Agenda e05: Adventure - Aberrant - Aeon Trinity

10/14/2012

Agenda

Episode Five

"Time"


Adventure - Aberrant - Aeon Trinity

The game opens, 1997, during the Aberrant era.  (I moved the existence of Novas forward a few years.) Team Tomorrow is the pioneer heroic team of the time.   Third in popularity is the group founded by Richard Rayner which remains nameless.  With only three members so far in its roster, namely the former major football player who can transform into living steel called the Quarterback, the cantankerous blonde minor schoolgirl called Switchboard, and their no-nonsense business-minded leader Richard Rayner, the group has gained some popularity even if their tactics and skills have yet to be properly honed.

A villain calling himself the Phantomas targets the Chrysler Building.  Police calls for back up in dealing with the nova and his three accomplices.  Switchboard picks up on transmissions and quickly sends word to the others of it.  She makes her way to the building.   Along the way, she meets a woman with brown curly hair in a trenchcoat, who seems to be carrying a glowing stick in one hand.  The woman, clearly identified by others as a Nova, is allowed through and quickly rushes into the building.  Switchboard, unfortunately, opts not to nova up and finds herself told by the police to stay behind the police fences for her own safety.

When the Quarterback arrives to help out, Switchboard powers up and joins the other to discuss how to approach the building.  The explosion seems to have damaged the 23rd floor and a quick scan using the security cameras of the building reveal people frozen in place from the third all the way to the twentieth floor. Quarterback decides to head in from the outside, leaping six floors at a time and burying his hands and feet into the walls with each landing to gain more leverage.  Switchboard catches sight of the other novas.  A woman in all green who seems to have super speed.  A man in all red who seems to have some telekinetic power to fling things around.  Switchboard cannot find the two others, it seems.   

Enroute to the building, Richard Rayner finds a brown-haired woman in a trenchcoat sitting in the helicopter beside him.  Demanding for her identity, the woman admits, "I'm sorry, we haven't met yet.  I'm not supposed to be here. I don't quite control my jumps."  She fades away just as quickly as she appeared.

Switchboard realizes the three are making a bid to escape, and tries to shut down the fire doors of the building to slow their escape.  But as the woman in green drags her two companions out of the building with her, Switch realizes there was no stopping the speedster on her own.  She instead reaches out with her computer brain and theorizes where most likely the three were to end up at.  She catches the green woman's body language suggests a higher metabolism when powers are used.  The need for a concealed location near a venue where sustenance can easily be gathered was quickly calculated and Switchboard felt confident she had predicted where to find the novas once they escaped.

The Quarterback arrives at the twenty-third floor to find a woman with brown curly hair in a trenchcoat checking on some people.  Asking who she is, the woman admits time is too valuable right now and tells the Quarterback to rush the people to the nearest hospital.  She had frozen time around each one, allowing their degeneration to occur at a much slower pace.  

Richard Rayner arrives at the location to see Team Tomorrow already arriving and taking control of the area.  Not wanting to be forced away, Richard uses the Voice to convince Caestus Pax to stand aside.   The man leaves.  Richard and his assistant, a young woman whom he teasingly named "Mud" join Switchboard and the Quarterback and learn of what had transpired.  The group allow Team Tomorrow to head in now and handle the remaining damage control needed while they make their way to the location Switchboard predicted.  The diner is in slight shambles.  Debris outside the building suggest a large box was pried from a concrete area.  It soon becomes apparent to them the box was taken from the Chrysler building, and it was the time capsule that was set beside the keystone when the building was completed.

The game shifts to 1930, just as the city celebrates the finished construction of the Chrysler Building.  The heroes are with the press and congratulations are in order for a job well done.  “To the future!” they toast.  Sarah Getel talks to Max about his hair, musing she will miss the ivory comb she gave him to fix it.  Max reminds him they are now just friends.  Present are The German, The Sleepwalker, Scarlet, Phantom Face (Alexander Pope's secret identity), Maxwell Mercer, Michael Donighal and of course, Sarah Gettel.  Max has a moment of chest pain, which worries those present, but it passes.  Sarah Gettel asks about the new “member” and Phantom Face and the German throw some insults playfully at each other.   Ultimately the celebrations go well and Max reminds the others to be nice to Miss Gettel.  

The game shifts back to 1997, and the same guy now has broken into the Empire State Building.  But this time, before the heroes can get to the building, his three goons attempt to delay them.   Calling themselves Ready, Set and Go, the three goons turn out to be people who had auditioned to be part of Rayner's team in the past but were turned down.  Ready was a man named John McGraw who could launch objects at others with telekinetic force.  Set was Shelby Faust who could mentally immobilize another with a glance.  Go was Alexandra Lee who was gifted with Hypermovement.  Switchboard uses her Cyberkinesis to have a crane, then later, cars smash into Set to knock him down.  The Quarterback arrives and smashes a car down on Set to make sure he's brought down. But Go outmaneuvers her and closes in to bring her down.  Richard Rayner lands his helicopter at this moment and uses his power to shut her speed down.  As she trips and slams into the parked cards nearby, Switchboard has another car slam into Go's downed form.

But Ready finds the opening he needs and strikes at Quarterback and Rayner, enveloping them in a swirl of deadly debris.  While their armor and defenses hold, Switchboard sneaks into the building in hopes of intercepting the Phantomas.    Switchboard finds assistance in the presence of a trenchcoat-wearing woman named Mary Rose.  The woman seems to be a time-traveler, but admits to be having trouble controlling her jumps.  Mary Rose explains that the Phantomas had escaped but they might succeed in finding out what he is really trying to do.  Switchboard is unable to predict the situations events, lacking enough data to course through her computer brain.  However, she realizes if Mary Rose leaps back in time when the time capsule was first sealed, she could better computer an understanding of the events that have transpired.  Mary Rose attempts the jump.

Outside the Quarterback tears the very street out from in front of Richard Raynor, then uses it to form a wall to protect his boss from the debris.  Raynor then uses his nova power to shut down Ready's powers, giving the Quarterback the opening to slam the same wall of earth onto the man.

The game cuts back to 1931. Karl Jansky at Bell Telephone Laboratories discovers emissions from the center of the Milky Way, inaugurating the science of radio astronomy.  The news of this exists Benjamin Dixon and he cannot help but wonder if the Z-waves ever reached that far.  The  Empire State Building is completed and the Aeon Society is present for publicity again. Maxwell once more has chest pains.  Dixon admits, “Good thing you quit the pipe then.”  Max draws out a new one.   When asked about the pains, all he could utter is “Spice.”   Pope is seen returning from the bathroom, too late to join the group photograph.  Michael does comment how excited he is for the completion of another landmark, the Golden Gate Bridge.   The Phantom Face bumps into a reporter as he exits the bathroom.   Scarlet uses the event as the opportunity to announce her real name as she chooses to make herself known to the world.  As the reporters gather to take photos, the Phantom Face joins the rest to pose for pictures.

The year is 1932.  The Neutron is discovered.  Franklin Roosevelt becomes President.  Dixon gets even more excited about the atom.  Maxwell thinks it is a good step forward for man.  Michael Donighal however does not share that excitement.

The game then makes a leap forward to 2120.  It is the era of Aeon Trinity.  Classical music plays as Dr. Matthieu Zweilder uses is incredible mastery of Vitakinesis to slowly reweave the decimated body of Ministry Agent and Vogue Creative Director Autumn Lacierda-Wu.  Wu's body was immolated when the ship she was in exploded above the Beaulac Clinic in Luna.  But thanks to her intense Ministry training and will-to-survive, Wu retained a rudimentary consciousness even if her body was reduced to barely a tenth of its original mass.  That gave Zweilder enough to work with to bring her back.  When asked why, he explains he is determined to uncover the depths of the Huang-Marr Conspiracy and expects Wu, who owes him her life, to dedicate her focus on doing so. He insists the investigation remain a private matter and tells her she will have the assistance of one of his own Æsculapians, the survivor of the Beaulac Clinic's destruction himself, Dr. Sven Casperzak.  She agrees.

Erik Langley on the other hand busies himself reading up once more on the fragment of the Babel Dossier he has been given by the Benefactor.  The events of the Dossier fragment speak of the parallel events that occurred during 1997 as well as the events of 1930 to 1939.    Langley wonders how the team of heroes will realize the Golden Gate bridge is their next destination.

The year is once again 1997.   Switchboard gets a glimpse of how heavily fragmented and confusing Mary Rose's experiences are.  But she also learns that her jumps, while chaotic through time, are not without some level of control.  In one, she visits Rayner in his helicopter, before meeting any of them.  In another, she visits Towers in the base.  In one, she seems to leap to a glass chamber where two military-clad nazis confront a german guy in a suit about a son of his they had "created" while he was unconscious.   Eventually, she does arrive at 1931 and hides in the bathroom when she realizes she is surrounded by so many heroes.  While there, she witnesses Phantom Face enter the rest room, strip his mirrored helm, then talk to himself in the mirror about, "Staying focused on the plan.  Not allowing himself to be swayed by the fun of being in America.  And of keeping his loyalties clear.  Even if he is working so closely with 'him.'"  The white-haired man known as Alexander Pope seemingly shifts in appearance and becomes a fifteen-year old young man, before shifting back to the old man and stepping out, bumping into a reporter in the process.  Mary Rose peeks into the box and learns its contents:  A pipe.

