After a few months away from the game, it was great to get back into the thick of things in Las Vegas. I have to say that it is a tribute to our awesome GM that we, as players, were able to get right back into the story. It was a short session, both in terms of real and game time but we were able find out quite a bit of information. A few more of the puzzle pieces are coming together. I do have to say that with the end getting closer, I am really going to miss this game and the characters. I like them all and there are still so many things I (actually Shade) want to do. I don't want it to end!
Okay, it has to end but there was talk about picking it up with the same characters about five years later. Please, please, please.
With the begging out of the way, let's get onto the night's adventure. And it was just one night. We may not move fast but we have fun while doing so.
Neil, at Patience's house, was not having any luck charming the caterer. Thinking that a strategic retreat was in order, he left and headed over to Uri's office.
Meanwhile, Shade and Max were still at the funeral. Patience was well liked and more then a few people got up to talk about her. The comments were heartfelt, though there was a bit of subterfuge about some of the details of her life. There were mundane humans there and a few bits of information could not be divulged (like Locke being her father. Even the most clueless would question how a man who looks 50 was the father to a 70/80ish old woman). Everything seemed normal until Locke spoke. To Shade, his speech seemed rehearsed. He was genuinely sad but he spoke as if from memory. Like he had known this was coming and needed to play his part. Faking a genteel sobbing episode, Shade and Max left the graveside and Max texted Neil that they had to meet. Neil texted back that he was doing something but would meet them at the Diner as soon as possible. Shade and Max left the funeral after that, getting to the cafe. They settled in with coffee and food and waited for Neil to arrive.
After being stopped by the police, Neil made it to Uri's office. It took him awhile to break into the office and the safe but the time was well spent. Inside the safe Neil found a couple of interesting folders. One was on Wyatt. It contained the original contract. The other file was on Angelica. Apparently Uri had been keeping very close tabs on her. Since she was his sister, that wasn't surprising. The last file was on Christine. Not having much time left, Neil made what copies he could and used his phone to photograph the rest of the documents.
At the Diner, Neil joined Shade and Max. There was much to talk about. A couple of new theories were bandied about. After verifying with Max that Stone did not "appear" to show any sign of corruption (appear is in quotes since Shade was asking about Max's version of the Sight), Shade put out the idea that there could be someone or something more behind all of the happenings. Neil brought up the idea that if Locke knew Patience was going to die maybe she had found a way to cheat death. Then there was Melinda's relationship with Patience, how did that figure into this and what, if anything, did she know? And of course Wyatt was brought up. Just how did he fit into this? A few more ideas were bandied about. The end shot of the conversation was that Melinda and Locke needed to be watched and talked to. Shade would confront Locke. Neil would talk to Melinda. Brandon would get to deal with Lucinda (this was because he was in charge of the Spades and also because he was awol).
All that being done, Shade, Max, and Neil went to the wake. The mood of the visitors was sad but Vegas being Vegas, the undercurrent was more of a "who is going to take her place". All of the bigger players were there and everyone seemed to be playing their cards close their chests, so to speak. Neil did his should be patented schmooze and search. Locke was being his usual Lockeish self. Melinda was stone-faced. Uri was networking. And the Accountant was observing it all. While speaking to Melinda, Shade got the impression that she just wanted to go. Not because she was upset about losing her lover but more like she was looking forward to something, something good. Pulling Neil outside for a cigarette, Shade gave that information to him. It seemed to bolster the idea that Patience wasn't as dearly departed as they wanted everyone to believe. Neil and Shade agreed to put their earlier into play.
While all this was going on, Brandon finally made it back Vegas (going to piss off a god any time soon Brandon?). His arrival into Vegas was witnessed by a long line of coyotes just sitting on the side of the road. Finally back into Vegas proper, he was met at the station by a couple of Ghuls, one of whom was Chumley. Brandon being Brandon, he at first refused to get into the car provided by Neil. Losing patience, Chumley placed a call to Neil and that seemed to mollify Brandon a bit. Making it back to his shop, Brandon called Shade.
Shade and Max had made it back to the Luxor and were just about to engage in a bit of "private" time when one of Max's men knocked on the door and said there was a call from a Brandon. Not very happily, Shade took it and brought Brandon up to speed with a very quick report on the happenings. She also set up a meeting between the three for the next morning and took great pleasure in telling Brandon that he was responsible for talking to Lucinda (it's never a good idea to interrupt sex time. It can make a girl cranky). That being said, Shade hung up and she and Max spent a very enjoyable time together.
Brandon, not having that enjoyable of a time, called Skip. Skip wasn't at home but Brandon had a good idea where he was at- the Dam. Driving out there, Brandon saw Skip's car was there and he found his apprentice in the ritual room. This time Skip had come prepared. He had a cooler and food as well as many notebooks. As soon as Brandon entered the room, Skip began to babble excitedly. He still wasn't 100% sure about the translations but it seemed that the ritual room had been constructed perfectly. He said it was the origin point for everywhere, even the outer realms. Skip went on to say that there was no way Stone could have done it himself. It had taken much more power then that, not only power form the world but the Nevernever. As for the energy it put it off, it was tainted and it would taint whomever used it (dammit! I was worried about something like that when we did the banishing spell with Neil, though a tainted Neil could be very amusing for Shade. He could totally fuxor every power that be in Vegas. Shade would kind of like to see a bit of that).
It took some convincing but Brandon finally talked Skip into leaving. He told Skip to grab his notes and follow him. They drove out into the desert. Once there, Brandon told Skip to burn his notes and to not study the room anymore. Anything having to do with the Outsiders was cause for instant death- no trial, no excuse, no mercy. Skip yelled and fought and pleaded with Brandon against the idea but Brandon was NOT backing down. Skip tried to argue that he wanted to stop the Outsiders and this research could do that. Using the Sight, Brandon saw that the notes were showing faint black tendrils already going into Skip. He had Skip open the Sight but all Skip saw was the image of the Coyote behind Brandon.
Having had enough and knowing he had to do something desperate, Brandon pulled his sword and told Skip in no uncertain terms that either he burned the notes or he, Brandon, would end it right now. His meaning was clear. Burn the notes or be beheaded. With his Sight still open, Brandon saw that the trust Skip had in him had turned to fear. Along with the fear, there was anger as Skip finally turned over his notes. As they burned, Skip got into his car and drove back to Vegas.
Neil, after leaving the wake placed a call to one of his companies and asked them to get the Pixies onto the Melinda situation. They were to follow her starting right away. that being done, he took a closer look at the copies and photos of the files he found in Uri's safe. It basically said that Wyatt would be given life until the nothing or the void was driven from the land. Then Wyatt would perish and Uri would gain control of his soul. There was no out clause. As for Christine's contract, it was pretty standard. She exchanged her soul for eternal youth and beauty, though there was mention of a sickness.
With the notebooks burned, Brandon drove back into town and went on the search for Uri. He wasn't at his home or at the Luxor. Nor was he at his office. Finally Brandon went home and called him. It went to voicemail and Brandon left a message that they needed to talk.
On that note, the gaming session ended. Like I said, it was only one night but we managed to get some very good information and are creeping closer to full understanding. Or at least getting closer to the big bad. It is getting so much fun! We have the confrontations with Uri, Locke, and Melinda coming up.There is also one more thing that I would like to do that night, once Shade and Max get finished with their sexy time. Didn't get a chance to bring up before game's end but if we start where we left off, I should be able to get it done.
I can't wait until we play again. Things are getting explosive!
Tuesday, May 26, 2015
Thursday, April 23, 2015
Dresden Files Las Vegas- While The World Sleeps, We Are Awake
It has been awhile but I am FINALLY getting around to this update. I must say that I didn't realize just how much I was missing the Dresden Las Vegas game. Re-reading the previous blog posts has made me want to get back to it as soon as possible. However the long wait has been partially my fault. Our (very) patient GM has been waiting for me to get off my lazy computer gaming ass and get this updated.
That being said, I will be doing this post a bit differently. There is simply too much information to do the usual storyline type format. Looking through my notes, I had 14+ pages to compile and get into this entry. So, I will be doing it as scene by scene retelling. I won't be putting in every detail, just the main highlights to the various story arcs. Hopefully this will get everyone back into the Las Vegas groove.
All that being said, let's start and get all caught up so we can once more move ahead with the action and fun!
The last entry ended with the aftermath of the fire, the curse set upon Shade and Max, Neil taking care of the street punks, and Brandon's shop being partially destroyed by a frog-like demon thing.
The next day was spent cleaning up after the fight. Damage control was done by all. One person was missing though, Wyatt. Not being able to get ahold of him, Shade, Neil, and Brandon went out looking. Their various tactics led them all to the Imperium Arcana, which was owned by Thomas Stone. Before they could go in with guns and magic blazing, Wyatt came out and rather curtly dismissed their concern. Knowing that something was up, the three of them agreed to keep an eye on Wyatt for awhile. Time was not on their side though. The next night both Brandon and Shade (who had made a deal with Coyote to help keep Max alive) were visited by the little coyote spirit. Brandon called Neil and told him something was going down at the Hoover Dam. Before they could head out, Shade got ahold of Neil as well. Another quick stop and the three headed out to see just what the hell was going on.
When they got to the Dam, they saw Wyatt's motorcycle there. With a sinking feeling, Neil, Shade, and Brandon followed the ghostly coyote deep into the dam's inner workings. Coming to a bunker like room, they saw Wyatt lying on the floor apparently unconscious. Stone and a few of his cronies were there as well. Most were dead, killed in some sort of ritualistic manner. Knowing that whatever was going on was bad, Shade, Neil, and Brandon readied themselves for the fight to come.
Neil started it off by going all Matrix-like on one of the followers still alive. Both Brandon and Shade magically attacked Stone. Stone was able to partially block their spells and surrounded himself with a wall of water.
Not able to get at Stone, Brandon turned his attention to the other (living) follower and hit him with a force spell which knocked him unconscious. Neil, with some more awesome martial arts moves, killed his opponent. Shade, being a Hydromancer, was able to freeze and shatter the water shield Stone had erected around himself. He wasn't down but he was hurt fairly badly.
