3.The False Brotherhood
(4/6-2012) 13th of April 1861: Petunia, Irish William and Sconesbury Asylum
Petunia
5 days pass and the injured minds and bodies heal. In the downtime Seamus seeks out Madame Celeste, a haitian woman. He wants poisen for his knives!!! And Madame Celeste tests his resolve in different ways, making him choose the correct Loa (spirit) that is associated with poisen (Baron Samedi) and he gets to buy an unknown poisen (warning him not to roll a 2 on the fighting roll when using a poisen weapon)
Breakfeast at the club and Sir James is approached by a servant. He informs Sir James that his daughter is here, James tells him that he will see her in his room. Before the servant does that, Petunia, James youngest daughter barges in, pushing a servant to the side, demanding to see her father!!! James nods the ok and she joins their table.
The daughter was spoiled by James late wife and is quite a handfull. She insults the Club, the other pc´s and especially Seamus, who receives the brunt of her scorn as his mean edge kicks in and he cannot resist giving back. Mortimer, refined and wealthy, on the other hand is spared the yooung ladys wrath. In between her insults and harsh words she tells her father that her fiancé Winnie is missing. She goes on citing shakespeare on how much her heart bleed etc. She gives her Father, Sir James, a letter she fears have something in common with Winnies disappearence.
The letter:
The Brotherhood of the Night welcomes you among the bretheren. Your have been deemed worthy to bask in the glory of the Dark One himself, and share in the power.. A carriage will come for you Friday the 13th and you will joins us to summon the power of Lucifer himself
-Heward Black
Petunia fears for her fiancé but continues to harrass especially the "creature-thing" that is Seamus calling him "it" and refuses to speak directly to him. Sir James response is cold and he refuses to help her, trying to make her see his allies in another light, trying to educate her daughter and shameful of her manners. She is struck by her fathers reluctance but luckily Mortimer comes to her aid, sort of. Mortimer is fearful that a cult of devil summoners has taken root in London, and when hearing Mortimers fears Petunia tries to use that fear to get them to help her!!! Tired of her constant bickering Seamus decides to show her his knife skills. He places an apple on her head (william Tell style) and throws his knife!!! The knife cleaves the aplle in 2 pieces, and Petunia faints!!!
The party decides to try to get to the bottom of this. Mortimer summons his servant Alfred to take Petunia to "the Secure" room in his mansion. The begin scouting for clues. Some are dead ends but Mortimer finds a housekeeper who has a unopened letter ,stamped and all. The stamp is from Wapping, an area near Whitechapel in London. The date is friday the 13th and they are in a hurry!!
Getting there they find the office staffed by a young woman. Half persuaded, half intimidated she actually knows this Heward Black. He is in fact a young failed writer named Abraham Stoker. She knows his hangout is the Wharf, a pub close by and he usually hangs out with Irish Willy, another youngster.
Nakamura decides to hang back as the leave and sure enough he sees her summon a young boy. She gives him a coin and whispers in his ear... The boy races away, soon chased by Namakura who catches the lad and pulls him into an alley!! The other pc´s see it and follow them into the alley.
The have taken Id´s from the Tophats in the last chapter and decides to use them hehe. The boy is scared shitless by the badges and tells them that the girl told him to warn Irish Willy. They hear the not so faint sounds of fornication from a window and all the talk of tophats spurs on the drunk sailor in the room. They are drenched in shit and piss from a chamberpot flying from a window!!!
Fueled by rage Seamus climbs the wall and enters the room where a scared whore hides under a blanket. The customer, a sailor, is getting his pants on. Seamus flies through the room and knocks out the sailor. His mean edge kicks in and he pulls out his knife and carves a circle in the mans forehead. Seamus leaves by the window but soon the cries echoes from the pub "Knife, Knife!!! He used a knife on him, he cut him" . Seamus leaves quickly before the police arrives fleeing back to the Kerboros Club, but getting a bennie for being true to his hindrance.
Breakfeast at the club and Sir James is approached by a servant. He informs Sir James that his daughter is here, James tells him that he will see her in his room. Before the servant does that, Petunia, James youngest daughter barges in, pushing a servant to the side, demanding to see her father!!! James nods the ok and she joins their table.
