Dresden Files Las Vegas- Just Don't Be Afraid To Live

The gaming session should be titled side jobs but I want to stick with the song lyric thing I have going. Even though none of us met up in our individual endeavors, we all managed to get things advanced. Neil showed his temper, solidified a foothold or two for people, and made an enemy. Shade advanced her blockade of Skavis, got some questions answered, and brought home a kitten. Brandon broke back into poker games, met with the Warden, and acquired an apprentice. We all had a great time. Now on to what happened.

It was a morning in mid-march and Neil was having coffee when his phone rang. It was Johnny Bullwickie, a low level bookie and one of Neil's contacts. He needed a favor and asked if they could meet. Neil agreed. Apparently Johnny lost a sure bet and was in deep with a local loan shark. He wanted Neil to run interference to give him time. Neil told him he would see what he could do. Then he asked who the shark was. Johnny told him it was gentleman by the name of Sal "fat fingers" Fredrico. Happy, Johnny left.

Neil asked around about Sal and was able to find out that he was a mid range loan shark and one of the last of the old guard. He wasn't a made man (not being 100% Sicilian) but he was definitely connected. He was also considered more or less honest. However, Sal was known to be harsh with missed payments- like, trip out to the desert harsh. With a bit more time, Neil learned that Sal ran his business out of an Italian restaurant called Gaspaccios. Needing food anyway, Neil went there for dinner. After being seated and ordering, Neil took a read on the room. It seemed that all the action was in back. The restaurant was a front for Sal's business. Sal was there and was surrounded by security types. Neil finished his meal, tipped, and left. He could tell he was watched as he left.

Shade's day was, thankfully, normal. She spent the day at her shop. Around lunchtime, she called and set up a meeting with Philip. She wanted to see how things were going with the Freemont Committee and to start the second stage of the plan. Philip agreed to meet her that evening. After closing, Shade headed out to Legends. Getting there, she spotted Philip and sat down with him. Asked about how things were going, Philip answered that it was coming together. Shade was pleased to hear that. Then she launched into the next part of her idea. Now that he had control of Freemont, it was time to expend his influence outwards. That meant making the whole area the "it" place to be, especially among the young. Shade pointed out there were many buildings begging to be turned into loft apartments and such, not to mention the empty business spaces. Philip liked the idea of more influence and profit and asked Shade to get a list of properties together for him. She said she would. One other good thing between Philip and Shade. After Tess got out of the hospital, Philip surprised Shade by hiring Tess to work at Legends. That way she would be under his protection. Shade was very grateful for that.

After dinner, Neil placed a call to Max Torelli. Neil told him that he had a line on a possible business proposition and wanted to know if Torelli would be interested. Torelli was and suggested they meet to talk. Meeting at a local bar, Neil told Torelli about Sal and his business. He thought that Torelli just might want to talk to Sal about doing business together. Torelli said he would be open to talking with Sal and asked Neil if he would speak to him about it. Neil replied that he would be happy to do so. Business concluded, Torelli asked Neil what had been happening in Vegas. More specifically, he asked about a certain incident in December. Neil answered that he had been on vacation and wasn't sure about the whole thing (Of course we all know what incident he was asking about. Shade and Max have been seeing each other but she hasn't told him about her new job with the Fey Court and all the stuff that came after that. As for Neil, he didn't want his role in all that took place to be commonly known).

Brandon had a very quiet day. He went to work and then went home to get some rest. He was still recovering from the kidney skewering. Even douche bags need a break now and then.

Early the next day Shade started researching the buildings in her area. She needed to get addresses, names of owners, and such. It was slow going but she managed to get some of what she needed (She is really working hard at this. She feels she has to prove herself worthy of the position). Then she spent the rest of her day working.

Most of Neil's day was routine. He woke up, worked out, and such. That afternoon he went back to Gaspaccios. After being seated, he asked the waiter if he could speak with Mr. Fredrico. When asked what it was about, Neil answered it was business. The waiter spoke with Sal for a minute and told Neil he would been seen. Social combat between the two ensued. Neil told Sal about Torelli and the business proposal. At first, Sal seemed hesitant. It took a bit of back and forth but Neil took him out. The end shot was that Sal might be interested and needed to meet with Torelli to discuss things. Neil said he would set it up and then stated what his cut would be for doing so. He wanted Sal to give Johnny more time to pay back what he owed him. Sal wasn't able to do so. Apparently Johnny's marker had been bought by a Harold Larson- for double what he owed to Sal. Business concluded, Neil left.

Brandon woke up and went to work. That night, feeling a bit bored, he went in search of a couple of poker games. He found one off the main strip in one of the many dive bars. By the end of the game he was slightly ahead. Feeling good, he headed home. The good feeling quickly ended when he listened to the message on his machine. It was Skip saying that he needed Brandon's help and that he was at the campus. The sound of sirens could be heard in the background. Brandon headed out to the college campus. He drove up to smoke, fire engines, and people milling outside of a burning dorm. Skip spotted him and came running over. He started babbling about a book, messing around, and fire being everywhere. Brandon told him to get into the car. They drove to the shop and went downstairs to the workshop. There Brandon was able to get the full story out of Skip. Apparently he had been trying to disprove the existence of magic. While reading one of Brandon's books, Skip had inadvertently cast a spell. Brandon explained that magic was indeed real. To convince the still disbelieving Skip, he called the coyote to the shop and made it visible to them. Finally accepting that it was real, Brandon and Skip continued to talk. Not wanting to send Skip into shock, Brandon stuck to the more general stuff. There would be time to cover the details later.They also watched to news coverage of the fire on TV. Fortunately, there had been no fatalities. However, a few of the victims were in critical condition. Brandon hoped it would stay that way. Killing with magic, even accidentally, was a beheading offense. He decided to spare Skip that information for the moment.

After leaving the restaurant, Neil went on the search for Johnny and Harold Larson. His contacts told him that Larson was a contractor and was currently working on a rest stop in a park just out of town. He also learned that Johnny had been grabbed off the street. Putting two and two together, Neil stopped by the construction site. Looking around, Neil heard something and walked over to investigate. A man came around the corner and asked him what he was doing there. The site was shifter territory and Neil should just leave. Neil asked the gentleman about Johnny. All the guy would say was that Neil would have take it up with Lexi. Neil asked him to tell Lexi to call him.

The next day brought early morning phone calls for all. Neil got a call from Lexi. She was not pleasant at all and managed to piss Neil off...massively piss Neil off. She told him to stay out it and that she had plans for Johnny. Neil tried to reason with her but she wouldn't listen. That turned out to be a HUGE mistake. After that call, Neil called Skavis and left a message about a truly incredible business opportunity. He gave Skavis a time and place for a meeting. Shade received a call from Philip asking about the list. Apparently days of the week and time frames are not a Fey strong point. Shade told him that she would have everything ready that night. Philip went on to say that he had talked with Puck and they would both be there. The Fey would be working on this together. With the deadline two days early, Shade spent most of the day finishing her research. She also bought a kitten which she named Periwinkle Jones. She truly had a home now and wanted to complete it.

Brandon's call was not unexpected. Locke wanted to know what was going on and wanted to know if Brandon knew a Skip Matthews. Brandon gave a short version of the night's events and agreed to bring Skip in for a meeting. While getting ready for the meeting, Brandon talked to Skip more about magic, the rules, and such. They headed to the Luxor and went up to Locke's suite. Tawney got them settled and went to get Locke. He walked in wearing one hell of a gaudy suit- purple. He asked them if they would like something to drink and chatted away. Asked about what happened, Skip told Locke the whole story. Still jovial, Locke asked if Brandon would take Skip as his apprentice. He also let Skip know the consequences of accidents. Skip paled at the mention of beheading (The truly creepy part of it all was that Lana played up Locke's jovialness the entire time beheading was being discussed. There is just something so wrong about being so friendly while talking about killing). Brandon agreed to take Skip as his apprentice but he also warned him that he (Brandon) would not go down with him if he (Skip) fucked up. If that happened, Brandon would kill Skip himself.

