Credits For Le 7ème Cercle Original Concept: Neko Line Developer and Art Direction: Neko Rules System: Florrent Original Writing: Neko, Antoine Bouet, Yanick Porchet, Thibault Daprement and Florrent Proofreaders: Antoine Bouet, Yanick Porchet, Gwenael Keck, Neko and Florrent Cover art: Antonio José Manzanedo Luis Interior Illustrations, Graphics and Maps: Jérôme Huguenin, Emile Dennis, Antoine Bouet, Florrent and Xavier Colette Original French Layout: Florrent Avalon is published by 7ème Cercle Sàrl, (Registered Trademark) ©2012 Le 7ème Cercle All rights reserved. 10, Rue d’Alexandre 64600 Anglet www.7emecercle.com For Cubicle 7 Line Developer: Andrew Peregrine Creative Director: Dominic McDowall-Thomas Art Director: Jon Hodgson Managing Editor: Andrew Kenrick Additional Writing by: Andrew Peregrine Edited by: David Moore Sample file Layout by: Tom Hutchings Translated by: Claire Mehegan Special thanks Neko and Florrent, the lorekeepers of Avalon To better capture the feel of post-Roman Britain, Keltia uses Before Christ (BC) and Anno Domini (AD) in dating instead of Before Common Era (BCE) and Common Era (CE). Avalon (English Language Edition) © 2014 Cubicle 7 Entertainment Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Cubicle 7 Entertainment Limited,. Cubicle 7 Entertainment Limited is a UK Registered Company (Reg. No. 6036414). ISBN 978-0-85744-261-1 No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, carved into the side of a mountain, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner. 2 Avalon Contents Introduction . 4 An Irish Ballad . 62 Avalon or Ynys Affalon ....................... 4 Introduction ............................... 62 Kêr Is, the Village Swallowed by the Sea ......... 5 Welcome to Caer Cynghanedd! .......................... 63 The Other World . 7 On the Trail of the Saxons .................... 65 The Enchanted Isles .......................... 7 Pursuit to the Coast ......................... 66 Annwyn, the Kingdom of the Departed ......... 8 NPCs and Extras ........................... 67 Gwynn ap Nudd ............................ 8 Aspects of the Other World .................. 10 The Witch of Brin-Ryth . 69 The Nature of the People of the Wind .......... 12 Introduction ............................... 69 Powers .................................... 15 The Oncoming Storm ....................... 70 The Ancients ............................... 19 Journey to Brin-Ryth ........................ 70 Audience with Olwedd ...................... 71 Avalon . 22 Tower of the Witch .......................... 72 The Sacred Heart of the Summer Country ...... 22 Right Hand of the Hag ....................... 73 Spells of Avalon: Advanced Magic ............ 26 Riding the Storm ........................... 73 The Pearl of Manawyddan . 31 The Sacred Sword . 75 The Land Facing the Sea ..................... 31 Avalon .................................... 75 Staying in Kêr Is ............................ 36 Kêr Is, the Pearl of Ar y Mor .................. 87 The Return to Avalon ........................ 90 Creatures and Monsters . 43 New Monster Traits ......................... 47 Index . 92 Relics . Sample48 file Village of the Beast . 50 Introduction ............................... 50 A Hard-earned Rest ........................ 51 A Cry in the Night .......................... 55 The Hunt for the Beast ...................... 57 Back to the Village .......................... 59 Epilogue ................................... 59 NPCs and Extras ............................ 61 3 Introduction “Celtia, at the crossroads of the peoples of the North and the South, Avalon or Ynys Affalon on the borders of the old world and the new, at the frontier of the earth and the sea, at the limits of the visible world and the invisible world.” – Alan Stivell, Délivrance The legends regarding Avalon are confused, and their origins long-distant. The etymology (Ynys Affalon/ We have been in the habit, since Yggdrasill, of Affalach means ‘Isle of Apples’ in Welsh) suggests that it discussing in our introductions the reference points was surely one of the Celts’ Fortunate Isles, a land where and key facts (historical or otherwise) we’ve used. This fruit is abundant, linking the legends with the visit of is to point you to our preferred sources so you might the Dead to the Hesperides, the islands of golden apples use them as additional sources of ideas. You may or in Greek myth. Other islands with apple trees exist near may not wish to use them. Those whoSample find this of no fileYnys Prydein, besides, also sacred to the Celts. interest may pass by these pages and use only what we have wrought from these sources; after all, this is Origins a game, not a historical treatise. But we hope thus to satisfy those who love legends and who wish to seek Before the 12th century, there is no trace of the island. The Isle out the original sources. of Man and the Isle of Arran are both called by the Irish Emain Ablach, “Island where the apples grow”. These are islands with The Isle of