Category Archives: WoD
It’s 10PM… Do You Know Where Your Sister Is?
A Seer of the Throne, who goes by the name Sara, has been captured and she may have information on the whereabouts of Aenaiyah’s kidnapped younger sister, not to mention some other questions they would like to see answered. There are many ways that they can attempt to extract this information, and after some discussion they decide that the most fun way would be to go on an Astral Romp through her psyche. This means that I have to design some set pieces to make up areas of her mind that the Mages can wander through. Some of these things will be fairly literal interpretations of events that she has either witnessed or been part of. Others will be less direct. In order to help me pull this together I asked the players to come up with the questions that they will be seeking answers to at the end of the prior session. This would give me time to come up with representations that fit the various circumstances of this character’s past.
Keep in mind that one of those circumstances is that she was married to our Mastigos, Damien, for several years. It is Damien who is directing the Astral Journey for the group, so the questions are asked from his point of view.
The Questions:
- Where is Aneiyah’s Sister?
- Who are the Seers spies in the Consillium? By this point the player characters have strong reasons to suspect that the Consiliium has been infiltrated. They want to find out how thoroughly.
- How long has she been a Seer?
- Who else from my former life works for them?
- Why me?
- Did she ever really love me?
Which of course leads to the need to figure out how much she knows, how much she thinks she knows, and how much is news to her.
1. Where is Aenaiyah’s Sister? This really is the $99,000 answer. It is also one that Sara can help out with. Not only is Sara aware of where Aenaiyah’s sister is, Sara is the one who made the travel arrangements.
It’s kind of a funny coincidence, really. The Seers had never made any attempt to go after Aenaiyah’s sister. Aenaiyah’s sister, Betsy, was simply concerned. She had received a call from Aenaiyah on New Year’s Eve during which she had been told that Aenaiyah was off to see the Statue of Liberty, and watch the ball drop later that night. Then… nothing. Some months passed and still nothing. Betsy was worried. Aenaiyah had gone a little off just before leaving. (If you consider chopping her hair extremely short, dying it purple, cursing out her boss before walking out on her job, and throwing her engagement ring in her fiance’s face ‘a little off’.) Aenaiyah had visited her sister before leaving to say that she needed some time to be herself and figure out who that was. She didn’t give any indication as to where she might be going, and had in fact stated that she hadn’t decided really. At first Betsy figured she was going out of town for a long weekend or something. She never figured that so much time would go by without word. Aenaiyah had always been the responsible one before this. Up until that phone call the family had no idea where she had run off to. Now Betsy has a lead, and who can blame her if she decides to follow it up?
She has a photo of Aenaiyah with her fancy new hair, because who doesn’t have a smartphone with a camera these days, and so she puts together a flier and starts talking to the police, to churches, to people who run support groups, and to anyone else who will listen. Most tell her that her sister is an adult and as such their hands are tied, but if they see her they will pass along the message that her sister is looking for her. They also remind her that new York City is a huge place, and that her sister might not even be in the state at this point. They also wish her luck.
One support group contacts Betsy. They may have some information about her sister. Can she please stop by the church they meet at to talk to them. Betsy of course agrees to go, and winds up magically asleep in a Gazebo in Arcadia. To be honest, things could have gone much worse. The Seers know exactly who Betsy’s sister is, (the spikey purple hair, the British accent, the crazy behavior… these were pretty good clues), and quite frankly it isn’t a very good idea to have your unAwakened, defenseless kid sisters handing out your photo and your true name all over the city where you live if you’re an Awakened Mage. In a sense they really did do Aenaiyah a favor, and Sara absolutely sees it that way. Now they want a favor in return. Mostly they want a certain Cabal of Mages to stop poking around for information regarding a string of deaths of Awakened Mages that were not quite as random or accidental as they appeared on the surface. Mostly, that’s what they want. Of course, it’s also possible that they would like some time to try to bring the Cabal to the Seer point of view: if all of humanity is Awakened the resultant cluster-fuck of opposing wills would likely rip the universe, or at least Earth’s corner of it, apart. And, you know, if there might happen to be some artifacts in the Mysterium’s reliquary that would aid the Seers in their cause the delivery of those artifacts would be greatly appreciated. In return Betsy lives a good life, with a nice steady job working with great people who happen to believe that Supernal Powers are simply not a good thing for the general populace to have. What’s so bad about that?