Shade closed up a little early to get ready for Philip and Puck (mainly Philip). The two of them, with Heather, showed up and seemed excited about something. They had come up with a great plan. That alone made Shade gulp her drink. They told her that they thought her ideas were great and they thought she should be their liaison between the building owners and themselves. Basically, it would come down to they would help get things going but then Shade would be doing all the work. Not having that, Shade made a counter proposal. She would start things off but she would find someone to take over. Frankly, she had enough to do. They happily agreed and left. Heather stayed behind to talk...and drink. The poor girl was stressed out. Taking care of the Fey is not an easy job and Heather admitted that she had gone into the job thinking about the power, respect, sex, and other perks. She hadn't thought about the actual work. That started Shade thinking about a way to help her. Then Shade just had to show off her new kitten, Periwinkle.

The meeting time came for Neil and Skavis. It took place at the rest stop. Neil told Skavis what a wonderful opportunity the place was. All it would take to turn it into a profitable enterprise would be to cut the trees down and build a tourist center. Neil made sure to say all this in a very loud, easily overheard voice. Skavis asked Brandon why he was telling him about this, especially since the area was shifter territory. Neil replied quietly that the bitch, meaning Lexi, had made him look bad. Now it was his turn to make her look bad and to make Skavis look good in the process. Skavis told Neil to get the deal started. Neil lost no time getting things started. A few phone calls and he had the planning commission working on getting the permits. He called tree removal to check things out for getting rid of the wooded area. He even called in surveyors to do their thing on site. The expected call came soon enough. Lexi was furious. Neil asked if she wanted a meeting but she declined. She told him that she would let Johnny go and forgive the debt. Neil would have to call the whole deal off. Neil agreed. The end shot was that Johnny was released relatively unharmed. He was pathetically grateful to Neil and swore that he owed Neil his life (He may have made an enemy but Neil showed that he was a man of his word).

Neil had one more meeting the next day. It was between Torelli and Sal. That deal went off without a hitch. Sal got a strong patron, Torelli got a solid foothold in Vegas, and Neil got a nice payoff. Everyone won. After the meeting, Torelli had a date with Shade. She had called him earlier that day and invited him to dinner. When he showed up and they had eaten, Shade asked him if he remembered their meeting in Frankie's hotel room. He did. She then asked about what she saw. She wanted to know if he was aware of his ability. He was (That was good to hear. Shade had planned on talking him into a tattoo to show him his ability). He could see what people really looked like (It was Know True Self). He went to tell her that when they first met, her tattoos glowed when he used his power. She asked what he saw now. He said it was basically the same except her ears were pointed and her face was more angular (That would be the Fey aspect, which worries Shade. She still hasn't told Torelli about her new position and she needs to. She knows that he will eventually hear gossip about it and that gossip will include that she is sleeping with Philip. It isn't true but he does have the quick to anger aspect and hearing that the girl you're sort of dating is sleeping around would not make anyone happy). They talked some more and then he left.

That ended the session for the night and it so much fun. We all got to do stuff and get into situations. Well, except for Shade- for once! The next gaming night is just a couple of days away and we can't wait!

Dresden Files Las Vegas- Another Turning Point

I know it has been a few weeks since I posted. We took a few Sundays off from gaming due to work and just needing a break. Then, just as I was getting ready to start writing, the four of us started playing The Old Republic on Wednesdays...and I started playing it every other damn night. I fully blame Jason, Lana, and Jay for my new addiction.

In other news, there will be a new game starting soon. Jay will be running it so Lana can have a break and get to play too. We are still deciding on just what it will be. All the options sound good. I will be posting that game as well. More on that as we get it set up. Now, on to the Dresden game.

The gaming session was fairly short since we were just wrapping up the story arc.

The fight was over and (almost) everyone had survived. Ambulances were called for the wounded. Christine was treated and released by the paramedics. Brandon was taken to the supernatural hospital. Tess was taken first to the emergency room and then to the psychiatric hospital (Sly had REALLY fucked her up mentally). With the wounded cared for, Neil dropped Shade off and then took Christine home. However, the night was not over for Shade and Neil.

After cleaning up and grabbing a sandwich, Neil picked Shade up and they headed into North Vegas. Unbeknownst to him, they had a meeting planned with Skavis (Shade got the impression that Neil would have liked to wait for the morning but she was not going to give Skavis time to do any damage control).

Getting to the Crucible, Neil and Shade went inside. Neil, having been there before, didn't get bothered. However, Shade, being new...tattooed...and female, did. One of the patrons tried to hit on her. Neil promptly put him in his place with a few scathing remarks (Yes, Shade was more than capable of handling it but she was curious to see just how good Neil was at it. Frankly it was no contest. In Vegas terms, the asshole caved like a house of cards). Spotting Skavis, Neil and Shade made a stop at the bar to get a couple of drinks before heading over. Neil ordered something fruity just to annoy Skavis, who really likes those drinks but can't drink them around his pack. Shade just had a scotch. Finally reaching the table where Skavis and his cronies were sitting, Neil told him that the three of them had something to discuss and it would be best to do so in private. One of the men at the table seemed irritated by that. Social combat between Neil and the vampire ensued. It took a bit but Neil came out ahead. As Skavis, Shade, and Neil left for the backroom, Neil ordered a round of drinks for the bar- his drink to be specific. There was also a vaguely insulting comment towards the vampire. The White Court Vampire stood and started social combat again. Neil's answer, "Just sit, stay, roll over, and enjoy your free drink." The idiot totally lost the battle.

In the back, Skavis sat down at his desk and offered seats to Neil and Shade. With everyone seated, Neil started talking. He told Skavis that, because of the night's events, he was on the wrong side of a very serious situation. He pointed out that Sly had caused the sort of trouble that wouldn't be ignored. Skavis was surprised at that (That was the other reason Shade wanted to be there. She wanted to know if Skavis knew about the plan or not. If he had, all bets were off. She doesn't believe that he didn't know something was up but he really didn't know just how far Sly would take it). He had no idea just what Sly had done. Shade then told him that Sly had kidnapped and attacked people she shouldn't have, not to mention the attack against Neil, Brandon, and herself. Neil spoke again, telling Skavis that it really didn't look good. It looked like Skavis was weak and couldn't control his people. Luckily, there was a solution. First, the invites were to be rescinded, asap. Second, Skavis had to turn Sly over to the offended parties. That way, Neil went on, Skavis would come out looking good and in control. Skavis agreed. Neil and Shade left.

The rest of the story arc was spent in tying up loose ends. Skavis did rescind the invites and after a week or so, the Winter Court was no more in Vegas. Skavis also handed Sly over to Philip. What happened to her is unknown. Not even Shade could get the answer out of Philip. Surprisingly, the Summer Court opened up talks with the Spring Court. Uri was pleased with the results of the investigation and ended up giving Neil, Shade, and Brandon a bonus. As for the rest of the downtime for us and the city:

- Brandon spent some time recovering from his wound. He also had his grand reopening. It was a success. He also made sure to put the Fey sword in a safe place. The coyote finally did get back to him. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to say much about Wyatt purpose. Brandon also decided to pimp out his car.  

- Neil went on a trip to Atlantic City and won a SHITLOAD of money. With his winnings, he was able to set Wyatt up in his own place and gift Shade and Brandon with all the magical supplies they could want. He was also able to buy the land on which Shade's shop sits (Yay! Now Skavis can't!).

- Shade spent her time (and money) on her shop. She fixed it up a bit more. Nothing over the top, just a new floor and some other cosmetic fixes. She also made sure to pay the bills and such for Tess. She also talked Neil into teaching her how to play poker.

There were a few other odds and ends. The new Mr. B was announced but his identity was kept a secret. Wyatt loved his hat and wore it as much as possible. The tattoo on Wyatt was identified as the purest mark of the Trickster known. That pretty much solidified the idea that Wyatt was his representative on earth. Tess, after a couple of months in the hospital, came home. She wasn't the same but she was better. As for the rest of the city, all seemed stable and quiet. But for how long?