A quick thinking Neil grabbed the amulet from around Stone's neck. Brandon then hit him with a force spell while Shade cast an ice spell on the water coating the floor. A totally pissed off Stone managed to hit them with some black goo like magic. However, Stone knew there was no way he could win. He was too badly hurt and he knew the three in front of him would not give up. Before Shade, Brandon, or Neil could do anything, Stone started chanting in an unknown language and plunged his dagger into his chest. Even without knowing the full meaning, Shade was able to tell the boys that Stone had performed a summoning spell and it seemed to be aimed towards the Old Ones and that Stone had used the word meaning Master. Even better (yes, that's sarcasm) was that Stone had not put any sort of binding on it.
Not being able to really do anything overt (that pesky seventh Law of Magic), Shade and Brandon were able to work through Neil to banish who or what ever Stone had called. Nothing was left but the clean-up and information gathering.
After Shade and Wyatt left, Brandon and Neil took charge of the clean-up. First on the call list was a few Ghuls to take care of the dead. Then they turned to the only survivor. It soon became clear he wasn't going to willingly talk. A second call was placed to Mason. He showed up and took charge of the guy. It would take a few days but Mason WOULD get him to talk. Of course, it would drive him crazy but things happen.
Once things had been settled at the Dam, the boys left to check out a few more places. The first stop was to Stone's house. Brandon opened the Sight and realized the house was magically clean. The next stop was to his place of business. After realizing they should have grabbed the keys off of Stone's body, they broke in and did a complete search. They didn't find anything physical. However, when Brandon used the Sight there, it seemed off kilter somehow.
On the ride back into Vegas, Shade asked Wyatt why he had gone there. He said that Stone had told him that his brother was alive and would help him reunite the two. Apparently Stone had contacted his brother and let Wyatt talk to him over the phone. Once Wyatt was safely home, Shade called Uri and asked him to meet her at the Luxor. After a few pleasantries, Shade told him what happened at the Dam. He wasn't very happy. He asked that the news of Stone's death be kept quiet for a few days until he could get all the facts together. Shade agreed, though she thinks that it will not take long for the news to spread. No matter what Uri wants, the death of a Board member cannot be kept secret for long.
The next day started out pretty quietly. Neil looked into his holdings. Brandon, after waking up in his car, went to Shade's shop (yes, it's not done being rebuilt but her basement is still intact). Shade was there working on a few ideas she had for calling a sentient ghost. After catching up on what happened after she left, Brandon called Neil and arranged to meet him back at the Dam
Back in the Ritual room, the two of them take a good look around. Other then the dais in the middle, the most striking aspect of the room is the sheer number of runes carved everywhere. Neil snapped a few pictures and sent them off to a professor he knew to see if they could be deciphered. Brandon used Lore to see what he could figure out but it wasn't much. Between Brandon and Neil's contact, it seemed that the runes were a mix of two languages but there was no rhyme or reason in how they were used.
Back at her shop, Shade took a break from the ghost ritual to check into a few things. Because she had dealings with the zombies and the power that flowed through Sly, Shade could "recognize" the magical signature. She compared it to Stone's magic and they were the same. She then called Max to ask just WHEN he had "seen" Stone. He had mentioned that he hadn't seen a magical taint in him. He confirmed that it wasn't too long ago. To Shade that could mean a couple of different things. Either Max saw it and didn't realize what it was or something even bigger (and worse) was working through Stone and the others.
Filing that away for further study, she went in search of Wyatt. She wanted more information about how Stone was able to contact Wyatt's brother. Wyatt told her it was a cell phone. That struck Shade as a bit odd. Stone really shouldn't have been able to use a cell phone. Getting the date and time of the call, Shade passed the information to Neil. If the call was legit, there should be a record of it. If it had been done through some magical means, the records wouldn't be there.
Once that call was over, the day took a turn for the worse. Both Shade and Neil got the news that Patience had died the previous night. They met at the Historical Society for a quick look around. Shade, having been there many times before, quickly realized that a few books were missing- mainly dealing with genealogies and the history of Arizona. While Shade was magically searching the office, Neil took a look at Patience's date book. Right before her death, she had several meetings with her father (who, by the way, was Warden Locke) but nothing odd stood out. What was odd about the date book was that Patience had nothing scheduled after the day of her death. The book was completely blank from that point on.
While all this was going on, Brandon had the brilliant idea to send Skip out to the Dam to try and figure out more information on the runes. When Neil took a trip out to the Dam the next morning, he found a very agitated and disturbed Skip ranting about what he had figured out. Skip had taken copious notes but the were fairly indecipherable. Neil calmed Skip down as best he could and called Brandon to come and get him. Once Brandon got there and woke Skip up, he tried to make sense of the poor boys notes and ramblings. The gist of it all was that there lots of dead there, magic runs the dam, thousands of spells were used, something needed to be done, and this is where they (whoever they are) went.
With his copies of the notes, Neil tracked down Jeremy Running Mouth and found out that some of Skip's notes were in Navajo and dealt with the pleading to the Great Spirit and revenge, He said it sounded like a curse of some sort.
With his copy of the notes, Brandon went in search of the Old Indian. After a brief conversation that didn't get him very much information, Brandon had a douchebag moment and woke up in the middle of a dark cornfield. A long walk later, he found a pay phone and called Neil collect to ask for bus fare back to Vegas. In Brandon's words, "I'm in fucking Utah." A side note to Brandon- don't be a douchebag to a God, unless you WANT to end up in 'fucking Utah'.
While Neil was finding about curses and Brandon was finding out about Utah, Shade took some time to perform a ritual she had been thinking of for awhile. Working on the idea that a city was a living being, she attempted to summon the actual city. Who showed up really didn't surprise her (that anyone showed up did). It was Rita the accountant. They talked for awhile about everything that was going on. Unfortunately, due to her restrictions of total neutrality, Rita couldn't give much information.
The next day was the funeral. Shade and Neil had planned on her sneaking out and meeting him at Patience's house for some more magical and mundane snooping. However, when Neil got to the house, he found it being set up for the wake. A quick text to Max kept Shade away. They agreed to try later on that night after everyone had left.
That is FINALLY the end of my notes. I managed to get most of the details in. All that I really skipped was a few flavor incidents that really wouldn't affect anything by being left out. So that is where things should pick up in the new session- Neil at Patience's house, Shade at the church, and Brandon on a Greyhound heading back to Vegas. I do have a quick endnote that says "something going to happen at the church during the funeral". I hope that helps give Lana a starting point for planning the next great adventure. Can't wait!
That being said, I will be doing this post a bit differently. There is simply too much information to do the usual storyline type format. Looking through my notes, I had 14+ pages to compile and get into this entry. So, I will be doing it as scene by scene retelling. I won't be putting in every detail, just the main highlights to the various story arcs. Hopefully this will get everyone back into the Las Vegas groove.
All that being said, let's start and get all caught up so we can once more move ahead with the action and fun!
The last entry ended with the aftermath of the fire, the curse set upon Shade and Max, Neil taking care of the street punks, and Brandon's shop being partially destroyed by a frog-like demon thing.
The next day was spent cleaning up after the fight. Damage control was done by all. One person was missing though, Wyatt. Not being able to get ahold of him, Shade, Neil, and Brandon went out looking. Their various tactics led them all to the Imperium Arcana, which was owned by Thomas Stone. Before they could go in with guns and magic blazing, Wyatt came out and rather curtly dismissed their concern. Knowing that something was up, the three of them agreed to keep an eye on Wyatt for awhile. Time was not on their side though. The next night both Brandon and Shade (who had made a deal with Coyote to help keep Max alive) were visited by the little coyote spirit. Brandon called Neil and told him something was going down at the Hoover Dam. Before they could head out, Shade got ahold of Neil as well. Another quick stop and the three headed out to see just what the hell was going on.
When they got to the Dam, they saw Wyatt's motorcycle there. With a sinking feeling, Neil, Shade, and Brandon followed the ghostly coyote deep into the dam's inner workings. Coming to a bunker like room, they saw Wyatt lying on the floor apparently unconscious. Stone and a few of his cronies were there as well. Most were dead, killed in some sort of ritualistic manner. Knowing that whatever was going on was bad, Shade, Neil, and Brandon readied themselves for the fight to come.
Neil started it off by going all Matrix-like on one of the followers still alive. Both Brandon and Shade magically attacked Stone. Stone was able to partially block their spells and surrounded himself with a wall of water.
Not able to get at Stone, Brandon turned his attention to the other (living) follower and hit him with a force spell which knocked him unconscious. Neil, with some more awesome martial arts moves, killed his opponent. Shade, being a Hydromancer, was able to freeze and shatter the water shield Stone had erected around himself. He wasn't down but he was hurt fairly badly.
A quick thinking Neil grabbed the amulet from around Stone's neck. Brandon then hit him with a force spell while Shade cast an ice spell on the water coating the floor. A totally pissed off Stone managed to hit them with some black goo like magic. However, Stone knew there was no way he could win. He was too badly hurt and he knew the three in front of him would not give up. Before Shade, Brandon, or Neil could do anything, Stone started chanting in an unknown language and plunged his dagger into his chest. Even without knowing the full meaning, Shade was able to tell the boys that Stone had performed a summoning spell and it seemed to be aimed towards the Old Ones and that Stone had used the word meaning Master. Even better (yes, that's sarcasm) was that Stone had not put any sort of binding on it.
Not being able to really do anything overt (that pesky seventh Law of Magic), Shade and Brandon were able to work through Neil to banish who or what ever Stone had called. Nothing was left but the clean-up and information gathering.
After Shade and Wyatt left, Brandon and Neil took charge of the clean-up. First on the call list was a few Ghuls to take care of the dead. Then they turned to the only survivor. It soon became clear he wasn't going to willingly talk. A second call was placed to Mason. He showed up and took charge of the guy. It would take a few days but Mason WOULD get him to talk. Of course, it would drive him crazy but things happen.
Once things had been settled at the Dam, the boys left to check out a few more places. The first stop was to Stone's house. Brandon opened the Sight and realized the house was magically clean. The next stop was to his place of business. After realizing they should have grabbed the keys off of Stone's body, they broke in and did a complete search. They didn't find anything physical. However, when Brandon used the Sight there, it seemed off kilter somehow.
