From reading about it to playing in it

When I first read about the peregrinations in the Selva Lugana of the cursed pirates guided by 'la Baronessa', I immediately knew I wanted to play a game in that world, which - coincidentally - was also an opportunity for me to play a game in my world, my home.

Fascinated by the sense of wonder that I experienced from getting to know the story of la Baronessa, I wanted to ensure that my character, Bastiano, could also feel it.

Any playing character in Selva Lugana, therefore, starts by being familiar with one of the countless bedtime stories, child poems, little songs, sayings and proverbs that tell the story of the cursed sailing spirits and their chief.

 

– ∞ –

Time seems to stretch endlessly since we entered the Selva Lugana, and the memories of joyous evenings spent sipping wine at the Osteria now linger as a distant and muted echo. Little did we know that the tipsy tales we shared held a deeper truth, far beyond our comprehension.

– ∞ –

Between Venezia and Brixia, on the shores of the lake,
A band of rogues and pirates did their plundering partake.

Led by a woman of beauty rare, fierce as the tempest's might
Master of weapons, merciless, a true rare sight. 

They hailed her ‘Baronessa’, a title she had earned
born of noble blood or jest, a truth yet to be discerned.

Enemy of Brixia and of Venice too,
She rivaled two captains, who were rivals too

For once they allied and trapped the crew,
With the help of Peschiera, the traitors, who knew?

But the rebel pirate queen refused to be ensnared,
In the face of certain death, struck a pact that few had dared.

Her soul went to the wind in a plea for aid,
And from the lake a dense fog rose, by the wind laid.

Sent by the wind, the mist veiled the pirates' sight,
Allowing them to escape, to vanish into night.

Sailed down to Lugana, their ship they set ablaze,
Disappearing into the forest, forever lost in haze.

But the Suér demands its due, a price that must be paid,
Condemned the soulless crew to crawl the Selva Lugana, or so it is said.

In the reed bed of the lake, their presence still remains,
The tale of Baronessa and crew, bound in spectral chains.
– ∞ –

In my game, I have taken some liberties with the narrative: I replaced the notion of the devil cursing the pirates with one of the winds being responsible for their curse.

Worldbuilding for nostalgia

I live in a country, Ireland, that is not mine. Here summer is just a word. I originally come from lake Garda, however, where I miss celebrating summer. Pushed by nostalgia/need-for-mental-relief, I picked up a book written by a lake local writer, about local lake folklore.

Author : ‎ Carlo Scattolini

Title : ‎ Storie e leggende di fantasmi attorno al lago di Garda

Publisher : ‎ Jago Edizioni (4 Dec. 2020)

Language ‏: ‎ Italian

Paperback ‏: ‎ 85 pages

ISBN-10 ‏: ‎ 8889593083

ISBN-13 ‏: ‎ 978-8889593080

 

Note: I am in no way affiliated with the publisher, the writer, or the book; I just happened to find a story that I loved in it. 

 

Between glasses of wine and chit-chat with the locals, the author explores various legends, tales and myths that developed organically within the ecosystem of towns of the coast of lake Garda. The lake and its surrounding area have been always theater of interesting events.

One tale in particular piqued my interest, since it's from a place that exists at a 10 minutes moped drive from where I used to live.

I loved this tale so much that I decided to build a game, Selva Lugana, for myself so that I could feel home, somehow.
I include below the original Italian text from the book and an English translation.

English

Exiting the peninsula, we immerse ourselves in the argillous land of Lugana, suitable for vineyards and once a forest inhabited by wolves. It is said that the etymology of this land comes from "Silva Lucania," meaning a wooded forest, but upon closer examination, it has a sound that resembles the word "lupo," which means wolf. In fact, it is easy to come across references to such fierce animals in the place names, like Ca' Lojera, which means "the house of wolves," now a renowned winery. Additionally, to frighten children who didn't want to go to bed, the tale of Uncle Loo, or Uncle Wolf, was told. However, often the ferocious canid was a popular way to describe another danger: the brigands who infested this area, just like wolves, along the route connecting Verona to Brescia. There were both highway robbers and real pirates with ships ready to attack the slow transport vessels moving on waters divided by three borders. Where there is a frontier and customs duties, smugglers emerge, and the transition to becoming pirates is very short. It is said that in the early 17th century, there was a band of scoundrels dedicated to plunder and piracy, finding refuge in the intricate forest where even their ship, used for their raids, was hidden. This gang of renegades and outlaws was led by a beautiful yet equally fierce woman, skilled with weapons and ruthless. Some called her "la Baronessa" ("the Baroness"), perhaps the younger daughter of some noble family who found the cloister too confining, or maybe just a mocking nickname; that we do not know. She played on the rivalry between the two captains of the lake, the Lombard and the Venetian, always managing to escape by exploiting the lack of communication between their two fleets, which eyed each other with hostility. Therefore, she easily overcame the slow vessels, causing considerable disruption to the economy of the Garda region. When the two commanders finally reached an agreement, they set a trap for the infamous Baroness. They placed a slow transport ship offshore of Peschiera, an easy target for the pirates' swift boat. However, waiting for them were the two fleets, united for once, closing in on the pirates with an iron and fire grip. The warships had their cannons aimed, and the well-fortified Peschiera had its batteries ready to fire. The indomitable pirate did not lose heart, and legend tells us that, to escape certain death, she made a pact with the devil: she sold her soul in exchange for help. A thick fog rose from the lake, unbelievably carried by the north wind, hiding the pirates from the view of the armed men, giving her the opportunity to flee towards the Lugana coast, with sails set and rowing with all their might. Upon reaching the vicinity of the coast, they set fire to the ship and vanished into the forest, never to be seen again. But the devil wanted his reward and condemned the entire soulless crew to wander these lands as undead. When the fog arrives from the north, it is said to be easier to encounter them as they set fire to their vessel or hide among the foliage of Lugana, horrifying and fierce, still on the run but seeking revenge. Some years ago, amateur divers found chained cannonballs in this stretch of the lake, a particular type of projectile consisting of two cannonballs held together by a chain. These were used in the navy to dismast enemy ships, a testament to the ferocious battles fought between ancient vessels.