Brandon got that answer at the end of March. One morning he was woken up by someone ringing his doorbell. He stumbled to the door, opened it, and saw a basket on his front step. Inside the basket was a baby. A note pinned to baby's clothes said, "Here's your son. Take good care of him." In shock, Brandon did the only thing he could think of. He took the baby to the church and Angelica. Luckily for Brandon, she was there. When she asked Brandon about how he got the baby, Brandon lied and told her that someone had left it in his car. Even more luckily for Brandon, she believed him. Relieved, Brandon left...without his son.

Thus ended the evening. I can't wait to see what happens next for our characters!

Dresden Files Las Vegas- Show Me How It Ends

Remember when I wrote last week that things were going to get very bad, very fast? Well, they did. It only took about twelve hours for things to go from "we got this shit handled" to "this shit's gone way too far". To be fair, it was mainly due to Shade. Okay, it was all due to Shade...at least the last hour of it. It was an intense scene with the very real possibility of character death but somehow we managed to survive. Now onto the session!

Shade started her day early. She had come up with an idea to distract Philip from his "let's just kill Skavis" mindset and needed to do some research. She went to the library and looked up a few articles on the Freemont Experience. Luckily, she was able to find what she was looking for. Armed with the information, she called Philip. Harold answered and Shade told him that she wanted a meeting with his father. He told her to come to Legends. Philip, Helena, and Harold were there when she arrived. Sitting down, Shade started talking. She told Philip that she had an idea on how to expand his territory, raise his prestige, and hurt Skavis at the same time. North Vegas, Skavis territory, funneled down to a point- the Freemont Experience. She had the names of those behind the Freemont Experience. All Philip had to do was make a few deals and expand his area of influence there and to either side. Doing that would effectively block Skavis from moving into Downtown and the Strip. Shade pointed out that it could also sway some of the Changelings to chose the Fey. Philip seemed impressed (Shade has no combat skills, so she has to use her brain. Shade also has a few more ideas about the whole expanding territory idea but she is saving them for when she needs to distract Philip again).

Brandon and Neil, having spent the night in the basement, had moved onto the Frost problem (Wyatt had fallen asleep). The warded room gave Brandon the beginnings of an idea. Since it was possible to summon and trap small fairies, why not the large ones? The warded room seemed a perfect place for that. They decided to experiment with it. They threw a piece of paper into the room and Brandon tried to burn it. The spell stopped at the ward. A stronger spell was also unable to get through. Thinking some sort of conduit might work, they placed a stick on the ground- half in the room and half in the basement. Brandon cast his spell through the stick but it was once again stopped at the door. However, Brandon felt something, like there was a hole in there somewhere. That something, a specific something, could get through. Brandon suggested they try Neil. Surprisingly, Neil agreed to the plan. They tried it and it worked. A Summoning spell, channeled through Neil would get Frost in the room. Once in there, she wouldn't be able to get out. It would take quite a bit of power and time to accomplish it though. To make it doable, they would need help. Realizing that, Neil called Shade and left a message on the machine (I think we outdid ourselves in the first 15 minutes of the game with two great ideas).

Shade, finishing up with the Fey, called Neil. He told her they had come up with a plan to deal with Frost and to come over. Getting there, she joined the three men in the basement. Not knowing Wyatt, Shade introduced herself. They shook hands. Feeling his power, Shade asked Brandon and Neil what was up with him. They tried to dance around the subject but Shade wasn't buying it. Finally Brandon explained that Wyatt was like a living directory to Vegas. He could find anybody. That over, Neil and Brandon explained their plan to her. Shade thought it was brilliant. They also told her their idea of getting the Fey involved in the ritual. Hearing that, Shade called Legends and told Harold the three of them needed to speak with Philip. Harold said Philip was still there and to come right over. Once there, Brandon and Neil laid out their plan to Philip and asked about the possibility of getting Spring involved. Philip said it could be possible but that he would need to check out the ward. Back in the basement, Philip tossed a couple of spells at the ward. Even though the second was pretty powerful, he was not able to break through it. Brandon then said something that got Philip's attention. He said that all we had to do was wait for Frost to show back up in Vegas. He had no intention of trying to pull her from the Nevernever, where she currently was. Philip asked how he knew this. Neil and Brandon, both trying to protect Wyatt, tried to convince Philip that he didn't need to know (Wyatt had tried to locate Frost for the boys earlier but said she wasn't in Vegas). A bit of social combat later, they managed to do so (Shade, after a few tries to help, took herself out and escaped to the bathroom. She is learning that divided loyalties can suck. Must come up with a plan to avoid such things in the future).

The meeting over, Shade left for her shop. Neil called Uri and set up a meeting. They made it to Uri's office and headed in. Neil and Brandon gave Uri a brief rundown on the Frost situation. Then Neil asked about security. They needed some protection to do what they had in mind. Uri asked them to specify the nature of the danger. He didn't want to know what the plan was. He just wanted to know the odds of the plan succeeding. Satisfied with their answer, Uri told Neil that a man by the name of Carter would be calling him.

Once the meeting was over, Neil and Brandon split up. Brandon went looking for Jeremy Running Mouse. Finding him at the Luxor, Brandon asked him about the Coyote Trickster God. Jeremy gave him the basics. Brandon went on and told him about his trip out to the desert and how he met up with the old man. Brandon's description of the old man left Jeremy speechless for a minute or two. He told Brandon that who he described sounded like his uncle Charlie. Jeremy warned Brandon away from him; he was a little unbalanced. After promising Jeremy to hang out sometime, Brandon headed home.

Deciding that a bit of Holy intervention wouldn't hurt, Neil headed to church. He was also looking to find Angelica Black. The priest told Neil that Angelica would be back soon and that he could wait. Eventually she showed up. The priest introduced them. After a bit of small talk, Neil pulled out his gloves and asked her about the possibility of making the holy item aspect permanent. She seemed dubious about it. Not about doing it but about finding something like that. She told Neil that she would look into it. As he left, Neil got the expected call from Carter.

After a normal day of work and customers, Shade was hungry. She hadn't been to Snick's for awhile. So, she closed up and headed out for some dinner and girl talk with her best friend Tess, the bar manager. Getting there, Shade learned that Tess hadn't come in. That was not like her. Figuring she was sick, Shade went to Tess's apartment to check on her. As she went to unlock the door, it opened. Inside, Shade called for Tess but got no answer. The apartment showed signs of a struggle and in the bathroom, Shade discovered some spilled blood. She took some with her back to her shop and did a locating ritual. The way pointed to North Vegas. Shade packed up and headed out.

On his way home, Neil got a call from Harold. The meeting between the three and the Fey was a go for tonight. Neil then called Brandon and told him about the meeting. Brandon left for his shop. Neil's next call was to Wyatt. Wyatt, sounding distressed, told Neil that Frost was back in town and that something very bad was going down. There was a chick and a guy like Frost there. They had a young lady and Neil's lady with them and bad things were being done to them. He gave Neil the address. The next call Neil made was to Carter telling him the house number and that it was going down now. His last call was to Brandon. He left a message on the machine telling Brandon the details and to call Shade. Getting to his shop, Brandon got the message. A call to Shade went unanswered. He locked up and headed out but not before leaving a note for the Fey.

Shade was deep in North Vegas territory. The spell led her to a rundown neighborhood. Trying to pinpoint a likely house, she noticed a group of fairly nice cars parked in front of one. Just then, a nondescript van pulled up and she saw some guys jump out. They all had guns. She also saw Neil drive up. He noticed her as well. He gestured for her to come over. She pointed to the house and, getting confirmation from Neil that it was the right one, ran towards it. As she did, Brandon pulled up and met up with Neil.   

Shade pulled out the sickle and her gun and ran to the front door. She shot out the lock and kicked the door open (See what I mean by this whole thing being Shade's fault?). Inside she saw Christine and Tess sitting on chairs in the center of the room. Christine was badly bruised, bloody, and pissed as hell. Tess just looked...broken. Whatever had happened to her had broken her completely. Around them, Shade saw five others. One was a tattooed and pierced biker chick (Sly). Frost was there, as was a nicely dressed Fey gentleman. Two Ghouls rounded out the group. 