On the ride back into Vegas, Shade asked Wyatt why he had gone there. He said that Stone had told him that his brother was alive and would help him reunite the two. Apparently Stone had contacted his brother and let Wyatt talk to him over the phone. Once Wyatt was safely home, Shade called Uri and asked him to meet her at the Luxor. After a few pleasantries, Shade told him what happened at the Dam. He wasn't very happy. He asked that the news of Stone's death be kept quiet for a few days until he could get all the facts together. Shade agreed, though she thinks that it will not take long for the news to spread. No matter what Uri wants, the death of a Board member cannot be kept secret for long.
The next day started out pretty quietly. Neil looked into his holdings. Brandon, after waking up in his car, went to Shade's shop (yes, it's not done being rebuilt but her basement is still intact). Shade was there working on a few ideas she had for calling a sentient ghost. After catching up on what happened after she left, Brandon called Neil and arranged to meet him back at the Dam
Back in the Ritual room, the two of them take a good look around. Other then the dais in the middle, the most striking aspect of the room is the sheer number of runes carved everywhere. Neil snapped a few pictures and sent them off to a professor he knew to see if they could be deciphered. Brandon used Lore to see what he could figure out but it wasn't much. Between Brandon and Neil's contact, it seemed that the runes were a mix of two languages but there was no rhyme or reason in how they were used.
Back at her shop, Shade took a break from the ghost ritual to check into a few things. Because she had dealings with the zombies and the power that flowed through Sly, Shade could "recognize" the magical signature. She compared it to Stone's magic and they were the same. She then called Max to ask just WHEN he had "seen" Stone. He had mentioned that he hadn't seen a magical taint in him. He confirmed that it wasn't too long ago. To Shade that could mean a couple of different things. Either Max saw it and didn't realize what it was or something even bigger (and worse) was working through Stone and the others.
Filing that away for further study, she went in search of Wyatt. She wanted more information about how Stone was able to contact Wyatt's brother. Wyatt told her it was a cell phone. That struck Shade as a bit odd. Stone really shouldn't have been able to use a cell phone. Getting the date and time of the call, Shade passed the information to Neil. If the call was legit, there should be a record of it. If it had been done through some magical means, the records wouldn't be there.
Once that call was over, the day took a turn for the worse. Both Shade and Neil got the news that Patience had died the previous night. They met at the Historical Society for a quick look around. Shade, having been there many times before, quickly realized that a few books were missing- mainly dealing with genealogies and the history of Arizona. While Shade was magically searching the office, Neil took a look at Patience's date book. Right before her death, she had several meetings with her father (who, by the way, was Warden Locke) but nothing odd stood out. What was odd about the date book was that Patience had nothing scheduled after the day of her death. The book was completely blank from that point on.
While all this was going on, Brandon had the brilliant idea to send Skip out to the Dam to try and figure out more information on the runes. When Neil took a trip out to the Dam the next morning, he found a very agitated and disturbed Skip ranting about what he had figured out. Skip had taken copious notes but the were fairly indecipherable. Neil calmed Skip down as best he could and called Brandon to come and get him. Once Brandon got there and woke Skip up, he tried to make sense of the poor boys notes and ramblings. The gist of it all was that there lots of dead there, magic runs the dam, thousands of spells were used, something needed to be done, and this is where they (whoever they are) went.
With his copies of the notes, Neil tracked down Jeremy Running Mouth and found out that some of Skip's notes were in Navajo and dealt with the pleading to the Great Spirit and revenge, He said it sounded like a curse of some sort.
With his copy of the notes, Brandon went in search of the Old Indian. After a brief conversation that didn't get him very much information, Brandon had a douchebag moment and woke up in the middle of a dark cornfield. A long walk later, he found a pay phone and called Neil collect to ask for bus fare back to Vegas. In Brandon's words, "I'm in fucking Utah." A side note to Brandon- don't be a douchebag to a God, unless you WANT to end up in 'fucking Utah'.
While Neil was finding about curses and Brandon was finding out about Utah, Shade took some time to perform a ritual she had been thinking of for awhile. Working on the idea that a city was a living being, she attempted to summon the actual city. Who showed up really didn't surprise her (that anyone showed up did). It was Rita the accountant. They talked for awhile about everything that was going on. Unfortunately, due to her restrictions of total neutrality, Rita couldn't give much information.
The next day was the funeral. Shade and Neil had planned on her sneaking out and meeting him at Patience's house for some more magical and mundane snooping. However, when Neil got to the house, he found it being set up for the wake. A quick text to Max kept Shade away. They agreed to try later on that night after everyone had left.
That is FINALLY the end of my notes. I managed to get most of the details in. All that I really skipped was a few flavor incidents that really wouldn't affect anything by being left out. So that is where things should pick up in the new session- Neil at Patience's house, Shade at the church, and Brandon on a Greyhound heading back to Vegas. I do have a quick endnote that says "something going to happen at the church during the funeral". I hope that helps give Lana a starting point for planning the next great adventure. Can't wait!
Friday, March 27, 2015
Hey, Come On Try A Little
Okay, the song referenced in the title has nothing to do with this post. It's just what I was listening to whilst writing. For all who care- which is about two people- this is to let you know that a new post will be coming very soon. Gaming got interrupted by the holidays, a move, and unpacking. It also got interrupted by Star Wars and Diablo.
I will be covering three gaming sessions, so the post will be fairly long. It's going to take a few days to complete. So everyone please be patient. Hopefully this will get the game kickstarted into continuing. Have been missing Dresden and Las Vegas. It will be good to get back to both.
Now I am listening to Rise Against. :)
I will be covering three gaming sessions, so the post will be fairly long. It's going to take a few days to complete. So everyone please be patient. Hopefully this will get the game kickstarted into continuing. Have been missing Dresden and Las Vegas. It will be good to get back to both.
Now I am listening to Rise Against. :)
Saturday, September 13, 2014
Dresden Files Las Vegas- There's A Reckonin' A-Comin' And It Burns Beyond The Grave
What a gaming session. It only took place over a few hours but what a wild ride. Things are heating up- literally. You know, I am seeing a very common thread in this and previous games. Something or some things are going to burn. And it usually involves my character. In the Bastet game both my house and office burned down. In the Mage game I burned down an abandoned building. In the New Orleans Dresden game my shop exploded and Jason's character almost died in a burning hotel. Earlier in the Las Vegas game, Brandon accidentally burned his shop down. Now, in Las Vegas, fire has struck again. Just so our GM doesn't get nervous, I loved it. Lots of action and I was able to pull out the spontaneous Evocation idea I had been holding. Plus it opens the chance to put a few ideas I have into play. I know that Neil has been quiet these past couple of games but that will change as well. I will need all his help (and Brandon's- if he is still talking to Shade after the giant frog demon thing. More on that in the recap).
All that being said, it's on to the game.
It was the middle of the night and Max, who had been sleeping peacefully, woke up to the smell of smoke. He shook Shade awake and told her they had to get out. Her building was on fire. They each grabbed a few things and ran down the fire escape. Going to the front of the building, they were able to see just how bad it was. Without hesitation, Shade used her magic to burst the water main in an attempt to contain the fire (I always figured on buying Evocation and this seemed to be the high stress situation that would cause her to finally be able to tap it). In the distance sirens could be heard.
Due to past events and the sheer ferocity of the fire, Shade suspected a spell had been involved. She cast about and was able to detect a faint magical trace. She also caught a dark energy coming from Max. When she opened the Sight, she saw that there was dark entity clutching him around the neck and heart. It was made to cause bad luck and to erode resources and reputation. It wouldn't directly cause death but death could result from what it could do. There was something else. Both the trace of magic and the curse had the same "flavor". It wasn't the same spell as the one from the spirit house of hell but it seemed to have come from the same person. As Shade was telling Max about what she saw, the fire trucks arrived on scene. However, due to the curse, the driver did not see Max and Shade. Max was able to get out of the way but Shade was hit. Luckily she escaped with just a few bruises. Totally annoyed, Shade asked Max to call Brandon. He started to dial when his phone died (wizards can fuck up technology, especially if they are emotionally agitated. I would say that being cursed, watching her business burn, the spontaneous Evocation, and almost being run down would make Shade VERY agitated). It took a few orders but Shade finally convinced one of the paramedics to call Brandon and get him on his way there. Of course, the paramedics phone died right after that. Even more annoyed, Shade strongly suggested to Max that he call Neil. It took three tries and three different pay phones before Max was able to get enough information to Neil to get him on his way.
Brandon finally arrived at the burning shop. He went up to Shade and Max and asked just what the hell was going on. Shade told about the curse and asked Brandon to check her out with the Sight. Even though he made a few snippy comments, Brandon looked at her with the Sight and saw that she was under the same curse as Max. It was entwined between them. Not good news.
A few more minutes passed before Neil arrived. The message he got had sent him to the wrong house. After being brought to date on what was going on, he called his insurance company and started taking pictures of the damage. He made sure to keep Brandon out of them (due to the earlier fire at his magic shop, Brandon was known to the insurance companies as a suspected arsonist). Just to remind everyone that the curse was still working, Shade found out that her insurance policy showed as being lapsed (yep, curse still working). Needing to get rid of the curse, it was decided that everyone should meet at Brandon's shop. The drive there was eventful thanks to the curse. A drunk driver almost took Brandon's car out. Thankfully they made it there in one piece and went immediately to his basement. Hoping to stop or lessen the effects of the curse, Brandon cast a ward around Shade and Max. He then called Skip and told him to get down there. There was research to be done.
Neil, happily unaffected by the curse and drunk drivers, drove up right after them. As he exited his car he saw three figures going into Brandon's shop. They looked like punks up to no good (the curse is working overtime). As they entered, Neil followed right behind. It seemed that the curse did not increase intelligence. The group remained unaware of Neil even after he lit a cigarette. He finally asked if he could help them. When they turned around, Neil flicked his cigarette into the face of one and punched the guy standing next to him. That robber dropped unconscious. The first one tried to hit Neil, who dodged easily. Neil kicked (I think it was kicked. It could have been punched but I seem to recall a spectacular kick move. So we will go with that) the third guy out the door. The first would be robber started babbling about being sorry and such. Neil loaded all three into the truck of his car and headed out to the desert.
