Session #5: Consequences

Gary Dodd is still missing so the vampires re-convene the following night at the Boozecan.  His ghoul, Dorothy Rosenburg, meets them at the door and allows Yzador to examine the egg found at the scene.  She's quite worried but doesn't show it.

Prince Harry Saeed and the Primogen Seamus O'Baoill spend much of their time in a back room, occasionally inviting in Peter Walsh (NPC played by Dodd's player), Professor Jasmine Hadley and Michael Novichkov for back rooms deals and punishments.  At one point, Siobhan O'Baoill had to enter to discuss the situation with her "claimed" human, Bennett, where the prince kindly offered the man's life were he to be blood bound and kept in check.  As a Masquerade breach, and a violent one, he'd normally be killed and she punished.

At one point, while Harry Saeed and Primogen Seamus O'Baoill were in a back room, the rest of the vampires (barring Jonathon Williams and Sheriff FatherMother) went to the service station where Gary Dodd disappeared and started investigating the toilet.  The guy behind the counter figured they were going in there for a gangbang.  His theory wasn't helped when Novichkov banged on the walls to see if there were a hidden passage.

Yzador made the connection to the Bloody Mary mythology of serial killers and mirrors and so repeated Bennett's name thrice, but nothing happened.  It had to be one of his survivors so Siobhan O'Baoill did it.  The first time she mentioned his name thrice, nothing happened but Yzador turned the light out.  The second time she did it, there was an answering knock from the walls.  The third time she did it, he appeared in the reflection behind her.

Novichkov reached out and touched the mirror and secret things happened.  On top of the secret things, the lights shattered and the power went out for several blocks as the substation was affected by a massive back surge of electricity.

After that point, they returned to the Boozecan where Sheriff FatherMother kept arguing that Bennett should die and Siobhan O'Baoill kept arguing that he shouldn't.  In the end they decided to summon "Elsa", the True Fae in blue whom they'd given a nickname since she hadn't given them a name.  Once Talitha Salvatore won the card game required to summon her, she arrived drinking a can of Mother and explained that Gary Dodd has already left the Mirror Realm for another one upon using his stone.  She also explained that she could lure the Angel Faced Killer out of the Mirror Realm in exchange for the man's heart should the vampires gathered in the room kill him.  Sheriff FatherMother made that deal and so she left shortly before prince and primogen returned to the room.

After a few more decisions were made, Bennett appeared out of the reflection in a mirror, bat in hand and covered in a flammable substance, looking anxious and stressed.  Siobhan tried talking him down, relieved when he answered back, but then shocked when he told them that they should all kill him because he wasn't real and would doubtless try to kill again.  He figured a room full of vampires should be able to take him down, though he couldn't promise not to take one or two out beforehand.  It's not he'd have much of a choice.

He explained that he'd heard some kind of "call" and that he'd seen a female silhouette of light lure Gary Dodd further into the Port Adelaide Train Museum.  He was pretty damn sure they should kill him but a mixture of Saeed's support for a possible way out (backed up by Majesty) and Siobhan O'Baoill's pleas that there was another way (that wasn't undermined by any other courtier) meant they got a roll using Saeed's Awe-backed Presence and Siobhan's "Good Cop" specialty Persuasion.

During all of this, one particular character noticed something strange about Bennett and explained a theory in a whisper to the right people that he would die if blood bound or ghouled.

While this was going on an exceptional success talked him down and he went into a side room with Prince Saeed, Siobhan O'Baoill and Seamus O'Baoill (with Thomas McAllister in Obfuscate in the corner).  They discussed putting him under sedation and keeping him in lock down until they could figure out a way to pull the Thing out of him.  He also explained a little about what he knew about his condition, which wasn't a lot.

Finally Prince Saeed took the Ordo Dracul aside so that they could all go out to rescue Dodd from the Mirror Realm.

Session #4: The Boozecan

Due to a variety of reasons, only six players were able to attend.  This worked out quite well as the group were quite able to entertain themselves and I (as Lead GM) had plenty of time to portray the two NPCs dragged along to game.