Best of all, Switchboard learns of Michael Donighal's excitement to see the opening of the Golden Gate bridge.  For Quarterback and Switchboard, this is the best lead to follow.   Mary Rose once again fades away, jumping through time beyond her own control.   Mud, instead, who they realize is also named Mary Rose, meets them outside to tell them Rayner had taken off with the copter to chase after Caestus Pax, whom he was determined to exchange unpleasant words with.  Swallowing their pride, the team of three approach Team Tomorrow to ask for their help to get to San Francisco.  They get Slider's vote of confidence and the woman opts to take them using the Team Tomorrow ship to the other side of the United States.

Enroute, Mary Rose and Switchboard trades stories about their childhood.  Switchboard admits being a prodigy and talks of how her Eruption simply made her even better with things.  Mary Rose, on the other hand, admits she never knew her parents.  Her father, Ben Mercer, took her from the dead arms of her mother Su-Bin Song, who had shielded Mary Rose from the falling ceiling when their home collapsed from an earthquake.  Ben Mercer, however, claimed to have many things that needed his attention, and she had been left in the care of Rayner since then.  Slider asks Quarterback to consider the youth of the girls and that perhaps joining Team Tomorrow might be the better thing to do.

They arrive at the Golden Gate Bridge and make their way to the museum at the foot of the bridge.  Slider stays on the ship, ready to call for back up, while Mary Rose stays across the street to call for help if need be.   As Switchboard and Quarterback enter the museum, noticing the broken lock of the door, Switchboard uses her nova powers to locate Phantomas and finds him talking to some shady figure in the cornerstone room.  The stone was already broken, and all three black lacquer boxes were laid down beside them.  The Quarterback rushes forward, while Switchboard is delayed after she stupidly stubbed her knee on a bench.  As Phantomas steps out to go somewhere, Quarterback leaps to tackle him, but the masked villain leaps backwards fast enough in time to avoid him!  Switchboard has the lights go wild, hoping to distract the villains, not realizing Quarterback had no protection to the shifting light display either.  She mentally commands the door to shut closed, trapping Phantomas and the Quarterback inside.  Before Switchboard could get closer to help however, an older Mary Rose appears and warns Switchboard that this is a moment in time the Quarterback best go through alone.  When asked for a reason, Rose simply explains, "This is the time Quarterback needs to learn at times there is a need to take a life."  When Switchboard attempts to reason with Mary Rose, Mary Rose instead reminds Switchboard that she is doing what she has to given her knowledge of what is to come and what has happened.  And at one point remarks, "Ah yes. It hasn't happened yet.  You haven't hurt me."  Switchboard accuses Mary Rose that she is merely acting out of petty grudges.  Mary Rose corrects her, "No.  This is me keeping myself from taking vengeance.  I will never forgive you for what you have taken from me.  But that won't happen til a few years from now."

When a second attempt to tackle is done, the Quarterback learns Phantomas has the ability to literally warp movement and had Quarterback find himself falling the opposite direction.  Phantomas reveals that his body is wrapped in explosives and starts ranting about his plans to save 17 million lives.  It turns out, Phantomas has plans to try to stop the Holocaust.    But his actions may change the world as they know it.  The Quarterback rips debris from the ground and hurls it with his full strength at the villain, no longer caring if it kills him.  And true enough, the debris strikes like shots from cannon fire and Phantomas falls dead.

With the police soon arriving, and Slider vouching for the team's heroism, the villain is identified as Lawrence Cardinal, a theater actor who had erupted a few months ago while on stage.  The man called himself Face of Phantomas, seemingly after the Phantom of the Opera.  His real name was Levi Propes and his parents and family of seven siblings were killed during the Holocaust.  Propes, according to records, had limited teleportation powers.  "Who knows," Mary Rose mused, "Perhaps he could more through time as well.  This is a moving planet we are on, after all.  Point A is not necessarily in the same location as Point B at times as far as the planet's position in relation to the Sun."

The game jumps back to 1937 as we learn the closing events of what happened in that time.  With the Golden Gate Bridge completed.  Scarlet witnesses Max going emotional over a telegram he had received.   Amelia Earhart and co-pilot Fred Noonan have disappear over Pacific and Max vows to try and find her.  He wipes his tears with a handkerchief then places this in the lacquer box.  Max has another tremor.  Scarlet begs him to have it checked, but he explains the pain is self-induced.  When she tries to have him explain he merely states, "I do what I must to keep from leaving."  He prepares to begin the search, but unfortunately they are delayed when news arrives of the Hindenburg burning over Lakehurst, New Jersey.    Aeon Trinity moves to assist.

In 2120, Dr. Sven Casperzak discusses with his friend about how the past might have been a far simpler and kinder world.  Having been pelted by some people with rotten fruit, the two have experienced first hand the perils of when an Order is slowly seen as evil by the public eye.  "Consider what happened to Chitra Bahnu and Upeo Wa Macho.  What if we are next?"  He returns back to the Montressor Clinic and receives his passport to visit the Philippines.

Miss Wu packs her things for the trip to the Philippines.  She is anxious to get out.  She feels happy to be alive, but understands she owes the Order greatly for her new body.  The Opnet and news feeds are filled with speculative horror of what the Order can be doing.  She realizes this is going to be a massive affair to repair.

The two pack their bags and prepare to leave.

And finally, to close the game, it is 1939.   Maxwell Mercer speaks to the gathered Aeon Society for Gentlemen about how this is now truly the time to prove their loyalty to the country and their love for their fellow man.  The World is at war and the Nazi threat must be dealt with.  The Sleepwalker notices neither The German nor his sidekick, Phantom Face are present.  As the group readies themselves for war, the television sets are suddenly taken over by a rogue transmission:   a bald-headed man with a monocle comes onto the screen and announces himself. "I am Baron Zorbo.  Today, the people of New York City shall experience first-hand the immense and undeniable power of the Nazi Regime.  Menschheit!  Zum Himmel!"

*

Yes, this currently is probably the LONGEST post for a game update.  What can I say, this was one game I really enjoyed writing, and later, running for my players.  The complexities of time connected events, the fun of a mystery that spanned an era, the Dr. Who feel of it all, and even the immense difference in atmosphere of each era made for an awesome game.  

Yes, I will admit I fudged on many of the time lines (for example Amelia Earhart did not vanish on the very day the Hindenburg burned) but I liked changing things a bit to keep my players guessing and not make them feel like history is their cheat sheet on what is to come.  I even set the Aberrant sessions around 10 years earlier than usual (1997 instead of 2007) and made things like Team Tomorrow exist that early since I wanted to both make players familiar with metaplot uncertain what parts I am using or changing, as well as have fun with the supposed panic the coming of the year 2000 brought.

But yeah, this is one epic game.  I sure hope my players are loving every moment of it.

Agenda e04: Adventure - Aberrant - Aeon Trinity

09/23/2012
Agenda
Episode Four
"Conspiracy"
Adventure - Aberrant - Aeon Trinity

To the surprise of the players, this session was to be devoted to the future. The year is 2120, 29th of January, and the players find themselves crossing paths while on individual trips to Luna.  Dr. Sven Casperzak (played by Urim), a Corporate Doctor of the Aesculapian Order is reassigned to take part in a ground-breaking experiment.  The first six months of his new assignment has him merely receiving and replying to messages regarding shipments that were happening between Luna, the North American Arcology and a third location.   His assignment was a move initiated by Dr. Jerzy Grabowski and Dr. Malachi Ross and later, his relocation to the Beaulac Station at Luna was managed by Dr. Gustav Hans Beitz.  He begins feeling uneasy about the new assignment when Dr. Beitz demonstrates to him Subject 716, an old woman who has been given bioware grafts.  Dr. Casperzak realizes to his horror that members of his Order have undertaken human experimentation!

Elsewhere, Autumn Lacierda Wu (played by Mahar) of the Ministry has been working as the Fashion Affiliate for Vogue Magazine.  To her surprise, she is instructed to head immediately to Luna to investigate the event that had occurred at Cantor Station.  Aberrant supposedly had attacked, though witnesses claim to have seen other Aberrants emerge to fight them.  In the end, massive destruction and numerous deaths were the repercussions of the events.  As she surveys the scene, she finds a blood splattered area which hold no corpse.  She ponders on why she was assigned here as the Aesculapian Order arrives to assist.  Headed by Dr. Jerzy Grabowski, the rex informs Miss Wu that her role here is merely as a volunteer, and tha she is not to interfere with the actual investigation.  Autumn's Telepathy picks up images of a body having been earlier disposed of by Dr. Gabrowski, and so she attempts to learn more of that body.  To her surprise, they find the body in the scene, but it had been eviscerated of something that was inside of his body!  Autumn returns to the Ministry chapter house and finds Rebecca Bue Li already there.  Rebecca introduces Autumn to Marilyn Koziana, Deputy Director for Aeon Trinity, who then shares with Autumn her recovered memories of what they can only describe as a woman who had been forced to undergo some form of experiment.  Autumn realized Grabowski may be involved, and quickly maps out a plan to create some massive event to invite him and any associates to the party.  While there, she hopes to brain-skim them for information.  A pity she had no idea how bad the party's events would unfold.

And ironically, Erik Langley of Orgotek (played by Rocky) is informed by the Benefactor that he will be taking part in an investigation regarding a possible conspiracy that involves members of the Aesculapian Order and Orgotek.  Before more details can be sent, however, the Benefactor ends the transmission and warns Erik that the Orgotek Prexy will be coming to see him.  Barely second pass when the power outage happens and Prexy Alex Cassel slides into the room and tells Langley of the mission he needs him to fulfill.  Travel to Luna, keep a close eye and see if a company called Linma Telcom.  Langley's old friends, Andromeda and Patricia Willom, will be his way of entry.  Arriving at Luna, Langley which befriends the Willoms' and is introduced to a Dr. Serevitek Kriso, the current closes member of Orgotek who is working for the company.  Langley succeeds in getting the two to invite him to stay over, and while there, uses his powers to interface with the building computer. He finds numerous messages sent to someone named Miranda.  When Miss Wu's invitation arrives, Langley realizes it would allow him to get close to the Aesculapian's involved and possibly learn more.  