With the arrival of Skip, the research into the curse started. Brandon and Skip went through books while Max and Shade talked about how to find out who was behind it. Shade told him that there was a way to force Phillip to tell her the name but she really didn't want to go that route. After some searching, Brandon discovered that the only "cure" for the curse was time. It would end at daybreak. However, until then the effects of the curse would only get worse. He then suggested once again that the two of them go into the warded room (the one that held Wyatt).
Finally reaching an area far outside of the city, Neil stopped his car and let the three robbers out of his trunk. He then told them just what they would be doing if they didn't want to end up in a grave. First they would have to turn their lives around and strive to be better people. To prove to him that they were taking this to heart, they would have to call a certain number every week and tell whomever answered just how they were doing the right things. If they didn't, they would be taking another trip out to the desert and would be digging their own graves. Neil gave his goodbyes and drove back into town.
Neil had just made it downstairs and was being brought up to speed on what had been found out when a very loud crash came from upstairs. A few seconds later a huge toad thing burst into the room (okay, the curse is now working overtime). It rushed at Max who shot at it. The bullet hit it as it ran into the ward around Max and Shade. The ward absorbed some of the attack but the demon managed to almost disembowel Max. Shade, with her newly discovered Evocation skill, attempted to turn the water in it's blood to ice. The beast roared in pain but didn't fall. Neil punched the toad things and hit it hard enough to leave a gaping wound in it's hide. Shade once again used the blood to ice spell and, with the damage already done to it, was able to kill it. The toad demon dropped and dissipated into ectoplasmic goo.
The fight over, Shade rushed to Max's side and frantically asked Brandon to summon the coyote. Knowing that the Coyote God couldn't work directly in Vegas, she asked Neil to get Wyatt there as soon as possible. Wyatt showed up in about fifteen minutes. Brandon told her that the coyote was there. Shade made a deal- a favor for a favor owed. Coyote agreed and, working through Wyatt, started the healing process on Max. His bleeding stopped and he seemed to be breathing easier. Angelica, who had been called by Neil, walked into the basement right then. Neil, Brandon, and Shade explained what had happened and Shade asked if she could help. The only thing she could do was to perform a blessing, which she did. Unnoticed by anyone but Brandon, when Angelica saw Wyatt a flash of recognition crossed her face.
All that was left was the clean up. Skip, who had turned a bit green at all the blood, went for a mop and bucket. Neil choked Shade unconscious and pulled both her and Max into the warded room to await daybreak. Brandon took stock of the damage done to his shop. When day finally came, Neil removed Shade and Max from the room. Shade called a few of Max's men and had them come to Brandon's. They asked what the hell had happened but didn't believe her when she told them. One of the guys also had Periwinkle (her kitty) in a carrier. Apparently their house had collapsed (really??? the curse just had to get one last shot in).
That pretty much ended the gaming session. What a night. Curses, demon toads, and almost a death. Does it get any better then that? We will have to see what the next gaming night brings. I think it is this Sunday. Can't wait!
All that being said, it's on to the game.
It was the middle of the night and Max, who had been sleeping peacefully, woke up to the smell of smoke. He shook Shade awake and told her they had to get out. Her building was on fire. They each grabbed a few things and ran down the fire escape. Going to the front of the building, they were able to see just how bad it was. Without hesitation, Shade used her magic to burst the water main in an attempt to contain the fire (I always figured on buying Evocation and this seemed to be the high stress situation that would cause her to finally be able to tap it). In the distance sirens could be heard.
Due to past events and the sheer ferocity of the fire, Shade suspected a spell had been involved. She cast about and was able to detect a faint magical trace. She also caught a dark energy coming from Max. When she opened the Sight, she saw that there was dark entity clutching him around the neck and heart. It was made to cause bad luck and to erode resources and reputation. It wouldn't directly cause death but death could result from what it could do. There was something else. Both the trace of magic and the curse had the same "flavor". It wasn't the same spell as the one from the spirit house of hell but it seemed to have come from the same person. As Shade was telling Max about what she saw, the fire trucks arrived on scene. However, due to the curse, the driver did not see Max and Shade. Max was able to get out of the way but Shade was hit. Luckily she escaped with just a few bruises. Totally annoyed, Shade asked Max to call Brandon. He started to dial when his phone died (wizards can fuck up technology, especially if they are emotionally agitated. I would say that being cursed, watching her business burn, the spontaneous Evocation, and almost being run down would make Shade VERY agitated). It took a few orders but Shade finally convinced one of the paramedics to call Brandon and get him on his way there. Of course, the paramedics phone died right after that. Even more annoyed, Shade strongly suggested to Max that he call Neil. It took three tries and three different pay phones before Max was able to get enough information to Neil to get him on his way.
Brandon finally arrived at the burning shop. He went up to Shade and Max and asked just what the hell was going on. Shade told about the curse and asked Brandon to check her out with the Sight. Even though he made a few snippy comments, Brandon looked at her with the Sight and saw that she was under the same curse as Max. It was entwined between them. Not good news.
A few more minutes passed before Neil arrived. The message he got had sent him to the wrong house. After being brought to date on what was going on, he called his insurance company and started taking pictures of the damage. He made sure to keep Brandon out of them (due to the earlier fire at his magic shop, Brandon was known to the insurance companies as a suspected arsonist). Just to remind everyone that the curse was still working, Shade found out that her insurance policy showed as being lapsed (yep, curse still working). Needing to get rid of the curse, it was decided that everyone should meet at Brandon's shop. The drive there was eventful thanks to the curse. A drunk driver almost took Brandon's car out. Thankfully they made it there in one piece and went immediately to his basement. Hoping to stop or lessen the effects of the curse, Brandon cast a ward around Shade and Max. He then called Skip and told him to get down there. There was research to be done.
Neil, happily unaffected by the curse and drunk drivers, drove up right after them. As he exited his car he saw three figures going into Brandon's shop. They looked like punks up to no good (the curse is working overtime). As they entered, Neil followed right behind. It seemed that the curse did not increase intelligence. The group remained unaware of Neil even after he lit a cigarette. He finally asked if he could help them. When they turned around, Neil flicked his cigarette into the face of one and punched the guy standing next to him. That robber dropped unconscious. The first one tried to hit Neil, who dodged easily. Neil kicked (I think it was kicked. It could have been punched but I seem to recall a spectacular kick move. So we will go with that) the third guy out the door. The first would be robber started babbling about being sorry and such. Neil loaded all three into the truck of his car and headed out to the desert.
With the arrival of Skip, the research into the curse started. Brandon and Skip went through books while Max and Shade talked about how to find out who was behind it. Shade told him that there was a way to force Phillip to tell her the name but she really didn't want to go that route. After some searching, Brandon discovered that the only "cure" for the curse was time. It would end at daybreak. However, until then the effects of the curse would only get worse. He then suggested once again that the two of them go into the warded room (the one that held Wyatt).
Finally reaching an area far outside of the city, Neil stopped his car and let the three robbers out of his trunk. He then told them just what they would be doing if they didn't want to end up in a grave. First they would have to turn their lives around and strive to be better people. To prove to him that they were taking this to heart, they would have to call a certain number every week and tell whomever answered just how they were doing the right things. If they didn't, they would be taking another trip out to the desert and would be digging their own graves. Neil gave his goodbyes and drove back into town.
Neil had just made it downstairs and was being brought up to speed on what had been found out when a very loud crash came from upstairs. A few seconds later a huge toad thing burst into the room (okay, the curse is now working overtime). It rushed at Max who shot at it. The bullet hit it as it ran into the ward around Max and Shade. The ward absorbed some of the attack but the demon managed to almost disembowel Max. Shade, with her newly discovered Evocation skill, attempted to turn the water in it's blood to ice. The beast roared in pain but didn't fall. Neil punched the toad things and hit it hard enough to leave a gaping wound in it's hide. Shade once again used the blood to ice spell and, with the damage already done to it, was able to kill it. The toad demon dropped and dissipated into ectoplasmic goo.
The fight over, Shade rushed to Max's side and frantically asked Brandon to summon the coyote. Knowing that the Coyote God couldn't work directly in Vegas, she asked Neil to get Wyatt there as soon as possible. Wyatt showed up in about fifteen minutes. Brandon told her that the coyote was there. Shade made a deal- a favor for a favor owed. Coyote agreed and, working through Wyatt, started the healing process on Max. His bleeding stopped and he seemed to be breathing easier. Angelica, who had been called by Neil, walked into the basement right then. Neil, Brandon, and Shade explained what had happened and Shade asked if she could help. The only thing she could do was to perform a blessing, which she did. Unnoticed by anyone but Brandon, when Angelica saw Wyatt a flash of recognition crossed her face.
All that was left was the clean up. Skip, who had turned a bit green at all the blood, went for a mop and bucket. Neil choked Shade unconscious and pulled both her and Max into the warded room to await daybreak. Brandon took stock of the damage done to his shop. When day finally came, Neil removed Shade and Max from the room. Shade called a few of Max's men and had them come to Brandon's. They asked what the hell had happened but didn't believe her when she told them. One of the guys also had Periwinkle (her kitty) in a carrier. Apparently their house had collapsed (really??? the curse just had to get one last shot in).
That pretty much ended the gaming session. What a night. Curses, demon toads, and almost a death. Does it get any better then that? We will have to see what the next gaming night brings. I think it is this Sunday. Can't wait!
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
Dresden Files Las Vegas- Walked On Some Thin Ice But Never Like This
This recap has been written for a couple of weeks but something wouldn't let me post it. As I have stated in previous posts, I use lyrics from songs as the titles and the one I originally had in mind really didn't fit all that well. However, it did fit the next Dresden session perfectly. So it was back to YouTube. This one definitely fits better since the excitement of the evening was Brandon being a douchebag.
It was a short session this past gaming night but what a session! I could give a few hints or spoilers but I think I will just begin the recap and let everyone be surprised. Okay, one small spoiler. The grand douchebag strikes again. Brandon is so much fun.
The session started right where the last ended- the group plus Uri in the bar.