For the Astral Imagery I chose a gazebo. Not only does it fit in perfectly with the idea of being outside in the wilds of Arcadia, it is satisfying on other levels as well. If you are a gamer you are probably aware that you must face the gazebo alone.*
My notes for the session are as follows:
A feeling of peaceful rest overtakes you as you enter the glade. A successful RESOLVE+STAMINA roll will be necessary to remain awake. If anyone falls asleep, the others will need to wake that person up within 5 rounds or the person will fade out of Astral Space. (See “Rings of Astral Unity” with Glamdring to rejoin the group.)
If everyone falls asleep they will all awake outside of Astral Space together.
As they enter the glade everything will take on a cartoon-like appearance. Everything will appear to be outlined, colors will be flatter (less shading) but more vivid in hue, everything will seem more surreal than the rest of Sara’s Oneiros. The feeling is one of watched safety.
In the center of the glade there is a white marble gazeebo. Roses grow on and around it. If the players approach the gazebo they will see an iron bed inside. There is a sleeping woman on the bed.
Before the players can get too close they will feel something preventing them from entering. RESOLVE+GNOSIS to enter. Any attempt at dispelling this effect will cause a sense of dread. A second attempt to do this will cause a confrontation with the gazebo. If the glade itself is dispelled the sleeping figure will be taken away, and Sara will tell them what happened when she wakes up. (or if they confront her directly in her Oneiros.) This area is an active Fae Glade spell. Sara is not controlling the spell any longer, but it does share a connection with her. It has a potency of 10. If it is dispelled here it will be dispelled in reality.
If Aenaiyah uses her Fate site she will realize that this area is a Fae Glade constructed by Sara. 5+ Successes on scrutiny will cause her to realize that the actual Fae Glade, if collapsed, will deposit any physical objects or persons inside into the Fae Wild. Sara would not be happy about it at all because the fact is that she doesn’t want to see Aenaiyah’s sister dumped into a Fae’s backyard.
Clearly, the sleeping figure is Betsy. If the Mages manage to approach the gazebo they will see that it is Betsy. (Or rather, Aenaiyah will since the others don’t know what Betsy looks like.) A close examination of Betsy will reveal that her hands (which are clasped on her chest) conceal a small silver thorn. An even more thorough investigation will reveal that there is a tiny pin-prick in the center of each of her feet. This was done to bring her through the hedge gate in the subway system.
The Dread Gazebo has six figures that each get attacks each round. It would not be wise to face this gazebo alone!
Gazebo Powers: Entangle – The Gazebo has an 8 Dice entangle attack that causes rose vines to wrap around the Mages. The Mages contest with DEX+ATHLETICS. If they successfully contest they will not be hurt. Attempts to escape after entanglement will be at either DEX or STR + BRAWL versus 8 dice. If the Gazebo wins the players take lethal damage from the thorns. (1 target per round) (Init + 1)
The 6 Figures (Init + 2,2,3,3,4,4)
Melee: 6 Dice
Lullaby: 10 Dice contested RESOLVE+GNOSIS. If the Mage fails he falls asleep and must be woken up within 5 rounds to remain in Sara’s Oneiros.
The gazebo & figures will only attack to defend the sleeping woman. If the Mages back off it will let them. It may even talk to them if they make a successful Social roll. It has no mind per se, but can answer limited questions regarding Betsy’s whereabouts and current condition through the mouths on the figural struts.
The gazebo and figures can not be physically damaged. The only way to defeat the gazebo is to stand down, or dispell it. Dispelling the gazebo will free Betsy! (…by stranding her alone and undefended in Arcadia.)
*The original Gazebo story can be found here. Thanks Interwebs!
No Good Can Come Of This:
OK, where were we again before I was sidetracked by Hobbitses and Apocalypses…?
That’s right! The players had just seen Officer Brewer change into a Werewolf for the very first time. The joke’s on Officer Brewer, since I don’t suppose he’ll be hunting down those “Horrible, Evil Werewolf Monsters” now will he! Ahhhhh irony…
In the process of breaking him out of jail there was a wee bit of chaos outside of the police station. Pedestrians were put in harm’s way, the police tossed some tear gas grenades into a near riot situation, Hunters (capital H) arrived on the scene, one of those Hunters wound up unconscious and in the hands of some crazy new Werewolf players… good times.
