12/20/23 - Diaboli Rapinae

PCs: Bloom, Guy, Kuno (new), Talisman, Charon, Damon

Notable NPCs: Claudia, Veruz (new), Zetian

8:35 session begins

We are gathered in the evening, after our other activities have wound down. Bloom calls everybody - Guy, Talisman, Charon - to gather around.

Bloom shares that he needs a little help today, if we’re willing. A friend of his has answers that may be helpful for us. The friend wants Bloom to pay “someone” a visit - likely not pleasant, but Bloom promises the group won’t need to do the dirty work. We’re just here to provide protection against the impure and whatever defenses the mark has. Guy apologizes for what happened on the last mission. Charon asks how dirty Bloom’s hands are getting, and Bloom says he’s not sure yet, but probably very. The friend is not happy at all with the mark. Charon asks who the friend is, and Bloom says that he won’t share until we’re outside camp.

Guy uses two recovery.

Bloom suggests leaving under the cover of nightfall. He estimates we’re about 4 or 5 miles out. Guy reminds us that there are a lot of things out there at night, but Talis remarks that they’ve run missions at night before and it wasn’t a huge issue. Bloom agrees, and suggests we go stealthily.

Guy and Talis go to rat races. Bloom and Charon go to lucky eights.

As we leave camp, Charon notices something following us - something dark skittering through the tents. She alerts us quietly. Bloom asks who - or what - it is, but Charon gets no successes on their physical check and can only make out that it seems small - halfling or dwarf sized. Talis offers to light up the area (not with fire), but Bloom and Charon decide to walk over to investigate. Guy hides behind Talisman. Bloom looks behind a barrel, and sees glowing yellow eyes looking back at them.

Jonah describes his character as a small figure in massively oversized clothes completely covering other features. He has a large tattered hat covering mostly all of the face - no discernable details, almost like a silhouette. He carries a large book with tattered edges. His name is Kuno. He says he saw us sneaking around, so he followed us. He and Charon have a conversation - mostly revolving around how Kuno is/is not a beastie. Talis and Guy walk over. Kuno asks to come along with us on our “stroll” (a cover from Guy), and Bloom agrees if Kuno agrees to not say anything about what transpires.

Charon asks where Kuno comes from, and Kuno says “here” - as in camp, being part of the Brigade. He proudly shows us a badge describing his rank. He hasn’t been part of it for long - or maybe long? He says he doesn’t really know. “They helped me, so I helped them, and now I’m helping you!”

Athena (OOC) asks if we have a roster for everyone in the brigade. Colin laughs and says no.

We make brief introductions, and Jonah describes “unabashed staring” at Talisman from Kuno. Talis meets his eyes once, then (badly) pretends not to notice the staring. We learn that Kuno is three feet tall (three and a half with the hat).

Bloom is Commander, Guy is Marshall, Talisman is Lorekeeper, Charon is nothing. Kuno is also nothing. Bloom spends one intel to ask what two approaches we can take on this mission are. Colin mandates we choose a different question. Bloom then asks on a scale from 1-10, how dangerous the mission is. Colin puts it at an 8 “because it can go as low as 2, and as high as 10. I would say given your group, [it’s leaning more towards the 10].”

Someone disrespects someone else (in terms of engagement roll), but we don’t know who or what (if I had to guess, it would be Kuno and Talisman, but we don’t know for sure). At the end of the engagement roll, we roll 2d6 and get “risky position.”

It grows dark and cold as we make our way out of camp. Charon begins to smell blood ahead of us, then we all do. We hear snapping and breaking from the same direction. Guy suggests we hide in the underbrush. Bloom asked if the snapping and breaking was moving or static, and it is static. Charon and Bloom sneak forward, and Guy, Talis, and Kuno remain hidden. Bloom kills the stealth (physical) check with four successes, and Charon gets one. They find an old sunken road and the remnants of a battle. Impure carcasses are everywhere. In the middle of this carnage, we find a man and a woman.

Damon and Claudia are killing impure. Damon has blue eyes and white hair now, but similar clothing still.

Damon proudly proclaims that he is back, and can’t explain what brought him back. “Very classified information.” Bloom checks to see if it’s the same Damon he once knew, and gets one success. It is revealed that he talks the same, looks the same, but with the change in the eyes and hair… all Bloom knows is that something has changed.

Damon and Claudia ask what they’re doing out here, and Bloom says he’s taking care of something. Charon then asks what they;re doing out here, and Damon says killing impure, helping the brigade out - “the usual”. Charon checked to see if Claudia looked different and Colin described that she looks like “a million bucks”. Charon waves everyone forward.