*To make the fight easier to follow, I am going to post it just as I wrote it- in a semi-list form. That way I don't miss anything and it keeps the fight rounds straight. The fight starts from when Shade busted in the door.*


First Round:
Frost, with a sneer, told Shade to give her the sickle and the hostages would be released. Shade retorted for the bitch to come and get it. Sly, a Skavis vampire and Frederick's second in command, echoed Frost's comment. The nicely dressed gentleman (the unknown third Fey) opened his Sight on Shade, assessing her. While all this was going on, Neil and Brandon moved quietly up to the house. The security team, finally in place, opened fire into the house and hit a couple of the Ghouls. Sly hit the ground and Shade took the opportunity to attack her with the sickle, managing to hit her. The Ghouls did not like being shot and attacked the security team.

Second Round:
Sly pulled out a knife and stabbed Shade. Luckily, the cut wasn't too deep. Frost decided to take out the security team. She cast an ice spell, aiming it towards the back of the house. The Fey gentleman just looked about keeping an eye on what was happening. He seemed unconcerned with the ongoing fight. The security team kept shooting. Shade, still fighting with Sly, shot the vampire and hit her. Neil, avoiding the bullets, rushed into the house and moved to the center of the room where Christine and Tess sat. He managed to get them free. Brandon made his grand entrance into the fight by casting a fireball. However, he lost control of his spell and the fallout started the house on fire.

Third Round:
Not liking being shot, Sly tried her mind power on Shade. A feeling of despair washed over Shade but she was able to shrug it off (A little fire and despair wasn't going to stop Shade from taking Sly out!). Frost was NOT happy about the house being on fire and turned her attention to Brandon. She attacked him with a spell. He was able to block the blow with his shield spell. The Fey gentleman, deciding enough was enough, tried to open a way into the Nevernever. His spell failed. The fallout opened a rift but it turned out to be a bad place. There was a flash of light and black flames engulfed the area (Sound familiar? Yep, it was hellfire. He had opened the rift to Uri's territory. Not good for the Winter Fey). The security team continued to fire at and occasionally hit the Ghouls. One of them, Carter, went hand to hand with a Ghoul. Another team member lost his head, literally, when a Ghoul ripped it off. One of the Ghouls was killed. Shade was still intent on taking Sly out. She shot Sly once again and put another bullet into her (Have to say this. I fully expected to die in this fight. Shade has no combat skills. However, the dice gods were on my side. I rolled four +'s, three times...in a row). Sly looked like hell from it all. Brandon tried to take advantage of the Hellfire and cast a spell to try and move the Fey gentleman into the Rift. The Fey was able to block it. Christine got the hell out of the house. Neil had to help Tess. There was no way she could get out on her own.

Fourth Round:
Giving Shade a look loathing, Sly fled from the house. Frost, now fully intent on killing Brandon, pulled her sword and approached him. The blow she delivered was vicious. She stabbed him through the gut and twisted the blade. The Fey gentleman figured that closing the rift would be good. He managed to do so. Carter, still going hand to hand with the remaining Ghoul, blocked an attack and countered with a punch to it's face. Another security guard took a shot at Frost and hit her in the shoulder. Outside, Neil saw Sly leave the house. He picked up one of the security team's weapons and pulled the trigger. He hit her in the back. She fell to the ground but managed to get up and kept on running away. Shade, who had seen the attack on Brandon, moved to him and started to pull him out of the burning house. With the last of his strength, Brandon pulled the sword from Frost's grasp and took it with him. They made it out just as the building collapsed on those still left in there.

Thus ended the night's gaming session. Everyone survived. Well, except for a couple of the security guards. And maybe Frost and the other Fey. The night isn't over for our heroes though. There is still much to do and it could get even worse from here! Let's see. There is a visit to Skavis, a visit to Philip, a visit to Uri, and a visit to the hospital to come. Yep, things can get worse.

Dresden Files Las Vegas- It's Hard to Believe We Need A Place Called Hell

Hello again all. It's been awhile since I posted here but, with the holidays and such, we took a few weeks off from gaming. We had another session last night and it was sooooo good to get going again. The pieces are being moved about the political chessboard and things are getting murky as hell. I love it! Things are getting surreal as hell and I REALLY love that. I don't think any of the players wanted to end last night and I know we can't wait til next week to see what happens next.

Before starting this post, I have to say that I have finally figured out the one thing that was giving me fits with the game and characters. The songs for each player's character. I listen to music while I write and I like to give each character their own song- one that best fits their personality or motivations. For Brandon, the problem wasn't finding a song. It was narrowing it down to just one. Shade was a bit more difficult but I managed. Neil was damn near impossible. I found three or four that came close but were not just quite right. Today, I finally found one that fits. So, I can now more easily get into the writing mood. Yes, it's weird. Just chalk it up to my OCD tendencies and deal with it.

Here are the songs and artists. Just in case you want to check them out.

Brandon- All Star by Smash Mouth
Neil- The Pretender by The Foo Fighters
Shade- The Middle by Jimmy Eat World

Now on to the night's happenings.

Last session ended with Skavis and Frost making their grand entrance into the party. This gaming session started right after they came in. Neil quickly scanned the crowd trying to read people's reactions. The two Fey Kings looked pissed as hell. Uri looked worried, most likely due to the very real possibility of violence. Skavis looked worried, most likely due to the very real possibility of violence being done to him. Frost looked smug. Shade, also reading the crowd, saw all that and a bit more. Warden Locke looked amused (Shade doesn't buy his shtick one bit. He may not know every detail but he sure as hell knows what's going on. He's just too lazy to get involved...yet). Lexi, the Wereferret, looked eager. Shade was certain that Lexi and Frost knew each other. The rest of the Board members had no reaction. Brandon's reaction was priceless. He had been talking with Baron Drake when the two had entered. Spotting Skavis and Frost, Brandon stepped to the side a bit- the better to use the Baron as cover.

Shade looked back towards Philip. He was headed straight for the two. Moving quickly, she managed to intercept him before he got there and told him that he was going to ask her to dance. He tried to get away but, with some inspired fast talking, she convinced him that a confrontation would not be a good idea at that time. They moved to the dance floor where Philip's attention was thankfully turned to Shade (Or, not so thankfully. He IS Fey and everyone knows what that means when it comes to sexiness and looks. Shade had to keep reminding herself that he is technically one of her bosses).

After a quick look around the room to check for any other signs of trouble, Neil walked up to Skavis and Frost. He handed Skavis his card and started talking business. Wanting to defuse the situation even more, Neil managed to pull Skavis away from Frost and did so in such a way as to make Skavis look awesome. Frost looked amused by the whole thing. The two of them started talking specifics. Neil asked about properties, available cash, territory involved, and such. Skavis pulled up the information on his phone. Neil mentally noted some of the information for further investigation.

Meanwhile, Brandon went to the bar, got a drink, and kept an eye on Frost. She was soon joined by a very upset Puck and Heather. He demanded to know what the hell she was doing at the party. She retorted that she had been invited. Brandon, deciding that an intervention might be in order, walked up to the two. He got there just in time to hear Puck ranting about how insulting it was for Frost to be there. Putting his hand on Puck's shoulder, Brandon told him the bitch wasn't worth the time. Having made her point by being there, Frost said she would leave. Brandon, Puck, and Heather headed over to the bar for drinks and conversation.

Meanwhile, on the dance floor, Shade was trying to deal with Philip. His ire at Frost being there had turned towards Skavis. Since Skavis had issued the invite, Philip would just kill him. That way, the invite would be void. Shade tried to convince him that would probably cause more problems then it would solve. Philip didn't seem swayed by that argument. He left Shade on the dance floor, heading off to plan Skavis' death (After dealing with Philip for an extended time, Shade is convinced that Heather didn't start off as flighty and scatterbrained. She got that way by dealing with the Fey so much). Deciding that some sanity was needed, Shade walked up to Neil and Skavis, who were still talking. When she got there, Neil introduced himself and handed her his card, acting like he didn't know her very well. Shade played along and asked if he would come talk her for a bit about some things. Neil agreed and they wandered off together.

