It has taken me awhile to get this posted. I actually had most of it written within a day or two of the game. I was just trying to come up with a song that worked for the session. I'm still not a 100% sure about the one I chose but it fits most of the events of the evening. It could also be a foreshadow to some future events, depending on how everything plays out (I just realized that this is the third song by Nine Inch Nails that I have used).
What a night! Political wrangling, back alley deals, and upheavals at the top were all in play. What took place could lead to so many opportunities, surprises, conflicts, and problems. What will the future hold?
The day dawned bright and hot (it is Las Vegas, bright and hot is always a good bet). Brandon was at work having a normal day when a letter came for him. The message was simple and to the point. Mason requested his presence at his house that night.
Neil started his day in the usual manner. Up early, exercise, coffee, and then out to hit the streets. Through his contacts, he found the streets abuzz with gossip. There was talk of power changes higher up. The feeling on the street was one of tension and apprehension. No one knew for sure what was going on and everyone seemed to be waiting to see how everything played out. After talking to his contacts, Neil started on his next project- researching real estate. He had his eye on the Baron's house. A few calls later, he had the information he needed to get the ball rolling on that (will Neil be getting a house?).
Shade's day started off normal but soon took a nosedive (to be fair, Shade doesn't know about two of the incidents concerning her but, all in all, the day takes a nosedive). She was tattooing a customer (okay, he was a junkie but, since he wasn't high just then, she agreed to do the ink). Deciding to give her idea one last shot, she asked the guy a few questions about who was supplying him and such. It took a bit of work but she did get a name- Jimmy the Hand. Even though he was a drug dealer, he fit at least two of her criteria. He was a human who worked closely with the Supernatural and he would probably have connections. Hopefully, he would be able to steer her towards a suitable candidate for the Board. With nothing to lose, she went in search for him. After searching awhile, she did find Jimmy. They engaged in social combat with Shade eventually winning. However, she wasn't able to get anything from him. Deciding enough was enough, Shade went back to work.
With night falling, Brandon headed out for his meeting with Mason. He figured that he would be dealing with more Spade business. He had not figured on the first person he saw at the house. It was Lucinda Wraith. After a polite (snicker) hello, he took a seat on the far side of the room. Eventually Mason entered the room. Not indulging in small talk, he got right to the point. He told Brandon that his main concern was corruption at the highest levels, meaning the Board members. He didn't trust any of them. He felt that most, if not all, had forgotten the reason for the Board being formed. Add to that the fact that someone was taking the Spades out and he was sure that Brandon could understand his concern. Brandon could. Then Brandon voiced a concern of his own. He wanted Mason's assurances that this was a straight deal. If a problem came up; it would be dealt with. No bullshit. Mason assured him that was the case. Brandon was satisfied. Then Mason told him why Lucinda was there. Every person who joined the Spades underwent a Soulgaze with another member. It would be Brandon's job (as a wizard) to do that but, he couldn't Soulgaze himself. Brandon wasn't happy with the whole idea but agreed to it (a soulgaze is just that. The people involved literally see the other's soul, see what kind of person they are. It also allows the other to see if a person is under a spell or is corrupted). Once that was done, Lucinda excused herself. Brandon and Mason talked for a bit longer. Asked about whether Neil would accept the job, Brandon said that he didn't know. Mason hoped that he would. A human could go places that the Supernatural couldn't. Then Mason asked about Shade again, if she could be trusted. He wanted to know if Brandon had noticed any changes in her lately. Brandon said he hadn't. Mason asked if Brandon would spend some time with her and get to know her better (would it kill the guys if they stood up for Shade? They may not be besties but she does stick up for them and she is keeping Wyatt a secret). Brandon said he would and they parted soon after.
Real estate deals being finished, Neil made a call to Max. He had a business proposal for him. Max agreed to a meeting. At the diner, Neil launched into his proposal. With the recent change up in the power structure, there were certain advantages coming available. One of which being the open seat on the Board. What about Max trying for that seat? Playing it cool, Max asked how that would be handled. Neil said that he knew of a possibility and wanted to know if Max would be willing to meet with said individual. Max said yes. Not wasting any time, Neil placed a call to Skavis (yes, that sound you heard was Shade yelling...definitely something very, very impolite). Neil explained the situation to him and Skavis told them to come right over to the Crucible. They did so.
Walking into the bar, they were greeted with some heckling. They really didn't fit in with the regular clientele. In the back they found Skavis. After sitting down, Neil told him about his proposal. Skavis seemed interested and told Neil to go on. Of course, Skavis being Skavis couldn't seem to eager and had to throw a few insults Max's way. With effort, Max held onto his temper. He also wisely kept his mouth shut and let Neil continue to do the talking. Neil pointed out the fact that it wouldn't hurt to have a friend, so to speak, on the Board. After a bit of contemplation, Skavis said okay but that Max would have to agree to do as he said for a year- work with him, vote as he voted, and so on. Neil then stressed the point that this alliance couldn't be flaunted openly. It wouldn't help either one if it was known that Max was beholden to him. There was some more back and forth but terms were agreed upon. Skavis would suggest Max as a candidate for the seat and Max would work with him. Max said that would be okay unless it conflicted with his interests. Business concluded, Neil and Max left.
