Cabinet of Curiosities- Three Victorian Mcguffins to Drive Story

Not every adventure needs to be complicated. Sometimes all you need to drive story is a Mcguffin: a valuable item an interested party (or parties) is looking for. They can be stolen, hidden, bought, or lost, whatever makes the story possible.
An astonishing amount of plots from movies, books, and television are based on a Mcguffin, from Citizen Kane (Rosebud) to Raiders of the Lost Ark (the Ark of the Covenant).
If you are stuck for an idea, here are 3 Mcguffins. Just pick one, decide who had it, who wants it, and why.

The Prussian Plans to Invade France
In the Wake of the 7 Weeks War, the German Confederation was dying. Prussia had pulled the smaller northern nation states under its wing, leaving the south fractured. Seeking to further unify the German states into an empire, Chancellor Otto Von Bismarck schemed for a war with France.
He looked at plans for theoretical invasion of France developed by the much venerated Prussian Major-general Carl von Clausewitz. The plan had been updated and was revised as Bismarck waited for his War to start.
Spies might travel across western France searching for any intelligence that could be added to the invasion plans. If the French government ever found out they would kill for a chance to read it.  

Description
A large journal with hand drawn illustrations of the French countryside surrounded by a travelogue written in German. The descriptions and travel records conceal the invasion plan. Descriptions of an inn reveal troop placements, and an account of a cycling accident suggests a possible weak point.  

A Valuable Fern
In the 1850s fern collecting frenzy spread all over England. Dubbed Pteridomania, collectors potted wild ferns, bought exotic ferns from around the world, and even bought furnishings with fern motifs. A number of British ferns were almost completely removed from the wild due to their popularity as houseplants. Many fanciers kept their ferns in closed glass paneled Wardian cases (similar to modern terrariums) to keep the fern humid and protect them from pollution.
Several enthusiasts died looking for ferns on cliffs sides. A particularly rare and valuable fern could lead unscrupulous men to add more deaths to Pteridomania’s infamy, while others may believe it to be a weed in their ignorance.

Description
A small, exotic fern (taken from the Americas or Asia) planted in a three foot tall glass-paned Wardian case. The case’s intricately carved base has several small drawers. Surrounding the case is an open topped wooden crate filled with hay.

GM Note- This Mcguffin is nicely farcical if players are not sure what they are looking for. They sneak in, open the box, and see… unexciting ferns. Or better yet, they may have over looked their value and already disposed of the plot point by accident.

A Russian Icon
In the late Middle Ages Christians in the Russian Orthodox Church began painting small religious events on wooden panels called icons. Because these images were full of elaborate symbolic meaning, Icon craftsmen were very careful to copy old images accurately. They saw the creation of their Icons as reproducing the truth of the Gospel, not personal expression.
Some Icon’s are believed to simply appear by the will of God, known as Acheiropoieta (made without hands), and are reported to perform miracles.

Description
A 1 foot square wooden panel with no frame. One side of the wood has been painted with an image of a saint with a golden halo surrounded by 3 unidentified figures. The others side has two back slats running across the board to keep it from warping over time. A metal overlay covers the edges of the icon, but leaves the scene clearly visible.

GM Note- While the Aluminate Church is not the exact same as Christianity, I think there is plenty of wiggle room for sacred images to fit. Icons could feature images of Archons, the Eight Voices or Aluminate Saints. The possibility that an Icon may not have been made by human hands, also opens a number of doors into the spiritual world of Victoriana.  

Mcguffin Hooks
Rumor spreads through the rougher parts of town that a thief stumbled onto something very valuable. He bragged he had two very distinguished gentlemen, a lady, and a foreigner fighting over it in a bidding war. He died in the gutter last night. His valuable find has disappeared, and now two very distinguished gentlemen, a lady, and a foreigner are asking around.

Something interesting has been placed in a diplomat’s safe in the embassy of a foreign power. Someone is very interested in that safe’s contents

A parcel of mail has gone missing before it was delivered. A body matching the description of the man who mailed the package was found floating face down in the Thames. The Royal Mail must complete its job.

What is this crate that just showed up on my door step?

The Amateur Cracksman- Inspiration from the Raffles Stories

A great deal of inspiration for Victoriana can be found in the Holmes stories by Sr. Arthur Conan Doyle, but there is another series of stories written by Doyle’s brother in law, A. W. Hornung, that contains ideas and plots which are just as useful.While players may solve mysteries like Holmes, they will undoubtedly commit crimes like Raffles.

A.J. Raffles is cricketer and well connected society house-guest by day, but at night he is a brilliant and methodical burglar. His stories are chronicles by his partner in crime Bunny Manders. The two principle characters have the exact same dynamic as Sherlock and Watson. Bunny is not especially skilled but is reliable and always amazed by his partner abilities. Raffles is superhumanly perceptive and does not reveal how he pulled off his trick until the climax. Appropriately Hornung, dedicated the first Raffles book to Doyle.

Raffles inspiration:
Much as Sherlock explains his deducing methods to Watson, so does Raffles explain his criminal methods to Bunny. Obstacles, tools, security, locations, surveillance, and other minutia of a criminal enterprise are well described. Although the majority of the Rafffles stories are at best late Victorian if you’re playing a thief, or running a game with thieves these tricks of the trade might be useful.
Such as:
How to lie low in the house of an expert of criminology while he is away in Switzerland
Make a directional lantern by putting a candle in the crown of an upside down hat
Wear a sash of a silk rope with folded foot holds under a waistcoat
Taking a door off its hinges can be quicker than picking a lock
Escape plans are a must (horse, carriage, police uniforms, rented studio etc.)
If a job requires some funding, your fence may be willing to make a loan. This may make it more complicated.
If you think you're being followed, don’t turn around!
An iron spike topped fence is no match for a few Champagne corks
A small diamond, brown paper and some treacle will get you through a glass window
Wax warmed by the heat of your hand can take an impression from a palmed key.
In a tight spot, a very very specific wanted add in the Daily mail can covertly pull the party together

Possible Plots 
Many of the Raffles adventures can be cribbed for their basic plots. Here are the plots of a few of the stories written as story hooks:

A group of amateur sleuths try to trick a suspected crook into confessing at a dinner party, but they are not very good at it. Are the players the crooks or consulted to help?