Damon asks if there’s anything he missed since he’s been gone. Bloom says we’ve had a few missions since then, things did happen but Damon can be filled in later.

Guy tries to hug Damon but is pushed away. Guy apologizes, then thanks Damon for being on the mission to save him. Claudia is staring at Talis too, just like Kuno.

Damon says he’s been back for “a while.” We tell him of General Crane. Damon says he did mean to come back eventually, but we’ve found him now, so that’s fun.

Bloom tells us that the friend he’s running the favor for is a devil known as Bob. Why anyone would call that dude a “friend” is beyond me. Charon continues to suck at rolls, and doesn’t recognize the name at first, but then uses his lucky eights to reroll. He has heard, idly, talk of a devil called Bob. He doesn’t know much, but the name is always talked about fearfully in hushed tones. A powerful entity, if he had to guess. Bloom reveals he has a deal with Bob, and “strange things have been happening after the deal”, and he wants to know why, so Bob promised info if he tracked down and punished another deal-maker of Bob - details of their transgression is unknown, all that he knows is that they didn’t exactly stick to the deal. Bloom says that he didn’t have a ton of choice in the deal with Bob, he’s what they call a “product” of that deal. Apparently, the real Bloom wanted to desert, but not leave, so this person we know as “Bloom” is who Bob sent in the “real” Bloom’s place. Apparently, the “real” Bloom wanted to stay, but didn’t have the fortitude to stay. He was quite shaken after a run-in with the Black Horn. The new person we know as Bloom “is” bloom - he’s still in there, somewhere, but our Bloom is the one making the decisions for now. Guy says it best: “That’s confusing. That sucks.”

Charon asks if this version of Bloom is fine with being called Bloom, and he says that he doesn’t really have a name, so Bloom is fine. We can call him Angel if we prefer, but it doesn't matter. Everyone agrees to continue with the mission - some confused, some nervous, some hungry - and so we move on. Claudia suggests she and Damon scout ahead, and says some underhanded things about “letting” damon go alone last time he scouted ahead. Talis said “let” is a strong word, and Claudia said she thinks Talis “let” a lot of things happen. He asked if she has a problem with him, and she says no. Then Claudia asks if Damon wants to continue forward, or stay with “... these people.” He agrees to scout ahead.

We sneak forward. Talis notices a figure watching him from the woods, and he asks if Charon can see it but Charon cannot.

Damon and Claudia find a house ahead, with a staircase coming out of it leading to a grey-white ball floating above the house - and about the house’s size, too. See below. “Certainly strange” (colin)

There are a TON of dead impure here. They seem to have died like they were pushed through a fine cheese strainer or something, hacked to bits cleanly. Shredded. Bloom tosses a stick, but the stick remains intact. Guy digs up a plant and tosses it, but the plant remains intact. Charon checks to see if he thought someone was having fun with the chopping - 2 successes on spirit - and got the answer “probably not the Banker… these bodies are shredded. Where’s the fun in that?”

Charon syas it’s probably not “my guy”. Bloom asks “you’ve got a guy?” and Charon says “more like he had me…”

Guy holds out a finger and walks forward. He makes it to the door and notices a large circular sigil on it. He touches the building, nothing happens, so he waves everyone else over. Charon and Talis both try to figure out what the sigil is, and get a total of 2 successes between them. The runes might have something to do with movement on the outside, and the central rune might be knowledge or truth or something. Not sure.

Guy is about to open the door, but Charon tells him to wait and asks Claudia to fly to the roof with them so they can look for an alternative entrance. There’s a chimney and the odd staircase. When Charon looks into the chimney, they see themselves looking back up. They say “eugh is my makeup really that bad?” And the other Charon responds and asks to be released. OG Charon freaks out a little. Other Charon has a book too, and they have an odd conversation about identity. Claudia takes a look as well, upon invitation, and laughs at the Charons. Bitch.

Other Charon asks to be released and is very impatient about it. “If you can’t rely on yourself, who can you rely on?” OG Charon is not happy about this. Damon scrambles up to look down the chimney, and sees other Charon wedges about ten feet down.

Other Charon says they were trying to go down the chimney because “we” wanted to find a different way inside, and they thought it would be a good way to go. They describe that they were with the same group we currently are - odd time shenanigans maybe??

OG Charon runs to the edge of the roof and carries Bloom up. Talis, Guy, and Kuno just vibe I guess. Real Kenergy. Other Charon insists they are the original, and continues to beg for help. OG Charon says to say something only a Charon would know. Other Charon reveals they’re afraid of squirrels. OG Charon asks who they worship, and Other Charon says the Maiden (correct answer).

