict 1: Following a spate of fires, Pavlo Stelmakh, the village’s new mayor, has been replacing the village’s old wood burning stoves with modern gas fires. He spoke about this in the inn one night, and many of the villagers were in favour of it, being so close to the woods. The Zharook overheard him, as they do, and so has been trying to undermine him and stop the plan – ironically by burning buildings down.

Conflict 2: Borys the Innkeeper’s wife Nina left him a year ago after to go to the city to seek work. Before going, she’d had a brief and regrettable affair with her sweetheart Eduard, which Borys knew nothing about. He has become morose and angry, and the inn has suffered as a result. He hears the Zharook repeat the gossip of the men around the inn at night, and so has begun extracting a revenge – sometimes with the Zharook’s aid.

Misdeed: A series of minor fires has broken out in the village, including one which Mayor Pavlo only barely escaped. The mayor has established a watch, which proves unpopular, and an alarm in the centre of the village, and is certain there is an arsonist among the people.

The Location: Turiyka Village is a small settlement that subsists from agriculture and selling wood from the nearby forest. The establishment of a new lumber mill, powered by the efficient waterfalls, and its subsequent success has led Mayor Pavlo, owner of the mill, to now be elected Mayor. It is a village of two parts – with the new lumber workers contrasting with the old villagers who are less keen on Mayor Pavlo’s new ideas. It is summer, and flies buzz around in the thick, close evenings.

The PCs will be accommodated in Mayor Pavlo’s barn, which he is seeking to convert into a mill. The local inn is unwelcoming of strangers, he says, and the landlord is suspicious and mean.

Central Clues:

• You overhear Pavlo talking to “three old men”  (the Zharook’s three heads) in the inn’s central room
• The fire at the inn never goes out during the day, and reforms before anyone seems to be up and awake
• Any way to destroy Mayor Pavlo will get the Zharook’s attention, and it is very vengeful so could be tricked
• The Zharook is the key to the inn – with its watery beer and poor food – being still successful

Peripheral Clues:

• Borys’ wife was having an affair with Eduard, an accountant in the lumber mill
• The creature was cared for by Nina as she built the Inn up
• Pavlo plans to open a new inn, and is building one

Places:

• Inn – Nina’s room still kept as it was
• Lumber Mill
• Major Pavlo’s House – and the under-construction inn alongside it
• Eduard’s house

Confrontation

• The PCs attempt to extinguish the fire, while Borys and the Zharook fight them. They could also relocate the Zharook to another base – such as the new inn

Countdown

• Wary of strangers, the Zharook tries to burn down the room the players are staying in.
• The Zharook and Borys convince a group of angry loggers to go with them to sabotage the mill, and chase out any of the strangers – a fire breaks out, obviously, and Borys, disturbed by Eduard, axes him to death
• Nina returns and visits Borys. After a difficult conversation, Borys kills her and burns down her body

Catastrophe: The Zharook finally runs amok, burning down all the houses of the newcomers while Borys and his friends murder all the in-comers.

Borys

Physique 4, Precision 3, Logic 2, Empathy 1, Toughness – P 3 / M 2

Close Combat 4, Force 2, Agility 2, Vigilance 2, Observation 2

Axe – +1 dice, Damage 2

Borys’ friends

Physique 3, Precision 2, Logic 1, Empathy 1, Toughness – P 2 / M 1

Close Combat 2, Force 2, Agility 2

Hammers – +1 dice, Damage 1

Opening

Introduce Vaesen – and safety tools – lines & veils, X card etc

Introduce PCs and players – what do we see you doing back at your Castle

Letter:

My dearest associates,

I must entreat your assistance with my latest business endeavor. The lumber industry in Turiyka Village is booming – and I am determined to make the village success as well! The local villagers, however, have taken against me. The innkeeper bars my men from his inn, and refuses to let them even drink there! The men of the village refuse to talk to my workers, and those that were in my employ have resigned.

But worse is to come. A series of sudden fires have occurred, always at night, and always in the houses of my men. The authorities have marked them as accidents, since there are never any footprints or signs of ingress, but my new houses are built with safe oil stoves. I know that you entertain strange notions of creatures and myth, but to be honest I’m sure it’s the locals – but with my men barred from even talking to them, I need forthright assistance from yourselves to investigate and stop the fires!