After feeling the rush of Fey power, Uri excused himself. Shade explained to Brandon and Neil that what everyone had felt was a huge surge of Fey magic. Somewhere, probably the Nevernever, the Fey were behaving badly. The three decided to meet up at Legends and investigate. Brandon needed to get a few items. So he and Neil took off to his place before heading to the Fey bar. Shade found Max and, after a short discussion, was convinced to include him. She and Max also stopped at their house so Shade could change (a cocktail dress and heels were appropriate for a wedding, not for possible trouble).
Fully armed, everyone congregated at Legends. Luckily Tess was working. She replied in the negative when asked if she had seen any of the Fey. Hoping to get some idea of what was going on, Shade started towards Phillip's office. She was stopped by a bouncer but Brandon convinced him to let her through. On the desk, she found a few papers written in Gaelic. Shade couldn't read them but she took them with her. Done there, Brandon and Shade opened a gate to the Autumn Fey realm.
Once there, the change was noticed immediately. The realm almost thrummed with power. Whatever had happened had certainly made a huge difference. The group of four was stopped by a guard tree. It took a bit of social combat but Shade, with a well timed reminder that she had been the Autumn Lady, was able to convince it to let them pass. A short walk had them at the Fey Manor. It teemed with all sorts of Fey- both Autumn and Spring and it was decorated for a celebration. Some trolls at the door tried to send them away but eventually let them inside.
Inside, the party was in full swing. There was drinking, eating, dancing, and general merry-making. Helena spotted Brandon and made a beeline for him. Flirting outrageously, she asked Brandon about their son. She didn't seem to happy when he told her he had given the baby to the church. As she led him deeper into the house, she remarked that she would have to raise the next one herself (poor Brandon- taking one for the team!). That left Shade, Max, and Neil to follow. As they entered the inner courtyard, the number of Fey was staggering. The numbers had exploded. At the far end, there were four thrones set on a dais. Two were occupied by Phillip and Puck. Both of whom looked more relaxed then Shade had ever seen them. The other two were occupied by unknown Fey. One was supernaturally good looking with golden hair and wearing full regalia. The other was more austere and had stag horns. Shade recognized the second as the unconscious figure she had seen there before. The High Kings of Autumn and Spring had been awakened.
As Shade looked around for Heather, Neil took out his phone and started scanning the crowd with it. A few of the guests showed up. Since Fey didn't, that meant those beings were "real". While doing this, something caught his eye. It was just a flash but he noticed a figure on the roof of the house. Whomever it was seemed a bit on the sneaky side. Neil moved into the house to investigate further.
Shade finally located Heather and asked her to explain. Heather said that it was because of Shade and the prophecy that the Kings had been awakened and wasn't it wonderful. Shade tried to point out a few of the not so wonderful things about the whole mess but Heather was too drunk to really care. Not getting anywhere, Shade asked if she could talk to Phillip. Heather happily led Shade and Max to the dais. Once there, introductions were made and Shade formally greeted the High Kings. Spring was very open and seemed amused by everything. Autumn was like a black hole- everything taken in and not one damn thing given out. Finvarra (the Autumn High King) told Shade that because of her stepping (and changing) on the dais, Phillip had realized how to wake them. For that she could ask her favor. With careful (and very polite!) phrasing, Shade replied that the balance of Vegas was a delicate thing and that she wanted to know what their intentions were to help keep that balance intact. More specifically, were there going to be any more forced changes and grown humans being turned into Changelings. Finvarra told her that Vegas was not their concern and in no danger.
After a bit of a search, Neil was able to find his way to the roof. There wasn't anybody there. However he was able to spot scorch marks on the tiles. He figured where he was was an excellent vantage point and settled down to watch everyone below. he hadn't been there for too long when he heard a voice say that things were changing and that change was good. He looked around and next to him was an old Indian guy with long, braided hair. The Indian just smiled as Neil snapped his picture. All that showed up on the screen was a smiley face.
While all this had been going Brandon and Helena (one thing about Helena- she would be better known as Helen of Troy. You know, the face that launched a thousand ships and caused a ten year war. Remember this for later. It plays into Brandon's biggest douchebag comment to date) were not having the happiest of reunions. Brandon, with his usual tact, had brought up the subject of the Summer and Winter Courts and how they could react to the whole situation. Helena told him that with the High Kings being woken balance would be restored. Brandon asked just how they were going to do that. After all, Spring and Autumn had gotten their asses kicked before. He wanted to know just how far they were going to go with the "restoring". Helena launched into a history lesson about the Fey war. Brandon replied that maybe they deserved to get their asses kicked and maybe they deserved it now. Helena's reply to that was to demand her right to challenge him to a duel...in a very loud voice.
The Fey reacted to that with a cheer. Shade and Neil reacted to that with an "Oh shit!"(when are they going to learn not to let Brandon out of their sight for too long?)
Finvarra asked just what had caused the challenge to be issued. Helena answered that Brandon had insulted Autumn and Spring and told him what had been said. Brandon admitted that he had indeed said those things. Finvarra agreed to Helena's request. It was to be with swords and to the death. As they faced each other, Brandon started things off with the following comment, "By the way, your sister was hotter." Helena did not appreciate the comparison and attacked. She managed to get through Brandon's shield and hit him on his not quite healed ribs. Brandon then attacked and opened a huge gash on her side. She swung and connected once again.
Watching from the roof, the old Indian turned to Neil and said that it looked someone who owed him a favor was getting his ass kicked, In the crowd, Shade turned to the dais, telling Max that she would stop this. Max asked her how she would do so. Shade replied a life for a life. She would owe the Fey a favor for saving Brandon. Max stopped her and said that a life would be what they wanted. Shade agreed to wait a bit but if it came down to it, she would make the deal.
Just as things were getting dire, the duel ended. Neither Brandon nor Helena were dead. The old Indian stopped things by appearing between them. Finvarra told Coyote (that's who the old Indian was) that he had no business being there. Coyote just smiled and told the High King that Brandon owed him a debt and that he would leave if Finvarra took it on. Finvarra had no such desire and declared the fight over. In a grand gesture, Brandon dropped to his knees and formally apologized to Helena. Coyote just looked at Brandon, shook his head, and both Brandon and the Indian poofed out of the Fey realm. Neil, Shade, and Max left by more conventional means (if a portal could be considered conventional).
That ended the session for the night. Brandon's mouth is going to get him killed at some point. What a fun time! The next session has been played and I will be posting that in the next few days. It's only getting better and better. Can't wait to see where it all goes!
It was a short session this past gaming night but what a session! I could give a few hints or spoilers but I think I will just begin the recap and let everyone be surprised. Okay, one small spoiler. The grand douchebag strikes again. Brandon is so much fun.
The session started right where the last ended- the group plus Uri in the bar.
After feeling the rush of Fey power, Uri excused himself. Shade explained to Brandon and Neil that what everyone had felt was a huge surge of Fey magic. Somewhere, probably the Nevernever, the Fey were behaving badly. The three decided to meet up at Legends and investigate. Brandon needed to get a few items. So he and Neil took off to his place before heading to the Fey bar. Shade found Max and, after a short discussion, was convinced to include him. She and Max also stopped at their house so Shade could change (a cocktail dress and heels were appropriate for a wedding, not for possible trouble).
Fully armed, everyone congregated at Legends. Luckily Tess was working. She replied in the negative when asked if she had seen any of the Fey. Hoping to get some idea of what was going on, Shade started towards Phillip's office. She was stopped by a bouncer but Brandon convinced him to let her through. On the desk, she found a few papers written in Gaelic. Shade couldn't read them but she took them with her. Done there, Brandon and Shade opened a gate to the Autumn Fey realm.
Once there, the change was noticed immediately. The realm almost thrummed with power. Whatever had happened had certainly made a huge difference. The group of four was stopped by a guard tree. It took a bit of social combat but Shade, with a well timed reminder that she had been the Autumn Lady, was able to convince it to let them pass. A short walk had them at the Fey Manor. It teemed with all sorts of Fey- both Autumn and Spring and it was decorated for a celebration. Some trolls at the door tried to send them away but eventually let them inside.
Inside, the party was in full swing. There was drinking, eating, dancing, and general merry-making. Helena spotted Brandon and made a beeline for him. Flirting outrageously, she asked Brandon about their son. She didn't seem to happy when he told her he had given the baby to the church. As she led him deeper into the house, she remarked that she would have to raise the next one herself (poor Brandon- taking one for the team!). That left Shade, Max, and Neil to follow. As they entered the inner courtyard, the number of Fey was staggering. The numbers had exploded. At the far end, there were four thrones set on a dais. Two were occupied by Phillip and Puck. Both of whom looked more relaxed then Shade had ever seen them. The other two were occupied by unknown Fey. One was supernaturally good looking with golden hair and wearing full regalia. The other was more austere and had stag horns. Shade recognized the second as the unconscious figure she had seen there before. The High Kings of Autumn and Spring had been awakened.
As Shade looked around for Heather, Neil took out his phone and started scanning the crowd with it. A few of the guests showed up. Since Fey didn't, that meant those beings were "real". While doing this, something caught his eye. It was just a flash but he noticed a figure on the roof of the house. Whomever it was seemed a bit on the sneaky side. Neil moved into the house to investigate further.
Shade finally located Heather and asked her to explain. Heather said that it was because of Shade and the prophecy that the Kings had been awakened and wasn't it wonderful. Shade tried to point out a few of the not so wonderful things about the whole mess but Heather was too drunk to really care. Not getting anywhere, Shade asked if she could talk to Phillip. Heather happily led Shade and Max to the dais. Once there, introductions were made and Shade formally greeted the High Kings. Spring was very open and seemed amused by everything. Autumn was like a black hole- everything taken in and not one damn thing given out. Finvarra (the Autumn High King) told Shade that because of her stepping (and changing) on the dais, Phillip had realized how to wake them. For that she could ask her favor. With careful (and very polite!) phrasing, Shade replied that the balance of Vegas was a delicate thing and that she wanted to know what their intentions were to help keep that balance intact. More specifically, were there going to be any more forced changes and grown humans being turned into Changelings. Finvarra told her that Vegas was not their concern and in no danger.