The daughter was spoiled by James late wife and is quite a handfull. She insults the Club, the other pc´s and especially Seamus, who receives the brunt of her scorn as his mean edge kicks in and he cannot resist giving back. Mortimer, refined and wealthy, on the other hand is spared the yooung ladys wrath. In between her insults and harsh words she tells her father that her fiancé Winnie is missing. She goes on citing shakespeare on how much her heart bleed etc. She gives her Father, Sir James, a letter she fears have something in common with Winnies disappearence.
The letter:
The Brotherhood of the Night welcomes you among the bretheren. Your have been deemed worthy to bask in the glory of the Dark One himself, and share in the power.. A carriage will come for you Friday the 13th and you will joins us to summon the power of Lucifer himself
-Heward Black
Petunia fears for her fiancé but continues to harrass especially the "creature-thing" that is Seamus calling him "it" and refuses to speak directly to him. Sir James response is cold and he refuses to help her, trying to make her see his allies in another light, trying to educate her daughter and shameful of her manners. She is struck by her fathers reluctance but luckily Mortimer comes to her aid, sort of. Mortimer is fearful that a cult of devil summoners has taken root in London, and when hearing Mortimers fears Petunia tries to use that fear to get them to help her!!! Tired of her constant bickering Seamus decides to show her his knife skills. He places an apple on her head (william Tell style) and throws his knife!!! The knife cleaves the aplle in 2 pieces, and Petunia faints!!!
The party decides to try to get to the bottom of this. Mortimer summons his servant Alfred to take Petunia to "the Secure" room in his mansion. The begin scouting for clues. Some are dead ends but Mortimer finds a housekeeper who has a unopened letter ,stamped and all. The stamp is from Wapping, an area near Whitechapel in London. The date is friday the 13th and they are in a hurry!!
Getting there they find the office staffed by a young woman. Half persuaded, half intimidated she actually knows this Heward Black. He is in fact a young failed writer named Abraham Stoker. She knows his hangout is the Wharf, a pub close by and he usually hangs out with Irish Willy, another youngster.
Nakamura decides to hang back as the leave and sure enough he sees her summon a young boy. She gives him a coin and whispers in his ear... The boy races away, soon chased by Namakura who catches the lad and pulls him into an alley!! The other pc´s see it and follow them into the alley.
The have taken Id´s from the Tophats in the last chapter and decides to use them hehe. The boy is scared shitless by the badges and tells them that the girl told him to warn Irish Willy. They hear the not so faint sounds of fornication from a window and all the talk of tophats spurs on the drunk sailor in the room. They are drenched in shit and piss from a chamberpot flying from a window!!!
Fueled by rage Seamus climbs the wall and enters the room where a scared whore hides under a blanket. The customer, a sailor, is getting his pants on. Seamus flies through the room and knocks out the sailor. His mean edge kicks in and he pulls out his knife and carves a circle in the mans forehead. Seamus leaves by the window but soon the cries echoes from the pub "Knife, Knife!!! He used a knife on him, he cut him" . Seamus leaves quickly before the police arrives fleeing back to the Kerboros Club, but getting a bennie for being true to his hindrance.
Irish William
The group enters the pub and soon spots a red headed man throwing money around. Irish Willy and his buddies, getting more than drunk!!! The group somehow manages to get invited to the table, ordering more alcohol to the drunk irishman. When the whores around them begin hitting on the men on the table, the group tells Willys buddies to have some fun on their account!! They then begin spinning a tale of a legendary whore called the "velvet-mouth" and manages to get Willy to leave with them. He passes out from drinking in the carriage and they find a secluded hotel and let the man sleep for a few hours!!!
Rudely awakened he soon sees that he has been tricked, but is willingly to tell them all he knows as long he gets out alive. They agree (Nakamura is a man of honor and insists that the promise must be kept) and are told that he and Abraham Stoker has set up a scam using a circus troupe to perform miracles for the bored rich in the city. Their greatest scam is taking place tonight where the rich have been taken to the remote Sconesbury Asylum. There they will "summon" Lucifer and those that have the devils fee (money, money) will join in his power!!! It is all a scam but irish Willy remembers Sir James son-in-law Winnie. He considers him the biggest fool of the lot and Haward Black/Abraham Stoker thinks he will be able to trick the deed to his house from him!!
