Gloria Mundi Update
Last time, the characters were facing down the thing that had been killing mages in Boston. It leaped off a rooftop and landed right in front of Morrigan, slicing her open with a long knife (but not too badly). She responded by turning its knife to water with Matter, and the fight was on.
The mages discovered that direct magic didn't work on it. Indirect spells and just hitting it worked OK, but it was strong and fast. It grappled Morrigan, pulled her gun from its holster and shot her at point blank range, nearly killing her. She tried to disarm it, but the Paradox knocked her out. It put the gun to her temple and started to back up. Ogma, the Master of Space, teleported Morrigan away. Niamh healed her a bit, the creature and Sunjata (member of the Dead Wrens, look him up in the Boston book) tussled a bit, then it fled. Morrigan, always having to have the last word, ran after it and tried another spell, but got a bullet in the leg for her trouble. Ogma cast Labyrinth to force the creature back toward them, and Morrigan, wounded, headed back toward the Emerald Scroll for help.
En route, the creature tackled her and sent them both into the Fens. Realizing that she wouldn't survive a prolonged fight (or even a short one) and apparently learning a lesson from the last time she got caught out alone, she used Twilight Shift and fled back to the bar. The creature ran off, apparently not affected by the Labyrinth.
The mages talked, and decided that the creature was Abyssal in nature (Tyrrhenus has noticed, in fact, that it looked a lot like Clint). They chatted with the Dead Wrens and agreed to come to Ishmael's funeral the next day, and then pick up the puzzle box that Ishmael had been going to get when the creature killed him.
Home, sleep. Tyrrhenus dreamed of the Nemean, dressed in Roman robes and being stabbed by the creature. It split the Nemean open and feasted, and the body contained dozens of organs - multiple hearts, lungs, livers, etc. Other mages, including most of the cabal, watched from the sidelines, blocked by an invisible wall.
2/17/05: The cabal woke up, did their morning oblation, and talked about their agendas. Ogma remembered that the Shadow Chorus has a library on the Abyss, and contacted Februs again. Tyrrhenus dug into his dream books a while, and guessed that Nemean, in the dream, represented the whole Consilium and that something (probably a mage) was actively blocking the cabal from helping out. Who?
Niamh and Morrigan went to visit Hydra and the Gravediggers. Hydra advised getting the Sentinels to vote on the matter, because if 2/3 of them voted that this creature was a real threat, the Nemean was required to take action. Eve and Hades, both Gravediggers, are Sentinels, and they listened to Morrigan's rendition of the events of last night, and then went to talk to the other four Sentinels.
Tyrrhenus, Morrigan, Winter and Niamh went to the funeral and Tyrrhenus took possession of the puzzle box. Nothing much else happened there, except that Tyrrhenus called Enoch (remember, they met him in Part 3 of the demo, he challenged Jack to the Duel Arcane while under influence from the Envy Spirit) and found out that he was busy in New York (and safely out of Boston, which is pretty weird right now).
After a regrouping at home, Ogma told them that every Sleeper carried a seed of the Abyss, and that Abyssal beings aren't spirits in the sense that most mages understand. They don't generally have a problem existing in the Fallen World, but they might have trouble entering or leaving. At this point, Eve called and told them that the vote was happening at Cormant House in Salem, so off they went!
The Nemean, looking bored, called the vote of the Sentinels. Of the six of them, three voted "yes, this creature is a real danger" and three said "no." The Nemean was all set to dismiss everyone, but Tyrrhenus stood up to him. The Nemean said that he wasn't about to take the word of a cabal with a newbie (Winter), an untrustworthy Guardian (Ogma) and a known troublemaker (Morrigan). Tyrrhenus asked if he'd take the word of a cabal with two Masters. The Nemean said he knew of no masters in Rogue Element; Tyrrhenus claimed to be a Master of Prime and said, "Test me."
"Fine," said the Nemean. "Prepare the circle for the Duel Arcane."
Ferrum, one of the Sentinels who voted for the characters' side of things (or so he says), advised Tyrrhenus on how to fight. The Nemean and Tyrrhenus squared off, and Tyrrhenus did well for a while, but then ran out of Willpower. He remained standing and the Nemean pressed his attack. Tyrrhenus asked the Nemean if he was willing to kill to make this point; the Nemean asked if Tyrrhenus was willing to die to make his. But just then, the Nemean faltered, and Tyrrhenus heard Mr. Gold's voice: "Strike now."
Tyrrhenus' Gladius, the glowing white light of Forces, lanced down and struck the Nemean, knocking him over. Ogma felt something strange in Tyrrhenus' magic...something he'd felt before, when he'd looked into the mind of La Tempestad. The Nemean acknowledged Tyrrhenus as a Master of Prime and left, leaving the rest of the meeting in the hands of Chain Parris. Chain recognized Ogma as a Master of Space and advised the characters to talk with the Sentinels, separately, and convince them to retake the vote.
The Sentinels are:
(name, cabal, order)
Hades, Gravediggers, Guardians of the Veil
Ferrum, Exalted Knights of the Gryphon, Adamantine Arrow
Anacona de Xargaugaha (horribly mispelled), Ebon Noose, Adamantine Arrow
Eve, Gravediggers, Adamantine Arrow
Nebuchadnezzar, Ebon Noose, Silver Ladder
Tiamat, Ebon Noose, Adamantine Arrow
Three of them voted against the cabal. Who, do you think?
