The Ashworth Chronicles, episode 4

 Episode 4: The Invisible City

Yemen, 1884. Lord Ulysses Ashworth leads an expedition through the Rub-al Khali desert, in search of the fabled City of Irem, the Atlantis of the Sands – unaware that he is walking into a trap designed to seal the fate of the Ashworth bloodline. A tale of illusions and whispers, of lost cities and broken dreams, featuring Arthur Rimbaud, cursed poet and historical enigma.

This episode mixed typical Haggardian (Haggardesque?) elements with an almost poetic take on the lore regarding the fabled lost city of Iram / Irem  of the Pillars; one of its most important elements was the elusive character of Arthur Rimbaud - a former poet prodigy turned into a strangely soulless merchant adventurer, completely unaware of his future literary glory. From a GMing perspective, he was a very tricky character to portray - the taciturn, world-weary shadow of the enfant terrible he once had been - a bit like a WoD Changeling overcome by Banality.

With Penelope's neutralization of this fourth Vishklar machination, her mortal family's timeline seems safe from further historical disruptions... or are the nefarious nightmare entities about to up their game?  Stay tuned for the final two episodes of our miniseries! 

The Ashworth Chronicles, episode 3

Episode 3: The Mirror and the Dark

The trail of yet another Vishklar interference takes Penelope and Titus to Henry VIII’s court, a few months after the execution of the King’s fifth wife. Tension, suspicion and ambition are running high in the corridors of Hampton Court Palace and false appearances reign supreme. To unmask her enemy, the Time Lady will have to navigate a maze of intrigue and deceit…

As its title may imply, this scenario had a very strong Wolf Hall vibe. Despite having an 'unearthly' element as its core (the Vishklars' interference with the Ashworth family history), it played out as an almost purely historical episode - with a lot of roleplaying and almost no dice rolls. The big resolution scene had Penelope facing Henry VIII, trying to (and succeeding in) opening his eyes to a few home truths - and it was one of these moments I'd be tempted to refer as "a roleplaying aria", with Sylvie-as-Penelope delivering a very moving, well-crafted (and yet completely improvised) speech that spoke to the monarch's heart and mind. I always try to make encounters with historical personages memorable, no matter how brief - and this one will surely rank among our campaign's "classic moments".

See you soon for our next episode!  

A New Year - and a New Beginning!

Hello everyone!

It's 2025 and Lady Penelope is back (in her 8th incarnation - think of Rebecca Hall in The Awakening is back for more adventures in Time and Space!

We actually started back in 2024 with an Xmas special - which provided me with the ideal starting point for the ensuing miniseries (see my previous post for more details about our new format).

2024 Xmas Special: The Impossible Ghost

What better time than Christmas Eve for a ghost story? Drawn by strange temporal echoes to the stately home of her human family on that unique night of  1924, Lady Penelope meets 11-years old Titus Ashworth II, her future adoptive grandfather – and currently a very lonely boy, haunted by an impossible but very real ghost. A tale of strange ties and new beginnings!

And then we proceeded with the first two episodes of... 

Lady Penelope: the Ashworth Chronicles

Episode 1: Family Trouble

Something is deliberately trying to alter the history of the Ashworth family! Embarking her adoptive grandfather Titus (a dashing aviator who went missing in action in 1941) as her new travelling companion, Lady Penelope rushes to investigate – arriving at Ashworth Manor in 1646, during the English Civil War, the time of a Roundheads, Cavaliers… and Witchfinders!

Episode 2: The Men Who Would be King

Penelope’s hunt for the Vishklar who try to derail the Ashworth family history take her and Titus to 1191 AD, during the Third Crusade, under the besieged walls of Acre. A tale of ambition and power, destiny and mythmaking, featuring various great personages, including Richard the Lionheart, two other kings and (of course) the founder of the Ashworth line!

(to be continued)

As can be gleamed from the above blurbs, the arch / main plotline of this 6-episode miniseries is directly tied to Penelope's adoptive human family and its rich history through the centuries... a history which is theatened by a crosstime conspiracy involving the Vishklar. For more details on those psychic menaces in Lady Penelope's Odyssey, see this previous post.

See you soon for episode 3... set in 1542, at the court of Henry VIII. Tudor troubleshooting, anyone?