They leave the hotel, fetches Seamus and leaves for Sconesbury Asylum some hours away.
Rudely awakened he soon sees that he has been tricked, but is willingly to tell them all he knows as long he gets out alive. They agree (Nakamura is a man of honor and insists that the promise must be kept) and are told that he and Abraham Stoker has set up a scam using a circus troupe to perform miracles for the bored rich in the city. Their greatest scam is taking place tonight where the rich have been taken to the remote Sconesbury Asylum. There they will "summon" Lucifer and those that have the devils fee (money, money) will join in his power!!! It is all a scam but irish Willy remembers Sir James son-in-law Winnie. He considers him the biggest fool of the lot and Haward Black/Abraham Stoker thinks he will be able to trick the deed to his house from him!!
They leave the hotel, fetches Seamus and leaves for Sconesbury Asylum some hours away.
Sconesbury Asylum
Around 10pm they arrive at the Asylum. The area is marsh and the carriage have some difficulty getting trough. The sign reads: Sconesbury Asylum and Cemetary. The area is overgrown and in between the heavy fog they see graves and ruins of mauleseums. The area stinks of marsh water and Mortimer rolls a raise on a notice roll, hearing what sounds like chanting on the winds.
They come to the Asylum. Once painted white, but only flakes of paint can be seen on the tall sinister building. The Asylum is not wide but quite high, and sloped as if slowly sinking into the marsh itself. They see dead flower beds in front of the Asylum, but a single red rose stands tall. It is blood red and the only living plant is sight, standing tall and colourful among all this death...
Another killer session... had prepared a battle but somehow they avoided it, never can figure out the twists and turns of my party and I am thankful of it... Well played..
Xp´s granted: 2
xp Total: 32
They come to the Asylum. Once painted white, but only flakes of paint can be seen on the tall sinister building. The Asylum is not wide but quite high, and sloped as if slowly sinking into the marsh itself. They see dead flower beds in front of the Asylum, but a single red rose stands tall. It is blood red and the only living plant is sight, standing tall and colourful among all this death...
Another killer session... had prepared a battle but somehow they avoided it, never can figure out the twists and turns of my party and I am thankful of it... Well played..
Xp´s granted: 2
xp Total: 32
(18/6-2012) 13th of April 1861: The Asylum and the Ritual
The Asylum
Our heroes have found the Sconebury Asylum some 30 miles from London in a bog. The soggy ground oozes fog and a single red rose stands tall amidst all the decaying greys of the place. A wagon, partly concealed, stands to the side of the building. A succesful notice reaveals a figure behind the barred windows. Mortimer investigated the wagon while Seamus and Sir James enters the building.
Mortimer finds rope, wires, cannisters labeled magnesium, fuses and several brown robes. Using his superior intellect he realized the magnesium and fuses could be reworked in bombs. As he has no training in explosives I tell him that to properly use the bombs, he would have to roll smarts or else the fuse was too long or too short, either exploding to soon or a bit later than intended.
Inside the building they see an eating room, rusted chains are bolted to the floor where the 30 chairs are positioned. Everything is neat and tidy except a single chair which have been tossed aside. Strange paintings can be seen on a wall (former inmates, almost childlike). A sniveling man walks down the spiral staircase, concealed behind a brown robe, asking why they are interrupting the play. He is confronted by Sir James who claims to be from the Guild of Actors wanting a license for the play the man claims to be taking place this night. The man insists that the play is legal and tries in vain to make them leave. Seamus backhands the man insisting that they should be taken to Winston, Sir James son-in-law. Nakamura and Mortimer also enters the room.
Then bad cop good cop begins. Seamus is of course bad cop and threatens the man and backhands him!! Mortimer sweettalks him and plays the role of good cop. The see leftovers from theater-paint on the mans face. The man talks with a heavy german accent and tells them since they are here, they are part of the play, and have important roles he insist. He will take them to Winston, as the play wants.. Nakamura and Seamus investigates the paintings seeing their hindrances played out as layers of mystique are revealed with notice rolls, sinister indeed.