And then they came across the possessed nun. The nun was possessed by none other than my very favorite Demon, Sangre Santo! This is a story I’ve told before, so I will be lazy and let you go back and read my original post here: Death is Always an Option (The original post features original artwork from Sangre Santo’s creator!)
After which one of my players decided to make a quick side-trip to the Vatican, but that was after the group’s attempts to capture a Seer of the Throne, which lead to my brain being broken (again).
Keep in mind as you read through the reconciled time line that this particular Seer of the Throne was once married to everyone’s favorite shady lawyer turned Mastigos Mage, Damien. That’s right, that’s his ex-wife they are beating the hell out of without any indication that she has herself done anything wrong. His poor ex-wife who he cheated on multiple times, and who he made completely miserable, has been beaten into a coma because she wanted to talk to them.
Tune in next week to find out how they twisted this poor woman’s mind and made her even more insane than they make me!
Hunters, Forsaken, and Pure… Oh My!
As Arrow’s player correctly pointed out on last week’s post:
You forgot my crowning achievement of the session. When the Thyrsus magically jacked up his strength, berserker rushed a Pure, completely botched to hit, kept running, aced his Stealth (crowds) roll, deftly maneuvered through the tear gassed people, quietly sat down in the police office lobby and said “Hi Damien” as though nothing had happened.
And you thought I was lying when I said that actually breaking Brewer out of prison was the easy part!
Inside of the station was a model of efficiency, which is even more incredible when you realize that Aenaiyah was just making shit up as she went along in there. That’s the part that went well. Go fig.
Outside in the middle of the street outside of the precinct we have Forsaken Werewolf on Pure Werewolf action, tear gassed pedestrians, and ordinary folks just trying not to lose their minds. Is it any wonder my mind is desperately attempting to repress these memories of carnage? I seem to recall a grenade (the explodey kind, not the tear gas kind) turning up at some point, and a standoff between armed police officers and insane Werewolves. That may have been the point when the Hunters turned up.
That’s right, there were Hunters around. And why wouldn’t there be? They too had an interest in Brewer. He was talking openly and honestly about having tracked a bunch of Werewolves after all. Any group of Hunters could use a guy like that. Somewhere in the midst of the fracas our new Werewolf brothers wound up with a beaten senseless Hunter on their hands, and instead of either killing him at the scene, or leaving him where he was, they decided to bring him back to the rendezvous point where the Werewolves and Mages were meeting to figure out how to handle Brewer’s impending first change and kill him there, in front of everyone, because you know… it was the Hunter who was senseless.
Naturally, this lead to a bit of in-fighting among the players. After all, Argus had been a hunter once upon a time (before he Awakened), and so he understood why Hunters did what they did. He also understood that some Hunters combine their Hunting and killing to those Supernaturals who are doing harm to the community (insert glare at the Werewolf Brothers).
And have I mentioned that Aenaiyah clearly has a thing for Argus and will defend him on this point even though outwardly she insists that she doesn’t “LIKE like him”, he’s just… you know… a mate. (not THAT kind of mate!) She in fact likes him so little that she is willing to defend him to the Werewolves who are not convinced that eating his face would be a bad thing. That would give most sane people pause. Then again, this is Aenaiyah we’re talking about.
One of the Werewolf brothers decides he’s going to sneaky sneaky over to the unconscious Hunter and slit his throat, at which point Arrow uses his powers of Thyrsus Awesomeness to make the guy get dizzy and trip so he can get the knife away from him. Neither Werewolf brother likes that very much, so they gang up on Arrow while Shannon is trying to calm them down. Argus is accusing them of being savage animals which is a sure fire way to help the situation. Rex, Riff-Raff, and Neils are trying to get between Argus and the brothers. Damien is trying to use Mind magic to figure out how ugly this is likely to get. Hot-headed knife-wielding brother decides to throw the knife up his other sleeve at the Hunter from where he’s standing. Calypso gets in the way of that knife, at which point the knife in Werewolf Brother’s boot goes winging its way at the unconscious Hunter’s throat. Aenaiyah tries to get into its path but stumbles, and then uses Shifting Sands to go BACK IN TIME to get stabbed in the gut with a thrown knife. (Paradox AND stabbed in the gut. Win-Win!)