Dr. Casperzak is horrified by the events and shoots a message to Dr. Matthieu Zweidler in hopes of warning him of the events.  The message contains nothing but an old TwenCen song, "Help" by the Beatles.  He however fails to notice Dr. Beitz approaching him from behind and impairing his body, while another forces a drugged cloth upon his face to sedate him.  He awakens to find himself strapped as well to a machine and attempts to use Antitoxin on himself to counteract the sedative while Beitz boasts about the success of the Biorg Project.   He eventually succeeds in gaining back enough focus to disable two of his assailants with his mastery of Algesis and intimidates another to free him.  Dr. Beitz however runs off to escape. As he realizes he's back in Beaulac Clinic, he remembers that there were around 80 rooms in that very corridor.  He tries to rescue those he can, including the two newly arrivals who were about to be experimented on.  But as he directs them to hurry and escape, the eruptions begin and the Clinic begins to explode all around them.  Casperzak falls as the whole building collapses, and it is only his Psi abilities that allow him to survive.  Every one else in the Clinic finds their doom.

Erik Langley attends the party and quickly makes contact with Autumn Lacienda Wu in secret.  Langley had tapped into the Willoms' computer earlier and was now hoping for his SI, the Spider, do break the encryption of the files.  When he notices Dr. Gabrowski and Wu seemingly flirting while they drink, Langley peeks into Gabrowski's communicator and discovers two messages waiting:  "Everything is ready.  And the Biorgs are in position."  and "Best get out of there before the Demonstration starts."  Warning Wu of the possible danger, Langley heads out and learns that his messages to warn Operations had been intercepted.  Alex Cassel contacts him directly and admits he too has gone to Luna.  Receiving the report regarding the conspiracy which both Langley and Wu had gathered,  Alex suspects those guilty are enroute to the Space Station with the files.  Langley moves to intercept and this leads to his learning of what Option-8 really is.  Rumored to be an assassination/secret police of Orgotek, Langley learns it is actually an 8-minute period where a back-door is opened by Orgotek and volunteers from all over the world hack in concert to achieve greater results.  Langley tracks the two doctors at the waiting area and confronts them to claim the files.  When the two opt to fight back, Langley finds unexpected assistance from Marilyn Koziana, who happened to be in the area for a coffee date with a grey-haired man named Max.  

Autumn Lacienda Wu attempts to seduce Dr. Gabrowski in hopes of convincing him to give up the files of the project.  She knows it is only with the files that she can learn whether or not the supposed conspiracy regarding human experimentation is real.  Meeting with Langley, whom she recalled meeting before in an off-the-record investigation regarding the corpse of a supposed "Inspired" person, the two forge a temporary truce in hopes of getting more information about this conspiracy.  Autumn guides Dr. Gabrowski, whom she had utterly seduced with there powers and beauty out of the party.  The doctor insists they best leave to catch the "demonstration."  Though Langley mistakenly assumed the "demonstration" meant the building he was in was about to explode, Autumn soon discovers how much worse it gets.  The whole Clinic explodes as Dr. Gabrowski indulges Dr. Wu and tells her about their upcoming success with the Biorg Project and their work with "Miranda".  However, it seems Dr. Gabrowski himself is double-crossed, for before either of the two can do anything further, a bright white flash erupts and the very shuttle they are on explodes as well.

 Epilogue:
Back in 1924, The Shadow and Scarlet are in front of a class of young students.  They are making rounds to different schools to tell them about being a hero and about doing the right thing.  The act is a punishment for bringing Sarah Gettel to write negative things about The Aeon Society for Gentlemen.  As they head out, Maxwell Mercer meets them at the door and smiles at the school teacher who seems to be inspired by their actions.  "What is your name, Ma'am?"

"Judy Koziana," the teacher smiles.

"Lovely name," Maxwell admits, "I'll look you up some time."

Some time, indeed.

Agenda e03: Adventure - Aberrant - Aeon Trinity

09/09/2012
Agenda
Episode Three
"The Mysteries of Kali"
Adventure - Aberrant - Aeon Trinity

The scene opens with Nicklaus Klaus having a meeting with Lawrence Pope, the infamous white-haired man from the first episode.  Pope had called for a meeting, it seems, to clarify his position in the matters and to hear first-hand from Klaus his views on Aeon Society.  Pope, like Klaus, was once a member of Branch 9, and seeks to understand where Aeon Society truly stands.  Unhappy with how Branch 9 had supported certain dictators and questionable political figures in the past, Pope reiterates to Klaus how he is determined to bring down Aeon Society if the group happens to share the same views.  Klaus reminds Pope his membership in Aeon Society was the job he was given and that for him a job is a job.

Elsewhere, Candy Misselthwaite was enjoying some time in the poolside of the Aeon Society when Whitley Styles joins her.  He swims a few laps, clearly a man dedicated to keeping himself healthy, and addresses her respectfully when he realizes he is sharing the pool with a lady.  They talk about her missing fiance, who had vanished while at sea, and he asks if she ever plans to move on with her life.  She admits to him she has no plans to do so and cites loyalty as one of her virtues.

And in Central Park, Samuel Warren finds himself sharing some time under the morning sun in a conversation with Sarah Gettel.  The two had been sitting beside each other at the park when Sarah asked for a light.  Commenting how smoking is bad for her, Samuel ends up having a long cheerful conversation with the intrepid reporter.  The two clearly have a wavelength of sorts.  But when Michael Donighal appears and frustrates Miss Gettel, alluding to a history between them, Sarah Gettel walks out on them.  Michael reminds Samuel to be wary of talking to the press and leaves.  Samuel sees Sarah in the distance, and watches her for a bit, only to bear witness to three men abducting her as they drag her into an alleyway!

Klaus returns to the Aeon Society mansion to learn Maxwell Mercer with a number of other members are off to another mission at some undisclosed location.  Benjamin Franklin Dixon mentions the need to purchase something and has issues with opening the gate himself.  Klaus walks inside, amused, and finds Styles in a wet towel headed for his own room.  Accompanying the man, Klaus shares a conversation with the man while he get's a good shower.  The two discuss his past, with Styles admitting the semblance of a dreadful past.  Klaus maneuvers around some of Styles' questions, particularly about his suit, and learns that Styles writes a journal entry for each day the Aeon Society has existed.  Styles hears something beyond Klaus' perceptions, and tells the other that they best head to the Conference Room where a new mission is afoot.

Samuel had investigated the scene of the crime and managed only to get the name and plate number of the leaving truck.  Rushing back to Aeon Society, Samuel calls for a meeting and only Candy, Klaus and Styles are present.  Sharing what just happened, Styles suggests to Samuel to try searching his "Mental Room" for more information.  With Klaus providing smoke for meditation, Samuel dips into his memories and learns more about the kidnappers.  When the key factoid of them being Thugee is mentioned, Styles is visibly bothered.  With the truck having been sighted in the pier, the four quickly make their way there using Samuel's car.

At the pier, the group splits up in hopes of finding the truck (Maharasthra Carpets) which was carrying rugs. The group suspected Sarah Gettel was rolled up in one by her abductors.  Scarlet and the German investigate a liner, but find a dead end.  They do learn that the Maharasthra staff had "mistakenly" brought the carpets to another vessel before bringing them here, and both realize that vessel was the one they should have gone to.  The Sleepwalker finds a trail of rolled up small dollars, a trail which he suspected Sarah Gettel had left for them to follow, but learns that the ship it lead to had already left twenty hours ago.  Styles tries to see if a plane can be chartered but none happen to be available.  Thankfully, Klaus remembers Benjamin Franklin Dixon muttering about an experimental ship, and the group rushes back to Aeon Society to take it.

The ship is a small replica of the ill-fated Titanic, down to the smoke stacks and a miniature chandelier.  Styles' incredible perceptions guide the vessel as they chase after the Liner, and even with a powerful rainstorm hitting, the group manage to catch up with the vessel.  They find the deck empty of people, and unbelievably a pirate ship and an island had somehow appeared beside it.  While the German investigates the captain's deck, the Sleepwalker and Scarlet opt to head to the Pirate Ship to learn where the missing passengers have gone.  The German finds a surprise guest in the captain's deck: Lawrence Pope, who fears the passengers had been kidnapped because the Thugee are searching for him.  He admits he is a penultimate Master of Disguise and believes the passengers were gathered in hopes of weeding him out.  Making a deal with the German, Pope agrees to help rescue Gettel in exchange for the German giving him safe passage out of the predicament.  Pope somehow can change his appearance with a moment's focus and after first using it to mimic Scarlet to get close to Styles, he then knocks Styles out and assumes his form.  Pope and the German encounter a number of Thugee, and when the German misses one target, he quickly nicks himself on the neck to cause the Thugee (which he learned have a code against spilling blood) to retreat.  The two find a platform leading below the ground and take it.

The Sleepwalker and Scarlet explore the pirate ship and find it to be stocked with weapons and watched over by an armed crew.  Eventually the two reach the lower deck where a hatch leading to the island waits.  To their surprise, the Thugee have no problems with using guns and the Sleepwalker gets struck by a few.  Blood letting, it seems, is not illegal if the weapon drawing blood was not directed by the Thugee's strength.  They descend below to find the hatch leading to a long tube with a flat platform serving as an elevator.  Using her telekinesis to flick the switch, the platform descends to the island's underground depths.