Bloom looks to see if they still have Charon’s book, and they do not. Bloom asks us to find it, and Guy finds it buried under a pile of gore. Guy picks it up, screams, and drops it. Bloom and Charon apologize and reference “the skin” on the cover of the book. Guy tosses it back up to Bloom. Bloom asks to try “an exercise” , and tries to close the book to see who disappears. Both Charons scream. Bloom opens it, and the last thing Charon remembers is leaving camp. Charon kind of freaks out. Bloom gently describes the situation, and Charon recounts their last moments of memory (finding “the beastie” and leaving camp). Bloom continues to describe the recent events, and calls on Claudia to corroborate when Charon is disbelieving. But for now, no second Charon has resurfaced. Charon asks Bloom to make sure their book remains open for now.

Bloom asks Talis to see if the rune is active. He turns to look, and Kuno is scribbling away in his book. Kuno says that, if you speak a secret to the rune, you’ll be teleported inside the house. Bloom tries to use the secret that he is the product of a deal with Bob, and Bloom disappears.

Kuno does a happy dance and says he likes magic. He then asks Claudia how she transforms, and she says she’s a vampire who gained abilities from “the original vampire”.

Guy watched a family die in front of him at the battle of Tpres.

Charon is scared of squirrels because they might eat all of his pages. This declaration earned them a hero point.

Talis made a deal with Bob to be brought back to life.

Kuno doesn’t know where he came from.

Damon whispers his secret into the door, and we don’t know what he said.

We find ourselves in front of the front door of a nice little cottage :) it’s got a hearth, a library/sitting room (we can hear utensils being used in this room), and a long long infinite hallway that Kuno is very excited by, with rooms sprouting off either side of it.

Bloom (and subsequently, the rest of us) follows the sound of the utensils. Guy gives Kuno a fistbump, and we get the weird question from Colin saying “How does your flesh feel, Kuno?” Jonah describes it as feeling of very little substance through the glove, as though the glove were filled with air.

There’s a guy eating a wonderful dinner of lamb chops and fresh tomatoes, and we can smell warm, freshly-baked bread. This man says it takes a certain magical panache to get inside his “roost”, and he hopes we’re friend and not foe. Bloom said we’re here on behalf of “a mutual third friend”, and Veruz says that there’s no need for violence. He notes that Charon is bound to the book, and it is revealed that Charon’s book is bound in Charon’s own flesh. He asks some questions about the makeup of the book that Charon cannot answer (out of not knowing), and he declines to take a look at the book because they may be enemies soon, and he wouldn’t want to invade such a personal space without friendship and trust.

He offers us food, and Guy accepts. Bloom points out that it could be poisoned, and Guy freaks out. Veruz says poison is lazy, and Guy panics asking if it’s something worse. Veruz says that it is not tampered with, and that he doesn’t want to fight. He says that fighting is the idiot’s way out of things. Bloom notes that Veruz is “quite the flatterer”, and Veruz defends himself by saying that compliments are free, but could brighten someone’s day for a month.

Veruz calls Kuno a “young shade” when Kuno asks about the magic in his house. Guy wants and eats seconds. Kuno asks what a shade is, and Veruz says a shade is a fragment of a person tied here when two or more different kinds of magic interweave in such a way that they interrupt the process of dying, and the person is shredded. Charon asks if they are like that, and Veruz says no. Talis eats as well.

Veruz asks what brings us here, and Bloom says Bob. Bloom asks what kind of deal he made, and asks if Bob gave him the cabin. Veruz says no and that he made the cabin himself, and that his deal with Bob “runs a little deeper.” He is not comfortable sharing more.

He says it was necessary to break the covenant, because certain events were messing with his research. He was required to take certain actions, but assures us it was a “small” breach. Apparently, Bob is very displeased, however (according to Bloom). Bloom shares that Bob sent Bloom to punish Veruz, and Veruz says that Bloom doesn’t seem to be the type to deal punishments, but rather to share a warm meal with.

When we reference the huge pile of undead around his house, he asks if there’s another mage of some kind creating abominations of nature. We tell him of Althara, because he didn’t already know. He thought she was chained at Deelio 6 (sp??). When we told him she’s free now, he says that would align with “the omens.” He asks if we’ve awakened Torvians. We say no. He says he’s hunting a specific torvian that was prophesized to awaken. His deal with Bob was born out of his own desire for knowledge and the power of this torvian. He believes Bob believes he’s troublesome, and it could be because he’s a purveyor of long-forgotten magics. His work has proven effective against devils.