The premise was that Gary Dodd, notorious Nosferatu Smuggler, was hosting a small party at his dodgy pub, the Boozecan in North Haven, a residential suburb near Outer Harbor in Adelaide.

I set up a card table and four chairs in the book room though it went unused because in a game of six PCs you don't really need to split up.  The spare bedroom was decked out with mirrors, fake bowl of condom and a leopard print blanket top to give it that really dodgy vibe.  The bedroom was used once by Jonathon Williams and Professor Jasmine Hadley, who both had the Wanton condition and decided to get rid of it by jumping into the sack together.  Naturally Gary Dodd and FatherMother tried to bust in once or twice, as everyone was drunk as a skunk by that point.

I'm getting ahead of myself ... Gary Dodd had made a deal to get four bottles of Lacrima (basically vampire wine) and had even set up salted beer nuts and marijuana joints (rolled up pieces of card for the latter).  FatherMother arrived with four bottles of Lacrima and five Flowers of Demeter (allows a vampire to eat, drink and get drunk like a human) that were carried in by her hippy looking ghoul, Daryl.  It took her awhile to sell them, but she managed to sell all the Flowers for a Minor Boon apiece.

Jonathon Williams drank ... a lot.  And I mean, a lot.  Bottle of vodka and gin, two bottles of some other liquor.  Two bottles of Lacrima.  If he were a human, he'd be dead.  As it was he was very unsteady on his feet and became really obsessed with finding and bashing down Bill because Bill's a dick.  I really loved watching his random fixation occasionally rise up again and again, as it seemed the kind of thing an aggressive drunk would do.

Why was Bill though to be such a dick?

Well Siobhan O'Baoill had brought a regular human along to the party that everyone recognised as the Angel Faced Killer.  He claimed to be the killer's twin brother.  No one bought that, but no one cared.  At one point in the conversation, Siobhan told the guy that she'd had to claim him and he jokingly complained that there hadn't been a cat fight between Siobhan and Talitha over that (since they both had history with him).

His exactly line after that was: "Wait, does that mean I'm Sookie Stackhouse?  If that's the case, which one of you's Eric?  And which one's Bill?"

Naturally Gary Dodd had to be walking past and demanded an explanation for it.  The room dropped into an awkward silence as the Angel Faced Killer really didn't want to describe the analogy but in the end enough got out that Jonathon Williams overheard that there were two vampires (who he thought were in town) called Bill and Eric and that Bill was a dick.  Jonathon Williams immediately went outside to find these two vampires and invite them in, then wandered back in ten minutes later with a cane he had 'liberated' from some poor human guy at a bus shelter.

Later, Daryl (FatherMother's ghoul) offered a round of M&Ms that he said was ecstasy mixed with a dash of LSD but which were just LSD coated on chocolate.  Siobhan O'Baoill, Talitha Salvatore, Jonathon Williams and Gary Dodd each took one.  Gary Dodd then pressured the Angel Faced Killer into having one, watching as he put it in his mouth, then encouraging him to swallow it.  Professor Jasmine Hadley may, or may not, have taken one.  I can't really remember.

We had a Youtube Playlist going and soon after this point, "Rubber Johnny" by Aphex Twin came on and everyone who'd taken an M&M took it as a shared hallucination.  Gary Dodd threw a chair at it.  Siobhan O'Baoill hid under a cushion.  The Angel Faced Killer pulled his baseball bat (brand name - Excalibat) which basically proved who he was.  Jonathon Williams (a Khaibit) used his shadow magic to try to impale the things.  Talitha Salvatore just watched in curiosity.  FatherMother just watched the whole thing, amused at everyone else's reactions but unable to see anything.

After a game of Poker, much conspiring and information sharing, Siobhan O'Baoill decided that everyone should go and deal with the bee vampires.  The Angel Faced Killer concurred.  FatherMother and Professor Jasmine Hadley thought everyone was too drunk and high to do anything dangerous.

At one point, Professor Jasmine Hadley literally scolded Siobhan O'Baoill and told her to sit down.  And she did.  Grumpily.