After leaving Mason's, Brandon figured he was due a nice relaxing evening. Heading to the MGM, he had a few drinks and bought a ticket for the boxing match slated for that evening. He even placed a bet. Unfortunately, he picked the wrong guy. Still, he enjoyed himself.
After work, Shade caught up on her second job. She called Marissa, the changeling who was in charge of the Freemont Experience expansion. Things were going splendidly. More people were moving in and the area was well on it's way to being the hip place to live and work. In August, an art fair/block party was being planned. Satisfied, Shade hung up and left for the Board meeting.
At the Luxor, the Board members were mingling about before starting. Shade went to talk with Puck and Heather. Soon after, Skavis showed up and came over to join their group. He was his usual charming self (in other words, he came over and promptly tried/said something blatantly sexual). Shade and Skavis talked about the upcoming meeting. He asked her what she thought would happen. Shade told him that she figured people would throw out a few names. Then Locke would name his candidate and then everyone would vote that person in. Skavis then wanted to know if Shade would vote for herself or is she would just be a Locke ass kisser. Shade laughed at that and said that being on Locke's good side really wasn't a problem. Locke loathed her. Shade asked if he had anyone in mind. Skavis said that he did. He planned on nominating Max Torelli.
Finally, everyone headed in and after Locke showed up, the meeting started. The first order of business was what to do with the humans addicted to the Red Court saliva and the dead Baron's territory. After some discussion, the care of the humans and the territory was given to the Wraiths. They had the means to control the addicts. It was also agreed to revisit that decision in a years time.
Next on the agenda was what to do with the empty Board seat. That started a lively discussion. Angelica brought up Shade's idea about giving it to a human. Shade spoke up and admitted that she hadn't been able to find a good candidate. Skavis stood up then and nominated a drug dealer he knew. No one took him seriously. Locke asked again if there was anyone. And again, Skavis stood up. Sounding impatient, Locke asked if he had someone in mind. Skavis then nominated Torelli. Shade seconded it. The debate started. Skavis said that new blood was needed and that Max would bring business opportunities to Vegas. Uri said that they had spent too long getting the Mob out of Vegas to let them back in. Shade countered that the Mob was still in Vegas and that it made more sense to have the Mob representative on the board where they could keep an eye on him and control him if necessary. Unfortunately, the vote did not go in Max's favor.
Then Locke proposed that a seat on the Board be eliminated by combining two into one. He suggested that either Uri or Angelica lose their seat. That did not go over well. Uri was pissed as hell. It was brought up that it set a bad precedent. What would stop other seats from being eliminated? After all, the Vampires could be consolidated, as could the two Fey courts. Emotions were running high. Everything from indifference to worry to anger was swirling about. Since no one really liked that idea, Locke said he would be fine with taking a long vacation (he kept muttering something about Tahiti and Tawney in a bikini) and letting someone else be the Chairman. Uri nominated himself. Shade seconded it. Angelica about ruptured a blood vessel disagreeing. She said that Uri's very nature made that a mistake. Shade pointed out that Uri's nature as half demon fit in perfectly with Vegas. After all, wasn't Vegas the breeding ground for the seven deadly sins? Why not have their earthly representative head the Board? A vote was taken and Uri was named as the new Chairman- with the decision to be revisited in a year.
Right after the meeting, Shade left, bought some candy, and went to the Nevernever. Even though she hated to disturb him, she needed to tell Philip what happened at the meeting. Getting there, she gave the candy to the pixies, who were very happy to eat it. They took her to see Philip. She told him what happened. They also talked about Freemont and Philip seemed pleased that it was going so well. Before leaving, Shade did bring up what had happened to her and that she hoped that Philip wouldn't start experimenting with it. However, if he did, she really didn't want to know. The term she used was plausible deniability.
That pretty much ended the gaming session. There will be two month time span between the end of this arc and the beginning of the next. In that time, Neil was able to get a hold of a shit load of money and buy the Baron's house...and all the furnishings (told you Neil was getting the house). He also bought a fleet of motorcycles and accepted Mason's job offer. Brandon spent his time getting to know his Fey sword better and getting a scabbard made for it. He also started taking fencing lessons. The art/street fair went off without a hitch, which made Shade happy. She also started to spend some time individually with the Changelings. She just talked with them about choosing to be human or Fey and how they feel about it. By doing so, she hoped to get a few to become full Fey and to impress Philip even more (at least she's good at doing Fey stuff).
See what I mean about the possibilities? I cannot wait for the next session to see just what will happen with all the changes taking place. Will the White Council make an appearance? Will Angelica be proved right or wrong? Just who is killing the Spades and just what action will Mason take with what happened to the Board? Will Locke get jailed in Tahiti for sexual harassment? Okay, that last was just for fun.
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Saturday, April 6, 2013
Dresden Files Las Vegas- Some of Them Want To Use You
Finally sitting down and getting this written. I have been busy with real life stuff (that being my speak for playing computer games) but I promised to get this updated before the next session and I will! The night was very, very fun and interesting. Not much action but lots of deals. To put it in proper Vegas terminology: The hand has been dealt. Now to see who raises, calls, folds, or bluffs.
It's summer in Sin City and it's not only the temperature that's heating up. Political turmoil is in full swing and it's getting harder to tell friend from foe. Under the table deals are being made and trust has, indeed, become a rare commodity.
