Session #12: Gary Dodd Memorial

This was a fun session for me because I got to reprise the role of several NPCs, each with their own goals and motivations that would incite the PCs to act.  After all, the best NPCs are like those little levers in a pinball machine that send the ball (PCs) in all kinds of weird and wonderful and unscripted directions.

This was also a session where several PCs had their own goals and desires.  Sadly, Edward Kensington (new character) couldn't meet his childe (slightly older character) this session but he got to meet up with a few Melbourne vampires who had also headed for Adelaide over the past few months for their own reasons.

Zahra and Taranis were given temporary positions as Master of Elysium by the city seneschal as a representative of the Circle of the Crone (Zahra) and the Ordo Dracul (Taranis).  Jax clashed with Zahra a few times as he was feeling quite Tempted (i.e. frenzy-prone), especially after the hijinx he had been witnessing among the Ordo Dracul. 

He was particularly annoyed by the NPC Mattie Monroe when Mattie approached Faux (recently released fledgling barely a month old) to be his new foster sire instead of the scary Elder Novichkov.  Mattie had his reasons, many of which he freely admitted, and was told by Jax that he couldn't simply choose a new foster sire.  It would be up to the prince.  Mattie waved that off, saying he'd just offer to attend family gatherings and she'd be for it.  Considering that his real sire (Evil Taylor) had caused his father to crash the car, killing his mother and best friend on his 18^th birthday, all to Embrace him…  Yeah, big deal.

It was around this time that Faux dropped one of Jax's most dearly kept secrets into the middle of the gathering, not seeing why it would be such a big deal.  Jax freaked out and it was only due to the timely intervention of the Master of Elysium, Zahra, that he was taken outside and calmed down (somewhat).

During all of this, Siobhan O'Baoill was using her two minor boons on FatherMother that she had traded for to buy her best ghoul (Moneypenny) and get her to quit the police force.  FatherMother argued that Moneypenny was worth far more than a minor boon.  Without the prince there, things got heated and Siobhan O'Baoill threatened that FatherMother would become boon broken so FatherMother quit the city by the end of the session.  Siobhan was motivated by FatherMother killing one of her own touchstones in his hospital bed, an action FatherMother maintained was necessary for the masquerade.

The seneschal, Gustaf, was busy trying to keep the various members of his family together (as almost all of the Gangrel were related in the city) and was watching it all fall apart.

Another NPC who entered the session included Peter Walsh (Winnifred Tyler's long-lost sire) which enabled some rather awkward conversations.  Unfortunately Julia Dannenburg wasn't in play at the same time as the main cast member who runs her couldn't attend.  Since that cast member was also the player who had lost Gary Dodd, it was quite unfortunate that he couldn't come.  Peter Walsh explained a few plot elements and helped clarify a few things when Seamus O'Baoill (who has suddenly become younger and handsomer, weird) was giving a speech on all of the occult issues in the city.  Where before he could only speak to a maximum of five people, now he was talking to the gathered court.

Contrary Mary was the third NPC I can remember playing.  Wearing a plastic mask gets annoying, by the way, as your breath condenses against the inside and makes the whole thing wet!  Still it gave me the chance to watch the five minute clip of Gary Dodd drinking and staring into the camera that was projected onto the curtains, and feel duly sad.  I do miss poor Gary Dodd … he made such interesting decisions and really livened up every scene he participated in.

Rest In Peace, Gary Dodd….

Sadly enough very little focused on poor Gary Dodd as this was one of the busiest Elysium games (i.e. no plot intruding) that we've had yet so most people just didn't get the time to really focus on the dearly departed.  No speeches were said.  No songs were sung.

Finally our newest player, portraying MaidenLad (FatherMother's childe), told Mattie he should get over his daddy issues, played fitting songs at various characters to represent their woes, and offered herself up as a potential host for an angel so that it could be better interrogated.  She certainly added a lot to the session and really hit the ground running.