Instead of going demon hunting Gary Dodd mentioned that he had the mobile phone of a guy that he'd tried to feed from in an alley.  The guy had shrugged him off, blocked the flow of blood to the wound, and seen through Gary's obfuscate.  He also didn't seem to realise it wasn't just a mugging, so Gary did mug him and took his phone.  Going through his details, they found that he was looking for gigs and was the lead singer in a band.  They played some of his music (I used Three Days Grace).

They then sent an email to him stating that he could come to the Boozecan to audition for a gig.  Being a desperate musician, he rocks up half an hour later but as soon as he enters the place, he's uneasy and glares at Talitha and Siobhan who sit together at one table.  He sings "I Hate Everything About You" (also by Three Days Grace), flipping off the two women at appropriate moments in the song.  I lip synced all of this since I can't sing well at all.  Bennett, expecting trouble, had snuck out the back to change into his armour, just in case he'd need to defend Nix.

There was finally a big conversation with the fellow being rather obstinate about not wanting to give them what they wanted, a few little secrets got out, and then when he went to leave the Sheriff slammed his face into the bar counter, breaking his nose.  Everything escalated from that point onward when he dropped his little charred egg that erupted into a Size 4 flaming figure that started attacking FatherMother while he blasted Jonathon Williams with heat that kept setting his clothing on fire.  Jonathon Williams, in turn, tried to lassoo him with shadow stuff.

In the end, Talitha Salvatore leapt between them, grabbed Nix and carried him off to safety, leaving the charred egg behind.  Her sire followed after her but didn't manage to catch up.

At this point Bennett entered the fray, walked over to FatherMother, and smashed her in the head. Turns out he'd triggered into his Angel Face Killer at this point due to his worries about Nix.  Ironic, really, since he'd have killed Nix if the man had been there.  The joy of a Slasher Trigger!

So he slams FatherMother again, nearly torporing her with eight successes, and Jonathon Williams grabs her and legs it.  Gary Dodd uses Obfuscate to drop out of sight and follows Bennett as he walks steadily out of the Boozecan and into a nearby service station.  He walked into the toilet, touched a mirror, and opened a doorway into another place (the Mirror City).  Gary Dodd, never one to be left out, reaches out and touches the mirror, going with him.

And that's where we ended the session.

Masks of Nyarlathotep Murder Mystery Event

EVENT DESCRIPTION

This is a complex murder mystery adapted from the New York chapter of the Award winning Masks of Nyarlathotep roleplaying campaign published by Chaosium.  Each participant will reprise the role of a character found within the campaign book or the Masks of Nyarlathotep Companion as they attempt to uncover the mystery, gather (or conceal!) the evidence and perhaps even bump off the opposition. 

In keeping with the theme of the event, tea and coffee, sparkling water, fruit, biscuits and scones, are all included within the ticket price and will be available throughout the event.  Please advise us if you have any food allergies or dietary restrictions.  You'd be surprised by what we can accommodate these days so please don't be shy in letting us know.

You can purchase tickets over here and enter the draw to win a free ticket by sharing the pinned post on the Adelaide Roleplaying Community Inc. Facebook Page.

 PREMISE

The Carlyle Expedition to Africa disappeared several years ago only to be declared dead after a short and lazy investigation by colonial forces.  Just last year in 1924, the intrepid journalist and cult investigator, Jackson Elias, decided to pick up the trail and determine what really happened to famous playboy millionaire, Roger Carlyle, and his fellow expedition members.  His trail blazed across Africa, England, even Australia, before returning to New York only to be brutally murdered in his own hotel room.

Erica Carlyle, sister to Roger Carlyle and sole heir of Carlyle Industries, has invited you all to her estate so that she can finally get to the bottom of this mess of conspiracy and horrors.  Some of you have connived to get an invitation through means both foul and fair.  Others have been explicitly invited either because they knew the principal expedition members or were part of those who were present at Jackson Elias' crime scene.

But wait, there's more!  Perhaps to bait the hook and ensure the culprit's attendance at the event, Erica Carlyle has declared her intention to auction Roger Carlyle's mysterious collection of occult tomes partway through the night. 