The man takes them through corridors to an old surgery. They see a rusted surgery table complete with chains and all. On the walls they see notes from the surgeon surgeon, foul notes of unnecesary surgical experiments on the inmates of yore. Again Seamus backhands the man, this time cracking teeth!!!
The man laughs and they see old teeth at the same place the man spits out his own teeth. "The play repeats itself" the man laughs," you are playing the role perfectly" the man tells Seamus. Seamus have a strange deja-vu sensation as he is doing something, someone else have done at this very spot.
The continue and eventually come to a ruined chapel. The cross have been broken and smeared ritually with blood and feces!!! A door opens and 7 cloaked figures emerge. The leader in black (Heward Black) welcomes them to the seance. The others take place in front of the defiled altar "Bretheren, the time has come. Together we will open the pathways and welcome the Dark Lord himself. Everything is ready, come and rejoice in his infernal glory". They hear a man snicker and see the silver plated shoes of a wealthy man, Winston. When confronted he tells Sir James that he will come freely, he just wants to complete the ritual. Eager to see the layers of mystique revealed the group decides to see whether or not the ritual is real.
Mortimer finds rope, wires, cannisters labeled magnesium, fuses and several brown robes. Using his superior intellect he realized the magnesium and fuses could be reworked in bombs. As he has no training in explosives I tell him that to properly use the bombs, he would have to roll smarts or else the fuse was too long or too short, either exploding to soon or a bit later than intended.
Inside the building they see an eating room, rusted chains are bolted to the floor where the 30 chairs are positioned. Everything is neat and tidy except a single chair which have been tossed aside. Strange paintings can be seen on a wall (former inmates, almost childlike). A sniveling man walks down the spiral staircase, concealed behind a brown robe, asking why they are interrupting the play. He is confronted by Sir James who claims to be from the Guild of Actors wanting a license for the play the man claims to be taking place this night. The man insists that the play is legal and tries in vain to make them leave. Seamus backhands the man insisting that they should be taken to Winston, Sir James son-in-law. Nakamura and Mortimer also enters the room.
Then bad cop good cop begins. Seamus is of course bad cop and threatens the man and backhands him!! Mortimer sweettalks him and plays the role of good cop. The see leftovers from theater-paint on the mans face. The man talks with a heavy german accent and tells them since they are here, they are part of the play, and have important roles he insist. He will take them to Winston, as the play wants.. Nakamura and Seamus investigates the paintings seeing their hindrances played out as layers of mystique are revealed with notice rolls, sinister indeed.
The man takes them through corridors to an old surgery. They see a rusted surgery table complete with chains and all. On the walls they see notes from the surgeon surgeon, foul notes of unnecesary surgical experiments on the inmates of yore. Again Seamus backhands the man, this time cracking teeth!!!
The man laughs and they see old teeth at the same place the man spits out his own teeth. "The play repeats itself" the man laughs," you are playing the role perfectly" the man tells Seamus. Seamus have a strange deja-vu sensation as he is doing something, someone else have done at this very spot.
The continue and eventually come to a ruined chapel. The cross have been broken and smeared ritually with blood and feces!!! A door opens and 7 cloaked figures emerge. The leader in black (Heward Black) welcomes them to the seance. The others take place in front of the defiled altar "Bretheren, the time has come. Together we will open the pathways and welcome the Dark Lord himself. Everything is ready, come and rejoice in his infernal glory". They hear a man snicker and see the silver plated shoes of a wealthy man, Winston. When confronted he tells Sir James that he will come freely, he just wants to complete the ritual. Eager to see the layers of mystique revealed the group decides to see whether or not the ritual is real.
The Ritual
Down in the eating room a huge pentagramm, in cast, iron have been placed ( way too huge to be moved by less than five men). The bretheren drag it outside. A man, young with a sneer on his face, waits outside and nods to the blackcloaked leader (Heward Black) and begins chanting!!!!
I begin to roll, this is a ritual and we use it as a dramatic ritual, 5 succeses in 5 rounds are required!!!