Brandon had finished telling Heather and Puck about our current exploits at the bar. When Skavis appeared, he excused himself and went off to find Neil and Shade. When he got to where the other two were, they all compared notes. After they split up, the evening started winding down. Brandon went off to talk with the Baron and then went to see Locke. They had a good conversation and seemed to get along very well (they are alike after all- a scary thought). Afterwards, he gathered up Lucinda and made his exit for home. Neil and Christine met up and she requested that he stop working for a bit so they could at least enjoy the rest of the party. Neil agreed. They ended up dancing, eating, drinking, and having fun. Shade talked with Helena about Philip and what he was planning. Some of what she heard reassured her; some didn't. She still had to come up with a plan to stop the whole "kill Skavis" thing. Then Shade found Drusilla. She had one question to ask- was the man who murdered David dead or still alive? Drusilla answered that the man was no longer among the living. Shade thanked her and went to find Neil.

Brandon made it home safely. As he walked up to his front door, he saw that he had a visitor. No, not the coyote again; it was Wyatt. Wyatt was in desperate straits. Brandon invited him and asked what was wrong. Wyatt told him that he couldn't handle what he was seeing anymore. All he had to do was think about a person or place and he would 'see' it in his mind. Nothing he did would stop it. Even drinking didn't help, since he couldn't drink enough to get drunk. He wanted Brandon to take whatever was causing it out of his head. Brandon suggested that they go and see Patience. Maybe she could help them with some answers. They did so and got a very cold reception. She told them to come back in the morning. Back at Brandon's place, Wyatt tried to drink himself unconscious while Brandon looked through some books. By the early morning, he had come up with an answer. Wyatt seemed to be the walking avatar of Las Vegas. As far as Brandon could tell, some being of power had invested Wyatt with it. Remembering the contract they had found with Wyatt, Brandon called Neil. Afterwards he went to bed.

After the party, Neil, Christine, and Shade left together. Shade had asked Neil if he could take her to where Ana had been killed. He agreed to do so. Christine dropped them off at the car rental place. She gave Neil a kiss and told him to give her a call the next day. Neil and Shade drove to the vacant lot where the murder took place. Shade asked Neil to keep a lookout while she talked with Ana's ghost. Neil looked sceptical but agreed. Walking to where the blood stain was. Shade turned on the ghost sight. Ana was there, circling about and looking confused. Holding out the apple to get and keep her attention, Shade talked with her about what happened. Ana wasn't able to tell her much. She didn't know who had sent the Winter Court after her. After getting back to the car, Shade asked if Neil would take her to the warehouse where they had found the killer. He did. As they drove there, Shade told Neil what Ana had said (Neil was pretty nonchalant about it. All he saw was Shade talking to empty air. Shade thinks he doesn't believe everything he is being told about the Supernatural). They finally got to the warehouse but the killer's ghost wasn't there. Shade wasn't too thrilled by the only option left to talk with him but she will do it. Neil took her home after that. Before exiting the car, Shade told him to call Christine when he got home. He thought she would be asleep but Shade knew better (Even though Shade has no interest in Neil and Christine knows that, Shade knew she would still wonder about them being together. Neil may be able to read people but he, like most men, has no idea how to fully understand the female mind).

Finally at home, Neil grabbed a few hours of sleep until Brandon called him. Being told that Brandon needed the contract they found with Wyatt, Neil said he would email a copy to him. Brandon cheerfully told him that would be swell and to send it to electronicsdon'tworkaroundme.com. Remembering that wizards and electronics don't mix, Neil cheerfully clarified that the address was BrandonW at electronicsdon'tworkforme.com.

Shade's day started out pretty normal at the tattoo shop. During a lull, she heard the door open and looked up to see a woman walk in. She seemed to be in her mid 30's and dressed in a nondescript business jacket and skirt. She introduced herself as Rita Martin, the Accountant. She had some paperwork for Shade to verify and sign. It had to do with the hiring of the pastry chef. According to Ms. Martin, there were running accounts of who had what and the effect it had on prestige in the Board ranks. Apparently, hiring the pastry chef had raised Autumn's prestige and lowered Locke's. Secretly amused by the whole thing, Shade signed everything. Satisfied, Ms. Martin left.

After his morning routine, Neil drove over to Brandon's place. Wyatt let him. When told that Brandon was still asleep, Neil got his revenge by waking him up. After looking over the contract, they talked. Wyatt had no memory of signing it or who had offered it to him. The last thing he remembered was the Billy Gang beating the shit out of him. Finally, Brandon decided what the hell and opened the Sight on Wyatt. What he saw was the outline of a man with Las Vegas inside. On Wyatt's shoulders rested two paws. Looking up, Brandon saw a coyote head hovering over Wyatt's. It was not the messenger coyote; it was the Trickster himself. The image was too much. Brandon passed out. Not knowing what to do, Neil and Wyatt moved him to the couch and went out to grab some lunch. About half an hour later, they got back just as Brandon woke up. Deciding to concentrate on the visions, they went to Brandon's shop to see if the room where he had been sealed would protect him. It was one of the areas that appeared blank to Wyatt. They got there and went to the basement. Unfortunately, Wyatt could not go in. Brainstorming some more, Brandon and Neil came up with the idea of spelling Wyatt's hat. It would act as an item of warding. It would have to be recharged every so often but would give Wyatt some relief from his visions.

Shade's day ended with a phone call. She made a call to Skavis and asked if he would come to her shop for a talk. He seemed reluctant at first but finally agreed. When he showed up, Shade poured him a drink and asked him to sit down. Pleasantries over, Skavis turned on the attitude and asked what the hell she wanted. Shade answered that she wanted answers. She wanted to know who was behind the invites. Skavis denied knowing who it was. All he was concerned about was that he got paid for the invites. More social combat occurred. Finally, Shade was able to take him out. He totally lost control. After a rather epic rant from him, Shade poured Skavis another drink and repeated her questions. He told her again, he didn't know who was behind it. He made the calls and got the three million for the three invites. That was news to Shade. They knew about Rhyme and Frost but had no idea there was a third Winter Court Fey in town. Also, since Shade had learned that Summer was harassing Spring, that meant there was somebody else issuing invites. Skavis got a hold of himself and, after throwing a few threats her way, left the shop.

The evening ended there. What a wonderful murky, messed up situation! I cannot wait until next Sunday. I have a feeling things are going to get very bad, very fast. Should be one hell of a time!

Dresden Files Las Vegas- It's the End of the World As We Know It 2

Hello again. It's time for the second part of the session. This post will be a bit short, only dealing with the Christmas party but it will be plenty interesting.

The day of the party was a quiet one for all three. Brandon and Neil spent the day doing their usual things. Shade's day was also pretty routine. The only incident of note was that Christine returned Shade's call and they agreed to meet for lunch. Getting there, they sat down and Christine started to talk. She was wondering just why the hell it was taking Neil so long to do something. She asked if Shade thought he really liked her or liked her for the information she could give him. Shade answered truthfully that it was probably both. Christine also asked if she should just come out and ask what was up. Shade answered that she was sure Neil would appreciate the honesty of that. More small talk followed.

Night fell with everyone getting ready to head out to the party. Brandon's suit was ready on time and he looked quite dashing wearing it. He even toned down his pimp tendencies and left the fedora and cane at home. He was the first of the three to arrive at the Luxor. The party room was decorated for Xmas. There were lights, wreaths, and other seasonal touches. As with most Christmas settings, it was a bit gaudy. With his new suit, Brandon made quite the entrance. The guests already there took notice. Lucinda, dressed in red, arrived soon after him. Angelica showed up after her.