I believe it was the sight of Aenaiyah bleeding out all over the ground that finally convinced folks that maybe this wasn’t the most productive way that they could possibly handle the situation, which was a pity since I had just grabbed fresh pop-corn from the snack shelf. I was enjoying watching her bleed out, dammit!
Ultimately they decided to let the Hunter live (boooooring), and deal with the fact that Brewer was rapidly growing fur. Mother Luna descended to have a chat with the gathered Uratha, and not being part of that Arrow excused himself because he had an important phone call to make. Previously he had convinced the Werewolf Alpha to give him a lock of his fur, and it seems that Arrow’s retainer has found an interested buyer.
Subtlety Is My Middle Name
I have revived from the turkey coma! I hope the holidays are treating everyone well so far. Now, where were we?
Ahhh yes:
So now they have a guy who there has been a nationally televised press conference about, who is in lockup, who is about to turn into a Werewolf for the very first time, who is somewhat insane.
This sounds like the perfect time to introduce two new players to the Werewolf table! The new players (incidentally, both excellent role players who I enjoy gaming with) are playing Irish brothers who are Werewolves. One is a priest, and the other… well… the other is not a priest.
So everyone arrives at the precinct to scope the area out and see if there is some way that they can get Officer Brewer out of his cell and away from anyone that he might potentially hurt (or drive insane) when he turns into a Werewolf for the first time later this evening. While most of the players are trying to come up with a plan, the new brothers discover a van with a cartoon wolf painted on the side of it and the realize that the people in the van are Pure. Forsaken Werewolves (PCs) hate Pure Werewolves like I hate Mages. This should be amusing!
In the sparsely populated area of Ireland that the brothers are from being a Werewolf isn’t that big of a thing, so the not a priest brother decides to go harass the people in the van. This ends with him punching the Pure in the passenger seat in the face, which naturally leads to a large scale fight involving the police (since they are right in front of a police station), which leads to some of the Mages facepalming and heading into the police station under cover of stupidity.
The quick thinking Acanthus casts Perfect Moment and rushes up to the desk implying that she’s a US Marshall and needs to get Officer Brewer out of his cell and into witness protection before the people outside who are trying to kill him (hence the extreme levels of violence outside) make it inside and succeed in killing him. Argus, who is a consultant with the FBI, and Damien, who was just on TV as Brewer’s lawyer, are with her. Since she has Perfect Moment cast which allows her to act perfectly in an unplanned situation (no one had planned on the lunacy outside), and she happens to have been followed by people who make the situation plausible, and Damien is using the Mind Arcanum to pull a Jedi Mind Trick on the desk guard (‘she’s the US Marshall you’re looking for’) I give it to them. I figure they earned it this time.
The rest of the Werewolf Pack (Shannon, Calypso, and Matteus) along with Riff-Raff (a police officer on leave) are trying to calm down the various parties involved out front while Arrow and Neils play “innocent passersby” who got caught in the middle. Rex wanders through yelling at whipper-snappers to get off of his lawn. Calypso, after a successful INTELLIGENCE + COMPOSURE check, goes to get their van to drive it around to the back of the station figuring that the missing Mages (Aenaiyah, Argus, and Damien) are already inside getting to Officer Brewer.
Meanwhile, inside the station, Damien wound up realizing that one of the prisoners in a nearby cell is also a Pure Werewolf, undoubtedly the inside man for the Pure in the van. The ability to read minds can come in handy that way. Fortunately for the Mages he isn’t in a good position to do anything at the moment as he doesn’t know who they are or why they are taking Brewer out of his cell. All he can tell is that they aren’t Werewolves. Damien is sure to keep his mind away from any thoughts involving breaking out of his cell and ripping them all limb from limb. Aenaiyah tweaks Fate a bit to prevent anyone from happening to walk past at a bad moment and as soon as they make haste through the rear exit they get picked up by Calypso and driven to the rendezvous point. The easy part of the mission, breaking Officer Brewer out of prison, is now complete.