Heward Black stands before the pentagram and also chants some mumbo-jumbo, unaware that the newcomer is invoking a real ritual. Suddenly the earth parts and groans as if the earth itself is in pain. The group realizes that something sinister is taking place and springs into action!!! Mortimer invokes his dark power within and screaming fiery skulls emerge from the ground, and all of the bretheren are stricken with fear, Heward Black is even shaken by the heat og Mortimers unholy magic!!! Unaware that the real conjurer is the newcomer, Seamus sprints to the circle and pushes one of the bretheren hard!!! He flies through the air and hits the fake conjurer Heward Black hard. The pushed man is knocked unconsious, but the already shaken Heward Black is hit on the neck, breaking it.
At this point I rolled the last success required to finish the ritual and the newcomer laughs "Fools, You do not remember me Mortimer since I have worn many skins since we met. Did you not see the signs, the chanting in the winds, the weather turning bad. An old slavic ritual discovered in Rumania: 7 unbabtized souls chanting the litany of the dead for 7 hours over the restless dead. ". Tired of the talking Seamus jumps to the man and shanks the man with his blade, acing the damage roll and the man is killed!!! (bad move hehe)
But as the man dies a shadow with burning red eyes emerges from the body. It talks with a hundred voices at the same time "Fools twice over, you have just completed the ritual with the neccesary sacrifice. Restless dead of madmen and innocent RISE!!!!!!. Kill the others but leave the fat men alive (Mortimer has the obese hindrance). Clawing themselves from the ground, the dead rise ready to do the bidding of the Shadow Sorcerer!!! Mortimer runs down to the scene while the bretheren, including Winston flee away from him (towards the zombie army that have arisen). Mortimer does not know what the shadow is, but fires magical screaming skulls at it!!! Luckily for him the creature is immune to physical damage and must be harmed with magic, Nakamura have also tried to hit it but the attack passed right through it.
The creature is hit hard by the magical attack and its 5 toughness is no where near enough to remain in our realm, when hit for 32 in damage!! Screaming in rage it is pulled through a fiery gate and is banished. The army of zombies advance, eager to pull the heroes apart. The flleing bretheren, seeing the zombies, turns and flee towards the asylum, but Mortimers fear spell had pushed them amidst the zombie army. I had the players roll running dice for the bretheren to see if the were lucky enough to escape!!! Only Winston, Sir James son-in-law rolled the neccesary 5-6 on a d6, the rest were torn apart as they ran towards safety..
When I planned the session I decided to use as many zombie miniatures I had, to force the players into the Asylum, probaly to battle them in closed confines as zombies clawed their way through walls and windows, replicating night of the dead and similar movies. There were 38 miniatures, more than enough I thought, but their many years as D&D players probaly twarted my plans. They began fighting the zombies!!!
Not only did they not do, as I had expected, they did it well!!! Nakamura used his mystical eastern moves invoking the element of air, and swirvling winds aid his attacks, defenses and strenght!!! (boost trait power) and after a unsuccesful rescue attempt. (the man knocked unconsious by Seamus push) t where the mans head was ripped off ,while carried on the shoulders of Nakamura (used the innocent bystander rule) Nakamura began killing zombies left and right. Mortimer threw a Magnesium granades shakening 16 zombies in 1 roll. Next round he ignited another magnesium bomb and passed it to Seamus (the master thrower) and he raised on the attack roll, killing 16 zombies in 1 roll!!!!.
Nakamura is a tower of unnatural power, despite being attacked by 6 wild attacking zombies multiple times (+6 to attack total) he avoids almost all damage, soaking all damage that gets through his defense. Seamus and the rest enters the fray with knives, guns and grit killing zombies left and right...
Won´t go into details but 4 players, 38 zombies and Sir James son-in-law took some time to battle, but still only 1,75 hours!!!! The heroes emerge victorious and only Nakamura and Seamus was damaged (1 damage each) despite my best attempts..
Good session. Never really like long combats, but the players had different plans, again resisting my carefully planned sessions, bastards!!! :-)
Xp´s granted: 2
xp Total: 34
I begin to roll, this is a ritual and we use it as a dramatic ritual, 5 succeses in 5 rounds are required!!!