The next evening came. Neil was still hiding out in Brandon's basement. Brandon and Skip were enjoying their stay at the Luxor. Shade had another Board meeting to attend. After all the members showed, Locke told everyone that he had spoken to the White Council and knew some of the details about what happened. The White Council had won the war. A certain wizard by the name of Dresden had enacted a blood curse on the Red Court and wiped it out completely. Everyone was pretty well stunned. That amount of power was almost unheard of. Locke then brought up the empty Board seat. A couple of suggestions were thrown out. Shade put out the idea of a pure human, someone with no supernatural power at all who would represent the mortal element of Vegas. A couple of Board members seemed receptive to the idea. Alas, Locke wasn't one of them. He basically shot her down and announced that he had his own candidate in mind (At that point, Shade kept quiet. Once he said that, she knew the seat would go to whomever Locke wanted and she didn't see the point of fighting a battle she didn't have a chance in hell of winning. At least right at that moment). Next on the agenda was what to do about Dresden. There was talk of killing him. Paranoia reigned supreme. Shade had to point out that the attack hadn't been against the Baron personally and she didn't think Dresden would be showing up to get them all. She said that if Dresden showed up in Vegas, he should be dealt with. Barring that, let the White Council deal with the problem. The Board voted to ban Dresden from Vegas. Business being finished, the meeting ended.
As Shade headed out, Locke asked her to give a message to Brandon- The danger was over and they needed to get out. He didn't want any freeloaders around. Shade went to Brandon and Skip's room and delivered the message, which really pissed Brandon off. Really, really pissed him off. She also left a message for Neil telling him that the danger was over and he could go home. Done with that, Shade went to have a drink at Legends and then headed home for some much needed sleep. After Neil listened to Shade's voicemail, he headed home. Opening his door, he noticed a card that had been slipped under it. It was the ace of spades and it had an address and a time on it. Thinking it was a threat, Neil left for a very public place. Brandon (still pissed as hell) found a similar card slipped under his door. He reacted quite differently. He threw the card out onto his lawn.
The next day started early for Neil. He called Wyatt and asked if it was possible for him to see who had sent the card. Wyatt wasn't sure if he could do that and told Neil to meet him on his lunch break. At noon, Neil brought the card and a sandwich for Wyatt. Wyatt was unable to tell who had handled it. However, he was able to tell where the rest of deck was located. It was the address on the back. Neil thanked Wyatt and left to check it out.
Getting there, Neil saw that it appeared to be an empty lot. Driving past it a couple of times, he lobbed his cigarette into the lot and watched as it seemed to disappear. He parked his car and got out to look things over. Reaching the point where his cigarette had disappeared, he tossed a rock. It too vanished. He knew something was off and tried a few more experiments. They involved a hollow tube, using his phone to try and get a picture of what was on the other side, and sticking his finger through. The whole time Neil was being watched by some of the neighborhood's retirees. He was probably the most amusing thing they had seen in months. Deciding what the hell, he stepped through. Inside the veil, it was dark. There was also an old, rundown house. Neil first checked the front and back doors. They were locked and he was not able to jimmy them open. Next, he checked the windows. No luck there. They too were locked. After trying kick the door in and failing (I swear, we have the worst luck with doors in any game we play. I can think of five different times we have tried to kick one in and we have never succeeded), he simply broke a window and entered the house. It was dusty and the furnishings looked old. He opened the fridge and saw it was filled with blood. It also contained some fruit, of which he took an apple. Searching the rest of the first floor, he found a drawer full of cards, many different decks. Satisfied, Neil left his version of a calling card. He placed a poker hand neatly on the table and put his apple core and a business card with it. He did sweep up the broken glass before leaving (say what you want about Neil, at least he is polite when he does something illegal). His last act before driving away was to phone in an anonymous tip about a drug deal and murder taking place at the address of the lot.
Shade's day started early as well. Max called her and asked if he could see her that night to talk- business, not personal. She said that was fine. Her morning was spent tattooing a few people, one of which was a "special" design. With nothing to lose, she asked the gentleman if he knew anyone in the mortal community who was in the know about the Supernatural element. Someone who stood out a bit. It took some doing but she got an answer. The guy gave her Neil's card. Not what she wanted (of course she could have hired Neil to find who she needed but she really wants to do this on her own). After a bit of thinking, a name came to her- Sal Fredricks. She went to the restaurant where he did business and asked to see him. The meeting did not go well. After telling Sal who she was and what she needed, he asked how much it would be worth to her. Not having the funds to pay him off, Shade told him so and bid him goodbye (Frankly, if he was too stupid to see the advantages to having a Board member owe him a favor, Shade didn't want to deal with him). Back at her shop, Shade worked until Max showed up. What he wanted to talk about was interesting, to say the least. He first brought up the possibility of an alliance between the Autumn Court and himself. Shade agreed that could be possible but she would have to talk it over with Philip. Then he asked her if she would vote for his taking the open seat on the Board. That surprised Shade. Max was an outsider and part of the Mob. Both of which were not really welcome in Vegas. She told him that she was working on getting a human in that seat. However, if a candidate she felt was better suited didn't get put out there, she would support his bid. Satisfied, Max left.