Carlyle Expedition News Reel #1

Carlyle Expedition News Reel #2

Character Roles

Erica Carlyle (Heiress)
Joe Corey (Bodyguard)
Dr. Brian Fischer (Harlem Doctor / Conjure Man)
Lieutenant Martin Poole (Police Officer)
Constable Zach Allemby (Harlem Police Officer)
Simon or Simone Exton (Autopsy Technician)
Miriam Atwright (Librarian)
Professor Anthony Cowles (Archaeologist)
Ewa Cowles (Anthropology Major)
Raoul Pinera (Sociology Major)
Hon. Major George Randall (Big Game Hunter)
Mukunga M'Dari (Harlem Leader)
Maybelle Hopkins (Harlem Pub Owner)
Walter Kimble (Entrepreneur)
Claire or Keith Simpson (Psychiatric Nurse)
Neil Young (Valet)
Arthur Emerson (Importer)
Coleman or Cara Preston Lloyd (Alcoholic Dilletante)
Gregory or Georgina Wilks (Harlem Taxi Driver)
Deputy Ranger Robert Scott Bennie (Texas Ranger)
Joe or Jane Hall (Harlem Private Eye) 
Ambrose Mogens (Rich industrialist)
Eugene Vander Klei (Biochemist)
Dr. Zhou Changying or Zhengsheng (Anatomist)
Alice Mogens (Biological Researcher)
Adrian Ferris (Medical Affairs Board secretary)

Character Roles Requiring Public Speaking and Speeches

Bradley Grey (Lawyer)

Jonah or Julia Kensington (Publishing Editor)

Arman or Anahita Tehrani (Auctioneer / Antiquarian)

Rev. Lawrence T. O'Dell, Jr. (Priest)

Session #3: Establishment of Order

Prince Harry Saeed surveys his subjects.

Floor GM: Yours Truly.

Assistant GMs: A.L. and T.B.

The third session was a social soiree as the new Prince Harry Saeed hosted at his café and declared himself.  Siobhan O'Baoill and Talitha Salvatore revealed their prize that they had earned through an online RtR (run much like a play-by-post).  A weird vampire who could control bee swarms and whom they had beaten into torpor.

Oh, I forgot to mention that just before everyone went to the café, Prince Harry Saeed met up with FatherMother and Jonathon Williams to poke the gloom with Jonathon Williams' Obtenebration.  Jonathon Williams caught some little shadowflies for his trouble that swarmed his Obtenebration.  He put them in an emptied Milo tin for safe keeping.

Prince Harry Saeed bid them to bring the vampire inside and they tied her down to a chair and spread out a tarp underneath her.  They roused her with blood from XXX and found that she wouldn't be speak directly to them, only through the bees that she summoned from her lungs which required Animalism for communication.  When she was backhanded back into torpor, the bees fell into a desiccated state themselves.

While the PCs had initially thought she was a Melissidae, this strange turn of events changed their mind.  They searched her body and found nodes around the base of the neck.  Gary Dodd did some, ahem, exploratory surgery with a knife and dug them out, finding them to be a gak-like substance that moved further in.  He pulled on them, pulling out tendril after tendril, that started waving toward him but Prince Harry Saeed sapped their will with one of his powers (Numbing Touch) and they ceased to move.

Finally they chatted to her some more, put her back into torpor, then carefully Prince Harry Saeed assisted by Doctor Jonathon Taylor surgically removed the main node from her heart and placed that in another jar, cleaning the rest of the bits from her system.  She was on five aggravated damage from her capture, so they had to be cautious.  Finally they put a splinted of wood in her heart to prevent her from waking up.  She was then transferred into Gary Dodd's care.

Other than that, Siobhan O'Baoill, Seamus O'Baoill, Talitha Salvatore and Thomas McAllister went to visit a guy in a nearby pub for general conversation (and some justifiable swearing on Siobhan's part).  FatherMother revealed that she could get people some Lacrima.  Jonathon Williams pointed out that he knows where Duchess Alicia Brown's caches are (at least some of them).  And everybody chatted about the things they had learned and what to do next.