After a bit of a search, Neil was able to find his way to the roof. There wasn't anybody there. However he was able to spot scorch marks on the tiles. He figured where he was was an excellent vantage point and settled down to watch everyone below. he hadn't been there for too long when he heard a voice say that things were changing and that change was good. He looked around and next to him was an old Indian guy with long, braided hair. The Indian just smiled as Neil snapped his picture. All that showed up on the screen was a smiley face.
While all this had been going Brandon and Helena (one thing about Helena- she would be better known as Helen of Troy. You know, the face that launched a thousand ships and caused a ten year war. Remember this for later. It plays into Brandon's biggest douchebag comment to date) were not having the happiest of reunions. Brandon, with his usual tact, had brought up the subject of the Summer and Winter Courts and how they could react to the whole situation. Helena told him that with the High Kings being woken balance would be restored. Brandon asked just how they were going to do that. After all, Spring and Autumn had gotten their asses kicked before. He wanted to know just how far they were going to go with the "restoring". Helena launched into a history lesson about the Fey war. Brandon replied that maybe they deserved to get their asses kicked and maybe they deserved it now. Helena's reply to that was to demand her right to challenge him to a duel...in a very loud voice.
The Fey reacted to that with a cheer. Shade and Neil reacted to that with an "Oh shit!"(when are they going to learn not to let Brandon out of their sight for too long?)
Finvarra asked just what had caused the challenge to be issued. Helena answered that Brandon had insulted Autumn and Spring and told him what had been said. Brandon admitted that he had indeed said those things. Finvarra agreed to Helena's request. It was to be with swords and to the death. As they faced each other, Brandon started things off with the following comment, "By the way, your sister was hotter." Helena did not appreciate the comparison and attacked. She managed to get through Brandon's shield and hit him on his not quite healed ribs. Brandon then attacked and opened a huge gash on her side. She swung and connected once again.
Watching from the roof, the old Indian turned to Neil and said that it looked someone who owed him a favor was getting his ass kicked, In the crowd, Shade turned to the dais, telling Max that she would stop this. Max asked her how she would do so. Shade replied a life for a life. She would owe the Fey a favor for saving Brandon. Max stopped her and said that a life would be what they wanted. Shade agreed to wait a bit but if it came down to it, she would make the deal.
Just as things were getting dire, the duel ended. Neither Brandon nor Helena were dead. The old Indian stopped things by appearing between them. Finvarra told Coyote (that's who the old Indian was) that he had no business being there. Coyote just smiled and told the High King that Brandon owed him a debt and that he would leave if Finvarra took it on. Finvarra had no such desire and declared the fight over. In a grand gesture, Brandon dropped to his knees and formally apologized to Helena. Coyote just looked at Brandon, shook his head, and both Brandon and the Indian poofed out of the Fey realm. Neil, Shade, and Max left by more conventional means (if a portal could be considered conventional).
That ended the session for the night. Brandon's mouth is going to get him killed at some point. What a fun time! The next session has been played and I will be posting that in the next few days. It's only getting better and better. Can't wait to see where it all goes!
Friday, July 25, 2014
Dresden Files Las Vegas- We're Living Up Never Enough Won't Hold Us Down We Feel The Rush
Part 2
The day of the much anticipated wedding between Skavis and Malvora finally arrived. Shade, Neil, and Brandon met for breakfast and some talk. First up was the Spade positions that needed to be filled. Shade pointed out that Mason had only told Brandon he had to make the final choices. There was nothing stopping other members from keeping an eye out for potential recruits. There was also no time frame set. That being said, Shade offered up a possibility- Mitch Mitchell from Truthisodes. Brandon wasn't too pleased with that suggestion but Shade listed a few pluses to having him join. Brandon, still not convinced, asked her to check him out and let him know. Next up was a game plan for the inclusion of a Winter and Summer Court personage. Neil (being the only person at the table who wasn't on a Fey hit list somewhere) said that he would get the ball rolling on that. The only problem with the Fey would be the inability to Soul Gaze them. Neil then wondered out loud about a sentient ghost. Brandon and Shade thought that would be a good possibility and Shade made a mental note about looking into the appropriate ritual.
With rituals in mind, Shade then brought up Wyatt. She had a plan on how to get some information on just who was watching him. She would construct a ritual where she and Wyatt would be connected. The spell would not go off until the person (persons? entity? god?) spied on Wyatt. It would allow Shade to glean information about who or what was behind it. If it worked, she wanted to include Neil and Brandon in the spell. The more people involved would hopefully mean more learned. Brandon and Neil agreed. The problems of Vegas had long overshadowed Wyatt and more attention needed to be paid to his situation.
Spade business finished, the wedding was next on the agenda. Brandon and Neil said that neither of them would be going. Sensing a backstory, Shade asked why. The previous night's shenanigans were related. They also told Shade about the retribution they were planning on the child killing vampire. Shade agreed with them totally and wished them good hunting. Business concluded, breakfast ended with the three of them going their separate ways. Neil left to start the process of getting in touch with the Fey Courts. He also had a wonderful exchange with Skavis about a bill for his ruined suit and furnishings. Brandon went to work. Shade headed to her business to set up the rituals she would be needing for the wedding that night.
Day faded into night. Neil and Brandon met with Mason to work out the details of their trap. Neil would use his contacts to set up a house and get the Malvora vampire there. Brandon would be there observing and making sure it went down as planned.
Rituals concluded, Shade met with Max for a pre-wedding drink and to once again assure him that she would be okay. The wedding and reception were being held at the Scaramouch Academy. Arriving, Shade took a moment to get the "feel" of the event. There was a feeling of joy, which was to be expected. There was also an undercurrent of uncertainty bordering on the edge of fear. Shade stopped to chat with Skavis for a bit and took great fun in their usual banter. With the wedding about to start, Shade took a seat with Uri and Christine. Before the vows were made, the victims for Penny and Fredrick were brought in. Penny's transformation into full White Court went as expected. Fredrick's, on the other hand, was not as it should have been. While Penny's sacrifice had died in fear and pain as she fed, the girl for Skavis to sacrifice went from fear to love and happiness. Definitely not what was expected. It seemed that Skavis could feed off of positive emotions. The rest of the wedding went off without a hitch (Christine cried throughout the whole thing). The undercurrent of fear Shade experienced earlier became stronger.
The wedding concluded, the reception started and Shade set off to fulfill her own agenda. Taking note of each major player in attendance, she approached them one by one. There were a few strings that needed to be pulled. Drusilla was first on the list. The two of them talked amicably for a bit. However, Drusilla's manner became frosty when Shade brought up what Skavis had done and that perhaps it would be wise to take the jester a bit more seriously. Next was Lexi. Their conversation revolved around the casino. The Were Ferret proffered an invite to Shade and Max to stop in- which was what Shade was after. She had heard rumors about death matches and Shade wanted to check it out (it's not an issue yet but needs to be watched closely. It could fast turn into a problem and steps may need to be taken). That done, Shade approached Melinda. Nothing of consequence was talked about until Shade brought up the fact that someone was trying to kill her, Neil, and Brandon. Melinda was more confused then anything at hearing that. She couldn't think of any reason for that to be. Thanks to the buffing rituals, Shade was fairly certain that she was telling the truth and had nothing to do with it. They said their goodbyes and Shade walked over to Locke and Stone.
While all this was going on, Brandon, Neil, and Mason were putting their plan into action. Thanks to Neil and his resources, an appropriate house had been found and everything was ready to go. Neil called the vampire and told him where to go. Mason and Brandon were already there and waiting. From his vantage point in the closet, Brandon saw the Malvora vampire enter. Even though Mason appeared the same to Brandon, it was obvious that their guest saw Mason as a child. It was very creepy to hear a child's voice come from the ancient Black Court. Just as the other vampire was readying to feed, Mason dropped his act and revealed himself. What happened next could only be described as a bloodbath. Mason ripped his victim to pieces...slowly and with great force. Brandon decided that he really didn't want to be there anymore and made his way to the door.
Back at the reception, Locke was drunk and seemed hell bent on embarrassing himself and Tawny. Shade saw the look of disgust on her face when Locke demanded she get him another drink and slapped her ass. Stone was living up to his name. At least he was until Shade mentioned the attacks on her and the men. A look of alarm flashed quickly over his face. It came again when Shade told the two of them that whoever was behind the attacks has used magic to kill humans. Shade noted the reactions but didn't comment. A few more pleasantries were exchanged and then Shade left them. Last on her list was Uri. Shade came up to him and asked him to dance with her. While on the floor, Shade (already sure that Uri wasn't behind the attacks) came straight to the point. She told Uri that someone high up had been trying to kill their group and they had broken the First Law of Magic. That stopped Uri cold. He and Shade left the reception so they could talk about the attacks in private. As luck would have it (thanks to a fate chip!) Neil and Brandon were in the bar drinking.
With everyone there, Uri was able to hear the entire story of what had happened. Just as they were finishing the story, the group felt the ground shake- like Vegas was experiencing an earthquake. Shade felt and recognized the accompanying wash of magic. She looked off into the distance while saying, "Dear God Phillip, what have you done?"
So that ended the session and what a one it was! Just what in the hell are the Vegas Fey doing and just how bad is it. Could they be closer to finding out who was behind the attacks? Will they be able to find out who or what is watching Wyatt. We will hopefully find out more on Sunday. Can't wait!
Of course, all this just adds to my ever expanding list of things I want to do in game. To give Lana a heads up (and maybe some game ideas), I am going to list them here. Some are big plot things and some are personal character things. I am enjoying playing a normal person for once and want to explore more of that as well as the overall group story lines.
1: Set up the ritual for Wyatt and see if it works. If it does, get Neil and Brandon involved.
2: Need to get in touch with Heather about Fey's behaving badly.
3: Check up with Penny and Skavis now that they have turned.
4: Question/investigate Stone and his reaction.
5: Visit the Were casino.
6: A meeting with Locke when he is sober.
7: Do a ritual to find a sentient Ghost for the Spades.
8: Look much deeper into Wyatt's past, especially if any players today were connected to the gang that attacked him. It's possible. We are talking about beings that live for centuries.
9: See about using my fat stack of cash to buy Snicks and get Tess out of the Fey mess.
10: More interactions between Max and Shade, especially their personal/intimate moments.
11: Soul gaze Max.