The German and "Styles" stand before the passengers surrounded by the Thugee, and their leader, the Jemadar Paruq.  Paruq has Gettel wrapped in special paper cloth that is held aloft by two elephants over a pool of water.  Once wet, Paruq explains, the cloth contracts and will slide Gettel into shreds.  Paruq tells the two that the events were orchestrated to bring Styles here, as he is the promised one who will inherit the Thugee.  "Styles" and German discuss things quickly and decide to try to catch Paruq off guard.   The German admits "Styles" isn't the man Paruq seeks, but someone else.  And Pope reveals his true face.  Angered, Paruq commands the Thugee to attack.  But above, Scarlet and the Sleepwalker find the elevator ends in a glass room above the whole chamber.  After disabling the woman in the booth, the Sleepwalker realizes the devices before them are theater controls, which explains how Paruq has maintained his "favor of the Goddess Kali" all that time.  Scarlet grabs hold of the commands and uses it to tilt events in the German and Pope's favor.  Pope uses his abilities to manifest AS the Goddess Kali, and the German sways those present to believe he is an emissary of the true goddess.  Try as Paruq might, his words fall on deaf ears as the combined efforts of the team bring the Thugee to attack him.  "Kali" fires "lightning" at the elephants, causing Sarah Gettel to fly away from the pool.  The Sleepwalker then swings in to grab her and take her to safety.  By the time the Thugee calm down, however, the spot where they had attacked Paruq is empty, leaving no sign of where the man had gone.   Pope quickly offers the German a second deal, to introduce him as his sidekick, since his participation can no longer be ignored.  But on the last second tells the German to just claim he had left and to introduce him at a later date.  The German agrees to the price and plays his part well, even as Sarah Gettel later once again tries to win a new exclusive scoop with Aeon Society.

The next day, Mercer calls for another meeting.  He is infuriated with the headline and demands the three make amends and apologize to Sarah Gettel.  The reporter, ignored from her attempts to gain an interview, had written a very unflattering image of Aeon Society and even suggested they had broken the law by flying to Switzerland to break someone out of prison.  The three walk out on Mercer, unwilling to bow to the repoter's ego.  There is no denying, however, that the three are part of Aeon Society for Gentlemen.

At least for now.

*

The game's interludes included a glimpse of how an  Aberrant in the modern day was tapping into the web collected tales of Aeon Society and how she felt frustrated her incredible calculations would spoil for her what actions the group would undertake in a mission.

Another glimpse showed the Orgotek's interest in the Inspired corpse that the Ministry had acquired, and a Benefactor telling the Electrokinetic to agree to meeting with the Ministry liaison in secret.  To show why the corpse was important, the Benefactor allowed the man a glimpse of something called the Babel Dossier, which happened to be a future transcription of what was once the Journal of Whitley Styles.

And finally, back in the modern day, a young football athlete finds himself erupting at the height of a football championship game.  His life is forever changed, and his coach, a certain Donny Michaels, walks away with a smile.   The players are informed that Coach Donny resembles the other leader of Aeon Society, Michael Donighal.

*

Here's hoping the seeds I've laid for the game keep the mystery going.  I do hope this game actually reaches its ending given I've written it to work with all three lines.

Devil Caught In a Web : DC Heroes

September 2012
Devil Caught In a Web
DC Heroes

Ran another game for Gene and Rocky who both wanted to try another take at the super hero genre.  After having them choose between Marvel Superheroes' FASERIP system and DC Heroes MEGS, Rocky chimed in that DC Heroes would be far easier for Gene to grasp quickly.  While I also had my copy of the new Marvel Heroic Roleplaying game, that game still needs more time to grasp and embrace the system.  I love the Cortex System, but MHR kinda makes it harder to grasp than usual with all the sfx and doom dice and things.  Gene wanted to be Daredevil while Rocky opted for Spider-man.  I offered to have them choose a major comic event to explore, excited at the prospect of throwing them The Infinity Gauntlet or maybe even a Days of the Future Past touch.  To my surprise, they asked for Civil War.  Given Matt Murdock was actually in prison and Iron Fist was posing as Daredevil, I asked him which of the two he wanted to play.  Gene confirmed he wanted Matt Murdock, which posed a challenge for me to shape a game around.  Thankfully, inspiration hit me and I came up with this:

The game opens with Matt Murdock in his prison cell in Ryker's Island, staring at the blank wall.  The two policemen guarding him were chatting about how cruel it was to leave a blind man in a cell without a window.  Both seemed to be humoring themselves to pass the time since neither believed the accusation that Matt Murdock, blind lawyer, could in any way be the supposed Daredevil.  Neither was aware of Matt's hyper senses describing what was far beyond the wall in front of him, the fact that one of the guards had the scent of two ladies perfumes, suggesting he has an ongoing affair, or actually prefers ladies scents on himself, and the other was a recent smoker quitter.  His ears picked up the sound of energy humming, and he then realized coming towards him down the hallway were two men in Guardsmen armors that Tony Stark had developed to secure the prison, and spandex hitting the floor with the exact rhythmic pace used by Spider-man.

Spider-man had come to talk to Matt Murdock.  With the events of Civil War spiraling faster and faster, Peter Park was wondering if taking the step forward to unmask himself was what was necessary to convince others to cooperate with the Registration.  He had known Matt for a long time and once even posed as Daredevil to help him with a case when some guy sued Daredevil for property damage.  As he walked down the hallway, he felt his Spider-senses tingle, suggesting there was an ambient presence of danger looming in the area.  Thinking this was Ryker's, Spider-man tried to shrug it off as tension of being in a prison with so many possible threats.  He notices the Chameleon imprisoned at Matt's right side, who shifts to all these forms in hopes of agitating them.  And this serial killer on the left side, who sits quietly with a smile on his face.

The Guardsmen ask if Spider-man is okay, and he tells them he is going inside the prison to talk to Matt.  Matt and Spider-man share their opposing views on registration, on the importance of responsibility and liability, and whether privacy and the safety of one's one family is reason enough to keep the mask.  While they discuss, both realize the screws from the panels above Matt begin coming undone from the inside.  And with a peek, Spider-man realizes it is the Black Cat herself how seems intent on springing Matt Mudock out.  Hoping to avoid an escalation of issues, Spider-man shoots webbing to coat the opening sealed.  But white talons tear through and the Black Panther in a while outfit rips it aside and reaches down as he calls for Matt to take his hand.

Matt opts not to, and Spider-man blasts him with webbing to pin him down.  Daredevil would have normally evaded this, but since he was pretending to simply be Matt Murdock, he had to allow the webbing to hit.  With the Guardsmen now on full alert, Spider-man warns Matt Murdock not to try to escape.  The Guardsmen spread out searching for any trace of the intruders and Matt Murdock is thrown into the showers to be reprimanded for his "part" in the escape attempt.

Scene shifts to Tony Stark's office where Spider-man is debriefed by Tony on what happened in the prison.  Tony reminds Spider-man that his choice to unmask is important for the Civil war to end.  "If they see that someone like you would be willing to trust the movement, more will follow."  Spider-man heads off after a few snappy quips and decides to find himself a hot dog to eat somewhere in the streets below.  What he finds as he orders a hot dog, however, is an attack by what looks like the Hobgoblin!  Only this Goblin is female and seems to rely solely on exploding pumpkins and pumpkins that erupt like fourth of july fireworks. As he nets all the throw bombs with his webbing, a second threat triggers his spider sense!  Turning to the sound of a six-year old bystander calling out, "Barney!"  Spider-man finds himself facing a female version of the Lizard!  And narrowly escapes getting slashed by the mutated thing.  Leaping and twisting to evade further assaults, Spider-man's spider sense triggers once more and dodges an incoming bullet that was aimed at his temple.  Far above, atop one of the nearby buildings, a female Kraven the Hunter snars for failing to hit.  Spider-Man entangles the femLizard in more webbing, and is ready to bring the slam down on the Goblin when a feminine Sandman emerges from the drain to confront him.  Confused at the sudden gender-bending presence of his usual villainous gallery, Spider-man is thankful as S.H.I.E.L.D. finally arrives to control the situation.  Sand(wo)man is frozen in ice while Kraven(ess) is taken down by the soldiers.  The Goblin attempts to escape, leading Spider-man to launch a Spider Tracer to follow her later, thank the agents for a job well done, then finally swing off to chase after the wicked flier.

In the bathroom, Matt Murdock senses the guards exit as they let four prisoners into the showers.  The four are former flunkies that he had imprisoned after providing their connections to various criminal activities in the past.  But while he hold off on his own quite well even without using the full extent of his abilities, the arrival of the Black Cat once again brings him the question, "Join us.  The fight against Registration needs you."  Matt declines once again, and this brings the Black Cat to snarl at him.  Matt picks up the sudden hum of an energy source, and he realizes one of the Guardsmen was cloaked and in the shower at all times.  Dodging its energy blasts, Black Cat closes in and tears into the armor's helmet, leaving blood in her wake.  Matt feels very unwell about what has happened and with the incoming foray of additional guards, he surrenders once more and hopes things quiet down.  Back in his cell, he finds a final visitor coming to him at the dead of the night.  The Black Panther reminds him of his duties, and through Cloak, teleports them all back to the secret hideout of the resistance lead by Captain America.  There, they convince Matt to do his part to help Hell's Kitchen and to try to convince Spider-man to join his cause.  They tell him how Spider-man is being used as a figurehead to push their agenda, and Matt remembers the time when Mysterio nearly had him kill an innocent child.  Matt agress to help at last and Iron Fist trades costumes with him once again to allow him a chance to make a difference.  Matt goes to the Daily Bugle and leaves a note for Peter Parker to meet him at a nearby bridge.