Heward Black stands before the pentagram and also chants some mumbo-jumbo, unaware that the newcomer is invoking a real ritual. Suddenly the earth parts and groans as if the earth itself is in pain. The group realizes that something sinister is taking place and springs into action!!! Mortimer invokes his dark power within and screaming fiery skulls emerge from the ground, and all of the bretheren are stricken with fear, Heward Black is even shaken by the heat og Mortimers unholy magic!!! Unaware that the real conjurer is the newcomer, Seamus sprints to the circle and pushes one of the bretheren hard!!! He flies through the air and hits the fake conjurer Heward Black hard. The pushed man is knocked unconsious, but the already shaken Heward Black is hit on the neck, breaking it.
At this point I rolled the last success required to finish the ritual and the newcomer laughs "Fools, You do not remember me Mortimer since I have worn many skins since we met. Did you not see the signs, the chanting in the winds, the weather turning bad. An old slavic ritual discovered in Rumania: 7 unbabtized souls chanting the litany of the dead for 7 hours over the restless dead. ". Tired of the talking Seamus jumps to the man and shanks the man with his blade, acing the damage roll and the man is killed!!! (bad move hehe)
But as the man dies a shadow with burning red eyes emerges from the body. It talks with a hundred voices at the same time "Fools twice over, you have just completed the ritual with the neccesary sacrifice. Restless dead of madmen and innocent RISE!!!!!!. Kill the others but leave the fat men alive (Mortimer has the obese hindrance). Clawing themselves from the ground, the dead rise ready to do the bidding of the Shadow Sorcerer!!! Mortimer runs down to the scene while the bretheren, including Winston flee away from him (towards the zombie army that have arisen). Mortimer does not know what the shadow is, but fires magical screaming skulls at it!!! Luckily for him the creature is immune to physical damage and must be harmed with magic, Nakamura have also tried to hit it but the attack passed right through it.
The creature is hit hard by the magical attack and its 5 toughness is no where near enough to remain in our realm, when hit for 32 in damage!! Screaming in rage it is pulled through a fiery gate and is banished. The army of zombies advance, eager to pull the heroes apart. The flleing bretheren, seeing the zombies, turns and flee towards the asylum, but Mortimers fear spell had pushed them amidst the zombie army. I had the players roll running dice for the bretheren to see if the were lucky enough to escape!!! Only Winston, Sir James son-in-law rolled the neccesary 5-6 on a d6, the rest were torn apart as they ran towards safety..
When I planned the session I decided to use as many zombie miniatures I had, to force the players into the Asylum, probaly to battle them in closed confines as zombies clawed their way through walls and windows, replicating night of the dead and similar movies. There were 38 miniatures, more than enough I thought, but their many years as D&D players probaly twarted my plans. They began fighting the zombies!!!
Not only did they not do, as I had expected, they did it well!!! Nakamura used his mystical eastern moves invoking the element of air, and swirvling winds aid his attacks, defenses and strenght!!! (boost trait power) and after a unsuccesful rescue attempt. (the man knocked unconsious by Seamus push) t where the mans head was ripped off ,while carried on the shoulders of Nakamura (used the innocent bystander rule) Nakamura began killing zombies left and right. Mortimer threw a Magnesium granades shakening 16 zombies in 1 roll. Next round he ignited another magnesium bomb and passed it to Seamus (the master thrower) and he raised on the attack roll, killing 16 zombies in 1 roll!!!!.
Nakamura is a tower of unnatural power, despite being attacked by 6 wild attacking zombies multiple times (+6 to attack total) he avoids almost all damage, soaking all damage that gets through his defense. Seamus and the rest enters the fray with knives, guns and grit killing zombies left and right...
Won´t go into details but 4 players, 38 zombies and Sir James son-in-law took some time to battle, but still only 1,75 hours!!!! The heroes emerge victorious and only Nakamura and Seamus was damaged (1 damage each) despite my best attempts..
Good session. Never really like long combats, but the players had different plans, again resisting my carefully planned sessions, bastards!!! :-)
Xp´s granted: 2
xp Total: 34