Yours,

Pavlo Morozov

Preparations & Journey

Turiyka Village is a lengthy journey, and the final day must be by stage coach. As we rattle along the old roads, flashback to describe your Advantage you have narrated

Arrival

You arrive at dusk, and Pavlo comes out to meet you – you see curtains twitching and men loafing around watching. There’s a church, a few houses, of basic construction, and an inn, from whence spills a warm glow and the sound of laughter.

Pavlo greets them, and tells them things have got worse

• Another two fires, and a house burned down – you can see it on the edge of the wood. My men now talk of beasts and the village being cursed.
• I have set up a patrol each night – to prevent the fires – but the villagers refuse to go
• You must stay in his barn – where you shiver and sleep on hay mattresses

The Patrol – you join three tired, grumpy looking men, who walk around the village slowly and awkwardly, until a shout goes up – a fire has started – just as you move around PETRO, YAKIV and ADAM

VIGILANCE there are other shapes moving in the night – but as you give chase you cannot track them – maybe they fled into the woods?

The fire is one of the new houses, barely finished, and the man – Panas – is on patrol. His wife, Larysa, is struggling to get a window open. Panas runs in, fearless, into the burning building

LEARNING this fire started very suddenly – it can only have been some sort of sabotage or attempt. Even a man starting it would have to have carried chemicals or oil.

AGILITY can climb up to the window, and FORCE can get it open. INSPIRATION could be used to draw water from the well – which will, eventually, extinguish the fire, and a terrified Larysa can be rescued. 

If questioned, she heard men’s voices below, at least three of them – but there are no signs of the fire.

IN THE MORNING

The Church

• Father Oleksi, a broad ruddy-faced man who pretends to be friendly but hates Pavlo and his men
• Observation he seems much more irritated with their presence than he should be
• He talks ominously of beasts in the wood, and that the lumber mill is cursed – it’s brought nothing but trouble

The Inn (open)

• Manipulation will be needed to get Borys to even entertain them.
• The fire is warm though and the beer is good
• When they sit, the men around them are silent, refusing to talk.
• As they sit, they feel compelled to gossip – roll the Zharook’s MAGIC of 10 vs OBSERVATION / VIGILANCE / LOGIC, or compelled to tell a rumour to the villagers
• If they stay too long, the fire gutters, and they’ll be asked to leave – again, MAGIC may be rolled, or they may suffer an Enchantment – FEAR 1 as the room spins and bucks
• The inn is immaculate still

The Inn (break in)

• FORCE or STEALTH
• Can overhear (at night) three old men gossiping in the main room – they stop if anyone enters – OBSERVATION to hear them talking about the men from the mill, saying something must be done
• Can find woman’s clothes – evidence of Borys’ wife – and love letters scattered about.
• The inn is immaculate still apart from the evidence of his wife

The Woods

• The woods is a wild goose chase, but they will be stalked by a man from the village if they go
• VIGILANCE to note no tracks, no evidence

The Scene of the Fire

• LEARNING there is no evidence of an accelerant, unusual for it to burn so fast
• MANIPULATION to learn that Eduard lived here, an accountant at the mill, but he barely escaped.

Asking Around the Village

• Borys, the innkeeper, hasn’t been the same since his wife fled to the city – if pressed (MANIPULATION) they’ll say there were rumours of an affair with an accountant, Eduard, at the mill. Soon after that was when the mill workers were barred from the pub

ESCALATION

• FIRE!
• FORCE to escape – will suffer 1 Damage each round until they can actively evade
• If escape, see men running into the forest – can give chase to see them circle back into the village

Research

LEARNING

1. The only thing that could start these fires is a ZHAROOK, a fire spirit, normally a sign of a healthy well-kept hearth. To destroy it the fire it is in must be extinguished forever, or it carried to another hearth
2. It’s a three-headed spirit that can encourage gossip – and twist men’s hearts, and cause people to see things wrongly
3. It is a terribly vengeful spirit, and will attack if wronged

CONFRONTATION

With the Zharook and Borys (and possibly his friends)- likely to have to fight/transport the Vaesen to a new fire (the church?) while Borys attempts to stop them.