Brandon's day was normal. He was still angry as hell over what Locke said. He vowed, that after everything he had done for Vegas, everyone could go and fuck themselves if they needed help. His day finally ended and he headed home. Once again, he found an ace of spades slipped under his door. Once again, he flipped it onto his lawn. Deciding that a bit of magic was in order, he called Skip. The two of then spent the rest of the evening fashioning a ward. Brandon wanted to keep everyone but himself and Skip out of his house (they set the ward to keep everyone but those wearing a special amulet out). It took awhile but they got the spell set. Skip amused himself by taking his amulet off and on and trying to get through the door.
After breaking and entering, Neil went on a shopping spree. He knew that whomever had sent the card was a vampire and he wanted to load up on vampire killing tools. His first stop was to a store to get a couple of stakes. Then he stopped by the church to get them blessed. Then it was off to the gun shop. He wanted something with a bit of firepower. He also wanted some wooden bullets. The clerk seemed a bit taken aback by that. He told Neil that he should go with a shotgun. They spent a bit of time discussing the possibilities. Neil left the shop after putting the order for the gun and with a promise by the clerk to look into the wooden pellets. One last stop was on his list. Before he could get to the store, he noticed that he was being followed by a patrol car. He stopped and asked the officer what the problem was. The cop asked Neil if he had been in such a such neighborhood earlier that day. They had received a tip about a possible murder. They had also received a few calls about a car matching his that was seen in the vicinity. Neil played it cool and denied that he had ever been there. After searching his car, the cops let him go (old, bored retirees will get you every time). Neil went back to his search for a high intensity UV lamp that was portable (he definitely wants every base covered). With his shopping finished, Neil drove back to his place. As he was unlocking his door, he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned and saw that it was Mason.
After speaking with Max, Shade left for Legends, hoping Harold was there. He was. She told him that she needed to get to Philip in the Nevernever and asked if he knew an easier way then having to do a ritual. He didn't but he told her to get a hold of Helena. if anyone would know, it was her. Shade called her and asked her about it. Helena said that she could do it but not until the morning. She was catering a huge event. Shade thanked her and said that she would try on her own. Back in her basement, Shade cast the ritual and opened a rift to the Nevernever. Luckily, her point of entry turned out to be in Autumn's land. At the manor, she ran into some pixies. After making them some caramel, they agreed to take her to where Philip was (they also got her to promise to bring candy with her whenever she came to there).
They set off with the pixies leading the way. Entering a maze, Shade was led to the center. She saw Philip kneeling on a dais in the center. He seemed to be communing with something or someone. In front of him were two biers. The mummified remains of Fey were on them. Shade tried to get the pixies to inform Philip that she was there. They refused. Not knowing what else to do, she stepped onto the platform. With the first step, she could feel the power surrounding her. It only took a moment to realize her mistake. With her second step, she could feel the human part of herself being drained away and it being replaced by Fey. It took everything in her to move back to safer ground. She had managed to get Philip's attention however. He looked at her in amazement. No human had ever stepped onto the platform. In the few seconds she had been on the circle, her hair had grown longer, she seemed taller and thinner, and her ears had formed into slight points (Philip kept touching them until Shade told him to cut it out). Philip asked why she had come there. She told him about the Red Court and what Locke had found out. Then she brought up Max's proposal of an alliance. Philip asked if she trusted him. Shade said that she did. Philip nodded and told her to do what she thought was best. Business concluded, Philip opened a portal back to Vegas and Shade went home (one last thing about the whole experience. Shade is going to keep an eye out for any "new" Autumn Fey showing up. Hopefully Philip won't experiment with the whole human into Fey thing but Shade isn't taking any chances. She knows Philip way too well. That will definitely have to be stopped).
Neil turned to face Mason. With a smile, Mason told Neil that he hadn't had an invitation refused in awhile. Realizing the miscommunication, Neil explained that he had taken the card to be a threat and not an invitation. Mason asked Neil if he and Brandon would come to his place for a talk. He then left. Neil called Brandon to find out if he wanted to check out an invisible house. Perplexed but game, Brandon agreed.
They all met up at the empty lot. Looking at it with the Sight, Brandon saw that it seemed to be formed by the despair of ghosts. The three of them walked through the veil. Skip was very impressed. After knocking on the door and being invited in, Mason, Brandon, and Neil went into the sitting room. Skip was sent to the kitchen. Mason started the conversation by telling the two about the Spades and their role in Vegas. He went on to say that in the past few years seven of the Spades had been killed. Not by accidents, by murder. He feared that someone had learned who they were and were wiping them out. Being the Ace, he believed he was being saved for last. He spoke of his distrust and contempt for the Board (he did say that he would have included Shade in the deal but, because of her involvement with the Board, he wasn't sure if she could be trusted. What was worse was that Neil and Brandon didn't stick up for her. Shade would be very hurt if she knew that). They had turned from acting for good of Vegas to being part of the problem. The end shot was that he wanted Brandon and Neil to join the Spades. At first, Brandon flat out refused. Why should he do anything for Vegas when he had been treated like shit (Locke REALLY pissed him off)? Mason assured him that would not be the case if he accepted the job. It took a bit of convincing but Brandon accepted. Neil said that he would have to think about it.
That ended the session and it can only get better. Tomorrow night we will find out what happens next and we cannot wait!
It's summer in Sin City and it's not only the temperature that's heating up. Political turmoil is in full swing and it's getting harder to tell friend from foe. Under the table deals are being made and trust has, indeed, become a rare commodity.