But Spider-man won't make it there.  Trailing the Hobgoblin, he discovers the new Goblin turns out to be the multi-millionaire heiress Mill Hilton, and scoffs at the idea that she has become his new nemesis.  She acts like a caricature of herself as she detests his presence, and when the snarling form of Venom emerges, Spider-man ponders on how this day can get any worse.  The venom he sees seems more shadow alien than real, and Spider-man begins to wonder if the ordeal is some magical thing placed upon him.  He swings to the mansion of the Sorcerer Supreme and finds it abandoned and empty.  Calling out to whoever may be listening, Spider-man asks for the Sorcerer to help him out if he is willing.  The Doctor Strange he consults with, however, tells Spider-man that he had strayed from his path and must find his way back to his real destiny.  He whips out a wand and at one point, rips off his face to reveal a noseless face underneath.  What the Sorcerer Supreme presents as the embodiment of Spider-man's curse is a small red doll with devil ears on the head.  "Destroy it, and the world will be back in sync with how it was meant to transpire."

Daredevil waits at the bridge and instead of Spider-man finds himself assaulted by the Femmes Fatales!  Knockout and Bloodlust nearly throw him off the Bridge.  Mindblast loses consciousness when a well aimed Bully Stick smashes her brain canister.  Dodging the mettalic whips of Whiplash, Daredevil begins to have confusing flashes of still being in the prison and staring at the wall.    Spider-man starts to hear the voices of the Guardsmen still in the area, and between eyeblinks sees the Sorcerer Supreme's mansion replaced with the hallway to Matt Murdock's prison.  Sensing the psychic attack, Spider-man tries to locate the attacker, while doing his darned best to avoid injuring "Dr. Strange's Spells" which he knows are really the guards trying to tackle him down.  All the guards see are Spider-man suddenly attacking the prison where the serial killer was in.  Daredevil sense all save the serial killer's heart beats are panicked, and in a last ditch effort yells at Spider-man to punch to his immediate left.  Spider-man does so and his fist breaks just enough of the prison glass to strike the serial killer unconscious.

The confusing psychic hallucinations immediately end.

Fast forward to next scene, Spider-man is undergoing psychiatric evaluation and debriefing under Doctor Samson.  He shares that the serial killer turns out to be a latent Mutant with "living psychic parasites" that float around him like a cloud.  Both Matt Murdock and Spider-man were affected since the parasites were not held back by the glass wall.  The visions represented the killer's twisted views on many of the villains as sexy vixens that deserved being beaten up.  The serial killer, Burns, was not detected as a mutant because his mutation only surfaced that moment.  In response, Ryker's Island contacted the X-men and Emma Frost has arrived to claim the serial killer "as one of their own."  Spider-man steps out of the window and decides he needs a break from all this. At least for a while.  And by break, he swings off to deal with the first act of crime he sees.

As of Matt Murdock, the people on Ryker's Island decide to move him to a new location.  Given the events of Civil War, Tony Stark wanted the lawyer somewhere safer.  As he is being transferred, he sees Emma Frost and Burns boarding the X-men's jet.  He feels uncomfortable about the events, remembering how Mysterio once nearly made him kill an innocent child.  Deep down, he wishes the whole mess would come to an end.  In the distance, he sees Mister Fantastic arrive and talk to Tony Stark.  He overhears with his hyper hearing talk about, "Having to move foward with the prison" and something about not having "Enough space to house the more dangerous ones."   Time will tell what that project will be about.

***

So the game was a hoot.  I tried as much as possible to retain the events of Civil War yet throw a good plot for both players to explore.  The fight sequences were energetic and wild, with both players utilizing lots of dodging and fancy moves to take their opponents down.  Hero points were spent and freely earned, a lesson I got from John Wick who recommends rewarding any behavior that supports a game's genre.

Here's to another game soon.
I remember Gene saying, "O, DC naman!"

But deep down I'm tempted to throw them a Neil Gaiman-inspired game.
:-)  Hehhehe..

Dark Knight on a Dark Night : DC Heroes

09/04/2012
Dark Knight on a Dark Night
DC Heroes

Gene had been wanting to get a taste of how a table top role-playing game goes, and I decided to throw him a quick one-hour solo game.  Given he's a comic fan (Marvel, but somehow like me owns more DC Titles), I asked him to name any super hero he wanted to try playing.  His answer was simple:  Nightwing.  But just as I showed him Nightwing's write-up in the DC Heroes main book, he corrected me and explained, "I want to play Nightwing when he had to be Batman in Bruce's absence."

And very quickly the gears in my head were turning.

First, I drew out the Batman character sheet I created for the previous Justice League game I ran for Rocky, Mahar and Urim.  Handing this to Gene, I told him, "While Nightwing may have been a different Batman than Bruce, given this is a solo game, I don't mind seeing you use the stats of Bruce Wayne over Nightwing.  There won't be anyone to compare them to.    You okay with that?"  Gene said he was, and that meant all I needed to do now was throw in a story.  Given Gene has never played a table top game before, I knew I had to ease him in slowly.  So I started with having him roaming the streets and encountering some thugs.  I didn't even reflect it as part of the game proper, but just let him get a hold of the dice rolling system, and how spending Hero Points can affect the game.

And once he got the hang of it, I clicked on the soundtrack to Batman Begins, and started the actual game.  It was the third night since the whole of Gotham City was enveloped in darkness.  Somehow, the whole city was suffering from a massive power outage, and while the Gotham Police Department worked their asses of to keep the city safe and under control, the eventual break out of Arkham Asylum was expected.  Batman contacted Oracle to find out which inmates were believed to have escaped.  Oracle admits they were still confirming given most were taking down any attempting to escape.  A few minutes would be needed before she could report a final answer.  Ahead, a building's penthouse area was enveloped in a blue glow.  Batman perched on the rooftop of the building across from it to survey what was going on.

It was Mister Freeze.  And he had a woman with him.  The woman was addressed repeatedly by Mister Freeze as his wife, Nora.  But the woman repeatedly denied being her.  Batman checked with Oracle and learned that supposedly only Scarecrow was the villain unaccounted for in Arkham.  Unconvinced, Dick insisted that Oracle double check, and upon learning that the Huntress was in Arkham, demanded that she check on Mister Freeze's cell herself.  When Dick saw Mister Freeze aim his Freeze ray gun at the woman, he knew it was time to act.  Without warning, beside him was Batgirl.  She motioned to him mutely whether he needed help.  And when Dick motioned no, she gave him a look which suggested she knew it wasn't Bruce beneath the cowl.  She leapt off the rooftop without a word.   Quickly throwing a Batarang, Batman forced Freeze to miss his shot, and during the shock of surprise, swung into the room to rescue the woman.

She was smiling.  That small fact made Dick worry.  In all the times he had come to aid a hostage, never would he find the hostage calmly smiling as he made his approach.  Most would be in tears or in a panic.  This one, however, was smiling.  Changing his mind, Batman slid past the hostage and landed on the rafters.  There, he prepared to convince Freeze to surrender.  But Freeze acted faster and another freeze blast was unleashed.  The cold hit Batman and forced him down to the ground, with parts of his arm covered in ice.  Gritting his teeth against the pain, Dick dropped a few smoke pellets to provide some cover.  With the rising smoke, Dick charged forward and hoped to tackle Mister Freeze, but his armored form was too heavy to bring down.   An ice-cold fist slammed into Dick's face but thankfully, he was able to take it and remain standing.   Using two batarangs, Dick slashed at the tubes that fueled Mister Freeze's cold, and while the man struggled to fix the torn tubing, swung to the hostage to bring her to the rafters with him.  Once again, her smiling face was all he could see.  And Dick knew there was more to this woman than he thought.  Oracle called again and in a small video feed, Dick could see the Huntress in the cell of Mister Freeze.  The man was indeed still in Arkham, raising questions as to who Dick was currently fighting against.  But ice blasted all around them both and Dick turned to see an ice prison had been created to trap them both. Quickly feeling for the small device in his belt, Dick drew out the laser cutter and sliced the bars away.  Without wasting further time, Dick grabbed the woman and this time swung to leave the penthouse and land at the next door rooftop.

The girl finally confessed the truth.  She had hoped to find a way to draw Batman to her.  She had been told that in this era, the Batman was dead.   Dick felt the sting of the truth.  When confronted to explain herself, the woman finally identified herself as Madeliene Grayson, a Bat of the year 4025.  Her clothing folded away like origami until her Batsuit became visible.  A stray blast of cold flew past them both, and Batman turned to see Cassandra Cain (the Batgirl) engaging with Mister Freeze.  She threw him a look that said, "I knew you needed help" but when her kick then decapitates Mister Freeze and reveals his robotic parts, she turns to Batman with an, "Oops" in her expression.

Madeliene explains.  She was fighting against a Count Chronos who boasted that she was holding a non-existent Legacy.  Count Chronos claimed that in this era, Batman had died facing a god.  And he had even used a gun.  Madeliene tells Dick how happy she is to know that Count Chronos was wrong.  That the Bat Legacy truly is based on the real one.  And that Batman is still alive and well.  Dick decides not to tell her the truth, that Bruce Wayne is dead, and that he has taken up the mantle.  She also tells him that in her time, Batman Incorporated is a massive group that operates to protect various planetary systems.  She tells him how each planet now has a Batman watching over it.  And how her Legacy is traced back to an ancestor who was part of the original Batman team.  Dick tries to stay calm and not reveal his thoughts that she might actually be related to him.  She activates her suit and Dick watches as black lines dance on her skin, forcing a Bat cowl with neon lines as ears, and a bat symbol on her chest.  She tells him she is happy to know Batman is alive and has to head back to her time before the Warp Tunnel closes.  Oracle then contacts Dick, telling him she has finally traced the energy loss that has caused the black out.  The location turns out to be where Dick currently is.  Dick finds himself wishing Bruce Wayne was here.  He'd know what was going on.