Shade arrived at the Luxor on time but decided that a few minutes to herself in the bar would be nice. She had gone shopping and splurged a bit on a vintage dress. Going classic, it was a black silk sheath held up by thin straps. It was also completely backless, showing her full back tattoo. After a quick drink, she headed up to the party and slipped in quietly. Drusilla and Thomas Stone were the next Council members to make it there.

Neil, dressed with his usual impeccable taste, waited for Christine to pick him up (the Ghoul had totalled his car). In the car, she decided that there was no time like the present and flat out asked if he had any intention of having sex with her. Caught a bit off guard, Neil asked if she meant right then. She said no, in the near future. Recovering nicely, Neil told her that he was taking it slow and, in that matter, he was old fashioned and respectful. Christine seemed mollified and a bit charmed by that...for the moment. They made it to the Luxor and joined the party. Just after, Locke, in a horrendous red and green suit, and Tawny showed up. The rest of the Council members arrived after them. That is, all the Council members except Skavis.

The pull of the high roller table was too great for Neil to resist. He bought into the game and sat down to play a few hands. With his skill, he was more then able to hold his own. He had no trouble figuring out most of the player's tells. Uri, after a few hands, didn't even try to bluff. The one player that gave him trouble was Locke. Brandon wandered over to watch the game for a bit.

Shade, who had no interest in the game, went to say hello to Philip and Helena (also Fey and his guest). They talked for a bit. As Shade turned to leave, Helena asked her to do something for her. She wanted Shade to get the pastry chef to come and work for her at her catering company. Shade asked her to repeat the request, not quite believing what she was hearing. Helena did. Shade said okay. Thinking that it had to be some sort of weird hazing ritual, Shade found the pastry chef and made him the offer. He agreed, if Helena would buy out the rest of his contract- price, one million dollars. Shade went and told Helena the terms; she happily said okay. Wondering what just the hell happened, Shade went in search for Heather.

Back at the gaming table, Helena bounced up to Brandon. In a loud voice, meant to be overheard, she started gushing about stealing the famous pastry chef away from Locke. This visibly annoyed Locke, who attempted to blow it off by saying the chef wasn't so great. Needling Locke a bit, Neil disagreed and waxed rapturous over the creme puffs. This rattled Locke enough to cause him to lose. Score one for Neil.

While the game was still going, there were a couple of little incidents. Shade met up with Heather and Puck and she managed to get Locke pissed at her. Apparently, now that she isn't his "apprentice" and burrito fetcher, she isn't allowed to insult Tawny. Other then that, when the game ended, the three just mingled about and chatted. Then, Skavis made his grand entrance- with Frost on his arm!

That is where the game ended. Due to the holidays, we are taking the next couple of Sundays off. This is both good and bad. Good that we have time to think about what we want to do and such. Bad because that gives Lana time to plot our downfall.

Dresden Files Las Vegas- It's the End of The World As We Know It

A very, verrrrrrrrry tension filled and interesting gaming session. We are now really getting into Council and town politics, which I absolutely love (I think Jay does, too- Jason likes it but he is really having the most fun playing the douche bag). Not much happened in terms of big events but the set up for fireworks and general fuckery is now in place. 'Tis going to be a very exciting Christmas and explosive New Year.

Before the actual fun started, Shade told Philip that she would take up the position of Lady Autumn. Then the questions and requests started. She asked more about the sickle and her duties. She also wanted to know more about the Spring Court and the relationship, if any, between the two Courts. The name of the Spring lady was needed by Shade, as well all the names of those affiliated with Autumn. The final question was a bit embarrassing for her to ask. Furiously blushing, she asked Philip if the job demanded certain...recreational...aspects between them. He answered only if she wanted it to. She declined for the present. The poor girl really needs to get laid but....not with the boss.

Now, onto the game proper.

Unknown to Brandon, Shade, and Neil, Uri had a very early meeting with Robert Mason. Their talk was about a power play that was coming perilously close to upsetting the balance in Vegas. Possible names of those involved were bandied about. Skavis, Uri was convinced, was almost certainly involved. However, he doubted that Skavis was working alone. The meeting ended with Uri and Robert agreeing that answers were needed and Uri knew just who to use. Other tidbits of that meeting were 1) Mason was a Black Court Vampire and 2) Ana had been a member of the Spades (the Vegas supernatural hit squad).

At the ungodly hour of 6 am, Uri called Neil, Brandon, and Shade and requested their presence at a meeting that morning. All agreed to show up. The address he gave them turned out to be a house on the edge of town. The boys got there at about the same time and were just chatting outside when Shade walked up. The three went up to the door and were welcomed in by Uri.

Except for a folding table and some chairs, the house was empty. They all sat down and Uri started talking. He explained that he had brokered a deal with Winter and Summer that stated they were not allowed into Vegas without the permission of one Board members. He believed that one of the Board had given that permission to start a play for power. That would be bad. The balance in Vegas was a delicate thing. Neil asked if Summer and Winter wouldn't just ignore that deal. Uri told him that the two Queens, who spoke for all the members of the Court, had sworn on their power to abide by the deal. To break that deal would not be done. As for the Council members, he was fairly sure that Angelica, Locke, Spring, and Autumn were not involved. He also included himself out. Shade brought up a possible connection between the Malvora attack and the Autumn attack. Both groups had been invited to Vegas by Locke. Brandon then asked Uri to swear on his power that he was not involved in either attack. Uri did so. He then pulled out files on each of the Board members and invited the three to look them over.

Fredrick Skavis: His territory was the Northside, where he headed up a pack of Ghouls. He was considered psychotic but mostly harmless. However, he was eager to extend his power base. A known hangout was a bar named the Crucible.
Drusilla Malvora: The head of the Malvora family, her main goals seemed to be rein in her family and maintain the status quo. She intensely disliked Brandon (the reason she has to try and rein in her family).
Melinda Raith: Head of the Raith family, her motives were unknown. She seemed interested in lackeys more then anything. Basically, she used and then discarded them.
Baron Drake: A Red Court vampire, his main motivation was to stay out of the Wizard War. Reserved for a Red Court, he had pretenses of nobility. Known hangouts were the Luxor and a club called The Velvet Room.
Warden Locke: He wanted to ignore people as much as possible and to maintain the status quo. He called the Luxor home.
Thomas Stone: A hydromancer, he was the civil engineer of Hoover Dam. Rarely coming to Vegas, he wanted to keep the White Council out of Vegas.
Lexie: A Wereferret, she was very smart and very interested in power for the shape shifters. She called a local National Park home.
Philip: Lord of Autumn, he was interested in rebuilding power for his Court. He was also motivated to rebuild their numbers.
Puck: Lord of Spring, his interests and motivations seemed to align with Philips.
Angelica Black: She was a Scion of Heaven and a check for Uri's balance, so to speak. Her main motivations were expanding religion in Vegas and protection of the ones under her care.

After reading the files and asking a few more questions, it was decision time. Shade, by virtue of being the Lady, was in without question. She wasn't thrilled about it but, knowing her responsibilities, she had to be involved. Brandon was in. That left Neil. Uri flat out told him that, as of this moment, he could walk away from everything and not be touched by any supernatural repercussions. If he said yes, that out would not be available anymore. Neil said he was in, as well (Yay!). As for when and where to start, Uri told the three that each would receive an invite to the Christmas Party being held the next night. That being all, everyone headed out.

*Rather then going back and forth, I am just going to tell what each person did for the rest of the day.

After a call from Christine confirming their date for the Xmas party, Neil decided to have an exciting time and went off in search of Skavis. He asked around about Skavis' whereabouts and was told the Crucible. Getting there, he headed in to wait for Skavis to show up. To call the Crucible a dive bar was to give it an upgrade. Even the cockroaches and rats avoided the place. Undeterred by the clientele and lack of cleanliness, Neil ordered a drink and waited. Eventually Skavis showed up with a couple of guys and a very unhealthy looking girl. He recognized Neil right away and approached him. After a bit of back and forth, they went into the back for a more intimate chat. After Neil hit him about Ghouls being involved in Ana's attack, Skavis attempted to bluster for a time. However, he was no match for Neil in social combat. Paranoia turned into groveling. Skavis couldn't tell Neil who had hired him. All he had was a piece of paper with phone numbers. He left the room to get it.