The next evening came. Neil was still hiding out in Brandon's basement. Brandon and Skip were enjoying their stay at the Luxor. Shade had another Board meeting to attend. After all the members showed, Locke told everyone that he had spoken to the White Council and knew some of the details about what happened. The White Council had won the war. A certain wizard by the name of Dresden had enacted a blood curse on the Red Court and wiped it out completely. Everyone was pretty well stunned. That amount of power was almost unheard of. Locke then brought up the empty Board seat. A couple of suggestions were thrown out. Shade put out the idea of a pure human, someone with no supernatural power at all who would represent the mortal element of Vegas. A couple of Board members seemed receptive to the idea. Alas, Locke wasn't one of them. He basically shot her down and announced that he had his own candidate in mind (At that point, Shade kept quiet. Once he said that, she knew the seat would go to whomever Locke wanted and she didn't see the point of fighting a battle she didn't have a chance in hell of winning. At least right at that moment). Next on the agenda was what to do about Dresden. There was talk of killing him. Paranoia reigned supreme. Shade had to point out that the attack hadn't been against the Baron personally and she didn't think Dresden would be showing up to get them all. She said that if Dresden showed up in Vegas, he should be dealt with. Barring that, let the White Council deal with the problem. The Board voted to ban Dresden from Vegas. Business being finished, the meeting ended.
As Shade headed out, Locke asked her to give a message to Brandon- The danger was over and they needed to get out. He didn't want any freeloaders around. Shade went to Brandon and Skip's room and delivered the message, which really pissed Brandon off. Really, really pissed him off. She also left a message for Neil telling him that the danger was over and he could go home. Done with that, Shade went to have a drink at Legends and then headed home for some much needed sleep. After Neil listened to Shade's voicemail, he headed home. Opening his door, he noticed a card that had been slipped under it. It was the ace of spades and it had an address and a time on it. Thinking it was a threat, Neil left for a very public place. Brandon (still pissed as hell) found a similar card slipped under his door. He reacted quite differently. He threw the card out onto his lawn.
The next day started early for Neil. He called Wyatt and asked if it was possible for him to see who had sent the card. Wyatt wasn't sure if he could do that and told Neil to meet him on his lunch break. At noon, Neil brought the card and a sandwich for Wyatt. Wyatt was unable to tell who had handled it. However, he was able to tell where the rest of deck was located. It was the address on the back. Neil thanked Wyatt and left to check it out.
Getting there, Neil saw that it appeared to be an empty lot. Driving past it a couple of times, he lobbed his cigarette into the lot and watched as it seemed to disappear. He parked his car and got out to look things over. Reaching the point where his cigarette had disappeared, he tossed a rock. It too vanished. He knew something was off and tried a few more experiments. They involved a hollow tube, using his phone to try and get a picture of what was on the other side, and sticking his finger through. The whole time Neil was being watched by some of the neighborhood's retirees. He was probably the most amusing thing they had seen in months. Deciding what the hell, he stepped through. Inside the veil, it was dark. There was also an old, rundown house. Neil first checked the front and back doors. They were locked and he was not able to jimmy them open. Next, he checked the windows. No luck there. They too were locked. After trying kick the door in and failing (I swear, we have the worst luck with doors in any game we play. I can think of five different times we have tried to kick one in and we have never succeeded), he simply broke a window and entered the house. It was dusty and the furnishings looked old. He opened the fridge and saw it was filled with blood. It also contained some fruit, of which he took an apple. Searching the rest of the first floor, he found a drawer full of cards, many different decks. Satisfied, Neil left his version of a calling card. He placed a poker hand neatly on the table and put his apple core and a business card with it. He did sweep up the broken glass before leaving (say what you want about Neil, at least he is polite when he does something illegal). His last act before driving away was to phone in an anonymous tip about a drug deal and murder taking place at the address of the lot.
Shade's day started early as well. Max called her and asked if he could see her that night to talk- business, not personal. She said that was fine. Her morning was spent tattooing a few people, one of which was a "special" design. With nothing to lose, she asked the gentleman if he knew anyone in the mortal community who was in the know about the Supernatural element. Someone who stood out a bit. It took some doing but she got an answer. The guy gave her Neil's card. Not what she wanted (of course she could have hired Neil to find who she needed but she really wants to do this on her own). After a bit of thinking, a name came to her- Sal Fredricks. She went to the restaurant where he did business and asked to see him. The meeting did not go well. After telling Sal who she was and what she needed, he asked how much it would be worth to her. Not having the funds to pay him off, Shade told him so and bid him goodbye (Frankly, if he was too stupid to see the advantages to having a Board member owe him a favor, Shade didn't want to deal with him). Back at her shop, Shade worked until Max showed up. What he wanted to talk about was interesting, to say the least. He first brought up the possibility of an alliance between the Autumn Court and himself. Shade agreed that could be possible but she would have to talk it over with Philip. Then he asked her if she would vote for his taking the open seat on the Board. That surprised Shade. Max was an outsider and part of the Mob. Both of which were not really welcome in Vegas. She told him that she was working on getting a human in that seat. However, if a candidate she felt was better suited didn't get put out there, she would support his bid. Satisfied, Max left.