But Dick decides to help the woman.  Offering a batarang as a souvenir, Dick asks what else he can do to help.  She disarms her Batsuit and reveals that her legs are useless.  "The suit helps me walk.  I guess this is an inheritance from my great great grandmother or something," Madeliene muses and asks Batman to carry her into the Warp Tunnel.  Dick places her gently inside and decides not to say anything further.  As Madeliene vanishes into the light, power gets restored in Gotham City.  Dick finds Cassandra Cain once again beside him (almost making him yelp in shock) and she mimes, asking if he and the woman were related.  Dick chooses not to answer and instead asks Oracle if there has been any sighting on Scarecrow.  Learning the villain is at the docks, Dick once again assumes the role of Batman and swings out into the night, trying not to think about what might happen if he never ends up with Oracle.

*

The game was a quickie story, but I admit I felt it had a nice touch of an ending.  Gene definitely had fun, and although I must admit I was hoping he'd realize that the idea was Dick ends up with someone else, since Oracle's handicap was not genetic in nature.  But I guess ultimately he had fun and learned the system, which means come the time we ever run another game, he's ready.

:-)

Agenda e02 : Adventure - Aberrant - Aeon Trinity

08/26/2012
Agenda
Episode Two
"The Darkness Waves"
Adventure - Aberrant - Aeon Trinity

Urim asked for a game and while Mahar and Rocky were both busy, I realized it was a chance to give him an Origin game.  So, after taking some time to map out a tale, I was able to build something that would expose him more to the cast of the game, give him some spotlight on his character's history, and throw in a hint of what is going on that would have this game flow from Adventure all the way to Aeon Trinity.

The Sleepwalker, played by Urim, began his crime-fighting career after having strange nightmares and was lead to a place near his home where strange mists would bring visions of things that needed his attention.  The night of the Hammersmith Incident, Samuel Warren would find himself drawn to what would eventually become his sanctum and there, after seeing strange sights, would come to call himself The Sleepwalker.

The Sleepwalker was tracking a guy named David Khor whom he witnessed was engaged in a botched robbery attempt.  He decides to follow him, and he discovers how much more in dire straights David is.  David has a daughter, barely 5-years old, and she seems to be ill.  He listens to their discussion as David, speaking almost as child like as her, mentions how painful she feels.  David then tucks her into bed, and heads out.

The Sleepwalker follows David and watches as he meets with another guy named Henry at a bar.  They are discussing about some kind of underground boxing thing called The Ring and how easy it would be to earn money by fighting in the ring.  It quickly becomes apparent to The Sleepwalker, based on how David speaks, that the man is slightly mentally-challenged.   His speech patterns and almost simplistic mindset of things suggests David may be mentally handicapped.  Even worse, Henry leaves David the directions for the fight, and David seems unable to read it.  He feels for the guy, realizing he may be forced to do things to make ends meet. He decides to help him.  He tries first to confront David directly in an alleyway, but the huge man panicks, and one punch sends The Sleepwalker reeling backwards.  Before he could chase after him, however, the Sleepwalker finds himself confronted by an apparition.  Standing on the nearby rooftop, the apparition confronts him with quotations about the darkness and the importance of myth.  Lightning flashes and the dark ghost is gone.  Not even the Sleepwalker's incredible investigative skills find any trace of the apparition's presence.  The Sleepwalker returns to David's home and true enough finds David preparing for bed.  He discards his costume and opts to confront David as someone supposedly working for Henry, and even offers to pay for the medical fees so long as David agrees to back out of the fight and let Samuel fight in his stead.

But before David could answer, the apparition returns.  Breaking through the window, the apparition throws more quotations about darkness, citing various authors and poets that the Sleepwalker himself has read before.  Mist envelopes the room, and David grabs his daughter and makes to escape.  The Sleepwalker tries to stop the apparition, but sees how the apparitions seems to have the ability to become incorporeal.  The thing fades away, gone and leaving no trace of its presence.  The Sleepwalker, bothered by all this, heads home and decides to try and investigate things using his connections.

The next day, Samuel Warren contacts his Contact network for information on the boxing ring.  He visits the location which he was able to read when he pretended to be a friend of Henry's.  He discovers it is owned by multi-billionaire Desmond duClaire, an orphaned New Yorker whose parents were gunned down when he was 8.  duClaire's records are spotless however, and even the Sleepwalker's contacts in the Union groups find no trace of criminal activity.  duClaire's companies include two factories that are facing the pier, and dealings with deliveries worldwide.  He learns duClaire is a close friend of Congressman Wittick, however, and that connection worries him.  Rich men in power with political allies are always dangerous adversaries.  Before the Sleepwalker can think of his next plans, the phone rings.  Benjamin Franklin Dixon is on the line and is asking for Warren to come over the Aeon Society for Gentlemen Mansion, because he needs "a lesser mind to throw ideas against."  Warren opts to go, ignoring the clear insult.

Dixon is obsessing over the Hammersmith incident and starts talking about his belief that a form of energy was unleashed and affected them all. He even charts the locations of various members of Aeon Society and notes how they have all within the same time span or so, developed unique abilities and extra ordinary skills.  Drawing two large shapes of the wave, Warren suggests, "Why not just call them Z-waves.  That what your drawing looks like."  Dixon finds the suggestion preposterous, then loves the idea.  The two then shares discussions on The Sandman, which Warren learns is the identity of the apparition he had faced.  The Sandman's activities have long been charted by Aeon Society, and Dixon admits they understood the Sleepwalker IS the Sandman.  But what doesn't match is how the Sandman supposedly had activities one to two years prior to Warren's crime-fighting career.  Warren considers the possibility that there is a predecessor to his heroism.  Someone who somehow had inspired him without him realizing it.  Knowing he had barely slept, Warren rests for the day and opts to attend the fight the next evening.

He arrives too late.  Shots could be heard and Warren quickly changes into The Sleepwalker to find the factory under assault.  The Sandman is present and has been gunning down many of those present in the illegal match.  When David is seen running for cover, the Sleepwalker opts to focus on him, giving the Sandman a chance to disable the remaining flunkies.  The Sleepwalker confronts the Sandman, demanding he explain who he is, but the Sandman offers nothing but repeated quotations, and fades away once more.  Deeply bothered by this, the Sleepwalker contacts Donighal and inquires about the possibility of a ghost or occult entity.  Donighal shares his belief that all occult and magic is merely science beyond understanding, and that legendary heroes like Icarus and Hercules are possibly Inspired individuals that existed prior to the Hammersmith Incident.  "What if these heroes of the past ensured what ever process made us was halted?  What if we have relit the fires of Prometheus against their desires?"

 Warren returns to his Sanctum and there meditates among the mists that bring his visions.  He deeply inhales the mists and finds visions pertaining back to his Origin.  Warren suffers from wracking headaches the same night of the Hammersmith Incident, and soon finds himself rising from his bed.  Warren remembers these memories, how eventually he finds the cavern beneath his home, and the mists emitting from the crack in the ground.  But what changes now is he sees the same apparition as a shadow, drawing him out of the bed, guiding him down the corridor, moving him all the way to the cavern.  The shadow seemingly draws him to the sanctum and its appearance is what inspires him to become the Sleepwalker.  Warren awakes and realizes the Sandman and the Sleepwalker are one.   The phone then rings, and Warren hears one of his contacts in the police force inform him that David Khor is being arrested.  The Sleepwalker rushes to the scene.

There, he learns the cops are arresting David, who had beaten down at least five other officers.   David breaks free and breaks for a run, knocking the Sleepwalker down to the ground after throwing two officers at him.  Sarah Gettel approaches the Sleepwalker, and insists on an interview, and before he could leave, she  clamps herself onto him with what seems to be a silken steel chain!  She tells him quickly of the many dangers she had faced before, and insists she will get her interview!  The Sleepwalker learns that Samantha, David's daughter, had been abducted.  And it seems the police made the mistake of thinking he had done something to his own daughter.  The Sleepwalker determines David is headed back to the factory, and much to his surprise, Gettel insists on going with him still.  She talks to him about her own exploits and he starts to realize how charming she truly in.  When they arrive at the location, the Sleepwalker is told how the Congressman's car is present in the factory.  Gettel promises to get out of the way so long as she gets first dibs on the story.  The Sleepwalker shares his knowledge of the undeground boxing ring, of David's plight, and asks her to bring the truth out.  He then plans his attack, and upon seeing David on the street closing in, makes his approach.  They then realize something:  Sarah Gettel happens to be the very first person the Sleepwalker had saved before.  And as a thank you, Sarah Gettel lifts the Sleepwalker's mask just enough to kiss his lips.