Italian

Uscendo dalla penisola ci immergiamo nella cretosa terra di Lugana, adatta alla vite e un tempo selva abitata da lupi. Pare che l’etimo di questa terra sia dato da Silva Lucania, ovvero selva boscosa ma, a ben vedere, ha un suono che ricorda la parola lupo, infatti è facile incontrare nella toponomastica dei rimandi a tali animali feroci come Ca’ Lojera, ovvero la casa dei lupi, oggi rinomata cantina; e poi, per spaventare i bambini che non volevano andare a letto, si raccontava la fiaba dello zio Loo ovvero dello zio Lupo, ma spesso il feroce canide era il modo popolare per descrivere un altro pericolo: i briganti che infestavano al pari dei lupi questa zona solcata dalla direttrice che collega Verona a Brescia. Vi erano sia banditi da strada che veri pirati con tanto di navi pronte ad assalire le lente imbarcazioni da trasporto che si muovevano su acque divise da ben tre confini, quindi dove c’è una frontiera e dei dazi, spuntano i contrabbandieri e il passo a divenire pirati è assai breve. Si racconta che verso gli inizi del XVII secolo vi fosse una banda di gaglioffi dediti al saccheggio e alla pirateria, che aveva rifugio nell’intricata selva, dove si nascondeva perfino il vascello con cui compivano le scorrerie. Questa ciurmaglia di rinnegati e fuorilegge era capeggiata da una donna bellissima ma altrettanto feroce, abilissima con le armi e spietata, alcuni la chiamavano “la Baronessa” forse figlia cadetta di qualche nobile casato a cui il chiostro andava stretto o solo un nomignolo canzonatorio, questo non ci è dato sapere. Ella giocava sulla rivalità dei due capitani del Lago, il Lombardo e il Veneziano, riuscendo sempre a sfuggire sfruttando l’incomunicabilità delle due flotte che si guardavano in cagnesco; quindi aveva facile ragione dei lenti vascelli e stava creando non pochi disagi all’economia gardesana. Quando finalmente i due comandanti trovarono un accordo tesero una trappola alla famigerata Baronessa, misero una lenta nave da trasporto al largo di Peschiera, facile bottino per la veloce barca dei pirati, ma ad attenderli vi erano le due flotte che per una volta si erano alleate, chiudendo i pirati in una morsa di ferro e fuoco, tra la navi da guerra con i cannoni puntati e la munita fortezza di Peschiera con le batterie pronte a sparare. L’indomita piratessa non si perse d’animo e la leggenda ci dice che, per sfuggire a morte certa, fece un patto con il diavolo: vendette la sua anima in cambio di un aiuto. Dal lago si alzò una fitta nebbia, incredibilmente portata dal vento del nord che nascose i pirati alla vista degli armigeri, dandole la possibilità di scappare verso la costa di Lugana a vele spiegate e a forza di remi. Appena giunti in prossimità della costa, incendiarono la nave e fuggirono nella selva, mai più nessuno li vide. Ma il diavolo volle la sua ricompensa e condannò l’intera ciurma senza anima a vagare per questi territori da non morti e, quando la nebbia arriva da settentrione, sarebbe più facile incontrarli mentre appiccano il fuoco alla loro imbarcazione o si nascondono tra le frasche della Lugana, orribili e feroci, ancora in fuga, ma desiderosi di vendetta. Alcuni anni or sono dei sommozzatori dilettanti trovarono in questo tratto di lago delle palle incatenate, ovvero un particolare tipo di proiettile costituito da due palle di cannone tenute assieme da una catena, che venivano usate in marina per disalberare le navi avversarie, quindi testimonianza di feroci combattimenti tra antichi vascelli.