Brandon's day was normal. He was still angry as hell over what Locke said. He vowed, that after everything he had done for Vegas, everyone could go and fuck themselves if they needed help. His day finally ended and he headed home. Once again, he found an ace of spades slipped under his door. Once again, he flipped it onto his lawn. Deciding that a bit of magic was in order, he called Skip. The two of then spent the rest of the evening fashioning a ward. Brandon wanted to keep everyone but himself and Skip out of his house (they set the ward to keep everyone but those wearing a special amulet out). It took awhile but they got the spell set. Skip amused himself by taking his amulet off and on and trying to get through the door.
After breaking and entering, Neil went on a shopping spree. He knew that whomever had sent the card was a vampire and he wanted to load up on vampire killing tools. His first stop was to a store to get a couple of stakes. Then he stopped by the church to get them blessed. Then it was off to the gun shop. He wanted something with a bit of firepower. He also wanted some wooden bullets. The clerk seemed a bit taken aback by that. He told Neil that he should go with a shotgun. They spent a bit of time discussing the possibilities. Neil left the shop after putting the order for the gun and with a promise by the clerk to look into the wooden pellets. One last stop was on his list. Before he could get to the store, he noticed that he was being followed by a patrol car. He stopped and asked the officer what the problem was. The cop asked Neil if he had been in such a such neighborhood earlier that day. They had received a tip about a possible murder. They had also received a few calls about a car matching his that was seen in the vicinity. Neil played it cool and denied that he had ever been there. After searching his car, the cops let him go (old, bored retirees will get you every time). Neil went back to his search for a high intensity UV lamp that was portable (he definitely wants every base covered). With his shopping finished, Neil drove back to his place. As he was unlocking his door, he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned and saw that it was Mason.
After speaking with Max, Shade left for Legends, hoping Harold was there. He was. She told him that she needed to get to Philip in the Nevernever and asked if he knew an easier way then having to do a ritual. He didn't but he told her to get a hold of Helena. if anyone would know, it was her. Shade called her and asked her about it. Helena said that she could do it but not until the morning. She was catering a huge event. Shade thanked her and said that she would try on her own. Back in her basement, Shade cast the ritual and opened a rift to the Nevernever. Luckily, her point of entry turned out to be in Autumn's land. At the manor, she ran into some pixies. After making them some caramel, they agreed to take her to where Philip was (they also got her to promise to bring candy with her whenever she came to there).
They set off with the pixies leading the way. Entering a maze, Shade was led to the center. She saw Philip kneeling on a dais in the center. He seemed to be communing with something or someone. In front of him were two biers. The mummified remains of Fey were on them. Shade tried to get the pixies to inform Philip that she was there. They refused. Not knowing what else to do, she stepped onto the platform. With the first step, she could feel the power surrounding her. It only took a moment to realize her mistake. With her second step, she could feel the human part of herself being drained away and it being replaced by Fey. It took everything in her to move back to safer ground. She had managed to get Philip's attention however. He looked at her in amazement. No human had ever stepped onto the platform. In the few seconds she had been on the circle, her hair had grown longer, she seemed taller and thinner, and her ears had formed into slight points (Philip kept touching them until Shade told him to cut it out). Philip asked why she had come there. She told him about the Red Court and what Locke had found out. Then she brought up Max's proposal of an alliance. Philip asked if she trusted him. Shade said that she did. Philip nodded and told her to do what she thought was best. Business concluded, Philip opened a portal back to Vegas and Shade went home (one last thing about the whole experience. Shade is going to keep an eye out for any "new" Autumn Fey showing up. Hopefully Philip won't experiment with the whole human into Fey thing but Shade isn't taking any chances. She knows Philip way too well. That will definitely have to be stopped).
Neil turned to face Mason. With a smile, Mason told Neil that he hadn't had an invitation refused in awhile. Realizing the miscommunication, Neil explained that he had taken the card to be a threat and not an invitation. Mason asked Neil if he and Brandon would come to his place for a talk. He then left. Neil called Brandon to find out if he wanted to check out an invisible house. Perplexed but game, Brandon agreed.
They all met up at the empty lot. Looking at it with the Sight, Brandon saw that it seemed to be formed by the despair of ghosts. The three of them walked through the veil. Skip was very impressed. After knocking on the door and being invited in, Mason, Brandon, and Neil went into the sitting room. Skip was sent to the kitchen. Mason started the conversation by telling the two about the Spades and their role in Vegas. He went on to say that in the past few years seven of the Spades had been killed. Not by accidents, by murder. He feared that someone had learned who they were and were wiping them out. Being the Ace, he believed he was being saved for last. He spoke of his distrust and contempt for the Board (he did say that he would have included Shade in the deal but, because of her involvement with the Board, he wasn't sure if she could be trusted. What was worse was that Neil and Brandon didn't stick up for her. Shade would be very hurt if she knew that). They had turned from acting for good of Vegas to being part of the problem. The end shot was that he wanted Brandon and Neil to join the Spades. At first, Brandon flat out refused. Why should he do anything for Vegas when he had been treated like shit (Locke REALLY pissed him off)? Mason assured him that would not be the case if he accepted the job. It took a bit of convincing but Brandon accepted. Neil said that he would have to think about it.
That ended the session and it can only get better. Tomorrow night we will find out what happens next and we cannot wait!
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Ashen Stars- If you're going though hell...
...keep going.
Got together with Lana and Jay last week to create characters for the game that Jay will be running. The game is called Ashen Stars and I can already tell it is going to be crazy fun. It is a space opera setting (sort of- think Firefly meets Cowboy Bebop meets Star Trek) and it can be played as serious or as humorous as you want. Knowing us, it's going to have plenty of snark, fun, and massive amounts of high drama.