The Sleepwalker convinces David to hang back, and Gettel offers to help him call the police.  Using gas pellets and well-timed shots, the Sleepwalker knocks out most of the perimeter guards and makes his way to the factory's rooftop.  There, through the skylight, he sees the Congressman with Henry, and the tied up young Samantha on the floor.  Four armed guards keep watch.  From the discussions, the Sleepwalker learns that Desmond duClaire has no knowledge of what transpires in his own factory.  And with the use of smoke pellets, the Sleepwalker decides to attempt the rescue.  Two of the thugs are quickly knocked down with gas pellets.  But just as the Sleepwalker took aim to fire another gas pellet into Congressman Wittick's face, the apparition manifests  again and blocks his line of sight.  The apparition points at the Congressman's hand and the Sleepwalker sees with his Sensory Filter that the Congressman actually had a sharp knife pressed against the young girl's neck.  Had he been hit by the pellet, the startling shot may have had him jerk and slash into her throat.  The apparition fades, and the Sleepwalker feels thankful that this ghost had warned him of imminent danger.  He unloads the gas pellets from his guns and instead breaks them to spread and mix with the smoke.  With the smoke being inhaled along with the blinding mist, all the assailants fall down calmly into a deep slumber.  He sees the apparition watching him and when he tries to thank it for helping him, the Sleepwalker realizes he was merely staring at his own shadow.

Quickly, the Sleepwalker rescues Samantha from the Congressman, ties the goons and the masterminds up, and leaves a note for Sarah Gettel, informing her of duClaire's innocence.  He watches from the distance Samantha's reunion with David and knows he has one last thing to do.  The next morning comes with Warren receiving a call from Maxwell Mercer.  The head of Aeon Society has called to congratulate him on making the newspaper headlines, and asks if he had kissed Sarah Gettel.  Warren admits he did, and Maxwell sounds forlorn.  He tells him Dixon is thankful for his help and shares that Dixon had a message for him.  Something perhaps only Warren would make sense of.  Dixon claimed, "The answer was staring at my face the whole time.  The wave travels in a symmetrical balance.  An echo of itself.  So just as the Z-wave traveled forwards in time to shape our futures, the reverse Z-wave traveled back to the past and may have been that which creates the heroes of our legends!"  The very spirit that inspired Warren to become the Sleepwalker, was himself.

Warren watches from afar as David and Samantha are welcomed to the Montgomery Central Hospital.  An anonymous donor had paid for the full medical treatment of the child.  Warren silently watches as David scans the crowd for who the possible donor was, and silently turns to leave.  He nearly bumps into Sarah Gettel, who asks him for a smoke.  Admitting he doesn't, he walks past her, and she ends up glancing at him as he leaves.  There is a palpable connection between the two, but one can only wonder if it will grow in time.

*

For a solo game, this touched on a lot of new ground for the games to come.  The talk on Z-waves definitely helped support further the pulp feel of Adventure!  It was a joy to be able to portray Dixon as well, and Sarah Gettel, and I can foresee players making sure to have moments with them just for the fun of it.

And lastly, the game set the ground work for The Sleepwalker to develop knew Knacks.  With his mystic background now set, and the supposed "spirit guide" warning him of danger, Urim is considering purchasing the Threat Awareness Knack to reflect this power.  That's part of the tricky part of Adventure! Buying new powers have to nicely fit the concept and match the narrative flow.  We're handling it pretty well though.

Agenda e01 : Adventure - Aberrant - Aeon Trinity

08/20/2012
Agenda
Episode One
"Invitations"
Adventure - Aberrant - Aeon Trinity

Finally got to hold a game with Rocky, Mahar and Urim again.  This time, I was excited to throw in something I've been wanting to run for quite some time: a game spanning chronicle that would start some time in the 1920s with the Adventure! era and end far in the future of the Aeon Trinity universe.

Yes.  Crazy, ain't it?

It get's even better.  To start off, I had them create their Adventure characters AND their Trinity characters. While their Adventure characters were going to be fresh new pulp heroes, their Trinity Characters were meant to be major movers and shakers in the world.  Why?  Because of the plot, that's why!  As to what the over-all plot will be, that my friends will be something I shall reveal in time.  For now, here's the session record for the first game.

The characters are the following:

The Sleepwalker (Samuel Warren)
A British Stalwart with a Leader Nature (Reflective and intuitive facets).
Known as the Sleepwalker, Samuel uses the Gas Gun and Mask he created using his Mad Scientist Knack to strike fear into the hearts of crime.  With Indisputable Analysis and Sensory Filtering Knacks, no clues evade his scrutiny.  And his Sun Tzu's Blessing makes him a natural leader.  Long acting as a vigilante alone, he is still learning how to manage things as a group now that he has joined the Aeon Society for Gentlemen.

Miss Scarlet (Candy Misselthwaite)
The American Mesmerist tends to be a Charmer (Reflective, intuitive and destructive).
Formerly just a waitress who loved working at a diner, Candy has discovered the world is far more complicated than it seems and now is part of the Aeon Society for Gentlemen in hopes of helping make it a safer place.  She uses her recently discovered Brain Skimming Knack to draw out secrets during conversations, her Perfect Translation Knack to understand whatever anyone says, her Psychic Hand and Teledigitation knacks to protect herself, and her Mindhammer Knack when the worst things come to light.  Still a civilian though, she tries to maintain a better composure, holding on to the Engagement Ring of her dead fiance when she needs to draw some privacy and strength.

The German (Nicklas Klaus)
The German Daredevil is a Hotshot at heart (Destructive, intuitive).
Formerly an agent of Branch 9, Nicklas went AWOL after discovering how the group was secretly sustaining certain dictators in power for their own ends.  While many attempts have been made to find and kill him, his Death Defiance and Indomitable Will knacks have kept him alive more times than others could ever dream.  As a Master of Dissimulation who is Universally Deadly, any weapon or object is potentially either a tool or weapon in his hands.  But his favored weapon remains guns since he uses them with Enhanced Impact, knocking his targets out of windows or into walls when necessary.  He owns one remaining super science gadget from his time in Branch 9, the Panzer Suit, which provides him with Complete Privacy and makes him practically Untouchable to firearms.  He may or may not be working in secret with someone else, even as a member of the Aeon Society for Gentlemen.

The first game session opened with the players all receiving an invitation in one form or another to join the Aeon Society for Gentlemen.  The Sleepwalker was approached by Danger Ace during one of his nights where he fought against the Klu Klux Klan that were going to do a public burning of a black man who was quietly in his home working on a model kit.   Candy was out on a date with her boss when the theater they were in was suddenly occupied by waiters who had guns.   What they didn't know was Nicklas was under a mission to privately meet up with a certain Svetlana Koshkova in the same theater, and the armed waiters were after them.  Svetlana had information about the Super Soldier Program that Russia had been working on with Germany.  The theater debacle was dispatched when Candy learned that moment to use her strange abilities at the same time Crackshot came to save them.  Nicklas and Svetlana found themselves meeting Doctor Primoris for the first time and learned he had come to invite them to the Aeon Society for Gentlemen as well.

With each considering their invitation, Candy decides to call the number while The Sleepwalker and Nicklas eventually opt to try to sneak into the headquarters of Aeon Society as a show of their potential.  The Sleepwalker uses his superior deductive skills to identify the comings and goings of various known Aeon Society members, and triangulates the most probably locations for the headquarters.  When he narrows it down to somewhere in Central Park, he then identifies the plain clothed security and follows them to the lair.    Candy is picked up by Whitey Styles after she calls him to join.  They soon meet The Sleepwalker whom Doctor Primoris found trying to hide in the wine cellar.  And finally, Nicklas and Svetlana join, after they meet with Maxwell Mercer on the park grounds and are invited in.  Discussions quickly are shared on the need for Aeon Society and while questions are posed by some on whether or not the group truly has altruistic motives, the discussions shift when it is learned that Svetlana's husband, Dmitri, is a prisoner in some Siberian camp and her joining the Society is the requirement for Aeon Society to step in and rescue him.

The group clamors to help Svetlana, and while Doctor Primoris seems unhappy with this turn of events, Maxwell Mercer smiles and later admits that he was hoping they would do exactly that.  "We were always worried about who will carry forward our dream and goals, Michael.  Now we know we have them."

The group flies to Siberia with Svetlana handling the plane.  A plan is quickly formulated with Nicklaus posing as his former role in Branch 9 having captured Svetlana and giving her up for a reward.  Candy, all dressed up as a Russian as well, was to pretend to be his interpreter.  She had hoped to use her Brain Skimming to learn where Dmitri was imprisoned.   The Sleepwalker was to sneak in, try to break Dmitri out on his own, while Crackshot covered from the plane's landing site.

The plan goes well at first, with the group meeting Ruka the Undying, the Super Soldier who had Dmitri imprisoned.  Ruka and her Undying Army were infamously known to be immune to pain, and the group knew they had to be careful or they would easily be outnumbered.  While Candy and Nicklaus charmed their way into Ruka's good graces... and her penchant for lots of Vodka, Candy discovered to her dismay that while Ruka's German was translated by her Perfect Translation, she could not speak "back" to carry a conversation for Brain Skimming.  It wasn't until they realized she knew English that this felt like a dead-end they had to deal with.  The Sleepwalker snuck to the upper levels, quickly discerning the house had no sewage system.  Merely a central pit which had a reinforced body.  On the third level, he quickly prepared a molotov trap to burn the building as a massive distraction.  Svetlana played possum below, chained to the cover of the pit, while the Undying Army feasted.  Ruka soon lead the two below, and dragged Svetlana away from the pit cover to reveal a naked, tired, and beaten down Dmitri inside.

None of them, save for Crackshot who could not warn them without alerting the enemy, anticipated the approach of a man named Pope who looked American yet claimed to be working for the Germans.  Pope came to purchase Dmitri (using money from a bag strapped to his belt) and had hoped to warn Ruka that enemies were enroute.  However, Pope quickly spied The Sleepwalker above and warned Ruka that Aeon Society was already here.  As Ruka drew out her gun to fire at whoever Pope was referring to, the team used that initial uncertainty to their advantage.  Nicklaus kept Ruka off balance with numerous gunshots that kept flinging her to the ground.  Interestingly, Ruka's Undying Army would fall as well, reflecting Ruka's injuries as if they were all sharing a single nervous system!  But when a killing shot should have dropped the German horror, one of the Undying soldiers exploded into biological goop, healing Ruka of all her injuries!  The Sleepwalker quickly acted, throwing smoke bombs down to distract them all, and aiming his gas gun into Ruka's mouth to disable her whenever he could.  But each time she should drop, another soldier would drop in her stead!  Candy reached out and discovered her ability to launch balls of force could be finely focused, and began lifting Dmitri out of the pit.