While Skavis was gone, the girl came into the room and asked what Neil was doing for him. It was fairly obvious that she did not like Neil one bit. She flat out told him to get out. Neil just smiled and ignored her. She approached him and tried to do...something to him. He could feel something weird on his mind but whatever it was, it didn't work. Just as she was about to take it to the physical level, Skavis came back. After kicking the girl out, he handed Neil the paper and told him that all he had done was to call those to numbers and invite them into Vegas. Satisfied, Neil left. The girl was able to get a parting shot at Neil though. He waved to her as he left. She responded by nailing him on the back of the head with a glass.

Brandon's day was painful as well. However, it was in a totally different way. Needing a suit, he called Neil and asked him where he should go. Armed with the name of a shop, Brandon headed out to seriously deplete his fat stack of cash. He did get a very nice lunch and impeccable service. The tailor promised him it would be ready for the party. Getting home, he was just settling in when there was a knock on his door. Opening it, he saw a luscious, seductive, beautiful woman. Most men would be pleased but not Brandon. The lady was Lucinda Raith, his date for the party. She also happened to be a White Court Vampire. Brandon loathed vampires. It took a bit of social combat but Brandon was able to convince her that he really didn't want to have sex with her. She did talk him into letting her in for awhile. If they were to be believable as a couple for the party, they needed to get to know each other. She stayed for about an hour. Brandon was relieved when she left.

Just starting to relax, Brandon's night was once again interrupted, by the phone this time. It was Neil wanting to meet with Brandon about the paper he got from Skavis. Telling Neil to meet him at his shop, Brandon headed out, stopping for candles on the way. Neil stopped for coffee. At the shop, Brandon cast a spell to locate where the paper came from. It landed on the map in the general area of the Luxor. With that not helping much, they brainstormed a bit and came up with using Neil's contact at the phone company to trace any calls made to the numbers. Satisfied, each headed home for some much needed rest.

Shade left the meeting and called Harold. She needed him to let her into Ana's apartment. Upon opening the door, they saw the place had been completely ransacked. After searching for a time, it was clear that she hadn't left a journal or any notes. Or, if she had, whomever had trashed the place took it. Shade really hadn't thought to find anything but she had to check. Getting back to her shop, Shade made a couple of calls. The first was to Christine. The office was closed, so she just left a message. Shade hadn't forgotten her promise for a talk. The second call was to Heather, aka Lady Spring. Getting her on the line, Shade introduced herself and suggested a meeting. Heather wasn't keen on the idea since she didn't know Shade. A compromise was reached. They would meet up at the party. Thus ended Shade's day.

For Dresden Las Vegas, I have been only doing one post. However, I am going to break this one into two. The next one will only deal with the Xmas party but there were many, many little things that happened that really show how the higher ups think and operate. I really want to include as many as I can to paint the situation properly. Also, I want to do it to really do justice to Lana's story building ability.

Dresden Files Las Vegas- And Behind It All There's A Price To Be Paid

Hi there to everyone that reads this, which is probably about three people. I know Lana talked about performance anxiety in her blog and I REALLY don't want to up it. However, what an incredible gaming session. I also have to give huge kudos to the guys. They really shined in this episode. So much so that, even though it was Shade's trouble and temptation, they were the true stars. They have made some great characters. Jason is really coming out of his shell playing the douche bag with the secret heart of gold. He frequently has all of us rolling over what he says and does. Jay's playing is awesome. A new player can turn out to be a mistake (*cough*... Everlasting and Marc...*cough*) but that is not the case here. Neil is the perfect character for this game and I, for one, cannot wait to see what Jay will have him do next.

I will admit to feeling a bit useless last night but that is just Shade and her indecision toward power. Will she take it? Will she pass it up? I am sure Lana already knows the answer. To see how she gets to that moment of choice, let's begin.

With a Ghoul in the trunk and a dead girl in the backseat, Neil's options were rather limited. He placed a call to Legends and told the person who answered that Philip needed to be there in ten minutes with armed guards and that he had Anna. He and Wyatt drove off. After a bit, they both heard a VERY loud thump coming from the back. Neil looked and saw a hand sticking out of the trunk. Spinning the car around, Neil backed into a telephone pole...hard. Poor Wyatt had no clue what was going on. With nothing more being seen or heard from the back, Neil took off again for Legends. Once they were there, Neil had Wyatt leave. After a bit of knocking, the door was answered and Neil went it. A woman named Helena asked what happened. Neil told her to get Philip and he would explain. He also let her know about the Ghoul in the truck. She sent a couple of men out there to get it. After a few minutes, Philip came in, looking impossibly handsome and impeccably dressed. He and Neil talked for awhile. Neil told him what happened, leaving Wyatt's presence out of the tale. Philip asked about any items she might have had on her. Neil said there hadn't been any that he saw. Helena searched the body and confirmed nothing was there. Philip then offered payment. Neil refused, though he did bring out a business card and gave it to Philip, letting him know that he was available for jobs. He also asked that the Ghoul be taken care of. Philip assured him the Ghoul would be treated properly. How humane his ending would be based on just how free the Ghoul was with information. Satisfied, Neil left.

In the Liberace Museum, Shade found an unused conference room and set to work. She tattooed herself with three spells (rituals are great, if you have time to do them). The first was a ward around herself. The second was a transformation spell to alter her looks. The third was a simple offensive fire spell. When she was finished, she gathered everything up and left. Yes, the Museum is neutral territory but, if they wanted the apple bad enough, Shade figured they would just deal with the fallout of an attack. Robert Mason had been really nice to let her stay there and she didn't want anything bad to happen to him or his home.

Outside the Museum, Brandon was still watching the Gruff and the other guy, who turned out to be a Ghoul. Wanting to get closer, Brandon pretended to be drunk and staggered closer to them. He sized them up but figured that a physical confrontation would be kind of tough. Continuing the drunk act, he "collapsed" against a nearby wall. He couldn't hear anything but the Gruff seemed unhappy about something and the two started arguing. Just then, the three of them saw a woman leave the Museum. The Gruff and Ghoul continued arguing. Brandon decided to drunkenly walk up to them and ask if they wanted to go into the Museum for a drink. They ignored him. Dropping the pretense, Brandon told them he thought it would be wise for them to go. The Gruff tried to intimidate Brandon but it didn't work. Brandon easily took him out socially. The Ghoul was another matter. The two of them traded veiled and not so veiled threats. It was fast coming close to turning into physical combat when a shroud of darkness fell over the three of them. When it lifted, Brandon saw Mason behind the Gruff and the Ghoul. Announcing to all a good night, Brandon quickly left. Mason gently informed the other two they should go as well.

Having made her escape, Shade went to one of the many seedy, rent by the hour motels off the Strip and settled in for awhile. She opened the Sight on the apple again. This time, she was looking for something specific- how to invoke it's power. There were runes on the sickle which she couldn't fully decipher. However, she figured that saying them would do the trick. Satisfied, she left for another motel.

After leaving Philip, Neil placed a call to Mr.White's private number. He answered and agreed to meet Neil at his office. Getting there, the two of them went up to Uri's office and sat down. Neil told him what happened at the lot and to Anna. Uri quirked an eyebrow when he learned that Neil subdued a Ghoul. That was not what usually happened when a human went against one. Uri was fairly stoic until he heard that Anna was dead. After hearing that, he told Neil that Shade's life was in danger and asked if he knew where she was. Neil said no. Telling Neil they needed a wizard, Uri called Brandon. Brandon, who had just got home, answered the phone. He wasn't too pleased but he agreed to come over. About an hour and a half later, he got to Uri's office. Sitting down, he was told that he needed to do a locating spell for Shade. Brandon asked him if he had something from her and Uri pulled out a couple of strands of hair. The first spell wasn't strong enough to penetrate the ward Shade had made around herself. Exasperated, Uri offered his blood to help. That was a huge sacrifice. Having the blood of a person or being was basically a way to have power over them. With that addition, Brandon was able to get the second spell to work. They had a general idea of where she was.