This was Carowyn (the greatest mage to have ever lived)’s second apprentice. Kuno is starstruck. Charon is too.

Bloom asks who Carowyn is. Veruz says they were a purveyor of all the types of magic, awakened powerful torvians (plural?!) in himself, and battled incredible threats. He was able to harness every source to their fullest potential.

Bloom asks about the torvian that Veruz is hunting. Veruz doesn’t answer yet, instead asking if we’re friends or if there will be a fight tonight. Kuno wants to be friends. Bloom says that if Veruz can offer information on something particular (what Bob was originally going to offer), Bloom can let him go. Veruz accepts that deal.

We all sit. He provides us all food.

Bloom says a friend tried to delve into his mind and instead found a “Meropian seal” on his mind. Veruz says now this is “certainly curious.” He says perhaps fate has delivered them together. He’s tracking the 9 most powerful torvians of existence. A meropian seal is woven into the fabric of the universe, created with no less than five high gods working together. Bloom doesn’t know where he’s from, his memories start

He believes bob is trying to cultivate the xeroxixia. That’s what Veruz is studying, and we told him about the lab up north. He says the xeroxixia “is the greatest of the exalted 9.” In other words, the greatest torvian ever. Torvian energy is not drawn or formed from each unique torvian, but instead each torvian draws from a pool of torvian magic. This magic can be allocated to different torvians in different amounts. One who holds the exalted 9 - the 9 most powerful torvians - is likely among the ten most powerful people ever. Some other examples of exalted 9 are “mutaria” and “karabox” Omens of the xeroxixia started appearing, so he decided to track down where he thought it might appear. He thinks he’s right since theres a meropian seal right in front of him, and a bunch of aether souls with torvians yet to be unlocked in front of him.

It may or may not have something to do with Xix, it’s never been proven or disproven. Maybe the root of his name.

He wants the torvian safe, but doesn’t clarify whether or not he wants it for himself.

He’s asking if our spirits are “bold”, if we have the tenacity to seize life by the horns. We all look at Damon. He asks about Damon’s lineage, but Damon doesn’t answer.

Guy makes the great call that he probably keeps the secrets from the door. Veruz confirms it. We are uncomfortable with this.

Charon passes him the book, and he asks what Charon wants him to do with it. Charon doesn’t know. He begins to note that the book is very old, an interesting construction for a grimoire. The chants are “photodactic” (phototactic?) in nature. He asks who made it, and Charon says Nicholas Black. He IMMEDIATELY drops the book, but then apologizes. He’s willing to look further, but in much more controlled circumstances. Apparently, the Banker tends to leave traps in his work, and Veruz does not want to fall victim to that ish.

Bloom shares the general idea of where the lab was. Bloom asks him to look at the seal, and says that there were a few “higher-ups” that were pissed when his friend tried to look. Veruz agrees, and says he plans to break apart the seal VERY slowly, since the power inside is so immense. After a few clarifying questions, Bloom agrees. Veruz asks if any of us have meropian seals as well, and says we likely wouldn’t know unless someone told you. So we said probably not. He said that maybe at some point he could look through each and every one of our heads to see if there’s something he should know about.

He asked where our camp was, and offered to let us stay. We politely declined, saying we’re trying to get the camp to Widowstone Keep eventually.

This guy has legitimately no knowledge of what is going on outside or current events, good lord.

He offers to drop us off at camp on his way to examining the lab. He promises to examine Bloom when he’s back from the lab. Guy offers to stay and help Veruz with his work. Kuno asks if he’d teach him more magic, and Veruz says absolutely. Kuno jumps at the opportunity, after Jonah (OOC) confirms Kuno would still be able to go on missions.

Charon says that they’re looking for the Maiden, so cannot stay.

We learned that, in an event  called the Carnival of Knives, the Maiden assassinated the last Tsar of Kovorov in an insane series of events. Please reference vod for the full thing because that was impossible to keep up with.

He gave us chocolate cake, and after brief conversation we were dropped off at camp. Kuno asks to drop something off before returning, and Veruz agrees.

Bloom asks us not to mention his situation to anyone else yet, and we agree. After geting back to camp, Kuno runs straight to Zetian. Zetian is currently stacking grapes. Kuno says he has a report on what Talisman is up to. What the fuck. Anyways, Zetian asks Kuno to come back for regular reports on what Kuno is learning. He wants Kuno to learn how to send him messages. Zetian then pulls off certain death runes off of Kuno’s back that would have killed Kuno instantly upon activation (no one knows that in character though). That revelation is where we end the session (11:05 pm). Full runtime: 2.5 hrs exactly.