With the smoke blinding practically everyone, save for the Sleepwalker whose gas mask gave him Aetheric Vision, Svetlana grabbed Dmitri to hold him close while Nicklaus carefully continued to time his shots to keep Ruka unstable.  But Ruka then leapt for freedom by throwing herself out of a window, with her Army quickly following suit.   Outside, Pope was enroute to escape, even as Crackshot brought down some of his other soldiers.  Using what seemed to be a super science device to boost his powers, Pope launched a Mindhammer at Crackshot even if she was far too distant to normally be affected.  With blood gushing from his nose, Pope sneered and cursed the Aeon Society for disrupting his goals.

Ruka hoped to run for freedom but Candy used her new powers again to grab hold of a person, only this time it was her.  Ruka struggled to break free from Candy's hold, but her eyes reflected utter fear when she saw something that was more deadly than the angered waitress/translator.  Pope had channeled his Mindhammer towards the mountain slope above the Siberian camp, and started a massive avalanche!  With The Sleepwalker quickly calculating the odds, he realized the safest bet was to head back into the Pit!  As all dove in, Nicklaus was far too distant to make it in time.  Instead he kicked the cover closed, lit a cigarette, and welcomed the falling white death.

Minutes later, the group reemerged, and Crackshot and Svetlana toiled to find the missing former agent.  Dmitri's energy armor kept him warm, while the others searched for Nicklaus' remains.  Alas there seemed to be no sign of the good man.  Calling him a hero, the group made their way back to the plane and Crackshot even got infuriated at Candy for being so calm about losing a friend.  Candy admitted she was simply staying in control because she had never saw violence like this before.  And if she didn't stay calm, she would probably break.  The group starts the plane and Dmitri offers a short moment of silence of the lost man.  Only for all to see Nicklaus walking back towards the plane with a few bottles of vodka in his hands.  Miraculously, as the avalanche hit, he found himself buried between crates of vodka and the massive roof of the base.  While the group was searching for him, Svetlana must have torn the roof off, giving him enough of a crawlspace (once he had awoken from the shock) to crawl out with some vodka.  The group headed home, feeling victorious.

Back at the Aeon Society mansion, the group agreed to join.  Dixon, the resident scientist, admitted having prepared costumes and codenames for each one.  Nicklaus declined on his many suggestions and simply agreed to be referred to as The German.  And while all seemed to end well, the Sleepwalker could not help but look at Michael Donighal and feel a worry about the future.  Maxwell asks to meet with Nicklaus and asks him who initially hired him to make contact with Svetlana.  When he admits he is not in any liberty to say, Maxwell reminds him there will come a time he will have to make a choice as to who he can trust.  And who he is working for.

Later, the German going to a drop off point, marking a mailbox, and receiving a large bag of cash from an unknown person.  From the body language, however, and the way the bag of money was strapped to his belt, it seemed to suggest the man was the same one called Pope.

*

Epilogue of game one:
A woman looks over a massive block of ice.  The two flanking the cube inform the woman, "We have uncovered one of the bodies of the so-called Inspired people.  It was uncovered from a frozen area in Siberia.  Are you willing to purchase."  The woman turns to a monitor and another person, perhaps someone of higher rank or position, tells her to make the purchase.  Autumn Lacierda-Wu gives the word and the two smile and leave.  Autumn wonders what these "Inspired people" are and considers why the Ministry would want to have anything to do with this frozen soldier.

End of Episode One

So the players had an enjoyable ride of superhero action and super spy thrills.  And one of the Trinity player characters, Autumn Lacierda-Wu, has been introduced.  Clearly the events of the Adventure game will shape or be reflected somewhat in the Trinity game.  One can only wonder why, and how this will all come together when the game reaches all the way to that part of the timeline.

Initiation : nWOD/Vampire the Masquerade

08/18/2012
Initiation
nWOD and Vampire the Masquerade 

A new friend of mine, Alessandro, contacted me on Facebook and asked if I can "Get him into that table top gaming thing." After sharing with him my initial views on how table top games are different from online gaming and board games, he decided to set a schedule for a game one Saturday night. Rocky opted to join too, but alas exhaustion took its toll and he had to beg off the game midway. Still, given this was meant to be a first time game for Alessandro, I thought to try to give it a bit more drama than usual... and throw in a twist with Vampire the Masquerade coming in since he did mention enjoying playing Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines.

 His story revolved around Vincent Templeton, a slacker who inherited a huge trust fund. Though he preferred to still live in a simple place, he was happy with his simple life of just enjoying his life and spending time with his few friends. The tale begins with the window of the unit across from his opening and his neighbor coming into view. The guy was a handsome fellow, and much to Vincent's curiosity, blood was splattered all over the man's chest. Vincent began watching his neighbor through a pair of binoculars, hoping to catch him strip naked for a cheap thrill. Who would have known this would be the start of a terrible ride in the World of Darkness.

Other than the crazy antics of his attention-hungry friend, Whitney, Vincent's night would be disturbed by the sudden sounds of what seemed to be a chase happening in the corridors outside the unit. Peering at the peep-hole, Vincent saw one of the neighbors from the unit above screaming for help. And an old man with a pipe dragging her away. The old man seemingly sensed his presence and warned through the door that Vincent mind his own business. Vincent spent the night sleeping with his collectible katana replica in his hands.

The next morning, Vincent rushed to the landlady to report what he had witnessed. To his surprise, the landlady lead him to the said neighbor and found her to be okay and unharmed. Confused, Vincent headed back to his unit and considered moving out. Whitney visited once more and this time, the two bore witness to the said neighbor breaking into the unit across the courtyard and stealing money and a gun. (The neighbor was Rocky's character, who was a bodyguard.)

Later that evening, Vincent hears the same sounds as the night before and finds the same scene unfolding in the hallway. This time, opting to try to help, Vincent steps outside with his katana and tries to fend the old man off. But the old man warns him to mind his own business. Calling the cops, Officer Manuel answers the call and tells Vincent to stay inside and lock the door. The cop eventually returns to inform him that the woman was found dead and the search for the old man is ongoing.

Vincent's initial calls for a new unit lead nowhere. And once again, he witnesses activity in the unit across the hallway. There, he catches the old man digging around, and then starting straight at him as if seeing him watching. Officer Manuel takes Vincent's call and tells him he will visit soon. The cop actually hints the meeting might be more than just work related. Vincent is bothered. Vincent once again sleeps with the sword in his hands.

He wakes up to an apparition. The woman begging for help is hovering above him. And when he tries to reach out, she vanishes. The phone rings that moment and he finds a message from one of the unit owners telling him that the unit he wanted to purchase was now free. Vincent opts to quickly visit the location, urgent to move as soon as possible.

While the new unit shows promise, with handsome neighbors and a seemingly quiet location, Vincent catches the attention of a young Asian child who keeps watching him. He tries talking to her, but she avoids direct conversation, only warning him the unit is supposedly haunted. He arrives back at his old unit to see Officer Manuel already there. What begins seemingly as a fantasy come to life, turns out to be a horrible abduction attempt with Manuel admitting he is merely following orders. The old man from the unit above appears at the door that moment, and Manuel and his companion kill the man without remorse. Vincent witnesses the companion "recover" from the bullet wound, and Manuel asks Vincent to cooperate. When asked who was asking for them to be abducted, Vincent receives no clear response.

He discovers the person who had him abducted happens to be his long dead parents, who had faked their deaths as they were Embraced into the Ventrue Clan. And both had petitioned for Vincent to be allowed to live a few more years just so his introduction to the Clan had him at a more mature age. Both parents however, admit their Sire was the one who called for his Embrace now. And that Sire happens to be the young Asian girl, Ming.

Ming admits Vincent is a most gifted individual, with glimpses of the future, with hints of seeing spirits, and before Vincent can ask how she knew of those things, it is revealed that even Whitney was a ghoul that served Ming. Manuel breaks through the room, beginning for Vincent to be allowed instead to remain human. But Ming instead has a vile idea. Sensing Vincent's rage towards Whitney's betrayal, she offers both the chance at the Embrace, provided one kill the other. Vincent demands he be given Manuel as his own ghoul if he survives, and the two duke it out. It does not take long before Vincent's inherent manipulative gaze catches Whitney off-guard, giving him the opening to end her life.

*

The Embrace however is not kind to Vincent. Though the years pass with him and Manuel sharing the eternal night together, Vincent's selective thirst being Ventrue happened to be being able only to feed on those who had fallen in love with him. But since Manuel needed to be fed back blood to retain his ghouldom, the Blood Bond soon quenched all existence of any true passion.

Unwilling to live the eternal night without a true semblance of love, Vincent rose to the Empire State Building to welcome the coming sun. And perhaps as a final touch of hope, Manuel's spirit appeared, offered his hand, and carried Vincent away to the lands without life leaving nothing but the embers and ashes of his corporeal form behind.





*

The game was definitely deemed heavy.  Alessandro expressed how drained he felt, but at the same time was definitely thankful for being given such an engaging game.  And I have to admit, I felt very happy since it always feels good to break someone's gamer hymen, so to speak.

Here's to another game with you soon, Alessandro.