Game Background:
Seven years ago, the Mohilar had been defeated...barely. They had appeared in Combine space and quickly overran the Combine's defenses. The core planets had been irreparably poisoned. Billions of people/aliens had died. Industrial production had stopped. The entire economy collapsed. Untold numbers of ships had been destroyed. A last ditch engagement had resulted in a surprise defeat for the Mohilar. They abruptly vanished, leaving behind a decimated Combine.
Even though the war was not even a decade in the past, memories of it were growing vague and contradictory. This was due to a bizarre effect called the Bogey Conundrum. That the war was fought was not questioned. The destruction was also well remembered. However, just about everything else was fuzzy, at best. Flashes of memories would happen but trying to hold onto them was difficult.
Faced with the problem of trying to rebuild the Combine was a daunting task. Barely able to take care of the surviving inner core, the frontiers (more commonly referred to as the Bleed) were left basically to themselves. Realizing that some sort of law was needed, the powers of the Combine set up an organization known as Licensed Autonomous Zone Effectuators or Lasers. They are the law in the lawless Bleed. When situations arise, a call goes out. Lasers bid on the contracts and take care of whatever problem has come up.
Cast of Characters:
There are seven possible types to play in the game. I went standard human female. Lana decided to play a warrior locust/praying mantis species called the Kch-Thk. Jason chose to play one of the cybernetic and genetically altered cybes.
Lana's character idea is great. The Kch-Thk are a warrior race that eat anything and everything. In order to join the Combine, the entire race had to undergo genetic modification to quell that urge. No eating your allies/partners. Besides being bug like, they have a couple of other interesting characteristics. The Kch-Thk are not born. They go through a sort of migration into a larvae when they die. If they are deemed worthy, they are allowed to hatch. If not, they get fed to the other larvae. Their knowledge and personality are retained. Rck'rd (the name of Lana's character) is eight years into his current migration. However, something went a bit awry with it and he came out a little messed up. Okay, he was more then a little messed up. The war was a bit of a godsend to Rck'rd. He was/is an awesome fighter. It also allowed him to exert his dominance over the enemy. Once the war ended, he was at loose ends. How to show his dominance over the lesser beings now? He went in search of knowledge. After a bit of time and studying, he got the brilliant idea that, if he couldn't eat the humans to prove his dominance, he would fuck them into submission. That being decided, he started to study human behavior and social niceties. There was one huge problem with that. Actually, two major problems with that. Firstly, he is still a bug and wouldn't get very far while looking like that. That problem was solved with a bit viral manipulation. It allows him to look human and get the ladies. Secondly, even though he studied up on human relations, he isn't very good at it. It's a work in progress for him. If other members of his race knew what he was doing, they would think he was insane.
My character is a human female by the name of Carys. She had an...interesting upbringing. Her home planet is named Haven. It was a planetary experiment set up to prove that a society could be genetically planned/manipulated. Every person born has been genetically modified for their eventual place in society. Going to be a surgeon? You would be born with a high intelligence and dexterous fingers. Going to be a farmer? You would be modified to be strong and have endurance. Everyone would be satisfied and happy with their lives because that is what they had been born to do. It is a perfect world. Everything is overseen by a coalition of scientists. They are the ruling elite. Their experiment had been running smoothly for generations. There was no crime. There was no rebellion. They proudly pointed out their success to the other worlds. Then came Carys. Something went wrong. She was rebellious. She lied. She stole. She got into trouble. In other words, she was a typical human with free will. Frankly, they couldn't control her and she was fast becoming an embarrassment to the experiment. Then came the war and the powers that be cheerfully sent her off to (hopefully) die. In fact, they specifically requested that she be sent to the front. She didn't die. Once the war was over, the scientists decided that they wanted her back. They wanted to "fix" her and, if they couldn't do that, they wanted to erase her existence. She refused and met up in the Bleed with her friend Rck'rd. She is being VERY actively pursued.
Jason is playing a cybe. He too was involved in the war on the front lines as an officer. The cybes started out as human but due to their extensive genetic and cybernetic modifications, that status is up for debate. Some cybes believe that they are the logical next step in human evolution. Some even go so far to believe that they are a separate race all together. They are known as separatists. Jason's character is one such. Other then that, not much is known about him (Jason is still fleshing out his character. I keep bugging him about details like a name and such but still waiting. I will update this when he finally gets everything to me).
Miscellaneous facts:
If you ask Carys and Rck'rd how they got their ship, they will tell you but it changes with each person who asks. The truth is that they stole it and they believe the original owner is looking for them to get it back. They also have a friendly competition going on about who can sleep with the most people. There is a dry erase board set up in the main living areas where they keep track of points.
The ship they own is of the Mandible class (We still need to come up with a name).
The game has an interpersonal ability called bullshit detector. Best. Ability. Ever. And, yes, we all took ranks in it.
That's about it for now. We will be playing this as a break from Dresden. More information will be coming as we get into the game proper and start romping through the universe. I cannot wait. It seems like it will be so much fun. Next entry will be the recap of the last Dresden game. I know...I know...I have been lax with timely updates but I will get better.