You’d think that would be the hard part, and it would have been, if not for the fustercluck going on outside.
Thanksgiving – Geeknam Style
I find myself suddenly startled by a blaring, raucous noise.
Roll Wits + Dex -3 (startled from sleep): Botch
The sound of a shattering light bulb, coupled with the continuance of the blaring noise, seems to indicate that instead of hitting the snooze button I have instead knocked a lamp off the bedside table and onto the floor.
Roll Dex + Athletics: 1 Success
I manage to not skewer my foot on a sharpened piece of light bulb. This is fortunate because I haven’t had coffee yet and might have died of blood loss before realizing I had been injured.
I blow a Will Power point to make coffee and grab a donut.
Roll Resolve + Composure +3 (there goes another Will Power Point): 1 Success.
I decide that it really would be wrong to ditch visiting the family to spend quality time with my XBox instead. After all, it is Thanksgiving. On the plus side: there will be ludicrous amounts of food. (Vice = Gluttony so get that 1 Will Power Point back for being willing to face danger in the name of nummies.)
Roll Wits + Drive: 3 Successes
Clearly my driving reflexes are fully cognizant of the fact that a turkey dinner is on the line! I swerve right around that fallen tree that’s blocking the road and get past the two sets of train tracks just before the “You Shall Not Pass” barriers come down to indicate a coming train, which is crazy talk because I simply can’t picture a world in which train service hasn’t been suspended due to the lack of clouds in the sky.
I have arrived at the ancestral abode. It’s time to run the gauntlet.
Roll Dex + Athletics: 1 Success
“Who’s a good puppy? Gizzie’s a good puppy!” Gizzie is also my favorite member of the family, as she has just helped me dodge the dreaded cheek-pinch. Gizzie gonna be gettin’ some treats for sure!
Roll Resolve + Composure -2 (accute olfactory senses): BOTCH!
I start to “aimlessly wander” toward the kitchen.
Roll Wits + Stealth: 2 Successes
Brother Rolls: Wits + Composure: 3 Successes
Blast! My brother has noticed that the turkey is in danger. He is now moving toward the kitchen on an intercept course!
Rolling Inititative
How is it possible he has a higher Initiative than I do?! Gorammit! Now he has placed himself square in the only path to the kitchen and there’s no way around him!
Roll Dex + Athletics, blow a Will Power point for +3 (this is important!): 4 Successes! Ooorah!
Brother Rolls: Dex + Brawl – he’s going for a grapple… and he’s blown a Will Power Point also!: 5 Successes
Roll Strength + Athletics to break free: BOTCH!
Oh the humanity! The turkey is being removed from the oven and set on the kitchen counter. It’s…right…there… I can al…most reach…it…
Brother Rolls: Strength + Resolve: 3 Successes – he has blown yet another Will Power Point to thwart my efforts.
Roll Resolve + Composure + 3 (good thing I got that Will Power back from before!) : 1 Success
I act totally cool, like it’s all under control. With luck my brother will fall for my evil ploy.
Roll Manipulation + Subterfuge + 3 (come on… last Will Power Point… YOU CAN DO THIS!): Exceptional Success!
Brother Rolls: Wits + Empathy reflexively (he may instinctively be on to me): 2 Successes – not enough.
He has seen me run this con before, but clearly he is distracted by the wafting aroma of turkey and stuffing and sweet potatoes.
OOC: I convince the GM that it was Prudent of me to fight off my temptation and lull my brother into a false sense of security, thereby getting all of my expended Will Power back. (Virtue = Prudence)
Hold…
HOLD…
My plan is to wait until the very moment my brother’s back is turned and then dash into the kitchen to devour the turkey and indulge my gluttony vice. this will take 2 rolls: the first to choose just the right moment, and the second to dash into the kitchen and claim the turkey.
Roll 1 – Wits + Subterfuge: 1 Success
Roll 2 – Dex + Athletics + 3 Will Power : 4 Successes
ALL YOUR TURKEY DINNER ARE BELONG TO ME!
I hope your Thanksgiving got you back some well deserved Gluttony induced Will Power replenishment!
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Roll Resolve + Stamina: BOTCH! TRYPTOPHAN FTW!
Mage Mistress 