Feeling her spell being tested the first time, Shade once again packed up and left for another motel. There she cast a stronger ward and fell to sleep. When Brandon cast his second spell, it woke her up. Even though she recognized Brandon's magic, she wasn't taking any chances. She knew that location spells weren't that specific. So, she headed out for a motel on the other side of the strip.

Needing to get to her quickly, Uri simply opened a rift into the Nevernever. Brandon was suitably impressed and followed Uri in with little hesitation. Neil didn't hesitate either. He simply picked up his drink and entered behind the other two. The view on the other side of the rift was not pleasant. It was hot and full of fire. The landscape was bare with the occasional burned, dead tree. After a short time, Uri stopped and opened away back into the normal world. The three of them entered into a dark and, more importantly, cool alley. They decided the best thing would be to split up and search. After a half an hour so, they met back up with nothing learned. Being unable to find her, Uri stated he was going back to his office and getting some sleep. A cranky half demon, woozy from blood loss, was not the best company. Neil elected to get a cab back to his car. Brandon went back through the rift with Uri.

Very early the next morning, Shade left the motel and called Mr. White. Without preamble, she asked if he had been able to set up the meeting. He asked where she was; she answered she was safe. He told her that she was not safe and she needed to come to his office. Shade reluctantly agreed. After hanging up, Uri made two phone calls. They were to Brandon and Neil, telling them they didn't need to keep looking for Shade. Getting to his office, Shade was ushered in by a disheveled looking Uri. That alone told her how serious the matter was. Never had she seen him less then impeccable. When seated, Uri started speaking. The Fey of Vegas were neither Summer nor Winter. They were Autumn and Spring. A long time ago, Summer and Winter had decided to wipe the other two out and they almost succeeded. Locke had negotiated with the remnants of the Autumn and Spring Courts to come to Vegas. Now, it seemed that someone had invited representatives of the Summer and Winter Courts to come to Vegas and finish what they had started. Philip was the King in Waiting of the Autumn Court and that was who they were to meet. Shade took it all in. She then asked about Anna. Uri bluntly told her Anna was dead. As far as he was concerned, Shade was going to either stay there (where he could sit on her, figuratively speaking) or the Museum. He ruled out the Luxor and getting Locke involved. Shade agreed with him on that point. Locke had kicked her out once; she wasn't going back for round two. She also vetoed the Museum. They both settled down for some much needed sleep. Uri took the couch; Shade the floor.

Brandon and Neil both slept late. When Neil got up, he started to do some research on Ghouls. He found out that holy items were the best defense against them. It was shopping time. He first bought a squirt gun and then hit up a church to fill it with holy water. Then it was off to the car dealership. His car was a write off from the Ghoul and he thought he would look good in a new Mercedes. He made sure to get a voucher for Mr. White. Brandon was a bit more leisurely. He treated it as a vacation day.

Upon awakening, Shade made coffee while Uri made some calls. They were to Neil and Brandon, respectively. He wanted to hire their services as bodyguards for the upcoming meeting. Hearing that, Shade vehemently denied that she needed bodyguards. Uri told her that yes, she did. Still arguing with him, Uri told her to be quiet and finished talking to the two men. After the calls, they both took showers and waited for the boys to arrive. Brandon got there first and then Neil, who thankfully brought food. After filling them in on the Fey matter and taking care of the money part, Brandon and Neil went shopping. First stop was a military store where Neil bought gloves and had them fitted with screws on the outside of the leather. Next stop was a Renaissance shop, where both got fitted with chain mail. Last stop was back to a church, so Neil could get his gloves blessed. Shade used the time to cast a few spells she thought she might need, one of which was a fire spell.

With everyone gathered together again, Uri announced it was time for the meeting. He opened a rift, which caused nary a raised eyebrow. The walk was a bit longer then the previous one. Eventually, the air became cooler and they walked into the beginnings of a forest. Even though the forest was beautiful, they each could see small areas of rot and decay. Uri said to be on guard. If an attack was going to happen it would be between there and the manor.

The only warning was a cold wind. Rhyme came at the group from the surrounding forest. He attacked Brandon but it was stopped by the chain mail. Shade pulled her dagger and managed to stab Rhyme with it. Uri turned in time to see Frost appear. He cast Hellfire at her, which she did NOT like one bit. Rhyme launched another attack against Brandon, which Neil blocked. Both Ghouls had been hanging back. One attacked Uri and managed to lock onto his arm. Uri used Hellfire again but the Ghoul managed to dodge the flame. Frost attacked Uri, who was able to move out of the way. Neil ran over to the Ghoul locked on Uri's arm and kidney punched it in the back. The blessing worked, thank God. The Ghoul dropped, dead. Brandon, Shade, and Rhyme exchanged blows again, none managed to land though. Once again, Uri used Hellfire against Frost. Moving out of the way, she started to cast a spell. Brandon, recognizing what she was doing, counter spelled. The blizzard attempting to form, dissolved.The other Ghoul ran at and tried to attack Neil. Neil stepped aside and used the Ghouls momentum to face plant it on the ground. Rhyme then tried his hand at spell casting. He lost control of it and the fallout turned the ground underfoot to ice. Shade stabbed Rhyme again and nailed him in the kidney. Brandon then moved in and skewered Rhyme through the heart. Frost, seeing that Rhyme had been killed, fled. Not giving it the chance to get up, Shade used the fire spell to kill the last Ghoul.

With the fight over, the group caught their breath. Hearing that Rhyme had been the one to kill Anna, Uri said the body would be a fine present for Philip. He slung the corpse over his shoulder and they started walking again. Eventually they made it to what looked like a massive country manor, a slightly rundown manor. They were admitted into a courtyard which looked in better condition but still showed signs of being neglected. At their knock, the door opened and the went into the foyer proper. The room was both rich and creepy looking. Neil, pulling his phone out, tried to get pictures of everything. Luckily, his phone wasn't hexed. However, the pictures were all blank. A young man walked over and introduced himself as Flash. Right on cue, Brandon sang ah-ahhhh. Giving him a dirty look, Flash said it was because he was fast and not because of the Flash Gordon movie. He told them his actual name was Wally. He led the group into a big room, where three men and three women were waiting. The one sitting had red hair and was dressed in the colors of Autumn. That was Philip. Introductions were made. Then Uri presented the body of Rhyme to the King in Waiting. He asked who had dealt the killing blow. Brandon said it had been him. Philip thanked him graciously for the gift. He then asked about the item. Shade said she had it but would like to talk to him in private first. He agreed and led her off to another room.

Uri, Brandon, and Neil were left with the others. Asked if they were hungry or thirsty, they were led into a large dining room. There was a feast waiting for them, as well as strong drink. Neil talked with a couple of the Fey. One of the Fey females, named Laurel, cornered Brandon and offered to show him all the other sights of the manor. Catching her intent, Brandon replied that he would love to see anything she wanted to show him. Smiling, she led Brandon off to a bedroom and personally rewarded him (many times over and quite acrobatically) for killing Rhyme.

Alone in the bedroom, Philip asked if Shade had the apple/sickle (here, its' shape was the sickle). She said she did and pulled it out. She asked him if he could tell her more about it and would he answer some questions. He said he would. Her first question was just what was it. He told her it was an item of power given to a mortal woman. Like the Winter and Summer Court had their Knights, the Autumn and Spring Court had their Ladies. The Autumn Lady stood at his right hand and was tasked with protecting the Autumn Fey from harm. The Lady would also speak for him at the Council when he could not be there. For whatever reason (try being the closest supernatural female), Shade had been chosen to take up those duties now that Anna was dead. All she had to do was invoke it. Faced with such temptation, Shade hesitated. She declined, for the moment, but wanted more time to think. Philip told her, that until another was chosen, she could take it up. Shade said she would let him know. However, even though she didn't say it, she knew her final answer.

She would tell Philip yes.