Avalon appears to be entirely linked a strong druidic influence, but nothing seems to link them to Arthur and his legend, since he is supposed to with Arthur or any other war chieftain of the same era. sleep there, surrounded by priestesses, awaiting his triumphal return, which will usher in a new golden It was Geoffrey of Monmouth who first linked the age. We will give that due consideration. It is possible legendary island to his tale of the Round Table by adding that the choice of Ys – or Kêr Is in the Breton language Morgane, an enchantress surrounded by her eight sisters, – may seem stranger to our readers; yet the first tales who welcome the dying King Arthur to the Isle of Avalon. of the village swallowed by the ocean do not come from Brittany but from Wales, land of the original Later, she will be thought of as a healer, then as the King Arthur. They are thus perfectly legitimate in King’s sister, opposed to Camelot and to Guinevere Keltia. This will also allow our adventurers to have a (her incestuous relationship with Arthur appears only little break in the city, if they have had their fill of the in the 18th century Vulgate). English countryside. Avalon is thus clearly an island, a fortunate island, and a 4 sacred island, if not an island of the Other World. Perhaps Introduction an island where reside members of the Tlywyth Teg, an we decided to keep Glastonbury – Ynys Wydrin – not as island where the dead, having rejoined their loved ones, Avalon itself, but as a portal to the Other World, to the celebrate while awaiting reincarnation, if they desire it. legendary isle lost in the mists (and later associated with It is an island that blesses its inhabitants with eternal Gwynn ap Nudd, our King of the People of the Wind and happiness, accessible only in the sleep of death. of the dead). As Keltia remains a roleplaying game we decided to choose the legends that were both historical Location and interesting, but also verified by archaeologists. But where is this island to be found? In most of the Welsh Kêr Is, the Village and Irish legends, these marvellous islands are found far way to the West, where the Irish gods, the Tuatha de Danann, Swallowed by the Sea retired. Since the de Danann left, the islands can be reached only after death. In Wales, it is possible to follow a pretty faerie creature or to lose oneself in the mists and arrive by chance on these shores. There are many legends of villages that were flooded Traditionally, Avalon is associated with Glastonbury and its or otherwise destroyed (sometimes by divine anger). Tor. In fact, this originated with Giraud de Barri’s (Gerald From Pavlopetri off the Peloponnese peninsula of of Wales) report in 1190 of how the monks of Glastonbury Greece, the biblical Gomorrah (its name means ‘below uncovered the tomb of Arthur and Guinevere after the the waters’ or ‘submerged’) to Thera, ancient Santorini, accidental destruction of the monastery by fire. The which was surely Plato’s Atlantis. Mythic tales are full of supposed discovery (a famous case of pseudo-archaeology) mysterious, historic or fantastical cities. made it possible to refill their coffers and rebuild the monastery by bringing anew an influx of pilgrims. The Probable Origins of Ys This manipulation was upheld by Kings Henry II and “Seithenhin, awaken and come out, Edward I, who were anxious to see Arthur, a messiah for look at the fury of the sea.” the Welsh independence movement, dead and buried. – The Black Book of Carmarthen, Welsh texts However, the location of Glastonbury Tor remains of Samplesome file interest. In the distant past the Tor (hill) was an island, and We know that there were three waves of Briton the surrounding plains of Somerset were submerged by emigration from Cornwall and from the north of waters and marshes. It was thus necessary to travel there Wales. The first is linked to the presence of soldiers from by barge. Archaeologists have discovered the remains of Britain in the Roman Rebel Army of Macsen Wledig constructions dating to the Dark Ages, and non-Christian (although recent discoveries suggest that he did not tombs. Remains of banquets could indicate that there were land in Britain at all, but at the mouth of the Rhine), pagan celebrations and sacrifices at the top of this hill. who settled after his death in Llydaw (Armorica) There were plenty of apple trees, which could explain the among the remaining Welsh Romans. The second link with the legendary Ynys Affalach. wave was composed of nobles of the Britanno-Roman aristocracy, perfectly integrated with the agreement of As for the myth regarding the coming of Joseph of the Franks and the Church of Gaul. The third postdates Arimathea (or even Jesus Christ himself), this dates the Arthurian saga and is thus not relevant to Keltia. to the 12th century (and the famous thorn bush to the We will not consider here the fantastical allegations of 16th), and has nothing to do with the Christianisation Geoffroy of Monmouth, long historically discredited. of Great Britain.