Got together with Lana and Jay last week to create characters for the game that Jay will be running. The game is called Ashen Stars and I can already tell it is going to be crazy fun. It is a space opera setting (sort of- think Firefly meets Cowboy Bebop meets Star Trek) and it can be played as serious or as humorous as you want. Knowing us, it's going to have plenty of snark, fun, and massive amounts of high drama.
Game Background:
Seven years ago, the Mohilar had been defeated...barely. They had appeared in Combine space and quickly overran the Combine's defenses. The core planets had been irreparably poisoned. Billions of people/aliens had died. Industrial production had stopped. The entire economy collapsed. Untold numbers of ships had been destroyed. A last ditch engagement had resulted in a surprise defeat for the Mohilar. They abruptly vanished, leaving behind a decimated Combine.
Even though the war was not even a decade in the past, memories of it were growing vague and contradictory. This was due to a bizarre effect called the Bogey Conundrum. That the war was fought was not questioned. The destruction was also well remembered. However, just about everything else was fuzzy, at best. Flashes of memories would happen but trying to hold onto them was difficult.
Faced with the problem of trying to rebuild the Combine was a daunting task. Barely able to take care of the surviving inner core, the frontiers (more commonly referred to as the Bleed) were left basically to themselves. Realizing that some sort of law was needed, the powers of the Combine set up an organization known as Licensed Autonomous Zone Effectuators or Lasers. They are the law in the lawless Bleed. When situations arise, a call goes out. Lasers bid on the contracts and take care of whatever problem has come up.
Cast of Characters:
There are seven possible types to play in the game. I went standard human female. Lana decided to play a warrior locust/praying mantis species called the Kch-Thk. Jason chose to play one of the cybernetic and genetically altered cybes.
Lana's character idea is great. The Kch-Thk are a warrior race that eat anything and everything. In order to join the Combine, the entire race had to undergo genetic modification to quell that urge. No eating your allies/partners. Besides being bug like, they have a couple of other interesting characteristics. The Kch-Thk are not born. They go through a sort of migration into a larvae when they die. If they are deemed worthy, they are allowed to hatch. If not, they get fed to the other larvae. Their knowledge and personality are retained. Rck'rd (the name of Lana's character) is eight years into his current migration. However, something went a bit awry with it and he came out a little messed up. Okay, he was more then a little messed up. The war was a bit of a godsend to Rck'rd. He was/is an awesome fighter. It also allowed him to exert his dominance over the enemy. Once the war ended, he was at loose ends. How to show his dominance over the lesser beings now? He went in search of knowledge. After a bit of time and studying, he got the brilliant idea that, if he couldn't eat the humans to prove his dominance, he would fuck them into submission. That being decided, he started to study human behavior and social niceties. There was one huge problem with that. Actually, two major problems with that. Firstly, he is still a bug and wouldn't get very far while looking like that. That problem was solved with a bit viral manipulation. It allows him to look human and get the ladies. Secondly, even though he studied up on human relations, he isn't very good at it. It's a work in progress for him. If other members of his race knew what he was doing, they would think he was insane.
My character is a human female by the name of Carys. She had an...interesting upbringing. Her home planet is named Haven. It was a planetary experiment set up to prove that a society could be genetically planned/manipulated. Every person born has been genetically modified for their eventual place in society. Going to be a surgeon? You would be born with a high intelligence and dexterous fingers. Going to be a farmer? You would be modified to be strong and have endurance. Everyone would be satisfied and happy with their lives because that is what they had been born to do. It is a perfect world. Everything is overseen by a coalition of scientists. They are the ruling elite. Their experiment had been running smoothly for generations. There was no crime. There was no rebellion. They proudly pointed out their success to the other worlds. Then came Carys. Something went wrong. She was rebellious. She lied. She stole. She got into trouble. In other words, she was a typical human with free will. Frankly, they couldn't control her and she was fast becoming an embarrassment to the experiment. Then came the war and the powers that be cheerfully sent her off to (hopefully) die. In fact, they specifically requested that she be sent to the front. She didn't die. Once the war was over, the scientists decided that they wanted her back. They wanted to "fix" her and, if they couldn't do that, they wanted to erase her existence. She refused and met up in the Bleed with her friend Rck'rd. She is being VERY actively pursued.
Jason is playing a cybe. He too was involved in the war on the front lines as an officer. The cybes started out as human but due to their extensive genetic and cybernetic modifications, that status is up for debate. Some cybes believe that they are the logical next step in human evolution. Some even go so far to believe that they are a separate race all together. They are known as separatists. Jason's character is one such. Other then that, not much is known about him (Jason is still fleshing out his character. I keep bugging him about details like a name and such but still waiting. I will update this when he finally gets everything to me).
Miscellaneous facts:
If you ask Carys and Rck'rd how they got their ship, they will tell you but it changes with each person who asks. The truth is that they stole it and they believe the original owner is looking for them to get it back. They also have a friendly competition going on about who can sleep with the most people. There is a dry erase board set up in the main living areas where they keep track of points.
The ship they own is of the Mandible class (We still need to come up with a name).
The game has an interpersonal ability called bullshit detector. Best. Ability. Ever. And, yes, we all took ranks in it.
That's about it for now. We will be playing this as a break from Dresden. More information will be coming as we get into the game proper and start romping through the universe. I cannot wait. It seems like it will be so much fun. Next entry will be the recap of the last Dresden game. I know...I know...I have been lax with timely updates but I will get better.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)