Théah is the fictional world created for the 7th Sea tabletop roleplaying game and

collectible card game A collectible card game (CCG), also called a trading card game (TCG) among other names, is a type of card game that mixes strategy game, strategic deck building elements with features of trading cards. The genre was introduced with ''Magic: The G ...

, created by

John Wick ''John Wick'' is an American media franchise created by Derek Kolstad. It centers on a neo-noir action thriller film series featuring titular character portrayed by Keanu Reeves. Wick is a legendary hitman who is reluctantly drawn back int ...

and Jennifer Wick. It is based on an alternate version of

early modern Europe Early modern Europe, also referred to as the post-medieval period, is the period of European history between the end of the Middle Ages and the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, roughly the mid 15th century to the late 18th century. Histori ...

with nations matching different periods and legends. There is also an undercurrent of

secret societies A secret society is an organization about which the activities, events, inner functioning, or membership are concealed. The society may or may not attempt to conceal its existence. The term usually excludes covert groups, such as intelligence a ...

based on real world and fictional sources. The 7th Sea role-playing game is centered on the swashbuckling genre.

Nations of Théah

; Avalon : The England of Théah is based equally on

Elizabethan England The Elizabethan era is the epoch in the Tudor period of the history of England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558–1603). Historians often depict it as the golden age in English history. The Roman symbol of Britannia (a female per ...

and the

Arthurian According to legends, King Arthur (; ; ; ) was a king of Britain. He is a folk hero and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain. In Welsh sources, Arthur is portrayed as a leader of the post-Ro ...

legends. Queen Elaine rules the Three Kingdoms (Avalon, Innismore, and the Highland Marches) from the mystical city of Carleon using the symbol of the Graal to represent her unified rule. ; Castille : The Spain of Théah is the stronghold of the Vaticine church (more

Gnostic Gnosticism (from Ancient Greek: , romanized: ''gnōstikós'', Koine Greek: �nostiˈkos 'having knowledge') is a collection of religious ideas and systems that coalesced in the late 1st century AD among early Christian sects. These diverse g ...

than

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

) where the masked El Vago fights the injustice of the

Inquisition The Inquisition was a Catholic Inquisitorial system#History, judicial procedure where the Ecclesiastical court, ecclesiastical judges could initiate, investigate and try cases in their jurisdiction. Popularly it became the name for various med ...

. ; Eisen : The Seven Kingdoms of Théah's equivalent to the various nation-states that would become Germany were once united into a

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

but now lie war-torn and divided after a religious-based civil war equivalent to the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...

. ; Montaigne : The France of Théah was home to the decadent empire of the glorious Sun King Leon Alexandre du Montaigne but now having gone through the throes of a bloody French Revolution is the first republic in Théah. ; Ussura : The icy parable of Russia lies on the brink of modernisation and the transition from the iron grip of the Gaius (like

Ivan the Terrible Ivan IV Vasilyevich (; – ), commonly known as Ivan the Terrible,; ; monastic name: Jonah. was Grand Prince of Moscow, Grand Prince of Moscow and all Russia from 1533 to 1547, and the first Tsar of all Russia, Tsar and Grand Prince of all R ...

) to the reformation of

Catherine the Great Catherine II. (born Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst; 2 May 172917 November 1796), most commonly known as Catherine the Great, was the reigning empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796. She came to power after overthrowing her husband, Peter I ...

. ; Vendel : The Dutch and Scandinavian cultures are in schism between the merchant Guilds and the ancient warrior traditions of the Vestenmannavnjar (

Viking Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9� ...

s). ; Vodacce : The Italian

city-state A city-state is an independent sovereign city which serves as the center of political, economic, and cultural life over its contiguous territory. They have existed in many parts of the world throughout history, including cities such as Rome, ...

s are represented by the fracture and fractious islands of the scheming Merchant Princes all following the tenets of

The Great Game The Great Game was a rivalry between the 19th-century British and Russian empires over influence in Central Asia, primarily in Afghanistan, Persia, and Tibet. The two colonial empires used military interventions and diplomatic negotiations t ...

. ; Cathay : Théah's parallel to China and the

Orient The Orient is a term referring to the East in relation to Europe, traditionally comprising anything belonging to the Eastern world. It is the antonym of the term ''Occident'', which refers to the Western world. In English, it is largely a meto ...

is separated from the rest of the world by the mysterious Wall of Fire. ; Crescent Empire : Sand,

scimitar A scimitar ( or ) is a single-edged sword with a convex curved blade of about 75 to 90 cm (30 to 36 inches) associated with Middle Eastern, South Asian, or North African cultures. A European term, ''scimitar'' does not refer to one specific swor ...

s and other archetypal Middle Eastern fare.

Secret societies

; The Knights of the Rose & Cross : A mixture of the

Knights Templar The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon, mainly known as the Knights Templar, was a Military order (religious society), military order of the Catholic Church, Catholic faith, and one of the most important military ord ...

with the

Rosicrucians Rosicrucianism () is a spirituality, spiritual and cultural movement that arose in early modern Europe in the early 17th century after the publication of several texts announcing to the world a new Western esotericism, esoteric order. Rosicruc ...

and a touch of the Masons, they try to inspire the populace with their heroic deeds. ; Die Kreuzritter : The Black Crosses are the successors to the

Teutonic Knights The Teutonic Order is a Catholic religious institution founded as a military society in Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem was formed to aid Christians on their pilgrimages to t ...

who fought in the

Crusades The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and at times directed by the Papacy during the Middle Ages. The most prominent of these were the campaigns to the Holy Land aimed at reclaiming Jerusalem and its surrounding t ...

and now fight a shadowy war against an alien threat. ; Explorer's Society : The archaeologists and explorers of Théah are for any budding "

Indiana Jones ''Indiana Jones'' is an American media franchise consisting of five films and a prequel television series, along with games, comics, and tie-in novels, that depicts the adventures of Indiana Jones (character), Dr. Henry Walton "Indiana" Jones, ...

" as they explore the ancient Syrneth cultures that predate mankind. ; Invisible College : Based on the real-world association of scholars that became the

Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...

, they work in secret due to the rise of the

. ; Los Vagos : The followers of El Vago (

Zorro Zorro ( or , Spanish for "fox") is a fictional character created in 1919 by American Pulp magazine, pulp writer Johnston McCulley, appearing in works set in the Pueblo de Los Ángeles in Alta California. He is typically portrayed as a dashin ...

) help to uphold justice and freedom in Castille under the persecution of the

; The Rilasciare : Seen as small collections of anarchists and troublemakers, the group is far older and more organised than anyone realises. ; Sophia's Daughters : Descendants of an ancient Sidhe bloodline, the group are secret guardians of Théah with powers of foresight and manipulation. ; Novus Ordum Mundi : The evil overlord club is a collection of some of the most villainous members of Théan society who have schemed and manipulated for many centuries. ; The Rye Grin : A new organization founded during the Montaigne Revolution trying to save innocents from the

guillotine A guillotine ( ) is an apparatus designed for effectively carrying out executions by Decapitation, beheading. The device consists of a tall, upright frame with a weighted and angled blade suspended at the top. The condemned person is secur ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Theah 7th Sea (role-playing game) Campaign settings Fantasy worlds