12: Research and meet with Mitch Mitchell. Also, invite Tawny out to lunch to see if she would be a good candidate.
13: Meet with glassblowers and metal workers for, what I am calling, iron puff bombs.
14: Get Max to use his gift or use the Sight on Christine to see just what the heck she is.
That's all I can think of right now but I am sure more will coming.
The day of the much anticipated wedding between Skavis and Malvora finally arrived. Shade, Neil, and Brandon met for breakfast and some talk. First up was the Spade positions that needed to be filled. Shade pointed out that Mason had only told Brandon he had to make the final choices. There was nothing stopping other members from keeping an eye out for potential recruits. There was also no time frame set. That being said, Shade offered up a possibility- Mitch Mitchell from Truthisodes. Brandon wasn't too pleased with that suggestion but Shade listed a few pluses to having him join. Brandon, still not convinced, asked her to check him out and let him know. Next up was a game plan for the inclusion of a Winter and Summer Court personage. Neil (being the only person at the table who wasn't on a Fey hit list somewhere) said that he would get the ball rolling on that. The only problem with the Fey would be the inability to Soul Gaze them. Neil then wondered out loud about a sentient ghost. Brandon and Shade thought that would be a good possibility and Shade made a mental note about looking into the appropriate ritual.
With rituals in mind, Shade then brought up Wyatt. She had a plan on how to get some information on just who was watching him. She would construct a ritual where she and Wyatt would be connected. The spell would not go off until the person (persons? entity? god?) spied on Wyatt. It would allow Shade to glean information about who or what was behind it. If it worked, she wanted to include Neil and Brandon in the spell. The more people involved would hopefully mean more learned. Brandon and Neil agreed. The problems of Vegas had long overshadowed Wyatt and more attention needed to be paid to his situation.
Spade business finished, the wedding was next on the agenda. Brandon and Neil said that neither of them would be going. Sensing a backstory, Shade asked why. The previous night's shenanigans were related. They also told Shade about the retribution they were planning on the child killing vampire. Shade agreed with them totally and wished them good hunting. Business concluded, breakfast ended with the three of them going their separate ways. Neil left to start the process of getting in touch with the Fey Courts. He also had a wonderful exchange with Skavis about a bill for his ruined suit and furnishings. Brandon went to work. Shade headed to her business to set up the rituals she would be needing for the wedding that night.
Day faded into night. Neil and Brandon met with Mason to work out the details of their trap. Neil would use his contacts to set up a house and get the Malvora vampire there. Brandon would be there observing and making sure it went down as planned.
Rituals concluded, Shade met with Max for a pre-wedding drink and to once again assure him that she would be okay. The wedding and reception were being held at the Scaramouch Academy. Arriving, Shade took a moment to get the "feel" of the event. There was a feeling of joy, which was to be expected. There was also an undercurrent of uncertainty bordering on the edge of fear. Shade stopped to chat with Skavis for a bit and took great fun in their usual banter. With the wedding about to start, Shade took a seat with Uri and Christine. Before the vows were made, the victims for Penny and Fredrick were brought in. Penny's transformation into full White Court went as expected. Fredrick's, on the other hand, was not as it should have been. While Penny's sacrifice had died in fear and pain as she fed, the girl for Skavis to sacrifice went from fear to love and happiness. Definitely not what was expected. It seemed that Skavis could feed off of positive emotions. The rest of the wedding went off without a hitch (Christine cried throughout the whole thing). The undercurrent of fear Shade experienced earlier became stronger.
The wedding concluded, the reception started and Shade set off to fulfill her own agenda. Taking note of each major player in attendance, she approached them one by one. There were a few strings that needed to be pulled. Drusilla was first on the list. The two of them talked amicably for a bit. However, Drusilla's manner became frosty when Shade brought up what Skavis had done and that perhaps it would be wise to take the jester a bit more seriously. Next was Lexi. Their conversation revolved around the casino. The Were Ferret proffered an invite to Shade and Max to stop in- which was what Shade was after. She had heard rumors about death matches and Shade wanted to check it out (it's not an issue yet but needs to be watched closely. It could fast turn into a problem and steps may need to be taken). That done, Shade approached Melinda. Nothing of consequence was talked about until Shade brought up the fact that someone was trying to kill her, Neil, and Brandon. Melinda was more confused then anything at hearing that. She couldn't think of any reason for that to be. Thanks to the buffing rituals, Shade was fairly certain that she was telling the truth and had nothing to do with it. They said their goodbyes and Shade walked over to Locke and Stone.
While all this was going on, Brandon, Neil, and Mason were putting their plan into action. Thanks to Neil and his resources, an appropriate house had been found and everything was ready to go. Neil called the vampire and told him where to go. Mason and Brandon were already there and waiting. From his vantage point in the closet, Brandon saw the Malvora vampire enter. Even though Mason appeared the same to Brandon, it was obvious that their guest saw Mason as a child. It was very creepy to hear a child's voice come from the ancient Black Court. Just as the other vampire was readying to feed, Mason dropped his act and revealed himself. What happened next could only be described as a bloodbath. Mason ripped his victim to pieces...slowly and with great force. Brandon decided that he really didn't want to be there anymore and made his way to the door.
Back at the reception, Locke was drunk and seemed hell bent on embarrassing himself and Tawny. Shade saw the look of disgust on her face when Locke demanded she get him another drink and slapped her ass. Stone was living up to his name. At least he was until Shade mentioned the attacks on her and the men. A look of alarm flashed quickly over his face. It came again when Shade told the two of them that whoever was behind the attacks has used magic to kill humans. Shade noted the reactions but didn't comment. A few more pleasantries were exchanged and then Shade left them. Last on her list was Uri. Shade came up to him and asked him to dance with her. While on the floor, Shade (already sure that Uri wasn't behind the attacks) came straight to the point. She told Uri that someone high up had been trying to kill their group and they had broken the First Law of Magic. That stopped Uri cold. He and Shade left the reception so they could talk about the attacks in private. As luck would have it (thanks to a fate chip!) Neil and Brandon were in the bar drinking.
With everyone there, Uri was able to hear the entire story of what had happened. Just as they were finishing the story, the group felt the ground shake- like Vegas was experiencing an earthquake. Shade felt and recognized the accompanying wash of magic. She looked off into the distance while saying, "Dear God Phillip, what have you done?"
So that ended the session and what a one it was! Just what in the hell are the Vegas Fey doing and just how bad is it. Could they be closer to finding out who was behind the attacks? Will they be able to find out who or what is watching Wyatt. We will hopefully find out more on Sunday. Can't wait!
Of course, all this just adds to my ever expanding list of things I want to do in game. To give Lana a heads up (and maybe some game ideas), I am going to list them here. Some are big plot things and some are personal character things. I am enjoying playing a normal person for once and want to explore more of that as well as the overall group story lines.
1: Set up the ritual for Wyatt and see if it works. If it does, get Neil and Brandon involved.
2: Need to get in touch with Heather about Fey's behaving badly.
3: Check up with Penny and Skavis now that they have turned.
4: Question/investigate Stone and his reaction.
5: Visit the Were casino.
6: A meeting with Locke when he is sober.
7: Do a ritual to find a sentient Ghost for the Spades.
8: Look much deeper into Wyatt's past, especially if any players today were connected to the gang that attacked him. It's possible. We are talking about beings that live for centuries.
9: See about using my fat stack of cash to buy Snicks and get Tess out of the Fey mess.
10: More interactions between Max and Shade, especially their personal/intimate moments.
11: Soul gaze Max.
12: Research and meet with Mitch Mitchell. Also, invite Tawny out to lunch to see if she would be a good candidate.
13: Meet with glassblowers and metal workers for, what I am calling, iron puff bombs.
14: Get Max to use his gift or use the Sight on Christine to see just what the heck she is.
That's all I can think of right now but I am sure more will coming.
Friday, May 9, 2014
Dresden Files Las Vegas- Or Would You Rather Be The Architect Of What We Might Create
One of the best ever gaming sessions we had was in the Mage game. We were breaking into the Technocracy headquarters to retrieve an artifact. It was a definite "are you really sure you want to do this" moment and I remember the tension increasing with each roll we had to make and every step we took. One fuck up and we would all have to hand over our character sheets. It was a watershed moment. The tension wasn't near as high in the last Dresden game but I started to get that same feeling, even if it was just a little bit. It feels like we are right on the edge of a chasm and will we fall off or manage to jump it? What a wonderful feeling! I love it! It means that things are going to get fun, messy, chaotic, dangerous, and exhilarating! I won't give any spoilers but will just get right into it.
The game picked up a month later (the 28th of October) and Shade, Neil, and Brandon had all been busy- in their own ways. Brandon spent his month working on his shop and working on Skip. With his newly forged contacts, Brandon was moving into the realm of magical item buying and selling. The time not spent doing that was spent on stabilizing Skip, helping him deal with his grief, and healing their relationship. Neil kept up his buying spree and announced the grand opening of Fine Detailing and Car Wash. Shade kept busy as well. She delved deeper into the Freemont Experience. It had expanded fairly rapidly and she was looking for a few specific people and businesses. It took some time but she was able to get the information she needed. She also found out a hugely surprising fact. Some of the people she talked to were now changelings.
It was three days before the much anticipated Skavis/Malvora wedding and things were all a tizzy. Brandon received a letter at his shop. The only item inside the envelope was the seven of spades. Understanding the message, he went to visit Mason that night. After going inside, he asked Mason what was going on. Mason told Brandon that he had called him there for something specific. He wanted Brandon to find his successor. Brandon was stunned. Mason went on to explain that during the fight with Sly and the zombies something in his mind had broke. He was in pain and no longer wanted to continue living. He also tasked Brandon with filling out the rest of the Spades. After a few moments of thought, Brandon said that he might have a few ideas and told Mason about Wyatt. Mason said that he would leave it to Brandon as he no longer trusted his own judgment. He then spoke of the Board. Only Uri and Locke knew for certain about the Spades and only Uri knew that Mason was the Ace. He warned Brandon not to trust any of the Board members and to keep the Board out of Spade business. Brandon swore on his power to do as Mason asked.