The mages discovered that direct magic didn't work on it. Indirect spells and just hitting it worked OK, but it was strong and fast. It grappled Morrigan, pulled her gun from its holster and shot her at point blank range, nearly killing her. She tried to disarm it, but the Paradox knocked her out. It put the gun to her temple and started to back up. Ogma, the Master of Space, teleported Morrigan away. Niamh healed her a bit, the creature and Sunjata (member of the Dead Wrens, look him up in the Boston book) tussled a bit, then it fled. Morrigan, always having to have the last word, ran after it and tried another spell, but got a bullet in the leg for her trouble. Ogma cast Labyrinth to force the creature back toward them, and Morrigan, wounded, headed back toward the Emerald Scroll for help.
En route, the creature tackled her and sent them both into the Fens. Realizing that she wouldn't survive a prolonged fight (or even a short one) and apparently learning a lesson from the last time she got caught out alone, she used Twilight Shift and fled back to the bar. The creature ran off, apparently not affected by the Labyrinth.
The mages talked, and decided that the creature was Abyssal in nature (Tyrrhenus has noticed, in fact, that it looked a lot like Clint). They chatted with the Dead Wrens and agreed to come to Ishmael's funeral the next day, and then pick up the puzzle box that Ishmael had been going to get when the creature killed him.
Home, sleep. Tyrrhenus dreamed of the Nemean, dressed in Roman robes and being stabbed by the creature. It split the Nemean open and feasted, and the body contained dozens of organs - multiple hearts, lungs, livers, etc. Other mages, including most of the cabal, watched from the sidelines, blocked by an invisible wall.
2/17/05: The cabal woke up, did their morning oblation, and talked about their agendas. Ogma remembered that the Shadow Chorus has a library on the Abyss, and contacted Februs again. Tyrrhenus dug into his dream books a while, and guessed that Nemean, in the dream, represented the whole Consilium and that something (probably a mage) was actively blocking the cabal from helping out. Who?
Niamh and Morrigan went to visit Hydra and the Gravediggers. Hydra advised getting the Sentinels to vote on the matter, because if 2/3 of them voted that this creature was a real threat, the Nemean was required to take action. Eve and Hades, both Gravediggers, are Sentinels, and they listened to Morrigan's rendition of the events of last night, and then went to talk to the other four Sentinels.
Tyrrhenus, Morrigan, Winter and Niamh went to the funeral and Tyrrhenus took possession of the puzzle box. Nothing much else happened there, except that Tyrrhenus called Enoch (remember, they met him in Part 3 of the demo, he challenged Jack to the Duel Arcane while under influence from the Envy Spirit) and found out that he was busy in New York (and safely out of Boston, which is pretty weird right now).
After a regrouping at home, Ogma told them that every Sleeper carried a seed of the Abyss, and that Abyssal beings aren't spirits in the sense that most mages understand. They don't generally have a problem existing in the Fallen World, but they might have trouble entering or leaving. At this point, Eve called and told them that the vote was happening at Cormant House in Salem, so off they went!
The Nemean, looking bored, called the vote of the Sentinels. Of the six of them, three voted "yes, this creature is a real danger" and three said "no." The Nemean was all set to dismiss everyone, but Tyrrhenus stood up to him. The Nemean said that he wasn't about to take the word of a cabal with a newbie (Winter), an untrustworthy Guardian (Ogma) and a known troublemaker (Morrigan). Tyrrhenus asked if he'd take the word of a cabal with two Masters. The Nemean said he knew of no masters in Rogue Element; Tyrrhenus claimed to be a Master of Prime and said, "Test me."
"Fine," said the Nemean. "Prepare the circle for the Duel Arcane."
Ferrum, one of the Sentinels who voted for the characters' side of things (or so he says), advised Tyrrhenus on how to fight. The Nemean and Tyrrhenus squared off, and Tyrrhenus did well for a while, but then ran out of Willpower. He remained standing and the Nemean pressed his attack. Tyrrhenus asked the Nemean if he was willing to kill to make this point; the Nemean asked if Tyrrhenus was willing to die to make his. But just then, the Nemean faltered, and Tyrrhenus heard Mr. Gold's voice: "Strike now."
Tyrrhenus' Gladius, the glowing white light of Forces, lanced down and struck the Nemean, knocking him over. Ogma felt something strange in Tyrrhenus' magic...something he'd felt before, when he'd looked into the mind of La Tempestad. The Nemean acknowledged Tyrrhenus as a Master of Prime and left, leaving the rest of the meeting in the hands of Chain Parris. Chain recognized Ogma as a Master of Space and advised the characters to talk with the Sentinels, separately, and convince them to retake the vote.
The Sentinels are:
(name, cabal, order)
Hades, Gravediggers, Guardians of the Veil
Ferrum, Exalted Knights of the Gryphon, Adamantine Arrow
Anacona de Xargaugaha (horribly mispelled), Ebon Noose, Adamantine Arrow
Eve, Gravediggers, Adamantine Arrow
Nebuchadnezzar, Ebon Noose, Silver Ladder
Tiamat, Ebon Noose, Adamantine Arrow
Three of them voted against the cabal. Who, do you think?