A shady diamond millionaire returns to London and buys his way into a prestigious club. His libertine company and drunken thuggery, bring shame on his fellow members, but everyone is too frightened to confront him. He might be taught a lesson through the theft of his most bragged about possessions.

A criminal associate was smuggled into a bank vault, but his escape plan has fallen through. How can he be saved before he is discovered or runs out of air?

The son of an eccentric art collector stole one of his father’s paintings and sold it to his father’s rival. The buyer is not willing to return it, and the father wants to avoid a scandal. Maybe the players can help arbitrate a shady solution.

A lot of story mileage can be gotten in these stories. The four collections of original Raffles stories are available to read on Project Guttenberg.
The books are:
The Amateur Cracksman
Raffles: Further Adventures of the Amateur Cracksman
A Thief in the Night: A Book of Raffles' Adventures
Mr. Justice Raffles

More Portraits

I’ve added 5 portraits to the gallery. These figures should add a little more variety to the gentle ladies and gentlemen all ready illustrated. It’s difficult to find good portraits that are not dressed in their Sunday best, but I hope the bearded elf, the enlisted gnome, and the hobo ogre are a sign of what can be found with a little more digging.

Again, all these illustrations can be found in their original forms on these Flickr pages:

British Library

Internet Archive Book Images

Victoriana Monster- Fear Gorta the Hungry Man

Left destitute, homeless, and slowly dying from the Great Famine, countless Irishmen immigrated to the industrial centers of Great Britain, looking for work and food. They brought with them stories (or more than stories) of Fear Gorta, the Hungry Man. 

Fear Gorta is a boney Limbed, sunken eyed, and thin skinned emaciated specter that ask for food or funds from strangers. Dressed in rags, it looks like a man dying of starvation. It may knock on doors or ask for charity from people passing in the street. If it treated kindly it will bless the household with good fortune and prosperity, but if mistreated Fear Gorta brings hunger, pain or destruction. 

The Fear Gorta may also hold the secret for making Fear Gortach, the Hungry Grass. Any person walking across a patch of Fear Gortach will have a sudden sensation of ravenous hunger. They are not actually starving, but the sensation is so overpowering, victims may overeat to the point of death. The blades of hungry grass are crumbly and dry like old leaves, and patches of it are usually shaped like the silhouette of a man lying down.

What is the Fear Gorta? 

Here are three different explanations for the Fear Gorta. Each explanation shares the base attributes (Physical, Mental, etc) but has special rules that customize it’s abilities to match the back-story. 

All incarnations of Fear Gorta have the following special attack: 

Withering Blight 

The Fear Gorta makes an opposed Mental Competence roll against his targets Fortitude. If the Fear Gorta wins he reduces his opponents Fortitude, and his opponent must pass another Fortitude check to remain conscious. If his target wins the opposed roll, there is no effect.
The target of this attack will remain unconscious until their mouth is full of food, and their lost Fortitude will be restored by a large meal.

The Fear Gorta 

Physical: 8 Initiative: 6 

Mental: 7 Health: 16 

Social: 6 Quintessence: 36
 

The Fear Gorta is an ancient fey creature so fascinated by human need it masquerades as a beggar to experiment with generosity. It may make a simple request for a few pence or it may ask for enough food to feed eight people. Its desires may be capricious, but the rewards and judgments on its subjects are reliable (if unsubtle). 

Armor Value: 3 

Special Traits: Face Change, Fear, Life Drain, Wall-Crawler 

Complications: Fascination (generous and miserly behavior), Vulnerability ( Iron), 

Damage: 6

The Fear Gorta is a lesser demon of greed, and covetousness. It followed the hungers of the Irish to the cities and now it wallows in the needs and hatred of greedy men. If a man is kind to the Fear Gorta it blesses him with cursed prosperity leading to his inevitable corruption and greater need for more. If a man is rude to the Fear Gorta it takes what he has and leaves him with only his hunger. Rich or poor all feed the Fear Gorta’s desire to their inevitable destruction. 

Armor Value: 5 

Special Traits: Air of Festering Decay (Damaging Body), Fear, Insubstantial, Hand of Pestilence (Life Drain), 

Complications: Hunger (must cause prosperity or devastation to a person every Friday at least), Damage: 7

The Fear Gorta is the ghost of Irishmen that died of hunger in the great famine, pitifully fumbling for justice in the afterlife. They drift into the paths of those connected to their families to test their generosity, and try to provide anonymously for their loved ones. Their wrath for societies’ injustices is terrible, but their ability to recognize their targets is negligible. 

Armor Value: 0 

Special Traits: Ghost (cannot be killed, but can be put to rest), Fear, Insubstantial, Flight, Complications: Bound to the Welfare of its Loved Ones, 

Damage: 5

Potential Hooks 

Rumors have spread through the local taverns of mysterious deaths at a nearby mill. A number of local extortionists have been found dead, their bodies emaciated and filthy. All signs show that the men died of starvation, but witnesses state they looked healthy just the day before.

The Society for the Aid and Benefit of the Destitute, a charity led by a number of upper class ladies, crusades for cleaner safer streets, alms for the poor and to get rid of the Irish. They meet regularly in a private room at a very exclusive restaurant. Who replaced the garnish on their plates with Hungry grass?