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Mythic Carpathia from Free League Publishing adds Central Europe to the expanding Vaesen tabletop roleplaying game universe.
The Vaesen corebook established a setting of Nordic horror, focusing on the conflicts of social change amid industrialization alongside vaesen, creatures from folklore such as fairies, trolls, and others that might not be known outside Northern Europe. Every land has its own unique mythology, and the regions around the Carpathian Mountains are a prime 19-century horror setting with its hosts of werewolves, vampires, manmade monsters, and far more.
The Society Grows
Vaesen introduced the “Society,” an organization of Thursday’s Children who are able to see creatures from folklore that can otherwise disguise themselves or even become invisible to mortal eyes. Mythic Carpathia adds a new chapter to the Society: the Pravda or “Truth” Society, based in Prague. While officially a recently registered organization dedicated to studying local history, the Pravda traces its roots to scholars in medieval times who advised rulers on the complex customs and supernatural dangers of the region, before declining during the brutal religious wars of the 15th to 17th centuries. With improving transportation technology bringing multitudes into the cities, the Pravda are rebuilding.
In addition to its setting, Mythic Carpathia adds new facilities upgrades and the Vampire Hunter archetype, giving players more ways to develop their characters as they explore a shadowy world.
New Creatures
The best part of Vaesen is its use of folkloric creatures in the mysteries, and Mythic Carpathia includes sixteen new vaesen to face the player characters. Players might recognize the best-known ones, such as the vampir and Golem. Some might also know the Slavic witch Baba Yaga, the half-vampire dhampir, or the child-stealing Babai (akin to Krampus).
Yet the region hosts even more creatures to intrigue: tooth-collecting khokha-yarokha; udilnytsia that can rob babies of good luck; zerkalytsia, a “dead person’s soul who was trapped in the mirror.” The game master leads players through collective storytelling to reveal the creatures with clues, all the while navigating the human drama around the mysteries.
New Missions
Mythic Carpathia includes three adventures, each distinct but allfilled with supernatural terrors. “A Treaty of Blood” explores a village deep in the mountains with a suspiciously isolated local ruler whose bloodline has looked very much the same for centuries. “The Gathering Storm” asks Society members to resolve a mysterious plague in a Ukrainian prison. And back in Prague, players see a twist on the famous clay creature in “The Secret of the Maharal.” As in all of the sample story suggestions throughout Vaesen, the supernatural is in conflict with human drama, giving each mystery at least two levels for players to decipher.
A Land Rich with Conflict
With so much going on in the lands around the Carpathian Mountains in the 19th century, Mythic Carpathia offers an endless stream of roleplaying. The book includes a brief but thorough explanation of regional history, showing how many different peoples have settled together in the valleys and plains. Given the time period, there is plenty of social upheaval to weave into stories, such as the expansion of Hungarian power with waves of nationalism and new connectedness with once-isolated groups that may have generational feuds.
Indeed, the vaesen may often take a back seat to the horrors humanity itself can cause.