That same night, Shade and Max were at home eating dinner when Max asked Shade who Wyatt was. After a slight hesitation, Shade answered that Wyatt was a friend. She knew him through Brandon and Neil. Max went on to say that he had passed Wyatt in front of her shop and he had said to say hi to her. Knowing that the subject was not going to be dropped, Shade said that it was obvious that Max had "looked" at Wyatt with his talent and knew he was special. She went on and explained to Max that Wyatt was one of those things that were bound to come up between them that needed to be kept secret. Wyatt was very, very special and the three of them were intent on keeping him under the radar. Max understood thankfully. Their talk turned to magic and people in general. Shade was actually surprised that Max wanted and valued her opinions and insights about the major players.
Neil's night turned out to be anything but quiet as well. He was in one of the smaller casinos when a very attractive woman came up to him. She seemed nervous as she pressed a special poker chip into his hand. Melissa (as she was named) told him that she had been sent to Neil in the hopes that he could help her. Some people were chasing her. Neil asked if they were following her right now. She wasn't sure. Neil sprang into action. The first order of business was to get her somewhere safe. As they left the casino, Neil noticed a couple of guys watching them. Watching turned into following as Neil and Melissa took off on his motorcycle. The chase was over pretty quickly. The driver of the SUV couldn't keep up with Neil. The two of them reached one of Neil's safe houses and he got Melissa settled. Neil told her to write down everything she had done for the past couple of weeks. He wanted absolutely everything. Melissa agreed to do so and asked if she could call her mother at least. Neil told her not to and that he would contact her mother to let her know that Melissa was safe. As Melissa settled in, Neil called a few of his guys. He wanted them to check out Melissa's apartment.
In the middle of all this, Neil's phone rang. It was Brandon wanting to meet up to discuss company business. The two of them met up at a nearby dive bar. After getting drinks, Brandon told Neil about his meeting with Mason. They sat there for awhile discussing the ramifications of Mason's demise and the future of the Spades. They agreed that some restructuring was in order. The Ace, whomever it would eventually be, would still be the head but there would be a "court" consisting of the King, Queen, and Jack that would act as a check. The night passed without any more problems cropping up.
The next saw Brandon doing Brandon stuff and Neil doing Neil stuff. For Brandon that meant work as usual. Neil stopped by to talk with Melissa. She gave him the list of her activities. The only incident that stood out to Neil was a fight that had taken place at her job. Shade's day was busy. She had made an appointment to see Phillip. Arriving at Legends, she was ushered into his office. After the hello's, Shade got to the point. She told Phillip that she wanted the name of the person Sly had referred to after the fight. Phillip flat out refused. Shade pulled out the information she had gathered in the past month and told Phillip that the information she had would ruin Freemont. If Phillip wouldn't give her the name, she would give the information to someone who could use it. Nonplussed, Philip replied that he had given his word and that he couldn't give her the name. He wasn't angry. He seemed more distracted and hyped-up then anything. He then said his goodbye's to Shade and said he was sorry he couldn't help her. Shade replied that she was sorry for what she had to do. After a quick call to Max to let him know that she was okay (I don't think Max trusts Phillip one bit), Shade then called Skavis to see about a visit. Skavis told her to come over. She did so. Once there and after the usual sexual innuendos were thrown about, Shade got down to business. All the information she had to take down the Fey's influence in Freemont she gave to Frederick. She told him it was her wedding gift to him. Skavis was very pleased. The rest of the day passed uneventfully for the three.
That night Brandon called Shade and asked to get together. They needed to talk. Shade agreed and Brandon said he would pick her up. After a bit of a drive, Brandon and Shade pulled up to Mason's house. recognizing from her earlier visit, Shade asked Brandon just what the hell was going on. Brandon told her he would explain inside. They entered the house and Brandon told Shade about the Spades and everything that they did. He then asked if she would be interested in joining the group. If she was, they would have to Soulgaze each other. Of course Shade said yes and, after the Soulgaze, she took the Queen as her card.
That is where the session ended. See what I mean about the tension starting to build? All three are Spades now and all are in the Court. Mason is going to suicide and what then? There is the wedding coming up and everyone knows from past experience what that means- something is going to happen. Phillip is not himself at all. Frankly, at the mention of blackmail, he should have gone into a rage and then there is the whole adult human into changeling thing. That does not happen. How is Phillip doing it? And what about Melissa. How does she play into it? So much coming together. I cannot wait for Sunday!
The game picked up a month later (the 28th of October) and Shade, Neil, and Brandon had all been busy- in their own ways. Brandon spent his month working on his shop and working on Skip. With his newly forged contacts, Brandon was moving into the realm of magical item buying and selling. The time not spent doing that was spent on stabilizing Skip, helping him deal with his grief, and healing their relationship. Neil kept up his buying spree and announced the grand opening of Fine Detailing and Car Wash. Shade kept busy as well. She delved deeper into the Freemont Experience. It had expanded fairly rapidly and she was looking for a few specific people and businesses. It took some time but she was able to get the information she needed. She also found out a hugely surprising fact. Some of the people she talked to were now changelings.
It was three days before the much anticipated Skavis/Malvora wedding and things were all a tizzy. Brandon received a letter at his shop. The only item inside the envelope was the seven of spades. Understanding the message, he went to visit Mason that night. After going inside, he asked Mason what was going on. Mason told Brandon that he had called him there for something specific. He wanted Brandon to find his successor. Brandon was stunned. Mason went on to explain that during the fight with Sly and the zombies something in his mind had broke. He was in pain and no longer wanted to continue living. He also tasked Brandon with filling out the rest of the Spades. After a few moments of thought, Brandon said that he might have a few ideas and told Mason about Wyatt. Mason said that he would leave it to Brandon as he no longer trusted his own judgment. He then spoke of the Board. Only Uri and Locke knew for certain about the Spades and only Uri knew that Mason was the Ace. He warned Brandon not to trust any of the Board members and to keep the Board out of Spade business. Brandon swore on his power to do as Mason asked.
That same night, Shade and Max were at home eating dinner when Max asked Shade who Wyatt was. After a slight hesitation, Shade answered that Wyatt was a friend. She knew him through Brandon and Neil. Max went on to say that he had passed Wyatt in front of her shop and he had said to say hi to her. Knowing that the subject was not going to be dropped, Shade said that it was obvious that Max had "looked" at Wyatt with his talent and knew he was special. She went on and explained to Max that Wyatt was one of those things that were bound to come up between them that needed to be kept secret. Wyatt was very, very special and the three of them were intent on keeping him under the radar. Max understood thankfully. Their talk turned to magic and people in general. Shade was actually surprised that Max wanted and valued her opinions and insights about the major players.
Neil's night turned out to be anything but quiet as well. He was in one of the smaller casinos when a very attractive woman came up to him. She seemed nervous as she pressed a special poker chip into his hand. Melissa (as she was named) told him that she had been sent to Neil in the hopes that he could help her. Some people were chasing her. Neil asked if they were following her right now. She wasn't sure. Neil sprang into action. The first order of business was to get her somewhere safe. As they left the casino, Neil noticed a couple of guys watching them. Watching turned into following as Neil and Melissa took off on his motorcycle. The chase was over pretty quickly. The driver of the SUV couldn't keep up with Neil. The two of them reached one of Neil's safe houses and he got Melissa settled. Neil told her to write down everything she had done for the past couple of weeks. He wanted absolutely everything. Melissa agreed to do so and asked if she could call her mother at least. Neil told her not to and that he would contact her mother to let her know that Melissa was safe. As Melissa settled in, Neil called a few of his guys. He wanted them to check out Melissa's apartment.
In the middle of all this, Neil's phone rang. It was Brandon wanting to meet up to discuss company business. The two of them met up at a nearby dive bar. After getting drinks, Brandon told Neil about his meeting with Mason. They sat there for awhile discussing the ramifications of Mason's demise and the future of the Spades. They agreed that some restructuring was in order. The Ace, whomever it would eventually be, would still be the head but there would be a "court" consisting of the King, Queen, and Jack that would act as a check. The night passed without any more problems cropping up.
The next saw Brandon doing Brandon stuff and Neil doing Neil stuff. For Brandon that meant work as usual. Neil stopped by to talk with Melissa. She gave him the list of her activities. The only incident that stood out to Neil was a fight that had taken place at her job. Shade's day was busy. She had made an appointment to see Phillip. Arriving at Legends, she was ushered into his office. After the hello's, Shade got to the point. She told Phillip that she wanted the name of the person Sly had referred to after the fight. Phillip flat out refused. Shade pulled out the information she had gathered in the past month and told Phillip that the information she had would ruin Freemont. If Phillip wouldn't give her the name, she would give the information to someone who could use it. Nonplussed, Philip replied that he had given his word and that he couldn't give her the name. He wasn't angry. He seemed more distracted and hyped-up then anything. He then said his goodbye's to Shade and said he was sorry he couldn't help her. Shade replied that she was sorry for what she had to do. After a quick call to Max to let him know that she was okay (I don't think Max trusts Phillip one bit), Shade then called Skavis to see about a visit. Skavis told her to come over. She did so. Once there and after the usual sexual innuendos were thrown about, Shade got down to business. All the information she had to take down the Fey's influence in Freemont she gave to Frederick. She told him it was her wedding gift to him. Skavis was very pleased. The rest of the day passed uneventfully for the three.
That night Brandon called Shade and asked to get together. They needed to talk. Shade agreed and Brandon said he would pick her up. After a bit of a drive, Brandon and Shade pulled up to Mason's house. recognizing from her earlier visit, Shade asked Brandon just what the hell was going on. Brandon told her he would explain inside. They entered the house and Brandon told Shade about the Spades and everything that they did. He then asked if she would be interested in joining the group. If she was, they would have to Soulgaze each other. Of course Shade said yes and, after the Soulgaze, she took the Queen as her card.
That is where the session ended. See what I mean about the tension starting to build? All three are Spades now and all are in the Court. Mason is going to suicide and what then? There is the wedding coming up and everyone knows from past experience what that means- something is going to happen. Phillip is not himself at all. Frankly, at the mention of blackmail, he should have gone into a rage and then there is the whole adult human into changeling thing. That does not happen. How is Phillip doing it? And what about Melissa. How does she play into it? So much coming together. I cannot wait for Sunday!
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